《Genius Detective》


 Chapter 1: Wang Yueche Murder Case

    <h4>Chapter 1: Wang Yueche Murder Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 1: The Mysterious Driver


    He was kneeling in a pool of blood, desperately trying to wake a quickly stiffening corpse when he was alerted by the sudden sound of footsteps.


    He picked up the pistol from the pool of blood and pointed it at the personing towards him, screaming, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    No matter how many times he pressed the trigger, the rounds didn¡¯t budge. The approaching figure mockingly spoke, "Haha, what a scene! The Great Detective Song Lang, actually killing his superior and partner with his very own hands! I can''t wait to see the headlines in the newspapers tomorrow!"


    Rage welled up in Song Lang¡¯s chest, ready to erupt at a moment¡¯s notice. He threw down his gun and rushed towards the criminal that had cornered him. Before Song Lang could even get within reaching distance, the other party suddenly pulled out an iron pipe from behind them and smashed it against Song Lang¡¯s head. Song Lang dropped to the ground, fresh blood drenching his temples.


    The mysterious person dropped the iron pipe onto the floor, the sound crisp and piercing to the ear.


    "Listen up, from now on, the Great Detective Song Lang will disappear forever. If I so much as get a whiff of your trail after this, I will hunt you down and strip you of everything that you cherish once more!" The unknown figure thenughed and disappeared into the darkness...


    Chen Shi jolted awake. In the rear-view mirror, he saw a face that was drenched in sweat, and he felt like his appearance resembled that of a stranger. Even though he would dly trade his entire life to forget his past, that blood-stained, tainted night would repeatedly appear in his dreams, tormenting him.


    He took out a pack of cigarettes from the glove box and shook it, only to find that the packet was already empty, so he threw it back into the glovebox with annoyance.


    Damn, I¡¯ve worked up a sweat again. Although it was the beginning of Autumn, ol¡¯ Autumn was truly unforgiving. When the seasons are changing, if you don¡¯t pay attention to the changes in weather, you¡¯ll catch a cold. Us drivers are in a profession where we don¡¯t have the freedom and luxury to stay in bed for a couple of days.


    He nced at the clock and noticed that it was already two in the morning, almost time to return home and take a hot shower before getting some sleep.


    There was a beep from Chen Shi¡¯s phone, notifying him of a new request. The passenger who ordered his services was a kilometer away.


    He looked at the passenger¡¯s desired destination and noticed that it was en-route to his house. Getting to return home while also making enough money to buy some skewers, why not? He clicked to confirm the order in a practiced manner, then started the car.


    A feminine figure emerged in front of the headlights, so Chen Si vainly ran a hand through his messy hair that was all over the ce.


    A pair of slender and beautiful snow-white legs elegantly stepped towards the back seat and opened the door. The beauty bent down to enter, and Chen Shi¡¯s eyes watched her through the rear-view mirror, ncing down... Hmm, she¡¯s at least a D.


    ¡°Where are we going, beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak such useless drivel. Didn¡¯t the order already say that we need to go to the Feng ZhiLin Hotel?!¡±


    The beauty bluntlyined.


    After the car started, the beauty took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag. Chen Shi extended two fingers towards her, and discourteously dered, ¡°Come on, I forgot to buy cigarettes, and the craving is really hard to bear.¡±


    The only answer he got was the disdainful look that she shot at him before the beauty rolled her eyes and put the cigarettes back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Chen Shi continued to make conversation when there was nothing more to be said, ¡°You¡¯re going to the hotel ale into the night, and your boyfriend isn¡¯ting to pick you up? That¡¯s too irresponsible!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to see a friend!¡±


    ¡°Ah, the ssic go-to answer. In the night, it wouldn¡¯t be good if you were to encounter a bad person¡±.


    ¡°A bad person?¡± The beauty sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not like the words ¡°bad guy¡± is going to be written on their faces!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I¡¯m not bullshitting you, if there truly were a murderer that came into my car, I would be able to tell nine times out of ten what their true disposition was.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why don¡¯t you tell me what a murderer looks like then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, murderers? They generally have shifty eyes, have an alert demeanor, and are especially sensitive and irritable. Often, they will avoid talking about their circumstances.¡±


    The beauty snorted, ¡°You make it sound like you have prior experience with this.¡±


    Feeling as if they¡¯ve been chatting for some time now, Chen Shi thickened his skin and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s add each other on WeChat, beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    ¡°Just trying to get to know you, why are you acting so guarded?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t feel like there¡¯s a need to get to know people like you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, pretend I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Chen Shi skilfully retracted his advancing troops[1].


    After some silence, the beauty pulled out a phone from her bag and nced at Chen Shi using the rear-view mirror. Then she typed out a message on her phone. ¡°Honey, this driver won¡¯t stop talking. So irritating!¡±


    ------------------------------------


    ¡°On the morning of September 11th, around a hundred meters from the bridge on Xi Anfu Road, a female body was found next to the river. The deceased was around 25 years old, possessed a slender frame, and had an aesthetically pleasing face. The clothes of the deceased were damaged and torn, and rope marks were left on her neck. The preliminary report prepared by the coroner identified that the cause of death was strangtion from behind. The woman also had sexual activity prior to her death. We then found the satchel that the deceased was carrying around three hundred meters downstream. It contained her ID, phone, and other personal items. Upon investigation, it can be confirmed that the 1,000 Yuan[2] of cash that the deceased was carrying has been taken. The mobile phone could not be turned on after getting soaked in the river. After it was repaired, thest two messages sent by the deceased to her boyfriend were uncovered. The first message was as follows, ¡°Honey, this driver won¡¯t stop talking. So irritating!¡± The second message found stated, ¡°Just got off, and I think there¡¯s someone following me.¡± The police visited the deceased¡¯s boyfriend, who confirmed that he had received the two aforementioned texts. Currently, we are trying to contact the Wang Yueche[3] tform to investigate the personal situation of the driver.


    After the Captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Lin Qiupu, used a calm tone to read out the case details, those that were silently listening to his speech began to stir.


    ¡°Is it another Wang Yueche driver murder case?¡±


    ¡°Is the quality of Wang Yueche drivers so bad nowadays? I think this shady tform that allows such drivers to be employed should just be banned.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blindly jump to conclusions just yet. Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that the murderer is the driver.¡±


    ¡°Using the time of death to infer, the incident happened around three in the morning, and the traffic around the bridge was scarce, so the likelihood of the murderer being the driver is very high!¡±


    Lin Qiupu knocked his hand down on the table a few times, and his subordinates immediately quieted down. Lin Qiupu continued, ¡°Wang Yueche, rape, murder, and a young female. Less than a month after thest Wang Yueche homicide, I did not expect that these words would once again appear in a case file. Once the case is exposed to the public, there will be an enormous social impact, so the superiors are cing great importance and special attention on this case. They¡¯ve ordered us to solve this case as soon as possible. I will hold off the pressure from the higher-ups and the media. The case will be investigated as normal. As such, all vacations over the next two days are canceled. If you usually sleep for seven hours, you¡¯ll sleep for five hours now. Fight for results within the next forty-eight hours! Does everyone have confidence that they will be able to bring about results?¡±


    Typically, these words would be very harsh and strict. However, when they came from Lin Qiupu, they brought with them apelling and calm aura. Many female police officers who watched the cool and collected Lin Qiupu make his speech had stars in their eyes[4].


    As for the male officers, they could only look on at their lovesick female colleagues and sigh. Comparing yourself to others will lead to the death of any joy in your life.


    ¡°We have confidence!¡± The members of the unit answered in harmony.


    ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll assign the tasks. Xiao Qi, take people to re-examine the areas of the crime scene...¡±


    The officers left the meeting room in quick session. Lin Qiupu was packing up the case files when he suddenly noticed a gaze behind him. His hands paused briefly, then carried on organizing his materials. Without turning his head around, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re still not leaving?¡±


    ¡°Why do you always assign me to irrelevant and unimportant tasks like surveying the deceased¡¯s interpersonal rtionships?!¡± The female officer asked with an aggressive tone.


    ¡°Irrelevant and unimportant? To me, nothing is irrelevant and unimportant. Every task is a necessaryponent of the investigation. You only need to obey the order!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what you say sure sounds good. It¡¯s the same thing every time. All the dangerous and difficult tasks never get assigned to me. Will I always be the clueless little girl who will never grow up in your eyes? Lin Qiupu, I stayed at the police academy for four years to be a sessful police officer, not to juste out and leisurely experience life!¡±


    Lin Qiupu finally turned around, meeting her eyes full of questions. His expression softened. ¡°Sister, I...¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin!¡± The female officer suddenly raised her voice, ¡°Is it appropriate to address someone in such an intimate manner within the station?¡±


    She walked to the door and stopped in her tracks briefly, ¡°Brother, I will make you recognize my merits through the contributions I make in this case!¡±


    Watching her back as she left, Lin Qiupu¡¯s face showed a bitter smile.


    1. A Chinese saying that describes people who are well versed in halting their advances when things go awry.


    2. 1,000 Chinese Yuan is about 140 USD.


    3. Wang Yueche is a tform like Uber.


    4. Eyes like this: https://tenor/view/anime-amazed-eyes-sparkle-gif-11618062

 Chapter 2: Lin Dongxue

    <h4>Chapter 2: Lin Dongxue</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue went down to the underground garage out of habit, reminding her that her car was getting repairs done at the mechanics. Two weeks ago, she crashed her car while she was chasing after a suspect. She vited over a dozen traffic rules in a single breath, so all her points were deducted from her license. She also received severe disciplinary action as she disobeyed orders by acting as she did.


    Annoyed by the memory, she started walking outside, when all of a sudden, a car honked at her. A police sedan slowed down and rolled up beside her. A smiling face emerged behind the window, which was being slowly rolled down, ¡°Dongxue, I¡¯ll give you a ride!¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Lin Dongxue bluntly refused.


    ¡°Fighting with your older brother again?¡± Based on her tone and expression, the clever Xu Xiaodong urately guessed what her situation was, ¡°Why are you acting so unhappy? The criminal investigation unit¡¯s captain is your brother by blood. Others can¡¯t even hope to develop such a close rtionship with the captain, no matter how much they yearn for it. If I were you, I¡¯d be smiling, even in my dreams.¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly stopped and raised her brows, yelling, ¡°In everyone¡¯s eyes, I am just the captain¡¯s little sister. Nobody has ever thought of me as just Lin Dongxue. If you want to be his sister so badly, then go ahead. I wouldn¡¯t long for this position in a million years!¡± With that, she hastened her pace and left the garage.


    ¡°I only casually spoke about it. What about the conversation made her so angry?¡± Xu Xiaodong scratched his head in confusion.


    After passing a few intersections, Lin Dongxue calcted that she was not at risk of running into Xu Xiaodong again, as she had avoided his usual route when leaving the precinct. Lin Dongxue took out her phone and called for a Wang Yueche. The driver seemed to ept the order within seconds, but after waiting for five minutes, the car icon on the map still hadn¡¯t moved. Lin Dongxue dialed the driver, ¡°What¡¯s going on? I¡¯ve stood here for five minutes already!¡±


    The driver answered unapologetically, ¡°Sorry, beautiful; I¡¯m in a bit of a situation here. Would you mind walking over?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m going to call for another car!¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount, okay? Do you see a beef stew restaurant across the road?¡±


    ¡°I can see it. What about it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a little alley next to it. You¡¯ll be able to see me once you cross the street.¡±


    ¡°So troublesome!¡±


    Lin Dongxue hung up and crossed the street, and walked into the alleyway. Initially, she had thought that the ¡°situation¡± the driver spoke of would be a traffic jam, but there were barely any cars around. There was an uncle on the side who was washing a car, using a hose dragged from a nearby kitchen of a restaurant.


    It was a red Changan Eado [1]. Lin Dongxue verified the license te and confirmed that this was the Wang Yueche which was meant to pick her up.


    Lin Dongxue walked over and crossed her arms as she stood next to the driver. The driver waspletely oblivious, andined as he washed the car, ¡°This damn sparrow could have pooped anywhere else, but it just had to poop on my beloved car!¡±


    Lin Dongxue coughed dramatically, and the driver turned around and smiled, ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve arrived? Step right in!¡±


    Lin Dongxue stared him down angrily, ¡°This is the situation that you were going on about? I waited five whole minutes on the side of the road, yet you were here washing your car so leisurely?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so petty. It was only five minutes.¡±


    ¡°You say it so casually. Even if you were to have wasted just one second of someone else¡¯s time, let alone five minutes, would you be able topensate for that one second?¡±


    The driver turned around, wearing a sleek smile fitting a middle-aged man who¡¯d walked through countless experiences in his life on his face. Combined with a pair of stern eyes, he argued, ¡°If you must say it that way, then I¡¯ll have to undergo a little theoretical exchange with you. From the ce you were originally standing to our present location, it was merely a straight line with a distance of fifty meters. However, if I were to drive, I would have had to go around the block, meaning I would require at least ten minutes to get to you. From this perspective, I didn¡¯t waste five of your minutes. Instead of costing you time, I saved you five minutes. With regards to the car wash, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a clean freak. There were bird droppings on the windshield, and since I get very ufortable when looking at it, it could cause an ident because I wouldn¡¯t be able to focus with the droppings in front of me. Would you not say that it¡¯s better to wash the car in order to provide better service or to just continue with these hazards?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, all these excuses.¡± Lin Dongxue snorted, ¡°Even if what you say is true, why didn¡¯t you take the initiative to call me earlier instead of causing me to wait for five whole minutes?¡±


    ¡°That was my fault. I just so happened to be using my phone at the time. My mother had cerebral thrombosis and had just finished her surgery to remove the blood clots, so the doctor gave me a call. Wouldn¡¯t you say that¡¯s a call that I had to pick up?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless, ¡°Okay, I get it, I get it. Stop ying the sympathy cards and just start the car already!¡±


    Sitting in the back seat, Lin Dongxue saw the name ¡°Chen Shi¡± on the license disyed. Chen Shi adjusted the rear-view mirror a little, and a pair of shifty eyes fell on Lin Dongxue¡¯s chest area. He opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Where are we going, beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Are you retarded? Did you not look at the address when you took the order?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I used to drive a taxi, so it¡¯s a habit of mine to ask whoever gets into the car... Just some small talk, but it¡¯s all just useless banter either way.¡±


    ¡°Who would want to chat with you? Don¡¯t tter yourself!¡±


    After a period of silent driving, Lin Dongxue noticed that there were a pair of leering eyes focused on her, making her very unhappy. She patted the shoulder of the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Watch the road, alright? Stop being such a pervert.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staring at you. I¡¯m currently observing you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue breathed out augh, ¡°What exactly are you observing?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an internal fire within your liver [2]. Are you finding that you have insomnia as ofte, morning bitterness in the mouth, and a white tongue [3]?¡±


    ¡°Y-you know Chinese medicine?!¡±


    ¡°I know a few things here and there,¡± Chen Shi smiled and took out a pack of cigarettes from the glove box.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t smoke in the car! Don¡¯t you have any manners?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to see how many were left, or is that not allowed?¡± Chen Shi shook the packet and threw it back inside the glovebox, ¡°What type of work do you do, beautiful?¡±


    ¡°None of your business! Just drive the car!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a police officer, right?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. She checked her body from head to toe. I¡¯m wearing casual clothes, so could he possibly have seen my gun? Impossible! The gun was hidden behind her jacket the whole time, and the gun belt was also hidden very well.


    The talkative driver chattered to himself without any prompting, ¡°upations leave a mark on people. The way you look at people is unlike that ofmon folk. The look in your eyes is usually present in those working inw enforcement.¡±


    ¡°So, why did you guess that I was a police officer out of anyw enforcement profession?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°The ce where you got into the car is two streets away from the police station. It also just so happened that a few police cars drove out. Hey, can you divulge a little information on what kind of case you guys are currently investigating?¡±


    Originally, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t want to tell the truth. Even so, she decided to use this opportunity to retaliate back against this know-it-all, so she boasted, ¡°The Wang Yueche driver homicide!¡±


    Chen Shi replied without a hint of amazement, ¡°Oh, really? If you need me to cooperate in any way, give me a buzz. Oh, yeah. Will there be a reward if we provide informative leads?¡±


    ¡°You have a lead?¡±


    ¡°Not currently, but if there¡¯s a generous reward, I could go and investigate a little myself.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you make it sound like you can actually investigate cases or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just cracking a case; it simply requires a little luck. Maybe I¡¯ll be fortuitous today!¡±


    His words made Lin Dongxue very unhappy. She wanted to argue but stopped when her phone rang. A WeChat notification popped up, informing her that Xu Xiaodong added her into a group chat. Every time there was a new case, he would set up a group chat to exchange information and be up-to-date on any progress.


    Xu Xiaodong excitedly informed everyone, ¡°I found out who the Wang Yueche driver was on that day!¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed a face of disdain. What a show-off!


    A long message appeared in the chat, ¡°Chen Shi, male, 36 years old, a citizen of Wu¡¯An City, driven for 15 years, his license te number is...¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked up and saw the dopey smile on the photo of the license disyed. Suddenly, sweat trickled down her back as she pulled out her gun in a panic and pointed it at Chen Shi¡¯s head, ¡°I order you to stop the car immediately!¡±


    [1] The Changan Eado is a car produced by a Chinese Auto Manufacturer called ¡°Changan¡±.


    [2] A condition which is non-life threatening and urs when you¡¯ve had lots of ¡°hot¡± food (i.e. deep-fried foods, junk, spicy food, etc.),ck of sleep and/or stress. Food is categorized as either yin (cold) or yang (hot) in traditional Chinese medicine, and has various subcategories as well. However, for a basic understanding, visit here: https://archive.shine/feature/ideal/Beginners-guide-to-TCM-food-ssification/shdaily.shtml.


    [3] White tongue is the result of an overgrowth and swelling of the papie on the surface of your tongue. The appearance of a white coating is caused by debris, bacteria and dead cells getting lodged between the erged and sometimes inmed papie.

 Chapter 3: Bumping into the Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 3: Bumping into the Suspect</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After a few seconds of silence, Chen Shi nced at the rear-view mirror indifferently and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I told you to stop the car! Didn¡¯t you hear me?!¡±


    ¡°Look, do you think I can just spontaneously stop in the middle of the road? We have to go past the intersectioning up before I do anything!¡±


    ¡°Stop the car! Stop right now!¡± Lin Dongxue was severely dissatisfied with the other party¡¯s indifferent attitude. He was clearly the murder suspect, yet he seemed so apathetic about the current situation. In response to his words, she kicked the driver¡¯s seat.


    Aside from her nervousness and fear, she also felt a little excited. This situation was God helping her by cing the suspect right in front of her. With this, she finally had a sliver of hope of gaining recognition for her skills and merits.


    The slightest change on her face was observed by the sharp eyes looking back at her from the rear-view mirror. Chen Shi casually reasoned, ¡°When you looked at your phone just then, your attitude changed dramatically. It seems that you guys must have made a mistake and think that I¡¯m a murder suspect.¡±


    ¡°Made a mistake? That isn¡¯t for you to decide. Now,e back to the station with me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll point out three ws for you.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Lin Dongxue doubted her ears for a second. Was this guy retarded?


    ¡°Firstly, when you first found out that your driver was the suspect, you should have immediately contacted your colleagues and reported your current location to them while simultaneously trying your best to secure the suspect. Secondly, who are you trying to scare with a gun that still has the safety on? Thirdly, threatening someone with a gun in a moving car is extremely irrational. Let¡¯s say I was to...¡±


    Without waiting for Lin Dongxue to react, Chen Shi abruptly mmed his foot on the brakes. The sudden force caused Lin Dongxue to hit her head on the back of the driver¡¯s seat, letting the gun slip from her hand.


    She lifted her head, only to see the ck muzzle of her gun pointed directly at her face. Situated behind the weapon was Chen Shi¡¯s ridiculing gaze, ¡°See? It was a breeze to put you in your ce. Even if I were to kill you now, your colleagues wouldn¡¯t even know. Youck experience, young one!¡±


    ¡°You... What do you n on doing?!¡± Lin Dongxue was so scared that her words caught in her throat. She tried to find her phone in a panic, but couldn¡¯t find it anywhere.


    Chen Shi turned the gun around and handed it back to her, ¡°I was only pointing out some of the shorings in your actions.¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know what to do, as she couldn¡¯t believe that the suspect had just given the gun back without putting up a fuss. Chen Shi warned, ¡°Don¡¯t point that damn gun at me again. You need to be careful of identally discharging the firearm. Doesn¡¯t everything work out if I juste back to the station with you?¡±


    ¡°Stupid cunt, are you trying to die?!¡± The disgruntled driver behind them cursed angrily, leaning on the steering wheel to produce a harsh and sharp noise from the horn.


    Chen Shi stuck his hand out the window and gave the other driver the middle finger before he started the car again.


    Lin Dongxue rubbed her aching head,pletely dumbfounded. As a suspect, this person was abnormally calm.


    ¡°Hmm, the road back to the station is rtively blocked with traffic. Can I take a little detour?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Dongxue coordinated her thoughts, ¡°Don¡¯t y tricks!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°What about the order? I¡¯ll confirm this added fee for the new route first!¡±


    ¡°Do as you please!¡±


    Lin Dongxue found her phone underneath the seat and saw that Xu Xiaodong had sent another message, ¡°Fuck, we really wouldn¡¯t have known unless we checked, but when I found out, it actually scared me a bit. This guy¡¯s rap sheet is super thick. He used to be part of a gang and has been charged with assault, extortion, and kidnapping. In one fight, the other party even went into a vegetative state because of him. He was sentenced with inflicting serious harm and had to serve a ten-year prison sentence. Wang Yueche¡¯s employee background check is too ck, to the point where even a person like him could be a driver. It¡¯s scary just thinking about these types of people driving unapanied female passengers around the city at night.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it is, his guy is an experienced old fox. No wonder he¡¯s so calm.


    Lin Dongxue gave herself a very reasonable and logical answer. She quickly typed out a message and sent it, ¡°I am currently in the suspect¡¯s car. I have ordered him to drive back to the station. It would be convenient if the officers present at the station could respond and take over.¡±


    The group chat immediately exploded. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Miss Lin won the top prize!¡± ¡°Could something like that even happen? Just bumping into a suspect like that, what a life of good fortune!¡± and ¡°Report your location, do not expose your identity, and don¡¯t do anything that would aggravate the suspect. Try your best to stay on his good side, but for now, buy time!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s brother, Lin Qiupu, was the one who sent thest message. Lin Dongxue sent out her current location.


    After the car turned the corner, it suddenly stopped. Chen Shi opened the door and rushed out like a mad dog. Lin Dongxue was very scared. I should have expected that he wouldn¡¯t be an honest guy! She could only me herself for lowering her guard.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Lin Dongxue yelled as she chased after him.


    Chen Shi was able to run at an incredible pace, and Lin Dongxue, who was wearing leather sandals, was thoroughly outmatched. This street was extremely hectic, with people continually hurrying about. Firing a gun willy-nilly in this situation would cause chaos and, not to mention, would definitely be on tomorrow¡¯s headlines.


    Lin Dongxue was only able to run for a few steps when her right sandal failed her and snapped at the heel. She kicked off her shoes in annoyance, and despite the ground hurting the soles of her feet, she gritted her teeth and continued the chase.


    The crowd gave way, and Lin Dongxue saw a young man running for dear life in front of Chen Shi. When the distance between the two narrowed to less than two meters, Chen Shi pounced and shoved the man onto the ground. Chen Shi grabbed a woman¡¯s bag from the man¡¯s hands.


    Chen Shi took out a cable tie from his pocket and bound the young man¡¯s hands together behind his back. The people around the area slowly gathered around the two and praised Chen Shi¡¯s unrelenting spirit at the sight of injustice.


    Lin Dongxue was bbergasted. He suddenly rushed out of his car just to stop a thief?


    A middle-ageddy came out from the crowd and cried, ¡°Thank you so much, brother! This is the money I struggled really hard to raise for my mother¡¯s medical fees. If that money were stolen, I honestly would have no idea what to do.¡±


    Chen Shi handed the bag over to thedy, ¡°Remember to stay alert; this is a heavily popted area.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Thedy took out a stack of banknotes and handed them over to Chen Shi to show her gratitude.


    Chen Shi roughly took three or four sheets from the stack and said, ¡°These are enough. 10,000[1] is too much; I can¡¯t ept that.¡±


    After thedy called the police, Chen Shi turned around and left. Lin Dongxue remarked, ¡°If you¡¯re going to do a good deed, then do it. There was no need to collect money from her. And here I thought that you were noble and selfless!¡±


    ¡°Being noble and being selfless is not the same thing. I think that it¡¯s actually bizarre if there¡¯s unlimited altruistic behavior. Besides, receiving a small reward not only made me happy, but it ensures that the other party won¡¯t feel like they owe me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless and changed the topic, ¡°Say, you¡¯re only a driver, yet you were such a risk all by yourself. Aren¡¯t you afraid that people wille back to retaliate and take revenge on you?¡±


    ¡°Fear over these local hoodlums are mostly due to ordinary people overthinking it. After all, mice are scared of humans to begin with[2].¡±


    ¡°Thinking about it, you needn¡¯t be afraid of revenge, since you need to enter the imperial pce[3] either way, murder suspect Chen!¡±


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t respond to her words, and looked down at her bare feet, ¡°What happened to your shoes?¡±


    Lin Dongxue went back to look for her shoes, but the sandals had been taken away long ago by a homeless recycler. The soles of her feet were worn and painful. She acted tough and informed Chen Shi, ¡°It¡¯s nothing you need to worry about!¡±


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand and led her to a shoe store nearby. Lin Dongxue shook his hand away, ¡°What are you doing, tugging me along as if we¡¯re familiar with one another?!¡±


    Chen Shi ignored her and nudged her shoulder along, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was quite ufortable being taken by an unfamiliar man to buy shoes. He casually picked out a decent pair of sneakers. When it was time to pay, she announced, ¡°Let me do it myself!¡± When she reached into her pocket, however, she realized that she had left her phone in the car.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m lending you the money,¡± Chen Shi smiled and threw the reward that he had received earlier on the table.


    1. 10,000 Yuan (RMB) is the equivalent of about $1,400 USD.


    2. Hepares hoodlums to mice as they both live in the shadows, fearing humans, which are those that live in light.


    3. ng for jail.

 Chapter 4: Assumption of Guilt

    <h4>Chapter 4: Assumption of Guilt</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they returned to the car, Chen Shi stretched and then pulled out a cigarette and asked, ¡°Miss Police Officer, can I have one of these?¡±


    ¡°Do as you please!¡± Lin Dongxue said stiffly, ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ll pay you back right now.¡±


    Chen Shi took out his phone and handed it over to her. On it was a QR code. Lin Dongxue was about to swipe over it to ept the money request when she noticed that the QR code was to add a new friend. She frowned, ¡°What¡¯s with this QR code? Who would want to add someone like you as a friend on WeChat?!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and inquired, ¡°It¡¯s just adding me as a friend on WeChat. What the issue?¡±


    ¡°Who would want to add you on WeChat? You¡¯re a murder suspect, so don¡¯t y this game with me!¡± After a pause, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What exactly is your motive?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®What¡¯s my motive?¡¯ I don¡¯t have a motive.¡±


    ¡°You know full well what you¡¯ve done! Besides, you¡¯ve been scheming to get me to add you from the beginning. First, you pretended not to care about me being a police officer. Then, you tried to act like a nice person in front of me, and also tried to bait me with a free pair of shoes. Don¡¯t think these can win me over! My colleagues have already investigated your background thoroughly.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly, ¡°I truly don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done. Why don¡¯t you enlighten me?¡±


    ¡°What were you doing on the night of September 10th?¡±


    ¡°I worked, ate with a few of my fellow driving buddies, then went home to take a shower and go to sleep.¡±


    Lin Dongxue sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll believe you so easily. What else did you do?¡±


    ¡°You think the life of a driver like myself is rich and exciting? How about this, why don¡¯t you remind me and help me recall whatever it is that I¡¯ve supposedly done?¡±


    ¡°Enough with the act. You¡¯re just trying to act all innocent. You can¡¯t fool me!¡±


    Chen Shi pressed the cigarette onto the ashtray and pointed at his face: ¡°Look at this handsome face. Is this the face of a suspect?¡±


    ¡°Whether someone is a bad guy or not isn¡¯t written on their faces!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. It may not be explicitly written on one¡¯s face, but there are ¡®words¡¯ requiring a keen eye to reveal if one is a bad character or not. For example, I could tell at a nce that the thief who grabbed thedy¡¯s bag just now was very wary and flustered, unlike a regr citizen.¡±


    The phone rang, and Lin Dongxue saw that her brother had sent a few messages in the time that they had left the car, asking why she wasn¡¯t there yet.


    Lin Dongxue instructed Chen Shi, asking, ¡°Start the car already.¡±


    She pushed the door open, sat in the passenger seat, and grabbed Chen Shi¡¯s right hand. His hand was white and slender, not fitting someone who¡¯d been working a blue-cor job for a long time. Chen Shi smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You know how to read palms?¡±


    Answering him was a click as a pair of handcuffs was ced on his right wrist. Lin Dongxue was about to put the other end on her own wrist when Chen Shi pointedly stated, ¡°Stupid, how am I meant to drive like this? Put the left side of the handcuff on the steering wheel!¡±


    Lin Dongxue narrowed her eyes at him, and Chen Shi exined, ¡°I have to change gears with my right hand, and I have to hold the steering wheel with my left. Have you driven a car before?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I want less nonsense from you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue uncuffed him and reached over his body to cuff his left hand to the steering wheel. Chen Shi looked at her severely wed actions and began thinking. Even if I were to knock her out right now and take her keys, it would go without a hitch.


    At the same time, something crossed his mind. Hey, this girl has an exceptional figure!


    After starting the car up again, Chen Shi lightly smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am so not going to make useless small talk with a murder suspect!¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head a little, ¡°You keep saying that I¡¯m a murder suspect. It sounds so horrible. What if, on the off chance, I¡¯m not the perpetrator?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes wavered upon seeing his righteous gaze. This person indeed seems a bit different from every other murderer, but if you think about it, his background is just so awful. How could it not be him?


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°I said ¡®on the off chance¡¯! Why don¡¯t we make a bet?¡±


    ¡°What are we betting on?¡±


    ¡°If I can prove that I¡¯m innocent in the end, you need to treat me to a free meal.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no chance in hell that I¡¯m doing that!¡±


    ¡°Miss, look here. I¡¯m just a driver that doesn¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on, and I¡¯m getting invited to ¡®have tea¡¯[1] with you guys. To you, it might be a small thing, but it¡¯s a big deal for me. What would my colleagues and family think? Moreover, I lost tens of thousands of dors¡¯ worth of orders today. Are you guys going to reimburse me for it?¡±


    ¡°Tens of thousands of dors? Are you going to pretend that your car is embedded with diamonds?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. For all I know, I might have had to drive a pregnant richdy to the hospital to deliver her child. If she were pleased, she might have given me a big red envelope![2]¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a real smooth talker, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Lin Dongxue was disgusted. She hated this kind of man the most; she despised Chen Shi even more than Xu Xiaodong, who wouldn¡¯t leave her alone.


    Chen Shi had no self-awareness at all and kept nudging her with his elbow, ¡°How about it, you don¡¯t lose out or anything!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Lin Dongxue caved in with an annoyed attitude, ¡°Since you can¡¯t prove your innocence anyway!¡±


    ¡°Nothing in this world is impossible,¡± Chen Shi looked at her and smiled slightly.


    Chen Shi was driving earnestly for some time until he reached an intersection. At the red light, he lowered his head and began ying on his phone. Suddenly, Lin Dongxue¡¯s phone got a notification. On WeChat, it indicated that there was someone called ¡°Big Grey Wolf¡± with a Wu Yanzu[3]icon who had added her as a friend.


    ¡°So it turns out that your mobile number is your WeChat number!¡± Chen Shiughed.


    Lin Dongxue red at him while Chen Shi urged, ¡°ept my friend request already. Otherwise, how are you going to contact me when you have to give me my free meal?¡±


    Lin Dongxue had never met someone so thick-skinned. She clicked the ept button to add Chen Shi as a friend while making sure that the other party couldn¡¯t see her circle of friends and moments[4] on the app.


    As the pair were arriving at the precinct, Lin Dongxue saw that Lin Qiupu and others were all standing outside, almost like they were weing a red-carpet celebrity. The police officers came towards them one after another, praising Lin Dongxue for her explosively good luck, saying that she was very fortunate to be able to escort the murder suspect back almost as soon as she went out.


    Lin Qiupu dered with a professional tone, ¡°Dongxue, if this case is solved, we will remember your meritorious service towards this case.¡±


    At this time, the door opened, and Chen Shi smiled as he waved his hand at everyone. ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Chen Shi. It¡¯s almost noon! Is there lunch?¡±


    Everyone was dumbfounded. The group had never seen a suspect that acted as if he was so familiar with them. Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°This guy is very sly. Don¡¯t be fooled by him!¡±


    Lin Qiupu called out to two officers, saying, ¡°Xiao Hai, Xiao Wang, take him to the interrogation room!¡±


    Two hourster, the door to the interrogation room suddenly mmed open. Two police officers rushed out, ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. This guy is ridiculously reasonable, logical, and meticulous with his arguments. We can¡¯t figure him out at all. Captain, you¡¯ll have to interrogate him personally!¡±


    Lin Qiupu set his teacup down, ¡°I will have a little talk with him!¡±


    Lin Dongxue grabbed her jacket, ¡°I¡¯ll go too!¡± It would be a pity not to see my brother¡¯s troubled expression with my own eyes.


    When the two walked into the interrogation room, Chen Shiined, ¡°This chair is so ufortable. My hemorrhoids are going to re up again. Would it be possible to get a cushion?¡±


    Lin Qiupu set the case¡¯s information down and snorted, ¡°When you chose to vite thew, you were destined to get this treatment. If you wanted to befortable, you should have lived an honest life at home!¡±


    Chen Shi reminded, ¡°I will once again remind you that I am not a criminal. At present, I am only a suspect. To treat me with the attitude that you treat criminals with, I believe, is you misjudging friend from foe, as there¡¯s currently just an assumption of guilt. You¡¯ve confused innocent until proven guilty with guilty until proven innocent. Put nicely, it¡¯s a negligence of your current duties. When not put so kindly, it¡¯s a huge problem from your standpoint!¡±


    Lin Qiupu angrily mmed his hand on the table, ¡°Don¡¯t y thesenguage games with me. I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush with you. On the night of September 10th, what were you doing? Confess in full detail!¡±[5]


    ¡°Then, I will answer you directly!¡± Chen Shi began to recall with his fingers, ¡°From 6:00 to 7:30, I was eating at the food stalls[6] with a few driving buddies. I had been doing my rounds, getting orders, and chauffeuring passengers from 7:30 till two in the morning. You can investigate my records. At 2:30 in the morning, I went home to shower and sleep.¡±


    The record keeper whispered, ¡°He said the same thing earlier as well!¡±


    1. Go to the police station for an interrogation.


    2. In Chinese culture, red envelopes/red packets are given out during special asions such as Chinese New Year, birthdays, weddings, births, etc. These envelopes hold various sums of money, dependent on the person who gives them out. It is believed that the envelopes also hold the blessings of the person giving them out. There are immeasurable amounts of designs, but are most often red and generally have gold writing, like the following images: and https://cdn01.pinkoi/product/6vC99mzi/0/1/800x0.jpg. Modern ones even have cartoons or celebrities printed on them. However, most designs still contain a blessed phrase.


    3. An actor called Daniel Wu who looks like this: https://i.mydramalist/mOWE3c.jpg


    4. The same as blocking people from seeing your Facebook and Instagram posts, stories and mutual friends section.


    5. In Chinese, there is amon idiom that people use to demand a systematic narration in full detail. If it were to be directly tranted, it asks people to count by fives and tens


    6. They aren¡¯t actually food stalls. Rather they are food stores where the seating isid out all on the street, as if the store itself is just a food stall. Think stic chairs and tables that are bustling with people like the night markets with all the food stalls. A photo representation: https://d22ir9aoo7cbf6.cloudfront/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/08/Hong-Kong-restaurant-guide-The-best-cafes-and-restaurants-in-Yau-Ma-Tei-Kowloon-Tong-Tai-e1502100954481.jpgYou can search ¡°da pai dang¡± if you would like more photos.

 Chapter 5: Honesty is to Leniency as Resistance is to Harshness

    <h4>Chapter 5: Honesty is to Leniency as Resistance is to Harshness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu sneered at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi smiled in return as Lin Qiupu instructed Chen Shi to read and recite the eight characters situated behind the officer.


    ¡°Resistance will be met with harshness, and honesty will be rewarded with leniency[1]. Was my pronunciation on point?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re neither the first nor thest dishonest criminal to sit in that seat. You really thought-¡±


    ¡°Pay attention to your wording, ¡®Great¡¯ Captain Lin. I am only a suspect, not a criminal. Byw, I am still an upstanding citizen! Detaining me without providing any form of evidence, as well as interrogating me, this act in it of itself is illegal,¡± Chen Shi did not back down by even an inch.


    ¡°No evidence!¡± Lin Qiupu was furious, ¡°If you can¡¯t remember on your own, then I¡¯ll help you remember. On the night of September 11th at 2:00 am, a female passenger by the name Gu Mengxing was in your car. The text message she sent to her boyfriend during the ride proves that you verbally sexually harassed her. The next day, her body was found near the riverside. There were obvious signs of rape. You dare say that you¡¯repletely innocent?¡±


    Three pairs of eyes stared at Chen Shi. Chen Shi¡¯s face passed a trace of surprise before immediately reverting to normal.


    ¡°On the morning of the 11th, there was indeed a beautiful female passenger in my car. However, I sent her to the destination she requested, Feng Zhilin Hotel. My driving records can be used as proof,¡± Chen Shi calmly stated. In this situation, if he didn¡¯t tell the truth, then he would be suspected even more.


    ¡°Where was the starting point of the trip?¡±


    ¡°Shi Houzi Road. There was also a barbeque stall close by, and I stayed for about two hours gging down customers.¡±


    ¡°Why did you stay there for so long?¡±


    ¡°I fell asleep.¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, you would have had to pass through the scene of the crime on the way to Feng Zhilin Hotel from Shi Houzi Road.¡±


    Chen Shi rolled his eyes, shook his head, and smiled, ¡°Go check the driving records!¡±


    ¡°Driving records can be forged.¡±


    Chen Shiughed loudly, ¡°Motherfucker, what kind of truth are you after? I told you, yet you won¡¯t believe me. I told you that there was evidence, yet you say it¡¯s forged. You can¡¯t wait to paint this pot ck, can you? When you solve a case, is it like a blind date to you? Do you consider the investigation solved as long as they look the part?¡±


    ¡°Watch your attitude!¡± Lin Qiupumanded coldly.


    ¡°I am an innocent citizen who has been detained, and not given ess to any food or drink, even though it¡¯s well past noon. Not only have I been humiliated by your words, but you¡¯re also trying to force me into confessing to a crime that I have notmitted. I just fucking expressed my dissatisfaction a little; how is that unreasonable?¡±


    Lin Qiupu had an expression on his face that was as if he were looking at rubbish. He picked up the phone next to him and exchanged a few words before asking, ¡°Is it true that you verbally harassed the female passenger?¡±


    Chen Shi responded as though he was reciting words from a book, ¡°In regards to verbal harassment, the sexual harassmentw in our country is explicitly described. The first example is as follows: using vulgarities to tease the opposite sex. The next one is stated as, ¡®Describing your personal sexual experiences to the other party and telling any lewd or otherwise perverted jokes.¡¯ Included in the final example is reading the opposite party any unwanted erotic literature. In this sense, I did not verbally harass her. Instead, I just had an ordinary conversation with her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dodge my question! What I asked was whether you verbally harassed the passenger.¡±


    ¡°It is you who has yet to ascertain the concept of harassment. In your opinion, what constitutes harassment? Ordinary chit-chat? Asking someone for their contact information? Probing about their family¡¯s situation? Does any part of what I just said legally count as sexual harassment to you?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless. Hoping to change the situation, she changed the angle of the interrogation, ¡°ording to the drive to the precinct, you seem to be very enthusiastic about female passengers. I reckon that it¡¯s inappropriate to show such excessive enthusiasm for lone female passengers at two in the morning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply your opinion. To oppose your opinion, first of all, I am simply a very talkative person in general. Second, I like the opposite sex, and I am a single male. I saw a young and beautiful female passenger getting into the car. Is there anything wrong with making conversation? Just then, in the car, did our conversation vite you in any way?¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°What did this guy say to you in the car?¡±


    Lin Dongxue twirled her hair around her finger and slowly replied, ¡°It was just an ordinary conversation.¡±


    Chen Shi saw that they gave an inch, so he took a mile, ¡°As a single male, I think that it is perfectly normal to make conversation with the opposite sex on any asion, at any time, as is reasonable, logical, and legal. As I drive to make a living, I am in the car for almost twenty-four hours a day. If I don¡¯t open my mouth and talk to passengers, I¡¯ll die from bad breath all alone.¡±


    Lin Qiupu pped his hand on the table, ¡°Quit arguing over the minor details and face the main point. The fact is that the deceased was in your car, you harassed her, and then she was raped and killed on her way to her destination!¡±


    Chen Shi scratched his neck, ¡°When you say it like that, your point of view sounds quite reasonable. Hey, so and so, give me a smoke.¡± Finishing his sentence, Chen Shi summoned one of the police officers with his index finger, indicating for a smoke.


    The three officers looked at each other. To smoke here means that you will confess. They couldn¡¯t believe that this guy was so quick to confess after arguing for so long. Lin Qiupu gave him a Hongtashan-brand cigarette. As he was about to light it for him, Chen Shi interrupted and said, ¡°Oh, please. You carry two different brands of cigarettes on you. One for criminals to smoke and one for yourself. Who are you trying to fool? Take out that pack of Zhonghua, man.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°You think my nose is just for disy? You have the smell of Zhonghua on you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue put her hand over her mouth as she tried not tough. Lin Qiupu took out his packet of Zhonghua and lit one for Chen Shi, who exhaled smoke with a satisfied expression. The three waited for him to confess, yet the sole thing that came out of his mouth was smoke and only smoke.


    Seeing the cigarette being burned until it was finished, Lin Qiupu urged, ¡°Hey, hey, let¡¯s speak the truth now, yeah?¡±


    Chen Shi looked up at the ceiling and recalled emotionally, ¡°Thirty years ago-¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to go back to thirty years ago?¡± The minute-taker sulked.


    ¡°Thirty years ago, on an autumn night, a dog outside your house was killed by a car. The next day, you were born!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Lin Qiupu stood up and mmed his hand on the table so hard that it would¡¯ve even shake mountains. ¡°Justice Bao would truly be proud![2] Boldly insultingw enforcement officers - You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    Chen Shi put out his cigarette, ¡°I only spoke of two separate incidents, though. When did I ever mention reincarnation? What insults did I speak of?¡±


    Lin Dongxue tried not tough. Lin Qiupu was so angry, merely ring at Chen Shi without saying a word, as the minute-taker paused, a little confused[3], not sure if he should write down thest exchange in the interrogation report.


    Chen Shi rationalized, ¡°The things that you just mentioned are all facts that I concede as correct. However, being in the wrong ce at the wrong time does not mean that there are cause and effect between the two. Also, it does not mean that those things are rted just because you put them together in a sentence. This is basic logic. Until there is any concrete and indisputable evidence, those are just isted incidents!¡±


    ¡°Very good! Very good!¡± Lin Qiupu was overwhelmed and didn¡¯t know what to say at the moment.


    Lin Dongxue thought: This guy is unlike other criminals where they bullshit their way through every question. In fact, he had only been speaking words of reason, without evading any questions. Moreover, he does have a point.His thinking is very detailed and without w. This person doesn¡¯t seem to be ordinary. Perhaps the truth is that he isn¡¯t the murderer after all.


    Lin Dongxue nced at Lin Qiupu¡¯s enraged expression and was ashamed of her inner doubts and wavering conviction.


    There was a knock on the door, and a police officer gave Lin Qiupu the investigation results of Chen Shi¡¯s driving records. Lin Qiupu nced at it and exchanged a few words with the officer before nodding his head to indicate that the officer could leave.


    Lin Qiupu flipped through a few pages of the document he had in his hands and said, ¡°Oh, your so-called evidence seems to be quite unfavorable for you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, cut the crap!¡± Chen Shi said impatiently, ¡°You¡¯re even trying to make me nervous with an empty threat. I can see that you¡¯re using all the cards in your sleeve[4]. I only took one order that whole day; how would I not know where I was going?¡±


    Lin Qiupu, who¡¯s scheme had been noticed, had an awkward look on his face, ¡°Who are you calling a skill-less donkey!?¡±


    ¡°Are you not properly educated in the Chinesenguage? I wasn¡¯t saying you were a donkey; it¡¯s an idiom. I didn¡¯t say ¡®Captain Lin is inept,¡¯ did I? Besides, why would describe donkeys in such a negative context? They are such hardworking and bright animals! Give all the donkeys in the world an apology!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so angry and humiliated that his whole face and ears turned red. It was the first time that he had been disgraced like this by a suspect. It seems that I have to show my true skills.


    Lin Qiupu picked up the phone and deliberately raised his voice, ¡°Xiao Wang, shut down the monitoring system!¡±


    1. The eight Chinese characters produce more than eight English words.


    2. Chinese proverb. Essentially means that the person in question has guts/is really daring. The proverbpares them to Justice Bao (Bao Zheng) who was a Chinese politician during the Song Dynasty, who constantly upheld honesty and justice, impeaching even his own rtives and even rtives of the emperor himself. As you can imagine, sentencing a rtive of the emperor requires guts. He became a legendary figure. Calling someone a dog in Chinese holds a more severe connotation than that of the English interpretation. Calling someone a dog is the equivalent of calling someone a beast, incapable of thinking for themselves and only takes orders from their masters. Here, Lin Qiupu associates the incidents with each other, even though it can just be seen as a coincidence, because he feels personally attacked.


    3. The wording they used essentially means that the person is confused, and is showing a face like this meme: https://i.ytimg/vi/rClNZLXSKA8/maxresdefault.jpg.


    4. An idiom that was derived from a ce with no donkeys. One day, someone brought in a donkey to that town, and a tiger wanted to eat it. As the tiger has never seen a donkey before, the sheer size of it and how loud it sounded, it feared the donkey. As the days past, the tiger closed in on the donkey and pushed/shoved the tiger. The donkey got annoyed and kicked the tiger. As such, the tiger realized that the donkey didn¡¯t have many qualities and the tiger doesn¡¯t need to fear it. Then he ate it. This idiom is saying that once all cards have been shown, as they have very limited capabilities, they can¡¯t do much thereon.

 Chapter 6: A Drop of Ink in the Case, a Thousand Drops of Blood Amongst Society

    <h4>Chapter 6: A Drop of Ink in the Case, a Thousand Drops of Blood Amongst Society</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue greatly understood her brother. He had never done anything immoral in his life, so it was logical to say that he would never raise his hand against the suspect; this was just his usual way of scaring them.


    Unsurprisingly, Chen Shi was not frightened in the slightest. He wore a scornful smile and pped his hands, ¡°Turns out Captain Lin is an energy-saving, environmentally-friendly person! Knowing that this interrogation is meaningless, you chose to switch off the recording system to lower your carbon footprint, huh?¡±


    ¡°Since you find so much humor in the situation,ugh while you can. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able tough very soon.¡± Lin Qiupu picked up a stack of printing paper and walked in front of Chen Shi, took a look at what was written on the document, and eximed, ¡°Your resume sure is dense and exciting!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at him and challenged, ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯ve done in the past. What about it? This is the reason you doubt my word?¡±


    ¡°An ex-prisoner with such a terrible rap sheet harassed a beautiful female passenger at two in the morning. Then, the next day, she was raped and killed. What would you think if you were in my position?¡±


    ¡°I strongly disagree with you. The purpose of the government establishing prisons is to rehabilitate and transform people like myself, is it not? After going through a detour, if a person were able to support themselves legitimately after receiving the country¡¯s rehabilitation, would that not be a positive example that deserves encouragement? Why, then, did it get turned into a reason to be suspected? If it¡¯s as you say, logically, ex-cons such as I have to go back to our old, scheming ways, right?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking in circles and avoiding my questions. Answer me, what exactly did you do that night?¡±


    Chen Shi furrowed his brows impatiently, ¡°I¡¯ve already stated it multiple times, but you¡¯d rather die than believe me; I understand the way you think. The justice system in our country states that the guilty can still go to court with a defense attorney. However, I think that you also brought this policy into the interrogation room and that this would only lead to arge number of falsely implicated citizens and erroneous cases. Even if I walked into the police station by my own free will and admitted to murdering someone, the police would still need to find a thousand pieces of evidence before convicting me. Yet from what I can see now, you don¡¯t even have a single piece of evidence in your hands. However, you are standing here with red lips and white teeth[1], threatening an innocent citizen into pleading guilty. How can you face the country¡¯s criminal justice system with what you¡¯re doing? How can you even bear to see yourself wearing that uniform? And what about the civilians? How can you even look at them?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Lin Qiupu gasped and paced back and forth, grinding his teeth.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Lin Dongxue whispered as a reminder, fearing that Lin Qiupu would do something irrational in the heat of the moment.


    Towards the rattled Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi didn¡¯t even bat an eye as he kept rambling, not noticing the changing atmosphere in the room, ¡°If I were to plead guilty today, not only would I personally suffer, my family would suffer as well. Furthermore, the deceased would not get their retribution or peace in death. Lastly, the real murderer would still be atrge. It¡¯s possible that he would continue tomit crimes in the future. Do you realize how many people you would be hurting all at once? Captain Lin, a drop of ink in this case file is a thousand drops of blood among the people. You have to be careful and then some!¡±


    ¡°I see that you won¡¯t shed tears until you¡¯re looking at your coffin!¡± Lin Qiupu raised his hand in fury.


    Lin Dongxue and the scribe were paralyzed with fear. At this moment, Chen Shi suddenly mmed his head into the stainless steel, leaving a red mark on his head. He raised his head and smiled slyly.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lin Qiupu was stunned.


    ¡°Hitting people! Captain Lin hits people!¡± Chen Shi yelled.


    ¡°Shut up! Stop shouting!¡±


    Chen Shi smirked, ¡°There¡¯s no monitoring here, and I have this injury on my head that can¡¯t be exined when I leave!¡±


    ¡°Absurd!¡± Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t stand merely watching any longer and stood up, ¡°There are two of us witnesses present, and yet you still want to frame the captain?¡±


    ¡°Is the testimony from the two of you adequate? One is a subordinate, and the other is the defendant¡¯s younger sister. Chinesew ces more weight on material evidence than witness testimony. Coupled with the precedent where any kin of the defendant has their testimony disregarded, if we truly were to go to court, do you guys really think you can testify against me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue and the minute-taker looked at each other; this guy is too powerful of an opponent. He was able to turn the tables against them just like that.


    Lin Qiupu loudly remarked, ¡°What are you treating this ce as?!¡±


    ¡°The police station, a ce to talk about legalities and reasoning. Forced detention and trial without evidence, viting interrogation regtions by turning off the monitor, and a wound inexplicably appearing on the suspect¡¯s face. With only these three points, I don¡¯t even need to find Long¡¯An¡¯s bestwyer. I just need to find anyone new to the judicial scene, and you wouldn¡¯t be able to exin what happened here even if you were to have a hundred mouths. Not only that, but you¡¯re also ignorant! As aw enforcer, there¡¯s often one thing that¡¯s overlooked. I¡¯ll remind you now; thew doesn¡¯t only constrain the person sitting in this chair ¨C It binds you as well!¡±


    After a moment of silence, Lin Qiupu had sweat running down his spine, and he held the back of his shirt cor with his fingers, showing a helpless expression.


    Lin Dongxue interrupted the two and said, ¡°Brother, I forgot to say something...¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Lin Qiupu looked at her incredulously, then looked at Chen Shi, who was smiling. ¡°When he was arrested, he handed you your gun?¡±


    ¡°Y- Yes! Lin Dongxue shyly admitted, ¡°So I think that he may not be the murderer after all.¡±


    Chen Shi wore a satisfied smile. It¡¯s hard to change one¡¯s thoughts. Just as those things added up to make doubts about him, there were several things that he has done to slowly change Lin Dongxue¡¯s opinion of him.


    Common sense dictates that men tend to be more stubborn than women.


    Lin Qiupu took a deep breath, went to the table to pick up the phone, and called out, ¡°Let him go!¡±


    When Chen Shi left the police station, the task force exploded in chaos[2]. It was the first time that a suspect was let go after facing Captain Lin. To save face, Lin Qiupu said to himself, ¡°The sly fox can¡¯t beat the hunter. He¡¯ll be back here again!¡±


    What they couldn¡¯t believe was for Chen Shi came back after about five seconds, shocking the entirety of the station. Lin Qiupu was shocked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my car?¡±


    Lin Dongxue informed him, ¡°It¡¯s parked in the underground garage. I¡¯ll take you to pick it up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the assistance!¡±


    Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi to the underground garage. Once they arrived, Chen Shi checked the ins and outs of the car. Lin Dongxue snorted, ¡°You¡¯re gauging the heart of a gentleman with one¡¯s own measure[3]. What could we possibly have done to your car?¡±


    ¡°If there was a scratch on it or something, who would I go to then!¡± Chen Shi lit up a cigarette, leaning against the door and hooking his finger, indicating for her toe closer.


    Lin Dongxue thought that this guy was very rude but still walked over nheless. Chen Shi mysteriously lowered his voice, ¡°I will help you solve the crime!¡±


    ¡°Say what?!¡± Lin Dongxue doubted her ears.


    ¡°I told you that I would help you solve the case. Do you want me to or not? Once you¡¯ve passed this vige, the shop will no longer be around.¡± [4]


    ¡°Oh, please. You can¡¯t solve a case by being eloquent with your arguments. People who have not received professional training-¡±


    ¡°Listen to me. My intuition tells me that this case has a twist. It is most likely a murder that had been nned for a long time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve read way too many detective novels!¡±


    ¡°Your brother and I butted our heads here today, so he¡¯ll investigate the case this way: He¡¯ll investigate the other vehicles passing the murder scene that night, expand the scope of possible witnesses, and investigate my friends. I will tell you right now that investigating in this direction will be aplete and utter waste of time. You will miss the best period to solve the case, letting the real murderer off. If what I¡¯ve said proves to be correct, then bring the autopsy report and find me tonight!¡±


    Chen Shi threw away the cigarette butt and opened the car door. Before leaving, he tipped his head at Lin Dongxue, ¡°See you tonight!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was utterly gobsmacked. When the car disappeared from the garage door, she stomped her foot, ¡°He thinks he¡¯s so smart!¡±


    1. Idiom that refers to people saying or doing things that don¡¯t make any sense despite having the features of a normal person (red lips and white teeth). It can also refer to people saying irresponsible things.


    2. It would have said ¡°exploded the pot¡± if I were to have directly tranted it. It means chaos and mess erupted.


    3. It is a Chinese proverb that means judging a noble person unfairly with one¡¯s own tarnished mind. It¡¯s a reminder for people not to jump to negative conclusions as an originally noble act can be misinterpreted just by negatively-inclined suspicions, which can tarnish the reputation the aforementioned noble people have built up.


    4. An idiom that refers to the opportunity being a limited-time offer, that they are only going to offer once.

 Chapter 7: Clairvoyant

    <h4>Chapter 7: irvoyant</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After lunch, Lin Qiupu called everyone into the conference room. When Lin Dongxue arrived, she saw Xu Xiaodong¡¯s eyes dancing around several female police officers, ¡°Did you hear? This morning, Captain Lin was made speechless by a mere driver, and was eventually forced to release him obediently!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lin Dongxue put the information in her hands down.


    The female police officers all huddled together, and Xu Xiaodong smiled and came over, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, so don¡¯t be angry. I reckon this guy is a sly old fritter[1]. Unless we have concrete evidence, he won¡¯t own up so easily.¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance from me!¡± Lin Dongxue said with disgust.


    ¡°Miss Lin, don¡¯t take your frustration out on me. Why don¡¯t I treat you to a hot pot[2] tonight?¡±


    ¡°Get lost. Get lost. Get lost! Who would want that?!¡±


    At this time, Lin Qiupu arrived, and everyone immediately became quiet. Lin Qiupu cleared his throat, "There¡¯s already some leads in the case, but we stillck evidence. I know that you have all worked hard in investigating the case, but we can''t rx just yet."


    After summarizing the information on hand briefly, Lin Qiupu assigned tasks to the police officers, "Xiao Qi, Xiao Wang, you two go to the Traffic Management Bureau to investigate what vehicles were passing through the murder scene that night. Xiao Dong, Lao Wang, you guys are to walk around the scene. I need to expand the scope of the witnesses; everyone else, I will send you the interrogation records for you to see if the situation that Chen Shi spoke of is true or false."


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. Did Chen Shi have the ability to foretell the future? Even the wording was almost precisely the same!


    Someone stood up and asked, ¡°Capt. Lin, do you still think Chen Shi is a suspect?¡±


    Lin Qiupu replied, "I don''t believe that he ispletely innocent. This person is probably the key to a breakthrough. This lead can¡¯t be so easily discarded!" Lin Qiupu¡¯s words were full of confidence as if he couldn¡¯t be wrong, and many nodded, faithfully agreeing with him.


    If Lin Dongxue had not spoken with Chen Shi before this, she would have probably also followed suit. Now her mind was all muddled. Although she has always hated her brother, she has never denied her brother¡¯s ability. However, she seriously doubted that belief at this point.


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t hear a single word in thetter half of Lin Qiupu¡¯s speech. It wasn¡¯t until Lin Qiupu announced that the meeting was adjourned did Lin Dongxue stand up and walk away.


    After leaving the meeting room, Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi immediately, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°It looks like what I said was on point?¡± A carefree voice sounded from the phone.


    Lin Dongxue really didn¡¯t want to boost this guy¡¯s ego, so she just downyed the situation, ¡°It was passable. You were barely right.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Chen Shiughed, ¡°I am currently outside Feng Zhilin Hotel. Bring the autopsy report and a photo of the scene to me. I¡¯ll give you an hour.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Lin Dongxue yelled for him not to hang up. However, the call had already dropped. Lin Dongxue was so angry she stomped her foot once more.


    There were several copies of the autopsy report that had been printed out for the team, so Lin Dongxue was able to obtain a copy with ease. As for the photos of the scene, she was forced to sneak into Lin Qiupu¡¯s office and take a picture of them with her phone.


    Lin Dongxue called a cab and instructed it to take her to Feng Zhilin Hotel. She looked left and right, and just as she was about to pick up her phone to contact him, Chen Shi called out to her, ¡°This way, this way!¡±


    Chen Shi was sitting in a beef noodle restaurant, eating noodles. Lin Dongxue sat down next to him, ¡°You¡¯re so free!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m currently investigating a case,¡± Chen Shi slurped arge mouthful of noodles.


    ¡°What are we investigating out here?¡±


    ¡°I told you repeatedly that the female passenger got out of my car here on that night. You guys would¡¯ve preferred to die than believe me, so I could onlye personally to investigate. However, they won¡¯t let me see the check-in records, so we¡¯ll have to borrow your ID.¡±


    ¡°Feng Zhilin Hotel? But the woman died on the way here, so logically...¡±


    Chen Shi made a helpless expression, ¡°You still think that I¡¯m the killer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! You¡¯re so sly!¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly questioned what she was doing. This person is probably the real murderer, but I actually discussed the case with him.


    Chen Shi¡¯s words and actions were so open and confident. While Chen Shi did feel a tiny bit like a murderer, one couldn¡¯t know for sure. Lin Dongxue had been in the police force for half a year. Although she had participated in several cases, she always worked on the side-lines rather than being part of the core investigation, so she didn¡¯t truly know what a real murderer felt like.


    Chen Shi took the autopsy report from her hand, opened it, and dered, "If you believe me, I will be able to give you a first-ss merit."


    Chen Shi nced at the autopsy report and read the words on it, ¡°¡®The strangtion marks show that the attacker was positioned in the posterior position... The ditch was parallel to the auricle... There were traces of alcohol found on the deceased¡¯s body... There were sexual acts before death...¡¯ Was there alcohol found in the stomach of the deceased? They didn¡¯t write it in the report!¡±


    Lin Dongxue recalled, ¡°The deceased was a medical ambassador. Usually, she has to socialize. ording to her colleagues, she had ns to get dinner that night.¡±


    ¡°Did she drink?¡±


    ¡°She probably drank something?¡±


    Chen Shi was cracking-up, ¡°Miss Lin, what do you rely on when you investigate cases?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed red, and she argued, ¡°Is that question even important? The murderer was clearly encouraged to act as they did because they were a pervert. What the deceased ate and drank has little to do with the case.¡±


    ¡°Your argument is so wed that I don¡¯t know where to start. All the details from before the assault happened are also important. I¡¯ll tell you why this detail is important. If there is no alcohol in the stomach, but there¡¯s alcohol in the victim¡¯s blood, it means that the deceased ingested alcohol through other means.¡±


    ¡°Other means?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so stupid. Alcohol is a solvent for certain drugs such as Ether!¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly understood. Chen Shi pulled out a steel pen from his pocket and added a sentence next to the autopsy report, ¡°Is there any trace of alcohol in the stomach? Are there anesthetic properties found in her blood?¡±


    He continued, ¡°The deceased is a medical ambassador; in other words, a medical student. If the murderer was a person that knew her, there is a high probability that an anesthetic was used.¡±


    Chen Shi continued to read the documents, tapping the paper with his finger, ¡°There are traces of sexual acts, ripped clothes, and many bruises on the body. ording to this, the conclusion of rape and murder was reached. I reckon that this is a hasty assumption.¡±


    Lin Dongxue carefully considered his words and suddenly remarked, ¡°If you want to get rid of the suspicion surrounding you, you can¡¯t confuse the facts. How is this not a rape?¡±


    Chen Shi asked abruptly, ¡°Are you a virgin?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed so red that it reached the tip of her ears, and she pped her hand on the table, ¡°What are you on about!?¡±


    ¡°Rape is often concluded based on two factors. When a sexual act is forced by an assant, because the body is not sexually aroused, the private parts dry up, often apanied by tears and bleeding. Also, the position of the internal bruise can determine the position taken by the murderer. I feel as though determining that it was rape just because there was sexual behavior is quite careless. Can¡¯t it be said that the deceased had sex with someone before she died?¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense!¡± Lin Dongxue admitted reluctantly.


    ¡°Another point lowers the chance of this being a rape even more so. Imagine this scene; if the victim was raped, the murderer must also control the hands and feet of the deceased, and take a position before entering. Even if they were to strangle the person, they would have had to strangle the individual from the front. However, the report shows that she was entered from behind. I can¡¯t imagine how the murderer could have possiblypleted this set of actions.¡±


    ¡°It might not be the case. Perhaps after finishing the deed, they suddenly killed-¡± Lin Dongxue assumed with a red face.


    ¡°I am talking about a high probability event! From a morphological point of view, the weapon is a very thick rope. It seems to be a skipping rope. ording to your assumptions, this was a sudden killing. Having a skipping rope just appearing in the scene is a bit unreasonable.¡±


    While saying so, Chen Shi wrote his additionalments on the documents, almost filling the entire piece of paper.


    Lin Dongxue was deeply impressed. This guy isn''t a professional in the industry, but everything he said was reasonable and was better than the criminal investigation lectures that she attended.


    ¡°Murder due to rape, in my opinion, is very likely to have been faked!¡± Chen Shi concluded.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°The murderer is purposely misleading you guys!¡±


    Lin Dongxue seriously thought about Chen Shi¡¯s words.


    ¡°There is another thing. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t believe me even if I were to tell you!¡± Chen Shi hesitated.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Chen Shi looked over the photo deceased¡¯s face, ¡°This woman is not the one that was in my car that night.¡±


    1. Idiom means they are soaked with experienced and sly. The fritter (YouTiao) is an everyday Chinese deep-fried pastry, most often served during breakfast. It was created out of hatred for a person, and was shaped to be the person and his wife so they could dip ¡°them¡± in hot oil and tear them apart. See someone exin the full story here: https://.xingmunities/posts/origin-of-youtiao-1007381619. They look like this: https://i.pinimg/originals/b3/cd/4b/b3cd4b301aede8e1e9f5ee1764977602.jpg


    2. Steamboat. It¡¯s where you cook your food in your choice of boiling soup/stew. Please see the picture below: https://.healthxchange.sg/sites/hexassets/Assets/food-nutrition/tips-healthy-hot-pot.jpg

 Chapter 8: The Murderer is a Woman

    <h4>Chapter 8: The Murderer is a Woman</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face became drained of color from shock, ¡°Not the same person? No way... Her phone showed that she was in your car. You¡¯re trying to y me for a fool!¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head helplessly, ¡°Miss Lin, if you still think that I¡¯m the murderer, then we can¡¯t continue discussing this. How do you know that this phone belonged to the deceased?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say the other person in your car is the murderer even though it is a woman?!¡±


    ¡°I literally just said that the rape was faked!¡±


    ¡°The murderer is a woman? Do you remember what she looked like?¡±


    Chen Shi signaled for Lin Dongxue to sit down, ¡°Don¡¯t rush to conclusions based on assumptions alone. The woman sitting in my car may not be the murderer. Let¡¯s analyze.¡±


    Chen Shi flipped through the photos on her phone and noticed a minuscule detail. The deceased¡¯s right palm had a circr impression with some patterns on it, but it was very faint and blurry in the photo.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Was the item the deceased was holding found at the scene of the crime?¡±


    ¡°No. We looked carefully, but we couldn¡¯t find it anywhere.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if we could go take a look around the area.¡±


    ¡°There are people on the field who are reviewing the case at the moment. I don¡¯t have the capability to take you there right now.¡±


    ¡°I was merely pointing out that it would be nice. By the way, have you noticed that the scene is a rocky beach with the water receded? The possibility of friction is very high. The clothes of the deceased were thin and torn in many ces. If the deceased was truly raped, then there should have beenrge bruises on the body as well. However, there isn¡¯t any. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°Unless the murderer hung her up to rape and kill her.¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Lin Dongxue poured her cup of tea on him.


    ¡°Oi, oi, why are you like this?!¡± Chen Shi made aint and wiped himself down with a paper towel.


    Chen Shi continued looking at the photos, and Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What else have you found?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, unless I can see the body for myself, I can only identify this much.¡±


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯ll spit out what you¡¯ve found eventually.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m like you?!¡±


    Chen Shi returned the report and the phone to Lin Dongxue. Chen Shi had analyzed everything and established a perfect crime hypothesis with all the details rounded up. Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but ask, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°A guy who really likes his Hong Kong and Taiwanese crime shows. Are you happy with this answer?¡± Chen Shi lightly chuckled.


    ¡°Cut the crap! I won¡¯t believe that!¡± Lin Dongxue stared straight into his eyes.


    Chen Shi lit a cigarette. ¡°So, are you willing to cooperate with me?¡±


    ¡°You have to answer my question first. I don¡¯t work with people who have unknown backgrounds.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I can¡¯t tell you. Just pretend I¡¯m a master civilian[1], okay? When the two of us be more familiar with each other, I¡¯ll tell you all about who I am!¡± Chen Shi raised his eyebrows pervertedly.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to be close with you? Don¡¯t take advantage of me!¡± Lin Dongxue raised a hand as if she was going to hit him.


    ¡°Aiya, aiya!¡±[2] Chen Shi pretended to plead for mercy until Lin Dongxue dropped her hand. Then he suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s set up some cooperation ground rules!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it!¡±


    ¡°First of all, don¡¯t always ask me about my identity as I have to retain a little privacy. Next, this matter is to be kept secret temporarily. I will help you with your investigation secretly, and if it¡¯s sessful, then all the credit is yours. Of course, if you want to reward me with a portion, that¡¯s up to you. Lastly, I need you to trust mepletely.¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t believe that there could be such a good thing. A civilian expert extended an offer to help in the case and not take all the credit. Suspicious, she asked, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Because I like it!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face went red, ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I like to crack cases. Also, I can see that your brother is heading in the wrong direction. I can¡¯t sit still. I am a man of justice, and I have to take care of things that I know are wrong.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re that noble?¡± Lin Dongxue showed a face that didn¡¯t believe him at all.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you this previously. Being noble and being selfless are two different things. After it¡¯s all said and done, I will have my reward; You have to take me out to dinner!¡±


    Lin Dongxue bit her lip. This guy is unpredictable, and she can¡¯t see through him at all. Perhaps she should believe him just this once. It seems that he does possess the ability to solve the case.


    After all, she wants recognition of her merits more than anyone else. She wanted to let others see her in a new light and do a double-take.


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Chen Shi extended a hand and Lin Dongxue asked dubiously, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°A symbolic representation of our cooperation!¡±


    ¡°Is there a need for this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a need!¡±


    Lin Dongxue reached out her arm and shook hands with him. Chen Shi¡¯s hand was delicate and warm, quite unlike the usual palm of a driver.


    When the two got inside of the Feng Zhilin Hotel, Chen Shi offhandedly said to the front-desk reception, ¡°I just mentioned that I forgot my ID, but nobody believed me. Now I¡¯ve brought a real police officer with me, so believe me now!¡±


    Chen Shi gave Lin Dongxue a look, and Lin Dongxue got out her ID, ¡°We are currently investigating a case and we hope that your hotel will cooperate with us.¡±


    The front desk staff suspiciously snuck a peak at Chen Shi and asked, ¡°What do you need to investigate?¡±


    ¡°We would like to look at check-in records from the 10th to 11th of September,¡± Chen Shi specified.


    The staff member loaded the information on theputer and Chen Shi nced at the list and asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°What was the name of Gu Mengxing¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Chen Jun!¡±


    ¡°Obviously, he didn¡¯t check-in here on that day. Have you visited this person?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    ¡°You put all your attention towards me, huh?¡± Chen Shi asked the staff, ¡°Do you have a parking lot here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s right next to us.¡±


    Chen Shi looked back at the door and noticed that it was pretty full. He asked, ¡°Is the parking lot monitored?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The two went into the monitoring room and brought up a video of that day. Chen Shi set it to eight times faster than the normal speed and stared at the screen without blinking. When the screen disyed 2 o¡¯clock in the upper right corner of the screen, he suddenly pressed pause and pointed to the right side of the screen that had a re appear, stating, ¡°This is my car!¡±


    ¡°Are you positive?¡± Lin Dongxue could not believe it.


    ¡°It¡¯s my beloved car. Of course I wouldn¡¯t get it wrong. The passenger asked me to park here that day.¡±


    They continued to y the surveince footage. In the video, after Chen Shi¡¯s car had left. A woman wearing an a-line skirt walked to the parking lot. As her pace hastened and it was dark, her face wasn¡¯t too clear to see.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t drive, yet went into the parking lot!¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself.


    The two continued to watch the surveince footage to see when the woman left. However, they only saw several cars leaving. Lin Dongxue was half watching and half taking down the licence tes of those cars.


    ¡°No need to take them down. She¡¯s not in those cars!¡± Chen Shi dered.


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Chen Shi rewound the footage and then yed the video one frame at a time until he reached an image where a ck family car was visible. He stopped at a certain frame and pointed to the underside of the car, where there was a pair of feet in high heels shown.


    ¡°She used the car as a cover to y a magician¡¯s disappearing act on us!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°It seems that she discovered the surveince cameras when she came, had intentions to evade, and didn¡¯t want to be photographed again!¡±


    ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s pretty suspicious!¡± Lin Dongxue finally believed him this time that the murderer was someone else.


    ¡°Let me test you a little bit. How are you going to investigate from here on out?¡±


    1. A civilian who has a trick or two. While iparable with a professional, they have more skillspared to the average person.


    2. The equivalent of ¡°Ow/Ouch¡± in this context.

 Chapter 9: A Promiscuous Woman

    <h4>Chapter 9: A Promiscuous Woman</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while before she replied, ¡°Retrieve the surveince footage as we leave to see if she was seen in any of them.¡±


    Chen Shi noted, ¡°That answer is quite satisfactory, but at the location of the incident, near An Fu Bridge, there aren¡¯t any surveince cameras, so I don¡¯t think it would be very efficient. Also, it was very dark at the time. The quality of non-police surveince videos is quite worrying. Thus, even if we were able to retrieve the footage, we might not be able to see anything clearly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue enquired, ¡°Can you recall her appearance at all?¡±


    Not answering the question directly, Chen Shi smiled and asked, ¡°How many days has it been since the incident?¡±


    ¡°Four days.¡±


    ¡°How many people do you reckon a driver such as myself would meet over four days? Have you heard about the pollution of the memory? I¡¯m afraid that even if I tried recalling it, all it would do is mislead us.¡± Chen Shi snapped his fingers, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°To see Chen Jun.¡±


    Lin Dongxue gave her colleague a call and found out that Chen Jun worked in a foreign-ownedpany and that he and a few of his colleagues were currently renting a three-bedroom ce. When they arrived at Chen Jun¡¯s residence, a fair and neat young man opened the door, revealing his red eyes. He asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    Lin Dongxue shed her badge and asked, ¡°Are you Chen Jun? I want to discuss a few things with you!¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in!¡±


    A house with several men living in it was naturally quite messy. The man who they assumed was Chen Jun brought the two into his bedroom, which was very clean. Chen Shi asked a few questions in an experienced manner, and Chen Jun answered them all one by one.


    He imed to have been in a rtionship with the Gu Mengxing for three years. In the beginning, the two met in a socialworking game. As they lived in the same city, they proposed to meet. After that meeting, they felt like they could really connect with one another, so they began to date.


    Gu Mengxing worked at a pharmaceuticalpany. Not to mention her personality, her appearance was also very ttering, which caused Chen Jun to feel like he gained more face[1] every time he took her out. Of course, he actually genuinely loved her and wished to marry her one day.


    ¡°Who would have thought that something like this would have happened? Having a monster of a Wang Yueche driver killing her!¡± Chen Jun began to sob.


    Chen Shi turned a blind eye to his pain and calmly asked, ¡°How were your girlfriend¡¯s interpersonal rtionships? Do you have any mutual acquaintances?¡±


    Chen Jun thought about this question and began to list them as Chen Shi took notes in Lin Dongxue¡¯s small book. Lin Dongxue nced down at his notebook, noticing that his handwriting was neat,pelling, and tidy as if he had practiced calligraphy previously.


    After recording the names down, Chen Shi nced at the list and questioned, ¡°Is that all? Does she have any close friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know them. Why are you asking this?!¡±


    ¡°Naturally, everything needs to be detailed when police are investigating a case! I¡¯m thirsty, can I bother you to pour me a ss of water?¡±


    ¡°Okay, just give me a second!¡±


    As soon as Chen Jun left, Chen Shi immediately began a shady act of searching around the ce. Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°Hey, what are you doing? This is not in line with the standard protocols!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a police officer,¡± Chen Shi found a few boxes of medicine from the drawer and threw it on the table. There was the sound of footsteps outside. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you put everything back where it was?¡±


    Chen Shi ignored her as if he was deaf. Chen Jun came in with a cup of tea, and Chen Shi apologized. ¡°Sorry, I was checking out your drawers a little.¡±


    Chen Jun was visibly unhappy but didn¡¯t object.


    ¡°These boxes of medicines, if I remember correctly, are for treating gonorrhea. Are you hiding something from us?¡±


    ¡°Gon... Gonorrhea?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at this kid who didn¡¯t look like a shady or dishonest person at all.


    ¡°This... This...¡± Chen Jun bit his lip and stuttered for a second.


    ¡°I hope that you aren¡¯t hiding anything from us. Don''t worry, if you were to say something here, I won¡¯t divulge it to an outside person.¡±


    ¡°I... I contracted gonorrhea!¡± Chen Jun confessed.


    ¡°How did ite about?¡±


    ¡°There was... An annual meeting... Thepany issued a bonus, so a few colleagues dragged me to that kind of ce... When I came back... I felt that it was itchy and painful down below...¡± Chen Jun rubbed his nose.


    ¡°You didn''t tell the truth; your expressions and actions indicate that you are lying. I want you to stop hiding things from me this instant!¡±


    Chen Jun¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°What does this have to do with the murder case? It is my own business with regards to getting sick. It is obvious that Mengxing was killed by the driver that night. Why are you not investigating him, but me instead?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. That is up to our discretion, not yours! You don¡¯t want to tell us the truth? I¡¯ll help you say it, then. You love your girlfriend very much, so you¡¯re subconsciously trying to defend her. However, the gonorrhea was transmitted to you by her, right?¡±


    Chen Jun scratched his head uneasily. Chen Shi continued, ¡°You have a couple mug and a photo of you together on your desk. Every time you mention her name, your eyes look different. This proves that you have deep feelings for her. As such, you don''t want her reputation to be tarnished. However, you know that her private life was very unruly and that she even spread the disease to you.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Chen Jun threw away the cup, ¡°I don''t want you to talk about her like this!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was frightened, but Chen Shi calmly lit a cigarette and smiled, ¡°Angry? It seems that I¡¯ve hit the nail on the head!¡±


    Chen Jun opened the door, ¡°You¡¯re not wee here anymore! Get out!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drag me into this!¡± Lin Dongxue whispered with annoyance. Chen Shi had just made the critical suspect pissed off on the spot. She, who was incredibly thin-skinned, couldn¡¯t handle it and felt her face flush red.


    Chen Shi shook his head, ¡°A 25-year-old unmarried woman who has had close contact with many men, proving that her interpersonal rtionships were far moreplicated than you thought. Her death is likely to have had a great connection with your medical condition. If there was a direct rtionship between the two and we were to leave now, you would see other officers next time who would tell you, ¡®Sorry, we can''t close this case yet. Please im your girlfriend''s body!¡¯ If you want there to be such an ending, say the words, and we¡¯ll go. It¡¯s not a big deal for us, as it just determines whether we get a bonus or not. What loss does it have for us? But for you, Gu Mengxing will forever resent you in the afterlife, and the murderer will also go unpunished. Perhaps in the near future, there will be a second and a third Gu Mengxing. All of this would happen because you refused to cooperate with the police all due to your meaningless face! Please, wake up already!¡±


    While Chen Shi was in the middle of saying these things, Lin Dongxue mouthed to him, ¡®Don''t say it!¡¯, But he turned a blind eye to her efforts.


    Chen Jun was overwhelmed by this p in the face. He clenched his fist and was shaking. Suddenly, Chen Jun mmed the door shut once more and sat down on the chair closest to him. He grabbed and tugged at his hair painfully and said, ¡°I said, no... I¡¯ll talk... She...She did give me a green hat[2] to wear once. Okay, more than once...¡±


    ¡°How did you find out?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°On one asion, my colleague told me that they saw her and an old man entering a hotel. I didn''t believe it at first, but I also got a bit suspicious. I thought about it all day and all night, and I couldn''t sleep because of it. When I thought about the once pure her being pressed down on a bed by another man, I couldn''t sit still, so I installed a locator behind her phone case, and then I really caught her in the act. The funny thing was that this time it was with another person.


    ¡°I naturally got into an argument with her when she came back. I proposed that we break up. However, in the face of her tears, I still had a soft heart. After the incident, she continued and did not change. She continued to sleep with random men. I don¡¯t know how many times we quarreled over this situation. Eventually, she didn¡¯t even cry anymore but instead tried to give me wed logic and reasoning to justify her actions. She repeatedly stressed that even if her body was not honest, her heart would always belong to me. These words were spoken from her mouth. However, I could not believe her, but I loved her too much to leave, and thenter...¡±


    Chen Jun smiled and shook his head, ¡°She actually caught this kind of disgusting sickness and passed it on to me!¡±


    1. Essentially means pride and dignity in a few Asian countries.


    2. A green hat is used to symbolize a man whose girlfriend or wife is unfaithful. There are a few stories that this expression is said to have derived from. One story describes a hard-working husband, whose wife got bored during the endless hours he worked. As such, she started affairs, and gave her husband a green hat. When her husband left with the hat that her lover made, the men whom she had affair(s) with, would be able to tell that the husband has left for the day. There are slight variations to this first story, like how the green hat belonged to one of her lovers, and he had identally worn it one day while rushing to work, much to everyone¡¯s ridicule. Another story dates to the Ming Dynasty where Emperor Zhu enacted aw that required men who worked in prostitution to wear green scarves/hats. Yet another described rtives of prostitutes being forced to wear green during the Yuan Dynasty.

 Chapter 10: The Second Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 10: The Second Boyfriend</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue listened and, without thinking, asked, ¡°Why don''t you and her just-¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Chen Shi interrupted her mid-sentence and asked Chen Jun, ¡°How did you first get to know about each other?¡±


    ¡°A socialworking mobile game called-¡±


    ¡°I don''t mean that. What I meant was, did you know what each other looked like before you met for the first time?¡±


    ¡°Since cartoon characters were used for our avatars in the game, I wasn¡¯t aware of her appearance. We had the same break time and often yed together. Later, she asked to meet up in person. The first time, we didn¡¯t meet sessfully because she suddenly had an urgent matter to attend to. A week following this, we met at a coffee shop. We had a good feeling about each other and felt like we had a connection, so then we started to date.¡±


    Chen Shi repeatedly rubbed his chin in thought, ¡°How is your usual break time arranged?¡±


    ¡°Thepany is busy, so I take an hour off at noon every day. I don''t have the habit of taking a nap, and I get off work at 9 o''clock in the evening. My day off is Wednesday, as is hers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation!¡±


    Chen Shi uttered the standard farewells before departing. When he went downstairs, Lin Dongxue scolded him, ¡°You put your nose into the privacy of others but didn¡¯t offer up even two words offort?¡±


    ¡°Console him? You are a policeman, not a psychiatrist.¡±


    ¡°Cold and ruthless! That guy had some dedication, though. He didn¡¯t even break up with her even though it was like that.¡±


    ¡°Our nation¡¯sws have never restricted affairs. The degree of eptance of such things varies from person to person. Some people can''t tolerate it if it happens one time. Other people can be indifferent even with arge yard over their heads!¡±[1]


    ¡°If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it happening even once...¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly stopped in his tracks, ¡°Wait for me here. I forgot to ask a question.¡±


    Chen Shi quickly backtracked. During the wait downstairs, Xu Xiaodong called and asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I found some super awesome clues on the suspect. ording to the driver¡¯s friend, the suspect hasn¡¯t been in this industry for too long. It might have been for just less than a year. Even his driver''s license was only obtained a year ago.¡±


    ¡°What did he do before bing a driver?¡±


    ¡°In 2015, he was in a prison of another city. After he was released from prison, there wasn¡¯t even a peep from him. In fact, there were no records at all. There were even rumors that he was dead. Then, he suddenly appeared in Long¡¯An in 2018, all alone.¡±


    ¡°All alone? Didn¡¯t he say that he has a mother at home?¡±


    ¡°Did he say that? No, there is no one left in his family. He ims that his rtives are in his hometown, but we checked, and his so-called hometown doesn¡¯t have this person on their census at all. He seems to havee out of thin air.¡±


    Hearing the sound of himing downstairs, Lin Dongxue hurriedly hung up the phone and looked at Chen Shi. Lin Dongxue thought, what exactly is this guy¡¯s background?


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Seeing Lin Dongxue''s strange expression, Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    ¡°Nothing, where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought for a moment, ¡°To investigate the interpersonal rtionships of Gu Mengxing. For instance, her ¡®friends with benefits¡¯?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head, ¡°Can we even investigate that? Let¡¯s go directly to her home and herpany!¡±


    After the two got in the car, Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi''s side and thought, this guy used to be a gangster with a massive rap sheet. Yet, during the short time that she¡¯d spent with him, she didn¡¯t find even a trace of vulgarity or senseless aggression. On the contrary, he had an air of justice around him.


    Moreover, he was extremely skilled in solving crimes. If he had no experience, it would be impossible to get this far in a case just from self-teaching.


    What happened to him in thest three years that didn¡¯t appear in his records? What caused him to changepletely?


    The two went directly to the pharmaceuticalpany where Gu Mengxing worked. Gu Mengxing had just passed away, so her work station hadn¡¯t been cleaned yet. There was a bunch of red roses on it. Chen Shi concluded, ¡°It seems like this girl was rather popr!¡±


    It was about 5PM at present; thus, most of the employees had gone out to eat, and there was no one in the office.


    Chen Shi sat at Gu Mengxing¡¯s work station and began to look through her belongings. Lin Dongxue quickly reminded him, stating, ¡°Hey, watch your fingerprints!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already got gloves on!¡± Chen Shi raised a hand, and a pair of cleaning gloves taken from Gu Mengxing¡¯spany could be seen on his hands.


    He opened the drawer, and there were a few boxes of medicine inside, all of which were to be taken orally. Chen Shi stated, ¡°These medicines, like those seen with Chen Jun, are also drugs for treating gonorrhea.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the table and remarked, ¡°The character of the deceased appears to be easy-going. She¡¯s a person who easily believes in others and is keen on trying new things, but there is also a bit of stubbornness in her heart. Such people are generally good at justifying their behavior.¡±


    ¡°How did you get that from just looking around her desk?¡±


    Chen Shi pointed out, ¡°The workstation is a person¡¯s character, preferences, and personality on disy. When you look at Gu Mengxing¡¯s desk, the objects are ced conveniently at a nce, without any obstruction. The books she¡¯d been reading were casually ced on the table. The item used as a bookmark is actually a tampon package, which shows that this girl was not petty. Look at this memo. The handwriting looks like a flying dragon, or a dancing phoenix (messy), showing that she was a warm and energetic person. However, the corners and finishes of the handwriting are rtively hard, which proves that her heart was a bit stubborn.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked, and Chen Shi smiled and looked at her, ¡°I am a driver; I usually see lots of people, so I am pretty urate at reading people.¡±


    A young man came in with a lunch box and saw the two sitting at the station where Gu Mengxing used to sit. He glowered at them suspiciously, ¡°What are you guys doing? Who allowed you to enter this private area and to mess around with things?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her ID, and the attitude of the young man immediately softened, ¡°It turned out to be a police officer. Are you investigating the cause of her death?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just investigating her interpersonal rtionships.¡± Chen Shi replied, noticing that the man had been watching the flowers on the table and asked, ¡°Are these flowers from you?¡±


    ¡°N-No... it¡¯s the co-workers who bought it together. Such a good girl was taken from us too soon, and everyone has been hit pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°What was your rtionship with her?¡±


    The guy was in a panic, ¡°We¡¯re just ordinary colleagues!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Chen Shi¡¯s took the note on the flower andpared it with the name on the young man¡¯s lunch box, ¡°The handwriting is the same. Logically speaking, this bunch of red roses was sent by you. Would ordinary colleagues send this?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°There is no one else here; let''s talk!¡±


    The man¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°I... We were in contact with each other!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    ¡°I had been in contact with her for half a year. To be honest, I secretly loved her since I entered thispany. She was so beautiful and gentle; she was the goddess in everyone''s mind. I felt that I had no hope of ever getting with her. Once we all went out for karaoke, I confessed to her from the strength of the wine. I didn¡¯t think she would ept, but she did, and I died happily that day. Then we started to associate more and more, but something was quite off about this. She never talked to me in the unit. We never went home together after work. We only asionally went out to meet on Sundays, but I was quite content. After she passed, I realized that she had a boyfriend. I was hit very hard, but I truly loved her. This bunch of flowers is meant as my mourning for her.¡±


    ¡°Loyal love.¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°May I ask you a personal question? Have you been sick recently?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a sexually transmitted disease?¡±


    Stunned, the man suddenly threw his lunch box to the side and violently jumped up, ¡°Bastard, what are you on about!¡±


    1. A yardwn is typically green. He¡¯s saying that the guy is wearing arge green hat. Refer to the long note in the previous chapter.

 Chapter 11: Accidental Reward

    <h4>Chapter 11: idental Reward</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The person getting investigated was provoked and angry, which scared Lin Dongxue. However, Chen Shi was unfazed and merely took one hand and pressed down on his shoulders. He stared straight at the boy, saying, ¡°Do you know what we found on Gu Mengxing¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± The guy was confused.


    Chen Shi whispered into his ear, ¡°A sexually transmitted disease.¡±


    The boy''s face suddenly turned red up to the tips of his ears, and he nced at Lin Dongxue, whispering, ¡°Then... You were asking if she and I did... That type of stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sexual acts!¡±


    The boy''s face got redder and redder to the point where it resembled a ripe tomato. Under the unrelenting questioning of Chen Shi, he confessed while stuttering, ¡°We opened a room together[1] after thepany¡¯s monthly meeting one time. It was gettingte, so I escorted her home. I jokingly asked her if she wanted to go to a hotel, but I didn¡¯t think she would actually agree to it. It was my first time, so I was a bit confused and anxious. Is this even rted to the case?¡±


    ¡°Did you two use protection?¡±


    ¡°I put on a condom on during it.¡±


    ¡°Have you been infected with a sexually transmitted disease?¡±


    ¡°No, I have been very healthy.¡±


    ¡°When did this event happen?¡±


    ¡°Two months ago.¡±


    After saying this, the man looked over Lin Dongxue and had an embarrassed expression on his face. Chen Shi patted his shoulder, ¡°Thank you. This information is very beneficial for our investigation.¡±


    ¡°Officers, can I go now?¡±


    ¡°Right, another thing. When did Gu Mengxing have days off?¡±


    ¡°On Wednesdays!¡±


    ¡°Always on a Wednesday?¡±


    The guy pondered over this for a while, and asked them to wait for a bit while he got their shift rosters before finally remarking, ¡°Thepany arranged for her to take Mondays off, but she and Xiao Zhang swapped, so as ofst year, she had Wednesdays off.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the roster and seemed to be lost in thought. He then asked, ¡°Alright, onest question. What are her close friends like?


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know much about them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡±


    Immediately after Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left the office, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Why do you want to inquire about her best friends? Do you suspect that the murderer is someone close to her?¡±


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°From the perspective of a criminal psychologist, the motive of female murderers is generally very clear-cut. It is rted to personal interests, especially emotional ones. I am 90% sure that the woman in my car and Gu Mengxing were acquainted with each other.¡±


    ¡°Criminal psychology?¡± Lin Dongxue gazed at Chen Shi with an incredulous look on her face.


    ¡°Oh please, can¡¯t a driver read books in his spare time? Stop questioning my acquired skill-set and professionalism, alright?¡±


    ¡°I wonder why you are so professional?¡± Lin Dongxue muttered to him. ¡°Then, do you want to lock onto this suspect? Let¡¯s begin by investigating the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased!¡±


    ¡°This will be handed over to you-¡± Chen Shi was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. It was one of his driver friends. His friend gave his concerns over the phone, ¡°Old Chen, have you done anything wrong? Just now, a policeman came to me and asked what you were doing three nights ago.¡±


    After a few exchanges back and forth, Chen Shi hung up the phone, shook his head, and smiled, ¡°Your brother is really a talent. The entire task force has been led into the ditch. They are still checking out the Wang Yueche angle. Why is he so obsessed with that? How can there be such a stubborn person?¡±


    Lin Dongxue stomped her feet, ¡°Don¡¯t say bad things about my brother behind his back!¡±


    ¡°I just merely stated the reality of the situation as straightforwardly as I could. Right, if you want to use this case to gain a meritorious deed, you should not rely on the task force to investigate the interpersonal rtionship of the deceased.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about getting credit. The point of investigating cases is to give the victim peace. Your moralpass isn¡¯t right,¡± Lin Dongxue snorted.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Then call your brother and tell him, ¡®Oh, by the way, the prime suspect and I are investigating this case together¡¯.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was dumbfounded from this response, while Chen Shi just lit up a cigarette. He instructed, ¡°Our following investigation will provide major gains. You should decide whether you want to make a contribution and get the credit or not. When you find someone who meets the characteristics of our suspect, remember to contact me.¡±


    ¡°Meets the characteristics? What characteristics? You can remember what she looks like just from seeing her a few times?¡±


    Chen Shi touched his chin and recalled, ¡°She was a woman of about twenty-five years old, had decent looks, and was around 175 centimeters tall. She is very likely to be engaged in medical work. She may be a doctor, and her character is introverted and careful.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that she is a doctor?¡±


    ¡°What was the deceased when she was alive? A medical representative. She has a high probability of knowing a doctor.¡±


    ¡°If this is the case, then wouldn¡¯t the two have be acquainted with each other through business?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head and stated, ¡°Not necessarily. Medical Ambassadors generally only have business rtions with the person in charge of the hospital. Also, if you want to check patient information, you have to ask for a search warrant. It is hard to apply for and is time-consuming. The age of the two people in question are simr, so I think it is very likely that they were ssmates. You should search for her within Gu Mengxing¡¯s group of ssmates, especially her college ssmates.¡±


    Although these were the elementary steps used in a typical investigation, when they came out of Chen Shi¡¯s mouth, they sounded really clear and logical. Lin Dongxue nodded and recorded the instructions down.


    ¡°I will leave first as I haven¡¯t started work today. If I don¡¯t do a few rounds of orders tonight, I¡¯ll be drinking the North-West wind[2]. Call me if anything happens,¡± Chen Shi left straight for thepany''s front gate.


    After they parted, Chen Shi did not go to g customers down. Instead, he went to the crime scene. After three days, the police had already removed the tape that they had used to cordon off the area. Chen Shi put his hands in his pockets and slowly strolled around the dark, rocky beach. The sound of the tide coursed through his ears.


    His eyes searched the ground for clues. However, after a few days of wind and sun, basically nothing could be seen.


    After a few rounds of walking all for naught, Chen Shiughed and muttered to himself, ¡°It was a thing of the past. Why hasn¡¯t your heart for it died? Is this your destiny?¡±


    As soon as he looked up, he suddenly saw an olddy picking up rubbish[3] walking along the road, carrying a snakeskin bag filled with soda cans and bottles. She was wearing a slim-fit burgundy women''s long trench coat, which didn¡¯t seem to match thedy wearing it at all.


    Chen Shi noticed one detail at a nce. The long trench coat was double-breasted with buttons lining the coat two-abreast, but one of them was missing. He suddenly caught some inspiration and softly mumbled to himself, ¡°Was the item the deceased was holding...¡±


    Then, Chen Shi strode forward with haste and politely asked, ¡°Aunty, where did the clothes you¡¯re currently wearinge from?¡±


    The aunty looked at Chen Shi with a little fear and refused to answer. When Chen Shi continued to ask several times politely, she finally opened her mouth, and with a hesitant tone, stated, ¡°I took it out from a garbage binte at night. What do you want?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand; I just like this style very much. Could you give that trench coat to me?¡±


    The aunty panicked and grabbed at her chest and asked, ¡°Eh? You want to take it from me?¡±


    Chen Shi took out his wallet and counted out three hundred yuan[4], ¡°No, not take it. I want to buy it!¡±


    The aunty was still on high alert and was very cautious. Chen Shi made up a lie and told her that he wanted to buy it for his girlfriend. She was still suspicious but agreed to sell it. Chen Shi took exceptional care and got a stic bag out of his car to put the clothes in. He was careful not to put his fingerprints on it.


    After the aunty took her leave, Chen Shi looked at the clothes in his hand and eximed with joy, ¡°idental Reward!¡±


    1. Opening a room means to rent a hotel for sex.


    2. When you eat wind, it means you¡¯re eating nothing. This is often an expression used to describe people who don¡¯t have money or have been waiting for someone/something for a very long time. The former applies to this situation as he hasn¡¯t started work for the day.


    3. There are people, often poor, old or homeless people, who pick up rubbish like cardboard and tins to on-sell in order to make a living. They also pick up whatever they need so that they don¡¯t need to buy it.


    4. 300 Yuan (RMB) equals about $42 USD.

 Chapter 12: Revealing the True Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 12: Revealing the True Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Two dayster, Chen Shi continued to pick up driving orders as per usual. To his passengers, he gave off the impression that he was one of those drivers who just wouldn¡¯t stop nagging you. No matter who was in the car, he could talk to them enthusiastically.


    The police visited all the friends around Chen Shi, including his buddies who had been eating together with him on the night of the incident. Of course, they gained nothing from this investigation. These were the same people who immediately called Chen Shi after being approached by the police and told him about everything through WeChat and over the phone.


    Meanwhile, Lin Dongxue had asked the coroner to conduct a drug test where it was confirmed that there was ether residue in the body of the deceased. This news was told to Chen Shi.


    This morning, Chen Shi was in the middle of talking to a passenger about the economic situation in Southeast Asia when he suddenly received a call from Lin Dongxue.


    On the phone, Lin Dongxue sounded excited, ¡°I found it! The deceased had a close girlfriend named Gao Xiaohui. She¡¯s a doctor who currently works in a private hospital.¡±


    ¡°Send the address over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you using WeChat.¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°Gao Xiaohui is on-call until noon, so she will get off work in about ten minutes. I am going to find her now!¡±


    ¡°Wait a sec!¡±


    ¡°Hurry on over!¡± Lin Dongxue ordered before she hung up the phone.


    On the other end of the phone, Lin Dongxue had a ticket number in her hand as she stood in the lobby of the hospital where people were constantlying and going. She took a couple of breaths and went up the esctor.


    As Gao Xiaohui was a doctor in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Lin Dongxue traveled to that section of the hospital and found where Gao Xiaohui was located, knocked on the door and entered. A woman dressed in an elegant and ssy dress wearing a neat bun smiled at her and asked, ¡°Where is it ufortable?¡±


    Lin Dongxue presented her ID, ¡°I am a police officer, and I¡¯vee to rify a few things.¡±


    Gao Xiaohui raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, ¡°So you turned out to be a police officer. You wanted to ask about Gu Mengxing, right? I heard about her death from my circle of friends on WeChat. My heart is finding it very difficult to ept this news. After all, I went to college with her. I can¡¯t believe...¡±


    While she was talking, Gao Xiaohui wiped her eyes with a paper towel, revealing a mournful and sad expression.


    Faced with an individual who could be a murderer for the first time, Lin Dongxue was a little nervous, but the side of her that refused to lose told herself that she would definitely be able to arrest the killer.


    ¡°Excuse me, when was thest time you met with Gu Mengxing?¡±


    ¡°A few months ago. She asked me if I wanted to go out to eat with her.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Lin Dongxue thought about what to ask next. ¡°What were you doing at the time of the incident?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui¡¯s mouth hung slightly open, ¡°Miss Police Officer, isn¡¯t what you just asked a bit sudden? Surely you aren¡¯t suspecting me, right? I¡¯ve been friends with her for countless years!¡±


    ¡°I was only asking!¡± Lin Dongxue had a red face.


    ¡°At that time, I was...¡± Gao Xiaohui recalled, ¡°with a few colleagues at a dinner party. I even have the receipt from that night; I¡¯ll find it for you.¡±


    Gao Xiaohui pulled out the receipt from the drawer, and Lin Dongxue looked at the date and time on it, unsure what to do next. As Lin Dongxue was biting her lip, Gao Xiaohui smiled and asked, ¡°Is there a problem? If not, I should get off work.¡±


    ¡°You...uh... Do you have any bad blood with Gu Mengxing?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui looked surprised at the question, ¡°No. As I have told you, I went to college with her, and my rtionship with her was pretty good.¡±


    Lin Dongxue angrily clenched her fists. At this time, Gao Xiaohui got up and excused herself, ¡°Sorry, I should go. They don¡¯t serve meals in the cafeteria anyter in the evening, so I have to hurry! Excuse me.¡±


    At this moment, the door was suddenly shoved open, and Chen Shi stood in the doorway. His cheeks had a red glow to them, indicating that he had he ran all the way here. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Doctor Gao, my apologies, but I still have some questions to ask you!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at him as if he was her savior and announced, ¡°This is my partner. He just parked underneath the hospital.¡±


    Chen Shi used his eyes to signal Lin Dongxue not to interject. After entering, he closed the door behind him and gestured to the chair, saying, ¡°Please, sit down Doctor Gao.¡±


    ¡°I am off-duty right now. Can you make this short?¡± Gao Xiaohui seemed a little impatient.


    ¡°I am afraid this is not possible!¡± Chen Shi smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about how you killed Gu Mengxing!¡±


    Gao Xiaohui¡¯s eyes went wide, and Lin Dongxue was almost mimicking her expression. The Criminal Investigation sses she attended never mentioned that such a direct line of questioning was a viable method.


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Gao Xiaohui suddenly raised her voice. ¡°What could I possibly have to do with the death of Gu Mengxing? You suddenly ran in like this and unreasonably used me of such things. I have the right to sue you!¡±


    ¡°Doctor Gao, I believe we¡¯ve met before!¡± Chen Shi pointed to his face.


    ¡°We have?¡±


    ¡°It was too dark at the time, so you may not have seen my appearance, but I remember you. You took my car that night.¡±


    ¡°You are...¡± Gao Xiaohui''s eyes revealed a trace of confusion.


    ¡°You seem to have recognized me. I was the driver who drove you that night!¡± Chen Shi smiled, ¡°And your destination was coincidentally very close to the crime scene!¡±


    Realizing that she stepped into a trap, Gao Xiaohui immediately took on a defensive posture, crossing her arms, furrowing her brows, and pursing her lips. All these little movements did not escape Chen Shi¡¯s eyes.


    Chen Shi opened his phone and showed a picture to Gao Xiaohui. It was the women''s coat that he had previously bought from the scavenging aunty. He asked, ¡°Do you have an impression of this garment?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui bit her lip, ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°That night, the temperature in Long''An City was 10 to 16 degrees. It was just the right kind of weather to wear this type of clothing, but I remember that when I came to pick you up, your choice of clothing was very thin. At the time, I thought, ¡®Is this beauty not afraid of the cold?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Just what are you talking about!?¡±


    ¡°Is this piece of clothing yours?¡±


    ¡°No! I have never seen it before!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? What if the police found your fingerprints, hair, and dandruff on it? What exnation would you have then?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui suddenly went silent. This was, of course, only a bluff from Chen Shi. After he bought the trench coat, he did not have the authority to do these tests. Even if he did, there was noparison sample in the database. However, from his observations from talking to her, he was basically certain that his suspicions of Gao Xiaohui could not be mistaken.


    ¡°Don¡¯t freak out. Please let me finish what I have to say! That night, Gu Mengxing and another person opened a room at Feng Zhilin Hotel and then left the hotel at about eight o''clock. You went over to her and asked her to walk with you to the river. Then, you used the ether that you had previously prepared to knock her unconscious. After that, you used a skipping rope to strangle her neck from behind. However, the effects of the anesthesia were not strong enough, and Gu Mengxing woke up during the strangtion. She struggled for her life and grabbed one thing. This item was a button on your coat.¡±


    ¡°After killing her, you took Gu Mengxing¡¯s bag and left in a hurry. Midway through your escape, you suddenly noticed that there was a button missing from your clothes. You panicked! If this button fell off at the murder scene, it would be fatal evidence. Thus, you did two things: First, you dealt with the clothes on your body, and then called a Wang Yueche back to the scene of the murder. You didn''t expect the driver - That being me, to keep talking with you. You suddenly had an idea as you remembered that there was a Wangyueche murder case that was going viral on the Inte, so you used Gu Mengxing¡¯s phone to send a few text messages to her boyfriend.


    ¡°After getting out of the car, you went back to the river, sessfully found the button from the hand of Gu Mengxing, and forged a rape scene. You tore her clothes, repositioned the body, and threw her bag into the water. Your n was almost sessful. The police did think that this was a Wang Yueche homicide case. Thanks to you, I was invited to drink a few cups of tea with the police. However, of all the cars in the world, you shouldn¡¯t have taken my car!¡°

 Chapter 13: Best Friends

    <h4>Chapter 13: Best Friends</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Chen Shi finished speaking, Gao Xiaohui became flustered, and she stood up, yelling, ¡°You held blood in your mouth to squirt at me![1] This is all just spection. How can you prove all that just from a piece of clothing? Either way, I have proof of my absence!¡±


    Gao Xiaohui took out a receipt for the dinner again and handed it to Chen Shi. Chen Shi waved it down, ¡°This paper holds no legal value unless there is another party to confirm it. How about you call those people you ate with to testify?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui was very flustered and desperately thought of ways to refute Chen Shi, trying to hide her shaking hands.


    ¡°The evidence doesn¡¯t stop here.¡± Chen Shi educated her, ¡°You probably don''t know this, but Gu Mengxing¡¯s personal life isn¡¯t that honest, so her boyfriend installed a tracker on her phone to see if she was cheating. You were holding her mobile phone at the time and moved around the scene twice, during which you were photographed by the hotel''s surveince. Besides, there was a witness to confirm this.¡± Chen Shi pointed to his nose with his thumb, ¡°And that person is me! These two pieces of evidence are enough to form a chain of evidence, and there is also the ether. If we search in this hospital, we will find evidence of the mysterious disappearance of ether. Do you have anything else to say? Doctor Gao!¡±


    Gao Xiaohui felt as though someone had taken away her spine and slowlyid her back down into her chair. Her eyes kept darting back and forth. Lin Dongxue was ready to take out her handcuffs when Chen Shi made a gesture to stop her in her tracks.


    Chen Shi was waiting quietly when Gao Xiaohui changed her personality suddenly as if she was a different person. She gritted her teeth and looked up, ¡°That damn bitch deserved to die! She took my boyfriend away from me!¡±


    Chen Shi showed an expression of interest. He pulled a chair out, sat down, and asked, ¡°Do you y the game too?¡±


    ¡°Chen Jun and I met in the game, and we talked about anything and everything. Later, he proposed that we meet up. I never had the experience of meeting someone from the Inte, so I brought Gu Mengxing to meet him with me just in case. I¡¯ll regret that decision to my death. The first time we met, Chen Jun arrived at the appointment on time. Gu Mengxing and I spied on him not far away. I was very satisfied with him and was preparing to go to the meeting, but Gu Mengxing, this bitch, suddenly told me that her stomach hurt her and dragged me away.


    ¡°A few dayster, I was prepared to make up my missed appointment. I re-appeared in the game to meet with Chen Jun, but he told me that he had already met me in person. At this time, I understood what was going on, and I confronted Gu Mengxing about it face to face. She lied at the beginning, but then she couldn''t keep up the lie any longer and told me the truth. She chose Chen Jun as her target, pretended to be me, and lied by saying that she was my character. What boils my blood even more is that they even slept together!¡±


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t believe that my BFF would steal my boyfriend. No. In fact, I should have known and thought it all along. She was the kind of bitch who couldn¡¯t do without a man! I don¡¯t want something that someone else has used before. I was angry at myself. From then on, I rarely contacted that bitch, but she often initiated contact with me. It was like she was purposely trying to test my patience, informing me how well they were getting along. I thought in my heart that a horrible wench like that would eventually get stabbed to death.


    ¡°I thought this case was done after that. I didn''t expect that a patient woulde to see me just a few months ago. It turned out to be Chen Jun. He was infected with sexually transmitted diseases, and I just couldn¡¯t believe it! I guessed that this must be rted to that horrible wench. After some digging, it turned out my hunch was correct. While she was messing around outside, she got infected with STDs and transmitted them to Chen Jun. I didn¡¯t know whether I shouldugh or cry. Chen Jun is such a good man. Why was he taken away by this kind of bitch? And she didn¡¯t even know how to cherish-¡±


    When she got to that point, Gao Xiaohui put her head in her hands painfully while Chen Shi pressed, ¡°So, that was the moment where you formted the intention to kill her?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Xiaohui agreed while still having her face buried in her hands, ¡°The whole process was simr to your guess. I thought I nned it out very well. How are you able to read my ns so thoroughly?¡±


    ¡°Did you think that your n was foolproof? No, it was filled with many ws!¡±


    ¡°I... Will I be sentenced to death? I don''t want to die. Please let me go!¡± Gao Xiaohui started to cry.


    ¡°That''s not up to me to say. You need to pay the price for killing someone. When you made this decision, you should have expected such a result! I sympathize with your experience, but I don''t agree with your actions. Killing someone is the most idiotic solution to a problem.¡±


    Chen Shi stood up and waved to Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue took a deep breath. She didn''t expect the real murderer to be arrested; this was the first time in her life that she had handcuffed an actual murderer. The happiness in her heart was hard to put into words.


    As Lin Dongxue was walking over, prepared to handcuff Gao Xiaohui, the suspect suddenly shoved Lin Dongxue and grabbed a syringe from the drawer, intending to quickly stab herself in the leg.


    Chen Shi reacted quickly and stopped her with his hand, causing the syringe fell to the ground. A bitter smell and taste filled the room.


    Chen Shi stared at Gao Xiaohui¡¯s eyes andforted her, ¡°Listen, you may not be sentenced to death in this situation. If you fight hard, you still have a chance to see the sky again.¡±


    Gao Xiaohui cried and cried, ¡°Even if I can see the sky again after a few decades, I will be an olddy at that time. My life ispletely ruined. Ruined! I didn''t even get to experience mutual love with someone even once...¡±


    As she said this, Gao Xiaohui burst into tears, and Chen Shi hugged her, gently patting her shoulders tofort her.


    This scene made Lin Dongxue dumbfounded. Only after a long time did she realize that Chen Shi was gesturing for her to give him the handcuffs. Chen Shi took the handcuffs and put it on Gao Xiaohui. This time, she was very obedient. Chen Shi lectured, ¡°Everyone must take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. This was your choice. Do not me the heavens or anyone else. Moreover, if you really wanted tomit suicide, there are still plenty of opportunities in prison.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lin Dongxue yelled. How could this guy say such irresponsible words?


    Chen Shi took a coat and covered Gao Xiaohui''s hands, leaving her with a few strands of dignity. When she was ready to go, Gao Xiaohui asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°A driver who is a justice-enthusiast,¡± Chen Shi smiled and replied.


    The three got into the car, and Lin Dongxue was so excited that she almost couldn¡¯t contain herself. Of course, while in the presence of the murder suspect, she couldn''t thank him. At this time, Lin Qiupu called and queried, ¡°Dongxue, where did you go? This morning, you didn¡¯t sign-in with your punch-card. Did you act without authorization again? How many times have I talked about this? As a policeman-¡±


    ¡°Brother, I caught the murder suspect!¡±


    On the other end of the phone, Lin Qiupu was stunned by Lin Dongxue''s words to him. This was the same Lin Dongxue who never called him ¡°brother¡± during working hours.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°You caught one again?¡±


    ¡°This time it¡¯s the real suspect! You can rest assured, and there is evidence!¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I will be back soon. Be ready to interrogate them!¡±


    Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t hang up for a long time. He finally cautioned, ¡°Don''t make any more mistakes.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Chen Shi suddenlyughed, and Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny thinking about what your brother¡¯s expression would be like!¡±


    Chen Shi then turned and asked Gao Xiaohui, ¡°Doctor Gao, what is yourst wish before going to the police station?¡±


    Gao Xiaohui already looked like she had epted her fate. She smiled a little and said, ¡°I want to eat the m[2] spicy soup at the Shou Wang Pce.¡±


    ¡°Oh, perfect. I was just thinking that I was hungry too. Let¡¯s get going!¡± Chen Shi started the car.


    ¡°Hey, don''t make decisions without permission!¡± Lin Dongxue cried in a panic.


    1. Idiom that means that they are using her of something she didn¡¯t do. When people are sprayed with the blood in someone¡¯s mouth, the person who is now all bloody can be easily used.


    2. It¡¯s made from Sichuan pepper and dried chilli pepper. M isposed of two Chinese words, meaning ¡°numbing¡± and ¡°spicy¡±, referring to the numb feeling after eating the food which is often quite spicy.

 Chapter 14: A Person I Admire

    <h4>Chapter 14: A Person I Admire</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After eating M spicy soup, Chen Shi¡¯s lips were very red from the spiciness. Lin Dongxue looked at him with a look of disdain. Chen Shi teased, ¡°I know I¡¯m handsome but you don¡¯t have to stare at me the whole time, right?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smacked him and lectured, ¡°You know how afraid I was at the restaurant? I was very worried that she...¡± She then nced at Gao Xiaohui in the back seat. ¡°I was afraid that the suspect would run!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay, I will take note of this next time.¡±


    On the road back to the station, Lin Dongxue received three calls to urge her to get back faster. Lin Qiupu was afraid that there would be any changes on her end.


    Half an hourter, the three drew closer to the front door of the station. Lin Qiupu and several police officers hadn¡¯t eaten lunch and were just waiting by the door. Lin Dongxue immediately understood. This guy had bad intentions and deliberately wasted time in order to get revenge forst time.


    The car stopped. When Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi came down from the car, Lin Qiupu¡¯s eyes red at him. Lin Qiupu sneered coldly as he walked up to them, ¡°As the expression goes, water turns even if the mountains don¡¯t, huh?[1] Mr. Chen, why don¡¯t you talk about the feeling ofing to the pce twice?! Go to the interrogation room and talk!¡±


    Chen Shi was also happy and pointed towards the car, ¡°Maybe you need to get a pair of sses, Captain Lin. There¡¯s still someone in the car. Could you not see them or something?¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at the car and looked at Lin Dongxue with a look of iprehension. Lin Dongxue rified, ¡°Captain Lin, that is the actual murder suspect. She has already confessed to everything!¡±


    ¡°But... Why is it a woman? Did you make a record of everything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh... No...¡± Lin Dongxue poked her tongue out.


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and said, ¡°There is a recording on this, I will send it to you!¡±


    ¡°Wow, you were so careful down to the minute details!¡± Lin Dongxue said in admiration.


    ¡°What is going on here? You were solving the case together?¡± Lin Qiupu looked to Chen Shi, ¡°Why are you with Dongxue?¡±


    Chen Shi deliberately ignored the hostility in his eyes. ¡°This case was all done by Miss Lin; I just helped a little bit. Captain Lin, I think you usually neglect your sister''s ability. Her intuition is quite keen. I promise that you will feel like you lost to your sister after this case is closed!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face went red from all the praise while Lin Qiupu was stunned. He turned to Lin Dongxue, ¡°How could you not listen to themands and act without authorization?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t happen again, won¡¯t happen again!¡± Lin Dongxue smiled.


    ¡°One time is enough, wait for the punishment!¡± Lin Qiupu stated with a serious face.


    ¡°Well, the rest of the things you deal with yourself, but quickly take her away. I have to work!¡± Chen Shi opened the door to his car. ¡°Oh yeah, I need a person to inform me in advance if I need to take the stand as a witness. I am very busy.¡±


    After Chen Shi left, Lin Qiupu listened to the recordings on the scene. The truth of the case waspletely unexpected to him. However, he did not understand one thing. He asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°Didn¡¯t that guy say that he only helped a little bit? Why is he the only one talking in the recording? Who exactly was helping who?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was too embarrassed to hide it. ¡°If I tell you, you have to believe me. This case was basically solved by him alone.¡±


    ¡°Him? A taxi driver?¡± Lin Qiupu was shocked for a long time.


    Gao Xiaohui confessed to the case and the evidence was confirmed. Lin Qiupu was able to hand the case over and get started on the legal proceedings very quickly. The media reported the case to the outside world. They used the eye-catching title of ¡®Love Torn Apart Incurred Killing intent¡¯, ¡®BFF schemed to hurt BFF¡¯. Of course, it did not mention the name of Chen Shi, but mentioned that they solved the case ¡®with the help of a kind citizen.¡¯


    Lin Dongxue receivedmendation from the bureau because of her great merits. Although this was the first time in her life receiving honor like this, Lin Dongxue felt guilty as she held the award.


    After themendation ceremony, Lin Qiupu wore a darkened expression. ¡°Come to my office.¡±


    After entering the office of Lin Qiupu, Lin Dongxue gave a salute. ¡°Captain, is it necessary to give me disciplinary action for acting without authorization?¡±


    ¡°Disciplinary action? Why, you have made great achievements. The police chief has even given you an award. If I were to punish you, won¡¯t people say that I¡¯m being petty?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I want to understand one thing. Who is that guy? How could a driver with no professional training break the case? And he also...¡± Lin Qiupu originally wanted to say that he left even the task force in the dust, but he felt too embarrassed to say it, so he swallowed the words.


    ¡°Actually, I think he is a professional. His knowledge of criminal investigation is top-notch. I was even thinking that he might be an undercover cop?¡±


    ¡°Bull! Have you ever seen someone go undercover to be a driver? You dig into him and what his background is. The more I think about it, the more suspicious I think he is. Whether I assume the position as your brother or superior, I cannot tolerate you being with a guy of unknown background.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured, Captain Lin. I am only investigating with him, nothing else.¡±


    Lin Qiupu gave her a look. Lin Dongxue immediately respectfully saluted him. ¡°I will check into him as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°And...¡± Lin Qiupu softened his expression of a superior talking to his subordinate. ¡°This Sunday, you will be going on a blind date.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Dongxue¡¯s mouth hung open widely. ¡°What do you mean blind date?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, what do you think it means? Your aunt set it up for you. How could I say no?¡±


    ¡°So, you betrayed me?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? The biggest event for women is marriage[2]. You should just go through the motions.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you go yourself?¡± Lin Dongxue looked reluctant.


    ¡°Sister, just cooperate a little!¡±


    ¡°Really! Does she think I won¡¯t be able to get married?¡±


    ¡°Sessful people don''t live infort and those who arefortable aren¡¯t sessful[3]. People are kind enough to introduce you to someone. You can¡¯t just bluntly refuse them!¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Lin Dongxue had topromise. ¡°Who is the other person? Have you asked?¡±


    Lin Qiupu picked up a photo and wiped it as he recalled, ¡°I think he was a software engineer, an overseas student returnee with a very high level of education. I saw his photo and he¡¯s okay!¡±


    ¡°Is he as handsome as you?¡±


    Lin Qiupu smiled, ¡°Different styles!¡±


    Lin Dongxue also smiled. Looking at the photo in Lin Qiupu¡¯s hand, she asked, ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you something. Why do you have a picture of a man on your desk all the time? Surely you¡¯re not...¡±


    Lin Qiupu pouted. ¡°Nonsense! This is a person I really admire. He¡¯s a policeman.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Dongxue nced at the photo. The man was a 20- to 30-year-old man wearing a windbreaker with his hands on his hips smiling. He looked particrly confident. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°This man is called Song Lang. He was a senior of mine. When I first started as a policeman, he took care of me quite a bit. You were still in middle school, so you didn¡¯t know that this person was way too powerful. Any cases that crossed his hands were never unresolved. He was famed as a genius detective. In Long¡¯An, so long as you¡¯ve been a police officer for over five years, there isn¡¯t a single person who doesn¡¯t know his name. Many universities wanted to hire him as a visiting professor, but he was very low-key and rejected them all.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen him in Long¡¯An? Has this person been transferred over to the government?¡± Lin Dongxue guessed.


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. ¡°No, he is missing.¡±


    ¡°Someone sought revenge on him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. It¡¯s said that he killed people. When we went to arrest him, I also participated in the task. But I don¡¯t believe that this is true in my heart. I put his photos on the table to encourage myself. I hope that one day I can also be like him.¡± Lin Qiupu rubbed the photo frame with his thumb, showing a trace of grief in his eyes.


    Lin Dongxue looked at the smile of the detective in the photo. She suddenly had an odd thought. Why had she seen this expression before?


    1. People don¡¯t change. Some things don¡¯t change.


    2. Traditionally, it was seen this way.


    3. An expression we use to describe the effort required to be sessful. You need to make sacrifices to be sessful.

 Chapter 15: Matchmaking

    <h4>Chapter 15: Matchmaking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 2: Family Massacre


    On her day off, Lin Dongxue received a call from Chen Shi. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Miss Lin, is it your day off today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°You haven''t forgotten that you promised me a meal, right? I just finished a few trips and now my stomach is rumbling!¡±


    Lin Dongxue remembered this incident. At that time, she had only casually agreed. She didn¡¯t expect Chen Shi to remember. She relented, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll invite you to dinner. Can you pick me up?¡±


    ¡°Address!¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to wait for her at HuaYun Commercial Building. After arriving at the building, Chen Shi looked left and right but didn¡¯t see her. Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a green dress and dark green crop-jacket pulled the door open. Chen Shi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s you. I didn''t recognize you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s casual clothes were usually fairly androgynous. Today, she was wearing an outfit that was all newly bought. She asked, ¡°Are youplimenting me?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Clothes are good. The person is even better. Nobody would believe me even if I were to say that you¡¯re a police officer.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue groaned, ¡°If you say it like that, does that mean that police officers don¡¯t look good?¡±


    ¡°Police officers aren¡¯t that cute. At least not from the ones I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°This guy has a slick tongue! How many officers have you even seen?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought that Chen Shi would take them somewhere expensive, but the restaurant he picked was just a very ordinary restaurant. He ordered a few small dishes in the store. Lin Dongxue took out a thick envelope from her bag. ¡°This is the reward fromst time.¡±


    Chen Shi took it in his hand and counted it. There were two thousand yuan in total. He asked, ¡°Half each?¡±


    ¡°No, this is all yours. I think this case was basically solved by you alone, so the reward should belong to you!¡±


    ¡°Then I will kindly ept your offer. Thank you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise, ¡°You are not polite at all, are you?¡±


    ¡°I have collected the money so I will pay for this meal. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I said I would be the one to treat you for this meal.¡±


    After a while, the food was served on the table. Chen Shi gobbled the food down as if it was exceptionally good. As she watched him eat, Lin Dongxue began to feel hungry herself, so she ate half a bowl of rice more than normal. In her heart, she immediately regretted her decision, as she was probably going to gain weight again.


    While eating, Chen Shi chatted about the strange things that he usually encountered when he gged people down for work. Lin Dongxue thought this person to be an ordinary driver no matter how she looked at him.


    Lin Dongxue interrupted him and asked, ¡°I am very curious. How do you know how to solve cases? Have you received any special training?¡±


    Chen Shi poured the soup on his rice. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that you won¡¯t ask me about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious! Besides, I am a police officer. If you refuse to talk about it, I could just investigate it.¡±


    ¡°Then you go and investigate. A person''s past is not something that can be summarized in ck and white on a piece of paper, let alone a person with a rich life such as myself.¡±


    ¡°Tch, trying to act all mysterious.¡±


    After lunch, Chen Shi offered, ¡°Since it¡¯s your day off and I just earned 2000[1], shall I treat you to watch a movie?¡±


    ¡°You wish!¡± Lin Dongxue pulled a face. ¡°Eating is one thing, but I¡¯m not familiar with you or anything, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Just you wait, since there¡¯s chances for us to still meet anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh, save that crap. I won¡¯te to find you again!¡±


    The two walked to the bustling area and Chen Shi stopped at the entrance of a movie theatre. ¡°Mission Impossible 6 just came out. Do you want to watch it together?¡±


    ¡°What''s the appeal in a movie that just has fighting here and there?¡± Lin Dongxue looked disdainful.


    ¡°Tom Cruise is so handsome; A lot of young girls like him.¡±


    ¡°Tch, well I don''t like it!¡±


    Chen Shi went straight into the cinema and bought two tickets by himself. He offered, ¡°The movie starts in 20 minutes. Wanna watch it? Wanna watch?¡±


    Lin Dongxue hesitated. Since she was busy with work normally, she hadn¡¯t been in a cinema in years. She was a little tempted.


    Chen Shi neogitated, ¡°How about this? We can go in and watch for a bit. If you don¡¯t enjoy it, I will treat you to dinner at night aspensation.¡±


    ¡°You have such thick-skin!¡± Lin Dongxue was speechless.


    ¡°Come on, I want to see it too!¡±


    Lin Dongxue reluctantly agreed. Just as she was about to enter the cinema, Lin Dongxue¡¯s phone rang. It was Lin Qiupu¡¯s call. She thought that something urgent had happened back at the station. She did not expect Lin Qiupu to say immediately, ¡°Where did you run off to?!¡±


    ¡°What''s up?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you have a matchmaking session today? The guy has been sitting at the restaurant for an hour!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I forgot! Tell me which restaurant it is. I¡¯ll go there now.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue looked really depressed. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Need to go to a blind date? No wonder you dressed so beautifully today. I¡¯m sadder than you are!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, if I remembered that I was going on a blind date, I wouldn¡¯t have worn this.¡±


    ¡°So, then... You dressed up for me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face went red and she stomped on Chen Shi¡¯s foot grumpily. Chen Shi yelped in pain. ¡°Your face is like an open book.¡±


    ¡°Who told you to ask me something like that! Girls like to dress up nicely every so often. Is it necessarily for someone to see? Straight-male cancer!¡±[2]


    ¡°Can¡¯t I be wrong? Right, I will drive you there!¡±


    ¡°No thanks, didn¡¯t you just buy tickets to go watch a movie? You should go watch it by yourself.¡± Lin Dongxue declined before turning away.


    After a few steps, Chen Shi caught up and said, ¡°I will take you!¡±


    ¡°What about your tickets?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them away!¡±


    ¡°Give it away?¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    ¡°Your business is more important!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart was touched. Although she knew that this was a man¡¯s pick-up routine, she didn¡¯t mind iting from Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi drove Lin Dongxue to the restaurant. When he stopped, he gave some advice to Lin Dongxue. ¡°Blind dates aren¡¯t that big of a deal. You don¡¯t need to be too nervous. Just make some small talk.¡±


    ¡°Which eye of yours sees that I¡¯m nervous?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, you aren¡¯t nervous then. You just kept looking at the mirror and fiddling with your hair without saying anything, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I don''t say a word because... I didn¡¯t want to talk to you!¡± Lin Dongxue red at him and pushed the door open to get off.


    Lin Dongxue walked into the restaurant and nced at the guests who were eating. Suddenly, she felt very nervous. A man wearing a suit, tie, and gold-rimmed sses waved her over. ¡°Are you Miss Lin?¡±


    ¡°Ah... You are...¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly forgot his surname.


    ¡°My surname is Li!¡± When the man smiled as the skin around his eyes creased. His appearance was decent, but his face and his hair were oily. It felt like there was ayer of oil on him, making Lin Dongxue very ufortable when looking at him.


    ¡°Miss Lin you¡¯ve dressed very beautifully today; Even more beautiful than the photo!¡± said the man as he looked her up and down. His perverted eyes made Lin Dongxue even more ufortable.


    After she took a seat, the man began to introduce himself and asked her a few questions. How many people were in her family, whether they were locals, and what academic qualifications she held were all among the questions raised. Lin Dongxue answered each question one by one, but felt very bored.


    Blind-dates are as boring and horrible as the legends say.


    The dishes on the table didn''t move at all. Listening to the man endlessly talk about his experiences as a student overseas, Lin Dongxue''s thoughts drifted away.


    She suddenly saw a person standing outside the window. After taking another look, it was actually Chen Shi who was smiling and waving enthusiastically at her.


    1. 2,000 Yuan (RMB) is about $280 USD.


    2. Heterosexual notion where everything is done in order to gain a guy¡¯s attention instead of for the girls themselves.

 Chapter 16: Uncle with Meticulous Thinking

    <h4>Chapter 16: Uncle with Meticulous Thinking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After talking about his own affairs, the man asked, ¡°Miss Lin, why did you initially choose the profession of a police officer?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said with a stiff smile, ¡°There¡¯s no real reason. I just like it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what it was. I think you did well in choosing your career. Police officers still count as civil servants. The sry and benefits aren¡¯t too bad. The status for girls like you multiplies after a few years in the force. It would probably give you more options in terms of choosing your partner.¡±


    When she heard this, Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. ¡°What do you mean? You think I chose to be a police officer to add value to myself so that I could marry better in the future?¡± she demanded.


    The man smiled. ¡°We are just chatting, why don''t you stop being so sensitive? Being a police officer is also a profession. Is it any different from other professions?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say that being a police officer is superior to other professions, but it¡¯s very ufortable for me when you put it the way that you did!¡±


    ¡°And the reason being?¡±


    ¡°If we can¡¯tmunicate, there is no need to continue even half a sentence longer. I apologize but I do not think we are suited for each other. I will be taking my leave.¡±


    After excusing herself, Lin Dongxue stood up and walked away. The man chased after her and shouted ¡°Hey! Hey, wait.¡± When he caught up, the man grabbed her wrist.


    Lin Dongxue turned back angrily, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    The man smiled and urged, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a rush to leave. The food hasn''t even been eaten yet. I spent a few hundred dors on it. I think we should learn a bit more about each other on a deeper level.¡±


    ¡°I am not interested in you. Let go!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s voice attracted the attention of other guests. The man smiled and exined to them, ¡°Nothing to see here, just a little quarrel with my girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°Who is your girlfriend!?¡± Lin Dongxue broke her hand away in anger.


    After a few steps, the man grabbed her shoulder from behind. ¡°Miss Lin. Actually, I believe in love at first sight. Would you give me a chance?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she grit her teeth. Why hadn¡¯t she refused toe to this blind date? At this time, Chen Shi came in from outside and stopped in front of the two. Chen Shi confronted the man, ¡°Sir, don¡¯t you think your actions are a bit out of line? She¡¯s clearly not interested in you, yet you refuse to take no for an answer. What¡¯s the point in that?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± The man showed a hostile look.


    ¡°My friend!¡± Lin Dongxue rushed to get out and took Chen Shi''s hand.


    When the man saw that the two were so close, the man backed off. A resentful look came over his face. He fumed, ¡°Miss Lin, are you kidding me? You have a boyfriend but came to a blind date? I¡¯ve wasted hundreds of yuan on ordering these dishes and my precious time in order to meet you. I think you have a serious problem with your character!¡±


    Chen Shi replied, ¡°I am not her boyfriend. I¡¯m just an ordinary friend.¡±


    ¡°Is that the case?¡± The man was suspicious.


    ¡°Your surname?¡±


    ¡°Li!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Li, do you have a misunderstanding about blind dates? Do you think you can just do anything you want when you¡¯re on a blind date? Let me teach you a little bit aboutw. Physical contact with the opposite sex without permission legally constitutes as sexual harassment. There can be a punishment of five to fifteen days of detention and a fine of five hundred yuan or less. Do you understand?¡±


    In the face of the ruthless Chen Shi, the man immediately softened up and defended his actions, ¡°I... I was just anxious...¡±


    ¡°Do you think thew will take that into ount? Also, when a woman says ¡®no,¡¯ the meaning is ¡®no.¡¯ A man who can¡¯t take no for an answer is irritating, understand? Don''t assume that every woman in the world is your mother!¡±[1]


    Hearing thest sentence, the man widened his eyes, ¡°You!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue and offered, ¡°Let''s go. I¡¯ll drop you off.¡±


    Leaving the restaurant, Lin Dongxue gave out a long sigh. She asked, ¡°How long was I in there for?¡±


    ¡°Not more than half an hour,¡± Chen Shi replied as he looked at his watch.


    ¡°Oh lord, I thought I spent hours in there. Normally I don¡¯t have such a hard time in meetings. I won''t be going on blind dates again!¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to kill all your opportunities with a stick. With regards to love, unless you continue to try, how will you be able to find the right one through trial and error? Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Oh please. Don''t pretend to be a master of love!¡± Lin Dongxue said disdainfully. ¡°Right, why did you say, ¡®Don''t assume that every woman in the world is your mother?'' Were you telling him off?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a spoiled mummy¡¯s boy. Couldn¡¯t you tell?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice? His clothes were very clean, he had a handkerchief ced in his chest pocket, and he had a haircut not too long ago. However, his beard has not been shaved for at least two days, his teeth were not clean, and his wrists were a bit dirty. He was also a little fat, indicating that he is not a person who pays special attention to his own grooming. He is most likely someone who gets spoon-fed at home and has someone who washes his clothes for him. Furthermore, there was also his subconscious actions, revealing that this person didn¡¯t suffer the consequences for his actions from a very young age. When the other party refused, he takes radical action. From the observations above, he should live with rtives of the opposite sex, so I concluded that the person was a spoiled brat!¡± Chen Shi analyzed confidently.


    Lin Dongxue was stunned as she listened to his detailed exnation. At this time, she received a phone call from her aunt. ¡°XueXue, are you dissatisfied with Xiao Li?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about how quickly the man had reported the incident to the matchmakers. This man truly was a rare gem. Lin Dongxue made light conversation to please her aunt, ¡°Aunty, thank you so much for your going through the trouble of introducing us. I just feel that our personalities didn¡¯t suit each other.¡±


    ¡°In fact, Xiao Li is very decent. He has a high degree of education and a good job. But if it is not suitable, then forget it. It was originally something that required both parties to wish for.¡±


    ¡°Aunty, no need to introduce me to someone next time. I am still young!¡±


    ¡°You are already twenty-four and haven¡¯t ever had a boyfriend. How could I not worry about you? When aunty here was your age...¡±


    As soon as she realized that her aunt was about to nag her, Lin Dongxue quickly interrupted, ¡°Oh yes, aunty, can I ask you something? Is Xiao Li living with his mother?¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you? Yes, Xiao Li is from a single-parent family. When he was a child, his parents divorced, and he grew up with his mother. He is a very filial child.¡±


    Once she heard this, Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi with amazement. This guy is too god-like. He got everything right!


    After exchanging a few more words, Lin Dongxue finally hung up the phone. Chen Shi raised an eyebrow, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Tch, I suppose you guessed correctly!¡±


    ¡°Guessed? This is called observation. As a police officer, shouldn¡¯t you be at least this observant?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I respect you oh so much, alright?¡± Lin Dongxue replied sarcastically.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡±


    Chen Shi ran to a dairy shop and bought two bottles of mineral water. He handed a bottle to Lin Dongxue. ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to drink since noon. You¡¯re thirsty, right?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself, This guy looks like a rough uncle, why does he think things so meticulously and even notices minute details?


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°I feel that elders who matchmake always like to look at the superficial things such as work and education, but often overlook the most basic elements of feelings. Oh right, what type of man do you like? I will help pay attention for your sake!¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Lin Dongxue bluntly refused. ¡°I don''t want to marry a driver.¡± She then thought that this was easy to misunderstand and immediately rified, ¡°I mean, don¡¯t all the people you know drive taxis?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting darker the more you paint over it.[2] You don¡¯t need to try and exin it off so purposefully.¡± Chen Shiughed evilly.


    ¡°You are a stinky uncle!¡± Lin Dongxue yelled, lightly punching Chen Shi''s belly with her fist.


    1. Don¡¯t think that all the women in the whole world is like your mum. An expression that indicates that not everyone is as lenient with him, allowing him to do anything he pleases like his mother does.


    2. Making it worse.

 Chapter 17: I’m Most Afraid of Places Like This

    <h4>Chapter 17: I¡¯m Most Afraid of ces Like This</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After getting in the car, Lin Dongxue nned to go home.


    Looking at Chen Shi, who was focused on driving, she thought to herself. On one of her rare days off, she shouldn¡¯t be with this guy the whole time. She should quickly go home andfortably rx on her sofa as she watched one or two episodes of ¡°YanXi Raiders¡±.[1]


    She knew that she was born beautiful. She had been confessed to many times ever since she was a child. She didn¡¯t even know when she identally revealed her smile to people. People who had a crush on her mistakenly thought that it was an expression of interest.


    It¡¯s not that I think I¡¯m above them, it¡¯s just that I just can¡¯t stand it when people I don¡¯t like have interest in me.


    Therefore, I must not let Chen Shi think that he has a chance!


    Moreover, he is a driver, and I am a police officer. I¡¯m afraid that I will not be meeting him again in the future. It would never be so coincidental that we would run into cases when we are together. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a movie...


    ¡°Someone jumped off the building!¡± There was a scream in the littlemunity quarters next to the road they were on.


    Chen Shi mmed on the brakes abruptly, pushed the door open and rushed in to the quarters of the apartmentplex. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t even ask for him to stop in time. Sheined internally, but still took her seatbelt off and got out of the car.


    The two rushed into the quarters of the apartmentplex and saw a group of residents underneath an apartment block. Chen Shi continuously repeated, ¡°Let us through¡± as he separated the crowd and squeezed himself through. When they had a clear view of the person who jumped, Lin Dongxue was so shocked that she covered her mouth.


    It was a child, probably in the first or second grade of elementary school. He fell in a flower bed filled with small shrubs and flowers wearing his undershirt and shorts. His head was covered in blood.


    Chen Shi examined his neck and alerted everyone present. ¡°He is still alive. Hurry and call 120! Which floor did he jump from?¡±


    One resident answered, ¡°This child is from Old Xu¡¯s family who live on the third floor. Is it because the parents are not home and had shut him in the unit alone? But why did he fall down?¡±


    Chen Shi gestured Lin Dongxue with his head and instructed, ¡°Go look at the third floor. I will look after the kid here.¡± Then he began to talk to the child constantly, trying to wake him up.


    Lin Dongxue went up to the third floor and several residents also followed. Lin Dongxue knocked on the door. When no one answered the door, she asked the residents, ¡°Is there a master key for the units?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so, but there is a locksmith near us! But it has to be issued by the police station.¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge to them. ¡°I am a police officer. Tell him toe and unlock it. I¡¯m here as a witness!¡±


    Lin Dongxue stood in the corridor waiting. Suddenly she smelled the pungent smell of blood. At first, she thought it was the smell in the corridor However, as she sniffed closer to the door, she found that the smell was wafting out from the house.


    Lin Dongxue was scared and immediately called Chen Shi. ¡°Hey, things are a bit wrong. I smell the scent of blood.¡±


    ¡°You need to think of how to get in immediately. Don''t mess with anything after you go in. Wait for the ambnce toe and then I wille up as well.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue suddenly thought to herself. Why did I call him first rather than inform the station?


    She was going to give Lin Qiupu a call, but then thought against it. The smell of blood might not be human. She should go inside the house and verify it before calling it in. It may well have just been an ordinary ident.


    About fifteen minutester, the locksmith arrived. Seeing Lin Dongxue''s ID, he began to unlock the lock. After two or three attempts, the lock was opened. When the door was opened, the living room was full of blood. Behind the sofa was a pair of feet in slippers. It was obvious that someoney there.


    The onlookers made a burst of scared exmations and everyone began gossiping, ¡°Is the Lao Xu family in trouble?¡±, ¡°Was it a thief?¡±, ¡°This happened in broad daylight! What were the property managers doing?!¡±


    After some time, everyone began slowly squeezing into the house as they gossiped. Lin Dongxue desperately tried to stop them. ¡°Everyone stay back! I am a police officer! There may have been a murder case here. Do not tamper with the crime scene. Thank you all for your cooperation!¡±


    ¡°We are just looking... We have been neighbors with Lao Xu for over a decade. Something has happened to his family, how could we not care?¡± Some people were still trying their best to get in and Lin Dongxue¡¯s arm holding the door frame almost couldn¡¯t stop them any longer.


    At this time, a calm and harsh voice came from behind, ¡°Do you all not know the severity of the situation? This is a crime scene. If one of you even leaves half a footprint on the scene, do you know how much more of a burden it would be to the officers handling this case?!¡±


    When everyone looked back, they saw Chen Shi standing at the top of the stairs with his hands in his pockets. Everyone scattered reluctantly and were pissed-off due to his stern demands.


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°Wait, the people on the scene right now need to leave their names and contact information as we will need toe for an individual visitter on.¡±


    One resident responded, ¡°Mister police officer, we are all usually very busy. This murder must have been done by outsiders. What does it have to do with us?¡± Others echoed this same notion.


    Chen Shi sneered. They were all hiding in their tortoise shells. Nobody dared move forward to help even when it was a child that fell off the building. However, they allpeted when they felt like they had a show to watch. Now, when we need them to leave their contact details, they¡¯re all evading once again.


    He softened his tone and exined. ¡°I am not saying that this case involves any of you. However, everyone present is an eyewitness. For example, if you saw any suspicious people entering themunity, we must know all of this. You think it is up to the police to solve a case? Wrong. Solving a case relies on the clues provided by everyone! You all don''t want such a thing to happen to your home one day, right?¡±


    Thest sentence was half threatened and half scared them into silence. Everyone left their contact details. Chen Shi took everything down with his phone.


    After finishing, he nodded and warned, ¡°Also, please be sure to keep these incidents confidential. Don''t talk about it before the case is solved because the murderer is very likely to be around the vicinity. It is also very likely that this is someone you¡¯ve seen around the area. I am not saying this to rm you all. If you talk about it everywhere, you might raise trouble for yourself if you¡¯re unlucky.¡±


    Everyone looked pale and nodded. ¡°Then we won¡¯t stop you guys from investigating, officers. Please be sure to catch the murderer!¡± Then, everyone dispersed.


    Lin Dongxue sighed in relief. ¡°I really have to hand it to you. You handled the masses in such an experienced manner.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and took out his packet of cigarettes from his pocket. ¡°I am the masses myself. How could I not understand them? Besides, I am also using your presence[2]. If you weren¡¯t here with me, they would not have thought that I was a policeman, you know what I mean?¡± reasoned Chen Shi as he smoked.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re smoking here?!¡±


    ¡°I am just smoking here as I think. You should call your brother quickly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue snuck a disgusted look at him. She scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t litter the cigarette butt! I don''t understand men like you. Is there anything good about smoking?¡±


    After Lin Dongxue finished the phone call, Chen Shi¡¯s cigarette was also finished. He carefully wrapped the cigarette butt with the tin foil on the cigarette case and then rushed towards the unit and gestured her with his head, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and see!¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Looking at the room with wallpaper that seemed to have been painted by blood, Lin Dongxue was a bit timid. ¡°You go in first!¡±


    ¡°Ladies first!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say, surely you aren¡¯t afraid?¡±


    Chen Shi touched his chin and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at me. I¡¯m actually scared. I¡¯m guessing there is more than one death in the house.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were not afraid of neither the heavens nor earth? Well, I¡¯ll go in first then!¡± Lin Dongxue took a few deep breaths, sucked it up and went into the house. She put her shoes in the shoe cover machine and then Chen Shi came in and hid behind her.


    Lin Dongxue thought he was just pretending to be afraid and asked, ¡°Are you really scared?¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Chen Shi bitterly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m most afraid to enter ces like these.¡±


    1. It is an actual show that was popr. https://i2.wp/.flyhoneystars/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/yanxi-pce-location.png?fit=428%2C240


    2. Old proverb. It means that when you¡¯re a mouse standing on an elephant, wherever you go, the tiger will leave. Not because of the mice, but the elephant they are riding on. In this scenario, he was only able to do that because she, a police officer, was present.

 Chapter 18: On-site Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 18: On-site Reasoning</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue scowled, ¡°Oi, why are youing in? Shouldn¡¯t we let the forensic teame and take samples and prints first? If we move the scene, my brother will punish me!¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°What if there¡¯s a living person in here?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess what you said makes sense!¡± Lin Dongxue turned into the house and felt goose bumps on her body. She gulped and carefully avoided the blood on the ground that was sttered like ink stains everywhere.


    The furniture in the house was not too messy. It seems that the murderer made very swift and clean murders. The two went to the back of the sofa where a woman wearing home clothes wasying. She should be aged over 30, and her whole head was like a bloody paste.


    Chen Shi was ready to test is the victim had a pulse when Lin Dongxue stopped him. ¡°Wait, don''t leave fingerprints.¡±


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and ced the screen under the nose of the woman. After waiting for a few seconds silently, condensation still did not appear on the screen. ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± he asserted.


    The two went to the bedroom next. The bedroom and the living room were decorated in different styles. It was filled entirely with a set of old mahogany furniture and a wicker rocking chair. It was obviously the room of an old person. There was an olddy lying on the floor. Her neck had a hole torn through it, as if bitten by a beast. The blood stained arge piece of the solid wood flooring.


    Chen Shi surveyed the area and found that a thick cleaver was thrown on the ground carelessly, covered with coagted blood. ¡°It seems that this was used as a weapon,¡± he deduced.


    The two went into another bedroom. This was the room where the husband and wife slept. The couple¡¯s wedding photos were hung on the wall in front of the bed. There was nobody in the bedroom. A bowl of soup was ced on the bedside table. Chen Shi went over and sniffed, ¡°It¡¯s snow treme and lotus seed sweet soup.¡±


    Chen Shi straightened up and looked at the small balcony that was attached to the bedroom. The balcony was semi-enclosed with windows on it. One of the windows were open and a small stool was ced on the floor. Chen Shi asked, ¡°When you asked the locksmith to open the door, was it locked from the inside?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Dongxue replied.


    Chen Shi looked down at the ground below. ¡°It seems that the little boy jumped from here because he was too scared. Below is the flower bed. It has some buffering effect, but he was still injured pretty severely.¡±


    ¡°When he woke up and found that the whole family was dead. It must have been so pitiful,¡± Lin Dongxue sympathized.


    ¡°When he woke up?¡± Chen Shi looked at her with a puzzled look.


    Lin Dongxue, who knew she must have made a mistake with her words, tried to exin, ¡°I just talked about it casually. Do you have to be so picky with each and every word? We will wait for forensics to determine the time of death!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the kitchen and see.¡±


    The two went to the kitchen. The kitchen and bathroom were connected together. A man was on the floor between the kitchen and the bathroom. It was the male owner of the wedding photo. His head was smashed to a pulp. ¡°Hup!¡± Chen Shi bent down and checked. ¡°The weapon used to kill this man is different from the other two.¡±


    Chen Shi muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly rushed into the kitchen. He rummaged through the cab and took a pair of rubber gloves from the cab. Lin Dongxue tried to stop him, ¡°Oi! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t rest easy until I take a look.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move the body right now! Wait for my brother, he¡¯sing...¡±


    ¡°When your brother is here, you think he will he let me look?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were afraid? Why aren¡¯t you afraid now?¡± Lin Dongxue groaned softly.


    Chen Shi bent down again and checked the man''s head. He waved her over. ¡°Look, there are some white broken pieces in the hair.¡±


    Lin Dongxue followed suit to take a look. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true!¡±


    Chen Shi stood up and walked into the bathroom. Some white pieces were scattered on the tile floor. The lid on the toilet was gone. The amount of pieces on the floor would be just about the same as the ceramic cover.


    Lin Dongxue tried to make an analysis. ¡°I suspect that the murderer was hiding in the bathroom at first. The male owner immediately ran out upon discovering the man. The murderer was in a hurry, picked up the ceramic cover and mmed it on his head.¡±


    ¡°Don''t make assumptions just yet. Let¡¯s collect some evidence first. ¡°


    Chen Shi went into the bathroom and closed the door. The door of the bathroom was made of frosted ss. He asked while he was standing inside, ¡°Can you see my figure?¡±


    ¡°Can''t see.¡±


    ¡°Turn on the light.¡±


    After Lin Dongxue opened the bathroommp from the outside, Chen Shi¡¯s shadow was blurred on the frosted ss. She said, ¡°It can be seen, but it¡¯s not very clear.¡±


    ¡°But I can see you from the inside.¡± Chen Shi came out and pointed out that the bathroom door faces the kitchen window. ¡°The window is facing east, so the light is very strong and your figure is clearly reflected on it.¡±


    ¡°Then my reasoning is correct?¡± Lin Dongxue said confidently.


    Chen Shi stated seriously, ¡°Reasoning cannot be correct and incorrect, only reasonable and unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Wow, would you die if you were topliment someone?¡±


    Chen Shi just smiled and didn¡¯t reply. He then went back to check the male body. He opened the eyelids of the deceased, pinched his muscles, and moved his arms around. He concluded that ¡°There is slight corneal clouding. The corpse has undergone rigor mortis and is rtively stiff. There is color nching on the skin and livor mortis can be shown when the skin has pressure put on it; the fingers and joints are already stiff. The temperaturest night was 10 to 15 degrees. ording to this, it can be assumed that time of death should be around 12 o''clockst night, and the margin of error is within two hours.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi like he was a monster. Chen Shi exined, ¡°These are all basic knowledge. You can learn by simply buying books on forensic medicine.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to say!¡±


    Chen Shi slowly retracted his smile and stared at the man''s body. He muttered, ¡°No, it¡¯s wrong. Something¡¯s wrong. The two female bodies are both wearing home clothes. Why is the man wearing a jacket?¡±


    ¡°It may be that he just returned from a night shift.¡± Lin Dongxue guessed.


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°But he wore slippers on his feet. In the ce where he just entered the door, there was a set of men''s home clothes on the hooks on the wall. This house was clean and tidy. Going home and changing clothes is the family''s living habits. The power of habit is very powerful. Why does he have such an abnormal behaviour?¡±


    Lin Dongxue muttered to herself for a moment. Suddenly, she had an epiphany and eximed, ¡°I know! He had a bathroom emergency! Maybe he needed to go to the bathroom before changing his clothes.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head again. ¡°This is not called reasoning, it¡¯s just guessing randomly!¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted. ¡°You have double standards! Why isn''t mine reasoning but yours is?¡±


    ¡°Reasoning is when you deduce something after rounding up all the clues. What you said just now can only be regarded as a hypothesis. After the hypothesis is made, it must be verified. After verification, it can then be regarded as reasoning. You havee to see this.¡± Chen Shi bent down and turned the body to the side. Lin Dongxue was confused, ¡°What do you want me to see?¡±


    ¡°He has no incontinence. If it was really urgent, in the case of a strong hit on the back of the head, the sphincter will lose its bondage and there should be urine all over his trousers. However, the trousers of the deceased are very clean... Perhaps a bit too clean.¡±


    Speaking of this, Chen Shi suddenly stood up, went into the bathroom, opened the toilet lid and looked at it. A scent of urine wafted out. Chen Shi looked as though he had found treasure and proimed loudly, ¡°The urine in the toilet has not been washed away. The deceased went to the toilet before he died!¡±

 Chapter 19: The Details are the Devil

    <h4>Chapter 19: The Details are the Devil</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue didn''t understand why he reacted so greatly and looked at him with a puzzled look. Chen Shi smiled helplessly. ¡°I disproved your hypothesis just then. You said that the murderer was hiding in the bathroom. How could the deceased finish going to the bathroom if there was someone in the bathroom?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it and it seemed to make sense, but it seems to be wed. She argued, ¡°No, no, that''s not right. this urine might not necessarily be the deceased. Maybe the murderer who was hiding couldn¡¯t help himself and urinated. Since he was scared that he would rm the family, he didn¡¯t flush¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and praised, ¡°You have learned to think for yourself. Not bad. Who is the owner of this urine? We will know it after a test... Tell me the resultster.¡±


    Lin Dongxue scratched her face in confusion. ¡°I don''t understand. Three people are dead here. The scene is messy. You¡¯re not even looking at the weapon, but you¡¯re studying the urine over here. Is it that important?¡±


    ¡°Miss Lin, the details are the devil! In a case, every abnormal thing must be thoroughly studied. This is often the key to solving the case.¡±


    ¡°Who are you quoting?¡±


    ¡°I paraphrased it myself.¡±


    ¡°You summarized it yourself? Where are you summarizing it from?¡±


    Chen Shi stated calmly, ¡°I usually watch TVB''s[1] criminal investigation drama. I love to summarize; Can''t I?¡±


    ¡°Who would believe that?!¡± Lin Dongxue was disgruntled.


    Chen Shi once again stressed, ¡°I think this corpse of this man has a lot of areas that should be investigated. After the technical team is here, it is necessary to investigate this one carefully.¡±


    When Cao Cao was spoken of, Cao Cao arrived[2]. There were the sounds of sirensing from downstairs. Chen Shi immediately came out of the bathroom. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    He quickly came to the female body in the living room and checked the body with the same procedure. He said, ¡°The time of death is also almost 12 o''clock. There are bruises and scrapes on the knees and elbows. It seems to be from falling. There is also a bruise on the right side of the forehead...¡± He nced at the back of the sofa. ¡°It came out of the back of the wooden sofa. It should be an injury before she died. In addition, there are injuries on her hand from when she struggled. The murderer should have these traces as well.¡±


    Chen Shi spoke very fast, and Lin Dongxue could only note down in her little book vaguely.


    After checking thedy, Chen Shi went back to the bedroom of the olddy and checked the body of the old person. ¡°The time of death is the same. There is almost no trace of resistance. It seems that she was killed in a state ofplete drowsiness. When she was killed, did she shout? Make a soundproof test. Hurry and go outside the house!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Dongxue immediately went outside the house. Chen Shi asked in the room, ¡°Can you hear me clearly?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lin Dongxue entered the house and Chen Shi addressed, ¡°The wooden door, the sound instion effect does not seem to be very good, the olddy may have made a sound when she died. Maybe she alerted the people outside...¡± He touched his chin, picked up the weapon and nced at it, ¡°Butcher, cleaver, meat knives. There was a missing knife in the holder of the kitchen, it should be this one. The knife edge is a bit curved?. From the look of the injury, the murderer repeatedly cut many times in this area. As for the wooden handle, it cracked as well. Wait, there¡¯s blood stains on the wooden handle!¡±


    Chen Shi was so focused in his thoughts that he lost himself,pletely immersed in the analysis of the case. Lin Dongxue looked at him incredulously, as if she saw an experienced and quick-thinking top detective. She would not believe for the life of her that Chen Shi was just an ordinary driver.


    ¡°The minor traces of blood on the handle are likely to be left by the murderer. This should be important evidence.¡± Then, he sniffed at the mouth of the deceased and mused, ¡°What did the victim eat before they died? It seems to be something sweet. Just then in the other bedroom, there was a bowl of white fungus lotus seeds sweet soup. I saw arge pot in the kitchen as well. After that, I made a simple hypothesis. There might be sleeping pills within it... Strange, was this done by the murderer? Is it premeditated?¡±


    ¡°Who is inside?!¡± A fierce shout came from the living room. Lin Dongxue was listening carefully to Chen Shi''s analysis and was shocked by this sudden shout.


    Turning her head around, she saw that Lin Qiupu had brought a few policemen in. They thought that suspicious people hade in and had guns in their hands.


    After seeing two people, Lin Qiupu¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s you again!¡±


    Chen Shi stood up and smiled. ¡°Captain Lin, how have you been?¡±


    ¡°Who allowed you toe into the scene of the murder, messing around everywhere? Do you know how much trouble your actions will bring to the police? Lin Dongxue, as a criminal police officer, not only did you not protect the scene immediately, but you actually brought an irrelevant person in here?¡±


    In the face of Lin Qiupu''s reprimand, Lin Dongxue almost cried. ¡°He...We were afraid there were living people inside, so we came in to see.¡±


    Chen Shi also pointed to his own gloves. ¡°Captain Lin, don''t be too impulsive. I have been wearing gloves.¡±


    ¡°You actually prepared gloves!?¡±


    ¡°No, I took it from the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Lin Qiupu''s volume suddenly increased by an octave. ¡°You actually took something from the scene of the crime?! Do you know your behavior...¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I know!¡± Chen Shi confessed, ¡°I know I am in the wrong! I won''t bother Captain Lin solving the case. I hope that Captain Lin can crack the case this time. I will go first!¡±


    Chen Shi did not care about Lin Qiupu¡¯s re in his eyes. Lin Dongxue argued, ¡°Brother, he only surveyed the scene, but he analyzed it quite reasonably. We found some areas of doubt...¡±


    ¡°Lin. Dong. Xue!¡± Answering her was a shout that almost copsed the ceiling. ¡°You are simply an unorganized and undisciplined person with no sense of teamwork! Call that guy back. If I find even half of his fingerprints or footprints here, I will detain him with the crime of obstruction of justice.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shrunk her neck and hid between her shoulders, tears swirled in her eyes. Lin Qiupu suddenly felt soft-hearted, but his face was still stern. He couldn¡¯tfort her in front of his subordinates, so he just ordered, ¡°Hurry on out!¡±


    When she went outside, Chen Shi was standing in the corridor smoking. Lin Dongxue yelled angrily, ¡°I me you! You just had to run in and see!¡±


    ¡°me it all on me. I will make it up to you, okay? I¡¯ll treat you to hot pot at night, okay?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°Cut it out, you¡¯re just trying to shoot your shot!¡±


    The two stood quietly for a while, and there were camera soundsing from the house. The forensics team was taking pictures and fixing the crime scene. Chen Shi exhaled thest bit of his cigarette, put out the butt and remarked, ¡°This case is not like what it seems on the surface. It¡¯s not that simple. Your brother won¡¯t be able to solve it.¡±


    ¡°I guess I have to ask genius detective master Chen here to sort it out then?¡± Lin Dongxue said with sarcasm, thinking, This guy sure feels good about himself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a genius detective. I am just a good-hearted citizen who can¡¯t rest with injustice.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, that went over your head.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this, I am seriously telling you that there¡¯s some twists to this case. Do you want to make a meritorious deed?¡±


    Lin Dongxue twirled and yed with her hair. ¡°Always just investigating solo with you, won¡¯t the team criticize me behind my back?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to make meritorious deeds?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°All I need is that line!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°I will help you once again!¡±


    1. Hong Kong television channel.


    2. An expression that is used often. Essentially the same as when people say ¡°Well, speak of the devil!¡±. See the following link for the origins of this phrase, https://.echineselearning/blog/shuo-cao-cao-cao-cao-dao-speak-of-the-devil-and-he-appears.

 Chapter 20: Bet

    <h4>Chapter 20: Bet</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Looking at the scene of the murder, the police officers expressed their empathetic feelings, ¡°It''s too sad, the whole family is...¡±, ¡°Long¡¯An City has not had a family massacre tragedy for ten years!¡±, ¡°What kind of animal would do such a monstrous act?¡±


    This was undoubtedly a big case, the biggest case of this year. It was also the biggest case that Lin Qiupu has handled since he put on his police uniform. Lin Qiupu told them to take evidence carefully and not to miss any potential traces of the murderer. He himself walked back and forth through the scene.


    Lin Qiupu picked up the TV remote control on the table and opened it. This house had a TV box installed. It showed that thest time it was used wasst night at around 11:00pm. He called a policeman and instructed, ¡°Go to the property manager and see if anyone suspicious entered after 11 o''clockst night.¡±


    The body was in front of the bathroom, he came to the same conclusion as Lin Dongxue that the male owner was suddenly killed by the murderer hiding in the bathroom.


    Lin Qiupu touched his chin and thought. If there were people watching TV at 11 o''clock, the murderer would have snuck in after this. At that time, the whole family slept, and the murderer was hiding in the bathroom. Then the male owner came back from work and was killed by the murderer. Then the murderer killed the old person in the second bedroom. The hostess must have heard the movement and was killed when she came out to see.


    But why didn''t he kill the child? Was the murderer soft?


    What was the motive of murder? Revenge? Temporary impulsiveness?


    At this time, a policeman came in and reported, ¡°Captain Lin, we verified the information of this family from the neighbours. The male owner¡¯s surname is Kong, called Kong Wende, who is a staff member of an insurancepany; the female owner is surnamed Li. Li Yu was a full-time housewife. The two have a boy. Kong Wende is an immigrant and Li Yu is a local. When the two married, the woman¡¯s family sold the house for the down payment. Kong Wende¡¯s parents-inw moved to live together with them. Around March of this year, Kong Wende¡¯s father-inw passed away due to stomach cancer. The one who died in this incident is his mother-inw.¡±


    ¡°A very ordinary family, would they have bad blood with anyone? You go and investigate!¡± Lin Qiupu ordered.


    The policeman had just left when another policeman came in and reported, ¡°Captain Lin, around 11:30st night, the surveince photographed the male owner and a strangering in; around 12 o''clock, the person was photographed again. It looked like the same person judging by the height. I¡¯ve already made a copy of the CCTV footage.¡±


    ¡°Did it capture his face?¡± Lin Qiupu asked eagerly.


    The policeman shook his head. ¡°The man seems to know the location of the surveince cameras, he deliberately avoided showing the face, he wrapped himself in a scarf and was wearing a ck sweater when he left.¡±


    ¡°Familiar with the location of the surveince?¡± Lin Qiupu suddenly went into the bedroom and opened the closet. The family¡¯s clothes were neatly ced, piece by piece. From the row of men¡¯s clothing, there was an empty hanger.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°The colour of the scarf?¡±


    ¡°White knit.¡±


    Lin Qiupu took off the hanger and looked at it in front of him. There was some white strands of fabric fibers on it. He handed the hanger to the forensics team for evidence. He reasoned, ¡°The suspect and the deceased entered themunity together. The clothes they wore were taken from home. He is familiar with themunity and this house; the description is that of an acquaintance!¡±


    The police who went out to inquire added, ¡°Oh yes, the property management also reflected that themunity has ess codes in ce so that outsiders can¡¯t get in.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nodded. Acquaintancesmitted crimes, as long as they investigated the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased, this case has hope to be solved. Police are most afraid of indiscriminate serial killings.


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s mood suddenly became lighter. He asked, ¡°Is the driver still standing outside the door?¡±


    ¡°I saw him chatting with the neighbors when I came up the stairs.¡± The subordinate replied.


    ¡°Call him in!¡±


    After a while, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi came in together. Looking at his beautiful younger sister and the unruly middle-aged uncle, Lin Qiupu had fire welling up in his heart. He wanted to give him a hard time. Doesn''t this guy im to be able to solve cases? I¡¯ll let him know the difference between amateurs and professionals.


    ¡°Did you run into a problem?¡± Chen Shi actually asked casually.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± A cold smile formed on Lin Qiupu¡¯s mouth. Who does this guy think he is? Sherlock Holmes? I think he thinks too highly of himself. He remarked, ¡°It seems that Mr. Chen is quite confident in his own ability to solve crimes!¡±


    ¡°I just love to watch some criminal investigations and I read detective novels when I have nothing to do. Right, do you like Agatha Christie?¡±


    ¡°Don''t talk to me about this nonsense! Chen Shi, I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t be so cocky here!¡±


    ¡°Cocky?¡± Chen Shi shrugged. ¡°Captain Lin, I believe I haven¡¯t said anything. Do you know how to read people¡¯s hearts?¡±


    ¡°Amateurs like you, thinking you¡¯re all that just because you¡¯re little smart and have a bit of luck. Do you think that you are better than the police? I have seen many people like you. Ever since I became a captain, I have seen countless ¡®civil masters¡¯ like yourself. The result is when you head into battle, it makes everyoneugh so hard their teeth would fall off!¡±


    ¡°Civil masters also have different levels, just like there are police who are smart and stupid.¡± Chen Shi smiled. Upon hearing this offensive sentence, Lin Dongxue pinched his sleeve to stop him.


    This action did not escape Lin Qiupu''s eyes. He thought, is the rtionship between the two so good? His heart raged with anger. If I don¡¯t kick this driver off his high horse, then I won''t be surnamed Lin!


    ¡°You seem like you won¡¯t shed tears until you see your coffin. You said that you know how to solve cases? Then I will give you this opportunity. Haven¡¯t you already seen the crime scene? Come over and analyze the case then. I also want to see what you¡¯re made of. However, I¡¯m warning you; if what you say is unreasonable, I hope that you will disappear before my eyes from now on, and don¡¯t even think of contacting Lin Dongxue again.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was anxious and challenged, ¡°Captain Lin, who I hang out with is my personal business, why are you intervening? How old do you think I am? Yet you still treat me as someone who can¡¯t think for myself.¡±


    Lin Qiupu rationalized in a serious manner. ¡°In work, I am your superior. You brought an amateur to run around the scene of crime. This is a serious vition of protocol. How can I not interfere? In private...¡± In the face of his subordinates, Lin Qiupu generally avoided admitting their brother-sister rtionship, so he zed over it. ¡°In private, it is also reasonable for me to manage your affairs.¡±


    ¡°Not reasonable!¡± Lin Dongxue grimaced.


    ¡°Hey, my sister...¡± Lin Qiupu lost his cool and then quickly recovered, immediately resuming the sternness of a captain. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister.¡±


    Looking at this scene, Chen Shi smiled. Lin Qiupu said ufortably, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I thought the Captain Lin was nning to test me? It turned out to be this. Okay, I promise!¡±


    ¡°No backing out!¡±


    ¡°But since you want to set conditions, so do I.¡±


    ¡°Tell me then.¡±


    ¡°If my reasoning is reasonable, you need to allow me to participate in this case, share all the information and progress with me, and provide police support when necessary. Of course, I am not going to go over the line with that and bring you trouble. I will do my best to help solve the case.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Lin Qiupu almost screamed. ¡°You are just a driver. In what world would you be able to participate in the case? This is against the police code!¡±


    ¡°The codes are created by humans, and don¡¯t police hire consultants?¡±


    ¡°Consultant? You really think that thousands of police officers in Long¡¯An can''t break the case themselves? Besides, you don''t even have relevant ID. What ID would you be able to use to investigate?¡±


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue and smiled, ¡°I don''t need a document, as long as I¡¯m her partner.¡±

 Chapter 21: Acquaintances Commit Crimes

    <h4>Chapter 21: Acquaintances Commit Crimes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing this, Lin Qiupu immediately raged and pointed to Chen Shi, interrogating him, ¡°Do you want to...¡± He originally wanted to ask ¡°Are you chasing after my sister?!¡± However, it would be out of character for him to say such things in the face of subordinates. Instead, he changed his words to, ¡°What is your motive?!¡±


    ¡°My motive? It''s very simple. I want to fight crime!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would believe you?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, I know that you are a policeman. Suspecting everything is part of your job, so I won¡¯t judge you. Can we stop talking about this sort of stuff? You won¡¯t be able to understand no matter how long we talk about this! Why don¡¯t we go back to the point? If you can create conditions, why can¡¯t I do the same? A bet is only challenging when there is equal footing. Or are you scared that my analysis is more reliable than yours?¡±


    He knew that Chen Shi was just trying to throw him off, but Lin Qiupu took the bait anyway. He argued, ¡°Scared!? What big words. I have been a policeman for so many years, there are countless cases that I¡¯ve handled. Why would I be scared of losing to you?¡±


    ¡°Then why don''t you agree? Since you think I am ipetent, why not ept my terms?¡±


    Lin Qiupu thought about it. Chen Shi only went around the scene of the crime for a little bit. He didn''t go to the property management office to inquire about things, nor did he watch the surveince footage. Therefore, he should have difficulty in drawing the conclusion that it was done by an acquaintance. If you only look at this scene, anyone would think that it is an outsider whomitted the murders.¡±


    A smile formed on his face again. ¡°Okay, I promise then!¡±


    ¡°I hope Captain Lin will keep his current promise!¡± Chen Shi smiled slightly.


    ¡°Less nonsense, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°First of all, this is a family massacre tragedy. The murderer''s killing order should be the first male owner, then the olddy, then the hostess. I don''t know why the murderer let the child go...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen¡¯s high opinion is really astonishing. I totally didn¡¯t know that!¡± Lin Qiupu sneered sarcastically, thinking that these things were all he had to say.


    Chen Shi ignored him and smiled, ¡°Furthermore, this was done by an acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Lin Qiupu widened his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just guessing! That doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°Guess? Then I will walk you through my reasoning process!¡± Chen Shi went to the door and pointed to the wall. ¡°The average person that enters a room will turn on the light switch that would be next to the door, but this home has installed a remote control switch, you can look for it. There must be a remote control. When I came in, the light was off. The time of death of the deceased should be around 12 o''clockst night. The lights should have been on at the time. The murderer turned off the lights when they left, indicating that the murderer had been here before. Most likely they were a friend of this family, and he knew of this detail.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how did you know the time of death?¡±


    ¡°Rigor mortis, the skin of the corpses and the cloudiness of the pupils. I have read some forensic books, so I have some understanding.¡±


    Lin Qiupu shed cold sweat. This guy really does have some knowledge hiding in him. He challenged, ¡°On this point alone, you can''t conclude that an acquaintancemitted the crime!¡±


    ¡°The male body in front of the bathroom, he was smashed from the back with a lid of the toilet water reservoir. From the way the body fell, it can be a misconclusion that the murderer was hiding in the bathroom...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it isn¡¯t so?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Have you seen the toilet inside? There''s urine that has not been washed away. Whether it is the murderer or the deceased, it proves that this hypothesis is not true. The murderer and the male owner were likely having a conversation in front of the bathroom. The murderer most likely killed the male owner when he wasn¡¯t looking.¡±


    Lin Qiupu gestured to a subordinate, ¡°Go and see!¡±


    The subordinates looked at it and confirmed, ¡°There is really urine in the toilet.¡±


    Lin Qiupu bit his lip. How could he have ignored this detail and allow this guy to take advantage of it? He asked, ¡°Is there anything more to add?¡±


    ¡°The most important point is that the tools used by the murderer to kill everyone are all from this house. He did not bring his own weapon. It can be inferred that when the murderer entered the door, there was a high probability that he had no intention ofmitting the murders. There is another detail. There is arge pot of white fungus lotus seed sweet soup in the kitchen. There is a bowl in the olddy''s bedroom. There are four bowls in the sink. This shows that there was one more person at the time. Why would the owner give a stranger a bowl of sweet soup? Therefore it must have been an acquaintance! And very familiar in rtionship at that. The visit waste at night so the rtionship must not have been very shallow!¡±


    Lin Qiupu partly admired Chen Shi and his reasoning, and partly regretted. This guy was very reasonable in his deductions, and was even moreprehensive in his analysis than we were.


    Lin Qiupu went silent. Chen Shi reminded, ¡°Captain Lin, you haven¡¯t forgotten your promise, right?¡±


    Lin Qiupu suddenly realized that all the other police officers on the side-lines were staring and listening in on them. He yelled, ¡°Get back to work.¡±


    When the crowd dispersed, he gave a sigh and agreed, ¡°Yes, you can act with the task force, but you must ept mymands. Also, this privilege is only limited to this case.¡±


    Looking at Lin Dongxue, Lin Qiupu thought, I will never let you have a chance at her.


    ¡°I don''t ept it!¡± Chen Shi objected.


    ¡°You dare! Everyone in my task force has to listen to mymands. I don''t need personal heroism. If you don''t ept it, please leave!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head, ¡°This is an additional condition that we had not agreed upon. Now you¡¯re just suddenly raising it. What? Are you a child who¡¯s a sore loser? I am ten years older than you in age, but you can''t actually make yourself out to be a child.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Lin Qiupu almost flew into a fit of rage after the face-to-face criticism, ¡°I won''t allow you to investigate with Lin Dongxue!¡±


    ¡°Brother, on what basis can you say that?¡± Lin Dongxue rebutted.


    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s the reason? Because she is your sister?¡± Chen Shi also asked.


    When they hit the nail on the head, Lin Qiupu''s face turned red, and deliberately avoided the question, saying, ¡°If I say it¡¯s not allowed, then it¡¯s not allowed. You are not part of the team, but she is. She has to obey the order! Lin Dongxue, I will not allow you two to partner up!¡±


    ¡°Brother, you are too unreasonable!¡± Lin Dongxue turned her head and left.


    Chen Shi was also preparing to leave when suddenly, Lin Qiupu grabbed his shoulders. Lin Qiupu pleaded, ¡°Let¡¯s say I¡¯m begging you, please don''t go after my sister!¡±


    ¡°With which eye did you see me going after her?¡± Chen Shi asked thinking the situation was a little funny.


    ¡°There are so many people on the team who you could work with. Why must you ask for her? Her ability is not good, and does not have enough experience...¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, do you know the biggest difference between her and you? She won''t judge people by their cover, whereas you, starting from the first time, always associated me as only a driver. You measure people¡¯s value only from their upation and background. It is the biggest injustice, little one. I hope you can strengthen your own thoughts and suggestions and treat people equally and fairly!¡± After his spiel, Chen Shi patted Lin Qiupu''s shoulder with the back of his hand and left.


    Looking at the back of Chen Shi¡¯s departure, Lin Qiupu¡¯s face was flickering between red and green[1], when a subordinate came over to speak. He responded with a heavy tone, ¡°What!?¡±


    The other party was shocked and said carefully, ¡°Captain Lin, we found a receipt for a debt.¡±


    ¡°What debt?¡±


    ¡°This family has debt with a huge loan shark!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Qiupu¡¯s thoughts returned to his work. He queried, ¡°How much does it total up to?¡±


    ¡°Including interest, it¡¯s close to 800,000!¡±[2] The subordinate responded. This was an astronomical figure for the average family. Lin Qiupu suddenly raised a glimmer of hope in his heart. It seemed that the case has a lead.


    1. An expression used to indicate what happens when you¡¯re very angry


    2. A little over $110,000 USD.

 Chapter 22: Flaws

    <h4>Chapter 22: ws</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Annoying! Hateful! He¡¯ll be the death of me!¡± Lin Dongxue who went downstairs kicked a stone on the ground.


    ¡°Miss Lin, why the big temper?¡± Chen Shi came forward from behind and asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m so annoyed that my brother is always in charge of me over everything!¡± Lin Dongxue stopped and went to abuse a branch that protruded from the flower bed.


    ¡°I am very curious. Since you have a bad rtionship, why did you want to go to work for this bureau?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! When I applied, I deliberately avoided the branch he was working at. I didn''t expect that after I came in for a year he suddenly transferred here as the captain and said that he came to take care of me. Ugh, it''s so annoying!¡±


    ¡°Actually, your brother loves you very much.¡±


    ¡°Don''t say good things for him. I hate to hear the words He always says that he¡¯s doing it for me. I¡¯m tired of hearing these types of words. You try having such a control-freak of an overbearing brother!¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the hospital to see if the little boy woke up. I haven''t paid for the ambnce''s fee yet. It¡¯s time to pay the debt.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at theyout of the apartmentplex quarters and asked, ¡°Don''t you need to investigate the witnesses?¡±


    ¡°No, this will be done by your brother. This angle of investigation will be more thorough with police officers. Since he promised to share information with me, I don''t think he will go back on his word.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at him curiously. ¡°I thought you would say something as if you were above everyone else, but you actually admitted to shorings.¡±


    ¡°When did I say that I¡¯m above everyone?¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°There are of course disadvantages of investigating solo. In fact, investigating crimes requires manpower. The more manpower invested, the easier the case would be to solve. This is a big case. The police will definitely pay attention to it. As for whether or not your brother can solve the case ahead of us, I will hold my reservations regarding that for now.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed. ¡°And you said that you don¡¯t say you¡¯re above everyone!¡±


    The two immediately drove to the hospital. When they went to pay for the medical expenses, Chen Shi asked, ¡°Could I please trouble you to open an invoice and write Long¡¯An City Criminal Police Brigade.¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned to Chen Shi. ¡°You really aren¡¯t polite about this sort of thing, are you?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be polite? I am not a millionaire.¡±


    The two were led by the nurse to the ward where the boy was. The nurse said that the boy broke his ankle and the bottom of his spine as well as had a slight concussion. Everything else was just superficial injuries.


    When they stepped into the ward, the little boy was wearing a numbered hospital gown and sat on the bed, looking out the window and silently shedding tears. Lin Dongxue suddenly felt so sad that she thought of the day when her parents died in a car ident. For a child, this kind of blow was overwhelming and wasn¡¯t any less than the sky falling down.


    ¡°Child, are you okay?¡± Chen Shi said softly.


    The little boy turned his face and his face was mottled with tears. He remained silent.


    ¡°Where is it still hurting?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Uncle wants to ask you something, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t do anything at all, and Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°I will try it!¡±


    She smiled and asked, ¡°Child, what is your name? Sister is a police officer, don''t be afraid. We will protect you.¡±


    The little boy burst into tears and rushed into Lin Dongxue¡¯s arms. Lin Dongxue hugged his thin body and patted his back gently tofort him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it''s okay.¡±


    Chen Shi gave her a look of admiration.


    The little boy cried so sadly that Lin Dongxue didn''t know what to ask. Asking him to remember what happenedst night was a bit cruel. She was hesitating when Chen Shi suddenly asked, ¡°What happenedst night, do you still remember?¡±


    The little boy looked at him in horror and held Lin Dongxue tighter, still not speaking.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Your father and mother...¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ahhh!¡± The little boy suddenly shrank back into the hospital sheets and screamed in pain while holding his head.


    ¡°Don''t ask again, it''s not the right time.¡± Lin Dongxue whispered a warning.


    ¡°Why is the reaction so intense?¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re still talking!¡± Lin Dongxue told him off. ¡°Do you even have a conscience? Let''s go ande back another time.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue and then left with her whilst deep in thought. When he left the hospital, he suddenly rushed back in. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t call him back in time. Chen Shi didn''t go back to the ward, but went straight to the nurse''s station and asked, ¡°Who is responsible for the little boy in ward 203?¡±


    A fat nurse asked, ¡°Looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Could I trouble you to talk for a little bit?¡±


    The three came to the side, and Chen Shi took out his mobile phone. ¡°Add me on WeChat!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The fat nurse became suspicious.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know what medicine the guy was selling in his gourd[1]. She took out her police badge. ¡°We are the police; please cooperate with us.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything wrong with the boy''s family?¡± As soon as she saw the police badge, the nurse''s nosy nature was evoked.


    ¡°Add me on WeChat, I need it!¡± Chen Shi repeated.


    ¡°Oh, okay, alright!¡±


    After adding him on WeChat, Chen Shi quickly transferred her a thousand yuan. The nurse was shocked. ¡°Wow, big brother, what is this? Do you want me to take care of him properly? Don''t worry, I will. But this money... I can''t ept it. There are rules here.¡±


    ¡°Help me do one thing. While this boy is in hospital, if someone visits, you must remember the look of the visitor. It is best to take a video and then contact me. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°You want me to be an informant?¡± The nurse questioned with a puzzled face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. It is just to help with the case.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but I only work during the day this week.¡±


    ¡°Then think of a way yourself.¡±


    Looking at the money, the nurse agreed and epted the money.


    Leaving the hospital, Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi in a confused manner. ¡°You¡¯re normally so frugal, why were you suddenly so generous with your money?¡±


    ¡°First, I am not frugal normally. You clearly don¡¯t know me very well. Second, this matter is rted to the case, I think.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the murderer wille to visit the little boy?¡± Lin Dongxue guessed.


    ¡°The biggest oddity in the whole case is this. Why is the murderer leaving the little boy alone? This is definitely a point for the breakthrough!¡±


    ¡°It might not be. Some people are very bad, but they won''t hurt children.¡±


    ¡°Then he has no qualms about an 80-year-old person?¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s words awakened the dreamer. Stunned, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°The murderer''s first consideration is always his own safety. Under such a premise, that kind of good nature does not exist! Since he can do that to such an old person, it is impossible to simply let go of a child. Therefore there has to be some other reasons for this, and this reason will determine the final direction of the entire case.¡±


    ¡°Is the murderer a rtive?¡±


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called. ¡°Dongxue, the case has already been established. Come back for a meeting!¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°My brother told me to go back. Will youe with?¡±


    ¡°No, you can tell meter.¡± Chen Shi suddenly looked at Lin Dongxue up and down.


    Lin Dongxue protested, ¡°What are you looking at, old uncle?¡±


    ¡°Are you wearing that to attend a task force meeting?¡±


    Lin Dongxue took a look at herself and suddenly remembered that today was the weekend. She was dressed too casually. Chen Shi suggested, ¡°You should go back to your house and change clothes first!¡±


    ¡°Is there time? I don''t want to bete.¡±


    ¡°This old driver here said that we will have time, so we¡¯ll have time!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    1. Didn¡¯t know what the hell he was doing as he was trying to be secretive/act mysterious.

 Chapter 23: Petty Brother

    <h4>Chapter 23: Petty Brother</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi parked the car downstairs from Lin Dongxue¡¯s address and looked at the very ordinary apartmentplex. ¡°You live here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Are you implying that where I live is bad, or is it that the location isn¡¯t good? I¡¯m just renting a ce because it is close to work from here... I will go up on my own, don''t follow me! I am not familiar with you so I¡¯m not going to let you enter my house!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here then... You are just like your brother. You love to assume the worst in people!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯re not the same. My brother is suspicious of others whereas I am just a normal young girl who''s alert.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five years old, the age of marriage, but you still refer to yourself as a young girl?¡±


    ¡°Looking for a fight?!¡± Lin Dongxue raised her fists.


    ¡°Spare me! Spare me!¡±


    ¡°Wait for me here!¡± After that, Lin Dongxue got out of the car.


    Chen Shiy on his steering wheel in a daze. A father and son came out of the littleplex. The father held the toddler¡¯s hands with a doting face. He cautioned, ¡°Baby, slow down!¡±


    Looking at them, Chen Shi¡¯s thoughts drifted away and was oblivious to Lin Dongxue¡¯s return. She knocked on the door and asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Just daydreaming.¡± Chen Shi replied.


    Lin Dongxue had changed into her normal formal clothes. She had put on a jacket that she usually wore and her hair was tied into a ponytail, making her look clean and neat. Chen also noticed that her face was not as white as before, indicating she had just done some light makeup.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Lin Dongxue.


    As they drove, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Guess how my brother¡¯s going to investigate this case likest time!¡±


    ¡°How he would investigate? Since it has been determined that an acquaintancemitted the crime, it is nothing more than starting from interpersonal rtionships. In reality, murder cases are often not due to love and emotional revenges. The usual intentions is due to nothing more than one word ¨C benefits. So, your brother will focus the investigation on people that have a conflict of interest with the victims or people who had a dispute with the deceased. Then, he is most likely going to send you to investigate the witnesses.¡±


    ¡°How do you know my brother so well?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know him, but he is easy to read.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed. ¡°You¡¯re saying that my brother is stupid?¡±


    ¡°For someone of your brother''s age to climb to such a position, there are two possibilities: One is that he is a genius, while the other is that he is a stupid bird that flies first."[1]


    ¡°Which one is my brother?¡±


    ¡°A stupid bird who thinks he is a genius.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed loudly and smacked Chen Shi, saying, ¡°Your reasoning is unreasonable. There is still another possibility. Perhaps through family rtions?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no chance that¡¯s the case. Both your parents are dead. Where would the familyworkinge from?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked and asked, ¡°You... How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh... Uh. Just a guess. You don''t live with your parents but rent a house outside. You haven¡¯t mentioned your parents once in a conversation with me. It''s also your aunt that did your matchmaking, so I guessed as much. Please forgive me if I¡¯ve offended you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was still suspicious of what he said and was unsure if she was just seeing things. Chen Shi who is usually always calm just revealed a trace of panic. Is it that he knows my brother?!


    After thinking about it, she denied it. How could he? They¡¯ve never crossed paths before.


    Lin Dongxue returned to the station, but she couldn¡¯t find a single free seat in the conference room. Lin Qiupu stood up straight as a nk as usual. He looked around the room. ¡°Last night, a huge family massacre urred. The deceased included a worker from an insurancepany...¡± After introducing the deceased and the case, he continued, ¡°The bureau attaches great importance to this case. Once the case is made public, it will cause concern and attention throughout the province and the whole country. Therefore, we must give ountability to the deceased and give an appropriate answer to the public. All the people here, please give this case all you have. Take all your energy and ce it into the investigation of this case, and try to solve the case within forty-eight hours. Are you confident?¡±


    ¡°We have confidence!¡± Everyone responded in unison.


    Lin Qiupu turned off the lights and used the projector to project the photos of the crime scene on the white screen. While ying the different photos, he also exined the situation on the spot. The police officers who had not participated in the on-site investigation saw the mangled bodies and made low-pitched exmations.


    The officers all expressed their own opinions. From the various clues currently on hand, the case should have beenmitted by an acquaintance. The investigation tasks assigned by Lin Qiupu started from the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased, especially the loan-sharkpany that had loaned 800,000 to the deceased. This would be the key to cracking the case.


    Hearing this, Lin Dongxue once again admired Chen Shi because his guess waspletely spot-on again.


    He also guessed another thing correctly. The task assigned to her really was the one with the least difficulty - visiting witnesses.


    If it was before, Lin Dongxue would have definitely protested, but now with Chen Shi, a powerful helper, she no longer argued in this matter. Instead, she thought the more you look down on me, the more I will prove you wrong!


    However, Lin Qiupu¡¯s next sentence made her feel very surprised. Lin Qiupu instructed, ¡°Yes, Lin Dongxue, you will be doing your task with Xu Xiaodong.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Lin Dongxue eximed on reflex.


    ¡°What do you mean what? Obey the order, that is all. Adjourned!¡±


    The police officers went on to perform the tasks one after another. Xu Xiaodong, who was assigned an easy task, giddily hurried, ¡°Dongxue, let''s go now!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she grit her teeth. Anyone could tell that Lin Qiupu was not at ease. He called Xu Xiaodong to go with her to keep an eye on her. In her heart, she felt that her brother was truly too petty.


    After briefly ring at Xu Xiaodong, Lin Dongxue eximed. ¡°I am going to the toilet!¡±


    When she went to the corridor, Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi and confirmed his theories. ¡°You guessed right. My brother really did ask me to find eyewitnesses. Not only that, but he also sent a colleague to go with me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± At the end of the phone, Chen Shiughed. ¡°Then you should go!¡±


    ¡°But......¡±


    ¡°I know that you really want to get acknowledged!¡± This time, the voice came from both the phone and from her side. Lin Dongxue turned to look, and Chen Shi had actually walked in by himself.


    Lin Dongxue hung up and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Captain Lin promise to let me help solve the case? Surely there¡¯s no problem in meing in! Going back to my earlier point, I know that you really want to get acknowledged for a meritorious deed, but the case is at its tipping point. Everyone is still just trying to find a lead. It¡¯s not a problem to visit the witnesses.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing then? Are youing with me?¡±


    ¡°This kind of chore is not my cup of tea!¡±


    ¡°No loyalty!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I came to see what the technical squad found. Compared to people''s opinions, I would like to hear the coroner¡¯s report. That is more helpful for solving the case.¡±


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong walked out of the conference room and saw Chen Shi. His mouth became an o-shape and hesitated, ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t you that dude fromst time?¡±


    ¡°My name is Chen Shi. Captain Lin told me to help solve the case. Please take care of me.¡± Chen Shi responded using a feather pretending it¡¯s an arrow[2]. He even extended his hand.


    Xu Xiaodong was puzzled but shook hands with him. Then he turned to ask Lin Dongxue, ¡°Captain Lin really called him in?¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah!¡±


    ¡°A master?!¡± Xu Xiaodong eximed.


    ¡°I don''t dare to be called as such.¡± Chen Shi pointed to the front, ¡°I will go see the forensics department first.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Lin Dongxue stopped him. ¡°You don''t know anyone here. I will take you there. I also want to hear the report.¡±


    1. A bird that knows that they are fat, will fly first so they reach the same destination at the same time. Hard working when they know their own circumstances.


    2. Bluffing or exaggerating their words to imply something that¡¯s only partially true.

 Chapter 24: The Murderer Who Disappeared Into Thin Air

    <h4>Chapter 24: The Murderer Who Disappeared Into Thin Air</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Within theb, the coroner was currently dissecting the corpse, and the forensics department was testing out the various evidence exhibits in theboratory.


    The two stood at the door, and Xu Xiaodong also followed. Lin Dongxue asked with annoyance, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re partners!¡± Xu Xiaodong replied.


    ¡°Who is partnering with you?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong reacted like his heart had been torn by her words, with his hands on his chest and his face drooping.


    The forensics squad leader, Peng Sijue, was in the middle of barking orders, ¡°Xiao Zhang, take these skin samples for testing, and then make an optical pathology report; Xiao Li, are the footprints of the scene analyzed? Oh my, where¡¯s my lollies? My lollies?!¡±


    Peng Sijue looked left and right, finding a packet of mints under a pile of documents. He put one in his mouth and buried his head in several documents.


    ¡°It''s still the same.¡± Chen Shi whispered to himself and walked straight in. ¡°I want to ask, has the report on the blood found on the knife¡¯s handle beenpleted yet?¡±


    Peng Sijue didn¡¯t even both to look up and asked, ¡°Who are you? You think this is a hospital? That anyone cane in? You need to take a number even at the hospital!¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin called me to help solve the case.¡±


    ¡°Evidence!¡± responded Peng Sijue curtly, as his eyes wearing ck-rimmed sses continued browsing the files.


    Lin Dongxue went over and began, ¡°Captain Peng, what he said is true. I can testify.¡±


    ¡°Written proof!¡± Peng Sijue did not buy it. He had a cold face, and he was always famed to be ruthless.


    Lin Dongxue, who had touched the nail[1], didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Chen Shi took out his cell phone and called Lin Qiupu. After listening to Chen Shi, Lin Qiupu reprimanded, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you! Who allowed you to hinder people''s work? I will tell you when I receive news!¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, could you please tell them? Please.¡± Chen Shi ced the cell phone on the table with the speaker turned on.


    After a moment of silence, Lin Qiupu agreed in a helpless tone, ¡°Sijue, this man has been asked by me to help. You can disclose information to him.¡±


    Peng Sijue raised his head and looked at Chen Shi, then opened the recording function of his own mobile phone and urged, ¡°Captain Lin, repeat that sentence. I want to record and testify.¡±


    All police officers in the precinct knew of Peng Sijue''s serious character, so Lin Qiupu repeated his words again. After recording him, Peng Sijue finally opened his mouth and said, ¡°DNA identification isn¡¯t such a fast process. We have to wait a few hours. Can we have somemon sense in here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the pro here!¡±[2] Chen Shi smiled and replied, ¡°What are the results of the alreadypleted tests?¡±


    Peng Sijue turned and threw a few photos on the table. ¡°There was a set of blood-stained footprints on the scene. The sneakers were of size 43 and had severe wear and tear on the outer sides of the shoes. There were no matches in the shoes that we brought back. It is therefore spected that the footprints belong to the murderer.¡±


    ¡°What were the shoe sizes at the scene?¡±


    ¡°34, 35, 43.¡± Peng Sijue replied smoothly.


    ¡°The murderer and the male owner wear the same shoe size?¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself then asked, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°We found four sets of fingerprints. There are two sets of fingerprints on the weapon, belonging to the male and female owner. No fingerprints of the murderer... The male owner has more fingerprints on it.¡±


    ¡°There are a few bowls at the scene, which we should be able to extract fingerprints from. Since the murderer is an acquaintance, it is impossible to eat with gloves at the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Zhang!¡± Peng Sijue shouted at a police officer and repeated the statement.


    The police officer named Xiao Zhang replied, ¡°There are only the fingerprints of the four family members on the bowl, no one else.¡±


    ¡°Too cautious.¡± Chen Shi mumbled to himself again.


    Xu Xiaodong eximed, ¡°I understand now! The murder was premeditated, they painted 502 superglue on their fingers to not leave fingerprints behind. Captain Peng, check whether there is 502 glue residue on the weapon and the bowls.¡±


    Peng Sijue red at Xu Xiaodong. ¡°I don''t need you to direct my work. I will definitely not miss anything that needs to be done!¡± After that, he stuffed another lolly into his mouth.


    ¡°So...Sorry!¡± Xu Xiaodong apologized after being red at.


    Peng Sijue added, ¡°The saliva testparison also shows that were only four people who ate.¡±


    ¡°Five bowls, but only four people ate?¡± Chen Shi looked confused.


    Peng Sijue red at him and dered, ¡°My tests are never wrong!¡±


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°I don''t doubt what you¡¯ve said. Oh yes, I want to ask you to do a test for me. I want to know if the blood on the weapon is from an outsider or not. Please do a paternity test with the blood of the little boy.¡±


    ¡°Sample!¡±


    ¡°I will send it throughter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I know. If you don¡¯t need anything else, leave. Don''t bother us.¡±


    ¡°Excuse us.¡±


    Leaving theb, Lin Dongxueforted Chen Shi, ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. Captain Peng has such a character, the other people in our team couldn¡¯t stand it at first.¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay. In fact, this character is not bad. Very efficient.¡± Chen Shiughed.


    ¡°I want to ask, why do you want to make a paternity test of the blood of the murderer and the boy? Do you think...¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing. Just want to make sure the hypothesis can be excluded.¡±


    The two talked and Xu Xiaodong was left hanging to the side. He was not happy. ¡°Dongxue, I haven''t seen you for a few days. How did you get so close to this uncle? Is the rumour in the team really true?¡±


    Lin Dongxue stood and turned, ¡°Why is it your business who I get to know? And what is the rumour going around in the team?¡±


    ¡°No...Nothing?¡± Xu Xiaodong smiled.


    ¡°Say it! Is there someone saying something about me behind my back?!¡±


    ¡°Don''t care about what others say. Let¡¯s hurry up and do business!¡± Chen Shi urged.


    ¡°Conversations behind others¡¯ backs are the most hateful!¡± Lin Dongxue made a disgusted expression. She deeply understood this kind of thing. She is the captain''s sister. Others like to specte that she came through the back door[3] which isn¡¯t even close to the truth. Furthermore, because she is Lin Qiupu''s sister, she is given fewer opportunities to achieve meritorious deeds. She stayed on the team for two years and almost didn¡¯t make a single contribution.


    When they went outside, Chen Shi suddenly stood still. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Where are you going? Are you really noting with us?¡±


    Chen Shi divulged, ¡°I want to go to the hospital to take a blood sample from the little boy. When I finish, I will go back and take a nap. If you make any progress, let me know. I am not a policeman; there¡¯s no need for me to follow you guys around.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any thoughts on this case?¡±


    ¡°What about your brother? What is his focus for the investigation?¡±


    ¡°The loan shark.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong inserted, ¡°This family owes 800,000 yuan, and loan sharks are horrible.¡±


    Chen Shi thought about it and offered, ¡°I want to make a suggestion. When you visit the witnesses, why don¡¯t you ask about why this family would owe so much money?¡±


    ¡°Then, do you think this lender will be the murderer?¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget the thing I said.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. He should be referring to the murderer¡¯s mercy to the little boy. From this angle, it is unlikely that the loan shark would be a suspect.


    ¡°See youter.¡± Chen Shi smiled and then left.


    Xu Xiaodong asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°Dongxue, you like that uncle?¡±


    ¡°Screw off!¡± Lin Dongxue said on reflex. Thinking about it, Xu Xiaodong always liked to offer things to try to win her over. She wanted to use this opportunity to make him lose interest, so she changed her tune, ¡°Yes, I like mature uncles. What of it?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong looked embarrassed and replied, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t seem mature at all... Look at his sloppy look, and there is a smell of smoke all over him! It''s disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, he¡¯s more mature than people who gossip about someone behind their backs the moment they leave.¡± Lin Dongxue retaliated as she left.


    Xu Xiaodong thought for a long time about what she had said, and muttered to himself, ¡°Did she say that deliberately?¡±


    1. Failed. Come to obstacle.


    2. It¡¯s my substitute for an expression that describes how obviously, the teacher or the one who has experience should naturally be more capable than amateurs. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that the student won¡¯t eclipse the teacher one day.


    3. Got in due to herwork and/or family connections.

 Chapter 25: Old Master of the Neighbourhood

    <h4>Chapter 25: Old Master of the Neighbourhood</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue sat in Xu Xiaodong''s car and returned to theplex where the murder happened. The two asked each unit about the deceased. However, the incident waste at night so the residents did not hear anything suspicious, onlymenting the situation of the family.


    Neighbors mentioned that the family was very kind, especially the male owner who would always greet people as they walked by. He was a really good person. The family often sent food to neighbors, and sometimes cleaned the corridors as well.


    As for the question that Chen Shi rmended them to ask, all the neighbours did not know. Only one old master who lived opposite the family said that there was a group of people who recently came to inquire about Kong Wende¡¯s address, holding paint in his hand. They seemed to be loan sharks that came here to ssh paint on the family¡¯s home. The old master warned them not to make a mess, and contacted the security guard who shooed them away.


    Lin Dongxue was preparing to thank him and end the line of questioning. At this time, Chen Shi called and asked, ¡°How is the investigation going?¡±


    ¡°No progress, everyone informed us that the family¡¯s character was good and that their neighborhood rtionships are harmonious.¡±


    ¡°Ask about the rtionship between the husband and wife. Do you even know how to investigate crimes?¡±


    After Chen Shi hung up the phone, Lin Dongxue growled. ¡°Are you my boss?¡± Then directed to the old man, ¡°I have one more question. How is the rtionship between the couple?¡±


    ¡°What kind of question is that? They are husband and wife, so their rtionship is definitely good. This guy is just randomlymanding you to ask questions. You¡¯re really going to listen to him?¡± Xu Xiaodong heard the phone call just now andined.


    He didn¡¯t expect the old master to say without thinking, ¡°Their rtionship was good before, though I don¡¯t know why, but this year, they were always quarrelling.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The two were shocked. Lin Dongxue pressed on, ¡°Can you talk about it more specifically?¡±


    The old master¡¯s house suddenly made a noise. The old man eximed, ¡°My soup has finished boiling. Sorry!¡± Then he quickly went inside the house.


    The two exchanged nces and Lin Dongxue suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not. He didn¡¯t give permission.¡± Xu Xiaodong hesitated.


    ¡°What do you mean let¡¯s not?¡±


    Lin Dongxue went straight into the house and the old man was busy in the kitchen. He took two bowls of rib soup out and offered, ¡°You two should be tired, drink some soup!¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s okay, thank you!¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s talk while drinking.¡±


    The two had to be respectful and so they epted courteously. The old master said that the couple very frequently quarreled. Basically, they had a big quarrel every five days, and there was a small quarrel every three days. Every time they had a quarrel, they smashed their bowls and pots and the child would cry very intensely. The old madam would take her daughter¡¯s side, cornering him so that her daughter could yell and list out the ws of the male owner. There were several times in the middle of the night where he heard the male owner yelling, ¡°I don''t want to live this kind of life anymore!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought, this old master is strangely informed about the happenings on the opposite side. She looked around the house, there was no TV in the house. All of the furniture pointed to this old man living alone. Presumably the elderly living alone are very lonely, so they love to pay attention to these sorts of family dramas.


    With such a conclusion, she was very proud of herself. It is said that you be simr to the people you surround yourself withand now, even I can do some decent reasoning.


    ¡°Old master, do you know the reason why this couple has been quarrelling?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°What for?¡± the old master squinted and had an expression of a happy gossiper. ¡°What else could it be?[1] But of course, it¡¯s to do with money! The family is carrying such arge debt, and the four people rely on the few thousands that the man brings in, how could they not be anxious? The couple came under such pressure, so even things that are as small as sesames and green beans can be made into such big deals.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you are very in touch with what happens in their family.¡±


    ¡°That''s not it. I know everything about this neighborhood!¡± The old man eximed with pride.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong interjected, ¡°Old master, your soup is a bit salty.¡±


    When Lin Dongxue looked at him, the brainless guy was actually drinking soup. He had almost finished drinking the whole bowl. She immediately bumped him with her shoulder, and Xu Xiaodong yelped.


    ¡°Then I will add some more water.¡± The old master was ready to get up.


    ¡°No, no, please just ignore him, you can continue! Do you know why their family owes so much money?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about it, but I guess it is because of his father-inw¡¯s sickness. Her father passed away in March this year. He had been dragging it out for a year and spent a lot of money. Then atst, he passed away, as did the money. I originally persuaded them to treat the old man conservatively, and not to perform the surgery. What is a hospital? It¡¯s a ce where money and lives are lost. The old man was already over 80 years old. Whether he leaves early orte, he still needs to leave. There was no need to spend so much money. Sigh. This day and age, when you get sick, they might as well take away your life!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. It seemed to make sense. Yet she felt that something was wrong. Xu Xiaodong began to evaluate the taste of the soup again. He praised the cooking of the old master. The old master was very happy and hoped that they woulde to eat again sometime.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly understood and asked, ¡°But will people generally borrow high-profit loans to cure diseases? Even if they were really tight for money, wouldn¡¯t they just re-mortgage their house? Oh yeah, do you know if they re-mortgaged it?¡±


    The old master shook his head, ¡°I don''t know about that. You can ask the police station. Little girl, why don¡¯t you drink the soup?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll drink it now.¡±


    After drinking the soup, the old master sent the two out of the door. Xu Xiaodong was still chatting with him. When they left the building, Lin Dongxue gave him a look and scolded, ¡°Are you here to investigate the case or are you here to eat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don''t understand this sort of stuff. This is to create good rtions with the masses. If I wasn¡¯t like this, how would you be able to find out everything you needed to know?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was toozy to care for him. She sent a WeChat message to tell Chen Shi about their discovery. Chen Shi almost instantly returned a message. ¡°There must be a twist in this matter, you need to visit thepany of the deceased.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong peeked at the message from the side. ¡°Does this guy really think he¡¯s the shit? He alsomanded us to do his bidding. I listen to orders from Captain Lin, not him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a hundred times better than you!¡± Lin Dongxue retaliated.


    Xu Xiaodong was shocked. ¡°Dongxue, you don¡¯t really like him, do you?¡±


    Lin Dongxue went straight to the outside of theplex and Xu Xiaodong caught up, ¡°It''s already five o''clock, why don¡¯t we find a ce to eat. I''ll treat you!¡±


    ¡°Eat, eat, eat! You only know how to eat. We need to visit thepany before they close!¡±


    Immediately, the two drove to the insurancepany where Kong Wende worked. The office was still open when they arrived. Xu Xiaodong suddenly had a thought sh across his mind. ¡°I understand now. The deceased works in an insurancepany. This case must be rted to insurance!¡±


    ¡°How would it be rted?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Sigh, let''s say someone has interest in his policy.¡±


    ¡°Insurance beneficiaries are generally immediate family members, and outsiders are impossible.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong scratched his cheek and doubled down relentlessly, ¡°I think there is still a connection, let¡¯s ask and see!¡±


    The two found the person in charge of the team Kong Wende was working for, an aunty. When they asked about Kong Wende, the aunt expressed, ¡°Ah, Xiao Kong. He¡¯s very good. He is very dedicated and sincere. He has been working under me for about ten years now and he has never done anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that he has a huge amount of debt?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Debt!?¡± Aunty was shocked, and then showed a thoughtful expression, but the expression quickly went away, so Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t think much of it, ¡°I didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s his private business.¡±


    ¡°Have he ever invested in insurance?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    ¡°He has.¡±


    ¡°Who was it for?¡±


    ¡°Himself, his wife, her mother, and his child.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaodong excitedly said to Lin Dongxue, ¡°You see? I told you this case was insurance-rted!¡±


    1. They actually listed an expression that describes how when you have no money, you will quarrel over absolutely everything.

 Chapter 26: Misappropriation of Funds

    <h4>Chapter 26: Misappropriation of Funds</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The aunty asked in curiosity, ¡°The case? What case?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that Xu Xiaodong was such an unreliable guy. He wasn¡¯t able to investigate and find out anything but bbed about the case.


    Lin Dongxue was busy looking for a way out, ¡°I am very sorry, we can''t disclose this.¡±


    The aunty challenged, ¡°That doesn¡¯t fly with me. Kong Wende is my employee. Of course I have to know about his affairs. What happened to him?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was struggling trying to think of something to say to avoid the subject. Who knew that Xu Xiaodong was so na?ve that he¡¯d just blurt out, ¡°He was killed!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Aunty was shocked and put her hand over her mouth.


    Lin Dongxue was now internally dying from Xu Xiaodong¡¯s stupidity. The aunty asked, ¡°Who did it?¡±


    ¡°If we knew who did it, we wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Xu Xiaodongughed at his own sense of humour.


    ¡°So you are investigating here? Do you suspect that it was someone from thepany?¡±


    ¡°No, no, we just inquiring about everything. Oh right, don''t talk about it to anyone, our police have not publicly announced this.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry. She would obviously tell her colleagues as soon as they left, and he just told her, ¡°Don''t tell anyone.¡± Saying that is no different from saying nothing.


    Xu Xiaodong asked thinking he was clever, ¡°Do you know if Kong Wende had any enemies?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, no. Kong Wende''s poprity is quite good. Even if there are one or two colleagues who he isn¡¯t on good terms with, they wouldn¡¯t be at the point of murdering each other!¡±


    Lin Dongxue steered the topic back and asked, ¡°You mentioned that Kong Wende is insuring his family. What was the situation?¡±


    ¡°Insurance? We work for an insurancepany. It¡¯s normal to buy insurance for ourselves. Some months, you underperform so you buy insurance for yourself to bring up your numbers. This is normal. For example, I bought policies for my whole family.¡±


    Lin Dongxue red at the stunned Xu Xiaodong. ¡°You have nothing to say now, right? Thinking you¡¯re so smart!¡±


    Lin Dongxue continued to ask, ¡°We still want to know why he owes a huge amount of debt.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Aunt wanted to start but stopped herself.


    ¡°If you don''t know, we¡¯ll ask someone else.¡± Xu Xiaodong was already standing up.


    ¡°He misappropriatedpany funds!¡± Aunty suddenly testified.


    The two sat back down again, and Lin Dongxue asked surprised, ¡°What!? Why didn''t you say that earlier?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered it!¡± Aunt smiled awkwardly. This performance of hers was really bad. Even Lin Dongxue saw through it. The other party must know that Kong Wende is already dead. On the one hand, she was scared and on the other hand, she was worried that they would use her so she didn¡¯t say.


    In this way, Xu Xiaodong¡¯s inadvertent hypothesis of the case had also yed a part.


    ¡°Can you talk about it in detail?¡±


    ¡°This is what happened. Kong Wende was responsible for the training of neers. In the first half of the year, thepany''s ountants found dozens of empty invoices. Hundreds of new employees that didn¡¯t actually exist. There was someone who took a lot of money saying that they had done lots of training in their name. The total amount of funds was about 400,000.¡±


    ¡°So much!?¡± Xu Xiaodong eximed.


    ¡°As this case was investigated, itnded on Kong Wende¡¯s head. This guy thought that his n was foolproof, but when thepany¡¯s specialists checked, they found out it was him. I privately talked to him. He admitted to the misappropriation. It started with small amounts in the beginning, but as time went, on the amounts becamerger andrger, and so did his courage. He actually moved away 400,000. Everyone is an old colleague. I didn¡¯t want to make a fuss about it in court. I ordered him to repay the money and I didn¡¯t care how he did it. Later, he did pay the money back, and I didn''t mention it anymore.¡±


    ¡°What month did this happen in?¡± Lin Dongxue inquired.


    ¡°I remembered this happening in early April of this year!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡±


    Leaving the insurancepany, Lin Dongxue tried to summarize the clues. She analyzed, ¡°It seems that Kong Wende misappropriated thepany funds prior, and then when the father-inw was sick. He took the money to get rid of the disease, and then he got found out, so he was forced to get money from a loan shark.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong pondered, ¡°At the end of the day, the biggest suspect is the loan shark.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that the loan sharks will kill people?¡±


    ¡°Who is part of loan shark¡¯s organisation? Do you know? Some are former gang members. You have not crossed paths with them. You don''t know how ruthless these people are!¡± Xu Xiaodong said confidently.


    Lin Dongxue thought, if Chen Shi didn¡¯t point it out before, perhaps she would think so too. In short, she was more willing to believe Chen Shi¡¯s spection that the loan shark is not a murderer.


    ¡°It''s gettingte; I¡¯ll send you home!¡± Xu Xiaodong offered with a smile.


    ¡°No need, I will take a taxi myself. See you at the station tomorrow.¡± After that, Lin Dongxue went straight to the side of the road and waved down a taxi.


    In the evening, she sent a message to Chen Shi telling him about the progress. Chen Shi did not reply, maybe he really went to sleep. She could not help butin, why was this guy acting so leisurely at this time.


    Early the next morning, she went to the bureau and to find the forensics department. In the empty office, the squadron leader Peng Sijue was looking at some data on the screen. From the few cans of Red Bull on the table, he must have been working all night.


    ¡°You¡¯re here at the right time!¡± Peng Sijue began. ¡°The DNA identification results are on the table. Look at it yourself.¡±


    Lin Dongxue took a look, the DNA from the blood sample of the little boy and the DNA from the blood on the handle were actually 99% matching. She almost eximed out loud. Chen Shi¡¯s guess waspletely spot-on. The boy and the murderer are father and son.


    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Peng Sijue suddenly poured a bucket of cold water over her, ¡°Look at the third page.¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned to the third page with a suspicious look. After reading the results, she said with amazement, ¡°That drop of blood!¡±


    Peng Sijue turned around in his chair and held a bag of mints in his hand. ¡°The blood is from the male owner, not the murderer.¡±


    ¡°No, the handle is cracked. It¡¯s obvious that the finger of the murderer had been scratched. How can the blood of the male owner ssh on it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your job, I only provide the results of the test.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Wait, who was the man who was with you yesterday?¡±


    ¡°A driver! Why?¡± asked Lin Dongxue.


    ¡°I didn''t speak to you! Just go! Don''t hinder my work.¡± Peng Sijue hurried her away with a straight face.


    ¡°Hmph, who is he giving his stink face to?!¡± Leaving theb, Lin Dongxue groaned in her heart. However, after thinking about it, Peng Sijue was very helpful. She should give credit where credit is due.


    Some people in the team had yet to arrive. Lin Dongxue went outside to buy a Yong An Soybean set, and went back to the forensicsb. She offered with a smile, ¡°Captain Peng, thank you. I bought you a breakfast set, eat it while it¡¯s hot!¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the thought but I don''t eat anything from outside, you take it!¡± Peng Sijue rejected while he continued squinting at theputer.


    If she didn''t know that he was such a character, Lin Dongxue would really want to throw the breakfast in his face. She continued politely, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it on the table!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Take it away!¡±


    When Peng Sijue turned around, Lin Dongxue had already disappeared. He shook his head and sighed. He stood up and closed the door. Then, he opened the hot breakfast and tasted a spoonful of pork and preserved egg congee. Heined, ¡°It''s really bad!¡±


    Then, he ate all the food really quickly.

 Chapter 27: Emergency Mission

    <h4>Chapter 27: Emergency Mission</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the conference room, police officers arrived in session. At present, many people werecking sleep, but this didn¡¯t affect their mood. Colleagues still smiled, said hello, and handed out cigarettes.


    Lin Dongxue sat in the corner and reported the results of the DNA test through WeChat to Chen Shi. Chen Shi still did not reply. Sheined, ¡°Where the hell did he go?!¡±


    Suddenly the noisy meeting room was quiet, Lin Dongxue immediately sat up straight. It turned out that Lin Qiupu had alreadye in. He looked around at the circle of people underneath him. ¡°Is everyone here? Let¡¯s begin the meeting!¡±


    Lin Qiupu summed up the clues they currently had a hold of. After the forensics teams¡¯ technical appraisal of the fingerprints, DNA, saliva, and shoe prints found on the scene were found to be free of outsiders. Lin Qiupu deduced, ¡°It seems that the murderer is very sly and did not leave even a little clue. This also confirms that they are very guilty and in the circle of interpersonal rtionships of the deceased.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand. ¡°The murderer must have covered their fingerprints with 502 glue! We can go and test this.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought, He¡¯s still holding on to this matter!


    An experienced veteran police officer immediately retorted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to investigate if there¡¯s a fingerprint with 502 glue on it. 502 glue can''t be used as evidence in court, and it wastes time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Xu Xiaodong hit a wall again and sat back down.


    Lin Qiupu asked people to open the projector. He worked very efficiently. Yesterday, the interpersonal rtionship between the deceased and the husband and wife were checked and organized with analysis. The three people who had criminal motives were listed. The first one was identified as a loan shark, and his gang name as Big Tiger.. He used to be a gang member.


    ¡°Big Tiger¡¯s rap sheet is really thick, this person''s whereabouts are unknown, and I think there¡¯s a high probability that he did this...¡± Lin Qiupu suddenly stopped talking because a hand was raised.


    Lin Dongxue, who never spoke at meetings, raised her hand stubbornly.


    Lin Qiupu could not turn a blind eye and pretend he didn¡¯t see her, so he asked, ¡°Lin Dongxue, what do you have to say?¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand. A loan shark¡¯s purpose is to collect money. Generally speaking, if they can''t get the money, they would kidnap and sell the people who borrowed money. Why would they resort to killing?¡±


    ¡°There must be hidden meaning in it, only after finding Big Tiger himself can we understand.¡±


    ¡°Then I still have a little doubt. If the loan shark kills, why should they let go of the children?¡±


    ¡°I already said that we will understand once we find Big Tiger.¡±


    ¡°I have one more thing...¡±


    ¡°Okay, just stop talking!¡± Lin Qiupu interrupted violently.


    Lin Dongxue sat down dissatisfied, thinking that Lin Qiupu was 90% focusing on the wrong direction again. Lin Qiupu assigned jobs again and the tasks that fell on Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong¡¯s head were still peripheral work that had nothing to do with the actual investigation of the case.


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to question and investigate the whole morning. By the end, they were so tired that they had a backache and had to rest in the office. Xu Xiaodong took out a box of cookies from the drawer and said as if he was offering treasures, ¡°Dongxue, try this. My rtives brought these cookies back from abroad.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at him with no mood for them. ¡°No need, thanks. If I eat sweets, I will gain weight.¡±


    ¡°You are not fat, what are you afraid of? Come on!¡±


    Under Xu Xiaodong¡¯s pestering, Lin Dongxue took a cookie from the box. Xu Xiaodong smiled like a little eunuch[1] and asked, ¡°How is the taste?¡±


    ¡°Unptable!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not being honest!¡± Xu Xiaodong took a piece and put it in his mouth.


    Lin Dongxue picked up her mobile phone and checked WeChat and SMS. Chen Shi still hadn¡¯t replied. Sheined in her heart. Where the hell did this guy go? Why was he MIA at such an important time? Was it because he had nothing left to offer?


    Turning her head, Lin Dongxue discovered that Xu Xiaodong was stealing nces at the screen of her mobile phone. She scolded, ¡°What are you looking at?! Get away from me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, why are you so concerned about him?¡±


    ¡°You have a problem? I care about the case, not him!¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t rted to the case at all. Isn''t Captain Lin¡¯s side going well? This guy only broke thatst case with dumb luck. You really think that there¡¯s rare recipes that can save those with severe sickness in the world and that there are civil masters in our society? Those things are impossible!¡±


    Once she heard these, Lin Dongxue¡¯s ears almost formed calluses to block out his words. She ignored him and opened a game to y by herself.


    Seeing no one in the office, Xu Xiaodong took out two tickets for Zhang XueYou¡¯s[2] concert tickets from his pocket and coughed. Lin Dongxue continued to stare at the screen of her phone intently. He coughed again, ¡°Dongxue?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have...¡±


    Suddenly, Lin Qiupu¡¯s voice came from the corridor, ¡°Everyone gather. Everyone here needs toe out and gather! Those without a gun, hurry to the gun library and grab one!¡±


    Lin Dongxue immediately put down her mobile phone and rushed out. Xu Xiaodong hit the table with annoyance, put the tickets away and went out as well.


    Dozens of police officers gathered quickly, Lin Qiupu took a deep breath. ¡°In a major situation, the traffic police called over and stopped a car full of cash. The four people in the car are likely to have connections with Big Tiger. The car has been stopped, and the gangsters in the car are in a deadlock with the police station and the traffic police with guns in hand!¡±


    Everyone took a breath. Most police officers had only seen shoot-outs on TV. They were both uneasy and excited as to what was toe.


    The people left ordingly. When Lin Dongxue came to help, Lin Qiupu stopped her. ¡°You are not allowed to go!¡±


    ¡°Why?! Why are you giving me special treatment? Because I am a woman? Or because I am your sister?¡± Lin Dongxue smacked his hand away angrily and ran out.


    Lin Qiupu shouted at her from behind, ¡°You have a bad shooting performance. What use are you?¡±


    When they heard this, many police officersughed. Lin Dongxue was so mad that her tears were about to fall. She didn''t want to lose any more face in front of others so she fought her tears back and got into a special police car.


    The task was rted to criminal cases, so the criminal police and SWAT were dispatched together. In the car, the Special Forces officers in the car were talking andughing, while the police officers on the other side were full of tension and deep thoughts. Everyone wore bullet-proof vests, but the sturdy special policeman wearing bullet-proof vests seemed more powerful, while the other policemen were as wilted as swimmers wearing life jackets.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Can this bulletproof vest really block the bullets?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± A special policeman patted the bullet-proof vest. ¡°But the impact of the bullet will break several ribs.¡±


    ¡°What... What does that feel like?¡±


    ¡°Taking a fist. It''s like a fist smashing into your body.¡±


    Another special police officer added, ¡°Of course, if the bullet hits the leg or the head, it can''t be stopped. Also, if an artery in the leg is hit, you will still die.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong swallowed hard. ¡°I want to go to the toilet!¡±


    The police officers on the other sideughed together. Lin Dongxue buried her face in her hands. It was shameful being with this guy.


    The car suddenly stopped, and Xu Xiaodong who was daydreaming suddenly sat up straight, ¡°We¡¯re here?¡±


    The door opened and the special police officers stepped out methodically, patting Xu Xiaodong''s shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We aren¡¯t going into a battlefield, what are you afraid of?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was sulking, ¡°I want to go to the toilet first!¡±


    1. Smiled expectantly like that of a servant waiting for their master¡¯s praise.


    2. Also known as Jacky Cheung. https://zixuanzhao1220hsl.files.wordpress/2015/05/jackycheung-jpg.jpg

 Chapter 28: Heroic Xu Xiaodong

    <h4>Chapter 28: Heroic Xu Xiaodong</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they came to the road, the scene was not as intense as Lin Dongxue and everyone thought. The gangsters were shrinking behind the flower beds by the roadside. The normal police officers and the traffic police were also hiding behind shrubs and flowers.


    Not far from here, a VW Santana had knocked down a fruit stand by the road.


    The arrival of the special police force was the same as the arrival of godly soldiers to the traffic control and standard officers. The group of brave men and women who wereughing previously immediately gestured and put up bulletproof shields, pushing the front line forward in an experienced manner.


    ¡°Come on! Keep up!¡± Lin Qiupu waved his men over. The criminal investigation policemen were hiding behind the SWAT team, as if they were forming three lines.


    One of the captains of the special police force took out the microphone. ¡°Put down your weapons and surrender. You are only carrying guns presently. You haven¡¯t hurt anyone yet. If you hurt anyone or attack the police, you will be adding to your charges. Disarming yourselves immediately will be met with leniency.¡±


    ¡°Don''t force us!¡± A gangster fired a shot at the sky. The gunshots scared a lot of criminal police officers, shaking them. The cars from the south suddenly stopped.


    The SWAT captain continued, ¡°It is impossible for us to retreat. I will repeat it again. Immediately disarm and surrender. If you want to do this the hard way, we will apany you until the end. Let¡¯s see if you have more bullets or if we have more skill.¡±


    The other party didn''t move. Lin Qiupu asked a traffic policeman, ¡°What is the situation?¡±


    ¡°We saw this was car a bit suspicious, and so we stopped it. My colleague saw that there was a big box in the car and asked them to open it. It was full of cash. When the gangsters realized things were getting bad, they suddenly drove off, knocking down my colleague. After some chasing, we got here.¡±


    ¡°Are there any casualties?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, there aren¡¯t any. My colleague just fell and got some scrapes, but it¡¯s nothing serious.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nodded to the captain, ¡°These people are rted to the criminal cases we are currently investigating. If you can, try to take them alive.¡±


    The captain nodded. ¡°I will do my best to negotiate.¡±


    At this time on the road behind the gangsters, out walked a group of kindergarten children led by a teacher. Everyone was shocked, it was already noon. Lin Qiupu rushed over there and waved, ¡°Leave quickly! Danger!¡±


    ¡°Not good, the gangsters have moved!¡± The SWAT captain alerted. ¡°If they try to take a hostage, we will immediately kill them.¡±


    ¡°It will scare children!¡± Lin Dongxue cried.


    ¡°I can''t afford to worry about that!¡± he SWAT captain harshly stated.


    The kindergarten teacher saw this scene and was too scared to scream. The children were screaming like frightened chickens as well. They suddenly became a mess. Behind the flower bed, a gangster was eager to try to take one as a hostage and rushed over.


    Right then, there was a man running out of the team. The crowd was shocked. It turned out to be Xu Xiaodong. He ran over to them as he shouted, ¡°Go! Go!¡±


    ¡°Come back!¡± Lin Qiupu shouted, Xu Xiaodong waspletely exposed to the shooting range of the gangsters.


    ¡°Forward!¡± The SWAT captain took the initiative and the task force immediately lifted the shield and rushed over from both sides. Only fierce gunshots could be heard, and then everything came to a calm.


    The first thing everyone did was to look around and see if anyone was shot. Not far from the group, the children were all scared to the ground. Xu Xiaodong used his body as a shield for them.


    Lin Qiupu stepped forward and saw that all the four gangsters were pressed chest to the ground with their hands behind their backs with a robust SWAT officer pressed on top of each one. He asked, ¡°What were the shots just then?¡±


    The SWAT captain exined, ¡°There was a guy who wanted to shoot, so we shot him in the arm. His shot hit the sky. Nothing happened; no one else was killed or injured.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Lin Qiupu wiped cold sweat off his forehead.


    After the danger ended, the gangster who was shot was taken to the hospital, and the remaining three were handcuffed and taken to the car. Lin Qiupu went to Xu Xiaodong, who was pacifying the children. Lin Qiupu asked the kindergarten aunty, ¡°Is everyone alright?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°If you guys are okay, just go, please be careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, everyone thank the police uncles!¡±


    The children replied in unison, ¡°Thank you police uncles!¡± Although many children had been scared and cried just then, in the blink of an eye the children could talk andugh, as if nothing happened.


    Lin Qiupu smiled at the children and then turned to Xu Xiaodong, shouting loudly, ¡°Who allowed you to act without permission!¡±


    ¡°I...I...¡± Xu Xiaodong muttered in protest. ¡°I ran out on impulse.¡± Xu Xiaodong''s legs were still shaking.


    ¡°Do you know how dangerous it was?! Go back and write a self-reflection report for me!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Xu Xiaodong said with a downcast look.


    On the returning car, the special police task force greatly appreciated Xu Xiaodong¡¯s brave behaviour andplimented him. One of the officers praised, ¡°Our captainplimented that you were so brave. If you hadn¡¯t acted so decisively, the gangsters would have ran to the children and it would have evolved into a very troublesome hostage situation.¡±


    Another SWAT officer chimed-in, ¡°The captain also asked what your name is, and whether you want to consider joining the SWAT team.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong smiled shyly and scratched his head. ¡°Oh, it was nothing. I¡¯m just a little hot headed.¡±


    Lin Dongxue also nudged Xu Xiaodong with her elbow. She smiled and said, ¡°Although you have been punished, you are definitely the hero of this mission in everyone''s heart!¡±


    As soon as he heard this, Xu Xiaodong was delighted to the tips of his brows and felt like he had eaten lots of sweet honey.


    The gangster¡¯s car was also driven back to the station. When the police opened the car and looked at it, everyone was shocked. There was a bloody sack in the backpartment. The sack contained a male body that was copsed into a ball. Lin Qiupu confirmed immediately after he saw the appearance of the deceased. This person was the Big Tiger they had been looking for!


    In addition, the suitcase in the car was loaded with arge amount of cash. Upon further inspection, it could be estimated to more than 10 million yuan[1], which was a veryrge sum.


    The interrogation work began immediately. Lin Qiupu personally participated while other police officers stood outside and listened. In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu looked at the criminal records of several people and interrogated one of the criminals, ¡°You are all Big Tiger¡¯s subordinates. Let''s talk about it, what is the reason for the money and body in the car?¡±


    The suspect shook his hands in denial for dear life. ¡°Government[2], this is not our business, it¡¯s really not our business!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will believe you? The body and the cash are in your car. You also openly tried to attack the police. If this isn''t your business, what is?¡±


    The other party just muttered and refused to rify. Enraged, Lin Qiupu mmed on the table, ¡°If you¡¯re honest, you still have the possibility of leniency. I will clearly tell you that your aplices are currently being interrogated in other rooms. If you are the first to confess, you can be pardoned, and you will be sentenced to a few years less. But if you hesitate, thisst line of hope will disappear.¡±


    The gangster¡¯s resolution was wavering. His eyes dashed back and forth, and his lips began to part as if he was about to say something.


    However, he was a gang member after all. He was aware of the police''s habits in his bones, so this was not enough to sway him.


    Lin Qiupu continued to attack his psychological defence, ¡°You are the oldest, you should have more experience than the three. Now, your boss is dead. You have no one else to swear allegiance to. Who are you still fighting for? Think about it carefully!¡±


    Suddenly, the suspect cried out, ¡°Government, I¡¯ll confess everything!¡±


    1. Around $1.4mil. USD.


    2. They like to call officers ¡°government¡± sometimes, because the police force works for the government.

 Chapter 29: No Matter How Much You Struggle, Fate is Fate

    <h4>Chapter 29: No Matter How Much You Struggle, Fate is Fate</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The suspect said that Big Tiger was killed. They found out today when they went back to thepany. He died terribly. His head was beaten so badly that his brains oozed out.


    In their line of work, they would definitely have lots of enemies, but they couldn¡¯t exactly call the police. It is reasonable to say that they should contact the big brother of Big Tiger. However, the bunch of them thought about it and figured they¡¯d just take all of Big Tiger¡¯s money. Once they finished negotiation, they took away the 10 million yuan from the safe and were going to take the body of Big Tiger to bury him in the wild. Wouldn¡¯t it just look like Big Tiger took all the money and went on the run? Even if those above were to investigate, he was already dead and couldn¡¯t testify or anything. In this way, they could just split all the cash. Even if the body of Big Tiger was found one day, the higher-ups wouldn¡¯t suspect them. It would naturally be med on people that hated Big Tiger.


    They originally nned to bury the body and transfer the money to hide in a safe ce. Lugging this huge sum of money around obviously wasn¡¯t practical, so they were ufortable. That¡¯s why they brought a few pistols with them just in case.


    However, fate would have it that they would be stopped by the traffic police. You really can¡¯t fight the wills of the gods. In the panic of the situation, they made a decision to fight.


    After confessing, the suspect mused, ¡°Ah, this is life. It seems that we are destined to be unable to make indirect side-fortunes. The old saying is not wrong. If your life is destined for 7 feet, you should not force for 10.


    Lin Qiupu looked at him coldly and then smiled. ¡°Story, keep making up stories!¡±


    The suspect panicked and trembled, making the handcuffs tter noisily. ¡°Government, I can swear to the Gods, if there is even half a dishonest word in what I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ll get killed by a gun! Originally getting corrupt money in the world of darkness is a life-risking job anyway. I don¡¯t ask for forgiveness. I only ask one thing. Do not let others know about this. Or we will be finished.¡±


    At this time, Peng Sijue came over to their department, ¡°Is Captain Lin inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Dongxue replied.


    Peng Sijue picked up the phone outside the interrogation. The phone inside rang. Lin Qiupu picked it up. Peng Sijue reported, ¡°Captain Lin, we have looked at the body. The cause of death is a closed intracranial injury caused by a blunt force trauma to the head. The estimated time of death is estimated to be three days ago. The fingerprints of these people were found on the clothes of the corpse, but from the distribution of the prints, it should have been left during the handling. In addition, the hands of the corpse show signs of resistance. The murderer must have some bruises on them.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nodded and hung up the phone. He then asked the suspect, ¡°When did your boss die?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. When I went to the office in the morning, I found him lying on the ground with his head split open.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your office open during the weekend?¡±


    ¡°We do open during the weekends, but we have been collecting ounts for the past two days.¡±


    ¡°Collected for two days?¡±


    ¡°The other party is an enterprise in another town. This sum is rtivelyrge. The boss told us that we can get 10%mission if we can get the debts back. That¡¯s a lucky break. So, we went to collect the money and put the money on the boss¡¯s ount. We took the money we got asmission and yed around for two days. We came back on Monday.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you guys had such a good time.¡±


    ¡°Government, you misunderstood me. Our loans are not easy. We oftene across people who just won¡¯t pay their debt. There is also the kind of client who would rather money than their lives. Once we were in JiangXi and I got stabbed by this guy who didn¡¯t want to pay his debts. I almost got my head cut off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you about this. When was thest time you contacted Big Tiger?¡±


    ¡°Last Friday...¡± The suspect looked at the ceiling and recalled, ¡°About six or seven in the evening. The boss asked us if we had arrived. I told him that we did. That¡¯s all we talked about¡±


    ¡°Who do you think would have killed Big Tiger?¡±


    ¡°So many people!¡± The suspect listed a bunch of names, and the minute-taker recorded them all down.


    The interrogation ended and Lin Qiupu asked people to take him out. As he was being taken away, he was still pleading, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone know; please!¡±


    Lin Qiupu came outside, rubbed his neck and looked at the face of the police officers who had eager faces. He asked, ¡°You have all heard it. What do you think is true?¡±


    Everyone was thinking when Peng Sijue chimed in, ¡°The things this kind of person says can¡¯t all be true, but one thing you can trust is that the murder was not done by them.¡±


    Lin Qiupu frowned and furrowed his brows. ¡°Escort them back to the cell. We need to verify their absence during the time!¡± Then he turned and left. Unsure if it was her illusion, Lin Dongxue thought that herbrother''s back was a bit gloomy and depressed, perhaps because the lead had been lost.


    The biggest lead that they had hoped for suddenly died, and it was before the family massacre, meaning that this investigation needed to be started again from the top.


    The police officers also stood still in silence until someone urged, ¡°Scatter, let''s get to work!¡±


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone. Chen Shi still didn''t reply. She started to dial Chen Shi''s phone and it rang a few times. Chen Shi answered with a yawn, saying, ¡°Sorry, I fell asleep in the car.¡±


    There was the sound of a car driving over the phone. Lin Dongxue scolded, ¡°You¡¯re sleeping while you are driving the car?!¡±


    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re just assuming that your thoughts are correct. Can¡¯t I be a passenger in a car?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going riding a car? Why didn¡¯t you message me back? I thought you went missing!¡±


    Chen Shi changed the subject, ¡°How is the case? Is there a breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°No, the lead is lost.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. Oh yes, do me a favor. Convince your brother to do something for me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Immediately check all the records of routes leading out of our city for a certain person. I don''t know his name, but his appearance is very simr to the deceased.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°Just be obedient and go okay?¡±


    Lin Dongxue hung up on the phone unhappily and groaned. ¡°He¡¯s pretending to act oh so mysterious!¡±


    She immediately went to Lin Qiupu¡¯s office, which wasn¡¯t closed. Lin Qiupu was sulking in his seat, messing with his hair. He was holding the photo on the table and mumbling to himself, ¡°Senpai, if it were you, how would you investigate it?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue knocked on the door and Lin Qiupu immediately sat up straight, reverting his tone back to normal. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi said that he needs your help...¡±


    After she exined, Lin Qiupu raised his eyebrows. ¡°Looking for someone who looks like the deceased? There is no name, no ID number. This is too much work! No, I can''t use so many public resources just because of his words!¡±


    ¡°But brother...¡±


    ¡°Don''t use this tone with me. Although our lead has been lost, we are not at the point of rushing to random hospitals for medical emergencies!¡±[1]


    ¡°Why don''t you believe him?¡±


    ¡°I still want to ask you, why do you want to believe him? Is the aura of a lucky amateur more credible than the instincts of so many police officers?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous of his abilities!¡± Lin Dongxue did not turn back after spitting out these words ruthlessly.


    ¡°Dongxue!¡± Lin Qiupu extended a hand and wanted to make her stay, but it was already toote. He turned back with a frustrated and gloomy expression and said to the photo. ¡°Senpai, it would have been good if you were here. I don¡¯t know what to do! I¡¯m helpless.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she kicked a trash can in the corridor. She picked up the phone and prepared to tell the situation to Chen Shi. She didn''t expect him to send a message. ¡°I¡¯m starving to death. Can you help me order a takeaway? Must have meat in it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that sheughed. ¡°And where do I take it to?¡±


    ¡°The station. I wille right away!¡±


    1. Doing anything recklessly in panic. If you went to unknown ces without credibility in order to heal yourself, it would be an act of recklessness.

 Chapter 31: The Astonishing Truth

    <h4>Chapter 31: The Astonishing Truth</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two returned to the station and went straight to the forensics department. Chen Shi urged Peng Sijue, ¡°Captain Peng, please help me test something.¡±


    Peng Sijue nced at him coldly and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Remember the blood on the weapon...¡±


    ¡°I have already tested it.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not going to test the DNA. I am going to test its blood lipid content andpare it with the deceased.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at Chen Shi for a moment and replied, ¡°Why do I need to listen to you? I have a lot on my hands, and I have no time to deal with your requests.¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin started to investigate again?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Well, he just came back from the scene where Big Tiger was killed and brought back some evidence. I¡¯m very busy right now, so go away.¡±


    Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng!¡± Chen Shi suddenly raised the volume. ¡°The impression you gave people has always been a calm, objective and impartial person, but you just said the phrase ''Why do I need to listen to you?''; I think this is very opinionated. Since I am involved in solving the case, why can''t I use the resources here? Unless you only do things based on whoever asks you?¡±


    Peng Sijue suddenly stood up and stared straight at Chen Shi. ¡°What my character and personality is like is not up for discussion by the likes of you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was frightened. This was the first time someone had provoked Peng Sijue ever since she became a police officer. Chen Shi is like fountain grass[1], and dares to provoke everyone.


    She kept tugging Chen Shi''s clothes and motioned him to go, but Chen Shi did not pay attention to her. He spoke softly, ¡°Please do me this favour. Of course, I am not asking you without anything to offer...¡±


    Chen Shi took out a packet of mints from his pocket and ced it on the table. ¡°It''s a little gesture.¡±


    Peng Sijue was stunned for a while and then smiled. ¡°Do you take me for a child?¡±


    ¡°I can''t get more expensive things.¡±


    ¡°Test the blood lipids? Why do we need to test this? You must exin it to me!¡±


    ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    ¡°Depends if what you say is reasonable.¡±


    ¡°I think you should test it out first. Then, when you see the conclusion, I will exin it properly to you then. It will be more efficient that way.¡±


    Peng Sijue indulged for a moment and responded, ¡°You better not lie to me. I am very vengeful. If you lie to me, don''t enter this door ever again.¡±


    ¡°I dare not!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Peng Sijue went to the refrigerator to take a blood sample and started the test on his work bench. He opened the bag of mints sent by Chen Shi and ate it whilst testing. Theboratory was very quiet. Lin Dongxue did not dare to speak out too loudly, ¡°The blood of the same person... What is the point of testing it?¡±


    ¡°Is it from the same person? Why won¡¯t your brain open? I have given you so many hints, but you still don''t understand?¡±


    Lin Dongxue had an epiphany. ¡°Is it that... Is it...?¡±


    ¡°Just say it!¡± Chen Shi smiled and encouraged.


    ¡°Is it that the blood was left there in the past?¡±


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t help but look up at the sky helplessly. ¡°Your brain seems to get younger by the day! I feel utterly speechless.¡±


    ¡°Go die!¡± Lin Dongxue kicked him.


    Peng Sijue held up a testing strip in his hands and looked up in surprise. ¡°The blood lipid contents of the two blood samples ispletely different, but their DNA is the same. I understand now. They¡¯re twins!¡±


    ¡°Twins!?¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    Chen Shi¡¯s eyes smiled, ¡°This is the truth!¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Peng Sijue asked.


    ¡°At first, it was just a bold guess. How could the scene not have fingerprints, DNA, and salivary enzymes of the murderer? Why did the murderer spare the little boy? One more thing, when we mentioned the words ''mother and father'' to the little boy that day, he suddenly showed an abnormal amount of panic! So I went to Kong Wende¡¯s hometown and found his parents. This was just a bet. If Kong Wende had schemed with his parents before or after the incident, then it was unlikely that I could gain any intel from asking them. I used some skills to learn from his parents that Kong Wende was actually part of a pair of twins when he was born. However, at the time, the family was too poor to raise two children. They decided to abandon one by drawing long and short straws. His parents put the abandoned child in front of a temple in the neighbouring vige and didn¡¯t hear from the baby since. With this clue, the whole case was able to be exined at once. The male body at the scene was not Kong Wende, but his twin brother. Kong Wende is the murderer. The little boy saw his own father killing his mother and grandmother, so he lost his mind. Maybe the little boy is also on Kong Wende¡¯s murder list. However, the saying that even the tiger who is very aggressive won¡¯t eat their own young[2] is true after all, and he ultimately did not kill him.¡±


    After listening to Chen Shi¡¯s long story, Lin Dongxue and Peng Sijue were shocked for a long time and couldn¡¯t speak. Chen Shi continued, ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous to listen to, isn¡¯t it? Reality is sometimes more absurd than novels. In fact, there is a precedent for this kind of murder case where twins exchanged identities. In Texas, there was a twin sister who killed her older sister and lived with her brother-inw for a few months. Later, because of a fire ident that exposed the clues, the police found the body of ''herself'' in the house. The police responded simrly to that of yourselves right now, andter they learned that the dead one was the murderer¡¯s twin sister.¡±


    ¡°So, you asked my brother to find a person who is very simr to Kong Wende?¡± Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Do you think he will escape from Long''An City?¡±


    ¡°No, actually, I think there¡¯s a big probability he is still in Long''An. I asked my driver friend to help me find recent missing person notices. There is no such person simr to Kong Wende. If I were him, where would I hide? Yes, I would pretend to be my twin brother, recing his identity. Long¡¯An is so big, the police wouldn¡¯t be able to think that the situation is like this even if their heads explode!¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi with surprise. She thought that he was justzing around the past two days. It turned out that he had done so many things secretly and almostpletelypleted the investigation solo.


    One person is better than a whole task force. She couldn¡¯t help but ask again in her heart. Chen Shi, who exactly are you?


    ¡°I found out during the autopsy that there were a lot of calluses on the body, and the spine had a slight lumbar disc herniation. I guess he is a manual worker. I will inform Captain Lin and investigate following this lead!¡± Peng Sijue got ready to get the phone on the table.


    ¡°Captain Peng, thank you.¡± Chen Shi turned around and left.


    On the way out, Lin Dongxue wore a very unhappy expression. This did not escape Chen Shi¡¯s eyes. He asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°No... Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. I told you before that I would help you make meritorious deeds, but now the truth is told to your brother through Peng Sijue, so you¡¯re not happy, right?¡±


    ¡°No! No matter who solves the crime, the crime is still solved. Am I that petty?¡± Lin Dongxue pouted.


    Chen Shi began a text message from his mobile phone. Lin Dongxue, who was waiting forfort, saw this and her heart was even more unhappy. Chen Shi finished the text message. ¡°Shared information is the basis of cooperation. If I hide things, it will waste the resources and time of the whole task group. This is a matter of principle and character. Telling your brother is one thing, but your brother might not be able to catch the person. I have a faster way to catch Kong Wende!¡±


    ¡°What is it!?¡± Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡°Follow me to the newspaper agency.¡±


    1. It sways with the slightest of wind so it will stick on to whatever. They are using the stickiness of it as a metaphor for provoking. https://robertasgardens/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/image/800x1018/e9c3970ab036de70892d86c6d221abfe/h/a/hameln_ornamental_fountain_grass_002.jpg


    2. An expression that means that no matter how ruthless and blood-thirsty you are, you still won¡¯t be able to do the same to your own flesh and blood.

 Chapter 32: Those who are Meant to Come, Finally Came

    <h4>Chapter 32: Those who are Meant to Come, Finally Came</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Early the next morning, Lin Qiupu came to the unit and went to the forensics department to take a test report. Peng Sijue stayed here all night again, and the coffee machine was brewing a fragrant Blue Mountain coffee. Peng Sijue stared at theputer screen and said without turning around, ¡°The report is on the table.¡±


    Although Lin Qiupu usually drank LongJing, for the past two days he had be too tired from trying to solve the case. When he smelled the coffee, he couldn¡¯t help but pour himself a cup. Peng Sijue is such a person. He is never polite to others and does not need others to be polite with him.


    The hard and bitter coffee sank down into his stomach and Lin Qiupu¡¯s mind felt refreshed. ¡°Thank you, Old Peng. If you didn¡¯t think of testing the blood lipids, we wouldn¡¯t have thought that the murderer was actually him! Oh yeah, how did you think of this?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who thought of it, Chen Shi told me.¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi? Which Chen Shi?¡± Lin Qiupu was so shocked, the coffee cup in his hand almost slipped and broke.


    ¡°Who else is called Chen Shi? It¡¯s the driver you don¡¯t like!¡±


    ¡°Him?!¡± Lin Qiupu was shocked and put down the cup, his heart restless. Who the hell is this guy? How did he grab the lead ahead of the task force once again? After getting this clue yesterday, I was so proud and happy, I thought this time I would beat him.


    Peng Sijue questioned indifferently, ¡°Should I not have told you?¡±


    Lin Qiupuughed dryly. ¡°I asked him to help solve the case. Why would I not want you to tell me?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t gamble on anything this time, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. This saves you from being embarrassed in front of your sister.¡±


    If it was from anyone else, Lin Qiupu may have exploded in anger immediately, but Peng Sijue was not just anyone else. Lin Qiupu finished his coffee and picked up the report. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    There is no such thing as a goodbye to Peng Sijue. He continued to look at theputer with focus on the household registration. The name was Chen Shi. Thest column of this information was filled with ¡°missing since 2016¡±. Peng Sijue muttered, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    Lin Qiupu went to the conference room, and there was less than ten hours left before the time he had set the case to be resolved by. Today''s case analysis meeting wouldn¡¯t go on for long, as there wasn¡¯t much to discuss. The case was already very clear and all forces would be mobilized to search for the Kong Wende.


    In the conference room, everyone was passing around a newspaper. Lin Qiupu stood behind several female police officers. The officers didn¡¯t notice him at first. After being discovered, those officers were stunned and immediately stood up straight. ¡°Captain Lin, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Um, today''s Long¡¯An Morning Post. I don''t know which reporter wrote the article, but it was quite detailed.¡±


    ¡°What? Let me see!¡±


    Lin Qiupu took the newspaper and skimmed through it. The newspaper wrote about the case in detail and added oil to fire, ¡°When the victim''s child woke up and saw the whole family killed, he jumped helplessly from the third floor and suffered a severe brain injury. He is now lying in the Third People¡¯s Hospital, ina. This poor child does not know that he has be an orphan. I hope that the city¡¯s good-hearted people can lend a helping hand and donate. The donation hotline...¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that he almost tore the newspaper. He interrogated the people in the room, ¡°Who spread the news?!¡±


    Everyone looked nk, whereas Lin Dongxue had a flustered face because she knew that this was done yesterday by Chen Shi who told a reporter. She was also present when that happened, during which she also persuaded Chen Shi that her brother would go crazy when he found out. Chen Shi smiled calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Firstly, I am not a team member; Secondly, the Captain Lin did not ask me to keep it confidential beforehand. Moreover, even if something went wrong, it would all be on me. What are you afraid of?¡±


    This newspaper was a bait set by Chen Shi. Although Chen Shi wore a confident look, Lin Dongxue did not agree. Would Kong Wende really see the report and risk his way to the hospital to visit his child?


    The mission that day was still to continue the search for Kong Wende. After all the exnations werepleted, Lin Qiupu asked everyone to disperse first, then stopped two policemen before they left. ¡°Old Zhang, Xiao Zhang, you both go to the hospital to monitor the boy.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. Her reaction was seen by Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu walked over to her. ¡°Even if you want to make meritorious deeds, you still shouldn¡¯t do this!¡±


    Lin Dongxue blushed. ¡°It was Chen Shi¡¯s idea!¡±


    ¡°I guessed as much!¡± Lin Qiupu grit his teeth.


    Lin Dongxue stood up straight, ¡°Captain Lin, I request permission to go to the hospital as well.¡±


    After watching Lin Dongxue for a few seconds, Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Go! Don''t be proud of yourself. I won¡¯t be expecting much because I¡¯m pretty sure that his idea is useless! We have already searched for Kong Wende in the city. Since there¡¯s so much police movement around the area, he should be hiding out. How can he risk exposing himself to go visit his son? Furthermore, look at the newspaper you picked, the sales volume is only tens of thousands of copies. You think Kong Wende will see this? Thinking you¡¯re so smart!¡±


    After saying his piece, Lin Qiupu left. Lin Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief.


    She and the other two policemen went to the hospital. ording to the previous agreement, Chen Shi had already arrived here early. The child had recovered. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s a bit zoned out due to the trauma. Chen Shi was carefully peeling an apple in his room, trying to start a conversation with him every now and then.


    ¡°You! Come out!¡± Lin Dongxuemanded.


    Putting the chopped apple on the te, Chen Shi went out and still smiled. ¡°What''s wrong? Why are you so mad?¡±


    ¡°Look at your stupid ideas. My brother found out about it. He also mentioned that the newspaper sold only tens of thousands of copies, and Kong Wende may not see it at all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the sales volume is not high, but that does not mean that the reading volume is not good. Do you know why I chose this newspaper? Because it is cheap, many breakfast shops order them. After the guests have finished reading it, they take it to wrap their breakfast. Kong Wende also needs to eat. He is very likely to see it.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t see it?¡±


    ¡°Everything has a risk. I can only say that there is a great probability Kong Wende wille here.¡±


    ¡°I hope it will be as you¡¯ve said.¡±


    Surveince work was very boring. The little boy wouldn¡¯t talk to anyone. He would only say a few words to Lin Dongxue, but whenever his family was mentioned, he would cry.


    When she thought that the little boy had lost both parents at once, Lin Dongxue was sympathetic and shed a few tears.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°If you look at some people from afar, they may seem annoying to you. However, when you look at them closely, you can see that their situation is very sad. He had a family and a home, but because of all sorts of reasons, he reached a dead end. The result was that his home was torn apart and his family members all died.¡± When he talked about this, Chen Shi looked mncholic and depressed.


    Lin Dongxue groaned at him. ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯ve been exposed to a lot of criminals.¡±


    ¡°I saw it in a TV series! Yes, I¡¯ve been watching ¡°Reading the Heart¡± recently!¡± Chen Shi restored his smile.


    As the morning stretched into the afternoon, Lin Dongxue starting to grow anxious. As she walked around the corridor and watched peoplee and go, the fantasy in her heart slowly crumbled bit by bit. Kong Wende probably wouldn¡¯te.


    Although she didn''t say anything, she was very keen on earning des and wanted to prove herself to Lin Qiupu.


    Seeing that everything was bing hopeless, she became very worried and impatient.


    At this time, a harsh rm sounded in the corridor, and the red light shed. The nurse shouted, ¡°There is a fire! There is a fire! Take cover!¡±


    Chen Shi ran out of the ward. ¡°He¡¯sing. He¡¯s finallying!¡±

 Chapter 33: Arresting the Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 33: Arresting the Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was surprised. ¡°Why are you so sure? It could be just a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Because I would do the same if it were me. Did you bring your gun?¡±


    Lin Dongxue patted her jacket. ¡°Yes.... But I need to remind you. My gun performance is mediocre.¡±


    The two other officers came out from the ward, and asked one of the nurses, ¡°Where is the fire?¡±


    The nurse replied, ¡°A storage room in the east. Nothing else in other areas. Mainly that we are worried the oxygen tanks will explode. We have already contacted the fire fighters.¡±


    The nurses hurried away. The two officers looked at each other. Xiao Zhang suggested, ¡°We should help with the fire!¡± Lao Zhang, who had been an officer for 20 years, disagreed ¡°This is definitely a distraction made by the murderer. We cannot take even half a step out of the ward. The fire is in the east while this is the west. It won¡¯t affect us.¡±


    Cheni Shi instructed, ¡°You two stay here and monitor. I will look at the staircase.¡±


    He dragged Lin Dongxue and left. The corridor had nurses running around frantically. The two would almost bump into them. Lin Dongxue warned, ¡°It¡¯s currently very chaotic. Don¡¯t run around randomly!¡±


    ¡°Stupid, where do you think Kong Wende would be?¡±


    ¡°You mean he wouldn¡¯t be here?¡±


    ¡°The newspaper reported that the boy is unconscious, of course he would go to the ICU ward!¡±


    Lin Dongxue finally understood.


    While the whole hospital was in a state of panic, a figure came in, opening doors to each ICU patient and checking the appearance of each patient. After searching, he couldn¡¯t find who he was looking for. He quietly left and tried to go to another patient¡¯s room.


    At this time, a gun pressed against his temples. He reflexively held his hands up.


    ¡°Kong Wende, you are under arrest!¡± Lin Dongxue shouted as she took out her handcuffs and chucked them to Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi caught them and pressed Kong Wende against a wall in an experienced manner, moving to cuff his hands against his back. Kong Wende wore a hoodie that was covering his head. He impatiently asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my son?¡±


    ¡°You still know toe see your son?¡± Chen Shi sneered with a cold smile. ¡°He is fine, without much injuries. He can leave the hospital tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the newspaper say...¡± Kong Wende turned around to face Chen Shi. He suddenly understood that this was a trap, but it was toote for regret. From the moment he did this, he knew this would be his end. The handcuff crisply clicked on. His anxious heart was finally relieved.


    ¡°Let me see him for a little bit¡± Kong Wende pleaded. ¡°Once I¡¯ve seen him, I will do whatever you ask.¡±


    Chen Shi pointed out, ¡°You can see him, but the way it is now, aren¡¯t you afraid you will cause him trauma? His mental state has only just recovered a bit. Please think of him a little.¡±


    Kong Wende¡¯s lips trembled. He slowly squatted down and cried loudly. ¡°I am not a good dad.¡±


    Watching this middle-aged man bawling, Lin Dongxue pitied him a little. However, when she thought about the things he¡¯d done, the pity left immediately without a trace. He chose this and deserves it!


    ¡°Where did you set the fire?¡± Chen Shi questioned.


    Kong Wende said in between sniffles, ¡°I didn¡¯t set anything on fire. I just put a lighter up to a smoke detector. My son is in this hospital as well, so how could I set a fire here?¡±


    So it was a false emergency. Lin Dongxue informed the two other police officers. When they heard that the murder suspect had already confessed, the two were stunned. They immediately escorted Kong Wende into the car.


    Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. The time was 3pm in the afternoon. They made the time limit that the crime unit set out to resolve the case.


    Kong Wende was escorted to the station. Lin Qiupu, who was surprised, recalled everyone still out investigating. He also announced that the case was already cracked. Apuse erupted in the conference room with happy exmations, except an unhappy face from Xu Xiaodong.


    Once everyone calmed down, Lin Qiupu spoke on stage, ¡°Solving the case within 48 hours, there is a person we have to express our gratitude towards. That person is...¡±


    Everyone waited eagerly.


    Lin Qiupu looked around the room. ¡°Aiya, he isn¡¯t here?¡±


    Lin Dongxue responded, ¡°He said he was hungry and went out to eat.¡±


    ¡°Ask him toe in!¡±


    Lin Dongxue found Chen Shi in a nearby restaurant about to eat a bowl of beef noodles. Once he heard that Captain Lin wanted to acknowledge him in front of the team, Chen Shi furrowed his brows. ¡°What? He didn¡¯t like me before, but now he¡¯s changed his tune all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°You really think that my brother is that petty? He obviously has to mention your contributions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going. We agreed that the contributions would be counted as yours. Moreover, I am not a police officer. I am just a kind-hearted civilian.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you!¡±


    ¡°Let me finish my noodles first!¡±


    ¡°Paying! Check please!¡± Lin Dongxue put money on the table and forcefully dragged Chen Shi to leave. ¡°I will treat you to good foodter!¡±


    Chen Shi was led into the conference room. Lin Qiupu¡¯s face was unhappy, but he cleared his throat. ¡°The reason we were able to crack this case this time was all thanks to Mr. Chen¡¯s help. He is not part of the task force, so we can¡¯t officiallymemorate him, so I rmend everyone to reward him with your apuse.¡±


    Everyone pped in unison. Chen Shi who normally doesn¡¯t care about anything became a bit shy and felt over appreciated with all the apuse.


    Lin Qiupu evillyughed, saying ¡°Mr. Chen, why don¡¯t youe up and say a few words?!¡±


    ¡°No thanks, no thanks.¡±


    ¡°Come,e!¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± Lin Dongxue pushed him from behind.


    Chen Shi grieved; He couldn¡¯t believe this pair of brother and sister. He went up the stage and looked at all the eyes looking forward to his speech. He was silent for a few seconds, before taking out a few receipts from his pocket. ¡°I know I won¡¯t be getting a reward, but can I be reimbursed for these receipts? I have finished my speech. Thank you all!¡±


    After his speech, he bowed. Amidst everyone¡¯s puzzled gazes, he left the stage.


    Lin Qiupu coughed. ¡°Okay, although the case has finished, we still have lots of follow-up work to do. Continue to do your work!¡±


    After they adjourned, Xu Xiaodong found Chen Shi and took out his two concert tickets. ¡°Brother Chen, I ept my defeat. I admit that I am not as good as you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you were so honest!¡± Chen Shi took the tickets, ¡°Were you thinking of inviting Lin Dongxue to see it with you?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was embarrassed and shyly admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve already lost the tickets to you. What is there left to say?¡±


    Chen Shi grabbed Xu Xiaodong¡¯s hands and pped the two tickets into them. ¡°I was just ying with you! Did you really think that I would be after your tickets? If you like her, then be courageous and invite her!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong widened his eyes in surprise and looked at him. Are these words meant toe out of a love rival¡¯s mouth?


    Or is it that I¡¯ve got it wrong this whole time? Is Chen Shi not my love rival?


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. People thate after the 90¡¯s like me listen to Zhou Jielun[1]. We wouldn¡¯t listen to people like this Song God of yours called Zhang Xueyou. I don¡¯t even know who they are.¡± Chen Shi smiled and turned towards the interrogation room and left. He didn¡¯t want to miss the interrogation.


    Xu Xiaodong looked at Chen Shi¡¯s back as he left and called out to him. ¡°You came after the 90¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s after 1890¡¯s. I¡¯m not wrong, am I?¡± Chen Shi turned back to say andughed a little.


    Xu Xiaodong looked at the tickets in his hands. Gaining them after losing them, he appreciated them that much more. His heart thought that he needed to gift these to Lin Dongxue today.


    1. Jay Chou. Very popr singer. https://3.bp.blogspot/-wkFXJujuyXU/V_ZRET1k2sI/AAAAAAAABOo/Rck_QGg5s4MDdxUv7QLKrBiS4xYRlYoLwCLcB/s1600/jaychou.jpg

 Chapter 34: Selfish Men

    <h4>Chapter 34: Selfish Men</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the interrogation room, Kong Wende sat in the interrogation chair and hung his head. Lin Qiupu sat down with another old police officer and minute-taker. He cleared his throat and began to ask questions. ¡°Name...¡±


    In front of the security camera on the other side of the interrogation room¡¯s one-way mirror, almost all the members of the task force gathered here. They were very concerned about the truth of the case. Of course, Chen Shi was also present.


    After exining the basic information, Lin Qiupu continued his line of interrogation. ¡°Kong Wende, I don''t think I have to exin why you¡¯re sitting in this chair. Exin what you¡¯ve done!¡±


    Kong Wende looked up, ¡°If I confess, will there be leniency?¡±


    ¡°It depends on your cooperative attitude!¡± Lin Qiupu countered. The other people present knew that Kong Wende had at least three lives on his hands and that the death penalty could not be avoided.


    After a moment of silence, Kong Wende confessed. ¡°I did not expect that things would be like this. This started from my misappropriation ofpany funds. I found a loophole in the insurancepany and used it to constantly misappropriate funds. Small amounts soon began gettingrger andrger. By March of this year, I had already moved close to 400,000 yuan inpany funds. I originally nned to save the money to buy a house within the school zone. I didn¡¯t expect the old man to be sick starting at the end ofst year with stomach cancer. I had almost spent all of the money on a few surgeries. I hate the insurancepany. When I invested in insurance, they made it sound so good, but when it came time for a im, they kept arguing about it so that they wouldn¡¯t have to pay up. By the time they paid, it was only enough to pay for the bed he stayed at. If they had just paid in the beginning, things wouldn¡¯t have gone south like this!¡±


    Lin Qiupu interrupted him. ¡°I wanted you to exin the crime, don''t give me your reasons. Talk about yourself!¡±


    Kong Wende asked for a cigarette and took a puff before continuing. ¡°The old man''s illness had been dragged on until March of this year, and then he died. I never imagined that at this moment in time, thepany supervisor found out my misappropriation of funds. They threatened to take me to court so that I would will the funds I took. I was so anxious that I couldn¡¯t help but borrow from loan sharks! I originally thought about selling the house, but I have a bottom line in my heart. I must not sacrifice my family¡¯s happiness.¡±


    When he heard this sentence, Lin Qiupu slightly revealed a ridiculing smile. The man who imed that he would never sacrifice the happiness of his family actually went and killed his own family.


    ¡°Loan sharks really shouldn¡¯t be messed with. Interest piled on interest. Even though I used up all my credit card funds, I couldn¡¯t even pay back just the interest. The guys woulde to my house andpany every two days, forcing me into a corner. I was really out of options. Around May of this year, a little event happened: my twin brother and I met. At first, I didn''t know that I had this brother. He was working in a restaurant. When we saw each other, we were both dumbfounded. We could have been cut from the same mold! I called my family and that¡¯s when I found out I had a twin brother. When I was young, my family was too poor and they had abandoned him. I had dinner with him several times. He saw my suit and thought that I was wealthy. In the midst of talking, he implied that he wanted me to help him out. I could only smile bitterly in my heart. He envied me, but I envied him more. He just needed to feed one mouth. He was free, unlike me. I was almost at a dead end!¡±


    ¡°Because of the money owed, my wife and I had a big fight for five days, plus the loan sharks kepting for their debt. Additionally, I was unable to reach my quota at work. All these kinds of pressures drove me crazy, and I hated everything around me. I thought about dying and leaving my insurance pay-outs to my family. However, when I thought about the insurancepany and how they might try to deny ims as much as possible, as well as how my wife kept saying that I was useless, I thought ¡®Why should I die? It¡¯s these people who should die!¡¯¡±


    Having said that, the light in his eyes instantly turned from a calm and gentle middle-aged man to a violent criminal.


    ¡°Last Friday, I took the money I borrowed through pleading from various ces and went to the loan sharks. I was prepared to return at least a part of it, but I was then told that my debt was now 800,000 yuan, double the amount borrowed. Big Tiger and I argued about this. I told him that he was being unreasonable, but the stinking gang member just kept insulting and humiliating me. He even mocked me, saying that if I couldn¡¯t pay my debt off, I should just sell my organs, my wife, my son. Blood rushed to my head from anger, and I grabbed something from the table and just smashed it onto his head. After I had calmed down, it was only then that I realized that he had stopped breathing!¡±


    ¡°I was terrified. Was my life ruined just like this? I sat there for a long time, and suddenly I thought of a n. A perfect n for the golden cricket to get rid of his skin[1]. Since I had already been forced into a dead end, it is better to take a gamble! So I cleaned up the scene, left in a hurry, and went to the pharmacy to buy some sleeping pills. When I got home, I pretended nothing had happened. My mind was fighting itself. Do I really need to kill my whole family? No, I have to do this. My whole family knows that we¡¯re twins, I must kill them all so as to tie up the loose ends. I had to finish what I started since I¡¯m a man. If I don''t do it, the police woulde to me, I would have to go to jail. Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to live like this anymore. God gave me this chance to re-do my life again, why don¡¯t I grab it?¡±


    After he finished saying this, Kong Wende revealed a psychotic, morbid smile, he seems to have forgotten his current situation, as if reminiscent of the night of nning all this.


    ¡°On Sunday, I contacted my twin brother and asked him toe to the house to meet his sister-inw. I found him that evening and had dinner with him. I brought him to a club to find ady for himself. I took this opportunity and went home quickly. My wife made a pot of white fungus lotus seeds sweet stew, so I put the prepared sleeping pills powder into the food and then left. Around 11 o''clock in the evening, I came back with my twin brother. I paid special attention to not let the surveince camera catch my face. After entering the house, the family really had fallen asleep. Even the TV was still on I let my twin brother drink the white fungus lotus seeds soup and went into the bathroom. I went to take a leak. Originally, I had hidden a hammer in the bathroom, but I found out that my wife had put it away. This bitch who could never seed but is more than capable of ruining something!¡°[2]


    ¡°My twin brother knocked on the door outside and informed me that he also wanted to go to the toilet. I thought about it. I had no way out. I took the lid of the ceramic toilet water-tank and asked him, ¡®Can you turn off my kitchen light?¡¯ When he turned around, I smashed his head. The lid of the tank shattered on impact and he died. It seemed that my hand was also cut in the process, but I was so filled with adrenaline that I didn''t notice it.¡±


    ¡°The next step was to kill my old mother-inw. I honestly didn¡¯t feel much when I killed her. When she died, she screamed once and scared me. My wife was rmed by this and ran out. I started sweating and began mming her head against the door. After she fell down, I stabbed her. After I felt that she had definitely died, I left the bedroom.¡±


    Kong Wende swallowed his saliva and continued. ¡°My son also woke up due to the noise. I opened the bedroom door and saw him shrinking into the bed. His eyes were staring at me. I was a little sad in my heart. How could I do this to my own flesh and blood? I stood there for a long time, and finally I couldn¡¯t do it, so I quickly packed up and left. If I could get over my heart ruthlessly, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch me. However, I am just an ordinary person, I can¡¯t do anything that is so ruthless. It¡¯s true that if you want to seed, you need to have a heart of steel!¡±


    After saying this, Kong Wende buried his head and rubbed his face. Lin Qiupu and the group of policemen outside were listening. This person waspletely twisted. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°You are wrong, your son did not reveal any clues. You sit here now because your crimes were full of ws. There is no perfect crime in the world. If you don¡¯t want people to find out, it¡¯s impossible unless you don¡¯t do it in the first ce!¡±


    There was nothing left to say, and the interrogation was over. After witnessing the fall of an ordinary person, the police officers had a lot of sympathetic feelings.


    Lin Dongxue mused, ¡°The tiger doesn¡¯t even eat their young[3]. Although this guy is distorted inside, there is still a trace of humanity after all.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°You are wrong. The child is a continuation of his own life. Loving his son is essentially loving himself. This is another form of selfishness. In his consciousness, killing was the only solution because his character is indifferent and selfish to begin with. There are many people like this in the world, but they are not forced into a dead end like Kong Wende.¡±


    1. An expression used to describe finding a scapegoat and get rid of responsibility without detection. Shedding their skin to live a new life.


    2. An expression used to describe people who aren¡¯t good at anything. Bringing more harm than good, even when they try.


    3. When she says it this time, she¡¯s saying that Kong Wende can¡¯t even bepared to an animal, as even a tiger isn¡¯t so cruel as to eat their own young.

 Chapter 35: Concert

    <h4>Chapter 35: Concert</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 3: Headless Female Corpse


    September 27. The catastrophic family massacre was very popr in the media. This time, there was a ¡°good-hearted citizen¡± in the report again. In the forum of Long''An City,izens could not help but specte the background of this ¡°good-hearted citizen¡± who has appeared twice in session.


    Entering October, Chen Shi¡¯s life was busy again. Every day, he ran a taxi from early morning and chatted with the passengers. He was in the midst of bliss.


    On one particr day, he received a phone call from Lin Dongxue. After sending a passenger to their destination, he immediately went to the door of the station. Lin Dongxue was still dressed up freshly. She pulled the door open and sat down then closed the door heavily. Chen Shi nced at her from the rear-view mirror. ¡°What is it, Miss Lin? Who is provoking you?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Chen Shi shook the cigarette out of the cigarette case and took one out. ¡°Me? Why me?¡±


    ¡°Did you encourage Xu Xiaodong to invite me to the concert?¡±


    ¡°I need to make it clear that I did not encourage him. I only told him that when chasing after girls, he needs to be more courageous.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that sheughed. ¡°Is this not called encouragement?¡±


    ¡°If you are not interested in him, just say it to him directly. Why are you taking it out on me?¡±


    ¡°Oh please, he didn''t confess. What would I even say to him? If I do, he¡¯ll just say that I was thinking too much!¡±


    ¡°Then you promised to go to the concert?¡±


    ¡°No! How can I promise that? You¡¯re not allowed to do these kinds of extra things in the future. You don''t even know what type I like, but you are getting all up in my business trying to match-make?¡±


    ¡°Miss. Lin, what type of men do you like then? Tell me so that I can help!¡±


    Lin Dongxue kicked at the back of the driver''s seat. ¡°Cut the crap!¡±


    ¡°You looked for me because of this?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely.¡± Lin Dongxue took out two tickets for Zhang Xueyou''s concert and smirked. ¡°You want to be the red-thread matchmaker[1], wanting me to owe you something? I don¡¯t want that. I want to make you feel ufortable and guilty, don''t you like Zhang Xueyou? I¡¯ll invite you!¡±


    Chen Shi raised his eyebrows. ¡°Let me guess. Since it¡¯s October the 1st[2], all banks have limited time promotions. Is this ticket a discount ticket from you picking at wool?¡±[3]


    ¡°You bastard! You don''t appreciate it? Still picking and choosing here!¡±


    ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong!¡± Chen Shi immediately apologized. ¡°Miss Lin invited me to listen to the concert. I was stunned from the ttery. To be honest, I haven¡¯t been invited by a girl to listen to a concert even though I¡¯m this old. What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it is just to repay you in a different way. You made a lot of efforts in thest case. Besides, I want to go, but I don''t want to be with Xu Xiaodong, so I will drag you!¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Tonight!¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you there.¡±


    Lin Dongxue threw the ticket into Chen Shi¡¯s chest. ¡°When youe to pick me up, you¡¯re not allowed to bete.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the ticket and smiled. He mumbled to himself, ¡°This brother and sister pair aren¡¯t very direct with their words.¡±


    At seven o''clock in the evening, Chen Shi was ready at the meeting ce. Lin Dongxue wore a pretty ck dress and pulled the door open to sit in the passenger seat. Chen Shi thought that this little girl changed clothes very frequently, but she had a good figure so she looked good in whatever she wore. It was quite eye-catching.


    ¡°What are you looking at, stinking uncle?¡± When she noticed Chen Shi¡¯s sight.


    ¡°The meal looks delicious.¡±


    ¡°Delicious your head!¡± Lin Dongxue stuck out two fingers as if to stab his eyes. ¡°Hurry and drive, don''t bete.¡±


    As Chen Shi drived, he asked, ¡°Are you born after the 90¡¯s? Why do you like Zhang Xueyou¡¯s songs?¡±


    ¡°I was influenced by my family. When I was young, my family kept putting his songs on. I followed them. I went to karaoke bars to sing his songs with my ssmates and I got teased for it. I think what¡¯s most important is that it¡¯s nice to listen to. It shouldn¡¯t have to be so clear as to who listens to what depending on their age.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡±


    When they got to the arena, there was a long queue outside. Chen Shi stopped the car and took a coat from the back seat. It was a newly bought jacket that was ck. Lin Dongxue felt that he looked quite refreshing in it. It made him look young.


    ¡°Did you know?¡± Chen Shi teased, ¡°People who like ck are a little deviant.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand. I don¡¯t understand!¡± Lin Dongxue put her hands over her ears. ¡°Don''t pollute my pure ears.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The arena continued to rebroadcast the news of the concert. Many hawkers came to peddle light sticks, LED lights, and some people were even selling pirated CDs. Chen Shi warned the hawker who sold pirated copies, ¡°You¡¯ve really got guts. Do you know that the manufacturing and selling pirated copies is illegal? Yet you¡¯re even selling them here?¡±


    The hawker spat, ¡°It¡¯s none of your damn business. If you¡¯re not buying, eff off.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got guts. I will report you now!¡± Chen Shi turned and said loudly to the staff, ¡°Hey! There is a person selling pirated CDs here!¡±


    The staff came over and the hawker saw it. He shouted as he ran, ¡°I¡¯ll find someone to skin you shortly!¡±


    ¡°Please slice me up well! I was just after a face-lift!¡± Chen Shi called back at the hawker who was far away.


    Lin Dongxueughed and angrily poked at Chen Shi, ¡°You are too much of a busy-body!¡±


    ¡°Selling pirated copies is the same as stealing money. It is the money of my idol. How can I ignore it?¡± Chen Shi seriously.


    ¡°Psh, will your idol appreciate you?¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t matter. Oh right, do you want a light stick? I¡¯ll buy some for you.¡±


    ¡°How silly to be swinging that around!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare toe once.¡± Chen Shi called a hawker, bought a light stick and a ¡°Song God, I love you¡± LED light. The hawker giving the change for the purchase gave praise, ¡°Your girlfriend is really beautiful!¡±


    Lin Dongxue stomped her foot. ¡°I am not his girlfriend, don''t say things you don¡¯t know!¡± She turned her head and looked at Chen Shi''s smiling face. She growled, ¡°You bastard, why are you so secretly happy? Even this uncle¡¯s heart is wretched and perverted deep down.¡±


    ¡°I am a man who loves tough, can''t I?¡± Chen Shi responded, looking like he was honest.


    Lin Dongxue turned her head and ignored him. Suddenly, she saw Xu Xiaodong standing in the back row of the S-shaped queue. He was talking andughing with a girl. Lin Dongxue¡¯s jaw dropped, and she quickly turned her face back and whispered, ¡°Look at that. Look over there!¡±


    ¡°I saw it, what happened?¡± Chen Shi was very calm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this guy is has no principles? He just turned around and gave the ticket to someone else after getting rejected. Fortunately, I didn''t promise him!¡± Lin Dongxue snorted.


    ¡°I don''t think there is anything wrong. This is a normal male courtship strategy. If you cast a in many ces, you will have a reward. Can you still hope that someone will hang onto a single tree?¡±[4]


    ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t you just agree with me simply instead of reasoning everything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, he totally has no principles!¡± Chen Shi acted dramatically.


    ¡°Your acting is terrible!¡± Lin Dongxue lightly punched him with a smile.


    After thousands of hardships, they had finally gotten into the venue. Lin Dongxue found their seats, fortunately not with Xu Xiaodong. She was going to talk to Chen Shi but found that he wasn¡¯t there.


    After a while, Chen Shi came back with a bag of snacks and drinks in hand. He sat down with a smile. ¡°You should eat while you wait, it is estimated that there is still more than an hour before the show starts.¡±


    Lin Dongxueined, ¡°Drinking drinks? Won''t we need to go to the toilet? Don¡¯t you know that for girls, it¡¯s super troublesome to go to the toilet? Especially since there are so many people around. You¡¯re really not considerate!¡± She said while reaching for a c from the bag.


    1. In Chinese legends, the red thread of fate is where the gods tie an invisible red cord around the finger of those destined for one another as their ¡°true love¡± counterparts. The deity in charge of the red thread in Chinese legends is called the old lunar matchmaking god.


    2. National Day for China.


    3. Idiom for when people want things they subtlety imply things around it like ¡°Happy New Years!!¡± In order to get red envelopes or choctes.


    4. Wait for you all by their lonesome until they die. Waiting for the fruit of one tree instead of eating anything else will mean they will starve till death.

 Chapter 36: Hunting for Wanted Criminals

    <h4>Chapter 36: Hunting for Wanted Criminals</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two sat for a while, when suddenly Lin Dongxue heard an outburst from behind her, ¡°What the fuck?!¡±


    As soon as she turned around, she saw Xu Xiaodong, who pointed at the two people in surprise. ¡°You came together? Didn¡¯t you say you couldn¡¯te?¡±


    Lin Dongxue argued, ¡°I just said that I won¡¯t be going with you. I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯te.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong put his hand on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m too hurt!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have someone that apanied you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That''s Xiao Li from our unit.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced over; Police officer Xiao Li was waving and greeting them. Lin Dongxue just hadn¡¯t realized that it was her. She offered to Xu Xiaodong, ¡°Congrattions!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions your ass!¡± Xu Xiaodong patted his clothes, indicating there was his gun below. ¡°I came on duty.¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°There is a person that¡¯s suspected to be a wanted criminal on the police site that should be here at the concert. Captain Lin sent us to monitor him. You see that guy in the hat sitting in that row?¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at him. ¡°Really? He¡¯s wanted?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true! We came here just to monitor him. Because the warrant arrived toote, we were unable to get tickets. I mentioned that I had two, so the Captain sent me. We talked with the venue owners and they hope we will cause a bigmotion. When you came in, did you see a ck car? That¡¯s ourrades from the police station. When the concert is over, when I order it, they will rush in.¡±


    ¡°When you order it?¡± Lin Dongxue ridiculed, ¡°You¡¯re just doing the task you were ordered to do as well!¡±


    ¡°Then what about you guys? Are you two dating?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi answered in unison.


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°We just wanted to listen to the concert together. We just happened to have a simr interest. Don''t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t misunderstand.¡± Xu Xiaodong challenged, ncing at the outfits of the two and the drinks in their hands.


    ¡°Go back to your seat and monitor properly!¡± Lin Dongxue instructed.


    ¡°If you need help, just call us.¡± Chen Shi took out his mobile phone, ¡°You should write down my contact information.¡±


    After taking down the contact information, Xu Xiaodong dered loudly, ¡°It''s okay, we can definitely get it done ourselves!¡±


    At that moment, the wanted person suddenly turned around. Chen Shi stared at him and the other party also looked at him. They looked at each other for a few seconds and the other wanted criminal didn¡¯t turn back around.


    Chen Shi took a sip of his drink. ¡°This guy is a little alert. Remind Xu Xiaodong to follow closely.¡±


    ¡°How can you act so calmly?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Is it not amon thing to catch a wanted person at the Song God¡¯s concert?¡±[1]


    ¡°Stop joking around!¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    At this time, the concert officially started. The stage raised arge number of fireworks. The audience stood up and cheered excitedly. Chen Shi saw Xu Xiaodong and police officer Xiao Li cheering as well. Then he saw the wanted criminal, who was standing up and leaving quickly in the midst of the crowd.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Chen Shi alerted, but their surroundings were too noisy, so Lin Dongxue did not hear him.


    Chen Shi shook Lin Dongxue and pointed to the front. Lin Dongxue was surprised after seeing the empty seat. She shouted Xu Xiaodong''s name, but the other party did not hear.


    Chen Shi took the initiative and grabbed Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand to leave. Because they were in a hurry, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t think too much about it. However, when they came to the corridor, she suddenly had a red face and broke away from Chen Shi¡¯s grasp.


    The man wearing a cap was disappearing into the emergency exit. Chen Shi chased him whilst dialling Xu Xiaodong''s phone, but he never answered.


    The two chased the guy outside when Lin Dongxue decided, ¡°Xu Xiaodong must be disciplined when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Catch the person first, then say it!¡± Chen Shi saw the person crossing the flower bed outside the venue, ¡°There!¡±


    The two chased after him and went into the underground garage. They suddenly saw a car¡¯s headlights rushing at them. Chen Shi instructed, ¡°Fire your gun!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t bring it!¡±


    Seeing that the car was about to directly hit them, Chen Shi hugged Lin Dongxue and jumped aside. The car that passed by had the wanted person insideining, ¡°Damn police!¡±


    Being hugged by Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue¡¯s face was red, but now was not the right time to worry about it. Chen Shi quickly took his own car and drove to the parking lot exit. The car almost didn¡¯t stop. Lin Dongxue had to run in order to get into the car. ¡°Aiya!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Chen Shi looked ahead and as he steered the steering wheel.


    ¡°I dropped my shoe! I just bought them from the store, Daphne!¡± Lin Dongxuemented with a distressed heart.


    Chen Shi passed the ck police car and shouted, ¡°The criminal ran away! Quickly! Chase him!¡±


    The police in the car didn¡¯t know who they were and did not dare take any action without permission. They tried to call Xu Xiaodong, but the line indicated that he was busy.


    Xu Xiaodong had realised that the wanted man had gone missing and that he had a missed call on his mobile from the great Chen Shi. He called back as the lyrics ¡°If this is not a love...¡± in the background could be heard in contrast with Xu Xiaodong''s annoyed tone.


    ¡°Brother Chen, how did that person run? Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°I am chasing him now! His license te number is.... Tell the police officers to keep up with me.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    ¡°You don''t need toe. Go to the entrance of the underground garage. There is a single women''s Daphne shoe. It''s very important. You must return with them.¡± After the quick exnation, Chen Shi hung up the phone.


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi with amazement. Chen Shi smiled and consoled her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll catch the guy and your shoes will also be fine... Fasten your seat belt!¡±


    After fastening his seat belt, Chen Shi sped up and chased the taillights in front.


    The wanted criminal ran a few red lights at the front, and Chen Shi apanied him to the end. Soon the distance between the two cars was shortened and they became next to each other. The wanted criminal was so scared that he had cold sweat running down his forehead. He yelled out, ¡°Damn police, get the fuck away! Believe it or not, I will kill you!¡±


    Chen Shi ignored him and called Lin Qiupu. Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°Why are you calling him?¡±


    Chen Shi turned on the speakers on his phone. ¡°Captain Lin, we are chasing the wanted criminal!¡±


    ¡°What!? What happened to Xu Xiaodong?¡±


    ¡°He fell behind, I¡¯m chasing the wanted criminal.¡±


    ¡°Why are you there...¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to talk about that. I want to hit him with this car, can I get a reimbursement for my repairs?¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind? Which road are you on? I will send someone to support you now.¡±


    ¡°Reimbursement or not? Answer quickly!¡±


    Seeing Lin Qiupu¡¯s hesitation, Lin Dongxue yelled anxiously, ¡°Brother, the wanted criminal will soon slip away, there¡¯s no time to consider.¡±


    ¡°Reimbursement! Reimbursement! Full reimbursement!¡± Lin Qiupu helplessly surrendered, ¡°You must catch them... Wait, why are you two together?¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Chen Shi hung up.


    Chen Shi cautioned, ¡°Sit tight,¡± and steadily turned the steering wheel, mming into the car next to them. With the harsh impact, the Volkswagen slid on the road and then barely stabilized.


    The wanted criminal grit his teeth and suddenly mmed them back. Lin Dongxue was shocked. It was as if her internal organs were shaking.


    ¡°You dare hit my beloved car?!¡± Chen Shi roared, then once again mmed into the criminal¡¯s car. The car hit a tree, and the wanted criminal pushed the door open with a kick to limp out.


    Chen Shi abruptly mmed on the brakes, unfastened his seat belt and rushed out. The wanted criminal panicked and ran across the road. At this time, a truck hit him front and centre. His whole body rotated 720 degrees as it flew through the air.


    Lin Dongxue was so scared that she covered her eyes. By the time she had calmed her nerves, the wanted criminal had fallen on the road without moving...


    1. True story. There have been lots of wanted criminals arrested at his concerts because they couldn¡¯t stay away...

 Chapter 37: Why Can’t I Control?

    <h4>Chapter 37: Why Can¡¯t I Control?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The truck driver who had just hit the man said in a panic, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! He rushed out by himself!¡±


    Chen Shi reassured, ¡°It is definitely not your fault, rest assured! You wait here for the traffic police toe over and deal with it. I will send the person to the hospital first.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± the driver choked, horror written all over his face, ¡°He¡¯s not dead, right?¡±


    Chen Shi touched the pulse of the wanted criminal, picked him up and returned to the car while shouting, ¡°Open the back door!¡± Then, he put the criminal in the back seat.


    Lin Dongxue smelled the bloody iron as she looked at the bloody head of the wanted criminal and frowned.


    At this time, the police unit rushed to the scene and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    Chen Shi sat back in the driver''s seat and told the people in the ck car outside, ¡°When he ran away, he was hit by a car. I am now sending him to the hospital. You guys handle the scene.¡±


    ¡°Wait, who are you?¡±


    Lin Dongxue exined, ¡°I am a criminal police officer. I have a team with Xu Xiaodong. We have already told our superiors.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chen Shi started the car and Lin Dongxue sighed, ¡°Haii, why did it turn out like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his bad luck.¡±


    Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu. ¡°There¡¯s good news and bad news.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act all mysterious and just spit it out!¡± Lin Qiupu''s tone was anxious.


    ¡°The man was caught, but when he ran away, he got hit by a car. Now he is unconscious and I am going to send him to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Which hospital?¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment...¡± Chen Shi nced at the GPS and replied, ¡°The closest one is Bai Hua Hospital.¡±


    ¡°I wille overter!¡±


    When Chen Shi rolled up to the hospital, Lin Qiupu also arrived with another police officer. Chen Shi took the criminal from the car andid him on the hospital stretcher. Lin Qiupu gave his apanying police officer an order to take fingerprints and saliva samples for the purpose of verifying identity.


    Lin Qiupu was still not at ease and was ready to cuff his wrist and surgical cart together. The doctor reassured, ¡°Policerades, you don''t need to be so careful. He will be anesthetized soon, so he can''t run off. We have performed surgeries for prisoners without anything going wrong before.¡±


    Listening to the doctor, Lin Qiupu felt relieved of his worries.


    The wanted criminal was sent to the emergency room. Lin Qiupu looked at Lin Dongxue, who was sitting in the car, and at Chen Shi. He questioned, ¡°Why are you two together? Give me a reasonable exnation!¡±


    ¡°Attending a concert.¡±


    ¡°Attending a concert? Who allowed that?!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°She needs permission for this type of stuff? Captain Lin, aren¡¯t you a bit overly controlling?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that he exploded, ¡°She is my sister! Why can¡¯t I control what she does? I have repeatedly forbidden you from getting too close to her. What exactly is your motive?¡±


    Chen Shi calmly pushed away the finger of Lin Qiupu who was using it to point at Chen Shi¡¯s nose. ¡°Captain Lin, so much for being an educated adult. Do you think your words hold any logic? Don''t say it is your sister, even if it was your daughter, you have no right to interfere with her matters. I emphasize again, we just went to a concert. However you want to take that is your right. I will go first. Remember to reimburse me for the car repairster!¡±


    Lin Qiupu violentlymanded, ¡°You stop right there!¡±


    At this time, a doctor came over with a surgical consent form. ¡°Please sign this form!¡±


    Lin Qiupu took up a pen, signed the form and asked about the patient''s condition. By the time he turned back, he found that Chen Shi had already driven away. He was so angry that he grinded his teeth.


    In the car, Chen Shi asked, ¡°Want to go back and continue listening to the concert?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, take me home!¡± Lin Dongxue looked a little unhappy.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you upset that your brother controls everything that you do?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pointed to Chen Shi. ¡°I warn you, if you dare to say something like, ''He is doing it for you,'' I will turn my face!¡±[1]


    ¡°He is doing it for you...¡± Chen Shi deliberately answered whilst observing Lin Dongxue''s expression. ¡°I always think that this sentence is used as propaganda, confusing intentions with results and muddling it up to be the same thing. But some things be habits after a long time and so the people in question will think it¡¯s natural. For example, let¡¯s say that your brother is in charge of you. If you were not so dependent on him when you were young, would you have such a rtionship with him today? Don¡¯t always me others and only think about your own reasons.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, in hindsight I was very dependent on him when I was a child. We are orphans. We lived in our Aunt¡¯s house. How could I not rely on him? But I am so old now, yet he still continues to control me like this. It¡¯s too annoying.¡±


    ¡°I think that freedom and rights are the same. It needs to be slowly fought for. Refuse a few more times, so that your brother will get used to your independence.¡±


    Lin Dongxue stared at Chen Shi. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What are you looking at? Do I have words on my face or something?¡±


    ¡°When a man and woman are alone and you say this, I feel that you have bad intentions.¡±


    ¡°It depends on how you define good or bad intentions!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you thought you could hide it from my eyes? What you¡¯re thinking now is definitely not a good thought.¡±


    The road traffic was sparse, the car was ying gentle and rxing music, and the air was very quiet. Lin Dongxue suddenly realized that her sentence contained a flirty tone, and her face flushed red.


    If it was any other person, Chen Shi wouldn¡¯t mind pushing the boat with the current[2], but he didn¡¯t want to have too close of a rtion with Lin Dongxue, so he changed the topic. ¡°Do you regret not being able to listen to the concert?¡±


    ¡°As a police officer, this much is standard. Work definitelyes first.¡±


    After a while, Chen Shi was already outside theplex where Lin Dongxue stayed. Lin Dongxue still had no shoes. Chen Shi offered, ¡°Do I need to carry you on my back?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can try to take advantage of me!¡± Lin Dongxue sneered.


    ¡°Then give me the key. I will bring the shoes down for you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. This method was probably the for the best. She handed over the keys to him. She carefully reminded, ¡°Unit 403, don''t touch my stuff randomly, shoes are in the shoe rack.¡±


    Chen Shi found the apartment and turned on the lights to find the house was in a mess. The leftover lunch boxes were piled up in the trash can, and the sofa had all her dry clothes piled up on it.


    He took off his shoes and went in. The bedroom was decorated very warmly and pleasantly. The quilt and nkets were very neatly stacked. There were a lot of plush dolls on the bed and the room had a nice smell, like a girl''s room. Looking at the kitchen and the refrigerator, almost nothing was in them. The pots and bowls seem to have not been used in a long time. It seemed that Lin Dongxue is too busy normally, with no chance to cook.


    Chen Shi took a pair of sneakers and went down. Lin Dongxue was on the phone and her attitude was very impatient. He could tell who she was talking to easily.


    ¡°My business doesn''t need you to control... So what if you¡¯re my brother? Are you going to manage me for the rest of your life?... We are now downstairs from my house!¡±


    He originally wanted to hand the shoes to her, but he saw that she wouldn¡¯t be able to multitask. Chen Shi squatted down, pulled her left foot, put the sneaker on, and then took off the women¡¯s sandals on the other foot to slide the sneakers on.


    ¡°Hang up! Don''t call me again!¡±


    Lin Dongxue hung up the phone and suddenly saw Chen Shi ready to help her tie her shoes. Her face turned red. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Chen Shi skillfully tied the shoces tightly. The way he tied the shoce was not the same as that of the average person. The knot was on the side. Although it was a bit strange, it looked better the more you looked at it.


    After finishing tying up theces, Lin Dongxue¡¯s face was already red like an apple. Chen Shi stood back up and said, ¡°Okay, you should go up!¡±


    ¡°You...You won''te in and sit down for a bit?¡± Lin Dongxue politely offered without meaning anything else. It was just out of politeness, but when she spoke, she immediately regretted it. Wouldn¡¯t this make him think he had a chance?


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s already sote. Me going to your house? Nice to say but not nice to hear.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    1. Break connections with him. Severing ties with him.


    2. Continue pressing on (to flirt back ¨C in this context).

 Chapter 38: Worrying Aimlessly; Overprotective Brother

    <h4>Chapter 38: Worrying Aimlessly; Overprotective Brother</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Lin Dongxue went inside, the time was already 10 o''clock in the evening. Chen Shi debated whether he should go for a round of work, but a bout ofziness washed over him. He decided that he would bezy today and take a rest.


    Outside theplex, there was a family wonton restaurant with a tempting fragrance wafting over. Chen Shi went to buy a big bowl of wontons and sat down to eat.


    Halfway through eating, a taxi suddenly arrived and a person jumped out of the car. It wasn¡¯t just anyone, it was Lin Qiupu, looking like he was ready to kill someone.


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t help butugh, this overprotective brother, was it necessary to be like this?


    ¡°Qiupu!¡± he called.


    Lin Qiupu was startled and looked around. Only then did he discover Chen Shi. He came over with surprise and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Dongxue?¡±


    ¡°She went back!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at him suspiciously in silence for a few seconds. He sat down and said, ¡°Don''t think that I don''t know, you¡¯re just deliberately pretending to be a gentleman to win her goodwill!¡±


    ¡°Did youck care during your breastfeeding period? Did you have no sense of security when you grew up? Then what did you want to see when you got here? Your sister and I fiercely ying games in her house...?¡±


    ¡°My sister doesn''t y games! She is a good child.¡±


    ¡°I have never been to her house, how would I know? Waiter, another bowl please!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you!¡±


    ¡°No need!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat if you don¡¯t want to then.¡±


    A bowl of fragrant wontons came up, and Lin Qiupu took a spoon to move the chopped green onion and coriander away. He reminded, ¡°I will reiterate again...¡±


    ¡°There is no end to this, huh? I will tell you clearly now that I am not interested in your sister!¡±


    ¡°Oh what a joke. My sister was born beautiful and she¡¯s such a good girl. She¡¯s never been in a rtionship and you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not interested in her?¡±


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t deal with this guy. ¡°You should go see a psychiatrist.¡±


    In the middle of eating, Chen Shi took out a packet of cigarettes and handed one to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu refused, ¡°I¡¯ve quit.¡±


    ¡°One isn¡¯t going to make you addicted again.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qiupu took the cigarette and lit it. Then he stared at Chen Shi, because this sentence was once said to him by a senior he respected very much.


    Surely it¡¯s impossible?!


    At this time, Chen Shi stretched out the lighter to light his own cigarette. His cigarette lighting action waspletely different from that of his senior. Lin Qiupu let go of the suspicions in his heart. It couldn¡¯t be the same person.


    ¡°How is the wanted criminal?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°The doctor said that he broke a few bones and hit his head. He may be in aa for a while... It¡¯s unknown for how many months or years.¡±


    ¡°I am really embarrassed and sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to catch him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don''t me you. He was caught anyway. This guy is a murdering rapist. Hemitted at least five crimes and was still roaming around. Now he is in the hands of our Long¡¯An police. It is also a meritorious service.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded and suddenly wanted to tease Lin Qiupu. His eyes looked towards the front gate of the apartmentplex, ¡°Your sister came out!¡±


    Lin Qiupu panicked and quickly threw the lit cigarette on the ground, covering his head with clothes while stepping on the cigarette.


    ¡°I was just ying.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°You!¡± Lin Qiupu grit his teeth.


    Whilst eating his food, Lin Qiupu¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang. He answered seriously, ¡°What¡¯s up...? Where...? Protect the scene. I¡¯lle over now!¡±


    He hung up the phone and paid for the bill. Chen Shi reminded, ¡°I said I would treat. You can always just treat me next time.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time!¡± Lin Qiupu gave the money to the stall owner and stood up to go.


    Because he didn¡¯t drive today, Lin Qiupu called for a taxi while walking. Chen Shi said in a disgruntled manner, ¡°You¡¯re not taking this on-hand taxi next to you, but you¡¯re calling for one? You don¡¯t want to give me business?¡±


    Lin Qiupu hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with my work again!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? A murder case? I won¡¯t interfere, I¡¯ll leave after I take you there!¡±


    Lin Qiupu hesitated for a few seconds before responding. ¡°When I get to the scene, I¡¯ll pay you the cost of the fare.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t charge you a special service fee.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Man, you don''t understand humor.¡±


    The location was next to a main road in a rural area. Chen Shi arrived in the car and saw the police cars parked on the side of the road. The police lights shed. Lin Qiupu began to fish out money. He put the money on top of the glove box. ¡°Okay, you can go now!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and collected the money.


    Lin Qiupu came to the scene where the forensics team was taking pictures of the body and taking evidence. It was a headless female body. The body was naked bare and fairly thin, and she was about 25 years old. Late at night, it was a bit of a scary sight.


    ¡°Who reported the case?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    A police officer replied, ¡°A frightened driver who got out to pee and saw the body. We have already questioned him. He should be irrelevant to the case. We let him go after he left his contact information to us.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lao Peng?¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng went to the criminal investigation technology exchange meeting in the province, so he took the day off today.¡±


    ¡°Why did youe without a forensic doctor?¡±


    ¡°The forensic doctors in the team all attended the exchange meeting. They didn¡¯t think we would have a case today.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°The female body has traces of being tied up. Some powder, fiber and a few hairs have been extracted from the surroundings. The female body has been sshed with a corrosive chemical. It should have been sshed after death, so the fingerprint is difficult to extract.¡±


    Lin Qiupu touched his chin and muttered to himself. The head is cut off and the body is also difficult to identify. The case will be a bit tricky.


    ¡°Captain Lin, you stand still!¡± A voice came from behind.


    Lin Qiupu was shocked and was about to turn back when the man said again, ¡°Don''t move, you¡¯ve stepped on something under your feet. Slowly move away.¡±


    Lin Qiupu slowly moved his foot. It turned out that there was a rectangr indentation on the grass where he had just stood. Because it was too shallow, no one found it. The person who reminded him was Chen Shi. The police officers quickly took photos and obtained evidence of the area.


    Chen Shi supported his knee with his hands and studied. ¡°It looks like a big box.¡±


    ¡°Who told you toe over?¡± Lin Qiupu barked.


    ¡°I am waiting for clients! So I came over for a walk.¡±


    ¡°What kind of client?¡±


    ¡°Are you not too knowledgeable regarding the profession of a driver? Why would I return after sending the customer to their destination? Who will pay for the gas money on my return? I must wait for the guest to call on my services before making the trip. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°This case...¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will leave after a few looks! So and so, can you bring me a pair of gloves?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was very angry. The police officers under him actually handed a pair of rubber gloves to Chen Shi. Lin Qiupu thought to himself, Fine I will see how you¡¯ll make a mockery of yourself. Examining a corpse is impossible unless you have a few years of experience under your belt.


    Chen Shi squatted down, moving the joints of the deceased and pressing the outside of her arms and shoulders with his hand, saying, ¡°The rigor mortis has passed its peak period, and the corpse has partially loosened up already due to the dposition of the muscles; livor mortis has set in, for the colour of the skin isn¡¯t paling even when pressure is put on...¡± He put a hand on the lower abdomen of the deceased, tapping on it with his fingers a few times. ¡°The lower abdomen is bloated. I suspect it contains arge amount of bloody leakage.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was amazed. These professional terms are by no means words an ordinary person would know!


    Chen Shi checked the grass and leaves of the surrounding grass, focusing on the grass stems pressed by the deceased and the slightly dry soil under her body. He continued, ¡°There was rain these past two days, and the temperature difference isrge. Taking all of this into ount, the time of death should be more than forty-eight hours ago, and the margin of error should be no more than five hours. The specifics will only be found after the autopsy.¡±


    The police officer next to him took a small notebook to prepare for recording, but looked at Lin Qiupu with a requesting look first. Lin Qiupu nodded. ¡°Note it down first!¡±

 Chapter 39: Two Big Men Book a Room

    <h4>Chapter 39: Two Big Men Book a Room</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi nced at the wound of the headless deceased and said, ¡°The wound is not too neat. There are some jagged ps on the edge meaning her head may have been cut off with a saw. There is slight subcutaneous bleeding all around her neck. That means while her head was sawn off, some of the epidermal cells were still alive, so the suspect should have sawed her head off soon after her death.¡±


    He looked around. ¡°There is almost no blood in this area. It is definitely not the first scene of crime, but the scene of the abandonment.¡±


    A police officer who obtained the evidence said, ¡°The ce where the indentation was just found, some fibers were extracted. They seem to be a kind of paper with high absorption.¡±


    ¡°It seems that a lot of paper was stuffed in the box to absorb any blood. This would require quite a lot of paper. You can look from here to the roadside to see if there are any footprints or blood.¡±


    The police officer asked Lin Qiupu for permission with his eyes, to which Lin Qiupu nodded.


    Chen Shi looked at the nipples of the deceased carefully. Lin Qiupu frowned. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Chen Shi waved him toe over and said, ¡°The left side is darker than the right side. It was bitten by someone. Saliva enzymes need to be tested.¡±


    The police officers came over and collected two cotton swabs, one of which was put in the test chemicals where the reagents reacted. The police officer said, ¡°There is a reaction, meaning there are traces of blood.¡±


    ¡°This blood should be the deceased''s own. It seems that the bite was a bit hard. Give me a UV light.¡±


    Chen Shi took the ultraviolet light to check the skin of the deceased and found that some of the sprayed blood droplets appeared on her abdomen. The police officers collected samples of that as well. Chen Shi said, ¡°This looks like droplets that have been sprayed out. Someone must have sneezed on the body... There¡¯s also a heavy disinfectant smell which is used in cars.¡±


    ¡°Found two sets of footprints!¡± A police officer shouted in the distance.


    ¡°Take a mould!¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    Chen Shi signaled Lin Qiupu toe over to help turn the body over. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Don''t rush to turn the body, see if there is anything we missed first.¡±


    ¡°No, rest assured!¡±


    The twoid ayer of tarpaulin on the ground and turned the body over. The rope marks on her back were clearer than the rope marks on her wrist. Chen Shi said, ¡°You can redo the tying using the tracester. My guess is she was tied with all four limbs behind her back.¡±


    ¡°What is the cause of death?¡±


    ¡°One cause may be on the head; another could be postural asphyxia. When a person is restricted to an abnormal position for a long time, it can cause suffocation andck of blood cirction.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need you to exin it!¡±


    ¡°Give me a cotton swab.¡±


    Chen Shi asked for a cotton swab to separate the legs of the deceased. Lin Qiupu slightly frowned, this guy¡¯s ballsy.


    Chen Shi put his hand over his mouth and stuffed the cotton swab into the lower body of the deceased. He took it out to discover it had some old blood and some kind of water-based lubricant on it. He deduced, ¡°She was raped, and it was for a very long time. It might have been... Excuse me for a while!¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly ran back to the car, vomited, then unscrewed a bottle of mineral water to swirl around his mouth before spitting it out. Then, he lit a cigarette to clear his throat.


    ¡°He deserved it! What a show-off¡± Lin Qiupu said disdainfully.


    After almostpleting the forensic work, the police officer said to Lin Qiupu, ¡°Captain, you really have foresight, knowing that the forensic doctor wouldn¡¯t be here and inviting this expert over.¡±


    ¡°It was coincidence.¡± Lin Qiupu said with annoyance.


    When he came to the side of the car, Chen Shi was still exhaling clouds. Lin Qiupu mocked, ¡°Can''t stand it? This kind of life is not something that ordinary people can do. Yet you rushed in like that! Right, where did you study forensic science?¡±


    ¡°Self-study, and I especially like to watch Forensic Pioneer.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was still suspicious. ¡°What do you think of this case?¡±


    ¡°Multiple peoplemitted the crime together.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°A feeling. From the various details of the deceased, the murderer is not experienced. However, it¡¯s been handled very cautiously... I mean, from the perspective of a criminal, it would not have been done by one person. Plus there were signs of gang rape. If the autopsy shows that it is death from Postural asphyxia, then it is very likely to be idental negligence. The murderers are afraid to expose themselves, so took care of the body in a rural area, cutting off her head is also to extend the investigation time. I think we can start from investigating missing persons.¡±


    ¡°I told you to express your opinion, not to tell me what I should do. Otherwise, you might as well handle the case yourself then?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t have the time!¡±


    Lin Qiupu red at him. ¡°You¡¯re taking this seriously?¡±


    ¡°What is the opinion of Captain Lin then?¡±


    ¡°My opinion is the opposite of yours. The scene is clean and neat, there are no extra traces. It is obviously done by an experienced criminal.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to bet?¡±


    ¡°Again?! Okay, if I am right, you will not be with my sister again...¡±


    ¡°Hey, don''t bet using other people¡¯s business, use your own. I really don''t understand, why do you want to limit your sister''s social freedom, but you¡¯re okay with arranging an unreasonable blind date for her? She was almost sexually harassedst time, you know?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Lin Qiupu¡¯s voice suddenly raised by an octave. ¡°I will find that bastard to settle the bill one day!¡±


    ¡°They only touched. Don''t react so intensely. Do you want to abuse your authority? How about this? If I am right, treat me to eat some mutton stew and if you¡¯re right, I¡¯ll treat you.¡±


    Lin Qiupu barely nced at him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know the difference between professionals and so-called master civilians!¡± After he said that, he walked toward the police cars. However, all the cars drove away together. Lin Qiupuined, ¡°Hey, why can¡¯t any of you see that I didn''t drive!¡±


    Chen Shiughed so much he bent over, and then said, ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Shortly after the car started, Lin Qiupu received a call from Xu Xiaodong. He said that he found a bag in the wanted criminal¡¯s car, which had a key to a motel and told the address to him. Additionally, it seemed the surname of the wanted criminal was Jia.


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Turn around! Turn around!¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± He pointed to the navigation, ¡°Ke Lai Motel.¡±[1]


    The motel was just two kilometres away. It mainly hosted passing drivers. When the two went in, they saw a woman with a heavy makeup about to go upstairs. Chen Shi stared at her back. Lin Qiupu scorned and said, ¡°You can¡¯t even peel your eyes away from her, huh?¡±


    ¡°Don''t expose your identity yet. There may be illegal prostitute activity hidden here.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so experienced in this!¡± Lin Qiupu mocked.


    The owner asked if the two were here to open a room. Chen Shi replied, ¡°Just one room.¡± Then he lowered his voice, ¡°Do you have special services?¡±


    The owner shook her head again and again. ¡°No! No! You two big men are opening a room together? Do you want to open one more, it is not expensive anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to open it!¡± Lin Qiupu issued a police officer''s identification. ¡°Police. We came to investigate.¡±


    The owner opened her mouth in surprise. ¡°Police? Who are you looking for?¡±


    Lin Qiupu brought up the wanted order on his mobile phone and handed it to the owner to identify it. The owner put on reading sses and looked at it for a long time. She said with surprise, ¡°Oh Lord! This guy turned out to be a wanted criminal. I knew that he didn¡¯t look like a good man! Officers, I really didn''t know. If I did, I would have been sure to report the case. Will I get a reward now if I provide clues?¡±


    ¡°No, he has already been caught. We just came over to investigate a little.¡±


    ¡°It''s a pity... No, I mean, that''s great.¡±


    ¡°Take us to see his room.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will take you there now.¡±


    The owner took them to a room on the third floor. Lin Qiupu asked her to leave first. Chen Shi said, ¡°You shouldn''t expose your identity so early. These ces are very treacherous. They won''t tell you if they have prostitutes instantly.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care so much about this?¡±


    ¡°I have always had a great sense of justice.¡±


    ¡°Psh, who would believe that!¡±


    1. Can be literally tranted to Guests/Customers Come! Motel.

 Chapter 40: Disagreements

    <h4>Chapter 40: Disagreements</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    There was a big box in the room. Lin Qiupu saw it at a nce. He put on his gloves and checked its corners. He said, ¡°Why does this box feel so familiar?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it matches the indentations found on the crime scene?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Qiupu opened it. There were some clothes inside. There was a bottle of unidentified tablets, a wrench, a bundle of ropes, a pair ofbour gloves, and around a thousand yuan in cash. There were also several pornographic publications.


    While he checked the box, Chen Shi opened the bedside table and looked into it. There were condoms and some porn cards, which aremon in little motels.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I told you there were hidden prostitutes here!¡±


    Lin Qiupu ignored him and went to the window to look outside and said, ¡°Come here!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The corpse was only found two kilometers away from here. Together with the physical evidence we found, it can basically be concluded that the headless female corpse was killed by the wanted criminal.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°You just said that the death time is more than forty-eight hours. The time of our wanted criminal¡¯s activities in Long''An City is almost around three or four days ago. Do you dare say that there is no connection between the two?¡±


    ¡°Little officer, do you know how much self-deception is in those words you constantly hang around your mouth? Yes, I admit that everything can be connected, but this type of connection is not necessarily the kind of connection that you think. I don''t think Jia did this.¡±


    ¡°Reason?!¡±


    Chen Shi showed him the small card in his hand. ¡°There are prostitutes here. If Jia wanted to satisfy his desires, he just needed to spend some money. Also, why would he dump a corpse so close to his motel? Isn¡¯t that starting a fire that would burn himself? The most important thing is, if he was to abandon the body, he could just abandon it. Why should he cut off the head of the deceased? The behavior of cutting off the head indicates that the identity of the deceased is unfavorable to the murderer. Jia is from a foreign country. They definitely wouldn¡¯t be linked.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you exin the box?¡±


    ¡°Box?¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Such arge box, if he were to put a body inside, do you know how heavy it would be? Two kilometers is not far from here, but if you¡¯re carrying dozens of kilograms, it¡¯s not easy at all. So the murderer must have a car. Since there is a car, he would choose a location further away to dump the body.¡±


    ¡°You can''tpletely convince me with just that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you are not willing to ept it. Ah yes, quickly contact the police station in this district to check the secrets here. I am sure that the motel and the prostitutes would be linked. We just revealed our identity, the store owner will inform the other party to run and hide. We need to be quick.¡±


    As a policeman, there was no reason to not be involved in this. Lin Qiupu immediately called the police station in the area, especially warning them that they should not drive the police car, so as not to alert the other party.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Jia put these small cards in the drawer, indicating that he is likely to have conducted a transaction with them. Once the human desire is satisfied, there will be a period of contentment, so he will notmit any crimes during this period. I am sure that there will be a prostitute in the ones we will findter that had sexual interactions with Jia.¡±


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. ¡°These are your personal opinions. Do you want to convince me with the little experience that you¡¯ve had?¡±


    ¡°Experience? You are not qualified to say that to me, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have solved more cases than you have broken. Don¡¯t try to show off in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Can we not waste time talking about whether I¡¯m qualified to talk to you about something? Let¡¯s talk about the matters at hand. Captain Lin, are you going to continue investigating around Jia who is unconscious right now?¡±


    Lin Qiupu did not want to disclose his n, but he since they had already discussed this much, he confirmed, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then you find proof for what you believe in, and I will also follow my ideas to investigate.¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at Chen Shi. ¡°Who do you think you are? Have I said that you can participate?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled disapprovingly. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re trying to bring your task force into the ditch again. I just want to make some effort and help out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the task force into the ditch?¡± Lin Qiupu was so angry that heughed. ¡°Don''t think that you are an expert just because you have broken two cases.¡±


    ¡°Qualification theory again!¡± Chen Shi reminded.


    Lin Qiupu thought, this guy just loves interfering, every time he finds reasons to meddle. Since he can''t stop it, he might as well let him check it out. This time, Lin Qiupu was confident that Chen Shi¡¯s hypothesis must be wrong.


    He said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m allowing you to assist in our investigation.¡±


    ¡°No, I have to investigate the case alone, but I have to ask you for two people...¡±


    ¡°My sister can''t!¡±


    ¡°Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong. I am familiar with both of them. If I seed, they can take the credit. Of course, you will also receive credit as the team captain.¡±


    ¡°I already said you can¡¯t have my sister!¡±


    ¡°You ask her if she wants to do it then. Whether she is willing to work with me or is willing to do some peripheral work in the task force.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that he grit his teeth. Chen Shi just smiled at him. After some thinking, Lin Qiupu said, ¡°We can set up some rules ofpromise. The first, you three must act together; the second, the intelligence sharing, we¡¯re not allowed to hide anything; third, if the task force needs to dispatch personnel in case of emergency, all priority is given to the task force.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Chen Shi extended a hand.


    ¡°Who wants to shake hands with you!¡±


    ¡°The ceremony of cooperation.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Qiupu reluctantly reached out and shook hands with him.


    At this time, the sound of a door getting kicked in from upstairs and people outside yelling, ¡°Put on your clothes!¡±


    The two men came to the corridor, and the policerades had arrived to arrest the prostitutes. A pair of men and women were pulled out from a room and squatted in the corner. A policeman recognized Lin Qiupu and said, ¡°Captain Lin, thank you for your information.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. Ah yes, we are investigating a criminal case. Arrest these prostitutes first and then my team wille to investigate.¡±


    ¡°This doesn''t have to be said, we will definitely have them under control.¡±


    ¡°Do not leave even one out of custody,¡± Chen Shi added.


    ¡°This is...¡± The policeman had not seen Chen Shi before.


    ¡°I am his friend.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu red at him. Chen Shi¡¯s identity really wasn¡¯t easy to describe. He said, ¡°He¡¯s my friend that¡¯s helping to solve the case. You can call him Lao Chen.¡±


    Hearing this, the policeman went back to his work when Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Help me move things out of the house!¡±


    The two carefully scanned the house and did not miss out on any details. Even the garbage bags were taken away, giving off quite an organized feeling.[1]


    All the misceneous items were put into the trunk of Chen Shi¡¯s car. The car just got on the road when Xu Xiaodong called Lin Qiupu and said urgently, ¡°Captain Lin, the wanted criminal...¡±


    ¡°What happened!?¡±


    ¡°His surgery and hospitalization costs are more than 40,000! I don''t have that much money on me. I can''t leave the hospital!¡±


    Lin Qiupu breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Can you not talk in bits, boy? What happened to Jia now?¡±


    ¡°Lying in the ICU ward, unconscious.¡±


    ¡°I am going back to the station right now, I will transfer you the money in a bit. How many policemen are there?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Li, some civilian policerades, and myself.¡±


    ¡°Remain at the hospital tonight, just guard there...¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to himself, meaning that Xu Xiaodong had already been promised to him. Lin Qiupu understood his gesture and said, ¡°Wait, just go back. Come over tomorrow. I have another job to give you, I will send others to the hospital to monitor.¡±


    1. The actual words could be tranted as ¡°three-light¡±. It¡¯s an idiom that means that they are very busy, but has not made a mess of things. They have done this in a step-by-step manner.

 Chapter 41: Officially Opening the Case

    <h4>Chapter 41: Officially Opening the Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, Chen Shi sent his crashed car to the 4S shop for repair and took the bus to the bureau.


    October 7th. The headless female corpse case had just been opened. In the morning, just after the case discussion meeting, Lin Qiupu was still firm on his beliefs. He believed that the case¡¯s geography and evidence all pointed to the current unconscious wanted criminal. The investigation was carried out around Jia.


    He also exined the work of Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong. The two were responsible for assisting Chen Shi in his part of the investigation. When they heard the news, they were both filled with excitement. One was because Lin Qiupu finally changed his attitude and was willing to cooperate with Chen Shi. The other was excited to be partners with Lin Dongxue.


    When Chen Shi came, the two waited for him at the door of the city bureau. Xu Xiaodong said with high spirits, ¡°Has brother Chen had breakfast? I¡¯ll treat you!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    ¡°Of course, I am happy! I am going to investigate the case with brother Chen. I am free and have a chance to make a meritorious deed, and...¡± He gave a meaningful look at Lin Dongxue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so giddy, it''s not easy to investigate with me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treat you to food.¡±


    ¡°No, we need to make the most of our time. Let''s determine the identity of the deceased today. Is Captain Peng back?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°He is here. He¡¯s beginning the dissection already!¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t wait for me?!¡± Chen Shi rushed into the station.


    In the forensicboratory, Peng Sijue and another forensic doctor set up the video camera and were recording the data of the body. Chen Shi stood outside the curtain and asked, ¡°Captain Peng, can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Change clothes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dissect yet.¡±


    Chen Shi put on a disinfected protective suit. Xu Xiaodong stood outside and nervously said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll participate in this autopsy!¡±


    Lin Dongxue put a scented facial tissue on the inside of her mask and said, ¡°Just do this!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong smiled bitterly. ¡°I can''t stand looking. I¡¯ll be outside if you need anything, contact me anytime.¡±


    ¡°You call the police stations in various districts and ask if there are any missing people who meet the characteristics of the deceased.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Xiaodong walked out with relief.


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°Are you not afraid?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was a little hesitant. She said, ¡°Afraid of this? How can I seed in the future if I let this scare me?¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    The two entered the autopsy room, and Peng Sijue chided, ¡°So slow!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I changed my clothes and prolonged the time. Let me take a closer look at the body.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, you said that the death time is more than forty-eight hours...¡±


    ¡°Was I mistaken?¡±


    Peng Sijue said with a nk expression, ¡°I have just measured the liver temperature and the death time should be more than fifty-eight hours from the present time.¡±


    Chen Shi did not respond in the beginning. After thinking about it, he understood that Peng Sijue was joking with him. He smiled and said, ¡°Thank you for your approval.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too smug. Judging the time of death is only the basic work of the forensic doctor.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. I can only do this much. Anything more is out of my depth¡±


    Chen Shi checked the skin of the corpse, focusing on the rope binding traces on the wrist. There was a piece of rope on the side of the shelf. Another forensic doctor exined, ¡°The rope was brought back by the forensic teamst night. Wepared it and it¡¯s basically the same.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up the rope andpared it. He said, ¡°Truly a match, but it can''t be said that this was the rope. This type of rope is used for long-distance transportation. You can buy it anywhere... Is the bundled posture clear? ¡°


    ¡°We just discussed this.¡± The forensic doctor picked up a whiteboard with a sketch on it, showing the deceased was tied with their limbs behind them.


    Chen Shi looked at the picture and disagreed. ¡°No, what is the exnation for the rope marks on the ribs and the back?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it''s another rope bind after the initial one,¡± said Peng Sijue.


    Chen Shi touched the rope marks on the body and said, ¡°Look here, the marks are not uniform. The ones on the ribs are heavy, the back edges are light, and the back marks are interrupted by arge piece.¡±


    ¡°There was something else put in between.¡± Peng Sijue had already considered this.


    ¡°What could it have been? It should be a hard object, otherwise the rope marks would not havepletely disappeared...¡± Chen Shi¡¯s eyes looked at another empty iron bed, to which he walked over and said, ¡°Who is dedicated and selfless? Pleasee up and lie down.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at Lin Dongxue, who said, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°You are a woman!¡±


    ¡°So what if I¡¯m a woman?¡±


    ¡°The deceased was also a woman!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was defeated by his logic and had to sacrifice herself to solve the case. She did not expect Chen Shi to say, ¡°No, Captain Peng, youe here!¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    ¡°Lin Dongxue is a girl, I am afraid she would be ufortable and stiff. We are both old men. Either you or I should do it.¡±


    Peng Sijue thought for a few seconds before he came over andy on the iron bed. Chen Shi tied the rope around him and said, ¡°Like this, tie your hands and feet under the table, then make another one on the body... But then the back edge will leave a mark, indicating that the item needs to be narrower than the body. The body of the deceased is not fat, and the item is narrower than the body. What could it be?¡±


    ¡°Stool!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°But a stool is not verymon. It used to be seen a lot but who still uses those now?¡± said the forensic doctor.


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°When we inspected the body the second time, we found that the deceased had slight rust on her hands and legs, which we found was iron.¡±


    Chen Shi immediately reacted. ¡°The new rust is ferric oxide and old rust is iron oxide[1]. It seems that there is a metal support underneath this thing, and it is full of rust... A stool supported by iron?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pulled out her mobile phone to search for it and eximed, ¡°Oh, I didn''t think of it! Hey, look at this, this thing is present in every unit!¡±


    She lifted her mobile phone, which showed a foldable table and chair that is easily found in most restaurants. They were supported by iron.


    Peng Sijue lifted his sses frame and said, ¡°This one-piece dining table and chair will not be bought by the normal family. The murder scene should be in a restaurant unit.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Then we should immediately go to the unit where the deceased was.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who she is?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Continue the autopsy!¡±


    A few people came to the side of the body. Peng Sijue checked the neck of the deceased and said, ¡°There is a regr jagged p on the section, which seems to be sawn with a saw.¡±


    ¡°I mentioned this to Captain Lin yesterday.¡± Chen said indifferently.


    ¡°There is no obvious trauma in the body, the cause of death is...¡±


    ¡°My opinion is postural asphyxia.¡±


    ¡°Can you not interrupt all the time?!¡± Peng Sijue red at him. ¡°Xiao Wang, help me turn the body over.¡±


    Adjusting the position of the corpse, Peng Sijue pressed the corpse on the back with his hand and said, ¡°The colour nching on the corpse has spread. The corpse was moved after death.¡±


    Then he noticed a small piece of scorch under the side ribs of the body. Chen Shi found it at this moment as well. The two men were staring at the burn so much their heads almost touched. Peng Sijue straightened up and huffed, ¡°You¡¯re blocking the light!¡±


    Lin Dongxue put her hand over her mouth and giggled.


    ¡°It;s burnt, and it was done while she was alive. It seems to have ashes on it.¡± Peng Sijue said while sampling with a cotton swab.


    Chen Shi touched the small piece of burnt skin and said, ¡°This hot mark should not be caused by the direct contact of a cigarette butt. It should be caused by someone identally dropping the ashes.¡±


    After the inspection, several people turned the body over again. Peng Sijue used a vaginal speculum to open the vagina of the body and check inside with a shlight. Then he said, ¡°There is arge area of the vaginal wall bruising, which was left while she was alive. The deceased was forced to have sex before her death... Maybe by many people.¡±


    ¡°What position?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes and grumbled, ¡°Why are you always interested in this?¡±


    Peng Sijue answered calmly, ¡°The bruising is all concentrated on the side.¡±


    ¡°Then, it should be from the front. Combined with the rope marks on the body, the deceased was tied up and was then gang-raped by a group of people.¡±


    ¡°But there are no obvious scars on the body. I have performed autopsies on a number of rape cases and when forced, they will be more or less injured.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the deceased was unconscious at the time, is it possible that she drank alcohol?¡±


    Peng Sijue touched his chin and thought about Chen Shi¡¯s words, then said to the assistant, ¡°Get ready to dissect!¡±


    1. I believe ferric oxide is moremonly found, but I¡¯m making an educated guess here. If rust enthusiasts could please help me out on this one, that would be much appreciated.

 Chapter 42: Autopsy

    <h4>Chapter 42: Autopsy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Next came a scene that was chilling for Lin Dongxue. Peng Sijue pulled down the center of the woman¡¯s vicle with a sharp scalpel, breaking the skin of the entire trunk. The ribs and subcutaneous tissue under the skin were exposed.


    She subconsciously averted her eyes, to which Chen Shi whispered, ¡°You scared?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Next, Peng Sijue¡¯s assistant cut the ribs with a small electric saw. Although the sight was quite gory, from a medical point of view, the deceased was very young and had no bad habits, so the internal organs were quite intact and not ugly. Even Peng Sijue could not help but sigh. ¡°It''s a pity that you died so young.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, raising a daughter to be ruined by a bunch of animals. I don''t know how sad her parents are.¡± Chen Shi agreed.


    Peng Sijue was used to dissecting from top to bottom. He cut the trachea first, and the assistant used a device like a blood recovery machine to suck up the blood overflowing from the tissue.


    Then, Peng Sijue cut open the lungs of the deceased and said, ¡°There is no abnormality in the lungs...¡±


    His eyes stopped at a certain ce, then leaned down to use a mp to rub the alveoli around the lungs and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t these alveoli a little swollen?¡±


    ¡°It might have a disease!¡± the assistant proimed.


    ¡°Get samples and create a pathological slide!¡±


    Then, he cut the cardiovascr tubes in the direction of the blood flow, followed by the liver. As this was done, Chen Shi said, ¡°The smell of alcohol.¡±


    Peng Sijue red at him. A forensic identification does not directly use the nose. He said, ¡°The liver is slightly swollen and a bit whitish, possibly due to excessive alcohol consumption.¡± He then took some samples for testing.


    After this, he began working on the stomach. The stomach contents of the deceased are more important for identifying the time of death, the asion, and even the identity of the deceased.


    Peng Sijue put the whole stomach bag into the tray and then cut it open. As the stomach contents flowed out, the disgusting smell of drunken vomit escaped. Lin Dongxue could smell it through the mask and couldn''t help but furrow her brows.


    Peng Sijue used the mp to pick at the porridge-like puddle, picking out things that hadn¡¯t been digested such as celery, enoki mushroom, and tofu. In addition to these, there were three kinds of meat.


    Chen Shi used the naked eye to observe and said, ¡°Pork, chicken, fish... this meal was plentiful.¡±


    ¡°Plus drinking wine!¡± Lin Dongxue added.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a test for you. Can you figure anything out after seeing her stomach contents?¡±


    ¡°This... The deceased¡¯s family is very rich?¡±


    ¡°Haha, the angle is very interesting, but you said it wrong. The deceased should be just an ordinary office worker. The sry should just barely be enough to get her through life. You see, there is not much fat on the outside of her small intestine, which means that she usually eats very basic meals. Then, look at the palm. There are old calluses, indicating that she has been riding bicycles for a long time, and there are egg whites that have been almost digested in the stomach. From the time of murder, it can be inferred that she had omelettes for breakfast, indicating that the deceased is very poor... This rich meal in the belly, I think it is probably due to a colleague treating her or due to apany dinner. This is because the amount of each food is not much, but the variety is very rich!¡±


    ¡°Wonderful reasoning!¡± The assistant apuded.


    Peng Sijue red at the assistant, and his assistant lowered his head. Peng Sijue said bluntly, ¡°To show your talents, do it outside. It is dying my work time here. I am only responsible for finding out the facts. The reasoning part is your job.¡±


    ¡°You are a very boring person. Is it not a pleasure to dissect and reason at the same time?¡± Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue looked at his eyes and suddenly remembered a person. One of his old friends also said something simr. Additionally, that person liked to make big reasonings here each time.


    Is it a coincidence?!


    The thought passed through his mind before he went back to work.


    ¡°From the degree of digestion of the stomach, the time of death is judged to be three hours after thest meal. Combined with liver temperature, it should be around 9:00 in the evening of October 4th.¡± Peng Sijue said. The assistant wrote these notes down.


    ¡°Great minds think alike.¡± Chen Shi nodded and ignored Peng Sijue who rolled his eyes at him.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Peng Sijue pinched a small white particle that had been severely corroded by stomach acid from the stomach. He then immediately deduced, ¡°It is a pill.¡±


    He put the pill in a test tube and left it for testing.


    Chen Shi stopped him ¡°Wait, the stomach contents of the deceased are best carefully recorded to determine which dishes she has eaten, and the stomach acid also needs to be tested. Some restaurants will put additives and some frozen foods often contain preservatives. Then, the food safety department may be able to find the restaurant where she ate.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to tell me that!¡±


    ¡°I was just telling her.¡± Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue.


    After dissecting the remaining organs one by one, the autopsy was over and the four people left the autopsy room. Chen Shi said to Peng Sijue, ¡°Captain Peng, let¡¯s exchange contact information. Once the test results arepleted, remember to inform me.¡±


    Peng Sijue took out his phone with a nk expression and asked, ¡°What are you betting on with the Captain Lin this time?¡±


    ¡°He thinks that this female corpse was killed by the wanted criminal who went to the concert. I don''t think so. What do you think?¡± Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to participate in your meaningless bet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you must inform me of the results.¡±


    ¡°Useless words!¡±


    After leaving theb, Chen Shi, who had been stuck in the room for half a day, took out a cigarette to satiate his addiction. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Chen Shi said simply, ¡°Without the test results, we can''t do anything.¡±


    ¡°You are really sure this time?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at him with suspicion.


    ¡°You just heard it, the deceased had been gang-raped, so your brother¡¯s direction is wrong from the get-go.¡±


    ¡°That may not be, the murderer did not leave the DNA. Maybe the same person repeatedly raped her...¡± The words said, Lin Dongxue blushed. How could I even say such words, ¡®repeatedly raped.¡¯


    ¡°Haha!¡± Chen Shiughed. ¡°You¡¯ve learned to think independently! You have made progress!¡±


    ¡°Tch! Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I checked the casesmitted by the guy in the pastst night. The behavior of the person is stable and consistent. Unless his character has undergone a major change recently, it is impossible for him to do it.¡±


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong rushed towards them happily holding printed pieces of information in his hand. He said, ¡°These are faxes of recent missing persons sent from various police stations and branches.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so much!¡± Lin Dongxue said sympathetically.


    Chen Shi took a few to look at and said, ¡°Not bad, you knew to take all the men out.¡±


    ¡°The deceased is a woman, of course I know.¡± Xu Xiaodong answered proudly.


    ¡°But the missing case is usually filed after forty-eight hours. In special cases, it can be filed in twenty-four hours. You have a lot here fromst week that we don¡¯t need to look at. Just look at the 5th and 7th. I¡¯ll give these back to you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Lin Dongxue asked as Chen Shi began to walk away.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home to sleep for a bit. Gotta raise my energy!¡±

 Chapter 43: Repeated Times

    <h4>Chapter 43: Repeated Times</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After screening out a few missing persons who matched the characteristics of the woman, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong visited each residence one by one, but they did not exactly match the deceased.


    After running around all day, both of them were exhausted. Lin Dongxue went home, fell on her couch and then fell fast asleep.


    The next morning, the sun shone on her eyelids. She blinked and saw that the time was already 7:40am. She didn¡¯t have time to take care of anything and rushed to the unit.


    After swiping her punch-card to clock in for work, she saw Chen Shi was just walking in. He had a ck bag in his hand and said with a smile across his face, ¡°Miss Lin, didn¡¯t have a good sleepst night?¡±


    ¡°Tch, you still have the gall to talk about this with me. We ran around all day. Pretty sure I¡¯ve lost a few pounds on my legs. We didn¡¯t even find anything.¡±


    ¡°Did you not brush your teeth?¡±


    ¡°Is there a smell?¡± Lin Dongxue breathed into her hand to smell.


    ¡°You usually change shirts every day. I see that the shirt on your body is still from yesterday. There¡¯s dried rheum on the corners of your eyes, so I guessed that you didn''t brush your teeth... You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± He said whilst taking out a bag of Doublemint gum[1] from his bag to give to her.


    ¡°What is in your hand?¡± Lin Dongxue asked while chewing the gum.


    ¡°Sample.¡±


    The two came to the forensics department. Peng Sijue strictly forbade smoking in the workce, but the smell in the room was still pretty bad. Seeing the faces of several technicians, you could tell that they had to pull an all-nighter here.


    Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi were investigating both directions at the same time. The amount of work that fell on Peng Sijue''s head was naturally huge. There were other tasks to be dealt with as well.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Captain Peng.¡± Chen Shi smiled and said.


    Peng Sijue stood up, pinched the bridge of his own nose and said, ¡°The workload is toorge. We couldn¡¯t even finish everything after a whole night here. There are only a few test results that have beenpleted out of the ones you¡¯ve asked for.¡±


    He handed in a few printed documents.


    Chen Shi nced at the documents in his hand and said, ¡°These are enough. By the way, give me a copy of the stomach contents.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wang, go and copy one of the notes of the post-mortem examination to him.¡±


    Chen Shi put down the bag in his hand to the table and said, ¡°These are the dozens of cigarette brands that aremon in the market. I havebeled them ordingly. Can youpare them with the ashes on the deceased? It shouldn¡¯t take too long with the samples on-hand. Please notify me when you get the results.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really not polite, are you?!¡±


    Chen Shi patted Peng Sijue¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Thank you, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try using sweet words now.¡±


    After Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left, Peng Sijue opened the bag. Besides the samples of ashes, there was also a hot breakfast box in there. He coldlyughed and then called an assistant. ¡°Test the ashes from yesterday against these samples.¡±


    Chen Shi walked and looked at the documents in his hand. Lin Dongxue impatiently asked, ¡°What does the report say?¡±


    ¡°The saliva enzymes of at least six people have been found on the deceased... The ¡®repeated times¡¯ you said should be unquestionable now.¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face was red. ¡°I only said my thoughts. The case is at its climax. Shouldn¡¯t we brainstorm?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean to attack your self-confidence. I was only trying to encourage you to think more!¡±


    At this time, arge number of policemen came out of the conference room. They talked andughed, and they seemed to be happy all round. Lin Dongxue knew that it was only when the case showed significant progress that this expression would be on everyone''s face.


    She groaned in her heart. When the crowd had left, Lin Qiupu came outst. His eyes fell on the two people and smiled. ¡°How¡¯s it going? Is there progress?¡±


    ¡°Seeing the look of Captain Lin, there must be significant progress, right?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not going to tell you!¡±


    ¡°Ahem, we had agreed that we have to share our intelligence!¡±


    Lin Qiupu, who was checkmated, squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Then you say it first.¡±


    ¡°We haven''t started yet.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Lin Qiupu was very happy. ¡°You have to hurry. We found blood on the knives that Jia had carried. I have already determined that it is human blood. It¡¯s a fact that he has murdered recently.¡±


    Lin Dongxue involuntarily opened her mouth in surprise. This time, would she really lose to her brother?


    ¡°It seems that Jia must have many friends then.¡± Chen Shi smiled and said unhurriedly, raising the identification results on his hand. ¡°The saliva enzymes found on the dead belong to at least six people. These were all found on the surface of the deceased¡¯s body. Do you care to exin this?¡±


    Lin Qiupu suddenly frowned and said, ¡°The unreasonable point in the case is often the most critical breakthrough point... I will find out.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know who said this sentence, but I think you have used it in the wrong context. This unreasonable point in your overall hypothesis simply does not make sense.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? We¡¯ll see!¡±


    Lin Qiupu walked away, then circled back and said, ¡°The person who said this sentence is a hundred times better than you!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I really want to know him.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    After Lin Qiupu left, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°If we go with my brother''s idea, the saliva of six people could still be exined. Do you remember the first case? Maybe the deceased was contaminated before death.¡±


    ¡°I also considered this point, but the probability is not high.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Six men and one woman, Even AVs[2] do not shoot that!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face went red and she growled, ¡°Pervert!¡±


    ¡°Howe you¡¯re telling me off? I am just talking about facts here.¡±


    Chen Shi called Xu Xiaodong, and the three went to Xu Xiaodong''s car. Xu Xiaodong said with excitement, ¡°Brother Chen, where are we going to investigate today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to eat!¡±


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s only around eight right now!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, opened his mobile phone navigation, found the location of the corpse abandonment, and used his fingers to draw a circle around it saying, ¡°We start looking for a restaurant ten kilometres away from where the corpse was abandoned.¡±


    ¡°If we investigate like this, we might take years to find it!¡±[3] Xu Xiaodong immediately grumbled under his breath.


    ¡°The clues we need can only be found this way!¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Can you rule out some of the restaurants within ten kilometers? There are at least a hundred of them!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see!¡± Chen Shi took out a copy of the notes and spread it out.


    The three people stared at the list of foods above. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Green capsicum, red chillies, ck beans... These are the ingredientsmonly used in Sichuan or Hunan cuisine.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°There¡¯s Chinese softshell turtle and scallops, which is definitely from a higher-grade restaurant.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°There are four kinds of aquatic products in her stomach contents. I think this restaurant must have an aquarium... A top-grade Sichuan cuisine or the Hunan restaurant with an aquarium, so find it! Depart!¡±


    The work was extremely tedious and repetitive. The investigation continued until noon, yet they still didn¡¯t gain anything. The three people had a meal at a restaurant.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Nothing has been found, what should we do?¡±


    Chen Shi said indifferently, ¡°Continue to check and expand the scope.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°If you still can''t find it?¡±


    ¡°The corpse abandoning should be done by more than two people. When they were driving the car, since there were two people involved, it would have been discussed with each other where the corpse should be thrown. When the experiences of people ovep, there will be more conservative and stable results. The location chosen is most likely a ce where one person has been or often passes by. So, this location should not be too far from the crime scene. I guess it should be within ten kilometres.¡± Chen Shi responded while pouring himself a bowl of soup.


    ¡°How do you know that there was more than one person involved?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked puzzledly.


    ¡°Isn''t the scene right next to a road? There are many stones beside the road. Now it has been confirmed that the body was packed in a box, but there are no drag traces on the stone. This proves that two people were carrying it rather than one person dragging it.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was deeply impressed and nodded. Lin Dongxue raised an objection. ¡°That is not necessarily the case. What if the murderer was a strong man?¡±


    1. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon/images/I/71nirfaBQuL._SY355_.jpg is the bagged version, and the normal one looks like this: http://alcohndbooze.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Doublemint.jpg


    2. Porn.


    3. He used an expression that questions the number of months and years it would take using the Chinese zodiac animals and lunar calendar. However, it sounded a lot smoother and more made more sense in English to say that it may take them years to find it. https://.travelchinaguide/intro/social_customs/zodiac/

 Chapter 44: Left my Leather Gloves in Your Home

    <h4>Chapter 44: Left my Leather Gloves in Your Home</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Miss Lin, you really like to split hairs[1], huh?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted. ¡°Why are you saying that I like to split hairs? It¡¯s a discussion, all possibilities must be considered.¡±


    ¡°I said this because it is a high probability event. Of course, if you want to verify it, there is a gentle slope at the ce going to where the corpse is thrown from the road. If it is a strong man, one person walking down with a box... You¡¯ve learned physics, right? The weight of two people applied on the slope, he must use a lot of strength to stand still to not fall, so there will be a very heavy footprint on the gentle slope, but this was not found at the scene.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was finally convinced. She said, ¡°I¡¯m not splitting hairs! I just want to understand and confirm everything. You always say that there is a high probability of this and that. I think that just because there¡¯s a high probability that something is the case doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s absolute!¡±


    ¡°The kid can be taught!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡±


    At this time, Chen Shi¡¯s phone rang, which was a call from Peng Sijue. On the phone, he said, ¡°Regarding the ashes on the deceased, through tar and carbon monoxide contentparisons, we have reason to believe that it¡¯s from hard Zhong Hua[2]. The tablets in the stomach of the deceased are paracetamol, amon kind of painkiller.¡±


    ¡°I remember this medicine has a certain side effect on lung function. Is the pulmonary edema rted to this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems to be correct at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, has Lao Peng eaten yet?¡±


    Peng Sijue didn''t want to be close to him, so he hung up the phone immediately. Chen Shi shook his head, pointed to the phone and said, ¡°Why is this person like this? Is he a robot?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°You should be content. Captain Peng personally called you to report the results. There are not many people who have such privileges.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Captain Peng, that stone-faced and cold-hearted man is not nning to get married, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s over thirty but still has no girlfriend yet.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Rather than gossip, let¡¯s quickly eat and get back to work.¡± Chen Shi urged.


    After the meal, the three continued to search. Chen Shi nned to use a new method of dividing the area to be searched into several pieces, and each of them was responsible for one piece.


    Lin Dongxue visited each restaurant and her mouth was dry from all of it. Around 4 pm, Chen Shi called and asked, ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Lin Dongxue heard his happy tone. ¡°Don''t act all mysterious! Have you found anything?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am waiting for you at the DiJiang Hotel.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong came to the hotel one after the other. Chen Shi was chatting and smoking with the deputy manager at the counter. When the two arrived, he said, ¡°This manager Wang just told me that someone had booked a table around two days ago, and the dishes on the list are basically the same.¡±


    The deputy manager said, ¡°It was ordered by the Kang Xing Electronics Company nearby. It seems to be the celebration feast at the end of the quarter. We sent the dishes to theirpany directly... Hey, are you all really police officers? What case is it?¡±


    Chen Shi directly ignored hisst sentence and said, ¡°Ah yes, the thing you said just now. Can I trouble you to repeat it again?¡± Chen Shi gave him a cigarette as he asked.


    ¡°I listened to the staff who said that when they delivered the meal, they saw two male employees pping each other in the face. They pped so intensely that their mouths were bleeding.¡±


    Lin Dongxue took a surprised nce at Chen Shi. Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Thank you! Let''s go to thatpany and see.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you investigating? Is it a dead person?¡± The deputy manager was still questioning in the back.


    When they got to Kang Xing Electronics Company, Lin Dongxue took out the police officer''s badge and told the front desk that they wanted to see the manager. While waiting, Chen Shi looked at the corporate bulletin board on the wall next to him and said, ¡°It turned out to be selling these things.¡±


    Thispany was a healthcare electronic product. That is, the kind of massage machine. Such products were cheap to manufacture and high in profit. To put it clearly, the mainponent was talking, mainly relying on sales.


    Sure enough, when the front desk assistant came back and took them to the manager¡¯s office, the three people saw the wall covered with quotes about sales, such as ¡°The goal is not used to achieve, it is used to transcend¡±, ¡°There are no products that can¡¯t be sold, there are only those who can''t sell the product.¡±


    In addition, there is a quarterly sales star list.


    Xu Xiaodong whispered, ¡°Very strong scent of chicken blood.¡±[3]


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I had a ssmate. After graduation, they also worked in a simr industry. The whole person was also like they were covered in chicken blood. We saw each other at a ss reunion, and I could not find amon topic at all.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°The people have to try to love the line of work they¡¯re in. You should learn from them.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I should let others know that I¡¯m a police officer wherever I go?¡±


    When they came to the manager''s office, a fat manager with a red face and a suit came over and shook hands with the three people. He was very strong and Xu Xiaodong¡¯s hand was secretly numb for a long time. After warm and enthusiastic greetings, the manager asked, ¡°Hehehe, I hear you guys are looking for me? To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Is yourpany missing someone recently?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Oh, haha, no. Why do you ask this?¡±


    ¡°Let me see your employee roster here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hahaha okay, please wait a moment.¡±


    The manager made a call and then a staff member came in nervously. He looked at the three people and dropped off the document.


    Chen Shi took it in his hand. He couldn¡¯t find anything just by looking at the names. The manager kept politely offering things at the side, ¡°Would you guys like to drink tea?¡±, ¡°Do you want to smoke?¡± He asked as he pulled out one pack of hard ZhongHua.


    Chen Shi¡¯s eyes fell on the pack and asked, ¡°Have you always been smoking this brand of cigarettes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, haha, yeah I¡¯m used to it. You want one?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you... Can we look around?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I am afraid this is not possible, the employees are working. Although ourpany is small, the workload is not easy at all. I hope that our policerades here will understand our difficulties.¡±


    ¡°We are criminal police!¡± Lin Dongxue reminded.


    The manager pretended to be a stunned man. ¡°It turned out to be a criminal policerade? Excuse my disrespect earlier, hehehe!¡±


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, please have a safe journey, I will not see you out then, hehehe!¡±


    When leaving the office, Xu Xiaodong let out a long breath and said, ¡°This manager is really too enthusiastic.¡±


    ¡°I feel that he is a little fake,ughing like he is wearing a mask.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Yes, a very sleek person, pretending to be too good. Even I can''t see through anything.¡±


    Nothing was found so Lin Dongxue was a bit discouraged and said, ¡°Shall we retract our troops then?¡±


    ¡°Who said that we are leaving?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    When he reached the stairs, Chen Shi suddenly stood still and said, ¡°Let me do a sudden circle-back, you guys wait for me here.¡±


    He went straight back to the manager''s office, put his ear on it, and did not forget to turn on the recording function of his mobile phone. A man''s voice came from the room. ¡°There were some stripes that came in to investigate... You tell them all to shut their traps. I¡¯ll kill whoever leaks anything!¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly pushed the door open into the room, and the manager who was on the phone widened his eyes with a menacing look all of a sudden.


    But in the next second, he switched back to the look of the sleek old man and said with a smile, ¡°What happened, officer?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I left my lighter here.¡± Chen Shi picked up the lighter and shook it. ¡°It was just this. I won¡¯t bother you any longer.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t see you off then!¡±


    After Chen Shi left, the manager sat back in his chair and frantically pulled out tissues from the box to wipe the oil and sweat off his face...


    1. The actual expression used is ¡°to twist into an ox¡¯s horn¡±. This link is useful to understanding this phrase a bit more in a Chinese context: https://speakupchinese.tumblr/post/110733036261/chinese-idioms-%E9%92%BB%E7%89%9B%E8%A7%92%E5%B0%96-zu%C4%81n-ni%C3%BA-ji%C7%8Eo-ji%C4%81n-to.


    2. ¡°Hard¡± means that the boxese in the boxed packaging, whereas ¡°soft¡± means that the packaging is just a strip of paper. People say that this makes the taste different. Zhong Hua is a brand.


    3. Motivation, ambition or drive. There¡¯s a story where the blood of a type of wild chicken is almost like a magical essence, able to give you lots of energy, as well as serve as medicine that has many purposes.

 Chapter 45: Special Days

    <h4>Chapter 45: Special Days</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi had a smile on his face as he came back. Lin Dongxue could not help but ask, ¡°What have you heard?¡±


    Chen Shi opened his phone, turned down the volume and yed the recording. After listening to it, the two were shocked. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°So there is a problem with them after all!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°With just this recording, you can apply for a search warrant!¡±


    ¡°No, this is not legally obtained evidence. But it has opened the tip of the iceberg, pointing out the direction for us to head towards. Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Are we really going this time?¡± Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    ¡°Of course... Not!¡±


    They went to the downstairs of thepany and found a cold drink shop to sit down at and have a drink. They sat there until about six in the evening. They still didn¡¯t see a single persone out of thepany. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Thispany really ruthlessly makes their employees work overtime!¡±


    ¡°There are manypanies that do not abide by thebourw around, but employees just have to bear it. After all, this is a rice bowl.¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so unwilling to do a 9 to 5 job.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way! You get a lot more freedom being a police officer than this.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°But it is not easy.¡± Xu Xiaodong added.


    ¡°If you like a job, even if you are tired, you would still be happy!¡±


    At this time, an old aunty who looked like a cleaner came down from the building. Chen Shi immediately stood up and said, ¡°The target appears! Go, go, go!¡±


    The two chased after him. Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°You waited for almost half a day just for the cleaner?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough evidence to do a frontal attack. We have to knock on the side drums first.¡±[1] Chen Shi said.


    Chen Shi went straight to the front of the cleaning aunt and said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you. We are the police and want to ask you some things to gain some understanding.¡±


    ¡°Looking for me to understand what?¡± The cleaning aunt showed a look of alert.


    ¡°Do youe to clean thispany every day?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the situation of thispany? Anything you know will do.¡±


    ¡°It''s an ordinarypany. Are you here to check things like tax evasion? I don''t know about anything like that.¡±


    Chen Shi took out a hundred-yuan bill and said, ¡°Just tell us literally anything you know about thepany. This is a little intelligence fee. Don''t worry, we will definitely keep it secret.¡±


    Seeing that there is extra money to earn, the aunty was incredibly happy and immediately began informing them what she knew. She said that thepany¡¯s management was quite strict, starting work at 8 o''clock in the morning, often working overtime until 10 o''clock in the evening, mainly to make sales or to do door-to-door marketing.


    Also, thispany seemed to have been promoting wolf culture[2]. She had seen the employees p each other in the face because they were unable to meet their quotas. Otherwise, they would kneel down or swallow paper. She couldn¡¯t express anything due to her position, but she thought that it was pretty sad for them to have to torture themselves like that. Those people were also children born from a mother and father. How could they their lives like this by this group of people? However, there was no way around it in order to earn a meal to eat.


    ¡°Hai, it¡¯s not easy for anyone!¡± the aunty sighed.


    ¡°Wolf culture?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked. ¡°Is it a wolf-like culture?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s it. That¡¯s the idiom. For a while, there was a picture of a big grey wolf stuck at the bottom of thepany. Baring its teeth at people, it was actually quite scary to look at.¡±


    ¡°Has there been someone missing from thepany recently?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°I don''t know about that. I don''t know all of them... But it seems like there is a girl I haven¡¯t seen for a few days. She usually always greets me.¡±


    ¡°What is her name?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Li? I heard her colleague call her.¡±


    ¡°Has she been sick recently?¡±


    ¡°Sick? What sickness is it? Is it serious?¡± It seemed that the aunty was not aware of the death.


    Chen Shi asked her to describe the characteristics of Xiao Li. However, the aunty was unable to describe her properly no matter how much she tried, so they had to give up. Chen Shi took out another hundred-yuan bill and gave it to her. The aunty widened her eyes and tried to refuse. ¡°I didn¡¯t provide you with much information. It doesn¡¯t seem right. Ah yes, what case are you investigating?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t disclose that. You go back to your work for now!¡±


    After bidding farewell to the aunty, Lin Dongxue said to him, ¡°You can be really generous. Just disclosing a tiny amount of information will already gain them two hundred yuan.¡±


    ¡°It''s not easy for them either... Yes, this money should be expense imed!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and ask the aunty to open an invoice for you then!¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± Chen Shi turned towards the main entrance of thepany. His right hand pointed to the signboard of thepany with a gesture like that of a pistol. ¡°This Kang Xing Electronics Company has issues! Tomorrow, we need to continue to investigate. I believe the truth is hidden in this building and behind the greasy-faced manager... Let''s stop here for today!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong cheered, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break and go eat hot pot.¡±


    ¡°No, I have to go home to take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Great, I am going to the 4S shop to take my car, so give me a ride since it¡¯s on the way.¡±


    After getting to the 4S shop, Xu Xiaodong was still paying attention to Lin Dongxue and said, ¡°I will send you home!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°No, I am going to just call a taxi. It¡¯lle very quickly.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Then give me business. I didn¡¯t take any orders today.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so thick-skinned.¡±


    ¡°Ten yuan and I¡¯ll send you straight home. Come on!¡±


    Lin Dongxue still got into Chen Shi¡¯s car despite what she said earlier. Chen Shi caressed the steering wheel and said, ¡°Baby...¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned to re at him, but it turned out that Chen Shi was talking to his car. ¡°I haven''t seen you for two days, and you have be even more beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Car fetish?!¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    ¡°What a presumption! Do you want to eat dinner on the way?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s your ten dors. The service was quite rich... No thanks, I want to go home to take a shower. My body smells.¡±


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue straight to themunity where she lived and got out of the car to follow her. Lin Dongxue did not say goodbye, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Sending you up!¡± Chen Shi smiled and said.


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    When they got to Lin Dongxue¡¯s door, she said, ¡°What? You going toe in?¡±


    ¡°Since you have asked me, then I¡¯lle in and sit down for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Wow you really are thick-skinned. I warn you, don¡¯t have any funny ideas. I¡¯ll pin you down!¡±


    ¡°I have to get beaten just foring in and drinking a cup of water?¡±


    Entering the room, Chen Shi said, ¡°It really is a girl''s room.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put up an act! Didn¡¯t you see itst time?¡±


    After running around for a day, Lin Dongxue was exhausted. After changing into her slippers, she sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV.


    Chen Shi was very impolite. He entered the kitchen and got down to work. Lin Dongxue initially thought that he was boiling water. Later, when she heard the movement of pots and pans, she peeked her head out and shouted, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Cooking a bowl of noodles to eat!¡±


    ¡°You think this is your own home?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be done soon!¡±


    After a while, Chen Shi came out juggling two bowls and set one on the coffee table. He cooked two bowls of instant noodles, cut some cucumber strips and kelp. On the surface, there were two poached eggs along with a sprinkle of coriander. It was very fragrant.


    ¡°Come and let¡¯s eat this casual meal together!¡± Chen Shi smiled and handed over chopsticks.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were so thoughtful with your food.¡± Lin Dongxue took the chopsticks and started eating.


    Eating while watching TV, Lin Dongxue suddenly felt very strange. How could she feel safe letting an uncle enter her house?


    She nced at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi immediately noticed her eyes on him. He turned his head and asked, ¡°Is there beer?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she said stiffly.


    After eating, it was already eight o''clock. Lin Dongxue wondered why this guy still didn''t leave, and she kept staring at Chen Shi. Chen Shi also looked at her. Lin Dongxue suddenly said, ¡°I won''t sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°Pfttt!¡± Chen Shi sprayed the soup in his mouth out and quickly grabbed the tissue paper from the table to wipe his mouth. ¡°Miss Lin, you¡¯re rushing with your car, I couldn¡¯t prevent that!¡±[3]


    ¡°I just gave a warning, lest you start thinking of anything funny.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know!¡± Chen Shi¡¯s eyes suddenly dimmed. ¡°Today''s October 10th. It¡¯s a pretty special day. I didn''t want to be alone, so I followed you here for some human presence.¡±


    ¡°What''s that? Your birthday?¡±


    To be precise, it should be regarded as the day of my death. A faint voice inside Chen Shi said to himself.


    1. The people beside him (the manager).


    2. Wolf-culture has been a term that¡¯s been used fairly often during thest decade to describe negative practices of businesses. It¡¯s a highly discussed subject on public forums. It¡¯s been said that the younger generation is so used to this type of corporate culture that they are numb towards it and feel like it¡¯s the norm. When they cannot live up to the expectations of such a culture, they are often filled with shame. This has been a heavy subject rting to politics which I will not delve into here.


    3. Such a sudden remark, he just couldn¡¯t respond properly.

 Chapter 46: Wolf-like Company

    <h4>Chapter 46: Wolf-like Company</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing that Chen Shi didn¡¯t answer, Lin Dongxue further prompted, ¡°What special day is today? Did you have a friend who died today?¡±


    ¡°Let me keep a little privacy.¡± Chen Shi regained his usual expression.


    The two watched a variety show for a while. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Oh hey, have you heard of Song Lang?¡±


    Chen Shi, who was cutting an apple, paused and asked, ¡°Your ex-boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Go die! This person is a genius detective. I heard that he is particrly powerful. There is no unsolvable case if it is overseen by him. I think if you are a person in Long''An City, you should have heard of him!¡±


    ¡°No, I only came here two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t tell by your ent.¡±


    ¡°I learned quickly. I chat all day with the passengers, so I gradually changed my ent... Why did you suddenly ask me this?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, really. I just heard about it from my brother a few days ago, and I just suddenly thought about it, that¡¯s all.¡±


    On the TV, the advertisement was broadcasting. Lin Dongxue got up and packed the dishes. She was a little hesitant in her heart. Should I chase him away? But looking at him, it seems he just wants to stay here for a while without any ulterior motives.


    Hesitant for a long time, she finally said, ¡°I have to take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Then you go.¡± Chen Shi''s eyes stared at the TV and replied casually.


    Lin Dongxue was so angry in her heart. Is this person pretending to be stupid? Wasn¡¯t it a very obvious way to get rid of him?


    She went into the bathroom, locked the door and started taking a shower. She kept an ear out to listen out for any motions happening outside. Her heart was a little uneasy. At the end of the day, there was a man in her house.


    At this time, she heard the sound of water as well as pots and pans.


    She was very curious and wanted to open the door a little to see what the guy was up to, but she held herself back.


    After the shower, she came out to no one in the room. Lin Dongxue found that the dishes in the kitchen had been cleaned and inserted on the shelf. The TV in the living room was still on. There was a te of peeled apples on the coffee table. Next to it, there was a note that read, ¡°I am leaving. Take an early rest. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled, picked up a slice of apple and put it in her mouth.


    The next morning, the three people met at the station. Chen Shi was back to his usual vibrant look, carrying a bag of breakfast in his hand. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Hey, brother Chen, are you treating us to breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this is not for you.¡±


    ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t buy it for Captain Peng again?¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°If I¡¯m asking for something of someone, of course I have to bring some goods!¡±


    ¡°Psh, you only know to buy it for him, never buying anything for us. We count as temporary partners!¡± Lin Dongxue said unhappily.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll treat you guyster.¡±


    As he said this, Chen Shi arrived at the forensics department. As soon as he entered the room, he saw several researchers lying on the tables and chairs sleeping soundly. The paper basket at the foot of Peng Sijue¡¯s feet were full of used coffee cups. It seems that they had pulled another all-nighter. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t help but think that Captain Peng was too strong being able to pull two all-nighters in a row.


    Hearing the footsteps, Peng Sijue turned around in his chair. His eyes were surrounded by two dark circles and his skin color was paler than usual. He said, ¡°You guys sure are running around a lot!¡±


    ¡°I want to ask for a favor. I want to borrow something.¡± Chen Shi said as he put the breakfast on the table.


    Peng Sijue nced at the things in the bag and sneered. ¡°I knew that you wouldn¡¯t visit the Sanbao Temple unless you wanted something. When you have a use for me, you always try to act nice and all.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound so shallow. How about I buy you breakfast every day? I pass by here every time I start my orders for the day anyway.¡±


    ¡°Save the act. Don¡¯t appear in front of me all the time... What do you want to borrow?¡±


    ¡°I need a set of equipment for investigating blood stains.¡±


    This time, Peng Sijue was surprisingly epting of the request. He stood up and went to the back room, and then came back carrying a silver-white forensic investigation box and said, ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±


    ¡°You teach me!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°Xiaodong should understand this, you ask him to teach you. Don''t break it,e back after you finish work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Chen Shi took the investigation box and said his goodbyes. Lin Dongxue said on the way out, ¡°You seem to have a pretty good rtionship with Captain Peng now.¡±


    ¡°This is your illusion. This kind of person is actually very easy to deal with. I think it is much better than your brother.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why are you saying things to insult my brother all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Is this called insulting? I just said that your brother is not very easy to make rtions with.¡±


    Chen Shi fulfilled the promise and treated the two to breakfast. Then, they drove to Kang Xing Electronics Company. On the way, he circled around and parked next to a car. The driver in the car had a bald head. Heined, ¡°Why were you so slow? I missed three orders because of this, ya know?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll shout you drinkster.¡±


    ¡°This is the stuff you wanted!¡±


    The bald man handed over a paper bag and drove away. Lin Dongxue curiously extended her head to peek. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Secret weapon!¡± Chen Shi had a mysterious smile.


    They went to Kang Xing Electronics Company and stood at the foot of the building. Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, ¡°Xiaodong, I¡¯ll give you a task. You turn your phone to vibrate. Later, I will give you a look and you will have to leave immediately. Try to not let people see you and go to the security department to draw the attention of the people inside.¡±


    ¡°Are we doing a bad thing?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. We are just looking for evidence. I noticed that there was security monitoring yesterday. It is not good to be seen by people. You can help me to take care of the security guards until I call you. Then, your job is done.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Xu Xiaodong saluted.


    The three people walked into thepany and found that there was no one at the front desk. There were various voicesing from a room in the corridor. Although they couldn¡¯t hear what was being said, but the tone was like that of a headmaster telling off the students.


    ¡°Perfect timing, they are in their morning meeting.¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°Go, let¡¯s go! Xiaodong...¡±


    Xu Xiaodong understood and left immediately to go to the security room.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue quietly went outside the door, which was left slightly ajar. Chen Shi pushed it open a little and saw a row of employees standing with their hands on their backs. The fat manager walked around saying his speech.


    ¡°...Don''t always think about what thepany can do for you, think about what you can do for thepany! You are part of thepany, you should have a sense of collective honor and teamwork. Don''t think about the immediate benefits, that is short-sighted. You came here to create a career, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Full of useless quotes!¡± Lin Dongxue reproved.


    After the manager ended his long speech, he asked the employees to memorize several ssic sales quotes. The scene was like military training, full of the smell of chicken blood.


    Then the manager said, ¡°Okay, today''s morning meeting is over.¡±


    ¡°Hurry to withdraw!¡± Lin Dongxue tugged Chen Shi''s sleeves.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    The employees did not leave immediately. They saw the female employees standing in a row one by one. They looked like they were very embarrassed, while others wore numb expressions.


    The female employees passed by the fat manager one by one and kissed him. Lin Dongxue was so scared that she put her hand over her mouth. What kind of ceremony was this?!


    The fat manager seemed to enjoy the process very much. Every time he kissed a female employee, he nodded. When a few pretty female employees walked by him, he squeezed or pinched their buttocks.


    When encountering a female employee who just did it quickly to get it over and done with, he would order the other party toe back and replete this ¡°ceremony¡± of theirs.


    The male staff next to them mostly dipped their heads low, seemingly reluctant to see this scene.


    ¡°What a good embodiment of wolf-like culture. Pretending that thepany is his own small kingdom. The employees are all domesticated into ves.¡± Chen Shi smiled bitterly.

 Chapter 47: Jia on the Run

    <h4>Chapter 47: Jia on the Run</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing that the employees wereing out, the two quickly left. They hid in a small storage room next to the conference room for stacking products.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°Why not directly attack?¡±


    ¡°There is no evidence. If we keeping to annoy them, I¡¯m afraid that we will be rejected at the door. It will be difficult to continue the investigation at that time. In fact, we are currently illegally trespassing.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if there is a problem, I¡¯ll shoulder the responsibility. This is the benefit of the master civilians... Okay, no one is in the corridor, let''s go to the conference room to see.¡±


    The two snuck into the conference room where the morning meeting was just held like thieves. The structure of this floor was like that of a square-shaped donut. The office area was concentrated on the north and west sides. The south side was the main entrance of thepany, and the conference room was on the left side of the entrance.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong called. Lowering his voice on the phone, he said, ¡°Is it done? I can¡¯t hold out on my side much longer.¡±


    ¡°No, try to hold out a little more!¡± Chen Shi urged.


    ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t anymore. Even my smokes are almost exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Then ask to watch the surveince footage. Take theputer so as not to let the security guard see us.¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Xu Xiaodong hung up the phone.


    ¡°Young man, you still have a lot to learn.¡± Chen Shi said to himself.


    ¡°Where did you learn this sort of stuff?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at him with her head cocked to the side.


    ¡°Life experience... Let''s get started!¡±


    He opened the box and inside was amp. After the socket was connected, the UVmp could be used.


    Lin Dongxue held the box in her hands behind her. Chen Shi surveyed in front with themp. When they went to a ce, Chen Shi suddenly stopped and said, ¡°Hey look at this.¡±


    ¡°Found blood?¡± Lin Dongxue said excitedly.


    ¡°No, you can see some traces on the ground. There was a table here, which seems very simr to the traces of the one-piece iron frame table and chair that the deceased was bound to!¡± Chen Shi stood up and looked around and found that there was a row of windows on the wall, but it was blocked. It also had ayer of paint brushed over it, ¡°Look at this structure, it should be originally designed for a canteen. The small warehouse we just stayed in was originally the kitchen, but it waster changed into two rooms. the big one for a meeting room, the small for a warehouse.¡±


    ¡°How can this kind of inhumanepany prepare a canteen for employees?¡± Lin Dongxue ridiculed.


    Chen Shi pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, pulled out the soaked absorbent cotton from the inside, and dabbed it on the ground. He put the cotton wool stick under his nose and said, ¡°There is alcohol. It seems that thepany''s people have eaten here. Maybe a dinner party.¡±


    ¡°Bloodstains! Check for bloodstains!¡± Lin Dongxue anxiously urged as she feared that the employees woulde in and see them in the act. As a policeman, they were doing thieves'' work, which was too shameful.


    The two almost checked every inch of the ground but found nothing. Chen Shi said, ¡°There is no blood!¡±


    ¡°Your reasoning is wrong?¡±


    ¡°The deceased died of postural asphyxia. When they die, there will be no blood drops. There will only be blood when they saw off the head. Let¡¯s go. Go to the stairwell to see.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there are people at the front desk!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, forgot.¡±


    The two hid behind the door and stood watch. When thedy at the front desk got up and went to the bathroom, they immediately snuck out. Chen Shi did not go immediately. He took a wireless camera from the paper bag that he had been given by the bald-headed guy and ced it in the pot nt in the conference room before covering it with fallen leaves.


    Lin Dongxue opened his mouth in surprise. It turned out to a wireless camera.


    The two quietly went to the back stairwell and continued to repeat their previous actions.


    However, no blood was found there.


    Chen Shi scratched his head and said, ¡°From the look of things, the body was moved as a whole. The blood may be in the car... Or in the wild!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s thetter, then we wouldn¡¯t be able to find it at all... Can it be that the deceased wasn¡¯t killed here?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not she was killed here, we must first rule out all possibilities! Let¡¯s finish up here.¡± Chen Shi dialed Xu Xiaodong¡¯s number on his phone, indicating that Xu Xiaodong could withdraw.


    ¡°Finishing work? Shouldn¡¯t we see the manager?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of seeing him? We¡¯lle over tomorrow and throw a frontal attack.¡±


    ¡°Why tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Stupid, I just put a camera here. It will record their morning meeting. We can charge the manager for sexual harassment. That way we cane in freely to investigate.¡±


    ¡°Haha, oh yeah we still have this trick up our sleeves!¡± Lin Dongxue pped her hands. Then she suddenly thought of a problem, ¡°But your means of obtaining evidence is a little...¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I will send you the video anonymously. Then you go through the formal procedure to apply for an arrest warrant. This is the convenience of master civilians.¡±


    ¡°You have so many tricks up your sleeve.¡±[1]


    The three met up at the bottom of thepany. Chen Shi drove the two back to the bureau and said, ¡°Let¡¯s meet tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I need to run a few orders. I haven¡¯t worked these past two days.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, do we have no tasks?¡± Xu Xiaodong said.


    ¡°Just rest for a bit!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°You are confident that the victim died inside thepany? What if something goes wrong? Do you want to investigate other clues?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head and said, ¡°Youngrade, the investigation of a case can be said to be blind trial and error. Everyone is responsible for their own individual piece. The final puzzle that those piecesbine to be will be the truth. One''s energy is limited. It is impossible to cover everything solo. This is a point you can learn from your brother. Catching a clue and focusing on it till the very end. This perseverance ought to be encouraged.¡±


    ¡°Your tone is not at all like you¡¯re praising him.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you try and understand it yourself. I will take my leave first.¡±


    The two got out of the car, Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°It¡¯s eleven o''clock. Should we eat a meal first? I¡¯ll treat you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You have a gold mine in your house? Asking to treat me all the time?¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t said yes once!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I am not hungry right now.¡±


    It was at that moment Lin Qiupu took a piece of information and came out from the main entrance. When he saw the two people, he smiled and said, ¡°How is it? Are you making progress? There is progress on our side. The bloodstains on Jia''s knife are consistent with the blood type of the deceased. ¡°


    Lin Dongxue groaned and thought that this time she would really lose to Lin Qiupu. She asked, ¡°What about the DNA?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still getting tested, but I believe that the results are 100% consistent. What about your side? Don''t hide things from me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue recalled their findings in detail while Lin Qiupu listened, sneered and shook his head, ¡°I think he thinks the case is tooplicated. Even if thepany style is not very good, but they are also ordinary people. When ordinary peoplemit a crime for the first time, it will always drag the water[2]. This case was done so cleanly and neatly. From the very beginning, I expected it to be an experienced criminal.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless. She was afraid that anything she said now would be gossiped aboutter. To be honest, she was already doubting Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning. The god of luck couldn¡¯t be looking out for Chen Shi all the time.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu received a call and his expression changed dramatically after listening. He ordered, ¡°Terrible news! Jia escaped from the hospital! You are to follow me and hunt him down now!¡±


    1. Directly it would be tranted to flowery intestines. I am unsure of the backstory of this idiom, but it means that he has lots of ideas and tricks.


    2. Have ws. Not be so well thought-out.

 Chapter 48: Jia’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 48: Jia¡¯s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two vehicles of police rushed to the hospital. After getting out of the cars, Lin Qiupu yelled at the two officers who were waiting by the hospital door. "What the hell happened? How did he escape even though you guys were keeping watch?"


    Police officer A said, "We just smoked a cigarette in the corridor. It was only around 5 minutes, but by the time we got back he was gone."


    Police officer B said, "The guy was long awake. He stole the nurse''s ballpoint pen and opened his handcuffs using it. The hospital said that he might be in aa for a few weeks, so we just... Took it a bit lightly."


    Lin Qiupu waved their excuses off and said, "Okay, okay, now is not the time to reflect. Quickly find the person back! Everyone put your walkie talkies on the same channel. We need to split up to cover every neighborhood, parking lot, shopping mall and even every manhole cover!"


    The police officers dispersed quickly. Lin Qiupu stood in the same ce to act as a control centre. He constantly heard the subordinates from the radio saying, "I haven''t found him here!", "I asked the surrounding residents, and they did not see anyone with a hospital gowne by."


    Lin Qiupu got more and more impatient and annoyed. This wanted man has escaped twice in the past. We should have increased the number of police monitoring him.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue¡¯s voice came from the radio, "Brother, near the Rose Garden Community! Hurry up, I found him."


    Lin Qiupu quickly rushed the nearby officers to head on over, and he jumped into the police car and rushed there well beyond the speed limit.


    When they got to themunity, they heard an announcement from inside. "Residents of the Block 4, please close your doors. There is a wanted man who has fled into the building¡¯s corridors, everyone must be careful! If necessary, take self-defense measures!"


    The sound came from Lin Dongxue. Lin Qiupu followed the sound and saw her holding a microphone in her hand. She was shouting towards a unit building.


    It turned out that after she found Jia, she fired a warning shot and Jia fled into a residential building. As she feared that it would be a hostage situation, she immediately borrowed a microphone from the neighborhoodmittee members[1] to warn the residents of the building to be cautious.


    Lin Qiupu patted Lin Dongxue¡¯s shoulder and praised, "Good job!"


    He gestured for one group of police officers to go upstairs to catch the criminal and for another group of officers to go up to the roof of the building next door to attack him from top and bottom.[2]


    Jia was hurt and there wasn¡¯t much strength left in him. Two police officers finally found him on the seventh floor. He was madly hitting the door of an apartment with his body with a woman¡¯s screamsing from inside the door.


    "Do not move!"


    "Hands up!"


    Under the encirclement of the pistol, Jia had to raise his hands and was handcuffed again.


    Seeing that Jia was taken down, Lin Qiupu¡¯s anxiety levels settled back down to his stomach. He turned to Lin Dongxue. "This time your contributions were first ss. The credit is all yours."


    "The credit is not important. It is good to have no residents injured." Lin Dongxue smiled in satisfaction.


    Lin Qiupu was stunned and thought, My sister seems to be very capable now. Is it the influence of that guy?


    A police officer came over to report the situation. When Lin Qiupu learned that Jia was madly hitting the door of an apartment in panic when he had nowhere to go, Lin Qiupu said, "I see, this guy is a dog jumping over the wall[3]. I will go up to appease the resident. You all escort him back to the station first."


    "I will go too!" Lin Dongxue jumped in.


    The two went upstairs. The residents understood that the danger was lifted and began opening their doors curiously as they looked at Lin Qiupu. They asked him what the situation was, and he answered in a way that would appease them without giving away any critical information.


    On the seventh floor, the apartment was still closed. Lin Qiupu looked at the door andmented, "Hey, this guy was strong enough to make a dent in the door."


    He knocked on the door. "Hello, we are the police. We came to see if you needed anything."


    The woman in the house replied, "Nothing, it was just frightening."


    "The person has been apprehended."


    "Oh, that''s great. Thank you officers."


    After that, a young woman opened the door, and Lin Dongxue noticed that she was pregnant. She looked into the room and asked, "Big sister, are you alone?"


    "Yeah, my husband is still at work. Suddenly this happened... It really frightened me."


    "I am very sorry it made you so scared. Oh, right. This door has been damaged. We can reimburse the repair costs afterwards." Lin Qiupu said.


    "No need! As long as you¡¯ve caught the person, it¡¯s fine. This kind of person should be shot!"


    After they said their goodbyes to the pregnant woman, the two walked down the stairs. Lin Dongxue suddenly stopped and said, "Brother, why do I get the feeling that this young woman knows Jia?"


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Look at theyout of this floor. There are eight doors on each floor. Jia didn¡¯t pick the nearest one from the stairs, but picked the one furthest from him in the west wing... The young woman said, ''This kind of person should be shot.¡¯ Does she know what crimes Jia hasmitted? His wanted order did not seem to have been publicly published in the city... And when I chased him before, he seemed to run into this building with a purpose."


    Lin Qiupu muttered for a while and felt that Lin Dongxue¡¯s reasoning was very reasonable. He said, "Go back and check it out!"


    The two knocked on the door again, and the young woman opened the door and questioned, "Is there something wrong?"


    "With all due respect, do you know the man who just got caught?" Lin Qiupu said directly.


    "No... Don''t know!" The young woman''s eyes fluttered around anxiously.


    "Then why did he run into this unit and madly hit your door at the moment of arrest?"


    "You are joking, how would I know? You ask him!" said the young woman as she stroked her hair.


    Lin Dongxue noticed a recent knife wound on her arm. She said, "Have you been attacked recently?"


    "Uh..." The young woman looked at the wound on her arm. "This is... This is because I identally scratched myself."


    Lin Qiupu said, "The person has already been caught. You can tell us any hidden information!"


    "Really, there¡¯s nothing. Please excuse me!"


    The other party asked for them to leave and so they felt forced to do so. However, just when they turned around, the young woman suddenly shouted, "Wait, I have something to say. Please, won¡¯t youe in?"


    Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue exchanged a look before turning back into the house.


    When they entered the room, the two sat down at the table in the living room. The young woman made small talk for a while and asked if they would drink tea. The two said they didn''t need it.


    The young woman sighed and said, "To be honest, the guy who was caught is my ex-husband!"


    "Huh!?" Lin Dongxue looked surprised.


    The young woman said that she and Jia were married in 2012. At the time in Li Tong City, Jia was aborer. They got together because he was very funny and handsome. The young woman¡¯s family was very opposed to them being together. However, she disregarded her family and eloped with Jia.


    After the two married, the bad nature of Jia was gradually revealed. He was azy and grumpy person. There wasn¡¯t a single month that he properly went to work, and he would always try toe up with tricks to make some fast cash. As a result, the two had arge debt to shoulder. When Jia wasn¡¯t in a good mood or when things didn¡¯t go his way, he would take it out on her.


    At the time, she believed she would regret even upon her deathbed. She regretted not listening to her family''s words and washed her face in tears all day. Later, she forged her heart into iron and decided that she didn''t want to go through this kind of life anymore. She waited for Jia to go on a business trip and stole some money before fleeing back to Long''an City.


    Later, she got to know her current husband. Although he was introduced to her by her family, the two lived very well and she soon got pregnant with this crystallization of love.


    Unexpectedly, she saw Jia¡¯s murder in the news and saw that he was wanted. At that time, her emotions were veryplicated. She felt shock, pity and happiness all at the same time. It wasn¡¯t surprising for this disappointing guy to stoop to this level.


    1. In China, there are some self-proimed reps that neighbors may go to for help or advice.


    2. I can only assume that he means that you can ess the roof from another building because they are connected at the top, which isn¡¯t umon in Asia. The author specifically mentions that the other group was to go up the stairs of the building next to the current one so they can swarm the criminal from all sides.


    3. An expression where a dog would even jump over a wall if they were cornered enough.

 Chapter 49: Attacking the Defence

    <h4>Chapter 49: Attacking the Defence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu interrupted the young woman and asked, ¡°You and Jia did not divorce and then married the current gentleman. Then that means this is a bigamous...¡± He was afraid that the crime of bigamous marriage was much too grave, so he did not finish the sentence.


    The young woman said, ¡°When I eloped with Jia Zhenhua, my family kept my passport, so I wasn¡¯t able to obtain a marriage certificate. It is legally just regarded as cohabitation.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nodded and motioned her to continue talking.


    The young woman went on to say that when she went out to buy food a few days ago. She didn¡¯t know where Jia came from but he jumped out of nowhere holding a knife in his hand and said evilly, ¡°If it weren''t for you, I would not be like this!¡±


    In the dispute, the young woman¡¯s arm was sliced. Fortunately, there were passers-by passing by, and so Jia fled. The young woman did not want her husband to know about it, so she didn¡¯t report it to the police.


    ¡°This guy is simply scum. Whoever is with him will be unlucky. Please be sure to give him an indefinite period so that he will nevere out to harm others,¡± the young woman begged.


    ¡°Jia has a few lives on his hands, so he won¡¯t be able to escape the death penalty.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Qiupu frowned and muttered for a moment. He said, ¡°If it is convenient, I would like to take some samples of your DNA andpare it with the blood on the murder knife.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue to take a cotton swab and take some samples from the young woman''s mouth, and then they left.


    After returning, he threw Jia to other people for interrogation. He first went to the forensics department. Peng Sijue said, ¡°Captain Lin, you came? The DNA on the weapon has been tested and does not match the deceased.¡±


    Lin Dongxue on the side saw Lin Qiupu seemed to be about to faint. He took out the DNA sample of the young woman. ¡°Compare it with this sample, as soon as possible!¡±


    In the next two hours, Lin Qiupu had been pacing back and forth at the door of theb. No matter what Lin Dongxue said, she could not persuade him to stop and calm down.


    The result finally came out. Peng Sijue came out with two copies in his hand. He said, ¡°The DNA of the two is exactly the same. They are the same person.¡±


    ¡°Is there no other DNA on the weapon?¡±


    ¡°No, only this one!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked up at the sky and sighed as he said, ¡°It was wrong in the end!¡±


    A policeman ran over and said, ¡°Captain Lin, the interrogation is over. Jia refused to admit that he was rted to the headless female body.¡±


    ¡°People were not killed by him. First, hold him in the holding cell prison!¡± Lin Qiupu mmed his hand.


    Lin Qiupu went back to the office and sat at the table with his hands on his temples. Lin Dongxue knew that he must be frustrated now. She whispered, ¡°Brother, our clues are notpletely interrupted. Chen Shi over there...¡±


    ¡°Where am I going wrong?! Why am I always inferior to this driver?!¡± Lin Qiupu spread his hands in question.


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. When the case is broken, the credit belongs to the task force and you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hey, the year is not good!¡± Lin Qiupu patted his cheek and resumed his normal state. ¡°How is it going over on Chen Shi¡¯s side?¡±


    Lin Dongxue roughly summarized their findings, saying that they could officially search thepany tomorrow. Lin Qiupu nodded and said, ¡°Tell him that the bet this time, I lost again. If the case is broken, I will treat him to go to Dong Laishun[1] to eat mutton stew. No, I will treat everyone in the task force. If there is any need for help, just directly let me know.¡±


    ¡°Brother, how is your attitude so good after admitting your loss?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at him curiously.


    ¡°Stupid sister, how can you talk like that? I am only admitting my defeat. I¡¯m not a sore loser. Although Jia is really not involved in this case, I am d that I have not put all my eggs in one basket. At least we still have the clues from your end.¡±


    ¡°Thinking positively, you can both crack the headless female corpse case and catch a cross-provincial wanted murderer.¡±


    Lin Qiupu broke his icy poker face with a smile. He said, ¡°Go, go. The character strokes are still missing, there isn¡¯t even a single stroke drawn out of the 10. Don¡¯t miss the winning shot!¡±


    When they got out of the door, Lin Dongxue told Chen Shi the news. Chen Shi responded with a text message saying, ¡°Good disciple. You have been taught well, you have potential. Your brother is not so annoying now, see how lucky we are tomorrow!¡±


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi sent a message to Lin Dongxue and told her to look at her email inbox.


    There was a leaked video from an ¡°Anonymous Citizen¡± in the mailbox. The contents were of the morning meeting of the Kang Xing Electronics Company where the manager publicly sexually harasses his female employees. Lin Dongxue immediately took the video to the station director and applied for an arrest warrant.


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong brought several policemen to KangXing Company. Chen Shi arrived here early and was waiting for them downstairs. He said, ¡°Is the arrest warrant done?¡±


    ¡°Take a look!¡±


    ¡°Attack the defence! Go, go ahead!¡±


    When the fat manager saw a group of policemening in, his face paled from fear, and he stood up and smiled, ¡°Officers, what is happening this time?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed the arrest warrant and deliberately acted mysterious. ¡°What happened? You know it full well in your heart!¡±


    A cold drop of sweat fell down the fat manager¡¯s face and his eyes fluttered. When Xu Xiaodong came forward to cuff him, he actually wanted to jump out of the window. However, he was pressed on the table by several policemen. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°You publicly sexually harassed female employees in thepany. We have solid evidence. Come back to the station with us!¡±


    ¡°Oh, this thing?¡± The face of the fat manager revealed a glimmer of joy.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    ¡°No! No!¡± He shook his head like a wave drum, and the fat on his cheeks shook.


    ¡°So the sexual harassment is true then?¡±


    ¡°That is also fake, I have not done anything. Haha, you have to believe me, government!¡±


    Lin Dongxue waved her hand and dismissed him. ¡°Take him away!¡±


    Chen Shi whispered next to Lin Dongxue''s ear, ¡°Find two talkative trainers to apany him slowly, and leave a few people to search here.¡±


    After using this tactic[2], now the entire KangXing Company can be searched at random. Lin Dongxue asked the two police officers go down and look for blood stains in the parking lot and the entrance and exit of the building. She, Xu Xiaodong, Chen Shi, and two other police officers gathered the staff and prepared for the interrogation.


    The employees were concentrated in the conference room and everyone looked puzzled. Some of their eyes were darting back and forth and they all looked overwhelmed. Chen Shi took the employee¡¯s list and asked, ¡°All the workers are here?¡±


    ¡°All here, ourpany has seventeen people.¡±


    ¡°Who is an ountant?¡±


    A woman came out and Chen Shi said, ¡°Let''s talk over here in the corner.¡±


    Chen Shi asked the ountant to show him the sry payslips. The sry list for several years showed that there were only 17 people. Chen Shi did not believe it. He looked at the documentbels and said, ¡°Why were the 2015 and 2016 documents revised recently?¡±


    The ountant smiled nervously and said, ¡°The manager asked me to make a report, so I recently opened it.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°A few days ago!¡±


    ¡°Day of the week?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Monday!¡±


    ¡°How much is your monthly sry?¡± Chen Shi pressed on with his questioning.


    ¡°Six thousand four hundred.¡±[3]


    Chen Shi smiled. He nced at the name card on the front of the ountant and pointed to a column on the form and said, ¡°But on this, your sry is over seven thousand!¡±[4]


    1. Real ce. Hot pot with a chimney in the middle. Lamb and mutton there taste really nice apparently.http://.chinesefoodfans/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/donishun02.jpg


    2. Actual war tactic in the past. To summarize, in a war, they first utilized A to eliminate B. After all was said and done, they eliminated A as well.


    3. Around $900 USD.


    4. Around $980 USD.

 Chapter 50: Keeping Your Mouth Shut

    <h4>Chapter 50: Keeping Your Mouth Shut</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The ountant replied in cold sweat, ¡°Part of it was paid into our national mandatory benefit scheme.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Chen Shi retorted mercilessly. ¡°The above is stated very clearly. After subtracting insurance and benefit contributions, it totals to more than seven thousand.¡±


    ¡°No... No, it¡¯s just that the money waste to be deducted!¡±


    Chen Shi sneered, took out his phone and called Lin Dongxue over.


    The two took the ountant to the staff office area. Chen Shi pulled drawers open to search and found two pay slips. Then they went back to the ounting office and checked. The actual sry was less than in the sry list document.


    Chen Shi took a pen and roughly calcted it. Then he called Lin Dongxue over and whispered in her ear, ¡°The extra sry is exactly the amount of an extra person''s sry. The fat guy is very sly. I bet he knew that we were going to check this.¡±


    ¡°Sly!¡± Lin Dongxue straightened up and looked at the ountant. ¡°Don¡¯t hide it. How many people are in yourpany?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! There¡¯s obviously eighteen people. The payroll and employee information have been edited. You erased the disappeared person out of thin air!¡±


    The ountant sputtered, ¡°Officers, I don''t know what you are talking about. What exactly are you investigating?¡±


    ¡°At the morning meeting, did you also kiss the manager?¡± Chen Shi suddenly asked.


    The ountant broke out in a cold sweat.


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Oh, I just remembered... Your surname is Xiao[1] and the manager is also named Xiao. You are rtives! So, you helped him get away with it. Forget it. We¡¯re not going to ask you any longer. We¡¯ll just ask the others. If you let us find out about everything ourselves, your crime of obstruction of justice cannot be escaped.¡±


    As the two got up to leave, the ountant pulled Chen Shi¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Officer, I really don¡¯t know what you are looking for!¡±


    ¡°Is it really unclear in your own heart?¡± Chen Shi moved her hand away.


    Chen Shi called a police officer to look after the ountant. The two brought another employee to the office. Chen Shi directly asked, ¡°When did Xiao Li have her incident?¡±


    The employee panicked and shook his head desperately. ¡°Who is Xiao Li?!¡±


    Chen Shi sneered. His demeanour had already exposed the fact that he was lying, but the dead duck¡¯s beak[2] was hard. This guy was not going to admit it even if he died.


    ¡°When she was killed, did you participate in rape?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about!¡±


    Chen Shi mmed the table so hard it shook the cactus nts that were on it. The staff member they were interrogating was so scared he contracted his neck. His forehead broke out in cold sweat. Chen Shi continued, ¡°A human life, do you regard it as such a small thing? The police have mastered the evidence. Now, just look at your attitude and see whether you want to be a witness or add another sin to your list of sins!¡±


    The staff member shook like a sieve and his mouth was still desperately saying, ¡°I don''t know! I don''t know!¡±


    After that, no matter what Chen Shi said, he said this sentence over and over. This person had entered a state of psychological defence,pletely escaping from reality.


    Chen Shi waved him away as Lin Dongxueined, ¡°His mouth is too tight!¡±


    ¡°The manager must have given them a lot of benefits.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡±


    ¡°Continue asking. Change to a woman this time.¡±


    A female employee was brought in. When she came in, she was scared and pale. Chen Shi yed good cop this time and said with a smile, ¡°How is your rtionship with Xiao Li?¡±


    ¡°Rtionship... Who is Xiao Li?¡± The female employee looked up sharply and her eyes were full of alert.


    ¡°Don''t act, we have found Xiao Li''s body, her family has reported that she¡¯s missing, and all the evidence points to thispany.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about!¡± The female employee became extremely nervous. She looked at Lin Dongxue and at Chen Shi, but she didn¡¯t dare make any eye contact with them.


    Chen Shi pointed to her clothes and pointed out, ¡°Your clothes are very old, but there are a pair of new shoes on your feet. I noticed that the employees here either have new phones or new clothes, indicating that you have recently made some extra money. It seems that the manager has given you a mouth-sealing fee.¡±


    The female employee¡¯s hand kept shaking. She suddenly covered her ear and said desperately, ¡°Don¡¯t ask, I don¡¯t know anything! I don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    Chen Shi grit his teeth and waved to take her away.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Looks like their mental state is not very tough. Would you like to bring them back and interrogate them slowly?¡±


    ¡°This is to not let your brother see me as useless.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed, ¡°Do you guys have to have face?¡±


    ¡°It''s about the dignity of men!¡± Chen Shi said jokingly.


    ¡°Should we continue the interrogations?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, let''s go out for a meal.¡±


    ¡°What about those people?¡±


    ¡°The policemen will look after them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don''t y games here, use all the tricks up your sleeve!¡±


    ¡°I just want to torture them for a bit... Ah yes, you call a technician over to bring a kit for testing saliva enzymes. The previous sample data should also be brought over.¡±


    The two naturally did not go to eat, they only stayed there waiting for a while. Chen Shi did not idle for a second, looked at the work of all the people one by one. Then Xu Xiaodong ran in ¡°What are you guys doing? It¡¯s been two hours. I¡¯d like to ask them, not talk about them. I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry! If you go out for a meal first, let someone else monitor them for a while.¡± Chen Shi said calmly.


    ¡°Brother Chen, what exactly are you up to?¡±


    At this time, footsteps were heard in the corridor. They saw Peng Sijue and an assistant walking in with the testing kit. Chen Shi¡¯s eyes widened and said, ¡°Captain Peng came in person? Giving too much face!¡±


    ¡°There are not enough people. Can¡¯t be helped, let''s get started!¡± Peng Sijue said coldly.


    Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, ¡°Go give them a ss of water. After the drink, take back the cup. You must remember which cup belongs to who.¡±


    ¡°Seventeen people, how can I remember them all?¡±


    Lin Dongxue picked up the disposable paper cup and said, ¡°You can make an inconspicuous mark on the bottom of this paper cup.¡±


    ¡°This is a good idea! Dongxue, you are really smart!¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop cosying up to me. Hurry up!¡±


    Ten minutester, Xu Xiaodong came over with a bag of paper cups. Peng Sijue and his assistant immediately began to test. Several people were anxiously waiting at the scene, then the results were here.


    ¡°Sample No.1 is exactly the same as the salivary enzyme found on the deceased,¡± said Peng Sijue


    Lin Dongxue clenched her fist and made a cheering action. Peng Sijue poured cold water on her. ¡°Don''t be too happy, salivary enzymes are not as stable and urate as DNA.¡±


    In the end, five of the six salivary enzymes on the deceased were found among the employees. Chen actually left and came back, holding a boss cup in his hand and saying, ¡°Test this.¡±


    ¡°Exact match!¡±, Peng Sijue said.


    Chen Shi¡¯s pped his hands, ¡°The evidence is conclusive, that is, the rape of the deceased by the employees and the fat manager. What a good wolf-likepany. They hurt someone and it¡¯s a collective silence!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said with enthusiasm, ¡°Would you like to apply for a second arrest warrant and ask them to return to the office to drink tea?¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to change the field, let another persone in. We will interrogate them face to face!¡±


    Then there was a shout from outside, ¡°Not good, there¡¯s an escapee!¡±


    1. It could be written as ¡°Su¡± as well, depending on where you¡¯re from.


    2. A duck¡¯s beak is hard to begin with, meaning it¡¯s stubborn. Furthermore, a dead duck would mean there¡¯s no way they¡¯re uttering a single word.

 Chapter 51: The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 51: The Truth</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    They went to the conference room and saw that the employees were all trying to run away while creating chaos while the two police officers on the scene were desperately trying to maintain order.


    Chen Shi went over and cautioned, ¡°You all need to remain calm! Are you guys trying to attack the police?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear who caused it, but a chair leg found its way towards Chen Shi¡¯s head in the chaos, and a few drops of blood began to run down his head.


    Chen Shi was so angry that he kicked a pot-nt in the corridor. When the pot made a bang due to the contact made, the crowd suddenly calmed down. Chen Shi¡¯s face, which was covered in blood, looked very fierce and intense. He sternly reprimanded them without raising his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t think the police don¡¯t know what you all did on the night of the 4th of October. No matter how much trouble you all create now, it¡¯s just the act of a dog jumping over the wall[1]. Nobody can help you now. The only way out of this is to cooperate with the police and to look out for yourself!¡±


    The employees dipped their heads down one by one as if they were primary school students that had done something wrong. This was especially true for the male employees. Their expressions were particrly flustered.


    Lin Dongxue nced at the men. There were ten men present. That is to say, at least five of the men present were involved in the rape of the deceased.


    The staff members were taken back to the conference room. Chen Shi used another trick that was up his sleeve. He told the guards to take off their coats and expose their guns with live ammunition. The people who were guilty would usually confess readily after seeing the guns.


    Shortly after, a male employee wearing sses was asked to be interrogated.


    Lin Dongxue took out a facial tissue for Chen Shi and asked, ¡°Would you like to go to the hospital to get yourself checked?¡±


    Chen Shi touched his head in the ce where he was cut and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just need to go wash the wound a bit in the bathroom.¡±


    After a while, Chen Shi ced a band aid on his head and returned to the office. The male employee was surrounded by Xu Xiaodong, Lin Dongxue, and Peng Sijue. He looked like he was in the position of a criminal back in the day in the royal courts where there were three officials holding a trial. He kept rubbing and ying with his hands nervously.


    Chen Shi whispered to ask Xu Xiaodong, ¡°What is his number?¡±


    ¡°No. 6!¡±


    This was the numberbelled on their paper cups earlier. Chen Shi remembered that this person was also one of the people involved in the rape.


    He nced at the name tag on the male employee''s chest and questioned, ¡°You are Luo Xiaohui, right? Are you acquainted with Xiao Li?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± It was still the same answer they got earlier.


    ¡°Did your manager threaten or bribe you? Did he forbid anyone from telling the truth? But now that your manager has been detained, who¡¯s going to reward or punish you? No one can help you!¡±


    ¡°Really... I really don''t know who that is!¡±


    ¡°Do you know how terrible the quality of your lie is? It¡¯s so awful that it should be used as a sample for people attending their first-year of police academy.¡±


    The employee bowed his head down in silence.


    Xu Xiaodong whispered, ¡°Fuck, they really won¡¯t cry until they can see their coffin... Captain Peng, show him the evidence!¡±


    Peng Sijue dered calmly, ¡°Your salivary enzymes are exactly the same as those found on the body of the deceased.¡±


    The staff member was visibly panicked but was still unwilling to confess.


    Chen Shi went to the employee¡¯s work station and took an exercise book for the civil service exam from under a stack of magazines. He queried, ¡°Xiaohui, have you been preparing for the civil service exam recently?¡±


    ¡°I was just casually looking at it.¡±


    ¡°Just casually looking at it? The answer fields are almost full. It seems that you don''t like the job you have right now very much. Do you hate the manager? Or hate the atmosphere here?¡±


    The staff continued to look down in silence.


    Chen Shi walked right up to him. ¡°Want to take the civil service exam? If your record is not clean, no one will want you. Will you leave stains on your record? That all depends on your current attitude. This ship you¡¯re currently on will definitely sink. There¡¯s no point struggling to save it in desperation. Even if you are all tight-lipped, when the evidence is taken to court, do you think you can escape? We are giving you a chance now. If you pass the vige, you will note by this store again[2]. You have to think clearly about this! ¡°


    The employee suddenly held his head and squatted on the floor. He burst into tears, shocking everyone present.


    Chen Shi gave him a facial tissue thoughtfully. After crying, the employee asked, ¡°Do you have a cigarette?¡±


    Chen Shi handed a cigarette over and even lit it for him. The employee who was still shaken began puffing through the cigarette. The first sentence he said was, ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her!¡±


    ¡°Talk us about what you saw.¡±


    He began to tell what happened that night slowly. The day was a payday. It was also a summary meeting after the end of the sales season. Thepany ordered some goods and food for the gathering, but everyone was not very upbeat about it. They knew that they were going to celebrate some employees, but would also be berating others today.


    Thepany has always promoted wolf culture, and people with poor performance would be severely punished. For example, in the winter, they would be punished to run in the snow naked, or they would have to p each other. More severe punishments included, but was not limited to the manager forcing them to drink the water in the toilet bowls. These tactics were used to humiliate them.


    A few years ago, there was a male employee. Because he was forced to run through the snow naked on a cold day, he developed respiratory diseases. The manager directly fired him due to this. He also sternly warned everyone that the world runs on survival of the fittest, and the useless trash would be eliminated.


    He once asked himself why he was here to be humiliated. Some employees could not stand the culture and resigned. The most plentiful thing in thebour market is people. In the words of the manager, if you don¡¯t do it, someone else will.


    The manager yelled at them, forced the female colleagues to do that kind of thing at the morning meetings, punished some of them. However, after staying for such a long time, everyone seemed to be numb to it all. The adaptability of people was truly terrifying.


    ¡°Talk about the case!¡± Lin Dongxue interrupted impatiently.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! That night...¡±


    He recounted that after dinner that night, the manager stood up with a dark expression. ording to the usual practice, several employees who had not performed well were called out. Those who had barely passed the benchmark watched everything like a show and beat the others while they were down. Xiao Li was among the unlucky employees.


    This time, the manager thought up a new trick. They told them to take off all their clothes and keep drinking. They needed to drink until they vomited, and then continue drinking again.


    Several male employees passed out on the spot. Xiao Li announced that she had been sick recently and could not drink. The manager exploded in rage and after saying a few unpleasant words, he ordered two employees to go over, pinch her nose, and force the alcohol into her mouth.


    It may be that in the process, the manager made contact with Xiao Li a few times and thought of something very evil. Xiao Li¡¯s figure was really good in all honesty, and she usually wore sexy clothing. It was easy to make people think perverted thoughts, so the managermanded people to tie Xiao Li onto the table.


    Everyone felt it was a bit wrong, but in thepany no one dared to resist the power of the manager.


    After Xiao Li was tied up and naked, the manager began to undo his belt. He spat, ¡°Look here, this is the consequence of being trash!¡± Then, he raped her in public. Xiao Li was so drunk at the time that she didn¡¯t struggle much.


    The manager went to the side to smoke after enjoying himself. Everyone drank a lot of wine that night. A male employee who usually followed closely behind the manager and sucked up to him also began to take off his pants. Several female employees looked at the situation and prepared to leave. The manager yelled at them saying, ¡°Nobody is allowed to leave!¡±


    It seemed that there was implied permission from the manager, so the male employee became more and more arrogant. After finishing his round with her, he motioned to a staff member who had a good rtionship with him. ¡°This little x is very tight[3]. You shoulde over and enjoy yourself too!¡±


    It was really difficult to listen to the retelling of the incident. They actually gang-raped Xiao Li that night. This included the person who was doing the retelling.


    ¡°How many people in total?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Seven... Except for the three guys who passed out, the rest all did the deed.¡± The staff member stammered with a cold sweat.


    After that, they were unsure who, but someone suddenly shouted saying that Xiao Li wasn¡¯t breathing. Everyone was frightened and tried doing CPR on her.


    The manager was so scared that he sobered up. He used his hand to check for Xiao Li¡¯s breathing and checked her body to see if she was really dead. He then threatened everyone. ¡°You all are involved in this situation! No one can leak this to anyone. Whoever dares to even make a peep, I¡¯ll get a brother[4] to kill them!¡±


    1. Dog desperately trying to jump over a wall or anything possible when they are rushed into a corner/cornered.


    2. You can¡¯t board this ship once it¡¯s passed. You may miss this only opportunity.


    3. They really put ¡°little x¡±, though I¡¯m assuming everyone knows what this means.


    4. A triad member.

 Chapter 52: Human Nature

    <h4>Chapter 52: Human Nature</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The manager paced around Xiao Li¡¯s body for a long time and almost smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. Everyone on the scene was very scared.


    The manager suddenly insisted, ¡°We have to cut her head off. The police won''t know who she is and they won''t investigate her all the way to us!¡± Then, he pointed to the female employees, ¡°You guys go get the tools!¡±


    Under the manager''s shouting demand, the female employees slowly moved out and went to the hardware store a few streets over to buy the tools. Among the female employees, there was an ountant who was the manager''s rtive and his confidant. The whole process waspleted under her supervision.


    In order to make everyone unable to get rid of their rtion to this crime, the manager instructed the female employees to move the body to an open space behind the parking lot and then saw her head off there. They were also supervised while they scrubbed and disinfected the area.


    Later, he called two male employees to wrap the body in stic and throw it away in the wild. They were told to throw the head and body in two separate ces.


    Then, the manager took a bag of money from the safe in the office and threw 10,000 yuan to each person. He reminded, ¡°No one can say anything about today! Otherwise, we are all doomed. Do you understand?¡±


    After this incident, the wholepany was shrouded in a fearful and oppressive atmosphere. Colleagues did not even smile when they met. Everyone had a look of embarrassment and shame.


    The manager also tied up some loose ends, including disposing of the desk that Xiao Li was tied to and clearing all her files to let her existence evaporatepletely. He also repeatedly put pressure on the employees.


    He told the staff that if the police came to investigate, they would have to keep their mouths shut. The police wouldn¡¯t really harass them and that he would deal with the police himself.


    He also cautioned them that the police would interrogate them separately.They might try to swindle them by saying that others have already confessed. He told us not to be afraid, as these are allmon tactics.


    ¡°The manager also said...¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough!¡± Lin Dongxue couldn''t listen anymore. She ground her teeth together. ¡°A bunch of monsters!¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°How did he deal with Xiao Li¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Li is a migrant worker. She lived alone and would only contact family asionally, so they don¡¯t know about this yet.¡±


    ¡°Where did she sit?¡±


    The employee pointed in one direction. ¡°It was originally here, butter...¡±


    ¡°It was dealt with?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He agreed with a cold sweat.


    ¡°Do you have her information?¡±


    ¡°It was all destroyed... Ah, wait!¡±


    The employee took them to the corridor. He opened a power supply box. It turned out to be a small mourning hall with a picture of a girl with electric candles on both sides. Below the photo were some simple gifts such as candy and cakes.


    The employee borated, ¡°I don''t know who set up this little shrine for her, but everyone¡¯s filled with guilt, so they went there to mourn her death.¡± When he said those words, he wiped a tear away from his eyes. ¡°Xiao Li, I am sorry. I¡¯m not human!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the use in saying this now?!¡± Lin Dongxue hated this group of people to her very bones.


    ¡°Do you have nightmares about this?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    The employee assented. ¡°It happens every night. Every night, I dream of Xiao Li without a head,ing to me to exact revenge.¡±


    Chen Shi instructed Lin Dongxue, ¡°Okay, the truth is clear. Control everyone.¡±


    The employee babbled in a panic. ¡°Officers, didn¡¯t you say you would let me off?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say that. Wait until the case ispletely clear, then we¡¯ll decide on how to deal with you!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her! I swear! She was even moaning when I was doing her!¡± Hepletely had a change in attitude desperately trying to justify and excuse himself. Lin Dongxue really wanted to p him.


    Lin Dongxue called the bureau and Lin Qiupu personally brought a group of people toe over and took everyone away. Thepany was also sealed.


    Lin Qiupu sniggered. ¡°You¡¯re really something!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°And our bet?¡±


    ¡°All good. I¡¯ll treat you all to mutton at Dong Laishun in a few days.¡± Although the bet was lost, the case was broken so Lin Qiupu''s expression was particrly rxed.


    However, the case had not really ended. The biggest difficulty in this case was to judge and attribute each crime to each individual. The male employees used all kinds of tactics to excuse themselves during their interrogations. All kinds of ugly lies and tricks were used, making the interrogators sick.


    Peng Sijue suggested to Lin Qiupu, ¡°The deceased died of postural asphyxia. To be precise, she was taking paracetamol. This medicine has a certain deterrent effect on lung function. She was brutally bound while in this state, causing suffocation and death. So the murder portion should be attributed to the person who tied her up.¡±


    Lin Qiupu adopted his professional advice. The responsibility of the murder for the whole case fell on the head of the fat manager. Although he excused himself and tried asking for awyer, it was all toote. Soon after, all the people involved were transferred to holding cells to await their trials.


    The fat manager¡¯s crime of manughter and rape couldn¡¯t be escaped. As for the employees, except for those that suffered penalties and didn¡¯t participate, others have more or less left stains on their records. They would use their whole lives to pay for their one night of madness.


    These were all matters to be dealt withter on.


    While their trials were getting prepared, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and Peng Sijue drove to a wastnd in the western suburbs. The bureau was now understaffed with 17 people being interrogated, so the task of finding the remains of the deceased fell on them.


    ¡°It should be around here?¡± Lin Dongxue was looking outside the car the whole time.


    ¡°There is a red painted pole in front of us.¡±


    ¡°This is it!¡±


    After parking, the three went into the few hundred acres of wastnd to find a head. It was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. Chen Shi searched until his back was sore. He stood up, lit a cigarette up for himself and took a breather. Suddenly, he found Peng Sijue standing beside him.


    Out of courtesy, Chen Shi took out a cigarette and beckoned, ¡°Captain Peng,e and have one!¡±


    Peng Sijue took the cigarette offered to him and said, ¡°No one has ever offered me a cigarette because I never smoked in the unit, so they all thought I didn''t smoke... How did you know that I smoke?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that you smoked!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°I only know that this is the polite thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi, you always remind me of a person.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, your friend? People like Captain Peng, so cold-faced and cold-hearted, also has friends?¡±


    Peng Sijue did not pay attention to his jokes and questioned, ¡°A Wang Yueche driver solving three odd cases consecutively is unbelievable! Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to know the answer to that question too!¡± Chen Shi shrugged and smiled. He hit the lighter and used his other hand to shield it as he helped light the cigarette for Peng Sijue.


    ¡°Found it!¡±


    Lin Dongxue ran over with joy when she saw this scene andughed. ¡°When did the rtionship between you two get so good? Hey, Captain Peng also smokes?¡±


    ¡°Less nonsense. Let¡¯s go have a look!¡± Peng Sijue took out a test tube and threw the two cigarettes they just had inside, effectively extinguishing them.


    The trio went over to the rotten head in the grass. From the long hair, they could infer that it was a woman.


    Lin Dongxue sighed, ¡°Such a good girl. How did ite to this? How could this group of people be so awful?!¡±


    ¡°This is probably the so-called collective unconsciousness theory. A person with morality ced in the collective will be infected by the atmosphere, lose his mind and be a beast as well.¡± Chen Shi mused.


    ¡°Carl Jung¡¯s theory.¡±[1] Peng Sijue added, ¡°But why do people do such evil things when they¡¯re in a group? Perhaps at the end of the day, human nature is evil!¡±


    Cold wind blew past them all of a sudden, as if the deceased¡¯s soul was weeping.


    Lin Dongxue closed her hands and faced the head as she whispered, ¡°Xiao Li, rest in peace!¡±


    1. Although I¡¯m not 100% sure, I believe that he meant the psychiatrist/psychoanalyst, Carl Gustav Jung. This is the Wikipedia page for Carl Jung for anyone interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung.

 Chapter 53: Peng Sijue’s Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 53: Peng Sijue''s Doubts</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 4: Another Family¡¯s Child


    That night, Lin Qiupu asked everyone to eat mutton at Dong Laishun as part of their case-solving celebration feast.


    When Peng Sijue received the text message, he was still finishing up his work at the office. He had been so busy the past few days that he almost died. As a result, the office was aplete mess and it was unbearable for him.


    He put all the trash into garbage bins and organized things by putting them back where they belonged. After all his hard work, Peng Sijue nodded to himself in satisfaction. The amount of sleep he had gotten these past two days totalled to less than ten hours, which made him look horrible and lifeless. Honestly, he had no appetite at all. He just wanted to go back home and have a good night¡¯s rest.


    Suddenly, he thought of something. Peng Sijue took out a photo from the bottom of one of his drawers. It was a photo of him and another male police officer. He was five years younger in the photo than he was now, yet his expression was exactly the same.


    The other person in the photo who was smiling happily was his former colleague, Song Lang.


    He rubbed the photo for a moment whilst he reminisced about the past. He suddenly stood up, walked out, took his own car and went straight to the crime scene.


    At this time, it was already eight o''clock at night. The sky waspletely dark and the whole building was without lights. Peng Sijue went to the floor where Kang Xing Company was located, and used a gloved hand to push away the tape the officers used to cordon off the area to get to the corridor.


    He held a cotton bud in one hand and a shlight in the other. He was searching for a certain bloodstain on the ground.


    However, he couldn¡¯t find anything no matter how hard he searched.


    He pressed his finger over the area he believed the blood stains were originally and sniffed his finger to confirm that there was the smell of ammonium hydroxide. Only seasoned criminals knew that ammonium could remove blood. Of course, senior police officers would know this information too.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    He stood up and walked towards the window-sill. Suddenly, he saw a car leaving the parking lot. The model was very simr to that of Chen Shi¡¯s car.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called. He asked, ¡°Lao Peng, why haven¡¯t you arrived yet? We¡¯re going to finish all the meat soon!¡±


    ¡°Is that driver there yet?¡±


    ¡°He said that he is still driving a passenger to their destination and that he will be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wille over now!¡±


    Peng Sijue went downstairs and rushed to the restaurant, but didn''t go in. He stood at the door and stared at everyone who went in.


    Finally, Chen Shi¡¯s smiling face greeted him. ¡°Hm? Did you just arrive as well?¡±


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Peng Sijue asked coldly.


    ¡°I took an order on the way here.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Peng Sijue suddenly grabbed Chen Shi''s hand. Although he was someone that looked like he could be blown away with just a gust of wind, his strength was great. He grabbed Chen Shi''s hand and pulled it under his nose. However, he couldn¡¯t smell anything on the hands after sniffing them.


    Chen Shi pulled his hand back. ¡°What are you doing Captain Peng? Are we this familiar with each other now?¡±


    Peng Sijue snorted coldly and turned away from the restaurant. He muttered to himself as he walked towards the road, ¡°I must find out your identity!¡±


    The headless female corpse case quickly entered the legal process. In front of concrete evidence, the fat manager confessed to all the crimes. However, he was very dissatisfied with the result of the trial and pointed to his employees at the auditorium. ¡°Those people killed her! I don''t care! I want to appeal! I want to appeal!¡±


    On this day, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue also went to listen to the trial. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know where he went wrong even until the end,¡± Chen Shi rebuked.


    Lin Dongxue thought about the trial. ¡°Now that I think about it. For such a terrible thing to happen, it¡¯spletely rted to the atmosphere of thepany and this kind of boss who wants to trample on the dignity of others.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to say that fortunately you don''t have to work in this kind ofpany?¡± Chen Shiughed.


    ¡°On such a serious topic, you¡¯re actuallyughing?!¡± Lin Dongxue hit Chen Shi with her fist.


    The relevant reports of this case soon became public. On the headlines, Lin Qiupu made great achievements and there was nobody who couldpete with the limelight he received. Chen Shi was only a ¡°good-hearted citizen¡± who was barely mentioned by the reporter, but he couldn¡¯t care less about it.


    Many people on the Inte spontaneously prayed for Meng Xiaoli, the victim of the case. However, such acts faded in only a week and life continued on as per usual.


    The calm life continued until the end of October. On this day, a flustered young man jumped into the car and urged, ¡°Hurry and start the car!¡±


    ¡°Hey, this is an online taxi service and you haven¡¯t ced an order.¡± Chen Shi reminded.


    ¡°Less nonsense, just start your car!¡± The young man took out two hundred yuan and pushed it over to Chen Shi. Chen Shi took the money and smelled it. There was a heavy scent of sweat on the notes.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Are you blind? What¡¯s wrong with your eyes? We need to go to the hospital!¡± It turned out that the guy¡¯s leg was injured.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head to the nearest Third People''s Hospital!¡±


    ¡°No, no, just find a small clinic.¡±


    Chen Shi sneered but still started his car. However, whilst he was on his way, he sent a text message to Lin Dongxue.


    The car drove directly to a road next to the city police station. The young man was ying mobile games on his phone, so he had his head lowered the whole time. When the car stopped, he looked up and found that something was wrong. He cursed, ¡°You stinking driver, where did you take me?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Get off.¡±


    ¡°Fuck right off! I¡¯ll stab you! We¡¯re right next to the city bureau! Are you blind? Wait... Huh?!¡±


    At this time, a group of police appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the car. The guy pushed open the car door and got ready to run away. However, he was grabbed by Xu Xiaodong in one swift, beautiful motion. Xu Xiaodong then handcuffed him on the car. Chen Shi extended his head out of the car and cautioned, ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t scratch my car, okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Brother Chen!¡± Xu Xiaodong reassured.


    The guy nced at Chen Shi, who smiled and advised, ¡°Next time, be more alert. You need to be cautious rather than taking the first car you see.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid there is no next time.¡± Lin Dongxue looked at her phone and confirmed, ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it. This guy is one of the members of the robbery. Bring him back!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong and the rest took the criminal away while Lin Dongxue took the opportunity to get in the car. She patted Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re really something. How could you tell that he was a fugitive?¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to his forehead. ¡°Didn¡¯t his forehead have the words ¡°bad guy¡± clearly written on it?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lin Dongxue grinned and punched him. ¡°How have you been recently?¡±


    ¡°Why? Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop it!¡±


    ¡°I am still the same. What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°Haii, it¡¯s been super busy. We¡¯ve been catching little criminals every single day.¡±


    ¡°Does Miss Lin want a case to happen that causes a big sensation or something?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Of course not!¡± Lin Dongxue desperately denied. ¡°Long¡¯an City should be safe and secure, so ideally there won¡¯t be anything like family massacres and the like.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of massacres, we seem to have never had a serial killing on this feng shui[1] treasure of and here in Long¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you crow''s mouth![2] Don''t say things like that!¡±


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue to the front door of the station and said, ¡°I still need to do more rounds of orders. I won¡¯t stay to chat with you today. I¡¯ll drop by one day!¡±


    ¡°Right, can youe by to my house tonight?¡±


    ¡°Want to invite me to dinner?¡± Chen Shi joked whileughing.


    ¡°I am embarrassed to ask, but will you fix my ceiling light for me? The chandelier on my ceiling fell downpletely, but thendlord¡¯s whole family went on vacation. I don''t know who to ask... I¡¯ll treat you to dinner!¡±


    ¡°Prepare beer!¡±


    Lin Dongxue wanted to promise, but then she suddenly had a thought. ¡°You can''t drive after drinking though? Surely you¡¯re not asking to spend the night at my house, right?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re offering, I have no opinion.¡±


    ¡°Screw off! You perverted old uncle!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I wille over to your ce after I get off work at night.¡±


    ¡°Bring tools! I don¡¯t have anything like that at home.¡±


    1. Chinese pseudoscience that dates back to the ancient times. There are systems that govern spatial arrangement and energy in order to harmonize or bring benefits to individuals through the utilization of their current or potential surroundings.


    2. Someone who says bad things. It refers to people who provoke or cause negative feelings through the words they say, and it is assumed that this will bring about bad luck that may cause the negative thing they¡¯ve mentioned to be reality.

 Chapter 54: Campus Dismembered Body Case

    <h4>Chapter 54: Campus Dismembered Body Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue went home after work in the evening. She heard the doorbell ring right after she changed her clothes.


    As soon as the door opened, Chen Shi came in with multiple bags. Lin Dongxue was stunned. ¡°What are you doing? Are you nning to live with me?!¡±


    Chen Shi put all his things down. It turned out to be vegetables and meat bought from the supermarket. Hemented, ¡°I can¡¯t stand watching you eat instant noodles every day. I¡¯ll give you a delicious meal.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly but did not refuse.


    After the chandelier was repaired, Chen Shi rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen to work. Lin Dongxue did not even finish half an episode of the TV series she had been watching when Chen Shi had already cooked up a few dishes. He made lettuce doused in oyster sauce, stir-fried marinated pork slices, and eggnts with pork mince, filling her table up with food. Lin Dongxue was full of praise, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you also knew how to cook!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am a senior bachelor. If I can''t even cook, wouldn¡¯t I just be trash?¡±


    Lin Dongxue used her chopsticks to dig in and taste his cooking. Chen Shi¡¯s cooking skills were very good, but she couldn¡¯t very well ept this gift knowing she¡¯d probably have to do something in return. She pried, ¡°You suddenly came to cook for me. What¡¯s your motive behind this?¡±


    ¡°When are you going to learn to think of people in a positive light?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my upational habit.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you think this way, how do you n to reward me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s voice became almost an octave higher. ¡°Ha! That means you truly did harbor evil thoughts!¡±


    ¡°Originally, socializing is for mutual benefit. Even if it is not for any immediate benefits, it would be for the benefits of the future.¡±


    ¡°What do you want in return then? I¡¯ll treat you to food then.¡±


    ¡°Justpliment my cooking!¡± Seeing Lin Dongxue''s surprised face, Chen Shi sighed, ¡°I used a lot of effort to buy ingredients and make you a nice meal, but I didn¡¯t even receive a good word from you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue muttered, ¡°It was yummy.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Chen Shi smiled and dipped his head down to eat.


    This guy can be really nice to people, but he takes roundabout ways to show it. Guess this could be said as a reason to why he¡¯s cute.


    No, no, I can''t feel good about him just because of a meal. She warned herself internally.


    After dinner, Chen Shi cleaned up the dishes. Lin Dongxue offered to do it, but Chen Shi washed the dishes quickly in an experienced manner.


    Lin Dongxue extended, ¡°Would you like to have a cup of tea?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll head back home to watch TV. I¡¯m going to take my leave.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was a little embarrassed. ¡°I will see you off!¡±


    When they got downstairs, Lin Dongxue received a call from Lin Qiupu. ¡°Dongxue, are you at home right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°There is a private high school near Qing Zhu Road. Someone reported that they found a bag of corpses. I am busy over on my end and can¡¯t take out time toe over. You need to go over and handle it.¡±


    When she heard that there was ¡°a bag of corpses,¡± Lin Dongxue immediately thought that it was a body dismemberment case.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head over now.¡±


    ¡°Be careful on the road. Don¡¯t carpool with anyone! Remember to send a text message to me when you¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I am going to handle a case, not visit rtives.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I have to go.¡± Lin Qiupu hung up the phone in embarrassment.


    Lin Dongxue directly opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What happened? Is there a case?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at him curiously. ¡°What are you made of?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Why do I have cases whenever I¡¯m with you?¡±


    ¡°Haha, pure coincidence... Where are you heading to?¡±


    ¡°Qing Zhu Road!¡±


    Qing Zhu Road was only three kilometres away from Lin Dongxue¡¯s residence. In less than fifteen minutes, the two arrived and inquired about what happened from the people at the little newspaper kiosk. This road had a private high school called Pu Si Foreign Language School.


    The two entered the school and Lin Dongxue showed the certificate to the guard who stopped the car. The guard cried in excitement, ¡°Oh, you guys came! The school is about to explode in chaos!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°When there was a cleaner at night picking up the trash can, they found a bloody ck bag. When the bag was opened, they found some hair and flesh inside. He thought it was an animal in the beginning, but when he pushed the bag around to see, he saw a man¡¯s hand, so he quickly reported the case. Go and have a look. Just downstairs at unit 4 of the teachers¡¯ dorms.¡±


    Chen Shi went to park the car. The two went to unit 4 of the faculty dormitories and saw a group of people who gathered together. Lin Dongxue carried her ID high up with her hands and pushed through the crowd. When the crowd saw the policeing to the scene, everyone began exining the situation at the same time. The situation each person described was roughly the same.


    Chen Shi snapped, ¡°Talk one by one! Who was the first to discover the body?¡±


    A teacher-like person responded, ¡°The cleaner Lao Zhang.¡±


    ¡°Call him over. Is there CCTV monitoring here?¡±


    ¡°Umm, there isn¡¯t. There is only monitoring in the teaching area.¡±


    ¡°Are there only teachers who live in this building?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to trouble everyone, but you all can¡¯t leave yet as we have to register your contact details. Ah, yes, who has rubber gloves in their house? Bring over two pairs and a shlight.¡±


    After a while, the teacher who exined the situation brought over the things that Chen Shi had asked for. The two put on the gloves and opened the trash can. A pungent stench came out, flooding their nostrils and the dismembered body in the stic bag could be seen. Lin Dongxue was disgusted and it felt like her stomach had flipped over.


    ¡°If you want to vomit, go to the building and find a bathroom to do so,¡± Chen Shi advised.


    ¡°No need!¡± Lin Dongxue held down her vomit. ¡°With everyone looking at your every move, how are you so calm?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I also want to vomit.¡± Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    There were so many people on the scene that they didn¡¯t want to look at the body there and then. Chen Shi pulled up a few pieces of the body and dered, ¡°It¡¯s a child about twelve or thirteen years old based on their fingers.¡±


    This made Lin Dongxue feel a shiver go down her spine, ¡°Is it a student here?¡±


    ¡°Ny-nine percent!¡±


    Lin Dongxue resisted the desire to look back at the crowd who was staring at them. The body was found here, so the murderer was most likely a teacher, or even someone who had just talked to them.


    At this time, she saw a maning out of the corridor. The man''s eyes widened and suddenly turned back into the building.


    ¡°This bag can''t be loaded with one person.¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s words brought her attention back to reality. Chen Shi opened the other bags one by one and found other bags with corpses in them. He used his hand to lift them up and estimated it to be the approximate weight of a teenager.


    ¡°Take these back to the station first!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°We need to split up. You need to go and take down the contacts of the people present.¡±


    Lin Dongxue registered each person on the scene and questioned the cleaner who found the body. The cleaner said they found the body at around 8 pm.


    Chen Shi asked the guard to find him arge roll of stic bags. When the guard gave this to him, Chen Shi wrapped the body bags with the new stic bags, along with all the other bags, whether or not they had blood on them. He also asked the cleaner tobel each bag with a serial number, then put it into a big stic bag altogether and put it in the trunk of the car.


    Soon, other police officers in the area arrived. They mainly came to protect the scene, so Lin Dongxue handed over the work and got back in the car.


    Chen Shi lit up a cigarette and contemted, ¡°I¡¯ll have to wash this car after we sort this out.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was very puzzled. ¡°Why did you bring all the rubbish back and why did you botherbelling them?¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°How did you even pass your criminal investigation sses? Were there any blood stains on the bags around the body bag? You can directly judge when the body bags were put in, and then guess the time period of the corpse abandonment. I havebelled them with serial numbers for convenience if we need to reassemble the crime scene.¡±


    Lin Dongxue could not argue. ¡°Maybe when I was in ss, my soul went out. Let¡¯s swap souls so I can understand these things.¡±


    ¡°Haha, go buy two bottles of c. I want to vomit.¡±

 Chapter 55: Post-mortem Examination

    <h4>Chapter 55: Post-mortem Examination</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After sessfully opening an armed robber''s mouth in the interrogation room to confess his crimes and tell them about his aplices, Lin Qiupu came out to inform everyone to work overtime tonight and hurry to have a meal.


    The policemen who have long been ustomed to this kind of life did notin much, and went out in groups of three or five.


    Lin Qiupu called Lin Dongxue, but she didn''t pick up. ording to his understanding of her for many years, she should being back soon.


    Lin Qiupu went to the door. Sure enough, Lin Dongxue called several policemen to help move some bags from a car. Lin Qiupu asked as he walked over, ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Students are out of school. Only some of the school staff are present. It has not caused too much public disruption. The police have already protected the scene and the surrounding areas.¡±


    ¡°Are the staff contacts registered?¡±


    ¡°Registered.¡±


    Seeing the serial numbers on the garbage bag, Lin Qiupu was about to praise his sister for doing a good job. At this time, Chen Shi came down from the car, smiled and greeted him. ¡°Captain Lin, I haven''t seen you for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Why are you two together again?!¡± Lin Qiupu blurted out.


    Seeing the face of Lin Dongxue who looked embarrassed after everyone stopped to look upon hearing Lin Qiupu¡¯sment. Chen Shi patted Lin Qiupu¡¯s shoulder and handed him a cigarette. Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t ept it and hissed, ¡°Nothing good ever happens when you¡¯re around.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault this time. I was really just passing by.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me why there are murder cases whenever you ¡®just pass by¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It might be just my luck.¡±


    Lin Qiupu red at him and guided everyone to move the garbage bags in. Chen Shi also went in without being asked. Upon hearing there was a murder case, Peng Sijue waited in the forensicboratory ahead of time. When he saw the garbage bags being carried in, he frowned.


    Chen Shi stated, ¡°There are six bags in total. The deceased should be a twelve to thirteen-year-old boy. I roughly looked through the bags. All the ''parts'' are here. The bottom of the bag has blood due to the oozing, but the mouth of the bag is very clean. The surrounding garbage bags are also stained with blood. The culprit should have deliberately put the bag in the middle.¡±


    Lin Qiupu coughed as if to indicate that he was the captain, not Chen Shi.


    ¡°I am just stating my findings. Is there a problem?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°You standing here is already a problem!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Everyone who doesn¡¯t belong here needs to leave!¡± Peng Sijue drove out the crowd.


    Lin Qiupu needed to stay and watch the autopsy. While he was changing into his disinfected suit, he realized that Chen Shi was also changing. He red at him. Chen Shi teased, ¡°Captain Lin, why have you been staring at me like that all day today?¡±


    ¡°Who allowed you to be here?¡±


    ¡°No one said I wasn¡¯t allowed to be here though?¡±


    ¡°Then I am ordering you to leave right now!¡±


    Peng Sijue mediated, ¡°Captain Lin, let him stay. We just need to make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything besides watching.¡±


    Lin Qiupu secretly fumed in confusion. When was Peng Sijue bribed by this guy?


    After they set up the recording camera, Peng Sijue and his assistant pushed two iron frame beds together to prepare for the post-mortem examination. The two poured out all the bits of the dismembered body from the garbage bags that carried them. In addition to the body parts of the corpse, a thick stack of tissue paper was ced at the bottom of the bags. Peng Sijue took a few of them as evidence samples.


    Everyone silently watched Peng Sijue reassemble the body. The process was very long. He arranged the parts in the original order as best as he could. Finally, he dered, ¡°It seems that all the organs are here without any omissions. Based off of the characteristics and the size of the body, we can infer that this is indeed a teenage boy.¡±


    ¡°How could they do this to the poor child?!¡± Lin Qiupu shook his head. ¡°What is the cause of death?¡±


    ¡°From the edge of these parts, we can tell that a heavy de was used to separate the corpse. It should be a very heavy kitchen knife. There aren¡¯t any obvious injuries to show that he sustained injuries while he was alive... There is arge area of contusion around the head and eyes. The right eyeball is damaged the most severely. I specte that the murderer used a blunt weapon to hit the head of the deceased with a lot of strength until the victim was killed.¡±


    Whilst exining, Peng Sijue used a ruler to measure the length and width of the fatal wound and let the assistant record it.


    Lin Qiupu reasoned, ¡°The wound¡¯s angle makes it seem like he was hit from the front.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the heaviest blow is from the front. This should be the first blow. Other injuries and the central axis of the spine have a slight bend of about 15 degrees.¡±


    ¡°Then, it is likely that the murderer hit the victim onto the ground with the first blow, then proceeded to hit him repeatedly while on top of him.¡±


    When the other two were about to reach a consensus, Chen Shi interjected. ¡°Wait, the blood around the neck is obviously a little lighter than the rest. I remember reading a book that described how when a vein is cut, there would be a lot of air entering the blood vessels, saturating the blood with oxygen. The fusion of blood and the excess oxygen turns the blood into a plum-red colour.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the cause of death is not the hit on the head?¡± Lin Qiupu heckled.


    ¡°I was just stating my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wang, create an arterial blood gas test.¡±


    The assistant took the blood sample and went out. Peng Sijue used tweezers to open the skin and muscleyers away from the neck wound to inspect. ¡°This wound is indeed a bit like an injury sustained while the victim was alive.¡±


    At this time, the assistant came back in and handed the test results over. Peng Sijue nced at the result and asserted, ¡°He was right.¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at Chen Shi with the look of a sore loser. Chen Shi smiled back at him and said, ¡°Luck. It was just luck.¡±


    Peng Sijue spected, ¡°It seems that the murderer thought that the deceased had already died. In fact, the deceased only entered into aa. Then, when he was dismembered, the sh to his neck was the real cause of death.¡±


    Although Lin Qiupu was a little dissatisfied, he has also handled dismemberment cases before. This kind of thing was possible. Some victims would even sit back up while the murderer was dismembering them.


    He nced at the forehead of the deceased. The entire head was beaten to a pulp and was entirely covered in blood. Since the deceased¡¯s head had all those brutal injuries, anyone would think that it was a fatal wound.


    Then, they began to judge the time of death. This time, there were no objections from any of them. From all kinds of signs, the time of death did not exceed five hours.


    Lin Qiupu inquired, ¡°Are you able to restore the face of the deceased?¡±


    Peng Sijue responded in turn, ¡°It should be possible given time.¡±


    Chen Shi crossed his arms in thought. ¡°If the first strike is from the front, as the height of the deceased is only about one meter fifty, how tall would the murderer be?¡±


    ¡°Would it be a child too?¡± asked the assistant.


    ¡°From killing to throwing the body away, it took less than five hours. Could a child have done the deed so smoothly? It should be that the deceased was standing at a fairly high ce, or because he was lying down.¡± Lin Qiupu put forward his own point of view.


    ¡°Prepare to do the post-mortem examination.¡± Peng Sijue announced.


    Peng Sijue cut open the organs of the deceased one by one and obtained samples from them. When the esophagus was cut, everyone found that there was some food residue inside. The inner wall of the esophagus had signs of corrosion by stomach acid, and the stench of vomit filled the room.


    Peng Sijue proimed, ¡°There¡¯s acid reflux. It may have been due to the vomiting reflex caused by the blow to the head.¡±


    Then, he took out the stomach as a whole and the assistant used a te to hold it. Peng Sijue cut the stomach open and noted that there was not too much food residue. From the level of digestion that could be seen, the deceased had not had dinner at the time he was killed, which was consistent with the estimated time of death.


    Chen Shi smelled a slightly sweet smell and determined, ¡°It¡¯s coke.¡±


    ¡°We can only know after a test.¡± Peng Sijue used a cotton swab to sample the contents.


    ¡°Is there anything in the c the victim drank?¡± Facing Lin Qiupu''s unhappy expression, Chen Shi shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I just said that casually! There¡¯s no harm in testing it, right?¡±

 Chapter 56: Brother and Sister Conflict

    <h4>Chapter 56: Brother and Sister Conflict</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the autopsy, Chen Shi went outside and saw Lin Dongxue sitting frustrated in a chair. Chen Shi sat down next to her and asked, ¡°What''s wrong? Your mouth has turned so far down, it looks like a bottle opener.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, is it because your brother reprimanded you in public that you are upset?¡±


    Seeing that he hit the nail on the head, Lin Dongxue was a bit ashamed and changed the subject. ¡°How was the autopsy? Were there any major findings?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, it should be said that it is just an ordinary dismemberment case.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary?!¡± Lin Qiupu went out of the forensicsb. ¡°Chen Shi, the way you¡¯re saying it is a bit much, don¡¯t you think? The deceased is only a teenage boy. The method is too cruel! This case will definitely cause a lot of public scrutiny and bacsh.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was still angry with him and looked away. Chen Shi exined, ¡°I am only speaking about it in a technical sense. From what we can see, it is technically an ordinary case.¡±


    ¡°Then you...¡± Lin Qiupu wanted to say, ¡°Then you solve the case for me to see then!¡± However, he retracted his words. This driver has proved his capabilities several times. I mustn¡¯t fall into his trap again.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Chen Shi smiled and asked, ¡°Would you like me to help?¡±


    Lin Qiupu red at him. ¡°No need. We haven''t fallen so far to need to ask for help every time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won''t intervene this time then.¡±


    Lin Qiupu, who seemed to have gotten words he could hold Chen Shi against, immediately eximed, ¡°Well then, since you said so yourself, this time you are not allowed to intervene!¡±


    ¡°If I said I¡¯m not going to intervene, then I¡¯m not going to intervene.¡±


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s heart was filled with delight. He felt that this nosy driver dug his own grave this time. He refused to believe that they couldn¡¯t solve cases without this guy.


    Still, they had to be wary of him. So he added, ¡°We need to agree beforehand that if you intervene...¡±


    ¡°I won''t appear in front of you in the future ever again.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    ¡°But......¡±


    ¡°No ¡®but¡¯s! Don¡¯t try to negotiate conditions with me.¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, is it that only officials can start fires, but themon person can¡¯t even light amp?[1] Why can you make conditions but I can¡¯t? Surely you¡¯re not afraid?¡±


    ¡°Me? Afraid of you?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand listening to them anymore, but wondered why Lin Qiupu seemed to be getting more and more petty these days. She was about to stand up and leave when Chen Shi signalled her to stay with his eyes.


    Chen Shi negotiated, ¡°But this case, you have to give Lin Dongxue full autonomy and allow her to investigate independently.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes wide open. Is Chen Shi trying to help her find her face back?[2]


    ¡°With what authority?¡± Lin Qiupu fumed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that the case is simple. It is so simple that Lin Dongxue can solve it alone. You don''t need to send out the whole team for it.¡±


    Lin Qiupu heard the meaning of his words in between the lines. Chen Shi was betting with him again, but this time he was gambling a bit too much. As Lin Dongxue''s brother, how could he not know her capabilities?


    However, Chen Shi was very sly. He might give her pointers behind the shadows.


    While Lin Qiupu was hesitating, Chen Shi made it seem like he knew what he was thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am very busy these next couple of days, so I won¡¯t intervene and I won¡¯t be giving your sister instructions behind the scenes like a military counsel.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, are you saying that our entire task force can¡¯t evenpare to my sister?¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t sit still anymore. She stood up and yelled. ¡°You always take me for a child! I am going to prove to you that I¡¯m not worse than anyone else.¡±


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s words immediately softened. ¡°Sister, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I just care about you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to care, you control freak!¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m a control freak? Do you know how much you¡¯re hurting me right now?!¡±


    ¡°If this case can be broken by me, you¡¯re not allowed to interfere with my personal affairs in the future, and you can¡¯t just make me lose face in public again!¡± After saying her piece, Lin Dongxue turned around and left, leaving no opportunity for Lin Qiupu to refute.


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°That''s it then. We¡¯ll set the conditions like that.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that steam came out of all his orifices. The words ¡°control freak¡± spoken from his sister''s mouth were like an ice pick stabbing his heart. When they were young, their parents died, so they were adopted into their rtives'' homes. They were always at the receiving end of disdain and being snubbed. He tried keeping the wind and rain away from his sister at all costs.


    When his sister was bullied by little hooligans at school. He took half a brick[3] to find the bully to seek justice. He was beaten up badly at the time.


    Later, he got into the police academy. His sister cried on the phone saying that in summer, all the other students were wearing sandals, and she was the only one who didn¡¯t. She could only wear sneakers as it was the only thing she owned. He went to work secretly even though it was against the school rules, in order to send money to her.


    Lin Qiupu suddenly became very lost and depressed. Sitting in a chair, his head fell into his hands. Chen Shi patted his shoulder. ¡°If you care too much, it will be a burden.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to say this to me, you outsider!¡±


    ¡°Well, I will take my leave first. Remember our agreement.¡±


    Looking at the back of Chen Shi as he left, Lin Qiupu clenched his fists. He must lead this case and solve it before his sister.


    Chen Shi caught up with Lin Dongxue and asked, ¡°Have you let off some steam yet?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s cheeks were red but she spoke with gratitude, ¡°Thank you for helping me out back there.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t help you out. I just gave you an opportunity.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought of the fragmented body in the bags. The identity of the deceased and the motive of the murderer was aplete mystery. She suddenly felt overwhelmed. ¡°But how can I break this case? You overestimated me. I have learned things from you after being around you for so long, but I don¡¯t possess the same capabilities that you do.¡±


    ¡°Don''t fret. Let''s find a ce to sit down.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll invite you to have a cup of milk tea.¡±


    The two went to a tea shop and asked for two cups of pearl milk tea. Chen Shi said, ¡°I will tell you about the issues regarding this case.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Okay!¡±


    ¡°From the perspective of the murderer, since they have alreadymitted to the dismemberment of the corpse, why would they throw the bags in the garbage bin of the school? The school is a closed environment. How many people are there in that building in total? It is too easy to find out if it were investigated. Is the murderer stupid? This is the first issue. Second of all, the body parts have been packed separately, so why would it be thrown away together? For the murderer, theter the identity of the deceased is determined, the better it is for themselves. Generally, murderers who dismember bodies will throw out the corpse in a multitude of locations so that the police will have to expend all their resources to search for all the parts. But this time, the murderer¡¯s approach seems too straight and honest.¡±


    ¡°Huh? So you¡¯re saying that the murderer has a hidden reason behind his actions?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°You¡¯re making it out to be tooplicated. I can tell you with certainty that the murderer is not a person inside the school, but he chose to throw the corpse there, revealing a thick sense of framing. This person must have connections with the school and he has the ability to dismember and abandon the body. Obviously, there are adults involved in the murder.¡±


    ¡°There are adults involved in the murder?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm, there should be more than one murderer. I think the principal murderer is a child, and the person who dismembered the corpse is probably their guardian. You just have to investigate the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased. But you need to be aware of one point. For children, their killing intent is often something that is not important to adults.¡±


    Lin Dongxue seemed too drunk on excitement, and excitedly eximed, ¡°It''s that simple?!¡±


    ¡°The more difficult the case seems to be, the simpler the clues are. Don''t be fooled by illusions. Especially don''t be deceived by your brother. Remember my words and follow this line of investigation. I believe you can do it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was grateful in her heart and asked, ¡°Why are you doing this for me?¡±


    Chen Shi took a sip of milk tea and stated calmly, ¡°Because I like you!¡±


    1. An expression that means officials can do anything they please, butmoners aren¡¯t allowed to do anything.


    2. Her dignity and pride that she lost when her brother yelled at her in front of everyone.


    3. Whatever he could get his hands on.

 Chapter 57: Private High School

    <h4>Chapter 57: Private High School</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing this, Lin Dongxue¡¯s cheeks began to heat up. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    ¡°Don''t misunderstand. The ¡®like¡¯ I used is not in the literal sense. ¡®Like.¡¯[1] Do you understand? Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rubbed her finger around on the table and breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Tch, you scared me so much that my heart started pounding...¡±


    ¡°What kind of reaction is that?¡±


    ¡°Don''t misunderstand!¡± Lin Dongxue raised her volume and stated, ¡°I was scared that I was confessed to by an old uncle. I would obviously be flustered.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t misunderstand. Rest assured, I like mature women.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting me go!¡± Lin Dongxue pped her hands together and gave a thank-you gesture to him.


    After drinking the milk tea, Chen Shi left. Theb tests and autopsy were carried out throughout the night, so she stayed until 10 o''clock in the evening. Soon, Lin Dongxue felt that it was meaningless to continue to stay there, so she went back home to rest first.


    The next morning, she ran into Lin Qiupu as soon as she got into the bureau. From the dark circles on his eyes, Lin Qiupu had not gotten much restst night.


    Seeing each other again, the brothers and sisters were a bit awkward and tense around each other. Lin Dongxue looked up and reminded, ¡°We had an agreement. You¡¯re not allowed to order me to do anything with regards to this case.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, if I said it, I¡¯ll do it. But you need to pay attention to your own safety when you¡¯re investigating alone. You shouldn¡¯t be alone at night...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing it again!¡±


    Lin Qiupu closed his mouth. The destination of the two people was the forensicsb. Lin Qiupu tried to reconcile on their way over. ¡°Sister, we should find a time to have a meal!¡±


    ¡°Why?!¡± Lin Dongxue asked grumpily.


    ¡°To have a chat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it... Oh yeah, didn¡¯t we agree that you won''t call me ¡®sister¡¯ at the station?¡±


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. He reflected the whole nightst night and felt that he really did control her a bit too much. He decided to find a time to sort out some of the misunderstandings between them.


    After all, he did not want his only rtive in the world to regard him as a passer-by.


    Peng Sijue obviously did not sleep for the whole night. The whole unit was all getting by through coffee alone. Theboratory work was progressing smoothly, however the drug test was the most difficult of all. The results of the drug test found a certain macromolecrpound in the stomach of the deceased. It should be a drug. Peng Sijuepared it to hundreds ofmon anaesthetics, but there were no matches.


    Peng Sijue handed the test reports to Lin Qiupu, and Lin Qiupu gestured over to Lin Dongxue with his mouth. ¡°Give her a copy too.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at the two curiously. ¡°What? This time you pair of siblings arepeting against each other? It is impossible to understand what goes through the minds of you immature mortals.¡±


    ¡°Lao Peng, when did you be a deity? Saying we¡¯re mortals and all.¡± Lin Qiupu snarled.


    ¡°Xiao Wang, print another copy... I can¡¯t do this anymore. I need to rest for a bit.¡±


    The two looked at the test report in their hands and Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Can you really do this by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Whether I can or not is my own business.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the school togetherter in the morning... I am not interfering with your business. If you want to go somewhere else, I will not stop you.¡±


    No matter how she was going to investigate, the starting point of the case was the school, so Lin Dongxue agreed.


    Taking into ount the impact andmotion it would cause, they decided not to drive a police car. After getting to the school, the principal personally met with them. A few polite greetings were exchanged expressing sadness and grief, but also involved intentions to strengthen school management and security. Lin Qiupu interrupted him impatiently. ¡°The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed. We have a generated picture of the deceased''s likely appearance on hand. You should photocopy it and distribute them to the ss teachers.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but they still have sses right now so it will have to wait untilter.¡±


    ¡°No problem, we can wait.¡±


    The police temporarily set up in the office. At around 10am, a balding middle-aged uncle rushed in. He clutched the generated picture of the deceased and snivelled, ¡°Officers, this... Is this true?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong, do you know the deceased?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°Deceased? He was still very well yesterday, how did he die just like this? I mean, why didn¡¯t hee to ss today? Sorry... Sorry, this blow is just too heavy for me. Let me calm myself down and have a seat.¡±


    Lin Qiupu poured a ss of water for the teacher as he sat down and took off his sses to wipe them. He exined, ¡°This child is in my ss. His name is Du Lei and he is the ss representative for our ss. His results are very good, and he is also a very good boy. Such a good child, how could...¡± He trailed off as he put his head in his hands, but Lin Dongxue noticed that there were no tears in his eyes at all.


    ¡°What are his family circumstances like?¡±


    ¡°I did a home visit not too long ago. Du Lei''s parents are working out of town. Theye back once a year, and so he lives with his grandmother. The grandmother''s eyes and ears both don¡¯t function too well, so the child often takes time to help his grandmother do housework. He is especially obedient and sensible, and doesn¡¯t usually concern or surround himself with delinquents. Haii, a good child, howe...¡± He grieved.


    ¡°Don''t be sad, which students does Du Lei have a good rtionship with?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know the situation between the students. I¡¯ll have to go to the ss to ask. I will tell youter.¡±


    ¡°Who did he meet withst night and who did he leave school with yesterday? Could I please trouble you to ask? If it¡¯s convenient, could you please bring the relevant people here... It¡¯s just a general inquiry. Please ask those children not to be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Okay, no problem. I will try my best to cooperate with the police and try to catch the murderer as soon as possible... Can I ask if this incident will affect my job performance review this year? If this incident goes public, I am afraid the principal will put the me on my head, but you all know that there are so many children in a ss. I have no ability to multiply myself, how can I manage all of them from school to their homes?¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured that we willmunicate with the principal regarding this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± The ss teacher walked away in great gratitude.


    Lin Dongxue scoffed ¡°There¡¯s a child who is dead and he only cares about his own review?¡±


    Lin Qiupu drank a sip of tea from the thermos he prepared and responded, ¡°It¡¯s reasonable. Everyone is afraid of getting into unlucky situations. You don''t have to be too harsh on him.¡±


    By noon, students from Du Lei¡¯s ss hade in to provide their input to the situation. When the children saw the police, they were a little nervous. Everyone had their own version of events. Some children insisted that the deed must have been done by certain individuals because Du Lei had some fights with them. Some people said that they saw Du Lei leaving school with some other kids to go to an Inte caf¨¦. Some said that Du Lei was probably killed by ¡°Perverted Wu¡±; ¡°Perverted Wu¡± was the nickname of the ss teacher.


    With seven mouths and eight tongues[2], everyone''s words began to hurt Lin Dongxue¡¯s brain. However, Lin Dongxue noticed that three children had mentioned Du Lei hung and a child named Wang Jinsong often together. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Who is Wang Jinsong?¡±


    ¡°Snot King! He is gay with Du Lei.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled. ¡°Do you know what being gay means? Can I trouble you to bring him over?!¡±


    After a while, Wang Jinsong was summoned over to meet with the police. He was also extremely nervous upon seeing them. Lin Dongxueforted, ¡°Don''t be afraid, we are only asking about the situation. Everyone has been saying that you have a good rtionship with Du Lei. Is that true?¡±


    The child nodded and Lin Dongxue asked again. ¡°When was thest time you saw him?¡±


    ¡°We came out of school at half past five and we atemb skewers on the way home. Then, I asked him if he could show me his mathematics homework. When he opened his schoolbag, he found that he had left it back at school, so he went back to school to get it. Since the bus came, I didn¡¯t wait for him.¡±


    ¡°Do you both take the bus?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we live very close...¡± After his response, Wang Jinsong suddenly looked very nervous, and started fidgeting with his hands.


    ¡°And this is thest time you saw him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... What happened to him? Was he killed?¡±


    ¡°This is not convenient for us to disclose. Is there anything you wish to add?¡±


    Wang Jinsong scratched his head in thought, then added, ¡°Right, he told me that the Chinese teacher is really annoying.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    1. He said this in English.


    2. There should only be seven tongues, but in this case, seven mouths produced eight tongues. This expression means that they just wouldn¡¯t stop talking, almost as if there was an extra tongue babbling along with them out of nowhere.

 Chapter 58: Suspicious Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 58: Suspicious Teacher</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the questioning, Lin Dongxue indicated that Wang Jinsong could leave. As he was about to leave, Wang Jinsong asked, ¡°Police Aunty, was Du Lei raped?¡±


    Lin Qiupu almost sprayed out the tea is his mouth and chastised, ¡°You kid, don''t say it!¡±


    Lin Dongxue added, ¡°And, I am not an aunty!¡±


    Wang Jinsong left after pulling a funny face, and Lin Qiupu shook his head. ¡°The children nowadays!¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°It is still early in the day, do you want to question the teachers?¡±


    ¡°Well, okay!¡±


    The teachers came in one after another. Regarding Du Lei, the information they provided was that the child was diligent and obedient. He was a good boy. A teacher also showed the results of the mid-term exam fromst month. Lin Dongxue nced at it. Du Lei actually ranked third; It seemed that his results were truly impressive.


    She curiously looked for Wang Jinsong''s name and found that the child was actually at the bottom of the list. She wondered how could the two have been so close given such a difference in grades.


    Lin Dongxue queried, ¡°Why did Wang Jinsong test so poorly? Did he just not score well this time around?¡±


    The math teacher informed, ¡°He has always been scoring somewhere around this mark. He has steadily been ranked in the bottom five or six in the ss.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at the list. ¡°Why didn''t thenguage teachere?¡±


    ¡°He may be still in ss. I will call him over.¡±


    They waited until noon and everyone was starting to get impatient. Finally, the Chinese teacher came in. When they saw the face with the aquiline nose[1], Lin Dongxue suddenly opened her eyes wide. This man was the man whom she saw outside Unit 4st night for a brief moment.


    The information provided by thenguage teacher was simr to that of the other teachers. Suspicious, Lin Qiupu pressed, ¡°Shouldn''t you know more about Du Lei?¡±


    Thenguage teacher smiled. ¡°We didn¡¯tmunicate with each other much. We¡¯ve only really made contact when I assigned homework or distributed assignments. We are a private school so some teachers leave after teaching their respective sses. Some teachers even work outside of ss hours to earn some extra money. If you have any questions, you should ask his ss teacher.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly asked, ¡°Do you live in Unit 4 of the dormitories?¡±


    Cold sweat began to form on thenguage teacher¡¯s forehead, but he immediately restored his smile andposure. ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s eyes moved from looking at his face to Lin Dongxue¡¯s face. Lin Dongxue continued to probe. ¡°When I was at the scenest night, you seemed to havee out and then gone back in again.¡±


    ¡°Oh? It was youst night? Oh... Nothing, I forgot to close the door when I went out. I suddenly remembered, so I went back to lock up... Officers, you wouldn¡¯t doubt me because of this, right?¡±


    Lin Qiupu developed an interest in this person. ¡°How are your faculty dormitory buildings arranged? Do teachers of the same grade live together?¡±


    ¡°No, they are all mixed. The amodations provided by the school mostly house the teachers who havee from out of town. Many of our teachers are from other ces.¡±


    ¡°Some students say that Du Lei hates you a little.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?!¡± Thenguage teacher became nervous, but then blew it off. ¡°Students are like that. Hating a teacher is normal. Not that it means much though.¡±


    ¡°Can you let us take a look at your dormitory?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Lin Qiupu got up.


    Thenguage teacher panicked again. ¡°We¡¯re going now? My dormitory is very messy. Let me clean up first!¡±


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going in for a house inspection. We are just going to take a little look at it. Can I please trouble you to lead the way?¡±


    Everyone went out as Lin Qiupu whispered to Lin Dongxue. ¡°This guy has a cat¡¯s tongue.¡±[2]


    Lin Dongxue simply replied with ¡°Oh.¡± If Chen Shi hadn¡¯t given her a shot of immunity with his advice, she would probably have thought so as well. However, she firmly believed Chen Shi''s analysis that the murderer was not located in the school.


    Lin Qiupu questioned, ¡°I haven''t asked you how I should address you.¡±


    ¡°My surname is Li.¡±


    Teacher Li took them to the front of the dormitory. Before entering the door, Teacher Li smiled shyly. ¡°Officers, I am a bachelor. It is normal to have some personal hobbies. Please don''t tie this to the murder case. I swear to God that this matter is not rted to me.¡±


    Lin Qiupu felt that he was more and more suspicious, so he even changed his tone to be sterner. ¡°Whether there is a rtionship is for us to judge. Please open the door!¡±


    Teacher Li looked awkward. When he took the key and tried to insert it in the lock, he failed several times before he finally turned it. When he opened the door, the police officers gave a low-pitched exmation. If they didn¡¯t know, they would have thought that it was the house of an otaku.[3]


    In the room of less than 20 square meters, the wall was covered with cartoon posters, all of which were little anime lolis[4] that were very exposed and sexualized.


    On theputer desk, there were some little loli dolls that hadn¡¯t been colored yet.


    There were also a few used fleshlights thrown in the sink. Cartoon lolis were painted on the cups. It was just left like that, uncleaned. Lin Dongxue felt disgusted to her core.


    ¡°You... Are you a pedophile?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°Lolicon! Lolicon!¡± Teacher Liughed in an ashamed manner. ¡°I am a single male. I like these cartoons. Is there any problem? I can swear to God, I only have perverted thoughts. I have never done anything out of line in real life.¡±


    ¡°Can such a person be a teacher?¡± Lin Dongxue whispered.


    The two began to investigate the scene. When Lin Qiupu wanted to open a drawer, Teacher Li gasped and tried to stop him. Lin Qiupu shouted, ¡°Get off!¡±


    Teacher Li babbled with cold sweat running across his body, ¡°Officers, allow me to retain some privacy. Do you guys know that as a lolicon, I am scorned to be at the very bottom of my own small social circle? In the eyes of you ordinary people, I can¡¯t disy anything on the table...[5] You came in and started searching, it¡¯s like tearing off all my clothes to look at me. I¡¯m already so embarrassed. I swear that there¡¯s nothing in the drawer that¡¯s rted to the case. It¡¯s ordinary stuff that shouldn¡¯t be seen in public. Please just let me off.¡±


    Due to his words, Lin Dongxue imagined the uncle naked and felt even more disgusted.


    ¡°Wow, you really are anguage teacher[6]. Where did you graduate from?¡±


    ¡°Our province¡¯s Private University!¡±


    ¡°Just stand aside. Rest assured, we won''tugh at you.¡±


    Teacher Li was very embarrassed but stepped aside. The drawer was full of suspicious discs. Without any cover, only a simple number was written on them with a marker.


    Lin Qiupu turned on theputer and yed one of them. Teacher Li tried to block the whole process without sess. In the eyes of everyone, he was no different from scum.


    Suddenly, a lewd voice yed on the speaker. Everyone looked at the screen upon hearing it. It was not an ordinary CD with porn. The video was clearly of a greasy, perverted uncle and a girl who was a minor having sexual intercourse. From the angle and perspective, it could be inferred that this video was taken secretly.


    Teacher Li lowered his head and sweated a waterfall.


    ¡°Disgusting!¡± Lin Qiupu mmed theputer monitor down.


    ¡°I swear... I only looked at it at home. I only have the perverted thoughts...¡± Teacher Li stuttered.


    ¡°How many oaths have you made since we came in? Where did you obtain these from?¡±


    ¡°I downloaded these AVs from the Inte.¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to fool? This type of stuff is illegal in any country!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I confess. I ordered these from an online forum.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that it is illegal to make and spread such things? And she¡¯s still a minor. It is a crime on top of another crime.¡±


    ¡°I just collect them. Collect them! That¡¯s not illegal! I can report that forum; You can catch them!¡± Teacher Li implored with a forced smile.


    Lin Qiupu looked at him coldly for a long time and suddenly ordered, ¡°Arrest him!¡±


    1. A type of nose shape that is also called an ¡°Eagle Hook Nose¡± in Chinese. A picture reference: http://chinesehoroscop-e/face-reading/pictures/eagle-nose-meaning.jpg


    2. He is hiding something and is being sly about it. A bit of a trickster and/or maniptor. The reason for this expression is because cats like pungent things, so they may rummage and steal items that hold these scents they like. This means that they are doing things in the shadows like a thief who is hiding something.


    3. He used this word even though it¡¯s used to describe people in Japan normally, considering it¡¯s a Japanese word. However, this word has be more internationalized with anime and manga bing more widespread. Otaku refers to a person who is obsessed with anime or other hobbies rted to pop culture to the detriment of their social skills. They are also referred to as ¡°weebs¡±.


    4. Lolis refer to the Japanese discourse pertaining to the attraction of young looking girls who are cute. They blend slightly erotic characteristics in, but refers to Lolitas. Lolicon is the contraction for those with Lolitaplex. The term derives from a novel called Lolita that described sexual obsession and subsequent abuse of a minor.


    5. He must hide everything.


    6. He¡¯s expressing that the teacher is very eloquent.

 Chapter 59: Lin Dongxue’s Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 59: Lin Dongxue''s Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Teacher Li desperately pleaded for mercy, and raised his hands high to prevent the police from handcuffing him. Thisical struggle between them amused the other officers.


    Teacher Li pleaded with a tearful face ¡°No matter what, I am still a teacher. Could you leave me a bit of face? I cane back to the station with you all, but don¡¯t handcuff me!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Lin Qiupupromised, ¡°But if you y tricks, don''t me me for not giving you face.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked around the house. ¡°Take those discs and send them to the department that checks pornography.¡±


    Teacher Li queried, ¡°Officers, collecting these aren¡¯t against thew, is it?¡±


    ¡°We cannot confirm that at this point. We need to let the professionals verify it.¡±


    As Mr. Li was taken out of the school, there were cheersing from one of the windows. ¡°The big pervert was caught!¡±


    Lin Qiupu nced at the window filled with children''s gloating smiles and asked, ¡°Your ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don''t listen to them. There¡¯s these boys who love to nickname all the teachers.¡±


    ¡°I hope it is just a nickname.¡± Lin Qiupu cautioned.


    If this Teacher Li wasn¡¯t checked, they wouldn¡¯t have known about this terrible background. In the afternoon, Lin Qiupu rushed to summon everyone to brief them on it. He had found that the teacher had a child molestation background. Once, he forced kisses upon two girls in an elevator. When the news spread online, this guy was searched for by theizens and everyone voiced out that they wanted to beat him up. Not only was he fired from the original public school he was teaching at, but his teaching qualification was also revoked.


    Later, he got into this private high school through connections. It seems that his ¡°personal hobby¡± has been kept under wraps ever since.


    The body was thrown downstairs by his dormitory. The missing person happened to be a student in one of his sses. The deceased was also hinted to not have liked this teacher before his death. Adding an important point, Li could not provide any evidence of absence during the time of death.


    Lin Qiupu identified this person as very suspicious and asked the whole group to focus on this angle.


    As the suspect surfaced, everyone''s attitude was very lively. As if covered in chicken blood, they went on to investigate Li''s situation with great drive. Only Lin Dongxue remembered Chen Shi''s words, so she was not misled by Lin Qiupu.


    At four o''clock in the afternoon, Lin Dongxue left the bureau. Xu Xiaodong followed close behind and requested, ¡°Are you going out to investigate the case? Let mee with you!¡±


    ¡°Is my brother making you follow me again?¡±


    ¡°No... Uh...¡± Xu Xiaodong clearly let the cat out of the bag. ¡°Where are you going? I will drive you.¡±


    Not being able to hold off Xu Xiaodong''s enthusiasm, Lin Dongxue got in his car eventually. After getting in the car, Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Why didn''t Master Chen intervene this time? Did he leave you with any tricks and ns?¡±


    ¡°You used to call him Brother Chen, and now you¡¯re calling him Master Chen?¡± Lin Dongxue snickered.


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t really respected anyone in my life, but I really can¡¯t help but respect him. He is really amazing! What did he say to you anyway?¡±


    Lin Dongxue grabbed his wrist and looked at him with a look of caution. ¡°Hey, surely you¡¯re not a spy sent by my brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Xu Xiaodong denied it. ¡°Captain Lin only asked me to protect you, but he didn''t ask me to gain intelligence. I just wanted to know myself.¡±


    ¡°You see? You leaked your motive already!¡±


    Annoyed, Xu Xiaodong pretended to p himself in the face. ¡°Do you have confidence in solving this case?¡±


    Lin Dongxue did not respond.


    ¡°Thest time we gained some recognition, it was so cool. I knew that I would be able to eat meat[1] if I were to be with you and Master Chen. Please take me along this time as well! I¡¯ll shout dinner for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have any confidence, so don''t put all of your hopes on me.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, I am very happy just working with you on the case.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes at him, but Xu Xiaodong still had na?ve smile on his face.


    The two went to the school. It turns out the students in the private school get let out fairly early. It was only 4:30pm, but they saw arge number of students rushing out. Lin Dongxue eximed, ¡°Oh no, we¡¯rete! Find students in the 4th ss of the 2nd grade.¡±


    ¡°How would I search for them if they¡¯re all wearing the same uniform?¡±


    A group of children gathered around. A fat little boy dragging around unwiped snot came over to tug at Lin Dongxue¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Sister, sister! Is our ss teacher Li arrested?¡±


    ¡°Did he kill Du Lei?¡±


    ¡°Is Teacher Li nevering back? That¡¯s great! I don¡¯t have to write mynguage assignment anymore.¡±


    The questions kept piling up, making Lin Dongxue feel overwhelmed. Then, she asked, ¡°Are you all from ss 4?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then, does anyone know where Du Lei lives?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads, except for the fat little boy. ¡°Wang Jinsong must know since they leave school together every day.¡±


    ¡°Where is Wang Jinsong right now?¡±


    ¡°In the small alley ahead, there is an inte cafe. He often goes there.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong immediately went to the ck Inte cafe[2]. In the messy Inte cafe, there were many children wearing the same school uniform ying games, and there were also many young gang members. The two really didn¡¯t know if the parents knew that their children were ying in this sort of ce. They wondered what their parents would think if they found out.


    When Lin Dongxue looked around, Xu Xiaodong stood behind a child and pointed, ¡°Why do you have so many Doran¡¯s rings?[3] Buy boots!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± Lin Dongxue gave him a look.


    ¡°Unconsciously, I¡¯ve be infected.¡± Xu Xiaodongughed like an idiot.


    ¡°How old are you? Still ying games?¡±


    ¡°Have you never heard of that saying? Men will never grow up, but their toys get more and more expensive.¡±


    ¡°I hate naive men.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong immediately changed his attitude, fixed his cor and exined. ¡°Actually, only my appearance is naive. however, on the inside, I¡¯m actually quite mature... I have done a small test before and my mental age is over forty!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was stunned by all the cigarette smoke here and she felt a bit suffocated from it. When she was about to leave, she heard a very loud scream.


    ¡°The midne! Garen, has your mind gone to shit? Grab the blue buff! Don''t focus on Nunu you piece of shit, hit Nami! Fuck! When I get back, get ready to group!¡°[4]


    The child wore earphones and was yelling at the yers in the game he was ying with. He kept mming the keyboard, and even the cafe management looked distressed when they looked over.


    ¡°This child will be a great individual in the future.¡± Xu Xiaodongmented.


    Lin Dongxue found that the child''s face was a bit familiar. When she went over, she found that it was Wang Jinsong. She poked him with a finger. Wang Jinsong looked back and red at her, then immersed himself back into the game. After ying for a while, he finally realized who he had just red at, turned his head and, due to him wearing headphones, he loudly asserted, ¡°I have to finish this round first!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go outside and wait for you.¡± Lin Dongxue gestured due to the loud background noise.


    ¡°Okay, okay... Cunt, stop taking my minions, I¡¯ll fuck your mum!"[5]


    The two stood by the door waiting and Lin Dongxue looked into the door from time to time. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Are you thirsty? I¡¯ll buy you a bottle of water.¡±


    ¡°No thanks, I''m fine.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked back again and found that the person was gone. She hurried in and asked the caf¨¦ boss. The boss notified them that the child had just paid for his time and left.


    ¡°Where did he go? Isn''t this only the door?¡±


    ¡°There is another exit next to the toilet.¡±


    Lin Dongxue ran there to see a small figure running on the road, making the bag they were carrying jump up and down. She was so angry she almost cussed. She ordered, ¡°Chase after him!¡±


    1. Have rewards/benefits.


    2. An Inte caf¨¦ where hooligans aggregated.


    3. It¡¯s an item in League of Legends. A full list of items can be found here (if you¡¯re interested): https://na.leagueoflegends/en/game-info/items/


    4. All to do with League of Legends. Garen, Nunu and Nami are champions (characters) that you can select to y as. The game has threenes and jungle areas. The blue buff is a jungle monster that gives you a buff. A list of champions can be found here (if you¡¯re interested): https://na.leagueoflegends/en/game-info/champions/


    5. He¡¯s makingments regarding League of Legends here as well. People need tost-hit minions/creeps in order to earn money. This process is called CS (Creep Score) which is the number of creeps that the person hasst hit.

 Chapter 60: White-haired People Send-off Black-haired People

    <h4>Chapter 60: White-haired People Send-off ck-haired People</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    The two immediately chased after Wang Jinsong through the safety passage from the other exit. Wang Jinsong ran very fast ahead of them and didn¡¯t stop no matter how much they called out to him.


    Lin Dongxue was wearing leather shoes today which didn¡¯t have the proper support or grip for running. Her feet began hurting and when she looked over at Xu Xiaodong, he was already panting. He asked, ¡°Should we fire a warning shot?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean fire a gun? We can¡¯t even catch up to a child?¡±


    At this time, a Volkswagen SUV suddenly stopped at the roadside in front of Wang Jinsong. From the car, there appeared a man and a woman. Wang Jinsong stood next to it and did not try to run. The man used a stern voice to reprimand him before suddenly pping Wang Jinsong¡¯s face.


    The woman pushed the man aside, knelt down and held Wang Jinsong in her arms as she tried tofort him. At this time, Wang Jinsong started bawling his eyes out.


    Lin Dongxue walked closer and heard the man¡¯s lecture. ¡°You dog! Noting home when you finish school, but actually going to an online caf¨¦ instead. Don¡¯t you know there¡¯s things happening at home?!¡±


    The woman retorted, ¡°Save your words. Don¡¯t you also pull all-nighters ying around? If he¡¯s a dog, then what are you?!¡±


    It seems that this pair were the parents of Wang Jinsong. Lin Dongxue approached and took out her badge and inquired, ¡°Hello, are you the parents of Wang Jinsong?¡±


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s dad looked surprised and then put up a smile. ¡°Officer? Are you looking for us for something?¡± He began to take out a packet of cigarettes and handed it over to Xu Xiaodong who stood behind Lin Dongxue. Xu Xiaodong made a gesture of rejection, so the dad took one out for himself.


    Lin Dongxue asked Wang Jinsong, ¡°Child, why did you run away so fast just then?¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡± Wang Jinsong hid in his mother''s arms and watched Lin Dongxue with caution.


    ¡°Oh, that. We called him and asked him where he was, so he hurried over.¡± The mother exined with a smile.


    ¡°Oh really? We want to know where Du Lei lives.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell the police aunty?¡± the mother urged.


    ¡°Unit 4, Building 10 of Feng Yuan Community.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so clearly?¡±


    ¡°We live together!¡±


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s father suddenly turned to him and looked very stern when he responded, as if telling him to keep his mouth shut. Wang Jinsong was so scared that he hugged his mother tighter than ever.


    In the face of Lin Dongxue¡¯s confused eyes, his father exined himself with a smile. ¡°This is the case. Du Lei¡¯s parents and I used to be employees of a printingpany in the past. Later, thepany moved their employees to this littlemunity. However, we do not live together. Our family lives in another unit.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you often y together?¡± Lin Dongxue asked Wang Jinsong.


    The father replied on his behalf, ¡°They don¡¯t always y together. Grade two is a crucial year. The study is rtively tense, so they rarelye into contact with each other.¡±


    ¡°Can you not always interject?!¡± Lin Dongxue was a little annoyed with this man.


    ¡°Children don''t know anything!¡± Father still smiled as he responded. ¡°Oh yeah, what are you investigating? I heard that Du Lei died, and a teacher in the school was arrested. Teachers are getting more and more unreliable nowadays!¡±


    ¡°How did you know about this?¡±


    The mother responded, ¡°The incident has blown up in the parents circle. Some people even say that this guy molested children before. He is actual scum. Hey, how can the school employ this kind of person as a teacher?!¡±


    Their answer seems to be wless, but Lin Dongxue felt that something was wrong. Was it their reaction?


    She was thinking about what to ask next when Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°If it is convenient, can you take us to themunity in your car?¡±


    ¡°This...¡± The father hesitated.


    ¡°We¡¯re really sorry, but this car is used to transport goods. The seafood that was just shipped in the afternoon made the car smell very bad,¡± the mother hurriedly exined.


    ¡°Right, right, why don¡¯t we help you to call a car?¡± the father offered.


    ¡°No, just tell us the address. We¡¯ll drive over...We left the car at the school.¡±


    After the father gave them the address, the family got in their car. Lin Dongxue touched her chin and muttered to herself. Xu Xiaodong dered, ¡°I know that this family has problems at a nce!¡±


    ¡°Do you think so too?¡± Lin Dongxue asked excitedly.


    ¡°Why is your reaction so intense? I mean, look at the parenting of this family. Children who grow up in this family are definitely going to be mentally unwell.¡±


    ¡°Get the car, it''s getting dark.¡± Lin Dongxue''s excitement suddenly cooled down as she started to head toward the car


    Xu Xiaodong caught up. ¡°What happened, am I not correct?¡±


    The two drove to the apartmentplex. When they found Du Lei''s home, they heard people talking inside. ¡°You can rest assured, we are looking for him! We will inform you when we receive news. He must be lost.¡±


    The door was slightly opened. Lin Dongxue opened the door and saw an olddy crying. Two police officers wereforting her.


    Seeing outsidersing in, the officers¡¯s eyes changed a little. Lin Dongxue showed her ID to them before the policemen nodded their heads. One of them informed her of the situation. ¡°There is a lost child case that has just been reported. An old grandma lost her only grandson, it¡¯s pitiful really.¡±


    ¡°The Public Security Bureau did not inform you?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°What? Is it...¡±


    ¡°The child was killed.¡±


    The officers were so surprised that they gasped behind their hands. Lin Dongxue nced at the olddy and the officers reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s a bit deaf.¡±


    The other policeman asked, ¡°Has the body been found?¡±


    After a few simple exchanges, Lin Dongxue entered the house. The police said loudly to the olddy, ¡°These two arerades of the Public Security Bureau. They came over to see what clues they could get.¡±


    The olddy nodded and seemed to see a glimmer of hope. She cried, ¡°Lei Lei, you muste back, or how can I continue living?!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Dongxue was really sad. Xu Xiaodong who was next to her had already begun tearing up. He said, ¡°The white-haired sending-off the ck-haired. It¡¯s just so sad.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went to Du Lei''s bedroom. The child who was obedient in the teacher''s mouth also collected some items for his hobbies, likeic books and idol posters belonging to this age group. In addition, there were awards that almost filled the whole wall.


    The room was not big. They could see everything just by walking in a circle. There were some information books on the table, a small TV set, but the other end was empty. Lin Dongxue walked over and found that the dust on it was a bit strange. It seemed to have something ced there at one point. A square object.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that a game console?¡± Xu Xiaodong pulled the drawer down and saw a few game discs. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really a PS4. Fuck, I¡¯ve always wanted one.¡±


    ¡°Can you not talk nonsense here?! Ask your mother to buy it for you then.¡± She turned her eyes to the table. ¡°It looks like this game machine has been moved recently. Who took it?¡±


    ¡°Go ask the olddy!¡±


    When they got back to the living room and saw the olddy still crying, Lin Dongxue couldn''t bear to open her mouth. The officers came over and asked what happened. After exining the situation, the police asked the olddy. ¡°Ma¡¯am, there was a game machine in the house. Where has it gone now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    When the olddy entered the room to take a look, shook her head and sobbed, ¡°He was ranked in the top 100 of the whole school, so his father bought it for him. I don¡¯t know where it¡¯s gone. It might have been borrowed by one of his ssmates.¡±


    ¡°Who does he usually y with?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Ah? He¡¯s closest with me. I brought him up ever since he was young.¡±


    ¡°I was asking which children he usually ys with?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Oh! I don''t know. You should ask his ssmates. Lei Lei is the ss representative in his ss!¡± The olddy gave a thumbs up, showing a sense of pride behind her sad expression.


    The police signalled that Lin Dongxue should go out. When they went out, the officers begged, ¡°Don''t ask her any more questions. I¡¯m afraid that you will leak the situation to her. She has high blood pressure and has a history of heart attacks. If she knew that her grandson has been killed, she will definitely die on the spot.¡±


    Lin Dongxue reasoned, ¡°Even if we don''t say it, the bureau will send someone to get her to im the body.¡±


    ¡°No! This is killing people!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just hide the truth from her forever!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong proposed, ¡°Why don¡¯t we lie to her for now?¡±


    1. When children die before their older family members, thus the people with white hair have to send them off instead of the other way around.

 Chapter 61: Visits

    <h4>Chapter 61: Visits</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong had brought up this idea. Although it wasn¡¯t the best thing to do, everyone thought it was still feasible.


    So, the police officers immediately sent a phone call to Du Lei''s parents to inform them of Du Lei''s death. On the other end of the line, the sound of the husband and wife crying was piercing.


    The policeman asked shyly, ¡°We...We want to ask you to lie... Don''t let the olddy know.¡±


    Ten minutester, the olddy¡¯s screaming came from the door. ¡°You took Lei Lei away... You dogs didn¡¯t say anything to me... If there¡¯s nothing wrong, then you should have just said so! Making me worry! It¡¯s cold, give Lei Lei an added quilt at night. Getting a cold is not a joke... Remember to see Grandma in the New Year.¡±


    At the end of the call, Xu Xiaodong breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It should be okay now.¡±


    ¡°Only for a while.¡± Lin Dongxue pointed out.


    Leaving the unit, everyone was in a heavy mood. Lin Dongxue wanted to go to Wang Jinsong¡¯s house to look at it, and so they went to the property manager to inquire about it. However, when they arrived at the Wang¡¯s household, nobody answered when they knocked on the door.


    ¡°Do you want to ask their neighbors?¡± Xu Xiaodong suggested.


    The two knocked on the door of the neighbor¡¯s house, but the neighbors didn''t know where they were. It was spected that they might have gone out to eat.


    Lin Dongxue stood in the corridor and waited. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Do you suspect this family?¡±


    ¡°I can''t say that it¡¯s suspicion per say...¡± Lin Dongxue couldn''t tell. She really wished that Chen Shi was here right now to give her a clear path to walk.


    But since she was the one betting with her brother this time, she needed to pull herself together and not ask for Chen Shi¡¯s help.


    They waited endlessly and the time gradually reached eight o''clock. Lin Dongxue was so cold that she was shifting her feet about. Xu Xiaodong kept trying to crack jokes in order to ease the atmosphere. Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. ¡°Don''t talk. The more you talk, the colder it gets!¡±


    At this time, the phone rang. It was Lin Qiupu. The first thing he asked was, ¡°Sister, where are you?¡±


    ¡°Investigating!¡±


    ¡°Haha, still investigating? This teacher, the more we interrogate him, the more suspicious he gets. We asked the people in the school. They all mentioned that Li was usually too close with the students and that his performance evaluations were not very good.¡±


    ¡°But even if he molested children, why would he murder them?¡±


    ¡°We still have an important piece of evidence in our hands. Guess what it is. We found an imported aphrodisiac in the stomach of the deceased. It was incorporated into the Coke. Why would children eat that?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. Yesterday, Chen Shi reminded them to test whether there was any medicine in the stomach yesterday and they actually found this type of thing.


    She felt a wave of doubt, but immediately reminded herself to believe in Chen Shi and to believe in her own judgement.


    Lin Qiupu was delighted. ¡°Sister, don''t me me if I beat you. The interrogation is still happening. The guy is still not confessing, but we n to struggle with him till the end. I believe the truth is just separated by ayer of window paper...[1]You don¡¯t need to be too busy. You should head back soon!¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to worry about that!¡± Lin Dongxue hung up the phone angrily.


    She turned her head and found that Xu Xiaodong was very close, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with him. ¡°Get away from me.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong heard the call and was shocked. ¡°Fuck, their evidence is too strong. If they find the same medicine at Li''s home, they can go to court directly.¡±


    ¡°It can''t be that simple.¡± Lin Dongxue bit her finger. ¡°No, he is only interested in little girls. Du Lei is obviously a little boy.¡±


    ¡°Pedophiles are all psychos. How would you know what they¡¯re thinking?¡±


    ¡°Why would he kill the person though? And why would he throw the body downstairs from his dorm?¡±


    ¡°He may have been too nervous after killing someone for the first time and got flustered.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± All this seemed to be too convenient, but Lin Dongxue felt that something with it just doesn¡¯t seem right.


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s family seemed like they wouldn¡¯t return for quite a while. Lin Dongxue could only return home empty handed. When she got home, she searched online all night, wondering if pedophilia also had specific gender preferences.


    The answers from Baidu¡¯s[2] question and answer section weren¡¯t helpful at all. She was so angry that she wanted to throw away her mouse. After continuous searching, she finally found a more reliable answer. It mentioned that pedophiles had gender preferences, but there were also those that were bisexual.


    Lin Dongxue went to bed in frustration. The next morning, she was woken up by a message notification on her mobile phone. Xu Xiaodong told her to check Weibo.[3]


    The news had already spread on Weibo. The irresponsible title of ¡°The perverted teacher raped and killed a boy then dismembered the corpse¡± appeared in the headlines of all major marketing outlets, which led to the criticism of theizens. Li¡¯s previous ¡°deeds¡± were all found and shared once again.


    Lin Dongxue sent a message to Xu Xiaodong, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, maybe the news was leaked! Today, Captain Lin is probably going to get really angry.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went to the bureau. Lin Qiupu had already finished exploding in anger and was just fuming silently at this point. She said softly, ¡°Brother, what happened?¡±


    ¡°You should have seen it too! It blew up on Weibo. I don''t know which bastard leaked this, but now the whole world is saying...¡± Lin Qiupu looked out the window, and the outside was calm. He seemed to be worried about angry peopleing over to the bureau to give Li a piece of their mind. ¡°The chief saw the viral news and gave me a lecture. He told me to give the public an exnation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Did your own people leak the info?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. These online reports only spoke of a few truths. They all added salt and vinegar[4], but they didn¡¯t have much actual information. It must have been leaked by someone from the school.¡± Lin Qiupu lit a cigarette solemnly and just left it in his mouth.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Lin Dongxue sighed with relief.


    ¡°But the problem is not too big. Li is still detained now, but he is very tight-lipped. He keeps trying to ask for awyer... Fine! He wants to go through the whole process? Well, we¡¯ll go the mile with him. Murder and dismemberment, even Jesus can¡¯t save him now... What about things on your side?¡±


    ¡°The progress is almost zero.¡±


    ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll let you do thest rounds of interrogations on Li and I¡¯ll call truce on our bet this time around.¡± Lin Qiupuughed.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly became serious. ¡°I think Li is not the murderer! And I will prove it to you.¡± She dered before she left.


    Lin Qiupu sighed. ¡°What sort of curse has befallen this girl?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was intent on going to meet Wang Jinsong''s family. Xu Xiaodong naturally followed her and went to theplex. However, no matter how much they knocked on the door, no one answered.


    Lin Dongxue proposed through gritted teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the school. I refuse to believe that we can¡¯t find the kid.¡±


    She turned around and was about to leave, when the door behind her suddenly opened. Wang Jinsong¡¯s father nced at them wearing pajamas and a sleepy look on his face. He questioned, ¡°Oh hey, officers. Looking for us?¡±


    ¡°You are at home? Why didn¡¯t you open the door for half the day?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. The children went to school, so a couple did what a couple naturally does... You know... Come in and sit!¡±


    The two were permitted to go inside. Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother came out of the bedroom and was full of confusion. Wang Jinsong¡¯s father told her to make tea and cut up some fruit to serve the guests. Lin Dongxue declined, ¡°No need, we¡¯re just here to ask a few questions.¡±


    Whilst she said this, she walked around the living room and pushed open a door. Inside was Wang Jinsong''s bedroom. There was aputer on the writing desk. Even though Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know much about hardware and technology, even she could tell that thisputer was definitely expensive.


    There was a shelf near the wall, filled with little stic figurines.


    The other shelf was full ofic books and magazines. There was even a guitar hanging on the wall, covered in dust. There was also a football in the corner that looked like it hadn¡¯t been moved for quite a while.


    Noticing Lin Dongxue¡¯s gaze, Wang¡¯s father smiled and exined in embarrassment, ¡°Our family does not know how to educate their children. They are usually spoiled because we buy anything they want... I hope you won¡¯tugh at us.¡±


    1. The truth is near.


    2. A Chinese multinational techpany specializing in Inte-rted services, products and AI.


    3. A Chinese microblogging website. One of the biggest social media tforms in China.


    4. Spiced it up with exaggerations.

 Chapter 62: Obstructed Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 62: Obstructed Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Were you not at homest night?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we went to see rtives.¡± Wang Jinsong father smiled.


    ¡°Which rtive?¡±


    ¡°This...Does this also need to be asked? Officers, why exactly are you looking for us? Is it rted to Du Lei''s murder?¡±


    Lin Dongxue almost blurted out ¡°What were you all doing when the murder urred?¡±, but she remembered the teachings that Chen Shi passed to her when they previously chatted. The more you suspect someone, the more you shouldn¡¯t reveal your intentions to them. She was told to learn to point East while tackling the West[1]. They needed to search for information whilst keeping the person in the dark.


    She put on a smile. ¡°This is the case. Du Lei¡¯s grandma doesn''t know about his death yet, so we lied to her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, the olddy lives alone with her grandson. It is really pitiful to have such a thing happen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the white-haired sending-off the ck-haired.¡± Wang Jinsong''s mother also echoed.


    ¡°...So, there are some things that we find inconvenient to ask her directly. That¡¯s why we came over to ask you these questions. Do Du Lei and Wang Jinsong often ying together?¡±


    ¡°Not always, it''s only asionally.¡± Wang Jinsong''s father was still using yesterday¡¯s monologue.


    ¡°Has he recently told you that there is something strange about Du Lei?¡±


    ¡°No, we are usually quite busy. Wang Jinsong does his homework as soon as hees home, or he¡¯ll just y on hisputer, so ourmunication with each other isn¡¯t that good.¡± Wang Jinsong¡¯s father rified.


    His mother added, ¡°Yes, we both work out of town. In order to care for this family, our connection andmunication with our child has been sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°We can only satisfy him as much as possible with material items.¡±


    ¡°Right, didn¡¯t the news on Weibo say that the murderer of the case has already been confirmed?¡±


    The couple gave exnations together left and right, which made Lin Dongxue¡¯s suspicions towards them deepen. She began, ¡°The case really does have a strong lead now...¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother suddenly became excited subconsciously. When she realized that she was being rude, she rephrased, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s great to give an exnation to the family of the deceased. It¡¯s very good that the police have handled things so swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Stop saying things like this when the other person¡¯s family has lost their child!¡± Wang Jinsong¡¯s father scolded.


    Lin Dongxue was able to finish her sentence, ¡°But I have to continue to investigate and collect more evidence, so I¡¯vee to visit and question people around the area.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know too much regarding that. Du Lei is obedient and sensible. We usually educate Wang Jinsong and ask him to learn more from Du Lei.¡± Wang Jinsong''s father said.


    His mother defended, ¡°In fact, my child is very smart. However, his intellect is used in the wrong ces. He only knows to y all day, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you encourage him to do so?¡±


    ¡°Hisputers and game consoles are all bought by you!¡±


    The couple began to me each other, and Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What game console?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Jinsong¡¯s father was nervous and smiled. ¡°Game consoles for children.¡±


    ¡°What game console?!¡± Lin Dongxue repeated, this time her tone became sterner.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother immediately interjected. ¡°It¡¯s his dad¡¯s promise. If he was in the top 30 students in this midterm exam, he will buy him a game console.¡±


    ¡°But we looked at his exam results. He only seems to be in the top 30 if you count from the bottom up.¡± Xu Xiaodong stated.


    ¡°Yeah, so we didn''t buy it.¡± Wang Jinsong father smiled.


    Lin Dongxue felt that the two were trying to cover things up. It seemed that it was impossible to ask directly, so she excused themselves. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯re going to take our leave first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t send you off then!¡± The couple showed a rxed expression.


    Lin Dongxue learned from Chen Shi to return after they¡¯ve let their guard down and whispered to Xu Xiaodong. ¡°Keep the two upied!¡± and then suddenly said to the family apologetically, ¡°Sorry, can I please borrow the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°Huh? The bathroom...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here! I will take you there.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly queried loudly, ¡°Ah, when did you buy this house?¡±


    Lin Dongxue entered the bathroom. She saw a curtain inside at a nce and figured that it was a bathtub behind it. She was ready to open the curtain when Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother suddenly came in and smiled forcefully. ¡°I am afraid that you won¡¯t know how to use this toilet[2]. Let me teach you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no worries, I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Press this and then put this part down.¡±


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother just had to exin how to use the smart toilet before she would leave. When Lin Dongxue was ready to open the curtain again, she knocked on the door again. ¡°Is it out of toilet paper? Do you want me to bring a roll in?¡±


    Has this woman forgotten that she owns a smart toilet?


    Lin Dongxue helplessly answered, ¡°No, thank you!¡±


    She reached out to the curtain again, when the woman knocked on the door outside. ¡°Oh, I am so sorry but I have diarrhea. Can you let me use it first?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she didn''t care about anything. She opened the curtain and when the curtain made a noise, Wang Jinsong''s mother broke the door bolt open and rushed in. She and Lin Dongxue met eyes with each other. At that moment, her face was very dark.


    But this expression was fleeting, and Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother smiled. ¡°Sorry, I just can¡¯t hold it in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let me go and solve mine downstairs.¡± Lin Dongxue helplessly agreed.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    Leaving the Wang¡¯s residence, Lin Dongxue was silent. Xu Xiaodong pressed, ¡°Hey, what''s wrong with you? What have you seen? Why won''t you talk? Why are your hands shaking?¡±


    Lin Dongxue stood still, and Xu Xiaodong who followed close behind almost bumped into her. Lin Dongxue turned to look at the window. ¡°This family has problems!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I also felt it. They are a little... Too polite.¡±


    ¡°It''s not just the problem with being too polite...¡±


    A young man who was riding a motorcycle to send courier packages entered themunity. When they crossed paths, they heard him speaking on the phone. ¡°Wang Bin, pleasee retrieve your parcel.¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned her head and saw arge paper box on the motorcycle. It seemed to be an electronic product. Xu Xiaodong identified, ¡°That is a ps4!¡±


    ¡°The same game console as Du Lei''s room?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Lin Dongxue walked over and showed her badge to the young man. ¡°Excuse me, who is the recipient of this parcel?¡±


    The young man looked at the list in his hands. ¡°Unit 504 of this building.¡±


    It was the home of Wang Jinsong. Xu Xiaodong was puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t they say they weren¡¯t going to get it for him because of his bad grades? This family is too unprincipled.¡±


    Chen Shi had pointed out to her that the motivation of children may be a small thing in the eyes of adults.


    Is this the motivation?!


    Lin Dongxue stood there waiting, but Wang Jinsong¡¯s father didn¡¯te down. The courier driver eventually drove away pissed-off.


    Lin Dongxue stood in the same ce for a long time, thinking about another possibility for the case until she was rmed by a phone call. It was Lin Qiupu¡¯s call again, ¡°Sister!¡°[3]


    Lin Qiupu only called her this way when he was in the best of his moods.


    ¡°Let me tell you some good news...Well, maybe it¡¯s bad news for you. We found the same aphrodisiac in Li''s home. You don''t have to investigate the case anymore.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I want to apply for a search warrant.¡±


    ¡°Search warrants? Who are you searching? Do you have evidence?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°If there is no evidence, don¡¯t mess around. Juste back... I don¡¯t have time to talk to you. Li¡¯swyer ising, so I¡¯ll have to see what else he cane up with.¡±


    1. Elude the people you wish to attack by letting them think you¡¯re focusing on something else.


    2. There are so many types of smart toilets, so people might not know how to use certain models without trial and error or closer inspection.


    3. He said ¡°meimei¡± instead of ¡°mei¡±. Both mean younger sister, however, you usually repeat words like that when you¡¯re speaking to children, making something sound cute, or are acting more familiar with someone.

 Chapter 63: The God’s Pen

    <h4>Chapter 63: The God¡¯s Pen</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Once again, it was like the bird had lost its wings[1]. She went back to the station dejected and asked her colleague where Lin Qiupu was. Apparently, he was still talking to Li and hiswyer.


    Lin Dongxue paced back and forth in the foyer as Xu Xiaodong pleaded, ¡°Stop pacing! My eyes are spent just looking at you.¡±


    ¡°How could it be Li!¡± Lin Dongxue stood still and pondered.


    ¡°Damn, your expression is a bit like Detective Conan.¡±


    ¡°Aphrodisiac. Why is there an aphrodisiac in the stomach of the deceased? Did they stuff it in when they dismembered the body?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, I have seen the autopsy report, and the stomach bag of the deceased was intact.¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t listen to a single word Xu Xiaodong had said while she was piecing together her thoughts in her head.


    ¡°Where did it go wrong?! Where is it wrong?!¡± Lin Dongxue began to scratch her head.


    ¡°Stop pulling at your hair. Be careful of baldness.¡±


    At this time, there was amotion in the office. Lin Qiupu¡¯s roaring voice bellowed out from the room. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense here! You¡¯re just grasping at straws now!¡±[2]


    Another voice soothed, ¡°Captain Lin, you need to calm down. My client really said this.¡±


    Lin Qiupu kicked open the door and called a policeman. ¡°Go to the school, find a girl named Mary, and bring her here.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went up and asked, ¡°Brother, what happened?¡±


    ¡°He said...¡± Lin Qiupu nced at the interrogation office. In the half-open door, a man in a suit was calmly drinking tea. ¡°Hiswyer noted that at the time of the incident, he was opening a small stove with another female student!¡±


    ¡°What does it mean to ¡®open a small stove¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It means molesting and sexual assault!¡±


    ¡°So, he was not willing to say what he was doing at the time of his death because of this?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s wrong! It must be wrong! This is definitely just one of his tricks. Call the girl to verify this.¡±


    The entire task force was anxiously waiting and did not even eat lunch. At about two in the afternoon, a young girl was brought in. She looked at the full house of adults. Lin Dongxue was the only woman present, so she took the initiative to ask, ¡°Little sister, don''t be afraid, we are here to help you... Can you tell sister here what happened on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 28th, after school? Where were you?¡±


    The little girl began shaking. ¡°I... I went home.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The little girl''s eyes filled with tears and nodded.


    No matter what they asked, the little girl continued to say that she went home, but her expression hinted that she wasn¡¯t telling the truth. Nobody knew what to do, so Lin Dongxue offered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take you home, okay?¡±


    She took the little girl away and walked towards the door. Suddenly, the little girl burst into tears and begged, ¡°Auntie, can you not tell my mother about this?¡±


    Lin Dongxue squatted down to wipe her tears and reassured the little girl. ¡°Okay, I promise not to say anything to her.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Li, he... He called me into the house... And then...¡±


    After listening to the little girl''s narrative, Lin Dongxue was itching to go in and p Li right that instance. She suppressed her anger and said, ¡°Let the forensic aunty give you a health check, okay? Don''t worry, we will keep this secret.¡±


    The little girl nodded.


    A female forensic doctor examined the little girl as everyone stood outside and waited. After the examination, the female forensic doctor acknowledged, ¡°She does have signs of a recent sexual assault.¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Lin Qiupu kicked a trash can in the hallway.


    This fierce material let Li immediately evade the crime of murder, but he still has to stay in the detention room to wait for the trial of this other crime.


    Lin Qiupu sat in his office in defeat. Lin Dongxue walked in trying tofort and encourage him. ¡°Brother, don''t be discouraged. The case is not over yet!¡±


    Seeing Lin Qiupu¡¯s silence, Lin Dongxue continued, ¡°This is not your fault. Someone tried framing him.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi pointed this out to me before, but this case has a strong scent of framing. You see, the whole thing wasid out too perfectly...¡±


    ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean I volunteered to be a fool?!¡± Lin Qiupu smiled.


    ¡°I have something to ask you. Is the aphrodisiac found in Li''s home the same as the one found in the stomach of the deceased?¡±


    ¡°It''s the same kind. Lao Peng ran some experiments and it¡¯s actually from the very same box!¡±


    ¡°Where did you find it?¡±


    ¡°Garbage bag.¡±


    ¡°Garbage bag!? You told me it was his home?¡±


    ¡°It was in the garbage bag that he put outside his house...¡± Lin Qiupu''s eyes suddenly rounded. ¡°You mean this is also part of the framing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the murderer knew that Li had a dishonest character, so he poured dirty water on his head.¡±[3]


    ¡°How did this aphrodisiac get into the belly of the deceased? The deceased is a 12-year-old child! Surely he wouldn¡¯t have taken it randomly?¡±


    This was the biggest problem in the case at present. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t answer it. She bit her finger. ¡°But the murderer knows that he ate it, so they put the same box of medicine in the garbage bag in front of Li¡¯s residence. Are there fingerprints on it?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, fingerprints!¡±


    Lin Qiupu rushed out and ran to the forensicsb. He was in such a rush and so flustered that he couldn¡¯t eloquently express anything, ¡°Lao Peng... Pill box... Fingerprints... Hurry!¡±


    Peng Sijue used ultraviolet light to illuminate the inside and outside of the kit. He did not find any fingerprints. To put it urately, someone had very carefully wiped all prints away from the box. He shook his head. The spirit of Lin Qiupu¡¯s which had just been lifted once againnguished.


    ¡°If this pill is really Li¡¯s, it is impossible to not even have his own fingerprints on it.¡± Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Captain Peng, who would buy this type of aphrodisiac?¡±


    ¡°A couple or a lover,¡± listed Peng Sijue.


    ¡°When it is eaten, what effect will it have? For example, will the body heat up?¡± Lin Dongxue blushed.


    ¡°No, I have analysed the ingredients. This drug is not really useful at all. It purely relies on cebo... The ability to purchase this overseas is also fake. It is only produced by small domestic workshops here locally and does not have the licence required to sell overseas.¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°What leads have you found?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a lead per say, but I¡¯ve found a person particrly suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    Lin Dongxue told her story and Lin Qiupu challenged, ¡°Wait, you¡¯re trying to say that the child killed the victim just for a game console? And that the parents helped him dismember the body?¡±


    Several police officers on the sceneughed. Lin Dongxue was a little dissatisfied and was about to counter. Lin Qiupu reminded, ¡°Investigating cases is not based on the mouth. You must have evidence. You must obtain evidence! Without evidence, it means nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then I will look for evidence for you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned away when she suddenly received a text message from Lin Qiupu. He said, ¡°Sister, if you need help, just ask. I will support you.¡±


    She found this funny and frustrating. Then her thoughts returned to the case. How can I find evidence? Do I need to slip into Wang Jinsong¡¯s home quietly?


    No, as a policeman, this illegal thing can''t be done.


    Whilst she reached a stagnant point in her thinking, Xu Xiaodong came out of nowhere and teased, ¡°When did your thinking be so nd? Can¡¯t you think outside the box? If there is dismemberment, then there ought to be blood that got washed into the sewer!¡±


    ¡°The words you speak are the equivalent of you not saying anything at all. They won¡¯t even allow me to look into their bathtub, let alone go in and check their sewer system and water pipes.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily need to enter their house in order to check the pipes. For example... We could go downstairs!¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly widened her eyes. If she didn''t like Xu Xiaodong, she really wanted to wrap her arms around him and give him a big kiss. This idea was very good! It¡¯s like the God¡¯s pen.[4]


    1. Return empty handed after failure.


    2. I used this expression instead of the one that they originally spoke of, which is to sacrifice all his chess pieces in order to retain the life of just one. However, it sounded a bit better to just say that Li was using desperate measures at this point.


    3. Used him as a scapegoat.


    4. Upon a writer¡¯s block, the writer might have a sudden jolt of inspiration, almost like a God, fairy or deity has wielded the pen with them in order to speedily finish the piece. It is an expression that describes a situation where someone receives ¡°godsend¡± help.

 Chapter 64: Conclusive Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 64: Conclusive Evidence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong immediately went to the littlemunity and found a plumber from the small advertisement posted on the bulletin boards. Along with the plumber, they then knocked on the door of Wang Jinsong¡¯s neighbor downstairs.


    After a brief exnation, the family was willing to cooperate with the police. The plumber busied himself with the pipes and worked to open the main sewer pipe of the family¡¯s bathroom. He used some tools to scoop out the contents.


    ¡°Officers, do you want a cup of tea?¡± The host family poured cups of tea attentively.


    ¡°No thank you. Ah yes, what do you know about the family upstairs?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Master Wang''s family? Although we live in the same building, we don''t usuallye into much contact since we don¡¯t leave the house very much. But we often hear the sound of them beating their child.¡±


    ¡°Beating their child?


    ¡°Yes, the beatings often seem very fierce. Every time, it seems like the father beats him while the mother persuades him to stop and buy something for their child tofort him. As a parent myself, I don¡¯t think this kind of parenting is very good.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard them doing this over thest two days?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It was three days ago. I heard a bang. Maybe the child smashed something, so the father began his normal punishment. The child cried so much.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong looked at each other. Perhaps the sound was the sound of the deceased falling to the ground.


    ¡°Officers!¡± The plumber called to them.


    The two immediately went to the bathroom and saw the stic cloth that wasid out on the floor. It was covered with some things that the plumber had scooped from the pipes. Lin Dongxue immediately saw clumps of blood and hair inside and she got very emotional.


    Lin Dongxue immediately called the team. Once Lin Qiupu heard that she had found evidence, he praised her. ¡°Well done! We wille soon!¡±


    About six o''clock in the evening, several police cars parked outside the building¡¯smunity area. The police came up and the owner said with surprise, ¡°What¡¯s happening now?¡±


    Lin Dongxue exined, ¡°We¡¯re going to have to catch someone.¡±


    ¡°Catch someone? Is it the people upstairs?¡±


    ¡°Can I please trouble you all to not make a sound? Sorry for inconveniencing you and bringing you all this trouble.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, don¡¯t worry. Ah right, what did they do?¡±


    After a knock at the door, Lin Qiupu, Peng Sijue and other police officers entered the unit below Wang Jinsong¡¯s together. The people went into the bathroom. Peng Sijue took out the testing kit and checked the contents Lin Dongxue had found. He confirmed with certainty, ¡°It is indeed human blood.¡±


    ¡°Action!¡±


    The police called the property management and knocked on the door of Wang Jinsong¡¯s house, iming to check the gas for them. When the other party opened the door, the police swarmed in and pressed the couple down on the table.


    There was a bang in the living room. Wang Jinsong who saw his father caught was so scared the mug in his hand fell to the ground.


    Lin Dongxue walked over andforted him. ¡°Don''t be afraid, we just have something to ask.¡±


    Wang Jinsong was so scared that he turned pale. Lin Dongxue looked into his bedroom and saw the newly purchased game console was currently getting installed.


    ¡°What have we done?!¡± Wang Jinsong''s father yelled.


    ¡°Still putting up a front?! The framing was done very well!¡± Lin Qiupu bellowed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about!¡±


    ¡°Search!¡±


    The forensic technicians entered the bathroom. Although it was carefully cleaned here, the luminol test showed that the ceramic floor tiles and the bathtub were full of blood stains. The drain also hadrge amounts of hair and minced corpse residue.


    In front of the conclusive evidence, the husband and wife did not put on an act any longer. They were so scared that blood drained from their faces. Suddenly, the dripping sound of liquid could be heard. Liquid flowed from the legs of Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother to the floor, and the smell of urine filled the house.


    ¡°Talk about it. How did you kill the child and cut him up?¡± Lin Qiupu sat in front of the table.


    ¡°I killed him, not my parents!¡± Wang Jinsong shouted.


    ¡°Okay, then you tell me about it then.¡±


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s father shouted, ¡°Jinsong, don¡¯t say it! If you do, our whole family is finished!¡±


    Lin Qiupu mmed on the table. ¡°Is it your turn to speak here?¡± Then he warned Wang Jinsong, ¡°Child, you are already in the second year of high school. You should have basic judgment capabilities. If you still refuse to tell the truth, then no one can help you.¡±


    Peng Sijue interjected, ¡°Even if you don''t say anything, we can also find out the truth. It will only be more unfavorable to you all.¡±


    Wang Jinsong suddenly cried. He kept biting his lip as he confessed. ¡°Officer Uncles, I confess. I will exin it all...¡±


    Wang Jinsong and Du Lei were good friends since childhood, butparing the academic results of the two could only be said to beparing that of heaven and earth. Wang Jinsong¡¯s parents often hung words such as ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn from Du Lei?¡±, ¡°You only know how to y!¡±, ¡°Why can¡¯t you learn good things from him?¡± around their lips.


    Every time he heard this, Wang Jinsong was irritated. It was not his fault he could not understand after listening in ss. His brain was just stupid. Du Lei was smart. If something was to be med, it should be his genes. His parents were also stupid.


    A few weeks ago, Wang Jinsong made a fuss about buying a PS4; this game console was very expensive, so his parents didn¡¯t allow him to have one. They told him that he needed to rank in the top 30 in order for them to get one.


    Unfortunately, Wang Jinsong did poorly on his mid-terms again. Naturally, he could not have a PS4, but he really wanted to y on one. He pleaded with his mom to get one. After his dad found out, his dad fumed, ¡°If I were to buy it for someone stupid like you, I might as well buy it for Du Lei instead!¡±


    Who knew, these words became the fuse that destroyed two families.


    On that day, Du Lei ran to Wang Jinsong''s house to y, and eagerly showed him something. It was a PS4. Wang Jinsong asked where he got it from since his grandmother was so poor. How could he have had the money to buy this?


    Du Lei teased that he wasn¡¯t going to tell him.


    Wang Jinsong got more and more suspicious. Did his father really buy it for Du Lei? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The two also had a little bit of a squabble while they yed together. In anger, Wang Jinsong picked up a vase and smashed it into Du Lei¡¯s face.


    Originally, he didn''t want to kill him. On TV, people were usually fine after taking a hit to the head from a vase. But Du Lei, who fell to the ground, could only exhale without inhaling.


    Wang Jinsong was frightened and called his father. After returning, the husband and wife were scared to death. After calming down, Wang Jinsong¡¯s father asked him if anyone knew that Du Lei came to their house to y.


    Wang Jinsong responded that nobody knew, since his grandmother had not returned from going out to buy groceries.


    So, they came up with a n to frame a scapegoat. They heard that Teacher Li¡¯s character in their ss was not very good. It seemed like he had been involved in molesting children previously, so they nned to pour the dirty water on Li¡¯s head.


    The couple spent nearly two hours dismembering Du Lei in the bathtub, putting the pieces in bags, and going to the school while it was dark. They climbed over the wall and threw the bags into the garbage bin outside of Li¡¯s dormitory.


    The police were really fooled, and locked up Teacher Li very swiftly. Then, the viral news talked about how the teacher was an animal. The family¡¯s hanging heart finally fell back down[1], but they didn¡¯t expect...


    ¡°How did you find us?!¡± Wang Jinsong cried.


    ¡°Do you really think that the police are that stupid?¡± Lin Qiupu stood up, ¡°Take them away!¡±


    Wang Jinsong was so scared his mouth hung open. ¡°Didn''t you say that you wouldn''t arrest us? You deceived us! Big liars!¡± Then he rushed towards his bedroom but was stopped by Xu Xiaodong''s swift motions. Wang Jinsong kept struggling, causing scratches and bleeding on the back of Xu Xiaodong¡¯s hands.


    The police present at the scene looked at the scene and thought that the child was really barbaric. To be able to do such an evil act, it was undeniable that it would have been due to his parent¡¯s poor parenting andck of proper education.


    1. Their anxiety from having to stay alert dissipated.

 Chapter 65: Advisor Behind the Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 65: Advisor Behind the Scenes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Jinsong struggled for his life and bit Xu Xiaodong''s shoulder before taking the window of opportunity to escape. He ran rampant like a small wild boar and even flipped their table in the process.


    The police took great pains in order to stop him. Lin Qiupu was unable to deal with the situation and put his hand on his head. "Cuff him up."


    Xu Xiaodong took a breath of cold air and looked at his shoulder which was bitten. Hemented, "Too barbaric. He¡¯s worse than my cousin¡¯s children."


    Wang Jinsong, who was handcuffed, struggled hysterically, peeling the skin off his hands in the process. The husband and wife looked at the scene and had tears silently running down their faces.


    Peng Sijue took out a syringe and threatened him with a nk expression, "Would you like to take a shot of anaesthesia?"


    When he heard this, Wang Jinsong suddenly stopped struggling.


    "Allowing the child to be spoiled like this, even if there was no murder, he would have caused harm or trouble to others when he entered society alone in the future." Lin Qiupu despised and regarded these people with contempt. "Take them away!"


    "Wait, there is a detail that has yet to be exined." Lin Dongxue halted them in their tracks.


    "What?"


    "Aphrodisiac. The aphrodisiac in the stomach of the deceased."


    The husband and wife still did not confess. However, at this stage, Lin Dongxue already felt like she understood. She asked Wang Jinsong, "Did you put the tablets inside the coke?"


    "I thought that was..."


    "Don''t say it!" Wang Jinsong¡¯s father shouted.


    "If you dare to interrupt our line of questioning again, we will separate your family." Lin Qiupu warned.


    Lin Dongxue looked at Wang Jinsong, who was really flustered. "What did you think it was?"


    "I don¡¯t know!"


    "You just lied, right? You didn¡¯t identally kill Du Lei, did you? You nned to kill him from the very beginning! You have a box full of pills in your house with an Englishbel on it. You thought it was poison, or your parents lied to you about it. So, you put the ''poison'' into the c and swindled Du Lei to drink it. Nothing happened, so you killed him with a blunt object. After you knocked him down, you beat him repeatedly until he died. This is not an ident at all. It is murder!"


    It was refreshing to be able to tell the truth in one breath. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t believe that she could do such a thing as well. The house was filled with shocked eyes that gaped at her.


    Wang Jinsong began to fret, bawled his eyes out and suddenly screeched. "Who told him to have better grades than me?! Who told my parents topare me to him every day?! Who told him to have a game console that I don¡¯t?! He evenughed at me! He deserved it! He deserved it!!¡±


    Seeing Wang Jinsong expose his true nature shocked everyone. Xu Xiaodong asked, "How did this box of medicine get to Teacher Li¡¯s residence?"


    Lin Dongxue turned back, looked at the door and reasoned. "The pillbox was only discovered this morning! When we spoke outside their door yesterday, their family was all in the house. They overheard our conversation, so they drove the boat along the waves[1] and let the whole thing y out."


    "If Li didn¡¯t have evidence of absence, we would have been fooled by them?" Xu Xiaodong was shocked.


    "Not necessarily!" Peng Sijue rebutted. "Theting under the sky may look sparse, but it won¡¯t fail to catch the water[2]. They must have left other pieces of evidence somewhere. We will find it sooner orter. I have something to add though. The deceased was not killed by the blunt object or the beating. The knife on the throat was the fatal wound."


    After hearing this, Wang Jinsong¡¯s father¡¯s eyes widened. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Did you know about this?¡±


    The man cried with his hands covering his face. "When I cut him with the knife, the kid suddenly moved. My wife advised me to send him to the hospital... But the situation was already like this. If I sent him to the hospital, I would have just gone to jail..."


    "So, you were actually the killer!" Lin Qiupu asked.


    The man nodded sombrely.


    The room fell silent and Lin Qiupu made a gesture for them to be taken away. Wang Jinsong¡¯s mother suddenly pleaded, ¡°Officers, I beg you to do one thing! I never imagined that because of a game console that these things would happen. After the incident, we took our savings to buy Jinsong the game console. He hasn¡¯t even yed it yet. Please let him y for a while before we go!¡±


    "Do you really think that this all happened because of the game console?"


    "If not, then what?! We loved him so much. From a very young age, we gave him everything that he wanted. It was our fault. We should have given him this console earlier. Otherwise, this misunderstanding wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    Lin Qiupu shook his head with heartache and helplessness. "You really need to reflect on yourself in prison!"


    After the real murderer was caught, Du Lei¡¯s parents came back to the town to im the body. Although the body parts had been stitched together, it could not alleviate their painful feelings. All theforting words in the world could not calm them down.


    Lin Dongxue was most unwilling to see this type of scene.


    The case had been broken in less than three days. The task force was credited with great achievement and received praise andpliments from high officials. Lin Qiupu called Lin Dongxue to the office and praised her. Lin Dongxue began, "Brother, ording to the agreement..."


    "Alright, alright. I will not interfere with your affairs in the future." Lin Qiupu forced a smiled.


    Lin Qiupu was so cool about the whole thing that Lin Dongxue actually got a little embarrassed. "Brother, I am not saying that you are not good to me... It¡¯s just..."


    "It¡¯s just, what?"


    "Give me some face, okay? Don''t talk down to me in public anymore. At the end of the day, I¡¯m grown up now.¡±


    "I haven¡¯t been a good brother. I will pay attention in the future... Do you know why I am so happy? This time you did everything beautifully! Evidence stands that even if you don¡¯t rely on the driver, we can still break the case... Remember toe for the celebration feast tonight!¡±


    "Of course!" Lin Dongxue smiled and left, where she met Xu Xiaodong in the corridor. She asked, "Xiaodong, how did youe up with that idea anyway? To find evidence from the sewage downstairs."


    Xu Xiaodong sheepishly smiled and scratched his head.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly had a conjecture and pressed, "Did you have an advisor behind the scenes?"


    "Oh... That..."


    "Stop stammering."


    "Actually, that was Brother Chen¡¯s idea. I told him the whole process and findings of the case. When we got stuck, he gave me the idea."


    "What!?" Lin Dongxue was shocked. It turned out that Xu Xiaodong was not a spy for Lin Qiupu, but a spy for Chen Shi.


    Later in a surgical hospital in Long''an City, Chen Shi was taking care of a patient when he received a text message from Lin Dongxue. "Thank you shadow-advisor!"


    The little girl lying on the bed asked, "What happened, Uncle Chen?"


    "Nothing, my friend sent me a message." Chen Shi picked up a bowl of congee and continued to feed the little girl. The little girl shook her head and protested saying that she didn''t want to eat it. Chen Shi soothed, "Yue Yue, be a good girl. You just finished your operation. You need to eat more to recover.¡±


    The little girl pouted, "My illness... When will I get well again?"


    "Don''t worry about it! If you listen to the doctor¡¯s orders, you¡¯ll definitely get better. I¡¯ll wait for you to get better, then take you out for a car ride."


    After the little girl finished eating, she went to sleep. Chen Shi quietly left and went to see the doctor. The doctor said, "Mr. Chen, although the insurancepany has covered arge part of Tao Yueyue¡¯s medical expenses, the hospital bed¡¯s fees and nursing expenses...¡±


    "I¡¯ll pay for it!" Chen Shi handed over a credit card. "Doctor, when will she get better again?"


    "She is still under observation at this time."


    "Stop giving me these superfluous answers all the time."


    "I understand your mood, but the cure rate of this type of sickness is not high. Also, she was already in the medium stage[3] when we had detected the sickness. She just had her operation. If chemotherapy and drug controls are good, she may get better."


    Chen Shi sighed. "Let me know if there are any updates on her situation."


    When he left the hospital, it was already getting dark. Chen Shi got into the car and picked up an order close by.


    When the passenger got in the car, he turned on the phone and looked at it. The speed of reporters are lightning fast. There was already articles on thest case. This time, the game consolepany got bad news piled on them. The news headline detailed, "Shocking News! 12-year-old Boy Cruelly Killed ssmate over Console."


    "Nonsense, the media really knows how to stir the pot and make a mess for the bigpanies!"


    "This case created chaos in Long¡¯An. The current ways of parenting is indeed worrying." The passenger in his car began talking. It was an old man with a dominant and assertive voice.


    "Old gentleman, where are you going sote at night?" Chen Shi asked with a cigarette in his mouth.


    "Don''t you know me?" The eyes in the rear-view mirror glistened as if they were smiling at him. "Chen Shi... Or I should call you Song Lang!"


    1. Pushing something along the waves is a lot easier than against. This expression means they took advantage of the current situation and the direction it was headed.


    2. An expression that people use to say that you¡¯d get caught even though the skies andnds are vast. No matter where you go, you will always be captured one day.


    3. In Chinese, there aren¡¯t 4 stages of cancer. There¡¯s initial, medium and terminal. Equivalent to stage 1, 2 and 3, and 4 respectively.

 Chapter 66: Modern Version of Jin Pingmei

    <h4>Chapter 66: Modern Version of Jin Pingmei</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 5: Their Rtionship


    Chen Shi turned his face and saw that the other person was an old man with white hair. The wrinkled face had an aura of majesty and dominance.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    "Tao Yueyue. I have been paying attention to the condition of the little witness. I knew that if she needed surgery, you would definitelye."


    "Ginger is still old and spicy!"[1] Chen Shi smiled and lit the cigarette he had in his mouth.


    "I didn¡¯t think that you woulde back in this manner with a false face. How do you feel teasing and meddling with your old partner and the young people who used to admire you?"


    "It''s not bad, it''s a bit like being born again."


    The old man sighed, "Youid low for so long and so well. Why did you want toe back?"


    "It must be in my nature."


    "Nature?"


    "It¡¯s like how some people are greedy and some are perverted. I can''t stand criminals being left alone. People can''t escape their own nature, and I am the same. But recently, I might have stood out too much. Even you noticed me! I think it¡¯s time to hold back a little.¡±


    "So you knew what was happening as well?!" The old man smiled. "Why don''t youe back openly without hiding behind a new identity?¡±


    "I..."


    "Because of the burden of a crime on your shoulders? Because that person is still atrge?¡±


    "No, that person is holding onto my weakness."


    "I guess, is it Tao Yueyue? He threatened you, as long as you show up again, they¡¯ll re-do the case, right?"


    Although he did not want to admit it, Chen Shi nodded. The cigarette was almost exhausted. He threw it out of the window and handed his hands over.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "You are noting to arrest me?"


    The old manughed. "If I came to catch you, I wouldn¡¯te alone in the middle of the night. Chen Shi, Chen Shi, you think you¡¯re so smart. Do you really think that you¡¯ve hidden from the skies and crossed the seas? No, actually, that night has not ended. The Zhou Xiao case has not been closed yet, and several of my elite officers have been tracing him the whole time. I knew all about what you have done from the very beginning. You can say that I¡¯m covering for my subordinates, or even neglecting my duties due to personal reasons, but I know that you weren¡¯t the killer. You could never have shot your superior officer or girlfriend. I can only prove your innocence if we can catch Zhou Xiao. So, the high-level officers have secretly permitted the little actions you¡¯re taking. In reality, your police identification number has not been cancelled. In the confidential documents inside my safe, your current identity is that of an undercover police officer."


    Chen Shi was surprised and then recovered his usual smile. "After all the twists and turns, I¡¯m still a police officer huh? But you guys never paid me a penny!"


    "After the case is over, I will send it to you in full. Remember to treat me to some food at the time!"


    "You have to take care so that you¡¯re still alive by then."


    "Damn brat! I am sure to live longer than you!" The old man smiled and took out an envelope from and handed it straight into Chen Shi¡¯s hands. Judging from the feel of the envelope, it was most likely full of banknotes.


    "The officials are handing out red envelopes now?"


    "It¡¯s to treat Tao Yueyue. Think of it as a token of mypassion. It¡¯s some of my personal money that I¡¯ve saved up over the years. Don¡¯t let my wife know about this.¡±


    "As long as she doesn¡¯t take my car!"


    The old man opened the door and stopped. "You could have done anything. Why did you choose to run a taxi service?¡±


    "I don¡¯t have any skills other than driving. Do you want to see me selling stinky tofu along the streets or something?"[2]


    "Damn brat, look after yourself!"


    The old man got out the car and disappeared into the night with his hands behind his back. The sigh of the silhouette with a slightly hunched back gave off a feeling that it was worn out. Chen Shi saluted silently. "Thank you, Chief!" After a minute, he put his hand down. His heart was full of emotions. Tonight, if he didn¡¯t drink, he was afraid that it would be impossible to calm the inner waves of his heart. He started his car and drove to a bar that he often went to.


    Wang Jinsong¡¯s case caused a great uproar in Long¡¯an, but soon people¡¯s attention was diverted from it to other news such as which celebrity evaded their taxes, gasoline price changes, and the like. After a week, the incident waspletely forgotten and everything calmed down. As if nothing happened, everyone moved on with their ordinary lives.


    Chen Shi ran his orderste into the night and then went to She Kouji Road with a few drivers. After tiring themselves for the day, everyone sipped c while eating skewers and shared their experiences over the past few days.


    Chen Shi was always the most talkative on the table. He would always talk about special and underrated cases non-stop. If people asked him where he learned of these cases, he would always say that he watched it on a legal program.


    However, today''s protagonist was a middle-aged driver named Li Tao. He animatedly described the modern version of Jin Pingmei[3] with all kinds of gestures, expressions and voices. It is said that there was a young woman with the surname Pan who hooked up with a small boss who has surnamed Ximen. The paper couldn¡¯t hold the fire. Pan¡¯s husband, who had the surname Wu, discovered this and went to thepany of Ximen to cause trouble. Nobody expected that after a month, the man surnamed Wu died identally while driving. The car and person were burnt to ashes. The police suspected that Ximen paid someone to murder Wu and began investigating him. They even closed off hispany.


    The drinkers were sceptical. "It¡¯s made up right? How can there be such a coincidental thing?¡±


    "It¡¯s a real story. Anyway, news spread all over the city... I think that as long as a woman named Pan meets a man named Ximen, nothing good wille out of it."


    "The expression you¡¯re looking for is ¡®affair¡¯!"


    "Oh, my wife is surnamed Pan. If it¡¯s as you say..."


    "You have to be careful if there is a surname of Ximen among her friends."


    "Fuck you man."


    "Don''t make trouble, Brother Li. How long has it been?" Chen Shi chortled.


    "Just these past two days. I heard a passenger talk about it."


    Chen Shi gobbled up the rest of the roast eggnt in his hands and excused himself. "Sorry, a family thing came up. I¡¯ll be leaving first."


    Everyone mocked, "What? Did you forget to inte your wife?!"


    After Chen Shi got in the car, he sent a message to Lin Dongxue. "Modern version of Jin Pingmei? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about such a fun case?"


    Lin Dongxue replied, "Where did you hear about it? We are not pigs[4]. We won¡¯t find you for every case. This case is already close to getting finished-up. It must have been Ximen Qing."


    "I hope you don''t make a mistake this time."


    "Crow¡¯s mouth! Are you just looking forward to the limelight?"


    Early the next morning, Lin Dongxue went to the bureau. They were investigating the case Chen Shi talked about yesterday. Whenever she saw the file, she wanted tough. The surnames of the three people were really too much. They were exactly the same as the story back in the day. What is even more funny is that the deceased Wu has a younger brother. The case was reported by the younger brother who provided them with a lot of evidence as well.


    Lin Dongxue met Wu¡¯s younger brother Wu Hao once. This person was a fitness consultant who practiced Taekwondo and Sanda. He was very burly and looked very handsome. However, every time his brother¡¯s death was mentioned, he couldn¡¯t control his emotions. He would rage about how he wanted to chop the pair of adulterer¡¯s heads off and put it in front of his brother¡¯s shrine. Everyone was afraid that he would actually do this kind of thing.


    At the time of the incident, Pan and "Ximen Qing"[5] were together at a resort. There was clear evidence of absence. At present, the police had concluded that Ximen Qing paid for the murder. They were primarily checking his bank ounts. It turned out that there were multiple instances of tax evasion. However, they were stillcking the evidence for this final kick to get the ball into the goal.


    They needed to see what Lin Qiupu had to say at the meeting today...


    1. The older you leave ginger, the spicier it gets. An expression to show that the older one gets, the wiser they be.


    2. Fermented tofu that has a strong odor. Typically sold at night markets or as street-food. It¡¯s something that if you will like the smell of if you like it, but find really pungent if you don¡¯t. Kind of like the love or hate rtionship people have with coriander. http://.visiontimes/uploads/2016/06/6797591200_8da957f3e8_k-950x550.jpg


    3. It¡¯s a story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Ping_Mei


    4. Pigs are traditionally stupid in Chinese culture.


    5. The person only has the surname Ximen, but they gave him this nickname as per the old story.

 Chapter 67: New Lead

    <h4>Chapter 67: New Lead</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At the meeting, Lin Qiupu informed everyone with enthusiasm, "Everyone, we have leads for this case, for we found that ¡®Ximen Qing¡¯...¡±


    Every time the name was mentioned, everyoneughed.


    "We found that 50,000 yuan disappeared without a trace from his personal bank statements. The time the money disappeared was around the time of death of the deceased. He apparently doesn¡¯t know where the money has gone either."


    "Is it possible to close the now?" asked a police officer.


    "We are stillcking evidence. The focus of our work now is to find out who was the recipient of the 50,000 yuan. If the recipient can be found, then the case will be broken. Everyone needs to bring forth all their energy in order to solve the case within three days."


    Everyone was hyped up when suddenly a hand was raised. Lin Qiupu asked, "Lao Peng? What do you have to say?"


    Peng Sijue asked neutrally, "Captain Lin, have you read thetest autopsy report I gave you?"


    "I haven''t looked at it yet. Tell me the contents."


    Peng Sijue flicked through the document. "ording to my second round of post-mortem examinations, there is a suspicious and abnormal bone hypersia behind the back of the deceased¡¯s head. The deceased has osteoporosis, hypokemia, muscle sagginess, hardening of the arteries and venous thromboembolism-like symptoms. To be clear, it means that their bodycked phosphorus, potassium, and calcium for a very long time. There is also another problem. Arge amount of scratch marks were found in his esophagus, which seemed to have formed due to hard objects. These marks have been estimated to have been umted over a minimum of three months."


    "The victim and the car were all burnt to a crisp. How were you able to identify so many things?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why it took a lot of time.¡±


    "So what is your conclusion?"


    "I don''t think this case can be concluded just like this. To conclude that it was done by Ximen just because the involved party''s surnames are Pan and Ximen... Maybe the murderer is taking advantage of this kind of thinking. If it really is Ximen buying his death, then these abnormalities on the deceased cannot be justified. So this case must have another secret behind it."


    Hearing Peng Sijue publicly speaking against him, Lin Qiupu was a little angry. "Lao Peng, let¡¯s leave that aside and only talk about motivation for now. What do you think the murderer¡¯s motivation would be?¡±


    "You can''t avoid it! This is a fact! I think that when the case is finally solved, these doubts and abnormalities should be answered perfectly. Otherwise, it cannot be said that you¡¯ve cracked the casepletely.¡±


    Lin Qiupu forced a smile. "Lao Peng, Lao Peng, who has affected you like this?"


    "The autopsy is my job, and the crime-solving is yours. Since the report is finished, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Peng Sijue did not respond to him any longer and left.


    If it were someone else who didn¡¯t give him face like this, Lin Qiupu would have exploded in rage at them on the spot, but he was Peng Sijue, so Lin Qiupu could only swallow the fire back down.


    Countless pair of eyes stared upon Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu grit his teeth. "Captain Peng¡¯s new discovery should be taken seriously. Dongxue, Xiaodong, you both should look at this new angle. Everyone else, continue to trace the whereabouts of the 50,000 yuan!


    After the meeting, Xu Xiaodong asked Lin Dongxue, "What does Captain Lin mean?"


    "What do you mean what does he mean?"


    "He asked us to investigate alone. Did he mean for us to ask the Great God to save the day?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Can you still hear the sound outside the strings?"[1]


    Lin Qiupu did not mention Chen Shi¡¯s name anymore. Even when he needed to mention the guy, he only ever said ¡°a good-hearted citizen.¡± Maybe he thought that as the captain of the criminal investigation unit, it was shameful to ask for external help every time.


    "I¡¯ll call Brother Chen!" Xu Xiaodong dered.


    "Call him, call him!"


    Xu Xiaodong dialed the phone. "Hey, Brother Chen... It¡¯s not much, it¡¯s just that the case has encountered a bit of an obstacle... How did you know? Okay... Okay, we will definitely treat you. Pleasee!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiaodong was very happy. "The case has hope!"


    "Listen to your words. You make it sound like there¡¯s no hope if we were to follow Captain Lin and the team.¡±


    "I didn''t say that!"


    Half an hourter, the two went to Yong An Soymilk and met with Chen Shi. While eating the breakfast that Xu Xiaodong¡¯s treated them to, Chen Shi mocked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t require my help on this case?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s cheeks became hot. ¡°Originally we didn¡¯t need your help, but today, Captain Peng made some new discoveries that we didn¡¯t consider before. He mentioned that the deceased¡¯s state is a little weird.¡±


    "What do you mean by weird?"


    Lin Dongxue took out a copy of thetest autopsy report. Chen Shi looked at it for a while. "Brief me about the case."


    The time of the incident was the morning three days ago. The person who called it in was the brother of the deceased, Wu Hao. He reported that his brother had disappeared for two days. In the beginning, this was handled by the standard police station. Later, a homeless scavenger discovered that there was a burnt car in a rural suburb. It seemed like there was a body inside. This discovery brought the two cases together.


    The car belonged to Wu, and the corpse in the car was identified by DNA as Wu.


    The car had obvious gasoline residues on it. It was suspected that someone killed Wu and burned him in his car. The deceased was burned beyond recognition and it took a lot of effort to peel the corpse off the car seat. Because of the burning, his fatal wound was never found. The estimated time of death was also just a rough estimate that points to about five nights ago.


    So, they began to investigate the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased. Wu Hao insisted that it must have been done by the pair of adulterers. The deceased¡¯s wife, Pan Xiuying, and her lover, Ximen Sheng entered the police''s field of vision thereafter.


    It can be said that when the police officers who participated in the investigation heard the names of the two people coupled with a photo of the face of Ximen Sheng, they immediately suspected him as the murderer.


    However, the two had a clear alibi. At the time of the incident, they were together at a resort. Ximen Sheng was very nervous in front of the police, but his evidence of absence was wless. Lin Qiupu increasingly suspected that Ximen Sheng had paid for the death of the victim.


    Therefore, the current work focus was to investigate the financial expenditure of Ximen Sheng.


    After listening to everything, Chen Shimented, "Arbitrary!"


    "The deceased is not called arbitrary. He¡¯s called Wu..."[2]


    "I mean, your brother is arbitrarily making assumptions and concluding everything based off of that. Just because someone is having an affair, he¡¯s automatically a murderer? The officials of the Song Dynasty during the story of Ximen Qing didn¡¯t even judge cases like this."


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s expression became gloomy. Xu Xiaodong challenged, ¡°Brother Chen, let¡¯s not talk about Captain Lin. Everyone in the task force also thinks ¡®Ximen Qing¡¯ is the murderer. Isn¡¯t it necessary to rely on intuition when solving cases as well?¡±


    "Intuition and delusion are two very different things, alright?"


    "Then how are we going to investigate now?"


    Chen Shi looked at the documents in his hand. "Lao Peng¡¯s reports have never been wrong. I think there must be a close rtionship between these abnormalities in the case and the truth. Let¡¯s investigate again from scratch!"


    ¡°From scratch?!¡± Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Is it too tiresome? Or should we just ask an ouija board together to ask the deceased who killed him?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was surprised. "You can do that too?!"


    Lin Dongxue looked at Xu Xiaodong as if she was looking at a donkey. "Fine, we¡¯ll listen to you."


    Chen Shi called on the waiter. "Add two more buns for me."


    After finishing his food and drinks, Chen Shi motioned. "Let¡¯s start working!"


    "Where should we go first?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "What¡¯s closest?"


    ¡°The gym where Wu Hao works at is the closest to our current location.¡±


    "Then let¡¯s go there first!"


    The trio drove to the gym. There were no guests in the morning, so Wu Hao was ying a mobile game in the lounge area. When he saw the policee in, he became really excited. "Have the adulterers been charged yet?!"


    Chen Shi asked, "Mr. Wu, you are so sure that they were having an affair. Do you have any evidence?"


    "Didn¡¯t I give the evidence to you all in the beginning? Is this officer new? Okay, let me show you something."


    1. It is an expression that refers to reading in between the lines. The whole expression describes a song yed using string instruments to imply another meaning other than the lyrics people will take literally.


    2. The word begins with the same pronunciation as ¡°Wu¡±.

 Chapter 68: Evidence of the Affair

    <h4>Chapter 68: Evidence of the Affair</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wu Hao took a bag out from his locker and pulled out a bed sheet. The sheets seemed to have not been washed for a very long time, and a smell emitted from it. Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but cover her nose.


    Wu Hao disclosed, "This is the adulterers¡¯ dirty sheets from my brother¡¯s house. There are the two people''s bodily fluids on them... I gave it to the forensic team to get tested before, but they refused to test it. I have no idea what you guys are doing instead of testing it.¡±


    Chen Shi had to suppress the urge tough. "You¡¯re very thoughtful. When did this happen?¡±


    "A few weeks ago."


    "At the time, was your brother not at home?"


    "No, my brother may have gone out to do deliveries. This pair of adulterers must have gone to my brother¡¯s bedroom to do it while he was away... Fuck!"


    "You were there?"


    "Yeah, I went to see my brother. I happened to bump into them. I screamed for the guy to leave. My sister-inw... No, that bitch even tried defending the dude. I told them that they should look forward to me telling my brother, and so I kept the evidence. In the future, my brother will not suffer even when he has to deal with a divorcewsuit. I did not expect this evidence toe in handy at this time." Wu Hao sighed and shed tears from his eyes.


    "This is the evidence?"


    "I have others as well!"


    Wu Hao took out a few photos, all of which were photographs of the pair while they met up. Many caught the front of their faces. It was also legally effective if taken to the civil court.


    Chen Shi looked at each photo and surmised, "You have a lot of time for a fitness coach. Are you also part-time private detective?"


    "For my brother, even if I don''t have time, I¡¯ll make some!" He dered righteously.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "We¡¯re here to find evidence for the murder case. These can only prove that the two are in contact..."


    "It is adultery!" Wu Hao eximed loudly.


    "Alright, alright, adultery then... Is there evidence regarding the murder?"


    "Yes!"


    Wu Hao took out his mobile phone and yed a recording. In the recording, you could clearly hear a man and a woman joking, during which there was a part of the conversation which detailed -


    Female voice: The stupid old turtle argues with me all day long. It¡¯s annoying me to death!


    Male voice: Baby. Whatever he owes you, I¡¯ll make it up to you, okay?


    Female voice: You¡¯re the one that treats me the nicest... Haiii, it would have been nice to have met you earlier.


    Male voice: It¡¯s not toote now. I¡¯m talking about divorce with the yellow-face[1] at my house. When I drive her away, I will marry you.


    Female voice: That¡¯s nice, but the old turtle would never agree to a divorce, even if he were on his deathbed.


    Male voice: Go to hell! I¡¯ll find a brother to teach him a lesson!


    Female voice: You mean, beat him?


    Male voice: Haha, if you wished for it, I could make him disappear too.


    Female voice: Oh honey, I like this dominant look of yours...Ah...


    Male voice: Do you like this?


    Female voice: I like it very much...


    When the recording began broadcasting inappropriate content for children, Wu Hao turned it off and inquired, "Officers, is this evidence sufficient? The police officer who came here previously identified that this recording is real. I secretly recorded this outside their motel... I really wanted to rush in to kill the pair of adulterers!"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This is not evidence."


    "Why doesn¡¯t it count? They all said...¡±


    "To say it and to do it are different things. It is only evidence if it can prove that they killed the person.¡±


    Wu Hao suddenly pulled at his hair and swept all the things on the table to the ground, scaring the three so much they jumped back. Wu Hao then used his fists to smash the table and shouted, "Then what are you police doing?! It¡¯s been so many days and you haven''t found any evidence. Everyone has onlye here to talk and question me. I am not a policeman. Where can I find evidence? Can¡¯t you catch them first and use some means to get them to confess?! My brother must have been killed by them. I can swear to God!"


    Seeing that Wu Hao suddenly turned into an angry bear, Chen Shi soothed, "Why don¡¯t you calm down a little? We are investigating right now, okay? Sit down and take a deep breath."


    Wu Hao sat down and panted. "I have a bad temper. I am like this when I get impulsive. I am sorry... But this matter involves my brother''s life. How could I not let it go to me?"


    Chen Shi asked, "How is your rtionship with your brother?"


    "Does this even need to be asked? It¡¯s so good that we could wear the same pair of trousers. We¡¯ve yed together from childhood. After our parents passed away, I went to Long''an to work without a ce to live. He took me in, and us two brothers did not have anything we couldn¡¯t talk about with each other. My brother would always think of me if anything good happened. See? This watch was given to me by my brother!¡±


    He showed the Rolex on his wrist to the three.


    "I want to see his photo."


    Wu Hao rummaged through his phone and eventually found one after some searching, but it was not very clear. Chen Shi asked, "Is there another photo?"


    "No, my brother doesn''t like to take pictures."


    "That¡¯s fine then. Leave your contact details to us. We¡¯ll contact you as soon as we have an update.¡±


    "Please hurry up. My brother came into my dreamst night and asked me to preside justice for him. I am not trying to scare you all. If you can¡¯t solve the case, I¡¯ll take matters into my own hands.¡±


    "Alright, alright, we will do our best."


    When they left the gym, Chen Shiughed. Lin Dongxue asked him what he wasughing about. Chen Shi exined his amusement. "I just thought that if he really took matters into his own hands, this whole thing would be so dramatic. Maybe a movie would be made to retell the drama."


    "You have no heart!"


    Xu Xiaodongmented, "Brother Chen is bing more and more like a policeman now."


    "Haha, just because I haven¡¯t tasted pork, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know that pigs can run... Don''t misunderstand."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you doubt anything he said?"


    "Doubt? I think that he seems a bit too passionate about everything. Let¡¯s go listen to the other parties¡¯ side of the story... Do you have a photo of the deceased on hand?"


    Lin Dongxue pulled out one from her mobile phone. Chen Shi nced at it and pondered aloud. "Who is this handsome guy?"


    "The victim! His ID card has not been changed for 20 years. We only have this photo of the ID card. We couldn¡¯t find any other photos in his house. It seems that he really does not like to take pictures."


    Xu Xiaodong weighed in, "I don''t like to take selfies either. My mobile phone only has photos of my cat."


    Chen Shi rubbed his chin while saying "That¡¯s a bit strange," but he did not mention the matter further.


    Their second destination was the wife of the deceased, Pan Xiuying. Pan Xiuying was a nurse in a hospital. She wasn¡¯t there when they arrived.


    When Pan Xiuying¡¯s colleagues heard that police hade by, they immediately began gossiping. ¡°Did Xiao Pan kill her husband?¡±, ¡°I heard that the adulterer¡¯s surname is Ximen. Hahaha, Official Ximen!¡±, ¡°Too coincidental! Her husband is also surnamed Wu, and he looks very ugly as well."


    Chen asked the nurse, "Have you met the deceased before?"


    "I have seen him once. I bumped into Xiao Pan and him while they were out shopping. I thought to myself, Xiao Pan was born as a flower, so why is her husband so ugly? Was he rich?"


    "Is his family wealthy?"


    Several nurses discussed again. "Do you think Xiao Pan has money at home?", "I feel like she¡¯s very rich. You see the bags, lipsticks, and clothes that she uses? All of them are designer.", ¡°Those were most likely given to her by her lover! Her husband is a frencer. Put in in terms, it seems he is unemployed. How would her family have money?¡±, ¡°But she does have a car¡±, ¡°The car is her husband¡¯s, and it¡¯s a car made in China, so it¡¯s not worth a dime!¡±


    Listening to their discussion, there was no need to ask further. Chen Shi changed the question. "Take me to her work area!"


    1. The wife who doesn¡¯t look after herself much anymore. Synonymous with middle-ageddies. They don¡¯t doll themselves up and stays at home quite a bit, so the natural flush of their skin is diminished and reced with old, yellow skin.

 Chapter 69: Cheating Couple

    <h4>Chapter 69: Cheating Couple</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The nurses brought the three people to an office, and the head nurse exined whilst gesturing, ¡°That is Xiao Pan¡¯s table.¡±


    Chen Shi looked closely at the table. It was cleaned up very well, and the number on each page of the calendar next to it was all filled with the number of calories that she ate every day. It also listed the changes in her weight. It seemed that she was very careful about her lifestyle.


    A nurse revealed, "Xiao Pan is a very good person. She is very kind to people. She also gave me a pack of sanitary napkinsst month... Haii, I really didn''t expect such a person to have an affair."


    Another nurse added in jealousy, "You see how she dolls up every day even though she¡¯s married? She must have done it to steal the hearts of other men.¡±


    The ultimate defamation between women was that the other party stole men.


    Chen Shi asked, "Has she ever mentioned anything about her family? How about the rtionship between the husband and wife?"


    Several nurses grinned amongst themselves, so Chen Shi smiled and asked, "What¡¯s so funny?"


    A nurse began, "I often see Xiao Pan go to the pharmacy to buy medicine saying that it is for her husband to take. Guess what kind of medication it was? It is the kind that you men eat! Her husband may have been at home for too long, so he¡¯s unable to perform.¡±


    The nurse who had growled about Xiao Pan stealing men suddenly eximed loudly, scaring all the people who were present. She recalled, "I remember now! Xiao Pan has not been feeling very well for a while. I heard that she even has some symptoms such as irregr menstruation. So it turns out she wasn¡¯t satisfied in that department, huh? Recently, though, her personality suddenly changed. It seems that the adulterer has made her feel very good."


    When she heard this, Lin Dongxue blushed. Chen Shi asked, "Why didn''t shee to work today?"


    "If this kind of thing happened, how could she still have the mood to go to work? She¡¯s been taking leave for a few days... But her adulterer has lots of money, so she probably doesn¡¯t care about her pay checks. I heard that she intends to resign. I don¡¯t think she should resign though. Once the case is broken, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find another job again." The nurse concluded with contempt.


    "Alright, thank you all."


    Leaving the hospital, Lin Dongxue said, "These nurses really like to kick people while they¡¯re down."


    "Angry when people have things andugh when they don¡¯t. It¡¯s understandable. But I also heard some useful things from them. Let¡¯s go visit Ximen."


    Ximen Sheng was the boss of a clothingpany. Because of this incident, thepany was now closed. When the three arrived, they found many colleagues there checking the ounts, calctor in their hands. They were checking each transaction one by one.


    Xu Xiaodong joked, "Xiao Li? When did you be an office worker?"


    Police officer Xiao Liined, "I am looking for the whereabouts of the 50,000 yuan. I¡¯ve spent the whole morning doing this... Brother Chen came? You have to break the case soon and save us from the bitter sea!"[1]


    Chen Shi smiled and warned, "Don''t have too much confidence in me. I just came to y tickets."[2]


    "You ticket yers seem to be a lot more capable than us. Everyone in the bureau is saying that you are a driver detective.¡±


    "Oh really? Did anyonement on how handsome I am?"


    Seeing Chen Shi and other female officer talking andughing, Lin Dongxue coughed. "Investigate the case! You¡¯re just chatting here. Where¡¯s ¡®Ximen Qing¡¯?¡±


    "The brat has been missing since the morning. We¡¯ve gone to his house, thepany, and the wife''s house, but we couldn¡¯t find anyone.¡± A male police officer replied.


    "Empty-handed." Lin Dongxue told Chen Shi.


    The office was full of ounts books and receipts. They didn¡¯t know where to start investigating. Chen Shi made a gesture of retreat. Suddenly, a police officer rushed in. ¡°I found the guy! He¡¯s in a hotel! Hurry up and go!¡±


    A group of police officers quickly went downstairs, and the three of them followed. Ximen Sheng was in a hotel a few streets away from thepany. It was discovered by the citizens in the area throughwork investigation. They immediately reported this finding to the criminal police department.


    When the group of people arrived at the hotel, the person working at the front desk told them that Ximen was in 404 room on the 14th floor, so everyone rushed upstairs.


    This time, they weren¡¯t trying to sound him out with traps. The policemen knocked on the door and called him out. The people inside shouted, ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    "Quite unreasonable. Get the person at the front desk toe over and open the door."


    After getting the keys, they tried opening the door, but it seemed like a chair was used to block the door. No matter how much they pushed, they couldn¡¯t open it. Everyone discussed whether to break in when Chen Shi shushed them, pointing at the door.


    Everyone listened attentively. There seemed to be a woman¡¯s voice, and the sound of the bed frame rattling.


    "Darling, are you there yet?"


    "I aming... Soon... Ah~"


    Everyone outside was so angry that they wanted tough. The people inside were shameless enough to finish up knowing people were outside.


    At this time, the door opened. Ximen wore a bathrobe and appeared in front of everyone. He was a middle-aged man who was on the chubbier side. His body was tall, and his face was oily and flushed. He had a golden tooth in his mouth.


    "What? What''s the matter? Now the police officers are going to interfere with the sexual lives of citizens?" Ximen Sheng became aggressive.


    "You¡¯ve really got some gall, don¡¯t you? The police have been looking for you everywhere, but you¡¯re here doing this?" barked a police officer.


    Ximen looked annoyed. "I have had too much pressure on my shoulders the past two days. Isn''t it okay to vent?"


    ¡°Why is there a lot of pressure for you? Do you feel guilty?¡±


    "Nonsense! You gave me a murderer¡¯s hat, causing mypany to close down. Every day, I lose hundreds of thousands of yuan. Even my hair is falling out! What exactly are you trying to investigate?!¡±


    "Ximen Qing..."


    "Fucking hell, my name is Ximen Sheng, not Ximen Qing!" Ximen was so angry that he began stomping.


    "Sorry, we just wanted to know what happened to the 50,000 yuan in your ount.¡±


    Ximen widened his eyes and looked at everyone, saying, "It was scammed away."


    "Bullshit! You said you didn¡¯t know where it wentst time. This time you¡¯re saying you were scammed. How can we believe you?"


    "It is indeed due to a scam!"


    "Who deceived you then?"


    "How would I know? If I knew, I would have called the police! Please stop hanging around me like flies. I have told you all everything that I know. What else do you want from me? You guys have gone too far with your investigating. Bring me a lie detector so I can prove that I didn¡¯t kill him!¡±


    Chen Shi nced in the door and asked, "Who else is in the room?"


    "My wife!"


    At this time, the woman in the room dressed herself properly. It was a beautiful young woman. Lin Dongxue whispered, "She is Pan Xiuying."


    Pan Xiuying requested, "Please officers, don''t bother us anymore. We can''t go to work and live our days with you all being like this. Why are you all doing this? I have tried telling you all so many times now. My husband died in an ident. It¡¯s none of our business! Yes, we admit that it¡¯s shameful having an affair, but did we break thew? You all actually chased us here today. Tomorrow, do you need to stand next to the bed and watch us do it?¡±


    "Ms. Pan, we don''t care about your private affairs. We just want to figure out how the deceased died."


    "Who do I ask if you¡¯re asking me?"


    "Your husband had gasoline residue on his car. It is clearly a murder, yet you¡¯re saying it¡¯s an ident."


    "How would I know if it was a murder or not? I was not there at the scene! Please use your brains. What era is it now? Is it necessary to kill my husband in order to have an affair? I am not above a divorce. He only had a tiny bit of wealth. Would I need to be greedy over something like that?¡±


    "Yes, she is right!"


    Everyone turned their heads and tried to see who echoed her beliefs. It turned out to be Chen Shi.


    1. The equivalent of ¡°hell¡± in English in a metaphorical sense.


    2. An expression that means that they are only tagging along and ying around, but they aren¡¯t going to make a living out of it. For example, an actor that sang a song at a concert to entertain the fans even though they¡¯re not a singer.

 Chapter 70: Wu Dalang’s Fraudulent Marriage

    <h4>Chapter 70: Wu Dng¡¯s Fraudulent Marriage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    Everyone looked at Chen Shi, so he exined, "In this case, because of the coincidence of certain surnames, everyone unconsciously associated the current parties with the ancient case together, but they ignored an important point. In society nowadays, it¡¯s not necessary to kill the husband in order to have an affair, so this is not a motive for murder at all.¡±


    Ximen pped his hands together in agreement. "Look! This police officer here is reasonable. His level is a lot higher, unlike you lot! Is it wrong that my surname is Ximen? That is just because my father is surnamed Ximen!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Why don¡¯t you all go downstairs first? I want to talk to Mr. Ximen alone.¡±


    The police officers all left, and Ximen Sheng, as if finding a friend, invited the three into the room. This was a presidential suite, so it looked very luxurious and grand. Ximen took out a drink from the refrigerator. After sitting down, Chen Shi rified, ¡°Don''t misunderstand, we are also investigating the case."


    "I know! Investigate away. I am not afraid of the shadows and usations since I didn¡¯t kill him. I have never even thought about murder before. I would say this even if I had to die."


    "Yes, I don''t know why they won¡¯t let us go!" Pan Xiuying echoed.


    Chen Shi questioned, "How did you twoe to know each other?"


    "We met on WeChat!", "We met at the station." The two responded differently at the same time.


    Chen Shi pointed to Ximen Sheng. "You say it first!"


    Ximen Sheng started, "We started to get to know each other on WeChat. We talked for a while, and felt like we made a connection. Then, I asked for a photo of Xiuying. I fell in love with her at a nce... Finally, we came out to meet..."


    ¡°The first time we met was at the station next to the Xi Hu Park.¡±


    "You wore a white dress that day; Beautiful like an angel descending upon Earth."


    "You were wearing a suit and driving a Porsche. It looked so cool!"


    The two began to recall while flirting with each other with their eyes. The three got goosebumps just from listening to them. Chen Shi interrupted them. "Okay, okay. I understand... Then you two officially began dating?"


    "Yes, love was in full swing!" Ximen grinned with his eyes.


    Finally, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. "I want to talk to you alone. Can I?"


    "Afraid we¡¯re organizing our testimonies? Well I have nothing to be afraid of. There is a small bar downstairs, let''s talk there."


    Just before he left, Chen Shi exined a few words to Lin Dongxue, and then went to the small bar in the hotel with Ximen Sheng. Ximen ordered a drink, but Chen Shi only had a cup of tea. Chen Shi asked, "Has Ms. Pan ever mentioned her family situation?¡±


    "Yes, she¡¯s mentioned it! In fact, the moment I saw her, I could tell that she was a woman whocked love...¡±


    "Okay, okay. Are you a poet? Just answer straightforwardly.¡±


    Ximen crossed his arms. "I actually pity her quite a bit!"


    "Why?"


    "A flower was inserted in the cow dung. Her husband is trash and can¡¯t do anything right in any aspect. Before we met, she looked gloomy and grim. However, after meeting me and my diligent nurturing, she looks alive again.¡±


    "Hey, don''t suddenly drive again[2], I can''t stand it. Seriously though... Is it amon thing for a beautiful woman to be with an ugly man?"


    "Psh!" Ximen had a look of disdain. "Do you know why the two married each other? The old turtle posed as a rich man when he was young. He took the money from selling the family house to take her travelling and filled her with endlesspliments. At that time, she was young and couldn¡¯t resist the temptation, so she began liking him. It turned out that the old turtle was a poor guy!"


    "How poor is he?"


    "The kind of poor that has a monthly sry of only seven or eight thousand!"


    Chen Shi felt a stab as he rubbed his chest. He snivelled, "My monthly sry is about the same."


    "Sorry, I am not targeting you. I meant the old turtle dishonestly posing as a rich man even though he wasn¡¯t."


    "You mentioned that she has looked better recently?"


    "Yes, ever since we began dating... Women, you know they¡¯re not going to be alright unless they¡¯re satisfied in that area!"


    "How long has it been?"


    "Three months or so."


    "How has she gotten better?"


    "Herplexion has gotten better and her hair has gotten darker. Did you know? She used to have white hairs. Also, her figure has gotten better too. Thisst point I have the most right to talk about!"


    Chen Shi captured a clue in his words and touched his chin for a moment. Ximen Sheng asked, "Why are you particrly concerned about this? Is your wife not satisfied?"


    "I don''t have a wife."


    "Then you have to work hard! If a man doesn''t get relief for a long time, he will get into a lot of trouble! How about I invite you to a good ce after this case is finished?"


    "Thank you, but no need!" Chen Shi forced a smile. "Sorry about this, but I also need to ask about the 50,000 yuan again."


    "Why do you care about this too? I¡¯ve already said...¡± Ximen Sheng jumped up immediately.


    "Don''t be mad. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you have to say."


    Ximen Sheng calmed down and recalled with his head down. "I was deceived!"


    "How so?"


    "I went to the resort with Xiuying that day. Before we met up with each other, I suddenly received a strange phone call. Listening to the voice, it seemed like it was Xiuying¡¯s. She cried saying that she was involved in a car ident with someone. The other party asked for 50,000 yuan via card. I put the money on the card and didn''t think too much about it. When Xiuying and I met up, she told me that she hadn¡¯t driven that day. That¡¯s when I realized that I was cheated!"


    "How were you able to get scammed?"


    "When I listened to the voice, it sounded exactly the same. I was so concerned that I didn¡¯t think too much about it at the time. It¡¯s so hard to prevent scammers nowadays.¡±


    "Can I ask you another private question?"


    "Go ahead."


    "Do you guys use protection when you guys do it?"


    "Preventative measures are definitely not a problem! After I had my second child, I went to the hospital for a vasectomy operation. There is no chance that there¡¯s going to be a problem!"


    "Okay, thank you for your cooperation!"


    Ximen Sheng stood up and held out a hand. "It¡¯s a lot more pleasant to talk to a police officer like you. You¡¯re unlike those people that ask endlessly. What should I call you? Let¡¯s have a meal together one day.¡±


    It¡¯s amon thing for people to try and get on good terms with the police. Chen Shi smiled. "Sorry, we have regtions around this, sorry to reject your good intentions."


    "I hope you break the case soon."


    Aftering out to meet Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong, Chen Shi asked, "What did she say?"


    "She said that she was deceived by Wu Dng in the beginning. Wu Dng pretended to have a lot of money at home and married her. They began arguing every day. Wu Dng operates a shop online. Business was able to get them through life but they weren¡¯t wealthy... Also, she mentioned that the Wu brothers have a good rtionship with each other."


    "Fraudulent marriage is exactly the same as what ¡®Ximen Qing¡¯ testified to.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "You lectured others, but didn¡¯t you also just call him ''Ximen Qing'' as well? Where should we go next?"


    "Is Wu Dng''s house sealed?"


    "It¡¯s not a murder scene, so it¡¯s not sealed. But if you want to go in, you must ask Wu Hao...¡± Lin Dongxue made a face. ¡°I feel that the informant is a bit crazy. I don¡¯t want to see him again.¡±


    "He may have intermittent explosive disorder, so he¡¯s unable to control his temper..." Chen Shi fell to a silence.


    1. Wu Dng is the brother who was killed in the Jin Pingmei story. Jin Pingmei is framed as a spin-off from Water Margin. The opening chapter is based on an episode in which "Tiger yer" Wu Song (the younger brother) avenges the murder of his older brother by brutally killing his brother''s former wife and murderer, Pan Jinlian.


    2. Talking about erotic and personal stuff.

 Chapter 71: Suspicious Informants

    <h4>Chapter 71: Suspicious Informants</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What happened to you? What did you think of?"


    "Let me have another look at Lao Peng''s report."


    Chen Shi took the autopsy report and read it carefully. He rubbed his chin in silence. "It seems that you still have to go over there."


    The contact information of Wu Hao left fromst time turned out to be useful. Chen Shi dialed the number and informed Wu that he wanted to visit his residence. The first reaction of Wu Hao was, "Are you suspecting me?!"


    "Isn¡¯t your residence the same as your brother''s residence? We just wanted to see your brother''s room."


    Wu Hao breathed a sigh of relief, "Ohhhh. Why do you need to look there?¡±


    "No reason really, we just need to go take a look anyway."


    "But I am still at work now."


    "We can wait."


    "Well, I¡¯ll go over around three o''clock in the afternoon then. Century Hua Fu Community. Wait for me there.¡±


    Upon hanging up the phone, Chen Shi sneered. "This guy. He keeps screaming over and over that he wants to kill the adulterers, but he keeps trying to avoid us when we want him to cooperate with us.¡±


    "I understand now!" Xu Xiaodong eximed loudly.


    "What do you understand?"


    "He is the murderer!"


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    "Because Brother Chen, when you show this kind of confident expression, you usually already know who it is in your heart.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "I also have this expression when I shave... Find a ce to eat, then go to themunity."


    After getting in the car, Lin Dongxue asked, "What does Captain Peng¡¯s report mean?"


    ¡°In short, the deceased was bedridden for a long period of time.¡±


    "I don''t understand. Maybe it''s just a matter of his personal habits. Didn''t the others say it? The deceased worked at home."


    "I will tell you a story!"


    "Okay then?"


    "I have a friend who studies medicine. He once went to the photo studio to help a young woman with big breasts to take art shots. The friend asked, ¡®Miss, can I touch your chest?¡¯ The young woman actually agreed. This friend told her that she had a hard lump on one of her breasts and that she needed to go to the hospital to get it checked. When it was checked, they found a tumor. Fortunately, it was detected early, and it was removed in time to save her life."


    Lin Dongxue mocked, "Your friend is not an honest or good person."


    ¡°I just want to say that the eyes of professionals can often see more information. Lao Peng¡¯s conclusions must be taken seriously and should be the key to solving the case.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "Hey, you and Captain Peng are not familiar... Why do you always call him ¡®Lao Peng¡¯?"


    Chen Shi coughed. "I like to act familiar with people. Can¡¯t I? Xiao Lin."


    "Get lost!"


    After eating their meals, they rushed to Century Hua Fumunity. They were a bit early and found it fairly boring to stand around at the gate of the littlemunity. Chen Shi instructed, "I¡¯ll give you a task. Go to the neighbors of the deceased to ask one thing: How was the rtionship between the three people?¡±


    "What about you?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I¡¯m going too, but we are splitting up."


    The three people came back after a round of questioning. Lin Dongxue shook her head. "Nothing of value was noted. The rtionship between the neighbors were too detached and news doesn¡¯t get spread around very often. Many people don''t know that someone in the building even died."


    "It¡¯s probably because your questioning skills arecking!"


    "What did you ask then?"


    "I... I didn''t get anything out of them. They all asked me ''Are you a policeman? Show me the documents,'' but I couldn¡¯t even produce a badge for them!"


    Lin Dongxueughed. "Haha, it¡¯s finally happened to you!"


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand. "I asked some of them. It was reflected by the family who lived downstairs. They answered that the rtionship between the brothers was actually quite poor. They often heard Wu Hao shouting and throwing things."


    "Go ask again whether the brothers have quarrelled over the past three months.¡±


    "Again? Okay, the family has a good-looking young housewife..." When he noticed Lin Dongxue''s contemptuous eyes, Xu Xiaodong corrected his mistake. "She doesn¡¯t look as good as you. Really!"


    "Get lost! Just stop with the nonsense."


    After a while, Xu Xiaodong rushed back and regurgitated the information he obtained. "She said that she hasn¡¯t heard them quarrel in the past three months. It seems that their rtionship has be better."


    "Oh really?" Chen Shi noted with a sneer forming at the corners of his mouth.


    When a Volkswagen station wagon came, Wu Hao got out wearing sunsses. He took off his sunsses in a slick manner and said, "Sorry for the wait,e upstairs with me!"


    Wu Hao wore a tight t-shirt which highlighted his chest and abdominal muscles. Lin Dongxue flushed red upon seeing his muscles bulge out. Xu Xiaodong noticed her reaction and said, "Do you like muscles? Actually, I also have them!"


    Lin Dongxue nced at Xu Xiaodong''s weak, chicken-like figure and rolled her eyes.


    While heading upstairs, Chen Shi asked, "Mr. Wu, how much is your monthly sry?"


    "Not much, about twelve thousand a month."


    "This sry can be counted as pretty high in Long''An City. Why not buy a house?"


    "Haha, my brother didn¡¯t want to abandon me, so I live here. I bought all the TVs, refrigerators and water heaters at our ce. Us two brothers were really close."


    "Your brother is married, yet you live together. Would it not be inconvenient?¡±


    "How so? My sister-inw, fuck, I mean that adulteress is always busy at work and oftenes backte at night anyway... It¡¯s here."


    Wu Hao opened the door with a key. There was a bunch of decoration workers inside who were smashing the floor. He repeated, "You see? Nothing much happening here. All the furniture has been moved away too.¡±


    ¡°Why do you suddenly want to redecorate?¡±


    "Not redecorating, I am going to sell the house out. Since my brother is dead, the house belongs to me anyway... It would be worth five or six hundred thousand for this house with one room and two lounges!"


    "Why do you need to renovate the house if you¡¯re selling it?"


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be sold better if it¡¯s just like a shell for the new owners to decorate as they wish?¡±


    A trade-worker suddenly came over and asked, "Boss, why does your room smell so much? There¡¯s even shit underneath the floorboards."


    "I¡¯ll kill you!" Wu Hao ferociously red at the worker. This sudden sound woke Lin Dongxue who was still indulging in his body. "Don''t talk nonsense, how can there be shit under the floor!"


    "You see it for yourself," the workermented.


    Wu Hao exined to Chen Shi, "It may be the husky we formerly owned."


    "Which is your brother''s room?"


    "Oh, it¡¯s that one, but there is nothing to look at."


    Chen Shi walked into the room, which had already turned into an empty shell with bare walls. He noticed that there was only one bed and asked Wu Hao, "Where do you usually sleep?"


    "I sleep on the living room sofa... I bought a big sofa bed and I just put it down like a bed when I need to sleep."


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a feeling of inferiority having to do that?¡±


    "This is my brother. We don¡¯t think of things like that!¡±


    Chen Shi waved Lin Dongxue toe in and whispered, "Girls¡¯ sense of smell is a little bit better. What do you smell in the room?"


    Lin Dongxue sniffed her nose and described, "There is a smell...Like the smell of an old toilet."


    "Well police officers, nothing to see here. I have to get back to work." Wu Hao stated loudly behind them.


    Chen Shi turned around. ¡°In the morning, we went to Ximen to question them."


    "Is there a problem with them?!"


    "You were right, that person is really suspicious."


    "This kind of scum should be arrested and judged. By any means possible, this person should be killed. I guarantee on my life that he killed my brother. After all is said and done, I¡¯ll treat you all to dinner.¡± Wu Hao mmed his chest with his hand.


    "Okay, I wille when this is all over." Chen Shi smiled.

 Chapter 72: Chen Shi’s Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 72: Chen Shi''s Reasoning</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Leaving themunity, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "Do you already have a good idea of everything?"


    "Yeah." Chen Shi replied calmly.


    "Hurry up and tell me!"


    "No, I want to look at the expressions of surprise and respect on your faces when I reveal the whole truth."


    Lin Dongxue snorted, "Hey, then I don¡¯t want to hear it at the time."


    "Just ying. I¡¯m not saying it because it¡¯s only a guess right now. I¡¯m afraid it might be a mistake. I have to verify it. Wait until the bread is baked before I reveal it along with the nice smell."


    Chen Shi¡¯s mobile phone started ringing due to a call from Peng Sijue. He asked, ¡°Are you investigating the case?¡±


    "How did you know?"


    Peng Sijue did not answer. "If you have time, I have some findings to tell you."


    "Okay, I will be there soon."


    "I¡¯m not at the bureau. I¡¯m in the autopsyboratory of the Medical University."


    Chen Shi looked at the time. It was already four o''clock in the afternoon. He told Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong to go get off work first. Lin Dongxue refused. "I¡¯m not going to leave. Why are you driving us away? I want to go see too."


    "Well, I think the discovery of Lao Peng may be boring for you."


    "To be a qualified policeman, you have to know everything."


    "Let¡¯s go. Get in the car!"


    The three people went to the Medical University. At this time, it was still ss time and the campus was very lively. Looking at the young men and women on campus, Xu Xiaodong said with envy, "A serious university like this must be nice."


    "Yeah, it¡¯s good. The police academy is not so good." Lin Dongxue also expressed envy and before turning to ask Chen Shi, "Have you ever been to college?"


    "Does social college count?"[1]


    As they passed by the basketball courts, Lin Dongxue suddenly heard a burst of wind. She turned her head to see an "unidentified flying object" flying right at her. She got scared and screamed. Chen Shi reached out and grabbed the basketball flying over with one hand.


    Lin Dongxue, who was scared held her head and squatted down on the floor. Realizing that the pain hadn¡¯te, she turned her head and looked up. It turned out that a group of young men who were like skinny monkeys were ying basketball and had almost identally injured her. They shouted from the court, "Sorry, beauty!"


    "Little bastards!" she yelled wearily with tears welling in her eyes.


    "Be more careful next time!" Chen Shi skillfully dribbled the ball, then did a three-stepyup. The boys all cheered.


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes widened in fascination as she watched Chen Shi ying basketball for a brief moment. She immediately pped her cheeks to restore her senses.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "Dongxue, you like people ying basketball? In fact, I also know how to y... Inside games."


    "Cut your crap!"


    "You¡¯re even going to go on about your abilities inside a game?" Chen Shi patted the dust from his hands and walked back over.


    "Brother Chen is really amazing. Have you considered joining the police team''s basketball team?" Xu Xiaodong asked with a smile.


    "Do I get money for it?"


    "No."


    "Then no thanks!"


    The three went to theb. When they entered the door, they felt a chill run down their backs. There were a lot of bottles and jars filled with human organs. Peng Sijue held a skull and smiled to greet them.


    Xu Xiaodong shivered and asked, "Captain Peng, are you trying to summon the devil?"


    "I''m doing aparison." He set the skull down on the table, where many other skulls were ced. "My former professor allowed me to borrow this ce for a day. I was looking for..."


    "Looking for a simr case of bone hypersia as the deceased?" Chen Shi finished.


    "Yes!" Peng Sijue pointed at a skull. "This is the closest one so far. It is a pity that there is no information recorded for the parts here. I don''t know how long the bone hypersia took to proliferate."


    "How do you think that bone hypersia is formed?"


    "Through strong blunt force. It should be an injury sustained while he was alive. The affected area did not receive timely care, so the bone healed naturally to form a hypersia. Unfortunately, I¡¯m uncertain of the time it took to form.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the skull on the table and probed, "You have been here for a whole day. Surely this isn¡¯t the only thing you¡¯ve checked?¡±


    "You¡¯re right, there is an oddity that I particrly care about. The long-term bed-ridden symptoms that appear on the deceased is my focus. Most of the remains here were sent by the hospital. I found a lot of simr cases here, proving that the deceased had experienced staying in bed for an extended period of time."


    Lin Dongxue carefully questioned, "Captain Peng, this long bed rest means lying still every day, or..."


    "Literally like a vegetative person, lying in bed all the time. There will be so many consequences."


    ¡°This includes going to the bathroom and eating?¡±


    "Yes! I wrote on the report that the dead''s esophagus had old scratches and I suspected that someone had used a nasogastric tube to feed him."


    "The truth seems to havee out to the surface." Chen Shiughed with sadness.


    "I still don''t understand!" Xu Xiaodong groaned.


    Lin Dongxue revealed, "I seem to understand. What you mean is that the deceased had been lying on the bed for a long time before he died. If this is the case, it would be impossible for him to be able to drive out! That means the angle of Ximen Qing buying his murder needs to be re-examined. But this thing, why did Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying not mention it..." As soon as she said this, Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. "They are the murderers!"


    ¡°Not bad! Not bad¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°After thest case, your ability to think independently has be stronger and stronger. I couldn¡¯t even hide it from you. Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    "Wow, nice! Dongxue just graduated." Xu Xiaodong acknowledged with surprise.


    Lin Dongxue wondered, "Why would Wu Hao kill his own brother? Pan Xiuying is a nurse and taking care of bedridden patients is a normal part of her work. She may have participated in this matter... But motivation! What is the motivation?"


    "If you don''t know the motives, let''s take a look at all the possibilities." Chen Shi raised his hands and counted them one by one. "Killings are nothing more than murder, passionate killing, idental killing. Which one do you think it is?"


    "For passion? Or maybe it was an ident?"


    "Or both. Wu Hao has a bad temper, and the neighbors have testified that the brothers had a bad rtionship with each other. Perhaps Wu Hao hit the victim over a quarrel, but the deceased did not die; instead, he went into a vegetative state. So, Wu Hao and his sister-inw ''raised him¡¯ and prepared to deal with him when the timing was right... Guess why the brothers were arguing? I¡¯ll give you a hint. More than one person reflected that Pan Xiuying¡¯s looks were getting better. They said her figure became better and plumper. One of her nurse colleagues even mentioned that she had given sanitary napkins away to someone else."


    "She is pregnant!" Peng Sijue announced calmly. "The amount of estrogen produced increases when a woman is pregnant, thus causing their body to change significantly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s and Xu Xiaodong¡¯s jaws hung open.


    Chen Shi crooned, "Ximen has had a vasectomy. Guess who this child¡¯s dad is?"


    "Wu Hao''s! He had a thing with his sister-inw!" Lin Dongxue eximed.


    "Oh shit, no! I can''t believe it!" Xu Xiaodong said with amazement and disbelief. "Didn¡¯t he struggle really hard to prove that his sister-inw had an affair with someone?"


    Chen Shi shared, "This pair of adulterers is ying the same instrument[2], shifting our focus. Interestingly, their low-level tricks have actually fooled a bunch of people. From the opening of this case, has anyone even asked Wu Hao for his alibi?"


    1. Growing wiser through jobs. Street-wise education.


    2. An expression where one pretends to be good and the other bad and they are just acting together. When two people y the same instrument, nobody can tell who is the one truly ying the instrument.

 Chapter 73: Reverse Scale

    <h4>Chapter 73: Reverse Scale</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The uncovering of the truth made Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong greatly shocked. Xu Xiaodong beamed with great admiration. "Brother Chen is getting faster and faster. The case has been broken in less than one day."


    "Hey, why does yourpliment sound so weird to me? The case has not been broken yet. We have a direction now, but how to investigate it is a difficult point. First, the brotherly conflict urred three months ago. In three months, they had plenty of time to dispose of all the evidence. Furthermore, the body is also burned to a crisp. The fingerprints and DNA cannot be found. Second, Wu Hao¡¯s motives are very tricky. In order not to be suspected, he is willing to let his sister-inw sleep with others. No one can prove that he and Pan Xiuying havemitted adultery."


    "Wait, as long as Pan Xiuying gives birth to the child, the case can be solved." Xu Xiaodong articted.


    Lin Dongxue frowned. "The child is so pitiful. The birth is a testimony. After everything is over, both the parents would go to jail. What should they do with their life from then on?"


    Xu Xiaodong smiled shyly while scratching his head. "Oh, your thinking is more considerate. You¡¯re right, that¡¯s pretty sad."


    "Yeah, this child is really pitiful. They are destined to not be able to reach the human realm. Pan Xiuying is at least three months along in her pregnancy. She must be particrly flustered because the child must be disposed of, but treatment at this crucial time would be suspected and looked into. Therefore, there is a slow way to investigate this case. We wait for Pan Xiuying to either get the abortion after not being able to wait any longer, or we wait for her belly to show. Naturally, we can then prove that she and Wu Hao had an affair. Then, the lock on this case can be broken.¡±


    "It¡¯s a long night with a lot of dreams." Lin Dongxue expressed.[1]


    "There is still a quick way to investigate it. The deceased has not been seen by anyone in the past three months. We can obtain a search warrant to focus on investigating Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying."


    "But where is the key evidence?"


    "I am afraid that this case does not really have any decisive pieces of evidence. There may be indirect evidence though. We must use the spirit of perseverance like your brother and keep an eye on Wu Hao at all times."


    Lin Dongxue smiled and teased, "My brother sounds like a hunting dog based on your words."


    "No, no, your brother is a roaring dog in my mind."[2]


    "Get lost, I¡¯ll beat you!"


    "It''s time to go back and quickly tell the task force of our findings, otherwise they will continue to waste time checking the ounts of Ximen."


    Leaving theb, Chen Shi handed a cigarette to Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue hesitated for a few seconds before he took it. He asked, "Have you been here before?"


    "No... It¡¯s a good ce. As you look at the girls, they get prettier by the minute! Is this your alma mater?¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at the students on the yground and recalled, "When I was in school, because I was introverted, I was bullied by my ssmates. I had a friend who came out and stood up for me. On the basketball court, they beat four students at basketball."


    Chen Shi avoided the question, "If I could y basketball, that would be great. All the girls like to watch boys y basketball."


    Peng Sijue suddenly stood still, watching Chen Shi with a fixed gaze. Chen Shi also looked at himughing, and then Peng Sijue removed his gaze, as if sighing in recollection of past events.


    Half an hourter, in the conference room of the task force, the exmations became louder and louder.


    "What? Wu Hao and his sister-inw actually..."


    "The woman is pregnant? Is the child from the brother-inw?"


    ¡°Ximen Qing¡¯ has not killed anyone?¡±


    Lin Dongxue, who temporarily acted as spokesperson, was embarrassed by everyone¡¯s exmations. After listening to their findings, Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Is there evidence?¡±


    "No."


    Lin Qiupu took a look at Chen Shi. "There is no evidence. Is this all your reasoning then?"


    A police officer argued, "I think Chen Shi''s reasoning is very logical."


    Another police officer echoed, "Yes, we believe him!"


    Yet another police officer acknowledged, "From the current clues, this is the most self-evident hypothesis."


    Lin Qiupu squinted his eyes and looked at the subordinates who had all betrayed him. It was a bit of a lonely feeling. Just when he did not know how to step down from the spot he was put in, Chen Shi modestly diverted the attention away. "In fact, I am also standing on the shoulders of giants. If not for the path of knowledge that Captain Lin¡¯s team paved first, I would not havee to such reasoning so quickly."


    Lin Qiupu was very embarrassed by his subordinates¡¯ gazes all returning to him. He instructed, "That should be checked, but be careful not to alert the snakes[3]. The current work needs to be divided into three. First, investigate the rtionship between the brothers. Second, find evidence to prove that Wu Hao and his sister-inw had an affair; and third, and the most difficult, find direct evidence of Wu Hao being the murderer."


    "It''s amazing! Captain Lin¡¯s thinking is really clear. Being able to delegate everything immediately. I really admire it!¡± Chen Shi praised.


    "The praise is a bit too much." Lin Dongxue whispered to him.


    Lin Qiupu actually quite enjoyed thepliment and coughed. "This is the difference between professionals and amateurs... OK, that¡¯s it for today. Come early tomorrow."


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hands and cheered. "Yay! We¡¯re off work now!"


    The whole room turned their heads and looked at him gravely. Xu Xiaodong lowered his hands quickly.


    After the meeting, Xu Xiaodong had to ask Chen Shi and Peng Sijue to go to dinner. As he was talking, Lin Qiupu came over. "It¡¯s still a little bit early to celebrate, so I will do it once the case is broken. This time Chen Shi shoulde."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Captain Lin¡¯s treat? I will be sure toe and appreciate the offer."


    Lin Qiupu coughed and looked at Lin Dongxue, but said towards Chen Shi, "Good job!" and then left.


    Xu Xiaodong snickered. "Captain Lin is so not honest even when he¡¯s trying topliment people.¡±


    "Then you get honest." Chen Shi teased.


    Xu Xiaodong took a deep breath, "I am going to let it all out like your biggest fan then!¡±


    "Alright, alright, let¡¯s wait until the case is broken."


    Everyone was busy with their individual tasks. On the next morning, Lin Dongxue arrived at the bureau. The case had a breakthrough. Everyone was extraordinarily spirited and started work early in the morning.


    She found that Chen Shi did note so she sent a text message to ask him. Chen Shi replied, "Did you mistake me for a colleague? I still have to run driving orders. Let me know if you find any clues.¡±


    Lin Dongxue responded. "Wouldn¡¯t it be faster if you helped?"


    "Why? Will I get money for it?"


    "Yes!"


    "Nah, I won¡¯te. I want to take a nap. Work hard, little flower of the police.¡±[4]


    After hearing Chen Shi¡¯spliment, Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t stop smiling. A passing police officer told her that there was some progress on Captain Peng¡¯s side and asked her to go.


    When she arrived to the forensic department, she suddenly heard Peng Sijue loudly lecturing, "Who told you?!"


    When she went in, the person standing opposite Peng Sijue was Xu Xiaodong. The rest of the room looked petrified as they had never seen their captain like this.


    "What''s wrong?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Xu Xiaodong agonized, "I just retold a joke to make everyone happy and lighten the mood. It¡¯s the medical student story that Chen Shi told us yesterday about the medical student who touched someone¡¯s breast at the photography studio. Who knew Captain Peng¡¯s reaction would be like this?!¡±


    Peng Sijue raised his eyebrows. "What? Chen Shi told you that? He told you the story personally? How did he know about this?"


    Lin Dongxue consoled, "Captain Peng, don''t scare us. It¡¯s just a joke.¡±


    "It¡¯s not a joke. That medical student is..." Peng Sijue suddenly stopped talking and looked around at the room filled with stunned expressions. He sat back in his seat. "This joke is used to ridicule medical students. I am angry just hearing about it."


    Peng Sijue really wasn¡¯t the type of person to lie. Even Lin Dongxue could tell he was out of his element. She wondered why this joke touched his reverse scale.[5]


    1. An expression that means the longer this drags on for, the more changes and variables there are.


    2. The roaring dog is the pet and treasure of Er Lang Deity. This dog¡¯s original form is a short haired puppy. It¡¯s called a little dog in Journey of the West. One time in a story it was called something like the roaring dog. It can be transformed into a dog as big as an elephant. Although the power is not said to be amazing, but it was decent enough to take a piece of meat off other deities. It means that he¡¯s not the protagonist but is a good support.


    3. An expression that says not to hit the grass as it will alert the snakes. In this case, the snakes are referring to the suspect.


    4. A school¡¯s most beautiful girl is called school¡¯s flower and the most handsome boy is called school¡¯s grass. He¡¯s saying she¡¯s the flower of the station.


    5. Weak point. Dragon scales should be smooth, one next to another. If there¡¯s one that¡¯s reversed, when it¡¯s touched, it would hurt the dragon. This expression can be used to described contradictions, betrayals, weak points and such.

 Chapter 74: Strict Defence

    <h4>Chapter 74: Strict Defence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue sat down as if he was deted. The scene was so quiet that it was a bit awkward. Lin Dongxue asked, "Captain Peng, you said there are new discoveries..."


    Peng Sijue threw a printed piece of paper on the table and said calmly. "The cause of death was found out. The deceased died of heart failure, and the time of death has to be pushed forward about six to twelve hours."


    Lin Dongxue took a look and said, "Thank you, this discovery is very important."


    Peng Sijue waved his hand and asked them to leave. The two left the department and Lin Dongxue scolded Xu Xiaodong. "Why did you mention such random nonsense to him?"


    Xu Xiaodong gave an innocent look. "How would I know that Captain Peng¡¯s reaction would be so intense... Perhaps the protagonist of this story is someone he knows?¡±


    "Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?!"


    Xu Xiaodong shook his head desperately. "I don''t want tomit another taboo."


    The task force went all out in investigating the criminal suspect Wu Hao. Three dayster, Lin Qiupu brought everyone together and summarized the information on hand.


    The police officers in charge of investigating the background of the Wu Brothers reported, "The parents of the Wu brothers died early. ording to their rtives, the two brothers have had a mediocre rtionship with each other since young. Their parents obviously prefer the clever and good second child. The older child would often be filled with envy. The two often fought over the tiniest of things. The older brotherter came to work in the city while the second child was still in school. When their parents died, it was the older brother who organized the funeral. Because there wasn¡¯t a will, he sold the house property and agreed that when it was time for his younger brother to marry someone, he would give him his portion. However, the older brother did not fulfil his promise, and the money was spent all by himself. The second childter got a girlfriend and asked his brother for money. His brother couldn¡¯t give him any after spending it all. The two got into a fierce argument. Many rtives tried mediating for the two. Under the mediation of the rtives, the older brother agreed to his younger brother living in his house for the meantime. He mentioned that he would slowly earn money to pay for his brother¡¯s house in the future. However, he kept postponing this, so the younger brother¡¯s girlfriend eventually left him after constantly arguing about the matter. Due to this, the younger brother¡¯s stomach should be full of fire."


    The police officer in charge of investigating the evidence of Wu Hao and his sister-inw, Xiuying¡¯s affair reported, "Captain Lin, we haven''t made much progress here. Pan Xiuying and ''Ximen Qing'' have been real passionate with each other. How can we ask about her having a rtionship with another man? But we were able to find something. When ites to one thing, ''Ximen Qing'' has a membership card at the gym Wu Hao works at. He¡¯s left his personal information down at the gym, so the two are likely to know each other through Wu Hao."


    Lin Qiupu reassured them of theirck of progress and findings. "It doesn''t matter if you investigate it slowly. As long as you don¡¯t let them know that we suspect them.¡±


    "This we understand, so we didn¡¯t investigate too aggressively.¡±


    The next bunch was the team that investigated evidence to prove that Wu Hao was the killer. This group was led by Lin Dongxue. She stood up and shamefully reported, ¡°I haven¡¯t made any progress on my side either. I went to visit Wu Hao twice. He said that he had a meal with his brotherst month. I went to the restaurant to verify this, but the staff confirmed that they really saw Wu Hao and another person who imed to be his brother there. He also mentioned that he went to the foot bath club with Wu Dng. I also verified with the store and they confirmed this. In addition, the deceased works via an online shop. ording to the website, although his sales in the past three months were not good, he was always online. He also participated in the website promotion on the 11th of November."


    Lin Qiupu growled, "What a sly guy. It seems that he¡¯s been ready for us."


    "Yes, he has deleted all the recent photos of the deceased. We can¡¯t just rely on the people in the restaurants and health clubs alone. Their words can''t prove that person who was there was the victim."


    Lin Qiupu was very confident. With Peng Sijue¡¯s identification results and Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning backing them, his heart wasn¡¯t filled with any doubt. He surmised, ¡°That is definitely not the deceased. It¡¯s an actor that Wu Hao found. We must find a way to prove that he is lying.¡±


    Lin Dongxue bit her lip and looked hesitant.


    Lin Qiupu wrapped up after summarizing the findings. "From the current clues, Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying almost certainly imprisoned and killed the victim. The deceased¡¯s death was forcibly dyed for three months. They prepared for three months. It is certainly not easy to find a breakthrough. But don''t be discouraged! I believe they will definitely have missed something and show their true colors! Okay, let¡¯s finish up for today and continue tomorrow."


    After the meeting, Lin Dongxue walked straight out of the bureau and Xu Xiaodong chased after her. "Hey, Dongxue, where are you going?"


    "I suddenly remembered that the trade-workers said that they found feces under the floorboards. That should be able to prove that it was the victim¡¯s as well determine his physical condition at the time. It is also a type of evidence!"


    "You are being too reckless! With no search warrants, how can you enter other people''s homes?"


    Lin Dongxue stopped in her tracks. Although she knew who the murderer was, she was unable to obtain the evidence to prosecute the criminal. She felt anxious and impatient. "What if the workers threw it out with the garbage?"


    "It¡¯s been a few days. The garbage must have been transported away already."


    "In themunity, it is generally not allowed to throw out construction waste. They will be transferred to other ces..." Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. "It is five o''clock now. We should be able to catch the workers before they get off work. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    "Okay let¡¯s go. I will drive you."


    The two people went to themunity with enthusiasm. The construction workers that Wu Hao hired had already left work. Lin Dongxue asked the neighbors to find out where the garbage from the construction of the household was thrown.


    The neighbors recalled, "I saw that they had two pickups that transported them away."


    "Then do you know where theirpany is located?"


    "It¡¯s only a small construction team. If there is anypany, it should have small advertisements posted on the wall. You can call them to ask one by one."


    They thanked the neighbors, and Lin Dongxue called the numbers that were posted on the wall and finally found the construction team. They informed her that they were eating at a restaurant not far from themunity. The two rushed over and exined the situation. The foreman responded, ¡°The scraps that we knocked down were sold to another construction team. They took it to fill the roads and bought it at a price of fifty cents per catty. I will take you over and go look for itter."


    "Even the scraps from three days ago?"


    "It¡¯s there."


    Another worker interjected, "Boss, have you forgotten? Didn¡¯t Boss Wu ask us to give him all the building materials and pay us two hundred yuan?"


    "Yes, yes." The foreman became apologetic. "Sorry, the building materials were all purchased."


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes in shock, and Xu Xiaodong eximed, "He actually made that move? It¡¯s indicating that Chen Shi''s reasoning is correct, and that Wu Hao has a ghost in his heart!"[1]


    "What use is there? We have no evidence..." Lin Dongxue looked at the construction waste on the side of the pickup, as if she was looking at a big cake.


    "You wouldn¡¯t be thinking..."


    "Using a dead horse to heal instead of a living one[2]. Find out if there are any clues in the garbage today."


    Lin Dongxue immediately took out three hundred yuan and bought the scrap. The workers were willing to help her to send it to the bureau. Lin Dongxue especially cautioned them to not speak of this incident elsewhere, especially not to Wu Hao.


    The workers epted in unison. "We will definitely cooperate... If the boss is caught, will we still get paid?"


    "If the arrested doesn¡¯t pay you, then the police will. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong inserted a sentence, "If you leak this and he runs off, then you all really won¡¯t get paid.¡±


    "We will definitely not talk about it! Definitely not"


    The workers poured the pile of scraps into the parking lot behind the city bureau. It released a cloud of dust and caused many colleagues upstairs to look down at the scene. The criminal police always brought in weird things that they had long grown ustomed to. However, they couldn¡¯t stand the dust this time. Everyone closed their windows.


    Xu Xiaodong had goosebumps. "Are you going to bring the scraps over the mountain?¡±[3]


    "I want to sleep well tonight. Can you help me call a few people of the forensic squad over?"


    "I can''t go! I don¡¯t want to."


    1. Guilty conscience, but usually just used to indicate that someone truly is guilty of something.


    2. Bluffing with something simr.


    3. There¡¯s a story about people who needed to cross over a mountain, but because they couldn¡¯t hike over it, they decided to transport the mountain over to a new area bit by bit instead. It means tirelessly doing a time-consuming and inefficient task.

 Chapter 75: Stay With Me

    <h4>Chapter 75: Stay With Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two went to the forensics department to find Peng Sijue for permission to borrow people. Peng Sijue, who was slowly sipping coffee answered, "No!"


    "But... I¡¯ve already brought the scraps here. What if there is a clue?" Lin Dongxue pleaded.


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes. "What does ''what if there is a clue?'' mean? Do you know how many cases there are in Long''An City? How many identification work and tests do you think we do each day? We¡¯ve always had a shortage of people here. I can¡¯t lend people to you to look for hypothetical evidence. Unless you can be sure and confirm that we will be able to find evidence in the mountain of scraps.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was frustrated and filled with gloom. "Captain Peng, please. I beg of you."


    "I won''t help you. There are tools in the cupboard over there, you can use it and find the clues yourself."


    Lin Dongxue cheerfully opened the cupboard and saw that there was a shovel inside. Her heart sank again. She bowed her head and offered her thanks before taking the shovel to clean up the garbage.


    Lin Dongxue still didn''t give up. While cleaning up the garbage, she looked out for anything special. Xu Xiaodong anxiously waited around. "It''s useless. There is no instrument to detect biological waste in here. How can the naked eye look for clues in there?¡±


    "If it were Chen Shi who took the clues to find him, he would help immediately. But he won¡¯t for me! Favoritism!¡± Lin Dongxue angrily stabbed the shovel into the pile.


    "I will help you!"


    "No, you just go home."


    "What about you?"


    "I will go home when I am done."


    "Haiii, three hundred yuan gone to waste..." When he noticed that Lin Dongxue was really angry, Xu Xiaodong hurriedly rephrased. "Don¡¯t let it get to your heart. I will get off work first; see you tomorrow."


    After finally cleaning the garbage, Lin Dongxue let out a sigh in relief. She didn¡¯t want to admit defeat like this.


    She thought that the gym should not have closed yet. If she couldn¡¯t find any clues, maybe she should just go visit Wu Hao again.


    Immediately after having that thought, she took a taxi to Wu Hao¡¯s gym and stood by a bookstore. She held her gaze towards the gym upstairs and waited there for two hours. It started getting darker outside and her legs were numb. The boss of the bookstore came over and had urged her several times, so she had to buy a few magazines.


    At this moment, a phone call came. When she heard Chen Shi¡¯s voice, Lin Dongxue was happier than anything. ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±


    "Why are you not at home?"


    "You went to my house?"


    "My friends gifted me a few crabs to eat. There is no steamer in my house, so I wanted to find you to happily steam and eat them together."


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart felt sweetened, but she still maintained an unhappy tone. ¡°Don¡¯t youe to my house all the time! Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s not good for a male and female to be around each other?¡±[1]


    "Where are you?"


    "I am on a stake-out."


    "What? A stake-out on who? Where did your brother send you off to?"


    "No, I came here by myself. Since I can''t find evidence of Wu Hao''s murder, I¡¯m feeling really impatient."


    "Let me know your address. I wille right away."


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi¡¯s car arrived. He rolled down the window and told her to get in the passenger seat. Lin Dongxue was veryfortable after finally being able to sit down. Chen Shi lectured, ¡°You don¡¯t even have a car, what kind of stake-out is this? Usually this type of work needs to be executed by two people. Don¡¯t you know that?"


    Lin Dongxue pouted. "I¡¯ve investigated for three days but I didn''t find anything. I was in a hurry."


    "This kind of case can''t be rushed. Take it slowly and you will get the results faster. Understand? Tell me about your progress."


    By the time Chen Shi finished a cigarette, Lin Dongxue had finished reporting the current progress to him. Chen Shi sighed, "This guy is really not simple. The defense is too thorough."


    "What¡¯s your opinion on this? How should we investigate from now on?"


    "Randomly investigate."


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t help butugh. "What do you mean ¡®randomly investigate¡¯?"


    "Investigating cases is like attacking a city during war. Do you understand? When there is evidence on hand, don''t let the other party know; when there is no evidence on hand, you need to bluff that you do. You don¡¯t need to be scared to alert the other party in every case. Sometimes, you need to give the suspects a little pressure. What is the temper of Wu Hao like?"


    "Irritable and aggressive."


    "Exactly. Plus, Pan Xiuying is pregnant right now; she must be very anxious deep in her heart. The pressure between the two people must be immenselyrge. You should let them know that the police are skeptical of them. You need to pay visits to them every so often. Rummage through their garbage bags so that they can¡¯t eat or sleep well. They will re-examine what they have said to you all and will discuss with each other regarding how to destroy any evidence they have. Won¡¯t this expose their horse leg?¡±[2]


    Lin Dongxue was amazed. "Then was my stake-out useful?¡±


    "Mmh, but you better not do it anymore."


    "Why?"


    "Being sedentary is not good for your health. Staying upte is not good for your skin either."


    "Go die!" Lin Dongxue grinned and punched him. "What about the crabs you talked about?"


    Chen Shi took out a box from the back seat and pointed to the words on it. "Look, it¡¯s Yang Cheng Lake¡¯s hairy crabs. Want to eat them?"


    Lin Dongxue pointed to a small word behind the words "Yang Cheng Lake" and protested, "Stupid, it obviously says Yang Cheng Lake ''brand'' hairy crabs. It¡¯s fake!"


    "Gah, the guy conned me... Want to eat them?"


    "You know how to cook them?"


    "Yes!"


    "Then let¡¯s go!" Lin Dongxueughed.


    When they arrived at Lin Dongxue¡¯s residence, Chen Shi quickly steamed the crabs and chopped another to make crab porridge. Then, he made a te of ginger vinegar and took the dinner he made to the living room. Lin Dongxue put down her phone. ¡°I told my brother and he said that the idea of knocking the mountain and scaring the tiger is very good. He will mention it to the team tomorrow.¡±


    "You didn¡¯t mention me, right?¡±


    "I just mentioned that ¡®someone¡¯ suggested it to me. He should have guessed that it was you though. My brother¡¯s feelings towards you are veryplicated now. He doesn¡¯t want to ask you to intervene, but also hopes that you can help and make a difference.¡±


    "You brother cares about his image and face too much. Even Wukong[3] often asked for help from the Buddha. It didn¡¯t affect his personal image though!¡±


    "Oh? You¡¯re likening yourself to Buddha? Really shameless!"


    "Can you not be so serious? Come and eat."


    Although they were not real Yang Cheng Lake crabs, Lin Dongxue had only had instant noodles and take-out every day, and so this dinner was very enjoyable. After eating thest crab, she still had an appetite for more. Chen Shi smiled. "Don''t lick your fingers any more than this. The skin of your fingers is going toe off.¡±


    "Screw you!"


    "Are my cooking skills good or what? Can¡¯t you praise me a bit?¡±


    "I have a proposal. I¡¯ll give you my house keys and you cane and help me cook every day, okay?¡±


    "How much will you pay me?"


    "Fifty yuan a day. That¡¯s one thousand five hundred a month! Of course, you can eat here as well and save your dinner money."


    "I¡¯ll think about it. It feels like a trap."


    Lin Dongxue raised a fist up. "You think I¡¯m going to rob you sexually or something?"


    Chen Shi packed up the dishes, got up and excused himself. "It¡¯s gettingte. I should leave.¡±


    "Why don¡¯t you stay with me?"


    Today, Peng Sijue had made her so frustrated, and she still didn¡¯t feel too good about it. However, when she made this request, her face became flushed. It was not because she asked Chen Shi to stay, but because she was ashamed of her mental endurance being so weak.


    She didn¡¯t expect Chen Shi to agree. "Okay, I will wash the bowls first though."


    They watched variety shows together and soon became tired,. Lin Dongxue¡¯s head slowly began to tilt little by little until it finally fell on Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder.


    His shoulders were very solid, and so she dreamed of sleeping in her father''s arms as a child. Her parents died too early; she had forgotten her father''s appearance.


    After opening her eyes, the window was already letting bright light in. Lin Dongxue found herself sleeping in her bed and recalled that she was with Chen Shist night. She suddenly became extremely nervous and lifted her duvet up. She saw that she was still wearing clothes.


    When she went into the living room, the oranges and melon skins she chucked on the tablest night were all cleaned up. Sandwiches and milk bought from a convenience store were ced on the table next to the TV. Chen Shi had written on a piece of paper and ced it next to the sandwiches, saying, "You fell asleep. I will leave first and I will see you at the hospital Pan works tomorrow!¡±


    Looking at this, Lin Dongxue could not help but smile.


    1. Traditionally. It¡¯s the trantion of an expression derived from ancient China.


    2. There¡¯s an interesting story that apanies this saying and although it differs very slightly from source to source, the main points are the same ¨C Due to the wife (surnamed Âí, so that¡¯s where the ¡®horse¡¯es from) of Ming dynasty emperor Hongwu having unsightly legs, she was reluctant to show them off and had extra-long dresses made to cover them up and keep them hidden. Then one day while she was out in the city a big gust of wind blew her dress up exposing her legs ¨C and so the saying goes... to expose a Âí leg came to mean to identally expose a secret.


    3. Name for monkey king. Known as Sun Wukong in Chinese. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King

 Chapter 76: Dog Jumping the Wall

    <h4>Chapter 76: Dog Jumping the Wall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After her sleep, Lin Dongxue felt much better. She sent a text message to tell Lin Qiupu, "I won¡¯t being to the morning meeting. ¡®Someone¡¯ and I will go to the hospital to check some stuff.¡±


    Lin Qiupu jokingly replied, "Is he Voldemort? You can''t even mention his name. Do you think your brother is a petty person? Be careful on the road."


    Lin Dongxue took a taxi to the hospital. Chen Shi was sitting in the hall with an old aunty. Lin Dongxue greeted him and so Chen Shi said his goodbyes to the aunty.


    ¡°How can you talk to literally anyone and everyone?¡± Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What are you going to check here anyway?¡±


    "Three months ago, there was an ident in the Wu family. Wu Hao made his brother seriously injured. At that time, Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying came up with this n together. So, where did the tools for maintaining the life of the victime from?"


    "Here!"


    "Yes. From Peng Sijue¡¯s autopsy records, the deceased must have been very hurt at the time. Don''t look at the fact that they are now both calm and collected. At that time, they must have panicked. If they weren¡¯t able to save the deceased in time, he might not have made it to the next day. Therefore, Pan Xiuying is likely to have taken some medical tools and drugs from here."


    "Wow, why didn¡¯t I think of that?!" Lin Dongxue pped her hands in joy.


    "Let¡¯s go! We need to go to the pharmacy."


    The two found the people in the hospital who managed the warehouse and asked if there were any medical tools lost in thest three months. The person in charge indicated that nothing was lost.


    "I have to check inventory every night after work. There shouldn¡¯t be anything missing.¡±


    Chen Shi fully demonstrated the nature of a voice recorder by repeating this question three times. The person in charge answered the same thing three times in a row as well. Chen Shi smiled. "You didn''t tell the truth. Rest assured, we¡¯re not going to investigate responsibility. We are just investigating a case. We will not inform the hospital about this matter... But if you don''t tell the truth, we may have to consult the hospital management and conduct an in-depth investigation.¡±


    The person in charge showed an embarrassed expression. Chen Shi took out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes and put it in his hands. "Uncle, help us out. It¡¯s a case involving a life!¡±


    "Someone from our hospital?"


    "No, it¡¯s relevant to one of the personnel working here. Rest assured, we will not hold you and the hospital responsible."


    The uncle then let go of the worry in his heart and recalled, "Well, it was probably around September 17th. I lost something but I didn''t report it."


    "Why not report it? Are you afraid of them deducting money? How do you remember it so clearly?"


    "It was my granddaughter''s birthday that day. I left early in the evening. If it was investigated, they would definitely deduct the money from my pay... But I think it must have been an inside job. I looked at what was missing and checked if there would be anything more. It was strange. I didn¡¯t lose anything after that. It seemed like the thief just needed temporary supplies.¡±


    "What have you lost?"


    The person in charge listed while counting on his fingers. "Barbital sodium, dexamethasone, saline, a whole package of nasogastric tubes, some gauze, absorbent cotton, medical alcohol, syringes, and infusion tubes... I sort all of these by category and put them in different ces. Only a hospital personnel would have been able to get all that. Otherwise it¡¯s impossible to get it right.¡±


    Lin Dongxue stopped the hand recording in the book. Her pupils slowly erged as she had a feeling that she was close to the truth. All of the tools were used for bedridden patients.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Chen Shi said. ¡°There is one more thing. If we need your testimony in the future, can youe to the court to testify?¡±


    ¡°Haii, will the hospital know about it?¡±


    Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue and Lin Dongxue informed, "It is a citizen''s obligation to ept the court summons and testify in court. We can¡¯t guarantee whether the hospital will find out, but the police will at least not say anything to them. We hope that you will cooperate with us. This is very important."


    The person in charge licked his lips. "I shouldn''t have skipped checking the inventory that night... I understand. I will go when the timees."


    "Thank you!"


    Leaving the warehouse, Lin Dongxue was filled with excitement. "It seems that the case has hope. As long as the surveince video is found, it can prove that Pan Xiuying has stolen these things..."


    "It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s already been three months. The video has long been recorded over."


    "Well, at least we can confirm that it was done by those two? What now?"


    "We wait!"


    Under Lin Qiupu¡¯s instructions, the entire task force adjusted its methods and harassed Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying every day. This had been going on for seven days. The violent Wu Hao inadvertently blurted out some clues when he was under police investigation once again. ¡°You motherfucker! If you can find evidence of me killing him, I will take your surname!"


    This unintentional statement naturally could not be evidence, but it was like a needle stuck in the heart of Wu Hao, making him even more restless.


    At the same time, Lin Qiupu arranged two people to take turns in monitoring the every move of Wu Hao.


    Life seemed to continue on as usual, but very few people knew that the two people whomitted the crime were suffering from paranoia. Countless pairs of eyes were hidden in the dark waiting for them to reveal their true nature and shape.


    On one particr day, Lin Qiupu received a phone call. The police officer in charge of the stake-out was in a panic, "Captain Lin, things are not good. The guy escaped!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was shocked. "Did you even monitor him properly? I mean, there were four people monitoring him!"


    "No... He went downstairs to pick up his car. We thought he was going to go out and tailed him. But then he suddenly reversed and mmed into us and then fled. He hit several cars on the road... This kid is crazy!"


    Lin Qiupu looked startled. "You must first find a way to catch up with him. I will send someone over as back-up immediately."


    Lin Qiupu rushed into the office and asked all the criminal police to put down their current work and go to the warehouse and grab their guns for an emergency mission. The others did as they were instructed, but Lin Dongxue made a phone call instead.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Who are you calling?"


    Lin Dongxue exined, "I want to ask Chen Shi where the suspect might go."


    Lin Qiupu was angry and amused. "He is not a fairy, God or prophet. How would he know?¡±


    Chen Shi heard everything over the phone before he instructed, "Go on speaker phone."


    Lin Dongxue did so, and Chen Shi asked over the phone, "Captain Lin, did you send people to monitor Pan Xiuying?"


    "No," Lin Qiupu responded impatiently.


    "Wu Hao is likely to go find Pan Xiuying."


    "I don¡¯t believe it!"


    "Pan Xiuying is his sister-inw, but in reality she is actually his woman. In order to escape the guilt, he has been holding onto the green hat. Now this kid has been forced into a corner by us, so he¡¯s be desperate. Who do you think is the first person he¡¯ll look for?"


    Lin Qiupu was speechless. "Dongxue, Xiaodong, Xiao Li, youe with me!"


    Several people got into Lin Qiupu''s car and they sped all the way to Ximen Sheng''spany. Since they no longer investigated Ximen Sheng, thepany had resumed business. Since Pan Xiuying was not going to work at the moment, she was basically with Ximen all the time.


    Lin Qiupu called Xu Xiaodong to go up and ask. Xu Xiaodong quickly came back downstairs and reported, "The staff said that their boss is staying in the vi they bought that¡¯s located in the Yi''Anmunity."


    When he finished his report, Lin Qiupu received a call from the bureau. "Captain, we just received an emergency call. The address is in the Yi''An district on the south of the road. A man is agitated and is holding a knife. He rushed into a house saying that he¡¯s going to kill both husband and wife of the house."


    "I will handle it!"


    Hanging up the phone, Lin Qiupu looked at Lin Dongxue with aplex expression. "That guy... He¡¯s right again, like a deity!"

 Chapter 77: Xu Xiaodong Arrested the Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 77: Xu Xiaodong Arrested the Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When Lin Qiupu rushed to the Yi''An district, he saw a vi surrounded by many residents in the area. Several people were holding their badges to separate the crowd. When the police arrived, the residents all tried reporting, "Officers, there was a man that rushed in!¡±, ¡°There was shouting inside. It might have been a murder.¡±, ¡°It¡¯s not a madman, is it? You see what happened to his car?¡±


    "Everyone retreat! Do not hinder the police from handling the case." Lin Qiupu instructed and the residents cooperated.


    There was a scream that came from Ximen Shen¡¯s house. There were also shouts from Wu Hao saying that he was going to kill them. It was almost like a movie invoking anxiety and exhration to its audience. The SWAT team would take a while so they couldn¡¯t wait any longer. A few people discussed how to proceed.


    Xu Xiaodong took the initiative to say, "There is a drain pipe at the back. It seems that you can climb up. I¡¯ll go!¡±


    "Unless it¡¯s yourst resort, don¡¯t shoot!¡± Lin Qiupu ordered.


    "Understood!" Xu Xiaodong went around the house.


    At this moment, the ss door of the balcony was suddenly smashed by a vase, making the crowd scream in fear. Wu Hao held a fruit knife in one hand and pushed the neck of Ximen Sheng to the balcony with the other. Pan Xiuying was desperately trying to pull Wu Hao back. Wu Hao struggled away, pushing her to the ground.


    Ximen Sheng saw people outside and screamed, "Murder! Murder!"


    "Shut up, fat pig!" Wu Hao took the knife handle and mmed it on his head, making Ximen Sheng¡¯s eyes roll back.


    Lin Qiupu ordered while putting a finger on his gun, "Wu Hao, put the knife down. What do you want?"


    Wu Hao widened his eyes when he saw the policeman below. He seethed, "I want to kill this pair of adulterers!"


    "Still acting?"


    Wu Hao raised his voice and shouted at the people below. "Neighbors, this man''s surname is Ximen and this woman''s surname is Pan. A few days ago, they were aplices in killing my brother. They went about their days together like normal from then on, always sticking with each other passionately. I don¡¯t know what benefits Ximen gave to the police, but they refused to solve the case and even suspected me! Now, as the younger brother, I¡¯m going to bring justice!¡±


    The crowd immediately revealed excited and nosy expressions as they shouted loudly, "Shit! Wu Song is alive!", "Wu Eng! Nice, kill them!", "Affairs are so shameful! Kill them!"


    Wu Hao was d that the neighbors echoed encouragement and dered loudly, "I am Wu Song¡¯s reincarnation!"


    Lin Qiupu looked back at the crowd and red at them, but couldn''t stop them from keeping their mouths shut. He felt a fire forming inside of him. Lin Dongxue conveyed, "This guy has lost his mind. Does he think that this will clear our suspicions towards him?"


    "Fighting beasts!"[1] Lin Qiupu frowned and announced towards the person upstairs, "Wu Hao, don''t act out thisme drama. The heavens, earth, you and I know exactly why your brother is dead. Your struggles right now is meaningless."


    Wu Hao looked like he was possessed by an actor fairy andughed towards the sky, and pointed to Lin Qiupu. "It is this policeman. He is colluding with Ximen. They want to frame me for this case? What does everybody think? Shouldn¡¯t this type of person deserve to die?!¡±


    No one responded this time. Lin Qiupu sneered. "Do you really think that this is the Song Dynasty? We are not the old soldiers from back in the day; we are the people''s police!"


    "I don¡¯t care which era you¡¯re from! I will kill him now!" Wu Hao said fiercely. The knife drew blood from the neck of Ximen Sheng. Ximen Sheng had his hair pulled back and he did not dare to move an inch.


    When a person came in after desperately separating the crowd, Lin Qiupu was surprised to find that Chen Shi was the one who came. He looked at Chen Shi and then looked at his sister. Lin Dongxue stammered. "I told him our location."


    "What use could he have?" Lin Qiupu lectured in a whisper.


    "Wu Hao, do you know me?" Chen Shi smiled.


    "Don''t talk to him! You are not a negotiator." Lin Qiupu red at him, but Chen Shi ignored him.


    "I do! You¡¯re a stinking officer." Wu Hao gritted his teeth.


    "You are a bit deep into this act. You really take yourself as Wu Song? But you don''t seem to have read "Water Margin". Wu Song first killed his sister-inw before he killed Ximen Qing. This is because he hates Pan Jinlian a great deal."


    Wu Hao blinked his eyes and nced at Pan Xiuying, who had been sitting nearby.


    Chen Shi continued, "Your sister-inw clearly can¡¯t escape right now, but why are you only focusing on Ximen? Shouldn''t you kill her first? It¡¯s because you don¡¯t hate adulterers. You hate that this man took your woman, right?"


    The masses suddenly eximed, "The amount of information is too much! We can¡¯t wrap our heads around that so quickly!", "Insider information! Tell us about it officer!"


    Faced with the sneers and jeers below, Wu Hao''s face flushed to the color of pigs¡¯ liver. He screamed, "I will kill him now!" and then lifted the knife in his hand. At that moment, Lin Qiupu was so scared that his heart almost stopped.


    "Wait!" Chen Shi yelled.


    The raised hand was set in mid-air, and the tip of the knife shed under the sunlight. At this time, Lin Dongxue noticed that behind them, Xu Xiaodong was slowly approaching.


    The three police officers at the scene were shocked. No one thought that Xu Xiaodong would take such an action. However, they couldn¡¯t mention anything regarding this situation. Otherwise, even Xu Xiaodong may be at risk.


    Chen Shi naturally saw this as well. He deliberately dyed the time. "Wu Hao, you don''t have the need to kill him. We don''t have any evidence of your killing at all. From the legal point of view, you are still innocent. But if you kill this man, you may let go of your resentment for him, but it¡¯s jail time waiting for you. What will happen to this woman that you like? Will she wait for you? Maybe one or two years. But ten or twenty years? She will marry others, bing the wife and mother of others. These have no rtionship with you anymore... Wu Hao, who you like ispletely your freedom. It¡¯s not the Song Dynasty right now. You don¡¯t have to hide everything.¡±


    Wu Hao was so emotional that his hands shook. He screamed loudly, "She should have been my wife... No, she is my wife!"


    Running on adrenaline, just as Wu Hao raised his hand again tomit, Xu Xiaodong suddenly rushed up, twisted his arm back and they struggled with each other into the house.


    Upon seeing this, several people rushed into the house and went to the second floor. They saw Xu Xiaodong wrestle and lock Wu Hao onto the ground. Wu Hao could not break free, so he bit Xu Xiaodong¡¯s leg, causing Xu Xiaodong to scream in pain. He desperately locked him down and didn¡¯t let go.


    With the help of a few people, Wu Hao was finally handcuffed. His eyes shone with anger and red at the policeman present.


    "I¡¯m so unlucky! I got bitten again!" Xu Xiaodong looked at his thigh and took the paper towel from Xiao Li to wipe the blood on his trousers.


    Chen Shi joked, "Scars are a man¡¯s trophy!"


    Xu Xiaodong didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. "I don¡¯t want to be awarded these types of medals and trophies. It was even the inside of my thigh.¡±


    Lin Qiupu went straight up to Xu Xiaodong with a serious look. Xu Xiaodong knew that his actions just then were too dangerous. He bowed his head and began, "Captain Lin, I..."


    "You¡¯ve done a wonderful job!"


    Xu Xiaodong raised his head in surprise, and his eyes began tearing up. Lin Qiupu smiled. "Why are you crying, kid?"


    "No, I have been at the bureau for two years now. This is the second time that you¡¯ve ever praised me."


    "When was thest time? Why don''t I remember?"


    "You praised that I had a very good haircutst year."


    Xu Xiaodong''s words amused everyone who was standing on the second floor. Everyone could see them from the bottom of the house. Lin Dongxue discovered that there was a perverted uncle wearing sunsses standing next to Chen Shi''s car. He was constantly apuding and looked particrly excited.


    "Who is that?"


    "Oh, it''s a passenger of mine... You suddenly called me over, so I had to take him with me!"


    1. You won¡¯t win. When animals and beasts are caged together, they can only fight and m against the cage. In the end, they are still caged in and have lost.

 Chapter 78: Wu Hao’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 78: Wu Hao''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The SWAT team finally came and took Wu Hao away. They heard that Xu Xiaodong had bravely arrested him and praised him, asking if he would consider career development as part of the SWAT team. Xu Xiaodong kept his head low andughed.


    Ximen Sheng was in a state of shock while Lin Qiupuforted him.


    Pan Xiuying sat on the bed with tears in her eyes. Chen Shi went over and handed a tissue to her. "You should have heard everything just now. There was no reason to catch you two. Now your stupid aplice has brought himself in. We will definitely interrogate him strictly back at the station. How long do you think he can keep this secret up with his temper? So I will give you a chance to surrender and confess!"


    Pan Xiuying raised her hand and took the tissue. "We did everything so secretly. How did you all find out?¡±


    "Secretly? In my opinion, it is full of loopholes... You should have been educated very well from a young age. You probably haven¡¯t lied since you were young, right?¡±


    Pan Xiuying shook her head. "Almost never."


    "Then you wouldn¡¯t know what the inner suffering of lying is like. A small lie would cause this, let alone killing someone!" Chen Shi''s expression became serious all of a sudden. "You wanted to deceive the whole world!"


    "I...I..." Pan Xiuying was in tears and drifted her gaze everywhere. "Before I surrender, I have a small request."


    "Say it!"


    She put her hand on her stomach. "I want to get rid of the child in my stomach. It is a bastard¡¯s child. It shouldn''te to this world. Every day that it¡¯s in my body, I can never get peace."


    Ximen Sheng suddenly ran over and interrogated, "Why do you have a child? Who is the dad?"


    Pan Xiuying looked up, cried and confessed, "His."


    "Who is he?" Ximen Sheng looked at Chen Shi, "Is it the madman from earlier?"


    Pan Xiuying silently nodded.


    "It turns out... You guys colluded to lie to me! You don''t love me at all."


    "No! I lied to you in the beginning, but you were so good to me. I started to like you. You are 10,000 times better than him. If I knew you from the beginning, it would have been good." She wanted to hug him at this time.


    Ximen Sheng pushed her away, "Get lost! Liar! I don''t know you! You are honestly like the real Pan Jinlian!"


    Pan Xiuying blinked her eyes and felt like she just received a huge blow. She suddenly turned and rushed toward the window, scaring everyone. Chen Shi shouted, "It¡¯s only the second floor. You won¡¯t die. You¡¯ll only be more guilty.¡±


    Pan Xiuying held the railing there, slowly squatted down and cried. Lin Qiupu made a gesture to ask the subordinates to quickly apprehend her.


    Walking out of the vi with Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue felt a lot of emotions. Suddenly, the weird passenger uncle came forward and shook Chen Shi¡¯s hand a few times. He eximed excitedly, ¡°That was so thrilling! I didn¡¯t expect to see this. So it turns out that Mr. Chen is a detective!"


    "How did you know my name is Chen?" Chen Shi asked.


    "It¡¯s written inside the car! I¡¯m a writer specializing in writing novels like these. Mr. Chen, is it convenient for you to leave your contact details for me? If you have time, please have a meal with me.¡± The writer excitedly pulled out a business card. It was printed on the card, "The suspense novelist Xin Bai.¡±


    "Oh..." Chen Shi was embarrassed.


    The writer pointed at the mobile phone. "Oh, I just remembered. Your number is on the app. Then, I will contact you tomorrow. I have to see you, no matter what!" He one-sidedly dered as he left while waving.


    "Wait!"


    Chen Shi could not call him back. Lin Dongxue grinned. "The big tree catches the wind[1]. You are going to be famous."


    "What a passionate guy. I¡¯m going to be annoyed to death.¡±


    After the criminals were taken back to the bureau, Lin Qiupu arranged for interrogators to interrogate the two individuals separately. Others continued to collect evidence. This time, they were finally able to investigate with a search warrant without obstacles.


    Peng Sijue personally went into the fray to test and identify things while Chen Shi stayed in the bureau, as he wanted to hear the suspects¡¯ testimonies.


    At first, Pan Xiuying would only cry and Wu Hao was still being unreasonable. He kept saying that he was Wu Song¡¯s reincarnation. He wanted to go to the zoo to beat the tiger. He kept fidgeting around on the interrogation chair, making noises with his charade.


    To deal with this kind of person, Lin Qiupu had an idea. They threw him in the interrogation room for a few hours, then went in and bluffed saying that Pan Xiuying had already confessed. They just needed to see his attitude going forward.


    Wu Hao¡¯s whole person became deted and he stopped acting. He asked with trepidation, ¡°Government, can you give me a cigarette?¡±


    Lin Qiupu lit him a Zhong Hua, and Wu Hao exhaled deeply. His eyes were filled with tears and said, "She should have been my wife."


    "What do you mean?"


    He said that when his parents died, in order to prevent the house being sold by his brother, some of it was used as the down payment for the current house, and some was meant to be his. However, his brother met Pan Xiuying.


    At that time, Pan Xiuying was a little nurse with a watery spirit[2]. His brother fell in love at first sight, but he was short and ugly, so he desperately devoted himself to winning her over all day long, giving her flowers and choctes, and even buying a car to pick her up every day. He used his brother¡¯s share of money to pose as a rich guy. He simply tricked Pan Xiuying into his hands.


    Later, because he had no money, Wu Hao and his girlfriend of a few years broke up. Wu Hao wanted to die. His brother muttered that he lost all the money when he wanted to start apany. He really wanted to kill his brother there and then.


    The two brothers quarrelled so much that there was no hope of turning back. Later, rtives came forward to mediate and told his brother that no matter what, he must buy a house for his younger brother upon marriage and that Wu Hao will live with his brother for now.


    This was the beginning of the end.


    His brother operated an online shop, so his body was like a NEET¡¯s[3]. The younger brother had a muscr figure. Soon, he and his sister-inw secretly had an affair. ying with the sister-inw next to his sleeping brother could only be described as a stimnt...


    "Talk about the serious stuff!" Lin Qiupu interrupted Wu Hao, who was getting more and more excited as he spoke.


    "Okay, okay."


    Wu Hao went on to say that after a while with his sister-inw, he finally knew what trick his brother used to trick Pan Xiuying. The money that his brother used originally belonged to him, so Pan Xiuying should really have been his wife instead.


    Since then, Wu Hao participated in the affair with a peace of mind. Pan Xiuying also enjoyed the pleasure and excitement of having an affair.


    However, as they lived under one roof, it was bound to be revealed. His brother finally found that there was something going on between the two people. One day, he deliberately pretended to leave and left the two at home together. Then, he quickly made a U-turn and caught them red-handed.


    The brother was full of rage, but Wu Hao was not apologetic. Instead, he brought up the past and the brothers became more and more emotional as they quarrelled.


    His brother wanted to kill him. Just as he turned around, Wu Hao shouted, "I¡¯ll kill you first!" He took a chair and smashed it on his brother''s head. His brother fell to the ground and twitched while foaming at the mouth.


    Wu Hao suddenly woke up from his rage and discussed with Pan Xiuying how to get rid of the body. Throw his body in the wild and bury him? No, the police would find it sooner orter; go to the hospital? No, even if they saved him, they¡¯d go to jail.


    Finally, Pan Xiuying suggested that they should keep him alive while they thought of what to do.


    So Pan Xiuying went to the hospital that night and stole some medical equipment and drugs. She gave his brother an infusion, injection, and care. They saved his life, but he seemed to be paralyzed. He opened his eyes but couldn¡¯t say anything...


    1. This is what happens when you¡¯re capable.


    2. Generally used to describe someone beautiful and bright. It may also imply that they have fair skin.


    3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEET. Stereotyped to either be overweight or anorexic. Not-fit or healthy.

 Chapter 79: Closing the Case

    <h4>Chapter 79: Closing the Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In another interrogation room, Pan Xiuying confessed, "The tools were stolen by me, but all the ideas came from him."


    ¡°And then?¡± the interrogator asked.


    Pan Xiuying continued. Although they had preserved her husband¡¯s life, his condition continued to get worse by the day. Wu Hao said that outsiders must not learn of this situation, so he pretended to be her husband and continued to sell things online. He also texted her husband¡¯s friends as if he was doing well.


    Every day, they ground and broke food down so that they could pour it into her husband''s stomach. They also set up infusions in order to preserve his life.


    One day, Wu Hao watched a foreign crime movie and suddenly came up with an idea. He said that the old turtle would die sooner orter and that it was better for them to prepare in advance. That way, when the police came, they wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard.


    When she heard that she had to lie to the police, Pan Xiuying was frightened. Wu Haoforted her and told her that she didn¡¯t need to fret. The police''s case-solving rate was very low. They could only solve simple cases. If they used those damn crazy methods from the movies in reality, they would break their heads just thinking about this case.


    Therefore, the two began to implement their n of crossing the sea without being caught by the sky.[1]


    The first step was to clean up the scene of the crime. They destroyed all the evidence and deleted all the recent photos of her husband. Then, Wu Hao hired several people from the Inte to pretend to be her husband and took them out to y. This way they left witnesses to confirm that the person with Wu Hao had the characteristics of being short and ugly.


    Thest step, which was also the most daring step, Wu Hao proposed to divert the police¡¯s attention. He discussed how they were going to mislead the police with her. Normally, when a husband dies, the police will first suspect his spouse. Since that was the case, they might as well let them go down that road. As long as Pan Xiuying had a solid alibi, she would be able to escape being incriminated. Furthermore, no one would think that he was killed by his brother. This would be a blind spot for the police.


    But this was not enough. One day, Wu Hao was going through their gym¡¯s customer information. He found a clothing business owner named Ximen. He took a photo of Ximen Sheng¡¯s information and informed Pan Xiuying with great joy. He advised that this was too much of a coincidence and that the police would definitely think that this is at least 80% like a modern version of Jin Pingmei.


    Pan Xiuying felt that this idea was very embarrassing and shameful at first, but Wu Hao thought that his idea would definitely work. Let Ximen be the sacrifice, bear the burden of the crime, and let the police suspect that he paid for the murder.


    As such, Pan Xiuying added Ximen Sheng on WeChat. She was very beautiful. After sending a few photos of herself, Ximen Sheng, who was a lonely middle-aged man, really asked her for a meeting. After meeting with each other, it was natural to have a meal and go to a hotel room together. The two developed a rtionship with each other almost instantly.


    It must be said that middle-aged men really don¡¯t know any shame!


    The n went very smoothly, but Wu Hao couldn¡¯t stand Pan Xiuying being with a different man. One day when Pan Xiuying got home, he violently pressed her onto the bed and threatened, ¡°Bitch, how many times did he do you? I need to do it with you tenfold!¡±


    Pan Xiuyingforted him saying he must not lose his sense of reason. He must act well in this ce in order to get through the storm. That way they can flee together once things settled down.


    Whileforting him, Pan Xiuying suddenly felt a pang of nausea coarse through her body and ran to the bathroom to vomit. She checked and found out she was pregnant the next day. There was no doubt that this was the child of Wu Hao.


    She was terrified, but Wu Hao told her that she must not go to get an abortion as the police will definitely find out.


    Pan Xiuying expressed that her belly became bigger and bigger with each day, and everyone could tell. Wu Hao plotted that they needed to make sure the old turtle went to see Yama[2] as soon as possible.


    Wu Hao prepared several sets of ns to kill his brother. However, he never made up his mind on which one to use. Just a few dayster, her husband suddenly had a seizure throughout his entire body. He had a hard time just breathing. Pan Xiuying was frightened. Wu Hao told her not to worry, and to just act ording to n.


    So, Pan Xiuying went out to y with Ximen at a resort. On the road, she used a new sim card to scam 50,000 yuan from him. The purpose was to make an unclear and inexplicable transaction in Ximen Sheng¡¯s ount.


    When she did this, she was very upset and ashamed of herself. This was because Ximen Sheng was very good to her. Every day she came home, she faced her husband who was about to go inside a coffin and a scheming, temperamental brother-inw. However, when she was with Ximen Sheng, she was able to get a moment of peace.


    At the same time she met Ximen Sheng, Wu Hao put her husband''s body into his car and drove to the suburbs. Then, he burned the two together until they became ashes.


    Two dayster, Wu Hao alerted the police and the police began to investigate the case. At first, the police seemed to follow the pace they set. But suddenly, the tides changed and the scepticism and suspecting tones followed them everywhere.


    Finally, Wu Hao was forced to his limits and did such a thing. As such, their prior work was all for naught...


    Pan Xiuying closed her eyes and cried, "I am so sorry for Ximen Sheng. I am sorry to the child in my stomach! I am guilty! I am guilty..."


    At the end of the interrogation, Lin Qiupupared the confessions of the two parties. "The two testimonies are slightly different, but the dog bites the dog[3]. This confession is enough to convict them."


    "Not enough! You still need evidence!" Peng Sijue walked in the hallway and held a few documents in his hand.


    "Lao Peng, how is the search going?"


    "We found a food mixer in Wu Hao''s residence. Although it was cleaned up, there was still food residue inside, which is consistent with theposition of the contents in the deceased''s stomach. In addition, we have also tested the inmmatory secretions of the upper respiratory tract."


    "What is that?"


    "It is phlegm. The DNA belongs to Wu Hao."


    Everyone was shocked and they seemed to have a picture illustrated in front of them. When Wu Hao broke the food up for his elder brother, he must have spat in it after lots ofining. It was hard to believe that they were biological brothers.


    Lin Qiupu said with relief, "It is extremely stupid to leave your own DNA on evidence."


    "In addition, I sent people to the hospital to take a batch of nasogastric tubes. ording to the manufacturing date, Ipared and found that the same batch was used by the deceased. The lines and materials are consistent with the scratches in the esophagus of the deceased... The suspects didn¡¯t want to trouble themselves and left the nasogastric tube in the throat of the deceased the whole time. If they are not taken out, they would leave such traces."


    This bombshell once again made everyone shudder.


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. "You had enough evidence just with thest one."


    "Not enough. These two people, I hope they are sentenced very heavily! Excuse me." Peng Sijue expressed with a nk expression, briefly looked at Chen Shi, and left.


    After Peng Sijue left, the air became more rxed. Lin Qiupu praised, "The case was solved. Finally solved! I won¡¯t shy away from saying where all the credit is due. Without Chen Shi, we would all still be stupidly investigating ''Ximen Qing''."


    "Thanks! That¡¯s too much praise!" Chen Shi pped his hands together and bowed to everyone. Everyone apuded while Xu Xiaodong and Lin Dongxue pped their hands the hardest until their hands hurt.


    Lin Qiupu patted Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder and urged, ¡°The big detective, why don¡¯t you say a few words!¡±


    Chen Shi whispered, "You¡¯re ying me?"


    Lin Qiupu also whispered, "Can¡¯t I?!"


    Chen Shi looked at the expectant faces and smiled shyly. "I just want to ask when this case is going to go public. I can''t wait to brag with my driving buddies!"


    After a burst ofughter, Lin Qiupu took out something and handed it to Chen Shi. It was a document from the Public Security Bureau. Chen Shi opened it with surprise. Inside it read, ¡°Special Criminal Investigation Consultant, Chen Shi¡±.


    Chen Shi looked at Lin Qiupu with a puzzled face. "Is Captain Lin going to recruit me? This wild teammate?"


    Lin Qiupu smiled and ignored him. "There¡¯s no photo inserted yet. You can pick a nice one out and insert it yourself before getting it stamped back here at the bureau... Remember to shave your beard."


    1. Escaping responsibility even though gods, deities, fairies and the like would normally know everything each human has done. They¡¯re trying to escape the gazes and therefore the truth.


    2. King of Hell/King Yan. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_(Buddhism)


    3. It¡¯s he said she said.

 Chapter 80: Celebration Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 80: Celebration Banquet</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 6: Lucky Man


    After work, everyone went to the restaurant full with smiles andughter. It was not a particrly luxurious celebration feast. Three hundred yuan worth of dishes for each table. However, it still made the police officers really happy because the case was finally broken.


    Although there may be new cases tomorrow, today''s work was perfectly finished up.


    While waiting for the food to arrive, Xu Xiaodong took a paper straw and walked around the table. There is a small rule that is not written among the Criminal Police force. Half of the people who drew the straws could drink alcohol while the other half who drew the short straws couldn¡¯t. If everyone was drunk, then they couldn¡¯t drive back.


    Xu Xiaodong came to Chen Shi and patted him on the shoulder. He familiarly addressed, "Brother Chen" affectionately. Chen Shi exined, "I won¡¯t draw one since I won¡¯t be drinking tonight. I still have to do a few rounds of orders to pull in some money.¡±


    "Brother Chen, you¡¯re too good at nning ahead in life!"


    "Thanks for thepliment."


    The dishes came out, and the police officers who were chatting got rid of their cigarettes. They couldn¡¯t wait to move the chopsticks. At this time, Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue came in. Someone offered, "Captain Lin is here! Say a few words!"


    "Say what? Just eat already!" Lin Qiupuughed as he walked in.


    "Haha, then I¡¯ll dig in!"


    "I¡¯m starving! After a few days of instant noodles, I can finally eat meat!"


    "Do you like the atmosphere in the team?" Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi.


    "I do. It¡¯s very warm and everyone gets along with each other very well."


    "You are now a consultant. You¡¯re considered as half a team member now. You¡¯re pretty much a colleague from now on.¡±


    When she mentioned this, Chen Shi took the consultant card out of his pocket. "I haven''t promised yet!"


    "My brother said that consultants have grants and transportation subsidies, so you can earn some extra money."


    "I am a free person and do not want to be restrained..." Chen Shi removed the cover of the consultant''s card and handed the documents inside back to Lin Dongxue. However, he slipped the cover back into his pocket. "Help me return it to your brother."


    "What!?" Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe that he refused.


    "Rather I can consider taking on the request you made for me to help you cook. BUT, you have to add some money.¡±


    "How much? I am only a small detective at the third level. My sry each month is pretty shabby."


    "How about 80 yuan a day?" Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    "Slightly pricey. Let me think about it..."


    Chen Shi turned his head and found that the dishes on the table had almost all been emptied. "Fuck! These hungry dogs! Hurry and eat!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s meal that night was very unsatisfying. Many policemen ran to toast him. ¡°Brother Chen, take care of our team in the future!¡±, ¡°If Brother Chen takes over, then there is no such thing as an unsolvable case. Come, let¡¯s cheers! "Brother Chen, don''t drive a taxi, it''s better toe to the bureau for career development. Since you¡¯re so capable, the chief and secretary will definitely allow it!"


    Chen Shi answered them briefly and made some small talk. He was forced to drink a stomach full of juice in ce of alcohol but he couldn¡¯t even stomach a few mouthfuls of vegetables without someone talking to him. Lin Dongxue whispered, "Serves you right!"


    Chen Shi looked up and found that on the opposite side of the table, a pair of cold eyes were staring at him. Peng Sijue had not moved his chopsticks even once. He just stared at him the entire time.


    Therefore, Chen Shi poured a ss of juice and raised his ss, "Captain Peng, it¡¯s been an honor to cooperate with you!"


    Peng Sijue was indifferent at first, but then others began saying, "Brother Chen hasn¡¯t initiated drinking with anyone else but you. He respects you Captain, you should give him face!¡±, "Yeah, this time, since the both of you solved the case, both of you are great heroes."


    Peng Sijue could not handle the peer pressure and poured himself half a cup of tea, stood up, and touched cups with Chen Shi. He whispered, "I will find out who you are sooner orter!"


    Chen Shi was stunned for a brief moment before immediately putting on a smile, "Anytime."


    There was amotion in the crowd. It turned out that Lin Qiupu had one drink too many. Whoever he saw, he would pat their shoulders and have deep meaningful conversations. It waspletely different from the cool and arrogant image he normally portrayed. "Lao Li, are you not afraid of your wife¡¯s scolding when you drink alcohol? Come, have another one!", "Lao Peng, why do you stare at Chen Shi all the time but don''t look at me? I¡¯ll get angry... Come here, cheers!", "Lao Zhang, Lao Zhang, let¡¯s dance."


    Looking at the brother who was holding hands and dancing with the policeman Zhang, Lin Dongxue sighed reluctantly. "I really don''t want to say that I know him!"


    Next, Xu Xiaodong and several young police officers were colluding with each other. "If Captain wakes up tomorrow and asks what he didst night, we will say that he just fell asleep."


    After the celebration feast, Chen Shi drove Lin Dongxue and the drunk Lin Qiupu to leave the restaurant. The first task was to send Lin Qiupu back home. On the road, Chen Shi asked, "Why don''t you brothers and sisters live together?"


    "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯llugh if I tell you the truth. Two years ago, my brother got a girlfriend and was around the point of marriage. I didn''t want to be a light bulb, so I moved out. Every time I asked my brother, he said that he would get married soon and that he would invite me for celebration wine. After half a year, I finally found out that his girlfriend didn¡¯t like him not being able to apany her much and broke up with him. He actually put on an act for six months and deceived us all! Don¡¯t you think that he needs face too much?"


    "Haha!" Chen Shiughed. "Your brother is pretty cute."


    Lin Qiupu, who was sleeping in the back seat, had a nightmare. "Do not bully my sister!"


    When they arrived at Lin Qiupu¡¯s residence, Chen Shi took Lin Qiupu¡¯s shoulder and pulled him down. On the way into themunity, Lin Qiupu¡¯s mouth was vaguely moving and mumbling. Chen Shi just agreed to everything as if Lin Qiupu was a child.


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s ce was a two-bedroom and one lounge home that was bought with a mandatory saving scheme and government subsidies. A bachelor¡¯s home was rarely clean and tidy. He was no exception here. When they entered the house, Lin Dongxue frowned. ¡°Why are guys¡¯ houses all like pig¡¯s pens?¡±


    "Don''t include me! My home is at least not as messy as this.¡±


    "Who would believe you?!"


    They put Lin Qiupu on the bed, fed him some water, covered him with a quilt and let him fall asleep. Chen Shi quietly left the bedroom and looked around the house. "This house is not bad. You two should live together. If you both pay the mortgage, the pressure would be a little smaller.¡±


    "Live together? Then you can¡¯t see me."


    "When did Miss Lin be so considerate?"


    "I am not being considerate... I¡¯ve thought about it, what about 60 yuan a day?"


    "75!"


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she wanted to smash the wall. Chen Shi normally took care of people so freely, but he never backed down on the issue of money. She was a bit confused. Does this man think highly of himself?


    "70!" Chen Shi proposed, "You often don''t go home to eat at night. You can call me whenever you need me to cook. It may only be around ten times a month. That¡¯s not too expensive!¡±


    Lin Dongxue folded her arms together and angrily scoffed, "You seem to be very happy and at ease taking money from a girl.¡±


    "I have worked for my pay! Of course I feel at ease."


    "Hmph, take me home!"


    After getting in the car, Lin Dongxue asked, "Are you short of money? Or is there a family member at home that is a patient and needs medical expenses?"


    Chen Shi responded calmly, "No, I¡¯m just greedy."


    "Oh... I was thinking that if you needed money urgently, I could add more money like I was sponsoring someone."


    "No thanks, but your good intentions are appreciated." Chen Shi smiled. "Running rounds with the car and my savings allow me to have afortable life.¡±


    "Then why are you still so frugal?"


    At this time, there was an announcement on the radio station. "...Congrattions to the lottery friends of the mobile phone number ending in 0848 who won the prize of 20 million yuan!"

 Chapter 81: Corpse Hidden in a Cave

    <h4>Chapter 81: Corpse Hidden in a Cave</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi remarked, "Who is this? Their luck is so good. The lottery has umted three first prizes since nobody won."


    Lin Dongxue echoed, "Wow, 20 million! If I had that much money..."


    "Would you give me a little?"


    "Sure. Based on our friendship, I¡¯ll send you a million."


    "It seems that our friendship is not deep enough... Thank you in advance."


    The car parked outside themunity that Lin Dongxue lived in. She was already tired and slouching. "I have an early shift tomorrow. I really want to have a good sleep-in.¡±


    "You can¡¯t stop moving if you¡¯re alive. Don''tin and just rest up early tonight."


    The suspect in the previous case was quickly handed over to the judiciary and awaited trial. At themendation meeting held in the bureau, the chief specially issued an envelope with money in addition to the bonus for the police officer who made the merits. He told Lin Qiupu, "I heard that there is a very special consultant in your team that helped your second team break through several major cases."


    Lin Qiupu saluted, then took the envelope with both hands. "He did not ept the position of consultant."


    "Haha, this guy!" the chief said with a smile. "The bonus should be brought back to him. I have to express my gratitude. I hope that everyone will continue to work hard. There are more than 100 emergency calls per day in Long''An City. There¡¯s almost a criminal case every day. The burden on your shoulders is very heavy and your work is harder than most positions. The rewards are thinpared to the effort you have to exert. You are the city''s immune system, the most solid line of safety for the people. All criminals will be frightened when they see you all, the defense line. Our efforts and sacrifices are in exchange for the security and stability of the city. Please polish your eyes and clench your fists, and don''t let go of your vignce."


    The police officers all saluted. Some people thought to themselves that the chief seemed to have more words to say today than usual.


    Lin Dongxue once again invested herself in the intense work. They spent a week cracking a wife-killing case that was not suspenseful nor full of twists. This morning, Lin Dongxue received a phone call from Lin Qiupu, telling her to wear a thicker jacket. Today she was going to hike up a mountain.


    Lin Dongxue asked excitedly, "Brother, do we have a team-building activity?"


    "Team-building your head! One male and one female body were found in the mountains. It¡¯s in Cao Ji."


    Although it was a case, when everyone heard that they were going to climb a mountain, the officers were very excited. They finally managed to change their mood. Lin Qiupu contacted a buspany to rent a car and took everyone to the suburbs.


    Cao Ji was located in the southwestern part of Long''an City. It was a small country town that developed its tourist attractions around the barren hills a dozen years ago. Unfortunately, no one came. As such, they allowed half the mountain to be taken over by timber merchants and only used the other half for whatever tourism they could find.


    At the end of November, the weather was very cold. In order to climb the mountain, everyone wore jackets and down jackets. On the other hand, Peng Sijue was still dressed in a suit and only added a scarf.


    When they saw the informants, they realized how crudely they were dressed. The informants were a group of college students who came out to hike wearing uniform grass-green windbreakers and professional equipment.


    They had found the bodies yesterday and were arranged to stay here by the local police station. After waiting for a whole night, when they saw the criminal police arriving, they became excited.


    The original bodies were found in a cave in the middle of the mountain. A man and a woman were wearing the same style of hiking clothes. Both of them were smashed in the face by stones. The weapon should be the blood-stained stone thrown beside their bodies. The two were holding hands, so it looked like a passionate double-suicide.


    "Why would they passionately smash their faces?" Lin Qiupu pondered, "Who knows the typical hiking route?"


    A college student in his 4th year was voted to lead the way. There was also a local person in charge of the ce and two civilian officers that grouped together at the front.


    The mountain road was long, and the hillside was almost vertical when you looked down. When they climbed the mountainside and looked down, they couldn¡¯t help feeling dizzy. Xu Xiaodong and the college students who led the way climbed quickly, but everyone else soon began panting.


    Lin Dongxue was too tired and had to sit on a gentle slope while she panted. Xu Xiaodong threw a towel from above. "Dongxue, wipe your sweat away. You might catch a cold if you¡¯re constantly being blown by the mountain winds.¡±


    "Thank you."


    "No, no. Stop for a while!" pleaded another policeman.


    Everyone stopped to rest on the spot. Lin Dongxue felt like she had been climbing for a long time, but when she looked at the watch, it was only 9AM. At this time, Chen Shi sent a funny message to her. Lin Dongxue took a photo of the mountain-range and sent it.


    After a while, Chen Shi replied, "Team-building activities?"


    "Investigating a case. It¡¯s up in the mountains. I¡¯m exhausted."


    "Do your best!"[1]


    After a while, Lin Qiupu got everyone to climb again. When they finally reached the top of the mountain, many people sighed with relief and wanted to kneel down to cheer at the sky.


    The college student informed the others, "You have to go down the south side of the peak, as the cave is halfway up the mountain."


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we start at the south from the beginning?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    "The south side is too steep. There is a small road from above that can enter the cave."


    "How do you know this route?"


    "We have been here before; the cave is rtively t and is a good ce for shelter from the wind. There is no problem with lighting a fire inside. We originally nned to camp there. We didn''t expect to see dead people when we entered. Almost scared us to death"


    "Everyone, you¡¯ve had enough rest! Let¡¯s continue!" Lin Qiupu announced.


    The people dragged their heavy feet and continued walking along the steep path on the south slope. They soon came to the middle of the mountain where a rocky. Although the rock and the mountain road were half a meter apart, crossing over was slightly terrifying at such a high altitude.


    Finally arriving at their destination, Lin Dongxue felt almost happy upon seeing the dead bodies. There were a pair of male and female corpses lying side by side in the cave. The two were wearing thick hiking clothes and their faces were disfigured. There were no noticeable characteristics, only that the corpse on the left had long, smooth hair and dainty hands.


    Due to exposure to the weather, the skin of the two people were frozen and bloodless, making it almost as pale as paper. Fortunately, there were no wild animals around the area.


    Peng Sijue took the forensics team and marked the blood and debris scattered around the bodies. Photos were taken of everything. Lin Qiupu reasoned, "We can¡¯te to this ce a second time. After the photos, collect everything back to the bureau. Lao Peng, what do you think?"


    "Murder. This is definitely a murder."


    "The bodies are lying so neatly together and there are drag marks on the ground. Obviously the murderer deliberately ced them like this afterwards... Does he want to create the illusion of two peoplemitting suicide out of passion? The work is too poorly done."


    Peng Sijue checked the pockets of the bodies and found keys, change, chewing gum, throat lozenges, etc..., but no cell phone or ID. It may have been taken away by the murderer.


    The murderer mangled the face of the deceased and apparently did not want to let people know their identities. So they even took the other items that could identify them.


    He inspected the face of the deceased. "The male deceased was injured before his death, and the female was injured after her death."


    "Captain, there¡¯s a footprint here."


    "Take a photo of it!"


    1. Literally "add oil". It¡¯s a phrase for cheering. The equivalent of ¡°gambatte¡± in Japanese and ¡°fighting¡± in Korean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Add_oil

 Chapter 82: Autopsy

    <h4>Chapter 82: Autopsy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After checking the body, Peng Sijue pointed to a certain area and said to Lin Qiupu, "There signs of a struggle on the ground here. There is a lot of blood around it... Look here; there are two circr marks which may have been left by the knees."


    Lin Qiupu nodded. "The murderer should have pushed the victim down here and smashed his face with stones causing his death. Then, he dragged it over there and ced it with the female body... Has the time of death been determined?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "It''s too cold here. It''s can''t be determined just based on livor mortis alone. We have to go back and measure the liver temperature... How do you n to bring the corpses back?"


    "It''s not easy. We will have to call a helicopter from headquarters."


    Lin Qiupu immediately called a number, then walked to the side of the cave and looked down. Below was a deep forest. The murderer likely threw the case-rted things down there. If they were to try and search for it, it was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.


    He asked the person in charge, "Can I trouble you all to do something? Can you please hire a few workers to look for evidence for us? We will pay for any costs incurred... Please also ask the people at the local police station to cooperate."


    The local police officer agreed. "Since it¡¯s rted to a life, we are duty-bound and will not evade our responsibilities.¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked the person in charge, "Does this ce usually ask for entry tickets?"


    "We don¡¯t ask during this season."


    "Why?"


    "Police officer, you might not know this, but nobody reallyes here normally. However, during spring, when the peach blossoms bloom, people would even drive by car over toe and y. During that time, they would increase their tourism activities. After the fall, the mountains are bare and cold. Who woulde here? Even if we collected entry tickets, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to coverbor costs.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s free to the public then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but all the people whoe here are people who love hiking.¡±


    When it came to hiking enthusiasts, the person in charge took a nce at the apanying college students. The university students responded, "Some of us are part of hiking clubs and associations. They often organize mountaineering activities. The team members often say that they should not group up with strangers. When strangers team up together, there is a chance of robbery and sexual assault up in the mountains and forests. This kind of thing has happened before and the police couldn¡¯t solve... Oh, sorry."


    The speaker mentioned that unintentionally but the listener took it to heart. Lin Qiupu frowned and whispered that the police are not afraid ofplicated cases, but rather of simple ones.


    A person running into the street and killing a person without warning are the kind of cases that are the most difficult to solve. If this kind of spontaneous and indiscriminate murder were to happen in the mountains, it would be even more difficult.


    "Then... Is there surveince at the entrance?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    The person in charge smiled and shook his head. "In the mountains, where would we have surveince? But there are several restaurants situated at the intersection that you can ask."


    There was a gust of wind and everyone looked up at the helicopter that came. The forensics team stuffed the body into a body bag, tied it on the rope that the helicopter dropped down, and slowly lifted it up.


    It was the first time that the college student had seen a police helicopter, so he took out his phone and took a few pictures. Lin Qiupu ordered, "Don''t photograph it. Delete the photo."


    "Sorry!" The college student smiled shyly.


    Once the body was transported away, everyone returned to the route they came up from. Lin Qiupu instructed Lin Dongxue to talk with the college students to see if there were any missing clues. They sent several people to look for eyewitnesses nearby and he went tomunicate with the local police station himself.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Would you like to call Chen Shi?"


    "Don''t look for him yet. If we count on him for every single case, then we¡¯ll be... We¡¯ll talk about thister. This case is different from the previous ones. He might not be able to help us solve the case.¡±


    "Okay then!"


    The on-site forensics work was over. It was past noon by this time. Everyone had a casual meal at a small restaurant before they returned to the bureau in the afternoon. Peng Sijue started to dissect the bodies while Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue also went to the forensicboratory to watch the autopsy.


    The body had been dissected when Peng Sijue noted, "The time of death was about seven days ago for the woman, whereas the male seemed to have died a littleter. It¡¯s possible that he died three to twelve hourster."


    "Can''t you be a bit more precise?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "The cave was very cold. There are no insects in this season either. All of the current means of testing still can''t urately predict the time of death."


    "Carry on."


    "The age of the woman is estimated to be about 23 years old and the man is estimated to be about 25 years old. The wound on the female¡¯s face is caused after death. The real cause of death seems to be poisoning. Her liver and kidney have obvious signs of poisoning. We were able to find a needle mark behind her left shoulder de, which was inserted through the clothes..."


    "Let me see."


    Peng Sijue showed the needle wound to Lin Qiupu. He rified, "Although the female victim is thinner and the muscles are less bulky, the needle deviated from the initial insertion point, but overall, this angle cannot have been done by herself.¡±


    "What poison was it?"


    "It¡¯s still getting tested. I found that she had signs of heart failure, and that the cause of death is most likely to be heart failure caused by the poisoning. The target of this poison should be the cardiopulmonary system.¡±


    Lin Dongxue mused, "The two are wearing the same clothes. Surely it wasn¡¯t suicides of passion, right? Or perhaps they were murdered while they were engaging in such?¡±


    Peng Sijue responded, "That¡¯s a point that can¡¯t be proven. There were many calluses on the palm of the man''s hand and his fingertips had traces of climbing chalk, indicating that this person really likes mountain-climbing. As for whether or not he came with the female deceased, it is not known.¡±


    "Are there other findings?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "The male victim has serious face injuries. There¡¯s even a broken eyeball, but this is not the cause of death. The cause of death was the rupturing of the blood vessels that blocked his veins and trachea, causing suffocation. The death process may havested over an hour. After the murderer finished their deed, the deceased was still alive at that point. Hey there and slowly died in a half-awake state."


    When she heard this, Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but frown. This kind of death was too painful.


    Peng Sijue continued, "Right, the stomach contents of the two people showed that thest meal the female had was ten hours before death, and the male deceased had his meals two hours before death. The two atepletely different food. The male victim seemed to have had chocte,pressed biscuits and energy drinks on the way up the mountain. It can be said that the female victim went up the mountain with an empty stomach and didn¡¯t even drink a sip of water during the process.¡±


    "It takes four hours to climb the mountain, but she didn¡¯t even drink a sip of water on the way?¡± Dongxue was a little surprised.


    "It seems that these two people were not together. Otherwise, how could their food consumption be so different?¡± Lin Qiupu asserted confidently.


    "This can only be regarded as circumstantial evidence."


    "Did the female victim have..."


    Peng Sijue knew what Lin Qiupu wanted to ask, and continued, "There is no sign of sexual behavior. She is not a virgin. Also, both of them are in good health. Apart from a minor liver problem, the male victim had a habit of smoking. The female deceased has minor gastritis. In addition, the female had signs of wearing earrings, nes, bracelets, and rings. But these things are all missing."


    ¡°Can you restore the appearance of the deceased?¡±


    "The skull is so damaged that it would take some time to try and restore it.¡±


    "Okay, I will hand it over to you then. Let''s go and see whether there have been missing person reports recently."

 Chapter 83: Breaking Apart Lovebirds

    <h4>Chapter 83: Breaking Apart Lovebirds</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    As they were leaving the forensicb, Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue, "What do you think of this case?"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a second and said, "Captain Peng stated that all of the jewelry on the female victim was gone. It makes me wonder if it was a couple thatmitted double-suicide. The girl died first and as the man was preparing tomit suicide, a third-party entered the scene. The man and the third-party had a dispute before the mystery person killed the man and stole all of the girl¡¯s jewelry. The individual also took their cellphones and disfigured their faces using a rock."


    "A couple? I don''t think so! I think this case is a revenge killing, but after the murderer killed the two, the bodies were abandoned in the mountains, and the killer arranged it to look like a double-suicide."


    "Brother, did you already forget the traces of a struggle that were found at the scene?"


    Lin Qiupu was speechless for a moment. "If what you say is true, they didn¡¯t abandon the body; the crime may have beenmitted in the cave.¡±


    "Three people appearing in the cave at the same time? There is a good chance that the two deceased were rted."


    "Not necessarily. Their time of death was quite far apart, and the contents of their stomachs are different. The possibility of them being a couple is very low. I think that they were simply two unrted strangers."


    "If it¡¯s as you said, did the murderer kill the girl first, and then remain in the cave to kill a second person?"


    Lin Qiupu also did not understand and bitterly smiled. "The longer this conversation goes on, the more confused we¡¯ll get. We should investigate more first!"


    Contrary to their mentally taxing debate, their next act was physically draining. The task force walked through each suburb to collect the most recent missing person reports. They selected the people who best fit their specifications and then proceeded to visit the families for questioning.


    This process alone took three days, with Peng Sijue making notable progress on his end. From analyzing the jewel particles left on the female corpse, he found that the jewels were all pure, solid gold. Skull reconstruction allowed Peng Sijue to see what the female looked like when she was alive. From the construction, it could be assumed that she had a decent appearance and a set of elegant teeth. When these two clues were shown in the forensic team¡¯s analysis, everyone immediately concluded that there was around an 80% chance that this was the heiress to a wealthy family.


    The reconstructed picture of the male victim could only be described as ordinary. Peng Sijue found that the deceased had symptoms of lumbar muscle strains when he did further autopsy testing. In addition, whenpared with the ash sample brought by Chen Shist time, it was found that the male deceased usually smoked five yuan[2] cigarettes.


    With this revtion, the faceless man was transformed into a poor man who loved hiking in everyone''s mind.


    Peng Sijue also mentioned that the drug in the female¡¯s body was identified to be sinylcholine, a musculoskeletal rxant. Its clinical use was for local anesthesia, which can cause bradycardia, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, etc. If too much is administered, the bronchial muscles can constrict, resulting in bronchospasm. It can also cause anaphctic shock. The amount of sinylcholine given to the female was a lethal dose."


    "Is this medicine easy for ordinary people to acquire?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "I¡¯m not too sure."


    Lin Qiupu ordered his officers to source the origins of the drug and to continue confirming the identity of the deceased using the reconstruction photo.


    With the picture, their work efficiency was markedly improved. On the same day, they confirmed the identity of the female victim. Her name was Jiang Mei. She was born in 1997 and was a recently graduated college student majoring in financial management. She had just graduated a year ago and had not been employed yet.


    Jiang Mei¡¯s father was the president of a bank, so it was now undeniable that she was the heiress of a wealthy family.


    A call from the bureau brought Jiang Mei¡¯s parents over. When they saw the girl¡¯s unrecognizable face and body, the old couple couldn¡¯t stop crying. Lin Dongxue, who was responsible for receiving the family of the deceased, could only attempt to ease the couple¡¯s sorrow.


    Jiang Mei¡¯s mother sobbed and blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s all our fault! We shouldn¡¯t have forced her!¡±


    Jiang Mei¡¯s father suddenly became enraged, ¡°It¡¯s all that kid¡¯s fault! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have let our daughter acquaint herself with him!¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you mean Jiang Mei and boyfriend? Can you describe their rtionship in detail?"


    Lin Dongxue invited them to a conference room and poured them a cup of tea. Jiang Mei¡¯s mother was consumed with grief. Jiang Mei¡¯s father exined that their daughter had begun talking to a destitute boy named Cheng Chao while in school. The situation was hidden from them the entire time. Later, after she graduated, her father had nned to introduce his ssmate''s son to her. The two not only hadpatible backgrounds but also looked very good together.


    After meeting each other, the other side had a good impression of Jiang Mei. However, Jiang Mei said that she had no interest in him. Her parents asked her if she already had a boyfriend. After some questioning, she admitted that she had a boyfriend named Cheng Chao.


    Her parents then invited Cheng Chao over to their house for dinner. At first nce, they couldn¡¯t look at the poor boy without disdain. He didn¡¯t have any manners. He kept saying that he would work hard in the future for Jiang Mei, but her father sneered at him the entire time. He wondered how he could ever give this needy boy the daughter he worked so hard to raise.


    That evening, the father and daughter had a massive fight. Her father prohibited the daughter from meeting with the impoverished boy again, but Jiang Mei obviously wouldn¡¯t agree with this and shut herself off.


    This incident made the family¡¯s rtionship very stiff and tense. Rtives and friends came over to persuade Jiang Mei, but she refused to listen to what anyone said. Her father cut her off financially and prohibited her from going out, but she often snuck out to meet with the boy. The family desperately chased and blocked her, almost as if it were guerri warfare.


    The possibility that Jiang Mei would disappear overnight never crossed their minds. They thought the boy took her and eloped. They didn''t expect that before they could meet again, they were parted by heaven and earth.


    "It must be that boy who killed her! It was definitely him! I¡¯m going to sue him until his family copses!" Jiang Mei¡¯s father said fiercely with a tearful face.


    Her mother seized Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand and pleaded, ¡°Officers, officers. We will cooperate fully with the investigation. We must bring the true murderer of our daughter to justice!¡±


    "But..." Lin Dongxue was a little hesitant. Watching the mournful couple, she could not help but say, "In fact, there are two bodies in total. There is another male body, about 25 years old."


    The husband and wife looked at each other, and the father wondered, "Did Xiao Mei reallymit suicide with this penniless boy?"


    "Why?! Why did you leave us? You are not a filial daughter!" The mother hit the table as she cried.


    "You still remember what Cheng Chao looked like, right? Can you identify him?"


    The couple agreed to go to the forensics department. The technicians showed them the 3D recovery map of the male victim¡¯s face, and the two of them stared at it for a long time. Finally, the father said, "There are neither hair nor eyebrows. I can''t recognize him."


    "Do you remember his hairstyle? Or the shape of his eyebrows?"


    "Brows... ordinary kind; hairstyle, I remember that his scalp was revealed at the sides of his head and the top of his forehead..." When he thought about this, the father showed a disgusted expression, "I just can¡¯t see eye-to-eye with this unconventional young man.¡±


    The technicians operated theputer, and after adding the hair, the father eximed, "Yes, that is him! I still remember his face! I really don''t know why Xiao Mei picked him!"


    The mother disagreed and replied, "No, no. The nose is wrong."


    Lin Dongxue exined, "The face of the deceased has been destroyed. The bridge of the nose is made up of cartge, so it may not have been reconstructed too well digitally."


    The technician modified the nose, raising and lowering it, but the mother still shook her head. ¡°The eyes are not the same, either.¡±


    The father insisted, "I remember this ugly mug clearly."


    "No, this is definitely not it." The mother remained unconvinced.


    1. The actual phrase is separating Mandarin Ducks. In Chinese culture, these ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike the other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art.


    2. Cigarettes that cost about 70 cents in USD

 Chapter 84: Rich Second Generation

    <h4>Chapter 84: Rich Second Generation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two disputed with each other, but couldn¡¯t confirm whether the male victim was Cheng Chao or not. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you know his blood type, or the contact information of his parents?"


    The father shook his head. "I don''t even want to see his face. Why would I know that?"


    The mother recalled, "He came to our house to eat that day. Didn¡¯t he say that his father passed away early and that his mother remarried out to the rural area?¡±


    "Oh, yes. I don''t know which poor area he popped out of. Of all the people he could have picked up, why did he choose our daughter? Did we owe it to him in our past lives?¡± said the father cruelly.


    Lin Dongxue asked again, "Where does he live?"


    The two shook their heads together and the mother said, "Xiao An should know."


    "Who is Xiao An?"


    "An Xu, the son of my husband''s ssmate. Once..." The mother was a little ashamed. "One time, I told him about Cheng Chao. He told me that he would teach him a lesson, so I¡¯m guessing that he should know."


    "Okay, tell us his contact information."


    Not long after sending away the old couple, a young man driving a luxurious car came to the bureau. This person was An Xu, the person who pursued Jiang Mei.


    Upon knowing Jiang Mei¡¯s death and the facts of the case, An Xu was so shocked that he widened his eyes and snarled, "I have to skin that damn broke boy."


    Lin Dongxue replied coldly, "Maybe you don''t need to do it yourself."


    Lin Dongxue took An Xu to identify the reconstructed face of the deceased. An Xu nced at it and imed, "Yes. Yes, it is him for sure!"


    "How are you so sure?"


    "I..." An Xu scratched his head and smiled. "Recently, I went to find him and taught him a lesson. I told him to stay away from Xiao Mei. I pressed him against a wall while holding his cor and was looking straight at him, so I have a pretty clear picture of what he looks like!¡± Whilst talking with him, Lin Dongxue noticed the big gold chain on his neck was dazzling and annoying to look at.


    Lin Dongxue immediately recorded this incident down as An Xu babbled, "Hey, Miss police officer, I only went over to tease and taunt. I didn¡¯t actually beat him up.¡±


    "How long ago was it?"


    "Last month? No, the month before that."


    If it happened such a long time ago, the deceased should have no scars from it. Lin Dongxue reprimanded, "What you did was assault. If the other party reported it to the police, you would have to at least be detained at the station for a few days."


    "I will pay attention next time! I will pay attention next time." An Xu beamed. "I was just a bit impulsive. I felt like I had a connection with Xiao Mei as soon as I met her. She is beautiful and quiet. I also really like her personality. I love her from the bottom of my heart. Both our parents were happy for us to be together. Who knew what kind of drugged soup this poor boy gave Xiao Mei. I sent her flowers and jewelry, but she hasn¡¯t given me a single good expression. She never even stopped to think about what the poor boy can even give her."


    "Emotional things..." Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but want to speak out, but since this kind of thing had nothing to do with the case, it was better not to be said aloud. So, she swallowed the words and rephrased, "Jewelry? Do you remember what jewelry Xiao Mei wore?"


    An Xu roughly described it while Lin Dongxue wrote down everything one by one. Then, she asked him about Cheng Chao¡¯s address. After answering, An Xu excused himself as hispany still had things he needed to sort, so he told them that he wouldn¡¯t apany them over.


    Lin Dongxue called Xu Xiaodong and brought a forensic scientist to Cheng Chao¡¯s residence. When thendlord opened the door with a key, he growled, ¡°This kid has not returned for a few days. He still owes three months¡¯ rent. I called him but it doesn¡¯t go through. Hell, the thing thatndlords fear the most is encountering such a rogue... Officers, did something happen to him?"


    "This is still under investigation; it is not convenient to disclose anything at this stage." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Okay, okay, remember to inform me if you have any updates. If this room is left empty, I will lose 50 yuan a day. My whole family relies on this rent to survive!"


    Everyone looked around Cheng Chao''s residence. The tables, chairs and other things here were rented together with the house. Apart from aputer and some daily necessities, there were basically no personal belongings. Xu Xiaodong opened the kitchen cab and found a bunch of instant noodles bags and said, "It seems that he is truly very poor. He often eats noodles for the whole day... Just like me."


    "Why would youpare yourself to him? Your money is all spent on games and your cat." Lin Dongxueughed.


    Xu Xiaodong was embarrassed and scratched his head shyly.


    Cheng Chao¡¯s economic situation really wasn¡¯tparable. The water, electricity and gas bills were found in the drawers for every month. It seemed he didn¡¯t pay for the utilities unless they were about to cut him off.


    In addition, they found a receipt from a pawnshop. Cheng Chao had pawned a golden bracelet a month ago and exchanged it for a few thousand yuan. It was probably given to him by Jiang Mei.


    It must be understood that Cheng Chao was a warehouse stocker in a supermarket. His ie was meagre, and half of the money earned was used to maintain his hobbies ¨C painting and art.


    They did find a lot of tools for painting in his house such as an easel for painting. Lin Dongxue turned on theputer and found that there were unfinished Manhua and that all the browser history contained these websites. He had been trying to submit a manuscript to a Manhua website.


    In addition, theputer desktop was a photo of Jiang Mei. Her face that donned a smile was as beautiful as a flower.


    At the thought of the couple being forced apart by her parents, Lin Dongxue could not help but sympathize.


    The forensic technician found some hair and dandruff samples from theb and bed and brought it back to test whether the deceased was Cheng Chao. The results of the test this time were vital to the investigation. Lin Dongxue waited anxiously. After work that evening, Peng Sijue called her on the internalndlines.


    "The DNA found in the room matches the male victim," informed Peng Sijue.


    Lin Dongxue sighed with relief as his identity was finally confirmed, but Lin Qiupu had apletely different reaction. After hearing this result, he paced back and forth in the office. "Was it really done by a stranger?"


    ¡°Could it be An Xu?¡±


    "Who is An Xu?"


    "The man Jiang Mei¡¯s parents introduced to Jiang Mei. He is a rich second generation[1]


    . He imed that he had threatened the victim with violence and told him to break up with Jiang Mei."


    "You talked to him?"


    "He said he wille by in the afternoon tomorrow."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "This person has a motive for killing Cheng Chao, but why should he kill Jiang Mei? Don''t forget, the female victim died of poisoning and died before the male victim."


    "So my reasoning should be the closest to the truth. The two were originally going tomit suicide for passion, but then they engaged with a third-party."


    "This situation is the most troublesome..." Lin Qiupu kept rubbing his chin and the section above the mouth.


    "Brother, did you find any leads at the local police stations?¡±


    "Nothing was found. You should get off work first. We¡¯ll stop here for today.¡±


    At the door, Lin Dongxue thought of one thing and turned back. "Could this third party who suddenly interacted with them be An Xu?"


    Lin Qiupu widened his eyes, but he was hesitant. He waved his hand to gesture her to leave work.


    After changing clothes and leaving work, Lin Dongxue was going to call a taxi. At this time, Chen Shi sent a text message, "Would you like to eat my cooking tonight?"


    "I want to eat skewers."


    "Are you treating me?"


    "Okay, okay, my treat, you gold-digger... Pick me up at the main door of the city bureau.¡±


    "I will arrive in five minutes. If I haven¡¯t arrived, please read this message again."


    Looking at this message, Lin Dongxue chuckled.


    1. This term is generally considered a pejorative. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuerdai

 Chapter 85: Restoring the Scene of the Crime

    <h4>Chapter 85: Restoring the Scene of the Crime</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said that he wanted to take Lin Dongxue to taste freshly made skewers, so he drove her to a roadside stall that sold skewers. Although the weather was already cold, there were a lot of customers there.


    After ordering the dishes, Chen Shi opened two bottles of soda."Judging by yourck of energy, I¡¯m guessing you havee across aplex case again?¡±


    "Haii, progress is not smooth-sailing."


    "Why don¡¯t you tell me about it?"


    Lin Dongxue told him about the case and their progress with the investigation. Chen Shi nodded as he listened. Lin Dongxue asked, "What is the opinion of master detective Chen?"


    "Since I didn''t see it with my own eyes and am only basing it on what I¡¯ve heard from you, I¡¯m afraid my view of the case will be biased and skewed.¡±


    "Hmph! You¡¯re just stumped as well!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "The skewers areing."


    The boss put the skewers down and Lin Dongxue looked at the food in front of her. There was roastmb, grilled cartge, grilled fish tofu, roasted eggnt, and another thing that she¡¯d never eaten before. She picked it up curiously. "This is..."


    "Grilled silkworms. This is the best ce to eat this in all of Long¡¯an City. Why don¡¯t you try one?¡±


    "Insects?" Lin Dongxue shuddered.


    Chen Shi grabbed one and put it in his mouth. "The outside is crisp and the inside is tender. When you bite into it, the juices inside burst out! Try it!¡±


    Lin Dongxue could not even think about stomaching it and set it back down.


    Shemented, "Don''t you think Jiang Mei''s parents are too much?"


    "No."


    "Are you also such a traditional type of person?"[1]


    "A marriage with arge difference in social ss can''t attain real happiness. Love seems to be a sacred and noble thing, but it also has a material foundation. The material foundation is not everything. However, if there is no material foundation at all, it would definitely be impossible. The initial intention of the parents is to make their daughter happy in the long run. If it were your parents, they would feel the same way.¡±


    "I don''t have parents..." Lin Dongxue said faintly.


    "Sorry."


    "No worries... But I think that people can¡¯t be happy if they marry someone they don¡¯t actually like.¡±


    "Yeah, I feel that a truly visionary parent will look at the development potential of the person. That is, their self-motivation and ambition, aspared to the existing standards of material foundation. But these things are intangible, unlike material foundation which people can see and touch. So most parents only see feelings as something that can be cultivated, but they don¡¯t understand that material possessions can change overnight."


    Chen Shi reached for thest skewer of grilled silkworms but was intercepted by Lin Dongxue. She frowned and bit into it. Although the texture was weird, it was not difficult to swallow under the blessings of condiments and the grill.


    She waved her little skewer stick around. "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to be interfering with one¡¯s freedom to love others. Even if Jiang Mei were to regret itter, it is her personal business at the end of the day."


    Chen Shi smiled. "You are right. Chinese parents always regard their children as private goods and they take it for granted, so they try to interfere and control the lives of their children. This is the root cause of most family tragedies... By the way, I am someone with a house and a car."


    Lin Dongxue pulled a face, "You make it seem like I¡¯ll consider you or something... You have a car, what about the house?¡±


    "Do you want to see it?"


    "Okay!"


    After eating their meal, Chen Shi drove Lin Dongxue to his residence and went to a littlemunity. Chen Shi used the key to open the door. I thought it would be a pigsty-like home. I didn''t expect that it wouldn¡¯t be messy when he opened the door.


    The house was bigger than expected and there weren¡¯t many decorations. Chen Shi excused, "The home of the bachelor is in and simple."


    "You actually had such a big house?" Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    ¡°Why is it weird? Do you want a cup of tea?¡±


    "No thanks, I¡¯ll just drink water."


    While Chen Shi went to pour a cup of water, Lin Dongxue snuck into the bedroom and had a peak. The bedroom was the best ce to reflect the taste of a person. Chen Shi¡¯s bedroom had a bed, a cupboard, a table, and on top of the table was aputer along with a few books of crime.


    Pulling open the closet door, it was all packed with clothes neatly. It seemed that he was a man with very normal living habits.


    When Lin Dongxue closed the door, Chen Shi appeared next to her with a cup of water, scaring her. Chen Shi smiled. "Is it very enjoyable to peek at the stuff of others?"


    "upational habits."


    "¡®The owner of the house is a single middle-aged man with a regr life and no bad habits.¡¯ If I was killed someday, the police would probablye to this conclusion."


    "Pei, pei, pei[2], why would you say that on your own? You really don¡¯t know what you should and shouldn¡¯t say.¡±


    When they got back to the living room, there was no TV. It seemed a bit hollow. Lin Dongxue asked, "In this case, you really have no ideas or opinions?"


    "The passionate suicide is key. Even if it was a spontaneous murder, why should they bother setting up the bodies like they were done out of passion? Knowing that this couldn''t possibly deceive the police, why would the murderer bother to do this?"


    Lin Dongxue bit her nails and couldn''t figure this out either.


    "Also, the reasoning you put forward seems reasonably logical, but have you verified it?"


    "Verify? How do you verify it?"


    "By restoring the crime scene."


    "Then let¡¯s try that..." said Lin Dongxue, before blushing. ¡°No, no, no we need at least three people."


    "Don¡¯t worry, you can y the female victim and the murderer at the same time."


    Lin Dongxue was hesitant. However, she thought that in order to solve the case, she shouldn¡¯t evade this, so she set down her cup and stood up. "Where do we start?"


    Chen Shi also stood up and pushed the coffee table away. He pointed to the space between the coffee table and the sofa. "Assuming this is the cave, it is certain that when the two entered the cave, no one else was present."


    Lin Dongxue nodded.


    Chen Shi extended a hand to her and Lin Dongxue hesitated before reaching towards it. They entered the "cave¡± and it felt a bit embarrassing, making her want tough, but Chen Shi was still acting out his performance seriously.


    "Dear, your parents won''t allow us to be together. It seems that this is the only step we can take."


    Lin Dongxue thought about it then acted out her part. "I hope that we can be together in our next life."


    Chen Shi pretended to take something out and stared at Lin Dongxue. "Are you ready?"


    "Yes."


    Chen Shi resumed his usual demeanour and asked, "How do you think Cheng Chao inserted the syringe with the poison?"


    "The needle wound is on the back of Jiang Mei. Then it should be... While holding her?"


    "Do you mind?" Chen Shi asked.


    After understanding what he meant, Lin Dongxue¡¯s face burned red from ear to ear, but she shook her head.


    Chen Shi reached out and hugged her. The feeling of being embraced in his arms made Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart leap wildly, making her unconsciously shrink her body back. This action caused her to essentially cuddle into his chest almost in a fetal position. She hadn¡¯t been hugged like this in a long time. Chen Shi¡¯s embrace made her feel very secure and at ease.


    She didn''t know if she was Lin Dongxue or Jiang Mei right now, as if they were really a couple destined to die. When Chen Shi pretended to insert the needle in her back, she suddenly felt a strong sense of sadness in her heart.


    Driven by this mood, she looked up and kissed Chen¡¯s cheek.


    Chen Shi was shocked by her actions. Lin Dongxue busied herself to separate herself from him. "I...I... Not..."


    "Yes, kiss!"


    "What?" Lin Dongxue suspected that she heard wrong. "You still want to...?"


    "I mean, if the two were reallymitting suicide out of passion, at thest moment of their lives, their emotions would be at the highest of levels, so they¡¯ll definitely want to kiss!¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s messy thoughts were pulled back to the case by his words. She followed Chen Shi¡¯s line of thought and said, ¡°If they kissed, it would have left DNA in the mouths of the deceased. But that doesn¡¯t help the case though?¡±


    "That¡¯s not necessarily true!"


    1. To have your child marry someone of equal or better standing.


    2. ¡°Pei¡± is used when people are saying bad things that may incur bad juju. Kind of like ¡°touch wood¡±.

 Chapter 86: Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 86: Kiss</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "You are suspecting that the DNA sample we found in the room of Cheng Chao is actually not his own?"


    "What did Lao Peng say?"


    She recalled and repeated the words of Peng Sijue''s that afternoon. "The DNA found in the room matches the male victim."


    "Lao Peng is a very strict person. He would not easily say that the deceased was Cheng Chao because we have encountered this kind of trick before. Someone may have put dandruff and hair at the deceased¡¯s house and deliberately let the police discover it."


    ¡°¡®We¡¯? ¡®Before¡¯?¡± Lin Dongxue caught this mistake. ¡°What do you mean? Who do you mean by ¡®we¡¯?¡±


    Chen Shi, who had always been calm, actually panicked for a moment. "Oh nothing, ¡®we¡¯ means ¡®I¡¯. Doesn¡¯t the show hosts on TV often say, ¡®Let us reveal this secret¡¯?¡±


    "Really?" Lin Dongxue looked suspicious. Did Chen Shi just inadvertently reveal his past?


    "Let''s continue!"


    "Ah... Okay!" Lin Dongxue¡¯s face was red again. The kiss that she gave Chen Shi just then was very light. Maybe he didn¡¯t feel it. She was afraid of him bringing it up, but she was also afraid that he would have no feelings at all.


    The simtion this time started after the death of the female victim. Chen Shi stood in the "cave", and Lin Dongxue stood outside the ¡°cave¡±. Chen Shi continued, "If it¡¯s as you¡¯ve reasoned, what is the male victim doing at this time?"


    "Oh... Maybe he didn''t have the courage tomit suicide, or maybe he was watching his dead girlfriend?"


    "He looked at her for a few hours? You told me that the male had eaten two hours prior to death. That is to say that after the death of the female, the male was mentally preparing tomit suicide, and then stupidly had a meal?¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s widened her eyes. There is indeed a w in my reasoning.


    "Maybe... Maybe he didn¡¯t want to die all of a sudden?"


    "If he didn¡¯t want to die, then he is guilty of murder. He should know the consequences. Try to reverse your thoughts. At this time, the male victim was not at the cave at all, because he is not the person part of the passionate suicide to begin with."


    Lin Dongxue was stunned. She involuntarily swallowed some saliva and hurriedly followed Chen Shi¡¯s train of thoughts. ¡°The lover did not have the courage tomit suicide and left?¡±


    "After a few hours, the male victim came along. The male deceased was attacked from behind, meaning that he was unprepared for the murderer. Who is the murderer? Why did theye to this cave? Was it a coincidence?"


    "The murderer is the lover who came back?! He knew that once the identity of the female deceased was investigated by the police, he would be guilty of murder, so he needed to kill someone else."


    "Yes!" Chen Shi snapped his fingers. "He killed the innocent witness and destroyed the face of the witness and his girlfriend. When cing the bodies, he purposely ced the two together like a lover¡¯s double-suicide and put their hands together. This was probably because he believed that the disfigured male could be his own substitute so that he could get away with it!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning was so perfect that she couldn¡¯t find a fault in it. Lin Dongxue admired it, but raised a question, ¡°Your reasoning is based on the male victim not being Cheng Chao.¡±


    "That must be proved by forensic means."


    "Then let¡¯s call Captain Peng."


    Lin Dongxue made a phone call. Captain Peng listened to her request and faintly asked, "Are you with him?"


    "Yes... Yes."


    "Pass the phone to him."


    Chen Shi took the phone and Peng Sijue questioned, "How did you figure that out?"


    "Guess."


    "In fact, when Dongxue sent the sample to me in the afternoon, I was a bit skeptical. The dandruff in the room should be naturally peeled off, but there were tiny traces of blood on the dandruff given to me. It seemed to have been scratched off. The hair that we tested hadplete hair follicles on it. Hair that falls naturally would not have suchplete hair follicles. So, I went to check the body and found that the body had hair forcefully removed from the scalp.¡±


    "So, what you have tested is actually the DNA of the victim, not Cheng Chao?"


    "I believe so."


    "Then, we¡¯ll have to trouble you some more."


    "You two remember to use protection." Peng Sijue said casually before he hung up.


    "This Lao Peng." Chen Shi smiled.


    "What did he say?" Lin Dongxue took the phone.


    "He does doubt that the sample is real. It seems that the murderer is very likely to be Cheng Chao... Do you notice anything strange?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "The deceased is not Cheng Chao, but An Xu has insisted that he is. Do you think he¡¯s lying?"


    "But... He and Cheng Chao are love rivals, why would he help him?"


    "It depends on all of you to dig the truth up... It¡¯s gettingte; I¡¯ll send you home."


    Sitting in Chen Shi''s car, the two didn¡¯t exchange words at all. Lin Dongxue was still thinking about the kiss. She snuck nces at Chen Shi a few times; his indifferent and focused driving expression made her a little angry.


    She felt that the situation was a bit funny. Had shee to like him?


    When I¡¯m with Chen Shi, I feel very rxed and happy every time. I can always reveal my true nature, but I always thought of this as just a friendship. But what does he think?


    So annoying!


    "Just then..." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue sat up straight, "Just then, what?"


    "Just then I missed a point. To be able to put the hair and dandruff of the deceased in Cheng Chao''s home... It¡¯s someone that can freely enter and leave his house."


    "Oh!"


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s resentment was building. He is still talking about the case. How annoying!


    "Arrived."


    Lin Dongxue got out of the car and asked him, "Will youe to help us tomorrow?"


    "I¡¯ll have to see how busy I am."


    "You don''t go to work. I really don''t know what you are busy with? Hmph, juste if you want!"


    "Get some early rest. I will try toe over."


    After Chen Shi left, Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart was empty and she didn¡¯t want to go home.


    Early the next morning when Lin Dongxue went to work, a police car drove to the door of the city bureau. From the license te, it was not one from their city. Two policemen took a criminal out from the car. Lin Dongxue asked the policemen what was going on.


    They replied that they caught a suspicious guy in the mountain area and thought that it might be rted to the case.


    Lin Qiupu was very concerned about this matter and personally interrogated him. The suspect imed to be an unemployed traveller of Cao Ji. Because he had an argument with a forestry boss, he quietly went to the mountains with poison to corrode the roots of the trees the boss was in charge of.


    Lin Qiupu took out the photo of the female victim and asked, "Do you know this person?"


    The other party looked at it for a while and shook his head. "I don''t know her."


    At the end of the interrogation, Lin Qiupu walked out in frustration. The suspect did not recognize the victims. From his attitude, he did seem like he didn¡¯t know anything about the case. They had only happened to catch this shrimp while trying to reel in the big fish.


    Such things happened frequently in criminal cases.


    Peng Sijue also had results on his end. After receiving the call, Lin Dongxue eagerly rushed over and asked, "Captain Peng, have you found the DNA?"


    ¡°No!¡± Peng Sijue threw the report on the table. ¡°It¡¯s been too long; the salivary enzyme has lost its living properties and the second person¡¯s DNA could not be extracted.¡±


    Just as Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart sank, Peng Sijue pushed his sses up and began slowly, ¡°But...¡±

 Chapter 87: The Real Murderer Revealed

    <h4>Chapter 87: The Real Murderer Revealed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue sighed in relief and smiled. "Captain Peng, can you finish your words in one breath? What else did you find?"


    Peng Sijue picked up the coffee that had cooled off on the table. "Before that, I want to hear Chen Shi''s reasoning."


    Lin Dongxue was helpless, but one rank could crush you to death[1]. She did not have the power to order Peng Sijue to do anything, so she could only regurgitate Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning in detail.


    After listening to it, Peng Sijue nodded. "As expected of him. He¡¯d rather die than say such melodramatic things. Every single time, he thinks outside the box."


    "Captain Peng, listening to the way you both talk about each other, it seems like you two are good friends?"


    "But although this reasoning seems perfect, there is a loophole. The lover turned back a few hourster. Why did hee back? Did hee back tomit suicide? If so, then he did not need to kill a witness."


    "Maybe he didn¡¯t go back tomit suicide; he probably...Went back to deal with his girlfriend''s body."


    "What made him give up the idea of suicide?"


    "Isn¡¯t it possible that from the beginning, he didn''t n tomit suicide... Well, Captain Peng, don''t lead my appetite on; tell me your discovery."


    Peng Sijue went back to the main topic. "The number of bacteria in the mouth of the female deceased is far higher than average. That is to say, there is a high probability she kissed someone before death. But, the number of bacteria in the mouth of the male victim is below the average. One more thing; the male victim has a slight oral inmmation. If he had kissed the female victim, the female would have arge amount of streptocus, helicobacter pylori, etc. in the mouth, but we did not find it in her mouth."


    "That is to say, they did not kiss each other."


    "It should be said that it is another person who kissed the female victim."


    Lin Dongxue was uplifted; Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning was correct. The murderer was the lover, Cheng Chao!


    She immediately informed Lin Qiupu of this discovery. Lin Qiupu was still immersed in the frustration of catching the wrong person. After listening to Lin Dongxue, the task force was adjusted to finding the whereabouts of Cheng Chao.


    This search took another two days. Cheng Chao seemed to have evaporated from the human world. During the period, they confirmed the true identity of the male victim. He was named Zhang Xiang and was an ordinary white-cor worker in Long''An City.


    After a few days of rotations, Lin Dongxue was exhausted. When she got off work, she saw Chen Shi¡¯s car parked outside. Her colleagues joked, ¡°Your boyfriend came to pick you up.¡±


    Lin Dongxue blushed as she got into the car. "Is it on the way?"


    "No, I¡¯m here to ask you how the case has progressed."


    "Cheng Chao seems to have disappeared."


    "Could he have escaped out of town?"


    ¡°Impossible; his personal information has been sent to all departments of transportation.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and took a thermal out. Lin Dongxue opened it and saw that it was a delicious chicken congee, which made her happily surprised.


    "I made it when I had nothing better to do in the afternoon. Why don¡¯t you try it? I decided to help you all with some of your work. Today, I went to find An Xu."


    "What did you find him for?" Lin Dongxue asked as she ate the delicious chicken congee with its beautiful aroma.


    "I was curious. Didn¡¯t we reason it out before and agree that An Xu may be lying? I found something. Although An Xu is the son of apany''s boss, hispany seems to not be doing well recently and An Xu himself owes money.¡±


    "Really?"


    "I asked him if he knew where Cheng Chao was and he was obviously flustered."


    "But, logically, he wouldn¡¯t be helping Cheng Chao? Or is there another hidden reason?"


    ¡°Have you noticed that he wore a gold ne?¡±


    "Yes, I¡¯ve noticed."


    "I added him on Weibo and from looking at his previous photos, it seems that this gold ne was only bought recently."


    Lin Dongxue was even more confused. Was this rted to the disappearance of Cheng Chao?


    "I¡¯m not going to discuss this further with you. I¡¯ll send you home first and I¡¯ll look for him again tomorrow."


    "Hey, you shouldn¡¯t keep paying him visits. I am afraid that if he knows anything, he will be scared off by you."


    "You¡¯re worrying about my questioning skills?" Chen Shi blinked.


    When Lin Dongxue was sent to her residence, Chen Shi drove home. While he was waiting for the red light, he opened Weibo and found that An Xu had made a suspicious post on Weibo, which detailed that there are dangers to prowling out on the streets. If you continue to be a tortoise that shrinks its head back, then you¡¯ll definitely suffer the consequences.


    Suddenly, Chen Shi had an epiphany and called Lin Dongxue, but she never answered. At this time, the light turned green. He dropped the phone and immediately went to An Xu¡¯s residence.


    An Xu lived in a high-end residential area. When Chen Shi got to themunity, he saw a car driving out. The person in the car was An Xu. He immediately reversed and parked the car under a tree¡¯s shadow. After An Xu left, he tailed him.


    He dialed Lin Qiupu¡¯s phone and asked curtly, ¡°Do you want to solve the case?¡±


    "What?" Lin Qiupu''s tone revealed surprise.


    "I will send the coordinates to you now; send someone to follow my car. The suspect may appear."


    Chen Shi directly hung up the phone before Lin Qiupu had the opportunity to answer.


    He followed An Xu all the way until An Xu parked near an ATM machine. A person holding a bag got on the car and then the two drove off again.


    After tailing them for a while, they came to a secluded road where the car in front suddenly stopped. The two people got off the car and Chen Shi squinted his eyes with full alert. He put his phone in his shirt pocket and also got off the car.


    After seeing Chen Shi''s face, An Xu smiled. "Oh, I wasn¡¯t sure who it was? It turned out to be the policeman in the morning."


    The person beside him wearing a sweater and a hood had their whole face shrouded in the shadows. Chen Shi gestured with his chin, "Your boyfriend?"


    "Fuck off!"


    "You¡¯re called Cheng Chao, right? No need to hide; I know what you look like."


    The young man was stunned before slowly taking off his hood. It was Jiang Mei¡¯s boyfriend, Cheng Chao.


    Chen Shi continued, "What is the bag you just brought onto the car? Money? If I didn''t guess wrong, An Xu is willing to help you lie because you bought him. Although I don''t know how you suddenly became rich, but this is the only reasonable answer."


    "You are so smart!" Cheng Chao praised. "You¡¯re like a detective in a novel. Do you want to hear my story?"


    "I¡¯ll clear my ears up and listen."


    "I have been dating Xiao Mei for two years. I love her very much and she loves me too..."


    "Don''t talk about her in front of me, it''s disgusting!" An Xu violently said.


    "Can you not interrupt the story?" Chen Shi looked at An Xu.


    An Xu rolled his eyes and went aside to smoke a cigarette while squatting on the side of the road.


    Cheng Chao continued his story, saying that he was dismissed by Xiao Mei¡¯s parents because of his background. When he went to her house for dinner that day, her mother asked a lot of hard questions while her father said a lot of ugly words. Cheng Chao couldn¡¯t believe that such a couple would actually have an angel of a daughter.


    Xiao Mei didn''t know thatter on, her father found Cheng Chao and gave him a sum of money to ask him to leave Xiao Mei. It was not too much. Maybe he thought that the 100,000 yuan would make a poor boy change his heart. Cheng Chao certainly did not agree.


    Xiao Mei¡¯s father pointed at his nose and shouted that with his connections, Cheng Chao could make a living in Long¡¯an.


    Soon after, Xiao Mei¡¯s other pursuer, An Xu, who had a simr background as her, came to his door and taught Cheng Chao a lesson. He also smashed hisputer. In it were the paintings andic strips he had spent a long time creating with a lot of effort.


    Cheng Chao hated this unfair world, but what could he do? He was a poor man...


    1. They mentioned that one stripe could crush you to death. This is because the higher your rank in the police force, the more stripes and stars you get.

 Chapter 88: Heavenly Luck

    <h4>Chapter 88: Heavenly Luck</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In those few months, the two felt extremely pained with Xiao Mei¡¯s family¡¯s constant badgering, so they had the idea ofmitting suicide.


    Cheng Chao knew that this was very selfish, but Xiao Mei said that if she had to leave him, she would not be able to live a day. She felt that it was better to die like this.


    Cheng Chao bought a syringe and a drug called sinylcholine from the Inte. The two went to the barren hills of Cao Ji on a sunny day. When they were in college, Cheng Chao and his friends came here to y once before, so he knew there was a hidden cave here that was perfect for their burial.


    Finally, the two lovebirds went to the cave and hugged each other, hoping that they could be together in their next life. Cheng Chao clenched his teeth and used a syringe to stab Xiao Mei¡¯s body, then injected the remaining poison onto himself.


    Having said that, he rolled up his sleeves and showed the needle wound to Chen Shi.


    He couldn¡¯t remember what dream he had, but then he woke up and climbed to the side of the cave and vomited. Cheng Chao thought that he was already in hell. However, when he turned back and saw Xiao Mei''s stiff body, he knew that he was still alive.


    Xiao Mei has stopped breathing a long time ago.


    Cheng Chao wanted to cry. Why had he failed to seed at even death? He nned to jump off the cliff, but he was not willing to separate from Xiao Mei after death.


    He sat in the cave for a whole hour before suddenly receiving a message that he had won the first prize in a lottery ticket he bought two days ago ¨C A big prize of 20 million yuan!


    He knelt and bawled his eyes out. Why was God so cruel? He had to y such a big joke on him. When he finally had the capital to marry Xiao Mei, Xiao Mei was no longer alive.


    He got up and went to redeem his prize. He wanted to ruthlessly retaliate against all those who looked down on him.


    At this time, a man dressed as a mountain-climber entered the cave and saw the woman on the ground. He was surprised and asked the reason for this. Cheng Chao lied that his girlfriend was sick and fell asleep.


    The man was very considerate and prepared to call the ambnce with his phone. At this time, Cheng Chao had a sudden thought that once the matter here was known to the outside world, he would be used of murder, and the 20 million yuan would no longer be in his reach.


    So, at the moment the man dialed for the ambnce, he took a stone and mmed it into his face. He then pressed him to the ground and continued to smash his face over and over again until the man stopped moving.


    That memory, in his own words, was like a nk memory, as if a beast had possessed him.


    Looking back, the wood had already be a boat[1]. An unrecognizable bodyy on the ground, and Cheng Chao pulled at his hair as he thought about how to deal with the situation...


    And many other things too!


    This man was almost the same size as himself. With Xiao Mei¡¯s body, didn¡¯t they seem like lovers whomitted double-suicide?


    Thinking of this, he exchanged clothes with the man and pulled him and Xiao Mei close together. Considering that theter the police determined the identity of the deceased, the harder it was to solve the case, he decided that he must also destroy Xiao Mei¡¯s face. He shed tears as he destroyed and smashed her face.


    After forging the scene of crime, he left in the night in order to redeem the 20 million that belonged to him.


    The feeling of having money was like a dream. That night, he drank, bar-hopped, looked for woman, and spent stacks of money. The world that was once full of malice towards him showed a bright smile in an instant. It turned out that this was the world of rich people. The world of rich people was just too wonderful.


    After waking up with a hangover, he thought of a terrible thing. The police have DNA technology, so they¡¯d be able to know that the corpse wasn¡¯t his in an instant.


    He thought about it long and hard and then rushed back to the cave again. The bodies were still there and hadn¡¯t been found by anyone, so he pulled off some of the man¡¯s hair and scraped some dandruff off his scalp. He took it back to his house and scattered it for the police to discover.


    Since Cheng Chao had disappeared, he did not intend toe back here again. When he was about to leave, he ran into the angry face of An Xu.


    An Xu pushed him to the wall and demanded he tell where Xiao Mei was. She had been missing for a day, and her family was already going crazy searching for her.


    Cheng Chao had always been very afraid of An Xu. Under the threat of his strength, he actually pathetically told him about Xiao Mei¡¯s death. When An Xu raised a fist to his face, he suddenly said, ¡°I will give you money, okay? Please keep it confidential."


    An Xu snorted, "Broke ass, how much can you even give me?"


    "How about one million?"


    An Xu couldn''t believe it when Cheng Chao really transferred him a million yuan. The man''s attitude changed by 180 degrees. He was not only willing to help Cheng Chao cover up his crime, but he also made some suggestions. The suggestions included putting the money into a card that wasn¡¯t registered under his name to prevent it from being detected by the police.


    The feeling of wielding money was really good! It was like being the protagonist in aic!


    Cheng Chao felt that he had been unlucky for more than 20 years, but finally his luck had reversed. While Xiao Mei¡¯s body slowly rotted in the mountains, he spent a lot of money in a gorgeous corner of the city, enjoying the stimtion of the senses.


    Of course, during this period An Xu also yed with him several times. This guy knew a lot of good ces and he would always go to Cheng Chao to ask for money.


    Now in this extravagant dream, there was another new face that cropped-up...


    "How much do you n to ask for?" Cheng Chao sneered and asked.


    "Do you think that money can buy me?" Chen Shi asked.


    Cheng Chao pointed his finger at An Xu, "Look at him. Think of his attitude difference between in the past and what it is now. I see everything clearly now. Everything is fake; only money is true. Love can go fuck itself. In the past, I thought Xiao Mei was amazing because I only had her. Now I just pay a random handful of money and women would just stick to me."


    "Child, if you spend money like this, even 20 million won¡¯t be enough."


    "It doesn''t matter. I will die after it all. At least I got my money¡¯s worth."


    Chen Shi heard the sound of cars in the distance. He took out the "Police Officer Card" and opened it. It was empty. He said, "In fact, I am not a policeman at all."


    Cheng Chao¡¯s mouth slowly opened, then opened he threw his hands up at the sky andughed. ¡°My luck is really invincible! I¡¯m heaven¡¯s elected son! The heavens have selected me as their son!¡± An Xu, who was on the side, saw the look on his face and threw his cigarette butt on the ground in anger.


    Cheng Chao asked after his fit ofughter, "Okay, just say it. How much do you want? If it¡¯s less than one million, I¡¯ll give it to you right now.¡±


    "Child, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I mean the real police are on the way. I just stalled for time."


    The car noises were getting closer and closer, so An Xu panicked and shouted, "Go, go, go!" and fled back to the car with Cheng Chao. Chen Shi also rushed back into his car. Before they started their car, they were hit from behind with great force. The car flew a few meters away and went off the pavement.


    An Xu fumed. He put one foot on the elerator and one on the brakes, then he released the two at the same time. The rotating wheels were turning at full throttle upon release andunched the gravel on the ground upwards. The car flew backwards and hit Chen Shi¡¯s car. The windshield broke with a pang and the airbag popped out. The huge tremor caused his head to m into the airbag and his forehead was also cut by the broken ss.


    However, Chen Shi did not give up. He stepped on the elerator and smashed into their car again, this time sending their car spinning around.


    At this time, the police cars surrounded them on both sides,pletely barricading them in. Chen Shi gave a huge sigh of relief and rested his head on the airbag, fainting in peace...


    1. There was no turning back. What is done cannot be undone.

 Chapter 89: Tao Yueyue’s Recovery

    <h4>Chapter 89: Tao Yueyue¡¯s Recovery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi woke up in a hospital bed and found that fresh flowers surrounding him. The sweet scent of flowers filled his nostrils. Amongst the flowers was Lin Dongxue''s cute and lovely smile. When she saw that he woke up, she reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. She smiled, "Finally woke up, big hero?¡±


    "Even if you didn¡¯t want to send me home, at least don¡¯t throw me in a flower shop!¡±


    "Go to hell, these are the flowers that everyone sent you. There are ones from our team and ones from the families of the victims. Oh, and the chief also sent people to give you some... Your face must be really big now.¡±


    "What about yours?"


    "Why should I send you flowers? You haven''t sent me any yet either!"


    Chen Shi picked up a random bloom and handed it to her. He also raised his eyebrows as if implying something. Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°Get lost. I don¡¯t want it. You¡¯re so frugal.¡±


    "Okay then, I¡¯ll keep them myself... How is the case?"


    "The interrogation is over. Would you like to hear about it?"


    "I have already asked about it before."


    "In addition to the lottery, your reasoning was basicallypletely correct. I really can''t believe that An Xu was actually bribed."


    "If you have money, you could even ask a ghost to dobor for you."


    "The kid seems to have been ruining his life. He has been eating, drinking, gambling and going to find escorts in the past few days. He has also addicted to drugs because of An Xu. He mentioned that although he has been poor for most of his life, he has at least enjoyed himself for the past seven days. He decided it was enough for him, so much that even if he gets executed, it would still be worth it... I really don¡¯t understand how a person who seemed to have a good conscience in the past suddenly fall into the dark path like this."


    ¡°There¡¯s been a sociologist who has said that although the world is very bad, if the poor and the rich were flipped around, it would only get worse... Maybe he is good in nature, but he had never experienced temptation, just like nts which have their roots rot due to overnutrition.¡±


    "The lottery is really not a good thing!"


    "It depends who wins it. If it were me, my nature would not change."


    "Psh, who¡¯s going to believe that?!"


    Chen Shi suddenly sat up, "What about my car?"


    "Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve sent it to get repaired and guarantee that it will look good as new in a couple of days."


    "It feels so awful lying here like this. Why did they wrap me in so many bandages? It¡¯s like I¡¯m a mummy. Go and ask a nurse toe and take them off for me.¡±


    "But the doctor said..."


    "Don''t trust the doctor¡¯s words."


    Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t help but look for a doctor. After the doctor did his checks, he concluded that Chen Shi could go home and rest there. He partially took off the bandages. Chen Shi put on his clothes and prepared to pay for the medical expenses he incurred. Lin Dongxue smiled. "You still think you need to pay? The team has already paid it for you.¡±


    "It seems that it was well worth getting hurt then."


    "My brother told me to tell you that you will not be allowed to act alone next time. If anything happens to your life, who would be responsible for that?¡±


    At this time, Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone rang. He put his mobile phone next to his ear and widened his eyes the more he listened. Lin Dongxue thought that something happened in his family. When he hung up, Chen Shi suddenly picked her up and twirled around. He shouted, "It¡¯s great!"


    Then he rushed off. His frenzied look resembled Fan Jinzhong[1].


    "Hey! Hey!"


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s protests couldn¡¯t stop him in his tracks, so she smiled helplessly. Being held by him just then... It seemed like she liked it.


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi was in another hospital in the city holding Tao Yueyue''s hand in front of the doctor. He kept repeating, "You mean, she will never have a rpse, right?"


    The doctor agreed, "Yes, the cancerous index has fallen sharply. To have improved so much could have been because she is young and has a more robust body, or because she sought treatment early enough. However, she still has toe back for check-ups regrly and eat her medication.¡±


    "Thank you so, so much." Chen Shi looked at Tao Yueyue and asked, "Yueyue, what do you want to eat?"


    "Uncle Chen, I want to eat beef noodles."


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    After sending away a rehabilitated cancer patient, the doctor smiled heartily before suddenly remembering something. He yelled at the vanishing silhouettes, "Hey, you can''t eat foods that are too spicy or greasy during the recovery period!"


    When they got outside, Tao Yueyue got to breathe fresh air and see a scenery she hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. She was very happy, but there was one regret that she had.


    She touched her bald little head bleakly. "The hair is all gone, just like the nuns in the temples."


    "Hey, want to see what Uncle Chen prepared for you?" Chen Shi took out a goose-yellow woven hat, with two synthetic hair braids on each side.


    After wearing it, Tao Yueyue was ecstatic. "Thank you, Uncle Chen!"


    "Let''s go; we should go and eat."


    "Why didn''t you drive today? Was it sold to cure my illness?"


    "The car is being repaired. You are so small that the doctor said that they will charge me half price."


    "Liar, I have heard about it. A lot of money was spent to give me medical treatment..." Tao Yueyue suddenly didn''t smile. "Uncle Chen, I will pay you back all this money when I grow up.¡±


    "Okay then, I will wait for you to grow up." Chen Shi reached out and poked her nose.


    When crossing the road, Chen Shi held Tao Yueyue in his arms. After a few years of illness, she didn¡¯t seem to have gained weight at all.


    Holding this little girl at the moment, Chen Shi¡¯s thoughts jumped back to a few years ago. At that time, Tao Yueyue, who was only five years old, sat in the closet silently as she witnessed her mother being killed. She was the only eye-witness in the Zhou Xiao case. The police never announced her existence, so she could be said to be a trump card.


    Later, when she fell ill with cancer, Chen Shi once thought that God had abandoned him. He tried his best to save her until finally, he had his wishes granted.


    It seems that people will not be unlucky or lucky all the time. Perhaps it¡¯s as some pseudoscientists have said: a person''s luck has been calcted to begin with.


    He thought that Tao Yueyue¡¯s recovery would be a turning point. However, living in Chen Shi¡¯s identity for so long, he has already regarded himself as Chen Shi. The person named Song Lang seemed to have been a distant past. He really didn¡¯t know which identity he would choose to live when this was all over.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, where will I live in the future?"


    "You¡¯ll live in my house!"


    "Won¡¯t aunty be upset?"


    "Aunty? There aren¡¯t any aunties there. After a while, you should go to school as well. You¡¯re fairly behind in school.¡±


    Tao Yueyue pouted unhappily. "But I don''t want to go to school."


    "That''s not okay!"


    The case calmly came to a close. Deep into the night that day, the entire bureau went left the building, and only the forensics squad¡¯s lights were on.


    The blood sample in the hands of Peng Sijue was collected from the car after Chen Shi crashed that day. He felt very anxious at that moment and kept clenching and letting go of both his fists.


    The buzz of the testing instrument stopped, and the DNA information was slowly printed out on theputer. The two sets of samples matched. The light of the screen was reflected on Peng Sijue¡¯s sses lens. The words "100% match" jumped out at him.


    Peng Sijue''s eyes widened and he couldn''t believe the result. His fists slowly tightened and he kept muttered, "Song Lang, it really is you! It really is you!"


    Tears slowly filled his eyes...


    1. There was a man who went to the juren exams and became a schr. Everyone in his vige got excited and exaggerated everything in a dramatic way after much delight.

 Chapter 90: Temporary Detectives

    <h4>Chapter 90: Temporary Detectives</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 7: The Father is Actually a...?


    Lin Qiupu handled several documents in his office, and there was a cup of ck tea on his table. It was a calm morning, which was rare.


    The peace did notst long, as he was interrupted by the intrusion of a police officer. The other party knocked on the door and came in. "Captain Lin, a male body was found in Wu Yi New Vige."


    "Okay, I understand. I will deal with it right away."


    He dialed an internal telephone number to Lao Zhang but found that no one answered, so he dialed through to his mobile. "Lao Zhang, a body has been found at Wu Yi New Vige, you need to bring someone to deal with it."


    Lao Zhang apologized, "Captain Lin, my granddaughter has a fever today so I have taken the day off. Please find my apprentice, Xiao Li.¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Qiupu made a phone call to Xiao Li. Xiao Li exined, "Captain Lin, I am currently assisting the fire department in handling a revenge arson case."


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s voice came through on the phone as well. "I am also at the fire department."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll look for someone else."


    After a round of calls, it seemed like the day was full of coincidences. Everyone had something to do. Finally, he dialed Lin Dongxue¡¯s phone. No one answered the phone. He panicked and dialed several more times before he discovered that the ringtone wasing from outside the office.


    It turned out that Lin Dongxue¡¯s mobile phone was thrown in the unit to charge. He asked a police administrator and asked where Lin Dongxue went. The other party informed him, ¡°She took a day off to participate in a traffic safety ss.¡±


    "Why did she go to... Oh, I forgot. Her driver''s license is still being held in suspension!"


    With the dilemma of having no subordinates avable, Lin Qiupu pondered for a while. After some mental debating, he picked up his mobile phone to dial a number, but immediately hung up. He muttered to himself, "I really don''t want to ask this guy!"


    Finally, he sucked it up and dialed through. ¡°Captain Lin, are you looking for me?"


    "Where are you now?"


    "People''s East Road."


    ¡°People¡¯s East Road... Is that close to Wu Yi New Vige?¡±


    "Five minutes away, why? Is there a case?"


    "A young man¡¯s corpse was found in Wu Yi New Vige. Can you help me deal with it? It may take a while for my people to rush over."


    "Everyone¡¯s currently getting off work so the road is blocked. Don¡¯t bother getting them toe over. I¡¯ll bring the body back.¡±


    "Hey, hey, you outsider! Don¡¯t mess with anything!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know the process.¡±


    Lin Qiupu shamefully said, "I owe you one; I¡¯ll treat you once this is over.¡±


    "Haha, no thanks to the meal; just the bonus will be fine."


    Chen Shi hung up the phone. He had just taken Tao Yueyue to a school and talked to them about the transfer. He bought some dishes along the way to Wu Yi New Vige. Tao Yueyue, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was not happy. Her lips were turned so far down, they could open a bottle cap.


    She overheard the contents of the phone call. Tao Yueyue questioned, "Uncle Chen, you have to help the police handle a case again?"


    "Yeah, is my face really big?"


    "Hmph!" Tao Yueyue remembered that she was still upset, so she turned her head away.


    Chen Shi turned the car into a little residentialmunity and showed his ID to the property management - the cover of the consultant card. The security guard beamed with relief. "Oh, you came! Themunity is in chaos already.¡±


    "Where should I park the car?"


    "You can park over here."


    As Chen Shi parked the car,Tao Yueyue pushed the door open and quickly got off. He advised, "You should stay in the car."


    "No! I want to watch."


    "What kind of police officer would have a child in tow when investigating a crime?"


    "You¡¯re not a policeman."


    "Get back in the car!" Chen Shi ordered.


    Tao Yueyue pointed to the security guard who wasn¡¯t far away. "If you don''t take me, I will tell him that you¡¯re a fake policeman."


    Chen Shi sighed reluctantly. "Yueyue, be good. How about this? I promise to let you raise a hamster at home, okay?¡±


    "No!"


    Threats and temptations were not useful at all. After having seen how unreasonable the little girl was, Chen Shi smiled helplessly. "You can¡¯t run around everywhere or bump into things. It would be very troublesome if you leave fingerprints."


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Tao Yueyue saluted respectfully.


    Chen Shi took out fifty yuan and told her to go to the convenience store to buy some stic bags and rubber gloves. Then, he walked over to the area where the security guard found the body, and briefly talked about the situation while walking with the security guard.


    The corpse was found in a leftover waste bucket in a certainmunity restaurant. In the afternoon, someone hade to collect the waste water. When the bucket was found to be unusually heavy, they used a stick to stir it. They stirred up an arm, scaring them to death.


    "What about the person who found the body?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Well, we knew that you would want to talk to him, so we didn''t let him go... Howe you came alone?"


    "Traffic jam; the other people willeter."


    "Oh, I understand!"


    When they arrived at the door of the restaurant, they found a group of people gathered. They were all customers who were eating there. When they heard that there was a body in a bucket, they had put down their chopsticks, found the manager, and asked for their money back. Thus, the manager was surrounded by arge group of people. He could only desperately try to exin.


    The security guard inquired, "Should I bring the manager over?"


    Looking at the scene, Chen Shi did not want to be the target of the public, so he shook his head. "No, we will go directly to see the body."


    The kitchen had a back door, and the chefs who had stopped working all stood around there to smoke and chat. Their faces were filled with a kind of gloating joy even though they had just found a body. Chen Shi nced at the dark kitchen where a short and chunky man was lying down on a waterproof towel.


    Chen Shi asked, "Did you move him here?"


    A chef replied, "Yes."


    "Moved him directly by hand?"


    "Would you use your feet?"


    Chen Shi shook his head and sighed, "What about the bucket?"


    "This is the one." There was a half-filled bucket next to the body.


    "Why is the kitchen so dark?"


    "Themp is broken. I¡¯m preparing to find someone to repair it. This is the result."


    There was a noise in the crowd. "Children are not allowed to go in."


    Chen Shi rified, "She¡¯s with me."


    The chefs were surprised to see Tao Yueyue rushing through the crowd as she handed the gloves and stic bags to Chen Shi. She bought herself a small pair and was already wearing it. She raised her hands and smiled cheekily.


    "What are you doing with those?"


    "To investigate the case!"


    "Take them off. You need to help me take photos. Do you know how to do it? I need you to photograph wherever I tell you to.¡±


    "Yes sir!"


    Chen Shi connected to the WIFI there and dialed a video call with Lin Qiupu. The picture presented in front of Lin Qiupu was a man lying in the darkness. Heined, "It''s too dark."


    "There are no lights. Just bear with it."


    "Why is the body so dirty?" Then the camera moved to Tao Yueyue. "Who is this child?"


    "It was found in the bucket... Oh, she is Tao Yueyue."


    "Who is Tao Yueyue? You¡¯re bringing a child along? Can¡¯t you be a bit more serious about this?"


    "I can just solve the case for you then. Won¡¯t it be alright then?"


    "You can solve the case?" Lin Qiupu gave a look of disbelief.


    "You don¡¯t believe me? Let¡¯s make a bet!"


    "No... No gambling."


    Chen Shi smiled. He called Tao Yueyue over to take a photo. Every inch of the surrounding ground could not be missed. Then, he turned to the person who found the body. It was the one who went to pick up the water. "What time did you find the body?"


    "4pm."


    "Do youe here every day to collect the waste water?"


    "Yes, I have to run by three restaurants in total. The route and times are fixed. Because the pig farm is far away from here, I have to work hard to avoid peak traffic."


    "Do you take all the water away every day?"


    "Yes."


    "And that¡¯s the same with yesterday afternoon?"


    "Yes, it was 4pm as well."


    Chen Shi asked the chef again, "How long does it take to fill such a big bucket?"


    The chef replied, "Don''t look at how big the bucket is. After each food period, half of it would be filled. This is especially true for the dinner period. The guests usually order soup a lot more during dinner."


    ¡°Is the bucket usually ced outside?¡±


    "Yeah, it¡¯s smelly and heavy. How could we leave it in the kitchen? Nobody would steal it anyway... When I poured the leftovers inside at noon today, I found that the bucket was full, so I poured it into the other buckets. Who knew this bucket had a body in it.¡±


    In the video call, Lin Qiupu said, "It seems like the body was put in the bucketst night. Retrieve the security footage!"

 Chapter 91: Body Hidden in Wastewater

    <h4>Chapter 91: Body Hidden in Wastewater</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi told the security guard to look for the footage from 8PM the night before until 6AM of that morning, as well as asked the colleagues if they had seen suspicious people carrying big boxes or pushing a cart in.


    Then, Chen Shi ced the phone with the video call on the stove and picked up a water pipe. Lin Qiupu eximed, "Hey, don''t use water to flush it!"


    "The body has been contaminated for a long time. The body is just covered in waste water. You want to make Lao Peng test all of it? Aren¡¯t you worried he¡¯ll die from fatigue?"


    Lin Qiupu was speechless. "You need to be careful."


    Chen Shi opened the faucet and rinsed the body. The deceased was a man of about 50 years old. He was short, fat, and his hairline was receding. He was only wearing a pair of red underwear and a white sock on his left foot.


    Tao Yueyue looked at the body intently. "This uncle seems to be very sad."


    "Yeah, being killed, how can you not be sad?"


    Lin Qiupu warned through the mobile phone, "Don''t make assumptions like that. Can you investigate the case seriously? Why did you bring a child? Is this something a child should see?"


    "Captain Lin, you should just look quietly from the side lines. Don''t direct me; I¡¯m not one of your subordinates.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was speechless.


    Chen Shi squatted down and looked at the palm of the deceased while wearing rubber gloves. "Captain Lin, please record this down. The deceased should be involved in office work. The wear of his fingers and nails is only seen in those who useputers for a long time. His body figure is also due to not exercising for a long period of time." He approached the face of the deceased and smelled him. "A heavy alcohol scent wafted over; he should have had alcohol or been forced to drink before death."


    "Are you sure that it¡¯s not the smell of wastewater?" challenged Lin Qiupu as he acted as the temporary minute-taker.


    "You will know when youe over to smell it."


    "How can Ie over?!"


    Chen Shi opened the eyelids of the deceased. The pupils were already cloudy. He pinched the muscles of the upper limbs and deduced, "Because the deceased was moved, the livor mortis was not deposited in one area, but from various other indications, he time of death should be within twenty-four hours.¡±


    "Are you confident about that?"


    "Can''t be wrong."


    "What is the cause of death?"


    Chen Shi applied a finger to open the mouth of the deceased. The chefs outside frowned. Tao Yueyue looked at it very seriously while squatting down close by. She also pointed out, "Uncle Chen, there is sand in his mouth."


    Chen Shi nodded and raised his voice. "There is a small amount of silt and sand with pink blood and foam in the mouth. The skin is slightly wrinkled. I have just found sand residues in his nails just now. It seems that he died from drowning."


    "You just said that he was killed!" Lin Qiupu caught a contradiction.


    Chen Shi did not bother replying. He used his hands to touch the bones of the upper body. Because the fat of the deceased was slightly thicker, he had to use some force to touch the bones. Tao Yueyue asked, "How can this uncle drown if he¡¯s so fat?¡±


    "Fat may not float, and there was someone standing on the shore hitting him with a stick."


    "What are you talking about?!" Lin Qiupu warned.


    "Shoulder des, ribs, neck bones, and the skull have multiple bone injuries; all of it is concentrated on the top side of the victim. We can deduce that someone stood on the shore and beat him hard, causing him to sink into the water and drown."


    "It¡¯s truly murder?!" Lin Qiupu was shocked.


    "Wait, there is a bruise on the abdomen, this shape..." Chen Shi heard a crunch and looked up to find that Tao Yueyue was eating a cucumber. He questioned, "Where did you get that?"


    "The table. There are a lot of them and I¡¯m hungry." Tao Yueyue responded innocently as she took another bite.


    Chen Shi smiled and instructed Tao Yueyue to give him the newly bought mobile phone. He used sh to take a picture of the deceased''s abdomen, and then measured the length and width of the bruise with the mobile phone as a scale. He noted, "It is a shoe print that is 24cm long. The height of this person should be around 175cm to 180cm. He may be male."


    He turned over the body and instructed Tao Yueyue, "Turn around. Children are not suited to see this."


    "No way!"


    Chen Shi did not know what to do with her. He pulled down the underwear of the deceased and found some bruises at the waist. This bruise was more even. He said, "The deceased was kicked towards a wall and his waist hit the wall."


    "Shouldn¡¯t he have kicked him into the water?" Lin Qiupu questioned.


    "These are the facts though."


    "Then the murderer and the deceased might have had a dispute first, and then the murderer tried drowning him."


    "And then he fished him out again, took off his clothes and abandoned the body?¡±


    "The facts says so!"


    The security guard came in and told them that he found some clues. Chen Shi nodded and wrapped the body in a few bags. He asked the chefs to help him carry it onto the car and put it in the back seat.


    In the back seat were the vegetables he originally bought. Chen Shi estimated that he most likely didn¡¯t have time to cook that night. So, he handed it over to the chefs. ¡°Just then, she ate a cucumber of yours, so you can take these vegetables.¡±


    "We are afraid that we can''t open the store today." The chefs smiled bitterly, but took it anyway. "Excuse me, can I ask if the restaurant has to be closed for a few days?¡±


    "Nothing, just conduct business as usual. This was not the murder scene.¡±


    Lin Qiupu, who had been put in his pocket, scolded loudly, "Don''t be informing people without permission!"


    Chen Shi pretended like he didn¡¯t hear it and said, "Right, leave the wastewater bucket. Cover the lid and don''t move it. Police wille by and pick it upter. There might be evidence within it.¡±


    "Understood! Understood! Officer, you sure are efficient and skilled at handling cases."


    After the chefs left, Tao Yueyue pointed at the car and asked, "Is this uncle sleeping with us tonight?"


    "No, he will sleep in the police station."


    "Will the police cut him up?"


    "Yeah, that is called an autopsy. It¡¯s done to solve cases."


    "Poor uncle."


    "Don''t say that to children!" Lin Qiupu shouted from Chen Shi¡¯s pocket.


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and said, "No data left", before he cut off the video call.


    Chen Shi confirmed that the car was locked, then took off the rubber gloves and threw them into the trash can. He took Tao Yueyue to the security room. The security guard who had just led the way pointed to a young security guard. "Xiao Wang was on dutyst night. He mentioned that he saw two peopleing in with a big boxst night."


    The security guard Wang recalled, "One man and one woman. The woman was wearing mink and had leather pants. Her hair was dyed.¡±


    "What about the man?"


    "He looked very ordinary."


    "What is the meaning of ordinary? How tall was he?"


    "Not as tall as me."


    Chen Shi visually measured his height. It seems that the man was less than 170cm. He asked, "You didn''t stop them at the time?"


    "I... I had something to do at the time."


    "ying League of Legends?"


    "It was King of Glory."[1]


    Chen Shi chuckled. "Show me the surveince footage."


    After turning on the footage, Chen Shi sped up the yback time and sure enough, there was a man and a womaning in. The man was wearing a puffer jacket and wearing a hat while the woman was wearing framed sses. Their faces were very blurry. The two were pushing a veryrge box.


    After about fifteen minutes, the two of them came out again, still pushing the box. However, this time around, it was obviously not as difficult to push around. It could be assumed that the things in the box had been thrown away.


    Chen Shi wrote an email on a piece of paper. "Make and send a copy of the video directly to this email. Also, this is a murder case. At the court trial, you may be asked to be a witness. Please cooperate with us at that time.¡±


    "Do we get money for it?" asked the security guard Wang.


    "There is no money, but you will go on the news."


    "I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go!"


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangzhe_Rongyao It¡¯s a League of Legends spinoff mobile game by Tencent, who owns Riot Games - the creator of League of Legends.The baseyout in the two games is very simr, and structures use homogenous colouring and design. They also function essentially the same way in both games, although King of Glory¡®s base is smaller and simpler (no inhibitors or nexus towers) to promote shorter game times on mobile.

 Chapter 92: Abandoning the Body

    <h4>Chapter 92: Abandoning the Body</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The car that had the body sitting in the backseat was temporarily ced in the littlemunity. Chen Shi threw the car keys to the security guard, and told them that other policemen woulde to collect it. He asked them to pass on the car keys before walking out of themunity with Tao Yueyue.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Why not drive?"


    "Take a guess."


    "Well... The box is so big that it must be very tiresome to drag around, so the murderer must live nearby."


    "I¡¯ll correct you slightly. They are not necessarily murderers. They are just the ones that abandoned the corpse. If they drove, could this be likely?¡±


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. "If they drove, they would drive in directly like us. They didn¡¯t need to move the big box.¡±


    "Really smart!" Chen Shi patted her head.


    Tao Yueyue smelled the aroma of omelettes from outside themunity and said, "Uncle Chen, I am hungry!"


    "Didn¡¯t you eat the cucumber?"


    "The cucumber is not going to fill me up. I¡¯m going through puberty! Don''t you know that?"


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Chen Shi went to the stall selling the omelettes and asked for two of them. He took the opportunity to ask the stall owner, ¡°Is there a ce in this vicinity that only opens at night?¡±


    The stall owner was a big sister. She looked at Chen Shi and asked, "What do you want?"


    "To investigate a case. I am a police officer."


    "An officer bringing a child...? The ce you talked about is on the street at the first left. That seems to be the ce that most closely resembles the ce you¡¯re asking about.¡±


    "What is that ce?"


    "You¡¯ll know when you go... Here¡¯s your omelette."


    Eating the omelettes, Tao Yueyue remarked, "This game of posing as a policeman is really fun."


    "What do you mean by pose? I am one!"


    "The nose will grow longer and longer if you lie."


    "I¡¯ll tell you a secret. In fact, I am an undercover policeman."


    Tao Yueyue looked him up and down, before saying, "Liar, you are not handsome."


    ¡°Is that even relevant?¡±


    "In the movies, the undercover officers look very handsome."


    "Stop watching all those movies that are only full of violence and death."


    "You adults are all like this. If you can¡¯t win an argument with a child, you¡¯ll change the subject and just forcefully say they¡¯re not allowed."


    "Okay, okay. I¡¯ll admit defeat, okay?"


    "Wow, hamster!"


    Tao Yueyue ran to a stall selling hamsters, squatted down, and smiled at the hamster running in the cage non-stop. The stall owner urged, "Buy one for your daughter! See how happy she is?"


    "He is not my father!", "She is not my daughter!" The two eximed almost in unison.


    The stall owner smiled with a shy smile and spected about the rtionship between the two.


    Tao Yueyue looked at Chen Shi with pitiful eyes and Chen Shi responded in turn, "As long as you get 80 points or more by the end of the school year, I will buy it for you."


    "Sly! I haven''t promised to go to school yet. Your condition is equal to two conditions."


    "Less nonsense. You must continue your education."


    Tao Yueyue was upset again. Chen Shi forcefully pulled her away and lectured. "If you don''t go to school, you won''t have knowledge. If you don''t have knowledgere, you have to sell hamsters like him."


    "Is that bad?"


    "Going to school is like upgrading your game. If you don''t upgrade, your equipment will be poor and your level will be bad. Others can kill you in a second."


    "So, the dead uncle back there is dead because he didn¡¯t go to school?¡±


    Children¡¯s questions were tooplicated, rendering Chen Shi speechless. He negotiated, ¡°If you agree to go to school, then I¡¯ll agree to buy you a hamster.¡±


    "I want to raise four!"


    "Okay, four."


    "Five!"


    "No, only four."


    Tao Yueyue smirked evilly, "Then, I will let them give birth to four hundred."


    When they arrived at the aforementioned street, Chen Shi found that it was a red light district. There were some suspicious hair salons along the street. The lights were dimmed and some women dressed in revealing clothes were loitering around. Chen Shi walked into one of them. A big sister remarked, "Big brother, you¡¯ve really got guts bringing a child to this kind of ce.¡±


    "I want to inquire about something. What time do you start business here every day?"


    "Why? Did youe to take care of my business? We open at two in the afternoon until four in the morning."


    "Every day?"


    ¡°It¡¯s like this every day. Even if we open up early, there won¡¯t be any customers.¡±


    "Thanks."


    Leaving the store, Tao Yueyue asked, "Is that aunty a prostitute?"


    "Yes; don''t ask anymore."


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s mood suddenly became gloomy. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    "I thought of my mother. Did my mother do this too?"


    Chen Shi knew that he couldn¡¯t hide these things from her. Tao Yueyue was a very intelligent child, and not the general kind of intelligence. Her IQ was high at 143.


    He stroked Tao Yueyue¡¯s hair and exined, ¡°Your mother also did this, but the profession did not represent her character.¡±


    "Uncle Chen, you don''t have tofort me. I know that my mother was not a good person."


    "We should continue to investigate the case."


    "Ok!"


    At the end of the street, there was a nightclub. In this ce, the content could be imagined. Chen Shi did not walk in directly, but went to the road next to it and looked at it. The road was lined with trees[1]and the street lights were very old. In the evening, it looked very dark and eerie. The bottom of the walls on the east side were painted with graffiti.


    The first floor of the nightclub was empty, piled up with some dusty bicycles. There was a lot of rubbish thrown around. To get to the second floor, an esctor needed to be taken.


    Chen Shi looked at the ground and turned on his mobile phone¡¯s shlight. Tao Yueyue pointed at something. "Uncle Chen, look there."


    "It''s too narrow; I can''t reach it. Can you help me?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded and went into the gap between the wall and the bicycles and pulled out a tooth. Chen Shi looked at it on the palm of his hand. It was a ceramic denture. He asked Tao Yueyue to take out the photos topare it. The deceased indeed was missing a mr.


    Chen Shi surveyed the area and used the HD mobile phone camera bought by Tao Yueyue to take photos of a certain spot on the ground. Tao Yueyue asked, "Was the body thrown here?"


    "Arge area on the ground has the dust wiped off, and there are also water stains. It seems that this is the case.¡±


    "So, the uncle who died was actually killed by someone else, thrown here, and then thrown into the stinky bucket?"


    "That seems to be the case."


    "Poor uncle."


    "Let''s go up and ask."


    The nightclub was not officially open yet. The waiters came over and asked what they were doing. Chen Shi issued a ¡°police badge¡± and the waiter said, ¡°Oh, officers, we only operate honestly here.¡±


    "We are not investigating this. I wanted to ask whether this nightclub has performances at night.¡±


    "Yes!"


    "What kind of performance?"


    "This season we invited an unnamed rock band toe and perform. They perform every night"


    "Let me see their props."


    After hearing that it was something regarding bands, the waiter was happy to take them to investigate. They went to a room full of performance instruments. Tao Yueyue pointed to a huge box and noted, "This is the one."


    The waiter looked nk as Chen Shi asked, "Please call the manager over."


    "Okay..."


    After he left, Chen Shi checked the box. One of the boxes was obviously cleaner than the others. He smelled it and called Tao Yueyue to smell it as well. Tao Yueyue said, "The smell of detergent... And the scent of smelly fish and shrimp."


    "This should be evidence; let us take it away!"


    "Hey, can the police take whatever they want?"


    "Yes."


    "It¡¯s so nice being a police officer."


    1. The author wrote ¼ÐµÀÊ÷. As far as I know, this can mean any tree that¡¯s usually fairly tall, with or without leaves that are closely nted together, creating a barrier almost. Like this: http://dingyue.nosdn.127/2gOseZAWRvPoWOO9WTkNhkDRvjGh4qrzBRckbZRuVtDrW1538439591323.jpeg

 Chapter 93: Really Like a Policeman

    <h4>Chapter 93: Really Like a Policeman</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While waiting, Chen Shi made a phone call to Lin Qiupu. When Lin Qiupu picked up, he said, "Don''t investigate. Captain Peng is on the road and will arrive soon. The body has not even been dissected yet. What are you even investigating? Don''t mess with me!¡±


    "Can¡¯t it be my personal interest and curiosity? Oh yeah, help me find a ce in this area. The deceased is 160cm tall, so it would have to be at least 1.4m deep for him to have drowned."


    "You¡¯re even trying to order me to do something? This is not negotiable!"


    "Fine, fine. I¡¯ll go find it myself."


    "Stop investiga..."


    Before waiting for Lin Qiupu to finish, Chen Shi hung up the phone. Tao Yueyue made a face. ¡°Is he angry?¡±


    "I couldn¡¯t care less about him!"


    At this time, the door opened. A woman wearing leather pants and shirt came over with a cigarette butt in her hand. Tao Yueyue remarked, "Uncle Chen, it seems to be her."


    Hearing her words, the woman was shocked and began to run away. Chen Shi shouted after her in a low volume, "Why are you running? We are not here to sweep the yellow."[1]


    The womanughed embarrassingly like an idiot. "I was a little nervous because I heard that there were policemen."


    "Are you the manager here?"


    The waiter on the side informed them, "She is Li Jie."[2]


    "This Li Jie is the manager?"


    "Li Jie is Li Jie."


    Li Jie said, "You can think of me as the manager."


    Chen Shi responded, "It seems that you are in charge; then I am not going to talk in circles. Did someone throw a male corpse downstairsst night?"


    "Officers, you seem to have thoroughly understood the situation. It¡¯s as you said. At 8 o''clockst night, we found someone lying downstairs. Initially, we thought it was a drunkard. We only found outter that he wasn¡¯t breathing. He was dead.¡±


    "You are so casual about this, confessing everything just like that. Not only did you not report it to the police, but you transferred the body? Do you know how much trouble has been added to our work?"


    "I knew that you woulde to me sooner orter. I¡¯ve been mentally preparing myself for this."


    "Insulting the body is a felony."


    "I didn''t insult him though. What is it that I can insult a dead uncle with?¡±


    ¡°Knowing something but not informing the police is also a crime.¡±


    "I recognize that. I have to pay a fine. I can do that. It doesn¡¯t matter where this person was found anyway, as long as it¡¯s not found in my store. If a police cares in, how can I continue to do business? I bet it was done by the people across from us. We arepetitors and the bitch on the other side keeps taking all thedies I have over here... I¡¯m talking about thedies who apany others to drink alcohol. We operate honestly here.¡±


    "Oh, don''t bother exining it. It¡¯s getting more and more shady the more you talk about it. We can talk about thatter. I need to understand the situation a bit more. What was the situation like when the body was found? Is there surveince here? Were there any suspicious people or vehicles around?"


    "We don¡¯t have surveince footage and we didn¡¯t see anything suspicious. It was only an uncle lying on the ground with his body dripping."


    "He didn''t wear any clothes?"


    "Yeah... He waspletely bare."


    Chen Shi sneered, "That¡¯s a lie. Tell me, what clothes was he wearing?¡±


    Li Jie scratched her face in embarrassment. "Suit trousers, only one sock on one of his feet, and a shirt."


    "What happened to his clothes?"


    "When Xiao Song helped me transport him, my hands got dirty, so I pulled his shirt off and rubbed my hands with them. I just randomly threw it in one of those waste buckets. The pants were taken by Xiao Song."


    "What did he want to do with a dead person¡¯s pants?"


    "He said that the trousers are from a designer brand and cost two thousand yuan on the market. He was going to buy them. At the time, I asked him, ¡®You even want a dead person¡¯s pants?¡¯ He said that he didn¡¯t mind it, so he took them.¡±


    "Call him over! Why did you choose to abandon the body there anyway?"


    "Because...Because..." Li Jie looked awkward. "One time I ordered from that restaurant and found a dead cockroach in my food, so I asked for a refund. The restaurant not only refused, but also made it out like I ced it there myself. I was fuming at the time. Who did they think I was? Would I do something that low? I¡¯ll always remember this hatred I have for them! So, officer, how is their restaurant? Has it been closed off?¡±


    "Yes, it¡¯s as you wished."


    Li Jie looked very happy and asked, "Can I leave now?"


    "Wait."


    Tao Yueyue pulled Chen Shi¡¯s clothes and whispered, ¡°Really like a policeman.¡±


    Chen Shi blinked his eyes and whispered, "I was originally one."


    Tao Yueyue pulled a silly face at him.


    After a short time, Xiao Song was called over. The clothes he wore were very trendy. There were a lot of tattoos on his body, but all this could not conceal the reality of his financial situation. From the look of his dirty cor and cuffs, this outfit had not been changed or washed in a while.


    Li Jie whispered to him, ¡°This police officer here is asking about what happenedst night.¡±


    Xiao Song immediately put on a smile and reached out his hand. Chen did not ept the handshake. "What do you do for a living?"


    "I¡¯m part of the band."


    "The props here are all yours?"


    "Yes... It is all rented."


    "Why did you abandon the body?"


    "Li Jie mentioned that she didn¡¯t know which bastard purposely threw a dead corpse downstairs to kill the nightclub¡¯s business. That¡¯s why it affected me. I am here to perform, and if the nightclub is closed, I have no ce to work for food. If your lips fall off from the cold, so will the teeth[3]. Thus, I epted in helping her transport the body, since he wasn¡¯t killed by us anyway.¡±


    "You¡¯ve really got guts. Do you know that doing this is equivalent to increasing the difficulty of our investigation and indirectly helping the murderer?"


    "If people aren¡¯t selfish, the heavens and earth will kill you."[4] Xiao Song gave a full smile, revealing a line of yellow and crooked teeth.


    "You seem to have thought about everything thoroughly. Hand over the things you took from the deceased. Those things are evidence that we need to take away.¡±


    "Okay! Okay!"


    Xiao Song went to pick up a bag. In addition to the pants, there was a keychain full of keys and a wallet. Chen Shi opened the wallet and nced at it. The money inside had already been soaked through and was disintegrating, but there was also a bank card inside.


    He picked up the trousers and noticed that the trousers were a little worn, but the wear was very even. Tao Yueyue said, "This was bitten by a hamster."


    "Do hamsters have such big teeth?"


    Chen Shi put the things together and asked Li Jie and Xiao Song to give their contact details. He also took the box that was used to transport the body. As they were leaving, Li Jie asked, "You won¡¯t call others toe and investigate again, would you?¡±


    Chen Shi took a look at the nightclub. At this time, it was already opening its doors. Some women wearing revealing clothing were walking around the hall. He smiled. "We don''t investigate this stuff."


    Leaving the nightclub, Chen Shi returned to the previous littlemunity and put the pants, box and wallet in the car. Lin Qiupu called and informed, "I found out that there is a park nearby and there is an artificialke inside."


    "Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t help me?"


    "Hmph, I just wanted to see your abilities. If you¡¯re able to break this case solo..."


    "Then what?"


    Lin Qiupu changed the subject, "Is there any progress?"


    Chen Shi roughly exined the situation and Lin Qiupu eximed, "They actually transferred the body and even took the victim¡¯s clothes? They¡¯ve really got guts. I really have to teach this nightclub a lesson."


    "What about Old Peng?"


    "He''s still stuck on the road. Haii, this traffic... Wait, you call him Old Peng? Are you two familiar with each other?"


    "Don''t worry about these things... Is there a neighborhood near the park you talked about?"


    "Yes, quite a lot actually. There¡¯s five! You can check them slowly!" Lin Qiupu gave out gloatingughter.


    1. An expression for catching prostitutes.


    2. Jie is a term that means sister. A term used to addressdies.


    3. If the shop closes down, so will his life.


    4. If you don¡¯t look out for yourself, you¡¯ll get crushed by everything else.

 Chapter 94: Locking-in on the Victim

    <h4>Chapter 94: Locking-in on the Victim</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and immediately dragged Tao Yueyue out of the neighborhood. Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, why are you in such a rush?"


    "The sky is getting dark, so we need to be quick."


    He gged a taxi over and told the driver to go to the neighborhood near the Ren Men Park[1]. The driver asked, "Which neighborhood?"


    "We need to go to every single one of them. I will buy out your car for an hour.¡±


    ¡°How much are you willing to pay?¡±


    "Is two hundred enough?"


    "Enough! Enough!" The driver started the car.


    When they arrived at one of the neighborhoods, Chen Shi found that there was a stall that duplicated keys on the side of the road. He immediately jumped out of the car and went up to the owner. "Excuse me, can I see the material you use to duplicate keys?"


    "What are you doing?"


    "Police. We are investigating a case at the moment."


    "Oh, okay then."


    Chen Shi picked up a metal te andpared it with the keys on the keychain in his hand. He shook his head and returned the te back to the locksmith before getting back into the taxi.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Can the keys be used to find someone?"


    "The keys are new and they seem to be made from a piece of aluminum that isn¡¯t very pure."


    "Oh, so that¡¯s why."


    They visited several more littlemunities one after another. When they arrived at the fifth neighborhood, they finally found a locksmith that had materials that resembled the keys on the keychain. Chen Shi showed the key to the owner. "Grandpa, were you the one who created this key?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you remember who asked for the copy?"


    "How can I remember that?!"


    "Do you live in this neighborhood?"


    "Yes."


    ¡°Is there someone in themunity that owns a rabbit or hamster?¡±


    "I really don''t know. You should ask the property managers."


    Chen Shi found the property managers and discovered that there was a family that raised rabbits. Lin Qiupu called again, "Xiaodong is back. Would you like him toe over and help?"


    "How can hee over? Will he fly over? Do you realize what the traffic is like at this hour?" Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu was very enthusiastic. "How much is your sry in a day?"


    "Why do you want to know this?"


    "I¡¯ve thought about it. I will make a bet with you. If you can break the case within twenty-four hours, I¡¯ll give you a week¡¯s sry. If you can¡¯t, you need to give the money to me... It¡¯s all ording to your daily sry.¡±


    "Oh really? I have a sry of 800 yuan a day."


    "800? Bullshit. Fine, let¡¯s do it. I¡¯ll see how you dig your own grave this time. Solving the case within 24 hours? I¡¯m saying it¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t think anyone can do it.¡±


    "Captain Lin, it is very dangerous to arouse my motivation. I was actually quite tired and was going to go home to rest first. But now? Now I have lots of motivation. Honestly, I need to thank you so much.¡±


    "Haha, then good luck... Have you figured out which neighborhood it is?"


    "Actually, I have basically found themunity where the deceased lived."


    "What?!" Lin Qiupu screamed in shock.


    Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue arrived downstairs from the house where the rabbit was being raised. He looked up, went upstairs and knocked on the door to exin the purpose of his visit. Chen Shi asked, "Do you have a middle-aged man in his fifties at home?"


    ¡°No.¡± The female owner replied, ¡°We¡¯re a couple in our forties with a child.¡±


    Chen Shi observed her words and bodynguage. He knew that the other party was not lying, and pressed, "Do you raise rabbits at home?"


    "Yes, the child is raising two lop-eared rabbits."


    ¡°Lop-eared rabbits?¡± Tao Yueyue¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I want to see them.¡±


    Chen Shi red at her as the hostess smiled. "They¡¯re on the balcony. The rabbits smell, so we raise them there.¡±


    "Raising them on the balcony?" Chen Shi stroked his chin. "I remember that your balcony was not fully sealed. Has anyone recently lost their pants and had them bitten by the rabbits?¡±


    "Yes, there was! Last month, Master Lu¡¯s pants were blown down from upstairs. When I came back from work and found the rabbits all over his trousers, I rushed to grab them. Later, I told Master Lu that I would reimburse him for the damages, but he told me he didn¡¯t want it.¡±


    "What does this Master Lu do for a living?"


    "I hear that he¡¯s a manager at a lightingpany. I heard that he was divorced and has lived alone since.¡±


    ¡°Do you meet each other often?¡±


    ¡°Not often. Since I¡¯m usually busy at work, I don¡¯t often have the time to wander around.¡±


    "Okay, thank you."


    When they went upstairs and found Master Lu¡¯s home, Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°How do we get in?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you bring the key?"


    "I deliberately asked." Tao Yueyue giggled.


    Chen Shi took the keychain. When he opened the security gate, he heard the sound of shouting behind them from people who wereing upstairs. ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Two policemen came up along with a neighborhood aunty. Chen Shi calmly replied, "The police of the city bureau. I am investigating a case. If you do not believe me, you can call Lin Qiupu to ask. My name is Chen Shi."


    One of the officers prepared to dial over when the other officer blocked him. ¡°Lin Qiupu is the captain of the city bureau. I¡¯ve heard of him. It seems that this is indeed arade from the city bureau... What are you guys investigating?"


    "And what are you guys investigating? Is Lu missing?"


    "No... We have an important thing to inform him. Excuse me, but what are you investigating?"


    Seeing that the other side didn¡¯t seem to want to state their reasons, Chen Shi did not press further. "He is dead."


    "What!?" The two police officers exchanged nces.


    The aunty said, "In a day, the father and son are all..."


    "Aunty, what are you talking about?"


    "Actually, we came to inform him of his son¡¯s death. His son died in a car identst night."


    "Was it really an ident?"


    "It was an ident. We asked a few people who were racing cars with his son... Oh, those brats are still detained at the local station. They drank alcohol at night and yed around on the streets. Master Lu¡¯s son hit a truck and died.¡±


    Chen Shi showed a surprised look. "If we¡¯re not mistaken, the body we found today should be this Master Lu. This is the key we found on his person."


    He turned around and opened the inner-door with the key. It was indeed a match with the lock.


    The three behind them were ready to go in as well. Chen Shi alerted, "Don''t move. This is probably the murder scene. You should all wait outside for now.¡±


    As he said that, he and Tao Yueyue put stic bags over their shoes on the shoe cover machine. A policeman challenged, "Why can she go in? Surely she¡¯s not a police officer?"


    Chen Shi put on a pair of new rubber gloves and turned on the lights. He instructed Tao Yueyue not to touch anything at all and to only be responsible for taking pictures, to which Tao Yueyue nodded in agreement.


    This was the home of an ordinary middle-aged man. The furniture was extremely simple. He didn¡¯t even own a TV. In the kitchen, he saw many ¡°old friends¡± ¨C bags of instant noodles. He smiled and mused, ¡°Why is such a gross tasting thing so popr? You can find them everywhere.¡±


    Tao Yueyue giggled, " Instant noodles are delicious. It¡¯s even better than the dishes you make."


    "Then I¡¯ll feed you instant noodles every day. Don''t eat my braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, mince and eggnts..."


    Tao Yueyue immediately closed her mouth when she thought about not being able to eat meat.


    Chen Shi opened the cupboard and looked at it. The tableware was quiteplete, but it had clearly not been used for a long time. There was an electric cooker on top of the gas stove. He turned the gas switch on and found that the gas was already cut, most likely due to owing money. He used the electric cooker to cook meals as well as boil water.


    Then, he arrived at the living room. The wallpaper at the corner of the living room was peeling off. Chen Shi checked the floor and found an Inte cable that fell to the back of the sofa. From the dust that collected on top, it seems that the cable had only fallen down recently. Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Did they fight here?¡±


    "That¡¯s about right, but the murder didn¡¯t happen here."


    1. Ren Men means People/People¡¯s. So this park is called ¡°People¡¯s Park¡±...

 Chapter 95: Father and Son Disputes

    <h4>Chapter 95: Father and Son Disputes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi went into the bedroom and found that it was very simple and in. It had a bed and aputer. However the desktop was missing. He checked the dust that had collected on the floor and found that someone had moved something. The desktop was forcibly taken away, deduced from the USB cable behind it being torn apart.


    The broken cable they found earlier and the one they just discovered was one and the same.


    Chen Shi looked around the ce and muttered to himself, "As a manager, isn¡¯t his lifestyle a bit too poor?"


    He also found that the legs of the chair had created a lot of friction marks on the floor. Obviously, this person often sat in front of theputer for long periods of time. Before the autopsy, he had found that the victim had a ring of fat around his waist and had hemorrhoids. These were all characteristics of a sedentary lifestyle.


    There was a lot of cigarette ash on the table as well as the remnants of soups and sauces that had sshed and fallen from the food he ate. Some of these sshes were found on theputer.


    Tao Yueyue scorned, "He¡¯s as dirty as you."


    "Nonsense. My house is very clean."


    ¡°Is it? The table and underneath the bed are all very dirty.¡±


    "Really? We¡¯ll clean it up tonight."


    Tao Yueyue opened a drawer. "I found an important clue!"


    "I told you not to touch anything!"


    Chen Shi walked over. There was a weird mask in the drawer. The mask was made of wood but the craftsmanship was very poor. It was most likely randomly carved using a scroll saw used in carpentry. Its right eye, nose and mouth were exposed while other ces were all covered. There was a stick at the bottom for gripping.


    Chen Shi took a look at it while moving it around in his hands, then sniffed the inside of the mask. There was a heavy smell of garlic and alcohol. He said, "This mask has been worn."


    "What do you think the mask was used for? Will it be rted to the case?"


    "I don''t know, and I don''t want to know. I don''t think it has anything to do with the case."


    "That¡¯s just your arbitrary assumption!"


    Chen Shi who once used the same words towards Lin Qiupu had his words turned against him. He put the mask back in the drawer. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to check each and every single clue. We won¡¯t check this mask. We should just focus on the case at hand.¡±


    "Why don''t you have time? Aren¡¯t you unemployed?"


    "Kid, don''t say such hurtful things like that, okay? Uncle made a bet with someone. If the case is broken within 24 hours, then we can go to the best restaurant for a meal, okay?"


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue was delighted.


    Chen Shi went outside the unit and asked the neighbourhood aunty, "What is the name of this house¡¯s owner?"


    "He is not the owner of this residence. The house is rented and Master Lu is called Lu Jianye."


    "I remember that he¡¯s the manager of a lightingpany. Is his sry not very high? Why does he live in a rented house? The house is so in and shabby. What about his wife? When did they divorce?"


    The aunt of the neighbourhood smiled. "Officer, you have too many questions. I don''t know what his ie is like... As for the wife, oh, I should say ex-wife. I remember that they divorced very early on."


    ¡°Is there any way of contacting her?¡±


    "The neighborhoodmittees should have her contact details. I¡¯ll go and help you find it.¡± She said as she went downstairs first.


    Chen Shi told the two policemen, "My colleagues wille over and investigate this house again. You shouldn¡¯t go in just yet. The city bureau has taken over this case.¡±


    "Then the death of his son..."


    "Where is the corpse right now?"


    "We put it in the hospital!"


    "Which hospital? The forensic analysts will have to go over and check the body.¡±


    They all went downstairs together. At this time, Lin Dongxue called and said with surprise, "Chen Shi, is this for real? My brother told me that you are investigating the case alone? Does he trust you this much now?"


    "He doesn¡¯t trust me. It¡¯s just that none of you were avable this afternoon... Where have you been?"


    "I took a half-day to attend a traffic safety ss. After two days, my driver''s license will be returned to me. I only just got back to the station."


    "Perfect. Help me check the financial situation of the victim. I will send you the extensive details through textter on.¡±


    "Okay! Are you sure you¡¯re going to be okay alone? Do you need..."


    "No, I made a bet with your brother to solve the case within 24 hours.¡±


    "I can''t understand you men." Lin Dongxue remarked before hanging up the phone.


    Tao Yueyue pulled the clothes of Chen Shi, and Chen Shi asked her what happened. Tao Yueyue pointed at the silhouette leaving. "The uncle just walked to the front and suddenly turned around. I feel that he¡¯s a bit suspicious. Could it be the murderer?"


    Chen Shi smiled and poked her nose. "Everything you said in the beginning was correct. Yourst sentence however, is jumping the gun a bit.¡±


    "This is my reasoning! Those two police uncles are standing there. The man left as soon as he saw them. He must feel guilty, so he is the murderer."


    "What kind of reasoning is this?"


    "Do you want to go up and talk to him?"


    "No, don''t go!"


    Even if they got lucky and this person happened to be the murderer, if they went up to him, they wouldn¡¯t have much to ask him about.


    Chen Shi followed his own principles. You must have something to go on when investigating a case. He must make a choice when investigating. He couldn¡¯t chase every clue like a cat lured by aser pointer. The strange mask that was just found in the victim¡¯s house and its rtionship with the whole case was not clear. Therefore, he decisively gave up that angle.


    If not, it would be impossible to solve the case within the time limit.


    The aunt of the neighborhood came back with a printed document in her hand. Chen Shi nced at it and said, "His wife isn¡¯t in this city?"


    "Yes."


    "Who was the child¡¯s custody awarded to?"


    "At the time, custody over him was awarded to the father, but the child was already neen this year. He went out to work... I say working, but he¡¯s just been fooling around with shady people and gangsters all day. He often went to his dad for money. When his dad didn¡¯t give him money, they would quarrel. One time, their argument was particrly intense. Aputer mouse was thrown around and almost hit a pregnant woman downstairs. At that time, I went to criticize and educate that boy. Right, officers, I have to divulge something. His son dropped by yesterday.¡±


    "Really?"


    "It was probably around five or six o''clock. Someone saw his son running down with a desktop. Lao Lu chased him as he yelled at him. His words were pretty terrible. He called his son disrespectful and that he knew that he should have just shot him at the wall instead[1]. I have never seen Lao Lu yelling at someone like that. His temper had always been very good... Guess what happened next? His son actually threw theputer into the river. Then, Lao Lu jumped down to try to salvage it. There were a lot of people who witnessed this.¡±


    ¡°How is Lu Jianye with water?¡±


    "He should know how to swim because he swam back by himself at the time. He sat under a willow tree on the shore and cried about how his son wasn¡¯t filial at all.¡±


    ¡°He can swim?¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself, revealing a disappointed look. ¡°Then, how did this all happen?¡±


    "I don''t know. The neighbors asked him, but he only responded that his son was terrible, getting physical when he couldn¡¯t get the money he wanted. We don¡¯t know about the specifics though."


    "Which river are you talking about?"


    "It¡¯s in the area. Didn¡¯t you see it when you came over?"


    "Excuse me, but could you take me to the location where that situation happened?¡±


    Chen Shi asked the two policemen to go back first and wait for the people in the city bureau for handover. Then, he went to the river with the aunty. This "river" was very shallow and narrow with the flow rate being very slow. In fact, this ¡°river¡± was made because the developers were trying to get a marketing point of having water that surrounded the neighborhood. The water came from an actualke that the littlemunity was built next to.


    Chen Shi picked up a branch from the ground and inserted it into the water. The whole branch waspletely submerged. The water depth in this area should exceed one meter. He mumbled, "It seems that the victim could indeed swim."


    1. Masturbated instead.

 Chapter 96: A Money Pit of a Game

    <h4>Chapter 96: A Money Pit of a Game</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The aunty said, "There were a lot of witnesses at the time. Should I ask people toe over and talk about the situation with you further?¡±


    "No need... Where did he go after that?"


    "Out of the neighborhood. It was so cold that day and his body was entirely wet. Wasn¡¯t he scared of getting arthritis?[1] He didn¡¯t even go home to change his clothes!¡±


    "See? We don''t have to ask the others. We just needed to ask you... Thank you!¡±


    "Don¡¯t mention it. Oh yeah, officers, how did Lao Lu die?¡±


    "It¡¯s inconvenient to disclose at this stage. I¡¯ll tell you about itter. Why don¡¯t you leave me your contact details?¡±


    After exchanging contact information, the aunty took her leave. He sent the contact information of Lu Jianye and his wife to Lin Dongxue, then called Lin Dongxue. "Dongxue, can you check the husband¡¯s ie situation and whether he has any savings? Can you also call his wife and understand the situation a bit?¡±


    "Why don''t you just call her yourself? Are you trying to save on your phone bills?"


    "No. It¡¯s just that if I were to make the call, I would have to exin the situation as well as spend timeforting her. The thing Ick the most right now is time. I can¡¯t waste even a second of it.¡±


    "Alright." Lin Dongxue said with ack of motivation and interest.


    "Thank you. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner when Ie back!¡±


    "I don¡¯t care for that."


    After hanging up the phone, Tao Yueyue looked at Chen Shi with a teasing look. "You like the aunty you just called?"


    "What do children know?!"


    "I understand! You don''t smile when you talk to other people. You only smile when you call her.¡±


    "Nonsense, I smile with everyone."


    "The smile you give out is not as sincere."


    Chen Shi was thoroughly speechless, "Let¡¯s stop talking about this, okay?"


    "Okay, I¡¯ll keep this secret." Tao Yueyue naughtily winked.


    It was already eight o''clock and time was tight. Chen Shi left themunity and went directly to an Inte caf¨¦ nearby. He asked the boss whether a person named Lu Jianye came herest night. The boss checked and replied, "Yes, he used theputer at 7 o''clockst night."


    ¡°How long was he here for?¡±


    "Two hours."


    "What did he do?"


    "How would I know? Why are you asking that? Are you a policeman?"


    Chen Shi¡¯s took out his ¡°documents¡± and the boss became flustered. ¡°I only rent outputers to people who register their IDs with me. I don¡¯t lend them to minors!¡±


    "I¡¯m not here to check this. Just give me aputer."


    Tao Yueyue pointed to the shelf behind the counter. "Uncle Chen, I want to drink Coke."


    "A bottle of c and one bottle of mineral water please."


    The boss poked his head out from the counter and saw the child. "How could you bring a child in here? Children can¡¯t enter this ce. If the police came and investiga-¡±


    "I am the police!"


    "Right, right, I forgot." The bossughed nervously.


    Chen Shi got on theputer and opened up some music. He crossed his hands over his head as Tao Yueyue knelt on the chair next to him and drank her coke with a straw. ¡°Uncle Chen, why aren¡¯t you investigating the case?¡±


    "Just taking a break."


    "Then, can you win the bet?"


    "Did you know? Waiting is also an essential part of investigating cases."


    "Can I wait regarding the going to school thing as well?¡±


    "No!"


    Tao Yueyue wrinkled her nose and pulled a face.


    Lin Dongxue called and reported, "We can¡¯t contact Lu Jianye''s wife. As for his financial situation, the monthly ie we found on his card is about 40,000 yuan. It should be his sry amount... Wow that¡¯s pretty high! Two years ago, he sold a BMW, and he sold his house a year ago. As for where the money went, I found out that his credit card had been blown up and all the money was credited to a foreign ount called Sheng Shi Electronics."


    "Is it a regr payment?"


    "Regr... Let me check. The sums are about 30,000 yuan per month. Sometimes it even reaches to about 100,000 yuan. There was even one transaction that was one million yuan! Jesus!¡±


    Chen Shi did a search on theputer. "Sheng Shi Electronics Co. Ltd. is the agent of online games. This guy is an Inte-addicted uncle."


    "Inte-addicted uncle? You mean, his car and house were all sold to y games? Also, why is it so noisy on your side?"


    "I am at an inte cafe."


    "Did you already guess as much?"


    "Yes, it was a guess... Upon hearing about his family situation, and the fact that his son took theputer away, I made a guess. I still needed to confirm what game it was though.¡±


    "This person in his fifties who had a sessful career was actually indulging in his game addiction? Doesn¡¯t that only happen to children?"


    "Regardless of gender or age, you can be addicted to games. This is a key point in this case. Okay, I¡¯ll stop talking now. I have to investigate the case."


    "Right, Captain Peng is already in the neighborhood."


    "Tell him to drop my car keys with the security guard and I¡¯ll pick them upter.¡±


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and quickly registered for an ount on the online game. Tao Yueyue said, "Do you think that the uncle was killed by the friends he made in-game?"


    "Not necessarily, but it may be relevant."


    Chen Shi was also taking a gamble. He picked this lead out of everything because his intuition told him that this was most likely the reason for the murder.


    After the new ount was registered, the opening started up. When that was finished, a full-screen system prompt popped up with a skill bar that he couldn¡¯t understand. Tao Yueyue remarked, "This is so boring. Even Pokemon is better than this.¡±


    "This kind of game does not rely on gamey, but the sense of aplishment it gives its users. You can buy a sense of aplishment by spending some money."


    "The world of adults is really difficult to understand."


    Afterpleting a novice mission, the system prompted saying that if you spend 15 yuan to buy the "Straight to the Clouds Gift Package", you can skip all the novice missions and rise up straight to level 20. Chen Shi said, "Fucking hell!"


    "Don''t swear."


    This kind of investigation wasn¡¯t good enough. You needed to go through multiple maps in-game in order to find some clues, making the efficiency really low.


    He called Lin Dongxue again, Lin Dongxueined, "I don''t think I can finish this bowl of noodles today."


    "When I¡¯m finished here, I¡¯ll treat you to eat shark fin... Can you contact thepany for me? They use a real-name system for this game. What is the role of Lu Jianye in the game? When was thest time he logged in? Also, did he transfer any equipment or items recently?¡±


    "Do you think they¡¯ll care about what I say or ask?"


    "It¡¯s good to say that you are a criminal police officer and that you are investigating a murder case. It¡¯s a tried tactic."


    "You make it seem like you¡¯ve tried it before."


    Lin Dongxueughed and hung up the phone as Tao Yueyue giggled, "There¡¯s no need for words[2]... Are you two like those people in the TV series where you both like each other but won¡¯t say so?"


    "How do you know so many idioms?"


    "Through watching TV... You haven''t answered my question yet."


    "I have the right to remain silent."


    "Oh, silence is like a default agreement."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. This little girl was too difficult to deal with. He even considered whether to find a boarding school to throw her in or not.


    While they waited, Chen Shi saw that there were a lot of system prompts in the game. It was nothing more than system announcements of users that had obtained certain artifacts through opening boxes and chests or winning duels. He asked, "Do you know why people y such low-quality games?¡±


    "For a sense of aplishment!"


    "More specifically, it is a gambling mechanism that is not easy to discover. The center of the human brain will release a lot of dopamine during gambling, which will bring pleasure and make people addicted."


    Tao Yueyue seemed to understand but blinked and asked, "What is dopamine?"


    "It''s the sweetness that the brain gives you. In order to stimte you to do something, the brain will give you a little sweet. But what the human brain thinks should be done is not necessarily beneficial to the body. For example, if you drink c and eat burgers, you¡¯ll be happy. The brain will then think you should eat more of it. However, when you gain weight, it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing. So, when you feel happy drinking coke, it¡¯s not because coke is good, but because your brain is lying to you.¡±


    Tao Yueyue looked at half-finished of the coke in her hand, and Chen Shi asked, "Do you understand?"


    "Understood." Tao Yueyue handed over the Coke bottle. "I don''t want to drink this ever again."


    1. They believe that arthritis can be due to getting blown by the wind when they are wet.


    2. An expression which basically means that there¡¯s an unspoken or secret understanding between them

 Chapter 97: Hidden Motivation

    <h4>Chapter 97: Hidden Motivation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At nine o''clock, Lin Dongxue called and said, "I found out that Lu Jianye''s ount is in the 24th district. It is called the Solitary Sword. He is ranked second in this district. The customer service representative told us that his ountst logged in 25 hours ago. Since there is a lock function for advanced equipment in the game, there hasn¡¯t been any transferral of equipment or items. Furthermore, the ingots on his ount¡ªthat is, the coupons and items, all haven¡¯t been touched.¡±


    "Thank you. Where are you now?"


    "In the bureau. I haven¡¯t left yet because of you."


    "Get off work. Go out and y games. We will see you in the 24th district. You should practice a bit first. You may have to top up your ount though. I¡¯ll reimburse you the moneyter on.¡±


    "Huh? y games? That¡¯s not my cup of tea... I can call Xu Xiaodong; he is a game master."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi left theputer and went to the bar to buy a pack of Yuxi cigarettes. Then, he wandered around the Inte caf¨¦. When he saw someone ying the same game, he handed a cigarette over and asked, ¡°Brother, your equipment isn¡¯t bad. What district are you from?¡±


    There were too few people who yed this game, so they couldn¡¯t find anyone from the 24th district. But there was someone who said, ¡°My equipment is trash! Yesterday, I saw an uncle in the Inte caf¨¦. Damn, he was the best in the server. He was dressed like the Gods and was super arrogant.¡±


    "Was it the guy who was balding? The one who is a bit chubby?"


    "Do you know him?"


    "We¡¯ve drank together."


    "His ount is really amazing. It¡¯s estimated that he¡¯s spent tens of millions of yuan on the game. Fuck, he¡¯s a show-off! If I had an ount like that, I wouldugh myself awake in my sleep... But when he came, his whole body was wet. I asked if he was worried about catching a cold, but he smiled and said it didn¡¯t matter.¡±


    This guy had lots of snacks and drinks on his table. He took a sip of coke and rubbed his reddened eyes. Then, he typed on the keyboard, ¡°Take me along to the magical forbiddennd.¡±


    When this man joined a team, there was a person in the team who knew him and informed the others, "He¡¯s only spent a million on his ount; don''t team up with him."


    Then, there was a message box on the screen that noted, "You have been kicked out of the team". The man screamed and threw his mouse, "Looking down on people? Fuck! I will recharge now!"


    "It¡¯s just a game. Why did you get so angry? How many nights have you been here?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Just a game?" The man got really irritated. "Do you know how much money and energy I¡¯ve invested in this game? The equipment in this game gets churned out really fast. If you don¡¯t keep up, you¡¯ll be a whole level behind. For example, let''s take the highest ranked yer in our server. His ride is enhanced with gems and runes that are of higher value than all the equipment on my bodybined. The top yers can kill me in one fell swoop. When meeting these God-level yers, I can only turn around... Haii, people like me who are neither here nor there can only rely on others and team up with other mediocre people. I need to waste time to upgrade my equipment... If I had more fucking money, it would be so nice.¡±


    "You have spent a whole million?"


    "One million? In this game, that¡¯s considered a small sum... Hey, someone is doing PK."[1]


    The man manipted his character to join in on the fun. When the characters inside the game were killed, there was a chance of them dropping equipment. So, lots of people would follow the people that were duelling each other like flies. If they were lucky, they might pick up some good equipment.


    Chen Shi noticed that a warrior died and was resurrected. The enemies who surrounded him were killing him over and over again. The manughed and kept hitting the table, "Idiot, he¡¯s letting them guard his corpse?"


    "Guard the corpse?"


    "Fuck, you don''t even know this? When he dies, he is resurrected with only a tenth of his health, so if he stays logged in, they¡¯ll just keep killing him again and again. This is what guarding the corpse means... See? These people are still guarding the corpse, so the guy stopped trying to resurrect himself and is just lying on the ground.¡±


    "Guarding the corpse?" Chen Shi seemed to have some inspiration and thanked the man before leaving.


    When he got back to his seat, Tao Yueyue was ying puzzle games on hisputer. Upon seeing Chen Shi, she left his seat.


    His QQ[2] was open and Xu Xiaodong was looking for him, saying, "Brother Chen, I am in the novice vige. Where are you?" Then, he screenshotted a picture of his whereabouts. His character is already level 20, so he could go to the Wang Cheng map.


    "Give me your ount." Chen Shi instructed.


    "What the fuck? I just invested a huge sum of money. I have never spent so much money on a game before."


    "How much?"


    "A hundred yuan!"


    "Okay, just give me the ount. I need to investigate the case.¡±


    "Fine, I will make another ount, and we can meet upter."


    "No, I will give you my ount."


    The two exchanged their ounts. Chen Shi logged back into the game. Tao Yueyue marvelled, "Wow, it looks pretty powerful."


    "Equipment ted with money sure is different; the whole body is glittering."


    Chen Shi left the novice vige. He got to the vige exit when he was stabbed to death instantly. Hey on the ground and cursed. The other party gloated, "Why don¡¯t you kill me then if you¡¯re capable enough?!"


    Chen Shi was so angry that he had the urge to top-up some money, but he restrained himself from doing so. When the other party left, he quickly climbed up and ran to Wang Cheng quickly.


    The bustling and lively Wang Cheng was like a world where you could go out and ask for money anywhere. Equipment, experience, faces and even marriage could be bought here.


    He began to understand the mentality of these gamers. This world was so good because everything could be obtained, but it was costly.


    On the other hand, by spending a few million, you were ranked as an elite and countless people looked up to you. However, in the real world, a few million may only get you a house as an ordinary person. It might be worth it for some people.


    A cheap sense of aplishment, friendship between teammates, the ability and arrogance of being able to kill someone you don¡¯t like, and the triumph of desperately trying to counterattack someone after getting killed is the essence of this game with terrible graphics. It must be said that the person who designed this game had really grasped their yers¡¯ mentality very clearly.


    He opened the ranking list and saw that the second person was the victim in this case. Then he added all the top 20 rankers to his friends list in one breath and asked them one by one, "Do you know Lu Jianye?"


    The first and third ranked yers ignored him, but the fourth said, "Oh I know him, he¡¯s the solitary sword!"


    "How do you know him?"


    "Why wouldn''t I know? He¡¯s ranked second in the whole server. He locks horns with Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar every day andmunicates on the server chat. The whole server knows his name and even knows that Lu Jianye¡¯s wife left him because he was so addicted to the game. We also know that he sold his car and house for the game.¡±


    "What is the name of Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar?"


    "Deng Zhongming."


    "Do they know each other in reality?"


    "Why are you asking this? What, are you a policeman?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you really a policeman?"


    "Why should I lie to you?"


    "In today''s guild war, Solitary Sword was not online, and Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar is now seated on the throne of the city. Did something happen to him? Hey, hey, if you are a police officer, do me a favor. Recently, I had some of my equipment stolen. Can you help me get it back? If you help me, I¡¯ll let you in on some information.¡±


    "Your equipment was stolen? Why don''t you message customer service?" Chen Shi snorted. The words ¡°customer service¡± had been blocked in the game. There were too many words blocked in this game, and there was no way to talk freely to others.


    "Customer service ignored me." The other party replied, "Unless I have police documents backing me anyway. If you are a real police officer, open a letter for me."


    "Tell me your personal information."


    "You wouldn¡¯t be a scammer, would you?"


    "Whether you believe me is up to you."


    The other party added Chen Shi on QQ. They had a beautiful woman as their character in the game, but in real life, he had the avatar of ame old man scratching his foot. He sent his personal information over and an expression, "Officer, thanks for the trouble."


    Xu Xiaodong privately messaged Chen Shi for a long time in the game. He was ready to group and tackle the boss. When he was ignored, heined on QQ. Chen Shi screenshotted the chat records he had with the fourth ranker and sent it to Xu Xiaodong. ¡°Stop talking about nonsense. Go open a letter to help this guy find his stolen equipment.¡±


    ¡°Does this not count as abuse of authority?¡±


    "Come on, I have to make friends."


    1. yer-killing.


    2. A messenger-like app. King of like Chinese MSN (back when MSN was a thing). So it¡¯s more like Facebook messenger at this point.

 Chapter 98: Jianghu Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 98: Jianghu Revenge</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    After waiting for about twenty minutes, the man kept screaming over QQ, "Are you a scammer? Hey, talk to me!"


    Xu Xiaodong sent over a letter of inquiry and added a sentence, "Captain Lin said that if you can solve this case tonight, he¡¯ll write his surname backwards."


    Chen Shi sent a response, "Just you wait," and then sent the letter of inquiry over to the person over QQ. The person saw the letter and eximed, "Oh, you really are a policeman. Excuse me then!"


    "Hurry up and tell me what you know."


    "Open voice-chat."


    After turning on the audio-speaker, there was a beautiful female voice that sounded through the speakers. "The situation is like this... Sorry, I forgot to turn off the voice modifier."


    After turning the voice modifier off, the person¡¯s voice turned low and was clearly a male¡¯s voice. "The Solitary Sword and the Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar were originally in the same guild. They joined hands to fight against the guy who ranked first in the server, who was the most arrogant dude possible. Later, the Solitary Sword had an idea. The idea was that they would divide themselves up into two guilds and then they would take turns to attack the guy who ranked first in the server. The Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar agreed. However, they didn¡¯t know that there would be conflict once they separated into two guilds. One of the female yers in the Solitary Sword¡¯s guild swindled equipment off a guy from Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar guild...¡±


    "Tell me the main point! I know that they aren¡¯t on good terms."


    "Okay, okay, why are you in such a rush?"


    Chen Shi nced at the time in the lower right corner of the screen. It was already ten o''clock. How could he not rush?


    The other party went on to say, "They would fight every two days or so. The guy who ranked first in the server could just sit and watch the show, so it really benefited him. A couple of days ago, Solitary Sword rallied his troops and went to sneak an attack on Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar¡¯s guild. Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar was killed and then kept persistently resurrecting in order to kill Solitary Sword. Solitary Sword¡¯s troops kept on guarding Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar¡¯s corpse. He must have lost close to tens of thousands of yuans¡¯ worth of equipment. That night, Solitary Sword was using the world chat to gloat. Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar replied saying that he¡¯d kill him. It¡¯s a game, so killing each other is pretty normal... Today was the day of the guild wars and the Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar was a contender for the throne of the city. However, since Solitary Sword didn¡¯te today, Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar won the title of king of the city. He¡¯s still gifting red envelopes to everyone right now. I think he¡¯s sent out close to ten thousand yuan at this point... It seems that he is very happy today."


    Chen Shi had once again heard the words "guarding the corpse".


    The other party asked, "Are you listening?"


    "Yes."


    "Right, you still haven''t told me what happened... Did Solitary Sword die?"


    "Don''t spread any rumours. This matter needs to stay secret."


    "I can''t even ask? Haii, since you are a policeman, why don¡¯t we get married?"


    Chen Shi almost vomited blood. This is the first time in his life in which he heard such a thinging out of the mouth from a guy like this with his low tenor voice. The other party added, "I mean inside the game! I can make sure you rise to level 50 in a month.¡±


    Since it was too disgusting, Chen Shi wrote ¡°get lost¡± in the chat bar. As he was about to hit send, Tao Yueyue made a gesture, indicating for him to mute himself in the voice chat.


    Chen Shi muted himself as Tao Yueyue reasoned, "If you refuse him, he may go around and talk about this matter everywhere. It¡¯s not good if this is heard by the bad guy.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. This little girl was really maniptive.


    Thus, he agreed to the other party¡¯s suggestion. The other party was really excited and asked if they should get married there and then. Chen Shi negotiated, ¡°Marrying is such a big event. We should find a good day to do it rather than rush into things.¡±


    "Okay. Then let me announce things on the server first. We should add each other as friends as well... Wow, I¡¯m actually marrying a police officer. I¡¯ll have so much face.¡±


    After adding each other as friends, Chen Shi asked for a favor. "Help me inquire about the Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar, Deng Zhongming."


    "I¡¯ll go back to the guild and ask for you. Wait for me, honey.¡±


    Chen Shi raised his face and closed his eyes. He had to suppress the urge to vomit. Tao Yueyue giggled at his side.


    After a while, the damn guy came back and said, "Honey, I¡¯ve asked. He lives in Long''An City. He is a small boss who sells paint. The specific address isn¡¯t clear, but I¡¯ve found his contact information."


    Chen Shi quickly sent the contact information and personal background of Deng Zhongming to Lin Dongxue, and asked her to check for the person¡¯s address.


    Lin Dongxue asked over text message, "Is he determined to be the murderer?"


    "With 80 to 90% certainty."


    In the game, the stupid guy was still talking about nonsense. He intended to take Chen Shi to level-up because he was too low-level at the moment. He couldn¡¯t show him around in front of his friends. He also gave Chen Shi a 200 yuan upgrade package.


    Chen Shi replied, "Hey, I have to rest tonight. I wille online again.¡±


    "Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you. Xoxo.¡±


    After turning off the game, Chen Shi sighed deeply and sent a message to Xu Xiaodong. "Okay, I can return your ount back to you now."


    "Damn it, Brother Chen, are you ying me?... I just trained your ount to level ten."


    "Go to your old ount. There are surprises there waiting for you"


    Chen Shi thought about it and remembered there is still a ce they needed to visit. He took Tao Yueyue to leave the Inte cafe and went to the nearby park.


    In the evening, there was no one in the park so it seemed a bit gloomy and eerie. Tao Yueyue was afraid and grabbed ahold of Chen Shi¡¯s hand. As the two arrived at the innerke, Chen Shi walked around the river bank and found a branch.


    He put on his gloves and picked up the branch. He checked it carefully as Tao Yueyue asked, "Is this the stick that the bad guy used to beat the uncle?"


    "Not necessarily. If I were him, I would throw the stick into the water... I¡¯m guessing he did the same."


    "Why would he do that?"


    "I think it¡¯s for revenge. He had his corpse guarded in the game, so he pushed the deceased into the water and hit him with a stick like what happened to him in the game. Perhaps he only wanted to humiliate him, rather than kill him... But in the end, he killed someone.¡±


    Tao Yueyue smiled.


    "What are you smiling about?"


    "The reporter will have nonsensical material again."


    Chen Shi remembered that this was the feeling he had when he saw a certain news story in thest couple of days. It was actually remembered by Tao Yueyue. This little girl truly was really smart.


    Peng Sijue called and asked, "Where are you?"


    "Next to theke."


    "The deceased had a lot of broken bones and had small amounts of water left in the lungs. It is suspected to be caused by trauma to the chest wall. The death is due to drowning. The death time is about 24 hours prior... I have not conducted an autopsy yet, but I¡¯m on the way back to the bureau. Your car is still in the neighborhood you left it at."


    "It''s simr to my own conclusion. Thanks for the trouble.¡±


    "Did you make a bet with Lao Lin again?"


    "Haha,e backter and I¡¯ll treat you to dinner."


    Peng Sijue ignored him and hung up the phone.


    Lin Dongxue called. "I found his address. I will get people over there now."


    "Give me the address, I will go as well."


    After getting the address, Chen Shi speedily took Tao Yueyue back to the neighborhood that he parked his car at. Peng Sijue was carrying a forensic testing kit and was about to catch a ride with the police car. Upon seeing Chen Shi¡¯s arrival, he asked, "Found the murderer?"


    "You¡¯re deducing this from my confident face?" Chen Shi smiled.


    "I will go with you."


    "Get in the car."


    The three got in the car and Tao Yueyue greeted, "Hello Uncle." Peng Sijue stared at her face for a few seconds and said, "Did you just recover from an illness?"


    "Yeah, she was discharged from the hospital just a while ago... Are you not curious about who this girl is?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Not curious." Peng Sijue turned his gaze back to the front.


    1. Jianghu literally trantes as ¡°Rivers and Lakes¡±, but figuratively refers to the ¡°underground world¡±. A section of society consisting of martial artists, gangsters, thieves, beggars, prostitutes, merchants, entertainers, and anyone else wanting to operate outside of mainstream society or in the grey area of thew.

 Chapter 99: Catching the True Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 99: Catching the True Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Deng Zhongming was also a middle-aged divorcee who lived in his own paint shop. Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and Lin Qiupu¡¯s team rushed over. Lin Qiupu got out of his car and looked at Chen Shi. "It¡¯s eleven o''clock right now. If you made a mistake or if the guy¡¯s not here, then I¡¯ve won this bet. I told you that you were too reckless with the gamble this time. I told you that even the best police officers can¡¯t solve the case in such a short time, let alone an amateur like you.¡±


    Chen Shi replied, "Perhaps the God of Luck is still on my side this time?"


    "Is the God of Luck your aunt? Standing on your side every time. Hmph, I won¡¯t believe it... I¡¯m sure that bastard is on the run.¡±


    "Impossible, there will be a guild war fight tonight. He must log in today."


    Lin Dongxue scorned, "You two are really stupid. You guys are so serious even though it¡¯s just a bet like this. I finally know why two middle-aged men can y games and kill people. It turns out that men are all like this."


    With that said, their eyes fell on Tao Yueyue who came with Chen Shi. Tao Yueyue shouted towards Chen Shi, "Dad! When can we go home to sleep?"


    "Huh, dad?" Lin Dongxue was shocked into letting her mouth hang open. "She is your-"


    "Don''t listen to her. This little girl is just being naughty. She is the child of my friend. I¡¯m taking care of her for a bit." Chen Shi exined.


    Lin Dongxue still didn¡¯t believe him. However, looking at Chen Shi and at Tao Yueyue, they didn¡¯t seem to look alike.


    Tao Yueyue took Chen Shi to the side and whispered, "Is that auntie your crush?"


    "Don''t talk nonsense!" Chen Shi nervously responded.


    "I can keep your secret, but there is a price to pay~"


    Chen Shi reluctantly bargained, "At noon tomorrow, I¡¯ll take you to Pizza Hut."


    Tao Yueyue smiled and stretched out her pinkie finger to make a pinkie promise with Chen Shi.


    The police officers kept all the entrances and exits monitored, and Lin Qiupu pulled out the lockpicking tools and opened the padlock. Then, they slowly opened the rolling shutters. The police went in one by one. Inside the shop, it was pretty dim and only had light shining through the windows. The police didn¡¯t turn on any lights and Lin Qiupu gestured for the officers to search the area.


    The paint shop was not very big. There wasn¡¯t any ce to hide. Lin Qiupu was preparing to diss Chen Shi when Chen Shi raised his finger to his lips to ask for silence. Then, he used his thumb to point to the shelf next to him.


    When listening carefully, the sound of movement could be heard behind the shelf.


    Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu to help and removed the shelf with him. They found a downwarddder that led to a basement downstairs.


    The team climbed down with the shlights on their phones. As they continued to go down, there was a burst of sound from the basement of a person hitting the keys on a keyboard. There was a glimmer of lighting out from the door in front of them. They walked in and saw a middle-aged man sitting in front of the screen. His stressed face was illuminated and two lines of tears were streaming down his face.


    "Deng Zhongming!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    The middle-aged man did not pay attention to him, so Chen Shi shouted, "The Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar!"


    The middle-aged man raised his head and had an odd look of tranquility, as if he was expecting this. He put up five fingers. "Five minutes, I need to say goodbye to the brothers."


    He turned on his voice chat. "Brothers, I know that this might havee suddenly, but I want to quit this game... When will Ie back? I won¡¯t being back. So from now, the guild will rely on you guys. Remember to continue onwards and upwards. Try to get the top rank for our guild next year... I was very happy to be with you all. Really!¡± He cried. Then, he closed the game with trembling hands and lit up a cigarette.


    Chen Shi raised his eyebrows at Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu said, "You¡¯re just a low-life who thinks he attained power!"


    Then, he took out his handcuffs and threw it on the table. "Come and put those on yourself."


    "How did you guys find me so fast? I thought that it would take you a while to find out the truth."


    "Hey, listening to your tone, it seems you¡¯re already mentally prepared?"


    "He deserved it. Who told him to humiliate me repeatedly? When I did this, I was already aware of the consequences and mentally prepared myself. Not only did I get things off my chest, but I also won the city over. It was worth it." Deng Zhongming exhaled a puff of his cigarette and closed his eyes to relive his night¡¯s victory.


    Lin Dongxue frowned and narrowed her eyes. "How old are you? You actually killed someone over a game?¡±


    "Please pay attention to your tone. I¡¯m not about to be educated by a kid like you. I am Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar. I am one of the best yers on the whole server. Do you have any idea how many people look up to me?!"


    Hearing this madman shouting at Lin Dongxue, Lin Qiupu immediately fumed. He stepped over and cuffed him. He cautioned, ¡°I need to remind you that you are now the lead suspect of a murder. Pay attention to your attitude! Let''s go!"


    "If you¡¯re here to arrest someone, then arrest them. What¡¯s the point in being so angry? If we¡¯re talking about age, I can be your father... Ow! Ow!"


    "What happened?"


    "My legs! My legs!"


    It turned out that Deng Zhongming¡¯s legs were not good. He picked up a cane that allowed him to walk. Chen Shi noticed the size and length of the cane and questioned, ¡°Is this the murder weapon?¡±


    Deng Zhongming looked down at the cane and exined, "I didn''t intend to kill him. I wanted to teach the old boy a lesson. Who thought that he would drown... Haii, he really deserved it!"


    "It seems you won¡¯t repent until you die. Let¡¯s go!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    When they brought him out, Deng Zhongming looked back at his shop for thest time. "Will my ount be confiscated?"


    Chen Shi said to Lin Qiupu, "His game ount is full of money. There may be around a million. This should be considered personal property, right? I¡¯m guessing the court will auction it off."


    "That''s good." Deng Zhongming seemed to be relieved. "Only a person who has the financial means to buy this ount will be qualified to inherit my name. Hahaha, even if I am in prison, the Mad Sea Dragon¡¯s Roar will stille back."


    Lin Qiupu handed him over to his subordinates and stuffed him into a police car. Lin Qiupu seethed, "I really wanted to hit him."


    Lin Dongxue chimed in, "Same! He¡¯spletely psychotic."


    Chen Shi looked at his watch. "It¡¯s 11:20pm; it took seven hours to solve the crime. Is that fast? Did it break your records?"


    Lin Qiupu said indignantly, "Don¡¯t act so full of yourself. That was just luck.¡±


    "I hope Captain Lin won¡¯t be a sore loser."


    Lin Qiupu red at him ufortably. "Let¡¯s go team."


    When they were arresting the person, Peng Sijue was temporarily looking after Tao Yueyue. When Chen Shi went back to pick her up, Peng Sijue said empathetically, "Some people look very ordinary, but there is an unspeakable identity underneath their false face and persona."


    As he was saying this, Peng Sijue¡¯s eyes were nailed to Chen Shi¡¯s face.


    "Why is Captain Peng so emotional today? It''s not like you." Chen Shi looked back fearlessly.


    "Hmph!" Peng Sijue took out a pack of cigarettes and shook one out for Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi reached out when he found that it was a pack of Zhong Nanhai. His fingers paused in the air for a few seconds. Peng Sijue said, "This is my friend''s favourite brand of cigarettes. I was influenced by him to smoke."


    Chen Shi¡¯s reached over to the cigarettes and took one. ¡°I¡¯ve never smoked this brand before.¡±


    "Oh really?" Peng Sijue sneered.

 Chapter 100: Adult Fairy Tales

    <h4>Chapter 100: Adult Fairy Tales</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi used lightning-fast speed to solve the case, but it took three days to clear the entire case.


    Three dayster, a full report was handed over to Lin Qiupu. He looked at the report and reviewed the notes. The case urred on the evening of December 10th. If the dispute between the two yers in the game were counted, that date advanced to the 8th.


    On December 8th, the suspect Deng Zhongming and the victim Lu Jianye had some disputes in the online game ¡°Dominating the Jianghu¡±. Lu caused Deng to lose nearly 30,000 worth of equipment when Lu purposely challenged him. Then, Lu gloated and proimed that Deng was trash in the public channel.


    The furious Deng immediately harbored killing intentions. He found out the address of Lu through his contacts in the game. It was coincidence that Lu was also a person from Long''An City. On the evening of December the 10th, he drove his car to find Lu.


    On the same day, Lu and his son had a dispute. The son med his father for ying the game every day and ignoring the family. He forcibly took Lu¡¯sputer and threw it in the neighborhood river. Lu jumped in to salvage it in the presence of many witnesses, but he failed in retrieving it.


    The son became upset because of this and raced around in his car with his friends that night and died in a car ident after getting drunk. The autopsy report had confirmed that this was a pure ident.


    Because Lu couldn''t y the game, he ran to the nearby Inte cafe and yed for two hours. When he came back, it was 7:00 in the evening. It was already dark and he happened to meet Deng. The enemies of the game met in reality. As they were both middle-aged men who would have a wife and children, their attitudes towards each other were rtively reserved. Lu expressed apologies towards Deng and was ready to invite him to dinner. However, Deng suggested that they take a walk together.


    The two arrived at the nearby park. Deng saw no one was around and pushed Lu into theke. Lu struggled to swim but Deng hit him with the cane and yelled, "You enjoyed guarding my corpse, huh? Why don¡¯t you get a taste of your own medicine?¡±


    Deng said that he had only wanted to teach Lu a lesson. Unexpectedly, Lu suddenly sank down. He was afraid to call for help. After half an hour, Lu floated up and Deng, who was afraid in the situation, picked up his body and took it to a secluded ce to abandon with his car that was parked outside the park.


    After the autopsy, it was discovered that Lu suffered from arthritis because his body was wet before. As a result, he wasn¡¯t able to use his limbs in the water. This was an indirect cause of death. If Deng had not pushed him into the water, he might have had a fever anyway, but he wouldn¡¯t have died.


    Deng abandoned the corpse underneath a nightclub. The nightclub owners were afraid that it would affect their business, so they transferred the body to the waste water bucket of a nearby restaurant. The corpse was left there until a person picked up the bucket.


    This was the whole process of the case. The words printed on the report were very clear. Even upon the review, Lin Qiupu could not help but admire Chen Shi¡¯s keen judgment and insight.


    Footsteps approached and Chen Shi pushed the door open. "Is the case closed?"


    "Is the meaning of drunkenness not in wine?"[1] Lin Qiupu took out an envelope from the drawer. He felt very pained from losing so much money. ¡°I am willing to ept defeat.¡±


    Chen Shi took it with a smile. "Thank you, although as a person you are..."


    "Hey, don¡¯t taunt me after getting your prize! Hurry up and go, I have lots to do."


    "Although as a person you are... But you¡¯re very trustworthy. I like you."


    "Oh please..." Lin Qiupu threw the consultant''s certificate that Chen Shi didn¡¯t eptst time on the table. "Take this. You are carrying a false certificate while investigating. Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s fraud?"


    "What do you mean a false certificate? It was just the cover.¡±


    "Just keep it. We¡¯ve worked together so many times. I don¡¯t understand why you won¡¯t just ept it.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up the consultant card. He didn''t know why he refusedst time. Maybe he didn''t want to be bound by this identity again. Maybe he didn''t want to take on those responsibilities again. Those responsibilities had brought him so much pain in the past.


    Seeing Chen Shi holding the consultant certificate in a daze, Lin Qiupu urged, "Hold onto it! You are only a non-professional consultant. I¡¯m not in charge of you. You get freedom to choose whether you want to cooperate with us or not.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and patted the document on the palm of his hand. "Then, I¡¯ll ept it first."


    Lin Qiupu breathed a sigh of relief and held his hands against the chair. He said, "The New Year ising, so the team will be pretty busy. Don¡¯t drive your taxi too much. Come and help me out."


    "You just said that you are not in charge of me, but you¡¯re already like this. I don¡¯t want the card if it¡¯s like this.¡±


    "No! It was just a suggestion."


    "Well, I have been pretty free recently. If there is a murder case, call me."


    After Chen Shi left, Lin Qiupu spoke to the photo he had on the table, "Senpai, is the emergence of this driver the help you sent me?¡±


    Today, Tao Yueyue was sent to school. Chen Shi could finally rx for the day. Raising a child really was a chore. He took the money he earned from the bet, went to the jewellery store and picked out ne that looked good.


    At noon, he called Lin Dongxue and told her that he would treat her to some food. Lin Dongxue agreed.


    Chen Shi went to the restaurant and wondered how to give this ne to Lin Dongxue. He didn''t expect Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong toe together. He asked, "What are you doing here?"


    Lin Dongxue exined, "He wanted to follow me."


    "Brother Chen is too God-like this time. By only taking seven hours to solve the case, you¡¯ve be a legend at the bureau!" Xu Xiaodong said eagerly, "Oh, let¡¯s not talk. I have to treat you to dinner."


    "Do I need you to treat me?" Chen Shi smiled.


    When Lin Dongxue went to the bathroom, Xu Xiaodong asked, "Hey, Brother Chen, why do you have a friend on my ount? I saw that they were ranked fourth in the server, and it was a beautiful woman at that. She said that she would marry me and now I¡¯m in such a daze. What''s the situation with that?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "You¡¯re just here for this matter?"


    "Not entirely!" Xu Xiaodong smiled embarrassedly.


    "I learned about the situation from her that day. When she heard that I was a policeman, she nned to marry me."


    "Oh, so it turned out to be because of that."


    "But you shouldn¡¯t y that game too much. With your sry, you won¡¯t be able to buy the proper equipment. That game is a pit. It cheats its yers out of money and forces the top rankers to spend money to fight for the top. It really opened my eyes to games that really have no conscience or shame. XXX[2] is just too consideratepared to them.¡±


    "I cleared a map with my wifest night. It was quite interesting... But rest assured that I will not fall into the pit and be addicted. I will abandon the pit after ying for a few days."


    "I hope you can do as you say."


    "But, I have to say that the game is really easy and interesting to y.¡±


    "Do you know why it is interesting?"


    "Let me hear Brother Chen¡¯s opinion."


    "It''s tailored for those who don''t like reality. It¡¯s easy to get started in the game. It only takes three minutes and you will fall in love with the game just like them. A sense of aplishment, honor, friendship, love, pride, and everything that is not easy to get in reality, the game is ready for you to get a hold of. I know that the most annoying thing for people who love to y games is ¡°it¡¯s just a game¡±, but I still want to say that investing a lot of money into it is really stupid. No matter how good the game is, you can only eat a full meal in reality. Besides, to spend so much money on a bunch of online games that don¡¯t belong to you, why not y games that have a conscience and aren¡¯t out to cheat you out of all your money.¡±


    "That makes sense!" Xu Xiaodong nodded in agreement.


    "Which sentence made the most sense?"


    "I think thest sentence is the most reasonable. When I get my bonus on New Year''s Day, I will buy a game console."


    "You are really a child who never grows up." Chen Shi smiled.


    1. An expression that means that surely Chen Shi didn¡¯t juste for the case. The story was derived from a person who was drunk from seeing beautiful scenery rather than wine.


    2. The author put XXX. I assume it¡¯s a game name substitute.

 Chapter 101: Revenge on Society

    <h4>Chapter 101: Revenge on Society</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 8: Peaceful Night Wasn¡¯t Peaceful[1]


    Lin Dongxue came over and asked them, "What are you two so excitedly talking about?"


    "The game." Xu Xiaodong responded.


    "Tch, all you men are like this. You guys can''t live without a game?"


    Lin Dongxue took a seat and Chen Shi asked, "What cases have you guys been busying yourselves withtely?"


    "A case on insurance scam. We¡¯ve really learned something. There is a group of people who go to the countryside to ''recruit'' a group of poor people to buy insurance for them. After the insurance takes effect, they ask the doctors to gouge their eyes out in order to im the insurance[2]. The victim gets half of the pay-out and the group gets the other half. More than a dozen insurancepanies in Long''An City have been scammed like this and have grouped together to ask the police to investigate the case."


    "Have the people been caught?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, only the lower level members were caught and they don''t know who the higher-ups are. They are all unemployed. These people really have no conscience."


    "How much does an eye go for?"


    "The poor people can get between 200,000 and 300,000. They are quite happy about it. They bring rtives, friends and even their own immediate families to take part in these ¡®sales¡¯.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said empathetically, "After being on the force for a few years, I have seen too much of the dark side of humanity."


    "You¡¯ve seen a lot, but how many have you caught personally?" Lin Dongxue joked.


    "Hey... Didn¡¯t I catch Wust time?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I haven¡¯t been driving aroundtely, so I¡¯ll work with you guys temporarily. You guys can contact me at any time."


    "That¡¯s good!"


    A few dayster, Chen Shi sent Tao Yueyue to a school near his home. Tao Yueyue was naturally reluctant about it. Chen Shi nned to transfer her to the school next spring, but the teacher exined that since Tao Yueyue had stopped going to school from the fifth grade of primary school, she could take advantage of the final examsing up. This way, she would be able to make up for a year of her absence as well as help her with any of her inadequacies. The exams would be able to show what she needed help on, and she could use the winter vacation for targeted tutoring. This way, she would be prepared to keep up with everyone else the following year.


    Although Chen Shi suspected that the school just wanted to earn half a year more of tuition fees, that small amount of money did not matter to him. He was also happy to temporarily get rid of this little demon that enjoyed grinding his gears.


    On the day of Tao Yueyue¡¯s admission, Tao Yueyue stood at the school gate and said sadly, ¡°You¡¯re just going to stare as I fall into the fire pit?¡±


    "No, I will close my eyes. Hurry on now!" Chen Shi smiled.


    The arrival of a transfer student did not bring many ripples to the fifth ss of the second grade. The fresh feeling onlysted for one ss. Tao Yueyue was arranged to sit at a seat in the corner. She didn¡¯t know anyone in her ss and nobody talked to her once the ss finished. She felt a sense of loneliness in her heart.


    A few dayster, a small, fat boy named Liang Zuoming and several other students in the ss surrounded Tao Yueyue after ss. Liang Zuoming asked, "Tao Yueyue? You¡¯re called Tao Yueyue, right? Is your father very rich? He keeps driving you to and from school every day."


    "That''s not my dad." Tao Yueyue responded coldly.


    "Haha, are you an illegitimate daughter?"


    "I know! Must be your Godfather." Several boysughed as they joked.


    Tao Yueyue looked at them in disgust and felt that they obviously had bad intentions. At this time, Liang Zuoming stepped forward, extended a hand and offered, "Tao Yueyue, let''s be friends! I will let you copy my homework from now on.¡±


    "I can just do that myself." Tao Yueyue rolled her eyes.


    Liang Zuoming suddenly grabbed Tao Yueyue¡¯s hat and revealed the bald head that had just grown a small amount of hair. Heughed boisterously. ¡°I told you guys! She¡¯s always wearing a hat. It turned out that she had a bald head.¡±


    "Haha, are you a nun?"


    "She must have cancer! We should distance ourselves from her so we don¡¯t get infected.¡±


    The other students in the ss were attracted by theughter of the boys and turned their eyes to them, before revealing smiles as if they were watching an entertaining show.


    Tao Yueyue was so angry that she clenched her trembling fists tightly. She stood up and yelled, ¡°Give that back!¡±


    "Come and chase me! If you can catch me, I¡¯ll give it back to you, baldieee~¡±


    After saying that, Liang Zuoming ran out with his friends. Many peopleughed andughed as they watched the scene in front of them. Tao Yueyue did not run after him as she knew that it would only be in vain. It would just add more opportunities for insult. Liang Zuoming wanted to lead her to the yground and let the whole school see her ridiculous head.


    She was so angry that she wanted to cry, but she bit her lip and endured it. A bloody taste filled her mouth.


    It was not until the ss bell rang that the farce was over. Liang Zuoming ran over to her and whispered, "I threw your hat in the garbage dump out at the back. You can go and find it yourself. It¡¯ll get taken awayter by the garbage man, baldieee~ Hahaha!¡±


    When she got home that night, Chen Shi noticed that her hat was a bit dirty and that her eyes were a bit red. Tao Yueyue was more silent than usual. Chen Shi asked, "What happened? Did you get bullied by ssmates at school?"


    "No." Tao Yueyue said stiffly.


    "The boys at this age are just like little beasts. If you are bullied, don''t hold back. Tell the teacher or me as soon as you can. It has to be solved as soon as possible, otherwise the bad guys will get indulged and it would only get worse for you.¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s words tugged at Tao Yueyue¡¯s heart and she almost wanted to cry to him, but she still resisted because she had a n. She would retaliate against Liang Zuoming!


    Christmas Eve was fast approaching. This festival was mostly celebrated in Christian countries, but in recent years under the encouragement of the multinational corporations, it had gradually be a festival for young people internationally.


    The new year and its expenditures were also imminent. Everyone was working hard and criminals were no exception. The members of the Criminal Investigation Team of the city bureau were so busy each day that they couldn¡¯t help but want to clone themselves.


    On this day, Chen Shi came to the city bureau to see if there was anything he could help with. Lin Qiupu said, "A meeting will be heldter. You shoulde as well.¡±


    "What meeting? Just tell me what case you¡¯re investigating and I¡¯ll directly go and sort it out.¡±


    "Hey! I haven''t seen you for a few days and you¡¯re getting more and more arrogant. Don¡¯t think that you can solve a crime alone every time. You used the team¡¯s resourcesst time and I haven¡¯t even sorted that out with you yet!¡±


    "Okay, okay. I¡¯ll reluctantly participate in your meeting then. Captain Lin, why don¡¯t you let me know some brief details in advance!"


    "It''s not a project meeting. An expert from CDC ising over. They areing to report a case."


    "CDC? Is there a person with AIDS who is wildly spreading the disease outside?"


    "Don''t make random guesses! How can this happen in Long''An?"


    Half an hourter, everyone in the conference room was shocked. "What? There is a female with AIDS in Long''An City who is crazily organizing sex dates?", "There¡¯s already more than a dozen people who she¡¯s fooled?¡±, ¡°There are two positive cases already?!¡±


    Lin Qiupu nced at Chen Shi as Chen Shi mouthed, ¡°Just a guess.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, "Captain, will this woman be sentenced once caught?"


    "Yes, of course. This already counts as intentionally harming others. She will most likely be sentenced to between three and ten years. If she causes a death, then it¡¯s intentional homicide.¡± Lin Qiupu turned to the expert, "You only found two positives? What about the other people?"


    "The disease has a window of three to four weeks before it can be tested positive. It can''t be detected during the window period... In fact, this data was found through her social ount. At present, she has already moved her location. I estimate that the number may have grown exponentially.¡±


    Police officer Lao Zhang said, "This matter is not under our jurisdiction. Our team is responsible for felonies, mainly focusing on homicides."


    Another officer echoed, "Yes, the local police should be the ones to arrest her."


    The expert smiled. "The disease is spreading wildly. I estimate that more and more people contract AIDS every day. If a person is infected, it means their family can get the infection. It will then spread out from there. Please don¡¯t underestimate AIDS. The statistics of our center show that twenty years ago, there was no case of AIDS in our city. Ten years ago, the infected people were only those in the gay scene. The updated statistic this year showed that the number of infected people has reached a thousand, more than 300 of which are not conducting anal sex. I know that your ability to handle cases is much higher than that of the local police station. If you control her one second earlier, it is possible to save one more person."


    The police officers expressed their own opinions. Some people thought that this wasn¡¯t their job, while some people thought that saving people was a good deed.[3]


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t make up his mind and looked at Chen Shi, "Consultant Chen, what is your opinion?"


    "Let''s take the case." Chen Shi responded.


    1. Christmas Eve is called Peaceful Night in Chinese, so the author is trying to make a pun here.


    2. True story. This is a real issue.


    3. An expression derived from religious background. They talk about saving a single life is better than creating sevenyers of temples. These temples are used to ward off evil. This sentence means that saving a life now is better than building a temple to protect people at ater date because there are immediate effects.

 Chapter 102: Locking onto the Target

    <h4>Chapter 102: Locking onto the Target</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Chen Shi. He said, ¡°I feel that the work of the police is to protect people. It is to protect the lives of the people. Although this is not a felony case, would you not lend a hand if you saw a thief on the streets? The casualties caused by this individual can be muchrger than murders and the impact is far-reaching. I think we should intervene."


    Many people nodded their heads and agreed and the expert gratefully said, "Thank you for the support and understanding,rade."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Talk about the clues you have on hand."


    "I¡¯ve prepared a PowerPoint. Please let me go set it up." The expert pulled out a USB.


    A screenshot of a social media site appeared on the projector. This site was called "Help from Handsome Guys". To put it bluntly, it was a dating app. The female user posted her wishes on it. For example, if she wanted a designer handbag or to go to a specific restaurant, male users would offer toplete these wishes for a reward.


    The people who used this app naturally understood that the male users would not do this for free. Rather, the wishes were exchanged with sex offered by the female users.


    The name on the screenshot was "Love is Like the Tides". The photo was of a small, kawaii[1] girl¡¯s face. The expert exined, "This is the social app used by the individual. It shows that she has met with ten people so far. Only two of them have tested positive at the moment, most likely because the probability of AIDS spreading from women to men is still rtively low at the moment."


    Lin Qiupu suggested, "I don''t think we should think about probabilities. If they do it, it¡¯s 100%, if they don¡¯t transmit it, then it¡¯s 0%¡±


    Xu Xiaodong echoed, "Yes, so the probability is 50%."


    The expert forced a smile and continued, "She hasn¡¯t used this app since a week ago. It seems that she has shifted her approach... Oh yes, there are some photos of her daily activities on the app which you can look at for reference.¡±


    The expert showed the photos on the projector. The girl in the photos looked very cute, but in this era of catfishing, no one believed that this was what she really looked like.


    "The photo must have been photoshopped. The flower branches in the third photo are all curved. Can you recover the original photo?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    A police officer in thework tech department responded, "We can try it, but it is hard to say how much of the original will be restored."


    Chen Shi folded his arms. "You don''t need to waste time on that."


    "What are you talking about?" Lin Qiupu turned his head.


    "Even if the photos are restored, there are so many people in Long''An City. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. If she changes to other apps, she would probably use these photos again. There are only a dozen trending social apps like that. We should be able to find her if we go on those apps."


    "Okay, that¡¯s a good idea!" Lin Qiupu praised.


    Chen Shi added, "If you can contact the developer and they cooperate to reveal the person¡¯s details, the search may be even faster.¡±


    The expert cautioned, "Currently, social apps like these can be registered with just a mobile phone number. They don¡¯t need personal information to register anymore. The personal information they enter is usually all fake as well."


    "Just the mobile phone number would be fine. Ah yes, we should also contact the men she¡¯s met up with as well.¡±


    "Who is the captain?" Lin Qiupu interjected.


    "You are! You are!"


    Lin Qiupu coughed and assigned everyone a task. A group of people went to contact the developers to get the mobile phone number of the individual. A group of people visited the men and notified them to avoid another infection. The rest of the people registered themselves on the apps in order to find this woman.


    The expert said, "The people in my center will cooperate with you to find her and immediately test her."


    ¡°Is the testing process very troublesome?¡±


    ¡°We generally use the international ¡°goldbelled antigen detection method¡± and only need the testing strip.¡±


    "Then, there is no need to send another person. You can just give the test strip to the forensic doctor on our team and let him do it."


    "Okay, I will go and talk to himter."


    Chen Shi smiled and whispered, "Captain Lin really doesn''t know how to love Old Peng."


    The expert bid, "Thanks for your efforts and sorry for the trouble. Finally, I want to say that people who have AIDS are not the disease itself. She is probably doing this because she didn¡¯t receive sympathy or care. I hope that you won¡¯t discriminate against her."


    "You can rest assured on that point." Lin Qiupu nodded.


    Throughout the meeting, Lin Dongxue did not say a word. After the meeting, Chen Shi asked, "What happened, Miss Lin? Bad mood today?"


    "urate."


    "Who is irritating you?"


    "You!"


    "What have I done?"


    "I think the men who came out to have sex deserve it. Why do we need to save them? And why are you interfering? I was just thinking about whether you were so assertive because you¡¯re like those men as well.¡±


    "We are not saving them. We are saving their families and their children."


    "Not interested. I want to continue to investigate my insurance case."


    ¡°Hey!¡± Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue, who was about to leave. ¡°Do you know what day is it today?¡±


    "The 23rd. What about it?"


    "Come out for dinner at night."


    Lin Dongxue snorted. "Are you asking me out on a date?"


    "I guess." Chen Shi shrugged his shoulders.


    "What about the little girl in your family?"


    "First of all, I am not her dad. Secondly, she can take care of herself... Furthermore, I can just go back early."


    "I¡¯ll think about it. There may be a lot of work tonight since a certain kind-hearted citizen took on a job for us.¡±


    The next day, everyone sat together to sign up for various dating apps andpared them using their mobile phones. "Do you think this photo looks like her?", "Hey, everything is the same. Everyone looks like clones of each other."


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly stood up. "Everyone, I found her!"


    Everyone took a look at his phone and just like Chen Shi¡¯s prediction, that woman was still using the same photos. Everyone praised Xu Xiaodong and said that stupid people have stupidly good luck.


    "What''s next?" Xu Xiaodong queried with a nk face.


    "Have a chat!"


    "I¡¯ve never done this before... Lao Zhang, why don¡¯t you do it?"


    "I have no experience either."


    Everyone looked at Chen Shi. Chen Shi was reading the newspaper. "Why are you all looking at me?"


    Xu Xiaodong said with a smile on his face, "Brother Chen is so charismatic. Surely you must have lots of experience?¡±


    "Are you taunting me?"


    "No. But can you help us?"


    Chen Shi sighed and took the mobile phone. This was an app called "Pretending to be a Couple". The woman was online now. Chen Shi thought for a while and took a selfie with the phone. He looked at it and remarked, ¡°I¡¯m really not photogenic. Xiaodong, I¡¯m going to take a photo of you.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong immediately fixed his cor and smiled. Chen Shi pointed the phone at him before saying, ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not attractive enough. Go to my car, put on some sunsses and hold the steering wheel.¡±


    After some messing around, they finally had a profile picture. Under the gaze of the onlookers, Chen Shi sent, ¡°Hey beautiful."


    After waiting for a long time, the other party returned an emoji. Everyone was very excited, and Xu Xiaodong urged, "Brother Chen, continue to ask her out."


    "How can you be so direct? Don¡¯t you know how to chat?"


    Chen Shi thought about what he should say next. Although he was usually talkative, he couldn¡¯t find the right words over cold chats like this. Finally, he flipped through Xu Xiaodong¡¯s photo album and found a photo of a cat to send to the other party.


    Then, he typed, "I just spent 10,000 yuan to buy this Persian cat. Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡±


    "Liar. Uncle, have you seen Persian cats before?"


    "Uncle? Do I look that old? How old are you this year?"


    "19."


    At this time, the other party sent a video request...


    1. The author actually wrote ¡°Kawaii¡±. This means ¡®cute¡¯ in Japanese nowadays. For more background on the word, visit https://yumetwins/news/what-is-kawaii

 Chapter 103: Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 103: Gifts</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone immediately became nervous and moved the things behind Xu Xiaodong one by one so that she wouldn¡¯t know that they were in the city bureau.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "What should I say?"


    Chen Shi suggested, "You can talk about anything. Remember that you are a rich second generation with a good family background. Your tone shouldn¡¯t be too stiff.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong sucked it up and epted the call. The video went through, and he gestured stiffly, "Hello, beauty."


    The others did not dare to speak out and the woman asked, "What do you do for a living?"


    "I... I am a rich second generation."


    Chen Shi put his hand over his face and thought it was all over.


    "You don''t have to go to work?" the other party questioned.


    "I... My family is so rich, why do I need to work?" Xu Xiaodong smiled shyly.


    "What does your family do?"


    "We deal with mines."


    "Oh. Liar! Get lost!"


    After that, the other party turned off the video call and blocked Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong gave off a depressed expression. "Brother Chen..."


    "Can¡¯t you chat properly? Don¡¯t get dragged into her pace."


    "She¡¯s already blocked me. What should I do now?"


    "Did you see what she looked like?"


    "I did. It¡¯s simr to the photo. I¡¯m guessing she used a beauty filter."


    Chen Shi looked around and said, "We have so many people here. Everyone is going to register an ount and take turns to chat with her. Send some small gifts or something. We will definitely be able to hook this fish."


    So, everyone in the office buried their heads in their phones and chatted with the target. After talking for a long time, she was finally taken to a police officer. The police officer eximed excitedly, "She said that she would like to meet up tomorrow night."


    ¡°Why does it have to be tomorrow night?¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself. ¡°Does she have a date tonight?¡±


    "It seems that someone is going to be unlucky tonight." Xu Xiaodong grimaced.


    "Not necessarily!" Lin Dongxue walked in. "We have contacted the men. There is a man who said that he only had a meal with herst time. He didn¡¯t conduct anything sexual with herst time and nned to do it on their date tonight. When he found out that the woman had AIDS, he was very shocked and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the police."


    Everyone was delighted and Chen Shi instructed, "Go and make some preparations first."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to find the man. The man named Wang Shilun was an ordinary white-cor worker. After receiving the phone call from the police, he took time off and met them at a coffee shop. Wang Shilun said, "Fortunately, you informed me in time. This woman is so horrible. She¡¯s intentionally hurting others even though she knows she¡¯s sick. You guys are really my saviors.¡±


    Lin Dongxue saw a wedding ring on his left ring finger and suddenly showed a contemptuous look. She asked, "Where did you guys n to meet?"


    "At 8 o''clock tonight."


    "I am asking where."


    "¡®8pm tonight at a KTV[1]. We nned to meet after work.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "When you met the girl, did you feel anything abnormal about her?"


    "No, she¡¯s a very ordinary girl. She¡¯s... She¡¯s beautiful enough and her skin is also fairly nice. I really can¡¯t tell that she has this disease.¡±


    ¡°Was there any particr eagerness from her to indicate that she wanted to go to bed with you?¡±


    "No, we just had a meal with each other and took a walk. I proposed to go to a hotel, but she said that she was feeling a bit sick, so we postponed the date."


    "Do you know what her name is or where she lives?"


    "I only know that she is called Kong Tingting. I don''t know where she lives though."


    "Well, let''s exchange contact information and meet there after work tonight." Lin Dongxue suggested.


    After taking their leave, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "Why did you ask the things that you did?"


    "I was wondering how the CDC got their information from and whether it was just a rumor."


    "Impossible, two people have already been tested positive... We have our work cut out for us tonight."


    "No worries. After we catch her, we can go out for a meal. It¡¯s a lot easier than solving a case."


    "Do you like solving crimes, or do you like doing stuff like this?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "Solving crimes."


    In the evening, Chen Shi went to pick up Tao Yueyue and made her dinner. He said, "I have something to do tonight."


    Tao Yueyue said with disdain, "Date with the aunty?"


    "No, I have to catch a criminal."


    "Tch, I don''t believe it!"


    "Tomorrow is the weekend so I¡¯ll allow you to y games, but you have to sleep at ten! I¡¯ll try toe back at ten."


    Tao Yueyue pulled a face at him in response.


    The police officers were all dressed casually and had wireless radios on them. They went to the KTV in the city center. The streets were bustling with people on Christmas Eve. It took half an hour for Chen Shi to even find a ce to park. Lin Dongxue sent a text message saying that she was in a cake shop.


    Chen Shi got there to see Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong sitting at a table by the window. From this angle, they were able to see Wang Shilun standing at the door of the KTV. He had changed his clothes and held a rose in his hand.


    Lin Dongxue said with a cold smile, "I wonder how this man would exin this to his wife."


    Xu Xiaodong mused, "Helping the police solve a case?"


    "What about when his wife asks what he¡¯s helping with? Haii, married men don¡¯t know how to be content. He deserves to be infected!¡±


    Chen Shi interjected, "Miss Lin, your opinion is very extreme."


    "Can¡¯t I have my own personal opinion? If my future husband dares to go out like this, I will make him...¡± Lin Dongxue coughed and suppressed the urge to finish what she was saying.


    Chen Shi received a text message, "Dear,e and apany me at night?"


    Xu Xiaodong who sat on his side saw it and had his mouth hanging open. "Brother Chen, your girlfriend?"


    "Little bastard. Deliberately pranking me? It¡¯s Tao Yueyue." Chen Shi scolded with a smile.


    Xu Xiaodong shyly enquired, "Brother Chen. With all due respect, is it appropriate for you to live with this little girl alone?¡±


    "I have no idea what to do either. Her family is not here anymore. I can¡¯t very well chuck her in an orphanage, can I? I¡¯m thinking about whether I should send her to a boarding school.¡±


    "Don''t!" Lin Dongxue interjected looking a bit bleak. "I was sent to a boarding school in the past. You can only ever have one childhood, but it will affect you for the rest of your life. You should just take care of her.¡±


    "She¡¯s right!" Xu Xiaodong echoed. "When I was a child, I was always beaten by my dad with a belt because I wasn¡¯t good at academics. I have childhood trauma from that.¡±


    "At least you have a dad." When talking about her childhood without a father or mother, Lin Dongxue always felt sad.


    Chen Shi changed the topic, "Let''s order something to eat!"


    He ordered three pieces of tiramisu and coffee. Xu Xiaodong said full of emotion, "This is the first time Brother Chen has treated me since I¡¯ve met him.¡±


    "I forgot to say that we¡¯ll use the AA system."[2]


    "No, no! Let me put this touching moment into my stomach."


    There was a situation outside. Wang Shilun had suddenly left their surveince. Xu Xiaodong jumped up and ran outside to investigate what was happening. Using this opportunity, Chen Shi took out a delicate little box and handed it to Lin Dongxue. She looked surprised.


    "It''s for you."


    Lin Dongxue opened it and saw a ne. She was very embarrassed. "Why are you gifting me something so expensive?"


    "In fact, I just borrowed flowers to offer Buddha[3]. I made a bet with your brotherst time and earned arge sum of money... Take it. It¡¯s not too expensive. It¡¯s only about a thousand yuan."


    "You seem to be getting more generous recently."


    "Am I?"


    Lin Dongxue pushed the box back to him, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I¡¯m afraid of epting it."


    1. Bars where people can go and sing karaoke in karaoke rooms. Food and drinks can be ordered.


    2. Everyone pays their own share.


    3. It means to win favor or influence using someone else¡¯s property.

 Chapter 104: Xiaodong’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 104: Xiaodong''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi pushed his hand against the box that Lin Dongxue was pushing over. "Why won¡¯t you ept it?"


    "I¡¯ve already said that it is too expensive."


    "Are you afraid that I¡¯d want something in return for gifting you something? Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have such intentions. I''m telling the truth. Tao Yueyue was sick and hospitalized before. Now that she¡¯s not sick, I don¡¯t need as much money anymore. When I saw this, I thought it looked pretty decent and bought it.¡±


    "Is it not as you¡¯ve said? Friendship has mutual benefits."


    "Then you can give me a gift next time. My birthday is in October... No, March the 18th.¡±


    "What kind of person can¡¯t even remember their own birthday?¡± Lin Dongxue smiled and epted the box. "Thanks then."


    "You must look good when you wear it."


    Lin Dongxue wondered if he was starting to chase after her. Ever since she kissed himst time, she had thought about it a lot. She was very rxed and happy with Chen Shi. He had a mature charm and he was very considerate. If he really intended to chase after her, she wouldn¡¯t mind giving him that opportunity.


    However, when she looked at Chen Shi, she really thought that this bastard¡¯s arrogant attitude was clear as day!


    Xu Xiaodong came back in. "That scared me; he went to the bathroom... Dongxue, why is your face so red?"


    "Oh, the air conditioner has been set to a very high temperature here."


    "Brother Chen, I¡¯m still ying the game fromst time..." Xu Xiaodong sat down and continued to talk endlessly without awareness.


    Time passed by minute after minute, and many couples passed by the window. Wang Shilun kept pacing in the cold wind. He noticed that it was already 9 o¡¯clock. Chen Shi said, "It''s getting toote; I should go back."


    "Surely he didn¡¯t get stood up, right?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "Go out and see."


    When they got outside, Wang Shilun reported, "Officers, I called her at seven o''clock and she said that she was on her way, but she hasn¡¯t appeared yet."


    "Did you get stood up?" Xu Xiaodong chimed.


    "Impossible; it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t seen each other before. She seemed to take to me when we had food togetherst time.¡±


    "Don''t make it sound so nice. If she didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives, would she havee out to meet you in the first ce?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Did you give her a call after?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I did, but it didn''t go through... Oh, yes. At seven o''clock, I seemed to hear a knock over the phone. It seemed very urgent. I was thinking at the time that she probably hadn¡¯t left yet even though she said she was on her way.¡±


    "Try calling her again!" Chen Shi''s tone suddenly became very serious.


    Wang Shilun dialled the number of Kong Tingting, but the phone just kept ringing. He said, "You see? She¡¯s not answering again."


    "You think something happened to her?" Xu Xiaodong pondered.


    "No, maybe she¡¯s in the car or maybe she can¡¯t hear her phone ringing.¡± Lin Dongxue countered.


    "We don''t know her address, so there¡¯s not much we can do. I have to head back¡± Chen Shi said.


    "We should also take our leave!"


    Xu Xiaodong asked everyone to retreat while Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue aside. "I¡¯m really embarrassed. I was going to ask to see a movie with you, but it seems that it¡¯s a no go now. Tonight, the GPS is saying that I¡¯ll be arriving home at 11 o¡¯clock even if I were to leave now.¡±


    "It''s okay, didn¡¯t you already give me a ne?"


    "There is one more thing I have to trouble you with." Chen Shi took out a gold-ted fountain pen. "This is a gift for Captain Peng. I have been bothering him a lot recently... Just say you¡¯re the one gifting it to him.¡±


    "Why don''t you give it to him yourself?"


    "Please!"


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "Why do you have to give it to him on Christmas Eve? Are you a little girl in a cartoon?"


    "Recently, merchants have had sales and promotions!"


    "Okay, okay... Oh, but won¡¯t he misunderstand if I randomly give him something?"


    "No, he is not the kind of person who would randomly think like that."


    "What about you?" Lin Dongxue smiled and took the pen.


    After Chen Shi left, the police sessively retreated. Peng Sijue also came tonight. He was drinking coffee alone in a coffee shop. Lin Dongxue went to inform the team andpleted the small mission given to her by Chen Shi.


    After receiving the gold-ted pen, Peng Sijue did not seem surprised. "Do me a favor. I have something for you to give to Chen Shi.¡±


    Lin Dongxue forced a smile. "You two big men are just so affectionate with each other."


    "So, does that mean that he told you to give this thing to me?¡± Peng Sijue calmly sounded out the truth.


    Lin Dongxue, who leaked the truth put her hand over her mouth and said helplessly, "Captain Peng, you should ept the thought."


    "Guilty conscience!"


    "What happened between you two?"


    "It''s none of your business... Thank you."


    Lin Dongxue left the coffee shop with a puzzled face and ran into Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong said, "I¡¯ll take you back."


    "I am taking a taxi."


    "You probably can''t get a car tonight; I¡¯ll take you."


    Lin Dongxue had to agree reluctantly.


    Although Christmas Eve was lively, the traffic was really worrying. It took nearly an hour for Xu Xiaodong to send Lin Dongxue to her ce. Lin Dongxue was ready to get out of the car when Xu Xiaodong stopped her. "Wait, I have something to say to you."


    "What?"


    Xu Xiaodong took out a box from the back seat and opened it. It was a bouquet of fresh roses with the bright red petals still stained with dew.


    Lin Dongxue was surprised. What day is it today? Why is everyoneing at me with indecipherable intentions? Thinking about it, today is Christmas Eve, a holiday of many functions.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Dongxue, I want to confess to you."


    "Con... confess?" Lin Dongxue widened her eyes in surprise.


    "Don''t be nervous. We¡¯ve known each other for so long.¡±


    "I just don''t want to be a wicked person rejecting you."


    "No worries. Actually, I can tell that you like Brother Chen. When you are with him, your expression is not the same as usual."


    "Re... Really?" Lin Dongxue touched her cheeks which were getting hot.


    "I¡¯ve secretly loved you for a very long time, but I know that you don''t like me. Gradually, I lost my motivation, but all our colleagues know that I like you. This tiger was a bit difficult to ride[1], so... So I¡¯m taking this as just a process to tie up loose ends. Just refuse me, and with great pain, I¡¯ll let go of you.¡±


    "No, who said that I don''t like you?"


    This time it was Xu Xiaodong¡¯s turn to be shocked. He stammered incoherently, "Dong... Dongxue, are you... are you a tsundere?"[2]


    "Tsundere your head. The ¡®like¡¯ I used means ''like'', not ''love''. We are friends, so it is normal for friends to like each other." Lin Dongxue wanted tough after saying all this. Her words sounded a lot like Chen Shi¡¯s. Was she ying a word game?


    "How likely is this ¡®like¡¯ to develop into love?" Xu Xiaodong asked full of hope.


    ¡°It¡¯s totally impossible!¡±


    "Okay." Xu Xiaodong smiled bitterly. "Then, I¡¯ll start!¡±


    "Let''s start!"


    Xu Xiaodong held the flowers in both of his hands. "Lin Dongxue, I like you. Can you date me?¡±


    "Sorry, I can''t ept your feelings."


    "This way..." Although he knew this was going to be the result, Xu Xiaodong still has a trace of loss in his heart. "Are we still friends?"


    "Of course!"


    "You should keep the flowers. I have no ce to store them and if my mom found them, she¡¯d ask me about it.¡±


    "No, how can I take them?"


    "Should I just throw them then?"


    "Up to you... In fact, I think Xiao Li is very good to you. She buys food for you, buys water, and often works with you. You should care more about her."


    "I... I didn''t notice it." Xu Xiaodong smiled shyly. "What about you? When did you start liking Brother Chen?¡±


    Lin Dongxue became flustered. "Who said that I like him?"


    1. He couldn¡¯t get out of the spot he was put in. If you¡¯re riding a tiger, if you get off, you might get eaten, so you have to ride it out, but it¡¯s not afy ride, as you can imagine.


    2. It¡¯s a Japanese term for character development that depicts a person who is initially cold or maybe even hostile, who gradually shows a warmer and friendlier side over time.

 Chapter 105: Friends are Good too

    <h4>Chapter 105: Friends are Good too</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong confessed, "Just then in the store, I saw that he gave you a ne.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was very embarrassed. "He doesn''t mean anything when he gives me something."


    "I understand you. You rarely owe things to others. You usually use the AA system where you pay for your own portion when you go out to eat and you wouldn¡¯t take the flowers I gave you. However, you¡¯re willing to ept his gifts.¡±


    Lin Dongxue blushed to the tips of her ears. "Don¡¯t talk nonsense."


    "What nonsense do you mean? The nonsense where you like Brother Chen?¡±


    "You¡¯re still on about that?" Lin Dongxue hit Xu Xiaodong with a light punch.


    "Okay, okay! Confidential! It¡¯s confidential! I won¡¯t tell anyone."


    "I should go home. Be careful on the road."


    "Alright!"


    Looking at Lin Dongxue''s silhouette disappearing into themunity, Xu Xiaodong felt a bit at a loss. He remembered the first time he saw Lin Dongxue at the police academy. She was wearing a police uniform and stood in the team. Her eyes were keen and she stood tall. She exuded soft and gentle light like a goddess. She was the object of affection across almost all the students who lived in the academy.


    Later, when they were assigned to a team together, Xu Xiaodong was very happy and began to go on the offense to pursue her. He thought of various ways to please her, but he was repeatedly rejected.


    Besides the sense of loss, he also felt a bit of relief. This war of unrequited love had a peaceful finish. He didn¡¯t need to hold onto it from now on.


    "Friends are good too. Friends are also good." He muttered to himself repeatedly and started the car.


    Although he slept veryte, Chen Shi still got up very early. He cooked breakfast and called Tao Yueyue to wake up and eat. The breakfast was just a simple egg and ham sandwich with milk, but Tao Yueyue had no appetite. She often grumbled that she was tired of eating the dishes Chen Shi made recently.


    After eating, Tao Yueyue stood up. "I¡¯m going back to my room to study."


    "You are very motivated. You didn''t y gamesst night?"


    "Who wants to y that kind of boring thing? I have so much homework to do. How else am I going to make up for the time I lost?¡±


    "That makes me relieved."


    "I don''t like to study, but I just don''t want to be a bad student. The worst students academically are the most discriminated people in each ss." These words were spoken in a childish manner, making Chen Shi want tough.


    He took out his wallet and put two hundred yuan on the table. "Here¡¯s your pocket money. If you go out with friends on weekends, you should have a little money on you."


    Tao Yueyue took the money, "Thank you... But I have no friends."


    "You can make friends."


    "Everyone is all very na?ve. They¡¯re still watching cartoons even though they¡¯re so old now. Otherwise, they¡¯re ying games.¡±


    "Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯ll be isted if you think like that? You need to learn to integrate with the crowd. I was also very smart when I was young, but I pretended to be very ordinary.¡±


    Tao Yueyue pulled a face again. "I don''t believe it!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone rang and he found that Lin Dongxue was calling him. She reported, ¡°The woman yesterday died in her own homest night. I just received the report this morning since her neighbors smelled blood.¡±


    "Tell me the address; I wille right away."


    Tao Yueyue was eavesdropping. After Chen Shi hung up the phone, she asked, "Why is there always a murder case?"


    "Now you know how dangerous the world is! Be a good girl and stay at home. If you¡¯re hungry at noon, you can call for takeout. I¡¯lle back at night.¡±


    "Buy me a kitten. I¡¯m bored at home all by my lonesome."


    "As long as you are within the top 30 at the end of year exams, I¡¯ll buy one for you."


    Tao Yueyue muttered with disdain, "The trick of adults!"


    "If you give me money, I would listen to you. Rights and obligations are equal. Do you understand?¡±


    At ten o''clock, Chen Shi rushed to the scene of the crime. Peng Sijue was telling people to take samples from the scene. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were also there. The room was messy, like a dispute had happened there. There was a woman lying on the living room floor face down. The blood that was all over the ce had coagted.


    Chen Shi put on the rubber gloves that Lin Dongxue had handed over. "It shouldn¡¯t be due to retaliation, right?"


    "Not sure."


    Peng Sijue said, "From the body, the time of death is estimated to be about 20 hours ago. The cause of death is due to excessive blood loss from the stab wounds on her chest and abdomen. This blood loss caused ack of oxygen. The deceased''s clothes are intact, suggesting that she wasn¡¯t vited. Additionally, some bloody dandruff was found underneath her nails.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Old Peng, your estimate is a bit inurate this time. When Wang Shilun called at seven o''clockst night, the deceased was still alive. This ces the time of death to be about 15 hours ago.¡±


    ¡°I only talked about the ¡®body¡¯. When we came in, the air conditioner was still on. The room temperature reached 30 degrees, so it elerated the decaying process of the corpse.¡±


    Chen Shi squatted down and Peng Sijue turned the body over. The sweater of the deceased had been stained red with blood. There was a sh wound on the left breast and there were three stab wounds on the abdomen. Chen Shi used a ruler to measure the length of the wound. "The weapon is about five centimeters wide with a sharp edge."


    Peng Sijue went on to say, "The deepest stab wound on the abdomen only reached ten centimeters. The knife¡¯s handle left a mark on the skin, so the weapon is about ten centimeters long.¡±


    "Then it¡¯s a dagger." Chen Shi concluded and looked around. He then stood up and walked towards the door. He checked the lock. ¡°The lock is intact and there¡¯s a peep-hole on the door. This crime should have beenmitted by an acquaintance... The wee mat at the front door is disced by thirty centimeters. There was something that fell off the shelf at the entrance. The first blood stter found was twenty centimeters from the door. After the murderer entered the room, they pushed the victim, forcing her to lose bnce, and then they shed her.¡±


    Peng Sijue continued, "The deceased tried to struggle and knocked down some vases on the TV cab. The murderer grasped her left shoulder and pulled her back towards them, then stabbed her a few times in the abdomen. There¡¯s no visible theft in the house. The murderer must have nned the murder and it should be due to revenge.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled andmented, "You two really know how to work well with each other."


    "Come over here; you and the deceased are about the same height. Stand here." Chen Shi pulled Lin Dongxue in front of him and acted out the stabbing before shaking his head. "The angle is wrong, the murderer should be even taller."


    "Let me try." Peng Sijue came over and acted out the actions of the murderer. Lin Dongxue, who was being used as a mannequin was a little embarrassed.


    "The angle is just right. Then the murderer should be around 180cm tall... How are you so tall? You haven¡¯t worn pads, right?¡±


    Peng Sijue nced at Chen Shi coldly in response.


    A police officer came over and held a test strip in his hand. They said to Peng Sijue, "Captain, the results are out."


    Peng Sijue nced at the results. "You¡¯re not mistaken?"


    "I tested it three times."


    Peng Sijue turned to Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi. "The deceased tested negative for AIDS!"


    "Negative?" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "Is she really the woman we were looking for?" Chen Shi raised a question.


    The mobile phone of the deceased was on the sofa. They picked it up but the phone was out of power, so they found the charger.


    When they finally turned it on, the phone held the photos they had seen previously. There were also several apps with the chat records from the officers who were trying to ¡°fish¡± her out yesterday. Theypared her photos to her body. Although the photos were modified, the victim was undoubtedly Kong Tingting.


    "I¡¯ll tell the CDC expert about this and ask him to check everything again." Lin Dongxue called the expert and told him about it.


    Chen Shi was a little thirsty. He stood up to open the refrigerator door and took an unopened drink. Lin Dongxue said, "Hey, pay attention!"


    "This isn¡¯t part of the evidence." Chen Shi opened his mouth and took a sip. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s odd. Why has the food in the refrigerator gone off?¡±

 Chapter 106: Who Would Create a Family with You?

    <h4>Chapter 106: Who Would Create a Family with You?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue and Lin Dongxue went over and found that there was indeed a rancid smelling from the refrigerator. However, the air-conditioning inside was still functioning properly. She said, "It may be that she hadn¡¯t touched it after buying everything. She might have thought that she had AIDS, so she had no mood to eat."


    "That¡¯s slightly far-fetched." Chen Shi opened the freezer below to find that some popsicles had also melted and were then refrozen again. The shape turned into a big clump.


    "The refrigerator has been cut off for a bit. Old Peng, how long would the electricity have to be off for it to be like this?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I don''t know; we have to do an experiment."


    "Was there a power outagest night? If there was a power outage, the time of death should be re-evaluated."


    Lin Dongxue disagreed. "Surely that¡¯s unnecessary? Didn¡¯t Wang Shilun say that she picked up the call at 7 o''clock?¡±


    The police officers went out to find the neighbors to gain a better understanding of the situation. The neighbors mentioned that the girl living in the house didn¡¯t seem to be employed. It seemed like she just yed games at home all day and often piled up garbage at the door.


    As forst night, they did not hear anything from her at seven o''clock.


    A big sister recalled that she came out and found that there was a ck shadow squatting by the door of her house. She was unsure what he was rummaging for but it scared her to death. She shouted and asked who it was but the person fled and disappeared. A garbage bag that was opened and rummaged throughy on the ground.


    Lin Dongxue came back and told Chen Shi about this development. Chen Shi mumbled, "Is there a stalker involved?"


    The scene was temporarily cordoned off as the body and all rted exhibits were brought back to the bureau. On the way downstairs, Chen Shi¡¯s eyes were fixed on the construction site not far off from where they were. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be really noisy when they are going about the construction?"


    After asking that, Chen Shi went to the construction site and questioned the tradespeople. They said that they had a normal construction day yesterday and had to work until 6PM.


    When they got back to the bureau, it was already noon. After lunch, the CDC expert arrived. The expert apologized, "I have made a blunder. I have once again asked the two infected people whether they have had any high-risk sexual behavior recently or received any blood from others. Infected person A said that they had recently had a tattoo and the timing seems about right.¡±


    "What about the second person? Surely the two couldn¡¯t have gotten infected around the same time, right?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Things are like this. In fact, the two men went to open a room together with the girl to y together. You guys understand, right? After the incident, the girl left. The effects from the Viagra that the two men took had not passed yet. As they were still in a state of high arousal and because they were both naked, person A asked if person B wanted to try it out. Person B asked about Person A¡¯s sexual orientation. Person A said he wasn¡¯t gay but was curious and person B agreed to try it out as he hadn¡¯t tried it before...¡±


    "Okay, you don''t have to be so detailed." Lin Qiupu interrupted the expert. Many police officers on the scene snickered at the thought of it.


    "So, they both had unprotected sex and Person A infected Person B."


    "They are gay?"


    "Probably not. Strictly speaking, this is MSM[1]. The scope of MSM is muchrger than gay. Some men do not like same-sex intercourse, but in some situations, they may have intimate contact with the same sex. ording to the statistics by Kinsey[2] ten percent of men have had an MSM experience."


    Lin Dongxue reaffirmed her thinking. "Men really don¡¯t have brains."


    "Then these two people were infected with the disease and had a rtionship with Kong Tingting. Are we able to determine which one came first and which one came after?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    "Obviously, Person A was infected with the disease first and the girl was lucky not to be infected. The chances of transmission through vaginal intercourse is not high, but the chances are much higher between men because the skin in the rectum is extremely delicate."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Thank you. It seems to be a false rm."


    ¡°Do you need to inform the other men?¡±


    "No. We will inform them on our end. Ah yes, the murder is temporarily confidential."


    "Understood; thank you all."


    The experts sighed with relief and said goodbye.


    Chen Shi looked at Lin Qiupu. "It seems that men should wear a condom when conducting same-sex intercourse."


    "Who are you fucking saying that to? I¡¯m not gay!¡± Lin Qiupu cursed.


    Peng Sijue came in and threw an autopsy report on the table as he reported, "There are signs of rape on the deceased, which were sustained while she was alive. The wounds and her internal injuries were slightly pressed and torn. It is very likely that the murderer wounded her before raping her!"


    "And then put on her pants again?" Chen Shi asked in surprise.


    "Yes. Although the pants of the deceased were tightly tied-up, they were obviously not put on by themselves. The thermal pants inside were scrunched up."


    "We underestimated the murderer¡¯s thinking." Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Are there any other discoveries?¡±


    "There was hair and fiber found on the deceased that the murderer probably left. The DNA found under her nails is taken from that of a male around forty years old. No matching samples were found. The time of death, ording to the air-conditioning on site, is estimated to be around 15 hours ago."


    "The time of death may have to be re-judged, as there might have been a power outage." Chen Shi said.


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand. "When I visited the other residents, they didn¡¯t mention a power outagest night."


    Lin Dongxue wondered, "Also, why does Kong Tingting think she had AIDS? Why did she madly try to retaliate against society? She should have had unprotected sex a few weeks ago. Is the other party rted to the case?¡±


    "Check those leads!" Lin Qiupu stood up. "Work is never over. I will assign the tasks now..."


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned to the crime scene. At this time, the construction site was under construction and it was extremely noisy. They had to speak loudly to the neighbors. Chen Shi asked the neighbors about the potential power outage, but they unanimously said that there wasn¡¯t one.


    Chen Shi returned to Kong Tingting''s residence and saw the electricity box outside before silently looking at it.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you suspect that someone meddled with it?"


    "I did think about that, but I¡¯m not too certain. Maybe the ice blocks look like that due to a previous power outage. This is only a dot right now. It¡¯s not even a line yet, so it doesn¡¯t count as reasoning.¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s cell phone rang. The task force created a WeChat group and shared any information they came across. She nced at the phone. ¡°Xu Xiaodong found the nightclub that Kong Tingting often went to, but there weren''t any people there during the day. It seems like we¡¯ll be working overtime again... Is Tao Yueyue going to be alright home alone again?"


    "She can take care of herself."


    "I always think that although you are very good towards Tao Yueyue, she iscking maternal love during her growth period. After she grows up, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be good for her mental health.¡±


    "Where am I going to give her maternal love? Should I buy a wig? Or, do you want me to get married and create a family quickly?"


    "What do you mean create a family quickly? How can you say something like that? Who are you going to create a family with?!" Lin Dongxue was inexplicably nervous.


    Chen Shi deliberately turned a blind eye to it and said, "Let¡¯s go and eat. Working overtime... Haii, my rest days are busier than my normal working ones.¡±


    1. Males who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how their gender or sexual orientation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_who_have_sex_with_men


    2. Alfred Charles Kinsey founded the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

 Chapter 107: Christmas Night Dance

    <h4>Chapter 107: Christmas Night Dance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At 7 o''clock in the evening, the two arrived at the nightclub. Because it was Christmas, it was decorated with a festive atmosphere. It also had a Christmas tree withnterns on it.


    When the colorfulnterns were lit, guests came in one after another and the atmosphere in the nightclub slowly began to get more passionate


    A Santa us suddenly appeared in front of the two. He lowered his voice and asked, "Beauty, do you want a gift?"


    "No, we are here because... Xu Xiaodong?!"


    The Santa usughed and asked, "Are you surprised?"


    "Why are you dressed like this?"


    "I have to investigate the case anyway. Coincidentally, the temps didn¡¯te to work today, so I volunteered to take on the job. Aren¡¯t I amazing?¡±


    "Oh, whatever... What did you find out?"


    "Kong Tingting often came to this nightclub, so even the boss knows her. From what the boss said, on the 10th of this month, Kong Tingting was a little depressed and drank lots of spirits. She was inebriated, and eventually her corpse-like body was picked up by a stranger. She hasn''t seen her since then."


    "Her corpse was picked up?"


    Chen Shi said, "It means that the girl was so drunk that she was taken by a stranger for the night. The victim is called a corpse because of how wasted they are. The men who do this are called hunters.¡±


    Lin Dongxue twitched. ¡°This...It¡¯s just too unsafe. As a girl, shouldn¡¯t she be more vignt?¡±


    "Good girls can''t understand bad girls¡¯ thoughts." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue asked Xu Xiaodong, "Did the boss have any impression of the man who picked up the girl?"


    "The boss said that he was tall, maybe 1.8m in height, thin and wore a white shirt, jeans, and a cap. She can¡¯t recall what he looked like though."


    "Then how can we find him?!" Lin Dongxue was worried.


    "Let¡¯s take our time to search!"


    The three of them walked around in the nightclub trying to find a man who matched the description and to ask about Kong Tingting. After asking for a while, all the people they questioned said that they didn¡¯t know the girl in the photo.


    A nightclub is a ce with many wolves and little meat[1]. The appearance and body of Lin Dongxue provoked men to approach her constantly. She felt bothered and annoyed by the men so she started questioning the patrons together with Chen Shi instead of going about it alone. When the three felt tired, they ordered some drinks and sat down for a while.


    Lin Dongxue grumbled, "This sinful kind of ce isn¡¯t suitable for me."


    ¡°Same here!¡± Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°I just want to go home and y games.¡±


    "Ie to this type of ce once in a while." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue made an expression full of contempt. "I bet you¡¯re just like them. When you see a girl, you¡¯ll just pounce at them, right?¡±


    "I juste for the drinks. As for the other aspects, I usually just go with the flow."


    "How many girls have you scored then?" Xu Xiaodong was hooked onto the potential gossip.


    "No, I am an honest man!"


    "You¡¯re obviously lying!" Lin Dongxue immediately exposed him.


    The music started and people consciously vacated a certain area. A man in a red shirt came over and extended a hand to Lin Dongxue. Because the music was too loud, the music covered what the man was saying.


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s mind went nk for a second, then she grabbed some popcorn and put it in his extended hand instead.


    Xu Xiaodongughed out loud. "The guy¡¯s trying to ask you for a dance."


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Sorry, we¡¯re actually here to investigate a case."


    The man continued smiling. "Surely dancing won¡¯t hinder your progress. Do police not have nightlife activities?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was both angry and humored. This man was courageous but she really didn''t want to dance with the guy. When she thought about how to refuse the dance, Chen Shi took her hand and stood up. "Sorry, she was preparing to dance with me."


    The man retracted his soldiers. "Excuse me then."


    Chen Shi pulled Lin Dongxue onto the dance floor. Under the apaniment of music, many were already showing their moves on the dance floor. Lin Dongxue was nervous and said, "I can''t dance!"


    "You can learn. Follow my rhythm and pace... Come and give me your hand."


    Lin Dongxue shyly grasped Chen Shi¡¯s hand and the two began to rotate with the rhythm. Chen Shi¡¯s eyes showed an encouraging smile. She gradually began to let go of the tension in her body. In this type of atmosphere, it was easy to forget herself.


    Dancing was very energy-consuming. Lin Dongxue¡¯s body began to heat up and her heart was palpitating. After Chen Shi pulled her hand and twirled her around, he put his arms around her. Her heart was throbbing and her heart rate couldn¡¯t possibly get any higher. Chen Shi¡¯s unkempt face looked more handsome than normal in this lighting.


    At the end of the song, the dancers gradually dispersed. Lin Dongxue was so tired that she gasped and fanned herself with both hands. Chen Shi asked, "Was that fun?"


    "It wasn¡¯t." Lin Dongxue said even though she was thinking the opposite.


    "If it wasn¡¯t fun, why are you still smiling so happily?"


    "That''s because... That¡¯s none of your business!"


    At the end of this session of flirting, the three continued to investigate and stayed until ten o''clock. However, they came out empty-handed.


    The day after, Chen Shi went to the bureau early in the morning. The group that collected data on Kong Tingting''s interpersonal rtionships was very sessful. They put up all the photos of Kong Tingting''s ex-boyfriends, good friends and ssmates on a whiteboard and marked their rtionships with one another.


    Lin Qiupu briefed the team, "The task is heavy. Let''s visit each person on the board one by one."


    Chen Shi denounced, "This is a stupid way to investigate."


    Lin Qiupu narrowed his eyes. "Can you not always act as if you¡¯re superior to us? Investigating cases is very tedious and difficult most of the time since there¡¯s a lot of grunt work. What is your high and mighty opinion this time?¡±


    "Are there any men in her inner social circle that she¡¯s also slept with?¡±


    "Do you think this type of person would be the most suspicious?"


    "I¡¯m eighty percent certain if not ny."


    Lin Qiupu immediately instructed people to investigate using this angle. The officers came back after a while and said, ¡°There¡¯s a person who appeared on both her inner circle list, as well as the people she¡¯s slept with list. This person is called Shao Dahai. He is a building materials merchant. He once had an extramarital affair with Kong Tingting and gave her some financial benefits and assistance."


    Chen Shi asked, "How did it end?"


    "I don''t know."


    "When Kong Tingting retaliated against the society, she retaliated against this person as well. I think these two people should have had some disputes!"


    Lin Qiupu instructed, "Lao Zhang, you need to find Shao Dahai today..." He nced at Chen Shi and smiled. "I can¡¯t give you special treatment. You go find this person." He said as he picked up a photo.


    Chen Shi turned over the photo and looked at the namebelled on it. "Han Le". He asked, "What is his rtionship with Kong Tingting?"


    "An ordinary friend who used to study at the same university with her. Rumor has it that he pursued Kong Tingting and had an on and off rtionship with her where she led him on."


    Lin Dongxue took a look at the photo. The guy in the photo couldn¡¯t be said to be a handsome person. She said, "I understand now! He¡¯s a spare tire!"


    Lin Qiupu pped. "Okay everyone, it¡¯s time to get going! Work hard to get some results today!¡±


    The three went to find Han Le. He was working at a supermarket. When they saw him, he was looking down as he scanned items over the cashier counter. Chen Shi observed Han Le for a while. He was about 1.8m tall and rtively skinny. Could it be him?


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Hello, we are police officers and we want to ask you some questions.¡±


    "Is this regarding Kong Tingting?" Han Le asked.


    "How did you know?"


    "I heard the news yesterday and was shocked. Some of our old ssmates gathered together to pray for her... I don''t know what kind of animal could kill her. If you find out, you¡¯ve got to let me know. I must take revenge for her!" He showed a fierce and ruthless expression.


    1. It¡¯s a ce where there are a lot less women than men.

 Chapter 108: Corpse Farm

    <h4>Chapter 108: Corpse Farm</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "What is your rtionship with Kong Tingting?"


    "We¡¯re university ssmates and friends."


    "Surely it¡¯s not just that?"


    "Oh, you must have spoken to Xiao Wang, right? Yes, I tried chasing her in the past, but she never agreed to date me. I actually haven¡¯t been in contact with her for a long time now. When I heard that she¡¯d died, I felt like it was all so sudden.¡±


    Chen Shi had been observing his bodynguage and expression the whole time. Han Le¡¯s line of sight slightly flickered, as if he was hiding something.


    He decided to throw a bomb out. "Did you know that Kong Tingting thought that she had AIDS before she died, so she went crazy and slept with heaps of men?¡±


    "What!?" Han Le looked shocked. "Impossible! She¡¯s not that kind of girl!¡±


    "This is a matter of fact, so you don¡¯t need to assert your opinion on that."


    Han Le stayed in a silent daze for a while. "I see. I guess that people change. Maybe she¡¯s no longer the pure girl who used to recite vocab words under the willow tree early in the mornings.¡±


    "Do you know if she had any bad blood with anyone?"


    "How would I know? I¡¯ve told you that I haven¡¯t been in contact with her for a long time. I also can¡¯t just hang onto a single tree till death. In fact, I already have a girlfriend. There she is.¡± He gestured with his chin at one of the checkout counters. There was a short-haired girl with freckles standing there.


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and exchanged contact information with him. "Contact us if you think of anything else."


    "For sure!"


    "Then we won¡¯t bother you any longer."


    Lin Dongxue tried to use her eyes tomunicate with Chen Shi, but Chen Shi consciously turned a blind eye to it. After leaving the supermarket, Lin Dongxue asked, "Why didn¡¯t you ask for his alibi?"


    "We can¡¯t ask him too many questions at once."


    "Do you think he is telling the truth?"


    "I feel like he¡¯s concealing something... Miss Lin, have you had a spare tire before?"


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. ¡°Why are you asking this? All girls are a bit vain and like being surrounded by stars as if they were the moon. I¡¯ve never done things like that before.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I¡¯ve been a spare tire before."


    "Talk about what it felt like."


    "I liked a girl when I was in middle school. I asked her out, but she never wanted to walk with me in front of my ssmates. Later on, I found out that she already had a boyfriend. I was honestly so hurt."


    "Did you want to kill her?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "No. I was just sad... Of course, I hated her a little bit."


    "The feelings of a spare tire are truly so tender. We should observe this Han Le guy." Chen Shi said.


    Chen Shi did not leave and instead snuck into the employees locker room. A big sister walked in and questioned, "What are you guys doing?"


    Chen Shi gave Lin Dongxue a look and Lin Dongxue pulled out her badge. "We are the police; we are investigating a..."


    "Case of theft! You have an employee who lost an important item and only reported it yesterday."


    The big sister did not see that Lin Dongxue¡¯s badge said ¡°criminal police¡±, so she believed that what they said was true. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find the manager?¡±


    "It¡¯s involving privacy. The person who reported the case didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of things. Can we trouble...¡± Chen Shi asked as he gestured towards the lockers.


    "Ah yes, no worries. It¡¯s obviously appropriate to cooperate with the police.¡±


    The big sister went to pick up the keys. Chen Shi asked her to open several lockers one after another as he pretended to look for things. Finally, he asked to open the locker with Han Le¡¯s name on it which contained Han Le¡¯s clothes. Chen Shi saw a hair in the locker with his keen eyes and took it out when thedy wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    There was a book underneath some clothes. It was a detective novel named "The Iris of the Night". The author was called Xin Bai. Chen Shi remarked, "Eh? It¡¯s the author fromst time.¡±


    "Officers, have you found the item?"


    "No. Let¡¯s look at the other lockers."


    They looked at all the lockers to avoid suspicion and then thanked thedy before leaving.


    The three discussed where to go next as part of their investigation. In the task force group chat, Peng Sijue said that he had some progress on his end. In addition, Lin Qiupu said that a friend of the deceased had some things they wanted to talk about. As the friend was located fairly close to the area the three were currently at, he asked them to go over for a visit.


    Chen Shi said, "Then let¡¯s split up temporarily. I¡¯ll go find Old Peng back at the bureau and you two should go visit the friend to get information.¡±


    Lin Dongxue mocked, "Captain Peng is always first ce in your heart."


    Back at the bureau, Chen Shi went straight to the forensics department. The room was so cold that he could probably freeze to death. The police officers in there were all rubbing themselves trying to warm up. Peng Sijue sat in front of a microscope and looked intently without being bothered by the chill in the air.


    "What''s wrong? The forensic squads changed to the Gu Mu n?"[1] Chen Shi remarked.


    A police officer chimed, "The captain is doing experiments on food rot in the refrigerator."


    There was indeed an old refrigerator in the room now. Chen Shi chuckled. "How dedicated!"


    Peng Sijue didn¡¯t turn around and said, "The current temperature is 5 degrees. For the ice cream in the refrigerator to melt to that point would take a lot of time... In addition, I also looked at the experimental data from the University of Tennessee. At 30 degrees, the decay of the body will elerate for five hours."


    "Corpse farm?"


    "Yes!"


    Three universities in the United States jointly built a corpse farm with various bodies. There were corpses that were put in water, buried, sealed, etc. in order to collect data on the decay of corpses under various situations for the purpose of solving crimes.


    Peng Sijue said, "Was there a power outage on the night of the incident? If so, there would be a five-hour error in the inference of the death time. But how can we confirm that the power outage had urred that night?"


    "On the way back, I suddenly had a conjecture. Maybe the murderer killed the victim at three in the afternoon. Then, they went outside the door and pulled down the power switch. The next morning, they quietly came back and turned the electricity back on. From the perspective of the forensic doctor, the room was always air-conditioned. Therefore, the time of death would be estimated to be less than it actually was. They knew it would be judged that the murder case urred at 7 o¡¯clock in the evening. However, the house would have been at a normal temperature the whole time... This is reverse thinking. If the murderer really did this intentionally, they must be very smart.¡±


    "Inducing thoughts towards a forensic doctor. That¡¯s too smart. Why would they try and do that?¡±


    "Perhaps for their alibi. When the police find them, they can easily produce an alibi for 7PM that night."


    Peng Sijue indulged in this angle for a moment. "There is another possibility. The power outage might have urred before. The food in the refrigerator rotted quite a while ago and the murder case actually happened at 7 o''clock that night. Don''t forget, the man mentioned that he had a conversation with the victim at 7 o¡¯clock.¡±


    "I said it was just a conjecture. It¡¯s a bold assumption that requires careful proof.¡±


    "I think you¡¯re making out the murderer to be moreplicated than they actually are.¡±


    "No, when a person wants to get rid of their sins, they will show more wisdom than usual. This is called desperation."


    "There¡¯s no point in discussing conjectures here. It¡¯s better to go to the scene and look at it again."


    Chen Shi immediately agreed, but then stopped in his tracks. "Wait, I have something for you." He gave Han Le''s hair sample to Peng Sijue, "Compare it with the DNA found on the deceased."


    Peng Sijue gave the hair to one of his assistants. At this time, another police officer came over. "Captain, the results of the sample came out. The DNA matched perfectly to Shao Dahai."


    Chen Shi asked what happened and Peng Sijue exined, "It seems that there¡¯s no need to make a trip over to the crime scene again. The suspect has been confirmed."


    1. Based on The Legend of Condor Hero, written by Jin Yong. The protagonist¡¯s master and love interest was all part of this n that slept on this special ice.

 Chapter 109: An Extra-marital Affair is a Technical Activity

    <h4>Chapter 109: An Extra-marital Affair is a Technical Activity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The dandruff in the nail beds of the deceased matched the merchant Shao Dahai who pursued her. In fact, Shao Dahai was now in the bureau for questioning.


    Upon hearing this news, Chen Shi was surprised but also a little disappointed. Peng Sijue looked at his expression and said, "Did you want the case to be more challenging?"


    "Haha, the faster the case is solved, the faster I can rest. I can''t wait! Where is the suspect?"


    "In the interrogation room."


    "Let''s go see the questioning together."


    "I¡¯m not going to go. I still have work to do.¡±


    "Let''s go! The greatest pleasure for police is the moment when the truth is revealed.¡± Chen Shi tugged Peng Sijue with him.


    In the interrogation room, a middle-aged man who was balding kept trying to defend himself. "I didn''t kill anyone! How could I possibly kill someone? I do so much for charities, donate to schools, and believe in Buddha. I couldn¡¯t possibly kill anyone. Stop trying to frame me!¡±


    Lin Qiupu took the forensic report that was just released. "The dandruff in the nails of the deceased belongs to you. How do you exin that?!"


    "That..." Shao Dahai''s eyes flickered nervously.


    "Say it!"


    Shao Dahai was so scared that he confessed, "I was looking for her that day. You guys know I have a past with her. We were together for a while. Later, my wife found out, and then... It was an ugly scene. My wife brought her brothers along and stopped us on the streets. They pulled her hair and tried to beat her. People passing by photographed and took videos of that incident. You should still be able to find it online under ¡®Long¡¯An City Beating the Affair.¡¯ My wife knew that I gave her financial assistance, so she was really resentful. She told me to ask for the money back. I¡¯ve gone over to ask for the money to be returned a few times. Kong Tingting and I got into a lot of arguments over this, and then we stopped contacting each other...¡±


    "What happened after that?"


    "A few days ago, she suddenly contacted me and said that she was really lonely and wanted to open a room with me. Of course, I didn''t refuse her. So, that night... She and I had a rtionship... I was wondering if she couldn¡¯t let go of our past love. An extra-marital affair requires skill. It¡¯s a technical activity just like raising a cat or a dog. It takes a lot of money and energy to raise her. Kong Tingting was a pretty girl who I could show around and she wasn¡¯t too educated, so what I did was virtuous, really.[1]Furthermore, my wife just found out that she had breast cancer. I¡¯m afraid she only has a few years left. I was thinking about reviving old feelings, and marrying Kong Tingting when my wife dies.¡±


    "So you went to find her?"


    "Yeah, I talked to her and gave her a red envelope. She didn¡¯t seem too receptive. I wondered, ¡®How can a woman be so cold? Was she just looking for excitement that night?¡¯ So I went to see her..."


    "When?"


    "At noon on Christmas Eve. I was nning to ask her to go out to eat, but she told me to get lost, so I was a bit angry and argued with her for a bit. She scratched me at that time... Look here, I still have some scratch marks here!"


    "You really know how to make up a good story!"


    "Leader, I really didn''t make it up. These are all facts. If I even said half a word of lies, may I be hit by lightning on the head five times."


    "Alright, alright. Don''t swear like that. Do you know why she suddenly called you to open a room?¡±


    Shao Dahai shook his head. "Maybe she was feeling lonely?"


    ¡°Actually, she suspected that she had contracted AIDS, so she madly retaliated against the society. I guess she retaliated against you too.¡±


    Shao Dahai was shocked. "Then is she..."


    "No, we have already tested it. She wasn¡¯t infected."


    Shao Dahai¡¯s eyes were still wide, and then he buried his face between his hands. ¡°Fuck, I almost went to a ce I couldn¡¯t turn back from. I actually thought she liked me! In order to eat pussy, I was almost fooled out of my whole life. I almost died for some pussy this time.¡±


    The words of Shao Dahai caused the female minute-taker to frown slightly. Lin Qiupu hit the table with a pen and said, "Just talk about the day of the incident."


    "On the day of the incident... Hey, what do you mean on the day of the incident? I really didn''t kill her."


    "At seven o''clock that night, where were you?"


    "At home. My son can testify to that."


    Chen Shi, who was listening outside shook his head. "He¡¯s not the murderer."


    "The height doesn¡¯t match either," agreed Peng Sijue.


    "Let''s go and take that trip we talked about."


    Peng Sijue took his toolbox and returned to the crime scene with Chen Shi. They didn''t go in immediately, but stood outside to observe the electric box. Peng Sijue said, "There¡¯s no dust on the switch."


    "It¡¯s so dirty all around, except for this switch, which is really clean. Someone had to have touched it and wiped off all the dust in the process.¡±


    "It may not have happened that night."


    Peng Sijue wasn¡¯t trying to undermine him by saying this. Only, they each held a different opinion and debated.


    When he partnered with Song Lang, they often discussed cases like this fiercely. Both parties enjoyed it. Looking at Chen Shi¡¯s concentrated face, Peng Sijue¡¯s heart felt heavy and knotted knowing that it was the same person, but was unable to say it out loud.


    He has warned himself countless times that the name "Song Lang" could never be said out loud on any asion. The man was a fugitive who carried two murders on his hands. Even though he believed that Song Lang was innocent, as a policeman, he must not cross the line.


    He had to lie to himself, thinking that the person in front of him right now was just Chen Shi, a kind citizen who was really good at solving cases.


    "Why are you in a daze?" When he returned from his thoughts, Chen Shi was staring at his eyes intently.


    "Thinking about some things." Peng Sijue quietly concealed.


    "Open it and have a look."


    The electric box didn¡¯t require a key and could be opened directly. Chen Shi took Peng Sijue''s magnifying ss and observed the box for a while, saying, "The main power switch has been touched."


    "Are there fingerprints?"


    "The switch-board is made of ceramic so I can¡¯t see any."


    Peng Sijue opened the box and plugged the ultraviolet light into a battery source. He shined the light over the box, before turning around and saying, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    "That¡¯s even more suspicious. If the owner was the one who touched it, why would they wear gloves?"


    "Let¡¯s go into the house and see."


    In order to facilitate the investigation, the key to the crime scene was kept safe by the neighborhoodmittee here. When they wereing up earlier, Chen Shi had already asked for the key.


    He opened the door and the blood on the ground had not been cleaned up yet. The police had used rope to outline the body of the victim when she fell to the ground. The two went straight to the refrigerator and opened it. A rotten stench came out. Chen Shi fanned the smell away from him and turned around to find Peng Sijue wearing a mask all of a sudden.


    "You should have given one to me!"


    "I only brought one... These dishes are so rotten. In this season, even if they were to be put in room temperature, it wouldn¡¯t have rotted this much.¡±


    "It seems that you don''t usually cook, huh? This little girl isn¡¯t very particr about food-safety. She put raw food and cooked food together. In a sealed environment, the bacteria on the raw meat will elerate the decay."


    "But it still shouldn¡¯t be so fast. It takes at least a week for the dishes to be in such a state.¡±


    "These seem to be leftovers from her takeaways. I¡¯ll have a look for it!"


    Chen Shi went and rummaged through the trash can and found the receipt for the takeaways. He checked them one by one. These dishes were indeed from a week ago. After she had her meal, she chucked the leftovers into the refrigerator with everything else... This girl¡¯s refrigerator was a glorified rubbish bin.


    Chen Shi was silent. At this time, Peng Sijue found a leftover piece of pudding cake. He took it and looked at it. "This is still very fresh. It should have been bought during thest couple of days. The shelf lifebel on it says it is best to be eaten before the 24th of December.¡±


    1. Supposedly, if women are uneducated, they can only listen to whatever their husbands say.

 Chapter 110: Eyewitnesses

    <h4>Chapter 110: Eyewitnesses</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    That piece of pudding cake was decorated very beautifully and the price tag indicated that it cost about 40 yuan per box.


    Chen Shi said, "This doesn¡¯t prove that it was bought that day. Look at the popsicles in the freezer below."


    He opened the freezer and looked at them. These popsicles had long since expired. It was thrown in there from the summer ofst year. This couldn¡¯t be used as evidence either.


    Peng Sijue said, "You are just as stubborn as Old Lin, but you¡¯re just luckier."


    "I''m not only lucky, but my instincts have always been urate." Chen Shi closed the freezer door and picked up the cake again. "It hasn¡¯t rotted yet. How can we judge when it was bought?¡±


    ¡°Buy a few more and then do a controlled observational experiment.¡±


    "Let''s go. There is amercial street nearby; maybe it was bought there."


    "Just leave the cake here for now. I didn¡¯t bring the ice box, so I¡¯ll have to pick it upter.¡±


    As the two left, the construction site opposite them was really noisy. They had to speak very loudly to hear what each other were saying. Peng Sijue frowned. "It¡¯s so noisy. Why doesn¡¯t anyone report this?"


    "This was formerly a dormitory for the workers of a textile factory. This ce has been rented out for 800 yuan a month out to people who need to work close by during the mornings, so they miss the noise the construction site creates."


    After getting downstairs, the two walked towards themercial street. Chen Shi suddenly noticed that a little boy with tattered clothes was following them. He thought that he might be a child of a nearby homeless person, so he wasn¡¯t too concerned.


    There was a cake shop close by on one of the streets. The two went in and found the same kind of cake. The store attendant came over with a smile and introduced the cakes to them. Chen Shi picked up the cake, looked at thebel and said, "Is this cake only good for two days? ¡±


    "Yes, this pudding cake is absolutely fresh. If it can''t be sold within two days, we will dispose of them."


    ¡°Have you seen this girl who bought this kind of cake?¡± Chen Shi showed a photo of Kong Tingting on his phone. ¡°We are the police and are investigating a case concerning this girl.¡±


    The attendant shook her head. "I don¡¯t have any impression of her. Why don''t you ask our store manager?"


    The store manager didn¡¯t remember seeing Kong Tingting either. The two bought a bunch of cakes from the store. When they looked up, they saw a surveince camera across the street. It was installed in a bar, but the bar was not open yet.


    At this time, the boy with the tattered clothes stood across the street and stared at the two men while sucking on his fingers.


    Chen Shi smiled and waved, "Come here."


    The little boy came over and Chen Shi asked, "Why are you following us? Do you want to eat some cake?"


    The little boy nodded.


    Chen Shi took out a piece of cake for him. The little boy thanked him, then opened the package and ate it. His mouth was full of crumbs and it looked like he had been starving.


    Peng Sijue whispered, "These are supposed to be for the experiments!"


    "Don¡¯t worry, I bought a lot anyway."


    "This is public money... Forget it, I won¡¯t scold you!"


    The little boy finished eating and asked, "Uncle, are you a policeman?"


    "How did you know?"


    "I live in the garbage dump opposite the building. I saw you yesterday."


    Chen Shi squatted down and asked tentatively, "Did you see anything?"


    The little boy nodded. "But my mother won''t let me say anything since she¡¯s scared of the bad guy taking revenge on us. Originally, when I saw you talking to everyone, I wanted to say something.¡±


    Chen Shi patted his head. "Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s policemen here. You don¡¯t need to be afraid of the bad guys. Can you tell me what you saw?¡±


    "In the afternoon, I saw that there was an uncle in the window who was bullying an aunty!"


    Peng Sijue wondered if this child was an eyewitness.


    "Which afternoon was that?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The day before yesterday."


    "Do you remember what time it was?"


    "I just had a meal. Our family usually eats at two o''clock in the afternoon. Dad will pick things up from the restaurant and it¡¯s really delicious.¡±


    "How did the uncle bully the aunty?¡±


    "He hit her. He seemed to have a knife in his hand. I was terrified!¡±


    Peng Sijue didn''t quite believe it. He asked the child, "Your eyesight is so good! The garbage dump is 50 meters away from the building!"


    "Honest! If I lie to you, then I¡¯m a dog!¡±[1]


    Peng Sijue pointed to a sign in the distance and told the boy to read it. It turned out that his vision was really good.


    Chen Shi asked, "What happened after that?"


    "Afterwards, the aunty fell down. The window blocked my vision, so I didn''t see what happenedter... The aunty diedter on, right? That¡¯s why you guys came?"


    "Child, your discovery is very helpful for us. Come, we¡¯ll give you another piece of cake.¡±


    Chen Shi was just about to take out a piece of cake when Peng Sijue held down his hand and said, "Since he is a witness, as a person who is investigating this case, giving him material benefits will be considered bribery!"


    Chen Shi showed a face of disbelief "You¡¯re not serious, right? It¡¯s just a piece of cake.¡±


    "It¡¯s a matter of principle!"


    Chen Shi was speechless before saying to the little boy, "Can you take us to meet your family?"


    When they went to the garbage dump to visit the homeless family, Peng Sijue covered his face with his handkerchief and frowned. After some patient persuasion, the family finally agreed to let the child testify.


    After leaving, Peng Sijue took a breath of fresh air and said, "With their financial situation like that, I can¡¯t believe they had four children. They can¡¯t even guarantee them the minimum amount of education. It¡¯s simply harming them!¡±


    "I feel the same, but I¡¯m not like you. You looked at them with clear contempt.¡±


    "It wasn¡¯t contempt. I just can''t stand the smell of the garbage dump... What happened to the cake?"


    "I gave it all to the children in that family."


    Peng Sijue''s eyes widened and emphasized, "Those were bought for the experiment! How could you just give it away like that?"


    "I can just buy it again. This time I will pay for it myself... I can¡¯t stand you."


    "I find you to be very unprincipled!"


    The testimony of the child, although not decisive, at least pointed out a direction. The murder was likely to have happened that afternoon. The murderer forged the room temperature to create errors in the estimation for the time of death.


    However, this created an oddity. What was the voice heard by Wang Shilun at seven o''clock all about?


    The two confused men did not go back to the station immediately. Instead, they went to visit Wang Shilun. Wang Shilun just got off work and saw the two mening towards him. He smiled and said, "Is that beauty not here today?"


    "No, but the two handsome guys came though... I need to ask you something. At 7 o''clock that night, was there anything unusual you heard in her voice?"


    "Nothing unusual. Just her normal voice.¡±


    ¡°Is there a recording of it?¡±


    "Why would there be a recording? It was a normal call; I didn''t know she would be killed."


    "Please recall carefully."


    Wang Shilun tried desperately to recall, but still shook his head. Peng Sijue suddenly said, "When you were talking to the victim, did anyone else hear your conversation?"


    "No!"


    Peng Sijue turned to Chen Shi. "That means you listened to him when he said that he had called the deceased. What if he¡¯s lying?"


    Wang Shilun was a little annoyed. "This gentleman¡¯s words are very interesting. Why do I need to lie? Do you think I¡¯m the murderer''s aplice? At that time, although you didn''t hear the conversation, you saw it. Our call was less than a minute. What can I say in one minute? Right, you can look at my call history."


    Chen Shi smiled and mediated. "He¡¯s a forensic doctor. His perspective may seem a bit different to normal people."


    "Psycho!" Wang Shilun eximed.


    1. Derogatory term in Chinese.

 Chapter 111: New Suspects

    <h4>Chapter 111: New Suspects</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Shilun suddenly remembered something and said, "Ah yes, she didn¡¯t actually pick up the phone initially. She only picked up my call after several attempts on my part. During the phone call, she said, ''Dear, I¡¯m on the way over¡¯ before there was a knock on the door."


    Chen Shi replied, "Thank you!"


    It was gettingte into the day. After Chen Shi and Wang Shilun bid their goodbyes, Chen Shi took the bus back with Peng Sijue.


    Peng Sijue was still struggling with a question on his mind. "Why don''t you think he is lying? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit suspicious?"


    "What would you think if someone imed to have seen a UFO?"


    "Firstly, I would need to find out if that person was mentally sound and then I¡¯d have to find out if they were lying or not."


    "Yes, in the face of unsolvable things, most people implement sensible and logical countermeasures like doubting whether the other parties have told the truth or not. This is a form ofmon self-deception. The reason why I think Wang Shilun hasn¡¯t lied is because firstly, he has no motive to do so. He and Kong Tingting only had a one-night stand at max. Secondly, he was in no condition to do so. At the time, he was helping us to catch Kong Tingting and stayed with us ever since he got off from work."


    "But we havee to the conclusion that the murderermitted the crime at three in the afternoon. If the murderer was Wang Shilun, everything makes sense... He made the police give him his own alibi."


    Chen Shi became silent. This was a very bold idea, but it seemed to make sense.


    "What is your opinion on that?" Peng Sijue urged.


    "I¡¯ll hold off on my opinion for now. We should investigate and find out.¡±


    Peng Sijue showed a gratified smile when Chen Shi surprisingly epted his opinion without fighting back. He continued, "And..."


    "And what?"


    "I don''t think there are UFOs in the world."


    Back at the bureau, everyone was eating hot pot in the conference room, drinking cans of beer and talking about the interesting things they encountered while investigating the case. It was a rare moment of leisure for the police officers.


    Upon seeing Chen Shi and Peng Sijuee in, Lin Dongxue pulled up two seats for them. "You guys are pretty lucky. Everyone bought all the vegetables and sauces for tonight."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "If I knew I could have gotten free dinner, I would haveete too.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up a fish ball[1] with his chopsticks and tasted it. He asked, "Have you guys found any new leads?"


    "The victim has a close female friend. ording to this friend, about half a month ago, she found the victim crying her eyes out. It turns out that the victim went to a bar to get drunk because she got dumped, but was then taken home by a stranger. When she woke up the next day, the man was already gone. There was a funeral shroud left on the bed as well as a note that read ''Congrattions on getting AIDS''!"


    "So it turns out she was one of the victims of someone retaliating against society as well?¡±


    "And the man was long gone."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "We also learned that the victim was an online anchor for a while. It was on an interactive chat withizens all across the Inte, but as it wasn¡¯t popr. She didn¡¯t earn any money from it."


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that the requirement thresholds of being anchors and writers are very low. Maybe I should do a live-stream of my case-investigating next time?"


    "Do you dare to do that?!" Lin Qiupu said while eating a piece of lettuce. He looked up and sighed, then turned his attention back to the hot pot. "Lao Zhang, give me the sesame sauce."


    Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu, "What about the businessman?"


    "We let him go. There wasn¡¯t sufficient evidence to keep him here. He didn¡¯t admit to the murder.¡±


    "I don''t think he¡¯s the murderer. Old Peng and I found an eye-witness... Damn, I haven''t eaten any meat yet and you guys are finishing it! Let¡¯s discuss after we¡¯ve finished eating!"


    Lin Qiupu was focused on the witness, so he asked Chen Shi about it. After listening, Lin Qiupu rubbed his chin and pondered. "The case happened in the afternoon? In that case, the businessman''s alibi is unreliable!"


    Xu Xiaodong was still on the subject of being an anchor. "...This girl graduated five or six years ago and basically didn¡¯t work seriously. Instead, she just kept getting boyfriends. The only thing that she¡¯s done is be an online chat¡¯s anchor? What kind of life is that?¡±


    Chen Shi responded, "There are a lot of people like this in the world who evade work and obligations. They just think about having a nice and rxed life... This girl is good-looking, so she has the means to have this kind of lifestyle.¡±


    "It¡¯s exactly because of this lifestyle that she met with such a tragedy.¡± Lin Dongxue reasoned with a sad expression.


    "I don''t understand. Marx said thatbor is the essence of mankind. Why are there so many people in society who don''t want to work? Not just old people, but NEETs, and so on." Xu Xiaodong said.


    "I feel thatziness is the essence of mankind!" Peng Sijue suddenly chimed-in. "It is precisely because people don¡¯t want to work that they try to enve others. The progressive ss system was then created, which formed the foundation of civilization.¡±


    "What a brilliant notion!" Chen Shi apuded.


    Peng Sijue didn¡¯t really like hot pot, so he wiped his mouth and excused himself. "I¡¯ll go back to theb to look at the results now."


    In less than ten minutes, Peng Sijue came back with a report, "Chen Shi, who is the owner of the hair sample you gave me?"


    "What happened?"


    "The test shows that the sample and the hair found on the victim belong to the same person.¡±


    Everyone there was shocked by this new piece of information on a new suspect that they could focus on.


    The next afternoon, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to find Han Le again to understand the situation a bit better. Han Le appeared to be impatient when responding. "What are you looking for? Are you guys suspecting me?"


    Chen Shi asked, "Have you contacted Kong Tingting thesest couple of days?¡±


    "We haven''t contacted each other for a few months."


    "Oh really? That¡¯s odd. We found your hair on her corpse."


    Han Le looked briefly stunned and then regained hisposure again. "Cut the crap, hair doesn¡¯t contain suitable material strands for DNA testing[2], so it can¡¯t be used as conclusive evidence.¡±


    "It seems that you have done some research on criminal investigation."


    "I love to read novels in this field. I also watch movies on this as well.¡±


    "Then, you should know that the substances ingested by the human body will be reflected on the hair of a person. You have been taking antidepressant drugs for two months, correct?¡±


    Han Le looked surprised and Lin Dongxue seized their advantage. "We can apply for a search warrant and detain you back at the station. Or, you can exin the situation right here, right now.¡±


    Han Le bit his lips. "I... I saw her once. Herputer was broken and I went to help her fix it. Then, I heard her crying. When I asked her what had happened, she told me she was sick. I didn''t think that was rted to the case at the time. I asked her if she needed any medical expenses paid but she didn¡¯t say anything... I just hugged andforted her.¡±


    Chen Shi was observing his expressions and noticed that the corners of his mouth were oddly lifted. He asked, "What day was that?"


    "December 23rd."


    "That was a quick response. However, the victim had a date on the 24th and changed her clothes. The hair you left on the 23rd wouldn¡¯t transfer over to another dress on the 24th.¡±


    Han Le said, "Okay, I admit that I lied. I was worried that you guys were going to suspect me, so I switched the date I met her.¡±


    "It¡¯s not good to lie to the police."


    "I met her on the 24th." Han Le admitted.


    "What time?"


    "In the morning!"


    Chen Shi noted the unnatural flutter of his eyes. He gestured to Lin Dongxue, indicating that she should bring this person back for interrogating.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Mr. Han, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have toe with me back to the station."


    1. Not necessarily made of fish. A lot of ces just use flour to make them, but some ces ball up ground-up fish so that it bes a malleable paste. There¡¯s a ridiculous amount of variations with different fish. In Chinese, it¡¯s often called fish ball even when referring to a bunch that can include squid meat, crab meat,mb, beef, etc. https://blog.saimatkong/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_5115.jpg The link shows a few types. Sometimes there¡¯s a different type of meat or sauce (e.g. cheese) within the fish balls.


    2. Despite what they show in the movies, this is legit, https://.forensicmag/article/2013/04/challenges-dna-testing-and-forensic-analysis-hair-samples

 Chapter 112: Arresting Han Le

    <h4>Chapter 112: Arresting Han Le</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Han Le growled, "You guys think you can take me away because of one strand of hair?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Don¡¯t take the strand so lightly. Don¡¯t you know that in felonies like this, hair and fingerprints are considered very important?"


    Chen Shi continued, "Come with us and take it easy. We just want to understand the situation a bit better. We¡¯re not arresting you.¡±


    Chen Shi reached out towards Han Le, but Han Le stepped back. He turned around in feigned horror and suddenly swept the contents on a shelf to the ground as he shouted, ¡°The police are beating me! They¡¯re beating me!¡±


    The three looked at each other as a group of customers and store attendants came over. Han Le¡¯s girlfriend was amongst them. Han Le acted even more intensely and exined to this audience, ¡°These policemen didn¡¯t agree with what I said, so they tried to beat me up. They¡¯re no different from rogues!¡±


    Chen Shi responded coldly, "Where did we hit you? Show everyone your injuries."


    ¡°It¡¯s him! He was the one who hit me!¡± Han Le pointed to Chen Shi.


    "Please stop going on with your nonsense and leave yourself a little face. If I were to beat you, did I really need to do it right under a surveince camera?¡± Chen Shi pointed to the anti-theft camera above them.


    Han Le¡¯s girlfriend interjected, ¡°Actually, what are you guys doing here? You alle here and stop us from working. Is it because his friend is dead? If you¡¯re suspecting my boyfriend, then bring out the evidence!¡±


    ¡°Right, if you guys can¡¯t provide me with a search warrant, I will not cooperate." Han Le Li argued.


    Chen Shi felt helpless in the situation and made a gesture for them to leave. Lin Dongxue opened her mouth slightly and said, "We¡¯re letting him go?"


    "It''s okay, let''s go!"


    Upon leaving the supermarket, Xu Xiaodong eximed, "This bastard ndered us! What a cheap trick."


    Chen Shi remarked, ¡°After that farce, I¡¯m suspecting him even more... Xiaodong, you stay here and monitor him closely to prevent him from running away."


    ¡°By myself?"


    "Just for a while. We will go back to the station and call for back-up."


    "Okay then!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got back in their car. Lin Dongxue called Lin Qiupu and asked him to get a search warrant before hanging up. She found a book in the car which was exactly the same as the one found in Han Le¡¯s locker yesterday.


    Lin Dongxue picked it up curiously and asked, "Did you also buy this book?"


    "I was wondering if this book would inspire Han Le in any way. When I went to the bookstore at night, I bought it and looked through it. It really does mention the use of room temperature to mislead forensics to judge the time of death incorrectly."


    "How did the protagonist in the book solve it?"


    "The dust on the electric box. In this case, the murderer wiped off the dust, but ignored the freezer. Although it was still very cold, it was still above zero degrees. So the popsicles obviously melted.¡±


    "The police can¡¯t base the case on that detail."


    ¡°Yes, I know that much.¡±


    "Is the book good? Lend it to me, please!"


    ¡°Take it. It¡¯s just so-so. I¡¯m not sure how the writer was able to get famous... Maybe one day I can be a writer as well?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled and teased, "What are you going to write about? Detective Driver?"


    After obtaining the search warrant, several police cars drove to the supermarket to look for Han Le. Xu Xiaodong had been stalking him and waited outside the front door. Chen Shi asked, "Is the man still in there?"


    "Under... Wait, isn''t that him?"


    A man wearing a hat and carrying a backpack came out of the supermarket. The police immediately surrounded him and flipped his hat. It was Han Le. Lin Dongxue showed the search warrant. "Nothing to say now, right? Let¡¯s make that trip back to the station then!"


    "I... I didn''t kill her!" Han Le stammered.


    "Nobody said you killed her, so why are you running away from us?"


    "No... I didn''t run. I was just in a hurry to get home."


    "Let¡¯s head to the station."


    Han Le looked around and asked, ¡°Can I not wear the handcuffs? It¡¯s shameful."


    "Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to wear it."


    Half an hourter, Han Le was detained in the interrogation room. "Wasn¡¯t I just assisting in the investigation? Why are you all treating me as a prisoner?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat in front of him as the interrogators, as approved by Lin Qiupu.


    Lin Dongxue was ready to speak but Chen Shi gestured for her to stand back. He asked, "What were you doing at the time of the incident?"


    ¡°I was shopping with my girlfriend!"


    "What time?"


    "Seven-thirty."


    "How do you know that the seven-thirty was the time of the incident? Did I mention anything about that?"


    Han Le was so scared that he used his anger to cover up his mistake. "You¡¯re ying tricks on me! This doesn¡¯t count. How can the police do this kind of tricky thing?!"


    Chen Shi responded without skipping a beat. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not a police officer. She is. I am only a consultant at best... My main business is that of a driver."


    "Han Le, tell me exactly what happened on the day you were with Kong Tingting." Lin Dongxue questioned.


    Han Le began to talk in circles, saying that he was just repairing Kong Tingting¡¯sputer in the afternoon before leaving. Suddenly, the phone in the room rang, and Chen Shi answered. Xu Xiaodong reported, ¡°Brother Chen, I brought the child in. He says that the person inside the room with you was the murderer that day.¡±


    Chen Shi nced at the one-way mirror, then hung up the phone and turned to Han Le. "Do you know why the interrogation room always uses a one-way mirror?"


    ¡°How would I know?!"


    ¡°It¡¯s in order to protect the witness behind the mirror. There is an eyewitness standing right in front of the mirror right now, and they have already identified you."


    Han Le fumed. "You¡¯re talking shit! Get them out here and say that to my face! I didn¡¯t kill anyone! I didn¡¯t kill anyone! I want awyer to sue you guys for illegally detaining me!¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep evading like this?¡±


    ¡°If you were in my position, would you admit to it?"


    ¡°From what you just said, does that mean you admit to your crime?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Han Le immediately responded, ¡°Why would I admit to something I didn¡¯t do?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and dialed to Xu Xiaodong on the other side. ¡°Please go to the bar and find the bar owner."


    "Brother Chen, do you suspect that the person who took her that night was him? But the boss doesn¡¯t remember the person''s appearance?"


    "I don''t need the boss to recognize him; I need them to recognize the outfit. Ask the bar owners whether they have any impression of Han Le¡¯s outfit today."


    "Let me send them a photo. I have their contact information on my phone."


    A few minutester, Xu Xiaodong reported via the internal phone, "The bar owner is sure, saying that the person that night was wearing this outfit."


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s voice suddenly turned into Lin Qiupu¡¯s. He said, ¡°I just sent someone to Han Le¡¯s house and found traces of burnt items in the bathroom. There are gloves and natural rubber products within the items he tried incinerating. It may be a condom... And they also found a knife that fits the weapon description. Peng Sijue is currently testing it.¡±


    "The news came right on time." Chen Shi chortled.


    "Can you handle it? If not, I can ask someone else!"


    "No problem."


    At that moment, Han Le was about to break down. Every clue pointed to him. His lies couldn¡¯t withstand the scrutiny he was facing.


    Chen Shi put down the phone and said, "There is more and more evidence against you now."


    "I don''t believe it!" Han Le loudly retorted.


    "Since you won''t admit it, let me show you!"

 Chapter 113: Spare Love

    <h4>Chapter 113: Spare Love</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Half a month ago, Kong Tingting got drunk at a nightclub because she just got dumped. She was so smashed that she was like sludge on the floor. You took her back to a motel and had an intimate rtionship with her there. For whatever reason, you left her a note that lied about giving her AIDs as well as a funeral shroud. From then on, Kong Tingting used all means possible to retaliate against society. At three in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, you went to find and murder her. Before shepletely died, you raped her.¡±


    Han Le was so flustered that his whole face was breaking out in cold sweat. ¡°You¡¯re speaking nonsense! The incident clearly happened at night and I have an alibi for that... What does three in the afternoon have anything to do with me?¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°This trickery you used was learned through one of the novels you read, right? You even carefully wiped off the dust on the electric box. However, you forgot about the freezer. When the power was cut, the items in the freezer melted and lost their form. Besides that, there¡¯s also an eyewitness.¡±


    Lin Dongxue added, ¡°ording to Karl¡¯s Exchange Principle, the criminal will leave material evidence at a crime scene, but they will also take things away in the process. We¡¯ve already found residue of the items you tried to burn at your house and are currently in the process of testing them.¡±


    Chen Shi whispered to correct her, ¡°It¡¯s Locard¡¯s Exchange Principle.¡±[1] Lin Dongxue, who had failed in showing off,ughed a little like an idiot.


    Han Le suddenly raised his voice. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Burning is the best method to get rid of DNA on items.¡±


    ¡°Did they say that in the book? If you blindly believe a book, you might as well just figure it out yourself. When they say it¡¯s the best method, they mean full incineration. Are you still not going to confess? Your struggles are pointless at this point. We have sufficient evidence to hand you over to the courts now. If you¡¯re honest now, at least you can get it off your chest earlier.¡±


    Han Le, who was still drenched in his own sweat, kept gulping down saliva as he panicked.


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°If you put a secret of that caliber in your heart and lie to the whole world, the pressure and anxiety must be terrible to bear, right? Just let it out. You¡¯ll feel a bit better. We¡¯re not going tough at you.¡±


    Han Le¡¯s mouth kept opening and shutting as he hesitated whether he should talk or not. His hesitation finally disappeared from his face. ¡°I left the note and a funeral shroud for her.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I... I was in love with her for ten years. TEN years! I was already trying to pursue her in university. I would take walks with her, treat her to meals, drop everything and be the first one tofort her when she was down, console her, give her advice, but she never liked me back. I was always the spare tire. Do you know what being a spare tire feels like?¡±


    ¡°When we were in our second year at the university, she dated a senior who yed basketball. My heart felt as though it were ripped out. I triedforting myself saying that it would be fine as long as she was happy. Within a year, she broke up with that guy. I spent a whole night with her to console her. I was thinking that my chance had arrived, right? But after a few days, she got together with another ssmate. Everyone at my dormughed and ridiculed me. It felt terrible, but what could I do? I could only just wait again.¡±


    ¡°I waited and waited until ten years flew by. I saw her changing boyfriends one after another. There were even unemployed street rats and middle-aged men who were ugly but rich. No matter how much I did for her, she never gave me a chance. All I got was ¡®I¡¯m going for a shower¡¯, ¡®I¡¯m going for dinner now¡¯, and ¡®You¡¯re a nice guy.¡¯ When she worked as an MC anchor online, she even slept with this guy who gave her a few donations online... I can¡¯t even keep count of how many people she¡¯s slept with, but I was never included in that list. I would never be included. She was always cold and contemptuous towards me and out of my reach. She was my idea of a goddess, but in the eyes of others, she was no different from a prostitute.¡±


    ¡°Can you please give me a cigarette?¡±


    The two patiently waited as he vented everything and Chen Shi lit up a cigarette for him.


    Han Le let out a big exhale and continued, ¡°Maybe I was influenced by the news, but I thought of a great idea. I needed her to think that she was infected with AIDs. When everyone in the world were to abandon her, I would extend her my arms... But this wasn¡¯t important. My lie would bring her to love me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face twitched.


    ¡°My chance finally came when she was dumped. Actually, I should say that she was dumped AGAIN. That night, she said that she wanted me to stay with her for a bit. I knew the drill. I¡¯d have to listen to her, send her back home and the like. Nothing would happen between us. This time, I didn¡¯t ept her request. Instead, I secretly stalked her as she went to a club for some drinks. She got super drunk like a blob. At a small, crappy motel on top of a moldy bed, it was the first time I could taste her beautiful body. It was amazing...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a girlfriend?¡± Lin Dongxue questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true love!¡± Han Le continued, ¡°That night, I did it with her three times. I finally reaped the rewards of all my past efforts. Then, I left the props I prepared earlier on the bed and quietly left. Sure enough, her mentality was a bit off thereon. She didn¡¯t post much in her social circle. She didn¡¯t even y her online games. After a while, I noticed that things weren¡¯t going well. After she was ¡®infected with AIDs¡¯, she actually tried to sleep with as many men as possible. What¡¯s ridiculous was that she hadn¡¯t even considered me even at this point!¡±


    ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t want to pass it onto her friend.¡± Lin Dongxue reasoned.


    ¡°Nonsense. I was always looking at her social media ounts. Her ¡®prey¡¯ were all the tall and muscr types. It was the same as her old boyfriends as well. For her, I even went to the gym. So why didn¡¯t she pick me? Was I a different breed that she couldn¡¯t touch? So, I became extremely angry. My love turned to hatred. Since I couldn¡¯t have her, then nobody could. I needed to kill her!¡± Han Le said as he grit his teeth.


    He threw away the cigarette butt and changed his tone. ¡°I thought my n was wless. I found her in the afternoon that day. I didn¡¯t even want to talk to her at that point. After she opened the door, I immediately took action. I stabbed my goddess. My heart was full of pain and pleasure. It was as if I personally strangled my youth wasted on her without looking back. Then, I raped her over and over in a craze until her dying breath. When I calmed down, I realized that this was the longest time I¡¯d spent with her since the day we first met. We were so intimate that I cried. I was quite regretful. My feelings then were reallyplicated.¡±


    ¡°I sat in a daze until the evening when her phone suddenly rang. I was a bit panicked when that happened. It turns out that she had a date with a man. So, I sent over a message impersonating her saying she was on her way. But the man kept urging and even called again and again. I finally thought of a n after a while. Didn¡¯t she take on the online anchor role for a while? There were recordings of her on B Website. You can go investigate that if you want to.¡±


    Chen Shi took out his phone and searched for it. The videos weren¡¯t very popr. Han Le said, ¡°These videos were all saved by me. I am her number one fan. Go look at her third video at around forty minutes.¡±


    Chen Shi skipped to the specified time. It showed Kong Tingting receiving a call and said, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m on my way. I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± then it yed a knocking sound. It wasn¡¯t the sound of someone knocking on the door, but rather the notification sound of someone arriving in the chatroom.


    Chen Shi showed an expression of finally understanding something. The question he couldn¡¯t answer no matter how much he worked through it in his head turned out to be so simple.


    ¡°The voice that was heard by Wang Shilun was just this recording?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Did I also fool you guys?¡± Han Le smirked.


    1. Edmond Locard¡¯s theory. It¡¯s usually taught at the police academy.

 Chapter 114: External and Internal

    <h4>Chapter 114: External and Internal</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "Although we stand on opposite sides, I have to say that it was a really high-level trick!"


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Han Le seemed pleased with himself. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure even the authors of reasoning novels can¡¯t think of this trick. If it wasn¡¯t for the damn eyewitness, I¡¯m sure you guys wouldn¡¯t have been able to solve this case.¡±


    "That may not necessarily be the case. Police and detectives solving a case can be considered as two separate concepts. Police thoroughly solve cases without foregoing the tiniest of details. The rate of detection is very high for casesmitted by acquaintances.¡±


    "Haii, stop adding salt to my wounds!" Han Le sighed in frustration.


    There was a ¡®dong-dong¡¯ noise that sounded from outside. Lin Qiupu was reminding them not to make the atmosphere of the interrogation too rxed. They needed to be more serious and to the point.


    Chen Shi cleared his throat. "So, you left at seven o''clock? And when you left, you pulled the power switch?"


    "Yes, then I came over again the next morning and turned the switch back on. The purpose of it all was to interfere with the forensic judgment of the time of death."


    "Were you also the stalker that the neighbors talked about?¡±


    "That was me, but I wasn¡¯t stalking her. In fact, I was figuring out my n over there and scouting out the ce. I wanted to figure out what time theplex had the least amount of people and was the noisiest. I needed people not to find out even if she screamed. In the end, I chose that time.¡± Han Le¡¯s calm exnation sent shivers and goosebumps all over them.


    At the end of the interrogation, Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi as it was time to say a closing statement.


    Chen Shi said, "There¡¯s nothing left to say. You need to pay for what you¡¯ve done!"


    "I don''t think I was wrong in this situation. Everything was because of that bitch. If she wasn¡¯t so promiscuous or if she had given me a chance, do you think this would have happened? She deserves it. I deserve this too. I shouldn¡¯t have loved her so blindly like that... I don''t understand why she still didn¡¯t choose me and looked down on me. This sister over here, do you know the reason? Is it because I¡¯m poor? Ugly? Not tall and mighty enough?¡±


    "Huh...?" Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "At this time, shouldn''t you say something thought-provoking and wise?"


    "Why don¡¯t you just say what you want to say?"


    "I think your aura isn¡¯t very good." Lin Dongxue put forth.


    Han Leughed hysterically, "Aura? What the hell do you mean by aura? The seventh time I confessed, she said the same thing to me. I know it¡¯s just an excuse."


    "It¡¯s not!" Lin Dongxue challenged with gusto. "I felt that about you from the moment I first saw you. I thought you were a bit gross. Look at your teeth. Let¡¯s not talk about whether they are straight or not, but it seems like you aren¡¯t serious about brushing your teeth at all. There¡¯s lots of noticeable tartar and it¡¯s super yellow. Furthermore, your speech is always slurred. When I listen to you, it¡¯s not veryfortable. And look at your neck. Do you not wash your neck when you wash your face? While we¡¯re at it, look at your nails. It¡¯s full of dirt underneath. It¡¯s really disgusting to look at! The most important thing is that you always slouch when you walk. You can¡¯t stand up straight as if you¡¯ve done something guilty. Girls like handsome guys, just like how boys like beauties. However, when youpare a dirty but handsome guy with a neat and clean but in guy, thetter is more popr!¡±


    Han Le listened dumbfoundedly. "These... Are these external things important?"


    "If you don¡¯t take care of your outside, who cares about your insides? Girls are emotional beings. Of course they won''t tell you the reason. They will only tell you that they don¡¯t think you guys arepatible or that you¡¯re not their type. I¡¯ll tell you now, no matter whether you are truly handing a wire or if you¡¯re faking it[1], you can never pursue the girl you want if they see you that way!¡±


    Han Le looked at Lin Dongxue with widened eyes, then suddenly buried his face in his hands and cried. "Tingting, if you told me earlier, I would have changed! Why did it turn out like this? Why..."


    "Hey, did I say too much?" Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi.


    "No, it was very thought-provoking. It seems that I have to pay attention to myself." Chen Shi smiled.


    Leaving the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu looked at them with a strange look. Chen Shi said, "The case is closed."


    "You two are not allowed to enter the interrogation room in the future. The atmosphere was made strange by you guys."


    Lin Dongxue poked her tongue out and smiled.


    Han Le was transferred to the detention center on the same day. The case was over. Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to apany her for a walk. Lin Dongxue looked at the clear winter sky and said, "Forced love imposed on others indeed causes trouble."


    "Miss Lin, are you about to tell a story?"


    "I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at me. When I was in high school, there were a lot of people who had a crush on me.¡±


    "If I were in the same ss as you, I..." Chen Shi suddenly stopped talking.


    "You what?"


    "Just continue your story."


    "At a sports festival, there wasn¡¯t anyone in the ssrooms. When I went back to pick some things up, there was a boy in a ss that suddenly stopped me angrily. He yelled out, ¡®Lin Dongxue, why do you always pretend to ignore me?!¡¯ I was so scared back then. I hadn¡¯t really talked to him before. He said that he often looked and smiled at me, but I would always just ignore him. What was even more dramatic was that he actually pulled up his sleeves on the spot. I thought he was going to hit me. It turned out that he used a knife to engrave my name on his arm... It wasn¡¯t too crazy, just the surfaceyer of his skin was cut and some scabs had formed. It was really shocking at the time though. He said to me angrily, ¡®I¡¯ve done so much for you! Why won¡¯t you even look at me?¡¯ I was really scared and ran away. The boy seemed to hate me ever since that incident. Later on, he would often give me trouble on various asions... Until one day, my brother beat him up when he was picking me up from school.¡±


    "Men always think that women aren¡¯t direct and love to y tricks and games. In fact, it¡¯s because women are generally biologically weaker than men that they have to implement those strategies and routines to protect themselves.¡± Chen Shi said.


    "Spot on!" Lin Dongxue agreed while snapping her fingers. "If you asked me how I felt about that boy in high-school, I¡¯ve got to be honest with you; I didn¡¯t feel anything towards him at all. In that situation, while I was stuck in the ssroom because of him, I was just worried that he¡¯d kill me. That¡¯s why I ran away.¡±


    "If you were to confront that boy now, he would probably say ¡®Lin Dongxue was ruthless and cold. I was so in love with her, but she loved ignoring me!¡¯"


    "Like the murderer this time. It¡¯s clear that he wanted too much, but he pushed all the responsibility onto the victim.¡±


    "What do you think about me? What are my shorings? You should tell me early on so I can change it soon."


    Lin Dongxue looked him up and down and said, "You should pay attention to what you wear. It¡¯s a bit old-fashioned.¡±


    Chen Shi was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of jeans. He said, "I thought it was very trendy!"


    Lin Dongxue suppressed herughter. "Uncle, you should understand the current trends before talking about being trendy!"


    "What about the other aspects? Talk about my inner beauty!"


    "Well... If I say you are perfect, you won''t be too egotistical, right?"


    "No, I would just praise you for being honest."


    Lin Dongxueughed and hit Chen Shi. "What a narcissistic guy... What about me? Anything wrong with me that I need to change?"


    "No. You glisten like a piece of art carved out of diamonds."


    When she heard this, Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed red from ear to ear.


    1. An expression; No matter if you¡¯re truly poor, ugly, and short, or if you¡¯re faking it/seem that way. An inte ng that is used often nowadays.

 Chapter 115: Tao Yueyue’s Calculated Plan

    <h4>Chapter 115: Tao Yueyue¡¯s Calcted n</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 9: Friend, Have you Bought Insurance?


    In the fifth ss in the second grade of Zhi Xin High School, the mathematics teacher was exining the multiplication of fractions with amon denominator at the front of the ss. Some of the students were sleeping, some secretly ate some potato chips from their drawers, some used their textbooks to block the teacher from seeing that they were ying Kings of Glory on their phones, and some were just chatting andughing in a whisper.


    The teacher was already ustomed to this. After exining an example, he knocked on the ckboard and asked the students to write it down. Among therge number of students who did whatever they wanted, only one person was taking down notes. The teacher was very grateful to have even one student like this.


    He nned to ask her to answer the next question. He nced at the list on the table. The child seemed to be the newly transferred Tao Yueyue.


    At this time, a fat boy raised his hand and stood up. His face was extremely red. "Teacher, I have diarrhea."


    The teacher nodded. Liang Zuoming held his stomach and ran out of the ssroom amidst theughter of his ssmates. Then, there was a scream from outside. The teacher hurried out and saw that Liang Zuoming had fallen down the stairs. He was holding his legs and bawling his eyes out non-stop.


    There was chaos in the ssroom. Everyone poked their heads out of the window to try and see what had happened. There were a few of Liang Zuoming¡¯s good buddies who ran straight out. The teacher instructed, "You guys stay here with him. Don¡¯t move him. I need to make a trip to the infirmary.¡±


    Only Tao Yueyue was unmoved by themotion. She stopped her note-taking and a smirk formed on her face.


    Tao Yueyue was in a good mood the whole day after taking revenge on this little bully. When she went home that night, she felt that the food Chen Shi normally made for dinner even tasted better than usual. After dinner, she put down her tableware and said, ¡°I need to go back to my room and study.¡±


    "Was there a boy in your ss that broke his leg?" Chen Shi was looking at the parents forum on his mobile phone. The parents were discussing this matter. The teacher had found outter that someone left some ss marbles on top of the staircase causing this ident.


    "He deserved it. That fat guy is really annoying.¡±


    "Did you do it?"


    "No, I was in the ssroom at the time. How could it have been me?"


    Chen Shi asked the teacher why the boy suddenly had to go out in the middle of ss and the teacher responded that he had diarrhea. He also added that it may be that the climate was too cold recently. There were a few students who had tummy troubles recently.


    Chen Shi let go of Tao Yueyue and she said disdainfully, "Doubting me randomly. upational habit?!"


    They didn¡¯t speak to each other the whole night. The next morning, Chen Shi oddly didn¡¯t make breakfast. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t say much either. She went to the refrigerator and took out the toast and ham for herself. Chen Shi said with a dark expression, ¡°Sit down!¡±


    "What?"


    "Sit down first."


    Tao Yueyue obediently sat on the opposite side of the table. The atmosphere in the room was a bit odd. She nervously tugged at her clothes. Chen Shi said coldly, "I learned about itst night. Your ssmates reflected that you and Liang Zuoming are not on good terms and that he bullied you a week ago.¡±


    "Yes."


    "Why did you choose to swallow the truth and not tell me or the teacher?"


    "Is it useful telling you guys? Also, I don''t want to fight with those naive boys."


    "So you took it in your own hands and retaliated against them?"


    "I didn¡¯t!" Tao Yueyue said loudly.


    "Child, your technique is brilliant but your acting is really bad..." Chen Shi threw a book covered in cartoon stickers on the table.


    Tao Yueyue widened her eyes. "You looked through my schoolbag?"


    "I didn''t want to invade your privacy, but I couldn¡¯t sleep without figuring it out... This book is full of numbers and symbols that I don''t understand. Coincidentally, the records stopped the day before the incident. You drew a little knife at the end, seemingly to signify some motive. I asked the math teacher and he said you were two minuteste to ss saying that you went to the bathroom. I¡¯m guessing that you actually waited for the ss bell to ring before putting a ss marble on the steps. You arranged your trap and just waited for your target to pass by.¡±


    Tao Yueyue bit her lip, revealing a defensive look.


    "Confess honestly. I won¡¯t put you in jail."


    "Yes...I did it, just as you¡¯ve said."


    "What do these numbers and symbols mean?¡±


    "The times recorded from the time they intake cement power to the time in which they get diarrhea.¡±


    "Cement powder?"


    "The cement powder scraped from the walls. I researched that it was aponent of toothpaste. It won¡¯t kill the... I used his little followers as experimental subjects. I took an average from the data and put it in Liang Zuoming¡¯s milk tea during break. I also observed the usual strides and walking stances that Liang Zuoming used when he went downstairs. He always likes to climb two steps at a time.¡±


    Chen Shi was shocked. To think this 12-year-old girl could actually n such a detailed crime.


    "If Liang Zuoming didn''t step on that marble?"


    "Then I¡¯d wait a week before doing it again."


    "Do you feel good now that your n worked?"


    "Yes, I do. His legs have broken, so maybe he can''t participate in the final exam this year. Haha, he deserves it!" Tao Yueyue said proudly.


    "Tao Yueyue!" Chen Shi angrily mmed on the table.


    Tao Yueyue was so scared that she contracted her neck and got rid of the smile on her face.


    "Don¡¯t you realize that you¡¯re in the wrong at all!?"


    "Who told him to bully me?"


    "You can defend yourself with proper means. Don¡¯t you know that this is a crime?"


    In the face of Chen Shi¡¯s intimidation, Tao Yueyue was about to sumb to crying. Even her voice began trembling. ¡°He always bullies me. He deserves it! If I told you guys, what would you guys have done? You would just lecture him. Then we¡¯d just let go of how he bullied me?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head and sighed. He realized that if this bud was not cut off from the roots, with Tao Yueyue''s IQ and her childhood experience, she would definitely be a high IQ criminal when she grew up.


    "You muste with me and apologize to him! We need to ask him and his parents for forgiveness."


    "No."


    "Then get out."


    Tao Yueyue wanted to bargain with an expression as if she was wronged. "If I¡¯m the top of the ss in this year¡¯s final exams, can I not apologize..."


    "It¡¯s not negotiable!"


    Under Chen Shi¡¯s insistently tough treatment, she was taken to the hospital to see Liang Zuoming and his parents while he had his cast on. Chen Shi exined the situation to his parents and they looked at the girl who was keeping her head down in silence with shocked expressions on their faces. Chen Shi then reimbursed them far more than the expenses that Liang Zuoming¡¯s hospitalization and medical expenses had incurred. In the face of money, the parents said they wouldn¡¯t pursue this matter further, but said that if it were to happen again, they would report it to the school.


    Chen Shi said to Tao Yueyue, "Now apologize to Liang Zuoming."


    Tao Yueyue went into the ward with a grievance. Liang Zuoming had already overhead them when they were speaking outside. When he saw Tao Yueyueing in, his expression was veryplicated. He was afraid, nervous and looked like he was looking at an enemy.


    Tao Yueyue bowed her head down. "Liang Zuoming, I am sorry. I shouldn''t have made you break a leg. My uncle has already reimbursed your medical bill and has lectured me about it. I promise that there won¡¯t be a next time.¡±


    Liang Zuoming looked at her with trauma in his eyes, not knowing what to say. Chen Shi, who was outside the door, nodded with content.


    However, when Tao Yueyue looked up, her expression changed and she sneered, "If you provoke me again, it is not going to be as simple as just breaking your legs next time."


    When they left the ward, Liang Zuoming''s hysterical crying could be heard. Chen Shi angrily red at Tao Yueyue. "Did you threaten him?"


    "No, I think he¡¯s crying because he was so moved."

 Chapter 116: Case Within a Case

    <h4>Chapter 116: Case Within a Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On January 4th, the court case regarding the murder of the uncle who yed online games officially began. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi went to listen to the hearing. The evidence collected by the police was very thorough and sufficient enough for proof. After half a day of trial, the defendant Deng Zhongming was convicted of intentional homicide and sentenced to 20 years in prison.


    During the entire trial, Deng Zhongming was in a daze as if the case wasn¡¯t rted to himself. When he was taken away by the police, he suddenly broke free from the bailiff and said a word to his defense attorney before being forcibly taken away.


    Chen Shi went to thewyer and asked, "What did he just say to you? We are the police officers involved in the case and would like to know if it is rted to the case."


    Lin Dongxue reprimanded in a whisper, "You don¡¯t even bat an eye anymore when you pretend to be a police officer, huh?"


    "It should have nothing to do with the case." The attorney answered, "He asked me to call Shengshi Company and ask if he could y the online game after 20 years."


    "What a yer!"


    When they left the court, Chen Shi said, "That child, Tao Yueyue, makes everyone a bit speechless."


    "What happened this time?"


    Chen Shi recalled the incidentst time where she retaliated against her ssmates. Lin Dongxue was shocked. "No way? These methods areparable to criminals!¡±


    "I am really worried that after she grows up, she will use her intelligence in the wrong way... This child doesn¡¯t like to y. She only knows how to learn and study. All the teachers in her sses praised her for her studying, as she understands things as soon as she¡¯s taught it. It¡¯s causing me so many headaches. I¡¯m thinking about whether to buy her a game console or a Barbie doll so that she bes aszy and yful as a normal child."


    "You can''t just give her pocket money and not care about her."


    "How can I care about her? A big man like myself getting too close to a little girl... I¡¯m afraid that it would cause suspicion."


    "That¡¯s why I still think that she needs a mother."


    "Would you like to take care of her for a few days?"


    Lin Dongxue waved her hands at him. "I can''t do it. I¡¯m so busy at work. Where would I find the time?¡±


    "What are you busy with?"


    "It¡¯s still the insurance fraud case. I have seen many cases of insurancepanies¡¯ ims in recent years. They¡¯ve had a lot of cases of insurance fraud. I suspect that there¡¯s a person in the shadows directing them. However, these people are the ones who benefit from the pay-outs, so they won¡¯t say the names of their superiors even if they were in a life or death situation.¡±


    "Who¡¯s the middle-men selling these insurances for them to profit from?¡±


    "Arge part of the cases were sold by an agent called Yang Lan. This person has gone through multiple insurancepanies during his career. His whereabouts are unknown at this moment. I don''t know if this person is the person behind the scenes."


    Chen Shi asked whether or not she wanted to have a meal. Lin Dongxue was about to agree when she received a phone call from Lin Qiupu. He asked, "Has the trial finished?"


    "Yeah, what¡¯s up?"


    "While we were dealing with the evidence of the gaming uncle, we found something that might be rted to the insurance case you are working on."


    "I¡¯lle back immediately!" Lin Dongxue hung up the phone and said with enthusiasm, "There¡¯s no such thing as a dead end! My brother found some clues. We should hurry back."


    Lin Qiupu was at the physical evidence center at this moment in time. Once a case has concluded, some of the physical evidence is destroyed while others of higher value are handed over to their families and beneficiaries as mementos. The gaming uncle and his son both died on the same day. The only remaining legal beneficiary was his ex-wife.


    It had been nearly a month since the incident, but the ex-wife who worked out of town hadn¡¯t appeared once. Lin Qiupu felt a bit down about it. Today, the Inte department of the police force found that her bank ount had an extra 2 million yuan. It was the life insurance pay-out for her ex-husband and son.


    Out of professional work-habits, Lin Qiupu investigated further and found that the gaming uncle not only had personal life insurance, but he also bought himself a disability insurance policy; the date of which the policy took effect was a few days before the incident.


    After listening to the findings, Lin Dongxue said, "It¡¯s impossible to conclude that his wife is a suspect of the insurance fraud with just this information. Buying insurance is a normal business practice."


    "What about this then?!" Lin Qiupu put a copy of several insurance contracts on the table.


    Lin Dongxue looked at the name of the agent written down on the contracts - Yang Lan. She was so surprised that her mouth hung open. "It¡¯s this person again?"


    "I think this may be rted to the insurance fraud case. If you need this evidence, then keep it for now."


    Chen Shi nced at the table. On the table was all the evidence rted to the gaming uncle. The strange mask that they found previously was also on the table. He muttered to himself, "Disability insurance?" Then, he picked up the mask and buckled it on his face in thought.


    After putting down the mask, he asked, "What was the financial situation of the gaming uncle?"


    Lin Qiupu responded, "He worked in a foreignpany with a monthly ie of over 40,000 yuan. It¡¯s considered pretty good. However, the money spent in-game is even more surprising with an average of 100,000 yuan spent per month. In order to y the game, he sold the house and car. He even borrowed a high-interest loan from loan-sharks. It would be hard to even pay for the monthly interest.¡±


    "His game ount must be very valuable."


    "Yes, it is considered personal property. If it was sold by his wife along with the other mementos, the value of this ount would be higher than four million yuan!"


    "Although I¡¯m not addicted to the game, if I had such an ount, I would die a happy death."


    "Why are we talking about the game again?!" Lin Dongxue interrupted them. "Chen Shi, what do you think this mask is used for? We never figured it out."


    Chen Shi took up the mask and hypothesized, "This mask is very strange. It covers one eye and leaves the other open. There is a stick below as well, making it a bit like a welder''s mask. It seems to be used for some kind of protection..."


    "Since it¡¯s for a protective function, why not cover both eyes?"


    "The person who made it is deliberately trying to break only one eye. Just now you mentioned that the gaming uncle bought himself disability insurance and that he needs money for ying games..."


    Chen Shi left it at that and allowed Lin Dongxue to think about it herself. She indulged in this line of thought for a while before pping her hands in understanding. "This is a tool used to forge idents! By using the mask to cover his face and sshing it with corrosive liquid, it would make one eye blind and seem like an ident.¡±


    "Insurancepanies wouldn¡¯t recognize that kind of ident, right?" Chen Shi said, "If it¡¯s an ident, it must be a danger that can happen in daily life. Right, we need to look at his mementos!"


    Chen Shi opened the mobile phone andnded on a shipping website. All the items on this table were from this. Chen Shi found a very bulky CRT monitor which had a cathode ray tube.


    These days, LCD monitors have be popr. Why would anyone buy such a monitor to use? Chen Shi remembered that when he went into the gaming uncle''s home to investigate, the monitor on the table was an LCD monitor.


    Lin Dongxue noticed Chen Shi¡¯s reaction and immediately searched the Inte. ¡°The monitor produced by thispany seems to have quality problems. There was an explosion incident previously... He bought this monitor to injure one of his eyes to get the insurance money to continue ying the game?"


    "If the person behind this did a good job of it, he could even sue the manufacturer and getpensated for it. It¡¯s really killing two birds with one stone... This monitor may have been tampered with to make it defective. Don¡¯t let anyone purchase it from the site or it may hurt innocent people.¡±


    "Hurry up and buy it."


    Chen Shi was about to do so when the site showed that the items had been sold. The two exchanged nces in surprise...

 Chapter 117: Team Leader Lin Dongxue

    <h4>Chapter 117: Team Leader Lin Dongxue</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi found the approximate address through messaging the buyer. Fortunately, it was someone who lived in this city.


    "The next day delivery of the courierpany is very fast and must be stopped quickly." Chen Shi said.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue immediately got in the car and kept overtaking cars on the way. "After maintaining a perfect driving record for a few years, I¡¯m finally ruining my reputation."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll exin the situation to the traffic control departmentter,¡± Lin Dongxue reassured.


    "Oh yeah, did you get your driver''s license back? What about your car?"


    Lin Dongxue hesitated. "Thest time when I caught the thief, I messed up my car. It was very broken... In order to repair it, I would have to spend around 100,000 yuan. I can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    "If you want to drive, you can drive mine."


    "You¡¯re not afraid of me crashing it?"


    Chen Shi thought about it and said, "Actually I am. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t then.¡±


    "Wow, I can¡¯t believe you!" Lin Dongxue punched him.


    Finally, they rushed into themunity and met the courier downstairs. Chen Shi ran over and asked, "Hello, do you have a monitor in the car? We are the police. That monitor may have problems, so we have to stop the delivery."


    The courier answered, "Damn, the tenants in block 3 took it just then."


    ¡°What unit was it?¡±


    "1204."


    Chen Shi beckoned Lin Dongxue over and they ran towards block 3. The elevator wasn¡¯ting down, so Chen Shi grit his teeth and instructed, ¡°I¡¯ll run up. You wait for the elevator here.¡±


    In one breath, he rushed to the 12th floor. Chen Shi mmed the door of the resident until a woman opened the door in shock. Chen Shi showed the cover of his consultant certificate and said, "You bought a monitor, right?"


    "Yes, what¡¯s going on?"


    Chen Shi heard the voice of a father and son in the room. It seemed that they were assembling theputer. The son said, "This wire should be plugged in here."


    Chen Shi muttered, "Excuse me" and pushed the door into the house and rushed to the bedroom. "Don''t use that monitor! It may explode. I am a policeman. This monitor has been touched by bad people."


    "What?!" The father was stunned.


    The ten-year-old son said, "Is this person a scammer? How could it have something wrong with it if I just bought it?¡±


    The father said, "Let me see your badge."


    Chen Shi had to take out his cover. The father grabbed it from his hands and opened it. "The criminal investigation consultant? It¡¯s fake, right? I have never heard of such a title."


    "Mypanion is in the elevator. They will arrive soon, you guys should first..."


    At this time, the son had turned on the power while they weren¡¯t paying attention. The little boy thought that Chen Shi was a liar and wanted to prove that he was lying through action.


    Theputer began to start and the disy made a suspicious ¡®yong-yong¡¯ sound. The situation was not good. Chen Shi pushed the father away, rushed to pick up the little boy, and hid by the side of the table. They heard a loud bang and the screen exploded like popcorn, leaving a big hole with ck smoke.


    The house was naturally in a mess as the bed and wall were full of shards. The family of three was scared to death. Chen Shi put down the little boy and said, "Fortunately no one is hurt. I¡¯m leaving."


    The father grabbed Chen Shi and said, "Wait, aren¡¯t you going topensate us? Look at our house! Even the child is frightened. Not to mention the fees for our mental state, shouldn¡¯t you at least pay for the material damage?¡±


    Chen Shi was so angry that heughed and broke his hand away. "Go to the website. They maypensate you."


    When he got to the corridor, the father was still nagging and chased after him, "You knew that there was a problem. Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? Why didn¡¯t you ask the website to withdraw the listing? Isn¡¯t this harmful to others? What if my baby son was hurt? Who would be responsible for that?¡± The cry of the child and the mother¡¯s consoling could be heard from the house.


    Chen Shi was toozy to deal with him. When Lin Dongxue came up on the elevator, she heard themotion in the hallway and asked anxiously, "What happened?"


    "Nothing. Let''s go!"


    Chen Shi told her everything while they were in the elevator. Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "A good heart was taken as if it were a donkey¡¯s lungs or liver[1]. All kinds of birds can be found in a forest."[2]


    This little scuffle made Chen Shi exhausted. He hadn¡¯t even had lunch yet, which only added to his exhaustion. Lin Dongxue saw a barbecue fish shop in the neighborhood and treated him to a meal there.


    After their meal, they returned to the bureau. After learning that the danger had passed, Lin Qiupu sighed with relief. "Dongxue, you are to lead and be responsible for the insurance case!"


    Lin Dongxue was overjoyed. "Captain, are you grooming me for promotion?"


    "You wish. What I mean is, this task force is led by you this one time. I have official duties at a provincial meeting. I won¡¯t be here for a couple of days. If I were to free the sheep[3], it¡¯s better for them to be concentrating on a case. This is also considered a big case this year.


    "Leading the team... Can I do it?"


    "If I say you can, then you can!" Lin Qiupu turned to Chen Shi, "Chen is a kind-hearted citizen. Can I trouble you to please assist my sister."


    "Will I be rewarded?"


    "When have I not rewarded you? If you solve the case in the few days I¡¯m gone, I will give you a big red envelope during the Lunar New Year."


    "Oh, I¡¯ve got instant motivation now. Captain Lin, you can rest assured now!¡±


    For the first time in her life, she was leading the task force. Lin Dongxue was excited and hesitant at the same time. She looked at the dressing mirror in the corridor. "Do I look too casual? Should I change into a police uniform?¡±


    "Not only do you need to change into your uniform, but you also need to open a press conference." Chen Shi said.


    "If the press conference is... Oh, you¡¯re ying me?!"


    Chen Shiughed loudly. "Just wear what you normally do. You¡¯re just the team leader, you didn¡¯t get promoted to police chief.¡±


    "You make it seem like you¡¯ve led a task force or something." Lin Dongxue pulled a face.


    Chen Shi suddenly stopped smiling, "I... I haven¡¯t led one before."


    "Of course I know that. If you did, that¡¯d be weird! What should we do now?¡±


    "Call the people who you need to use and open a meeting to debrief the case. There are very few clues on this case right now. I suggest that you brainstorm and discuss how to solve the case."


    "We¡¯ll do it that way!"


    It took quite a while to get the police officers together. Everyone was startled that Lin Dongxue was leading the task force this time. Their first reaction was disbelief, thinking that she was joking. The second reaction was shock.


    An hourter, all the police officers who had time to participate in the case were called to a conference room. In the face of the expectant smiles around her, Lin Dongxue was very nervous. The people urged, "Leader, give out the orders.", "Yeah, what do we need to investigate?"


    The more the crowd pressed, the more nervous Lin Dongxue got and was unable to speak.


    Chen Shi stood up and said, "I will talk about the case in ce of the team leader. May I, leader?¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded desperately with a grateful expression.


    Chen Shi exined the information that they had at the moment and continued, "I think this case should be divided into two goals. The smaller goal is to find out whether the wife of the gaming uncle is guilty of insurance fraud. Therger goal is to find out the top dog behind-the-scenes.¡±


    Chen Shi spoke very clearly and concisely, so everyone understood him. Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, "Is the insurance agent surnamed Yang the mastermind behind the scenes?"


    "It¡¯s still unclear, but we won¡¯t be far from the truth once we find this person.¡±


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue cleared her throat and asked, "Would anyone else like to add anything?"


    Sitting in the corner, Peng Sijue opened his mouth. "The son of the gaming uncle that died in a car ident. I have a detail that I want to mention again. I found a trace of isoflurane on his body."


    1. Good intentions are misunderstood and stepped on. This expression was derived from those who have tasted donkey meat and understand that the lungs or liver are the worst parts to eat. The cost of it is also the cheapest. The heart is more expensive inparison.


    2. An expression; There are all kinds of people in this world.


    3. An expression regarding letting people do whatever they want without control; letting people run amok; giving people free time.

 Chapter 118: Undercover BOY

    <h4>Chapter 118: Undercover BOY</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    Although he knew what isoflurane was, Chen Shi asked anyway. "Captain Peng, what is isoflurane?"


    "A medically used anesthetic that is inhaled. The appearance is that of a colorless liquid with a certain pungent odor. It has a stable chemicalposition and is unlikely to be changed through biotransformation in the body, so it¡¯s rtively easy to detect."


    "How did you find this? Was it not an ident?"


    "I pointed this out to Captain Lin and he sent people to check. The deceased had sinusitis surgery the day before the ident. The hospital used this kind of anesthetic but the dose wasn¡¯t significant, so it couldn¡¯t be determined that someone was deliberately targeting him. Since his mother is suspected of insurance fraud now, I can¡¯t help but think-¡±


    "You think that someone knew that he used this anesthetic the day before, so they used the same medicine to harm him? That way even the forensic doctor wouldn¡¯t find out."


    "Yes!"


    Someone said, "But even tigers don¡¯t eat their young. How can his mother murder her own son for an insurance pay-out?"


    Another person said, "I know the medicine! The smell is quite intense. How could the murderer make him inhale it? Even if they put it in cigarettes, the odd smell would have been noticed.¡±


    Peng Sijue replied, "In the material evidence retrieved from the deceased, no isoflurane residue was found."


    Police officer Lao Zhang said, "I participated in that case. I learned from the rtives of the deceased that the child is not actually the biological son of the couple. When his father wanted a son back then, the mother did not have the fertility to give birth to one, so they adopted him. When the boy was a child, he learned that he was not their biological son during one of his parents¡¯ fights. Since then, his rtionship with his mother hasn¡¯t been that great. That¡¯s why when he died unexpectedly, his mother didn¡¯t evene to nce at him.¡±


    "So that¡¯s what it was. Then it seems that the fraud might have actually happened," everyone discussed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I called his mother previously. She said that she woulde back to deal with the funeral in the next couple of days. It¡¯s a good opportunity for investigation. Before that, we need to collect more evidence to prove the insurance fraud.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "If you can prove that the source of the whole incident is due to the agent Yang, the woman will break without effort.¡±


    But how were they going to investigate it? Everyone was suddenly lost. Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, "Team leader, what kind of peoplemit insurance fraud?"


    "Those that aren¡¯t in a good financial situation."


    "I¡¯m not rich, but I don¡¯tmit insurance fraud."


    There was a burst ofughter from the crowd. Lin Dongxue cleared her throat. "These people usually have to injure themselves in exchange for the insurance pay-out. Some of them carry high-interest loans and some have family members who are sick and in need of money. There are also those who are drug addicts... These drug addicts have been handed over to the drug rehabilitation center after we made contact."


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly thought, "If we dressed up like these kinds of people who urgently need money and find a way to buy insurance through this agent, can¡¯t we catch him in the act?"


    Chen Shi said, "The problem is that there are many people who need money. How would we get in touch with him?"


    "People of the same kind gather together in herds. When I used to solve drug cases, I trained an informant. He knows a lot of drug addicts. Perhaps there is someone who knows the agent within this group?"


    "You mean you¡¯re going undercover?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Yeah, undercover! I like to watch "Infernal Affairs"[2]. Being an undercover agent is so cool. Dongxue... No, team leader, could you satisfy my wish? Since it¡¯s only for this case and not the long term.¡±


    "But what if you encounter danger?"


    "It¡¯s not a drug gang or a triad group. It¡¯s just an insurance fraud case, so it won¡¯t be dangerous. Also, I¡¯ve practiced!¡± Xu Xiaodong showed some martial arts moves.


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself for a while. She finally realized that it wasn¡¯t easy being the team leader. She had to take responsibility for the decisions she made for the team. She weighed her options in her heart. The risk factor for going undercover in this case wasn¡¯t too high, and the time he would have to do so wasn¡¯t too long. More importantly, this was an opportunity toe into contact with the mastermind.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "Then, you should be very careful and take preventative measures."


    "Yeah! I¡¯m going undercover!" Xu Xiaodong raised his hands and cheered.


    Xu Xiaodong''s informant was actually his elementary school ssmate. He used to be a school tyrant and often bullied Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong would always make detours whenever he saw the bully. When he grew up, he got mixed up with triads. Xu Xiaodong became a policeman and arrested him personally during a criminal investigation and drug team co-op mission. After his release, when he saw Xu Xiaodong, he nodded his head and the rtionship between the cat and the mouse was reversed.


    Because this ssmate made a meritorious deed and reported some aplices. As a result, his boss said they¡¯d kill him when they were released, so he couldn¡¯t continue down his old path. Xu Xiaodong developed him as an informant out of pity.


    Xu Xiaodong found the informant called Ah Meng at the KTV where he worked. Ah Meng said with a smile, "Why is Brother Dong so free toe here today? Is there a mission? Have you eaten yet? I¡¯ll treat you!"


    "No thanks. I need to ask you something. Let''s find a quiet ce to talk."


    The two went to a private room and Xu Xiaodong exined the situation. Ah Meng scratched his head. "Insurance fraud gang? I haven¡¯t crossed paths with them."


    "Isn¡¯t there anyone who does this amongst your druggie friends?"


    "I¡¯m not friends with any drug addicts. Ever since I was arrestedst time, I havepletely changed my path and haven¡¯te into contact with people like that.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong sighed helplessly and took out some bank notes. Ah Meng smiled and reached for it. Xu Xiaodong retracted his hand and said, "You need to provide useful information before you can get a reward."


    Ah Meng sucked on his gums and said, "There is a man named Li Dechao who I hadn''t seen for a while. When he showed upter, I found that one of his eyes was covered with a gauze mat. He was carrying huge sums of money on him. He said he found a way to get rich and that he didn¡¯t need to worry about getting money for his drugs for at least five years... I can swear that the drugs he uses and I aren¡¯t rted at all.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong smiled in contempt. Informants were rarely clean. Even if the police were sent to be undercover, there were many that got addicted to drugs and stained their records. He put the money in the hands of Ah Meng. "How can I find him? Don''t hide things from me. I¡¯m not investigating you this time."


    "There is a drug party tonight he¡¯ll be at."


    "A gathering of people to take drugs?"


    "It has nothing to do with me! It really has nothing to do with me."


    Xu Xiaodong thought about it. He was going undercover this time, not to investigate the case as a policeman. He needed to be friends with this guy and set up intelligence. He¡¯d have to mix in with them. He might even have to take drugs.


    Ah Meng saw Xu Xiaodong¡¯s worrying thoughts, ¡°Is Brother Dong afraid of getting addicted?¡±


    "This kind of thing can destroy you if you touch it."


    "If you can trust me, I have an idea."


    Ah Meng left the private room and came back five minutester. He took out a straw and a packet of milk chips. He used a ss to crush the chips into a powder and handed the straw to Xu Xiaodong. "Try it!"


    Xu Xiaodong knew that this was a fake, so he took the straw and inhaled the powder. He coughed and tears came out. Xu Xiaodong couldn¡¯t help but say, "My esophagus is blocked. I need to change it to vitamin tablets next time.¡±


    1. The author wrote ¡°BOY¡± in English.


    2. Actual show. There¡¯s a trilogy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Affairs_(film_series)

 Chapter 119: Dine and Dash

    <h4>Chapter 119: Dine and Dash</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On Lin Dongxue¡¯s side, everyone went to visit the people present and racing with the boy on the day of his ¡°ident¡±.


    These young people were all from families who were once wealthy, but had lost all their wealth. Otherwise, they were from families where the parents had divorced. Everyone formed a group to warm themselves up[1]. Basically, none of them held honest jobs. They would just aimlessly pass their days. They often raced on empty roads with the cars they built out of second-hand parts.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi found the head of this small gang, Zhang Jinlei, the oldest boy of them all. When they found his ce of residence, he had just fallen asleep. He wasn¡¯t dressed properly and his hair was a mess when he answered the door. Lin Dongxue showed her badge to him. ¡°We¡¯vee to ask a few questions.¡±


    "Again? Why won¡¯t the questions end? Didn¡¯t I say so before? Little Lu died in an ident!¡±


    "Please cooperate with the investigation."


    Zhang Jinlei pouted impatiently. He scratched his neck with his long nails and the dirt on his skin fell down, causing Lin Dongxue to feel nauseated. Heughed, ¡°I haven¡¯t even eaten yet. If you treat me to a meal, I¡¯ll cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    Twenty minutester, the three sat in a nearby Chinese restaurant. Zhang Jinlei ordered a whole table of dishes. He gobbled it down as if he hadn¡¯t eaten in days. Lin Dongxue secretly wondered how a small body like that actually didn¡¯t gain any weight even though he was taking in so many calories.


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s three o''clock in the afternoon. Does this meal count as breakfast, lunch, or dinner to you?"


    "Haha, I¡¯m eating all three of them together!"


    "Can you tell us about the situation at the time in detail? Tell us where you guys were and what you guys were doing.¡±


    "You police can be really annoying!" Zhang Jinlei grabbed a rib with his hand and ate it with gusto.


    "Aiya. You¡¯ve already finished your meal. Can you tell us now?¡± Lin Dongxue knocked at the table and grumbled.


    "Beautiful sister, don''t kick up a fuss. I¡¯ll talk..." He said with his mouth stuffed with food. After finishing the ribs, he sucked his fingers clean before recounting, ¡°At seven o¡¯clock, we went to the Chinese Redbud Restaurant at Zhongqing Road to eat. We stayed there until sometime after nine o¡¯clock and went north towards Changqing Road. At eleven o¡¯clock, Little Lu was killed by a truck when he was at an intersection. We didn¡¯t go anywhere after that.¡±


    Chen Shi contradicted, "No, the ident urred at the intersection between Changqing Road and Jinqiao Street. It¡¯s to the south. You couldn¡¯t have been there since it was so far away.¡±


    "Oh shit uncle, nice one! Are you familiar with the roads?


    "Don''t change the subject. Where exactly did you guys go?¡±


    "We raced cars, so obviously our routes are a bit out of the way.¡±


    Zhang Jinlei¡¯s exnation seemed to be reasonable, but Chen Shi still noticed a trace of unnaturalness in his expression. Zhang Jinlei pulled out an e-cigarette and Chen Shi asked, "What is this?"


    "Really uncle? You don¡¯t even know what this is? It¡¯s a vape.¡±


    "You¡¯ve always smoked that?"


    "Yeah, I originally bought it to quit smoking. Later, I found it interesting, so I picked up the habit. I¡¯ve been ying with it for a few years. Why don¡¯t you buy one to try, uncle?" Zhang Jinlei exhaled a cloud of smoke in Chen Shi¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t pungent but it wasn¡¯t very pleasant to have it blown in the face either.


    "This e-cigarette looks very luxurious. How can you afford something like that?"


    "What do you mean? I can¡¯t use this just because I don¡¯t work?¡±


    "Let¡¯s change the topic. Did the deceased also smoke this?¡±


    "He smoked normal cigarettes... You don¡¯t need anything else from me, right? I¡¯ve told you everything that I know. Let me tell you now, you guys are working in vain. The death of Little Lu was purely an ident. There¡¯s nothing to find, so it¡¯ll just be a waste of us tax-payer¡¯s money!¡±


    "You¡¯re a tax-payer?" Lin Dongxue queried.


    ¡°I smoke and drink. Isn¡¯t that equal to paying taxes?¡±


    Chen Shi stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation. We¡¯ll take our leave now."


    "I won¡¯t see you off then." Zhang Jinlei continued to bury his head in the food.


    Lin Dongxue thought that Chen Shi was actually going to leave. However, when she went outside, Chen Shi pulled her back. They hid close to the wall by the entrance. Lin Dongxue asked, "You¡¯re using this trick again?"


    "It hasn¡¯t failed once!" Chen Shi smiled, took out his phone, and turned on the video function. He then poked the camera just past the wall so that they could monitor Zhang Jinlei''s every move.


    They saw Zhang Jinlei wipe his mouth a few times and then immediately take out his phone to make a call. He called four people consecutively and only briefly said a short sentence to each before hanging up. Chen Shi tried to read his lips. ¡°Police... Looking for me... Leak? Don¡¯t leak anything!¡±


    "You can read lips as well?"


    "When I was in school, I made a bet with a buddy of mine, so I ended up learning a little."


    "This kid is reporting to hispanions. There¡¯s indeed a problem!¡± Lin Dongxue wanted to call and inform the other police officers. However, after thinking about it, she decided that it would be faster to just send it to the task force¡¯s group chat. "Zhang Jinlei said they were eating a meal at Zhongqing Road around 7:00 that night. They left at 9:00, went to Changqing Road, and the ident urred at 11:00. He immediately reported to hispanions about the situation after our questioning. If the information is the exact same during your questioning, then there¡¯s a problem. Please respond upon receipt of this message.¡±


    The four police officers replied in turn, "Received!"


    Chen Shi stopped the video function on his phone and said, "We should go to the restaurant to expose their lies.¡±


    "Sounds good!"


    Two hourster, the two went to the Chinese Redbud Restaurant on Zhongqing Road and asked the boss if there were five young people driving cars that ate there on the evening of December 10th. The boss immediately nodded. "Yes, yes. They left a deep impression on me."


    Lin Dongxue questioned, "Why do you remember them so clearly? What did they do?"


    "What did they do?" The boss raised his volume. "Because of them, I lost all the money I made that day! They ordered a big table of food. After they finished half of it, they suddenly said that there was a dead mouse in the soup. They made me pay them for the mental damage I had caused them. They even smashed my chairs and teacups. My staff members are all white-eyed wolves[2]. They didn¡¯te and help even though we ran into a problem like that. They stood around as bystanders and even joked about the situation! I could only stand around like an idiot and apologize by making them exempt from the bill... The whole table of food cost about 700! Then, I thought about it and felt like they hade just to scam me. I heard from a few peers in the industry that they often do this kind of thing and then flee. Do you police handle things like this?¡±


    "We are currently investigating them."


    "That¡¯s great! You must catch these uncultured guys and punish them!¡± The boss said through gritted teeth.


    "When did they leave your restaurant?"


    "Around eight."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I was up to my head in rage and closed my doors to guests at around eight.¡±


    After leaving the restaurant, Chen Shi said, "He was indeed lying."


    "Why would they lie? Do they not want us to know about this?¡±


    "I don''t think so. In their consciousness, dining and dashing might not be a problem, so they told us about this restaurant without lying. They must be hiding something else.¡± Chen Shi stood at the door and looked at the passing vehicles. "The ce where the ident urred is on the south side of Changqing Road. The end point doesn¡¯t change. If I wanted to get there, I would have definitely taken Xinglian Road.¡±


    "We should make a trip over there now and see if there are any leads we can pick up on the way."


    The two drove the car and slowly rolled on the road. However, they couldn¡¯t find any clues in the daylight. It was almost six o''clock in the evening when Chen Shi asked, "Should we get off work now?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "I am the leader of the team. I have to lead by example. How can I get off work so early?"


    "I have a proposal. Let¡¯s go to the local police station nearby to see if there have been any vicious incidents that have happened recently.¡±


    "Alright!"


    1. So that they aren¡¯t lonely, they formed a group of people that understood each other¡¯s circumstances.


    2. Those who bite the hands that feed them. Also refers to people who mock and ridicule others while they¡¯re down. In this case, those people did both.

 Chapter 120: Peng Sijue Poisoned

    <h4>Chapter 120: Peng Sijue Poisoned</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they got to the police station in the area, the police officers took out all the files of cases that urred on December 10th. Chen Shi quickly looked through them until one of them caught his eye. He said, "At 9:00 pm on December 10th, a robbery urred at a luxury store on Xinglian Road.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "That¡¯s it!"


    The police officer said, "We suspect that a gangmitted this crime. The store was a mess and the total value of the items stolen reached 50,000 yuan.¡±[1]


    Chen Shi questioned, "That should be considered theft, why was it considered robbery?"


    "There was a clerk in the store who was sleeping there at the time. They were beaten by the robbers. They are still lying unconscious at the hospital... Captain Peng of the City Bureau personally came to perform the examination."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Peng must not know the time of the incident, or he would have told us."


    Chen Shi continued asking, "Have you locked onto some suspects?"


    The police officer responded, "No, there were originally several karaoke bars across the street. The police did surprise visits that night, so they all closed their doors early. As a result, the surveince monitors weren¡¯t turned on, so nothing was recorded... The gangsters seemed to be familiar with the road conditions there and avoided all the traffic cameras.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "We will take over this case."


    "Okay, we¡¯ll be troubling you then."


    It was gettingte, so Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe back to my ce for dinner? I have to make food for Tao Yueyue anyway. If you go home to eat, you¡¯d only eat instant noodles.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "I¡¯ll kindly ept your offer then... But you have to send me home afterwards!"


    Tao Yueyue was alone at home and her stomach had already started grumbling long ago. She ate some bread to try and fill the empty void that was her stomach. When the two arrived home, she was reading math books on the living room table. Lin Dongxue praised, "What a good girl, studying alone at home.¡±


    "I actually hoped to see her ying when I came home.¡± Chen Shi sighed. "Sorry I was sote ining home. I¡¯ll cook dinner now.¡±


    Tao Yueyue pouted. "When have youe home early?¡±


    While Chen Shi was busying himself in the kitchen, Lin Dongxue went over and talked with her. She asked, "What grade are you in now?"


    "The second grade."


    What she held in her hands were mathematic textbooks from the third grade that she bought from the used bookstore. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why are you studying math from the third grade?"


    "I have finished reading all the books for the second grade. Sister, do you know the answer to this question?"


    Lin Dongxue became dizzy when she read theplicated algebra and symbols in the book. Sheughed like an idiot, "Sister doesn¡¯t know."


    "Can stupid people be police officers too?"


    Lin Dongxue was not annoyed by the child''s straightforward[2] words and said, "Sister is truly a bit stupid. I¡¯ve always been bad at science. In every test, I could only barely pass... What do you want to do in the future?¡±


    Chen Shi finished making dinner and saw Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue happily chatting when he took the dishes out. Tao Yueyue was eager to recall the jokes she heard from other patients during her hospitalization.


    Chen Shi couldn''t believe his eyes. Was this the same little girl who usually talked in a mature manner without joking? Chen Shi put the dishes down and asked, "Do you like this police aunty?"


    "It¡¯s sister!" The two said in unison.


    "Okay, okay. Sister then... Wait, why am I called uncle then?! That¡¯s not fair.¡±


    "You¡¯re older than me anyway!¡± Lin Dongxue said, "Don¡¯t you normally talk to her?"


    Chen Shi said shyly, "What could we talk about? Let¡¯s eat!¡±


    Tao Yueyue looked at the table of in-fried broli,mb with scallion, and marinated cucumber and looked deted. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you not like the dishes made by uncle?"


    "There¡¯s no enthusiasm in them at all."


    "Brat, I make different dishes every day and prepare ingredients a day in advance. What do you mean I didn¡¯t put in enthusiasm?¡±


    "There¡¯s no enthusiasm! It¡¯s always the same taste!"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "Why don¡¯t I make something for you?"


    Chen Shi said, "Oh please. You can only make instant noodles."


    "Don¡¯t look down on me!" Lin Dongxue walked into the kitchen and was not familiar with Chen Shi''s kitchen. She asked from time to time, "Where is the oil?", "Which bottle is the soy sauce?"


    Listening to her, she seemed to be pan-frying something. From time to time, she was sshed by hot oil and yelped. Chen Shiughed while eating. "You¡¯re gonna be cooked before the dishes are.¡±


    "It''s done! It''s too perfect!" Lin Dongxue eximed excitedly.


    Lin Dongxue took her own dish out and Chen Shi looked at it before almostughing. Was that considered as cooking? She cut the ham sausage in the middle and bent it into a heart shape, enveloping a fried egg inside.


    Chen Shi said, "She won''t eat that. This little devil is really picky.¡±


    Tao Yueyue picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite. "It¡¯s delicious! It¡¯s 10,000 times better than Uncle Chen¡¯s cooking!¡±


    "You¡¯re just trying to deliberately make me mad, aren¡¯t ya?"


    "It¡¯s better than what you make!"


    The two red at each other across the table.


    Chen Shi felt thoroughly served. A woman¡¯s heart is truly unpredictable and little girls could be likened to alien creatures!


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "It was a mistake for me to ask you toe over. My authority as a guardian has been shattered. You shouldn¡¯te over next time.¡±


    "Oh I¡¯m definitely going toe!" Lin Dongxue smiled, then said to Tao Yueyue, "How about Ie over and cook for you whenever I¡¯m free?¡±


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue replied crisply.


    After eating, Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home. Lin Dongxue asked in the car, "You should honestly exin. Is Tao Yueyue your illegitimate daughter?"


    "Can you use your brain a little? If this child is my illegitimate daughter, then I would have been wild in my teens."


    "Weren¡¯t you though? It¡¯s written all over your file. You used to be a criminal in the past and was a frequent visitor at the detention center.¡±


    "Those are..." Chen Shi started but then stopped himself. He then rephrased, "I can¡¯t bear to look back on my past. A hero does not mention the past."[3]


    "I still don''t believe that a little hooligan like yourself changed so much to be your present self."


    "Didn¡¯t we agree that we wouldn¡¯t mention my past?¡±


    "That was just agreed upon when we first met. Now that we¡¯re both so familiar with each other, shouldn¡¯t you tell me about your experiences?¡±


    "The timing isn¡¯t right yet."


    "Stop trying to act all mysterious."


    "One day, when I finish this matter in my heart, I will tell you everything."


    "Fine, but I want to be the first one you tell!"


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from the bureau. She pressed the answer button and a rushed voice came over from the other side. ¡°Not good, our captain got into an ident.¡±


    "What? My brother, he..."


    "It¡¯s Captain Peng."


    The car which was originally going straight suddenly almost hit the pavement. Chen Shi immediately straightened the steering wheel.


    Lin Dongxue calmed the other person, "Don''t rush. Exin it slowly."


    The voice over the phone continued, "We came back after dinner and found that Captain Peng had fallen to the ground, seizing and clenching his jaws with a pale face. It seems like he was poisoned!¡±


    ¡°Is there a dangerous substance in theboratory?¡±


    "Yes, but they are usually locked away. I checked and there were no leaks."


    "We will be back soon."


    "No, he¡¯s already been taken to the hospital. He¡¯s gone to the Affiliated Hospital of the University of Medical Sciences."


    Without waiting for Lin Dongxue to instruct him, Chen Shi turned the steering wheel and headed straight to the hospital.


    The two rushed to the hospital. Peng Sijue was lying unconscious on the hospital bed and a doctor was checking his physical symptoms. Several police officers were guarding him by his side. Lin Dongxue asked, "Doctor, how is he?"


    "The blood test results haven¡¯te out yet, but he may have been poisoned."


    1. Around $7165 USD.


    2. The author actually used an expression that refers to children who says things when they don¡¯t understand tact or the fact that words can offend.


    3. Good people don¡¯t bring up the past.

 Chapter 121: Robbery

    <h4>Chapter 121: Robbery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "Is he going to die?"


    When everyone heard the word "die", everyone frowned nervously. This was a question they wanted to ask but dared not to.


    The doctor said, "Before we figure out the poison in him, we can¡¯t make a conclusion. However, his breathing is still stable, so it shouldn¡¯t be too big a problem.¡±


    A nurse came in and held a tray in their hand. The doctor said, "We need to first inject him with a detoxification serum and wait for the blood tests toe out before we discuss a detailed treatment."


    The doctor loaded the syringe and rolled up Peng Sijue¡¯s sleeves. As the doctor was about to inject him, Peng Sijue suddenly grabbed the doctor¡¯s hand as if he was a fake corpse[1]and said with difficulty, "Don''t... detoxify!"


    "Captain, are you awake?" everyone excitedly eximed.


    Peng Sijue¡¯s eyeballs kept moving, as if he was struggling to get rid of a nightmare. Under the anxious gazes of everyone, he finally opened his eyes and continued with difficulty, ¡°I did it myself.¡±


    "What?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Isoflurane... Wanted to test... Concentration..."


    "What do you mean?" everyone queried.


    Chen Shi straightened up and said, "I understand now. He inhaled isoflurane and used himself as a guinea pig to judge the concentration of the drug left in the blood the next day."


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she teared up, "Why didn¡¯t you inform me first?"


    Peng Sijue''s tongue slowly recovered. He said slowly, "You wouldn¡¯t have allowed it. Only this method can be used to find out whether the deceased inhaled additional anesthetic."


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after knowing of the false rm. The doctor said, ¡°Since it¡¯s isoflurane, then there shouldn¡¯t be negative side-effects. That was just a normal reaction to the drug.¡±


    Peng Sijuey there for the night. Lin Dongxue left two police officers to guard him. On the way home, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know whether tough or be angry. At the same time, she was also touched. In order to solve the case, Peng Sijue actuallymitted to his research to that extent.


    In the case meeting the morning after, Lin Dongxue mentioned this incident and everyone was astounded. They cast surprised but admiring gazes at the recently recovered Peng Sijue. He looked indifferent even though he was the object of everyone¡¯s attention.


    Then, Lin Dongxue talked about the robbery at 9:00pm on December 10th over at Xinglian Road. The officers who visited the little gang¡¯s members yesterday said, "The kids¡¯ responses were all the same. The recollection of events and the route they took were exactly the same.¡±


    "Yeah, it has been so long. I am afraid that there¡¯s no evidence left."


    "In fact, there is no need for evidence," Chen Shi said. "These kids all have poor character. We should iste them from each other and interrogate them. I think we can incriminate them within a day.¡±


    This was a sly idea that came close to crossing into the darkness. To interrogate without substantial evidence was easy to cross the line of illegal detention. Lin Dongxue was afraid to decide upon it immediately and asked, ¡°What are everyone¡¯s opinions on this?¡±


    The police officers all expressed their own stances. ¡°We can try it.¡±, "I think Brother Chen¡¯s idea is feasible.", "The question is: are we 100% sure that they were the ones who did it? If we make a mistake, we might incur awsuit.¡±


    Lin Dongxue took their opinions into consideration. "This group of people is practically nocturnal. Why don¡¯t we collect clues in the morning? If we find out that they did it, then we can interrogate them.¡±


    With that, everyone went out together to Xinglian Road to find clues. They went to the luxury store that was robbed and the boss weed them enthusiastically, "You guys came! Have you found the criminals behind the robbery?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge to the boss. "We are the criminal police. We have taken over the case. So, can you tell me everything that you know?"


    The boss said, "We installed an rm system in the store. When the incident happened, I received a notification on my mobile phone and immediately rushed over. The local police had arrived as well. The scene was a mess and the ss door was broken to pieces. The shelves were all pulled down. I lost goods worth about 200,000 yuan. The clerk, Little Wang, stayed in the store that night and had his head broken. Blood flowed all over the ground. He¡¯s still in aa at the hospital right now!¡±


    Lin Dongxue noticed that the amount of loss that the boss said was different from what the police said. Perhaps to get a higher insurance pay-out, they deliberately raised the value that they¡¯d lost.


    She did not care about this minor detail and said, "I noticed that this store has a rolling-gate installed. How did they get in?"


    "The lock was broken by them. The police said that they might have used a screwdriver or a hammer to force it open it. Ah yes, these brats even peed on the bags making the whole ce stink of urine.¡±


    "Was the urine sampled?"


    "Huh? No."


    "We¡¯ll take a look around."


    "Okay."


    The store had been restored to how it was before. Lin Dongxue walked towards the middle of the shelves and found that it disyed many LV bags. She couldn¡¯t understand luxury goods like this. The logo was printed all over the item as if to let the whole world know what the brand was. It wasn¡¯t elegant at all but they were so expensive.


    Lin Dongxue asked for Chen Shi¡¯s opinion, ¡°Should we try to find the missing items on second-hand markets?¡±


    Chen Shi asked the boss through one of the shelves. "What kinds of bags were lost?"


    The boss came over and pointed out a few items. Chen Shi questioned, "Were they all women¡¯s satchels?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "The designs are pretty old-fashioned or tacky. The robbers¡¯ aesthetics weren¡¯t that great.¡±


    The boss agreed, "Fortunately, they don¡¯t know what the good products are. My most expensive Speedy and Artsy have not been taken."


    Chen Shi nced and said, "Wow, it¡¯s pretty. It¡¯s a lot more beautiful than the typical LV bags.¡±


    "The Speedy style is simpler and is suited for young girls. A lot of popr celebrities use this one. Artsy is a ssic bohemian style. Luxurious but still down to earth. Sir, do you want to consider buying one for your girlfriend?¡± The boss took the opportunity to try and sell some goods.


    The things in the store were not marked with the price. This was a trick that these merchants used to prevent customers from turning away after looking at the price tag. Chen Shi asked, ¡°How much is it?¡±


    The boss said a price that made Chen Shi pull a face[2]. Chen Shi¡¯s coughed in embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t think it looks that good.¡± Lin Dongxueughed behind her hand.


    The boss said, "The goods are as good as your money¡¯s worth. We import genuine products here. This is the main store in Long''An City. There are more than a dozen branches around. It is absolutely genuine! Paying this price, you can use the same bags as a Hollywood star.¡±


    "Okay, okay, but I really can''t afford it!"


    The police officers who went to investigate down the street came back one after another and reported to Lin Dongxue. The people they questioned indeed reported that they were informed of the police inspections on the day, so the nightclubs and dance halls of this street closed early and their surveince cameras were not turned on.


    Upon hearing the news, the boss nced downwards. "Can you catch the criminals?"


    Chen Shi said with suspicion, "Do the police do regr inspections?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Definitely not. The police can¡¯t check them all at once either. Generally, the shops that were first investigated would inform the others in the same industry. What I¡¯m wondering about is who informed them of this information.¡±


    "Since the police were likely toe here for inspection, then why would they rob here? Wouldn¡¯t that be going against a storm? Ah yes, you should ask the local police if they organized for an inspection that day.¡±


    Lin Dongxue made a few phone calls and said, "No!"


    Chen Shi smiled and said, "I understand now. The news of the so-called police inspection was released by those brats!¡±


    1. An expression that the author has used to talk about movement after death.


    Even after death, the bacteria in the stomach and intestines are still active until they use up all potential food in the gut. As a byproduct of their metabolism they still produce gas just as they did when the body they were in was alive. But without the body¡¯s movement and peristalsis, the gas doesn¡¯t migrate down to the anus and released as farts as easily as in life, it can just build up and bloat the abdomen.


    If that happens, eventually there might be enough gas pressure to cause the body to move. It¡¯s unlikely that it ¡°sat up¡± all the way like a live person but in some circumstances there could be enough pressure to cause the body to appear as if it¡¯s trying to sit up. The movement then causes the esophagus to straighten out, thus releasing the gas and the body falls back down.


    As the gas is released it may cause a moaning sound in the same way that an inted balloon can make a sound if the air inside is suddenly released. It¡¯s really just a sort of huge, mega-burp.


    2. https://emojis.wiki/emoji-pics/messenger/grimacing-face-messenger.png

 Chapter 122: "The Great Punishment"

    <h4>Chapter 122: "The Great Punishment"</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The police officers immediately went to verify the matter, came back and reported, "There was a nightclub owner who said that he received a call that afternoon that told him that the police woulde tonight. He believed it, just in case."


    Lin Dongxue instructed, "Lao Zhang, can I trouble you to take a trip to the telmunicationspany and check if the four kids called the nightclub?"


    Seeing the progress of the case, the boss got very excited and praised, "The criminal police is truly something else. You guys take swift and driven actions! Not like the local police who are grass bags."[1]


    "Hey, don''t talk nonsense like that!" Chen Shi lectured. "I need to ask you something. Have you had any disputes before the robbery?¡±


    "I haven¡¯t. The satisfaction of the customersing to this store is very good. This robbery was the first time in five years since the store opened."


    "You said that this is the head office. What about the other branches?"


    "I don''t know about this. I can give you the contact information of the branches."


    Chen Shi wrote down the numbers and said to Lin Dongxue, "These children seem to be very sloppy but they are actually smarter than they seem. They like to trample on social order andmit little crimes to unt their rebellious attitudes."


    "Do you suspect that they were motivated to pick this store?"


    "Yes... There are so many branches. It¡¯ll be too slow to visit them one by one. We should just call and ask!¡±


    The two stood there and called around. The manager of one branch said that a girl tried to steal a handbag a month ago but was discovered by the clerk.


    Lin Dongxue sent the photo ID of Niu Mudan, the only girl in the group, to the manager. The manager responded, "Yes, it''s her! But her makeup back then was very heavy, like a ghost. The clothes were also smart."[2]


    "Thank you for your cooperation."


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue excitedly said, "Okay! I¡¯m 100% certain that they did this."


    The police immediately acted and woke up the four kids who were still sleeping in their houses and took them to the bureau. Under Chen Shi¡¯s suggestion, they did not immediately interrogate them. Instead, they left them isted for a while. Chen Shi said that when people were hungry, they had the worst judgment capabilities. Lin Dongxueughed, "You are a devil!"


    At noon, everyone ate ribs on rice in the office. The four children wailed in starvation in their respective interrogation rooms. "Are there no human rights? Let us out! We have to eat!"


    Chen Shi ignored them. "Leave them in there for a bit longer. We¡¯ll give them instant noodlester and they¡¯ll confess.¡±


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, Chen Shi really bought instant cup noodles and a jug of boiling water to an interrogation room. In front of the hungry, red-eyed Zhang Jinlei, he poured the water into the cup noodle and held the lid down with a clip. He then sat down, smiled and asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    "What do you think?!" Zhang Jinlei red at him.


    "As long as you confess, this bowl of noodles will be given to you."


    "Fuck your mum!"


    Lin Dongxue knocked on the table, "Pay attention to your position here."


    "Are you two a couple? You guys always appear together. Sister, you have a really good figure. Why don¡¯t you shoot AVs? You should have sex while wearing a police uniform. That would definitely be super exciting. I promise I¡¯d fuck ya.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she was about to stand up but Chen Shi stopped her and patted the back of her hand. Chen Shi shook her head gestured for her not to be impulsive.


    Chen Shi said, "At 9:00 pm on December 10th, what did you and your friends do?"


    "I was doing your mother."


    "I¡¯ll remind you then, the location was on Xinglian Road."


    "Yeah, I made your mother scream."


    Chen Shi revealed a sneer that indicated that he was angry. Then he stood up, picked up the noodles, and ced it in front of Zhang Jinlei. Zhang Jinlei faltered in fear, "What are you doing? What are you doing? The police are hitting people!"


    Chen Shi tipped the noodles in front of him, "I¡¯ll give you a rule now. Every time you say a dirty word, I will extend the interrogation by an hour per word. You just said four dirty words, so we will see you four hourster."


    As they were leaving the interrogation room, Zhang Jinlei yelled behind them, "Let me out! I want to sue you guys! I have to pee!"


    Lin Dongxue remarked, "I thought you were going to beat him up just then."


    Chen Shi said, "Why stop at hitting him? I really wanted to kill him, but for rebellious children like this, doing so would be counterproductive and would only arouse his rebellious feelings. It¡¯s better to cut him down slowly with a blunt knife."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "I¡¯m sure everyone would be happy to hear that!"


    Within these four hours, Niu Mudan couldn''t help but be the first one to confess. It really was done by them. Niu Mudan said they were led by Zhang Jinlei.


    Now they just needed to wait for this little leader to speak for himself.


    Four hours after their first contact, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue entered Zhang Jinlei¡¯s interrogation room again. Zhang Jinlei had no strength to struggle. His pants were also soiled because of his urgency. There was a smell of urine in the room. Lin Dongxue turned on the air conditioner and ventted the room. The air conditioning made Zhang Jinlei shiver. He straightened up and said, "Give me water."


    "Are you still going to talk back at us?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "No, no, I¡¯m begging you."


    Lin Dongxue poured a ss of water and handed it over. Zhang Jinlei greedily drank it all and gasped after a long time and said, "Motherfucker!"


    "Go and wait for another hour." Chen Shi said.


    "No, no, this word just then was a modal particle[3]. It wasn¡¯t directed towards you guys. I take it back, I take it back!¡± Zhang Jinlei was like a tamed hawk, and his ego and arrogance dissipated.


    Chen Shi said, "Talk about your carnival that night."


    "You mean the incident regarding dining and dashing? I admit to that, but it was just a few hundred yuan. If it¡¯s a big deal, I can pay the restaurant owner back.¡±


    "I¡¯ll say it since you won¡¯t!"


    Chen Shi recalled the case that night. After he finished, he picked up a call record obtained from the telmunicationspany. "This is the evidence that you called the nightclub and lied that there was a police inspection. You are smart, but not smart enough. You actually used a phone card that was registered with your ID."


    Zhang Jinlei clenched his jaw but didn¡¯t say a word.


    Lin Dongxue added, "Niu Mudan has already confessed and has pointed out that you were the ringleader behind it all.¡±


    "What!?" Zhang Jinlei raised his head fiercely. "That bitch, I waded through boiling water and stepped through fire for her[4], but she betrayed me?!"


    "So, you confess then?" Chen Shi said.


    "Confess to what?"


    "Your struggling and desperation is really ugly, you know? You¡¯re not cool at all. You are the leader of this little gang, but you¡¯re just like a little swindler ying witty word games here right now trying to talk your way out of it. Do you think they¡¯ll still follow you after you¡¯ve served your time?¡±


    "No, I have a mental illness. I¡¯m bipr. Sometimes, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done or what I¡¯ve said. For example, just now when I yelled at you guys, that wasn¡¯t me.¡± Zhang Jinlei began to y new tricks again.


    Lin Dongxue was so angry sheughed and looked at Chen Shi. Chen Shi said, "Bring the ''torture tool''!"


    "Okay, bring the ''torture tool''!"


    Zhang Jinlei struggled hysterically. "Fuck, how can the police tantly lynch people? I don¡¯t know if you will believe me, but I have a friend online whose cousin¡¯s girlfriend studiesw. I¡¯ll definitely sue you guys to death!¡±


    A few minutester, the "torture tool" was brought in. It was three bowls of fragrant pork rib rice, and three cups of iced c. Chen Shi put one of the sets on the table and ate it with Lin Dongxue. He said while eating, ¡°These ribs are delicious!"


    "Yeah! It¡¯s an old shop. I¡¯m not sure how many criminals¡¯ mouths they¡¯ve opened.¡±


    Zhang Jinlei sat in the interrogation chair, and his saliva flowed to the ground. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but be tempted by the ¡®torture tool¡¯ that tortured him. He said, "Give me a bite, I¡¯ll confess. I¡¯ll confess it all!¡±


    1. Useless. People use these bags to transport waste to incinerate.


    2. The author wrote ¡°smart¡± in English here.


    3. In case this isn¡¯t too clear, in linguistics, modal particles are always uninflected words, and are a type of grammatical particle. They are used to indicate how the speaker thinks that the content of the sentence rtes to the participants''mon knowledge or add mood to the meaning of the sentence.


    4. A lot of ¡°I¡¯d do anything for her¡± expressions.

 Chapter 123: Xu Xiaodong’s Suffering

    <h4>Chapter 123: Xu Xiaodong''s Suffering</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue put down their chopsticks and wiped their mouths. Chen Shi said, "Confess!"


    "Give me a bite first. I¡¯m so hungry, my stomach feels like a volcano has erupted inside of it." Zhang Jinlei said as he drooled.


    "Cut the crap. Talk first."


    "Just a bite."


    "I¡¯ll count to three. If you¡¯re not going to confess, then I won¡¯t give you another chance. One-"


    "I¡¯ll confess! I¡¯ll confess!"


    Zhang Jinlei said that his girlfriend, Niu Mudan, was looking at an LV bag in a luxury store a month ago. She was ready to steal it, but who knew that she would get caught by the clerk and have her body forcibly searched? She felt like she lost all face and said that she had to have that LV bag and it had to be from that store.


    At that time, Zhang Jinlei and Little Lu were both pursuing Niu Mudan. Or it could be said that Niu Mudan was ying around and leading the two guys on at the same time. Little Lu was a fairly cowardly person, but Zhang Jinlei admitted that he was ¡°a little handsome¡± and was a bit brainier since he¡¯d been to school before. Zhang Jinlei felt that he might lose that battle.


    Therefore, when Niu Mudan made that request, the two love rivals immediately tried to satisfy her desires. In addition, Zhang Jinlei always envied Little Lu¡¯s e-cigarette and took the opportunity to make a bet with him. If Zhang Jinlei got the bag first, Little Lu would have to hand over the e-cigarette.


    Little Lu could only think of one option. He went to find his old man who was addicted to gaming. On the evening of December 10th, he went to ask for money. His father told him that there was a New Year¡¯s event in the game, so he didn¡¯t have enough money for a while. He told him that he¡¯d have money after a while.


    Little Lu said that he needed the money urgently, but his father chided that he didn¡¯t even hold his own job. He said Little Lu would only be using the money to eat, drink or have fun again.


    Little Lu pulled the desktop away and threw it in the water downstairs in a fit of rage. He didn¡¯t expect his dad to chase him down and jump into the water to try and salvage the desktop instead of caring about his son¡¯s feelings.


    "It was truly wonderful!" Zhang Jinlei mocked.


    Little Lu didn¡¯t have a n but Zhang Jinlei did. He investigated for a few days and found that it was easiest to target the head office as there were some shady entertainment ces across from it. As long as he made some phone calls saying that the police wereing, they¡¯d shut their doors immediately. This way, he¡¯d get rid of all witnesses.


    That night, Zhang Jinlei took his buddies to eat and then went to Xinglian Road. The stores actually closed their doors as expected and the street was empty.


    A few people started to break the lock. They often conducted thefts like these so they didn¡¯t feel guilty at all. If they didn¡¯t do this, where would they get the money to go to KTVs and Inte cafes?


    After entering, several people began to madly take the products and push shelves down. They even peed on some and enjoyed the moment. Niu Mudan praised him as a good man and even kissed him. The kiss was seen by Little Lu, making him tremble with rage.


    They didn''t expect that the store would leave a clerk there. The clerk ran out and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve already called the police!¡±


    The big guy in their gang hit the clerk''s head with a rod and the clerk fell to the ground. Several boys began adding a few more hits. Niu Mudan was scared and cried that the big guy murdered someone. Zhang Jinlei responded that the clerk wasn¡¯t dead and had only fainted.


    Zhang Jinlei warned that the police woulde soon so they immediately fled.


    "The bags are still with Niu Mudan. She was originally nning to wait for the wind to pass[1] before she began using them. We didn''t expect you all to find out. I ept my defeat. Can I eat now?" Zhang Jinlei was salivating intensely.


    Chen Shi picked up the ribs on rice and c and ced it on the interrogation chair¡¯s built-in side table[2]. Zhang Jinlei had both his hands cuffed so it wasn¡¯t convenient to use chopsticks. Instead, he grabbed at the food with his hands greedily.


    Chen Shi asked, "Talk about that matter with the e-cigarette. Although you guys made a bet, Little Lu had an ident that night. It¡¯s reasonable to say that it shouldn¡¯t be with you.¡±


    Zhang Jinlei¡¯s mouth was full of food so his speech was muffled. "After the ident, the e-cigarette was indeed still with him, but that was meant to be mine. I couldn¡¯t just let the police take it away, so I took it. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, right?¡±


    "Compared to the stuff you robbed from the store, it does seem like nothing... At the time, did the e-cigarette leave Little Lu at all?"


    "No."


    "You need to think about it a bit more before you respond."


    "Ah, yes. When we robbed the store, we parked the car in a nearby courtyard. Little Lu¡¯s e-cigarette should have been in the car."


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi and whispered, "Could someone have added the isoflurane in the e-cigarette at the time?¡±


    "I wouldn¡¯t rule out this possibility... Ah, yes, Old Peng''s experiment has passed the twenty-four hour mark. Let''s go and ask."


    As the two were leaving, Zhang Jinlei yelled from behind. "Aren¡¯t you guys going to let me go? You can even put me in the detention center. It¡¯s such a terrible feeling being cuffed here!¡±


    Chen Shi responded, "Just wait here for a bit. There are still things we need to ask you."


    "Then give me another round of food. I¡¯m not full yet!"


    Chen Shi gave the leftovers from the two rib on rice sets to him. Zhang Jinlei opened the set that Lin Dongxue had eaten from and smiled in a wretched manner. "Hehe, the sister''s saliva is really fragrant."


    Lin Dongxue was disgusted and snatched her leftovers away before throwing it in the trash can outside the room.


    When they got to the forensics department, Peng Sijue still hadn¡¯t left work yet. After listening to Chen Shi''s report on the situation regarding the e-cigarette, Peng Sijue said, "That is entirely possible."


    "How was your experiment?"


    "I was just about to tell you guys. The dosemonly used in surgeries that I inhaledst night has mostly left my body. There are only 0.03 micrograms per milliliter of blood left in me, but we detected 0.4 micrograms per milliliter of blood in the dead body.¡±


    "A full 40 times!" Lin Dongxue eximed. Her genius arithmetic abilities won herself a contemptuous look from Peng Sijue.


    "It¡¯s 13.33 times," Peng Sijue said. "No matter how bad the metabolic ability of the deceased was, unless he didn¡¯t sweat, drink water or go to the bathroom for a full day, there wouldn¡¯t be such high traces of drug residue left on him... You mentioned an e-cigarette just then. Let me test it!¡±


    "Here!" Chen Shi pulled it out of his pocket.


    The two waited there while Peng Sijue personally went into battle[3]. After five minutes, he reported his findings. "There is a minor trace of isoflurane residue in it."


    Chen Shi said, "E- cigarettes repeatedly require top ups of the vored oil, so the drugs inside will be continuously diluted. The deceased must have inhaled a veryrge amount of isoflurane on the night of December 10th.


    "There would have been enough to make him unable to control his steering wheel or to cause him to sleep whilst driving."


    "Great!" Lin Dongxue was excited. The moment the truth was finally revealed was the happiest time for police. "Someone deliberately wanted to murder him!"


    Chen Shi said, "But how can we prove that this is rted to his mother¡¯s receipt of insurance pay-outs? His mom was out of town at the time, so there wasn¡¯t a way for her to act herself... In fact, we can think on the lines that the mastermind behind the scenes was the one to take action as a medium for his mom.¡±


    "That is, in order to prove that this is a case of insurance fraud, you still have to investigate from the source... I wonder how Xiaodong is doing."


    A police officer rushed in and said, "There is a person outside. His whole body is covered in blood. You all should hurry out and take a look.¡±


    Peng Sijue took a first-aid kit and went to the bureau¡¯s lobby with Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue. They saw a man with torn clothes with his body covered in blood. His left hand was pressed on his right hand desperately and his little finger was cut off.


    Lin Dongxue walked forward to investigate, when she was stopped by Chen Shi. Chen Shi squatted down and shook him, ¡°Hey man, what¡¯s wrong? Are you here to report a case?¡±


    The man opened his eyes and said, "Hurry and save Xiaodong..." Then, he fainted.


    1. When everything blew over.


    2. Something like this https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTzNTvgGCgnn8QWnf1TVyJYYkDQFGVgw_mh-IZ056-XYV9EaFBW


    3. Usually, when someone of a superior standing heads to battle/leads a war, it indicates importance or eagerness.

 Chapter 124: Start Your Performance

    <h4>Chapter 124: Start Your Performance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi woke the strange man up. "Wake up. What happened to Xu Xiaodong? Where is he?"


    The man regained consciousness and said with difficulty, "He... was caught as an undercover cop... We were drugged..."


    "Where is he?!"


    "I don''t know."


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to send the man to the hospital. Everyone else, including Peng Sijue, went out to search for him. The location that Xu Xiaodong sent when hest contacted them was a KTV. They used it as the central point and looked around the areas surrounding it.


    The police officers searched anxiously through the streets big or small. As time ticked away, Chen Shi called. "I¡¯ming over now."


    Lin Dongxue gave Chen Shi the address, then looked up to find a man across the street taking a photo of her with his phone before fleeing.


    Lin Dongxue felt that it was a bit suspicious, so she informed everyone through the radio, ¡°Are there people secretly taking photos of you guys?¡±


    "It seemed like someone just took a picture of me.¡±


    "Same here."


    "Me too."


    Almost everyone felt like they were being spied on. Lin Dongxue felt like she stepped into a trap. She was a little scared. This was the first time she was leading the task force. If something were to happen or if a colleague were to get hurt, how would she be able to face Lin Qiupu and everyone on her team?


    Someone eximed over the radio, "Found him! He¡¯s at a bus station!"


    In the waiting room of a bus station, passengers passed by a person sleeping on the chairs and snickered. "Is this a madman?", "Emo?", "Their style is way too strange."


    Xu Xiaodong was sleeping heavily on the seat but his appearance was a bit difficult to describe.


    Xu Xiaodong dreamed that he was standing on an isted ind in the sea. The noisy voices around him were transformed into the sound of surging sea tides. Someone in the sea suddenly called out his name. It seemed to be Little Li¡¯s voice.


    The dream put the external stimulus into the dream, and Little Li became a mermaid who kept calling him from the sea.


    The voice grew louder and louder until he finally woke up. Little Li was shaking him as he was still trying to regain consciousness. She cried with happiness when Xu Xiaodong woke up. ¡°How did ite to this?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong felt some numbness in his body. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the side-effects of the drugs or because of his sleeping position.


    He said, "I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    "Fine? Take a look at yourself!¡±


    Little Li took out her mobile phone and opened the front camera for him to use as a camera. Xu Xiaodong looked at himself and his eyes widened. His original handsome hair was shaved into a yin-yang head[1]. The left side of his head was bare and exposed.


    All the people passing by wereughing at him and Xu Xiaodong blushed in embarrassment.


    There was a crowd of footsteps that came over in session. Those who came didn¡¯t know what to say after seeing Xu Xiaodaong okay but with a new hairstyle.


    "It''s good that you¡¯re okay." Lin Dongxue breathed a long sigh of relief. The stone had finallynded on the ground[2]. "Let''s go back."


    Xu Xiaodong wailed, "My haircut is so disgusting right now. I have to go to the barber first.¡±


    Little Li wiped her tears and said, "I will apany you!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Okay, we¡¯ll meet up at the bureauter.¡±


    When everyone left, Xu Xiaodong saw Little Li with tears on her face and felt touched. "I just dreamed about you. You became a mermaid-"


    As they were heading back to the bureau, Lin Dongxue informed Chen Shi. "We¡¯ve found him, and nothing¡¯s happened. The gangsters only humiliated him a bit and gave him a yin-yang head. It¡¯s gettingte, so you should head home quickly. Tao Yueyue should be hungry by now.¡±


    "Then I¡¯ll withdraw first. Don¡¯t do too much overtime... That man is now at the Hospital Affiliated with the University of Medical Sciences. His little finger is gone but it¡¯s not too serious.¡±


    "Well, just head back home for now, and we¡¯ll reimburse you for the medical expensester."


    Xu Xiaodong came back with his full head shaved. He was thirsty and hungry. He started to talk about his experience after eating arge bowl of noodles.


    He had intended to sneak into the group of people whomitted insurance fraud, waiting for the opportunity to contact the mastermind. Upon the informant Ah Meng¡¯s suggestion, he got ready to participate in the drug party that night.


    "Don''t misunderstand, I didn¡¯t take drugs."


    Ah Meng thought of a trick using grinded vitamin tablets to pretend to be drugs. Xu Xiaodong thought that everything would go as nned but didn¡¯t expect to be caught on the spot. Ah Meng ran to him and warned, "Someone is here to give you trouble. Let¡¯s run for it!"


    So he and Ah Meng jumped out of the window to escape. Ah Meng fell on his foot and hurt it. Xu Xiaodong carried him away and the two fled into a safe house. Xu Xiaodong prepared to contact the bureau but found that the radio was lost on the way during his escape. His phone also ran out of battery.


    Ah Meng said that the gang was still outside and that they should wait until the next morning to run to the public security bureau, so they slept in the safe house that night.


    He didn¡¯t think that as soon as he woke up, his face would be covered with a handkerchief and chloroform. When he opened his eyes again, he was already at the bus station.


    Lin Dongxue said, "The man who reported the case with his finger cut was your informant?¡±


    "What? He had his finger cut? Is it serious?"


    "He had his pinky finger cut off. He¡¯s been taken to the hospital already.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong mmed on the table. "This brother is really loyal. If he didn''t report it in time, I would have no face tomorrow!" He pointed to his head.


    Peng Sijue said coldly, "You¡¯re still in the mood to make jokes? They only didn¡¯t do anything because you were a policeman. Since they could shave your hair, they could have cut your throat or injected you with drugs. This is not humiliation, it¡¯s a threat.¡±


    "They¡¯re publicly provoking the police!" Lin Dongxue said indignantly.


    Xu Xiaodong felt scared all of a sudden became pale.


    Peng Sijue left for a while, then came back with a pill and a straw. He said, ¡°Show us how you did it.¡±


    "There¡¯s no need for that, right?"


    "We need to see how you messed up."


    Xu Xiaodong understood, so he used a teacup to crush the tablet and grind it down. He said, ¡°At the time, I wrapped it in paper and put it in my pockets. When they took the drugs, they used cards to cut the white powder into strips. Ah Meng and I took this opportunity to get a drink, swapping the real and fake powders. Nobody found out though.¡±


    "Please start your performance." Lin Dongxue urged.


    Xu Xiaodong sucked the medicine powder into his nose with a straw, then rubbed his nose. Then, he made an expression like he was going to sneeze. He said to Little Li next to him, "Damn, these goods are the bomb!¡± Little Li covered her mouth andughed.


    "Not bad. How did you get exposed?" Lin Dongxue asked, "What happened after that?"


    "The guys continued sucking on some powder, so they were high like idiots. It would have been impossible for them to find out.¡±


    ¡°Would it be your informant who betrayed you?¡±


    "Impossible!" Xu Xiaodong rebutted loudly. "He¡¯s my ssmate. I have known him for many years. If he betrayed me, why would he get his finger cut then?"


    "Maybe it''s just part of the n!" spected Peng Sijue.


    There was a cry of resentment down the hallway, "Let me go out! Let me go!"


    Lin Dongxue was surprised, then pped her hand on her face with annoyance. "Damn, the kid named Zhang is still in the interrogation room!"


    1. Half his head was shaved bald. Half was left alone.


    2. Expression where the thing you¡¯re worrying about hasnded, so the thing that was pressing down (burdening) the heart has elevated away from their hearts.

 Chapter 125: A Triad from the Mom’s Womb

    <h4>Chapter 125: A Triad from the Mom¡¯s Womb</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    When Chen Shi returned home, it was already 9:00PM. Tao Yueyue was actually using theputer to watch "Yanqi Raiders" in the house, which made Chen Shi a bit overjoyed. This child was finally bing a bit more normal.


    He sat down and sighed. "It¡¯s so dangerous being a police officer. Just now, a gangster cruelly used a knife to... shave an officer¡¯s hair into a yin-yang head.¡±


    "What part of that is cruel?" Tao Yueyue scoffed.


    "Don''t be a police officer in the future, okay?"


    "It¡¯s so tiresome to be a police officer. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do it!¡±


    Chen Shi saw the lunch box on the table and said, "Did you order take-out? I told you-¡°


    "I know that before the door is opened, I have to shout ¡®Dad¡¯ a few times to let the stranger think that there is an adult at home.¡±


    "Good girl! What are you looking at?"


    "Sister Lin rmended this pce drama to me.¡±


    ¡°Children watching the maniption and fights in the pce?¡±


    "This show is positive! Very positive!"


    Chen Shi has not seen this TV series. The heroine was lecturing another person on the screen. It seemed that it wasn¡¯t a very positive show, so he expressed some doubt.


    However, he allowed her to continue watching her show since it was a good thing inparison to her usual state.


    Since the revenge n Tao Yueyue designedst time, he was constantly worried that this brat would be the future Hannibal.


    "Uncle Chen, help me buy me some famous literary books!"


    "Your attitude change is a bit sudden. Alright, I¡¯ll buy them for you tomorrow.¡±


    "Thank you!"


    Chen Shi did not bother Tao Yueyue anymore as she learned about pop culture influences. He carefully closed the door and went to the living room to send a message to Lin Dongxue. "After this amazing teacher''s home visit, Tao Yueyue''s interest in learning has dropped significantly and she is focused on watching a drama. Thank you very much.¡±


    After five minutes, Lin Dongxue replied, "Don''t mention it. I¡¯ve got to handle something. See you tomorrow morning."


    At the bureau, everyone was still discussing this matter. Lin Dongxue thought about how they all had their photos taken on their search for Xu Xiaodong. She spected that the other party deliberately used Xu Xiaodong as bait to gain intelligence on the people working at the bureau.


    This spection was affirmed by everyone and they agreed that the person they were facing could not be underestimated. They weren¡¯t just ordinary scammers. The scams they designed almost escaped police investigation. The n to lure out the task force was also very clever. This time, they were truly facing criminals with a high level of intelligence.


    Police officer Lao Zhang said, "How did they find out about Xu Xiaodong¡¯s identity? Could it be true that the informant betrayed him?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was still defending his buddy. "It¡¯s impossible. It has to be impossible. Ah Meng wouldn¡¯t sell me out like that."


    Peng Sijue said, "He fell onto the ground at the bureau. It seemed like an act to me. If he really wanted to inform the police, he could have just called it in.¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered, "There¡¯s monitoring at the door. We can look at it and see what he was like when he came in.¡±


    Everyone searched the surveince footage and saw a car passing by the front of the city bureau at a high speed. Suddenly, Ah Meng jumped out of the door and the car sped away again. The license te was blocked by mud and could not be seen clearly.


    Xu Xiaodong rejoiced. "I told you guys that he wouldn¡¯t betray me!¡±


    Everyone yed the footage over again and Peng Sijue pointed out some ws. "The gesture ofnding is face-down. From his actions, we can see that he was prepared for it. It seems that he jumped down by himself rather than getting pushed out.¡±


    "Maybe the other side forced him to jump."


    Police officer Zhangmented, "When the car passed through the door of the city bureau, the speed was very slow, as if afraid of him falling and getting hurt."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Let¡¯s go and ask him!¡±


    Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong and Xiao Li rushed to the hospital. When they entered the ward, the three men found Ah Meng hiding something. Lin Dongxue rushed over and grabbed it from under the pillow. It was a phone that was being connected. She immediately hung up and pressed, "Who are you informing?!"


    Ah Meng smiled and said, "Just letting my girlfriend know I¡¯m okay... Xiaodong, you¡¯re okay, right?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s trust in him had copsed after all these details. He said with a cold face, ¡°Did you betray me?¡±


    "No, why would I betray you? Look at my hand!"


    Lin Dongxue was calling the bureau to get them to search the number the phone was calling through to. The result came out immediately. The officer told Lin Dongxue, ¡°The person behind this number is called Yang Lan.¡±


    When she heard the name, Lin Dongxue¡¯s pupils shrank. This person finally appeared.


    Xu Xiaodong was trembling with anger. "We have known each other for so many years. You actually betrayed me!"


    Ah Meng¡¯s face immediately changed to a vicious one. "When we were young, I would beat you up until you had to find your teeth all over the ground, motherfucker. When you grew up, you became a police officer and I was caught by you. I had to act like your grandson or something. I¡¯ve been fucking holding it in for a long time now. What are you acting for? You¡¯re only acting like that because of the skin you¡¯re wearing.¡± [2]


    "Well, I¡¯ll take off thisyer of skin then. Let¡¯s go out and fight! If you can beat me, I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    "I¡¯ll hold you to it!"


    Lin Dongxue immediately put a stop to the argument and said, "I am the leader and I won¡¯t allow this fight! Xu Xiaodong, get out.¡±


    Ah Meng smiled, "Soft egg[3], you¡¯re taking orders from a woman. Xu Xiaodong, you¡¯ll be useless and cowardly for a lifetime!¡±


    A crisp sound suddenly shocked everyone in the room. Little Li couldn¡¯t listen to him any longer and had given him a p in the face. Ah Meng had a five-fingerprint imprint on his face. He turned his face back towards them slowly with anger.


    Little Li bit her lip. "I... I am willing to ept the punishment. I just couldn¡¯t bear to listen to it anymore."


    Lin Dongxue understood Little Li''s feelings being a woman herself. She said, "Control this guy first. Don¡¯t let him have any contact with the outside world."


    As he was being taken away, Ah Meng yelled, "Xu Xiaodong, you¡¯re amazing. You let the woman help you out, soft egg. Hahahaha!"


    Xu Xiaodong stood miserably and said, "I can''t believe my ssmate would betray me. I was so good to him when he was released from prison too.¡±


    Lin Dongxue patted his shoulder. "Don''t be sad, it''s not your fault."


    At 10 o''clock in the evening, the entire task force still hadn¡¯t left work. Lin Dongxue said, "Now that the lead is gone, how can we continue?"


    Someone suggested, "We should thoroughly investigate all the insurance fraud cases we have on hand. There should be a clue somewhere.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "I did this previously and the results were minimal... No, actually there was no effect at all. They had vested interests, so they weren¡¯t willing to give up the mastermind at any cost."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Although I¡¯ve failed as an undercover this time, I feel that the undercover trick can still be used again. They wouldn¡¯t think that we¡¯d send another one over.¡±


    "No!" denied Peng Sijue. "When we went to find you, the other party took pictures of all of our faces. We¡¯d get found out as soon as we send over an undercover cop."


    Little Li said, "Wait, there was someone who wasn¡¯t photographed, and he¡¯s not a policeman either.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong asked with confusion, "Who?"


    "Brother Chen!"


    "Right! This candidate is too suitable for this. Brother Chen''s resume is thick as a brick. He was practically destined to be a triad member from the moment he was in his mother¡¯s womb. The other party would definitely not doubt him.¡±


    Lin Dongxue immediately hit the table with her hands. "No, I don''t agree!"


    1. He was destined to walk the path of darkness before he was even born.


    2. The police uniform that he¡¯s wearing.


    3. A soft egg can¡¯t do anything to you. Weak and useless.

 Chapter 126: New Undercover Candidate

    <h4>Chapter 126: New Undercover Candidate</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Dongxue, why don''t you agree? Isn''t this a good idea?"


    "That is... I just don''t agree." Lin Dongxue hesitated. With the lesson learned from Xu Xiaodong''s example so fresh, she didn''t dare to take any more risks. Chen Shi was not a policeman. If he was caught, it wouldn¡¯t be as simple as shaving his head.


    Old Zhang said, "Sending an undercover person would yield thergest gain at the moment, but it also poses a great amount of risk. I think that Brother Chen is indeed a suitable candidate though. Shall we vote on it?¡±


    Five votes agreed, six votes opposed, and two others abstained.


    It was Peng Sijue and Lin Dongxue who abstained. Peng Sijue said, "This kind of voting is meaningless. The most important thing is his own wishes. He is not a policeman. We have no right to interfere with his choices."


    Lin Dongxue said anxiously, "With his personality, knowing that our case can''t be investigated, he will definitely go!"


    Peng Sijue looked at her. "Although I am as worried about his safety as you are, with his capabilities, he¡¯d be able to do it without a hitch."


    "His capabilities only involve solving cases. Going undercover is another thing!¡±


    "No, his strengths don''t stop there."


    "Do you know him or something?"


    "I do!"


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s voice was a bit loud, so it seemed like a quarrel. Old Zhang mediated, "Don''t argue. We¡¯ll tell Brother Chen tomorrow and then we can decide then. Little Lin, let¡¯s get off work for tonight.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded her head helplessly. She was unable to sleep that night and wanted to call Chen Shi many times. However, every time she dialed the number, she would immediately hang up.


    Finally, the next morning arrived and Chen Shi went to the city bureau at his usual time. When he saw Lin Dongxue, he smiled. "Yesterday, Tao Yueyue was watching the pce drama you rmended for the entire night. I am very pleased. Please continue to rmend these meaningless things in the future!¡±


    "Are you mocking me?"


    "No, I¡¯m praising you. Yueyue is too smart and fond of learning. She doesn¡¯t like to y at all. I¡¯m worried that it¡¯s a bit over the top... Did you not sleep well?¡±


    "I slept veryte. Oh, there is something we have to tell you."


    At the morning meeting, after listening to everyone''s words, Chen Shi said calmly, "I can pick up this task."


    Listening to his tone, there seemed to be a "but" behind it, so everyone waited anxiously.


    "But..." Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue. "You have to take care of my child for a few days."


    Everyone sighed with relief. "It¡¯s okay. We can take care of them!", "My family also has children, so my wife can take care of her."


    "No, no, I just need Lin Dongxue to take care of her."


    Lin Dongxue didn''t smile and said, "Are you sure you understand the situation?"


    Chen Shi nodded. "I understandpletely. The task force is waiting for the rice[1] and this task can only be done by me."


    "If there is any danger, you can voluntarily withdraw and even provide our information to protect yourself. Your safety is the first priority. Do you understand?" This was the measure that Lin Dongxue thought of after thinking about itst night.


    "Thank you for your concern. I¡¯ll remember it."


    Everyone agreed that after three days, Chen Shi would head over. During this time, Chen Shi would not go to the bureau, lest he be found to have been in contact with the police.


    Also, Ah Meng was the only person who knew that Chen Shi was a "policeman". He had to be strictly guarded and could not be allowed to inform others.


    Chen Shi was able to take a leisurely day off to prepare a table of dinner earlier on and pick up Tao Yueyue. After dinner, Tao Yueyue asked, "Where are the literary masterpieces that I wanted?"


    "I¡¯ve bought them. I¡¯ll give them to you.¡±


    Chen Shi took out a pile of books. Tao Yueyue looked at the titles. "So Young"[2], "Never Gone"[3], "I¡¯ll Wait for you in Memories"[4], "Love Under the Moon"[5]...


    Tao Yueyue said with disdain, "Literary masterpieces?"


    Chen Shi proudly responded, "They¡¯re contemporary literary ssics!"


    "Please. I want to participate in a writingpetition. How would these books help?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you say so then? I have the famous four in the house. Do you want to read them?¡±


    "I have already seen them and they are all useless. "Journey to the West"[6] is full of ws, "Water Margin" isn¡¯t an honest tale, "Three Kingdoms"[7] looks boring, and "Dream of the Red Chamber"[8] is like the intertwined tails of fox and dog. [9]


    "Don''t talk nonsense! You need to ask for forgiveness."


    "Take me to buy a book."


    Chen Shi looked at the time, "The bookstore shouldn¡¯t have closed yet, let''s hurry!"


    When they got to a nearby bookstore, Tao Yueyue browsed the books on the bookshelf. Chen Shi saw some new mystery novels on the other side. After reading the synopsis, he would go over to her and ask, "Found one?"


    He saw that Tao Yueyue was holding a book called "Special Childhood"[10] and couldn''t put it down. Chen Shi took another copy of the book from the shelf for himself and looked at the synopsis. He immediately took it from Tao Yueyue¡¯s hands and said, "Don''t read this. Your childhood is special enough as it is!"


    Tao Yueyue pouted unhappily.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to find a literary masterpiece?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. Those writers¡¯ writings are definitely not good.¡±


    "Be careful of the writersing over to beat you."


    "I am telling the truth."


    Tao Yueyue went to another shelf and took a few books. There were "One Hundred Tricks for Writing Techniques"[11], "How to Write a Proposition", "Let Junior High School Students Fall in Love with Writing". Upon seeing this, Chen Shi was a little surprised. "You were talking about these?"


    "These are very useful. The essay is written for the teacher and they¡¯re very stupid. They¡¯ll give you good marks if you just utilize these points."


    Chen Shi was amused by her old-fashioned outlook and said, "You make it sound so easy. I wonder how little face you¡¯d have if you don¡¯t win or get a prize. Okay, I¡¯ll buy them for you.¡±


    "I want that as well!" Tao Yueyue pointed out "Special Childhood" on the shelf again.


    "No. Go back and watch your pce drama."


    Tao Yueyue pulled a face at him.


    Taking arge bag of books out, Chen Shi took her to a fast food restaurant. Tao Yueyue asked for ice cream. The chocte sundae quickly conquered the stomach and heart of the little girl. She enjoyed it so much that her eyes became two crescents[12].


    Chen Shi said, "I have to travel for a bit. I¡¯ll be away for a few days.¡±


    "What about me?"


    "You will go to Sister Lin¡¯s house."


    Chen Shi guessed that she would probably cheer, but Tao Yueyue did not. She looked up from the ice cream and bit the stic spoon. "Going undercover?"


    Chen Shi was shocked and stared at her. This little devil is too smart!


    It turned out that she didn''t mean it like that. She continued on to say, "Am I going to go undercover? Do you want me to tell her you like her?¡±


    "No, no. You just need to stay there like a good girl."


    "How long will you be gone for?"


    "Do you want me to be gone for a long or short time?"


    Tao Yueyue smiled and replied, "What answer do you want to hear?"


    "Your honest feelings!"


    "Why don¡¯t you two just live together? I really like Sister Lin and I also like Uncle Chen. If you guys live together, it¡¯d be killing two birds with one stone. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be a light bulb. If you want to do things, I¡¯ll close my door and pretend I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and poked her head with her fingers. "What a cheeky little girl!"


    1. Waiting for the rice in order to eat their meal. As in, everything ispleted except for this one thing.


    2. Actual book. It talks about young people, regrets, etc. It¡¯s a very popr book.


    3. A romance novel of those from different backgrounds.


    4. Can¡¯t find the English name for this. It¡¯s a book about a touching and warm rtionship between a person and dog. Animals are the only things in this world who aren¡¯t selfish.


    5. A novel about love and how you can¡¯t change someone¡¯s heart or the changes in a rtionship.


    6. Popr ssic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West


    7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms


    8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber


    9. When you use the fur of a fox, if there isn¡¯t enough, they added a dog¡¯s fur into it. Meaning that the end was terribly added to an originally good thing.


    10. Can¡¯t find the English name for this. A story about the mother of the protagonist dying whilst giving birth. She was sent to his grandpa¡¯s residence, because her dad resented her for killing her mother. She was convinced she was a vampire because of her dad¡¯s treatment. This story was a highly-rated horror story back in 2009.


    11. I don¡¯t know if these are actual books or not, but you can just regard them as textbooks/reference books.


    12. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRzuFU5SAR89-ndv8aMZoP7JHi7gdQQ183RqWfeyKejbLgLGEVU

 Chapter 127: Breaking into the Group

    <h4>Chapter 127: Breaking into the Group</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Three dayster, Chen Shi was eating wontons in a dirty and messy restaurant near the bus station. The chair next to him made squeaking sounds. Two people wearing masks and sunsses were sitting in front of him when he looked up.


    "Want a bowl?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No." The voice of Lin Dongxue was heard under the mask. She deliberately dressed like a man today, wrapped in a thick down jacket. Her originally beautiful figure became bloated. "Ready?"


    "Everything is ready. Actually, you don''t have toe and see me off. It''s not an undercover task of ''three years and three years again.''[1] I will be back in two days."


    "Hey!" Hearing the word "undercover", Lin Dongxue looked around nervously. "Don''t talk about that."


    The other person was Peng Sijue. He pushed a needle over and said, "This is a perspiration inducer. If another person forces you to take drugs, immediately inject this in your body and then drink plenty of water."


    Chen Shi pushed it back. "Except for myself, I shouldn¡¯t take anything else with me or it¡¯ll be suspicious."


    "Well, remember to drink plenty of water, urinate a lot, and whether you are addicted or not, go to the drug rehabilitation center immediately after you return."


    "Rest assured. I have my own countermeasures."


    "Is the phone ready?"


    "Ready. I have the new sim card and I¡¯ve remembered your numbers... Old Peng, you¡¯re nagging quite a bit today."


    "Get back early and be careful!"


    Chen Shi nodded and turned to Lin Dongxue. "What about the little brat?"


    "She doesn¡¯t sleep in even on the weekends. She wakes up early in the morning to read. She¡¯s so easy to take care of.¡±


    "Don''t always indulge her to learn. Try to urge her to y more and watch more TV. You have to tell her that the second grade is not important. She can just study at the second half of her third year. She¡¯s so smart and serious that she¡¯ll be isted by her ssmates.¡±


    "I know!" Lin Dongxue wanted tough.


    Peng Sijue was ignorant of the situation and only sighed. "Is this the new educational method nowadays?¡±


    "No, this child is a special case... Time¡¯s ticking, I should go."


    "Take care!" Lin Dongxue and Peng Sijue said in unison.


    Leaving the breakfast shop, Chen Shi crossed the road to a building materials market. This was the only reliable information that Xu Xiaodong had found in his short time as an undercover officer. Every weekend, there would be some people who needed money urgently waiting here. The insurance fraud gang woulde and their secret code was "Friend, do you want to buy insurance?"


    Because it was near the bus station, this was the ce thatcked public security the most in the whole of Long¡¯An City. On the road, Chen Shi saw several sneaky young people, one of whom had been staring at a woman with a bag for a while.


    Although he knew that it was not appropriate to fight for justice at the present, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t suppress his heart of justice. He walked past the woman and remarked, ¡°Hey beautiful, nice handbag!¡±


    The woman looked at him with vignt eyes. Chen Shi whispered, "There are thieves behind you eyeing it up. Don''t put the bag behind you." Then, he walked off.


    In the corner of the building materials market, arge number of migrant workers were squatting down holding job-seeking cards. When people passed by, they would raise them up. Chen Shi whispered to one, "Friend, do you want to buy insurance?"


    "Of course not. I don''t even have money to eat breakfast. What insurance?"


    Chen Shi asked another one, "Friend, do you want to buy insurance?"


    "What insurance? Insurancepanies don''t sell policies to me. They say that I am in a high-risk job. Hey, the people in this city are really treacherous!"


    When he asked the sixth time, the man widened his eyes. "Are you sent by Brother Yang?" Then, a bunch of people sitting behind him came over and started talking over each other. "Big brother, my family is waiting on the money.", "Choose me! Choose me! I can''t even pay the interest to my loan-seekers and the debtor blocks the door every day.", "My daughter has been ill for a few years. I need the money for her surgery. Please!"


    Chen Shi did not expect to have so many petitors" and smiled distressed. "I also want to buy insurance, which allowed me to find this group."


    "Tch!" Everyone dispersed.


    Chen Shi was sitting in the middle of this group of people. A pack of cigarettes on his body was quickly finished. He learned that these people had no education and listened to rtives and friends from the countryside saying that they could sell their eyes or hands for hundreds or thousands. This meant they could get more than if they sold their kidneys[2]. That¡¯s why they came to this city to wait for the group of people.


    When ites to the prospect of getting money, everyone¡¯s face was full of joy talking about it. It was as if they didn¡¯t realize that the money was exchanged for their eyes or hands.


    One fellow said, "There was an individual in our vige that hurt his hand when he was using a chainsaw to cut a tree down and the handle broke. He wasn¡¯tpensated for it at all. If we¡¯re going to work and get hurt anyway, it¡¯s better to sell my hand and enjoy my money¡¯s worth!¡±


    Chen Shi said, "That is a lifetime disability."


    "I have a wife and children. One less hand isn¡¯t much.¡±


    "You know they¡¯re going to take at least half of the pay-out from you, right?¡±


    "Those people are at risk too. They have to earn some money too. If we don''t count on them and cut our hands off ourselves, we won¡¯t get any money." The mentality of these fellows was really amazing. He asked Chen Shi, "Young man, you are a young city man. Why are youing to sell a body part when you¡¯re so young?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I owe arge gambling debt and there is no ce for me to turn to anymore."


    "That¡¯s why sex, gambling and drugs are things you absolutely can¡¯t touch.¡± For the next half hour, Chen Shi patiently listened to the people talking about the dangers of gambling.


    A pick-up truck drove up and the crowd straightened their necks in anticipation. There were two people who jumped out of the truck. One of them was very thin wearing a leather jacket with a pale face as if he was sick. The other was a strong, bulky man wearing a big gold chain around his neck. The two figures were a stark contrast when ced next to one another.


    The thin man asked, "Friend, do you want to buy insurance?"


    Just like a chemical reaction, the crowd immediately rushed over."Big brother, my family is anxious for the money!", "Choose me! Choose me! My loan sharks are at my door every day and I can¡¯t even pay the interest off!¡±, "My daughter has been ill for a few years. I need the money for her operation!"


    ording to Xu Xiaodong, they only took ten people at a time every week.


    The thin man pointed at a few. "You!", "You!", "You!"


    The selected people were extremely happy as if they¡¯d won a schrship. They jumped onto the back of the truck. Seeing that the quota was about to be met, Chen Shi pushed through the crowd. He went up to the thin man and whispered, ¡°I am strong and healthy. My body and legs are in good shape. I can buy a few insurance policies without a problem.¡±


    The thin man¡¯s eyes sparkled and patted his shoulder. ¡°Get in the car!¡±


    On the way back, everyone sat in the cold wind and happily predicted how to spend their money after getting it. Chen Shi wore a smile on his face but his heart was sour.


    They were taken to the suburbs. In a field with no buildings around, another van was waiting for them. The thin man stopped the car and said to them, "Our location must be kept secret so excuse this treatment.¡±


    Then, a person jumped down from the van with ck bags in his hands. He put the bags over everyone¡¯s heads, tightened the bags and pushed them into the car.


    Every turn of the van, Chen Shi silently remembered it. He reced the directions with numbers, making it easy to remember. Listening to the sounds from the outside, the van seemed to be driving back to the city. It was to make people think that it was situated in the suburbs when it was in fact in the city.


    1. A line from Infernal Affairs. The show has been previously touched upon.


    2. These are transactions that happen in real life.

 Chapter 128: Sounding Them Out

    <h4>Chapter 128: Sounding Them Out</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Taking off the bag on his head, Chen Shi found himself in a building where all the windows were closed and the outside could not be seen.


    It seemed like they were standing in the reception area of apany. There was a female employee standing at the front desk and the thin man was bent down registering at the table. The man with the big gold chain looked at everyone with contempt and everyone was too nervous to move.


    "You,e with me!" The thin man picked a man who followed him into the hallway. The others stood there waiting.


    Half an hourter, the man came out. He had a thick file in his hand, but his expression was veryplicated. The thin man poked his head out of the corridor and pointed to Chen Shi. "You,e in!"


    The long corridor was narrow and covered in multiple colors. The doors on both sides were locked. There was a woman¡¯sughtering from behind a certain door. Chen Shi asked, "What is the name of this big brother?"


    The thin man ignored him.


    When they got to one particr door, the thin man halted and asked, "Did you bring your ID?"


    "I definitely did."


    "Go in!"


    Pushing the door in, an office could be seen. The entrance had a rest area with a sofa, a coffee table, and a potted nt. Further in was the office area. A man wearing a suit, tie, and gold-rimmed sses sat behind the desk and nodded at Chen Shi to sit down.


    "Give me your ID."


    Chen Shi took out his ID and the man in the suit searched for him in the system. Chen Shi was a bit surprised. This was a software simr to the police household registration system which could check the ID and the records with it.


    The ID naturally had no problems with it. The man in the suit turned his chair around again. "Let''s get to the point. How much do you want?¡±


    "Of course, the more the better."


    "I still need a number."


    "I owe a lot of gambling debts. At least 10 million."[1]


    The man in the suit smiled and shook his head. "Ordinary injury and disability insurance can''t get this amount unless it¡¯s life insurance. Do you have a trustworthy beneficiary?"


    "Are you asking me to die? If I¡¯m dead, what debt would I still have?"


    "If you really need 10 million, I have another service here, but I don¡¯t really rmend it. You can find people to buy life insurance and the beneficiary must be yourself. Then, we can operate.¡±


    "Can I get 10 million?"


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult. The amount is too high. The insurancepany will underwrite it and check it, so we need to repackage your identity along with the person the policy covers. The effective period is two years.¡±


    "I can''t wait!"


    "It seems that cooperation is not going to happen. Then, we can only try again next time.¡± The man in the suit stretched out a hand prepared to shake hands to say goodbye.


    "Actually, I have another purpose."


    The hand was retracted, crossed with the other hand, and ced on hisp. The man in the suit listened.


    "I want to join your group."


    "Why?"


    "For the sake of money! No matter what kind of insurance you buy, it¡¯s a transaction. I can¡¯t earn 10 million in the short term, and I also don¡¯t want to be disabled for the rest of my life. If I join you guys, I¡¯ll be able to earn this money easily.¡±


    "Sorry, we are notcking people."


    "You arecking! Verycking!"


    "Why do you say that?"


    "I noticed that the ents of these ''volunteers'' are all from Lujiaji and Shangmazhuang. There are dozens of counties and hundreds of viges around Long''An. It seems that your market expansion isn¡¯t too good."


    "Do you think this is a sales job? This line of work is not about the market. There are only a dozen insurancepanies here. If you im from one, you have to changepanies. The insurancepanies that can do these have already been used up."


    ¡°For those who sell their eyes or their hands, one earns more than 200,000 yuan? If your customer base was bigger, you could find more quality orders and do the big ones you just talked about.¡±


    "I don''t usually do that. I can only do it with 100% trustworthy people. This requires careful screening.¡±


    "Yes, so youck people."


    The man in the suit raised his eyebrows and revealed an expression of interest towards him. He touched his chin with his finger and smiled, "You wouldn¡¯t be a policeman, right?"


    "Do I look like one?"


    "Mr. Chen, I have been doing this for a long time. For me to be able to do it for so long, I relied on two magic weapons. Vignce and patience. Although you are talking about the sky[2], I can''t believe you immediately."


    "I hope that you can give me this opportunity. I really need the money. I also think about living the good life where I can y with women all the time and spend bills casually. I fucking saw through it. How much is conscience worth? You can only live a good life without it.¡±


    "I appreciate your thoughts, so let''s talkter. There are still many fellows waiting outside."


    "Where should I wait?"


    "Someone in the corridor will take you."


    Chen Shi reached out to shake his hand and asked, "I haven''t asked what I should call you?"


    "My surname is Yang."


    The thin man was not in the corridor. This time the muscle came over. Chen Shi went to him and said, "Mr. Yang called me..."


    The brawny pointed at himself with his thumb and widened his eyes. "My name is King Kong!"


    "Hello, my name is Chen Shi. Where are we going?"


    The brawny one pointed to himself again. "My name is King Kong!"


    ¡°Do you like to smashing things on the top of a skyscraper?¡±


    "My name is King Kong!"


    "Yes, I know that you¡¯re King Kong. Where are we going?"


    King Kong turned and led Chen Shi away. The building was moreplicated than he imagined. After a few turns, they came to another door. King Kong opened the door with a keychain and pushed Chen Shi in by the shoulder. Compared to his ginormous hand, Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder was like a stick.


    Chen Shi staggered into the room of less than 20 square meters. There was only one sink, a flush toilet, a mouldy bed ced on the ground, and a shelf with magazines. The room smelled of pungent urine and amine water.


    When Chen Shi turned back, he noticed that the corner of the room had a CCTV monitor installed. He questioned King Kong outside the door, "Hey, what is this supposed to mean? House arrest?"


    "My name is King Kong!"


    The door mmed shut. Chen Shi rushed to the door and banged on it. "Voice repeater, let me go!"


    Chen Shi couldn''t help but sit down on the bed. The bed was not only moldy, but also wet, which made him feel sick. He took out his mobile phone and saw that there was no signal and nowork.


    He picked up the magazines on the shelves. They turned out to be brochures from thatpany which had no reading value.


    The illustration on one page was a picture of an officedy. Her smiling face was covered by a suspicious white coagulum. Chen Shi studied it closely. It should be semen...


    Yes, there must have been other people here previously!


    On the wall, you could see a row of tallies carved out by nails. After engraving 20 ¡°zheng¡±[3] characters, there were frantic nail scratches on the wall. The corner of the other wall had some dark red stters which seemed to be blood.


    When he thought about the fate of thest man who was locked up in this room, he also felt panic for his fate...


    1. Around $1.4mil USD


    2. A lot of amazing things.


    3. In English, we use tallies to represent sets of five, but in Chinese, their tallies are five strokes making up this character. See ¡°usage notes¡± from the link https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A3

 Chapter 129: The Police’s Bottom Line

    <h4>Chapter 129: The Police¡¯s Bottom Line</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seven dayster, Lin Dongxue was anxiously cutting vegetables on the chopping board. When she identally cut her finger, she frowned and put her finger in her mouth to suck on it.


    There was no news of Chen Shi for seven days. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst-case scenario even though the people around her said that Chen Shi was smart and rational, so he should be fine. However, these imaginations still appeared in her nightly nightmares.


    The task force was now in a state ofplete stagnation. Of course, everyone wasn¡¯t idle. Everyone had other cases to follow.


    But everyone was worried about Chen Shi. Only Peng Sijue seemed to be calmer than anyone else. When someone couldn¡¯t help but want to find Chen Shi, Peng Sijue would sensibly discourage them. He said that if they were to search for him now, not only would his efforts be wasted, it would put Chen Shi in a dangerous situation.


    "Bastard, can''t you give us a call?" Lin Dongxue muttered to herself while her eyes stung.


    The dinner that couldn¡¯t be considered a luxurious one was finished. She took it out to the living room where Tao Yueyue was reading. Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t really control or constrain what she could or couldn¡¯t do. She was allowed to read while eating. Tao Yueyue raised her head and asked, "Where¡¯s Uncle Chen?"


    "He hasn''te back yet," Lin Dongxue said with a small smile.


    "Today, someone in the school was asking about him."


    "They asked you about him?"


    "No, they asked my ssmates about what he does for a living. My ssmates told me about itter."


    "What did your ssmate say?"


    "He is a driver. Everyone knows this... I never talked about how he helps the police. He doesn¡¯t allow me to talk about that.¡±


    "Did your ssmates say who inquired about Uncle Chen?"


    ¡°She said that it didn¡¯t look like a good person.¡± Tao Yueyue stared at Lin Dongxue. ¡°Sister, is Uncle Chen in some sort of trouble?¡±


    "He''s fine, you can rest assured! We are here!" Lin Dongxue touched her head. "Sister has something to do and has to go out. Can you stay at home like a good girl?¡±


    "I will go take a bathter."


    "Be careful, don''t get burned."


    Lin Dongxue quickly put on her clothes and went out. She called while walking. There were still a few people in the bureau who hadn¡¯t gotten off work yet. She said, "Don''t leave, I wille over immediately. It¡¯s about the insurance fraud case!¡±


    Everyone was anxiously waiting for her. When Lin Dongxue arrived, they couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Is there news from Brother Chen?"


    "No, Tao Yueyue said that there was a suspicious person that went to school to inquire about Chen Shi''s background."


    "The other party is investigating Chen Shi. It seems that Brother Chen might still be alive..."


    "Don''t talk nonsense! He must be alive!"


    "Is there a loophole in Chen Shi¡¯s identity?"


    "There shouldn¡¯t be any. When we first checked his background, we didn¡¯t think he was a good person either.¡±


    Peng Sijue, who waste, said, "The other party probably doesn¡¯t trust him at the moment. I¡¯m guessing that he is most likely under house arrest at the moment."


    Old Zhang said, "In terms of the positive side, at least it seems they have ns to absorb Chen Shi into their group."


    Lin Dongxue was concerned about another thing. "But what is his current situation? Being imprisoned? Was he kidnapped? Did they beat him? Or force him to do things?"


    "Everything is unknown..." Peng Sijue furrowed his brows. "If we can do something to make the gang trust Chen Shi faster, that would be nice.¡±


    Having said that, almost everyone thought about the same thing at the same time - Ah Meng!


    If they could use him... But how should they do it?


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly ran in, followed by Xiao Li. The two had gotten off work long ago. Xu Xiaodong apologized. "Sorry, I came over as soon as I received the call. What¡¯s the progress?¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Can you talk to your informant?"


    Twenty minutester, Xu Xiaodong and Ah Meng sat opposite each other at the detention center separated by metal bars. Xu Xiaodong was sitting up straight and his face looked sad. Ah Meng crossed his leg over and held a cigarette in his hand. He sneered, ¡°You¡¯vee to beg me, so you have to give off a face of someone pleading!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "As long as you promise, I¡¯ll let everything that happened in the past go. I can do anything for you!¡±


    "Will you kneel down for me?"


    "I can!"


    "Call me dad?¡±


    "I can!"


    ¡°Lick my asshole?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s cheek twitched, but he still said slowly, ¡°I can even die!¡±


    "Then go die right now. Pull the gun on yourself and die for me!"


    "Don¡¯t go too far!" Lin Dongxue said. "After this gang is destroyed, you will have no good fruit to eat[1]. We are now giving you the opportunity to correct your sins!"


    "I will agree if you sleep with me."


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she grit her teeth. Peng Sijue said, "It¡¯s a waste of time. Such a person, even if you were to convince him, he¡¯d just betray us with the flick of his head. If we try to get him to deceive the mastermind, it¡¯s the equivalent to helping with bringing Chen Shi¡¯s life to ruin.¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Everyone was thinking hard on whether there was another way around this.


    Peng Sijue said, "I have a way."


    Everyone looked at him at the same time, and Peng Sijue said, "But there is also a condition. Everyone, do not stop what I¡¯m about to do!¡±


    "As long as you don''t cross the police¡¯s bottom line..." Lin Dongxue warned.


    Peng Sijue raised his voice. "I will cross the bottom line. I hope you won''t stop it. I¡¯ll bear all the responsibility!"


    Lin Dongxue frowned. She measured in her heart. Nothing was more important than Chen Shi¡¯s safety. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll approve it. So I¡¯ll bear all the responsibility!¡±


    Peng Sijue slowly nodded. "Please take him to the interrogation room and cuff him."


    After a while, Peng Sijue walked into the interrogation room holding an opaque metal syringe in his hand. Ah Meng raised his chin in defiance. "Oh, cut the act already. What? You¡¯ll inject the poison in me and if I don¡¯t obey, you won¡¯t give me the antidote? It¡¯s just saline, right?! Haha, police won¡¯t dare to kill people. You guys are weak!¡±


    Peng Sijue tapped the syringe. "There¡¯s an unknown virus in here. It can be detected seven days after the infection, but it will spread throughout the entire body within forty-eight hours, showing initial symptoms. If you don¡¯t inject the antidote within forty-eight hours, you¡¯d only have a good month ahead of you... The premise is whether you can stand the pain within the month or not, or if you¡¯ll justmit suicide!¡±


    "Tch, I am sooooo scared! Come, give the shot uncle... Oh, it felt so great when you stabbed me!" During the conversation, Peng Sijue had already given him the injection.


    In the hearts of the people around, they thought that it was just normal saline. After all, if Peng Sijue really did this, it would not be as simple as losing his job. He¡¯d go to jail.


    Peng Sijue said with a nk expression, "Bring it in!"


    His subordinates brought in a cage with a white mouse. Peng Sijue took out the mouse and injected the remaining bit of the syringe¡¯s contents into the mouse. Then, he ced the mouse in front of Ah Meng. Under his gaze, the mouse suddenly twitched and then it¡¯s whole body seized incessantly before dying.


    Ah Meng¡¯s face went white like a piece of paper, "You... You were serious?!"


    Colleagues also began to shout in a panic. "Captain Peng, this is breaking thew!", "Quickly inject the detox serum! We can pretend this didn¡¯t happen!", "Do not be confused, Captain Peng! It¡¯s not worth it!"


    Peng Sijue turned around and looked very serious. "I said from the beginning that this time I will cross the police¡¯s bottom line. I never make jokes!"


    1. You won¡¯t have the hand that feeds you anymore.

 Chapter 130: Life Under House Arrest

    <h4>Chapter 130: Life Under House Arrest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    His colleagues desperately urged Peng Sijue to rectify his absurd actions, but he was silent. Lin Dongxue was shocked by Peng Sijue¡¯s determination and tears welled up in her eyes knowing what would be waiting for her and Peng Sijue after the case was over.


    However, she didn¡¯t regret it.


    Shemanded, "Quiet!"


    Everyone¡¯s voices suddenly stopped. Lin Dongxue said, "I approved Captain Peng¡¯s actions and I will bear the responsibility of it all."


    "Dongxue, you have to think clearly."


    "I¡¯ve thought about this very carefully. Only then...¡± She pointed to the person sitting in the interrogation chair, ¡°will this guy be useful to us!¡±


    Ah Meng stared at the dead mouse, shaking like a sieve being used. He said, ¡°Ruthless! You¡¯re really ruthless! I want to sue you all!¡±


    "If you think you can find awyer, file a case, find evidence, and finish the case within forty-eight hours, then please, go for it!¡± Peng Sijue wore a cold smirk on his lips.


    Ah Meng finally stopped being so arrogant and lowered his head. "I will cooperate with you then. Are Xiaodong¡¯sments about the write-off still valid?¡±


    "No, you have no chance anymore."


    "Please, government, give me the antidote. I will help you. If I tell Brother Yang that the guy named Chen is not a police officer, won¡¯t it be fine?"


    "You are not worthy of trust."


    "I¡¯m using my life as a guarantee."


    "Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s happening right now?"


    "No, I take my mother as guarantee. If I lie, my mother would get raped by 17 male dogs consecutively!"


    "What a filial son!"


    "Give me a chance! Give me a chance! I didn''t get to choose in the past, but now I want to be a good person!" Ah Meng said tearfully.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Give him a chance." He had already seen the human nature of Ah Meng. He wasn¡¯t siding with him right now, but he knew that someone had to sing a red face. [1]


    Lin Dongxue said, "If you can help us with this and it¡¯s useful to us, then you¡¯ll be let off lightly."


    "How lightly?"


    "Obstruction of justice with just three months of detention."


    This time, Ah Meng was so happy he cried. "Thank you, government. After I get out, I will wash my face and re-do my life. I¡¯ll cut off contact with those people!¡±


    "Let him go."


    Ah Meng cried as he fled. Looking at his back, Xu Xiaodong remembered how arrogant he acted when he was a child. He also thought about how frightened Ah Meng was the first time he was caught and how he blubbered about being a good person with a runny nose.


    Like a stone, people can''t change. Xu Xiaodong sighed.


    Lin Dongxue asked Peng Sijue, "What virus was that anyway?"


    Peng Sijue revealed a small smile and his subordinates replied, "It is the blood of a person. If it¡¯s injected into a mouse, blood clotting would ur, so of course it would die. However, it¡¯s fine for humans and it¡¯s the safest O-type blood as well!¡±


    Everyone was shocked andughed with relief. They praised, "Captain Peng, that was a godly trick!", "You made everyone so scared.", "I knew you wouldn¡¯t do that kind of thing!"


    Some people have also raised a question. "The forensicboratory is not a hospital. Where did the bloode from?¡±


    Peng Sijue rolled up his sleeves and revealed a fresh injection wound. "I have O-type blood. This trick is not my original idea. It was invented by an old friend. I was very scared at the time."


    "What friend? Was it your former partner, Song Lang?" asked Lao Zhang.


    "Yes, he taught me this trick. I didn''t expect that I would use this trick to save... Save others!"


    Chen Shi was very sweaty and would pant or moan from time to time. He was doing one-handed push-ups with his arms.


    He was doing 40 reps on each arm. Sweat the size of beans rolled off his bulging back muscles andnded on the floor.


    After he finished, he squatted down and took a breather. He looked up and saw the ¡°zheng¡± words on the wall he engraved using his nails. It had been seven days already. Those bastards left him in there day after day for whatever reason.


    The door rang loudly and Chen Shi immediately ran over. It was the thin man who was there to deliver his food. The food every day was a takeaway box you could buy with ten yuan outside.


    But Chen Shi was not waiting for the food, but for another thing. He said with a smile, "Slim brother, you¡¯vee again."


    "I can¡¯t deal with you!"


    "Come on, I¡¯m so bored I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    The thin man handed the boxed lunch through the door that was slightly ajar. He took out his phone. "Listen, there was a beautiful woman who took a taxi. Just as she got in the car, she let out a huge fart. She was very embarrassed. At the time, the driver said, ''Farts are just the cries of the undead souls of the food.'' The beautiful womanughed and her embarrassment dissipated. Then she said, ¡®Master, you¡¯ve very poetic!¡¯ The driver shook his head and said, ''But this fart was too big, I thought my tires were punctured!!!¡¯... Hahahaha!"


    Chen Shiughed andughed until he had a sore stomach. "I have heard of this one. Change to another one."


    "Oh, cut the crap. Why would youugh so happily if you¡¯ve heard it before?"


    "One more, one more."


    "Oh please. We¡¯ll say another one tomorrow!¡±


    The thin man closed the door and Chen Shi fell into a total boredom again. If he didn''t ask the thin man to give him a joke every day, he might have had a mental meltdown already.


    Chen Shi was a little annoyed. What the hell was going on? He picked up the food and threw it at the wall.


    He sat down against the wall and counted the rice grains on the wall. When the number went up to one hundred and forty, the door opened again. Chen Shi stood up and looked forward to it. Even if they came in to beat him up, it would be better than him collecting dust and mold there.


    It was the thin man again, so Chen Chi asked, ¡°Working overtime?¡±


    "Overtime my ass. Boss Yang told me to let you out. Put on your clothes!¡±


    "I didn¡¯t hear wrong, right?"


    "You didn¡¯t get it wrong. Come out already. Hurry."


    Chen Shi almost wanted to cheer. He quickly took a cold shower, dried his body, and put on his clothes before leaving with the thin man.


    This time, they didn¡¯t go to the office. Rather, he went into an elevator. King Kong stood there and nodded. "My name is King Kong."


    "I know already!" Chen Shi said irritably.


    The elevator began to go up. It turns out that Chen Shi had been staying underground. The thin man said, "King Kong used to be a special soldier in Southeast Asia. He was hit here by a bullet..." He pointed to his temple. "Now he can only say one sentence."


    "Were his other functions affected?"


    "It must have been affected. Singing, dissing others on the street, and making phone calls have all been affected."


    "My name is King Kong!!!"


    The thin man looked back at him and said, "Okay, okay. I¡¯ll take you thereter.¡±


    It seems that although King Kong could only say one sentence, it could express different meanings.


    "A few more jokes!" Chen Shi said.


    "No. You¡¯ve suffered these past few days, but Boss Yang trusts you now. We¡¯ll take you to a good ce to y!¡± The thin man turned around and put his arm around Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder before patting him.


    "Are there women there?"


    "Yes!" The thin man stretched his words and raised his eyebrows. "I promise you¡¯ll enjoy yourself!"


    Chen Shi secretly thought about his circumstances. He didn¡¯t do anything, so why did they suddenly trust him? Suddenly, he understood. They must have been seeking intelligence on him outside while he was under house arrest.


    1. Act like the good cop. Red face is the good one and white face is the bad one.

 Chapter 131: Money, Alcohol, Gold and Seduction

    <h4>Chapter 131: Money, Alcohol, Gold and Seduction</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    [1]


    It turns out that when they went above ground, they were actually somewhere in Long''an City.


    It waste at night at present. Chen Shi and the two other men entered a car. The road was full of lights and colorful bright signs. The feeling of being able to see the clear skies again was amazing.


    "...So, as long as you follow Brother Yang, your clothes and food would be abundant... Are you even listening to me?" The thin man nudged Chen Shi with his elbow.


    "Sorry, I was watching the night scenery."


    ¡°What''s so good about the night scene?¡±


    "Try being imprisoned for seven days then!"


    They got to a high-end clubhouse and the waiter led them into a private room. There were two rows of sofas and a table with lots of beer and snacks on the table. Brother Yang was wearing a red suit and sat right in the middle with a woman on each side of him wearing exposing clothes. His gold-rimmed sses reflected theser lights in the private room. The sofas were full of women surrounding Brother Yang as if it was a harem around a king.


    The thin man fiddled with his hands and smiled. "Brother Yang really knows how to pick ces. I¡¯ve long since wanted toe here.¡±


    "Come here!" Yang pointed to a seat on the sofa and the women in that area immediately removed themselves.


    "Okay!" The thin man had a smile stered on his face.


    "I¡¯m not talking to you!" He pointed to Chen Shi.


    After Chen Shi sat down, Yang said, "These past few days..."


    Chen Shi suddenly grabbed the lollies and popcorn on the table and started to eat. Then, he opened a bottle of beer and chugged it all down. He almost immediately burped. "Give me smokes! Give ¡®em here!"


    Yang smiled and took a cigar out from his pockets. "I like your straightforward character."


    Chen Shi was holding a woman and smoking a cigar. "If Brother Yang wanted to investigate me, you should have just told me. I suffered a lot these past few days.¡±


    "That was a test for you. It takes patience to be in this field. If you don''t even have that sort of patience, then I don''t think you would be suitable."


    "What do you think now?"


    "I like your experience very much, but you lied to me. You have no gambling debts."


    "Actually, I came because I wanted to make money. When I used to mix in with the dark society, I ate nice things and wore nice clothes. Later on, the boss fell and I was left with nothing. I could only be a driver, so I wanted toe and join you guys.¡±


    "How did youe to know about me?"


    Chen Shi took a few seconds to himself and thought of one of the safest answers. "I know Ah Meng!" Ah Meng was still being detained and should not be able to prove it.


    Yang smiled. "No wonder he strongly rmended you to me!"


    Chen Shi was a bit puzzled. Why did Ah Meng get released? And why would he rmend me? Did I gain trust because of that little traitor?


    After a moment of thinking, he came up with an answer. Lin Dongxue and the others were secretly helping using counter-countermeasures! Yes, it must be like this.


    Chen Shi smiled. "Coming out to the dark path really depends on yourwork!"


    "I like you very much. Rx tonight, thene work for me tomorrow." Yang took out a stack of banknotes, put it on the table, then got up and left.


    "Thank you, Brother Yang!" Chen Shi took it and pulled out a note before stuffing it into the cleavage of one of thedies. Thedy was so happy that sheughed happily. He put the rest of the stack into his clothes.


    Once Yang left, the thin man became active and energetic. He squirted champagne everywhere and thedies squealed like frightened chicks. King Kong buried his head in the double peaks of a big-breasted woman and repeatedly rubbed his head back and forth. The thin man picked the woman that was the most plump. He started to frisk and fondle her whilst trying to urge them to sing.


    "Come here! Let¡¯s y a game!"


    Chen Shi took the empty cups and pressed a banknote under each cup. He poured alcohol into the cups and said to thedies, "Drink a cup and take one. Take turns!"


    "I¡¯ming!", "I¡¯lle!"


    Thediespeted towards the cups.


    "You really know how to y, Uncle." The thin man said with a smile. "Do you take Ice?"


    "I haven''t touched that for many years."


    "But we¡¯re so happy tonight."


    "Fuck off. When I was dipping my head[2], you were still in your father''s pants! I¡¯ll show you..." Chen Shi rolled up his sleeves to show him the needle wounds left by the drugs. Although he didn¡¯t have any, the lights there were dim and the thin guy didn¡¯t carefully examine him.


    Chen Shi waved his hand. "I¡¯m old now. I won¡¯t touch it anymore. You have fun ying with it yourself!¡±


    The thin man smiled and vacated an area on the table and took out a packet of crystals from his pocket. When thedies saw, they cheered happily and enjoyed it with the thin man.


    King Kong was still washing his face with milk.[3]


    He was afraid it wouldn¡¯t be good to stay at that ce for long. Chen Shi took the thin man aside. He shouted over the music, ¡°We can only touch but not do thesedies?¡±


    "Go to the single room-"


    "I will go have some fun for a while. Brother, you take your time." Chen Shi patted his shoulder.


    The thin man waved his hand to say goodbye and continued taking Ice.


    There was a girl who didn¡¯t seem too experienced. She just witnessed someone taking drugs and was so afraid that she was shaking and shying away. Chen Shi took her arm and said, ¡°You can apany me!¡±


    The waiter brought Chen Shi to the single room. In fact, it was just a motel room. Chen Shi saw a TV and a channel box within a nce and got really excited.


    Thedy said a little nervously, "Big Brother, what are you ying?"


    "You should take a shower first."


    "You¡¯re noting? There is a bathtub inside..."


    "I want to watch TV. I haven''t watched anything in a while."


    Thedy deliberately pouted. "Is the TV better looking than I am?"


    "Why would you be better to look at than TV?"


    "Oh okay..." Thedy said with embarrassment. "Big brother, do you think I am ugly?"


    "Go to the shower!"


    Chen Shi turned on the TV, found a TV series, and enjoyed pop culture. It was nice for a change. Thedy urged in bed, "Big Brother, are you still noting over?" He didn¡¯t hear her at all.


    After watching a TV series, the snacks and drinks on the table were all eaten by him. Chen Shi was so tired that he couldn¡¯t think. He couldn¡¯t see the outside from here. When he looked at the TV selection programme, he found out that it was already the next morning.


    The youngdy on the bed had covered herself with the quilt and slept soundly.


    Someone knocked on the door outside. The thin man yelled from outside, "Uncle, you¡¯re too fierce. Let¡¯s go! Come on!¡±


    Chen Shi pretended to have just woken up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed right away.¡±


    "Hurry up. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs!"


    Chen Shi woke up thedy and the youngdy sat up in panic. "Sorry Big Brother, I fell asleep... So, do you still want to y?"


    "Nah, I¡¯m really tired after staying up all night.¡± Chen Shi gave her a hundred yuan. ¡°If someone asks, tell them that we did itst night.¡±


    Thedy smiled. "I understand! Men always want face... Give me another one!¡±


    Chen Shi gave her another one. Thedy said, "If they ask, I will say we did it twice."


    "I¡¯ll give you another one!"


    "Three times."


    When he gave her the seventh one, the youngdy said, "Seven times in a night? Big Brother was too fierce. Even my waist is out ofmission... How¡¯s that?¡±


    "You¡¯re really smart. I¡¯ll round up the number." Chen Shi gave her three more. Since it wasn¡¯t his own money, it didn¡¯t hurt giving it away.


    Chen Shi went downstairs to find the thin man and King Kong were eating breakfast. The thin man beckoned Chen Shi over. When he saw that Chen Shi looked a bit tired with a pair of dark circles, he smiled wretchedly. "Uncle, you need to pay attention to your body. Be careful that your body doesn¡¯t bepletely hollow.¡±


    "My nickname ¡®Cum Seven¡¯[4] isn¡¯t a joke, ya know?"


    "Seven times?" The thin man smiled and looked at King Kong. "King Kong and my prowess added up should total at least twenty times.¡±


    "My name is King Kong!"


    "Oh bullshit. You can say a hundred times and he can¡¯t prove it. Let me tell you, it¡¯s as hard as an iron bar under there after taking Ice. I took on three galsst night, but my trusty spear never dropped.¡±


    "You¡¯d take any woman?"


    "Yeah, Brother Yang has already paid for it. I was still wondering why you stupidly only wanted one?"


    "Fuck. If I knew, I should have experienced a threesome!¡±


    The thin manughed and Chen Shi wasughing as well, but there was a strong disgust in his heart. He thought to himself, Continue to hold and spend the money exchanged by other people''s lives. You can only party it up for a few more days anyway.


    1. It¡¯s an expression for those that party a lot. Think of someone that¡¯s sitting in a chair surrounded by girls, drinking wine with money just casually sprinkling over him. However it¡¯s said with a negative connotation.


    2. He¡¯s talking about the action of taking drugs. Can also be read as an expression regarding people who fall into the pits of addiction.


    3. Motorboating thedy.


    4. It directly tranted as ¡°Cum Seven Times Wolf¡±... Which seemed too chunky.

 Chapter 132: A Long Line to Catch a Big Fish

    <h4>Chapter 132: A Long Line to Catch a Big Fish</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After not sleeping for a whole night, Chen Shi rested his eyes a bit in the car. When the car stopped, he immediately woke up and asked, "Are we there?"


    "We haven''t arrived yet. We¡¯re just taking you to buy some clothes." The thin man said.


    "Buy clothes?"


    "Look at your clothes! You look like someone from the countryside with a little bit of a city feel. We¡¯ll take you to pick out new outfits. King Kong, you need to look after the car!"


    "My name is King Kong!!"


    The two went to a chain clothing store in the city. As they were trying on clothes, the thin man said, "Brother Yang is like this. He has to investigate neers. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    "I did originally. But afterst night, I hope he¡¯ll shut me away for another seven days.¡±


    "Haha, you are so funny! To be honest, I¡¯m really happy you joined. I finally have someone to talk to.¡±


    "Huh? This gang only has four people?¡±


    "No, there are still many people."


    "Lil¡¯ Bro, what tasks will Brother Yang give me today? Can you disclose the questions in advance?"


    The thin man replied with a low voice, "The first task is usually getting you to beat someone up!"


    ¡°Beat someone?"


    "There¡¯ll be someone who¡¯ll monitor you. You have to keep beating them without holding back... But, you shouldn¡¯t have a problem with that Uncle, since you¡¯ve beat up countless people.¡±


    "Besides being afraid of killing someone, I don¡¯t really worry about anything else.¡±


    "Can''t kill, don''t kill directly... We sell insurance. We¡¯re not triads, remember?"


    "Understood! What about after that test?"


    "They¡¯ll get you to kill people. Of course, it¡¯s not like you guys who hacked at people directly with a knife. You have to be clever.¡±


    "Be more specific!"


    "Brother Yang currently has a list in his hand. The insured person is going to die in a car ident. I¡¯m guessing he will let you do this. If the beneficiary can''t get the five million insurance pay-out, you¡¯re out."


    "The meaning of ¡®out¡¯ is...?"


    "To make you get lost! I¡¯m telling you now, Brother Yang might continue to imprison you if you fail because he¡¯s afraid you¡¯ll blurt out everything to others."


    As soon as he thought of the seven-day imprisonment, Chen Shi felt a lingering feare across him. The thin man said, "Once you¡¯re done, we¡¯ll take you to see the boss."


    "Brother Yang is not the boss?"


    "He¡¯s just the middle guy. The boss is... You¡¯ll know when you see them!"


    Chen Shi nodded. "Thank you for telling me."


    "No worries. I still hope that you can stay, so that I can have someone to talk to in the future.¡±


    "Then...What skill is needed to create a car ident?"


    "There is no skill. You just cut the brake line. You have to cut it a certain way though. I can teach youter on."


    Chen Shi patted him. "I¡¯ll treat you to a meal once everything is over.¡±


    "That¡¯s not enough, right?¡± The thin man raised his voice.


    "Okay, okay. When I earn the first bit of money, I¡¯ll take you to y at the ce fromst night!"


    "Okay, I wish you sess!"


    The thin man looked up before suddenly letting out a cat-calling whistle and saying to Chen Shi, "Woah, that girl is hot!"


    Chen Shi looked over and his smile disappeared. Lin Dongxue was taking Tao Yueyue to look at winter clothes. When she heard someone blowing a whistle, she looked over and her line of sight settled directly at Chen Shi. At that moment, her eyes showed shock and happiness.


    Chen Shi shook his head slightly, indicating that she should not say anything, pointed to Tao Yueyue, and made a gesture of walking away.


    He did not want to do this, but considering the various uncertainties, this was a godsend opportunity to pass on intelligence. He said to the thin man, "Go and try to pick her up!"


    "Forget it. She has a kid with her!"


    "The child went into the fitting room. It¡¯s a good opportunity."


    The thin manbed his hair back with his hand and said, "What do you think about my state today?"


    "Too handsome!"


    "Wish me sess!"


    The thin man walked over to Lin Dongxue. Chen Shi used this opportunity to quickly slip away. Tao Yueyue was waiting for him in the fitting room and quietly pushed open a slit to reveal her eyes.


    Chen Shi went into the fitting room and kneeled down and made a ¡®shh¡¯ gesture. "Don''t ask anything. Sister Lin will tell you everything. Remember every word I¡¯m about to say in your mind.¡±


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    "You need to tell her that Jianfu Road No. 49 is the location of the bad guys. Don''t worry about closing the. There may be more on the line. Stay low and wait for me to inform you guys. The bad guys have a five million life insurance policy which should havee into effect recently. They told me to create a car ident to kill the insured. Ask Sister Lin to think of a way. After the preparations areplete, set off fireworks at the Quansheng Building... Can you remember all that?¡±


    "I¡¯ve remembered."


    "What a good girl!" Chen Shi smiled and touched her head.


    The door of the fitting room was not closed, so when an uncle opened the door and saw this scene, he showed a look of disgust.


    Chen Shi snapped. "What are you looking at? I am helping my daughter to button her clothes."


    The nosy uncle went away and Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ll leave now."


    Tao Yueyue was reluctant to see him leave and hugged him. "Uncle Chen,e back soon. Sister Lin''s meals are really bad, but I can''t bear to expose her."


    "I will try my best toe back soon."


    Chen Shi got outside and heard some quarrelling noises, only to see the thin man had fallen to the ground, bent like a big prawn, and holding his crotch with his hands. Lin Dongxue put her hands on her waist with a look of disdain. Then, she saw Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi made a gesture for her to let him go. Lin Dongxue nodded slightly and mouthed, "Take care" with her lips.


    Chen Shi went over to support the thin man and asked, "What happened? I went to try some clothes. How did you fall?"


    "Don''t remind me. That girl has practiced. She took me down in one swoop... My balls almost exploded!¡± He looked down to check.


    "Haha, you¡¯ve suffered. What did you say to her?"


    "I didn''t say much. I just praised her nice figure. I can¡¯t believe she got angry just because of that! She¡¯s simply a tigress!¡±


    After shopping, they drove to Jianfu Road. Their den was hidden under a run-down building that the developers left half-built. Chen Shi went into Yang¡¯s office. Yang smiled and asked, ¡°How wasst night?¡±


    "It was amazing!" Chen Shiughed.


    "It''s time to work today."


    "Tell me what I have to do."


    Brother Yang took out a key and opened the bottom drawer of the desk. Chen Shi noticed that there were a lot of documents inside. Yang took out a photo ced at the top and handed it into Chen Shi¡¯s hand. ¡°Go to Shihouzi Road at eight o¡¯clock tonight and beat this person up.¡±


    ¡°Are there any technical requirements?¡±


    "You can do as you see fit. As long as you don¡¯t kill him, it¡¯s fine. It needs to be severe enough that he can¡¯t go to work.¡±


    "Small case!" Chen Shi put the photo away. "What should I do during the day?"


    "The rooms along the corridor have numbers on them. Number 004 is yours. You can sleep in it to kill time and set offter at night.¡± Yang took out a bunch of keys and handed it over to Chen Shi.


    As he was leaving, Chen Shi asked, "Brother Yang, you still don''t trust me?"


    "Patience and caution, remember? The two important factors in this field!" Yang smiled.


    When he got to his own room, Chen Shi found that there was a bed, a fridge and a TV inside. The bookshelf was full of boring marketing brochures. He took out his mobile phone and looked at it. He still had no signal. Hey down, put his hands behind his head, and quickly fell asleep.


    When he woke up, the thin man greeted him to a meal. In addition to King Kong, there was the front deskdy and several other new faces. They were probably all people in the gang. The thin man gave introductions and Chen Shi just smiled but didn''t bother to remember their names.


    The thin man patted Chen Shi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°This Uncle Chen is a big figure. He used to mix in with the dark society. Now, he is learning to be low-key and will sell insurance.¡±


    Everyoneughed aloud.


    Chen Shi said, "Please take care of me, everyone. I¡¯ll first take a cup in respect.¡±[1]


    The thin man pressed the cup down by hand. "You can''t drink alcohol tonight. You still have a mission!"


    "Ah yes. I forgot."


    1. Drink a cup of alcohol/shot/whatever is avable as a show of respect.

 Chapter 133: Obtaining Trust

    <h4>Chapter 133: Obtaining Trust</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After eating, the thin man took Chen Shi up an elevator. When they got to the surface, it was already quite dark, and there were fireworks scaling the skies out in the distance.


    The thin man snorted. "It¡¯s not the New Year or a special holiday. Why are they setting off fireworks?"


    "Maybe someone is holding a celebration!" Chen Shi looked at the direction of the fireworks. Yes, it¡¯s indeed the direction of Quansheng Building.


    "The rich are just arrogant!" The thin man said with disdain.


    When they got outside, Chen Shi saw a young couple on the opposite side of the road. There was also a pancake stall close by which had an uncle next to it, smiling as he greeted customers. These were all police officers from the bureau that Lin Dongxue had transferred over from other teams for this mission.


    He felt at ease upon seeing his ownrades. So long as he shouted right now, everyone would flock in and arrest the gang.


    But it wasn¡¯t the right time. If they couldn¡¯t catch the higher-ups and the mastermind behind it all, even if they break apart their den now, it would soon re-form. If that were the case, it would be even more difficult to do anything about them at that time.


    The two got in the car and spent an hour driving over to Shihouzi Road. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±


    "I¡¯ll wait for you to eat supper!" The thin man took out a flute[1] and prepared to rx and enjoy himself while he waited.


    Chen Shi often came to this road for supper, so he was a bit worried about bumping into acquaintances. He popped his coat cor up and walked around the street holding the photo in his hand andparing it to all the people he passed by.


    A man came out of a small bar and couldn¡¯t walk in a straight line. It seemed like he had one too many.


    That''s right! It''s him!


    Chen Shi was in a dilemma. He didn''t want to hurt others, so he hesitated for a few seconds on the spot before he walked over to the man. He rounded his arm and suddenly hit the man in the face, forcing the man to spin twice upon impact.


    The man immediately sobered up and instinctively was a little nervous. After looking at Chen Shi properly, he asked, ¡°Do you sell insurance?¡±


    "Brother Yang asked me toe."


    "Please beat me up realistically or the insurancepany won¡¯t ept the im."


    It turned out that he was the beneficiary of his policy!


    Chen Shi suddenly had his psychological burdens relieved and instructed, ¡°Big Brother, lie down and hold your head with your hands. Hold your breath.¡±


    The man smiled and pointed at Chen Shi. "A professional!"


    The man did as instructed and Chen Shi said, "Let me know if you can¡¯t stand it anymore."


    The man nodded and wore an expression as if he¡¯d already epted his fate.


    Chen Shi began to kick and punch the man. The man clenched his teeth and groaned at every impact he felt while still holding his breath. asionally, a witness would see them and run away in fear. Chen Shi judged from his "foot" feeling that he had already broken a few ribs. As such, Chen Shi stopped beating the man further.


    "Com... Comfortable!" The man said with slurred speech.


    "Let¡¯s cooperate again if there¡¯s an opportunity in the future! Bye-bye."


    Worried that a local police officer woulde, Chen Shi ran away. When he returned to the car, the thin man happened to be smoking. He was spread out on the seat and was drooling at the corner of his mouth. Shocked, he asked, "So fast?"


    "It¡¯s just beating someone. You sit on the passenger seat. I¡¯ll drive.¡±


    The two exchanged seats and the thin man passed the flute over. "Want a puff?"


    "Driving!" Chen Shi saw a few suspicious men from the rear-view mirror and asked the thin man, "Were those people monitoring me?"


    The thin man was a bit out of it but he still responded. "Yes."


    "Were you monitoring me too?"


    "Yes. It''s not that Brother Yang doesn''t trust you, it¡¯s just how the process goes."


    When they got back to the den, Brother Yang wasn¡¯t there anymore since it was night-time. Chen Shi could only go back to his room and watch some TV. They didn¡¯t have a TV-box installed, so he could only watch a few cable channels that were avable to him.


    This boring sort of lifested for two days. On this day, Yang called Chen Shi to the office and held a document in his hand. He smiled and said, "You¡¯re indeed a professional. You hit him so ruthlessly but you didn¡¯t hurt any of his important organs. The customer sessfully got 100,000 yuan in ims."


    "Only 100,000?"


    "After all themission, there¡¯s only 50,000. People who gamble aren¡¯t good at much. Let¡¯s not talk about this further. This is your next mission. Have a look.¡±


    Chen Shi took the contract that was handed over to him. It was a life insurance policy that covered idents. The policy insured the husband and the beneficiary was the wife. Of course, the husband¡¯s signature was present, though most likely forged. The amount insured was five million. This was the case that the thin man had disclosed in advance.


    In addition, there were photos of the insured - Sneak shots from various angles.


    Chen Shi asked, "I need this man to die?"


    "Death by an ident."


    "That''s very simple then. We can just make him hold a towel and push him downstairs.¡±


    "The extra proposition I¡¯m giving you is to make him die in a car ident. It is a necessary course for every salesperson here. xx (thin man)[2] is a veteran. You can ask him about it."


    "There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m quite familiar with cars. I just need to remove the brake pads.¡±


    "You can¡¯t just remove it or it will be discovered."


    "Rece the original with old brake pads?"


    "Smart! You can use this trick, but you need to control the process well. You need to make sure he¡¯s dead... You show promise and I¡¯m very optimistic about you and your abilities. You should go ahead and prepare. There¡¯s a Fuyuan car dealership on Guang''an Road that I opened up. Just say my name and you¡¯ll be able to get all the tools you need there.¡±


    "Is the thin man noting with me?"


    "That bastard smoked crystal methst night. He¡¯s still quite dead at the moment. I told him not to touch that stuff, but he won¡¯t listen... You can y with women but you shouldn¡¯t y with drugs. Don¡¯t let him bring you on his path. I don¡¯t want the whole team to be drug addicts. That would cause troubles in the future. I¡¯ll get rid of xx[3] soon!¡± There was a ruthless glint within Yang¡¯s eyes.


    "I won''t touch it."


    "Good! You¡¯re a reliable talent!" Yang patted Chen Shi¡¯s shoulders with affection.


    Chen Shi took the elevator up to the surface level by himself and stood on the side of the road that had people bustling about in a daze. Going undercover was truly very stressful, so he hoped to solve the case as soon as possible.


    Then, he crossed the road and went to the pancake stall run by the policeman to get a pancake. Chen Shi whispered, "They sent me to fake a car ident, which is thest performance that would gain their trust."


    "Dongxue and the others are with the insured and are waiting for you at his house.¡± The uncle handed him the pancakes.


    "There are people who tail me. Make sure they don¡¯t get themselves discovered by them.¡±


    "Rest assured, I¡¯ll let them know... Pay up, five yuan!¡±


    Chen Shi took a bite. "Is this craft worth five?" Then, he took out a hundred yuan. "You don''t need to give me change."


    Chen Shi strolled on the street for a while and found that he unconsciously wanted to go to Tao Yueyue''s school. He immediately changed his route. He noticed that the people tailing him from behind were still there.


    After eating a simple meal at noon, he went to the car dealership on Guang''an Road and said, "Brother Yang sent me."


    The car repairman came over and wiped off the oil from his hand with a towel and pulled out a bunch of keys. "This is the key to the target¡¯s car and this is the key to his garage."


    "Thank you!"


    "See what tools you need by yourself. They¡¯re over at the discarded parts over there. If you don¡¯t know what you need, then let me know.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up some necessary tools and the car mechanic checked them. "I will help you grind this brake pad."


    After grinding, the brake pads didn¡¯t even seem like they had been ground down. Chen Shi asked, "Will it definitely work?"


    "Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll break after a few times. We¡¯re professionals.¡±


    "Thank you!"


    "Do you know how to install it?"


    "Yes, I¡¯ve worked with cars for so many years now."


    In the evening, Chen Shi went to the target¡¯s neighborhood, stood in a bookstore and flipped through a magazine until the target appeared. Then, he put down the magazine and walked inside themunity.


    The target lived in a vi and the garage was attached to the house. The target drove the car into the garage. After waiting for five minutes, Chen Shi went over to open the garage with the key. When he opened it, he saw someone inside.


    He quickly bent over and turned around to lock the door. Unless the people outside had x-ray vision, it would otherwise be impossible to see what was happening on the inside.


    The lights were on and the main force of the task force were all there. Lin Dongxue rushed over with excitement and hugged him.


    1. Ice (Crystal Methamphetamine) can be smoked using a ss pipe, often called a ¡®flute¡¯.


    2. This is the format that the author has chosen to use.


    3. Addressing the thin man. However the author wrote xx in ce of the thin man¡¯s name.

 Chapter 134: Mastermind

    <h4>Chapter 134: Mastermind</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue hugged Chen Shi and her voice trembled. "We¡¯ve all been super worried the past few days!"


    "I¡¯ve been good. I¡¯ve been very good." Chen Shi patted her but wasn¡¯t willing to let go either. The warm embrace helped soothe the loneliness in his heart.


    "Okay, okay. Stop being so clingy and get to business first!" Xu Xiaodong grumbled.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi separated before smiling in embarrassment. She pointed to the uncle next to them who wore a nervous expression. "This is Mr. Li, the person insured in this policy. This is our undercover, who was sent to kill you."


    "Hello, hello!" Mr. Li reached out and shook hands with Chen Shi. "Work is hard."


    "Not at all. Not at all. Everything will be over once I kill you."


    "Police officer Lin has told me everything. Haii, the wife that I¡¯ve been married to for seven years actually wants to kill me. We were truly dreaming two dreams in the same bed[1]. Fortunately, you found this out in time and saved my life!"


    "The arrangement of the gang is to get me to change the brake pads and cause you to die in an ident. If we follow along the intended path, it¡¯s too dangerous and poses too much of a risk. Not only would we not be able to control itpletely, but it would cause harm to others as well.¡±


    "Then how do you guys n to... ¡®kill¡¯ me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue responded, "We¡¯ve nned for Xu Xiaodong to put on Mr. Li''s clothes, a wig, and sses. There will be a ''car ident'' on Jiefang North Road where the car will crash into concrete road-partitions... As for Xu Xiaodong, he will jump out of the car before the impact. There will be a dummy ced in the car.¡±


    "That kind of impact won¡¯t cause death and it won¡¯t escape the gang¡¯s keen eyes," Chen Shi said.


    "But if we make it harder..."


    From practical considerations, if they made the staged performance more difficult, Xu Xiaodong would be in danger. Chen Shi said, "Just do the way you¡¯ve nned then since the people tailing me are focused on me. I¡¯ll rush over afterwards to stab the dummy with a shard of broken ss from the crash. The traffic police must be dispatched to prevent them from getting close enough to see through the wed act."


    "We have liaised with the traffic police department already."


    "Also, no matter how fake it is, you have to make the insurancepany give the pay-out. They¡¯ll trust me once they get the money.¡±


    "We will go to negotiate with them."


    Mr. Li eximed, "Also, you need to catch my wife!"


    Lin Dongxue responded, "Rest assured, she will be sanctioned by thew and will be tried together with the other people who aremitting insurance fraud."


    Chen Shi said, "I don''t get signal when I¡¯m back at the den. I will find a way to send you guys information when I see the mastermind from behind the scenes. If I mention ¡®let¡¯s eat tomorrow¡¯, it means the needs to be pulled in and we can arrest them. However, if I say ¡®when should we eat?¡¯ it means that you guys need to cease action.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "I hope this case will end soon."


    ¡°I¡¯m of the same feeling!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°When this is finished, let¡¯s go to the movies.¡±


    "I promise you."


    "You guys are doing it again!" Xu Xiaodong spat. "Brother Chen, time is almost up. You need to go."


    "Wait." Chen Shi took off his coat and threw it on the floor. He dabbed some oil on his shirt before putting his coat back on. Then, he took his tools and left.


    A face was exposed behind some shrubs that weren¡¯t too far away. Chen Shi smiled and gave him a thumbs up. The other party looked indifferent.


    Chen Shi disposed of the tools in the sewers and went back to the bookstore to wait. At around eight o¡¯clock, Xu Xiaodong drove out disguised as the target. Since it was pretty dark, people outside weren¡¯t able to tell that he was a fake.


    The people who tailed Chen Shi quickly rushed out of themunity, got in a car and went to tail the target¡¯s car.


    Chen Shi figured that the situation wasn¡¯t good. He quickly caught up to them and tried the door handle. ¡°Take me! Bring me along!¡±


    "Fuck off! Get lost!" The fierce man in the car screamed.


    "Fuck man, I didn''t drive. Where do I go from here?¡±


    "There¡¯s nothing of your concern here. Just head straight back.¡±


    "Shit, who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like this?!" Chen Shi reached out and pulled the side-mirror off.


    The car stopped. The fierce man jumped down and snarled, "Are you mental?" as he pushed Chen Shi.


    A fierce expression formed on Chen Shi¡¯s face. "Try that again!"


    The person in the front passenger seat jumped down and yed mediator. "Uncle, the task that Brother Yang sent you to do doesn¡¯t include this. You should just head back.¡±


    "This is something I personally did. I have to see it to the end to be assured. Is it necessary to be like this if we¡¯re all on the same side?"


    The two discussed and finally said, "Get in the car!"


    By the time he got in, Xu Xiaodong was miles away. The fierce man banged the steering wheel. "Fuck, we lost him."


    "Go to Jiefang North Road. I just called him and said that his wife wasmitting adultery on Fuquan Road. He must be going towards that direction now.¡± Chen Shi said.


    The mediator said, "That¡¯s pretty smart!"


    When they arrived at Jiefang North Road, they heard harsh braking and crashing sounds. When the mediator saw the car hitting the concrete road-partitions, he pped his hands and smiled. "It¡¯s done!"


    "No, he shouldn¡¯t have died with just that." The fierce man challenged.


    The smoke around the car was lingering and nothing could be seen from their position.


    Chen Shi eximed, "Let me go down!"


    "You will be seen!" spat the fierce man.


    "Am I doing it or are you? Even if someone sees something, they¡¯re only going to see me, so what are you so afraid of?!¡± Chen Shi yelled back.


    The fierce man opened the door. Chen Shi ran over and slid into the deformed car. The dummy¡¯s head was buried in the airbag. ording to the n, he only had to do a stabbing action. However, he suddenly thought that if he didn¡¯t have any blood on him, it wouldn¡¯t make any sense.


    He grabbed a piece of broken ss and sliced his left hand before distributing the blood evenly on both hands before getting out of the car.


    When he left the car, the citizens around the area were gathering. Chen Shi acted nonchntly and shouted, ¡°The driver passed out, hurry and call 120! Hurry!¡±


    The citizens picked up their phones to dial for emergency help and he quickly took the opportunity to return to the car.


    "Is he dead?" asked the fierce man.


    Chen Shi showed him the blood on his hands. "He was still breathing. I took some ss and stabbed him. He shouldn¡¯t make it to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Ruthless. I admire that!¡± The fierce man gave a thumbs up.


    Two dayster, Yang called Chen Shi to the office. He held a document in his hand with a smile on his face. It seemed that the matter was taken care of. Yang said, "You¡¯ve got skills. The customer sessfully got the im pay-out.¡±


    "It was easier than I thought." Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Easy? It¡¯s that our prep was done very well. It¡¯s hard to earn money off of the insurancepanies.¡±


    "Do I get a sry?"


    "Don¡¯t be so impatient. Sry and bonuses will be sent together at the end of the month... I want you to meet a customer now."


    "Meet a customer?"


    "In this field,munication skills are also very important. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a small favor for you.¡±


    "I don''t know much about insurance."


    "Who said we¡¯ll let you talk? I¡¯m the one talking. I¡¯m just bringing you along so that you can watch and learn on the side.¡±


    Chen Shi grabbed his neck and showed an impatient look. Yang asked, "You don''t want to go?"


    "I really don''t like this kind of admin work."


    "Business is like this. It doesn¡¯t matter if you like it or not. As long as you like money, it¡¯s fine. Go and prepare for it.¡±


    This time, the thin man and King Kong tagged along. Chen Shi had a feeling that the person they were seeing might not be a customer, but the mastermind.


    A few hourster, the car drove to a high-end residential area where birds and flowers were fragrant. Chen Shiughed. "What customer? If they live here, they must be rich!¡±


    The thin manughed as well. "Customer? We¡¯re seeing our boss!"


    Chen Shi put on a surprised expression and sent the pre-written text message out from his pocket.


    1. They are thinking two different things/heading two different directions.

 Chapter 135: Policeman or a Rogue?

    <h4>Chapter 135: Policeman or a Rogue?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "You can¡¯t keep your mouth shut!" Yang scolded the thin man. "Boss wanted to meet this new member."


    Chen Shi said, "I thought it would be done at night."


    The thin man said, "We usually visit the boss during the day since we go out to y at night."


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Everyone began getting off. Chen Shi acted like he was undoing his seat-belt and he quickly dialled Xu Xiaodong¡¯s number on the phone and hid it underneath the seat.


    Xu Xiaodong should understand that this is to allow the police to trace the location.


    It was almost finally over, but he warned himself that he mustn¡¯t rx at this final level.


    They got to the top floor of this double-story penthouse apartment. A woman in pajamas opened the door, put her finger on her red lips, and said, "The boss is still sleeping."


    There was an authoritative voiceing from the room. "Ning¡¯er[1], I¡¯ve woken up."


    After entering the door, the thin man smiled and teased, "Sister, your body is as beautiful as ever.¡± He said this whilst reaching out and pinching her ass.


    "You want to die?! King Kong, p him in the face." A butler said coldly.


    King Kong raised his hand which was the size of a fan and pped the thin man¡¯s face. The thin man began bleeding from the corner of his mouth. He pleaded, ¡°I was just joking. Just joking.¡±


    "You deserve it!" Yang whispered.


    They went upstairs and into a spacious bedroom. Sitting on the bed was an old person dressed in silk pajamas with silver hair and a dignified attitude. The woman pressed a button on the wall and the ceiling above slowly opened, revealing the sky. After some careful observation, ayer of tempered ss was revealed.


    Is this the mastermind? Chen Shi had imagined that it would be someone who wore a livery coat with a shaved head, revealing a sinister smile.


    "What is your name?" asked the old person.


    "Chen Shi."


    "You don¡¯t look very honest!"[2]


    Yang and the thin manughed.


    "Xiao Yang, you¡¯ve found a treasure this time."


    "Thank you for yourpliment, boss."


    "To be in this field, the most important things are patience and caution." The old person made a gesture and the woman handed over a cigar. "Do you know why I chose this line of work?"


    Chen Shi replied, "Probably because it is a nk industry[3], so you¡¯re not afraid ofpetition."


    "This is one aspect of it. On the other hand, I really hate insurancepanies. I was gravely ill 10 years ago and I wanted to get the insurancepanies to pay for my medical expenses..."


    "It''s starting again!" The thin man sulked.


    "If you don¡¯t like to listen to it, then get the fuck out!" Yang yelled.


    "Then, I¡¯ll go to the bathroom first."


    The thin man had long since been tired of hearing this story and slipped out to escape downstairs. He took out his drug-using tools from the glove box of the car and got himself drugged up. The feeling of satisfying his urges and addiction felt really good. Suddenly, he heard some noise underneath the seat.


    He bent over, picked it up and saw that it was a cell phone that was currently on a call.


    The thin man couldn''t not understand what this all meant. He was scared and broke out in cold sweat. Then, he immediately turned the phone off and ran upstairs.


    "...I only had 33 yuan in my pockets at the time. This money was not enough to buy groceries tomorrow..." The old man was still talking about the hardships of his business when he saw the thin man rushing in with sweat and stopped. "Why are you so rude?"


    "The car... There is a mobile phone in the car... Maybe someone deliberately put it there... We have someone working undercover between us!"


    This sentence suddenly made everyone in the room stunned with fear. Chen Shi broke out in cold sweat. He suddenly pointed to King Kong and shouted, "I saw him put something under the seat!"


    King Kong was both scared and angry. He widened his eyes and said, "My name is King Kong!"


    "Is it you?!"


    "My name is King Kong!"


    "You¡¯re still acting?"


    Chen Shi¡¯s sudden usations made everyone unable to process everything. Their eyes all fell on King Kong¡¯s anxious face.


    Chen Shi reached out and grabbed a bottle. The most dangerous person here was this big man. He must be the first one to be taken down. The old person, woman, addict, and the tranny-like Yang who were left were not a problem.


    He picked up the bottle and smashed it on King Kong¡¯s head. The bottle broke into tiny pieces but King Kong was unscathed. His face was full of wine and his expression was furious.


    "Fuck!"


    Simultaneously, King Kong screamed and hugged Chen Shi. He threw Chen Shi over to the wine cab and the bottles behind him were smashed into smithereens. The smell of wine filled the house and Chen Shi¡¯s palm was cut by all the ss, causing blood to begin oozing out.


    Everyone else was in a dumbfounded state. Yang was the first to realize. ¡°Bastard, we¡¯ve led a wolf into the room!¡±


    "My name is King Kong!!!"


    King Kong screamed violently as he lifted his foot to stomp on Chen Shi. Chen Shi quickly rolled away to avoid King Kong¡¯s stomp. King Kong¡¯s leather boots crushed the broken ss pieces into even finer pieces.


    Chen Shi quickly stood up. His position was between the bed and the window. It was very unfavorable. He took the opportunity to roll back across the bed. The old person screamed out, "Gahhh, my legs!"


    "My name is King Kong!"


    King Kong grabbed a ceramic horse on the shelf and threw it at him. Chen Shi barely avoided it. The ceramic horse fell on the bed. The old man who was hurt had tears streaming down his face. "My leg is broken!"


    Chen Shi went to the side where the door was. Yang ripped off his tie and clothes to reveal a tiger tattooed on his chest. He said, ¡°Let me show you Ma Wang...¡±[4]


    "Fuck off!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s hit him in the face and Yang¡¯s sses shattered. Simultaneously, he fell to the ground, revealing the scared thin man behind him.


    The thin man cried and said, "You lied to me!"


    "You want to get beat?!" Chen Shi red at him.


    The thin man slipped away from the chaos while Chen Shi stepped on Yang¡¯s belly and rushed outside.


    This foot woke Yang. As soon as he looked up, he saw King Kong¡¯s big foot about to stomp on him and quickly rolled away. King Kong¡¯s foot fell on the floor and made the sound of thunder.


    Then, there were fighting noisesing from the living room. Yang picked up his twisted sses frame and held his stomach. "Boss, we need to quickly withdraw. The police areing!"


    "There is a gun in the safe." The old man said sullenly.


    Yang nodded and slipped outside. Chen Shi and King Kong were fighting fiercely. Chen Shi twisted his waist and side-kicked King Kong¡¯s abdomen, forcing his mighty opponent to step back twice.


    This kick is undoubtedly the military police''s move. Yang muttered, "Military fighting?"


    King Kong rushed over in anger, grabbed Chen Shi with both hands, lifted him up, and squeezed him like an orange. Chen Shi screamed in pain, reached out, and hooked his thumbs into King Kong¡¯s eyes and pushed. This time, King Kong was the one who yelled and writhed in pain. He finally surrendered his grasp.


    Afternding back on the ground, Chen Shi grabbed a teapot on the table, and the coffee in the teapot was thrown at King Kong¡¯s face.


    Yang¡¯s cheeks twitched. ¡°Motherfucker, is he a policeman or a rogue triad member?¡±


    He remembered his mission and didn¡¯t have time to watch them fight. He snuck into the study.


    Chen Shi threw all the things that could be thrown into King Kong¡¯s face. Finally, it seemed like it affected King Kong a little. Then, he untied his belt and jumped on the sofa. He utilized the sofa to remedy the height difference and twisted it around King Kong¡¯s neck and bent backwards.


    King Kong couldn¡¯t breathe, so he scratched around his neck. There were w marks all around the belt and his neck.


    "... seven, eight, nine!"


    Counting to nine, Chen Shi released his grip and King Kong fell limply on the ground. Of course, he was only in aa.


    Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. The fight just then was too hard. His whole body was sore and painful. He looked up and found a ck muzzle pointing at him.


    1. ¡®er added to names denotes intimacy/people talking to their children on those younger than them in an affectionate way.


    2. A joke, because the ¡°Shi¡± in Chen Shi¡¯s name is the same character used for honest/trustworthy.


    3. An industry that not a lot of people work in.


    4. A mythical beast that once caused chaos in the heavenly realm. He is saying that he¡¯ll show him his ferocity and strength.

 Chapter 136: Arresting the Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 136: Arresting the Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Yang held the gun in both hands and pointed at Chen Shi. His brows were scrunched together tightly, though it wasn¡¯t clear whether it was due to tension or because of his poor eyesight.


    Chen Shi said, "It doesn''t make sense to shoot at this moment in time. It just increases your crimes."


    Yang retorted, "Even if I die, I have to pull a policeman with me!"


    Chen Shi smiled disdainfully. "Do you think I¡¯m afraid of death? I have already died once and it isn¡¯t scary. Only when I live will I feel pain and despair!"


    "You... Are you really a policeman?" The thin man was still in disbelief.


    "Kinda."


    "What does that mean?"


    "Don''t change the subject!" Yang yelled and turned to Chen Shi. "Since you¡¯re not afraid of death, then I¡¯ll make you die!"


    "Who are you trying to scare with a fake gun?" Chen said.


    "Are you blind? This is real!"


    "Then fire it. Fire it here. Why are your hands shaking? Are you afraid? You¡¯re only working. The job you¡¯re doing isn¡¯t worth this.¡±


    "Kill him!" The old person in the bedroom violently bellowed and chucked something out of the room.


    Yang was hesitating and Chen Shi pointed to his chest, "Come on! Kill me with that fake gun!"


    "Motherfucker, this is a real gun!" Yang roared at the same time there was a gunshot noise. The echo swayed back and forth in the living room and the ss around them shook.


    The thin man was scared and felt a heat flow down his pants.


    Yang¡¯s muzzle was pointed at the ceiling, and there was a bullet hole in it. Before he lowered the gun, Chen Shi rushed over from the sofa, kicking it backward. Yang fired a second shot.


    But just before the gun fired, Chen Shi¡¯s foot had already made contact with his chest and the bullet created another hole in the ceiling.


    Yang fell into the study; his neck bent at the edge of the desk and made a crisp crack. Then, his whole bodyy there stiff but twitched non-stop.


    When Chen Shi got up, he picked up the gun and opened the magazine to confirm the number of bullets and then left the study.


    The first to bear the brunt of his rage was the thin man, whose legs were trembling. Chen Shi said, "Hands on your head while you kneel down."


    The thin man did as instructed.


    Chen Shi entered the bedroom and pointed the gun at the woman. The woman did as instructed as well.


    Finally, the muzzle fell towards the old person. The old person frowned and bargained. "I don''t have a good waist..."


    "Then, raise your hand."


    "I have arthritis in my shoulder."


    "Then, just sit there."


    "I have hemorrhoids."


    "Then, I¡¯ll kill you in one shot!"


    "No, no, no..." The old man slowly raised his hands and sighed. "Young people nowadays don''t know how to respect the elderly."


    Because the signal was interrupted, the police officers were still searching around themunity. When they heard the gunshots, they immediately rushed towards the sound. Lin Dongxue and the others mmed the door open and swept their guns left and right to survey the scene. Surprisingly, they found that the house was a mess with a person lying on the ground while another was squatting down in the corner.


    Chen Shi had a cigar in his mouth, held a red wine ss in his left hand, and walked out of the bedroom with the pistol on his right. If they didn''t know him, Lin Dongxue would have thought he was the big boss.


    "Why were you guys so slow?" Chen Shi asked.


    Seeing that Chen Shi was safe and sound, Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes stung while showing a slight smile. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    "It¡¯s just surface injury, don¡¯t worry."


    Lin Dongxue signalled everyone to arrest the criminals. Chen Shi went up to Lin Dongxue and said with sadness, "What a house. Each brick and tile were exchanged for the lives of innocent people.¡±


    "Who told you to y hero?" Lin Dongxue hit him with a punch to the chest.


    "Hey!" Chen Shi bent down in pain.


    "You were actually injured?" Lin Dongxue was once again concerned.


    "I¡¯m just teasing you. I¡¯m fine!"


    "You liar! Bad guy!"


    The suspects were taken out and only the two of them were left in the house. Lin Dongxue could no longer restrain the emotions in her heart and hugged Chen Shi with force. Her tears flowed. "Thank goodness you¡¯re safe. I¡¯m never letting you go undercover again."


    "What a stupid thing to say. Being undercover is quite exhrating. This cow skin is enough for me to blow for a year[1]. I should be thanking you!"


    Chen Shi put his hands on Lin Dongxue''s shoulders and pushed her a short distance away and wiped her tears away with his fingers. Lin Dongxue bit her lip and slowly lifted her toes. The weight of her whole body leaned against Chen Shi''s body.


    They got closer and closer until they could feel each other¡¯s breath. At this moment, a policeman ran in. "Leader... Oh, I won¡¯t bother you."


    They quickly separated and Lin Dongxue asked, "What happened?"


    "The den at Jianfu Road is also cleaned up."


    "Good job, let¡¯s head back!"


    Chen Shi got in the car and found that Peng Sijue had alsoe. He opened a medical kit and asked Chen Shi to give him his hand. Peng Sijue used the absorbent cotton wool to clean the wound on his fist and said, "You¡¯re a person who uses the brain, but you just had to get physical."


    "You don''t know enough about me!"


    "Oh really?" Peng Sijue sneered.


    Xu Xiaodong in the passenger seat turned around and said with excitement, "Brother Chen, did you take them down all by yourself? You fought against a gun bare-handed? Aren¡¯t you too God-like? I always thought you wouldn¡¯t fight."


    "I¡¯ve gotten weak. At my peak, even taking on ten people was not a problem."


    "You can say whatever you want now since they aren¡¯t here to refute it." Peng Sijue poured cold water over him[2].


    "Why don¡¯t we spar sometime?" Xu Xiaodong proposed.


    "No, no, I am not interested in fighting... It hurts! It hurts, Old Peng. Be more gentle."


    Brother Yang¡¯s real name was Yang Lan. His neck bones were smashed by Chen Shi¡¯s kick, but fortunately, the nerves were not harmed. He was sent directly to the hospital.


    King Kong¡¯s skin and bones were amazingly thick, so his injuries weren¡¯t very serious. However, the interrogator found it extremely difficult tomunicate with him in the interrogation room.


    The thin man had an addiction withdrawal as soon as he entered the bureau. He smashed himself against the walls and rolled around the room spazzing out again and again. They could only send him to the drug rehabilitation center for a few days.


    The focus of the trial was on the old person. In the face of the interrogation, the first sentence he said was, "I am just a businessman. I don''t know what crime Imitted."


    Lin Dongxue countered, "Let¡¯s talk about your business then!"


    "Please give me a ss of Lafite wine and a Cuban cigar."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "No. At most, we can give you a cigarette."


    "That''s fine then. I¡¯ll take that, albeit a bit reluctantly.¡±


    After the cigarette was lit for him, the old person said, "I hate insurancepanies. They¡¯ll say anything to get you to buy a policy, but when you want to make a im, they make it harder than if they had to eat shit...¡±


    That year, he had a serious illness, but the insurancepany found a paragraph with tiny text as small as the legs of a mosquito in the contract. They said that the situation was not covered by the policy. The old person who paid so much money to them in premiums was at a loss from this one sentence.


    He filed awsuit, but all the money was spent in vain as well.


    He hated them very much. He really wanted to take a knife into the insurancepany and kill the bunch of bastards but what use was that? The brazen insurancepanies would continue to operate and scam more people.


    So he found many people who were sympathetic to this situation. The intention was to stand up and defend their rights. By chance, a person in the circle sessfullymitted arge sum of insurance fraud. Everyone regarded him as a hero. That person was Yang Lan.


    He was originally an insurance salesperson to begin with and understood the loopholes in the system. This inspired the old person to find Yang and propose a cooperation...


    1. This incident is enough for him to brag about for a year. Cow skin was used to create drums back in Ancient China. It was used to drum rather than blow like instruments such as flutes. This means that the saying ¡°to blow cow skin¡± is used in irony, as it doesn¡¯t make sense. This is often used to describe people who bluff/brag about things in a dramatized manner.


    2. Burst his bubble.

 Chapter 137: The Sin Chain

    <h4>Chapter 137: The Sin Chain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The old person was part of the first group of businessmen when the Chinese reform[1] happened. Although his businesses weren¡¯t doing too well the first few years, he was able to umte a lot of contacts. Meanwhile, Yang Lan had strong, professional proficiencies.


    In the early days of their cooperation, they only helped others to obtain ims. For example, from bribing a doctor to change their disease into another disease that was covered, to extend the length of hospital stay, or toply with the strict insurance regtions. They earned a little bit ofmission for this.


    This kind of business couldn¡¯t make big money though, and so the old person looked for other business opportunities.


    Then, he saw in the news that a poor man who couldn¡¯t afford his high-priced medical expenses jumped off a building andmitted suicide. At that time, he thought that this person¡¯s death could have been worth much more. If he had bought life insurance, he could havemitted suicide after the insurance took effect, and his family would have received a huge sum of money.


    He developed the idea of exchanging the lives of the poor for money. This provided mutual benefits and could also benefit society.


    There were so many poor people in the world. For the sake of money, they could sell their livers and kidneys, but they could only earn tens of thousands of yuan, which was pitiful. If this was reced by insurance, they only needed to chop off a few fingers and they could earn hundreds of thousands of yuan. Furthermore, it was a legal transaction.


    They began recruiting the poor and buying insurance for them. After the insurance came into effect, they let the doctor cut off their fingers or gauge an eyeball. For the poor, it didn¡¯t matter to them if they have one less finger and one less eyeball. The huge sums that were given to them could help them get rid of poverty and get rich.


    ¡°You need to pay a price to make a fortune. They just changed their form of payment, that¡¯s all!¡± The old person patiently reasoned.


    Since then, the business grew bigger and bigger. In order to sessfully fool the underwriter and auditor''s eyes, they bribed some of the insurancepany''s employees. After familiarizing themselves with the business processes, they almost never failed in obtaining a im pay-out. It wasn¡¯t any different from doing normal business.


    Without realizing, the team had already grown very big. The old person didn¡¯t even know many of the members that had joined. The scale of their business projects grewrger andrger. After all, they had many mouths to feed!


    ¡°Haii, everything is ruined by you guys." The person shook their head and sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you regret taking people¡¯s lives for money?" Lin Dongxue scorned.


    ¡°Take a life for money? Is this your understanding of insurance? They volunteered!"


    ¡°Those that died also volunteered?¡±


    "Died? I haven''t touched life insurance policies before. I¡¯ve told you already. The team is getting bigger and bigger, so there are many projects that have nothing to do with me.¡±


    "Wow, you easily pushed the responsibility away!"


    "I know that you guys have a lot of misunderstandings about this line of work, but we have been creating GDP and we¡¯ve revitalized the entire insurance industry. Little girl, have you seen bacteria? Most people think that bacteria isn¡¯t good, but if there¡¯s no bacteria to break down the body to make the soil fertile, would there be such a beautiful earth today? We are like bacteria, building the city in a way no one can see and making it more prosperous. Besides, thew doesn¡¯t prohibit this. That is, freedom without regtions..."


    "Hey! Fraud is breaking thew!" Lin Dongxue interrupted him.


    "Well, let''s seekmon ground while reserving differences. Shall we seekmon ground while reserving differences?"


    "Take him away!" Lin Dongxue picked up the phone. This kind of person couldn¡¯t be saved. He was full of sin, but he still thought that he was benefiting the world.


    When the police took the old person away, he still struggled and screamed desperately. "Is it not good to seekmon ground while reserving differences? Gentlemen are different. How can you just force and impose yourws on me?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry she couldugh. Xu Xiaodong responded, "How can he be so irrational? Why do we put ourws on him? Isn¡¯t thew to protect and restrain everyone?"


    A few dayster, Lin Qiupu came back from his business trip and walked into the bureau. He was shocked by what he saw in front of him. The hall was full of policemen who were "hand in hand" with suspects. It was really crowded. There were also arge group of people squatting in the corner, and each room was filled with dejected suspects as they confessed.


    In order to find colleagues more easily, they had all put on their police uniforms.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly appeared in front of Lin Qiupu. She looked full of justice and mighty in her uniform. She saluted and smiled. "You¡¯re back, brother?"


    "Which triad gang did you clean up?"


    "The insurance fraud case is broken! The total number of suspects arrested is 305. There are gang members and customers that were found ording to their files."


    "Beautifully done!" Lin Qiupu patted Lin Dongxue''s shoulder. "What reward do you want?"


    "Hey..." Lin Dongxue sighed. "When the case is over, let me take a few days off!"


    "Sure, I¡¯ll give you a day!"


    "A day? Seriously?!"


    "Haha, what about Chen Shi?"


    Lin Dongxue looked around and said, "Hey, I asked him to help out. Why is he cking?¡±


    Chen Shi had run to the top of the building to hide and find some peace. He was with Peng Sijue, who couldn¡¯t stand the noisy atmosphere either. The two stood on the roof and smoked. Today, the sun was shining brightly and the panoramic view of the city was beautiful enough to make them proud.


    Especially since Chen Shi thought about how he had just protected the city.


    "We sure are busy right now."


    "Yeah, we might have to be busy until the New Year."


    "I don''t care anyway since I¡¯m not a policeman. I should just rest."


    "Old Chen, have you heard of this saying? A drop of rain doesn¡¯t think that they were the cause of the flood. When the chain of sin is long enough and the whole picture cannot be seen, everyone within that chain will feel innocent.¡±


    "Famous saying."


    "These people are like this. Most people think that they are just doing their job and even think it¡¯s beneficial for society. They have no guilt at all."


    Chen Shi looked far into the distance and the view of the city that looked like miniature models was very cute. "Do you think the evil in the world will one day disappear?"


    "No. Where there is light, there is a shadow. From the birth of private ownership, crime emerged with it."


    "Why is there crime in the world? If human beings are social animals, why do they want to harm others?"


    "Half of the human poption is beastly, greedy, selfish, andzy. The other half is divine, noble, selfless, and hardworking. This duality exists in every individual. The difference in their environment and their individual character will change the proportion of the two."


    "When the animalism overwhelms the divinity, they¡¯ll go down the wrong path."


    "Exactly!"


    The two of them threw the cigarette butt down together. This kind of talk with Peng Sijue always made Chen Shi have a kind of spiritual pleasure. This was true in the past as well. They could talk all day. From society to the universe, they¡¯d never grow tired of talking to each other.


    When they prepared to light up a second cigarette and continue to talk, the footsteps of Lin Dongxue came from behind.


    Lin Dongxue reprimanded while stomping her feet, "Everyone is so busy but you guys are hiding here rxing!"


    "I am not a policeman. What does it have to do with me?"


    "I am a forensic doctor. Interrogation has nothing to do with me!"


    "Are you guys trying to annoy me to death?! Hurry up and go down. Even if you prepare water for everyone, that¡¯s fine. A lot of people haven¡¯t even had anything to drink since the morning.¡±


    "This little girl sure is arrogant. She¡¯s even ordering Captain Peng to pour water for others.¡± Chen Shi smiled and looked at Peng Sijue.


    "I wonder who influenced her to be like this." Peng Sijueughed as well.


    1. The reform that happened in 1978. It had policies that opened up China.

 Chapter 138: After School

    <h4>Chapter 138: After School</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 10: Secret


    The follow-up work of the fraud case was the equivalent to all the hairs of a cow[1]. Lin Dongxue was tired each day when she returned home. She often didn¡¯t even want to eat dinner.


    On this day, she finished her day''s work and returned to her ce of residence. When she went up the stairs, she saw thendlord aunty sitting on the steps and gasping. She had a shopping bag in her hand and her other hand was on her chest.


    Thendlord lived downstairs from Lin Dongxue and the rent was paid through WeChat every quarter. They rarely talk to each other, but they would greet each other if they saw each other by chance.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Aunty, are you not feeling well?"


    "I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay. My chest just ached a bit when I was going upstairs. I should be fine if I sit down and take a breather.¡±


    "I¡¯ll help you carry your bags!"


    "Thank you."


    Lin Dongxue helped her take the bags to thendlord aunty''s unit. The house was pretty in. It seemed that she lived alone. On the wall, there was a photo in memory of her significant other.


    Thendlord aunt sat down at the table and asked Lin Dongxue to prepare a bowl of brown sugar water[2]. After drinking it, she looked a little better.


    "Aunty, don''t you have any children?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I have a son."


    "Howe I¡¯ve never seen him before? Is he working out of town?¡±


    "I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at me if I told you. Actually, he¡¯s in jail. When he was young, he was unemployed and only fooled around with a bunch of friends. One time, he helped a friend get justice. He took a knife and killed a little hooligan. After that ident, his friends kept quiet but I persuaded him to surrender himself to the police. Later, the court tried him for manughter and sentenced him to twenty years. This year is already the seventeenth year. He is about to celebrate the New Year, so I¡¯ll send some dumplings to him."


    When the aunty said this, she did not show much sadness. She probably epted this matter in her heart already.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know what to say. The aunt asked her, "You¡¯ve lived upstairs from me for almost a year now, but I don¡¯t even know what you do for a living.¡±


    "I... I am doing sales." Lin Dongxue lied.


    "Oh, why don¡¯t you stay to eat? As a thank you for today."


    "No. I still have to do something at home."


    At Zhixin Middle School on the same evening, most of the students in the school had already returned home,. Only one ssroom still had its lights on. Several students who participated in the ¡°Duoyubui New Concept Composition Competition¡± justpleted the examination paper and were checking for spelling mistakes.


    The examiner looked at their watch and said, "Time is up. Put your pens down. Everyone has worked hard today. Go home and rest up early.¡±


    Tao Yueyue took her school bag and left the ssroom. There were footsteps behind her and a voice shouting from behind, "Tao Yueyue, wait for me!"


    Tao Yueyue turned back and saw a girl with double pony-tails with a red face rushing over. She recognized this student as her ssmate Wei Zengmali. Wei Zengmali was the ss representative of hernguage ss and had never held a conversation with Tao Yueyue before.


    Taking the initiative, Wei Zengmali appeared a little nervous but pretended to smilefortably. "You also came to participate in the essaypositionpetition?"


    ¡°The teacher told me to participate in some activities.¡± Tao Yueyue replied faintly.


    "I didn¡¯t know you were the type! I had always thought that you were a very cool person."


    "Cool?"


    "Yeah, yeah. We all thought that you were really cool and mature, unlike our peers of the same age... Sorry, am I offending you? Oh, can you apany me to the toilet? There is no one in the building and I¡¯m a little scared."


    Tao Yueyue looked at the empty school gate. Chen Shi had note to pick her up today. He gave her a bus card instead and reasoned that she should learn to be independent. In fact, it was just an excuse for adults to bezy.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Let¡¯s go!"


    Walking in the empty building, Wei Zengmali grabbed at Tao Yueyue''s clothes. Tao Yueyue teased her, "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of ghosts?"


    "Hey!" Wei Zengmali was scared. "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    "I heard people say that in the past, there seemed to be a student whomitted suicide here..."


    "I¡¯m not listening! I¡¯m not listening!¡±


    Seeing that Wei Zengmali was scared and trembling, Tao Yueyue showed an evil smile.


    After nervously finishing up in the toilet, the two walked out. Wei Zengmali whispered, "I find that you¡¯re actually easy to get along with. You can call me by my nickname... I don''t really like this nickname, but if we¡¯re friends it doesn¡¯t matter."


    "Miso[3]?"


    "Hey!" Wei Zengmali suddenly asked, "Do you believe in ghosts in the world?"


    "I don¡¯t!"


    "What is the most terrible thing you have ever encountered in your life then? I¡¯ll go first. One time, my father took me to dinner. When I was eating braised pork, I had a-"


    "Dead finger?"


    "Don''t say that!" Wei Zengmali waved her fist and hit her softly. "It was a pig hair. It was super long. Wow, it was super horrible... What about you? What¡¯s the most horrible thing you have ever encountered in your life?¡±


    "I saw my mother getting stabbed over and over again with my eyes!"


    It may be that the girl was an idiot, but Tao Yueyue gradually rxed her guard and talked about her own experience.


    Her calm tone added a bit of surprise to what she said. Wei Zengmali was so scared and surprised. "Is that true?"


    Tao Yueyue put on a rxed expression and blinked, "Just joking with you!"


    "Haha, how can you say that about your mother?"


    "She is truly no longer with us."


    "Really? That¡¯s really pitiful. Is that your father who usually picks you up?"


    "It¡¯s an uncle."


    "Are you an orphan?"


    "Yeah... I don''t want you to pity me though."


    "No, no, actually having parents might not be too great. Actually, my parents are too annoying. I wouldn¡¯t mind swapping with you." Wei Zengmali tried to console her unskillfully. Although it didn¡¯t sound very good, Tao Yueyue appreciated the thought.


    A cat noise was suddenly heard, so Wei Zengmali stopped to search around. She found a small kittening out of the ssroom and calling to them.


    "It''s so cute!" Wei Zengmali squatted down to touch the baby fur that hadn¡¯t been shed yet.


    Tao Yueyue also knelt down and looked at the kitten. "Is it hungry?"


    "I have a salted duck egg left from my lunch at noon." Wei Zengmali took off her bag and rummaged through it to find a sealed packed salted duck egg. She bit off the packaging and peeled it for the kitten.


    The kitten seemed to be starving and greedily ate the yolk of the duck egg. Wei Zengmali joked, "You¡¯re so picky. Just like my Voldemort at home not eating the egg whites.¡±


    After the kitten finished eating, it mewled louder. Wei Zengmali wondered, "Is it not full? Kitten, kitten, you have finished eating the yolk!" She said as she picked up the egg white to feed it. The kitten desperately evaded it.


    "Maybe it doesn¡¯t like eating that. I have a ham sausage here." Tao Yueyue said.


    She took the ham from the bag and fed it to the kitten. It ate very happily, but only had one-third of it before refusing to eat any more.


    The kitten fell here and there, then walked towards a tiny pool of dirty water on the ground left by a student and drank from it.


    ¡°Wow, how can you drink such dirty water?! That¡¯s not good!" Wei Zengmali picked the kitten up and set it aside. The kitten climbed towards the dirty water and she started licking it up again. "I don''t know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    "Is it thirsty?" Tao Yueyue guessed.


    1. Endless/plentiful.


    2. This is believed to help your hemoglobin levels in some regions. Though the author might just be referring to glucose - energy.


    3. The way Miso soup is pronounced in Chinese sounds very simr to her name.

 Chapter 139: Anxiously Wise

    <h4>Chapter 139: Anxiously Wise</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At this time, a car horn came from outside the school. Wei Zengmali said excitedly, "My dad is here to pick me up."


    She dragged Tao Yueyue to the school gate and a middle-aged man with a big belly stood next to the car smiling. Wei Zengmali said with a pout, "Dad, you¡¯re so slow!"


    "There was a traffic jam!"


    "You use this excuse every time. I hate it!"


    "Well, what do you want to eat tonight? I will buy it for you."


    Looking at other children getting spoiled, Tao Yueyue felt a bit sour. "Dad, this is my new friend, Tao Yueyue. She is a new transfer student and she¡¯s really good at academics."


    The man nodded. "Hello. Did your parents not pick you up? Should I send you back?"


    "Yeah,e in my dad''s car!"


    Tao Yueyue looked up and saw that there was a dirty camera by the school gate. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was working or not. There was no one in the school at this time. If this man had bad intentions...


    "No, he will be here soon," she responded.


    The other party didn¡¯t force her and took Wei Zengmali away. As she left, Wei Zengmali kept waving out the window.


    There was a meow that filled her ears. It turns out that the kitten had followed them out. Tao Yueyue called Chen Shi, "Come and pick me up."


    "Are you still at school?"


    "There was an essaypetition today, so I¡¯m a bitte... Ah yes, I picked up a kitten and wanted to raise it at home."


    "No, we had an agreement before."


    "But it¡¯s very pitiful."


    "That''s not okay either."


    "Well, I guess I¡¯ll call Sister Lin to pick me up then.¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s attitude immediately changed one hundred and eighty degrees. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ming over now. As for the kitten thing... We¡¯ll discuss itter!¡±


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi arrived and Tao Yueyue looked at him silently while hugging the kitten. Chen Shi said, "Stray cats like these have germs and diseases."


    "We can go to the vets to check it out!"


    "Maybe it has a mother!"


    "If it¡¯s wandering outside sote at night, it probably doesn¡¯t have a mother."


    ¡°Did you already practice all the questions I¡¯d most likely pose?¡±


    "Yes!"


    Chen Shi was defeated, so he negotiated. "If you can¡¯t rank in the top 30 at the end of year exams, I¡¯ll throw it out.¡±


    "Thank you, Uncle Chen!" Tao Yueyue said with joy.


    Chen Shi took the kitten to the vets and did a check. The veterinarian asked Tao Yueyue, "What did you give the kitten?"


    "Salted duck eggs and ham."


    The veterinarian rolled his eyes. "Why don¡¯t you just directly feed it salt? Cats can''t overdose on salt or they will get sick, understood?"


    Tao Yueyue poked out her tongue. "I¡¯ll know from now on."


    "There aren¡¯t any big issues with this at the moment. Don''t bathe it during this time. Wait until it is three months old and then take it here for deworming and vinations."


    Chen Shi bought a bunch of cat supplies and returned home. Tao Yueyue happily yed with the kitten which made Chen Shi feel gratified. Perhaps this would help Tao Yueyue grow healthily.


    The kitten was named Maoqiu[2] and officially settled in Chen Shi¡¯s house.


    As winter vacation approached, all the sses began to enter the review period and test papers were done almost every day. But once they thought about how much they could y after the tests were over, they had the motivation to learn.


    On this day, there was a particr event that happened in the ss. Liang Zuoming had recovered from his injury and returned to ss. After a hundred days of being injured[3], he was obviously thinner and his hair was long. He walked towards the ss wearing a denim jacket. He ignored his little friends who greeted him and went straight to Tao Yueyue.


    Liang Zuoming grabbed the novel that Tao Yueyue was reading and ripped it in two. "Tao Yueyue, we aren¡¯t finished. Now that I¡¯m back, your good days are over! You best watch your back!¡±


    Around them, a circle of students watched them nosily andughed. "Wow, what happened to them?", "Is this provocation?", "Liang Zuoming, how can you bully girls like this?", ¡°Is this the beginning of Korean dramas where they love the one they hate in the beginning?"


    Liang Zuoming red at the ssmate who mentioned the Korean dramas and walked away.


    The crowd gradually dispersed and Tao Yueyue kept silent the whole time. Wei Zengmali ran over and asked, "Did he bully you? No, I have to tell the teacher!"


    Tao Yueyue grabbed her hand. "Do me a favor. Don''t tell the teacher no matter what."


    "But what if he-"


    "I am not afraid of him!" Tao Yueyue said staring at Liang Zuoming''s back.


    Although she said this, Tao Yueyue was very careful these days, paying attention to Liang Zuoming''s every move. After his recovery, Liang Zuoming had be more introverted. In the past, because his family gave him a lot of pocket money, he had a lot of people gathered around him. Now, he didn¡¯t really care for the followers around him anymore.


    Wei Zengmali ran to tell Tao Yueyue that she heard that Liang Zuoming was going down the wrong path now. Some people saw him and a group of young delinquents outside the school and reminded Tao Yueyue to be careful.


    The time finally came. Tao Yueyue was on ss duty today. After cleaning the ssroom, she went home alone. As she went to a quiet street on the way to the bus station, Liang Zuoming appeared with a bunch of little punks who were smoking.


    They deliberately ambushed her here because when Tao Yueyue turned around, she found that there were several of them that came from behind the canteen as well.


    The shopkeepers on both sides saw the situation and immediately retracted their heads. They dared not interfere.


    A circle of people surrounded Tao Yueyue and Liang Zuoming said, "You broke my leg so today, I¡¯ll break both your legs.¡±


    "Don''t. That''s such a waste. This little loli looks pretty cute. We should bring her back to y." Liang Zuoming''s buddy said.


    "If we did, we¡¯d have a minimum penalty of three years and possibly the death penalty. You want to die?" another said before everyoneughed.


    "This is the trick you decided on?" Tao Yueyue looked at Liang Zuoming.


    "The teachers are gone so no one can help you... Worst case scenario, I just need to pay for your medical expenses. But my family is rich anyway!¡± Liang Zuoming sneered.


    "Your parents must be proud of you."


    "Some people don''t even have parents! Hahahaha!"


    Tao Yueyue clenched her fists and suddenly picked up half a brick from the ground. The delinquentsughed. "What a feisty girl!", "Try not to hurt yourself with those tiny arms and legs.", "Chuck it at us if you have guts.", ¡°We have so many people here, who are you going to chuck it at?¡±


    Tao Yueyue turned around and chucked it at the side of a car that was parked. The ss shattered and the rm sounded noisily.


    Due to the harsh rm, the residents who lived on this street poked their heads out. The delinquents panicked. "Let¡¯s go! People are gonnae!"


    Liang Zuoming persuaded, "Don''t! What are you all afraid of?"


    "Let''s mess her up next time. Watch it!¡± The delinquents fled and Liang Zuoming could only nce angrily at Tao Yueyue before running away.


    A man and a woman ran over and the man said with anger, "What did you do to my car?"


    Tao Yueyue screamed and cried using two small fists to cover up the fact that there weren¡¯t too many tears. While crying, she exined, "There were a bunch of hooligans bullying me. I had no other choice."


    The man¡¯s anger lessened but he still protested. ¡°Then, you should have shouted. What is the use in damaging my car?¡±


    The woman mediated. "Hubby, stop it." Then, she knelt down and took out a tissue to wipe the tears from Tao Yueyue¡¯s face. "Little sister, is your family not picking you up?"


    "Dad is busy with work, so I go home by bus every day." Tao Yueyue shook her shoulders and pretended to be trembling. "Auntie, can you help me call the police? I¡¯m afraid that the bad guys are still nearby."


    The manughed. "Police? Everyone¡¯s already run away. What can the police do?¡±


    The woman reprimanded, "Hubby, look at how pitiful she is. Why don¡¯t we send her home?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t want to ept, but when he saw Tao Yueyue¡¯s helpless look, he reluctantly agreed. ¡°Haii... Get in the car.¡±


    1. It is an expression for when people disy superior intelligence when rushed/pushed to a corner.


    2. It was named ¡°Ball of Fur¡± or ¡°Furball¡±.


    3. It¡¯s not actually a hundred days, but it¡¯s an expression that describes minimal movement after getting injured, because otherwise it would aggravate the injury.

 Chapter 140: Chen Shi’s Conditions

    <h4>Chapter 140: Chen Shi''s Conditions</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Tao Yueyue sat in the car and the woman handed her a bottle of water. Tao Yueyue declined politely. "Thank you, aunty. I¡¯m not thirsty."


    The man asked, "What is your home address?"


    Tao Yueyue gave an address. At this time, Chen shi would definitely still be at the city bureau. He had been involved in a case over the past few days.


    The man found it on the GPS and said with surprise, "That ce is the City¡¯s Public Security Bureau. Are you mistaken?"


    "No, my father is there to work."


    "Your father is a local police officer?"


    "Criminal police!"


    "What about your mother?"


    "Mom has already left."


    The woman sighed, "Haii, what a poor child."


    The man said, "This is probably due to her being the child of a criminal police officer. It calls for the bad guys in society to retaliate. It¡¯s not easy to be an officer. Little sister, you must be extra careful in the future. If you didn¡¯t meet us today, you would have been in danger.¡±


    "Thank you, uncle!"


    When they got to the city bureau, Chen Shi, who had received the text message, came out. Tao Yueyue rushed to him and shouted affectionately, "Dad!"


    Listening to this tone, it was obvious that she was acting. Chen Shi acted ordingly and picked her up for a hug. "Why are you here? These two are..."


    "Don''t mention it. Your daughter was almost retaliated against by bad guys today...¡± The man pretended to recall the situation and portrayed himself as a hero who helped her out.


    After listening, Chen Shi was a bit surprised. The man suddenly had a thought. Fuck, I forgot to mention about thepensation for the window.


    ording to the version of the story he described, he couldn¡¯t bring up the window. He blew too much[1] and dug his own grave.


    However, a single window didn¡¯t matter too much. It was enough of a reward for him to have the opportunity to get to know a criminal police officer. He said with a smile, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am in the clothing business. This is my business card."


    He handed a business card over with his hands. It read that he was a deputy manager of a clothingpany, Xue Chengyi.


    "Officer Chen, let¡¯s enjoy a light meal together if you ever have the time." Xue Chengyi said.


    Chen Shi was too embarrassed to refuse and said, "Of course, I¡¯ll be sure to. Thank you for saving my daughter today, otherwise things would have been very serious."


    "It was the right thing to do. It¡¯s the duty of the citizens to be righteous! Then, we¡¯ll be leaving first..."


    "Okay, I won¡¯t send you off then! Have a safe trip!" Chen Shi''s eyes lingered on the woman''s butt for a few seconds. The waist above the buttocks was connected with the left hand of the man wearing a wedding ring.


    Chen Shi squatted down and looked at Tao Yueyue with a serious look. "Tell me what happened."


    After Tao Yueyue finished exining, Chen Shi felt that Tao Yueyue had no responsibility for this incident. On the contrary, she was very brave and clever. However, he did not intend to praise her and said, "If you didn¡¯t design a n to hurt him, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. You should reflect on that.¡±


    "If you didn''t tell him the truth and let him think it was just an ident, then this wouldn¡¯t have happened today either.¡± Tao Yueyue reasoned maturely.


    Chen Shi smiled. "Is this all my fault then?"


    "It is your fault!"


    "Then, you were right in retaliating against your ssmate?¡±


    "Liang Zuoming is not a good kid. ¡®Miso¡¯ said that he also bullied other students before I transferred to this school. He deserved it! Do you hope that I will ept the bullying, or let the teachere forward to y mediator? All the teachers in the world were taught in a school. They will only say that ''flies don¡¯t fly on clean eggs[2]¡¯, ''Why are they only bullying you but not the others?'', or those sorts of irritating but irrefutable words.¡±


    Chen Shi was speechless and said, "We will not talk about this matter right now. We will talk about it tomorrow."


    "You can¡¯t beat me." Tao Yueyue said proudly as if the danger that had just happened had been left behind.


    "Yes, I can¡¯t, so I have to think about how to educate you since you¡¯re a special child." Chen Shi touched her head. "Let¡¯s go home together when I get off of work."


    "Can I go and see Sister Lin?"


    "She is still working!"


    Tao Yueyue pouted and Chen Shi offered, "I¡¯ll take you to see the forensic tests, okay?"


    "Sounds good!"


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi put the breakfast he made in front of Tao Yueyue and sat down. Tao Yueyue now had a shortyer of hair and didn¡¯t wear a hat at home.


    "I¡¯ll tell you a story." Chen Shi began, "One day, a scorpion wanted to cross the river. He said to a frog, ¡®Brother Frog, can you carry me across the river?¡¯ The frog answered, ¡®No. You have a stinger and will poison me.¡¯ The scorpion countered, ¡®If I poison you, I¡¯ll drown as well!¡¯ The frog thought about it and found this argument reasonable. Thus, he crossed the river with the scorpion. What he didn¡¯t expect was that halfway across, the scorpion poisoned the frog and the two drowned together. Before their death, the frog asked, ¡®Why?¡¯ The scorpion said helplessly, ¡®Sorry. This is my nature!¡¯"


    Tao Yueyue listened intently and said, "So you mean to say..."


    "I¡¯ve thought for a whole night. Your nature is like this so I shouldn¡¯t try to change you. If I force you to be like others, then it would be very painful for you. There would be no difference in your experience at school. The ws of the education system are something I know very well because I was a genius when I was a child... I know that after yesterday¡¯s events, you have a fire in your heart and your character will not allow you to spare Liang Zuoming...¡± Chen Shi paused, ¡°I¡¯ll give you permission. Get revenge on him!"


    Tao Yueyue widened her eyes in surprise before calming back down. "What are the conditions?"


    "First, don''t be discovered by the school. If you are found out, avoid getting punished. Secondly, you aren¡¯t allowed to retaliate him in a physical manner. Third, you must have good reasons to carry out retaliatory actions! These three apply to this matter, but it also applies to things you will encounter in the future.¡±


    "Can the second rule be changed?"


    "Absolutely not!"


    Tao Yueyue shrugged helplessly. "The n that I thought ofst night must be changed then."


    Chen Shi thought to himself. What a terrifying child. She actually thought up a revenge n already.


    The three articles he proposed seemed to encourage her, but in fact they were constraints that increased the difficulty for her, since she would undoubtedly take revenge. At least this would prevent Tao Yueyue from straying onto the path of evil.


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s mother was a prostitute so who was her father? There were more than a dozen candidates. She grew up with her mother¡¯s abuse and indifference. Later, she saw her mother being killed right in front of her. When she was facing the police, she was young. Her calmness was a little scary. At first, the police didn¡¯t believe her testimony. How could an 8-year-old girl hide in the closet for three hours and witness her mother being brutally murdered without any movement or tears?


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s heart held a small poisonous snake. It was necessary to periodically squeeze some venom from its head to prevent it from attacking people one day.


    After many serial killers were arrested, the police found that they were surprisingly not arrogant. On the contrary, they were polite, introverted, and they were very caring for small animals. They were recognized as good neighbors and good citizens.


    The man who killed Tao Yueyue¡¯s mother was also such a person.


    If a person is suppressed for too long, there will always be problems. Catharsis is necessary for mental health. A society needs games,petition, adult culture, and online literature. In Chen Shi¡¯s opinion, those who go out at night to party and find escorts, then advocate that video games are damaging the growth of children were simply assholes!


    "Also," Chen Shi continued, "After you retaliate against him, you must report everything to me truthfully. Rest assured, I am definitely not an adult that would go against his word."


    Tao Yueyue stood up and went to Chen Shi and nted a kiss on his cheek with her mouth full of porridge. She said, "Uncle Chen, you have subverted my prejudice against adults. Thank you!"


    Chen Shi smiled and tapped her nose. "Satisfied? You little devil!"


    1. Exaggerated and dramatized the story whilst bluffing.


    2. They wouldn¡¯t be attracted to bullying her unless something was wrong with her. If an egg is not cracked, it would not attract flies.

 Chapter 141: The Death of a Little Nurse

    <h4>Chapter 141: The Death of a Little Nurse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The cases around New Years that needed to be done at the bureau piled up like mountains. Chen Shi helped the team almost every day. Although he liked this kind of lifestyle, he always acted like he wanted to go back to driving taxis.


    He¡¯d be in trouble if they found out that he was in the midst of bliss. He was afraid that he would gradually be a full-time criminal investigation consultant.


    On this day, the case on hand was closed and Chen Shi proposed to go out to eat a hot pot to rx. He and Lin Dongxue had just left the city bureau when a police officer from the emergency contact line ran over and said. "Officer Lin, are you free right now?"


    "Yes, what happened?"


    "We just received a report that a nurse died in Zhongshan Hospital. It¡¯s suspected to be suicide by jumping off the building. Can you go and check it out?"


    "Sure, we¡¯ll head over." Lin Dongxue said, then to Chen Shi, "Let''s eat after we take care of it."


    "I am afraid we won¡¯t be able to have food after that." Chen Shi said sadly.


    The two got in the car and left as another police car followed them with three forensic officers all the way to Zhongshan Hospital. There was a circle of people under the hospital building. They were mostly nosy patients. Chen Shi shouted, "Excuse us! Let us through. The police havee!" He separated the crowd to either side using his hands.


    Lying on the ground was a woman wearing a nurse''s uniform, face down, with her skin exposed to the cold air. Her skin was already white. The hands of the deceased were separated and the left leg stretched outwards, while the right leg twisted upwards at a strange angle.


    A doctor and a nurse were kneeling beside the body. The nurse had red eyes and held a handkerchief in her hands. The doctor said, "Sorry, we just wanted to see if there was any hope of rescue. We checked her body. We didn¡¯t mean to touch the body."


    Lin Dongxue said, "We can understand... Do you know the deceased?"


    "She is......"


    The doctor was about to answer, when the nurse rushed to answer. "She¡¯s my colleague, Du Ting. I was still talking to herst night, but today she¡¯s gone,¡± she said, as she wiped her tears away.


    Chen Shi saw that there were too many people in the area, so he asked everyone to scatter and told the forensic officers to take the necessary photos. Then, they quickly carried the body to the ward while the doctor went to find a white sheet and a bed frame. When the officers lifted the body, they paid special attention to the ground to see if they had missed anything when they searched the scene.


    Lin Dongxue registered the information of the founder of the corpse. The person who discovered the body was a patient. When he was walking around, he found the body here and called the police.


    The doctor was named Gao Ming and the nurse named Han Zhaodi was the head nurse here.


    Han Zhaodi said that the deceased Du Ting was on dutyst night. Thest time she saw her was at the nurse station. At that time, she was doing the night rounds. It was 4:00 at night. Around 5:00, Du Ting sent a text message to her colleague saying that she was a little dizzy and left early. She was found to have died downstairs at 10:00 this morning.


    Lin Dongxue noticed that Gao Ming¡¯s eyes flickered as Han Zhaodi was talking and he seemed to be somewhat guilty.


    She asked Han Zhaodi about the name of the nurse who was on duty with Du Ting. After, she continued, "You two can go back to work first. Hand it over to us for processing. If there is a problem, I will find you two for questioning again."


    Gao Ming said, "Okay. In the morning, I¡¯ll be doing rounds at the cardiology department."


    Seeing that there was no excitement, the crowd gradually dispersed. Lin Dongxue was about to leave, when she saw Chen Shiing back while holding a camera in his hands. He said, "Wait."


    He lifted the camera, pointed it upwards, and constantly adjusted the lens. Then, he pointed it at the window above and asked, "Which floors did the deceased do her patrols on?"


    "Five, six, and seven are all wards that she looked after."


    "The window frame on the seventh floor seems to have the dust wiped off. There are some scratches on the side wall. See for yourself."


    Chen Shi handed over the adjusted camera and Lin Dongxue could see the traces he talked about. Lin Dongxue put down the camera and said, "Do you suspect that it¡¯s a murder?"


    "I can''t say for sure. Let¡¯s go and check it out!"


    They got to the ward where the deceased fell from. The ward was empty and the window was open, making the room cold. Chen Shi stopped Lin Dongxue from going in and pointed to the ground. "There may be footprints that we can retrieve. We¡¯ll let the forensics take a look at it first.¡±


    The two walked along the sides of the walls until they got to the window. The windows were usually locked to prevent idents, but there were signs of opening the lock based on theck of dust.


    Chen Shi let Lin Dongxue continue to examine the room while Chen Shi went to check the body.


    Lin Dongxue went to the nurse station. Du Ting''s death was a popr topic amongst the nurses. The nurses said that Du Ting was usually low-key and rarely had any conflict with others. It was even more unlikely for it to be a matter of revenge.


    As for the possibility of suicide, a nurse with a good rtionship with the deceased said that Du Ting recently confessed to a doctor and the result was that she was rejected. For the past two days, her mood was indeed somewhat low. It was extreme to say that shemitted suicide because of that, but she couldn¡¯t think of any other reason for her to do it.


    "Who was the doctor she confessed to?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "It was Doctor Gao from the cardiology department."


    "Another question. Who can open the windows of the wards?"


    "We all have the keys. The window locks in the wards are all the same, and they¡¯re left shut normally."


    "Thank you for your cooperation!"


    The nurse followed Lin Dongxue and mysteriously said, "Police sister, I actually have another clue to provide. Last night, I saw Dr. Gao and Du Ting alone in his office, and I heard Du Ting crying."


    "What time was it?"


    "About 4:00 at night."


    Lin Dongxue went to the Department of Cardiology to find Dr. Gao Ming. She asked, "What is your rtionship with the deceased?"


    "Ordinary colleagues only." Dr. Gao said.


    "Some people say that she confessed to you a few days ago but was rejected. Is this true?"


    Dr. Gao smiled embarrassedly. "I thought she was joking and refused her right away. I didn¡¯t feel anything for her anyway. Everyone is an adult. Surely this little setback wouldn¡¯t cause her tomit suicide, right?"


    "Where were you after 12:00st night?"


    "You¡¯re not doubting me, right? I was at home!"


    "But the hospital''s surgical records show that there was an emergency operationst night. You came to the hospital at 10:00 and left at around 4:00. Some people reported that you and Du Ting were alone in the office."


    Dr. Gao broke out in cold sweat and said, "I looked for her to ry some work information. That¡¯s really normal.¡±


    "Then, why did you lie and say that you weren¡¯t at the hospital?"


    Dr. Gao seemed to get even more nervous. "This is a murder case. I just don''t want to be rted to it. You should be able to understand that it¡¯s human nature."


    "I understand, but I hope that you can tell the truth so that the deceased can rest in peace and you may be proven innocent in her death."


    When he heard the word "innocent," Dr. Gao got even more ufortable. Lin Dongxue knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any answers out of him and stood up to leave.


    Lin Dongxue stood around the corridor and looked around. There was no surveince monitoring installed here.


    Chen Shi called her and told her toe over. When Lin Dongxue got to the ward where the corpse was temporarily held, the deceased was lying on the hospital bed. The blood on her face had been wiped off, revealing scars and bruises. She was a small nurse with a decent face and was very young. She was probably around twenty years old.


    "Any discoveries?" Chen Shi asked.


    "There is a doctor who is suspicious. I am investigating... What about you?"


    Chen Shi nced at the body. "There is ateral cranium wound. It isn¡¯t easy to see it due to her hair. If she were conscious while she was falling down, she would have made a defensive action out of reflex, so the legs and hands would have been the first point of impact. However, the deceased¡¯s injuries were all very bnced and uniform, indicating that she was unconscious when she fell down. From this point of view, the deceased was murdered!¡±

 Chapter 142: Investigating the Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 142: Investigating the Hospital</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised and asked, "What about the time of death?"


    A forensic officer replied, "The liver temperature was measured and it¡¯s estimated that she died at around 4:00st night."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Four? She was with Dr. Gao at that time. The doctor is definitely suspicious. Should I go find him again?"


    "Don''t be so anxious. Let the bullet fly for a while[1]... Ah yes, let¡¯s go see her workstation."


    When they got to the deceased¡¯s workstation, Lin Dongxue opened the drawer and found a box of foundation and pink lipstick. Lin Dongxue asked the workers, "Did the deceased have a habit of wearing make-up?"


    "Yes, but it¡¯s quite new."


    "Women usually doll themselves up for the person they like. She must have done it for that doctor...There must be something wrong with the doctor!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "You suspect that they have an unclear rtionship? Do you get upset as soon as you see scummy men[2]?"


    Lin Dongxue argued, "I am just trying to investigate the case! Who cares about those scummy men? What do you think of this case?"


    "The hospital has arge flow of traffic. There are patients, family members, and medical personnel. Since the case is in the ice-breaking stage, don''t rush to set your sights on individuals. Learn more about the situation first."


    "Fine, I¡¯ll listen to you!"


    "You should continue to investigate the doctor. I will see if there are witnesses on the patient side of things... I have a piece of advice about this case."


    "Say it."


    "A person who kills another person bears great risk. Unless the murderer''s motivation is equal to this risk, there will be no murder. I want to remind you not to be blindfolded by the trivial interpersonal disputes in the hospital. Always keep in mind whether the person you suspect has this huge motive or not. If not, you can basically rule them out from the list of suspects."


    The two went to the nurse station and Chen Shi asked, "Head nurse, I want to know the situation regarding the patients on these floors."


    The head nurse nodded. "The files are in the office. I¡¯ll bring them out."


    Chen Shi and the head nurse walked away. Lin Dongxue found the friend of the deceased and asked, "About Dr. Gao...Actually, I still want to know more about their situation..."


    Chen Shi looked through the patient information in the office. When he got to one of them, he stopped and asked, "Did this person diest night?"


    The head nurse responded. "They died on the operating table. It¡¯s an ordinary medical ident.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded and continued to look through the files. He found that four patients passed awayst night. They were all patients that were getting old. The head nurse exined them one by one. Chen Shi thought that this was only the hospital¡¯s statement. Would there be any hidden secrets? He needed to go to the wards to investigate.


    When he went to a ward, a family was gathered outside and crying so much they looked like they were going to die of despair. Although he didn¡¯t want to interrupt them in this moment of mourning, he still needed to investigate the case. He showed them his certificate and said, "Police. I want to see the body."


    The family members were very cooperative. Chen Shi put on rubber gloves, checked the eyes of the old man who passed away, and checked the corpse for livor mortis. The time of death should be around 2:00st night. The record showed myocardial infarction caused by postoperativeplications. This can''t be seen by the naked eye, but the body didn¡¯t show any signs of doubt.


    After thanking the family, Chen Shi rushed to the next ward. The head nurse behind him asked, "Officer, officer, why would you investigate this?"


    Chen Shi had his own reasons. The patients who died before and after the incident would be sent to the funeral parlor very quickly. If he wanted to investigate them afterwards, he wouldn¡¯t be able to. They can investigate the living at any time, so he put his priority to the corpses first.


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t directly exin it and simply said, "Nothing much. Doubting everything is part of our job."


    There were no problems with the second body either. When Chen Shi went to the third ward, he saw a familiar face. The middle-aged man wore a ck gauze around his neck, like a patient¡¯s family. He saw Chen Shi and said in surprise, ¡°Officer Chen, why are you here?"


    "Boss Xue?"


    "Haha, you still remember me!"


    This person was the kind-hearted citizen who sent Tao Yueyue to the city bureaust time - Xue Chengyi.


    Xue Chengyi pulled a middle-aged woman over and said, "This is my wife. This is Officer Chen."


    Sure enough, the young woman who was with himst time was not his wife. Chen Shi said, "Boss Xue helped my daughter outst time and I still haven¡¯t thanked him properly.¡±


    The woman had a big smile stered on her face. "Don¡¯t mention it! He¡¯s always been a kind and passionate person like that."


    Xue Chengyi handed over a cigarette and said, "My father diedst night so my rtives havee over. Why is Officer Chen here?¡±


    "Investigating a case!" Chen Shi refused the cigarette. "I wish to see your father''s body."


    "Is this rted to the case?"


    His wife said, "My father-inw¡¯s respiratory system was blocked by some phlegm, so he unfortunately passedst night. Maybe you should forgo checking his body in case of viruses!¡±


    Chen Shi responded, "Condolences to you both. This is just part of the process, so I¡¯m hoping you both would cooperate. I am not a forensic doctor, just an ordinary policeman.¡± I¡¯m actually not even a policeman.


    The husband and wife exchanged nces before Xue Chengyi said, "Okay then!"


    When Chen Shi got to the body of the old man and checked his eyes, he immediately found it suspicious. He had obvious signs of bleeding in his eyes. He looked back at Xue Chengyi and Xue Chengyi¡¯s anxious face immediately forced a smile.


    Chen Shi asked, "What time did he pass?"


    "The hospital said it was around four or five. We received the news early in the morning and rushed over."


    "Nobody apanied the old man here?"


    "No, we take turns taking care of him. My wife was herest night. However, she couldn¡¯t help but have some sleep in the hallway. Who knew...?¡± Xue Chengyi¡¯s eyes became red.


    "Condolences!"


    When they got outside, Chen Shi said, "I haven¡¯t thanked you forst time. Would you like to have a meal with me at noon?¡±


    Xue Chengyi responded, "I am so sorry. I¡¯m afraid I can''t find time today."


    "Ah of course. I really don¡¯t know my timing. Let''s exchange contact information."


    "Okay."


    After exchanging their phone numbers and WeChat, Chen Shi asked, "Your child is also attending Zhixin Middle School?"


    "No, my son is going to college out of town..." Xue Chengyi lowered his voice. "But my little three¡¯s[3] child goes to school there. Don''t tell my wife, officer. You know how it is when you¡¯re middle-aged!¡±


    "Understood. I won¡¯t bother you then.¡±


    "Okay, we¡¯ll find time to eat one day."


    Chen Shi turned around and the smile disappeared from his face immediately. He said to the head nurse, "Please help me out a little."


    Chen Shi sat downstairs and smoked. Lin Dongxue asked him where he was and ran over. "From all the gossip in the hospital, I feel like I can make a TV series out of it."


    "Is there a suspect?"


    "Yes, Dr. Gao! ording to his colleague''s testimonies, he should be thest one to see the deceased. But, he himself isn¡¯t clear in his testimony and seems suspicious."


    "What is his motivation?"


    "Dr. Gao will act as the evaluation associate professor at the end of the year. If he develops any scandals, then his job prospects would be ruined. What do you think about that as a motive?"


    "Why would he kill her?"


    ¡°There were nurses who said that Dr. Gao has yed with several girls at the same time. I think it should be a scandal in that area!¡±


    Chen Shi considered it. "The patients who died here wouldn¡¯t be touched by a coroner for forensic tests unless a family filed awsuit. There must be a lot of murder cases hidden in ces we can¡¯t see.¡±


    "You mean when family members don''t want to bear huge medical expenses? Is this rted to this case?"


    "I don''t know. I will only know it when I check it out... Thank you!" Chen Shi got up and took a stic bag from the head nurse who came over with things stuffed inside.


    "What is this?"


    "A pillow!"


    1. Famous quote in a famous movie that was used to indicate that the story is just beginning.


    2. I wrote scummy men here, buttely the social culture dictates that any guy who doesn¡¯t 100% do what women say and ask are considered ¡°scum¡±. So in this instance, how ¡°bad¡± the guys he are referring to is unclear.


    3. Little three is a term for the woman who¡¯s the third person in their rtionship. The affair.

 Chapter 143: Murder Will Never be Tolerated

    <h4>Chapter 143: Murder Will Never be Tolerated</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue curiously asked, "What are you doing with a pillow?"


    "To investigate the case. Let''s go back to the forensicsb." Chen Shi stood up and went outside.


    The two returned to the bureau and ate a simple meal nearby. Considering the suspicious nature of the case, Lin Dongxue immediately applied for a case to be opened. This time, Lin Qiupu still allowed Lin Dongxue to lead the task force, but the assigned staff was limited. There were only Xu Xiaodong, Little Li and Old Zhang beside her. Chen Shi could also count as a staff member.


    Lin Dongxue opened a simple project meeting to debrief the members about the case.


    "...The situation is like this right now. I don''t know why the deceased was killed, but there is a high probability that the murderer is inside the hospital..."


    Chen Shi added, "Those inside of the hospital refers to the people who stayed in the hospital that night."


    Lin Dongxue felt that this was not a big case this time. They should be able to find out who the murderer is and what the motive was once they sorted out the interpersonal rtionships within the hospital.


    Peng Sijue came in and announced, "The autopsy is finished. The time of death is indeed around 4:00 in the morning. The deceased doesn¡¯t have signs of sexual assault. In fact, she¡¯s still a virgin. The direct cause of death is a blow on theteral cranium. It should be caused by a blunt instrument. The deceased has broken a nail on her left index finger. You can go to the scene to look for it. Maybe there are traces left on it by the murderer."


    Chen Shi said, "I have a pillow here. You can take a look at it using the iodine testing method."


    "Is it rted to the case?"


    Chen Shi said with a mysterious smile, "I don''t know if it¡¯s rted, but there should be surprises anyway."


    Peng Sijue showed a face of defeat. "I can¡¯t do anything about you." Then, he took the pillow handed to him by Chen Shi and they went to theb together. Peng Sijue mped the pillow with the clips, hung it in a sealed box, and implemented the iodine method with alcohol at the bottom.


    The iodine vapor continued to spread in the box. Just like a ghost film, a face slowly appeared on the pillow. The expression was that of a painful one as well.


    Lin Dongxue was surprised. "What¡¯s this?"


    Chen Shi exined, "This is a pillow used by an old man who diedst night. I identally found that there were bleeding points in his pupils. I suspected that he was forcefully suffocated and murdered. I asked the head nurse to change the pillow. It was indeed as I thought!"


    The pillow was pressed on the face of the old man and the oil on his face remained on the pillow.


    Chen Shi said, "It may not be rted to the case. Do you want to check it out anyway?"


    "Let¡¯s check!" Lin Dongxue confirmed. "Any killing must not be tolerated."


    "It is also a coincidence that the other party is someone I happen to be acquainted with. I¡¯ll go and find him. I¡¯ll let you handle the hospital side of things.¡± Chen Shi took a picture of the pillow.


    "We can probably guess what the situation is. The other party will now rush to cremate the body. You guys need to quickly retrieve the body. Without the body, they won¡¯t be found guilty." Peng Sijue said.


    "I¡¯ll go right away. Send over some help for me. I can¡¯t get the body alone.¡±


    Chen Shi left with an intern coroner. He called Xue Chengyi and told him he needed to find him. Xue Chengyi said, "I¡¯m really sorry but I¡¯m at the crematorium. My father is preparing for cremation."


    Chen Shi probed, "Boss Xue, isn¡¯t the whole funeral process done a bit in haste?"


    "A lot of rtives came from other ces, so they want to go back to work after quickly conducting the funeral.¡±


    "Wait a minute, don¡¯t cremate the deceased yet. I¡¯ll be arriving soon.¡±


    "Understood."


    Chen Shi was worried that Xue Chengyi was not going to keep his word and called the funeral home of Long''an City. He said that the police requested that the cremation of the elderly¡¯s remains be halted.


    When they arrived at the funeral parlor, Chen Shi saw a group of friends and rtives crying in front of a box. The host of the ceremony said empathetically, "Although Old Man Xue has left us, his voice and smile will remain in our hearts forever!"


    Xue Chengyi and his wife were amongst the rtives and friends. They were crying and mourning as well. Chen Shi was so angry that he couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes.


    He stood here and waited for the ceremony to end. Xue Chengyi walked over and said, "Sorry, the staff urged me to finish it, and there are so many rtives and friends waiting. I couldn¡¯t do anything but cremate my father.¡±


    "You don¡¯t think you conducted everything too quickly?"


    "Officer Chen, are you doubting me?" Xue Chengyi observed Chen Shi''s look.


    Since matters were like this now, they could only find ways to collect other evidence. Chen Shi smiled. "Nothing, nothing... I just wanted to pay my respects to him!"


    "Thank you so much."


    Chen Shi went to the box and bowed. The filial sons and grandsons on both sides bowed back to him. Chen Shi wondered if this deed was done by Xue Chengyi alone, or by the husband and wife. Did his brother and sister know?


    He also had a bold conjecture. Does Xue Chengyi killing his father have anything to do with the death of the nurse? How can I prove this connection?


    Xue Chengyi came over to shake hands with Chen Shi and handed over a cigarette. He said, "If Officer Chen is okay with it, would you like toe to the restaurant and have a meal with us?¡±


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and transferred Xue Chengyi a gift of 500 yuan. He said, "This is just a representation of my thoughts to you and your family."


    "Don''t dare to ept! I don¡¯t dare to ept it!" Xue Chengyi fiddled with his mobile phone and returned the money.


    Chen Shi pressed his hand. "If you don¡¯t ept it, I won¡¯te to have a meal with you."


    "Then, excuse me. Did you drive? Do you want toe on the bus with us or will you drive over?¡±


    "I¡¯ll go on the bus!"


    "Okay. There are other rtives and friends to say hello to, so I¡¯ll talk to youter."


    "You¡¯re busy, so don''t worry about me."


    Chen Shi¡¯s face held a smile and Xue Chengyi walked away. As he left, he and his wife whispered a few words to each other. The wife nced at Chen Shi¡¯s eyes, so Chen Shi thickened his skin and waved at her. The wife forced a polite smile back, but although the skin smiled, the meat did not[1].


    Chen Shi went back to the little coroner and apologized. "Sorry, leaving you all alone. Are you going to go to the dinner party with me or will you head back directly?¡±


    "You need to provide a mary gift for the dinner party, right? I can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    "Then you drive my car back and tell Captain Peng that the body was burned by them. Also, tell him that I¡¯ll collect some other evidence.¡±


    "Brother Chen, you need to be careful." The little forensic doctor took the car keys and left.


    Being forced to participate in the funeral, Chen Shi actually looked very calm and kept saying hello to everyone. He chatted with Xue Chengyi¡¯s brothers and sisters and understood that Xue Chengyi''s father had esophageal cancer. It was already in thete stages and ording to the doctor, he only had a few months left to live.


    He was already over eighty years old, so he had a good run already. This was why the rtives didn¡¯t show too much grief.


    As for Xue Chengyi''s economic situation, his younger brother said that Xue Chengyi''s clothing business had been flourishing. There were three houses in the family and he often helped his younger siblings financially. This time, as his father was sick, he was also the person who paid for all the medical expenses.


    Afterwards, everyone went to the hotel by bus. On the road, Chen Shi was checking the progress on Lin Dongxue¡¯s side.


    They spent an afternoon searching from the grass to the ward that the deceased fell from. Finally, they found the broken nail with some blood on it. They weren¡¯t sure if it was from the deceased or if it was from someone else, so it was sent back to identify.


    The more Lin Dongxue understood the situation, the more she felt that the doctor was the most suspicious. She asked him to go to the bureau on the grounds that he needed to assist with the investigation.


    1. An expression that means that it was a very fake and forced smile.

 Chapter 144: So Happy She Slapped

    <h4>Chapter 144: So Happy She pped</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the interrogation room, Dr. Gao Ming repeatedly stressed, "That¡¯s so funny. Why would I kill Du Ting? My rtionship with her was so good, why would I kill her?"


    Lin Dongxue quizzed, "At the time of the incident, what did you two do at the office?"


    "We chatted!"


    "She cried because you guys chatted?"


    Dr. Gao grabbed his hair anxiously. "She was the type of girl who loves to cry! What does it have to do with me?"


    "What did you two talk about? It is best to repeat itpletely."


    "Okay, okay. About a week ago, she joked and asked, ¡®Why don¡¯t you be my boyfriend?¡¯ At the time, I needed to conduct an operation and thought that she was joking. We usually make such jokes, so I said ¡®Go die.¡¯ I didn''t think much of it at the time. However,ter on, I heard the other nurses talking about how much she cried in the office. That¡¯s when I knew that this little girl actually felt that way about me. Officers, don''t look at how I¡¯m thirty. I really don¡¯t have much love experience. I have been in school for more than 20 years! To be honest, I also like her very much. I thought about it for a few days and decided to ept her. That day... That is, the day of the incident that you were talking about, while she was patrolling, I called her into the office and took out the small gift I had prepared, hoping to formally associate with and date her. Maybe she was too happy, but she cried.


    "Is that all?"


    "Why would I lie to you?!" Dr. Gao was annoyed.


    Lin Dongxue received an internal call made by Peng Sijue. He asked her toe take the DNA identification report. Xu Xiaodong was interrogating the doctor with Lin Dongxue and made a trip to get the report.


    Xu Xiaodong went to the forensic department. Peng Sijue was alone as everyone else had gotten off work already. There was a document on the table. Peng Sijue sipped his coffee slowly and said, "The DNA in the nails of the deceased is consistent with the suspect."


    Xu Xiaodong was excited, "Sure enough, it¡¯s him!"


    "What about Chen Shi?"


    "He went to the funeral in order to check the death of the old man."


    "He was in a hurry earlier and forgot one thing. The pillow had traces on the front as well as traces on the reverse side."


    "Fingerprints?"


    "I took a photo."


    Peng Sijue took out a photo that had just been printed out. After seeing it, Xu Xiaodong was a bit surprised. It was not a fingerprint of a person. It clearly showed that both hands were covered together. From the sizes, a man¡¯s hand was underneath and a woman¡¯s hand was on top.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Is this enough evidence?"


    "It¡¯s not. Let''s say I push a pillow on your face now. Your face would show on the pillow and my fingerprints would show on the other side. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I killed you. An autopsy would provide the most reliable evidence.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong was a bit regretful. He knew that the old man was killed, but there was no way to prove it.


    I don''t know how Brother Chen will reverse it this time, but I believe that Brother Chen can certainly find ws and evidence.


    Xu Xiaodong gave the DNA identification results to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue widened her eyes and had a wave of adrenaline within her. She stood up and walked in front of Dr. Gao. Xu Xiaodong also walked over. Dr. Gao nervously retreated. "What are you doing?"


    "Roll your sleeves up."


    "I can roll them."


    Dr. Gao rolled up one of his sleeves but there was no injury on his skin. Lin Dongxue asked him to do the same with his other sleeve, but nothing could be seen either.


    Xu Xiaodong made a sudden discovery. "Turn your face around."


    "Why? What is this?!¡± Although Dr. Gaoined, heplied with the request anyway.


    "Hey, here!"


    Xu Xiaodong pointed at the skin between the doctor''s ear and his jaw. Some of the skin was scratched.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Your DNA was found on the deceased¡¯s nails and your face is scratched. How do you exin that?¡±


    Dr. Gao angrily shouted, "You police are too rash and sloppy! What can this prove?"


    "This can exin that you killed her!"


    "Bullshit."


    "Then you need to give us a reasonable exnation."


    "I remember now. She pped me in the face."


    "You¡¯re making this up on the spot?"


    "You little officers really do say things that make people angry. Are you trying to frame me because you can¡¯t catch the real murderer?¡±


    "You just said that you established a rtionship with her. She was so happy that she started crying. Why would she p you in the face then?"


    "I don''t know! Maybe she was ¡®so happy she pped¡¯?!¡±


    "What are you saying? If you still don''t tell the truth, I can''t help you."


    Dr. Gao cried and finally admitted, "Fine, I confess. It¡¯s because I tried to have my way with her at the time. I had already given her a present and we established that we would date each other and formally associate with each other. That is, she¡¯s my girlfriend now, so I should be able to exercise a boyfriend¡¯s rights of touching and pinching... Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m just talking about my psychology at the time. Then, she pped me and cried as she ran away. I really can''t understand the woman''s mind!"


    Lin Dongxue looked contemptuous. "She is dead and you aren¡¯t sad at all."


    "I admit that I just wanted to y. The little girl was born so beautiful, so I developed these intentions. How can I date a nurse anyway? My dad would kill me. You police love forcing out everything ugly out of people¡¯s hearts. Are you guys happy now? Are you satisfied with this?"


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know if this was a lie. Looking at Xu Xiaodong, Xu Xiaodong said, "I feel like it¡¯s the truth."


    Dr. Gao felt like he found a confidant and said with excitement, "Men understand men."


    Lin Dongxue made a call, asking someone to detain him first. As he was being taken away, Dr. Gao desperately shouted, "I¡¯m not a murderer! I¡¯m not a murderer!"


    In Lin Dongxue''s heart, she couldn''t make up her mind. She didn''t dare to let him go. ording to the regtions, she could only detain him for 24 hours. If she didn¡¯t make any progress, she would have to let him go.


    She called Chen Shi and it was really noisy on his side. It took some time for the noise to die down. Maybe Chen Shi went outside to answer the phone. Lin Dongxue reported, "The deceased has the doctor''s DNA in her nail and the doctor reported that he got pped in the face because he tried to have his way with her. He¡¯s being detained at the moment. What about you on your end?"


    "I am still eating. There is no progress. Are you going to work overtime?"


    "I was thinking of going to the hospital again with Xiaodong to find some evidence."


    "Can you go back to my house? Tao Yueyue is alone at home and I¡¯m guessing she hasn¡¯t had dinner yet.¡±


    "How long does it take to get there ande back? I¡¯m afraid I can''t go."


    "It seems that she has to eat instant noodles tonight."


    On the other side, at the restaurant, Xue Chengyi was giving a thank-you speech to the guests. Apart from rtives and friends, there was also Xue Chengyi¡¯s business partners and friends. Chen Shi hadn¡¯t been able to find any information or evidence and was a bit depressed.


    Xue Chengyi used his pillow to kill his father. Maybe he just didn''t want to spend huge medical expenses. Then, this would be a spontaneous murder. There would be no evidence to be collected here.


    But intuition told him that there must be other discoveries.


    Chen Shi¡¯s eyes searched through the guests, and suddenly noticed a familiar person. Xue Chengyi¡¯s little three[1] actually came.


    1. His mistress in his affair

 Chapter 145: At Variance but Seemingly in Harmony

    <h4>Chapter 145: At Variance but Seemingly in Harmony</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xue Chengyi''s little three sat at a table by the door and ate by herself without talking to others much.


    Chen Shi pulled a chair over and the woman opened her mouth in surprise. ¡°You are the officer from that day...¡±


    ¡°My surname is Chen, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Officer Chen, my name is Li Ping.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I am a friend of Old Xue¡¯s. His father died, so I naturally want toe here to express my condolences.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I knew we couldn¡¯t escape your keen eyes. You saw us together that day. Yes, we are in that sort of rtionship, but his wife knows about us and is turning a blind eye to it.¡±


    ¡°Do they have such an open and harmonious rtionship?¡±


    ¡°There are all kinds of couples under the sun. I¡¯m sorry, I have to go back. My child is still waiting at home!¡±


    Chen Shi felt that she was someone he could talk to and stood up as well, ¡°Let''s go together, did you drive?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a taxi together and save some money.¡±


    The two went outside the restaurant and Li Ping asked, ¡°Was that your daughter that day?¡±


    ¡°No, actually I am only her legal guardian.¡±


    ¡°She seems a bit familiar. Does she attend the fifth ss of the second grade?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what is your child''s name?¡±


    ¡°Li Yantong. I am a single mother.¡±


    ¡°Being a single mother is not easy. I want to talk to you about Xue Chengyi''s family situation.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Just let me know whatever it is you know about them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? He isn¡¯t involved in tax evasion or something, is he?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not investigating that. He¡¯s only a little involved in a case. It is not that he¡¯s a suspect. Police work is often like this. Everything has to be investigated.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Li Ping thought for a second. ¡°He has been married to his wife Tang Hui for 20 years. I feel that their rtionship is quite different. Tang Hui has affairs with the younger generation at her work. Xue Chengyi knows about it and Tang Hui also knows about Xue Chengyi¡¯s rtionship with me. It¡¯s almost like it¡¯s gone semi-public, but she never talks about it.¡±


    ¡°A couple who appears to be in harmony when they¡¯re at variance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you summed it up very urately. I think it may be because Tang Hui is his wife from a young age. I heard Xue Chengyi say that the two had been through obstacles before. At the beginning of their business, his family was very poor and they struggled a lot. They borrowed arge sum of money and Xue Chengyi invested the whole sum. Thankfully, his investment paid off and his business gradually got better. The business went on an uphill road. He also said that one thing happened at that time that he considered really lucky. He said that God had not blocked his financial path.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t say what it was.¡±


    ¡°Which year did he start his business?¡±


    ¡°It was around the year 01 or 02?¡±


    ¡°Do you still know something?¡±


    Li Ping talked about something else. He listened to her until the car arrived. Li Ping said, ¡°Officer Chen, let¡¯s ride the car together.¡±


    Chen Shi declined, ¡°Sorry, I have to check some things with Xue Chengyi.¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk again another day then!¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    Chen Shi returned to the restaurant and the guests had already dispersed. Xue Chengyi was a bit drunk and was crying, ¡°I have not fulfilled the obligations of the eldest son. I am not filial, not filial!¡± Several younger brothers and sisters persuaded him and said that he¡¯d done enough and that their dad passed away happily.


    On the side, his wife Tang Hui looked at him coldly. That expression made Chen Shi interested.


    Seeing Chen Shiing over, Xue Chengyi suddenly stopped crying, and slurred loudly, ¡°Officer Chen, why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°You¡¯ve had too much to drink. I¡¯ll send you home.¡±


    ¡°No need! Thank you so much foring today. I¡¯ll ask my brother to send me back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    Chen Shi picked Xue Chengyi up and sent him to a car. He sat in the driver''s seat. Xue Chengyi patted his shoulder and said, ¡°You are a friend of loyalty. Let¡¯s go, go home and continue to drink.¡±


    Tang Hui sat in the car and said, ¡°Thank you, Officer Chen.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Last time, he helped my daughter and I haven''t thanked him yet!¡±


    Tang Hui smiled faintly, but when Chen Shi turned his face back around, he saw a pair of gloomy eyes from the rear-view mirror.


    On the GPS, Xue Chengyi''s address was already entered. Chen Shi chatted with the husband and wife while driving. After arriving home, Tang Hui said, ¡°I will help him up. Thank you, Officer Chen.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. I¡¯ll take my leave!¡±


    Tang Hui dragged Xue Chengyi into the house and chucked him on the sofa. Xue Chengyi slurred, ¡°Water, give me water.¡±


    Tang Hui went to the bathroom and filled a bucket of cold water. When she got to the living room, she directly poured it on Xue Chengyi. Xue Chengyi immediately sobered up and jumped. He shouted, ¡°Are you crazy?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the crazy one! Why did you acquaint yourself with a policeman? Are you looking for death?!¡±


    ¡°His daughter was harassed by a bunch of hooligansst time. I helped him and he owes me. He can''t doubt me... Furthermore, he can¡¯t find any evidence even if he does doubt me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you Xue Chengyi. We need to keep in our hearts what we¡¯ve done. We live or die together. You had better be more careful!¡±


    ¡°I... I know!¡±


    ¡°If you know, then that¡¯s good. Just burn your father''s relics and mementos so we don''t leave any clues.¡±


    Xue Chengyi snorted, ¡°Motherfucker, it¡¯s like my house has frozen over. I don¡¯t want to stay in such a cold house even for a second longer.¡±


    Tang Hui sneered. ¡°You think I like this ce? Ever since you did that, this home has only been an empty shell.¡±


    Chen Shi did not leave immediately. He looked up from downstairs. After standing for a long time, he did not see the couple turning on the lights. He wondered why they didn¡¯t turn on the lights even though they were home. They were truly a strange couple.


    When he left themunity, he asked Lin Dongxue where she was and immediately took a taxi to the hospital.


    In the hospital room that Du Ting fell out of, Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were looking for evidence. Peng Sijue searched on the ground with a bio-discovery instrument and found several hairs and fibers. They would need to test them to see if it was rted to the case.


    ¡°The floor had been mopped recently and there isn¡¯t much dust. The footprints are not very obvious and hold almost no value for forensics,¡± Peng Sijue remarked.


    Lin Dongxue took out a key. ¡°This is the window key found on the deceased. Let¡¯s open it and take a look.¡±


    Opening the window, a cold wind blew in and the three sneezed. Peng Sijue used a shlight to scan the edges of the window and said, ¡°A lot of dust has been taken off.¡± He took some samples and prepared to go back topare it with the dust on the corpse.


    Lin Dongxue tried to restore the scene of crime. ¡°The deceased fell to the ground with her face down, so the murderer should have ced her on the window sill, ¡®sat¡¯ her on it, and then pushed her from behind.¡±


    Peng Sizhen reminded, ¡°The back of the deceased¡¯s jacket was a bit torn.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong announced, ¡°There are fingerprints here.¡±


    The two cast their eyes to the side. On the edge of the wall on the right side of the window sill, there were four fingerprints. Peng Sijue took a shlight and shook his head and said, ¡°Fuzzy. I¡¯m afraid it is difficult to extract it.¡±


    ¡°Is it left by the deceased?¡± Lin Dongxue subconsciously looked at the other side of the window sill and found fingerprints there.


    Theypared the fingerprints on both sides and found that the posture was very strange. If it was left by the murderer, then that would mean they put both their hands on the window and used their chest to push the deceased down. Even if this were the case, the murderer''s arm would be very long and look like Liu Bei[2].


    It is also impossible for the deceased to have left them because the autopsy had confirmed that she was dead when she fell.


    ¡°The two handprints are of different thickness.¡± Peng Sijue observed. ¡°The murder wasmitted by two people!¡±


    1. An expression that described those couples that don¡¯t look like a couple even if they were to stand next to each other.


    2. People said that when he rxed his arms, his hands would reach his knee, meaning they were extremely long.

 Chapter 146: Chen Shi’s Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 146: Chen Shi''s Reasoning</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Two people?" Xu Xiaodong tried to reconstruct the picture in his mind. "What would the action be?"


    "Let the deceased ¡®sit¡¯ on the window sill, two people grab ahold of the window sill, and use their other hands to push the deceased from the back really hard and at the same time.¡± Peng Sijue guessed based on the current clues.


    "That¡¯s weird. If I said that Captain Peng and I were going to push Xu Xiaodong down now, what would we do?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Hey, don''t use me as an example." Xu Xiaodong said shyly.


    Peng Sijue discussed, "I would lift his upper body while you lift his lower body and put his back on the window sill. Then, we¡¯d lift his legs and let him fall down... This is the leastbor-intensive way."


    "What is the second most efficient way?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "We would carry one leg each, pick him up, and throw him out.¡± Peng Sijue responded.


    "Like a child ying Aruba." Lin Dongxueughed.


    "Don''t say that! I¡¯m afraid of heights. I¡¯m scared just thinking about it!¡± Xu Xiaodong said.


    They discussed several ways of throwing people out the window. It may have been the reason for opening the window. The more Xu Xiaodong heard, the more goose bumps he felt on his body. ording to the discussion, the murderers used the method that was the most taxing.


    "Why would the murderers want to do this? Is there a hidden reason?" Lin Dongxue inquired.


    "A ceremonial feeling!" A voice came from outside the door.


    The trio turned around and saw Chen Shi standing there. Chen Shi asked, "Why don''t you turn on the lights? Are you trying to scare people?¡± He tried to turn on the light switch, but it turned out the lights were broken.


    "What did you just say?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Xiaodong, sit on the hospital bed." Chen Shi instructed.


    "Brother Chen, can you not use me as an example..."


    Chen Shi ignored Xu Xiaodong¡¯s protests and went behind him with Lin Dongxue. They each imitated the murderers and pressed a hand against Xu Xiaodong¡¯s back. Chen Shi said, ¡°Push together. One, two, three...¡±


    "Aiya!" Xu Xiaodong was pushed out of the bed.


    "I don''t feel any sense of ritual." Lin Dongxue said.


    "That''s because you are someone from the outside. Think about it from the perspective of the murderers. They were very scared after they killed someone. The deceased may have been killed by one of them with a blunt object. The other can only be regarded as a witness or an aplice. The murderer couldn¡¯t let thepanion rat them out, so they had to work together to push the deceased down.¡±


    ¡°Responsibility would then be bnced?¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly realized. ¡°It¡¯s like two people holding a knife at the same time, killing the victim.¡±


    "Yes, the process of pushing the deceased down the building is like hinting that they are tied together by one rope, and no one can sell the other person out!"


    "If they killed together, then their rtionship must be very intimate. Siblings, friends, or husband and wife?" Lin Dongxue wondered.


    "It¡¯s a man and a woman. The fingerprints obviously belong to one man and one woman," reminded Peng Sijue.


    "Go outside and check."


    The four of them went outside and stood at the door of the ward. They were just out of sight of the nurse¡¯s station at the front, and then they walked towards where the nurses could see them in their line of sight.


    Chen Shi narrowed the scope down. "The murder should have urred between the door and the end of the corridor."


    Chen Shi surveyed this distance, but the ground was cleaned every morning by the cleaners. There were no traces left. He asked, "Where is Dr. Gao¡¯s office?"


    "The sixth floor, just below our location." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Let¡¯s go and have a look."


    Dr. Gao¡¯s office was next to the stairs on one side. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°In ordance with Dr. Gao¡¯s words, he attempted to have his way with the victim and was pped in the face before the victim ran away.¡±


    "What was her patrol route at night? Specifically." Chen Shi asked.


    "From the fifth floor nurse station to the east, then back before she went to the west. Then she goes up the sixth floor, and heads east from the west side. From there, she¡¯ll go to the seventh floor and then go from the east side to the west side. Finally, she¡¯ll take the stairs back to the fifth floor.¡±


    "Let''s go to the fifth floor to have a look."


    The four went down to the fifth floor and saw ward 504.


    Chen Shi walked into the empty 504 ward and said, "ording to the patrol route of the nurse each night, as long as the nurse passes by, she will not go through a second time."


    "That is the case." Lin Dongxue confirmed.


    "But the deceased passed by for a second time that night, probably because she had been harassed by the doctor. In a panic, she ran downstairs and saw what was going on in the ward."


    "What was going on?"


    "This ward is where Xue Chengyi¡¯s father died at 4:00st night!¡±


    At the same time as Lin Dongxue''s enlightenment, there was also a feeling of shivers and goosebumps. In the quiet night, the deceased ran down in a panic and saw a couple killing their loved one with a pillow in ward 504.


    Chen Shi continued to specte. "Her first reaction was to stop, and she didn¡¯t expect to be hit on the side of her head. Maybe she died on the spot. Then, the couple wanted to dispose of the body, so they took the body to the seventh floor. From an empty ward, they opened the window and pushed her down. Then, the crime was finished.¡±


    "It sounds about right!" Xu Xiaodong was shocked. "Brother Chen is really amazing. We thought you were cking off. I didn''t expect that you used an out-of-the-box method to solve the case."


    "That¡¯s less than ttering." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Your reasoning is still missing something," Peng Sijue challenged. "Was the deceased running downstairs?"


    "Ask Dr. Gao!" Chen Shi instructed.


    The four men immediately went back to the bureau. Dr. Gao was sitting in the detention room feeling dejected. When he heard someoneing, he immediately rushed to the railing and said, "I am not the murderer! Let me go!"


    Chen Shi handed him a meal and said, "I need to confirm one thing with you."


    "I¡¯ve said everything that needs to be said. What else is there to talk about?¡± Dr. Gao took the meal anyway.


    "The deceased ran out of your office. Did she run downstairs or go upstairs?" Chen Shi queried.


    Dr. Gao thought for some time before he said, "Downstairs!"


    "Are you sure?"


    ¡°The anti-slip strips on the 5th to 6th floors are loose. There would be noise on the steps if she ran past them. I walk around every day, so I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Everyone exchanged a look. It seems that the truth of the matter had been revealed. Chen Shi said, "Let him go!"


    Dr. Gao was very excited. "This police officer is reasonable."


    Lin Dongxue scolded, "Remember to respect girls more next time."


    "Of course, of course!"


    After Dr. Gao left, Xu Xiaodong said, "Oh yes, Brother Chen. Captain Peng discovered new findings on the pillow, but we haven¡¯t shown it to you.¡±


    They went to theboratory. When he saw the fingerprints on the pillow, Chen Shi was a little surprised. "Did two people work together? Is there such a tacit understanding?"


    Lin Dongxue also expressed shock. "This is the evidence! Chen Shi, what did you find out when you attended the funeral today?"


    "I feel that this couple is pretty strange. Although they were clearly detached from one another, they had an understanding between them as if they were tied up by something.¡±


    "Was it this case?" Lin Dongxue pointed at the fingerprints on the pillow.


    "I think that this state was not formed in a day or two. Yes, someone mentioned that in 2001, he struggled in starting a business. They said that something happened at that time and that God didn¡¯t block his financial path!" Chen Shi¡¯s eyes became cold. "Let¡¯s check and dig up the secrets of the couple!"

 Chapter 147: Trap

    <h4>Chapter 147: Trap</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xue Chengyi woke up with a hangover and his head felt like it had swelled up. He washed his face and saw his wife sitting in the bathroom burning things expressionlessly.


    Xue Chengyi found a shopping bag and put wet tissue paper at the bottom of it as Tang Hui poured all the ashes in it. They also put some other garbage in there to cover it up.


    Although the house was warm, it seemed to be freezing.


    Xue Chengyi took the lead in breaking the silence. "When this is over, let¡¯s go through the divorce procedure."


    "Why?" Tang Hui said coldly.


    "Why?!" Xue Chengyi''s rage welled up. "You killed my dad!"


    "Is his life more expensive now?"


    "I have money to treat him now, unlike in the past. We didn¡¯t have any options back then! That¡¯s why we did that!¡±


    "Mr. Xue, don''t forget. If my mother didn''t ¡®suddenly¡¯ die back then, you would still be a no-name. If my mother can''t enjoy life, then your dad doesn''t deserve it either.¡±


    "You are a vicious woman!" Xue Chengyi gritted his teeth.


    "Me? Vicious? I made a lot of sacrifices at the beginning and did not report you to the authorities. Our lives are tied together! No one can leave the other behind. Otherwise, we¡¯ll die together!¡±


    Xue Chengyi was so angry that his lips quivered. At this moment, the doorbell downstairs rang. Xue Chengyi picked up the doorbell phone and asked stiffly, "Who is it?"


    "It''s me, Old Chen."


    "Officer Chen!" Xue Chengyi''s tone changed one hundred and eighty degrees. "Did you need me for anything?"


    "I¡¯m investigating the nurse¡¯s case. I saw that you were quite busy yesterday so I didn¡¯t ask anything, but I was hoping to ask you some questions today.¡±


    "I¡¯lle down right away."


    Xue Chengyi gave Tang Hui a look, hid the bag of garbage, quickly put on his clothes, and went downstairs. Tang Hui reminded him as he was leaving, "You have to be careful. He is a policeman so he¡¯s going to be pretty bright. Don¡¯t leak anything!¡±


    "He¡¯s investigating the case around the nurse."


    "Don¡¯t you know clearly in your heart who killed the nurse? Remember, we went out to eat supper at that time and don¡¯t know anything."


    "You¡¯re so stupid. The police would verify that."


    "Just say that the store was closed so we turned back."


    Xue Chengyi went downstairs and smiled as he greeted, "Has Officer Chen had breakfast yet? Let¡¯s eat together!"


    "No need. Can Ie in and sit down?¡±


    "Since we just finished the funeral ceremony, our ce is still very messy. My wife is currently cleaning things up. Let¡¯s go eat outside.¡±


    The two went to a breakfast stall and ordered a few simple dishes. Chen Shi asked, "It¡¯s said that the money received from women and children is the easiest. Does Boss Xue¡¯s clothing business make a lot of money?"


    Xue Chengyi smiled and replied, "It¡¯s not bad. We get by."


    "Which year did you start up this business anyway?"


    "It was started ages ago. It didn¡¯t do too well at first. Business only improved around 2002.¡±


    "It¡¯s hard in any industry... I need to ask you a few questions. That is, just ordinary questions."


    "Sure, I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±


    "At 4:00 that night, did you see any suspicious peopleing into the hospital?"


    Xue Chengyi shook his head. "4:00? I remember that my wife and I went out to eat supper around that time."[1]


    "What did you eat?"


    "We were nning to go to a wonton shop, but unfortunately they were closed. We turned back and ate some instant noodles instead.¡±


    "Didn¡¯t your father pass around that time?"


    Xue Chengyi was scared and broke out in cold sweat as he responded, "Yes, yes. I meant we nned toe back to eat noodles. However, when we came back, we found that my father had stopped breathing. So, I quickly called the nurse and found that my father had already passed away. Then I called my rtives and friends and ryed the news. I didn¡¯t eat anything all the way till the morning."


    "Condolences!"


    "Haii, he¡¯s gone already. I should let him go.¡±


    The two were chatting for a while when Chen Shi¡¯s phone suddenly rang. It was actually his own rm clock, but he pretended to answer it. ¡°What? You found important clues on the seventh floor?... Don¡¯t move... I¡¯lle over right now...¡±


    Xue Chengyi looked at him like an idiot. Chen Shi eximed excitedly, "We found some clues left by suspects. Maybe the case can be broken today. I will have to go over first."


    "No worries, you go ahead!"


    Chen Shi went to the seventh floor of the hospital. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were waiting for him there. This was the top floor and patients were generally reluctant to live here. As long as the hospital was not full, there would be no one on this floor.


    Chen Shi held a mop in his hand and rested it against the corridor. He asked, "Is there any progress?"


    Xu Xiaodong reported, "Xue Chengyi invested about 500,000 yuan into this clothingpany in 2001. In the second half of the year, thepany expanded its market and its share price doubled. He became a deputy manager."


    Chen Shi said, "That bastard deliberately told me that it was in 2002."


    Lin Dongxue also reported, "I checked the hospital. Coincidentally, Xue Chengyi''s mother-inw suffered from stomach cancer in 2001. She died suddenly during her hospitalization. Xue Chengyi did not ask for hospitalpensation. The hospital also didn¡¯t want to bring public attention to the ordeal."


    "¡¯God didn''t block his financial path.¡¯" It seems that everything is very clear now. Xue Chengyi didn''t want to use the investment money to pay for his mother-inw¡¯s medical expenses, so he killed his mother-inw."


    "What about his father''s death this time? With his current financial assets, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to use some for medical expenses." Lin Dongxue wondered.


    Chen Shi thought of the two handprints on the pillow and reasoned, "Xue Chengyi''s father''s death is a repayment of debt! Tang Hui knows that Xue Chengyi killed her mother. She chose her husband over her mother-daughter rtionship and did not report Xue Chengyi. He was able to achieve his career goals. For twenty years, the husband and wife have been bound by this secret. Just as Wang Shuo said in his novel: Two greedy people in the fairy tale dug for underground treasures. The result was that they dug up a person¡¯s skeleton. Although they quickly buried it back and even nted a tree and some flowers on it, they both understood what was buried underneath. When they saw the tree and flowers, they could only think about the skeleton underground. Now that Xue Chengyi¡¯s biological father was dying, Tang Hui asked him to pay his dues, so the two killed the old man together. Unfortunately, they were spotted by a small nurse and the two could only kill yet another person to tie up loose ends."


    Lin Dongxue said empathetically, "If it wasn''t for the small nurse, this case may never have been known.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong countered, "If you don¡¯t want someone to know something, it¡¯s only possible if you don¡¯t do it."


    "Not necessarily. The death of an elderly person with terminal illness is generally not suspected. They wouldn¡¯t ept a coroner¡¯s forensic test either. The idea where if people don¡¯t report something, the government would not interfere is a widespread notion. If it was not for the nurse this time, this secret would have been buried in the darkness forever!¡±


    "How should we find evidence?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "The evidence is definitely there. The little nurse''s cell phone has yet to be found. The couple have been busy with the funeral. I think the evidence has not been cleaned up yet... I¡¯ve set up a trap to wait for Xue Chengyi to fall into on his own."


    "A trap?"


    At this time, footsteps came from the corridor and Chen Shi lowered his voice. "Xiaodong, you should hide first. Call me in five minutes. You can talk about anything you want.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong walked away to the other side. Surely enough, it was Xue Chengyi who hade up. Chen Shi showed a smug smile and asked, "Boss Xue, why are you here?"


    "Oh, I just came over to do some procedures. I saw your car parked below, and since I knew that you were handling the case, I came up to say hello." Xue Chengyi smiled, his eyes nced at the room blocked by the police tape cordon. "Have you arrested the real murderer?¡±


    "Don''t talk about it. The forensic appraisers are stuck in a traffic jam. They should be here in a minute.¡±


    At this time, the phone rang. After Chen Shi answered, he said with surprise, "What? There are two people dead?! Control the scene first. I¡¯lle over immediately...¡±


    He said to Xue Chengyi in a panic, "There is another case I need to attend to. Can you stay here and wait for me? There are important clues in here. Make sure nobody goes in. The appraisers wille soon.¡±


    "Sure, you can rest assured!" Xue Chengyi nodded.


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue downstairs and Lin Dongxueughed. "This is your trap? Will he be fooled?¡±


    "You¡¯ll be fooled if you have a guilty conscience!"


    1. Both my editor and I are unsure if this consistency is on purpose. In chapter 142, Xue Chengyi says that his wife was watching over his father but fell asleep when his father passed.

 Chapter 148: Secret

    <h4>Chapter 148: Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue stood on the balcony between the flights of stairs for a while. He sent a text message to Xu Xiaodong asking him to see what Xue Chengyi was doing.


    Xu Xiaodong replied, "He¡¯s in the room."


    "Go!"


    The two returned and Chen Shi rushed past the cordon as he shouted, "Who¡¯s inside?!"


    Xue Chengyi, who was mopping the floor with the mop, turned his head and smiled sheepishly. "I saw that the ground was dirty so I came in and mopped."


    Chen Shi said with a cold face, "I have said that there are important clues in the room and that no one is allowed in. Doesn¡¯t that include you? Are you destroying the evidence for the murderer?¡±


    "I... I¡¯m not!"


    Lin Dongxue remarked, "Obstruction of justice. Sorry, you have to make a trip with us.¡±


    Xue Chengyi was crying and pleaded. "Don''t... Don''t give me such a big sin. I didn¡¯t do anything, really!"


    "Come out!"


    Xue Chengyi put down the mop in misery and pleaded with Chen Shi. "Office Chen, you know me the best. I couldn¡¯t be the murderer. My father died that night and I was so busy with everything. Why would I randomly kill a little nurse?¡±


    "Let''s talk back at the bureau!"


    "You can¡¯t treat me like this. If it wasn''t for me, your daughter would have been ruined by those hooligans. You can''t frame me like this."


    "We need to separate personal matters from business. If you really are innocent, I will apologize to you."


    Xue Chengyi was dejected and took out his cell phone. Lin Dongxue snatched it from his hand and questioned, "What are you doing?"


    "I want to call my wife. I have to be ountable and notify her when something has gone wrong at home.¡±


    "What? We¡¯ll notify her!¡±


    Chen Shi took Xue Chengyi''s mobile phone and handed it to Xu Xiaodong. He told him to go to Xue Chengyi''s house before calling Tang Hui to let her know that her husband was at the bureau. This was to make sure she didn¡¯t flee.


    Xue Chengyi knew that he was doomed. The light dimmed from his eyes.


    When they got to the bureau, Chen Shi did not cuff Xue Chengyi and even gave him a ss of water. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve seen each other so many times, so let¡¯s not talk in circles. The time of the incident was 4:00. What were you doing at the time?¡±


    "How many times have I said that my wife and I went out to eat supper... Officer Chen, what are you ying at?"


    "Let me show you a photo."


    Chen Shi took out photos that showed both sides of the pillow and let Xue Chengyi see it. Xue Chengyi was covered in cold sweat. He said with a smile still on his face, "I don''t know what this is."


    Chen Shi put on his gloves and picked up the cup that Xue Chengyi touched. ¡°Your fingerprints are on this. We¡¯ll know once wepare it.¡±


    Xue Chengyi began to sweat raindrops but he still refused to speak.


    Chen Shi used the internal phone and called for the forensic analysts toe in and take the cup away. Xue Chengyi was so scared that he swallowed and waited for the process to be finished. The room was silent. Ten minutester, the analysts sent a report back.


    Chen Shi nced at it and handed it to Xue Chengyi. "It¡¯s aplete match. Your fingerprints are on the pillow."


    "I can''t see it properly. Can you bring it closer?¡±


    Chen Shi got a little closer, when Xue Chengyi suddenly grabbed it, scrunched it up into a ball and swallowed it.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue bothughed. Xue Chengyi had lost his mind. He made such a naively rebellious act. Chen Shi asked, "Are you full? If you aren¡¯t, we can print a few more copies out for you."


    "I... I have the right to remain silent."


    "Have you watched too many Hong Kong movies? You don¡¯t have that right here in China."


    "I won''t say anything anyway. I know you guys can¡¯t treat me too poorly. I request awyer." Xue Chengyi nced at the surveince camera.


    "If you¡¯re unwilling to say it, then I will!" Chen Shi retold his spections again.


    Xue Chengyi¡¯s sweat fell like a waterfall. When Chen Shi finished, he gulped, ¡°You...How can you know so clearly? As if you saw it with your own eyes?!¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to his own eyes. "For me, it¡¯s quite simr to seeing it with my own eyes. How long are you going to hide it for? Ah yes, your wife has been brought in and is currently in another interrogation room. If you still don¡¯t confess, maybe her version of events will be more disadvantageous for you."


    Xue Chengyi¡¯s psychological defense was finallypletely shattered. He said in misery, "I¡¯ll talk!"


    In 2001, Xue Chengyi had a lot of business losses. He borrowed a fortune to invest in a friend''s clothingpany. He didn''t think that just as he was about to invest, his mother-inw became severely ill and needed a huge sum for medical expenses.


    Seeing the money go out to her medical fees in hefty sums, Xue Chengyi was very worried. However, in the eyes of rtives and friends, he owned a business, so he had money. They wouldn¡¯t think that he would have any money troubles at all.


    One day, in the middle of the night, Xue Chengyi thought it over repeatedly until he decided not to "surrender to fate." He tried to kill his mother-inw with a pillow. This scene happened to be seen by Tang Hui who had juste back from the toilet.


    The two of them argued endlessly. Xue Chengyi pleaded for Tang Hui to grant this to him. His mother-inw''s illness was a bottomless pit. He did not want to put his whole life in it. In the face of her husband''s crying and begging, Tang Hui finally agreed.


    The two of them killed the mother-inw together. Six monthster, Xue Chengyi¡¯s business flourished, but he always had a thorn in his heart. Every time he faced his wife, he felt a little restless.


    This secret made the two of them at variance, even though they seemed to be in harmony. They were detached and alienated from each other. Even if they each had an extramarital affair, the other party did not interfere.


    Time flew to over a decadeter. Xue Chengyi¡¯s father fell ill and was hospitalized. Xue Chengyi¡¯s worries finally appeared before him. That night, the wife who had never smiled at him for over a decade, threw him a pillow and said, ¡°It¡¯s time you paid back your debt!¡±


    Xue Chengyi was reluctant, but under the threat of his wife''s threat to report him, he finally put the pillow over his father''s face. He couldn''t do it, so his wife pressed his hand down until his father was no longer struggling.


    The two thought that things had ended, but they heard a voiceing from behind them. "What are you doing?!"


    A small nurse had witnessed the scene of themmitting murder. The husband and wife were frightened. The little nurse was about to go to the nurse station to call for help, when the wife immediately took crutches and smashed it on the head of the nurse. (In the version that Tang Hui confessedter, the small nurse was killed by Xue Chengyi).


    The two then took the body of the nurse upstairs and threw it out of a window, staging a suicide.


    Later, Xue Chengyi called their rtives and friends and the cremation was held that day. He thought that his n was foolproof. He did not expect the police to have noticed him already at that time...


    Xue Chengyi sighed, "Maybe this bit of money was not destined for me. I have been eating and drinking luxuriously for more than ten years, and now it¡¯s time for me to pay back my debts."


    Chen Shi said, "If you were not willing to treat your mother-inw back then, you could have taken her home and stopped her treatment. Why did you do this kind of thing? Modern medical treatment is truly very expensive, and it is understandable that patients need to get treatment that is within their means."


    "If I did that, how would my rtives and friends see me? They would say I had no conscience. After all, back when I waspletely broke, Tang Hui was still willing to marry me. Her family gave me a lot of financial assistance as well."


    "In the end, it''s still for the sake of face."


    "When a person is alive in the world, isn¡¯t face for others to look at? The appearance may be morous, but the inside might still be dirty. Aren¡¯t all the rich like that? I was just particrly unlucky!¡± Xue Chengyiughed at himself.


    Chen Shi ended the conversation here and stood up. "Mr. Xue, I wish you luck!"

 Chapter 149: The Person who Killed my Child needs to pay Hundred-fold in Blood

    <h4>Chapter 149: The Person who Killed my Child needs to pay Hundred-fold in Blood</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 11: Rich Family Affairs


    Before the winter vacation arrived, the results from the final exam were released. A bunch of students crowded in front of the bulletin board at school and scrambled to check their rankings.


    The school put a line above 420 points on the bulletin board. When Wei Zengmali saw that she had scored 427 points and barely passed the danger zone, she excitedly threw her hands up and cheered. She could now save her little life from the violent bombardment of lectures from all her rtives during the Chinese New Year.


    She continued to search for Tao Yueyue¡¯s name on the list. After looking for a long time, she found Tao Yueyue was ranked in the first row. She ranked twelfth in the grade, and second within her ss!


    Wei Zengmali was so shocked that her mouth hung open. She dashed back to the ssroom. Tao Yueyue was sitting in her seat reading a novel. Wei Zengmali said very animatedly, ¡°Tao Yueyue, Tao Yueyue! Do you know how you ranked in the test? You¡¯re twelfth in the grade, and second in the ss!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that surprising. The teacher has already told me.¡±


    ¡°Did you cheat? You only just transferred to our school a few months ago.¡±


    Tao Yueyueughed. ¡°The exam is very simple!¡±


    ¡°Simple? What¡¯s with your brain?! Shout me some food, shout me some food!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll treat you to some M Soup.¡±


    At this time, a bunch of girls came in. Wei Zengmali recognized the ss rep, Li Wei. She was still sitting firmly as the first ce of the ss.


    Like a moon surrounded by stars, Li Wei walked straight through a group of girls who crowded around her. Li Wei excelled in both looks and academics and was the focus of everyone¡¯s attention no matter where she went, as if she glowed with dazzling light. Wei Zengmali rushed to let her walk past.


    Tao Yueyue had always wanted toe out on top as soon as she developed consciousness. She looked up from her novel and saw Li Wei stop in front of herself. Li Wei said with a smile, ¡°Tao Yueyue, I really underestimated you. I didn¡¯t expect you toe in second ce the first time you took the exam.¡±


    ¡°It''s still not as good as you,¡± Tao Yueyue responded nonchntly.


    ¡°Haha, are you free? I want to invite you to go to a KTV.¡±


    Tao Yueyue closed her book. ¡°Sorry, I have already promised to go out and eat with ¡®Miso.''¡°


    Seeing the transfer student tantly refuse the invitation of the ss rep, the group of girls that surrounded Li Wei shouted, ¡°You¡¯re not giving her face?¡±, ¡°Our Li Wei rarely takes the initiative to invite others out.¡±, ¡°You only got second ce. What about it? It¡¯s still a hundred thousand miles away from Li Wei!¡±


    Li Wei made a gesture and everyone stopped talking at the same time. It was obvious that she had absolute authority in the small group.


    Li Wei crossed her arms and arrogantly said, ¡°People of the same rank stick together. I think you should y more with top students like us. If you y with bad students, you¡¯ll only get more and more stupid the more you acquaint yourself with them.¡±


    Tao Yueyue stood up. She was shorter than Li Wei and could only talk to her with her face tilted up. Tao Yueyue replied without arrogance nor humility, ¡°Who I have as a friend is my freedom. I hope you won¡¯t bother me regarding that... Miso, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Tao Yueyue took Wei Zengmali''s hand and walked away. Wei Zengmali said gratefully, ¡°Tao Yueyue, you are so kind to me. You actually refused Li Wei for me. I am going to fall in love with you!¡±


    ¡°That girl is very vain. I don''t want to have a rtionship with her.¡±


    Wei Zengmali looked back and said with concern, ¡°Li Wei seems to be very angry. Is it really okay to offend her?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what she thinks as long as she doesn''t bother me!¡±


    Before the New Year, Chen Shi told the task force not to bother him with any cases. The ¡°kind-hearted citizen¡± nned to spend afortable New Year and announced that he would like to take his winter vacation and that he would see them again next year.


    On this day, Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue to the mall to buy New Year¡¯s goods. Tao Yueyue ate a skewer of candied fruit when she suddenly issued aint. ¡°The school is a ce that doesn¡¯t bring joy.¡±


    ¡°Are these the words that should being out of a student that ranked second in the ss?¡± Chen Shi was choosing the pair of blessings that he would put on the door.


    ¡°People the same age as me are really na?ve. They¡¯re obviously children as well, but they want to imitate adults and separate people into ranks. Not everyone likes interpersonal politics and rtionships at school, but if they don¡¯t maintain these rtionships, they would be bullied.¡±


    ¡°Is someone bullying you?¡±


    ¡°Not for the time being.¡±


    ¡°The school is indeed a seemingly simple ce, but it¡¯s actually aplicated one. My principle has always been to keep to myself and avoid trouble.¡±


    ¡°I hope so as well.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some fun over winter vacation? Don¡¯t think about this sort of stuff. What lollies do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°I want that milk candy!¡±


    Suddenly, Chen Shi got a call from Lin Dongxue. He pressed ept and answered, ¡°Miss Lin, didn¡¯t I ask everyone not to contact me about cases?¡±


    ¡°This case might have to be done by you.¡±


    ¡°Your brother asked you to call me?¡±


    ¡°You guessed it!¡±


    ¡°Haii. I have a child with me! I¡¯lle right away.¡±


    Tao Yueyue raised her face and asked, ¡°Can Ie with...¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you need to be obedient.¡±


    Tao Yueyue saluted him. ¡°I promise!¡±


    Chen Shi went to the city bureau with Tao Yueyue. The police of the city bureau had long been familiar with him. When they saw him, they would nod or greet him. ¡°Brother Chen, you came!¡±, ¡°Brother Chen, why are you bringing a child here?¡±


    ¡°A child from a rtive. They¡¯re on winter vacation.¡± Chen Shi exined. ¡°Where¡¯s Dongxue?¡±


    ¡°The second floor.¡±


    When they got to the second floor and passed by a conference room, they heard an angry shout from inside. ¡°I don''t want you guys to investigate this case. I want Song Lang. I only need Officer Song!¡±


    Chen Shi stopped in front of the door and looked inside. He saw an old man raging at people aimlessly. The police officers in the room were very embarrassed.


    Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue came over from the corridor and Lin Dongxue rushed to Tao Yueyue to say hello. ¡°Are you on winter vacation?!¡±


    ¡°Sister Lin.¡± Tao Yueyue happily hugged her.


    ¡°Why did youe with a child?¡± Lin Qiupu frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already very messy. Don¡¯t add more mess to this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she is very obedient... Captain Lin, what is the situation?¡±


    ¡°You can see with your own eyes. This old man is Lu Qixing, a well-known big-time entrepreneur in Long¡¯an. This morning, a car was found in the suburbs with a male body inside. It was discovered that the deceased is the eldest son of Lu Qixing, Lu Zhendong. Lu Qixing went out of control. He called all the major media outlets to prepare for an advertisement that says that he wants the murderer to pay his blood debt. This is the one...¡± Lin Qiupu took out his mobile phone. The photo was of a draft advertisement that hadn¡¯t been printed yet. In bloody font, it read, ¡°Kill my child? I¡¯ll make sure you pay with your blood a hundred-fold! Regards, Qixing.¡±


    Lin Qiupu went on to say, ¡°Fortunately, it was stopped in time. Otherwise, it would have been very lively in the city today. The Chief has already made a promise to him to solve the case within seven days, but the old man is forcing Song Lang to investigate the case. Nobody else is up to par in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°The rich people are truly self-willed... Who is Song Lang?¡±


    ¡°You don''t know Song Lang?¡± Lin Qiupu showed both surprise and contempt. ¡°He is the most legendary policeman in Long''an City over the past 20 years. He was also my senior once. Your ability can''t evenpare to one tenth of his.¡±


    ¡°What a powerful figure. I really want to pay a visit to him when I have time.¡±


    ¡°You can''t meet him.¡±


    ¡°Then, why are you looking for me? Do you want me to pretend to be Song Lang?¡±


    ¡°We have to trouble you. The old man is a bit confused and may not remember Song Lang¡¯s appearance. Can you just lie to him? As long as the case is broken, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Chen Shi muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t ept this!¡±

 Chapter 150: Pretending to be Song Lang

    <h4>Chapter 150: Pretending to be Song Lang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Why?"


    Chen Shi responded, "I still have to buy New Year''s goods. It¡¯s New Year''s Eve in three days. Can¡¯t I have a nice and peaceful New Year?¡±


    Lin Qiupu raised his eyebrows. "That¡¯s your excuse?"


    Lin Dongxue tried to mediate. "In fact, we don¡¯t necessarily need you to do it. We¡¯ve sent a few people to pretend to be Song Lang, but he saw right through them. We just want you to have a go at it.¡±


    "How am I simr to Song Lang?"


    "Your age is almost the same, your temperament..." Lin Qiupu was very reluctant to admit it, but continued, "It¡¯s also a tiny bit simr."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "You just said that he has informed the media. This case is bound to cause a huge sensation in the whole city. I don''t want to put my face on such a high-profile situation, so I¡¯m not going to ept the job. I think you¡¯ll have to ask an expert for this. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡±


    Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue and was about to leave when the conference door behind him was smashed open. Lu Qixing¡¯s line of sight was locked on Chen Shi¡¯s back. He said with excitement, ¡°Officer Song! You¡¯re Song Lang!¡±


    Chen Shi sighed and turned his head around. "I¡¯m not. You¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else.¡±


    However, when Lu Qixing saw his face straight-on, he got even more pumped up. He was so excited that he was shaking. He said, "This is your usual tone of voice and the typical words you say. You¡¯re Officer Song! I can¡¯t be wrong!¡±


    Chen Shi was made speechless and responded as politely as possible. "Old man, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m really not the person you¡¯re looking for."


    Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue and made a beeline for the entrance and took her to get some food. Then, they continued to buy New Year¡¯s goods until they decided to go home at 4:00PM. When they got home, they saw Xu Xiaodong''s car stopped at the door.


    He sighed helplessly as he walked to his own door. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were both there. Xu Xiaodong said with a smile, "Brother Chen, I didn¡¯t know you lived here. How much is a square meter to live in the houses around here?¡±


    "When I bought it, it was about 5,000 or so. It might be around 8,000 nowadays... Are you still looking for me regarding that case? Come in and sit down.¡±


    When they got into the house, Chen Shi brought them drinks. As it was Xu Xiaodong¡¯s first time there, he looked around curiously while Lin Dongxue talked. "The old man insisted that you¡¯re Song Lang and that you have to be the one to pick up the case."


    "I don''t understand. When did the police be a private detectivepany? People can choose who they want to investigate the case? Why don¡¯t you all just open the case and investigate like normal?¡±


    "Although your words are correct, he¡¯s not willing to cooperate. From his son¡¯s time of death, it can be inferred that he was thest person to have seen his son. This clue is crucial."


    Chen Shi shook his head, "The media-"


    "They¡¯ve already been suppressed. My brother promised several mediapanies in Long''an City that they¡¯ll be given first-hand information after the case is solved. They won¡¯t show up during the investigation period.¡±


    "Let me have a think about it!"


    Lin Dongxue sighed with relief. From the bag she carried, she took out the photos of the crime scene, the autopsy report, etc. Chen Shi looked through the documents. The victim died in a horrible fashion. There were many stab wounds, both on his chest and back. His face was also sshed with something suspected of being a corrosive chemical. His face was almost unrecognizable.


    ording to the DNA identification, the victim¡¯s DNA and Old Man Lu were a 99.9% match. It should be Lu Zhendong.


    The time of death was approximately 72 hours prior. The cause of death had yet to be determined. Of the many knife wounds found on the body, several of them stabbed through main organs. Peng Sijue said in the report that there were no signs of struggle, which means that the victim was stabbed while unconscious


    Some of the stab wounds on the deceased merged with each other. It was impossible to determine which knife wound was received first. They were afraid that subsequent autopsies won¡¯t help to ascertain that either.


    Additionally, the abandoned corpse was found near the drains north of the city. There weren¡¯t any surveince cameras around the area. At present, no witnesses have been found. The vehicle in which the corpse was ced belonged to the victim.


    The autopsy report mentioned that the deceased had part of his right thumb missing. It was suspected that it was cut off by a sharp edge after death.


    Chen Shi looked through the information thoroughly until he could recite every word on the autopsy report. He asked Lin Dongxue, "What kind of person was the victim?"


    "Rich second generation. No doubt that the interpersonal rtionships he had were veryplicated. There were six inte influencers that have had scandals with him. If wepare him to other rich second generations though, his character isn¡¯t too bad. He runs his ownpany and hasn¡¯t had any allegations against him regarding drugs, DUIs, or sexual misconduct.¡±


    "I really don''t want to pick this case up!" Chen Shi sighed.


    "Do me this favor." Lin Dongxue smiled with her hands in a praying position.


    "Why does he know Song Lang?"


    "Five years ago, his second son was kidnapped and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 100 million yuan. It was a big kidnapping case in Long''an City which caused a lot ofmotion. The police sent many people to participate in the investigation. At that time, Song Lang was the Captain of the second team of the criminal investigation department and proposed that the kidnapping was fake. He believed that the kidnapping was a ruse nned by the second son. Later, after bargaining with the kidnappers and delivering a ransom of ten million yuan, the police found the body of the second son in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. Follow-up investigations proved that Song Lang was right. The kidnapping case was concocted by the second son. However, he chose the wrong person to help him with his n. The helpers spontaneously killed him after being tempted by the money they received. He¡¯s still a fugitive that hasn¡¯t been arrested at this time. If the task force had listened to Song Lang at the time, then this whole tragedy may have been avoided.¡±


    "You participated in that case?"


    "I didn''t but my brother took part in it. At that time, he was just a minor figure. It was because of this case that Song Lang became an irreceable idol in his mind."


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like much. It¡¯s not Godly or anything.¡±


    "You can say that in front of me, but don¡¯t say that to my brother. He would be enraged by anyone who says anything bad about his idol.¡±


    "The old man is really pitiful. First, he lost his second son, and now he¡¯s lost his eldest.¡± Chen Shi sighed, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, why don¡¯t you both stay and eat? Xiaodong, you haven¡¯t eaten the dishes I¡¯ve made before, right?¡±


    "Okay, sounds good!" Xu Xiaodong epted excitedly.


    "Hey, let¡¯s investigate the case!" Lin Dongxue urged.


    "What time is it right now? Let¡¯s go tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to be a ve... Ah, yes, tell your brother that I want absolute authority since I¡¯ve taken on this case. Nobody can intervene in my work. If someone interferes, I¡¯ll quit. If a reporter appears, I¡¯ll quit. If I need to use police resources but I don¡¯t get them, I¡¯ll quit... If these three conditions are met, only then will I ept.¡±


    "You are getting more and more arrogant now!" Lin Dongxue forced a smile.


    "You can¡¯t me me since you guys forced this on me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue called her brother and conveyed Chen Shi¡¯s wishes. Although Lin Qiupu was angry about it, he gave permission for it anyway.


    Chen Shi took out the ingredients to prepare a hot pot to entertain the two of them. While he was busying himself in the kitchen, Tao Yueyue ran in. Chen Shi stuffed some sliced ham into her mouth. Tao Yueyue said while chewing the ham, ¡°Why are you pretending like you don¡¯t know Uncle Song? Wasn¡¯t it Uncle Song who asked you to take care of me?¡±


    "Shh!" Chen Shi put his finger on his lips. "This little secret needs to stay between the three of us. Don¡¯t leak it out, okay?¡±


    "Do we need to keep it a secret from Sister Lin as well?" Tao Yueyue stared at the ham.


    Chen Shi gave her another piece and said, "Besides me, you need to keep it a secret from everyone else."


    "Understood!"

 Chapter 151: Rich Second Generation, Government Official Second Generation

    <h4>Chapter 151: Rich Second Generation, Government Official Second Generation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi arrived at the city bureau. He started by examining the body before calling the entire task force to the conference room.


    Chen Shi sat on the table that was usually used by Lin Qiupu. He held an autopsy report in his hand and said loudly, ¡°Does everyone understand the case? There are two tasks ahead of us. We need to check the interpersonal rtionships of the victim and find out when theyst saw the victim, as well as their alibis at the time of the incident. We need to get all the surveince footage around the victim¡¯s house,pany, and the surroundings of where his body was abandoned. I¡¯ve established a WeChat group, number xxx. When you find any clues, report directly to that group. When you¡¯ve finished your assigned task, you can go and do something else. I¡¯m not asking you to be on call for 24 hours a day... Okay, adjourned!¡±


    Everyone looked at each other. The project meeting was too sinct. Chen Shi left straight away and called Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong. ¡°Let''s go visit Old Man Lu.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. ¡°As the leader of this task force, don''t you have to specifically assign who does what?¡±


    ¡°They are all experienced police officers. Let them investigate however they want!¡± Chen Shi reasoned.


    On the car, Lin Dongxue found that Tao Yueyue had tagged along. She changed into a brand-new Lolita outfit and held a book in her hand. Lin Dongxue greeted her and whispered to Chen Shi, ¡°You intend to bring a child to investigate the case?¡±


    ¡°Does it affect anything? Didn¡¯t you guys say that you will give meplete authority and freedom?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°You are so... Haii, whatever. I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have time to apany Tao Yueyue much normally. Since she¡¯s on winter vacation, I took her out to y. It¡¯s not every day that you get to visit a wealthy person¡¯s mansion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too overconfident. If you fail to solve the case within the time limit this time, we¡¯ll see what face you bring to see my brother.¡±


    Chen Shi made a gesture of assurance. ¡°You can rest assured if I¡¯m handling the case!¡±


    People say that a rich man¡¯s house is not bought to live in, but for investment purposes. This was the case with Lu Qixing, who had fifteen luxury homes around the world. However, he mostly lived in a hotel. Of course, it was a hotel owned by him.


    This five-star hotel was located in the most prosperous area of Long''an City. The price of each room was 1.5 times that of an ordinary hotel. However, because Lu Qixing lived there, there were always people who were willing toe here to experience the atmosphere of the rich. There was a saying that the mountain don¡¯t have to be very high as long as a dragon is present[1].


    Some people spected that Lu Qixing suffered from serious psychological problems after losing his beloved son five years ago. He never stayed in the same room for over two nights. No one could confirm whether this was true though.


    The four of them arrived at the hotel. Led by a hotel employee, they took a private elevator up to the top floor which took them to a luxurious presidential suite. There was already a guest present. A young man wearing gold-rimmed sses with neatlybed hair was there.


    The young man immediately revealed a confused look while rushing over. Chen Shi informed, ¡°We are the police.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello!¡± The young man shook their hands. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Zhendong¡¯s. I heard that something happened to him and came over to express my condolences... The old man is inside. Did you guyse to see him?¡±


    ¡°Your surname?¡±


    ¡°My name Jia. Jia Xunyun.¡±


    ¡°My surname is Ch-¡±


    The sound of ¡°Chen¡± hadn¡¯te out yet when Lin Dongxue coughed beside him. Chen Shi immediately rephrased, ¡°My surname is Song.¡±


    ¡°Officer Song!¡± Jia Xingyun smiled, but his eyes were fixated on Lin Dongxue.


    ¡°Have the policee in for questioning yet?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go ahead!¡± Jia Xingyun''s unrelenting gaze was still on Lin Dongxue.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± Chen Shi pointed to himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re not as good looking as thisdy... Just kidding! Go on.¡± Jia Xingyun smiled.


    ¡°What is your rtionship with Lu Zhendong?¡±


    ¡°Friends. We were especially good friends... I know that there are many people around him who can im to be his ''good friend'', but if we were to rank my rtionship with him, I might be his number one friend. We¡¯ve known each other for many years and talk about absolutely everything. It¡¯s like we¡¯re brothers.¡±


    ¡°Then you must know who he has bad blood with, right?¡±


    ¡°I know some stuff.¡± Jia Xingyun provided several names, and Chen Shi recorded them down one by one.


    Then Chen Shi continued questioning, ¡°When was thest time you saw him?¡±


    ¡°Noon on February the 2nd.¡±


    Based on the time of death, Lu Zhendong may have been killed that day. Chen Shi raised interest and asked, ¡°When did you meet? What did you do together?¡±


    ¡°At noon, we ate together. It was at the Victory Restaurant not far from here.¡±


    ¡°What did you two talk about?¡±


    ¡°Personal privacy. It¡¯s not convenient to disclose it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation... Xiaodong, you should go check out the Victory Restaurant.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong agreed before leaving. Jia Xingyun turned towards Lin Dongxue and asked, ¡°How should I address you?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Lin.¡±


    ¡°Lin as in the Lin from Lin Daiyu[2]?¡± Jia Xingyun smiled. ¡°Does Officer Lin have a boyfriend?¡±


    Chen Shi coughed. ¡°Don''t hinder us from handling the case, okay?¡±


    Jia Xingyun responded with a smile. ¡°Do you want to exchange contact details? That should be alright, right Officer Lin?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was struggling to find an excuse to reject him when Tao Yueyue suddenly grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Sister Lin, I want to go to the bathroom.¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed an expression of salvation and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll take you.¡±


    Jia Xingyun came to an obstacle but was not annoyed. He still had a smile on his face. He said to Chen Shi, ¡°I hope you can help Zhendong rest in peace soon.¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve blessed[3]!¡±


    Jia Xingyun sat back on the sofa and continued to y with an antique. The room was very big. Chen Shi went to see Li Qixing himself by walking into a bedroom. He was wearing genuine silk pajamas with his hair in a mess. He stood in front of the window watching as the traffic below passed. He looked very depressed.


    Hearing the footsteps behind him, Lu Qixing suddenly sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that suddenly I don¡¯t have anyone to send me off at this age. It¡¯s truly miserable!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Old Man Lu, I am not here tofort you. I just want to solve the case as soon as possible. I hope that you will tell me everything you know.¡±


    Lu Qixing turned around. ¡°Song Lang, you¡¯re a cold-blooded guy.¡±


    ¡°For me, efficiencyes first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re truly the genuine one! There¡¯s no way you¡¯re a fake!¡± Lu Qixing excitedly pointed to Chen Shi. ¡°You are truly Song Lang! Five years ago, you also said this to me. You¡¯re the only police officer in this world who won¡¯t give me, Lu Qixing, face!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the case.¡±


    ¡°Let''s eat while talking.¡± Lu Qixing picked up the phone at the bedside table and simply said a few words. He asked Chen Shi to take a seat.


    Chen Shi stood still and asked, ¡°What is your father-son rtionship like?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it''s not very good. When they were children, Zhendong and Zhenjie¡¯s mother passed quite early, and as I was busy with mypany¡¯s affairs, I could only use material items to make up for theirck of father¡¯s love. Zhendong spent a lot of money and acquainted himself with a bunch of bad apples. He even had countless scandals with little inte stars and has been divorced four times! However, inparison to Zhenjie, he was a very honest child. My second son, Zhenjie was just too ridiculous. The stuff he did can¡¯t be considered human. Five years ago, I cut him off financially in anger. He concocted the kidnapping farce and even offered his own life in the end. It can only be karma...¡± Lu Qixing sighed, ¡°After that incident, I pinned all my hopes on Zhendong, hoping that he would be my sessor. Maybe I hoped too much, but our father-son rtionship hasn¡¯t been very good.¡±


    ¡°Who does he usually surround himself with?¡±


    Lu Qixing had already prepared for this. He took out a small book, put on reading sses and read out a few names ranked by who he found most suspicious. The first person he named was Sun Shenyou. ¡°You can tell he isn¡¯t a good guy just from his name.¡± This person was Lu Zhendong''s secretary and life assistant[4].


    1. There will be a spiritual and heavenly feeling if dragons are present, rather than a mountain that¡¯s high. High mountains can be thought to be the equivalent of why Pyramids exist ¨C closer to heaven.


    2. Main character Dream of the Red Chambers. See previous notes for the summary of the full story and or you should be able to Google the name.


    3. An expression that essentially means that he hopes that it¡¯ll be as the other party has said.


    4. Kind of like a nanny/maid.

 Chapter 152: Old Man Lu’s Arrest

    <h4>Chapter 152: Old Man Lu¡¯s Arrest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi had discussed the situation with Peng Sijue earlier. The murderer seemed to possess deep hatred for the victim and the probability that the murderer was a man was higher than that of women.


    Chen Shi recorded this list of suspects and continued to ask, "When was thest time you saw your son?"


    "The evening of February 2nd."


    "What did you do? What did you two talk about?"


    Lu Qixing¡¯s eyes nced at his sleeves unconsciously. ¡°We talked about some things in thepany. He started a stupid filmpany. He didn¡¯t earn a dime. It was purely to y with. I hoped that he would close thatpany down to take over mypany... After all, I don¡¯t have too many years left in me.¡±


    "In this room?"


    "Yes, in this room." Lu Qixing looked at his sleeve again.


    "What time did he leave?"


    "Eight."


    Chen Shi thought to himself, this is very close to the time of death. It is very likely that Lu Qixing is thest person to see Lu Zhendong.


    "I need to ask some other questions. Do you have illegitimate children?"


    The answer was unexpected. Lu Qixing replied, "There''s quite a lot."


    "Do you have any around you?"


    Lu Qixingughed. "Ever since mypany went public when I was forty, a woman would hold a child ande to me telling me it was my illegitimate child almost every year. They just want money. Nine times out of ten, it¡¯s fake.¡±


    ¡°What about the one out of ten then?¡±


    "You can check them out then. I¡¯m not too sure. I¡¯ll get my secretary to give you a list of thepany¡¯s top managementter.¡±


    A lovely smell wafted in from outside and a worker said from the outside, ¡°Sir, breakfast is ready.¡±


    Lu Qixing responded, "Wait a second." Then, he took a card from the drawer and handed it over to Chen Shi. "There¡¯s 200,000 in it and no pin number as a small gift for solving the case. I¡¯ll give you a reward after everything is over as well.¡±


    "Thank you." Chen Shi epted.


    "I have a favor to ask. This case needs to be investigated by itself. We¡¯re a bigpany, so some amounts of under-the-table transactions are normal. I hope that Officer Song can turn a blind eye to it.¡±


    "Rest assured, I won''t take you to the detention center."


    "I¡¯m relieved!" Lu Qixing patted Chen Shi¡¯s hand. "Now that I have Officer Song leading the case, my son¡¯s case will definitely be solved... Come and eat!"


    The two went out and a table of food was ready. Jia Xingyun was still there waiting for Lin Dongxue¡¯s return when Lu Qixing greeted him. "Nephew[1],e and take a bite."


    "No, I still have some stuff to take care of."


    "Come on, don¡¯t be polite!"


    So Jia Xingyun went over and sat down. When he was eating, there was a maid standing next to him to attend to his needs. Lu Qixing picked up some of the food with his chopsticks and handed it over to Chen Shi, "Try this, it¡¯s some wild meat that¡¯s just arrived."


    "What is it?"


    "Wild chicken?" Lu Qixing looked at the maid.


    The maid responded, "Sir, it¡¯s a golden pheasant."


    "Right. You haven¡¯t tried it before, right Officer Song?"


    "Hold on. What is it??"


    "Golden pheasant." Lu Qixing was confused.


    Chen Shi picked up a lid and covered the dish. He called Lin Qiupu. "Send a few people toe over. Someone is eating our nation¡¯s second-ss protected animal-"


    "Who?"


    "Lu Qixing."


    "Don''t make trouble! Go and investigate your case!"


    "If you don''t cooperate with me, I can quit immediately... Hurry please!"


    Lu Qixing pleaded, "Officer Song, you¡¯re not giving me face? I said the case needed to be investigated in an isted manner. If you bring me in, how bad would that look?¡±


    "Less nonsense! Are there other game meats? Let me check your kitchen."


    "Only this one." Lu Qixing looked miserable and Jia Xingyun was extremely scared because he wasn¡¯t sure what the situation was.


    Half an hourter, a depressed Lu Qixing was cuffed amidst sirens and the gaze of onlookers. Lin Dongxue stood next to Chen Shi and suppressed herughter. "You only spoke a few words with him, but you arrested the person who reported the case? Is this you investigating in an out-of-the-box manner again?¡±


    "He was too much of an inconvenience to the case. I didn¡¯t frame him either.¡±


    Lu Qixing, who was crammed into the police car, nced at Chen Shi with a sad expression. Xu Xiaodong came back from verifying the information and saw the scene in front of him. He asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    "I¡¯ll tell youter. Have you verified the information?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    "Jia Xingyun and Lu Zhendong did eat together that day." Xu Xiaodong to the side of Chen Shi.


    Jia Xingyun, who had juste out and stood next to Chen Shi, remarked, "See? I didn''t lie!"


    "What did you guys eat?" Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Scrambled eggs with chives, seaweed and egg soup, green pepper and potato strips, and marinated pork strips.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at Jia Xingyun in shock. Jia Xingyun smiled faintly and shrugged. "What? You can''t eat cheap meals when you have money? You can look at Zhendong''s Weibo. He has the ¡®delicious food'' we ate that day posted there.¡±


    "I¡¯m also very surprised. I verified it twice with the restaurant. That¡¯s indeed what they ate." Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi said to Jia Xingyun, "It seems that your friendship isn¡¯t shallow."


    "Haha, yes. We can be full just from drinking water in our friendship[2]. My rtionship with Zhendong is indescribably good. Can I go, officer?¡±


    "I¡¯ll find you if we need anything."


    "No problem!" Jia Xingyun raised his eyebrows at Lin Dongxue and left.


    Tao Yueyue queried, "Uncle Chen, there are a lot of delicious food in that room. Can I go eat it?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "Let¡¯s go together."


    Lin Dongxue reprimanded, "Hey, hey! We need to investigate the case. We can¡¯t be so leisurely!¡±


    "It''s a waste to leave it there. Let''s eat together."


    "I don''t want it!"


    The four returned to the room from before. Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue impolitely ate the food on the table. Of course, the golden pheasant dish was just taken away as a physical evidence. Chen Shi asked while eating, "Not gonna eat? I can¡¯t even tell what this was made from."


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "Forget it. I¡¯ll just eat fast foodter on.¡±


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and looked at the victim¡¯s Weibo. What Jia Xingyun said was true. On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong really posted the "delicious food" of that day. He even posted individual photos.


    "Oriental herbs with egg pieces, allowing people to taste the concept of Tao Yuanming[3]." This caption was used to describe the scrambled eggs with chives.


    ¡°Rich pickled seaweed with egg soup is like bathing within the salty sea breeze.¡± This was for the seaweed egg soup.


    ¡°Potato with green pepper[4] is like a passionate and unrestrained luxurious sensory feast.¡± This was the green pepper and potato strips.


    ¡°Specially prepared mildly spicy, sweet and sour sauce baked pork with long spring onions. It¡¯s a cocoa-style[5] date of tastes.¡± This was the fish-vored, marinated pork.


    Lin Dongxue giggled. "This guy is quite funny... Unfortunately, this is hisst Weibo post."


    "What does Jia Xingyun do?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Dongxue searched his background up. "He¡¯s the second generation of a government official. His father is the department chief. He was just transferred to the city and is running a mediapany."


    "One engages in film and television, and the other engages in media. Indeed, they have a simr scent[6]...¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself. "Xu Xiaodong, take a moment to look at what Lu Zhendong''s film and televisionpany is doing and what works he¡¯s produced."


    Someone knocked at the door and Chen Shi shouted, "Come in." A lobby manager came in with a group of employees and cleaners. Lin Dongxue showed a confused look. Chen Shi exined, "I called them in for questioning."


    Chen Shi went up to them and interrogated, "On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong was here. Lu Qixing himself has confirmed that. Please raise your hand if you were present that day.¡±


    Several people raised their hands.


    Chen Shi told the other people to step out first, leaving only one person behind. He asked them what happened that day. The employee said that the father and son were ying a game of chess with each other and chatted for about half an hour before Lu Zhendong went back to his residence.


    Chen Shi cycled through the employees and asked them the same questions.


    When he got to the fourth person, he stopped asking and said, "Even the adjectives they used are the same. This group has been ¡®taken care of¡¯ beforehand.¡±


    1. Not actually blood rted. It¡¯s just because they have known each other for a long time/ are close.


    2. They are full just from their friendship.


    3. A Chinese poet who lived during Eastern Jin and Song dynasties.


    4. Written in English.


    5. I assume the author is trying to say the tastes meeting together is like a sweet date, because ¡°rou coco¡± usually describes a sweet, chocte taste.


    6. Birds of the same feather flock together.

 Chapter 153: Disappeared Surveillance Footage

    <h4>Chapter 153: Disappeared Surveince Footage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you doubt-"


    Chen Shi exined, "I can''t say I doubt him. I just want to know everything that the victim experienced on the day of his murder. However, I know Old Man Lu won¡¯t be honest with me.¡±


    "So you got rid of him?"


    "Oh, it just happened that way coincidentally." Chen Shi smiled and told everyone toe back in.


    Chen Shi walked back and forth in front of this group of people and said, "I know that Old Man Lu has ''taken care of you all'' and made you hide certain things, or maybe he gave you some mouth-sealing fees. In order to investigate Lu Zhendong¡¯s death, I need all the information possible. There¡¯s 200,000 in here...¡± Chen Shi raised the card that Old Man Lu had given him just earlier. Many of the employees stared at it. He continued, "My mobile number is 138xxxx. I will wait for a brave "traitor" amongst you all toe and tell me what happened that night. Rest assured, I will keep everything confidential."


    The hotel managerughed. "Officer Song, this doesn¡¯t seem very moral?"


    "I don¡¯t have any business with you all anymore. Get out!"


    When they left, Peng Sijue came in carrying a toolbox with him. ¡°Old Song.¡±


    "Sijue, let''s get started!"


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "You guys are really getting into the act, huh?"


    Peng Sijue turned off the lights, then opened the toolbox and took out the ultraviolet light. Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. "Do you suspect that this is the crime scene? Lu Qixing is his father!"


    "Family rtionship is not a reason to rule out suspicion."


    The ultraviolet light was used on every inch of the ground. Lin Dongxue was a little nervous. Perhaps deep inside, she could not ept the truth of people killing their own family members.


    Tao Yueyue was still eating and was particrly calm. She watched them as if they were entertainment that came with her meal.


    When the UVmp swept over the carpet next to the sofa, it suddenly reacted. Chen Shi immediately lifted the carpet. Peng Sijue sprayed luminol on it and a small piece of sttered blood was clearly presented to everyone.


    "Certainly it couldn¡¯t be true, right?" Lin Dongxue covered her mouth with her hand.


    "The amount is too little for a murder." Chen Shi''s words made Lin Dongxue relieved.


    Peng Sijue took a cotton swab soaked in alcohol, took a sample, put it in a test tube, and turned the lights back on.


    A police officer came in. They were the colleague who investigated the surveince video in the hotel. They saluted and reported, "Officer Song, we¡¯ve found the video of the victim leaving the hotel that day."


    "y it so we can all see."


    Everyone cleaned up the table and the police officer put aptop on it. Peng Sijue whispered, "What does it feel like to act as Song Lang?"


    "Since I haven¡¯t met him before, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m doing well or not. You can give me pointers.¡± Chen Shi shrugged and smiled.


    "He¡¯s more handsome than you."


    "The skills required to achieve that are too high."


    In the video, the picture of the deceased leaving the hotel appeared. The only thing caught on video was that he went to the foyer and kicked a trash can. It looked like he was very angry.


    Chen Shi yed it again and stopped in a certain ce and pointed to a ce in the picture saying, "Look, he is holding his left arm. He may be injured."


    "There was a conflict between the father and the son?" Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    "You guys should go back to visit him, but I suspect that he has Alzheimer''s because he had been looking at his sleeves when he talked. It is very likely that he has no impression of that night. Old Peng, don''t rush back. Come with me to the victim¡¯s residence to have a look.¡± Chen Shi turned to Tao Yueyue. "Will you go with me or Sister Lin?"


    "With you."


    "It may be the scene of the murder though."


    "I''m not afraid!"


    Chen Shi snapped his fingers, "Let''s divide the work just like this then!"


    Lin Dongxue took the blood sample with Xu Xiaodong and went back to the bureau. Chen Shi, Peng Sijue and Tao Yueyue drove to the victim¡¯s residence.


    Lu Zhendong lived in a high-endmunity. Police officers had alreadye here to collect surveince videos. After seeing Chen Shi, they told him "The property manager said that the surveince video of that day was erased."


    "Do we know who did it?"


    "Unclear. It may be done by pro hackers, as no traces were left."


    "What did the security guard say?"


    "There was a security guard on duty that night that said that the deceased drove home at about 9:00PM. Then, he drove away at around 11:00PM and nodded at him. He swiped his key card both times. Here are the records to confirm this.¡±


    "At 11:00PM, the deceased was still alive?" Chen Shi turned his attention to Peng Sijue.


    Peng Sijue rified, "After the corpse was abandoned for three days in the wild, bacteria, temperature and humidity are uncontroble factors that will affect the decay of the body. The judgment of the time of death could have several hours as a margin of error."


    They arrived at the front door of the house but the door was locked. Chen Shi asked, "Would Officer Song pick the lock and break in?¡±


    "He would."


    "This is awkward since I wouldn''t do that." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Oh?" Peng Sijue looked at him suspiciously. Then, Chen Shi pulled out a key in his pocket and exined, "The evidence found on the deceased."


    After opening the door with the key, a smell of dust came out. Peng Sijue put on a mask and gloves and handed a set to Chen Shi. He hadn¡¯t prepared a child¡¯s set. He said to Tao Yueyue who was behind him, ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything, okay?¡±


    Tao Yueyue nodded like a good girl.


    This was a multi-story house. It was a bit messy but the furniture was very refined and upper-ss. Tao Yueyue admired, "If Uncle Chen''s house was so beautiful, that would be nice."


    "Then, you and I both need to do more good things so that we can be reincarnated better and have one in our next life." Chen Shi smiled.


    "I¡¯ll earn money to buy one for you!"


    "Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for that day. No backsies!"


    Peng Sijue looked at the interaction between the two and smiled slightly.


    Chen Shi walked in and impolitely opened the refrigerator to grab a drink for Tao Yueyue to drink. He took out a high-ss cigar from the cigar box for himself. The cigar fermented in the wooden box was very tempting. He couldn¡¯t help but try one. Peng Sijue yelled at him, "Be more conscious of yourself!"


    "Let¡¯s go out and talkter." Chen Shi put the cigar into his pocket, which made Peng Sijue roll his eyes.


    The two investigated each room one by one and found small traces of blood in the seams between the floorboards of a bedroom on the second floor. Peng Sijue closed the curtains and gave the ¡°fun job¡± of spraying luminol to Tao Yueyue while he carried the UV light to investigate.


    Someone had changed the sheets, as the top of the sheets did not have blood, but the underside was somewhat stained. The mattress below had lots of blood that had sunk in. Even the headboard had some.


    There were also lots of blood stains on the floor. Although it was very carefully wiped away, it waspletely revealed due to the luminol.


    With the amount of bleeding present, this was obviously the first crime scene.


    Peng Sijue repeatedly checked and noted, "The left side of the closet door and the left side of the ground have sttered blood. There were pools of blood on the bed corners. The bed looks like it had something on it... What could have been there to catch the blood? Sheets? Clothes? Pillows?¡±


    "Or a person!" Chen Shi said. "The murderer was lying on the bed and some of the blood fell on their body."


    "So, what was the action of the deceased? Was he lying on top of the murderer? Was the murderer a woman?"


    "It is also possible that the deceased struggled to fight off the murderer... What do you think the murderer would do after killing him?"


    "Go to the bathroom to clean up!"

 Chapter 154: Heavenly-priced Guitar

    <h4>Chapter 154: Heavenly-priced Guitar</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    As they were about to go to the bathroom, Tao Yueyue suddenly said, "Spray you to death! Spray you to death!" It turned out that she was using the luminol to spray a small bug that was snuggled in between the floorboards.


    Peng Sijue cautioned, "Don''t move it. Be careful of getting bitten.¡±


    He clipped it out with a pair of tweezers and put it in a test tube. He carefully observed it. "It¡¯s an insect that eats cockroaches, white ants, and the like."


    Tao Yueyue said, "I was bitten by it when I was a child. I got red rashes all over my body that swelled up."


    Chen Shimented, "There are insects in such a clean home?"


    Peng Sijue reasoned, "It¡¯s normal to have termites on solid wooden floors. Furthermore, the underfloor heating is above twenty-five degrees.¡±


    Chen Shi wiped his finger on the shelf and looked at the dust on his fingers. "From the amount of dust, it can be deduced that the ce has not been cleaned for a week. It is not surprising that there are bugs... Don¡¯t they hire maids or cleaners though?"


    They got to the bathroom and continued checking for blood with the luminol reagent. There was also a lot of blood here, mainly concentrated near the water drainage. Someone had washed themselves here. In addition to the blood, Peng Sijue was able to find some fibers and hairs, some of which were very long. It seemed to have been left by a woman.


    "I will ask someone toe and collect fingerprintster." Peng Sijue called his subordinates.


    Chen Shi went outside. He stepped on something when he turned around on the first floor. There was a wire that had fallen under the sofa. Chen Shi took it in his hand and unraveled it. He noted, "It¡¯s a string from an instrument."


    The second room on the right-hand side of the door was the victim¡¯s study room. There was a lock installed here. The other key that had been found on the body came in handy.


    The three opened the door and the so-called study room held no books inside. Instead it was filled with his personal collections. There were guitars, oil paintings, signed baseballs, etc. Peng Sijue noted that the air conditioner was still running and said, ¡°The temperature and the humidity were meticulously controlled to protect his collection.¡±


    "For the rich, these collections are just another form of money staying beside them." Chen Shi opened the ss door of the guitar showcase and took one in his hand.


    "Don''t break it. This guitar is very expensive," Peng Sijue reminded.


    Tao Yueyue tugged at Chen Shi¡¯s clothes and asked, "Aren¡¯t these guitars just made of wood? Why are they so expensive?"


    "Because it¡¯s used by famous people. Look at this, what is written on it... Doctor¡¯s prescription?" Chen Shi couldn''t read the signature on the box. "Old Peng, do you know?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "I¡¯m not well versed in these things."


    When Chen Shi put the guitar back, he noticed some ws. The disy rack seemed to be made for five guitars, but there were only four on it. He asked Peng Sijue for a magnifying ss and studied the dust. Hemented, "One of them is missing. It was taken away. I found a broken string in the living room just now.¡±


    "Would this be the motive for killing?"


    "It¡¯s possible!"


    "I know someone who can value instruments. I¡¯ll call him now."


    The two each took out their mobile phones. In the project group, everyone had already found a lot of clues. Chen Shi didn¡¯t have the time to thoroughly look at them. He sent a message, ¡°Who can contact the house cleaner of the victim? Give me their contact information.¡±


    After a while, someone sent a number over. It¡¯s so convenient to have backup, Chen Shi thought.


    He dialed the number and it was a woman who answered. Chen Shi stated his identity and said that he wanted to see her. He said they should meet at Lu Zhendong''s home.


    While they waited, Chen Shi found that there was a camera in the room, and the lights on it were still on. Peng Sijue said, "It¡¯s great! There¡¯s footage."


    Chen Shi took a look at it and said, "It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s viewed wirelessly. The memory card inside has already been taken as well."


    Chen Shi lit a cigar, took a puff, and walked around the house, trying to consolidate the current clues on hand. Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, can I eat the ice cream in the freezer?"


    "Is there ice cream? You can go ahead and take it yourself."


    Peng Sijue frowned. "Can you not treat this ce as your own home? Can¡¯t you be more aware of the position we¡¯re in?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled shamelessly, "These things are going to expire anyway."


    Tao Yueyue opened the freezer and eximed, "Wow, there¡¯s so much food in here!"


    Chen Shi nced at the freezer. There were frozen wontons, frozen dumplings, frozen sweet glutinous rice balls[2], and microwavable rice. He called Peng Sijue over. Peng Sijue picked them up and the food all stuck together. He said, "They should have been purchased together. It may have been bought about half a month ago."


    "Did the deceased intend to spend the New Year¡¯s winter at home?" Chen Shi opened the upperyer of the refrigerator. "There are lots of ingredients bought. They¡¯re all expensive ingredients as well. The victim should not be the kind of person who enjoys eating frozen foods."


    ¡°Who would love to eat frozen food?¡± Peng Sijue stated in discontent.


    Chen Shi closed the refrigerator door and his eyes stopped on the handrail of the spiral staircase. He walked over and shook it. "It''s loose here. There¡¯s a worn area of paint on it like it was worn down by a rope or something simr."


    He took a deep breath and then asked, "Hasn¡¯t it smelled since we came in?"


    "I realized ages ago!" Peng Sijue confirmed.


    "I have already figured it out. It¡¯s the smell of doggies.¡± Tao Yueyue announced.


    "The victim did have a dog, but why haven¡¯t we seen any dog supplies around here?"


    "Has it been disposed of?" Peng Sijue pondered.


    Chen Shi immediately opened all of the drawers and cabs. He found a dog bowl, a dog toy and the like under a closet. He picked up the dog bowl that was close to being a big basin and looked at it. "It seems to be arge dog. It may have been killed by the murderer.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that this dog bit the murderer?¡± Peng Sijue put forward his own ideas.


    "You can look around and see but I¡¯m not hopeful." Chen Shi said.


    Someone knocked at the door. The instrument appraiser hade. When he entered the door, he asked, "Is this not Mr. Lu¡¯s house?"


    "Have you been here before?" Peng Sijue asked.


    "I heard that Mr. Lu won a guitar used by Huang Jiaxuan at an auction a week ago. It¡¯s worth more than 40 million yuan, which is big news in the instrument collection forums."


    Chen Shi asked, "Lu Zhendong ys musical instruments?"


    "He is just a collector. He doesn''t understand music. I once ate with him. When I heard the news of his death, it was quite shocking."


    "Come in and appraise them!"


    The instrument appraiser picked up the four guitars and identified them. The four of them were worth a lot of money, but the one that Lu Zhendong won at the auction wasn¡¯t amongst them. Chen Shi took out the broken string he found on the floor and asked, "Is this the guitar string?"


    "Yes."


    "If a precious guitar lost a string, would it affect its perfected appearance? I don¡¯t understand much about this.¡±


    "Some expensive guitars are sold at such a high price due to their craftsmanship. Some sell at a high price because of the value-added... You can interpret this as the feeling you get from it because of the story behind it. This guitar definitely belongs to thetter department, so the lost string does not affect the value.¡±


    "This guitar used by Huang Jiaxuan is worth 40 million?"


    "Correct."


    "So, if someone wants to take it with them and sell it, would they be able to do so?¡±


    "Just take me for example. If someone is willing to sell this guitar to me for 10 million, I would be very happy to buy it, and I would not say anything about it afterwards."


    "You¡¯re not afraid of buying a fake?"


    "Not afraid. Guitars aren¡¯t like calligraphy and paintings. They aren¡¯t easy to create or imitate. Also, it¡¯s a niche item to collect and the value is quite high.¡±


    ¡°Can you help me pay attention to who has this guitar in their hands?"


    ¡°Is there a reward?¡± The guitar appraiser smiled through smoke-teeth[3].


    Chen Shi also smiled. "I believe that Lu¡¯s father will never be frugal towards people who provide clues. I won¡¯t mind urging him with a few praising words either.¡±


    "Okay, I will definitely pay more attention."


    After sending away the guitar appraiser, Chen Shi said to himself, "Would a friend kill him for a pricey guitar? Is this case so simple?¡±


    "Even if it¡¯s a case that causes the whole city to erupt in discussion, it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s necessarilyplicated.¡± Peng Sijue reasoned.


    "I hope so. I¡¯m still looking forward to a peaceful New Year!"


    "Are those your honest thoughts?"


    "None of your business!"


    1. Very expensive/the level just under priceless.


    2. https://my-live.tic/p/5219572031410c2409bcfe16a0b39605.jpg


    3. Yellow teeth due to smoking.

 Chapter 155: Dog

    <h4>Chapter 155: Dog</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The guitar appraiser had just left when the cleaner arrived. Chen Shi washed a cup and poured a cup of tea for her as he asked her to sit down. "Have you heard about how the house owner was murdered?¡±


    "I heard that from the police in the morning when they came to find me for questioning."


    "Sorry, I have to ask again. How many days do youe over every week and what do you normally do?"


    ¡°Every day. I help clean and buy things once in a while.¡±


    "Do you have a key on you?"


    "I have one but not for that room." The worker pointed to the study. "The room seemed to have some valuable things. The owner refused to let me go in. I juste over and clean every day, then leave. I usually stay for three hours. Most of the time, he¡¯s either not here or sleeping.¡±


    "Have you given the key to other people?"


    The house cleaner got roused up and swore, "How could I do that kind of thing? I have professional ethics."


    "Don''t be agitated. The police have to consider all possibilities."


    The cleaner said "I understand," but she still didn¡¯t look too happy. Chen Shi continued to ask, "Have you been here recently?"


    ¡°Recently? Half a month ago, the owner said that I didn¡¯t need toe over these days and even gave me half a month¡¯s sry.¡±


    "Why?"


    "I didn''t ask. He wouldn¡¯t say even if I asked. Maybe he needed to travel. The lives of rich people are really busy.¡±


    "Was there anything else that was abnormal?"


    The worker thought for a moment before saying, "Yes. Thest time I came over, the owner asked me to buy a bunch of frozen food."


    Chen Shi got up and took out a few bags from the freezer and asked, "These?"


    "Yes, I still have the receipt here. I¡¯ll give it to you to look at."


    Chen Shi took the small receipt and put it in his bag without looking at it. He asked, "Who does the owner surround himself with? Have you noticed?"


    "I didn''t pay attention. I usuallye in the morning. Every time Ie, he¡¯s sleeping and we don¡¯t really talk much.¡±


    "A dog lives in this house, right?"


    "A golden retriever. What was his name again? The Wind Devil Xiaotng? I can''t remember it. I just call it Wang Wang. I can tell that Wang Wang likes me. Maybe because it was too bored alone at home, but every time I came over, it would get very excited. It¡¯s in my job description to take care of the dog. I would take it for a walk around the neighborhood every day... Hey, why don¡¯t I see Wang Wang?¡±


    "It was taken away by us." Chen Shi lied.


    The worker gave a bunch of details of how to take care of the dog. Chen Shi thanked her. Before she left, Chen Shi said, "Ah yes, the frozen foods in the freezer would be wasted. Why don¡¯t you take them?¡±


    ¡°Is it ok?¡± The worker was overjoyed.


    Peng Sijue red at Chen Shi but Chen Shi turned a blind eye to the hostility. They found a big bag to fully pack the frozen food and let the worker take it away.


    After she left, Peng Sijue said, "You''d best not make personal decisions of these public matters!"


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t see what was wrong with what he did, so he said in disapproval, "Then why don¡¯t you put all these dumplings and food into an evidence bag and put them in the evidence room for three months? Wait for them to rot and go moldy before you give it back to the victim¡¯s family, okay?¡±


    Peng Sijue was too angry to speak.


    "Let¡¯s go outside and look for the dog." Chen Shi proposed, and then asked Tao Yueyue to stay there and open the door for the forensics department when they arrived.


    Peng Sijue was surprised and reproved him. "You¡¯re asking a little girl to stay at a murder scene? Isn¡¯t that too irresponsible?"


    Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, "Are you afraid of being alone here?"


    "Not afraid!"


    Chen Shi smiled and said to Peng Sijue, "Yueyue isn¡¯t protesting. Why are you protesting so much?¡±


    Peng Sijue was silent for quite a while.


    As it was a golden retriever and because the cleaner walked the dog every day, many people in themunity knew of it. Chen Shi inquired about it with the residents of themunity. Some residents said that they did not pay attention to it. However, several dog owners said that they hadn¡¯t seen the dog in half a month.


    There was also a social circle amongst the dog owners. What the dog was called, its gender, and who owned the dog were all things that dog owners would be more clear about.


    Themunity was rtivelyrge and there were more than a dozen houses. They walked around but came out empty handed. Chen Shi saw a homeless scavenger and walked up with his ¡°documents¡±. ¡°Hello, I would like to ask you a few questions. Have you seen a golden retriever around the area?¡±


    The scavenger desperately waved his hands and said that he did not know and readied to leave. Chen Shi saw that his actions were a little suspicious. He said, "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not here to bring trouble. If you provide clues, we can give you rewards.¡±


    "What kind of reward?" The scavenger looked hopeful.


    Chen Shi took out a hundred yuan and the scavenger reached out to grab it. Chen Shi retracted his hand and said, "You have to tell me where the dog is first!"


    The scavenger said hesitantly, "If I told you it was eaten, would you arrest me?¡±


    "Who ate it? Did you eat it?"


    "Old Lady Liu who picks up recycling and lives in the overpass outside themunity. I said that the strange thing she was cooking that night smelled really good and she told me that she found a dead dog in the trash.¡±


    "You guys are so brave. Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯d get poisoned by someone?¡±


    "Ah!?" The scavenger put his hand over his mouth and looked scared. It seemed like he ate a bit of it too.


    Chen Shiforted him and said, "Rest assured. This dog was beaten to death. Can you take us to see the olddy?¡±


    "Give me the money first."


    Chen Shi said, "When we came over, we passed the overpass. There was nobody living underneath it. That ce would not allow homeless people to live there either. You¡¯re lying!"


    The scavengers smiled shyly. "I was afraid that you were looking for me to cause trouble. I know that the dog is worth a lot of money. I really can''t afford topensate for it."


    "Can you be honest? We¡¯ve already said that we are police trying to investigate a case and we¡¯re not trying to bring you trouble.¡±


    The scavenger confessed. "The dead dog was taken by me and I was the one who cooked it. It looked very big but there wasn¡¯t much meat on it. The meat was gone in two meals... But dog meat is really fragrant! I didn¡¯t even really need to marinate or spice it and it was still very fragrant!¡±


    Chen Shi forced a smile. "I don''t care about this. What day was it?"


    "February 2nd? No, it was in the early morning of February 3rd... The trash cans in thismunity will all be put out at 9:00PM every night to await pick-up early the next morning. Sometimes, I¡¯d go over and go through them to see what I can find. That night, I saw someone throwing a big snakeskin bag in the trash. When they left, I opened it up to find a dead dog inside. It was still hot, so I brought it back with me and washed it before stewing it.¡±


    Peng Sijue immediately eximed, "Did you get a good look of that person''s appearance?"


    "It waste at night, so I couldn¡¯t see clearly at all.¡±


    "Was it a man or a woman? Surely, you know that much, right?!¡±


    "Man? It may be a woman... It was too dark at the time and my attention was on the bag."


    Chen Shi asked, "What about the snakeskin bag?"


    The scavenger said, "It¡¯s with me. You want it?¡±


    Chen Shi took out another hundred yuan. "This is the reward for providing clues. And this one is to buy this snakeskin bag, okay?"


    "Okay, I¡¯ll take you there."


    The two went with the scavenger to his residence near the neighborhood, then went to the basement of a rotten, unfinished building. As it was dark, Peng Sijue couldn''t help but feel nervous. He thoroughly looked around to confirm that there wasn¡¯t anything unusual before he dared to go down.


    Chen Shi joked, "The living environment here isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s warm in winter and cool in summer, and it¡¯s more beautiful than my home."


    The scavengerughed and said, "Don¡¯t mock me!"


    The scavenger looked for a long time and found the snakeskin bag. Peng Sijue said suspiciously, "You have so many bags here. Are you sure that you won''t make a mistake?"


    Chen Shi picked up a bag and saw an English logo. He smiled, "It must not be wrong. This bag can''t be bought outside."

 Chapter 156: Alzheimer’s Disease

    <h4>Chapter 156: Alzheimer''s Disease</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The so-called "snakeskin bag" was actually a new men''s bag from LV that was blue. With exception to the English logo on it, it looked almost exactly the same as a typical snakeskin bag.


    Fashion was sometimes puzzling.


    Chen Shi naturally remained silent, otherwise the homeless scavenger would certainly not be willing to sell it to him for a hundred yuan. Chen Shi noticed that there were several stains on the bottom of the bag, which looked like blood.


    Chen Shi folded the bag and asked, "What did the dog look like? When you firstid eyes on it."


    "It looked like it was strangled. It had its tongue poking out... Oh, yes, I have the dog cor here. I¡¯ll give it to you too.¡±


    "Thanks."


    Chen Shi and Peng Sijue prepared to leave when the scavenger suddenly said, "No, wait. I only get two hundred for providing you with clues? The police who collect clues on TV all get tens of thousands. You didn¡¯t take the difference, did you?¡±


    Chen Shiughed, "You can go online to search. The police have not issued a reward order. In addition, if you happened to see the person¡¯s face, it would probably be worth tens of thousands, but what you know is only worth two hundred.¡±


    The scavengers pped his thighs angrily. "If I had known, I would have looked at the face properly!¡±


    The two men bid their farewells and Chen Shi handed the "snakeskin leather bag" to Peng Sijue. "There is blood on it, you can test it."


    Peng Sijue took the bag and looked at it. "It might just be dog blood. I¡¯ll give it a try though."


    The forensics department came over and started to do "spring cleaning" in the house. All kinds of potential evidence were packaged. Chen Shi received a call and the woman on the line said, ¡°Officer, I have leads to provide.¡±


    "Where are you?"


    "I am still at work. Can I trouble you toe over to the hotel? You can call this number when you arrive.¡±


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and smiled at Peng Sijue. "Under the temptation of a reward, there will be brave traitors. Truly, one came up, so I have to make a trip.¡±


    Peng Sijue nodded. "I¡¯ll stay here to gain evidence."


    Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue with him.


    At the same time in the interrogation room of the City Bureau, Lin Dongxue was having a "chat" with Lu Qixing. Lu Qixing said impatiently, "Don¡¯t y games. You cuffed me here regarding the golden pheasant, but now you¡¯re asking me about what happened that night? What are you doing?"


    "On the evening of February 2nd, your son was killed. You don''t want to solve the case?"


    "I do! I do even when I¡¯m dreaming!"


    "Please tell me then. That night, why did you have a quarrel with Lu Zhendong?"


    "That incident has nothing to do with his death!" Lu Qixing was a little annoyed. "I won''t tell you. Mywyer will arrive soon!" Lu Qixing looked at his sleeve again.


    Lin Dongxue noticed this detail. When he spoke, he always nced at his sleeves. The other party would probably rage if she asked to look at his sleeves directly.


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. What would Chen Shi do if he were here?


    She had an idea and asked, "Do you want to have a smoke?"


    "Give me a soft Zhonghua." Lu Qixing said rudely.


    Lin Dongxue took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from Lin Qiupu¡¯s office and came in to light Lu Qixing¡¯s cigarette. When Lu Qixing reached out, she clearly saw some words on his sleeve.


    "2.2, Zhendong quarrel", "2.3, Xu''s contract", "2.4, Looking for a dog"


    Those words were ones that outsiders wouldn¡¯t be able to understand. It seems he wrote them down for himself. Chen Shi had guessed right. Lu Qixing was suffering from Alzheimer''s disease. There were some things he might not remember.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "When did it start? Your Alzheimer¡¯s?"


    Lu Qixing¡¯s hand shook a bit and stared at Lin Dongxue. ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense! I manage such a bigpany, how can I have Alzheimer¡¯s?¡±


    "Then, why do you write on the sleeves?"


    "That has nothing to do with you!" Lu Qixing responded stubbornly.


    The internal telephone rang. Lu Qixing¡¯s privatewyer had arrived. Lin Qiupu ordered her not to continue her questioning.


    Knowing that she would have no chance to ask again, Lin Dongxue was anxious and smacked the table as she said, "Do you actually know who killed Lu Zhendong, but can''t remember it?"


    Lin Qiupu came in with a man and Lin Qiupu ordered, "No more questions. Mr. Lu''swyer is here."


    Lin Dongxue pretended like she didn¡¯t hear the order. She saw that Lu Qixing¡¯s expression had already started showing confusion and continued to question, ¡°You¡¯re still not talking? Didn¡¯t the quarrel between you two that night directly rte to his death?¡±


    "Enough! I told you not to ask!" Lin Qiupu said loudly, "You need to get out!"


    Lu Qixing said in anger and impulse, "His death has nothing to do with me. It is Sun-"


    ¡°Mr. Lu!¡± Thewyer interrupted loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t continue. Yourpany has delegated me to represent your case with full authority.¡±


    "Who are you?" Lu Qixing said fiercely.


    Thewyer smiled bitterly, "Yourwyer."


    Lin Qiupu took Lin Dongxue out and whispered angrily, "Do you want to stick us with awsuit?"


    "The old man clearly knows something but he refuses to say it."


    "Procedures! It is necessary to go through procedures and follow thew when we investigate cases. Otherwise, what are we protecting as police?¡±


    "He just said that the person who killed his son is surnamed Sun! Did you hear it?"


    "Enough, don''t talk about this anymore. Write a self-reflection report to me and hand it in tomorrow!"


    "I¡¯m not going to write it!" Lin Dongxue blunty refused. "You are not in the task force this time. I am not under your control."


    Thewyer came out with Lu Qixing. "The police officer just now is suspected to have illegally detained and interrogated Mr. Lu, but he¡¯s feeling generous right now. However, we reserve the right to sue.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said in cold sweat, "I will educate her properly."


    Thewyer said, "Very well, I hope that there will be no next time... As for my client buying and eating protected animals, I will go through the procedures for obtaining bail now. Can I trouble you to lead the way?¡±


    Lin Dongxue left to go find Chen Shi. It was alreadyte in the evening. She didn¡¯t expect Chen Shi to havee back already.


    He smiled. "Miss Lin, who provoked you?"


    Lin Dongxue responded, "The old man is too sly and won¡¯t say anything."


    "He found out he had Alzheimer''s disease at the beginning of this year. I have already verified it with one of his employees. I also learned that on the evening of February 2nd, the father and son truly did have a quarrel. It seems that the father used a te to hurt Lu Zhendong."


    "Why did they argue?"


    "The witness was not clear about that. At the time, the door was closed and everyone else was outside. But she said that in the quarrel, she repeatedly heard words such as ''Weibo'', ''Jia Xingyun'', ''That money'', etc."


    Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows. "Is this rted to Jia Xingyun?"


    "Is there any discovery on your end?"


    "No, the old man mentioned a person. He suspected that someone with the surname Sun killed Lu Zhendong."


    "Sun Shenyou? Lu Zhendong''s secretary and life assistant! He told me about it this morning and I sent someone to check it out, but this person is currently missing."


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "The result is that it¡¯s still of no help... Did you really spend 200,000 to bribe one of his employees?¡±


    Chen Shiughed and took out the card that Lu Qixing gave him from his pocket. "I only yed a little trick. I just said that there¡¯s 200,000 in here. I didn''t say that I was going to give it to the person who provided me with leads. That little traitor was very upset after finding out and called me a liar.¡±


    "You¡¯re really bad!"


    "I don''t n to use this money. I will return it when I am finished with the case. Don''t worry. Although I am a fake policeman, I will not tarnish the face of you real police officers."

 Chapter 157: Father and Son Quarrel

    <h4>Chapter 157: Father and Son Quarrel</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    During the talk, Old Man Lu and thewyer hade out. Old Man Luughed. "Officer Song, you really bullied me. I was detained for the better part of a day because of a chicken.¡±


    "Nobody abused you, right?"


    "No, no. Everyone was very polite to me. Please don''t y this game next time, Officer Song... Let¡¯s go back to my ce to have a meal. I¡¯ll call the chef to make your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, Officer Song.¡±


    "I still have official business to do. I will visit you again tomorrow.¡±


    "Be sure to solve the case earlier and get my son some peace!" Old Man Lu turned to hiswyer and said, "Go and drive my car over."


    Thewyer said with a bitter smile, "I am not a driver. I am awyer."


    "You are awyer?" Lu was a little shocked.


    Thewyer nced at Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue and urged, "More words mean more mistakes. Sir, let¡¯s head back!¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the back of Lu Qixing and rubbed his chin. "He still remembers this?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "The son is dead, but he doesn¡¯t seem that sad."


    "The people on the public scene have long been practicing their poker faces no matter what they feel." Chen Shi said. "Who is still working right now in the task force?¡±


    "Want to have a meeting?"


    "What meeting? I want to treat everyone to dinner."


    Lin Dongxue was very happy and said, "I¡¯ll call them."


    Chen Shi invited several members of the task force toe to a nearby famous Chaozhou[1] Beef Ball Hot Pot Restaurant. This was the ce that Tao Yueyue had said she wanted to eat at a few days ago. When she ordered her food, she was particrly happy and asked for a lot of beef balls, meat rolls, vegetable tters and noodles. Chen Shi cautioned, ¡°You better finish all of it!¡±


    Tao Yueyue reasoned, "If I don¡¯t order everything, how will I know what I want to eat?¡±


    In the store''s red oil[2] hot pot were beef balls the size of a baby¡¯s fist. It was full of tendons that were nice and chewy. When they bit into the balls, there was a soupy filling inside. If it was cooked for too long, the fillings inside would explode out.


    Everyone was very happy eating this meal. When they were almost done, Chen Shi said, "If I were to talk a bit about the case, it wouldn¡¯t affect everyone¡¯s appetite and mood, right?¡±


    "The case is my life, just say it!" The words of the police officer Old Zhang attracted a burst ofughter.


    "From the clues present in front of us, the deceased was attacked at home on the evening of February 2nd. He lost a heavenly-priced guitar and now his life assistant Sun has gone missing as well. The investigation showed that Sun Shenyou was someone that Old Man Lu originally sent to his son almost like a nanny. Thepany and life affairs of the victim were all handled by Sun Shenyou. She must know the value of the guitar.¡±


    "Brother Chen means that Sun Shenyou saw the money and suddenly killed Lu Zhendong before stealing the priceless guitar?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "I can only say that this is what it seems on the surface. However, this reasoning can¡¯t answer all the doubts within the case. I think we still need to investigate and reason further... Xiaodong, what have you discovered?¡±


    "Huh? I¡¯ve just been watching Lu Zhendong¡¯s works produced by hispany today. There were some big online productions. They were truly eye-openers. That so-called filmpany that produced art films was just a ¡®kindergarten¡¯ sponsored by his dad. The works he produced were full of ws. They were all about guys pretending to be cool, picking up girls, being snobby, or other content like that. The protagonist was either a retired army-king[3], a thousand-year-old demon king, or a king of all worlds and realms! Either way, they¡¯re all kings! Right, the protagonists were all yed by Lu Zhendong himself. Hisck of facial expressions and acting ability to produce a character that recites very immature lines was astounding. After watching it, I promise that it¡¯s like you¡¯ve opened the door to a whole new world. When you watch it, you will understand that ¡®Pure Hearts into Chinese Showbiz[4]¡¯ is actually a good movie.¡±


    "Stop whining and just talk about the case properly."


    "After suffering a day of mental pollution, if I don¡¯t let it all out, I¡¯ll feel restless.¡± Xu Xiaodong ate something and continued, "This filmpany is Lu Zhendong''s ything. The seeders for you to download the films are extremely difficult to find and they all need to be paid for. Of course, all his works lost money. Thetest one did not even have 10 subscriptions. I suspect that in addition to satisfying the vanity of this rich second generation, the function of this filmpany is for him to pick up girls. This is because I¡¯ve noticed that after every two or three works, they¡¯ll change the main female protagonist. Several of them were indeed some of Lu Zhendong¡¯s girlfriends at one stage.¡±


    "How were their acting skills? Is it a serious performance?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "Have you ever seen a child ying house? The acting is worse than that. The crew also knows that they are just ying with the rich young master, so none of them acted seriously.¡±


    "The rich people really know how to y!" Lin Dongxue said empathetically. Of course, Lu Zhendong as a rich second generation was much better whenpared to all the other rich second generations that appeared on the news. At least he created his ownpany to y with, which didn¡¯t harm anyone else.


    Chen Shi said, "Note down all the information regarding each film. Their plot, shooting time, investment amount, and cast. You should follow this angle and go to the filmpany tomorrow to have a look.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong responded, "Okay, I will go over tomorrow and have my eyes opened again.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "Old Zhang, what did you find out?"


    Chen Shi asked about everyone''s progress and findings. The current clues were so numerous that it was like the hairs on a cow¡¯s body. They couldn¡¯t ascertain what was important and what wasn¡¯t. Chen Shi assigned tasks to everyone so that everyone followed a lead.


    Soup was added to the hot pot several times and everyone was almost finished eating. Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, "Is it annoying?"


    Tao Yueyue was ying with her mobile phone and kept her eyes on it. "No, you guys can continue talking about important things.¡±


    Chen Shi patted her head, "I will take you to eat ice creamter."


    Old Zhang smiled and said, "I wish my daughter was that sensible."


    Lin Dongxue praised, "Yueyue is a really good girl." Then, she said to Chen Shi, "Right, do you think the quarrel that urred on the evening of February 2nd is rted to the murder?"


    "I can''t say for sure, but I know what they quarreled about."


    "What was it about?"


    Everyone looked forward to hearing Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning and put down their chopsticks. Chen Shi said, ¡°Lu Qixing wanted use his son¡¯s rtionship with Jia Xingyun and pay bribes to Jia Xingyun¡¯s father, but his son spent the money instead.¡±


    "What!? How did youe to that conclusion?" Everyone was shocked.


    "Jia Xingyun''s father just took office in Long¡¯an and is responsible fornd approval. This is a very good job. In Lu Qixing''s working industries, real estate is a big one. On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong asked Jia Xingyun to eat at the Victory Restaurant. The food they ate was scrambled eggs with chives, seaweed egg soup, green pepper and potato strips, and marinated pork strips. It was also posted on Weibo in a high-profile manner. That night, the words ¡°Weibo¡± and ¡°Jia Xingyun¡± were mentioned during the quarrel between the two that night. Old Man Lu would never fume over something as little as that, let alone hit and injure him. They also mentioned a keyword - ''that money.'' What money? This money, the meal and Jia Xingyun must have had a rtionship with it! Although I haven¡¯t seen Lu Zhendong before, his character can be drawn from the rotten films he¡¯s shot. He is a big boy who loves to y and is an idealist. He must have been very disgusted with this matter. Coincidentally, a week before the incident, Lu Zhendong bought a high-priced guitar. How could he have so much cash on his hands?


    "So, I came to the bold guess that this money was originally used to pay bribes. Old Man Lu tried using his son''s friendship to do bad deeds, causing Lu Zhendong''s resentment. He used this behavior to retaliate against his father. That¡¯s why there was a fierce quarrel between father and son!¡±


    1. A region in the Canton, China area.


    2. M spicy, oily base.


    3. Retired veteran that was the top soldier of all. A king amongst soldiers.


    4. Actual movie that is rated very, very poorly.

 Chapter 158: Zhendong Film Company

    <h4>Chapter 158: Zhendong Film Company</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After saying all that, Chen Shi took a mouthful of food and poured himself a ss of iced lemonade. The dinner table was quiet.


    Old Zhang took the lead in breaking the silence. "Brother Chen¡¯s reasoning... I think it is almost a fact. I can''t think of any ws in his argument."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Old Zhang, don¡¯t shorten my blessings. Please call me Little[1] Chen."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Is this rted to the murder case?"


    "Jia Xingyun''s father and son killed him because they didn¡¯t get the money? Old Man Lu killed his son because things went awry? It¡¯s impossible! However, this incident happened almost at the same time as the murder case. Old Man Lu¡¯s concealment would definitely hide some important clues regarding the case, so we will have to go talk to him tomorrow! Ah, yes, I thought of something. The security in the victim¡¯s residentialmunity said that there were hackers that got rid of the surveince footage. I suspect that Old Man Lu did it. Dongxue, you have to check who he has been in contact with recently. In short, in the face of the murder case, all parties can¡¯t reserve secrets!"


    "Brother Chen is right!" Everyone nodded. They seemed to have long forgotten that Chen Shi was just a driver. Now, everyone believed him just like they would trust a senior police detective.


    Chen Shi looked at the pot and questioned, "Would you guys like to order more food?"


    "No, no thank you. We should go home to sleep and continue to investigate the case tomorrow."


    "Thank you for your efforts!"


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Are we going to investigate the case again tomorrow?"


    Chen Shi responded, "If you don¡¯t want toe with me, you can stay at home and sleep.¡±


    "No, I want toe, but I want to be with Sister Lin."


    "Then, go tell her about it yourself!"


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue to the city bureau and looked exhausted. Lin Dongxue was still in the same spirit as usual. She smiled and asked, "What happened? Didn''t sleep well?"


    Chen Shi rubbed his temples. "I¡¯m a frencer. I really can''t adapt to your life of nine to five!"


    Tao Yueyue raised her hands and chimed in, "I need to report that Uncle Chen had been drinkingst night."


    "You are a little traitor!" Chen Shi smiled. "Right, this little devil wants to be with you, can she?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "Yes, Yueyue, don¡¯t wander too far today.¡±


    "I won¡¯t!" Tao Yueyue made a silly face.


    Chen Shi said, "Xu Xiaodong and I will go to the filmpany to have a look."


    Lin Dongxue queried, "Do you suspect that there is a lead there? Or are you worried about Xu Xiaodong?"


    "No, thepany is a blind spot. Thepany''s people and Lu Zhendong''s circle of friends have not ovepped at all. I want to know more about it. It¡¯s better I go and take a look with my own eyes.¡±


    After eating a simple breakfast, Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong rushed to the Zhendong Film Company. They thought thepany would be closed, but they didn¡¯t expect the members to go on working normally. However, it seemed that they didn¡¯t have any motivation to work. Theyzily cut and edited the film on theputer, wrote the scripts, and worked on the website. They did whatever they wanted while on work hours. There were even people openly ying World of Warcraft.


    "Peace all around!" Chen Shi announced.


    A female employee came over and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "We¡¯re police. We want to see the person in charge."


    "I am the person you¡¯re looking for."


    "Let¡¯s go aside to talk."


    They went to a simple meeting room and Chen Shi asked, "No offense, but does yourpany not know that their president was killed? Why are you still at work?"


    "Shh, this must not be told to them!" The person in charge was nervous.


    "You haven''t notified them yet?"


    "I got a call from the secretary of Boss Lu¡¯s father yesterday. The news was really out of the blue. I have dozens of employees here. If we all suddenly lose our jobs, I don¡¯t know what I would do or say. I couldn¡¯t sleep at allst night...Haiii!¡±


    The three of them turned their heads in unison and looked at the employees who were ¡°working hard¡± and had mixed feelings.


    The person in charge suggested, "You are the police, so why don¡¯t you tell them?"


    Chen Shi looked at Xu Xiaodong and Xu Xiaodongughed like an idiot as he said, "Brother Chen is older and seems more persuasive."


    Chen Shi countered, "Young people should experience this as training. You need to face this kind of stuff sooner orter.¡±


    "I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t believe me if I were the one to tell them.¡±


    "What do you mean they won¡¯t believe you? You have a police badge!"


    The two were both unwilling to be the bad guy. The person in charge sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be the one to tell them, but can the two of you stand beside me?¡±


    Chen Shi nodded. "Can this month¡¯s pay be covered?"


    "Lu has working capital here. It was originally intended to be a new film¡¯s operating cost. I want to pay for their sries using this, but this is public money. I called Boss Lu¡¯s father¡¯spany, but they ignored me. There¡¯s nothing I can do right now.¡±


    Perhaps in the eyes of Lu Qixing, this filmpany was not a seriouspany at all.


    Chen Shi said, "I am the leader of this task force. I will note down the sum of the sries hereter. You can then pay them their sries and severance payment. I will let Boss Lu¡¯s father know.¡±


    "Thank you so much." The responsible person wiped her tears away.


    "So touched you¡¯re crying?"


    "No, I was so sad when I thought about thepany closing down... I know that thispany doesn''t make money, but everyone gets along very well together."


    "There is no never-ending feast."


    "I understand, but it¡¯s still sad.¡±


    The two apanied the person in charge to announce the big news. Thepany members immediately erupted in chaos. People discussed the matter on hand. Some female employees shed tears due to this. It seemed that Lu Zhendong in their minds had a good reputation.


    Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, "At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a warship crossed the Pacific Ocean to perform its mission. When it came back, they discovered that thend had already be the Republic of China. The mood of the people on board that ship is probably the same as this situation here!"


    When the crowd became a bit quieter, the person in charge said, "I will let the ountant issue the severance paymentter. Now the two police officers here would like to ask you all a few questions. I hope everyone will cooperate with the investigation."


    Chen Shi nodded his thanks and asked for a staff list to understand the situation better.


    Although thepany was like a small sparrow, but the organs were all there[2] and all the necessary departments were there. Xu Xiaodong whispered, "Most of the employees here have acted in the bad films shot by Lu Zhendong. Seeing them in real life, I¡¯m a little excited!¡±


    "You can ask for autographs," Chen Shi teased.


    Chen Shi first called on a human resources supervisor and asked, "I looked at the staff list. There are nners, scriptwriters, editors, but why are there no actors? We have seen yourpany''s work and there are at least four or five main actors in each film."


    The human resources director said, "The actors are not counted as members of thepany. Every time we film, they are found temporarily. After the filming, they will leave."


    "Where do you find them?"


    "Acting school!"


    Chen Shi was surprised and asked, "Acting is like that?"


    "No, they are all selected by the film and television school. Every year, Boss Lu would always take us to the door and wait for those little girls who came out looking depressed after their exams. These girls were all pretty young and had that celebrity dream. Seeing that Boss Lu was very eloquent and from a legal and honest filmpany, they would get fooled... No, I mean, they would sign the contract.¡±


    Chen Shiughed. "Did you leak something just then? If you don¡¯t just shoot these online films, isn¡¯t there an ulterior motive?¡±


    ¡°Hey... Boss Lu always said at thepany¡¯s annual meeting that ourpany is not going to make works that satisfy the audience, but to make works that satisfy him. I know that you think those are bad films, but as an old staff member, if I were to speak honestly, Boss Lu sincerely tried to pursue art... Maybe he just didn¡¯t have art cells[3] in his body. Are you suspecting that he is proposing unspoken rules[4] behind each film? I can guarantee that although Boss Lu changes his girlfriend every three months, he is still a very honest and decent person. He wouldn¡¯t force a rtionship unless it was confirmed to be consensual.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "The heroines in the film were all his previous girlfriends though, right?¡±


    The human resources supervisor agreed. "All of them!"


    1. Old man Zhang calling him ¡°Brother Chen¡± is giving Chen Shi face, however, an old person doing that was too much respect for Chen Shi to ept, so he asked to be called ¡°Xiao Chen¡± (Little Chen). He doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll actually have his blessings shortened and it wasn¡¯t meant to be interpreted in a negative manner.


    2. Although thepany was small, everything was run very well.


    3. The artistic talent or creativity.


    4. Additional requirements where actresses need to sleep with the director to get the role.

 Chapter 159: Supremely Invincible Braised Pork-belly

    <h4>Chapter 159: Supremely Invincible Braised Pork-belly</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "What was the sry like for the actors then?"


    "They get paid the same amount as third-line actors[1] and we never owe wages to them. Every three or so months, there¡¯ll be bonuses. We also organize travel trips... Boss Lu¡¯spany isn¡¯t famous but we never owe money!¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Shi was a bit envious. He continued to ask, "Who is Lu Zhendong¡¯s current girlfriend?"


    "He¡¯s single!"


    ¡°How long has it been since hest dated?¡±


    The human resources supervisor recalled, "It seems like he just broke up with hisst girlfriend in November, so almost three months."


    "Thank you."


    Chen Shi called in a nner. He was more familiar with the actors and was able to name them all. Chen Shi straightforwardly asked, "Who is Lu¡¯s current girlfriend or the person he¡¯s currently pursuing?"


    "Cheng Yan."


    "Is she also a female protagonist?"


    "Oh, the film she participated in is still being edited. I feel that this film is very serious. It is a big production... Rtive to the previous one."


    "Do you have her photo?"


    The nner found a photo from theputer and Xu Xiaodong said, "I feel that the people he likes to pursue all look the same. However, this girl is obviously a bit more aesthetic and a bit younger."


    The nner said, "In order to chase her, Boss Lu spent a lot of money and once bought 9999 roses for her on set."


    Chen Shi asked, "Why didn''t this girl ept him?"


    "Huh? ording to the rumors, she didn¡¯t like men. Maybe that¡¯s just the rhetoric she went with in order to reject Boss Lu though.¡±


    "Right, what is the new film called?"


    "Supremely Invincible Braised Pork-belly."


    "What is it about?"


    "I didn''t read the script much. You can ask the screenwriter."


    Chen Shi called the master screenwriter in and asked him, "You¡¯re the screenwriter? Is this script written by you?"


    The screenwriter replied, "No. In fact, every film is written, produced, and directed by Boss Lu. He¡¯s the real master screenwriter and we just help polish it. I know that it¡¯s bad to talk behind a dead person¡¯s back, but Boss Lu had big aspirations with not much ink in his belly[2]. He often thought of ideas in his head and we¡¯d either discuss it or he¡¯d write it down himself. The first draft was basically the same as dog shit. We always needed to smooth out the kinks to make it a bit better.¡±


    "What does this film talk about?"


    "It¡¯s about how Chinese food became humans and then joined hands to defeat foreign fast food. The protagonist is braised pork-belly, the heroine is Yangchun noodles, and the viin is a hamburger."


    "It sounds interesting. Give me a copy of the script."


    "But... This copyright is still..."


    "Don¡¯t worry, we just want to solve the case and can destroy it after reading it. Ah, yes, can you also give us the unedited film?"


    The screenwriter went to print a copy of the script and copied the raw film from the editor. Chen Shi flipped through the script''s title page and recorded the contact information of everyone.


    Feeling like there was nothing left to ask, Chen Shi intended to say goodbye. The person in charge asked, "Can you officers talk to Boss Lu¡¯s father and ask him to let thepany continue to operate?¡±


    "Yeah, yeah, you have a big face. Can you talk to him about it?!¡± Everyone looked at Chen Shi with a look of anticipation.


    Chen Shi knew that the truth was cruel, but he still had to tell them. "You also know that the existence of thispany is to create fun for Lu Zhendong and can''t make any money. Lu Qixing is a businessman, so he won¡¯t let thispany continue to exist. It¡¯s better to find another serious job soon.¡±


    "But we are a team. We have experience in film and television production and have umted a lot of contacts and resources. How can we give up?" The person in charge couldn¡¯t ept it.


    "To be blunt, with regards to movies in this day and age, everyone can shoot them. It¡¯s also amodity that needs to be sold.¡±


    Originally, these words were meant to be cold water sshing over them. Chen Shi didn¡¯t expect it to inspire them. The nner said, "As long as we sell these films, thepany has hope then."


    The screenwriter jumped in. "Yes, we can write more about topics that suit the public. We can make it funnier and more harmonious. We can shoot things that are easier and more beautiful.¡±


    "We don¡¯t even need the severance payments. We should use it to shoot a film.¡±


    "What should we film?"


    "I think what happened today can be adapted and filmed. We can call it ¡®The Boss is Gone.¡¯¡±


    "Haha, interesting. We can try it!"


    Everyone discussed and once again found the spark of hope. They intended to save the ship that was sinking without a captain. In the face of this group with blind optimism, Chen Shi could only shake his head and smile bitterly. However, this was their business and it was not his ce to interfere.


    While the atmosphere in the office soared, a long-haired male editor stood up from his work station and propped his canvas bag on his back. He said coldly, "ept the reality already. Thispany is just an ivory tower that was used to please a man child. You¡¯ve been here for a few years but haven¡¯t gained any experience. We¡¯re still trash when we get to the outside world. I won¡¯t y with you all. I want my severance package!¡±


    Someone said, "Zhuo Xuan, how can you say stuff like that? Boss Lu treats you so nicely normally!"


    The editor responded coldly, "He is dead and it doesn''t make sense to escape from reality. You guys look after yourselves!"


    Chen Shi bid his farewell and went outside with Xu Xiaodong to find a movie-yer cafe[3], saying, "Let''s appreciate the legacy of Lu Zhendong!"


    Xu Xiaodong smiled embarrassedly. "Okay, let¡¯s see hisst moments."


    Without special effects, dubbing, and with only a rough edit, it was particrly ufortable to watch. After watching a third of it, they couldn¡¯t stomach anymore. Chen Shi rubbed his temples and panted, "No, I can¡¯t do it anymore. My head hurts. Found anything?¡±


    "It¡¯s the same kind of acting, but it can be seen that the male lead is interested in the heroine. There were several romance sections where he was very passionately acting.¡±


    "The girl was a bit stiff and seemed to be less willing to cooperate."


    "Yes!"


    "I am going out to take a breather."


    "Brother Chen, get me a can of coke."


    Chen Shi went outside and heard some people quarreling. One of the two sides was an editor who they had just met in thepany. One was the owner of the movie-yer cafe. The boss said, "Handsome, the films you want to watch aren¡¯t popr at all. They wouldn¡¯t be avable in any movie-yer cafes in the city. You should pick a few new releases to watch!¡±


    "I want a refund of my money!"


    "The store does not offer refunds. Why don¡¯t you watch Huang Bo''s new film?"


    "I don''t watch that kind of thing. When I came in, you told me you had all sorts of films. Isn¡¯t this a scam? Return my money to me!¡±


    "No, why don¡¯t you go out and see if anyone knows about the films you want to watch, the Mario Danba or whoever?¡±


    "It''s Mario Bava[4]!" the editor corrected in anger. "Return the money to me."


    The two sides were arguing endlessly when Chen Shi went over and said to the owner, "If you don¡¯t have a movie that the customer wants to watch, then you should return the money. The transaction was unsessful, but you still need to be righteous.¡±


    There was no movie that the customer wanted to watch.


    The boss pointed to the wall. "It¡¯s clearly written here: No debts, no refunds!"


    "As you say, whatever is written on the wall goes? It has no legal effect. If the city bureau came, you¡¯d still have to issue a refund.¡±


    "You¡¯d call the city bureau for fifty yuan? I can¡¯t deal with you guys!¡± The boss took out the money and returned it to the young man.


    Chen Shi patted the editor''s shoulder and said, "Are you here to ease your thoughts?"


    "My mood is terrible. Thepany''s fucking idiots are still excitedly discussing what movie they¡¯re going to shoot. None of them are facing up to reality.¡±


    "It is good for young people to have dreams, even if their dreams will be shattered."


    The editor sneered. "Dreams are a luxury. They don''t understand this. Boss Lu could afford it, but we can¡¯t!¡±


    The editor looked as though he wasn¡¯t even thirty years old, but the things he said were very old and wise. Chen Shi had some interest in him and said, "Brother, can I invite you for a drink?"


    1. First line are the main characters. Second line are the people who usually have supporting roles, and third line are those that are featured extras.


    2. People used to need ink in order to write/do big things (aspared to farming,boring, etc.), so he¡¯s saying that he¡¯s incapable.


    3. You get to go to a private room to watch movies.


    4. An Italian cinematographer, director, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Macabre".

 Chapter 160: Locking onto the Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 160: Locking onto the Suspect</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Editor Zhuo Xuan rejected. "No, if you have something to ask me, just say it!"


    Chen Shi smiled, "It¡¯s just a chat. Police are people too.¡±


    "What are you doing here? Are you looking at our film? What do you think about the editing?¡±


    "Well, I don''t feel anything. I don''t know much about montages or cutting videos."


    Zhuo Xuan seemed to be quite satisfied with this answer. "That¡¯s right. You shouldn¡¯t be able to see the traces if the editing is good. You don''t even know what it was like when it came to me. I had to cut and edit it bit by bit. Everyone else is a joke. What screenwriter? Director? Videographer? If you really gave them a script and asked them to shoot, they wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. Only I have been studying editing techniques and picking up this dog shit for practice. My editing skills will allow me to go to a regr filmpany to apply for a job, if I do say so myself.¡±


    "No wonder you don''t want to be with them anymore."


    "Birds of a feather flock together."


    Chen Shi gave him a cigarette and Zhuo Xuan said a word of thanks. Chen Shi noticed that he used his left hand and asked, "Do you know who in thepany is closest to Lu Zhendong?"


    "It¡¯s definitely not me. I never tried to associate with him. I just do my own work... Little Li, Little Xu, and Little Ma. They all have a good rtionship with Boss Lu."


    "So good that they would go to his house to y?"


    Zhuo Xuan immediately showed caution in his eyes and said, "This should be regarded as a kind of corporate culture. Boss Lu would let the well-performing employees go to his mansion for dinner. Those fucking idiots felt like it was such a priviledge. I never ever went to those."


    "Where were you on the evening of February 2nd?"


    "Police officer, you really are straightforward. I was ying games at home."


    "Then, what size of shoes do you wear?"


    "Size 40."


    "Okay, let¡¯s exchange contact information. I will find you if needed."


    Zhuo Xuan took out his mobile phone and gave his number. His mobile phone was then ced back into the left pocket.


    Zhuo Xuan said, "I don''t think we¡¯ll see each other again. This matter doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me. I need to go. I have an interview at a filmpany.¡±


    "Good luck."


    When he went back into the private room, Xu Xiaodong had already finished watching the copy of the film. He was panting on the sofa and moaning. "Mental pollution. I don''t want to do this kind of work anymore."


    "Let¡¯s go and visit the heroine of this film."


    Xu Xiaodong became energetic almost immediately. "Okay! The heroine is a beautiful woman!"


    Chen Shi called Cheng Yan. Cheng Yan said that she was not at home. She was auditioning at a drama club. The two men rushed there directly and sat in the audience seats.


    Cheng Yan dressed herself very beautifully today and went on stage to say hello to the judges. A judge asked her what her talents were. Cheng Yan said that she would sing, so she sang a song.


    Cheng Yan¡¯s singing could only be said to be average. The judges handed over a book and told her to read the lines.


    So, she read aloud passionately. "Ah, love is like a candle. It gives you light and it will be blown out with a gust of wind. Love is like a bird, to decorate the scenery. It will fly away when the weather changes...¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "She¡¯s talking about herself!"


    The judges exchanged opinions and told her to head back and wait for their notice. Cheng Yan curtsied and left.


    Chen Shi waved to her and Cheng Yan walked over as she asked, "Is Lu Zhendong really dead?"


    "Yes, we¡¯re investigating this case at the moment. This can¡¯t be leaked for the time-being."


    "What do you want to ask? I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±


    "We have been to his filmpany. They said that Lu Zhendong had been pursuing you recently but you never epted. Was there such a thing?"


    "Frankly, he is not the type I like at all. Even if he has money at home, I can''t raise any interest in him."


    ¡°Some people say that you like girls? Is it an excuse?¡±


    Cheng Yan red at him. "Uncle, what era is it? Can you not be so awful? Do you have tobel people¡¯s sexual orientation? The person I like hasn¡¯t appeared yet. It isn¡¯t important to me whether they¡¯re male or female. I just know that when I first see them, I¡¯ll know that their heart will belong to me.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong interjected, "Miss Cheng, I think your usual performance is a lot less stiff than your performance in movies."


    "Is this nonsense? This is true to me. Do you know what a performance is? A performance is when you express joys, sorrows and the like externally. I know I still need practice and training in this acting thing. After all, I¡¯m still young and my life experiences are limited.¡±


    "Does Miss Cheng have a dream?"


    "Of course! To be a big celebrity, just like Fan Bingbing[1]. I want to be the object of people¡¯s obscene thoughts... Oh excuse me!¡± Cheng Yan hid her flushed cheeks behind her hands.


    "Let''s talk about the case, okay?" Chen Shi sighed.


    "Go ahead."


    "When was thest time you saw Lu Zhendong?"


    Cheng Yan reached out and scratched her arm. She said, "About half a month ago. We went to the suburbs for a scene and thepany crew was there as well.¡±


    "You haven¡¯t had contact with him ever since?"


    "No."


    "Is he not pursuing you?"


    Cheng Yan scratched her arm again. Her sleeve was semi-translucent and Chen Shi noticed that the skin underneath was a bit red and swollen. Cheng Yan bit her lip and said, "No. Maybe he knew he couldn¡¯t get me, so he backed off. He¡¯s not a clingy sort of man anyway.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at her face. "You don¡¯t look very well."


    "I have been busy with auditions recently and there¡¯s been heat in my body[2], so I haven¡¯t had a good rest."


    "Why do you audition?"


    "Police officer, are you talking nonsense? I¡¯m looking for a job to support myself!"


    "But didn¡¯t you sign a contract with that filmpany?"


    Cheng Yan panicked and said, "That money is not enough. There isn¡¯t much to do right now anyway. I came out to look for a job. I didn¡¯t break thew, right?¡±


    "Thank you, we¡¯ll take our leave now!"


    After the two left and got in the car, Chen Shi took out a cigarette. Xu Xiaodong asked, "Brother Chen, where to next?"


    "We wait!"


    "Wait? What are we waiting for?"


    "Leave some suspense!"


    Cheng Yan came out from the drama club and walked very quickly away. Chen Shi started the car to catch up to her. She then entered an Inte cafe. Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong also went up and watched from far away.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "She is searching the web."


    After waiting for five minutes, Cheng Yan continued to stare at the webpage without moving.


    After waiting for another twenty minutes, something seemed to have popped up on the page. She typed a few words and then continued to stare at the screen.


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s a private message window of a forum or social media page. Can you see which website it is?"


    "I can''t see clearly!"


    In the next half hour, Cheng Yan sent a total of more than a dozen messages, then turned off the webpage and shut theputer down. She waited until theputer screen wentpletely ck before she checked out.


    Chen Shi sneered. Sometimes questioning didn¡¯t matter. Observing the attitude and actions of the person in question often gave more information. Chen Shi pondered, "She has a mobile phone, but she didn¡¯tmunicate with someone using it. Rather, she had to go to an Inte cafe to contact them.¡±


    "Brother Chen, do you think there¡¯s something she¡¯s hiding in the shadows? But what did she say?"


    "It is enough to know that she is suspicious. It¡¯s time to go back!"


    1. Chinese actress, model, producer and singer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_Bingbing


    2. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s getting hot in a temperature sense. She¡¯s saying that she¡¯s just had a lot of ¡°hot¡± foodsck of sleep. This was exined in the early chapters.

 Chapter 161: Hidden Surveillance Footage

    <h4>Chapter 161: Hidden Surveince Footage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Just after Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong left the Inte cafe, Lin Dongxue called and said, "Old Man Lu seems to have hired a private detective. Not only have I found out, but other colleagues also found suspicious people searching for information during our investigation. These suspicious people are obviously from the city. A well-known detective agency."


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that Old Man Lu has no intention of letting the police investigate the case. Do you have any evidence on hand?"


    "Old Zhang took a video of Old Man Lu''s secretary having a private meeting with a private detective. I don''t know if it can be considered evidence."


    "Send it to me. I''ll meet him and also contact the Economic Police Department to investigate an entrepreneur suspected of bribery."


    "You want to bring him in again?"


    "He''s too obstructive to the investigation!"


    Chen Shi rushed to the hotel where Old Man Lu lived as Lu Qixing was just about to send away two business partners. He was very pleased to see Chen Shi and said, "I hope that Officer Song is arriving with good news."


    "You hired a private detective?"


    Lu Qixingughed, "I have already hired the police. Why would I add feet to the snake I drew[1]? Do you think I don''t trust the police?"


    Chen Shi narrowed to his eyes. "Although I''m not Song Lang, my eyes are still very sensitive to people who lie."


    Xu Xiaodong was stunned. How could Chen Shi reveal his identity so casually?


    Lu Qixing was a little surprised. "You aren¡¯t Song Lang? Then who are you?"


    "Xiaodong, go out for a while. I have something to talk about with Old Man Lu alone."


    When Xu Xiaodong left and closed the door, Chen Shi said, "Old Man Lu, can we be more honest with each other? You have Alzheimer''s but I noticed that the scope of your forgetfulness is only around recent events. You remember the past extremely clearly. Why did you mistake me for Song Lang? I have a bold conjecture that you knew at first sight that I wasn¡¯t him. And you also know that although I¡¯m not a policeman but I have a good face within the bureau."


    "You... Who the hell are you?" Lu Qixing picked up a cigar.


    "You don¡¯t know?"


    "How could I know?"


    Lu Qixing cut open the cigar slowly and lit it with a match. These actions revealed that he was concealing the fluster in his heart.


    Chen Shi reached out and took the cigar he just lit, then put it out in the ashtray. "Jia Xingyun''s father just took office at the Real Estate Government Bureau. You wanted to bribe Chief Jia through the friendship between your son and Jia Xingyun. However, your disobedient son took the money to buy a guitar. So on the evening of February 2nd, you were furious and even hurt him."


    "What evidence do you have?"


    "I¡¯ll let the economic police find the evidence. It will be clear when they check your capital flow. In fact, I have already talked to them."


    Lu Qixing looked pale for a while. Finally, heughed, took another cigar from the cigar box, and handed it to Chen Shi. "I''ll give you a nk check and you can fill it in yourself."


    "It turns out that''s your true purpose. Because I''m not a policeman, it''s easier to buy me out... How do you know who I am?"


    "To be honest, there is a guy named Ximen Sheng who is a coboration partner with me. I know you through him. He said that you¡¯re not a police officer but better than the police. Everyone in the bureau gives you face... Now I finally understand why they all give you face. You are just as smart and keen as Song Lang. "


    "The purpose of asking me to investigate the case is to buy me out halfway, so as to prevent us from pulling up the soil around your turnip[2] regarding your bribery during our investigation, right?¡±


    "You''re too smart. I''m starting to like you a bit."


    "Thank you, Old Man Lu, for your appreciation. Tell me now, what clues are you hiding?"


    Lu Qixing tore a check, signed it, and handed it over to Chen Shi as he raised his brows to gesture Chen Shi to fill out the check first. This check was his reassurance and he only dared to tell the truth after Chen Shi had epted it.


    Chen Shi quickly wrote a number and Lu Qixing grinned. "I don''t mind adding two more zeros to that either."


    "Say it!"


    "Are you investigating at Zhendong''s house?"


    "Yes!"


    "I¡¯ll tell you now that it¡¯s useless because I hid the surveince video. At 11 o''clock that night, Zhendong came out of themunity."


    "Why hide this video?"


    "Because..." Lu Qixing hesitated. "Half an hour before he left, Jia Xingyun went back with him. I asked Zhendong to apologize to him and to invite him to dinner with his father another day so that I would be able to present them with a gift.


    "You didn¡¯t want Jia Xingyun to be implicated during the investigation, which would affect your rtionship with Chief Jia... Sir, your son is dead. Why do you still care so much about your business?"


    "I am a businessman and my interests alwayse first. Even with the death of my two sons, I have to take advantage of it to see who can and cannot be trusted!"


    Chen Shi admired him for a while before saying, "Can you show me the video?"


    "Yes, but it can''t be seen by others. I want you to guarantee that the case will be investigated but you will not interfere with my affairs. I have already given you directions. My son''s secretary, Sun Shenyou, is the most suspicious. My private investigators aren¡¯t for nothing!"


    Immediately, Lu Qixing handed over a USB sh drive and Chen Shi smiled. "In fact, my cell phone has been on the whole time."


    Lu Qixing''s grey eyebrows raised slightly. "Why? You want to get another sum?"


    "This gentleman loves money but needs to have morals. I''m not a policeman, but I also can¡¯t be bought..." Chen Shi took out the check, ripped it up, and then took out his cell phone to make a call. "Arrest him."


    "Ah, this isn¡¯t cool!" Lu Qixing panicked.


    "It''s cool. It''s really cool. Watching a powerful person like you enter the pce."


    "It''s no use catching me. First, I didn''t bribe anyone. Second, I can immediately call awyer to bail me out."


    "Up to you!"


    Lu Qixing was paralyzed on the sofa in despair. "You and Song Lang are the same. You guys won¡¯t even want oil or salt[3]. I nned such a big game[4] but it¡¯s all messed up because of you."


    "Sir, your son is dead. Your two sons are dead. Don¡¯t continue on like this. Can¡¯t you spend the rest of your life well and peacefully?¡±


    This remark made Lu Qixing recognize reality. He covered his face and cried, "My Zhenjie! How good would it be if you were alive!"


    Although the older son was more obedient, Lu Qixing liked his reckless second son more. Chen Shi sympathized with him. Perhaps the old man''s heart had died after his second son was killed five years ago.


    Half an hourter, amidst the sound of sirens, Lu Qixing was taken away by the police again. His white hair looked particrly gloomy in the cold wind.


    Xu Xiaodong admired, "It''s too idiotic that he¡¯s entering the pce[5] a second time! Is there a third time, Brother Chen?"


    "It depends on him." Chen Shi smiled. "Let''s go back to the bureau to see this surveince video."


    Chen Shi sent a message and called all members of the task force back to the bureau to watch the video.


    As Lu Qixing said, around 10:30, Jia Xingyun entered themunity in Lu Zhendong''s car. Jia Xingyun stayed for about 20 minutes and left. Forty minutester, Lu Zhendong''s car drove out and passed the security room. He nodded and said hello.


    Many people felt discouraged. This video perfectly proved that Lu Zhendong was not killed in his neighborhood!


    Chen Shi kept touching his chin without talking and suddenly said, "Stop!"


    1. Essentially saying why would he do something so pointless.


    2. The radish is what they intended to do and find out (in this case, the murderer), but pulling up the soil with it means that they unintentionally would stumble upon things they didn¡¯t intend on (in this case, the bribery).


    3. Even the most minor things as a bribe.


    4. Usually means chess, where they n steps ahead.


    5. Getting asked to go to the station, usually for an interrogation

 Chapter 162: Hidden Treasure in the Golden House

    <h4>Chapter 162: Hidden Treasure in the Golden House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi stopped the video at the moment Lu Zhendong passed by. He went back and yed it again, then again, and then again.


    Lu Zhendong did two things when he passed the gate of themunity: He swiped his ess card and nodded his head in greeting.


    However, due to the angle, only one hand picking up the ess card and Lu Zhendong''s jaw moving a little could be seen.


    The ess card was infrared-sensitive and did not need to be put all the way up. As long as it was aligned with the sensor, the bar at the gate of themunity would have been lifted.


    After looking at it four or five times, someone found something suspicious. "The position of the hand is wrong. It seems that it wasn¡¯t Lu Zhendong''s hand but is stretching from the back."


    "I noticed that too."


    Chen Shi eximed, "Yes! Can this video be adjusted so that the contrast is higher?"


    The policeman operated the yback software. As the contrast increased, the grains of the picture became more and more dense, giving people a creepy feeling. The conference room was extremely quiet as Chen Shi continuously directed, "Go forward one frame... One frame forward... Stop!"


    Staring at the picture, many people inhaled sharply.


    In the frame where Lu Zhendong nodded, a hand appeared on his chin. It was a hand in ck gloves. Due to the dim light in the car and the shadow of Lu Zhendong''s chin, it was difficult to see under normal circumstances.


    The gesture of nodding his head at the security guard was exactly done by this hand supporting his chin.


    Chen Shi concluded, "Lu Zhendong, who was in the car at that time, was dead, and the murderer was preparing to get him out of the residence."


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "How do the dead drive?"


    "This is a German car. The car is very spacious. The driver''s seat can seat two people. Lu Zhendong''s body is leaning on the driver. From the perspective of security and surveince monitors, it is as if he¡¯s sitting in the driver''s seat."


    "Seat two people? Wouldn¡¯t that be too crowded?" Someone objected.


    "It''s okay if you''re petite, like a petite woman." Another police officer suggested.


    Lin Dongxue analyzed, "The human head is very heavy, but this hand can hold the head with one hand, indicating that this person has some strength. It may be a man."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I found that this hand is the right hand. This person should have been behind the driver¡¯s seat... It should have also been this hand who aligned the ess card as well.¡±


    This showed that there were three people in the car at the time. The driver, the body of Lu Zhendong, and the person lying behind the driver''s seat.


    Chen Shi rewound the video to the earliest time period and watched through the video again with faster yback speed. Shortly after Jia Xingyun left, a ck motorcycle appeared at the door with a rider in a ck leather suit. Because themunity had security guards, the rider stopped on one leg, said a few words, and left.


    The rider also wore ck gloves.


    Lin Dongxue remarked, "This person should be the murderer?"


    Chen Shi agreed. "It¡¯s very likely that the security guard didn¡¯t let them in. They may have parked the motorcycle near themunity and came in through the wall... The wall of themunity isn¡¯t very high and scavengers often climb in."


    Old Zhang asked, "Where did the drivere from?"


    The eyes of everyone focused on Chen Shi''s face. Chen Shi reasoned, "The driver has been in the deceased''s house the whole time and may have been imprisoned there by Lu Zhendong. Lu Zhendong asked the cleaner to stoping over temporarily for half a month before the incident and bought a lot of frozen food."


    "Hidden treasure in the golden house? Is it a woman?" Lin Dongxue said in shock.


    Chen Shi immediately assigned the tasks. Some would find the owner of the ck motorcycle, while some would talk to the security guard and the shop owner outside the district again. He also thought that Lu Zhendong''spany should be focused on to see if anypany employees recently bought medicine and what medicines they bought.


    Of course, another important point was to visit Jia Xingyun again.


    Old Zhang asked, "Then, our current prime suspect, the missing Sun Shenyou, and the guitar don''t need to be checked again?"


    Chen Shi said, "That was a smoke bomb cast by the murderer. The guitar was not the motive for killing. But we do need to find Sun Shenyou again. I¡¯m not suspecting that she killed him. I suspect she has been detained by Old Man Lu... Everyone, let''s get off work!"


    At this time, it was already 7PM. Tao Yueyue, who was waiting outside, was very hungry. Chen Shi said, "Sorry, I¡¯ll take you to dinner! What do you want to eat?"


    "The stuff from yesterday."


    "That''s too expensive. Change it."


    "Fast food!"


    Walking out while holding Tao Yueyue''s hand, a luxury car parked in front of the city bureau. Old Man Lu stepped down with the help of awyer and said, "Officer Song, you¡¯re bullying me again. Can we stop this?¡±


    "It''s good to have money. You must have paid a lot of money in bail!¡± Chen Shiughed.


    "Those are trivial... Officer Song, have you eaten yet? I''ll invite you to dinner!"


    Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, "Do you want to go?"


    Tao Yueyue whispered, "Will the atmosphere be awkward?"


    "It won¡¯t, you just have to focus on eating."


    "Then we¡¯ll go. I want to eat something delicious."


    Chen Shi turned his face and said with a smile, "Since Old Man Lu is entertaining, I will most respectfully ept. This is a cold day, let¡¯s eat hot pot!"


    "Have you not eaten anything good besides hot pot?! I¡¯ll invite you to a big French meal! Get in the car!"


    When they got to a high-end French restaurant, Lu Qixing found that Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue were really impolite. They ordered everything they hadn¡¯t eaten before on the menu. At their economic level, they would have never ordered anything except bread.


    Chen Shi took a piece of garlic bread with caviar and rolled it with foie gras. He also held a ss of red wine in his hand. Tao Yueyue fell in love with therge French snails and drew them out of their shells one after the other to eat.


    Lu Qixing barely moved his knife and fork. He asked Tao Yueyue with a smile, "Are the snails delicious?"


    "It''s delicious! Thank you, Grandpa."


    "Do you want to eat it every day?"


    "Yes!"


    "Old man, why aren¡¯t you eating?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I''m not hungry!" Lu Qixing said. "I haven''t seen anyone eat so much and so happily in front of me for a long time. People who sit at a table with me are either asking something from me, or I¡¯m asking something from them. No matter what we eat, it¡¯s never fragrant[1].¡±


    Chen Shi stopped and said, "This meal isn¡¯t free for me though, right?"


    "Officer Song..."


    "You forgot? Myst name is Chen!"


    Lu Qixing nced at his sleeve and said, "Yes, yes. Mr. Chen, I think you are very capable. It¡¯s a waste of your talents to help the police solve cases. Why don¡¯t youe to ourpany? I¡¯ll let you eat these every day.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "What can I do at yourpany? Pour you tea?"


    "You can help me pick out those who have bad intentions and help me analyze and defeatpetitors. The important thing is that you can make a lot of money. I am old now. After starting from scratch and struggling for a lifetime, I¡¯ve only attained a bleak night. Every day I watch the shareholders meet to discuss how to allocate my money. I wanted tough. They all hoped that I would die sooner so that they could take possession of everything. I hope there will be a trustworthy person around me to help me take care of everything. Mr. Chen I like you very much, and I think that people like you should make use of your talents in a wider space and live a better life."


    "But I''m not short of money!"


    Lu Qixingughed. "Not short of money? In my eyes, every one of you is short of money!"


    1. It¡¯s never happy because there¡¯s underlying motives.

 Chapter 163: A Shield Taking all the Arrows

    <h4>Chapter 163: A Shield Taking all the Arrows</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, "What do you think?"


    Tao Yueyue responded, "This is what the bad guys on TV say. They usually say they¡¯ll give you a rich and prosperous life.¡±


    Old Man Luughed loudly. "Child, grandpa is not a bad person. Grandpa is just really rich so many people scheme for my money. I hope that your uncle wille and protect me."


    Chen Shi asked, "What about your son''s case?"


    "What can I do?" Old Man Lu shook his head. "He is no longer there. Even if the murderer can be found, he won''t return. I just hope that the next victim will not be me!"


    Chen Shi looked at the food and said, "French meal, it''s really delicious!"


    "Think about it. Come work for me."


    "But, people whoe to eat French meals all wear suits and gowns. I don''t like to wear suits and I¡¯ll feel ufortable. I don''t like being surrounded by servants. I feel a sense of being monitored every day. I also don¡¯t like to make calls every day, directing this and directing that. I won¡¯t be able to sleep or eat well and there¡¯ll be a lot of mental stress. I¡¯d die early.¡±


    Old Lu watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.


    Chen Shi continued. "If I want to eat French meals whenever, I¡¯d have to pay the price and choose a lifestyle that I don''t like. I admit that French meals are more delicious than skewers, but I happen to like the life of skewers. What I want is to eat skewers with dignity rather than to eat French with none. Everyone has their own way of living and I am quite satisfied with my current way of living. But, I don¡¯t mind being your friend. It''s an honor for this little driver to eat with Old Man Lu once in a while. "


    "You motherfucker who has really sticky fur on your face and is cheekier than a monkey[1]. You don''t n to work for me, but you want toe to eat French food?"


    "Hot pot is fine too!"


    Old Man Luughed angrily. "I haven''t seen anyone with thicker skin than you. Waiter..."


    Old Man Lu called the waiter over and whispered a few words to him. After a while, the waiter gave him a card. Old Man Lu said, "This is a VIP card for this restaurant. You can bring your child toe and eat often."


    "If you run into any trouble, I can help you."


    Mr. Lu nodded. "With this one sentence, this meal has not been a waste! But, I have another request. Please don''t take me into the bureau again. I am a bunch of old bones now, how can I bear this?!"


    "Okay, okay. I need to ask something. To what extent is your private detective investigating?"


    "I have asked them to withdraw so as not to obstruct your investigation."


    "You should stay at home honestly for the next two days. We will give you results for the case.¡±


    "Find out who the killer is as soon as possible!"


    "Okay, we¡¯ll take our leave now."


    When he left with Tao Yueyue in tow, Tao Yueyue asked, "How rich is that old grandpa?"


    Chen Shi pointed to the tall building in front of them. "He can snap his fingers and that building will be his.¡±


    "Then why didn¡¯t you agree? Isn''t it nice to make some money?"


    "Have you studied politics? What is money?"


    "Generally, it¡¯s the equivalent exchange of goods."


    "Yes, there is no free lunch in this world and the rich are not fools. If he gives me money, I will have to pay the equivalent inbor. I would have to work hard and serve him as he pleases. The wool is still derived from the sheep[2], understand?"


    "I see!" Tao Yueyue nodded. "I hope you get rich soon!"


    "Haha, I¡¯ll hope to borrow your good words[3]."


    "Then, I won¡¯t have to do anything hard anymore," Tao Yueyue said earnestly.


    The next day, Tao Yueyue really didn''t want to tag along with the investigation. She just nappedzily at home while Chen Shi went to visit Jia Xingyun with Lin Dongxue. They showed him the surveince footage and Jia Xingyun said frankly, "Zhendong quarrelled with his father that night. He was depressed and I apanied him to the house for a drink.¡±


    "No need to conceal it. Old Lu has already confessed that he was bribing... No, it was an attempt to bribe.¡± Chen Shi revealed.


    Jia Xingyun raised an eyebrow. "Your investigation is so meticulous! Yes, Zhendong found me a week prior and said that his father wanted to give me a lot of money to ask my father to give a project to Old Man Lu. Zhendong was very annoyed because we have a deep friendship. He felt that this was defiling our friendship. I told him that he should keep the money himself and I would talk to my dad, but apparently Old Man Lu was not assured. On the evening of February 2nd, he needed Zhendong to invite me to his house and give me a little ything. I wanted tough. The older generation valued social norms too much. My dad is the same way. They always talk aboutworking, rtionships, and connections. Social resources and the like are so annoying!¡±


    "What about the money?"


    "Zhendong bought a guitar with it. He likes to collect these. I guess the old man quarrelled with him over this matter."


    "Did you see the guitar when you went to his house that night?¡±


    "I saw it. It is indeed a guitar worth 40 million. It glitters and each string smelled of money."


    "Was that guitar broken?"


    "No, the stic wrap was very good."


    Jia Xingyun''s attitude was very frank and he was staring at Lin Dongxue while talking. Chen Shi asked, "There is one other thing I want to ask you. Was there anyone else at Lu Zhendong''s house?"


    Jia Xingyun immediately became nervous. "I can''t answer that. This is rted to Zhendong''s reputation."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Mr. Jia, you have already told us with your attitude... Lu Zhendong imprisoned a woman in his own house, right?"


    "You won''t get a word out of me!"


    "Then, I¡¯ll ask something else. When you left themunity, did you notice any suspicious people? Did you see a ck motorcycle outside themunity?"


    Jia Xingyun replied without hesitation. "Yes, there was a ck Honda motorcycle parked under the outer wall of themunity!"


    "Number te?"


    "How could I remember that?!"


    "Thank you for your cooperation!"


    The two were ready to leave when Jia Xingyun overtook them and asked, "Miss Lin, will you give me face and have a meal with me?"


    Lin Dongxue remained silent and reached out to hold Chen Shi''s arm, then raised her thin moon-like brows at Jia Xingyun.


    As a gentleman, Jia Xingyun immediately realized what she was implying and retracted his troops. "No wonder you two are always together. Sure enough, the police like the police. Forgive me.¡±


    Aftering out, Lin Dongxue said, "This boy is quite gentlemanly!"


    "He looks like a catch. Why not consider it?"


    "Not my cup of tea!"


    "Do you still need to hold my arm?"


    Lin Dongxue''s face turned red and she quickly removed her hands, whispering, "Thank you for being a shield taking all the arrows for me!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I still don''t know what type you like?"


    "Surely not the uncles who drive! Hmph!" Lin Dongxue walked away without looking back.


    Chen Shi pulled out his cell phone to see what was happening in the project group. A message from Xu Xiaodong filled the screen. "Sun Shenyou''s wife has been abducted. The address is..."


    Chen Shi immediately called Lin Dongxue, "There¡¯s a situation! Hurry to the car!"


    1. Monkeys are really cheeky and smart. So, he¡¯s saying that he stuck fur on his face (because humans don¡¯t have that much facial hair) and is acting cheeky like a monkey.


    2. Whates around, goes around. Everything needs to be paid for one way or another.


    3. He hopes to have her good words/blessingse to fruition.

 Chapter 164: Private Detective

    <h4>Chapter 164: Private Detective</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The kidnapping was discovered by Xu Xiaodong. Old Man Lu''s private detective turned his house upside down in order to find Sun Shenyou. He even went to his wife and wife¡¯s family to abduct thedy.


    When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived, Xu Xiaodong had just held down a private detective and both of them had slightly swollen faces, indicating they struggled a bit.


    The private detective wore a long trench coat, a hat, and was squatting on the ground with his hands in cuffs. His eyes were uneasy. Chen Shi asked, "Who told you to do this? Old Man Lu''s instructions?"


    He raised his face halfway and said, "No one asked us. We did it ourselves!"


    When Lin Dongxue saw him being so arrogant, she suddenly became angry. "Have you ever investigated a murder case? Except for investigating affairs, you haven¡¯t investigated anything else, right?!"


    The private detective stopped talking, and Chen Shi asked, "Where are they?"


    "Sent to the hospital."


    "Let¡¯s go and see!"


    Xu Xiaodong sent the private detective to the bureau while Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the hospital. The abducted woman was fine. She was resting in bed with an IV drip, and a little boy was crying in front of the bed.


    When a stranger came in, the woman panicked and the little boy stretched out his hands to protect his mother, his eyes full of alertness.


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Don''t be afraid, child, we¡¯re not bad people. We¡¯re the police. Let us understand the situation here. We want to catch the bad people who kidnapped your mother."


    The woman said weakly, "Feng Feng, you go out for a while. Mum needs to speak to the police.¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue each took a chair out at the front of the bed. Chen Shi asked, "Are you okay?"


    "I¡¯m okay. Those beasts... I said I didn''t know where my husband was and they tortured me. They stepped on my fingers with leather shoes and force fed me wasabi. It was so bad."


    Chen Shi nced at the woman''s fingers wrapped in gauze and couldn''t bear it.


    "We will definitely punish them severely and ask them topensate for all medical expenses," Lin Dongxue said.


    "Thank you... Did Shenyou kill someone and run away?"


    "Who said that?"


    "The bad guys said that the man he killed seemed to be Master Lu''s eldest son. Lu Qixing is so powerful that he would definitely not rest easy!"


    Chen Shi asked, "When was thest time you saw your husband?"


    The woman recalled and said, "Six months ago!"


    "Six months ago?" Chen Shi was surprised.


    "Comrade Police, let me tell you the truth. Our husband-wife rtionship is almost only in name only. Because he did this job, he¡¯s stuck behind his master¡¯s buttocks. Of course, the ie is high. In the past few years, he bought three sets of houses for his family. But what is the use of that? I¡¯m just like a widow! At first, he was promoted from a clerk to assistant to the president. It was still quite beautiful. He said that he was flying to wealth. If I had known, I¡¯d have gotten him to quit!


    "He doesn''t evene back a few times a year. One time, he was finally able to take a day off. President Lu went to the Philippines to take part in an event. When he got home, his chair was not even warmed up yet when President Lu called to say that he did not bring a dental scaler, so he had to take it over by ne. What kind of job is that? I¡¯m not afraid to tell you but we haven¡¯t had sex for a long time. I know he¡¯s a man in his thirties. He¡¯s always out ying with President Lu and he has a high ie. Fuck, there must be a woman outside. I advised him toe back and see his son, but he said that he was busy with his career and shit. Wasn''t he just a nanny for the rich?


    "The significance of his existence for me may only be the cost of living sent by him every month. In order to raise my son, I can only bear it helplessly. When I heard that President Lu was killed, I called him but the phone didn''t work. I didn¡¯t know what was going on and I didn¡¯t dare to call the police. Later, the Lu family sent someone to ask for trouble, asking this and that, and causing trouble at home. It terrified my son so we hid at my parent¡¯s house. Who knew that when I went out to buy groceries yesterday, I would be dragged into the car by a group of men who covered my mouth with a handkerchief? I was frightened. I really thought I wouldn''te back alive..."


    With that said, the woman began bawling her eyes out.


    Chen Shi was fortunate that he didn¡¯t ept Old Man Lu''s invitation at the dinner tablest night. This kind of rich but restricted life was a kind of torture for him.


    After the woman cried for some time, Chen Shi asked, "Where does Sun Shenyou live?"


    "Jinxiu Garden District is where Mr. Lu lives. He bought a single room there to be on call for Mr. Lu. Officers, Sun Shenyou cannot kill people. He has a high ie and cannot do this sort of murder due to greed."


    "Do you have the key to his residence?"


    "No, but you can open the electric box. He likes to hide the keys there... If you have information regarding him, please tell me!"


    "We will. In addition, abduction is not a trivial matter. We will help you to sue the Lu Group."


    "No, no, no!" Said the woman in a panic. "The Lu family is so powerful, I can''t offend him. It''s good if he doesn''t provoke me. I dare not provoke him."


    "A police officer will support you!"


    Chen Shi persuaded her for a long time before the women promised to sue and provide evidence of the abduction. Chen Shi contacted Peng Sijue and asked him to send a forensic doctor to inspect the injury.


    Leaving the ward, Chen Shi sighed deeply. Lin Dongxue asked, "You wouldn¡¯t ask Old Man Lu back to drink tea[1] again, right?¡±


    "An old beast. Can you do whatever you want when you have money? His son''s life is more expensive than others?"


    "Calm down, please!"


    "Let¡¯s go somewhere."


    Lin Dongxue was right. Chen Shi drove directly to the hotel where Old Man Lu was. Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly, "It seems you¡¯re serious!"


    "You wait for me here. I need to go up and teach him a lesson.¡±


    "What if you do something overboard? No, I have to follow!"


    Chen Shi pulled out his phone and called the police first. Then, he went straight into the hotel. Old Man Lu was lying on the bed. A masseuse was doing an essential oil massage for him. When Chen Shi came in, he waved the technician out.


    "Officer Song, is there any progress?"


    "Myst name is Chen! Did you ask private detectives to cause trouble?"


    Lu Qixing sat up, put on a nket, and nced out the window. "Mr. Chen, can you not do this... My son is dead. How can I not be in a hurry to get angry? Yes, I told them to use a little means, but I don''t know exactly what was done. "


    "They threw people off the 16th floor!"


    "Impossible!" Lu Qixing was shocked. "I only instructed them to tie the woman up for interrogation. How could they do that?"


    This probed sentence was recorded on Chen Shi''s phone in his pocket.


    Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Old bastard! You¡¯re killing people!"


    "Little bastard, is it your turn to talk like that? Don''t think I''m afraid of you. You''re not a policeman. If you continue to offend me, I can kill you under my thumb!¡±


    Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone. Then he said, ¡°Threatening me? I can sue youter!"


    Lu Qixing''s face changed back to being mild for a second. "Hey, I just said that out of spite. I was just messing around. I noticed that you weren¡¯t investigating Sun Shenyou when he¡¯s obviously the prime suspect, so I was anxious. I only hired some detectives toe and help.¡±


    There were rapid footsteps outside and Chen Shi said, "Go and exin that to the police!"


    Lu Qixing''s expression changed dramatically. "Aiya, how can you be like this? I even invited you to dinnerst night!"


    1. To go back to the bureau

 Chapter 165: A Trap

    <h4>Chapter 165: A Trap</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Later, Lu Qixing wore handcuffs and was taken away by the police. Before his departure, his eyes were very tragic and resentful as he said to Chen Shi, "No one has dared to do this to me except Song Lang! I have no friendship with you anymore. If you do whatever you want in the future, I¡¯ll sue you for breaking into the house!¡±


    "Safe travels along the way. This time, even yourwyer can''t protect you," Chen Shi said.


    After he was taken away, Lin Dongxue said, "Listening to my brother, Song Lang was very righteous and he never let anything slide. When investigating the case of Lu¡¯s second son¡¯s kidnapping, he found out some of the bad things that the Lu Group did and asked Old Man Lu for tea five times."


    "Five times?" Chen Shi acted surprised. "It seems I have to work hard."


    "Oh, you!" Lin Dongxueughed. "This time alone is enough for him to drink a whole pot."


    Chen Shi made a gesture. "Let¡¯s take a look at Sun Shenyou''s residence."


    They went back to the neighborhood where Lu Zhendong lived and found Sun Shenyou''s house. It was a small single room. They opened the door with the key found in the electric box and saw that the house was messy. Condoms and balls of tissue could be seen in the trash can at a nce. There was even a bra and women¡¯s underwear on the sofa.


    Because there had been no venttion for a long time, the smell in the house wasn¡¯t particrly nice. Chen Shi covered his nose and said, "This Mr. Sun seems to be very friendly with others!"


    "He¡¯s a scumbag! He has a wife but is still fucking around outside," Lin Dongxue said scornfully.


    They looked inside and out, but there was nothing particrly noteworthy except for the mess there. Chen Shi went to visit the neighbors. Unfortunately, they all kept to themselves and no one paid attention to this house.


    Chen Shi sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette. "I have a suspicion that the murderer killed Sun Shenyou and hid the corpse along with the guitar, which created the illusion of Sun Shenyou killing Lu Zhendong and stealing the guitar."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Is there a possibility that Sun Shenyou himself is the murderer? I saw in the project group chat that after the ident, Sun Shenyou bought several airne tickets, train tickets and bus tickets to other ces."


    "It''s just a blindfold set up for us. I have confirmed that his ID card has not left a record at any airport, train station, or bus station that can leave Long''an. There is another thing besides this..."


    Chen Shi stood up to open the closet, took out an old belt, and put it around his waist. The eyelet often inserted by the owner was significantlyrger than Chen Shi¡¯s waist.


    Lin Dongxue immediately understood. "Sun Shenyoue is fat while the people in the surveince footage were thin."


    "Yes, and you see the freshly bought wine and food in the refrigerator? Theputer and bed are also new. The calendar on the wall stopped on February 2nd. It shows that he likes his current state of life and would not take the initiative to destroy it. That guitar may be worth 40 million, but there is also a problem with acting on it. Would he be stupid enough to kill his future for this money? Without sufficient reason, no one wouldmit a crime!"


    Chen Shi stood up. "There¡¯s nothing to see here. Let¡¯s go to Lu Zhendong''s house and have a look again!"


    Lin Dongxueughed. "I haven''t been there yet!"


    Lu Zhendong''s home had undergone careful forensic investigation and powder for collecting fingerprints had been left everywhere. Many things were taken away, making it much emptier thanst time.


    The half-box of cigars was still there. Chen Shi took one and sat at the table on the first floor. From here, the door to the second bedroom was visible. Chen Shi said, "Jia Xingyun knew that Lu Zhendong hid a woman. Maybe he saw them that day."


    "Who do you think the woman would be?"


    "The highest probability would be Cheng Yan that Lu Zhendong was pursuing. Lu Zhendong couldn¡¯t get the person he wanted, so he imprisoned her. I believe he is a person who can do this kind of thing. Lu Zhendong¡¯s thoughts are very entric. His father is also very rich. For him, the world revolves around himself."


    Lin Dongxue was looking at the project group chat on the mobile phone and said, "They found out from Cheng Yan''s friends that she couldn''t be contacted a while ago. At the time, she imed to be traveling. There is also a clue here that Cheng Yan''s mobile phone had not made any calls over the past month. She changed her card on February 3rd and said she lost her cell phone."


    "The killer was her, or the one who came to rescue her. This person has a close rtionship with Cheng Yan. They must be very smart, meticulous and bold. After the killing, they knew that Sun Shenyou needed to disappear to shift the focus of the police. They also nned Lu Zhendong''s body to be abandoned in the wild with lots of stab wounds!"


    "Those stab wounds were made after death? Captain Peng didn''t say..."


    "If it was done before death, when passing through the gate of themunity, the security guards would have smelled a strong bloody odor even if they couldn¡¯t see it. Those injuries were sustained after leaving themunity. They used a hot towel to cover the body and then pierced it with a weapon. Within two hours of death, it would produce the effect of trauma that looks like it was received before the victim died. This can seriously disrupt the police investigation and make them believe that the murderer is a person with deep hatred and wanted to kill Lu Zhendong horribly."


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise. "Lu Zhendong imprisoned Cheng Yan first. This person only came to save her. Even if he identally killed Lu Zhendong, he would not be sentenced too seriously. But he actually killed another person to cover up their lies. Wouldn¡¯t that make them carry more serious charges?"


    "It seems that the person loves Cheng Yan very much and is willing to give everything up for her."


    "Cheng Yan shouldn¡¯t have a boyfriend though, right?"


    "Even if she does, she wouldn¡¯t let us know. After the killing, the two would not have any form of contact in case the police suspected them. This is the most normal course of action." Chen Shi muttered to himself with a cigar in his mouth, "No, they have been in contact. Cheng Yan is not that strong of a girl. She wouldn¡¯t be able to carry such a huge psychological burden alone..."


    Chen Shi immediately took out his cell phone, called Old Zhang, and asked him to do something.


    After the arrangement, Lin Dongxueughed. "You have so many ideas. Will this move work?"


    "Even if it doesn''t work, there is no loss." Chen Shi smiled. "Just get off work today and see if you can catch a big fish tomorrow."


    Chen Shi''s smile suddenly grew bigger because he saw a new clue in the project group. Police officers found that an employee at Lu Zhendong¡¯spany had bought anti-inmmatory drugs and painkillers during this time. It was from a nearby drug store. A surveince video confirmed this to be true.


    "It''s him?" Chen Shi looked at Zhuo Xuan''s name slightly surprised.


    Chen Shi sent a message informing everyone not to go to the unit tomorrow morning, but to go directly to this address.


    At 7:00AM the next day, the members of the task force wore in clothes and went to an Inte cafe near the neighborhood around Cheng Yan''s house. Chen Shi¡¯s fishing n was actually very simple. They bought the Inte Caf¨¦ out for a while and the erasing and recovery system on theputer was uninstalled. As long as Cheng Yan came here to go online, they would know the forum she had logged in to.


    As for how to get Cheng Yan toe, Chen Shi nned to send a senior police officer over to ask some questions and apply some psychological pressure on her. After the police left, she had a high probability ofing here to ess the Inte and contact herpanion.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Honestly, I have a little sympathy for this girl. Using her weak side to draw out her boyfriend.¡±


    Chen Shi said coldly, "If you do something wrong, you have to bear the price. This is the rule of the adult world."

 Chapter 166: True Murderer Revealed

    <h4>Chapter 166: True Murderer Revealed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A police officer was sent by Chen Shi to monitor the window of Cheng Yan''s house while the others went to the Inte Caf¨¦ to surf thefortably. The inte caf¨¦ was already bought out and could be used as they pleased.


    Xu Xiaodong opened the game they yedst time and Chen Shi saw him in golden equipment, riding a donkey-like and unicorn-like mount. Chen Shi said, "Are you still ying this money-sucking online game?"


    Xu Xiaodong nodded and exined slowly, "My wife supports me and gives me all the equipment I need to level-up quickly."


    "Your wife?" Lin Dongxue raised an eyebrow.


    "In the game!" Xu Xiaodong exined.


    At this time, a few boys came in to ess the Inte. The owner of the Inte cafe imed that it had been reserved and the boys walked away angrily. Chen Shi called Old Zhang to call them back in and told them that they could ess the Inte for free, but only on certain designated machines. Also, they weren¡¯t allowed to tell anyone about it.


    The boys who were called back were very happy. They handed cigarettes to Chen Shi and said, "Uncle, are you a police officer? Are you on a secret mission?"


    Chen Shi nced at the perspiration around his lips and said, "You aren¡¯t 18 years old yet, right? I won''t hold you ountable today. After you finish going on theputers, go home and do your winter vacation homework... Also, don¡¯t talk to us.¡±


    "Tch, you¡¯re just police! Is that meant to be amazing or something?"


    Three or four waves of children came in one after another and the Inte cafe finally became lively. Chen Shi had his reason. If Cheng Yan came in and found it was just full of uncles who weren¡¯t talking, she¡¯d definitely be suspicious.


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "The is cast, so now we just need to wait for the canary."


    The police didn¡¯t know what to do. After all, they didn¡¯t usually go online. Someone started up League of Legends and got an immediate response. Everyone split into two teams and faced each other.


    The losing party was extremely annoyed and some people asked, "Who¡¯s the marksman? Is it Brother Chen?"


    "No!" Chen Shi held his cigarette butt, his face was full of boredom. "I''m the Teemo you dumped on the ground."


    The curious police officer looked around and walked in front of Lin Dongxue. She suddenly minimized the window and pretended to be listening to a song. The crowd said, "Dongxue, it wouldn''t be you, right?"


    Lin Dongxue then opened the game interface. It was indeed her and it caused a burst of exmation. Lin Dongxue was embarrassed to say, "I have yed with my brother for a bit. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m skilled. It¡¯s just that you guys are too bad.¡±


    "Okay, okay,e carry me! I''lle to the red team." Chen Shi changed his attitude immediately.


    "Brother Chen, you are too cunning!"


    While waiting for the game to start, Chen Shi called the police officer on monitoring duty. The policeman said that Cheng Yan hadn''t moved yet, as she was still sleeping. Chen Shi said, "It''s cold below. You cane up first. Xiaodong wille down and take over.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said sadly, "Why me?"


    "Did youe to y? You still have to do your duty. Hurry up!" Chen Shi continued to y the game.


    They yed until 9:00 when Xu Xiaodong came up to report. "She got up."


    Chen Shi told everyone to stop the game and sent a police officer who looked the fiercest to visit her. Everyone waited quietly. Twenty minutester, the officer that was sent out came back and said, "A lot of questions were asked. It felt like she was nervous."


    "Okay, you should find a ce to hide or go back to the bureau." Chen Shi said.


    Chen Shi went to the bar table and stared at the monitoring interface of the Inte cafe. About an hourter, Cheng Yan appeared, neatly dressed. She really came to this Inte Cafe. Chen Shi exined to everyone to behave normally and they all hurriedly did their own things.


    All the officers appeared to be watching a TV show or ying a game, but they stared at the entrance with their eyes.


    Cheng Yan finally came in and her expression seemed to be particrly heavy. She didn''t notice any difference. She ordered aputer at the bar and started to surf the Inte. Her position was just where Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue could see, but that whole empty row was arranged intentionally by Chen Shi.


    Cheng Yan once again went to a forum, typed in a private message window, and waited for an answer. While others nced at her, they were exchanging information through a chat software.


    An hourter, Cheng Yan got off theputer and walked away. Chen Shi only stood up after she disappeared outside. A few children in the Inte cafe chanted, "Not letting us go?!"


    "Don''t talk nonsense. Keep ying, we¡¯ll let you go soon!"


    The policemen went to theputer used by Cheng Yan and turned on the machine. The forum she had logged in to could be seen and she had not logged out of the machine, meaning they could directly ess her ount.


    It was an ordinary film and television drama exchange forum. Chen Shi opened a private message window and could only see the contents of today''s call, but that was enough.


    Yan: The police just came to see me. They seem to suspect us.


    Yan: Are you there?


    Yan: Fuckinge out for me!


    Mak: Why are you so anxious?


    Mak: Say everything just like we rehearsed. The police are all like this. They will deliberately lie to you. Don''t be fooled.


    Yan: But I''m so scared! I miss you! I feel like I can''t handle it anymore. Can youe see me tonight?


    Mak: I miss you too, but we must never meet right now. We can''t let the police guess we have a rtionship with each other!


    Mak: Did you burn those letters?


    Yan: Yes, the ashes should be in the sewers now.


    Mak: Look, the police and the Lu family are investigating the missing person. There are no loopholes in my n.


    Yan: What if the body is found?


    Mak: Impossible. The police can''t find it. They think the person is just missing. The crime detection rate is not as high as it is on TV. Many cases will often remain unsolved for over ten years. Rest assured, we can sessfully survive the cmity this time because God is helping us!


    Yan: Miss you! Miss you! Miss you!


    Mak: I miss you too, very much so. Dear, don''t be discouraged. Don''t show vulnerabilities, even in front of the police. Some questions can be left unanswered. This is your right, understood?


    Yan: I understand! I''m going to an interviewter. The address is at xxx. Why don¡¯t youe over? I just need to look at you. We don¡¯t need to talk.


    Mak: I can''te! I love you, so I must be cautious and even more so. Be careful while you¡¯re alone.


    Yan: Don''t worry, I look forward to seeing you soon.


    Mak: I look forward to it too.


    After reading this chat, everyone exchanged a look of surprise. The moment when the real murderer finally surfaced was always very exciting.


    "Brother Chen''s spection was absolutely correct!" Xu Xiaodong admired.


    "Cheng Yan doesn''t seem to be a murderer. This ''Mak'' must be. Find a way to catch him!"


    Chen Shi pointed to the two lines of "Fuckinge out for me!" and "Why are you so anxious?" and said, "The tone is obviously inconsistent with the rest of the chat. These two sentences should be secret codes!"


    He put his hand on the keyboard and pondered about it. Lin Dongxue asked, "Can you learn her tone? It would be odd if you could!"


    "Check the IP address!" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi epted the two''s proposals and gave up the original bold snake-baiting n. He said, "Call awork policeman toe over and check it. By the way, ask Old Peng toe here as well. Tell him to remember to bring their fingerprints and DNA collection equipment."

 Chapter 167: Poke Through It

    <h4>Chapter 167: Poke Through It</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An hourter, the police and Peng Sijue arrived. Thework police sat down and plugged theirptop into theputer. It only took ten minutes to get the result before they said, "The other party should be using a wirelesswork with an IP address. An Inte cafe in Jinmao Road."


    Chen Shi waved. "Go! Go there immediately!"


    Everyone rushed to Jinmao Road and unexpectedly found that this was a market area. There was indeed an Inte cafe in it, which was exactly where the other party just stayed at.


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to go up and watch the surveince video. He looked around and found that there were no other surveince cameras except for the one at this Inte caf¨¦. Also, the area was extremely noisy due to the foot traffic in the area.


    Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone and tried to connect to the wifi of this Inte cafe. He said, "The wifi coverage of this Inte cafe is very wide. You can avoid CCTV monitoring and surf the Inte because you only need a password."


    Lin Dongxue said, "That person must have gone to the Inte Caf¨¦ before, so they know the password. Should I go up and check it out?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. "There is too much foot traffic, so it''s very difficult to check..." He looked down at the ground, suddenly took off his shoes, smelled them, and put them back on. He also told Peng Sijue to take off his shoes.


    Peng Sijue asked, "What are you doing? What are you doing?" But was still forced to take off his shoes. Chen Shi smelled the soles of the shoes and smiled, "Fishy smell! People who have been here have a fishy smell on their feet. Immediately summon the employees of that filmpany. Say something urgent came up."


    "Return my shoes!" Peng Sijue frowned.


    Lin Dongxue said, "What if this person is not in thepany?"


    Chen Shi turned the shoes with his fingers and said, "It''s okay. So many people will be eliminated at once that the rest will be easy to check. They only have a few hired actors... Let''s go!"


    "Old Chen, you bastard!" Peng Sijue hopped on one foot with the other behind him amidst the people.


    All the employees of Zhendong Film Company received the notice and rushed to thepany before long. Chen Shi bought a bag of disposable slippers from a convenience store downstairs and had all the people who entered the door change their shoes. Peng Sijue conducted some simple tests.


    The n seemed fool proof, but Lin Dongxue questioned it. "What if the person changed their shoes?"


    This made Chen Shi stop in his tracks as he said, "Your mind is getting keener and finer. You¡¯re right, this person wouldn¡¯t be caught like this... Where¡¯s Xiaodong?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked left and right. "Did you leave him at the Inte cafe in the market?"


    Chen Shi helplessly sighed. Only Xu Xiaodong had seen the people of thepany besides him. He said, "I will go downstairs and watch the front door myself. Every time someonees in, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    Chen Shi ran to a restaurant downstairs and sat down. His eyes didn¡¯t leave thepany¡¯s main entrance for even a moment. The employees arrived one after another and Peng Sijue reported one by one, saying that their soles were all right.


    Quite a whileter, Zhuo Xuan¡¯s arrival was long overdue, but he finally arrived. After entering thepany, Chen Shi notified everyone through the project group, "Another one has gone up again, it should be thest one."


    After waiting five minutes, Lin Dongxue replied, "He didn''te in."


    "He didn''te down either, so get a few people to search for him!"


    Chen Shi ran into thepany. Thepany had no other exit, but half a shoe print was clearly left on the wall under a window on the first floor. Obviously, he had fled from there to the alley behind thepany.


    Chen Shi sent a message while running out, "He fled to the alley!"


    Chen Shi went to the back alley. The alley was facing both east and west. He chose to go east. There were more people there. When he got to the street, Chen Shi looked around and found that Zhuo Xuan was standing in a clothing store. Chen Shi walked over and greeted, "What are you doing?"


    "I¡¯m just about ready to go to thepany," Zhuo Xuan said calmly. "Is there something you need from us?"


    "Yes, something came up." Chen Shi''s eyes fell on his feet. "Why did you suddenly think of buying shoes?"


    "When did the police even manage this sort of stuff?"


    Chen Shi pulled out his cell phone and sent his location. Soon everyone came. Zhuo Xuan seemed a little nervous. He said impatiently, "What do you want to check? I still have something to do!"


    "Sorry, I''m afraid you have toe with us!"


    Chen Shi reached out and suddenly grabbed Zhuo Xuan''s right hand. He thought that because Zhuo Xuan''s hand was bitten by a dog, he used the left hand all the time, but Zhuo Xuan didn¡¯t respond.


    Peng Sijue said, "What are you doing, Old Chen? There¡¯s so many people around. Don''t mess around!"


    "It''s the leg!" Chen Shi suddenly understood. "Your leg was bitten by a dog, so you recently bought anti-inmmatory and painkillers, right? Do you dare to take off your pants and let us see?"


    An expression of alertness appeared on Zhuo Xuan¡¯s face. "Why? If you want to arrest me, take out the evidence!"


    Obviously, the prey was in front of him but couldn''t be arrested. Chen Shi was a little annoyed and said, "Look! He hasn''t left the store. Find his shoes and see what else he has to say!¡±


    Everyone went to find it, but somehow they couldn¡¯t find Zhuo Xuan''s old shoes. Chen Shi noticed a sneer on Zhuo Xuan''s mouth, and he thought about it from a different angle. What is the safest ce to hide it?


    A customer who left with a bag fell into Chen Shi''s line of sight, and Chen Shi suddenly understood that the shoes were put into a customer''s bag by Zhuo Xuan and were taken away unconsciously.


    If Zhuo Xuan couldn¡¯t be arrested here, he was afraid they would have to take a lot of detours. Chen Shi gritted his teeth and said, "Leave someone to monitor him! Everyone else needs to go and find the shoes. He¡¯s put them in a customer¡¯s bag!"


    When he said this, Zhuo Xuan showed a hint of panic. Chen Shi thought secretly, Sure enough!


    The team went to find the shoes. Every time they saw someone in the crowd carrying this store¡¯s bag, they looked like they found treasure and ran towards them to inquire about the contents of the bags. Finally, Lin Dongxue stopped a customer at the bus station. He didn''t know the bag had an additional box of old shoes.


    "Found it!" Lin Dongxue said excitedly in the group chat.


    "Go back to the clothing store!"


    The team rushed back and Lin Dongxue handed the pair of shoes to Chen Shi. Chen Shi smelled the soles of the shoes and sneered. "It''s him who has such a heavy fishy smell on his shoes."


    Zhuo Xuan still resisted. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. How can you prove that these shoes are mine? And what about it even if they are mine?"


    "We will slowly exin this to you when we go back, Mr. Zhuo. Come back with us and cooperate with the investigation!"


    At the same time, Chen Shi sent someone to Cheng Yan to bring her back. The two were separated for interrogation. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were sitting opposite Zhuo Xuan. Chen Shi said, "You are very good at hiding things."


    Zhuoxuan looked at him coldly.


    "Exin! Where were you on the evening of February 2nd? What did you do?"


    "I said so already. I was ying games at home."


    Chen Shi held up his phone with a picture on it. "Is this motorcycle yours?"


    "No."


    "Okay, it seems that you¡¯re not yet used to this ce. You should stay here and think about everything by yourself while we talk to Cheng Yan.¡±


    When Chen Shi stood up, he noticed Zhuo Xuan''s clear expression of panic. His lips parted a bit, but he closed them again.


    When they got outside, Peng Sijue arrived and said, "There were three different blood samples in the bag containing the dog''s body: dog blood, blood of the deceased, and an unknown blood sample. After DNA identification, this blood sample is Zhuo Xuan''s."


    The rock weighing on Chen Shi¡¯s heart fell to the ground and was lifted away[1]. "The truth is just a piece of window paper away. Let¡¯s poke through it!"


    1. He became a lot more rxed/relieved.

 Chapter 168: Taboo Game

    <h4>Chapter 168: Taboo Game</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Unlike the calm Zhuo Xuan, Cheng Yan appeared very nervous in front of the police. When the police presented several pieces of evidence, she quickly confessed.


    She confessed that Lu Zhendong had been pursuing her since a few months ago, but she had no feelings for him. She felt that this person was a giant, spoiled baby that thought the world revolved around him.


    While filming, Cheng Yan met Zhuo Xuan. Zhuo Xuan was a clever and interesting man. The two had good talks with each other and Cheng Yan liked him very much.


    Maybe this was the starting point of the disaster. Perhaps Lu Zhendong was jealous. One night, Cheng Yan and Zhuo Xuan went home after a walk. They were forcibly dragged into a car by a man who injected them with a shot each that rendered them unconscious. When she awoke, she was tied to a big, luxurious bed. Lu Zhendong was wearing thin clothes and looked very perverted. When he looked at her with a perverted smile, she cried and shouted in fright. Lu Zhendong said, "You¡¯re the only one here with me. Just save your breath! "


    Lu Zhendong did not rape her, but left her hanging there to prevent her from eating and drinking. What was worse was that she wasn¡¯t allowed to go to the toilet.


    She desperately shouted, "Please let me go to the toilet! I can''t take it anymore!" She screamed so much that her voice was almost gone. Lu Zhendong came in with a perverted expression and said, "As long as you call me master, I¡¯ll let you go."


    Cheng Yan hated the man with her heart and preferred to lie in stinking urine than let him humiliate her.


    When Lu Zhendong smelled the urine, he rushed in and yelled, "You look like a female pig right now!" Then, he took out a small whip and beat her. The whip should have been a sex toy and didn''t hurt when he whipped her, but it made Cheng Yan feel an incredible amount of humiliation.


    After finishing his lesson on Cheng Yan, Lu Zhendong brought in a bottle of mineral water and teased with a perverted smile, "I will give you water to drink after you call me your master."


    Cheng Yan was so angry that she bit her lips until they bled. Then, she cursed him with the worst words she could think of while Lu Zhendong poured the water on her chest with a perverted smile. That way, she could see it but she couldn¡¯t drink it. Then, he left her there by herself again.


    Obviously, Lu Zhendong could only use his distorted methods to teach Cheng Yan to ept him because he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted.


    However, Lu Zhendong really wasn¡¯t a qualified teacher. The next day, he lost his patience first. He ran in and saw that Cheng Yan was dying, so he cooked arge bowl of dumplings and stuffed Cheng Yan''s mouth full of it angrily as he cursed, "Why are you so disobedient? Don¡¯t fucking die! Eat this for me. Eat this!¡±


    Cheng Yan had tears running down her face as she ate the disgusting man¡¯s food.


    After eating, Lu Zhendong said, "As long as you obey, I will let you go, okay?"


    Cheng Yan nodded.


    Lu Zhendong actually let her go. After she was released, Cheng Yan immediately ran out, but she had been tied up for a whole day. Her hands and feet were weak. Plus, she was a meek girl to begin with. Lu Zhendong picked her up, threw her on the bed and tied her back up.


    This time, Lu Zhendong was very horny. He threw himself on her and tore her clothes apart. Cheng Yan twisted her head and wept silently without any reaction.


    Lu Zhendong was disgusted and gave up on raping her. He said, "Every woman throws her arms around me. It¡¯s just you who wants to test my appetite and y hard to get. I¡¯m warning you, I¡¯ll get angry if you y too much!"


    Day after day, Cheng Yan''s heart was as dead as ash. In the dark room, the days became much longer. She wanted to eat, drink water, listen to some sounds, and see something that moved.


    In order to survive, she could only pretend to ept her fate. She yelled "Master," giving Lu Zhendong more pleasure than fairies and deities could give. Lu Zhendong thought that he had won and went to get water for her as well as cook for her... Of course, Lu Zhendong didn¡¯t know how to cook at all. Even heating quick-frozen food was a mess.


    People''s tolerance will indeed gradually rx. Even when Lu Zhendong loosened her ropes, flung himself on her, and touched her, she didn¡¯t feel that disgusted anymore. She just knelt down like a dog and greedily swallowed the frozen dumplings and noodles.


    That night, she was raped by Lu Zhendong, but all she could recall was that the frozen dumplings were not thoroughly cooked and the noodles were a little bit overcooked. Also, the fibers in her mouth from the bed made her throat a little itchy.


    Lu Zhendong was still not reassured and tie her up before he went out. He said with a perverted smile, "My darling, I''m going to work now. I¡¯lle to see you at night."


    Cheng Yan said mechanically, "Master, safe travels!"


    One night when Lu Zhendong returned, he bought a brand new maid outfit. Cheng Yan was very obedient and allowed him to take her to the bathroom. This was her first bath in seven days, so her body was smelly.


    After washing up, Lu Zhendong sat in the living room with a perverse expression. Heughed and said, "Don''t wear underwear, just put this on."


    Cheng Yan felt that she could no longer feel any shame. She put on the maid costume in front of him, and Lu Zhendong looked very excited. He said with a smirk, "If you were obedient like this in the first ce, it would have been fine... Haiii, women truly require a whip to conquer.¡±


    Cheng Yan recalled that everything at the time seemed like a nightmare, and Lu Zhendong was a demon with a perverted smile.


    Lu Zhendong''s control of her gradually rxed, and he allowed her to walk around the house. Whenever he came home, he fed her food and raped her. Lu Zhendong was quite confident in himself in that regard. One time when he was done, he said, "I found you a little cold sexually. Other women will orgasm, but you won''t. "


    Cheng Yan said coldly, "Those women lied to you. Even your mother wouldn¡¯t orgasm from just two minutes!¡±


    "What are you talking about?" Lu Zhendong pped her in the face.


    Lu Zhendong sometimes talked about his boring past. "My first woman was a maid at home. That was when I was 13 years old..." He found these types of things exciting and thought that everyone loved listening to his stories.


    Cheng Yan felt that she had be a puppet, but deep inside, there was a small rebellious spirit hidden within.


    She wanted to cut his throat while Lu Zhendong was asleep, hang the nasty dog in the house, and burn the house. However, her reason told her that she couldn''t resist. Lu Zhendong was strong and the Lu Group was even stronger. They could crush her by just moving their fingers.


    Her only hope was to continue to be patient and wait for Lu Zhendong to get tired of her and let her go!


    One night, Cheng Yan suddenly had an even more evil idea. While he still liked her now, she was going to die in front of him! Yes, hang herself, drag her tongue, and have a pile of excrement below her, giving him a nightmare for a lifetime and making him not able to get it up for the rest of his life.


    Death was a door of liberation left by God to everyone. Even someone as wealthy as Lu Zhendong couldn¡¯t control death.


    She took action as soon as she thought of it. Cheng Yan found a strong dog rope, tied the rope to the railing on the second floor, and stepped on a chair. The damned dog in the room barked and Lu Zhendong was awakened. He ran out screaming, "My guitar!"


    Then, when he saw Cheng Yan who was about to hang herself, he went crazy. He dragged Cheng Yan to the ground, pped her, and snarled, "I love you so much. Why do you want to die? Why do you want to betray me?!¡±


    Cheng Yan stared at him fiercely with eyes like knives. She hated the man to the extreme.


    Lu Zhendong trembled with anger and pointed at her. "I''m going to teach you a lesson. Tomorrow, I will let hime and see how much you resemble a female pig!"

 Chapter 169: Crimes’ Finish

    <h4>Chapter 169: Crimes¡¯ Finish</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, Lu Zhendong didn''te back until 9:00 in the evening. Because Lu Zhendong couldn¡¯t wash clothes, Cheng Yan was still wearing a dirty maid outfit to y in the house. She had invented a game where she fed salt marinated meat to the dog. After the dog ate, the meat would be so salty that it would squeal. Cheng Yan would then pour soy sauce in a bowl. The dog would be stupid enough to lick it and would scream louder. Finally, it would run to the bathroom and drink the water in the toilet bowl.


    Cheng Yan regarded this dog as Lu Zhendong and used it to vent her humiliation and anger.


    At 9:00PM, Lu Zhendong entered the house and told Cheng Yan to go back to her room to hide. It turned out that he had brought a guest back. It should be one of his friends. The two drank and chatted in the living room and from time to time there would be pervertedughter. Cheng Yan couldn¡¯t remember their conversation, only a snippet of it.


    "Zhendong, do you have hidden treasure in the golden house? Let here out to let this brother see his sister-inw!¡±


    "It''s not convenient as she¡¯s just had a shower!"


    "Haha, look at you. You can¡¯t wait. I won¡¯t disturb your good things."


    The guest left and Lu Zhendong entered another bedroom. He wasn¡¯t embarrassed in the least in front of Cheng Yan as he put on a set of home clothes. He went to grab two sses of red wine and sat in a chair staring at Cheng Yan while letting out a pervertedugh.


    The doorbell rang. Lu Zhendong got up and said with a frown, "The guest is here!"


    When the man walked in, Cheng Yan''s eyes couldn''t be bigger. It turned out to be Zhuo Xuan! She buried her head in the pillow and kept sobbing, "Don''t look at me! Don''t look at me!"


    "So you still know shame? Zhuo Xuan, stand here and watch how I fuck her!" Lu Zhendongughed.


    Zhuo Xuan''s voice was angry. "I see."


    It turned out that the punishment Lu Zhendong had given her was to humiliate her in front of the boy she liked to defeat her pride. Lu Zhendong was always very "creative."


    Lu Zhendong immediately untied his trousers and prepared to get to work. Cheng Yan trembled as she tried to hide herself in the pillow. She didn''t want Zhuo Xuan to see her ugly appearance. Lu Zhendong forcibly pulled her over, pressed her hands down with his hands, and began to rape her.


    Cheng Yan was full of tears as she saw Zhuo Xuan who was motionless behind Lu Zhendong. Slowly, he began taking out a knife.


    Lu Zhendongughed at Cheng Yan. "Even if you shatter your voice screaming, no one-"


    At this moment, Zhuo Xuan stabbed into Lu Zhendong''s neck and the bed was sttered with blood. Cheng Yan was so scared that she screamed. Lu Zhendong slowly twisted his neck, nced at Zhuo Xuan in disbelief, and fell down. His corpsey atop Cheng Yan.


    Zhuo Xuan pushed the man''s disgusting body away and helped Cheng Yan up. His eyes brightened. "Sorry, I''mte!"


    "You... Did you kill him?"


    "It''s okay. I sounded him out earlier. Nobody knows you¡¯re here. I have a thorough n but I need your cooperation.¡±


    Zhuo Xuan said these words with eyes filled with confidence, infecting Cheng Yan. She hugged Zhuo Xuan and felt his strong and powerful shoulders like he was a knight that saved her.


    Zhuo Xuan took out the blood-stained sheets, wiped the floor, and then lifted the body down with Cheng Yan. At that moment, the dog rushed over and bit Zhuo Xuan''s leg. Zhuo Xuan screamed in pain. Cheng Yan wondered how it could still act so angry when its master was dead.


    She picked up the dog chain next to it, tied it to the dog ring, and threw it over the handrail of the stairs to hang the dog.


    She had wanted to do this for a long time and felt really happy.


    The dog struggled in the air before it finally died. Cheng Yan''s bitterness within broke out and she felt that she had be Zhuo Xuan''s aplice.


    Zhuo Xuan didn''t speak as he started to clean up the room in an experienced manner. He wiped his fingerprints, took out a guitar from the study, broke a string, and threw it under the sofa.


    Cheng Yan looked at him puzzled. Zhuo Xuan exined, "I¡¯ve killed another person. It was his life assistant. The police will definitely suspect that the assistant stole this expensive guitar and ran away. We will not be suspected."


    "You are the smartest!" Cheng Yan kissed him.


    "Now we need to get the body out. It''s difficult to pass the security. You have to cooperate with me... Do you know how to drive?"


    "I¡¯ve learned before!"


    After confirming that the house had been thoroughly cleaned, the two left. The subsequent development waspletely consistent with Chen Shi''s spection.


    "I have no regrets for the death of this scum. He deserved it. It was Zhuo Xuan who saved me!" Cheng Yan ended her confession with this sentence.


    The interrogator asked some questions regarding some minor details. The whole interrogation processsted for nearly three hours. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were both listening outside the whole time. When they heard some parts, Lin Dongxue couldn''t help covering her mouth.


    Chen Shi didn''tment until after listening. "Go and listen to the other version."


    Zhuo Xuan was already growing impatient as he waited in the interrogation room. When Chen Shi came in, he shook his handcuffs and said, "Let me go already!"


    "I''m afraid you can''t go. Cheng Yan has already confessed everything."


    "You¡¯re lying to me. You police always like to say these things."


    "This guy won¡¯t cry until he sees his coffin!" Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue toe in, and she brought a copy of Cheng Yan''s confession report in her hand. Of course, it was only part of it. That way, even if he saw it, it wouldn¡¯t affect his confession.


    Seeing the text on the report, Zhuo Xuan couldn''t help but tremble. It was unclear whether it was out of fear or hatred.


    Chen Shi snatched the report back from him, sat behind the interrogation table, and said, "Tell me your story!"


    Zhuo Xuan''s eyes hesitated, but he finally opened his mouth. He said that Cheng Yan had feelings for him while she was filming, but he did not expect that the bastard Lu Zhendong would try and separate them. He actually brought Cheng Yan to his home and used a training method to force her into submission.


    During those days, Zhuo Xuan went crazy asking about the whereabouts of Cheng Yan. Finally, the opportunity came. Lu Zhendong was so confident that he asked Zhuo Xuan to watch him rape Cheng Yan to defeat her pride. Zhuo Xuan seized this opportunity to rescue Cheng Yan.


    "If I didn¡¯t do anything, who would preside over this injustice for me? You don''t know what the Lu family is like in front of people like us. They cover the sky with one hand with their arrogance and are domineering. I just made the most correct choice," Zhuo Xuan reasoned.


    "You killed another person to avoid suspicion though? Was that the most correct choice?" Chen Shi asked.


    "You were all being yed around, right?" Zhuo Xuan actually smiled proudly.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Your n may work in movies, but this is reality. Do you still have things to exin?"


    "Exin what? I said everything I could!"


    "Lying alone shows that what you are trying to cover is worth betting on. You¡¯re about to lose your life. Is there anything more important than your life?" Chen Shi smiled viciously. "Is it her love for you?¡±


    "We couldn''t live together. We were broken up by the bastards, but we can still be lovers in the afterlife!"


    Lin Dongxue said in disgust, "Are you confused? Cheng Yan didn¡¯tmit a crime. She is the victim, and you are the murderer! She can continue to live her life, but you will have to stay in prison until your death!¡±


    Zhuo Xuan''s eyes widened. The young man seemed to be immersed in the illusion of star-crossed lovers in death and forgot about the division of criminal responsibility byw.


    Chen Shi said slowly, "I want to talk to you. First, how did Cheng Yan fall into his hands?"


    "Then you should ask that bastard!"


    "It''s more convenient to ask you. Since you sold her!"

 Chapter 170: True Love Transfer

    <h4>Chapter 170: True Love Transfer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi''s shocking words made Lin Dongxue''s eyes widen in surprise. "You mean..."


    Chen Shi nodded and turned to Zhuo Xuan, whose face was pale. "You took Lu Zhendong''s money and ¡®transferred¡¯ Cheng Yan to him, so he allowed you to visit her in confidence. Maybe you even hand-delivered her to this demon!¡±


    "Bullshit! You¡¯re saying bullshit!" Zhuo Xuan nearly had a mental breakdown.


    "Why don¡¯t you tell us the truth? We will never tell her. We¡¯ll let her think that you were the perfect boyfriend who sacrificed for her. Whereas if you don¡¯t tell me, I will tell her the truth. Of course, my reasoning may be a bit more exaggerated than the truth."


    Zhuo Xuan broke out in cold sweat. Chen Shi''s words broke his psychological defence. He finally spoke, "Lu Zhendong... promised to give me... 40 million!"


    "Scum!" Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "When?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Half a month ago, he found me and offered this condition. I tantly refused it at first, but when he increased the price to 40 million... I couldn''t make so much money in my life. I think if it were someone else, they¡¯d do the same...¡±


    "Don''t treat others the same as you!" Lin Dongxue spat in contempt.


    "Go on." Chen Shi urged.


    Zhuo Xuan''s eyes were wet and his lips began trembling. Even his voice was shaky. "Of course, I feel very ufortable in my heart, but when I thought about using this money to treat my mother, buying a house for my family, andpleting my own movie dream, I was tempted. I asked Cheng Yan toe out that day and was nonchnt the whole time while we were walking. I couldn¡¯t take in anything that she said. Then when I was sending her home, Lu Zhendong drove to me. When Lu Zhendong got to us, Cheng Yan and I were on the road still getting to her house... It was me... I dragged her into the car. Lu Zhendong gave her a shot with a syringe. He smiled and said to me, ¡°Rx, I¡¯ll treat her very well. Win-win for the both of us!¡±


    "Then, Cheng Yan disappearedpletely. I went to her house every night but found that her window was never lit. I couldn¡¯t get through to her phone. I found Lu Zhendong and asked him what happened. Lu Zhendong smiled and told me, ''The little girl is very shy and ys hard to get. I need to spend some time on her.''¡±


    "I grabbed his cor and asked, ¡®What did you do to her?''¡±


    "He said, ¡®Easy, take easy[1]! I can¡¯t hurt her. How can I hurt her if I like her so much?¡¯¡±


    "I asked, ¡®Where is she?¡¯"


    "Lu Zhendong replied, ''At my house! Haii, let me tell you the truth. I recently watched a foreign movie. A man locked up a woman and raised her like a pet. Slowly, the woman began to love him... Don''t look at me like that, I''m not a psycho. This is necessary. Understand? I assure you that I won¡¯t hurt her. Just training!¡¯¡±


    "I was disgusted. When I think about how I pushed Yanyan into this fire pit with my own hands, I really hated myself! So, I unconsciously started watching various B-level crime films. It seems subconsciously that I wanted to kill Lu Zhendong before I would be happy. I suffered every day, especially at night. When I think of Lu Zhendong, that beast, ying with her, I couldn¡¯t handle the amount of hate within me. I couldn¡¯t sleep at night at all. Why was the world so distorted? Rich people can do whatever they want. Human beings are going to their doom. The richer people are, the more mating rights they have, but the genes of these rich people are ugly and selfish. In this way, the good genes will gradually die away and the ugly genes will continue to spread. Humanity will eventually die out...¡±


    Lin Dongxue mmed the table angrily. "Don''t talk to me about this useless stuff, just talk about the serious matter at hand!"


    "When she disappeared for about two months, I thought of a perfect killing n!" Zhuo Xuan said viciously, as if returning to the night when he nned the crime.


    "Let me interject - did you get the money?" Chen Shi queried.


    "No."


    "Lu Zhendong wrote a nk check?"


    "I asked him and he said that he couldn''t take out so much money, but that his father would give him 40 million in the near future. He promised to give it to me in a week. But after a week, he came to me again and apologized again. There had been an auction that day and he bought a guitar because it was apparently just too good. I almost killed him when I heard this. He said that he would give the guitar to me two days after ying with it. The guitar would continue to appreciate in value, so it would be worth more than 40 million eventually... I actually believed his nonsense!¡±


    "The guitar that Huang used?"


    "He did say that."


    "What about the guitar?"


    "I took it. And the body of his assistant is hidden in my house along with it."


    Chen Shi was a little surprised this time. "I thought you would hide them more secretly!"


    Zhuo Xuan shook his head. "If the police suspected me so much that they were going to search my house, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it no matter where I tried. I just hid them at home. The body won¡¯t stink because I bought arge freezer to put it in. As for the guitar, I hope you will give it to my mom after you sell it. You can also take a little as well. I won¡¯t say anything!¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked down on him and Chen Shi said, "That guitar is not yours. Lu Zhendong has not officially given it to you. That is his property. It will be handed over to his family after the trial."


    "What?" Zhuo Xuan lowered his head. "It turns out that the bamboo basket was empty when I tried to scoop water. Lu Zhendong didn¡¯t sacrifice anything and yed with her for so long! It was too cheap for him!¡±


    "I''m sick to the point of vomiting!" Lin Dongxue''s contempt had risen to her upper limit.


    Chen Shi probed, "I don''t understand something. Is your motive for killing Lu Zhendong because he didn''t fulfill his promise or because he robbed your love?"


    "It''s both."


    "Two factors, but which is bigger?"


    "Love..." Zhuo Xuan paused before saying, "In the face of so much money, it''s not something that can¡¯t be parted with! If it were you..."


    "I will never betray my beloved!" Chen Shi said. "So if Lu Zhendong gave you the guitar at the beginning, the ending is ¡®everyone¡¯s happy¡¯? He gets Cheng Yan and you get the money.¡±


    "What use is it to talk about that now? It''s all toote!"


    "Are you a virgin?"


    Zhuo Xuan froze. "If masturbating is not counted, I should be."


    "Then you can expect to be a virgin your whole life then, Mr. Zhuo. Good luck!" Chen Shi stood up and the interrogation was over. Lin Dongxue ran outside and found that everyone was there. She exhaled and said, ¡°What was thought to be a beautiful love story turns out to be really disgusting! "


    Everyone in the audience was shocked. Xu Xiaodong asked, "Brother Chen, is this something we should tell the girl?"


    "Don¡¯t tell her. Just let her think that she is in love with a perfect boy!" Chen Shi pulled out a card which held the 200,000-yuan savings card given by Old Man Lu. "This money was given to me by Old Man Lu. I originally nned to return it after the case was closed. Now, I¡¯ve changed my mind. We need to find a good psychiatrist for the girl. All the rest will be given to her. We can say we donated it to her and that it''s a little bit of psychologicalfort."


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "The ending of the story is still using money to heal internal wounds."


    "Money can also be categorized as good or bad!" Chen Shiughed.


    Suddenly, there was the sound of fireworks taking off outside. Everyone was amazed and asked what day it was today. Then, someone suddenly remembered. "Today is New Year''s Eve!"[2]


    "Fuck. We¡¯ve been so busy that we forgot!"


    "It''s great. The case was broken before the new year."


    "Brother Chen is mighty!"


    In the midst of everyone''s joy, Lin Dongxue quietly pulled Chen Shi away. The two came to the office before Chen Shi asked, "Do you have a gift for me?"


    "Haha, you guessed it!"


    Lin Dongxue took out a knitted scarf from the drawer and hung it around Chen Shi''s neck, helping him tie it.


    There were cute flowers on the scarf. Chen Shi liked it very much and said, "Thank you!"


    "Just one thank you?" Lin Dongxue stared at Chen Shi''s eyes with her hands behind her back. Chen Shi was taller than her and she had to tip-toe.


    "Otherwise,e to my house tonight then..." Chen Shi suggested.


    Lin Dongxue flushed and Chen Shi continued. "Tao Yueyue is probably starving at home right now. I will make Chinese New Year''s Eve dinner for you and we can do the countdown together.¡±[3]


    Lin Dongxue felt some loss pass through her heart, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. It should be a warm and memorable New Year¡¯s Eve!


    1. Easy, take easy¡± is something the author wrote in English.


    2. New Year¡¯s eve on the Lunar calendar. My editor put everything on a timeline and he said that following the story thus far, they should actually be on New Years at the moment, but I left it as what the author wrote.


    3. Usually the fireworks go off at 12 after the countdown so I¡¯m not too sure about this. Perhaps it¡¯s different in different regions?

 Chapter 171: Grandma Liu Going to the City

    <h4>Chapter 171: Grandma Liu Going to the City</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 12: Case of Grandma Liu Murdering Someone


    On February 12th, the fourth day of the first month in the lunar calendar.


    Lu Zhendong''s case was still in the process of final evidence collection. While the police were still working overtime, the "good citizen" Chen Shi seemed more rxed and was finally able to spend afortable New Year at home.


    There was a heavy snowfall in Long''an. Tao Yueyue was so excited that early in the morning she was wearing new clothes like red peppers and ran outside to rub snowballs to y with. She asked Chen Shi to apany her in a snowball fight.


    Chen Shi said, "I have to go out for a bit. You stay at home obediently, okay? Don''t run too far in the snow outside. Be careful not to be abducted by bad guys."


    "Are you going to deliver meals to Sister Lin again? Hmm, I don''t care about others." Tao Yueyue said intentionally and thenughed again. "Did I imitate Sister Lin well?"


    "You brat! She couldn¡¯t order takeaways for the past two days so I had to deliver her meals for the past two days, not every day." Chen Shi blushed.


    "Okay, you go. I will go back to study after ying for a while."


    "Go and y a game. You¡¯ve finished all your homework for the winter vacation. What else do you need to learn?"


    The person Chen Shi was about to meet today was Lu Qixing. It could be said that Chen Shi was invited to see him.


    He drove to Lu Qixing''s hotel and the employee took him upstairs. Lu Qixing sat beside the bed and faced the window watching the snow in the sky and holding a bottle of champagne in his hand. His back seemed extremely deste.


    "Old Man Lu, happy new year!" Chen Shi greeted.


    Lu Qixing slowly turned his head around like a puppet and paused for a while before saying, "Officer Song..."


    "Myst name is Chen!"


    Lu Qixing stood up with a shiver and waddled over to pick up a cup. Chen Shi declined. "No, no, I drove!" He himself took a cigar from the bedside to treat himself.


    "Look at me. Everyone is reunited in the New Year, but I am all by my lonesome!"


    "You deserve it. You already know about the case. Master Lu is indeed your son. The shameless look is much like yours back in the day!"


    "I have eaten dinner and even gone to bed with many celebrities, but no one apanied me to watch the New Year."


    "Is this showing off orining?"


    "Haii, I only have lights to keep mepany and a lock to watch my house... The nights ahead are deste!"


    "Just die then."


    Lu Qixing red at him. "Would it kill you to just console the lonely old man?¡±


    "Old bastards are also worth consoling? Why didn¡¯t you spend the New Year in the detention room where it''s quite lively? All of them are talented people and they speak nicely."


    "I gave the kidnapped woman a sum of money so she won¡¯t sue me."


    "It''s nice to be rich!"


    "Yes, do you want to be rich?"


    "No!"


    Lu Qixing took a sip of wine and shook his head. "If Zhenjie were still alive, it would be nice. Although he wasn¡¯t talented, I still liked him best!"


    "Your eldest son is a gift from when you bought condoms[1], right?!"


    "Zhenjie, Zhenjie. Just tell me if you wanted money. Why y that hand!?" Lu Qixing sighed while looking up before going to fetch a cup to pour some alcohol for Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi repeated, "I''m driving!"


    "Drink. Drink with me and get drunk so you don¡¯t need to worry about anything!" Lu Qixing ordered.


    "I¡¯m driving."


    "Drink this then!" Lu Qixing brought a bottle of non-alcoholic premixed wine.


    Chen Shi had to apany him for two cups. The old man vented a while. He mentioned that he missed his second son five times, and brought up the eldest son briefly. When he thought of the case, he said, "I have talked to the media and they are preparing the front page headlines. I can¡¯t take back what I said. Get the police to beautify it a bit... Discuss it a bit and try not to reveal everything!¡±


    It turns out that it was like this. Chen Shi replied, "I canmunicate with the bureau, but I need to ask one thing. Don¡¯t mention a word about me and let me go over it before the manuscript is issued!"


    "Sure!" The old man replied unexpectedly.


    "Cheers!"


    "Finish it!"


    Afraid that the old man would forget, Chen Shi wrote it down and put it on the table.


    Chen Shi said goodbye, but he was stopped by the old man. "The murderer who killed Zhenjie is still atrge?"


    "Police are still searching for him."


    "That means he¡¯s not caught! I hope to see this asshole shot before I die. I¡¯ll offer a reward of one million, no..." The old man stretched out five fingers. "Five million! If you catch him within one month... This murderer, these five million are yours! "


    Chen Shi wanted tough. "Sir, I''m just a driver, not a policeman. Where can I catch someone?"


    "You have proven that you have the ability. I am optimistic about you. Don''t want the five million?"


    "No!"


    "I''ll put my words here. One month, five million, never give up! I will let the guy who killed Zhenjie pay for it with his blood!"


    Chen Shi didn''t speak again but recalled that the main criminal in the kidnapping case was named Ji Chunma. He had absconded while the case was getting solved.


    Oh well, this old man was forgetful anyway. He¡¯d probably forget about it when he woke up sober.


    Chen Shi drove back. There was heavy snow on the road, and pedestrians and vehicles were scarce. When passing Jidong Road, Chen Shi saw an olddy and a child sitting on the steps outside a bank dressed like they were from the countryside. The olddy kept covering her chest.


    Chen Shi turned the car back and asked, "Grandma, are you in the city to visit rtives?"


    The olddy didn''t realize he was talking to her so she froze. After seeing Chen Shi, a smile appeared on her face. "I want to find out, this..." The olddy put on reading sses and opened a crumpled piece of paper. "How do you go to Jinling House?"


    "Get in the car. I''ll take you there!"


    "Oh, little one, help me get in the car."


    The olddy and young boy got in the car. Chen Shi said, "I forgot to mention this earlier but this is a taxi."


    "Is it expensive to go there? If it''s too expensive, I''d better take the bus."


    "Let me see..." Chen Shi researched the phone in pretence. "You just need to give me five yuan!"


    "Sure!"


    The olddy opened a handkerchief. This was her wallet. From there, she found a few crumpled tickets and handed them to Chen Shi. Chen Shi poured a cup of water to hand her and the olddy was full of thanks. Although her mouth was so dry to the point of king, she gave the child a sip first. Then, she took a sip and returned the cup to Chen Shi.


    After half an hour, Chen Shi took her to the neighborhood she was looking for. The olddy had a strong ent. As a result, the security guard couldn''t understand her. Chen Shi got out of the car and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "My niece is called Wang Xifeng."


    Chen Shi ryed this to the security guard. The security guard seemed impatient. After checking the owners¡¯ information, he said, "We don¡¯t have anyone here that goes by this name."


    "Check again!"


    "There really isn¡¯t anyone by this name."


    Chen Shi said, "The owner may be the name of her family. Grandma, is your niece married?"


    "She¡¯s around thirty. It''s time to marry someone."


    "What''s her husband''s name?"


    "Ah? You mean her family? I don''t know! She was only this big when I saw herst time." The old woman gestured with her hand.


    "Then, do you have any other rtives in Long''an?"


    "No, my sister just passed awayst year. At that time, I was unable toe. She only had this daughter. Since it¡¯s the new year, I brought my grandson to see her."


    "Do you have her phone number?"


    "No!"


    "What about ID cards?"


    "Don¡¯t know."


    Chen Shi smiled helplessly. "Let ¡¯s go then. I have a friend who is a policeman, I''ll ask her to check."


    ¡°Really? Thank you so much!¡±


    1. Teasing if he only had the eldest son because the condom broke.

 Chapter 172: Indifferent Relatives

    <h4>Chapter 172: Indifferent Rtives</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the other end of the phone, Lin Dongxue understood Chen Shi''s request and couldn''t help but smile bitterly. "Master Chen, it''s snowing and you¡¯re learning Lei Feng[1] outside? Okay, I''ll help you check it, don''t hang up..."


    After waiting for a while, Lin Dongxue said, "Huh... In Long¡¯an City, there are fourteen people with this name. There are two who are men.¡±


    Chen Shi asked the olddy, "What''s your sister''s name?"


    "Liu Cuizhen!"


    Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue, who said, "I found it. I''ll call the real estate bureau now for an address."


    Five minutester, an address was sent to Chen Shi''s mobile phone. Chen Shi ryed it to the olddy, "Unit 1209, 3, Red House, Fengning Road."


    The olddy said gratefully, "Thank you so much!"


    "I''ll take you there."


    "The fare..."


    "Five dors for you!"


    "Okay. Dog egg[2], get in the car."


    On the way, Chen Shi found some lollies in the glove box from the New Year. He gave it to the little boy. "Want some lollies?"


    The little boy was afraid to answer until the olddy said, "Hurry and thank the uncle."


    "Thank you uncle."


    "You''re wee." Chen Shi smiled. "What''s your surname?"


    "Surnamed Liu. It''s not easy for you toe out and run a taxi out on a cold day."


    "No, I just went to visit rtives so it¡¯s on the way."


    The two chatted with each other for forty minutes until they arrived at the Red House Community. The olddy Liu thanked him and got out of the car with the child in tow.


    They got all the way to the gate below Wang Xifeng''s residence, but the two were unsure of how to get through it. Finally, someone came down and the olddy blocked them. She said that they were looking for Wang Xifeng who lived in the building.


    The other person looked the olddy up and down and responded, "I don''t know. What is the unit number?"


    Olddy Liu opened a cigarette case paper which held the address that the kind-hearted driver had helped them to copy down and showed it to the resident. The resident pressed 1209 for her. An impatient voice came from the gate. "Who is it?"


    "Is this Xifeng? I''m your aunt. I¡¯vee to see you for the big Chinese New Year."


    Olddy Liu shouted to the ess control box. The resident just chuckled as they walked away.


    "Which aunt?"


    "Liu Cui¡¯e."


    "Liu Cui''e? You are my mother''s younger sister from the countryside?¡±


    "Yes, yes."


    "Who''s there?" There was another woman talking over on the other side.


    "Rural rtives. Really, do they have toe now..."


    Olddy Liu''s face flushed red but she still maintained a smile. She thought that this small device could let them see her.


    "Come up!"


    The door lock snapped open and olddy Liu whispered to herself, "I really don''t understand the things in the city!" She hurried up the stairs with the boy.


    The two went upstairs. Wang Xifeng had opened the door to greet her, but she seemed to have just woken up. Her hair was notbed and her makeup was not done. She wore silk pajamas that showed a touch of cleavage. The boy had never seen such a beautiful and sexy woman in the countryside before, so his face suddenly turned red. The olddy urged, "Hurry up and call aunty."


    "Aunty!"


    "Who is this kid?" Wang Xifeng asked impatiently.


    Olddy Liu smiled, "He is your cousin''s child. He¡¯s never been out of the vige, so I took him here to y."


    Wang Xifeng nced at the dirty brat and her expression was full of disgust. "Why didn¡¯t you call before you came to the city?¡±


    Olddy Liu didn¡¯t know where to put her hands, but still smiled and tried to change the topic. ¡°I came here by bus early in the morning, but it was so difficult to find this ce. Thanks to a kind driver, I was finally able to get here! "


    "Come in and change your shoes!"


    The two entered the house cautiously. The room was very messy. It seemed that the people living here didn''t like to clean very much. Olddy Liu always liked to be neat, so she looked a little disturbed. She bent down to find slippers, but there were no shoes prepared for children here. She could only find a pair of women''s slippers for him to wear.


    Wang Xifengzily leaned on the sofa and lit a mint cigarette up. She remarked, "Don''t wear that pair. Those are LV slippers. They cost tens of thousands for a pair. If you don''t have clean feet, then don¡¯t wear that. Wear that one!"


    Olddy Liu pointed awkwardly to the slippers next to her. "These ones?"


    After changing shoes, another girl that was a little younger than Wang Xifeng came out of the room. She looked kinder and nodded at the guests. "Hello."


    "Hello!"


    Wang Xifeng spread out a palm and introduced, "This is my assistant, Pingzi."


    "Go fuck yourself. When did I be an assistant?" The girl Pingziughed and threw a pillow at Wang Xifeng.


    "Then what should I say that you are? My wife?"


    "I knew you¡¯d take advantage of me!" Pingzi reached out to take a cigarette on the coffee table.


    The boy tugged at olddy Liu''s clothes and said, "I need to poo."


    "Why didn¡¯t you say so outside?!" whispered olddy Liu. "Bear it for a while. We¡¯ll leave soon."


    "I can''t hold it."


    "I can''t believe you." Olddy Liu asked, "Xifeng, where is thetrine?"


    "There is a bathroom over there," Wang Xifeng said while ying with her mobile phone without looking up.


    When she saw the white and clean bathroom, olddy Liu was a little embarrassed. She told the boy to sit on the toilet. The boy said that he couldn¡¯t go while sitting and he could only squat on it. The olddy instructed the boy to hold his little penis so that he wouldn¡¯t get any pee on the outside and make the house dirty.


    Dog egg blushed and nodded. However, because his clothes were thick, it wasn¡¯tfortable to squat on the toilet.


    The door behind them mmed open, Wang Xifeng rushed in like she was catching an affair. She stood upright and screamed with a sharp voice, ¡°Get up! I knew you¡¯d be like this!¡±


    Olddy Liu exined with an embarrassed smile, "The child isn¡¯t used to this."


    "He didn¡¯t go outside and came in to do it. What¡¯s wrong? You really think that good things shouldn¡¯t be left outside[3]?"


    The old and young both blushed to the tips of their ears. Pingzi came over and persuaded, "Don''t scare the child."


    Wang Xifeng looked disgusted. "After you finish, remember to wipe the toilet clean."


    While dog egg was going to the toilet, olddy Liu brought the sack ced by the door into the house, opened it, and ced its contents on the coffee table, saying, "Dried bamboo shoots, fungus and snow fungus. We grew it back in the house and were hoping to give you a taste.¡±


    Pingzi said, "See? You were wrong about them."


    Wang Xifeng still looked disgusted. "Everything can be bought in the city, so you didn¡¯t need to bother."


    "A little bit of our heart." Olddy Liu rubbed her hands and smiled. "Your mother has been dead for almost a year, right?"


    "It''s been a year."


    "Well, it wasn¡¯t easy. When she was young, she ran into the city, married two men, and barely managed to earn enough for the younger generation."


    Wang Xifeng said coldly, "My mother didn''t leave me anything when she died, and I put in hundreds of thousands for her medical bills. I bought this house myself as well."


    "Xifeng, where do you work?"


    "I do my own business," Wang Xifeng answered vaguely.


    "That''s good, that''s good. You are like your mother. You have the ability to make money, unlike us."


    "You came all this way for this?¡±


    "No, no!" Olddy Liu exined as if she was trying to prove herself innocent. "I just thought that if rtives don¡¯t meet up often, there would be distance. So, we came to see you. Next time when you¡¯re free, you cane and y with us as well as see your cousin.¡±


    Wang Xifeng said with contempt, "I''m not going to the countryside!"


    1. Expression saying that he¡¯s ying nice guy. People use this to talk about selflessness.


    2. It¡¯s literally read as ¡°dog egg¡±. I¡¯m not sure if this is the reason, but there¡¯s SOME country people who call their sons/daughters this back in the day to ¡°prolong their life¡± as the lord of hell wouldn¡¯t want someone called that. The author uses ¡°dog egg¡± in ce of the boy¡¯s name going forward, so I¡¯ll keep it as ¡°dog egg¡±. I suppose it¡¯s like calling someone ¡°little brat¡± affectionately and without malice.


    3. Asking if they thought shit was good.

 Chapter 173: Calculation

    <h4>Chapter 173: Calction</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Olddy Liu looked like she had been pped in the face. Her smile remained frozen on her stiff face. "You are busy with your work. I mean, when you¡¯re free!"


    "Have you eaten?"


    "Not yet. I arrived early in the morning without a bite."


    Wang Xifeng picked up her mobile phone. "I''ll order a takeaway and we can eat together."


    "You don''t have to spend a lot of money. We can just have a casual meal. In rural areas, we are used to coarse tea and in rice[1]."


    Pingziughed, "Aunty, it''s easy to order takeaways in the city. You don''t even need to pick up the phone to call anyone."


    "Oh, it¡¯s so different in the city." Mrs. Liu nodded.


    After Wang Xifeng ordered the takeaways, she picked up the remote control and turned on the TV to watch the rerun of the Spring Festival G Night. When sheughed, Mrs. Liu followed along, pointing at the TV from time to time and saying that the small-time actor had acted for many years. Wang Xifeng ignored her.


    Dog Egg came out of the bathroom and Pingzi beckoned him toe over. She grabbed a handful of small lollies from the sugar box to give him. Although the atmosphere was full of awkwardness and embarrassment, Pingzi¡¯s actions made the young Dog Egg feel like this Sister Pingzi was a good person.


    After a while, someone knocked on the door. Olddy Liu was so frightened that she quickly got up from her little foldable chair. Pingzi smiled and motioned for her to sit down. "Aunty, it''s the takeaways."


    "Oh!"


    Pingzi brought in the takeaways and greeted everyone for lunch.


    The takeaways consisted of an oversized box and a few small boxes of rice. When they opened it to take a look, it was a fragrant grilled fish topped off with red peppers. Olddy Liu said, "Oh, I can¡¯t eat things this spicy. My throat can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    "It''s okay, it only looks spicy." Wang Xifeng clipped some meat on the back of the fish with her chopsticks while she kept her eyes on the TV.


    Pingzi clipped a piece of meat and gave it to Dog Egg, who thanked her in a small voice. He suddenly spit it out of his mouth and whispered something to olddy Liu. Olddy Liu quickly put down her chopsticks and quickly put her hands up in prayer.


    Wang Xifeng nced in disgust at the bit of fish spat on the coffee table. She asked stiffly, "What? Don''t like it?"


    Olddy Liu said, "We don''t eat ck fish. ck fish is filial to the monks. If we eat it, we will suffer."


    Wang Xifeng''s revulsion rose to the extreme. "I wouldn''t have bought such a big thing if it weren''t for four people eating it."


    Pingzi added, "That''s all superstition. Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to eat it? We often eat it and we¡¯re still here."


    Olddy Liu smiled and said, "It''s all right, I will just eat some pepper."


    Wang Xifeng said, "What would that look like? You can eat with peace of mind. It''s really okay."


    Pingzi said, "We usually eat it as well and we¡¯re all good... Child, you eat it!"


    Dog Egg shook his head and olddy Liu couldn''t hold herself together anymore. She nudged Dog Egg with her elbow and said, "Eat it. Don''t bother other people."


    "Hey!" Dog Egg raised his face in disbelief at the olddy¡¯s ¡°rebellion¡±.


    "Look, I¡¯m eating it too." Olddy Liu took a piece and ate it.


    "Eat up, eat up!" Pingzi urged.


    Dog Egg took a bite in silence and felt a wave of unpleasantness in his mouth. The fish in his mouth tasted as if he were chewing wax.


    Wang Xifeng smiled for the first time as if she had just won. "That''s right. What kind of era are we living in? You¡¯re still living with feudal superstition?"


    The meal was not very pleasant. The toothless Old Lady Liu kept making faces as she had some chili peels stuck in her throat and uv halfway through the meal. She ran to the bathroom to cough. She coughed out a lot of yellow and thick phlegm straight into the toilet. The sound of it hitting the water was so crisp that Wang Xifeng had no appetite when she heard it.


    She dropped her chopsticks, lit a menthol cigarette, and ignored the low coughs of Dog Egg. "How long do you n to stay here?"


    "We¡¯ll head back tomorrow and take the morning bus," replied Olddy Liu.


    "There¡¯s no ce for you here. Should I take you to a hostel?"


    "No need, no need to waste money. It¡¯s just one night. We can stay on the sofa.¡±


    Wang Xifeng turned her head around and rolled her eyes. Pingzi mediated, "The hostel doesn¡¯t cost a lot of money."


    "Then... Okay then!"


    After eating this lunch at 3PM, Wang Xifeng packed all the boxes into a bag, wiped the coffee table with a piece of tissue paper, tied the bag up and chucked it outside the door.


    Pingzi usually took out a bottle of health vinegar[2] to drink after her meals. Wang Xifeng came over and whispered, "Don¡¯t drink it today. If you drink it, they¡¯ll do the same. It¡¯s dozens of yuan per bottle! You should put away the pistachios and pecan nuts on the table. Just give them some melon seeds.¡±


    "When will they stay until?"


    "Who knows? Maybe after dinner... These poor rtives are really troublesome!"


    "Who hasn''t had a few poor rtives?"


    Pingzi went to the kitchen and poured a ss of water for herself. Wang Xifeng saw that Mrs. Liu was sitting on the small foldable chair next to the coffee table the whole time and suggested, "Why don¡¯t you sit on the sofa?"


    "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll dirty it." Olddy Liu responded with a smile.


    Wang Xifeng said, "We¡¯re family. What are you afraid of? Come here. You can sit here and watch TV!"


    "Pardon me then."


    Olddy Liu sat on the sofa and the soft texture startled her. After all the bustling about in the morning, having just finished some food, and also because Wang Xifeng''s voice was like a luby, sleepiness overcame her. At the beginning, she tried to fight her sleepiness off. However, after listening to a few words from a TV program¡¯s review segment, she couldn¡¯t help but fall asleep.


    Wang Xifeng, who was watching TV, heard a low snoring sound next to her, and nced at the sleeping olddy Liu. The disgust on her face could not be more obvious.


    A loud noise came out of the bedroom. Wang Xifeng jumped up and rushed into the bedroom to see what happened. It turned out that Dog Egg had broken a small ceramic ornament. Dog Egg looked downcast and did not say a word.


    "Fuck, you uneducated boy. When did youe in?! Who allowed you toe in?! Huh?! Speak! You¡¯re not even going to say sorry even though you broke something? You really have no manners!" Wang Xifeng poked at Dog Egg¡¯s forehead. Dog Egg was poked so much that he staggered and his cheeks became even redder.


    Pingzi heard the noises and ran in. "What''s going on?"


    "Why don¡¯t you see what''s going on?" Then, Wang Xifeng fired off at Dog Egg in a vicious voice, "Get lost!"


    Dog Egg went away depressed. Pingzi saw the debris on the ground andforted Wang Xifeng, "It''s not worth much. Why be so angry?"


    "My things are broken! How can I not be angry? I hate people entering my room the most."


    "That depends on who it is though?" Pingzi hinted with a smile.


    Wang Xifeng was obviously not in the mood to joke right now. She cursed, "Shut your fucking mouth!"


    "Grandma, grandma!" Dog Egg was outside trying to wake olddy Liu while Pingzi''s eyes rolled. "Did you not break an antique of your brother-inw¡¯s a few days ago?"


    "So?"


    "Just say it was done by the wild boy and ask them to pay for it."


    "They¡¯re poor like that. How could they afford it?" Wang Xifeng sneered.


    "If they can''t afford it, just tell them to go. I can¡¯t even use the treadmill in the living room."


    "That''s a good idea."


    After setting up the scene, olddy Liu happened toe in with Dog Egg and said, "What''s the matter, Xifeng? The child broke something of yours? How much does it cost? We¡¯ll pay for it!¡±


    Wang Xifeng looked at the debris on the ground and said, "Compensation? Can you afford it? This is an antique bought by my husband worth hundreds of thousands!"


    Olddy Liu was frightened by this number and pped Dog Egg''s face. "What''s wrong with you? I told you not to touch or bump into anything carelessly! Now look!¡±


    Dog Egg looked like he had been very wronged. When he looked at the debris on the ground properly, he said, "I didn''t break this one."


    "Still lying?" Olddy Liu got even more angry and pped him again.


    1. Very in and simple meals


    2. A drink that supposedly makes you healthier. Kind of like a little bottle of your vitamins.

 Chapter 174: Unfamiliar Street

    <h4>Chapter 174: Unfamiliar Street</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Dog Egg covered his cheeks that were red from being pped with tears in his eyes. Wang Xifeng folded her arms and pressed-on ruthlessly, ¡°There¡¯s seriously no manners in this kid. He¡¯s denying responsibility after breaking someone else¡¯s things.¡±


    "The child is still young!" Pingzi consoled.


    "Small? Seven or eight years old is still considered young? My friend''s child is very educated at this age. They¡¯re nothing alike. He¡¯s just too annoying to even look at!¡±


    Old Lady Liu couldn¡¯t keep the smile on her face. She looked very embarrassed and carefully chose her words to reconcile. ¡°We can go out and buy a new one for you!¡±


    "Buy a new one? You think you can just randomly buy a new one anywhere you go?"


    "Niece, I''m really sorry..."


    "Why did you guys evene to the city? You can¡¯t even go anywhere properly. Just because we¡¯re rtives? We have lots of things to do as well. Do you know how much it affects us when you suddenly just pop up like this? Can¡¯t you notify us before youe next time?¡±


    Mrs. Liu lowered her head, her ears burning red.


    Wang Xifeng had a triumphant expression on her face as she nced at Dog Egg. Dog Egg looked at her with a fierce glint in his eyes as if he was a puppy that had been kicked. Wang Xifeng said in contempt, "The child is already so big. He should really be disciplined. If he breaks things and then lies about it while he¡¯s young, what kind of wicked things will he do when he grows up? To bring such an uncultured thing to someone¡¯s home, aren¡¯t you deliberately trying to give trouble to others?¡±


    "Yes, yes, what you are saying is correct." Old Lady Liu could only agree. Judging by the other party¡¯s attitude and tone of voice, it seemed like they weren¡¯t going to pursue the broken antiquepensation any further. As long as that was the case, it didn¡¯t matter what kind of venom was spat at her, she¡¯d dly suck it up.


    Dog Egg couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and yelled, "I didn¡¯t do it!"


    "Dog Egg!"


    Old Lady Liu tried to pull him back by his clothes, but she couldn¡¯t hold on. Dog Egg ran toward Wang Xifeng with gritted teeth, fire in his eyes, and his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles turned white and his nails cut the palms of his hands.


    Wang Xifeng stepped back in fright and raised her voice sourly, "What do you want to do, little bastard? You want to kill and set fire here? You sure are promising!"


    "Don''t say that about me again!"


    Dog Egg swept a bone china tea set on the small table next to the ground, then turned around and ran away. The sound of the door mming echoed heavily in the room.


    "Dog Egg! Dog Egg!" Old Lady Liu was anxious to catch up.


    "What?!" Wang Xifeng widened her eyes in fury, "Trying to run away?"


    She grabbed the cor of Old Lady Liu who had yet to go very far and said, "Old fart, you need to pay for that! I bought this tea set from Russia for thousands of yuan!"


    "Niece... I..." Old Lady Liu had tears welling in her eyes as she desperately tried to break free and get to her grandson.


    "Forget it, she can''t afford it." Pingzi mediated.


    "You only know how to pretend to be a good person!" Wang Xifeng was also angry with her and pushed Pingzi away with a single palm. Then, she said to the olddy viciously, "Why didn¡¯t you just stay in the countryside. Why did youe to the city anyway? You think people in the city just enjoy blessings day after day and can lend you a hand? Oh please. Dream on! We don¡¯t have an easy time either. We struggled many years just to have a ce to live! I¡¯m telling you now. If you don¡¯t pay me for this tea set today, I¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    "If you could just let this slide for the face of my younger sister..." Old Lady Liu begged while holding her palms together.


    "Stop mentioning her! Whenever she gets mentioned, I just get so angry! She irresponsibly gave birth to me and didn¡¯t look after me properly. When she grew old and nobody wanted her, she came back to me and begged me to take care of her and treat her sickness. Did I owe it to her? All of you in the Liu family aren¡¯t good people... Don¡¯t try this trick on me. Pay me my money!¡±


    Old Lady Liu was already so anxious that she took out her handkerchief and threw all the change in it to the ground, saying, "I¡¯ll pay! I¡¯ll pay!"


    When Wang Xifeng looked down at the money, Old Lady Liu broke free of her hand and shouted "Dog Egg" and chased after him. Pingzi picked up the money, counted it, and handed it to Wang Xifeng, "It¡¯s less than two hundred yuan."


    "Broke old fart! They came to the city just to harm me!¡± Wang Xifeng angrily grabbed the money. "Don''te into my life again! It¡¯s better if they get killed by a car when they leave!"


    "That¡¯s a bit too evil, right?" Pingzi smiled awkwardly.


    Wang Xifeng was still angry and pped her in the face. "Damn bitch. Stop trying to pretend to be a good person here. If you want to y pure, go do it in front of your man. You think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re like? You¡¯re a bitch as dirty as your heart!¡±


    Pingzi covered her face and did not dare to speak anymore. She just bent down and picked up the debris.


    Dog Egg was crouched beside the trash can downstairs weeping. Old Lady Liu rushed to him, hugged, and cried with him. She beat his bum while crying. Of course, she was beating him lightly. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you be a good boy without me watching you? Tell me, where granny can put her face now?!¡±


    "That¡¯s not the one I broke! They''re lying!" Dog Egg argued.


    "Stop talking. Stop talking."


    "I want to go home!"


    "We''ll go back tomorrow morning, okay?"


    Dog Egg nodded and wiped his tears.


    Old Lady and Dog Egg began walking on the lively, unfamiliar street and eventually found a motel. Old Lady Liu took a hundred yuan out from her sock and tried to open a room.


    "Two hundred yuan deposit," informed the front-desk operator who was chewing on some seeds.


    "I only have a hundred on me. Can you please let it slide?¡±


    "That won''t do. Who would pay if you were to break something?¡±


    "Is there a hostel nearby?"


    "Don¡¯t know!"


    It was getting dark and Dog Egg saw a shop nearby. ¡°Grandma, I want to drink Coca-C.¡±


    "No, you can''t. If we spend too much, we might not have enough money to get home.¡±


    "Coca-C is not expensive."


    Taking a look at the store, Old Lady Liu said, "Okay, we¡¯ll buy a bottle and change the money into smaller notes and coins."


    After olddy Liu paid for the bottle, the store worker said, "Cash? We don''t have fifty yuan here. Can we give you nine ten-yuan bills?"


    "That¡¯s fine. Small change is more convenient."


    The store worker took out nine bills and counted them in front of Old Lady Liu. He smiled. ¡°Keep it safe!¡±


    "Can I please ask if there¡¯s a hostel nearby?"


    "If you continue forward, turn left and walk a hundred meters, there are a lot of hostels in that alley."


    "Thank you!"


    The two walked there and finally found a hostel that did not charge a deposit. It was 20 yuan a night. After taking away 30 yuan for the car ride, there should be enough to have a meal.


    As she was paying, Old Lady Liu suddenly found that something was wrong. She should have had ny-eight yuan, but she only had fifty-eight all of a sudden. She counted three times in cold sweat and checked her pockets again as the front desk urged, ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    "We¡¯re not staying here! We¡¯re not staying! Sorry."


    "What a waste of time!"


    When she dragged Dog Egg to leave, Dog Egg asked, "Grandma, why aren¡¯t we staying there?"


    Old Lady Liu did not speak and was still distressed about the missing money. Was the money stolen? Impossible. The money was ced in the inner pocket of my jacket. Even if a thief were to steal it, they wouldn¡¯t have left a few bills behind.


    She couldn''t figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. In the end, she could only attribute it to her identally losing them. She was pained to her core.


    After eating a meal of beef vermicelli soup, Old Lady Liu continued to walk around with Dog Egg while looking for a ce to spend the night. She found the scenery in front of her a little familiar after walking around. It read ¡°Red House¡± on the door and the security guard at the door saluted a car driving out of themunity. The car honked a few times and Old Lady Liu hurriedly pulled away from the car.


    It seemed to be Pingzi in the car, talking andughing with a man. She didn''t notice that it was her when they drove past.


    "Grandma, I hate it here!" Dog Eggined.


    "Don''t say that. This is all because of you.¡± Old Lady Liu sighed. This trip to the city was not worthwhile.

 Chapter 175: Wang Xifeng’s Death

    <h4>Chapter 175: Wang Xifeng''s Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After being driven out of Inte cafes, restaurants, and KTVs a few times like a wild dog, Old Lady Liu finally found a ce where she could stay overnight and not be driven away. This was because there wasn¡¯t anyone there. It was a self-service ATM area next to the bank.


    Old Lady Liu was hugging Dog Egg and sitting on the floor which was covered with newspapers. She wasn¡¯t even sure what time it was. The cars outside became scarcer and scarcer and the street lights gave off a cold vibe. It was very ufortable to sleep while sitting but her sleepiness washed over her anyway.


    Suddenly, Dog Egg said, "Grandma, I want to pee."


    "Piss in the bushes outside."


    Dog Egg went out, but Old Lady Liu was too sleepy and dozed off almost immediately.


    After a while, a truck drove past and woke Old Lady Liu. She suddenly realized that Dog Egg was not by her side. She was so scared, she broke out in cold sweat and immediately went outside to look for him.


    "Dog Egg! Dog Egg!"


    Olddy Liu was so anxious that she unknowingly walked to the Red House Community. In the security guard¡¯s office, the security guard had fallen asleep on his stomach.


    Olddy Liu thought that Dog Egg might havee here and called out in a low voice while walking around in themunity, "Dog Egg! Dog Egg!"


    Suddenly, a figure broke into her field of vision. She ran over in joy, hugged Dog Egg and wept. "Where did you go? You scared me to death!"


    Dog Egg didn¡¯t speak. It seemed like something was wrong.


    She looked up and saw that Dog Egg¡¯s face was red as if something had stained it. His clothes were also red.


    The red stains had also transferred onto it. This smells like... Blood!


    Old Lady Liu took his hand and asked, "What happened? Where are you hurt?"


    Dog Egg remained silent, but two teary eyes shimmered in the night.


    "Ah, a murder! Someone pleasee!" There was a woman''s scream in the building like nails scratching on ss, breaking the peace in the night.


    Old Lady Liu looked at her grandson in disbelief and wiped the tears from his face with her fingers. "Dog Egg, what did you do? Speak. Speak!¡±


    No matter how hard she shook her grandson''s shoulders, Dog Egg looked like he had received a huge shock and refused to say anything.


    Early the next morning, Lin Qiupu, Lin Dongxue, Peng Sijue, and Xu Xiaodong stood in a messy, blood-stained apartment. A woman in pajamas was lying on the bed with her throat cut open with her head tilted back as if it was about to break. Her dying pose was her covering her throat with both of her hands.


    In the living room was the body of another woman who had been stabbed in the back quite a few times. Blood stained her pajamas pink. From her posture, it seemed like she had tried to crawl towards the door to seek help.


    Lin Qiupu observed, "The deceased are two women. This one in the living room is called Wang Xifeng, 32 years old and unemployed. The one in the bedroom is called Qiuping[1], 26 years old, amercial model."


    "Wang Xifeng?" Lin Dongxue looked surprised.


    "You know her?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Why is this name so familiar?" Lin Dongxue thought about it and said to Xu Xiaodong, "Pass me the device for police searches."


    Lin Dongxue entered Wang Xifeng¡¯s ID card, checked her personal information, and said, "It''s a coincidence but Chen Shi drove an olddy to visit rtives yesterday. Because the person they were looking for had moved, he asked me to check it. It was this Wang Xifeng.¡±


    "Is this really her?"


    "Yes!"


    "Olddy?" Lin Qiupu looked at the corpse and mumbled to himself.


    Peng Sijue had just performed a preliminary examination on the corpse in the bedroom and said, "It is impossible for an olddy to do it. The deceased has signs of sexual assault. The murderer didn¡¯t seem to pay attention to details though, as he left some semen samples behind."


    Lin Qiupu nced at the wall where a bloody fingerprint was clearly printed on the decorative te on the wall. He said, "It''s not your average person that doesn¡¯t pay attention to details."


    "With regards to fingerprints, we found five sets of them." Peng Sijue noted.


    "In addition to the two victims and the murderer, what¡¯s with the other two sets?"


    Peng Sijue swept the UV light towards shelves where there was already ayer of aluminium powder with four smaller fingerprints on it. He said, "This fingerprint has appeared on the door frame, chair, and coffee table. Inferred from its width, size, rity, and wrinkles, it should have been left by a child."


    "Maybe it was left before the murder..."


    "No, all five of the fingerprints were stained with blood. Judging from the degree of coagtion, they were obviously made during or shortly after the murder."


    "A child?" Lin Qiupu was slightly surprised.


    "The other set belongs to an old person and also appeared on the coffee table, sofa and door.¡±


    Lin Dongxue wondered, "Is this old person the olddy that Chen Shi drove yesterday? Perhaps we should call him and ask for some information!¡±


    "Call him then," Lin Qiupu muttered. "It''s almost like he¡¯s an official member of our team."


    While Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi, Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue went to examine the body. Peng Sijue deduced, "Her death was due to the cut to the throat. She only has this one fatal wound on her body. The cut is clean and sharp. It should be done by someone who is skilled at using a knife. The deceased''s legs were on the floor and her upper body was on the bed. The bed sheets were stained with blood and nothing was worn underneath the pajamas. Her underwear was thrown on the bedside table next to her.¡±


    ¡°This position... Surely...¡± Lin Qiupu began.


    Peng Sijue''s spection was also consistent with Lin Qiupu¡¯s. He continued, "During intercourse, he cut her throat, catching herpletely off guard. The deceased doesn¡¯t even have any defensive injuries."


    "What a ruthless character!"


    Peng Sijue discovered that there was also bleeding from the calf of the deceased. Arge piece of meat had been cut off, but the blood wasn¡¯t flowing out as much. He had seen many corpses in his time and could tell with one nce by the skin around the wound that it was cut off after her death.


    "What does that mean? Was it for revenge?" Lin Qiupu queried.


    Peng Sijue shook his head.


    The other corpse was more miserable. She had been stabbed to death by a sharp object and the wounds were concentrated on her back and waist. Lin Qiupu pondered, "What is the rtionship between these two women? If they were just ordinary friends, while another woman was having a sexual rtionship with the murderer, this Wang...Wang...¡±


    "Wang Xifeng," Peng Sijue reminded.


    "Why would this Wang Xifeng dress so simply, as if the person who came over was her own boyfriend?" Lin Qiupu turned to look at the bedroom, walked over, and moved the door with his hands. "This door isn¡¯t locked and the sound instion is very poor as well."


    Lin Dongxue chimed in, "As far as I know, no matter how good the rtionship between women is, they wouldn¡¯t behave in such a rxed fashion in front of someone else¡¯s boyfriend or husband.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong added, "Neither would men! When I was in the police dormitory before, if our buddy¡¯s girlfriends came over, I would put on my pants.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "You don''t usually wear pants?"


    "Well, it was a boy¡¯s dorm. You know how it is."


    "Xiaodong, turn on the TV and take a look!" Lin Qiupu instructed.


    These days, most people used TV-boxes which could urately show the time when the TV was turned off. It was an important piece of evidence for investigating murders. The shutdown time disyed on the box was 11:23. Lin Dongxue took the remote control to turn it on and noted, ¡°The sound isn¡¯t too loud!¡±


    "The sound?" Lin Qiupu paused before suddenly understanding. "You mean that if the murder was pre-meditated, he would have turned up the volume to cover up the sound of his actions, right? When did you be so smart?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled proudly.


    A forensic investigator came over and said, "The weapon has been found." He presented a sharp fruit knife with blood on it and imed it had been discarded in the kitchen sink.


    Lin Qiupu was a little confused. "Since the murderer suddenly murdered her during sexual intercourse, did he hold the knife the whole time?"


    1. The same person as ¡°Pingzi¡±. Up until now, the name Pingzi was used instead. Pingzi would be an intimate nickname given to her. Kind of like ¡°Little Ping¡± or ¡°Xiao Ping¡±, but unlike ¡°Xiao Ping¡± that may be used by friends, ¡°Zi¡± is often used by family members, significant others, people who are close, etc.

 Chapter 176: Human Noodles

    <h4>Chapter 176: Human Noodles</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue took the knife in his hand to examine it. It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was the knife that the murderer had used to kill the two victims. He handed it over to a technician to take back for further testing.


    The forensic investigator noted, "Something seems to have been cooked and left in the pot?"


    Everyone moved to the kitchen and opened the lid. There was a pot of leftover noodles with ayer of frozen oil floating on it. Lin Qiupu swirled the contents of the pot with some chopsticks a few times and fished something out. "Cooked noodles with pork and preserved vegetables."


    Peng Sijue seemed to suddenly think of something. He picked up the chopping board, wiped it with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol, and put it in the testing kit.


    Staring at the chemical reaction in the kit, Peng Sijue informed the others, "There is some human blood in it. This pot of noodles is probably made from human flesh. It¡¯s most likely the piece that was missing from one of the victims."


    Everyone looked at the pot and immediately shuddered. After the killer had killed them, he was hungry. He actually cut off a piece from the victim to cook and eat.


    Lin Qiupu had only encountered a few of these extremely inhumane killers since he had be a police officer. "Bring this back for testing."


    Someone outside said, "Brother Chen is here!" There was excitement that could be detected in their voice.


    Lin Qiupu thought, Who is the captain right now? As he went out, he was thinking of how to greet him when he suddenly found that Chen Shi was bringing along a little girl. Lin Qiupu was shocked and said, "Children are not allowed in! Get out!"


    Chen Shi said, "Yueyue doesn¡¯t have any material to write about for her winter vacation report. I just took her here for a visit.¡±


    "Do you think this is an aquarium or something? Get out! Get out!"


    Chen Shi poked his tongue out at Tao Yueyue and Lin Dongxue offered, "Yueyue, let me take you out for a walk."


    Lin Qiupu instructed, "On your way, get a copy of the surveince footage."


    While Tao Yueyue was pulled away, she turned around to Lin Qiupu and pulled a face at him. Lin Qiupu wondered whether this girl was Chen Shi¡¯s daughter.


    Lin Qiupu said to Chen Shi, "I know you are very capable..."


    "Captain Lin, I didn''te to show off. Let¡¯s hurry and take care of this matter. I still have to go home and cook.¡±


    "And that isn''t called showing off? That aside, did you g down an olddy yesterday?¡±


    "What about it?"


    "The olddy was looking for a rtive named Wang Xifeng, right?"


    When he got to this Red Housemunity again, Chen Shi didn¡¯t think it could be so coincidental. He looked at the corpse on the ground and said, "Is that her?"


    "Precisely!"


    Peng Sijue said, "There were many fingerprints of an old person here among other things that also held a few sets of fingerprints.¡± While he was exining this, an investigator took out a bag from the kitchen cab that contained dried bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, and edible fungus. Many people at the scene almost vomited at the thought of the pickled vegetables being a side dish to the human flesh.


    Chen Shi picked up the contents and smelled them. Lin Qiupu asked, "Did you find anything?"


    "This is..." Chen Shi was shocked.


    "What?"


    "These bamboo shoots are pretty good. It¡¯s smoked, natural, and pollution-free. It¡¯s a lot better than the ones they sell at supermarkets. Can I take them if you¡¯re not taking them in as evidence?¡±


    Lin Qiupu showed a helpless expression. "Yes, you can take it all away, especially the preserved vegetables. It must be particrly delicious." The thought of Chen Shi knowing what was cooked in the potter and depleting his appetite made Lin Qiupu feel a gleeful joy well up in his heart.


    Chen Shi saw that the people around him looked a bit odd, so he thought there might be a hidden secret among the ingredients. He didn¡¯t mention this matter again. Instead, he stood up and pped his hands. "The olddy did bring this bag along with her, and she also mentioned these three things to me."


    "When did the olddy get here?"


    "At around 3:00 in the afternoon. Her grandson was hungry along the way. I guess they should have had food here." Chen Shi told them everything he knew.


    "How old was the child?"


    "Maybe not in school yet. Around five or six years old!"


    "The child''s bloody fingerprints were found here," Lin Qiupu said. "He was either connected to the killer or he was a witness."


    "Did the killer leave anything behind?"


    "Sperm, fingerprints, shoe prints, murder weapons... a full set of evidence."


    "The killer this time was quite generous. Let me see!"


    Peng Sijue took Chen Shi to look around at the scene again. When he saw the "food" in the pot, Chen Shi actually smelled the food and said, "The meat strips have been fried beforehand with ginger and cooking wine. When the murderer made this bowl of noodles, they were particrly calm. This is apletely inhumane person. They probably don¡¯t have the hobby of eating people, but since there was a young, healthy, and fresh corpse lying around without any meat in the refrigerator, he took a piece to eat. In their mind, this is probably no different from chicken or beef.¡±


    "Don''t state the obvious." Lin Qiupu said.


    "The murderer is more than 175 centimeters tall, weighs more than 80 kilograms, has smooth skin, and no beard. His eyes are small and are far apart... He is a fugitive!"


    "How do you know that!?"


    Chen Shi tilted his head. "Simple reasoning plus a little knowledge of psychological portraits... I usually cook as well. From the amount of garlic and ginger he used and this big pot he used to cook for a single meal, it can be assumed that he¡¯s probably a bitrger, since he could eat such arge pot of noodles. The two victims wore simple and even exposing clothes. They greeted the murdererte at night, proving that the murderer and the victims were at least friends. Perhaps one of them was his mistress. There are no signs of fighting in the house. The fruit knife is the easiest weapon to get in the house. The killing was spontaneous as he still had intercourse before he had the intention to kill. It can be said that he had a lot of suppressed urges and sexual frustration due to not being able to approach women too often. Plus, he doesn''t care about leaving his DNA and fingerprints, so I¡¯m guessing this is a wanted man. "


    With admiration in the eyes of everyone around Chen Shi, Lin Qiupu queried, "He has a murder case on him, so he doesn''t care about adding two more? Little Wang, who is the owner of the house?"


    "Wang Xifeng!" Police officer Little Wang replied. "And there is no mention of a husband in her information."


    "Does she have any siblings?"


    "No. Her mother divorced twice and is already dead. Her biological father isn¡¯t around either. She has a stepfather.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Wang Xifeng doesn''t seem to have a serious job. It¡¯s probably her partner who bought the house. It seems this is a safe haven for the fugitive. The key to this case is why the fugitive suddenly killed his mistress.¡±


    "If Wang Xifeng is his mistress, what about Qiuping?"


    "Maybe both of them are!" Chen Shi left the kitchen and went to the bathroom, opening the lid to the toilet.


    The inside of the toilet was really dark. It seemed like someone had burned something there. This detail was actually missed by all the police officers. Chen Shi took the rubber gloves handed to him by Peng Sijue and pulled out the fragments from the toilet.


    "Rubber products? The scent is fragrant... Cosmetics... Is this lipstick? Branded too!"


    "I see!" Lin Qiupu mmed his fist into an open palm. "This man killed his mistress, but he was still angry, so he burned all these cosmetics that he bought for her... What are youughing about? Am I wrong?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Don''t jump to conclusions. I''ll go to the bedroom to have a look."

 Chapter 177: Looking for Old Lady Liu

    <h4>Chapter 177: Looking for Old Lady Liu</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi got to the bedroom, looked around, and theny on the ground to inspect the bottom of the cab. He pulled out a ceramic shard and said, ¡°There is a fragment here. There isn¡¯t any dust on it so it should have been broken not too long ago.¡±


    Lin Qiupu lectured the police officers, ¡°You should all learn this kind of spirit where you don¡¯t miss even minute details.¡±


    Chen Shi looked around the bottom of all the furniture and instructed, ¡°Remove the bed.¡±


    Peng Sijue ordered people to move the corpse to the living room first and then move the bed away. There was a small stic dish under the bed with a few apple slices. The apple had already oxidized and had be discolored. Chen Shi beckoned for an officer to bring the knife.


    He took the weapon andpared it. The hole in the apple slice coincided with the weapon¡¯s thickness and dimensions.


    The shelf near the bed was left empty and seemed to be a random ce for debris. Chen Shi put the dish on it, saying, ¡°The weapon should have been ced here at the time, but inserted in the apple slice.¡±


    He turned to the corpse. ¡°Perhaps his sudden killing intent urred during intercourse...¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Xu Xiaodong said excitedly. ¡°He found himself wearing a green hat.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lin Qiupu shot him down.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Chen Shi encouraged.


    Xu Xiaodong said embarrassedly, ¡°Maybe the mistress''s new pose is something he hadn''t tried before, so he felt like he wore a green hat. He decided to kill her out of anger, and then he decided to kill the other one as well.¡±


    ¡°As a motive, that might be a bit far-fetched. A person wouldn¡¯t normally kill another person so casually.¡± Chen Shi reasoned.


    Xu Xiaodong pped his head. ¡°This kind of thing can be categorized too?¡±


    ¡°Did they lose anything?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°The deceased''s wallet was thrown to the ground. Only the ID card was left in it while the card and money were taken away. There was also a drawer which seems to be for jewelry that was emptied too.¡±


    ¡°What card?¡±


    ¡°From the deceased''s credit card application documents, it should be a Bank of China card.¡±


    ¡°Contact the bank and see if this card has had money withdrawn from it.¡±


    Lin Qiupu almost said ¡°Okay¡±, but he remembered that he was the captain. He coughed and said to his team, ¡°Contact the bank and see where this card has gone around.¡±


    There was nothing else to see at the scene. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the case to you. I''ll find the olddy and the child.¡±


    ¡°Notify us as soon as you find any clues.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, I will!¡±


    When Chen Shi went downstairs, he happened to run into Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Aye? The investigation waspleted so quickly?¡±


    ¡°I''m going to find the olddy and the child. I''ll leave things here for you to investigate!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a snowy day, so drive carefully.¡±


    Chen Shi blinked. ¡°I¡¯m an old driver. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡±


    As Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue downstairs, Lin Dongxue remembered something. ¡°The surveince footage of the property shows that at 10:30st night, a child entered themunity. At 10:50PM, an olddy entered as well. The two left together around 20 minutester seeming a little flustered.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded, ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Lin Dongxue went inside and Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Did the monitor show a fat man entering themunity?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t seem like there was, but the old person and the child were recorded. In addition, the security guard said that he saw Qiuping and a man leave by carst night. She was brought back by the same car at 9:00 pm and the man who drove her back left alone.


    ¡°Dongxue and Xiaodong, go and follow this lead...¡±


    ¡°Xiaodong and Little Li can go together. Chen Shi and I will go to find the olddy,¡± Lin Dongxue suggested.


    ¡°Okay! Old Peng, let''s go look around themunity.¡±


    Lin Dongxue caught up with Chen Shi who had just left. Tao Yueyue said happily, ¡°Sister Lin, you¡¯re back!¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded. ¡°The captain approved of me going with Uncle Chen.¡±


    Tao Yueyue unfastened her seat belt in the front seat and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t be a light bulb[1] here.¡±


    ¡°Who did you learn that from?¡± Chen Shi groaned while smiling.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Where should we go?¡±


    ¡°The police station. It¡¯s too slow to ask about them around the neighborhood. It¡¯s better to look at the surveince footage directly.¡±


    There was a monitoringwork in this area. The three went to the police station and Lin Dongxue exined what they needed. The local police took them to the District Public Safety Experts. The entire wall was filled with monitors that showed everything that was happening on the streets. Tao Yueyue saw it for the first time and was shocked. ¡°Will anything bad be seen by the police?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If you meet a bad person, it is safer to run into a monitored area,¡± replied Chen Shi.


    The police loaded the monitoring near the Red House Community. At about 11:00 PM, an olddy pulling a child came out and hurried away.


    Another set of surveince footage showed that they spent the night at an ATM and did not leave until five in the morning. Chen Shi muttered to himself, ¡°Is she not scared she¡¯ll get ill when she¡¯s so old out in the freezing cold? Was her money stolen from her?¡±


    He noticed another thing and said, ¡°This is the Bank of China''s ATM.¡±


    ¡°What about Bank of China?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter!¡±


    The police continued to pull out this morning''s surveince videos. The videos showed that the olddy walked along Fengning Road to Guangxing Road at about five o''clock, and then turned to Dongsanqiang Road. Chen Shi said, ¡°They headed towards the station!¡±


    It always took a lot of time to watch the surveince, so they were watching at eight times the normal speed. In one shot, the olddy suddenly sat down. The little boy seemed very anxious. Numerous people avoided the two as they passed by.


    ¡°The people in the city are afraid of encountering porcin issues[2],¡± the officer said.


    ¡°Crooks have consumed every drop of people''s trust.¡± Chen Shimented.


    The olddy and the child sat there for half an hour, went to a restaurant, and came out an hourter. They went directly back to the station. However, instead of buying tickets, the olddy kept talking to strangers.


    The surveince footage stopped there and the local police informed them, ¡°This is the footage that happened just now.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still there! Hurry and find them.¡±


    The three left immediately and rushed to the station. Chen Shi told Tao Yueyue to stay in the car as he and Lin Dongxue split up to find them. When they met some police on patrol, they asked them to help find the olddy and the child.


    Finally, Chen Shi found the olddy in a dairy store. The olddy was desperately apologizing to a fat man. The fat man was holding her clothes and wouldn¡¯t let go while the little boy was obviously very angry, kicking the fat man''s feet. However, he was weak and couldn¡¯t save her.


    Chen Shi stepped forward to show his consultant¡¯s credentials and scolded, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    The fat man saw that the ¡°police¡± had arrived and stered a smile on his face. ¡°Officer, you¡¯re here just in time. This old fart spat in front of my shop. Can you see that on the floor? It¡¯s so disgusting. Tell me, how am I meant to do business now? I need to charge a fine.¡±


    ¡°A fine? How much?¡±


    ¡°Twenty yuan. Not too much.¡±


    Old Lady Liu saw Chen Shi hade and was very happy. ¡°It''s you, master[3]. I didn¡¯t know I couldn¡¯t spit here. I feel really sorry for this brother, but I really don¡¯t have money.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the owner and said with a stern expression, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand thew? Only government agencies have the right to fine someone. Private fines are illegal.¡±


    The shopkeeper froze. ¡°It''s so dirty though. How can I do business?¡±


    ¡°Be considerate. What family doesn¡¯t have an old person? Who wouldn¡¯t get sick when they get old? Olddy, let¡¯s go!¡±


    The owner then stopped them. ¡°Wait a minute. I want to report that this old immortal[4] is a scammer. I saw her begging for money in the square all morning. Even if she isn¡¯t a scammer, she¡¯s begging illegally.¡±


    1. Third wheel.


    2. Scams where you might bump into someone ever so slightly and they¡¯ll try to get you topensate an amount that¡¯s ridiculously high. There are times when people frame you by dropping to the ground when you even get close to them.


    3. People call drivers, carpenters, etc. (usually people who do a trade) ¡°masters¡± sometimes.


    4. It¡¯s a negative expression that means that they¡¯re so old and probably should have just died, but they¡¯re still living. Kind of like ¡°old fart¡±, but it couldn¡¯t be used in an endearing way.

 Chapter 178: Witness

    <h4>Chapter 178: Witness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Old Lady Liu said in distress, ¡°I didn''t lie to anyone. I lost my money. I couldn''t go home so I had to ask others... Haii, my old face has all been lost this morning.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and the police received Chen Shi''s information and hurried over. Chen Shi said to the owner, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with this matter. Please do your own thing.¡±


    With the arrival of the police, Olddy Liu seemed panicked. This expression didn¡¯t escape the eyes of Chen Shi. Old Lady Liu said, ¡°Thank you, Master. We¡¯re leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Where can you go? Didn''t you say you lost your money? You can find the police if you have any difficulties!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Old Lady Liu nced at the police uniforms and looked at her grandson clutching her clothes behind her. She couldn''t help but tremble and wave her hand desperately. ¡°No difficulties, no difficulties. My family wille pick me up after a while. It¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    Chen Shi stopped her. ¡°Actually, we have a case on hand. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Case? I don''t know anything about a case!¡± She took her grandson and tried to leave.


    Lin Dongxue came over and said, ¡°Olddy, it¡¯s just cooperating with the investigation. We¡¯re not here to arrest you.¡±


    Seeing there was nowhere to run, Old Lady Liu had a bit of anxiety. She knew that Chen Shi was a kind driver and asked curiously, ¡°Master, did you not drive a taxi yesterday? How did you be a policeman today?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a friend of the police. Are you thirsty?¡±


    They took the olddy and the child to the guardhouse at the station, poured her a cup of hot water, and looked at the appearance of Old Lady Liu. She seemed to be a lot older than yesterday. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Did you eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten.¡±


    ¡°How did ite to this? Didn¡¯t youe to find rtives?¡±


    ¡°Haii!¡± Old Lady Liu sighed telling them what had happened yesterday. Her grandson broke an antique at Wang Xifeng''s house. The other party was so annoyed that they pointed at her nose and scolded them. Due to the urgent situation at the time, Old Lady Liu threw away all the change she had aspensation.


    Fortunately, she also had an emergency hundred yuan bill hidden on her body. After going to the store to change it to smaller bills, there were only around fifty yuan left by the time she went to the guest house. Considering that she still had to take a car home, she couldn''t live in the guest house. The two walked around the street and finally found an ATM to spend the night.


    The night was very ufortable. She was in pain with old bones and very dizzy because she had not eaten or drank water in the morning. Her heart couldn¡¯t stand it on the way to the station, so she weakly sumbed to her hunger and had some food. As such, she didn¡¯t have enough money to buy a ticket to go home. She was missing about a dozen yuan, so she could only try and ask for some change from the people around.


    After telling her story, Old Lady Liu who was full of grievances, wiped the tears welling up in her eyes. Dog Egg next to her also had tears swirling around his eyes. Chen Shi noticed that there was a dark red mark on the cuff of Dog Egg¡¯s cotton jacket. If he remembered correctly, this child¡¯s clothes were still brand new yesterday.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It must be the clerk at the store who yed a trick on you. Did he count the money in front of you?¡±


    Old Lady Liu said, ¡°Yes, I bought a bottle of Coca-C. He said that he didn''t have 50 yuan, so he asked if he could give me nine 10-yuan bills. He counted nine of them in front of me.¡±


    ¡°It''s a kind of deceit. Just like a trick, you can fold the money in half and make it seem like there¡¯s two bills when there¡¯s only one. You wouldn¡¯t know if you were missing any!¡±


    Old Lady Liu suddenly understood. ¡°This... These people''s hearts are too awful!¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°You stayed at the ATMst night? You didn¡¯t go anywhere?¡±


    ¡°No! No!¡± Old Lady Liu desperately denied.


    After looking at Dog Egg¡¯s expression, Chen Shi already understood everything. He deliberately looked at his watch and said to the police, ¡°Thank you guys today. It''s almost noon. I''ll buy some lunch for everyone... Olddy, you have a bite too!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master. If I hadn''t met you, I really don''t know...¡± Old Lady Liu¡¯s eyes pricked and she looked down for a handkerchief. Dog Egg wiped her tears away thoughtfully.


    ¡°You''re wee. It''s just like lifting a hand for me.¡±


    Chen Shi motioned for Lin Dongxue to leave and said, ¡°The child has not spoken the entire time and his expression is very strange. He should have witnessed something. Olddy Liu thought the child murdered someone, so she denied going to themunityst night. Don''t look at her as a dishonest person because this is due to her affection and attachment to her family. Coupled with the fact that she doesn¡¯t know anything about thew and does not know that children do not have to go to jail for murder, she won¡¯t say anything!¡±


    ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the skill of the interrogator. This time, we can''t say anything more about the facts of the case. We have to let the olddy know clearly that Dog Egg is not the murderer and we will not arrest him. We just want to hear his testimony. Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to agree?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°You¡¯re the only real criminal police here. Of course, you have to agree.¡±


    ¡°Agree, agree!¡± Lin Dongxue alsoughed. ¡°Detective Chen''s actions are definitely not wrong!¡±


    Chen Shi went to the McDonald''s at the station and bought a McDonald''s spicy chicken leg set and a children''s set. Then, he bought a big bag of fast food lunch boxes and mineral water. He returned to the car and gave the McDonald''s chicken leg set to Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue saw the children''s set and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°A kid... By the way, Yueyue, I want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Is it rted to solving the case?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it matters a lot. I will let an olddy and a child live in our house. Do you mind?¡±


    ¡°I will pretend not to mind!¡±


    ¡°Really sensible!¡± Chen Shi patted her head. ¡°The child may have witnessed a murder scene and might be under a lot of mental stress. He might be reluctant to exin the situation to us. I need you to approach him and ask for the truth.¡±


    Tao Yueyue raised her eyebrows. ¡°If we can get the truth from him, they¡¯ll leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I''ll give it a try. You adults are taking advantage of a child¡¯s mentality.¡±


    ¡°When this is all over, I¡¯ll take you to the French restaurant we ate atst time.¡±


    Tao Yueyue pursed her lips and pouted. ¡°Really stingy! The old grandfather gave you a cardst time so you don''t have to spend money anyway!¡±


    Back at the police station, Chen Shi distributed the food. Dog Egg was eating a children¡¯s set for the first time in his life and was particrly happy, but he still remained silent. Old Lady Liu said numerous ¡°thank yous¡± over and over again. After eating, she said, ¡°Master, thank you so much. If it''s okay, we must hurry home.¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s like this, ma''am. A murder case happened in the Red House Community you visited yesterday and we are investigating that at the moment.¡±


    Old Lady Liu spilled a little water and she said in a panic, ¡°Does it have anything to do with us?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The deceased is Wang Xifeng and her roommate Qiuping.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Chen Shi noticed Old Lady Liu nce at Dog Egg unconsciously again.


    Old Lady Liu asked, ¡°Who killed her? I feel sorry for my younger sister. She doesn¡¯t have anyone to seed her family line.¡±


    Lin Dongxue replied, ¡°ording to the evidence left at the scene, the murderer should be an adult male. We have just opened the case and are still investigating. Monitoring records show that you and your grandson visited the neighborhood around 11:00st night. We think your grandson is a very important witness. We need his testimony to catch the killer and allow your niece to rest in peace.¡±

 Chapter 179: The Wanted Criminal Appears

    <h4>Chapter 179: The Wanted Criminal Appears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Old Lady Liu opened her mouth but quickly stopped herself. After thinking for quite some time, she asked, ¡°Will it affect Dog Egg¡¯s schooling and job prospects in the future?¡±


    ¡°No. I assure you, it¡¯s just to cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    ¡°What if the murderer takes revenge? I only have this grandson.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured. With our protection, you guys are absolutely safe!¡±


    Old Lady Liu was relieved and touched Dog Egg¡¯s head. ¡°Dog Egg, tell everything you sawst night to uncle and aunty. They are the police. They are here to catch the bad guys.¡±


    Dog Egg stared at Lin Dongxue with an alert look in his eyes. Chen Shi whispered, ¡°Post traumatic stress disorder. It will take some time.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Olddy Liu, you can live in my house for now. The food, drinks, and amodation will be provided by the police. They don''t charge for money... Do you need to contact your family back home?¡±


    ¡°I want to make a phone call to my son,¡± Old Lady Liu said. She held Chen Shi''s hand. ¡°Master, it''s a blessing that I must have had to umte over eight lives to have met you. You helped us yesterday and we¡¯re troubling you again today. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°You''re very wee. Who asked me to be a friend of the police? I¡¯ll give you my phone to make your call!¡±


    After Old Lady Liu made the phone call, Chen Shi drove the two of them as well as Lin Dongxue back to his residence. The kitten Maoqiu saw the strangersing in and went under the sofa with a squeak. Chen Shi vacated his bed for the two of them. He told them how to use some of the electrical appliances. The only regret was that there was no TV, but he told them that anything they wanted to watch could be searched for on theputer.


    Olddy Liu was immensely grateful and expressed her gratitude. When she saw the ground was dirty, she picked up the broom and swept it up. Chen Shi said, ¡°No need!¡±


    Old Lady Liu smiled. ¡°It''s okay, I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t rest.¡±


    After that, Chen Shi left her alone. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°An old person who has been busy all their life. She is just like my grandmother.¡±


    Chen Shi said a few things to Tao Yueyue and left 200 yuan of pocket change for her. He got ready to return to the bureau to continue investigating the case when Tao Yueyue pulled his clothes. Chen Shi crouched down and asked, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Having people at home, I''m afraid.¡± Tao Yueyue nced at the kitchen.


    Chen Shi knew that Tao Yueyue had a huge sense of insecurity with strangers because of her childhood experience. He said, ¡°Would you like to go to the bureau with us ande back together at night?¡±


    Tao Yueyue thought about it and Chen Shi could tell that she was hesitating. She responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay at home and ovee it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a good girl!¡± Chen Shi touched her head. ¡°Don''t bully that little brother.¡±


    Back at the bureau, Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°What about the witness?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It''s a little boy. He was too scared and couldn''t say anything. I let him live in my house for a while. Oh yes, this is their fingerprints. Lao Peng should be able to extract it!¡± Chen Shi raised his hand holding a stic bag with the lunch box touched by Old Lady Liu and the paper cup used by the little boy.


    Lin Qiupu took the bag. ¡°We must get his testimony as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Has the murderer been found?¡±


    ¡°You may not know who it is, but it¡¯s definitely a heavy bomb!¡±


    ¡°Don''t act all mysterious and just spill it.¡±


    ¡°Ji Chunma. Have you heard this name before?¡±


    Chen Shi''s eyes widened. Wasn''t this the mastermind behind the kidnapping case of Lu Qixing¡¯s second son five years ago? Not long ago, old man Lu had also mentioned him, and now he actually appeared in Long''an of his own volition. Was this really fate¡¯s arrangement?


    ¡°Five years ago, the Ji Chunma of the Lu kidnapping case?¡±


    ¡°Yes! How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Old Man Lu told me about it. I want to look at the file that year to understand the case.¡±


    ¡°Dongxue, take him to the archives. When that¡¯s done, I have some tasks for you to do.¡±


    They took out the dusty case file from the archives room, opened it, and saw the words ¡°Song Lang¡± within the string of names. Chen Shi thought about how it had already been five years. He never expected that the case would be reopened.


    Lin Dongxue sneezed because of the dust and rubbed her nose, saying, ¡°Thest thing I wanted to do is toe here. This room is full of unsolved cases. When I think of how many dangerous people are floating around the world, I can''t sleep well at night.¡±


    ¡°Dongxue, how would you spend five million?¡±


    ¡°Five million! That¡¯s more than enough to buy a full house.¡±


    ¡°You can buy a very spacious house in Long''an.¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking that?¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    ¡°Let me tell you something, but don''t cause amotion!¡±


    ¡°In your eyes, am I not a calm person?¡± However, after Chen Shi finished, Lin Dongxue eximed, ¡°Old man Lu said he¡¯d give you five million?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Lin Dongxue. Do you reckon I should take it or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why not? You¡¯re not a policeman. It is reasonable and legal for two citizens to give each other property and assets.¡±


    ¡°But I don''t want to owe anything to that old bastard.¡±


    ¡°When you catch the murderer, it¡¯s him returning what he believes he owes you.¡±


    ¡°This kind of haystack case is impossible to solve on my own. I would have to use the resources of the entire police force and in the end I would personally get paid. How would that look...? Let me think about it and choose a conscientious and practical method.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re rich, invite me to dinner!¡± Lin Dongxue poked at him with a smile.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll invite you to a French meal.¡± Chen Shi put a finger on his lips. ¡°Keep it a secret from your brother!¡±


    The archive room was so cold that his feet grew cold. Thus, Chen Shi decided to move to another ce. He decided to go to the police canteen to continue looking at the file. The yellowed paper showed a sense of age. The police officers involved in the case were either already dead, promoted or retired.


    In this kidnapping case, the gangsters demanded a ransom of 60 million. The strategy developed by the task force was to sumb to it first and then capture the kidnapper when they were baited by the money. Song Lang was not in the task force that handled the case, but Old Man Lu had heard that his ability wasparatively at a higher level, so he asked him to be on the case as a consultant.


    On the day of the ransom payment, Mr. Lu''s secretary kept receiving calls from the gangsters, changing the ce of transaction five times. Then, the gangsters demanded that the money be divided into ten portions and put in ten locations. Song Lang immediately noticed that something was wrong and warned the task force to stop immediately. ording to his reasoning, the purpose of the gangsters was only six million in ransoms. They would take one-tenth of it, quickly kill the victim, and then make their escape.


    The police force was not unlimited. If they were to divide the team into ten and go to the ten separate locations at the same time, their manpower would be greatly reduced.


    In addition, Song Lang made an even bolder guess based on Lu Zhenjie''s disappearance and his recent economic situation. The kidnapping case was likely a farce directed by Lu Zhenjie himself.


    The dedicated team adopted Song Lang''s first suggestion and immediately suspended the operation until a finger wearing a Lu¡¯s ring was sent. Old Man Lu could no longer keep his calm and imed to not let the police step in again. Then, he sent someone to pay the ransom.


    ¡°Don''t say 60 million, 600 million is not as expensive as a little finger of my family¡¯s Zhenjie!¡± Old Man Lu had said.


    The subsequent development was exactly as Song Lang predicted. The gangsters took one-tenth of the ransom and disappeared without calling them again.


    The next day, ording to a report by a forest ranger, a gunshot was heard in the mountains. The police arrived and found three dead bodies in an abandoned log cabin. Two of them seemed to be the escapee¡¯s fellow gang members. One was the second son of the Lu family.


    Traces at the scene showed that another person was missing, and it waster found that this person was named Ji Chunma, who was a friend of Lu. The two other victims who died were the same. The second son of the Lu family wasn¡¯t tied up nor abused at all, and the little finger that was removed belonged to one of the others.


    It¡¯s inconceivable for the kidnappers to have chopped their own finger off to threaten the Lu family, so there could only be one truth. The entire kidnapping case was directed, produced and performed by Lu Zhenjie.


    It was just that there was an irregrity during this farce. This outlier was Ji Chunma, who saw the fortune of money and backstabbed him!

 Chapter 180: Mr. Jia

    <h4>Chapter 180: Mr. Jia</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi picked up the picture of Ji Chunma sandwiched in the case file. It was a fat man with fair skin and small eyes, making him seem very shady.


    Chen Shi sighed. ¡°If this ransom wasn''t given away in the first ce, there wouldn''t have been a case of spontaneous killing over greed.¡±


    He wasn''t talking to himself. While he was looking through the case file, Peng Sijue was silently holding a tray and seating himself opposite of Chen Shi. Peng Sijue had a pet peeve and didn''t like to eat with a bunch of people, so he only had lunch at three in the afternoon.


    Smelling the sweet and sour pork ribs, Chen Shi unconsciously picked up chopsticks and grabbed a piece to eat.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the money was marked by the police. How did he escape with the money for five years?¡± Peng Sijue asked as he picked up his chopsticks.


    Chen Shi spit out the bone of the pork rib. ¡°Maybe the bank didn¡¯t take note of it? But this guy isn¡¯t a fuel-savingmp. He is an ex rich second generation whose father went bankrupt. Would six million be enough for five years? Especially since he bought a house in Long''an and raised two mistresses while in hiding?¡± He grabbed another piece of sweet and sour pork rib with his chopsticks.


    ¡°The clues that are appearing now are telling us that this case has other hidden properties... I will beat you if you continue eating!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just taste testing for you.¡± Chen Shi shamelessly stretched out his chopsticks again.


    Peng Sijue covered the bowl with his hand. ¡°Thanks, but no thanks. Captain Lin found a very interesting video. Everyone is discussing it right now. Are you sure you don''t want to watch it?¡±


    ¡°It''s not soft enough. It''s not as delicious as I make it.¡± Chen Shi returned the chopsticks back to Peng Sijue.


    Looking at the few pieces of sweet and sour pork ribs left in the bowl, Peng Sijue smiled wryly. ¡°Shameless guy... Hey, your case file!¡±


    ¡°Help me return it to the archives room please. Thank you!¡± Chen Shi said without looking back.


    Everyone was watching a video in the conference room that was provided by the Bank of China. The video showed that from 9:30 to 10:00st night, a fat man in a hat stood in front of the ATM to withdraw and deposit money repeatedly.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Chen Shi sat down next to Lin Dongxue.


    ¡°Ji Chunma!¡±


    ¡°His body is a bit fatter than five years ago. What a positive person to be able to put on weight while being on the run.¡± Chen Shi sighed.


    The bank video showed that the man kept a card belonging to Wang Xifeng and kept depositing and withdrawing 10,000 yuan until the daily withdrawal limit was reached. He stood like this for half an hour in front of the ATM.


    There was a kind of scamming trick that spread over the Inte. By sticking double-sided tape to the banknotes, depositing them and taking them out one by one, it was possible to stick extra banknotes together to withdraw more.


    Some police officers also raised this conjecture, but the bank confirmed that the ATM had not lost any banknotes.


    The video had been rewound and yed a few times. Everyone was whispering and discussing what this guy was doing. Did he like to hear the sound of banknotes popping out of the ATM to relieve stress?


    ¡°Wait!¡± Chen Shi said. ¡°Rewind it a bit... Okay, pause!¡±


    Everyone focused on Chen Shi. He pointed at the projection screen and said, ¡°What is he doing?¡±


    ¡°Looking at the money!¡± Lin Qiupu said puzzledly.


    ¡°y it at normal speed.¡±


    The video yed normally. After watching this segment, nobody could pinpoint any problems regarding it.


    Chen Shi noted, ¡°It took him a minute to look at the money. Does it take so long to count the money?¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°What do you think he is looking at?¡±


    Chen Shi remembered what Peng Sijue said just now about the money with special marks and suddenly got inspiration. ¡°Exchanging money!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s looking to... exchange money?¡±


    ¡°Go to the Bank of China and find out whether there¡¯s bank notes with the numbers recorded by the police.¡±


    At this time, someone ran in and said, ¡°Captain Lin, we¡¯ve made an important discovery. The person who put money into Wang Xifeng''s ount is called Shi Sijin. He deposits on average every three months with a minimum of 100,000 yuan and a maximum of 500,000 yuan over the past five years.¡±


    ¡°Five years?¡± The whole room was shocked. This was the amount of time that Ji Chunma was out in the public as a fugitive for the murders.


    The man continued to report, ¡°We checked and Shi Sijin was an employee of Feniyi Media Company five years ago. We called him through the bank. He said he had left the mediapany long ago and is currently working at a preschool. His monthly ie is only 6,000 or 7,000. He ims to have no knowledge of the existence of this credit card.¡±


    ¡°Someone has stolen his information to create the card.¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    ¡°Feniyi Media Company? Why does the name sound so familiar?¡± Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone for a quick search. The information that popped up on the webpage surprised him. The president of thispany was the friend of the first son of the Lu family - Jia Xingyun.


    Chen Shi pondered, ¡°Mr. Jia has been depositing money for a fugitive for five years. Why is there a taste of him being ckmailed in this?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was so excited that when he stood up, he knocked the chair over. He chose a few people and then instructed, ¡°We''ll meet Mr. Jia now.¡±


    Chen Shi stopped them in their tracks. ¡°Wait a minute, Mr. Jia¡¯s father is an official. Since we don¡¯t have clear evidence, it may cause troubles for the task force down the line if we find him right now. It¡¯s best to let me go. First, I am not a police officer. Second, I have met him several times.¡±


    Lin Qiupu considered it and felt that Chen Shi was right. He said, ¡°After you see him, if you feel it¡¯s necessary, I will send someone to monitor his whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s for protection! If Ji Chunma''s extortion target is Mr. Jia, and now for some reason Ji Chunma has done such an extreme thing, his next goal is likely to be Mr. Jia.¡±


    Chen Shi called on Lin Dongxue to go together with him. Mr. Jia took quite a liking to Lin Dongxue. With a beauty in front, he might open his mouth and tell them something.


    It was already 5:00 in the evening when they got to Jia Xingyun¡¯spany. Chen Shi stopped the car there but did not get off immediately. Lin Dongxue asked curiously, ¡°What are you hesitating for?¡±


    ¡°I suddenly thought... Could it be Jia Xingyun? What would be his motivation? Is it necessary to see him right now?¡±


    ¡°How would you know without asking?¡±


    ¡°Will he say so when asked? Especially such an eloquent official second generation.¡±


    Lin Dongxue put one hand on Chen Shi''s shoulder and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it more convenient to ask Old Man Lu about his sons instead?¡±


    ¡°The father is often the one who knows his sons the least. He may not know anything.¡± Chen Shi sighed. ¡°Let''s just go and just say hello.¡±


    Unlike the eldest son of the Lu family¡¯s ¡°participation-focused¡± film and televisionpany, Jia Xingyun¡¯s mediapany was really profitable and operated in a sound manner. It was rumored that Jia Xingyun had decided not to mix in with politics ever since he returned from studying in the United States. Instead, he started his ownpany.


    Jia Xingyun was young and handsome with an enviable family background and a high degree of education. He was a self-made, single CEO. For the majority of girls, he was like a CEO that came out of a story. The number of girls wanted to marry into his family could destroy the door frame as they stampeded their way in.


    As soon as they entered thepany, Chen Shi saw several beautiful female employees. Lin Dongxue waved her hands in front of Chen Shi¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Aiya, aiya. I always thought you were an uncle that wouldn¡¯t be tempted by things like this!¡±


    Chen Shi argued, ¡°I''m just thinking, wouldn''t these beautiful girlse to work in thispany with ulterior motives?¡±


    ¡°No matter why they came, it¡¯s also a means to attract talented people to thepany.¡±


    When they got to the front desk, the beautiful front deskdy said, ¡°CEO Jia is not in thepany right now. He left quite a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where he went?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t know!¡±

 Chapter 181: How Do We Look Good Together?

    <h4>Chapter 181: How Do We Look Good Together?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi was about to leave when Jia Xingyun and a morous female secretary came out of the elevator. The two were talking andughing. Chen Shi nced at the front deskdy. Thedy at the front desk was embarrassed and said, ¡°It was what CEO Jia told me to say.¡±


    ¡°Have you been well, Mr. Jia?¡± Chen Shi greeted.


    ¡°Officer Chen! What wind brought you here?¡± Then, Jia Xingyun instructed the female secretary, ¡°Little Hua, go to the car and wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Are you avable to talk?¡±


    ¡°This way, please!¡±


    There was a rest room in thepany which looked like a high-end coffee shop. Jia Xingyun poured three cups of coffee from the coffee machine and brought it over. He sat down and looked at Lin Dongxue with a smile. ¡°Miss Lin changed her hairstyle today. You look more and more beautiful the more I look at you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue brushed her hair in embarrassment.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°How much do you know about the kidnapping of the second son of the Lu family five years ago?¡±


    Jia Xingyun spread his hands out. ¡°I was just an outsider at the time, so I probably don¡¯t know much more than you all.¡±


    ¡°Do you know someone named Shi Sijin?¡±


    Jia Xingyun poked his temple with his finger as if he was trying to remember. ¡°I know him. He was an employee of ourpany who misappropriated public funds for investing in stocks and was fired. I didn¡¯t sue him and just told him to show himself out... Is this relevant to the case five years ago?¡±


    Chen Shi stared into his eyes. ¡°Please repeat thest sentence again.¡±


    ¡°Does this have anything to do with the case five years ago?¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t see anything unusual and Jia Xingyun smiled. ¡°I have a wide range of interests and psychology is amongst them. When people lie, they pay too much attention to the sentence itself. They will use the left-side of their brain more, which is the logical side. The right half of the body would unconsciously create a small action... Officer Chen, did you suspect that I was lying?¡±


    ¡°You know a lot.¡±


    ¡°Did I lie?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°It seems Mr. Jia is quite innocent.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s convenient to disclose, what case are you investigating this time?¡± Jia Xingyun looked at Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi replied, ¡°It can be disclosed, but you must keep it a secret... We may catch the killer who killed Lu Zhenjie and the mastermind behind the scenes in the near future!¡±


    Thest sentence was like a heavy bombshell that just got chucked out. Even Lin Dongxue was very surprised. Jia Xingyun''s expression was still calm, but his pupils narrowed suddenly for a brief moment. Then, he grinned. ¡°I wish you a speedy resolution for the case to make it fair for Zhenjie.¡±


    After they left, Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but ask, ¡°What did you mean by mastermind behind the scenes? Did you make that up just now?¡±


    Chen Shi stopped walking. ¡°I specte that Ji Chunma has been able to live securely the past five years happily with a surplus of money because there¡¯s someone ¡°sponsoring¡± him. This person participated in the kidnapping five years ago. Even the police did not know of his existence. He must be very rich. Why didn''t he kill him right there and then to tie up loose ends? I think Ji Chunma has something on him, a piece of evidence that would send them both to their dooms!¡±


    ¡°Evidence?¡±


    ¡°Ji Chunma was crazy about withdrawing and depositing money before killing. I¡¯m guessing he was looking for a banknote with a special mark on it. The killing was the next best thing he could do after he didn¡¯t retrieve the evidence. Now Ji Chunma has revealed himself, and he also doesn¡¯t have the evidence to threaten the mastermind. What do you think he¡¯ll do?¡±


    ¡°Drag him to hell with him!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. ¡°That''s your God''s perspective[1]. The mastermind doesn''t know that Ji Chunma''s evidence is gone. Ji Chunma may be desperate to find him and ask for protection or help, but Ji Chunma would have to be fast. Once the evidence falls into the hands of the police, he¡¯ll have run out of cards.¡±


    Lin Dongxue muttered, ¡°I don''t understand. That banknote can only condemn Ji Chunma. Why can it threaten the mastermind?¡±


    ¡°There should be something else on the banknote. Something that can reveal the identity of the mastermind!¡±


    ¡°So, do you doubt Jia Xingyun?¡±


    ¡°Jia Xingyun is the most suspicious person in our sight at present. I¡¯m just making a guess right now.¡±


    Chen Shi did not leave immediately but yed the same tricks yet again. He and Lin Dongxue monitored Jia Xingyun from an alley near thepany. Five minutester, Jia Xingyun drove away and got to a crosswalk where the female secretary who apanied him got out of the car and he drove away alone.


    ¡°Suspicious!¡± Lin Dongxue remarked.


    ¡°Yes, the level of suspicion has risen.¡±


    It wasn''t early so Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home. On the way, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Old Lady Liu!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Lin Dongxue called Xu Xiaodong and asked about the progress of the task force. Xu Xiaodong responded, ¡°Don''t even talk about it. The Bank of China said that the manager is off work and the vault can¡¯t be opened. We have to go again tomorrow. Oh yes, the wanted order has arrived. I¡¯ll send you two a copy.¡±


    The two phones rang together and Chen Shi picked it up. ¡°Why is this Ji Chunma so young?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said through the phone, ¡°The face captured in the surveince footage is too blurry. There was no other way about it but to use his previous ID photo to print the wanted order.¡±


    Chen Shi said ¡°Oh¡± thoughtfully as if he thought of something.


    ¡°How¡¯s progress over there on your end?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    Chen Shi made a motion with his finger towards himself to gesture for Lin Dongxue to hand the phone over to him. ¡°Ask Captain Lin to send someone to monitor Jia Xingyun. Where he¡¯s been and who he¡¯s met with all need to be noted. I want to know everything!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue queried, ¡°We¡¯ve just greeted him but he needs to be monitored already?¡±


    ¡°This time we''re catching a wanted man. Of course we need to put in extra effort!¡±


    Back at home, Old Lady Liu had already cooked and cleaned up the house, making it shine as if it were new. This surprised Chen Shi. Old Lady Liu rubbed her hands together and smiled. ¡°This is our thanks to Master Chen for taking us in. We made somemon dishes today, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be to your liking.¡±


    Looking at a table of food, Chen Shi said, ¡°It looks delicious.¡±


    ¡°Hungry, right? Eat quickly!¡±


    Dog Egg was ying games in the bedroom. From time to time, he would p the keyboard and yell, ¡°Kill you! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± He seemed very drawn to the game.


    Chen Shi whispered to Tao Yueyue, ¡°How are you two getting along?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just an ordinary boy.¡± Tao Yueyue pointed to herself. ¡°But this sister here acted properly.¡±


    ¡°Did he speak?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Old Lady Liu took a long time before she was able to drag Dog Egg over to eat. Dog Egg sat on herp and Old Lady Liu fed him spoonful by spoonful. When he noticed everyone¡¯s line of sight, he felt embarrassed and started feeding himself.


    Old Lady Liu exined, ¡°Dog Egg¡¯s parents are working out of town, so he follows me all year round. I give him whatever he wants, so he¡¯s already very spoiled.¡±


    Dog Egg kicked Old Lady Liu''s feet underneath and seemed a little unhappy about her exposing his bad qualities. Old Lady Liu soothed, ¡°Okay, okay. Grandma won''t say anything more.¡±


    ¡°Children should still be a bit more independent,¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°That''s easier said than done. I only have this precious grandson at home. How could he not be more treasured?¡± As she was saying this, Old Lady Liu grabbed a piece of seaweed with her chopsticks and fed it to Dog Egg.


    Old Lady Liu asked, ¡°Are Master Chen and Miss Lin dating right now?¡±


    The two immediately denied, ¡°No, no.¡±


    ¡°I think the two of you look quite good together. I¡¯ve seen many people in my life. I shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi subconsciously, wondering how on earth they looked good together.


    1. Feeling like she can see everything in the world in a nce.

 Chapter 182: Secret Doctor

    <h4>Chapter 182: Secret Doctor</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next morning, Chen Shi drove alone to a city vige on Limin Road. The issue of the structural integrity of the roads and houses here was very serious. The ground was covered with mud and dirty water after the snow melted. Some young people squatted together and were smoking. They cast their eyes on these new strangers in alertness.


    After Chen Shi found a ce to park, a few sneaky youths came to look at his red BMW. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯ve got the driving cam on, so don¡¯t get any ideas!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, smelly Uncle?¡± The young men felt insulted and started walking over to him. One of them even kicked his car tires.


    Chen Shi took out his ¡°badge¡± and said with a smile, ¡°Want to talk to me?¡±


    When they saw it was a ¡°policeman¡±, they immediately dispersed.


    Walking through the maze of privately constructed buildings, the cries of children, the quarrels between husband and wife, and the barks of dogs could all be heard. This old city can be said to be the internal organs of Long¡¯an.


    Such dirty and messy ces couldn¡¯t be mapped with just a blueprint.


    He arrived at a canteen that had no customers at all, only a yellow-haired young man behind the counter was ying mobile games. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Dr. Yang.¡±


    ¡°Who introduced you?¡±


    ¡°No one introduced me. I¡¯m his guest.¡± Chen Shi pointed at his own face.


    After asking for Chen Shi¡¯s name, the yellow-haired youth called someone and then took him to the back where a basement was hidden.


    Upon entering the basement, it felt like going into a paradise for a murderous monster. The old tiled walls were filled with suspicious dirt and the air smelled of blood and disinfectant. Behind a door with frosted ss was a shadow.


    There was a voice. ¡°Come back in a week to take out the stitches. During this time, remember to take your medicine on time and not to eat the foods I mentioned to you.¡±


    Chen Shi smoked a cigarette outside before Dr. Yang came out of the operating room. His customer did note out with him. In fact, there was another exit in the operating room to prevent customers from bumping into each other.


    Dr. Yang wore a surgical gown. The blood stains on themyered on top of each other like a butcher who had just killed a pig.


    ¡°Officer Song, what kind of wind blew you here?¡± The doctor over fiftyughed, and his receding hairline had wrinkles forming on it.


    ¡°I''m no longer Officer Song.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Chen Shi, do you have something you want from me?¡± Dr. Yang opened the silver jug and took a sip.


    This doctor used to be a top cosmetic surgeon in China with superb skills, but his personal life wasn¡¯t great. Due to gambling, he owed so much money to loan sharks that he could never repay it all. Later on, an underworld boss was willing to help him, but the condition was for him to change what the boss looked like. The guy hadmitted murder with his current face.


    Then, he started doing this as a living, doing cosmetic surgery on people in the underworld that needed an escape.


    He also had a VIP service here whichpletely turns one person into another. Even personal information could be arranged. Those reced people were often people who had disappeared over ten years ago but haven¡¯t had their deaths officially announced. You could even search for these identities on the police system. Or they would imitate the KGB¡¯s methods of buying a dead baby¡¯s information from the hospitals. That way, their record was clean and there wouldn¡¯t be a problem no matter how they falsified the identity.


    ¡°How have you been recently?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Same old, same old. I¡¯m not worried about my customer base, but the police keep bothering me.¡±


    ¡°Let me show you a picture.¡± Chen Shi pulled out the wanted order from his mobile phone of a suspect thatmitted a family massacre. He stared at Dr. Yang''s face. ¡°Is he your customer?¡±


    Dr. Yang nced at the photo and shook his head with a smile, ¡°Isn''t this making things difficult for me? I can''t reveal customer information. To be able to live in peace today is thanks to me keeping my mouth shut! There are also many people who want to kill Song Lang outside. Maybe some of them have even taken your taxi. Do you want me to tell them the truth? If it¡¯s inconvenient for others, it¡¯ll be inconvenient for yourself too, Song... No, Mr. Chen!¡±


    Chen Shi pulled out another wanted warrant and continued observing Dr. Yang''s expression. He asked, ¡°What about this one?¡±


    ¡°Aiya, don''t make it difficult for me, okay? I want to live well.¡±


    ¡°What about this one?¡± Ji Chunma was the one Chen Shi showed him this time.


    ¡°I won''t tell you anything.¡±


    Although he said so with his mouth, Chen Shi already had an idea from his expression. He shouldn¡¯t have seen Ji Chunma before.


    Chen Shi took out a fourth photo. ¡°What about him?¡±


    Seeing the face in the photo, Dr. Yang''s pupils narrowed but he still shook his head. ¡°Noment!¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly became excited and grabbed Dr. Yang''s shoulder. ¡°He changed his face here?!¡±


    ¡°You have a problem? I said I have nothing to say. Don''t guess randomly!¡±


    Chen Shi released Dr. Yang and had a sense of inexplicable panic wash over him. The fourth photo was Zhou Xiao who had caused his current circumstances. It was originally reference data to test Dr. Yang, but he didn¡¯t expect this discovery.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°If you do business with this person, you have to be careful. He¡¯s a crazy dog!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, someone is backing me. I¡¯m much safer than you are.¡± Dr. Yang adjusted his clothes. ¡°I didn''t say anything. You figured it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°Take care!¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother me anymore. I have a lot of work to do.¡±


    Chen Shi left the city vige and rushed to the bureau at 11:00 AM and asked Peng Sijue what his findings were. Peng Sijue showed him two things. One was a hundred-yuan banknote from the Bank of China. This was the money that was marked in the abduction case five years ago.


    Peng Sijue pointed to the banknote in the evidence bag and said, ¡°There is a stain in the lower left corner. It¡¯s human blood. I amparing it right now.¡±


    ¡°So it was like that. There¡¯s DNA evidence that the mastermind left behind. This is undoubtedly a nuclear bomb[1]!¡± Chen Shi finally understood everything.


    ¡°Mastermind?¡±


    Chen Shi told Peng Sijue his reasoning and Peng Sijue nodded. ¡°It makes sense. But why was this bill spent?¡±


    ¡°It seems that it was identally used by the mistress, so Ji Chunma chose to kill them to prevent the police from hunting it down... What¡¯s the other thing you wanted to show me?¡±


    The second thing was the fragments found in the garbage bag at the crime scene. There were two groups of debris in total. One group seemed to be from a ceramic item. The other group was ck porcin which should be a small pot. Lin Qiupu suspected that it was an antique and they were looking for experts to appraise it.


    Additionally, some information about the victims had also been updated. Both of them should be Ji Chunma''s mistresses, but at the same time each of them had their own lovers. Their source of ie was partly from Ji Chunma and partly from their respective lovers.


    ¡°The two mistresses live under one roof. How harmonious.¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up a document issued by the task force and said, ¡°The young victim Qiuping moved in three years ago. It should be someone Ji Chunma met and raised while he was a wanted man. ording to Qiuping''s second lover, Wang Xifeng is a jar of vinegar[2] and often got angry at Qiuping. Qiuping''s grievances could only bemunicated to outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Just like a main wife and a concubine.¡±


    ¡°I think they are more like a main wife and a maid.¡±


    ¡°What about on your side?¡±


    ¡°After the autopsy, it can be estimated that Qiuping''s time of death was about 10:00 that night. Wang Xifeng''s time of death seems to be a littleter. I don''t know if this is due to the drop in liver temperature caused by the excessive bleeding, but it should not exceed 10:30. The murder weapon used on the two of them was the same. For the other details, you can read the autopsy report!¡±


    ¡°10:30?¡± Chen Shi recalled. ¡°Dog Egg arrived at the scene afterwards. Was the murderer still there?¡±


    1. Powerful/shocking evidence or news.


    2. Is someone who is easily jealous.

 Chapter 183: Secrets Behind the Facade

    <h4>Chapter 183: Secrets Behind the Facade</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Strictly speaking, this case was beyond Chen Shi''s ability. Almost all the members of the task force had to go out and find surveince footage all over the ce and interrogate witnesses. All the police officers who could be mobilized were dispatched.


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi had nothing to do and went on theputer in Peng Sijue¡¯sboratory to watch a TV series while everyone busied away.


    The appraisal and test work seemed to be calm in the eyes of outsiders, but the difficulties could only be experienced by the practitioners themselves.


    The current focus was on the suspicious DNA found on the banknote, but Peng Sijue ran a dozen tests and found no match. Seeing that he found nothing, Chen Shi took off his headset and offered, ¡°Try Jia Xingyun''s DNA!¡±


    ¡°If we had it, we¡¯d have tried it already.¡±


    ¡°Then don''t test any more until we find his sample.¡±


    Someone knocked on the door. It was a strange man wearing a dark trench coat. He said, ¡°Hello, I''m an antique appraisal specialist. Myst name is Zhang and Captain Lin called me in the morning. Why isn''t he around?¡±


    Peng Sijue replied, ¡°The item is with me. I¡¯ve only reconstructed one-third of it. Can you appraise it anyway?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure!¡±


    ¡°Please follow me!¡±


    The three got to theboratory where two police officers were busy putting together two sets of fragments on the table. The antique appraiser put on his gloves and picked up a small piece to look at. ¡°This is a new ceramic produced by a factory assembly line. Worthless.¡±


    ¡°Can we trouble you to look at the other set?¡±


    The antique appraiser held up a ck fragment and looked at it with a magnifying ss for a long time. He said, ¡°This ck ze looks like Jun porcin.¡± Then, he nced at the other pieces. ¡°The shape should be that of a small distilled-spirits bottle.¡±


    ¡°Is it an antique?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Let''s see... Huh. This should be an imitation Jun porcin of the Qing Dynasty. If it was intact, the market price would be about 100,000.¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t care about its value. He asked, ¡°Could this little wine bottle hold anything in it?¡±


    ¡°No one would do that!¡±


    ¡°I just asked whether it was possible or not. Could someone put money in it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not rmended!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of bacteria on banknotes, which may affect the appearance and therefore value of the item.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee!¡±


    After sending away the antique appraiser, Chen Shi proposed, ¡°Check if there¡¯s any bacteria on the pieces.¡±


    The results came out quickly and Peng Sijue noted, ¡°This small bottle has been filled with this banknote. The bacteria content of the two are very simr.¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°It seems that Ji Chunma used it to hold this important banknote, but identally shattered it. Wang Xifeng saw that it was a banknote, so she didn¡¯t think that it might have held any other meaning and deposited it in the bank without a second thought. She wouldn¡¯t have known that this would cause her harm in the future... No, this was broken by Dog Egg by ident.¡±


    Peng Sijue asked for rification, ¡°The little boy broke something on the 12th, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But the bank records show that the money was deposited on the 10th.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the two sets of fragments on the table, and suddenly understood, ¡°The antique was broken by Wang Xifeng herself, and the one broken by Dog Egg was the worthless decoration. Wang Xifeng secretly transferred the fragments and wanted to take advantage of Old Lady Liu.¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head. ¡°This is just your spection. Two things happened at the same ce, but they may not be rted.¡±


    ¡°There is a connection!¡± Chen Shi said with certainty. ¡°If the money was deposited on the 10th, it would no longer be in the ATM machine. Ji Chunma would not have gone crazy to withdraw and deposit money all night, exposing himself under surveince. This means that Wang Xifeng told him that the money was deposited that day, and it¡¯s logical that the item where the money was put in was framed to be broken by Dog Egg that day. She would have definitely shifted the responsibility that way.¡±


    ¡°So, does this have anything to do with the case? Or are you just trying to satisfy your desires for reasoning and have to figure out even this tiny little detail?¡±


    ¡°It''s a bit rted. Remember how the murder scene was discovered?¡±


    ¡°By their neighbor!¡±


    ¡°Was the door open or closed?¡±


    ¡°Qiupu said that it was left ajar. The neighbor had felt that something was wrong, so he opened it up to take a look inside.¡±


    ¡°Ji Chunma is such a calm killer. Would he forget to close the door before leaving? Of course not. He identally closed Dog Egg into the room. The door was opened when Dog Egg left. Dog Egg appearing there is proof to the fact that he was framed by Wang Xifeng. Although Dog Egg¡¯s family is poor, he is the sole seedling in a thousand hectares ofnd. He is loved as the only grandson at home and has never been wronged. As he was framed, making him and his grandma unable to return home, he probably couldn¡¯t hold his anger and resentment in. He went back to take revenge on Wang Xifeng that night. Probably something like peeing at the door or knocking on the door and running away. He wouldn¡¯t have expected to witness a murder scene!¡±


    ¡°The Butterfly Effect!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chen Shi nced at his watch. ¡°There doesn''t seem like there¡¯ll be any results today. Let''s get off work early and go out for dinner.¡±


    Peng Sijue was thinking about it when Chen Shi¡¯s phone rang. Lin Dongxue said on the phone, ¡°Chen Shi,e to Yihongyafu District! Jia Xingyun just met with a suspicious person!¡±


    Chen Shi turned to Peng Sijue and asked, ¡°Shall we go and join themotion?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    The two drove to Yihongyafu District, where all the members of the task force were poised as if they were about to arrest the real murderer. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The police officer who followed him said that at around 5:00PM, Jia Xingyun and someone who was all wrapped up in clothing up to his face entered this building together.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°What are you waiting for then? Unbox the gift!¡±


    ¡°But we don''t have a formal procedure for this. Is it okay to break into a private house?¡±


    ¡°There are two methods to this. One is that I rush up and you arrest me when this is all over. The other is to ambush them here and wait for them toe out.¡±


    ¡°How can youe up with such a stupid idea!¡± Lin Dongxue grumbled.


    Peng Sijue asked, ¡°Where did he park his car?¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of something and smiled. ¡°I have an even worse idea.¡±


    Twenty minutester, an urgent knock sounded on the door of Jia Xingyun''s residence. He opened the door in a dishevelled fashion and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Officer Chen? Miss Lin?¡±


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong, we¡¯vee to find you for a private matter. I identally scratched your car and asked the property manager for your address. I came up to talk aboutpensation.¡± Chen Shi smiled in pretence.


    Jia Xingyun frowned. ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°No coincidence, no book[1]...¡± Chen Shi looked into the room. ¡°Who''s inside? Your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°You don''t have the right to ask questions... But I don''t like being suspected by the police all the time. I can let you in to take a look, but please keep this a secret.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!¡±


    After entering the door, Jia Xingyun immediately closed the door behind them tightly and went to the bedroom. A ¡°beauty¡± was drinking in a bathrobe and wearing sunsses. Chen Shi noticed that she had an Adam¡¯s apple at a nce, and she seemed very familiar.


    ¡°No way!¡± Lin Dongxue eximed, ¡°Is this Jiang Yuqi, the celebrity?¡±


    The big star queried, ¡°Xingyun, are these your friends?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the police. I don''t know what they¡¯re checking, but it¡¯s really annoying.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. You¡¯d never have such ordinary friends. Jia Xingyun and I are only friends. If there is any gossip in the newspaper tomorrow about us, I will get mywyers to send you a letter.¡±


    Jiang Yuqi was a male wearing a wig. Chen Shi stared thoughtfully at the wig.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Be careful or I¡¯ll sue you for sexual harassment!¡± Jiang Yuqi scolded.


    1. It¡¯s because there¡¯s so many coincidences in life that books can be written/There are no stories without coincidences.

 Chapter 184: Dog Egg’s Testimony

    <h4>Chapter 184: Dog Egg¡¯s Testimony</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Jia Xingyun said, ¡°I''ll send them away!¡± Then, he closed the bedroom door.


    After seeing the popr custard boy[1] appearing on the bed of a rich second-generation in Long''an, Lin Dongxue was so speechless that she only asked after a while, ¡°What is your rtionship with each other?¡±


    ¡°Any rtionship of mine has nothing to do with you. Any words that characterize our rtionship will tarnish our rtionship, so I¡¯ll need to ask Miss Lin not to make any associations or connections. I need you both to say nothing about this when you get out of this door. This is just my private life. It¡¯s not something that harms the world.¡±


    Chen Shi raised his hand. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you guys. Can I borrow a bathroom?¡±


    Jia Xingyun dismissed, ¡°Don''t y this game with me. Do you want my DNA? The toilet is very dirty. I''ll just give it to you!¡±


    ¡°It really surprises me that Mr. Jia is so cooperative.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m innocent. But in exchange, I want you to tell me what you¡¯re suspecting me of.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any cotton swabs?¡±


    Jia Xingyun fetched a cotton swab and Lin Dongxue took some samples from the upper wall of his mouth and put them in the evidence bag. Then, they fulfilled their promise and told him what they were suspecting him of.


    ¡°So you suspect that I nned the kidnapping case five years ago?¡± Jia Xingyunughed out loud. ¡°I really admire your creativity!¡±


    ¡°Doubting everything is part of our job.¡± Lin Dongxue said a little heatedly.


    ¡°Good job! Good job!¡± Jia Xingyun apuded. ¡°In fact, I know who the mastermind is. If Miss Lin is willing to apany me for dinner, I can tell you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue frowned. ¡°Excuse me. Don''t you like men?¡±


    ¡°I like everything that¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Chen Shiughed at himself. ¡°It seems I wasn¡¯t born handsome enough.¡±


    Jia Xingyun gave him a disgusted look, but looking back at Lin Dongxue, his eyes softened again. ¡°Think about it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not the mastermind, but you know who it is, then this person is Lu Zhendong, right?¡± Chen Shi spected.


    Jia Xingyun''s expression was flustered for a moment. ¡°Respect! You broke through my bottom card[2].¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your valuable clues. We won¡¯t bother you any longer.¡±


    ¡°If the events of today gets out as gossip, I¡¯ll sue you!¡± Jia Xingyun reminded them once again.


    When they went downstairs, Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°Isn''t Lu Zhendong dead? What¡¯s the significance of Ji Chunma''s evidence?¡±


    ¡°You should think from the perspective of Ji Chunma. For five years, he has used this evidence to extort Lu Zhendong. While extorting him, he has his own risks to deal with too. Now that Lu Zhendong is dead, since the police still haven¡¯t found out about this at all, he hurried back to Long¡¯an to destroy the evidence. He probably thought that if he destroyed it, he could start from scratch. He wouldn¡¯t have expected that during this crucial moment...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect everything to be exposed like this!¡±


    ¡°Thest case is not over yet, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still doing post-case admin.¡±


    ¡°Then, we should look up Lu Zhendong''s finances while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    After getting back, the waiting policemen couldn''t wait to ask what was found. Chen Shi said, ¡°We made a mistake. He and his girlfriend were having a nice night together. We made a blunder.¡±


    Everyone sighed in disappointment as Chen Shi handed the DNA sample to Peng Sijue. ¡°This is Jia Xingyun''s DNA. By the way, you canpare the blood on the banknote with Lu Zhendong''s DNA.¡±


    It was almost 8:00 PM when Chen Shi got home. Old Lady Liu had fallen asleep after eating and Dog Egg was still ying games. Tao Yueyue was sitting on the sofa in the living room holding a criminal psychology book she had taken from Chen Shi¡¯s bookshelf.


    Tao Yueyue closed the book with a sigh like an adult and said, ¡°It''s so tiring being a sister. This child has too much energy.¡±


    Chen Shi walked up to the table and opened the lid on the te of leftovers. ¡°Did he say anything?¡±


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s been ying all day long. I feel that he¡¯s in a good mood but he¡¯s just not talking.¡±


    ¡°Want to go out?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring him with us!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tao Yueyue''s tone lowered suddenly.


    After having a few bites, Chen Shi went to ask Dog Egg. ¡°Dog Egg, do you want to go out for a walk with Uncle?¡±


    Dog Egg shook his head and continued to y Crossfire[3]. He was simting the sound of gunshots with his mouth.


    ¡°Then, I¡®ll just go out to eat ice cream with Yueyue. Stay at home like a good boy then. Don¡¯t wake up your grandma... Yueyue, what kind of ice cream do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a new variety that¡¯se out. It¡¯s arge ss of ice cream sprinkled with a thick coat of chocte sauce and crushed chocte in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Is it delicious? I want a cup too!¡±


    ¡°It''ll be wonderful to have a big c after eating it as well.¡±


    The two continued like this and Dog Egg was immediately tempted. He even stopped ying the game and looked at them shyly.


    Chen Shi patted him on the head and said, ¡°Be good at home. We''ll be back in a bit.¡±


    When they got dressed, Dog Egg ran out and silently held Tao Yueyue''s clothes. Chen Shi asked, ¡°You don''t want us to go?¡±


    Dog Egg shook his head.


    ¡°Do you want to go to the bathroom?¡±


    Dog Egg shook his head.


    ¡°How would I know what you want if you don¡¯t talk?¡±


    ¡°I-ice cream.¡± Dog Egg stuttered.


    ¡°Put on your clothes and we can go!¡±


    They went to a nearby fast food restaurant and the chocte sundae made Dog Egg¡¯s eyes turn into crescent-shaped moons. Tao Yueyue said, ¡°So pure. He was bribed just like that.¡±


    ¡°Fifty stepsughing at a hundred steps[4]. Let¡¯s get to business!¡± Chen Shi said. ¡°Can you tell your uncle what you saw that night in the house?¡±


    Suddenly, Dog Egg looked terrified. He stared at Chen Shi with widened eyes and his mouth covered in chocte sauce.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t? Do we really need to find a psychologist?¡±


    ¡°I''ll try and talk to him. Uncle Chen, go outside for a while.¡±


    Chen Shi went outside and watched the two children from the other side of the ss. At the beginning, Tao Yueyue was the only one talking. Slowly, Dog Egg began to talk more and more.


    After waiting for half an hour, Tao Yueyue indicated with her finger for him toe back in, so Chen Shi put out his cigarette butt and went back in. Tao Yueyue whispered, ¡°He told me. I recorded it.¡±


    Chen Shi was very happy and said to Dog Egg, ¡°Shall we go home?¡±


    Dog Egg shook his head, pointing to the children''s center in the fast food restaurant. Chen Shi said, ¡°Then, you go and y there for a while!¡±


    Dog Egg tugged at Tao Yueyue''s sleeve and said, ¡°Sister, y with me!¡±


    Tao Yueyue lied to him. ¡°Elder sister is too big. Only small children are allowed to go in there. We¡¯ll watch you from here, okay?¡±


    Dog Egg believed that it was true and ran in to y by himself.


    Tao Yueyue took out her mobile phone and yed the recording. Dog Egg¡¯s words were intermittent with some of Tao Yueyue¡¯s words mixed in.


    The contents of the recording was vaguely that Dog Egg broke a small toy that day. He remembered that it was white. Wang Xifeng yelled non-stop at him. When his grandma showed up, the pieces on the ground turned ck and Wang Xifeng said it was an antique worth a lot of money.


    Because the bad woman was lying, he was beaten by his grandma. Dog Egg was so angry that he broke a bunch of small cups on the table and ran away.


    At night, he and his grandma could only spend the night in a small, cold, and bright house. Dog Egg thought that all of this was caused by the bad woman. The ce they were at was very close to the bad woman''s house, so he snuck into themunity when his grandma fell asleep.


    From his memory, he found the bad woman''s house. He wanted to get revenge on her, but he didn''t expect that the door was not closed. He pushed the door open a little and smelled a heavy smell in the room. The bad womany on the ground with widened eyes...


    1. Young man but not ssically masculine. Almost a bit feminine.


    2. He saw right through him.


    3. Online tactical FPS game. Released by Tencent Games in 2008. Like Counterstrike.


    4. An expression that is the equivalent to the English phrase of ¡°a pot calling the kettle ck¡±.

 Chapter 185: Brother Dressed as a Woman

    <h4>Chapter 185: Brother Dressed as a Woman</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Dog Egg didn''t know if the bad woman had fallen. He stared at the bad woman for a long time, but the bad woman didn¡¯t move at all, so he boldly went inside.


    "His concept of death is still very vague," Chen Shi interjected.


    Then, Dog Egg had an idea. The bad woman had money at home. If he stole some money, his grandma wouldn¡¯t have to sleep in the cold, hard, and little house. He silently snuck into the bedroom while walking past the blood on the ground.


    Dog Egg found Aunty Pingzi on the ground as well. Dog Egg thought that Aunty Pingzi was a good person, so he went up and shook her to wake up. That¡¯s why he had a whole hand full of red stuff.


    Suddenly, footsteps came from the living room. Dog Egg was terrified. He wiped his hand on the furniture and hid in the gap between the bed and the window.


    A person walked in humming a song, and the movement of his foot on the floor was clearly visible to Dog Egg. At that moment, he was very afraid and his tears kept flowing while he held his mouth with his hands. He wanted to scream for his grandma very loudly at the time.


    Then, he heard the sound of something being cut. After that, the person left. Dog Egg quietly looked up to make sure the person was gone.


    However, he didn''t know whether the person was gone or still in the house. He got under the bed on his stomach and didn¡¯t dare move an inch.


    The house was extremely quiet. He could clearly hear the sound of cooking in the kitchen, and then the sound of slurping, like someone was eating noodles. In the midst of that, the person said a few things. He thought they said, ¡°Fucking bitch, I told you not to touch that!¡±


    Then, there was the rustling kind of sound whichsted for a while. After, there was the sound of something burning and crackling. There was a very intense smoke, so Dog Egg covered his mouth and dared not to cough.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long it took, but finally there was a loud closing noise outside and then the room was quiet. It was then that Dog Egg finally dared toe out of his hiding ce. He found Aunty Pingzi¡¯s leg had a piece of meat cut off. It was very red and scary.


    He shook her a few more times. When he thought about how the bad guy might return, he quickly opened the door and ran away.


    Later, he met his grandma, who had walked into the neighborhood to find him at the time.


    Tao Yueyue turned off the recording. Most of this recording was simr to the police''s spection based on the crime scene, except for the rustle heard by Dog Egg.


    Chen Shi called, "Dog Egg, let¡¯s go home!"


    When they got home, Dog Egg was going to go back to y the game again. Chen Shi grabbed him and asked, "Do you want to eat ice cream again tomorrow?"


    Dog Egg nodded.


    "Then, answer one of uncle¡¯s questions. You don''t have to talk. Just nod or shake your head."


    Dog Egg hesitated, but nodded.


    Chen Shi walked to the curtain and rubbed it with his hands, asking, "Is this the rustle you heard?"


    Dog Egg shook his head.


    Chen Shi tore a page off the calendar and rubbed it in his hand, "What about this?"


    Dog Egg still shook his hand.


    Tao Yueyue took out a pencil and wrote on a book. Chen Shi said, "This?"


    He shook his head.


    They tried everything in the room, but Dog Egg continued to shake his head. Chen Shi touched his chin to think out of habit and he felt the stubble that he hadn¡¯t shaved in days. He immediately understood and went to the bathroom. He put on shaving cream and then shaved his beard as he asked, ¡°Was it this?¡±


    Dog Egg nodded desperately.


    "How long did the rustling soundst for? I¡¯ll continue to shave now, and you count the time."


    After shaving his beard, Chen Shi asked, "Was it longer than this?"


    Dog Egg nodded.


    Chen Shiughed. "Get it! I get it! That''s it!"


    He immediately sent a few messages to the task force. He didn''t sleep very much that night. He woke up the next day and rushed to the bureau. Peng Sijue asked, "What did you send in the groupst night? Why should we investigate cosmetics and wigs bought by the victims?¡±


    "Have you checked it?"


    "Captain Lin took someone to check it early in the morning. He takes your opinion very seriously these days."


    "Good pupil. How are you doing on your end?"


    Peng Sijue held up a document. "DNAparison results. The blood on the banknote and Lu Zhendong''s DNA are a 100% match!"


    Chen Shi closed his eyes and raised his head. "The moment when the truth is revealed, it''s like seeing the truth of the universe!"


    "Someone who didn¡¯t get any sleep might not think that way.¡±


    "Are you talking about me? Are you free to apany me to the crime scene?"


    After getting in the car, Chen Shi took out a can of Red Bull from the glove box and gave it to Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue opened the can and asked, "The kidnapping case five years ago was all nned by Lu Zhendong?"


    "No, the original investigation was not wrong. The kidnapping case was self-directed by Lu Zhenjie, but Lu Zhendong pushed the boat along the current and bought one of them, turning the fake kidnapping into a real kidnapping!¡±


    "What¡¯s his motivation behind that?"


    "In order to get the love of his father! Isn''t it strange that I say this? Put another way, do you know how much Old Man Lu loves his second son? Looking at the past news, we know how ridiculous his second son was. But no matter what he did, the old man could justugh it off. But he doesn''t seem to do the same with Lu Zhendong, as if he wasn¡¯t Old Man Lu¡¯s biological son. He gave him various strict requirements... Their father¡¯s favoritism caused this tragedy.¡±


    "Fathers shouldn''t y a role in spoiling children."


    "That''s right. This pair of brother¡¯s mother is the father¡¯s ex-wife from three marriages ago, and he was never part of their growth at all.¡±


    When they got to the crime scene, the ce had already been cleaned briefly. The blood was gone and some tedbels had been ced around the house. Chen Shi first verified Dog Egg¡¯s testimony. Sure enough, he could find the traces from Dog Egg hiding under the bed.


    Then, he opened the toilet. The ashes in the toilet were gone, but there were still marks on the inner wall of the toilet.


    Chen Shi asked, "What about the burnt items?"


    Peng Sijue replied. "We took it back for testing. There are no clues, so I threw it in the evidence room."


    "Dog Egg said that he heard rustling that night. After repeated inquiries, I have determined that the rustle was the sound of shaving."


    "Shaving?"


    Chen Shi took out a trash can, put a stic bag in it, and then unscrewed the pipes under the wash basin. As the sewage flowed out, some fine hair fell into the bag. Of course, this was only a small part. There was much more where that came from.


    Chen Shi took the absorbent paper from the kitchen and put a thickyer down before pouring out the contents of the stic bag.


    Peng Sijue pulled out a fold-out magnifying ss and began to study the hairs. "The cuts are neat and smooth. It was shaved off. Besides the beard, there are some other hairs... This needs to be brought back for further tests.¡±


    "Why not reason first?"


    "In terms of thickness and how it bends, this should be... Leg hair! Chest hair!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "The killer carefully killed the victims, carefully shaved the hair on his body, and then burned some of the cosmetics and wigs. In fact, the purpose of burning these things was to cover up one thing: He took some of them away.¡±


    "Shaving, wigs, cosmetics, don''t tell me..."


    "The murderer is dressed as a woman!" Chen Shi concluded. "That''s why we searched so hard and found nothing for it."

 Chapter 186: See Each Other Again in the Next Life

    <h4>Chapter 186: See Each Other Again in the Next Life</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On this day, everyone tried to confirm whether Chen Shi''s reasoning was true.


    They all re-checked the surveince footage. There wasn¡¯t any suspicious ¡°woman¡± leaving themunity that night. It seemed like the killer had a way to avoid surveince.


    All the hair in the pipes was identified as belonging to Ji Chunma.


    After checking the online shopping ounts of the two victims andparing it with the burned wigs and cosmetics, it was found that lipstick, foundation, eyebrow pencils, and false eyshes were missing from the crime scene. In addition to all of these, there was a long, ck, and curly wig not found.


    The police immediately revised the wanted order and focused on investigating more than a dozen wig sellers and clothing stores in the city.


    The arrest of a wanted man was different from solving a case. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Old Lady Liu imed something had happened at home. After obtaining the police¡¯s consent, she left with the reluctant Dog Egg.


    Then, Tao Yueyue started school again.


    On this day, Chen Shi and some members of the task force ate together. Lin Dongxueined, "It''s so tiring to catch someone. Every day, I stop fat, middle-aged women on the street to ask questions. It¡¯s so tiresome."


    Xu Xiaodong echoed her sentiments. "Also, there are so many men dressed as women in the bureau every day. I¡¯ll be damned. It¡¯s an eye-opener! I caught a few from the park who were selling themselves the other day. All of them were men. I asked them how they dealt with transactions out of curiosity and they told me that it was a trade secret. There was also a man in woman¡¯s clothing who wore silicone breast inserts that looked like they were real. There was even a man who looked more beautiful than biological females. I might have to bend[1], okay? I¡¯m now suspecting how many of the girls walking on the street are really females.¡±


    Old Zhang said, "That guy appeared in the surveince footage of several clothing stores, but he could never be found. He¡¯s too slippery. He is indeed a wanted criminal who has been missing for five years. Little Chen, do you have any good ideas?"


    "I really don¡¯t this time. It depends on our luck. It¡¯s always been hard work finding people... I¡¯ll take my leave first. I have to go and pick Tao Yueyue up.¡±


    Today was the first day of school. After picking her up, Chen Shi was looking around the whole time. Tao Yueyue asked suddenly, "Uncle Chen, do you like fat women?"


    "What?"


    "You''ve been watching the fat aunties on the road."


    "The police are catching a ''fat aunt'' right now. I''m trying to pay attention when I see people of that description."


    "Is it that person?" Tao Yueyue pointed at a blonde, big-breasted aunty who sported a small bag over her shoulder as she walked along the road slowly.


    Chen Shi passed by this aunty and nced at them from the rear-view mirror. Suddenly, he had a feeling the aunty was a bit like the wanted criminal, Ji Chunma. He said, ¡°I need to turn around up ahead.¡±


    "Is that her?"


    "Not sure. If it is, I¡¯ll gesture it to you. You¡¯ll need to get out of the car immediately.¡±


    "You¡¯re going to fight her?"


    "I n to die together."


    "Liar!"


    After turning around, Chen Shi slowly drove the car next to the fat aunty, rolled down the window and said, "Sister, are you going by car?"


    The person looked Chen Shi¡¯s car up and down and said, "Are you a taxi?"


    Listening to her voice, it was obvious that she deliberately suppressed her voice. Looking at her face, it was too simr to Ji Chunma, so the probability of this person being Ji Chunma was quite high.


    Today is really fortunate, he thought to himself.


    "Private taxi." Chen Shi replied.


    Ji Chunma looked suspiciously at him and asked, "How much does it cost to go to Caodianzhuang?¡±


    "Fifty!"


    "Fine."


    Ji Chunma got into the car and saw Tao Yueyue in the front passenger seat. He asked, "Why is there a child here as well? If you want me to share a car, you have to make it cheaper for me."


    "No, this is my daughter."


    Ji Chunma stopped talking and looked down at his phone.


    Chen Shi started the car. When passing a certain street, there was a police investigation on the road. Ji Chunma suddenly panicked and said, "Don''t go this way. Change to another route!"


    "Okay, let me do a U-turn."


    Chen Shi made a gesture and Tao Yueyue immediately pushed the door and got out of the car. Chen Shi quickly pulled out the key and got off the other side. Ji Chunma realized that something was wrong and was ready to push the door to get out as well when he realized that he was locked in. With a fierce expression, his voice became rough. "What is the meaning of this?"


    "Officers, there¡¯s a wanted criminal here!¡± Chen Shi shouted.


    Seeing the police running over, Ji Chunma mmed into the door creating a gap. The car was stopped in the middle of the road, so there was a lot of honking.


    With a bang, Ji Chunma mmed out of the car door and fell to the ground. He dropped his ID, mobile phone, and a knife from his bag. He grabbed the knife and was ready to fight like a trapped beast. Chen Shi kicked him in the face and the wig on his head flew off.


    The impact felt from the soles of his shoe told Chen Shi that he loosened one of Ji Chunma¡¯s teeth.


    "Stinking driver, I¡¯ll fuck you up!" Ji Chunma yelled in anger, as spectators gathered around them, adding an obstacle to the police who wereing from a distance.


    Tao Yueyue grabbed a handful of soil from the roadside flowerbed and threw it at Ji Chunma''s face and mouth. Ji Chunma screamed, "I¡¯ll ughter you! What do you think you¡¯re looking at? I¡¯m a murderer!¡±


    "Looks like we were right." Chen Shi grabbed a public bike from the roadside and smashed it on Ji Chunma''s head. Weapons are stronger with every inch they¡¯re longer by. Ji Chunma''s knife was no use at all.


    Chen Shi continued to use the bicycle to beat him time after time and Ji Chunma''s fat body couldn''t get up at all. He could only keep swearing and spitting out unpleasant, threatening words. When fighting, both parties have two hands and feet. Thus, they had to rely on tools to gain advantages for themselves. Humans were animals that naturally required tools to begin with, so it wasn¡¯t shameful to do so.


    These were the ¡°martial arts¡± that Chen Shi learned from the streets.


    The bicycle suppressed Ji Chunma. Many spectators pulled out their mobile phones and began to capture the scene. Chen Shi thought, Oh no. I¡¯ve shown my face.


    The police finally arrived and put handcuffs on Ji Chunma. When they were ready to thank the driver who had helped them out, they found that the driver was already gone.


    Chen Shi drove the car directly to the city bureau and rushed in with Tao Yueyue. Lin Dongxue had not finished work and asked, "Where is Ji Chunma? The righteous driver wasn¡¯t you, was it?¡±


    "It was me!"


    "I knew it. Who else would be so brave... People are on their way escorting him back. They should be back in a bit.¡±


    "Can you help me a little? The situation at the time was urgent and many witnesses caught videos of me. Can the policee forward to delete the posts and videos on Weibo? I don¡¯t want to be famous."


    "You''re really low-key, huh? Okay, I''ll tell my brother."


    Upon hearing that Ji Chunma was arrested. The policemen all came out to "greet" him at the door. A police car drove up and Ji Chunma who had soil and dust all over his face was escorted in. He was still wearing women''s clothing, but his wig was long gone.


    "It really is him!"


    "That''s great! The case is finally closed!" The group was extremely happy.


    Ji Chunma saw Chen Shi within the crowd and suddenly his face became fierce. "Smelly driver, so you¡¯re a police officer!"


    "I''m a friend of the police."


    "Good cunt. Wait until Ie out and I¡¯ll strangle you to death!¡±


    "You have at least five lives on your hands and the evidence is sufficient. I can only say that I hope to see you in the next life."


    1. Turn gay.

 Chapter 187: Ji Chunma’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 187: Ji Chunma''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the interrogation room, Ji Chunma ate arge boxed lunch and exined his crimes in fives and tens[1].


    He was originally a rich second generation, but his family suddenly went bankrupt. One day, his father drank too much and cut his arteries with a small knife. He then sat in the only luxury car that hadn¡¯t been confiscated by the bank and raced the car around for around ten kilometers. He had wanted to see if he would die from blood loss or from a car crash first. Ji Chunma didn''t even know how his father died in the end, but he hated his father for putting on a show and messing up the only luxury car he could have used to pick up girls.


    He had nothing left except for the stinking problem of spending money. It was impossible to work. It would be impossible to work in this life.


    Therefore, he could only rely on his friends to help him. The people he was closest to were the Lu family¡¯s brothers, particrly the second son. The second son was known as the Lord Meng Chang[2] of Long¡¯an City, who made lots of friends and had a magnificent personality. Although he was infamous for being a spoiled brat, both men and women loved him.


    The second son of the Lu family once said that he didn''t care that his friends were poorer than him. No matter how rich they were, they were poorpared to him anyway.


    Ji Chunma acted like a bootlicker, eating and drinking with the second son all day long. Later on, Lu Zhendong sought him out in hopes that Ji Chunma would do something for him. Yes, Lu Zhendong asked him to y Infernal Affairs[3] and report back on his brother¡¯s affairs.


    Relying on these small reports, Ji Chunma received a considerable ie. Later, Lu Zhendong''s conditions increased. He was asked to betray Lu Zhenjie and call the paparazzi and reporters whenever Lu Zhenjie was ying around with female celebrities or when he drove into someone with his car. When he impulsively decided to dive into the realm of rock and roll, Ji Chunma was instructed by Lu Zhendong to hide a pack of heroin in the hotel where Lu Zhenjie lived and then call the police.


    However, no matter how much he worked against him, the second son had all of his father¡¯s never-ending love for him and him alone.


    However, drug-use was a bit out of line. Old Man Lu was afraid that his baby boy would stray on the wrong path, so he banned his son from ying with bands and sent him to a drug rehabilitation center to control his finances.


    In those few months, the second son had no money to spend. He was so anxious that he didn¡¯t know what to do with himself. That was when he came up with the idea of kidnapping. He persuaded several friends around him to participate, including Ji Chunma. The second son vowed to ensure that even if they were exposed by the police, he would tell them that it was not really a kidnapping. He would protect them all if that were to happen.


    Everyone started this farce for money. At this time, Lu Zhendong contacted Ji Chunma and instructed him to do something for him.


    Ji Chunma was frightened. He used to only create trouble in secret. Now, Lu Zhendong actually told him to kill the younger brother and turn the fake kidnapping into a real one. However, he still sumbed to the heavenly price offered by Lu Zhendong.


    After all, Ji Chunma¡¯s limbs weren¡¯t diligent[4] and was alwayscking money.


    The n went smoothly. Lu Zhendong also participated in the murder at the time. The tools were brought by him. During the process of killing those involved, because one of the victims was struggling, a drop of Lu Zhendong''s blood fell on the ransom money.


    Ji Chunma took and hid the money as evidence to threaten Lu Zhendong in the future.


    Of course, the six million ransom couldn¡¯t be spent because Lu Zhendong overheard the police¡¯s conversation. Hundreds of marked banknotes were hidden amongst the ransom money. All the money was burned, except for the bill in Ji Chunma''s hands, which he kept as key evidence.


    They thought that things were just going to blow over, but they didn¡¯t expect that there would be a powerful foe in the police who worked out the whole thing and suddenly suspected Ji Chunma. On the day the police car came to arrest him, Ji Chunma jumped out of the window to escape. He ran for more than ten miles with the help of God-given adrenaline and fled to the suburbs.


    Ji Chunma was very resentful during the bitter days of hiding in the suburbs. He wondered how Lu Zhendong made it seem like his sleeves were empty[5]. Thus, he called Lu Zhendong and said that he had a specially marked banknote stained with his blood. If he had nowhere left to go, he would turn himself in and bring Lu Zhendong down with him. The blood on the note couldn¡¯t be exined away.


    Lu Zhendong could only pay him money, help him prepare fake documents, vehicles, and provide some material assistance.


    Although he had a rough time being a fugitive, he was happy that he received money. Ji Chunma had never been too far away from Long''an City. He wandered around the surrounding suburbs and asionally returned to try his hometown snacks.


    Gradually, it seemed that things were blowing over and the police weren¡¯t out to arrest him as earnestly. He found a lover and continued to ckmail Lu Zhendong while buying property and saving money using the name of his lover.


    Later, he found another mistress. Wang Xifeng as the ¡°main wife¡± was very unhappy, but she couldn¡¯t fend herself from his beatings, so she finally agreed to live together.


    Whenever Ji Chunma returned, he would find both mistresses were happy and cheerful. In fact, he knew that these two women were very dishonest behind his back, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was a financial transaction to begin with and he was very rich!


    After running for five years, he worked out a set of rules, and knew when the police were vignt and when they were loose with their investigations. He¡¯d return when the coast was clear and he¡¯d hide out in the countryside while things were hectic.


    Some time ago, he saw Lu Zhendong had been killed in the news. He was both shocked and relieved. This dangerous extortion rtionship was finally over. The money he had on hand should be enough for him to live for a long time. He nned to return to Long''an. After destroying that banknote, he¡¯d be able to live at home in the future with two women apanying him.


    What he didn¡¯t expect upon his return was for Wang Xifeng to tell him that the antique holding the banknote was identally broken. Ji Chunma widened his eyes and asked, "What about the money inside?"


    Wang Xifeng said, "You mean the dirty one hundred yuan? I deposited it in the ATM."


    Ji Chunma was extremely angry, but he went to the ATM to try and withdraw the money. He couldn''t find it. He knew it was all over for him. Then again, it might not be over, since he was an expert in escaping now.


    The police would find Wang Xifeng through the money and Wang Xifeng knew too much about him. Wang Xifeng must die!


    As for the second mistress, Qiuping, he couldn¡¯t let her live either. He could only say that she was unlucky.


    Ji Chunma went home with a stern face and Wang Xifeng didn¡¯t know she was about to die. She kept asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay? Why won¡¯t you talk?!¡±


    Ji Chunma grabbed Qiuping and kept having sex with her over and over again. After all, he hadn''t touched a woman during this whole time. He was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to do so for a long time after this. Why didn¡¯t he find Wang Xifeng to have sex with? First, Qiuping was younger and more beautiful. Second, he was afraid that his anger would burst and he would end up killing Wang Xifeng before he could get anything done.


    After pleasuring himself, Ji Chunma grabbed a fruit knife and cut Qiuping''s throat. When he went out of the room, Wang Xifeng saw the blood on his body and screamed before trying to escape.


    Ji Chunma stabbed her from the back with the knife. After she fell to the ground, he repeatedly stabbed her and vented his anger. This was the woman who ruined the possibility of his new start in life.


    After killing them, Ji Chunma was a bit hungry and went to the kitchen to find food. This woman really didn¡¯t know how to take care of the ce. There was nothing to eat in the kitchen. The refrigerator was full of fucking face masks. He saw a bag of dried goods on the ground and found a bag of noodles in the cab, but there wasn¡¯t any meat around.


    From a young age, he was someone who didn¡¯t like anything without meat.


    After thinking about it for a while, Qiuping''s young and tender meat seemed quite good. He went into the bedroom and cut a piece of meat off her leg, then cut it up into shreds. He made a bowl of aromatic preserved vegetable and meat noodles.


    After filling himself up, he began to implement his perfect escape n. If it weren¡¯t for the police freezing Wang Xifeng''s credit card, or Lu Zhendong''s death that cut off his financial resources, or the asshole driver that recognized him...


    "You wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch me if they didn¡¯t die!" Ji Chunma sneered at the end of his confession.


    1. In full detail.


    2. In Chinese history, this person was very generous and spent a lot of money on his friends. At one stage, he apparently had 3,000 people going over to his ce for a feast.


    3. Movie about someone infiltrating the triad. Undercover movie.


    4. An expression that means that someone isn¡¯t hardworking in any part of his body. These people usually only know how to unt their wealth, eat, drink and y around.


    5. An expression that describes how people made it seem like they had nothing to do with an event. This was derived from ancient times, where everyone wore clothing withrge sleeves that acted as pockets. The expression suggests that there¡¯s something within his sleeves, but he was somehow able to make it seem like his sleeves were empty.

 Chapter 188: Humiliated by Money

    <h4>Chapter 188: Humiliated by Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Watch what you say!" Chen Shi, who was scolded as an "asshole driver" looked up.


    "I said asshole driver! Asshole driver! Asshole driver! What are you gonna do? Hit me?" Ji Chunma said as the fat on his cheeks jiggled.


    Chen Shi rolled up his sleeves. "I''m not a policeman, so it doesn¡¯t matter even if I hit you... But I won¡¯t. Since you¡¯re all fair and chubby, people will see to you in prison anyway.¡±


    Ji Chunma went pale for a moment, but thenforted himself immediately. "I¡¯m a murderer and have the highest status in prison. Only I can take care of others."


    "I want to ask you about a minor detail. Wang Xifeng didn¡¯t know you were a wanted criminal?"


    "She knew! But she thought I was wanted for tax evasion or something. She¡¯s a silly woman who doesn''t care as long as she has money to spend."


    "The three people you killed five years ago were obviously murdered sloppily, but this time it seemed skilled and detached. Were there any other experiences in thesest five years? I mean, do you have other cases that rte to you?"


    "Oh! I won''t say!"


    "Why not?"


    "This is the wisdom of criminals. I can stay in the prison and when I feel like having some meat, I¡¯ll give you some info to help increase your crime solving rates.¡±


    "You can say anything you want! I don''t care either way." Chen Shi turned his head around and asked Lin Dongxue, "Is there anything you¡¯d like to add?"


    "The case is well-documented and has plenty of evidence. We may bring him back to the crime scene tomorrow to re-enact the murder. Then, we¡¯ll wait for his trial.¡±


    "I will cooperate with you all," Ji Chunma said. "I can¡¯t wait for the death penalty! I¡¯m forty this year. I¡¯ve enjoyed everything that I need to, so I have no regrets. I don¡¯t want my delicate body to suffer in prison. I can¡¯t wait to die and reincarnate as a rich second generation in my next life.¡±


    "You¡¯re like a dead pig who isn¡¯t afraid of boiling water[1]." Chen Shi praised.


    "You can say whatever you like. My life has been like Cao Xueqin¡¯s[2]. Dream of Red Mansions? Psh, my life is much richer than that."


    "If Cao Xueqin heard that, he¡¯d probably want to crawl out from his coffin toe and punch you,¡± Chen Shi said. "Ah, yes. Since you want to die so fast, why not tell us about a few more cases to try and get a heavier sentence? It¡¯s a bad time waiting for you in the prison. There¡¯s no meat to eat there.¡±


    Ji Chunma muttered to himself and then looked at the empty lunch box in his hand. "Give me another one and I''ll tell you about a few people I killed in 2014."


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi left the interrogation room and let another batch of interrogators grill him. After leaving, Lin Dongxue nced back at the surveince monitor and said, "Look at his proud and arrogant face when he speaks! He¡¯s an animal!¡±


    "That¡¯s an apt description. In order to attain his desires, he¡¯ll do anything to get by. He¡¯s no different from an animal."


    Lin Dongxue was disgusted when she saw this fat man, but she wasn¡¯t disgusted for long. They transferred him to a detention center to wait for the legal procedures.


    Half a monthter, Chen Shi went to see Lu Qixing and told him that the real murderer had been arrested. After hearing the truth, Lu Qixing shook his head and sighed. "We can¡¯t do anything since things havee to this. In the end... It was all Zhendong¡¯s fault!¡±


    "I won¡¯t apany you to analyze who was responsible. I¡¯ll take my leave."


    "Wait a minute. What''s the date today?"


    "March 15th."


    "Asshole, you did it deliberately, right?! I demanded that the killer needed to be caught in thirty days, but you came to tell me on the thirty-first day!¡±


    "Oh really?" Chen Shi acted surprised, "I was so busy that I forgot. It seems like I really don¡¯t have the luck for side fortunes. Please keep the five million for yourself!¡±


    When Chen Shi left, Old Man Lu threw things angrily behind him. "Nobody puts me in their sights! Is it my fault that I have money?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Old Man Lu''s still felt ufortable over this matter. The next day, Chen Shi was called in by Lin Qiupu. Chen Shi found that there were a few brand-new police cars in the yard and asked, "The team¡¯s rich now?"


    "I also wanted to ask you about this. Why did Old Man Lu suddenly send us police cars? In addition, he asked me to give you this."


    Lin Qiupu took out an envelope with a check for 500,000 yuan and a message saying, "Fake clear high, I won¡¯t let you clear high! You won¡¯t take 5 million, but you need to hold onto this half a million. Otherwise I¡¯ll post all over the news to thank you!¡±


    Thest sentence cut into Chen Shi''s weak spot and he smiled bitterly. "This is not my sole credit."


    "Hmm? You¡¯re rich!" Lin Qiupu nced at the letter. "Why didn''t I encounter such a good thing? I want someone rich to humiliate me with money too."


    "I¡¯ll do that right now. If you call me ¡®senior¡¯, I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± Chen Shi patted Lin Qiupu¡¯s face with the check.


    "Get lost! When ites to the word ''senior'', there¡¯s only one person in my mind!"


    "Are you going to say it or not? It¡¯s 500,000!"


    "Shameless goods..." As soon as he thought that this paper was a down payment for a house, Lin Qiupu was tempted. "Sen..."


    "I retract it!" Chen Shi halted him in time. "I was just testing Captain Lin a little bit. It seems that you are a good officer who won¡¯t be defeated by sugar-coated shells!"


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that he couldn''t speak.


    Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. "Let everyone know that I¡¯ll treat them to dinner at night."


    Lin Qiupu said, "You can save your money. I¡¯ll tell you some good news. My sister has just been promoted to the second rank.¡±


    1. A dead pig isn¡¯t scared of boiling water as they can¡¯t feel anything anyway.


    2. The author of Dream of Red Mansions. The Dream of Red Mansions is believed to be an urate, real-life depiction of his own life as they bear a lot of simrities. In this, I believe the author is trying to say that if he¡¯s the one writing the story, it would be a lot richer than Cao Xueqin¡¯s, who lived a rich life as well.

 Chapter 189: Lin Dongxue Moves House

    <h4>Chapter 189: Lin Dongxue Moves House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 13: Last Return


    February 24th; today was the Lantern Festival[1]. Lin Qiupu told everyone to go home early to spend time with their families.


    Lin Dongxue was thinking about a certain detail of the case she was working on while walking home. As she reached her door, she suddenly eximed, ¡°Oh no!¡±


    A few days ago, thendlord had said that her son had been released from prison early and she wanted to take the house she was renting back for him. As an apology, thendlord was willing to refund half a year¡¯s worth of rent. The agreed date for her to move out was today, but she had been so busy the past two days that shepletely forgot about it and didn¡¯t contact a movingpany.


    She opened the door and took a final look at the ce she had rented for the past five years. She felt a little bit reluctant to let this ce go, but she still looked up the phone numbers of several movingpanies. Unfortunately, the other parties all told her that she¡¯d need to make an appointment as they were unable to provide her with their services today.


    Lin Dongxue held her cell phone pondering what she should do for a while. The amount of things she had could not be ssified as plentiful nor minimal. Who can I ask for help?


    Xu Xiaodong? She¡¯d hate to disturb his private life.


    Lin Qiupu? If her brother knew that thendlord had breached the contract, he woulde all the way over to talk about it. It would turn very unpleasant, so she didn¡¯t want to go down that road.


    In the end, only Chen Shi was left. Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. Besides the little police circle she worked with, she didn¡¯t have a single friend to ask for help.


    She called Chen Shi and he asked, ¡°Have you found a new ce?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll have to find a cheap motel first and then slowly find the right ce.¡±


    ¡°Then, you should pack up. I''ll be right there.¡±


    Lin Dongxue had just begun to pack her things when there was a knock downstairs apanied by some shouting. ¡°I was released after serving a full sentence! Those ces don''t want me at all! Don''t beg for help everywhere!¡±


    Half a minuteter, a middle-aged man with a shaved head wearing a military-green jacket appeared in front of Lin Dongxue''s door. Lin Dongxue was a bit surprised as she was just about to carry out a box of her things.


    ¡°I... I thought you had already moved away,¡± the man said embarrassedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just about to move!¡±


    ¡°Aiya, aiya. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no need.¡±


    The man moved Lin Dongxue¡¯s things to the staircase for her, making Lin Dongxue very embarrassed. The man apologized, ¡°I''m really sorry. I came back so suddenly and forced you to move.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. No problem.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear everything just now? People won¡¯t ept someone like me. My mother used herwork to beg everywhere to find a job for me, but everyone just refused her in a roundabout manner. She had to use her hot face to rub on their cold asses[2]. When I see that, it really hurts.¡± As he was saying this, his eyes became red.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know how tofort him. ¡°You can try frence work, such as opening an online shop or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± He responded faintly and went to the house to continue moving everything. In one of the boxes, he saw a textbook from the police academy and asked in surprise, ¡°Miss, what do you do for a living?¡±


    ¡°I''m a police officer.¡±


    ¡°Criminal police?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will you look down on someone like me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue paused and said, ¡°I remember your mother said that you were in for manughter, right?¡±


    He sat down in a small chair with his head down. ¡°This is the sentence they gave me in court. In prison, there wasn¡¯t a day that I didn¡¯t regret that. When people are young, they will do stupid things. However, they make up for it with a lifetime.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯ve regained your freedom, so cherish it now. You¡¯re only in your thirties, so that¡¯s not too old.¡±


    He smiled bitterly again as he looked up at Lin Dongxue. His line of sight made Lin Dongxue a little scared. He said, ¡°My name is Wu Xu, how about you?¡±


    ¡°Lin Dongxue.¡±


    ¡°I know this is a bit sudden and it¡¯s difficult to say, but can you do me a favor...¡± Wu Xu stuttered. ¡°I... I haven''t touched a woman for over a decade.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Lin Dongxue backed away in shock.


    ¡°No, no, don''t get me wrong. I meant to ask if you can touch my head? You can refuse. I don¡¯t want to force people to do something they don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s first reaction was to refuse. However, when she thought about her profession, she realized she was a criminal police officer, part of the same group who sent him to prison. If even the criminal police avoided him, then wouldn¡¯t the words ¡°epting transformation and reform¡± be just empty words?


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    Wu Xu epted and put his head towards her. Lin Dongxue stroked his short hair on the scalp, and his posture was like a monk kneeling down in confession. In order to disperse the embarrassing and awkward air, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Don''t take the wrong way, alright? I know you''ll be facing a hard time, but you have to pull through so you don¡¯t make your mother sad.¡±


    Wu Xu nodded and cried, ¡°Thank you, Miss.¡±


    There was a car honking outside and Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I have to go. You take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help you move things.¡±


    A small truck drove by downstairs. The driver was actually Chen Shi. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Why did you drive a truck over?¡±


    ¡°I borrowed it from a friend.¡± Wu Xu, who got out of the house and rushed to move things with Lin Dongxue, said, ¡°Brother, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡±


    After getting in the car, Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and live at my house for a few days? There¡¯s a bed there anyway. That way, you can take your time in finding a ce!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. Since Tao Yueyue was there, it didn¡¯t count as a man and woman being in a space alone. Additionally, she was only going to stay a few days. She asked, ¡°Do I need to pay rent?¡±


    ¡°Haha, am I such a stranger? Just treat me and Yueyue to dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even moved ces yet and I need to treat you to dinner? Fine, fine. I¡¯ll invite you guys to eat grilled fish!¡±


    That night, everyone in the task force went home to spend time with their families. Lin Qiupu finished processing several documents in the office, drank the coffee that had already grown cold in the cup, packed up, and got ready to go home. At this time, there was an internal call that had been transferred over from the emergency hotline center.


    The person over the phone said, ¡°Captain Lin, I just received a call from the local police station reporting calls for help and the sound of fighting at the electroting factory ntmunity in Shuangta Road. The police went and found the body of a middle-aged man.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let me handle it!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Qiupu wanted to call someone. However, after thinking about it, he decided to handle it by himself. Today was the Lantern Festival and he wanted everyone to rest.


    He passed by the forensic department and sure enough, Peng Sijue was still working overtime. Lin Qiupu interrupted, ¡°Old Peng, there is a murder case. Come with me!¡±


    An hourter, the two arrived at the scene where three policemen stood by a door. The policemen briefly described the situation when the body was found. When they entered the house, they saw a blood-stained man lying on the ground in a mess. ¡°It''s really sad!¡± Peng Sijuemented.


    ¡°Yeah, a bachelor was killed at home alone.¡±


    ¡°No, I meant us two bachelors investigating here during the Lantern Festival.¡±


    ¡°When did you get so emotional? Let¡¯s get to work!¡±


    The local police had already verified that the deceased was Zhou Taiyang, a 56 year old employee of the former state-owned electroting factory. After the factory closed, he worked in a private electroting factory.


    He was once married, but had no children and divorced shortly after. Since then, he¡¯d been a bachelor.


    Lin Qiupu took out a digital camera to take photos. Peng Sijue cut the thin clothes that the victim wore and found that he was covered in criss-crosses of bruises, which should have been left by a stick or a belt.


    In addition, the pants were half-removed, exposing a buttocks full of hemorrhoids. Peng Sijue saw some sticky substance near the victim¡¯s anus.


    He dipped a cotton swab on it, took a closer look and said, ¡°It seems to be a lubricant.¡±


    Peng Sijue also noted that close to the neck and ears, there were burns that were received while the victim was alive. There was a soldering iron thrown on the ground not far from the corpse with obvious burnt human tissue on it.


    ¡°Could it be sexual abuse?¡± Lin Qiupu guessed.


    1. I understand that thest chapter (188) mentioned the date was March 15th. This was most likely a shback.


    2. An expression that means she has to lower her head, lose all her face and beg others.

 Chapter 190: Bringing Justice

    <h4>Chapter 190: Bringing Justice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°With these alone, we can¡¯t conclude anything,¡± Peng Sijue said.


    Lin Qiupu turned around to check the door lock. The door had been knocked open by the police then they smelled the blood, but when he checked the core of the lock, he found that there was no trace of prying.


    The owner''s clothes were hung on a hanger near the door and the keys were in his pants.


    The house had open windows, making the room a bit cold. The floor was really dirty. It seemed like the house owner usually walked around wearing shoes without changing into slippers. It would take a lot of work to find the murderer¡¯s shoe prints.


    There was a stic box of leftover peppers and duck offal in the kitchen. Lin Qiupu took the take-out receipt on the lid and nced at it. It was delivered at 7:00. There was also a bottle of Erguotou[1] that was half finished and a te of spicy Sichuan peanuts. Lin Qiupu returned to the living room and turned on the TV. The bachelor didn¡¯t have a TV box, so it was impossible to specte the time of the crime.


    He asked the local police, ¡°How did the person who reported this find out?¡±


    ¡°The person who reported this was a property manager who came to collect utility bills. When he smelled gasing out of the house and nobody answered the door, he called the police. We came and knocked the door open to find the body. The gas was on because there was water boiling on the stove. We turned off the fire at around 9:00.¡±


    Peng Sijue opened the victim¡¯s eyelids and said, ¡°The time of death was about two hours ago, between seven and eight.¡±


    ¡°Then the delivery man was probably thest person who saw the deceased...¡± When he thought about this, Lin Qiupu''s cigarette addiction acted up again and he subconsciously nced at the ashtray on the coffee table. The deceased seemed to smoke ten yuan cigarettes called Zhongnanhai, but there was one of a different brand.


    Lin Qiupu walked over and picked it up. It was actually a rather expensive miniature cigar. Hepared this butt with the bite marks on the other butts. Then, he went to look at the victim¡¯s pocket and found that he only had a packet of Zhongnanhai. He concluded that someone hade in before or after the crime. This person must have stayed in the house for a while before leaving a cigarette butt.


    He told Peng Sijue about his discovery and Peng Sijue used tweezers to pick it up for further observation. He took out a needle thermometer from the survey box and inserted it. When he saw the reading, Peng Sijue noted, ¡°It should have been put out within thest few hours. The temperature is still somewhat warm inside.¡±


    ¡°This kind of cigarette is more expensive than Soft Zhonghua. Those who smoke it are usually very rich.¡±


    Peng Sijue pointed at the victim. ¡°He seemed to wear very casual clothes for someone who¡¯s meeting someone rich.¡±


    ¡°They might have a good rtionship with each other?¡±


    ¡°Will you ask Chen Shi toe over?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Qiupu shook his head multiple times. ¡°We can¡¯t involve him in every case.¡±


    In recent days, the wanted criminal Ji Chunma was still in the process of being arrested. That case had basically been led by Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi. The police force was seriouslycking manpower right now. Lin Qiupu thought that the death of a bachelor should not be a major case.


    The two took all of the evidence they could find and temporarily cordoned off the scene to let the forensics departmente over tomorrow to collect fingerprints and shoe prints again.


    The body was sealed in a corpse bag and the local police were asked to help deliver it to the bureau. Lin Qiupu suggested, ¡°You should head back first. I¡¯ll visit some nearby residents.¡±


    ¡°You should take extra care of yourself on such a cold day.¡±


    After the police car drove off, Lin Qiupu visited the neighbors. They hadn¡¯t heard anything abnormal that night. As for the victim Zhou Taiyang, they said that he was a bachelor who didn¡¯t associate himself with others much and only drank by himself at home.


    A neighborhood aunty said, ¡°I heard that Old Zhou recently sold his ex-wife''s house for five or six hundred thousand.¡±


    ¡°Is his ex-wife childless?¡±


    ¡°No, they should have children. I once heard Old Zhou bragging that his son was doing really well out of town, and I said that I¡¯ve never seen his son. I feel that the rtionship between them isn¡¯t so good. He¡¯s a stepfather, so I guess it¡¯s understandable... I heard that his ex-wife was suffering from mental illness. Schizophrenia or something. She passed away ten years ago. The house in her name was put on hold for ten years and it took a lot of real estate agents for Old Zhou to get the big red book[2] and sell it right after.¡±


    Lin Qiupu recorded this information down, thanked her, and left to find the property manager. Unfortunately, the surveince camera in themunity had been broken for a long time and nothing was captured.


    Standing at the gate of themunity, he thought for a while, turned over the notebook that was in his hand. and saw the phone number of the takeaway driver recorded on it. Thus, he dialled through. The delivery person was actually a woman. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Hello, I''m a criminal policeman. A customer named Zhou Taiyang ordered a meal and it was delivered, right? The thing is, Zhou Taiyang was just found dead at home. I want to ask you a few questions to understand the situation a bit more.¡±


    ¡°You can go to the convenience store north of Jiefang Road. I''m there.¡±


    Lin Qiupu went to the convenience store. There was only one clerk in the store who was doing stock-take. Lin Qiupu inquired, ¡°You are...¡±


    ¡°I''m a food delivery driver. My name is Gan Ping and I work two jobs. I work here after 9:00.¡± Gan Ping was a girl in her twenties. She is very white and thin with big eyes and a long braid.


    ¡°That¡¯s tough work!¡±


    ¡°I got used to it. Officer, do you want a drink?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I just want to ask a few questions and leave.¡±


    Gan Ping reported that she didn''t notice any abnormalities. As usual, she dropped the order off and left. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°What time was it?¡±


    ¡°I have a delivery record here. You can check it out.¡±


    Gan Ping took out her mobile phone and the app clearly stated the delivery and receive time of each order. Zhou Taiyang was at 7:10PM, and immediately after at 7:23PM, Gan Ping went to anothermunity. From the records, she waspletely not suspicious.


    ¡°You might be thest person to see the victim. Please try to remember it again. Any clues are fine.¡± Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t want to give up.


    ¡°Uh... The customer had a bad temper. I obviously delivered it on time, but he scolded me for being so slow.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I apologized. I told him that there was a traffic jam and then left.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Anything else... That''s right. The elevator wasn¡¯ting down so I walked up the stairs and a man brushed past me. Does that count as something else?¡±


    ¡°Describe him.¡±


    ¡°The light on the stairs was poor, so I didn''t see him clearly. I felt like he was about as tall as you. He was wearing a trench coat. Ah, yes. He was wearing a mask and his hairstyle was a bit long and covered his ears.¡±


    ¡°What time was it?¡±


    ¡°Before 7:20, because I delivered another order at 7:20.¡±


    Lin Qiupu wrote down these clues and thanked her before leaving.


    He crossed the street but suddenly heard a lot of noise. When he looked back, a few men who seemed drunk were causing a racket as they walked and pushed through the entrance of the convenience store.


    He didn¡¯t want to interfere, but after seeing that these men didn¡¯te out for such a long time, Lin Qiupu crossed the road back to the convenience store.


    He saw the men crowding around Gan Ping and one of the men asked with a perverted smile on his face, ¡°Why are you working here? Why don¡¯t you apany us?!¡± While talking, he moved his hands to touch her and Gan Ping shrank back like a frightened chick. As soon as she raised her neck, she looked straight at Lin Qiupu outside, her eyes pleading for help.


    ¡°Are there still such retro hooligans?¡± Lin Qiupu murmured as he entered the convenience store and scolded sternly, ¡°Let her go!¡±


    1. Also known as Chinese white liquor. It¡¯s a type of baijiu made from sorghum.


    2. And/house title deed. They use books in China that happen to be red.

 Chapter 191: Drunk or Lost Love

    <h4>Chapter 191: Drunk or Lost Love</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The men turned their heads around and the man who had just harassed Gan Ping cursed, ¡°What the fuck does this have to do with you? We¡¯re all friends here and have nothing to do with you!¡±


    ¡°Is he your friend?¡± Lin Qiupu asked Gan Ping.


    Gan Ping shook her head desperately.


    Lin Qiupu sternly pointed at them and said, ¡°This is sexual harassment and vites thew. You all need to quickly disappear from my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Bastard[1], it''s not up to you to lecture me!¡±


    Hearing this, Lin Qiupu''s heart burst into rage.


    The man stretched out his hand. Lin Qiupu wasn''t sure whether the other party was trying to grab his cor or to beat him. He decided that the first person to attack would have the advantage, so Lin Qiupu punched him in the face, making him stumble and fall down between two aisles.


    Lin Qiupu showed his police officer''s badge in time to prevent the others from throwing fists at him. After seeing his badge, they assisted their fallenpanion and hurried away.


    Gan Ping said, ¡°Thank you so much, Officer Lin. These gangsters oftene to steal things herete at night. I use the term steal, but really, they just take things openly and force me to pay out of my own pocket. I don¡¯t know where they drank cat urine[2] from today but they came to cause trouble again.¡±


    ¡°The next time you encounter this situation, you should call the police. There¡¯s surveince monitoring in the store. Don''t think that this is a trivial matter. These types of people will constantly bully you when they think you¡¯re weak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that from now on. Your hand...¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at his fist. He really wasn¡¯t suited for martial arts. The punch just then seemed to hit the man''s teeth and broke the skin on the back of his fingers. Because of the adrenaline, he hadn¡¯t felt any pain at the time. He could only feel the sting now.


    ¡°I''ll get you some rubbing alcohol...¡±


    Gan Ping left for a while. Lin Qiupu saw her mobile phone on the table and picked it up. The lock screen picture was a photo of the popr celebrity, Jiang Yuqi. To be honest, he didn''t know why all these girls fawned over such a feminine guy, but it seemed that Lin Dongxue also liked him quite a bit.


    Gan Ping returned and wiped his hand with absorbent cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol. Lin Qiupu asked curiously, ¡°What about your family? Did youe to Long¡¯an to work alone?¡±


    ¡°My family... The situation in my family is a bitplicated. I¡¯m a bit embarrassed to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s okay. I respect your personal privacy.¡± Lin Qiupu changed the subject. ¡°Ah, yes, my sister also likes this Jiang Yuqi a lot.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Gan Ping had her eyes light up. ¡°You have a sister? Biological sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s also a police officer.¡±


    ¡°Your family seems really happy and blessed.¡±


    ¡°Happy?¡± When he thought of Lin Dongxue and their usually rigid rtionship, Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t so sure.


    ¡°To be honest, I came to the city to find my brother. My biological brother. When he was young, he ran away from home and never contacted the family.¡±


    Looking at Gan Ping''s lowered face, Lin Qiupu developed sympathy for her. He asked, ¡°Have you found him?¡±


    ¡°I found him. I once saw him wearing a cufflink that was more valuable than my whole outfit sitting in a blindingly dazzling luxury car while being surrounded by people.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t meet him?¡±


    ¡°He''s done so well for himself that he¡¯s no longer the person I knew in the past. I¡¯m afraid to approach him.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?! No matter how well your brother is doing, you¡¯re the sister who has to work two jobs to struggle and make ends meet. Do you have any hidden dilemmas?¡±


    Gan Ping lowered her head and yed with her shirt without speaking.


    Lin Qiupu continued. ¡°I think he must also want to see you. After all, you are rtives who grew up together. Blood is thicker than water. Tell me what his name is and I¡¯ll go back and find him for you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t! Wait for me to deal with my own affairs. I''ll see him when the time is right. Please don''t let him know that I''m in Long''an, okay?¡±


    Gan Ping''s sincere words and gaze made Lin Qiupu give in. ¡°Sorry, I was a little too emotional when I heard this kind of thing. I¡¯m not trying to interfere with your private affairs.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re a good person. You must be a good brother too! Your sister must depend on you a lot.¡±


    Lin Qiupu didn''t know how to answer. When a customer came in to buy something, he switched the topic and said, ¡°I should go. If there is anything I need from you, I¡¯ll stop by again.¡±


    ¡°Be careful on the road.¡±


    Lin Qiupu returned to the car. Gan Ping''s words had touched him. If Lin Dongxue suffered and was bullied in a ce he didn''t know, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it. He sent Lin Dongxue a message. ¡°Sister, no matter how difficult life is, your big brother will always be your strongest backer.¡°


    Lin Dongxue replied. ¡°Did you drink? Or did you get dumped?¡±


    Lin Qiupu felt that his heartfelt words had been thrown into the garbage dump. He held his mobile phone in his hand and looked up at the sky for a long time. There was a gap between his sister in reality and the ideal sister in his mind.


    It was already past 10:00 PM at the bureau and all the offices¡¯ lights were turned off. Only the forensic department¡¯s lights were still on. Peng Sijue had just finished the autopsy and was drinking coffee. Lin Qiupu came in and sat down. ¡°What did you find?¡±


    Because the assistant was not present, the autopsy report had not been typed up or printed yet. There was only a handwritten note, which Peng Sijue pushed over.


    Lin Qiupu read the note. ¡°No. xxx, male, 56 years old, died at around 20:00 on the evening of February 24th, 201x, with hollow criss-cross bruises on his chest, shoulders, and upper limbs. He has a slightly swollen nk and fractured ribs, with scratches on his elbows, back, shoulders and the back of the head. There are also polka-dot shaped burns near the neck and ears. A needle wound was found on the right muscle of the right scap. The chemical hasn¡¯t been identified...¡±


    ¡°Poisoned?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°Not sure. I took a picture here. This needle wound wasn¡¯t done by a professional. The needle seemed to have been bent, which caused swelling around the wound. The murderer''s movement should have been quite rough.¡±


    ¡°What kind of bending?¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up a syringe and bent it a little. ¡°Judging by the degree of damage to the wound, this is probably the case.¡±


    Lin Qiupu took the syringe in his hand and tried to reproduce the situation in his mind. He thought about the two people having a fierce dispute. He remembered the curved shape of the syringe and said, ¡°I will look for it tomorrow. If I can find the weapon, it would really help with the case.¡°


    ¡°I don''t think there¡¯s much hope in that. Things like syringes are too easy to dispose of.¡±


    ¡°No defensive injuries on the victim?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the victim was at the mercy of the other party. Maybe the injection was an anaesthetic?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m sure it''s poison. The wounds on the deceased were not enough to cause death. When I dissected him, I found some signs of poisoning and took a pathological sample. I will continue the test tomorrow.¡±


    Lin Qiupu continued to read the report. ¡°Lips and nails are purple. There¡¯s bleeding points in the conjunctiva[3] of the eyes... There is no bleeding in the subarachnoid space of the brain[4]. Calcifications have formed in the brain. There¡¯s meningeal tension[5]. The arachnoid[6] has heavy blood clotting. The brain gyrus swelled up. The anfractuosity sulci narrowed in, which shows obvious signs of poisoning. Pulmonary hemorrhage with bleeding spots spread widely across both lungs. The small blood vessels in the lungs I dissected are filled with blood clots. Pulmonary interstitial blood vessels were congested with extravasated blood. Significant increase in the number of white blood cells in the alver capiry walls. The heart and its valves still had flowing blood. Hemorrhaging in the liver, proliferation in fibrous connective tissue in the liver portal area, inmmatory cell infiltration[7], and spleen bleeding.¡±


    Lin Qiupu put down the report and said, ¡°It seems that the deceased was not in good health, but it¡¯s understandable since he¡¯s already so old.¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head. ¡°These are all stress symptoms. The victim should have lived under high pressure for a long time, psychologically or physically.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was a little scared. Intuitively, the victim''s life should have been quite rxed and leisurely. He couldn¡¯t think of any reasons for stress for the victim.


    He put down the report and said, ¡°It''s gettingte today. We¡¯ll continue investigating tomorrow. Let¡¯s go. I''ll treat you to supper.¡±


    1. Here, the author actually used a term that negatively expresses that someone was raised by a mother who was a prostitute, but I¡¯m unsure if there¡¯s a term for that in English.


    2. Typically people say ¡°horse urine¡± instead, but it¡¯s usually used to scold people who are drunk instead of using the word alcohol.


    3. Over sclera


    4. The subarachnoid space is the interval between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater. It is upied by delicate connective tissue trabece and intemunicating channels containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).


    5. http://.neurologicalfitness/vcamenin.htm


    6. Arachnoid mater: Connected to the dura mater on the side closest to the CNS, this middleyer includes awork of fibers and cogen that are part of the suspension system that helps protect the brain and spinal cord from sudden impact.


    7. https://.derm-hokudai.jp/shimizu-dermatology/pdf/02-04.pdf

 Chapter 192: Wife-killing Old Bastard

    <h4>Chapter 192: Wife-killing Old Bastard</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Early the next morning, Lin Qiupu got up on time as usual. After washing up, he found that there were a few stray hairs on the corner of his eyebrows. He held his tweezers in his hand and looked at the mirror as he fixed himself up for a long time. He felt a bit better before he ate breakfast. Then, he watered and pruned the nt on his balcony.


    This was a honeysuckle nt that Song Lang gave him to improve the office environment. It was originally just a small potted nt, but after careful cultivation and nurturing, it had now grown into arge pot.


    Lin Qiupu had a stubborn idea. He believed that as long as this honeysuckle was still alive, Song Lang would still be alive somewhere in the world. Just like how honeysuckle is also known as ¡°Lonicera Japonica[1]¡±, he believed that Song Lang must be dormant and getting ready to fight back against destiny one day.


    When he arrived at the bureau, it had just hit 8:00 on the dot. He greeted the colleagues from other teams along the way to the second team¡¯s office. When he arrived, there were only a few people there that were either reading the newspaper or having breakfast.


    ¡°It¡¯s just you guys?¡±


    ¡°The police station called and said that they found people that looked like Ji Chunma. Dongxue took everyone away.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was very helpless. After all, Ji Chunma was the current major case. He said, ¡°People who don''t have a serious case on hand need toe to conference room No. 3ter on. We found the body of a middle-aged man on Shuangta Roadst night.¡±


    After a while, everyone avable arrived. Everyone was very busy with work during this period of time. There were only five officers avable to be mobilized.


    In the face of five or fifty people, Lin Qiupu still debriefed the case with his usual serious tone and then assigned each of them some tasks. The first was to review the crime scene and find missing clues and physical evidence. The second was to investigate the victim¡¯s interpersonal rtionships, especially with his ex-wife and children. The third was to investigate the current clue that a suspicious man was seen around the house and determine the identity of the person.


    Lin Qiupu went to the forensics department and Peng Sijue handed him a formal autopsy report with a poison appraisal certificate. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°You¡¯re very efficient. You got it done so early in the morning... The poison you found on the victim hydrocyanic acid? Cyanide, the king of poison!¡±


    ¡°There are not many channels to obtain cyanide, but the deceased was an electroter and had cyanide where he worked.¡±


    ¡°I hear bitter almonds also contain cyanide.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so cyanide has a strong bitter almond vor. In fact, it¡¯s the taste of cyanide itself. However, it is very difficult to extract enough cyanide from bitter almonds. At least one ton of almonds is required.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it seems unrealistic then. I''ll investigate starting from the unit where the victim lived!¡±


    ¡°Look at the autopsy report again. I added a detail. The water-based lubricant was found in the rectum and anus of the deceased, but the walls of the rectum were intact and there were no signs of vition.¡±


    ¡°The murderer is gay?¡±


    ¡°It''s not conclusive yet.¡±


    Lin Qiupu put on his coat and drove to the ce where Zhou Taiyang worked. The air was full of the pungent smell of heavy metals. He thought that it wouldn¡¯t be too great for the body to work here. The person in charge here didn¡¯t know that Zhou Taiyang had been killed yet. When Lin Qiupu mentioned the name, the person in charge said, ¡°He didn''te to work the whole morning. I made several calls to him but no one answered. I don''t know if he¡¯s sick or something.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Zhou Taiyang was killedst night and died at home. I came to try and understand the situation.¡±


    ¡°What?! Old Zhou...¡± The person in charge was shocked. Lin Qiupu felt that his expression didn¡¯t seem fake.


    ¡°Who had a close rtionship with Zhou Taiyang?¡±


    The person in charge listed a few names. Lin Qiupu called each one of them and questioned them. After spending the whole morning questioning them, he felt that they weren¡¯t suspicious and wouldn¡¯t have any motivation for killing him. However, they mentioned one person: Zhou Taiyang''s apprentice, Lu Yicai. This person had already resigned.


    ¡°Why did he resign?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    The respondent replied, ¡°I remember that he seemed to have messed up a batch of orders and caused the factory to lose a lot of money, so he was asked to leave.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the contact information of this person?¡±


    After getting the contact information, Lin Qiupu kept looking for Lu Yicai nonstop. He bought a pancake and fruit to deal with his hunger while on the road. He called the bureau and asked them to check Lu Yicai''s call history.


    At two in the afternoon, he found Lu Yicai in a Mah-jong hall. It seemed that Lu Yicai didn''t work a serious job and only strayed around.


    Lin Qiupu called Lu Yicai outside and said, ¡°I came to find you about a certain situation. How¡¯s your rtionship with Zhou Taiyang?¡±


    Lu Yicai scratched his dishevelled hair and said, ¡°It''s a pretty good rtionship. He used to be my master and guided me. I go to his house and drink with him every New Year.¡±


    ¡°When was thest time you two made contact?¡±


    ¡°Officer, you know I¡¯ve resigned already. I haven¡¯t contacted him much ever since. Thest time I met him was three months ago.¡±


    ¡°Surely not!¡± Lin Qiupu nced at the call log sent by his colleague on his mobile phone. ¡°The telmunications bureau records show that you have been making calls to each other for the past week and fairly frequently at that. Thest time was the day before yesterday. Is there anything you¡¯re hiding from me?¡±


    Lu Yicai looked flustered and kept scratching his face. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°What is your sexual orientation?¡±


    Lu Yicai instantly fumed. ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°It has to do with the case. I can¡¯t not ask.¡±


    ¡°I have a normal sexual orientation... I don¡¯t know what nonsense you¡¯re on about.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t answered myst question. What were you talking about recently?¡±


    Lu Yicai frowned. ¡°This is personal privacy.¡±


    ¡°Now that your master is dead, I must ask about your personal matters as well, private or not.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t kill him. He was the one who almost killed me!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?!¡±


    Lu Yicai knew that he had misspoke as he became pale and scared. The more Lin Qiupu looked at this guy, the more suspicious he was of him. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯ll have to take a trip with me to cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, how could you do this? I already said I didn''t kill anyone. I was here ying Mah-jongst night. If you don''t believe me, you can ask around.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was afraid that this guy would take the opportunity to run away and insisted. ¡°Please cooperate with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so troublesome!¡±


    Lin Qiupu took Lu Yicai back to the bureau. Some of the police officers dispatched in the morning had returned and reported their investigation progress to Lin Qiupu.


    Zhou Taiyang''s ex-wife Li Su had two children. The eldest was a son named Li Chao and the younger daughter was named Li Mei. When the ount book was opened, the two children were still young and did not have ID numbers yet.


    Li Suter became mentally ill and the two children ran away from home. The ount had not been updated ever since, so the police could only find these two names. The amount of people with the same name was too high. There were thousands found in the province, and this was without taking into ount the possibility of them changing their names.


    As for Li Su, she suffered from schizophrenia and aggression in 2002. While at the psychiatric hospital, her condition improved significantly. The doctor believed that the root cause of Li Su''s psychological traumay within the family. The doctor also found that Li Su had signs of being domestically abused for a long period of time. Upon hearing this diagnosis, Zhou Taiyang immediately took Li Su home to ¡°recuperate.¡± In the same year, Li Su died at home. Zhou Taiyang quickly held a cremation without even telling their rtives.


    In the ten or so years after that, Zhou Taiyang had been looking for big real estate agents to take Li Su''s house as his own. He had only achieved his wish this year.


    ¡°It''s just a bastard who killed his wife!¡± Lin Qiupu whispered to himself.


    1. Rendongteng is the name used in Chinese medicine, which means ¡°winter enduring vine¡±.

 Chapter 193: Lin Qiupu’s Way

    <h4>Chapter 193: Lin Qiupu''s Way</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Who are you scolding, Captain Lin?¡± A voice suddenly sounded from above.


    Lin Qiupu looked up and found that Lin Dongxue was back. He smiled. ¡°Nobody. Just thinking about a case on hand.¡±


    ¡°Are you understaffed? Would you like me to assign people back from the task force?¡±


    ¡°No, you can focus on the wanted man. I''ll do this case myself.¡±


    ¡°Then, I''ll head off!¡±


    Seeing that his sister is now a full-fledged policeman, Lin Qiupu smiled with pride and then got up to enter the interrogation room.


    Lu Yicai was left in the interrogation room alone for a long time. When Lin Qiupu came in, he was inexplicably nervous. Lin Qiupu didn''t rush to speak. He organized the documents in his hands, switched on the recorder, and sipped some tea. These were ways to put pressure on Lu Yicai. He was observing Lu Yicai''s expression from the corner of his eyes and could see that something was wrong with him.


    Lu Yicai¡¯s ¡°torture¡± was just about finished. Lin Qiupu finally broke the silence. ¡°You and the deceased Zhou Taiyang have talked quite frequently recently. What did you talk about?¡±


    ¡°My master misses me.¡±


    ¡°It seems he likes you very much... If you won¡¯t talk, we can just investigate. Us doing the investigation will put you in a reactive and passive position, whereas right now you still have the opportunity to proactively confess.¡±


    ¡°Proactively confess? What do you mean, officer? I didn''t kill anyone! Don''t look at me like you¡¯re looking at a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t kill anyone, why won¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lin Qiupu mmed on the table really hard, and Lu Yicai was shocked. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Won''t say anything? Okay, I''ll waste time here with you.¡±


    Lu Yicai clearly didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to take on so much pressure. He said while trembling, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but can you not detain me here?¡±


    Lin Qiupu folded his hands on top of the table and stared at him.


    ¡°Previously in the factory, there was a problem with a batch of goods. The director of the factory went and tracked down who was responsible. My master actually used me as a scapegoat and caused me to lose my job. I decided to do unto him what he did to me since I had something to hold against him anyway. Plus, I reallycked money recently, so I asked him for some money.¡±


    ¡°What did you have on him?¡±


    ¡°His wife died in 2002. It wasn¡¯t a natural death. She was poisoned by Zhou. How do I know this? Because I was on duty one time and Zhou slipped into the workshop in the middle of the night. He said that he forgot his mobile phone and at that time, I felt a bit suspicious of it. Upon inspection, it was found that a tin can containing some chemical materials had been touched. It was a highly toxic thing and usually strictly controlled. One monthter, his wife died. He cremated her before he announced the news. Don¡¯t you think that was suspicious? One time, I drank some alcohol and hinted that I knew about it. Zhou remembered that and soon after, he framed me and caused me to lose my job. I was really furious, so I... asked him for money! Officer, does that count as extortion?¡°


    ¡°How much was it?¡±


    ¡°Two, three... Three, four... Four... Fifty thousand!¡±


    ¡°Is there an exact figure?¡±


    Lu Yicai was sweating and he finally admitted, ¡°More than 100,000!¡±


    ¡°Do you have evidence in your hands? He listened to you just like that?¡±


    ¡°No, this is called a thief''s guilty consciencE[1]... Does it count as extortion without evidence?¡±


    Now that Zhou Taiyang was dead, no one would sue him. However, Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t tell him this.


    ¡°Apart from this?¡±


    Lu Yicai recalled, ¡°I think he wanted to hurt me!¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because I asked him for money. The rtionship between us has always been very rigid. He also often secretly attacked me in his circle of friends on WeChat, saying that he ¡®offended the little viin this year¡¯ and the like. Tch, who¡¯s the viin here? During this time, he spontaneously invited me to dinner seven times. I¡¯ve been avoiding his invitations. How can I go to a Hongmen feast[2]? If he poisoned the food, I wouldn¡¯t know what hit me. After all, this guy has a history.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Taiyang is dead. Are you relieved?¡± Lin Qiupu asked deliberately to sound him out.


    ¡°No!... I didn''t kill anyone. I really didn¡¯t. I can swear to God that the guy named Zhou must¡¯ve offended others. This is called a wicked person receiving karma from another wicked person.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about your alibi on the night of the Lantern Festival.¡±


    ¡°I was dining with my date.¡±


    ¡°Do you have their contact information?¡±


    Lin Qiupu recorded it down to check afterwards. He let Lu Yicai go first and told him not to leave Long¡¯an City in the meantime.


    Peng Sijue sent him a message asking him to head over to the forensic department. Lin Qiupu arrived to find everyone who had gone to the crime scene to collect evidence was back. He asked, ¡°Are there any new findings?¡±


    Peng Sijue handed over a photo in his hand. ¡°During the on-site evidence collection, we found a secret b on the floor under the five-tier drawers.¡±


    Lin Qiupu took a look and saw a small bottle hidden. ¡°Where is this item now?¡±


    ¡°Here! This little brown bottle doesn''t need to be tested. It smells exactly like cyanide. It has 20ml inside; enough to kill a whole building¡¯s worth of people. A stic dropper was found as well as a savings card. I called the bank and this card was just issued on the 22nd. Stored inside is...¡± Peng Sijue held out a hand to emphasize. ¡°Five million!¡±


    ¡°So much money? Zhou Taiyang can¡¯t possibly have so much money. Who is the owner of the card?¡±


    ¡°A person named Wang Shengli.¡±


    Lin Qiupu recalled, ¡°A rich man went to see him that night. The card might have been given to him by the other party, but why did they give money to him?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that they were paying him to murder someone? The other party might have asked Zhou Taiyang to poison someone?¡±


    ¡°No, the kid who just left the interrogation room has reason to believe that this bottle of poison was likely prepared for him and has little to do with this card.¡± Lin Qiupu looked around. ¡°Is there anything else besides this? Did you find shoe prints or fingerprints?¡±


    ¡°Five sets of fingerprints have been found and identification is still in progress. The shoe prints couldn¡¯t be collected properly because of how messy the scene was.¡± A technician smiled in embarrassment.


    ¡°Try to collect it again! If there isn¡¯t aplete print, then just get iplete ones.¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    ¡°But the floor there is really dirty...¡±


    ¡°This is the order!¡± Lin Qiupumanded. ¡°I''ll go with you this time.¡±


    The technician looked at Peng Sijue as if asking for help. Peng Sijue looked down at the documents and acted as a bystander. They were very helpless. The chair was not hot yet, but they had to return to the crime scene once again.


    Lin Qiupu returned to the scene and began looking for the weapon around themunity. He turned over each trash bin, attracting the suspicious gazes of many aunts. After looking for a whole afternoon and finding nothing, Lin Qiupu stood up. His eyes shed ck a few times[3].


    However, Lin Qiupu was not discouraged. This is how he investigated his cases. He didn¡¯t rely on sudden shes of insight and epiphanies, but through exhaustive investigation.


    He sat by a flower bed and had a cigarette while he rested. An aunt walking a dog passed by and asked, ¡°Boy, have you lost something of value? You¡¯ve lifted your bum here as you searched all afternoon.¡±


    Lin Qiupu smiled and said nothing because he didn¡¯t want to disclose the details of the murder case.


    One of his team members called from the bureau. ¡°Captain Lin, we¡¯ve found a picture of the mysterious visitor.¡±


    1. You¡¯d feel alert and get scared when you¡¯ve done something wrong (usually).


    2. A trap using food as a pretext. If you go in to eat, you¡¯d die.


    3. I¡¯m assuming that the author is trying to convey that he was very fatigued from searching all afternoon.

 Chapter 194: Overtime. More Overtime.

    <h4>Chapter 194: Overtime. More Overtime.</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu was excited and said, ¡°I''ll be right back!¡±


    He rushed back to the bureau. The task force had found several surveince videos from the traffic management office which clearly captured a Rolls-Royce Phantom leaving an intersection close to themunity.


    The person shown in one of the photos was very close to the person described by Gan Ping. They believed this to be the mysterious visitor who appeared at the crime scene.


    When Lin Qiupu saw the driver''s face, he was surprised and remarked, ¡°Where have I seen this person before? Ah! His name is Jia Xingyun!¡±


    He nced at his watch. ¡°It''s four o''clock. We should get there in time. Let''s go and meet him!¡±


    A group of people rushed to Jia Xingyun''spany and presented their credentials at the front desk. The front desk called and asked for instructions as Jia Xingyun said over the phone, ¡°Let theme up!¡±


    Lin Qiupu went into the office alone. Jia Xingyun''s office looked very simple at the first nce, but Lin Qiupu knew that just the price of therge writing desk carved from an entire African tree would have cost him up to six figures. That wasn¡¯t including the ink paintings and the original copies of historical books on the shelves.


    ¡°...Let''s meet to discuss further details...¡±


    Jia Xingyun was talking on the phone and nodded towards Lin Qiupu as a signal for him to sit.


    Lin Qiupu ignored it. Only standing can give the other party psychological pressure. He kept waiting for Jia Xingyun to hang up the phone, then said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d meet again.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be Mr. Chen who¡¯de.¡±


    ¡°What does this mean? You knew that a police officer woulde to find you?¡±


    Jia Xingyun smiled. ¡°But Captain Lin came to visit in person. What an honor... Do you smoke?¡±


    Lin Qiupu made a gesture of refusal and pressed, ¡°I know you have a lot to do, so let''s open the door and see the mountain[1]. I am investigating a murder case. Please tell me your whereabouts on the evening of February 24th.¡±


    Jia Xingyun grinned. ¡°I went to the house of a gentleman named Zhou, which is what you would call a crime scene.¡±


    His candid attitude surprised Lin Qiupu. He thought that the boy was really prepared.


    Lin Qiupu continued, ¡°Then, you should know what I want to ask!¡±


    ¡°I do. You want to ask me what I went there to do, right?¡±


    ¡°What did you do there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s confidential!¡± Jia Xingyun let out a smile.


    ¡°Would you like me to remind you that soon after you left, Zhou was found dead at home. It is reasonable to say that you¡¯re a prime suspect. What did you do and say there? I want you to tell me everything!¡±


    ¡°Died at home?!¡± Jia Xingyun''s original calm face suddenly panicked. ¡°The body was at home?¡±


    Lin Qiupu secretly wondered what that reaction was all about. Didn''t he just call it a ¡°crime scene¡± clearly? What is he ying at?


    Lin Qiupu leaned on the edge of the table with both hands and continued to stare at Jia Xingyun''s eyes, putting pressure on him.


    Jia Xingyun calmed down and stated, ¡°Mywyer is on his way.¡±


    ¡°When did you call him?¡±


    ¡°Just now when you came in... So, no matter what you ask me now, I won''t answer! Do you want to smoke?¡±


    Lin Qiupu stared at him. This boy definitely had something up his sleeves.


    Of course it was within his rights to hire awyer. However, once thewyer intervened, it would be very hard to get anything out of him. Lin Qiupu thought about how to pry open his mouth before thewyer arrived. What would Song Lang do if he were here?


    Lin Qiupu mmed the table. ¡°Is Zhou Taiyang''s death rted to you?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, this is not your office. I¡¯ve already said that I won¡¯t say anything until mywyer arrives.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay! Then I''ll wait for yourwyer toe over.¡± Lin Qiupu was speechless to the point of anger.


    He went outside and took a deep breath. He recalled what Song Lang had told him in the past. Song Lang once said, ¡°A case is not checked through the mouth. To protect themselves, even children will lie. The information captured besides words is often more important.¡±


    Just now Jia Xingyun''s response was very strange. Why? He couldn''t figure it out.


    Song Lang had also said, ¡°No matter how much the police are in the right, they are still intruders in other people''s lives. They don¡¯t have to follow the regtions word for word as long as they don¡¯t cross the bottom line.¡±


    Later, thewyer came. Jia Xingyun said with a polite smile, ¡°Captain Lin, let memunicate with mywyer first. If you could please give us a moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I have a requirement. Both you and yourwyer can¡¯t receive or make any calls during yourmunication session so that you can¡¯t instruct anyone to destroy unfavorable evidence.¡±


    Jia Xingyun shrugged and unplugged the phone cord on the table. Then, he turned off his phone.


    Lin Qiupu stood outside. The instion and sound-proof effect that the door provided was very good. He couldn''t hear what was being said inside. He instructed his subordinates to go around thepany to investigate Jia Xingyun''s car as well. They weren¡¯t allowed to let go of even the smallest of details.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a search warrant,¡± a subordinate said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for a search warrant. He is the prime suspect ofmitting the crime and that¡¯s enough. If there¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll take all the responsibility for it.¡±


    Everyone left to investigate. Lin Qiupu stood there like a Door God[2]. Surely enough, when Jia Xingyun''s staff saw the police suddenly investigating everything and couldn''t get through to Jia Xingyun''s phone, they ran up to inform him.


    Lin Qiupu sternly said to the employees, ¡°Jia is currently talking to awyer. If you would like, you can tell me what you¡¯d like to say. However, I want to remind you that the police are currently investigating a murder case and we have evidence to prove that President Jia has a lot to do with the case.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the employees stopped insisting and left the police¡¯s investigation alone.


    The door opened and Jia Xingyun came out with hiswyer. Jia Xingyun looked calm as he said, ¡°You can ask questions now.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s change the location!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Lin Qiupu drove the two back to the bureau. The police officers found many things. Jia Xingyun''s car was indeed the Rolls-Royce phantom that appeared on the surveince footage.


    The same cigarette butt found in the garbage dumped by hispany¡¯s cleaners was the same brand as the one found at the crime scene. This kind of cigarette was very expensive. Only Jia Xingyun from thepany could afford to smoke it. The cigarette butts were also brought back as evidence.


    A secretary had said that on February 22nd, Jia Xingyun asked her to sell several of Jia Xingyun¡¯s stocks and withdraw five million yuan in cash before depositing it into an ount. The identity card information was also used by the secretary called Wang Shengli.


    In the dressing room, Jia Xingyun''s outfit was found, which was exactly the same as the one that he was videoed wearing in the surveince footage.


    Another employee had said that on the morning of February 25th, Jia Xingyun asked him to wash his car for him.


    The technicians who went to the crime scene also returned. After a second detailed investigation, they found three sets of shoe prints, one of which was the victims and one which seemed to be left by Jia Xingyun. Thest set was rtively small, which they assumed was left by a woman.


    On the printed floor n of the house, they marked the specific locations where each group of shoe prints appeared. Lin Qiupu noticed that thest two sets of shoe prints had appeared in the living room.


    Lin Qiupu was very satisfied and said, ¡°See? You can still find more things after careful investigation. How can you investigate a case if you are afraid of getting dirty and tired?¡±


    The technicians smiled bitterly and asked, ¡°Captain Lin, can we get off work now?¡±


    ¡°Go and see if Captain Peng needs any help. If he says no, then you can get off work!¡±


    Everyone cheered. They all knew that Captain Peng was very nice and rarely asked them to work overtime. However, as soon as they left, Lin Qiupu picked up the phone and called Peng Sijue. ¡°Old Peng, a detailed identification of the fingerprints and shoe prints needs to be done and reported to me by 10:00 tonight.¡±


    The police officers in the task force secretlyughed and mourned for the unfortunate technicians. However, in the next second, the objects of their mourning turned into themselves.


    Lin Qiupu turned his attention to them. ¡°Go and eat first. You all need to return to work after dinner and you aren¡¯t allowed to leave work until 10:00 tonight.¡±


    1. Get straight to the point.


    2. ¡°Menshen¡± (Door Gods) or threshold guardians are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones.

 Chapter 195: Dealing with Mr. Jia

    <h4>Chapter 195: Dealing with Mr. Jia</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu went into the interrogation room, sat down, and asked, ¡°Mr. Jia, where did you go on the evening of February 24th?¡±


    Thewyer responded, ¡°My client stated that he went to Zhou Taiyang''s house for a private visit.¡±


    ¡°Time! What time frame were you there for?¡±


    Thewyer nced at the notes. ¡°6:40 to 7:20PM.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°My client''s concept of time has always been very strong. It can¡¯t be wrong. Furthermore, he had an appointment at 8:00 that night. From Zhou Taiyang''s house to the time of that meeting, it takes just about thirty minutes. You can check that out.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nced at the notebook next to his hands. Jia Xingyun''s car was captured in the surveince footage for the first time at 7:30PM, so it seemed like it could be correct.


    However, Gan Ping had said that she left the building at 7:20 and brushed past Jia Xingyun. In her description, Jia Xingyun was going upstairs. Was Gan Ping lying?


    It seemed that it was necessary to see Gan Ping again after the interrogation.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Did you take the elevator or stairs at the time?¡±


    Thewyer asked Jia Xingyun and the two whispered in discussion. Thewyer replied on his behalf, ¡°There weren¡¯t a lot of stairs and the elevator didn¡¯te down for quite a while, so he took the stairs.¡±


    ¡°You and Zhou Taiyang¡¯s backgrounds are so disparate. How did you two meet?¡±


    ¡°Through our work.¡±


    ¡°How was it work-rted? One is the boss of a mediapany and the other is an electroter.¡±


    Thewyer discussed with Jia Xingyun. ¡°This has nothing to do with the case.¡±


    ¡°It''s up to me to decide whether or not this is rted to the case. You just need to confess the truth!¡±


    ¡°Officer, please pay attention to your tone. Don''t intimidate my client.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was angry that awyer was passing on messages in the middle. It was really hard to deal with. He always felt thatwyers were a profession where people legally lied. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s change the question. Why did you give Zhou Taiyang five million yuan?¡±


    ¡°The client does not admit that it happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Lin Qiupu sneered and took out the document faxed from the bank. ¡°The bank has confirmed that a savings card of five million yuan was found in the victim''s house which belongs to your secretary. You told this secretary to sell some of your stocks on the 22nd to open this ount. How do you exin that?¡±


    Thewyer whispered with Jia Xingyun again. This time, itsted a particrly long time. Lin Qiupu waited patiently to see what ridiculous reasons they would throw out at him.


    Thewyer finally spoke and said monotonously, ¡°It was just business.¡±


    ¡°Business? Can I understand it as a transaction? What was the product?¡±


    ¡°An idea!¡±


    Lin Qiupu sneered. ¡°An idea? How clever! You don''t even need to bring out the evidence. You just thought of that just now!¡±


    Thewyer reminded him to pay attention to his words. Lin Qiupu was toozy to respond to him and pressed on. ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Jia. What was worth five million?¡±


    Thewyer replied in an unhurried manner. ¡°An advertisement slogan. My client wanted to create an advertisement and Mr. Zhou Taiyang''s creativity moved him.¡±


    ¡°What was it then?¡±


    ¡°Those are trade secrets.¡±


    What a ridiculous lie. Lin Qiupu was now more certain than ever that the five million was rted to the murder.


    He calmed down and considered what breakthroughs could be made as he flipped through the case file again. Lin Qiupu decided to take a risk and revealed part of the case to Jia Xingyun.


    ¡°At 9:00 PM on February 24th, Zhou Taiyang was found dead at home with signs of torture. What do you want to say about this?¡±


    Unsurprisingly, Jia Xingyun acted a little surprised when he heard about the body. Thewyer emphasized, ¡°We cannot answer a vague question like this.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t confess what you went to Zhou Taiyang''s house to do and say, I will take responsibility in telling you that your situation will be very dire in the future.¡±


    Thewyer asked Jia Xingyun again and Lin Qiupu heard Jia Xingyun saying, ¡°...Don''t contact my family... It''s okay, you go first...¡±


    Thewyer had been fighting against it, but Jia Xingyun insisted. Finally, Jia Xingyun spoke, saying to Lin Qiupu, ¡°Captain Lin, how would my situation be unfavorable?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re suspected of a major crime, I can detain you temporarily.¡±


    ¡°That is your right. I have no opinion towards it!¡± Jia Xingyun raised his hands up for Lin Qiupu and smiled frankly.


    ¡°Mr. Jia!¡± Thewyer was shocked, and then told Lin Qiupu, ¡°ording to thew, you can only detain him for twenty-four hours.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to teach me this!¡± Lin Qiupu picked up the inte and asked someone toe in.


    Jia Xingyun was taken away and heughed before leaving. ¡°I have lived in many ces, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ll be staying in a detention center. It will be quite refreshing.¡±


    ¡°I promise that prison would be even more refreshing.¡±


    Thewyer said loudly, ¡°Please don''t threaten my client!¡± Then, he said to Jia Xingyun, ¡°Mr. Jia, I will pick you up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter even if you¡¯re a littlete.¡± Jia Xingyun nodded with a smile.


    After Jia Xingyun was taken away, Lin Qiupu felt powerless. It was the first time he had seen such a thick-skinned person... No, there was also the guy named Chen, but Jia Xingyun was very special. He didn¡¯t even intend to plead innocent or guilty.


    Thinking of Chen Shi, he had a thought. Should I ask Chen Shi for help?


    He shook his head to ignore the passing thought. He could handle the case by himself and should not ask for help.


    It was already half past seven. Lin Qiupu casually went to the cafeteria to feed his hunger. Then, he went to the convenience store where Gan Ping worked, but arrived too early. Gan Ping had yet to start working.


    He waited until 8:50 PM when he saw Gan Ping arrive. Gan Ping looked up and asked, ¡°Officer Lin, did you need me for something?¡±


    Lin Qiupu showed his notes to her. ¡°You told me that day that when you left Zhou Taiyang''s house at 7:20 PM, you bumped into a suspicious man.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We found this ''suspicious man''. Your testimonies conflict with each other. In his version, 7:20 PM was the time he left.¡±


    With a look of surprise, Gan Ping recalled while Lin Qiupu showed Jia Xingyun''s photo on his mobile phone to her. ¡°Was it him?¡±


    Gan Ping shook her head. ¡°I don''t know what he looks like. I just remember his height and clothes... Besides, I didn''t lie. I delivered an order after 7:20 PM. You can check with thepany. That customer received the goods sometime around then.¡±


    ¡°Give me his contact information.¡±


    Lin Qiupu jotted the contact information down and said, ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you. I just need to get these details rified.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Understood.¡±


    ¡°And, this ''suspicious man'' is now detained... Oh, I shouldn''t have told you this.¡±


    ¡°Hope you catch the killer soon!¡± Gan Ping smiled. ¡°Officer Lin, let me get you a drink.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I''m fine!¡±


    Gan Ping ran into the convenience store, took out a hot drink, and stuffed it into Lin Qiupu''s hands. Holding the warm bottle in the cold night breeze, Lin Qiupu felt like he was warmed up to his core.


    He then called the takeawaypany and went to pay the customer a visit. Both confirmed that Gan Ping had indeed delivered an order shortly after 7:20.


    In other words, during the time of the incident, Gan Ping was not in themunity at all. Thinking of this, Lin Qiupu felt inexplicably at ease.


    However, the whole case seemed to have reached a dead end. Jia Xingyun was like a dead pig who wasn¡¯t afraid of boiling water[1]. He should be hiding something, but when you take the time of death into ount, he wasn¡¯t a suspect.


    1. Something dead won¡¯t be scared of you cooking it, since it can¡¯t feel anything anyway.

 Chapter 196: Shocking Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 196: Shocking Discovery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu thought hard about all the documents, items, and physical evidence on the table. Was there a lead somewhere in here? Where is the w in the murder?


    Some sudden footsteps startled him. He looked up and saw a silhouette in a long, brown windbreaker slowly walking in. The person who came in had his hands in his pockets with a cigarette dangling in his mouth. If you looked at the smile on his face, you¡¯d feel the word ¡°confidence¡± jumping out at you. Lin Qiupu looked like he was a pilgrim staring at a miracle in the face and stammered, "Sen... Senior?!"


    Song Lang mmed on the table. "Little Lin, don''t be blinded by these so-called clues in front of you."


    "Then what should I..."


    Song Lang swept away all the documents on the table and they flew around the room like snowkes. He turned away in a cool manner, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and pointed his finger at the door. ¡°The truth has been right in front of you the whole time. In a corner you haven¡¯t noticed yet, the murderer is...¡±


    A ck silhouette appeared in front of the glowing door frame. Lin Qiupu¡¯s mouth hung open.


    ¡°The murderer is...¡±


    The ck silhouette gradually became clear and Lin Qiupu grew extremely excited.


    "The murderer is He Shen[1]!"


    The silhouette finally showed his true face. It was an oily, fat man wearing a Qing Dynasty official uniform with a disgusting grin on his face.


    Lin Qiupu suddenly woke from his dream. It turned out that he had fallen asleep while reading the documents in front of him. It was now 11:00 in the evening and the corridor waspletely dark. He was the only person left in the office.


    He nced at the photo on the table. Although it was just a ridiculous dream, Lin Qiupu thought about it seriously. Was there any person in this case who had a name like "He Shen?" There wasn¡¯t, so he gave a slight chuckle.


    He rubbed the bridge of his nose to freshen up, picked up the documents, and re-examined them. The victim died due to poison, but the murderer also beat the deceased with a belt, burned the victim with a soldering iron, and applied lubricant to the lower body as if they intended to insert something.


    Why?


    Why do all these extra things?


    The murderer seemed to be taking revenge against the victim. The victim must have done simr things to the murderer. Lashing at them with a belt, burning them, and... rape?!


    From the evidence on hand, the victim had not been a good husband. As the stepfather of his ex-wife¡¯s children, would he be a good father? Obviously not! The children of the deceased''s ex-wife had never been found. Was this a major breakthrough point?


    Even if it wasn''t, he had to investigate it. As long as there was a missing piece to the puzzle, he felt like the truth would never be uncovered.


    Lin Qiupu picked up a pen and wrote ¡°children¡± on the upper right corner of the document. He circled the word to ce emphasis on it and to remind himself that he must verify the children¡¯s identities!


    Let me just stretch. Ah, I¡¯m just too tired today. I should go home and have some sleep!


    At the meeting early the next morning, Lin Qiupu announced, "One clue in this case has not been investigated yet. It¡¯s the identity of the ex-wife¡¯s children. I want you to find out who they are and where they are right now!"


    A police officerined, "But information on their identity can¡¯t be found in the census or household database.¡±


    "Think of other ways. Try other channels. You will eventually find them. I¡¯ll give you guys three days. You have to find their information!¡±


    Everyone sighed and continued to work hard.


    In the office, Lin Qiupubed through the clues at hand once more. He felt that he should start with the surveince footage from the crime scene. Although the surveince at the main entrance of themunity was broken, there were still a lot of cameras in the surrounding stores. There might be things that they missed.


    When he thought of this, he immediately rushed to the crime scene to make a copy of all the surveince videos avable at the surrounding stores. This took a whole morning to do.


    It took him even longer to go through all the videos. Everyone else was sent out to do their own tasks, so he could only stay in and watch the videos by himself at four times the normal speed. The monotonous and silent videos made his head hurt as he went through all of them. He rubbed his temples with some herbal oil while he watched to try and alleviate the strain.


    In the surveince footage from a clothing store, a petite figure wearing a yellow outfit riding a motorcycle shed past. After a few seconds, Lin Qiupu finally reacted and rewound the video to watch it again. The figure in the video seemed very familiar.


    He also found the surveince video at the same time from the store opposite the clothing store. It was 8:00 on the evening of February 24th. This video clearly captured the person''s face. Indeed, it was Gan Ping.


    He looked at the urban map and marked down themunity that Gan Ping appeared in.


    Wait...


    He hurriedly opened his notebook. Gan Ping entered the surrounding neighborhood at 8:00 on the night of the incident. She said that she had only gone to that neighborhood once, that is, at 7:20 that night to deliver food. The customer also verified that time as well.


    Was she lying?!


    Lin Qiupu was unwilling to believe this, but in order to find out the truth, he still rewound the video back to 7:20 PM. There weren¡¯t any signs of Gan Ping there during this time. He rewound the video back to 7:00 PM and stared at the screen without blinking for an hour. Surveince footage wouldn¡¯t lie. Gan Ping entered themunity at 8:00 PM and left at 8:15 PM.


    She was lying! The customer who ordered food was also lying!


    Gan Ping took a full hour longer to deliver her second order that night, so it¡¯s very likely that she stayed at the crime scene longer than she had said.


    Lin Qiupu immediately drove to the convenience store that Gan Ping worked at, only to remember that she hadn¡¯t started work yet. It was only 5:00 in the afternoon. He hesitated to call Gan Ping. He didn¡¯t want this poor girl to be the murderer, but if that were truly the case, he would still investigate it to the end... He was full of conflicting emotions.


    Lin Qiupu dialled her number, but then hung up immediately. Finally, he decided to find the customer who ordered the food first.


    He entered themunity and knocked on the door. The owner seemed to y games at home all day. He wore pajamas and opened the door with dishevelled hair like a bird¡¯s nest. The sounds the game produced could be heard from the door. The owner questioned impatiently, "Why are youing to find me again? Hurry up and say what you want to say already!¡±


    Lin Qiupu stared at his drowsy eyes and said, "At 7:23PM on February 24th, a female food delivery person came to deliver food. You told me that yesterday, right?"


    "Yes, what about it?"


    The owner seemed very rxed. His senpai, Song Lang had the skill to detect lies by looking at the eyes of people but he did not. Lin Qiupu said, "The surveince at the stores showed that the delivery person arrived here at 8:00 that night. Care to exin? "


    "How would I know? Can you remember what you ate for breakfast the day before yesterday?"


    "I do remember. Cereal with milk."


    "You might remember, but I don¡¯t. Who would remember such trivial things every day? It¡¯s too cold. I have to close the door...¡±


    Lin Qiupu quickly held his foot against the door and said each syble earnestly, "This is not a trivial matter. It¡¯s a matter of life and death. The evidence shows that you and her are both lying. Tell me why!¡±


    1. This was a man in the Qing Dynasty who was so corrupt that he was wealthier than the king.

 Chapter 197: The Suspect Flees

    <h4>Chapter 197: The Suspect Flees</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Are you sick? I don''t know her, so why should I lie for her?¡± The owner raised his voice and pulled out his mobile phone. After searching around on it for a while, he held it up. ¡°Look, it clearly states on here that I confirmed the receipt at 7:23PM the other day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible to confirm the receipt in advance. I need to remind you that it¡¯s illegal to provide false testimony and evidence. Pleasee back and assist me with the investigation!¡± Lin Qiupu took out a set of handcuffs.


    Upon seeing the handcuffs, the owner promptly tried to persuade, ¡°Officer, officer. Hear me out and put away this toy first!¡±


    Lin Qiupu stared straight into his eyes.


    The owner scratched his head. ¡°That day, she called me at 7:20 and said that she fell down and had to go to the clinic. As soon as I heard that she was a girl, I told her that I could wait. I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be an hourte. I starved to death and got angry but she kept apologizing to me. That was it.¡±


    ¡°So you forgave her and even lied to the police for her?¡±


    Under Lin Qiupu''s suspicious gaze, the owner began sweating like rain. ¡°Okay, okay, let me be honest... I saw that she looked very cute and told her that I wouldn¡¯tin about her if she slept with me...¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°She came here the next morning. Very trustworthy! We did it in this house, but the experience was awful. She didn''t move or make a sound during the whole process. It was just like raping a corpse...¡± The owner seemed really proud of himself. ¡°Since she fulfilled her promise, I did what I said I would as well. I didn''t expect it to be so serious. I really didn''t know!¡±


    ¡°Nothing else, right?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I can swear!¡±


    Looking at this guy, Lin Qiupu¡¯s blood rushed up to his head and he really wanted to punch him in the face. In the end, he still restrained himself and squeezed out a word behind his gritted teeth, ¡°Scum!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I am scum. Please don''t arrest me.¡±


    ¡°You will testify at the trial!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Lin Qiupu said goodbye and made his way to the convenience store with a lot on his mind On the way, he was interrupted by a phone call.


    A subordinate called and reported, ¡°Captain Lin, we found the children of the victim''s ex-wife. The boy was renamed Zhou Jierui, 27 years old, and the girl was renamed Gan Ping, 23 years old.¡±


    ¡°How did you find this information? Is it reliable?¡± Lin Qiupu tried to make his voice sound normal.


    ¡°It¡¯s reliable. It was found through the real estate agent. The victim who wanted to take possession of his ex-wife¡¯s estate had to get the two children to sign the contract to forego their ownership rights. The agent also took a long time to contact them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t get off work yet. You guys need to stand by at the bureau and wait for my instructions!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was waiting near the convenience store. At 8:50, Gan Ping appeared. She greeted him with a smile on her face. ¡°Officer Lin, it¡¯s you again? How is the case going?¡±


    Lin Qiupu walked over. After standing in the cold for so long, his muscles were stiff. He asked, ¡°How can you behave so calmly?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You have a name you once used, which is Li Mei. Your brother is Li Chao and your mother is Li Su. I¡¯m currently investigating a victim called Zhou Taiyang, who is your stepfather.¡±


    ¡°What does that prove?¡±


    ¡°You lied to me. From 7:20PM to 8:00 PM on February 24th, you forged an order. Where were you in these forty minutes? What did you do? I need you toe with me to assist in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°What investigation do I need to assist in?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Officer Lin, there¡¯s no need. I admit that I did it. I killed him! I just did what the old bastard had done to my mother and I. I know that paper can''t hold a fire[1]. From the day you walked into the convenience store, I figured you would take me away... I don''t hate you. If I were to be arrested in the end, I would rather it be by your hands. ¡°


    Lin Qiupu pulled out his handcuffs. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Gan Ping smiled bitterly. ¡°I need to tell my colleague that I can¡¯t do my shift, so I¡¯ll be troubling her to work an extra shift.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nced at the convenience store and nodded in agreement.


    Gan Ping entered the shop and he could see her talking to a colleague on the other side of the ss. Lin Qiupu sighed and took out a cigarette. Because of the wind, he had to lower his head to light the me. When he looked up, Gan Ping had disappeared.


    Lin Qiupu immediately threw the cigarette down and rushed in to ask the clerk, ¡°Where¡¯s Gan Ping?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gone to change her clothes and leave. Oh, it¡¯s that door. Are you looking for her...¡±


    Lin Qiupu ran through the aisle and banged on the door. Although he didn''t think Gan Ping would flee, the suspect must never leave his sight.


    After knocking for half a minute, there was no response. Lin Qiupu had an ominous premonition. He immediately opened the door and a street light shone on his startled face. It turned out that there was a closed window in the locker room, and the wooden board had been pried open by her. The tool she used was a crowbar that was thrown aside.


    The clerk came over puzzled and asked, ¡°What are you doing? Why did you knock the door down?¡±


    ¡°Where is she?!¡±


    Lin Qiupu''s impatient look scared the store clerk. She responded, ¡°No... I don''t know.¡±


    Lin Qiupu chased outside. He couldn¡¯t find Gan Ping in the crowd. He angrily punched the street light next to him and immediately called his subordinates to hurry over as the suspect had run away. The entire second team of the criminal police task force was sent out to find and arrest her.


    The police officers were dispatched immediately. Lin Qiupu asked the clerk for Gan Ping''s address, which was a house that had cheap rent close by. He hurried over but found no signs that Gan Ping had returned.


    He wondered where Gan Ping might go and suddenly remembered that Gan Ping mentioned her brother''s affairs. He called the local police and asked them to check Zhou Jierui''s information.


    The results of the query were shocking. The police told him that there was only one person in Long¡¯an called Zhou Jierui. This man was the actor Jiang Yuqi. Zhou Jierui was the name on his ID card to prevent the paparazzi from tracking him.


    ¡°One time I saw him wearing a ring that was more valuable than my whole body, sitting in a luxury car with people crowded around him. He was very dazzling.¡±


    Gan Ping had said so as well.


    There was a photo of Jiang Yuqi on Gan Ping''s phone. At that time, he thought the girl was just chasing after a celebrity but didn¡¯t consider other possibilities.


    Jiang Yuqi? After listening to Lin Dongxue, Jia Xingyun and Jiang Yuqi were good friends, so it seemed that Jia Xingyun was also involved in this case. All the clues suddenly connected in Lin Qiupu''s mind.


    Lin Qiupu jumped into a car and hurried to Jiang Yuqi''s residence in Long''an City, but he came back empty-handed. Jiang Yuqi''s housekeeper informed him, ¡°Mr. Jiang received a call ten minutes ago and hurried away.¡±


    ¡°Did he leave down where he went?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t!¡±


    Lin Qiupu called his subordinates and asked them to try and locate Jiang Yuqi''s mobile phone number. Ten minutester, Jiang Yuqi''s mobile phone number was sessfully traced. He was moving quickly along Zaifu Road...


    1. Common expression to represent how things can¡¯t be kept under wraps.

 Chapter 198: Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 198: Pursuit</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu held the steering wheel tightly in his hands with his eyes staring straight ahead. He put his phone on speaker and made calls one after another, telling everyone in the team to chase Jiang Yuqi along Zaifu Road.


    ¡°Captain Lin, we see his car. Do you want us to stop him?¡± The subordinate asked for further instructions.


    Lin Qiupu thought about it and replied, ¡°No. Don¡¯t stop them. Just follow them! The goal isn¡¯t him, but Gan Ping!¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s called in and he pressed to answer. Lin Dongxue reported, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve checked and it seems Jiang Yuqi is going in the direction of where the siblings used to live. It was an old employee housing area for an electroting factory that was demolished. Later, the new building was only ever half-built.¡±


    ¡°Give me the coordinates. I''ll head over first! Are you in a car?¡±


    ¡°I''m in Xiaodong''s car.¡±


    After getting the address, Lin Qiupu ordered those who were close to it to hurry over. The others needed to follow Jiang Yuqi. He turned the steering wheel and stepped on the elerator the whole way.


    When he got to the half-built building, a group of police officers had already arrived. Lin Qiupu jumped out of the car and saw them looking up. He followed their line of sight and saw someone sitting on top of the building. From the thin and slender figure, it seemed like it was Gan Ping.


    ¡°Captain Lin, this little girl seems to be... ending her life short!¡± Old Zhang tried to exin.


    ¡°You guys guard below. I''ll go up to her. Contact the fire brigade to set up cushioning below.¡±


    Lin Qiupu rushed to the top of the building in one breath and saw Gan Ping wearing a thin shirt sitting on the edge. Her braids had been untied and her long hair was constantly being blown by the night wind. She was unwrapping white rabbit lollies[1] and putting them into her mouth. Moonlight was reflected on the two lines of tears on her face, and white rabbit wrappers were piled up around her feet.


    ¡°Officer Lin...¡±


    ¡°Gan Ping, don''t be so silly ande down from there.¡±


    Gan Ping shook her head and said, ¡°When I was a kid, my family was very poor. We could only afford half a catty[2] of these lollies during the New Year, but those were our happiest moments... Later, my mother married this man. The person who set them up boasted about how this man was amazing and one of a kind. He was indeed a good man in front of others, but when nobody was around... He would just drink, beat my mother, and beat us... My mother couldn¡¯t stand it and ran away a few times. He wouldin everywhere until mother was found, then he¡¯d beat her ruthlessly. My brother and I could only watch them without making a peep... Later, my mother developed a mental illness and we became his punching bags to vent his frustrations. He hit my brother,shed at him with a belt and burned him with a soldering iron. And he raped me again and again... When my brother ran away from home, he said that when he became a man above men in the future, he had to take revenge on this old bastard... One day, our mother suddenly died. I knew I couldn''t stay any longer, so I ran away the day after the funeral... I looked forward to growing up and getting stronger every day to get my revenge on him! Officer Lin, I don''t regret doing this. This was all my choice!¡±


    Lin Qiupu said sadly, ¡°You don''t need to take your own life for such a scum.¡±


    Gan Ping''s eyes were empty and tears kept flowing from them. ¡°Although you deal with murderers every day, you don''t know how it feels to kill people, right? When I killed him, I was very happy. I was so happy I wept. It turns out that the man who tortured me in reality and in my nightmares for the past ten years was so vulnerable that he died like a dog!¡±


    ¡°You can solve problems with thew.¡±


    ¡°Law!¡± Gan Ping held an angry expression. ¡°My mother was beaten up and ran to the streets to find the police, but the old bastard said that my mother had a mental illness. My mother ended up being sent back by the police. At that time, if they had just asked for more information or looked into the situation, they wouldn¡¯t have been fooled by him. But, the police did nothing. They left just like that as if they¡¯dpleted their task... When we were weak and desired saving, a miracle didn¡¯t happen. I could only rely on myself and use my own hands to go and kill him!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was speechless and said, ¡°Will youe down first and talk at another ce?¡±


    ¡°Officer Lin, I really envy you. You and your sister can grow up healthy and happily while spending time together. I can see that you¡¯re a good brother.¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    A call drew the attention of the two. Lin Qiupu turned back and found Jiang Yuqi had arrived, followed by other police officers. They couldn''t stop him no matter how much they tried.


    Jiang Yuqi was no longer the dazzling image he was on TV, but full of sorrow as he stepped forward.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Gan Ping stood up shakily and smiled. Lin Qiupu was scared and began sweating as he watched her. ¡°To be able to meet you again at my end, I¡¯m very content... Knowing that my big brother is a star admired by everyone, I¡¯m really happy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so stupid!¡± Jiang Yuqi said with a pained heart. ¡°Why didn''t youe to me to discuss such a big thing and why did you do it alone?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to affect you. You are so famous and so many people look up to you...¡±


    ¡°Those aren''t important!¡± Jiang Yuqi desperately shook his head. ¡°Come down and let your brother hug you. Be a good girl, okay? You''ve already done something stupid, don''t be any more stupid!¡±


    Gan Ping seemed determined and had a firm expression. Old Zhang advised, ¡°Youngdy, you may not be sentenced to death in this case. Your brother will surely find the bestwyer for you. You are young and you have a good amount of years waiting for you. Don''t do anything stupid!¡°


    Gan Ping seemed a little shaken and Lin Qiupu took the opportunity to say, ¡°Your mother is already gone. Think about your only loved one in the world. If you died, think about how pained he would be! Survive! Live! Escaping isn¡¯t going to solve problems!¡±


    Gan Ping bit her lip and stared at Jiang Yuqi.


    ¡°You all go away!¡± Jiang Yuqi suddenly shouted, ¡°It''s all you police who pushed her to this point. Don¡¯t act like cats mourning mice. You all need to get lost!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, please calm down!¡± Lin Dongxue said, stepping forward to grab his shoulder.


    ¡°It''s not your turn to order me around!¡± Jiang Yuqi pped Lin Dongxue''s hand away. ¡°You don''t understand anything! I thought of the perfect killing n. If it wasn''t for my sister doing it first, you wouldn''t have been able to find out!¡±


    ¡°Perfect killing n?¡± Lin Dongxue raised an eyebrow.


    Jiang Yuqi knew that he had said the wrong thing and stared at her without talking. At this moment, Gan Ping suddenly screamed. It turned out that Lin Qiupu rushed over and dragged her down.


    Jiang Yuqi rushed over immediately and saw Lin Qiupu putting a pair of handcuffs on Gan Ping''s wrists. This made Jiang Yuqi fall into a fit of rage. He grabbed Lin Qiupu¡¯s cor and pushed him to the side of the building. He shouted, ¡°You made it sound so good saying she has a good life ahead of her. You¡¯re still arresting her anyway! Our lives are just case-breaking bonuses to you. You don¡¯t understand anything! You don¡¯t understand anything and only know to interfere with others!¡±


    For fear of Jiang Yuqi making impulsive decisions, the police surrounded him, but Lin Qiupu reached out to stop everyone. He said to Jiang Yuqi, ¡°You can scold us and discredit us. This is our job and we must take her away.¡±


    ¡°Go and die first then. I''ll go to prison with my sister!¡± Jiang Yuqi¡¯s grip on Lin Qiupu''s cor tightened, as if he was about to push him off.


    Suddenly, a hand grabbed Jiang Yuqi''s cor from behind and yanked him back. The thin Jiang Yuqi was pulled back, and his hand was loosened from Lin Qiupu''s cor. The person who dragged him back was Lin Dongxue.


    1. https://i.pinimg/originals/77/90/26/7790263780ce3cbb81220aa00b1583d2.jpg


    2. About 600 grams. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catty

 Chapter 199: Silent Snowfall

    <h4>Chapter 199: Silent Snowfall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue pulled him back and said angrily, ¡°In front of me?!¡±


    She punched Jiang Yuqi''s face and knocked him to the ground. The punch tore a small piece of handsome skin from Jiang¡¯s face and blood bled out from the wound. Lin Dongxue felt her fist ache as the anger in her heart became more vigorous. She was so angry that her breathing pattern was disturbed.


    Jiang Yuqi touched the blood on his face and red. ¡°I''m going to sue you. You will all lose your rice bowls[1]!¡±


    Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Please stop it with the sympathy cards! Who hasn¡¯t had a miserable childhood? You have to take responsibility if you kill someone no matter who you are!¡±


    ¡°Dongxue!¡± Lin Qiupu quickly stopped the impulsive Lin Dongxue for fear that she would make any more radical actions.


    Jiang Yuqi stood up to fight back but was stopped by the other police officers. Eventually, he and Gan Ping were taken away.


    Upon returning to the car, Lin Dongxue''s anger finally faded a bit. Lin Qiupu took out a wet wipe to help her clean her wounded fist. Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. ¡°I may get sued now. After all, it¡¯s not an ordinary person I punched... When I saw that guy trying to push you down, I was furious. ¡°


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Lin Qiupu patted her shoulder and smiled. ¡°Brother will sort it out for you.¡±


    After Gan Ping''s arrest, she confessed to all the crimes. Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t participate in the interrogation. From the first moment he met her, he had hoped that the girl had nothing to do with the case. However, the more he investigated, the more she proved suspicious. He didn''t know how to face her.


    On the day of the case closing, Lin Qiupu went to see Jia Xingyun. The two met at a cafe. Jia Xingyun asked him what he wanted to drink. Lin Qiupu responded, ¡°A ss of water.¡±


    Jia Xingyun still ordered him a cup of Biluochun and said, ¡°Yuqi is going to sue you for violentw enforcement.¡±


    ¡°I know. Thewyer''s letter has been mailed to us.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯te and ask me to mediate, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m here for something else. I want to figure out every detail of the case. What was the so-called ¡®perfect killing n?¡¯ Since things havee to this, you don¡¯t need to hide it anymore, right?¡±


    Although the n wasn¡¯t really rted to the case, Lin Qiupu wanted to figure it out.


    Jia Xingyun asked in response, ¡°Is there a perfect killing n in the world?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t exist. Murders will definitely leave clues behind. There are no unbreakable cases, only that there are police officers who aren¡¯t careful enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been Jiang Yuqi¡¯s friend for many years. I know what happened in his childhood. He always wanted to get revenge on his stepfather, so he clenched his teeth and climbed his way up in society. But the higher his worth, the less free he was. Mr. Chen found us that day. At the time, we were actually discussing this matter. We were discussing a perfect killing n and finally I thought of it!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Qiupu leaned forward with interest.


    ¡°The so-called perfect killing n is just not killing! I told Jiang Yuqi that this old bastard should be entrusted to me and I would make him disappear. My n was to give him a lot of money and let him leave Long¡¯an. He would hide his identity and Jiang Yuqi would think that I had killed them and disposed of the body. Hahahaha, isn¡¯t it perfect?¡±


    Lin Qiupu frowned, feeling like he was being yed. ¡°So on the day of the crime, you went to him and gave him a lot of money?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, Jiang Yuqi and Gan Ping are truly brother and sister. They have the same spirit and actually executed their ''killing'' on the same day! When I learned that the old bastard really died, my first reaction was that Jiang Yuqi did it, so I tried to dy you guys as much as possible, hoping to help him... I didn''t expect this to happen, officer! Officer Lin, do you think the old bastard deserved it?¡±


    ¡°No one can override thew, no matter the reason.¡±


    Jia Xingyun pped. ¡°You¡¯re indeed Captain Lin! But in your heart, you think he deserved it too, right?¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t matter. Mr. Jia, you may be summoned at court... Thank you for the tea.¡±


    ncing at the untouched Biluochun on the table, Lin Qiupu got up and left.


    The next person to see was Jiang Yuqi. When he came to the door of Jiang Yuqi''s house, Lin Qiupu straightened his cor, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.


    The steward opened the door and gave him a nce before saying that he needed to ask for instructions. After a while, he returned and said, ¡°Mr. Jiang is not here.¡±


    ¡°I can wait.¡± Lin Qiupu nced at the surveince camera on the door.


    ¡°He¡¯s really not here!¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I can wait.¡±


    ¡°Do as you please then!¡±


    Lin Qiupu stood motionless at the door for a full three hours. The answering machine suddenly rang, and Jiang Yuqi''s voice came out. ¡°Don¡¯t y this game with me. I¡¯m definitely going ahead with thewsuit. You can all go and eat cancer!¡±


    ¡°Can we talk?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to talk about. Hurry up and leave. I need to go outter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll wait for you to go out!¡±


    After a moment of silence, Jiang Yuqi said, ¡°You¡¯re so annoying. Come in!¡±


    The door opened and Lin Qiupu went into the living room. Jiang Yuqi was wearing silk pajamas sitting on the sofa, holding a ss of red wine in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll only give you five minutes!¡±


    ¡°Please don''t sue Lin Dongxue. If she didn''t stop you at the time and you really pushed me down, you wouldn¡¯t be sitting here right now.¡±


    ¡°Don''t talk about ¡®ifs¡¯ with me. There are no ¡®ifs.¡¯ The truth is that she punched me. Look at my face. Because of this one punch, I lost tens of millions of yuan.¡±


    ¡°I canpensate part of it properly.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Jiang Yuqiughed. ¡°Compensate? Stinking cop, whatpensation do you mean? If it wasn''t for my sister''s trouble, you wouldn''t even have the opportunity to stand here and talk to me!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, please be respectful!¡±


    ¡°Tch! You¡¯re hurting my sister, so your sister can¡¯t live well either! I want to ruin your reputation! The drool of my 10 million fans can drown you all. Wait for yourselves to make the headlines!¡±


    Lin Qiupu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel Jiang Yuqi''s anger. If he could, he didn''t want to use that...


    Lin Qiupu took out a USB sh drive and threw it over. Jiang Yuqi raised his hand to catch it. He looked puzzled and asked the housekeeper to give him theptop. After looking at the content, his expression changed. ¡°You¡¯re threatening me?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t threaten you. I just hope you can rescind yourwsuit. As long as you don''t sue Lin Dongxue, I can destroy this video taken by thew enforcement recorder.¡±


    Jiang Yuqi''s cheeks twitched for a long time. ¡°You''re ruthless!¡±


    When he got outside, snowkes floated in the sky and Lin Qiupu''s cheeks became hot for a while. He rarely did such things, but he was willing to do it for his sister.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue called him and shouted, ¡°Brother!¡± He couldn''t wait to tell her. ¡°Jiang Yuqi promised not to prosecute you.¡±


    ¡°Wow! How did you do that?¡± Lin Dongxue was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re so amazing!¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d sort it out for you.¡± Lin Qiupu smiled.


    ¡°By the way, the girl is going to be sent to the detention center tonight. She wanted to see onest person,¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Qiupu nced at the vi behind him and said, ¡°Okay, I''ll let him know.¡±


    ¡°Let who know? She wants to see you!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was a little surprised in the dim night sky with snowkes falling down silently...


    1. Rice bowls is amonly used expression to indicate jobs, as jobs are a means to get money and put food and rice on the table, which is typically served in rice bowls.

 Chapter 200: A Quiet Day

    <h4>Chapter 200: A Quiet Day</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 14: Emergency Landing


    On March 20th, Lin Dongxue left work to go home, opened the door with a spare key given to her by Chen Shi, and heard Tao Yueyue crying from her room.


    Lin Dongxue hurriedly changed her shoes and clothes to rush towards the bedroom. "Yueyue, what''s wrong? Did Uncle Chen have an ident?"


    "It''s worse than that. The kitten is sick! Wahh wahh wahhh!"


    Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t help butugh. When she entered the room, Tao Yueyue was holding Maoqiu in her arms. Maoqiu kept twitching and drooling. Tao Yueyue looked up and asked, "Sister Lin, what should I do? Is it about to die?"


    Lin Dongxue was helpless in the situation and said, "Let¡¯s hurry and take it to the vet!"


    The two immediately packed the cat in a cat bag and took it to the vet. An inspection revealed that it wasn¡¯t a big problem. It was a calcium deficiency caused by an imbnced diet. After it was injected with the proper nutrients, Maoqiu jumped up energetically again.


    This problem caused them to return at 7:00. It turned out that Chen Shi had already returned early, prepared dinner, and waited for them. He asked, "Is the cat all right?"


    "How did you know?" Lin Dongxue questioned. "Oh, you noticed that the cat wasn¡¯t here either, right?¡±


    Tao Yueyue squatted down on the ground and released the kitten from her bag. After returning to a familiar environment, Moqiu was ecstatic. It ran back and forth with boundless energy before parkouring all over the furniture. Chen Shi smiled butined, "It''s really troublesome to keep this kind of thing."


    "A home is always troublesome" Tao Yueyuemented.


    "Theposition of our house is so odd. Picked up a cat, picked up a child, and then...¡± Chen Shi¡¯s fingers moved to Lin Dongxue as he stopped talking.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I will move away tomorrow! I was going to get off work early today and find a real estate agent.¡±


    "You¡¯ve been saying this for half a month now. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    Tao Yueyue said, "Sister Lin, why do you have to move away? Isn''t it nice to live here?"


    "It''s not my own home, after all."


    "The house you rent is not your own either."


    Lin Dongxue was speechless as Chen Shiughed, "Then find one. If you find the right one, I¡¯ll help you move... Or you pay me rent and everyone wins."


    "Oh please!" Lin Dongxue said seriously and vowed for the umpteenth time, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will definitely move away. I can''t stay here forever!"


    "I wish you sess!"


    Honestly, living at Chen Shi¡¯s house was quitefortable. Chen Shi liked being clean and organized things neatly. The three of them had the same schedule and didn¡¯t disturb each other. When she thought of moving to a new ce, cleaning, tidying and all the other chores, she felt her head swell up just thinking about the costs.


    However, she said to herself that no matter what, she must move away tomorrow. She couldn¡¯t stick around there forever.


    The heavens won¡¯t abandon those with a will. With the help of Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue soon found a suitable rental to move into swiftly and smoothly.


    When she was leaving, Tao Yueyue was reluctant to let her go. Lin Dongxue touched her head andforted her. "Sister wille often to see you."


    The new home was veryfortable to live in. On the first night there, Lin Dongxue had an exceptionally sweet night. At dawn, she stretched and headed for the toilet. When she opened the door, she found Chen Shi ying on his mobile phone at the living room table.


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. "Why are you in my house?!"


    "Your house? When did the Sleep God work as a part-timer at the real estate agency?"


    Lin Dongxue looked around and found that she was still in Chen Shi''s house. It turned out that the whole move was just a dream. No wonder it was so smooth as if it were a movie shing by in a blink of an eye.


    Lin Dongxue then realized that she was wearing something too thin. Her upper body was fitted with a t-shirt with the character Mei Yangyang[1]. Although it was the right size, her shirt was slightly raised due to her chest, exposing a little part of her white tummy.


    There was only a pair of small, pink shorts on her lower body, so her thighs were exposed.


    Lin Dongxue screamed and then hurried back into her room to change clothes. Chen Shi kept his eyes on his mobile phone the whole time. "Is this necessary? If I wanted to peep, I would have already installed a camera in your room!"


    "You didn''t really do that, right?" Lin Dongxue asked from behind the door.


    "I did and I sold it everywhere as well!"


    "Stinking uncle!" Of course Lin Dongxue knew it was just a lie.


    "Hurry up and eat. Why did you get up sote today? Yueyue has already gone to school."


    Lin Dongxue pushed the door open and had already changed her clothes. There were two bowls of fragrant noodles on the table. The noodles were glutinous and chewy Guanmiao noodles[2]. The soup was a bone soup stewed from the night before. It had a poached egg on top and was sprinkled with chopped seaweed, green onions, parsley, and two pieces of dried meat.


    The breakfast at Chen Shi''s house was too luxurious. Lin Dongxue was not used to it for a few days at first. She was ttered and asked, "You made it for me?" Because of her busy job, Lin Dongxue often didn''t return for dinner, but breakfast was a must.


    Chen Shi''s answered, "The little rascal isn¡¯t here, so I wanted to eat something good!"


    After washing up, Lin Dongxue took a bite of the noodle soup and said, "It''s delicious! It''s delicious as always."


    "Eat more if it¡¯s delicious."


    "Your food is delicious and you understand life. You... You also look alright, so why have you always been single?"


    "Take a guess!"


    Through the "cohabitation" period, she observed that Chen Shi had no bad habits except smoking. If she were to talk about financial ability, it was considered a moderate to high level as he has a car and a house. Perhaps it¡¯s due to that reason... Of course, that¡¯s not something a youngdy should say.


    "I don''t know," Lin Dongxue answered.


    "Don¡¯t worry about the private affairs of someone else all day long. You don¡¯t have a boyfriend either, right?"


    "I won''t settle for you!"


    Chen Shi spat out the soup in his mouth and wiped it with a paper towel. "Miss Lin, I really can''t keep up with your brain circuit. Don''t worry, I''m not that kind of person."


    Lin Dongxue used her chopsticks to get a few strands of noodles. "I can''t stay here anymore. I must move out tomorrow!"


    "Okay, okay. I wish you sess."


    The sunshine outside was quiet. Lin Dongxue looked at the angle of the sun and felt like something was amiss. She went to her bedroom to get her mobile phone and found that it was already 9:00.


    "I¡¯mte!¡±


    "Yeah, I called you at 8:00 and you said you were going to wake up. Then, 9:00 came around."


    Lin Dongxue looked helpless. Recently, she had been very fatigued, so she must have slept in because of it. Sure enough, Chen Shi''s bed was toofortable... She continued to eat her noodles in anger as she worried about this month''s attendance award.


    After she finished eating the noodles, Chen Shi offered, "I''ll send you to work."


    As usual, Lin Dongxue went to work in Chen Shi''s car and paid him through the app. After all, she wouldn¡¯t be able to live with herself if she not only had free amodation and food, but also transport as well.


    Today, she was undoubtedlyte, but Lin Qiupu didn''t call or tell her off. After Gan Ping''s case ended, Lin Qiupu had been quiet since.


    In addition, because of her meritorious servicest year, she had been promoted and now ranked only under Lin Qiupu and Old Zhang in the team. Since then, Lin Qiupu had rarely scolded her.


    "Maybe it will be a peaceful and quiet day today?" Lin Dongxue muttered to herself as she watched the city¡¯s hustle and bustle through the window.


    "It''s like the calm before the storm of a big case," Chen Shi said.


    "Crow''s mouth!"


    1. A character from a popr cartoon called ¡°Xi Yang Yang Yue Hui Tai Lang¡±


    2. Noodles from Taiwan.

 Chapter 201: Case in the Air

    <h4>Chapter 201: Case in the Air</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue arrived at the bureau. Everyone who passed by said, ¡°Dongxue, you¡¯rete.¡± Lin Dongxue smiled in shame.


    She sat at her seat and opened a case file. At present, there were no cases that needed to be solved. There were only a few criminal cases that had post-investigation admin to be dealt with. Work was something that could never bepleted.


    A few colleagues were chatting about the new TV series, and Xu Xiaodong used the files as cover to y on his mobile phone. It seemed to be a peaceful day.


    Suddenly, there were footsteps in the corridor and she received a message from Lin Qiupu informing everyone to meet in the conference room. Everyone quickly put down their work and went to the meeting room. This time, Lin Qiupu, the first team¡¯s captain, Old Geng, and the chief who didn¡¯t usually show up was there too. This scene made it seem like there was a big situation at hand.


    The chief pped his hands together, motioning everyone not to speak. Then, he nced at Old Geng.


    Old Geng said, ¡°Excuse me for suddenly summoning everyone here. The situation is like this: An airne from Hainan justnded at Long¡¯an Airport due to an emergency. The reason for the forcednding was due to a criminal case on board. There was an old person who got killed in the economy section. The airline has arranged all the passengers to stay in a hotel and now the passengers are kicking up a fuss and making lots of noise. The airline and the police negotiated six hours for us. The ne will take off at 3:00 PM, so we must solve this crime within the allotted time. The killer must not leave with the other passengers!¡±


    The police officers began whispering in shock before the chief once again signalled for everyone to stop talking. ¡°This is the situation. This was originally the first team¡¯s case, but since everything is happening so suddenly, we have to concentrate all our strength towards this. The second team solved the most casesst year and has the strongest capabilities. The investigation work will be carried out by the second team and the peripheral work will be assigned to the first team. I will take charge of the procedural issues. You can rest assured and investigate the case without any worry.¡°


    ¡°Chief, is there a search warrant?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Yes, I have already signed it. You can investigate everyone on board.¡±


    ¡°How many people are there on the ne?¡±


    ¡°In total, there are nearly two hundred people. There are 167 passengers in economy ss and twelve flight attendants and pilots.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is suspicious?¡±


    ¡°You can say that! Except the victim...¡±


    ¡°No, the victim may be a suspect too!¡± Peng Sijue interjected. ¡°We haven''t seen the corpse, so we don''t know if theymitted suicide.¡±


    The chief nodded. ¡°Little Peng is right. Everyone is suspicious!¡±


    Everyone was shocked. Would it be possible to find the killer amongst almost 200 people within six hours? Could it really be done?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don''t hesitate. Everyone needs to bring all the necessary equipment to the scene. Remember, it must be solved in six hours. I''ll wait for your sess!¡±


    After the Chief and Old Geng left, Lin Qiupu assigned tasks to everyone. With the exception of a few officers who had important jobs on hand and couldn¡¯t be mobilized and the personnel responsible forwork investigation, the entire second team all had to participate this time. Lin Dongxue raised her hand and asked, ¡°Captain Lin, should I go and call on Chen Shi? ¡°


    ¡°Go ahead... Tell him that he can¡¯t waste even a second. He needs to utilize all his skills and means this time.¡±


    While Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi, the others left one after another. Chen Shi said over the phone, ¡°Challenging case, I like it! If this case can be broken, the second team will gain a lot of face.¡±


    ¡°Speaking so arrogantly. We haven''t even seen the scene yet, so hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Wait at the door. I''ll be there in five minutes.¡±


    Five minutester, Chen Shi''s car stopped at the door and he beckoned Lin Dongxue to get in the car. Chen Shi couldn''t wait to ask about the case, but Lin Dongxue didn''t know anything and said, ¡°I just told you everything I know.¡±


    ¡°Interesting! Honestly, I haven''t even flown on a ne in all my life!¡±


    ¡°You haven''t been in a ne even though you¡¯re so old?¡±


    ¡°Have you been on one before?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I once went on one for a business trip.¡±


    The sun outside the window was shining on her face and Lin Dongxue gradually dozed off. During her sleep, she felt something was pushing her head. She woke up to find that her head was resting on Chen Shi''s shoulder. He kept shrugging his shoulder, saying, ¡°Sleeping beauty, we¡¯re here.¡±


    In front of the airport, Lin Dongxue embarrassedly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and yawned. ¡°Why am I so sleepy today?¡±


    ¡°Your period?¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Lin Dongxue waved her fist around. ¡°Do you know how to respect people¡¯s privacy? Especially regarding this kind of thing!¡±


    ¡°Don''t hit, don''t hit. What if we crash the car and die!¡±


    Lin Dongxue sat down obediently, but she was still very sleepy. She thought about why she was so tired recently. She hadn¡¯t had a good rest since the start of the Spring period.


    They stopped the car and the two walked into the airport. Chen Shi eximed, ¡°It''s so big!¡±


    As they looked around, they heard someone shouting at them and turned to look at where the sound came from. Xu Xiaodong stood in front of a passage and beckoned them over. The airport opened a special passage for the police. It was possible to go in directly without security checks. Chen Shi got to the door and stopped. ¡°I want to go through the security check to see their normal procedures. Xiaodong, have you ever flown on a ne before?¡±


    ¡°Do the ones on the yground count?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    ¡°There are so many passengers. Don''t make amotion.¡± Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I''ll tell you the process. Isn¡¯t that fine?¡±


    ¡°No, no. You need to experience this kind of thing for yourself,¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t deal with you!¡±


    The three showed their credentials and asked to pass through the security inspection channel. Chen Shi''s impression was ¡°It really is strict!¡±


    When they got to the waiting room, they saw a lot of policemen in police uniforms walking around the scene. These were people from the first team. The people of the second team were investigating inside the ne. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Old Peng?¡±


    ¡°Doing an autopsy! The airport provided a ce for him to do the post-mortem,¡± said Xu Xiaodong.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look.¡±


    As they approached, Xu Xiaodong stopped and said, ¡°Oh, my breakfast was a little salty. I''ll go and get some water.¡±


    Chen Shi red at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say you don''t want to see the autopsy?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong had been found out. Heughed idiotically as Lin Dongxue instructed, ¡°Wait here for us!¡±


    The autopsy room provided by the airport was a small vacant warehouse. A colleague stood outside the door. When they pushed in, they didn¡¯t smell any pungent odors. It turned out that Peng Sijue hadn¡¯t begun to dissect the body. He was still examining the outside of the body.


    Lying on an empty bed was a naked old man with grey hair. The tarpaulin next to the floor held his clothes. It was ced ording to what his figure looked like. There was a pool of blood on his chest and it was clearly visible.


    Chen Shi squatted down to examine the blood stains. ¡°From the degree of coagtion, the time of death was about three hours ago.¡±


    ¡°It''s been three and a half hours to be precise. I just measured the liver temperature,¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°How did he die?¡± Chen Shi stood up and looked at the body.


    Peng Sijue held a ruler in his hand and pointed near the old man''s throat. ¡°A sharp weapon prated the throat. Due to the angle of the seat, most of the blood flowed back to the trachea, causing death due to suffocation... Time is tight. I don''t n to dissect the body. Go and look for the weapon!¡±


    ¡°A sharp weapon? Would that even be allowed on board?¡±


    ¡°Not only is it not, it would be impossible as well. Any metal object would be detected during the security check, and sharp weapons can¡¯t be brought on the ne. Even the flight attendants don¡¯t have scissors, knives and the like. Captain Lin has already asked.¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up a piece of paper with a picture of the weapon he constructed ording to the shape of the wound. ¡°The wound is 4 centimeters in width, 6 centimeters in depth, and cut at a 63-degree angle. It should be an object that is not sharp on both sides but has a sharp tip.¡±


    ¡°Like an awl.¡±


    Peng Sijue corrected, ¡°A t awl!¡±

 Chapter 202: Passenger Conflict

    <h4>Chapter 202: Passenger Conflict</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°t awl?¡± Chen Shi rubbed his chin. ¡°Are there other findings?¡±


    ¡°The victim''s teeth were loose and there were several bleeding points on the gums and inside the lips. We found a bottle of medicine on him,¡± Peng Sijue said as he held up a stic bottle with abel that was fully-written in English. ¡°It¡¯sbelled as a sleeping pill. The ingredients have to be tested, but in addition to this, there¡¯s an even more critical clue. There seems to be dandruff under the nails of the deceased.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. Just check the DNA of all the passengers and we can lock onto the killer,¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue took the hand of the corpse and put a magnifying ss in front of it. Chen Shi looked into the gap between the nails for a while and questioned, ¡°Is this dandruff? Why is the color...¡±


    ¡°It has been tested. It¡¯s human dandruff, but there is also some fibrous matter in there.¡±


    ¡°From clothes? I''ll take a look at the scene!¡±


    When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue came out, Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°How was it? Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll tell youter. Xiaodong, help me with an experiment.¡± Chen Shi beckoned.


    ¡°Experiment? Just say the word, Brother Chen.¡±


    ¡°Go find a pair of scissors or a knife-like object. Try to keep it from being detected by the security and see if you can pass the security check.¡±


    ¡°What should I do? They have metal detectors.¡±


    Chen Shi nced at Xu Xiaodong''s shoes and said, ¡°I remember that you had to take off your shoes just now, right? There are metal objects on your shoes. If you hide the sharp tool in your shoe, would it be detected?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll head over now!¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got to the airport runway. A passenger ne was stopped here and a group of passengers crowded on the steps as they caused amotion. ¡°Give me my luggage!¡±, ¡°Without our consent, who¡¯s allowing you to investigate!¡±


    There were several policemen at the hatch exining desperately, but the passengers just didn¡¯t want to listen


    Chen Shi forced a smile. ¡°How lively!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Yes, we can''t go up!¡±


    The two sides couldn''t stop arguing. At this time, Lin Qiupu came in an airport car, jumped out of the car, and held a search warrant in his hand. ¡°This is a search warrant. Now that a vicious murder has urred on board, everyone must cooperate with the police investigation.¡±


    ¡°In what right? You can¡¯t just go around investigating because you want to! Who will pay for the time lost?¡± A bald man in a leather coat stood up and yelled.


    Many people were encouraged by him and followed suit in adding to themotion. They imed that they had important meetings or that their loved ones were in critical condition. Being forced to stay here, they were already very agitated.


    Upon seeingpanions, the bald-headed man was even more arrogant. ¡°Let us go! It¡¯s just that an old man is dead. Detaining everyone here, you policemen are too unreasonable!¡±


    Lin Qiupu said with a stern face, ¡°If anyone continues to create amotion, I have the right to detain you.¡±


    ¡°Detaining me?! Do you know who I am?¡± The bald-headed man pped his chest a few times.


    ¡°Dongxue, arrest him.¡±


    Lin Dongxue immediately stepped forward and the bald-headed man was frightened. He turned around to try to go deeper into the crowd, but was pulledback out by Chen Shi. The bald-headed man raised his fist threateningly. Chen Shi said casually, ¡°Assaulting the police? You don¡¯t want to leave, right?¡±


    ¡°If you want to say something, then we can talk it out slowly. Why do we need to do it this way?¡± The bald-headed man said with a smile on his face. When Lin Dongxue was about to handcuff him, he hid his hands behind his back.


    Lin Qiupu was determined to make an example out of him and said, ¡°If you continue resisting, we¡¯ll call people over!¡±


    Finally, the bald-headed man was handcuffed and no one else dared to say anything. They whispered saying that the police were being unreasonable. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°We won¡¯t move your property during our investigation. Please rest assured and head back to the hotel and wait. Don¡¯t leave without permission.¡±


    Under the guidance of the airport personnel, the crowd of passengers left one after another and the storm temporarily subsided.


    Lin Qiupu looked at his watch and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s 10:20. A whole hour was wasted.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Which hotel are they staying in?¡±


    ¡°A 4-star hotel next to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Are there surveince cameras?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Why do you ask this?¡±


    ¡°Since the killer is in this group of people, they may make a move during this time. Send a brother to keep watch.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll leave it to the team.¡±


    The three of them got on the ne and went to the first ss section. The policemen did baggage checks one by one and looked down the narrow aisle. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°There is only one way from first ss to economy ss.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given? Everywhere on the ne is a straight aisle.¡± Chen Shiughed.


    Lin Qiupu had no light on his face[1] but continued and pointed to the doors on both sides. ¡°The front is the piloting cabin and the first-ss¡¯s washroom. This door separates the economy ss and the back is also the washroom and the flight attendant rest area. The curtain can be used for obscuring. I asked the flight attendant and there were no passengers between the two cabins after take-off.¡°


    ¡°All eight people in the first ss are ruled out!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi disagreed. ¡°Not necessarily. I don''t believe in witnesses much. There¡¯s no surveince monitoring here either.¡±


    ¡°There is but we can¡¯t see it right now,¡± Lin Qiupu pointed out.


    ¡°You mean the ck box? Let¡¯s go check things out in the economy ss!¡±


    The three people moved into the economy ss area. When they opened the curtain, they saw a seat cordoned off. Because the space was limited, the cordoned off area was only a symbolic circle on the ground.


    Lin Qiupu pointed to the aisle seat and said, ¡°This is the seat of the victim.¡±


    Chen Shi nced forward. ¡°Everyone''s facing this way. Was the light on at the time?¡±


    ¡°The time of the incident was around 6:00 in the morning and the ne took off at 4:00 in the morning. Most of the passengers either didn¡¯t sleep or got up early. To facilitate the passengers'' rest, the night light was turned on and the light was dim.¡±


    ¡°Was there anyone sitting next to him?¡±


    Lin Qiupu picked up a document and handed it over. ¡°This is a list of all the passengers!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at the list. The victim''s name was Deng Shirong. The seat next to him was empty, and the passenger beside the window seat was named Li Zhaodi. The fine print read ¡°Female, 58 years old.¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Thisdy was asleep at the time and had a sleep mask on. She didn¡¯t hear anything unusual.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a single witness?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°We''re still questioning others, but it seems like there are none so far.¡±


    Chen Shi imagined the scene on the ne and muttered, ¡°The deceased was pierced with a sharp weapon. His gums were bleeding and his teeth were loose...¡± He made Lin Dongxue sit there, then squatted down with one hand and covered Lin Dongxue''s mouth with one hand. He pretended to hold a weapon and pointed it at her throat with the other.


    ¡°I think the murderermitted the murder like this. This is the safest way given the situation at the time,¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Oh, your thoughts are simr to mine...¡± Lin Qiupu noticed that Chen Shi had eyes full of suspicion and raised his volume. ¡°I really do think so!¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn''t say I doubted your reasoning ability.¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what you were doing!¡± Lin Qiupu muttered.


    Lin Dongxue changed the topic. ¡°Did the murderer n this or was it a spontaneous killing?¡±


    ¡°Both of them, I think!¡± Chen Shi said ¡°What does the victim do? Do we know if he offended anyone?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still checking!¡±


    ¡°Let''s check their luggage to see if we can find anything.¡±


    1. He lost face.

 Chapter 203: On-site Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 203: On-site Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu decided to leave first and left it to them. Chen Shi stared at the victim''s seat and thought without a word. Lin Dongxue urged, ¡°Help me check the luggage!¡±


    ¡°You check it first. I want to check some areas around here.¡±


    Chen Shi opened the curtain and entered the flight attendant''s resting lounge. Lin Dongxue and other police officers began taking out the luggage under the seats one by one to investigate them. After checking each one, they made a circle on the passenger list.


    When opening one particr leather suitcase, Lin Dongxue felt that there was something on the outer wall of the case. She called on the others toe and see, but there was no sharp object at hand. While she was worrying, Xu Xiaodong ran in and said, ¡°Brother Chen! Where¡¯s Brother Chen?¡±


    Lin Dongxue stood up and suddenly felt dizzy. It took awhile for her to feel better. She asked, ¡°Did you finish that experiment?¡±


    ¡°It''s done! The test proves that the airport inspection is also wed. Vo!¡± Xu Xiaodong took off his shoes and took out a pair of copsible scissors from under the insole. ¡°When I passed the security check, they didn''t find anything hidden in my shoes.¡±


    ¡°Just right. Let me use the scissors.¡± After taking the scissors, Lin Dongxue frowned. ¡°What''s this smell?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong bowed his head and smiled. ¡°What do you think? It was hidden in shoes.¡±


    Lin Dongxue cut the suspicious leather suitcase with scissors and found some pills in between the leather. Xu Xiaodong eximed, ¡°Drugs! What an unexpected discovery.¡±


    Lin Dongxue marked the name of the baggage owner and put a question mark next to their name. The pills needed to be taken for testingter.


    Chen Shi opened the curtain and said, ¡°Did you finish the investigation?¡±


    ¡°It''s only half done!¡± Lin Dongxue looked at the long aisle ahead.


    ¡°I don''t think the murder weapon will be found in the luggage. The murderer isn¡¯t that stupid. Check the seats and garbage bags.¡± Chen Shi picked up a garbage bag and found the wrapping paper for food and a crumpled piece of foil.


    Suddenly, he said, ¡°I''m going to find Old Peng. You guys continue busying yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey! Why don''t you help?!¡± Lin Dongxue shouted after him, but he had already left.


    Xu Xiaodong sighed. ¡°That''s what Brother Chen¡¯s like. As soon as he thinks of something, he needs to go and do it. But he¡¯s always so urate.¡±


    ¡°Don''t stand around. Come check the luggage together with us.¡±


    In addition to this suitcase, they also found some cutlery with knives in another person¡¯s luggage. This discovery surprised everyone, but when Lin Dongxue picked it up, they found that it didn''t feel right. It turned out to be a rubber knife. No lethality at all.


    However, just in case, she marked down the owner.


    After checking all the luggage, it was eleven o''clock. Lin Dongxue almost couldn¡¯t handle how tired she was. At this time, Chen Shi and Peng Sijue got onto the ne, and Peng Sijue held a testing kit in his hand. Chen Shi smiled and asked, ¡°Did you finish with the investigation?¡±


    ¡°You make it seem like it¡¯s easy but you didn¡¯t even help!¡± Lin Dongxueined.


    ¡°Sorry. I thought of something, so I called Old Peng over to help.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, Captain Peng. Here are some pills for you to test. There were a few suspicious pieces of luggage. I¡¯ll go and question their owners.¡±


    Chen Shi took the pills and asked, ¡°Was it found in the luggage?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Leave this alone. There are less than four hours left. If the case is investigated so thoroughly, we won¡¯t be able to find anything even the day after tomorrow... You should go see the flight attendants and ask them which passengers used the toilet after take-off. All the passengers who passed by the victim¡¯s seat need to be recorded.¡±


    ¡°Oh and pay attention to whoever is wearing a dark blue khaki coat. Especially if there¡¯s a slight tear on the clothes, particrly around the sleeves.¡± Peng Sijue added.


    Lin Dongxue nodded. ¡°I''ll go now!¡±


    After the other police officers left, Chen Shi said to Peng Sijue, ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up the reagents and held the ultraviolet light up. He began the test from the toilet to the aisle while Chen Shi was inspecting the kitchen on the ne. In reality, it was just a ce where food could be heated up.


    ¡°Old Peng!¡±


    Peng Sijue looked back and reached out to catch something that Chen Shi had thrown over. It was something wrapped in foil and it was still warm.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    Chen Shi also had one in his hand and said, ¡°Airne food. It¡¯s a hamburger. I just heated it so we can use it to feed our hunger for now!¡±


    ¡°Can you stop making crime scenes your home?¡±


    ¡°If you won¡¯t eat it, I will.¡±


    Chen Shi opened it and took a bite. It was the most unpleasant burger he''d ever eaten in his life. It was a big piece of bread with ham, sausage slices and vegetable leaves sandwiched in between. It had no taste at all.


    He took out the burger and put it on a seat. Then, he ttened the tin foil and carefully folded it into a t awl. He used it to try to pierce the bread. The knife folded by the tin foil could easily pierce the bread.


    Chen Shi used the foil knife to poke his finger. Although it was very pointy, it wasn¡¯t strong enough to pierce his finger.


    So, he improved it by folding the foil knife even more, making it tighter and sharper. He was actually able to pierce his finger this time and looked at the blood on his finger. He seemed to have an epiphany.


    ¡°Old Chen!¡±


    Chen Shi quickly sucked the blood from his fingers and ran over. He saw the ultraviolet light in Peng Sijue''s hand illuminating a bloody spot on the floor. There wasn¡¯t much blood and it looked like it was wiped clean with someone¡¯s feet.


    Chen Shi looked back. ¡°It''s two rows away from the seat of the victim.¡±


    ¡°I also found it in the back. There are three ces with blood at an average of ten centimeters apart.¡± Peng Sijue continued moving forward, but there were no more stains after. There were only these three blood spots.


    Chen Shi spected, ¡°This is the blood that dripped from the weapon. Have you tested theposition of the victim¡¯s wound?¡±


    ¡°No, the results aren¡¯t out yet, but the drug was determined to be a tranquilizer. The deceased should have taken it before his death. He was in a state of neuro-suppression, so when he was killed, he hardly struggled.¡±


    ¡°Is there blood in the toilet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What about the toilet over there?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see.¡±


    The two got to the washroom on the other side and Peng Sijue sprayed some Luminol reagent on the ground and in the toilet. He used the ultravioletmp and found nothing around the toilet. Then, he checked the wash basin again. Unexpectedly, there was a trace of blood on the sink.


    ¡°This blood stain was left behind recently. It¡¯s probably the victim¡¯s blood. The killer must have washed their hands here.¡±


    ¡°They killed someone and then came all the way here to wash their hands. I¡¯d do the same. Once the victim is found, everyone¡¯s attention will be on the front row. Nobody would pay attention to the back rows.¡±


    ¡°Would the murder weapon also be here?¡± Peng Sijue pointed to the toilet.


    ¡°I heard that the excrement on a ne will be thrown into the air and frozen into a blue popsicle as it goes down. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Some aircrafts that have strict weight limits will do this, but this type of passenger aircraft will not. The excrement will be stored and returned to the ground to be dealt with by ground staff.¡±


    ¡°Does this count asmon knowledge?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, would the murderer know about this and give up his intention to deal with the weapon through the toilet?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?!¡±

 Chapter 204: Estimated Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 204: Estimated Weapon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The truth cannot be obtained through pure spection. Peng Sijue took a cotton swab to sample the four walls of the toilet tube and used a blood protein kit to identify whether it contained human blood or not. Although the toilet was dirty, Peng Sijue conducted it meticulously. There was no human blood there.


    ¡°It seems that the murderer did not throw the weapon into the toilet. Fortunately-¡± Chen Shi began.


    ¡°What''s fortunate?¡±


    ¡°If he threw it there, you¡¯d have to open the box that stores the excrement and stir it with a stick. It''s funny just thinking about that!¡± Chen Shi couldn''t help butugh.


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes at him ¡°Excrement, internal organs, or bones. To me, it''s just a proteinposition. The difference is just theposition.¡±


    ¡°A good attitude to have.¡±


    Lin Qiupu called and asked them toe over to eat quickly. Mealtime was only twenty minutes, so they had to be sure to hurry.


    Chen Shi washed his hands in the sink and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    Peng Sijue yelled from behind, ¡°I haven''t taken samples yet!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up. Don''t expect this case to be done step by step.¡±


    Peng Sijue still took samples from the bloodstains in the washroom before leaving with Chen Shi.


    Originally, the first team nned to send boxed lunches to all therades of the second team, but Lin Qiupu wanted to exchange information while eating. He booked out a restaurant in the waiting room for everyone to eat at.


    Seeing Chen Shiing, Lin Qiupu said, ¡°It''s 12:00 right now and the ne will take off at 3:00 PM. Eat quickly.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you order this steamed dish? It¡¯s hard to eat such a hot dish quickly!¡± Chen Shi remarked.


    Lin Qiupu red at him. ¡°Only this restaurant could bepletely booked out for us, so don''tin. You can let it cool down a bit before you eat. Let''s have a small meeting first. I¡¯ve found the identity of the deceased. Deng Shirong was the manager of an insurancepany in Jinan, and he¡¯s also a shareholder with 27% of the shares. He retired this year and stayed in his hometown in Hainan. It was only because thepany had an important shareholder meeting that he went on this red-eye flight. Interpersonal rtionships are quiteplicated and it may not be clear unless we investigate for three days. However, the passengers on this ne aren¡¯t acquainted with him.¡±


    ¡°Has anyone bought insurance from thispany?¡± Old Zhang asked.


    ¡°I will continue to investigate.¡±


    Lin Dongxue suggested, ¡°This can be asked during our questioning of each person!¡±


    ¡°Very good, we¡¯ll do that!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°I heard that the passengers are all kicking up a fuss and asking how the police are handling the case since they weren¡¯t questioned the whole morning, causing them to wait at the hotel for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Cases aren¡¯t investigated by the mouth. We must know the status of the scene before asking them anything. Old Peng, can you tell us your findings?¡±


    Peng Sijiue said something about the autopsy. At this time, one of his subordinates chimed in, ¡°Captain, we found out that the person¡¯s wound contained a lot of aluminum powder.¡±


    ¡°Aluminum powder?¡± Chen Shi knocked on his bowl with chopsticks and stood up. ¡°Everyone, I already know what the weapon is.¡±


    Everyone''s eyes turned to Chen Shi and Chen Shi took out the foil knife he folded from within his pocket. ¡°The ne offered a meal on board. It was a hamburger wrapped in tin foil. I tried it and folded the tin foil up into this shape. It canpletely pierce the skin.¡° He raised his left hand to show everyone the wound on his finger.


    ¡°Foil?¡± Lin Qiupu was a little skeptical. ¡°Foil is so soft. How can it piece the skin?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin knows how to open coconut with chewing gum and watermelon with a paper knife, right? As long as the speed is fast enough, soft things can pierce the skin.¡± Chen Shi exined while holding a chicken drumstick on the table. He suddenly stabbed into the chicken leg with the foil knife.


    Everyone eximed in surprise.


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Yes, non-Newtonian fluids[1] can maintain their original state at high speeds. The most typical example is wet starch, and... Can you stop using my chicken drumstick to demonstrate?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, great progress!¡± Lin Qiupu apuded.


    One hand was raised in the crowd and Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Xiaodong, do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°Er, is there something wrong with everyone? Isn''t tin foilmade from tin? But aluminum powder was found in the wound.¡±


    ¡°Theposition of the tin foil is actually aluminum.¡±


    ¡°Tin foil is aluminum foil, but it was called ¡®tin foil¡¯ over in Hong Kong and it just caught on.¡±


    Many people gave Xu Xiaodong a science lecture. Xu Xiaodong was very ashamed andughed, ¡°Okay, okay, I learned a valuable lesson again.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°If the weapon is this, it must be easy to get rid of.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the murderer can crumple it into a ball and throw it away at their leisure. It may even be...¡± He picked up a chicken drumstick from Peng Sijue¡¯s te and took a bite. ¡°Eaten!¡±


    ¡°Shameless!¡± Peng Sijue used.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Everyone should have received the meal. You can check who has no tin foil in their garbage bag. Dongxue, did you ask the flight attendants what I told you to ask?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked them. They said that many passengers passed by the victim''s seat. There were too many people to count or remember.¡±


    ¡°Then leave it alone. Just look for the tin foil. Whoever doesn''t have tin foil, we¡¯ll have to question!¡±


    Lin Qiupu had a conjecture. ¡°What about the flight attendants themselves? They can also ess the tin foil. What if theymitted the murder?¡±


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t assured, check it out yourself. I¡¯ll handle the economy ss passengers!¡±


    ¡°Well, I won''t bet on a probability. I¡¯ll investigate the first-ss passengers and flight attendants! Everyone, hurry and eat. We need to continue working after the meal.¡±


    Chen Shi sat down and Peng Sijue took a look at the aluminum foil. Then, he crumpled it in a ball and said, ¡°If the murderer threw the foil into the toilet after crumpling it up into a ball, the blood may not leak out. It seems that I still have to check it... The protein on the ne!¡°


    ¡°The way you put it is even more disgusting. Can you not say it during the meal?¡± Chen Shiined as he continued to eat the drumstick he stole earlier.


    ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    ¡°It''s so delicious. You try it too!¡±


    Looking at the empty te, Peng Sijue had no choice but to pick up a piece of broli with his chopsticks. Chen Shi said, ¡°Don''t check that stuff yet. Go and borrow a metal detector to look around the ces for where the passengers have been and see if the killer threw it away.¡±


    ¡°Also, if there is a fingerprint on the aluminum foil, it can be easily extracted.¡±


    Lin Dongxue came over. ¡°Ah, are we going in the wrong direction? Didn''t we say that we found DNA in the nails of the deceased in the morning? Why not collect everyone¡¯s DNA andpare them one by one?¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head. ¡°The equipment is at the bureau. Even if we don¡¯t count the return trip, the time would be too tight. To check the DNA of so many people, it would take a lot of time. Right now, we can only find the killer and then use the DNA as evidenceter.¡±


    After eating, everyone rubbed their mouths and left to work. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯m not waiting for you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was anxious and ate the rest of her meal in a hurry. She threw away the chopsticks and nned to leave. As a result, when she stood up suddenly, she felt the dizziness she felt in the past wash over her even stronger than before.


    Then, the scene in front of her became ck and she fell to the ground.


    1. A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid that does not follow Newton''sw of viscosity, i.e., constant viscosity independent of stress. In non-Newtonian fluids, viscosity can change when under force to either more liquid or more solid. Ketchup, for example, bes runnier when shaken and is thus a non-Newtonian fluid.

 Chapter 205: Trap the Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 205: Trap the Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone was shocked when they saw Lin Dongxue had fainted.


    Lin Qiupu went over to check on her. ¡°Hurry up and keep working. I¡¯ll send her to the hospital!¡±


    Although he really wanted to care about it, Chen Shi knew that it was less than three hours before the ne would take off. He said to Peng Sijue, ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    The crowd got on the ne and searched it carefully, recording all the passengers who did not have foil in their garbage bag. This took about half an hour. The airport was just too big.


    Chen Shi asked people from team one to organize the passengers. When the members of the second team arrived, the captain of the first team Old Geng said, ¡°The passengers you are asking about have all been brought out... Who are you? Where¡¯s Little Lin?¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell youter!¡± Chen Shi patted his shoulder, ¡°Thanks, Old Geng!¡±


    Seeing that everyone else was following Chen Shi, Old Geng was very puzzled and muttered, ¡°Who the hell is this?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong passed by and answered him. ¡°The treasure of the team!¡±


    Chen Shimunicated with the hotel and arranged some empty rooms. Groups of two police officers each questioned a passenger in order to speed up the process.


    Peng Sijue took the forensics department to find the weapon. Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong got to a room. The person smoking on the bed in the room was actually the bald man from the morning. He immediately stood up, brushed the cigarette ashes from his body, smiled, and handed some cigarettes over to them.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± Chen Shi declined the cigarette and pulled out a packet from his own pocket.


    The bald man came over to light the cigarette and said, ¡°Feng Dabao!¡±


    Chen Shi noticed that there was a question mark next to his name from Lin Dongxue on the list. The suspicious pills found in the luggage in the morning were from the same person. It¡¯s no wonder he tried to obstruct the police from checking the luggage this morning and became so attentive in the afternoon.


    ¡°Check to see if he has a previous record.¡± Chen Shi instructed.


    Xu Xiaodong searched using the police system and said, ¡°He was booked for smuggling. He was in prison for a few years.¡±


    Feng Dabao defended, ¡°I own an online shop and engage in overseas purchases. I haven¡¯t scammed or harmed anyone. I only carry items back to China for sale. How is that smuggling? I feel wrongly used.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. Do you know this person?¡± Chen Shi showed the photo of the victim on his phone.


    ¡°That old man? I haven''t seen him before this!¡±


    ¡°Did you get the meal provided on-board?¡±


    ¡°I did. It tasted so fucking bad. I threw it away.¡±


    ¡°Where did you throw it?¡±


    ¡°Just the bin next to the toilet.¡±


    Chen Shi felt that he was not lying and waved his hand. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you''re so efficient. Then, I''ll go now!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong whispered, ¡°Brother Chen, why didn¡¯t you ask about the pills?¡±


    ¡°How can we spare time for that? Contact the police who will be at thending area to check it out!¡±


    Chen Shi called in the next passenger and began to ask, ¡°Name...¡±


    In the infirmary of the airport, Lin Dongxue woke up and found that there was an IV drip on the back of her hand and Lin Qiupu was beside her. Her head was still a little dizzy. She sat up slowly and asked, ¡°Brother, what happened to me?¡±


    ¡°Anemia. Who told you to pull all-nighters all the time?¡±


    ¡°Who caused me to do all-nighters?... I didn¡¯t say anyone¡¯s name while I was unconscious, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid that I would have heard someone¡¯s namee out of your mouth?¡±


    ¡°No... No!¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised when she looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°It''s already two o''clock. How''s the case?¡±


    ¡°No progress!¡± Lin Qiupu has been following up with the task force with his mobile phone. He furrowed his eyebrows.


    An airport officer came with Old Zhang and the airport personnel said, ¡°Captain Lin, haven''t you caught the suspect yet? The ne is ready to take off, and the airport asked me toe over to let you know.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people, so they have to start boarding half an hour earlier.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was anxious and asked Old Zhang, ¡°What about what I¡¯ve asked you to check...¡±


    ¡°Neither flight attendant nor the passengers from first ss seem to be suspects.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no progress over on Chen Shi¡¯s side either!¡± He whispered to himself.


    Lin Dongxue pulled off the IV lure and said, ¡°We won¡¯t make it in time! Let''s go together!¡±


    ¡°You lie down for me!¡± Lin Qiupu ordered.


    ¡°I can go on the drip anytime. Why do I have to do it now? I¡¯m fine now...¡± Lin Dongxue felt dizzy again as soon as she stood up. However, she was a lot better than before.


    Lin Qiupu no longer insisted. ¡°Go! Let¡¯s go to the hotel!¡±


    They all got to the hotel and were surprised to find Chen Shi standing outside the door of the hallway smoking as if nothing was wrong. Lin Qiupu asked in disbelief, ¡°You... Have you figured it out yet?¡±


    ¡°No, there are no suspects in this group.¡±


    ¡°Then you...¡± Lin Qiupu controlled his voice that was raised abruptly. ¡°Then, why are you still so leisurely loitering around?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to investigate anymore. What else can I do?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was fuming and Chen Shi raised his hand, counted his fingers, and said, ¡°Old Peng didn''t find the weapon in the ce where the passenger passed by or stayed. There was no problem in the luggage even though we checked twice. All corners of the ne have been checked and there¡¯s no problem!¡°


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    ¡°The murder weapon is on the murderer.¡±


    ¡°You know what time it is? If you have a n, let''s do it quickly!¡± Lin Qiupu nced at his watch. It was already 2:15. The movement of the second and minute hands made him irritable.


    ¡°What n do I have? I don¡¯t have x-ray vision or anything,¡± Chen Shi yawned.


    ¡°X-ray vision? Doesn''t the airport have x-rays?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Exactly! That''s my idea. Let everyone go through the security check again and board the ne. We should be able to intercept the killer during this.¡±


    ¡°What if this trick doesn''t work?¡± Lin Qiupu questioned.


    Peng Sijue walked through the door and pushed his sses up. ¡°If Old Chen''s idea doesn''t work, I will fly together with them, collect everyone''s DNA, and bring it back forparison.¡±


    ¡°I hope you don''t have to do that. Let everyone know they can board the ne!¡±


    It seems that Chen Shi intentionally waited until this time and didn¡¯t have any other ns. Lin Qiupu asked the airport staff to inform everyone to prepare for boarding and arranged for everyone to monitor the security check.


    The airport temporarily opened a security checkpoint. When the passengers heard that they could finally get back on the ne, they were very delighted. As long as they could get on the ne, even if they didn¡¯t take off, they felt like it was a lot better.


    The airport also gave a reasonable exnation for the requirement to go through the security check once again and most people were happy to ept it.


    Near the security checkpoint, police officers waited with anxiety as the long line of passengers passed through the security one by one. Whenever a metal object was found on someone, everyone would be nervous. However, they turned out to be false rms. They were just coins, keys, mobile phones and the like.


    ¡°Will it work?¡± Lin Qiupu expressed his doubts. ¡°The murder weapon is notrge, and the murderer could have hidden it in the hotel.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured. They didn''t know about the security check before they came out.¡± Chen Shi was very confident. ¡°And the first team is now checking the ce where they lived.¡±


    Lin Qiupu''s phone rang and it was a call from Old Geng. He said, ¡°Little Lin, there¡¯s nothing abnormal in the hotel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been tough for you.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Not at all. We were the ones who asked for your team¡¯s help.¡±


    At this moment, a young man in the crowd looked panicked. He constantly changed positions with the people behind him. Chen Shi made a gesture to make sure people would stay quiet, then pointed at the young man so that everyone would understand. They slowly surrounded the man like a wolf pack that had locked onto its prey...

 Chapter 206: Revenge for the Brother

    <h4>Chapter 206: Revenge for the Brother</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing the policeing, the young man seemed even more panicked. He pushed past the crowd and tried to get away. Chen Shi put his hand on his shoulder and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the restroom!¡±


    ¡°Go through the security check first. You can go after you finish.¡±


    ¡°You can control the sky and the earth, but you can¡¯t control farts and shits. You even want to control when I go to the bathroom? Are there even any human rights?!¡± The young man stared them down.


    A sudden ¡°ting¡± sound made the guy shocked. He looked down and saw that a metal detector was touching his stomach. It was Peng Sijue who was holding the metal detector. This was the one he had borrowed earlier.


    Chen Shi sneered. ¡°What''s hidden on your body? Take off your coat.¡±


    The young man looked pale as his lips trembled in silence.


    They took him aside. Under Chen Shi''s urging, he had to take off his jacket. Peng Sijue checked with the metal detector again. When it passed his abdomen, the noise sounded off again.


    ¡°Please take off your sweater as well.¡±


    The man bit his lip and took off his sweater. When Peng Sijue was ready to do the test again, he reached out and held Peng Sijue¡¯s wrist. He begged, ¡°Give me some dignity. I confess! I did it!¡±


    ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Li Weiting!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at the passenger list. He had evaded questioning twice. What a clever boy!


    ¡°Let''s talk somewhere!¡±


    Everyone went to a vacant Weierpi Lounge[1] where it was possible to see the flow of people boarding their nes. Li Weiting looked down with a sigh. ¡°I thought I could follow them on the ne.¡±


    Opposite of him sat Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi while the others were waiting outside.


    Lin Qiupu questioned, ¡°You killed the person?¡±


    Li Weiting lowered his head and nodded.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was God¡¯s will!¡±


    ¡°Then you sitting here is God¡¯s will as well. Don¡¯t talk around the point!¡±


    ¡°I know that person. He was the one who killed my brother. A few years ago, my brother bought insurance from hispany. Later, my brother found out that he had cancer, but the insurancepany refused to pay by using several excuses. When my brother was at the hospital, the guy ying around with the fine print and making excuses was that old bastard! I was so angry that I hit him with an ashtray. Who would have thought that due to this impulsive action, we¡¯d lose the case in court? My brother didn¡¯t get a cent ofpensation...¡±


    ¡°Later, my brothermitted suicide out of despair, leaving my sister-inw and children behind. My sister-inw didn''t even have a job and owed a lot of debts. She could only go out to do odd jobs.¡±


    ¡°I would often go to Jinan to support them. I didn''t expect to encounter this old animal on the ne this time! Look at the watch he wears, look at the mobile phone he uses, and the tens of millions he talked about over the phone! These were all in exchange for the blood of countless people like my brother! I heard my brother''s voice in my mind that told me to kill the old man and take revenge for him, so I...¡±


    ¡°How did youe up with this ingenious way?¡± Chen Shi took out his knife folded using foil.


    ¡°How did Ie up with it?¡± Li Weiting sneered. ¡°My brothermitted suicide like that. He suffered in the intensive care unit and didn''t want to burden the family, so he used the foil from the meal he received at lunch and folded it into a knife to cut his throat.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be ¡®pierce¡¯ the throat instead?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I stabbed the ''knife'' into the throat of the old animal, he didn''t even bark a single time. I don¡¯t regret killing him. This is retribution. Even if I didn''t do it, one day, there would be others out there who would do it!¡±


    ¡°Do you still think that you carried out God¡¯s will?¡± Lin Qiupu couldn''t listen anymore.


    Chen Shi cared more about the case and asked, ¡°The weapon is in your stomach?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Li Weiting acknowledged. ¡°I thought that even if a body was found on the ne, I would be able to go to Jinan before the case was investigated. I didn''t expect tond halfway. I couldn''t get rid of the weapon on the ne so I turned it into a ball and swallowed it... How did you know? Did someone see me?¡±


    ¡°No one saw it. Do you understand reasoning?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Li Weiting looked at Chen Shi in surprise. ¡°You are amazing. I admire you! I admire that!¡±


    ¡°I need to ask you about a little detail. Did you swap your trash bag with someone else?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I swapped it with the people next to me. When you called people for questioning, I felt fortunate that the police didn¡¯t notice me... Sure enough, I was too na?ve. I didn¡¯t expect that you had a back-up n.¡±


    Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi exchanged nces. It seemed that the truth was out.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Again, I don''t regret it, but... After I go to prison, can you sell my house and give all my savings to my sister-inw and nephew?¡±


    ¡°You are very kind. Rest assured, we will tell the Supreme People¡¯s Procuratorate who will take over this case.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you all!¡± Li Weiting had tears welling up in his eyes.


    Lin Qiupu brought the handcuffed suspect out and handed him to the captain of the first team. At this time, just before three o''clock, the ne was taking-off and passing by slowly on the other side of the window.


    ¡°We broke the record!¡± Lin Qiupu smiled in relief.


    ¡°It¡¯s because your leadership was good,¡± Chen Shi modestly said.


    After the person was taken away, Old Geng was very excited. He held up Lin Qiupu''s hands and said, ¡°The second team is truly amazing. Six hours to capture the murderer. No wonder the chief left this case to you.¡±


    ¡°It''s not my credit!¡± Lin Qiupu nced at Chen Shi, but Chen Shi shook his head slightly. He didn''t want to attract attention, so Lin Qiupu rephrased, ¡°It''s everyone''s joint effort.¡±


    ¡°Little Lin, I owe you one. If you need help next time, just let me know!¡±


    ¡°You''re very wee!¡±


    The case closed and everyone became very rxed. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Captain, the case has been solved. Can we get off work early to rx?¡±


    ¡°It''s not time yet. Go back to work!¡±


    Lots ofints and sighs could be heard. Lin Qiupu beckoned to Chen Shi. ¡°Dongxue fainted today. Let¡¯s just say she¡¯ll need sick leave. Send her back to rest early and tell her not to stay up sote anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you do it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I... I¡¯ll pay your fare!¡±


    ¡°Double the price!¡±


    ¡°Robbery while there¡¯s a fire[2]?!¡±


    While others were still working hard with bitter smiles, Lin Dongxue had already returned to Chen Shi''s car and was looking at the warm sun outside the window. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I suddenly remembered that tomorrow is the weekend. Hahaha, I can sleep in!¡±


    ¡°Officer Little Lin, shall I buy you some supplements?¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°I can buy it myself! By the way, it''s rare that I have a day off. I¡¯ll go and find a real estate agency to get a ce for myself.¡±


    ¡°Forget about it today. You need a good rest. I''ll apany you tomorrow and help you move the day after tomorrow!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it and was defeated byziness again. ¡°Will do!¡±


    Lin Dongxue slept until 9:00 the next day. When she got up, she smelled a fragrant scent. Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue were ying around with a newly purchased soy milk machine in the living room. The smell of red date and soy milk filled the room.


    Lin Dongxue was so moved that her heart fluttered about. ¡°You... Did you buy this especially for me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I just want to drink soy milk!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not speaking what¡¯s in your heart!¡± Lin Dongxue wanted tough. After enjoying the sweet red date soy milk, she resolutely said, ¡°I will go to the real estate agencies and find a house today. Then, I¡¯ll try to move tomorrow... This time I can do it!¡±


    Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Sister Lin, why are you always so intent on moving? Isn''t it nice living here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s her self-constion so that she can live here with a peace of mind!¡± Chen Shi hit the nail on the head.


    ¡°You... The things you say are so awful that it attracts a beating!¡± Lin Dongxue said to Tao Yueyue, ¡°I don''t have that kind of rtionship with your Uncle Chen. I always sleep here and it wouldn¡¯t be good if it was spread around... You¡¯ll understand when you grow up.¡±


    Tao Yueyue poked out her tongue. ¡°I don''t need to grow up to understand that. Then you might as well develop that kind of rtionship with him.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s face turned red, but Chen Shi reacted more violently. He sprayed out soy milk and wiped it with paper while saying, ¡°Stop talking nonsense, child!¡±


    1. An airport lounge.


    2. Take advantage of them. Beating someone while they¡¯re down.

 Chapter 207: Selfish Resentment

    <h4>Chapter 207: Selfish Resentment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 15: Under Human Skin


    Lin Dongxuey in the bed and stared at herptop. She didn''t know what was being shown in the TV series but her heart was full of resentment.


    Every time she mentioned that she wanted to move, he would always say ¡°I wish you sess.¡±. Even if he tried to get her to stay in a fake manner, she¡¯d feel happier.


    I really don''t understand what this guy is thinking!


    Outside the bedroom, Tao Yueyue and Chen Shi were talking. Tao Yueyue said, ¡°A friend sent me a message and asked me if I want to go to her house to y.¡±


    ¡°Go. It¡¯s not easy to have a friend!¡±


    ¡°She''s stupid though! Don''t you mind if I y with her?¡±


    ¡°Learning is fake. Friends are real. Would you still remember what you learned after ten years? However, you¡¯d remember the times you yed with friends very clearly... Let me give you some pocket money!¡±


    ¡°I''m off then!¡±


    ¡°Okay,e backter.¡±


    Lin Dongxue muttered quietly, ¡°Hmph, what a heartless guy!¡±


    She continued watching the TV show when suddenly Chen Shi shouted, ¡°Dongxue, help!¡±


    Lin Dongxue quickly put on slippers and ran out. It turned out that Chen Shi was frying meatballs in the kitchen with meat filling in both hands. The oil in the pan on the side was boiling. Chen Shi said, ¡°Hurry up and turn off the fire. I overestimated the speed that I could ball up these meatballs.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed and turned down the fire. Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief as he rubbed out another meatball, covered it in breadcrumbs, and threw it into the oil.


    ¡°You really like to cook, huh? You¡¯re frying things at home on a weekend?¡±


    ¡°It''s rare to be able to buy shepherd¡¯s purse. I can make shepherd¡¯s purse[2] meatballs that can be eaten over several days... Smell it. Doesn¡¯t it smell nice?¡± Chen Shi extended his hand over.


    ¡°Go away, go away! Don¡¯t touch my nose.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat it then.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t then! I¡¯m going to find a house today and move away tomorrow!¡± Lin Dongxue said angrily, thinking that if he said ¡°I wish you sess,¡± she¡¯d just leave immediately.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me make meatballs?¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    ¡°No, I''m leaving!¡±


    ¡°Long''an is so big, do you know where to go? Hurry up and finish the meatballs. I¡¯ll drive you to a reliable real estate agency.¡±


    Lin Dongxue let out a soft ¡°hmph¡± and went to wash her hands. Chen Shi taught her how to make the meatballs in the palms of her hands to create ones that were the size of ping pong balls. Then, they coated it in breadcrumbs to finish.


    Lin Dongxue thought that it was just rubbing a ball. How hard could it be? However, the meat in her palms was very disobedient, and the more she tried balling it up, the tter it got. Chen Shi already had three or four meatballs in the wok. She hadn¡¯t even formed one on her side.


    ¡°Don''t use so much pressure. It''s not y-doh!¡± Chen Shi took her hands in his and eventually, a ball was formed.


    Chen Shi''s big hands holding her own made Lin Dongxue blush and she looked up at him. He continued exining with a serious look, ¡°Your is too big right now. It won¡¯t cook properly. Use three fingers at a time to scoop out the meat... You have a small hand, so maybe use four fingers.¡±


    Lin Dongxue reached out and wiped a little bit of meat on the tip of his nose. Chen Shi raised his head and looked helpless. Lin Dongxue had an expression like she was trying to y with him, so he was amused.


    ¡°Naughty!¡± Chen Shi also reached out and wiped some on her nose.


    ¡°How dare you do that to me!¡± Lin Dongxue grabbed a lot of the meat.


    ¡°Don''t do it! This is hard to wash!¡± Chen Shi pleaded.


    The oil in the wok exploded, scaring Lin Dongxue. She jumped to the side as Chen Shi said, ¡°Hurry up. The balls are getting overcooked.¡±


    ¡°You only know how to make meatballs!¡± Lin Dongxue muttered.


    Finally, arge dish of meatballs was made. Chen Shi picked one up with his chopsticks and held it right next to Lin Dongxue''s mouth. ¡°Try it, you made it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue pushed her hair out of the way and tasted it. ¡°It''s delicious! It''s fragrant and refreshing. Not greasy at all.¡±


    ¡°Let it cool down here and then put it in the refrigerator when it cools. I''ll apany you out.¡±


    Sitting in the car, Chen Shi really typed in a real estate agency on the GPS navigation. Lin Dongxue was disappointed in her heart. The two didn¡¯t speak the whole way over. Lin Dongxue was watching the scenery outside. Suddenly, a grilled fish shop appeared in sight and the car stopped there.


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi in surprise and Chen Shi said, ¡°It''s noon. Let''s have a meal first!¡±


    ¡°I only have today off to find a house, move in in the afternoon, and clean up the aftermath in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Don''t hurry so much. Isn¡¯t this your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Who says I love this?! Grilled fish is only my second favorite! My favorite is m soup!¡±


    Chen Shi spread his hand and pretended to be recording on it. ¡°Okay, okay, I''ll note it down. Let''s go for m soup then.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was happy and giggled. ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t have to go. We¡¯ll just go to this shop!¡±


    However, the grilled fish shop was overcrowded, and it took a long time to queue up. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s okay to just eat fast food. It''s been a long time since I¡¯ve had it.¡±


    ¡°Today is yourst day at my house. Of course we have to have a nice meal.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t have a chance to do this in the future,¡± Lin Dongxue said with a slight disappointment in her heart.


    They found a fast food restaurant and ordered two sets of meals. Chen Shi ordered a c, burger, and French fries. Lin Dongxue ordered a ck tea, burger, and vegetable sd which was rtively low on calories inparison.


    Chen Shi tasted the fries and praised, ¡°It''s fried well. You try it.¡±


    He reached out and handed it over. Lin Dongxue ate it while it was still between his fingers and felt embarrassed after eating it. A couple beside them was doing the same. Wouldn¡¯t others think they were...


    Lin Dongxue lowered her head silently and ate the food on her te. She had too many thoughts in her heart and had no appetite at all. She was full after eating half of her meal.


    At this moment, a young monk came over and put one of his hands up in a Buddhist greeting[3] as he said, ¡°Miss, are you done with the food?¡±


    ¡°Uh!¡± Lin Dongxue was a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m still eating!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    The young monk sat down at another table. He was like those downcast beggars. He was as calm as eating food in the temple. He used both hands to conduct another Buddhist ritual before he began eating other people¡¯s leftovers. He ate it calmly and seriously.


    After eating, he cleaned the table, put the garbage and wrapping on a te, and poured it into the trash can. Then, he went to another table to eat the leftovers left there.


    Lin Dongxue kept staring at the young monk andmented, ¡°Do you think this monk is real or fake? How can he go to a fast food restaurant to beg? It''s strange.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about that in his heart!¡±


    ¡°Do you think he''s a real monk? I think he''s fake. How can there still be monks who go out to beg for alms? Don¡¯t they just stay at the temple and try to think of ways to get donations?¡±


    ¡°A type of rice can raise hundreds of people. China is so big, you can''t conclude that there are no monks like that!¡± Chen Shi stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Creating good karma.¡±


    Chen Shi walked over and did a ritual. ¡°Master, you won¡¯t be full doing this. I will give you some money to buy a mantao!¡±


    ¡°So kind of you!¡± The monk said in response.


    Chen Shi took out fifty yuan, but the monk didn''t ept it. He shook his head and smiled. ¡°It doesn''t take that much to buy a mantao. Ten yuan is enough.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I have no change.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, I have a cell phone.¡±


    The monk pulled out a very cheap phone and Chen Shi used WeChat to transfer ten yuan to him. The monk gratefully said, ¡°The donor is kind and will be blessed by the Buddha.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought it was funny, and secretly mumbled, ¡°The monk even uses a mobile phone. You can tell he¡¯s a fake with just a nce! He¡¯s been fooled!¡±


    1. You only bear resentment to others when you can¡¯t take responsibility for your part or your feelings in something.


    2. Known as ji cai in Chinese. It¡¯s a type of nt.


    3. https://photos.demandstudios/getty/article/251/53/92861277.jpg Can be done using one or two hands. Usually two hands.

 Chapter 208: Little Monk

    <h4>Chapter 208: Little Monk</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi got back to his seat and continued to eat. Lin Dongxue nced at the monk and said, ¡°Look, he¡¯ll sell you an amulet in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Is this a bet?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Whoever loses invites the other for dinner.¡±


    The two waited and the monk filled his stomach, came over, and did a Buddhist ritual towards Chen Shi before leaving.


    Lin Dongxue was stunned while Chen Shi smiled. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s a real monk.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily...¡±


    ¡°Don''t always guess based off of your gut feeling, okay?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t guess randomly. Nowadays, scammers are rampant on the street. When I see such people, I have to first assume that they¡¯re fake.¡±


    ¡°That''s your way of thinking, so I won''t say anything. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The two went back to the car and just started it up when the young monk passed by. Chen Shi rolled down the window and asked, ¡°Where are you going, Master?


    The little monk did a Buddhist gesture and responded, ¡°Thank you, donor. I want to go to the Public Security Bureau.¡±


    Lin Dongxue exchanged nces with Chen Shi in surprise before asking him, ¡°Little Master, are you going to report a case?¡±


    Chen Shi beckoned. ¡°You should get in the car first. They don¡¯t allow parking here.¡±


    The young monk didn''t seem to have been in a car before and couldn''t pull the door open for a long time. Chen Shi reached over and opened the door for him. After entering, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I''m a criminal police officer. What case do you want to report?


    The young monk was very excited and said, ¡°Amitabha[1], it is really fate to meet you two donors... I would like to ask, are murder cases under criminal police¡¯s control?¡±


    ¡°Criminal police are specifically responsible for this,¡± Lin Dongxue replied. It seemed that the young monk didn¡¯t have much societalmon sense. Careful observation revealed that he was extraordinarily young. Because of his shaved hair, he even looked like a minor.


    However, his face was pretty decent. If he looked after himself, he would be a handsome young man that would attract a lot of second nces. They weren¡¯t sure why such a young man turned into a monk.


    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°The two of us, one is a driver and the other is a police officer. They are exactly the people you happen to need.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need you anymore with me here!¡± Lin Dongxue said. ¡°Little Master, what case are you trying to report?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°Then, let''s change the ce and sit down and talk!¡±


    Chen Shi took the car around the street and parked under a tea house, then the three went upstairs. The little monk only asked for a in cup of tea. He faced the table, conducted the Buddhist ritual, and took out a small book from his pocket, which he pushed over.


    It was a very old book. Lin Dongxue remembered that when she was in elementary school, she used something like this. It also had outdated cartoon patterns on it. The edges were severely worn and the paper had be yellow.


    When they opened the book to take a look, there were several people drawn in it with a pencil like a poorly drawnic strip. In the first picture, three people sat and chatted together. The perspective of the picture was very odd. There were two people with their backs to them, but the faces could still be seen.


    In the second picture, a man was beating another man and a woman was holding the perpetrator''s leg for mercy.


    In the third picture, a man and a woman were in a room. The man seemed to be bullying the woman. Another manes in with fury visible on his head.


    In the fourth picture, Man A hits Man B''s head with an unknown tool. Man A looked fierce, and a woman was kneeling on the ground with tears falling exaggeratedly from her eyes.


    These pictures seem to have been drawn by children, but they had a creepy feeling to them and made Lin Dongxue shiver.


    She looked up and asked, ¡°Little Master, what is this?¡±


    ¡°These pictures show the process of a viin killing my father and robbing my mother. I was only five years old back then and I saw it all with my own eyes. This is what I drewter. I only remember these.¡±


    ¡°What''s your name and how old are you?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°My name is Chen Xuan and I¡¯m 18 years old this year.¡±


    ¡°Can you borate on this matter?¡±


    ¡°Okay. When I was a kid, I lived in Long''an City. My parents were very kind and loved each other. My mother''s name was Yin Wen and she taught me Pinyin and literacy. She looked after me at home every day. My father''s name was Chen Guang, an employee of Ruihua Factory. Every time he had a break, he¡¯d take me out to catch dragonflies... Later on, my father got to know someone who discussed business opportunities with him. I don¡¯t remember it very well. Who would have expected this man to be a beast dressed in sheep¡¯s wool? He even... vited my mother. My father tried to reason with him but was hacked to death by knife. I still remember my father crying and shouting at me before he was killed... ''Chen Xuan, hide! Hurry up!'' I fled outside and ran while crying, but I got lost. Later on, I was found by an abbot and became a small monk at the temple. The abbot was very nice and raised me. He taught me the principles of Buddhism and life. He told me that everything in the world has karma and not to be obsessed with revenge. I¡¯ve spent over a decade in the temple. This year, the abbot passed away. I... I still can''t let go of this thing in my heart. I thought of calling the police in the city and asking for an exnation for my parents!¡±


    Chen Shi flipped through the book, and the ¡°plot¡± was exactly the same as Chen Xuan said. He said, ¡°Although we¡¯re going to investigate this case retrospectively, the evidence may no longer exist since it¡¯s been so long. It may be very difficult to solve this one.¡±


    ¡°How much money do you need? I can go and raise it!¡±


    ¡°Police don''t need money to investigate. I mean this case will be very difficult!¡±


    ¡°But my mother may be alive! She may have been dominated by the bad guy for over a decade!¡± The little monk suddenly became very agitated.


    Chen Shi exchanged looks with Lin Dongxue. ¡°Do you remember anything else?¡±


    The little monk shook his head. ¡°Not much. My memory is very blurred.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter what we¡¯ve just talked about. We have to go back and investigate.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The little monk put his hands together. ¡°I know this is a bit difficult and forceful, but for the past ten years, this is something that I have thought about day and night. Please don¡¯t just try to appease me temporarily. I will recite prayers every day.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, we will definitely be mindful of this. Are you staying in the city? Do you have a ce to live?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I¡¯m a monk. Eating and sleeping in odd ces are a habit now. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Then leave your contact details!¡±


    The young monk took out his mobile phone and the two exchanged contact information before parting from each other. Chen Shi took the small book for investigating.


    After leaving the tea house, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°How do we investigate this case? There¡¯s no clues!¡±


    ¡°Let''s study it with Old Peng and your brother!¡±


    ¡°Psh, my brother will definitely say that it¡¯s foolish. We don¡¯t even have a body, so how can we investigate anything?¡±


    The two rushed to the bureau and Lin Qiupu was still working overtime, writing a report on theputer. After hearing the two''s story, he widened his eyes. ¡°Foolish! We don¡¯t even have a body, so how can we investigate anything?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled secretly and mouthed to Chen Shi, ¡°I''m right!¡±


    ¡°I''m not asking you to file a case. I¡¯m asking if you can let me borrow Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Old Peng so I can check it out first. If there are any leads, we can just file a case then!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked helpless. ¡°As long as they themselves agree.¡±


    Lin Dongxue raised her hand. ¡°Captain Lin, I want to try and follow up. This case looks quite challenging.¡±


    ¡°This kind of old case without leads won''t do much for you in terms of experience.¡±


    ¡°If I haven''t tried it before, how can I know if it¡¯ll do much for me or not?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll give you guys a week. Let it go if there¡¯s no progress after a week.¡±


    ¡°Okay, brother!¡± Lin Dongxue agreed with excitement.


    1. Typical phrase used by monks. https://.britannica/topic/Amitabha-Buddhism

 Chapter 209: Struggling to Pierce the Ice

    <h4>Chapter 209: Struggling to Pierce the Ice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After leaving the office, Chen Shi went to the forensic department to find Peng Sijue. Lin Dongxue followed behind and asked, ¡°There¡¯s no corpse. Why are we finding Captain Peng?¡±


    ¡°Don''t think so rigidly. We may have found a corpse somewhere else during this decade that would have just been unidentified. If you use the DNA of the young monk topare it, you may find the corpse to be his father¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Why didn''t I think of that?!¡±


    However, Peng Sijue actually had a day off today. Still, Chen Shi was not discouraged and said to the person on duty, ¡°Can I get a kit that draws blood?¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, just take it as you please.¡±


    After taking the tools, Chen Shi called Peng Sijue and asked him toe out to eat. Peng Sijue¡¯s voice was eight times higher on the phone. ¡°You¡¯re asking me out for dinner? Who else is going?¡±


    ¡°Dongxue!¡±


    ¡°Who else?¡±


    ¡°Nobody else.¡±


    ¡°What are we eating?¡±


    ¡°I know you don''t like to eat hot things. I know there is a vegan restaurant in Gongzhou Road which is very good. I wanted to try it long ago.¡±


    ¡°AA system[1]?¡±


    ¡°Lin Dongxue is treating!¡± Chen Shi said. Lin Dongxue red at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrive at 5:00. If you guys are ten minuteste, I will leave.¡±


    After Chen Shi hung up the phone, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Why did you say I¡¯m treating?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just lose the bet where the loser needs to invite the other to a meal?¡±


    Lin Dongxue made a helpless expression. ¡°I am willing to ept my loss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call the little monk over as well.¡±


    Chen Shi texted the young monk and told him the address. The young monk returned a prayer emoji, making Chen Shi smile. ¡°He is indeed a monk.¡±


    At 5:00, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed to the restaurant on Gongzhou Road and saw Peng Sijue talking to the young monk. Chen Shi was wondering how they had already familiarized themselves with each other when they hadn¡¯t even been introduced yet.


    Upon listening, it was found that they were actually saying¡ª


    ¡°The scriptures mention that the thousands of worlds are constituted by the karma of sentient beings. There are also worlds outside this world. There are as many worlds as there are stars. The scriptures are not as idealistic as you¡¯ve made it seem.¡±


    ¡°Science has proven that the world is made from atoms. Your old ways of thinking are simply untenable.¡±


    ¡°But sir, you cannot deny its materialism and spection. Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy and way of life. It is a way to understand everything!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, you''re ¡®standing¡¯ while bluffing[2]?!¡± Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue looked embarrassed and said, ¡°This little monk is too eloquent. The monks are advancing with the times.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Let''s just eat!¡±


    Peng Sijue found that the young monk was following them and cast a doubtful look at Chen Shi. Chen Shi said, ¡°We¡¯re together.¡±


    The young monk sped his palms together in ritual and said, ¡°Hello sir!¡±


    The vegan restaurant was newly decorated, and the four of them took their seats. Everyone took turns ordering. They ordered sweet and sour pork ribs, mapo tofu, teriyaki sea cucumber, etc. The young monk rushed to say, ¡°Amitabha!¡± and readied himself to leave.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Just rest assured, Master. These are all made from tofu and gluten. I checked on the Inte. You won¡¯t need to worry at this vegan restaurant. They don¡¯t even put onions and garlic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, donor. A monk¡¯s six roots of sensations are pure and clean[3] and will be happy with coarse tea and light rice.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. You''re here just to add a pair of chopsticks. If we order things especially for you, wouldn¡¯t that be a waste of money?¡±


    The little monk was persuaded and stopped protesting.


    When the dishes came to the table, Chen Shi exined the case while Peng Sijue kept looking at the young monk with a surprised expression. As so many years had passed, the young monk seemed calm and indifferent when recalling the events that happened.


    ¡°Human memory...¡± Peng Sijue began.


    ¡°I know what you want to say. People''s memories can''t be trusted, but no matter how much they can''t be trusted, I don''t think he can remember such a big thing incorrectly.¡±


    ¡°What if he lied?... Oh, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Peng Sijue said thetter half to the young monk.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate it. If we can, we¡¯ll continue. If we can¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing we can do anyway,¡± Chen Shi said as he took out the blood drawing tools from the bureau.


    Seeing that they were going to draw blood, the young monk was a little nervous. Peng Sijue exined the DNA process and the young monk cooperated, allowing him to draw a tube of fresh blood.


    ¡°I''ll go back andpare!¡± Peng Sijue said, ¡°But I have a few questions about your ''story''. First, did you actually see your father getting killed? Second, apart from your parents, don¡¯t you have any other rtives you can depend on? Third, forgive me if I offend you, but you were only five years old and you went to be a monk. You shouldn¡¯t know too much about the rtions between men and women. Did you see the ¡®bad person¡¯ rape your mother, or did you see your mother cheating with this ¡®bad person¡¯? Are you able to ascertain this?¡±


    Thest question was too harsh and the little monk''s body trembled. He put his hands together and said, ¡°First, I saw my father was stabbed and there was a lot of blood. He was almost dead at that point...¡±


    ¡°What was your mother doing?¡±


    ¡°She was tied up by the bad guy!¡±


    ¡°I think this is the self-rationalization of your memory. Your mother may not have been tied-up, but you have modified the details in your memories to make the mother''s bystanding behavior of sitting on the side lines reasonable.¡±


    The young monk pursed his lips. He lowered his head and kept reciting ¡°Amitabha¡± to calm himself down. Lin Dongxue said to Peng Sijue, ¡°Captain Peng, we will discuss these details togetherter.¡±


    The little monk finally calmed down and said, ¡°Second, besides my parents, I have an aunt in Long''an. I met her a few times when I was a kid, but I didn¡¯t know where she lived. So on the night of the incident, I didn¡¯t know where to find her. I panicked and went down the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Third, I don''t really know about the rtions between men and women, but my parents were very loving towards each other. When she was dominated by the bad guy, my mother screamed incessantly. Do you think that¡¯s still cheating?¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head silently. It seemed like he still didn''t believe the little monk''s memories.


    In fact, Chen Shi did not believe it either. In his opinion, the killing might have happened, but the truth of the whole incident may not be the same as the young monk recalled.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Do you remember what season it was?¡±


    ¡°It was a hot day because I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. When I ran away, I fell down and hurt my knee. You can still see the scars from that!¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked through the note book. She pointed to the upper right corner of the third drawing and said, ¡°What is this cross in mid-air?¡±


    ¡°I remember somethinging from the window. It was a light in the shape of a cross... Yes, it was like that kind of ss.¡± The little monk pointed to the partition in the restaurant, which was covered with diamond-shaped frosted ss.


    Chen Shi stood up, walked behind the partition, and turned on the shlight on his phone. The cross-shaped pattern appeared after the light was transmitted through the ss. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Like this?¡±


    The little monk shook his head. ¡°It was bigger than that. It was longer at the bottom, too.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that really a cross then?¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked. ¡°Could it be near a church?¡±


    The little monk added, ¡°I remember there was a pink and purple light. It kept shing and it was very eye-catching.¡±


    Peng Sijue went on his mobile phone and opened a color map to get the little monk to identify the colors. The little monk pointed out two of them with certainty. Peng Sijue asked him to identify other colors to confirm that he was not color blind.


    ¡°Even if the church is decorated with lights, it wouldn¡¯t use such bright colors,¡± Lin Dongxue remarked.


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°It''s not necessarily pink and purple. White and red light can match to create pink, and purple can be created by blue and red light. Blue and white led lights are verymon, so the ss might have been red.¡±


    ¡°Red?!¡± The little monk was shocked to the point of tears. ¡°Yes, my father''s blood was all over the ss!¡±


    1. A system where everyone shares the bill.


    2. The normal expression is bluffing/chatting while being seated. However, Chen Shi is trying to make a joke since they¡¯re doing so while standing.


    3. Referring to eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and will (mind). They all must be pure and clean.

 Chapter 210: Greed, Hate and Craziness

    <h4>Chapter 210: Greed, Hate and Craziness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue recorded it down. ¡°We can search for the church. There should only be a handful of churches in Long''an City 13 years ago.¡±


    ¡°What is this Ruihua factory where your father worked at?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, it should be a pharmaceutical factory. Every time my father got home, he always had a smell of medicine on him.¡±


    ¡°Ruihua? Ruihua[1]? Huarui? I remember there is a Huarui pharmaceutical factory in Long¡¯an. Is that the one?¡±


    The little monk scratched his head in confusion.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Did your father have an ent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There was a person who came by the temple one time who sounded like my father, so I couldn¡¯t help but talk to them. That person was from Henan.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right. He must have had an ent and misread the name of the factory. We will look for it ording to this pronunciation,¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Has Captain Lin given a deadline?¡± Peng Sijue asked.


    ¡°Seven days!¡±


    ¡°Seven days? You may not even be able to find the crime scene. Even you might not be able to solve this case.¡±


    ¡°How will we know if we don¡¯t try our luck?¡± Chen Shi said as the waiter came towards them holding a te. ¡°Come here, let''s eat!¡±


    The waiter brought the te to another table. Lin Dongxue tapped the table andined. ¡°Aiya, aiya. We came here first and they only came five minutes ago. Why do they get to eat first?¡±


    The waiter said stiffly, ¡°I don''t know! Ask the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°What kind of attitude is that?¡± Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone. ¡°Poor review! Poor review!¡±


    Chen Shi pushed her hand down. ¡°Don¡¯t you havemon sense? Give a bad review after eating.¡±


    After a while, the waiter ran back out, rushed to the other table, and smiled before bringing the dish to Chen Shi''s table. ¡°Sorry, I brought the wrong dish.¡±


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. ¡°People have eaten some already.¡±


    ¡°Beauty, why are you so petty? They didn''t eat much!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so generous!¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°What if they have an infectious disease?¡±


    ¡°It''s impossible. They¡¯re all frequent customers.¡± The waiter smiled.


    ¡°What''s theirst name?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t even know their surname, how can you be sure they don¡¯t have any infectious diseases?¡± Peng Sijue said seriously. The customers on the other table heard it and were obviously a little bit unhappy, so they made lots of noise with their dishes.


    ¡°Forget it, we won¡¯t eat! Too annoying.¡± Lin Dongxue stood up and left.


    Chen Shi and Peng Sijue also followed behind. The young monk couldn''t bear it either, so stood up and walked away as well. The waiter called the manager, who shouted, ¡°Guests, please! We¡¯ll give you a 20% discount! A 30% discount?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue left without looking back. Being able to fight for her point of view, she was very delighted.


    The young monk sped his palms together. ¡°Female donor, you shouldn¡¯t anger yourself for such inconveniences.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s delight dissipated.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Where shall we eat then?¡±


    ¡°I''m not eating anymore. I''m going back to work!¡± Peng Sijue bid his farewell.


    The young monk said, ¡°If you don''t mind, I have some dry food and pickles here.¡± Then, he began to untie the cloth bag on his body.


    Chen Shi rushed to stop him. ¡°No, no, no, I invited you and wanted to treat you to a meal. How can we get you to treat us? We¡¯ll just go and have a bite somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Then, please excuse me.¡± The little monk took out a mantao and pickles and began to eat.


    Chen Shi said in envy, ¡°Monks are really open-minded. Vulgar people like us always argue for vulgar and superficial things every day. It seems so petty in front of this little master.¡±


    ¡°Who said that? There is also a happiness in vulgar and superficial things. I¡¯m very happy when I buy things! But if I could be as open-minded as the little master when eating, I might not have to be afraid of gaining weight,¡± Lin Dongxue reasoned.


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± said the young monk, chewing his mantao. ¡°All of my seniors are fat. Although they are also vegetarians, they are fat and hearty!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Little Master, you don¡¯t have a ce to live right? Do you want to go to my...¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly twisted the skin on the back of Chen Shi¡¯s hand, making his voice raise in volume and register. Then, he rephrased, ¡°Do you want to go to the hostel near my house?¡±


    ¡°Too kind! Too kind!¡±


    After the three got in the car, Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°You have Tao Yueyue and me at home. Did you think about how inconvenient it would be to live with a boy?!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t think about it properly.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    They found a hostel and settled the young monk in. The young monk put his palms together and thanked them. ¡°Donors, thank you so much today. You can just do your best in that matter and everything will be left to fate.¡±


    Chen Shi followed up on his words and said, ¡°I believe those above will do justice for you.¡±


    ¡°By the donor''s words!¡±


    When they got home, Tao Yueyue was back home reading a book. She had already eaten at her friend''s house. Chen Shi borrowed theputer from her bedroom. Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Is there another case?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, lend me theputer for one night, alright?¡±


    Chen Shi set up theputer in the living room and started to search on Google Maps. He was so immersed in it that he forgot to eat.


    Lin Dongxue wanted to remind him, but suddenly thought that it would be better to show off her skills, so she went to the kitchen to open the refrigerator. Chen Shi''s refrigerator was always full of ingredients, but her cooking skills were too ¡°amazing¡± so she couldn¡¯t cook too often.


    After much deliberation, it was still the most convenient to make noodles, so she cooked two bowls of Guanmiao Noodles and clumsily fried two eggs. Sheid down a few fried meatballs from that morning and put a few washed vegetables on it.


    When the noodles were cooked, Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and turned on Zhihu[2]. Last night she asked a question on Zhihu, ¡°I live at a friend''s house and it feels so good that I don¡¯t want to look for a house. Will my friend think poorly of me?¡±


    Someone answered below. The person said, ¡°This kind of thing should bemunicated with your friend. If they think your presence won¡¯t disturb them, then you can all live happily together. The key is asking. Many times, the parties cause too many misunderstandings with implicit words or actions. This will only cause regret. Only throughmunication can they really solve problems...¡±


    This person¡¯s ID was ¡°Master Soy Sauce¡± and he said a lot of things that people liked.


    Maybe it was the cebo effect but after reading this long paragraph, Lin Dongxue felt a little relieved in her heart and gave this person the optimal answer reward.


    She asked again, ¡°That friend is a man and I''m a woman. I like him a little. Is it inappropriate to live together in that scenario?¡±


    The sound of gurgling water passed through her ears. Lin Dongxue came out of her daze and found that the noodles had already boiled and the water was flowing out of the pot. The kitchen was full of steam for a moment as she screamed in shock. Chen Shi rushed in, turned off the fire, and opened the pot¡¯s lid before educating her, ¡°It is best not to cook these types of noodles with the lid on.¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted, ¡°I just wanted to make you dinner. We agreed that I¡¯d treat you to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Chen Shi stretched out a hand, found it a little inappropriate, and retracted his hand that was extended half the way. ¡°Let me do it!¡±


    ¡°I''ll cook next time!¡±


    ¡°Okay, next time you do it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue got to the living room. On theputer desktop, Google Maps and other web pages were opened. She curiously looked through it and found that Zhihu was opened. She opened it and saw that his ount ID was ¡°Master Soy Sauce¡±.


    Lin Dongxue almost screamed, but at this moment Chen Shi came in from behind with the bowls...


    1. The pinyin is the same, but they are different characters.


    2. An app. They¡¯re forums. Kind of like Reddit or Yahoo Answers.

 Chapter 211: Seek

    <h4>Chapter 211: Seek</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing the footsteps behind her, Lin Dongxue immediately restored the webpage to its original state. She sat across the table nimbly, picked up her mobile phone, and deleted everything, including the question she posted.


    Chen Shi sat down, unaware of what was going on. He put down the chopsticks and sat back in front of theputer. He suddenly remarked, ¡°Huh, where did it go?¡±


    ¡°What''s gone?¡±


    ¡°A question I just saw on Zhihu.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Zhihu?¡±


    ¡°You don''t even know what Zhihu is?¡±


    ¡°Is it a dating site?¡±


    ¡°Aiya, I see that you¡¯ve really just lived your life emptily.¡± Chen Shi ate the noodles with lots of slurps.


    Lin Dongxue opened Zhihu on her mobile phone while eating her noodles. She did some digging and found that Chen Shi was a regr on Zhihu who answered a lot of questions.


    Someone had asked, ¡°Is it easy to learn excavating? I want to go to Xiann, but I¡¯m worried that I won''t get my diploma!¡±


    Chen Shi replied with his ID, ¡°Thank you for inviting me. I graduated from Xiann 10 years ago. It¡¯s quite easy to learn how to use the excavator. There were 50 students there and we mostly graduated...¡±


    Another person asked, ¡°What is the experience of being in a triad?¡±


    Chen Shi answered below. ¡°Thank you for inviting me. To be honest, I got into that world when I was 16. A few of my buddies and I worshipped Brother Guan[1] and followed a big brother into this world...¡±


    Someone asked, ¡°Can nitrite kill people?¡±


    Chen Shi answered, ¡°Thank you for inviting me. I am a chemical synthesizer and ourboratory is often exposed to nitrite...¡±


    There were over 50 simr answers to these. If they were all true, she was afraid he would have to take over eight lifetimes to experience it all. Lin Dongxue sneered and whispered, ¡°Men love to brag and bluff!¡±


    She registered another ount and followed Chen Shi. His number of fans was exactly 100. She wanted to see what interesting ¡°experiences¡± he would have in the future. Chen Shi stared at the screen and said, ¡°Nice! My fans have finally broken the one hundred mark. Only one step away from being one of the big guys.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just giving bullshit answers?!¡±


    ¡°Did you find out?¡±


    Lin Dongxue continued to immerse herself in noodles silently.


    Chen Shi said while staring at the screen, ¡°Ruihua Pet Hospital. It really exists, but it has only been open for ten years. Shall we go and check it out?¡±


    ¡°Apart from this?¡±


    ¡°Huarui Pharmaceutical Factory, Huarui Food Processing Factory, Renhua Road Ice Cream Shop... Only this pet hospital has the closest pronunciation.¡±


    ¡°What''s the use of looking at the current map?¡±


    ¡°Where can I get an older map?¡±


    ¡°Municipal nning Office? This is too difficult! By the way, has the church been found?¡±


    ¡°There really are a lot of them. There are actually a dozen of them, but none of them are near this pet hospital.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Let the doctor heal the dead horse as if it¡¯s alive[2] for now. We¡¯ll check it out tomorrow.¡±


    Lin Dongxue notified Xu Xiaodong, and the three of them got to the bureau the next day and immediately went to the forensics department to find Peng Sijue. They inquired about the DNAparison results, but Peng Sijue just shook his head. ¡°I¡¯vepared it to the unimed corpses. None of them are a match. It seems there¡¯s not much hope.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I remember the hospital has a gene bank.¡±


    ¡°That was used to look for missing children that the rtives left behind! The establishment is less than ten years old.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t the young monk a missing child?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll try it out. It''s just seven days anyway. I¡¯ll see how you torture yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying no with your mouth but your heart isn¡¯t!¡± Chen Shi teased as he poked Peng Sijue with his fingers.


    ¡°Be respectful!¡± Peng Sijue fixed his clothes and his subordinates allughed.


    The three immediately went out to investigate and Xu Xiaodongmented, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the case. The young monk''s mother has been dominated by the bad guy for more than ten years? I''m afraid she might have left the world long ago.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a glimmer of hope so we¡¯ll have to work extremely hard. Let¡¯s do our best!¡± Lin Dongxue responded.


    At 10:00 in the morning, the three got to Ruihua Pet Hospital. Chen Shi asked the staff that were employed there. It really had been less than ten years since the establishment of the hospital. Chen Shi thought about it and asked, ¡°Why is this pet hospital called Ruihua?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because our boss is called Zhao Ruihua.¡±


    ¡°What did the boss do before?¡±


    ¡°He also ran a pet hospital. It didn''t operate very well though, so it was closed down.¡±


    ¡°I want to meet him!¡±


    The three waited until noon, when a big-bellied, middle-aged man drove up and greeted them with a smile. He asked, ¡°I don''t know what you officers havee to investigate. My pet hospital has always been a serious business that has run honestly. I¡¯ve never evaded tax or anything.¡°


    ¡°We''re just asking about someone called Chen Guang and his wife is Yin Wen. Do you have an impression of them?¡±


    ¡°Chen Guang... Chen Guang?¡± The middle-aged man scratched his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound familiar!¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll have any information on them?¡±


    ¡°No, the system was hacked a few years ago and the old data was lost.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember where the previous pet hospital was? Where did the staff live?¡±


    ¡°I think the hospital was on Luoyang Road and the employees lived nearby. Please go there to inquire about it!¡±


    After leaving the pet hospital, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Is it possible? There is a big difference between a pet hospital and a pharmaceutical factory. How can the little monk''s memory have such a big deviation?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that there was always the smell of medicine on his father? It¡¯s not impossible for vets.¡±


    The three arrived at Luoyang Road. It was already 3:00 in the afternoon. Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong split up to inquire. Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone, opened the map, and looked at the neighborhood. This area seems to have been demolished and rebuilt twice. Where could they still find the original ce?


    And there were no churches nearby. The nearest one was five kilometers away.


    At this time, Chen Shi sent a voice message through a project chat group he created for the four of them. ¡°Come here. I¡¯m at the crossroads.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rushed over to see Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong talking to a grandfather who was a bit deaf and had blurry vision. They had to repeat the sentence several times for him to hear clearly. He was missing a lot of teeth so his pronunciation was a bit off. ¡°My former neighbor had the surname Chen. They were a family of three.¡±


    ¡°Did he look like this person?¡± Chen Shi took out his mobile phone. It was a photo of the young monk¡¯s face which he secretly photographed at the restaurant yesterday.


    The grandfather looked at the photo for quite some time before shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t remember. That was so many years ago.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the address of that neighborhood?¡±


    ¡°There... No, it seems to be there... It seems to be there!¡± The grandfather pointed at different ces for a long time until he finally decided on a ce.


    When they rushed over, they found that it had already be a newly builtmunity. Chen Shi was helpless and put his arms on his hips, a little discouraged. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Maybe we should go to the local police station. If anyone went missing, someone would definitely report it?¡±


    ¡°Could do!¡± Chen Shi sighed.


    When they were going out, Chen Shi saw an uncle who just came jogging back wearing a shirt printed with the words ¡°Yutong Autos¡± on it. He stared at those words in a daze and Lin Dongxue waved her hand in front of him, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the little monk didn''t see a cross? The little monk said it was a hot day. Would a church put lights on in summer? From what I remember, they only hang lights during Christmas, and maybe on Thanksgiving. These aren¡¯t summer holidays... Moreover, neon lights would look hollow in the middle, but the little monk didn¡¯t mention this. As far as I know, no church uses led lights to make crosses.¡±


    Chen Shi went over and asked the uncle, ¡°Excuse me, have you worked at this Yutong automobile factory before?¡±


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yu People worship this war hero for various things.


    2. He¡¯s trying to say ¡°let¡¯s pretend for now/let¡¯s go along with it for now¡± in this situation. Although he knows it¡¯s a dead horse, they need to treat it like it¡¯s not.

 Chapter 212: Dilemma

    <h4>Chapter 212: Dilemma</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The uncle was caught off guard by the sudden stranger questioning him but answered anyway. ¡°Yeah, I worked in this factory for many years. I¡¯m an old master now and only retired a few years ago. Why are you asking?¡±


    Chen Shi used his fingers to beckon Lin Dongxue over. She came up to show her credentials and said, ¡°We are investigating a case.¡±


    Upon seeing the police badge, the uncle was very excited. He patted his thigh and eximed, ¡°The sky has eyes![1] You have finallye to investigate! That bastard director embezzled public funds and fled abroad, causing our factory to close down. Has he been arrested?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no. We are criminal investigation officers and are investigating a criminal case.¡±


    ¡°Was it the incident regarding our factory director¡¯s family getting murdered?¡±


    ¡°Did that happen?!¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    ¡°Haii, I really wish that had happened. Thest name of the director is Ding. The bastard ran away with hundreds of people¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Uncle! Uncle!¡± Chen Shi got busy preventing him from continuing on a tangent. ¡°I want to ask you something. Did your factory''s logo glow at night? Did it sh? What color was it?¡±


    ¡°It glowed white and blue! At night, the words ''Yutong Autos'' shed and you¡¯d be able to see it from far away... Why are you asking this?¡±


    ¡°Did some of these letters stop working? Don''t ask why and just answer me first.¡±


    ¡°It was broken since it was so old. Why are you asking about this?¡±


    ¡°What was broken?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Seeing that he was uncertain, Chen Shi changed his questioning method. He wrote the characters on his palm and asked him what parts of the words could be seen 13 years ago.


    ¡°Thirteen years ago? I can''t remember that, but I remember that the ¡®shi[2]¡¯ under the character ¡®yu¡¯ was thest to break, because the light bulbs formed a cross. When the factory was about to close down, we could only see the cross left.¡±


    The three became excited and Chen Shi continued to ask, ¡°Which year did the factory close down?¡±


    ¡°07!¡±


    ¡°Do you know the address of the factory?¡±


    After asking for the address, Chen Shi also asked for the uncle''s contact information. The three arrived at the old site of the Yutong Automobile Factory, which had since been developed into amunity. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Vicissitudes of fortune, where can we find the ¡®shi¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It''s best to find the old people from the factory and ask how high the word was so we can exclude the floors below that height.¡± Chen Shi turned around. ¡°Thirteen years ago, this ce shouldn¡¯t have been built so high up.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at the time. They had no time to check it today. She suddenly felt that the chances were slim if they couldn¡¯t even find this out on the first day.


    Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s assign tomorrow''s tasks. We won¡¯t stick together tomorrow. I''m good at chatting with the elderly, so I¡¯ll investigate the ¡®shi¡¯. Xiaodong will go to the local police station in the district to find out about missing persons reports. Dongxue will continue looking for details regarding Chen Guang and Yin Wen.¡±


    ¡°Will we disband just like this today?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just finish here!¡±


    ¡°Great. Since we got off work early today, I can go home to y!¡± Xu Xiaodong raised his arms in delight.


    The two looked at him for a while as Lin Dongxue said, ¡°How can you be so tantly happy?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don''t think this case can be investigated! Thirteen years have passed, the house is gone, and even if we find the body, it¡¯d be rotten.¡±


    ¡°Just because you said this,¡± Chen Shi raised his voice, ¡°Treat us to dinner!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re lowering the morale, so you must invite us all to dinner!¡± Lin Dongxue also pressed.


    ¡°Ah, I feel so wronged! Okay, okay, but don''t eat anything too expensive!¡±


    After ughtering Xu Xiaodong¡¯s wallet, the two returned to their apartment with a full stomach. Chen Shi went to visit the young monk beforehand while they were on their way. The young monk was doing an evening recital ritual in the hostel. Upon seeing them, he got off his bed and put his palms together as per the Buddhist greeting.


    Chen Shi returned the gesture and asked, ¡°Little master, is this an alright ce to live in?¡±


    ¡°It''s good!¡± The young monk was obviously looking better than yesterday and seemed to have rested well. ¡°There was the sound of prostitution next door during the day that was unbearable. I reminded them what was appropriate and those two have already turned a new leaf.¡±


    Chen Shi turned his head and saw the shoe print on the wall. He could imagine how disappointed the little couple next door was today.


    ¡°Do you have money on you?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten? Let me buy some food for you so you can eat it at any time!¡±


    ¡°Something simple would be nice.¡±


    The two took the young monk to a nearby supermarket. The young monk only picked some pickled vegetables, pickles, mantao, and pancakes. He was unconcerned about the delicate cooked food in the delicatessen counter. When he saw that there was the ughter of live fish, he stopped, put his palms together, and recited a passage of life and death.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The Buddha''s heart is firm. Very much like a master.¡±


    The young monk responded, ¡°This female donor is praising me too much. Being obsessed with the resentment from the past, it means my six roots aren¡¯t pure and clean.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°We have been investigating all day today. Rest assured, we¡¯ll give you an exnation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you two!¡± The monk said sincerely.


    ¡°Do you know how to tell fortunes?¡± Lin Dongxue asked suddenly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. However, watching the female donor''s appearance and words, you will definitely form good karma and cultivate a good destiny!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I''m so happy! I¡¯ll borrow your good words!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I know how to say that too.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Coming from your vulgar mouth, it has no effect at all.¡±


    ¡°Girls love superstition!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡±


    When they got home, Tao Yueyue had already solved her dinner problems by herself and was reading a book in the house. Chen Shi was going to move theputer back into her room when Tao Yueyue said, ¡°No, you can watch TV with Sister Lin. It¡¯s morefortable not having aputer on my desk.¡±


    There was no TV at home because Chen Shi felt that it was all garbage on the TV, so it was better to just go online.


    He asked Lin Dongxue if she wanted to watch a movie. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Yes, sounds good. I haven''t been online recently, so I don''t know what new movies have been released.¡±


    After finding a newly releasededy film, the two sat on the sofa and watched. For fear that the smoke would disturb Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi suppressed his urge to smoke.


    Lin Dongxue was just recovering from anemia and began getting sleepy soon after watching the movie for a while. Her head slowly tilted and finallynded Chen Shi''s shoulder. Chen Shi lowered his head and found that she was already making soft snoring sounds.


    Tao Yueyue came out to grab a drink. When she saw this scene, she showed a smile like she was watching some sort of entertainment. Chen Shi pointed at the coffee table against their knees and asked Tao Yueyue to move the coffee table a little so that he could bring Lin Dongxue back to her room.


    Tao Yueyue ran to the second bedroom, took out a nket and covered Lin Dongxue with it before leaving. Chen Shi kept mouthing, ¡°Bad girl! Come back!¡±


    Chen Shi looked down at Lin Dongxue who was sound asleep and thought she was really cute. How could a girl look so nice? How could such a good-looking girl take on such a tiring and dangerous job? It was really distressing for others.


    Another face that he once loved appeared in front of him. The deceased person was the curse of his heart, so he always yed dumb with things regarding Lin Dongxue. He was afraid that Lin Dongxue would be killed one day just as hisst love. The person who was running free right now would do this kind of thing!


    He held Lin Dongxue in a different position and gently lifted the lock of hair that fell on her fair face. However, he suddenly heard a click. It turned out that Tao Yueyue hade out holding a phone in her hand and was taking pictures.


    Chen Shi raised his fist threateningly and asked her to delete the photo, but Tao Yueyue poked out her tongue and made a face at him. She continued ying on the phone and then Lin Dongxue¡¯s mobile phone in her pocket rang. It became apparent that Tao Yueyue had sent her the photo she had just taken.


    Chen Shi wanted to die. He could only slowly stretch out two fingers and carefully grasp the edge of Lin Dongxue¡¯s phone as if stealing the cushion from underneath a cat''s belly, and slowly pulled it out.


    When he got it in his hands, he didn¡¯t know what to do...


    Fuck, fingerprint lock!


    1. Those above didn¡¯t desert them/answered their calls/wishes.


    2. ¡°Shi¡± means ¡°ten¡± and when written in Chinese, the character is the shape of a cross.

 Chapter 213: One Night of Tenderness

    <h4>Chapter 213: One Night of Tenderness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He remembered that Lin Dongxue was right-handed, meaning her fingerprint lock was probably done using the right index finger or thumb.


    So, he slowly adjusted his position. Due to the change of position, Lin Dongxue slipped and her head fell on his leg as if it were a pillow. However, this position made it easier to pull off what he was about to do.


    Chen Shi grabbed Lin Dongxue''s right hand. Her slender fingers were as beautiful as white jade[1] Although her nails were never manicured, they were neatly trimmed and it was veryfortable to look at.


    Picking up Lin Dongxue''s cold little hand, Chen Shi pressed her thumb to the fingerprint lock, but nothing happened.


    He tried her index finger and was frightened by the ¡°doot¡± noise on the phone as it unlocked. He looked down at Lin Dongxue. She muttered a few words in her sleep but she didn¡¯t wake up. Chen Shi''s panicked heart calmed down and he went to look at Lin Dongxue¡¯s WeChat.


    It turned out that Tao Yueyue had yed him for a fool. What she sent Lin Dongxue was not the photo from just now, but a cute photo of Moqiu.


    ¡°You little bastard!¡±


    Chen Shi cursed and set the WeChat message to unread, locked the screen, wiped his fingerprints on the nket, and shoved it back into Lin Dongxue''s pocket.


    Staying in the position the way they were wasn¡¯t a permanent solution. Chen Shi slowly pushed the coffee table away. The coffee table had a ss base which looked good, but there was a disadvantage. When it was pushed, it would make a harsh noise.


    Chen Shi pushed the coffee table bit by bit with his heart beating like a drum. Finally, he freed enough space to stand up.


    He wrapped the nket around Lin Dongxue''s body and carefully held her up. Lin Dongxue was very light, almost like a feather. When he lifted her using the princess-hold, Chen Shi even thought that she was too thin. He needed to feed her more delicious food to keep her full.


    Chen Shi very carefully carried Lin Dongxue into the second bedroom, put her on the bed, and pulled the quilt over her. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt like he had aplished his mission.


    Unexpectedly, the door to the room was suddenly closed. The sound of someone locking the door came from the outside. Chen Shi touched his pocket. His keys and mobile phone were in the living room. It¡¯s definitely that damn brat¡¯s doing!


    He rushed to the door and said towards the door, ¡°Open the door and I¡¯ll promise not to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Just stay with Sister Lin tonight. Why don''t you tell her you like her?!¡± Tao Yueyue said. This damn brat knows everything.


    ¡°You need to get back here!!¡±


    ¡°Ah... I''m so sleepy. I¡¯m off to sleep!¡±


    Chen Shi sighed. What''s happening? He turned back and the room was dark with only a little lighting in through the door gap. The light illuminated Lin Dongxue who was lying on the bed.


    He sat down in the chair by the bed very depressed thinking. There was no other ce to sleep in the room. The bed was only so big. If he slept on it, he would inevitably have physical contact with her.


    He sat there in boredom before he finally decided to sleep. It was unrealistic to sit there all night, and it would be troublesome to need to go to the bathroom halfway through. Sleeping until dawn was the only feasible solution.


    He put on anotheryer of clothes and climbed into Lin Dongxue''s bed. Lin Dongxue wasying towards the window side. He was facing the ceiling and he could smell the scent of Lin Dongxue¡¯s hair. There were numerous times where he wanted to turn over and hug her, but he restrained himself.


    After thinking for a while, Lin Dongxue actually turned around and hugged him. Her face was really close to his.


    Chen Shi couldn''t restrain himself any longer. He gently pressed his lips against hers. Just when their lips touched, Lin Dongxue suddenly opened her eyes and her white cheeks flushed red. She already had a pair of rosy cheeks like little apples. After being flushed, they looked like two ripe apples.


    Chen Shi was seduced by her cute look. He reached out and began to unbutton her clothes. Lin Dongxue covered her face with both hands but gave no sign of resistance.


    Just before the indescribable things were about to happen, Chen Shi woke up. It turned out that it was just a dream, but the two had actually changed their positions during their deep sleep. Chen Shi was on his side and Lin Dongxue was facing him with her left hand on his shoulder.


    Chen Shi looked at his watch through the glimmer of lighting from the door gap that faced the living room. It was already five o''clock. Not good. I need to find a way to leave.


    He lightly picked up Lin Dongxue''s arm, stood up quietly, walked to the door, and pulled the handle. He was surprised to find that Tao Yueyue had already unlocked the lock from the outside.


    At 7:30, Lin Dongxue woke up on time and eximed ¡°Ah!¡± She looked at the bed she was in and couldn''t remember when she sleptst night.


    But what made her even more concerned was that she seemed to have dreamed of a personst night. At first, it seemed to be her brother, then he became the dad she had never met, and finally it became Chen Shi. The person in the dream was holding her very tenderly.


    Thinking of this, her cheeks became flushed. She touched her cheeks and said to herself, ¡°An inexplicable dream!¡±


    That morning, they went to the bureau first as per usual. Then, the three of them split up. Chen Shi took Xu Xiaodong to the area they were at yesterday and dropped him off at the nearby police station. Chen Shi then went to find the man from yesterday.


    The old uncle had just woken up and was walking around the neighborhood. Chen Shi invited him for breakfast and bought him cigarettes as if he was familiar with the man. Eventually, the old uncle promised to take Chen Shi to the old factory site.


    When he got to the old site of Yutong Automobile Factory, the old man walked around with his hands behind his back and said, ¡°I remember that the gate of the factory was three stories high. That word must have been around four stories high.¡±


    ¡°Which way did it face?¡±


    ¡°South. Fengshui was taken into ount when the factory was built. It had to be facing south.¡±


    Staring towards the emptiness on the south side, Chen Shi couldn''t see why. He needed to figure out why. After saying goodbye to the man, he called Xu Xiaodong over. When he saw what Chen Shi was holding in his hands, Xu Xiaodong was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®shi¡¯ word. I also brought bamboo poles. Let¡¯s restore what the young monk saw from the window 13 years ago... Ah yes, is there any progress on your side?¡±


    ¡°There is no progress. Of the missing people thirteen years ago, there aren¡¯t any that meet our requirements.¡±


    The word ¡°shi¡± was made from stic foam and had a very light texture. When the two cut off the bamboo poles and lifted the ¡°shi¡± into the air, many residents came to stop and watch. Xu Xiaodong''s face froze and said, ¡°Brother Chen, everyone is watching this!¡±


    ¡°Just let them watch.¡±


    An aunty came over and asked, ¡°Young man, what are you doing? Putting a cross in the air, is it a funeral? You must speak to our neighborhoodmittee when you have a funeral.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°No, no, we are investigating a case.¡± He made an action and Xu Xiaodong immediately showed his credentials to the aunty.


    The aunty asked, ¡°What case is being investigated? I have never seen a case investigated like this!¡±


    ¡°Aiya, don''t ask. If we have to answer everyone, we won¡¯t be able to finish this at night. Rest assured, we¡¯ll leave as soon as we¡¯re done. It won¡¯t affect you.


    Seeing that everyone around was mumbling about them, Xu Xiaodong whispered, ¡°How embarrassing!¡±


    After setting it up, Chen Shi instructed, ¡°You guard here. I will go around and see what angle seems the most simr.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I have to hold this up alone?¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? People here don''t know you. As Li Yang had once said, ¡®love to lose face[2]¡¯.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong looked around the crowd, his face was burning hot. He urged, ¡°Hurry up and return!¡±


    1. The author wrote about the white parts of scallions on it, but this seemed like a better representation of what they were trying to say.


    2. ¡°Shi¡± means ¡°ten¡± and when written in Chinese, the character is the shape of a cross.

 Chapter 213: One Night of Tenderness

    <h4>Chapter 213: One Night of Tenderness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He remembered that Lin Dongxue was right-handed, meaning her fingerprint lock was probably done using the right index finger or thumb.


    So, he slowly adjusted his position. Due to the change of position, Lin Dongxue slipped and her head fell on his leg as if it were a pillow. However, this position made it easier to pull off what he was about to do.


    Chen Shi grabbed Lin Dongxue''s right hand. Her slender fingers were as beautiful as white jade[1] Although her nails were never manicured, they were neatly trimmed and it was veryfortable to look at.


    Picking up Lin Dongxue''s cold little hand, Chen Shi pressed her thumb to the fingerprint lock, but nothing happened.


    He tried her index finger and was frightened by the ¡°doot¡± noise on the phone as it unlocked. He looked down at Lin Dongxue. She muttered a few words in her sleep but she didn¡¯t wake up. Chen Shi''s panicked heart calmed down and he went to look at Lin Dongxue¡¯s WeChat.


    It turned out that Tao Yueyue had yed him for a fool. What she sent Lin Dongxue was not the photo from just now, but a cute photo of Moqiu.


    ¡°You little bastard!¡±


    Chen Shi cursed and set the WeChat message to unread, locked the screen, wiped his fingerprints on the nket, and shoved it back into Lin Dongxue''s pocket.


    Staying in the position the way they were wasn¡¯t a permanent solution. Chen Shi slowly pushed the coffee table away. The coffee table had a ss base which looked good, but there was a disadvantage. When it was pushed, it would make a harsh noise.


    Chen Shi pushed the coffee table bit by bit with his heart beating like a drum. Finally, he freed enough space to stand up.


    He wrapped the nket around Lin Dongxue''s body and carefully held her up. Lin Dongxue was very light, almost like a feather. When he lifted her using the princess-hold, Chen Shi even thought that she was too thin. He needed to feed her more delicious food to keep her full.


    Chen Shi very carefully carried Lin Dongxue into the second bedroom, put her on the bed, and pulled the quilt over her. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt like he had aplished his mission.


    Unexpectedly, the door to the room was suddenly closed. The sound of someone locking the door came from the outside. Chen Shi touched his pocket. His keys and mobile phone were in the living room. It¡¯s definitely that damn brat¡¯s doing!


    He rushed to the door and said towards the door, ¡°Open the door and I¡¯ll promise not to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Just stay with Sister Lin tonight. Why don''t you tell her you like her?!¡± Tao Yueyue said. This damn brat knows everything.


    ¡°You need to get back here!!¡±


    ¡°Ah... I''m so sleepy. I¡¯m off to sleep!¡±


    Chen Shi sighed. What''s happening? He turned back and the room was dark with only a little lighting in through the door gap. The light illuminated Lin Dongxue who was lying on the bed.


    He sat down in the chair by the bed very depressed thinking. There was no other ce to sleep in the room. The bed was only so big. If he slept on it, he would inevitably have physical contact with her.


    He sat there in boredom before he finally decided to sleep. It was unrealistic to sit there all night, and it would be troublesome to need to go to the bathroom halfway through. Sleeping until dawn was the only feasible solution.


    He put on anotheryer of clothes and climbed into Lin Dongxue''s bed. Lin Dongxue wasying towards the window side. He was facing the ceiling and he could smell the scent of Lin Dongxue¡¯s hair. There were numerous times where he wanted to turn over and hug her, but he restrained himself.


    After thinking for a while, Lin Dongxue actually turned around and hugged him. Her face was really close to his.


    Chen Shi couldn''t restrain himself any longer. He gently pressed his lips against hers. Just when their lips touched, Lin Dongxue suddenly opened her eyes and her white cheeks flushed red. She already had a pair of rosy cheeks like little apples. After being flushed, they looked like two ripe apples.


    Chen Shi was seduced by her cute look. He reached out and began to unbutton her clothes. Lin Dongxue covered her face with both hands but gave no sign of resistance.


    Just before the indescribable things were about to happen, Chen Shi woke up. It turned out that it was just a dream, but the two had actually changed their positions during their deep sleep. Chen Shi was on his side and Lin Dongxue was facing him with her left hand on his shoulder.


    Chen Shi looked at his watch through the glimmer of lighting from the door gap that faced the living room. It was already five o''clock. Not good. I need to find a way to leave.


    He lightly picked up Lin Dongxue''s arm, stood up quietly, walked to the door, and pulled the handle. He was surprised to find that Tao Yueyue had already unlocked the lock from the outside.


    At 7:30, Lin Dongxue woke up on time and eximed ¡°Ah!¡± She looked at the bed she was in and couldn''t remember when she sleptst night.


    But what made her even more concerned was that she seemed to have dreamed of a personst night. At first, it seemed to be her brother, then he became the dad she had never met, and finally it became Chen Shi. The person in the dream was holding her very tenderly.


    Thinking of this, her cheeks became flushed. She touched her cheeks and said to herself, ¡°An inexplicable dream!¡±


    That morning, they went to the bureau first as per usual. Then, the three of them split up. Chen Shi took Xu Xiaodong to the area they were at yesterday and dropped him off at the nearby police station. Chen Shi then went to find the man from yesterday.


    The old uncle had just woken up and was walking around the neighborhood. Chen Shi invited him for breakfast and bought him cigarettes as if he was familiar with the man. Eventually, the old uncle promised to take Chen Shi to the old factory site.


    When he got to the old site of Yutong Automobile Factory, the old man walked around with his hands behind his back and said, ¡°I remember that the gate of the factory was three stories high. That word must have been around four stories high.¡±


    ¡°Which way did it face?¡±


    ¡°South. Fengshui was taken into ount when the factory was built. It had to be facing south.¡±


    Staring towards the emptiness on the south side, Chen Shi couldn''t see why. He needed to figure out why. After saying goodbye to the man, he called Xu Xiaodong over. When he saw what Chen Shi was holding in his hands, Xu Xiaodong was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®shi¡¯ word. I also brought bamboo poles. Let¡¯s restore what the young monk saw from the window 13 years ago... Ah yes, is there any progress on your side?¡±


    ¡°There is no progress. Of the missing people thirteen years ago, there aren¡¯t any that meet our requirements.¡±


    The word ¡°shi¡± was made from stic foam and had a very light texture. When the two cut off the bamboo poles and lifted the ¡°shi¡± into the air, many residents came to stop and watch. Xu Xiaodong''s face froze and said, ¡°Brother Chen, everyone is watching this!¡±


    ¡°Just let them watch.¡±


    An aunty came over and asked, ¡°Young man, what are you doing? Putting a cross in the air, is it a funeral? You must speak to our neighborhoodmittee when you have a funeral.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°No, no, we are investigating a case.¡± He made an action and Xu Xiaodong immediately showed his credentials to the aunty.


    The aunty asked, ¡°What case is being investigated? I have never seen a case investigated like this!¡±


    ¡°Aiya, don''t ask. If we have to answer everyone, we won¡¯t be able to finish this at night. Rest assured, we¡¯ll leave as soon as we¡¯re done. It won¡¯t affect you.


    Seeing that everyone around was mumbling about them, Xu Xiaodong whispered, ¡°How embarrassing!¡±


    After setting it up, Chen Shi instructed, ¡°You guard here. I will go around and see what angle seems the most simr.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I have to hold this up alone?¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? People here don''t know you. As Li Yang had once said, ¡®love to lose face[2]¡¯.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong looked around the crowd, his face was burning hot. He urged, ¡°Hurry up and return!¡±


    1. The author wrote about the white parts of scallions on it, but this seemed like a better representation of what they were trying to say.


    2. ¡°Shi¡± means ¡°ten¡± and when written in Chinese, the character is the shape of a cross.

 Chapter 214: Not Willing to Face it

    <h4>Chapter 214: Not Willing to Face it</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi left themunity. He stopped every so often and used his fingers as a frame to make sure that the ¡°shi¡± in the air was still visible.


    The little monk''s drawing was very clear. The window was in the shape of ¡°tian¡±, and the word ¡°shi¡± upied the upper left corner.


    Xu Xiaodong sent a text message every few minutes to ask him, ¡°Is it done?¡±


    After walking for an hour, he lost count of how many times he had climbed up buildings. Chen Shi suddenly found an old residential building about six stories high. Although it was old, it was painted with a newyer of paint and had a ¡°For Rent¡± sign posted downstairs. The rent was quite cheap and it seemed like people had taken ownership of the building as a rental investment.


    Chen Shi ran over to each unit over six stories. In the stairwell window of the fourth unit on the sixth floor, he could clearly see the ¡°shi¡± swaying in mid-air, and the position was very close to the picture.


    Chen Shi went knocking on the door but found that no one answered the door. In order to save some time, he looked around. There was no surveince monitor here, so he removed two wires from the wire window, poked them into the keyhole and after three tries, the door was opened.


    This house had not been rented out yet and had just been renovated. There was the smell of formaldehyde. The door led to a hallway with a bathroom and kitchen next to it. In the front was a bedroom with an empty bed frame inside. The balcony had been sealed.


    Chen Shi looked through the window and the word ¡°shi¡± appeared perfectly in the upper left corner of the window. He was excited for a moment but did not forget that he was currently breaking into a private dwelling right now.


    Thus, he wiped his footprints off with a napkin, went back out, and contacted thendlord.


    Thendlord came up and said, ¡°Officer, what case are you investigating? It won''t affect our renting business, right?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It''s an old case and won''t affect you... Can I ask what this building was previously used for?¡±


    ¡°Employee family housing!¡±


    ¡°Which units were part of the employee housing scheme?¡±


    ¡°In the past, it was a family housing for an automobile factory. Because there weren¡¯t enough employees living here, the factory rented it out to some migrant workers. I used to be an employee of the automobile factory. After retirement, I took over this ce and rented it out. I can even get a sum of money if the building gets demolished. I won¡¯t make a loss!¡±


    ¡°You''re very business-minded. Excuse me, but can you open this house for me to have a look?¡±


    Thendlord was obviously a person who was afraid of problems. After taking out the key, he said, ¡°Officer, there won¡¯t be any dead people in the house or anything, right? I want to dere that although I¡¯m thendlord, the people living here have nothing to do with me and I¡¯m not responsible for anything they do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m clear on that!¡±


    Upon entering, Chen Shi took a picture of the cross on the window and sent a message telling Xu Xiaodong to pack up ande over. Then, he asked thendlord, ¡°Can I rent this unit?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand. You need to find the bad guys, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, what¡¯s the shortest time we can rent this ce for?¡±


    ¡°If you want to rent, you have to rent it for the quarter.¡±


    ¡°Can we rent it for a month? We¡¯re not living here. It will be vacated in less than a month. The police will definitely not cheat you out of your money.¡±


    Thendlord was still hesitant, so Chen Shi urged, ¡°I will add on an extra half month¡¯s rent.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, as my support for your work,¡± thendlord said happily.


    He immediately transferred the money over to him via WeChat and Chen Shi took the key. Xu Xiaodong rushed over and looked around. ¡°This is really the ce? Brother Chen, fuck. We actually found the crime scene from 13 years ago!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be too happy yet. Look at the wall and floor. I don''t know how many times it has been renovated; the evidence may be long gone.¡±


    Chen Shi thought that he should call the little monk. On one hand, the little monk could identify whether this was the right ce. Additionally, he might be able to recall something after revisiting this ce.


    Chen Shi called and asked about Lin Dongxue¡¯s progress. Lin Dongxue responded, ¡°I still need some time! I¡¯ll contact you guys soon!¡±


    Since it was noon, Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong ate a simple meal and called the little monk from the hostel toe to them at three in the afternoon. As soon as he entered the door, the little monk looked nk. ¡°Theyout is correct, but the environment seems to be...¡±


    ¡°Thirteen years have passed and the external part of the building has been rebuilt many times. All the reference materials have been changed long ago.¡±


    The little monk checked around. When he felt a dent in the wall, he burst into tears and nodded desperately. ¡°It''s here! It''s here! I saw my father was hurt by the bad person. I was very scared. In my hands, I held a nail and subconsciously made a hole in the wall.¡±


    The dent was less than one meter above the ground, which was in line with the height of a child, but it was rtively close to the door. The bedroom would not have been visible from there.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Did you walk forward?¡±


    ¡°I did. Otherwise, how would I have seen the light on the window?¡±


    ¡°Your father was already...¡±


    ¡°At that time, he had already been stabbed numerous times and his blood was all over the ss, on the ground, and on the wall.¡±


    Chen Shi looked around the bedroom, imagining that dark night. A madman cruelly killed his father in front of the young monk and the whole room was dyed blood red like hell, echoing the madman''sughter.


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°The amount of bleeding indicates that it¡¯s very likely that your father was dead at that time. The murderer might have been dividing the body up. Even if he was still breathing at the time, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak to you. There is something wrong with what he said to you. Why did he say, ¡®Chen Xuan, hide! Hurry up!¡¯? Does he usually call you by your full name? Theyout of the house is clear at a nce. What would the point in hiding be? In that kind of environment, shouldn''t he just tell you to run?¡±


    ¡°That''s what I remember!¡± The little monk wept as if he was being attacked and his volume suddenly increased.


    ¡°What about your mother? What was she doing at the time?¡±


    ¡°Tied up by the bad guy and thrown on the bed. Over there!¡± The little monk pointed to the wall on the left side.


    ¡°What does your father usually call you?¡±


    ¡°Xuanxuan!¡±


    ¡°What about your mother?¡±


    ¡°Chen...¡± The monk suddenly looked up. ¡°I''m sure my father was the one who shouted that!¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head again. ¡°Is there any difference whether your mother or father shouted that sentence? Why do you insist on saying that your father was the one who shouted it to you?¡±


    ¡°This is the truth!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a more contextual hypothesis! This sentence was shouted by your mother. She was not tied up at the time and was hiding in the bathroom. When you walked to the bathroom door, you could see the bedroom and your mother could see you. The bad guy only cared about dividing the corpse. Because of the light outside the window, he didn¡¯t notice you going forward, so your mother told you to hide.¡±


    ¡°Not like that! It¡¯s not like that!¡± The young monk desperately denied. ¡°You haven''t experienced it at all. What would you know?!¡±


    ¡°Human memory shouldn¡¯t be counted on. I agree with Old Peng on this point very much. Sometimes, people will subjectively modify their memory in order to maintain their opinion or image of important people... When you came in, your mother was not controlled at all. She was still able to move and she stood by as your father was killed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re spouting lies! You¡¯re spouting lies!¡± The little monk cried, turned around, opened the door and ran away.


    ¡°Fuck, why so impulsive? Should we chase him?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    ¡°Let him calm down for a while. He''s already an adult so he won¡¯t get lost.¡± Chen Shi lowered his head and lit a cigarette before continuing to inspect the room.

 Chapter 215: A Glimmer of Hope

    <h4>Chapter 215: A Glimmer of Hope</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue called and said, ¡°Old Chen, Chen Guang and Yin Wen¡¯s information couldn¡¯t be found in the census information at all. I even searched the names of those with simr pronunciations. However, they didn¡¯t meet the requirements. They might not be people from this city at all.¡±


    ¡°Not from this city? Shouldn''t there be a temporary residence permit or something?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go to the local police station in the district to check. It would have been filed thirteen years ago though, so I don''t know if they would still have it.¡±


    Chen Shi turned his attention to Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong immediately understood and said, ¡°Okay, Brother Chen. Let me go and check!¡±


    Chen Shi continued talking on the phone. ¡°What else have you found?¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng seems to have a major discovery. He wants you to make a trip back.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back!¡±


    Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong parted ways temporarily. When Chen Shi was driving, he saw the young monk walking slowly on the road. Chen Shi followed along, slowed down, rolled down the window, and said, ¡°Little Master, get in the car. There are new discoveries back at the bureau.¡±


    The little monk seemed to still be holding a grudge. He got into the car without a word. He sat in the back seat and sped his hands together. ¡°Donor, I was wrong just then.¡±


    ¡°Recognized your mistakes? Not bad! Not bad!¡±


    ¡°No, monks should not get angry like that. I will fast to redeem myself tonight.¡±


    ¡°Haii!¡± Chen Shi sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve lived longer than you and I¡¯ve encountered this situation countless times. Two parties won¡¯t stop quarrelling about their memory of something. One said that it¡¯s round, the other said it¡¯s square. People¡¯s memories change, but everyone is willing to believe their own memories the most. Jump out and think about it from a third person¡¯s point of view. Do you think your statement is correct, or do you think my spection is correct?¡±


    ¡°The donor, yourself, admits that it¡¯s spection and not fact. How is that persuasive?¡±


    ¡°How is your memory?¡±


    ¡°Very good. I can recite the Buddhist scriptures just by reading it three times.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s put the controversy on hold for now.¡±


    When they got to the bureau, Lin Dongxue came forward and said, ¡°Captain Peng is waiting for you!¡±


    ¡°No rush. Is the portrait expert on the team today?¡±


    ¡°He is. What do you need him for?¡±


    ¡°Follow me!¡± Chen Shi said to the young monk.


    After finding a portrait expert, Chen Shi asked for a face to be drawn out. The little monk shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. I can''t remember the appearance of the bad person.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t ask you to recall the face of the bad guy. I¡¯m asking you to recall the face of Captain Peng, whom you met the other day when we went to eat. It¡¯s only been three days.¡±


    ¡°Do you think my memory is bad?¡±


    ¡°Memory is divided into many types. For example, text, logical and visual memory.¡±


    The little monk didn¡¯t want to back down and epted the challenge. He picked features that were closest to what Peng Sijue looked like on the portrait-reconstruction software. When he finally picked them out, the portrait expert smiled and shook his head. ¡°How is this Captain Peng?¡±


    ¡°The nose is a bit wrong. I''ll try again!¡± The little monk was still unwilling to lose.


    Lin Dongxue dragged Chen Shi outside and asked, ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    ¡°Smashing his self-confidence in his memory.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you normally take testimonies seriously?¡±


    ¡°This time is different. It¡¯s been a long time since then. The testimony of the little master is very important, so I must let him face up to his memory... If it doesn''t work, I still have another trick!¡± Chen Shi''s eyes became solemn. ¡°Hypnosis!¡±


    In the end, the young monk finallypleted a portrait of what he thought most closely resembled Peng Sijue''s appearance. The portrait expert printed it out. The three of them took it to see the real Peng Sijue. When he saw the real person, the young monk realized that Peng Sijue looked nothing like he remembered.


    Chen Shi patted the young monk''s shoulder. ¡°Do you still think your memory is reliable?¡±


    The young monk bowed his head and said nothing. Peng Sijue asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Chen Shi took out the portrait and exined the reason behind it.


    Peng Sijue adjusted his sses. ¡°Isn''t this the actor Zhang Ruojun?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say you¡¯re handsome?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Nonsense. Why did he make my appearance look like Zhang Ruojun? Zhang Ruojun yed the forensic doctor Li Ming. Have you seen it before? Therefore, it caused memory pollution?¡±


    The young monk was a little startled but kept silent. Lin Dongxue showed him the still shots of ¡°Forensic Doctor Li Ming¡± and the young monk admitted, ¡°When I was at a restaurant obtaining edible offerings, I saw this person when it yed on TV.¡±


    ¡°This is called memory pollution. Old Peng is a forensic doctor and he¡¯s a bit stern. You subconsciously recalled him as Zhang Ruojun...¡± Chen Shi concluded, ¡°Human memory is not reliable at all.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not talk about memory right now. First, let''s take a look at the reliable science!¡± Peng Sijue handed over a DNA appraisal report. ¡°In the hospital paternity test library, we found a close rtive of his named Yin Lin.¡±


    The little monk widened his eyes in shock. ¡°That''s my aunt!¡±


    ¡°Your mother''s surname is Yin[1]?¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised. ¡°I would have been able to save a little effort if you told us earlier.¡± She immediately posted the news on the project group, saving Xu Xiaodong from putting in effort in vain.


    The little monk was very ashamed. ¡°I was illiterate at that time. I only knew the pronunciation of my parents'' names, so I remembered them as Chen Guang and Yin Wen.¡±


    Chen Shi asked Peng Sijue, ¡°Can this Yin Lin be contacted?¡±


    ¡°Here is her number.¡±


    Chen Shi dialed Yin Lin''s home phone and mobile phone with no sess. Fortunately, there was a backup contact on the hospital''s information. It was Yin Lin''s husband.


    Chen Shi called the husband full of hope, but the line didn¡¯t connect either. Lin Dongxue was so discouraged that a decent lead that they finally obtained came to a dead end again.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°There''s her address on it. Let¡¯s just take a trip!¡±


    The little monk said, ¡°I will go too!¡±


    Chen Shi said to Peng Sijue, ¡°We found the crime scene from back in the day. I rented the house. Would you like to see if you can collect any evidence?¡±


    ¡°What does the crime scene look like?¡±


    ¡°I took a photo of it.¡± Chen Shi showed him the photo.


    Peng Sijue stared at the photo for a few seconds and asked, ¡°What do you think I can get? Except the soot you just created with your cigarettes.¡±


    ¡°Pry off the floor and tear off the wallpaper then.¡±


    ¡°Will you pay for it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay...¡± Chen Shi added, ¡°If the case is formally filed, it will be paid by the team.¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head, ¡°I personally disapprove of people like you and the unrestricted waste of police resources. It¡¯s a waste of effort and inefficient. I have other work to do.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, Old Peng!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I''ll go now!¡± Peng Sijue exined to his subordinates that he wouldn¡¯t be there tomorrow morning. He would go directly to the scene to investigate. People who had no work on hand could also tag along.


    The subordinates asked, ¡°Captain, is this a new case?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s an old case with no hope of solving.¡± Peng Sijue said while looking at Chen Shi''s eyes. ¡°It''s just that someone happens to like challenging work.¡±


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and the young monk rushed to Yin Lin''s past address that was listed and saw the brand new neighborhood. Chen Shiined, ¡°Why has China rebuilt so manymunities and houses in recent years?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue responded, ¡°This seems to be a building that was renovated while they settled the owners temporarily until the construction was finished. We can ask the old residents to find out.¡±


    ¡°No, since Yin Lin lives here, she must have an ID. Let¡¯s go directly to the local police station!¡±


    When they got to the police station in the area, the police searched for Yin Lin''s information and a case file came up along with a print-out of her ID information. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°What''s this? Did something happen to her?¡±


    ¡°She disappeared. She disappeared about ten years ago and has never been found!¡± said the police officer.


    1. The pinyin is the same, but it¡¯s written differently.

 Chapter 216: Team Morale Is Poor

    <h4>Chapter 216: Team Morale Is Poor</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three found a table and looked at the case file. When they saw the picture of Yin Lin sandwiched inside, the young monk picked it up with agitation and tears in his eyes. ¡°This is my aunt! Thirteen years! I can finally see a photo of a rtive!¡±


    Chen Shi allowed the young monk to bask in his emotions and continued looking at the file with Lin Dongxue. The file stated that in March of 2005, the neighbor called the police and said Yin Lin was missing. The reason that they found out was because Yin Lin had a dog. The owner hadn¡¯te back for a few days, so the dog went crazy with hunger and bit the wires and cables while wailing with lots of sadness.


    When Chen Shi saw a Tibetan mastiff in the photo and said, ¡°If she was able to own a Tibetan mastiff ten years ago, her family must be very rich.¡±


    Yin Lin was indeed very rich. ording to the information, she was a self-employed owner of a clothing business. She was a diplomatic and eloquent person in business. However, she was petite in the photo and looked sweet rather than a strong person.


    Yin Lin''s parents died early and her rtives lived far away at her hometown in Henan. She only had one sister in Long¡¯an City called Yin Wen who was unable to be contacted during the investigation of the case.


    The investigation of the case ended one yearter and there were no clues. The police suspended the investigation and put the file on the shelf.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong called and was a little excited. ¡°Brother Chen, I found Yin Wen¡¯s information!¡±


    The young monk came over excitedly to listen.


    Chen Shi queried, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Missing. I have a missing persons report on hand. Should I bring it back?¡±


    ¡°Bring it back!¡±


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and Lin Dongxue sighed. ¡°God not only closed the door, but he welded the window shut as well.¡±


    Chen Shi refused to give up. He pointed to the case file and said, ¡°Some of Yin Lin''s friends were mentioned in this. Shall we investigate?¡±


    ¡°Forget it!¡± Lin Dongxue shook her head. ¡°This investigation is getting farther and farther away from our original intention. We only have four people! If we check it like this, we won''t find anything out until next year.¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly stood up, grabbed a police officer, and asked, ¡°Comrade, who is responsible for this case?¡±


    The policeman looked at the signature on the case file and said, ¡°These three policemen are all old officers. Now there¡¯s only one of them left here called Zhang.¡±


    ¡°I want to meet him!¡±


    When they met Officer Zhang, he said that it was too long ago to remember and that the case was mainly investigated by his colleague, Liu Baiqin. Police officer Zhang said, ¡°Old Liu had a donkey¡¯s temper[1] He didn''t show up in the unit at all while he busied himself investigating this case and was punished several times. Later...¡±


    ¡°What happenedter on?¡±


    ¡°He was reprimanded by the director, who told him not to follow this case anymore. He mmed down his badge and resigned in a fit of rage.¡± Officer Zhang pointed to the time on the file. ¡°The time he resigned was the time the investigation was suspended because other people really didn''t have the patience to investigate this.¡±


    ¡°Can I meet him?¡±


    ¡°He works at a securitypany now. I''ll copy his contact information down for you.¡±


    The three rushed over but came out empty handed again. The night was looming on them and Chen Shi had run around a lot today, so he said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue investigating tomorrow!¡±


    Although the little monk was reluctant, he nodded and said, ¡°I will be with you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but under one condition!¡±


    ¡°Please let me know.¡±


    ¡°You have to eat tonight. Don''t punish yourself. It has no merit in it.¡±


    The young monk was silent for a moment, but sped his hands together. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned to their residence. Chen Shi was exhausted andy on the sofa. Lin Dongxue also went back to her room to lie down. After a while, Chen Shi actually started dozing off. He struggled and was ready to order a takeaway to fill his stomach.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue sent him a message. ¡°Old Chen, my shoulders are very sore. Can I... If you can¡¯t, then don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    With a look of helplessness, Chen Shi walked into Lin Dongxue''s bedroom and said, ¡°Sit up!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Dongxue sat up puzzled.


    Chen Shi started massaging her shoulders and Lin Dongxue screamed softly. Since he wasn¡¯t sure whether she did that because she was surprised or sore, he toned down the pressure and asked, ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s reallyfortable...¡± Lin Dongxue lowered her hair and her cheeks flushed red. ¡°Why are you suddenly massaging me?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you... What about your phone?¡±


    ¡°Tao Yueyue borrowed it to y.¡±


    Chen Shi punched his fist in the air. This damn child! He could only y along. ¡°I''m afraid you''ll be too exhausted to investigate tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    The two were silent until Lin Dongxue suddenly said, ¡°I will have to move away in a few days. In case my brother finds out...¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Although Chen Shi was a bit reluctant to let her go, how could he say that to her? ¡°When this case is over, I¡¯ll help you move.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    ¡°What are you being so polite for? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve only known each other for a short time.¡±


    ¡°Do we count as good friends?¡±


    ¡°I guess so...¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Dongxue felt a little sad in her heart. However, after thinking about it, since she asked it like this, Chen Shi couldn''t exactly say no.


    They didn¡¯t speak to each other for the rest of the night. The next morning, Chen Shi was woken up by a message. Peng Sijue said in the group chat, ¡°A human-like organism was found at the crime scene!¡±


    Chen Shi jumped up and quickly put on clothes. Then, he went to get Lin Dongxue out of bed. As soon as he opened the door, he bumped his head into Lin Dongxue¡¯s. Lin Dongxue held her head and asked, ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let''s hurry over!¡±


    The two went to pick up the young monk and rushed to the crime scene with him. The lights were not turned on and Peng Sijue was sitting on the side of the bed with his arms crossed. Chen Shi came in and asked, ¡°Did you not sleep at allst night?¡±


    ¡°I''m used to staying upte. It has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    Peng Sijue raised his hand that held a test tube. There were a bit of flesh-like things in it. Lin Dongxue found that the wallpaper had all been peeled off and the cement coating on the wall had been scraped away. Peng Sijue had found it after going through the wall inch by inch.


    ¡°Specific tests are needed but withoutparison samples, it¡¯s meaningless,¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°Theparison sample is here!¡± Chen Shi pointed to the young monk.


    The little monk said, ¡°Yes, it must have been left by my father!¡±


    ¡°I have something to say first. This bit of human tissue can¡¯t be considered evidence of a murder... I¡¯ll go back to rest for awhile and I¡¯ll continue in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Old Peng, don''t drive after staying up all night. Let me drive you... You need to pay for the car fare though!¡±


    Peng Sijue made an expression of extreme contempt. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ll take a taxi! You send this thing back to the bureau and let them test it! Also tell them not toe here. I can handle this tiny space by myself.¡±


    The three returned to the bureau and handed the sample to the forensics department. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s already the fourth day and we¡¯ve only just found the victim''s DNA. Isn¡¯t this progress too slow?¡±


    ¡°Quantitative change causes qualitative change. I believe that soon, everything will be clear.¡±


    ¡°Is thisforting me, or is itforting yourself?¡±


    ¡°I find that our team''s morale is very poor. Why is everyone saying that this case can¡¯t be solved?¡± Chen Shi''s expression suddenly changed. ¡°Oh no!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We forgot to have breakfast. Let¡¯s go to Yong''an soy milk!¡±


    ¡°You bastard! You scared me!¡± Lin Dongxue punched him with a smile.


    1. As hardworking as a donkey.

 Chapter 217 : Breakthrough Progress

    <h4>Chapter 217 : Breakthrough Progress</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three went to have breakfast and called Xu Xiaodong to head over as well. Xu Xiaodong held an envelope in his hand and said, "This is the missing persons file from the police station. When I returnedst night, you were already gone. Did you want to take a look?¡±


    "Bring it here!" Chen Shi took it, flipped through it, and asked the little monk, "What does your mother do for a living?"


    "She didn¡¯t work."


    "No, it says she was a cashier."


    "Please show me!"


    The young monk took it and saw his mother''s picture again. Tears welled up in his eyes. These were just photocopies. The young monk looked at one of them while the others looked at the other photos. Lin Dongxue read the words printed on the document. "Missing. 2003[1]. About the same time as the crime that took ce."


    Chen Shi took notice of the signatures of the officers and noted, "Police Officer Liu was also involved in this case."


    "Isn''t he from another jurisdiction?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "Maybe he applied to be part of the case himself. It seems that Police Officer Liu was very attentive of this case!"


    Lin Dongxue said to the young monk, "Little master, let us look at the one in your hand."


    "Nothing to it really. It¡¯s only a candid photo of my mother." He handed it over.


    Lin Dongxue took it and said, "Your mother is very beautiful! Both sisters are beautiful."


    "Thank you!" The little monk pressed his palms together.


    In the photo, Yin Wen was wearing a sweater and holding an ironb in her hand. The teeth of theb were very dense. Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "What kind ofb is this?"


    "It¡¯s for pets." Xu Xiaodong replied.


    "You had pets at home?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Hmm..." The little monk recalled, "We raised dogs, but we didn¡¯t keep them for long since I was scared. My father sent them away.¡±


    "How many did you own?"


    "How many? I think there were a few! They were very big dogs!"


    Chen Shi searched on his mobile phone, handed it to the young monk, and asked, "Are these the ones you¡¯re talking about?"


    "Yeah, this is it. They¡¯re so big and fierce. I was often scared by them."


    "These are Tibetan mastiffs!"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered, "Yin Lin''s family also raised a Tibetan mastiff! Thirteen years ago, there shouldn¡¯t have been many ces that sold Tibetan mastiffs in Long¡¯an."


    "Chen Guang was a vet as well. The three missing people are all rted to animals!" Chen Shi stood up. "Let¡¯s go and check!"


    At this time, the phone on his desk rang. It was an unknown number. Chen Shi answered and a somber voice resounded from the other end of the line. "Are you looking for me?"


    "Who are you?"


    There was a cough on the other side and the person seemed to be an old man. "Did you not leave down your contact information at mypany yesterday?"


    "Officer Liu?"


    "I¡¯ve long since been a policeman. Just call me Old Liu. What are you trying to find me for?"


    "To be frank, we¡¯re criminal police officers and havee to ask you something.¡±


    "Haha! Ten yearster, the city bureau finally pays attention to this case. God has eyes! Come to my house!"


    After writing down the address, Chen Shi raised his eyebrows. "When you think that it¡¯s a dead-end after climbing up the mountains and rivers, you can find another scenery within the dark gaps between dense shrubs.[2]¡±


    "Don''t get too excited!" Lin Dongxue poured cold water on his excitement. "He was just a policeman at a local police station. How many leads could he have?"


    The four immediately drove to Police Officer Liu''s address. Police Officer Liu had a golden retriever on a leash and waited for them downstairs. He looked fifty or sixty years old and had gray hair, but looked like he had a healthy spirit and his eyes were bright.


    "You all are...?" Officer Liu asked.


    Chen Shi introduced them one by one. When Officer Liu found out the identity of the young monk, Police Officer Liu became very excited. "This case still has witnesses that survived?"


    The young monk pressed his palms together to do a Buddhist ritual. "Amitabha."


    "Come upstairs with me!" Police Officer Liu said.


    Officer Liu''s home was on the sixth floor. He slowly walked upstairs and said, "You may not know this, but the three missing persons cases you are investigating are rted to several other cases. I have been pursuing this case for over a decade. I don''t think this is a disappearance case at all, but a murder case. However, I can''t produce any evidence. I couldn''t convince my superiors and everything became tense after all that arguing, so I resigned voluntarily. However, in the years since I¡¯ve still been following this case and monitoring that bastard I have never seen him slip up.¡±


    "That bastard?" Chen Shi asked.


    "We¡¯re here!" Officer Liu stopped to open the door. After opening the door, the crowd''s eyes brightened. What kind of house was this? It was basically a private detective office.


    Five whiteboards were ced next to each other on the wall, covered with photos, paper notes, and the rtionship between the people were marked with string. For the sake of rity, a few spotlights were installed in the room to shine on these whiteboards.


    "Close the door!" Officer Liu instructed.


    "These are..." Lin Dongxue looked around in amazement.


    "The earliest missing persons case urred in 1998. The missing person was an illegal dog seller with a surname Bai. Of course, this case didn¡¯t garner any attention until another case came to my attention a few yearster. I kept paying attention to these disappearances since and have collected information regarding them. From the years 1998 to 2015, there have been 30 suspicious disappearances in Long''an City, and all the missing people were acquainted with one person!"


    Officer Liu pointed to the whiteboard that faced the door with a photo of a man on it. There were many stringsing from that photo as if the photo was radiating sunlight around it. He was connected to everyone else.


    "Liu Hong!" Officer Liu recalled the name with a heavy tone. "A businessman who sold Tibetan Mastiffs illegally in the 1990s. He has his own dog farm in the suburbs and he is currently thergest dog dealer in Long¡¯an. The individual disappearance cases don¡¯t show much, but when connected with each other, it will be found that all the people who were obstacles in Liu Hong¡¯s road to wealth all disappeared! It didn¡¯t matter whether they were health quarantine officers,petitors, or triads. It was like they all evaporated into thin air!"


    The four of them were shocked. Xu Xiaodong asked, "Long''an actually hid a serial murderer? Why hasn''t the criminal police team ever filed a case?"


    "Without a corpse, it''s just a missing case. It would never appear in front of the criminal police force." Officer Liu sighed. "Moreover, the intervals and distance between the crimes is rtivelyrge. I have called for these missing persons cases to be investigated together, but I didn¡¯t attract the necessary attention from superiors. I could only do it alone!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "He keeps Tibetan mastiffs? He has a dog farm in the suburbs? Are those people..."


    "Haha!" Officer Liuughed. "I also thought so at the beginning. In order to find out the truth, I slipped inte at night and looked through the dog feces one by one. It made the dogs bark and I was almost torn apart by them.¡±


    Chen Shi mumbled, "Those people shouldn''t have disappeared like that. A dog''s digestive tract is extremely short. Many parts of a person''s body can¡¯t be digested by dogs, such as the hair and teeth. He was able to get away with it for twenty years, meaning that he has something else up his sleeve!¡±


    "Yes, yes!" Xu Xiaodong said, "My cat vomited a few days after eating some hair. Even a Tibetan Mastiff can''t eat a living person."


    The young monk stared at the three photos of his loved ones on the whiteboard in silence with tears welling up in his eyes.


    Officer Liu asked, "Do you know why I live here?"


    Everyone shook their heads.


    Officer Liu opened a slit through the curtain and pointed at the opposite window. "That¡¯s Liu Hong''s house!"


    1. Editor note: The author wrote 2005, but Chapter 228 says that the mother disappeared at age 24, and she is currently 37. I''m going to assume that this is what the author meant. 2005 would be the year that her sister disappeared, which the author said was 10 years ago. However, if it''s referring to the husband''s murder, then why didn''t the author just keep it at 13 years for everything?I feel that making the correction above makes this sentence make more sense.


    2. There¡¯s a road hidden around even when you think it¡¯s a dead-end.

 Chapter 218: Old Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 218: Old Hunter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Officer Liu, how long have you lived here?¡±


    ¡°Well, almost ten years.¡± Officer Liu said with a sigh, lighting a cigarette. ¡°Sometimes I feel like a hunter, chasing this beast for over ten years. Other times, I feel like I¡¯m almost like a beast myself.¡±


    ¡°You are a good policeman!¡± Chen Shi said with admiration.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept that title! I can¡¯t!¡± Police Officer Liu waved his hands again and again. ¡°I''m trash. I haven''t solved the case after so many years. I haven¡¯t been able to get an exnation or justice for the victims and their families... By the way, do you want the information I have here? I can give them to you unreservedly.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I have a favor to ask that might be unwee. Could you let us borrow this house for a few days? That would save everyone from going in and out. The things you¡¯ve organized here are very professional and easy to understand.¡±


    Officer Liu immediately removed a key from his keychain. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll give the key to you. I¡¯ll just spend some time with my mother for the next few days. If there¡¯s any progress, please contact me as soon as possible. I want to see this bastard arrested more than anyone else.¡±


    There was the sound of a car from outside. Officer Liu rushed to the window and looked out. ¡°This Mazda is his car. As soon as I hear it, I know it¡¯s him. I¡¯m not bluffing. Even if Liu Hong coughed downstairs, I¡¯d be able to tell it¡¯s him.¡±


    The three looked out the window. The young monk suddenly pushed the door open and ran out. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Is he going to do something impulsive?¡±


    ¡°Stop him!¡± Lin Dongxue eximed.


    The three immediately ran downstairs and saw the little monk standing in the middle of the road in the neighborhood conducting a Buddhist ritual towards the Mazda. A big man with a pudgy face showed half of his body and patted the body of his car as he scolded, ¡°Fuck your mum! You really know how to pick people to beg for food, huh? Get lost, you stinking monk!¡±


    Liu Hong had a bulky figure and was wearing a floral shirt with a thick gold chain on his neck. There was a woman sitting in the front passenger seat. She has a standard Inte influencer¡¯s face with a sharp chin, big eyes, and a thick face of make-up that seemed like it would crack when she smiled. She was most likely his lover.


    The little monk stood still as he kept staring at Liu Hong''s face. Liu Hong took fifty yuan out of his wallet and threw it to the ground. ¡°Get lost! Get out of here! Go and find a prostitute to fuck!¡±


    Then, he started the car and the young monk jumped aside.


    When Liu Hong left, the three came forward. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Little Master, what are you doing? You scared us to death.¡±


    The little monk frowned and his eyes welled up with tears. ¡°Yes, it was him. The man who killed my father back then was him. I can''t forget that face even after all these years!¡±


    ¡°He will definitely get the punishment he deserves!¡± Chen Shi consoled.


    Chen Shi told Xu Xiaodong to send the young monk back first. The young monk said he could go back by himself, so the three returned to the room. They began to read the information left by Officer Liu. There was arge amount of information. The three kept looking through it all until 2:00 in the afternoon. They were seeing double by then.


    Xu Xiaodong slumped in his chair. ¡°Aiya, I wasn''t even this tired when I was preparing for the exams in school. Are you guys hungry yet? I''ll order some takeaway to eat!¡±


    ¡°Just order some random stuff as you please!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°Come on, let''s talk about our individual findings.¡±


    Lin Dongxue began. ¡°I started looking at the disappearance in 1998. I summarized Liu Hong''s history towards his build-up of wealth. He was an illegal dog dealer selling dogs along the streets for over nine years. Later on, he got two Tibetan mastiffs and started breeding them himself. The Tibetan mastiff market was fired up in those few years. He made a small fortune and started his own pet shop. Liu Hong''s real fortune was the sale of a Tibetan mastiff sub-breed called the snow mastiff. I checked it and the snow mastiff is very valuable. Nowadays, each one can be sold for more than 30,000, while ordinary mastiffs are worth only three or four thousand. However, Liu Hong''s snow mastiff bloodline didn¡¯t seem to be very pure. From 1998 to 2007, the missing people around Liu Hong included threepetitors, a CKU dog pedigree appraiser and his wife, a vet who is the father of the young monk, a staff member of the epidemic prevention station, awyer, and several others whom I can¡¯t draw a connection on. After several disappearances, Liu Hong was the only one who sold snow mastiffs in Long¡¯an City. The price stabilized at 25,000. The motivation is too obvious.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°It seems that his killings are all purposeful and aren¡¯t the same as the psycho killers who kill for pleasure.¡±


    Chen Shi responded. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the snow mastiffs he sells are fake. For the sake of his wealth, he kept eliminating people who hindered his development. To him, murders have be a way to solve any difficult problems he faces. The more you kill, the more you be proficient at it!¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°From 1998 to 2015, there were more than 30 disappearances. I organized them and summarized the three stages of Liu Hong''s murders. The first stage was from 1998 to 2000. He only killed apetitor who was the dominant yer in the dog trading business at Long¡¯an at the time. The victim even had a dark triad background. I think this killing had a big reactiveponent to it. In the second stage, from 2000 to 2007, his killing motive was very strong. During this time, he gradually became thergest dog dealer in Long¡¯an. Then, there was a nk period of about three years before more disappearances urred. The missing people came from all walks of life. The onlymon link between them was Liu Hong. This was the stage where he was cleaning up his loose ends and history.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± The two were shocked.


    ¡°I noticed that the third group of missing people were simr in age to Liu Hong. Some of them were from the same vige he came from. They were all doing fairly well in their careers. I¡¯m guessing that this group was his friends or even part of a gang. They knew Liu Hong¡¯s history, so after killing the outsiders, he began killing these friends to clean up any loose ends they would bring with them. This way, they¡¯d disappear forever with the secrets they knew.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong took a breath and said admiringly, ¡°We are all looking at the same information. How can Brother Chen see so many things from it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because your girlfriend keeps texting with you,¡± Chen Shi remarked casually.


    Xu Xiaodong was ashamed. He was indeed texting Little Li andzing around for a bit.


    ¡°However, what we are discussing right now are only missing persons cases. There are no corpses and we have no knowledge of the method he used. We also have no way to infer whether this wasmitted by a single person or multiple people.¡± Chen Shi sighed.


    ¡°Yes, the key to finding the bodies would be to go to Liu Hong''s dog farm, right?¡± Lin Dongxue pondered.


    ¡°It''s too abrupt if we just barge in just like that! We have to find a reason...¡± Chen Shi muttered.


    ¡°What reason? In my opinion, we should go over in the middle of the night to investigate!¡± Xu Xiaodong said.


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s cheeks twitched. ¡°All the dogs there are Tibetan mastiffs! I don¡¯t dare to go inte at night with them around.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the ce before discussing how to go about it.¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    In the afternoon, the three arrived at Liu Hong''s dog farm in the suburbs. When they saw the name, on the sign saying ¡°Xiaotian[1] Purebred Dog Breeding Base¡±, Chen Shi said, ¡°The name is really crazy!¡±


    ¡°Are all of them Xiaotian dogs?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°How do we get in? Do we have to pretend like we¡¯re buying dogs?¡±


    Chen Shi looked around and saw several staff members inside. Of course, dogs couldn¡¯t be bought directly here. They would probably be kicked out if they were to walk in. There were no other buildings around. This barn was located in the middle of nowhere and barking could be heard from miles away.


    He murmured, ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to have to stray from the right path this time!¡±


    1. A deity¡¯s dog.

 Chapter 219: Infiltrate to Investigate

    <h4>Chapter 219: Infiltrate to Investigate</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi pulled out his cell phone and dialled Peng Sijue''s number. Peng Sijue had stayed up all night yesterday and was still asleep. He was awakened by the phone and got out of bed. "What?! What!!"


    "We¡¯ve made a breakthrough. Do you want to hear about it?¡±


    "No!"


    "Then let''s talk when we meet up. By the way, do you know anyone in the CDC? We want to infiltrate a dog farm in the suburbs to investigate. We need to hurry!¡±


    Peng Sijue hung up the phone without saying a word and Chen Shi smiled. "It seems like he¡¯s thinking of a way. Let¡¯s wait for his news!¡±


    "You have too much confidence!" Lin Dongxue sneered, "What next?"


    "After a busy day, I need to head back to rest for a while. Tao Yueyue should have gotten off school by now." Chen Shi said.


    "Then, I¡¯ll return to the bureau and see if I can persuade my brother to formally file a case!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Dongxue returned to the bureau and informed Lin Qiupu of the current progress. Lin Qiupu shook his head. "You have only found out that this person is rted to over 30 cases of disappearances. It can¡¯t be proved that it¡¯s a felony.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was agitated. "All the missing people were acquainted with him, and the disappearance of these people all removed obstacles for his career development. Is it still impossible to conclude that this person is suspected of killing? Moreover, there is the testimony from the young monk."


    "Officer Lin, you shouldn¡¯t be so opinionated like this. If the police don¡¯t follow thew, then who will maintain social order? Let me give you an example. There was a case in the United States where the murderer and the victim quarrelled, and the murderer killed the victim in front of the tavern by crushing him with a car. Then, they cleaned up everything. You would think that the witnesses were sufficient evidence, right? But the police couldn¡¯t convict him. In the end, the car was dismantled and they found a blood stain the size of a nail before they convicted him. If there¡¯s no evidence, even if you see it with your own eyes, it won¡¯t pass. You can catch him, but at the courts, the judge will acquit the suspect. What¡¯s the point in that?¡±


    "Brother!" Lin Dongxue begged.


    "Okay, I''ll give you another two days. No, five days, okay?!"


    "I want a few more people as well."


    Lin Qiupu looked miserable. "I''m also investigating a case here. Fine, I¡¯ll give you two more!¡±


    "Thank you!"


    Lin Dongxue left happily and Lin Qiupu looked at her back and smiled.


    When Chen Shi arrived home, he received a call from Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue said, "I contacted a friend from the CDC. In two days, he will arrange a random hygiene check. What are you going to do? Prepare for it by yourself."


    "In two days? Can it be tomorrow?"


    "I just confirmed..."


    "It''s better to do it tomorrow," he argued. He could hear Peng Sijue''s sigh from across the phone. Chen Shi said, "It doesn''t matter if we do the hygiene check or not. We mainly need to find the evidence that proves the owner was the murderer. Can we borrow the clothing and documents of the CDC and go ourselves?"


    "It''s against the rules."


    "Why are there so many rules in your head? We¡¯ll do it just like that. We''ll see you tomorrow morning."


    "It¡¯s been unfortunate knowing you!"


    The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau and found a CDC car parked at the door.


    Peng Sijue had pleaded to his ssmates from the CDC without face to borrow the clothing and documents. There were five sets in total. Chen Shi asked, "Did you test the evidence that you found yesterday?"


    "I find that you¡¯re bing more and more rude. When we first met, you brought me breakfast. At least you still faked being polite. Now it¡¯s like you¡¯re my boss and you¡¯re driving me like a ve. Do I owe you or something?¡± Peng Sijue said defiantly.


    "Oh, if you didn¡¯t say that, I would have forgotten. I put the breakfast in the car. Wait for me here and I¡¯ll go get it.¡±


    Chen Shi left for a while and came back, greeting everyone in the forensics department with arge package of breakfast. Everyone happily went over. Peng Sijue touched the soy milk and found it was still hot. He said disdainfully, "Did you just buy it?"


    "Didn¡¯t you say I was being fake anyway? It¡¯s okay if you understand it in your heart. Why bring it out into the open?¡± Chen Shi smiled shamelessly.


    "Humph!" Peng Sijue threw the report to Chen Shi. "Look at it yourself."


    Chen Shi nced at it. "Is this Chen Guang''s DNA?"


    "It''s a human organism, but it''s not rted to the young monk."


    "It doesn''t matter. Maybe someone else was killed in that room!"


    "I have a question. The windows in that room are so high!" Peng Sijue gestured to a height with his hand. "As described by the young monk, the blood sshed the window red at the time, making the lights outside change in color when viewed from the inside. However, a single person doesn¡¯t have that much blood in them.¡±


    "That¡¯s true..." Chen Shi muttered. "Let¡¯s ignore this for now. As long as we find the evidence today, that''s enough!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s breakfast wasn¡¯t for nothing. When everyone finished eating, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to take evidence samples. It¡¯s a waste if I take up one of these outfits. I think it¡¯s best if Captain Peng went in with four people from your team!¡±


    Peng Sijue said coldly, "I think so too."


    He immediately took four men and put on the white coats used by the CDC. The police evidence testing kit was too conspicuous, so they bought several stic boxes from a nearby supermarket and hid the kits inside.


    Once prepared, the five of them drove away in the CDC car. Chen Shi drove his own car carrying Lin Dongxue and stayed far behind. Today, Xu Xiaodong had a separate task where he had to investigate Liu Hong''s interpersonal rtionships.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t investigate too openly, as they didn¡¯t want to alert him.


    Chen Shi parked his car by the bushes not far from the dog farm and started ying on his mobile phone. He installed a new app and after a while, an image finally popped out. Lin Dongxue curiously leaned over to take a look. "What is this?"


    "Old Peng has a miniature camera on him. This video is a live feed of what he can see."


    On Peng Sijue¡¯s side of things, everyone went inside and showed the CDC document saying that they were there to conduct a hygiene and sanitation check. The staff members said that they would need to contact the boss. Peng Sijue said, "You can call him while we go ahead and check.¡±


    The staff member said, "No. The boss said that if an outsideres in, he must be notified."


    "Huh!" Peng Sijue sneered, "That''s okay. You can tell him that we¡¯re leaving and he can juste to our department and pay the fine next month.¡±


    "Don''t!" The staff member stopped Peng Sijue and started stalling for time using sweet-talk. At the same time, they were calling Liu Hong. After requesting information, the staff member informed them, ¡°The boss has said that you can conduct the check now.¡±


    Peng Sijue began to pretend to check the sanitation, drinking water, and vination credentials of dogs in the farm. Peng Sijue looked at the vination records slowly, asked where they were vinated, and called to verify this.


    Taking this opportunity, his men began searching for traces of blood in the kennels.


    After half an hour, the group came out and the staff politely saw them off. When they returned to the car, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t wait to call him. "How did it go?"


    "It would be strange if we could find anything since it¡¯s been so long!¡±


    "It''s okay, just treat it as a process of elimination. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a meal at noon.¡±


    "This meal isn¡¯t free either, is it?"


    "I want to look around the dog farm and investigate!"

 Chapter 220: Unwelcome Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 220: Unwee Encounter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At noon, in a private room of a restaurant, everyone was talking about what they had just seen.


    ¡°Did you see how big that Tibetan mastiff was? My God. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such a big dog. It was as big as a pig. Even if you rode it, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! That dog bowl was like a sink! I¡¯m guessing they eat ten kilograms per meal.¡±


    ¡°Normal people can¡¯t afford to keep these as pets. Just buying the meat for them to eat would cost a fortune.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, ¡°Was there really a legendary snow mastiff in the kennel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± said a technician. ¡°I saw one as white as snow in the house!¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a snow Mastiff!¡± Peng Sijue said. ¡°It was a Tibetan mastiff with albinism. Albinos are afraid of light, so they¡¯re kept inside the house.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now that the Captain mentioned it, I remember that his nose was a little pale as well,¡± the technician said.


    Lin Dongxue was very surprised. The snow mastiff sold by Liu Hong was only an albino Tibetan mastiff. Albinism was considered a hereditary disease. These sick Tibetan mastiffs were brought in by Liu Hong for inbreeding. Their bodies were only going to get worse with each generation. She couldn¡¯t help but feel sadness for the dogs.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°I couldn¡¯t see clearly in the videos, but did you find incinerators, dark rooms, basements, and the like inside?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Everyone shook their heads unanimously. ¡°It was a very normal dog farm.¡±


    ¡°How did he handle the corpses?¡± Chen Shi muttered to himself.


    ¡°I nced at the staff roster on the wall. Six employees take turns to work the night shift. Every Sunday, the boss wille and do a shift, saying that they were understaffed. This ce is in the wild countryside, and nobody can enter through the gate. Nobody would dare to either, as the dogs would bark if they went in.¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°The victims must have been eaten by the dogs!¡± Everyone present agreed.


    ¡°The police aren¡¯t stupid. After each disappearance, they would definitelye here to investigate. A nail and a blood stain would be enough to make Liu Hong lose his fortune, so I don''t think they were eaten by the dogs. The kennels are just a front, blindfolding us from the truth.¡± Peng Sijue''s views were simr to Chen Shi¡¯s.


    ¡°Let''s look around tonight!¡±


    ¡°But the area around it is so big! It¡¯ll be like finding a needle in a haystack!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled shamelessly. ¡°Whether you can''t find it or not, I¡¯ll treat you to food tomorrow. No, I¡¯ll even pay for your food for three days.¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡±


    After dinner, Peng Sijue left straight away. He seemed like he couldn¡¯t care less, but Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, ¡°He will find a wayter on.¡±


    ¡°He seems unhappy to be treated as aborer by you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re part of a specialized profession. If I could, I''d search for it myself... Hey, can you get a police dog?¡±


    ¡°The police dogs are all over at the special forces department. We have to go through a formal procedure to borrow them.¡±


    ¡°Let me inform Captain Peng!¡±


    Chen Shi searched for a police dog''s expression from the Inte and sent it to Peng Sijue. He was toozy to return a message.


    Xu Xiaodong found that Liu Hong had three properties in the city. Except for the house monitored by Officer Liu, the other two were suburban vis where you couldn¡¯t hit a dog even if you threw a stick[1].


    In addition, he had a former business partner named Li Biao.


    Li Biao had a 30% share in the kennel in the past, butter transferred the shares to Liu Hong. He was now a wealthy idler, relying on his savings to live his days outfortably.


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°I checked with the Bureau of Industry and Commerce that Liu Hong''s dog farm is now very popr. The shares transferred by Li Biao ten years ago have appreciated by 200%. He must feel dead inside.¡±


    ¡°You don''t know the inside story. How do you know that he lost anything? Maybe Li Biao is the more obedient one out of Liu Hong''s friends and has been pleasing him enough so that he can continue living to this day.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°You mean Li Biao is likely to know about Liu Hong¡¯s matters? Should we go find him?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°What''s the use of finding him? He hasn''t betrayed Liu Hong for over ten years, indicating that they have mutual interests or have mutually beneficial transactions. Xiaodong, you go look at Li Biao.¡±


    ¡°Go look at? You mean surveince?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t have to be that troublesome. Just check in on him every day.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Why not just monitor Liu Hong?¡±


    Chen Shi scratched his chin. ¡°I was just thinking whether Liu Hong would have an aplice. Would Li Biao be that aplice?¡±


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Officer Liu¡¯s house to look over the information. When they looked at the missing persons cases, they felt miserable. It was like looking at the unsolved mysteries of the world, and it was as painful as someone tugging on their hearts or lungs. They really wanted to know what the truth to everything was.


    Chen Shi put the photos of all the missing people on the ground and ced them in different categories. After some thinking, he¡¯d change the positioning of the photos again and again.


    Lin Dongxue noticed that his brows were knitted the whole time. This particr murder case seemed to even stump Chen Shi.


    It was 5:00 in the blink of an eye and Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Don''t look at it anymore. Let¡¯s go out to eat and rx!¡±


    ¡°It''s the first time I''ve met such a depressing case!¡± Chen Shi threw a stack of photos on the ground like poker cards. ¡°Just give me a body.¡±


    ¡°Crow''s mouth! Don''t talk nonsense!¡±


    The two went out and took a walk in themunity. They took a breath of fresh air and discussed what to eat, when they suddenly saw the young monk wandering around on the road. Lin Dongxue went over and said, ¡°Little master, why have youe back?¡±


    The young monk pressed his palms together. ¡°After meeting the father-killing enemy yesterday, I couldn''t calm down. I wanted to see him again.¡±


    ¡°What would you do even if you saw him? Kill him with your eyes?¡±


    ¡°If we really had cursing skills, I would curse him even if I had to go to the depths of Avici Naraka[2] hell... Unfortunately, it¡¯s just a thought!¡± The monk sighed. ¡°Why don''t you arrest him?¡±


    ¡°Evidence, little master!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Don''te out and walk around blindly. What if Liu Hong recognizes you and develops killing intentions?¡±


    ¡°If he kills me, can you catch him?¡± The little monk asked earnestly.


    ¡°Don''t say such unlucky words! Little master, leave it to the police. Don''t do anything reckless!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    The little monk nodded like he had just thought of something.


    ¡°Stinking monk, are you still here begging for food?¡± A rough voice came from behind them and the three turned around. The person who spoke this was actually Liu Hong. He held a Tibetan mastiff on a leash and seemed to be out walking his dog.


    Liu Hong''s attention shifted from the young monk to Lin Dongxue. He looked at Lin Dongxue''s figure like a pervert and finally rested his eyes on her face. ¡°Beauty, don''t be fooled. He is a scammer. He keepsing to this neighborhood to ask for money.¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn''t want to have a conflict and smiled. ¡°I asked for a charm from this little master. My mother believes in these things.¡±


    ¡°You live here, too?¡± Liu Hong became excited. ¡°Which unit do you live in? I¡¯lle by when I have time. I have a little jade Buddha, which would be perfect for your mother.¡±


    ¡°I... don''t live here.¡±


    ¡°Where do you live? Do you like dogs? Why don¡¯t you add me on WeChat?¡± Liu Hong stared at Lin Dongxue and drool was almost pouring out of his eyes.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and continue to harass my girlfriend!¡± Chen Shi pointed at Liu Hong.


    Lin Dongxue was touched. Although she knew Chen Shi only stepped out to block the arrowsing at her, she was still very happy when he said the words ¡°my girlfriend.¡±


    1. Just describing how big the vis are.


    2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Av%C4%ABci

 Chapter 221: Scientific Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 221: Scientific Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Liu Hong showed a very disdainful expression. "A family of 100 girls can have 100 families vying for them. How did a few of my words bother you? Beauty, look at this country bumpkin. If you follow him, I¡¯d feel sorry for you. You deserve better.¡±


    "That¡¯s none of your business." Lin Dongxue simply decided to stop acting nice.


    "Get lost. Don''t show your annoying face around me!" Chen Shi was even more rude.


    "Fucker. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll get the dog to kill you!¡±


    "Come at me then. Come. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d dare to get your dog to hurt someone.¡± Chen Shi could not wait for this guy to do something in order to arrest him.


    Liu Hong had an expression of rage and the flesh on his face was shaking. He took out his phone and said, "I''ll get someone to fix you up right now."


    "I¡¯ll also call someone then!" Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone and pretended to dial three numbers. "Officers? There¡¯s a man in the Xiuqiumunity who owns a big Tibetan mastiff. It¡¯s so scary. Please hurry over!¡±


    "You''re ruthless!" Liu Hong hurriedly turned off his phone and fled.


    "Coward. I wanted him toe and hit me!" Chen Shi said with regret.


    "How selfless... This guy is really annoying." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi said to the young monk, "Tonight we will continue to investigate. Don''t hang around outside. Honestly, stay at the guest house and wait for our news."


    The young monk did a Buddhist ritual. "I will read the scriptures for you two and bless you with peace."


    "Thank you for your kindness!"


    Peng Sijue called and asked Chen Shi to go to a dinner party. Chen Shi found it to be a rare asion and eximed, "You¡¯re inviting me to dinner? This is the first time!"


    "I didn''t want to ask you toe. I have a ssmate who is a professor in the Department of Archaeology. I didn''t keep in touch with them after graduation. I suddenly need to ask them for a favor, so it¡¯s best to have some contact beforehand... I¡¯m the worst at this sort of stuff. Come and deal with it.¡±


    "Is it a man or a woman?"


    "Does it matter?"


    "You¡¯re right. Where are you? I''ll be right there."


    "I¡¯ll send you the address."


    "Department of Archaeology? I feel like I¡¯ll have a lot ofmon topics with them. I love watching ¡®Ghost Blows Out the Lights[1]¡¯.¡±


    Peng Sijue suddenly raised his voice. "Don''t mention any tomb novels at the dinner table. Don¡¯t talk about country-permitted tomb raiders either. Don''t talk about random stuff, okay?"


    "Yes, yes. I¡¯ll follow your lead and y it out.¡±


    The dinner would have been an awkward thing, so Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t go. She went back with the young monk.


    Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue ate takeaways at home. It wasn''t until 9:00 that Chen Shi sent a message over to her. He was very excited. "Drone! Captain Peng really has a way. Let¡¯s go to the kennels!"


    Lin Dongxue called a car and went to the dog farm. Chen Shi''s light blinked twice to guide her.


    Chen Shi, Peng Sijue, and Xu Xiaodong were all there. In addition, there was a balding person who looked like a professor. Peng Sijue introduced, ¡°Let me introduce you two. This is my ssmate.¡±


    "Hello!" Lin Dongxue shook hands with him.


    There was a drone on the ground. Lin Dongxue was curious about this toy and asked, "It¡¯s alreadyte into the evening. What can the drone see?¡±


    "This is not an ordinary drone. It is equipped with a radiation detector. It¡¯s used by our field archaeologists to find underground corpses," the professor exined. "We typically think that there are only a few types of radioactive materials. Actually, all substances are radioactive, but they differ in strength. Phosphorus is produced when human bones disintegrate."


    "Fuck, that''s so advanced. It''s not even mentioned in the novels about tomb stealing," Xu Xiaodong said excitedly.


    "Don''t talk about robbing tombs in front of my ssmate!" Peng Sijue emphasized again.


    "It''s okay. I also like to read novels about grave robbers. It acts as a pastime." The professor mediated.


    "Do you like ¡®Ghost Blows Out the Lights¡¯ or ¡®Grave Robber¡¯s Chronicles[2]¡¯?"


    "Xiaodong, please shut your mouth for me!" Peng Sijue said sternly.


    The rural winds were strong. Chen Shi urged them to start quickly. The professor opened aptop and ced it on the ground. He controlled the drone to go up slowly. Red and green colors appeared on the screen and the professor exined, ¡°These are the radioactive sources around us. Look at these ¨C The red ones are us.¡±


    "There¡¯s that much radiation on us?" Xu Xiaodong was shocked.


    "The main reason is because you brought mobile phones on you."


    The professor began to concentrate on manipting the drone. The picture looked puzzling, and if you weren¡¯t a professional, you wouldn¡¯t understand what it was.


    Suddenly, the professor said, "Here and here. There¡¯s a phosphorus reaction!"


    "Where?"


    "I lowered the drone and it dropped into the radioactive source."


    The professor packed up hisptop, and the five of them rushed there together. From a distance they could see the drone parked next to a cliff. Chen Shi said, "I''ll drive the car over. There are tools in it."


    Chen Shi drove the car over and took out two folding shovels. Peng Sijue asked, "Do you have more refined ones?"


    "Don''t be picky. It''s already ten o''clock. Hurry up!"


    The professor volunteered and taught them how to excavate using the grid method[3] so that it would be less likely to damage the bones. Soon after, bones appeared in the soil and everyone was excited. The professor picked it up, blew away the ash and soil, and examined it using a shlight. Then, he handed it to Peng Sijue.


    "There is no such bone in a person. This is not a human bone," Peng Sijue said.


    "Dog bone!" Chen Shi said, scooping a dog skull out from the ground.


    "We¡¯ve busied ourselves for the whole day, but it''s just a dog bone?" Xu Xiaodong said disappointedly.


    Chen Shi said, "Professor, can you continue using the drone to check the area? We¡¯ll dig these dog bones out.¡±


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong quickly dug out a whole set of dog bones and put them on the ground. They almost assembled aplete dog. At this time, the professor said, "Found another ce!"


    Several people collected the dog bones and reburied them. They excitedly hurried to the next ce, but only dog bones were dug up again.


    They repeated this till 12:00 AM and a total of fiveplete dog bones were found 300 meters away from the kennel. Everyone was a little discouraged.


    As it waste at night, everyone was cold and sleepy. Chen Shi took out some random choctes and Snickers from the car and gave them all a little sweet food to help resist the cold.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Don¡¯t these dog bones feel a little strange? How can they be soplete? It¡¯s obvious that people didn¡¯t discard them after eating the meat.¡±


    "And these dog bones are rtivelyrge. Could they be Tibetan mastiffs?" Chen Shi nced back at the kennel in the dark.


    Peng Sijue picked up a rib from the soil and turned it over. "Bone ze is intact, so it should not have been cooked. This is aplete corpse buried in the soil. It corroded into this, or perhaps they were buried alive."


    "Can you tell whether it was buried alive or after death?" Chen Shi asked.


    "This has to be tested. If it was buried alive, the bone marrow will be hypoxic."


    "I see!" Xu Xiaodong said excitedly. "Look at these five dog bones, which are exactly in five directions. Is it possible that someone was performing some kind of mysterious ceremony?"


    Chen Shi asked, "I still have potato chips in my car. Does anyone want to eat them?"


    Lin Dongxue asked in return, "Do you have any drinks?"


    "Fuck me. Everyone¡¯s ignoring me. Does my analysis make no sense?" Xu Xiaodong resentfully asked.


    Peng Sijue seemed to think of something. He dug into the soil and said, "No" before standing up and walking away.


    1. AKA Candle in The Tomb, it¡¯s a fantasy novel series.


    2. Also a real novel.


    3. After doing some research, this seems to be the correct English term for this method. Here¡¯s what I¡¯m referencing: https://.jstor.org/stable/29543138?seq=1

 Chapter 222: Hitting the Grass and Alerting the Snake

    <h4>Chapter 222: Hitting the Grass and Alerting the Snake</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone hurried to catch up to Peng Sijue. Even Xu Xiaodong couldn''t catch up with Peng Sijue, who usually didn¡¯t exercise much.


    Peng Sijue ran to the second pit they previously dug up and started to dig up the ground without a word. The others followed as Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Captain Peng, what''s the matter? What''s up?¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up the pile of dirt and looked closely at it. Then, he stood up to go inspect the third pit.


    Everyone kept silent and just tried to keep up with him. Peng Sijue ran too fast and fell down. Chen Shiughed. ¡°He looks so happy, as if he¡¯s a child that just got his New Year¡¯s red envelope.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a guy without conscience!¡± Lin Dongxue scolded.


    Peng Sijue stopped at the third pit and checked it carefully. The crowd finally caught up and Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Captain Peng, don''t act so mysterious. What did you find out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don''t act alone anymore. Share it with us,¡± Chen Shi agreed.


    ¡°I also want to experience acting mysterious for once!¡± Peng Sijue said pointedly at Chen Shi.


    ¡°Haii!¡± Chen Shi squatted down. ¡°Old Peng is the smartest. He¡¯s the city¡¯s... No, the province¡¯s best forensic doctor. No clue can escape your keen eyes...¡±


    Peng Sijue felt very pleased gettingplimented like that. He finally said, ¡°Did you all notice it? It¡¯s the fur! No fur was found in the soil!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have rotten away?¡± Xu Xiaodong guessed.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Although hair is organic, there are very few types of bacteria that break down hair. It normally takes around 50 years topletely rot away.¡±


    Peng SIjue continued, ¡°From the color of the surrounding vegetation and soil, these bones have been buried for only a few years. Why there¡¯s no fur... There is only one possibility. When they were buried, they had no fur to begin with.¡±


    ¡°I see! This was done by a psycho. They shaved the dog¡¯s fur and then buried them alive!¡±


    Everyone ignored Xu Xiaodong again. Chen Shi dered, ¡°The dog has been skinned!¡±


    ¡°Skinned?!¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised. ¡°Why did they skin them?¡±


    ¡°Is this rted to the disappearance of the bodies?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought, ¡°The dogs were skinned and buried here. The skins and the bodies are gone...¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Xu Xiaodong shouted. ¡°The dog''s skin was put on the bodies and sold as a Tibetan mastiffs so nobody could find the bodies.¡±


    ¡°How do you even think of these things?!¡± Lin Dongxueined.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there some people in the past who disguised themselves as dogs? So I thought...¡±


    Xu Xiaodong''s ¡°blind talk¡± caused Chen Shi''s to think in a different angle. The dog skin and the missing bodies may actually be directly rted.


    At this time, a bright light came towards them as a car drove up. The person in the car came out. From the shadow cast by the lights, he held a stick-like object in his hand.


    ¡°Who is it?!¡± Lin Dongxue subconsciously reached for her gun before remembering that she didn¡¯t bring it.


    ¡°We have five people. We shouldn¡¯t be afraid of him! Let¡¯s check it out!¡± Chen Shi encouraged.


    So the five stood up and walked towards the person. The two parties were far apart. When they reached about one hundred meters from them, the man suddenly turned around, ran away, and quickly started the car to flee.


    ¡°So suspicious!¡± Chen Shi ran over, took out his mobile phone, and took a picture of the tire print on the ground.


    The professor looked at his watch. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s a rare experience to apany you all to investigate the case, but it¡¯s already 1:00 AM. Shall we head back?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Thank you for your trouble tonight. I''ll invite you to dinner another day!¡±


    ¡°No, no. It wasn¡¯t trouble at all. I hope you can solve the case soon!¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t sleep well that night and thought about it over and over again as he rolled around in his bed. He even dreamed of a big dog who suddenly stood up and became a person. It was quite frightening and scared him awake.


    When he opened his eyes, it was already beginning to brighten. The two girls and the cat in the apartment were still sleeping.


    He decided to get up to make breakfast. He made fried omelette as the sun rose into the sky. His mood was fairly good today.


    At 8:00 in the morning, Lin Dongxuezily went to the living room and saw a te of chicken on the table. When she sat down, she tasted a piece of it. ¡°A little bit in. Why are we eating chicken in the morning?¡±


    ¡°That''s for the cat! I put it on the table to cool down!¡±


    Beside her, Maoqiu was lying down and couldn¡¯t wait to have breakfast. To alleviate her embarrassment, Lin Dongxue pretended to imitate the cat. ¡°Meow~¡±


    Chen Shi came out of the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯re so old, but you¡¯re pretending to be cute? Isn¡¯t it a bitte for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m younger than you though!¡±


    ¡°Eat. This is yours.¡±


    ¡°Haii, I get up early every morning and stay upte at night. I heard two girls the same age as me talking on the streets yesterday. I couldn''t even understand what they were saying. I don¡¯t do anything for entertainment at all.¡±


    ¡°When the case is over, I¡¯ll invite you to watch a movie.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to invite me. Since I''m staying with you, I''ll invite you instead!¡± The thought of having to move after the case was over made Lin Dongxue depressed again. However, she knew that she¡¯d have to leave one day anyway. She couldn¡¯t just barge into someone else¡¯s house endlessly.


    Their two phones rang in unison. It was a notification from the group chat. Xu Xiaodong said in the group, ¡°In the morning, Liu Hong and Li Biao met at a beef noodle restaurant on Wuli Street.¡±


    Chen Shi was holding his cell phone to check something while Lin Dongxue read the news again. Chen Shi said, ¡°I see it.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Checking something!¡±


    Lin Dongxue leaned over curiously to take a look. Chen Shi was looking at the photos of the tires on the Inte. Suddenly, Chen Shi eximed, ¡°I found it! This is the tire of a Mazda. It was the same as the one taken at the scenest night. Liu Hong was the one who camest night.¡±


    ¡°Going to the kennel in the middle of the night... I guess there would be no one who¡¯d do that except him.¡±


    ¡°Liu Hong''s response is really intriguing. He clearly realized that someone is investigating him, but his first reaction was to see Li Biao. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°Li Biao knows his background?¡±


    ¡°That''s a good assumption, but can you brush your teeth before you eat?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted and ran to brush her teeth.


    Chen Shi guessed that Liu Hong was now suspecting that Li Biao had betrayed him. If Liu Hong started to attack Li Biao, they would be able to make a breakthrough in the case.


    Chen Shi felt conflicted. A part of him hoped that Liu Hong would slip up, but the other part of him didn¡¯t want anyone to be killed again.


    After much deliberation, he decided to take a risk. Today, he would go see Li Biao to amplify the suspicion between the two of them. Of course, if Li Biao felt that he was in danger and was willing to proactively tell them everything, that would be even better.


    He texted Xu Xiaodong and told him to monitor Li Biao. He would head over with Lin Dongxue in a bit.


    At 9:00, the unemployed Li Biao finished his breakfast and went to a theater to listen to a y. The three happened to block him at the door. Li Biao was fat and looked at the three of them with a pair of triangr eyes[2].


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. ¡°We are criminal police officers and want to know something about Liu Hong.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Liu Hong? I don¡¯t know anyone by that name!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You were business partners ten years ago. You ran a kennel together. Then, you transferred the equity to him. You don''t know him?¡±


    Li Biao was in a dilemma and said, ¡°Standing to talk is very tiresome. Let¡¯s sit in the theater!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too noisy!¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go to a cafe!¡±


    The four went to a nearby cafe and Li Biao was very polite. As he ordered a few things, Chen Shi noticed the beads around his wrist, the big gold ring on his finger, the gold tooth in his mouth, and the antique carved-walnuts in his hand. Along with the silk gown worn on his body, Chen Shi thought that he really did resemble a wealthy idler.


    Chen Shi announced, ¡°I won''t beat around the bush!¡± He spread a few photos on the table one by one. ¡°These people are all friends of Liu Hong and you must know a few of them. They have disappeared in recent years.¡±


    ¡°I know. They were all killed by that kid, Liu Hong,¡± Li Biao said.


    1. Alerting the other party.


    2. I found this on Google: Triangle eyes are not amon shape. Typically the point that causes a person''s eyes to appear triangr in shape is not truly the eye shape, but rather a drooping eyelid that has a nt which cuts off the true shape of the eye. The eyelid itself can create a sharp triangle or a soft triangle.

 Chapter 223: Slip Up

    <h4>Chapter 223: Slip Up</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi drank his tea. ¡°Mr. Li, are you serious?¡±


    Li Biao suddenly pped his thigh andughed. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°We are not here to joke with you. We are criminal police. We¡¯re currently investigating Liu Hong. It¡¯ll only be a matter of time before we uncover everything. If you know anything, it¡¯s better to tell us earlier. That would be favorable for the both of us!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue approvingly, as her speech was quite outstanding this time.


    But Li Biao was acting like a dead pig who was not afraid of boiling water. ¡°What would I know? I''m not him.¡±


    ¡°So it''s all a coincidence that these people are all missing.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you ask him yourself?¡±


    It seemed that this person was not going to tell the truth, so Chen Shi said, ¡°Mr. Li, your walnuts are pretty cool!¡±


    ¡°You know your stuff!¡± Li Biao got excited. ¡°These are called Mopan Meatballs. I have been ying[1] with them for years now.¡±


    ¡°I heard people say that ying walnuts can give you better health. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a myth...¡±


    Chen Shi actually talked to Li Biao for half a day regarding ying with walnuts. Li Biao was so happy that he left a business card before he left and said that he would discuss this together with him next time.


    Leaving the tea room, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Dead ducks have hard beaks. He refused to say anything... How can you be so happy talking about something off-topic for two hours?¡±


    ¡°I did it on purpose!¡± Chen Shi exined. ¡°The police talked to Li Biao for two hours. If Liu Hong knew this, what would he think? Without a w, we need to create a w ourselves. He¡¯s killed 30 people. Do you think he can sleep at night? I don¡¯t think so!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was surprised. ¡°Do you want to use Li Biao as a bait?¡±


    ¡°I have this n, but I don¡¯t n to let him die. Your brother sent you two extra people. Including Xiaodong, they should drop everything on hand and just monitor Li Biao all day long to protect him. They need to bait the snake out of the cave.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong heard that he needed to do a tedious job again and was reluctant. ¡°Brother Chen, will this work?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, it¡¯ll work!¡± Secretly, Chen Shi thought to himself that this was just all down to luck.


    When they got to the ce where the car was dropped off, a street-sweeping aunty said, ¡°You need to look after your car. There was a man circling around your car earlier.¡±


    ¡°A man? What did he look like?¡±


    ¡°Not tall. Looked pretty fierce.¡±


    The three exchanged a surprised look. Chen Shi looked around. There was a security camera at the entrance of a convenience store next to them. They immediately went to the convenience store and asked to watch the surveince footage.


    In the footage, a man in a leather jacket appeared. He used a mobile phone to take pictures of the license te and tires. Then, he rubbed his face with his hands and looked inside the car. In one shot, he showed the front of his face. It was actually Liu Hong.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°He actually came to check on us?!¡±


    ¡°He must have seen my carst night. This guy has a strong sense of anti-investigation!¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Would there be a problem?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I have nothing in the car, and I''m not a policeman.¡±


    On this day, there was still no progress and everyone was a little depressed. If Liu Hong decided to stop his killing spree, they could only watch him as he lived his days out.


    The next day, Lin Dongxue prepared to look up Liu Hong''s information again along with his family members to see if she could find anything. Chen Shi went to Officer Liu''s home again and tried digging for clues from the information.


    The whole day passed by. In the evening, Chen Shi''s eyes were a bit spent. Xu Xiaodong sent a message saying, ¡°Liu Hong and Li Biao met again today. They met at Li Biao''s house, but they pulled the curtains shut so we couldn¡¯t see anything. Liu Hong stayed for three hours though.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said in the group, ¡°Liu Hong suspects Li Biao. Should we go to see him again?¡±


    Chen Shi shot down the notion. ¡°Don''t rush. Li Biao has my contact information. If he really wants to find us, he will take the initiative to contact me.¡±


    Lin Dongxueined, ¡°How depressing. When will there be progress?!¡±


    Peng Sijue, who never spoke in the chat, suddenly uttered, ¡°Don''tin in the group chat. It will detract from our morale. We need to create a rule saying that from today onwards, nobody canin!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was frightened and immediately agreed. ¡°Okay, I''ll pay attention next time!¡±


    Chen Shi went to the parking lot to pick up the car. Just after starting the car, Liu Hong''s Mazda passed by in front of him. Then, he reversed and got out of the car. He closed the door and came knocking on Chen Shi''s window. Chen Shi rolled down his window. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care who I am?¡±


    Liu Hong sneered. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with someone from the vehicle administration office. I checked your license te. You are an ordinary person. Why are you with the police? Why are you investigating me? Who was that young monk that day?¡±


    Chen Shi silently took out his document and opened it with his fingers. Liu Hong looked at it and said, ¡°Wow, consultant. How amazing!¡±


    ¡°Why do you care if I investigate you so much? Do you have a ghost in your heart?!¡±


    Liu Hong pointed at himself with his thumb. ¡°What if I killed someone? Even if I said this in front of you, what could you do to me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much really.¡±


    Liu Hong pped his hands. ¡°So, get lost! Stop trying to create a problem when there isn¡¯t any and wasting taxpayer''s money. No matter how you look, my background is very clean. It¡¯s like a wless piece of white jade. Do you understand?¡±


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth and suddenly pushed the car door open forcing Liu Hong to back up step by step. ¡°How long do you think you can stay arrogant for? Do you think we¡¯d let you know when we find evidence against you? Let me give you a piece of advice. If God wanted to make someone perish, they¡¯d first make that person crazy!¡±


    ¡°You think you can take me on?!¡± Liu Hong shoved Chen Shi.


    ¡°Oh, do it! If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re not a man!¡± Chen Shi provoked.


    Liu Hong nced at the recorder still on Chen Shi''s car and suddenly stered a smile on his face. He neatly adjusted the clothes for Chen Shi and said, ¡°I was impulsive just now. I''m sorry. Really sorry. Why don¡¯t you hit me instead?¡±


    He''s really cunning and can¡¯t be fooled.


    Liu Hong said with a smile, ¡°There is still something going on at home, so I won¡¯t speak with you further. Let¡¯s have a meal together when we have time. Remember to bring your beautiful girlfriend as well.¡±


    Liu Hong parked his car and walked away with a big bag. When he passed by, Chen Shi noticed that there was something in his bag that didn''t seem to be used by him.


    There was the word ¡°Walmart¡± on the bag.


    Chen Shi immediately called Lin Dongxue and asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°At home, why haven''t youe back yet? Yueyue and I ordered takeaway.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a picture of Liu Hong? I need to check something!¡±


    ¡°But I just ordered takeaway...¡±


    ¡°Go to the Xiuqiu Community. I''ll wait for you at the door.¡±


    Chen Shi waited at the gate of themunity. Half an hourter, Lin Dongxue arrived. Chen Shi took her to a nearby Walmart without a word and took Liu Hong''s photo on her mobile phone to ask every cashier.


    ¡°What did you see? Why did you suddenlye to the supermarket to investigate?¡±


    ¡°I bumped into Liu Hong and I noticed that there was something in his shopping bag he wouldn¡¯t use for himself. I''m not sure though!¡±


    Finally, a cashier said that the gentleman had juste by. After checking the information on the cash register, everything Liu Hong had bought was disyed. Chen Shi looked at the things bought line by line until his finger stopped. Lin Dongxue noticed that it was a pack of sanitary pads.


    1. They usually twirl the two balls around in one hand and it¡¯s meant to be good for you.

 Chapter 224: Difficult Search

    <h4>Chapter 224: Difficult Search</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It looks like I was right!¡±


    Lin Dongxue responded, ¡°The information we have shows that Liu Hong has never been married. Although his lovers have changed several times, he has always been single.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else in his house?¡±


    ¡°It''s unlikely. If there was another person, Officer Liu would have already discovered it since he monitored him for over ten years.¡± Lin Dongxue thought about it. ¡°These sanitary napkins may not be used by women. I¡¯ve heard there are men with haemorrhoids who use it for padding, or they use them as insoles for their shoes.¡±


    ¡°Now the case is like a piece of iron. You can''t find any breaks in it. You can''t let go of even a hint of doubt... Starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll monitor Liu Hong!¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have the manpower.¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t I a man? Officer Liu''s room is perfect for surveince. Can you help me get some surveince equipment?¡±


    ¡°Surveince?¡± Lin Dongxue frowned. ¡°That''s tough work.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I can¡¯t help but feel ufortable in my heart and can¡¯t sleep. That¡¯s even worse in my books. Please take care of Yueyue for the next few days.¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t persuade him and gave in. ¡°All right then!¡±


    Chen Shi went home to pick up some daily necessities and then drove to the gate of themunity. The two saw the young monk wandering around in front of the door. Chen Shi told him to get in the car. It turned out that the young monk hade to find them but didn¡¯t know Chen Shi''s specific address, so he could only stand at the front of the gate.


    What the young monk wanted to ask was naturally the progress of the case. Lin Dongxue said in embarrassment, ¡°Master, don''t worry. We haven¡¯t stopped investigating.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I''m just a little anxious. If you have any needs, you can call me. Even helping the two donors sweep the floor or cooking is fine. If I can do even the tiniest of things, I would feel better!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You should really just stay and wait for our news!¡±


    The next morning, Chen Shi took the eavesdropping equipment and telescope that Lin Dongxue borrowed from the team and went to Officer Liu''s home. He set up the eavesdropper, which would emit aser beam, sense the vibrations, and transmit the sounds.


    Then, Chen Shi brought a chair over and sat down for a whole day of boring surveince.


    Lin Dongxue dropped by after work at night and asked if there was any progress. When she saw Chen Shi turning over two ck bags in the room with gloves on, Lin Dongxue was startled. ¡°Are you studying all the trash he throws out?¡±


    ¡°By understanding someone¡¯s garbage, you can also learn more about a person''s daily life.¡±


    Lin Dongxue fanned the stench in the room with her hand. ¡°If you were a policeman, this spirit would have already earned you a medal.¡±


    ¡°Don''t talk and juste enjoy it.¡±


    Chen Shi took out all the rubbish and let Lin Dongxue make a record of it all. It was all ordinary household garbage, such as banana peels, packaging bags, and the like.


    Chen Shi spent the night there.


    Lin Dongxue came again the next afternoon and saw Chen Shi being a lot more miserable than before. He was sitting on a chair by the window with a coat and binocrs hanging from his neck. The ground was covered with seeds and cigarette butts.


    Lin Dongxue smelled the smell on him and said, ¡°Would you like to go and take a shower while I monitor him for a while?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t smell that much, do I?!¡±


    ¡°What do you think?! Did you make any progress today?¡±


    ¡°The garbage is still the same. In addition, I recorded what he said.¡± Chen Shi opened his phone and yed a few audio records, all of which were ¡°Biaozi, eat!¡±, ¡°Come to Dad!¡±, ¡°Go take that over there.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This is all him talking to the dog.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can''t hear anything strange.¡± Chen Shi rubbed the stubble on his chin.


    ¡°You should take a shower outside!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go home to shower in two days to save money.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like ''vored'' men!¡±


    Chen Shi smelled the scent on his body and said helplessly, ¡°Just help me monitor for a while.¡±


    ¡°I know! I know!¡±


    On the third day Lin Dongxue came to visit him, Chen Shi''s entire mental state was a bit debilitated. He was still holding a cigarette butt and saying, ¡°No progress!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop?!¡± Lin Dongxue advised.


    ¡°No progress is in fact progress!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Chen Shi opened the book he had been recording in. ¡°These are all the types of garbage I have recorded in these past three days.¡±


    ¡°Very ordinary!¡±


    ¡°Where''s the sanitary napkin? Whether it¡¯s been used or just the wrapping paper, I haven¡¯t seen it in the trash!¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at the book and said, ¡°Generally, sanitary napkins are ced in the garbage in the restroom.¡±


    ¡°I looked into that as well. I even got the toilet paper stained with Liu Hong''s blood from his ass and gave it to Old Peng for testing... He doesn''t want to talk to me now!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I haven''t eaten yet.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat togetherter!¡± Chen Shi casually said, ¡°Why would he buy sanitary napkins without throwing it out? Did he cook the sanitary napkins?¡±


    ¡°You mean there¡¯s a woman in his house, but he doesn''t want it known?¡±


    ¡°It''s possible. It''s quite possible!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve eavesdropped and monitored him. Are there any signs that another person lives there?¡±


    ¡°There are no signs, even when Liu Hong¡¯s not at home. I have been staring at his window the whole time and the only movement seems to be from the dogs!¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯ve thought too much.¡±


    ¡°In the past three days, Liu Hong''s lover came by once and the two went out to open a room. Liu Hong never seems to bring outsiders into the house.¡±


    The eavesdropper suddenly sounded like a door opening. Chen Shi immediately picked up the telescope and looked through the slit of the curtain to the opposite side but found nothing abnormal.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out for a meal. I''m really worried about your mental state.¡±


    ¡°Bring it here to eat.¡± Chen Shi was looking downstairs the whole time as a woman dressed as an ordinary aunty went downstairs.


    Lin Dongxue only came back after a long time. In order to give Chen Shi a good meal, she bought tworge packages of hearty dishes and set it on the table. Having Lin Dongxue apany him for dinner and chatting with him, Chen Shi felt very relieved.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°There is an unimed TV in the evidence room. Shall I bring it to you tomorrow?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to live here now? No need, thanks!¡±


    After eating, Lin Dongxue apanied Chen Shi for some chatting for a little while longer and then said goodbye. When she got to the gate of themunity, Xu Xiaodong alerted everyone in the group chat, ¡°This is bad! Li Biao is missing!¡±


    Lin Dongxue hurriedly went back to Chen Shi. Chen Shi was just calling Xu Xiaodong. ¡°There are three of you monitoring him but you still lost him?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said shamefully, ¡°Li Biao seems to be a little aware of us. He went to a bathing center tonight and never came out. We went in to find him and checked the surveince footage. We found that he had escaped from the window on the first floor.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°It''s been almost two hours!¡±


    ¡°He didn''t go home?¡±


    ¡°No, we also went to the ces he tends to frequent, but we couldn¡¯t find him.¡±


    Chen Shi ran to the window, looked at the other side with the telescope, and said, ¡°Liu Hong is still at home!¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Lin Dongxue asked anxiously.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything. We have to go to Li Biao''s home to investigate!¡±


    ¡°We haven''t formally filed a case yet and we don¡¯t have any evidence. This is illegally entering a private dwelling.¡±


    ¡°I can''t worry about that for now. I have a hunch that Li Biao may note back!¡±

 Chapter 225: New Missing Persons Case

    <h4>Chapter 225: New Missing Persons Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After getting in the car, Chen Shi said, ¡°I used to have a neighbor who was a boy that didn¡¯t hold a proper job. Heter got a girlfriend. She was a very polite little girl and greeted me every time they saw me downstairs.¡±


    Lin Dongxue listened quietly.


    ¡°The boy was obviously not a good guy. I heard him hit the girl in the house several times and I knocked on the door. The girl said that it was all right, even though I could hear her crying. I thought they¡¯d break up. Who knew that what woulde would be even worse. That boy often brought home some bad friends and yed lots of music that concealed the girl¡¯s cries all night!¡±


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth. ¡°What did they do to her?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know!¡± Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°I called the police. After the police came, the boy said it was a joke and the girl corroborated their story. Eventually one night, the girl knocked on my door with a lot of blood on her. I called the police again. However, before the police arrived, the boy wiped the blood on the girl clean with a rag and then burnt it. The girl told the police that nothing happened. When she spoke, the boy kept ring at her. The police couldn¡¯t do anything and got ready to leave. I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and beat the boy up in front of the police.¡±


    ¡°Then you were taken away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the one thing I can''t tolerate are bad guys running around freely in front of me. But there are things that really make people feel helpless when thew can¡¯t touch the criminals.¡±


    ¡°I guess you must really love Batman.¡±


    ¡°I like movies, but I don¡¯t really agree with that kind of extrajudicial justice. I still believe in thew. Thew is indeed imperfect, but it¡¯s as close to perfect orders and rules as it can be for human beings. If we went to the other extreme just because it¡¯s imperfect, I believe that would be quite stupid. All the splendid and brilliant systems of human beings were gradually improved from imperfection to perfection. The transition must have had lots of detours and required the dedication of countless people.¡±


    ¡°I''m curious. How many days were you detained for this?¡±


    ¡°Seven days. I lost some money as well.¡±


    ¡°I see. Are all the bad spots on your criminal record left because of these reasons?¡±


    Chen Shi waved his hand around. ¡°Those? Those were because I was young and crazy. I don''t want to talk about it!¡±


    The two arrived at Li Biao''s residence At the same time, Xu Xiaodong and the local police also arrived. In front of Li Biao''s house, the police said, ¡°If the lock is opened and there¡¯s no trouble, this would be breaking and entering. Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t help it. This is an emergency and he¡¯s in trouble! If anything happens, I¡¯ll take responsibility for it!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°That''s it then!¡±


    The police took the lock opener and knocked off the lock with a bang before pushing the door open.


    Li Biao''s files show that he was divorced and living alone. The furnishings in the house indicated that he was a person who loved to y. He had aplete set of mahogany furniture with various treasures and antiques ced on the multi-shelf. Chen Shi said, ¡°People whoe in need to remember to put on shoe covers. Don¡¯t touch anything on the scene unless you have gloves on.¡±


    There was a shoe cover machine at the door. Everyone put shoe covers on and looked around.


    Chen Shi inspected the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom to confirm that no outsiders hade in.


    ¡°Look!¡± Xu Xiaodong found a photo that read ¡°Photo ofmemoration for the Fourth Group of Taoxing Town¡¯s Rongchang Manual Tractor Factory¡± that dated 1997. Chen Shi swept over their faces one by one and said, ¡°These people are all missing. It includes Liu Hong and Li Biao. They used to be colleagues. ¡°


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we find this clue?¡± Lin Dongxue was annoyed.


    ¡°It may have been a private factory without formal procedures,¡± Chen Shi exined.


    In a drawer, they found a stack of banknotes with a lot of camphor pills sprinkled on it to prevent insects. Chen Shi held it in his hand and pulled out a piece from the middle. ¡°This isst year''s money. This money should have been received by Li Biao recently... They don¡¯t have consecutive serial numbers. The person who sent the money was very careful!¡°


    ¡°Did Li Biao ckmail Liu Hong with something?¡± Lin Dongxue spected.


    ¡°Is Li Biao really missing?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    ¡°Find him! We must find Li Biao!¡± Chen Shi ordered.


    So they went back to the bathing center and asked for all the surveince footage around the area. They checked these until 10:00 in the evening. Finally, they saw Li Biao going to an intersection and getting onto an SUV.


    They could only see the first six digits of the SUV''s license te in the footage, so they called the vehicle management office and checked all the possible numbers. Among these ten numbers, Liu Hong''s name popped out.


    ¡°The car is Liu Hong''s! Li Biao is in danger!¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Is he stupid? There are police watching him. Why would he get in Liu Hong''s car?¡± Xu Xiaodong said.


    ¡°No, wasn''t Liu Hong at home during this time?¡± Lin Dongxue wondered.


    At the moment, they could only continue to investigate the car. The three stayedte at the traffic management bureau and finally found the surveince video of the car. At 8:10, the car disappeared at a fork at Huancheng Road and has never appeared again since.


    Xu Xiaodong was so sleepy that he yawned and stretched endlessly. Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand it anymore either. Chen Shi stared at the screen thinking. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue checking tomorrow. I will file a case formally with Captain Lin.¡±


    ¡°I''m worried it''s already toote.¡± Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°Go home and rest!¡±


    Chen Shi naturally didn''t sleep well. The next day, Lin Dongxue used a lot of words to persuade Lin Qiupu to formally file the case. Arge amount of police resources was given, making the investigation easier.


    The investigation confirmed that Li Biao did have a lot of property and assets that were inconsistent with his ie and expenses, proving that he had a secret profit channel.


    Li Biao had a little lover. The girl imed that Li Biao had been drunk once and boasted that he had helped his buddies deal with dead bodies. The police suspected that Li Biao was probably involved in the disappearance cases surrounding Liu Hong in the early years.


    Someone was constantly keeping watch at the traffic management bureau. That night, when everyone got off work, Lin Dongxue received a phone call. ¡°We found the car! It¡¯s now on Rongcheng Road!¡±


    ¡°Is it stopped or is it moving?¡±


    ¡°Moving. It¡¯s heading south. Maybe it¡¯s going to Liuyang Road.¡±


    Lin Dongxue immediately called everyone who could be mobilized, including Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong, to chase after the car.


    When they came to Liuyang Road, they finally found the car. Lin Dongxue was very excited and looked around the area. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°A police siren light!¡±


    ¡°I have it in my car!¡±


    Lin Dongxue told others to put on the police lights and the four police cars chased the SUV down. The others gave way to them and the scene was spectacr.


    Chen Shi relied on his several years of driving experience to overtake a few cars consecutively until he was side by side with the SUV. Lin Dongxue rolled the window down and shouted, ¡°Stop! Police!¡±


    The other side also rolled down the window and inside it was actually Liu Hong. He said with a smile, ¡°We meet again, beauty!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to stop!¡±


    ¡°Ah, my ears aren¡¯t good. I can''t hear very well! Ark...¡± Liu Hong drew up some phlegm. When she realized what was toe, Lin Dongxue quickly rolled up the car window and the thick phlegm sttered on the ss.


    Chen Shi was furious. ¡°He¡¯s too arrogant. I¡¯m going to force him to the side!¡±


    ¡°Don''t get too agitated! We¡¯re going at a very fast speed. We need to be careful not to cause an ident.¡±


    Liu Hong''s car drove faster and faster, and the police cars behind him couldn¡¯t help but slow down. Chen Shi kept watching the GPS and suddenly said, ¡°Oh no! He intends to...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, only a bang was heard as the car drove straight into theke, causing a huge ssh.

 Chapter 226: The Truth of the Missing People

    <h4>Chapter 226: The Truth of the Missing People</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone stopped their cars and surrounded the river. As they watched the SUV sinking into theke slowly, everyone''s heart sank.


    Liu Hong got out and swam vigorously towards the shore. He stretched out his hand and said, "Officers, please pull me up!"


    A policeman dragged him up and immediately put handcuffs on him. Liu Hong was drenched and said, "It''s just drunk driving. Isn¡¯t it fine if I just confess to that?"


    Lin Dongxue walked over and said, "Is there something in your car? Do you think you¡¯ll be fine as long as it sinks into theke?¡±


    Liu Hong shrugged. "Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to retrieve the car. Next time, I¡¯ll take you for a ride, okay beauty?"


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she wanted to hit him. She immediately contacted the appropriate personnel and was ready to salvage the car. Chen Shi said, "No, it''s just a front! If Liu Hong''s handling of the bodies was so terrible, he would have been arrested already!"


    "Where is Li Biao right now?"


    "Go to the kennel!"


    The two hurried to the kennel. The kennel and the sunken car were located at the opposite ends of Long¡¯an City. It took three hours to arrive.


    Hearing the sound of a car, many dogs began barking from within the kennels. The two got out of the car and found the big iron gate closed. Chen Shi gritted his teeth, returned to the car, and took out a crowbar. Lin Dongxue warned, "That''s too brazen! Let¡¯s go over the wall!"


    "There¡¯s broken ss on top of the walls, are you sure? It will leave scars."


    "Then maybe just break the lock!"


    Chen Shi went back to the car again, put down the crowbar, took out two wires, and fiddled with the keyhole. After a few tries, the lock opened.


    Lin Dongxue was surprised and asked, "You know how to break open locks?"


    "Can you keep it a secret for me?"


    "Okay!" Lin Dongxue thought to herself. Why would he pretend like he doesn¡¯t know how to open locks?


    The two turned on the shlights on their phones and went into the kennels. The dogs barked a lot and Lin Dongxue was so scared that her heart was beating intensely. She held onto Chen Shi¡¯s hand tightly.


    Chen Shi nced at the staff roster on the wall. "Someone should be on duty today. Why isn''t anyone in?"


    They looked at all the rooms that could be opened and didn¡¯t notice anything abnormal. Chen Shi kept looking at the crowd of dogs. Suddenly, he went to a small room and knocked at the iron door a few times.


    Lin Dongxue said, "What are you looking for?"


    "Remember thest time we came here? Remember how there was a ¡®snow mastiff¡¯ here?¡±


    "Yes!"


    "The dog is gone!"


    "The dog is gone?" Lin Dongxue realized, "You said two days ago that every time someone disappears, a dog needs to be buried!"


    "So Li Biao is still ''missing''!"


    The two went outside and Chen Shi searched carefully on the ground, asionally picking up the soil and smelling it from time to time. In the wild countryside, it was quiet at night. There were strange cooing soundsing from the forest. Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t dare to let go of Chen Shi¡¯s hand.


    Chen Shi suddenly fixed his eyes on a plot ofnd, squatted down, tilted his head, and said, "Look! There are drag marks!"


    The two followed this trail and found a piece ofnd that smelled like blood. It was obvious that the soil in that area was moved not too long ago.


    Chen Shi directly dug at the soil with his bare hands, and the bloody smell mixed with the smell of soil became heavier. Finally, a dead dog appeared. It was a skinned Tibetan mastiff that had been buried.


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth subconsciously. Because the entirety of its skin had been peeled off, the dog''s eyes and teeth protruded outside. It was particrly eerie in the middle of the night.


    "A piece of dog skin can let a person evaporate out of thin air!" Chen Shi mumbled. "How the hell did he do that?"


    "The Tibetan mastiff is veryrge. It must weigh at least a few dozen catties, almost the same as a person."


    "But there is still a big difference in shape unless the calves are sawed off and tucked into the stomach... Then, cover the body with dog skin and the human body bes a dog body. What happens to the body though?"


    "Pet crematorium?!" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    "That''s right!" Chen Shi grabbed Lin Dongxue''s shoulders and shook her in excitement. "The pet crematorium! You don''t need any formalities or certifications to pay for the cremation of the body! No one can recognize it after burning it into ashes!"


    "Is there such a ce in Long''an?"


    Chen Shi searched on his mobile phone. "There is one ce. It¡¯s been open for ten years. Let¡¯s head over now!"


    On the way, Chen Shi called Peng Sijue and asked him to bring the testing equipment. Peng Sijue was delighted and hung up the phone without a word.


    When they arrived at the pet crematorium, Peng Sijue, who had set off from the bureau, had already arrived first. The pet crematorium was naturally much humbler aspared to human crematoriums. It was arge courtyard house in the suburbs with a long iron chimney.


    Peng Sijue looked at his watch. "I waited ten minutes for you."


    "Hurry up! Maybe you can find DNA!" Chen Shi hurriedly ran inside.


    At this time, the crematorium was already closed. Chen Shi desperately knocked on the door for five minutes before someone finally opened the door. "What¡¯s going on? If you want to cremate your pet, thene again tomorrow!¡±


    "Police!"


    "Huh?!"


    After letting them in, Chen Shi asked, "Did anyonee here to cremate a Tibetan mastiff?"


    "Yes!" The staff member recounted. "It was really big and the fur was snow white. It was so beautiful. I thought that it was a pity to burn it and it¡¯d make for a nice stuffed disy.¡±


    "Who came to cremate it?"


    "An aunt!"


    "Where did you burn it?"


    "We have an oven here."


    When they got to the incineration room, Chen Shi began to open the furnace for inspection. The staff member said, "No, no. The furnace is still hot. Opening it will burn you."


    "What about the ashes?"


    "They didn''t need it. We¡¯ve poured it down the back of the mountain.¡±


    Chen Shi insisted on searching, but found that all the bones of pets at the back of the mountain were pet bones. There were also unburned bones. He picked it up but Peng Sijue said, "It''s useless. DNA can¡¯t be detected through ash!"


    "Why not just test it out!"


    "The human body is divided into organic matter and inorganic matter. DNA only exists in organic matter. The cremation temperature is extremely high up in the thousands. All the organic matter is burned away. The rest is calcium, phosphorus, and carbon. What do you think can be tested?¡±


    Chen Shi punched angrily at the ashes.


    Lin Dongxue said, "There are unburned bones in there. Can we restore anything?"


    "Even if you build aplete body, how can you prove it to be a person¡¯s? Unless the entire skull is restored. But the chance is infinitely close to zero!"


    Chen Shi stood up. "This is the simplest and least wed method I have ever seen!"


    Peng Sijue countered, "It is not without ws. There will definitely be DNA left on the way here. Even the slightest evidence is proof. We will block this ce tomorrow and I will bring people here to investigate carefully."


    "Okay, let''smunicate it to them!"


    Chen Shi told the staff that they needed to block the ce for investigation. The staff member opened their mouth in surprise, "Why? Was the dog smuggled? Just for a dog?"


    "Don''t ask. Just give me your boss''s contact information."


    "Okay, just tell him yourself."


    Chen Shi seemed to have seen the number before. He asked, "Who is your boss?"


    "Surname Liu."


    "Full name!"


    "Liu Hong."


    Upon hearing this name, the three of them were stunned for a full ten seconds!

 Chapter 227: Liu Hong’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 227: Liu Hong''s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. Liu Hong actually set up a pet crematorium for the purpose of burning corpses?!


    Chen Shi called them to one side and asked, ¡°Can Liu Hong be arrested?¡±


    ¡°Drunk driving, damaging public facilities, and insultingw enforcement officials, he¡¯s already arrested. However, we can only detain him for 24 hours at most.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Then, let''s take this opportunity to find evidence.¡±


    ¡°Can we go to his house...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried it. This bastard has an rm installed. If we pick the lock, we¡¯d be found out. Don''t think about it!¡±


    Peng Sijue reprimanded, ¡°How can you say such things with a calm face? It¡¯s illegal to search other people''s homes without formalities. How can you not be aware of your position as a member of the police?¡±


    Chen Shi argued, ¡°They¡¯re just words. Is that not allowed? I want to buy a gun to kill him too!¡±


    Peng Sijue red at him.


    Chen Shi asked the staff member again, ¡°It was a woman who sent the Tibetan mastiff to get cremated? How old was she?¡±


    ¡°Thirty or forty maybe?¡±


    ¡°Can you be a little more specific?¡±


    ¡°No. She was wearing sunsses and a scarf. She had smooth skin, so I couldn¡¯t tell her real age.¡±


    ¡°How tall was she?¡±


    ¡°Around my height, but she was wearing high heels.¡±


    ¡°Is there a surveince camera installed here?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    Asking this was just a waste of time. This was Liu Hong''s property. Why would he install a camera?


    Lin Dongxue asked the staff to hand over the keys and told the member that the ce would be closed for the next 24 hours.


    The next day, Peng Sijue brought the team to collect evidence there. Xu Xiaodong went to theke to retrieve the car while Lin Dongxue went to interrogate Liu Hong. This time Chen Shi didn''t participate. He didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know that Liu Hong definitely wouldn¡¯t be detained for long.


    In the interrogation room, Liu Hong talked about the most random things with a smile on his face. He went off on tangents and was just ying around. Chen Shi stood outside listening to him and was so angry that he wanted to rush in to beat him up.


    A policeman came over and said, ¡°Brother Chen, someone is looking for you outside. It''s a monk.¡±


    Chen Shi got to the door and asked the little monk, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the killer has been caught. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Where did you find that information?¡±


    ¡°On the Inte. I also have a mobile phone.¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t know how to answer him. ¡°The case is underway and there won¡¯t be immediate results. You should go back and wait for news.¡±


    ¡°You always tell me to head back and wait. How can I just sit there and do nothing?¡± The little monk realized that he was too agitated and apologized. ¡°Amitabha, I shouldn''t yell at you. Sorry!¡±


    Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I know you''re more anxious than anyone else and have waited for 13 years. It¡¯s only two more days.¡±


    The little monk still refused to leave and sat on the bench nearby waiting for a result.


    Xu Xiaodong came in from the outside and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Dongxue?¡±


    Chen Shi replied, ¡°She¡¯s still in the middle of the interrogation. Did you salvage the car?¡±


    ¡°We fished it out, but it''s too clean. Let¡¯s wait for Captain Peng to check it out!¡±


    ¡°I think that the hope is slim. Liu Hong sinking the car is just to buy the other person time.¡±


    ¡°The other person?!¡± The young monk said in shock.


    ¡°I''m not in a position to talk about it right now because I haven''t found the person yet. I''ll tell youter when all is said and done.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The crematorium wasn¡¯t just closed for investigation. The staff members who had seen the woman were also invited in to recreate her portrait. When the results were produced, the portrait expert gave Chen Shi three pieces of cobbled-together photos. She was wearing sunsses and a scarf in all three, but the mouth and face in each portrait were all different.


    The portrait expert shrugged. ¡°They didn''t look at her carefully. They could onlye up with this result!¡±


    Chen Shi repeatedly looked at the three portraits and looked at them stacked together under the lights. There was a sudden movement outside and Chen Shi immediately rushed over.


    He saw the young monk holding Liu Hong''s cor and shouting angrily, ¡°Murderer! You won¡¯t have good karma!¡±


    Next to Liu Hong was a man in a suit who seemed to be hiswyer. He kept warning, ¡°If you don''t let go, I will sue you for nder and for threatening my client.¡±


    Liu Hong didn''t fight back and said stiffly, ¡°Are the police all dead?!¡±


    ¡°Little master, don''t be impulsive!¡±


    Lin Dongxue and others stepped forward and finally persuaded the young monk to stop. Liu Hong straightened his cor, snorted, and walked away with thewyer.


    The little monk who was subdued by the officers gritted his teeth and his eyes had fireing out of them. Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong what was happening. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Liu Hong''swyer just then came to bail him out. The little master saw him leaving and couldn¡¯t bear it... No one can calm down in that situation!¡±


    ¡°Now everything depends on Captain Peng''s investigation!¡± Chen Shi sincerely hoped that Peng Sijue would make progress. This case was like being trapped in a quagmire where they couldn¡¯t move.


    Liu Hong said goodbye to thewyer at the door, took a taxi, and went straight home.


    He even ran into Officer Liu in themunity. Liu Hong said with a grin, ¡°It''s been so many years, and the tea at your police station is still so bad.¡±


    Officer Liu heard what he was implying. He wanted to say that he went back into the station and returned safely once again. Officer Liu said, ¡°Liu Hong, you¡¯ve done too many bad things. You¡¯ll definitely get what you deserve. Don¡¯t act so brazen with me.¡±


    Liu Hong sneered, took out a cigarette, and ashed his cigarette on his portable ashtray case. ¡°I really wasn¡¯tughing at your police¡¯s ipetence. It¡¯s mainly because my personal ability is too strong. You should persuade your colleagues to not bother with their efforts. The person who can catch me isn¡¯t born yet!¡±


    Liu Hong stepped forward and patted Officer Liu''s shoulder. ¡°We will drink together one day. We¡¯ve been rivals for a dozen years. We¡¯re practically friends now.¡±


    Officer Liu shook his hand away. ¡°I don¡¯t care to be friends with you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, look at what I¡¯m like now and look at how you¡¯ve turned out. Inviting you for a drink is lifting you up. You don¡¯t even want it even though I¡¯m giving you face!¡± Liu Hong spat some phlegm out again and walked away.


    After returning home, Liu Hong suddenly became cautious again. As usual, he pulled out a magnifying ss from his pocket and checked the door lock. After entering the door, hey on the ground and looked at it again and again. There was a thinyer of gray dust that was intact.


    He was finally relieved. It seemed like the police hadn''t slipped in while he was away.


    When the Tibetan mastiff, Biaozi, saw his master hade home, he immediately rushed up and hugged and licked Liu Hong as he shook his tail. Liu Hong patted him and said, ¡°You still treat me the best. Humans all forget what they owe. Assholes!¡±


    He looked up and in the dark hallway from the ces that the sunlight illuminated, a woman in white pajamas stood silently.


    Liu Hong looked at her with his eyes and said, ¡°Biaozi, eat!¡±


    He poured arge bowl of dog food for the dog and then he took a frozen piece of steak from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to defrost. The woman in white came into the kitchen quietly like a ghost and Liu Hong said loudly, ¡°Biaozi,e here!¡±


    The woman went over and kneeled in front of Liu Hong. Liu Hong stroked her long hair. Her ck hair already had a few white hairs.


    The woman unzipped Liu Hong¡¯s zipper and brought her face towards him. Liu Hong took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he looked towards the ceiling. After a few minutes, his fleshy cheek twitched and the woman kneeling in front of him gulped, swallowing the matter in her mouth.


    Liu Hong touched her head and said loudly, ¡°Good dog!¡±


    Then, he squatted down and whispered, ¡°When I was at the bureau, I think I saw your son!¡±

 Chapter 228: Stockholm Syndrome

    <h4>Chapter 228: Stockholm Syndrome</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing this, the mannequin-like woman''s pupil dted slightly.


    Liu Hong pinched the woman''s chin and looked at her face carefully. Although she was beautiful, the years were unforgiving. She had wrinkles on the side of her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, he looks like you. That little monk is your son.¡± Liu Hong said in a low voice.


    ¡°He...¡±


    Without giving the woman a chance to continue speaking, Liu Hong pped her face and reprimanded, ¡°How many times have I told you that you¡¯re not allowed to speak in this house?!¡±


    The woman looked at him in horror and Liu Hong reached out his hand. The woman saw it as a sign of forgiveness and began to lick Liu Hong''s calloused palm intensely.


    Liu Hong continued to say in a very low voice, ¡°Li Biao¡¯s case was too risky, but there was no way out of it. Who told that kid to betray me and whistle-blow the police! I spent so much mouth-sealing money to raise a white-eyed wolf[1]. I wouldn¡¯t have kept him if I had known! The police are still watching me closely these days. It¡¯s not safe here. You need to go to the safe house and stay there. You¡¯re not allowed to set a foot out of that house unless I give you permission.¡±


    The woman nodded desperately.


    Liu Hong stroked the woman''s hair and ears. ¡°Your son should have seen my face back then. If we need to kill him, would you do it yourself?¡±


    The woman hesitated for half a second before nodding her head.


    ¡°How good! Everyone else has betrayed me. Only you are still by my side. When the wind has passed, I''ll take care of you properly. Now, get lost!¡±


    The woman continued licking his hand, but Liu Hong pushed her away. ¡°Hurry up and get lost! Don''t let anyone see you.¡±


    The woman began to pack her things while Liu Hong kept ying with the dog loudly. He would nce at the window from time to time.


    The woman wrapped her scarf around her, put on her sunsses, and left with a bag.


    As she went downstairs, she looked cautiously around and determined that no suspicious people were around before she left.


    When she left themunity, a pair of mud-covered monk shoes quietly followed.


    ¡°Where is the little master?¡± Lin Dongxue finished up some things and asked the policeman who was just with the young monk.


    The policeman said, ¡°He left! Did you want to detain him?¡±


    ¡°No need. Let him go!¡±


    The police officers of the task force stayed in the conference room. Many men smoked and smoke filled the room. Everyone was waiting for news from Captain Peng.


    Finally, Peng Sijue came back and everyone rushed to meet him, asking this and that. Peng Sijue instructed, ¡°One by one, how can I answer all that?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Did you find DNA?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°What about other things?¡±


    ¡°Footprints, hair, some fibers. We¡¯re currently preparing the tests.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Can you show me the hair?¡±


    Peng Sijue took out an evidence bag. In it was obviously a woman''s hair, as it was very long.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Do a test on this one first!¡±


    ¡°Like I needed you to tell me that!¡±


    Everyone waited for the results. Naturally, DNA couldn¡¯t be extracted as hair that falls naturally couldn¡¯t be tested. However, chromosomes and the sex of the person could be identified.


    Three hourster, Peng Sijue came out with a report. ¡°A woman''s hair. She¡¯s about thirty-seven years old and in poor physical condition. She seems to be living in a ce that has been chronically deprived of light and has a severeck of vitamin D.¡±


    Chen Shi thought deeply and asked Lin Dongxue to go aside. ¡°When Chen Xuan''s mother disappeared, I remember her being twenty-four years old. If she is still alive, she would be thirty-seven.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too wild a thought, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Among the missing people, only Yin Wen is of this age!¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect that she¡¯s still alive?¡±


    ¡°I have long suspected it. From the beginning, I felt that the memory of the little master was a bit distorted. When I tried to find out the truth from that year, I thought that his mother was probably not abused nor killed by Liu Hong. The truth of the matter may not beplicated. Liu Hong and Yin Wen may have had a secret rtionship and Chen Guang found out. Chen Guang might have threatened Liu Hong, so Liu Hong killed him!¡±


    ¡°Little master said he saw Liu Hong hit his mother.¡±


    ¡°What he saw was most likely them conducting the affair.¡±


    ¡°If Yin Wen is really alive, we have a heavyweight witness and we might still be able to convict Liu Hong!¡±


    ¡°I worry...¡±


    ¡°Worry about what?¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng said that the owner of the hair lived in a ce without light for a long time. I¡¯m worried that Yin Wen has been imprisoned. She was imprisoned for 13 years. What would happen?¡±


    ¡°Would she go crazy?!¡±


    ¡°Human psychology will continue to establish a bnced rtionship with the environment. When the outside world is too difficult and can¡¯t be changed, the heart will adapt to it and ept it. It¡¯s like a pumpkin being squished down by iron. The inside of the pumpkin will continue to harden and be hard like wood. If a person is imprisoned and loses all their personal freedom, and if they feel like their life is being threatened, they will gradually give up their dignity for survival and please the captives in exchange for the resources to survive. They may even fall in love with their captors.¡±


    ¡°Stockholm syndrome?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course, the crazy you spoke of is another way of bncing her environment. If Yin Wen went crazy, she would definitely be out of control. Liu Hong wouldn''t keep her around for so long if she was like that. She¡¯s still alive, which means she¡¯s useful. She¡¯s probably not like the Yin Wen of the past... Even if we find her, she might not use Liu Hong.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shivered upon hearing this. Is there really nothing we can do now?


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°But it is not meaningless to find Yin Wen. Her existence is evidence itself.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. We need to expand the investigation. I''ll try to apply for a search warrant.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went to Lin Qiupu, but Lin Qiupu tly said, ¡°No, the director will not sign it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Li Biao''s disappearance is the best breakthrough. If we miss this opportunity, we may only be able to see him live freely from now on.


    Lin Qiupu sighed. ¡°It is only a disappearance and a case for him has not been formally filed yet. Even so, you went to his house to search? This is already a vition of the rules.¡±


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t help it at the time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a reason to vite the regtions. When this is all over, you need to write me a report!¡±


    Lin Dongxue saluted angrily. ¡°I understand!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was ready to leave, but Lin Qiupu called her back. ¡°Wait a minute, I can try using this disappearance case. The circumstances are special, and maybe a court search warrant can be obtained. However, you must guarantee that you won¡¯t mess around before that!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, brother!¡±


    After busying themselves for a day at the bureau, it didn¡¯t make much sense to stay in the bureau any longer, so Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue home.


    On the way, they were still discussing the case. When they got close to the neighborhood, Chen Shi said, ¡°Let''s find the little master and ask him again!¡±


    ¡°Would he be willing to let you poke at his wounds again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different now. He has now seen the murderer, so maybe his mentality has changed!¡±


    So, the two got to the hostel, but the administrator said that the young monk hadn¡¯t returned today. Chen Shi couldn''t get through to his phone either. Lin Dongxue suggested, ¡°Perhaps he went out for food and his phone is out of battery?¡±


    ¡°I bought him a big pack of food the day before yesterday. Where would he go to eat?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wants to change up his food as well!¡±


    ¡°When was thest time you saw him?¡±


    ¡°At the bureau when he yelled at Liu Hong... What about you?¡±


    ¡°Same as you!¡± Chen Shi had a bad feeling about this. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do anything impulsive, right?¡±


    1. An expression used to describe people who bite the hand that feeds them.

 Chapter 229: Showing Tusks

    <h4>Chapter 229: Showing Tusks</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two felt uneasy about it. Lin Dongxue called a colleague at the bureau and asked them to look at the surveince footage.


    After a while, a video was sent to Lin Dongxue''s mobile phone. It was captured by the surveince camera outside the bureau. Liu Hong had just got in the taxi when the young monk stopped a car, followed Liu Hong¡¯s car, and disappeared to the left of the screen.


    Lin Dongxue admonished anxiously, ¡°This fool, what use is it to follow Liu Hong?¡±


    ¡°I remember the little master asked if Liu Hong would be arrested if he killed someone else. Surely he wouldn¡¯t...¡±


    Their horrible imagination frightened the two of them. They immediately rushed to themunity where Liu Hong lived. At this time, they didn''t care much about anything else. They went directly to Liu Hong''s house and knocked on the door. Liu Hong was not at home though, and the dog in the house kept barking.


    Chen Shi borrowed two hair clips from Lin Dongxue in preparation to pry the lock. At this time, someone came up from the stairs. It turned out to be Officer Liu.


    Officer Liu said, ¡°Looking at you two rushing in, I couldn¡¯t even call out to you two. What''s wrong?¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Officer Liu, did you see a young monk here during the day?¡±


    ¡°I''ll help you find out. I know the security guard at the front gate.¡±


    Ten minutester, a security guard said that he saw a young monk during the day. He felt like the monk was acting suspicious. He hid behind a tree for a while and then behind a car.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Who was he following?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± The security remembered. ¡°It looked like a woman wearing a scarf and sunsses. She had a windbreaker on as well.¡±


    ¡°Which direction did they go?¡±


    ¡°Look at the surveince to find out!¡± Officer Liu said.


    The security guard found the surveince based on his memories and pointed at the screen. ¡°Look, it''s him!¡±


    In the picture, a tightly wrapped woman left themunity and the young monk followed behind.


    Chen Shi frowned. ¡°Oh no!¡±


    The three went to the intersection to find the next surveince footage. The surveince of a convenience store showed that the two went towards Wuyi Road one after the other.


    The three people looked for the footage one after another and finally got to Gongzhou Road. There were very few stores here and there was no monitoring to check. Lin Dongxue called for back-up. Chen Shi looked around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the surrounding neighborhoods!¡±


    After asking three neighborhoods, a security guard said that he saw a young monke in. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Has hee out?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I''m not too sure.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a surveince camera around here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, our neighborhood is rtively old and the monitoring is broken.¡±


    Officer Liu said, ¡°It seems likely that he is still here. Your people will not be able to arrive for a while, so I''ll call the security guards of ourpany to help!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thanked him. ¡°Thank you, Officer Liu!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. I just hope nothing¡¯s happened to him.¡±


    Chen Shi thought for a while and then asked the security guard, ¡°I see a lot of rental notices on the wall. Are there many people renting houses here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°How is rent charged?¡±


    ¡°Personal transactions. We don''t get involved.¡±


    ¡°You have to collect the utility bills though. Let me see the utility bills.¡±


    The security guard didn''t know what he was thinking about. He took out the list of utilities for the year and Chen Shi looked down at the list row by row. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°There is no monitoring here and the location is old. Liu Hong is likely to have rented a safe house here. People who are cunning usually have three dens. That¡¯s always been his style.¡± Chen Shi''s fingers fell on the paper. ¡°The apartment that has a lower usage level of power and water aspared to the other units is likely to be Liu Hong''s safe house! ¡°


    Lin Dongxue instantly understood and helped to find it together. The two found three apartments that used little electricity and water.


    At this time, it was already 8:00 in the evening. The area was already dimming in light. They went knocking on the doors of the three apartments one by one, but there was no response.


    The two of them left grumpily when Lin Dongxue''s feet suddenly struck something. Picking it up, it turned out to be a monk bead. She held it in her hand and looked, ¡°Is this bead his?¡±


    Chen Shi turned to look for it and found a second one in the grass. ¡°It''s his! He''s here!¡±


    In a dark and cold basement, the young monk was sitting on the floor with his hands tied. His mouth was stuffed with strips of cloth and tears kept falling from his eyes.


    There were no electrical appliances in the room and only a candle was used for lighting. A woman stood quietly, holding a sharp knife in her hand. The candlelight kept shing on the tip of the knife.


    The two stared at each other like this for an unknown amount of time.


    The woman came over and tore off the cloth strips from the young monk''s mouth. The young monk panted and said, ¡°Mom, is it really you?¡±


    Yin Wen stroked his face. ¡°Are you... Chen Xuan[1]?¡±


    ¡°You are really my mom! Mom, I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere!¡±


    The answer he got was a sharp knife poking sharply on his chin. Yin Wen''s eyes were empty as she said, ¡°You shouldn''t havee here with me!¡±


    ¡°Mom, the police are currently investigating that bastard. Don''t...¡±


    She pped the young monk''s face, and Yin Wen said in a voice without emotion, ¡°You are not allowed to say this about him!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with you, mom?¡±


    Yin Wen made a cut on the monk''s face with the tip of the knife, and warm blood dripped down. She said, ¡°I''m his woman!¡±


    The little monk felt like he had been betrayed and said with tears in his eyes, ¡°Are you stupid? He is the murderer who killed dad!¡±


    After another p to the face, Yin Wen said like a robot, ¡°Listen, I''m his woman! You shouldn''t have shown up here. I''m going to kill you and make you disappear!¡± Yin Wenughed menacingly and then immediately calmed down again. ¡°I won''t spare anyone who harms him, even if it¡¯s you!¡±


    The young monk nced at the sharp knife on his throat and left his matter of life or death aside. ¡°I''m not afraid of death Before I die, please tell me. Do you still remember that night 13 years ago? Do you still remember dad?¡±


    Yin Wen shook her head and pointed to her own head. ¡°Your mother is already dead, sorry!¡±


    Yin Wen licked off the blood on the knife and knelt down. She pressed the little monk''s head to her chest with her left hand and held the knife on her right hand against his chest. She hummed a luby. ¡°Sleep, sleep, my dear baby. Mother''s hands gently rocking you... ¡°


    The little monk in her arms was crying as he shivered. He could feel the weight of the de constantly pressing towards his heart.


    At this moment, the door suddenly opened. Liu Hong came in with a bag of food. Upon seeing this scene, Liu Hong threw the bag and went over to kick Yin Wen. He dragged her hair and scolded, ¡°Killing a person but you¡¯re still so fucking slow, singing your motherfucking song. I could even hear it from outside. Why don¡¯t you make a movie out of it?!¡±


    Yin Wen endured Liu Hong''s punches and kicks silently. She tried desperately to kneel and was kicked by Liu Hong again and again. After several times, she finally knelt down sessfully and licked Liu Hong''s shoes with her tongue.


    Liu Hong was finally pacified and said, ¡°Lie down!¡±


    Yin Weny down like a dog and Liu Hong sat down on her back, causing her petite bones to crack. He looked at the young monk as the young monk gritted his teeth and bit down on his lips until the taste of blood filled his mouth.


    ¡°A dramatic scene. Thirteen years ago, you looked at me like this as well. Thirteen yearster, you¡¯re still looking at me like this. Watching me y with your mother and killing your father. You can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Liu Hong, you will definitely be punished by those above!¡± The monk cursed fiercely.


    ¡°Haha! If there¡¯s truly retribution in this world, would things be like this now? What was that sentence again? There¡¯s a golden belt around those who kill and set fire, but those who repair bridges and roads don¡¯t even get to keep their corpses. There¡¯s no right or wrong in this world. Just the strong and the weak.¡± Liu Hong pointed at himself with his thumb. ¡°I¡¯m very strong and you guys... Weak as fuck!¡±


    1. The author wrote ¡°Chen Guang¡± here which is the monk¡¯s father¡¯s name, but inter chapters, it seems like the author meant for her to say ¡°Chen Xuan¡±, which is the monk¡¯s (her son¡¯s) name.

 Chapter 230: Violent Struggle in the Room

    <h4>Chapter 230: Violent Struggle in the Room</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The young monk stared at Liu Hong, his eyes were red with anger.


    Liu Hong pulled Yin Wen''s hair and lifted her head in the process. He pped Yin Wen''s face with a hand and ordered, ¡°Tell your son what you are!


    ¡°I''m a female dog! I¡¯m a slut!¡± Yin Wen said nkly.


    ¡°Haha, look at your perverted face. I really want to choke you to death!¡± Liu Hong released Yin Wen¡¯s hair and said to the young monk, ¡°Did you see that? This is the mother that you¡¯ve been thinking about day and night.¡± He stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll stop the nonsense here. You came and tried to court death today. You can¡¯t me me!¡±


    He picked up the knife and stood up. He tried to grab the young monk¡¯s hair out of habit, but he couldn¡¯t grab any hair. He cursed, ¡°You don¡¯t even have fur on you.¡±


    The young monk looked at him fiercely, and then suddenly opened his mouth to bite Liu Hong''s left-hand between the thumb and the index finger.


    Liu Hong screamed in agony and dropped the knife. He pped the young monk a few times before the monk opened his mouth.


    Liu Hong burst into tears. When he saw the bleeding on his hand, he was so angry that he kicked the young monk down and screamed as he kicked. ¡°You fucking... Tell me how I¡¯m supposed to... exin to the police...!¡±


    The young monk was patiently holding it in without crying or shouting. This is the only act of defiance he had the energy to afford.


    Yin Wen looked at him beating the young monk and bit her lip. She suddenly ran over and pulled Liu Hong''s arm back silently.


    Liu Hong was shocked and questioned her as if he had been betrayed. ¡°What? Sympathy for your son?¡±


    Yin Wen didn''t speak. She just kept pulling his arm stubbornly.


    Liu Hong pped her hand away and then pped her to the ground. ¡°Women are all so cheap. What? You can''t do it to your own son?¡±


    Liu Hong rubbed his bitten hand, scolded him, and picked up the knife. Then, he stepped on the young monk.


    At this moment, facing imminent death, the young monk saw Yin Wen kneeling on the ground with tears in her eyes. This scene made him see a glimmer of hope and he called out, ¡°Mom, save me!¡±


    Before he shouted a second time, Liu Hong kicked him in the mouth. The young monk¡¯s mouth filled with blood. The tip of the knife was just above his head.


    Just as Liu Hong was about to stab downwards, there was a sudden knock from the outside. Liu Hong widened his eyes and cursed as he covered the little monk''s mouth. He took a handkerchief out from his pant pocket and stuffed it in the monk¡¯s mouth haphazardly.


    Then, he rushed over and shook his head at Yin Wen. He whispered, ¡°Hide! Hurry up!¡±


    Outside, Lin Dongxue knocked on the door a few times, but no one answered. She said to Chen Shi, ¡°It looks like no one¡¯s in.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Chen Shi looked on the ground. This was the basement, which was mostly used as a warehouse. There wasn¡¯t anyone, and the light was naturally quite poor.


    Chen Shi said deliberately, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Then, he kicked at the door, but he didn''t break it open. Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°Hey, don''t do this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s been inside!¡± Chen Shi said with certainty and then continued to kick.


    The door seemed to have been reinforced, and it took three heavy kicks for it to finally open. The room was dark and filled with building materials and only one candle was lit inside. This scene felt very abnormal to Chen Shi.


    After passing through the ¡°aisle¡± of building materials, the two saw the young monk lying on the ground. His body was dirty and stained with blood. His widened eyes were veryrge.


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart froze. When she saw the young monk¡¯s blink, she finally felt relieved. It seemed like they had arrived in time.


    Lin Dongxue quickly took out the cloth from the young monk''s mouth, and the young monk shouted, ¡°Behind you!¡±


    Before she could turn around, a heavy object hit her on the shoulder and she was kicked heavily.


    Liu Hong had jumped down from the pile of building materials and raised an iron rod in his hands, ready to smash Lin Dongxue''s head. This scene was clear from Chen Shi''s perspective. Before he could think about it, he lunged forward and tackled Liu Hong, hitting a wall.


    Liu Hong used his elbow to smash into Chen Shi''s back a few times. His strength was so strong that Chen Shi had stars in his eyes.


    Chen Shi''s hands slightly loosened, and Liu Hong immediately pulled out a knife from his back. Without giving Chen Shi any chance to react, he stabbed into Chen Shi''s abdomen.


    Feeling the sharp weapon stabbing into his body, Chen Shi immediately held it with his hands. There was a burning pain in his palm.


    Lin Dongxue struggled to get up when she suddenly felt that there was someone in front of her. She subconsciously jumped away as a knife passed by the tip of her nose.


    Looking up, a middle-aged woman held a knife in her hands. Could she be the Yin Wen who disappeared 13 years ago?


    Lin Dongxue and Yin Wen were separated by the young monk in between, who they were both afraid of identally hurting. Lin Dongxue quickly ran to the side of the building materials pile and Yin Wen chased her from the other side, holding the knife in both hands with killing intent.


    Chen Shi lifted his head and Liu Hong''s eyes were opposite his. Liu Hong smiled. ¡°Everyone is going to die!¡±


    Chen Shi punched him in the nose. Liu Hong screamed as he hit Chen Shi with all his strength. The knife in his hand was pulled out by Chen Shi''s fist, drawing a deep and long bloodstain.


    With a bang, the door was closed. Chen Shi''s first reaction was to drag the young monk to a safer ce.


    There was a muffled sound from the side. It turned out that Lin Dongxue knocked Yin Wen to the ground with a kick. Yin Wen just saw this scene and began wielding the knife wildly at Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi dragged the young monk to the side and ran in the opposite direction, avoiding Yin Wen''s knife. She didn¡¯t wield it with any skill. She just relied on her madness as she yelled in a craze while Chen Shi avoided her.


    Liu Hong took the chance to drag the young monk into his arms, yelling with the knife on the monk¡¯s neck, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    This is bad!


    Chen Shi realized that it had turned into the most troublesome situation.


    Lin Dongxue also came over. Upon seeing this scene, she didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. Liu Hong pointed at the two with a knife. ¡°Just one step forward and I¡¯ll kill him!¡±


    Chen Shi countered, ¡°Liu Hong, are you stupid? We have no direct evidence to use you right now, but you¡¯re going to kill in front of us?¡±


    There was a moment of hesitation in Liu Hong''s eyes and the little monk shouted, ¡°Don''t worry about me! If I won¡¯t go to hell, who will?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, how selfless. Why don¡¯t you try and shout again!¡±


    ¡°Arghhh!!¡±


    The little monk screamed in pain when Liu Hong stabbed the knife into his shoulder. In order to increase the pain, he also turned the de around left and right.


    Yin Wen shed tears when she looked at this scene in front of her.


    Holding the little monk, Liu Hong slowly backed to the door and called out to Yin Wen, ¡°Open the door! Open the door! Stinking ho, what are you doing?!¡±


    Yin Wen was motionless. Her hair covered her face, and her expression couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Lin Dongxue had a bad hunch.


    Chen Shi slowly moved forward a few steps and Liu Hong noticed it. He pointed at Chen Shi with the knife. ¡°Stop, move forward and I¡¯ll...¡±


    Liu Hong''s body shuddered, his eyes widened as if they were about to burst out of his eyes. Everyone in the room was stunned. The knife in Yin Wen''s hand was inserted into Liu Hong¡¯s nk. She raised her head and said with tears, ¡°Don''t hurt my son!¡±

 Chapter 231: Whom Needs to Come, Finally Came

    <h4>Chapter 231: Whom Needs to Come, Finally Came</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Liu Hong looked at Yin Wen in disbelief and struggled to open his mouth. He turned the knife in his hand and wondered whether to kill the little monk or avenge himself against Yin Wen.


    Yin Wen screamed crazily, pushed Liu Hong to the ground, and stabbed him with the knife over and over again.


    From Chen Shi''s point of view, only Liu Hong''s twitching legs could be seen as the white clothes on Yin Wen''s body were gradually dyed red. Finally, his feet stopped moving.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged looks with each other. Even if Yin Wen had been brainwashed, she was still a mother after all. Her urge to protect her child was engraved in her genes.


    Yin Wen stood up, her eyes empty as if she were dead. The young monk was sitting on the ground with a lot of blooding out from him. The three pairs of eyes in the room were looking at her.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Yin Wen, put the knife down. You are a victim and thew will protect you!¡±


    Yin Wen looked as though she didn¡¯t hear his words. She smiled gently at the young monk. ¡°Chen Xuan[1], I''m sorry. I''m not a good mother.¡± Then, she raised her knife and stabbed her throat.


    ¡°No!¡± The young monk shouted.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed over and the two tried to stop the bleeding. However, Yin Wen''s wound was too deep, and severalrge blood vessels had already been severed.


    ¡°It''s toote!¡± Chen Shi shook his head sadly.


    Yin Wen''s convulsions became weaker and weaker, and she stopped moving atst. Her pupils had dted, but she held a smile on her face.


    After the young monk finally untied himself, he crawled over to Yin Wen''s body, pressed his palms together and chanted a sorrowful scripture as tears kept falling from his eyes. After watching this scene, Lin Dongxue was also infected. Her tears also began to fill her eyes.


    Until the police came, the silent, bloody room echoed with the chanting of the little monk...


    Three dayster, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and other policemen opened the door of Liu Hong''s house. The hungry dog that had been starved for the past few days barked at them, but finally calmed down after being fed some dog food.


    The police began to search every corner of the house. Liu Hong was a cautious person and left no evidence, but this was not important anymore.


    In fact, Peng Sijue had found Li Biao''s DNA in one of Liu Hong¡¯s cars. Even if he wasn¡¯t dead, it was enough to convict him.


    Chen Shi found a hidden door behind a cab. He pushed it open, and there was a small chamber at the back, less than five square metersrge. It was built in the bedroom with an additional wall.


    The walls of the cubicle were unpainted and neat red bricks were exposed. A steel nail was nailed to the wall with a metal dog chain tied to it. There was some domestic garbage on the ground, lunch boxes, used water cups, and a toilet bucket. It also had sanitary napkins.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe it. ¡°Yin Wen was held here for 13 years?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°There is more than just this ce that was renovated. There is a door next to the bedroom. From this closet, you can perfectly avoid the surveince of the window and leave from the main entrance. On the day Li Biao disappeared, Yin Wen evaded our line of sight this way.¡±


    ¡°She was willing to be Liu Hong''s ve and even murder for him?¡±


    ¡°Who knows what happened between them?¡± Perhaps psychologists would be interested in Yin Wen''s case, but Chen Shi wasn¡¯t willing to think about it. In this small area, he could see the darkest and most distorted side of human nature.


    A person can be a beastpletely. A beast hidden under human skin.


    On this day, the young monk who was discharged from the hospital said goodbye to them. Before leaving, the young monk wore clean monk''s clothes and his mother''s ashes were held to his chest. Chen Shi asked, ¡°What are your ns for the future? Will you continue to be a monk?¡±


    The little monk smiled bleakly. ¡°After that night, I have wanted to calm my heart, but it always lingers in me. I always wondered why the human heart is so terrible. There¡¯s no answer in the Buddhist scriptures, so I want to travel around and find the answer.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Be careful outside!¡±


    The little monk pressed his palms together in greeting. ¡°I am all alone and have nothing to lose. I hope we will meet each other again if we are fated to do so!¡±


    He walked away with his bag on his back, and the simple monk''s clothing disappeared in the hustle and bustle of the city. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be a master in the future?¡±


    ¡°Master or not, I don''t care. I just hope he can be safe!¡± Chen Shi said.


    Suddenly, the two found that they were too close to each other. Lin Dongxue was about to create some distance between them when Chen Shi asked, ¡°Ah, yes, do you have time today?¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you want to invite me to dinner?¡± Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    Chen Shi''s opened his hands to reveal the two tickets in his hand to Lin Dongxue. ¡°I bought two movie tickets and I don''t know who to watch it with.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just tantly trying to cover up the truth!¡± Lin Dongxue giggled and hid her head on Chen Shi''s chest.


    Holding Lin Dongxue''s body, Chen Shi felt like he had tasted something sweet. He felt like it was time for him to take that step. The fierce danger that night had changed his thoughts more or less.


    Danger is not only from wanted criminals. Danger is also hidden in many ces, so we should cherish what¡¯s in our eyes.


    The two spent a pleasant afternoon together and returned home in the evening. Chen Shi nned to make a delicious meal and discuss the housing issue. He had a rental contract on hisputer and nned to ask Lin Dongxue to live with him.


    But just taking out a piece of paper? It seemed a bit dry.


    After much deliberation, he decided to go out and buy a bouquet of flowers - a romantic bouquet of roses.


    The soup was stewing in the pot. Chen Shi washed his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m going out!¡±


    Lin Dongxue threw away the apple she was cutting and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    Tao Yueyue was sitting on the couch and ying with the tablet as she noticed the subtle changes in the air. She wisely decided to return to her room.


    Considering that Lin Dongxue was going to be pleasantly surprised, Chen Shi said, ¡°No, I''ll be right back. I''ll buy you what you want.¡±


    ¡°A bottle of orange juice with pulp!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good!¡±


    Chen Shi went to a nearby flower shop and bought a bunch of fresh roses. On the way back, a boy in a sweater bumped into him. Chen Shi looked back suspiciously. Suddenly, he felt something was on his body, and he felt an envelope in his pocket.


    Chen Shi opened it and stared in shock. He turned around to chase the suspicious boy, but he had disappeared long ago.


    A slight tingling sensation brought his thoughts back to reality. The roses in his hands were held too tightly. He stared at the roses silently, shook his head, and finally stuffed it into the trash bin...


    1. Once again, the mother says ¡°Chen Guang¡± (the dad¡¯s name) instead of ¡°Chen Xuan¡±, which is her son¡¯s name... I suppose it makes sense if she¡¯s so traumatized that she¡¯s mixed everything up, but I changed it to Chen Xuan since she says ¡°I¡¯m not a good mother¡± right after.

 Chapter 232: Branding of Shame

    <h4>Chapter 232: Branding of Shame</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 16: The Palm and Back of Hand are all Flesh


    On April 3rd,[1] Lin Dongxue had been restless the whole way to work during the car ride.


    Chen Shi had saidst night that he woulde right back, but he didn''te back home until 8:00. The food he cooked had already turned cold. After returning, he just frowned and didn¡¯t say anything.


    When Lin Dongxue tried tofort him, he said, ¡°Dongxue, you need to move out tomorrow. Don''t live here anymore!¡±


    Lin Dongxue felt choked up and cried with a pillow over her face the entire night. She even thought that Chen Shi didn¡¯t feel the same way. Yesterday, they both held hands in the movie theater as well. Why did his attitude suddenly change 180 degrees? She really had no idea.


    The most frustrating thing about going to work was encountering some personal problems and having to look strong andugh when you got to the unit.


    Lin Dongxue and the oing colleagues smiled and greeted each other. She sat on the desk and looked at the several cases on-hand waiting to be handled. Her eyes were fixed on the words on the file, but she couldn''t actually see a single word. Her mind had already wandered elsewhere.


    A memo note she put on her table a few days ago said to go and find Captain Peng to get a DNA identification report, so she went to the forensics department.


    Captain Peng seemed to be doing an autopsy, so Lin Dongxue flipped through the documents by herself. She happened to see a case file from a few years ago with Song Lang¡¯s name on it.


    She often heard people mentioning Song Lang, but she didn¡¯t know who this person was. Out of curiosity, she sat down and opened the file.


    The case urred three[2] years ago and there were several serial killings in Long¡¯an City that ured over a two month period. There were two victims at each crime scene. Their rtionships were that of couples, divorced lovers, father and son, etc. The murderer also left a distinctive criminal signature.


    A victim photo with a burned neck was taken. It was an equteral triangle with some strange patterns in the middle. It was like they were burned with a brandishing iron or something simr like that.


    After a series of investigations, the police roughly locked onto a suspect named Zhou Xiao, but they never caught him.


    At this time, the internal variables of the task force appeared. There was evidence that Song Lang was involved in the third murder. His fingerprints had appeared at the crime scene. Coincidentally, the victim of this murder was someone that Song Lang hadn¡¯t arrested due to ack of evidence. In other cases, people began to suspect that Song Lang took the opportunity to kill people by acting as a copycat killer.


    The task force temporarily suspended Song Lang, but he continued to investigate it alone. One night, several gunshots rmed the police. When the police arrived, they found Song Lang''s partner Qin Luoxi and his boss Li Mu in a pool of blood. The cause of death was suspected to be gunshot wounds.


    Later, Song Lang''s fingerprints, footprints, and bloody fingerprints were found at the scene. The police determined that Song Lang was the primary suspect of the murders and began to hunt him down. Song Lang was never found.


    This case file was only an objective narrative, but it made Lin Dongxue shiver upon reading it. She was too devoted and didn¡¯t even notice when Peng Sijue stood behind her.


    ¡°Dongxue!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was startled and greeted, ¡°Captain Peng.¡±


    Peng Sijue nced at the case file in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re looking at that? That¡¯s an old case.¡±


    ¡°I have a question to ask. Did you also participate in this case? Did Song Lang really kill people?¡±


    Peng Sijue sat down tiredly, took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, held it in his hand, and put it back again. ¡°Would you suddenly shoot me and Chen Shi?¡±


    ¡°No! Definitely not!¡±


    ¡°Human behavior is coherent. Song Lang and I have known each other for many years. I know what type of man he is. The deceased Qin Luoxi was his fianc¨¦e and Li Mu was his professor at the police academy thatter became his master.¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have done it...¡±


    ¡°But others don''t think so!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Song Lang was too famous. In the police legend of the year, he solved a case every 2.5 days on average. The public security bureaus and the branches in other foreign cities often came to him for help. He rejected a lot of cases. After all, he was just a single person and didn¡¯t have that much energy. In the long run, many people thought that Song Lang was arrogant, even though these people had never met Song Lang. When the crime happened, the bureau even invited a psychologist to analyze it. Psychologists considered Song Lang as having a serious anti-social personality and obsessivepulsive disorder. They believed that when he failed at taking revenge by copying the serial killer, he began to retaliate against those in his life. This wasplete nonsense and he would not do such a thing. If we took a million steps back and said that Song Lang wanted to kill someone, with his IQ, he wouldn¡¯t have left so much evidence against him.¡±


    ¡°But the evidence here is very sufficient. If there was someone who was trying to frame him, wouldn¡¯t there be a slip up?¡±


    ¡°There must be holes to it. There must be holes, but they haven''t been found yet!¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng, why did you suddenly look at this old case?¡±


    ¡°Come here. I have something to show you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue put on some sanitized clothes and went to see the corpse that just had their post-mortem with Peng Sijue. A male body was lying on the iron bed, which had been dissected and re-stitched back up. There was a long suture from the navel to the neck, causing Lin Dongxue to shiver.


    Peng Sijue turned the deceased''s neck over and Lin Dongxue saw that there were the exact same burn marks as what she saw on the case file. She said in shock, ¡°That serial killer from back then...¡±


    ¡°Yes, the police haven''t made this detail public. No one can imitate these methods. This case was done by him!¡±


    ¡°When was the body found?¡±


    ¡°Last night.¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng, what exactly is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a branding of shame.¡±


    ¡°Branding of shame?¡±


    ¡°As early as the eighteenth century, mentally-ill patients were treated as possessors of evil spirits and were imprisoned with leprosy patients and murderers. They were treated very rudely. When French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel visited a mental hospital, he found a detained patient, with dense amounts of brandings imprinted below the neck. There wasn¡¯t a piece of good skin on his body. It turned out that every time the patient acted up, the nurse forced him to calm down with a red brandishing iron. Pinel was greatly shocked and spent a lifetime establishing the modern psychiatry we understand today to allow patients to be treated and cared for. The iron used to abuse patients was called the branding of shame in future generations, meaning the shame in the history of psychiatry. It was put on disy in the museum of Pinel andter taken out for auction before falling into the hands of an unknown buyer.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Xiao intentionally imitated this. What is the idea he¡¯s trying to convey? Does he think everyone else is crazy?¡±


    ¡°It''s not an imitation. I personally tested the rustponents of the wound. He used the real brand of shame. The unknown buyer I just mentioned was one of Zhou Xiao¡¯s victims. Since then, he has taken this as his criminal signature.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless. Looking at the dead body, she thought that this lunatic was back. However without Song Lang to deal with him, how many more people would have to suffer?


    Peng Sijue said suddenly, ¡°By the way, you can show the file to Chen Shi. I want to hear what he thinks. He is smart and an outsider, so maybe he has some new ideas.¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng, the files are not allowed to be taken out.¡±


    ¡°Then read it again and verbally dictate it back to him.¡±


    ¡°Okay then... Does Song Lang have a good rtionship with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°If, and I mean if, Song Lang really killed someone, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°Arrest him personally and then resign.¡±


    1. Editor¡¯s note: Based off of my understanding of the timeline, volume 14 ends on March 22. Volume 15 takes 2 weeks minimum and ends with Chen Shi going out. April 3rd would be too soon.


    2. Editor¡¯s note: Most likely four years ago in their timeline.

 Chapter 233: Three Photos

    <h4>Chapter 233: Three Photos</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi didn''t go g down customers today, but was instead driving around in the city.


    He had three photos in his hand. It was what the mysterious boy had given him in an envelope. The first was of Tao Yueyue, the second was of Lin Dongxue, and the third was of himself.


    All three photos had red crosses over them and they were all photos taken secretly. The intention of the other party was obvious. This was a silent threat.


    Recently, he had solved many cases. It was not ruled out that a suspect''s rtives or friends did it, but he always had a lingering face in his heart - Zhou Xiao!


    He had considered it for a whole night yesterday. Should he no longer assist in solving cases from now on? Move away from Long''an? No, evasion won¡¯t solve the problem. But if he didn¡¯t evade, someone would die. The hints in the photos were tantly clear. Either Tao Yueyue or Lin Dongxue would die.


    He picked up the photos and looked for where the shot was taken. Tao Yueyue usually had a simple life. It was easy to determine the angle of the sneak shot, which was an alleyway on her way to school.


    He couldn¡¯t tell with Lin Dongxue¡¯s photo.


    He couldn¡¯t figure out his own either. The person in the photo seemed a bit strange to him, but then again, it wasn¡¯t his own face to begin with.


    After driving around for almost a day, Chen Shi returned home in the afternoon. He was exhausted and just wanted to go home for a drink.


    When he got downstairs, a truck was unloading furniture. Chen Shi didn''t think much about it. He went straight upstairs. The door opposite them was open. A beautifuldy with sses was standing there. Chen Shi looked behind her. The room was empty.


    ¡°New here?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Gu You. We¡¯ll be neighbors from now on.¡± The beauty stretched out her hand and Chen Shi shook hands with her.


    The workers moved the sofa up the stairs. The corridor was very narrow. Gu You shed to Chen Shi''s side. The jasmine perfume on her body drifted into Chen Shi''s nose. Chen Shi nced at her. Her figure was unbelievably good.


    ¡°Sorry, can I go to your house for a while? I¡¯m estimating that the move won¡¯t be finished for quite a while,¡± Gu Youughed.


    ¡°Don''t you need to watch over them in person? Just in case your furniture scratches against each other.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. It''s not worth much anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then... Feel free toe in!¡±


    Entering Chen Shi''s house, Gu You looked around. ¡°Wow, the house is pretty good. It¡¯s bigger than mine.¡±


    Chen Shi poured her a ss of water. ¡°Did you buy the house?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bought it. I heard that it will be demolished. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It will take quite a few years though.¡±


    ¡°You live alone?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Chen Shi hesitated, not knowing what to say. ¡°I have a daughter.¡±


    ¡°Single dad?¡±


    Chen Shi took a bottle of Red Label from the refrigerator and poured himself a cup. Gu You said, ¡°Sorry, can I have a drink as well?¡±


    Chen Shi thought this woman was a little rude, but she was a guest after all. He said, ¡°I''ll get you a cup.¡±


    Gu You took a sip from the rock ss and looked at the cup in her hand. ¡°I like the taste of whiskey. It¡¯s very smooth.¡±


    ¡°This is just cheap stuff. If you like it, you can buy a bottle for yourself.¡±


    ¡°What''s your job?¡±


    ¡°A driver.¡±


    ¡°I''m a psychiatrist and I run a psychological clinic here. Here''s my business card.¡±


    Chen Shi took the business card and nced at it. Gu You''s temperament was indeed very understanding. Chen Shi noticed the wear on the edges of her nails and the calluses on the inside of her wrist. She should be a person who has been working withputers for a long time.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°No wonder you always stare at my nose when you talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, the rule of social psychology. When looking at the triangle between the eyes and nose, it¡¯s the most polite... How do I address you?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen has also studied psychology?¡±


    ¡°Just interested in it.¡±


    ¡°I think we have a lot ofmon topics with each other. At least you don''t ask the question, ¡®Do you know what I''m thinking?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Psychology studies thews and principles of psychological activity, not its content.¡±


    ¡°Out of curiosity, do you think there¡¯s real mind reading?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Gu You looked around, ¡°Mr. Chen should have suffered major trauma. On the surface, you¡¯re calm and open-minded, but youck a sense of security internally. You¡¯ve been under stress for a long time and you have the urge to escape reality.¡±


    ¡°How did you get to that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°As soon as youe into this house, it feels warm andfortable. The living room is to show your supposed personality towards outsiders. The bedroom symbolizes your internal personality. Mr. Chen''s bedroom is very messy, indicating that you deliberately present the good side to outsiders. In addition, I noticed that there were no sharp things on the coffee table, such as scissors, fruit knives, toothpicks, and the like, which means that youck security in your heart. You do your best to eliminate the hidden dangers.¡°


    Chen Shi stood up, closed the bedroom door, andughed. ¡°I don¡¯t live in that bedroom... But what you said is a bit reasonable. It¡¯s worth studying psychology.¡±


    Gu You prepared to pour another ss of wine, but Chen Shi took the bottle away. ¡°I still have something to do, sorry!¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, it was a pleasure chatting with you.¡±


    After sending Gu You away, Chen Shi sniffed. There was still the smell of perfume in the room. He quickly turned on the air conditioner to ventte and he washed the cups used by Gu You. He even wiped the fingerprints fromthe table.


    He suddenlyughed. Why was he so cautious about this? Was he afraid that Lin Dongxue would not be happy when she came back and smelled the perfume?


    Today, Lin Dongxue was moving away!


    Although he liked Lin Dongxue, he didn''t want to involve her in his danger. Was his approach correct? He was very conflicted.


    At 5:00, Lin Dongxue returned, and Chen Shi said, ¡°I''m not trying to drive you away. I just don''t think it''s appropriate to live together.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know... I''m going to pack up.¡±


    ¡°Did you find a house?¡±


    ¡°I did. I have paid the deposit as well.¡±


    ¡°Then, I''ll call the movingpany.¡±


    It could be seen that Lin Dongxue was not in a good mood today. Chen Shi sighed in his heart. Sorry!


    While waiting for the movingpany''s car toe, Chen Shi ordered Lin Dongxue''s favorite takeaway. The two were sitting in the living room with Lin Dongxue''s packages ced at the door. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Oh yes, I need to tell you about this.¡±


    She told Chen Shi about the case file she saw in the morning and the serial killer''s crimes again.


    Chen Shi''s response was unexpected. He grabbed Lin Dongxue''s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯re sure it¡¯s the same branding?!¡±


    ¡°Uh... Captain Peng asked me to ask your opinion.¡±


    How was he asking for his opinion? Peng Sijue clearly told Chen Shi about this using Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi muttered for a moment and shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t intake too much just hearing you talk about it. Show me the file next time.¡±


    There was the sound of a car from outside and Lin Dongxue went to the window. She smiled bitterly. ¡°The movingpany has arrived early. It seems that we won¡¯t have time to eat the take-outs... Then, thank you for taking care of me during this time.¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t speak and looked down.


    ¡°Old Chen?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don''t have to go. You should just live here from now on!¡±

 Chapter 234: Who is She to Him

    <h4>Chapter 234: Who is She to Him</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was very surprised and wondered what game he was ying at.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°In the future, you will live here and try toe back from work as early as possible every day. If it ister than 6:00, I will pick you up in person.¡±


    ¡°I paid the deposit already...¡±


    ¡°Just pretend you paid me.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you afraid of trouble?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I figured it out.¡±


    He figured that letting Lin Dongxue live alone would make him even more uneasy. He had confirmed that Zhou Xiao returned. It was very likely that the three photos were sent by him. Therefore to protect Lin Dongxue, there was nothing safer than being under his eyes.


    But Lin Dongxue was still acting defiantly. ¡°No, I was nning to move away anyway.¡±


    She was pulling the trolley case to go, and Chen Shi blocked the wall with his hand and said earnestly, ¡°I will rent you this bedroom for 300 yuan a month.¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted, ¡°I don¡¯t care for that!¡±


    Lin Dongxue still left, thinking angrily on the road. He drove me away yesterday and then he won¡¯t let me go today. Who does he think he is?!


    Thinking about it, her eyes went tingly, but she resisted the urge. I¡¯m not going to cry for him!


    When she got to her new home, she cleaned it up and busied herself until 8:00. She was very dirty, so she began to heat some water[1] to prepare for a bath. As a result, when she tried the water, it was as if she had been struck with needles. She tried again but got shocked again.


    Lin Dongxue went to thendlord immediately. Thendlord was ying mahjong with a few friends. Smoke filled the room and they were very noisy. Lin Dongxue knocked on the door and said, ¡°My water heater is leaking electricity!¡±


    Thendlord continued to smoke his cigarettes and couldn''t even keep his eyes open. He said without a care, ¡°Beauty, I''ll call someone to look into it tomorrow. There won¡¯t be an electrician thiste at night. You will just have to deal with it for the night... Self-drawn[2]!¡±


    Lin Dongxue held in her anger and returned to her residence. She found that Chen Shi was standing at the door carrying a bag in his hand.


    Lin Dongxue was very surprised and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Chen Shi held up the bag. ¡°You didn''t bring your toiletries, so I brought them for you. There¡¯s also your cosmetics.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed angrily. ¡°That''s skincare. I don¡¯t use cosmetics.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are naturally beautiful. Even without make-up, you¡¯re far ahead of those Inte celebrities.¡±


    Lin Dongxue tried not tough and said, ¡°Come in. Don''t just stand there.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at her new residence and said, ¡°One thousand a month, it''s not expensive... Why do you look so upset?¡±


    ¡°The water heater is leaking electricity. Thendlord is ying mahjong and won¡¯t look for an electrician until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help you take a look.¡±


    ¡°Don''t touch electric things, just in cas-¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I have tools in my car.¡±


    Chen Shi went to fetch the tools, turned off the electric box, and unscrewed the water heater for inspection. He pointed to a certain ce on it and said, ¡°This water heater is basically a new bottle of old wine[3]. Unplug it after the water is heated!¡±


    ¡°Renting a house is so troublesome. When can I have my own home?¡± Lin Dongxue hesitated for a while.


    ¡°Should I lend you a down-payment?¡±


    ¡°No, then mustn¡¯t I smile at you every day?¡±


    ¡°Even if people were to smile at me, I won¡¯t lend it to them!¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled, but upon remembering that she was still angry with him, she suppressed it.


    When Chen Shi was repairing the water heater, he suddenly trembled and his jaw went stiff. Lin Dongxue was frightened. She quickly tugged at Chen Shi¡¯s clothes. He smiled before saying, ¡°Just teasing you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue tried to hit him, but Chen Shi grabbed her wrist.


    The bathroom was cramped and the toilet took up a third of the space. Lin Dongxue was dragged by her wrist, almost leaning against Chen Shi. Her cheeks got really hot.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I drove you away yesterday not because of you, but because of me. Can you not be angry with me?¡±


    ¡°What right do I have to be mad at you? I have nothing to do with you...¡± Lin Dongxue''s fair cheeks turned red again, like apples that had just matured.


    ¡°I¡¯m apologizing to you seriously. If you can¡¯t live in this house any longer, you are wee to move to my ce at any time.¡±


    ¡°Move to yours?¡±


    ¡°I''ll collect your rent next time, so you can live with peace of mind. How about 300 a month?¡±


    ¡°300 is too cheap. It¡¯s clear you¡¯re letting me live there freely. Don¡¯t treat me so well. I¡¯ll have psychological burdens. I wonder if you...¡± Lin Dongxue paused after each heavily-enunciated word, ¡°Have. Ulterior. Motives!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sincerely suggesting this. How about 600?¡±


    ¡°I usually eat at yours, so 600 is too cheap.¡±


    ¡°Then, 800!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with 1,000. That¡¯s almost the same price as what¡¯s on the market.¡±


    ¡°Do other people bargain like this? Is this the mythical gentleman¡¯s kingdom?¡±


    The two looked at each other and beganughing at the same time.


    Suddenly, a stream of water sprayed down, and Lin Dongxue quickly jumped out. It turned out that Chen Shi had identally touched the shower switch, and they both got a head of water.


    ¡°What bad luck!¡± Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Chen Shi took a dry towel to wipe her hair for her. His big and generous hands touched her head with the towel in between. She could feel the heat and pressure of his palms, and Lin Dongxue''s heart thumped.


    There was no light in the room and everything was silent. Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but want to reach out and hug Chen Shi''s waist.


    Suddenly, she thought to herself, What are you doing?!


    She quickly restrained her urge and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine now since I have to shower anyway... Your hair is wet too.¡±


    Chen Shi wiped it casually and said, ¡°My hair is short, so it doesn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Lin Dongxue blushed, and the temperature in the room seemed to be a few degrees higher than before.


    ¡°Have you had dinner? Should I order takeaway?¡±


    ¡°I''ll order it myself.¡±


    ¡°Not angry with me anymore?¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t mad at you to begin with. Living with you was temporary. If my brother knew that we were living together, he would scold me to death. I would have moved out sooner orter. I¡¯m a girl and it¡¯s not convenient!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, no matter where you live, you must keep yourself safe. Come back early in the evening and you must remember to lock the door... I¡¯ll install a bolt for you tomorrow.¡± Chen Shi opened his hand. ¡°Give me the spare key. I will be over tomorrow during the day to prepare it for you.¡±


    ¡°Why suddenly...¡± Lin Dongxue asked, but she felt a bit ttered. Isn¡¯t worrying about her safety an advanced form of concern?


    ¡°Maybe the previous case was too dangerous and made me a little scared. To be honest, I really like...¡±


    Lin Dongxue was nervous for a while and couldn¡¯t help raising her ears in wait.


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°I really like to chat, eat, and solve cases with you. Don''t die on me suddenly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue punched Chen Shi with her fist and cursed with a smile. ¡°Crow''s mouth!¡±


    At 10:00 in the evening, Chen Shi returned to his home. Tao Yueyue hadn''t fallen asleep yet. She said, ¡°Kicking people out and running over again. Adults are so purposely illogical!¡±


    ¡°How do you know I went to Sister Lin¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Youughed wretchedly when you entered.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to describe things properly?!¡±


    ¡°Did you guys mate tonight?¡±


    ¡°No... Wait, what are you saying?!¡± Chen Shi immediately widened his eyes and took out the authority of a guardian.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I say that? Semantically, this is just a neutral word, and we have already taken biology sses. My mother was doing that kind of upation, so I have known for a long time. The teacher said that foreign children''s elementary schools have universal sex education. However, Chinese parents are still secretive about this and when they hear such words, they be furious. Sex itself is just a biological behavior. Cats and dogs will mate as well. Adults think that children should not understand this, but it¡¯s nothing more than their own dirty thinking. Your psychology book says that love has sex as aponent of this high-level human rtionship. If you like Sister Lin and want to mate with her, isn¡¯t that normal behavior? On one hand, children are not allowed to understand. On the other hand, people use children who are sexually assaulted of not knowing how to protect themselves. This hypocritical thinking and double standard causes a discourse in hegemony!¡±


    ¡°I''m wrong. I''m wrong... I''m sorry!¡± Chen Shi was speechless. ¡°But those words were a bit much. Could you change them?¡±


    ¡°Which one do you think is better?¡±


    After thinking about it, there didn''t seem to be any words to describe it, so Chen Shi said, ¡°Just talk about that at home. Outside, can you be a bit more normal?¡±


    ¡°What is normal? You mean the average behavior of peers the same age?¡±


    ¡°Are you Socrates tonight? Come here and let me tell you something serious!¡±


    1. They have water heating units (Which you have to manually turn it on to boil water for your shower every time).


    2. It¡¯s a mahjong term referring to winning on a tile drawn from the wall by yourself instead of winning upon a discarded tile from another yer. In many variations of mahjong, drawing the winning tile yourself requires all the parties to pay, rather than the person who discarded the winning tile.


    3. The outside is new but the inside is old.

 Chapter 235: Are You Uncle Song?

    <h4>Chapter 235: Are You Uncle Song?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Twenty minutester, after listening to Chen Shi''s words, Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°That man ising back to kill me?¡±


    ¡°It is only a threat at the moment, but he is definitely starting tomit crimes again. From tomorrow onwards, you must return early after school. Don''t take sparsely popted routes and try to be with your ssmates at all times. I will pick you up whenever I have time.¡±


    ¡°I''m not afraid of him.¡±


    ¡°Tao Yueyue!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I understand... Uncle Song was the one who told you this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Uncle Song has been hunting down this criminal. He never gave up.¡±


    ¡°When can I see him?¡±


    ¡°You will eventually.¡±


    Tao Yueyue nced at him suspiciously and said deliberately, ¡°If I see him, I want to tell him something about my testimony.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me about it first.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t hide in the cupboard when my mother was killed. I was standing next to it.¡±


    Chen Shi was surprised. ¡°He spared you?¡±


    Tao Yueyue nodded. As she remembered the past, she tugged at her pants unconsciously. This action exposed her inner fear. ¡°That night, I smelled something and I couldn¡¯t move. Then, that person came in, turned on the lights, and raped my mother...¡±


    ¡°He sexually assaulted your mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I mentioned it before.¡±


    ¡°But I remember...¡± Chen Shi stopped suddenly. Oh no.


    This detail didn''t escape Tao Yueyue''s eyes. Tao Yueyue said, ¡°I intentionally lied about the rape of my mother. Uncle Chen, you¡¯re actually Uncle Song, right?¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Gut feeling! You have a lot of areas that are simr to him. You always say that you still keep in touch with him, but I never saw you back then, and I have never seen you and Uncle Song appear at the same time. You are very good at solving cases, and Uncle Song was the same. You have many small habits that are simr, such as the habit of tapping the steering wheel with your fingers when driving. And you often check your face in the mirror. You¡¯re obviously not handsome, but you¡¯re so narcissistic!¡±


    Chen Shi admired her. Nothing could be hidden from her Tao Yueyue. He put his finger on his lips. ¡°This is a secret between us. You can¡¯t tell anyone!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Song!¡± Tao Yueyue jumped into Chen Shi¡¯s arms and cried.


    Chen Shi patted her on the back. ¡°Don''t say that name in front of others.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tao Yueyue nodded with tears.


    ¡°What was that about changing your testimony?¡±


    ¡°He asked me and my mother to choose who would die. My mother said to let me die and I said that I was willing to die. He smiled and said to my mother ¡®A selfish mother. You should be the one to die¡¯ and then my mother regretted it. She kept saying that she was willing to die, but it was already toote. He stabbed a knife into my mother¡¯s chest.¡±


    ¡°So you just watched your mother get killed? Why didn''t you tell the truth back then?¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted him to run away. I hated my mother. I thanked him for killing her and making me an orphan.¡±


    ¡°So you actually saw what he looked like?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I know it''s wrong. I shouldn''t have lied. Iter learned that he killed many people. He isn¡¯t a good person.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter!¡± Chen Shi stroked her head. ¡°The case is not over yet. When you go to court, remember to tell the truth.¡±


    ¡°Will that ever happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I have another question. Since you hate your mother so much, why were you willing to die back then?¡±


    Tao Yueyue said sadly, ¡°I am a child born by my mother''s bad decisions. She has always regarded me as a burden. Even if she died, I wouldn¡¯t live a life of fortune anyway, so I figured it¡¯d be easier to die!¡±


    ¡°So, in the end, he let you go. How ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I think that person is a bit like me...¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chen Shi said seriously. ¡°He also had an unfortunate childhood. The difference is...¡±


    ¡°The difference is that I have Uncle Chen.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky girl!¡± Chen Shi smiled and poked her nose. ¡°Go to bed early!¡±


    After Tao Yueyue fell asleep, Chen Shi also washed up and prepared to sleep. Looking at his face in the mirror, he still wasn¡¯t used to it even though it had been three[1] years.


    He suddenly found a small detail, immediately took out a photo andpared it to his face in the mirror. After seeing it clearly, he suddenly understood something and whispered, ¡°Asshole! You¡¯re actually ying at that?!¡±


    The next day, Lin Dongxue went to work and met Lin Qiupu face to face. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°You¡¯re looking pretty well!¡±


    ¡°I slept wellst night,¡± Lin Dongxue answered.


    ¡°Perfect timing. I have a case here for you to take care of.¡±


    ¡°But I have three cases on my hands.¡±


    ¡°Leave those to someone else. You¡¯re more appropriate for this case. Two children disappeared for forty-eight hours and the family is very anxious.¡±


    ¡°Disappearance case?¡± Lin Dongxue was a little puzzled. ¡°When did we start handling disappearance cases as well?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you investigate onest time? Remember how much help I gave you back then? Shouldn¡¯t you return the favor?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was very helpless.


    Lin Qiupu continued, ¡°And this disappearance case may have already evolved into a murder case. The police found something at the child''s house, so he turned it over to us. Follow me to take a look.¡±


    Lin Qiupu took Lin Dongxue to the office and gave her a book, which was affixed with a popr idol sticker and exuded a cheap fragrance. When they opened the book, they could see very beautiful handwriting. It was clear that a girl had written it.


    Lin Dongxue flipped through the book and saw a page with the title, ¡°I killed my younger brother.¡±


    After reading the next two pages, she was shocked by the dark, oppressive text in it. She looked up at Lin Qiupu.


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°The missing children, Jiang Hui and Jiang Ming, are half-siblings with the same father. Jiang Hui is 16 years old and Jiang Ming is 13 years old. On the evening of April 2nd, Jiang Ming did not return home from school, and his parents were anxious to find him. Later, they found that Jiang Hui was missing as well, so they went to the police station to report the case. Theyter found this in Jiang Hui''s drawer, as well as a craft knife, rubber gloves, and a bottle suspected to contain poison. The police station handed it over to us... I''ve taken the bottle to Captain Peng for testing. ¡°


    ¡°Half-brother? The brother was born to the stepmother?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Looking for someone, I really...¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to find anyone. The police station is responsible for finding them. You just need to determine whether it¡¯s a murder case or not. If it is, we will formally file it. if not, we will return the case back to them and withdraw.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll head off now!¡±


    Lin Dongxue took a taxi to Jiang Hui''s residence. On the way, she read the diary entry carefully. When she arrived at the house, she found that the parents and grandparents were all at home. The family sat depressed in the living room. The dad was smoking a cigarette, the mom and grandma were wiping away their tears, and the grandpa kept sighing in sorrow.


    They believed that the children of their family were lost and it hit the family really hard.


    After learning that Lin Dongxue was a criminal police officer, her grandmother''s blood pressure suddenly spiked and she almost fainted. Lin Dongxue said quickly, ¡°Don''t get me wrong. This case has not evolved into a criminal case yet. I''m just here to understand the situation.¡±


    ¡°Endless groups of police havee and gone to understand the situation. Where¡¯s Ming Ming?¡± the grandmother said sadly.


    ¡°You only care about Ming Ming. Isn¡¯t Hui Hui missing as well? You haven''t mentioned her at all since yesterday!¡± the grandfather said filled with indignation.


    ¡°Dad, she must have lost Ming Ming. The criminal officer hase to see us, she must have Ming Ming...¡± The mom said with tears rolling down her face.


    ¡°If it wasn''t for your usual favoritism towards Ming Ming, why would she do this kind of thing? It''s all your fault as a stepmother!¡± The grandpa yelled angrily.


    Lin Dongxue thought, it seems that this family has a big problem!


    1. Editor¡¯s note: Again, the timeline suggests it¡¯s probably more like four years.

 Chapter 236: The Missing Children

    <h4>Chapter 236: The Missing Children</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue hurried to mediate in order to prevent the family from quarreling further.


    She decided to ask them individually. Of course, the first was the head of the family, the children''s father. The two went to Jiang Hui''s room. Lin Dongxue''s first impression was that Jiang Hui was a very rebellious girl.


    There were many posters of rock stars posted all over the room, and the books on the shelves were all of horror. The upper column was full of novels and the bottom shelf was full of magazines such as ¡°Cowards¡±, ¡°Boys and Girls¡±, and ¡°Terrorists¡±.


    What stood out on the table was a skull-shaped pen holder.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What kind of child was Jiang Hui?¡±


    ¡°Well, officer... Can I smoke?¡±


    ¡°As you please!¡±


    The father lit a cigarette and sighed. ¡°I me myself. I was busy with my business for the first couple of years after I married. I rarely had a chance to apany my daughter and her mother at home. I was born in the countryside and life was really hard. When I came to Long¡¯an, I started up a business by myself. From setting up a stall, to operating a store, to now owning my ownpany, I have worked hard with lots of suffering throughout the years. I¡¯m a man, right? It¡¯s what I have to do. I can¡¯t take care of both my family and business. I had to do lots of socializing outside and I often couldn¡¯te home...¡±


    Lin Dongxue interrupted him. ¡°Sorry, what I want to hear is about Jiang Hui.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry! Jiang Hui is a very clever child. When she was in elementary school, she won the first prize in the calligraphypetition. She¡¯s someone I don¡¯t have to worry over. I may not have been a responsible father because I was always outworking and negotiating business, but her rtionship with her biological mother had never been that good. I have never missed a payment for their living expenses. If I earn 10,000, I¡¯d give them 6,000. Jiang Hui has not missed anything mary since she was a child. She was three when I met Hua Mei, which is my current wife. At the time, my original partner and I quarreled so much that she even stopped the car to grab onto Hua Mei¡¯s hair. It was very ugly to look at.¡±


    ¡°I admit that Ming Ming''s mother was originally a little three[1], but she was more supportive of my career. I am not the kind of scum like people think who abandon their partner after they get rich. I didn¡¯t even have that much money at the time. When raw rice had already turned into cooked rice[2] and I got her pregnant, I formally divorced my ex-wife. Hui Hui was awarded to me. Although I didn¡¯t go home often, I have never neglected Hui Hui financially since birth. I bought her everything she wanted. I know I''ve never shown favoritism or been partial to any one of them. I''m just a bowl of water for the two children to share equally...¡±


    Lin Dongxue sighed softly. Isn''t this still just him talking about himself?


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Can I please ask what day is Jiang Ming''s birthday?¡±


    ¡°June 16th!¡±


    ¡°When is Jiang Hui¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡± the father scratched his head. ¡°July or August!¡±


    ¡°You mentioned that the bowl of water is shared equally, but I really can¡¯t tell. The note written by Jiang Hui herself in her diary mentions that you are a ¡®fairy¡¯ who rarely shows up and always smiles, but she can¡¯t guess your thoughts.¡±


    The father heard this and his ears became red and hot. He covered this up by scratching his head. He said, ¡°I¡¯m really too busy with my career. I have no way to take care of my family. Otherwise, why would I ask my parents to take care of these two children? Officer Lin, are you married?¡±


    ¡°Can I not answer?¡±


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong. What I mean is you will understand when you get married. Men are business-oriented, after all. The burden on their shoulders is quite high! A man who spends his days with his wife and children at home is bound to be an unproductive and unsessful person who lives off his wife.¡±


    Lin Dongxue snorted softly and changed her question. ¡°Did you notice anything unusual before the two children disappeared?¡±


    The father shook his head. ¡°I don''t know. I only rushed back after learning of the news. Because of this, I¡¯ve lost tens of thousands of yuan in business. Haii, why do children still make us so worried even after growing up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, making money is way more important,¡± Lin Dongxue ridiculed him sarcastically.


    The father pped his thigh. ¡°Yes! Yes, you are more reasonable. You have nothing to talk about without money. Nobody understands the sacrifices I¡¯ve made for this family... You are a person who understands me. Can you leave down your contact details?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong,¡± the fatherughed like an idiot. ¡°I mean, you won''t have to make a trip all the way over here to learn about the situation next time.¡±


    ¡°I want to talk to Ming Ming''s mother.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell her toe in!¡±


    As soon as the stepmother came in, she pointed to the poster on the wall and said, ¡°Officer, look. What does this child have going on in her head all day? You can smell smoke in the room. She usually smokes secretly!¡±


    ¡°No, that smell was just left by her father.¡±


    ¡°Oh... But she also smoked in the past and I caught her doing it several times. She actually said to me, ¡®Don''t care about me!¡¯ Yes, I''m the stepmother, but I''ve never shown favoritism since marrying into this family. I served my parents-inw, cooked the food, and swept the floors. I pour my heart out for this family. Some children just don¡¯t know how to be grateful. Do you know what she looks like? I¡¯ll find pictures for you to see...¡±


    The stepmother took out her mobile phone and flipped through the photos. Lin Dongxue nced at all the pictures of Jiang Ming. The stepmother said embarrassingly, ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t seem to find her photo in such a rush. I¡¯ll describe her to you! She is a girl with hair shaved like a boys. She wears earrings but only in one ear, making her seem like neither a girl nor a boy! She often hangs around boys at school andes homete at night. When shees home, she smells like alcohol. What do you think can she do with a bunch of boys like that as a girl? By the way, she also bought some jewelry, books, and CDs. She usually doesn¡¯t have that much pocket money. How do you think a girl like that can find all that money? I dare not think further!¡±


    ¡°Her father said that he usually buys Jiang Hui whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re listening to him?!¡± The stepmother raised her voice, ¡°When is he around to do that? He only has time to send money to the house. Jiang Hui¡¯s pocket money is 800 yuan a month. Of course, I''m afraid she will spend it all, so I usually give it to her little by little. However, I never take her money. Whoever¡¯s money it is, I give it to them. ¡°


    ¡°How much does Jiang Ming spend?¡±


    ¡°We share a bowl of water equally. Jiang Hui has eight hundred and our Ming Ming also has eight hundred. There is no favorite child.¡± The stepmother sat down and sighed. ¡°She was quite polite when she was young and even called me ¡®Auntie.¡¯ Later when she went to junior high, her whole personality changed. She¡¯d throw things around whenever she was upset. I said a few words to her and she talked back and scolded me as a little three and a fox spirit[3]. She even ran away from home more than once. This child has thorns on her and won''t let anyone touch her. Honestly, I¡¯ve never starved her or left her out in the cold. I really took her in as my own child and raised her with all my heart, but she stepped all over it. Her dad was usually busy working outside and only came back after months and months. If my family didn¡¯t have Ming Ming, such an obedient and sensible child, I really don''t know what the point of living would be. If she dares to do anything to my Ming Ming, I... I... I will fight her!¡° The stepmother wiped tears away.


    ¡°Before the two children disappeared, did you notice anything unusual?¡±


    ¡°Unusual?¡±


    ¡°Any clues are fine, such as where they said they would go.¡±


    ¡°That morning, Jiang Hui quarreled with me and said that I ruined her home. She always talked so harshly. She seemed to say... Ah, I remember now, she stared into my eyes and said that one day, she¡¯d make me regret! Jiang Hui must not have an ounce of goodness in her heart! And that diary entry? My God! A child thinking of such a terrible thing. If she dares do anything to my Ming Ming, I...¡±


    1. The third person/affair.


    2. An expression regarding no turning back. Things have already evolved to a stage where there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.


    3. In East Asian folklore, foxes are depicted as a familiar spirit possessed of magic powers. These foxes are depicted as mischievous, usually tricking other people, with the ability to disguise themselves as a beautiful woman who seduces men for mere mischief or to consume their bodies or spirits.

 Chapter 237: Suspected Murder

    <h4>Chapter 237: Suspected Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was afraid that the stepmother would get too emotional. She said, ¡°I want to visit Jiang Ming''s room.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I''ll take you there.¡±


    Upon entering Jiang Ming''s room, Lin Dongxue felt like it was apletely different story. On the wall was an artistic photo of Jiang Ming in his childhood, which looked like a tiger¡¯s head and a tiger¡¯s brain[1]. On the table was a luxuriousputer and manyic books were thrown around the ce. There was leftover snack packaging still in the trash.


    The stepmother said awkwardly, ¡°The house is still messy and hasn''t been cleaned up yet. The two children are missing, so I have no mood to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Did Jiang Ming say anything on the day of the disappearance?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say much. He stayed upte the night before to study. He waste in getting up the next morning and rushed to school after getting up.¡±


    ¡°Where do they go to school?¡±


    ¡°Both of them are in Experimental Middle School, one in junior high and one in high school.¡±


    ¡°Has Jiang Ming told you anything recently?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, he said that he wanted to have a cat. I didn''t agree with it. The junior high school studies are so intense. How would he have time to raise a cat? My Ming Ming may be in a period of rebellion. We don¡¯tmunicate much. He stays in his room all day. In order to understand the children, I did a lot of homework. I often went to their school to talk to the teachers about what they¡¯re like. My Ming Ming liked to y King of Glory. I was afraid that he was using his brain too much, so I bought him some health care. This box is worth a thousand yuan...¡±


    As soon as the son was mentioned, the stepmother began to ramble on about her son again. Lin Dongxue stopped her immediately and asked, ¡°How is the rtionship between the sister and the brother?¡±


    ¡°What can they be like? They keep to themselves. They rarely talk except for at the dinner table... They used to y together as children, but when they grew up, it¡¯s inevitable that they have their own personal space.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Hui''s diary mentioned some things and I want to check them with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just ask.¡±


    ¡°On one asion, Jiang Ming took Jiang Hui''s USB sh drive to go to an inte cafe to copy something from a game and deleted a homework document made by Jiang Hui. Jiang Hui was very angry and went home to fight with him, but you scolded Jiang Hui.¡±


    ¡°Was that the case?¡±


    ¡°Remember carefully.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember once they had a quarrel and mentioned USB or something. I was calling someone at the time and when I heard that the living room was too noisy, I said a few words to Jiang Hui and asked why as an elder sister she didn¡¯t know how to share with her brother a little.¡±


    ¡°The diary said that you didn''t just say a few words, but you said to her, ¡®If you still don¡¯t act your ce, I¡¯ll get you to fuck off sooner orter!¡¯¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± The stepmother desperately denied. ¡°You can ask about what type of person I am. I wouldn''t say that type of stuff.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought. If Chen Shi was here, it would be really nice. He could tell at a nce whether she was lying or not. However, Lin Dongxue let this matter go and continued. ¡°However, Jiang Ming was quite sensible. He took the initiative to apologize to Jiang Hui,forted her, telling her not to cry. ¡°


    ¡°My Ming Ming is very sensible. This child is very understanding, one time...¡±


    ¡°There is one more thing which is also written in the diary. One time, Jiang Hui got sick with a cold and fever. She couldn''t get up from bed. You picked her up early in the morning and told her to stand in the bathroom. You disinfected the house while she stood in the bathroom for half an hour wearing her pajamas.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s paraphrasing was very objective and optimisticpared to the paragraph written in the diary, which was even more shocking.


    ¡°This child is talking nonsense! I was in a hurry to go out in the morning and there were grandparents at home. In the event that they were infected, it wouldn¡¯t be good. Besides, if everyone caught the cold, it wouldn¡¯t be good either. I was only thinking of everyone. So, I called her up and disinfected the room. The words I spoke to her were as light as cotton. I was nothing like how she described and didn¡¯t yell at her fiercely!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself. I didn''t mention your tone at that time. Perhaps the stepmother has already read the diary.


    The stepmother also said, ¡°Officer, don''t listen to her exaggerations. I haven¡¯t abused her or anything. We have always shared the water in the bowl equally between them. Whether it¡¯s Jiang Hui or Ming Ming, I will never favor anyone over the other. If my Ming Ming had caught a cold, I would disinfect the house as well.¡±


    ¡°She also said that you pped her in front of Jiang Ming.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen!¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the cause of the situation?¡±


    ¡°Let me think... One time, I stewed a chicken which she didn''t like to eat. She threw the bowl down and I mmed the table and asked who she was taking her anger out on. I honestly never hit her!¡±


    Lin Dongxue had set up a trap. She only mentioned the p, but the stepmother retold the story from start to finish.


    It showed that she had indeed pped Jiang Hui.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Jiang Hui didn''t say that...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just listen to her side of the story!¡±


    ¡°She said that she was allergic to peanuts. The whole family knew this, but you put peanuts in the dish, so she couldn¡¯t eat it and then you pped her as a result.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s allergic to peanuts? Ming Ming and Jiang Hui are from the same father. Why isn''t he allergic to peanuts then? She''s just picking bones from an egg[2]! I¡¯ve poured my heart out for the two children and I''ve never favored anyone. She started hanging around a bad crowd who instilled bad ideas into her. She justes home and gets upset! Did you know that she¡¯s hit me?¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°A few months ago. I only said a few words to her, but she pushed me. I almost fell. At my age, if my bones get broken, it¡¯s no joke. Good for her. She hit someone, then went back to her room and wept as if she was wronged by the world.¡±


    Lin Dongxue hated this woman. She had a basic understanding of Jiang Hui''s situation at home.


    She began to understand Lin Qiupu''s reasoning for assigning this case to her. From an emotional point of view, she would be able to understand Jiang Hui''s situation and feelings since she was orphaned at an early age as well. Even if things really looked like what everyone thought, she may be able to collect evidence and testimony in favor of Jiang Hui.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I want to look into the bedrooms of the two children.¡±


    ¡°Okay, no problem.¡±


    Lin Dongxue put on her gloves and started to check Jiang Ming''s drawers. Except foric books and game discs in the drawer, there was nothing worth noting. She only found a ¡°Terrorist¡± magazine under Jiang Ming''s pillow.


    She turned on theputer, but there was a login password. So, she called the office and asked for a police officer who worked withputers.


    Then, Lin Dongxue went to Jiang Hui''s room again to search. She found a bank card in Jiang Hui''s drawer, which she collected as evidence.


    She took off the books on the shelf. Judging by the degree of wear on the edges of the books, Jiang Hui should have finished reading them. She noticed that some of the sentences in the book were marked with ballpoint pens. These parts included some specific methods of killing and getting rid of a corpse.


    Did this little girl really kill her brother...?


    Lin Dongxue carefully checked what else was left behind. After looking at the poster and the CD boxes all over again, she turned over the trash can. There was a bag inside. When she picked it up, she found that there was a stic wrapper underneath it. It was used to hold a syringe.


    1. An expression that means that the baby is looked sturdy/strong/etc. Can also mean simple and honest-looking.


    2. Causing drama when there isn¡¯t any.

 Chapter 238: Visiting the School

    <h4>Chapter 238: Visiting the School</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A bottle containing a suspicious drug was packed along with the syringe packaging. It showed that when Jiang Hui disappeared, a syringe filled with the drug was hidden on her body.


    At this time, the person from their IT department came, and Lin Dongxue asked him to unlock Jiang Ming''sputer password. It took some time, but the password was cracked. Jiang Ming''s desktop was messy and covered in game icons along with some other things.


    It seemed that themon theme of Jiang Ming''s daily life was to y.


    Jiang Ming¡¯s QQ is automatically logged in. There was a personbeled ¡°Sis¡± in the contact list. Thest chat between the two was the night before the disappearance¡ª


    Sis: Stop ying games, fatty. I can hear you from next door.


    Jiang Ming: I know, I know. I¡¯m going to bed right away. So annoying!


    Sis: Did you forget what you are doing tomorrow?


    Jiang Ming: I know. I¡¯ll sleep when I finish this game.


    Lin Dongxue wondered. Did the two have an appointment to go somewhere together? Of course, this may be the trap that Jiang Hui designed to kill Jiang Ming.


    Although she had never seen Jiang Hui, it was obviously very difficult for a high school girl to dispose of the body of a boy that was in junior high. The best way was to lure the person to the burial site and then kill them.


    Lin Dongxue continued to look through the chat records. Unexpectedly, the pair of siblings often chatted together, and sometimes Jiang Ming even told Jiang Hui about school and of his adolescent troubles.


    Although Jiang Hui''s tone was not very good and kept calling him fatty, Lin Dongxue could see that the sister did not hate him.


    No matter the favoritism from the adults, the rtionship between children is always much simpler.


    Lin Dongxue felt that she didn''t know Jiang Hui well enough, so she went to talk with her grandparents about it. The two talked a lot, but they often went off on a tangent. Jiang Hui in their mouths was "good and clever" while Jiang Ming was "smart and charming.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought that she should go to their school to see their ssmates and teachers. Perhaps then she could learn more about the situation.


    Thus, she went to the school where the two children studied. At this time, thest ss in the afternoon was in session. Lin Dongxue went to the ss where Jiang Hui normally attended and saw a middle-aged man with tinted sses standing in front of the window with his hands on his back, looking cold and stern.


    The student near the window hadn''t noticed yet. They had covered themselves with books and yed with their mobile phone while smiling.


    The middle-aged man reached out and knocked hard on the head of the student ying on their mobile phone, then spread his hands out in front of the student. The student handed over the phone with a look of frustration. The middle-aged man said in a low voice, "Come to the office after ss!"


    It seemed that this homeroom teacher confiscated the mobile phone. Then, he nced around the ss again before walking back.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Hello, is Jiang Hui from your ss?"


    The head teacher looked her up and down. "Are you Jiang Hui''s family?"


    "I''m a police officer."


    "Oh! Jiang Hui hasn''t been found yet? Has a case been filed?"


    "I''m here to learn about the situation."


    "Let''s talk at the office!"


    When he got to the office, the ss teacher sat down with his legs crossed, took the thermos on the table, and took a sip. He suddenly noticed that Lin Dongxue was still standing and said, "You should sit!"


    "I¡¯ll just stand."


    "I''m so embarrassed. Let me stand up and talk then!"


    "No need. I''ll sit down then!"


    The teacher asked with a smile, "You look pretty young. Are you from the local police station? How can I address you?"


    "Lin. Can you tell me about Jiang Hui''s usual state?"


    "Don''t mention her. I get angry when I mention her! I haven''t seen such a disobedient student before. She¡¯s tantly defied me in public several times. One time, I caught her ying on her mobile phone in ss and went to confiscate it. She actually said that it was her private property and I had no right to do so. What kind of words is this? A teacher for a day is a father for a life. If all the students in my ss acted like this, how would I teach them? Also, she often fools around with boys who don¡¯t have good grades. Our school is very strict about young love. I called them here to talk about it and do you know what she said? It annoyed me to death. She said she liked so and so and that even if the school could control her body, they couldn¡¯t stop her heart!¡±


    "Who is this person?"


    "Gao Xiang. Also, another student full of thorns!¡± The head teacher waved his hands around. "It¡¯s hard to be a teacher! Also, she has a problem with her thoughts. She often says in the ss diary how the exam-oriented education is not good... Yes, she usually likes to read books. She is a literate and talented student, but she acts too arrogant and proud just because she¡¯s published a few articles. I don¡¯t like students like this at all. I think there is a problem with how she was raised.¡±


    "Jiang Hui''s parents are divorced. Did you know that?¡±


    "Oh... I seem to have heard that before."


    "You said she published a few articles? Where were they published?"


    "What kind of articles were those anyway? They¡¯re just like novels...¡±


    The teacher took out a stack of magazines from the drawer, threw them on the table, and showed them to Lin Dongxue. "Look at these things. What unsightly and misleading content for children. It¡¯s purely violent and pornographic. It was said that it needs to be forbidden. I took copy after copy. Eight of the ten copies were confiscated from Jiang Hui herself. She never learned and kept buying them month after month.¡±


    "Do these magazines have things that Jiang Hui wrote in them?"


    "I heard the Chinese teacher say that Jiang Hui wrote novels on it. I don''t know exactly which ones they were."


    "Where is that teacher?"


    "They didn¡¯t have a ss this afternoon, so they¡¯re not here."


    "Can I see Gao Xiang?"


    "I will stop him after school... Do you want to drink some water?"


    "No thanks."


    "This Gao Xiang isn¡¯t a good boy either. Don''t listen to him talking nonsense. The two are of the same breed! In fact, it''s not surprising to me that Jiang Hui disappeared. A rebellious child like that... It wouldn¡¯t even be surprising if she killed someone. I really don¡¯t know how the family can teach her to be like this. After you find her, you must criticize and educate her. It doesn¡¯t matter what I say, but maybe she¡¯ll listen to you guys.¡±


    "Did she behave abnormally before she disappeared?"


    The teacher recalled for a while and shook their head. "I was toozy to look at her and didn''t notice anything... By the way, where did she disappear? Will the school and I be held responsible?"


    "It doesn''t matter. It''s important that we find her."


    "Why doesn''t it matter..."


    The teacher still had to talk. At this moment, the bell rang and Lin Dongxue asked, "Can I please trouble you to find Gao Xiang for me?"


    "Okay, wait a minute!"


    Teachers began toe in one after the other. Lin Dongxue was a little embarrassed to stay there, so she moved to the door. After a while, Gao Xiang came. Every student in the school had to wear a school uniform, but he looked very unique in that he tied it around his waist.


    "Gao Xiang?"


    Gao Xiang froze and said exaggeratedly, "Wow, policemen can look so beautiful?"


    Lin Dongxue was speechless for a while. "I¡¯m asking for you because-"


    "I know, Jiang Hui, right? Can this police sister buy me an ice cream cone? It¡¯s right at the school gate!"


    Lin Dongxue also wanted to find a quiet ce and said, "Let''s go!"


    Gao Xiang cheered. "You¡¯re so nice!"

 Chapter 239: A Girl with Character

    <h4>Chapter 239: A Girl with Character</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they got to the ice cream tea shop outside the school, Gao Xiang kept asking Lin Dongxue about which vor of ice cream was delicious. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Please pick one out for yourself. I don''t eat this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Is Sister afraid of getting fat? You are in great shape!¡± Gao Xiang said charmingly.


    ¡°Can we speak seriously?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Gao Xiang deliberately sat up straighter. ¡°You can ask now. I promise to let you know everything.¡±


    ¡°What''s your rtionship with Jiang Hui?¡±


    ¡°ssmates, friends, buddies!¡±


    ¡°More than that, right? Your ss teacher reported that Jiang Hui once said in the office that she liked you.¡±


    ¡°She was deliberately annoying the teacher of the ss. I really don¡¯t know who coined the term ''early love''. The school doesn¡¯t teach you how to fall in love. Is it better for people who have graduated to fall in love? This phrase is very cool, huh? Jiang Hui was the one who said it. She¡¯s very talented. She often writes novels and scripts to earn money. She¡¯ll invite us out to eat as well. I¡¯m really just friends with her, but we can talk about anything. Let me tell you a secret... I actually like girls like Sister here!¡±


    Lin Dongxue deliberately put on a poker face and asked indifferently, ¡°Has Jiang Hui mentioned anything about her family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Her stepmother is a psycho. She often scolds her and says nasty stuff. Sometimes, she even hits Jiang Hui, but she never hits her in front of her grandparents. Jiang Hui hates her the most and wanted her to die. She even discussed with me how to kill someone.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that wasn''t for the novel?¡±


    ¡°Maybe... Jiang Hui also said this: Every time she wanted to kill her stepmother, she would write a novel. She feels morefortable after earning money.¡±


    ¡°How much does she earn in a month?¡±


    ¡°One or two thousand. She used it to buy CDs and books. She really likes to read books, unlike me.¡±


    ¡°How did you two get to know each other?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you actually. We often talk together. On several asions, she got angry with her stepmother at home and ran out to find me. I treated her to beer... There¡¯s really nothing between us. Jiang Hui has someone she likes and I also have... several girlfriends. I feel more rxed with her. It¡¯s like I¡¯m with my brothers.¡±


    ¡°What about her rtionship with her brother?¡±


    ¡°Very good. I think they often talk with each other and sometimes they even leave school together. I even asked her whether she was doing German orthopedics[1].¡±


    ¡°What German ancient lessons[2]?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is a ng term. You can find out the meaning by checking it online. Let me continue talking about Jiang Hui! Jiang Hui seems very cool, but deep down I know she¡¯s sad and bitter at heart. When she was a child, her parents divorced, and her father had another child with the little three[3]. The family also tantly favors the son. Let me tell you something so that you understand a bit more. One time, there was heavy rain and Jiang Hui stood at the ssroom door without an umbre. She watched the stepmother drive to pick up her brother from the school. She could only go home in the rain and she even caught a cold. ¡°


    ¡°Where do you think Jiang Hui would go?¡±


    ¡°The police officers who came over the past two days have already asked me, and I told them a few ces. Her mother¡¯s ce, her friend''s house, or her aunt''s house. I don''t know if you¡¯ve looked already or not.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought that these were probably ces Jiang Hui''s family would have already searched. She didn¡¯t forget her mission and asked, ¡°Let me ask you something. Do you think Jiang Hui would kill someone?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Gao Xiang was very sure. ¡°Even if she killed someone, she would be killing her stepmother... Sister, did she kill someone?¡±


    ¡°I''m just asking a hypothetical question. Was there anything unusual about her before she disappeared?¡±


    ¡°No, it was very normal. Ah, our ss and the next ss over had a basketball game that day. I was the main force that day. I called Jiang Hui to cheer me on but she didn¡¯te because she had something to do at home.¡±


    ¡°What else do you want to add?¡±


    ¡°Well... I seemed to see Jiang Hui steal something from a chemicalboratory that day. It was a small bottle. I asked her what it was and she said it was for murder!¡±


    ¡°When was it?¡±


    ¡°The day before the disappearance!¡± Gao Xiang suddenly covered his mouth. ¡°She wouldn''t really kill anyone, right? Is that illegal at this age?¡±


    ¡°She didn''t kill anyone. Don''t guess and talk nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gao Xiang saluted clumsily. ¡°Sister, can I add you on WeChat?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m looking for you, I''lle directly to the school. You just have to go to school over the next two days.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to be a police officer too. I want to find out more about it from you,¡± Gao Xiang said with a smile.


    ¡°Study hard to get a chance to go to the police academy.¡± Lin Dongxue stood up and left.


    Lin Dongxue returned to the bureau. Lin Qiupu was waiting for her in the office. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Did you find out anything?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Hui made an appointment with her brother before going missing. When she went somewhere after school, she might have had a syringe with a drug in her possession, but I don''t think she had the motive for killing her brother. From all the evidence at hand, it seems like their rtionship with each other isn¡¯t bad.¡± Lin Dongxue took out the diary. ¡°Also, Jiang Hui usually writes novels and publishes them in some magazines. I read this again on the way back. I feel like this is not a diary entry, but an unwritten draft of the unfinished novel. At that time, the abuse suffered from the stepmother mentioned inside seems to be true, but even then, she has no motive to kill her brother.¡±


    ¡°What about the motive for revenge towards the stepmother? The most cruel revenge for a mother is to make her lose her child. She killed her brother and then ran away. Is this possible?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. ¡°If we talk about my opinion, well, I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°But it''s undeniable that this possibility exists. Okay, you can continue to follow this case!¡±


    ¡°What have the local police checked?¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t find anything. They¡¯ve gone to all the possible ces they could draw relevance to. Tomorrow, you can go to the police station to find out more about it yourself.¡±


    At the same time, Chen Shi came to the office while the police were off duty, trying not to be seen by the people of the second team along the way. He knew that Peng Sijue was definitely still at work. Sure enough, Peng Sijue was sitting in the office and drinking coffee in front of theputer.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Come out with me. Let me invite you to dinner. By the way...¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°What''s the main point thates after?¡±


    ¡°I want to see the corpse you mentioned to Dongxue.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re interested?¡±


    ¡°A bit interested!¡±


    Peng Sijue took Chen Shi to the morgue in the basement and opened a cab. The male body had been frozen with ayer of frost. Seeing the branding on the neck of the corpse, Chen Shi''s pupils shrank a bit and he reached out his hand subconsciously.


    Peng Sijue threw a pair of gloves at him and Chen Shi snapped out of his daze before he put them on. Then, he checked the branding on the neck.


    This is real!


    The police had never disclosed this detail to the public. Even if someone had seen it, it couldn¡¯t have been imitated to this degree. Chen Shi... No, Song Lang had seen it many times and the pattern was almost imprinted in his mind.


    Zhou Xiao is back!


    ¡°Chen Shi... Chen Shi...¡±


    Peng Sijue''s call brought his thoughts back to reality. Chen Shi looked up and smiled. ¡°I heard that it¡¯s a wanted serial killer. I want to see the case file.¡±


    ¡°The archives personnel are off for the day. Come tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Oh, let me invite you to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Save it! So fake.¡±


    ¡°Give me a chance to be real gori[4] then.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at him with scorn. ¡°T-Bone steak!¡±


    1. It¡¯s a term that describes incest. The story was about a brother and sister having incest. The father broke the brother¡¯s leg, and then the brother went on a Chinese version of Google to see who can fix his leg. He relied on German orthopedics to fix his leg.


    2. Orthopedics and ancient lessons has the same pinyin ¨C ¡°Guke¡± and it sounds the same, so Lin Dongxue misunderstood.


    3. Mistress


    4. It¡¯s a pun that Chen Shi used because he used thest two characters of ¡°fake¡± which sounds like ¡°gori¡±.

 Chapter 240: Fun While Having a Meal

    <h4>Chapter 240: Fun While Having a Meal</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue went back to the office to turn off the lights and shut the door. He found Lin Dongxue standing here. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi looked at each other in surprise and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I promised Captain Peng to a meal before. I often bother him, so I wanted to express my gratitude.¡± Chen Shi reasoned on the spot.


    ¡°What are you guys eating?¡±


    ¡°Steak. Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    ¡°Steak?¡± Lin Dongxue hesitated. She didn''t like western food very much.


    ¡°Otherwise Old Peng, let''s go eat hot...¡± Chen Shi turned his face and noticed that Peng Sijue looked like he had frost on his face with how cold he looked.


    ¡°Okay, steak. Let¡¯s have steak. I haven''t eaten it for many years!¡± Lin Dongxue said, afraid of disrupting their rtionship.


    Peng Sijue asked, ¡°Are you looking for something?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin gave you a small brown bottle before. Has the contents been tested yet?¡±


    ¡°I let the assistant do it. No results yet.¡±


    ¡°I have a clue about this thing. It was stolen from school. A school chemistryb.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see for myself!¡±


    Peng Sijue went to the poison appraisal room, picked up the small bottle, shook it, and wafted the scent over to his nose with his hand. Then, he stained a test paper with it, ignited it, and took some reagents to observe the reaction.


    He quickly came to the conclusion. ¡°Dimethyl sulfoxide, a sulfur-containing organicpound. It¡¯s slightly toxic.¡±


    ¡°Would it be lethal if injected into the body?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the dosage.¡±


    ¡°A whole needle.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d die.¡±


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°What case is this?¡±


    ¡°Let''s talkter!¡±


    At the steakhouse, Lin Dongxue found that the steak was not as expensive as she thought. While waiting for the meal, she talked with Chen Shi about the case. Chen Shi concluded, ¡°The girl didn''t kill anyone. The motivation is not strong enough.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that the motivation is not strong enough?¡± Peng Sijue asked.


    ¡°First of all, her rtionship with her younger brother isn¡¯t that bad. Secondly, when taking into ount her interests, she is more mature than her peers and wouldn¡¯t do such a stupid thing. Lastly, from the things she¡¯s written and the fact that she can talk to someone about it, it shows that her heart and spirit hasn¡¯t broken yet.¡±


    ¡°But several people''s narratives all have strong subjective tendencies. From these, it¡¯s not enough to restore what she held in her heart.¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°Let Dongxue continue to check!¡±


    At this time, the steak was delivered. Chen Shi said to Peng Sijue, ¡°Hurry and eat. You don¡¯t need to be polite.¡±


    Peng SIjue looked at him with scorn. ¡°It''s a set meal, so don''t act as if you¡¯re really polite.¡±


    ¡°You can order something else!¡±


    ¡°Waiter.¡± Peng Sijue gged the waiter down and asked what red wine was in the store and which was the most expensive.


    When he heard that the waiter say the price was 2000, Chen Shi coughed and said, ¡°Old Peng, don''t you need to drive? We can get it next time!¡±


    Peng SIjue asked the waiter, ¡°Can the red wine be taken home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you can also store it here to continue drinking next time.¡±


    Chen Shi was helpless and felt heartache for his bleeding wallet while Lin Dongxueughed secretly.


    ¡°Thank you. Then we¡¯ll just get a bottle of watermelon juice.¡± Peng Sijue said to the waiter with a smile.


    Chen Shi immediately started acting up. ¡°Looking down on me huh? You want to drink red wine so just order it! It¡¯s just two thousand yuan!¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to be scolded internally by someone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just not giving me a chance here. Don¡¯t say I¡¯m fake from now on then. It¡¯s rare to be able to invite you to dinner. It¡¯s not often people can move this big Buddha around, that is you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Since you¡¯re so sincere...¡± Peng Sijue asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°Dongxue, do you want to drink red wine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I didn''t drive anyway. I heard that red wine is good for your health!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Chen Shi snapped his fingers, picked up the menu, and shouted to the waiter, ¡°A bottle of xxxx!¡±


    Peng Sijue grabbed the menu and saw that the price behind xxxx was two hundred yuan. ¡°Your English is pretty on point!¡±


    ¡°Of course! Who doesn¡¯t have one or two words of foreignnguages in their pockets?¡± Chen Shi fortunately escaped. Although two hundred yuan was not cheap, it was a lot more eptable than two thousand.


    After the red wine was brought over to their table, Chen Shi poured a ss for Lin Dongxue and himself. He shook it in his hand and said, ¡°Red wine that costs two hundred yuan sure smells good.¡±


    Just as he was about to drink, Peng Sijue covered the ss with his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re driving, so don¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter, this cup will be metabolized before I go out.¡±


    Peng Sijue was really stern. ¡°You¡¯re driving, so don¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Chen Shi helplessly picked up the watermelon juice.


    Lin Dongxue drank the red wine in the ss in one gulp and said, ¡°It''s so delicious. It''s different from the 50 yuan red wine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get drunk like this,¡± Chen Shi warned.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Dongxue poured another ss for herself.


    After Lin Dongxue drank four cups, Chen Shi found that her face didn''t even have a trace of redness. ¡°Who would have thought that you were such a big drinker!¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Dongxue, your alcohol dehydrogenase content[1] should be higher than ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°Not sure. I''ve never been drunk though.¡± Lin Dongxue poured another ss.


    ¡°I think you can do a part-time job where you help people drink.¡± Chen Shi joked.


    Lin Dongxue pulled a face. ¡°Drinking depends on who you are with. What value is there of drinking with people you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s value with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh please. It¡¯s more so with Captain Peng.¡±


    Peng Sijue poured a ss of watermelon juice. ¡°I wish you a smooth case.¡±


    Lin Dongxue toasted back. ¡°I wish you luck in finding a partner soon.¡±


    ¡°Give me another sentence!!!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so scared she poked her tongue out. ¡°I wish you all the best.¡±


    The two clinked their drinks and drank their cups.


    The three started to eat their steaks. Peng Sijue used a knife and fork very skillfully. He cut the steak into small pieces and dipped the steak into the sauce before putting it into his mouth.


    Lin Dongxue was rtively unfamiliar with knives and forks and couldn''t cut her steak apart for a long time. Peng Sijue took her knife and fork and showed her. ¡°Like this.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how you eat it as long as you¡¯refortable! It doesn''t matter even if you grab it directly with your hands.¡± Chen Shi cut it intorge pieces and ate them in big chunks.


    ¡°I can¡¯t talk to people who have no ss,¡± Peng Sijue said coldly.


    ¡°It''s ssy to eat steak?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ssy to eat steak. ss is what you do under different circumstances and asions. Some people just like to pack vulgar and cheap jokes together to hide the fact that they have no manners or ss. Those who always act like they¡¯re detached no matter the asion are just internally sad.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, that¡¯s not me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue noticed that Chen Shi¡¯s way of eating the steak had changed and asked curiously, ¡°Old Chen, why don''t you eat like you just did?¡±


    Chen Shi put a small slice of steak to his mouth and raised an eyebrow at Peng Sijue. ¡°I just want to show someone that I know how to use a knife and fork.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Peng Sijue said casually while looking at his own food.


    Lin Dongxueughed secretly. These two really liked to fight word battles. Sure enough, men were all children who didn''t grow up.


    She continued slicing the steak andined, ¡°After eating this meal, I¡¯ll gain weight again!¡±


    1. https://.mydr.au/gastrointestinal-health/liver-and-alcohol-breakdown

 Chapter 241: Blood in the Mall

    <h4>Chapter 241: Blood in the Mall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi returned home and called Tao Yueyue to the living room as he turned on theputer, plugged in a USB sh drive, and ran a software program on it.


    He said, ¡°Come here. Let''s paint a picture of that criminal.¡±


    Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Isn''t this the software that restores faces in the Public Security Bureau? Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Borrowed.¡±


    ¡°Borrowed?¡±


    ¡°The person wasn''t in front of theputer when I borrowed it. Don¡¯t worry about these details. I¡¯ll delete it after finishing.¡±


    The two pieced together the nose, eyes, and ears in the software for a long time. Tao Yueyue frowned and knit her brows together the whole time. After an hour, they finally pulled together a face. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Is this Zhou Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it doesn''t feel like it¡¯s the same... Uncle Chen, I can''t remember too clearly.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Chen Shi sighed and deleted the software.


    ¡°But if I see him again, I can probably recognize him.¡±


    The next day, Lin Dongxue went to the police station in charge of the disappearances of Jiang Hui and Jiang Ming. Since they¡¯d been zeroing in on kidnappers as ofte, the police stations paid more attention to the two disappearances. They went to many ces over the past few days.


    Their efforts harvested some progress. In the surveince footage of a hotel, it showed someone wearing the school uniform the day after the two children disappeared.


    The figure shed across the alley.


    The camera was originally facing the corridor. It was taken through the ss and wasn¡¯t very clear. The police showed it to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This school uniform is a female student¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°From the nearby references, the height and body shape are simr to Jiang Hui¡¯s.¡± The officer said.


    ¡°Did you go there?¡±


    ¡°This surveince footage was sent to us as a clue when we issued a reward for public leads. It was receivedst night. We are nning to head over now. Will Officer Lin be joining us?¡±


    ¡°Okay, let''s go!¡±


    Lin Dongxue went to the scene in a police car. The alley was narrow. One end led to the road and one end led to a hotel. The police found a button here that was suspected to be on the school uniform.


    In addition, a dead female cat with an assortment of colors was found. Its eyes were already very cloudy.


    While looking at the screenshot of the surveince video on their mobile phone as reference, they finally stopped at a door. Lin Dongxue pushed in and found that it was a safe passage in a home appliance mall. She went in and looked around while the local police went to the person in charge.


    The person in charge said that the mall was closed at 6:00 every night and the door would be locked.


    The policeman asked, ¡°At 8:00 PM on April 2nd, are you sure the door was locked?¡±


    ¡°It must have been locked.¡±


    At this time, Lin Dongxue came out of the door. ¡°I just asked the employees. They said that although the mall closes at 6:00, as long as there are customers, the employees have to work overtime. Sometimes they don''t get off until 8:00 or 9:00 PM.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?!¡± The person in charge was a little nervous.


    ¡°Rest assured, we are not from the Labor Bureau. We are police. A child came in on the evening of April 2nd.[1]Do you have any surveince of that?¡±


    ¡°The surveince is all in the mall.¡±


    Immediately, the police inspected the surveince footage and found a shot of the two children walking in at 6:00PM on April 2nd.[2]. It was no doubt that it was Jiang Hui and Jiang Ming. Lin Dongxue asked the clerk who was still at work at the time. They couldn¡¯t recall them as they saw too many customers every day.


    Lin Dongxue secretly wondered. Why did the two of them go in, but only one came out? Surely...


    Lin Dongxue entered the safe passage from the inside of the shopping mall. There were four safety exits on each floor. The safe passage surrounded the outside of the shopping mall. There were two exits on the sides and stairs in the passage that goes up and down.


    It was daytime right now so there weren¡¯t people in the safe passage. Only one janitor was sweeping the floor.


    She went up to a security exit and found that a key was needed to lock it, so she asked the person responsible whether the keys for all security exits were the same and who had ess to the keys.


    The person in charge said, ¡°There are three keys that can open all the doors. One is here with me and one is a spare that¡¯s ced in the security room. Thest one is used by employees who take turns to lock the door.¡±


    ¡°Who locked the door that day?¡±


    ¡°I''ll find out for you.¡±


    When they found the employee, he said that the door was locked at 7:00 that night. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Did you check the inside before locking?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to check? There''s nothing to lose except cleaning supplies.¡±


    ¡°How is the door outside the first floor locked?¡±


    ¡°It''s locked from the outside!¡±


    Lin Dongxue recorded his name and ID number. Then, she took a few photos of him so that she could see if his testimony checked out. If he locked the door at 7:00 that night, the surveince footage of the nearby hotel would have captured that.


    She also took a picture of the lock and the key and sent it to Lin Qiupu. ¡°Is this kind of lock easy to open?¡±


    Lin Qiupu replied. ¡°It''s easy. Anyone who knows a little about locks can open it.¡±


    She called for the cleaner who cleaned here on the morning of April 3rd [3]and the cleaner said, ¡°I didn''t notice anything really. There was a dead cat on the top floor stairs though. I threw it out.¡±


    ¡°Apart from the dead cat, was there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there were a few flowers wrapped in stic paper... I wonder who created a little funeral for the cat.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±


    Lin Dongxue brought her to the alley and asked if it was the dead cat that she had seen earlier. The cleaner responded, ¡°Yes, yes. This is the dead cat... Why are you investigating this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient to disclose that for the time being. Is it convenient to leave your contact details?¡±


    She bagged the dead cat, said goodbye to the local police, and returned to the bureau.


    Peng Sijue tested it and the results came out after a while. He said, ¡°This cat was injected with dimethyl sulfoxide and poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Hui stole dimethyl sulfoxide from school. She was not trying to kill her brother. Judging from the bouquet ced on the scene, she probably euthanized the cat.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know much about veterinarians. You can ask a vet from a pet hospital to find out if this cat was sick.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t need to be investigated. The missing child is the key point.¡± The investigation of the case did not need to be so exhaustive. They could make choices and focus on the point at hand, which Lin Dongxue learned from Chen Shi.


    ¡°Where did the cate from?¡±


    ¡°In the safe passage of a shopping mall. The missing child had been there. I didn¡¯t feel good when I went in. It was empty and quiet and there was no monitoring in there. With the exception of employees who came in and smoked cigarettes, no one came in. If anyone locked the door, since the mall is so noisy, nothing would be heard from the inside or outside.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, I''ll send a few people with you and go to the scene to pick up samples.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Peng!¡±


    In the afternoon, Lin Dongxue brought several police officers from the forensics department to go and collect evidence. Each person handled a different floor. Lin Dongxue was walking anxiously on the first floor. She was very conflicted. She hoped that the case would progress, but she was also afraid of this case bing a criminal case.


    The phone rang and a police officer said, ¡°Stains of blood were found on the third floor!¡±


    Everyone immediately rushed over and sprayed Luminol reagent on the ground. The blood stains were clearly visible under the ultraviolet light, and it was clear that it had been wiped.


    Lin Dongxue felt a little dizzy and said, ¡°Get the evidence and take it back for testing!¡±


    1. Editor¡¯s note: This should be the 3rd unless this is separate from the girl being seen in the hotel surveince footage. The hotel footage was the day after the two disappeared. I think the two disappeared on April 2nd. Chapter 235 says they disappeared 48 hours ago, and it was April 4th.


    2. Editor¡¯s note: As above.


    3. Editor¡¯s note: 4th if we go with the timeline I exined earlier.

 Chapter 242: Who Died?

    <h4>Chapter 242: Who Died?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The forensics team took the blood sample back and Lin Dongxue went to find the Jiang family. She needed the DNA of both parents to determine whose blood it was.


    Upon hearing this news, the stepmother fainted immediately. The father went to help her. She pped the father''s face and said, ¡°If something happened to my Ming Ming, I''ll fight you till death!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, okay? It hasn¡¯t even been determined whose blood it is!¡±


    ¡°How could it not be his? The surveince showed Jiang Hui running away, so it must be his blood!¡± The mother cried, covering her face. ¡°I know that little bitch would not have a drop of kindness in her heart. I usually equally give out the bowl of water and never favored anyone. She actually... Did this to take revenge on me!¡±


    ¡°Don''t say anything more!¡± The father rubbed his red eyes.


    Grandpa and Grandma heard the noise and asked, ¡°Did you find the children?¡±


    The father rushed to the inside room and said, ¡°No, the police just asked us to assist in the investigation.¡±


    When they went downstairs, they happened to run into the police officer who had been investigating the case in the morning. The police said, ¡°Officer Lin, we found Jiang Hui!¡±


    The news was tantamount to a thunderbolt. The stepmother almost fainted again. She fell into the husband¡¯s arms and cried, ¡°It was my Ming Ming who was in trouble. It¡¯s obvious! Give me back my Ming Ming!¡±


    The father didn''t know what to say.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Where did you find her?¡±


    The local police officer nced at the couple and motioned for Lin Dongxue to talk on the side. The stepmother raged, ¡°If you have something to say, then say it in front of me. Don''t be afraid that I can''t ept it. Where did that little bitch hide?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Ma''am, please calm down. We are still investigating-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my family¡¯s matters. Why can''t I know?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was very distressed. Finally, the local police sent them all to the bureau, which allowed them some privacy. The police officer said, ¡°In the presence of the parents, I''m afraid it''s not very nice to say. The girl''s ID information appeared in a health club.¡±


    ¡°Health club?¡±


    ¡°Well, this ce was banned three times before. I''m afraid it''s not a good ce.¡±


    ¡°Did they see her in person?¡±


    ¡°If we suddenly ask them, they won''t admit it. We have contacted the anti-prostitution department and they¡¯re going to conduct a surprise inspection. The inspection will be at 7:00 at thetest. I will inform you when that happens.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue returned to the bureau and saw the couple sitting in the corridor wiping away their tears. The stepmother had a document in her hand. Lin Dongxue went in and asked Peng Sijue, ¡°The result is out?¡±


    ¡°Half of it came out. The blood sample matched 99% of the fathers.¡± Peng Sijue stared at the working blood centrifuge.


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself that the deceased was undoubtedly Jiang Ming.


    ¡°Is it still necessary to test it?¡± Peng Sijue asked.


    ¡°Check it out anyway, I guess. The two childrene from the same father but different mothers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it was like that. If I had known, I would have tested the mother¡¯s sample first.¡±


    ¡°How long will the result take?¡±


    ¡°Half an hour.¡±


    The cry of the stepmother kepting from the outside. Lin Dongxue was afraid to go out. She stayed in Peng Sijue''sb for fear that if they asked, she wouldn¡¯t know how to respond.


    What the police suffered the most was facing the family of the deceased. Anyforting words could not make up for the loss of loved ones.


    ¡°Come here!¡± Peng Sijue said.


    Lin Dongxue thought the result was out as she walked over, but Peng Sijue took out a box of biscuits from the drawer. ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to eat yet, right? Use this to pad your hunger!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Peng!¡±


    The personality of this man made it so that the two stayed together without speaking, however it wouldn¡¯t feel awkward since it¡¯s always been that way.


    Lin Dongxue chewed on the cookies and thought of what to say. In fact, she couldn¡¯t relish the taste of the cookies while these thoughts and emotions were swelling within her. Although the police shouldn¡¯t have any subjective emotional opinions, the police are also human. From a personal and emotional level, she sympathized with Jiang Hui very much.


    The thought of Jiang Hui violently abandoning herself after the murder made her feel a little sad.


    ¡°Results are out!¡±


    Lin Dongxue almost jumped up. ¡°Whose is it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t match the mother''s blood sample! The blood is the girl''s.¡±


    ¡°How?!¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    ¡°This is the truth.¡± Peng Sijue said quietly. ¡°Hurry up and tell the family!¡±


    ¡°No, the police clearly said that she was found...¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered that the police said that the ID information was found, and not the person.


    Jiang Hui died and her ID fell into the hands of others. Only this is possible!


    After learning that the blood sample belonged to Jiang Hui, the stepmother who was originally in tears burst intoughter. She said excitedly to the father, ¡°My Ming Ming is alive! Alive! This is great!¡±


    The father was relieved as well. ¡°It''s good that Ming Ming is fine.¡±


    ¡°It looks like the little bitch is the one that¡¯s dead. This is great! I won¡¯t have to suffer her mood swings again.¡± The stepmother who was filled with excitement revealed her true nature and the words in her heart.


    ¡°What are you saying?!¡± The father scolded.


    ¡°Why can''t I say that? I begged to Buddha and Jesus for the past two days for my Ming Ming. I just hoped that he would be alright. As long as he was fine. I didn''t care about anyone else!¡±


    ¡°If you say one more thing, I¡¯ll hit you! Both are my children! Both the palm and the back of my hand are made of flesh[1].¡± The father scolded angrily.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand it either and said, ¡°The blood belongs to Jiang Hui, but we didn''t find the body. She may still be alive.¡±


    ¡°I doubt-¡±


    The stepmother didn''t finish talking when the father pped her in the face. The stepmother fumed as she covered her face, ¡°Jiang Zhenghui, you¡¯re hitting me? I''m going to find Ming Ming now. If I can''t find him, I won¡¯te back! I¡¯ll just die outside!¡±


    Then, she turned around and stormed off while the father yelled out ¡°stop¡± a few times to the disappearing figure. He said in embarrassment to Lin Dongxue, ¡°Excuse us for the awful show.¡±


    ¡°You should probably hurry after her.¡±


    The father hesitated for a while but chased after her anyway.


    Lin Dongxue sighed looking at the backs of the couple. Peng Sijue came out holding a coffee cup and said, ¡°Most marriages are imperfect, so I decided on being a bachelor.¡±


    ¡°Broken families are really unfair to the children.¡±


    ¡°I''m off work now. Do you want a ride?¡±


    ¡°I want to go to the local police station.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    The two arrived at the police station in the district and Peng Sijue parked the car outside to wait for her. He was not idle while waiting. He yed soothing music, took a mask out from the glove box, and put it on his face, keeping his eyes closed as he rested.


    The anti-prostitute department¡¯s squadron returned with victory. When they rushed in, the club members called the prostitutes and clients to hide. The squad looked around and found that the dust on a window had been scratched off.


    Upon opening the window, the police were so surprised that their jaws were about to fall off. They saw men and women in nkets squatting on the signboard steel frame of the Sichuan restaurant downstairs, which almost caused a fall ident.


    All employees were detained and some customers were still in custody. One left with bail.


    Lin Dongxue immediately went to see ¡°Jiang Hui¡±. Sure enough, it wasn''t Jiang Hui at all. It was a girl who hadn''t worked for even two days. The policeman held Jiang Hui''s ID card and asked, ¡°Where did this ID carde from?¡±


    The girl was scared and said, ¡°I don''t know. It was the boss who gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°What about your own ID?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have an ID.¡±


    ¡°How could you not have an ID card? How did you run to Long¡¯an without it?¡±


    After asking a few times, she kept insisting on this answer. The police said, ¡°She probably has a criminal record, so she used someone else''s ID card! This kind of thing happens quite often. There is a lot of liquidity in this kind of industry. Drug addicts and gamblers often get mixed up in this industry.¡°


    ¡°Please help me check the source of the ID card.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I''ll tell you when there¡¯s a result.¡±


    When passing by an office, Lin Dongxue saw a client who was smiling while confusing the police officer that was recording his confession. These men are disgusting pigs.


    Opposite the door where the confession was taking ce, a photo caused her gaze to be drawn towards it.


    Lin Dongxue took a look and her eyes widened like circles.


    1. Both are of equal importance and you can¡¯t choose between one or the other.

 Chapter 243: Finding Jiang Ming

    <h4>Chapter 243: Finding Jiang Ming</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue returned to Peng Sijue''s car with a very frustrated expression. Peng Sijue nced at her and said nothing to show concern.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Have you had this experience before?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you were eating a good cake and a cockroach suddenly appeared in the middle, wouldn¡¯t it be disgusting?¡±


    ¡°I don''t quite understand what you want to express.¡±


    ¡°Why do men need to go to this kind of ce?¡±


    ¡°What kind of ce?¡±


    ¡°Prostitute houses!¡±


    ¡°Liking good things is human nature[1]. Rather than saying that everyone has desires, it¡¯s better to say that desire is the basis of human nature. But there are some people who have uwful ways of venting this desire.¡±


    ¡°If your good friend goes to that kind of ce, what would you think?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think about it much. It''s personal freedom and I don''t scandalize it. It has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Captain Peng, you are really open-minded!¡± She nced at the GPS navigation and said, ¡°I want to go to Huaguang Community.¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Uh, forget it. Let''s go home!¡± Lin Dongxue waved her hands again and again.


    Peng Sijue nced at her without asking more.


    The disappearance of Jiang Hui and Jiang Ming had officially been ssified as a criminal case. The case was formally transferred to the Public Security Bureau the next day. Lin Qiupu allocated some staff to Lin Dongxue.


    The identity card incident was quickly found out. The sex worker bought Jiang Hui''s ID card from a ck-market vendor who sold it, and the information trafficker imed that he had picked it up from a trash can.


    The ce where the ID was found was very close to the mall where the two children had been.


    Lin Dongxue immediately thought of the cleaner and went to see her again. When Lin Dongxue asked her if she had picked up an ID card, the cleaner seemed very flustered, but she still denied it.


    Lin Dongxue warned, ¡°If you are not willing to tell the truth, I will ask you to assist the investigation at the bureau!¡±


    ¡°Don''t do that! I don''t want to leave any stains on my file. I''m afraid I won''t find a job in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then be frank!¡±


    ¡°Officer, is it illegal to pick something up?¡±


    ¡°It is illegal to make arge amount of improper profits...¡± Lin Dongxue knocked on the mountain to scare the tiger first[2]. After the other party became panicked, she added, ¡°Whether we sue you or not depends on your attitude.¡±


    The trick she learned from her colleagues worked and the cleaner stammered, ¡°I picked up a wallet that day, but there wasn¡¯t much money in it. It only had a hundred or so yuan in it, so I took it.¡±


    ¡°Where''s the wallet?¡±


    ¡°On the way to work, I dropped it in the trash.¡±


    ¡°What else was in the wallet?¡±


    ¡°Identity card and bank card. It was a girl.¡±


    Lin Dongxue found Jiang Hui''s photo from her mobile phone and asked, ¡°Is this the girl?¡±


    ¡°It''s her! Officer, you won''t sue me, right?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else you want to add?¡±


    ¡°Uh... I heard someone shouting in the safe passage that day, but I didn¡¯t think much of it. I didn¡¯t go over to look.¡±


    ¡°What time was that?¡±


    ¡°About 6:00!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought that Jiang Hui might have had an ident, so who was the person photographed in the surveince?


    Jiang Hui had short hair, and so did Jiang Ming. The siblings were about the same height. Would the two have swapped clothes?


    If Jiang Hui was killed, where was the body?


    To find out the truth, she searched back and forth in the safe passage and found a rubbish passage. She opened the door and illuminated it with the shlight on her mobile phone. Looking inside, she saw ayer of dried blood on the inner wall of the passage.


    She immediately called the task force over and searched nearby. She also contacted thepany that handled the garbage. The other party said that they hadn¡¯t seen anything out of the ordinary that day.


    They found several less visible blood stains in the alley, showing that a body had been moved to the roadside. Nearby traffic surveince footage photographed a man in a cap throwing a ck stic bag into a parked car that night.


    It took almost a day to find out these clues, and the identity of the car owner was still under investigation.


    That evening, the local police called and said, ¡°Officer Lin, the little boy is back at home!¡±


    ¡°When did he get back?¡±


    ¡°Just now. He seems to be in shock and hasn¡¯t spoken.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rushed to the Jiang family¡¯s house immediately. The Jiang house was now very lively. Parents and grandparents all crowded around Jiang Ming. At the door, she also met Jiang Hui''s ss teacher. The ss teacher was talking to the police. When Lin Dongxue nodded and said hello, he said, ¡°The school is very concerned about this, so they asked me toe and have a look. Is Jiang Hui still not around?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Hui may not be back.¡± When saying this, Lin Dongxue felt a bit depressed while the family inside was full ofughter and happiness.


    ¡°What? Jiang Hui, she...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter!¡±


    Lin Dongxue entered the room and the stepmotherughed. ¡°This Officer Lin has spent a lot of time in order to find you. Why don¡¯t you go and thank her?¡±


    Jiang Ming held his shoulders and said nothing.


    Jiang Ming''s jacket had been taken off and Lin Dongxue noticed that there was a school uniform for a female student on the chair next to him.


    The stepmother touched his head and said soothingly, ¡°This child doesn''t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ming, what about your sister?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    Jiang Ming didn''t speak and the stepmother mediated, ¡°The child stayed outside for two days, so he might be in shock. Why don¡¯t you let him rest for the day, and then we can pay a visit to the bureau tomorrow, okay?¡±


    The father scolded, ¡°What are you saying?! Isn''t Little Hui our child as well? You only care about Ming Ming!¡±


    ¡°So what if I care about Ming Ming? I carried Ming Ming over a full pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°Little Hui is my daughter!¡±


    ¡°It''s your daughter. I haven''t seen you love her that much either. Who was the one who hit and scolded her since childhood?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?! Say it again!¡± The father yelled.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Jiang Ming shouted. ¡°Sister died for me!¡±


    The room turned quiet and the teacher ran in and asked the question inappropriately, ¡°What did you say? Jiang Hui died? How did she die?¡±


    Jiang Ming had tears in his eyes and his lips were trembling. ¡°We went to that mall together after school that day and there was a sick kitten there. It was really pitiful. Sister said that she could euthanize it and then gave it an injection. We originally wanted to put it on the rooftop, but the door wouldn¡¯t open, so we had to put it on the stairs. When we went downstairs, we were blocked by a man. He looked at me and smiled, asking this and that. He even touched me. I was thinking that this person was a pervert and my sister pushed him away. Then, he suddenly pulled out a knife on us. We hurried down and found that the door on the fourth floor was locked. It was very noisy outside, and nobody could hear us banging on the door. The pervert caught up with us and I was really scared. My sister told me to change jackets with her. She said she was going to lead the pervert away while I made my escape and to hurry to the police. As a result... As a result... I heard my sister¡¯s scream when I went downstairs. She was killed!¡±


    At this point, Jiang Ming was sobbing and everyone in the room was surprised. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Why didn''t you call the policeter on?¡±


    ¡°My cell phone ran out of battery. I ran to a nearby police station and I got scared.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the pervert was the policeman!¡±


    1. This was a quote from Hongzi. He mentions that eating and sex is part of human nature.


    2. Scared her first.

 Chapter 244: Serial Killer Appears

    <h4>Chapter 244: Serial Killer Appears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The eyes of the people in the room focused on Lin Dongxue''s face again. Lin Dongxue recalled the clothing of the mall security and asked, ¡°Was he wearing a hat? Was there an epaulette on his shoulder?¡±


    ¡°Without a hat, but his clothes were simr to a police officer.¡±


    ¡°That should be a security guard then!¡±


    ¡°I thought security was also a kind of police...¡± Jiang Ming mumbled.


    Lin Dongxue immediately went out to call the task force to rush to the mall to control the security guard. She informed them that she would arrive shortly after.


    In addition, she called Lin Qiupu to exin the situation. Lin Qiupu was silent for a few seconds and then said, ¡°Choosing a little boy, this may be a cross-provincial wanted criminal!¡±


    There was a loud cry in the room. It was the stepmother. She cried and said, ¡°Hui Hui, I always knew that you were a good child. I me myself for not being good enough to you before!¡±


    Grandma was wiping her tears away as well.


    The ss teacher standing at the door rubbed his eyes as well and said, ¡°Jiang Hui is a brave and responsible student. I will tell everyone back at school about her heroic deeds. No, I¡¯ll tell the newspaper outlets!¡±


    Lin Dongxue left without a word.


    As she walked downstairs, there was the sound of falling objects. Jiang Ming shouted, ¡°Enough! Don''t pretend anymore. When Sister was alive, you werehave never been good to her!¡±


    There was a ¡°dong dong dong¡± noise in the corridor as Jiang Ming rushed out without a coat. Lin Dongxue stopped him. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Jiang Ming stopped. ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°There may still be bad people outside, so please don''t run around, okay? We need your help to solve the case.¡±


    Jiang Ming nodded. ¡°You know everything about Sister, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Don''t believe what they say. They have never been nice to my sister. My mother gave me the best things since I was a child. The bad and rotten were always given to my sister. As long as our grandparents weren¡¯t at home, she would use such harsh words on her. She scolded my sister and told her to die. I heard my sister crying in the room on more than one asion. I am sad, but I can¡¯t do anything for my sister. Sometimes, I feel that I owe her because I came to this world. That''s why she lived a life full of pain.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to me yourself. It''s not your fault!¡±


    ¡°My father is trash!¡± Jiang Ming cried. ¡°I hate them! When I see them acting right now, I feel sick!¡±


    Lin Dongxue had a wave of sadness wash over her. She rushed over and hugged him. ¡°Nobody can choose their parents, but you will soon grow up. Treasure the life that your sister exchanged for hers!¡±


    Jiang Ming cried as he nodded. ¡°Will you catch the bad guy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the first person I tell when we catch him.¡±


    When Lin Dongxue arrived at the mall, the police had already called all the security guards and asked for their alibis. A security guard said that he had gone home sick early that day and put his clothes in the locker room. He found that it had been stolen the next day. He bought a new set for himself.


    Lin Dongxue''s mobile phone rang. It was a wanted warrant sent by Lin Qiupu. The man named Old Hei was a serial killer who picked out little boys. He hadmitted two crimes in other provinces. Recently, information showed that he appeared in Long''an.


    Subsequent investigations showed that the suspect was most likely this person. In order to prevent a second victim from appearing in Long''an, Lin Qiupu sent more staff from the task force to arrest Old Hei.


    Everyone had entered a state of continuous working rotations day and night.


    Three dayster, near a primary school, a pair of greedy eyes hiding behind a tree stared at the little boys leaving school. The stalker took out an old-fashioned camera in his hands and took a picture from time to time.


    ¡°Uncle, what are you doing?¡±


    The uncle turned his head around and saw a boy with a smile on his face. His face was pale, but his delicate skin and exquisite features aroused the interest of Old Hei. A smile appeared on his dark face. ¡°I¡¯m picking up my son and taking photos of butterflies.¡±


    While he was saying this, he took a picture of the teenager.


    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate something. I don''t have money to go on the Inte. Can I borrow some from you?¡±


    ¡°How would you pay me back?¡±


    ¡°How do you want me to pay it back?¡±


    Capturing the teasing meaning in the words, the uncle reached out to touch the boy''s hand and said, ¡°y with me!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The boy pulled his hand away. ¡°Oh, you want that type of stuff? Uncle is quite trendy! Okay! How about 500 yuan a night?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re not a gigolo, right?¡±


    ¡°Get fucked!¡±


    ¡°Scold me again. I love to listen to this,¡± the uncle said sullenly.


    ¡°You bastard! Where do you want to y?¡±


    ¡°There is a public toilet nearby. If we close the cubicle door, no one can see.¡±


    ¡°Mmp[1], you sure know how to y!¡±


    The uncle was very happy. He didn''t expect to have another encounter. On the way, he kept touching this young tofu. He touched his tight butt and said, ¡°I used to have a boyfriend who was as big as you. No, he might have been smaller.¡±


    ¡°How did you two break up?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t. I killed him.¡±


    ¡°Real or fake?¡±


    ¡°Haha, do you really believe that?¡±


    When they got to the public toilet, no one was inside. The two entered the cubicle. The uncle was so excited that he couldn''t wait to get started ¨C He was already hard. The boy caught the uncle¡¯s hair in his hand and wound it behind his head, but the uncle didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°So you like-¡±


    Before he could finish, his head was hit heavily onto the toilet box. He didn¡¯t imagine that a skinny boy would have such strength.


    The boy mmed and smashed him until he was losing consciousness. The scene before his eyes were already red and hey paralyzed on the toilet like a dead pig.


    In his blood-red field of vision, he saw the other party lighting a triangle-shaped iron piece with a lighter. His face was illuminated by the fire as he sneered, ¡°There can only be one serial killer here. A mountain can¡¯t hold two tigers, understand?¡±


    The hot piece of iron pressed on the uncle¡¯s neck. He wanted to scream, but he couldn¡¯t because his mouth was covered.


    Later, a sharp object pierced through his back and prated through his lung. The uncle''s eyes widened as they were about to squeeze out of their eye sockets, and blood continued to flow from the gap between the fingers blocked by his opponent''s mouth.


    ¡°You killed yourselfing here! I won¡¯t spare those who grab my limelight!¡± The teenager took the film from the camera, lit it with a lighter, and threw it on the uncle who was slowly losing his breath.


    Old Hei''s body was found in the public toilet near a primary school and was immediately sent to the Public Security Bureau. Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue rushed over when they heard the news. Peng Sijue had not yet conducted the post-mortem. He pointed to the triangle stigma on the deceased''s neck and eximed, ¡°That man did it!¡±


    ¡°He... Why would he kill other criminals? Could it be that Old Hei offended him?¡± Lin Dongxue was very surprised.


    ¡°You know about Zhou Xiao''s case?¡± Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°This guy has no fixed goal in killing people. He kills those with power, promiscuous women, and even normal citizens.¡±


    ¡°A psychologist had profiled him before. He is immature and has an unstable personality. To him, killing is a challenge, just like a game,¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°He was silent for three years. I don''t know which crowd he is targeting now!¡± Lin Qiupu had a headache. The most troublesome serial killer has returned, but Song Lang was no longer there.


    Even if Song Lang were here, what of it? Didn¡¯t Zhou Xiao best Song Lang and hurt him?


    1. Often used in an online setting in ce of a swear word in Sichuan.

 Chapter 245: Those Forgotten

    <h4>Chapter 245: Those Forgotten</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°How did Zhou Xiao find Lao Hei so urately? He was more efficient than us police.¡±


    Lin Qiupu exined, ¡°Lao Hei''s wanted order can be seen on the Inte, and the information regarding his identity is very detailed. Another thing is that he is gay and easy to find in the gaymunity.¡±


    Peng Sijue added, ¡°He wasn¡¯t found in one go. In the past few days, several men have been killed in Long¡¯an City. The method is very simr to Zhou Xiao¡¯s. The only difference is that there was no branding of shame. It turned out that these men were all gay. ¡°


    Lin Dongxue said emotionally, ¡°No humanity!¡±


    Lin Qiupu sighed. ¡°The troublesome guy is back. It seems that the case must be filed for investigation. I''ll go and tell the chief.¡±


    A few dayster, Jiang Hui''s body was found in the vegetable field behind Lao Hei''s temporary residence. When she saw the little girl''s body, Lin Dongxue couldn''t help feeling sad.


    The story was published in the newspaper with the headline ¡°Girl in the flower season bravely sacrificed herself to save her younger brother.¡± At the same time, the TV station also did an interview program. In the program, the big screen held Jiang Hui''s best-looking photo with a pair of braids as she smiled brightly.


    The stepmother wiped her tears away while on the camera. ¡°My family¡¯s Hui Hui was a very obedient child and was usually very good to her brother. She always gave the best to her brother. Although I¡¯m the stepmother, how can I not love such a child? I remember one time that our Hui Hui had a cold. She ran to the bathroom by herself and let me disinfect the house. She said that her grandparents were too old. In case they were infected, it would be terrible. Haii, she was such a kind and clever person. Why did God take her away?!¡±


    The father said, ¡°Hui Hui was poor when she was a child, so she became independent early on. She often helped with housework and she was a child that you didn¡¯t have to worry much about. Although I am always busy with my work, I usuallye back to apany her and Ming Ming whenever I have time. Hui Hui¡¯s birthday is July 18th. Every year on this day, no matter how busy I am, I will always buy a birthday gift for her. After all, she left her biological mother when she was a child. I need to love her a lot. My palm and back of the hand are both flesh! She¡¯s very talented and loved reading, so I bought her the four masterpieces when she was in elementary school. She often wrote articles for publication. When she got her pay, she even bought a massage chair for her grandfather. Look, this is what she wrote in her diary ¨C ¡°My Dad¡±, and I¡¯m so sad to see these words. I hope that Hui Hui¡¯s tragedy won¡¯t happen to other families. Thank you to the police for catching the killer!¡±


    The teacher said, ¡°Jiang Hui has always been an opinionated and responsible student. She has excellent grades in school. She didn¡¯t have any learning problems that I had to worry over. She even often helped students with poor grades. Jiang Hui is recognized as a talented girl in our ss. She has published many novels in magazines that describe campus life. They are lively, interesting, and exciting. I am also a fan of her work! At the ss meeting, I often praised her for writing well so that everyone could learn from her. Her writing was often passed around among ssmates.¡±


    The host asked, ¡°Can Jiang Hui''s novel be read out here?¡±


    The ss teacher said a little awkwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring them today, but I have an essay from school here that she won a prize for. I can read it to you... ¡®Backbone. What is a backbone? The teacher said... ¡¯¡±


    The teacher was interrupted halfway by the host. The host said, ¡°Since Jiang Hui''s younger brother was also a victim of this case, the show didn¡¯t invite him here for the purpose of protecting minors. However, from the words of the parents and the teacher, we can see that Jiang Hui was an obedient, thoughtful, and opinionated girl with a lot of talent. Her unfortunate death is a deep regret for us...¡±


    At this point, the stepmother and father rubbed their eyes, and the teacher also took out a handkerchief.


    Lin Dongxue mmed the off button on the TV in the conference room. The other policemen were confused. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Why won¡¯t you watch it?¡±


    ¡°That''s not Jiang Hui at all!¡± Lin Dongxue left angrily.


    Lin Dongxue''s anger was only relieved when she saw a Weibo named ¡°My sister is the coolest in the world.¡± The post was exactly the novel Jiang Hui didn¡¯t finish writing. All the abuse she suffered from the stepmother and family caused a heated discussion for a while.


    However, within two days, the Weibo post and its ount disappearedpletely, and everyone''s attention quickly shifted to other things.


    Lin Dongxue knew that the world would never know the truth through public discussion. Living people will lie for their own interests and face. Only the witnesses can remember the true nature of the girl.


    As long as one person in the world remembers her, she hasn''t really disappeared.

 Chapter 246: Another Chen Shi

    <h4>Chapter 246: Another Chen Shi</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 17: World¡¯s Biggest Lie


    On April 12th, Chen Shi was handcuffed. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong had been lowering their heads as they escorted him to the interrogation room. Many police officers ran out in surprise to watch and whispered to ask theirpanions, ¡°What''s wrong? Why is he getting arrested?¡±


    Chen Shi''s expression was not calm, but rather, it looked ice-cold, as if not to let others see through the feelings in his heart. He restrained every muscle on his face.


    Peng Sijue rushed out with arge coffee stain on his body and his eyes widened, ¡°Old Chen...¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly at him.


    There was a movement in the crowd and Lin Qiupu went over. He walked to Chen Shi with a cold face and poked his chest with a finger. ¡°You are not Chen Shi. Who exactly are you?¡±


    Three days ago, Zhou Xiao''s case was already set up with a task force. The chief paid special attention to Lin Qiupu¡¯s case and asked for the ¡°advisor with the surname Chen¡± to participate as well. ¡°Good steel should be used on the de[1].¡±


    Chen Shi was invited again. He flipped through the case file, looked at the corpse, and said with confidence, ¡°It was done by the same person! This guy would actually kill other serial killers. Perhaps he felt like a single mountain could not hold two tigers?¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°We have been inquiring in the gay-circle for the past two days and found that all the people who had seen Zhou Xiao''s true face were killed. Now, they are all lying in the morgue. The scenes were clean and there¡¯s no clues left for us at all.¡°


    ¡°What about a wanted warrant?¡±


    ¡°The rewards have been added over and over again, but nothing has progressed.¡±


    ¡°How difficult! I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to investigate the case?¡±


    ¡°I need to go back and think about it. Your great senior didn''t figure it out either. What magical power would I have to find him all of a sudden?¡±


    It was the first time Lin Qiupu saw Chen Shi admit defeat. This particr serial killer was tricky as well. Zhou Xiao was a serial killer without a fixed target. Even if they were the FBI, it would usually take years or even decades to hunt down a serial killer.


    Chen Shi still had some private matters to deal with. A few days ago, Peng Sijue sent an inexplicable text message to him. ¡°Dongxue seems to have seen you ying around with a prostitute. Go to the Longjiang police station and look for the evidence yourself!¡±


    Chen Shi scowled. Of course he didn¡¯t do that. He had already guessed what was going on.


    The photo sent by Zhou Xiao was not him at all, but another Chen Shi, which could be said to be the real Chen Shi. The intention was very clear. He intended to expose Chen Shi''s fake face.


    He went to cosmetic surgeon Dr. Yang and asked him why the owner of this face appeared in Long¡¯an again. He also went to find prostitutes trying to get arrested as well. Dr. Yang said he was innocent. Chen Shi was indeed missing back then. He was pronounced deceased byw, and Song Lang was the one who chose this face himself.


    Chen Shi had a headache. This is the price of a lie. He had to find this gap and plug it.


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi drove to the Longjiang police station and said to the police on duty with a smile on his face, ¡°Well, I was arrested two days ago for having fun with a protitute... I seem to have left down the wrong contact information.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite honest. Okay, I''ll look for it.¡±


    The policeman took a document and asked, ¡°What''s your mobile phone number?¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look. I drank too much that day. I''m afraid I left my wife''s number. I¡¯m finished if she finds out.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so afraid, why did you go to that kind of ce in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a changed man, really!¡±


    Chen Shi took the case file, nced at the number, remembered it, and left down his own phone number.


    When he left the police station, he dialed the number but found that he couldn''t get through. He angrily cursed, ¡°Bastard, it¡¯s fake!¡±


    The confession had an address, so Chen Shi had to drive there to try his luck.


    After walking around that street for an afternoon, he couldn¡¯t find anything. Chen Shi was unable to ask people around the area. He couldn''t very well point to his own face and ask, ¡°Do you know where I live?¡±


    He thought that maybe he could meet acquaintances and sound out some information, but he came up empty-handed.


    With his eyes squinting in the evening light, Chen Shi sat depressed in the car with a cigarette. The presence of this guy was undoubtedly a time bomb. The man was a bloody underworld triad member. If hemitted a crime and was caught in Long¡¯an or killed by Zhou Xiao, then he¡¯d be in the worst luck.


    Chen Shi rubbed his forehead slightly and looked into the rear-view mirror. This rough face reflected the Song Lang of the past.


    Song Lang had a symmetrical and handsome face. Thest time he stared at it was in the underground operating room where Dr. Yang was covered with blood and the smell of disinfectant. Dr. Yang sighed. ¡°Unfortunate. Officer Song, I don¡¯t want to get rid of such a beautiful face! ¡°


    ¡°If I abandon this face and have a chance for aeback, then I don''t care,¡± Song Lang said with a sting in his heart. At that time, his brain was full of Qin Luoxi''s death and his heart was dead.


    ¡°Come and pick. These are all nk identities that can be used!¡± Dr. Yang opened a stack of photos with their resumes written behind them.


    Song Lang frowned. Who were these people? They were either rapists or traffickers. Dr. Yang said, ¡°How can honest people disappear into thin air? It''s impossible for you to find a celebrity face here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it will be exactly the same?¡±


    ¡°My skill is absolutely worth the price. You can rest assured that even your mother won¡¯t see the difference. But I have to remind you that you can only change it once. The surgery on the face bones and muscles is irreversible. If you want to change it again, the risk is too high. I won''t do that kind of work. If I don''t do a good job, I would leave your face paralyzed! ¡°


    Song Lang saw Chen Shi''s photo and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go with him!¡±


    ¡°This one is okay. A bit manly I guess.¡±


    ¡°Let''s get started!¡± Song Lang closed his eyes and said goodbye to the past. That day was October 10th.


    Chen Shi opened his eyes. A man was knocking on the window. He wanted to roll down the window and say no passengers. However, when he saw the other person''s face, he froze.


    They looked at each other''s faces as if looking in a mirror and the man sneered. ¡°I really don''t know when my mother gave me a twin brother! I saw you walking up and down this street in the afternoon and I couldn¡¯t help but notice you.¡±


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    The man sat in the front passenger seat and said, ¡°My name is Chen Shi. How can I address you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Chen Shi as well.¡±


    The otherughed and drew away. Suddenly, the smile appeared and a small knife was ced next to Chen Shi''s neck. ¡°You really know how to y! Want to kill me and make someone else rece me? This face must have cost a lot right?¡±


    He reached out and pinched Chen Shi''s face. Chen Shi said, ¡°I''m the police!¡±


    ¡°I''m also the fucking governor!¡±


    ¡°I know you might not believe it. I was framed four[2] years ago with a murder charge on my back and I changed my face. I thought you were dead at the time.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Song Lang then?¡±


    ¡°You know about me?¡±


    The other personughed. ¡°Who doesn''t know the legendary name of the police world when they walk this path? You¡¯d have to make a detour whenever you saw him... Buddy, your lie is getting too big. If you are Song Lang, I¡¯ll treat you to a good time tonight!¡±


    ¡°I''m really Song Lang! I used to be...¡±


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? Who was the suspect in case 413 then?¡±


    ¡°Li Bo!¡±


    ¡°What about the poisonous pupa murder case?¡±


    ¡°Xu Hai!¡±


    These were all undisclosed cases. Of course, the people on the dark path might know though.


    The other person widened his eyes and slowly withdrew the knife. ¡°Let''s go to the Prosperity Club.¡±


    1. You should utilize your best assets.


    2. Editor¡¯s note: I changed this from three to four. Towards the beginning of the series, I think he says four years ago

 Chapter 247: Personal Grudges

    <h4>Chapter 247: Personal Grudges</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I don''t want to go to that kind of ce! Also, you were arrested in thest two days, and caused trouble for me!¡±


    The man patted Chen Shi''s shoulder andughed, ¡°I¡¯m a man. Was I born with a cock, only to use it for peeing? That was a pretty unlucky day. I had just taken off the woman''s clothes when the police came. I was so angry. I was going to let it all out today. Surely, I won¡¯t be as unlucky asst time, right?¡±


    ¡°Can you not? Stop messing around!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Officer Song, you¡¯re the one stealing my identity, aren¡¯t you? Why should I listen to you? It is my freedom to do as I like - Even to kill and set fire[1]!¡±


    Chen Shi sighed helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ll give you money. Can you leave Long''an?¡±


    ¡°That''s why you''re looking for me today? How much?¡±


    ¡°50,000!¡±


    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±


    ¡°500,000!¡±


    ¡°Add another zero and I might think about it.¡±


    ¡°I only have 500,000 in my savings. Take it or leave it.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± The manughed and patted Chen Shi''s shoulder. ¡°Officer Song, I actually admired you very much in the past. You have be me now. I feel like I¡¯m dreaming, as if I¡¯ve be a detective. I won¡¯t take your money. I went missing in the past few years because I was selling drugs in the Golden Triangle[2]. I made a lot of money. I will return there when I finish handling my affairs here.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Haha, look at your reaction! I¡¯m just joking with you. Actually, I¡¯ve been helping to collect loan shark debts in Hunan in recent years. By the way, you''re called Chen Shi, and I''m also called Chen Shi. It''s strange. Call me by this name!¡± The man took out an identity card with his face on it, but his name was Wang Daji.


    Chen Shi raised his eyebrows. ¡°You have two ID cards, but you gave the name ¡°Chen Shi¡± when you were arrested?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I won¡¯t use my real name for embarrassing things... Yes, Wang Daji is my real name now, mainly because I¡¯ve done some things, and both ck and white sides[3] are after me now.¡±


    Chen Shi had a headache. What kind of a guy is this?


    Wang Daji said, ¡°Let''s go. We should go to the Prosperity Club. The girls there are beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Get lost. I have to pick up the child!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have children? Your child is my child. Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    ¡°Leave me your contact details. I¡¯lle back and talk to youter.¡±


    ¡°No, you cane to the Prosperity Club at eight o''clock in the evening. See you there!¡± Wang Daji opened the car door and left.


    ¡°Asshole, don¡¯t go!¡± Chen Shi yelled as he continued to leave.


    Chen Shi went to school to pick up Tao Yueyue. She saw that he was deep in thought, and asked, ¡°Uncle Chen, have you quarreled with Sister Lin?¡±


    ¡°It''s more serious than that.¡±


    ¡°Oh... If it¡¯s personal, I won''t ask.¡±


    ¡°What a good girl! Yueyue, don''t ever lie in the future. A lie often requires countless lies to back it up.¡±


    ¡°You adults always do the wrong things and then try to educate children to do the right things, huh?¡±


    ¡°I never thought of you as a child.¡±


    ¡°Can I eat junk food tonight then?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Tao Yueyue pulled a face.


    He sent Tao Yueyue home and told her not to go out at night. After finding out that Zhou Xiao was back, Chen Shi had installed rms and monitors at his and Lin Dongxue''s houses just in case.


    He drove to the Prosperity Club. The street was full of bright lights. Chen Shi looked up and saw the security camera on the wall. Without entering the building, he stood in the dark and waited for Wang Daji.


    At 8:30, Wang Daji appeared with a bag in his arms and said with a smile, ¡°Did Ie on time?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on time. It¡¯s Beijing Time that¡¯s inurate.¡± Chen Shi said sarcastically.


    ¡°Come here and change your clothes.¡± Wang Daji pulled out an outfit simr to what he was wearing from the bag.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to change into it or not?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°I''m going to rob a convenience store now and let the surveince camera record my face. Let¡¯s see who the police will arrest.¡±


    Chen Shi was helpless, so he changed into the clothes. Wang Daji stood close to him, and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, our height is simr as well. When we stand like this, we look like real brothers.¡±


    ¡°I really want to kill you!¡±


    ¡°How could Officer Song do such a thing? By the way, are you still a policeman?¡±


    Chen Shi took out his documents, and Wang Daji eximed after a nce, ¡°Criminal Consultant? Fuck! It seems that you¡¯re still in the same profession. Did the guy who framed you get caught? In fact, I have a lead!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t tell if Wang Daji was lying or not underneath his smile. Chen Shi asked suspiciously, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. As long as you cooperate with me, I will tell you. Not only will I tell you, I will leave Long¡¯an when I am done with things here and I will never give you any trouble again.¡±


    ¡°I warn you. You can¡¯tmit crimes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. For sure! Wait for me here. I need to go up and find someone.¡±


    Wang Daji went up and Chen Shi waited around for the time it took to smoke three cigarettes. Wang Daji ran out suddenly with his face stained with blood. He ran off and shouted, ¡°Hit that bastard!¡± Then he dove into ane.


    Chen Shi widened his eyes and saw two men following Wang. One was as thin as a monkey and had a blue dragon tattoo. The other was fat with a tiger tattooed on his chest, and both men wore bathrobes.


    When the thin man saw Chen Shi, he immediately looked shocked. Chen Shi smashed his nose with his fist and the thin man moaned.


    The fat man yelled, and tried to pounce on Chen Shi. Chen Shi ran in the opposite direction, kicked off on the wall, jumped and then kicked the fat man''s chest. The other party staggered and fell on his bum onto the ground.


    You must see blood when you kill. Now that things havee to this, Chen Shi didn¡¯t n to let them get up. He rushed over, lifted the fat man by the big gold chain on his neck and strangled him with the chain from behind. Then he said with a loud voice, ¡°Try provoking me again!¡±


    The thin man knelt down and begged for mercy, ¡°Brother Chen, I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have seduced your wife.¡±


    What?!


    Chen Shi was startled internally, but he continued with a fierce expression. ¡°In the future, if I ever see you in Long¡¯an, I will beat you. Get lost!¡±


    The two got up and ran, with the fat man shouting behind from a distance, ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡±


    There were many people around watching. Chen Shi turned around and entered the alley. Wang Daji squatted behind the trash can and beckoned. He stuffed a wad of paper into his nose andughed nonstop, ¡°Quite awesome, Officer Song. The ability to think on your feet is really strong! I admire you!¡±


    ¡°Why provoke others? I can tell those two aren¡¯t good people at a nce.¡±


    ¡°I provoked them?¡± Wang Daji said indignantly, ¡°Do you know why I came back to Long¡¯an this time? Half a month ago, I went onto a porn site and actually saw my girl doing it with others. The person who did my girl was actually that skinny guy. I was so angry that if I didn¡¯t calm down a little along the way over here, I would have killed him today!¡±


    ¡°Your wife?¡±


    ¡°No, she''s just my girl.¡±


    ¡°Why did they do this?¡±


    ¡°Because three years ago, I chopped off one of their boss''s fingers and the old man let the word out that he was going to chop off all ten of my fingers. Since I went into hiding, they couldn¡¯t find me and fucked my woman instead!¡± Wang Daji''s eyes glowed fiercely, and he stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s go, brother. We need to go and find my woman!¡±


    1. Phrase used in reference tomitting any sort of crimes really.


    2. The area where the borders of Thand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The area is famous for drug production.


    3. Police and those that enforce thew are white and triads, gangs, etc are ck.

 Chapter 248: You Can’t be Saved

    <h4>Chapter 248: You Can¡¯t be Saved</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°What do you n to do?¡±


    ¡°Find her and sort this out! By the way, I don''t know her current address, so I have to ask you for help. You must have connections with the police, right?¡±


    ¡°I can find her, but don''t do anything impulsive.¡±


    ¡°I won''t! I''ll just sew her up down there with a needle and thread... Haha, just kidding!¡± Wang Daji smiled, and patted Chen Shi''s shoulder, ¡°I love looking at your expressions. I love her very much; I won''t do anything to her. I n to give her money and let her leave this ce.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°If I fool you, then I¡¯m a puppy[2].¡±


    ¡°What''s your wife''s name?¡±


    ¡°Su Ruijuan! This is her ID number...¡±


    Chen Shi pulled out his cell phone and called a local policeman he had worked with before. After exchanging a few words, Chen Shi asked him to check Su Ruijuan''s current address. The other party found it quickly and informed Chen Shi.


    The two drove to the neighborhood, and along the way, Wang Daji boasted repeatedly about his ¡°glorious deeds¡± over the past few years, and gave Chen Shia headache from listening to it. Those glorious deeds were all debts he had to bear.


    Wang Daji looked for his wife''s ce in the neighborhood. When he found that his wife''s window had the curtains closed, he yelled, ¡°There must be someone at her home!¡± Then he went upstairs in a hurry.


    Chen Shi hurried to catch up with him and stopped him before he was going to knock, ¡°Calm down!¡±


    ¡°I''m calm!¡± Wang Daji gasped.


    A couple were moaning licentiously in the room, and Wang Daji whispered, ¡°Slut! Giving me a green hat again!¡±


    ¡°Adultery isn¡¯t illegal. If you beat someone, it would break thew. Go downstairs. I''ll deal with it.¡±


    ¡°How?!¡±


    Wang Daji listened through the door and cursed while listening, ¡°Slut, I don''t know where the adulterer came from... Motherfucker, it¡¯ssting quite a while as well... She didn¡¯t yell like that when she and I did the deed... I¡¯m so angry!¡±


    Next to him, Chen Shi listened to his muttering and thought that the guy had a unique hobby, so he didn¡¯t bother to worry about him anymore.


    He ran to the stairs above and sat smoking, waiting for Wang Daji to get things sorted out.


    Wang Daji deliberately waited for the right opportunity. He said to Chen Shi, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for that guy to get to the point where he¡¯s about to shoot his wad, and scare him so that he wilts, haha!¡±


    Chen Shi rolled his eyes.


    When he heard the man in the room start moaning loudly, Wang Daji pounded on the door wildly and shouted, ¡°Su Ruijuan, open the door. Your man is back! Don''t pretend like you¡¯re not in. I know someone¡¯s in there!¡±


    After waiting for five minutes, the door opened, and Chen Shi saw a disheveled woman through the gaps in the staircase railings.


    Wang Daji pushed past her and looked around, ¡°Where is the man hiding?¡±


    ¡°What man? You didn¡¯te back for three years, leaving me alone to rot. Isn¡¯t it okay for me to buy a dildo so I can at least have some pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Hiding in the washing machine, huh? Brother, I tried this trick long ago. It doesn''t work!¡±


    A terrified male voice said, ¡°Brother, I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Get lost, get lost, get lost!¡±


    A shirtless man ran out with a pile of clothes, without even wearing his shoes.


    Wang Daji began to use, ¡°Exin to me what happened in that video?¡±


    ¡°What video?¡±


    ¡°What video do you think?¡±


    ¡°You left me and those bastards came. They gave me drugs and raped me. Now youe back and try to me me? Wow, what a guy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve settled it with that bastard. I''ve watched that shit more than ten times. You were drugged? I think you enjoyed it quite a bit!¡±


    ¡°I''m just a woman. What can I do? Fight them desperately? If you don''te back, I''m stuck here every day and even if I were to scream, even the heavens wouldn¡¯t answer me...¡± The woman started crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y this game with me! While I wasn¡¯t home, how many green hats have you given me? Talk!¡±


    ¡°I gave you green hats, and so what? You bastard! You only know how to hide when things happen. Your balls are just for show!¡±


    ¡°Slut, see how I¡¯ll fix you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m a slut. You wouldn¡¯t have liked me if I wasn¡¯t cheap!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ll sort you out right now.¡±


    Then there was a woman''s cry in the room, and Wang Daji gasped as he said, ¡°You¡¯re nearly as wet as a river, you bitch!¡± The woman giggled.


    Chen Shi sighed, Why do I have to listen to this?


    Five minutester, the two seemed to be done and were whispering to each other in the room. Chen Shi was already impatient, and he received a message from Lin Dongxue. ¡°I''ll go to your house to find you.¡±


    Chen Shi replied, ¡°I''m gging down customers right now.¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn''t reply and Chen Shi thought it was all over for him. He immediately went downstairs to knock on the door.


    The woman said in the room, ¡°There¡¯s someone outside?¡±


    Wang Daji said, ¡°My new underling.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite him in? It¡¯s cold in the corridor.¡±


    ¡°Why should I call him in? For a threesome? How can you think of such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Let me see what he looks like!¡±


    ¡°As handsome as me!¡±


    ¡°Who are you fooling? Except for Guo Fucheng[3], who would be as handsome as my Chen Shi.¡±


    ¡°Little bitch, you really know how to sweet talk me. Let me sort you out again...¡±


    Chen Shi knocked on the door again, and Wang Daji shouted, ¡°Go downstairs and wait for me!¡± Then he muttered, ¡°Underlings nowadays are getting more and more unruly.¡±


    The woman said, ¡°If you have something to do, you can go first. You won¡¯t be leaving me again now that you¡¯vee back, right?¡±


    ¡°Rx, I won''t go.¡±


    ¡°When will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°When I have finished handling some affairs here, I''ll marry you! Take this money.¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi, what do you think I am? Do you think I love your money?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you love me because I¡¯m rich?¡±


    The twoughed together.


    Hearing the door opening, Chen Shi hurried down to thending below. Wang Daji came down while putting on his clothes, and red at Chen Shi, ¡°Why were you rushing me?¡±


    ¡°I have some matters to sort out at home.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    At that moment, the woman came out, and two ¡°Chen Shi¡± were both standing on the stairnding. If they were seen, it would be game over, so Wang Daji quickly slipped away.


    Su Ruijuan came over and said to Chen Shi, ¡°It was your underling who went down just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what an unruly guy.¡± Chen Shi tried to imitate Wang Daji''s tone of voice as much as possible.


    Su Ruijuan nced downward, ¡°It''s quite rude. He didn¡¯t even say hello when he saw his boss¡¯s wife.¡± Then she took Chen Shi''s hand, put a charm into his palm, and said, ¡°I prayed for this at Dabei Temple for you. It¡¯s a peace charm. Take it with you!¡±


    Chen Shi had to ept, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Su Ruijuan suddenly embraced Chen Shi and kissed him. Chen Shi, who was afraid to blow his cover, had to y along. While the two were French kissing for as long as a minute, Wang Daji was standing on the stairs below with his fists clenched tight.


    After the kiss, Su Ruijuan said to Chen Shi while hugging him. ¡°You must stay safe; I won¡¯t ask for anything else. I just want us to live safely and stably for the rest of our lives... If you continue to fool around outside, I will continue to give you green hats!¡±


    ¡°You slut.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m your slut.¡±


    Su Ruijuan smiled and was about to kiss him again. Chen Shi stopped her and said, ¡°I have to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you!¡±


    When Chen Shi went downstairs, Su Ruijuan shouted down, ¡°Whoever you are, take good care of your boss.¡±


    Going downstairs, Wang Daji pped Chen Shi''s shoulder andughed, ¡°Is my girl''s oral skill very good? You haven''t experienced another kind of oral skill though. I¡¯m warning you, don''te over here to try it when I¡¯m not around!¡±


    Chen Shi wiped the saliva around his mouth and said indignantly, ¡°Do you think everyone is like you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I really love her cheap look.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be saved!¡±


    1. A phrase typically used when the person is viewed as hopeless.


    2. Addressing someone as a dog is condescending.Equating a person to a dog is insulting (in Chinese) because it implies you are a beast that is incapable of thinking and only obeys orders from a master.


    3. Also known as Aaron Kwok or ¡°Kwok Fu-shing¡± (Cantonese Pinyin). He¡¯s a popr HK singer, dancer and actor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Kwok

 Chapter 249: Lin Dongxue’s Disdain

    <h4>Chapter 249: Lin Dongxue''s Disdain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the way, Chen Shi told Wang Dajithat he was not allowed to interfere in his affairs. Wang Daji had agreed almost instantaneously.


    He drove the car to his housing district, and saw Lin Dongxue standing there waiting for him. Wang Daji''s eyes lit up, ¡°Wow. Your girl? Too good! From head to toe, she¡¯s too good!


    ¡°Stop messing around.¡±


    ¡°Wang Daji, stay in the car and don''t interfere with my affairs!¡± Wang Daji imitated Chen Shi¡¯s tone, then opened the door and ran straight to Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi was extremely depressed with the situation and clenched his jaw angrily.


    Lin Dongxue saw ¡°Chen Shi¡± heading over and said, ¡°No need to go up. Our conversation doesn¡¯t need to be overheard by Yueyue.¡±


    ¡°What''s up?¡± Wang Daji asked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you clear about what you¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Don''t pretend! It will only make me look down on you even more!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that thing about the prostitute, right?¡±


    ¡°So you do know what you¡¯ve done!¡± Lin Dongxue said resentfully, ¡°I always thought you were a mysterious person who suddenly appeared in front of me. You also knew how to solve cases. You were excellent in a lot of aspects. I thought you must have had some secret, but I didn¡¯t expect that you were like... In my heart, I just...¡±


    Chen Shi sighed. He was finished and this pot wouldn¡¯t be able to be thrown away in his lifetime[1].


    Wang Daji reached out and put his hand on Lin Dongxue''s shoulder. Lin Dongxue shook it off with annoyance, ¡°Don''t touch me, I feel sick when I see you now!¡±


    Wang Daji said affectionately, ¡°Do you know why I went to find that woman that day?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to listen! I''m leaving!¡±


    Wang Daji caught her arm. ¡°I thought of you too much that day and I couldn¡¯t deal with it. I went to take a bath, but then I saw a girl that looked like you. She looked so much like you that I couldn¡¯t help myself... But I swear that I used protection.¡±


    Chen Shi pounded the steering wheel frantically. He couldn''t bear it anymore. He quietly opened the door and got out of the car.


    Chen Shi texted Peng Sijue as he walked, ¡°Hurry up and call Dongxue, and say that there are important things that she needs to attend to in order to drive her away. I¡¯ll exin it to youter!¡± Then he went to a store and bought a bottle of spray paint.


    When he returned, Wang Daji was still ¡°exining¡± shamelessly and Lin Dongxue''s eyes were already full of contempt.


    At that moment, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang, and Lin Dongxue answered. ¡°Captain Peng? Did you need me for... Something important...¡± Then she walked away.


    Chen Shi strode behind Wang Daji, and patted his shoulder.The moment Wang Daji turned around, Chen Shi sprayed his face with spray paint, and Wang Daji quietly protested, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Come away with me!¡±


    Chen Shi pulled his cor, dragged him into the shrubs next to him, pointed at him and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try talking nonsense again! Stay here!¡±


    ¡°That girl likes you, huh?¡± Wang Daji said with a smile.


    Chen Shi pointed at his face fiercely, threatened him with the look in his eyes, then threw the paint away before going back to the ce where Wang had been talking with Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue finished her call, went back and informed him coldly, ¡°I''m leaving. Let¡¯s no longer be friends in the future. I won''te with you when you solve cases. You can just look for Xiaodong and the others!¡±


    Chen Shi felt like he had tens of thousands of horses running around in his heart, disturbing it. What was that fucker doing? He said sincerely, ¡°I''m wrong, I''m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you still making excuses just now? Why did you suddenly admit that you¡¯re in the wrong?¡± Lin Dongxue¡¯s eyes brimmed withtears. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me? We don¡¯t have a rtionship or anything!¡±


    ¡°I... I hope you can forgive me because I would be sad to lose you as a friend.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with me? I''m leaving!¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned and began to leave. Chen Shi caught up, and the two walked outside the housing district without saying a word to each other. Lin Dongxue turned her head around and said, ¡°Don''t follow me! I feel sick when I see you!¡±


    ¡°I know you''re angry, just scold me if you want to.¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but say, ¡°When I think of you going to that kind of ce and doing that kind of thing with that kind of woman, I feel sick! How can you have no moral principles at all? Furthermore, you are the team¡¯s consultant. You said you have only been there once. Who would believe that? Who knows how many times you¡¯ve gone there in the past? If you hadn¡¯t been arrested this time, we would have been kept in the dark thinking you were a serious and kind person!¡±


    ¡°What can I do to make up for it?¡±


    ¡°Disappear from my sight!¡± Lin Dongxue turned her tearful face away and walked towards a taxi.


    Chen Shi felt a sting in his heart, and he felt a fire welling up in his stomach.


    He turned and walked towards the housing district. Wang Daji jumped out of the shrubs and said, ¡°Brother, you really don¡¯t know how to sweet talk women. How could you admit to being wrong? You¡¯ve wasted all my efforts in helping you out.¡±


    Chen Shi just wanted to batter his face with a fist at the moment, and shouted, ¡°You need to disappear from Long¡¯an!¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are? I''m the real Chen Shi. You''re an impostor. If someone needs to get lost, then it should be you! Don¡¯t try and fight me! I won¡¯t necessarily lose!¡±


    Chen Shi sat down and grabbed his hair with his hands. His thoughts were chaotic.


    Wang Daji said, ¡°Can I find a ce to wash my face? Now that my face has been sprayed like this, how can I be seen in public? Is your home nearby?¡±


    ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡±


    ¡°Aiya!¡± Wang Daji poked him, ¡°I can see that you really like that girl. But there is another trick. Don¡¯t you know how to solve cases?¡±


    Chen Shi looked at him.


    ¡°I wasn''t ying around that day. I was going to find someone who killed my brother. Of course, I didn''t find him. The girls there were just too good, so I yed around a little.¡±


    ¡°Your brother?¡±


    ¡°Can I wash my face first? It won''t wash out easily once it¡¯s dry.¡±


    ¡°Come upstairs with me!¡±


    Chen Shi brought Wang Daji into his house. Tao Yueyue saw a strangering in and immediately became alert. Chen Shi said, ¡°Don''t be afraid, Yueyue. It¡¯s a friend.¡±


    Wang Daji said, ¡°Your dad and I are so close to each other that we¡¯re pretty much the same person.¡±


    ¡°He''s not my father!¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck, you¡¯re raising one at home...¡± Wang Daji hadn¡¯t finished talking when his face was covered by Chen Shi''s towel.


    After Wang Daji cleansed his face, Tao Yueyue''s mouth widened in shock and said, ¡°Two Uncle Chens?¡±


    ¡°It''s like this...¡±


    After Chen Shi exined, Tao Yueyue understood the situation, and asked, ¡°How should I address him then?¡±


    ¡°Just call him Wang Daji.¡±


    ¡°Call me Uncle Wang!¡±


    ¡°Wang Daji.¡±


    ¡°How ignorant. I can tell that you don¡¯t educate her very well.¡± Wang Dajiined.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk business!¡± Chen Shi demanded loudly.


    ¡°Well, let''s be serious then.¡± Wang Daji lit a cigarette. ¡°Four years ago, my brother and I worked at apany... Don''t look at me like that. Although I fooled around, I did have a proper job. I was a security officer... At the end of the year, thepany didn¡¯t pay out wages, so a group of migrant workers turned up to cause trouble. I was thinking about how this shitty bastard of a boss dared to hold on to migrant workers'' sries, so I went with my brother to pry open their safe in the office in the middle of the night and distributed the money to everyone. But in addition to the money in the safe, there was also a USB sh drive that I took with me. I didn¡¯t expect that my brother and I would becaught by the security camera.I also didn¡¯t expect that thepany wouldn¡¯t call the police. The boss found us and said that they would buy the USB sh drive from us with arge sum of money. I was thinking, ¡°Yeah, right.¡± in my heart. There must be some secret that can¡¯t be exposed in it. Of course, I wasn¡¯t stupid. If the thing was handed over, we were afraid that we wouldn¡¯t be able to live very well. So I kept raising the price of the USB drive until I knew that they couldn¡¯t afford to pay. Secretly, I didn¡¯t intend to hand over the USB drive!¡±


    ¡°Where is the USB sh drive? What''s in it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, some forms or something. I couldn¡¯t understand it. I just formatted it and then I used it to store some porn...Then I lost itter on.¡±


    1. They refer to problems as pots and woks.

 Chapter 250: Making A Little Money Respectably

    <h4>Chapter 250: Making A Little Money Respectably</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said indignantly, ¡°You can¡¯t do anything right, can you? Didn¡¯t you realize how important that thing was?¡±


    Wang Daji argued, ¡°Before they came to me, how could I have known that there was a secret in the USB sh drive?¡±


    ¡°Whichpany was it?¡±


    ¡°Yuhua Pharmaceutical Company.¡±


    Chen Shi searched using his mobile phone, and a piece of news jumped out at him. A batch of drugs from this drugpany had killed nine patients. After the family members of the patients filed a jointwsuit, thepanypensated them with a total of three million yuan.


    The date of the news was five years ago. In this era of overflowing information, it has been quite a long time since it was mentioned.


    Chen Shi asked Wang Daji, ¡°Did you take the USB drive four years ago?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it was three years ago, it was almost New Year then.¡±


    ¡°Thispany killed people five years ago but things have already been resolved. What else can they hide? Is it some other shady thing?¡±


    ¡°I''ve traveled extensively all these years, and I''ve seen a lot in my time. The biggerpanies¡¯ backgrounds aren¡¯t clean at all. It''s just a matter of hiding their dirt. They¡¯re not even as clean as us triads... At least we are transparent in our bad deeds.¡±


    Tao Yueyue interjected, ¡°Uncle Chen, since it is something that shouldn¡¯t be exposed, why did they leave evidence behind?¡±


    ¡°Adults are speaking. Children should be quiet.¡± Wang Daji said impatiently.


    ¡°Do not speak to Tao Yueyue like that!¡± Chen Shi warned.


    ¡°You teach children to be like...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chen Shi turned to Tao Yueyue, exining, ¡°This is because this information is also very important to them. For example, the ounts book of the corrupt official. He needs to keep his own ounts. If he collects people¡¯s money and does nothing for them, he will offend people. In a nutshell, this information is more important than the risk, so it was preserved.¡±


    ¡°Since it was in the USB sh drive, does that mean it was also on theputer?¡±


    ¡°Maybe...¡± Chen Shi asked Wang Daji, ¡°Continue your story. How did your brother die?¡±


    ¡°Not long after that happened, he was hacked to death one day and died in an alley. Do you know who handled this case?¡±


    ¡°It''s definitely not me, otherwise I would remember it.¡±


    ¡°It was handled by Li Mu. Do you know this officer? The case has still not been resolved. Your police force¡¯s case-solving rate is really too shabby.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you provide any leads at the time?¡±


    ¡°Because I also have a case on me!¡± Wang Daji grinned, ¡°I have to hide when I see the police. How can I take the initiative to go up to them? But I know that it must be Yuhua who killed him to keep his mouth shut. Since I offended them, I had to run away. Coming back this time, I intend to avenge my brother. To be honest, when I went to the health club that day, I had an army knife on me and was ready to kill that bastard.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The secretary of the Yuhua boss, Hou Yue. After my brother died three years ago, he resigned, but he received a lot of money. He owns a majority of that health club¡¯s shares, making him almost the boss. He often goes there to y.¡±


    ¡°You have investigated this very thoroughly!¡±


    ¡°Of course. When I was walking this path with him, we were just like Chen Haonan and the Shan Ji[2], and I vowed to avenge him!¡±


    Chen Shi went into the room, took a little book out and said, ¡°Tell me everything you know including every detail.¡±


    ¡°Officer Song, you¡¯re so motivated?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Who wants to be guilty of visiting a prostitute? I''ll try my best to solve this case.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you really like that girl.¡± Wang Daji giggled.


    After three hours, Chen Shi had taken down all the clues that Wang Daji knew. Every detail was carefully confirmed, because this case had happened not only to Wang Daji, but also to Chen Shi. He must be able to withstand cross-examination.


    Wang Daji had talked so much that his mouth became dry. He went to the refrigerator, took out a drink and mixed it with whiskey. He sat down and said with a smile, ¡°That girl is really great. Have you guys done it yet?¡±


    Chen Shi ignored him and looked at the book. The death of Wang Daji''s brother Meng Ergou seemed to have no direct connection with the Yuhua Company. Everything was just spection by Wang Daji. Without Wang Daji''s testimony, no one would associate the death with the Yuhua Company, so it was no wonder that Li Mu wasn¡¯t able to solve it.


    Three years had passed since the case happened and the clues no longer existed. It would have been easier to win the lotto than it was to solve the case.


    Wang Daji stretched and said, ¡°Dude, do it tomorrow. Where shall I sleep tonight?¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you going back?¡± Chen Shi said in surprise.


    ¡°Where can I go? Then I''m leaving. I''m not responsible for people seeing me near your house.¡±


    Chen Shi held his forehead helplessly, ¡°Then sleep on the sofa!¡±


    Chen Shi was awakened by the sound of coughing and toilet flushing in the middle of the night and came out to see Wang Daji washing his face. It was already 5:00 at the time. Wang Daji said, ¡°Damn, I ate seafood yesterday and now I¡¯m vomiting and having diarrhea.¡±


    ¡°You are really noisy at night with your snoring!¡± Chen Shi frowned.


    ¡°Haha! Did I wake you? My bad. It''s almost dawn. Should we go out for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll eat at home.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell that you¡¯re a househusband[3] as well! Not bad, not bad. I''ll try out your cooking then!¡±


    It turns out that when the person you¡¯re cooking for changes, so does the enthusiasm. Chen Shi casually toasted a few slices of bread, smeared them with jam, warmed three sses of milk, and sat down to eat. Chen Shi asked, ¡°You really have no impression of what was on the USB?¡±


    ¡°What can I remember with this pig''s brain? Aren''t you Song Lang? There are no cases in the world that Song Lang can''t solve. There are rumors in the underworld that you should avoidmitting a crime thatnds in Song Lang''s hands.¡±


    ¡°Song Lang also has a case that he can¡¯t solve.¡± Chen Shi sighed.


    ¡°Officer Song...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m called Chen Shi!¡±


    ¡°Calling you by my own name is so weird. Alright, Old Chen, what¡¯s your n today?¡±


    ¡°I''ll look for the case in the bureau and see if I can re-investigate it. You just stay here during the day and don''t go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just boring me to death?¡±


    ¡°I have aputer here, you can use it however you like.¡±


    ¡°Are there any women in it?¡±


    ¡°Are you a male pig[4]?¡±


    ¡°I can''t stay in the house like this. I''ll head out for a bit. Rest assured, I¡¯ll be careful not to besmirch Officer Song''s face and reputation.¡±


    ¡°Call me Chen Shi!¡±


    After a while, Tao Yueyue came out for breakfast. She kept watching Wang Daji guardedly. No matter how Wang Daji teased her, she just ignored him. Wang Daji was someone who couldn¡¯t stop talking. He asked Chen Shi, ¡°Is this little girl your illegitimate child?¡°


    ¡°I won''t talk about her background without her consent.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, aiya, is it necessary to respect such a little fart?¡±


    Tao Yueyue said in revenge, ¡°Uncle Chen, is this the kind of ¡®bad adult¡¯ you often talk about?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if you don''t study hard, you¡¯ll be like this in the future.¡±


    Instead of being angry, Wang Dajiughed, ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t study hard, you¡¯ll end up like me ¨C making lots of money all day long. Study hard like your Uncle Chen so that you can make a little money respectably.¡±


    1. The Chinese expression they used can mean a range of things; Grand, magnificently, beautiful, highly honored, respectable, etc.


    2. Characters in a popr and ssic movie called ¡°Young and Dangerous¡±, which was based on theic, ¡°Teddy Boy¡±. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_and_Dangerous_(film_series)


    3. Making a joke saying that he¡¯s a housewife.


    4. A male pig that farmers keep for inseminating the female pigs.

 Chapter 251: Accidental Fall

    <h4>Chapter 251: idental Fall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi arrived at the office and found Meng Ergou''s case file in the archives. Meng Ergou was indeed hacked to death. The police identified it as a death caused by gang fighting. The suspect was a person who had beef with Meng Ergou. After the incident, the suspect disappeared and he was still a wanted man to this day.


    Li Mu had always been cautious when handling cases and would not have been unjust. Chen Shi looked carefully at the evidence collection process and found nothing wrong with it.


    He suspected that perhaps the case was not rted to Yuhua Company at all, because Wang Daji couldn''t produce any clear evidence. Everything was just his spection.


    Chen Shi went directly to investigating Yuhua Company and contacted thew firm that sued Yuhua Company that year. The receptionist said that thewyer surnamed Liu who was in charge of the case, was not in Long¡¯an in the morning, and was due to return in the evening.


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t do anything about that, so he went to the information division to check on a few employees from the Yuhua Company.


    The first person he checked was Ma Wanli, the CEO of Yuhua Company. He had five properties in Long¡¯an.


    The chief secretary Hou Yue left his job three years ago, but there was a discrepancy with what Wang Daji said. He had left before Meng Ergou died and currently had no fixed job.


    The product manager, Zhu Jun, identally fell to his death three years ago.


    Another person was someone Wang Daji had mentioned yesterday: an actuary named Yang Fen. Police information also showed that he fell down from a building identally three years ago.


    After seeing this strange information, Chen Shi immediately rushed to the police station in charge of the case. The Criminal Police Consultant Card indeed came in useful there, and Chen Shi sessfully obtained the case file he was after.


    There were only a few pages in the entire file. When Zhu Jun fell, the door was locked. The only key was on Zhu Jun. Using the term from murder mysteries, it was a ¡°locked room case¡±.


    A half-bottle of wine and some side dishes were found in his room. ording to the clues on the scene, he had tried to open the window after drinking, stumbled and fell.


    Chen Shi picked up the photos and found that the deceased had fallen onto the ground with his back facing down and that there was arge amount of dust on his back. He noted down the location of the ident and rushed there to take a look.


    The house had already been vacated and a real estate agency was overseeing the sale of the house. Chen Shi didn''t bother with the intermediary. He pried open the lock and went in. This was a three-bedroom house with two living rooms, and the whole ce was empty.


    He stood in the center of the room, recalling the scene in the photos, and recreated every piece of furniture in his mind.


    At the time, there was a table near the window, and the window was the kind that could be opened on both the left and right. If he stood on the table and opened the window, there was indeed a risk of falling, but he was not convinced that this was just a simple ident.


    How could two people fall down one after another around the same time? Something so coincidental often has hidden truths.


    However, the two cases were not investigated together at the time. In addition, it had been two years since the Yuhua Company scandal, and it had failed to attract the investigator¡¯s attention.


    Chen Shi went to another local police station and looked at the case file of the actuary, Yang Fen. Simrly, he couldn¡¯t find out much from the case file. Because the family members didn¡¯t agree with having an autopsy, the case was ruled an ident and closed.


    The location of Yang Fen''s ident was demolishedst year.


    After running around these three ces, it was already past noon. Chen Shi ate a simple meal and then he received a phone call on his mobile phone. It was Lawyer Liu. He said, ¡°Were you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I''m from the police. I want to find out about Yuhua from you.¡±


    ¡°It has been five years since that case was resolved, and the family members have also receivedpensation for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I just want to understand some things.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you cane to my office then!¡±


    When he got to thew firm, Lawyer Liu and Chen Shi briefly exchanged a few niceties before broaching the main topic. He handed a stack of documents to Chen Shi, saying, ¡°This is the evidence of thewsuit against Yuhua that year. Nine patients died after taking their medicine. Although the public criticized thepany, it took me a lot of effort to obtain evidence and nearly a year to getpensation for the families.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything wrong with their medicine?¡±


    ¡°As mentioned in this article, thepany''s Armirisin A injection contains diethylene glycol, which can cause kidney failure. A simr incident urred in the United States as early as 1937, which killed 107 people. The chief pharmacistmitted suicide because of the overwhelming public criticism. Why did they mix in diethylene glycol? It took me a lot of work to find out. There was supposed to be an auxiliary ingredient of propylene glycol in the injection, but the purchaser bought toxic diethylene glycol which functions simrly for a cheaper price.¡±


    ¡°How did Yuhua defend themselves back then?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they said that it was an ident. They dumped the whole problem onto the person who sourced the ingredients and then apologized publicly afterwards. They fired the person, but...¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I suspect they are still using the same form. Because I represented the clients in this case, I developed a bit of a reputation for my expertise in medicalwsuits. Since then, I¡¯ve received calls from patients one after another in the past two years. They said that adverse reactions urred after using Yuhua''s medicine. ¡°


    ¡°Did anyone die?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I''m afraid you would be shocked if I told you, but in the past five years, 17 patients have died. Yuhua Company chose to settle out of court andpensated all of them. The money was paid out quite happily.¡±


    ¡°You just mentioned a simr case in the United States in 1937. Did that pharmacist reallymit suicide? Or was he killed?¡±


    Lawyer Liuughed, ¡°Officer Chen seems to like conspiracy theories. I don''t know about such a case from such a long time ago, and there is no evidence to back it up either.¡±


    ¡°I''m asking for your opinion.¡±


    ¡°I think that something is strange! Of course, this is just my personal spection during a private chat.¡±


    ¡°Are the ingredient purchaser and chief pharmacist of Yuhua Company still alive?¡±


    ¡°They are!¡±


    ¡°Can you prove it?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you know if you just checked it?¡± Lawyer Liu picked up the phone. It seemed thatwyers also had their own personalworks. He then hung up and made small talk with Chen Shi for a while.


    Half an hourter, the phone rang. After Lawyer Liu answered, his expression changed greatly, and he said to Chen Shi, ¡°The chief pharmacist died five years ago.¡±


    ¡°How did he die?¡±


    ¡°idental fall from a building!¡±


    Chen Shi sneered; it reeked of conspiracy. He was afraid the case was not so simple. The three people who identally fell would have known about thepany''s most important secrets, so they had to ¡°fall down identally¡±.


    As for the secret? The so-called secret would be the simplest thing.


    A single person''s secret, if leaked, would only affect their own dignity[1], but the secret of apany would be of vital importance to their profits.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Lawyer Liu, is my conspiracy theory urate?¡±


    Lawyer Liu stood up and said, ¡°Officer Chen, if you want to investigate Yuhua Company, I will do my best to support you. Of course, you¡¯ll need to hire me when you need to sue them.¡±


    ¡°If it bes a criminal case, they will be publicly charged by the prosecutor¡¯s office, and we probably won¡¯t be hiring awyer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Lawyer Liu sat down in disappointment. ¡°But if you have any leads, please tell me. After all, I¡¯ve been following Yuhua Company for so many years. It wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration if I were to say that they¡¯re my mortal enemy.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    1. The author had written ¡°... would only amount to the things in their pants¡±, but it just didn¡¯t seem to sound right in English.

 Chapter 252: Do You Plan To Be Me Forever?

    <h4>Chapter 252: Do You n To Be Me Forever?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi had three faxes of death certificates in his hand, which he had received from two police stations in the local administrative region and one police station in another part of the country. He went into Lin Qiupu''s office and said, ¡°Can you look and notice what these cases have inmon?¡±


    ¡°Unexpected fall. Unexpected fall? Unexpected fall!¡±


    ¡°There is another thing they have inmon. The three of them worked for the samepany. I want to file a case.¡±


    ¡°You? File a case? You''re not even a police officer!¡±


    ¡°You can let Dongxue file the case and let me investigate.¡±


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. ¡°How many years has it been? Why did you dig these cases up? Do you know how short on manpower we are and how nervous our police force is right now? Don¡¯t you think we need to investigate the Zhou Xiao case?¡±


    Chen Shi ced both his hands on the table. ¡°Come on, Captain Lin, please help me just this once, and I will do my best to help you catch Zhou Xiao when I''m done.¡±


    ¡°No... You...¡± Lin Qiupu disyed an expression like he had a toothache, ¡°How would you check? Is there any evidence?¡±


    ¡°Please. This is my personal matter. I want to get justice for a friend. In fact, I have long wanted to investigate this case.¡±


    Seeing Chen Shi being so sincere, Lin Qiupu had to make a concession. After all, Chen Shi had helped the Second Team solve many cases.


    So, he picked up the phone...


    When she heard that she would have to investigate the case with Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue said, while looking angrily at Chen Shi, ¡°I won''t do it! I won''t investigate with him!¡± Lin Dongxue was normally always enthusiastic about investigating cases with Chen Shi. Lin Qiupu noticed the change in his sister''s attitude and asked, ¡°Did something happen between the two of you?¡±


    ¡°No, I still have things I need to attend to!¡± Lin Dongxue said stiffly.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I am only asking you to help me investigate the case this once. In the future, whether you investigate cases with me or not is up to you. This case is rted to a friend of mine. To be honest, I¡¯ve been thinking about this for three years now.¡±


    ¡°Why now?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°I think our rtionship now is fairly established and that you will help me.¡±


    ¡°So you approached us with this motive in the beginning?¡±


    ¡°You forgot? In the first ce, you siblings were the ones who invited me here. I was just pushing the boat with the current. This case is my personal business, but the real murderer is still atrge and that¡¯s your business.¡±


    ¡°You really know how to talk!¡± Lin Qiupu sneered, ¡°Dongxue, go through the formalities of filing a case!¡±


    Lin Dongxue swallowed her pride and said, ¡°This will be thest time I investigate with you!¡±


    The ad hoc group was set up immediately, and the familiar faces of Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, Little Li, and Old Zhang were present. Chen Shi told them about the case, afterwards, they began discussion. Old Zhang held his thermos cup up and said, ¡°Little Chen, this case ispletely based on your spection. There¡¯s no evidence!¡±


    ¡°I believe that as long as we investigate, the evidence will slowly surface. In fact, I have already decided to focus on one person. The secretary of Yuhua Company, Hou Yue, left thepany after the three people died, and received arge sum for it. He now runs a health club in Long''an. I went there to look for him a few days ago, but I didn''t expect to be arrested as a customer who had gone thereto look for a prostitute and I ended up paying a fine.¡±


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes in astonishment. Old Zhang said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier? Why did you act alone?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that Hou Yue has killed someone who is a friend of mine. But I have no evidence. You also know that my previous record wasn''t very glorious. Fighting and brawling and so on. It was onlyter that I reformed. Since it was rted to my past, I was a bit reluctant to mention it to all of you.¡±


    ¡°How do we investigate this?¡± Old Zhang said.


    ¡°Let''s start with the motivation. Focus on Yuhua Company¡¯s expenditures in recent years. In addition, I will bring in awyer. He had sued Yuhua Company previously and may be able to provide some help.¡±


    After assigning tasks to everyone, it was almost time to get off work. Chen Shi told them that they didn¡¯t need to rush. He would be starting the investigation tomorrow. Lin Dongxue stayed behind, looking conflicted. Chen Shi knew that his words had worked.


    ¡°So, you got caught because of this?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I didn''t make any transactions that day.¡± Chen Shi pulled out a piece of paper. ¡°This is my recent bank statement. You can take a look if you don''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Who wants to check your ount? Why didn¡¯t you just tell me your reason?! You made me think...¡± Lin Dongxue trailed off and left angrily.


    Chen Shi was relieved. The page was finally turned over[1]. He had used one lie to support another lie. It felt ufortable to deceive Lin Dongxue.


    He called Lawyer Liu and stated that he wanted help from him. The cost would be paid personally by Chen Shi himself. However, Lawyer Liu generously stated that he wouldn¡¯t charge anything for his services, but that if this case were to go public, he wished to be mentioned in the media reports.


    For small-timewyers, attention was more important than money.


    Chen Shi considered whether he should send Lin Dongxue home or not. While he was hesitating, Wang Daji called and said, ¡°Brother,e out for dinner!¡±


    He wanted to refuse, but he remembered that Wang Daji was a loose cannon. He felt less worried if he monitored him, so he answered, ¡°Where? I¡¯lle and find you.¡±


    Wang Daji had actually gone to amercial district. Chen Shi drove the car up beside him, and beckoned him to get into the car. Wang Daji got in, and asked with a smile, ¡°Any progress?¡±


    ¡°The case is filed and investigation will begin tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Respect. You¡¯re the real deal. I''ll treat you to a good meal tonight.¡±


    ¡°But I think that the death of your brother, Meng Ergou, has little to do with Yuhua Company.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you file a case?¡±


    ¡°Yuhua is involved with other cases.¡±


    ¡°As long as you can pull the dog and his secretary into the water[2], no matter what the case is, sending them to jail willfort my brother''s spirit in heaven!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlike your style. I thought you would kill them directly?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! I''m not stupid. We can''t just kill people casually. We hack people with caution as well. Only the hotheads who had just started down this path would kill people willy nilly.


    ¡°Have you killed anyone?¡±


    ¡°Does sending my girl to get an abortion count?¡± Wang Daji said with a smile.


    Chen Shi was relieved that although this identity was full of ws, at least no murder cases were involved.


    Chen Shi took Wang Daji to a quiet side street and looked for a restaurant. Wang Daji said, ¡°You¡¯re poor, aren''t you? What kind of food is good in this kind of ce? Let¡¯s go to Manhanlou to eat a nice meal.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, this street is not monitored; secondly, the restaurant''s sweet and sour pork isn¡¯t too bad.¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to be so careful? Can¡¯t we just say we¡¯re twins?¡±


    ¡°I''m wandering around in front of the police with the world¡¯s biggest lie. I have to be careful.¡±


    After sitting down, Wang Daji was bored and started peeling off the skin from the garlic on the table. He said, ¡°Brother, you used my identity for three years. Did you get into any trouble?¡±


    ¡°Several times. But I''m pretty clever. I drove the car to a monitored ce and the people who wanted to give me trouble would leave.¡±


    ¡°That''s reassuring! Have you thought about returning as Song Lang?¡±


    ¡°Cosmetic surgery is irreversible. Even if it¡¯s redone, my face may not be able to revert back to the original one. The risk is too great.¡±


    ¡°Then you n to be me forever?¡±


    1. An expression for getting out of a situation.


    2. As long as the boss and his secretary got in trouble.

 Chapter 253: Algorithm?

    <h4>Chapter 253: Algorithm?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Three years; Chen Shi had long be ustomed to this identity. When people talk about ¡°Song Lang¡±, he seemed to be remembering another person who he was particrly familiar with, but that was not himself.


    Chen Shi said faintly, ¡°Anyway, life is short, as long as I can livefortably, my identity is not important.¡±


    ¡°In case I die someday, I¡¯ll need you to take care of my girl... What a good deal for you... But you can''t let her know that you aren¡¯t me. As long as she thinks I¡¯m alive, that¡¯s fine. In addition, here¡¯s a card. The password is thest six digits of my phone number, which contains the money I have earned over the years. It¡¯s not much. About one million. You can go and spend it. ¡°


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you leaving behind your final words?¡±


    ¡°Mixed up in this type of life, I¡¯ll pay for it sooner orter. I was sixteen years old when I first followed a brother and started fighting on the streets. It is enough that I¡¯ve been able to bounce around to this day!¡±


    ¡°Stupid. Can''t you just live with your wife somewhere where no one knows you?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, just hold onto it. Hold on to it! My WeChat is tied to the card, and I can use it anytime I want. It''s very convenient.¡±


    Chen Shi epted it reluctantly, and said, ¡°Are you still hiding something from me?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I have any privacy?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, you really have no leads left on the Yuhuapany?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Wang Daji recalled, ¡°I have to drink some alcohol to remember. Why don¡¯t you apany me?¡±


    ¡°I need to drive!¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter if you just drink a bottle of beer.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    When the dishes arrived, Wang Daji made Chen Shi drink with him. Chen Shi could only drink sodas in lieu of alcohol. Three sses of baijiu[1]ter, Wang Daji looked rejuvenated. Up close, Wang Daji looked a little fat and his chin had a few bumps on it. It was likely because he didn¡¯t live a regr healthy lifestyle.


    ¡°I sent my underlings over to shadow them the other day and I was told they were talking about arithmetic or something? Arithmetic, algorithm or form?¡±


    ¡°Algorithm?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, algorithm! What is an algorithm?¡±


    ¡°What kind of algorithm?¡±


    ¡°They mentioned words likepany, revenue; I don''t quite understand.¡±


    Algorithm? Algorithm!


    Chen Shi had always had some doubts. Since there was a problem with the form of the drug, why did they still use it?


    The medicine produced by Yuhua Company was twice as cheap as simr imported medicines and the most widely used in China. Basically, every hospital was using it. Although they were sued once five years ago, it seemed to have little effect on their sales. Things have long since faded from the public eye.


    After dinner, Wang Daji went for a walk, saying that he hadn''t returned to Long¡¯an for several years. Chen Shi had no choice but to apany him.


    Passing by a toy store, Wang Daji bought a Barbie doll and said, ¡°For theniece. I didn''t bring a present to your house yesterday.¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t y with this sort of stuff.¡±


    ¡°No way. Then what does she y with? Oh, I understand, she ys with electric-powered...¡± Wang Daji said with ascivious smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you!¡±


    ¡°I''m talking about a remote-controlled ne. What were you thinking of? Boss, give me a remote-controlled ne! Pack it up.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Why are you being so kind to me?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I think you would make a good friend. The friends I knew in the past would talk about having knives piercing both sides[2], but they would actually have a knife behind their backs ready to stab people. Everyone in the underworld is full of pretense, so being able to get to know Officer Song can be counted as a pleasure and honor!¡±


    ¡°Are we counted as friends? Your threshold for making friends is low!¡±


    ¡°Actually, the two of us met a long time ago. You probably don''t remember. When you first became a police intern, you once went to an underground casino for a spontaneous raid. At that time, I...¡± Wang Daji suddenly stopped talking and his eyes looked straight ahead.


    They saw that the thin man rushed in with a group of menacing people. They rushed into the restaurant where the two had just eaten and flipped over chairs and tables to create amotion.


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Wang Daji said, ¡°This male dog is trying to cause trouble again! Let¡¯s see how I skin him today!¡±


    ¡°Go. Let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    Chen Shi grabbed Wang Daji¡¯s cor and dragged him into the alley. At that moment, a younger member of the group saw Chen Shi and pointed at them with a stick in his hand, ¡°Boss, he''s there!¡±


    Chen Shi wondered what the hell was going on. He walked towards the other party, taking out his mobile phone and dialing a number. He stood in front of the crowd and showed them his mobile phone, ¡°I¡¯m calling the police, hurry up and get lost!¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± The thin manughed. ¡°When did you be like this? You even called the police? I''m not mistaken, am I?!¡±


    The group of brothersughed.


    Chen Shi hesitated over taking out his ID. If his identity were to be revealed here, it would be really troublesome.


    At that moment, a man wearing a stic monk-pig[3] mask rushed out of the alley behind them holding a bench leg in his hands. He bashed a man''s head with the bench leg, and then kicked him away.


    One didn''t need to be a genius to know that it was Wang Daji.


    Wang Daji yelled, ¡°Big brother, our brothers are right behind us and will be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, he dared to hurt me?! Cut him down!¡± The thin man raised his arm.


    Chen Shi had no choice but to grab the stewing pot for Sha Xian[4]snacks next to him and ssh the stew onto the faces of the people in front of him. They were screaming in pain as the hot stew scalded them. Duck legs and dried tofu slid off their faces. Chen Shi side-kicked the person in front of him directly. He stumbled back and knocked down several people behind him.


    Wang Daji had already taken two men down on his side. The gang had trouble defending themselves from attacks on both ends. Chen Shi quickly raised his leg and drop-kicked several people.


    The thin man didn''t expect that so many people would be beaten up by just two people. He was very angry, raising his stick with both hands like a samurai warrior, he rushed straight towards Chen Shi, ¡°Today if you don¡¯t die, I...¡±


    Before he could finish his words, he was kicked a meter away by Chen Shi. Wang Daji rushed over and smashed him with the stick in his hands. He beat the thin man until he pleaded again and again, ¡°Brother Chen, I don¡¯t dare to do this again! I won¡¯t dare!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chen Shi yelled.


    Wang Daji hadn¡¯t had enough and hit the thin man a few more times before running away.


    Running into an alley, Wang Dajiughed loudly, ¡°The scum of Jianghu. Over ten years ago, the fights could be negotiated. You could do a one on one or you could fight a whole gang with your gang. Bringing a group of people to fight one person is against the moral code. Motherfucker, people are getting more and more unruly now!¡±


    ¡°I really don''t want to deal with these rotten affairs, but I hope this group of people will not be caught by the police, otherwise our secret will be exposed!¡±


    ¡°Did you really call the police?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t. Bystanders might have called though?¡±


    ¡°Haha, this fight was nice. Let¡¯s walk around and find another ce to drink!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back instead of staying around outside.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll go to your house and drink.¡±


    That night, Wang Daji stayed over at Chen Shi''s house again. The snoring noise in the middle of the night made Chen toss and turn. The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau and met Lin Dongxue by the door, looking at the pancake stall with a troubled expression.


    ¡°What''s wrong, no money?¡± Chen Shi asked as he walked over.


    ¡°I want to add some crispy fritters inside, but I''m afraid of getting fat; but if I don¡¯t add it, it wouldn¡¯t taste delicious.¡± Lin Dongxue was considering with her head cocked to the side. Her eyes fell on Chen Shi''s face and she pulled a face.


    It seemed that she had reset her mood after a night¡¯s rest and she was no longer struggling with the earlier problem.


    Chen Shi said to the stall owner, ¡°We¡¯re getting the deluxe version and also a cup of soy milk.¡±


    The stall owner responded quickly, ¡°Okay!¡±


    1. Baijiu is distilled liquor from sorghum.


    2. A Chinese proverb meaning that one is loyal enough to risk one¡¯s life (being stabbed by knives on both sides) in order to protect someone.


    3. Monk Pig from Journey to the West. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West


    4. A ce name in China.

 Chapter 254: I Like You

    <h4>Chapter 254: I Like You</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was holding her pancakes as she walked with Chen Shi on the road next to the bureau. Chen Shi said, ¡°Aren''t you still angry with me?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be? We already know that it was a misunderstanding... But you used to be a hoodlum so you must have gone to those kinds of ces often?¡± ¡°I did, but I reformed myself long ago so you can be rest assured!¡± Chen Shi had no choice but to own up to such a past.


    ¡°How funny,why should I need to be rest assured?¡±


    ¡°I''m your team¡¯s consultant. If I ruin my reputation, it would tarnish the team¡¯s reputation, which would in turn tarnish yours. So on behalf of your organization, please rest assured!¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled, ¡°Okay. Reformed, right? I¡¯m reassured then!¡± Then she rolled the eaten pancake¡¯s wrapping into a ball and threw it into the trash.


    ¡°There¡¯s something sticking to your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Lin Dongxue desperately wiped the wrong side.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    Chen Shi reached out and helped her to remove the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. At that moment, the two were standing under a ne tree. There was little traffic in the street, and the morning light had just awakened the city.


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi''s eyes and said, ¡°I''m upset with you. It''s not because of anything... It¡¯s just... I just think that I''ve known you for so long, so... That...¡± She couldn''t find a suitable word for what she wanted to express.


    ¡°I know. You like me.¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s face suddenly turned red and her eyes looked elsewhere. ¡°Of course. I also like Captain Peng, Xiaodong, and Old Zhang...¡±


    ¡°I also like Captain Peng, Xiaodong, and you.¡±


    Although Chen Shi had said that he liked her before, she could feel that the meaning this time was different.


    While no one was looking, Chen Shi held Lin Dongxue''s face with both hands. Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but close her eyes, but the beautiful moment she anticipated didn''t happen. Chen Shi suddenly retracted his hands; Lin Dongxue looked in the direction he was looking at. Lin Qiupu had just walked out of the parking lot, saw the two of them standing together and ran over.


    Lin Qiupu saw that Lin Dongxue''s face was flushed to her ears and asked Chen Shi, ¡°Are you two arguing?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Dongxue blushed even more.


    ¡°You... Come here with me!¡± Lin Qiupu dragged Chen Shi aside, and then put up his fists as they talked for quite some time.


    When Chen Shi returned, Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What did my brother say to you?¡±


    ¡°Basically, he told me not to bully you.¡±


    ¡°You think you can bully me? If you dare to bully me, I will hit you!¡± Lin Dongxue waved her fist around.


    ¡°Oh, have mercy!¡±


    ¡°Don''t you run away!¡±


    Lin Dongxue chased Chen Shi all the way back to the gate of the bureau before turning serious again.


    Lin Qiupu, who hadn¡¯t left but was hiding in a small bush, watched in surprise. He said to himself, ¡°No? Really? They¡¯ve made up with each other?¡±


    That day, they continued to investigate Yuhua Company. Everyone moved all the written materials that they could find into a conference room. During this time, Peng Sijue called Chen Shi to the forensics department and said, ¡°I have read the materials sent by the three police stations. In addition to the idental falls, I also noticed that the three all died at around 8:00 or 9:00PM.¡±


    ¡°Is it because there¡¯s usually nobody around the neighborhood during that time of the day?¡±


    ¡°No, they all had dinner before they died. Oral narcotics require two to three hours to take effect.¡±


    Chen Shi rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°I remembered that one of them still had unfinished wine on the table, but nothing was found in the wine. Of course, this is an old trick. After finishing the murder, they could just switch the food.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if you have solved many cases before,¡± Peng Sijue said sarcastically. ¡°Yuhua''s chief pharmacist died in his hometown. At that time, the police station sent the body to the local police for an autopsy. The forensic doctor there found out that his body might have traces of drug residue. However, it was very difficult to detect because the equipment the local public security bureau possessed wasn¡¯t good enough. However, the forensic doctor there was very dedicated. He felt something was amiss and saved a liver sample. I have contacted him, and the sample is on its way here now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, heaven will always give the determined a way out.¡±


    ¡°How did you exin that prostitute incident to Dongxue?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you switching topics to this too naturally? Anyway, things are fine now.¡±


    ¡°I won''t criticize your moral standing...¡±


    ¡°What are you using me of?¡±


    Peng Sijue gave him a nce. ¡°Be careful in the future. Don''t do such clueless things again.¡±


    After leaving the forensics department, Chen Shi was still wondering what Peng Sijue was trying to imply. In fact, he had long guessed that Peng Sijue had already figured out his identity. After all, they were so intimate in the past. But because it was Peng Sijue, there was no need to worry about him leaking the secret.


    It took them all morning to sort out the information at hand. The order of the three deaths was: the chief pharmacist who died at 9PM on June 7th; the manager of the production department, who died at 8PM on August 13th; and the actuary, who died at 9PM on September 1st.


    As they had urred in jurisdictions outside Long''an City, all of them were treated as idental falls, and the cases weren¡¯t investigated together.


    In addition, it was found out through the bank card and credit card history of the secretary Hou Yue, that he had gone to the hometown of the chief pharmacist, before and after the death of the chief pharmacist. During the period that the three died in session, he had sessively deposited a total of four million yuan in the cards, all of which were deposited in small increments across six cards.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It seems that Hou Yue was the executor of the murders. Someone behind the scenes gave him mary rewards. From the perspective of the chain of interests, the only person who has the financial resources and motivation is the president, Ma Wanli.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Five years ago, Yuhua Company was charged with killing people. Why didn''t they kill them then, but waited two years?¡±


    Old Zhang opined, ¡°From the way I see it, the president, the secretary, the production manager, the chief pharmacist, and the actuary all hadmon interests. They may have had internal conflict regarding the distribution of ill-gotten gainster on.¡±


    ¡°Distribution of ill-gotten gains... What distribution? They killed people and lost money. What could they still have left?¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked this casually, but this was also what Chen Shi wanted to know most. What was the benefit of killing these people off?


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, ¡°Can I ask what an actuary does?¡±


    ¡°They do business ounting.¡±


    ¡°They need to hire someone for their ounts? Can¡¯t they just use a calctor and do it themselves?¡±


    ¡°They don''t just calcte ounts, but they also calcte profits and efficiency. It involves some veryplicated algorithms. They are all advanced mathematical concepts that ordinary people can''t understand.¡± Chen Shi suddenly discovered that he had used the word ¡°algorithm¡±. There was a sh of insight in his brain. ¡°Give me all the ounts over the past few years in Yuhua that you¡¯ve found! Go and get an actuary to figure out if there are any loopholes in it.¡±


    ¡°There were no loopholes. These were brought in by the police. They gave me a headache but they didn''t evade taxes.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a question of tax evasion, but how much profit they made using this drug¡¯s form.¡±


    Peng Sijue, who was standing at the door, heard it and said, ¡°No need to find an actuary. I''m good at advanced mathematics. Let me do the calctions! In addition, the sample sent by the local public security bureau has arrived and I¡¯ve already asked people to run tests on it.¡±

 Chapter 255: Deducing the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 255: Deducing the Truth</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Since everyone didn¡¯t have much to do, they all went to Peng Sijue¡¯s office. There was a ss bottle ced on the table. Xu Xiaodong looked at the contents and was surprised, ¡°It looks like Dirty Bread[1]!¡±


    ¡°That''s liver that¡¯s been soaked in formalin for three years,¡± Peng Sijue corrected.


    ¡°I know, it just makes me think of Dirty Bread... I¡¯ll grab one to eat after work.¡± Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes at him.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Why would they insist on using this harmful form even though they have to pay outpensation every year? The answer is that it must be profitable.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long to figure this out since we know the result.¡± Peng Sijue picked up a pen and piece of paper. ¡°I''ll do the calctions now.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Peng Sijue to fill the paper with lots of symbols and numbers. Everyone was dazzled as he nodded and mumbled, ¡°Oh, so it was like that... That¡¯s it...¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Captain Peng, can you exin it to us?¡±


    ¡°Don''t interrupt him!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    After spending half an hour, Peng Sijue told them the results, ¡°The online data shows that there are 2 million patients using this drug in the country each year and annual sales have reached 10 million boxes. I used this as a base to calcte. If they used the toxic but cheap ingredient, let¡¯s call this ingredient B, they would earn about 60 million more than with the non-toxic but expensive ingredient A. If you deduct theirpensation to families of victims, there is still profit. In other words, even if they have to deal withwsuits and lose money every year, it¡¯s still two percentage points more profitable to use the toxic formpared to the non-toxic form.¡±


    Chen Shi became excited. ¡°So, it¡¯s as I¡¯ve guessed. They have a set of annual profit calctions, and thewsuitpensations are also considered as a variable. The deaths five years ago weren''t idents. They were part of the margin of error for this controlled variable.¡±


    ¡°It''s terrifying!¡± Lin Dongxue frowned. ¡°For the profit of two percentage points, they actually treat human lives as a joke?¡±


    Old Zhang said, ¡°For argepany, profit of two percentage points is astronomical.¡±


    ¡°I just made a rough calction.¡± Peng Sijue said. ¡°The real numbers shouldn¡¯t be too different though.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°This is a Pandora''s box. Once this is made public, it won¡¯t be as simple as dealing with awsuit. They would have topensate everyone who has ever used this medication until they go bankrupt. That¡¯s why they¡¯d rather kill people to keep the secret from getting out.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°The motivation is there, but how did they kill those people? Weren¡¯t they ¡°locked room cases¡±?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s check the location out again!¡±


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Peng Sijue went to the ce where the production manager Zhu Yan had died. This time, instead of prying the locks open, they got the keys from the real estate agent.


    Standing in the empty room, Chen Shi said, ¡°The door was locked, and the only key was on the victim. How did the murderer leave after he pushed him down?¡±


    Lin Dongxue went over to look at the windowsill and said, ¡°The windowsill is very narrow and there is a sewage pipe next to it.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Peng Sijue asserted. ¡°The sewer pipe can''t withstand someone''s weight, and if there were footprints on the windowsill, the police would notice.¡±


    Lin Dongxue suddenly figured it out, ¡°It''s actually very simple! After pushing him down, they can hold onto the key to lock the door, and then put the key back on the victim¡¯s body afterwards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one solution.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°After the person falls down, bystanders woulde over. Can the murderer really manipte the body like that?¡± Peng Sijue expressed doubt.


    ¡°There should be no one in the neighborhood around eight or nine.¡±


    ¡°If you are a murderer and you¡¯re nning a fake suicide, a little uncertainty could ruin you.¡±


    Chen Shi interrupted them, ¡°Dongxue''s divergent thinking is very good. Let''s think further. The key might have actually been on the body. Why must the deceased be in the room? The deceased was anesthetized at the time and the murderer could have dragged him outside and pushed him downstairs at another location that would be in line with their window. That way, the key would be on his body.¡±


    ¡°The rooftop!¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly realized.


    The three got to the rooftop and looked down. It was really high. They would definitely fall to their deaths if they fell from this height.


    Chen Shi noticed that the edge of the rooftop had no railing on it. They had only painted ayer of red paint on the ground to indicate danger. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It¡¯s scary to look down!¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too painful to fall down,¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°The few seconds in the air are scary enough.¡±


    ¡°During the rapid fall, some people faint, so they basically don''t feel anything.¡±


    Lin Dongxue grimaced, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like that!¡± She stepped back and grabbed Chen Shi''s clothes.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°If you fell from here, would yound on your front or back?¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°It depends on the position.¡±


    Peng Sijue''s cell phone rang. After answering, he said to Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, ¡°They found a slight trace of sodium thiopental in the liver. It¡¯s a vein anesthetic. It also has a certain effect when taken orally, and it¡¯s not easy to detect... I¡¯m d we have enough samples.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really efficient!¡± Lin Dongxue praised.


    ¡°It was undoubtedly a murder!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°In the photo, there was arge amount of dust on the victim¡¯s back, indicating that he had been lying on the ground. He should have been lying down and fell down when he turned over. That¡¯s why he fell face-down on the ground... Haha I understand now. The murderer ced the anesthetized victim on the edge of the rooftop, and then left him there. As the effectiveness of the anaesthetic gradually wore off, the victim turned his body in his sleep and fell off!¡±


    ¡°What if the deceased turned in the opposite direction?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Most people have a fixed position when they sleep. For example, you like to sleep on the right side. You can make a guess by looking at the indentation on the victim''s bed or pillow.¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°This trick seems simple, but the actual effect may have been better than expected.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked suspiciously at Chen Shi and then at Lin Dongxue. Then his thoughts returned to the case. ¡°Dyed killings could make the deaths appear to be idents as well as provide alibis for the murderer.¡±


    ¡°He used this trick three times in a row, and the police saw through none of the murders. The motive and the killing method are already clear. Let¡¯s go and pay a trip to the suspect!¡±


    ¡°But we have no evidence!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Do you know any hackers?¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Do you want to use illegal means again?¡±


    Chen Shi ignored him. ¡°The president''sputer may have documents about the algorithm. If you can get it, then we¡¯ll have the evidence required.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I do know one. I''ll go and look for him then.¡±


    Chen Shi instructed, ¡°By the way, get Xiaodong to check whether Hou Yue bought sodium thiopental three years ago. It¡¯s okay even if he can¡¯t dig up anything.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went downstairs first, and Peng Sizhen walked behind Chen Shi, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve influenced Dongxue negatively.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s clearly just levelling-up, okay?¡± Chen Shiughed in response.


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong in the bureau to check Hou Yue''s current address. He went to his house alone, knocked on the door, and a thin man with sses answered, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Are you Hou Yue?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, who are you?¡±


    Chen Shi showed his ID, and Hou Yue¡¯s expression changed immediately. He grabbed the ID and opened it for a look. ¡°You¡¯re not a policeman?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m equivalent to the police. We have already opened a case to investigate yourpany.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the health club that was ordered to be closedst week for rectification?¡±


    ¡°Are you still ying dumb? I''m talking about Yuhua Company.¡±


    ¡°Yuhua Company?¡± Hou Yue adjusted his sses. ¡°I left that job three years ago.¡±


    1. This is actually a maind pastry fad.https://.whatsonweibo/zang-zang-bao-hype-surrounding-beijings-dirty-dirty-chocte-bread/

 Chapter 256: Wang Daji’s Death

    <h4>Chapter 256: Wang Daji''s Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi sneered, pushed past Hou Yue and went into the room. Hou Yue was like a sunflower, turning his body and staring at him, as if he was a sunflower chasing the sun.


    Chen Shi had his reasons toe alone. He intended to use Wang Daji''s experience to see if he could sound out some information from Hou Yue. After all, three years had passed since thest incident. Convicting him by evidence alone was not realistic. Chen Shi said, ¡°Mr. Hou, don''t you think I look familiar?¡±


    Hou Yue said, ¡°Oh, are you a big star?¡±


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t know if this youngster was good at pretending or if he really wasn¡¯t lying. Chen Shi didn''t catch anything strange from the flicker in his facial expression.


    ¡°It seems thatYuhua Company kills people every year with their drugs. You have to pay out a lot of money aspensation. As the secretary to the president, you should know this clearly, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? I told you I resigned ages ago! Get out!¡±


    ¡°I''m curious why Yuhua insists on using toxic forms...¡±


    ¡°If you don''t go out, I''ll call the security guard!¡± Hou Yue hid his panic with anger.


    ¡°Naturally, there¡¯s a reason I came to you today. Three years ago, someonemissioned you to do something. To be precise, three things. You did a great job and got a lot of money for it.¡±


    Hou Yue''s eyes widened, and then he calmed down again. ¡°Those were just idents. You¡¯re thinking too much.¡±


    ¡°Did I say anything about what those three things were?¡± Chen Shi sneered, ¡°Do you know why the police suddenly started investigating you?¡±


    Hou Yue asked gloomily, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have a USB sh drive with some of your secrets and the reason for the death of those three people.¡±


    Hou Yue sweated a great deal. ¡°What USB sh drive?¡± He suddenly yelled, ¡°No, get lost!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hou, I wille to see you again.¡±


    Chen Shi used the same trick again. He took the elevator down to the floor below and then ran up again, peeping through the keyhole.


    Hou Yue walked around in the room, like an ant on a hot pot. He poured himself a ss of wine but found that his hands were shaking so much that the wine all spilled out. After considering things over for a long time, he took out a mobile phone from the drawer and dialled someone¡¯s number.


    Hou Yue said, ¡°Someone just came here and said that they knew what happened three years ago, and that he had a USB sh drive in his hands!¡±


    The man on the phone said, ¡°Was it the police?¡±


    Hou Yue responded, ¡°It¡¯s a criminal adviser to the police. He said that the case has been reopened for investigation. I don''t know why they suddenly opened the cases again.¡±


    ¡°Idiot! They must have something in their hands. I asked you to handle the matter cleanly. Did you leave any traces?¡±


    Hou Yue argued, ¡°I did it well! It¡¯s impossible to find out. If they could figure it out, things should have been checked three years ago!¡±


    ¡°If it was done so well, then why would the policee to find you?¡±


    Hou Yue reiterated, ¡°Not a policeman, just a consultant.¡±


    ¡°You have to deal with the matter well since you took money for this job. If you don''t handle it well, you should go and die yourself!¡± The other party hung up the phone.


    Hou Yue threw the cup on the table angrily. He went into the bedroom, switched on theptop, plugged in a USB sh drive, and started running several hacking programs. He remembered that the person who just came was called Chen Shi. He should be able to find his information at the housing, car or tax bureaus...


    Chen Shi was outside the door, watching Hou Yue''s every action. He also overheard a part of his conversation with the other party. Sure enough, he was hiding something.


    After narrowing down the direction, they could go all out to tackle it.


    Leaving the housing district, Chen Shi narrated this incident to the other members of the task force. The group was very excited. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The fox tail[1] has finally been exposed!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Brother Chen waspletely right.¡±


    Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s investigate slowly. Tomorrow I will speak with Captain Lin and see if we can increase the manpower a little.¡±


    Chen Shi announced that he was off work today and returned home. Tao Yueyue was peeling lychees to eat when he got home. Wang Daji was trying to chat with her, and a lot of things were piled up on the table. Chen Shi said with a little surprise, ¡°Did you buy all this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve stayed here for a few days, so I¡¯m a bit embarrassed. I bought a few things! Go cook a dish or two, and then we can have a drink. I bought a good whisky.¡± Wang Daji picked up a 2018 bottle of Chivas.


    ¡°You''re very generous!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°I went to see Hou Yue today. It seems that this youngster is really hiding something and that he was the murderer behind it all. The problem right now is still obtaining evidence.¡±


    ¡°You police are sticklers for following procedures. If it were me, I¡¯d tie him down and slowly take care of this bastard!¡±


    ¡°Come on, won¡¯t that be me being captured by the surveince footage? Do you realize how much trouble we¡¯d save if you still had that USB sh drive?¡±


    Wang Daji scratched his head andughed, ¡°How could I know it would be so important at that time?¡±


    Chen Shi looked at him helplessly and then went to the kitchen to cook. Tao Yueyue ran to the kitchen as well. Chen Shi wore an apron and peeled off the shells of the shrimp and said, ¡°It''s not ready yet. I¡¯ll make something you like tonight.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen.¡± Tao Yueyue whispered, ¡°Wang Daji doesn''t seem to be very well. He vomited again today.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    After Tao Yueyue left, Chen Shi was deep in thought while he was cooking. He suddenly thought of a possibility. Wang Daji was lying to him!


    ¡°Wang Daji!¡± Chen Shi called out to him.


    Wang Daji came in eagerly. He looked into the pot and said, ¡°Damn, look at you go. You¡¯re on par with the chefs at big restaurants!¡±


    Chen Shi pped his hand away and then washed his own hands in the sink, saying, ¡°Be honest with me. Do you have a terminal illness or something?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by terminal illness? Aren¡¯t you thinking too much?¡±


    ¡°Why are your eyeballs so yellow? Don''t move. Let me see.¡±


    Chen Shi leaned closer to see and Wang Daji kissed Chen Shi''s mouth suddenly before bursting outughing. Chen Shi was disgusted and wiped his mouth for a long time. Wang Daji said, ¡°It''s very interesting to kiss yourself... Haii, you didn¡¯t make a specialty dish. I''ll go out and buy a roast duck.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop!¡± Chen Shi called out, but Wang Daji had already left.


    He ced a few dishes on the table and waited for half an hour. Wang Daji didn¡¯t return, so he said to Tao Yueyue, ¡°Don''t wait for him. Go ahead and eat!¡±


    ¡°Will Wang Daji live here from now on?¡±


    ¡°No, he will leave when the case is over.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like him at all. Although he looks exactly like Uncle Chen, he¡¯s not like you at all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Chen Shi thought to himself that Wang Daji only behaved poorly, but his character wasn¡¯t too bad.


    After they finished dinner, Wang Daji still hadn¡¯t returned. Chen Shi dialled his phone number but his phone wasn¡¯t turned on. He thought to himself that he was most likely fooling around with prostitutes again.


    After a busy day, he rxed at night. He went online for a while.


    At nine o''clock, there was a sudden knock on the door and Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Yueyue! Yueyue!¡±


    Chen Shi went to open the door and was startled. Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Lin Qiupu were all there, and they looked shocked as well. ¡°Howe you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Who is the one who died then?¡±


    Chen Shi was startled. Wang Daji was dead?


    Lin Qiupu suddenly pointed at Chen Shi, and said, ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s put handcuffs on him first!¡±


    1. Visible sign of evil intentions. To reveal one''s evil nature.

 Chapter 257: Who On Earth Are You?

    <h4>Chapter 257: Who On Earth Are You?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A few hours ago, Wang Daji didn''t go out just to buy roast duck. He couldn''t hold it in any longer.


    Rushing downstairs, he vomited violently underneath a tree. There was blood within his vomit and a bitter taste of bile was left in his mouth. He punched the tree angrily with tears in his eyes.


    He lit a cigarette for himself. The more he puffed, the more bitter the taste of bile in his mouth was, so he simply threw his cigarette away.


    Wang Daji strolled outside and went to a roast duck restaurant. He asked for a whole roast duck and some peanuts. After thinking about it, he asked for the pig brains and pork legs as well.


    Wang Daji knew that he didn¡¯t have many days left and that every meal might be hisst, but he really liked this new friend very much. He was upright, resolute, and decisive. He was theplete opposite of himself. He hoped that this meal could be more luxurious.


    God let him be acquainted with Song Lang at the end of his life and he was already very grateful.


    On the way back with a big bag, a man suddenly came out from the alley, and hit his head with a stick. From his experience of being beaten over the years and judging from the sound of the collision between his head and the stick, it was an iron rod.


    Wang Daji fell to the ground and was dragged into the alley by his trouser leg. His attacker was a pale-faced youth with a morbid smile.


    The youth took out a triangr soldering iron-like object and heated it with a lighter. He said, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to die. If you need to me anyone, then me the person who stole your face!¡±


    Wang Daji was not out with one blow. He had suffered an injury to his head in his early years and the area had a bone hypersia. That was the ce where he had been hit just now, so he was still conscious.


    He was lying on the ground thinking, pretending to be helpless. Listening to the guy¡¯s speech, he thought that the guy must be after the other Chen Shi.


    The teenager leaned down and attempted to brand his body. The moment the soldering iron touched his clothes, Wang Daji opened his eyes and cursed, ¡°Go to hell!¡± Then he kicked the youth¡¯s face with both legs.


    While the youth was staggering backwards, he got up and ran away unsteadily. Passerbys looked at him with horrified eyes.


    He ran back to the housingmunity in one breath, and a man in sses standing next to a van asked him, ¡°What''s the matter, brother?¡±


    Wang Daji looked up, and the other party froze a little, but Wang Daji didn''t notice, and said in a panic, ¡°Do you have a cell phone? Lend it to me!¡±


    ¡°I do...¡±


    The man with sses reached into his pocket, and coveredWang Daji¡¯s mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Wang Daji''s consciousness sank into darkness...


    Chen Shi was handcuffed; Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong escorted him to the interrogation room with lowered heads. Many police officers ran out to watch in surprise, and whispered to theirpanions, ¡°What''s wrong? Why is he getting arrested?¡±


    Chen Shi''s expression was not calm, but rather, looked ice-cold, as if not to let others perceive his innermost thoughts. He controlled every muscle on his face.


    Peng Sijue rushed out with arge coffee stain on his clothes, and his eyes widened, ¡°Old Chen...¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly, and shook his head slightly at him.


    Lin Qiupu walked towards Chen Shi with a cold face, and poked his chest with a finger. ¡°You aren¡¯t Chen Shi. Who on earth are you?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin, I don''t know what you''re talking about? I have an ID card in my pocket, you can check it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Coincidentally, the dead person also had an identity card, and his name is also Chen Shi.¡±


    ¡°Someone stole my identity and you arrested me?¡±


    ¡°It''s more than just stealing your identity. Come with me! Dongxue, you wait outside!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said seriously, ¡°No, I will also participate in the interrogation.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said sternly, ¡°You must avoid suspicion!¡±


    ¡°Avoid what? Chen Shi is not my boyfriend or anything...¡±


    ¡°This is an order!¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi with a sad look on her face, and Chen Shi whispered tofort her, ¡°The innocent will be proven innocent. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve entered this interrogation room... Ah yes, please go back and take care of Yueyue.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now!¡±


    Chen Shi sat on the interrogation chair. Lin Qiupu and another interrogator were seated opposite. Lin Qiupu interrogated him, ¡°Who on earth are you?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shi. A driver and a police consultant... Is there a point to this? We were just talking to one another in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Actually, from the first time you appeared, I doubted your true identity. You used to be a triad member, but you suddenly became a genius detective. How does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°You''re doing this again. Does it make it right just because you think that way? Who¡¯s the victim? Did he look like me?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Chen Shi knew that ording to Lin Qiupu''s habit, he would not tell the interrogated person too much information, but if he continued in this manner, who knew how long this interrogation wouldst?


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I judged from what you all said just now that it seems that a person who looks simr to me has died. He is also called Chen Shi. He can''te to this interrogation room to be tortured by you, so you came to torture me?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I should doubt then?¡±


    ¡°You should do an autopsy first to find out who the impostor was and how he died.¡±


    ¡°Ah you reminded me...¡± Lin Qiupu sneered, picked up the phone and ordered, ¡°Captain Peng, draw his blood to test his DNA and see if the two are twins.¡±


    Chen Shi frowned. ¡°Don''t waste time. I don''t have a twin!¡±


    Lin Qiupu heard something outside, went out and said loudly, ¡°You all need to go back! I know you are all familiar with Chen Shi. If you want to find out who the imposter is, then you should really check things carefully!¡±


    At this time, Peng Sijue came in and drew Chen Shi¡¯s blood. Chen Shi smiled bitterly, ¡°Old Peng, you should believe me.¡±


    Peng Sijue whispered, ¡°You weren¡¯t the one who sought out the prostitute?¡±


    There was a video camera in the interrogation room. Chen Shi didn''t want to be recorded, so he didn''t say anything. Peng Sijue already understood anyway.


    ¡°I really think you should reveal your identity now!¡± Peng Sijue said.


    It¡¯s not time yet. Chen Shi said silently in his heart.


    After collecting the blood sample, Peng Sijue walked away. Lin Qiupu came back in after reprimanding his men and Chen Shi said, ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll prove who I am... Can you show me the body?¡±


    ¡°You wish!¡±


    Tao Yueyue knew that something must have happened when she saw Chen Shi arrested. She quickly put away all the things that Wang Daji had bought. The third set of tableware on the table were also put away. She put the tableware she and Chen Shi had used in the sink.


    Then she mopped the floor carefully and wiped all the ces Wang Daji touched.


    After doing this, she carefully searched for anything else that she may have missed and suddenly found out that a cell phone was lying under the sofa cushion. This was Wang Daji''s cell phone. She switched it on and found that the content inside had all been deleted except for one video.


    The video had been recorded by Wang Daji in the bathroomte at night. He cried, with tears and snot all over his face in the video, ¡°Officer Song, I lied to you...¡±


    Suddenly, there was some suspicious activity outside, and Tao Yueyue turned off the phone, staring nervously at the door. It sounded like someone was prying open the door.


    Tao Yueyue was frightened and immediately broadcasted the news loudly on her mobile phone. The person outside seemed to notice that someone was in the house, and the noise at the door stopped. Tao Yueyue sat on the sofa hugging her knees in fear.


    For half an hour, she maintained this posture, staring at the door without blinking, until Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Yueyue, are you home?¡±

 Chapter 258: Ascertaining Identity

    <h4>Chapter 258: Ascertaining Identity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Tao Yueyue went to open the door for Lin Dongxue. Seeing a familiar person, she immediately lost control of her emotions and flew into Lin Dongxue''s arms. ¡°Elder sister Lin, someone was trying to pry open the door just now. I¡¯m so scared!¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, I''ll stay with you.¡± Lin Dongxue soothed.


    Tao Yueyue raised her face. ¡°Uncle Chen was arrested?¡±


    ¡°He... will be back soon, don''t worry.¡± Lin Dongxue said dejectedly. Impersonating someone was a major crime. She was more concerned about finding out who the ¡°Chen Shi¡± who died was than when Chen Shi would return from the interrogation.


    I hope Chen Shi is all right. No, he will be fine! She said in her heart.


    Peng Sijue brought the DNA test results back. Obviously, the two did not have any blood rtionship with each other. Chen Shi said calmly, ¡°That person is posing as me.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it be that you¡¯re impersonating him?¡±


    ¡°Me impersonating him? If I''m impersonating someone, why not pick a better looking one? You''ve read my resume and know how ordinary I am.¡±


    ¡°Your household registration information mentions that you have parents in Hequ Town. If we want to find out who the impostor is, it''s easy to go about it. BringChen Shi''s parents over to do a DNA test.¡±


    ¡°My father is 70 and my mother is 63. They¡¯re very old and their health isn¡¯t too good. Can you not force them toe all the way here?¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid of my parents? That¡¯s so funny. Just send someone to the town hospital to get their blood samples under the guise of a medical check-up and bring them back. Isn¡¯t that fine? Have a little sympathy, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but in the meantime, I''m going to detain you.¡±


    ¡°Taking 10,000 steps back, the penalty for impersonation is just a fine and detention. Based on my integrity as a person, I guarantee that I won¡¯t leave Long¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°No, you are an acquaintance, so all the more that we must not show any favoritism... Even if this were to happen to Dongxue, I would have to detain her too.¡±


    Chen Shi pped, ¡°Captain Lin is really incorruptible and impartial.¡±


    ¡°Take him away!¡±


    ¡°Wait, that man died near my house?¡±


    ¡°I won''t tell you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know who he is, but I can guess who killed him. Yuhua''s case is not over yet. I suggest you send someone to detain Hou Yue first.¡±


    ¡°I will arrange for it!¡±


    Chen Shi was taken to a solitary detention cell. The bed hadn¡¯t warmed up yet when Xu Xiaodong ran over and brought him a big bag of food and drink. He said, ¡°Brother Chen, we all believe you¡¯re innocent. Take this food.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already eaten.¡±


    ¡°Let me give you a bottle of water... Hide it. Captain Lin will scold me if he were to see it.¡±


    ¡°Xiaodong, inform the task force and quickly detain Hou Yue. The man may have been killed by him.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After a while, a policeman came to deliver food and water, and said, ¡°Brother Chen, we know you¡¯re innocent, but Captain Lin is like this.¡±


    Less than an hourter, Chen Shi had bottles of mineral water filling up the space under his bed. He secretly smiled, wondering if he could get over this disaster.


    At the same time, he was also surprised by Wang Daji''s death. He had indirectly caused Wang Daji''s death. He should not have gone to strike the mountain and wake the tiger with Hou Yue during the day. Chen Shi had originally thought that Hou Yue would bribe his way into getting the USB sh drive.


    ¡°What went wrong?¡± Chen Shi murmured.


    Detention was really boring. Lin Dongxue took Tao Yueyue to see him once in the evening, and then Tao Yueyue went over to Lin Dongxue¡¯s house to stay overnight.


    After they left, Chen Shi slept on the bed using his hands as his pillows. After counting sheep for a long time, he gradually became sleepy.


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi was awakened by the sound of someone knocking on the cell¡¯s bars. He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu had a stern face and Chen Shi smiled, ¡°Going to let me go?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself! The person who¡¯s fetching the DNA is still on the way. Just stay here obediently.¡±


    ¡°Yuhua''s case...¡±


    ¡°I took over the case.The one named Hou Yue ran away. The surveince camera in your neighborhood captured him. We¡¯ve blocked all the traffic routes and we have a warrant out for him.¡±


    ¡°Go and search his house. Hou Yue looks like a savvy person, so he might be holding something that can be used against the CEO.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about this.¡± Lin Qiupu took out a pancake and passed it to him. ¡°Listen, if you go to jail, I won''t allow Dongxue to be in a rtionship with you.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do with her!¡± Chen Shi took the pancake.


    ¡°Heart of Sima Zhao[1]!¡±


    After the brief visit, Lin Qiupu went to the forensicboratory after he was called by Peng Sijue. The deceased had been dissectedst night. Hey naked on the autopsy bed, and there was a long suture from his throat to his abdomen.


    He and Chen Shi were practically carved out of the same mold. Lin Qiupu couldn''t help but say, ¡°It''s like looking at that guy.¡±


    ¡°I covered his face during the autopsy,¡± Peng Sijue said lightly.


    ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    ¡°There were bits of blood in the nasal cavity and gums. Ether was detected in his respiratory tract. Someone must have covered his face with a handkerchief soaked in ether. The cause of death was a fall from a great height. However, the average person who falls would subconsciously try to protect himself, tightening the muscles of the whole body, and the impact injuries of different parts of the body would be different. In contrast, the victim''s impact injuries were very even and he hadnded face-down onto the ground defencelessly. Many organs were ruptured and bleeding.¡±


    ¡°So he was in aa when he died, like those victims from the Yuhua Company three years ago.¡± Lin Qiupu''s eyes were red as he stayed uptest night to read the case file of Yuhua Company.


    ¡°Yes, they used the same technique.¡±


    ¡°What about the other findings?¡±


    ¡°The deceased has cholecystitis and kidney cancer and he¡¯s already in thete stage at that.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the drug tests in the liver, it seems that he has not received much treatment. If he was not murdered, he would probably only live a month longer.¡±


    ¡°Did he undergo cosmetic surgery?¡± This was Lin Qiupu''s biggest concern.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t detect any. Either there was none, or it had been done more than three years ago.¡±


    ¡°No padding in the face?¡±


    ¡°So far, no.¡±


    Lin Qiupu didn''t speak. His judgment should be right this time. The victim in front of him was covered with old and new scars. He had fat deposits on his waist and legs. Obviously, his lifestyle had been irregr for a long time, and he was more like the Chen Shi who had lived a life of sin.


    The Chen Shi who was sitting in the detention cell beat most police officers in terms of solving cases. He always loved augh, and was an open-minded and self-disciplined guy. He was most definitely the imposter.


    But he had mixed feelings about it all. He had worked together with Chen Shi for so long. He already liked him a little, but as a captain, he could never show favoritism. He must find out the truth.


    ¡°The deceased¡¯s waist had a burn which was not obvious. It seems to have happened shortly before his death.¡± Peng Sijue was still telling him about the results of the autopsy.


    ¡°Captain Peng, which one do you think is Chen Shi?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°I only trust DNA test results,¡± Peng Sijue answered calmly.


    1. An expression that means ¡°Everyone knows what you¡¯re thinking!¡±. Sima Zhao was an official and general during the warring of the Three Kingdoms.

 Chapter 259: Returning to the Crime Scene

    <h4>Chapter 259: Returning to the Crime Scene</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A single day felt as long as a year staying in the detention cell. Last night, a drunk driver was shut up next door. He had fallen asleep after talking wildly for a while, and was released on bail by his boss early in the morning.


    Chen Shi leaned on the wall all day with his eyes closed. In the evening, Lin Qiupu came again, holding what was obviously a DNA test report.


    Chen Shi sighed, wondering how he was going to get through this.


    ¡°Why did you impersonate Chen Shi?¡± Lin Qiupu asked coldly.


    ¡°I was Chen Shi to begin with.¡± Chen Shi had no choice but to insist on his story.


    The two looked at each other quietly for a minute. Lin Qiupu seemed to give up and handed over the DNA report through the gap between the railings. ¡°I was just lying to you. It seems that you are really Chen Shi. Your parents'' DNA and yours are a ny-nine percent match. Captain Peng personally tested it.¡±


    Chen Shi felt like the big rock on his chest had been lifted. He tried hard to restrain his joy and didn''t reach out for the file. He said, ¡°You will have to pay me for my mental and emotional losses.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. It¡¯s in line with the regtions to detain you for 24 hours or less.¡± Lin Qiupu took out his cell phone. ¡°The policeman who took the sample said that your father was ill and might not make it past the year. Do you need to give him a call?¡±


    Chen Shi knew that Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t believe him yet, so he took the cell phone, dialed a random number, and said in fluent dialect, ¡°Dad, I''m Chen Shi...¡±


    When Chen Shi finished the phone call, Lin Qiupu''s suspicion had slowly diminished.


    Chen Shi returned the mobile phone, ¡°Was Hou Yue caught?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We found the tool for his crimes at his house, and found something on theputer, which is still being decrypted.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡±


    ¡°I won''t take your credit. It was you who paved the way first, and that¡¯s why we were so quick.¡±


    Chen Shi thought that if Hou Yue was not a cornered dog jumping over the wall, killing Wang Daji, and running away stupidly, he would not have been arrested so quickly.


    But Hou Yue had actually managed to discover his own address. In a sense, Wang Daji had died for Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I want to see that man''s body.¡±


    Lin Qiupu brought Chen Shi to the morgue and he saw Wang Daji''s body. Chen Shi was a little sad atheart. He tried to say calmly, ¡°He really does look like me.¡±


    ¡°He had two ID cards on him. One says ¡®Chen Shi¡¯, the other says ¡®Wang Daji¡¯... Thetter ID is also fake, and we still can''t figure out why he was trying to impersonate you. Who exactly is this guy? But we¡¯ve already asked people to search the DNA database to see if this person had a prior conviction.¡±


    Chen Shi widened his eyes slightly. If he did find a match, wouldn''t this dead person be Song Lang? He had already guessed that Peng Sijue had swapped their blood samples.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t he have impersonated someone else? Why did he have to impersonate me?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°This matter has passed, but it does not mean that I don¡¯t doubt you. You must have a secret, but it just hasn¡¯t been discovered yet.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, when have your instincts been correct?¡±


    After parting ways with Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi immediately went to the forensicsb. Fortunately, Peng Sijue was off early today, and everyone else was off work as well.


    He went to pick up his car out of habit, but when he walked to the garage, he remembered that he didn¡¯t drive here. Peng Sijue drove out in his car, stopped next to him, and opened the passenger door.


    Chen Shi got into the car and was pondering if he should say ¡°Thank you¡±, when Peng Sijue said, ¡°I will only help you this once!¡±


    ¡°Is my DNA still being matched?¡±


    ¡°I myself am responsible for doing it, and I will tell Captain Lin that I can¡¯t find a match... Even I have to lie.¡±


    ¡°I owe you one!¡±


    The car was quiet for a while. Peng Sijue drove the car onto the motorway. Chen Shi found out that this didn¡¯t seem to be his way home.


    ¡°Tell me the truth. Did you shoot Han[1] Luoxi and Li Mu back then?¡± Peng Sijue very calmly asked the question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.


    ¡°No... Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Back to the scene at that time! I have thought about what I¡¯d do when I saw you again countless times. Would I p you in the face? Ask if you were doing well? In the end, what I wanted to do most was to find out the truth about what happened then.¡±


    ¡°Old Peng, I...¡± Chen Shi had a thousand words in his heart that he wanted to say.


    Peng Sijue reached out and stopped him from speaking.


    When it was getting dark, the two reached a warehouse in the suburbs, and Chen Shi looked at the burning clouds in the sky[2]. It was as if they had returned to that day.


    That night three years ago, Han Luoxi had called and said, ¡°Li Mu has been abducted and he asked me to go there alone, otherwise he would be killed!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be fooled by him! It''s a trap!¡±


    ¡°This is also our only chance to arrest him!¡±


    Song Lang shouted desperately on the phone, but Han Luoxi said ¡°I love you¡± before hanging up. Song Lang found her location through the mobile GPS locator, informed the police, and rushed over.


    When he entered the warehouse, he saw Han Luoxi enter a room, and immediately chased after her. Several gunshots made him tremble.


    When he entered the dark warehouse room, he found that Han Luoxi and Li Mu were lying in a pool of blood. He picked up Han Luoxi''s body and his heart was numb. His tears kept falling.


    Footsteps rmed him, and he immediately grabbed Han Luoxi''s pistol on the ground and pointed at the culprit.


    After more than a year of hunting, he saw the true face of Zhou Xiao for the first time. A young man who could not be more ordinary. Zhou Xiao said, ¡°Officer Song, haven''t you always wanted to arrest me? Are you nning to kill me here?¡±


    ¡°Go to death, scum!¡± Song Lang was full of anger and pulled the trigger. Even at this moment, the police academy training still influenced him subconsciously. His first shot hit Zhou Xiao''s shoulder.


    There wasn¡¯t a second shot. That was thest bullet.


    Song Lang pulled the trigger in vain and Zhou Xiao kicked his wrist, making the gun fly out of his hands. Then he sprinkled a powder onto his face. Song Lang held his breath, but still inhaled some powder. His brain suddenly felt muddled.


    Zhou Xiao''s smiling face was distorted in his field of vision. ¡°I forgot to tell you that the bullets in their bodies were also shot using this gun... The great detective Song Lang, actually killing his superior and his partner with his very own hands! I can''t wait to see the headlines in the newspapers tomorrow!"


    Song Lang suddenly realized that he had stepped into a well-designed trap, but his brain was anesthetized by the drug and he was unable to think.


    He had only one conscious thought. He had to continue living to avenge Han Luoxi, so he ran out and tried his best to stagger to a nearby hill and wade over a river. There he fell down andy in the cold river water for an hour before he was woken up by the police sirens at the bottom of the hill.


    When the car reached the front of the warehouse, Peng Sijue stopped the car and got out.


    Chen Shi was awakened from his memories. Returning back here, he felt like a lifetime had passed.


    ¡°Tell me what happened back then!¡± Peng Sijue urged.


    1. The author wrote ¡°Han Luoxi¡± in this chapter, but I recall her being called ¡°Qin Luoxi back¡± in chapter 232.


    2. The orange, peachy and red colors you can see during some sunsets.

 Chapter 260: The Truth of That Year

    <h4>Chapter 260: The Truth of That Year</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two walked into the empty warehouse and Chen Shi told him what happened there that year. Three yearster, the scars in their hearts had already scabbed over, but touching them again would still cause faint pain.


    Peng Sijue asked a key question, ¡°Han Luoxi''s gun has a maximum of 8 bullets. How many shots did you hear before entering the warehouse?¡±


    ¡°More than three shots. There is a lot of echo here, so I couldn¡¯t hear clearly.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what was written in the case file?¡±


    Chen Shi, who had not seen the police file, shook his head, and Peng Sijue continued, ¡°When Han Luoxi''s gun was found, it was empty. Only Han¡¯s and your fingerprints were on it. In addition, it was stained with the blood of Li Mu and Han Luoxi. Five bullets were found at the scene. Han Luoxi had two in her body and Li Mu had one in his forehead. From the rifling marks, all the bullets were shown to have been shot from Han Luoxi¡¯s gun.¡±


    ¡°I shot Zhou Xiao once with my own hands. It stands to reason that there should only be four bullets at the scene. Did Zhou Xiao get a police bullet using his own means?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he has this capability? Police bullets are hard toe by, and even if they can source them, they would have left clues.¡±


    ¡°Old Peng, what anomalies did you find during the autopsy?¡±


    ¡°Li Mu had Han Luoxi''s blood on him and Han Luoxi had Li Mu''s blood on her, but Li Mu''s time of death was about three hours earlier, and someone seems to have tampered with Li Mu''s forehead wound.¡±


    Chen Shi walked back and forth in the warehouse, reimagining the scene from that year, and muttered to himself, ¡°What was going on with the extra bullet?¡±


    ¡°If Zhou Xiao had intentionally framed you, why should he leave you a bullet?¡±


    ¡°I think he made a mistake. Type 64 police issue pistols can hold seven rounds of bullets, but Han Luoxi always keeps one in the barrel of the gun, so the number of bullets she had is 7 + 1. At that time, I heard gunshots and ran inside. Zhou Xiao didn''t have much time to check and had hurriedly unloaded the magazine but he didn¡¯t expect that there was still one in the barrel.¡±


    ¡°When you fired at him, was the gun lighter than usual? Did he look shocked?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°I can''t remember. I suffered a lot of shock at the time and these details are now blurry to me... But I couldn¡¯t have shot Han Luoxi and Li Mu anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s recreate the scene!¡± Peng Sijue proposed.


    The two recreated the scene at that time. Peng Sijue stood in Zhou Xiao''s position, and Chen Shi stood in Song Lang''s position. He remembered that he was kneeling beside Han Luoxi''s body. His body was covered with Han Luoxi''s blood.


    Peng Sijue suddenly had an idea, ¡°It¡¯s said that when the Italian mafia frames the police, they would dig out the bullet from the deceased, and put a policeman''s bullet into the wound... I am thinking that there was actually no additional bullet. The one in Li Mu¡¯s head might have been the one that you shot into Zhou Xiao¡¯s shoulder. Which also exins why Li Mu''s gunshot wound had been tampered with.¡±


    ¡°He had already shot Li Mu with another gun in advance and took the bullet from the wound! Thus Li Mu died three hours earlier... So he intentionally left me a bullet for the sake of letting me shoot it? The bullet wouldn¡¯t have left any marks on the scene, and he can easily take it out and stuff it into Li Mu''s gunshot wound. His own body is the most suitable...But what if I had shot to kill?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Xiao knew that you wouldn''t. You can¡¯t shoot a suspect as a policeman if he is defenceless. If you do, it¡¯s murder! And you couldn¡¯t exin the situation at the scene. You had already left the force, and your status was sensitive. Zhou Xiao had already framed you earlier. Although the evidence was insufficient, he had already sowed suspicion towards you long ago in the police force.¡±


    ¡°I really wanted to kill him at the time!¡± Chen Shi sighed. ¡°However, during the instant of the shot, I deliberately shifted the muzzle. I really wanted to arrest him... This lunatic!¡±


    ¡°But on the bright side, Zhou Xiao''s three-year-old gunshot wound would be a good proof of your innocence... If it really exists!¡±


    Peng Sijue''sst sentence made Chen Shi smile bitterly. ¡°How was Han Luoxi captured and killed by him using her own gun? I heard the gunshot and arrived at the scene about five minutes after that. Han Luoxi''s skill was so good, how could she have been killed?¡± Chen Shi suddenly remembered a detail that rmed him, ¡°I remembered, Zhou Xiao was wearing the same clothes as Li Mu! There were rope marks on his wrists.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Xiao posed as Li Mu, lying on the floor with his back to Han Luoxi. When Han Luoxi turned him over to confirm his identity, Zhou Xiao made her faint.¡±


    ¡°The gunshots that you heard were actually Zhou Xiao shooting and killing her and firing on all sides of the room. He left a bullet for you just to let you pick up the gun and shoot him.¡± Peng Sijue followed Chen Shi¡¯s thoughts. ¡°They did find a trace amount of anesthetic in Han Luoxi¡¯s body.¡±


    Chen Shi closed his eyes and sighed, ¡°Why did I fall into such a trap?¡±


    ¡°Because you loved her too much. Han Luoxi was your weakness and Li Mu was Han Luoxi''s weakness. I heardter that Li Mu was her biological father. After Li Mu divorced, Han Luoxi took her mother''sst name. You must arrest Zhou Xiao in order to clear your name. If that day reallyes, would you resume your previous identity?¡±


    Under the gaze of his close friend, Chen Shi shook his head, ¡°Song Lang died that night. For me, that name is a curse, a past that I have no desire to recall, and I''m fine living like this now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re running away!¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want to call it.¡±


    ¡°One more thing. You saw Zhou Xiao''s face, right?¡±


    Chen Shi took out a piece of paper from the folds of his wallet. It was a pencil sketch. He had drawn it based on the memories of that time. Peng Sijue took and examined it. Chen Shi said, ¡°Remember the criminal psychology profile we did for him three years ago? At the time, you suggested that Zhou Xiao may not be a single person and that his criminal style and goals are extremely unstable. Perhaps it was two or more people who cooperated together.¡±


    ¡°Your opinion was that he has multiple personalities.¡±


    ¡°But I am more inclined to your opinion now, because he was able to dig out the bullet in his body in a very short time. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it alone. There may have been another aplice at the scene. Even if my shot had killed Zhou Xiao, this aplice could also ruin my life.¡±


    ¡°He really wants to ruin you!¡± Peng Sijue sighed.


    ¡°Remember how we found the name Zhou Xiao?¡±


    ¡°He himself wrote it on the wall with the victim''s blood at the murder scene, and since then, Zhou Xiao has be the serial killer''s codename.¡±


    ¡°Well-informed, hard to catch, clean in their crimes, and having indiscriminate targets. Now, I think that Zhou Xiao is actually a gang... Maybe someone in this gang was ruined by Song Lang, so they designed this borate framing.¡±


    ¡°The victim... Wang Daji, have you ever met him before?¡± Peng Sijue asked suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, he was actually at my house before he was killed.¡±

 Chapter 261: Wang Daji’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 261: Wang Daji''s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue was startled. ¡°How did you find him? Long''an is so big, I don''t think it could have been an ident, right?¡±


    Chen Shi told Peng Sijue about the three photos: ¡°...The photo of ''me'' in there was actually not me. Zhou Xiao wanted to uncover my false identity. At that time, Wang Daji was arrested for patronizing a prostitute, and I found him that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lied to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you also involved?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°If Zhou Xiao wanted to uncover your identity, the best way was to let Wang Daji die. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to exin it away, if his body were to show up at the bureau, even if you had a hundred mouths... But Wang Daji was killed by Hou Yue? Wait, Wang Daji had a suspicious burn on him. Do you think... ¡°


    ¡°Zhou Xiao found him!¡±


    Peng Sijue immediately ran out and Chen Shi got into his car as well. On the way back, Peng Sijue said, ¡°Dongxue is a bit like Han Luoxi.¡±


    ¡°How so? One is a rookie and the other was the top student in the police academy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about her looks. Didn¡¯t you always like this type? When you were in the academy, you liked to chase these type of girls.¡±


    ¡°Woo...¡± Chen Shi was speechless. Peng Sijue really understood him the most.


    ¡°I still remember once-¡±


    ¡°That''s fine!¡± Chen Shi quickly stopped him, ¡°Song Lang is someone from the past. Don''t mention him again.¡±


    The two arrived at the bureau and found that Tao Yueyue was actually doing her homework in Lin Dongxue''s office. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I have to work overtime tonight, so I picked her up.¡±


    ¡°Any progress in the case?¡±


    ¡°We found something in Hou Yue¡¯sputer...¡±


    ¡°Let''s talkter. There¡¯s something I have to do with Old Peng!... Yueyue, I''ll pick you up and bring you hometer.¡±


    Lin Dongxue suspected that she had heard wrong. Wasn''t he very enthusiastic about the case before? Why did his interest suddenly change again?


    Looking at the backs of the two people walking side by side, Lin Dongxue thought sourly, the two of them weren¡¯t in a rtionship, right?


    At the morgue, Peng Sijue transported Wang Daji''s body and belongings to the forensicboratory with a cart. Looking at the dead Wang Daji under the shadowless t lighting, Chen Shi said with emotion, ¡°Brother, rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°Actually, even if he wasn¡¯t killed, he wouldn¡¯t have lived long... Advanced kidney cancer.¡±


    Chen Shi widened his eyes, and seemed to have realized something.


    The two examined the burn on Wang Daji''s body. Peng Sijue held a magnifying ss and said, ¡°It was made shortly before death. At first, I thought it was some hot object that the killer had bumped into while moving the body.¡±


    ¡°This length is very close to that of the brand of shame!¡± Chen Shi concluded.


    The two began to examine Wang Daji''s body carefully, inspecting his nails and clothes. Finally, Peng Sijue discovered something in Wang Daji''s soles. He looked at it with a microscope and said, ¡°It looks like human skin.¡±


    ¡°The burn was on the abdomen. He should have been lying on the floor and kicking Zhou Xiao''s face at the time.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I''ll take it in for testing!¡±


    Chen Shi was excited for a while. This would be a breakthrough in catching Zhou Xiao... Of course, ording to his spection, if Zhou Xiao was a gang of people, he would just be catching one ¡°Zhou Xiao¡±.


    Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue home. The house was the same as when he left yesterday. Chen Shi checked it inside and out. Tao Yueyue had put away all the cups, bowls and things that Wang Daji had used and bought. He praised her for it.


    Tao Yueyue said, ¡°Uncle Wang has left you a cell phone.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Tao Yueyue took it out and Chen Shi yed the video inside. In the video, Wang Daji was crying with snot and tears all over his face. He said, ¡°Officer Song, I lied to you... My brother died in a gang fight. It had nothing to do with Yuhua Company. We weren¡¯t security guards and there was no USB sh drive. All the things that I told you were things I had found out while investigating.¡±


    ¡°I was diagnosed with motherfucking cholecystitis several months ago. I usually eat and drink toovishly , but it wasn¡¯t something that could kill me. As a result of using the fucking medication for a few months, the doctor suddenly told me that I had kidney cancer! I''m only in my thirties! I didn''t believe it at first. I ran to several hospitals to check and found outter that thispany had killed people on the Inte. But this medicine is still being used all over the country. I''ve been hacking people with my big brother since I was 16. I have gone through countless storms in my life, but I ended up in this fucking state. I don¡¯t want to resign myself to this! I really don¡¯t want to!¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t going to investigate Hou Yue that day. I was going to fucking kill him, and then kill the boss of the Yuhua Company to save society from their crimes... It didn''t work out, but I met youter on. I think this is God''s will. Officer Song, I know you''re terrific, but you only investigate murder cases. I had hoped that you could help bring justice for me, so I made up such a lie! I''m so unwilling to meet such a fate...¡± Wang Daji cried so much that he couldn¡¯t speak. Eventually, he squeaked out, ¡°Thank you. When you see this video, I would have already left Long¡¯an. I n to find a beautiful ce to die peacefully.¡±


    After watching the video, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t speak for a long time, and finally said, ¡°Fool, why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth!¡±


    If it wasn''t for Wang Daji''s lie about the USB, Chen Shi wouldn''t have gone to Hou Yue to try and obtain information. Hou Yue wouldn''t have gone to kill him. Everything is a butterfly effect, but Wang Daji''s death allowed Hou Yue to be convicted.


    In the midst of it, maybe there really was a God who may be making arrangements.


    Although they had only been together for a few days, Chen Shi had some feelings for Wang Daji. He watched the video again before he clicked to delete it.


    Tao Yueyue said, ¡°I don''t like him... But he is so pitiful!¡±


    ¡°I will fulfill hisst wish and bring him justice.¡±


    Withplicated feelings, Chen Shi fell asleep early and was awakened by his phone the next morning. Lin Dongxue said eagerly, ¡°We have found Hou Yue! But...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He was killed!¡±


    Chen Shi rushed to the bureau immediately. A corpse was lying on the dissection table. It was Hou Yue whom he had seen once that day. His face was branded with the mark of shame. It was the ssic ¡°Zhou Xiao-style¡± killing technique. Peng Sijue said, ¡°It seems that the motivation for this target is very clear this time. He had taken his ¡®prey¡¯, so he went to vent his anger.¡±


    ¡°This guy seriously has some skill. He actually found Hou Yue before the police... Old Peng, don¡¯t say ''prey'' and so on in front of the team.¡±


    ¡°I know how to behave myself.¡±


    Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue came in together. Lin Qiupu had just received the notice. He was shocked when he saw the body, ¡°This is the second time. Why did he eliminate the police¡¯s suspect? Is this guy turning around now and starting to be a vignte?¡±


    ¡°The truth will not be clear until he is caught,¡± Peng Sijue said lightly.


    ¡°It seems this case is over. How are we going to deal with that?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.

 Chapter 262: No One Remembers the Name of the Lamp

    <h4>Chapter 262: No One Remembers the Name of the Lamp</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The ¡°that¡± that Lin Dongxue referred to was some confidential information found in Hou Yue¡¯sputer. It seemed like the president had given him a lot of money to ¡°recognize¡± the work that he did and as a fee to seal his mouth.


    So several people who knew the secret were dead, and Hou Yue was still alive.


    The information in theputer was set to be sent to several newspapers if anything happened to him. Fortunately, the police discovered it in time and cancelled the timed sending.


    The content was the detailed profit statements of Yuhua Company over the past ten years, as well as a set of algorithms to calcte costs and profits. Except for some differences in details, it was roughly the same as Chen Shi¡¯s guess. Yuhua Company had killed people with toxic ingredients and treated the lives lost as controble losses.


    Everyone in the office saw this information.


    ¡°It''s terrible!¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°If this thing really falls into the hands of the newspapers, it will cause arge amount of social panic. I think we should ask the Chief about this! But based on this evidence alone, the senior management of Yuhua Company shouldn¡¯t be able to escape. I have another question. What''s going on with the dead ''fake Chen Shi''?¡±


    ¡°From the autopsy report, he should be one of the victims,¡± Peng Sijue said. ¡°Maybe he had been killed in order to silence him because he had taken some measures to find out about this secret.¡±


    ¡°No, the person Hou Yue wanted to kill was me!¡± Chen Shi pointed to himself.


    ¡°Then he killed someone who looks exactly like you? Isn¡¯t that too coincidental?¡± Lin Qiupu looked at Chen Shi with a little suspicion.


    ¡°Some things just happen to be impossible to exin.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was still not convinced, but after all, the DNA test results were proof. He said, ¡°I''ll contact the Drug Administration, Economics Police Department and ask the Chief to arrest these scums.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked suddenly, ¡°Brother, after asking the Chief, will this be made public?¡±


    ¡°In all likelihood, no. How can such a matter be made public? Do you know how many people in the country are using Yuhua''s medicine? It would be very troublesome to cause widespread panic.¡±


    ¡°Behind the panic, it was Yuhua Company who did such an inconceivable act. You can''t just treat the symptoms but not the root causes. The people have the right to know.¡±


    ¡°You can express your opinions once you be Chief! Don''t look...¡± Lin Qiupu shut down theputer. ¡°What should I do? There¡¯s so much follow-up work! Old Chen, this case was yours to begin with. Youe and help too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡±


    After Lin Qiupu left, Lin Dongxue still felt conflicted. ¡°I really don''t want to see this kind of serious issue reduced to something small, and then again to nothingness. In the end, nobody would know, as if it had never happened.¡±


    ¡°Considering Captain Lin¡¯s position, he has to think carefully.¡± Peng Sijue said.


    ¡°He will be back in a while. The data on theputer may be deleted. Do you have any ns...¡± Chen Shi encouraged, ¡°Behind every shocking piece of news, there is a brave whistleblower.¡±


    ¡°The Chief''s order has yet toe through.¡± Peng Sijue echoed. ¡°At present, us exposing it is just conducting unauthorized actions. It doesn¡¯t count as defying an order yet.¡±


    ¡°So, you guys are going to do bad things!¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    Chen Shi turned on theputer. There was a password on theputer. Peng Sijue tried Lin Qiupu''s birthday. The password was invalid. Lin Dongxue recited a series of numbers and said, ¡°My birthday.¡±


    After trying it, they sessfully logged in.


    ¡°Captain Lin is really a...¡± Chen Shi ridiculed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hit you!¡± Lin Dongxue blushed and threatened.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t say anything more! I''ll look for it...¡± Chen Shi gathered the information and sent it to Lawyer Liu using his own email. When he was ready to send it, he said, ¡°You guys go out first. I''m not an officer, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Whether you¡¯re the police or not, it''s not a trivial matter to expose something so major.¡± Peng Sijue put his hand on Chen Shi''s hand which was holding the mouse. ¡°I''m afraid you won''t be able to bear the consequences on your own. Count me in.¡±


    ¡°Old Peng...¡± Chen Shi was moved as he looked at him, ¡°Why is your hand so cold?¡±


    ¡°Just dissected someone.¡±


    ¡°Count me in as well. If Captain Lin gets angry, I''ll try and stop him!¡± Lin Dongxue said cheerfully and put her hand on Peng Si''s.


    ¡°I don''t know how angry he would be.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°He would certainly be furious!¡± Lin Dongxue said with a smile.


    ¡°Send!¡±


    Chen Shi pressed the send button and a bombshell that was about to shake the whole country was ignited. Chen Shi did not regret doing it. Justice and order in society were illuminated by myriad lights. The world has be better than before, but not many people will remember the names of each mp¡±.


    My presence can make the world a better ce. It was this belief that made him return to the police.


    In a dark room, the youth examined his face in the mirror. He looked at himself over and over again, and finally broke the mirror with a fist. Blood flowed from his clenched fist.


    Theputer in standby mode beeped, and the teenager sat in front of theputer and started typing.


    ¡°Well-done!¡±


    The line of words shed on the darkputer.


    ¡°My DNA may have been captured by the police and they will soon know my identity.¡± The teenager replied.


    After a moment of silence, the other party responded, ¡°Are you nning to escape?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t run away. I will let that guy surnamed Song pay the price, and I will finish with a gorgeous final performance in this city.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good. Remember that death is the only way to escape this world.¡±


    ¡°I will be very happy to be able to see my brother!¡± A smile appeared on the teenager''s face and he continued typing, ¡°Ah yes, your shoulder aches as soon as it rains, take care not to catch a cold. Thank you for giving me a new life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± The other party responded, ¡°This will be ourst time talking with each other! Take care, my friend.¡±


    After the message disappeared, the room returned to darkness...

 Chapter 263: After the Storm

    <h4>Chapter 263: After the Storm</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 18: In The Name of Love[1]


    Lin Dongxue picked up a piece of roast duck, spring onion, and cucumber, wrapped it in the pastry wrap, stuffed it into her mouth, and praised, ¡°Mmm... It''s so delicious.¡±


    Chen Shi offered, ¡°Would you like some beer?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pped and said, ¡°Okay! Okay!¡±


    Peng Sijue rolled one up for himself slowly and said, ¡°Dongxue, you usually don''t drink at dinner.¡±


    ¡°It''s different when I¡¯m with you all.¡± Lin Dongxue smiled. ¡°If a girl is known to drink, she would get harrassed at the table and people would try to make her drunk.¡±


    Today was April 16th. The big news had caused a sensation on the Inte. Yuhua''s algorithm for killing people had made headlines on all major news outlets. Nearly 10,000 victims had already prepared to jointly sue Yuhua.


    However, the mood of the three people who exposed the material was not very good. After Lin Qiupu found out about it, he punished Lin Dongxue by giving her demerits and took away half a year¡¯s worth of bonus.


    Since Peng Sijue and Lin Qiupu were of equal standing, Peng Sijue who had a part in it went directly to the chief to get demerits for himself.


    Chen Shi was an outsider. There was no loss except for being scolded. He invited Peng Sijue and Lin Dongxue to have a meal today to ease the depression. Peng Sijue didn''t like hot food and Lin Dongxue was not interested in steak or Japanese food, so the three picked a fairly famous roast duck restaurant.


    By 6:00, everyone was feeling a bit better. Chen Shi proposed to go home separately. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Will you take me home?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I n to have a drink today without driving... Besides, I have some personal matters to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll take a taxi back home.¡± Lin Dongxue said, slightly disappointed.


    ¡°Be careful on the road!¡±


    Leaving the restaurant, Chen Shi and Peng Sijue walked side by side on the road. ¡°You¡¯re very abnormal today. Don¡¯t you normally volunteer to send Dongxue home?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I n to meet another woman today.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Peng Sijue¡¯s response was t.


    ¡°Thete ''True Chen Shi'' gave me a card with more than one million in it. He also has a girlfriend who lives in Long''an. I think I¡¯d be too ashamed to hold onto this money, so I n to give it to his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going there sote?¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you apany me? It would be embarrassing to meet her alone. After all, I''m in the face of her boyfriend. You are a forensic doctor and can exin to her.¡±


    ¡°No. I drank too much and want to go home to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Heartless guy!¡±


    After saying goodbye to Peng Sijue, Chen Shi went to Su Ruijuan''s residence. Although a gentleman wouldn¡¯t be tempted in a dark room, he thought it would still be better to meet outdoors. He stood downstairs and called Su Ruijuan.


    After a while, Su Ruijuan ran down the stairs in her pajamas. When she saw Chen Shi, her eyes lit up. She immediately hugged him, put her face on his chest, and said, ¡°Bastard, you didn¡¯t answer your phone. Where did you go the past two days?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Chen Shi was embarrassed and pushed her away gently. ¡°Go and change your clothes. I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me anymore?¡± Su Ruijuan asked in a panic.


    ¡°What are you thinking about? Go and change.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me here, okay?!¡±


    Su Ruijuan changed her clothes and pulled Chen Shi''s arm to ask where they were going to eat. Chen Shi coughed and said, ¡°Sister-inw...¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw? Chen, are you ying me? I did sleep with your brother, but that happened years ago. Are you trying to start a fight?¡±


    ¡°Calm down and listen to me...¡±


    It took a long time for Chen Shi to rify everything with her. After hearing the truth, Su Ruijuan was naturally in disbelief. She grabbed Chen Shi''s arm, looked at it, and said, ¡°He has a scar on his hand. You really aren''t Chen Shi. Why are you using his face?¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons and I have exined this to him as well.¡±


    Su Ruijuan''s eyes widened in disbelief, then she started bawling. Chen Shi took out a tissue for her, but she wiped the tears directly on his clothes.


    After crying for a while, Su Ruijuan said, ¡°That¡¯s good I guess. He''s been fooling around all the time. I always worried that he would be hacked to death one day. If he died like that, that¡¯s okay then. At least he died like an honest man.¡±


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t tell her all of the facts. He said that Wang Daji had advanced kidney cancer and jumped off the building tomit suicide in order to end his suffering. The pharmaceuticalpany has now been sealed up by relevant departments as well.


    At present, the affairs of the Yuhua Company were on everyone¡¯s lips, and this rhetoric he told her could be sessfully implemented without dispute.


    Chen Shi took out the bank card and said to her, ¡°This is the money he left behind. The password is thest six digits of his mobile phone number, which is probably enough for you to live for a while.¡±


    Su Ruijuan rubbed her eyes and took the card. ¡°Is this money really for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She looked up at Chen Shi''s face, ¡°You are exactly like him... Why did he give you his identity? Are you a good person or a bad person? No, no, you came to send me money. I think you should be a good person! ¡°


    ¡°I am a good person.¡±


    ¡°It seems this bastard has done something good in the end,¡± Su Ruijuan sighed.


    ¡°Actually, I think he is a very good person, sister-inw. I should go if everything¡¯s okay.¡±


    Su Ruijuan held Chen Shi''s hand. ¡°Can youe to see me once in a while?... I have no other meaning. You look like him. Looking at you, I feel like he¡¯s still alive.¡±


    After hesitating for a few seconds, Chen Shi replied, ¡°Sorry, I can''te.¡±


    ¡°Can''t it be done even once?¡± Su Ruijuan pleaded.


    Chen Shi left without a word. If she became someone rted to him, he was afraid she¡¯d lose her life, so he didn''t n toe see her again.


    Breathing out against the night sky, this page was turned over, but even more daunting challenges were still waiting for him.


    Zhou Xiao hade back and he didn¡¯t need to keep a low profile any more. This time, he will arrest Zhou Xiao!


    Lin Dongxue came out of the restaurant and met with peak traffic. She waited for quite a while but couldn¡¯t g down a taxi. At this time, a patrol car stopped next to her. The police officer in the car said, ¡°Lin Dongxue?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are...¡± Lin Dongxue felt like the other party seemed a little familiar.


    ¡°Did you note to our police station to investigate the casest time? My name is Luo Haifeng.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t find a taxi? Should I drive you?¡±


    ¡°No need, I...¡±


    The car behind kept honking. Luo Haifeng urged, ¡°Come up and talk.¡±


    Lin Dongxue hesitated, but got in the car anyway. Luo Haifeng asked, ¡°Are you going home? Where is your address? I¡¯ll take you there. I¡¯m on patrol anyway!¡±


    ¡°How could I? Just stop at the intersection in front. I''ll take the bus.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Last time with the little girl''s disappearance, it was all thanks to all your hard work.¡± Luo Haifeng, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked at Lin Dongxue and smiled, showing a neat row of teeth.


    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t help much...¡± Lin Dongxue remembered thest case and smiled bitterly. ¡°Why are you patrolling alone? Don¡¯t the police usually patrol in twos?¡±


    ¡°My partner had gastritis and a minor fever. I asked him to go back and rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°It''s so easy to have your health deteriorate as a local police officer.¡±


    ¡°Who would say no to that? In fact, I also want to be transferred to the criminal police department. Although it is not easy, solving a case is more interesting than patrolling.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it is interesting to solve the case? Investigating cases can also be very boring. It is often necessary to investigate untilte at night. A murder case may take a week or more to solve, and sometimes it really depends on luck.¡±


    ¡°But I heard that your second team had a high solving ratest year.¡±


    1. The song name. It¡¯s tranted from the Chinese trantion that people are now using more frequently in their daily speech due to how romantic it sounds.

 Chapter 264: Mediation

    <h4>Chapter 264: Mediation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue saw that they were approaching the bus station and said, ¡°Right here is all right, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I have a small favor I would like to ask you... If you can¡¯t, that¡¯s fine.¡± Luo Haifeng said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I just received an alert to mediate a dispute. It¡¯s quite troublesome. There is a man who got dumped by his girlfriend, so he¡¯s taken over his girlfriend''s home and threatened to kill her cat. The girl is too scared to go home and just called the police... By the way, do you go on Weibo?¡±


    Luo Haifeng handed her mobile phone to show her. On Weibo, a man was holding a cat and a knife, saying that he would kill her cat if she didn''t contact him at 12:00 tonight.


    Luo Haifeng sighed, ¡°The girl is crying at the station right now, begging us to rescue her cat.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. It was the first time she had seen such an obsessed man. ¡°Isn''t this breaking thew?¡±


    ¡°Although there is an animal protection organization in our country, there is no animal protectionw. Unless there is any conflict between this couple, for example, if the man hits the woman, then it¡¯s considered an offense. So far it hasn¡¯t progressed that way.¡±


    ¡°It''s disgusting!¡± The more Lin Dongxue looked at the man''s face on Weibo, the angrier she became.


    ¡°Ah yeah, I really don''t know how to deal with this. I think that since you''re a criminal policeman, maybe you can calm him down?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that because I''m a woman, it''s easier for him to listen to me?¡±


    ¡°There are also considerations in this area...¡± Luo Haifeng confessed embarrassedly. ¡°I do think so. If you go in and control him, you can take the cat away. Or you can control him and I can go take the cat away.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Maybe it was because it was a taboo subject for her, but Lin Dongxue hated stubborn and obsessed men very much. Hurting each other in the name of love, in her opinion, was the messiest thing.


    On the way to the scene, the man updated his Weibo again. He showed his past photos of himself and his girlfriend. He used to give her gifts and told her how much he loved her, but she went and cheated on him.


    Thement area that originally only scolded him was suddenly divided into two factions. Some people said that the man was wrong. The two were not married and who they liked was each other¡¯s freedom. Others said that the female was wrong and that he¡¯s just suddenly exploding because they¡¯re both in the wrong and it would have been caused by an umtion of bad things.


    The opposition also said that no matter what, it was bad to kill the cat. What have the animals done wrong to bear the anger of human beings? The supporting party responded that the opposing party was a bunch of cat ves and because the man said that he wanted to kill the cat, they¡¯re just going nuts on him like braindead people even though there are so many cats and dogs that are killed on the streets. They asked why the other party didn¡¯t care about those.


    Then, the two sides left reason behind and began tearing into each other. Someone even guessed the man''s ce of origin and said two words of scorn about the province. Immediately, the people of that province came to fight back, and then went off on each other. The topics went off on tangents that were miles away from the situation at hand.


    At this time, Luo Haifeng receivedmunication from the police radio station that asked if he had arrived at the scene yet. Luo Haifeng said, ¡°There is a traffic jam on the road but I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    ¡°Just now, that girl went to the scene with her family. You need to hurry up and try and stop any unexpected incidents.¡±


    ¡°I will be there in five minutes.¡±


    Five minutester, the two arrived at themunity and found the unit building. On the flower bed downstairs, a beautifully dressed woman was crying. It seemed that her parents wereforting her on the side.


    Luo Haifeng stepped forward and asked, ¡°Miss Dong? Why did youe to the scene?¡±


    Miss Dong wiped her tears and said, ¡°I''m really worried about my Mimi... If he dares to hurt her, I''ll fight him!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying in front of the police?!¡± Miss Dong''s mother reprimanded. ¡°Isn''t it just a cat? Are cats more important or are people more important? You¡¯ve been together for three years. How can you not fight with each other? What about Weibo? I also saw that you¡¯re not in the right in this matter. You have to hurry and apologize. Wouldn¡¯t this situation be over like that?¡°


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s just a cat?¡± Miss Dong said angrily, ¡°Mimi is just like family to me. More precious than family. He, a beast, actually threatened me with my cat! You only value his work and family background. You don''t know how he¡¯s usually like with me!¡±


    ¡°What did he do? Did he hit you?¡±


    ¡°No, but he has a strong desire to control me. Every time Ie back from work, if I¡¯mte, he¡¯ll ask me a lot of questions. He often flips through my phone to check my messages, check the taxi records, and also test my male colleagues one by one. Even when otherspliment me on my posts, he¡¯ll get very jealous. You wouldn¡¯t believe how sick this person is! One time, I was crying from a nightmare. Not only did he not console me, but he asked me if I dreamed of my ex-boyfriend. He actually didn''t talk to me for three days and forced me to apologize for no reason! Mom, I don''t want to live with this kind of man forever. I don¡¯t have any privacy with him.¡±


    The mother sighed. ¡°Haii, you¡¯re angry with him right now, so you only see the bad side of him. When he pursued you in the beginning, he took such arge bouquet of roses and went downstairs to yourpany to call you. When you were sick, he didn¡¯t even go to work and looked after you. I can tell that his child really likes you. If he didn¡¯t, why would he care about you so much...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want this kind of concern!!!¡± Miss Dong screamed. ¡°I''m not a person at all in front of him. I¡¯m an animal to him. A puppy!¡±


    The motherforted, ¡°Let it go!¡±


    ¡°Old woman, stop talking!¡± Her father, who had not spoken thus far, suddenly rebuked.


    The mother still couldn''t rest and whispered, ¡°How can a man be perfect? Where can you find another man with these qualities? In a rtionship, you need topromise and talk it out... If you didn¡¯t do anything with other men this time...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t!!!¡± Miss Dong screamed frantically.


    Luo Haifengforted, ¡°Miss Dong, calm down first. I will go and negotiate with him...¡±


    ¡°Please bring Mimi out! Otherwise he will really do it!¡± Miss Dong said with tears on her face.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try our best!¡±


    Luo Haifeng and Lin Dongxue got to the apartment unit and knocked on the door. The person in the room nced at them in the peephole and said coldly across the door, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who elsees! Make here and see me!¡±


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°Mr. Ma, it is your own business to break up, but you¡¯re threatening your girlfriend with an innocent animal. You are at fault. Everyone here is an adult. Can you not do such naive and immature things?¡±


    ¡°Did I break thew? I¡¯m asking you if I broke thew?!¡±


    ¡°The cat matter doesn''t really break thew, but you can''t upy her house like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m upying her house? What a joke. Half of the house''s down payment is mine. I paid the mortgage over the past few years as well. I¡¯m just staying in my own home. She¡¯s just noting home, that¡¯s all... Who knows what she¡¯s doing with those wild men outside? When I think of that, I... ¡°


    There were banging sounds, as if the man inside was beating the wall with his fists.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t listen to this anymore and banged on the door angrily. ¡°Scummy man, get the hell out! You and Miss Dong fell in love. Does that mean she¡¯s sold herself to you? You think you¡¯re a man? What¡¯s the point of killing a small cat? If you¡¯ve got it in you, why don¡¯t you go to a zoo and fight a tiger?! Do you really think you can keep her like this?¡±

 Chapter 265: Paranoid Man

    <h4>Chapter 265: Paranoid Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Luo Haifeng was startled by Lin Dongxue''s violent uproar and desperately gestured for her to stop with his eyes.


    The man at the door sneered, ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m a scumbag? Why don¡¯t you ask her what she did! She opened a room with a random man of unknown origin. I care about her so much but she willingly let someone fuck her. When I think about her being pressed down by another man and screaming, my whole stomach is filled with fire[1]!¡±


    ¡°That''s their freedom to do so!¡± Lin Dongxue scolded. ¡°Before you get married, it''s personal freedom to go and sleep with anyone you want!¡±


    ¡°It''s because of women like you that society is so bad. It just gets worse and worse. Since you have such a perverted face, I bet your future husband will have lots of green hats to wear. I truly feel sorry for him!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that if she had brought her gun, she really wanted to fire a few shots at the door.


    Luo Haifeng busied himself signalling for Lin Dongxue to stop talking as he said towards the door, ¡°Mr. Ma, please don¡¯t verbally attack others. We are here to mediate your dispute...¡±


    ¡°Mediate? Did I ask you toe here? There¡¯s people setting fires and killing people out there, but instead you¡¯re bothering me, thew-abiding citizen? Big news broke two days ago. There was a pharmaceutical factory that used a toxic form. There were so many people that got killed. Why don¡¯t you handle that instead of bothering me?¡±


    ¡°Can you be polite and open the door? Let''s talk about this properly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue kicked the door. ¡°Why are you pretending to be a tough guy behind a security door?!¡±


    A sneer came from the door. ¡°It''s not that I¡¯m not opening the door. She also has the keys to this ce. You can call her!¡±


    ¡°What do you even n to do when you see her?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Kill her and thenmit suicide. I¡¯ve already sharpened my knife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you that I¡¯m from the criminal police department!¡±


    ¡°Criminal police? Oh, I''m so scared. You¡¯re here to arrest me before I even kill anyone?¡± A sickugh came from the door.


    Lin Dongxue was furious and hit the door with her fist. Luo Haifeng quickly took her outside to calm her down. Lin Dongxue realized that she was a little impulsive and said, ¡°I''m sorry. When I see such a man, I just feel so angry.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Maybe your criminal police''s approach to problems is not the same as us local civilian police. He is not a criminal, but a citizen. Do you know how to mediate?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won''t talk anymore!¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at the railings of the window and thought that it would be good if the man died inside from a gas leak or something like that.


    Luo Haifeng went to find Miss Dong again and asked, ¡°Do you have a key on you?¡±


    Miss Dong shook her head desperately. ¡°No, I won¡¯t go. I don¡¯t want to go. I don¡¯t want to see him. I beg you to just take the cat out and leave. I don¡¯t even need the house and I don¡¯t need the furniture either! Can¡¯t you find some special police to knock the door down?¡±


    ¡°This is not a criminal case. The special police you¡¯re thinking of won¡¯te. Give me the keys so I can talk to him.¡±


    ¡°No, no, don''t!¡±


    The mother advised, ¡°Give the key to the police. You won¡¯t even need to go there yourself.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid! I''m scared he¡¯ll know I''m here!¡± Miss Dong cried as she covered her face.


    ¡°Sister, don''t be sad.¡± Lin Dongxue sat down and patted her shoulder. ¡°It''s not your fault. In my opinion, it''s better to break up with this kind of stubborn man earlier rather thanter. You won¡¯t know how much more you¡¯ll suffer if you stay with him.¡±


    Miss Dong seemed like she just had someone speak the words of her heart. She cried out and hugged Lin Dongxue as Lin Dongxue patted her on the shoulder.


    ¡°Aiya, how can this officer persuade her like that? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s better to tear down ten temples than it is a single marriage? They canpromise when there¡¯s conflict. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± When the mother saw that Lin Dongxue and her daughter were ignoring her, she said to Luo Haifeng, ¡°You don''t know the situation. The parents of the child both work in a bank. He¡¯s the only child in the family so he may be used to being spoiled when he was a child. His personality is a bit awkward, but he sincerely loves my daughter. As parents, you¡¯d obviously want to have your child marry properly into a good family!¡±


    Miss Dong shouted, ¡°If you think so, then why don¡¯t you marry him then?!¡±


    ¡°What nonsense!¡± The mother red at her. ¡°How can two people not fight when they¡¯re together?¡±


    ¡°Just like you and my dad? You¡¯ve argued for decades!¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re still here! We¡¯ve been there before, but you¡¯re making such a bigmotion and making peopleugh just for a cat... We haven¡¯t eaten yet. We¡¯re starving here staying with you. Shouldn¡¯t you be content?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you guys toe. You can go!¡±


    The father said, ¡°Stop saying so much!¡±


    The mother argued, ¡°I''m her mother, why can¡¯t I talk to her? Give me the key. I''ll go in and talk to the child.¡±


    While saying this, the mother reached for her daughter''s bag. Ms. Dong guarded it with her body, and cried, ¡°No! I would rather swallow it than give it to you! Just leave and stop interfering with this!¡±


    ¡°Give it here! How can you act like this?¡± The mother insisted and tried to snatch it from her daughter.


    Lin Dongxue pushed her hand away. ¡°What are you doing? Robbing in front of the police?¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? She¡¯s my own daughter, so why can¡¯t I control her? You¡¯re just an outsider.¡± The mother was obviously a little angry.


    ¡°I see that your family has issues too!¡±


    ¡°Are you a police officer? How can you say that? Believe it or not, I will report you!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead!¡± Lin Dongxue stood up and stood guard in front of Miss Dong.


    Luo Haifeng mediated, ¡°Auntie, don''t be angry. She is not from the local police station.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s not from the station, what the hell is she doing here, spending all her energy to mess things up?!¡± The mother asked loudly.


    ¡°I just want to!¡± Lin Dongxue expressed her own stubbornness.


    The mother was so angry that she threw all her anger on her daughter. She pointed at her and shouted, ¡°This is something you started. You were cheap and went sleeping with other men. It wouldn¡¯t be trivial no matter which household it happened to. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you were killed, let alone a mere cat! How did I have a daughter like you?!¡±


    ¡°Stop saying so much!¡± The father shouted.


    The mother was so angry that she left and didn''t turn back. Luo Haifeng was going to chase after her but the father said, ¡°Just let her go! I have never seen such a mother!¡± Then, he took out cigarettes for himself.


    The sad cry of Miss Dong resounded at the ear and Lin Dongxue thought that this family really had some issues.


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°I''ll go talk to this man again. You should persuade Miss Dong in the meantime!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry for not being of help.¡± Lin Dongxue said guiltily.


    ¡°No, no, you have already done a lot by apanying me today. It was very helpful.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked Miss Dong if she was hungry. Miss Dong nodded, so she took Miss Dong out of themunity first and asked her what she wanted to eat. She spent some time and then picked a Japanese restaurant.


    The decoration of the Japanese food shop was quite fresh. Ms. Dong ordered some sushi and Lin Dongxue noticed a particrly bulky waitress, so she nced a few more times at her.


    ¡°Miss police officer, I really didn''t cheat on him!¡± Miss Dong said between sniffles.


    Lin Dongxueforted, ¡°That''s not the point.¡±


    ¡°No, I really didn¡¯t cheat on him. I suspect he installed a GPS tracker in my clothes because as soon as I got home, he¡¯d try everything to ask me where I was. I was so angry that I turned off my phone and stayed at a hotel that night. I intentionally wanted to take my revenge on him. That night, he rushed over. Who would believe that no tracker was installed? Fortunately, he was stopped by the hotel security. When I heard him yelling like a madman downstairs, I was delighted!¡±


    1. An expression that means that they¡¯ve got unsettling anger.

 Chapter 266: The Threat of Love

    <h4>Chapter 266: The Threat of Love</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Miss Dong continued, ¡°I was so frightened when I woke up that morning. Can you guess how many missed calls I had?¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°More than five hundred!¡±


    ¡°That''s too scary!¡±


    ¡°He was calling me on the cell phone all night without closing his eyes, and I didn¡¯t even count the text messages. It was all ¡®Answer my calls! Answer my calls¡¯. My WeChat was all full of his messages as well. He said that for every hour I didn¡¯t answer the phone, he would cut a stroke on his arm. He sent a picture every hour and made ten full strokes!¡±


    ¡°My God!¡± Lin Dongxue felt like she was enlightened.


    ¡°He''s like this. When we argue, he won¡¯t hit me or break things. Instead, he¡¯ll harm himself! Have you ever seen someone who would take pliers and pull out his teeth to throw them at you? He can do this kind of thing. When we don¡¯t argue, he said that he loved me too much and didn''t know how to express it, so that was the only way for him. I forgave him many times, but Iter understood that he couldn¡¯t change himself. He¡¯s a control freak!¡±


    ¡°Why are you with him then?¡±


    ¡°At first, he chased me very enthusiastically. It was like he would do anything for you. What girl wouldn¡¯t be moved by that?¡±


    ¡°I think people who enthusiastically pursue people have a bit of extremity in their personality!¡±


    ¡°In addition, my family talked about how good his family background was and how good the conditions were. I wasn¡¯t attracted to him at first, but I was gradually moved.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you a question. Is your mother your biological mother?¡±


    Miss Dongughed. ¡°Did my mother look like she wasn¡¯t my biological one? She and my dad met years ago and they have been arguing for decades. They can quarrel over such trivial matters. The things my father likes, my mother doesn¡¯t at all. She would find random things to argue about. My dad loves me a lot, so my mother hated me ever since I was a child, yelling and beating me.¡±


    ¡°The older generation feels that marriage is just like this and that other marriages aren¡¯t happy either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Miss Dong agreed. ¡°External conditions and family backgrounds aren¡¯t that big of a deal. If two people can get along with each other, that¡¯s what¡¯s important. But my family can never understand that. I once had a boyfriend I really liked before, but because his family background wasn¡¯t that great, my mother advised me to break up with him. She even called a bunch of aunties to persuade me. I cried all night, and then finally broke up with him... Miss police officer, do you like anyone?¡±


    ¡°There is one!¡± Lin Dongxue flushed red at the thought of that person.


    ¡°Does your family interfere with that?¡±


    ¡°I''m an orphan. Sometimes I envy people who have parents, butpared to you, I actually feel lucky.¡±


    ¡°You are really lucky. I actually envy you.¡± Miss Dong sighed. ¡°Since that night, he has said everywhere that I cheated on him. He has talked so much about it, turning white into ck. Now, the whole world thinks I¡¯ve cheated on him. I don¡¯t actually dare to go home. I¡¯m afraid of what he¡¯d do to me. I''ve been hiding in my friend''s house for the past few days. My biggest worry is my Mimi. I didn''t expect this monster to do this kind of thing!¡±


    Lin Dongxue gently patted the back of her hand and said, ¡°Don''t be afraid. Give me the key for a while. I¡¯ll go in and persuade him.¡±


    ¡°But just in case...¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her credentials. ¡°I''m a criminal police officer. He can''t beat me.¡±


    Miss Dong was still weighing it when Xu Xiaodong sent a WeChat message to Lin Dongxue that read, ¡°Have you watched the breaking-up-cat-man online?¡±


    Lin Dongxue typed ¡°I''m on the scene¡± and was hesitating whether to send it, but her hand trembled and she hit send.


    Xu Xiaodong responded in surprise, ¡°Really? You went to the scene? Has the matter been resolved yet?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°Give me the address. I¡¯lle and join themotion too.¡±


    ¡°Don''te over. I''ll be back in a while.¡±


    ¡°Are we friends or what?¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn''t bother to respond. After a while, Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Haha, I found it myself. The bastard on the Inte has already been found by the public. I''lle right away.¡±


    Lin Dongxue wondered. What would you even do even if you got here?


    There was amotion outside. Miss Dong went forward and asked, ¡°What''s wrong? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see.¡±


    The two arrived at themunity and saw a media car. A reporter stood in front of Ma''s apartment with a microphone and was speaking to the camera. ¡°...We are at the scene now. The other party, Miss Dong, has chosen to call the police. Let''s interview Police Officer Luo at the scene right now.¡±


    The camera and the lights turned around and targeted Luo Haifeng next to him. He said awkwardly, ¡°The police came to negotiate one hour ago, but Mr. Ma was unwilling to open the door and we could only talk through the door. I asked him not to be so impulsive as everyone here is an adult. I persuaded him to solve the problem in a rational way...¡±


    Before waiting for Luo Haifeng to finish, the reporter retracted the microphone. ¡°Police Officer Luo, has Mr. Ma vited thew yet?¡±


    Seeing this, Miss Dong hid behind a tree and whispered to Lin Dongxue, ¡°Don''t let them see me! I don''t want to be interviewed.¡±


    ¡°Why are there reporters?!¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    The two left the area for the time being. At this time, Xu Xiaodong''s car entered themunity and he greeted with a smile. ¡°Wow, great! Reporters are here! Have you been on TV yet?¡±


    ¡°No. Hurry up and stop in the middle of the road.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong stopped the car and saw Miss Dong. Then, he pretended to say in surprise, ¡°Wow, a beauty. Are you Dongxue''s friend?¡±


    ¡°She is the victim, Miss Dong.¡± Lin Dongxue introduced, ¡°This is my colleague Xu Xiaodong, a criminal police officer who isn¡¯t too reliable.¡±


    ¡°Who introduces people like that?¡±


    After listening to Lin Dongxue retell the story, Xu Xiaodong sighed angrily. ¡°How can you kill a cat? Cats are so cute! He¡¯s scum!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said dismissively, ¡°You only have cats in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°I represent a kind of public opinion. Human affairs involving cats is wrong... Did you see him?¡±


    ¡°No, the door was closed.¡±


    Miss Dong suddenly said, ¡°Oh no, my bag!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t in the Japanese restaurant, is it?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Can I trouble you to pick it up with me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue apanied Miss Dong back to the Japanese restaurant. The bulky waitress handed the bag over and asked, ¡°Looking for this?¡±


    Miss Dong checked it and everything was in the bag. She thanked the waitress and asked if she could have a ss of water.


    Miss Dong took some pills and said, ¡°I''m sorry. My health isn¡¯t good. I can''t stay up at night... And there are reporters too. I don''t want to show my face, and the whole Inte is scolding me as well.¡±


    ¡°Give me the keys. I''ll take care of this and I promise to get you the cat back.¡±


    Miss Dong took out the key chain and handed it to Lin Dongxue. ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 267: Those in the Same Industry Are Enemies

    <h4>Chapter 267: Those in the Same Industry Are Enemies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Miss Dong left, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to find Luo Haifeng. Luo Haifeng said, ¡°You got the key? Let''s go in.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Officer Luo, after we enter, I¡¯ll hold the man down while you two save the cat.¡±


    Luo Haifeng said helplessly, ¡°We are here to mediate the dispute. He¡¯s not a criminal so you can¡¯t be rough.¡±


    The three were going to enter the unit building when the reporter ran over and asked, ¡°Officer Luo, what are you doing?¡±


    Luo Haifeng showed the key to exin the situation.


    The reporter said, ¡°No, no. We are still interviewing Miss Dong''s father. After the interview is over, we will interview Mr. Ma before entering the room together.¡±


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°It''s 9:00 right now and I want to get things done early to get off work.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for any inconvenience.¡± The reporter said without sounding apologetic. ¡°I promise to finish everything up in an hour. You should figure out what you¡¯re going to say while you wait since we can¡¯t do a retake when you enter the room.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop filming?¡± Lin Dongxue asked impatiently.


    ¡°Please be considerate. This is news material that needs to be collected by the TV station, and I¡¯ve been ordered to do so. Besides, you haven¡¯t had smooth sailing with the negotiations so far. A photographer and a reporter will follow you so the man won¡¯t act as arrogant, which would be beneficial for you.¡±


    The three had no choice but to wait. Luo Haifengughed, ¡°Our local police often go on TV and are used to it. On the contrary, the criminal police are more mysterious and no case can be leaked out to the public.¡±


    ¡°Probably because the local police are more grounded!¡± Xu Xiaodong took out his cell phone and squatted on the ground to y the Glory of the King.


    ¡°Get up. Look a little like criminal police, okay?!¡± Lin Dongxue kicked him.


    ¡°This is your boyfriend?¡± Luo Haifeng asked.


    ¡°No, no, I have a girlfriend. She is a single dog.¡± Xu Xiaodong rified the misunderstanding.


    ¡°You''re the dog!¡±


    Luo Haifeng was excited for a moment as he nced towards Lin Dongxue''s face.


    After the reporter interviewed Ms. Dong''s father, the cameraman and sound engineer followed, and the group was ready to interview Mr. Ma. At this time, another interview car came in, and the logo on the body was from a well-known Inte news station. The whole group was standing still.


    A balding uncle wearing a red jacket jumped off the car, followed by the cameraman. The uncle held a microphone and said, ¡°Dear viewers, this is Uncle Geng from xx News to help you find out about a case. Today, we received many enthusiastic audiences¡¯ phone calls about a man iming that the girlfriend had cheated, so he¡¯s upying her house and threatening to kill his girlfriend¡¯s cat if she doesn¡¯t contact him by 12:00. Uncle Geng hase to the scene to find out more about the situation.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Xu Xiaodong was shocked.


    The TV reporter came over and protested, ¡°What are you doing? We came first!¡±


    Uncle Geng said, ¡°What''s the point ofing here first? Themunity isn''t part of your TV station or anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a small-time online news outlet! How can you be so arrogant?¡±


    ¡°Our ratings are high. So what if we¡¯re arrogant? Who still watches proper news channels nowadays?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was stunned for a while. She had seen both these reporters before, but she didn''t know they were like this in private.


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°The two news stations seem to bepetitors.¡±


    The two sides became noisier and fiercer with each other as time went on, and it looked like they were going to get physical. The two staff members pushed their bodies against each other like they were about to start a fight. Luo Haifeng said, ¡°It''s awful! Let¡¯s hurry and mediate.¡±


    Uncle Geng''s eyes lit up when he saw him. ¡°Officer? Can you tell us about the situation right now?¡± Then, he passed him the microphone.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The other TV reporter stood in front of the microphone. ¡°We have already interviewed this police officer. If you want to interview someone, you can find another one yourself.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Uncle Geng yelled.


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you that the cameras are on. I have recorded your ugly face and will expose you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s scared of that? We have our cameras on too.¡±


    ¡°Haha, would anyone care if you exposed us? Nobody watches cable TV anymore. Our daily viewing rate is higher than your weekly ratings.¡±


    ¡°So what? We are a serious TV station. Unlike some private grass-root Inte programs, we have credibility.¡±


    Lin Dongxue, who wasn¡¯t too far away from them,ined, ¡°When can I go home?!¡±


    Luo Haifeng saw the two sides bing noisier and mediated, ¡°Everyone is after the same goal, there is no need to argue over it. You are an online news outlet and you are a television station. The audience on both sides are different. I think it¡¯s best to do the interview together.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Uncle Geng stretched out his hand towards the other reporter. ¡°Give me the materials from your interview.¡±


    ¡°What kind of attitude is that? You damn uncle!¡± The reporter frowned before gesturing to the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Ignore them, let''s interview the parties.¡±


    The TV station¡¯s group aggressively left and went outside the window of the apartment. The reporter was about to knock on the window when suddenly someone shouted, ¡°Someone broke the recorder in the car!¡±


    The reporter tapped on the microphone and found that there was no sound. After investigating with his own people, it turned out that someone had poured water into the recorder and short-circuited it.


    The reporter angrily used Uncle Geng and Uncle Geng sneered. ¡°Maybe God isn¡¯t helping you!¡±


    ¡°Bastards,petition ispetition, but using such low methods is just too despicable.¡±


    ¡°Who are you saying is despicable? We never even went over. How can you say that we were the ones who did it? The police are at the scene right now, so why don¡¯t youe up with some evidence?!¡±


    The two sides quarrelled again and Luo Haifeng started to mediate the situation. Lin Dongxue looked at the scene in front of her and couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    While the television station¡¯s crew was repairing the equipment, Uncle Geng began interviewing the residents on the scene, Police Officer Luo and Miss Dong''s father. This chaossted till about 11:00. Lin Dongxue couldn''t wait any longer. She went to urge Luo Haifeng, ¡°It¡¯s almost 12. Quickly go and mediate!¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned around and found that the camera was facing her. Uncle Geng handed the microphone over. ¡°Beauty, are you also a police officer?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was at a loss for a while until Luo Haifeng immediately helped her out. ¡°Everyone, it''s 11:00. Both of you will put down your disputes and hurry up with me to mediate!¡±


    ¡°Again. Say that again!¡± Uncle Geng said, ¡°Remove the words of ''put down your disputes''.¡±


    Luo Haifeng reluctantly said to the camera again, ¡°It will be 11:00 soon. Let¡¯s head in and mediate.¡±


    The two reporters¡¯ crews walked together towards the apartment, but they took their own footage. When they got to the window, they shouted towards the window loudly.


    They shouted many times before Mr. Ma opened the sliding window and showed an impatient face behind the internal railing. ¡°Get out. This is my personal business. I don''t need you outsiders to interfere.¡±


    Uncle Geng said, ¡°Sir, why don¡¯t you calm down first and talk about your grievances!¡±


    ¡°My grievances? I have no grievances. Tell that slut to contact me! Otherwise, it would be useless even if there were 10,000 reporters!¡±


    ¡°Sir, this attitude is wrong...¡±


    ¡°I hate the whole, ¡®Uncle Geng will help you¡¯ attitude without fucking proper opinions. Whenever there is a female victim of a domestic violence case, you run over and persuade them. Once you¡¯re done, the female is beaten again. What have you solved? How have you fucking helped? Help people? Why don¡¯t you help yourself! Isn¡¯t it being circted online that you¡¯re in the middle of a divorce and you won¡¯t get your two children? Why don¡¯t you look at yourself instead of trying to mediate other people¡¯s problems. You¡¯ll make peopleugh until their teeth fall out.¡±


    ¡°We are kind-hearted...¡±


    ¡°Kind my arse!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ma...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Arse!¡±

 Chapter 268: Accidental Death

    <h4>Chapter 268: idental Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Uncle Geng was so angry that he wanted to throw away the microphone, but it was inconvenient to do so in front of the camera. The TV reporter chuckled beside him.


    Then the reporter went into battle and said, ¡°Mr. Ma, look. The police and your girlfriend¡¯s parents are all here now. Don¡¯t you think that your approach to the problem is very immature? No adults haven¡¯t experienced emotional setbacks...¡±


    Mr. Ma said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s none of your fucking business!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, the police will take measures until the door is opened.¡±


    ¡°Police?¡± Mr. Maughed. ¡°I didn''t break thew. Are they going to knock the door down? I¡¯m telling you once more. Get her to contact me. Don¡¯t talk about anything else with me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ma, is this how you deal with problems?¡±


    Mr. Ma was furious. ¡°Why don''t you go and interview why she cheated on me? This society is so terrible only because of women like you who are so shameless. Reporter, it seems that you also have some nasty scandals about you. I heard that you had an affair with the station manager. Within one year, you climbed from being the bottom reporter to the position of the station flower[1]!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The reporter tried to curse but held back.


    ¡°I''m most disgusted by your group of reporters. You broadcast whatever the audience wants. Three years ago, you exposed a meat factory which caused them to close and make thousands of employees lose their jobs. The factory clearly had a legal license, but because a single customer had diarrhea after eating their meat, you went to the dirtiest ces and distorted the facts. Whenever legal news and social situations are broadcasted, I think it''s just a big show! ¡°


    ¡°Can we just talk about the situation at hand rationally...¡± The reporter was very helpless.


    Mr. Ma left and the photographers on both sides lifted their machines up. However, the room was dark and nothing was captured.


    Then, the reporter and Uncle Geng each made a summary speech towards the camera. At this moment, a stream of water came out from the window and the crowd was frantic. Everyone screamed and ran away. The reporter also hurt her foot badly.


    She suddenly exploded. ¡°What kind of attitude is this? Miss Dong is unlucky to have been with you. I hope your next girlfriend brings you a hundred or ten thousand green hats!¡±


    The answer to her was the mming sound of the window closing.


    After watching this farce, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It¡¯s like a schr meeting soldiers[2]. It¡¯s not easy to be a reporter... Officer Luo, let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Seeing the three of them preparing to enter the building, a cameraman ran over. ¡°Wait a minute, we''ll get the machine ready and go in together.¡±


    Luo Haifeng looked at his watch and asked, ¡°Can you guys be faster? It¡¯s been six hours.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be just a minute!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong poked at Lin Dongxue and then pointed in a direction. The reporter was sitting at the flower bed and crying. Uncle Geng wasforting her.


    Fortunately, the machine didn''t have any major issues. After half an hour, a group of people regrouped and squeezed into the corridor. Officer Luo held the key to open the door. He tried inserting it for a long time but it didn¡¯t fit. ¡°Is it the wrong key?¡±


    The light on the camera shone on the keyhole. If you look closely, it was possible to see that someone had plugged a wire into it.


    Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have done it himself, would he?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong dered, ¡°Let¡¯s break the lock!¡±


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°No, it''s illegal to knock the door down. We are here to enforce thew. How can we break thew ourselves?¡±


    ¡°But there are ten minutes left and the cat...¡±


    ¡°Killing cats is not illegal!¡±


    ¡°Haii, it''s so helpless... Fuck, are you still shooting?¡± Xu Xiaodong looked at the camera.


    ¡°Can you repeat that? Can you be a bit louder? The sound wasn¡¯t recorded properly,¡± said Uncle Geng.


    Lin Dongxue was already impatient. ¡°I won''t apany you guys in this torture! I''m leaving!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Dongxue, you are still on demerits right now. Pay attention to your image in front of the reporter... Hey, this is not recorded, right?!¡±


    ¡°It will be cut out! It will be cut out!¡± Uncle Geng promised.


    Helpless, everyone had to re-enter that part of the discussion. Lin Dongxue felt like it was just acting and nothing was real.


    But maybe this is the ¡°real¡± that people wanted to see!


    After recording, Lin Dongxue nced at her watch. ¡°It''s twelve o''clock.¡±


    Everyone on the scene turned on their mobile phones to watch Weibo. There was nothing on Weibo that popped up. Everyone kept refreshing the page to see if anything has happened. Someone suddenly eximed, ¡°What''s going on?!¡±


    ¡°This... Is this a cat?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s a person!¡±


    Lin Dongxue clicked again to refresh. When she saw the photo just posted on Weibo, she was confused. Although the picture was blurred, she could still see that Mr. Ma fell on the ground and his head was covered with blood!


    ¡°Hurry up and break the door! Who will dial 120?!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°I''ll contact the officials at Weibo to delete the post immediately.¡± Luo Haifeng said.


    There was no suitable tool at the scene. Xu Xiaodong went to Luo Haifeng''s car and took a lock-opener. He smashed the door lock a few times and smashed the lockpletely. The moment the door was opened, the reporters rushed in. The cameras were raised high and both sides were anxious to get this breaking news.


    ¡°Stop shooting! Stop shooting! Protect the scene!¡± Lin Dongxue shouted while pushing people out.


    There were so many people that she couldn''t hold them all back. Xu Xiaodong held down the lenses of the two cameras and at the same time blocked the flow of people with his chest. ¡°No shooting!¡±


    ¡°Let''s take one and leave.¡±


    ¡°Just ten minutes!¡±


    The reporter and Uncle Geng begged, but Lin Dongxue said, ¡°No. This is a criminal case. No filming is allowed without the approval of the bureau!¡±


    The people outside the door desperately pushed in and arge group already squeezed into the living room. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Dongxue, if we don¡¯t let them shoot, they won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Smash their machines!¡± Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. ¡°I willpensate afterwards!¡±


    ¡°Aiya, these are journalists, don''t mess around!¡±


    ¡°Everyone listen to me! Everyone listen to me!¡± Luo Haifeng shouted outside the door. ¡°Calm down, I have a proposal.¡±


    The crowd stopped a little and Luo Haifeng said, ¡°Officer Lin, this happened under the eyes of the reporters. You can¡¯t cover it, so just let them take their pictures!¡±


    While the two sides were jumping around happily, Luo Haifeng continued, ¡°You can shoot, but don¡¯t damage the scene. Only one cameraman can go in and once you¡¯ve gotten the material you need, you need to get approval from the Public Security Bureau.¡±


    Uncle Geng asked, ¡°Only one cameraman is allowed in? But we¡¯re two TV stations!¡±


    ¡°Do you count as TV?¡± The TV reporter said dismissively.


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°You can share the materials amongst yourselves. It¡¯s already a vition of the rules to allow a person to enter. It¡¯s very troublesome to destroy the footprints and fingerprints at the scene of crime.¡±


    The crowd refused. Lin Dongxue took a look at Weibo which showed the sender¡¯s location. She lifted up her mobile phone and said, ¡°Take a closer look at Weibo. This photo was sent through the wifi in this room. If this was a murder, the killer is most likely still in here.¡±


    Upon hearing this, all the enthusiastic people were suddenly sshed with cold water. A cameraman immediately cried, ¡°I won''t do it! I won¡¯t do it! I don''t want to be killed!¡±


    There was eventually a young man from the TV station willing to be a temporary cameraman.


    1. The girl of the station. The beauty of that ce.


    2. An expression that means that you are out of luck even if logic is on your side.

 Chapter 269: So Bad. Not a Dream.

    <h4>Chapter 269: So Bad. Not a Dream.</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue called the bureau and there were a few people still on duty. She asked them to send a police car over.


    There weren¡¯t any abnormalities in the living room. There was a window on the right side of the living room. This is where Mr. Ma was interviewed by the reporters. Arge tank of goldfish was kept below and the bedroom was straight ahead. A ck cat came out with a meow, scaring the people who were inside.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Don''t let it run away. There may be evidence on it.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong coaxed the cat until he could pick it up.


    Walking to the bedroom, Lin Dongxue took a breath and the cameraman behind her yelped, almost dropping the machine to the ground.


    Mr. Ma was on the ground with blood all over his head. She knelt beside him to test his pulse and breathing. Both vital signs were gone. Lin Dongxue opened his eyelids and remarked, ¡°The pupils are dted. He¡¯s already dead.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a lot of blood on the ground. There were some sshes on the wall but the bed and surroundings were clean.


    Lin Dongxue quickly left the bedroom and searched the kitchen, toilet, and even therge closet to determine that no one was hiding in the house. She was shocked. How did he get killed right under everyone¡¯s noses when the window and doors were locked?


    Xu Xiaodong held the cat and asked, ¡°Is this really homicide?¡±


    ¡°It must be a homicide. Who could have posted the photo on Weibo?¡±


    ¡°I think there may be a daringizen with lots of skills. They couldn¡¯t stand him, so they killed him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t talk nonsense!¡±


    ¡°But fortunately, this cat survived...¡± Xu Xiaodong went to y with the cat. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    After a while, the police car arrived at the scene, took pictures, took the body, and temporarily cordoned the scene. They would wait until the forensics came over tomorrow to obtain evidence, but the door lock was broken and someone had to stay and watch.


    Luo Haifeng offered, ¡°It happened in our area, so I will stay and watch the scene!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°No, you drove a police car. You have to go back to hand the car over back to the station. Just let the criminal police handle this... By the way, the reporters haven¡¯t left yet.¡±


    Luo Haifeng said. ¡°Thank you for your hard work then. I''ll deal with reporters.¡±


    ¡°Remember to pay attention to your words.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Lin Dongxue told Xu Xiaodong to bring the cat home for one night and bring it to the bureau tomorrow. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Are you going to be okay staying here at the scene?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s not umon to stay upte!¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay with you!¡±


    ¡°No need. Just go back to rest ande over early tomorrow... I¡¯ll ask Chen Shi to apany me.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen ising? Okay, I won¡¯t be a light bulb then.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong ran to drive his car over, parked beside the crime scene, and let Lin Dongxue stay in the car at night since it was warmer.


    Then, he left with the cat.


    Lin Dongxue hesitated to call Chen Shi. She prepared to dial his number a few times but eventually gave up. Although she really wanted to be apanied by someone, she thought that this case didn''t look easy to solve. She¡¯d let Chen Shi have a good rest tonight so that he could help solve the case tomorrow.


    After everyone else left, Lin Dongxue sat in Xu Xiaodong''s car, ying on her cell phone and just waiting for time to pass. At 2:00 AM, she couldn¡¯t stand it any longer.


    She lowered her seat andy down for a while, when suddenly there was a dark shadow outside the window that knocked on the window with their fingers, startling Lin Dongxue. She used her mobile phone¡¯s shlight to shine on the figure and saw Chen Shi''s smiling face. She used to think Chen Shi looked too rough around the edges, but after a while, she felt like he looked very manly.


    Lin Dongxue happily opened the car door and Chen Shi said, ¡°Move in.¡±


    ¡°I just made my seat warm, so why don¡¯t you go and sit on the other side? How inconsiderate.¡±


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you sit on myp?¡±


    ¡°Could do!¡±


    Chen Shi squeezed in and Lin Dongxue rode on him. The two looked at each other tenderly. Chen Shi said, ¡°You have something on your face.¡±


    ¡°Where? Where?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be here.¡±


    Chen Shi got closer and closer and the two could feel each other¡¯s breath. Naturally, they began kissing. They went from shallow and short kisses into a deep and intense kiss. Then, Lin Dongxue woke up...


    Remembering her dream, she covered her hot face in embarrassment. Was this a wet dream?


    But it was a beautiful dream. If she slept in a morefortable position, then she might not have woken up so soon. But if she didn¡¯t wake up, what would she have done with Chen Shi in the dream?


    When she thought about that, she covered her face and smiled with her cheeks blushing all the way to her ears.


    Someone knocked on the window outside and Lin Dongxue was startled, saying subconsciously, ¡°Chen Shi?¡±


    Through the ss, the person didn¡¯t hear her and said, ¡°Officer Lin, it''s me!¡±


    Using her phone to shine a light on them, it turned out it was Luo Haifeng. Lin Dongxue rolled down the window and said in surprise, ¡°Officer Luo, why are you here? It''s only four o''clock in the morning.¡±


    ¡°After taking a nap back at the office, I was worried, so I came here... I thought you were with a colleague, but you¡¯re here alone. Isn¡¯t it inconvenient for a single girl to be here alone?¡±


    ¡°No... It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to go to the bathroom? There is a fast food restaurant open overnight.¡±


    ¡°Can I please trouble you to stay here and monitor the scene for a while?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. There¡¯s no one in themunity. If the killer is still nearby, you will be troubled.¡± Luo Haifeng patted his waist. ¡°I exined the situation with the station and now I have my gun with me.¡±


    After going to the restaurant to deal with her biological needs, Lin Dongxue saw Luo Haifeng had bought some food and drinks at the counter. He said, ¡°Eat something to refresh you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was very embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money back.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. It''s not worth much anyway.¡±


    Most of the time when men were nice to her, they usually had a motive. Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t want to owe him anything, so when Luo Haifeng was about to pay with Alipay, she took out a hundred yuan and handed it to the counter. Luo Haifeng said, ¡°Why be so polite?¡±


    ¡°It''s better to draw a line between public and private matters.¡±


    The two returned to the car and Lin Dongxue began eating in boredom while Luo Haifeng was looking for topics to talk about. Lin Dongxue answered curtly but professionally while feeling like the awkwardness was very difficult to bear. It felt better to stay alone in the car.


    She wondered whether she should call Chen Shi multiple times before finally rejecting the idea. After all, he wasn¡¯t a policeman, so this wasn¡¯t his duty.


    I¡¯ll let him have a good rest so that he can help solve the case tomorrow. If it¡¯s like that, then my efforts tonight would be worth it.


    ¡°Officer Lin, this might seem a bit sudden, but do you have a boyfriend?¡± Luo Haifeng said.


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°But Officer Xu said...¡±


    ¡°Don''t listen to him. He doesn''t know anything about me.¡±


    ¡°So... Is your boyfriend a policeman?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s temporarily confidential.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Luo Haifeng who stumbled into a nail looked like he was left in a dazed state.


    It was finally getting bright outside. Those who have ever stayed upte would know that you get the most sleepy in the beginning but you¡¯re much more awake in the middle of the night. However, when the sun rises, your whole body gets tired.


    Lin Dongxue leaned on the chair and closed her eyes for some rest. She dreamed of Chen Shi again. Chen Shi was knocking on the window and Lin Dongxue rolled down the window toin, ¡°Why did you only get here just now?¡±


    ¡°I got here shortly after getting the message. Did you stay here overnight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was so cold!¡± Lin Dongxue thought to herself that since it was a dream, she should hurry up and progress in case she¡¯d wake up again. ¡°I missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Chen Shi froze.


    The development of this dream seems a little strange...


    Lin Dongxue suddenly found that she was covered with Luo Haifeng''s coat and was holding her mobile phone in her hand. She had texted Chen Shi and attached her address before falling asleep.


    She desperately pinched her face and the pain was so clear that she regained her senses. This is not a dream. It¡¯s reality!

 Chapter 270: Murder in a Locked Room

    <h4>Chapter 270: Murder in a Locked Room</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue''s face turned red to the tips of her ears and she covered her face with her hands. Chen Shi pulled the car door open from the other side. Lin Dongxue saw a bag of things in his hand as Chen Shi said, ¡°I bought breakfast for you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue still refused to take her hands away from her face. He was just so close to me just then. He must have heard it. He definitely heard it.


    She felt very embarrassed that her true thoughts were revealed.


    ¡°Would you like to have some preserved egg and lean pork congee?¡± Chen Shi opened a box.


    ¡°...¡±


    Chen Shi spooned some of the food up and reached out to her mouth. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth and swallowed.


    Chen Shi fed spoonful after spoonful of preserved egg and lean pork congee to her and then wiped a little bit off the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Lin Dongxue saw him suck his thumb between the fingers that still covered her face.


    ¡°Do you look like a policeman right now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± Lin Dongxue opened the hands covering her face like a door and closed them again.


    ¡°Who owns this coat? It¡¯s a uniform as well?¡±


    Lin Dongxue dropped her hands down but her face was still burning hot. She said, ¡°There was a local policeman with me yesterday. No, it was me with him actually.¡±


    ¡°It looks like this guy cares about you.¡± Chen Shi noticed the leftover fast food packaging in the car.


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t care about that...¡±


    ¡°Would you like to get out of the car and walk after staying in here the whole night?¡±


    Lin Dongxue nodded silently.


    After getting out of the car, Chen Shi apanied Lin Dongxue to walk around the unit building. Lin Dongxue roughly briefed him on the case and Chen Shi nodded while listening. ¡°A murder in a locked room!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you think it''s possible?¡±


    ¡°Every locked room murder is either a suicide or a fake locked room.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think you can solve it?¡±


    ¡°The weirder a case is, the easier it is to solve. On the contrary, the cleanest cases are the trickiest. I see no problem with this.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go to the scene to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Wait for Old Peng toe!¡± Chen Shi stopped outside the window of the crime scene and looked up.


    Lin Dongxue thought, Did he not hear the phrase ¡°I miss you¡± just now? Maybe he heard it, but is pretending to be stupid?


    The uncle was indeed a crafty creature. When she thought of that, she got a bit angry and reached out to prepare to punch Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi suddenly turned around and Lin Dongxue immediately pulled her fist behind her back. Chen Shi said, ¡°Don''t be so stupid in the future, staying up all night and watching the scene alone. What if the killer was nearby? Could you handle them by yourself? Remember to call me next time.¡±


    ¡°I think... You''re not a policeman and don''t need to suffer this hardship.¡±


    ¡°You think, you think. You didn¡¯t even tell me about it and guessed my thoughts out of thin air? Maybe I¡¯d be willing to keep youpany!¡±


    ¡°Why would you keep mepany?¡±


    ¡°Who told you to be born so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Tch, how superficial.¡± Lin Dongxue pretended to be angry.


    Chen Shi went to check the bathroom windows. Because the apartment was on the first floor, the bathroom was equipped with stainless steel rails on the window. Chen Shi observed the dust on the bathroom rails and said, ¡°The dust on the bathroom rails has been removed.¡±


    ¡°Did the murderere in from here? Impossible. A bunch of people stood there at the time!¡± Lin Dongxue pointed behind him.


    ¡°Were the reporters really noisy?¡±


    ¡°Not only were they noisy, but their spotlights were particrly bright...¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡°Did the killer break into the house while we weren¡¯t paying attention?¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, the killer must be tall and strong.¡±


    ¡°This group of reporters is really annoying. If they didn''te here for an interview, maybe the matter would have been resolved already. There wouldn¡¯t have been a homicide.¡±


    ¡°When ites to the reporters, who exactly called them over?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t theye by themselves?¡±


    ¡°I think someone provided a tip for them toe. Two CTV station reporters appeared at the same time. I don''t think it was just a coincidence. I''m afraid they were led here by the murderer. Did anything else happen during this period of time?¡±


    ¡°The machine on the TV interview vehicle was sshed with water and a short circuit urred. They suspected that it was done by theirpetitor and almost got into a fight. It took a full two hours to resolve... So it seems that this was also set up by the murderer?¡±


    Sure enough, after Chen Shi''s analysis, it became clear immediately. Lin Dongxue suddenly felt that the sudden appearance of the reporters were deliberately arranged by the murderer to stall for time.


    ¡°The victim should have been killed around 12:00. When we saw the post on Weibo, the murderer might have still been on the scene.¡±


    ¡°It seems you don''t use Weibo very much. Doesn''t Weibo have a timed-sending function?¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡±


    ¡°If the killer ran away after finishing sending Weibo, it would be too bold and technically challenging. I think the probability is that the post was dyed.¡±


    ¡°When the door was opened, arge group of reporters rushed in. The scene was particrly chaotic. Did the murderer escape during that time?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this when we get into the crime scer.¡±


    At 7:00, several police cars drove into themunity. Xu Xiaodong jumped out of the car and said, ¡°Brother Chen really stayed here all night? Fuck, that¡¯s love!¡±


    ¡°No, I just came.¡± Chen Shi corrected.


    ¡°Huh? Dongxue, did you stay here all night by yourself?¡±


    ¡°What''s the big deal? Hurry up and handle the case!¡± Lin Dongxue said. After staying overnight, she did feel a little tired, but she could tolerate it for a while.


    Several people went into the crime scene with Peng Sijue and the forensics team. They scattered around to collect evidence. The footprints left by reporters yesterday caused a major inconvenience and the entrance to the living room was almost all covered in footprints.


    Chen Shi nced at the ce where the corpse was found and said, ¡°This blood ejection volume seems to indicate that he was killed with a blunt instrument... A hammer or the like. Old Peng, I suspect the murderer came through the bathroom after pulling open the rails. Come and take a look.¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Mm¡± and then went into the bathroom with Chen Shi. Chen Shi felt that he was not in a good mood today.


    Below the window was the toilet. Of course, there were curtains on the window. Chen Shi looked at the toilet and the toilet box from all angles and said, ¡°There are no footprints but the dust has been wiped away, which is a bit strange.¡±


    ¡°If someone stands up, there will be footprints.¡±


    Peng Sijue grabbed an ultravioletmp, but it turned out that there were no footprints. However, traces of blood were found on the tiles in the bathroom with lines on them, which seemed to be blood footprints left by the murderer.


    Peng Sijue yelled for people to pry the tiles away and take them back for tests.


    Chen Shi came to the living room, looked around, and said, ¡°This is a master. The murder was really clean!¡±


    ¡°Can it be solved?¡± Lin Dongxue said worriedly.


    ¡°Don''t worry, let¡¯s investigate slowly. Hey Xiaodong, you can contact the Weibo officials to see if the ount timed the post and dyed the sending. When did it happen? There is still another problem. Can the sending address be modified?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll call them now!¡±


    ¡°By the way, what about the deceased''s cell phone?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    After a circle of questions, the forensics team all said that they had not found it. It wasn¡¯t on the victim either, so the murderer might have taken it away.


    The three left the scene and waited for Peng Sijue to finish up before heading back together. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Do you feel like something¡¯s wrong with Captain Peng?¡±


    ¡°Did he not rest much?¡± Chen Shi guessed.

 Chapter 271: Discussing the Case

    <h4>Chapter 271: Discussing the Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While waiting for Peng Sijue toe out, Lin Dongxue yawned repeatedly. Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Sleep for a bit. You stayed up all night. If you don''t, you won¡¯t feel better for days.¡±


    Lin Dongxue yawned again. ¡°Won¡¯t the biological clock be messed up if I sleep during the day?¡±


    ¡°No, just go to sleep in the car for a while.¡±


    ¡°No need! I¡¯ll just have a nap when I get back to the bureau.¡±


    Chen Shi turned back to the crime scene and when he came out again. He asked Lin Dongxue toe with him. It turned out that he had asked Peng Sijue for his car keys and opened the door. Peng Sijue¡¯s BMW was a lot morefortable. Chen Shi found a mask from the glove box and gave it to Lin Dongxue to wear.


    ¡°I''m worried that after ten years, your skin will look like an olddy¡¯s,¡± Chen Shi joked.


    Lin Dongxue pulled a face at him. ¡°You think you can still see me ten yearster?¡±


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t, I still want you to look beautiful.¡± Then, Chen Shi put the mask on her face, smoothing the edges carefully. The cold mask was reallyfortable. Lin Dongxue thought, how did Chen Shi know that Captain Peng had a mask in his car? Were they that close?


    However, it seems that the two usually tease each other when they talk as if they are old friends who have known each other for many years.


    Lin Dongxue fell asleep while wearing the mask and lying on the seat.


    Chen Shi got out of the car and at this moment, the evidence collection was finished. The forensics team carried the surveying box and went out. Chen Shi asked one of them, ¡°Has the victim¡¯s cell phone been found?¡±


    ¡°Found it. It¡¯s with Captain Peng.¡±


    ¡°He''s still inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, is Old Peng in a bad mood today?¡±


    The policeman lowered his voice. ¡°Brother Chen, let me tell you something. I¡¯m unsure why, but Captain Peng doesn¡¯t seem very happy in the mornings recently.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of the punishment from the chief?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been happening for a while and we don¡¯t know why.¡±


    Chen Shi had an idea in his heart. At this time, Peng Sijue came out and handed Chen Shi a mobile phone in the exhibit bag. ¡°We found it underneath the sofa. It¡¯s already out of battery.¡±


    Chen Shi took a look and asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening with you? You¡¯re frowning so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Don''t describe me with nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Tell me any problems you encountered!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but no need.¡±


    Chen Shi took out a cigarette and handed it to him. Peng Sijue said, ¡°Still working!¡±


    ¡°A cigarette isn¡¯t going to affect much though?¡±


    Peng Sijue still refused to take it. Chen Shi simply put two cigarettes into his mouth and lit both of them before handing one over to him. Peng Sijue reluctantly took it and puffed a few times.


    When Lin Dongxue was found to be asleep in his car with the mask on her face, Peng Sijue said, ¡°You¡¯re taking my things to get brownie points?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a new pack, okay?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    It wasn''t until they arrived at the bureau that Lin Dongxue woke up. She turned around to find that Peng Sijue was driving. She said, ¡°Ah, sorry. When did I fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, you can sleep a little longer!¡±


    When they arrived, Lin Dongxue felt a bit more refreshed, so she got out of the car. The forensics squad took the evidence back from the scene for analysis. Peng Sijue was responsible for the autopsy. Chen Shi was called by Lin Qiupu to discuss Zhou Xiao''s case, which had not progressed yet.


    Lin Dongxue went to apply for the case to be filed. At 10:00AM, the members of the task force gathered in the meeting room. Peng Sijue read the preliminary autopsy report. ¡°The deceased man, aged 27, died because the arachnoid mater ruptured and bled due to a blunt instrument smashing into the skull. The skull cracked and there were coup and contrecoup injuries near the right ipital bone, but the shape of the weapon seems a bit strange. I took some pictures...¡±


    Peng Sijue took out the photos from the folder, as well as some sketches of the murder weapon drawn by himself ording to the wound shape. Everyone took a look as the photos and sketches circted around the team.


    It looked like a hammer, but the details weren¡¯t too simr. It seemed like a soft hammer.


    Peng Sijue continued, ¡°Judging by the liver temperature, the time of death was around 12:00.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other and expressed surprise. This meant the killer immediately took photos and posted it on Weibo after the murder, and then escaped from the room, leaving it in a locked-room state under the eyes of Lin Dongxue and the reporters.


    ¡°Is it possible that hemitted suicide?¡± A policeman asked.


    ¡°The direction of the wound cannot be done by the victim himself. Besides, I alsopared this photo. The victim in the photo was exactly the same as what I saw, ruling out the possibility of forgery.¡±


    Peng Sijue showed another photo taken during the victim''s examination.


    Everyone looked at the photos. In the end, it circted around to Chen Shi and he repeatedlypared them. Except for the differences in light, shadow, and background, they were exactly the same. He even carefullypared the shape of the blood on the victim¡¯s forehead.


    It appears that the photo was taken immediately after the death of the victim. There was no doubt that a second person was present at the scene.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe that there could be such a killing technique. She asked Xu Xiaodong, ¡°What did Weibo say?¡±


    ¡°They exined the function of timed-posts. After setting the time to send, the information will be stored in the server immediately and the link will be automatically posted at the scheduled time. They searched the serverst night and this Weibo was not dyed to be sent out at a specific time. It was sent at 12:00 and the location shown wasn¡¯t fake either. It was using the victim¡¯s Wifi.¡±


    Everyone was shocked and someone asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°Dongxue, what time was it when you rushed in?¡±


    ¡°At 12:02, we learned that something had happened. The door lock was blocked with iron wire when we tried to go in. Xiaodong went to get the lock-opener. After opening the door, the reporters wanted to go in and take videos. I looked at my watch at 12:10 when I finally saw the victim.¡±


    ¡°In eight minutes, the killer escaped from the bathroom!¡± Someone suggested.


    ¡°No. Although the dust from the window rails and toilet of the bathroom have been wiped, we carefully checked the outside windowsill. The killer didn¡¯t pass through there.¡± Peng Sijue said confidently.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°In addition, when I entered the house, the bathroom door was open. I could see everything in there at a nce. It was so narrow that no one would be able to hide in there, let alone escape through the railing after pulling them open.¡±


    Chen Shi drew pictures on a piece of paper. He lifted the paper up. ¡°This is the on-site unit¡¯s shape I restored from memory. Both windows are equipped with stainless steel rails and they are all where you can see at a nce.¡±


    Everyone looked at the paper and was lost in their thoughts. Chen Shi said, ¡°Excluding the impossible, the remaining possibility is the only answer. The murderer was no longer in the house at that point.¡±


    Someone immediately challenged, ¡°The time of death and the time sent through Weibo proved that the killer was in the house around 12:00. I think it is impossible for Brother Chen to say that the killer was not in the house. The murderer may have hidden themselves in the house and then slipped out after the reporters came in!¡±


    This statement was recognized by many people and Chen Shi didn¡¯t argue. He only smiled.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s impossible. All the people who came in were reporters and camera men. They also left together. These people are usually familiar with each other. It''s like mixing a stranger among us. Wouldn¡¯t you detect them at a nce?¡±


    ¡°Then there is only one answer left!¡± The questioner said. ¡°The killer is someone from the TV station!¡±

 Chapter 272: The Truth About Delayed-Delivery

    <h4>Chapter 272: The Truth About Dyed-Delivery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I think it''s impossible. At that time, Xiaodong and I pushed people out. The shoe rack on the left side of the living room could not hide anyone and there was a door on the right side. They could have hidden there, but they would have had to go past Xiaodong and I.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong agreed, ¡°Yeah, yeah. Unless the killer attached themselves to the ceiling like a ninja.¡±


    The questioner said, ¡°You said you didn''t turn on the lights at the scene. Are you sure you could see them if they tried to hide?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡±


    As a result, the police were divided into two factions as they argued over this issue. Chen Shi did not participate and was still looking through Peng Sijue''s documents and photos.


    ¡°I think!¡± Chen Shi began, making everyone quiet down for a moment. ¡°From the Weibo sent by the killer, he showed a very calm attitude towards this crime. If I were a killer, I must have had a perfect way to leave the room in order to bravely post a Weibo that would draw people in from the outside. So, it is more likely that the killer somehow dyed the Weibo post and he left the crime scene long ago.¡±


    A questioner said, ¡°Brother Chen, I know you are a smart person, so you always love to think about these tricky criminal methods. However, the killer may not be as clever as you. Maybe they just used the stupid method I talked about.¡±


    ¡°No, the murderer is definitely a smart person! Imagine what the situation was like back then. The man was hotly debated on Weibo. Countless people were scolding and searching for him. Two TV stations came to interview him. The police were right outside his house. If the killer came to kill him due to personal hatred, he wouldn¡¯t have picked such a risky time to do it. However, the murderer turned up and created an impossible murder case. They even sent a Weibo post to ''show off''. I think they are an extremely intelligent and calm person!¡±


    Chen Shi''s words persuaded many policemen as they nodded.


    Lin Dongxue felt that there was no benefit in discussing it further. She assigned the tasks ordingly. Since some people suspected the TV station, they were asked to investigate the TV station''s people. Others continued to investigate the situation in themunity.


    ¡°Adjourned!¡± Lin Dongxue announced.


    After the people left, there were still Lin Dongxue, Peng Sijue, Chen Shi, and Xu Xiaodong left in the meeting room. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Let me make an immature suggestion! I think the killer is an enthusiastic Inte user. About 8:00st night, this man¡¯s address was published on the Inte. Everyone had a chance tomit the crime... Isn¡¯t the scope of suspects quiterge?¡±


    Chen Shi pped and said, ¡°Xiaodong''s opinion is very good!¡±


    ¡°Hey, aren''t you ridiculing me?¡± Xu Xiaodong was a bit wary.


    ¡°No, I also think that the killer must have found out about this situation from the Inte and then taken action. Your angle is correct.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The general range is avable. The man was still alive at 11:00st night. We will investigate the people who came in and out of themunity after 11:00... In addition, I''m going to meet Miss Jiang[1]. She may not know about this yet.¡±


    ¡°You got Miss Jiang''s keyst night, didn''t you?¡± Chen Shi asked suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, what''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Give me the keys.¡±


    ¡°I want to return it to her though...¡±


    ¡°The locks are broken already, so what¡¯s the point? It also counts as evidence!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Dongxue, I¡¯ll go with you. I need to return the cat to her.¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°The cat needs toe here for a check-up first.¡±


    Thus, Xu Xiaodong went home to pick up the cat. Peng Sijue continued ahead and did an in-depth autopsy. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were sitting outside the forensicsb. Chen Shi took out his phone and looked at it very seriously. Then, he suddenly smiled. All the spections that could be possible were already posted. Some even said it was done by a high-dimensional intelligent lifeform, so they weren¡¯t found in the locked room. If this was the case, then they shouldn¡¯t investigate the case further.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Lin Dongxue leaned over. ¡°No way. The discussion on the Inte is already this overwhelming?¡±


    ¡°The Weibo post was sent outst night and there were reporters at the scene. You think the case can be covered up?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, it was the killer who sent it. Otherwise Captain Lin would scold me for leaking the news... Anything about it on the Inte?¡±


    ¡°No. A group of keyboard warriors who weren¡¯t at the scene can¡¯t give us any profound conclusions.¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin! Captain Lin!¡± Someone was shouting.


    Lin Dongxue was nervous for a moment. ¡°My brother is here?... Oh, you¡¯re calling me!¡±


    The policeman said, ¡°Captain Lin, we have some findings.¡±


    ¡°Just call my name. You startled me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Captain Lin.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Are you a small captain now?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled embarrassedly. ¡°The smallest kind.¡±


    The forensics team found sialidase on the tempered film of the mobile phone. It waspared with the sialidase of the victim, but it didn¡¯t match. Judging from its live-activity, it was left around ten hours ago. In addition, there was a trace of something that could not be identified.


    ¡°Saliva on the cell phone? Was there a lot?¡± Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised.


    ¡°There was quite a bit. It can be said that the entire screen was covered in it.¡± The technical officer said.


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth and looked at Chen Shi. Chen Shi said, ¡°How interesting. Literally licking the screen[2]. The murderer might have a strange hobby.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Peng Sijue emerged from the forensicb with the smell of disinfectant on his body.


    The subordinates presented their findings again and Peng Sijue took a personal look before saying, ¡°It''s sialidase!¡±


    ¡°By the way, I found that the owner of this sialidase is not very healthy. The bacteria content in the mouth is very high.¡±


    Peng Sijue uttered a ¡°hmm¡±, dripped reagents into the divided samples, and observed them under a microscope. He said, ¡°This person is not only in poor health, but there¡¯s amse in their salivary enzymes.¡±


    ¡°What is amse?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    Peng Sijue exined that it was a biological enzyme that breaks down starch in the human mouth and is found in most omnivores and herbivores.


    Lin Dongxue frowned and thought, ¡°This person usually doesn''t eat starch? Are they trying to lose weight?¡±


    Chen Shiughed uncontrobly. ¡°Stereotypical thinking kills people, it¡¯s obviously the saliva of a carnivorous animal.¡±


    ¡°How can there be a carnivorous animal at the scene... Ah!¡± Lin Dongxue realized suddenly. ¡°That cat?!¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up the phone and looked at it. ¡°The cat licked the screen? Little Wang, did you say there was another ingredient that can''t be detected?¡±


    ¡°It''s an insoluble substance. I''ve never seen thispound before and there are no matching samples found in theboratory.¡± The forensics assistant replied.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Why did the cat lick the screen? It must have been covered in the cat''s favorite food. This problem will probably be cleared up when Xiaodonges back.¡±


    During the waiting period, Chen Shi picked up the belongings of the victim and looked at them. Lin Dongxue noticed that he wasparing Miss Jiang''s key with the victim''s keychain and asked, ¡°Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°A big discovery. Miss Jiang''s key may not be able to open that door!¡±


    1. Previously, the author wrote ¡°Miss Dong¡±, however, the author has changed it into ¡°Jiang going forward it seems.


    2. Apparently, he¡¯s making a joke with regards to the modern Chinese ng where people talk about how sexy someone is on their phone, so much that they want to lick the screen. Chen Shi is saying that he actually licked the screen like a creep.

 Chapter 273: Born Good-looking

    <h4>Chapter 273: Born Good-looking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Peng Sijue came over and checked. ¡°Your statement is not very precise. You can only say that they¡¯re not identical keys.¡±


    ¡°Take the lock and try it,¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    ¡°The keyhole is blocked by wire and cannot be restored... Unless the lock is sawed open in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead!¡± Chen Shi snapped his fingers.


    ¡°Are you a leader somewhere?!¡± Peng Sijue snapped at him.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Captain Peng, can you check if this key corresponds to the lock?¡±


    Peng Sijue then instructed his team to get tools to saw the lock apart.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong was carrying a cat bag and came in happily. He lowered the cat bag and opened it. The cat was very scared of strangers. When the cat saw them, the cat went into Xu Xiaodong''s arms as he kept soothing it.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°You¡¯re handling this cat quite well!¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve got a catnip body!¡± Xu Xiaodong said smugly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we needed to do some tests?¡±


    Peng Sijue cut some of the hair around the cat as samples and then gave it a piece of ss to lick. The cat was indifferent and kept hugging into Xu Xiaodong''s clothes. Peng Sijue changed it to a cotton swab and ordered the cat, ¡°Open your mouth! ¡°


    ¡°Captain Peng, you can''t do it like that.¡±


    ¡°I need its saliva.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong opened the cat''s mouth and asked Peng Sijue to take some samples. Lin Dongxue saw the cat''s mouth full of sharp teeth and dense pink barbs on his pink tongue, but Xu Xiaodong was not afraid.


    Dogs are omnivores, but cats are authentic carnivores. It¡¯s said that cats have not been domesticated properly even after millions of years. Lin Dongxue thought that it was incredible that such small carnivores existed around humans.


    Peng Sijue went to conduct the test and Chen Shi said, ¡°The victim''s cell phone was licked by the cat and we also found a substance that may be the cat''s favorite food. Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Is it sweet?¡± Xu Xiaodong asked.


    Lin Dongxue smiled. ¡°Sweet or salty? Do you think theb technician would take a bite to try?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong smiled and said, ¡°I mean if it had a sweet fragrance, it might be a hairball remedy cream or nutrition cream. The hairball remedy cream is darker and oilier. Most of these are what cats love to eat... Brother Chen, don¡¯t you also have a cat? You don¡¯t know about this?¡±


    ¡°Yueyue takes care of the one at home and I don¡¯t care about it at all. I only get rid of the poo on asion.¡±


    ¡°Should we go to the crime scene to have a look?¡± Lin Dongxue suggested.


    ¡°No need to check. Just buy a hair cream and nutrition cream topare.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Brother Chen, please buy it at a pet store nearby. If I leave this cat, it would be scared to death.¡±


    Chen Shi took a trip and came back and Peng Sijue said that the saliva really belonged to this cat. As far as he was concerned, the saliva of the cat was tested for the first time. Then, hepared the hair cream and nutrition cream. The result was out very fast. ¡°The ingredients left on the phone is simr to the ingredients in that nutrition cream you bought.¡±


    ¡°It seems that someone applied nutrition cream to the mobile phone! Why would they do this?¡± Lin Dongxue wondered.


    ¡°In order to post to Weibo!¡± Chen Shi asserted.


    ¡°Can the cat''s tongue really activate the screen?¡±


    ¡°You won''t know until you verify.¡±


    Chen Shi immediately took out his mobile phone, opened an app, and applied the nutrition cream on the screen for the cat to lick it. The cat hesitated for a long time before sticking out its tongue and licking the screen.


    Although the experiment was sessful, Lin Dongxue still had a hint of doubt. ¡°The cat''s tongue isn¡¯t the same as a human finger. What if it doesn''t lick the send button?¡±


    ¡°You should think about it from the murderer''s standpoint. This ''time-dy mechanism'' itself had a risk. The sess would be the icing on the cake, but there is not much of a loss if it fails. After all, they have already killed someone... It seems that there are certain coincidences in all so-called magical criminal methods.¡±


    Lin Dongxue mumbled. ¡°So that''s the case. This is how the killer dyed sending the Weibo post! So you¡¯re right. The killer killed the victim in advance, set the phone up, and then left the scene.¡±


    Peng Sijue reminded, ¡°The liver temperature showed that the time of death was about 12:00. The margin of error wouldn¡¯t exceed ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes is enough.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°No, we were all standing outside the door at 11:50. Do you remember Xiaodong? The reporter asked us to record again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we stood outside the door for about fifteen minutes.¡± Xu Xiaodong confirmed this statement.


    Chen Shi thought silently when Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Miss Jiang[1].¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I''m not going. I want to think about it here.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong took the cat away. Peng Sijue brought Chen Shi a cup of coffee and asked, ¡°This time are you stumped as well?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°No, I like this thinking game very much. The more bizarre the case, the more excited I get... How about the autopsy?¡±


    ¡°Nothing too impactful was found. The stomach contents showed that the deceased had eaten rice, raw fish, seaweed, chicken, bean sprouts, potatoes, etc. He drank a lot of carbonated drinks in the twelve hours before his death.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go to the crime scene to have a look!¡±


    Chen Shi went to the scene. The police had already investigated here and retrieved the surveince video of the entrance to themunity.


    Chen Shi turned around and asked some residents. It was determined that there was only one entrance here. Of course, it was not impossible to climb the wall, so he walked around themunity to check for any abnormalities.


    At 1:00 in the afternoon, Chen Shi went to a nearby street and saw a Japanese food shop. He remembered that Peng Sijue said that the stomach contents of the victim contained rice, raw fish, and seaweed. Wasn''t this Japanese food?


    He went to the shop and there weren¡¯t many people at noon. A waitress in a white uniform greeted with a smile and said, ¡°Irasshai[2]!¡±


    ¡°Japanese?¡±


    The head chef yelled out, ¡°No, she and I are both North-eastern people. We only know a word of Japanese.¡±


    The waitress said, ¡°Guest, please, this way. What would you like to eat?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Is there only one Japanese restaurant around here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re the only one around these parts,¡± the chef replied.


    ¡°Do you do take-outs?¡±


    ¡°We do. There is a take-out phone number on the wall. Would you like a take-out?¡±


    Chen Shi nced over and said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t use Meituan[3]?¡±


    ¡°The people who order form us are all around this neighborhood, so we just deliver it by ourselves. Would you like something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Do you sell sashimi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, salmon and tuna. Which one do you want?¡±


    ¡°One of each. Take-away please.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The waitress poured a cup of matcha for him and Chen Shi asked, ¡°How many people are there in the shop?¡±


    ¡°Five. The manager, the chef, two waiters, and a guy who helps the chef... Are you a policeman?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a murder case yesterday? I saw the police going in and out of themunity early this morning. Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± said the chef. ¡°The man who died was the cat-killer who was talking about it on Weibo. Such a stubborn man deserves to be dead!¡±


    The waitress said, ¡°The woman cheated first, so you can¡¯t just me the man.¡±


    The head chef said, ¡°You don''t know the situation. Last night, the woman and a policeman ate here. I heard her. She said she didn''t cheat at all. They were all fabricated by the man... By the way, I wonder if you know that female police officer. She was born good-looking. I almost cut my hand when I tried to sneak nces at her while preparing the food.¡±


    1. The author is still calling her ¡°Jiang¡± instead of ¡°Dong¡± it seems.


    2. Greeting in Japanese. The phrase ¡°Irasshaimase!¡± is a more polite version of irasshai, an imperative form of the honorific verb irassharu (¤¤¤é¤Ã¤·¤ã¤ë) which means ¡°to bee/go¡±. The phrase was originally used by marketce sellers trying to bring customers closer to their particr stall.


    3. A food delivery service.

 Chapter 274: The Little Waiter

    <h4>Chapter 274: The Little Waiter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You mean Miss Jiang[1] ate here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you know the female police officer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s in charge of this case.¡±


    The head chef said foolishly, ¡°No way, right? Can you tell her I have a clue?!¡±


    ¡°What clue do you have?¡±


    ¡°I heard what she said to that womanst night!¡± The chef said seriously.


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she know the contents of that conversation better than you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡± The chef sulked as he continued to make sushi.


    Chen Shi called Peng Sijue and asked if the victim''s mobile phone was turned on yet. Peng Sijue said, ¡°It''s on. It was all full of the messages he sent to Miss Jiang and the phone calls he made.¡±


    ¡°Look at recent contacts. Is there this number...¡± Chen Shi read the takeaway phone number on the wall out to him.


    Later, Peng Sijue replied, ¡°Yes, he called them around noon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Don''t eat yet. I''ll invite you to eat Japanese foodter.¡±


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and said, ¡°In fact, you can provide some clues.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The head chef was very excited.


    ¡°The victim ordered takeaways from here yesterday at noon. Do you have any impression of this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but Little Gu probably knows about it.¡±


    ¡°Who is Little Gu?¡±


    ¡°It''s the other waitress. She''s in charge of delivering the food as well. She¡¯s very tall. If we used the words from the Inte, she counts as a manly gal.¡±


    The waitress reminded, ¡°Don''t say that in front of Little Gu or she¡¯ll tell you off again.¡±


    The head chefughed. ¡°We¡¯re just talking about it in private!¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Still delivering food. She should be back in a while... Officer, the victim ordered our takeaway? Can we get on the news?¡±


    ¡°Maybe!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    The head chef was very happy. ¡°This is great. Our little old shop can go on the news? I¡¯ll give you more salmon sushi then!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After a while, the head chef said that Little Gu was back. Chen Shi turned his head and saw a bulky girl riding a red electric motorcycle and wearing a red helmet stop at the door. She walked into the store and took a big mouthful of water, then wiped her mouth with her hand.


    The head chef coughed. ¡°Little Gu, this is a police officer. He has something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday at noon, did you deliver a meal to the victim, Ma Jianjun?¡±


    Little Gu squinted but said nothing.


    ¡°It''s Room 102 in the third block.¡±


    Little Gu shook her head.


    ¡°His cell phone has this store¡¯s number on it. He called in at noon yesterday.¡±


    Little Gu still shook her head and the chef tranted, ¡°Little Gu wants to say that she doesn''t remember. We deliver dozens of orders a day, so it¡¯s impossible to remember... Officer, Little Gu is very introverted and doesn¡¯t like to speak.


    Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone and pulled up a photo of the victim. ¡°Do you have an impression of this man?¡±


    Little Gu nodded.


    ¡°When you saw him at noon, was there anything unusual?¡±


    Little Gu shook her head.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll drop by in the future and ask if I need anything. Are you going to be open the next two days?¡± Thest sentence was directed to the head chef.


    The head chef nodded desperately. ¡°We¡¯re open for business and won¡¯t rest until the New Year. Please help us promote our store more.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°What''s so good about this spot?¡±


    Chen Shi took the sushi takeaway back to the bureau. In the forensics department, everyone else was off for lunch. Peng Sijue was reading a book by himself. Chen Shi put the takeaway box down. ¡°A small finding. There¡¯s a Japanese restaurant near themunity. They delivered takeaway to the victim. I bought some by the way.¡±


    Chen Shi squeezed some wasabi and soy sauce onto the lid. Peng Sijue tried it and said, ¡°The taste is alright. It''s quite authentic.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand what¡¯s so delicious about Japanese food. A piece of raw fish on top of rice?¡±


    ¡°It saves trouble!¡±


    ¡°If you like it, I''ll buy some salmon and make it myself for you.¡±


    ¡°Why should I go to your house?¡±


    ¡°I can send it over.¡±


    ¡°No need. Don''t pretend to be attentive to me!¡±


    ¡°Look at how low your emotional intelligence is. You¡¯re eating something from other people, but you¡¯re saying something awful!¡± Chen Shi picked up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks and stuffed it in Peng Sijue¡¯s mouth.


    Peng Sijue red at him but swallowed.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong returned. Xu Xiaodong''s eyes lit up. ¡°How luxurious. Having sushi for lunch?¡± Then, he took a piece with his hands.


    Peng Sijue threw his chopsticks down. ¡°I won¡¯t have anymore. Bacterial contamination.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said innocently, ¡°Captain Peng, I didn''t mean it. Don¡¯t you have to grab sushi with your hands?¡± Then, he took another piece, ¡°Fuck, is this real fish roe?¡±


    ¡°How could it be real fish roe? Do you know how expensive that is?!¡± Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Huh? This ce also sells sakura rolls[2]?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I bought it where you had dinner with Miss Jiangst night.¡±


    ¡°You''re awesome. You actually already found that ce.¡±


    ¡°How is Miss Jiang?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alright. She found out about her boyfriend''s death this morning. She wasn''t very sad. I asked about the key. Miss Jiang said that the key was for the door. She showed me her keychain. She had three keys in total: the car key, her father''s house key, and this key. They all look different, so she wouldn¡¯t have been mistaken.¡±


    Lin Dongxue wanted to try a piece of sushi and Chen Shi gave her her chopsticks. Lin Dongxue clipped a sakura roll for herself.


    ¡°Did someone switch it?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Switch it?¡± Lin Dongxue swallowed the sushi. ¡°It''s impossible. Her keys were on her the whole time... Wait, when we went to the Japanese restaurant to eat, the bag was left there. We only picked it upter on. It was a particrly bulky waitress that handed it to us.¡±


    ¡°Waitress? She¡¯s quite memorable to me. She also delivered the food for the victim at noon.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s coincidence or if there¡¯s a connection... Well, we¡¯ll have to wait until the lockparison results are out to find out!¡±


    Peng Sijue answered a phone call and said, ¡°We need to go to the garage.¡±


    The four people arrived at the underground garage where the forensics squad had borrowed a fixed frame and a cutting machine. Considering the noise as well as the sparks of fire, they had been working in the underground garage.


    After Peng Sijue nodded his head, the men wearing protective sses began to cut into the lock. As the sharp metal-cutting sound resounded, the sparks flew out as well. Lin Dongxue thought the sound was too sharp and kept covering her ears.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t hear. The entire garage was full of the sounds of the deafening cuts. Chen Shi reached out and pulled her chin down.


    Lin Dongxue thought he was teasing her and bit his finger. Chen Shi quickly retracted his hand.


    Seeing this scene by ident, Xu Xiaodong kept making heart shapes with his hands, but everyone ignored him.


    The lock was finally opened. After the metal cooled down, Peng Sijue checked the key of the victim and said, ¡°This is the correct one.¡±


    Then, theypared Miss Jiang''s key. ¡°This one is obviously not the correct one.¡±


    Chen Shi reasoned, ¡°There are two possibilities. Miss Jiang gave the wrong key or the key was switched.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°If it was switched, then it would have only happened when the bag was left at the Japanese restaurant. Should we go there again?¡±


    1. Previously, the author called this character ¡°Miss Dong¡±.


    2. A type of sushi design that¡¯s usually pink with sakura powder and arranged like sakura (cherry blossoms in Japanese).

 Chapter 275: Do Police Have Two Faces?

    <h4>Chapter 275: Do Police Have Two Faces?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You don''t need to go yet. Just wait until you have clear evidence.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Aplete fingerprint was extracted from this fake key. If you have a suspect, you canpare it with this.¡±


    The next job was to watch the surveince video of that night. Everyone who came in and out of themunity around 12:00 had to be carefully identified. This work was time-consuming andborious. By 5:30 in the evening, Chen Shi said, ¡°I should go. I need to pick Yueyue up.¡±


    Lin Dongxue rubbed her slightly swollen temples. ¡°We have to work overtime. We¡¯ll tell you the result at the case discussion tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Remember to rest.¡±


    They busied themselves until 8:00 and everyone who left themunity after the incident was identified in the video. They created simple photos and stuck it on the whiteboard. Xu Xiaodong said foolishly, ¡°Do we have to question all of these people?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much!¡± Lin Dongxue looked over each face. Little Gu wasn¡¯t among them. Originally, she doubted Little Gu a little, but for right now, she seemed innocent.


    However, a face caught Lin Dongxue''s attention. It turned out that it was Miss Jiang, who shouldn¡¯t have been on the scene. The video records showed that she left themunity at 12:20.


    At the project meeting the next morning, everyone presented the clues found and organized them. The TV station and the online news crew were carefully confirmed to have no one leave before or after the case.


    However,, as for those who called the TV station, the TV station said they would help the police investigate, but it seemed that they weren¡¯t too concerned about it and never contacted the police.


    On the online news side of things, the person who provided new clues was an anonymous number that contacted the editor¡¯s cell phone and couldn¡¯t be verified.


    ¡°It seems that the group of reporters is not within the scope of suspects.¡± Lin Dongxue concluded.


    The police officers in charge of this angle were still reluctant to give up. ¡°I think we should spend more manpower to verify their testimony.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but our team is quite small. Just hold off on the TV station for now. We have a lead. At 9:00 that night, Miss Jiang said she was unwell and went home to rest. However, in the surveince video, she left at 12:20 again.¡±


    There was a lot of discussion and some people spected. ¡°If you want to talk about the motive of the crime, Miss Jiang is full of motivation. You just said that the key she gave you was fake, indicating that the real key might still be in her hands. She also knows the environment better and possesses the conditions formitting the crime.¡±


    ¡°Call her today and ask!¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°When did Miss Jiang enter themunity?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I looked through the previous footage. She entered themunity at half past eleven.¡±


    Everyone was shocked. ¡°It''spletely within the crimemitting time period!¡±


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong waste and came in quietly from the back door. Lin Dongxue looked at him and reprimanded, ¡°Xiaodong, you¡¯rete!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said regretfully, ¡°My cat was sick. I went to the vets early in the morning, sorry!¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know how to reprimand others and just said, ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again!¡±


    Peng Sijue suddenly asked Xu Xiaodong, ¡°What sickness was it?¡±


    ¡°Cat-scratch disease[1]...¡±


    ¡°What is cat-scratch disease?¡±


    ¡°It is a bacterial infectious disease. The doctor also asked me if I was scratched. I said no.¡±


    ¡°What happens when a person gets scratched?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get infected and it causes inmmation...¡±


    Lin Dongxue was about to remind them not to speak at the meeting like that. Peng Sijue suddenly stood up and walked away. Lin Dongxue felt like she lost face and coughed. ¡°Let''s go find Miss Jiang!¡±


    Around 10:00, Miss Jiang was invited to the interrogation room. Being suddenly brought here for questioning, she looked very panicked and said to Lin Dongxue as she entered the interrogation room, ¡°Officer Lin, I''m not guilty of anything. Why did you arrest me?¡±


    ¡°We just need to ask you some questions.¡± Lin Dongxue sat down. ¡°You don''t have to be nervous. Do you want to drink water?¡±


    At this time, everyone else was watching outside.


    Miss Jiang said, ¡°No need. If you have any questions, just go ahead. After this, I still have to go to work.¡±


    ¡°At 8:00 on April 16th , we had dinner together, and then at 9:00 you said you were feeling sick and went home, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you know all this.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°Did you stay at home after that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was there the whole time!¡±


    ¡°The surveince shows that you entered themunity at 11:30 and left at 12:20. What do you want to say about that?¡±


    Miss Jiang was startled. ¡°You could only see me?¡±


    Even if she wasn''t good at interrogating, Lin Dongxue caught the meaning of this sentence. She asked, ¡°You weren''t alone at the time?¡±


    ¡°No, it was just me!¡±


    Lin Dongxue put a key on the table, ¡°You gave me this key to let me mediate the situation, remember?¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°But the key is fake. The door can¡¯t be opened with it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Anxious, Miss Jiang tipped over the stic cup filled with water.


    Lin Dongxue rushed towards the single-mirror window and made a gesture. Immediately, someone came in to clean up the cup and mess. The cup was actually taken to forensics for testing.


    The result came out quickly and the fingerprint identification showed that the strange fingerprint on the key did not belong to Miss Jiang. It appeared that it was another person.


    Lin Dongxue learned of the result through an internal phone and said to Miss Jiang, ¡°Your boyfriend Mr. Ma died around 12:00 that night. Do you know about this?¡±


    ¡°I do. I saw it all on Weibo.¡±


    ¡°You also have a motive for the crime...¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t. If I had the ability to kill, things would not have happened like that!¡± Miss Jiang desperately denied.


    Lin Dongxue continued, ¡°We think you have a motive formitting the crime and now the times you were at the crime scene are also a match. If you continue to deny things without saying anything, things will be bad for you.¡±


    Miss Jiang kept twisting the handkerchief in her hand and biting her lip.


    ¡°Do you police have two faces?¡± She said. ¡°Youforted me that night, but now you¡¯re treating me just like the prisoner.¡±


    Lin Dongxue replied, ¡°I''m just doing my job. In fact, this is my first independent questioning. I thought that you wouldn¡¯t feel too nervous if you were just talking to me alone.¡±


    Miss Jiang nced at the recorder and asked, ¡°Can you turn that off?¡±


    ¡°No, but we¡¯ll keep what you say a secret.¡±


    After hesitating for a long time, Miss Jiang finally spoke. ¡°First of all, I didn''t kill anyone. Secondly, he didn''t kill anyone either.¡±


    ¡°Who is ¡®he¡¯?¡±


    ¡°My ex-boyfriend! It was the guy I mentioned to you. The rtionship that was broken up by my family... Actually, I lied to you. I did cheat. But it wasn¡¯t as bad as Ma Jianjun thought. I just met my ex-boyfriend and we talked about my current situation and experiences. He still loves me very much. I promised to be his girlfriend again. Of course, this time we didn¡¯t intend to let others know... Actually, the hotel thing was deliberate. I knew Ma Jianjun was very paranoid and suspicious. I did it on purpose to deliberately break his heart, thinking that he would let me go after that. Who knew that this obsessive man would do such a thing!¡±


    ¡°Miss Jiang, I won''t condemn you. After all, this boy is your true love.¡± Lin Dongxue said knowing that if Lin Qiupu was on the scene, she must have been scolded there for saying something she shouldn''t say during the interrogation.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Miss Jiang wiped her tears. ¡°My ex-boyfriend that day... No, my current boyfriend who knew about it said he was going to settle it with the obsessive freak. I was afraid he would do something extreme. Besides, reporters and police were at the scene, so I went to themunity to stop him! It was at 11:30 as you¡¯ve said.¡±


    1. AKA Bartone Hensee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartone_hense

 Chapter 276: Real Murder Time

    <h4>Chapter 276: Real Murder Time</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue made an internal call and asked someone to bring in aputer and y the surveince video from that night. At about half past ten, a man entered themunity. Miss Jiang pointed at the screen and said, ¡°That¡¯s him!¡±


    Then, they fast forwarded the video. At 12:19, Miss Jiang identified the man who had left themunity right before her.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Did he ever leave your sight when he and you were in themunity?¡±


    ¡°No, I promise.¡±


    ¡°But he came first.¡±


    ¡°He won''t kill people. He really won''t. He is a very kind boy and has never been in conflict with anyone. If it weren''t for me, he wouldn''t be like that.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing in the neighborhood?¡±


    ¡°We just talked. I persuaded him the whole time. In fact, I was still very worried about my cat, but I told him that if the cat¡¯s gone, then the cat¡¯s gone. However, he mustn¡¯t do impulsive things. I would rather not have the house, as I just wanted him to be well so that I could be together with him.¡±


    Lin Dongxue knew that even if the boy went to themunity, it was impossible for him to kill the victim because at 11:10, Mr. Ma was still alive.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I want his contact information and name and I will check his testimonyter.¡±


    ¡°Officer Lin, I assure you that he wouldn¡¯t kill anyone...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, we won''t criminalize good people. When the truth is found, you¡¯ll be the first person I inform.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After Miss Jiang wrote down the contact information, Lin Dongxue asked again, ¡°One more thing. That key, when was thest time you used it to open the door?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago. I don''t know why it couldn''t open the door. Did you try it already?¡±


    Lin Dongxue got ready to send Miss Jiang away but found Peng Sijue and another person in a long white coat standing in the corridor. Peng Sijue asked, ¡°Miss Jiang, did your cat catch the cat-scratch disease?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Miss Jiang looked nk.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Captain Peng?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°It may be an important discovery... Miss Jiang, can you bring your cat and have the veterinarian check it?¡±


    Seeing Miss Jiang being hesitant, Lin Dongxue offered, ¡°How about this? The veterinarian and I will go to your house to check.¡±


    Chen Shi stood up and said, ¡°I''ll drive.¡±


    When the four got to Miss Jiang''s residence, it was actually her boyfriend''s house. Lin Dongxue found that the ce was chaotic but theyout was very warm, unlike the ce where Ma lived, which was spotless but had a sense of depression and control.


    On the table, there were photos of Miss Jiang and him. Miss Jiang was obviously younger. She said, ¡°This was taken back then but he actually kept them. I¡¯m very moved.¡±


    ¡°He seems to love you very much.¡±


    Miss Jiang nced at Chen Shi standing at the door and whispered to Lin Dongxue, ¡°Is that police officer your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Ah... This...¡±


    ¡°I noticed that you two always inadvertently made eye contact. I think you guys look good together.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lin Dongxue said as her face heated up.


    When the cat saw strangers, it stumbled under the sofa. It was finally caught and the veterinarian checked it. ¡°This cat has signs of illness. You have to take it to the pet hospital for a stool test... Has it scratched you?¡±


    ¡°No, Mimi has always been very good and never bites or scratches people.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°How is its rtionship with Mr. Ma?¡±


    ¡°It''s said that pets follow the owner. Ma Jianjun and I often quarrel, so Mimi doesn''t like him very much. Sometimes Ma Jianjun wants to hold it and it gets so frightened that the tail stands on point so much. It looks like it would explode!¡±


    ¡°Explode?¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°It''s a threatening action by cats.¡± Chen Shi remembered that when his Moqiu first arrived, it often did that as well.


    Miss Jiang, who was concerned about the health of the cat, agreed to go to the pet hospital. The four drove to the pet hospital. After a half-hour inspection, the doctor said with certainty, ¡°This cat does have Bartone Hense[1], which ismonly known as cat-scratch disease.¡±


    Chen Shi informed Peng Sijue of the results and Peng Sijue said, ¡°Come back. I may have made a major discovery.¡±


    When the two returned to the bureau, Peng Sijue took Mr. Ma''s dissected body out again. He held the body''s hand and said, ¡°There is a slight red and swollen scratch on the back of the hand. I initially judged that it was from the cat, so It wasn''t written in the report.¡±


    ¡°But you didn''t expect this cat to carry bacteria?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Yes, it seems that the victim didn¡¯t properly handle this after being scratched. He had slight infection and inmmation, so his liver temperature was a bit higher than that of normal people. That is to say, we judged the time of death was wrong. The time of death was about 11:00!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was surprised and Chen Shi said, ¡°I remember you said that there were a lot of carbonated drinks in the victim¡¯s stomach contents.¡±


    ¡°Now we¡¯ve also found four c cans which were drunk on the same day.¡±


    ¡°Due to his difort, he drank a lot of Coke?¡±


    ¡°Coke contains the same ingredients as painkillers, caffeine, and a cooling sensation which will make people with slight fevers feelfortable... Coca-C was originally a cold medicine, but it became a drink just because it tasted good.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This is impossible! At ten past eleven, the victim spoke to us through the window. The camera recorded it and I saw it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Was he the person who was speaking though?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Absolutely. Because we talked before, I know his voice sounded exactly the same.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t see the face?¡±


    ¡°The room was dark, but I could see an outline, which was him! Captain Peng, although he had been infected and inmed, wouldn¡¯t it have gone away by that time?¡±


    ¡°From the blood sample, it shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The murderer set up a ''trap'' that sent the Weibo post with a dy in order to make us think that the time of death was different. The victim must have died before 12:00.¡±


    ¡°But not earlier than 11:10.¡± Lin Dongxue emphasized.


    ¡°It''s better that we go to the scene and measure the time it would have taken the killer.¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    So the three returned to the scene. Lin Dongxue stood outside the window and said, ¡°At ten past eleven, the man scolded the reporter across the window and said things for about two minutes. Then he went in... Five minutester, he sprayed water out through the window and the reporter''s machines got wet.¡±


    Chen Shi recorded on his mobile phone. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the victim would have been alive at 11:17. What about after that?¡±


    ¡°It took the reporters more than 20 minutes to check the machine and change clothes.¡±


    ¡°Where were you then?¡±


    ¡°Standing just below the unit building. Xu Xiaodong and police officer Luo were with me.¡±


    ¡°I remember you said that the machine in the TV interview vehicle short-circuited because of water.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. The TV station suspected that it was done by Uncle Geng''s side and the two sides almost got physical with each other.¡±


    ¡°Did you pay attention to the entrance to the unit the whole time?¡±


    ¡°No, how could I stare at the same ce for half an hour? Moreover, I didn''t know there was a murder there.¡±


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartone_hense

 Chapter 277: I Even Admire Them

    <h4>Chapter 277: I Even Admire Them</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi walked around thinking as he looked around the scene, reproducing the scene in his mind. He suddenly asked, ¡°Why did he spray water at the reporters?¡±


    ¡°To drive them away. Why else?¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°What did he use to spray them?¡±


    ¡°It should be the water pipe next to the fish tank.¡±


    ¡°Where were you then? Did you leave the window?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I wasn''t sshed but out of instinct, I was afraid he would spray water again, so I walked away.¡±


    ¡°How long were you away for?¡±


    ¡°About ten minutes. I asked the reporters if their machines were broken.¡±


    ¡°What were Xu Xiaodong and Officer Luo doing?¡±


    ¡°Police Officer Luo was also asking about the reporter''s situation, Xu Xiaodong... I don''t want to bother talking about him. He stared at the female reporter''s wet chest the whole time.¡±


    ¡°So the entrance to the unit building was vacant at that time and hardly anyone would have noticed anything. Everyone was busy dealing with the unexpected situation?¡± Chen Shi''s tone showed excitement.


    Lin Dongxue looked towards the entrance of the unit building in surprise and there were flower beds on both sides of the entrance. Peng Sijue noticed this as well and brought the ultravioletmp over. He said, ¡°There are footprints here!¡±


    ¡°The footprints are a bit weird. The focus is on the toes. The man walked away as they crouched.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Lin Dongxue was shocked. ¡°You mean to say...¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chen Shi nodded slightly. ¡°The water was sprayed by the murderer. The victim scolded the reporter across the window and got killed when he went to the bedroom. The murderer who had been hiding there then took the water pipe and sprayed water on them. When you all ran away, they escaped.¡±


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth in surprise. ¡°Is there such a bold killer?¡±


    ¡°Bold and careful.¡±


    Peng Sijue thought about something and went to the scene with his tool box. Chen Shi said, ¡°In fact, it can be proved. At that time, the reporter''s machine was on. There should be a shadow of the murderer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, why didn''t I think of it?!¡±


    Peng Sijue said through the window, ¡°Come in.¡±


    When the two entered the scene, Peng Sijue was taking fingerprints from the water pipe. He said, ¡°The fingerprints seem to only belong to the male owner... But this water pipe should be immersed in the fish tank year round and covered with moss. However, one end of the moss is wiped away. There are no fingerprints on it at all either.¡±


    Chen Shi continued along his line of thought. ¡°The murderer was wearing gloves, so he wiped off the moss without leaving fingerprints.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was speechless with respect and asked Chen Shi, ¡°How did you think of that?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Thinking from a different angle. If I were a murderer, how would I escape the scene?¡±


    Lin Dongxue pouted uneptingly.


    Peng Sijue stared at the fish tank in a daze and finally took some water from the fish tank.


    Peng Sijue went straight back to the bureau while Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed to the TV station. At this time in the evening, the TV station was busy and no one had time to greet them. Lin Dongxue started several times, ¡°We¡¯re here to find...¡± but the other party would just nce at them before hurriedly walking away.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°They¡¯re currently rushing to broadcast the evening news. Let''s go in ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Can we?¡±


    ¡°You have a badge. What are you afraid of?¡±


    There were many rooms in the TV station. The two found a video editing room and pushed through the door to see a group of people cutting movies at theputer, cooking some rice, smoking a cigarette, or scratching their ears. They all looked unhappy and the whole room was clearly filled with work stress.


    ¡°They look like a group of ves in a ve ship.¡± Lin Dongxuemented. ¡°I thought the criminal case team was bad enough.¡±


    A dead-looking uncle asked, ¡°Who let you in?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. ¡°Police. I want to see the video footage taken in the Guanghua District on the evening of April 16th.¡±


    ¡°Find him!¡± The uncle pointed at the bald head buried in the equipment opposite them.


    The bald editorzily asked, ¡°What material?¡±


    ¡°On the evening of April 16th, the video footage of Guanghua Community. It was the news regarding the man who was trying to kill the cat.¡±


    He searched theputer and asked, ¡°What''s the date?¡±


    ¡°The evening of April 16th...¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Guanghua Community.¡±


    ¡°What content?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked helpless. ¡°The cat-killing man!¡±


    ¡°This? It''s already on air. You can just search for it online.¡±


    ¡°We want to see the original.¡±


    ¡°What''s so good about the original? It¡¯s messy... Which unit are you from?¡±


    ¡°Police!¡± Lin Dongxue said. It seemed like this man was a bit forgetful.


    ¡°Why do you need to look at this? Did our boss agree?¡±


    Chen Shi took out fifty yuan for him and said, ¡°Brother, go out and have a meal. We can have a look for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t delete anything.¡±


    Chen Shi pushed Lin Dongxue into the chair and Lin Dongxue operated theputer with the mouse. ¡°Wow, the original video file is so big. Dozens of gigabytes.¡±


    ¡°The USB stick we brought with us seems to be useless.¡±


    After searching for a long time, they finally found that section. In the picture, the reporter was talking when suddenly a stream of water was sprayed from the balcony before the footage became blurry from all the movement.


    Lin Dongxue went back to look at the scene again and repeated it several times, but still couldn''t see clearly.


    Chen Shi suggested, ¡°Put it in the editing software and look at it frame by frame.¡±


    ¡°Ah, they still have files open, so don''t mess around.¡±


    ¡°So... New... Import... Done!¡±


    Because he leaned over to operate theputer, Chen Shi''s face was close to Lin Dongxue¡¯s. She could see the beard stubble on his chin clearly. She smiled. ¡°Why do you know how to do everything?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± Chen Shi smiled smugly, turning his head to look at Lin Dongxue''s face illuminated by the screen.


    Looking at the footage frame by frame, the two found nothing in the window. The water pipe appeared and suddenly started spraying water out of thin air. Chen Shi adjusted the contrast and it turned out that no one was recorded at all.


    Lin Dongxue bit her nails. ¡°No one was photographed?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it''s possible under normal circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean, this man deliberately squatted down and sprayed the water?¡±


    ¡°It seems that this person is very scared of being recorded.¡±


    Lin Dongxue went through the video again. When Mr. Ma talked to the reporter, the camera captured his face clearly. It seems that like Chen Shi''s spection, the sprayer was not Mr. Ma.


    In this video, Lin Dongxue found something. She tried to use the mouse, but nothing happened. Chen Shi took the mouse from her and zoomed in.


    ¡°Here!!!¡± She pointed to a ce.


    ¡°I see it.¡±


    While Mr. Ma was insulting the reporter, the bedroom door behind him opened slightly. Lin Dongxue felt a shudder. The murderer actually snuck into the bedroom when the victim was speaking to the reporter.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I think the water spray was the killer''s God¡¯s pen stroke[1]. It wasn¡¯t premeditated. How long Mr. Ma would speak with the reporters and whether he would enter the bedroom after talking with them were all things that couldn¡¯t be controlled.¡±


    Lin Dongxue pondered, ¡°What if Ma went into the living room after talking?¡±


    ¡°The killer may have had another n but we can no longer see it... Anyway, this killer is smart, bold, and careful... I even admire them a little bit!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you aren''t serious, are you?!¡±


    1. Sudden inspiration.

 Chapter 278: Locked In On the Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 278: Locked In On the Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The original video file was toorge, so Lin Dongxue only copied a few screenshots and left.


    Aftering out, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Judging by the killer''s fastest speed, it would take at least ten minutes to kill the victim and leave themunity. Those who left themunity after 11:27 are all suspects.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you will find unexpected people in the video.¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°It''s gettingte. I''ll send you back to the office and then go and pick up Yueyue.¡±


    Back in the bureau, Lin Dongxue watched the surveince footage from themunity again. At 11:30 that night, a figure riding a red motorcycle left themunity.


    ¡°No way?¡±


    She finally understood who Chen Shi was referring to. It turned out that he was also skeptical of the waitress at the Japanese restaurant.


    Rewinding back, Little Gu entered themunity at 11:15 and was at the scenepletely within the time period that the crime wasmitted.


    Lin Dongxue immediately called Chen Shi and said excitedly, ¡°It''s Little Gu, she went in and out of themunity before and after the crime.¡±


    Chen Shi seemed very calm. ¡°This girl appeared within our sights twice and I was a little suspicious of her. I guess it can be confirmed now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find her now... I can''t wait for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°So impatient. Okay, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi drove in and brought Lin Dongxue a homemade bento. Lin Dongxue opened it, looked at it and said, ¡°Your dinner from home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was having dinner when I was called by you... I¡¯ve already eaten!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll eat in the car.¡±


    The two drove to the Japanese restaurant next to themunity which was still open at this time. Little Gu wasn¡¯t around. As soon as they entered the door, the waitress from the North-east bowed again and said, ¡°Irasshai... Oh, it''s the police officer!¡±


    The head chef was very excited, mostly because he saw Lin Dongxue. He wiped his hands and came out from behind the counter. He said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Are you still investigating the case?¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Where is Little Gu?¡±


    ¡°Delivering food.¡±


    The head chef asked the waitress to pour tea for the two of them, sat down, and asked, ¡°Why do you want to find Little Gu? Do you want to understand the situation further? She just delivered food at noon that day.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°What time do you deliver until?¡±


    ¡°We say it¡¯s 9:00 in the evening, but if there¡¯s a customer who needs it, we¡¯ll still deliver outside of these hours.¡±


    ¡°When did you stop delivering on April 16th?¡±


    ¡°April 16th? Oh, Wednesday? 10:00!¡±


    ¡°Little Gu has a red motorcycle. Is it her own?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she rides it away after work.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi exchanged nces and Chen Shi continued to ask, ¡°Can you talk a bit more about Little Gu?¡±


    ¡°Is there any need to talk about Little Gu? She is a child with an introverted personality but she is very hardworking. She¡¯s been here for three or four years...¡± While talking, the head chef kept smiling and watching Lin Dongxue.


    The waitress chimed in, ¡°Little Gu was very scary when she first arrived.¡±


    The head chef rebuked, ¡°That''s personal privacy. Stop talking nonsense, okay?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Can you talk to us about it? Rest assured, we will definitely keep it secret.¡±


    ¡°This... This...¡± In front of Lin Dongxue, the head chef sumbed without fighting for very long. ¡°When Little Gu first arrived, her face was burned to pieces that were slowly falling off and her clothes were torn. She carried a big canvas bag. She said she hadn¡¯t eaten for a few days and asked if she was able to work here. She already asked a few stores at the time. Since they didn¡¯t like the look of her, they didn¡¯t take her in. I looked at this pitiful child and talked to the store owner to take her in. It turns out that my choice was correct and my eyes didn¡¯t fail me. Little Gu is a really dedicated worker.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see anything wrong with Little Gu''s face!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know, but all the money she earned in the past two years has been used for skin grafting surgeries. She looks decent now. In fact, if you look closely, you will find that there are some pieces of skin on her face that are lighter in color than the rest... Oh, This is all personal privacy. Is it appropriate to talk like this? What are you doing asking about this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re investigating the case. We have to investigate anything and everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand... Ever since the police officer came to us that day, the number of customers has really increased.¡±


    Chen Shi thought that this was probably an illusion as he didn¡¯t promote the business at all.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Where does Little Gu live?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°She will be back in a moment.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m just asking for the address.¡±


    The head chef gave an address and Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue there first. Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to wait for her?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to her house first.¡±


    The puzzled Lin Dongxue followed Chen Shi to Little Gu''s apartment, located in a nearby unit building. When they found Little Gu''s apartment, Chen Shi took out the key. Facing Lin Dongxue''s surprised look, Chen Shi exined, ¡°This is the fake key that I borrowed from Lao Peng.¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect Little Gu switched the keys and reced the key of the crime scene with her own?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Chen Shi inserted the key but couldn''t turn it at all. He checked the lock and smiled. ¡°She changed the lock entirely. Look, it''spletely new.¡±


    The door was painted with red paint, but there was no paint at all on the newly installed lock. In fact, it was new and shiny.


    This move was sufficient proof that Little Gu was a cause for major suspicion.


    ¡°I didn''t expect someone who had nothing to do with the victim to kill someone,¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi pointed to his face. ¡°From her experience, maybe she had sympathy for Miss Jiang!¡±


    The thought of arresting her made Lin Dongxue''s heart a little heavy.


    The two returned to the Japanese restaurant where Little Gu had already returned from her deliveries. She was leaned over a table and ying with her mobile phone. The other waitress said, ¡°Little Gu, the police are looking for you.¡±


    Little Gu looked up, slightly surprised.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat down in front of her. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°We met that night.¡±


    Little Gu nodded.


    ¡°Miss Jiang''s bag was left here and you gave it back to her.¡±


    Little Gu nodded again.


    Lin Dongxue organized thenguage she would use in her head and cut to the chase. ¡°When did you deliver thest meal on the evening of April 16th?¡±


    Little Gu recalled for a while before using her finger to write the number nine with her finger.


    ¡°Then you got off work at ten?¡±


    Little Gu nodded.


    ¡°However, on the surveince video of themunity entrance, we saw you enter themunity at eleven and leave at 11:30. Please exin what you did in themunity.¡±


    Little Gu''s eyes widened. Realizing that the situation was heading in an odd direction, the head chef was about toe over to mediate, but Lin Dongxue stopped him with a gesture.


    Chen Shi had been looking something up on his phone.


    Little Gu opened her mouth said slowly with a hoarse voice, ¡°Private matter.¡±


    ¡°What private matter?¡±


    Little Gu said nothing.


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi for the key. ¡°Are you familiar with this key?¡±


    Little Gu''s expression became more and more tense, as a drop of cold sweat flowed between her brows.


    At this time, Chen Shi said from his mobile phone, ¡°Your name is Gu Xiaoting. Four years ago, you broke up with your boyfriend and he sshed sulfuric acid on you making you disfigured. This incident caused a public sensation at the time...¡± Chen Shi observed Little Gu''s expression. ¡°After finishing the skin grafting and changing your hairstyle, you look a little different.¡±


    Little Gu bit her lips and lowered her head.


    Chen Shi asked while carefully enunciating each of his sybles, ¡°What did you do at Ma Jianjun''s house on the evening of April 16th?¡±

 Chapter 279: A Kiss of Love Confirmation

    <h4>Chapter 279: A Kiss of Love Confirmation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gu Xiaoting stared nervously at Chen Shi without talking.


    Others in the store noticed that the atmosphere wasn''t quite right, so they stopped what they were doing to look at them.


    Chen Shi repeated the question and Gu Xiaoting remained silent. Lin Dongxue said, "Miss Gu,e back with us!" When she said this, she was ready to take out her handcuffs.


    At that moment, Gu Xiaoting flipped the table over suddenly and the sauces on the table all broke. Lin Dongxue screamed in horror, but at the critical moment, a strong arm blocked the table.


    Chen Shi blocked the table for her with one hand. He pushed away the table that was pressed on the two of them and said, "Chase after her!"


    The two chased outwards. Gu Xiaoting was speeding away on a motorcycle. When she was chased into an alley Gu Xiaoting''s motorcycle rolled over because of the speed. She got up and drove away into the alley.


    Chen Shi rushed ahead, the the wind blowing noisily passed his ears due to his speed. He couldn¡¯t see the road in front. Gu Xiaoting continued to rush ahead like a red shadow right through the middle of traffic. The harsh braking and sounds of collision were endless.


    When Chen Shi rushed onto the street, a car that braked suddenly knocked him to the ground. Chen Shi felt half of his body bing numb, but worse than that, a car in the rightne that was full of cargo was still driving forward. The oing truck continued forward and desperately honked as he wouldn¡¯t be able to brake in time.


    Chen Shi''s miserable face was illuminated by snow-white lights. At this moment, he was pulled back by a hand. The moment he was pulled to the side, the truck drove past like the wind.


    What was most unbelievable was that it was Gu Xiaoting who rescued him. Chen Shi hesitated for only half a second, then grabbed Gu Xiaoting''s arm. He felt as if he was taking revenge on his own savior, but he couldn¡¯t help it.


    Just now, Lin Dongxue saw theplete scene and tears rolled from her eyes in fear. However, she did not forget her duty as a police officer and handcuffed Gu Xiaoting after crossing the road.


    Chen Shi said, "Thank you!" to Gu Xiaoting


    Gu Xiaoting nced at him silently.


    There were several cars rear-ending each other on the road, but fortunately, no one was injured. For the time being, they were handed over to the traffic police. The two of them took Gu Xiaoting back to the office.


    Along the way, no matter how much Chen Shi talked, Lin Dongxue didn''t open her mouth. She kept biting her lips and holding back the tears in her eyes. In order to prevent Chen Shi from seeing, her face kept looking out the window.


    Half an hourter, Gu Xiaoting was taken to the Public Security Bureau and was sent to the interrogation room. Lin Dongxue''s dissatisfaction finally broke out. She punched Chen Shi''s chest and cried, "Asshole, you don''t know how scared I was just now. Why did you try so hard? You¡¯re not a policeman, so even if you died, you wouldn¡¯t be a martyr!¡±


    "I..." Chen Shi couldn¡¯t find a word offort.


    Lin Dongxue punched him again. "My parents died in a car ident. I was young and didn¡¯t see it with my own eyes, but do you know how much of a trauma it was for me? I always had nightmares of them dying until high school!"


    "Dongxue, I''m sorry."


    Lin Dongxue seemed to be out of control, crying and hugging Chen Shi. She was crying like a child without any concealment as her warm tears prated into Chen Shi''s clothes.


    "Stop doing this stupid stuff! Stop doing this stupid stuff!"


    Chen Shi knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn¡¯t be able tofort her. He knew that she cared too much about him, so he took Lin Dongxue''s face using his big hands and kissed her on the lips. Lin Dongxue also held Chen Shi''s face and from a shallow kiss, they changed to a deep kiss. The dark night was boundless and the cold wind was circling around but the two were warmed by a warm current from the bottom of their hearts.


    After the affectionate kiss of love ended, Lin Dongxue''s cheeks blushed to her ears and her heart was pounding. She concealed this by pushing her hair around andter raised her head to look up at Chen Shi¡¯s eyes. At this moment, silence was golden.


    Lin Dongxue grabbed Chen Shi''s neck again and Chen Shi smiled before lowering his voice. "Let¡¯s wait for the case to be finished."


    Ten minutester, the two entered the interrogation room. Gu Xiaoting, who wasn¡¯t used to handcuffs, was rubbing her wrists from side to side. Chen Shi handed her a bottle of warm coffee and said, "Thank you for saving me. I owe you one."


    "No... It¡¯s nothing. I think you are a good person. You shouldn''t be damned." Gu Xiaoting said with a lowered head.


    "Do you think Ma Jianjun is a bad person?" Chen Shi asked in a soothing tone.


    "..."


    Chen Shi sat down and picked up the document at hand. It was a printed report. He said, "Three years ago, you were disfigured by your stubborn boyfriend who sshed you with sulphuric acid. Then, you came to Long¡¯an to work and slowly save money. You got skin grafts and started a new life. You identally learned about a man who wanted to kill a cat. You saw the shadow of your boyfriend in him, so you decided to help Miss Jiang?"


    "..."


    Chen Shi added his spection to the case. "That night, Miss Jiang ate at the Japanese restaurant and dropped the bag. It gave you a great opportunity. You found that her key was the same as your model so you switched them quietly. You went to deliver a meal that day to Ma Jianjun''s house, so you knew what his house looked like. That¡¯s when you nned a near-perfect murder. You entered themunity at 10:50 while the reporters were interviewing other people, quietly entered the unit building, and waited. When Ma Jianjun spoke to reporters through the window, you went into his house and snuck into the room, waiting for Ma Jianjun to finish the conversation. He entered the bedroom and you killed him with a hammer from behind the door. Then, you sprayed water out the window to make the reporters panic. You quickly took a photo with Ma Jianjun''s mobile phone and used the cat to set up a time-dyed mechanism to send out a Weibo post. Finally, you left the scene silently... Not only are you careful, but you also had good luck. Miss Jiang dropping her bag and you sneaking into the house weren¡¯t part of the n. It was noticed that the cat licked the nutrition cream on the mobile phone at 12:00, all of which required luck toplete.¡±


    "So you think..." Gu Xiaoting said slowly, "God borrowed my hand to make him die. If one step of my actions were unsessful, the whole n would have been abandoned."


    "But we won''t arrest God. You are the person who took action, so we will only arrest you."


    Gu Xiaoting lowered her head, "I don''t regret it! I was hurt by a stubborn man and he ruined my life. That kind of man who thinks that so long as he loves another person, he can control and hurt them as they want simply didn''t grow up. These bear boys[1] can do anything. I hope that no other girl in the world will suffer this kind of torture... If I had not been arrested this time, I would continue to help other girls until I¡¯m arrested one day... " She looked up. "You said I was lucky. I was not lucky. I met an opponent like you."


    "If you didn''t save me just earlier, you probably wouldn¡¯t be sitting here right now. Anyway, thank you."


    "I just..." Gu Xiaoting looked at Lin Dongxue. "I didn¡¯t want to make this sister sad. I saw herforting Miss Jiang that day. I think she''s a very good person."


    "Thank you!" Lin Dongxue said sincerely. "I will remember this forever."


    1. Spoiled children who aren¡¯t well-mannered.

 Chapter 280: I Owe you a Formal Confession

    <h4>Chapter 280: I Owe you a Formal Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°I still have a question. What was the murder weapon?¡±


    ¡°You just said it was a hammer. Actually, it wasn''t. It was ice cubes wrapped in cloth to keep the sashimi fresh. After killing that obsessive man, I put the ice cubes in the toilet tank. It probably melted long ago. I burned the cloth as well.¡±


    ¡°Smart! But you reced Miss Jiang''s key with your own. Weren''t you afraid of being discovered?¡±


    ¡°I thought at the time that if you suspected me, it didn''t matter if the key was mine or not anyway... But the day you came to the Japanese restaurant, I was still scared so I reced the lock.¡±


    ¡°Did you wipe the dust on the windows?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wanted you to think that the murderer entered and left the room from there.¡±


    Chen Shi nced at the report and said, ¡°Why didn''t you kill your boyfriend back then? Or, did you already do it?¡±


    Gu Xiaoting shook her head. ¡°That man was sentenced for intentional injury and is still in jail. I really wanted to wait until the day he was released from prison to finish him with my own hands! In recent years, I have worked hard to exercise and strengthen my body. The violence is based on the oppression of strength based on men versus women. Men have the strength to hurt women, so I think that if I be stronger than all men, no one can hurt me.¡±


    ¡°But violence cannot solve the problem, Little Gu!¡± Chen Shi sighed. ¡°You are right. The foundation of this patriarchal society is that men are stronger and don¡¯t have to bear the hardships of childbearing. Gender equality is the ultimate goal of civilization. Although it has not been realized, it¡¯s at least much better than it used to be. The world of equality between men and women is neither from men being as weak as women nor women being as strong as men. It is from men learning to respect women and all opportunities being equal to both men and women. That isn¡¯t achieved through violence, but by progress in our systems and society and through everyone''s change.¡±


    Gu Xiaoting smiled. ¡°On that day, what I did is still meaningful to our current society! I hope that my situation will be published in the newspaper. At least to let those stubborn men know that bullying girls can potentially lead to death!¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I will find a way to contact a reliable newspaper outlet.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Later, after finding out about this, Miss Jiang asked to see Gu Xiaoting and was willing to bear the cost of hiring awyer for her. The case began three monthster. On the day of the trial, there were many people outside the court. Most of them were women who supported Gu Xiaoting.


    Gu Xiaoting had a special identity. She was both a former victim and the perpetrator this time, which attracted attention from people of all walks of life. Netizens had been arguing about her sentencing in heated debates.


    In the end, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison.


    At the end of the trial, Gu Xiaoting was temporarily detained before she began her sentence. There was still some follow-up work to be done, but today''s work was finally over.


    When outside, Lin Dongxue sighed. ¡°Poor girl.¡±


    ¡°No, if we¡¯re being impartial, she''s not pitiful at all!¡± Chen Shi disputed ¡°The killing method was meticulous and the she had a calm mentality whenmitting murder. She is no worse than those dangerous criminals. I¡¯m d I caught her in time.¡±


    ¡°You just talked about gender equality. Were you just trying to raise the atmosphere in the interrogation room?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I respect women. Gu Xiaoting is a dangerous criminal but she had no evil heart. It can be seen from her rescuing me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, poor girl. If she hadn¡¯t met you...¡±


    ¡°Ahem, can a police officer say that kind of stuff?¡±


    ¡°I really think that those extreme men don¡¯t deserve to find girlfriends. Hey, you aren¡¯t like that, are you? Are you going to check my phone, restrict me from making friends with others, and ask me about who my ex-boyfriends are?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked up at Chen Shi with a smile.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You are you. I am myself. We don¡¯t belong to anyone but ourselves. Our rtionship is just that I like you.¡±


    ¡°What if I gave you a green hat?¡±


    ¡°Then, I might have to n a perfect murder.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re exposed!¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of things you don''t know about!¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°If you treat me to supper, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to treat you?!¡±


    ¡°I''m a taxi driver. You aren¡¯t embarrassed making me treat you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not embarrassed. Who told you to be my BOY! FRIEND?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry...¡±


    Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart felt an impact and the smile on her face gradually faded away. Was the kiss before just tofort her?


    Chen Shi smiled and continued, ¡°I owe you a formal confession.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was full of excitement but desperately restrained the urge tough. She deliberately said seriously, ¡°Then, n well and find a chance to make up for it!¡±


    Chen Shi squeezed her ear lightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll invite you to supper. Who asked you to be so cute!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, at least you know what to do!¡±


    Lin Dongxue took his arm and leaned her body on Chen Shi. The sturdy body and the temperature emanating from his body made her heart feel sweet for a while. She thought, this fool is finally willing to take this step. You have no idea how hard it was for me to wait for you.


    The case was finally over. Today, we can finally spend a rxing night together. Of course, it will be a romantic night.


    The two found a seafood stall. After ordering a bunch of food, Chen Shi''s cell phone rang. After looking at it, he immediately said, ¡°We need to head back. Old Peng has some important findings.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow! I''m hungry right now.¡± Lin Dongxue acted spoiled. The scent of the anaspidea in the wok made her so hungry that she couldn¡¯t contain herself.


    The message on the phone read, ¡°I can identify Zhou Xiao.¡±


    Looking at Lin Dongxue and her look of expectation, Chen Shi sat back down and replied, ¡°I wille early tomorrow morning.¡±

 Chapter 281: Old Peng Has Depression

    <h4>Chapter 281: Old Peng Has Depression</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 19: Bottle Cap Murder


    Early next morning, Chen Shi looked hurriedly for Peng Sijue. He was sitting at his desk in a daze with a cup of coffee in his hands. Chen Shi said, ¡°Last night''s message...¡±


    Peng Sijue slowly put down the coffee and pped theputer, saying, ¡°The DNA left by Zhou Xiao did not match anyone in the database. I slightly loosened the matching parameters and found a close rtive, a prisoner who had been executed due to the death penalty. A profile of a person named Wang Sunlei appeared on theputer. He hadmitted several counts of intentional homicide and was executed five years ago.¡±


    Chen Shi stared at the face for a long time and said, ¡°He was arrested by Song Lang himself. Wang Sunlei had injected cyanide into a certain brand¡¯s beverage in a poisoning case, resulting in the death of more than a dozen people in Long¡¯an. It was ruled an indiscriminate homicide case, but Song Lang believed that he had specific targets. Sure enough, after arresting him, they found out that who he had really wanted to kill were his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend. The others were only coteral victims that obscured the police investigation.¡±


    ¡°I checked Wang Sunlei''s information and found out that he had a younger brother named Wang Sunxu. When Wang Sunlei was arrested, Wang Sunxu was only twelve years old. As a rtive of the murderer, he must have run into many obstacles in society and suffered social ostracization. It¡¯s not surprising that he would go down the path of evil.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Zhou Xiao?¡±


    ¡°You said that you thought that ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯ was just a gang code. The DNA belongs to Wang Sunxu. He was the one who killed Wang Daji that day and is probably guilty of several other murders.¡±


    Chen Shi muttered, ¡°If you find him, you will be able to track down the whole gang and find the person who killed Han Luoxi that year! I¡¯ll tell Captain Lin the news.¡±


    ¡°No need. I''ve notified him already and the kid is now being hunted across the city.¡±


    The goal that was thought to be out of reach was suddenly close at hand. Chen Shi found it a little hard to believe. The name ¡°Zhou Xiao¡± was a sickness in his heart. Can it really be cured this year?


    He hoped so!


    In the quiet office, only the sound of Peng Sijue slowly sipping coffee could be heard. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Are you free this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°How could I be free?¡±


    ¡°Tonight then. Don''t work overtime tonight. I''ll take you to a ce.¡±


    ¡°Is it important?¡±


    ¡°It''s quite important to you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue still had to deal with the follow-up work on a case today. Chen Shi was still the same. When the case was solved, he just left and continued with his taxi services. Lately, he had been investigating cases frequently so driving had be a form of rxation instead. Customers get into the car, choose their destinations, and he sends them there. It''s likepleting a small simple mission. Psychologically speaking, people will derive fun frompleting simple tasks. Games are just like that.


    In the evening, Lin Dongxue heard the familiar car soundsing through the window;she quickly instructed the team members about tomorrow''s tasks, and then said, ¡°No need to work overtime today. Get off work!¡±


    She put on her coat, ran out, opened the door and rushed into the car, kissing Chen Shi.


    After five minutes of sweet embraces, Chen Shi gently pushed her away and said, ¡°Want to go to a yground tonight?¡±


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m with you!¡± Lin Dongxue sat on Chen Shi''sp, her arms around his neck, and the glow of love made her face red.


    ¡°No, I have to bring someone else...Old Peng!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I suspect...¡±


    After Chen Shi told her, Lin Dongxue said in surprise, ¡°Captain Peng has depression?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m guessing. I feel that he¡¯s been in a bad mood recently. I think the work pressure and stress is too great for him to handle. Old Peng is a workaholic and doesn''t know how to rest. I''m really worried that he¡¯ll copse someday.¡±


    ¡°You are so nice to him!¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Chen Shi smiled and poked Lin Dongxue''s forehead with a finger.


    After a while, Peng Sijue sat in the car and said, ¡°Dongxue is here as well? Are we going to investigate a case?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Shi lied.


    ¡°Then I''ll get the tools.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Half an hourter, Peng Sijue was taken to the entertainment center of a shopping mall. Although it was not a weekend, there were still many parents with their children there. Peng Sijue didn¡¯t like bustling ces and frowned slightly.


    ¡°We¡¯re investigating a case?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Don''t worry, the person to be investigated hasn''t arrived yet. Would you like to shoot archery?¡±


    ¡°Not interested.¡±


    Chen Shi said to the counter, ¡°Archery for three people.¡±


    Peng Sijue was dragged reluctantly to the archery area. Chen Shi knew that the guy was passive and tempted him by picking up aposite bow and arrow and shooting it as if he knew what he was doing. The bow opened like a full moon, but the arrow didn¡¯t look like a shooting star when it flew out. Instead, it flew out in a parab and fell under the target.


    ¡°What''s going on? Not pulling enough?¡±


    Chen Shi shot another arrow, but the trajectory still wasn¡¯t ideal.


    Peng Sijue couldn''t stand it any longer and said, ¡°Your technique is not right at all. It isn¡¯t the string that you pull, but the arrow!¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand. Why don''t you show me then?¡±


    ¡°Step aside!¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up the bow and arrow and showed Chen Shi. He hit an arrow in the middle of the target, and Chen Shi said, ¡°Great, your skills haven¡¯t diminished at all.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shot three arrows under the guidance of the coach and had basically mastered the technique. She proposed, ¡°Captain Peng, let''spete!¡±


    ¡°Do you know what the only club I joined in college was?¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    Peng Sijue pulled the bow again. This time, he had found the right position. He hit the red center with the arrow. Lin Dongxue apuded, ¡°Wow, great.¡±


    ¡°I propose ten arrows per person, and we calcte using the total score.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°I don''t want to y. Let''s get our work done.¡± Peng Sijue was ready to put down his bow.


    ¡°This is our work. Don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to do with you!¡±


    After archery, Chen Shi took Peng Sijue to enjoy other activities such as bowling, table tennis, shooting, etc. Chen Shi observed his poker face and didn¡¯t see him raise his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth. For Peng Sijue, this showed that he was in a good mood.


    At half past seven, the three were eating dessert, and Peng Sijue was already impatient. ¡°What''s the important matter tonight?¡±


    ¡°Tonight...¡± Chen Shi said slowly, ¡°I just took you out to have fun. I feel that you¡¯ve been under a lot of pressure recently, and your mood isn¡¯t too good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, Captain Peng, being in a good mood is important,¡± Lin Dongxue agreed.


    Peng Sijue threw down the dessert spoon. ¡°Are you bored or something? Do I need you to care about me? I have so much work to do. I don''t have time to y with you!¡±


    ¡°You have a mental problem.¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important! I have known you for so long. I know you. You¡¯re too harsh on yourself and you never know how to rx properly. I¡¯m worried about you.¡±


    ¡°How long have you known me?¡± Peng Sijue asked deliberately.


    In the presence of Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi naturally couldn''t tell the truth and said, ¡°Although it hasn¡¯t been that long, friendship does not depend on the length of the rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that it¡¯s arrogant to assume that someone else has a mental problem and to give him so-called help? I am an adult. I can handle my own affairs, and no one needs to help me!¡± Peng Sijue stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Going to the toilet.¡±


    In the end, Peng Sijue never returned. Ten minutester, Chen Shi received his text message, ¡°Thank you for worrying about me. I''m fine!¡±


    When Chen Shi was about to pay the bill, the waiter said that the other gentleman had already paid and Chen Shi smiled bitterly at Lin Dongxue, ¡°This awkward person.¡±


    ¡°I think you used the wrong method, right?¡± Lin Dongxue said.

 Chapter 282: Death of a Migrant Worker

    <h4>Chapter 282: Death of a Migrant Worker</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the evening of April 21st, in a container house[1] at a construction site.


    After a day of hard work, the migrant workers came back one after another and waited for their meals to be delivered. Everyone smoked and chatted with each other, talking about how much they had earned that day, how much money they nned to send to their families, as well as about their wives and children.


    It was already seven o''clock, and the boxed meals that have been ordered had still not been delivered. Some people got impatient and said, ¡°Are they trying to starve us? Let¡¯s look for the foreman and ask him!¡±


    A group of people went to the foreman. The foreman said that he had called a few times, but the delivery person said that something unexpected had happened, and he feared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it. After expressing their indignation and anger, the migrant workers nned to go to the nearby university town for dinner.


    ¡°Are youing or not?!¡± A migrant worker urged Little Ke, who was on the bed.


    Little Ke, who had just taken a nap, got up and asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°To the massage parlour. Youing?¡±


    ¡°We got paid?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you really believed that? The food delivery guy can''te today. Let''s have dinner together and get bottles of beer on the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go... Hey, where are my pants?!¡±


    People outside were hurrying them. The friend threw his pants onto Little Ke''s face and said, ¡°I''ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Fucking wait for me for a bit!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how to get there.¡±


    ¡°Help me order some sweet and sour battered pork.¡±


    Little Ke got dressed and stretched. The nap made his stomach feel a little ill. He felt a little nauseous as his stomach bile surged upwards. He drank some water in his thermos cup but felt that it didn¡¯t help with his bile problem.


    He didn¡¯t know who had left a bottle of carbonated drink on the table, but he took it, had a sip and he felt much better.


    Little Ke suddenly noticed that there was a weird pattern in the bottle cap and stared at it for a long time. ¡°What is this? Did I win a prize?¡±


    However, there was no prize-winning activity printed on the drink. He took another sip, and threw the empty bottle into a stic bag hanging by the wall.


    At that moment, a person entered the room.He stood there like a ghost, standing with his back to the lighting from outside, and his face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly.


    ¡°Little Lu? Old Zheng?¡±


    The suspicious man walked in and suddenly a shiny dagger extended out from his sleeve. Little Ke shouted in shock, ¡°Ah! Robbery! The money is with the foreman, you...¡±


    Before he had finished speaking, a hard object prated his abdomen, and the blood flowed from his internal organs like a flood. Little Ke opened his mouth in vain, vomiting blood vored by the carbonated drink he had just drank.


    The man grabbed his shoulder with one hand and stabbed him repeatedly with the other, until Little Ke''s consciousness gradually faded as he slowly fell to the ground.


    Chen Shi returned home and heard Tao Yueyue talking to someone, ¡°...After that, I have been very afraid of strangers...¡±


    Chen Shi wondered who she was chatting with online. Although Tao Yueyue was stunted in her growth, she was at an age when she would probably start online dating.


    However, there was another person''s voice in the room. It was a woman, ¡°What happened in the past formed our present personality. We can''t change it, but we must learn to ept ourselves!¡±


    Chen Shi opened the door and saw Tao Yueyue sitting with his neighbour, Gu You. Chen Shi said with a little surprise, ¡°Miss Gu, why are you...¡±


    ¡°I''m here to deliver apples and then I came in to talk to Yueyue.¡± Gu You smiled and there was a te of bright red apples on the table next to her.


    ¡°You''re too kind.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re neighbors, so it¡¯s nothing. I should head back.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t see you off.¡±


    After Gu You left, Chen Shi picked up an apple, and took a bite, saying, ¡°Aren''t you afraid of strangers?¡±


    ¡°When Elder Sister Lin first appeared in front of me, wasn''t she also a stranger? I think this Elder Sister Gu is nice, and I''m willing to chat with her.¡±


    ¡°It''s good to make friends.¡±


    Not long after the three photos were sent here, Gu You suddenly moved in and even chatted with him. Chen Shi had suspected her for a while. He had used theputer from the bureau to check her out. Gu You was indeed a proper psychologist and had her own clinic. Her background was also very clean.


    The apples that Gu You gave them were imported and would have cost dozens of yuan per pound. Chen Shi wanted to thank her with a return gift. There was an unopened bottle of Bantine in the house. It was bought by Wang Dajist time. Chen Shi took it and was about to head out.


    ¡°Gifting wine?¡± Tao Yueyue said, ¡°And it¡¯s a pretty female neighbour. Uncle Chen, you don¡¯t want to start a rtionship with her, right?¡±


    ¡°Look at my serious face. Am I the kind of person that would do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Oh you want a beating, huh? I''ll be back in a bit.¡±


    Chen Shi knocked on Gu You''s door. There was a scent of olive oiling out from the room. She was cooking. Chen Shi said, ¡°I know you like to drink, so this is for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Chen, you don''t have to be so polite... Come in and have a seat!¡±


    Gu You''s home was neat,cleaned up and seemed to follow a minimalist style. There were no extraneous furnishings. All sundry items were stowed in the cabs and drawers. Some flowers and nts were grown in the room, and going inside, one felt like one was in a therapy room.


    ¡°You live alone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m a egoistic person and I¡¯ve parted ways with quite a few boyfriends.¡±


    ¡°I thought that a psychologist''s personality would be more mellow?¡±


    ¡°Work is work. Do you want a drink?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I''ll leaveter. Miss Gu, I have something to ask you...¡± Chen Shi exined Peng Sijue''s symptoms.


    Gu You replied immediately, ¡°They are precursors to depression.¡±


    ¡°Is my approach wrong? Taking him out for fun seems to be ineffective.¡±


    ¡°Depression is like a psychological cold. When people have a cold, they don¡¯t have an appetite. When they are depressed, they also feel that things that are fun are boring. In fact, I suggest that your friende to my clinic so that I can treat him systematically. You should convince him that having psychological problems doesn¡¯t mean that there is a problem with his personality or character. Nor is it shameful, but it should really be given enough attention... The friend you¡¯re talking about isn¡¯t yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s really a friend.¡±


    ¡°This is my business card.¡± Gu You passed it over to him with her slender fingers.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue finished their meal, Lin Qiupu called and said, ¡°A case happened at a construction site. It seems fishy. Come over for a while.¡±


    Chen Shi hurried out and arrived at the construction site where the incident had urred. Four or five police cars were on the scene and the container house was cordoned off. The forensic technicians took pictures and the police were questioning the victim¡¯s colleagues.


    ¡°Have you eaten dinner, Captain Lin?¡± Chen Shi walked towards Lin Qiupu.


    ¡°No, I came here right after receiving the message. The deceased was a migrant worker. ording to colleagues, the rtionship between him and others is cordial. He only had a few fellow migrant worker friends and family far way in the countryside. He doesn''t owe any debts and he hasn''t offended anyone. The time of the crime was probably around seven o''clock. The construction management had originally ordered food, but the delivery staff said that when he had parked the motorcycle on the roadside to buy cigarettes, someone had driven the motorcycle away, resulting in his inability to deliver the food. So these workers went to a nearby university town to have dinner together, leaving the victim behind to get there by himself. He failed to answer phone callster. When they got back, they found the victim lying in a pool of blood, with five or six knife wounds on his body. No property was missing at the scene.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be a difficult case.¡±


    ¡°I called you here just to hear this?¡± Lin Qiupu red at him.


    1. Housing made from storage containers.

 Chapter 283: Bottle Cap Murder

    <h4>Chapter 283: Bottle Cap Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the forensic technicians had taken photos, the two of them put on gloves and shoe covers before entering the scene. There were eight beds in the narrow container house. The corpse had fallen to the ground facedown with blood flowing everywhere. The stench of blood filled their nostrils.


    Chen Shi sniffed and smelled something sweet. He looked around and found an empty bottle under the bedside table.


    This was a domestically manufactured carbonated beverage bottle, which had been emptied. Chen Shi unscrewed the bottle cap and found a strange pattern in the bottle cap. He nced at the body of the bottle and took out identical bottles from the bag that the workers put empty bottles in. He unscrewed the bottles one by one.


    He handed the bottle cap to Lin Qiupu and said, ¡°Look. What¡¯s this?¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at it in the light and said, ¡°A ck butterfly?¡±


    ¡°There is no prize redemption for this drink. This bottle cap is suspicious. It might be a signature left by the killer.¡±


    ¡°A new serial killer has appeared in Long''an again?¡± Lin Qiupu asked. Thest thing he wanted to see was a situation like this.


    Lin Qiupu went out with the drink bottle and asked the workers about it. A worker said that he had bought the drink but didn''t notice anything about the bottle cap when he was drinking it. Later, he had put it on the table. The victim might have drunk from it as well.


    The worker asked fearfully, ¡°Was there poison in the drink?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely.¡± Lin Qiupu responded.


    Chen Shi thought of the drink poisoning case ten years ago. Was this case done by the murderer''s younger brother? Of course, this conjecture didn¡¯t have any evidence backing it up.


    The killer''s technique was efficient and there were no signs of struggle at the scene. This time, it was highly likely that it would be a serial killer case.


    Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi over to the car and asked, ¡°Are you dating my sister?¡±


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°You think I didn¡¯t notice her recent changes? I don''t know what she likes about you, but this is her freedom!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Lin, for your approval.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. I have something here. Go back and take a look.¡± Lin Qiupu took out an envelope from the car and handed it to Chen Shi very seriously.


    Chen Shi was about to open it and Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Hey, it''s important to handle the case first. Just look at it after you have headed back!¡±


    The police officers visited the surrounding area. There were no security cameras here. The security guard uncle originally said that he had been on duty at the time, but when he realized the seriousness of the murder, he told the truth. He had received an anonymous call saying that his granddaughter had been hit by a car on her way to school. He couldn¡¯t get through to his wife''s phone. So, he went to the hospital to check out the situation. He was gone for about an hour and it turned out that nothing had happened to his granddaughter.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Who knows your mobile phone number?¡±


    ¡°Just rtives and friends. I haven''t given it out to outsiders.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The murderer this time is very capable. The killer who seemed spontaneous in his actions had actually pre-arranged everything.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you toe here to praise the murderer.¡±


    ¡°I''m not God. At the moment, I''m as clueless as you are.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have called you toe!¡±


    ¡°But I think the drink is the key. Let¡¯s go to the nearby kiosks and convenience stores and buy the same brand of drinks.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead! I''ll look for witnesses again.¡±


    Lin Qiupu, in order not to omit any details, questioned all the people around who could be questioned again. He also tried to find surveince footage. At the same time, Chen Shi ran around all the convenience stores in the nearby streets, bought all the beverages of the same brand, and unscrewed all the caps off.


    At half past eight, Chen Shi returned. Lin Qiupu was smoking gloomily. Looking at his expression, you could tell that he hadn¡¯t made any progress.


    Chen Shi opened his hand and there were three bottle caps with butterfly patterns in his hand. He said, ¡°I found them at three convenience stores, and I asked their owners. Their supplier is the same person. I haven¡¯t looked at the surveince footage. You can send people over to check.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that anyone who buys such a cap will die?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°A beverage poisoning case ten years ago was like this. This time, the killer has upgraded it to be more difficult and even more cruel. Is the killer Wang Sunxu under the name of ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯?¡±


    ¡°For now, it''s quite possible!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s investigate!¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked someone to go to those three convenience stores to find their surveince videos. He and Chen Shi found the beverage supplier. The person was an agent. He imed that the nearby convenience stores and supermarkets were all his customers. They asked to check his inventory.


    The agent took the two of them to a small warehouse, opened it, and there were cartons of drinks inside. There were about one hundred boxes of the carbonated drink.


    Lin Qiupu had originally nned to buy them for inspection, but when he saw the quantity, he paused and asked, ¡°Can they be opened?¡±


    ¡°No way. No one would want them afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I''ll buy ten cases at the wholesale price!¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡±


    The agent moved over ten boxes. Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi opened the bottles together. Soon, all the caps were piled up at their feet. The caps were all normal. Chen Shi said, ¡°It seems like he had tampered with them in the stores.¡± Then he took a sip from one of the drinks.


    ¡°If someone buys a drink with the bottle cap, he will die. Therefore, we should notify the manufacturer to stop them from shipping these to major retail outlets.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that notifying the manufacturer would be toote. All citizens should be notified not to buy this drink.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do that!¡± Lin Qiupu made calls immediately.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°What about these opened drinks?¡±


    ¡°Just get rid of them. Nobody will drink them now anyway.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take a few bottles... No, I¡¯ll take a box!¡±


    ¡°You sure aren¡¯t polite.¡±


    After they parted, Chen Shi went back first. When he got home, he opened the envelope entrusted to him by Lin Qiupu. It contained two copies of the same contract, which said ¡°Things to Note While Dating Dongxue¡±. It listed in detail what Lin Dongxue hated eating and doing. It also mentioned how to deal with issues like having one party cheat on the other, unnned pregnancies, and other unexpected situations.


    Chen Shi was shocked for a full ten seconds. Was there really a brother in the world that would worry this much?


    At the end of the contract, Chen Shi was required to sign, ink his fingerprints, and it stated that the contract was confidential. Chen Shi crumpled the two pieces of paper and threw them into the trash bin outside.


    The next day, Chen Shi rushed to the office early. Lin Dongxue saw him and asked, ¡°Is it true? The matter about the bottle cap murder?¡±


    ¡°It''s just a guess at the moment. Has the case been filed formally yet?¡±


    ¡°Captain Lin has informed us to attend a meetingter, and more than half of the police officers in the team have joined the task force.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see what he says at the meeting!¡±


    At the nine o''clock meeting, Lin Qiupu exined the situation. Some of the police officers who didn¡¯t know about the situation were shocked. Lin Qiupu had dark circles under his eyes and he had probably stayed up all night. He turned off the lights and put a few videos on the projector.


    The videos clearly captured a man in a ck sweatshirt walking into a convenience store and going to the shelf with the drinks. He quickly slid something out of his sleeve and tucked it into the shelf.


    The same scenario was recorded in each of the three convenience stores where Chen Shi had bought the drinks with the tampered bottle caps. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°The suspect did not show his face as he¡¯s sly, but judging by his height and age, he is most probably Wang Sunxu.¡±


    A policeman raised his hand and asked, ¡°Anyone who buys a bottle cap with a butterfly pattern will be killed. How can the killer ascertain this?¡±

 Chapter 284: Twisted Heart

    <h4>Chapter 284: Twisted Heart</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°We carefully checked the bottle that fell into the victim¡¯s hands and the ones we bought from the convenience store. There were no abnormalities, no trackers, and no breakage,¡± said Lin Qiupu.


    The room was filled with shock.


    Lin Qiupu continued, ¡°I have announced this on the Weibo of the Public Security Bureau, advising that the general public shouldn¡¯t buy this beverage in the near future. This is, of course, a big blow to the production nt. Fromst night to early in the morning, I have been receiving calls from the manufacturer. There have been dozens of phone calls and they even hired awyer, but don¡¯t worry, I will deal with this matter. You guys just need to investigate the case at hand. One more thing,st night was not the first murder, but the fourth...¡±


    Amidst all the exmations, Lin Qiupu took out several empty beverage bottles in the evidence bags. ¡°These are recent murder cases taken over by various branches. The victims included an otaku, a family of three, and a driver. These caps were all found at the crime scenes without any exception. In the case of the family of three, both the husband and wife were killed, but the little boy was just beaten into unconsciousness. But the little boy is currently too traumatized and cannot provide any clues.¡±


    Old Zhang asked, ¡°Apart from this, the people killed have nothing else inmon?¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he back himself into a corner? As long as we step up with the publicity and stop everyone from buying the drink, would no one be killed again?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°No matter how much publicity there is, there will always be people who aren¡¯t aware. Furthermore, this drink is cheap and 50 cents cheaper than Coca-C and Pepsi. The taste is pretty authentic. You can find it in all the shops around the countryside and people there don''t have the habit of checking Weibo.¡±


    ¡°The murderer is so amazing. As long as the person bought this bottle cap, he can kill them?¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°The killer gave us this impression. He could have poisoned them with the drink, but he chose to appear in person to kill the buyer. The difficulty was ten or a hundred times more than just poisoning. He wanted to show off his ability to us.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°If it¡¯s like this, if we buy this drink with the pattern ourselves, wouldn''t hee straight to us?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I have already bought it. I ran around a few convenience storesst night, bought dozens of bottles and won a ''prize''. I have already opened it and drank it. The bottle cap is on my body to see if he woulde and kill me.¡±


    The crowd was startled and Lin Qiupu said, ¡°You¡¯re too brave.¡±


    ¡°Just trying my luck.¡±


    Lin Qiupu assigned tasks to everyone present. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything else today without my permission. Run around the convenience stores and supermarkets all over the city and buy this beverage. If you find a ¡°prize¡±, get a copy of the surveince video to determine the scope of the killer¡¯s activities.¡±


    Peng Sijue chemically tested theponents of the pattern¡¯s ink to see if the killer could be tracked down through the source.


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°In addition, just open the drink and discard it. Don''t drink it any more. In case the killer predicts our next move, it would be troublesome if he poisoned the drinks.¡± When he said this, he kept staring at Chen Shi.


    The meeting room was used as a temporary office. Lin Qiupu got a detailed map of Long''an City and hung it on the wall. Each convenience store that won the ¡°prize¡± was marked with an icon.


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue, who was about to go out, and said, ¡°Wait a minute, I will apany you on the investigation.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I can go to the convenience store alone.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have a car. It will be troublesome to take a taxi. Just wait for me for a while.¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the crime scene photos and autopsy reports of the four murders. He frowned and knitted his brows. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°No findings?¡±


    ¡°They should have been done by the same person. Like your brother, I¡¯m afraid of serial killings, especially this person...¡±


    Chen Shi remembered the situation when Song Lang arrested Wang Sunlei himself. He had been a helpless,unsessful and cowardly young man. In order to take revenge on his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, he came up with this kind of killing method that hid a piece of wood in a forest.


    When he was arrested, Wang Sunlei wept and wept, and soon confessed all of his crimes.


    At that time, Wang Sunxu was just a small child. Song Lang had met him when he came to collect evidence. Song Lang wanted tofort him, but Wang Sunxu stared fiercely at him, saying, ¡°You are all bad people. One day, you¡¯ll have to pay.¡±


    Unexpectedly, ten yearster, the child who went onto the path of evil really took action. Judging from Wang Sunxu''s attempt to kill Wang Daji, he knew his identity.


    This case was targeted at him. It is likely that Chen Shi''s true identity will be revealed when Wang Sunxu is arrested...


    ¡°What''s wrong with this person?¡± Lin Dongxue asked, pulling Chen Shi back to reality.


    ¡°Oh, ording to our spections, ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯ is a small gang of people. Wang Sunxu has umted considerable experience and skills in previous killings. He is a tricky guy.¡±


    ¡°I have a question. Didn''t he expose himself by imitating his brother''s case?¡±


    ¡°He has been exposed for a long time. Wang Daji had his DNA on the soles of his shoes. Old Peng has figured out his identity. It seems that he was aware of this, so he began tomit crimes frantically. He does not seem to intend to escape.¡±


    ¡°A twisted heart is terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Society is cruel to the close rtives of a convict. He has been isted, rejected and discriminated against since childhood.¡±


    ¡°However, it is his own fault for going onto the path of taking revenge on society.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. ¡°Isn''t it the job of the police to remove these abnormal people? It''s like a doctor removing tumors.¡±


    After reading the information at hand, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove to arge supermarket. In the supermarket, they overheard a lot of people discussing the matter. Some people said that thepany''s stocks had dived overnight and that many people who had bought the stocks lost hundreds of thousands of yuan. Some people said that some marketing ounts on the inte were even making use of the hot topic to talk about the top 10 harmful effects of carbonated drinks etc..


    The two looked for the drink on the shelves, but they didn''t find it. They asked the staff member, and the staff member said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you read Weibo? The Public Security Bureau said there was something wrong with the drink, so all of them were taken off the shelves.¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge and said, ¡°We are the police and we want all the drinks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then let me talk to the manager first.¡±


    The supermarket was worried that the drinks could not be sold. They were d to learn that the police had arrived and would deal with them at the wholesale price. The two of them opened them bottle by bottle next to the drains outside, making people look on in curiosity.


    After opening more than a hundred bottles, Lin Dongxue said frustrated, ¡°I didn''t win the ''prize''!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get it over here either. It seems he hasn''t been to this supermarket.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering suddenly if it was apetitor who hired this person specifically to ruin the beveragepany¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it should be unlikely. The carbonated drinks market is basically just Cokepeting with Pepsi. This domestically manufactured beverage is meant to survive in the cracks. Even if it¡¯s as you said, once the real murderer is caught, wouldn¡¯t thepany that hired him be just ruining their own reputation? This kind of marketing is too unreliable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just specting.¡± Looking at the carbonated beverage in the drain, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This time, the investigation expenses are going to be off the charts!¡±

 Chapter 285: The Murderer’s Hideout

    <h4>Chapter 285: The Murderer''s Hideout</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Captain Lin, please give us a chance to survive! It took millions of yuan to open up the sales channels in the city for us. With this Weibo post out, hundreds of agents have called to cancel their cooperation with us and return the products. We¡¯ve lost close to a million yuan!¡±


    In the reception room of the Public Security Bureau, the legal representative and the sales manager sent by thepany, said tearfully.


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°There is really no other way. Some criminals are using your nt''s beverages tomit crimes. In emergency situations, we must put the personal safety of citizens as the first priority.¡±


    The legal representative said, ¡°Isn''t it a matter of life for the thousands of people in ourpany? Today, the entire nt was shut down. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll resume production. The workers asked us why we stopped production and we couldn¡¯t answer. Only four people died. Just how many thousands of people do you want to starve to death?¡±


    The sales manager said, ¡°Yeah, what you police are doing now is most likely the trap that the criminal set up. He is trying to harm ourpany and bankrupt us!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked helpless, and the other party thought that he was unmoved, so they even kneeled on the spot. Lin Qiupu hurriedly said, ¡°Sorry, I have to do this right now. I promise you that I will be on Weibo to rify things after all this is over to restore your factory''s reputation.¡±


    ¡°It would be toote.¡±


    ¡°It''s toote even now.¡± The two looked mournful.


    After finally sending the two delegates away, Lin Qiupu felt stressed. He returned to the conference room. It was already past noon. Many police officers came back one after another. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi also came back. Lin Dongxueughed as she shook her wrists, ¡°My hands are so sore from unscrewing bottle caps all morning.¡±


    Lin Qiupu sighed secretly. If I could, I would prefer to unscrew bottle caps.


    ¡°Let''s summarize the findings!¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    ¡°Three bottles were found in the new department store and at the Fumanjia Supermarket... This is the invoice.¡±


    ¡°Jialefu on Zhonglian Road had a bottle as well... This is the invoice.¡±


    Lin Qiupu marked them on the map one by one and looked at the final result. He said, ¡°It seems that the suspect is not hiding a lot of ''bombs'' all over the city. He only operates in these two districts.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The Public Security Bureau is also in this district. He¡¯s pretty brave!¡±


    Lin Qiupu red at him, ¡°Do you have more constructive opinions?¡±


    Chen Shi walked over to the map and said, ¡°Look here and here... These are highways, and the distance is very near, but if you drive, you have to go around quite a bit. From the ces that the ''bombs'' were ced, we can specte that he walks rather than drives. ording to standard criminal profiling, his hiding ce may be around here...¡± Chen Shi used his hand to draw a circle as if it was apass, and then took a pin to mark the center of the circle.


    ¡°Okay, let''s search there now!¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    The police officers immediately set off and went to the streets to search door to door, focusing on some private rental houses. The searchsted three hours. At dusk, Xu Xiaodong said on the radio, ¡°Hey, hey, I found it!¡±


    ¡°Xiaodong, pay attention to our radio procedures!¡± Lin Qiupu shouted.


    ¡°I''m Xu Xiaodong. I found a suspicious house at 31 Chunhua Street. There are many bottles inside... Fuck!¡± Suddenly, Xu Xiaodong''s voice was drowned by the sound of an explosion. It took about a second before they heard an explosion in the distance. Then there was smokeing out of a building in that area.


    The dispersed police officers rushed there immediately, and Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi, who were closer to him, took the lead to find the building unit. People who didn¡¯t know what was going on crowded around below.


    Lin Dongxue rushed into the building and mmed the elevator buttons a few times, but the elevator wouldn¡¯te down. She had to climb up the stairs with Chen Shi.


    Climbing up the 20th floor in a single breath, Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Xiaodong, Xiaodong.¡±


    ¡°I''m here...¡± Xu Xiaodong called out before coughing.


    The corridor was full of smoke and soot, and the visibility was extremely low. Chen Shi took out a handkerchief and covered Lin Dongxue¡¯s nose and mouth. After they rushed in, they found Xu Xiaodong sitting outside an apartment with a darkened face. The security door next to him was deformed and boiling hot.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°As soon as I went through the door, I found a cardboard box and identally touched it. I heard a ¡®beep¡¯ sound, so I rushed out and closed the door. Then it exploded.¡±


    Lin Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You reacted really fast.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong patted his ears. ¡°My ears are almost deaf. Can you pull me up?¡±


    Then the other policemen came up and waited for the door to cool down. They pushed the door in. The room was ck and burnt. Many ces were still burning. There was a smell of burning stic. Chen Shi saw several identical bottles.


    Chen Shi picked up a bottle of carbonated beverage that hadn''t been burned and unscrewed it. There was indeed a ¡®prize¡¯ inside.


    He blocked the mouth of the bottle with his fingers and shook it hard, preparing to use it as a makeshift fire extinguisher. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Aiya, don''t mess around!¡±


    ¡°It''s already like this.¡±


    Chen Shi removed his fingers blocking the mouth of the bottle a little, and the sprayed liquid put out the surrounding small mes. Lin Qiupu sniffed and said, ¡°The smell of gasoline. It was a bomb made of gasoline. The purpose was to destroy evidence.¡±


    ¡°If he was lucky, he could even get rid of some of the police.¡± Chen Shi looked at Xu Xiaodong. ¡°Was the door closed when you came?¡±


    ¡°It was closed, but as soon as I stepped on the doormat, I found something sticking out. I lifted the mat up and it turned out to be a key.¡±


    Lin Qiupu scolded, ¡°You should have informed us.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t open the door, how would I know that something was wrong inside?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s argument had some logic to it. If he contacted him for every door that couldn¡¯t be opened and they called an explosion detection expert to check it out, then the search wouldn¡¯t bepleted even in three days.


    This was an unexpected situation. Fortunately, Xu Xiaodong was smart and agile, so no casualties urred.


    The police officers cleared the scene and found acrylic ink that was used to draw on the caps, arge number of the beverages, maps, and simple household items. The front page of a burnt book had words that read ¡°A word from the owner to the ¡®visitors¡¯: Your justice is unable to withstand a single blow.¡±


    ¡°That''s really crazy!¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    A police officer came up and said, ¡°I asked thendlord. The house was rented out two days ago. The money has been paid, but the contract has not been signed yet, so we don¡¯t know the ID number. I showed thendlord a photo and thendlord confirmed that it was Wang Sunxu.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up a piece of paper from the trash can and opened it up for a look. He said, ¡°I saw these fire-fighting passage cleaning notices posted on the outside of each unit. From the time printed below, they were put up today. Wang Sunxu was still here today.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Perhaps he was still here just now and evacuated after we searched the ce. We need to immediately block all nearby intersections!¡±

 Chapter 286: Face to Face With The Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 286: Face to Face With The Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The police immediately blocked the surrounding intersections. Lin Qiupu took a photo of Wang Sunxu and personally led people around to check the street shops.


    Chen Shi was still paired with Lin Dongxue, and they asked several stores. A convenience store employee said that the young man hade to the store to buy things not long ago.


    ¡°Do you have any surveince footage?¡± Lin Dongxue asked excitedly.


    ¡°Don''t bother looking at surveince footage. When was this? What did he buy?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°About four-thirty. He bought a bunch of Sprites, and some sandwiches.¡± The clerk said.


    Chen Shi picked up a bottle of Sprite and looked at it, saying, ¡°Asshole, he intends to continue killing people.¡±


    ¡°Using Sprite this time?¡±


    ¡°No, you see how this bottle is very simr to that carbonated drink? He must have pre-packaged the beverage packaging and bottle caps in advance. Those things are easier to carry.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was surprised, ¡°So even if the whole city doesn¡¯t sell that drink, he still has his crime tools? If we watched all the convenience stores, wouldn¡¯t he be unable tomit crimes any more? It¡¯s not like he could sell the drinks on the street, right?¡±


    Chen Shi mumbled to himself, saying that she was right. Wang Sunxu''s method ofmitting the crime was very difficult. Why did he do it? Was there another mystery in it?


    Lin Dongxue informed everyone by radio, and Chen Shi continued to search on the street. The security guard of a housing district said that he saw the teenagering in recently and that he was wearing a ck sweater. As he was not a resident of the housingmunity, the security guard had stopped and questioned him. He imed to be a rtive of one of the residents.


    There were many buildings in the housing district. Just as the two of them went around to investigate, a flower pot fell from upstairs, frightening bystanders, who screamed. Chen Shi looked up and said, ¡°Go upstairs!¡±


    The two found the apartment that threw the pot down. Chen Shi knocked on the door but didn¡¯t get any response. He rammed the door with his shoulder three times before it opened. There was something wrong inside. They saw a mother and daughter tied up on the floor and their mouths were stuffed with socks.


    The father, who was tied up like a worm, was lying on the floor of the balcony. He had just toppled the pot down with his head in order to call for help.


    There was some leftover food on the table and a bowl of instant noodles was still steaming. Chen Shi immediately rushed out the door. He intuitively determined that Wang Sunxu went upstairs. Most of the buildings were connected through the rooftops, so he could move between buildings that way.


    He ran to the top floor and found that the lock on the rooftop had been pried open. He pushed open the door to the rooftop. It was evening, and the sunset was like a fire in the distance. The rooftop was empty.


    Chen Shi looked around and suddenly found a rope tied to the railing. He rushed over and saw a young man in ck with a fanny pack. He was slowly descending to the road from the exterior wall of the building. It was Wang Sunxu.


    At that moment, Wang Sunxu had descended to around the height of the fifth floor. While their eyes met, he smiled calmly, ced two fingers on his forehead and then flicked them forward, in a respectful salute.


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth and prepared to slide down the rope, but when he pulled it hard, the metal railing became loose. The railing couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the two people.


    He also had the option of untying the rope and letting Wang Sunxu die.


    Wang Sunxu shouted, ¡°Officer Song, that would be a real murder. Do you want to change your face again?¡±


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue and said, ¡°Dongxue, go to the north wall immediately.¡±


    ¡°I''m untying the family...¡±


    ¡°Wang Sunxu is moving downstairs with a rope. Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head there now!¡±


    Wang Sunxu was clearly aware of the danger and elerated the speed of his descent. When he reached the second floor, his eyes narrowed and Chen Shi suddenly pulled the rope off. Wang Sunxu fell heavily onto the ground, arching his back in pain and rolled around. Many passers-by gathered to watch.


    ¡°He''s a bad guy. Catch him and you¡¯ll get a reward!¡± Chen Shi shouted, but none of the people in the crowd dared to step forward.


    Damn bystander effect!


    Chen Shi cursed silently as he rushed down as fast as he could. When he ran out of the housing district, he heard a few gunshots, and saw a ck SUV continuously overtaking other cars on the road. He ran over to Lin Dongxue and the gun in her hand was smoking. He asked her what had happened.


    Lin Dongxue said angrily, ¡°I almost caught him. A car suddenly took him away!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, it''s not your fault.¡± Chen Shi felt disappointed butforted her.


    ¡°It''s all my fault!¡± Lin Dongxue looked unwilling to ept the situation.


    In the SUV that escaped, the driver said, ¡°You are not professional enough to y with serial killings. I will only help you this one time. You¡¯re on your own next time.¡±


    Wang Sunxu rubbed his painful spine and said, ¡°I didn''t expect him to dare to untie the rope.¡±


    ¡°A man who has lost everything is more desperate than you think.¡±


    Wang Sunxu touched his backpack. ¡°Thank you. The next part is the climax. You just wait and see!¡±


    Later, Lin Qiupu and the others who came to the scene heard about the situation and they all felt that it was a great pity. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°It seems that the real murderer can be confirmed to be Wang Sunxu, and he has associates as well... Dongxue, where did you fire your shots?¡±


    ¡°Towards the sky. I should have fired at him... Captain Lin, I¡¯m not trying to shirk responsibility, but there were too many passers-by at the time, so I didn¡¯t dare to shoot!¡± Lin Dongxue said angrily.


    ¡°You were right in your decision-making. You can''t shoot in that situation. We are police. We must abide by the principles even while catching the bad guys!¡± Lin Qiupu said to the others, ¡°Our direction of investigation is correct. This time we forced Wang Sunxu into a corner, but he will be arrested next time!¡±


    Chen Shi was silent the whole time. The ¡°Officer Song¡± that Wang Sunxu said, was still lingering in his ears. The day when Wang Sunxu is arrested will probably be the moment when his true identity would be exposed.


    Just now, he did have the impulse to kill Wang Sunxu, but he couldn''t do it. Even if he was Chen Shi now, the police bottom line was still deeply embedded in his heart.


    He had thought that the time would eventuallye. He had escaped for three years, but it was time to face everything.


    ¡°Old Chen, why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    ¡°I''m wondering why he didn''t kill the family when they saw his face? It seems that he¡¯s following the rules of the game he has set, and he won¡¯t kill the people who didn''t buy those bottle caps.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Do you think it''s a game? Okay, then we''ll be there to y with him to the end.¡±


    Lin Qiupu''s cell phone rang. After answering, his expression changed greatly, saying, ¡°Wang Sunxu hasmitted another crime!¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± The policemen were shocked.


    It seems that they were going to need to work overtime that night. Chen Shi called Tao Yueyue and said that he couldn''te back that night and told her to be careful on her way back from school. Tao Yueyue said, ¡°Rx, I''m home already.¡±


    ¡°Right now, there are bad people outside. You need to lock the door at night. Don''t go out, okay? I''ll call you when I get home.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand!¡±


    Tao Yueyue hung up the phone, and Gu You, who was sitting opposite her, said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Chen seems to be very busy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he often works overtime.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand the things I just talked about?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°I want to y a fun game with you...¡± Gu You took out a small paper bag, and the smile on her face was still bright and enchanting. ¡°Put these powders into Uncle Chen''s water. This is the first mission I¡¯m giving you. As long as he sessfully drinks it, I¡¯ll reward you!¡±

 Chapter 287: Hitchhike Murder

    <h4>Chapter 287: Hitchhike Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The ce where the case wasmitted was also within the range of Wang Sunxu''s activities. When Lin Qiupu and his party arrived, Peng Sijue was taking people around to collect evidence at the scene.


    ¡°What''s the situation?¡± Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu red at the guy who was usurping his authority and said, ¡°Captain Peng, exin the situation!¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°The female homeowner was the one who died. The time of death should be around noon. She was stabbed to death in the middle of a nap. The husband had taken his child out, found her when he came back and reported the case at 4PM... There was half a bottle of that beverage left, and there was that type of bottle cap again.¡±


    Lin Qiupu picked up the drink on the coffee table and twisted it open. There was a cookie box on the lower shelf of the coffee table, which contained various receipts and ticket stubs. There was a list of supermarket receipts to prove that the family had indeed bought the drink.


    In the bedroom, the victimy on the bed in her pajamas, and her death seemed to conform closely to Wang Sunxu¡¯s methods.


    Outside the door, her husband was weeping while several neighbors tried tofort him.


    Lin Qiupu asked the husband toe in for questioning and the husband waved his hand desperately and said, ¡°I don''t dare toe in. I dare not see my wife looking like that, I''ll...¡± As he spoke, the husband wiped away a few drops of sad tears again.


    Lin Qiupu went outside to conduct the questioning.


    Chen Shi was very interested in the line of footprints that the forensics team found on the floor of the living room. It was obviously the woman''s bare footprints. Only the first half of her feet seemed to be touching the floor and the footprints could be seen going towards the door and back.


    Chen Shi went to the bedroom and did not go to look at the body, but squatted on the ground to study the pair of plush slippers. One of the slippers was beside the bed and the other was kicked under the bed.


    Chen Shi mumbled, ¡°The victim probably didn''t find the slippers, so she opened the door barefoot. But if a stranger came in, the footprints wouldn¡¯t be so neat when she came back in.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said in a low voice, ¡°Do you suspect that it was a hitchhike murder?¡±


    ¡°Old Peng, do you think this was done by Wang Sunxu?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°The approach is rtively simr, but I wouldn¡¯t know until I have conducted an in-depth autopsy to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Go and check the knives in the kitchen.¡±


    So, the three went into the kitchen and sprayed all the knives with reagents. No human blood was found on them.


    Chen Shi pointed to the sink, ¡°Here.¡±


    There was also no blood in the washbasin.


    Then there was the toilet. As soon as the toilet lid was lifted, Chen Shi noticed a strong smell of disinfectant. Testing found no blood , but Peng Sijue judged from experience that the toilet had been cleaned vigorously.


    Lin Dongxue frowned, ¡°Why are you guys so morbid? The husband was the one who reported the case, so you¡¯re going to suspect him?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that we''re morbid, but the crime scene is very suspicious.¡± Chen Shi walked to the refrigerator, opened it, picked up the row of drinks and checked them one by one. ¡°Look, these drinks have all been opened and caps were screwed back. If it was the victim who did it, it can¡¯t really be exined away. Why would she unscrew all the bottles and drink the one with the bottle cap that¡¯s asking for murder? After drinking it, she put it on the coffee table, as if she intentionally wanted to summon Wang Sunxu.¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°Examine who the person who drank the beverage was!¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Chen Shi said in praise.


    Peng Sijuepared the victim¡¯s saliva with the salivary enzymes found on the bottle but found that they didn¡¯t match. He went outside; while the husband was vividly describing the scene at the time to Lin Qiupu, Peng Sijue said, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Lin Qiupu, who had figured out his intentions, said deliberately, ¡°All DNA has to be sampled in order to facilitate exclusions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand.¡±


    After collecting the husband''s saliva, Peng Sijue did a simple identification using his testing kit. He said, ¡°It roughly matches. It¡¯s most likely the same person.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The wife was killed and then the husband calmly drank half of the drink and put it on the table, before reporting the case. This is obviously illogical. The hitchhiking murderer hasn''t left at all!¡±


    ¡°This man is actually so dark and evil.¡± Lin Dongxue said disdainfully.


    The three walked out of the door and the husband was still recounting his experience with a lot of emotion and eloquence. Lin Dongxue whispered a few words in Lin Qiupu''s ear. The husband noticed that something was wrong and suddenly stopped talking.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°What''s your surname?¡±


    ¡°Liu.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Liu, I want to ask you toe back with us to assist in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Assist in the investigation?¡± The husband raised his voice and looked at the neighbors. ¡°Is there anything that you can''t ask here? My family has suffered this misfortune. You¡¯re not going to catch the murderer, but you¡¯re bringing me back instead? If people don¡¯t know and random rumors spread, it wouldn¡¯t be good!¡±


    ¡°I hope you will cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Are you doubting me? What are you police officers doing? You only know how to mock usmon people. I already said that I was out with my son for a stroll at the time.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°You should understand what the four words ¡®assist with the investigation¡¯ means. It¡¯s good if you are well aware. Since we helped you save face, you should just cooperate. Don¡¯t make a scene in front of your neighbors.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about...¡± The husband was sweating and then suddenly ran towards the stairs. As a result, a yelp was heard as he fell on the stairs.


    The police rushed forward and arrested him.


    Chen Shi smiled, ¡°What did I say?¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked at him coldly, ¡°Don''t interrupt. Would you take responsibility if the suspect hurt himself?¡±


    Chen Shi shrugged. ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing left for me to do, I¡¯ll be leaving for the day. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Amidst the neighbors¡¯ wagging tongues, the husband was taken away. The man was weak in character and couldn¡¯t stand the psychological warfare that Lin Qiupu subjected him to in the interrogation room. He immediately confessed the truth.


    It turned out that he had wanted to kill his wife long ago but was unable to find a suitable method. The serial killing had urred so suddenly. He thought that it was a godsend, so he went to the supermarket to buy a bunch of the drinks, and he won the prize.


    The wife had a habit of taking an afternoon nap. At noon, he took his child out for a walk. When the child was ying in the children''s yground, he ran back and stabbed his wife with the knife he had prepared. Then he drank half of the drink on the table and washed off the blood on his body as well as the murder weapon. After that, he went back and continued to y with the child nonchntly, went home at four, only to ¡°discover¡± the murder and call the police.


    He thought it was seamless, but he didn''t know that in the face of police investigation and experience, it was full of ws.


    At eight o''clock in the evening, Chen Shi had just arrived home and received a text message from Lin Dongxue, ¡°The killer has been arrested.¡±


    It is unwise tomit hitchhike murders. The police have been in continuous contact with simr cases, and when a copycat emerges, it¡¯s easy to pick it apart. Moreover, the police cannot disclose all the details of serial killing cases. The police would know, the killer would know, but outsiders wouldn¡¯t.


    Chen Shi originally wanted to say this, but it was troublesome. So he only said simply, ¡°It''s been a hard day. Go home early to rest and pay attention to your safety on the road.¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you tomorrow.¡± Lin Dongxue replied, and Chen Shi could feel the warmth of a lover in her level reply.


    Tao Yueyue was doing homework at home. Chen Shi was exhausted that day. He casually made a bowl of noodles to eat. Tao Yueyue came out and asked, ¡°Have you caught the bad guys yet?¡±


    ¡°No, you must remember to go home together with your ssmates the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Is the bad guy that guy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen, let me make you a drink!¡± Tao Yueyue secretly took out a paper pouch from her pocket...


    1. Simr to a copycat murder. Using the precedent set by the previous murders to execute your own murder.

 Chapter 288: Perfect Tribute

    <h4>Chapter 288: Perfect Tribute</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Tao Yueyue ran to the kitchen, stayed there for a while and brought out a drink. As Chen Shi had been pondering the case, he took a sip and suddenly sprayed it all out, saying, ¡°I understand! I understand now! Yueyue, lock the door and don''t go out anywhere!¡±


    Chen Shi grabbed his jacket and, on his way out, he asked, ¡°What did you make? It¡¯s sweet and salty.¡±


    ¡°Milk tea!¡±


    ¡°What kind of milk tea is that? Milk tea doesn''t need salt in it.¡±


    When the door closed behind Chen Shi, Tao Yueyue picked up the remaining half in the cup, tasted it, and said with a pout, ¡°I really did put too much in.¡±


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue in the car and asked her where she was. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Dining outside.¡±


    ¡°Send me the location and don''t go anywhere. I''lle to you!¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Lin Dongxue was clueless. ¡°Is it important?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right there.¡±


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi found the small restaurant. Several members of the task force were having dinner. Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue to the bureau, and Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°What the hell is going on? You suddenly appeared looking so serious.¡±


    ¡°Stay over at my house for the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But my stuff...¡±


    ¡°I''ll go to your houseter on. From now on, don''t go out alone. I¡¯ll be driving you to and from work from now on.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay for me to stay over at your house, but I want to know why.¡±


    ¡°To protect you!¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought that Chen Shi was joking, smiled, but found that Chen Shi''s expression remained serious.


    When they finally arrived at the bureau, Chen Shi dragged Lin Dongxue over to the forensics department. Peng Sijue was still working in front of theputer when Chen Shi burst out, ¡°Bottle! The bottle!¡±


    ¡°What bottle?¡±


    ¡°The stic bottles in the previous cases. Test to see if they match with the victims.¡±


    Although Peng Sijue wanted to say a few words about Chen Shi¡¯s abrupt behavior, seeing that he hade in so hastily, he guessed that it was something important that needed to be done, so he went about it silently.


    Twenty minutester, the results came out. Peng Sijue said, ¡°In the case of the migrant worker, the migrant worker¡¯s saliva enzymes were on the bottle; in the family of three, this was also true; the otaku, also true...The driver...There was no saliva on the bottle.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi in surprise.


    Chen Shi ¡¯s conjecture hade to fruition. He said, ¡°Today ¡¯s hitchhike murder case inspired me. Why did the murderer choose this extremely difficult method to kill? The rules of the game he formted were just diversionary tactics for us. In fact, he had his own pre-established murder list!¡±


    ¡°Exin.¡± Peng Sijue didn''t quite understand.


    ¡°We all thought that anyone who bought a bottle cap with the mark would die. The murderer did exactly that in the first three cases, but from the fourth case onwards, he didn¡¯t do that. He just killed the person who he wanted to kill, and then put half a bottle of that drink at the crime scene.¡°


    ¡°That way, we would think that the deceased''s death was simply because he had won the ''award''?¡±


    ¡°That''s right, so we can''t prevent it no matter what we do. The people he wishes to kill will die no matter whether the victims win the ¡®prize¡¯ or not. Why the killer didn¡¯t poison them directly is because the bottle cap is easier to manipte. He¡¯s hiding a piece of wood in the forest. It¡¯s a perfect tribute to the poisoning case from ten years ago.¡±


    The two spoke too fast, and Lin Dongxue barely kept up with their thoughts. ¡°Serial killings were fake; this time, they were just murders with multiple targets?¡±


    ¡°Yes! He hitchhiked his own murder cases.¡±


    ¡°But this deceased person is just a driver. How did this driver offend him?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s investigate!¡±


    ¡°Everyone has already gotten off work. We¡¯ll do it tomorrow!¡±


    Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue, ¡°Pour me a ss of water.¡±


    Lin Dongxue picked up the water ss next to him, and he continued, ¡°I want to drink the tea from your brother''s office.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to find a reason to get rid of me?¡± Lin Dongxueughed. ¡°You have something to say to Captain Peng? I''ll wait for you outside the door then.¡±


    After Lin Dongxue left, Chen Shi told Peng Sijue, ¡°I¡¯m worried that he will target Yueyue or Dongxue. It was the same person who sent me those three photos before. Today he called me ¡®Officer Song¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Really? His brother was arrested by you back then. Are you afraid that this case is an act of revenge against you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Chen Shi stressed, ¡°If my identity is exposed, I''m afraid you will also...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t matter!¡± Peng Sijue interrupted him. ¡°You have to be careful yourself, and you have to protect Dongxue. In fact, I have always wanted to say that since you chose to conceal your identity, you should no longer be involved with the police.¡±


    ¡°This is the so-called fate!¡± Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    Chen Shi turned around to leave when Peng Sijue suddenly said, ¡°Have you thought about countermeasures? When Wang Sunxu is arrested, he¡¯s likely to expose your identity. Captain Lin has long suspected you, but no one has poked a hole through thisyer of window paper yet[1]. Once he has a direction to move towards, it would be a matter of time before he finds out the truth.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head sadly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to handle it as ites!¡±


    Chen Shi returned to the car, and Lin Dongxue looked at him with a smile. ¡°What were you whispering to Captain Peng about?¡±


    Chen Shi looked back at her. When Lin Qiupu knew who he was, it would be the end for him and Lin Dongxue. Lies would always be uncovered, but he didn''t expect it to happen so fast.


    Thinking of this, Chen Shi felt a sting in his heart. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do with Lin Dongxue.


    So, he leaned over and kissed Lin Dongxue on the forehead. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re acting a bit abnormal today! Is there something that you¡¯re hiding from me?¡±


    ¡°No, look at my honest face...¡±


    ¡°Honest face? From the moment we met, you¡¯ve never told me about your past. Can you talk about it now?¡±


    ¡°A man who doesn''t want to mention his past, either has unspeakable secrets or there¡¯s really nothing to say. Which kind of man do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°The one with an unspeakable secret!¡± Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi''s chest and said with a smile.


    ¡°If you know that, then why are you still asking?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Chen Shi went to Lin Dongxue''s house to collect some daily necessities. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This doesn¡¯t count as cohabitation, ok? I will move back when Wang Sunxu is arrested.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Rx, it¡¯s not like you haven''t stayed over at my house before, and there is also a small light bulb there called ¡®Yueyue¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Haha, what would Yueyue think if she heard that?¡±


    Lin Dongxue went inside Chen Shi''s house, and Yueyue was very happy to learn that she hade and hugged her. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I haven''t seen you for a while. Yueyue has grown again!¡±


    ¡°Really? She still looks like a child.¡± Chen Shi said, while hanging his clothes up.


    ¡°That''s because you see her every day.¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister Lin, how long are you going to stay here this time?¡± Tao Yueyue asked.


    ¡°When the bad guy this time is caught, I¡¯ll move back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then I hope the bad guy will never be caught.¡±


    ¡°Haha, then I''m afraid that Elder Sister here wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep much.¡± Lin Dongxue tapped Tao Yueyue¡¯s nose lightly.


    1. Back in ancient China, windows were covered with paper that was glued on, and if people poke holes in them with their fingers, the light from outside woulde through. Thus the idiom means that the truth has been illuminated by the light i.e. revealed.

 Chapter 289: Sweet Little Misunderstanding

    <h4>Chapter 289: Sweet Little Misunderstanding</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Lin Dongxue fell asleep, Chen Shi took a shower andy on the sofa.


    Although it was a sofa, it was just like a bed when it was unfolded. Chen Shi had difficulty sleeping because he had something weighing on his heart.


    He even had an impulse to tell Lin Qiupu who he was now, so that it wouldnn¡¯t be held against him, as if there was a sword of Damocles[1] looming above his head.


    The phone next to him beeped, and when Chen Shi unlocked it, he saw Lin Dongxue¡¯s message, saying, ¡°Can''t sleep? Would you like me to have a chat with you?¡±


    For a while, Chen Shi felt the sweetness of those words, but after some thought, he decided that this was obviously not Lin Dongxue''s style of talking.


    So, he replied, ¡°Little bastard, ying this trick again?¡± After typing it, he reconsidered and deleted it.


    What if Lin Dongxue was really the one who sent it?


    After much thought, he decided to confirm it for himself, so he went into Lin Dongxue''s bedroom softly, and by the dim light from the living room, he saw Lin Dongxue sleeping with her back to him. The quilt had slipped down a little, exposing a shoulder like white jade.


    Looking at the sleeping Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi felt a tender feeling in his heart that was also mixed with some sadness.


    The time to say goodbye ising, and this budding rtionship will end with the revtion of his identity. He loved Lin Dongxue and hoped to spend a lifetime with her; until they had both gone grey, to recall life¡¯s pain and happiness together.


    Thinking of this, Chen Shi¡¯s heart felt like it was being stabbed.


    He closed the door silently and returned to the sofa.


    Lin Dongxue, who had been waiting in bed for a long time, turned her head around in disbelief. The guy had just opened the door to have a look before leaving. Her own mobile phone still had that text message that she had just sent out , ¡°Can''t sleep? Would you like me to have a chat with you?¡±


    Maybe he didn''t want the rtionship to develop too fast. Lin Dongxue felt Chen Shi''s sincerity in his love towards her, and buried her face in the quilt, smiling foolishly.


    The next morning, when Tao Yueyue was brushing her teeth, Chen Shi asked her, ¡°Did you steal Elder Sister Lin''s cell phone against night and text me?¡±


    Tao Yueyue looked at him in surprise and said with a frothy mouth, ¡°I didn''t!¡±


    ¡°Don''t deny it! Stop ying with me. I was tricked by youst time!¡±


    Tao Yueyue pulled a face at him disdainfully.


    Chen Shi was prepared to reprimand her a little more when Lin Dongxue came out of the bedroom. So he went to prepare breakfast.


    After Tao Yueyue went out, Chen Shi reflected on the incident and thought there was something wrong. Was it really Lin Dongxue''s text message?


    He lifted her head to look at Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue was eating oatmeal porridge earnestly, and looked back at him nkly.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night?¡±


    ¡°Very well, I''m used to it here.¡±


    ¡°What time did you fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°10:30? No, eleven o''clock!¡± Lin Dongxue quietly flushed.


    Chen Shi remembered that the message was sent around half past ten, and from Lin Dongxue''s words just now, she should have been the one who sent it. In other words, when he opened the door and stared at her back like an idiot, Lin Dongxue was actually awake!


    Chen Shi felt extremely embarrassed. The whole atmosphere was filled with embarrassment. The two looked at each other in embarrassment for a long time. Lin Dongxue coughed, still red in the face. ¡°Why did you open my bedroom doorst night...¡±


    ¡°I went to see if you were asleep?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°What does this text mean?¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s face became even redder. She bit her lips for a long time and her gaze shifted from left to right. Then she said haltingly, ¡°It''s... I just meant to have a chat... I didn''t ask you toe in... Ah, it''ste. It''s time to go to work!¡±


    At the doorway of the city bureau, Lin Dongxue was preparing to get out of the car. Chen Shi suddenly stopped her and was about to kiss her cheek.


    The two haven''t publicly disclosed their rtionship for the time being and had to be professional in front of others. This was theirst chance to be intimate in the morning.


    Just when the two were getting closer and closer, someone knocked on the window outside. It was Lin Qiupu. Lin Dongxue''s face suddenly became red to her ears and Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°Dongxue''s seat belt was stuck. I was helping her to untie it!¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked suspicious of them and said, ¡°Don''t stop here. It¡¯ll affect others. Move away quickly.¡±


    ¡°Immediately.¡± Chen Shi said with a smile stered onto his face.


    When they rolled the window back up and were ready to continue what they were about to do, someone suddenly knocked on the window again. It turned out to be Xu Xiaodong. He eximed exaggeratedly, ¡°The dessert shop across the road is having a buy one, get one free crepes sale!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ve already eaten though.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Huh? What are you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°Dongxue''s seat belt was stuck. So I was helping her out!¡±


    ¡°Oh... I¡¯m telling you that you have to buy the vani vour when you go. It¡¯s so delicious...¡±


    ¡°Ok, we got it!¡±


    Chen Shi rolled the window up again, andwas ready to continue once again with Lin Dongxue. When the two got close, Lin Dongxue smiled and said, ¡°No one wille and bother us again, right?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be too much of a coincidence?¡±


    While Chen Shi was about to kiss her, someone knocked on the window again. This time, it was Peng Sijue.


    Chen Shi reluctantly rolled down the window, ¡°What''s the matter this time?¡±


    ¡°My car seems to have broken down. Can youe and take a look for me... What do you mean by ¡®this time¡¯?¡± Peng Sijue looked suspiciously at Lin Dongxue''s blushing face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go after I¡¯ve parked the car!¡±


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°Dongxue''s seat belt was stuck. I was helping her out!¡±


    After speaking, Chen Shi rolled up the window and said, ¡°No one will disturb us this time, right?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s just continueter...¡±


    Before Lin Dongxue had finished speaking, Chen Shi kissed her lips. After the kiss, Lin Dongxue blushed, but didn''t want to part with Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi gently poked her forehead, ¡°It¡¯s okay, let''s talk tonight!¡±


    In the morning case conference, Chen Shi expressed his thoughts. Lin Qiupu felt like they were very constructive, and that they could investigate following his line of thought.


    The dead driver was named Wang Zhangyou. He was registered under a movingpany, but he mainly did long-distance freight transports. The two went to hispany first and asked his colleagues whether Wang Zhangyou knew Wang Sunxu.


    After asking around, a driver said, ¡°I don''t know about Wang Sunxu, but I heard him talk about Wang Sunlei. Are these two connected?¡±


    ¡°What happened with Wang Sunlei?¡±


    ¡°If I say anything, would you arrest me?¡±


    ¡°It depends on what you say...¡± Lin Dongxue was about to say but was stopped by Chen Shi with a gesture. Chen Shi said, ¡°Just talk. We promise not to detain you.¡±


    ¡°The police should keep to their words. Of course, the thing was mainly done by Wang Zhangyou, and I just helped him out. During one of our winter dinners, he mentioned that a guy named Wang Sunlei had killed his wife. Although the police had already arrested Wang Sunlei, Wang Zhangyou still couldn''t let this injustice go. Later, by coincidence, he learned that a driver''s son and Wang Sunlei''s brother were attending school together. So one night, he took a few people over to look for the child, smashed all the things in his house, and beat the kid badly... Of course, it was all done by Wang Zhangyou. I swear I didn¡¯t do anything. Then I asked him if the other party would call the police. Wang Zhangyou said that he wouldn¡¯t dare to call the police. He was the brother of a murderer. He had to pay for his older brother¡¯s debts, and he got what he deserved. ¡°


    Lin Dongxue was stunned for a while. As expected, Wang Zhangyou''s murder was premeditated.


    1. Moral anecdotemonly referred to as "the Sword of Damocles¡±, an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily. Please look at this cartoon depiction for a visual representation of what Chen Shi means. https://debtdigger.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1_hKzpfVdByKRwZUAH6j0ebg.jpeg

 Chapter 290: The Childhood of Discrimination

    <h4>Chapter 290: The Childhood of Discrimination</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Which year was that?¡±


    ¡°09... I think it was the year 09?¡± The driver lowered his voice. ¡°Wang Zhangyou was killed by someone two days ago. Was it rted to this matter? Will that person find me? I swear I didn''t do anything.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°At that time, the child was only a teenager and an orphan. Your gang of adults went to bully a child and you have concealed it for so many years. Can you guys live with your conscience?¡±


    The driver said, ¡°Who told his brother to kill someone? His brother was arrested by the police, so how could people vent their grievances?... I¡¯m saying this on behalf of Wang Zhangyou. I swear I didn¡¯t do anything. I just broke a few pots. That¡¯s it. Besides, the child wasn¡¯t a good kid anyway. If the upper beam is not right, then the lower beam would be crooked[1]. ording to his school teacher, he usually stole things and so on. He was unpopr in school and everyone avoided him like the gue. Such a child wouldn¡¯t have grown up to be anything good!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Okay, okay, you won''t be held ountable. You have to be careful these next two days.¡±


    The driver said, ¡°I will start burning incense from today onwards and pray that you catch him soon!¡±


    ¡°Which school did that child go to?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-seven High School... You know, that infamous trash high school.¡± The driver smirked.


    ¡°Which middle school do your children go to?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°Experimental middle school and a top high school.¡± The driver responded proudly.


    After saying farewell to the driver, Lin Dongxue looked very unhappy, Chen Shi asked, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I feel ufortable whenever I see this kind of naked discrimination. My brother and I were also orphans, and the school I went to wasn¡¯t very good. In childhood, the bullying of others made me miserable for many years. I dare not imagine what kind of psychological trauma would be inflicted when a group of adults violently attacked the child and his house. Today¡¯s Wang Sunxu was created by this group of people!¡±


    ¡°This is the chain of hatred. People standing on each side of the chain consider themselves to be reasonable and victims. So thew doesn''t consider the heart;only stopping the violence can stop hatred... Don''t be sad.¡± Chen Shi gently stroked Lin Dongxue''s back.


    Lin Dongxue smiled sorrowfully, ¡°Those previous words aren¡¯t as valuable as thatst phrase.¡±


    ¡°What happened in the past has made us who we are now. We can''t change it, but we must learn to ept ourselves!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°I love you exactly as you are now. Maybe if even a little thing in the past were to change, we wouldn¡¯t havee together as we have. ¡°


    ¡°Okay, okay, enough with the sweet talk... Where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°I want to go to Wang Sunxu''s school.¡±


    ¡°To identify the next victim?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    At noon, the two went to the school that Wang Sunxu used to attend. Thirty-seven Middle School only had junior middle school avable to students. However, Wang Sunxu dropped out after he graduated from junior middle school. He couldn¡¯t afford the high school fees. In order to support himself, he went everywhere to work and earn money.


    When they got to the school administrative office, the person in charge said that he didn''t recognize the name at first, but when he saw Wang Sunxu''s picture in the student files, the person in charge pped his own forehead. ¡°This kid. I remember now. Wasn¡¯t he the murderer''s brother?¡±


    ¡°Is this the only impression you have of him in your memories?¡± Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    The person in charge said in embarrassment, ¡°It''s not discrimination. Us teachers usually talk about our students. Which student has money at home, which student''s parents are senior officials, etc. We know all of that. When the child''s form teacher talked about what his brother did, it naturally left an impression. After so many years, the fact that I can only remember that he was the murderer''s brother doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m discriminating against him. You must be understanding!¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I''m not here to ask you about these. Was this child in your ss?¡±


    ¡°I had him in physics ss, but his former teacher was not me, but Teacher Cai.¡±


    ¡°How did the form teacher treat him?¡±


    ¡°The same as everyone else. Although our school''s high school entrance rate is not the best in the city, it¡¯s still a public middle school, you can rest assured that there is no corporal punishment for students, unlike XX Middle School...¡±


    Seeing that the teacher was about to start criticizing his peers, Chen Shi quickly interrupted, ¡°This is the situation. This child is killing people everywhere now and someone who bullied him in the past has been killed...¡±


    ¡°No! I did say that this kid wouldn¡¯t grow up to be a good bird[2]!¡± The teacher was shocked and then noticed that the beautiful-as-a-fairy female police officer standing beside Chen Shi was casting a scornful look at him. He instantly felt really embarrassed.


    Chen Shi continued, ¡°We¡¯re not here to listen to good words. We just want to determine whether he was abused in school, because this may have a bearing on the next murder case and the life of someone you know! Of course, I will keep everything you say secret. Please also keep everything I say confidential.¡±


    The teacher scratched his head awkwardly and said, ¡°I can assure you that the ss didn¡¯t abuse him, but... There was a bit of special treatment. You should understand. After all, we are all just normal people. Who would want to be involved with a murderer¡¯s brother?!¡±


    ¡°What special treatment?¡±


    ¡°Just letting him sit in the back row, sitting next to that trash can. He basically didn¡¯t change seats for three years. And then as for ssroom duty days[3], electing ss reps, going to self-study, etc., whether he participated or not, we basically didn¡¯t care... When I went to ss , I had seen a student sleeping in the back row, so I threw chalk at him. I can¡¯t forget even now the stare of the child, it was as if he wanted to kill me. Later, the form teacher told me that I didn¡¯t need to bother about the child. That he¡¯s the murderer''s younger brother and to just let him be. Since then, I have ignored him. There were forty-six people in the ss, but I would pretend there were only forty-five. When it was exam time, no matter what mark he got, I wouldn¡¯t announce his marks. I would just put it on the podium for him to pick it up himself. When it was roll-call time, I didn¡¯t read his name out and just pretended like this student didn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°All teachers didn''t care about him?¡±


    ¡°We just pretended like he was air!¡±


    ¡°Do you know he had been forced onto this dark path because you all ignored him like this and only treated him as a murderer¡¯s brother?¡±


    The teacher said awkwardly, ¡°We are also just ordinary people. We can even say that us teachers are even more afraid of things than ordinary people. Let¡¯s take this beauty here. If your brother was a murderer...¡± Noting the change in expression in Lin Dongxue''s eyes, the teacher hurriedly corrected, ¡°Take the sweeper below, for example. If there was a murderer in his family, we definitely wouldn¡¯t associate ourselves with him and will avoid him. You say it¡¯s discrimination and I do admit that it¡¯s a bit discriminatory. However, this kind of person can¡¯t be treated equally, because I also have a wife and children. It doesn''t matter what happens to me, but what happens if trouble befalls my family?¡±


    Chen Shi thought sadly that ¡°the murderer¡¯s xx¡± for ordinary people is like ¡°The Scarlet Letter¡± in Hawthorne''s novels. It is a cursed identity. Avoiding them was for preserving one¡¯s own safety. People only care about others when it is safe to do so. When everyone acts the same way, the whole world would be a hell full of indifference and discrimination to the victim.


    He himself was also charged with murder. When he changed to this face, the Inte was full of insults and reprimands aimed at Song Lang. On the TV, arrogant experts analyzed the reasons why Song Lang took to the path of evil. At that time, he had also felt this chill of loveless indifference in his bones.


    1. When those above (¡°upper beams¡±) behave badly, those below (¡°lower beams¡±) will do the same. Describes subordinates or juniors imitating their superiors or elders.


    2. A good person.


    3. Students are on a roster to perform duties such as cleaning the ssroom and helping the teacher etc.

 Chapter 291: Teacher Xu’s Death

    <h4>Chapter 291: Teacher Xu''s Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The teacher continued, ¡°However, as the saying goes, ¡°The pitiful person must have their deficiencies¡±, this child is really not worthy of sympathy. In a chemistry ss, he knocked over the sulfuric acid bottle and burned another student¡¯s leg. The other boy was a top student in the ss that we were focused on cultivating. They didn¡¯t have any prior rtionship with each other. Why do you think he would hurt him? In in terms, it would be envy. Envy towards the child''s good family and his being loved by the teachers. Another time, it happened to me. I don''t even want to remember now. I have asthma. I have to carry an inhaler with me everywhere. I also keep one at the office. Once, I used up the one I had on me, so I hurried to the office to get my spare. As a result, when I inhaled, I felt my lungs burning. I almost died. Fortunately, I was able to be treated urgently and survived. The doctor said that my medicine was filled with chalk dust. I asked myself, who would harm me like that? No matter how much I investigated, I found no answers, but I heard that...It¡¯s only a rumor, but someone saw that child touch my desk during the day. Why do you think he would harm me like that?¡±


    ¡°Did you make a report?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°No, the school didn''t want to blow everything up, so this big incident was covered up... But it blessed me with a silver lining. At that time, I waspeting with several teachers to climb up to the position of teaching director. I had to take public sses for this and was worried it would affect my progress. I discharged myself from the hospital early to attend the sses. The school head said that my efforts weremendable andter gave me the position. Some people said sourly that I had implemented a self-harming scheme... Oh, these are all tangents. I shouldn¡¯t mention this further.¡±


    Chen Shi continued to ask, ¡°Other than the indifference of the teachers, was Wang Sunxu abused by his ssmates at school?¡±


    ¡°Uh, as far as I know... Yes! Once when I got off work, I saw a few boys hitting him on the yground. It was some of the kids who had poor grades in ss, and I yelled at them to stop!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The teacher said awkwardly, ¡°I did shout, ''What are you doing!'' but they said it was a joke, so I said nothing and left...¡±


    ¡°What''s the name of the student who often bullied him?¡±


    ¡°Lai Wei.¡±


    ¡°Is there a student file for him?¡±


    The teacher found Lai Wei ¡¯s student file and showed it to Chen Shi. Chen Shi photographed it on his mobile phone. The teacher said, ¡°Actually, now that I think about it, this child was quite pitiful, but it¡¯s not that everyone was bad to him. There¡¯s always true sincerity in human society. There was a teacher named Xu Nianqiang who was very concerned about him. I remember that when the child celebrated his birthday, Teacher Xu even bought him a cake. Teacher Xu was kind-hearted and especially cared about these undervalued students.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°This Teacher Xu should know a lot about him.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Which ss is Teacher Xu in?¡±


    ¡°He...¡± The teacher coughed and said, ¡°He has resigned long ago.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it inappropriate to talk about that? Perhaps he offended someone. Someone reported that he had sexually assaulted a student. The school did not renew his contract out of consideration for the school¡¯s reputation... Of course, I know that Teacher Xu is a good person and couldn¡¯t have done such things.¡±


    ¡°It feels like Teacher Xu is a different kind of person. Maybe he was socially excluded?¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°You can''t say that. We¡¯re not bad people. Why should we exclude him? Personally, I have never done anything wrong...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Chen Shi interrupted them, ¡°Thank you, I''ll contact you if there¡¯s anything else we need.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Nothing will happen at school, right?¡±


    ¡°Be careful these two days, especially with the doorway surveince monitoring. Be sure to confirm that it works properly. If there is anything wrong, contact me immediately. This is my contact number.¡± Chen Shi was not being an rmist. ording to his prediction, the teachers and students may be Wang Sunxu''s next murder targets.


    The teacher was scared and nodded repeatedly.


    After leaving the school, Chen Shi drove directly to look for Lai Wei. The student''s file only had his parents'' addresses. The two asked Lai Wei¡¯s parents about his current address and work unit and heard another earful from people boasting about their son.


    Chen Shi dialled Lai Wei¡¯s number and couldn¡¯t get through. Chen Shi said, ¡°Nothing has happened to him, right?¡±


    ¡°You have a crow''s mouth. Can¡¯t you say something good?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that I have a crow''s mouth. I just think that this school bully is likely to be the next target.¡±


    ¡°Go to his house then!¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do so!¡±


    On the way, Lin Dongxue dialed Lai Wei''s work number. After inquiry, the other party informed them that Lai Wei hadn''te in to work today and or answered his phone. Lin Dongxue''s ominous uneasiness increased a little.


    At noon, they didn¡¯t even bother to eat. At 1PM, they found Lai Wei''s apartment. They knocked on the door a few times and no one responded. They could only leave empty-handed. When they got downstairs, an auntyined, ¡°Who poured all that chicken blood into the drainpipe? They reallyck morals. Don¡¯t they know that blood clots can easily block the drains?¡±


    Chen Shi walked over and saw that the sewers indeed smelled of blood. The dirty water was flowing down from the residential building.


    Chen Shi immediately beckoned and said, ¡°Go to Lai Wei''s house. Something may have happened.¡±


    The two rushed upstairs, and Chen Shi rammed the door a few times. When the door was opened, a heavy stench of blood filled his nose and Lin Dongxue covered her mouth in shock.


    There was a trail of blood in the living room. They followed it to the bathroom. They saw a man lying inside, holding half a bottle of soda in his hand. The shower head was on and the water was flowing, washing the blood from the man into the sewer.


    Chen Shi turned off the shower, opened the man''s eyelids, and said, ¡°We¡¯re toote. He was probably killedst night!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact the bureau.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Because he was not wearing gloves, Chen Shi did not examine the body carefully. He looked around the room and found leftover instant noodles, biscuit packaging, beverage bottles, and other items. The bed was messed up. It seemed that Wang Sunxu had not only killed the victim but had stayed there overnight.


    Judging from the intense frequency of such crimes by Wang Sunxu, it was likely that the next victim had already appeared.


    Chen Shi called the teacher from just now and asked, ¡°Apart from Lai Wei, who else bullied Wang Sunxu?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don''t know. You can ask Teacher Xu, he should know... Teacher Xu now runs a CD shop on Erlong Road. He should be there at this time.¡±


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and said to Lin Dongxue, ¡°You can guard things here while I go to Erlong Road to look for Teacher Xu... Are you afraid of being alone here?¡± Chen Shi was referring to Lin Dongxue being alone with the corpse.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°I''m fine. Be careful.¡±


    Chen Shi rushed to Erlong Road. It was already evening when he got there. There were many CD audio stores on the street. He asked one of the bosses to see if he could find out where Teacher Xu was. The boss said, ¡°You¡¯re looking for Xu Nianqiang? He is diagonally opposite us... Mm, he seems to be closed. Just shout. He lives alone upstairs.¡±


    ¡°He lives alone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s an old bachelor.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a phone?¡±


    ¡°I have a phone, but I don''t have his number in it.¡± The boss smiled as he made a dry joke.


    There was a staircase beside the storefront. The second floor was where the owner lived. Chen Shi went up the stairs and knocked on the door. He suddenly noticed a bloody fingerprint on the doorknob and a strong ominous premonition rose in his heart.


    At the same time, he was full of doubt. Why did the teacher who cared the most for Wang Sunxu be his prey!?

 Chapter 292: Do the Victims Have to be Bad People?

    <h4>Chapter 292: Do the Victims Have to be Bad People?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi couldn''t take the time to think. He rammed the door open with his shoulder. The house was in a really chaotic state. On the bedy a middle-aged man covered with blood, and half a bottle of the beverage was ced on the table beside him.


    There was a scream from behind Chen Shi. Looking back, it was the owner of the audio shop from just now.


    Chen Shi disyed his consultant card. ¡°Don''t be afraid, I''m a policeman.¡±


    ¡°Murder case?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave for now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, you don''t have to doubt me. Even if there¡¯spetition between us since we¡¯re neighbors, I wouldn¡¯t do this kind of back-handed...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you. I just want to understand the situation.¡±


    Chen Shi called the bureau and then asked the boss, ¡°Do you know this person?¡±


    ¡°Xu Nianqiang?¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about him?¡±


    ¡°The whole street calls him Teacher Xu. I heard that he used to be a schoolteacher. He is very kind and smiles at everyone, and is especially good with children. Our neighbor, Big Sister Li, also asks him to tutor her children in Math. She¡¯s praised him for teaching well as well as being a good person. I often asked him why he didn¡¯t continue to be a schoolteacher and talked about how cool it was to be able to take winter and summer vacations every year. He said that teaching wasn¡¯t profitable and that he wanted to start a business.¡±


    ¡°What about his rtionships?¡±


    ¡°Extremely good, he smiles at everyone...¡±


    ¡°I''m not talking about this. I''m talking about people that he knows. Does he have family?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he was a divorcee and that the children were awarded to the mother. He was in his fifties and living alone. He came out to jog every morning. I was wondering why he didn¡¯t open for business today. I didn¡¯t think that this kind of thing had happened... Hey, Officer, who did this?¡±


    ¡°Did you see any suspicious people entering the house today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    A group of onlookers had gathered behind the boss sometime during their conversation. An aunty said, ¡°I saw a male knocking on his door this morning. Teacher Xu opened the door and exchanged a few words with him before letting him in.¡±


    Chen Shi disyed Wang Sunxu''s photo on his mobile phone and asked, ¡°Was it him?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see his face but he''s about the same height I suppose. He was wearing a totally ck outfit and carrying a bag.¡±


    It seemed that it was Wang Sunxu without a doubt. Perhaps Xu Nianqiang himself did not expect that he would wee in a god of death when he opened the door.


    Chen Shi told everyone not to look. He entered the house, closed the door and checked the dead body. The time of death was roughly determined to be ten hours ago. What shocked Chen Shi was that the front of Teacher Xu¡¯s body was totally red and his white shirt had been dyed almostpletely pink with blood. He didn¡¯t know how many stab wounds had been inflicted.


    Looking at those injuries, one can imagine how angry Wang Sunxu was at the time. Even though he had killed two people who had bullied him in the past, he was a lot more calm in those cases aspared to this one.


    Chen Shi picked up the bottle on the table, unscrewed it, and it turned out to have the killer bottle cap again. He sneered, ¡°The trick has already been exposed. But you¡¯re still ying with this?¡±


    Looking around the house, Chen Shi saw a shelf full of books. They were allfamous works and ssical literature. There were also dumbbells and arm-strengthening machines. Then he looked at the bathroom. It was very clean and even the gaps in the tiles were white.


    It can be seen that Boss Xu was a very self-disciplined person with a regr lifestyle and elegant tastes.


    In the middle of the bookshelf, he saw two leatherbound notebooks and took them out for a look. The first notebook was full of newspaper clippings; all of which were student essays published in the newspapers. The students all came from Thirty-seven High School without exception. The bottom always noted that they were rmended by the teacher, Xu Nianqiang.


    The other notebook surprised Chen Shi even more. It recorded the birthdays, hobbies, family backgrounds, etc. of many students. Judging by the color of the ink, they were recorded many years ago. On the earliest pages, there was Wang Sunxu''s name, behind which waster written. ¡°January 14, 1990. The family background is rather unusual. His elder brother, Wang Sunlei is a convict. The child seems have an inferiorityplex and deliberately behaves as if he has thorns all over him. His favorite things are unclear for now. He has a strong personality and refuses to ept defeat. The main problem is getting rid of his elder brother¡¯s shadow.¡±


    There were several other students'' names on the page. Maybe they were in the same ss as Wang Sunxu. Chen Shi took pictures using his mobile phone and nned to visit themter.


    Chen Shi looked at the unrecognizable corpse. He was a very good teacher, no matter how you looked at him. Could it be that he had a hidden secret?


    At that time, he heard the police siren outside and he opened the door. Lin Dongxue and Peng Sijue came in together. Peng Sijue said, ¡°The two cases happened at the same time and I couldn¡¯t get anyof the staff toe over.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. The space here is small. You should be fine by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Help me take pictures.¡± Peng Sijue handed him the camera.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Let me do it. He has no experience.¡±


    When she found out that the victim was actually Xu Nianqiang, Lin Dongxue was extremely shocked and kept reconfirming with Chen Shi, ¡°We didn¡¯t make a mistake, right?¡±


    ¡°That''s him alright!¡±


    Peng Sijue examined the body roughly and said, ¡°The time of death should be around seven in the morning. I can identify ny-three knife wounds on his body. It seems that he had a strong hatred for this victim.¡±


    ¡°It''s crazy. Teacher Xu was the one who was most concerned about him.¡± Lin Dongxue said, covering her mouth.


    ¡°Have you noticed that the books on the table were ced face down? And that the desk was ced in a ce that¡¯s not visible from the front door. Furthermore, the things were ced too neatly, indicating that this person had a strong sense of insecurity and obsessivepulsive disorder. I''m afraid he was not as morous as he looked.¡±


    ¡°What kind of theory is that?¡± Peng Sijue said. ¡°Do the victims have to be bad people?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about the matter as it stands. A man who has a house full of tasteful books with nothing rted to sex? I think he¡¯s been sexually repressed for a long time and the suppressed libido will have been released through other channels. I think he must have an unspeakable secret.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. ¡°I don''t think so. Wang Sunxu killed him precisely because Teacher Xu was the only person who ever cared about him. It''s like a frozen person who feels hot when exposed to warm water. His twisted heart feels that Teacher Xu caring for him is an insult. In the past, there were cases like this where the suspect killed all those who helped him! Tell me how your strange conclusion came to you. Don''t you also not have sex-rted things in your house?¡±


    ¡°That''s because I hide them well!¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened.


    ¡°Old Peng, there must be a fleshlight or something in your house as well, right?¡± Chen Shi wanted to draw upon a living example.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Chen Shi looked at the time. It was five o''clock. Tao Yueyue was almost done with school. He called Tao Yueyue and nned to ask her to wait a while at school for him. However, he actually couldn¡¯t get through to her phone.


    Chen Shi panicked. He saw that Lin Dongxue was still helping to take pictures and he didn''t want to rm her for the time being. He said, ¡°I''ll go pick up Yueyue first ande overter.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Okay, you can go directly to the bureau!¡±


    When Chen Shi arrived at the school, he saw Tao Yueyue and her ssmatesing out,ughing and chatting. He honked a few times and Tao Yueyue came over and said, ¡°Uncle Chen, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to go home alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with my ssmates.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I get through to you over the phone?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to charge itst night.¡±


    ¡°Get into the car!¡± Chen Shi finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

 Chapter 293: A Late Apology

    <h4>Chapter 293: A Late Apology</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While bringing Tao Yueyue home, Chen Shi saw Gu You pruning shrubs at the door and said, ¡°Miss Gu, these flowers and nts all belong to the themunity. Are you trimming them as volunteer work?¡±


    Gu You smiled, ¡°I saw yellow leaves through the window and felt ufortable, so I came out and cut them. I have minor OCD.¡±


    Tao Yueyue stood at the door and pulled faces at Chen Shi and Chen Shi did the same to her before Tao Yueyue went back in.


    Chen Shi really wanted to ask Gu You something. He had just shown off a psychoanalytic theory in front of Peng Sijue and Lin Dongxue. He was not an expert himself, so he said to Gu You, ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What details can you use to determine that a man is sexually repressed?¡±


    ¡°Is there a brightly-colored towel in his bathroom?¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°The bathroom is a very private ce. Excretion and bathing are all rted to sex. If you live alone, it can reflect a person''s subconsciousness. If a man wipes his body with a brightly-colored towel, there is an implication of sexuality in it, indicating that he is very eager for sex.¡±


    ¡°You really are an expert!¡± Chen Shi felt a lot of respect for Gu You.


    ¡°Are you talking about your friend or yourself?¡±


    ¡°No, no, my friends and I were making a bet while chatting, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Gu You smiled elegantly.


    Chen Shi texted Lin Dongxue confidently, ¡°Is there a bright towel in Xu Nianqiang''s bathroom?¡±


    Later, Lin Dongxue replied, ¡°Hey he does, why? Does it have something to do with the case?¡±


    ¡°It seems that my analysis is correct. I¡¯ll tell you the rationale behind itter!¡±


    Chen Shi walked into his own bathroom and suddenly saw a brightly-colored towel. He secretly said ¡°Ah fuck¡± and immediately pulled it off the towel rack. Tao Yueyue poked her head in from behind him and said, ¡°Uncle Chen, why are you taking my towel?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Sorry for taking the wrong one.¡± Chen Shi hung it back again.


    Chen Shi made dinner like an expert and prepared a bento for Lin Dongxue. When he thought of Peng Sijue''s sour face, he couldn¡¯t leave him out, so he prepared another one. However, there was only one poached egg in tomato sauce left and he didn''t know whose box to put it in.


    He wavered between the two bento boxes and Tao Yueyue, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, saw the hesitation, ¡°Uncle Chen, who else is as important in your heart as Elder Sister Lin?¡±


    ¡°Just go back into your room and do your homework.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, I¡¯ll tell Elder Sister Lin!¡± Tao Yueyue threatened before leaving.


    ¡°Do you dare... Ah, right, don''t go out at night. I''ll call when I get back.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Chen Shi decided to give it to Peng Sijue, but he couldn¡¯t let Lin Dongxue find out, so he carefully covered it with vegetables so that the two looked simr before covering them up with lids.


    Chen Shi went to the bureau and everyone was still at work. Peng Sijue had just finished the autopsy and was discussing the case with Lin Dongxue in the office. Chen Shi said, ¡°Is there anything new?¡±


    ¡°The liver temperature was measured. The deaths were at 8 o''clockst night and 7 o''clock this morning. The injuries were caused by the same weapon. The male body in the apartment had slight marks of beatings, which were left after death. ¡°


    ¡°Clearly in revenge for Lai Wei''s abuse.¡±


    ¡°From the autopsy of the middle-aged man, he did not have the habit of smoking or drinking but he was in a state of sudden high stress. It seemed that he had been experiencing some major life changetely. The injury on his body was left by a single murder weapon. He was already dead by about the fourth wound; the more than ny wounds afterwards were all just for venting the murderer¡¯s anger.¡±


    ¡°I told you that this person was really stressed. Have you checked his lower half? Did he not have sex for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Get lost. There is no such procedure in an autopsy!¡±


    ¡°Come and eat. I brought you guys a portion each.¡±


    Opening the boxed lunch, Lin Dongxue said with admiration, ¡°You were only gone for two hours but you made so many dishes?¡±


    ¡°Haha, the pork ribs were stewed beforehand. Try and see if they¡¯re soft enough?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re delicious...¡± Lin Dongxue picked up the first ribs and found an egg underneath. ¡°And poached egg. I love to eat this.¡±


    Chen Shi thought, oh no, I gave them the wrong ones!


    Peng Sijue, who had already eaten half silently, gave Chen Shi a meaningful look.


    Even if he said that the poached egg was for him, it would only offend both at the same time. Chen Shi had no choice but to roll with his mistake and said, ¡°Old Peng, save some face for me, we¡¯re all superficial adults. As long as you understand in your heart.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Thank you for the meal.¡±


    ¡°Are those your true feelings?¡±


    ¡°Adults are all superficial. As long as you understand in your heart.¡±


    Lin Dongxueughed so much she spat out some rice and quickly covered her mouth, ¡°How embarrassing. Rice is spraying out from my nose. I''ll go to the bathroom.¡±


    With only two people left in the office, Peng Sijue asked, ¡°Are you two dating?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Social distance!¡±


    Chen Shi was secretly surprised. Peng Sijue had such keen eyes that he had noticed even the subtle changes in distance between the two when they talked. He said, ¡°Are you secretly watching us?¡±


    ¡°Does Dongxue know your secret?¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t know anything. A nk piece of paper...¡± With that said, Chen Shi felt sadness wash over him again. As the case progressed, the moment the secret will be made public wille.


    But what else can I do? What needs toe, wille. I just need to cherish the current moments.


    These fond memories will warm his lonely heart no matter what happens in the future. Just like the withered apple in the hands of the desert traveller. Sometimes, what supports a person to live on is just that light.


    Lin Dongxue was the warm light that he had found in three years of darkness.


    ¡°I won''t run away this time. I will face everything!¡± Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue chewed the food in silence and suddenly said, ¡°Number!¡±


    ¡°What number?¡±


    ¡°The deceased died at 7 o''clock, and witnesses at the scene said that they saw Wang Sunxu at 6:30. The victim dialled a number after 6:30! I just saw it on the cell phone of the victim and didn¡¯t realize this. This number was dialled while the victim was facing the killer.¡±


    ¡°Then it must be very important. It¡¯s likely that the deceased was trying to warn the next victim.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue immediately put down the lunch box, put on his jacket and packed his tool kit up. Chen Shi asked, ¡°From your attitude, are you preparing to go and do an autopsy right now?¡±


    ¡°ording to Wang Sunxu''s killing frequency, do you think this person is still alive?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t decide that arbitrarily!¡±


    Lin Dongxue ran in from the outside and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°We might have figured out who is the next victim. Go to the information department to locate an address for the number...¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Chen Shi held his own cell phone in one hand and the cell phone of the deceased in the exhibit bag in his other hand. ¡°I got through... Hey, we are the police. Do you know Xu Nianqiang?¡±


    The voice on the other end of the line was a girl¡¯s soft voice. She slowly said, ¡°He was my junior middle school teacher.¡±


    ¡°He called you this morning, didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was still sleeping at the time. It was very sudden. He cried so much on the phone and he apologized to me.¡±


    ¡°Apologize?!¡±

 Chapter 294: The Childhood Demon

    <h4>Chapter 294: The Childhood Demon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged looks, and Chen Shi asked over the phone, ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Cao Lijuan.¡±


    ¡°Cao Lijuan, can wee and see you now? We want to know more about the situation.¡±


    ¡°Ah? It''s sote...¡±


    Lin Dongxue beckoned with her finger for the phone, and then said, ¡°Little Sister, we just wanted to find out about some past events. We won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°Okay, there''s a cafe near my house. We can just meet there!¡±


    After writing down the address, the two drove over. Lin Dongxue said on the road, ¡°Wang Sunxu killed Boss Xu and forced him to call and apologize. I think Boss Xu may not be a gentleman after all.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts are the same,¡± Chen Shi agreed.


    The two arrived at the coffee shop. A young girl in white stood at the door and waved at them. Cao Lijuan was surprised when she saw Lin Dongxue and eximed, ¡°Wow, are you also a police officer? Elder Sister is so beautiful.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, ¡°Let''s go sit inside.¡±


    The three walked into the cafe and ordered three drinks. Chen Shi had already discussed it with Lin Dongxue on the way and had decided to tell her about the death of Teacher Xu. So Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The reason why we are looking for you is because Teacher Xu was murdered this morning.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Cao Lijuan was surprised.


    After exining the situation, Cao Lijuan said, ¡°The person who killed him is Wang Sunxu, right?¡±


    ¡°How did you guess that?¡±


    ¡°After what happened back then, I guessed that one day it would end up like this.¡± Cao Lijuan said with a neutral face while holding a coffee cup.


    ¡°Tell me what happened back then!¡±


    ¡°What do you think of Teacher Xu?¡±


    ¡°Kind, upright, and caring with his students... This was the first impression he gave me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this was the way he was in front of people. The whole world has been fooled by him. Teacher Xu always chooses the students who are the most disliked in the ss to show concern about. Like a caring big brother, he had a book that recorded each student¡¯s birthdays, preferences, and family backgrounds. At that time, because of my poor family, I wasughed at and bullied in ss. Teacher Xu appeared like an angel, butter I realized that he was actually a demon!


    ¡°He was a man who was good at portraying himself as someone polite and weak. His words always made people believe him. Even if he was wrong, you would still think that he had his reasons or personal difficulties. We have a few in our ss, including me who often went to see Teacher Xu after school. He would help us with our homework, especially before the exams. He would let us do ¡®mock¡¯ exams. Those exam papers contained questions from the exam. We thought it was Teacher Xu''s way of caring for us. Sometimes, Teacher Xu would call us over to the dormitory to talk about the troubles we were facing at school. He liked to listen to music, and he listened to all kinds of artistic songs. Influenced by him, I once liked to listen to Pu Shu and Xu Wei[1]. Later, whenever I heard their songs, I would feel like vomiting.


    ¡°For a while, I found out that he often called a girl student over to the dormitory to stay untilte at night. Out of curiosity, I once secretly listened to what they were talking about outside the door, but I could only hear those sounds. That is, men and women...¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Do you think that sleeping with students was his biggest secret? Compared to what he did to us, that was nothing at all. One day, Teacher Xu called me toe over to his dormitory. I¡¯ve already forgotten what he said to me but his expression was a bit scary that day, and I was so scared that I said I was going home, but he pushed me down onto the bed and started to take off my clothes... After the incident, he repeatedly hinted that I shouldn¡¯t say anything to anyone about it. If I did, he would use all the connections he had to make me drop out of school. At that time, I was already in the third year of junior middle school and my family was very poor. If I had dropped out at that time, I might never be able go to school again.


    ¡°I thought a lot about it. Why did he rape me? What did I do wrong? Or what did I do that made him dissatisfied? Or did he like me? Even then, I was still thinking that he must have had a reason, butter, from Wang Sunxu, I found out everything. You should know the family background of Wang Sunxu, right? His brother was a murderer, and all the teachers and his ssmates avoided him. Only Teacher Xu cared about him, but in fact Teacher Xu was using him, and he asked Wang Sunxu to do something for him...¡±


    Cao Lijuan''s eyes were already moist. She wiped them and said, ¡°There was a boy in the ss and all of his family members were senior officials. Teacher Xu wanted to be acquainted with his family and transfer to a better school with their help but he was instead humiliated. In resentment, Teacher Xu got Wang Sunxu to deliberately knock over the sulfuric acid bottle in the chemistry ss and hurt the boy. Due to this incident, Wang Sunxu almost dropped out of school and things only finally calmed down after the police got involved. Six monthster, Teacher Xu and several others werepeting for the position of teaching director. He thought of Wang Sunxu as his ''loyal servant'', so he secretly instructed Wang Sunxu to harm another teacher. The other teacher almost died, but he didn¡¯t expect that the teacher would be the teaching director anyway.


    ¡°Teacher Xu was very angry and felt that Wang Sunxu was not performing his duties properly. He said to him, ''You disappointed Teacher. Teacher will have to punish you so that you can really grow!'' His punishment was me. Wang Sunxu secretly loved me, so Teacher Xu raped me, took pictures and showed it to Wang Sunxu... ¡°


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes in shock.


    Cao Lijuan tried her best to restrain her tears and went on to say, ¡°Until Teacher Xu was reported to have sexually assaulted someone and left school, I was still investigating his affairs. He had been manipting those poor students with gentle words and hints for them to do all sorts of things like invading other teachers'' privacy, starting rumors in school, and harming top students, etc. Those undervalued students willingly acted as chess pieces for him in order to receive his attention, and he sat like a spider sitting in a web, secretly manipting everything. Iter learned that during Teacher Xu''s tenure, many things that happened in school were all rted to him, including a girl whomitted suicide by jumping from a building. He was simply a demon. Unfortunately, he can only die once. I really wish that he had a hundred lives so that every student he harmed could kill him once!¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi finally understood why Teacher Xu was stabbed more than 90 times by Wang Sunxu. When they closed their eyes, they could almost see that Wang Sunxu''s eyes were tearful and his teeth clenched as he madly abused Teacher Xu¡¯s body.


    Cao Lijuan looked down at her mobile phone, and there was silence at the table. Lin Dongxue didn''t know what else to ask or say.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Little Sister, how is your rtionship with Wang Sunxu?¡±


    ¡°So-so, butter I found out that he liked me. Maybe I started paying more attention to him... But we didn''t associate with each other and we didn''t contact each other after graduation.¡±


    ¡°Did he note to see you today?¡±


    Lin Dongxue was surprised; she tugged his clothes underneath to suggest that he should not ask such questions.


    Cao Lijuan looked up in surprise and Chen Shi looked at her with sharp eyes, ¡°After taking care of Teacher Xu, the person that he must wish to contact the most is you. Have you received unfamiliar messages via phone or email?¡±


    After a half-minute of silence, Cao Lijuan said, ¡°He went to my house!¡±


    1. Actual popr Chinese singers.

 Chapter 295: The Final Targets

    <h4>Chapter 295: The Final Targets</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi heard the words and stood up immediately. Cao Lijuan said, ¡°Uncle, don''t waste your efforts. He has already left quite a while ago.¡±


    ¡°What did he do at your house... No, what time did he leave?¡±


    ¡°I won''t say!¡± Cao Lijuan was adamant. ¡°Sure enough, the police are like this. Even if I tear open the scar and show it to you, you only want to catch him. You only want to solve the case. You have no human feelings!¡±


    ¡°This is our job.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°You don''t understand what he is currently like. Before he killed Teacher Xu, he killed several other people. Those people had no bad blood with him. They had family members as well. For those families, the pain of losing their loved ones willst a lifetime.¡±


    Cao Lijuan twiddled with her fingers, which was a sign that her heart was wavering.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t want to force her anymore, and said to Chen Shi, ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Cao Lijuan called them both. ¡°Wang Sunxu came in the morning and said a lot to me. He has already realized that he would be arrested. He told me that his n was about to bepleted and that there were two left. Thest two were the culprits that caused his entire childhood to be like this.¡±


    ¡°I see, he intends...¡± Chen Shi suddenly stopped talking. He smelled the scent of blood all of a sudden.


    Chen Shi suddenly took Cao Lijuan''s arm out from under the table and saw that her left wrist was covered with blood. A box-cutter with blood on it fell onto the table, and the guests beside them stood up screaming.


    Cao Lijuan smiled sadly, ¡°The only thing I can do is to dy you for a few more minutes and make you a bitte...¡± Then her lips became paler and paler and she fainted on Chen Shi.


    ¡°Silly child!¡± Chen Shi cursed. He immediately cut the tablecloth with the box-cutter and asked Lin Dongxue toe over and help to make a simple bandage for her.


    Then Chen Shi took her to the car and rushed her to the hospital. On the way, Lin Dongxue was holding back tears and she called the other members of the task force to go to the hospital. After the phone call, Chen Shi put one hand on her shoulder, ¡°It''s okay, it won''t be life-threatening.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry! I just feel pity for this girl.¡± Lin Dongxue said. She knew that as a criminal police officer, she should not be this soft.


    ¡°Cry if you want to cry. Crying is also a kind of catharsis.¡± Chen Shi said. Lin Dongxue didn''t say a word but shook her head stubbornly.


    The wound on Cao Lijuan''s wrist was not deep. The torrent of blood was just a little scary. Half an hour after she was taken to the hospital, the doctor said that she was out of danger.


    At that moment, the other police officers hurried in. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Sorry, we won¡¯t be able to rest tonight. Let¡¯s go to the xx housingmunity to investigate. Wang Sunxu went there today...¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°I know who thest two people Wang Sunxu wants to kill are. Sun Shu and Song Lang. They were the two police officers that arrested his brother. Sun Shu has already left the force and now lives in Long''an City. As for Song Lang, he disappeared long ago...¡± Facing everyone''s surprise, Chen Shi exined, ¡°I have read the file before, so I know these two names.¡±


    Old Zhang said, ¡°I know where Sun Shu lives.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and find him now! Protect him and stop more people from being killed!¡±


    On the road, Old Zhang exined Sun Shu¡¯s situation to everyone through the radio. Sun Shu''s personality was hot-headed and explosive. He was an infamous hot-headed criminal policeman in the bureau. He was apetent officer in Song Lang''s task force. He came from the same generation as Song Lang''s master, Li Mu.


    Fate had it that in the year when Sun Shu was about to be promoted to captain, he identally injured a passer-by during a shoot-out with a gangster. Sun Shu could not ept the fact and took out his savings to bribe everyone that he could, hoping that the bureau would say that the bullet came from the gangster¡¯s gun.


    His approach was undoubtedly wrong and made his problem worse; not only was he dismissed, he was sentenced to five years for bribery. Sun Shu had his leg broken and maimed in prison by people that he had previously arrested. Aftering out, he couldn¡¯t recover from his setback. He was currently working in a restaurant and struggling to survive.


    In the past few years, old officers often visited him and asionally offered help. However, as the old policemen retired in recent years, Sun Shu was gradually forgotten.


    Having said that, Old Zhang couldn''t help sighing, ¡°If it hadn''t been for that mistake, he would probably already be Section Chief.¡±


    Sun Shu''s workce was a grilled suckling pig restaurant. He lived in a small room behind the kitchen, both helping the chef as well as acting as the security guard. When everyone arrived, it was alreadyte at night and the door had been left unlocked. There was Chinese opera music ying and a pool of fresh blood on the ground.


    ¡°Oh no, we¡¯re toote!¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi pointed to the iron cage used to hold piglets by the wall. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be human blood.¡±


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± A middle-aged man wearing a leather apron and covered with pig blood came out, looking fierce.


    ¡°You¡¯re Officer Sun?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Are you looking for a fight? Do I look like a policeman?¡± Sun Shu saw Old Zhang and immediately understood the identity of the people who came. ¡°Old Zhang, I haven''t seen you for a long time... What''s wrong? Why are you looking for me with so many people?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Mr. Sun, someone wants to kill you. We are here to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Sun Shuughed. ¡°I only have this lousy life of mine. Do what you want. Do I still need protection? ... Woah. This generation of officers are so good-looking?¡±


    ¡°My name is Lin Dongxue.¡±


    ¡°Lin Dongxue... Are you that...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lin Qiupu is my brother.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. I was wondering how such a beautiful girl got into the force. So it¡¯s because of personal connections. Youngdy, it¡¯s not easy being a police officer. Look at me! Why didn''t your brothere? No face toe? If it wasn''t for me ¡®giving way¡¯ to him that year, he wouldn¡¯t be able to be promoted to captain, right?¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s heart was burning with rage, but she restrained her emotions and said, ¡°Mr. Sun, we are not here to joke with you. ording to the information we have, you are in life-threatening danger. If you refuse to ept police protection, we will forcibly detain you.¡±


    Sun Shu sat down, picked up a bottle of Erguotou and took a sip. ¡°Let me guess, you say it''s protection, but you¡¯re actually using me as bait, right? If I didn¡¯t have any value, no one would care about my shitty life, right?¡±


    Lin Dongxue clenched her fist, and Chen Shi said, ¡°When you were a police officer, did you speak so impolitely as well?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Sun Shu rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I''m not a policeman. I''m an ordinary citizen just like you. If you talk like this again, I''ll beat you up. Worst case scenario, I¡¯ll just be put in detention.¡± Chen Shi clenched his fist tightly.


    ¡°Fuck your mother. Say that again!¡± Sun Shu stood up.


    ¡°You want a fight?¡±


    Chen Shi locked eyes with him. Chen Shi had long figured out something. Some people are just unreasonable The most direct way to get him to behave was to put him in his ce.


    Once upon a time, Sun Shu was a respectable old policeman, now he waspletely reduced to a city street rat and Chen Shi had no sympathy for him.


    Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, advising him not to be impulsive and dragged his arm back with her hands. The two stared at each other for a long time. Sun Shu''s expression suddenly softened. He took out a cigarette and said, ¡°Chill out and have a cigarette, brothers! You can protect however you want, just don¡¯t interfere with my work.¡±


    Sure enough, he¡¯s only hard on the outside but soft on the inside, Chen Shi sneered in his heart.

 Chapter 296: Target to Protect

    <h4>Chapter 296: Target to Protect</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue assigned a few people to protect Sun Shu personally, and sent a few people to investigate the surroundings in casual clothes. Others went home to rest so that they coulde over tomorrow morning to take over the shifts.


    Those left behind included Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Old Zhang. Sun Shu quickly pretended they were not there and went back to continue burning the pig''s bristles off. It was a young suckling pig that had just been ughtered and dipped into the steaming wooden barrels to boil. The barrel was hot, and all the blood around the barrel was solidifying. Sun Shu held a cigarette in his mouth. He skillfully pulled out the hot suckling pig with a hook and scraped the bristles on its skin off with an iron brush. The whole ce was filled with the smell of a pig¡¯s stench.


    Old Zhang said, "Old Sun, why are you doing this kind of work?"


    Sun Shu¡¯s eyes narrowed because of the smoke from his cigarette. "The roasted suckling pigs in the restaurant have to be killed the day before. This is my job. A table of roasted suckling pig feast is more than 3,000 yuan. Damn, I can¡¯t even eat that with my monthly sry.¡±


    "You have been wronged all these years."


    "Wronged? I have served a sentence, and no one will take me no matter where I go. I¡¯m lucky just to be able to find this job. You policemen, you can make a lot of money per month, right?"


    "Don''t you know how much the police sry is?"


    Sun Shu sneered and continued to scrape the pig bristles.


    Looking at Sun Shu''s bent-over waist, Chen Shi also felt a bit sad, but he was Chen Shi and not Song Lang, so he had to pretend not to know him.


    After finishing the work, Sun Shu said, "I will be on duty as security at night. If you¡¯re all here, I will go to sleep first."


    "Okay, just go to sleep. We¡¯ll be on watch here."


    "At five o''clock, the truck from the meat factory wille to offload some stock. Remember to wake me..." Sun Shu unscrewed the thermos mug, pulled out a medicine bottle from the drawer, poured two pills into his palm, and prepared to swallow them.


    Chen Shi immediately stepped forward, "Don''t eat it!"


    "This is a medicine to lower blood pressure!" Sun Shu said impatiently.


    "Be careful. We have to check everything that goes into your mouth from now on."


    "Okay, check it then!"


    Chen Shi examined each pill carefully, and unscrewed a few to have a look, before allowing him to take the medicine.


    After Sun Shu fell asleep, there was soon a snoring sound. Keeping watch there all night was boring. Everyone could only read novels or y mobile phone games. During that period, they bought supper to eat. There was heating in the room, so it wasn¡¯t too cold.


    At around two o''clock, Old Zhang and Xu Xiaodong became too sleepy andy on the table and chair to sleep respectively. Lin Dongxue yawned repeatedly. Before that, she was still ying with ¡°Guess Who¡± with Chen Shi, but now even the energy to speak was gone.


    Chen Shi gave her the car keys and said, "It''s not good for your skin to stay up all night. You can sleep in my car for a while!"


    "How about you?"


    "I''m a night owl. It doesn''t matter if I stay upte."


    Lin Dongxue yawned, "No, it¡¯s better to have two people keeping watch in case something really happens. It would be toote for regrets if we don¡¯t."


    Chen Shi tucked the car key into her hand, "Go to sleep for an hour. I''ll wake you at three."


    Lin Dongxue agreed, moved her face closer and said, "Good night."


    Chen Shi kissed her and said, "Good night."


    Chen Shi moved a chair and sat facing the outside of the door to ensure that Lin Dongxue and Sun Shu were both within his sight. The city was silent in the early morning and he reminisced about a lot of things. He thought of Sun Shu, thought of Wang Sunxu, and thought of himself. Everyone was made up of countless past experiences. Fate was like a rollercoaster; one choice could rewrite life.


    Unwittingly, a whole night had passed. A truck drove outside the ce, and the driver jumped down and knocked on the door.


    Everyone was awakened, and Sun Shu rubbed his eyes and said, "Herees the meat delivery. Don''t hold back and help me unload the goods."


    The pork was unloaded from the freezer truck, and Old Zhang said, "Isn''t it a grilled suckling pig restaurant? Why do you sell this?"


    "You can''t just eat roast suckling pigs. Other dishes also need to be sold."


    "You step back!" Chen Shi said, "Check every piece of pork to make sure there is nothing in it."


    "Aiya, I already said you¡¯re too paranoid. How can things be hidden in there?¡±


    "The killer used a homemade bomb once. What if he hid one in the pork?"


    Only after everyone had inspected all the unloaded pork, did they feel safe about letting Sun Shu touch the pork. After finishing the work, Sun Shu was going to go for breakfast. He was followed by Old Zhang and Xu Xiaodong all the way. Sun Shuughed, "Yay, I have two bodyguards even though I¡¯m just a worker!¡±


    At half past seven, the next shift of police officers came and Chen Shi told them that everything Sun Shu ate needed to be checked and that the video surveince within the restaurant must be confirmed to be working at all times. If there were any suspicious personnel, they should investigate it immediately.


    Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home and found that Tao Yueyue hadn¡¯t gone to school. It turned out that it was a weekend that day. Chen Shi said, "Yueyue, I will call your teacherter and ask for a few days of sick leave. You should stay at home and not go anywhere the next few days.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "Why do you need to be so careful? Why would Wang Sunxue to look for Tao Yueyue?"


    "I don''t feel a sense of security!" Chen Shi said, "Ah yes, today I''m going to buy two cheap mobile phones. You and Yueyue will get one each, so as not to lose touch."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Don¡¯t worry about buying a phone. If you are really worried about what''s going on, I''ll get a button GPS tracker for everyone."


    "Okay, let¡¯s get it done today!"


    The two slept until the afternoon, had a brief meal, and then went to Sun Shu¡¯s again.


    Today, Peng Sijue also came, carefully inspecting every corner of Sun Shu''s residence. But Sun Shu didn¡¯t feel grateful. Instead, he spoke coldly to him because the report saying that Sun Shu had shot and injured a civilian by ident had been written by Peng Sijue.


    It was another peaceful night. When the dawn came, Chen Shi, who had stayed up all night, breathed a sigh of relief. Although it may not be safe during the day, daylight always makes people feel more at ease.


    At seven in the morning, Sun Shu yawned and got up, saying, "This generation of police is really ipetent. Isn''t he just a serial killer? You haven¡¯t been able to catch him for so long. You all look good, but I think you¡¯re all just embroidered pillows[1].¡±


    After saying that, Sun Shu took his morning blood pressure lowering medicine with his thermos mug.


    Everyone was used to his attitude, but Chen Shi asked, "Have you caught a serial killer before?"


    "I have! Do you know the 421 Extraordinary Poison Case?"


    "I know, but it was not counted as a serial killing case, and the credit wasn¡¯t yours either."


    "Not mine? Then was it yours?" Sun Shu sneered.


    "Do you know that the person who wants to kill you this time is Wang Sunlei''s brother - Wang Sunxu?"


    "It¡¯s him?!" Sun Shu was shocked.


    "Have you seen him before?"


    Sun Shu recalled, "After his brother was sentenced, I often went to visit him, but the child seemed to hate us police very much. He was an orphan. He only had his brother to rely on. The newspaper articles about it could be found everywhere. Everyone called him "the murderer''s younger brother". How could he not hate us? Aiya, why did he take this step? A twenty year-old kid, doesn¡¯t he want a future anymore?¡±


    "If the ice is three feet deep, it wasn¡¯t cold for just a day[2]." Chen Shi said.


    "If he reallyes to kill me, I really want to talk to him... Look at me. I¡¯ve made mistakes, served a sentence, and my family has left me, but aren¡¯t I still struggling to survive? Living isn¡¯t easy, but falling into depravity is.¡±


    "It seems that you are still upright inside! Though your outside is disagreeable." Chen Shi smiled.


    Sun Shu alsoughed, "Go fuck yourself!"


    1. They¡¯re only good for their looks.


    2. The ¡°ice¡± or trouble had been brewing for a long time and wasn¡¯t just due to one incident.

 Chapter 297: Courageous Face-off with the Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 297: Courageous Face-off with the Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the police on duty arrived, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove back home. Lin Dongxue was so tired that she yawned and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Before sunrise, I was wondering if I wanted to eat beef noodles in the morning, but now I have no appetite. I just want to take a nap. Sure enough, as old people say, ¡®It¡¯s better to just sleep than to eat a pig overnight¡¯[1].¡±


    ¡°I actually want to eat beef noodles now that you¡¯ve mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to go anywhere. I just want to go home and go to bed. I don''t want to eat anything right now...¡± Lin Dongxue''s phone rang, and her expression changed dramatically after answering. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Sun Shu has been poisoned and is now being sent to the hospital...¡±


    Chen Shi immediately turned a corner and was about to drive towards the hospital to see Sun when an oing truck suddenly rushed into theirne of traffic towards them. A pale youth sat in the driver''s seat, grinning.


    Chen Shi automatically swerved the car to the left, and suddenly remembered that Lin Dongxue was sitting on the passenger seat, so he tried to swerve right. However, it was toote; the truck crashed into Chen Shi''s car. The huge impact caused the windshield to shatter and their heads were met by the ejected airbags.


    The car drifted until it hit the railings on the side and stopped. Chen Shi felt like a group of bees were flying around in his head, humming. He raised his bleeding forehead and saw that Lin Dongxue''s face was buried in the airbag, unconscious.


    ¡°Dongxue! Dongxue!¡±


    Chen Shi tried to wake her as he checked her pulse. Lin Dongxue had just passed out and her pulse was normal.


    The truck was left horizontal to thenes, causing traffic to bepletely blocked. Wang Sunxu jumped out of the truck, ying with a butterfly knife in his hand as he walked towards them.


    Sure enough, hisst goal is myself!


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth, pulled out the pistol from Lin Dongxue''s waist, took out the handcuffs, and opened the deformed door with a kick. He rushed out, pointing his gun at Wang Sunxu.


    Wang Sunxu didn''t expect Chen Shi to point a gun at him and was slightly startled. He raised his hands but still had a smile on his face.


    ¡°Do you even dare to shoot? Officer Song!¡±


    Chen Shi''s hands were shaking, and he couldn¡¯t point the gun¡¯s muzzle at the target properly. What happened three years ago had caused lingering psychological trauma.


    Aware of this, Wang Sunxu stepped forward and Chen Shi made a determined decision; he shot all the bullets towards the heavens at once, the sound of the gunfire rang out as far as a few kilometers away. Then he threw away the gun and clenched both his fists tightly as he got into a fighting stance.


    ¡°You got guts!¡±


    Wang Sunxu ran over while holding the butterfly knife back-handed, jumped up and aimed for Chen Shi''s chest. Chen Shi''s full attention was on Wang Sunxu''s hand that was holding the knife. He grabbed the wrist with his right hand and punched Wang Sunxu''s chest with his left fist.


    Wang Sunxu cut the back of Chen Shi''s hand with the knife and pulled back to continue ying with the knife, forcing Chen Shi back.


    When he saw a chance, Chen Shi swept Wang Sunxu to the ground with his foot, but he didn¡¯t expect that Wang Sunxu would use this to his advantage and stab Chen Shi¡¯s leg with the knife. In pain, Chen Shi kicked him over two meters away.


    Wang Sunxu stood up covering his chest, took out a second butterfly knife from his left pocket, and manipted the two knives around in his hands.


    Fighting des empty-handed is itself a very difficult matter. Chen Shi''s skill was better than the average police officer, but he was not as good as the armed police. He thought in his mind that defeating Wang Sunxu was unrealistic. To survive would be victory.


    I have to stall for time!


    He asked, ¡°How did you poison him? We checked everything that he ate and drank, so how did you do it?¡±


    Criminals like showing off, and Wang Sunxu was no exception. Heughed, ¡°I put it in his medicine.¡±


    ¡°I checked the medicine myself.¡±


    ¡°That was a capsule. I knew you would unscrew it for inspection, so I stuck a lethal dose of poison on the inside of the capsule. You won¡¯t be able to discover that.¡±


    ¡°Dyed killing, really smart! But since you''ve been to Sun Shu''s house, why didn''t you take action earlier on?¡±


    ¡°If I did that, you would concentrate all your resources against me and I will not be able to kill you... You are thest one. After you die, no matter whether I¡¯m arrested or killed, it¡¯ll all be worth it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Wang Sunlei would be d to see you like this?¡±


    ¡°You are not allowed to mention his name!¡± Wang Sunxu shouted emotionally. ¡°It was you who killed him and then ruined my life. It was you guys who turned me into a monster little by little. Now is the time for all of you to repay the debt!¡±


    ¡°We ruined your life? It was your brother who ruined your life. Since he nned that stupid poisoning case, his life and your life have been implicated!¡±


    ¡°Stinking police, do you know what kind of childhood I''ve had?!¡± Wang Sunxu gritted his teeth.


    ¡°I do! A childhood worse than a dog!¡±


    ¡°It''s all thanks to you! It''s all the work of you all!¡±


    Chen Shiughed coldly, then heughed heartily.


    Wang Sunxu asked fiercely, ¡°What are youughing at?!¡±


    ¡°Fate is inherently unjust. There are many people in this world who are more unfortunate than you. They did not choose to kill anyone. You decided your own life! You chose to be a scumbag, but you also used your miserable childhood as a cover. ming everything on others, you are not even qualified to be scum. Killing gives you the illusion that you are extremely powerful. But it¡¯s only self-constion. Those who die at your hands are just afraid of you, but they don¡¯t fear you respectfully. You are just a coward defeated by fate. No one reveres a dog, no matter how many people it bites! And no one will remember it either!¡±


    Wang Sunxu clenched his fists tightly. He clenched his teeth so hard that they almost cracked. His eyes were full of fury and he yelled, ¡°That''s enough nonsense! Go and die, Song Lang!¡±


    Police sirens were heard in the distance, and Chen Shi thought anxiously. Stall for a few more seconds. A few more seconds!


    He took off his coat and threw it onto Wang Sunxu unexpectedly, then kicked him. Wang Sunxu fell to the ground and the police cars from behind surrounded him. The police drew their guns and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Wang Sunxu ripped off the coat in a distraught manner. He pounced on Chen Shi again with the determination to die along with him, and the police on the side shot him in the leg. Wang Sunxu fell to the ground.


    Chen Shi immediately stepped forward, kicked the knife in his hand away, and put his knee on Wang Sunxu¡¯s back, cuffing his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not allowed to move either!¡± The policeman shouted.


    ¡°We¡¯re on the same team!¡± Chen Shi said.


    He said to Wang Sunxu''s ear, ¡°You have already won, I know you¡¯ll expose my identity. Just say what you want to say. I''m tired of all the deception and lies. I''m tired, and I won''t escape again. I¡¯ll go to hell with you! ¡°


    Wang Sunxu stared at Chen Shi with one eye since his face was on its side. His nostrils twitched angrily, and a heavy pant blew away the dust on the road.


    When the police came by to take over, Chen Shi rushed to check on Lin Dongxue''s condition. After half an hour, Lin Dongxue was taken to the hospital. The doctor said that it wasn¡¯t serious and that it was only a mild concussion. However, she needed to rest for a few days.


    Looking at Lin Dongxue''s face wearing a breathing mask, Chen Shi felt as if a knife was twisting in his heart. Maybe this was thest time he¡¯ll see her.


    He was a bit regretful. In the end, there was no chance to kiss her goodbye...


    1. An old country proverb that emphasizes the importance of sleep.

 Chapter 298: Sword of Damocles

    <h4>Chapter 298: Sword of Damocles</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu looked at the pale-faced youth. When he thought that he had almost killed Lin Dongxue, Lin Qiupu felt angry, but he tried to suppress it in order to maintain the calmness of an interrogator.


    Before the interrogation began, they had done a lot of homework and searched Wang Sunxu''s temporary residence. Various bits of evidence showed that several of the murders under the name of ¡°Zhou Xiao¡± were done by Wang Sunxu earlier that year.


    Wang Sunxu had destroyed his hard disk, but from the parts recovered, they could see that he had beenmunicating with someone using his own chat software that he had written. The content was not clear, but the police suspected that the other party had secretly directed Wang Sunxu and drove him away in his car that day. They deduced that the person who rescued him was the wanted criminal Zhou Xiao.


    Wang Sunxu and Zhou Xiao were in a rtionship like that of a student and his mentor. Or, ording to Chen Shi''s spection, ¡°Zhou Xiao¡± was just a criminal identity created by a small team. However, judging by Wang Sunxu¡¯s age, experience, and skill, he was clearly not one of the group¡¯s core members.


    Even so, the arrest of Wang Sunxu was a major development.


    ¡°Name!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Wang Sunxu sneered and didn''t speak.


    ¡°Name!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wang Sunxu, you can¡¯t stay silent now that you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No matter what Lin Qiupu said, Wang Sunxu refused to speak. Many people were crowded outside the interrogation room. Only Lin Dongxue was absent. She had just recovered that day. Although she had really wanted toe, Chen Shi advised her to rest at home.


    The main reason was not to let her see him in handcuffs!


    A day ago, Peng Sijue dissected Sun Shu''s body. He had been poisoned that day and died on the way to the hospital. An autopsy proved that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. The poison was put into his medicine capsules before the police had begun to protect Sun Shu.


    However, Chen Shi went to Peng Sijue, not out of concern for this, but because he was dejected and wanted to talk to someone.


    In the past two days, he had constant nightmares of being handcuffed, but he made up his mind that he would no longer escape. He would not escape this time.


    Peng Sijue brought him a cup of coffee andforted him, ¡°In fact, you don''t have to worry about it. Even if Wang Sunxu said it, it''s only his one-sided statement. He can''t prove it... After all, there is a DNA test to confirm your ''identity''. That was the only time in my life that I lied.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand! Lin Qiupu suspected me long ago. All he needed was a direction. Once Wang Sunxu exposes me, Lin Qiupu would check thoroughly and my secret would be revealed to the world.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he will expose you though?¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason not to? Dragging down a policeman you hate with you? If it were me, I would definitely do it.¡±


    At that moment, Chen Shi''s palms were damp with sweat, and the policemen around him were watching Wang Sunxu in the interrogation room. Perhaps, in an instant, those eyes would turn to him in shock and confusion.


    Wang Sunxu''s lips did not move except to sneer.


    The interrogationsted for half an hour, and the record book was still nk. Lin Qiupu had never encountered such a stubborn person. He tried to use a psychological offensive tactic.


    ¡°Wang Sunxu, the teacher you killed was very caring towards you, but in fact he was using you. I know that you hate him. But think about it, Zhou Xiao is just another Teacher Xu. There¡¯s no difference!¡±


    The smile on Wang Sunxu''s face disappeared. He said, ¡°You don''t understand anything.¡±


    Seeing him speak, the police outside were excited. Lin Qiupu''s interrogation technique was indeed excellent.


    ¡°I don''t understand? It¡¯s clearer for onlookers than the parties involved. Think about it carefully. Zhou Xiao asked you kill people using his name; isn''t he just using you? Now that you¡¯re sitting here, what can he do for you?¡±


    ¡°He is my mentor and told me the meaning of life. You superficial police officers will never understand.¡±


    ¡°What did he tell you? Let a superficial policeman like me hear!¡±


    Wang Sunxu sneered again. Throughout the interrogation, he only spoke those words. Then he remained silent for the next two hours.


    In the end, Lin Qiupu gave uppletely and asked someone to lock him up first. Wang Sunxu''s eyes suddenly moved to the one-sided mirror, as if looking at Chen Shi behind that mirror. He smiled and said, ¡°Ah, yes, is the police officer who caught me standing back there?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I know one of his secrets!¡±


    Chen Shi closed his eyes. The time had finallye. A hand was ced on his shoulder and when he looked back, he met Peng Sijue''s consoling look.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Lin Qiupu stared into his eyes.


    ¡°He did your younger sister!¡± Wang Sunxuughed wildly as he looked upwards.


    ¡°Take him away!¡± Lin Qiupu ordered angrily,


    When Wang Sunxu was detained, he cast a meaningful look at Chen Shi, who stared in disbelief.


    Wang Sunxu was closely guarded, and Chen Shi had to take a lot of effort in order to find a chance to speak with him alone. Late that night, Chen Shi brought some food and drinks to the detention cell. Wang Sunxu was sitting on the ground, ying with toilet paper and folding them into boats.


    Wang Sunxu said, without raising his eyes up to him, ¡°You¡¯re not here to thank me, right?¡±


    ¡°I''m just curious. It was such a good opportunity to drag me into the water, so why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one day, when I want to eat a hamburger in prison, I will bring this to light. Before that, I¡¯ll let this Sword of Damocles hang over your head. What could be better than this? The torture will make you nervous, make you sleepless at night, and make you go nuts! ¡°Wang Sunxu disyed his sinister gaze, ¡°And I don''t want you to leave the field early. My friends still want to y with you. A game would be boring without opponents.¡±


    ¡°Someday, you will all meet in prison.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Wang Sunxuughed. ¡°You guys hunted and analyzed us. In fact, you don''t understand anything. You don''t understand why we kill people and why we choose to be the rebels in this world.¡±


    ¡°The world owes you?¡±


    Wang Sunxuughed again, he threw himself against the bars. With his face deformed by the bars, he lowered his voice and said in a frightening tone, ¡°Because the world is fake. These rules are all fake. Watching you work hard to maintain them and keep them is hrious for me. You should just stay in this fake and hypocritical world, with your fake face and continue to struggle like a maggot!¡±


    Chen Shi was slightly shocked. Is the person in front of him mentally abnormal?


    He responded, ¡°Even if you pretend to be crazy, you still have to go to prison. Don''t expect to go to a mental hospital.¡±


    Wang Sunxu''s face had a disdainful smile as if he had seen through everything long ago. Chen Shi thought he understood. What his spiritual teacher had instilled in him were extreme thoughts. People who have let go of rationality were undoubtedly the most dangerous people.


    ¡°So, how many of you are there?¡±


    Wang Sunxu slowly raised a finger, and behind his finger, was a pair of firm eyes like a fanatic.


    ¡°He is God. You can''t defeat him.¡±

 Chapter 299: An Unspeakable Mini Game

    <h4>Chapter 299: An Unspeakable Mini Game</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 20: Crazed Time Traveller


    On the evening on April 22nd:


    Tao Yueyue began liking Gu You who lived next door more and more. Although Chen Shi really cared about her and didn¡¯t treat her as a child like other adults, he was a man after all and was not sensitive enough.


    Lin Dongxue was like an intimate big sister. Tao Yueyue liked to be with her. Lin Dongxue seemed to have a soft halo on her body. Maybe because she was too dazzling, Tao Yueyue wasn¡¯t willing to talk with Lin Dongxue about certain topics.


    Gu You seemed to have a magical power. Tao Yueyue was willing to speak about the most hidden secrets in her heart in front of her. It was always pleasant and rewarding to chat with her.


    On this afternoon when she left school early, Gu You brought creamy strawberries and chatted with Tao Yueyue while eating. Tao Yueyue said that she had recently ¡°fixed up¡± a schoolgirl who she couldn¡¯t stand, causing the other party to be speechless.


    Looking back, Tao Yueyue''s mouth could not help showing a proud smile.


    ¡°Sister Gu, do you think my heart is dark?¡±


    ¡°Yueyue, do you believe in born-criminals?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to say that I am one?¡±


    ¡°In the neenth century, based on the psychological analysis of criminals, some people put forward the hypothesis of criminal phrenology[1] and gics. To this day, some people still believe that the genes of criminals are inherited. Some people are born as criminals. Of course, the environment will shape a person. Such people may be good politicians, sports yers, writers, or they may fall into the life of a criminal.¡±


    ¡°Politicians, writers, and criminals are the same in their hearts?¡± Although Tao Yueyue didn''t understand fully, she felt that the words were very attractive to her. People always want to know more about themselves.


    ¡°In their hearts, there is a kind of invasiveness that challenges order and breaks the rules. It is their environment and education that determine which role they be. Subconsciously, outstanding politicians are the same as fallen criminals.¡±


    ¡°It''s the same in my heart, but I don''t want to be a criminal. Uncle Chen will be sad.¡±


    Gu You smiled and took out a small paper bag. ¡°I want to y a fun game with you. Put these powders in Uncle Chen''s water. As long as he drinks it sessfully, I will give you a reward!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This game is called a crime simtion. Do you want to try to feel like a criminal who utilizes poison? Of course, the game is just a game. It won''t really break thew. It''s just salt.¡± Gu You poured a little bit in front of her and licked her palm. ¡°Salt is salty. Since it is ¡®poison¡¯, you have to consider how to cover or hide its taste. This way of thinking is the same as those real criminals.¡±


    ¡°Is there any rule?¡± Tao Yueyue took the paper bag.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be found out and no outsiders can be told about this. This is a little secret between us.¡±


    Tao Yueyue looked at the paper bag and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Tao Yueyue aplished her first task brilliantly. On the weekend, she went to Gu You''s house again. Gu You''s house was very tidy and made people feel particrlyfortable.


    Two cups of ck tea were ced on the table and Gu You sat elegantly on the sofa and asked, ¡°How do you feel about poisoning for the first time?¡±


    ¡°It''s too simple and I don''t feel anything, presumably because I don''t hate Uncle Chen!¡±


    ¡°Everything is gradual. Want to experience a real crime?¡±


    Tao Yueyue bit her finger and hesitated. She wasn''t sure if the woman had any sinister intentions or not. She knew from a very young age that people don¡¯t have the words ¡°bad guy¡± stered on their faces.


    Gu You put a hand on Tao Yueyue''s head and said gently, ¡°This is just some of my personal hobbies. Crime simtion is a game that simtes real crime and releases the evil in my heart. I always think that you need to vent your heart reasonably to stay healthy. This game is like installing a pressure valve on your subconscious mind. As a game, it has rules. First, it minimally vites thew. Second, it can never be found out. Third, you can¡¯t mix your personal feelings into it. You don¡¯t have to y, but I think crime simtion is more beneficial than ¡®fixing up¡¯ your ssmates at school.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen said that when a bad guy wants to persuade you, he will omit the disadvantages and only talk about the benefits.¡±


    ¡°If I want to convince you, I won''t tell you its risks. We will sneak into other people''s homes and pretend to ''murder'', ''kidnap'', and ''steal''. However, if we¡¯re found trespassing into a house, we¡¯d still be arrested.¡±


    Tao Yueyue was hesitating. This game sounded so interesting. She was poked at the acupoint in her heart that wanted to break the order. She couldn''t help but tremble.


    ¡°Let me consider it!¡±


    It was the end of April and May was fast approaching. The school had three days of school holidays. Tao Yueyue finished all her homework on the evening of April 30th.


    On May 1st, Gu You, who ran a psychological clinic, was busier than usual. Tao Yueyue didn''t see Gu You until the evening. Although the days worth of consultations made her tired, she still weed the visit of this young guest.


    ¡°You figured it out?¡±


    ¡°Sister Gu, why do you y this kind of game of running into someone''s house and risk the danger of breaking thew?¡±


    ¡°I''m a psychological consultant. To put it inly, I¡¯m a garbage can for a fee. I listen to the troubles of others every day and sympathize with them. In the long run, I know that my heart will go astray and I need to do something to vent my heart¡¯s dirtiness. I could y S&M and go to bed with men. Unfortunately, I have a cold personality. In essence, I hate socializing with people. My subconscious mind is like a chaos of intricate sewers. It is necessary to clear the dirty water regrly. It will spill out and pollute the beautiful little house in my heart. Our hearts are prideful, and if it wants saltiness, it will make you angry with sugar. It never says what it really wants, only letting you guess. You have to face its desire squarely and give it some substitutes so that it won''t ruin everything for you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to sin. I want to kill some people and I want to destroy the order of this world!¡± Gu You''s eyes revealed a fierce light, but then they softened. ¡°But I know that this is not allowed by society, so I y this game as an alternative.¡±


    Tao Yueyue''s heart trembled because the inner desire that Gu You confessed to was also her inner desire. She knew that her heart was like a tainted, dark, and powerful undercurrent.


    ¡°Where do we start?¡±


    ¡°Crime is a skill. You have to learn first!¡± Gu You smiled gently. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    In the bedroom, Gu You took out an entire drawer and ced it on the table. Tao Yueyue marveled at the contents. It was a lock fixed to a wooden board, cut from the middle, and cross-section-sealed by ss. You could clearly see the structure inside. It turned out that locks were veryplex.


    Gu You took out two iron hooks. ¡°To be a good criminal, you must first have the ability to enter and exit a room at will. Picking locks is the first step!¡± With one turn, the lock was opened by her.


    Tao Yueyue was astounded as Gu You handed her the hooks. ¡°When you reach half of my speed, you¡¯ll pass. I will teach you by hand.¡±


    Tao Yueyue''s heart fluttered and looking at Gu You''s smiling face. She seemed to have found a door to a secret ce.


    1. Pseudoscience measuring the skull to predict traits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology

 Chapter 300: Time-traveler

    <h4>Chapter 300: Time-traveler</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After several interrogations, Wang Sunxu did not reveal any clues. Lin Qiupu was very helpless. After the case was officially closed, he was transferred to the detention center to wait for the legal process.


    Chen Shi put forward a bold idea to let Wang Sunxu out and then follow him. Wang Sunxu would most likely contact Zhou Xiao.


    Lin Qiupu considered it for a few seconds, but he still said no. ¡°This is not something the police should do!¡±


    On May 1st,[1] the police still didn¡¯t take a break. Recently, a robbery in a gold store had urred. There were no casualties, but because the amount involved was toorge and the gangsters held guns, the case was turned over to them.


    Everyone worked overtime and made mildints. If Chen Shi could help with this case, then they would probably be able to rest on May 1st, but Chen Shi had no interest in the robbery.


    Speaking of the devil, Chen Shi came rushing in and greeted the oing policeman. The policeman asked him, ¡°Brother Chen, do you have to work overtime as well today?¡±


    ¡°Why would I work overtime without getting paid? I''ll take a rest day today and go find Old Peng to y.¡±


    ¡°Captain Peng is in the conference room!¡±


    When he arrived at the meeting room, Peng Sijue was just walking out. Chen Shi said, ¡°You need to go somewhere with me. It¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°Today I...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have work today. I read the holiday work schedule. You came to work overtime yourself.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I have stuff to do today.¡±


    ¡°Workaholic! Let''s go!¡±


    Peng Sijue was dragged away by Chen Shi. As he got into the car, heined, ¡°If you don''t say where we¡¯re going, don''t expect me to cooperate.¡±


    ¡°You can jump out of the car if you dare.¡±


    Looking out the window, Peng Sijue said, ¡°That sentence was just a rational protest.¡±


    ¡°Rx, it¡¯s definitely a good ce. I can guarantee that you will be veryfortable today... From body to mind, all aspects will befortable!¡±


    Peng Sijue sighed and guessed that it wouldn¡¯t be a serious ce. Last time Chen Shi pulled him to y, it made him feel cheated. In truth, he felt that he might have some psychological problems as well, but he believed that this was all under his realm of control. Others needn¡¯t be overly concerned by this.


    Work was a sacred thing for Peng Sijue. Many people make sacrifices for work, either physically or mentally, and it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    When the car stopped in front of a psychological consultation clinic called ¡°Tianchuan¡±, Peng Sijue narrowed his eyes at Chen Shi. He immediately pushed the door open and got out of the car to leave. Chen Shi came around from the other side and pushed his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t resist so much, okay? I¡¯ve already made an appointment. Give me some face, okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sick! There¡¯s no need toe here!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be like this. You¡¯re making it seem like I¡¯m sending you to a mental asylum.¡±


    Peng Sijue could only stare at him helplessly. Since he didn¡¯t exercise much and wasn¡¯t as strong as Chen Shi, he could only let Chen Shi push him into the building.


    When he got on the elevator, Peng Sijue knew that struggling was futile, so he adjusted his cor and said, ¡°Please be more respectful. I can go by myself.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re an adult now. If you have a psychological problem, you should know toe and check it out.¡±


    Peng Sijue said rebelliously, ¡°I can ept psychological counseling, but not because I have a psychological problem. I want to prove that I am psychologically okay, and then you have to apologize for wasting my time.¡±


    ¡°I can do anything!¡±


    This clinic was run by Gu You. After entering, Chen Shi and Gu You greeted each other. Gu You asked Peng Sijue to enter a counseling room and arranged a senior counselor for him.


    During the consultation, Chen Shi was walking around. He thought Peng Sijue would show resistance, but he didn''t expect it to be so quiet inside.


    He curiously stuck his ear to the door and wanted to hear what was being said, but Gu You came over. ¡°Mr. Chen, the content of the consultation must be kept confidential. Leave some space for your friend!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Let''s go to the lounge for some coffee?¡± Gu You suggested.


    ¡°Can I smoke?¡±


    ¡°You can.¡±


    In the lounge, Gu You brought coffee and sat down in front of Chen Shi. ¡°It seems you care about your friend a lot.¡±


    ¡°Looking at his immense work pressure causing him depression, it''s a little... Worrying.¡±


    ¡°That''s an expression of concern... Is he a very important person?¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t know how to answer. He simply switched the subject, ¡°Do you know about hypnosis?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If, and I mean if... If a person whosemitted a crime is reluctant to say anything, would he talk through hypnosis?¡±


    ¡°First of all, the sess of hypnosis is mainly based on the subject of hypnosis. If the subject is very resistant, it will be difficult to seed. Second, the direction of hypnosis is led by someone and the testimony obtained through hypnosis has no legal effect.¡±


    ¡°It''s not to get a testimony. It''s just to get some intelligence... it seems impossible!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can hypnotize you?¡± Gu You asked with a smile.


    Chen Shi thought for a few seconds. If he was lying on a hypnosis chair, he shouldn¡¯t be able to open his heart. He said, ¡°I''m afraid you can''t. I''m not the type who is easily influenced.¡±


    ¡°What you were talking about was ¡®if¡¯. If you think it would be hard for you, then it would only be harder to hypnotize another person. It definitely won''t be easier than you... Why are you asking about this suddenly?¡±


    After thinking about it, Chen Shi pulled out his credentials and said, ¡°We¡¯ve been neighbors for so long, but I haven''t told you yet. I help the police solve cases.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Tao Yueyue actually told me already.¡±


    ¡°Really? This kid spills everything! You two have been on good terms recently!¡±


    ¡°Maybe because our temperaments are simr. The child is very smart and has experienced some painful things. From this point, we have something inmon.¡±


    Chen Shi did not follow up, mainly because he and Gu You were not too familiar with each other. Instead, he praised the coffee as good.


    At this moment a man rushed out of a consulting room and shouted, ¡°None of you believe me! No one wants to believe me! Liars! All liars!¡±


    Looking at the man''s outfit, Chen Shi was startled for a moment. The man was actually wearing a cyan robe withrge sleeves, like a man from ancient times. Of course, the hairstyle was still like that of modern people ¨C A short, t cut.


    Later, a female psychologist came out and said, ¡°Mr. Li, Mr. Li, calm down. I did not deny your opinion!¡±


    The man actually covered his face and wept. ¡°I know you think I¡¯m crazy, but I''m not crazy at all. It''s the world who doesn''t want to ept me. I, your majesty, crossed over to this time period from thousands of years ago. Everyone doesn''t like me. I miss you, my father, the king!¡±


    Chen Shi opened his mouth wide and pointed at the man in ancient dress. ¡°Your clinic also epts such patients? Your market is wide enough!¡±


    ¡°This man?¡± Gu You lowered her voice. ¡°We all suspect that he has schizophrenia and delusional disorder. He has always said that he is a traveler and hase to consultations three times. If he can pay, he¡¯s a customer. We also don¡¯t have a reason to cast him out. I personally disagree with sending him to a psychiatric hospital, which I think is a vition of human rights.¡±


    Chen Shi heard that there are three levels of psychological problems. Psychological problems, mental illness, and psychosis. He said, ¡°Counseling alone can cure his delusions?¡±


    Gu You shook her head with a smile. ¡°The consultant is just helping him rebuild his cognition, but he has not seeded yet.¡±


    ¡°I think he can smash his delusions cognitively. For example, if he took out WeChat to pay. This is not the knowledge possessed by the ancients, so in that way, we can pry away his delusions.¡±


    ¡°No, he doesn''t have a cell phone, ID card, or money.¡±


    ¡°Then how does he pay for the consultation?¡±


    ¡°A gold ingot!¡±


    1. Chinese Labor Day; A public holiday. People usually get a week off of work from May 1st onwards. China doesn¡¯t have that many public holidays.

 Chapter 301: Which Mental Hospital Did He Escape From?

    <h4>Chapter 301: Which Mental Hospital Did He Escape From?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Gold ingot? Did you ept it?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s impossible to collect, but he insisted on using this as payment. We went to the pawnshop below to exchange it.¡±


    Chen Shi remembered the recent gold store robbery that Lin Dongxue was involved in. ¡°I want to go and see.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Gu You left and came back a whileter holding a mobile phone in her hand. ¡°We haven''t pawned anything before, so we didn¡¯t know if the gold ingot was real or fake. I''m afraid the shopkeeper secretly changed it, so I took photos of it on my phone.¡±


    On the phone, the gold ingot was taken from all angles. From the ratio of the hand to the ingot in the photo, this thing was about the size of a lingjiao[1].


    Chen Shi immediately went out and banged on the door of Peng Sijue''s consulting room. ¡°Old Peng,e out.¡±


    Peng Sijue appeared impatiently and Chen Shi handed the phone over to him. ¡°Is this what was lost in that gold shop?¡±


    Seeing the words Zhoutaifu[2] imprinted at the bottom, Peng Sijue replied, ¡°Possibly. Where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Have you finished the consultation?¡±


    Chen Shi wanted to say that when he¡¯s finished, Peng Sijue should go to the pawnshop with him. He didn¡¯t expect that Peng Sijue said, ¡°Not yet!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t sick?¡±


    ¡°Of course I''m not sick! I''m talking to the consultant about some other topics.¡±


    Chen Shi wanted tough and said, ¡°Okay, you finish up first. I''ll investigate ande back to you in awhile.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell others that I''m here for psychological counseling!¡± Peng Sijue reminded sternly.


    ¡°Rx! Who doesn¡¯t have privacy?!¡± Chen Shi pushed him back into the room.


    Chen Shi said to Gu You, ¡°Miss Gu, can you take me to that pawnshop? Bring the pawn ticket as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll find it.¡±


    The pawnshop was just across the street. In addition to pawning, it also ran a money-lending business. Chen Shi also knew that the money to run this industry was not very clean. Many pawn shops were suspected of helping people to sell stolen goods. Nowadays, the legalization of private loans was legal, so these stores reappeared.


    Gu You asked, ¡°That gold ingot is a stolen item?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It''s just my suspicion. There have been some robbery cases at gold stores recently. What did you think when you received it?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was a family heirloom or something and didn''t think much about it. We didn''t see the police announcement either. If we saw it, we would definitely not have epted it.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have too much of a loss.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. It¡¯s just the loss of three consulting sessions.¡±


    The two entered the pawnshop and demanded to redeem the pawned product. This gold ingot was pawned at 40,000 yuan. Chen Shi didn''t have so much cash on his body. Gu You took out a credit card and said, ¡°I''ll lend it to you for now!¡±


    ¡°I''ll pay you back for this money. If it¡¯s stolen, the police will reimburse you.¡±


    ¡°If not?¡±


    Chen Shi held the gold ingot in his hand. ¡°It''s not a loss to buy a gold ingot for 40,000 yuan.¡± Although he said this, he still felt some pain in his heart.


    Chen Shi asked Gu You to distract the man in the ancient dress and returned to the bureau with Peng Sijue. When the staff of the gold shop handed over the gold jewelry, he secretly put a box of anti-theft ink tags along with them. Peng Sijue identified it and concluded, ¡°It was the gold shop on Yangquan Road that lost this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. The money hasn¡¯t gone for nothing!¡± Chen Shi eximed.


    Peng Sijue called Lin Qiupu''s internal phone, hung up after a brief exnation, and asked, ¡°How much did you spend?¡±


    ¡°I mean, the money that I spent on your psychological counseling was not wasted. I didn''t expect this unexpected gain either.¡±


    ¡°How much was it?¡±


    ¡°Not too expensive. Two hundred for an hour. Miss Gu gave me a discount of fifty yuan.¡±


    Peng Sijue took out his mobile phone and insisted on transferring Chen Shi the money back. Chen Shi was polite for a bit before epting the money. Peng Sijue only talked to the consultant for two hours today but he transferred Chen Shi a thousand yuan.


    Chen Shi blinked for a moment, then immediately understood. ¡°How many times do you want me to make an appointment for you?¡±


    ¡°I''m not ill. I just feel like I can talk to that consultant and want to just rx asionally.¡± Peng SIjue emphasized earnestly.


    He didn''t admit it, but ording to Peng Sijue''s reaction, today''s consultation was effective. Chen Shi didn¡¯t press further or tease him.


    Later, arge group of policemen arrived. When they learned of Chen Shi''s discovery, everyone praised, ¡°Brother Chen is amazing. We have been investigating for a few days. You juste across clues casually. How great!¡±


    ¡°Haha, it was just luck.¡±


    ¡°By the way, why were you at the clinic anyway?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Chen Shi looked at Peng Sijue. ¡°I''ve had insomnia recently!¡±


    The police immediately went to detain the man in ancient dress. When he was brought into the bureau, he yelled, ¡°How bold! How dare you be rude to your majesty? Which yamen[3] are you from? Do you know who I am?¡±


    He was then taken into the interrogation room and Lin Qiupu asked Peng Sijue to draw blood to see if he had a criminal record... Or which mental hospital he escaped from.


    When the needle prated into the skin, the man in ancient dress trembled and almost jumped up. The two policemen held him from behind as his face twisted in pain. He screamed, ¡°How dare... How dare to stab your majesty? You don¡¯t want your heads on your shoulders anymore, do you?¡±


    This matter was too funny and interesting, so everyone went to the criminal identification room to watch the lively show behind the one-sided mirror. Lin Qiupu sat down in front of him, put the gold ingot in the evidence bag on the table, and demanded, ¡°Name!¡±


    ¡°Who are you? How dare you ask for your majesty¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking for your name!¡±


    ¡°What''s my name? Ask yourself! Why have you arrested your majesty? What did your majesty do to be detained?¡±


    Lin Qiupu looked helpless.


    ¡°I get it!¡± The man in ancient dress concluded. ¡°You are sent by General Wang to kill me. Once I ascend to the throne, the first thing I¡¯ll do is have the head of General Wang. I urge you to surrender from the darkness as soon as possible.¡±


    Seeing his seriousness, the recorder almostughed. Lin Qiupu whispered, ¡°Record it down!¡±


    The recorder asked innocently, ¡°What do I record?¡±


    Lin Qiupu shook his head helplessly as people were alreadyughing outside. He thought that this man was not normal. He could only change his direction to follow his line of thought.


    ¡°Who is this General Wang?¡±


    ¡°You don''t even know who he is? He is the first evil official in my dynasty who tried to manipte and control the princes to do his bidding from behind the scenes. You need to go back and look through the history books!¡±


    ¡°History books? So, you really did time-travel here?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Which dynasty are you from?¡±


    ¡°Tu Dynasty[4]!¡±


    ¡°What nonsense!¡± Lin Qiupu was almost going crazy. The many police officers outsideughed until they were out of breath. Theirughter reached the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu nced at the one-way mirror and continued to ask the man, ¡°Dare I ask for your big name?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that sounds a lot better. You have to get rid of this thing first. Your majesty doesn¡¯t feelfortable.¡±


    Lin Qiupu called someone in to get rid of the handcuffs and gave him a bottle of mineral water. The man actually knew how to unscrew the bottle cap. He took a sip, shook his head, andined, ¡°What a in taste.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, can I please ask for your big name?¡± Lin Qiupu continued to ask.


    ¡°Nn Fang, also known as Guangyue.¡±


    ¡°Then, Mr. Nn Fang...¡±


    ¡°Immoral moderns, please don''t call your majesty''s name directly.¡± Nn Fang stroked his beard that didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Guangyue, how did you time-travel over here?¡±


    1. https://image.shutterstock/image-photo/one-hand-holding-water-caltrop-260nw-696708181.jpg


    2. Referring to Chow Tai Fook Jewellery, but has probably changed it due to copyright issues.


    3. Government body/police/courts/etc in feudal China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamen


    4. China did not actually have this dynasty.

 Chapter 302: The Prince’s Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 302: The Prince¡¯s Arrival</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Nn Fang squinted his eyes and slowly raised his right hand as if pushing a transparent door. He said with a lot of emotion, ¡°That day, the moon was dark and there were high winds...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, just talk about the process directly.¡± Lin Qiupu interrupted him.


    ¡°General Wang sent someone to chase me down and set the vige on fire. My family and children died under his murderous knife. Fortunately, in the crisis, my loyal servant Li Xiang put on my clothes and died for his lord. As such, I was able to escape. When I met with a cliff, I could only hear the sound of a ¡®ka-chak¡¯ in the sky... And then there was the sound of ¡®suuu¡¯... Then, your majesty got mmed into this world with a ¡®pak¡¯ noise.¡± He nodded solemnly.


    Lin Qiupu froze for five seconds as he sorted out his messy thoughts. ¡°Can you borate more? Forget it, this isn¡¯t important... Were you naked or dressed when you crossed over?¡±


    ¡°As a gentleman who reigns above all, how can I show my bare self? I naturally crossed through with clothes.¡± Then, he nodded solemnly again.


    Lin Qiupu was persuaded by this logic, but finally asked the key question. He pointed to the item on the table. ¡°This item was also brought along with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°But we just identified it. This was obviously stolen goods from a gold shop. How could it have been on you? Look, there is Zhoutaifu¡¯s inscription on the back, so this can¡¯t be money from your dynasty, right?


    Nn Fang was shocked for a moment, then said, ¡°I don''t understand what you are trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Stolen goods... Do you understand?... Why was it on you?¡±


    ¡°Do you suspect that I¡¯m a bandit?¡± Nn Fang looked left and right. ¡°This is ridiculous. My family''s wealth is so deep. Why would I do such a thing?


    Lin Qiupu waspletely out of ideas. After leaving for a break, he came out and saw a crowd of policemen outside. He said sternly, ¡°Is it funny? You don¡¯t have work?¡±


    The policemen retracted their smiles. Someone said, ¡°This person is probably a lunatic. Let''s take him to a mental hospital!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of him pretending to be stupid. The gold shop has lost so much property. He would be sentenced for a minimum of 20 years. If he didn¡¯t pretend to be dumb, how would he be able to go to the hospital instead of prison?¡±


    ¡°If he really is guilty, why would he take the gold ingot out and spend it?¡±


    ¡°Let''s take him to a mental hospital!¡±


    ¡°Don''t discuss this right now!¡± Lin Qiupu interrupted them, then looked at Chen Shi. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think his logic is still very clear andplete, unlike ordinary lunatics. The stolen goods were on him, indicating that he has had contact with that gang. We might be able to find out some clues if we continue questioning him using his own line of thought.¡±


    ¡°Would you like toe up and try?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I''m not too interested in robbery cases...¡±


    ¡°How much did it cost to redeem this gold ingot? You haven¡¯t gotten reimbursed yet, right?¡±


    Chen Shi immediately understood what he meant. ¡°Okay, I''ll try it. I guess I¡¯m out of luck!¡±


    Chen Shi entered the interrogation room and nodded towards Nn Fang in greeting. ¡°Hello, we have met in the psychological counseling room.¡±


    ¡°What is the counseling room? You mean that teahouse?¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay, teahouses are fine as well... You should know who we are, right?¡±


    ¡°Yamen''s constables.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. I noticed that you have always imed to be ¡®your majesty¡¯. Then you are a member of the royal family? You said that General Wang killed your family. Was he trying to rebel? Has General Wang already usurped the throne?¡±


    ¡°No, your majesty is part of the royal family, but I didn¡¯t grow up in the royal pce.¡±


    ¡°The ce you said was...¡±


    ¡°Your majesty is the son of a concubine. My mother is a concubine surnamed Ji and was very much loved by my father, the emperor. At that time, the internal courts had a fierce fight. My two royal older brothers and the matriarch were very powerful. My father, the emperor, feared that I would be involved in the dispute, so he entrusted me to the vigers to raise me. The ce where I grew up is called Qili Vige. My adoptive parents are of a wealthy family in the town.¡±


    ¡°How do you know about your identity as a prince?¡±


    ¡°My father left a token with a letter attached, so I found out about my identity.¡±


    ¡°How did General Wang get his eye on you? You said that he was trying to manipte the prince, but your identity as the son of a concubine who lived in the countryside shouldn¡¯t have posed a threat, right?¡±


    ¡°Big mistake!¡± Nn Fang slowly rolled up his sleeves and put his hands on the table, like those who acted in the films set in ancient times. ¡°The emperor loved the second prince and nned to demote the crown prince. The two factions in the pce secretly fought. They actually killed the second prince! My father, the emperor, demoted the crown prince and wanted another sessor. General Wang heard about the news and wanted to control me as a doll to manipte! Fortunately, due to the mercy of those above us, I travelled here and was able toe out with my life!¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s head swelled up from listening to all this, but continued to question, ¡°So you are the future crown prince, but since you time-travelled over here, it¡¯s no different than dying, right? In your world, I¡¯m afraid that the crown prince will be unlucky yet again.¡±


    ¡°No, I have heard that the prince was killed aftermitting sins.¡±


    ¡°ording to this plot, General Wang has properly usurped then?¡±


    ¡°Haii, my poor father, the emperor!¡± Nn Fang sighed towards the sky. ¡°General Wang is so powerful. I¡¯m afraid that my kingdom¡¯s sesses over the century would all be taken away.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nn, please sit for a while.¡±


    Chen Shi went outside and Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Are you not going to interrogate further?¡±


    ¡°How would I do that? Let''s start elsewhere. I think he suffered some trauma, so he¡¯s in denial and trying to modify his memory.¡±


    Peng Sijue came over and Lin Qiupu asked if he found anything. Peng Sijue shook his head. ¡°There is no prior record... But there are high levels of white blood cells and telets in his blood, and the CRF value is much higher than average. He should have been in a constant state of high levels of stress recently. In other words, it was a major shock to him.¡±


    Chen Shi''s conjecture was corroborated by this new evidence acquired and he continued to exin, ¡°In order to escape reality, he fabricated a new identity for himself and the time-travelling.¡±


    ¡°Send him to the mental hospital!¡± Lin Qiupu said helplessly.


    ¡°The mental hospital is essentially no different from a prison. It is nothing more than isting the anomalous from the standard crowd. I think he shouldn¡¯t havemitted a crime. This doesn¡¯t seem too appropriate. Why don¡¯t we let him stay at the bureau for now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ce for him at the bureau. Little Wang, find him a guest house nearby and put a GPS locator on him to prevent him from running around.¡±


    Peng Sijue added, ¡°Buy clothes for him as well. Change him out of this outfit and send it to myb.¡±


    The police officer immediately went to work. At this time, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Little Li returned from investigating. Seeing everyone gathered outside the interrogation room, they asked curiously, ¡°Any major progress?¡±


    ¡°Look inside.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Nn Fang was silently chanting something in the interrogation room like those ancient schrs. Lin Dongxue covered her mouth and smiled. ¡°Lover of the ancients? Where did you find him?¡±


    ¡°You missed a good show.¡±


    Later, the police officer who went out to find a guest house came back and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s May 1st, the nearby guest houses and hotels are all full.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡± Lin Qiupu''s eyes fell on Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi coughed, ¡°I should go.¡±


    ¡°I think he should live at your ce first. All the daily expenses will be reimbursed by the team.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just think of it as helping the team.¡±


    Chen Shi looked helpless and finally sighed. ¡°I''m really out of luck!¡±

 Chapter 303: Finding the True Identity

    <h4>Chapter 303: Finding the True Identity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When he thought about having this ¡°time-traveler¡± living at his ce, Chen Shi sighed. He found Lin Dongxue and told her that he wanted to see the information about the robbery.


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, ¡°Weren¡¯t you nning to not participate in this case?¡±


    ¡°The faster I solve this case, the faster that guy leaves my ce. Who can stand living with a prince in the house?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I moved away.¡± Lin Dongxueughed. After the previous case was over, she moved back to her rental house. ¡°Are you good at robbery cases?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡±


    The information on hand was mainly a list of lost items, as well as a surveince video taken from opposite the gold shop. On the afternoon of April 23rd, two masked criminals went to a gold shop on Yangquan Road riding a motorcycle with the license te covered. In the gold shop, one person took out a gun while the other took out a hammer and started hitting the ss counters with it. The shop attendant screamed constantly in fear.


    The entire processsted less than five minutes. Because the gold shop used tempered ss that could not be broken, the gangster held a gun against the shop clerk''s head while they put a lot of gold ornaments into the gangster''s bag before they took off.


    The total value of the stolen goods was estimated to be about 300,000 yuan. Of course, if the gangsters want to sell the stolen goods, the price must be discounted in half.


    Chen Shi watched the video twice and asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°This gun wasn¡¯t fired the whole time. Is it real or fake?¡±


    ¡°We suspect it¡¯s a fake gun. There are not many ways for people to get a real gun in Long¡¯an City. We have investigated this, but we haven''t found the origin of this gun. There is a high probability that it¡¯s a fake gun. However, at the time, the clerk didn¡¯t want to take any risks and just tried to protect themselves throughplying with the criminals¡¯ demands.¡±


    ¡°I feel that these two people are quite professional. Are there simr cases?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there was a convenience store robbery in Long¡¯an the year before simr to the crime style this time. At that time, there were three people.¡±


    ¡°Convenience store robbery? For the money?¡±


    ¡°Smoke and alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Professional!¡± Chen Shi sighed. Nowadays people paid through WeChat, so there wasn¡¯t much cash in cash registers. What was really valuable were the cigarettes and alcohol on the shelves. Furthermore, these things are easy to sell. There were many ces that epted tobo and liquor in exchange for cash.


    Chen Shi watched the video several times. He pointed at the gangster with the hammer and said, ¡°This man looked at his aplice three times during the robbery. They both covered their faces and only showed their eyes. They should just bemunicating through their gazes.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It shows that their rtionship is very good and this person is psychologically dependent on the other person. They were probably very flustered during the robbery, so they subconsciously sought encouragement from theirpanion''s eyes... I feel that they are either brothers or a couple. ¡°


    Lin Dongxue stared at the screen. ¡°This person wrapped themselves in clothes very tightly and isn¡¯t tall...¡± She fast-forwarded the video and came to the clip where the two left on motorcycles. ¡°When running, one held their partner''s waist. They seem to be very intimate, so I feel like the probability of them being a couple is higher.¡±


    They simply coded the woman as B and the man as A. Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to find the surveince video of the convenience store robbery from the year before.


    Sure enough, in the video, B also kept looking at the eyes of A. Another person (codenamed X) kept standing at the door and gestured to them, acting like the superior of the two. It was clear that X was the big brother in this small group.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Who is the time-traveler among these three then?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll know when wepare them.¡±


    ¡°How do we do that?¡±


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Nn Fang was still in the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu bought him a boxed lunch. He walked around the room after eating it. Chen Shi video taped him using his phone andpared it with the two surveince videos.


    Nn Fang''s movements were different from the three criminals.


    In addition, the height and shape of the bodies were obviously notparable either.


    ¡°It seems that the time-traveler is not a member of the gang. You can safely let him live in your house.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°How did the time-traveler associate himself with the robbery gang?¡± Chen Shi muttered. ¡°Try to figure it out using the life he made for himself. He has a father, two brothers, and another bad guy who prevents him from seeing them. Father and brother... Kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re thinking too much. Maybe an ingot fell from the robber''s bag and was picked up by him.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I meet with such good fortune?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°From now on, try walking with your head down to try.¡± Lin Dongxue also smiled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what Old Peng has found.¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    Peng Sijue went to the physical evidence center with the clothes and shoes of the time-traveler as the samples there were rtivelyplete. A soil expert analyzed the material on the soles of the shoes and determined that the time-traveler might have stayed near the southern suburbs for a while.


    As for the clothes, it was made up of 70% of chemical fiber and 30% of cotton. Obviously, it did not ¡°cross over¡± with him as he had said. There were no chemical fibers in ancient times.


    The experts sought answers on some cosy forums. Someizens said that this fabric was used for photo studios and cosy clothing. Because the market was notrge, Long¡¯an City produced these clothes in small workshops and there were no formal enterprises that sold them.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It seems that we can only find the stores one by one.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°It seems like there¡¯s not much for me to do today. I will take the prince home first.¡±


    Chen Shi brought Nn Fang home and met Tao Yueyue. Nn Fang asked Chen Shi, ¡°Your daughter?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m her guardian.¡±


    ¡°Hello!¡± Nn Fang greeted Tao Yueyue.


    Chen Shi thought to himself that this guy also understood modern Chinese. Since he was a person from modern times, if he found out his identity, the robbery will probably be solved.


    Nn Fang looked all around the room. Afraid of him not behaving himself, Chen Shi brought over a copy of Dream of Red Mansions and pointed to theputer. ¡°Do you want to read this, or look at that?¡±


    Nn Fang pointed to theputer. ¡°What is this?¡±


    Chen Shi turned on theputer and broadcasted an ancient drama to him. Nn Fang nodded in appreciation. ¡°Quite colorful and entertaining. It¡¯s to my tastes.¡±


    Tao Yueyue dragged Chen Shi to the bedroom and whispered, ¡°This weirdo is going to live in our house?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°There¡¯s no way around it. Justpromise for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at ease with a stranger in the house. May I go to Sister Lin''s side?¡±


    ¡°If you can''t stand it, I''ll contact Dongxue.¡±


    Tao Yueyue thought about it and said, ¡°Forget it. I''ll close the bedroom door. Tell him not toe in... And don''t touch my cat.¡±


    ¡°See how honest he is...¡± Chen Shi looked back. Nn Fang was actually trying to get the wine on the shelf. Chen Shi rushed to the living room and said, ¡°Hey, prince, be careful not to break them!¡±


    Other than that, Nn Fang was fairly well-behaved in general. However, he was just sitting in the room, making the whole atmosphere in the house strange.


    In the evening, Chen Shi heard the sound of the door opening next door. Knowing that Gu You was back, he went to pay the money back. Gu You asked, ¡°Where is that time-traveler?¡±


    ¡°In my house.¡± Chen Shi forced a smile.

 Chapter 304: Robbing Couple

    <h4>Chapter 304: Robbing Couple</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gu You nced into the room in surprise. Sure enough, she saw Nn Fang sitting on a chair, staring earnestly at theputer screen.


    Chen Shi asked, ¡°Why did hee to your clinic?¡±


    Gu You smiled. ¡°It was a coincidence. One of my employees identally bumped into him that day walking in the streets in his ancient outfit as he was talking madly and thought that he might need help. He went up to talk to him and brought him back. As psychiatrists, helping others is our principle.¡±


    ¡°What sickness do you think he has?¡±


    ¡°Dissociative personality disorder.¡±


    ¡°Dual personalities?¡±


    ¡°In a narrow sense, yes.¡±


    ¡°Why not send him to a psychiatric hospital then? Because you can earn consulting fees?¡±


    ¡°Money is a small problem. Many people whoe to do consults don¡¯t have money at all. We help when we can. We also know what a mental hospital is like. It¡¯s just like your prisons at work. He didn¡¯t hurt others. I don''t think it¡¯s necessary to iste him.¡±


    ¡°So, what advice do you have as an expert? Have you heard all his crazy words?¡±


    ¡°After reading the consultation records, I think that the personality he split out is likely to be the person he wants to be. For example, a little girl eager to protect others may split the personality of an older brother.¡±


    ¡°He said that he was a prince. ording to what you said, his true identity should be very ordinary. He said that his father had two sons, but both died. Could it be...¡± Chen Shi thought of a person, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure.


    It can¡¯t be so coincidental!


    No other words were exchanged by him for the rest of the night.


    The next day, Chen Shi couldn''t rest well with the guy staying in his house alone and simply took him to the bureau. Xu Xiaodong missed a good show yesterday. Today, he was particrly excited when he saw the time-traveler, asking him this and that.


    Nn Fang was very taken-aback by this stranger and said to Chen Shi, ¡°You modern people are very ignorant of politeness.¡±


    ¡°This just pertains to this individual.¡± Chen Shi referred to Xu Xiaodong.


    Chen Shi put the time-traveler in an empty conference room, gave him a fully charged tabletputer, and let him watch TV dramas quietly.


    Xu Xiaodong said excitedly, ¡°This person didn¡¯t actually time-travel here, right? In fact, I had an idea when I was in high school. With so many novels out there, maybe there really is such a thing?¡±


    Chen Shi felt like he was looking at an idiot and said, ¡°There are streets full of ads saying that they¡¯ll reward people with lots of money to provide their genes to make children. Maybe there¡¯s a real one among them. Why don¡¯t you try it out?¡±


    ¡°Time-travel is notpletely unreasonable if you thought about it carefully. Brother Chen, do you know about parallel universes?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t all that effort you put into speaking nonsense be better suited for investigating the case?¡± Lin Dongxue came in. ¡°Guess what I found out?¡±


    ¡°Xiaodong''s IQ arrears payment notice[1]?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re just discussing...¡± Xu Xiaodong said innocently.


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, ¡°The identity of this person has been found. Wang Haitao, male, 45 years old from Yunnan, single, and upation is a mechanic. His mother Wang Hongfang diedst year and she left him a small property.¡±


    ¡°He really time-traveled over here?¡± Chen Shi ridiculed Xu Xiaodong, then asked Lin Dongxue, ¡°How did you find all that out? Great work!¡±


    ¡°When we went to check the origin of his clothes, a driver who transported clothes for the film and televisionpany said that when the driver parked his car outside a restaurant on April 26th, someone ran to his car and stole an outfit. The person changed out of their own clothes and left it there. There was Wang Haitao''s ID card amongst the clothes. Because the car was overloaded[2], the driver just boiled it down to being unlucky, so he didn¡¯t report the case.¡±


    ¡°The robbery was made on April 23rd, which is before April 26th.¡±


    ¡°The location is also correct. The address where he found his ID is in the Southern suburbs. We¡¯ve sent people over there to look for witnesses!¡±


    Chen Shi asked the two toe with him to interrogate the time-traveler again. When they got to the conference room, Chen Shi pped on the table. ¡°Wang Haitao. Does this name sound familiar to you?¡±


    Wang Haitao froze before pointing to himself. Chen Shi thought he was going to admit to it, but he didn''t expect him to say, ¡°That man is the former master of this body.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to talk about soul time-traveling?¡±


    ¡°ording to your modern people''s understanding, that is the case. I am from the Tu Dynasty, and I am your majesty Nn Fang. I can guarantee this with my character.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, still writing a script for yourself!¡± Chen Shi cursed in a whisper.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°Mr. Time-traveler, did you inherit the memory of the previous owner?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    When Chen Shi heard that, he got very excited. With his eyes, he encouraged Xu Xiaodong to continue to ask. Xu Xiaodong asked, ¡°What did Wang Haitaoe to Long¡¯an to do?¡±


    ¡°To find someone.¡±


    ¡°Who was he looking for?¡±


    Chen Shi interjected, ¡°Looking for rtives? Was he looking for his father?¡±


    Wang Haitao''s eyes widened, then he suddenly pressed on his head and groaned. ¡°Ah, I have a splitting headache, I... I can''t remember. I''ll stop talking about this. See you!¡±


    The three looked at each other and went outside. Chen Shi said, ¡°His true memory conflicts with his own identity. Did you notice that Wang Haitao followed his mother''s surname?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°His household registration information mentioned that his father and his mother divorced in the 1990s.¡±


    ¡°Investigate it.¡±


    They went to the Information Department and found that when Wang Haitao''s father married his mother, Wang Haitao had already been born for three years. His father was not surnamed Wang. Chen Shi said, ¡°It seems that he came to Long¡¯an to find his birth father. This father should be rich and powerful, but he has lost two sons already. It may be that his biological father initiated contact with him.¡±


    ¡°One is in Long''an and the other is in Yunnan. It¡¯s so far...¡± Lin Dongxue mumbled. ¡°Wang Haitao was born in a time when there were not many long distance rtionships. How did the two know each other? The educated youth went to the countryside for learning[3]?¡±


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Coming to find his father after forty years. Isn¡¯t it a bit toote?¡± Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°Of course, blood is thicker than water, but money is thicker than blood. Maybe the father is rich and powerful, so he came to depend on him.¡±


    ¡°No one would think you¡¯re dumb if you don''t talk.¡± Lin Dongxue scolded.


    Chen Shi had a candidate for this rich and powerful father who already lost two sons in his mind, but he really didn''t want to contact that person.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter if the two were connected or not. After all, the goal now was to solve the robbery. It wasn¡¯t in his job¡¯s scope to find out who Wang Haitao''s biological father was.


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong''s phones rang at the same time. After checking, Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Two bodies were found in the southern suburbs. Let¡¯s hurry over!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°I''ll take Brother Chen''s car.¡±


    When the three arrived, the other people from the task force were already on the scene, including Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue. It was an abandoned demolition house in the southern suburbs. There wasn¡¯t anything around the deste area. In Xu Xiaodong¡¯s words, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to see a zombie here.


    Witnesses said that on April 30th, a suspicious vehicle was seen staying here. The police went to find it here, but the house was empty. The police who had been holding it in for a long time finally took a leak behind the house. The urine broke away the soil, revealing a body.


    The forensics squad was digging in that area. In the soil, a man and a woman were buried with a bloody rag and a bloodstained knife next to their bodies.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Robbing couple?¡±


    ¡°There seems to have been an internal conflict,¡± Chen Shi said.


    1. Teasing Xiaodong about his intelligence. I assume he means that Xiaodong has to rent his IQ.


    2. It¡¯s an illegal practice.


    3. It was a 1950¡¯s cultural revolution scheme where they got educated young people to go to the countryside to help with enhancing the countryside which held farming opportunities because they weren¡¯t able to go to university due to the cultural revolution. This was more of a way to settle and calm these young people who the government figured would rebel against them eventually. A lot of young people were persuaded because it was said that people with potential needed to learn of some suffering and learn more before they could seed. For more information, please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sent-down_youth

 Chapter 305: X Has Surfaced

    <h4>Chapter 305: X Has Surfaced</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The corpse excavation work was still in progress. Peng Sijue initially judged that the time of death was two days ago. The deaths were caused by a knife piercing important organs and causing internal bleeding.


    The police searched the broken house. A half-burned banknote was found in a fairlyplete room. Lin Qiupu took it in his hand and said, ¡°This is a banknote that was issued onlyst month. The bank should have a record of it. We can check the source of the money.¡±


    In addition to the banknote, there were some leftover food packages in the room. There were mainly cans and a dirty bed. The cans on the bed were used as ashtrays. In another can, the police found arge amount of used condoms.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°This couple was very loving.¡±


    ¡°Don''t guess randomly here! Aren¡¯t homicides your forte? Go and check the bodies already.¡±


    ¡°Old Peng is like two of me. I''ll go and look in this room.¡±


    Then, Chen Shi pushed open a broken door next to him. When he opened it, he noticed that there were two rings as handles installed on the broken door in addition to some rust on the ground. Chen Shi squatted down to check and said, ¡°This door¡¯s rings have been locked by a chain. Was it used to chain someone up?¡±


    ¡°The time-traveler?¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°You can keep up with my thinking now!¡± Chen Shi praised with a smile.


    The two pushed the door open into a room. The room only had one tall window that was blocked by a copsed wall. It waspletely dark and there were no lights in there either.


    It was still day time, but they still had to use their mobile phones to light up the area.


    The room exuded a smell of sour sweat and mold as well as the smell of amine which caused their eyes to tear up. Chen Shi saw a wooden barrel in the corner which was full of feces. The wooden barrel itself was not too strong and the liquid inside flowed out.


    On the other side was a mattress on the floor with ayer of sweat stains on it. There was a faucet mounted on the wall facing the mattress. Chen Shi tried to turn on the faucet. As the pipe trembled, some red rusty water flowed out.


    ¡°This is a prison. It may have been used to detain the time-traveler!¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Looks like he''s been here a long time... How did he get the gold ingot?¡±


    Chen Shi closed the door and touched the gap below with his finger. He said, ¡°The bottom seam is veryrge. It may have been rolled in and hidden by him... He may have escaped when there was an opportunity, but his whole mental state had already be abnormal.¡±


    Of course, these were just conjectures. The forensics team came in to takeplete evidence samples.


    Two hourster, everyone had returned to the bureau and held a simple case discussion. After DNA identification, the DNA in the feces was consistent with Wang Haitao, who must have been detained.


    The identities of the two deceased were also found. The man was an experienced criminal named Daniu, 27 years old. He had been a criminal since he was a teenager. The woman''s name was Cuihua. She was a hostess at bars. She was arrested several times for drug abuse.


    It is worth noting that the female had a finger chopped off after death. Peng Sijue found some gold particles near the broken finger. He suspected that the stolen goods might have been on them and taken away by their aplice.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the aplice X took the money and the gold jewelry they stole may have already been sold. The purpose of their murders was to tie up loose ends. I think you can''t find him even if you find the stolen goods.¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°The killer left no clue behind at all?¡±


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°There are several hairs, shoe prints, and several fingerprints, but the characteristic points are not obvious. They can''t be found in the library database. You can onlypare them if you manage to find the person.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°The behavior of this couple is also in line with the normal thinking of your average robbers. Generally after a robbery, they¡¯ll sell the stolen goods and escape with the money. However, the biggest oddity at present is why Wang Haitao was kidnapped. What is the value in kidnapping him?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I don''t think these three people would do such a thing if it wasn¡¯t profitable. It has to be something very profitable!¡±


    ¡°Kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it was a kidnapping. Kidnapping after the robbery? They¡¯remitting a crime after the spotlight is already cast on them? If it was a kidnapping, the case would have already been reported. Are there any reports of kidnappings from the other branches so far?


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t a kidnapping, then what was the point of imprisoning that guy?¡±


    ¡°Wang Haitao must have some rtionship with X who disappeared... Yes, it¡¯s better to ask him about it directly.¡±


    When thinking of Wang Haitao''s mouth full of crazy words, Lin Qiupu instantly had a headache. ¡°Would he say anything?¡±


    ¡°Bring him here to jog his memories!¡±


    Lin Qiupu decided to check the whereabouts of the gold jewelry himself while Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong brought Wang Haitao to the scene. He told them to be careful not to let anything happen to Wang Haitao.


    Several people had just left the conference room. A forensics technician found Peng Sijue and showed him a report. Peng Sijue called Lin Qiupu, ¡°Captain Lin, there¡¯s a new finding.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi turned around at the same time.


    ¡°Some cloth ash was found in the burial pit, but it was notpletely burnt. A new DNA was found on the debris. It belongs to neither Wang Haitao nor the couple. A small amount of this DNA was also found on the weapon, but the amount was rtively small. In addition, several nylon threads were found with the person''s DNA on them.¡±


    Lin Qiupu immediately responded, ¡°Nylon thread? Blood-stained cloth? This person must be injured and sutured themselves. You should immediately go to all major drugstores to check and see if any suspicious people bought painkillers and anti-inmmatory drugs from them recently.¡±


    Chen Shi was confused. ¡°It seems this is person X. He was not involved in the robbery, so why was he injured?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite simple? During the internal conflict, the husband and wife also got physical.¡±


    ¡°Did you find X''s blood on the scene other than these?¡±


    Peng Sijue replied, ¡°No, the suspected crime scene only has traces of blood from the couple.¡±


    Although he was puzzled, Chen Shi left with Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Wang Haitao. It took a long time to get there since it was quite far. It took more than two hours. Wang Haitaoy on the car¡¯s ss to enjoy the beauty of the modern city. When they got close to the broken house, he got really agitated and yelled, ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡±


    Sitting in the back row, Xu Xiaodong took a lot of effort to restrain him and hugged him with his arms from behind. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°He¡¯s so agitated. He must have been here before.¡±


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡±


    The fragile Wang Haitao suddenly exploded with amazing strength. He kept stomping the car door with his feet, making Chen Shi¡¯s heart ache.


    The car was damaged by Wang Sunxust time and was finally repaired. He didn''t want it to be damaged again.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s get off!¡± Chen Shi coaxed.


    Thus, he pulled over. When Wang Haitao''s feet touched the ground, he started running away. Xu Xiaodong stretched out his hand, and Wang Haitao''s dirty, ancient clothes which were roughly manufactured were instantly torn, exposing most of his butt. Wang Haitao¡¯s body mmed onto the dusty ground.


    ¡°Blegh!¡± Lin Dongxue quickly turned away when she saw the butt of a stranger.

 Chapter 306: Time-traveling Pursuit to Kill

    <h4>Chapter 306: Time-traveling Pursuit to Kill</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong struggled to catch up with Wang Haitao, threw him to the ground, and put his knees against his back. Wang Haitao was squirming on the ground like a drowning man, and Xu Xiaodong instinctively pulled out his handcuffs. Suddenly, he remembered that this man was not a criminal. He asked Chen Shi, ¡°Do we need to cuff him?¡±


    ¡°You might as well just cuff his feet.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea...¡± Then, Xu Xiaodong prepared to shackle his feet.


    ¡°Hey, you''re not taking me seriously, are you?¡± Chen Shi quickly stopped him. Xu Xiaodong smiled in embarrassment.


    Chen Shi squatted down and said to Wang Haitao, ¡°Don''t be afraid, we are not here to hurt you...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to be here! I don''t want to be here! General Wang lives there!¡± Wang Haitao said hysterically.


    Hearing this sentence, Chen Shi had basically determined that Wang Haitao was indeed detained here. He said patiently, ¡°It''s okay, General Wang is already gone.¡±


    ¡°You are lying! He is here with his two henchmen, Iron Eagle and Silver Wolf. They¡¯re both first-ss killers.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you time-traveled over here?¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand! Iron Eagle and Silver Wolf time-traveled over to hunt me down!¡±


    ¡°How did theye across?¡±


    ¡°Time machine.¡±


    Lin Dongxue almostughed. ¡°Did you just add that to the script?¡±


    ¡°No, I-¡± Wang Haitao stopped his words suddenly and looked at Lin Dongxue. At this moment, Chen Shi saw that his false personality was shaken.


    Perhaps as long as they pushed him more, his true personality woulde out.


    But it onlysted for a moment. Wang Haitao quickly rephrased, ¡°The time machine is as described by your modern people''s concept of it. In fact, that thing is called world flipping drawers, which is a relic of the ancient civilization. It needs to be driven by 108 horses to reach a certain level of speed, which would allow you to travel through time and space!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong apuded, ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± He got a scornful look from Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi knew that his self-scripted personality was too strong. He could only follow along at his pace, so he said, ¡°In fact, we are pretty powerful too. I forgot to tell you that my previous life was the first master of the six doors of Yamen[1]. Iron Eagle and Silver Wolf are but simply flecks of dust in my eyes. I canpletely protect you.¡±


    Wang Haitao looked at him in surprise as Lin Dongxue also said, ¡°I''m a Long¡¯an heroine, and I''m very powerful.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong thought about it. ¡°I''m the cat-bearing imperial bodyguard[2].¡±


    It seemed that Wang Haitao was convinced. Chen Shi motioned for Xu Xiaodong to let him go. Wang Haitao got up and patted the soil off his body. Chen Shi said, ¡°We¡¯ll go in just for a little look and then we¡¯lle out. If it boils down to it, we will definitely protect you... Long¡¯an heroine, did you bring the magic weapon?¡±


    Lin Dongxue froze before patting her gun. ¡°Yes, I have a hundred-step soul-breaking gun here. Even people made from iron will be killed by it.¡±


    Wang Haitao noddedfortingly and pointed at the three of them. ¡°If you don''t protect me well, you will be punished.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please, this way!¡±


    The three followed him with a smile and came to the front of the broken house. Wang Haitao acted a little scared. He reached for Lin Dongxue''s arm, but Chen Shi extended his arm over for him to grab.


    Wang Haitao stopped at the door and said, ¡°It''s okay here.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Does General Wang live with Iron Eagle and Silver Wolf here?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Yes.¡±


    ¡°They kidnapped you. Why didn''t they kill you?¡±


    ¡°I''m not clear about the evil official''s evil intentions. I don¡¯t understand either.¡±


    ¡°What did they do to you?¡±


    ¡°They did... The did... Ah, a headache!¡± Wang Haitao clutched his head, as if the memory had surfaced then got broken up again.


    Lin Dongxue nced helplessly at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi felt helpless as well. This person couldn''t recall anything as soon as he got to the key moments.


    Chen Shi pushed Wang Haitao''s back and walked inside with him. When they got into the house where Wang Haitao had been imprisoned, he suddenly pushed Wang Haitao in and then closed the door. Wang Haitao was shocked. He mmed the door crazily inside and shouted, ¡°Bold rebel! When I find my father, I will kill you and sentence your family to the nine familial exterminations[3]!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was frightened. She felt that Chen Shi was too aggressive and wanted to open the door, but Chen Shi motioned for her not to with his hands.


    He squeezed his throat and asked, ¡°Who is your father? Is it Lu Qixing?¡±


    ¡°How bold! How dare you call the emperor by his name?!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t your surname Nn? How is your father''s surname Lu?¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡± Wang Haitao at the door seemed to have his brain crash again.


    Wang Haitao''s father was Old Master Lu. It was not the truth Chen Shi wanted. However, he had already guessed this part.


    What he wanted to know was what the goal of X''s was, which was greater than the profit he could have gained from kidnapping Wang Haitao. His goal was sorge that he would even be willing to kill his aplices with his own hands.


    Chen Shi said darkly, ¡°You will never see your father emperor, because I will be you. From now on, I will be the crown prince and the future emperor!¡±


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong looked at Chen Shi with shocked eyes.


    Wang Haitao burst into tears. ¡°You... You are destined to die terribly!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Chen Shiughed. ¡°You''re going to rot here. This throne and itsnd... Will be named after General Wang!¡±


    ¡°I... I... I¡¯ll find my father, the emperor now and get you your punishment. Your punishment of death. Ow... Pak!¡± Wang Haitao actually started to simte strange sound effects.


    Chen Shi then opened the door and looked at the door. The three almostughed because Wang Haitao actually hid his head under the mattress and stuck his butt up like an ostrich.


    Chen Shi held his fist and said, ¡°Your servants haveete! Just then General Wang''s group came, and we fought hard to fight them back.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, Wang Haitao trembled and said, ¡°If dearest subordinate came a stepter, I would have died.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive this servant!¡±


    With the help of Chen Shi, Wang Haitao came out from under the mattress. Sitting on the mattress and rubbing his chest, Chen Shi asked, ¡°Just then, your servant heard General Wang discussing a shocking scheme. He wanted to rece you and be the emperor. Is that possible?¡±


    Wang Haitao looked at him with tears in his eyes, and nodded, ¡°This was a long-calcted scheme! General Wang hunted me all the way just to seize my identity as a prince and usurp my position!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xu Xiaodong said, slightly surprised.


    Chen Shi continued to ask, ¡°How can General Wang win the trust of your father?¡±


    ¡°He... He... Took my blood, cut my hair, and used it to drip the blood to find a rtive and lie to my father, the emperor!¡±


    Of course, there was no scientific basis for dripping blood to recognize a rtive[4], and that method didn¡¯t require him to cut his hair either. Lin Dongxue already guessed and said, ¡°Paternity test?¡±


    Wang Haitao nodded, ¡°Yes, that!¡±


    ¡°How much blood did they take from you?¡± Chen Shi continued to ask.


    Wang Haitao opened his fingers, counted, and then rolled up his sleeves to show them the needle wounds. There was a very red andrge needle wound.


    Chen Shi took him outside. Wang Haitao only started feeling safe when he got into the car. Chen Shi said, ¡°Acting is so exhausting.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had so much talent in acting.¡± Lin Dongxueughed. ¡°Is the information we just got real? Isn''t that too absurd?¡±


    Chen Shi said affirmatively, ¡°Isn¡¯t it more profitable to be a super-rich son rather than kidnapping? It is a lifetime profit, which is worth X¡¯s risk!¡±


    ¡°But... How would he do the paternity test with the blood drawn?¡±


    1. In history, this means that he was extremely good at both government and triad affairs. This position was for someone who was employed by the government but associated themselves with gangs. They walk both the ck and white path.


    2. The original position was part of the imperial bodyguards of the third rank who were the only people who were allowed their knife with them when facing the king. Xu Xiaodong is making a joke saying he bears a cat instead of a knife.


    3. This capital punishment has three parts to it, the criminal¡¯s mum¡¯s side, the criminal¡¯s dad¡¯s side and the criminal¡¯s partner¡¯s side. People used to give birth extremely early, so bear in mind that some parts where they talk about killing the criminal¡¯s great, great grandparents down to the great, great grandchildren make sense. Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_familial_exterminations for more information. However, the English Wikipedia page is different to that of the information I found in Chinese, which talks about even more people getting killed. Basically, they¡¯re just ughtering everyone who had even remote connections with the criminal or the criminal¡¯s spouse.


    4. Dripping two peoples blood together to see if they conglomerated. If they did, they were considered rtives. https://.reddit/r/asksciencements/21rsfc/a_traditional_paternity_test_in_ancient_china_was/

 Chapter 307: Visiting Old Man Lu Again

    <h4>Chapter 307: Visiting Old Man Lu Again</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°How would they do a paternity test?¡± Xu Xiaodong looked nk, ¡°Is it enough to get it to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Idiot, how can a hospital do a paternity test with the blood you take over? They¡¯ll take your blood on the spot. X is posing as Wang Haitao. This is definitely impossible to circumvent. He can''t very well rece his blood with Wang Haitao''s blood.¡±


    ¡°Rece his blood with Wang Haitao''s?¡± Chen Shi pondered.


    ¡°Hey, what did you think of this time?¡± Lin Dongxue asked.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Yes, now that we know the motives of the murderer, I will go to find Old Man Lu tomorrow and see if he has tried to find his son recently.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you go today?¡±


    Chen Shi looked at his watch. ¡°It''s toote today. I''m going back to the bureau and then I''m off... You just recovered, so go and rest up early.¡±


    Lin Dongxue tugged at her hair and said, ¡°I''ve been fine for a long time.¡±


    Last time, Lin Dongxue was hit by a car andy in the hospital for a few days. Lin Qiupu almost killed Chen Shi. Chen Shi still remembered Lin Qiupu shaking his cor back and forth and as he kept spitting on his face.


    Fortunately, that page had been turned over. Wang Sunxu should now be introducing himself to his prison friends in the detention center. Chen Shi didn¡¯t need to worry about Lin Dongxue''s life for the time being.


    The four returned to the station. Then, Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home and took Wang Haitao home.


    Wang Haitao had no sense of restraint in Chen Shi''s house anymore, and when he entered the house, he shouted, ¡°A meal. A meal.¡±


    Chen Shi made him a bowl of noodles and Wang Haitao slurped it up. Chen Shi sat down in front of him and said, ¡°Shall I take you to see your father, the emperor, tomorrow?¡±


    Wang Haitao froze for a moment, then shook his head desperately. ¡°I won¡¯t go. I''m afraid that General Wang would harm me.¡±


    ¡°Did you not mention that you have a token on your body? Give me the token and I will easily gain the trust of your father and expose the conspiracy of General Wang.¡±


    Wang Haitao fumbled up and down his body and eximed, ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Well, it seems like I can only see if he¡¯ll give me face tomorrow. To be honest, Chen Shi didn¡¯t want to see him at all.


    At the case discussion meeting the next morning, Lin Qiupu announced the progress of yesterday''s investigation. ording to the information, they found a den for selling stolen goods underground. After a negotiation that almost turned into a gunfight, they finally took the other side down.


    All the gold jewelry stolen from the gold store was found. The man imed that the thieving couple came to sell the stolen goods on April 26th. At the time, the news of the robbery was everywhere, so he desperately pressed the price down and won all the gold at a price of around 100,000 yuan.


    April 26th was also the day when Wang Haitao escaped, so the case became clearer once again. It was on that day that Wang Haitao escaped quietly while the husband and wife were not present.


    Anyway, the robbery case was now over. What was currently being investigated was the death of the husband and wife. X''s information couldn¡¯t be found from the case of the two deceased and they didn¡¯t get a match for X¡¯s DNA in the existing criminal database.


    Chen Shi raised his hand and said, ¡°Everyone, I also found something on my end.¡±


    After talking about his own findings, everyone was surprised and talked. ¡°Impersonation? What courage he must have!¡±, ¡°How can he hide from a paternity test?¡±, ¡°It must be because he ran away that he killed hispanions. But even so, isn''t Wang Haitao still alive?¡°


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I think when Wang Haitao was imprisoned, his spirit was already abnormal. I don''t know how X''s impostor n has progressed, but after he bes the son of Old Man Lu, he will definitely take measures to remove Wang Haitao, who is an unstable factor.¡±


    Lin Qiupu responded, ¡°Then we must hurry up and find Lu Qixing.¡±


    Chen Shi rmended, ¡°I suggest not hitting the grass and startling the snake just yet. This man is a murderer. In the event of another hostage incident, it will be very troublesome... I''d better go explore for some news first. After all, I''m not a policeman and I¡¯m acquainted with Old Man Lu.¡°


    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m worried about you going there alone, Xu Xiao...¡±


    ¡°Thank you Captain Lin. Then Dongxue wille with me!¡±


    Lin Qiupu red at Chen Shi and was speechless about Chen Shi¡¯s shameless behavior. He nodded to imply eptance, but specifically told Lin Dongxue, ¡°Be careful. Now that we know where the suspect is, we¡¯re not in a rush.¡±


    ¡°And...¡± Lin Qiupu pointed to Chen Shi. ¡°You. Don''t mess around and send Old Man Lu to the bureau again.¡±


    ¡°As long as he doesn''t break thew¡± Chen Shi rationalized.


    After the meeting, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went straight to the hotel where Old Man Lu lived. However, the staff told them that Old Man Lu didn¡¯t live there anymore. Chen Shi pressed, ¡°Where does he live now?¡±


    ¡°The president''s private residence. We have no right to disclose the location.¡± The manager of the hotel said politely.


    Aftering up empty-handed, Chen Shi checked on his mobile phone and said, ¡°Since thest case, Old Man Lu has be very low-key all the time. He has not participated in any public phnthropic activities. I heard that thepany has also been given to others. It seems like he¡¯s nning on retiring.¡±


    ¡°Losing two sons is not a small blow. Maybe he suddenly remembered that there was an illegitimate child out there and called him over from thousands of miles. He probably didn¡¯t expect this to happen again.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s because a big tree garners lots of wind... Ah right, help me ask the bureau if we can find the current address of Old Man Lu.¡±


    Lin Dongxue called and found that Lu Qixing had ten properties in Long''an. The two talked about how he was indeed a wealthy person. Chen Shi examined the mobile phone map for a while and drove to one of the addresses.


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, ¡°How are you sure he''s here?¡±


    ¡°Intuition... Toozy to exin.¡±


    When they got to the vi in the city and found the iron door locked, Lin Dongxue teased, ¡°Isn¡¯t your intuition wrong?¡±


    ¡°This is the ce closest to hispany. With his personality, he won''t let go of thepany that easily. It seems I¡¯m wrong... He really intends to find a ce where no one can find to enjoy his retirement.¡±


    ¡°For old people, the loss of two sons would always change them.¡±


    The two drove away from themunity and passed a truck before Chen Shi suddenly turned the steering wheel, did a U-turn, and followed the truck. Lin Dongxue questioned, ¡°Why?¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to the back of the truck. ¡°It''s hispany''s car. If there''s no one living there, that truck wouldn¡¯t be here. Follow it.¡±


    The van stopped in front of the vi and a morous woman in silk pajamas came out to direct the workers to move things. The woman''s curvy figure filled Chen Shi¡¯s eyes. Chen Shi suddenly noticed that Lin Dongxue had cast a scornful look at him and quickly said, ¡°She looks like a malevolent spirit. She can''t even match one in ten thousandth of you. You can tell she¡¯s not a properdy at first nce.¡±


    ¡°Are you really speaking your heart right now?¡± Lin Dongxueughed.


    The workers mainly moved some cold and frozen ingredients in. Chen Shi thought to himself that the rich people were so generous in their spending. The woman yawned and said to the workers, ¡°Hurry up! The kitchen is in a hurry to use them. In the evening, the old man is expecting a guest. When can I fucking eat?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Chen Shi stepped forward and said, ¡°Hello, we¡¯re here to find Lu Qixing.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Thedy looked him up and down.


    ¡°If you tell him my name is Chen Shi, he¡¯ll definitely remember.¡±


    ¡°Humph, you¡¯re just here to beg the old man to do something for you like all the others... I''ll let him know.¡±

 Chapter 308: Chen Shi and the Dog Cannot Enter

    <h4>Chapter 308: Chen Shi and the Dog Cannot Enter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two stood outside the door for a long time but never saw anyonee out. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°That woman probably didn¡¯t tell him you came.¡±


    At this time, a maid finally came out with a sign to nail on the door. Chen Shi was prepared to ask her about it when he saw the sign saying, ¡°Chen Shi and dogs are not allowed inside!¡± Chen Shi''s mouth opened slowly.


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth andughed. ¡°When did you offend him again?¡±


    ¡°Presumably he felt that my arrival meant nothing good wasing.¡±


    ¡°Should we show our badges?¡±


    ¡°No, don''t. You can''t see him now as a police officer. X may be by his side. He¡¯s most probably in the room right now.¡± Chen Shi asked the maid, ¡°Hello, are you waiting for a guest tonight?¡±


    The maid pointed to the sign. ¡°You and the person next to you are not wee here. Old Man Lu said so personally.¡±


    ¡°It seems you...¡± Lin Dongxue suddenly realized, ¡°Who are you scolding?¡±


    The servant snorted and gave them the cold shoulder.


    ¡°It seems like if we don¡¯t push through, it won''t work!¡± Lin Dongxue prepared to take out her police officer''s badge.


    ¡°Don''t be impulsive, don''t be impulsive. Let¡¯s move ording to the situation as it calls for it.¡±


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue to go shopping in the neighborhood. Rxing during working hours, Lin Dongxue felt ashamed. Chen Shi told her that they were resting to work at night so that Lin Dongxue would feel better about it.


    They took Tao Yueyue home in the evening, and then the two returned back to the vi again. The vi was very different from the daytime. The living room door was wide open and there were several tables of cold dishes in the house. People were drinking and chatting happily. However, the sign was still nailed to the door.


    ¡°Wow, expecting a guest? I thought he was just inviting a guest over, but it turned out to be a party!¡± Lin Dongxue eximed.


    ¡°How can a truckload of ingredients be for a simple home event? I guessed it would be a party. These are all employees of thepany!¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a special day, so why are they holding a party?¡±


    The two walked to the front of the vi. Two burly bodyguards stood outside the iron gate. They reached out to block them. Lin Dongxue was ready to take out her badge when Chen Shi dragged her aside and said, ¡°Don''t reveal your identity!¡±


    ¡°How do we get in without showing our credentials? Do we need to beat the guards down?¡±


    ¡°You can''t get in even if you show your credentials. These are personal bodyguards. We are definitely not allowed in without invitations.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked helplessly around the yard. The iron bars were very high and there were bodyguards guarding the doors at set distances. It was impossible to break through.


    Lin Dongxue saw that they all had a badge with apany logo on it. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Oh, the boss of this bodyguardpany was convicted previously. He was caught by my brother before. Let¡¯s try that.¡±


    She called Lin Qiupu. Within five minutes, the bodyguard at the door who received the phone call kept watching them.


    The two came to the door again and Lin Dongxue asked proudly, ¡°Are we allowed to enter now?¡±


    The bodyguard gave way and made a ¡°please¡± gesture, Chen Shi said, ¡°Your brother''swork is quite useful.¡±


    ¡°The police is originally a legal upation that can invade other people''s lives.¡± Lin Dongxue smiled.


    The two were wearing casual clothes, which looked ipatible with a group of guests in suits in the house, but no one noticed them. It seemed that most of them were not familiar with each other.


    Chen Shi passed by these guests and heard their chats...


    ¡°I think that entering an arterial embolization first can effectively shorten the operation time, simplify the operation, and is rtively safer...¡±


    ¡°Laparoscopic nephrectomy is the current consensus in the industry, regardless of the risk of the operation. It is also better than traditional open surgery...¡±


    ¡°Considering the patient''s physical condition, I don''t think that even the top medical team would beparable to a team with 3,000 surgical experience and tacit teamwork where their minds are in sync.¡±


    Lin Dongxue froze, ¡°Are these all doctors?¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°I recognize some of them as the best doctors in the city. It seems that Old Man Lu is sick. It is a luxurious lineup to invite these toe for consultation.¡±


    ¡°Rich people can waste medical resources so much? These good doctors have been invited here as a guest to see a single person, meaning many poor patients have their surgeries postponed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can get some information.¡±


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Let''s operate separately. Nobody wille to us to talk if we stand together.¡±


    As soon as the two separated, a young doctor rushed to Lin Dongxue and said politely, ¡°Are you also in the same industry?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yes...¡±


    ¡°We are discussing the superiority and inferiority of operating through the front abdomen or the posterior abdomen. I would like to hear your opinions.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Lin Dongxue waspletely confused. ¡°Actually, I just got off the ne and I don''t know the situation.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t seen the patient?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven''t even changed my clothes yet!¡±


    ¡°Then I would be happy to share the results of the consultation with you and listen to your opinions. Is it convenient for us to exchange our WeChat details?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    After exchanging WeChat, the other party sent arge file to her and blinked at Lin Dongxue, ¡°After reading, let¡¯s discuss. I would like to hear your opinions. Right, you¡¯re called...¡±


    ¡°Myst name is Lin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are Dr. Lin from the First People''s Hospital of Long''an City? It turned out that you¡¯re so young... And beautiful! It¡¯s better to have seen you once than to have heard about you a hundred times.¡± Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know how the other party had such a misunderstanding. The man continued to introduce himself. ¡°My name is Li Yuan from Shanghai Union Medical College Hospital. You should have read my dissertation.¡±


    ¡°I''ve read it. It''s wonderful, very... Uh, very professional.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any advice for my ¡®Hem-o-lok in retroperitonealparoscopic nephrectomy¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Lin Dongxue couldn''t take it any longer. ¡°I want to look at these consultation materials first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t bother you. I¡¯ll be here.¡±


    ¡°I''lle to find you in a moment.¡±


    The other side was full of happiness and said ¡°I''m d to have met you¡± before leaving. Sure enough, the men''s IQs were lower in front of beautiful women. Lin Dongxue secretly wiped away her cold sweat, surprised that she wasn¡¯t seen through.


    Chen Shi circled around and came back miserably, saying, ¡°They¡¯ve all snubbed me. Nobody would talk to me since I¡¯m dressed like this. Someone even asked me if I was studying Chinese medicine.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shook her phone in delight. ¡°I got the consultation document.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you must have not used your beauty. You must have convinced them with your expertise.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Lin Dongxue punched him with a smile.


    The two gathered together to look at this information. Of course, most of the technical terms were things they didn¡¯t understand. Generally, it could be seen that Old Man Lu had kidney cancer and he also had another kidney function that wasn¡¯t normal. It seems that these doctors are invited to do kidney resection and kidney transntation.


    ¡°Kidney transnt surgery? It turned out that he had retrieved his illegitimate child for this.¡± Chen Shi said while chewing food.


    ¡°What are you eating?¡±


    ¡°Cherry. It¡¯s big and sweet.¡± Chen Shi took one and threw it to Lin Dongxue, who caught it with her mouth.


    ¡°But the illegitimate child is fake and it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid he can''t even pass the kidney matching. But he has passed the paternity test and is an official son, so from his standpoint, he certainly doesn''t want the operation to start smoothly. Old Man Lu is in danger!¡±

 Chapter 309: Fierce Maid

    <h4>Chapter 309: Fierce Maid</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Should we go find Old Man Lu right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be toote if we go about this in a roundabout manner. Let¡¯s advise him now!¡±


    The two went to the second floor. On the stairs, a middle-aged man in a suit with his hair slicked back walked down. Seeing that the situation was not good, Chen Shi immediately pressed Lin Dongxue against the wall for a kiss.


    The slick-back paused and said, ¡°Aiya, why are you here?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and said, ¡°Here are all famous doctors in China. The chance of the old man choosing us is small, so we¡¯re just enjoying the party and will go back when it''s done.¡±


    ¡°Who is going to perform an operation on the old man is to listen to me and Dr. Xu''s advice. Just get lost back to the living room and don¡¯t wander around here blindly again.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go back now!¡±


    Slick-back murmured, ¡°Young doctors really aren¡¯t reliable!¡± He muttered as he passed by the two of them.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°This guy seems to be in charge. Can it be X?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since X was recognized. He wouldn¡¯t have so much power yet, would he?¡±


    Seeing that no one was around, the two continued to go upstairs. There were some maids on the second floor, so the two were extra careful not to be found. There was the sound of high heels in the corridor. Chen Shi immediately pulled Lin Dongxue into a room with no lights.


    The woman passing by the door talked on the phone and said, ¡°Send me more of the cosmetics you boughtst time... I know, I know. I won¡¯t skimp out on the money!¡± The voice drifted away.


    The two were ready to go out of the room when the light in the room suddenly turned on. Chen Shi looked back. Old Man Lu was lying on a hospital bed, holding the remote control for the light in his hand. Many medical instruments were ced beside him and he was wearing a breathing mask with screens on both sides.


    Old Man Lu''s face was a lot more depressive and his hair had thinned out quite a bit. However, his eyes were still sharp. He raised his fingers tremblingly, pointed at Chen Shi, and said with a low voice, ¡°Bastard, who told you toe in?¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi in shock. Since they were exposed, Chen Shi didn''t try to hide. He went over to Old Man Lu and said, ¡°Old Man Lu, it hasn¡¯t been that long since west met. How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°When people are old, they will be useless at any time... Who told you toe in? Nothing good everes out of you being near me. Get lost!¡±


    Chen Shi saw the kidney dialysis machine installed on his body. It seemed that his kidneys would notst long. He secretly wondered if the disease wasing too soon. Was there anything strange about it? He quietly plucked a few of Old Man Lu''s hair and hid them in his pocket.


    ¡°Who is that woman?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Zhenjie''s stepmother.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You''re really old but fit, huh? You don¡¯t even know how long you can live, but you¡¯re still out there ying in the field?¡±


    Old Man Lu red at him, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about nonsense in front of me bastard. I know better than you. With me being a geezer so close to kicking the bucket, why would a young and beautiful woman choose me? Wouldn¡¯t it just be for money? But just going after money isn¡¯t so bad. Unlike some people who act all proud on the surface so that people can¡¯t understand them. Deep down, their hearts are very dirty!¡± This sentence was obviously directed at him, but Chen Shi smiled as if he didn''t hear it.


    Old Man Lu continued, ¡°Wanjun and I have not officially married, but she has taken care of me for the past six months to the best of her abilities. I made a will for her long ago. When I die, she will get an inheritance. The rest... ¡°


    ¡°The rest is for the son?¡± Chen Shi finished his sentence.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°What do the police not know? Actually, I''m here about your son this time.¡±


    ¡°Don''t fart here. Song, you killed my two sons and now you want to take him away as well?¡±


    It seemed that Old Man Lu was extremely confused. Chen Shi was just solving the case, but he was taken to be the culprit who took his sons¡¯ life. Chen Shi simply confessed, ¡°Your son is fake and the kidney transnt surgery will not save you!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you...¡± Once agitated, Old Man Lu coughed uncontrobly.


    It might be that someone outside heard his cough because they immediately heard footsteps approaching. Lin Dongxue was busy pulling Chen Shi to hide behind the screen.


    Two people came in and Chen Shi peeped through the gap. One was the slick-back from just then and the other was a doctor in a white coat. The doctors who came here were all guests, but this one was in a white coat. It was obvious that he was the current attending physician.


    The doctor checked Old Man Lu''s condition and said to slick-back, ¡°Everything is normal!¡±


    ¡°Where did those maids go? How can they leave the old man in the room all by himself? Dr. Xu, can you go and call them over?¡± The slick-back asked.


    Dr. Xu agreed before taking his leave. Slick-back wiped the sweat off of Old Man Lu¡¯s forehead with a wet towel. Grandpa Lu suddenly grabbed his wrist. ¡°Zilu, the result of the paternity test...¡±


    ¡°Father, why are you still worrying about this? All three hospitals have conducted it, so it must be true!¡± The words of the slick-back calmed down.


    Hearing this title, Lin Dongxue immediately widened his eyes. Was the slick-back really X?


    ¡°The surname Song lied to me again!¡± Old Man Lu said to himself.


    ¡°Who? Did someone juste in?¡±


    ¡°You should go. I''m going to rest!¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± Slick-back knelt down in front of the hospital bed and lowered his voice. ¡°I hope that you sign the contract for the equity transfer as soon as possible before the operation. If you have any idents...¡±


    ¡°Fuck your mother''s egg! Hoping for me to die?!¡± Old Man Lu angrily said. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Old Man Lu closed his eyes wearily. Slick-back¡¯s expression was like that of someone who just got pped. He looked very ugly and held the oxygen tube down with his hand. The veins on the back of his hand slowly bulged.


    This scene was seen by Chen Shi, who was ready to rush out at any time. However in that case, exposing his identity would be unavoidable.


    The malice on slick-back¡¯s face seemed to onlyst for an instant. He quickly loosened the oxygen tube, bowed to the old man, and backed out.


    Chen Shi also wanted to ask something. Lin Dongxue desperately dragged his hand away. Someone else mighte in, so the two hurried out of the door. They turned back to where they came from, but at the corner of the corridor, the slick-back was talking to Dr. Xu.


    The two had to leave from the other side but ran into a waiter. The man was about forty years old, very thin and pale. He questioned the two of them, ¡°Who allowed you two toe up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find a bathroom.¡± Lin Dongxue smiled embarrassedly.


    ¡°Hurry away. If Miss Shi sees youing up, she¡¯ll get angry.¡±


    Chen Shi thought this person was a bit strange. The waiters here were all very young. He had never seen such an old man, and he seemed to be wearing an outfit that wasn¡¯t of the same standard. His right hand¡¯s sleeve was tightly buckled, but his left sleeve wasn¡¯t buckled at all.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Listening to your voice, it seems like you have a cold.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong. I''m a doctor, so I''m more sensitive to this sort of stuff. Besides, there is a patient upstairs. It''s not good for him to catch a cold... It''s nothing for young people. For the patient, I''m afraid it would take their life.¡±


    The waiter''s tone eased. ¡°Rest assured, I won''t enter that room.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me take your pulse!¡± Chen Shi said, grabbing his left arm.


    The waiter suddenly yelped, withdrew his hand, and stared at Chen Shi fiercely. Chen Shi smiled and exined, ¡°upational habit. No way around it.¡±


    ¡°Get lost and don''t wander around here!¡±

 Chapter 310: Exposing the Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 310: Exposing the Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the first floor miserably and Lin Dongxueined, ¡°He¡¯s just a servant, but he had such a big attitude... What now?¡±


    ¡°Call your brother! Bring more people over.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you going to make it clear now?¡±


    ¡°I think X may be here. After you call, go to Old Man Lu''s room and keep watch. Don''t let anyone except Dr. Xu in. I¡¯ll be outside and won¡¯t let anyone out.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too risky?¡±


    ¡°Old Man Lu has invited so many doctors over. It seems that the operation is imminent. X will not allow the operation to proceed. The long night will have many dreams[1]. It¡¯s best to resolve this now... Although he is a nasty old man, I don''t want him to die.¡±


    ¡°Yourst sentence seems a bit redundant!¡± Lin Dongxue smiled and took out the phone.


    Immediately after the call was made, all the lights there suddenly turned ck. The slick-back screamed in fear, ¡°Oh no, the old man¡¯s equipment!¡±


    There was the sound of footsteps in the dark and Chen Shi once again reminded, ¡°Someone wants to kill him. Hurry upstairs! No one except Dr. Xu is allowed to go in!¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way to solve this.¡±


    Lin Dongxue quickly went upstairs and a bunch of people were running towards Old Man Lu''s ward. Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°No one is allowed in!¡±


    The slick-back fiercely asked, ¡°Who are you? Is it your turn to speak here?!¡±


    The malevolent-spirited woman recognized Lin Dongxue and said, ¡°I saw her during the day. The old man didn''t wee her. How did she get in by herself?¡±


    Lin Dongxue reluctantly showed her credentials. ¡°Is this reason enough? Dr. Xu, hurry in and help him. As for the rest of you, you can¡¯t leave this ce.¡±


    The slick-back furrowed his brows. ¡°I''ll go and take a look at the electric box!¡±


    The malevolent-spirited woman said, ¡°I''ll go too!¡±


    The two went away and there was a hard gasp from Old Man Lu from in the door. Dr. Xu ran out and said, ¡°The dialysis machine and the venttor have stopped. If this goes on, Old Man Lu may not be able to hang on for more than five minutes...¡±


    ¡°Hurry to the hospital!¡± A servant said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time!¡± Dr. Xu cried.


    Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. It was toote to go to any hospital from the vi''s location. She could only put her trust in Chen Shi. ¡°Doing your best is fine. Mypanion is trying to find a solution right now!¡±


    ¡°If he dies, it''s not my responsibility!¡±


    ¡°I will testify for you.¡±


    Downstairs, a group of people were rushing to check the electric box. The electric box had water poured on it and had short-circuited. Chen Shi pushed them away, checked it, andmanded, ¡°Go and get gloves as well as electrician tools!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°Is this the time for that? Hurry up! I know how to fix it!¡±


    Someone ran to get the tools. Chen Shi put on rubber gloves, took the electrician''s tools, broke the wires on both sides, reconnected it around the electrical box, and entangled them tightly with tape. One doctor said, ¡°No, the voltage is too high like this. The equipment will get fried.¡±


    ¡°Then turn on the appliances in the whole house and share the voltage... Hurry up!¡±


    Everyone ran around and turned on all the lights and electrical appliances that could be turned on. Chen Shi was able to restore the power in a timely manner. The medical equipment in the ward was back up and running. Old Man Lu took a long breath and opened his eyes again.


    Dr. Xu said cheerfully, ¡°This is great. This is really great! I almost couldn¡¯t keep you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue also wiped her head full of sweat, thinking that it was very fortunate. Old Man Lu had to move the instrument to his home. Wouldn''t it be more convenient for people to hurt him?


    She suddenly noticed that a servant was walking away quietly and yelled at them to halt them. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    The servant was the man who had a bad tone just then. He said, ¡°I¡¯m getting a wet towel for the old man.¡±


    ¡°Don''t move. Nobody can move!¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do if we don¡¯t move? What right do you have to direct us?¡±


    A group of servants followed the quarrel. ¡°If something else happens to him, will you be responsible for it?¡±, ¡°The person who broke the power supply hasn¡¯t been caught yet!¡±, ¡°The police only know how to threaten us. Why don''t you do something serious?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet. We¡¯re dealing with this step by step. Do as you¡¯re told and don¡¯t create chaos!¡± Lin Dongxue shouted. The quarrelling dimmed down after that.


    Chen Shi finally came and said, ¡°Everyone go downstairs. The police will solve this in a moment.¡±


    As soon as they heard that the police wereing, the servants walked down the stairs obediently. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue finally came down. They stood at the entrance of the stairs. This was the only way to the second floor. The living room was already full of people. The people didn''t understand the situation at all.


    Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, ¡°Give me handcuffs.¡±


    After receiving the handcuffs, Chen Shi signaled that Lin Dongxue could make her identity public. Lin Dongxue took out her badge and said to everyone, ¡°We are police officers and are investigating a case. We suspect that the suspect is in this room.¡±


    The slick-back said indignantly, ¡°This is just ridiculous. You can investigate, but how can you disturb the old man? You can see what the situation is like right now.¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°This case is closely rted to the safety and security of Old Man Lu.¡±


    He walked in front of a group of people and asked the slick-back, ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Shi Zilu...¡± The slick-back reluctantly said. ¡°I am the current vice president of the old man¡¯spany and I¡¯ve almostpletely taken over.¡±


    ¡°Why do you call him your father?¡±


    ¡°You heard?¡± Shi Zilu looked embarrassed and looked around. ¡°That''s just our private name. I recognize him as a godfather. Of course, we are not rted by blood.¡±


    ¡°Recently, did the old man give you a task for you to give another person a paternity test?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing!¡± Shi Zilu simply refused.


    ¡°Didn''t he?¡± Chen Shi looked around the faces of these people with different expressions. ¡°Actually, everyone around the old man knows about this. He has an illegitimate but biological child. Because he suddenly suffered from kidney disease, he needs a kidney transnt. Since the two legitimate sons are no longer present, he called this biological flesh back. Old Man Lu did not want any incidents before the operation, so the identity of the biological son was not disclosed. But for some people, the sudden appearance of the son undoubtedly touched their interests... ¡°


    Chen Shi stopped in front of the malevolent-spirited woman and asked with a smile, ¡°What''s your surname?¡±


    ¡°Shi.¡±


    ¡°Miss Shi, I already know your rtionship with Old Man Lu. You are the person who is most likely to get Old Man Lu¡¯s inheritance, so you must not want this biological flesh to mess with it...¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡± The malevolent-spirited woman yelled.


    ¡°Actually, I met Old Man Lu six months ago. Back then, he was in good health. Why did he get so sick in such a short time?¡±


    ¡°He''s old. Isn''t it normal to be old, get sick, and die from it?¡±


    Chen Shi gestured for her not to interrupt and continued. ¡°I have seen him. I suspect he has been poisoned. He¡¯s been poisoned quite a number of times with trace amounts of poisoning. It is not clear to me whether the poisoner is you or not. Actually, that¡¯s not important... What¡¯s important is the poisoner did not let go of his biological flesh either... ¡°


    Chen Shi turned around suddenly, knocking the pale-faced servant to the ground with a punch, and quickly handcuffed him. The room was suddenly shocked. Chen Shi lifted the sleeve of his left arm and nced at it. When he saw that the veins were bulging, he let down his worries. He hadn¡¯t been mistaken.


    Chen Shi pressed down the head of the servant and said, ¡°You are Wang Haitao... Or I should call you the fake Wang Haitao!¡±


    1. There will be more and more variables the longer the night drags out.

 Chapter 311: A Fisheye in the Midst of Pearls

    <h4>Chapter 311: A Fisheye in the Midst of Pearls</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The servant yelled from the ground, ¡°Let me go! Believe it or not, I¡¯ll ughter you!¡±


    The slick-back also panicked. ¡°What are you doing? This is ourpany¡¯s future...¡±


    ¡°Future what?¡±


    The slick-back knew he had uttered the wrong words. He looked around and said, ¡°He is the illegitimate son of the old man from Yunnan, but also the source of the kidney. Don''t mess around.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry to tell you that he isn¡¯t!¡± Chen Shi said to the doctors behind him. ¡°Everyone here is an expert. Come and look at this blood vessel in his left arm. I ensure you that it will be a sight to behold.¡±


    The doctors came to check and said, ¡°So thick? Are they varicose veins?¡±, ¡°No, this blood vessel is too straight.¡± ¡°Is it that... That¡¯s impossible... Impossible...¡±


    Chen Shi tore the servant''s sleeve open and there was an obvious suture on his armpit. The technique was rtively mediocre and it was sutured with nylon thread. The surrounding area was already red and swollen.


    X knew that the situation was over and closed his eyes, as if relinquishing his life for anyone to ughter.


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°This is not a blood vessel at all. It is a hose filled with blood and sealed at both ends. It is inserted under the skin so that he can use it for the paternity test. That¡¯s why he passed all three paternity tests!¡±


    ¡°Why...¡± The slick-back stuttered in surprise. ¡°Then who exactly are you?¡±


    X asked Chen Shi miserably, ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±


    ¡°I noticed that you didn¡¯t look too well. You and the old man have simr symptoms of poisoning, so I figured you were the ''biological flesh''. I also noticed that the sleeve of your left hand wasn¡¯t buckled. The servants here have strict uniform code, so it seemed like you were specialpared to them. With a hose under your skin, you¡¯d see it bulging out, so you didn''t buckle your sleeves... Then again, I admire you foring up with this trick!¡±


    When the word ¡°poisoning¡± was brought up, the malevolent-spirited woman seemed a little nervous. She was quietly preparing to leave. Lin Dongxue yelled at her, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Changing my clothes.¡±


    ¡°No one is allowed to move until the policee!¡±


    Ten minutester, the police arrived. Lin Qiupu was surprised that they already had the scene under control. The police brought back the fake Wang Haitao, the malevolent-spirited woman and the slick-back for questioning.


    Back at the bureau, Peng Sijue tested the blood of fake Wang Haitao. Indeed, he was X. In addition, his blood and the blood of Old Man Lu contained trace amounts of arsenic. The poison targeted the kidney, as Chen Shi expected. It was no ident that Old Man Lu had kidney cancer.


    The malevolent-spirited woman quickly confessed that the arsenic was brought by her. Actually, she had been serving as a mistress to Old Man Lu for three years, but he never gave her a title. She was full of resentment, so she added the poison into his food in small amounts over the course of time. Sure enough, Old Man Lu really developed physical difort and soon fell ill. He was found to have kidney cancer.


    Unexpectedly, he actually had an illegitimate child in Yunnan. After lots of effort, they finally got him toe here.


    The woman''s wishful n was lost, so she lost her mind. She started to poison this illegitimate child too. She did not expect to provide a clue for Chen Shi to identify the fake Wang Haitao on the spot.


    The interrogation of X was the focus of tonight. This interrogation this time was conducted by Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue together. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Name?¡±


    The other side was silent for a few seconds before he said, ¡°Li Zhiqiang.¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked about the rtionship he had with the robbing couple. Li Zhiqiang replied, ¡°Friends!¡±


    ¡°For the sake of your n, you didn¡¯t even hesitate to kill your friends? I won''t ask you about this bit by bit. Tell me the whole story!¡±


    ¡°Give... Give a cigarette!¡±


    Lin Qiupu gave him a cigarette and Li Zhiqiang drew on it deeply. His eyes seemed to be as dead as his heart. After the cigarette was half smoked, he said, ¡°In fact, being caught by you guys is a type of relief for me... I thought things would go well, but I can¡¯t believe that old bastard... So fucking smart!¡±


    Li Zhiqiang imed to have known the robbing couple for a few years. He was also an unemployed vagrant. He had been thinking about getting rich overnight. After meeting the two, the three of them robbed a business.


    Li Zhiqiang was smart and old. He was the leader of this small gang. At the same time, he despised the two of them. They had no ns for the future. Whenever they had money on them, they would eat, drink, and y it all away. These types of people, in his eyes, were people who couldn¡¯t even be sessful as thieves.


    In thest few years, they¡¯ve robbed, ckmailed, and extorted. Thanks to Li Zhiqiang''s careful nning, they have never been arrested by the police.


    On April 23rd, the three nned a robbery in a gold store. When they were finished, they threw away the stolen motorcycles, got in a getaway car, and went to the hiding ce they had prepared in advance. They were going toy low for a few days before selling the stolen goods away. From then on, they would no longer stay in Long¡¯an walking down this path.


    Unexpectedly, there was a nd guy who actually hitchhiked with them. This person was Wang Haitao. At that time, they were in the suburbs. Li Zhiqiang was afraid that this guy would be a witness, so he allowed him to get into the car so that he could figure out his background before fixing him up at the destination.


    Wang Haitao was carrying arge canvas bag that day. When he got in the car, he excitedly told them that he hade to Long¡¯an to find a rtive. He had never seen his father since he was born, but his father was an entrepreneur in Long¡¯an and was doing very well.


    Li Zhiqiang kept asking him and found out this guy¡¯s biological father was actually Lu Qixing. Looking closely at Wang Haitao¡¯s looks, he really looked a bit like Lu Qixing, so he deliberately asked for some more details. For example, Lu Qixing didn¡¯t know about Wang Haitao ¡¯s appearance or even his voice.


    Li Zhiqiang thought that this was a godsent opportunity. He had a bold n at that time. If he could seed, wouldn¡¯t that mean he wouldn¡¯t have to rely on robbing people for survival?


    At a crossing, Wang Haitao said that he should get out of the car. Li Zhiqiang held a wrench and said, ¡°Look outside!¡± Then, he smashed him with a wrench. His colleague Daniu eximed, ¡°What are you doing, Brother Li? You¡¯re not nning to kidnap him, right? We¡¯re not professionals at that!¡±


    ¡°Kidnapping? What is the point of kidnapping? I have a good idea. I''ll tell you when we get there.¡±


    When they got to the hiding ce, Li Zhiqiang announced his n. While the husband and wife were shocked, they also felt that it would not be possible to seed. How could they pass the paternity test?


    In fact, Li Zhiqiang already knew what needed to be done. He nned to shut Wang Haitao away for a few days and then sell the stolen goods. He would take the money to bribe the hospitals so that he would breeze through this obstacle. The husband and wife praised that he was really a modern Zhuge Liang[1].


    In the days while Wang Haitao was detained, Li Zhiqiang kept gaining intelligence. The husband and wife were also actively looking for ways to sell the stolen goods. The news of these stolen goods didn¡¯t die down and the dealers desperately pushed the price down. Perhaps they could only get 100,000 yuan in the end.


    It was a dream to bribe the hospitals with this low sum of money. Li Zhiqiang also realized that his thoughts weren¡¯t correct. Money could not block people''s lips from moving. The more people who know the secret, the more dangerous it would be in the future.


    He remembered a documentary that he had watched before. A Canadian doctor was charged for rape. He actually buried a tube filled with medical blood under his skin and tricked the police.


    Li Zhiqiang loved watching these crime documentaries when he had free time because he learned a lot about crimes from them.


    This move was cruel, but in order to attain something, he would need an equal sacrifice. Thus, he decided to go ahead with it...


    1. He is recognized as the most aplished strategist of his era, and has beenpared to Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War. He was a Chinese politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor.

 Chapter 312: Father and Son Reunited

    <h4>Chapter 312: Father and Son Reunited</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    As such, Li Zhiqiang pumped Wang Haitao''s blood and sealed it into a stic hose. The hose didn''t look thick, but when he stuffed it under his skin, he almost fainted from the pain. He didn''t know how much blood he shed.


    After almost a whole night, the hose finally looked like a blood vessel, so Li Zhiqiang started his own fisheye mixed in with pearls project.


    It turned out that his sacrifice was not wasted. He went to Lu Qixing''spany. A slick-back vice president immediately took him to the hospital for a paternity test. He passed this obstacle and then was taken to see his biological father.


    It was different from what he imagined. The biological father was sick. Hey down in bed and said, ¡°I''m sorry to your mother back then. I''ll do everything in order topensate youter, but before that, you have to do one thing for me!¡±


    It turned out that Lu Qixing called him toe so that he could get a suitable kidney for a transnt. At that time, Li Zhiqiang felt like there were ten thousand horses rushing around in his heart. However, he had already fallen into the pit, so it was toote to try and get out of the situation.


    Lu Qixing let him live in the vi temporarily, wearing servants¡¯ clothes while eating and drinking luxuriously. However, besides enjoying champagne and cigars, he was not even given a dime and was not allowed to go out casually.


    Li Zhiqiang had no intention of enjoying everything here. He had to think of a way to ovee this. He cheered for himself in his heart. He even got through the paternity tests so surely this time wouldn¡¯t be that much more difficult.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t going to be easy to be a rich person.


    In order to dy time, he poured water on his body and made himself catch a cold. On the other hand, he often asked the doctor to see if there was any other way.


    He had a n to get Wang Haitao and rece the old man with his kidney, but hiding it from Dr. Xu was a difficult problem. As Lu Qixing''s apanying doctor, Dr. Xu¡¯s sry was so high that it was scary. He wasn¡¯t someone that could be bribed with the money from stolen goods.


    Or make the old man''s surgery impossible by having him die on the bed? Of course, that was too risky!


    After much deliberation, there was in fact another trick he could use. However, it would be a bit cruel to himself. You have to draw blood anyway when you perform surgery. As long as the doctor draws the blood of Wang Haitao and it can be transnted, it would be ok.


    If one of his kidneys was transnted to Lu Qixing, they¡¯d just have to wait until the old fox died after his body rejected the foreign kidney that didn¡¯t have matching blood types.


    However, Dr. Xu told him that in fact it was not only a kidney transnt. The old man had a tumor in one kidney while the other one didn¡¯t function very well and couldn¡¯t support his body. They hoped to exchange this one for the son''s good kidney so that both parties¡¯ bodies wouldn¡¯t have many negative side effects.


    Li Zhiqiang thought, son of a fucking slut. I didn''t enter a house of wealth, but a gate for ghosts!


    That night, he thought, I don¡¯t want to y anymore. I won''t y anymore. Sure enough, the rich are mental. It¡¯s better to hurry back to kill Wang Haitao and run away with the stolen money.


    The day of the return was April 30th. The husband and wife told him that when they went out to sell the stolen goods, Wang Haitao ran away. Li Zhiqiang looked like a lightning bolt amidst a sunny day[1], and Daniu said, ¡°But it doesn''t matter. The guy has gone mad from us locking him in and talks about general Wang and father emperor or whatever all day.¡±


    Seeing the condoms left on the ground by them and the leftover lunch boxes, Li Zhiqiang was so angry that his guts became bigger. When they let their guard down, he took care of them and calmed down.


    In fact, hope had notpletely disappeared. Thinking about it, he just needed to think of a way to kill Lu Qixing and retreat from this dilemma. After he inherited the business, he just needed to find some people to tie up loose ends with the crazy Wang Haitao.


    You can only attain wealth through risk. Since he was like this now, he didn¡¯t have much to lose anyway, so he may as well fucking do it!


    He buried the body of the husband and wife thief and took the money away. He had intended to burn the house, but it would¡¯ve caught people¡¯s attention.


    He returned to the vi and continued to y the role of a good son. He had been thinking hard about how to kill Lu Qixing. He was helpless as it wasn¡¯t easy to take action with so many people going in and out. On this night, Lu Qixing invited arge number of famous doctors and the police appeared at the scene earlier as well. Li Zhiqiang wouldn¡¯t have another opportunity if he didn¡¯t take action now.


    So, he messed with the electric box. Who knew that the police would not only save Lu Qixing, but expose him as well?


    ¡°I almost fucking seeded. I was just missing some luck!¡± At this point, Li Zhiqiang shook his head in annoyance. ¡°How many times can you take risks in life? I risked it all at once and have no regrets!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really know your ce,¡± Lin Qiupu sneered. ¡°But people will definitely want to hear about this ¡®history of struggle¡¯ in prison.¡±


    ¡°Officer, neither of the two I killed were good people. I can count myself as a vignte. Can you discuss with the judge and get an easier sentence or something... Hey, police officer, don''t go-¡±


    Amidst the calls of Li Zhiqiang, Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue left the interrogation room. The other members of the task force were standing outside. Chen Shi smiled. ¡°What an unlucky guy. Does he really think that a pie would fall out of the sky for him?¡±


    At this moment, the slick-back came back. ¡°Everyone, the old man just woke up and asked if you have found his true son. He wants to see him!¡±


    Chen Shi responded, ¡°I have to go back. It''s gettingte.¡±


    ¡°Aiya!¡± Lin Qiupu stopped him. ¡°Isn''t he in your house? If you¡¯re sending the Buddha, you should send the Buddha all the way to the West[2]. You should send him over.¡±


    ¡°Such a public thing, Captain Lin. You should go!¡±


    ¡°No, no, you have to go. We still have a lot of post-investigation work on our side.¡±


    Chen Shi sighed deeply. Was there a twisted fate between himself and Old Man Lu?


    As such, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to pick up Wang Haitao. At this time, he had already fallen asleep and asked where they were going. Chen Shi responded, ¡°To see your father!¡±


    ¡°You found my father, the emperor?¡± Wang Haitao was suddenly excited.


    In the vi, the doctors who were invited as guests had already left. The servants were packing up the ce. Wang Haitao was taken to the bed of Old Man Lu. Old Man Lu pointed at unsightly dressed Wang Haitao with his finger and asked Chen Shi, ¡°Officer Song, is it real this time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real.¡±


    Old Man Lu sat up and was very agitated. ¡°My son, as soon as you walked in, I knew it was you. Looking at your eyebrows and eyes, you look just like your mother... Father missed you so much!¡±


    Wang Haitao froze for a while. Gradually, his cloudy eyes became clear and his voice became normal. ¡°You are Lu Qixing, my biological father.¡±


    ¡°It''s me, it''s me! Blood is thicker than water. I can¡¯t believe that we are able to reunite after so many years. It¡¯s God''s arrangement. God''s arrangement... cough, cough, please hand me the water!¡±


    Old Man Lu''s exaggerated acting skills actually touched Wang Haitao. He knelt down next to the bed, crying. ¡°Daddy! It¡¯s really you. I¡¯ve struggled to find you...¡±


    Old Man Lu was so emotional that he just waved his hands constantly.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°After a big detour, it''s finally a happy ending... Old Man Lu seems very emotional.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, truly emotional...¡± Chen Shi suddenly noticed what Wang Haitao was pressing on something with his leg and rushed to say, ¡°Fool, you¡¯re pressing down on your dad''s oxygen tube! He''s almost out of oxygen!¡±


    1. Resembled someone who was extremely distraught after a sudden negative change in circumstances.


    2. If you¡¯re helping someone, you should help thempletely until the task is done. Like the story Journey to the West, they had to send the buddha all the way.

 Chapter 313: Thank You, Mr. Chen

    <h4>Chapter 313: Thank You, Mr. Chen</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It was May 16th. A few days had passed since the operation between the father and son. The operation was very sessful. The first thing Wang Haitao did when he was discharged was to visit Chen Shi.


    Wang Haitao arrived quite early and Chen Shi was called out before he could get enough sleep.


    Compared to when they first met, Wang Haitao was now full of energy. His face was rosy and his hair was neatly trimmed. Chen Shi said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. It¡¯s all thanks to the police. You can thank them for it!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen, I stayed at your house for a few days. Let me invite you to breakfast to show my appreciation!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go if it¡¯s too far.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just go nearby.¡±


    The two went outside themunity and Chen Shi pointed at a stall selling pancakes. ¡°That ce isn¡¯t bad. Do you want to try it? You don''t have this in Yunnan!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Haitao epted easily.


    The two lined up behind the other customers. It took a long time to buy two pancakes. Wang Haitao also wanted to eat the spicy soup in the store next to them. The two sat down on small stools outside. Wang Haitao was eating spicy soup and pancakes with tears falling down his face.


    ¡°Huh? Is it too spicy?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°No, this may be thest day of my life to eat this kind ofmoner¡¯s food. I¡¯m a little bit reluctant to let go.¡±


    Chen Shi put down the vinegar bottle. ¡°It seems like I don¡¯t need to add vinegar. I feel sour in my heart already.¡±


    Wang Haitao smiled with tears falling. ¡°I''m really notining without being sick. You don''t know the situation in my family. My mother got along with an educated youth at that time and gave birth to me back then. I couldn''t raise my head in front of outsiders my whole life. My family was so poor when I was a kid. I could only eat a bowl of rice noodles in the morning on New Year''s Eve. In school, the clothes I wore were always patched up. I wasughed at by my ssmates saying that I was a bastard who didn¡¯t have a dad. When I looked for work, I kept hitting obstacles. When I looked for love, they would snob me. I¡¯m not afraid of you thinking it¡¯s a joke if I tell you this ¨C I¡¯m still a vir... Virgin!¡±


    Wang Haitao''s tears fell into the soup and he sighed as he shook his head. ¡°It seemed to be a dream and it seemed like I just time-traveled. My poor life suddenly ended, and I now have a super-rich father... Do you know what my father expects of me?¡°


    ¡°Hoping you inherit hispany?¡±


    ¡°He asked me, but I said I don¡¯t know how to do anything, let alone manage thepany. Even this...¡± Wang Haitao pointed to the stall behind them. ¡°I can''t even run this small restaurant. So he said, ¡®I don''t hope for you to do anything, your two older brothers are gone...''¡°


    ¡°It''s your younger brothers!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it''s my two younger brothers!¡± Wang Haitao smiled. ¡°He said that my two brothers were gone and he didn''t expect me to have any great achievements. He just wanted me to live happily. He made enough money for me to live out three lives and still have money to spare. If I don''t want to inherit thepany in my life, when he dies, he will sell all the shares and let me do whatever I want to do in the future. Even if I were to live as a yboy, he would be fine with that.¡°


    ¡°Actually, you can be considered as a fool with fool¡¯s luck. You know that he was partially responsible for his two sons ¡®deaths¡¯. He expected too much! By the time he got to you, his mentality had already changed. Actually, it¡¯s pretty good like this. Don¡¯t people live to be happy? Money can buy happiness, but most people mistake the goal and treat money as happiness. They try to make money all their lives, but they aren¡¯t happy. ¡°


    ¡°Mr. Chen, talking to you is really easy and eye-opening!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m just casually talking about it... Do you have any ns for the future?¡±


    Wang Haitao smiled embarrassedly. ¡°Nothing is nned. Now that my card has so much money, I don¡¯t even know how to spend it. Do you have any financial difficulties?¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± Chen Shi waved his hands desperately. ¡°I heard that there are a lot of poor mountainous regions in Yunnan. Why don''t you donate to a few charitable elementary schools? You can help the old man to umte good karma and maybe he can live out a few more years.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll let the secretary do it this afternoon... Mr. Chen, can you continue walking with me for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Wang let¡¯s stop here. I hope that you won¡¯t repay me for anything. I was just trying to do my duty.¡±


    ¡°I asked around. You¡¯re not a policeman, so how does this count as your duty?¡±


    Chen Shi was speechless and really didn''t know how to exin that he was just a taxi driver.


    After eating, Wang Haitao went to buy a pack of seven-yuan cigarettes, opened it, and said with emotion, ¡°This is thest time in my life that I¡¯ll smoke such cheap cigarettes...¡±


    ¡°Don''t continue to do these rituals to say goodbye to poverty, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen, why don¡¯t you apany me to the new house! I... I want to show it off to you! It''s really big!¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s expression drooped. ¡°I''m just going to leave. I should leave.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t mean it like that. You are my first friend in Long¡¯an and probably the poorest of my friends in the future. I cherish you very much!¡±


    ¡°The two of us... Our fate will probably end here! You will have many friends in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don''t!¡± Wang Haitao''s face was hurt. ¡°Don''t look down on me because I''m rich now, okay? Maybe one day, you might have a rich father as well. You never know with luck.¡±


    ¡°Who are you scolding?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean...¡±


    After being forcefully dragged by Wang Haitao, Chen Shi was brought into a car. The car was of course a luxury car, but Wang Haitao didn¡¯t know how to drive, so he had a driver.


    When the luxury car departed from the gate of themunity, the stall owners selling pancakes and spicy soup were shocked. They asked the people around them whether the people who just got in the car were the people who had just eaten there.


    Watching the scenery passing by the window, Wang Haitao smiled and said with emotion, ¡°This is much morefortable than a bus... I regret it. I should have taken the bus. This may be thest time in my life that I¡¯ll be able to take a bus.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯rete to the life of a rich second generation. If you want to sit in a bus in the future, you can just buy one to sit in!¡± Chen Shi spat.


    When they arrived, Wang Haitao said, ¡°You can get off first, I''ll pay... Oh, I forgot that we don''t have to pay!¡±


    When they got to Wang Haitao''s mansion, it could be seen that the house waspletely new, but there were no servants around. Wang Haitao said, ¡°I haven''t lived here yet. I don''t know how it feels... Mr. Chen, look! This is a bathroom. It¡¯s so big!¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to let me know. I won''te.¡±


    ¡°This house was given to me by my father. I don''t intend to live here. I n to go to his side to take care of him. The woman who poisoned him has already been sued. It is inevitable that a big tree will catch a lot of wind and I¡¯m worried more people with bad intentions will arrive. I think I¡¯ll worry less if I stay by his side and take care of him.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Chen Shi couldn¡¯t really give any lifestyle advice to people who were rich.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Wang Haitao fetched a big red book and a key. He grabbed Chen Shi''s hand and said, ¡°Mr. Chen, I''ll give you this house as my thanks!¡±


    Chen Shi opened his mouth and was shocked for a whole half minute...

 Chapter 314: Gu You’s Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 314: Gu You¡¯s Scheme</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 21: Master Hypnotist


    On May 7th, with the end of the previous case, Peng Sijue finally got half a day¡¯s worth of free time. He went to the Tianchuan Psychological Counseling Clinic run by Gu You to continue treating his depression.


    Although Peng Sijue was also a science major, he found that he had a big misunderstanding regarding psychological counseling in the past. Like most people, he thought that people who receive counseling like this must have psychological issues. That the psychological counselor would only give them two sentences of chicken soup[1], which would only produce a cebo effect.


    Dr. Ji Changxin, who was his counselor, was experienced and knowledgeable. He used cognitive therapy to help Peng Sijue to relieve depression and made him realize that work and life are equally important.


    Every time Peng Sijue came here, he felt physically and mentally rxed, and the consultations with Dr. Ji were particrly pleasant.


    Today should be hisst consultation.


    It may have been because he came too early, but there was no one in the reception room. Peng Sijue sat down and waited for a while. It was quiet, except for the asional ¡®gulu¡¯ sound from the water cooler from time to time. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he sat there, but Peng Sijue suddenly heard some suspicious sounds. They seemed toe from consultation room number 2.


    Due to his professional sensitivity, Peng Sijue walked over and quietly pushed open the door of the room. The scene inside made him widen his eyes.


    He saw Gu You lying on a lounger with her eyes closed as if she was asleep and having a nightmare. Her two legs encased in ck tights kept twisting, and her breasts kept moving up and down with each pant.


    And that ¡°highly respected¡± counselor Dr. Ji was slowly unbuttoning her shirt. Peng Sijue felt instantly disgusted. The image that he had of the counselor copsed suddenly. He pushed open the door, ¡°Dr. Ji, what are you doing?¡±


    Ji Changxin was startled and said incoherently, ¡°Peng... Mr. Peng... Why have youe...¡±


    Seeing a pocket watch and a small speaker for music, Peng Sijue suddenly understood and frowned. ¡°You hypnotized her and then did this kind of lowly act. Yet, you¡¯re a psychologist.¡±


    ¡°Things are not like what you think. Boss Gu said she has been feeling a little bit stressedtely and wanted to receive my hypnosis therapy. I just... I was just helping her rx a bit! If you don¡¯t believe it, you can ask her when she wakes up. In fact, I¡¯ll wake her up now.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Gu You, who was in a hypnotized state, opened her eyes suddenly and sat up sharply. This scene made Ji Changxin¡¯s heart freeze.


    ¡°You... You haven''t been hypnotized?¡±


    ¡°Ji Changxin, you''re fired.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about... I just thought that your buttons were too tight and wanted to loosen things up for you... Do you want to say that this is sexual harassment?¡±


    Gu You sneered, got up from the lounger, took out a hidden miniature camera from the flowerpot and shook it in her hand, ¡°In the first twenty minutes, you did more than this though?¡±


    Ji Changxin seemed as if he had just been pped. His face turned pale instantly and his mouth hung open, speechless.


    Peng Sijue was also stunned. He didn¡¯t expect that this incident would progress like this. No one was in the consulting room at noon. It turned out that it had all been nned by Gu You.


    Ji Changxin stammered for a long time and finally came up with an extremely ridiculous reason. ¡°Boss, this... This is something you can¡¯t me me for. If you want to me something, it¡¯s that your figure is too sexy. I¡¯m also a man and couldn¡¯t control myself for a while.¡±


    Gu You shook her head with a sneer, and her eyes were full of contempt, ¡°As a psychiatrist, it''s sad to be driven by male hormones to do such despicable things! It doesn''t matter, even if you say that this is a trap. If I didn¡¯t receiveints from clients one after another, saying that during the process of hypnosis they felt as if someone was touching them, I wouldn¡¯t have intentionally set up this trap! Ji Changxin, you are not worthy of being a psychologist. From now on, you are fired!¡±


    ¡°Everyone makes mistakes! Give me another chance!¡± Ji Changxin wailed. ¡°And you are in vition of theborw. I will retire in a few years. If you fire me, my pension...¡±


    ¡°I''m not only going to fire you!¡± Gu You said softly but aggressively, suppressing her anger, ¡°I will also talk to those in our field in Long¡¯an City. From now on, no clinic will hire you! You said that I vited theborw. However, you vited professional ethics first. The biggest taboo for a psychologist is to misuse one¡¯s professional privileges to satisfy one''s selfish desires. This is sexual harassment and you have vited thew. You can¡¯t justify it anywhere... Officer, would I be able to ask you to testify if this goes to court?¡±


    Peng Sijue nodded silently.


    Ji Changxin knew that the situation was irreparable and gave Peng Sijue a miserable nce. ¡°Mr. Peng, I''m so sorry. I can''t continue your treatment. If you want to continue consultations with me, you can contact me...¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Peng Sijue said mildly and indifferently, ¡°I don''t want to be counseled by people like you, thank you.¡±


    Ji Changxin pursed his lips and returned to his office to pack things up. When he was leaving, he angrily kicked a pot of nts over. Gu You said towards the door, ¡°I will deduct that from your severance pay.¡±


    ¡°Go to death, ho! Pretending to be pure!¡± Ji Changxin shouted, before mming the door shut.


    Gu You smiled at Peng Sijue, ¡°You will never know some people¡¯s true nature until the very end.¡±


    ¡°You drove everyone else away today to set up this trap? Miss Gu''s calcting mind is very deep.¡±


    ¡°People who love their profession all hate the scum in their profession very much. Doesn¡¯t Mr. Peng feel the same?¡± Gu You brought a cup of tea to Peng Sijue, and Peng Sijue took the tea cup. He was too embarrassed to keep standing, so he sat down on the sofa.


    ¡°I feel the same way. I may be even more angry than you when I encounter scum in the police force.¡±


    ¡°By the way, in consideration of your mental loss, I will refund half of the pre-paid treatment fee back to Mr. Chen who had paid on your behalf.¡± Gu You actually sat down right next to Peng Sijue.


    The woman''s closeness made Peng Sijue a little ufortable. He moved away a little and said, ¡°As you wish!¡±


    ¡°Is your treatment over?¡±


    ¡°I''m alright.¡±


    ¡°A person who fails to manage his own desires will have problems. How does Mr. Peng handle this matter?¡±


    Peng Sijue thought the topic seemed a bit dangerous, raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that familiar with each other, right?¡±


    ¡°You are a very rational person. You always have your own unique views on things. You have a yardstick in your heart to limit yourself. You are also a perfectionist. You are ustomed to giving silently and rarely care about your own gains and losses. You have a very important person in your heart, but you do not rte to him on a sexual level. To you, he is like a spiritual opposite.¡±


    Exposed at a nce, Peng Sijue was a little ufortable. He said, ¡°I should go.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Peng, I want to make love with you.¡±


    Peng Sijue, who was about to get up, turned back in surprise, and was met with Gu You''s slight smile. He suspected that he had heard it wrong.


    1. Some feel-good logic or words that seem really deep and meaningful.

 Chapter 315: Desolate Old Man

    <h4>Chapter 315: Deste Old Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing Peng Sijue''s expression of surprise, Gu You exined, ¡°I''m not flirting with you and I don''t want to develop a romantic rtionship with you. I just made a mutually beneficial request that you can ept. It¡¯s because I can see that you hate the pointless entanglements between men and women just like me. We dislike the senseless feelings that result from such behaviors. We like efficiency and tidiness. You are a man who wouldn¡¯t think too much even if I suggested that we have sex.¡±


    Peng Sijue understood and said, ¡°We do have things inmon, but this...¡±


    ¡°Let thedy preserve a little face and tell me the answer via WeChat after you go back.¡± Gu You pulled out her mobile phone, retrieved the QR code and handed it over.


    Peng Sijue thought for a while, scanned the code and then silently left.


    Ji Changxin angrily left the consultation room and kept swearing ¡°Ho! Slut!¡± He remembered that he had not eaten yet, and it was already noon. He went to a noodle shop, and the waiters were gathered together, chatting andughing. Ji Changxin raised his voice and called out three times before one person saidzily, ¡°No food.¡±


    Ji Changxin left the shop with a stomach full of anger, and then left to buy instant noodles and mineral water at a convenience store to ay his hunger. He wanted to buy cigarettes, but he restrained himself as he had already quit smoking many years ago.


    After eating the noodles, Ji Changxin took out his mobile phone, stared at a certain number in a daze, dialing it several times and then pressing cancel. Then he finally decided to dial it properly.


    While the phone was ringing on the other end, he was so nervous that his mouth was dry. The call finally connected. A stiff female voice answered, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s me, Yuanyuan, your father!¡± Ji Changxin squeezed out a smile on his wrinkled face, as if the other party could see it.


    ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you. Have you been doing well recently? Are you short of money?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not short of money.¡±


    ¡°How are things with your mother?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    The other side just answered curtly and didn''t even want to say an extra word to him.


    Ji Changxin was still asking, ¡°Yuanyuan, no one bullies you at school, right? If someone bullies you, remember to tell your father...¡±


    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything wrong, I¡¯m hanging up!¡±


    ¡°Dad wille to see you this week...¡±


    He didn¡¯t get a response, but the phone didn¡¯t hang up either. Ji Changxin heard that his daughter was talking to another man, ¡°Baby, who is it?¡± ¡°The old man who divorced my mother back then, is now trying toe back and care for me. How annoying!¡± ¡°Haha, this kind of person is so fucking annoying! Why did he divorce your mother?¡± ¡°Hmm, all due to some disgraceful incidents. I don''t want to mention them.¡±


    Ji Changxin couldn''t bear to listen anymore. He pressed the mobile phone¡¯s button really hard to end the call and swept his leftover instant noodle bowl and mineral water bottle from the table to the ground. The convenience store worker shouted, ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡±


    Ji Changxin went out with his briefcase, and the worker chased after him, ¡°Damn old man, stop! Clean the table for me! Damn...¡±


    Everyone looks down on me. Even my daughter looks down on me!


    Ji Changxin had demonic fury welling up inside of him. The whole afternoon, he walked aimlessly on the streets like a wandering soul. He actually passed by several bus stops on foot. It was getting dark and he nned to take the subway home.


    It looked like he couldn¡¯t be a counselor in the future, or he would have to move to another city and start again like in the past... But he was already so old. Who would want him now? It''s all that woman''s fault.


    Women are all sluts! All of them are tramps that want men after them! In his heart, he cursed the gorgeously dressed women in the subway station fiercely.


    Sitting in the subway, Ji Changxin was deeply worried and sick at heart. He suddenly found that there was a young girl sitting next to him wearing revealing clothing. Ji Changxin thought to himself that this girl was dressed so revealingly; she was obviously showing off her body so that a man would do her.


    The girl''s smooth thighs were only a few centimeters away from the legs of his suit pants. He stared at her fair skin, swallowed some saliva, and his heart was trembling...


    It won¡¯t be discovered if I do it, right?


    He looked around and everyone was looking down at their phones. Even this girl was ying with her phone. Judging from her appearance, the girl had a typical eager-to-please personality. She was the kind of girl who would have been a good girl from an early age. Even if she was taken advantage of, she probably wouldn¡¯t dare to be vocal about it.


    Besides, he is also an old hand at this. He had already met with bad luck today. He didn¡¯t believe he could be that unlucky.


    After making his decision, Ji Changxin pretended to sleep. His left hand seemed to casually rest on his knees. Using his briefcase as a cover, he slowly extended his hand to the girl''s legs. When his fingertips touched the girl''s cool and smooth skin, an indescribably strong pleasure welled up in his heart.


    The girl thought that the sleeping uncle had touched her identally and moved her leg away. Ji Changxin smiled secretly in his heart. He needed to be more careful next time. Wearing such revealing clothes, she deserved to get groped.


    His hand explored upwards, touching the girl''s waist, and through the thin fabric, his fingertips felt the girl''s soft waist that was lightly padded with baby fat. The pleasure in his heart continued to soar.


    It¡¯s wonderful. The girl¡¯s body is indeed a work of God, it was as if the day¡¯s misfortune was swept away.


    The pleasure caused his body to react unconsciously; his hard-on poking up from below. Ji Changxin imagined the scene of going 300 rounds with this girl in bed and constantly gulped down his saliva.


    A violent interruption interrupted his dream, ¡°What are you doing! You old bastard!¡±


    Ji Changxin was frightened and broke out into a cold sweat. He immediately pulled back his hand. A boy in a motorcycle jacket and dyed-blonde hair pointed at him and said, ¡°Are you touching the girl next to you? Huh, old bastard?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying... What are you saying?¡± Ji Changxin pretended to be angry, ¡°In terms of age, I can be your...¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t fall for his act and said to the people around them, ¡°I just saw him touch the girl''s leg. I thought he identally touched it, but when I looked again, his hand actually groped upwards... Little Sister, he touched you, right?¡±


    The girl suddenly became the focus of attention. She blushed, stood up and escaped to the nextpartment.


    ¡°Don''t go, don''t go!¡± The boy called after her, before turning his head to continue criticizing Ji Changxin. ¡°Old pervert, you¡¯re really despicable. You have such a terrible character... Did you see it... Did you see?¡±


    The boy began to look around for witnesses. One or two nodded at first, then five or six... Then a dozen. Ji Changxin thought with resentment that they were just people who were watching the show. They didn¡¯t worry about how the situation would escte; they just joined in even though they didn¡¯t see anything. Providing false testimony was against thew!


    Ji Changxin''s face changed color, and he exined, ¡°I just fell asleep and don''t know what you''re talking about.¡±


    A pnded on Ji Changxin''s face. The boy gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Motherfucker, you¡¯re still not admitting it? If you¡¯ve got the guts, then go to the police with me!¡±


    ¡°You... You...¡± Ji Changxin stood up. ¡°You hit me? I want to sue you for personal injury.¡±


    ¡°So what if I hit you!¡± The boy held onto the upper rails with both his hands, lifted his body, and kicked Ji Changxin in the stomach. Ji Changxin fell back into his seat, and his stomach felt as if it had been filled by a big bottle of vinegar, causing waves of acid reflux.


    People around them apuded, ¡°Good!¡±, ¡°Kill the old pervert!¡±, ¡°At the police station, we will testify for you.¡±


    Ji Changxin bit his lip and there was shame in his heart as if he had been stripped of his clothes and had people watching him. Previous experience told him that in this society, it was eptable for others to kill andmit arson, but not to be perverts on the train.


    From a psychological point of view, the more people want to do things themselves, the more they can''t stand to watch others doing it...


    Stop fucking analyzing it with psychology! Ji Changxin growled in his heart. The more he tried to reason here, the more shame it would bring on him. It was better to run away at this point.


    At that moment, the subway stopped at a station and Ji Changxin rushed out of the car with his briefcase...

 Chapter 316: What Have I Done Wrong?

    <h4>Chapter 316: What Have I Done Wrong?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    As Ji Changxin was pushing through the crowd and rushing out of the carriage door, several hands grabbed him from behind, and the crowd shouted, ¡°Don''t let the old pervert run away!¡±, ¡°Kill him! I hate this kind of person most!¡±


    Ji Changxin struggled forward so desperately that tears came out. Do you know what I experienced today? Why is the whole world against a man in his fifties?!


    The boy went over and kicked Ji Changxin''s butt. This ¡°help¡± caused Ji Changxin to copse forward, and his suit was torn.


    Ji Changxin stumbled and almost fell to the ground. He picked up his briefcase and ran away. He fled to the stairs in one breath, and then he took a big breath and covered his chest with his hand while panting. People passing by looked at him strangely.


    This society is so indifferent and cruel! Ji Changxinined silently. And that was also the case back then. Just because he made a small mistake, he was filmed and the whole world abused,ughed and bullied him.


    That incident caused his wife to quarrel with him and ask for a divorce. His daughter was also awarded to his wife. Furthermore, he lost his job and had to move to another city to start afresh.


    I just couldn''t hold back. I ejacted onto the girl''s skirt and didn''t touch her body at all. Wouldn''t you usually do this to your wife at home as well? Why are they so ruthless to me? Is it really because they have a sense of justice? Why not criticize the corrupt officials and bullies? To put it inly, in the name of justice, they perpetrated violence on the Inte, at the expense of this old man who is unable to fight back!


    After swallowing down his bitter tears, Ji Changxin walked back to the lower level with a bleak heart, ready to take the next subway home.


    Before the subway came, he went to the toilet and was peeing with his head bowed when the man next to him snorted and stared at Ji Changxin, as if recognizing an inte celebrity.


    Ji Changxin knew that this was not a good thing. After all, he had be infamous on the inte in the past, so he turned his face away.


    ¡°Aren''t you the old pervert from just now? Wasn''t that you? Speak!¡±


    Ji Changxin didn''t want to cause trouble and continued peeing with his head lowered.


    The ¡°fan¡± next to him actually turned and peed on him, causing Ji Changxin¡¯s pants and shoes to be drenched. Ji Changxin was shocked. He immediately zipped himself up, and the remaining urine all dripped into the inneryer of his pants. The warmth ran down his legs.


    The ¡°fan¡±ughed, ¡°Old pervert, you deserve it! We despise people like you who harass little girls the most. Come on, why don¡¯t you hit me? Hit me then.¡±


    Ji Changxin''s face was distorted by anger and he said to himself that he would not stoop to this person¡¯s level.


    ¡°Motherfucker!¡± The other party was still scolding, ¡°What a coward!¡±


    Ji Changxin left in a hurry and the other party was still scolding him from behind, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re sexually repressed! You must not have a wife or children. Otherwise, they¡¯ve run away. People like you should really get hit by a car when you go out!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve run away¡± hit Ji Changxin right where it hurt, so his nostrils red as he clenched his fists tightly.


    He knew that he couldn''t beat the other party in a fight, but he wanted to give this dumb guy a little lesson. So, he hid by the toilet door and waited quietly. He looked around and observed. It was currently the interval between two trains. The entire tform was vacant without any people.


    The surveince camera also pointed in the other direction. All conditions were favorable.


    I¡¯ll show him that I¡¯m not someone to mess with! He clenched his jaw.


    The ¡°fan¡± came out unguardedly and his hands were still fastening his belt. He waspletely unaware that Ji Changxin was standing beside him. Ji Changxin clutched his neck from behind, pressing his right thumb tightly on the pulsing carotid artery.


    The strong sensation of suffocation caused the man to struggle madly which resulted in a bloody scratch on the back of Ji Changxin''s hand. Ji Changxin began to say in a low voice, ¡°From now on, you can only hear my voice. Your mind is empty and only my voice echoes in it. You¡¯re feeling more and more sleepy. More and more sleepy. When I count to three, you will fall into a deep sleep. One...Two...Three!¡±


    Ji Changxin let go of his hands and the ¡°fan¡± fell to the ground like a sack of flour. Ji Changxin sneered. Do you know how powerful I am now? I have over a thousand hypnosis experiences under my belt. I¡¯m the best hypnotist from XX University!


    Oh no, there¡¯s someoneing down from above! Ji Changxin immediately instructed the ¡°fan¡±, ¡°Stand up.¡±


    The ¡°fan¡± opened his pair of lifeless eyes and climbed up from the ground. Ji Changxin snapped his fingers twice in front of him. The hypnosis state was not deep enough. He continued to intone the guiding words to consolidate the hypnosis state and bring him into a deeper level of hypnosis.


    Outsiders think that hypnosis makes people fall asleep. In fact, that isn¡¯t the case at all. ording to a paper that he wrote in college, hypnosis puts the brain into a beta sleep state, which is also known as the REM sleep state, in which the person is actually semi-awake.


    It¡¯s just that the person who is hypnotized, and the hypnotist have a short-term rtionship established between them in which all surrounding sounds are blocked by the subconscious. The hypnotized can only hear the voice of the hypnotist and execute hismands.


    Looking at this guy who had just humiliated him, Ji Changxin wondered how to deal with him. He suddenly had an excellent idea. Make him fall off the tform and be killed by a train!


    The punishments imposed on killers made him a little fearful, but after a bit of thinking, he realized that the surveince cameras overhead would only record the man walking off by himself, so even the police wouldn¡¯t consider it as murder.


    That¡¯s it!


    Ji Changxin patted the man''s shoulder, turned him toward the train tracks, and said next to his ear, ¡°You are in front of a beautiful prairie. Can you see it? Ten meters in front of you, is what you want most. What is it?¡±


    ¡°A house.¡± The man opened his lifeless eyes and spoke in a tone as if he was sleepwalking, ¡°A beautiful house. Two floors. It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a beautiful house. Do you see that floor-to-ceiling window?¡±


    ¡°I do. It''s so beautiful. Wow, a big swimming pool, and-¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡±


    The manughed foolishly, ¡°A hottie!¡±


    The sound of the train drew closer. It was time. Ji Changxin urged, ¡°Go! The beauty is waiting for you! You can walk forward with confidence. It¡¯s t ground in front of you.¡±


    The man moved his legs like a wind-up clockwork toy, walking towards the big house and the beauty in his eyes, then fell straight down the tform. Ji Changxin smiled gleefully, but the smile stayed on his face for less than five seconds. Someone suddenly screamed, ¡°Ah, someone fell down!¡±


    A boy who looked like a high school student rushed down first and then a volunteer wearing a red vest also jumped down. The two tried hard to push the man above to the tform. In the tunnel, the light of the train illuminated their fearful faces.


    All the passengers on the tform gathered and shouted, ¡°Hurry up! Hurry up!¡±, ¡°Give me your hand!¡±, ¡°Hurry up, the train ising!¡±


    ¡°Stupid people! Just be crushed to death as well!¡± Ji Changxin said viciously to himself.

 Chapter 317: Killing One Hundred Equates to Death As Well

    <h4>Chapter 317: Killing One Hundred Equates to Death As Well</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    What was unexpected was that the high school student and the man in the red vest were about to push the "man who fell down" up. At that moment, the train hadn¡¯t yet entered the tform, and all three were about to be saved. Ji Changxin was stunned. If this man was rescued, considering what Ji Changxin had done to him, he would probably be charged with attempted murder.


    It was not only the jail time that he was worrying about, but also the loss of face. Yes, he couldn''t afford to lose any more face!


    From an early age, he had always been an honest person, a nerd and a coward in the eyes of others. Even if he was bullied, he didn¡¯t dare to resist. The impression that "Ji Changxin = coward" was engraved in the minds of almost everyone who knew him. If he failed to murder, those people would say, "Huh, Ji Changxin is really just trash. He can¡¯t even kill people properly." "Three-year-old sets the tone for eighty[1]. I knew that this kid wouldn¡¯t amount to anything in his lifetime.¡± "He¡¯s only a coward who knows how to sexually harass little girls on trains."


    He would rather that the people around him say about him at the end of his life: "Wow, I didn''t think that Ji Changxin would kill people!" "He looks honest, but it turned out he had such a cruel character." "It¡¯s terrifying thinking that I offended him in the past."


    Ji Changxin finally made up his mind and strode toward the tform. He put his briefcase on the ground,y down on it, leaned forward and stretched out one arm, pretending to be "a helping hand" like everyone else. In fact, he was quietly saying to the man, "There is a cliff in front of you, and a strong wind behind you is blowing you forward. Turn back immediately. Otherwise, you will fall and shatter your body!"


    There was a lot of noise around him, so his voice was perfectly drowned out. But to the hypnotized, the hypnotist''s voice sounded thunderously loud.


    "Okay!"


    The man, who was about to be pushed onto the tform by the man in a red vest and the high school student, suddenly screamed; his body weight tilted backwards, and he pushed them away with both hands. The passengers on the tform were shocked. In that instant, the train arrived and all three were crushed to death in the midst of screams.


    Warm blood sshed onto Ji Changxin''s face which slowly unveiled an evil grin, and at this moment, he seemed to be awakened... Yes, I am extremely powerful. I can kill anyone who I don¡¯t like the look of, and I don''t have to endure anything.


    The aftermath of the tragedy was still spreading on the tform, and the surrounding passengers weren¡¯t at all clear about what had happened. Some people were so scared that they were crying, while others swore to others about what they saw with their own eyes. "There was something mentally wrong with that man. He actually pushed the two people away! " " He must have been trying tomit suicide. Suicide aside, he shouldn¡¯t have dragged people down with him. That¡¯s too immoral!"


    Ji Changxin wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve. It was time to go back. He nned to have a nice drink that night and have a good night''s sleep. Tomorrow...


    Ji Changxin''s gaze suddenly fell on someone beside a pir. A junior high school girl was staring at him in dread as if she was watching a murderer. The two looked at each other for only one second. The junior high school girl suddenly turned her head around and ran away.


    Oh no, what could she have seen?!


    Ji Changxin was frightened, thinking that she was going to call the police.


    He couldn''t let the ticking time-bomb leave, so he quickly caught up with the girl on the stairs. The girl was scrambling to get out of the crowd and kept looking back while making her way out. Ji Changxin pushed through the crowd and the two left the station one after the other.


    The girl crossed the road and walked quickly along the sidewalk. Ji Changxin followed closely behind her. He observed the girl''s every move, paying particr attention to whether she was texting or using her mobile phone.


    The girl entered an alley, and Ji Changxin''s heart became conflicted. If he didn¡¯t take care of her here, there might not be another chance. However, she might not have seen anything. It¡¯s not like he pushed the man down himself. Even if this girl saw him giving instructions to him, this junior high school girl may not have necessarily understood what she saw.


    No, he couldn¡¯t take any risks. It was better to kill in error than to let her go. He had already killed three people anyway. Adding one more wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    The famous ethicist, Wu Song, once said that killing one equates to death, and killing a hundred equates to death as well.


    An arrow that has left the bow will never turn back. Don¡¯t think about it. Don¡¯t think about it! Just fucking do it!


    Ji Changxin rushed forward quickly. Noticing that someone was behind her, she screamed and tried to run away desperately. Ji Changxin speeded up, and the girl was having trouble running in her school uniform skirt and leather shoes. Even though Ji Changxin was old and clumsy, in the eyes of a underage girl, he was as fierce and terrible as a beast.


    When Ji Changxin caught up, the girl screamed and shouted, "Save..." Before she had finished speaking, she had been strangled from the back with his coat. Ji Changxin began to hypnotize her, but the girl struggled so hard that he couldn''t guide her well.


    The strugglested for about ten seconds, and eventually she passed out because of suffocation. Ji Changxin ced the girl on the ground. His heart was pounding, and he looked around him. Very good. Nobody is around to see this.


    He confirmed the girl''s unconscious state and began to guide her with a gentle but strict voice in her ear, "You feel rxed all over. You are lying in warm water. It¡¯s veryfortable. Very warm. You can only hear my voice. My voice is like light that surrounds you...¡±


    The girl''s eyeballs kept rolling underneath her closed eyelids. The process onlysted for a moment. As her breathing gradually calmed down, the girl''s expression became more peaceful as if she had fallen asleep.


    Ji Changxin kept holding the girl''s right hand. He continued, "When I count to three, you will enter a state of deep hypnosis. One, two, three!" He released her hand and the girl''s right hand hung in the air, which symbolized that she had entered a hypnotic state.


    Ji Changxin breathed a sigh of relief. He finally had the leisure to look up and down the girl¡¯s body. She was a girl in the prime of youth. The slender and petite body had smooth and stic skin. Even though there were pimples and freckles on the face, they were also a symbol of youth. She exuded a girl''s bodily fragrance.


    The words "beautiful girl" had great appeal to a lonely old man.


    Originally, he had intended to give her an instruction to make her walk onto the road and be killed by a car, but he changed his mind. It would be a pity if a beautiful girl was to be hit by a car and turned into a lump of rotten meat. She could obviously bring about a wonderful night.


    "What is your name?"


    The hypnotized girl replied in a daze, "Fan Lixue."


    "Fan Lixue, stand up ande with me."


    Under his instructions, the girl stood up like a string puppet and walked alongside Ji Changxin.


    An hourter, she was taken to Ji Changxin''s studio apartment and he closed the door. Ji Changxin couldn''t wait to look at her. His hands were ced on the sides of her arms, as if looking at a delicate gift. She was like a fresh, ripe, and seductive red apple.


    Even hypnosis cannot make people do things that vite their moral bottom line, such as undressing, killing, and suicide.


    Fan Lixue sensed that she was in a strange environment, and her mind urgently tried to wake up...


    1. The Chinese saying means roughly that from the character and personality traits revealed by a three-year-old, one can infer that he will have simr traits as an eighty year old. E.g. If a three-year-old does something crafty or sneaky, the parent might use this idiom to mean (usually half-jokingly) that he will be just as crafty or sneaky when he is older.

 Chapter 318: Tolerating Won’t Solve the Problem

    <h4>Chapter 318: Tolerating Won¡¯t Solve the Problem</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Fan Lixue¡¯s consciousness felt as if it was being covered up with a milky-colored stic bag, where she couldn¡¯t hear any outside sounds. She could only hear this uncle¡¯s voice talking to her, and she could only follow his instructions. She desperately struggled and resisted, wanting to wake up from this sleep-like state.


    Suddenly, it seemed as if a small hole was broken in the "stic bag". Fan Lixue saw an uncle with a perverted face. She screamed for a long time until she was fully awake. She found that she couldn¡¯t move her limbs, then realized that she was tied up.


    The uncle looked down at her, smiling lecherously, as if the corners of his mouth were about to have drool dripping. Fan Lixue was trembling with fear. Her first reaction was that this must be another evil prank that Han Jingming had nned.


    This time... This time, she has crossed the line!


    The uncle reached out and began to unbutton her blouse. Fan Lixue felt a cool breeze on the skin of her chest, which made her panic and scream desperately, "Help... Help..."


    Then she realized that there was a TV in the room, and the volume was so loud that itpletely overwhelmed her voice... She was wondering why she hadn''t noticed the sound of the TV at all earlier.


    Ji Changxin put a finger on his lips and made a gesture for her to stop screaming. "If you make another noise, I will plug your mouth."


    Fan Lixue shed tears and curled up as she trembled. "What do you want to do to me... I don¡¯t have anything on me..."


    Silly girl, don''t you know that you are a treasure in the eyes of others?


    Ji Changxin slid his hand inside Fan Jianjian''s clothes from below, stroking her t and smooth belly. It felt really good to him. His heart pounded madly since he had not touched a woman for so long.


    "Uncle... Uncle..." Fan Lixue trembled like a wet baby chick. "Can you let me go? Please... You can take my cell phone and wallet... Please let me go! "


    "Fan Lixue, what did you see at the subway station?" After asking this, Ji Changxin regretted it a little. He shouldn''t use the other person''s name. The girl was just prey tied up by him that will be killed directly after being raped. He shouldn''t treat her as a person.


    When it came to rape and killing, there was a sliver of uncertainty residing in him. Could he really do such a thing?


    Fan Lixue responded, "I... I just saw a ssmate!"


    "Lies!" Ji Changxin¡¯s face was solemn. "When children lie, they need to be punished."


    He began to take off her bra as she struggled violently. At that moment, Fan Lixue¡¯s mobile phone began to buzz non-stop, annoying Ji Changxin. Do young girls¡¯ phone prompts need to be set so loud?


    Ji Changxin left Fan Lixue alone for the time being and took out her mobile phone from her school bag. It turned out that a WeChat group was chatting enthusiastically, and a student named Han Jingming was saying, "Wow, do you guys know what I saw at the subway station? A man fell off the tform and two other men went to rescue him. In the end, all three were killed by the train. Wow, the scene was full of blood. So scary!"


    This was a ss chat group, and there were a bunch of people who responded, "Do you have photos?""Pics or it didn¡¯t happen!"


    Han Jingming posted several photos, which were indeed taken at the scene.


    Fan Lixue curled up into a ball and trembled. "Uncle, did Han Jingming ask you toe and harass me?"


    "I don''t know anyone by the name of Han Jingming."


    "She... She often bullies me at school... So, I ran away when I saw her."


    Oh, so that was the case. What a blunder.


    But she was already tied up and touched. If I let her go, wouldn''t I be in trouble?


    There was also a chat record between Han Jingming and Fan Lixue on WeChat, which had been sent at 5PM. Han said, "I have added music to your video. No need to thank me." A video was attached. Fan Lixue knelt down in a ce that seemed to be a women''s toilet. A stream of water kept pouring over her and someone was cracking up beside her. The video was set to trendy, electronic music. The whole videosted about five minutes.


    Ji Changxin was a little shocked. Would junior high school girls actually do this kind of thing?


    He continued to scroll upwards, and the chat records appeared before his eyes. "Smelly slut, I took a video to see how cheap you are!" "You went away as soon as you saw me. Why did you do that? Believe it or not, I¡¯ll mess with you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Did you tell the teacher about it? I rip your fucking mouth apart.¡± ¡°If you talk about what happened this afternoon, I¡¯ll throw you down from the rooftop.¡±


    It could be seen that this girl named Han Jingming had been bullying Fan Lixue for a very long time.


    "Don''t watch, don''t watch!" Fan Lixue didn''t want her shameful affairs to be exposed to strangers. She cried and said, "Uncle, stop looking at my cell phone. You can hit and scold me. Just don''t look at my cell phone. I beg of you!"


    Ji Changxin knew that his daughter was also bullied at school. That had happened after his divorce. The reason was his ¡°reputation¡±. His daughter had been gradually isted and bullied at school.


    But he couldn''t do anything for his daughter at a time when he couldn¡¯t even help himself, which was one of the reasons why his daughter hated him.


    It doesn''t matter if I''m a molester or a sex maniac, you shouldn''t touch my family! There were countless times where he wanted to shout that to the entire world, but this world was unreasonable. Bullying the weak was the world¡¯sw. An uncle molested a girl on a bus, which meant that anyone could step on him and bully his family at will.


    He looked at the girl lying on the bed. His daughter was about the same age, and Ji Changxin suddenly felt a strong wave of sadness. He sat by the bed, crying with his head buried in his arms.


    After crying for some time, someone handed him a tissue. Ji Changxin said his thanks and took it. He wiped his eyes and suddenly froze. He turned his head and looked at Fan Lixue.


    It turned out that the rope that tied her up was too loose. She had broken free long ago. Fan Lixue sat on the bed, watching Ji Changxin.


    She wasn''t so afraid of him anymore. After all, Ji Changxin didn¡¯t look that fierce. She said, "Uncle, you''re a bit like my father."


    "Oh... Oh really? What does your dad do?"


    "White-cor work. Hemitted suicide when I was ten years old, and everyone around him said he was a criminal who was guilty of corruption."


    "So people bullied you at school?"


    Fan Lixue nodded silently, "In the beginning, everyone just ostracized me andughed at me. Later, a few girls started to tease me and found that I didn''t dare to resist, and they... They did a lot of extreme things to me... But I¡¯m already in third year and will graduate soon!¡± Fan Lixue tried to squeeze out a smile, but failed. ¡°As long as I endure 62 more days, I don''t have to worry about them anymore!"


    "Stupid child, tolerating it will only make things worse."


    "What else can I do? I can''t beat them, and I dare not tell the teacher. What can I do except endure it?¡±


    Ji Changxin looked at her and it was as if he was seeing his own daughter. He had an urge to do something for her, so he said, "Do you know how the three people who were killed by the train died today?¡±


    "Uncle, are you teasing me? You also said that they were killed by the train..."


    "Do you think it was suicide or homicide?"


    "Suicide... I heard people say that the man wanted to die and killed the other two in the process."


    Ji Changxin grinned, "Would you like the people who bully you tomit suicide too?"

 Chapter 319: School Campus Suicide Case

    <h4>Chapter 319: School Campus Suicide Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On May 14th, Lin Qiupu suddenly called everyone into the meeting room. There was an unfamiliar face present. Lin Qiupu introduced, "This is Officer Luo Haifeng from the administrative region police station."


    Luo Haifeng greeted everyone and smiled slightly when his eyes fell on Lin Dongxue.


    Luo Haifeng began to exin why he hade to the bureau. "At first nce, this may not seem to be a criminal case, but as it¡¯s just too abnormal, I think it is better to consult with you experts who investigate criminal cases. Five people in a middle school jumped off the building andmitted suicide this week..."


    "Five people jumped off the building?!" The officers were shocked.


    "ording to our investigation, these five children have no reason tomit suicide at all. They were rtively lively and cheerful, and there have been no major conflicts within their families recently. They also had no history of mental illness. From visiting and asking their ssmates, I did find out something. The five children whomitted suicide have all bullied a girl in their ss, Fan Lixue. That¡¯s her."


    Luo Haifeng looked at the projection screen, and everyone also looked. Fan Lixue''s student ID photo was projected on it, and six girls'' photos appeared below.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Why are there six deceased?"


    "No, the one on the far right is Han Jingming, who is still alive. The students in the ss all agreed that she was the leader of this small group of girls. Due to the death of these five girls, it was exposed that she had led the others in bullying Fan Lixue. With her friends dying one after another, Han Jingming has suffered a lot of psychological pressure. She has taken leave from school these few days and is too frightened to even leave the house.¡±


    "Officer Luo, what was the order in which these five girls died?"


    Luo Haifeng exined and also introduced the background of each girl briefly. Old Zhang said, "Interesting. Assuming that this was murder, the order of the deceased is from the outermost members of the small group to the most core members in sequence!"


    "Just like killing the boss, Han Jingming should be thest one." Xu Xiaodong chimed in.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Are you sure theymitted suicide?"


    "Although no one saw the first two victims when they died, there weren¡¯t a second person''s footprints around the areas from which they fell off. There were no fingerprints on their bodies too. Thest three deceased had witnesses who also recorded videos. They were indeed suicides. "


    "Did you bring those videos over?"


    "I did."


    Luo Haifeng copied a video recorded by a witness with his mobile phone to aputer and projected it onto arge screen. The video was taken from a ssroom and the top of another building could be seen from the window. The person behind the camera pointed at it and eximed, "Woah, someone wants to jump!"


    As a result, the students who were attending a self-study session flocked to the window and discussed things fervently. They could only see the deceased walk silently to the edge of the building and then fall straight down. The onlookers screamed in horror.


    The scene shocked the police officers present. However, something didn¡¯t seem quite right to Lin Dongxue. How could the jump be so clean and without hesitation?


    "There are still a few more videos taken by other people from different angles. The content is the same. Do you want to watch those?" Luo Haifeng asked.


    "There¡¯s no need right now." Lin Qiupu responded.


    Peng Sijue asked, "Have the autopsies been done?"


    "The parents of four of the children did not ask for autopsies. Only one was sent to a medical university for an autopsy, and the autopsy results are here." Luo Haifeng handed over a report and Peng Sijue looked it over.


    Lin Qiupu queried, "Captain Peng, what does it say?"


    "There were no signs of poisoning. No traces of external force, and the forensic judgement is suicide."


    "Howe..."


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand timidly. "Could this be hypnosis? Didn''t you see how the deceased fell straight down in that video? She didn¡¯t even stop once. It must be hypnosis!"


    Normally, people would say that Xu Xiaodong had read too many novels, but at present, many police officers nodded in agreement.


    Coincidentally, Lin Dongxue had also recently discussed hypnosis with Chen Shi. Lin Dongxue said, "But I remember there are restrictions on hypnosis. No matter how deep the hypnosis is or how good the hypnotist is, the person being hypnotized wouldn¡¯t do something that vites their own moral code or hurt themselves. If the hypnotist instructed them to do so, the person being hypnotized will immediately wake up."


    Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t too sure of it himself, and said, "Look at the video again. Luo Haifeng, please broadcast the videos from the other angles."


    The police watched the videos over and over again. Some people thought it was hypnosis, and some people didn''t agree. The two sides argued over it. Peng Sijue piped up suddenly, "Let me take up some of your time. I have another video to show you."


    Peng Sijue opened his email and downloaded a video so as to start ying it for the other officers. When the video started, many of them mumbled, "The subway station?"


    They saw a man walking straight towards the tracks and then falling down. A man in a red vest and a boy dressed as a high school student jumped down from the tform to save him. When the two were about to push the man up, the man suddenly moved backwards.


    When they saw the three men being run over by the train, gasps filled the conference room.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Captain Peng, where did you get this video?"


    "This surveince video was taken by the Chenghai Road subway station at 6PM on May 7th. Why is this video in my hands? Because the forensic investigator in that area is my disciple. When this incident happened that night, in order for the trains to resume operation, his superiors asked for the bodies to be removed within three hours, which is why he asked for my help. The incident happened as you saw in the video. The man fell off the tform by himself and two people tried to rescue him. At the critical moment, he suddenly gave up trying to survive and all three were crushed to death. I saved this video because I thought the suicide was a little strange. I didn''t expect it toe in handy."


    In the midst of the startled murmuring, Luo Haifeng mentioned, "The Chenghai Road subway station and the middle school where the suicide incidents urred happen to be in the same area."


    "Let¡¯s watch it again!" Lin Qiupu said.


    Everyone watched the video a few more times and their attention was focused on one point. Why did the man suddenly give up on his life when he was about to be saved?


    The quality of the surveince video was extremely poor, and since it was after six o''clock in the evening, the expressions on the man''s face couldn¡¯t be made out at all. They couldn¡¯t figure out the identities of the passengers who crowded around on the tform trying to reach out for them either.


    Xu Xiaodong wondered, "This man seems to be avoiding something. Is it possible that someone on the tform pointed a gun at him?"


    Lin Dongxue argued, "It is impossible to have a gun in a subway station. You can¡¯t possibly bring it in.¡±


    "I think the point is whether this man was under hypnosis." Lin Qiupu said, "We don''t know much about hypnosis. Let¡¯s find an expert to consult about it!"


    "I know of one," Peng Sijue offered.

 Chapter 320: Principles of Hypnosis

    <h4>Chapter 320: Principles of Hypnosis</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An hourter, Gu You arrived at the bureau. She was very willing to cooperate with the police''s request. She exined, "Although I am not very good at hypnosis, I know a bit about it. In our clinic, we have also used hypnosis therapy. If you have any questions, you can ask me!¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked straight away, "Can hypnosis kill people? I mean, used to order people tomit suicide?"


    "Under normal circumstances, no."


    "What about abnormal circumstances?"


    Gu Youughed, "I don''t know how to put it in words. Let''s try it out."


    "Yes, that¡¯s a more direct way to go about it. Who will cooperate with Miss Gu?" Lin Qiupu looked around.


    Everyone was reluctant. It wasn''t that they were afraid of the negative effects of hypnosis. The main reason was that it was a bit embarrassing to put themselves in the limelight. Gu You looked around and observed the expressions on everyone''s faces. Finally, her eyes fell on Xu Xiaodong, saying, "This little brother, why don¡¯t youe over?"


    "I... Forget it!" Xu Xiaodong smiled.


    "Xiaodong, go up. This is an order!" Lin Qiupu ordered.


    Gu You also said, "There are so many people, so there will be interference. Can I ask everyone to head outside first?"


    The crowd left for the corridor, but couldn''t restrain their curiosity. They jostled one another to peek through the slit of the door, and saw Xu Xiaodong lying on the table. Gu You yed soothing music on theputer, and started speaking to Xu Xiaodong.


    The whole processsted for half an hour. Just as everyone was getting impatient, Xu Xiaodong suddenly opened the door and came out. The officers said in surprise, "It''s over?" "This is the end of the hypnosis?" "What? Nothing happened! "


    Xu Xiaodong''s expression was a little strange. He suddenly got down and started doing push-ups frantically. Gu You came out and smiled, "He has already been hypnotized by me."


    "He¡¯s still in a hypnotized state?" Lin Dongxue said incredulously.


    "Yes, he can only hear my voice right now. If I don¡¯t tell him to stop, he won¡¯t stop... Officer Xu, stop!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly stopped and remained motionless.


    Gu You walked over, took off her shoes and stood on his back. Everyone was stunned. They thought that it would break Xu Xiaodong''s arms, but Gu You signaled to everyone to not be afraid, and then she said, "Please continue!"


    Surprisingly, Xu Xiaodong actually started to do push-ups supporting Gu You¡¯s weight, as if he wasn¡¯t affected at all.


    Everyone knew that although Xu Xiaodong often worked out, he didn''t have the strength to do this. After about ten push-ups, Gu You said, "Stop! Stand up."


    Xu Xiaodong stood up.


    Gu You exined, "When a person is in a hypnotic state, he can easily break his physical limits and do things that he can''t normally do, but it does not mean that I can order him to do anything. For example, if I ask him to take off his clothes, he will wake up right away... Given the trouble of hypnotizing him again, I will not experiment with that."


    Lin Qiupu said, "So murder and suicide are impossible?"


    Gu You smiled slightly. "It can be done, but you can''t give a direct order. For example, with regards to undressing..." Gu You gestured for everyone to be quiet. "Please take a step back and don''t make a sound."


    Gu You said to Xu Xiaodong, "You are now in a dark house and it is getting hotter and hotter..."


    Sweat started beading on Xu Xiaodong¡¯s face, which shocked the onlookers.


    Gu You''s tone changed, "Do you smell that? The smell of sulfuric acid? It turns out that there is a lot of sulfuric acid on your clothes. They will burn your skin soon. Hurry and do something!"


    Xu Xiaodong panicked. He started to take off his clothes while yelling. In front of everyone, he took off all the clothes on his upper body. As he was taking off his pants, Gu You suddenly snapped her fingers. Xu Xiaodong was stuck in ce, with his hands on his pants like a statue. He asked, "Huh? What am I doing?"


    Many people were amazed by this scene and gasped in amazement. Some people couldn''t even believe that it was true. They thought that Gu You and Xu Xiaodong had colluded to put on a show.


    Gu You patted his shoulder and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. You should get dressed!"


    Xu Xiaodong realized that he wasn''t wearing a shirt, and quickly picked up his clothes and ran back into the conference room. His panicked actions caused a burst ofughter.


    Gu You said to Lin Qiupu, "Even if it is against his morals, it only needs to be contextualized in an appropriate situation and it will be fulfilled in an indirect way. It can be done! Some people think that hypnosis is very simr to a beta sleep state; people in this state will be dreaming constantly. The principle of hypnosis is that the dream is controlled by the hypnotist. People who are exposed to overly strong stimuli in their dreams will wake up, and this is the case with hypnosis as well."


    Lin Qiupu said, "If that¡¯s the case, the five students in the school whomitted suicide and the incident in the subway station may be the result of hypnosis?"


    "I think the point is not whether hypnosis can kill people, but how were they hypnotized?... Can we move back to the conference room?"


    After everyone re-entered the meeting room, Gu You requested to watch the surveince video of the subway station and the video of the student jumping off the building again. After watching it, Gu You suddenly became worried. Lin Qiupu shouted several times before she came back to her senses.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "You just said that the focus is on how they were hypnotized. Why is that?"


    "Does everyone think that hypnosis is lying on a recliner, with the hypnotherapist reading out some guiding words, and slowly inducing people into a hypnotic state? Also, that no matter who it is, as long as the method is appropriate, you can hypnotize them?"


    Many people nodded.


    Gu You exined, "Hypnosis is not so much a skill as it is a gifted talent. People who do not understand any psychology may be able to hypnotize others after simple training, but one thing is very important. Suggestion. The more suggestible the person is, the easier it is to hypnotize them, and vice versa. Not everyone can be hypnotized. Also, the psychological expectations of the person being hypnotized is very important. I just hypnotized Officer Xu because a consensus was reached in advance. He knew my identity and believed that I would not harm him. He knew that it was safe, so hey down here to receive hypnosis and allowed his subconscious to ept my control... But if it was a stranger, or if one side wanted to maliciously hurt the other, under this psychological state of intense confrontation, hypnosis is almost impossible! Therefore, even if the murderer has a lot of skill in hypnosis, it can¡¯t be used on people who distrust them."


    Lin Qiupu was disappointed for a while, when Gu You continued, "There is a legend that there is a violent type of hypnosis, which can even hypnotize enemies."

 Chapter 321: School Bullying

    <h4>Chapter 321: School Bullying</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu said excitedly, ¡°Miss Gu, what is the method?¡±


    Gu You shook her head. ¡°I don''t know. I have to ask a real expert in that field. In fact, there was an expert in hypnosis at my clinic. When he was studying at XX University, he specialized in the field of hypnosis. He was once the leading hypnotist in China. The beta sleep state theory that I just mentioned was in an academic paper he published while he was in graduate school.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that your clinic had a hidden master!¡± Lin Qiupu praised.


    ¡°Is such an expert expensive to consult?¡± Xu Xiaodong said.


    ¡°No, like other psychologists, the consultation fee is only three hundred yuan per hour. By the way, you can go onto Baidu[1] to search for ¡®Ji Changxin¡¯. I believe that you will have a moreprehensive understanding of him...¡±


    Everyone turned on their mobile phones orputers and started searching the keywords ¡°Ji Changxin¡±. All the words popping up on the screen were phrases like ¡°Wolf of the Tram¡±, ¡°Sexual assault¡±, and ¡°Perverted Old Uncle¡±. These shed new light on Ji for the officers.


    Gu You said, ¡°Originally he was in Shanghai. He worked as a professor at a university and as a psychologist. It could be said that his future had no limits, but due to this incident, he was forced to move and came to Long¡¯an to start afresh... I didn¡¯t expect that he wouldn¡¯t change. Recently, I have receivedints from clients stating that they suspected him ofmitting sexual assault. After my investigation, I found out that it was indeed true, so I dismissed Ji Changxin on May 7th.¡±


    Gu You nced at Peng Sijue casually. She did not mention that Peng Sijue was present. After all, it would vite his personal privacy to mention that he had gone for treatment.


    ¡°May 7th?¡± Old Zhang smacked the table. ¡°Isn''t that the day when the three people were killed by the train? Miss Gu, did Ji Changxin normally pass through that station after work?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, he doesn''t seem to get off at this stop.¡± Gu You said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary to conclude that Ji Changxin is a suspect for the time being. He does possess this skill, but Miss Gu also said that hypnosis is a talent, and other criminals may have also learned about it.¡± Lin Qiupu said.


    ¡°Yes, the mechanism of hypnosis isplicated, but the means is extremely simple!¡± Gu You exined.


    Old Zhang said, ¡°I think we can visit Ji Changxin, mainly to ask him how violent hypnosis is done.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll leave this to you.¡±


    Gu You said, ¡°I also want to visit Ji Changxin. I¡¯m a professional, and it¡¯s easier to get to the point during the discussion with me present... I hope to serve as a consultant to the police in this case.¡±


    Lin Qiupu immediately assigned tasks. The case was temporarily handled as a criminal case. Old Zhang, his partner and Gu You went to look for Ji Changxin. Xu Xiaodong, Lin Dongxue, and the others went to the school to investigate. Since it had been upgraded to a criminal case, autopsy requests did not need to be initiated by the families of the deceased. Peng Sijue and his subordinates went to persuade the family members to agree to autopsies.


    Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong and Luo Haifeng worked together. Luo Haifeng asked them to go to the local police station first. He said that he had some evidence to show them.


    When they got to the police station, Luo Haifeng turned on hisputer and found a folder marked with a date. He exined, ¡°This is what I found on the five girls'' mobile phones. I wanted to find the reason for their suicide. I didn''t expect to find something else.¡±


    Luo Haifeng clicked on a video. In the video, a girl in school uniform kneeled down in a ce that seemed to be a women¡¯s toilet. A stream of water was pouring over her. She was drenched in water and her body trembled whileughter could be heard from the side. The video was set to music and itsted almost five minutes.


    Lin Dongxue was shocked after watching the video. This is what junior high school students do?


    Luo Haifeng said, ¡°This girl is Fan Lixue whom they were bullying, and she is in the same ss with the five girls and Han Jingming.¡±


    Luo Haifeng showed them another video. The location seemed to be a corner somewhere. A short-haired girl held Fan Lixue''s hair and kept pping her in the face. ¡°Go and tell the teacher. If you go again, see if I won¡¯t tear up your fucking mouth. Have you all ever seen such a cheap person? Fan Lixue, stoping to school. You should just go and sell yourself. See if anyone would want you for 50 yuan!¡±


    The person shooting the video and the people around herughed non-stop.


    Lin Dongxue had mes raging in her heart as she watched. Xu Xiaodong walked directly to the wall and punched the wall three times, which attracted the surprised attention of people in the office. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°It''s nothing. I¡¯m just venting. I was also bullied like this when I went to school... School campus bullying. But in the eyes of the teachers and parents, it¡¯s just kids quarrelling with one another. But back then I was... I really wanted to kill that group of people!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said to Luo Haifeng, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t watch further. I''m afraid he''ll spiral out of control.¡±


    ¡°I''m okay.¡± Xu Xiaodong said, even though his eyes had turned red.


    ¡°This is the situation.¡± Luo Haifeng concluded, ¡°The small group of six girls had been bullying Fan Lixue for a very long time. It¡¯ssted for nearly a year.¡±


    ¡°The teacher really doesn''t know about this?¡±


    ¡°It''s impossible not to know. The ss teacher and the substitute teacher said that they would tell them off whenever they saw them ¡®getting into trouble¡¯, but they said they didn''t know that it was so severe. If they knew that it was so severe, they would have called their parents long ago.¡±


    ¡°It''s all just hindsight... What''s the school''s attitude towards this now?¡±


    ¡°It was no small matter that five students died one after another. The school gates were packed with reporters for the past two days. Many parents did not want their children to attend school. The school''s attendance rate during the past two days was only 60%. It seems that the principal hasid down a ''ban'', forbidding any teacher to ept interviews or inquiries. If you question the teachers, you may not be able to get anything from them.¡±


    ¡°When something happens, they just think of reducing the impact first. What typical bureaucratic thinking!¡± Lin Dongxue scoffed.


    ¡°In addition, I do not rmend that you go to the parents of the deceased. They are very emotional. I heard that they formed a small gang and went to look for Fan Lixue¡¯s mother in order to cause trouble, asking her to die inpensation for the five lives.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the police handling it?¡±


    ¡°The police will only take action if they are called upon by the victim. Fan¡¯s mother could no longer bear the harassment one night and she finally reported it to the police. That¡¯s how we found out that the parents of the deceased had been harassing her for a few days already. She¡¯s been forced to sleep at her workce... Oh yes, she is a single mother and works at the Municipal Grain Bureau. Their lives are rather difficult.¡±


    ¡°If the upper beams aren¡¯t good, the lower beams will be crooked. These barbaric parents have fostered barbaric children!¡± Xu Xiaodong said angrily.


    ¡°We can''t say who is right and who is wrong. Both parties are victims and aggressors at the same time.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t help that there¡¯s such a contradiction. What we can do is to stop the dispute and not to worsen it so that it bes violent. I also promised the deceased girls to give them an answer when I took on my shift that night. Which is why I¡¯m asking the criminal police to help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find out the truth!¡± Lin Dongxue nodded.


    1. Chinese version of Google.

 Chapter 322: I Have the Death Note

    <h4>Chapter 322: I Have the Death Note</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went over to Chenghai Sixth High School, where the sses that should have been in session were quiet at the moment. When they passed through the ssrooms, Lin Dongxue said, "Everyone is doing self-study?"


    "No, there are things written on the ckboards." Xu Xiaodong noted.


    A boy leaning by the window said in surprise. "Wow, beautiful Elder Sister, are you a police officer?"


    The students by the window were distracted and swarmed over to see what Lin Dongxue looked like. Lin Dongxue asked, "Where are your teachers?"


    Boy A responded, "Our ss was originally in session, but when they heard that the police wereing, they went away.¡±


    Boy B exined, "The principal doesn¡¯t allow them to be interviewed, so whenever a police officer or reporteres, they have to go and hide in the office."


    Boy C asked, "Are you here to find Fan Lixue?"


    "Yes, where is she?"


    The boys, who were originally very helpful, suddenly shoved each other, "You call her!" "You call!"


    A boy came over, knocked them on the back of their heads one by one and told them to get back to their seats for self-study. Then he said to Lin Dongxue, "Officers, please don''t stand there. It¡¯s too distracting for people doing self-study. You should go to the empty ssroom on the second floor to wait. I¡¯ll bring Fan Lixue over.¡±


    "Okay, thank you!"


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to the empty ssroom as instructed, and then the boy and Fan Lixue arrived together. Lin Dongxue thought that this boy should be the ss representative. He said maturely, "My name is Song Hui. If you need to understand the situation regarding our ss, you can look for me. The teachers are afraid to be interviewed at the moment. I¡¯m basically the spokesperson as the ss rep."


    The little ss rep seemed very experienced in handling the matter, so it seemed that the reporters must havee quite a few times. Lin Dongxue said, "Please give me your contact details."


    After exchanging contact information, Song Hui went back to the ssroom first. Fan Lixue was a thin and weak young girl. Her lips were bruised ck and her eyes were calm when she looked at the two police officers, as if she didn''t care about anything.


    "What''s wrong with your mouth?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I got beaten."


    "Who hit you?"


    "Wang Chang''s mother. She said that I''m a walking cmity!" Fan Lixue grinned. Wang Chang was one of the five who died. "I know why you came to me. It¡¯s because I have a motive for killing them. Do the police think that I killed them?"


    "We don¡¯t think so. We just wanted to find out more about some things from you."


    "Elder Sister, ask me if I killed them."


    "I know-"


    "Ask me!" Fan Lixue''s attitude was a little aggressive.


    Lin Dongxue was a little confused and nced at Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong mouthed , "Let me ask!" Lin Dongxue nodded slightly.


    As soon as Xu Xiaodong spoke, Fan Lixue urged again with the same sentence, "Uncle, you ask then. Ask me if I killed them. I promise to tell you the truth!"


    "I''m not an uncle..."


    "Ask. If you ask me, I¡¯ll definitely answer!"


    "Okay, did you kill them then?"


    "I killed them!" Fan Lixue smiled happily.


    "How did you kill them?"


    "I have a ¡®Death Note¡¯. If I write their names down, they¡¯ll die. The six of them were always bullying me, and even the god of death couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so I was given this Death Note."


    "What is this note of death?" Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "It''s from an anime. It¡¯s a diary that will cause the people whose names are written in it to die.¡± Xu Xiaodong exined, and then said to Fan Lixue, "Show me the diary."


    "You really want to see it? Don''t regret it!"


    "Why would I regret it? If I were to touch it, I would be able to see the god of death? I really want to know what the god of death looks like!"


    Fan Lixue giggled and waved at the nk space next to her. "The god of death is right there. It will be strange if you¡¯re not scared to death if you saw him!"


    Lin Dongxue felt that Fan Lixue was talking nonsense, but how could she find a breakthrough? She thought about it. Yes, the connection between the two cases. So Lin Dongxue asked, "Where does your family live?"


    "Jian Sha Ping."


    "It''s quite far from here. You have to take the subway every day after school then."


    "Yeah... I take the subway every day."


    "On the evening of May 7th, you took the subway as well? Something happened at Chenghai Road subway station that day. Do you know about it?"


    Fan Lixue was a little nervous about this well-known incident. She muttered, "Oh... Three people were killed by a train, right?"


    What Lin Dongxue had was a vague conjecture that Fan Lixue couldn¡¯t havepleted this kind of "task" by herself. It must be that an expert was behind her, supporting her. Maybe on that day, she saw this expert.


    Was that why she was so nervous when that day was mentioned?


    Although it was impossible to detect lies with the naked eye, Lin Dongxue still leaned forward slightly, staring at Fan Lixue and exerting invisible pressure. She continued questioning, "Fan Lixue, I want you to tell me everything that happened after you got off school that day."


    "Elder Sister, I have already told you that I have the Death Note. Why don¡¯t you believe this?"


    "I didn''t say that I didn''t believe it. What I asked was what you did after school on May 7th... You don¡¯t have to answer. If you don¡¯t answer, we¡¯ll just investigate it ourselves. If you lie and we find out, we will stille and look for you again. "


    "..."


    "You have already admitted that you have murdered them, why can''t you talk about this? Is this worse than murder?"


    Fan Lixue made a face, then deliberately pretended to be calm with a poker face. "I betrayed my soul to the god of death that day."


    "Oh, really?" Lin Dongxue took out a small book, "Where did you see the god of death? What does the god of death look like and what did he say to you?"


    "The god of death was... outside the subway station, he had a pair of big wings. He flew down from the sky and asked me if I wanted the Death Note."


    Fan Lixue started making things up, but Lin Dongxue actually recorded it all seriously. From time to time, she interrupted her to confirm certain details, "The god of death is named Ryuk?", "Didn''t you say that you can only see the god of death when you touch the notebook? This is contradictory to what you said earlier."


    Fan Lixue broke out in a cold sweat and could only continue telling more lies to exin herself. Xu Xiaodong was a little confused. Why did Lin Dongxue record everything down so carefully when she knew it was all made up? Was this a method in which they were retreating first in order to gain an advantage?


    Not too long ago, Lin Dongxue was still a rookie like himself. Since she had handled cases with Chen Shi, she had be much more mature and calm, and could deal with all kinds of people with ease without revealing what she was thinking.


    This made Xu Xiaodong feel lonely at being left behind and envious at the same time.


    After spending nearly an hour questioning the girl, Lin Dongxue put away the notebook full of her notes and said, "We''ll investigate if what you said is true or false, and thene and see you again."


    Fan Lixue had an embarrassed expression. While she was questioned, she had been waiting for the other party to give up, saying that it was all false, but Lin Dongxue actually took it seriously. Was this policewoman really stupid or too clever?


    Fan Lixue said, "Oh, you can check it since what I said is true."


    "Let¡¯s exchange contact information!" Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone.

 Chapter 323: Throwing Rocks At Someone Who Fell Into A Well

    <h4>Chapter 323: Throwing Rocks At Someone Who Fell Into A Well</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong left the school. Xu Xiaodong had a question brewing inside him for a long time and he could finally ask, "Dongxue, why did you y along with her?"


    "Do you think the suicides were rted to her?"


    "Well... They¡¯re probably rted."


    "I think so too. This young girl must know something, but she can''t possibly say anything. It''s better to retreat first and find actual evidence before confronting her again."


    "Oh, I also found that she was a little nervous when May 7th was mentioned. Let¡¯s go and look at the nearby surveince footage... Wait, today is May 14th. A week has already passed. Won¡¯t there be lots of ces where the videos would have been overwritten or erased by now?"


    After Xu Xiaodong reminded her, Lin Dongxue suggested, "Then we have to hurry up."


    The two decided to take a look at the school''s surveince footage first. Their police colleagues had already gone to the security room. When security was asked for the footage, they found that the video recordings for May 8th, 9th, and 12th were all lost.


    The school only had one security guard. He was a rtive of the school head. He usually ate and slept in the security room. Lin Dongxue asked him how the three days of monitoring were lost.


    The security guard answered, "I don''t know!"


    "What did you do on those days?"


    "Nothing, as per usual... Theputer is pretty old, so it probably erased them on its own!"


    After asking a few times, the security guard still continued to say innocently that he didn''t know. Lin Dongxue thought it was strange and then suddenly noticed that there was an indentation on the back of the security guard¡¯s neck. She said, "What happened to you?"


    "Ah?" The security guard went to take a look in the mirror and replied, "I don''t know."


    "Why don''t you know anything?"


    "I''m just a security guard, not a policeman. If you''re worried, just take theputer back for inspection!"


    Lin Dongxue thought about it and decided to send someone to bring theputer back, but this would mean that there would be no surveince monitoring at the school. It was best to return theputer by nightfall.


    Then Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to the subway station. The two of them inquired around but didn¡¯t find any clues. They were basically empty-handed after spending the whole afternoon.


    At the same time, Gu You and the two policemen found Ji Changxin working at a convenience store. It took half a day to locate him. Ji Changxin, who was dressed in a suit a week ago, was now wearing a chain convenience store uniform and a hat. He was panting as he moved drinks out of the storeroom.


    "Master Ji, someone is looking for you!" The cashier shouted.


    Ji Changxin looked up and saw a pair of slender legs. His gaze continued upwards until he saw Gu You dressed in simple and elegant clothes with her arms crossed, looking at him indifferently.


    "What¡¯s going on, Boss Gu? Are you here to visit and see how I¡¯m doing?"


    "I''m not interested in looking for you. The police are the ones looking for you."


    Ji Changxin froze at first, then pretended to be angry, "You showed the video to the police?"


    Old Zhang didn''t know what the video meant. He nced suspiciously at the two of them. He said, "Professor Ji, we are here to ask some questions. Can we sit outside for a while?"


    The four went to a restaurant. After a day of manualbor, Ji Changxin was starving and wasn¡¯t going to be formal with them. He frantically gulped down a bowl of rice with potatoes and beef. Old Zhang couldn¡¯t believe that this man used to be a professor. A psychiatrist?


    He whispered, "Miss Gu, you should ask him. We don''t understand those technical terms."


    "Okay!" Gu You said, "The police want to know what is the so-called violent hypnosis method?"


    Ji Changxin wiped the grease on his mouth away. "What violent hypnosis?"


    "The one where you can forcibly hypnotize those who show resistance."


    "Haha, are you joking with me? There is no such hypnosis method in the world!" Ji Changxin looked at the police and emphasized again, "If the two parties cannot cooperate with each other, it¡¯s impossible to carry out hypnotism. I¡¯m an expert in the field of hypnosis and know more than she does."


    Old Zhang seemed to understand and nodded, looking at Gu You. Was she mistaken?


    Gu You pulled out aptop and said, "Excuse me!" Then she removed the teacups and rice bowls on the table and started searching for something on theptop. Ji Changxin felt a bit frightened as he listened to the clicking of the keyboard, so his chewing also slowed down.


    Gu You turned theptop around so that everyone could see the content on the screen. "In your academic paper published in 1998, you mentioned a method of physiological hypnosis from the Japanese hypnotist, Masao Fujimoto. The method was carried out like this. The hypnotist supports the back of the subject¡¯s head with his left hand while the subject is facing upwards, and then presses down on the carotid artery with his right hand. When the pressure reaches a certain level, the subject will feel as though he is being suffocated. The hypnotist will then need to suddenly release his right hand when there is an asphyxiated reaction, causing arge amount of blood to flow instantly into the suffocated brain. The subject will then be in a mentallyatose state. At this point, a little guidance can make them enter a hypnotized state... Of course, you also repeatedly mentioned in the paper that this hypnosis method is dangerous and that you don¡¯t rmend that people try it. You also mentioned this method in a speech in 2009. Furthermore, you used this method during your live performance in 2010, when you participated in a TV show.¡±


    Gu You pressed Enter and a video started to y. The Ji Changxin in the video was obviously younger. He used the method mentioned by Gu You to hypnotize an audience member on the stage, saying, "Rx... Rx... From now on, you can only hear my voice. You are getting more and more sleepy. More and more sleepy. When I count to three, you will fall asleeppletely! One... Two... Three!¡±


    Ji Changxin was still chewing his food, but there was cold sweat on his forehead. It was impossible for Gu You to have essed this information after a little typing on her keyboard. It was clear that she had prepared everything in advance.


    This short-haired bitch was simply using the pretext of asking for advice in order to make the police suspect him! How horrible!


    Ji Changxin chewed on a stone, heard a crack and then immediately spat it out. He mmed his fist on the table, and took advantage of the opportunity to make a fuss. "Waiter! Waiter! Come and see what''s in my meal. I almost choked to death!"


    Gu You reached out to stop the waiter and said to Ji Changxin, "Old man, I''ll invite you to eat steakter, okay?"


    "No need!" Ji Changxin wiped his mouth. "I should go back to work. I have to work until nine in the evening before I can get off work. It''s not easy to earn money for retirement!"


    "Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji!" Old Zhang got up and pressed down Ji Changxin''s shoulder to stop him from leaving. "Excuse me, please exin why you just said that there was no such method, when you clearly know it!"


    Ji Changxin nced angrily at Gu You, who was sneering as if she hadpleted her trap.


    "Because..." He exined slowly, "Because... Because..."


    "Were you afraid that we¡¯d suspect that you¡¯ve done bad things with this method? Or have you already done it?¡± Gu You interjected, "You don''t have to conceal it anymore. The police officers already know about your glorious past."


    Ji Changxin stood up irritably and mmed the table violently. Vinegar and chili oil sshed everywhere, and stained Ji Changxin''s sleeves.


    He slowly raised his finger and pointed at Gu You, "Smelly ho, why are you throwing rocks at someone who has fallen into the well? Have you not harmed me enough? When have I offended you? Are you jealous of me being more knowledgeable than you? Or that I snatched the limelight from you at your clinic?! From now on, if I ever talk to you again, then I would have been fucking raised by a dog!¡±


    After speaking his mind, Ji Changxing walked away in anger and didn¡¯t stop no matter how much the police shouted for him to stop.


    Although he had left the scene in a very cool manner, he knew clearly that his anger was just an act to cover his guilty conscience. Gu You had sessfully nted the seeds of doubt in the police''s hearts. The police would probablye again. They wille again!


    1. An idiom that means kicking someone when they¡¯re down and out.

 Chapter 324: Connected Clues

    <h4>Chapter 324: Connected Clues</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Although Old Zhang didn¡¯t understand psychology, he had years of experience in handling cases and knew that when a person suddenly gets angry, he often has something to hide.


    He asked Gu You, ¡°Miss Gu, so you knew about this hypnosis method? Why didn¡¯t you mention it at the bureau?¡±


    Gu You smiled, ¡°I don''t know much about the details and haven''t used it in practice. I thought Old Ji would tell you. I¡¯m not sure why he got so angry. How strange.¡±


    ¡°Is this type of hypnosismon?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t. So far, the only person I know who can do this is Old Ji.¡±


    Old Zhang and his partner exchanged opinions with each other. Their conversation revealed their suspicion of Ji Changxin and they decided that they will pay him a visit again in the future.


    In the evening, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were eating boxed lunches in the car aftering back empty-handed. While they were eating, Chen Shi sent them a photo to show off what he was cooking that night. Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°ce your mobile phone here. I want to look at it while I eat.¡±


    ¡°Take the phone yourself then!¡±


    A blond-haired guy was ying the guitar at the entrance of the subway station, and passers-by stopped to throw coins into his guitar case from time to time.


    Xu Xiaodong said, ¡°I really envy people who have such freedom in their jobs. They can start and get off work as they please.¡±


    ¡°Maybe those people envy those who have a stable career... By the way, this person busks here every day at the entrance of the subway station. Could he have seen something?¡±


    ¡°What could he have seen? We¡¯ve asked about May 7th the whole day today and all everyone could think of was the death of those three people.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try our luck. Investigating cases are all about trying your luck!¡±


    Lin Dongxue opened the door and got out of the car. Instead of going directly to question him, she bought a bottle of mineral water first and walked forward with the water and her police badge. The blond froze and asked, ¡°Beautiful police officer, is there something that you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Do you busk here every day?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t just busk here. I go to several subway stations.¡± He took the mineral water and sipped it. ¡°Thank you. I didn¡¯t think that the police could be so humane. You¡¯re a lot better than those urban management officers who drive me away every day.¡±


    ¡°I want to ask if you saw this girl on May 7th?¡± Lin Dongxue disyed the photo on her phone.


    The blond looked at it for a while and said, ¡°I often see this school uniform, but this girl is so ordinary, how can I remember... I''m sorry!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was disappointed and was about to leave. The blondmented, ¡°But on May 7th, there was actually another incident.¡±


    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to tell me about that.¡± Lin Dongxue had listened to the story hundreds of times that day.


    ¡°What? You know about the train pervert I caught that day?¡±


    ¡°What train pervert?!¡±


    ¡°Haha, so you don''t know about it then. If you treat me to oden[1], I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Lin Dongxue didn''t want to waste her money. The police sry was only a little over 4,000 a month. Besides, she was still getting bonuses deducted as punishmenttely, so she said, ¡°It doesn''t matter if you don¡¯t want to talk about it. It should have nothing to do with my case anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah, beautiful girl, listen to me! I won''t ask for oden anymore, okay?¡± The blond stopped her.


    Xu Xiaodong thought that the guy was harassing Lin Dongxue, so he came forward and said, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Are you also an officer?¡± The blond asked.


    ¡°Hurry up and talk about the train pervert incident.¡± Lin Dongxue urged.


    The blond narrated how he had bravely captured the train pervert vividly. Lin Dongxue thought that it didn¡¯t rte to her case at all and that it was indeed just a waste of time.


    At that moment, the blond said, ¡°That guy was wearing a suit and tie and looked respectable but hemitted such a despicable act. What a beast in human clothing!¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t seem like this is helpful to our case but thank you.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°I''m sorry... By the way, is there a bonus for defending justice?¡± The blond queried.


    ¡°The next time you encounter this kind of thing, you''d better gather evidence and call the police. Don''t use violence. How old was the other party? You kicked him, and if something went wrong, you¡¯d be responsible for it. Won¡¯t it be a tragedy if you had to go to jail for defending justice?


    ¡°He seemed like he was in his fifties!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so impulsive next time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I understand.¡±


    Lin Dongxue turned and left, and the two returned to the car, ready to leave. When Xu Xiaodong started the car, Lin Dongxue remembered something and decided to check it with her mobile phone. The webpage that she had previously searched for was still there. It was the news article about Ji Changxin molesting a teenage girl a few years ago.


    Looking at Ji Changxin in a suit and leather shoes in the photo, Lin Dongxue had a sudden realization. She opened the car door and jumped down. Xu Xiaodong was shocked and said, ¡°Hey, are you crazy?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue ran back to the blond, brandished her mobile phone and asked, ¡°Was this him? The pervert on the train?¡±


    The blond looked at it for a while and said, ¡°Hey, it''s really him. So it turns out that this person has a previous record of doing this! And he¡¯s a psychiatrist at that?!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was extremely delighted with this news. It was as if she had a cold and her nose was cleared after being blocked for a few days. Ji Changxin was a highly experienced psychiatrist who understood hypnosis. He had appeared at the subway station where there were suspected hypnotic killings. All these were likely to be rted.


    Lin Dongxue asked the blond to recall the clothes that Ji Changxin was wearing that day. After the blond had finished describing the clothes, he emphasized a detail, ¡°When he got out of the subway carriage, his suit was ripped by the people pulling him back, so the back wasrgely exposed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    At the case discussion meeting the next morning, Lin Dongxue told everyone about her discovery. Old Zhang also described what had happened yesterday when he met Ji. When she heard about the method of physiological hypnosis, Lin Dongxue said suddenly, ¡°The security guard who couldn¡¯t remember anything at the school also had a mark on his neck.¡±


    Everyone began discussing the findings. They didn''t expect that the clues would be connected in this way, bringing forth suspicions towards Ji Changxin.


    Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Captain Peng, what was the result of the autopsy?¡±


    Peng Sijue shook his head. ¡°The body had been taken away and cremated by the parents. I only got a post-mortem video from the medical university.¡±


    ¡°A little is better than nothing!¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Now that Ji Changxin is known to use this type of physiological hypnosis, you can try to see if there are any signs of finger pressure in the autopsy video. Has the school''s surveince video been recovered?¡±


    The officer of the information division replied, ¡°The person who deleted the video did not seem to understand IT very well, so it¡¯s been recovered.¡±


    Lin Qiupu nodded. ¡°Look at the school and subway videos. Are there any signs that Ji Changxin appeared in them?¡±


    Subsequent video results raised the spirits of the investigators. On the day of the student''s suicide, a middle-aged man suspected of being Ji Changxin had entered the school, and someone who resembled him could also be seen in the subway station¡¯s surveince footage.


    During a brief shot in the autopsy video, the body''s neck did have an inconspicuous finger mark on the carotid artery.


    ording to Lin Dongxue''s spection, Fan Lixue had met Ji Changxin at the subway station on May 7th, and something happened between the two. Ji Changxin then decided to use his professional knowledge to help Fan Lixue take revenge on the group of bullies.


    1. https://media-cdn.tripadvisor/media/photo-s/06/24/32/b1/caption.jpg

 Chapter 325: The Horse Leg is Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 325: The Horse Leg is Exposed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After finishing stocking the shelves in the morning, Ji Changxin sat at the door of the convenience store and lit up a cigarette. He had originally quit smoking many years ago and he only picked up this habit again yesterday. When he thought of the two policemen looking at him yesterday, he felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this cmity.


    But this does not mean that he intended to ept his fate. He will still struggle a little.


    ¡°Master Ji! Master Ji!¡± The manager ran out. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to put the bread close to the expiration date in front? Why did you ce them anyhow without checking?¡±


    Ji Changxin was sitting on an electric delivery bike. He turned his head gloomily, staring at the indentation on the other party¡¯s neck and said, ¡°I wille in after I have finished smoking.¡±


    ¡°Who allowed you to smoke at work? If everyone was like you...¡±


    ¡°I''lle in after I smoke this cigarette!¡±


    The manager felt that his authority was being challenged and pointed to his nose saying, ¡°Don''t think that you can do whatever you want just because you¡¯re old. You¡¯re still in your probation period. Without my consent, you won¡¯t be hired permanently!¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    Ji Changxin flicked his cigarette butt away and lit up another one.


    The manager''s face went dark and he went back to phone the area manager in order to report him.


    Ji Changxin felt a burst of pleasure well up in his heart. At that moment, a car drove by and he recognized that it was the policemen who had dropped by yesterday. The bitch, Gu You, had not apanied them. Old Zhang stepped forward and said, ¡°Mr. Ji, we have a few questions that we want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You stayed at Chenghai Road subway station for a while on May 7th, right?¡±


    Ji Changxin had long thought about the appropriate response to this question. In order to behave naturally in front of the police, he had hypnotized himself and rehearsed the fabricated facts in his imagination.


    He replied calmly, ¡°I got off the train from there.¡±


    ¡°What time?¡±


    ¡°It should have been around six o''clock. I resigned from my job that day, drank some alcohol outside, got onto the train at Pingan Road subway station, and then got off at Chenghai Road.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to live there though!¡±


    ¡°There was a subway crash, wasn¡¯t there? All passengers got off the train. I had to walk back for the rest of the way.¡±


    Old Zhang didn''t expect that he would respond so naturally. After a whispered reminder from his partner, he decided to attack from another angle, saying, ¡°But some passengers said that you molested a girl on the subway that day and was beaten by a young man who acted righteously. You got off at Chenghai Road Station, and ording to the subway schedule, it should have been around 6.15PM. That¡¯s around five minutes before the ident happened, which is inconsistent with your statement!¡±


    Ji Changxin shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything like that. The time I got on at Pingan Road should have been 5.50, and I got off at Chenghai Road at 6.20. I was watching news on my phone all the way... You must have gotten it wrong.¡±


    Old Zhang knew that he was lying, but he acted so naturally. To expose the lie, the police would have to spend a lot of time going through the surveince video of Pingan Road subway station, which was likely to waste the opportunity, so Old Zhang said, ¡°You said that you didn''t do it, but what if I brought that person here to confront you?¡±


    ¡°You can do that.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ji, do you think that you¡¯re very skilled in lying? In my opinion, you¡¯re the same as a kid who is denying responsibility. It won¡¯t end well for you if you keep denying everything right now.¡± Old Zhang decided to attack forcefully.


    Ji Changxin looked up and smiled, ¡°I didn''t lie. You can investigate it!¡±


    ¡°I believe that we will meet again.¡± Old Zhang said, before leaving resentfully.


    As soon as Old Zhang returned to the car, he received a call from Gu You, ¡°Officer Zhang, did Ji Changxin not admit to anything?¡±


    ¡°Miss Gu, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been colleagues for many years. I know his sly personality. I want to give you a little help. Please connect your phone to the nearby Wi-Fi.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to send something? Sure, just send it!¡±


    ¡°I believe that this thing will be enough for you to bring him back to the bureau.¡±


    A momentter, Gu You sent over a video. Old Zhang and his partner watched it in surprise. It was actually a ten-minute video of Ji Changxin molesting Gu You after hypnotizing her.


    ¡°Great, now we have a reason to arrest him!¡±


    The two got out of the car and went to find Ji Changxin again. At that moment, Ji Changxin was organizing the stock. When he saw the policee back, he was startled. Old Zhang went straight to the point, asking, ¡°Why did you resign that day?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to work there anymore. It''s tiring to be a psychiatrist.¡±


    ¡°Really? Would you like to look at this?¡± Old Zhang showed him the video.


    Ji Changxin didn¡¯t expect that Gu You would send the video to the police. He gritted his teeth and crushed the bag of bread in his hand. Old Zhang kept calling in his ear, ¡°Mr. Ji... Mr. Ji...¡± He repeated it many times before he snapped out of it.


    Ji Changxin stared gloomily at Old Zhang, who said, ¡°Come back with us!¡±


    ¡°What if I say no?¡±


    ¡°You don''t have the right!¡± Old Zhang took out his handcuffs.


    Ji Changxin stepped back, ¡°Cops wouldn¡¯t just tantly watch people die without helping, right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ji Changxin started humming the tune of ¡°Cloudy Day¡±[2]. Suddenly, the store manager and the two store assistants stopped their tasks, ran out the door and rushed toward the road opposite.


    Old Zhang''s eyes widened. Although he didn''t quite understand what was going on, it was obvious that Ji Changxin had hypnotized those people.


    ¡°Save them! Save them!¡±


    Old Zhang shouted as he ran out with his partner. The partner tackled a shop assistant to the ground. The thin girl kept struggling and the police officer almost failed to subdue her.


    Old Zhang pushed the other store assistant back hard. He saw a finger mark on the person''s neck. He shouted, ¡°Wake up! Wake up!¡± However, the store assistant''s eyes were dull. He kept pushing Old Zhang forward with amazing strength like a clockwork toy that had been wound up.


    The store manager, who was the first to rush out, was already on the road. The cars on both sides braked urgently. The store manager stood motionless in the middle of the road. The drivers smacked their doors and yelled at him.


    There was the sound of a car honking. Old Zhang looked up and saw that Ji Changxin had actually driven his car away and was waving at him.


    Old Zhang gritted his teeth. It was impossible for him to catch up. He could only pull out his mobile phone to contact Lin Qiupu, ¡° Captain Lin, we are in big trouble. Hurry and send a few more people over!¡±


    At the same time, Lin Dongxue, who was at the school, received a text message, saying, ¡°Ji Changxin escaped!¡±


    ¡°No way? It''s really him... Should we help out?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain Lin has already brought reinforcements with him there.¡±


    Fan Lixue¡¯s ss was currently attending their physical education ss. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong could only stand on the sidelines, waiting. At that moment, the boy named Song Hui ran up and said, ¡°Police Elder Sister, are you here to look for Fan Lixue?¡±


    ¡°Can you call her toe over?¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Fan Lixue came soon after, and Lin Dongxue noticed that she had additional scars on her face which she had deliberately covered up with her hair. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Did someone bully you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t youe to investigate the case? This is none of your business.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said in a soothing tone, ¡°If someone bullies you, we can protect you. You must tell us, okay?¡±


    Fan Lixue mumbled for a long time, but in the end, she said nothing. Lin Dongxue thought that the child¡¯s heart was too closed-off and had to give up.


    1. While the literal trantion of this saying is ¡°to expose a horse¡¯s leg¡±, the word ¡°horse¡± used in this expression doesn¡¯t actually have anything to do with horses. There¡¯s an interesting story that apanies this saying and although it differs slightly from source to source, the main points are the same ¨C Due to the empress (surnamed ¡°Ma¡± which trantes to horse, which is where the ¡°horse¡± part of thises from) of Ming dynasty emperor Hongwu havingrge unbound feet which were considered unsightly during that era, she was reluctant to show them off and had extra-long dresses made to cover them up and keep them hidden. Then one day while she was out in the city, a big gust of wind blew her dress up and exposed her legs ¨C and so the saying goes... to expose a horse ¡°Âí¡± leg came to mean to identally expose a secret.


    2. This is an traditional nursery rhyme in Chinese dialect but there is also a well-known pop song by Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun with the same name which references the original nursery rhyme.

 Chapter 326: The Cornered Beast’s Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 326: The Cornered Beast¡¯s Struggle</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue showed Ji Changxin''s photo to her and asked, ¡°Have you seen him before?¡±


    Fan Lixue shook her head like a pellet drum[1]


    ¡°But the footage from the subway station shows that you both left the station one after the other on May 7th. And when the students died, he also appeared in the school. Do you want to say that this is just a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister, please. There are so many people in the school. I¡¯m not the only one who gets off at Chenghai Road subway station. Han Jingming got off there that day as well!¡±


    ¡°We visited your mother in the morning, and she has confirmed that on May 7th, you went homete and didn''t reach home until ten o''clock. Who were you with during that time?¡±


    Fan Lixue looked panicked. She pursed her lips tightly. At that moment, her cell phone beeped. She nced down, and Lin Dongxue vaguely saw the word ¡°police¡± on her cell phone and asked, ¡°Who sent the text message?¡±


    Fan Lixue watched Lin Dongxue alertly, stepped backwards, and then ran away. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong quickly caught up.


    When Fan Lixue ran near the school building, a woman with dishevelled hair jumped out from behind a tree, holding a ss beaker that contained a pungent liquid. The woman gritted her teeth and eximed, ¡°Return my daughter¡¯s life back to me!¡± Then she sshed the liquid towards Fan Lixue.


    Fan Lixue jumped back in shock, screaming loudly. It was unsure whether she had any liquid sshed onto her but judging by the smell, it should have been sulfuric acid.


    Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Put down your weapon! We are the police!¡±


    However, the woman was still shrieking madly, ¡°My daughter is gone! I don''t want to live anymore! I will fight with anyone who stops me!¡± The woman recklessly sshed the liquid around her everywhere. The school staff hurried over when they saw the situation, but nobody dared to step forward. She had sshed it all around, but rather than hurting anyone, she had instead burned her own hands. Fueled by adrenaline, she actually didn¡¯t feel a thing.


    Xu Xiaodong took off his jacket and then used an opening to hit the sulfuric acid beaker away from her hands. Then he put her hands behind her back and ced handcuffs on her.


    The school staff also rushed up, and the woman screamed wildly, ¡°Give me back my daughter! Give me back my daughter! Why are the police covering for the killer? It¡¯s obvious that that little slut did it! Why aren¡¯t you arresting her?!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong instructed, ¡°Hurry up and deal with the injuries on her hands! Can sulfuric acid be washed away with water?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked around, ¡°Xiaodong, stay here. Fan Lixue ran away. I''ll go after her!¡±


    She rushed out of the school, looked around, but didn''t see her. She went back to the school to look for her, but still couldn¡¯t find her. Lin Dongxue was so anxious that she called the bureau and asked her colleagues in the information department to check who had sent the text message to Fan Lixue.


    The information department told her that it was Ji Changxin.


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Can you locate Fan Lixue?¡±


    ¡°I''ll try it and let you know if I can find anything.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong had dealt with the injury on the woman''s hand. Upon questioning, she turned out to be one of the parents of the girls who hadmitted suicide. Facing the police''s appeasement, she became even more agitated and vowed to avenge her daughter.


    Lin Dongxue warned, ¡°You have tried to ssh sulfuric acid on others and have alreadymitted the crime of assault!¡±


    The woman nearly sprang up and scolded, ¡°You are the ones who forced me! Why didn''t you catch the murderer? If you know that she did it, why don¡¯t you arrest her? I get it now. The parents of that little slut are both civil servants, so she is superior, huh?!¡±


    ¡°The police need evidence to arrest people. Is using violence to curb violence really the solution to the problem?¡±


    ¡°Return my daughter to me! Return my daughter to me!¡± The woman wailed. ¡°I¡¯ve been raising her for over ten years! All of a sudden, she¡¯s gone! Nobody wants to give me justice! Where is my justice? Where is it?!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong whispered to Lin Dongxue, ¡°This parent has gone crazy. We need to detain her and prevent her from hurting others again... I have contacted the local police station already.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said helplessly, ¡°This seems like the only thing we can do.¡±


    The bureau called and told Lin Dongxue that Fan Lixue¡¯s mobile phone signal had just appeared on Shengli East Street. Lin Dongxue remembered that Fan Lixue didn¡¯t seem to live there. She hurried to the school office and borrowed the ss register from the form teacher to confirm. Han Jingming''s family lived on Shengli East Street.


    Lin Dongxue said to Xu Xiaodong, ¡°Fan Lixue went to Han Jingming. She is not going to put up an act anymore. She will probably carry out some extreme action! Let¡¯s hurry to stop her!¡±


    When the two arrived there hurriedly, they only found Han Jingming''s crying and distressed parents. When Lin Dongxue asked, the parents scrambled with each other to say, ¡°Our Jingming just got a call and went out without a word. I thought that she was going downstairs to buy something, but who would have thought that she still wouldn¡¯t havee back after so long? Her phone has been turned off as well!¡± ¡°Please hurry and bring her back to us! I''m so scared that our Jingming would end up like those other children!¡±


    The two investigated the scene briefly. Han Jingming had gone out of her own volition. Just when Lin Dongxue was puzzling over this, Lin Qiupu called, and Lin Dongxue reported the situation to him. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. Jingming might have been guided to go out if Ji Changxin had previously hypnotized her. We have just detained the three staff members from the store that he worked at, and confirmed that all three had been guided by a post-hypnotic suggestion. The so-called post-hypnotic suggestion involves burying amand in the brain, and a gesture, phrase, or a sign can trigger it.¡±


    ¡°If Ji Changxin had hypnotized Han Jingming previously, why didn''t they kill her then?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that¡¯s something that we can only find out once he¡¯s arrested. There¡¯s currently a warrant out for his arrest and I¡¯ve mobilized all my forces to arrest him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to look for these two girls, and if necessary, I will ask the police station in this district to aid us.¡±


    ¡°Okay! By the way, with regard to Ji Changxin''s motive, ording to what we found, he has a daughter around the same age as Fan Lixue. The daughter had also suffered bullying at school, but as he had already divorced his wife at the time, he couldn¡¯t do anything. So we¡¯re specting that the motive for helping Fan Lixue is due to sympathy.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what this is about...¡± Lin Dongxue didn''t expect this to be the reason. ¡°Can we really convict him for murder using hypnosis?¡±


    ¡°Given the incident that happened today, the bureau chief has indicated that Ji Changxin is very dangerous. Be sure to arrest him first and whether he gets convicted will be something that can be looked into afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you if there¡¯s any progress on our side.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Throughout the day, the criminal police and the local police looked for Ji Changxin everywhere. Around 4PM, the police found the lost police car through a traffic probe, but Ji Changxin was no longer in it.


    At six o''clock in the evening, Gu You''s clinic was closed for the day. Gu You had left with another colleague. When she went back to the office to retrieve a document that she had forgotten, she suddenly found that her colleague had copsed on the floor and that the back of his head was covered with blood.


    Ji Changxin was wearing a dark coat, and holding an iron rod in his hand. His eyes and expression was like that of a crazed stray dog.


    ¡°Boss Gu, you didn''t expect me to be here, did you?¡± Ji Changxin sneered.


    Gu You nced at the surveince monitor in the upper right corner. There was no doubt that Ji Changxin had been recorded just now. ¡°It seems that you don''t intend to behave like a human being anymore,¡± she said.


    Ji Changxin¡¯s fury was instantly ignited by these words. He spat and roared, ¡°Who was it? Who was the one who pushed me to this?! And who was the one who kept fanning the fire and making the police suspect me?!¡±


    1. https://i.pinimg/originals/de/33/8a/de338a292339a96e77e9dbc53a8389fd.jpg

 Chapter 327: Cloudy Day

    <h4>Chapter 327: Cloudy Day</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gu You slowly backed up into the consultation room and said, ¡°I can admit that I am the butterfly that caused the storm, but for you to end up like this, it¡¯s because you made the wrong choices, one after another. Ji Changxin, you are a pitiful clown. The biggest failure of your life is that your wife and daughter left you. You wanted to take control of your life but found out that you¡¯re powerless. That¡¯s why you chose this girl and acted like a savior to help her get rid of her bullies. Are you satisfied now that you were able to act out the role of a father?¡±


    Ji Changxin''s lips trembled. He stepped into the consultation room, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Do you know my analysis of you? You are proud, indifferent, and excellent on the outside, but deep inside you are a female pig longing to be whipped. There are dark secrets hidden deep inside your heart. You have never run this clinic seriously. You are always preupied with something. You came to this city for a purpose... Are you looking for someone? Someone that you¡¯ve lost previously!¡±


    Gu You sneered, and the two experts who were good at analyzing exposed each other¡¯s hearts.


    Ji Changxin squeezed the iron rod in his hands, ¡°Why do you hate me so much? Why do you have to harm me like this?¡±


    ¡°I just hate people who don''t follow the rules. You are the dregs of this industry, so I can''t tolerate you.¡± Gu You said coldly.


    Ji Changxin smiled and held up the blood-stained iron rod. ¡°What happened in thest few days has benefited me a lot. It taught me a truth - no matter how deep and profound your knowledge and wisdom is, in the face of this game, it''s all useless!¡±


    Realizing that the other party was about to take action, Gu You suddenly grabbed a handful of sand from a potted nt and chucked it onto Ji Changxin''s face. Ji Changxin screamed violently, waving the iron rod and smashing themp and whiteboard.


    Gu You rushed into the office, braced a newspaper rack against the door, and hurriedly called the police. Ji Changxin mmed the door hard outside and rushed in after he had rammed the door open.


    Gu You grabbed something from the drawers and held it in her hand. When Ji Changxin rushed over, she shocked him with a stun gun. Ji Changxin rolled his eyes back and twitched. However, the stun gun had not been used for a long time, and the electricity barelysted ten seconds.


    Ji Changxin recovered and struck Gu You''s shoulder with the rod. Gu You fell down. Ji Changxin didn''t n to let her die like this. He knelt down, pressed Gu You''s carotid artery with his thumb, and started hypnosis.


    Soon, Gu You''s eyes were dull. She was already hypnotized, and it was a state of deep hypnosis. Ji Changxin reached into her neckline and fondled her breasts. Gu You made no response.


    This was what Ji Changxin had wanted to do long ago. Of course, this was not the time. Ji Changxin knew that the police were searching for him everywhere. He epted his fate, but he refused to give up without a struggle.


    What happened in the past two days made Ji Changxin realize his strength. Before he was arrested, he had a list of people whom he wanted to kill. All are those who had looked down on, deceived or bullied him.


    Gu You was right. Ji Changxin was eager to take control of his life. To this end, he had studied very hard from an early age, been admitted to a prestigious university, did his utmost to win the favors of his mentors, and stayed upte to write his dissertations. However, he had followed social norms and had never had direct control over his life.


    Now he understood that it was so easy to control everything. Humans are so lowly. As long as you killed one or two people, others would be afraid of you and listen to you!


    The police wereing. Ji Changxin heard them going upstairs. He handed the iron bar to Gu You and ordered, ¡°Go to the door and wave it around. Don''t stop without my instructions.¡±


    Gu You''s sneer appeared and Ji Changxin realized that something was wrong and was about to retrieve the iron rod. Gu You mmed the rod down on him and Ji Changxin screamed and fell down. Blood flowed from his head, and as he covered his wound, he eximed, ¡°Why haven''t you been hypnotized?!¡±


    Gu You pointed to her temples, ¡°In order to set a trap and capture the evidence, that day I asked another psychiatrist to carry out a simple hypnosis on me. His instructions are still in my head. You cannot hypnotize a person who has been hypnotized. Just like how you can¡¯t get a person who is already asleep to fall asleep again!¡±


    ¡°You loathsome woman!¡± Ji Changxin was so angry that he kept losing to this slut.


    He was struggling to stand up and resist, when the police rushed in and pointed their pistols at him. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Ji Changxin raised his hands helplessly and the police handcuffed him. Gu You hurried over to check on her colleague¡¯s condition and called an ambnce. The police asked, ¡°Ms. Gu, how is your injury? Can you go back with us to make a statement?¡±


    Gu You asked in return, ¡°Can this person be sent directly to the bureau?¡±


    When Ji Changxin was brought to the bureau, Lin Qiupu and the others were quite surprised. The guy was arrested just like that, but the case was not over yet. Fan Lixue and Han Jingming were still missing.


    In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu asked Ji Changxin, ¡°Did you hypnotize Han Jingming?¡±


    Ji Changxin sneered and began to hum the tune of ¡°Cloudy Day¡±. ¡°Yes, if she hears this, she would go to a ce and jump down from there!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I would tell you?¡±


    Lin Qiupu mmed the table, ¡°Ji Changxin, don''t be so stupid! The first few girls were killed by you, but Han Jingming is different. She was called out by Fan Lixue. If she dies, it means that this girl killed her. You see her as your daughter. Do you have the heart to let her go to jail?!¡±


    Ji Changxin''s expression wavered for a moment, and then returned to indifference. ¡°This is her own choice. I only gave her the push button.¡±


    No matter how much Lin Qiupu questioned, Ji Changxin was reluctant to respond. Lin Qiupu could only let the police officers who were still outside look for them. Given that Han Jingming had been away from home for five hours, Lin Qiupu felt that there was no need to look for her near her home. The ce must be far away.


    During this time, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were at Fan Lixue''s home. They had run around the whole day without even drinking a sip of water. Fan Lixue''s mother burst into tears and couldn¡¯t be consoled. After Lin Dongxue received the news from Lin Qiupu, she could finallyfort Fan¡¯s mother and update her on the situation. They asked her to think about where the two children might go.


    Fan¡¯s mother said. ¡°The two of them are in the same school district, so they attended both elementary and junior high school together. Could they have gone to the elementary school?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It''s unlikely. Han Jingming has walked for five hours, so it must be a farther ce. Fan Lixue also knows this ce... It¡¯s already dark, so the ce should be open to the public.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong wondered, ¡°Is it the park?¡±


    Lin Dongxue had a headache. There were so many parks in Long¡¯an, and it¡¯ll be toote if they had to search them one by one.


    Fan¡¯s mother said suddenly, ¡°Go and check the unfinished buildings on Madang Road... No, I''ll go with you!¡±

 Chapter 328: The Last Hypnosis Murder

    <h4>Chapter 328: The Last Hypnosis Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the way there, Lin Dongxue asked Fan¡¯s mother, "Why do you think that they will be there? Is there anything special about that ce?"


    "It''s actually... That ce was where the child¡¯s dad hadmitted suicide."


    Fan¡¯s mother said that Fan Lixue, Han Jingming and many other students lived together in the samemunity as children. Later, the old houses were demolished, and the new apartment buildings there were built. However, due to funding problems, the project suddenly stopped, and a lot of people ended up homeless.


    At the time, the demolition of the old houses was assigned to Fan Lixue¡¯s father, who went door to door to notify the residents. Everyone became homeless, so he became the target of criticism. Someone started rumors that he had received the developer''s bribes. In fact, Fan¡¯s father was just a low-level civil servant. Even if he had wanted to, he wouldn¡¯t have had the power to do so.


    During that period, the neighbors came to their house every day to cause trouble, and their family had no peace. The anger of the adults was transmitted to the children, and they began to bully Fan Lixue at school. One day, her father drowned and died on the way home. Although Fan Lixue¡¯s mother suspected that he had been pushed down, the police couldn¡¯t find any evidence of homicide. Fan¡¯s mother could only dere to everyone that Fan''s father could not bear the pressure andmitted suicide.


    After Fan¡¯s father passed away, the mother and daughter only had each other. She knew that there was always someone bullying Fan Lixue at school, but Fan Lixue was afraid of her mother worrying and wouldn¡¯t say anything when she returned home. The mother felt pain in her heart when she saw this, but she was powerless.


    After saying that, Fan¡¯s mother wiped her sad tears away and Lin Dongxueforted her a little.


    The three arrived at the buildings at night when it was gloomy and eerie. After looking around for a while, Fan¡¯s mother suddenly faced a certain direction and shouted her daughter¡¯s name. Lin Dongxue looked up. There were two figures on the edge of the top floor who looked like they were going to tumble down from that dangerous ce at any given moment.


    Fan¡¯s mother shouted her name again and climbed up the stairs in the dark, falling down many times along the way. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong followed closely behind. There were sixteen floors in the building. There were no railings on either side of the stairs, so they would have fallen down with one misstep. When they had finally climbed up to the top floor, Lin Dongxue was panting as if her lungs were about to explode.


    "Fan Lixue, mother is here. Don''t do anything stupid!" Fan¡¯s mother shouted.


    "Mother, don''te over!"


    Lin Dongxue looked up and saw Fan Lixue standing on the edge of the building. There was a girl standing motionless beside her like a statue. It was Han Jingming who had been bullying her all the while. Fan Lixue grasped the mobile phone in her hand. If she ys "Cloudy Day" again, Han Jingming will take a fatal step forward.


    "Don''te over!" Fan Lixue raised her mobile phone, as if it was a dangerous nuclear bomb detonator. "One step forward, and I will let her jump off the building!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Ji Changxin has already been arrested, and no one can help you. If you kill her, you will go to jail, maybe for 20 years. Maybe 30 or 40 years. Is it worth it?¡±


    Fan Lixue cried, "Why do I have to bear it if they bully me?! The teacher would only say that ¡°Flies don''t crowd around uncracked eggs.¡± and ¡°Why would they only beat you, but not others?¡± I only heard these illogical words thrown at me. My mother also advised me to endure it, saying that this is our fate. I went to school every day, and it was as painful as jumping into a vat of boiling oil. Whenever the bell after school rang, I was terrified. The more I cried, the more my bulliesughed. Why?! How can they do that? It was only until Uncle Ji appeared that I could see light in my life. It turns out that I can avenge myself too! I¡¯m not afraid of going to jail or getting the death penalty. I want to let these bad people know that I¡¯m not easy to mess with.¡±


    "Don''t do this, please..." Fan¡¯s mother cried and fell to her knees.


    Lin Dongxue continued to persuade, "Have you ever wondered how hard it would be for your mother if you go to jail? Think about her being outside alone, enduring the bullying and insults of others, and spending decades alone. She may never be able to see you again! Don''t let your mother pay for all of this. It''s too cruel to her! "


    Fan Lixue bit her lip. Noticing that she was wavering, Lin Dongxue slowly approached her, and Xu Xiaodong did the same, ready to drag the two down together.


    When they were about ten steps away, Fan Lixue suddenly became alert, "Don''te any closer!" She put a hand on Han Jingming''s shoulder. "I''ll push her down if youe any closer. You police only know how to spout nice words. You haven¡¯t experienced this!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Little Fan, in fact, like you, I was bullied by the ss bully when I was in school. I also had the impulse to retaliate against them, but you cannot solve the problem with violence. Life is not fair, but you can only be stronger if you don¡¯t want to be bullied. That¡¯s why I became a police officer."


    "Come on, be a good girl and take your hand off her shoulder." Lin Dongxue advised.


    Fan Lixue burst into tears, and at that moment, Han Jingming suddenly woke up. She screamed, "Why am I here?!" Then she lost her bnce.


    Fan Lixue, who had her hand on her shoulder, lost her bnce at the same time. In order to pull her body back, Han Jingming pushed Fan Lixue subconsciously, and Fan Lixue immediately fell off the edge.


    "No!" Fan¡¯s mother screamed.


    Lin Dongxue pounced, but it was toote. In the moonlight, she saw that Fan Lixue had fallen to the ground. Her body was twisted and her eyes were wide. Blood flowed from her mouth.


    "She fell down by herself! She fell down by herself!" Han Jingming was frightened and desperately tried to emphasize her innocence. "I don''t even know how I got here!"


    "Return my daughter to me!" Fan¡¯s mother Fan screamed and rushed forward, trying to push Han Jingming down. Xu Xiaodong stopped her in time and Lin Dongxue quickly pulled Han Jingming aside.


    Walking down the building, Lin Dongxue felt as if she was stepping on cotton. Fan Lixue had stopped breathing and her mother rushed to her body and wept. Lin Dongxue took out her phone which had been ringing and said weakly to Lin Qiupu, "Han Jingming is okay... Fan Lixue is dead. "


    "What?!"


    "It was an ident..." Lin Dongxue said in a voice choked with emotion.


    Lin Qiupu told Ji Changxin, who was still in the interrogation room, and said, "Using violence to curb violence will only lead to tragedy!"


    "If I had known..." Ji Changxin cradled his head in pain.


    Soon after, Ji Changxin was handed over to wait for the judicial proceedings. Although he had used hypnosis to mislead the victims intomit suicide, considering his subjective motive, the homicide charge could not be escaped.


    Before being taken away, his only wish was to talk to his daughter just once, but after the police phoned his family, both his ex-wife and his daughter refused to speak to him. At that moment, Ji Changxin''s expression was as though his soul had died.


    Not long after Han Jingming returned to school, she transferred to a new school where no one knew her. When Lin Dongxue went to look for her to review the case, she unexpectedly found out that Han Jingming was being bullied in the new school.


    It turned out that the news of her pushing her ssmate down from a building had spread like wildfire. The ssmates there regarded her as a walking cmity. They initially alienated her and acted indifferent towards her, but she started getting humiliated verbally. Finally, it developed into full-fledged bullying. Lin Dongxue saw wounds on Han Jingming''s face and Han¡¯s eyes were full of dread. Lin Dongxue had mixed feelings. If a person is regarded as abnormal, they will soon be ostracized. School campus bullying worked that way.


    Before the trial began, Ji Changxin died in the detention center. Fellow inmates said that he had been talking to the wall all day, as if he was crazy.


    Early in the morning the next day, Ji Changxin died peacefully. He was not poisoned but developed the symptoms of cyanide poisoning. He had no injuries on his body and his organs were in good condition. He had a button in his mouth. After careful investigation and analysis, they concluded that he had performed a perfect self-hypnosis on himself and convinced himself that the button was poison. In that way, he really was "poisoned and died".


    That was thest and most perfect hypnosis murder in his short criminal career.

 Chapter 329: Tao Yueyue’s First Task

    <h4>Chapter 329: Tao Yueyue¡¯s First Task</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 22: Weak Female¡¯s Revenge


    There were three different types of padlocksid out on the table and Gu You was holding a stopwatch. She said, "Start" and pressed a button on the stopwatch.


    Tao Yueyue began to unlock the padlocks calmly and without haste. The lockpicks in her hands were like an extension of the nerves in her fingertips. She could perceive the appearance of the keyhole through the subtle feeling passed into the palm of her hand. After one minute and thirty-four seconds, all three locks were opened. Tao Yueyue looked at Gu You with anticipation.


    "One minute and thirty-four seconds. Very good. You broke your own personal record." Gu You smiled. "Most doors can''t stop you now. Do you want to have a go at the real deal?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded. Her little heart pounded with excitement.


    Gu You took out a ck envelope from the drawer and put it on the table. "This is your task tonight. Report to me when you¡¯re finished."


    Tao Yueyue opened it and said, "That''s easy. I thought it would be more challenging!"


    "Everything has to be done step by step. You have to think about risk and how to minimize it after an ident."


    Tao Yueyue nodded, thinking seriously about the task on the paper.


    At night, Tao Yueyue wore clothes to bed and pretended to sleep. Chen Shi went to bed after reading a book. At midnight, she quietly got out of bed, stuffed a pillow under the quilt, and quietly pushed open the door to leave.


    As soon as she got outside, the cold night wind that blew over her made her feel both excited and energetic. When she thought that she was about to sneak into a stranger''s house like a thief, the criminal genes in Tao Yueyue''s bones were aroused, just like how normal children were delighted when going to a yground.


    The target''s address wasn¡¯t far away. Tao Yueyue walked through the streets and alleys, avoiding the young people who drankte at night, as well as any surveince cameras she could spot.


    Gu You told her that with the advancement of the times and technology, the difficulty ofmitting a crime had risen in a straight line. The surveince cameras at every corner was a huge obstacle.


    The monitoring system has its own line. It was impossible to hack through hackers alone. It wasn¡¯t practical to destroy them either. Gu You installed a software on Tao Yueyue''s phone. When opened, it seemed as though it was just a normal map, but it had an additional feature. That is, the position of the camera head and the detection radius. This was so that they were easily avoidable.


    Where it couldn''t be avoided, Tao Yueyue pulled up her hood, put her hands in her pockets, and walked quickly past them while hunching her back.


    Gu You showed her the videos taken by the surveince cameras. They were far worse than professional cameras. The resolution was very low. They could only roughly recognize the body shape, height, and clothes. Gu You taught her to avoid getting her actual height being caught on camera and to pay attention to the small movements she made when she walked. To this end, Gu You recordedTao Yueyue walking at home for her to see. Tao Yueyue was surprised to find that she had so many unconscious movements.


    Gu You said that a master criminal is like a top actor. They can freely adjust their posture and habitual movements. Even if they are identified by witnesses, it¡¯s difficult to determine them to be the same person.


    Another thing she noted was to destroy or hide the clothes that you wear after youmit a crime. It mustn¡¯t be seen by outsiders.


    When she got to the target area, the security guardy in the security room asleep. The door was half open. Tao Yueyue thought that even if a bad guy went in and stabbed the security guard to death, nobody would know until sunrise.


    She entered the security room lightly, picked up his mobile phone on the desk, took a picture of the security guard, and edited his picture in the mobile phone, adding a line, "Uncle, remember to close the door when you sleep!"


    She lowered the phone and left quietly, closing the door for the security guard this time.


    Tao Yueyue walked into the dark neighborhood and found the building. She walked so lightly that she didn''t even turn on the noise-activated lights. When she came to the front of the apartment, she pulled out the lockpicks and started unlocking. A click came from the keyhole. It sounded crisp and sweet to her ears that the corners of Tao Yueyue¡¯s lips lifted.


    The excitement of sneaking into a stranger''s house for the first time was indescribable. Especially when the owner was still sleeping in the bedroom snoring. Tao Yueyue acted like she was stepping on the tips of knives, walking very lightly as her heart pounded.


    She was usually very afraid of strangers. Now, when she entered a stranger''s house, the sensation was like eating spicy chili peppers.


    The task at hand was to send the contents of a file from the homeowner''sputer to her own Weibo. The homeowner''s bedroom was on the left-hand side and the study was on the right-hand side. It wouldn¡¯t rm the sleeping homeowner.


    But to be on the safe side, Tao Yueyue still put all the cups and fruit trays on the table by the door of the bedroom. If the owner suddenly woke up, these would trip him. The door was also left slightly ajar so that she could rush out if she was found out.


    These were not taught by Gu You. It was her own idea. Of course, Tao Yueyue did these with gloves on.


    Theputer booting up was a little loud and Tao Yueyue was so nervous that she felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe. She kept looking at the door and under her gloves, her palms were already sweating.


    Theputer was finally turned on. Tao Yueyue found a folder, which was full of documents. Tao Yueyue opened one. It said that a rtive had leukemia and how difficult it was at home. It also talked about how much money was needed, along with a photo attached.


    In addition, there were screenshots of chat records, which were photos of patients purchased from healthcare workers or patient families.


    Tao Yueyue suddenly understood that this man was fabricating false information and using online donation tforms to scam people of their donations. He was a scumbag!


    She had also had cancer and had once been helpless. When she thought of someone who made use of the sympathy of others to make a fortune, Tao Yueyue was furious. People would no longer be so generous in the future once they found out they were deceived, and those who really needed the help wouldn¡¯t be able to receive it. Tao Yueyue was so angry that she didn''t want to just send out the evidence. She wanted to go to the kitchen to get a knife and ughter him!


    After calming down for a while, Tao Yueyue still posted the evidence onto Weibo and tagged a few online mediapanies. Then, she shut theputer down and poured the half-finished bottle of Sprite she found on the side onto theputer.


    Tao Yueyue went to the living room, ced the ambush items that she ced in front of the bedroom back to their original positions, and closed the door quietly before leaving.


    There should have been no ws in her first "crime." She felt extraordinary bliss, as if she had just aplished a great job and was particrly fulfilled.


    When she got to the gate of the residential area, Tao Yueyue was stunned. The security guard who was just asleep now looked around the door with a shlight. He must have woken up and saw the message on his mobile phone.


    The shlight in the hand of the security guard cast over towards her and Tao Yueyue hid in the bushes in fear. She had been calm before, but now she really felt the fear as her body curled and trembled.


    Something brushed over her hand and Tao Yueyue was startled. Then, she saw Gu Youying beside her, smiling and making a gesture for her to not make a noise...

 Chapter 330: I’ve Been Followed

    <h4>Chapter 330: I''ve Been Followed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Tao Yueyue asked in surprise, ¡°Sister Gu, why are you here?¡±


    Gu You said, ¡°I have been following you the whole time. Did you not notice it at all?¡±


    Tao Yueyue shook her head and secretly admired Gu You''s stealth. She said, ¡°The security has found out. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°I told you not to do anything extra. Come with me.¡±


    Gu You pulled Tao Yueyue back to themunity, went to a car, and the two got in the car. Gu You took off her jacket and put it over Tao Yueyue¡¯s body, making her pretend to sleep, and then drove out of themunity.


    When passing the gate of themunity, the security guard only nced into the car and let them go without any doubt.


    After leaving sessfully, Gu You said to Tao Yueyue, ¡°I parked my car here in advance just in case. When you simte a crime, you must be prepared for a back-up n.¡±


    ¡°Have you been discovered before?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu You took out a perfume bottle. ¡°Ether inside is used to deal with this situation.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the target wake up and call the police?¡±


    ¡°Like the one today, most of the targets I choose will not report to the police. He¡¯s a scum of the earth who scams people out of their donations. I have long suspected him.¡±


    ¡°Simtion crime is actually to punish such people?¡± Tao Yueyue said excitedly. ¡°Like a hero!¡±


    Gu You stroked her head, ¡°No, we are just doing this to enjoy the crime, but we don''t want to really break thew... There are two kinds of people in this world. One is the defender while the other is the destroyer. The former is to maintain order and reality, thetter is eager to break everything. Both you and I are thetter. The more things that are wrapped in taboos, the more tempting it is, so the more we want to go beyond the rules and taste the forbidden fruit.¡±


    ¡°Who do you mean by ¡®we¡¯? Sister Gu, I always thought that you were a mysterious person. Are you somebody from a mysterious organization?¡±


    Gu Youughed, ¡°It''s just an interest group. We post tasks to each other and simte crimes in the city at midnight. Most of the members of the group have high levels of education. They do these rebellious things for different purposes. Some people do this to relieve stress, some do it for the feelings they receive, and some do it as a means to attack poison with poison.¡±


    ¡°What''s its name? Does it still exist?¡±


    Gu You''s eyes revealed a sense of sorrow. ¡°We were originally a Garden of Eden. Everyone followed the rules and never went beyond... Until one day, a poisonous snake came in!¡±


    Tao Yueyue listened with interest, looking forward to the rest of the story.


    Gu You smiled lightly and said, ¡°I can''t tell you everything yet. We will continue to y this game. When a certain timees, I will tell you everything, okay?¡±


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    Gu You said, ¡°Lockpicking is just an introduction. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you some hacking methods.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tao Yueyue pped. She was full of expectations for this dangerous knowledge.


    On May 20th, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to a beef noodle restaurant to eat noodles. Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Who is that Gu You? Why does Captain Peng know her so well? How did they meet?¡±


    ¡°Gu You? That psychiatrist?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes. You know her?¡±


    ¡°She lives next door to me.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Lin Dongxue was surprised. ¡°Why have I never met her?¡±


    ¡°I can take you to see her next time.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. To be honest, I don''t like her very much.¡±


    ¡°Why? Envious?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Am I the jealous kind of woman? I think she¡¯s put walls around her and her nature is hidden really deep. Captain Peng must not fall into her trap.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Old Peng is-¡± Chen Shi stopped before he talked about the matter of Peng Sijue going to her clinic to treat depression. It was better not to spread it around, so he rephrased, ¡°He likes men.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Dongxue choked on hot pepper sauce out of surprise. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. I haven''t verified it yet.¡±


    ¡°Then, you should go verify it!¡± Lin Dongxue smirked.


    Chen Shi stared at a certain ce, then lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been followed recently.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Lin Dongxue nced back without seeing any suspicious characters.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know right away... Waiter, the bill please!¡±


    The waiter said, ¡°Sir, someone has already paid for your bill.¡±


    ¡°Thank the gentleman for me then.¡± Chen Shi nodded. After the waiter left, he reluctantly said to Lin Dongxue, ¡°See? No matter which restaurant I go to recently, someone will help me pay for it.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Lin Dongxue smiled. ¡°I also hope someone ¡®follows me¡¯ like this. Then, I will eat hot pot every day... Oh, who is it anyway?¡±


    ¡°Who else!¡±


    Ever since he rejected Wang Haitao¡¯s luxurious thank-you giftst time, Wang Haitao has turned on shadow gratuity mode. No matter where he went, someone would sneakily pay for him immediately. One time, he brought Tao Yueyue out to buy clothes. After trying on some items and not liking them, they were about to leave when the shop attendant told them that the items they were looking at were already paid for. Chen Shi didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    Chen Shi nowadays could walk into any consumer areas without taking money with him.


    But this was not a good thing for him. He found it very annoying. He said to Lin Dongxue, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m acting high and mighty and don¡¯t want his vi. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t think that the service I provided was worth that price.¡±


    ¡°But from his perspective, you saved his life!¡±


    ¡°This is just my job. Just like doctors who provide medical services, pancake stall owners who provide pancakes, and bars that provide wine, the police provide security and freedom. This modity'' is as important as health, food, and happiness. If only one officer gets such a high personal remuneration, it¡¯s too unfair to the doctor, pancake stall owner, and bar owner. Anyway, the modities'' that the police provide are already paid for by the taxpayers... Although I¡¯m not a police officer, the logic still applies! I solved the case and Captain Lin gave me a bonus, which is what I deserve.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that Captain Peng likes to reason about life. Don''t you dive really deep into these big life principles as well?¡±


    ¡°When talking about Old Peng, Wang Haitao''s salvation is the credit of the entire task force and the entire second team. This includes Old Peng, you, and your brother. That¡¯s even more reason why I shouldn''t receive this benefit. I¡¯m not qualified. If he gives everyone a vi and Lin Qiupu took the lead in collecting it, then I¡¯d have no opinion about it.¡±


    ¡°What a way to think! You want us all to y the role of the shameless character? Actually, I just want to say that if Wang Haitao wanted to repay you so much, you can give him a chance. Just take some symbolically. You¡¯re not a policeman anyway. Didn¡¯t you ept Old Man Lu''s moneyst time? It¡¯ll save him following you around every day. It¡¯s as if you are the target of an unrequited love... Don¡¯t you want to be acquainted with rich people?¡±


    ¡°No matter if they are rich or poor, I treat them equally. Just like when I send passengers to their destinations. No matter how excited we are talking to each other, I¡¯ll never contact them again because my service is over. Our fate ends there... Why can¡¯t this fool understand this concept?¡±


    The waiter came again, put down two sses of strawberry milkshakes and said, ¡°The gentleman who just paid your bill picked these out for you two.¡±


    Chen Shi felt helpless and said, ¡°Thank him for me!¡± while Lin Dongxue tried to hold back herughter.

 Chapter 331: The Middle-aged Man Who Died Alone

    <h4>Chapter 331: The Middle-aged Man Who Died Alone</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After leaving the restaurant, Chen Shi lit up a cigarette out of habit. Lin Dongxue snatched it from his mouth and threw it into the trash can on the roadside. ¡°You have a gross cigarette smell on your body. If you continue to smoke for a few years, you¡¯ll really be a stinking uncle. You should quit it!¡±


    Chen Shi forced a smile. ¡°I only have this one hobby.¡±


    ¡°What kind of hobby is smoking? Hobbies should be rewarding. I saw an article that smoking not only causes cancer, but also causes cardiovascr disease. It will take fifteen years for the body to return to normal after you quit smoking. If you quit smoking now, you¡¯ll be a healthy old man by the age of fifty.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. To be honest, it was a task easier said than done.


    ¡°Is there a reward if I quit sessfully?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while, gestured for him to get closer to her and spoke in his ear for a long time. Chen Shi said in disbelief, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course! As long as you quit sessfully, I will do it for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±


    ¡°Pinky promise.¡±


    After the two pinky promised, Chen Shi took out his cigarettes and lighter. Although he was reluctant, he still put them in the trash can.


    From now on, they will be separated.


    The two nned to go shopping, but Lin Dongxue received a text message. Lin Qiupu sent coordinates and said briefly, ¡°There¡¯s a murder case.¡±


    Lin Dongxue handed the phone to Chen Shi, and Chen Shi said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Shi asked when he got in the car, ¡°Can I smoke electronic cigarettes in the future?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Dongxue said tly.


    At the scene of the murder case, it was the standard familiar scene. The police were taking pictures and controlling the area while several other policemen were questioning the neighbors outside. This was a three-bedroom and two-living room house. Looking at the interior design, the homeowner seemed to be financially well-off.


    There was a mess in the living room that seemed to have seen a fierce fight. The body fell under the sink outside the toilet. It was a fat middle-aged man wearing a shirt and suit pants. He wasying by the sink with his mouth wide open. His lips were purple and his skin was pale. Chen Shi''s first reaction was that this man was poisoned to death.


    Chen Shi nced at the clothing hanger and the victim¡¯s casual suit jacket was hung on it. He spected that the victim had just arrived home when he died.


    Peng Sijue was examining the body. When he looked at the deceased''s throat using a shlight, he suddenly said, ¡°Close the door.¡±


    The policeman at the door closed the door quickly, while Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi, and Lin Dongxue went over to his side. Peng Sijue nced at Lin Dongxue. ¡°Dongxue, do you want to avoid this? The image may be a little...¡±


    ¡°Is it that the victim''s dick was cut off and stuffed into his mouth?¡± Chen Shi asked. Lin Dongxue was shocked when she heard his words.


    ¡°Do you have to be so direct?!¡± Peng Sijue red at him.


    ¡°There¡¯s blood on the pants and the throat is bulging, as if stuffed... This is the best thing to cut off a men¡¯s body since it doesn¡¯t have tendons or cartge. You can cut it off in one go and it¡¯s very symbolic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for voicing out your valuable opinions.¡±


    Peng Sijue slowly pulled out the thing in his throat and upon seeing the item, Lin Dongxue frowned but she didn''t avoid it. As a police officer, there was nothing she should avoid.


    ¡°Typical sexual revenge. The killer is most likely a woman and it¡¯s likely that it¡¯s a woman who has been sexually assaulted by the deceased.¡± Chen Shi stood up and nced at the sink. There was vomit, mixed with the smell of alcohol and drugs. ¡°The deceased was poisoned. The messy traces in the living room were left after struggling from the effects of the poison. He ran here to trigger himself into vomiting, but it was toote.¡±


    ¡°You''re wrong. The deceased was stabbed to death.¡± Peng Sijue unbuttoned the deceased''s shirt and pointed to the center of his chest. ¡°Look at the bleeding point. Help me turn the body over.¡±


    After turning over the body, they found that there were three stab wounds on the back of the body and most of the blood flowed into the stomach. The body was lying on its back just now, so Chen Shi didn''t see it.


    Chen Shi rubbed his temples awkwardly as Lin Qiupuughed. ¡°There are times when you aren¡¯t right as well.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t an expert in autopsies to begin with and I¡¯m quitting smoking at the moment. My brain power is a lot lower than usual.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re actually quitting? How long have you quit for?¡±


    ¡°One hour!¡±


    ¡°How does that count as quitting?¡±


    Peng Sijue interrupted, ¡°About eight hours before, the killer should have poisoned the victim. While the victim struggled violently, attempting to vomit, and the killer stabbed him with a prick-like object from behind, causing his death... The organ was cut off and inserted into the throat after death.¡±


    ¡°Eight hours?¡± Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. ¡°That''s about 1:00 in the afternoon. Who called the police?¡±


    ¡°A housekeeper at 4:00 in the afternoon. She has a set of keys.¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°I have already questioned them and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no reason to suspect them. The deceased is over 50 years old named Zheng Guohao. He¡¯s living alone and is the manager of a multinational foodpany. He¡¯s actually retired internally long ago and basically in a leisurely state, but he still frequently goes out to meet with stakeholders.¡± With that said, Lin Qiupu took out a note paper packed in an evidence bag. ¡°This is the schedule found on the victim¡¯s bedside table. He arranged for dinner with a supermarket supervisor at noon. This person should be thest one to have seen him. I have already contacted the other party.¡±


    At this time, the police outside shouted, ¡°Captain Lin, Captain Lin, we caught a suspicious person! He''s downstairs.¡±


    Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue immediately went downstairs. Chen Shi figured he¡¯d let them handle that. He walked around the house to see if there were any clues. Although it was really messy in the living room, there were only a few ces worth noting. The overturned sses, the broken alcohol bottles, and the alcohol on the carpet that the forensics team was extracting. Chen Shi nced at the wine-rack and said, ¡°The deceased seems to prefer brandy. There are several brands here that aremon in the market, but they drank a top-shelf bottle of vodka. It seemed as though he knew the killer''s preferences, and intended to please them... No, vodka is so strong, who would drink that during the day? Besides, it was a woman as well.¡±


    Peng Sijue picked up a ss and examined the residue on the inside. ¡°It should be vodka that was mixed with juice. Vodka has a slight smell, but it has a high alcohol percentage, so it¡¯s easy to get drunk off of it.¡±


    Chen Shi picked up a broken ss and smelled it. ¡°The deceased drank brandy... There¡¯s a smell of medicine in it. It should be the ce where he was poisoned. The victim wanted to make the killer drunk with vodka, but the killer directly poisoned him with his cup.¡± Chen Shi looked at the bedroom door. ¡°So, the murderer used beauty to win the trust of the victim. A single man in their fifties would be easily scammed! Old Peng, did you find the murder weapon yet?¡±


    ¡°The set of knives in the kitchen was aplete set. There weren¡¯t any that were lost. There was no human blood on them either. The knife should have been brought by the murderer and taken away after the deed was done.¡±


    Chen Shi muttered, ¡°The killer had a clear goal. They brought poison and a knife just to kill the victim...¡± He walked around the house and found that the traces left by the killer were mainly in the living room. The victim struggled and broke the sses, and then the murderer stepped on the juice and alcohol, leaving shoe prints on the ground. A size 34[1] shoe print.


    Chen Shi knew that Peng Sijue would have checked everything very carefully. He only checked the ces they hadn¡¯t checked yet and found an unexpected trace. There was the aroma of brandy on the door handle.


    He called out to Peng Sijue. After alcohol and water evaporated, there were only a few fragrantponents left. Peng Sijue had no equipment for direct analysis on hand. He could only rely on smelling it. He sniffed around the door a few times and said, ¡°It¡¯s only on the handle. Did the murderer leave it behind when they left?¡±


    Chen Shi expressed skepticism towards this spection. ¡°Brandy evaporates quickly on the hand. The deceased struggled for a very long time. The alcohol on the murderer¡¯s hand wouldn¡¯t havested that long.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to say that the murderer opened the door during the murder?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but why...¡± Chen Shi pondered for a long time and smiled. ¡°Is it possible that the murder was done by two people instead?¡±


    1. Size 3 in the US.

 Chapter 332: Expert of Escaping Crimes

    <h4>Chapter 332: Expert of Escaping Crimes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they heard that a suspicious person was caught, Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue immediately ran down. It was a thin, middle-aged man with a document file and sses. His hair wasbed neatly. From the streaks of white hair, they judged him to be about 40 or 50 years old. He was exining to the police who stopped him, ¡°I''m not a suspicious person. I''m awyer. I¡¯m here to talk about something with Mr. Zheng. You have my sympathies for the homicide case, but I don''t want to waste time. Let me go!¡±


    Lin Qiupu came forward and said, ¡°I am the captain of the second team of the bureau¡¯s criminal task force. My surname is Lin. May I have your surname?¡±


    Thewyer''s attitude eased and he stretched out his hand. ¡°My surname is Bai. This is my business card... I came to see Mr. Zheng today to talk about some business matters. I just learned of the bad news. Although I¡¯m very distressed, there¡¯s nothing I can do. You saw me too. I just entered themunity. Not only is there nothing to suspect me of, but I wouldn¡¯t be of any assistance either. We shouldn¡¯t waste each other¡¯s time.¡±


    Lawyers really knew how to talk eloquently, but Lin Qiupu refused to let him go like this. He asked, ¡°Zheng Guohao has already retired. Does he have any business disputes?¡±


    ¡°That''s the customer''s secret and I can''t tell you that confidential information.¡±


    ¡°Now that he¡¯s been killed, I must know everything about him, especially about those who have disputes with him!¡±


    Attorney Bai smiled and shook his head. ¡°Who does he have disputes with? I can''t help you with that. Sorry.¡±


    Lin Dongxue got his business card and checked it with her mobile phone. The result of the search surprised her. Attorney Bai was not a businesswyer. He was only responsible for one type of defense and held a small reputation in the field.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, ¡°Captain Lin¡± and handed the mobile phone to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu was also surprised. Looking at the contents of the phone and looking at thewyer in front of him, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not a good habit to lie in front of the police.¡±


    Attorney Bai seemed to understand something and still calmly emphasized, ¡°I don¡¯t have any malicious intent. I¡¯m just trying to protect the reputation of the deceased. The deceased are the most superior[1]!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness... So, you defend people used of rape?¡±


    Attorney Bai knew he couldn''t hide it any longer and answered, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°On the Inte, you have represented over a thousand rape defense cases and pleaded innocent for hundreds of clients sessfully. It seems that you are an expert in this field... There seem to be a lot of people scolding you online.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m in this field, I don¡¯t care about being scolded. As for my motivation, I admit that it¡¯s for the money. The parties charged with sexual assault and rape are mostly rich. I can get a goodmission from them. Moreover, this isn¡¯t an evil practice.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was shocked by this thick-skinned person. She just took a look at the online evaluation of him and it was all very negative. He described the raped woman as sex workers, sluts, scammers, and nymphomaniacs through twisted truths and fabricated evidence. He actually said this wasn¡¯t an evil practice.


    Of course, she kept calm in front of Lin Qiupu, but she looked at Attorney Bai with contempt.


    Attorney Bai had long ignored this kind of gaze and smiled slightly. Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Why are you telling me this so frankly? Is it to pave the way for your next words? Has Zheng Guohao recently sexually assaulted someone and asked you to rid him of his crimes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Zheng Guohao''s troubles have reached the point where he is ready to go to court?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you don''t want to talk about it, then let''s change the ce where we¡¯ll talk!¡±


    Attorney Bai knew that he couldn''t hide the truth and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s change the ce. Standing around is making me too tired. Let''s go sit in the cafe outside. I¡¯ll treat you.¡±


    ¡°We. Will. Stay. Here!¡± Lin Qiupu alliterated, ¡°The victim is still lying upstairs. I have no mood to go to a cafe.¡±


    ¡°It can be seen that Captain Lin is very dedicated,¡± Attorney Bai said with a fake smile, ¡°In fact, Zheng Guohao intended to sue another person.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A man named Li Min. To sue him for extortion.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t your specialty though?¡±


    ¡°It really isn''t, but...¡± Attorney Bai slowly said, ¡°There are some other things mixed in. One month ago, he sexually assaulted Li Min''s underage daughter. Li Min was so angry then that he was going about to kill him. In his anxiety, Zheng Guohao promised topensate 1,000,000 yuan to him and wrote down the IOU. Afterwards, he gave out about 100,000 yuan, but Zheng Guohao felt that thepensation was too much, so he hoped that I would sue Li Min for extortion.¡±


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Lin Dongxue felt that her views of the world were shattered. ¡°He sexually assaulted someone else''s daughter, promisedpensation, and in turn sued the other person? Does this man have no shame?¡±


    ¡°Officer, whether you ¡®have shame¡¯ is beyond the scope of my discussions with my client. My responsibility is only to design an optimal stop-loss n.¡±


    ¡°Rape is a public prosecution case. You can''t turn it private when you go to court. The other party promised to be private, but he even dared to sue the other party. Isn¡¯t this person too ballsy?¡± Lin Dongxue couldn''t help but spat.


    ¡°The person¡¯s already passed, so I might as well be honest!¡± Attorney Bai said, ¡°Technically speaking, it has been a month since the sexual assault and the person didn¡¯t get pregnant or infected with sexually transmitted diseases. All the evidence is long gone and the only the statements from the parties remain. A rape case without evidence can¡¯t! Be! Won! I canpletely win the case and retrieve the money that waspensated too!¡± Attorney Bai''s confidence grew from nowhere. ¡°Stall! It¡¯s my magic weapon when representing such cases! There is no evidence once things are dragged on. Furthermore, women want to save face. The more it drags out, the more face they lose and the more they won¡¯t continue to take a stand. It all fizzles out in the end!¡±


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise. She saw the lower limit of human shamelessness.


    Lin Qiupu mocked, ¡°I¡¯ve learned so much.¡±


    Attorney Bai took out a business card and handed it to Lin Qiupu. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Captain Lin usually has a lot of meetings. The world is full of temptation. Men, right? You might make a mistake one day. In an unfair society like this, men should learn to protect themselves. You can contact me if needed.¡±


    After he said his piece, he showed a row of bright teeth.


    Lin Qiupu turned away his hand. ¡°Don''t advertise here. I don''t have the need... You said that Li Min wanted to kill Zheng Guohao. Do you have any way to contact him?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Attorney Bai pulled out his mobile phone, gave Lin Qiupu a number, and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else you need me for, right?¡±


    ¡°Last question. At about noon today, where were you? Don''t get me wrong. I¡¯m just asking this as part of standard procedure.¡± Lin Qiupu remembered Zheng Guohao''s schedule with Attorney Bai¡¯s name on it.


    Attorney Baiughed. ¡°I have an alibi of course. I was in court until 3:00 in the afternoon. Remember to read the newspaper headlines tomorrow. I won awsuit beautifully for a senior official''s children in Long¡¯an. I wonder how many people will scold me sourly again. Hahahaha, goodbye!¡±


    1. It¡¯s an expression where people essentially disregard whether the deceased did good or bad deeds in the past, as they are already dead.

 Chapter 333: The Bastard Zheng

    <h4>Chapter 333: The Bastard Zheng</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Looking back at Attorney Bai''s bright spirit, Lin Dongxue said in disgust, ¡°It''s absolutely shameless. Brother, take a look at the Inte. Intermittent psychosis, dual personality, and hot pot additives containing aphrodisiac ingredients were some of the reasons he made up to acquit his clients? It''s shameless to make up such reasons.¡±


    ¡°Well, don''t always be so emotional when investigating the cases. There are quite a few people scolding him online, right? It''s 10:00 now. I''ll meet with Li Min. Will youe?¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay with Chen Shi.¡±


    Seeing his sister say this sentence so naturally, Lin Qiupu¡¯s heart stopped for a moment. After all, his sister would eventually grow up one day and be taken away by another man. He said, ¡°Be careful when you go back in his car at night...¡±


    ¡°He''s not a bad guy. Besides, can''t I protect myself?¡± Lin Dongxue waved her hand before heading upstairs.


    Lin Qiupu was struggling with this all the way over to Li Min''s house. He stood in front of the door to sort out his mood and appearance before he knocked on the door three times. Li Min was a thin, middle-aged man. He asked, ¡°Police?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Lin Qiupu asked since he didn¡¯t wear a police uniform.


    ¡°Zheng Guohao was killed, right? He still owes me a million yuan. I have an IOU here. Will his property be paid to me after the auction?¡±


    ¡°How do you know...¡± Lin Qiupu seemed to understand and queried, ¡°Attorney Bai told you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he just called me and said that you suspected that I did it. He also said that if I was sued, hisw firm could take up the case, but he would take a rmendation fee for it.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense!¡± Lin Qiupu''s nostrils red in anger. ¡°Who allowed him to disclose the progress of the investigation? I¡¯ll make him bear legal responsibility!¡±


    ¡°Officer, are you really suspecting that I did it? I was working in the supermarket at 1:00 in the afternoon!¡± Attorney Bai seemed to have told him everything.


    ¡°We are still investigating this. We aren¡¯t suspecting anyone at the moment. I just wanted to know about the situation from you...¡± Lin Qiupu saw a girl in the room poking her head out from the bedroom door. ¡°Is anyone at home?¡±


    ¡°My daughter.¡±


    ¡°Then, let''s talk somewhere else.¡±


    Li Min put on a brown coat and followed Lin Qiupu out. The two sat down at a nearby luosifen stall[1]. Li Min handed a cigarette over to him, but Lin Qiupu reached out to decline. Lin Qiupu began to ask, ¡°What kind of upation do you have? Also, how did you meet Zheng Guohao?¡°


    ¡°Ugh, don''t mention it. How did Ie to know that animal?! I¡¯m a supermarket supervisor. It¡¯s that big supermarket in front of us. I recently nned to get the retailing rights of Zheng Guohao''s beef jerky and sell it in the supermarket and earn a little extra money, so I asked Zheng Guohao... No, this bastard Zheng. That day, I brought my daughter Tingting and some colleagues along with their families to dinner with him to talk about obtaining the retailing rights. It was a very pleasant meal. After we had finished eating, he seemed like he was a bit too drunk, so I let him lie down at my house for a while since my house was rtively close. That bastard Zheng said he wanted to have something sour to drink to cure his hangover, so I went out to buy him some soda...¡±


    Lin Qiupu interrupted him, ¡°Are you a single father?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Tingting grew up with me.¡±


    ¡°Then, why did you leave your daughter alone with him in the house and buy the drinks by yourself? Shouldn''t the normal situation be the other way around?¡±


    ¡°I... I was afraid she was going to meet a bad person when she went out.¡±


    Lin Qiupu saw through his lie and said sternly, ¡°You better tell the truth.¡±


    Li Min''s lips twitched and the cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground. He covered his face and cried, ¡°I''m not apetent dad! Actually, the bastard Zheng was particrly interested in Tingting at the dinner that day. He also asked her to go to his house to y when she was free. Nine of his ten sentences were directed towards Tingting. I know that Tingting was born quite beautiful and I wanted to win the favor of this bastard Zheng, so I let Tingting apany the bastard at home. How would I have known... How would I have known... When I went home, I heard Tingting crying and her clothes were torn apart by that animal. A fire sparked in me immediately. I didn¡¯t care who he was. I picked up a kitchen knife and was about to chop his dick off before killing him, but the bastard Zheng knelt down and pleaded for mercy. He offered to solve the issue privately and was willing topensate a million to us.¡±


    ¡°Was he the one who proposed that sum, or was it you?¡±


    Under the suffocating gaze of Lin Qiupu, Li Min finally admitted, ¡°It was me!¡±


    Sure enough, a father who was willing to stay private in such matters must be weak and greedy for money.


    Li Min said, ¡°I was thinking that Tingting was already ruined by this animal. What woulde about a court case? When this kind of thing spreads, it¡¯s not the face of that bastard Zheng that would be lost, it would be mine and my daughter¡¯s. In the future, how would Tingting be able to marry someone? Who would still want her? It¡¯s meaningless to lose energy, face, and money to try and seek justice. It¡¯s better to ask the bastard to bleed a little. With this million, I can send Tingting to a good university. In the future, I can still buy a house for her, which is also good for her... When the bastard Zheng wrote the IOU and inked his fingerprint on it, I thought this would all be over. At night, Iforted Tingting the whole night and watched her cry. I didn''t feel good about it, The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. One million was too little. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to raise my daughter and she was ruined by this animal that was raised by a dog. It would take at least five million to dispel my hate!¡±


    ¡°Of course, the IOU was already set in stone, so there was nothing I could do but ept it! Later, I kept urging him and the bastard Zheng said that he had a million in hand, but it needed to be used as circting capital. If he was to take it out, he would lose more than 10 million and he¡¯d be sued... A mountain was covered by clouds, mist, and fog[2]. He just kept stalling me. I warned him that if he didn¡¯t give me the money, he would see us in court. Tingting is a minor, and raping a young girl would be sentenced harshly. The death penalty was possible too! The bastard Zheng kept paying me money. He gave me about 20,000 or 30,000... ¡° Looking at Lin Qiupu''s eyes, Li Min didn''t dare to lie again and retracted, ¡°He gave me 100,000 yuan!¡±


    ¡°When did you receive it?¡±


    ¡°Once in a while.¡± Li Min''s eyes flickered a little.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll check this information when I get back. Thank you for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. What I said is the truth.¡±


    Li Min emphasized this because Lin Qiupu seemed a little suspicious of him.


    After saying goodbye, Lin Qiupu returned to the bureau. There was a scent of grilled skewers in the corridor. It turned out that Chen Shi invited everyone to eat. Chen Shi held up a bunch of grilled eggnts and said, ¡°Captain Lin, why don¡¯t you have one? I paid for this with my own money.¡±


    Lin Qiupu misunderstood what he meant and said, ¡°Don''t expect the team to reimburse even this kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean that. I mean... Forget it, you won''t understand my recent distress.¡± Chen Shi lowered his head and bit into the grilled eggnt.


    Lin Qiupu asked about the current clues on hand. Peng Sijue was still doing an autopsy, and a third set of footprints was found at the crime scene. From the size, it seemed like it belonged to a woman. They couldn¡¯t be sure whether the murderer had left them after they put on sole covers to divert the attention away from their real size.


    The surveince footage from themunity was brought back and it was still being screened slowly. Themunity security who had seen the deceased at noon imed that the deceased was the only person in the car.


    Chen Shi found some unsightly photos in a hollowed-out book at the deceased''s house, which seemed to be the bodies of young girls. The information department browsed the records from the deceased''sputer and also confirmed that the deceased may have been a pedophile.


    In addition, the deceased''s credit card statement showed that he withdrew 100,000 yuan in cash yesterday at noon...


    1. They¡¯re boiled rice noodles served in soup made from a stock that consists of pork bones and river snails. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipediamons/3/34/Luosifen_w_pork_knuckles_%2820150430131030%29.JPG


    2. It¡¯s an expression that¡¯s used to describe people that make up stories and excuses.

 Chapter 334: The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 334: The Hunted Bes the Hunter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu mumbled, ¡°Li Min told me that the deceased gave him 100,000 yuan over multiple payments this month. Could it be that he lied to me? Go and check Li Min''s bank bnce tomorrow.¡±


    Peng Sijue came in and threw down a report. ¡°The time of death was around 1:00PM. There was alcohol and some drug residues in the stomach, and the deceased''s right index finger was stained with tongue hair. He tried to vomit the poison up by inducing himself with his finger. The direct cause of death was suffocation caused by the rupture of the diaphragm, which ovepped with the toxicosis. I don¡¯t know if it was intentional by the killer. The three knife wounds were struck into the lungs and diaphragm, perfectly avoiding the ribs. The victim suffocated for over a minute before he died. In addition to his sexual organ being cut off, the body also had several scars and bone fractures left after being killed. It seems like the murderer had performed a series of angry assaults against the body.¡±


    ¡°What was the type of poison used?¡±


    ¡°Diazepam. It can calm the person and inhibit the central nervous system. It¡¯s also used in clinical anesthesia. Although it¡¯s a prescribed drug, it¡¯s not difficult to obtain. Diazepam itself requires arge dosage for it to be lethal, but if it¡¯s mixed with alcohol, it would be lethal just by using a few grams[1].¡±


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Comedy master Chaplin died after taking this drug[2].¡±


    ¡°It seems that the killer was well prepared,¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°They were more professional than expected.¡±


    Peng Sijue went on to say, ¡°The bottle of vodka that was meant for the killer also has some ingredients that have not been tested yet. My gut feeling says that it¡¯s an aphrodisiac or sleeping medication. That¡¯s why the deceased poured vodka for the killer but drank brandy instead.¡±


    ¡°The praying mantis hunts the cicada, but the Eurasian siskin follows behind[3].¡± Chen Shimented.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we say that the cicada is the Eurasian siskin in this scenario?¡± Lin Dongxue said. ¡°If you look at it this way, it¡¯s unlikely that the deceased would pour medicated alcohol for Li Min, so Li Min probably has no reason to be suspected?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. What if it''s for Li Min''s daughter? She''s fourteen years old this year.¡±


    ¡°Pouring a ss of alcohol in front of Li Min?¡±


    Chen Shi exined, ¡°I understand something now. I understand why there was alcohol on the doorknob. The killers are two people, A and B. A went into the house first. While the victim was unaware, they poisoned the alcohol and stirred it with their fingers. The victim struggled violently when the poison took effect. At this time, A opened the door for B toe in. The murder weapon might have also been brought in by B. The possibility that A is a young girl is quiterge. They used the victim¡¯s lust to lure him into this trap. This was a carefully prepared n to hunt the hunter.¡±


    ¡°Li Min''s daughter came first, and then Li Min cameter. It makes sense!¡± Lin Qiupu approved. ¡°I have observed Li Min. He¡¯s not very tall. As for the motive, of course it¡¯s because his daughter was sexually assaulted. Instead, he was sued for extortion. That anger and resentment would be the motive to kill.¡±


    Chen Shi warned, ¡°I suggest that we don¡¯t focus on Li Min alone. The deceased lives alone and is suspected of pedophilia. It seems like he is a recurring offender. Maybe it was a girl who he¡¯d harmed in the past that¡¯s taking revenge on him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll approach this from both angles! I¡¯ll continue to follow the line towards Li Min.¡± Lin Qiupu thought that his hunch may be wrong again, but it didn¡¯t matter. Ruling out the wrong choice, the correct option would naturally surface.


    He wasn¡¯t like how he was when he first met Chen Shi where he was arrogant and prideful and always trying to best Chen Shi. Nowadays, he understood Chen Shi¡¯s ability. He¡¯d rather do some trial and error work so that Chen Shi could utilize his abilities to a greater extent.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°Tomorrow, I will go and find Attorney Bai. I think he may know about the ''good things'' that the victims had done previously.¡±


    The next morning, Lin Qiupu went to the bureau. They didn¡¯t hold a case discussion meeting that day. The focus was on investigating the surveince videos before and after the case and screening out the people who entered and exited themunity. They particrly focused on groups of two entering and leaving around the time of death.


    A single, unexpected person appeared on the surveince footage. One hour before the crime, Li Min arrived alone. He was wrapped in clothes, as if he was hiding something and he looked very cautious.


    And when he left again, it was 1:30 in the afternoon!


    Li Min''s bank ount was also investigated. He did receive a total of 100,000 yuan from the deceased in smaller payments one after another within a month. However, this morning, Li Min deposited another 100,000 yuan in cash.


    Li Min was absolutely concealing something. Lin Qiupu immediately brought a few police officers to look for him. At this time, Li Min was still working in the supermarket. When he saw the policemen in uniform who were looking for him, he froze on the spot. Lin Qiupu asked, ¡°Mr. Li, may we go somewhere else to have a chat?¡±


    When they got to the emergency staircase, Li Min took out a cigarette and his fingers shook. He acted calm and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t youe to find me yesterday? Is there anything else you wanted to ask?¡±


    Lin Qiupu took out the detailed statement issued by the bank and instructed, ¡°Exin. What¡¯s going on with the 100,000 yuan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bonus? Why are you checking my ounts?¡±


    ¡°This is a legal investigation. Did you say it was a bonus? Coincidentally, the deceased also withdrew 100,000 yuan yesterday.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Li Min smoked silently with his head down.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to talk about it here, I''ll ask you to go back with us and talk in detail.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Li Min looked at other policemen. ¡°Can we speak alone?¡±


    ¡°No, you can rest assured that we will keep it secret if it proves that you have nothing to do with the case. What did you do at the victim¡¯smunity at noon yesterday?¡±


    Li Min was so scared. ¡°Talk... I wanted to try and have a talk with him!¡±


    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°About the matter regarding thepensation.¡±


    ¡°Did you two end up meeting?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Li Min was frightened by Lin Qiupu''s sharp eyes and said frankly, ¡°Really! I called the bastard Zheng to crawl down, but he turned off his phone. At that time... At that time, I hid a fruit knife on my body, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but I really didn¡¯t end up doing it. I just thought about it. You wouldn¡¯t think that I was the one who killed him, right?¡±


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do it! I just thought about it. I really just paced around downstairs for a while. When I couldn¡¯t see him, I angrily cut a tree in themunity with the knife.¡± Li Min took out a folded fruit knife. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check it.¡±


    ¡°I want to know why.¡±


    ¡°Because... Because... This beast of an animal, he...¡± Li Min was so angry he trembled. ¡°He ruined my daughter, wrote down a million in IOUs, and then he squeezed out a tiny bit of money as if it were a bottle of toothpaste! The day before yesterday, he came to me with 100,000 dors and I was quite happy thinking that this guy had found his conscience. But when he opened his mouth, it really wasn¡¯t like anything a human would say. He told me that he had already popped my daughter¡¯s cherry anyway, so there wasn¡¯t a difference between one and ten times. He asked me if I thought my daughter was a celebrity and whether I thought one time with her would be worth a million yuan. He said he would give me 100,000 a month if I asked my daughter to apany him again. He then said he wouldn¡¯t treat her poorly and said he¡¯d pay me in ten installments. Apparently that way, neither of us loses out.¡±


    ¡°Motherfucker, this animal then forced the 100,000 yuan on me and asked me to think about it. I really wanted to kill him at the time. When I went home, the longer I thought about it, the angrier I got. I couldn¡¯t believe I met this scum of the earth. So, I grabbed a knife and wanted to kill him to rid our society of this evil. When I heard that he¡¯d been killed, I was so happy. The sky has eyes and wicked people meet wicked ends!¡±


    1. I tried researching this medication and some sources say that as it¡¯s a type of benzodiazepines, when mixed with alcohol, the person would just be extremely sleepy, however, some sources mention the lethality of it. Here¡¯s an example of thetter https://.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12170103


    2. It used to be a rumor that circted around, although his death was publicly reported as something different.


    3. The hunter is unaware that they are also getting hunted.

 Chapter 335: Dying With Unspent Money

    <h4>Chapter 335: Dying With Unspent Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Li Min''s words surprised the police present. Through handling cases previously, they¡¯d seen a lot of shameless people in their time, but they had never seen people as shameless as the deceased, Zheng Guohao.


    Lin Qiupu roughly recorded Li Min''s words and said, ¡°I will check what you said. Don¡¯t leave Long¡¯an in the near future and keep your phone on.¡±


    Li Min pped his chest really hard. ¡°My body stands straight and tall and I¡¯m not afraid of my shadow being nted[1]. I didn''t kill him. Please investigate as you please... But can my daughter''s affairs be kept confidential?¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured on that.¡±


    After bidding farewell to Li Min, Lin Qiupu read Lin Dongxue''s message in the project group. She sent, ¡°Attorney Bai has been killed. Hurry on over if you can. The address is...¡±


    ¡°No way?¡± Lin Qiupu directed the crowd. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry over.¡±


    Attorney Bai died in his own home. When Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi didn¡¯t get through to his phone, they went to his office. Colleagues said that he didn¡¯te to work today, so they went to his house to visit him. The curtains were closed and his car was parked downstairs.


    After knocking on the door several times, no one answered. Chen Shi had a bad gut feeling. He immediately broke the door open and found Attorney Bai dead on the sofa.


    He was wearing a button-up shirt, home trousers, and slippers. Hey on the sofa with his eyes rolled back. His chest was stabbed with a sharp weapon and the blood had already spilled into arge pool. He held some documents in his hands. A lot of blood dripped onto the documents that were scattered on the ground.


    Chen Shi picked up some documents and skimmed over them. ¡°These are all the previous cases of sexual assault. Isn''t this person only responsible for representing rapists?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The door lock is intact... He looks like he was talking to someone about the case, and the murderer should have been brought in by Attorney Bai... The way he¡¯s dressed...¡±


    ¡°What do you think of it?¡± Chen Shi encouraged.


    ¡°He seems to have returned home, ready to rest, but then he suddenly had a guest visit, so he hurriedly put on a button-up shirt.¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡± Chen Shi went to the bathroom and nced inside. ¡°The hot water was still boiling in there. If this deadly visitor didn''te, he might have taken a bath and gone to bed... It should have been a casemittedst night.¡±


    Chen Shi squatted down, looked at the ss coffee table at an angle so that the light hit the table, and said, ¡°A cup was put on the table. Was it taken away?¡±


    ¡°The poisoning method again?¡±


    Chen Shi went into the kitchen. From the house¡¯s details, it could be seen that Attorney Bai was very fond of neatness and order. He may even have obsessivepulsive disorder. Everything was arranged in an extremely organized manner. Chen Shi opened the cupboards row after row until he found a drawer that only held ss cups. There were two which had water stain on them, and they were ced haphazardlypared to everything else.


    ¡°The killer washed out the cups and put them away. Presumably, they didn''t want people to see that they had drunk something face to face with the victim.¡± Chen Shi pushed the drawer closed, ensuring that it looked the way it was left when Peng Sijue arrived.


    Chen Shi went to the study and picked up the schedule on Attorney Bai¡¯s desk. On yesterday''s schedule, there was no mention that any guests would be visiting in the evening.


    Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°Do you think the killer is the same person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a clean murder. It should be the same person. The murderer may be a woman. A young and most probably beautiful woman. That¡¯s most likely why Attorney Bai would rx his vignce... By the way, he had the documents of sexual assault cases in his hand. It seemed like he was consulting the visitor about it. It¡¯s clearly not his area of expertise, so the killer must have been really drawn to the victim.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the same person, the scope should be quite narrow. She must have been sexually assaulted by Zheng Guohao and the defensewyer in that case was Attorney Bai, so she decided to take revenge against two people at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Shi expressed doubts. ¡°Don''t make presumptions. The murderers may also have been two women. Maybe there¡¯s no such connection at all... Let¡¯s go out and take a breather. The smell of blood in the house is really pungent.¡±


    When he got outside, Chen Shi¡¯s smoking addiction acted up. He yawned as he felt his body instinctively ache for it.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows, as if gently warning him.


    Chen Shi smiled. ¡°You don''t know how ufortable giving up these little sticks are. I didn''t sleep wellst night.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have any when you went home?¡±


    ¡°No, you can ask Yueyue.¡±


    ¡°Really good!¡± Lin Dongxue patted him, then took out a box of small candies, poured one on her palm, and offered, ¡°It¡¯s a reward for you.¡±


    Chen Shi chewed on the small candy and said, ¡°If only it tasted like nicotine.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Lin Dongxue poked him.


    Peng Sijue and Lin Qiupu subsequently arrived at the scene one after another, apanied by an expert in the information department. He turned on Attorney Bai''sputer and Chen Shi said, ¡°Let me take a look!¡±


    Attorney Bai''s big desk and chair were veryfortable. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were sitting there, browsing the files on Attorney Bai¡¯sputer. Chen Shi found that Attorney Bai was very serious and his personal life was the same. There was no messy content on hisputer. The sites he visited were all professional legal forums.


    An annual sry of over a million wasn¡¯t due to a scam. His life was work and his work was life. But thinking of Attorney Bai¡¯s young age dying like this when he had so much money in the bank, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t help but think of a sentence in Zhao Benshan¡¯sedy sketch, ¡°Dying with unspent money.¡±


    In one folder, it was all the cases handled by Attorney Bai. They opened them one by one and Lin Dongxue asked, ¡°How many scumbags has he defended?¡±


    ¡°You can''t put it like that. The justice of the courts is represented here. Even the most sinful people are allowed to hire awyer to defend themselves. This is legal justice.¡±


    ¡°That being said, if such a thing happened to me, after thewsuit, not only would I not have had my justice, but I would also be ndered. I would definitely take revenge on this society...¡± Lin Dongxue paused. ¡°Perhaps the murderer thought the same way as well.¡±


    ¡°I really agree with the caning punishment in Singapore. This group of rapists and sexual assaulters have done these bad things shamelessly. They feel that this kind of thing getting spread won¡¯t make men lose face and that only the women would lose face... If we had the caning punishment, these kinds of men would think twice before they pull out their evil tool. Once hemits this kind of crime, he will be pulled to the public to be stripped and spanked. He would be the one who loses the most face and it¡¯s a good deterrent.¡±


    ¡°The canings are too gentle of a punishment. They should be castrated with chemicals!¡± Lin Dongxue said with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not deliberate about thew here like this. Don''t forget your identities!¡± Lin Qiupu passing by the door couldn''t bear to hear it anymore and told them off.


    ¡°I''m a driver. Can¡¯t I talk about it?¡± Chen Shi raised his hand.


    Finally, they found a case rted to Zheng Guohao, which was truly shocking. Zheng Guohao was really the scum of scum who went wherever the legal gaps took him. He hadmitted indecent acts towards at least six young girls in thest ten years. Attorney Bai helped him win fivewsuits. He was found guilty for the crime of an overnight stay with indecent acts against a young girl. Zheng Guohao was sentenced to five years, but he was released early due to his good behavior in prison.


    Zheng Guohao appeared to be a big client for Attorney Bai. All this information was recorded down by Chen Shi. He¡¯d have to visit these other parties one by one.


    1. He¡¯s expressing that he didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so he¡¯s got nothing to worry about with truth on his side.

 Chapter 336: Sly Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 336: Sly Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the next two days, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue visited the parties to the sexual assault cases. They were children when they were assaulted by Zheng Guohao. Now, they had just entered society and the things from the past lingered around like evesting shadows. It was cruel to re-open their scars and wonder if they were suspects of the murders.


    Even though Lin Dongxue was as gentle and sympathetic as possible, the interview process was still very sad and painful.


    However, after verifying the testimony of these girls one by one, Chen Shi found that they were unlikely to be suspects. Of course, it was not ruled out that some of them may have forged their alibis, but when Chen Shi faced them, his intuition told him that he didn¡¯t need to suspect them.


    The murderer showed not only enthusiasm for revenge, but also a meticulous technique and no traces of a consciousness. Chen Shi felt that the murderer was not an ordinary person. He even had the idea that the murderer might not be a victim but was ying the role of a punisher. The executioner of scum.


    On the morning of May 24th, Chen Shi went to the bureau. Lin Dongxue saw his face and asked, ¡°Did you not sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Last night, I just rolled around back and forth. This is the most ufortable part of the process.¡±


    ¡°Is it so difficult to quit smoking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the case. It¡¯s in a frozen state with no leads.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go. It''s time for the meeting.¡±


    At the case discussion meeting, everyone summarized the clues on hand. Peng Sijue¡¯s autopsy report confirmed that the weapon used was one and the same. Attorney Bai died at 11:00PM on May 20th, just three hours after he spoke with the police.


    The cup found in Attorney Bai''s house was tested, only to contain soda. Both cups had the same findings. The killer wiped their fingerprints and lip prints while cleaning.


    The footprints in Attorney Bai''s house were still very vague, simr to the second set of footprints in Zheng Guohao''s house.


    In the surveince video materials, nobody was found entering or leaving Zheng Guohao¡¯smunity in a group of two. Attorney Bai''smunity didn¡¯t have surveince footage at all. At about 10:45PM, something suddenly flew towards the camera and everything had been nk since.


    The technicians repeatedly watched the videos and confirmed that it was done by a slingshot. The murderer broke the camera with a slingshot before entering the attorney¡¯s area.


    However, there was also good news. The object that broke the camera was still embedded in the camera. Although there were no fingerprints on it, there was some nt fragrance remaining. There are hundreds of perfumes that match this, but it was certain that it¡¯s a violet¡¯s fragrance.


    Lin Qiupu printed out the photos of the people who were even slightly suspicious in the footage found in Zheng Guohao¡¯smunity and handed them around. The killer didn¡¯t have superpowers and the security at themunity was tight, so the killer should be among these people.


    These photos were very blurry and they couldn¡¯t see the face clearly even after technical processing. They could only roughly identify the physical features.


    Chen Shi shook his head and said, ¡°This is basically a boat quest for swords[1].¡±


    ¡°When you express your opinions, just express it. Don''t express it using your subjective opinions.¡± Lin Qiupu reminded him.


    ¡°Is it not okay to use an idiom?¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°The murderer is a very smart person. If I were the murderer, I would definitely change my clothes after leaving the crime scene. There is one thing you didn''t notice...¡±


    ¡°Tell us!¡±


    ¡°Zheng Guohao took murderer A home. Where did they meet? In themunity? It should really be outside. The murderer A came in Zheng Guohao''s car.¡±


    ¡°Zheng Guohao''s car did indeede in at 12:00, but the windows were tinted, so we couldn''t see the inside... Murderer B must have walked inter.¡±


    Chen Shi threw the photos one by one on the table as if he was ying with a deck of cards. ¡°These physical appearances and heights don¡¯t look like the people we¡¯re looking for. They¡¯re not the killers. The investigation scope needs to berger... I don''t think murderer B came inter. They probably arrived first and hid in themunity!¡±


    ¡°Then, when do you think they left?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere between when you asked for the surveince video and Attorney Bai getting killed.¡±


    ¡°Does this count as detective reasoning?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just thinking using a different angle.¡±


    Lin Qiupuughed. ¡°Why do you think the killer is as smart as you? The premise of our investigation is that the killer is an ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°The killer is not an ordinary person. They are meticulous and fully prepared. They knew to use the slingshot to destroy the monitor. This shows that they have taken into ount the problem of surveince. Therefore, they must have ways to avoid the surveince. This is not a revenge murder from a woman who has lost her rationale. It was a well-nned murder!¡±


    ¡°I understand, but why do you always say ¡®if I were the murderer¡¯.¡±


    ¡°This is my thinking habit. In most cases, I think from the murderer''s point of view, not from the police''s point of view. This is why I¡¯m better than you.¡± Chen Shi looked around at everyone, wondering if his words would make him sound arrogant.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right! Xiaodong, go to Zheng Guohao¡¯s neighborhood again and get all the surveince videos from that day.¡±


    Chen Shi participated in watching the footage this time. A group of people stared at the video the whole day and finally locked onto a suspicious person. The person was dressed as a delivery person, wearing a hat. They were slender and walked like a woman.


    After contacting thepany to which the uniform belonged to, it was confirmed that during that day, no delivery person had been sent to thismunity.


    The time that the person appeared was the same as what Chen Shi said. It was before murderer A was taken into themunity in Zheng Guohao''s car.


    The delivery person seemed to have evaporated into thin air. There was only video of them entering, but not leaving. The police continued checking the footage after the crime and found that a suspicious vehicle left the neighborhood around 6:00PM.


    The reason why it was suspicious was because every car entering and leaving themunity had their te number checked. The owner of this car imed that his car was stolen the day before.


    Murderers A and B were most likely sitting in that car. That is to say, after theymitted the crime at 1:00PM, they didn¡¯t leave in a hurry, but kept sitting in the car and waited until 6:00PM to drive away.


    The police never expected that the killer would stay at the scene for so long before leaving.


    Although Chen Shi was right, he wasn''t happy about it. This method of avoiding monitoring gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity. He suspected that the killer had previous experience or did some simtion exercises!


    It was already evening, so Lin Qiupu bought dinner for everyone. He stuffed a box of chicken curry rice into Chen Shi''s hands and said, ¡°You were right about the time when the murderer entered and left. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t have respect.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and opened the takeaway box. ¡°I like ck pepper beef on rice.¡±


    ¡°Don''t take a foot when I give you an inch[2]... Do you have any other opinions?¡±


    ¡°I think the murderer killed Attorney Baipletely to mislead the investigation. The only person they wanted to kill was Zheng Guohao.¡±


    ¡°Why would it not be the other way around? Maybe killing Attorney Bai is the real purpose. Zheng Guohao may have just been coteral damage. Doesn¡¯t this fit your cunning and clever image of the killer more?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. ¡°Would a woman who has been sexually assaulted hate the perpetrator or thewyer?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s-¡± Lin Qiupu understood, took the rice away from Chen Shi''s hand, and reced it with ck pepper beef on rice. ¡°Starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll expand the scope of the investigation and check the injustices made by Zheng Guohao.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded with gratitude, as if he saw a student of his was enlightened. ¡°Maybe the case had never been tried in court. We should investigate the people around him again.¡±


    1. While on a boat journey, they dropped a sword. He made a mark on the boat thinking that he will use that mark to find the sword again afterwards, but the boat moves while the sword stays in the same ce. This is an idiom used to describe stubborn acts.


    2.¡±When you give an inch, they¡¯ll take a foot¡± is used to express when people aren¡¯t satisfied with small gains and are greedy for more.

 Chapter 337: Violet’s Fragrance

    <h4>Chapter 337: Violet¡¯s Fragrance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On May 27th, Chen Shi felt that his body had already broken his smoking addiction. Of course, there was still his heart¡¯s addiction towards it. He was happy without smoking. His nose felt like it wasn¡¯t as blocked and food smelled more fragrant to him. His lungs didn¡¯t feel like they were stuffed with cotton like they used to.


    Chen Shi had been smoking since high school, meaning he had been smoking for almost two decades. He still needed more motivation to quitpletely.


    Lin Dongxue would give Chen Shi a box of mints or extra chewing gum whenever she saw him, which helped him relieve his anxiety when there was nothing in his mouth. When the two were hiding out in the car intimately, Lin Dongxue sniffed the scent on him and said, ¡°You smell so much better now. I don''t understand why the smell of tobo is attractive to some people.¡±


    Chen Shi poked her forehead and joked, ¡°You care about my health so much. Do you want to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Lin Dongxue''s cheeks flushed red. ¡°You''re progressing too fast! Didn''t you sayst time that you still owe me a formal confession?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll have to prepare for that.¡±


    ¡°Be sure to make it engraved in my heart. Otherwise I won''t agree to it.¡± Lin Dongxue held Chen Shi''s ears with both hands and smiled charmingly. Nourished by love, she was as beautiful as an angel in Chen Shi¡¯s eyes, but sometimes she was like a child.


    The case was still under investigation. Zheng Guohao had very poor interpersonal rtionships. He had a lot of friends around him, but they were mostly just trying to win his favor. When they heard that he was dead, these people said, ¡°I was only acquainted with Zheng Guohao!¡±


    The people around him basically all knew about this detestable hobby of his. His shameless hobby for young girls was almost wild. In order to satisfy his desires, he would go to the parents who owe him huge loans or addicted to drugs and use money to trade for their daughter¡¯s rtionship with him.


    Women who knew of his background were unwilling to talk to him about marriage, so he had been single this whole time. He even had the idea of using an orphanage and wanted to adopt a daughter. However, the orphanage didn¡¯t approve his adoption application.


    Today, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue met with a school counselor. ording to investigations, Zheng Guohao also touched an underage female student from this school. The school kept silent about this incident. They made rounds of phone calls before they found someone who was willing to disclose some information.


    During the meeting, the female counselor said, ¡°I haven''t directly seen the Zheng Guohao you talked about. About ten years ago, a girl named Yi Qing in our school was sexually assaulted by an adult. I think it might be rted to this person.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked. ¡°What is Yi Qing''s family situation like?¡±


    ¡°She was from a single-parent family living with her father. Her father was an athlete that participated in provincialpetitions. He almost entered the national team. Later, after being injured in training, he retired and started a small business. I don¡¯t know if talking about this is appropriate... ording to Yi Qing, when her father and mother were married, her father was not at home because of training every day and her mother was born very beautiful. The father suspected that Yi Qing''s mother was having an affair. Yi Qing was a premature child. Her father even suspected that she was not his own child. Coupled with the failure of his sports career, he changed from an admired athlete to a grocery store owner that vented his anger out on his wife.¡±


    ¡°Domestic violence?¡±


    ¡°It''s not the direct kind of physical domestic violence. It was emotional. In addition to verbal insults, he also hung a basketball with his wife''s name on the balcony. He punched and kicked the basketball every day, and cursed Yi Qing''s mother to death. After living under this kind of mental stress for six years, Yi Qing''s mother died in a car ident. Although the police concluded that it was a traffic ident,I think it was rted to the long-term mental pressure she felt. After that, the father and the daughter depended on each other, and the father¡¯s anger was passed onto Yi Qing.¡±


    ¡°Why not do a paternity test then?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°I asked this question as well. Yi Qing said that when she was in kindergarten, her father took her to do a paternity test five or six times. The results proved that Yi Qing was his flesh and blood. However, this forced conception he concocted was difficult to change, just like an illness that sparks from a person¡¯s paranoia. A person that thinks they¡¯re sick will just feel that the hospital''s technology isn¡¯t up to par when the medical tests say otherwise rather than believe that they¡¯re not actually ill. Yi Qing''s father is the same in this way. He has always believed that Yi Qing is not biologically his own, so he would act very detached with her, causing mental, emotional, and spiritual damage. I think that type of family atmosphere is very depressing!¡±


    ¡°One time, Yi Qing saw her father talking to a fat man and mentioned words such as ''daughter'', ''overnight'', and ''100,000 yuan''. Yi Qing was terrified and asked a schoolteacher for help. Yi Qing hid at her teacher''s house for a few days. However, the teacher was an outsider after all and couldn¡¯t protect her. Her father ran over angrily and said that the child lied, stole money from the family, and ran out to go on the Inte and the like. He forcefully dragged her home... The sexual assault should have happened that day. Her father sold her and Yi Qing came to me afterwards. Psychology couldn''t help her situation. I suggested for her to go to awyer and expressed my willingness to help her.¡±


    ¡°With my constant encouragement, we found awyer and wrote the indictment. Her father learned the news and went to the school to reverse the cks and whites of the story and forcibly took her away. For a teenage girl, it was difficult to gather the courage. Her father easily extinguished the small mes in her heart. Since then, she seemed to have be a different person. Although her appearance was the same as before, I always felt that she was wearing a mask because she no longer trusted adults.¡±


    Talking about the past, the counselor showed a lot of sadness. She continued, ¡°I know you¡¯re investigating the case. Now that this assant is dead, all the girls who have been sexually assaulted by him have be the object of suspicion...¡±


    ¡°We feel helpless as well, but this is our job.¡± Lin Dongxue said.


    ¡°If Yi Qing really did it, I hope you can look past it a bit. After all, she has an unbearable past.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    After saying goodbye to the teacher, Chen Shi said, ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to see this girl''s father!¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Lin Dongxue made a phone call and asked the bureau to check for Yi Qing''s father''s information. After listening for a while, her expression changed. She held the microphone part of her phone down with her other hand and said to Chen Shi, ¡°The man is dead!¡±


    ¡°How did he die?¡±


    ¡°It was a car ident. The police suspected that it was murder because the car was tampered with. In the end, the suspect was not arrested because of insufficient evidence.¡±


    ¡°Where''s the girl?¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask again.¡±


    Lin Dongxue continued the conversation and informed Chen Shi after she hung up the phone, ¡°She¡¯s worked in a welfare institution since graduating from college.¡±


    ¡°Counting it out, she''s twenty-five or six this year, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s necessary to visit her?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no harm in meeting her for a bit!¡±


    The two then drove to the welfare institution and the children ying in the yard fled. Some hid in the corner to observe the two full of expectations. To these children, a man and a woman walking in may mean that their own fates would change.


    ¡°What poor children.¡± Lin Dongxue noticed how most orphans were girls or boys with defects. ¡°Where did you adopt Tao Yueyue?¡±


    ¡°Uh, that orphanage isn¡¯t in Long''an.¡± Chen Shi replied. Lin Dongxue didn''t know about the true origin of Tao Yueyue.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    A tall woman in a long purple dress came out. She was young and beautiful with calm eyes. Chen Shi smelled a faint violet fragrance from her.

 Chapter 338: Beautiful Childcare Worker

    <h4>Chapter 338: Beautiful Childcare Worker</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "We are looking for Teacher Yi Qing."


    When the other party saw the document, they acted calmly. "I don¡¯t count as a teacher. I''m just a childcare worker. What would you be needing me for?"


    "It''s a bit offensive to talk about this actually. Would you mind changing ces to talk about this?"


    "Okay, please follow me."


    The three got to the lounge and Chen Shi looked around. He found that the woman had a good taste in life. She put bright and clean bone China tea sets on the shelves. The flowers and pot nts on the windowsill seemed to be looked after every day. On top of the table that was close to the wall, a lot of ssic and philosophy books were ced on top of it.


    Lin Dongxue expressed, "The environment is really elegant. This welfare institution gives me a feeling that¡¯s different from the others."


    "We are privately run and our facilities are better than the public ones."


    "Is there a profit channel?"


    "Officer, you must be joking. How could an orphanage have a profit channel? Of course, if we have to, we will sell some handmade works made by the children to subsidize daily expenses... Would you like some tea?"


    "Just water would be fine."


    Yi Qing poured tea for the two of them and Chen Shi admired her posture, thinking that she was an elegant woman. At the same time, he felt like danger was hidden under this woman¡¯s elegance.


    Yi Qing sat down and crossed her hands on her skirt. "What would you like to talk to me about?"


    Lin Dongxue exined her intentions. Chen Shi had been observing Yi Qing and when her sexual assault was mentioned, she was too calm.


    Yi Qing responded, "You¡¯ve investigated very deeply. My father pushed me into the fire pit ten years ago. That night has been unforgettable for me, which has led me to have a strong sense of insecurity and distrust towards adults... I often think that an old man can easily ruin another person''s life if he just sought pleasure for one night. The other person would feel like they were living in hell. The world is really unfair, but I have always endured it in silence and have never thought of using violence to solve it. Even if he¡¯s dead, my psychological trauma won¡¯t disappear."


    "Do you have a car?"


    "No."


    "Do you know how to drive?"


    Yi Qing shook her head. "No."


    "Where were you from noon to 6:00PM on May 20th? This is just some standard questioning."


    "I took a child to the hospital. The doctor can testify to this."


    "Do you have the contact information for him?"


    Yi Qing gave Lin Dongxue a contact method and Chen Shi interjected, "We want to meet that child."


    "She¡¯s quite scared of strangers. I''m afraid she won''t cooperate."


    "It doesn''t matter."


    "Come with me."


    Yi Qing took them to the courtyard and pointed to a girl who was ying alone in the corner. The girl was about twelve years old. The content of what she was ying was quite "novel". She was sharpening branches with a knife and inserting them into small soil mounds, as if building small graves.


    "Her name is Zhao Puyang. Her parents died in a car ident, so her personality is quite introverted."


    "What sickness did she have?¡±


    "Appendicitis. It has already been operated on, so she¡¯s fine now."


    Chen Shi used his eyes to motion Lin Dongxue to head over. The two went over to Zhao Puyang and Lin Dongxue squatted down and smiled. "Zhao Puyang, would you mind talking to this police sister here?"


    Zhao Puyang gave her a very hostile look, stood up, and left. She went up to Yi Qing and hugged her.


    Yi Qing stroked Zhao Puyang''s head and said, "I''m so sorry. She only talks to me. If you want to ask anything, I can convey it to her."


    "It seems she¡¯s very dependent on you." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. She didn''t know what to ask.


    Chen Shi said, "I want a copy of her information."


    "Is that necessary? Do you suspect her?"


    "It''s just part of the investigation process."


    "Okay then..." Yi Qing whispered a few words to Zhao Puyang, and then took Lin Dongxue to take Zhao Puyang''s information and give her a copy.


    When Lin Dongxue came out, she saw Chen Shi grabbing Zhao Puyang''s sleeve while Zhao Puyang kicked him angrily. She broke his hand away and ran to Yi Qing. Yi Qing said slightly angrily, "What are you doing?"


    "I just asked a few questions. How would I know that this child is so rebellious?" Chen Shi said innocently.


    "The police should have the qualities of a police officer. I hope you can be more civilized."


    "I''m very civilized."


    "Okay, let''s go!" Lin Dongxue yanked Chen Shi''s clothes.


    Chen Shi nced at the shoe prints on his pants and thought that he finally got them. When he went back, he couldpare them with the footprints at the crime scene.


    He had intentionally made Zhao Puyang angry. He just needed to get her to kick him. Children are indeed very easy to trick.


    At this moment, Yi Qing suddenly caught up and helped Chen Shi wipe the footprints away from his pants. She straightened up and said, "Puyang isn¡¯t sensible, so I¡¯ll apologize on her behalf."


    This move surprised Chen Shi for a full five seconds. He said to Lin Dongxue sternly, "You go out first."


    "Why..."


    "I''ll be right there."


    Seeing Chen Shi''s tone being so serious, Lin Dongxue could only take her leave first.


    As soon as Lin Dongxue left, Chen Shi immediately smiled slightly, "Let¡¯s exchange WeChat information!"


    Yi Qing sneered, "She''s your girlfriend. Is that appropriate of you?"


    "I think we have something inmon. Ms. Yi is very fond of reading. I noticed that there were works from Xin Bai. I was wondering if you had his other work?"


    "Which one?"


    "ck Honey!" Chen Shi retracted his smile and stared straight at her.


    These sudden words caught her off guard and Yi Qing''s pupils contracted, before smiling, "I haven''t heard of it. I''ll go and search for it."


    "You¡¯re not going to leave down your WeChat details?" Chen Shi resumed his carefree expression.


    "Forget it. I won¡¯t see you off."


    After Chen Shi came out, Lin Dongxue asked, "What questions do you have that you can''t ask in front of me?"


    "It''s quite private. Like, does she have a boyfriend?"


    "I can¡¯t believe you!" Of course, Lin Dongxue knew that he was joking, but she lifted her fist up symbolically.


    Chen Shi immediately switched the topic. "Did you notice her actions earlier? She was ming me one minute and then wiping off my pants in the next.¡±


    "Oh?"


    "She doesn''t want me to take this shoe print away. What an intelligent woman!"


    "Are you suspecting her?"


    "What do you think about this woman?"


    "She¡¯s intellectual, beautiful, charismatic, and her figure is so nice!"


    "Veryprehensive and perceptive observations!" Chen Shi forced a smile.


    "But... If we¡¯re talking about doubt, she does give off a feeling of hiding a secret. Are we going to see the doctor?"


    "Yes!"


    The two arrived in time before they finished work at the hospital. They met Dr. Li, who performed an appendix surgery on Zhao Puyang on May 20th. He was very sure of the incident and showed them the operation records.


    Chen Shi asked, "The surgerysted all afternoon?"


    "It didn''t take that long, but there were a few surgeries ahead of theirs. They waited in the ward all afternoon."


    "Why did you say that they were here all afternoon?" Chen Shi asked keenly.


    "Uh..." After a moment of panic, the doctor said, "Just stating the facts."


    "They didn¡¯t leave your sight the whole time?"


    "I don''t know what you''re investigating, but obviously that wasn¡¯t the case. The child was in so much pain, so Ms. Yi would ask me frequently when the surgery would be conducted.¡±


    "What was she wearing that day?"


    "How would I know? I see a lot of patients every day... It''s gettingte. I should get off work. Is there anything else you want to ask?"


    "Thank you!"


    After leaving the hospital, Chen Shiughed at the evening sky. Lin Dongxue asked what he wasughing about. Chen Shi said, "The doctor is lying. The alibi is fake!¡±

 Chapter 339: Black Honey

    <h4>Chapter 339: ck Honey</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi had major suspicions towards Yi Qing. As a result, the task force stopped investigating the other angles and began a full-scale investigation on her.


    The first thing they investigated was the hospital. Except for Dr. Li, they questioned all the other medical staff who participated in the operation that day. They either said that they saw Zhao Puyang that day, or they couldn¡¯t remember it because the patient¡¯s body was almost always covered at the time of the operation. Furthermore, there were so many operations in a day, so it was hard to remember.


    Then, there was Zhao Puyang. She had been living in the orphanage and the only information they could find were the pages of paper given to them by Yi Qing.


    The police also investigated Yi Qing''s online shopping records and travel records and went to the orphanage several times to see her, but the woman was didn¡¯t leak a single drop of water[1] and there were no ws in her words. It made all the police return with broken wings[2].


    On Chen Shi''s suggestion, the police also checked the welfare institution and found that it was sponsored by a listedpany. Since thepany''s new president took office, it has continued to sponsor the home for ten years.


    But the young president didn¡¯t have any private encounters with Yi Qing or the welfare institution.


    The investigation gradually became stagnant. Some members of the task force felt that Yi Qing might not be suspicious and began to turn towards other directions. After all, there were still many people to be investigated. Only Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue remained insistent on investigating this angle.


    On May 31st, Gu You gave Tao Yueyue the second envelope, smiled, and said, ¡°This is your second mission!¡±


    Tao Yueyue said, ¡°Sister Gu, but my hacking skills aren¡¯t that good yet.¡±


    ¡°You can take your time with those. The task tonight is very interesting. It should be easy... It¡¯s still the same - don''t be found out.¡±


    ¡°Will youe?¡±


    ¡°I''m noting tonight. Be careful by yourself.¡±


    Tao Yueyue was very happy thinking about single-handedly doing such exciting tasks. At this moment, Chen Shi called her and asked her to return quickly with a serious tone.


    Tao Yueyue put the envelope in her school bag and returned to the house. There was the sound of cooking in the kitchen. Chen Shi wore an apron and came out saying, ¡°Did you go to sister Gu¡¯s house again to do homework? Hurry, I''ve run out of dark soy sauce. I need the xx brand.¡±


    Tao Yueyue stuck her tongue out. ¡°And I was thinking what was wrong!¡±


    ¡°Go and hurry back.¡±


    Tao Yueyue went out and Chen Shi opened her school bag on the chair, took the envelope out of it, and sneered, ¡°Little bastard!¡±


    Chen Shi hid the envelope, put another identical envelope into the schoolbag, and fastened the straps.


    Then, he walked to the kitchen and poured the rest of the bottle of dark soy sauce into the sink...


    When the food was ready, the two ate calmly. Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Would you like to drink some alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Why are you trying to win my favor today? What¡¯s your motive?¡±


    ¡°No, I just think Uncle Chen seems a bit depressed recently.¡±


    ¡°The case is not going smoothly, but that¡¯s normal. Many cases take a long time to be solved. You must notmit a crime. You are so smart that the police wouldn¡¯t be able to solve the crime.¡±


    Tao Yueyue said with a smile, ¡°If Imit a crime, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be found out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Chen Shi raised his volume. ¡°You can do it! But don''t lose to my hands.¡±


    After eating, Tao Yueyue returned to the room to study and Chen Shi went online in the living room. At 11:00PM, Chen Shi went to sleep. Tao Yueyue left the bedroom quietly, confirmed that she had the tools tomit the crime, and left the house.


    When she got outside, she was as happy as a bird out of a cage. After tasting that kind of fun, she finally found what she wanted.


    She went to the target¡¯smunity, looked around, and found a ce to climb over, avoiding the surveince cameras perfectly.


    She came to the target apartment like a cat and unlocked the lock in only twenty seconds. The room was dark. The goal tonight was to paint a beard on the statue in the bedroom cab. The thought of the owner waking up tomorrow and seeing their beloved statue with a beard made her want tough.


    There seemed to be a person sleeping on the bed in the bedroom. Tao Yueyue walked in carefully, looked around, and found that there were no cabs or statues.


    At this moment, the light in the living room suddenly turned on. Tao Yueyue realized that things weren¡¯t good for her. She rushed into the living room and found that a man in a ck hood had locked the door. The man in ck said with a low voice, ¡°Without a means of withdrawing, you dared to run into someone¡¯s house? How brave you are!¡±


    Tao Yueyue was so scared that her hands and feet went cold. This is a trap. This is a trap. Was it Gu You?


    The man in ck took out a knife and said coldly, ¡°Don''t move! When you came in, you were not monitored or photographed. Even if I kill you, no one will know.¡±


    Tao Yueyue kept backing up into the wall. She bit her lip and almost wanted to cry.


    Footsteps came from the outside. Tao Yueyue thought that it was probably the aplice of the bad guy. The man in ck opened the door and a startled Gu You appeared. Gu You reached into her pocket and asked nervously, ¡°Who are you? Why did you steal and change the mission letter?¡±


    ¡°Steal and change?¡± Tao Yueyue was confused.


    ¡°The task I gave you was not here at all. I found that you entered the wrongmunity and immediately chased after you...¡± Gu You turned to the man in ck. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re after. Don''t hurt her!¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± The man in ckughed. His voice seemed a little familiar. When he pulled down his mask Chen Shi''s face was revealed. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re very bright? You didn¡¯t even know that you were being ambushed.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen!¡± Tao Yueyue was so agitated that her beating heart finally calmed down.


    ¡°Miss Gu,e in here first. Rest assured, this is not illegally entering a private house. I rented the house in advance.¡±


    Gu You looked at Chen Shi with disbelief, ¡°How did you...¡±


    ¡°How did I do that?¡± Chen Shi finished her question. ¡°I found that Yueyue has been very close to you recently. I was a bit suspicious that you were bringing her to do bad things, so I installed a wiretap in your house. I knew about your gamest time and your game tonight.¡±


    ¡°How did you get into my house?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that only you know how to lockpick?¡±


    ¡°Suddenly installing a wiretap?! You¡¯re despicable!¡± Gu You had deceitful anger welling up inside her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re stupid! You think you¡¯re a criminal mastermind, but you didn''t even notice this... Okay, don''t look at me with that expression. In order to show my sincerity, I will tell you who I am... My name eight years ago was ''Steel Snail''.¡±


    Gu You¡¯s mouth hung wide open and Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°What do you mean? Is Uncle Chen famous?¡±


    ¡°Remember what I told you? There was once a group of young people who learned the skills tomit a crime and yed this crime simtion game. Rather than calling it a mysterious organization, it was more like an interest group. This interest group¡¯s name was ''ck Honey''¡°


    ¡°So, Uncle Chen is also...¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and nodded. ¡°I was a member of ''ck Honey'' while I was at school. I was a born criminal like you. A saboteur. I don¡¯t know how many meaningless games I¡¯ve yed like this. I learned how tomit a crime trying to figure out the mentality of criminals. The purpose was to ovee crime!¡±


    Chen Shi went over and patted Tao Yueyue''s head. ¡°I think it''s almost time to tell you the truth to prevent you from going down the wrong path.¡±


    1. Popr expression that means that they couldn¡¯t find any ws and nothing, not even a drop, was leaked from her words.


    2. An expression meaning they suffered great failure and returning with shame.

 Chapter 340: Old Friends Meet Again

    <h4>Chapter 340: Old Friends Meet Again</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three sat at the table with three cups of tea, calm as if they were holding a family meeting.


    Reuniting with his old online friend, Chen Shi also felt lots of emotions inside of him.


    Most of the young people back then were mostly not content with their lives and kept bumping into obstacles in real life. That¡¯s why they came up with such a game to release stress. They learned and exchanged criminal skills and issued tasks to each other every Wednesday. There were pranks, simted robberies, simted kidnappings, and simted murder. In the quiet midnight city, no door or wall could stop them. This group of restless young people felt like they were wielding superpowers.


    Breaking order was so interesting that they never considered the dangerous consequences of tasting this "ck Honey".


    Chen Shi said, "It was just ignorance at that time. I thought it was cool to have a skill that others didn¡¯t. We called it cathartic, but now that I think about it, did these people join ''ck Honey'' just for fun? It¡¯s hard to understand people¡¯s hearts. Part of it is due to hatred towards someone and wanting to learn criminal skills to take their revenge. There were also some people who were the original kind, but found that taking shortcuts could achieve their goals faster and then went onto the wrong path... I often thought that this game should never have started.¡±


    Gu You rubbed the edge of the tea cup with a slight smile. "But you and I have not taken on the evil path. You used it to ovee the crime. To me, it was really a means of catharsis... I was studying for graduate school and had a repetitive and monotonous life. The obstacles mentors purposely gave me and the indifference among my ssmates annoyed me. This prank-type game allowed me to breathe. I feel that the evil of the human heart needs to be released regrly, otherwise it will change its form due to suppression.¡±


    "There are many people in this world. They all have their own stress factors. Do they all have to dive into other people''s houseste at night to release their stress to have a good life? Some evils are better buried in the heart. They are like fire. After leaving the furnace, they will ignite everything around them.¡± Chen Shi paused. "Let¡¯s not discuss the concept first. I have a question for you. Is Zhou Xiao also a member?"


    "Yes! In fact, I have been looking for him for thest few years. I want to kill him myself!" Gu You gritted her teeth.


    Tao Yueyue looked at Chen Shi and Gu You, saying, "Uncle Chen, Sister Gu, have you not met before?"


    "No!" They said in unison.


    "Then, how did you y together?"


    "Inte!" Chen Shi smiled. "The ¡®ck Honey¡¯ tform was a very hidden website. We discussed with each other anonymously over the Inte. There were more than 20 people at its peak. Later, something happened and ¡®ck Honey¡¯ changed.¡±


    "The tragic case at Vi Luolin!" Gu You¡¯s eyes looked as though they were glowing. "It was all nned by Zhou Xiao that time. The different parties were cleaned up. Those willing to join him were allowed to survive. Those unwilling were all killed. ¡®ck Honey¡¯ was dirtied by the poisonous snake, Zhou Xiao.¡±


    "It seems you joined earlier than me."


    "A lot earlier."


    "How much do you know about Zhou Xiao?"


    "I haven''t seen him before and I don''t know his real name. He suddenly appeared like a ghost and began to spread his crazy thoughts, inciting evil in everyone tomit real crimes."


    "Your name..."


    "kk!"


    Chen Shi widened his eyes and stared at Gu You for a long time. Gu You touched her short hair. "What? Does my real identity make you disappointed?¡±


    "Ahem... Not the type I like." Chen Shi said awkwardly.


    "You haven''t been online dating, have you?" It was the first time that Tao Yueyue saw Chen Shi act so coy.


    "No... no. But at that time, we were rtively close and found it easy to talk to each other, so I proposed to meet..." Chen Shi looked at Gu You. "You also agreed, but when we got to the ce, you sent me a bunch of puzzles. When the solution came out, you said that the time was up. It was unfortunate that I didn''t see you in person."


    "You must have been obsessed with me back then?" Gu You smiled. "You said a lot of cheesy words as well. Yueyue, do you want to hear about it?"


    "No, no. Just forget about the past!" Chen Shi held his forehead.


    Gu You looked around. "Purposefully renting a house, Mr. Chen, you yed a bit big this time. What¡¯s your motive?"


    "I want to confirm first. Are you intending to lead Yueyue down the wrong path?"


    "Of course not. I just think that she is the same kind of person as us. I want to pass things on to her."


    Tao Yueyue jumped in, "I like being a criminal. It''s fun."


    Chen Shi sighed and pointed at her. "We¡¯ve already negotiated this. I allowed you to do bad things, but you must report to me truthfully."


    Tao Yueyue pouted, "You were just talking about school."


    "Okay, I will not pursue the matter of you breaking into the house. From now on, if you y this dangerous game again, I must know what criminal skills you learn... Of course, it mustn¡¯t be illegal."


    Tao Yueyue nodded earnestly. "I won''t cross the line. Just pranks."


    "Back to the question earlier!" Gu You said, "What¡¯s your motive?"


    "I''m helping the police with a case and I¡¯ve locked onto a suspect. However, her defense is too perfect and conventional methods can''t move the case forward. I need the help of an old friend and I happened to find you!"


    "What''s her name?"


    "Yi Qing. An elegant beauty."


    "Yi Qing. Yi Qing?" Gu You recalled. "Was that the quiet girl who was said to have been sexually abused as a child?"


    "Oh, you know her?"


    "There aren¡¯t a lot who know each other¡¯s real identities."


    Chen Shi thought to himself. Fortunately, no one knew his true identity. No one knew that he was the police student Song Lang at the time and not Chen Shi.


    It was fortunate because if he had met kk back then, he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk so freely right now.


    "Who else do you know? If they¡¯re stillrades, we¡¯ll invite them here, and this will be used as a temporary gathering ce. If they¡¯ve changed, I will kill them through the police."


    "Using evil to control evil, I like it!" Gu Youughed, "I still know one person. Master Ge."


    "Master Ge? That kid... I only know Little Worm¡¯s real identity."


    "The four of us should be able to bring Yi Qing down."


    "I hope so!"


    Tao Yueyue pped. "You¡¯re going to find former partners? How cool!"


    "Cool my ass." Chen Shi smiled. "In reality, they¡¯re all just people who suffered losses in life."


    "Can I sleep in this room tonight?"


    "No, you¡¯re not allowed toe to the temporarymand center or show your face in front of them. This time, it¡¯s only to deal with Yi Qing. I will return the house when everything is done."

 Chapter 341: kk

    <h4>Chapter 341: kk</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue that there were some private matters he had to deal with, so he wouldn¡¯t be going to the bureau.


    At 9:00 in the morning, Chen Shi and Gu You met up. Chen Shi said, "No, I thought about itst night. Are you really kk? I remember that kk is a master of lockpicking and Master Ge was the one who was proficient in psychology."


    "We learned from each other and then surpassed each other." Gu You said calmly.


    Chen Shi was a little skeptical, but Gu You was just a girl at the time. It was impossible to name herself "Master Ge", right?


    "I remember that you taught everyone to fight, and I still remember that you said that only Wing Chun can ovee the military and police¡¯s fighting skills."


    "Please don¡¯tugh at me[1]."


    "Are you really a driver? A driver who went to college?"


    "I don''t want to lie to you. I have a secret that I will tell youter."


    "Okay, I have my own secrets too."


    Chen Shi asked again, "Have you been dating Old Peng recently?"


    Gu Youughed. "I just feel a rational resonance with him, but we¡¯re not dating..."


    The two got to Baisha Square. Gu You looked left and right for half an hour, before suddenly saying to Chen Shi, "That¡¯s him."


    Chen Shi saw a young man who had his hair dyed blonde squatting on the ground and smoking. He was ncing at beautiful girls that walked past. Chen Shi frowned. Was this not a small-time thief? What a misnomer. The name "Master Ge" should at least look like a swindler.


    The blondie suddenly jumped up like an eagle that found his prey. He followed behind a girl sneakily and took the wallet from her shoulder bag very swiftly.


    Chen Shi couldn''t bear it any longer. Regardless of Gu You''s obstruction, he patted the blondie''s shoulder. The blondie said with hostility, "What?"


    "Take out the wallet you just stole!"


    "Who are you?"


    "A police officer!"


    "Oh, Brother Police..." The blondie''s face softened and was about to make a run for it.


    Chen Shi swept at his feet and the blondie screamed in pain as he was pressed down by Chen Shi. He pleaded for mercy. At this moment, Gu You came over and he begged, "Master Ge, help me quickly."


    "What are you calling her?"


    "It¡¯s none of your fucking business!"


    Gu You covered her mouth andughed. "I lied to youst night. I''m actually Master Ge."


    "What about him..." Chen Shi pointed at the blondie with an ominous hunch.


    "kk. The kk you were dating online. He didn''t meet you back then because he is a man."


    Looking at this perverted face with a moustache, Chen Shi was startled and felt like his heart was shattered. The blondie pointed to Chen Shi and asked Gu You, "Wait, he isn¡¯t... The Steel Snail, right?"


    "It''s him."


    "No way!" The blondie¡¯s voice rose eight pitches. "Brother Steel Snail, it¡¯s you?"


    It took Chen Shi a long time to recover from the blow. The blondie stood up and said excitedly, "How many years has it been? My God, what¡¯s up? Are we creating an offline group now?"


    "You need to return the girl''s wallet first."


    "Hit me."


    "What?"


    The blondie pointed at his face. "Just a punch!"


    Chen Shi respected his wishes and punched him in the face. The blondie covered his nose. "Wow, you actually hit really hard!"


    Then, he pretended to be limp, went after the girl, returned the wallet, and talked with her for a long time. He returned with a smile, saying, "I said I chased her wallet back and got the beauty''s WeChat. She also said that she would invite me to dinner someday!"


    "Fuck! You scum!" Chen Shi said with contempt.


    Half an hourter, the three were sitting in a nearby cafe. The blondie¡¯s real name was You Kangkang. Yu Kangkang drank a milkshake and said excitedly, "I failed the university entrance exam that year and I was afraid that I would be killed by my father when I returned home. However, I didn¡¯t want to restudy for it, so I lied saying that I was studying at Long''an xx University and photoshopped my eptance letter. I lied like that for four years, and I was under great pressure. I identally met Master Ge on the Inte... Look at what kind of name you came up with. If I had known you were a beauty, I would have chased after you back then... Then, I joined this group and found that you all have high academic qualifications. I didn¡¯t really understand the things you talked about, but you didn¡¯t understand lockpicking and asked me for advice. I could actually be a teacher for college students? Haha, I was delighted, so I yed with you all. Later, I met you. Why did you treat me as a girl? You even told me all these cheesy things, so I felt obligated to continue with the farce. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like me. Did you only start going on the Inte that year and didn¡¯t get catfished by a shemale over the Inte yet?¡±


    "Stop talking. Stop talking." Chen Shi held his forehead.


    "My dear." You Kangkang bumped his arm against Chen Shi¡¯s. "Didn''t you say that you wanted to row a boat together with me after we met?"


    "Doesn¡¯t that count as an implicit suggestion for sex?" Gu You said.


    "Really?" You Kangkang was shocked and stared at Chen Shi. "I didn''t expect you to be so dirty!"


    "Don''t talk about it! Stop talking about it!" Chen Shi wanted to find a hole to bury himself in.


    "So, what did you want with me?"


    "Actually, I''m helping the police right now. This is my certificate..." Chen Shi took out his consultant certificate.


    You Kangkang''s eyes froze. He suddenly stood up and said, "I still have something to do. I¡¯ll take my leave first."


    "Sit down!" Chen Shi ordered.


    You Kangkang sat down obediently with a straight body.


    "I don''t care about your little thefts. Just don''t let me see it. I''m looking for you to deal with someone..."


    After speaking, You Kangkang patted his legs and said, "Fuck, it¡¯s another beauty. Why didn''t I chase after her back then?"


    "Is that the point?!" Chen Shi scoffed. "I need your assistance to use abnormal means to find evidence."


    You Kangkang raised his eyebrows. "What''s in it for me?"


    Chen Shi had expected him to say this. He was pretty straightforward "Money!"


    "How much?"


    "Help me this one time and I¡¯ll give you five thousand."


    "I¡¯m part of the underground society. If I worked with the police, it¡¯d be a huge risk. Considering this risk, why is it only..."


    "Four thousand!"


    "Okay, okay, five thousand it is. Who asked me to have had a rtionship with you!" You Kangkang patted Chen Shi''s shoulders hard. Listening to his nasty voice, Chen Shi got goosebumps.


    What a dark history!


    Chen Shi looked at Gu You and You Kangkang. "Have you two kept in touch the entire time?"


    Gu You said, "kk doesn¡¯t look serious, but in fact, he¡¯s very kind. I asked him to help me find a girl who ran away from home. They were having a psychological problem."


    "I''m a kind dick!" You Kangkang said. "I¡¯m filled with criminal genes from head to toe."


    "Then why weren''t you corrupted by Zhou Xiao?" Chen Shi asked.


    You Kangkang''s eyes dimmed and said, "I don''t agree with what he said, the thing about this world being fake and that the order was just shackles. He made it like a cult. I¡¯ve been bad since I was a kid. I¡¯ve done a lot of stealing chickens and touching dogs[2], so I have a sense of self-knowledge. I know that there must be a bottom line even if you¡¯re a bad person... I like crime, but I don¡¯t like killing people. That game isn¡¯t sustainable. It doesn¡¯t count as a real long-term career!¡±


    "Do you know who Zhou Xiao is?"


    "I don''t. I didn''t attend the party at Vi Luolin. If I went back then, I would either have been killed or a murderer now."


    Gu You said, "Let''s find Little Worm now!"


    Chen Shi reminded You Kangkang, "Let me just reiterate that you must not steal things in front of me. Otherwise I will send you to the bureau. Even more than that, don¡¯t steal my things, or I¡¯ll just directly beat you to death.¡±


    You Kangkang resumed his usual personality after his serious exnation and teased, "My dear, you¡¯re so fierce!"


    1. This is an expression of humility. Gu You isn¡¯t actuallyughing at him, but it¡¯s like how some people rub their heads, look down and smile while saying ¡°don¡¯t mention it¡± when people praise them. Kind of like how people say, ¡®Oh please.¡¯ or ¡®Don¡¯t tease me.¡¯ when they get called beautiful.


    2. An expression to describe sneaky, dishonest acts. The storyes from people needing to pet the dogs so that they won¡¯t bark when you sneak in to steal people¡¯s chicken. Though, they might steal the dog as well.

 Chapter 342: Sealed Brain

    <h4>Chapter 342: Sealed Brain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In a rental unit in Long''an, theputer in the house and the person sitting in front of theputer had been working for ten hours without rest. The table was filled with jars of energy drinks and leftover takeaway boxes.


    Sun Zhen rubbed his eyes. The screen was covered with dense code. He was currently fixing a bug and had spent up to five hours on this one part.


    A child''s sharp scream came from the floor upstairs, piercing the eardrum like an awl. Sun Zhen frowned in annoyance, and then a woman''s shrill voice yelled, ¡°Don''t bully your brother so much! Give him his snacks back!¡±


    Sun Zhen was very annoyed that it was so noisy around this time of the day every day. It was only 10:00 in the morning. It was so noisy that it didn''t allow people to work.


    He picked up a mop and mmed it hard against the ceiling multiple times, but the noise didn''t stop. The cement powder from the roof came off due to his actions and fell on his youthful but dead brain.


    Sun Zhen dropped the mop and paced around the room, brewing half a day¡¯s worth of courage, ready to go up to ask them to stop. However, when he opened the door, he saw two men looking at his unit number. ¡°Does Little Worm live here?¡±, ¡°He should be!¡±


    Hearing this familiar name, Sun Zhen asked in surprise, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Little Worm?¡± kk put on a big smile.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± Sun Zhen frowned, preparing to close the door.


    At this time, a very elegant woman with short hair came up. Gu Youined, ¡°You didn''t wait for me. Climbing up the stairs in heels is really tiring!¡±


    Sun Zhen opened his mouth slightly and said, ¡°Come in!¡±


    ¡°Come and drink some coffee.¡± Sun Zhen passed Gu You a cup of coffee, to which Gu You nodded in thanks.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there any for us? This is obviously sexism.¡± kkined.


    ¡°What do you want with me?¡± Sun Zhen sat down. ¡°I''m busy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Little Worm, right?¡± Chen Shi said.


    Everyone had alreadye in, so Sun Zhen didn¡¯t deny it any longer. ¡°Yes!¡±


    After listening to Chen Shi''s words, Sun Zhen was shocked and looked around at the three people. ¡°You really are kk, the Steel Snail and... Master Ge?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh.¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°I have to think about what you¡¯ve said. After all, as a frence programmer. I¡¯m very busy.¡±


    ¡°This matter can''t wait. We need your hacking skills. No one in the group is better than you.¡± Gu You said.


    Looking at Gu You''s white and clean face, Sun Zhen''s cheeks flushed, ¡°Well I can, but...¡±


    kk pulled out something out of nowhere and said, ¡°Wow, what kind of toy is this? Is it a butt plug? Programmers really know how to y!¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Sun Zhen raged as he grabbed the item and rushed it back into the cab.


    kk took out the phone from his pocket in one swift motion and examined it in his hand. ¡°Wow, thetest Apple iPhone. Did you exchange it for a kidney?¡±


    ¡°Let it go.¡±


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Chen Shi said sternly.


    ¡°I''m not stealing. This is just me showing off my skills!¡± kk raised his eyebrows.


    Sun Zhen was so angry that he plopped down in his chair. Chen Shi said, ¡°Whether you help or not, I want to ask you about something. Do you know Zhou Xiao''s identity?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Chen Shi was overjoyed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s his real name?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s called... That... That...¡± Sun Zhen¡¯s mind felt as though it had just run into an obstacle. He couldn¡¯t recall the word.


    The three exchanged nces in surprise. Chen Shi asked, ¡°Did you go to the Vi Luolin Party?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Sun Zhen shook his head. ¡°My brain is nk.¡±


    ¡°Amnesia?¡±


    Gu You seemed to have spotted something and said, ¡°Little Worm, say the words ''around'', ''Wednesday'', and ''perimeter¡¯[1].¡±


    ¡°This... This... This...¡± Sun Zhen, again had his mind turn nk. He pursed his lips to speak, but he couldn''t make a sound.


    Gu You said, ¡°He¡¯s been brainwashed. The words rted to ''Zhou'' cannot be said at all.¡±


    ¡°That''s easy!¡± kk pped, ¡°Just take a piece of paper and write it down.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the only smart one here?¡± Sun Zhen stared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know the shape of the word when I pick up a pen. I usually avoid it when I speak. If I speak this word in any situation, my mind will short-circuit and go nk.


    ¡°How about using ''that person'' as an alternative?¡± Chen Shi suggested.


    Sun Zhen shook his head. ¡°The recement can''t solve anything. Language is the carrier of thinking. Even if I said ''that person'' with my mouth, his name will pop up in my head, so I¡¯ll still be stuck... I can''t think, write, or say this word and anything associated with it.¡±


    ¡°Can such a thing be done?¡± Chen Shi asked Gu You in surprise.


    ¡°It''s doable! It''s just very inhumane and requires some psychotropic drugs.¡±


    Sun Zhen pointed at his temple. ¡°My head has a small patch on it. Whenever I think about him, my mind will skip automatically.¡±


    kk suddenly smacked his legs andughed. ¡°Fortunately, you don''t have a surname Zhou, or you wouldn¡¯t even know your name.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand why he didn¡¯t kill you. Does he think your talent could be useful?¡± Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Sun Zhen frowned, as if trying to think back, avoiding the virus in his brain. ¡°He and I are in the same profession, which is the only thing I can provide at the moment.¡±


    Gu You said, ¡°I think it¡¯s very valuable for him to join us. I will try to reverse the brainwashing and restore his memories.¡±


    Sun Zhen suddenly stood up. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll join. Having this strange patch in my head over the years has caused a lot of trouble in my life. My girlfriend broke up with me because of this as well. If you can help me, that would be amazing.¡±


    ¡°What''s your girlfriend''s name?¡± kk asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s called that... That... That...¡± Sun Zhen got stuck again.


    kkughed and rolled around back and forth. ¡°I see. The reason for the breakup must be this. ¡®Bastard, you don¡¯t even remember my name?!''¡°


    ¡°If this guy makes fun of me again, I¡¯ll quit.¡± Sun Zhen said solemnly.


    ¡°Stop! Shut your mouth! Shut up!¡± Chen Shi said to kk.


    kk made a gesture to zip his mouth.


    Sun Zhen had worked overnight and nned to go to sleep right now. He said that he would meet them at night. Chen Shi said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet at 8:00 tonight. I will send you the address.¡±


    kk said seriously, ¡°Today is Wednesday. Can you finish it this week? Are there anyndmarks around you?[2]¡±


    Sun Zhen made a gesture and said, ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    Chen Shi was busy the entire day. He bought sofa chairs, a water dispenser, and a coffee machine for the rental house. He also brought theptop that was eating dust at home over. At 8:00 in the evening, he arrived early. Gu You was the second person to arrive. She was holding a signal detector in her hand and said, ¡°I removed all the wiretapping devices you installed in my house. You actually installed these in the house of a singledy. How immoral!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Chen Shi smiled without apology.


    Gu You scanned around to check if there were any suspicious electronic devices. When she lifted a cardboard box up, she suddenly found that Tao Yueyue was squatting underneath the whole time.


    1. These words all have the words ¡°Zhou¡± in them.


    2. ¡°Wednesday¡± has the word ¡°Zhou¡±. ¡°Week¡± has the word ¡°Zhou¡±. ¡°Around¡± has the word ¡°Zhou¡±. kk was teasing him.

 Chapter 343: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 343: Reunion</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Tao Yueyue desperately gave Gu You a ¡®shh¡¯ gesture, before pointing to Chen Shi who was sitting there connecting to the Inte. Gu You smiled, lowered the cardboard box, and said to Chen Shi, "There¡¯s no wiretap in this house."


    "Thank you."


    At this moment, there was a slight noise from the outside. The two of them held their breaths as they listened. Ten secondster, kk pushed through the door andughed as he teased, "Hahaha, I¡¯ve caught you adulterers! What are you two doing in here together? Fuck, this house isn¡¯t bad. Did you buy it or rent it? Is this the temporarymand center? Can I smoke here?"


    kk took out a packet of Furongwang and handed it to Chen Shi and Gu You after taking one out for himself. Chen Shi reached out his hand, but remembered that he had quit, so he retracted his hand.


    Then, Sun Zhen also came in, carrying a briefcase in his hands. kk teased, "Coming to work?"


    Chen Shi said, "Little Worm, can youe and see if you can use thisputer?"


    Sun Zhen checked it and said, "It''s too old. I brought one myself. You can take this one away."


    "Don''t take it away! Don''t!" kk ran over with a cigarette. "Download LoL[1] on the twoputers and we can y a few games."


    Chen Shi held his cor. "You are not here to y. Just work properly."


    Chen Shi seemed to hear Tao Yueyue''sughter. He let go of kk and his eyes fell on therge cardboard box. He went over and opened it to see Tao Yueyue squatting underneath the box and poking out her tongue in shame.


    "Fuck, who is this little beauty? Your daughter? Bastard, you even have children now?" kk teased.


    "Go home!" Chen Shi ordered.


    "I want to stay here!" Tao Yueyue argued, acting spoiled.


    Gu You said, "It doesn¡¯t affect us having Yueyue here."


    kk said, "Are you afraid we will lead your daughter down the wrong path? You¡¯re a bad guy too. You always try to seduce others~" kk batted his eyshes at him, causing Chen Shi to get pissed off.


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth and finally said helplessly, "You¡¯re only allowed to stay here for one night."


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue jumped up happily.


    After everyone was formally introduced to each other, Chen Shi sat at the table and talked about the case. He exined, "This case was done very cleanly. The police''s conventional methods are almost powerless against it. After all, justice is about evidence and procedures. It''s time for something unconventional. I suspect Yi Qing is from Zhou Xiao¡¯s side. If she¡¯s arrested, it will help us find Zhou Xiao.¡±


    "About this... This... This..." kk deliberately imitated Sun Zhen. "I have something to say about Zhou Xiao. I read the wanted order. The good boy killed a lot of people and harmed a policeman. Those are definitely not done by a single person. They¡¯re using one name as a group of people! Isn¡¯t this discovery fucking amazing?! Isn''t it interesting?¡±


    No one cared for kk''s jokes and only Tao Yueyue giggled.


    Chen Shi said, "I told this to the police long ago."


    "Really?" kk was a little disappointed. "You didn''t mention us, right?"


    "No. Aren¡¯t I the same? The police will only think we¡¯re criminals too, in fact..."


    "Criminals are also ssified into good and bad. Just like how Chen Haonan and Shan Ji are the good people in the underground society and Liang Kun is the bad guy." kk said as though he was mentioning something important and serious. Tao Yueyueughed again, and he raised an eyebrow at his only listener.


    "Stop interjecting all the time!" Chen Shi ordered.


    "Okay, okay, you were born handsome, so you can talk. You talk.¡± kk pretended to be obedient.


    "Some people don¡¯t have any self-understanding and treat the disruption of order as part of their personality. Such people are destined to be losers all their lives!" Sun Zhen said with contempt.


    "But I have something you don''t have..." kk said slowly, as he touched his thick bed of hair.


    Sun Zhen mmed on the table. "Is it funughing at other people¡¯s ws? Mentally, I¡¯m a hundred times better than you!¡±


    "Yes, you have noble thoughts. So much that your eyes stop blinking when you look at Sister Gu."


    "You!"


    "You... You... What about me?"


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He poured a ss of water over kk''s head kk was stupefied. Chen Shi said, "I hope you can control your personality. We¡¯re not here to y! If you can''t understand, just treat me as the big brother here, or, if you¡¯re not okay with that, I''ll beat you up now!"


    Rough threats are more useful for people like kk. He converged with a grinning expression and said like an elementary school student in trouble, "Brother Chen, I¡¯ll pay attention from now on."


    Chen Shi was so angry that he forgot what he had just finished saying. He paused and said, "There are several ws in the case right now. First, the doctor obviously lied. The operation record was forged, but why did he lie? Does he have a deal with Yi Qing? Little Worm, you can handle this!"


    Sun Zhen nodded. "As long as they have contacted each other on any social software, I can find it out."


    Chen Shi went on to say, "Second is the little girl. She showed great reliance on Yi Qing. I suspect she was the murderer A. After all, their alibis were together, but she lived in an orphanage with almost no information that could be found. Gu You, you should use your psychological methods to go on the offense with her!"


    Gu You said, "It''s a bit difficult, but I¡¯ll try."


    Chen Shi turned to kk. Because of the ss of water just now, kk looked a little scared. "kk, you¡¯re responsible for tracking Yi Qing and obtaining evidence."


    kk pped. "What a rxing job! Brother, what will you do?"


    "I still have to go with the police! After all, our means are underground. Even if we get evidence, we can''t show it to the police. I need to use legal means to turn them into real evidence..." Chen Shi looked around at everyone around him. His attitude warmed up. "Another thing. Since we¡¯re old friends reuniting, I¡¯ll invite you all to dinner tonight.¡±


    kk smacked on his thigh. "Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner? I fucking ate before I got here."


    Sun Zhen said, "I''m okay. I just woke up."


    "Where are we going to eat?" kk asked.


    "Right here!"


    Chen Shi prepared some meals. Although he made them by himself, it was not worse than restaurant food. He heated them up in the microwave.


    Sun Zhen got to work on hisputer while kk was chatting with Tao Yueyue and asked her how she was doing at school. When he learned that she was in the top ten at school, kk suddenly changed the topic. "Do you want to learn a few skills with your uncle here?"


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue said happily.


    "Don''t teach her strange things!" Chen Shi roared from the kitchen.


    "Look at you. You¡¯re not encouraging her even though she wants to learn things..." Then, he whispered to Tao Yueyue, "Go to the basin and get a bar of soap. I will teach you some basic skills in stealing."


    Sun Zhen said disdainfully, "You can only teach her that kind of stuff."


    "Believe it or not, I can steal your underwear right now."


    "Try it then!"


    kk quickly pulled Sun Zhen''s pants. Sun Zhen didn''t feel anything at first, but then he jumped up and shouted. He shook out a cigarette butt from his trouser legs and was so furious that the crown of his head was steaming.


    "Come on,e on!" kk ran around the table, hooking his fingers to provoke him.


    Gu You suddenly squeezed kk''s neck and stared into his eyes. "You can only hear my voice now. You feel very sleepy..."


    After a few short and powerful guiding sentences, kk fell to the ground softly and entered a hypnotic state. Chen Shi came out of the kitchen and said in shock, "When did you learn this trick?"


    "Recently!" Gu You smiled. "This guy is finally normal now."


    Tao Yueyue looked at this group of people with extraordinary ability andughed happily.


    1. Referring to League of Legends which is a game.

 Chapter 344: Abnormal Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 344: Abnormal Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The abnormal investigation wasunched and conducted intensively. One night a few dayster, Chen Shi came to the rental house and the three had arrived already. For them, no key was needed at all.


    Gu You said, ¡°I bought some good coffee beans. The original one was too hard to drink.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Chen Shi picked up the cup and poured a cup of coffee and sat at the end of the table. ¡°The police found a fingerprint. In the victim¡¯s car, some hair was found, but there isn¡¯t any obvious evidence yet to show that Yi Qing went to the scene. They also couldn''t get an arrest warrant, so they couldn''tpare it with hers... Let''s talk about your findings!¡±


    ¡°ording to the thickness of the hair, Sister Gu should talk first.¡± kk suggested. Sun Zhen who was sitting in front of theputer red at him.


    In order to help Sun Zhen''s face, Gu You said, ¡°Little Worm, why don¡¯t you start us off?¡±


    Sun Zhen cleared his throat. ¡°The doctor and Yi Qing are dating. The two have been chatting on social media for a long time, but from the standpoint of an outsider, Yi Qing is obviously leading the doctor on and using him.¡±


    ¡°The spare tire¡¯s self-discipline.¡± kkmented.


    Sun Zhen ignored him and put a few pieces of paper on the table. ¡°There were quite a few chat records between the two of them. I printed out a few key conversations.¡±


    Chen Shi praised, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°In addition, the operation record was forged. The doctor''s copy does not match the database in the hospital. There was an operation that day, but the patient was not Zhao Puyang. The doctor showed you a copy with the name changed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± Chen Shi continued praising.


    Sun Zhen grinned. ¡°The hospital is disconnected from the Inte at night. I can only use violent methods to get in.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been caught on tape, right?¡±


    ¡°Who am I? How could I get caught!¡±


    Gu You picked up the chat records and saw a conversation that caught her attention. ¡°Last December, Yi Qing invited the doctor to meet her at the orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Let me first talk about my own findings. In order to mix in with the orphanage, I organized a psychological assistance program for the orphans. However, Zhao Puyang is not easy to get close to. She is almost inseparable from Yi Qing. I talked with her a little, but I''m not familiar enough to inquire about any secrets. However, such a closed-off child still had a few good friends. Through them, I learned that Zhao Puyang had a tendency to be violent. When she first entered the orphanage, she often beat the other children. Yi Qing approached her deliberately, but she didn''t care too much until a certain incident...¡±


    ¡°An incident?¡±


    ¡°A child said that in Decemberst year, they heard Zhao Puyang scolding people fiercely, as well as the sound of objects being thrown. The child slipped out to look around and found a strange man slipping out of the office with his face scratched. Yi Qing entered the office tofort Zhao Puyang. From then on, Zhao Puyang was like Yi Qing''s shadow, staying with her and relying heavily on her.¡±


    ¡°What were the characteristics of the strange man?¡±


    ¡°Unclear.¡±


    ¡°December?¡± Chen Shi repeated. ¡°Zhao Puyang was sexually assaulted. Was it done by the doctor? Yi Qing controlled both the doctor and Zhao Puyang through this incident.¡±


    Sun Zhen said, ¡°In the chat records between the doctor and Yi Qing, the doctor said, ¡®I did something I¡¯d go to hell for just for you. Are you still not willing to ept me?¡¯ Did it mean this incident?¡±


    ¡°What an evil woman!¡± Gu You said emotionally. ¡°However, it would be easy to kill someone with her abilities. Why drag Zhao Puyang into this?¡±


    Chen Shi spected, ¡°When Zheng Guohao dies, the police would investigate every person who has been sexually assaulted by him. Yi Qing was bound to be exposed to the police''s attention. In addition, she had previously killed her father and would inevitably be suspected. At this time, she needs a scapegoat. Even better, Zhao Puyang is a minor and Zheng Guohao¡¯s prey are all minors, which makes it easy to get close to Zheng Guohao as well. This is a perfect form of revenge.¡±


    ¡°She was sexually assaulted at an early age as well. Does she not care about Zhao Puyang''s life? This woman has a performing and controlling personality. She is good at showing her best image. In fact, her heart is barren and cold. As long as she can avenge herself, she will use anyone around her. In her opinion, revenge trumps everything.¡± Gu You said sadly.


    ¡°No wonder!¡± kk eximed loudly. ¡°No wonder I could take this strange picture.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Chen Shi said.


    You Kangkang threw the photo across the table. The background should be the women''s locker room. Yi Qing was wearing a bra and changing her clothes, but this wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that her head was bare like a nun. At first nce, she wasn¡¯t recognizable.


    Gu You stared at the photo and said suspiciously, ¡°Was the purpose of taking this photo really for the investigation?¡±


    ¡°Whatever the motivation is, as long I reach the goal, it¡¯s fine... Brother Chen, does this help?¡±


    ¡°Wearing a wig is a clever way to prevent hair from falling out at the scene, but...¡± Chen Shi looked at kk. ¡°How can I show this photo to the police?¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± kk smiled embarrassedly. ¡°I have others.¡±


    He threw out a few more photos. After looking through them, Chen Shi asked, ¡°Are you scum?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to investigate! Do you think I''m interested in the body of a minor?¡±


    The photo was taken in a female bathroom and Zhao Puyang was taking a shower in it. The lingering steam yed the role of a mosaic, but one had to wonder where the photographer was hiding and what wretched expression was worn on their faces when these were taken.


    kk pointed at Zhao Puyang''s abdomen and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t she say she had an appendicitis operation? The stomach isn¡¯t scarred at all.¡±


    Chen Shi noticed some other information. ¡°Taking a shower? You can''t take a shower after appendicitis surgery. Ah right, that''s within one week, but that time limit has already passed...¡±


    Gu You said, ¡°The children in the orphanage have an ID card, and they need to swipe the card to use the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. That''s another breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s the blockbuster information!¡± kk raised his eyebrows and threw thest set of photos on the table. All of them were Yi Qing''s personal photos. As if they had been retouched, they were as beautiful as magazine studio shots.


    ¡°What is this?!¡± Chen Shi asked.


    ¡°Did you notice that I took photos of photos? You should ask where they came from!¡± kk said proudly.


    Chen Shi thought for a while and guessed, ¡°The doctor''s house?¡±


    ¡°Bingo! After I took the pictures at the orphanage, I had nothing to do, so I went to the doctor''s house. Fuck, he¡¯s an extreme dog licker[1]. His bedroom wall was full of these. You should hurry and ask the police to search his house!¡±


    ¡°You didn''t do anything extra?¡±


    ¡°I ate a piece of cake from his refrigerator and then went to the toilet. That doesn''t matter, right?¡±


    ¡°Be more careful next time!¡± Chen Shi said helplessly.


    Of course, none of these photos could be used. Chen Shi wouldn''t be able to answer Lin Qiupu''s questioning. He only took a printed file with evidence of the fraudulent operation records and then said, ¡°Let''s disband and head back. I¡¯ll go to the police now.¡±


    ¡°Sote?¡± kk asked.


    ¡°It''s best to just get it done. I''ll go first. Remember to close the door behind you. I''ll contact you when I''m done.¡±


    kk looked at Chen Shi''s back, shook his head, and smiled, ¡°How cool. If I were a woman, I would fall in love with him.¡±


    Sun Zhen scowled, then blushed and said to Gu You, ¡°Miss Gu, I wrote an interesting little program. Come and take a look.¡±


    Sun Zhen tapped the run key and the function program calcted a figure. A red heart made of lines appeared on the screen. He stammered, ¡°How is it?¡±


    Gu You smiled politely. ¡°Little Worm, you¡¯re so talented.¡±


    With just this sentence, Sun Zhen was so happy that he stayed up all night.


    1. Shameless person. An expression used to describe people who were shameless towards someone who has no interest in them. Another use for this expression is to describe a bootlicker.

 Chapter 345: The Willing Dr. Li

    <h4>Chapter 345: The Willing Dr. Li</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue looked at theputer for a whole night. The anxiety that the case hadn¡¯t progressed made her more ufortable than tired. She suddenly smelled a fragrant scent and looked up to find bottled coffee with hot oden on the table. Chen Shi was across the table, smiling at her with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Why did youe over sote?¡±


    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Any progress?¡± Lin Dongxue asked excitedly.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. My brother and Captain Peng haven''t finished work.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat some first?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat after!¡±


    The members of the task force gathered in a conference room and Chen Shi told them of his discovery, with some reservations, of course. Lin Qiupu frowned. ¡°These are just spections. If there¡¯s no evidence, it¡¯s useless.¡±


    Chen Shi put a piece of paper on the table. ¡°The record of the operation obtained from the hospital database is different from the one that Dr. Li showed us. He tampered with the patient''s name!¡±


    The crowd was shocked. Lin Qiupu took it and looked at it before asking, ¡°How did you get this? Was the method improper?¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t a very honest method. I saw the case was stuck and was even more anxious than you. I used a bit of a trick... I have a friend who knows how to hack.¡±


    ¡°I want to remind you that no matter how you see it, you¡¯re still holding a consultant¡¯s certificate.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± Chen Shi smiled. ¡°Why is Dr. Li lying? Is he connected with Yi Qing? I suggest going to his house now to find him.¡±


    ¡°It''s 10:00.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me for once and go directly to his house right now!¡± Chen Shi smiled confidently.


    Lin Qiupu stared at Chen Shi for a moment in silence. Since Chen Shi said this, it meant that he knew that there would be a new find at Dr. Li ¡¯s house. Lin Qiupu suspected that Chen Shi used improper means for more than just this one piece of paper. It was like having a delicious little candy delivered into a child¡¯s hands. Lin Qiupu wanted to reach out towards it, but hesitated.


    ¡°You didn''t break thew, right?¡± He confirmed.


    ¡°A little bit, but I swear I didn''t break thew.¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again! Let''s go to Dr. Li''s house!¡±


    Everyone got in the car and Lin Dongxue ate oden as she asked Chen Shi, ¡°How did you get so many clues at once? Did you trespass into someone¡¯s house, steal information, and bribe witnesses?¡±


    ¡°No, I just found a hacker friend. Everything else is just spection.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was still suspicious and said, ¡°I¡¯m unhappy!¡±


    ¡°How did I offend you again?¡±


    ¡°You investigated the case quietly without bringing me. You even kept it a secret from me!¡±


    ¡°I guarantee that this will be the only time.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Lin Dongxue picked up a fish ball and poked it into Chen Shi''s mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off just this once!¡±


    When they arrived at Dr. Li''s house, Lin Qiupu called the property manager and used the act of collecting property fees to trick him into opening the door. When the group of people rushed in, Dr. Li was wearing pajamas and was frightened. ¡°What are you doing? Can police trespass onto private property like this? I want to sue you right now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s illegal to provide false information. You have toe with us.¡± Lin Qiupu notified.


    ¡°What do you mean by false information? I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about! I''m going to work tomorrow... Get lost!¡± Dr. Li suddenly thought of something and rushed into the bedroom.


    Chen Shi instructed, ¡°Stop him!¡±


    The police rushed into the bedroom and saw that Dr. Li was tearing down the photos on the wall. The whole wall was full of Yi Qing''s photos. He couldn''t tear them down all at once, and his actionspletely exposed his suspicious activity.


    Lin Qiupu was not polite and pressed him down directly onto the bed, handcuffed him, and then ordered people to take all the photos back with them.


    In the living room, Dr. Li sat in a chair in frustration as Lin Qiupu threw the photos down in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ve got some exining to do!¡±


    ¡°I... I have a crush on Miss Yi. She¡¯s just so beautiful, so I took some photos in secret and put them up at home. It¡¯s just one-sided love.¡±


    Lin Qiupu spread out the photos. ¡°It''s June[1] right now. Thest time you met her was May 20th. Here are photos from autumn, winter, and spring. How do you exin this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s photoshopped... No, she''s been here before.¡±


    ¡°What sickness did she have?¡±


    ¡°Stomach issues.¡±


    ¡°Are there any medical records?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s at the hospital. I''ll show you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t make any sense for you to dy things now. It can neither help her nor yourself. Instead of spending the night in panic, let''s just be honest!¡±


    Dr. Li was sweating like rain but he still kept his mouth shut. Chen Shi said, ¡°Check his phone andputer.¡±


    ¡°Don''t do it! No! No!¡± Dr. Li was in aplete state of panic. ¡°I¡¯ll talk, okay? But before that, could you let me make a call?¡±


    ¡°You want to leak intel? Dream on!¡± Lin Qiupu said, ¡°Bring him back for interrogation!¡±


    Dr. Li was taken to an interrogation room. In this closed environment, he seemed extremely nervous. He raised his hands and asked, ¡°Can you not make me wear this? I haven''t even stolen a needle ever since I was a child. What would my family think if they found out?¡±


    ¡°Did we want to put it on you? You brought it on yourself.¡± Lin Qiupu said as he stepped forward to uncuff him.


    Dr. Li drank water with shaking hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s true that she came to see me due to stomach issues. I didn''t lie. Last year... In July, we did a CT scan. She was fine. I asked her to pay attention to her diet and rest... But from the moment I saw her, I was instantly attracted to her. I drew up my courage to ask her for her contact information. She actually gave it to me and I was honestly overjoyed. Then, I started chasing after her. She seemed to be a very educated girl. She was particrly reserved. The more she held back, the more I liked her. Anyway, it was just kind of ttering. We¡¯ve had a meal together. That wasst October.


    ¡°It can be said that I¡¯m obsessed with her. Last December, she took the initiative to invite me to the orphanage institution where she works. I brought flowers and gifts that day!¡± Dr. Li had a very perverted expression on his face, and continued after a long silence, ¡°... I also brought condoms. After dinner, she chatted with me, hoping that I could help. She said that there was a child there who was very introverted. She said that she had consulted a psychologist and that the expert said that she needed to give the child some strong stimtion in order to let her open her heart. The strong stimtion was... It was... To ask me to sexually assault her!¡±


    Lin Qiupu and the policemen outside were stunned. It was most likely that his lust led him to lose all rationale and any ounce of intelligence. He actually believed that ridiculous lie.


    ¡°Did you do as asked?¡± Lin Qiupu asked.


    Dr. Li swallowed hard and nodded slightly. ¡°But there was no rape. I¡¯m not interested in little girls. It¡¯s just... You know!¡±


    ¡°We don''t understand.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want me to say it? I just tore her clothes up and touched her a few times. I didn''t feel anything at the time, but then I regretted it afterwards. It''s not the right thing to do as a human! But, Yi Qing said that ever since that incident, the child¡¯s personality became much better, which made me feel less guilty. I was just wondering if there¡¯s really this kind of treatment?¡±


    ¡°Was that child Zhao Puyang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lin Qiupu showed him a picture and the doctor nodded and said, ¡°Yes, it''s her!¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I thought that since I¡¯ve done this kind of thing for her that she¡¯d ept me. Yi Qing usually acts hot and cold and is quite unpredictable. We¡¯ve known each other for so long, but except for some meals, she wouldn¡¯t even let me hold her hand. I have a skeptical voice in my heart saying that this woman is just leading me on! However, I really like her a lot and am willing to do whatever she wants me to do, even if I have to go up a mountain of knives or down into a fiery sea[2]...¡±


    1. The author wrote May, but Chapter 339 says it was May 31st and a few days have already passed.


    2. Extremely difficult and/or dangerous situation

 Chapter 346: Investigating the Orphanage

    <h4>Chapter 346: Investigating the Orphanage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu questioned, "So, you lied for her?"


    Dr. Li bowed his head in guilt. "It rained early this month. She ran to my house to find me in the rain. When we met, she cried. My heart hurt so much. She asked me if I was willing to do anything for her. I obviously said yes. She then asked me to make a fake surgery record on May 20th and asked me not to tell anyone afterwards.¡±


    "You didn''t think that this was used to forge an alibi back then?"


    "Alibi?" Dr. Li was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. "You mean... You mean... She killed someone?¡±


    "How did she lie to you back then?"


    "She only said that she had a secret. If I could help her once, she was willing to share it with me... Listening to this, I felt that she might be willing to ept me, so of course I was willing to do it!"


    "You didn¡¯t express any doubts even when the police questioned you afterwards?"


    "I asked her, but she asked me to not say anything. She said that we were grasshoppers on a rope, which indicated that we would start dating once we get through this... Now that I think about it, she was probably lying to me again. But I really didn¡¯t dare to tell the truth to the police because I molested that girl. Molesting minors would send me to jail!¡±


    "It¡¯s true that you¡¯ll have to go to jail." Lin Qiupu sighed.


    "I was bewitched by her though! I didn¡¯t do it willingly." The doctor burst into tears.


    "Listen, you can help us so that we can help you fight for leniency."


    The doctor covered his face and wept, "I didn''t kill anyone or set fire to anything. I¡¯ve been honest and followed all the rules since childhood. Why should I go to jail? Wouldn¡¯t my career be ruined?"


    Lin Qiupu felt that the doctor was pretty unlucky to be used by Yi Qing''s beauty and maniption. He fell into a trap and didn''t know he was an aplice to a crime.


    A woman like Yi Qing, full of intellect and charm, appearing in the life of an ordinary doctor was akin to the arrival of an angel. Lin Qiupu thought that if it were him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee that he would actpletely rationally either.


    "Is there anything else you¡¯d like to add?" Lin Qiupu asked. "You have no intention ofmitting a crime. It would be good for you to provide more clues."


    The doctor thought about it and said, "The woman told me to steal medicine or needles and give her patient information."


    "When was this? Why did she ask you to do this?"


    "Sincest October. The stolen drugs weren¡¯t anything illegal. They were just regr prescription drugs. She would tell me the reason at first, but then she gradually stopped talking about her motives. As soon as I finished my mission, she would reward me, which was just praising me. Or, she¡¯d promise to apany me to dinner, but my heart was already so happy that it could explode."


    The doctor sessively talked about these things, but it didn''t sound like it rted to the case itself. Chen Shi listened from outside and said, "Yi Qing asked him to do these small bad things to consistently lower the threshold of his conscience. These are all to pave the way for him to sexually assault Zhao Puyang and deceive the police."


    Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "An adult was actually controlled by this method?"


    "People''s degeneration is gradual, regardless of whether they are adults or children." Chen Shi remembered Gu You''s analysis of Yi Qing. "She really does have a controlling personality. The orphanage is her test field. She knows how to control a person well."


    Chen Shi remembered that when he was in "ck Honey", everyone enthusiastically discussed the mind control technique called "Mentalism" and read the work of mind control expert Derren Brown. This was where Yi Qing would have learned it.


    Controlling the consciousness was not as mysterious as hypnosis. It was used in daily advertising, games, film, and television. yers in the dating scene also use one or two techniques, although they wouldn¡¯t know the scientific terms for the techniques.


    If a person learned it and consciously used it to do bad things, then that was truly horrifying.


    Therefore, "ck Honey" that taught Yi Qing this knowledge also bore a great responsibility.


    The interrogationsted until 1:00AM and everyone was very sleepy. The doctor confessed everything he could and he begged Lin Qiupu not to sentence him. Lin Qiupu made a gesture in silence and let his subordinates detain him first.


    The police went to the orphanage the next day and Gu You was unexpectedly here. When she saw Chen Shi and the others, she waved to say hello.


    Lin Dongxue looked left and right. "Who is she saying hello to?" Then, she noticed that Peng Sijue was walking behind them, and Peng Sijue looked away slightly awkwardly.


    Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ll go over and speak to her a little."


    Chen Shi asked Gu You, "Why are you still here?"


    "The investigation is one thing. The psychological assistance for the children organized by our clinic isn¡¯t fake. We haven''t finished yet! Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t interfere with your investigation."


    After Chen Shi returned, Lin Dongxue looked at him suspiciously. "What did you two talk about?"


    "We¡¯re neighbors, so of course we¡¯d have to say hello. She¡¯s working on providing psychological assistance for the children."


    "Hmph, I was thinking that since there¡¯s a beauty who understands psychology living next to you, should I move over to your ce?"


    "You look pretty cute when you¡¯re jealous. I¡¯d wee you with open arms."


    "Wait for our rtionship to be official first!" Lin Dongxue smiled slyly.


    The group found Yi Qing reading a story to the children, who asked Lin Qiupu with a smile, "Are you looking for me?"


    "Let''s talk alone!"


    "Go to the yard to y first. Teacher wille over soon." Yi Qing said gently to the children.


    After the children left, Lin Qiupu said solemnly, "Yi Qing, we suspect that you¡¯re rted to two murder cases. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation."


    "I¡¯ll cooperate fully."


    "At noon on May 20th, where did you and Zhao Puyang go after leaving the orphanage?"


    Yi Qing slowly said, "We went out to do some business."


    "Didn''t you previously say that Zhao Puyang had an appendicitis operation?"


    "Sorry, I lied to you. Zhao Puyang and I had some personal matters to deal with. That''s all."


    "That is, you have no alibi."


    Yi Qing shrugged. "You can''t prove that I was anywhere else either."


    Lin Qiupu sneered and summoned a forensic officer with a cotton swab in hand. Lin Qiupu said, "We need to collect your DNA."


    Yi Qing was very cooperative, but Zhao Puyang outside didn''t cooperate at all. She was kicking and beating the police. Yi Qing stepped out tofort her until she was obedient.


    The police collected all the shoe prints and clothing fibers owned by the two and took them back for identification.


    Lin Qiupu had been questioning Yi Qing the entire time and she remained calm. However, she refused to say what she did that afternoon. Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "Isn''t this woman digging her own grave? The police will only doubt her more."


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t answer, but he believed that Yi Qing was prepared to push Zhao Puyang into being her scapegoat. This was herst card.


    Peng Sijue called them and after hearing the results, Lin Qiupu''s eyes widened slightly. Peng Sijue said, "The fingerprints and DNA found are only of Zhao Puyang''s and the footprints are hers as well. The other vague shoe print didn¡¯t have a matching sample."


    Yi Qing observed Lin Qiupu''s expression and sneered.

 Chapter 347: Last Sliver of Hope

    <h4>Chapter 347: Last Sliver of Hope</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu stared at Yi Qing and said, "Zhao Puyang went to the crime scene that day?"


    "Yes!" Yi Qing said slowly. "I didn¡¯t want to say this for the purpose of protecting her. Zhao Puyang ran out of the orphanage that day. I struggled to find her, but it was toote... You should know what Zhao Puyang has experienced. She hates that man who sexually assaults minors."


    "That''s nonsense. Zhao Puyang''s affairs were all nned by you! Zheng Guohao had no rtionship with her. Why would Zhao Puyang run to kill the man who sexually assaulted you back then?"


    Yi Qing''s eyes were ice cold. She said, "You can ask Zhao Puyang."


    "How horrible. How can you use someone underage as a shield? How long do you think your lie will hold up for?"


    "We should wait until you have evidence before we continue talking!"


    Lin Qiupu red at her unwaveringly and said, "Take Zhao Puyang back for investigation."


    When Zhao Puyang was taken away, Yi Qing ran out and said, "Puyang, don''t be afraid. I¡¯ll find awyer for you!"


    Her words were like thew. Zhao Puyang suddenly didn¡¯t resist and let the police take her away.


    Sure enough, Zhao Puyang was Yi Qing¡¯s trump card, as Chen Shi had expected. She must have exined to Zhao Puyang long ago. Zheng Guohao was killed by the two of them. It was just his reasoning, but there wasn¡¯t any direct evidence. The only evidence that could be traced at the scene was Zhao Puyang¡¯s.


    Even if Dr. Li and Zhao Puyang testified against Yi Qing at the same time, and even if she was detained, Yi Qing would be released in court due to theck of evidence, just like her father''s car ident case back then.


    Yi Qing, who was standing in front of the door facing Chen Shi, faintly smiled. Lin Dongxue asked, "We¡¯re letting her go just like that?"


    "There will be evidence! There will be evidence." Chen Shi repeated.


    After the police left, Yi Qing returned to her lounge and poured a cup of tea with shaking hands and drank it all up.


    Putting down the teacup, she brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. In her mind, she didn¡¯t know how many times the case was repeated in her head. Yes, she didn¡¯t leave any traces, and Zhao Puyang wouldn¡¯t betray her either.


    All she had to do now was keep up her silence. Her confession was the only hope for the police to arrest her.


    The door behind her slowly opened, and Yi Qing turned around suddenly. When she met Gu You''s eyes, Yi Qing asked, "Miss Gu, is there something wrong?"


    "How is the taste of revenge?"


    "What?"


    "It has always been hatred that supported you ¡®til now. But, isn¡¯t the moment of great revenge extremely empty? Doesn¡¯t it feel like life has lost its purpose? There are two things in life that are the most depressing: Having nothing and having your desires granted. The me of vengeance was so dazzling. Once it was extinguished, only darkness was left in your world. You only realized then that you were such a despicable fellow. You found that you¡¯re not that different from those you hate.¡± Gu You provoked.


    "You!" Yi Qing clenched her teeth in anger. She suddenly saw Gu You''s hand was in her pocket. She began thinking quickly. Was she being recorded?


    She couldn¡¯t admit to killing anyone. Not even to herself. She didn¡¯t kill anyone. It was Zhao Puyang who killed him.


    Yi Qing retracted her angry expression instantly and said indifferently, "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about. Please don''t disturb my rest."


    Gu You sighed in disappointment, exited the room, and turned off the recording cellphone in her pocket. This radical method hadn¡¯t worked either. The woman was very guarded.


    But, her words stabbed Yi Qing''s heart and seemed to have quietly sown a seed.


    In the interrogation room, Zhao Puyang didn¡¯t say anything. Lin Qiupu listed the evidence against her, saying, "You¡¯re advised not to be so stubborn and to just tell us what happened that day."


    Zhao Puyang stared at Lin Qiupu and then spat at the ground.


    A suspect who was a minor was really troublesome. Lin Qiupu thought about a strategy to deal with her. At this time, the internal extension phone rang. Lin Dongxue said over the phone, "Captain Lin, let me try!"


    "Okay, I''ll swap you in."


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi walked in together. Zhao Puyang retracted her hands and rolled her eyes when she saw Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, "Little sister, don''t be afraid. We won''t hurt you."


    Lin Dongxue stretched out a hand to pat her shoulder, but Zhao Puyang waved her hand away.


    Chen Shi said, "Stay away from her."


    Lin Dongxue sighed. The girl was like a hedgehog. She sat behind the interrogation table with Chen Shi. They just saw the tactics used by Lin Qiupu, so they made up their minds that they could only use a soft approach rather than a hard one.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Last December, you were molested, right?"


    "..."


    "Ms. Yi said to you that it was the uncle who molested you? Is that right?"


    Zhao Puyang shook her head and finally said, "I found him myself."


    "How did you find him?"


    "Online."


    "How can you be sure that it was that person? Or did someone tell you?"


    "I''m just sure!"


    "Why kill Attorney Bai then?"


    "Because he¡¯s also a bastard."


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi exchanged nces. They opened theptop and began to y Dr. Li''s interrogation video from yesterday. When Dr. Li said that he was Zhao Puyang¡¯s molester, Zhao Puyang showed a surprised expression and immediately covered her ears. "You¡¯re lying to me! This is all fake! You recorded this yourself!"


    Chen Shi said, "Wake up. Your favorite teacher Yi has used you. She fancied your violent tendency, nted hatred in you through this despicable show, and then lied about finding out who molested you. But, you didn¡¯t sessfullyplete the task she asked you to do, so she showed up halfway to help you! She used your underaged status, yourck of understanding, and your trust toplete her own revenge!"


    Zhao Puyang''s expression wasplicated. She stared nkly at a point in the air. "It was Teacher Yi... It was Teacher Yi?"


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi saw a glimmer of hope, but at this moment, a man pushed in the door and said, "No more questions. I''m Zhao Puyang''swyer. From now on, her case will be represented by me. You can''t speak directly with her."


    Lin Dongxue clenched her fists in dissatisfaction, and the subsequent interrogation was like torture. Thewyer ryed every sentence to Zhao Puyang and said that the whole thing was done by Zhao Puyang. Yi Qing''s role was just as her protector.


    Thewyer also continuously invoked the Minor Protection Law, emphasizing the fact that Zhao Puyang was only twelve years old.


    At 3:00 in the afternoon, the long interrogation was over. Thewyer went through the process of obtaining bail pending trial and then took Zhao Puyang away. Lin Dongxue stepped out of the interrogation room, bit her lip, and punched the wall angrily.


    "Everything follows that woman''s script!" She said, unwilling to ept the situation.


    Lin Qiupu wondered, "What if she was prosecuted for persuading an adolescent tomit homicide?"


    Chen Shi said, "The evidence isn¡¯t there. Just sending her to court like this is no different than letting her go."


    "Should we change our thinking?" Peng Sijue asked. "ording to Locard''s exchange principle, the suspect will leave something behind and take something away as well. If the evidence left by Yi Qing is not found at the scene, then what do you think she¡¯s taken away?"


    Lin Qiupu mumbled, "Even if we found it, she would say that she did go to the scene, but it was Zhao Puyang who killed him."


    Chen Shi said, "But the crime scene for Attorney Bai is still in a nk state. If we can find evidence taken from Attorney Bai''s crime scene in the hands of Yi Qing, we can sue her for killing Attorney Bai!"


    Light reappeared in everyone¡¯s eyes, as this seemed to be theirst sliver of hope.

 Chapter 348: Treated Like Wicked People

    <h4>Chapter 348: Treated Like Wicked People</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next bit of work didn¡¯t require much skill at all. The police went to the orphanage and carefully searched every inch ofnd to check all of Yi Qing¡¯s clothes, shoes, and daily necessities.


    During the entirety of the police¡¯s stay, Yi Qing stayed in her own resting lounge, looking down from the window. Her cold and indifferent face was fixed in the window frame, like a beauty in a painting.


    The children showed rejection, hostility, and indifference towards the police. In their eyes, these police officers were bad people who wanted to take away Teacher Yi, so they conducted little pranks against the police such as throwing mud on them or deliberately pushing down their tools.


    During their break, Peng Sijue said to Chen Shi, "If there¡¯s a director who turned Yi Qing''s story into a movie in the future, our police would be the evil people."


    "Are you wavering?" Chen Shi asked.


    Peng Sijue smiled slightly and took out a cigarette. "I heard you quit smoking."


    Chen Shi looked at him angrily. Peng Sijue was ready to light his cigarette, but then decided against it and put away the lighter again. He smacked his thigh and stood up. "Let¡¯s talk after finishing the task!"


    "When the investigation is done, do you want to eat together?"


    "No."


    "Do you have a prior appointment?" Chen Shi smiled.


    Peng Sijue was thinking of how to answer when suddenly there was a child¡¯s cry from the courtyard. The two immediately rushed over and saw Yi Qing half-kneeling on the ground and hugging a little boy. The little boy''s head was bleeding. It seemed like he had bumped into an open window.


    The other children gathered around the policeman and reached out with their small fists and yelled, "Beat the bad guy! Beat the bad guy!"


    The policeman looked innocent and raised his hands to avoid suspicion, as if surrendering.


    Lin Qiupu brought people in and drove the children away before asking, "What''s going on?"


    The policeman exined innocently, "That little boy threw mud at me. I turned around and yelled at him. He ran away and hit himself on the window."


    An older child argued, "If it weren''t for you alling here every day wanting to catch Teacher Yi, why would little chubs break his head?"


    Peng Sijue called out for the medical kit and said, "Let me see his injury!"


    "Don''t touch me! Don''t touch me!" A pair of small hands desperately pushed Peng Sijue away. His body was already thin, and he nearly fell from the impact. Fortunately, Chen Shi supported him from behind.


    "Go away! The police should go away!¡± The older child from earlier took the lead and shouted. For a moment, a wave of shouting erupted in the courtyard. The policemen stood together at a loss for what to do and frequently nced at Lin Qiupu as they awaited further instructions. Lin Qiupu was also furrowing his brows helplessly.


    In the corner of the yard, Zhao Puyang was sitting on the swing looking nk.


    "It feels really bad to be treated as a wicked person." Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "Kids, don¡¯t make so much noise anymore." Yi Qing went over and her words immediately took effect. The children separated and made way for her as Yi Qing said to Peng Sijue, "Please help this child bandage his wounds."


    This time, since Yi Qing "chose" this, the child didn¡¯t stop him. Peng Sijue checked the child¡¯s head. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a particrly bad wound. It was just the amount of bleeding that was a bit shocking.


    Yi Qing looked around at the police and asked, "Can I invite you all outside? I will go with you."


    Lin Qiupu nodded slightly and the group went outside the orphanage. They went all the way to the hillside full of wildflowers in front of the orphanage before Yi Qing stopped. She turned around, looked at the orphanage, and said, "Let''s stop here!"


    "We won¡¯t retreat. Maybe when these children grow up, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re the bad guys, but this isn¡¯t important. It¡¯s our job to safeguard thew and our work has sacrifices." Lin Qiupu informed.


    Yi Qing smiled lightly. "You haven¡¯t found any evidence, right? These past few days, the orphanage has been disturbed by you for so long that they don¡¯t even have half a moment of peace. The children can''t sleep or eat well. Is this your silent threat towards me? Well, okay. You¡¯ve won... For me, revenge was the only motivation for me to live and the me of revenge was so dazzling. When it was extinguished, my world was left with darkness..."


    The crowd was shocked. What was she talking about? Was she confessing?


    Chen Shi noticed what she drew from her pocket and rushed over immediately. Yi Qing quickly put the contents in her mouth and said with a smile, "Please remember that you didn¡¯t win. I left the game first."


    She chewed the pills in her mouth and fell to the ground. When Chen Shi rushed up, he found that her whole body was convulsing, her teeth were clenching, and her pupils were slowly spreading. A bitter almond smell quickly filled the air.


    Chen Shi retracted his hands which had reached out to try and pry her mouth open. He said, "It''s toote."


    The police came around and looked at Yi Qing''s body in disbelief. Lin Dongxue said, "Committing suicide for her sins?"


    "It''s not for her sins. It''s for the emptiness she felt after revenge and herst bit of conscience... She didn¡¯t want us to disturb the orphanage again!" Chen Shi said weakly. He had hoped to hear Zhou Xiao''s information through Yi Qing. Now, this clue was also lost.


    If the children were to see Yi Qing''s body, it would be too cruel. Thus, Lin Qiupu called people to immediately take her away in a police car.


    When they saw a police car suddenly leaving and Yi Qing had gone missing, the children who had a bad premonition swarmed out. Many of them fell down while chasing after the police and were wailing on the ground. "Teacher Yi!"


    When the police car left, they vented their anger on the police, rushing over to kick and beat them. That half an hour was both sour and extremely long for everyone.


    An autopsy was no longer necessary. In Zhao Puyang¡¯s second interrogation, she rudely asked thewyer sitting next to her to shut up and then told the police everything.


    The whole process was basically consistent with the spections that the police had made before. The night that Zhao Puyang was molested, she didn''t see who it was. After that, Yi Qing cared for her selflessly, so she found itforting. Yi Qing was like a mother to her.


    One day, Yi Qing told her a secret. She found the man who "did bad things" to her, and the man had bullied Yi Qing previously. Zhao Puyang said angrily, "I want to kill him."


    Yi Qing smiled and said, "Are you really going to kill him? Killing is very scary and you could go to jail."


    Zhao Puyang replied, "I''m not afraid!"


    Yi Qing held her little fist and said, "I have a n to kill him without anyone going to jail."


    On May 20th, Yi Qing began to implement this n. She asked Zhao Puyang to go to a parking lot, talk to an uncle, and lie that she was separated from her parents. That day, Yi Qing also dressed the boyish Zhao Puyang in very cute clothes.


    As expected, Zheng Guohao was caught in the trap and said with a smile, "I''ll take you to see your parents!" Then, he took Zhao Puyang to the car.


    Along the way, Zhao Puyang suppressed her anger knowing that this was the bad man.


    After arriving at Zheng Guohao''s house, Zheng Guohao asked her about many things. He asked her if she went to sleep with her father at night and said that he often did that with his own daughter. Then, he poured drinks for Zhao Puyang, which made her even more sure that the person in front of her was the bad man.

 Chapter 349: Finale

    <h4>Chapter 349: Finale</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhao Puyang was shaking with anger at the time. She really wanted to tten the man''s nose with a punch, but she restrained herself. She kept looking at the door. She knew that Teacher Yi was guarding her outside.


    Zheng Guohao asked wretchedly, "Would you like to take a bath to see if your body is dirty?"


    Zhao Puyang nodded.


    While Zheng Guohao went to the bathroom to heat the water up, she put the poison that they had prepared in advance into Zheng Guohao''s alcohol and stirred it with her fingers to let it dissolve quickly.


    Zheng Guohao came back and touched Zhao Puyang''s back. He said, "Uncle likes obedient girls like you. Obedient girls are popr everywhere they go. The water is hot now. Take off your clothes... Come on, uncle will help you!"


    Zheng Guohao held up Zhao Puyang¡¯s hands. The situation made her very scared. She shivered and said, "I''ll do it myself."


    "Okay, don''t be afraid. Uncle is an adult!" Zheng Guohao picked the ss of alcohol up with a smile, took a sip, suddenly frowned, and began coughing. When he stood up, he stumbled and fell to the ground. He held his throat and as he felt an extremely painful sensation.


    Watching Zheng Guohao struggling on the ground, Zhao Puyang was so scared that she couldn''t move an inch. Murder was such a terrifying thing.


    Zheng Guohao struggled to crawl to the sink, vomited, drank water, and then vomited again. It seemed like the symptoms of poisoning were beginning to ease.


    Aware of the bad situation, Zhao Puyang hurried to open the door and Yi Qing rushed in. Before Zheng Guohao had turned around to react, she quickly rushed over and stabbed him in the back.


    After killing him, Yi Qingmended Zhao Puyang for her bravery, then cleaned up the crime scene, took off her blood-stained jacket, and stuffed it into her bag... Yi Qing was dressed like a man that day, wearing a hat.


    After they went downstairs, they got into the car stolen by Yi Qing, but she didn''t start the car immediately. Zhao Puyang asked, "Why aren¡¯t we leaving?"


    Yi Qing smiled. "If we leave now, it¡¯ll be filmed by the police and the police will find us."


    Zhao Puyang was very impressed and felt that Yi Qing was very smart.


    The two sat in the car all afternoon, during which Zheng Guohao''s housekeeper found the body and called the police. A group of people gathered at the door. Zhao Puyang was afraid and hid in Yi Qing''s arms, but Yi Qing seemed very calm.


    In the evening, the two left themunity and went to another ce. Yi Qing asked Zhao Puyang to stay in the car for a while. She changed her clothes, put on a wig, hid a knife on her body, took out a slingshot, and suddenly broke the surveince monitor above them. Then, she calmly entered themunity.


    Half an hourter, Yi Qing returned and smiled at Zhao Puyang. "It''s done."


    After that, Zhao Puyang was very scared and kept asking if the police woulde to find them. Yi Qing told her, "It doesn''t matter if the policee or not, and even if they take you away, don''t be afraid. You just have to say everything as I¡¯ve told you. Teacher and the minor protectionws will protect you, all right?"


    Zhao Puyang believed that Yi Qing was her protector and she still believed her even now...


    Zhao Puyang suddenly said, "Even if it¡¯s as you said and Teacher Yi used me, so what? I don''t care. She was the only person who treated me well. When I grow up, I will kill all of you police who harmed her! I¡¯ll kill all of you!"


    "Don''t... Don''t speak nonsense!" Thewyer interrupted her nervously.


    After Zhao Puyang was taken away, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "Has hatred been nted in this child?"


    "Perhaps. But after she grows up, she may understand everything. What¡¯s important is not what she thinks right now. What¡¯s important is to give her a warm environment to grow up healthily and with love."


    "You can¡¯t really adopt another one, right?" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    "It''s enough having a small poisonous viper at home."


    Among the evidence brought back by the police, Peng Sijue found a small piece of Attorney Bai¡¯s blood on a piece of burnt cloth.


    If Yi Qing had not sought her own death, this piece of evidence was probably enough to convict her.


    Going home that night, Chen Shi visited Gu You, who listened to the entire case. She said, "I didn¡¯t expect that my words would actually y such a role."


    "What?"


    Gu You told Chen Shi that she was trying to collect evidence by using a radical method that day. Chen Shi was surprised when he heard it and said, "This is not your ¡®merit¡¯. The emptiness after revenge is difficult to bear... Then again, you said you were going to kill Zhou Xiao. Did he take away any important people from you?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you about this when I have the chance."


    "Will the psychological assistance for the orphanage continue? Honestly, I don''t want Zhao Puyang to be the second Yi Qing. It¡¯s best to find a good family for her."


    "I''ll try my best to see if any of my clients would want to adopt her... Have you investigated thatpany?"


    "You mean thepany that sponsors the welfare institution? A little bit. The young president of thatpany had a family tragedy before he took office. His brother, who should have be the president, died bizarrely. Of course, he was the prime suspect, but in the end, he was released because of insufficient evidence."


    "So, thispany has a rtionship with Yi Qing and ''ck Honey''. What are you going to do?"


    "It''s very distressing!" Chen Shi habitually tried to reach for his cigarettes, but couldn¡¯t. "If thispany goes down, what will happen to the children in the welfare institution? Sometimes good and evil are really difficult to define. So, let¡¯s not touch thatpany yet. Until the young CEO exposes his horse leg, we shouldn¡¯t bother him."


    "Then, we can only investigate using other means..." Gu You held her chin and muttered, considering any other leads they had right now.


    Chen Shi wanted to smoke again. He wondered why he always wanted to smoke. It turned out that there was a faint smell of cigarettes in the room, which stimted his addiction. It was exuding from Gu You.


    He said, "Miss Gu, forgive me!"


    "What?"


    When Chen Shi leaned over and sniffed her, he determined the source of the smell. Chen Shi asked, "I thought you didn¡¯t smoke? Why does the smell of cigarettes on your body smell a bit like the type that Old Peng likes?"


    "Does it?"


    "Were you two together today?"


    "No!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Who are you trying to lie to?"

 Chapter 350: It’s All Up to Human Effort

    <h4>Chapter 350: It¡¯s All Up to Human Effort</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 23: University Entrance Exam Disturbance


    The lengthy case involving Zheng Guohao''s murder was finally over. Lin Qiupu and the chief proposed to publicize the case in a newspaper. In a sense, the root of this case was the inadequate protection of minors. Lin Qiupu hoped that the case would foster some positive results. On the other hand, it could also slightly deter shameless adults who intended to sexually assault minors.


    On the evening of June 4th, Chen Shi was lying on the sofa at Lin Dongxue''s house. He flipped through the newspaper and said, "Look at this article making Yi Qing out to be an innocent and pitiful weak female. She¡¯s clearly the real murderer!"


    "This way of writing is popr with the public! But the police seem to have be the wicked people who killed Yi Qing." Lin Dongxue, wearing an apron, brought out a te of sweet and sour pork ribs from the kitchen and went to Chen Shi. She tilted her head and smiled, "Congrattions on your sess in quitting smoking. This is a reward for you."


    "I''ll try it!" Chen Shi picked up his chopsticks and tasted a piece. Lin Dongxue, who was making this dish for the first time, could only be said to have made a normal dish.


    Lin Dongxue asked expectantly, "Is it delicious?"


    "It¡¯s really delicious!"


    "Haha, I was worried that the seasoning was too light. If you like it, that¡¯s great."


    "If I quit smoking again, will you reward me again?"


    "What wishful thinking. If I find you smoking again, haha, you just wait and see."


    "Understood, understood!"


    Chen Shi''s cell phone rang. After he answered, he said to Lin Dongxue, "Can you help me pick up a package? It¡¯s just downstairs."


    "Sure!"


    After Lin Dongxue went out, Chen Shi hurriedly took the te of sweet and sour pork ribs to the kitchen. He threw the ribs back into the pan for re-seasoning, thickened things with corn starch, used a high temperature to concentrate the sauce a little, then drizzled ayer of oil over everything, before ting the ribs and putting them back onto the living room table.


    Lin Dongxue came back happily with arge box in her hands, "What is this? What is this? Is it for me?"


    "Open it!"


    When she opened it, she could see a bunch of red roses with a note that read "I''m d to have met you."


    Holding the roses, Lin Dongxue''s cheeks seemed to be as red as the roses. Chen Shi produced a small box, took out a tinum ring from within and put it on Lin Dongxue''s middle finger, saying, "This is my official confession."


    "You need to say it properly!" Lin Dongxue buried her face in the roses with embarrassment and her flushed face was camouged amidst them.


    "Lin Dongxue, will you be my girlfriend?"


    "Okay! For how long?"


    "Till you meet a better person."


    "That is forever then!" Lin Dongxue smiled happily.


    The two looked at each other and smiled. It was a long time before Lin Dongxue said, "Let''s eat. The dishes will be cold."


    After the rice bowls were filled, Lin Dongxue picked up some ribs, covered her face with a hand and asked, "Are the ribs I made really this delicious?"


    "Yeah, you really have a talent for cooking."


    "Hmm, are you trying to make me cook for you every day?" Lin Dongxue picked up some ribs with chopsticks and ced them in Chen Shi¡¯s bowl.


    Early next morning, Chen Shi drove around the street aimlessly after he had sent Lin Dongxue to work. To be honest, they had solved quite a few cases in session. The consultant¡¯s fees far outweighed the money he earned through driving, but he still enjoyed driving and chatting with people. It was fun and he learned a lot.


    While working, Chen Shi passed by a street and saw a man in a suit riding a shared bicycle. He thought that this man was a little funny, riding a shared bike in a high-end suit.


    When he drove in front of the man, he saw the man''s face in his rearview mirror. Chen Shi was stunned and shouted ¡°Hey!¡± at him.


    Wang Haitao turned his head and said in surprise, "Mr. Chen?"


    "Where are you riding a bike to, early in the morning? Are you exercising?"


    "Going to work!"


    "Going... To work?!"


    Wang Haitao pointed to the intersection in front, "Let¡¯s go to the restaurant in front for breakfast!"


    "I¡¯ve already eaten."


    "Then juste and have a chat with me. It''s been a long time since I¡¯vest seen you."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that it was only a month, but since they had met by chance, Chen Shi agreed.


    The two went to a Yong''an soymilk store and ordered buns, congee and side dishes. Chen Shi asked, "Why are you still working? Did the old man not give you enough money?"


    "No, I¡¯ve been idle at home every day. I either yed golf or went to parties when I wasn''t home and it was really boring. I¡¯ve been going to work from nine-to-five for so long that suddenly not working made me ufortable. So, I submitted a resume and got an office job."


    "What kind ofpany is it?"


    "It¡¯s a small tutoring agency. I¡¯m in the HR department, creating reports, serving tea and drinks and so on."


    Imagining the scenario, Chen Shi wanted tough. "The boss of thepany must not know who you are. By the way, you haven''t changed your surname?"


    "No, my father said that my surname can stay as ¡®Wang¡¯ in remembrance of my mother... Well, to be honest, a month''s sry is not enough for me to spend in a day. I don¡¯t have much motivation to go to work."


    "Rich people''s viewpoints are really different."


    "Mr. Chen, can you not always use the ¡®second generation rich¡¯bel on me? I''m still me, and things haven¡¯t changed just because I live in a luxury house and have a good car now."


    "Okay, I won¡¯t discriminate against your status as a rich man... But there is something I want to say. Can you stop arranging for someone to quietly pay the bill for me? I don¡¯t even dare to invite friends to go out for dinner with me now.¡±


    "I want to repay you! Not only you, but my father also said that Police Officer Song is a friend worth having."


    "Old Man Lu must be confused. My surname is Chen!" Chen Shi looked up. "It''s nine o''clock, you''re going to bete."


    "It''s okay. The attendance award is only 500 yuan. Eat slowly."


    When the meal was pretty much finished, Wang Haitao suddenly said, "Mr. Chen, I have an idea for a new business!"


    "That¡¯s good. Since you have decent capital, if you want to start a business, you should!"


    "This idea needs your help."


    "No, don''t drag me into this. I still need to help the police solve cases."


    "It won¡¯t hinder you. Come with me somewhere!"


    "You''re not going to work?!"


    "It''s okay. I''ve already got this month¡¯s bonus deducted long ago."


    After the major case had ended, Chen Shi really wanted to rx, so he drove Wang Haitao to where he wanted to go. After getting out of the car, Wang Haitao took Chen Shi to an establishment named "Wan Shi Da Information Consulting Agency". A ¡°For Sale¡± notice was posted on the window. "Isn''t this a private detective agency? You want to buy this business?"


    "Yes, big cities are really different, they actually have these kinds of businesses too.. When I was a kid, I felt that being a detective was really cool when I watched TV dramas. Mr. Chen, you can be a private detective with your ability, and cooperation with the police won¡¯t be hindered."


    Chen Shi shook his head with a forced smile. "What do you think a private detective does? It''s just investigating affairs and catching adulterers in the act."


    Moreover, this was a gray industry. Previously, the Public Security Bureau didn¡¯t allow thesepanies to register. They could only use ¡°information consultation¡± and ¡°investigation business¡± as their monikers. If you did poorly, you¡¯d close up your business, but if you did well, it would be noticed by the police. Invading another person¡¯s privacy could send you to jail.


    Although the Industry and Commerce Bureauter allowed the registration of services such as private bodyguards, detective agencies, missing persons investigation, the degree of legality lies between the porn industry and private loans.


    Wang Haitao said proudly, "We don¡¯t have to take those cases! We can be like the Sherlock Holmes type. Mr. Chen, you are the Holmes in my eyes."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly, "What kind of retard would hand over criminal cases to expensive private detectives? It¡¯s as if you walked into arge restaurant, and they told you that they only sell chopsticks there and not food and beverages."


    Wang Haitao gave a thumbs up and smiled confidently, "If you want something, it¡¯s all up to human effort!"

 Chapter 351: The Agency’s Opening Day

    <h4>Chapter 351: The Agency¡¯s Opening Day</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Haitao took out his mobile phone and made a call. Five minutester, an uncle with a receding hairline ran down and grabbed the hand of a prosperous-looking passer-by, ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Wang, right? Thank you for your help in saving my agency that was facing so much hardship.¡±


    The passer-by said in confusion, "I¡¯m just going to the restaurant next door to eat."


    Wang Haitao beckoned and called out, "This way, this way!"


    The uncle then realized his mistake, went over to grab Wang Haitao''s hand and said, "I''m sorry, so you¡¯re Mr. Wang. You really look like a distinguished man!"


    "Take us up to take a look!"


    Chen Shi asked in surprise, "You¡¯ve already bought the ce?"


    "If it¡¯s something you want, then it¡¯s all up to human effort!" Wang Haitaoughed.


    "It¡¯s up to your wealth!" Chen Shi corrected.


    The agency was pitifully small. There were only two offices connected to each other with a toilet to the side. A positive point was that there was plenty of sunlight. The words "Wan Shi Da Information Consulting Agency" were stuck onto therge floor-to-ceiling window, which let sunlight into the dingy office.


    Chen Shi asked, "Are you the only one working?"


    "I haven''t been able to pay wages and several employees stoppeding. If you want to hire them, I have their personal information here. All of them are retired veterans and can be trusted to be reliable."


    "Let me take a look!" Wang Haitao said.


    Chen Shi waved his hands desperately. He felt that Wang Haitao was just acting out of impulse, so it was best that he didn¡¯t spend so much money.


    After giving them the information and the contract, the owner handed out cigarettes and poured tea. Chen Shi reached out towards the pack of hard Zhonghua[1], and then pulled his right hand back with his left hand. He said to himself, "Self-control! Self-control!"


    "How did it turn out like this? Was business bad?" Wang Haitao asked.


    "The pool of clients is fine. But the rent has risen recently, and there are other expenses that we can¡¯t afford. Furthermore, my father¡¯s sick.¡±


    Chen Shi listened and knew in his heart that this was obviously due to mismanagement, but the owner would definitely not say this directly.


    Chen Shi whispered to Wang Haitao, "I feel like it¡¯ll be hard for this ce to be profitable. If you want to experience this kind of life, I won¡¯t stop you, but I¡¯m guessing that the ownership will be transferred again after a few days."


    "Don''t abandon me. I don''t know anything. At most, I''ll be a Watson for you."


    "You¡¯ll just be peanut butter[2]!" Chen Shi smiled. He thought for a moment. He didn¡¯t really have much to lose. "Okay, I''ll y along with you for a few days. I''ll continue driving once it¡¯s over."


    "Okay!" Wang Haitao was very happy and said to the owner, "The money has just been paid. You should sign the transfer contract!"


    "Ah!" The owner agreed happily.


    After the formal transfer, the owner briefed them on some things, packed up and left. Before he left, he wished them well. "I wish that you two will have a prosperous business and make lots of money. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can contact me.¡±


    "Thank you! Take care." Wang Haitao nodded.


    The two sat on the sofa for half an hour, and Wang Haitao asked, "Why are there no clients?"


    "How can there be clients without advertising?"


    "Yes, advertising!" Wang Haitao made another phone call and instructed his secretary to advertise.


    Of course, there wouldn¡¯t be any clients immediately. Chen Shi still continued to run his driving service. Wang Haitao continued to go to work. Early next morning, Wang Haitao called and said excitedly, "Mr. Chen, remember toe to the office today! There are clients!"


    Wang Haitao had advertised in a very crude manner. He hired a group of part-time workers yesterday to ce advertisements on the cars in the parking lots.


    In this digital age, as long as you have money, you can get things done with a single phone call. There were callsing in today.


    Chen Shi went to the office and saw a group of workers arranging furniture and green nts, as well as a refrigerator, coffee machine, water dispenser,puters, photocopier, etc. Chen Shi asked, "Can we even earn enough to cover all these expenses?"


    "It¡¯s normal to make a loss during the first three months."


    "But it does seem a lot less costly than what other rich people do for entertainment."


    "Oh, Mr. Chen, I thought we agreed that you will not mention my wealth again!"


    With the new furniture, the office was a lot morefortable. Just sitting on the sofa and waiting for the phone to ring was a bit boring. Chen Shi asked, "Didn¡¯t you say that there were customers?"


    "Last night, I rejected two calls saying that they wanted us to investigate extramarital affairs."


    "Oh..." Chen Shi pointed to the window. "I think a treadmill can be set up here. Waiting for the phone to ring is too boring."


    "Treadmill? It''s better to get moreputers."


    "Install some games on theputers, put a counter in front, and sell some drinks and instant noodles."


    "Won¡¯t this be an Inte cafe?"


    The twoughed, and Wang Haitao snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, I think that¡¯s not a bad idea. This shop can be both an Inte cafe and a detective agency. That¡¯s double the profit."


    "Hold your horses, Inte cafes are hard to register nowadays."


    "Then we can change it to a coffee shop. I¡¯ve observed that there are three coffee shops on this street, indicating that there are customers."


    "I feel like you¡¯ve got a bit of a ir for business."


    At that time, a call came in, Chen Shi answered, and a young voice asked, "Are you private detectives? Like Mouri Kogoro[3]?"


    "We¡¯re not as good as that."


    "It''s okay. There isn¡¯t a murder in a locked room or anything. My mother hid my New Year''s money. She said it was just for safekeeping. I want to buy a game console right now, and she won''t give it back to me... It¡¯s so annoying!"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "Child, you should report this directly to the police!"


    "The police said that they can¡¯t do anything."


    "We can¡¯t do anything either!"


    "How can you not take your job seriously?"


    "You know this expression? Not bad!"


    "I''m in the fifth grade. I also know proverbs like ¡°Wolves and Bei collude to do evil¡±[4], ¡°Mist and condensation mix together¡±[5], ¡°The fox exploits the tiger¡¯s might¡±[6]!"


    "That''s awesome. Study hard and buy whatever game console you want in the future!" After saying that, Chen Shi hung up.


    Twenty minutester, another call came. A low man¡¯s voice said, "My wife has given me a green hat!"


    "Congrattions!" Chen Shi hung up the phone.


    Wang Haitao smiled and said, "Even if you don¡¯t take the case, your customer service should be better!¡±


    "The next one is for you."


    Wang Haitao picked up the phone on the next call and the other party said in a low voice, "Can you help me deliver a batch of goods? If you do, I¡¯ll give you guys a goodmission for it."


    "What kind of goods is it?"


    "Uh, can this be said over the phone? You know! It¡¯s that kind of thing!"


    "Sir, we don''t do illegal things."


    "Fuck, go eat the northwest wind[7]!" The other party hung up the phone angrily.


    Chen Shi said, "Write down this number and call the police!"


    All morning, they had turned down six calls regarding extramarital affairs, and two calls from people who were trying to find their dogs. Wang Haitao was calcting something with a pen and a piece of paper, and Chen Shi asked, "What are you calcting?"


    "Calcting the costs." Wang Haitaoughed. "I divided the advertising costs by the number of calls received. Each phone call is worth 50 yuan. We have wasted over 500 this morning. If it¡¯s still the same amount in the afternoon, adding rent, water, electricity and furniture, we have to take a case that¡¯s worth at least 3,000 yuan to break even."


    "That¡¯ll be hard! If we can¡¯t get a single case today, I won¡¯t stay here. I urge you to cut your losses and sell your business or change to another industry.¡±


    "Don''t be discouraged. When there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way!"


    Chen Shi smiled helplessly. However, no matter how much of a loss they were making, it was just a strand of hair from nine oxen for Wang Haitao.


    Wang Haitao proposed going out to eat something. At that moment, a phone call came in. Chen Shi answered. The other party was a woman. She asked, "Is this the detective agency? I have an inquiry. Is there a way to get the university entrance exam papers in advance?"


    1. They have ¡°soft¡± and ¡°hard¡± types of cigarettes. ¡°Soft¡± means that the cigarettes are packaged in just stic or paper, but ¡°hard¡± means theye in a box that you can typically flip open and close. Zhonghua is a well-known Chinese brand of cigarettes.


    2. In Chinese, ¡°Watson¡± and ¡°peanut¡± are pronounced simrly.


    3. A private detective character from the Anime/Manga Detective Conan.


    4. ¡°Bei¡± is a kind of dog-like legendary beast which was supposed to depend on wolves for lotion. It is used to refer to people colluding with one other to do bad things.


    5. It means that people who are simr in nature mix together.


    6. Exploiting powerful connections to intimidate people. This originated from the story of the tiger trying to eat the fox, but the fox told the tiger to follow behind him and see how others live in fear of the fox, perhaps even more than they fear the tiger. The tiger followed behind and the other animals were scared by the tiger. However, since the fox was walking in front, to the tiger, it seemed like the animals were afraid of the fox instead.


    7. Have nothing to eat. To live off on air. The origin of thises from The Schrs, which is a Qing Dynasty ssical novel.

 Chapter 352: University Entrance Exam Papers

    <h4>Chapter 352: University Entrance Exam Papers</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi nced at Wang Haitao in surprise and said over the phone, ¡°Sister, this is against thew. We can''t help with that.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don''t mean that I wish to ask you to get it... I just want to know if anyone can get the university entrance exam papers in advance?¡±


    Chen Shi suddenly remembered that the university entrance examinations were being held the next day. He asked, ¡°Your child is in the third year?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sister, have you been deceived? Did someone tell you that they can get you the entrance exam papers?¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t know. I¡¯ve paid 20,000, but I haven''t seen the exam papers yet. I suspect that... My son''s grades aren¡¯t good. He might not even get into a third rate university. It was like I was possessed and actually believed in it.¡±


    ¡°Can''t the scammers be contacted anymore?¡±


    ¡°No, I can reach them. They said that they will get the papers tonight, but there¡¯s a condition...¡±


    Chen Shi thought that he understood. The scammers still had an ace up their sleeves. He felt that he could take this case. The client didn''t dare to report it to the police and had nowhere that she could turn to. He said, ¡°Sister, don''t worry. Why don¡¯t youe in for a chat? If we can help you, we definitely will!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I will be there this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Wang Haitao said, ¡°Look, we got one.¡±


    ¡°This is just pure luck. We won¡¯t be able to get this kind of case every day. Let''s see what thedy says when shees over in the afternoon!¡±


    After lunch, a woman in her forties walked into the agency at two o''clock. She looked around and saw that the environment wasn¡¯t too bad. Her hesitant expression more or less went away.


    Chen Shi poured her a cup of tea and invited her to sit down. ¡°How should we address you?¡±


    ¡°My surname¡¯s Chen.¡±


    ¡°We must be distant rtives since we have the same surname. Let''s talk about the situation first!¡±


    Sister Chen sighed and began to recount how her son Little Lei was in his senior year at his high school. He had always had poor grades. He bought all the tutorial books, entrance examination lectures, and even brain enhancement supplements, but he was always at the bottom in the mock exams and her son was very frustrated.


    A week ago, Little Han''s mother in the parents¡¯ chat group suddenly revealed a piece of news. She knew a person that imed that they could get the entrance exam papers in advance. Although this kind of news didn¡¯t seem reliable, temptation caused her to lose her head. The parents of several children, including Sister Chen, were convinced, so Little Han''s mother set up a meeting with the mysterious character in a hotel as the middleman.


    The person referred to himself as ¡°Teacher Gao¡± and had an elegant aura. He imed to be the former teacher of a certain prestigious school and to have participated in creating several exam questions. He imed to know the entire process well and that he had connections who could get him the entrance examination papers.


    Teacher Gao said that the leak from xx exam papers in 2010 was done by their team. The failure back then was not their responsibility. A parent wavered at thest minute, leaked the secret, and caused the city to switch to the back-up paper. This incident could be searched and found online. In fact, they¡¯ve been in this business for 20 years and only epted forty orders a year. If they were to expand the business, they were afraid that the police would take notice. Except for 2010, they¡¯ve never been unsessful!


    Teacher Gao strictly emphasized that this matter must be kept secret. Once the secret was leaked, their team would be arrested, and these parents would also be out of luck. If it wasn¡¯t handled well, they¡¯d all go to jail.


    Although the talk of going to jail frightened the parents, people have a certain mentality. For example, when a product is said to have been smuggled, the buyers are all the more convinced that it¡¯s a genuine product.


    Teacher Gao said that if they wanted to join in, they must pay a security deposit of 20,000 yuan, and then pay a service fee of 200,000 yuan when everything was a done deal. Of course, the 200,000 yuan needed to be prepared in advance. After the end of the entrance examinations, they¡¯d have to pay it.


    Some people handed over the money immediately and some expressed doubts, but due to the strong peer pressure from the others, they paid for it anyway. After all, in that environment, if anyone left without paying, there would undoubtedly be a risk of the secret being leaked. Other parents were naturally unwilling for that to happen. Besides, the parents who went there were all in the same boat. Their children had poor grades and there was almost no hope, so why not take a gamble?


    After receiving the money, Teacher Gao asked them to go back and wait for news. Sister Chen returned home, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was fishy. She confessed to her husband about what she had done. Her husband said that she was stupid and had been fooled. The scammers must have already escaped with the money.


    There were other parents who thought the same way and they anxiously went back to the hotel to look for Teacher Gao again. He was actually still there and calmly told everyone, ¡°You¡¯ll definitely get the exam papers. If not, you will get a full refund of the deposit.¡±


    After that, whenever the parents looked for Teacher Gao, he would always repeat the same thing. Seeing the university entrance examinations looming around the corner, everyone became really anxious when they didn¡¯t receive the exam papers. They became more and more impatient. The day before, Teacher Gao sent a group message to inform them to meet up.


    Everyone went to the designated ce with excitement but didn¡¯t see any exam papers there. Teacher Gao revealed mysteriously why the exam papers were so confidential. In fact, they were printed in prison. Their team had a man inside the prison system who could get a copy before they were delivered. Although the process was extremely dangerous, Teacher Gao promised that they''d done it for twenty years and had never messed up.


    The exam papers would be delivered that night, but the examination candidates were only allowed to memorize them and were not allowed to take the papers away. If the secret was leaked, the entire channel that they¡¯ve spent 20 years developing would be lost. That was why they would send transport to pick up the candidates to take them to a certain ce that evening. For security reasons, the address was absolutely confidential. Parents were not allowed to go or follow them. There would be professional teachers who would guide them there and there were ces to rest at the location as well. They would be sent to the test centers by special transport the next morning.


    Some parents believed that it was true, but the others weren¡¯t very convinced. Sister Chen was one of thetter. Last night, she had stayed up all night thinking about it, wondering if the whole thing was a scam. Would the child nevere back after being taken away?


    She had been contacting the other parents the whole morning. Those parents advised her not to worry about it. It was normal for people to use such practices when they were conducting risky business. She could only clench her jaw while she waited. Once everything was over, the child would be admitted to a good university and they¡¯d live blissful lives thereafter.


    ¡°The more I thought about it, the more afraid I became, but I didn¡¯t dare to call the police. I happened to see your advertisement and came to you with the mentality of giving it a try. I hope you can help me with this.¡± Sister Chen said with her face full of worry.


    ¡°Stealing exam papers?¡± Wang Haitao furrowed his brows. ¡°This is illegal...¡±


    Chen Shi asked Sister Chen, ¡°How do you want us to help? To investigate whether the papers are real or fake, or to destroy this group of scammers?¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Actually, you still have a glimmer of hope in your heart. You are hoping that the entrance examination papers are real and that your child can be admitted to a good university, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chen Shi asked.


    Sister Chen had her heart¡¯s desires exposed and she nodded desperately.


    Chen Shi said, ¡°This is cheating! Taking a step back, let¡¯s say that they can really get the exam papers in advance. Is it fair to those children who¡¯ve been studying hard for over ten years and the parents who had tightened their belts to get houses in the school zones and worked hard withoutining for over a decade? You must have educated your children to be honest. Now that it¡¯s profitable, you¡¯re teaching him to cheat and deceive. You will all bear the burden of this lie for a lifetime, and the whole family will suffer from guilty consciences. Even if he is admitted to a prestigious university in the future, will he be able to keep up in the courses of that prestigious university given his real grades? Even if he graduates sessfully and finds a good job, all of this will be based on lies. Imagine your child working hard for more than ten years and then bing famous and sessful. If the examination fraud is suddenly exposed, how would he pay for it in the future? The more people who know the secret, the more likely it will be exposed. How many people know about this secret? Do you think paying 200,000 yuan for this entrance exam is really a pass to a happy life? No, this is just harming your child!¡±

 Chapter 353: The True Goal of the Scammers

    <h4>Chapter 353: The True Goal of the Scammers</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi, who didn¡¯t like to lecture people, actually said quite a lot in front of Sister Chen.Wang Haitao was stunned and worried that he would frighten away this precious customer.


    Sister Chen felt guilty and bowed her head without saying a word.


    Chen Shi''s purpose was to dispel the gleam of hope in Sister Chen¡¯s heart and let her understand that even if the papers were real, it was not worth the risk.


    He said, "I''m sorry, I''m a bit emotional. After all, I''ve walked across the single log bridge[1] that is the entrance examination... Ah yes, you said that they were in the news. I¡¯ll try searching for that."


    Chen Shi turned on theputer and typed in some keywords. There was indeed a leak of the xx university entrance examination in the year 2010. It was on the first page of the search engine. Chen Shi quickly browsed through it and looked through the other news on the same site. He said, "Sister Chen look. All the articles on this website were ripped from other websites. The click-through rate adds up to only a few thousand, and the dates when the articles were uploaded were very close together."


    "This... What does this mean?"


    "The website is fake. It''s very easy to make a fake website these days. Through the search engine¡¯s bidding system, you can spend a little money and be a top-ranking website in searches. If there was really an examination leak, it would definitely be enough to shake the city. I''ll search for it on other web portals now... Look, there isn''t anything about it at all. This news is unique to this site!"


    Sister Chenpletely believed him. "They¡¯re really scammers?"


    "Professional scammers will constantly deceive you, so that you¡¯ll fall deeper and deeper into their trap. They collected 20,000 yuan first, and then took the children away on the eve of the examinations. You just said that they asked you to prepare 200,000 yuan in advance. Do you have that money prepared?"


    "Yes, it''s money I borrowed from my son¡¯s aunt and it¡¯s stored in my card."


    Chen Shi snapped his fingers and said, "Then the scammers¡¯ next step is already clear at a nce. Once the children get into the transport, you will never be able to contact them again. Tonight, they will indeed get copies of exam papers, but they are definitely not the real entrance examination papers. The actual focus is tomorrow when the exam starts. They will call you to deposit the money. If you don''t, your child will bete and miss this year''s examination. That¡¯s their real purpose."


    "Wouldn''t that be kidnapping?" Wang Haitao said.


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "They just used some means to dy the children on the road. As long as they are 15 minuteste for the university entrance examination, they will be disqualified, but it won¡¯t constitute kidnapping. However, the loss on your end would be immense. Even if you transfer the money, the children will not be able to arrive at the examination venue on time. The scammers will never show up again after getting the money. They will leave the children in the middle of nowhere and make their escape."


    "No... It wouldn¡¯t be that serious, right?!" Sister Chen asked in panic.


    "Do you know the true information of any of these people from the moment you got involved with this group?"


    Sister Chen widened her eyes in horror and shook her head.


    Wang Haitao said in admiration, "Mr. Chen, you¡¯re like a psychic. How can you guess all that?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "I thought about what means I would use to minimize risk while getting the highest return if I was the scammer. This is their optimal solution."


    "Oh no!" Sister Chen said in horror. "In two hours, they will pick up the children!"


    "Get into my car!" Chen Shi instructed.


    "Thank you. Thank you so much."


    After getting into the car, Sister Chenposed a message on her mobile phone and said, "I have to quickly notify the other parents. There are forty children!"


    "The scammers can make over eight million dors at once? That''s more than my father''s expenses in a year..." Wang Haitao said.


    Chen Shi coughed and red at him so that he wouldn¡¯t show off his wealth, and then asked Sister Chen, ¡°Is Little Han''s mother involved?"


    "It''s impossible, right? Her daughter Little Han and my family¡¯s Little Lei are in the same ss. I¡¯ve known her for many years. Little Han is an art student. This year''s art school entrance exam wasn¡¯t ideal, so they wanted to take the normal entrance examination. But her grades were not that great... By the way, Little Han''s mother is very trusting. She often gets involved in investment schemes and also recruits other people as well. Last year, she asked me if I wanted to invest in a massage ball. She said that if we invested 100,000, we¡¯d be able to earn 1 million."


    "It seems like she¡¯s very na?ve and isn¡¯t very calcting." Chen Shi said.


    After Sister Chen''s message was sent out, it caused a great uproar in their temporary chat group. Little Han''s mother actually said, "Little Lei¡¯s mother, what nonsense are you spouting? Would I lie to all of you? Surely, you aren¡¯t just hoping for the best for your own child and don¡¯t want our children to pass the exam, right? Aren¡¯t you just making up lies to sway our hearts?¡±


    Sister Chen replied anxiously, "I hired private detectives and they found out that this group of people are scammers. Don''t send the children out. If you do, it''s all over!"


    "You say that they¡¯re scammers, but they clearly have teaching qualification permits and apany registration number. You can also see the news on Baidu. You say that they¡¯re scammers so confidently, so you should show the evidence! I think the private detectives that you hired are the liars! People like you are the most hateful. Your will isn¡¯t firm, and you want to drag others down with you. If you want to seed, you have to take risks. Everyone is waiting for good news while you¡¯re hesitating. People who take no action are destined to be losers in life! Nobody¡¯s begging you to believe it. I beg you not to broadcast rumors here and sway the hearts of other people! If the rest of you believe her stupid words, then quit now. You deserve to lose 20,000 yuan. I believe Teacher Gao in any case. When my son is admitted to a prestigious university, I will enjoy my blessings at home. It¡¯ll be toote when you guys start to envy me. Let¡¯s see who¡¯ll cry and who¡¯llugh in the end.¡±


    Persuaded by Little Han''s mother, some parents who were hesitating decided to continue. There were still around 30 people who were willing to believe in Teacher Gao, and only more than ten people said they¡¯d like to quit.


    "This woman! She¡¯s suffering from mind control!" Sister Chen scolded angrily.


    "What did they say, Haitao? Read it out!" Chen Shi said.


    Wang Haitao began to read aloud in an emotionless tone, "Little Lei¡¯s mother, what nonsense are you spouting...¡± Halfway through, the message disappeared. "Sister Chen was kicked out of the group."


    "Haii, no one believes the truth. They only believe in liars!" Sister Chen said sadly.


    Chen Shi thought about how people were always willing to believe whatever is advantageous to them. This is why no matter how awful the scammers¡¯ skills were, there would always be someone who will be fooled.


    Chen Shi pulled out his mobile phone, contacted KK and Sun Zhen one after the other, and told them to go to the agency to wait for him and for Sun Zhen to bring along his ownputer. Time was running out and these two great talents had to be utilized.


    He thought about how they wouldn¡¯t be able to find the scammers right now. If they didn¡¯t do anything, 30 children would lose their chances at the entrance exams. At the same time, their families would lose 200,000 each. Most of them were not wealthy. The loss of 200,000 would be huge.


    Chen Shi asked, "Sister, have the scammers ever seen your child?"


    "No, they haven¡¯t."


    "Okay!" He called Lin Qiupu and asked, "Captain Lin, can you lend Xiaodong to me for a day?"


    "Ah? Borrow Xiaodong? How do you n to use him?"


    "Please, please, this is an urgent matter. I¡¯ll exin it to you afterwards. It¡¯s a big case."


    "Where is the deceased?"


    "It''s not a criminal case, but it''s also a life-threatening matter. I guess I¡¯m a busybody. Can you tell Xiaodong to go to the address that I¡¯ll send to you in a while?" Chen Shi hung up the phone and threw the cell phone to Wang Haitao. ¡°Send Sister Chen¡¯s home address to this number."


    Sister Chen whispered, "This little brother is a policeman?"


    "No, but he has strong connections with the police." Wang Haitao replied.


    "Thank goodness!" Sister Chen sped her palms together. "It''s really a relief to have met you both!"


    1. A bridge made from a single felled tree. Shows how difficult that path is when you have to bnce yourself on the tree to get to the other side. It¡¯s a straight path as well.

 Chapter 354: Let Your Mom Take You There

    <h4>Chapter 354: Let Your Mom Take You There</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they got to Sister Chen''s house, there were already a bunch of middle-aged women gathered at the door. When they saw Sister Chen, they rushed up and said, "Little Lei¡¯s mother, is it true? Are those people really scammers?" "Little Han''s mother is really stubborn and kicked all of us who believed in you out of the group. She even called Teacher Gao. I heard that their ns are being carried out ahead of time and that they¡¯re sending transport to pick up the children from house to house now.¡± "Fortunately, you reminded us in time, otherwise my child would have boarded the pirate ship! "


    "What?" Chen Shi said, "They¡¯ve already started their operation?"


    "You are...?"


    "Private detective and police consultant." Chen Shi showed his ID, and the ID embossed with the words "Long''an Public Security Bureau" really worked well. The women looked at him as if he was their savior.


    They all talked at the same time, hoping that Chen Shi would help them get their money back. Chen Shi said, "Let''s not talk about the 20,000 yuan first. The main point is not to let the children be taken away. Afterwards, we''ll do our best to recover the money that they¡¯ve scammed all of you out of. I''ll inform the police and let them file a case quickly."


    "Okay, we¡¯ll definitely cooperate!" "Thank you so much." "You¡¯re really our savior."


    Chen Shi said, "Yes, in the current situation, we can only act ording to circumstances. I found a young policeman who is going to pretend to be an exam candidate. Are all of your children from the same ss?"


    "No."


    Since the children didn''t know everyone, the undercover trick should work. Chen Shi asked, "Sister Chen, go and find a set of your child¡¯s clothes, and then... Wait, the scammers won¡¯te to you now. Who can pose as the undercover agent¡¯s mother?"


    Everyone looked at one another in dismay; a mother came forward and said, "Me!"


    "Thank you! You should contact Little Han''s mother and say that you¡¯ve finally thought things through and want to move forward with the original n. Discuss the address and preferably, it shouldn¡¯t be too far from here."


    Chen Shi considered that for himself and Wang Haitao, even with Xu Xiaodong who wasingter, forcibly stopping the transport was too risky. It was better to push the boat with the current.


    The mother said, "Okay, I''ll get in touch."


    Chen Shi was a little anxious. Why hadn¡¯t Xu Xiaodong arrived yet? He picked up the phone and took a look. KK and Sun Zhen had arrived at the agency and were urging him to hurry.


    At that moment, a car drove up and Xu Xiaodong jumped out of the car. He said happily, "Brother Chen, what¡¯s the special mission?"


    "Undercover agent!"


    "Undercover agent? No way, don''t you remember how I failed as an undercover agent before? Last time, you were the one who saved the situation too."


    "This time is different. It¡¯s a group of scammers. How can my mature face pass as a high school student? You should go with your mother to change your clothes first, and she¡¯ll exin to you on the way."


    "Huh? My mother?"


    Chen Shi pointed at Xu Xiaodong and asked the parent, "What''s your child''s name?"


    "Wang Xiaoming."


    Chen Shi pped Xu Xiaodong on the shoulder, "Xiaoming, go with your mother. When you get to the ce, find a way to contact us and tell us the address."


    "Who is Xiaoming... No, Brother Chen, what is going on..."


    Xu Xiaodong was dragged away by the woman and had no time to enter the house. Everyone surrounded him in a circle and began to take off his clothes. Xu Xiaodong squealed, "Help... Help!"


    Chen Shi waved Wang Haitao over and said, "Give me your phone."


    Soon, Xu Xiaodong was made to change into a school uniform. He wore a pair of sses, and his hair wasbed. When you looked at him, he did indeed look like a student. Chen Shi handed Wang Haitao''s mobile phone to him and said, "Bring this phone with you just in case."


    "Can you exin things to me a little bit more?!" Xu Xiaodong cried.


    "Go quickly!"


    Xu Xiaodong was dragged away by "Mom" in bewilderment.


    Wang Haitao praised, "Sure enough, you¡¯re fierce like lightning and swift like the wind!"


    Chen Shi smiled, "It can¡¯t be helped. The fire is already burning the eyebrows[1]!"


    Chen Shi turned to the parents and said, "Oh yes, tell me any information about the scammers that you possess, and the contact information of the other parents and children."


    Xu Xiaodong was led by "Mom" to a bus stop. He had been briefed about the situation on the way there and was mentally a little surprised. He didn¡¯t realize that there were still such scams nowadays. Scammers really did fill every gap possible.


    Not long after, a school bus parked in front of him. The bus was full of children of the same age. A bearded man asked, "Xiaoming''s mother?"


    "Yes, please take care of my child."


    The bearded man asked Xu Xiaodong to get onto the bus. Xu Xiaodong was very nervous. He was afraid of being recognized by a "ssmate." He sat in thest row. The atmosphere in the car was quiet. Everyone was silent. The girl who sat between him and the window smiled at him.


    Xu Xiaodong smiled at her awkwardly as well and the girl asked, "Why do you look older than us?"


    "I... I was born earlier in the year. I turned neen today."


    "Oh! I didn''t really want toe. I think it''s cheating, but my dad said that if I can''t get into Peking University, he¡¯ll disown me. So my mother thought up this trick... Hai, why do adults have to use the entrance examination to measure a person''s worth? Wasn¡¯t Bill Gates a dropout?"


    "Yes, I also agree. Didn''t Lu Ban, Li Bai, and Jing Ke[2] also not go to university?"


    "Haha, you¡¯re so funny. How could they have universities back then... Do you happen to y Honor of Kings as well? Should we y a round of it? It¡¯s very boring on the bus anyway."


    Many candidates on the bus were also ying with their mobile phones. Xu Xiaodong took out the mobile phone and saw that the battery was low. He said, "The mobile phone is out of power, and I¡¯m afraid that it will shut down automatically."


    "What¡¯s your name?"


    "Xu... Ahem, Wang Xiaoming!"


    "My name is Li Mengran."


    "Nai si tu mi qiu![3]"


    "Haha, Nai si tu mi qiu tu!"


    At that moment, the bus stopped, and an adult got onto the bus. He looked dignified, with his hair slicked back. He was also wearing a pair of color-changing sses. He looked around and said, "Everyone is here? I am Teacher Gao. You should have already heard from your parents about me and you all know where you¡¯re going, right?¡±


    "Hello, Teacher Gao." The candidates all yelled, in an out of sync fashion.


    Teacher Gao nodded, "Your parents are very wise in making this choice and persisting to the end..." He deliberately emphasized, "persisting to the end" heavily, and seemed to be hinting at the more than ten parents who had deserted at thest moment. "Sess not only depends on hard work, but also on opportunities. It¡¯s fortunate for you to have met me. I have opened a shortcut for you! Of course, a sessful entrance examination does not mean that you won¡¯t have obstacles in your path. When you get into the prestigious university, you will still have to study hard, practice, and be interviewed in order to truly walk onto the golden avenue of life. All I am doing is allowing you to cross to the opposite side and avoid the single log bridge that is the entrance examination. Don¡¯t you think you should thank Teacher Gao?"


    "Thank you, Teacher Gao." The candidates said, one after another.


    Teacher Gao cupped his ear and pretended to listen. "Who can hear that when it¡¯s said so softly? Try again!"


    The candidates shouted in unison, "Thank you, Teacher Gao!"


    Teacher Gao nodded with satisfaction. He continued, "I need you to have absolute trust and obedience towards me, without a sliver of doubt. As for me, I¡¯m also taking a great risk. It¡¯s not a joke. If this is leaked, I¡¯ll have to go to jail! If you guys don''t listen to me, I''m sorry, but I won''t show you the exam papers, and I¡¯ll ask you to get out of the bus right now!"


    Teacher Gao pointed outside the bus which was deste wilderness since they had left the city.


    Many candidates nodded in fear, and the atmosphere of obedience quickly influenced everyone. Even Xu Xiaodong nodded. Everyone seemed to be sitting in a ss, listening to the words of a stern form teacher.


    1. A popr idiom that refers to desperate or extreme emergency.


    2. They were schrs in history.


    3. The author has used random Chinese characters to sound out the English words ¡°Nice to meet you¡± and ¡°Nice to meet you too¡± below. I have left them in their pinyin forms to illustrate this.

 Chapter 355: Call for Back-up

    <h4>Chapter 355: Call for Back-up</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The bearded man handed Teacher Gao a bag full of small, but long and narrow parchment bags. Teacher Gao said, "For safety reasons, we need all of you to turn off your phones, put them in these bags, and write your name on the bags. I won¡¯t touch the phones. I¡¯ll return them to you after we reach the exam venue early tomorrow morning or pass them directly to your parents. Come, pass them towards the back!


    The two rows of students began to pass bags. Xu Xiaodong thought that Brother Chen was like a deity that could foresee the future. He hid the other cell phone in his shoes.


    However, it was embarrassing that Xu Xiaodong didn¡¯t have a pen. He saw other students take out their stationery bags with their exam admission tickets, ID cards, pens, pencils, erasers, etc. Li Mengran said, "Didn¡¯t you bring any stationery?"


    "My mom was afraid that I would lose my ID and wille over and give them to me before the exam tomorrow." Xu Xiaodong lied on the spot.


    "Then how will you do the exam papers tonight?" Li Mengran handed a ballpoint pen over to him. "Use mine for now!"


    "Thank you."


    Xu Xiaodong found that the mobile phones were ced into three bags with the numbers "1,2, and 3" written on the bags. He wondered what was up with that.


    Immediately after that, the bearded man distributed mineral water to everyone. The atmosphere inside the car rxed a little. Some students who knew each other were chatting and most of them were talking about how much they were looking forward to university life. Xu Xiaodong heard a girlining, "I don¡¯t know whether I should apply for Peking University or Tsinghua University. Tsinghua University¡¯s science and technology courses are the best but Peking University has a rich culture. Haii, they are both in Beijing. When I think about being so far away from home, I feel so lonely."


    Li Mengran said gloomily, "My dad was two points away from getting into Peking University and regretted it all his life. I¡¯m tired of hearing hisints, so he pinned all his hopes on me and desperately urged me to study. I scored just over 650 in the mock exams, but he is obsessed and said that it has to be Peking University. If it¡¯s not Peking University, it won¡¯t do. If I can¡¯t get into Peking University, he said I¡¯d no longer be his daughter. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s so good about Peking University. Is it built of gold?¡±


    Xu Xiaodong couldn''t help but feel sympathetic, and whispered, "Don''t you think they¡¯re scammers?"


    Li Mengranughed. "I actually wish they are scammers so that my dad will suffer some loss. In the future, if he mentions Peking University, I¡¯ll bring this back up so that he¡¯ll lose face!"


    At that moment, the bus stopped, and the exam candidates looked out of the windows. Teacher Gao asked the students in the first eight rows on the right to get off and then to get inside a van. Xu Xiaodong saw three identical vans parked outside.


    He thought that the scammers were really smart, knowing not to put all their eggs in the same basket. They wanted to divide the candidates into three groups.


    The second group of students were also called out and they got into the second van. Xu Xiaodong pulled out his mobile phone from his shoes. Li Mengran saw and opened her mouth in surprise. Xu Xiaodong made a ¡°shh¡± gesture and opened WeChat.


    There were actually over a hundred unread messages on WeChat, all asking Wang Haitao if he wanted toe out for dinner, karaoke, or golf. He thought that second-generation rich really had a lot of friends.


    After searching for a long time, he still couldn''t find Chen Shi''s WeChat. He was so anxious that he could only write a text message, "Niubi Hill[1], I Xiaodong" and then typed in the SMS police emergency hotline number "12110" before sending it out.


    "You need to alle out!" Teacher Gao said.


    Xu Xiaodong hurriedly put the phone into his pocket, and Li Mengran looked at him with surprise.


    Chen Shi and Wang Haitao returned to the office. kk and Sun Zhen were already sitting there. kk was smoking cigarettes that meant for customers. Sun Zhen was ying games. Wang Haitao was surprised. Chen Shi exined, "They¡¯re on our side. They¡¯re very good at what they do."


    kk asked, "Brother Chen, why did you call us here? Are we investigating a case again? Why isn¡¯t Sister Gu here today?"


    "I need your help. We might have to work overnight."


    Sun Zhen stared at the screen and said, "That¡¯s fine with me. I usually don''t sleep until the morning."


    kkughed and asked, "Will I get paid?"


    "Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll definitely get paid." Wang Haitao said.


    "Who is this?"


    "Lu Qixing''s biological son," Chen Shi said.


    "Lu Qixing?... Oh? That Lu Qixing?" kk stared at Wang Haitao with his mouth open, and Sun Zhen also stopped his game and went over to look at Wang Haitao as if he was an exotic animal.


    Wang Haitao adjusted his tie in embarrassment. "My name is Wang Haitao and I¡¯m the owner of this agency."


    "Young Master Lu, what do we need to do? As long as you say a word, little brother here would rush into danger and wouldn¡¯t even mind dying 10,000 times for you!" kk sped his hands together. His eyebrows moved up and down as if he was continuously discharging waves of electricity towards Wang Haitao.


    "Have a little dignity, won¡¯t you? Let me exin the situation." Chen Shi said.


    After Chen Shi had finished speaking, kk and Sun Zhen were sitting down in their chairs. One was holding his chin in thought, and the other folded his arms. kk asked, "So, how did you be such good buddies?"


    Chen Shi was speechless and handed the empty ss to Sun Zhen. "Little Worm, get me some water. I want it to be as hot as possible."


    "Don''t, don''t, don''t!" kk eximed. "So you want us to help you destroy this gang of scammers and rescue the candidates, allowing them to take the entrance exam tomorrow morning? I don''t understand. It''s just an exam. What¡¯s the big deal?"


    Sun Zhen said scornfully, "For a pig without culture, knowledge is nothing more than ink on paper."


    "From an evolutionary point of view, it seems that people with thinning hair are more like pigs?"


    "Are you courting death?!"


    "Why don¡¯t youe and try me!"


    "Don''t be so noisy!" Chen Shi interrupted. "I¡¯ve already sent a police officer to go undercover. Once the newses, we will quickly find the ce and rescue the candidates."


    "Righteous people don¡¯t resort to insinuations. What will we get out of this?" kk asked.


    Chen Shi looked at Wang Haitao. He was the boss, so he would make the decision. He originally thought that Wang Haitao would offer a huge sum without thinking. However, he said, "The pay will be divided equally between the three of you when the customer pays for this case. I won¡¯t be taking any money."


    Chen thought to himself that it was a smart idea and said, "I don''t want to be paid either. You two can divide the money equally!"


    "How much can I get?"


    "There are so many parents. If one person gives 1,000, that¡¯s already 40,000 yuan." Chen Shi coaxed him and said that ording to the agency¡¯s standard fee, it would probably be more than 3,000.


    "Oh!" kk nodded in contentment. "Let¡¯s start! What do we need to do now?"


    Chen Shi looked at his watch and said, "It''s time to pick up Yueyue." He couldn''t go himself and was about to ask Lin Dongxue. As soon as he picked up the phone, Lin Dongxue called. She said, "Old Chen, we just received an rm message at the police station¡¯s emergency hotline. There were just a few words, ''Niubi Hill, I Xiaodong'', what''s going on?"


    Chen Shi thought for a while and said, "I see... Could I trouble you to pick up Yueyue? I can''t go today."


    "My brother said that you had borrowed Xiaodong."


    "He''s in use right now!"


    "Is he easy to use?" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "He¡¯s alright."


    "What fun mission are you carrying out? I''lle over when I''m done."


    "Okay, one more person will add more strength. I''ll send you the address."


    kk asked, "Who was that?"


    Chen Shi said, while sending out the text, "My girlfriend. She¡¯s also a policeman."


    "Your girlfriend? Is she a beauty?"


    Sun Zhen said, "How can there be a beauty in the police force? A normal girl with regr features would already be the police flower[2]. I¡¯m guessing she¡¯ll only score 60 points.¡±


    kk said, "How could Brother Chen''s standards be so low? I¡¯m guessing 70 points!"


    "How awful! Don''t objectify women!" Chen Shi said.


    Sun Zhen whispered to kk, "It doesn''t seem like she¡¯s going to look good. Give Brother Chen some face. When shees, just say that she looks beautiful no matter how she looks."


    Knowing the truth, Wang Haitaoughed and said nothing...


    1. I assume this is a ce name.


    2. The prettiestdy in the police force

 Chapter 356: Don’t Move, I’m a Police Officer

    <h4>Chapter 356: Don''t Move, I''m a Police Officer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Haitao ordered some takeaway. As they were eating, someone knocked on the door and Lin Dongxue came in.


    Sun Zhen looked up inadvertently, and then fixed his eyes on her. A few grains of rice fell out of his mouth. kk turned around and quickly stood up. He asked Chen Shi in a low voice, ¡°Sis... Sister-inw[1]?¡±


    "Haii, let me introduce you to one another!" Chen Shi grumbled.


    After the introduction, Lin Dongxue said with a smile, "Hello."


    "Hello Sister-inw!" The two bowed together.


    "Ordinary friends?" Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi in disbelief.


    "We knew each other from before, but you can rest assured that their characters are very good." Chen Shi exined.


    "Yes, we are of good character." Sun Zhen said while rubbing his hair, trying to cover the bald part with the hair next to it.


    "Sister-inw is so pretty. It¡¯s not even a joke. Among the beauties I¡¯ve seen in my life, you are absolutely No. 2!"


    "Don''t keep calling me Sister-inw... Who is No. 1?" Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    "Yes, this is it! No.1 is Sister-inw when she¡¯s smiling!" kk raised his phone, "Can I take a picture of you and use it as my screensaver?"


    "Stop this nonsense!" Chen Shi reprimanded.


    Lin Dongxue was very happy after beingplimented by kk, Holding Chen Shi''s arm, she said, "Okay, I¡¯ll let you take a picture."


    Sun Zhen wasn''t as cheeky as kk, so he exposed him. "He says that to everyone."


    The two finally managed to stop their misbehavior. Chen Shi picked up a boxed takeaway meal for Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve already eaten. Why are you in this private detective agency? Did you change careers?"


    "It''s like this..."


    "This group of people is really hical. But fraud is not under criminal police¡¯s jurisdiction."


    "The matter is urgent. After you arrest them, you can figure out the restter and see which department to hand them over to... Let¡¯s get to work!"


    Sun Zhen sat back in front of theputer. "Niubi Hill is in the countryside and there are several main roads around there. I¡¯ve hacked into the surveince system of the traffic management bureau to see if I can find them."


    "What?" Lin Dongxue was shocked. "The traffic management bureau is a department under the police. You can actually hack into the police system?"


    Sun Zhen was embarrassed and wasn¡¯t sure what to do. Chen Shi said, "The situation is very tricky, and the standard procedures are too slow. Let him do it. Little Worm is a master of hacking and won¡¯t leave traces."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll pretend that this didn¡¯t happen. Don¡¯t do it again."


    Sun Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, no one else there knew anything about coding. He had left a back door in the traffic management bureau¡¯s server earlier and found a zombieputer as a springboard. He easily entered the traffic management bureau¡¯s system with ease. The intersection¡¯s surveince footage appeared on the screen.


    Sun Zhen said that he couldn''t watch it alone, and everyone connected to the WIFI so that he could share the video with everyone.


    Sun Zhen added the mothers on WeChat using his phone in one hand whilst writing down things with his other hand. kk was getting dizzy from watching the surveince footage and said, ¡°It¡¯s so boring being a police officer. Little Worm, what are you doing?... Fuck, ''6 early symptoms of high blood sugar'', ''Be alert, eating these foods together may be lethal'', what are you doing with that?"


    "I put Trojans in these articles. As long as they click on them, I can hack into their mobile phones and see if I can find any clues... I can''t get into the undercover agent¡¯s mobile phone. I sent over a bunch of videos, but he hasn¡¯t clicked on any."


    "Xiaodong is probably in an inconvenient position right now!" Chen Shi said.


    At the same time, Xu Xiaodong was in a derelict warehouse in the rural suburbs. The dinner that the scammers distributed was Kang Shuaibo instant noodles [2]and Youyouhui ham sausage[3], which made his stomach feel unwell[4]. Now, everyone was sitting on both sides of a long, crude table. The incandescent lightbulb above his head was so bright that it hurt his eyes.


    Teacher Gao and the bearded man came out. The big bearded man reeked of alcohol. He kept using his tongue to try and pick out bits of meat stuck in his teeth. Teacher Gao put down a bag and took out a big envelope from it. "These are tomorrow''s exam papers. I¡¯ll distribute the exam papers and answers to you. The amount that you can memorize will be equivalent to the amount of points you¡¯ll get. If you can memorize it all,¡± Teacher Gao pped, ¡°then congrattions, you¡¯ll be the top schr at the entrance exam!"


    The candidates cheered for a while, and their excitement filled their faces. Li Mengran, who was sitting beside Xu Xiaodong, scoffed, "It''s impossible to get full marks for thepositionponent."


    Teacher Gao ignored her and circted the envelopes. The candidates passed them around one by one. Xu Xiaodong opened one and took a look. The printing quality was very rough but they were titled clearly as this year¡¯s exam papers. There were Chinese, mathematics, English, politics, history, geography, physics, chemistry and biology papers. They also had answer sheets attached.


    Some candidates cheered and began to copy down and memorize the answers. Taking advantage of the chaotic scene, Xu Xiaodong quietly took out his mobile phone for a look. There was a message on the mobile phone, "Click on the short video I sent you, this is Chen Shi."


    "What''s in your hand?!" Xu Xiaodong jumped up when he heard a shout, and Teacher Gao strode over in big strides.


    Xu Xiaodong quickly turned off the mobile phone, and Teacher Gao stopped in front of him and stretched out his hand. "You¡¯re being disobedient, huh? Didn¡¯t I already say that all the mobile phones needed to be turned in?"


    "I was sending a message to my mother..." Xu Xiaodong lied awkwardly.


    "Hand it over! Let me check." Teacher Gao sounded serious, and the bearded man came over, clenching his fists.


    All the candidates stopped and looked at Xu Xiaodong. He was covered in cold sweat. It looked like he had no talent for going undercover. He was exposed again.


    At that moment, Li Mengran stood up and said, "Wait, something is wrong. This exam paper is the 2015 xx exam paper. I only did it two days ago, and all the topics are the same."


    "Really? No wonder it seems so familiar." The other candidates whispered.


    Teacher Gao stared at her. "This is the exam paper for this year. If you don''t believe me, then don''t do it. When you see the paper tomorrow, it¡¯ll be toote even if you cry."


    Li Mengran quickly flipped through the exam paper, "This question... And this question... These points are not within the scope of this year''s entrance examination questions. And how can examination papers use the same questions as previous years? You are clearly scammers!¡±


    Teacher Gao sneered, "How have I scammed you? I¡¯ve exined to your parents that I¡¯ll only take the money after the exam."


    Xu Xiaodong stood up fiercely and mmed the table, "Everyone, listen to me! This exam paper is fake. They took our mobile phones and brought us here just to keep us from contacting the outside world. They¡¯ll deliberately make uste tomorrow and use it to threaten our parents into paying.¡±


    This remark was like a nuclear bomb, and the silent warehouse was suddenly in chaos. The candidates began discussing amongst themselves and someone stood up and tore the exam papers apart.


    "So what if we¡¯re exposed?" Teacher Gao sneered. "You''re already in my hands, anyway. If you want to me someone, me your parents for being greedy. They actually believed this. Think of it as paying for a lesson!" He raised his voice. "Every one of you needs to sit the fuck down. Otherwise none of you will be able to go to the exam venue tomorrow."


    The bearded man came forward and reached out for Xu Xiaodong''s shoulder. Xu Xiaodong dodged and bent the bearded man¡¯s right arm back, pressing him down onto the table. Then he kicked the back of the bearded man¡¯s knee. The man screamed in pain.


    Seeing that the situation was bad, Teacher Gao shouted for back-up as he stepped back. Xu Xiaodong rushed over and brought him down instantly. He stepped on his waist, and twisted Teacher Gao''s arm in the opposite direction of his joints. Teacher Gao screamed in agony.


    When his men rushed in, Xu Xiaodong shouted, "Don''t move! I''m with the police!"


    1. Not actually their sister-inw. As they refer to good friends as ¡°brother¡±, their partners are called ¡°sister-inw¡±.


    2. Cheap, poor-quality knockoff of well-known instant noodles brand in China ¡°Master Kong instant noodles¡±.


    3. Cheap, poor-quality knockoff of well-known ham sausage brand in China ¡°Shuanghui¡±


    4. Cheap, often unauthorized knock-offs of branded food products in China are known for their dubious ingredients and causing food poisoning incidents.

 Chapter 357: Midnight Tracking

    <h4>Chapter 357: Midnight Tracking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong called and said, "Brother Chen, the situation is urgent. My identity was exposed. I caught Teacher Gao but... a few associates have escaped, and I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll inform the others."


    "Who would they inform?"


    "They divided the thirty or so candidates into three batches and took them to three different ces."


    "Tell me your location."


    "Their colleagues drove south, and now we¡¯re safe in an abandoned warehouse. I''ll send you the GPS location using WeChat."


    After getting the address, everyone immediately started to check the surveince in that direction. kk suddenly jumped from the sofa and said, "I found it! I found it! There¡¯s a van next to Xikang Road, which just took away a group of children and is now travelling south."


    "Damn, they¡¯re moving the candidates. Try to stop them." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Should I contact the local police?"


    kkughed, "The police are as slow as snails. I¡¯ll chase after them on a motorcycle. Leave this batch to me."


    Sun Zhen said, "I found something interesting. There seems to be a traitor within the parent group."


    "Let¡¯s talk about thatter!" Chen Shi looked at the time. It was already ten o¡¯clock and searching the vast suburbs would be too slow. Besides, if the candidates didn¡¯t get to sleep tonight, how would they take the entrance examination tomorrow? "Dongxue, let''s pick up Xiaodong and take Teacher Gao back with us. Let¡¯s see if we can pry open his mouth."


    The three went downstairs and kk rode off on a motorcycle with great speed. Chen Shi made two calls while he drove off. One was to Gu You and the other was to call up his driver friends. Otherwise, there was no way he could pick up so many students with his small car.


    On Xu Xiaodong''s side, Teacher Gao and the bearded man were tied up by him and the candidates. The two sat on the ground and hadpletely lost their arrogance. The candidates crowded around Xu Xiaodong and eximed, "Police Elder Brother, you¡¯re amazing!", "When did you find out that they were scammers?", "My mother wouldn¡¯t be arrested too, right?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Everyone, quiet down. Both you and your parents are victims and won¡¯t be held ountable. Please be rest assured on this. Someone will pick you upter on. Please go home and rest so that you can take the exam tomorrow in good condition."


    When the exams were mentioned, many candidates became depressed again. Their gleam of hope had been annihted, but this experience had taught them that one couldn¡¯t take shortcuts in this world.


    Li Mengran pulled Xu Xiaodong''s arm and shook it, saying, "I did say that you didn''t look like a high school student! How old are you?"


    "Born after the year 2000." Xu Xiaodong smiled.


    "Tch, I don''t believe it. At most, you were born after 1990... May I ask you for your QQ number[1]?"


    "Uh... Okay!"


    Later, Chen Shi and the others arrived. Chen Shi asked his driver friends to take the candidates back home. Chen Shi took Xu Xiaodong and the two suspects back in his car and Xu Xiaodong apologized. "Sorry Brother Chen, I messed up again."


    "It''s okay, you did very well."


    Teacher Gao sat in the back seat and said coldly, "How did the police notice us?"


    Chen Shi said, "In fact, we¡¯re not the police, but private detectives!"


    "Private detectives?" Teacher Gao had a startled expression, then looked as if he¡¯d suddenly understood. "I understand. Parents wouldn¡¯t call the police for this kind of stuff... Brother, we¡¯re just trying to make money just like you. The water in the well doesn¡¯t impact the water in the river[2], why should we put each other in a difficult position? Why don¡¯t you stop now? How about I split the money with you?"


    "Not a chance!" Chen Shi refused.


    The van moving the exam candidates had stopped at the gas station to refuel. The exam candidates in the van were like a group of birds panicked by a mere twang of a bow string. They were still doing the "exam papers" one second earlier, and in the next, they were taken away. Their exam papers were snatched away as well.


    A girl had protested but was pped by the scammers. The candidates all seemed to have realized that they were not good people!


    This group of exam candidates were forcibly taken into a van and driven south and was now stuck at the gas station. Everyone trembled and hated their parents for believing the group of scammers?


    A total of three people were responsible for escorting them. Two went across the road to smoke and pee, and the other was refueling. They didn''t notice that a motorcycle had quietly driven into the gas station. A blond man jumped off and strode towards the person refueling.


    The blond took out a handkerchief as well as a small bottle with the other hand. He covered the mouth of the bottle with the handkerchief for a moment then snuck up behind the man like a cat and covered his nose and mouth with the handkerchief that he had prepared. The man fell to the ground softly.


    kk jumped up into the van and said with a smile, "Don''t be afraid, Uncle is here to save you."


    The candidates whispered to each other in surprise, "Who is this?!", "Do you know him?"


    kk started the van, rushed out of the gas station, and the other two scammers came out to see that their van was being driven off and that theirpanion had copsed onto the ground. They immediately threw away their cigarettes and chased after the van, but they were soon left in the dust.


    kk dialed Chen Shi''s phone, "I¡¯ve rescued them. So easy!"


    "What about the scammers?"


    "How could I manage all that? I left them at the gas station. By the way, my motorcycle is there too. If it¡¯s gone, you have topensate me with a new one.¡±


    "How could you have left the suspects behind without doing anything about them?"


    "Fuck off! I''m not like you. I can¡¯t confront them head on. It''s already not bad if I¡¯m able to bring the children back."


    "Okay, okay, just go back to the city first. I¡¯ve asked my driver friends to wait at the toll booth. When you get there, they will take the candidates home."


    After kk hung up the phone, he turned towards the noisy exam candidates behind him and handed out his mobile phone. "Take turns to call your families. Uncle will send you home now. Don''t flip through Uncle''s photo albums!"


    At eleven o''clock, the two batches of candidates had been sent safely home. Teacher Gao was tied up like a rice dumpling[3] and sat in the office. The bearded man was left in the toilet.


    The third group of candidates could not be found in the surveince footage, and now their only hopey in prying open Teacher Gao''s mouth.


    But the guy was really tight-lipped and no matter how Chen Shi asked, he would just sneer. Chen Shi said, "I didn''t expect you to be so loyal. Do you think that everything will be alright if you make it through the night?"


    Teacher Gao sneered, "Do you think that you guys can kill me? I¡¯m only going to say this much. I¡¯m a pretty ruthless character in the underworld. Let me go now, and this matter will end here. If you don¡¯t do so in five minutes, not only will I set fire to this shitty detective agency, I¡¯ll also kill the client who hired you. This is what happens if you mess with me!¡±


    "What¡¯s with the attitude? What¡¯s with the attitude!" kk pped his face and scolded angrily.


    "Don''t do that." Lin Dongxue stopped him.


    Teacher Gao''s cheek became red and swollen, and he red at kk sinisterly.


    Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi outside and said, "My brother is the best at interrogating suspects. Let hime over!"


    "First, I don''t want to upy police resources. Second, this guy ismitted to stalling until dawn, so even if your brother came, it may be useless."


    "What do you mean by not wanting to use police resources? Weren¡¯t Xiaodong and I called over by you?"


    "We have personal rtionships with each other. After this is over, I¡¯ll give you a reward or invite you to dinner."


    "Who cares about that? As long as the exam candidates are rescued, it¡¯s fine. A year¡¯s worth of suffering in their senior year would have been wasted otherwise.¡±


    Chen Shi''s phone rang. He nced at it and said, "Miss Gu is here. Let''s go down and pick her up."


    1. QQ is like the Chinese version of what MSN used to be. It has slowly adapted to the present by adding more features like forums and ads.


    2. It¡¯s an expression that people use to say that each party should mind their own business.


    3. Zongzi. They generally look like this and can be made with different ingredients depending on which region of China that you¡¯re from. They can be sweet or savory. https://i.ytimg/vi/994wYeD656E/maxresdefault.jpg

 Chapter 358: Interrogation by Suggestion Method

    <h4>Chapter 358: Interrogation by Suggestion Method</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Downstairs, Gu You was holding a bag as she stood in the night breeze. When she saw Chen Shie down, she said, "You¡¯re so funny. I don''t know how to interrogate people, but you actually called me over for this?"


    "Isn''t it your specialty to attack other people psychologically? And then there¡¯s that trick fromst time..." Chen Shi made a neck-pinching movement.


    "What trick fromst time?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Gu You signaled Chen Shi to stop talking with her eyes. Lin Dongxue had also participated in Ji Changxin''s case. If she knew that Gu You had stolen the hypnosis technique, it would be difficult to exin.


    Gu You said, "I thought of a way to go about it, but I need your cooperation. If the other person is really a tough guy who isn¡¯t afraid of death, then I''m out of ideas."


    "Miss Gu, don''t do anything rash!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Rest assured, I will only be using some tricks of suggestion. I won¡¯t hurt him."


    While going upstairs, Gu You exined her strategy to them. After entering the agency, Teacher Gao was tied to a chair facing away from the door. He was still cursing aggressively at kk. Gu You took a ck cloth bag from the bag that she was holding earlier and suddenly covered Teacher Gao¡¯s head with it.


    Teacher Gao struggled in panic. "What? What are you doing? Honest people shouldn¡¯t do underhand things. Take this thing off!"


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s see how long you can hold out. Our interrogation expert is here."


    "Interrogation expert?" Teacher Gao sneered. "Even if the real police were here, what could they do to me?"


    Gu You instructed coldly, "Roll up his sleeves."


    She took out the tools in the bag, which included syringes, flexible hoses, funnels, two bottles, and so on. Gu You signaled Chen Shi with her eyes to retrieve warm water using the bottle, and then she wiped Teacher Gao¡¯s arm with a piece of cotton dipped in iodine. Teacher Gao was very nervous. "What are you doing?!"


    "You''ll find outter."


    Gu You pierced his arm with a syringe but did not prate a vein. Then she fastened the head of the needle with tape and attached a section of the hose to his hand. She inserted the other end of the tube into the mouth of another bottle, and then started to use the funnel to pour warm water into the hose.


    Chen Shi understood at that moment. Teacher Gao was unable to see anything, so he would think that his blood was being drawn because he could feel warm ¡°blood¡± being drained away.


    "When the body loses 800 milliliters of blood, it¡¯ll go into shock and be unconscious. See how long you can keep this up." Gu You said coldly.


    Teacher Gao twisted his body desperately, "I don''t believe that you¡¯d kill someone! You can''t scare me!"


    "Well, just try it!"


    The room was quiet and only the sound of "blood" flowing into the bottle could be heard. Teacher Gao''s skin developed goosebumps. He shivered slightly. Gu You said in his ear, "It''s already been 300 milliliters. Don¡¯t you think that your body is getting colder and colder?"


    "You... I-If you kill me... T-The police won¡¯t spare you!" Teacher Gao stuttered.


    kkughed. "With so many people here, it would be pretty easy to deal with a corpse."


    Sun Zhen chimed in, "And no one knows you¡¯ve been here."


    Lin Dongxue looked around at these people in surprise. She felt that they had an air of evil about them. She was puzzled and wondered why Chen Shi knew these people.


    "500 mils!" Gu You said. "Do you feel that your heartbeat is getting slower and slower? In fact, your struggle is meaningless. If you die, we can talk to your aplices to see if they¡¯re just as stubborn.¡±


    Teacher Gao''s neck was covered with cold sweat, and he suddenly yelled, "I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!"


    "Hurry up then!"


    He gave out an address and Sun Zhen checked it. The direction was correct, so he nodded at Gu You before she took the bag off Teacher Gao¡¯s head. When Teacher Gao saw the items on his arm, he red at them angrily. ¡°You were ying with me?!¡±


    "Dongxue, send him and his associates back to the bureau!" Chen Shi instructed.


    "You really are with the police?¡± Teacher Gao asked in surprise, but everyone ignored him.


    Lin Dongxue made a phone call and pulled Chen Shi outside, saying, "How did you get mixed up with these people?"


    "Then what type of people do you think I should be with?" Chen Shi asked.


    "You¡¯re still acting smart with me right now? Are you really nning to run this detective agency thing?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I¡¯ve already told you that the agency belongs to Wang Haitao. I''m just temporarily helping out. These are my friends. You know that I¡¯ve had aplicated past and that I know all kinds of people.¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked at him in disbelief and said, "When we first met, you said that you¡¯d tell me your secret one day. Now that we¡¯re dating, you don¡¯t need to hide it from me anymore, do you?"


    Chen Shi brushed her hair away from her face and said, "I''m sorry. I can''t tell you just yet."


    "But I hope to understand you better. If you have any difficulties, I¡¯ll share your burdens with you." Lin Dongxue urged.


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "There¡¯s one thing I can assure you. I do everything in good conscience. I have never done anything evil. As for my secret, it¡¯s just that the time isn¡¯t right. I hope you can understand."


    Lin Dongxue punched him lightly, "I know your heart must be upright, otherwise I wouldn''t like you... I just don''t like your friends."


    "Well, we¡¯re just cooperating this one time."


    Lin Dongxue pouted and agreed begrudgingly.


    Soon, the local police called and said that all the children had been rescued and that some of the scammers were arrested. Everyone cheered for a while. Wang Haitao said, "It was a good show today. Let me treat everyone to supper.


    Chen Shi said, "You pick the ce. I¡¯ll send the suspects to the station first."


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong sent Teacher Gao and the bearded man to the local police. Xu Xiaodong then drove Lin Dongxue back in his own car. Chen Shi returned to the agency and Lin Dongxue sent a text message telling him, "Don''t drink alcohol and rest early."


    Wang Haitao found a restaurant for them. After Chen Shi came, kk warmly gave him his seat. Wang Haitao said, "Mr. Chen, it wasn¡¯t a mistake asking you to help me. You and your friends have great skills. I initially thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to run this business for long, but now I see a glimmer of hope. Everyone...¡± He looked around at everyone present. ¡°I have a proposal. I will retain 20% of the shares in the agency, and the remaining 80% will be given to Mr. Chen. If the four of you operate this business, I believe that thepany will flourish.¡±


    Gu You smiled, "Mr. Wang, you are now really different from the person you were back when you came to my clinic."


    Wang Haitao poured a drink. "I still haven''t thanked Miss Gu yet."


    "You''re very wee... But I have my own clinic. I''m afraid I don¡¯t have time to participate in this venture."


    kk smacked his thigh, "I''m interested! I think this business is pretty good. It¡¯s interesting. Now that everyone uses mobile phones, it¡¯s getting harder and harder to be a thief you know?¡±


    "Huh?!" Wang Haitao, who didn''t know kk''s identity, was shocked.


    "Never mind! Never mind!" kk said, "Anyway, I want to join. What about you, Little Worm?"


    Sun Zhen replied, "The working environment isn¡¯t bad. But I don''t know whether there¡¯s a lot of work or not. I¡¯m used to beingzy. I''m afraid I won''t be able to adapt to the workload."


    "Fuck, didn¡¯t you listen to Young Master Lu? He¡¯s giving us shares so that we could be bosses ourselves. You can wake up anytime you want!" kk raised his eyebrow at Wang Haitao, "That¡¯s what you meant right, Young Master Lu?"

 Chapter 359: Ferreting Out the Mole

    <h4>Chapter 359: Ferreting Out the Mole</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Haitao asked Chen Shi, "Mr. Chen, will you stay?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Mr. Wang, I want to talk to them in private."


    Wang Haitao understood, stood up and said, "You guys talk. I''ll get something to drink."


    Since everyone there was on the same side, Chen Shi could be more rxed. He asked kk and Sun Zhen, "You two really n to run this agency?"


    kk pretended to speak in a profound manner, "Let''s experience a little more while we''re young! We¡¯re getting old and bald. They¡¯re precious experiences in life."


    Sun Zhen red at him and said, "I think I can make good use of my strengths but I need to see how much I can earn!"


    "How much money can you make by typing code on yourputer every day?" kk asked.


    "More than you who steals chickens and touches dogs[1]." Sun Zhen retorted.


    "Okay, okay!" Chen Shi said, "In fact, I have a n to use this agency to serve as our temporary base, and the equipment required by the agency can also be used to find Zhou Xiao. You two will stay here, but you have to run the business well. The shares are yours. If you can¡¯t make any profits, you¡¯ll have to put your own money into the business.¡±


    kk handed Chen Shi a ss of juice. "Brother Chen, you¡¯re not joining us?"


    "I can''t be both a police consultant and run a private detective agency at the same time. But if there are any troublesome cases, I can help out."


    "What do you mean by ¡®help out¡¯! Brother Chen, you¡¯re so modest." kk put his arm around Chen Shi''s shoulder. "You¡¯re our boss! Our backbone!"


    "Little thief, you¡¯re so good at brown-nosing." Chen Shi smiled, raised his ss and clinked his in a toast, then looked at Gu You, "Miss Gu, what about you?"


    "I have my own business, but just like Brother Chen, when you need my help, I¡¯lle... We can¡¯t bezy looking for Zhou Xiao. For every day that we let him run free outside, we¡¯ll have an extra day of danger.¡±


    Sun Zhen asked, "Miss Gu, what kind of bad blood do you have with Zhou Xiao?"


    Gu You hesitated. "We¡¯ll talk about it next time!"


    Chen Shi proposed, "At the end of this month, we should hold a group bonding activity. We can get together as well as discuss our work!"


    kk apuded, "Sounds good. Come, let''s have a drink as the fourrades of revolution."


    The four clinked their sses together, and Chen Shi beckoned to Wang Haitao. Wang Haitao sat down and asked, "Have you guys finished discussing?"


    "That''s right, Mr. Wang, I¡¯ll ept the 80% of thepany¡¯s shares even though it¡¯s thick-skinned of me to do so. I¡¯ll let these two brothers of mine run the business!¡± Chen Shi exined.


    kk said with a smile, "Boss Lu, please take care of us!"


    "Since you have all decided, so be it. I''lle over and sign a contract with you guys tomorrow."


    After the matter was settled, kk and Sun Zhen were very happy and cheered themselves on. Chen Shi thought of something and asked Sun Zhen, "Little Worm, you said you found a mole in the group. Who was it?"


    "It''s Little Han¡¯s mother. I found out that she and Teacher Gao had close contact with each other. In fact, they have been in contact since March this year. I went to her daughter''s school to check. Guess what-"


    "Stop keeping me in suspense!"


    "Her daughter cheated in this year''s art school entrance exam and has been disqualified from this year''s university entrance examinations."


    "Disqualified from the university entrance exams?" Chen Shi thought for a while. "She still pretended to buy university entrance examination papers. So she¡¯s actually a shill! I¡¯ll handle this loose end tomorrow."


    The next day, the entrance examinations officially started. Chen Shi received a text message from Sister Chen who thanked him effusively. Through this incident, Sister Chen had also realized that cheating was not a good idea. No matter how many points her son got that year or even if he had to repeat the exam, she will ept reality and never take shortcuts again.


    That morning, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Little Han''s mother''s residence. The house was in chaos. The couple was arguing, "It''s all because you only have money in your eyes. And you even said it was foolproof. Now that the scammers have been arrested, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t get off easily!¡± ¡°Who did I do this for, if not for this family? It was all in order to earn more tuition for Little Han. Do you think it¡¯s easy for me? How are you any better? You just stand back and talk without any backaches[2].¡± ¡°Haii, don¡¯t bring so many clothes! Let¡¯s hurry up and go!¡±


    Chen Shi pushed the door and went in.Little Han''s mother, who was packing her luggage, and Little Han''s father, who was standing at the side, were dumbfounded. Lin Dongxue showed her badge to them. "Little Han¡¯s mother, you¡¯ll need toe with us!"


    Little Han''s mother widened her eyes and said, "Officers, please listen to my exnation. I didn''t mean to lie to anyone. The scammers told me that if I helped out, they¡¯ll give me some money. It was like I was possessed! But I haven¡¯t earned a dime up to now!¡±


    It seemed that the woman''s mental fortitude wasn¡¯t that great. She had confessed everything in the face of the police. Lin Dongxue said, "You can exin when youe back with us to the station!"


    Little Han''s mother opened her mouth wide and wailed, sitting down on the floor.


    After witnessing a parting show filled with dog blood[3], the two finally put Little Han¡¯s mother in handcuffs and put her in the car. She wept all the way and recounted how she had been wronged and also said. "You can¡¯t me me for this. If those parents weren¡¯t foolish and ill-intentioned and believed that they could get the papers, they wouldn¡¯t have been scammed!¡±


    Chen Shi said, "People who are fooled do have their own reasons. People have all kinds of greed. This is normal. It is awful to use this greed to scam them... Little Han¡¯s mother, you don¡¯t need to cry. You need to ept the responsibility for your own actions. The police won''t sympathize with your tears."


    Little Han''s mother lowered her head. "Will Little Han¡¯s entrance exams next year be affected by this?¡±


    The fraud involved a huge amount of money. When Little Han takes the entrance examination next year, she will still be in prison as an offender. It was impossible to say that she will not be affected, but Chen Shi still lied to her and said, "This is your business. It won¡¯t affect her. Since things are already like this, you should at least set a good example for your child and be ountable for your own actions!"


    Little Han''s mother pursed her lips and slowly buried her face in her hands. She held her face and cried silently.


    When she was transferred to the police station in the district, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue''s mission was over. The local police said that the money had been recovered and would be returned to those parents. An anti-scam lecture was organized for them as well.


    Lin Dongxue said, "A daunting experience without any mishap. Let¡¯s go and eat!"


    Chen Shi smiled and asked, "What do you want to eat?"


    "Up to you."


    "Then let¡¯s go and eat your favorite grilled fish."


    That day, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone sent by Wang Haitao to quietly settle the bill. Finally, they can eatfortably for once. However, the two were blocked on the road. There was a special coach for the entrance examination passing by. All the drivers knew the importance of the exam and naturally allowed them to pass first.


    Looking at the children chatting andughing on the coach, Lin Dongxue said, "In the year that I took the entrance examination, I felt that all my suffering was finally over. After the exam, I thought I would have a golden life ahead of me. However, when I went over, it turned out that it was all just brass. It turns out that life was the easiest when I was still a student."


    "If you were given a chance to go back to be a student, would you?"


    "I¡¯d be willing, but if I wouldn¡¯t have met you because of it, I don''t think so!" Lin Dongxueughed.


    1. An expression that people use to describe crooks who do sneaky things like stealing.


    2. She¡¯s saying that he just stands around saying what they should do without doing anything himself.


    3. An expression people use to describe something ridiculously melodramatic.

 Chapter 360: Person Above Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 360: Person Above Everyone</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 24: The Metamorphosis


    On June 9th, Li Mengran sat on her balcony''s wicker chair and drank watermelon juice while she did calctions on a piece of newspaper. Although it was a hot day outside, her home was very cool andfortable.


    After calcting the equation a few times, Li Mengran put down the pen and furrowed her brows. Aunty Wu was at home and went over to her with cut oranges. She said, "Ranran, do you want to eat some fruit?"


    Although Aunty Wu was a nanny, she had stayed at the Li house for many years. Li Mengran was very fond of her. She acted spoiled andined, "Aunty Wu, no matter how much I calcte, I¡¯m guessing I can only get around 630 points. I definitely can''t get into Peking University!"


    "Good child, you¡¯d get into most ces with 630 points... As long as you¡¯ve done your best. If you can''t go to Peking University, then don¡¯t. People at home would worry since you¡¯re such a young girl that¡¯s going to school so far away!¡±


    Li Mengran forced a smile.


    On her phone, a ssmate asked her if she wanted to go out to y, but Li Mengran¡¯s family was really strict. She couldn¡¯t go out without her father''s permission. She could only regrettably reject the invitation.


    Finally, she didn¡¯t need to study anymore. She wanted to rx for a bit and took out a tablet to watch a movie. She only watched half of it before her dad came back. She quickly turned the tablet off and hid it out of fear.


    Her dad had a suit jacket hanging on one of his arms as he hooked the cor of his shirt with his fingers. Then, he poured a ss of water and drank it all down quickly. Li Mengran stared at her father''s throat as he drank, and her nervous heart felt like it was caught in her throat.


    Putting down the cup, her dad sat on the sofa and hugged her. "I took half a day off today. It¡¯s really hot outside. Do you have to go out and get a sunburn?... By the way, how many points are you estimated to get? "


    "6... 630."


    "What?! Show it to me."


    Li Mengran tremblingly passed the calcted score on the calctor to him. The dad looked at it and his hands began to tremble. The living room had a very suffocating atmosphere as the dad seemed to be in disbelief. He moved his fingers and calcted it internally.


    The dad threw the paper down on the table and red at Li Mengran. Li Mengran held her hands together, retracted her neck out of fear, and swallowed hard.


    "Don''t fill out your preferred universities. Your score is really bad. I¡¯ll find a better exam preparation ss for you to go to tomorrow.¡±


    "But I... I don''t want to continue studying."


    "You don''t want to? Do you think I want to? How much will it cost to go down to the third year of high school again? Yet, you got such a result. Who can you face without feeling guilt?!" Dad kept pounding on the piece of paper on the table as if it was a very shameful nude picture.


    "Ranran, this grade is okay. You can get into good universities with it. You¡¯ve always been in the top ten at your high school until now." Aunty Wu interrupted.


    "Don''t interrupt!" The dad yelled, and then red at Li Mengran. "I worked hard outside to make money for you to eat, to wear clothes, and to create such afortable environment for you. Look at the exam champions thate from the poor countryside. How can their conditionspare with yours? Tell me, how you can possibly get scores like these?"


    Every time her dad said something, Li Mengran mumbled something back. She said as if she was wronged, "I understand all the key points of knowledge and I don¡¯t have any topics where I lose a lot of marks."


    "Lose a little here, lose a little there. Do you know why?" Her dad almost pierced through the coffee table with his fingers which were still pounding down on the piece of paper. "You didn''t study well enough or specifically enough. The knowledge in your stomach was not digested and you still have room to rise. A lot of upside potential!"


    "But I don''t want to repeat my studies. I don''t want to go to Peking University. Can¡¯t I go to a normal one?"


    "No!!!!" The dad roared. "You¡¯re my daughter, so you have to go to Peking University! I could have been admitted to Peking University with just two more points back then. I pinned this hope on you and paid a full 19 years of hard work. Why can¡¯t you work harder for one more year?! What did your father struggle to raise you for? Did you think it was so that you¡¯d raise me in the future? It¡¯s for your own good. In order to make you a person above all others so you don¡¯t have to work as hard as your father!¡±


    "Mr. Li, please stop..." Wu Ma persuaded weakly.


    Li Mengran remembered the senior year of her high school life was like hell and began crying. Seeing his daughter cry, her dad seemed to soften up. He stood up and beckoned her over. "Come here."


    Her dad held her shoulder as they stood at the balcony and pointed outside. "Looking out from here, what do you see?"


    Li Mengran was still crying and couldn¡¯t speak.


    "What do you see?" Dad shook her, urging.


    "Buildings!" Li Mengran sobbed.


    "Yes, you can see a lot of tall buildings here. Why? Because you are standing in a high ce! Look at the people below. There are those who stand outside when the harsh sun is shining on them, sweep the street, and drive cars. What can they see? Garbage on the streets, dirt, noisy vehicles, and crowds on the ground because they are at the lowest level! The higher you stand, the farther you can see. When you stand on the highest floor, you can overlook all beings... Do you want to stay at the bottom for the rest of your life, or at the top?"


    Li Mengran couldn¡¯t recall how many times she had heard this speech. She continued to cry without speaking.


    Her dad continued, "The entrance exam is equivalent to climbing from the first floor upwards in your life. Some people climb to the tenth floor in one breath and some people climb to the 20th floor. As for those who give up the exams, they are at the bottom for the rest of their lives. In your life, you¡¯ll have to climb multiple types of stairs. If you¡¯re overtaken by others every time and fall behind, the distance between you and others will be extreme in the end. So, if you don¡¯t do your best, you will never be a person above all!¡±


    Li Mengran cried and said, "I don''t want to be a person above everyone."


    Her dad pped her on the shoulder. "There are a lot of things you¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older. Dad is pushing you now because he doesn¡¯t want you to regret itter. Regretting that you didn¡¯t study well!¡± Then, her dad took out his mobile phone and gave a tutoring center a call. "Hello, I''m looking for Director Liu... My daughter''s grades this year were not very satisfactory and I want to take advantage of this summer vacation for extra tutoring..."


    Li Mengran suddenly broke his hand away and the phone flew out. She shouted, "I don¡¯t want to repeat the year. I want to go to university! It is your own regret not to be admitted into Peking University. Don¡¯t force it on me! I am not a substitute for achieving your dreams!"


    "Are you rebelling?" Her dad pped her in the face.


    Li Mengran covered her face, ring at her father. "I don¡¯t want to be your daughter! Whoever wants to be your daughter should be it!" Then, she grabbed her phone and left, mming the door as she made her way out. Her father''s roar came from behind her. "Stop! Stop right there!"


    Aunty Wu stopped Li Mengran''s father and said, "Mr. Li, Mr. Li. I''m going to get Ranran back. You should first calm down."


    The father looked at his slightly painful hand and regretted it. He hadn''t hit Li Mengran for almost ten years. He sat on the sofa in sorrow and hugged his head. "Haii, why don''t you understand the good intentions of adults?"


    After Li Mengran left, they didn¡¯t hear back from her by nighttime and her phone couldn¡¯t be reached. Aunty Wu came back a few times, but found that Li Mengran hadn¡¯t gone home and went out to find her again. Her dad called the other parents and rtives as he sat anxiously at home.


    At 1:00 in the morning, Aunty Wu panted as she went upstairs, before she screamed suddenly, "Mr. Li, Mr. Li!"


    The father rushed out of the door, only to see a frightened Aunty Wu. Her finger was pointing in one direction. He slowly turned his head towards that direction. He saw a ck stic bag hanging on the door handle, and blood was dripping out, drop by drop.


    He reached out his trembling hand and lifted it. When he saw what was inside, he felt that his heartbeat, breathing, and consciousness had all stopped...

 Chapter 361: Suspect Xu Xiaodong?

    <h4>Chapter 361: Suspect Xu Xiaodong?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue followed Lin Qiupu into the room and saw the person who reported the case, Mr. Li, sitting on the sofa holding his head, silent as a sculpture. Sitting next to him, an aunt dressed as a nanny was wiping her tears away.


    This was a very exquisite apartment. It can be seen that the homeowner not only had good economic conditions, but also had a good taste in life. Peng Sijue¡¯s team was currently searching the deceased''s bedroom and packing the deceased''s belongings into boxes.


    Lin Qiupu sat down opposite Mr. Li and took out his notebook. "When was it found?"


    It was too cruel to ask "when was your daughter''s head found" in front of the father, so Lin Qiupu omitted it. Last night, Li Mengran, the daughter of Mr. Li was killed. Her head was cut off and hung in a ck bag on the family¡¯s door handle. The bag was a rubbish bag that could be found anywhere.


    Other than the head, the body hadn¡¯t been found. Because there was only a head avable, the time of death was a bit vague.


    "Around 1:00AM..." Mr. Li said in a muffled voice, as if he had been sitting in this position all night. The ashtray on the coffee table next to him was full of cigarette butts.


    "Why did she run away from home?"


    "She didn''t do well in the entrance examination. I asked her to repeat another year. After some disputes, she ran away... My daughter has always been very good. It was my fault. I shouldn''t have been so angry and pped her. It''s all my fault!" Mr. Li struck his head with his fist and wept.


    "Mr. Li, don''t be agitated!"


    "Ranran is gone. What''s the point of me being alive? Her mother and I divorced when she was young. I¡¯ve raised her ever since. She has always been very obedient and sensible. She was my hopes and dreams. Ranran... Ranran..." Mr. Li cried uncontrobly again.


    It was almost impossible to continue questioning him. Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue tofort him for a while and called the nanny to another room to question her.


    Aunty Wu told them everything again. After Li Mengran ran away at around 3:00PM yesterday, they called rtives, Li Mengran¡¯s ssmates, and teachers. The surrounding bookstores and tea shops were also asked. Li Mengran never went to Inte cafes, but they even went to Inte cafes to try and find her.


    Because Li Mengran turned her phone off, Aunty Wu would try to find her and then go back home once in a while to see if she came back. Then at 1:00AM, this had happened.


    "I¡¯ve watched Ranran grow up. She¡¯s just like my daughter. I lost my soul today when this kind of thing happened." Aunty Wu wiped her tears away.


    "Why didn''t you contact the child''s biological mother?"


    "Mrs. Li and Mr. Li divorced when she was very young. She basically has no impressions of her biological mother. Later, Mrs. Li created a new family for herself and has had almost no contact with Mr. Li."


    Just in case, Lin Qiupu still asked, "Do you know her contact information?"


    "I''ll find it for you."


    Aunty Wu went out as Lin Dongxue came in holding a piece of paper in her hand. "This child¡¯s estimated score was 630. The father actually thought that she didn''t do well in the exam. I just asked and the father wanted her to get into Peking University no matter what. The daughter was unwilling to repeat her studying for a year. This is when there was a conflict... He said that he hadn¡¯t hit her for ten years, but yesterday, he was so angry that he pped her."


    Lin Qiupu was also surprised that they were so strict on her. He said, "This is not the point. Don''t ask any more and poke people when they¡¯re already hurting."


    "I didn''t ask, it was Mr. Li who volunteered this information."


    After the questioning, the other policemen went back first. Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue checked for surveince footage nearby. From the entrance of the house, the surveince of a convenience store captured Li Mengran at 2:30 in the afternoon buying drinks and ice cream. The clerk said that the girl sat in the store for a while and yed on her phone before leaving.


    Lin Dongxue said, "The deceased ran out without changing her clothes and did not bring her ID card. It is unlikely she¡¯d go to an Inte cafe or the like. I¡¯m guessing she went to see her ssmates."


    "The deceased''s mobile phone must havemunication records!" Lin Qiupu took out his mobile phone and dialed it. "Her phone is indeed turned off and can¡¯t be located via GPS." He called the information department and asked them to check the deceased''s textmunication records, WeChat, and qq chat history.


    Today was really hot. When they walked into an air-conditioned convenience store, they didn¡¯t want to leave. Lin Qiupu bought two bottles of cold mineral water and two Xiaoxuesheng ice popsicles[1], paid for them, and handed them to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Is eating a popsicle while we investigate okay?"


    "What if I did it first?" Lin Qiupu ripped the packaging open.


    "Thank you, Captain." Lin Dongxue opened hers. It was a nostalgic taste, but it didn¡¯t seem as delicious as it was when she was young.


    The surveince footage showed that Li Mengran went south after leaving. The two followed that direction and investigated all the footage avable to them. The monitoring of a parking lot showed that a man came out of the parking lot around 9:00st night and chased after Li Mengran. The two left side by side.


    Lin Qiupu stared at the screen and said, "Erge the picture!"


    The parking lot security guard was bewildered. Lin Qiupu remembered that it was not the equipment in the bureau and it could only pause. Lin Dongxue leaned over to look at it and her face almost touched her brother¡¯s. Lin Qiupu analyzed, "He seems about 1.8 meters tall and of medium build."


    "This person has a car and is unlikely to be a student." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Go back and see which car it was."


    A Mercedes-Benz drove in a minute ago and the number was captured very clearly. Lin Qiupu eximed, "Note it down!"


    "Brother!" Lin Dongxue usually didn¡¯t address him as "Brother" during working hours. "Why is this license te so familiar?"


    "Saxxx... Xu Xiaodong''s car!"


    The two couldn''t believe it. When they watched the video again, they felt like the person they were looking at became more and more like Xu Xiaodong. At this time, the office called and told Lin Qiupu, "At about 8:00st night, the deceased chatted with a person and said that she ran away from home. The information shows that it was Xu Xiaodong!"


    "Thest person she contacted was him?!" Lin Qiupu did not want this to be true.


    "It''s him, and she hasn''t contacted anyone else since."


    "Call Xu Xiaodong back to the team for investigation! No, our second team should avoid suspicion and let the first team investigate him."


    Lin Qiupu put down the phone and his gaze was indescribable. Lin Dongxue grabbed his arm and said, "Brother, it¡¯s impossible for Xiaodong to kill anyone."


    "Let''s talk when we finish investigating!"


    Although Lin Dongxue wanted to run back and ask Xu Xiaodong what was going on, the way to help him now was to continue the investigation. She said, "Let¡¯s continue to check the surveince footage!"


    "Okay, let¡¯s keep checking."


    At 2:00PM, the two people found another video that gave them a lead. The footage still showed that Xu Xiaodong and Li Mengran were walking side by side at 10:00PM, but Xu Xiaodong''s jacket was put on Li Mengran.


    This footage meant that suspicion towards Xu Xiaodong had increased even more. The two had no energy to investigate further as they felt like they were about to get heatstroke.


    Back in Lin Qiupu''s car, although the air-conditioning was veryfortable, Lin Dongxue was panicked. She said, "Xiaodong wouldn¡¯t kill anyone."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "Dongxue, I also believe that he wouldn¡¯t kill, but we are police and have to work ording to the regtions. We need to operate ording to evidence!"


    Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth and pulled out her mobile phone. "I''m looking for Chen Shi to help!"


    1. They actually look pretty cute it seems. https://img11.360buyimg/n1/jfs/t1/31672/18/3899/380449/5c7918b3Ebf25685b/919d07a260d27886.jpg

 Chapter 362: Xu Xiaodong Gets Questioned

    <h4>Chapter 362: Xu Xiaodong Gets Questioned</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At 4:00PM, Xu Xiaodong was sitting in the interrogation room. The interrogator was from the third team and asked him, "Xu Xiaodong, how did you know the victim?"


    "How did she die? She was still finest night. If you don¡¯t let me know anything, how can I answer your questions?" Xu Xiaodong waspletely confused, but vaguely understood that Li Mengran had been killed.


    The interrogator knocked on the table. "You are a police officer. You should know the interrogation process. We can¡¯t tell you the details of the case. You¡¯re the person being questioned right now. Tell us what you know."


    "I didn''t kill anyone!"


    "It''s up to us to decide whether you killed or not."


    "I really didn¡¯t kill anyone! Bring out the polygraph, I''ll show you!"


    "Answer the question!"


    Xu Xiaodong reluctantly nced at the one-sided mirror. Li Mengran''s death made him very heartbroken, but he had to sit here to verify his innocence. He said, "Last time, in the case regarding a group of scammers, I went undercover as a candidate and met Li Mengran there."


    "What gang of scammers?"


    "Just ask the local police or ask Brother Chen."


    "I''m asking you now!"


    "Are you really treating me like a criminal?"


    "Spit it out!"


    Xu Xiaodong gritted his teeth and had to recount the entire case. The interrogator asked again, "You and the deceased are dating?"


    "No, I have a girlfriend and am a policeman. How can I do that kind of stuff? Yesterday, she said that she was beaten by her father and ran away from home. I happened to get off work, so I drove over to find her. I persuaded her to go home and sent her home at around 10:00."


    "The surveince of the deceased''smunity didn¡¯t show you taking her back at 10:00." In reality, themunity¡¯s surveince camera didn¡¯t capture anything at all due to a system upgrade.


    "You can check the surveince at the parking lot. I took Li Mengran home at about 10:00 and went to pick up the car."


    The interrogator picked up the testimony record and said, "But the family of the deceased imed that the deceased never returned after leaving the house in the afternoon."


    "I saw her go upstairs! I swear! At 10:00 in the evening!"


    "Right, we don''t need you to swear. Have you ever had physical contact with the deceased?"


    "What do you mean?" Xu Xiaodong was a little annoyed.


    The interrogator took out a report and said, "We found a piece of hair belonging to you in the deceased''s hair. How would you exin this?"


    "I remembered now. It was too cold yesterday night. I took off my coat and put it on her. Maybe that was when it got on her."


    "Sure. I suppose that¡¯s passable.¡±


    "What do you mean it¡¯s passable? This is a fact. Do you think I¡¯m making this up?" Xu Xiaodong shouted.


    "Calm down. Aren''t we still investigating right now?"


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi arrived at the bureau and saw Little Li pacing around the corridor. She seemed very anxious. Lin Dongxueforted her and said, "We have all known Xiaodong for a long time. He¡¯s not that kind of person."


    Little Li said, "I''m not angry with him, I just... Why did he suddenly be a suspect? And the third team is interrogating him. They¡¯repletely treating him like a criminal."


    Lin Qiupu came out of the back room and said, "It can¡¯t be helped. Xiaodong is one of ours. We have to avoid suspicion this way. I believe he wouldn¡¯t have killed anyone."


    Chen Shi hooked his index finger to beckon Lin Qiupu over. "Come here."


    "Who are you talking to!"


    Chen Shi took Lin Qiupu to a ce where no one was at and said, "Are you a captain for disy purposes? Your own people are tied to a case and you pushed it to others so that you seem impartial?"


    Lin Qiupu got angry and said, "So you think we should conduct the questioning ourselves? What would the other teams think? They¡¯d think I''m covering for my subordinates."


    "Is the opinion of others so important? As a captain, you didn¡¯t help your subordinates at all. Do you have no confidence in your own fairness or do you not trust Xiaodong? You say with confidence that you believe in him, but from Xiaodong''s point of view, how disappointed in you do you think he is? Have you thought about that? He¡¯s being questioned by the third team. The case is definitely also going to be investigated by them. There is no initiative at all. In addition to that, I don¡¯t know a single person in the third team and have to get to know them as well! A captain like you is... Haii, I¡¯m so angry that I want to smoke!"


    Lin Qiupu''s face flushed red. When Xu Xiaodong came out with handcuffs on his hands, Little Li cried and said to therades of the third team, "We¡¯re all police. Why does he need to be handcuffed?"


    The interrogator said, "Even though he¡¯s a police officer, he can¡¯t be sheltered."


    Xu Xiaodongforted, "Rx, I¡¯m innocent. I¡¯m just staying in the detention room for a day... With Brother Chen here, I can definitely have my grievances washed away.¡± He nced at Chen Shi, but deliberately ignored Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu could also see a hint of disappointment in his eyes.


    Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go and look at the evidence!"


    After Chen Shi left, Lin Qiupu suddenly remembered and muttered to himself. "Who are you anyway? How can you lecture me like that?"


    He was at a loss in the corridor. After thinking about it, he decided to go to the chief to see if he could win the initiative and be the primary team for the case.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to see Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue noted, "The evidence is looking really bad for Xiaodong. He may be thest person to have seen the victim. Plus, his hair was found in the deceased''s hair."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I have found the surveince that shows that the hair was left by Xiaodong when he covered her with his jacket."


    "That doesn''t prove the transfer of hair. Maybe they could have had other physical contact."


    "Captain Peng, you know Xiaodong¡¯s character."


    "But the court doesn''t know that. They only look at the evidence. If you changed it to a stranger and this evidence was in front of you, would you suspect him?"


    Lin Dongxue was speechless and Chen Shi said, "In fact, you don¡¯t need to worry too much. The case has just begun. There will definitely be more and more evidence. It will definitely prove that Xiaodong is innocent... I have entered the interrogation room twice as well. What¡¯s the big deal?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly, "The more you care, the more blinded you get... Captain Peng, did the autopsy reporte out?"


    "Well... There is only the head at the moment, so I could only find out the following: The deceased''s skull was cut by some kind of t weapon. It wasn¡¯t a one-off cut. The murderer only split her spine after three tries. She may not have stopped breathing yet when this happened. We found blunt impact injury at the back of the head, causing massive hemorrhage in the arachnoid. The deceased should have been in a deepa when she was beheaded."


    Peng Sijue showed them a few photos and began to draw on the paper. "I noticed an interesting detail. The surface of the weapon was very uniform. It shouldn¡¯t have been a knife or an axe. The surface of the cut wasn¡¯t very neat. It was slightly curved."


    "It wouldn¡¯t have been a homemade guillotine, right?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "What are you thinking?" Chen Shi looked at the photo. "It¡¯s a sharp shovel. There¡¯s also a high probability that it was used to hit her in the head to begin with. Look, the cross section is stained with soil... Old Peng, did you test the soil yet?"


    "It¡¯s in progress. I sent someone to consult a soil expert in Long''an to see if they could locate the approximate position."


    "Who would kill with a shovel? And it''s so sharp, it must have been sharpened beforehand." Lin Dongxue pondered.


    Peng Sijue took out a boxcutter from the box containing the physical evidence and said, "Ah, yes, the DNA of the deceased was found on this. The fingerprints of the deceased and someone else were found. It¡¯s obviously not the murder weapon, but we can¡¯t rule out a second weapon. After all, the body hasn¡¯t been located. Would you like to investigate this?¡±


    Chen Shi observed the knife. "Is the blood new?"


    "It¡¯s old blood!"


    Chen Shi picked up the other evidence in the box and nced at it. Then, he suddenly noticed something and said, "Let¡¯s go. We need to see Mr. Li."

 Chapter 363: Informants in School

    <h4>Chapter 363: Informants in School</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi got in the car and Lin Dongxue followed right aftermenting, "Such a good and well-taught girl was actually killed like this. How pitiful."


    "In fact, decapitation is the least painful of all deaths."


    "I wouldn''t feelforted even if you said that. Would you dare tell that to the family of the deceased?"


    "I think the murderer has a low social status and may live near the deceased. They haveplex feelings towards the deceased''s family and should be around the same age as the girl. They cut off the head and hung it at the door of the deceased''s house. Their actions indicate a strong sense of revenge. The object of their hate includes the father of the deceased, so we can probably get a lead out of talking with him.¡±


    "Why do you say they¡¯re of the same age?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I¡¯ll tell you the reasoning for this analysister."


    In the evening, the two went to Li Mengran''s house. Mr. Li sat silently on the sofa and there were a lot of tear-stained tissues thrown on the coffee table. Aunty Wu held a bowl of noodles and said, "Sir, take a bite or your body will break."


    Mr. Li gave no response, as if his soul was lost.


    Entering this home, Lin Dongxue felt that the atmosphere was very depressing and suffocating. Mr. Li suddenly jumped up and asked, "Did the murderer get caught? Did the murderer get caught yet?"


    Chen Shi said, "We are still investigating. We are here to ask you about something."


    Mr. Li was indignant. "Why are the police so useless? Wouldn¡¯t you know just by viewing the surveince footage in the area? Even if no one is caught, you should quickly control the exits in the city. Don¡¯t let that scumbag run away! Have you found my daughter¡¯s body yet? Was she... Let me have a look at her!"


    Mr. Li was a little confused at present. Chen Shi pushed him back to the sofa and said, "Mr. Li, I assure you that we will keep investigating endlessly. However, this also requires your cooperation."


    Mr. Li punched his thighs and said, "Ranran is already dead. What''s the use of catching the real murder?! Officers, I won''t ask for anything else. Just shoot that person when you catch him. No, let me shoot him with my own hands. I know this is in vition of the rules, but I can give you money. I beg you to fulfill this father''s wishes... Everything is meaningless to me now. I just want to kill him and take revenge for Ranran!"


    Mr. Li¡¯s teeth made ttering noises as he ground them together with rage. Chen Shi followed the direction Mr. Li¡¯s words were going andmented, "It seems you love Ranran very much."


    "She is the pearl of my palm. The only meaning in my life. I worked hard because I hoped that she could live a good life. But now, everything is over! It''spletely over!"


    "I know this is a bit cruel to say, but I still ask you to ept the fact. Ranran wouldn¡¯t want to see her father live so painfully. The police and thew will definitely give you and your family justice."


    Listening to this, Mr. Li cried while covering his face. Chen Shi was a little relieved. The emotions he suppressed were released. They could finally question him properly.


    After waiting for his crying to finish, Chen Shi asked, "I want to know about your interpersonal rtionships."


    "My rtionships are very simple. First of all, Ranran¡¯s biological mother..."


    Mr. Li spoke about a few people briefly, and then Chen Shi asked again, "Can you please recall if you¡¯ve ever financially helped a child around the same age as Ranran?"


    "Why are you asking this?"


    "I have my reasons."


    "No." Mr. Li shook his head. "All my resources are used to invest into Ranran. My ie isn¡¯t high and my annual sry is only just over 400,000. How can I help other children?"


    "If you think of anything, please contact me. This is my number." Chen Shi wrote down his contact details on a piece of paper.


    "Okay, okay... By the way, I have a clue to provide. It was most likely this guy who did it!"


    "Tell us!"


    "Ranran has a little punk in her ss. It''s the kind of boy who doesn''t study hard and just ys all day. He dated Ranran for a while. I inserted a few ''informants'' in her ss to supervise my daughter. They¡¯re her ssmates. I spent some money to bribe them so they could report to me regrly. Around March this year, I heard from an ''informant'' that Ranran often left school talking andughing with that little punk. I was so angry that I asked her what was going on that night. After getting her written guarantee, the matter was finally over. Of course, she didn¡¯t hang around with that little idiot after that!"


    "What written guarantee? Let us take a look!"


    Mr. Li went to his study to open the safe, took out a guarantee. On it read: "I, Li Mengran, promise not to talk to Gao Xiang from now on. I will concentrate on my studies and be admitted to Peking University." There was a signature and inked fingerprint at the back.


    Lin Dongxue was a little startled. Were there still such parents out there? Mr. Li seemed a little proud. "I wouldn¡¯t say that my parenting is the best, but it¡¯s one of the best among all parents. This kind of thing should be discovered early and killed off, otherwise endless troubles will ur!" He thought of the fact that Li Mengran was no longer there and became sad again. "But that bastard actually took my daughter..." As he said this, he was about to crumble up the written guarantee.


    "Don''t do it!" Chen Shi took the guarantee. He suddenly noticed that Aunty Wu¡¯s expression was a little abnormal. "Do you have the contact details for this Gao Xiang person?"


    "You can ask her ss teacher to ask."


    "You just said that you had ¡®informants¡¯ installed at the school. How much do you usually give to those students?¡±


    "It''s all people with family difficulties. I give them at least a thousand and as much as five thousand."


    "Is there any way to contact them?"


    Chen Shi was obviously quite interested in these "informants" as he recorded their names and contact information one by one.


    Chen Shi looked at the noodles that had started disintegrating in the soup on the table and patted Mr. Li''s shoulder. "Would you like to go out for a walk and have a meal? I have something to ask your nanny alone."


    Mr. Li nced at Aunty Wu and said, "Aunty Wu isn¡¯t suspicious. Last night, we were together. Besides, she has been in our house for many years. She treats Ranran like her own child.¡±


    "I''m not suspicious of her. I''m just questioning her as part of our standard procedure."


    "Well then, I''ll smoke a cigarette on the balcony."


    After Mr. Li left, Chen Shi asked to go to Li Mengran''s bedroom for a little look. Aunty Wu sighed and said, "Ranran usually studies and rests here. How can this happen to such a good girl...?" Then, her eyes became red.


    Chen Shi asked, "Who has the key to this drawer?"


    "There¡¯s only one key which Ranran keeps to herself.¡±


    "Ranran just took the entrance exam. Among the evidence collected, we have her stationery bag, exam admission ticket, pencils and the like. But I didn''t see an ID card... Aunty Wu, are you hiding something?"


    Staring at Chen Shi''s sharp eyes, Aunty Wu was a little panicked and said, "Ranran came backst night!"


    "What time?"


    "About 10:00."


    Lin Dongxue was startled. "So, you¡¯re thest person to have seen the victim!"


    1. The author wrote ¡°eyeliner¡± instead of the word ¡°informant¡±. These two words are made up of the same characters, but ¡°eyeliner¡± has the two characters the other way around. In saying that, after tranting the entire chapter, I¡¯m pretty sure the author was trying to write ¡°informant¡± unless this is a ng I don¡¯t know about.

 Chapter 364 - Strict Parenting

    <h4>Chapter 364 - Strict Parenting</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "Xiaodong''s statement matches with this. He said that she went upstairs at 10:00.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded and asked Aunty Wu, "Why didn''t you tell the police?"


    "Wouldn¡¯t you treat me like a suspect if I did? I didn¡¯t expect this to happen when she came and took her ID. I was worried that as soon as I told you, I¡¯d be treated like I was suspicious."


    "Mr. Li wasn''t there at the time?"


    "Mr. Li went out to find her. Ranran came back in secret and had something to drink... The bottle that¡¯s half finished in the fridge was hers. Then, she took her ID away. She said she wanted to run away from home in order to scare Mr. Li a bit by just staying at an Inte caf¨¦ or hotel overnight. I specifically asked her to be careful but she told me that everything was okay because all the ces she nned to go to had surveince cameras... Who would have known that something like that would have happened at 1:00AM!¡±


    "You didn''t tell Mr. Li? It seems you usually take her side." Chen Shi said.


    "Haii, you don¡¯t know how strict Mr. Li ¡¯s parenting is. During the entirety of high school, there wasn¡¯t a single night where Ranran could sleep more than six hours. Not only did she have to study all night, he also had home tutors touch up on things with her. If she even got a slightly lower score than what was expected of her, he got her to write a review analyzing the reason. She often wrote it while crying... I just think about how pitiful this child is. No matter how much better off she is in terms of family background, she suffered ten times harder than ordinary children, so I usually take special care of her. Oh, yes, when she came homest night, I gave her a bag of baked cookies."


    "Her grades are pretty good. Why did Mr. Li trust the scammers and try to buy the test paper in advance?¡±


    "Huh? How do you know about this? Mr. Li really wanted her to go to Peking University. Actually, I just want to say that all the prestigious universities below Peking University would ept her, but Mr. Li had one-sidedly set his sights on Peking University. They quarreled precisely for this reason and he even pped her for it."


    "Anything else you want to tell us?"


    Aunty Wu shook her head.


    Chen Shi took out the photo of the box-cutter and said, "We found Ranran¡¯s blood on this and there was another person''s fingerprints on it as well. You¡¯re the one who cleans the room. The fingerprints are most likely yours, right?... You realize that this evidence is detrimental for you, right?"


    Aunty Wu was so scared she put her hand over her mouth. "I can exin this!"


    "Then exin!"


    "That was the time when Mr. Li forced Ranran to write a guarantee and told her to stop acquainting herself with a boy named Gao Xiang. She cried the whole night after writing that guarantee letter. The next day, Mr. Li went on a business trip. Ranran didn¡¯t wake up even though it was 9:00 in the morning and she didn¡¯t answer no matter how much I called her. It was odd to me because this child usually didn''t sleep in. So, I took the key that I had and opened the door to check on her. I saw Ranran holding the cutter in her hand whileying down on the bed. Her wrists were all cut open. I was terrified and immediately dialed 120. Fortunately, her life wasn¡¯t threatened. If Mr. Li knew about this, who knows how he would react? That¡¯s why I kept this event a secret.¡±


    "Do you know what the reason is? Is it because Mr. Li broke them apart?"


    "No, no, she told me about itter. Actually, she only had good feelings towards Gao Xiang, but they weren¡¯t dating. Gao Xiang sent her home that night, but he actually tried to take advantage of her while they were in a small alley. If there hadn¡¯t been a kind stranger passing by, she would have been ruined by him. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she was. She didn''t dare to go to ss again and didn''t dare to tell her family. That¡¯s why she did such a silly thing!"


    "So you hid the cutter?"


    "I did. I was afraid she would do something like that again. I hid it behind the papers she had already done."


    Chen Shi took the drink that Li Mengran drankst night as well as the cookies baked by Aunty Wu. She baked these because Ranran said that she loved to eat them. The cookies were tied up in small stic bags and there were five bags in total.


    Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re not doubting you, but we have to ask you to go to the bureau and repeat these words just now to make a detailed statement. Because another person is suspected right now, your statement can clear his suspicion."


    "If you don''t doubt them, do you doubt me?" Aunty Wu asked worriedly.


    "Why would that be? Firstly, you don¡¯t have the motive. Secondly, you had no time. I know that you¡¯re very good towards Ranran. Your testimony narrowed the time in which the murder ured, which is very helpful to our investigation."


    "Okay, okay, you have to exin to Mr. Li."


    "Of course!"


    Lin Dongxue called the bureau and the case was now officially filed. However, the third team was responsible for it. After negotiating with Lin Qiupu, the third team agreed to participate in the investigation with Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue contacted the team leader of the third team and asked him toe and take Aunty Wu back to make a statement.


    The two left and Chen Shi pressed the button for the elevator to go upwards. Lin Dongxue said, "You pressed the wrong button!"


    "I¡¯m going upstairs."


    "Upstairs?"


    "If what Aunty Wu said is true, I think Li Mengran still likes Gao Xiang. That¡¯s why when Gao Xiang tried to do something indecent to her, she had a strong sense of heartbreak and decided on the extreme act of suicide."


    "Do you think Gao Xiang is a suspect?"


    "I can¡¯t say if I haven¡¯t seen them before, but I don¡¯t n to go to the school. The murder technique is so sophisticated. The murderer probably isn¡¯t a student. Furthermore, the interpersonal rtionships at school are veryplicated. The two of us wouldn¡¯t be able to get through everything. It¡¯s better for the third team to wade through that muddy water instead!¡±


    "You¡¯re just going to sit here and steal the fruits of victory?"


    "How can you say that? There are both slow and fast investigations. If there¡¯s sufficient manpower, I would investigate slowly. Since we only have two people right now, I have to make haste! I¡¯m making an internal list to see which people have the highest probability of being the murderer. We¡¯ll investigate those people first. This method is a bit of a gamble, but it¡¯s a solution for now.¡±


    "But you always win your gambles!"


    "It¡¯s just luck!" Chen Shi smiled. In fact, what he really wanted to say was that it was because of gut-feelings and through simting the murderer''s thinking.


    The two took the elevator to the top floor and went up to the rooftop, but the rooftop door was locked. Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue, "Go and find the property manager."


    "Oh!"


    As soon as Lin Dongxue went down, Chen Shi pulled out the lockpick from his pocket, quickly opened the lock, and called out, "Come back! Come back! Someone clumsy must not have locked it properly. It opened as soon as I pulled on it."


    Lin Dongxue came up and looked at him inconceivably. "You''re way too lucky!"


    When they got to the rooftop, although it waste, the surrounding area was still visible since it took awhile for the skies to get dark during summer.


    Chen Shi looked around and kept taking photos with his mobile phone. Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you taking photos of?"


    "I¡¯m trying to see where the murder took ce. There was dirt on the head. Take a look." Chen Shi showed her the photos and the two discussed them one by one.


    "Although the flower beds on the road have soil, it¡¯s not possible since lots of carse and go! Pass!"


    "There¡¯s a yground in this school and it¡¯s very quiet at night, but would Li Mengran go there? Pass!"


    After screening out a bunch of photos, there was still a ce nearby that was left. It was a construction site. The two of them decided to pay that ce a visit immediately.

 Chapter 365: Sharp Shovel

    <h4>Chapter 365: Sharp Shovel</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two of them arrived at the construction site. At this time, the construction workers had already finished work and set up a wooden board to eat on. When they saw two strangersing in while they were eating dinner together, they looked at the two curiously.


    A foreman came over and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    Lin Dongxue showed them her badge. "We are investigating a case and want to look around."


    Then, they turned around and started looking for clues. Chen Shi asionally picked up a little soil as samples. Lin Dongxue suddenly called out, "Old Chen, look at this."


    She pulled out a shovel from a pile of sand. Because it had been used for a long time, the surface of the shovel was very smooth and the edges were sharp. Lin Dongxue inserted it into the ground and said, "This thing is sharper than I thought. You can probably even cut wood with it!"


    "Sand is silica and whetstones are silica as well. If it¡¯s used to shovel sand every day, it would sharpen naturally." Chen Shi picked it up in his hands. It wasn¡¯t light. He said, "Go that way and don''t turn back."


    "Oh, Okay."


    Lin Dongxue walked straight ahead but suddenly felt like someone was rushing towards her from behind. She immediately turned around and saw Chen Shi holding the shovel as if he was about to smack it into her. Lin Dongxue was startled and held her chest as she asked, "What are you doing?!"


    "Simting the killer''s movements. The shovel is pretty heavy. I don''t think that the killer can hold it while following the victim before murdering her."


    "So, it''s an acquaintance then?"


    "Or it was a nned ambush?" Chen Shi looked around while thinking to himself.


    "Don¡¯t look anymore. The construction site is dirty. At night when the lights are dim, Li Mengran wouldn¡¯t havee here after leaving the house wearing sandals.¡±


    At this time, Lin Dongxue received a call from Xu Xiaodong. He said excitedly, "I was released. It must be the evidence you and Brother Chen found!"


    "That''s great! You should get off work early and have some rest."


    "Are you guys still outside? Are you investigating the case? I¡¯lle as well!"


    Hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "Xiaodong was released. It seems like he¡¯se out of the threatening situation unharmed."


    "I¡¯ve already said that you don¡¯t need to worry about it. They don''t have enough evidence to do anything to him unless someone was deliberately trying to frame him.¡±


    "Hmm? It''s as if you¡¯ve experienced it yourself."


    "Haha, how could that be... Let¡¯s look over there!"


    The sky gradually darkened as the two of them walked around in the dirty construction site. Fearing that Lin Dongxue would fall, Chen Shi kept holding her hand. Thankfully, nobody was around to see them.


    When passing by a building foundation pit, Chen Shi shouted, "Pattern!" before jumping down. Lin Dongxue reacted and realized he had said "soil sample" instead[1].


    Chen Shi stood up straight from within the pit and raised his right hand. "Look at this soil. Doesn¡¯t it seem very simr to the soil found on the victim?"


    "It does seem a bit like it."


    After taking the sample, Lin Dongxue wanted to pull him up but Chen Shi said there was no need. He jumped up by himself like a seasoned professional before patting the dirt off his pants. He said, "This is a good ce tomit a crime. The foundation pit is so deep that you can even bury the body on the spot."


    "Let''s ask the person in charge."


    "They would have reported it if they found a corpse. I¡¯ll dig here and have a look."


    Chen Shi took the shovel, jumped into the foundation pit, and started digging. He didn''t dig in the same spot aimlessly. Instead, he dug out a little and smelled the soil. Lin Dongxue squatted beside the pit and asked, "Can you smell the blood?"


    "It¡¯s thanks to you. Since I quit smoking, my nose is much more sensitive now."


    "You haven¡¯t secretly smoked behind my back, right?"


    "Rx. Don¡¯t you know my character by now?"


    The weather was really hot. After digging for a while, Chen Shi was sweating a lot. Lin Dongxue felt her heart ache and went out to buy him a bottle of iced c. She happened to run into Xu Xiaodong while she was out.


    Xu Xiaodong volunteered to help. They inspected all the foundation pits that had not been filled with cement and determined that no corpses were buried there.


    Chen Shi climbed up and took a sip of the c. Feeling very refreshed, he said, "I inspected theyers of soil. This red y can only be found one meter below the ground. It seems that this is not the ce where the crime happened."


    "Are there any other ces around with this kind of soil?" Lin Dongxue wondered.


    The person in charge ran over and said, "Officers, the construction site is about to lock up. Haven''t you finished checking?"


    Chen Shi asked, "Where is the soil dug in this pit generally transported to?"


    "There is a rule in the city that the muck must be transported outside the city. It¡¯s usually dumped at the temple of the fire god."


    "You haven¡¯t transported any today, right?"


    "We wereying down the foundations fromst week all the way until yesterday, so ourst batch was transportedst night."


    "What time was it?"


    "From 6:00 to 12:00 at night because we were in a hurry!"


    "Is the driver who transports the sediment a colleague of yours?"


    "No, they¡¯re hired in for this."


    "Do you have their contact details?"


    "I''ll have a look for you."


    After getting the contact information of the truck driver, the three left. It was 8:00PM at this time. By that point, Chen Shi just wanted to go home and take a shower. Xu Xiaodong said, "It¡¯s thanks to you that I don''t have to stay in the detention center tonight. Let''s go. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner!"


    "It''s not my credit to take anyway since you weren¡¯t guilty to begin with!"


    "Let me express my gratitude."


    "Okay then, let''s go!"


    When they got to a restaurant, Xu Xiaodong ordered a few dishes. They all wanted to have a few cold beers to relieve the heat, but considering that they needed to drive, they just ordered iced sodas.


    Xu Xiaodong sighed, "When I was walking with Li Mengran on the streetst night, I really didn''t expect this to happen. I also deliberately sent her back into her neighborhood and watched her go upstairs before leaving. How could I have known... When I was called into the bureau and was taken into the interrogation room without exnation, I waspletely in shock. Although they don¡¯t suspect me anymore, when I think of her death, and so miserably of one at that, I feel awful."


    Chen Shi said, "In fact, sometimes it¡¯s not an issue to believe in superstition. Life and death are fixed numbers. We can only ept reality."


    "Haii!" Xu Xiaodong toasted and bumped into Chen Shi¡¯s cup.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What did you two talk about?"


    "She just talked about her father and how she wanted to run away from home. I advised her not to do stupid things. Before she had financial stability, she still had to rely on her family."


    "Why didn''t she look for her ssmates, but you instead?"


    Xu Xiaodong frowned. "Maybe I''m a reliable adult in her eyes. In fact, you know I''m like a child inside as well."


    "So, she thinks you¡¯re like a big brother!"


    "Haii, how could she die like this? It¡¯s just hard to ept!" Xu Xiaodong sighed and shook his head. "I applied to join the task force this time. I want to help no matter what!"


    "Rx, we¡¯ll definitely catch the killer." Chen Shi said.


    Early the next morning, after going to the bureau to report to duty, the three went to find the driver who transported the dregs. They were working at another site today. Chen Shi found the manager and asked for a list of names. The other party said, "Where would we find a list? They¡¯re all from thebor market and are all just temps[2]."


    "Then who transported the dregs near Huaxin District on the evening of June 9th? Can you make a list?"


    The manager seemed reluctant. Chen Shi took out a hundred yuan and said, "Please."


    "Okay, I''ll write a copy for you."


    After getting the list, Chen Shi nced over it and asked, "Who¡¯s the youngest on this?"


    The manager pointed to a name. "Little Zheng. They¡¯re only 19 years old this year."


    "He has a driver''s license?"


    "Yes, he lied about his age when he took the exam this year, but he¡¯s able to drive quite well."


    "Where is he?"


    "Unfortunately, the timing isn¡¯t right. He didn''te in today."


    1. They sound the same in Chinese.


    2. They don¡¯t have contracts for them

 Chapter 366: A Little Online Influencer

    <h4>Chapter 366: A Little Online Influencer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi suggested that they go and see where the dregs were dumped and drove along with the truck.


    When they got to the temple of the fire god, Lin Dongxue was stunned when she saw the dumping ground. "This is too big, right? It will take several days even if we called the entire second team toe over and dig."


    "Don¡¯t dig then. This kind ofborious work should be left to the third team! It doesn''t hold much value in finding the corpse anyway. The key is on Mr Li''s side of things."


    "I don¡¯t mean to ssh cold water on you, but are you sure that the killer is an acquaintance?"


    "It''s an acquaintance. Otherwise, how could they find the victim''s house and hang her head on the door?"


    "That¡¯s true!"


    Xu Xiaodong had been looking down at his phone the whole time. Chen Shi asked, "What are you looking at?"


    "Li Mengran''s Weibo. Everyone heard that she had an ident and wrote messages of their condolences on her Weibo. I also left a message."


    "Let me have a look!" Chen Shi took a look. "Is Li Mengran very popr? How are there over 20,000 followers?"


    "Wouldn¡¯t she have bought them? No matter how popr a middle school student is, there wouldn''t be so much attention."


    Chen Shi nced over. Li Mengran usually only posted photos of her daily life. Although she lived under the high pressure of taking tests, she still frequently posted some photos of kittens, wildflowers, or things she ate while she was outside.


    Chen Shi looked at the posts and asked, "Xiaodong, do you think Li Mengran is a girl who loves to show off everything online?"


    "She doesn¡¯t seem like that. Her family has a car and a house, and she wears branded clothes, but she rarely shows these off."


    Chen Shi quickly looked at the people who followed Li Mengran. These were not zombie fans. He was wondering why she was famous when Li Mengran hadn¡¯t even posted any particrlypelling content?


    Chen Shi said, "I''ll talk to Mr. Li again."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ll head back to the bureau and see what progress has been made, starting from Li Mengran''s interpersonal rtionships."


    "No, investigate Mr. Li¡¯s rtionships. The murderer''s intentions seem more like they¡¯re taking revenge on him."


    "Okay!"


    Back in the city, the three separated. Chen Shi didn¡¯t immediately go to Li Mengran''s house. He walked around the area, drawing lines on a hand-drawn map around him. Judging by these lines, if Li Mengran did intend to spend the night at an Inte cafe, the route she followed would ovep that of the truck carrying the muck.


    The entire third team was currently investigating Li Mengran''s rtionships at school. They heard that Gao Xiang, who had tried to sexually assault Li Mengran, was also invited to the office to "drink tea." Chen Shi¡¯s investigative direction made it seem like he was solo investigating the case. However, years of investigative work gave him a keen intuition. He felt the killer was based near the neighborhood.


    It may even be someone who he brushed past in these past two days!


    When he went to Li Mengran''s house, Mr. Li still didn''t go to work today. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was hallucinating, but Chen Shi felt that the hair around his temples had more gray hairs than thest time he saw him.


    Mr. Li was looking at Li Mengran''s photos from childhood with tears rolling out of his eyes. He looked up to see Chen Shi and asked, "Officer, how is the case progressing?"


    "It''s still under investigation, but there hasn¡¯t been any breakthrough progress." Chen Shi told him the truth.


    "Haii!"


    "I came to see you to know more about Li Mengran¡¯s situation."


    "The police have alreadye here six times. I¡¯ve told you everything that I know. Why do you police investigate cases so slowly?" Mr. Li grumbled.


    "May I look at this album?"


    "Go ahead!"


    Chen Shi flipped through the photos as Mr. Li introduced them. ¡°This was when Ranran turned one. This one was when she just learned to walk.¡± He smiled as he remembered, but began crying after he smiled.


    When he looked at the photos of when Li Mengran was around ten years old, Chen Shi noticed that in a photo, Li Mengran was standing in front of a big hill with a short, dark-skinned boy standing next to her. Chen Shi asked, "Is this your rtive?"


    "No, a child we met in the countryside."


    Chen Shi found that the photo was a bit thick. He touched it with his hand and pulled out a letter from the back that said, "Feifei, is your father okay? Long¡¯an has been raining this past month and it¡¯s boring to stay at home during the summer vacation. I want to go to your ce and catch the crickets... "


    Chen Shi asked, "What''s the meaning behind this letter?"


    "Let me see!" Mr. Li put on his sses and looked at it for a while. "Oh," he said, "I remember! I remember now! Ranran participated in a variety show when she was a child and went to experience life in the countryside. Then, a rural child came to our ce to experience life here."


    "So an exchange of families?"


    "It¡¯s a bit like that. It took them three days to film here. At that time, a TV station friend said that the show was very popr and that my family¡¯s Ranran had the temperament to be a star, so they persuaded me to participate. The filming wasn¡¯t the same as I expected. They all had scripts. It counts as a small episode in Ranran¡¯s growing experience!¡±


    Chen Shi took the letter and said, "Li Mengran wrote to the child? It seems they have a good rtionship. Do you know his name?"


    Mr. Li smiled bitterly, "You wouldn''t suspect that he was the murderer, right? Impossible. We¡¯ve never contacted them since then. Although Ranran wrote to him, I was afraid it would affect her studies, so I threw all the letters away. I¡¯m not sure why this letter was kept.¡±


    Chen Shi was interested. "Is there a recording of that show?"


    "You can view it online."


    Mr. Li took out hisptop and found the show. When he saw the cute ten-year-old Ranran on camera, he cried sadly again. When the rural child appeared, he began to fast forward, but Chen Shi said, "Don''t. Don''t. Let me watch from beginning to end. "


    "These are all acting!" Mr. Li said, "How could Ranran be so spoiled? She was very obedient at that time. The crew said that they wanted her to act to create an effect in the show. They made her drop the bowl and run away from the countryside, but it was all fake!¡±


    At the beginning of the program, two families and two children were introduced. It turned out that the rural child Little Fei was the same age as Li Mengran. However, it looked like he was smaller than Li Mengran because of the nutritional difference.


    Behind the lens, Li Mengran was obviously a spoiled little princess while Little Fei was a hard-working and obedient poor child.


    The program was divided into two episodes. The first episode was Li Mengran''s life in the countryside, suddenly going from thefortable and convenient city lifestyle into the deste countryside. Li Mengran had a huge psychological gap, and soon began to cry as she tried to go home.


    "Is this true?" Chen Shi asked.


    Mr. Li said, "These shots are all scripted. In the evening, it looks like she stayed at the dormitory of the elementary school. In fact, after she finished filming, she slept in the crew¡¯s car. In the morning, they would film her waking up at the elementary school¡¯s dorm again. But the vige was indeed very poor. I followed along at the time. It was the poorest vige out of all the viges in the surrounding area. The child''s home was the poorest in the whole vige. The crew sought it out on purpose. The surrounding viges got developed early on."


    The two watched the program silently. Mr. Li watched the program and thought about his daughter. He sighed and watched with tears in his eyes. Then, he couldn''t control his sadness any longer and went to the bathroom to cry.


    Chen Shi thought to himself. No wonder Li Mengran had so many Weibo fans. It turns out she was a little online influencer.

 Chapter 367: Leaving After Insulting, How Exciting

    <h4>Chapter 367: Leaving After Insulting, How Exciting</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi pulled out his phone while watching and called Lin Dongxue, "What are you doing right now?"


    "I¡¯m still in the bureau. Captain Peng said that the soil samples are the same, but there lots of ces in the city with this type of soil. In addition, he found some green paint in Li Mengran¡¯s hair.¡±


    "Don¡¯t check that for now. I''ll send you a link. Watch it with Xiaodong and check out where that boy is right now. If you don''t want the third team to take all the glory, then don¡¯t let them know about this lead."


    "Haha, you¡¯re worried they¡¯ll take credit for our work? They¡¯re mocking you as a consultant and saying your investigation direction is all wrong."


    "Let¡¯s see whoughs in the end. Hurry and watch it!"


    After a while, Lin Dongxue replied on QQ, "Isn''t this a variety show? Are you sure you didn¡¯t send me the wrong link?"


    Chen Shi replied, "It¡¯s the correct one!"


    Chen Shi vaguely felt like he had found the right clue and he excitedly felt for his cigarettes all over his body. Of course, he couldn¡¯t find any. There were some cigarettes in a can on the coffee table. He had some bad thoughts as he looked at the cigarette tin, but he managed to restrain himself.


    He continued to watch the second half of the show. In the second half of the show, Little Fei, a rural child, went to Li Mengran''s house. He was frightened by the elevator after using it for the first time. He went into the house to wash his hands. He was very interested in the tap that had hot watering out of it instantly.


    For the effect of the show, Little Fei always called Mr. Li his father during his stay in Li Mengran''s house. Mr. Li in the camera also behaved very kindly, taking him to eat pizza, visit the park, and buy new clothes.


    When the dream-like city trip was over, Little Fei returned to his hometown. Chen Shi closed the webpage, put down theptop, and left.


    He hurried back to the bureau. Lin Dongxue called him, and Chen Shi went inside with haste. "Don¡¯t rush. I''m here now. Are there any clues?"


    "We asked for the TV station''s project n. The child''s name is Zheng Zhifei. Then, we asked the police station in his hometown. The police station said that his household registration information has not been changed."


    "Maybe he just didn''t go to the police station to update it. Do they have a picture of him?"


    "No, the vige¡¯s police station is poorly equipped."


    Xu Xiaodong, who was still watching the show, asked, "Isn''t it on the program?"


    Chen Shi said helplessly. "Screenshot a picture! Try to make it as clear as possible. Remember how the transportationpany said that there was a driver named Little Zheng that night who was 19 years old? The one who didn¡¯t go to work today?"


    "Do you think Little Zheng is Zheng Zhifei?"


    "We can¡¯t say for sure. He¡¯s passed his driver''s license test. Let¡¯s check at the vehicle management office."


    The three of them hurried to the vehicle management office. Sure enough, there was a young man named Zheng Zhifei who took his driver''s license test this year. Theypared the ID photo on theputer. Although it had been nine years, they could see that they were the same person.


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. "The suspect is this rural child who once lived with Li Mengran''s family?"


    "Mr. Li hasn''t moved and there hasn''t been any major construction work around themunity. If he has a good memory, he can find them there."


    "What about motivation?"


    "Envy!" Chen Shi said, "In the beginning, I said that the murderer should be around the same age. Iter asked Mr. Li if he had helped other children because the actions conveyed by the murderer was to destroy this happy and blessed home. The nature of the murderer¡¯s strong feelings is likely to be jealousy. When one is jealous of another, they are often on a simr level. An ordinary person will not be jealous of the President of the United States but will be jealous of someone in the samepany who is doing better than themselves. Therefore, the killer and the victim may be the same age and might have stayed together."


    Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "Did you guess all that from the beginning?"


    "I just tried to figure out the heart of the murderer and developed a psychological portrait. A person¡¯s every move will reflect their hearts, not to mention the extreme behavior of murder... After investigating, I found that Zheng Zhifei was the best candidate in my mind."


    Xu Xiaodong frowned. Lin Dongxue asked him what was wrong. Xu Xiaodong said, "I thought Li Mengran''s death was caused by deep reasons like love and hatred, etc. The result was only because another child was jealous of her family. She died for such little value! I¡¯m heartbroken!"


    "Don''t be too sad." Lin Dongxue patted his shoulder andforted him.


    Zheng Zhifei went to work in the city, but he didn¡¯t even have a temporary residence set up. They couldn¡¯t find any clues. When they went to his residence, they found that the person was already gone. It was not until the evening that they learned from the information department that Zheng Zhifei bought a ticket and left Long¡¯anst night.


    They struggled to find this clue, but upon knowing of this bad news, mncholy descended on them.


    At the case meeting the next morning, the third team was in full discussion. The whiteboard was filled with the victim¡¯splicated interpersonal rtionships. The captain of the third team, Bi Guoliang, was an old smoker. He took the lead in smoking in the conference room. The room was messy, and Lin Dongxue was so choked up she was about to suffocate.


    After a round of the team members reporting their findings, Bi Guoliang asked, "How about the findings of the three people from the second team?"


    Chen Shi said, "Sorry, but we¡¯ve already found the real murderer!"


    After speaking, Bi Guoliang took the lead for their team andughed. "Consultant Chen, you¡¯re exaggerating so much that it¡¯s unrealistic, right? You want to say that a child who lived in the house of the victim for three days a whole nine years ago, returned to Long¡¯an with envy and killed the victim?"


    "Please think about it. For a child growing up in a poor mountainous region, after going through three fantastic days in the city and returning to his home, the psychological difference would be too great. Why did hee to Long¡¯an to work so close to the deceased''s house? During this period, he probably contacted the deceased. Maybe the deceased had already forgotten this child long ago. The two''s clothing, environment, and conversations reminded him that they¡¯re not from the same world at all... But for Zheng Zhifei, he was a strong man who had nothing to worry about. He could make up for the deficiency in his heart through other means. That is to destroy it if he can¡¯t have it!¡±


    "Unfounded spection. You don''t even have decent evidence. And where¡¯s Zheng Zhifei anyway?"


    "Returned to his hometown. Can we trouble you hard-working police officers to make a trip there?"


    "If you think you¡¯re right, you can check it by yourself. We won''t stop you. Our investigation direction was different to begin with. It¡¯s nice if everyone walks their own way."


    "Okay! Let''s go guys!"


    As the three were leaving, Chen Shi turned around and said, "As an ordinary citizen, I have something to say to you."


    "Say it."


    "I''m not targeting anyone in particr. Everyone here..."


    After saying this, Chen Shi ran away. The meeting room exploded. Xu Xiaodong wasughing so much that his back bent. "Brother Chen you¡¯re so mighty. You¡¯ve offended the whole third team at once. You need to be careful in the future."


    "Haha, I wanted to try and say this long ago."


    Lin Dongxue was alsoughing. "Don''t be so cocky. It¡¯s better to be a low-key person in life."


    "asionally, you¡¯ll need to let me rebel a little. I have to say though, running away after insulting them is very exciting!"

 Chapter 368: Coming From a Distant Place

    <h4>Chapter 368: Coming From a Distant ce</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Brother Chen, Zheng Zhifei''s home is in a small mountain vige hundreds of kilometers away. Do we really have to go and arrest him there? Moreover, we still can¡¯t apply for an arrest warrant."


    Chen Shi mumbled, "Since the third team is unwilling to help, we can only make our own way there."


    At this time, Peng Sijue walked in. "You''re in the limelight again. Is it so interesting to offend people?"


    "I must throw this mess to Captain. If it wasn''t for the fact that he gave the case initiative to the third team in the beginning, we wouldn''t be investigating so passively right now... Old Peng, can you take someone to check Zheng Zhifei''s truck? I''m certain traces can be found on it. Xu Xiaodong and I will leave for the vige now. When you¡¯ve applied for an arrest warrant, send it to us immediately."


    "Helping is not a problem, but what if your spection is wrong? Wouldn''t you just go there for nothing?"


    "It was originally already an all-in gamble. We¡¯ll just be a bit capricious this time as the long night will bring about a lot of dreams[1]." Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I believe in Old Chen''s judgment. It¡¯s no coincidence that Zheng Zhifei appeared here and then left Long¡¯an after the case happened. I¡¯ll go with you guys."


    Chen Shi said, "Don''te with us. It''s more convenient for Xiaodong and I to go to deste ces like that. You should cooperate with Captain Peng with all your might!"


    Peng Sijue reminded him, "Let me state in advance that our forensics squad is not assigned to serve the second team. If you cannot find evidence and we use police resources to investigate without authorization, you and I must both bear the responsibility."


    Chen Shi blinked at him. "You think I don¡¯t know who your favorite is by now? Let¡¯s go and buy a train ticket."


    Xu Xiaodong picked up a gun from the armory and they booked train tickets with their mobile phones. Then, they bought arge bag of food and got on the train in the afternoon. Xu Xiaodong, who hadn¡¯t been on a business trip for a very long time, was particrly excited and had a great chat with the aunt across from him. Chen Shi closed his eyes to rest and said, "Remember to charge up your energy. You¡¯ll have a long road of suffering when we get to the mountain vige."


    In the evening, Chen Shi received a text message from Lin Dongxue. "We found blood on the truck that Zheng Zhifei drove. In addition, the paint on the truck was the same as theposition of the green paint on the victim''s hair."


    Chen Shi replied, "Good job. Apply for an arrest warrant early tomorrow morning."


    It was alreadyte at night when the train arrived. The two had a big meal before they found a ce to rest. They received a faxed arrest warrant in a print shop the next morning.


    The truly difficult journey had only just started. In the morning, they took a bus that drove over a bumpy road. At noon, they arrived at the mountain vige where Zheng Zhifei lived. The police station here had four police officers. On a hot day, they were mediating a small dispute over a viger¡¯s cow eating their neighbor¡¯s crops. Xu Xiaodong showed his badge to them and the station director enthusiastically said, "Oh,rades from the city. What rare visitors. Let¡¯s go and have a meal in the station!"


    Along the way, Chen Shi asked the director, "Do you know Zheng Zhifei?"


    "Zheng Zhifei? Zheng''s son? I watched him grow up when he was a kid. He¡¯s a tiger head and brain[2]. I haven''t seen that child for two years now. I heard that he went to work in the city."


    "What''s the situation with his family?"


    "His family is a poor household in the vige. His father had been sick for many years and relied on the few acres ofnd in front of them to survive. His mother ran away when he was three years old. I heard that he had participated in a TV program when he was ten years old. It was big news among the vigers at the time. When he was twelve years old, his father died after drinking pesticide. We found a suicide note under Zheng''s pillow, so we determined it to be suicide. The child lived in his aunt''s house for a year and then I heard that he went to work in the city."


    "Where does he live?"


    The director pointed at the hill in front of him. "You have to go over this hill. Then, you¡¯ll see a broken tower. His house is just east of the tower."


    Xu Xiaodong was startled and asked, "How far would we have to go?"


    "People in our vige have to walk for about three hours. Those who are unfamiliar with mountain roads can take over a day. I suggest you two stay in the house until 3:00 in the afternoon and follow the children after school so as not to get lost."


    "You don''t have transportation methods at the station then?"


    "We have a jeep, but it can¡¯t go up the hills."


    Chen Shi nced at Xu Xiaodong with a forced smile and went inside. The director fetched some water to wash their faces and said that he would prepare a big meal for them. Chen Shi said that they didn¡¯t need to, but the director pushed back saying that they should.


    It turned out that this "big meal" was the precious noodles that the officers didn¡¯t have the heart to eat. It was made with wild vegetable and dough soup[3]. The meal was held on a stone mill in the courtyard. Chen Shi contributed several garlic sausages, which turned out to be the only meat on the table.


    After eating, Xu Xiaodong really didn''t want to move anymore. Chen Shi said, "The mountain road will take three hours. If we go now, we¡¯ll be able to arrest the person by nightfall."


    Xu Xiaodong then set offzily. The director sent a policeman named Little Wang to show them the way. He took special care of reminding them that they couldn¡¯t smoke on the mountains as bushfires were no joke.


    The three climbed up the hill slowly. When they were one-fifth of the way, the two were so tired that they were about to copse. Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong usually exercised, but walking on the mountains, they found that their usual exercise wasn¡¯t enough on this long mountain road.


    Chen Shiughed while holding a tree branch. Xu Xiaodong panted and asked, "Brother Chen, what are youughing about?"


    "I was thinking that if Old Peng hade here, he would have been sacrificed halfway."


    Xu Xiaodongughed and asked Little Wang, "Brother Wang, are we close now?"


    Little Wang, who was far ahead of them, replied, "There¡¯s still ways to go. There¡¯s still a quarter left to go."


    "My God!"


    When they saw the tower, it was already 5:00 in the afternoon. Both of them overestimated their physical capabilities. After walking up the mountain all afternoon, they were so tired that they were sweating and panting.


    Little Wang took them to knock on the door of Zheng Zhifei''s house. A dark-skinned boy opened the door halfway vigntly and asked, "Who''s are you looking for?"


    "You can¡¯t even remember me anymore? I belong to the police station. These two are policerades from Long¡¯an City. They have something to ask you." Little Wang informed.


    Noting Zheng Zhifei''s alert expression, Xu Xiaodong secretly made a move to take out his gun.


    Chen Shi asked, "About 10:00 on the evening of June 9th, where were you?"


    Zheng Zhifei furrowed his brows. "After I finished driving, I returned to the dorm."


    "What was the approximate time?"


    "About 10:30."


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "That''s not what your roommate said. I''ll ask you again. Why did you suddenly leave Long''an? Was there anything urgent at home?"


    "What does it matter to you?"


    "It¡¯s a matter of human life. You¡¯re asking us why it matters?"


    Xu Xiaodong took out the arrest warrant. "Zheng Zhifei, we suspect that you have something to do with the murder of the case we¡¯re investigating. Come back with u-"


    Before he could finish talking, Zheng Zhifei suddenly mmed the door. There was the sound of him trying to lock the door. Fortunately, Chen Shi used his body to hold a gap in the door before he could do so. Seeing that the bolt couldn¡¯t be reached, Zheng Zhifei stepped on an old storage dolly near the wall of the courtyard to prepare his escape. Xu Xiaodong rushed up and dragged him down before cuffing him.


    Chen Shi said, "Young man, you ran well. If you didn¡¯t run, we wouldn¡¯t have suspected you this much."


    Zheng Zhifei gritted his teeth and red at them. "I¡¯m the one who murdered her. Go ahead and arrest or kill me!"


    "Okay. You need toe back with us!"


    1. So as not to drag it out, creating more variables.


    2. A dignified and strong person.


    3. The dough is just randomly shaped by the people making it and is used as a carb recement for noodles, etc. It used to be made by poor people, but nowadays, it¡¯s a dish you can order in restaurants

 Chapter 369: Distress on the Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 369: Distress on the Mountain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three didn¡¯t immediately take him away. Xu Xiaodong held the urge to urinate the entire time. When they cuffed Zheng Zhifei, he quickly looked for a toilet. Little Wang said there was one outside. He went outside to see that there was a simple toilet hut in that field. When Xu Xiaodong went in, he cursed. "Fuck, won¡¯t I fall down this thing?"


    In the yard area, Chen Shi pumped up some water using the manual water pump to wash his face and drank a stomach full. The mountain spring water was indeed sweet and clear. He filled up his drink bottle to the brim.


    He went back into the house and walked around. The house was extremely barren and filled with the smell of cigarettes. Leftover cup noodles were scattered on the ground. Zheng Zhifei had been watching TV on top of the firepit stove earlier. Chen Shi turned off the TV and noticed that there was something on the stove. It was a girl''s hairpin.


    He found a newspaper and used it to pick up the hairpin. He discovered blood on it and wrapped it up before keeping it on himself.


    After returning from the toilet, Xu Xiaodong said bitterly, "Brother Chen, it''s gettingte. We should stay here overnight and then hurry on early tomorrow morning.¡±


    "Hurry up. It won''t get dark until 8:00 in this season. When we get back to town, we¡¯ll fill our bellies with a big meal.¡±


    When he heard about a big meal, Xu Xiaodong drooled. Little Wang took out a Chinese pastry and ripped it up to share it between them. "Eat this pastry for now!" Chen Shi divided his piece and tried giving it to Zheng Zhifei who was leaning against the courtyard wall. He turned his head away and refused to eat.


    On the way back, the sky was getting darker. As they had to bring the suspect along, their speed was obviously slower.


    When they arrived at a t surface near a cliff, Xu Xiaodong was too tired to walk. He sat down and panted. Zheng Zhifei suddenly jumped up and hurled himself towards the cliff. Xu Xiaodong was stunned, but his body couldn''t move.


    Chen Shi flung himself over and tried to hold him back. However, Zheng Zhifei''s falling momentum was too strong, and the two of them fell down together.


    "Brother Chen! Brother Chen!"


    Xu Xiaodong rushed to the edge of the cliff. When he saw the two people had fallen down on a protrusion on the cliff, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, there was a gap of five meters between him and that area, so he couldn''t get down.


    Zheng Zhifei fell on the left and Chen Shi sat on the right, saying, "Xiaodong, I hurt my spine and can''t move."


    "Wait there. Officer Wang and I are going to find a rope to save you."


    "Hurry back!"


    Xu Xiaodong walked away for five seconds before popping his head back over the cliff. "Brother Chen, I¡¯ll give you my gun to defend yourself.¡±


    "No, no, no. I can protect myself."


    Xu Xiaodong gritted his teeth and hurried down the hill with Little Wang.


    Chen Shi was sitting on the ground with his hand on his back. Zheng Zhifei crawled over and the two of them looked at each other quietly for a long time. Zheng Zhifei began to use his hands which were cuffed together to touch the stones. Chen Shi realized what he wanted and said, ¡°Killing a police officer? Do you want to break the prison floors with how long you¡¯re going to sit there for?"


    "Ha, if I killed you and jumped off from here, I would have won an extra life. It¡¯s not a loss!"


    Chen Shi sneered. "How did that girl offend you? To kill her so cruelly and hang her head in front of her house... Do you know that her father''s hair turned white?"


    "..."


    "You like her, right? But you couldn¡¯t have her!"


    Zheng Zhifei was stabbed where it hurt and he pursed his lips. "If it wasn''t for that crew who went to this poor mountain ditch to shoot the show, all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened!"


    "Let''s talk. You¡¯ll feel better after talking about it."


    Zheng Zhifei was silent for a moment and then said, "I grew up here. This mountain is my entire world. At the age of ten, a TV crew came to inquire about things at school, found me, and said that they wanted to make a show to send me to live in the city for a few days. Of course, I was very happy. My dad also said that it was a good thing to have a chance to get out of the mountains, so we agreed. A few dayster, a little white-skinned girl was sent in to live in my house. She was curious about everything here, and I took her around to introduce her, to catch bugs, to pick wild fruits, to y in the river...¡±


    "Three dayster, I went to the city with her. I had watched it on TV before and thought that the city was just full of high-rise buildings. But when I got to the city, I realized that the ce was like heaven. The elevator could rise up to the 20th floor in one go. The water faucets could give out hot water with one nudge. The refrigerator was stuffed full with food. The kitchen was so clean there weren¡¯t any rodents... I was so shocked when I had my first meal there. People in the city ate rice as white as snow and the table was full of dishes I couldn¡¯t name. This was just their everyday meals. After dinner, Li Mengran gave me a white drink. It was both sour and sweet. I never drank anything like it before. I saw the box had abel on it. This small bottle cost two yuan. My dad can only make ten yuan a day, but their refrigerator was full of this beverage.¡±


    "Iy on a fragrant, warm bed and wept. Why was there such a big difference between people? Why do some people get to live in such a house from the moment they were born? Every tile on their floor was like gold! Have you watched that show before? Was I really stupid on it? Li Mengran even bullied me. In fact, all of that was a performance. She was really nice to me. She called me brother, making me... allowing me to be really ttered!¡±


    "After the dream-like three days ended, the TV shoot ended. The crew bought me a ticket and threw me back to the vige. They never got in touch again. I used the money given to me by Father Li to buy a bus ticket and went home. Since then, I discovered that my house was so small. The walls were so broken and the food I ate was so difficult to swallow. The children in the city were getting spoiled by their parents at the dining table, but all I could hear were my father¡¯sints and cursing. I was ignorant and always said that I wanted to go to Father Li''s house. My dad told me that they¡¯re really busy and that I wouldn¡¯t be wee even if I went. The more I talked about it, the more my dad got impatient with me and stopped exining the reasoning. Instead, he just scolded me for not knowing my ce.¡±


    "Since then, I didn''t seem to be living. I thought that I should be a child in the city. I was abandoned in this abominable ce. I always go to the mountainste at night to see if there would be a car to pick me up. Day after day, no miracle happened. I missed everything in the city. I missed Li Mengran. I didn''t want to y with those barefooted, thin, and dark-skinned children[1]. I just missed her, day and night..."


    Chen Shi interrupted him. "At the age of twelve, you killed your father?"


    Zheng Zhifei''s eyes looked fierce as he responded. "Yes, because he found my notebooks, which were full of Li Mengran''s name. He hit my face with that notebook, saying that I had forgotten my ce and was seduced by a ghost. I felt like I was... It was like being stripped of all my clothes and being publicly humiliated. That¡¯s why I mixed pesticide into his medicine and imitated his handwriting to forge a will. The police didn¡¯t know that he was illiterate. All the documents he had filled out before were all done by me."


    Zheng Zhifeiughed. "Ironically, I learned this technique from a TV series shot by people in your city. I didn''t want to stay here for a day longer, so I dropped out of school to work in the city. I used all the money I had to buy a train ticket to Long''an without thinking. I wanted to see her. I couldn''t bear it! I gave her my first time in my life. The day before I left the city, it was my first time trying to masturbate, and it was while I was thinking of her!"


    1. He means the children from the countryside. As they have to help their families who are most likely farmers as well as y outside due tock of entertainment, they usually have to be out in the sun more. That¡¯s most likely why they mentioned Li Mengran, a well-off girl from the city, having fair skin.

 Chapter 370: Don’t Push Everything Onto Society

    <h4>Chapter 370: Don''t Push Everything Onto Society</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zheng Zhifei was silent for a while and tossed a few stones down the cliff. Chen Shi took advantage of the gap in the story and said, "I noticed that you speak like a city person."


    "Uncle, do you know what my favorite type of entertainment is?"


    "I¡¯m guessing... Watching TV?"


    "That''s right! When I came to the city, I found a ce to work. I waited tables, collected sewage water, and handed out leaflets. I didn''t have bad hobbies and didn''t spend a lot of money. The only entertainment I had was watching TV. I love watching all kinds of programs. I love watching the life of the people in the city. Everything on TV was better than reality. When I got my first paycheck, I went to find her. I saw her walking with a few girls and eating ice cream, talking about topics that I couldn''t understand. I didn''t daree forward to talk to her. I was wearing tattered clothes and stood like a beggar in front of the princess. I didn''t have the courage.¡±


    "But, I often followed her and she never even found out. Finally, I gathered my courage and bought clean clothes to knock on the door of her house. When I saw Father Li, I said timidly, ''I''m looking for Li Mengran!¡¯ Father Li answered me coldly, saying she was having a nap before closing the door."


    Chen Shi said, "He may have thought of you as her ssmate."


    Zheng Zhifei shook his head stubbornly. "He just doesn''t want to recognize me! It must be like that! I often stood at the bottom of that building and looked up. I thought that such a tall building required countless yuan to build and that it was also the distance between me and her... I spent year after year in the city, and I also had a girlfriend for some time. She was a rural woman like me. She was short-sighted and a woman who was very realistic and annoying. That¡¯s why we broke up.¡±


    "Uncle, maybe you can''t feel it. There is an invisible wall in the city that separates us from you. We can only eat boxed lunches in the corner and watch the city¡¯s beauty, but we will never belong there..."


    Chen Shi interrupted him and said, "The people in the city are just as indifferent and cold to the other people in the city. The invisible wall you talked about exists everywhere."


    Zheng Zhifei continued, "One night, I followed her and saw her walking with a boy. Theyughed and joked. Later, the boy suddenly started touching her. I walked over angrily and beat the boy! I said to her, ''Li Mengran, do you remember me?'', but she just looked at me in fear and ran away. I didn''t believe she didn''t remember me and ran outside her house. I heard her crying and her father yelled loudly, ¡®You¡¯re not allowed to acquaint yourself with those people!'' She said in response, ''I hate him. He took the initiative to find me!'' My heart turned cold. I didn¡¯t know how I got downstairs..."


    "I think you misunderstood. She was talking about Gao Xiang. That is, the boy who tried having his way with her. She hid from you not because she was afraid of you. The first reaction for a young girl who encountered something like that is to flee."


    "It¡¯s not like that!" Zheng Zhifei shouted. "She looked at me for a long time but ran away. She must remember me, but she didn¡¯t want to recognize me. In the eyes of her and her father, I was just like a smelly bug. They don¡¯t want to look at me!"


    Chen Shi sighed. Due to his strong inferiorityplex, the child had such a misunderstanding.


    Perhaps he had realized this misunderstanding in his subconsciousness, but this misunderstanding was the fuse that killed Li Mengran, so he was unwilling to admit it. If it was acknowledged, the killing would have been all for naught.


    This was his self-esteem looking for a cloth to cover his shame for himself. However, Chen Shi didn¡¯t want to point that out. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to drive a murderer crazy in this situation.


    "So, you developed the intent to kill?" Chen Shi asked.


    Zheng Zhifei shook his head. "I''m not exactly sure when it started to change from love to hatred. After that, whenever I saw her, there would be a tingling in my heart, which made me feel very pained. That night, I transported the sediments away from the construction site. The bits spilled out on the road. I got out of the car to fix it back up when I happened to see her walk past... I caught up and called out, ''Li Mengran!'' She looked at me in surprise and said, ''You have the wrong person!'' before leaving. At that moment, I understood that she would never want to recognize me. Our shared memories meant nothing to her. She was a proud city person. A hateful city person, so... I killed her! I smashed her to death, dragged her to the car, transported her to an empty ce, and then cut off her head with a shovel! At that moment, I felt as if I had ovee a demon, and the girl of my dreams died like this. She was killed by my own hands. Haha, the people in the city are so fragile as well, hahahaha..."


    Zheng Zhifeiughed frantically and theughter echoed in the woods below. Chen Shi shook his head and thought that it was a shame. "You really have a demon in your heart! You don''t know about her life. She isn¡¯t as carefree as you think. She didn''t sleep over six hours a day for the entrance examination. She studied hard and had to endure her father''s constant scolding at home. She got a good grade, but her father thought it wasn¡¯t enough and hit her in the quarrel... When you saw her that night, she was running away from home."


    Zheng Zhifei wasn¡¯t impressed. He shouted, "At least she doesn''t have to think about how to earn her next meal. She doesn''t need to sleep in a dirty, smelly, and hot dormitory. She doesn''t have to grit her teeth and work hard even when she is sick. Being baked by the sun and getting drenched by the rain... I¡¯m willing to trade anything to have her life. Why was I born in such a family? Why is there such an injustice in the world? What have I done wrong? Tell me what to do!"


    Chen Shi answered gently. "ept fate!"


    "Hahahaha, you sound like my dad..."


    "ept fate, then work hard!" Chen Shi said. "You can''t change your own birth, but you can change your future. You are destined to suffer more than those children born with a golden spoon[1], but this is destiny. What can be changed by killing people in jealousy? You just ruined a family! You are weaker and more stupid than those who are struggling to survive!"


    "I don''t ept my fate!" Zheng Zhifei gritted his teeth and raised his feet towards the cliff.


    Chen Shi suddenly rushed over and pressed him to the ground. Zheng Zhifei''s legs thumped around hard as he struggled. Chen Shi took off his belt and tied his feet.


    "You!"


    "Sorry. I didn''t hurt my spine. I just deliberately said that. Just ept your fate obediently and take legal responsibility for what you did!"


    "Shameless city people!"


    "Don''t wear the words ¡®city people¡¯ or ¡®rural people¡¯ on your lips all the time. I despise you, but you alone. It has nothing to do with the ce where you were born! The world will not spend more resources to change you anymore. You will only be thrown into prison, together with other scum as you rot!"


    "The world has never given me anything!"


    "It gave you family and loved ones. It has given you the opportunity to receive education. Don''t push everything onto society. You are here today because of your own decisions!"


    Footsteps came from above and Xu Xiaodong shouted, "Brother Chen!"


    Chen Shi responded, "We¡¯re here!"


    1. Equivalent of silver spoon. They often use golden spoon, golden key, etc to represent this.

 Chapter 371: Hidden Corpse in the Refrigerator

    <h4>Chapter 371: Hidden Corpse in the Refrigerator</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Unexpectedly, Xu Xiaodong actually brought back arge group of people, including a cameraman carrying a video camera.


    Chen Shi asked, "What happened?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "When we went down the mountain, we met a TV crew who came to film a variety show. They brought adder with them.¡±


    "Don''t shoot! Turn off the machine!" Chen Shi roared.


    The two finally got rescued. The crew provided them with water and food. The thirsty and hungry Chen Shi drank a full bottle of mineral water, ate a bag of bread, and gave Zheng Zhifei some. This time, he obediently ate and drank the food.


    The director of the crew said, "Oh, we didn''t expect any unexpected gains. Where did youe from?"


    Chen Shi countered, "Where did youe from?"


    "We are from the xx satellite TV station. We came here to shoot a variety show. It¡¯s a new idea where we pick a child from a poor mountainous area, and then find another in the city. After that..."


    "Ten years ago, there was already this kind of show. Is this also called a new idea?"


    "It''s fine! Our show pays more attention to entertainment. Ah, yes, you¡¯re an officer here to arrest a criminal, right? Can you do a few shots with us?"


    Xu Xiaodong asked excitedly, "Is there money if we are on the show?"


    The director said, "We can negotiate the sryter! But, you have to follow the script. Take a break here and I¡¯ll discuss with the screenwriter to arrange some lines for you... This isn¡¯t fake. It¡¯s essential for the effect of the program and the ratings!"


    Chen Shi dragged Zheng Zhifei up and said, "Let¡¯s go. Don''t y with them!"


    When they left, the director rushed over and said, "Officer, we can negotiate if something¡¯s wrong!"


    Chen Shi and the others just responded with their cold backs. Zheng Zhifei sneered. "City people love to look at our broken mountain vige to show their ¡®generosity¡¯ and ¡®kindness¡¯. How disgusting!"


    After spending the night at the local police station, Chen Shi texted Lin Dongxue. When she learned that the suspect was arrested, she was very happy and told Chen Shi something. Another person''s DNA was found in the mouth of the deceased. If it was confirmed that it was Zheng Zhifei¡¯s, it would be solid evidence.


    Chen Shi asked Zheng Zhifei, "You kissed Li Mengran?"


    Zheng Zhifei desperately denied it, but the subsequent DNA test results confirmed that it was indeed his. Chen Shi thought that if Zheng Zhifei didn¡¯t hang the head at the door of the Li family, but instead threw it out into the wilderness, this case might not have been solved so smoothly.


    But of course, he just thought about this in his heart and couldn''t say it out loud.


    On the way back, Zheng Zhifei seemed absent-minded. He only cared about a few questions. "Is there meat in prison?", "Is there a TV in prison?", "Are there cigarettes in prison?"


    Chen Shi replied, "They have all of those, but I promise that you¡¯ll definitely miss the free life you had in the vige when you go to prison."


    After returning to Long''an and delivering the criminal, Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong rushed to a restaurant and ate to their heart¡¯s content. After this chase, the third team looked at Chen Shi in a new light. They let go of his words "spicy chicken"[1] and even asked Lin Qiupu in a roundabout manner, "When is your consultant Chen free? There are several cases in our team that haven¡¯t been solved and I want to hear his opinions on them."


    On June 10th [2], the police took Zheng Zhifei to the suburbs and found the body of Li Mengran buried under the soil. When he saw her body was already a little bit rotten, Zheng Zhifei tightened his face, but his eyes shed with tears.


    Chen Shi gave him a piece of paper and Zheng Zhifei eximed after reading them, "What is this?!"


    "The letter Li Mengran wrote to you when she was eleven years old. Actually, she wrote ten up, but not a single one of them was sent out. Her father was afraid it would affect her studies."


    "What¡¯s the point of you showing me these now?! Why did you show me these now?!" Zheng Zhifei looked very agitated. Chen Shi was afraid Zheng Zhifei would tear the letter up, so Chen Shi rushed to snatch it back.


    A car was stopped by the roadside. Li Mengran''s father had somehow received the news, came, and knelt in front of the corpse, weeping and crying. Chen Shi looked at this scene and felt a headacheing on. He greeted Lin Dongxue, "There¡¯s nothing else for me to do, so I¡¯m going to head off first. "


    "No loyalty!"


    On the way back, Chen Shi received a text from an unfamiliar number. "Detective Chen, there¡¯s something in the refrigerator in unit 2, 5th floor, building 4 of section 3 at the Garden Estate. The key is under the doormat."


    His mood fell, hesitated for a few seconds before driving over to the apartment. Chen Shi really found the key under the doormat and pushed the door in. The house was extremely messy and there were some dark red stains on the floor.


    Realizing something was wrong, he picked up the newspaper on the table, wrapped his shoes, and walked into the room.


    When he opened the lower part of the refrigerator and saw the contents, his pupils contracted unconsciously. He immediately called Lin Qiupu. "Captain Lin, is the case over?"


    "It''s over. The materials have been submitted to the prosecutor''s office."


    "Sorry, I''m afraid you guys can¡¯t today. There¡¯s a new case!"


    1. It has the same pronunciation as ¡°trash¡±


    2. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s Note: The date here should be June 13th but is left unchanged in event of consistency issuester on.

 Chapter 372: Poor Eyesight

    <h4>Chapter 372: Poor Eyesight</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 25: A Ray of Light Amongst Darkness


    When Lin Qiupu, Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue, and the others arrived, Chen Shi sat on the stairs and said, "Hey, it''s that door. The key is here!"


    He threw the key over and Lin Qiupu said, full of suspicion, "Why are you here?"


    "I''ll tell youter."


    Everyone entered the room, and saw a messy living room with old blood stains on the ground. Knife marks on the overturned coffee table could be seen and their police instincts told them that a case must have happened here. Lin Qiupu asked, "Where¡¯s the body?"


    "In the refrigerator. I promise you¡¯ll be shocked!" Chen Shi walked in from behind.


    They opened the refrigerator and saw the corpse hidden inside. They couldn''t help but inhale sharply. The shelf dividing the lower part of the refrigerator[1] had been removed. The corpse was stuffed inside like a contortionist, and the victim¡¯s expression was one of shock under ayer of frost.


    It was a man. From his build, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to be stuffed inside. However, the murderer had done some "trimming" and chopped through the cartge of several of his joints. His legs were folded over his shoulders from the back and his hands were folded backwards, hugging his legs.


    The white shirt, which was blood-stained, had been frozen solid.


    Peng Sijue put on his gloves and touched the body. "It looks like he''s been dead for a long time. He¡¯s frozen solid. Turn the power off first!"


    Chen Shi said, "I feel that the killer is very pragmatic. After he killed him, he didn¡¯t show off at all. He stuffed the corpse into the refrigerator. It wouldn¡¯t have rotted, and there wouldn¡¯t be a smell. No one would find it for as long as ten days to half a month."


    "How did you find out then?!" Lin Qiupu stood up and questioned him.


    Chen Shi showed him the text message, and Lin Qiupu was even more puzzled. "Detective Chen, you¡¯re now very well-known. Someone didn¡¯t call us but contacted you directly?"


    "The person who reported the case is a thief." Chen Shi pulled out a beauty salon leaflet. "This is what I found on the doors of several households. I called the number on it, but the number wasn¡¯t in use. This is the usual trick used by thieves. They¡¯ll bring in a stack of fake leaflets to figure out which house is empty. They stick them on the doors and when there¡¯s a house that hasn¡¯t torn it off after a few days, it means that there¡¯s no one in that house... He should have broken into the house, figured out that something was wrong, then contacted me. "


    Having said that, Chen Shi had already guessed who the "good citizen" was, but he was afraid of Lin Qiupu''s questioning and raised his voice deliberately, "I already told all of you not to make my number public! It has had a great impact on my life!"


    "Who disclosed your number?" Lin Qiupu asked in return.


    "It must be one of you who unintentionally revealed it... Haii, I won¡¯t look into this matter further. Whoever reported it to the police is not the main point; the main point is how this person died."


    Lin Qiupu truly thought that the responsibility was on his side and instructed everyone, "Don¡¯t disclose the personal numbers of our colleagues publicly!"


    Peng Sijue walked out of the bathroom and said, "There¡¯s something here."


    When they walked into the narrow bathroom, they saw a tub full of blood in the bathtub. The smell of blood was no longer very heavy. Peng Sijue took a clothes-drying pole and fished out a piece of cloth with it. "The killer should have dealt with the body here and then filled the bathtub with water to dilute the smell of blood. Also, he didn¡¯t drain the water away."


    "Lest it be discovered by the neighbors? Very clever." Chen Shi opened the toilet¡¯s cover to have a look. He smelled a strong odor of disinfectant. An empty bottle of 84 [2]had been discarded beside it. It seemed that the killer had also disposed of something in the toilet and then disinfected it with 84.


    The deceased had been dead for a long time. It may have been more than seven days. The surveince footage from the housing district had long been written over, but Lin Qiupu still took Lin Dongxue over to the property management to check the footage.


    While waiting for the corpse to defrost, the forensic police began to investigate the scene and obtain samples. Small handprints were found on the coffee table, sofa, and door, but there weren¡¯t any fingerprints found. Peng Sijue judged from experience, "The murderer had covered up his fingerprints with glue. It seems that he had entered with the intention to kill."


    "Doesn¡¯t this size look like a woman''s handprint?" Chen Shi used his own hand topare. "It''s a bit weird. Why did she touch everything aftering in?"


    The ID and driver''s license of the deceased were found inside the bedside cab in the bedroom. The deceased''s name was Wang Dong. 33 years old, single, and the mid-level manager in apany.


    The deceased''s mobile phone was found under the bed, and it was out of power. After plugging it into the charger, it turned on without a problem. There were a lot of missed calls and text messages. They were mainly from the people at hispany asking why he hadn¡¯t beening to work. Chen Shi took a look at the time stamps. The iing calls mostly came in around three days ago.


    The date gave Chen Shi a little confidence, and he asked Peng Sijue, "Did he die three days ago?"


    "You¡¯re asking me? It¡¯s hard for me to judge the exact time of death with frozen corpses." Peng Sijue replied.


    "Judging from the deterioration of the bloodstains, the time of death was over seven days ago... Contact the local police station to see if there¡¯s a missing persons report out for him." Peng Sijue¡¯s second sentence was directed at another police officer.


    There was a bag of hawthorn berries soaking in the kitchen sink. The hawthorn berries had mostly dposed and crumbled easily at the touch. The food waste in the trash can beside it also smelled rotten. Moreover, it was summer, and there were already worms inside.


    Half an hourter, the corpse had thawed to the point where the joints could be moved freely. Peng Sijue checked it and noted, "The cartge cuts were injuries sustained after death. There¡¯s a stab wound in the chest... Turn it over!"


    Chen Shi helped to turn the body over, and the back of the deceased was terrible to look at. There were a lot of wounds on it.


    Peng Sijue cut the deceased''s shirt off with scissors and put it into the evidence bag. Chen Shi said, "It seems like the knife wounds weren¡¯t left by a single person."


    "But there was no trace of a third person at the scene."


    On the back, there were three deep cuts. In addition, there were a lot of scratches. Chen Shi said, "The weapon! The weapon!"


    He went to the kitchen. The knives there were all tested with luminol. There wasn¡¯t any blood on them. The weapon shouldn¡¯t have been one of them. Chen Shi took the entire knife holder to the living room andpared each knife with the wounds to find one of a simr size. He found a fruit knife of a simr size.


    He held the knife and imitated the killer, saying, "Strange. It doesn''t look like she was venting her anger. It actually looks as though the killer was drunk." He swung the knife back and forth, "Like this, wildly hacking like this!"


    "The weapon is double-edged. Otherwise, she would have had to twist her wrist 90 degrees to leave the wounds here and here. It would have been too unnatural.¡±


    Chen Shi muttered and put forward a hypothesis, "Old Peng, do you think the killer had poor eyesight?"


    "Why¡¯s that?"


    "When she entered, she touched everything. When she wanted to stab the victim again after she had stabbed him in the chest, she didn¡¯t seem to be able to gauge space and distance urately. It would make sense if she had poor eyesight.¡±


    "It makes sense, but I don''t quite agree with one part. Maybe the back was stabbed first, and the fatal stab in the chest was thest stab... We¡¯ll talk about this after the autopsy."


    While preparing to bag the corpse, Chen Shi found out that the mouth of the victim had been open the entire time. He asked them to wait and put his hand inside the mouth. He was actually able to retrieve a hawthorn berry from the victim¡¯s throat. Because it had been kept in the refrigerator, the berry had not deteriorated.


    1. Since they mentioned that even the shirt on the body was frozen solid in about two paragraphs, I assume that it was a freezer instead?


    2. Simr to Mr. Muscle sanitizers and the like. It was named 84 because it was a sanitizer created in 1984.

 Chapter 373: The Blind Killer

    <h4>Chapter 373: The Blind Killer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On June 13th, Chen Shi was called to the bureau early in the morning. Before the morning meeting began, Lin Dongxue threw him a stack of information. After reading through it, Chen Shi asked, "What did I miss in the past two days? How did one victim be three?"


    "The victim, Wang Dong, was discovered by you. The second victim, Li Xing, was originally from a case that the third team handled. The techniques used were very simr. The third team has been investigating the case for two weeks. They couldn¡¯t find any possible suspects, so the case was taken over by Captain Lin. The third victim, Song Jicheng, was discovered when we looked into the missing persons reports from a local police station. We went to his house and found him in the refrigerator... We¡¯ve now officially filed these cases as serial murders."


    "The method is indeed really simr. It feels like the murderer is like a man who is buying clothes. She walks in to kill, cleans up, and then leaves immediately after without any personal emotions invested into the process."


    "And there were hawthorn berries in all the corpses'' mouths. I don''t know why the killer put such sour things inside." The thought of the taste of hawthorn berries made Lin Dongxue''s teeth ache[1].


    Shortly after, Lin Qiupu arrived and everyone began to discuss the serial murders.


    The murderer''s technique and weapon was the same. The motive for hiding the corpse in the refrigerator was believed to be for extending the time before discovery. This also led to difficulty in judging the time of death. The liver temperature could no longer be measured, and could only be roughly estimated. It was spected that Wang Dong was killed about one month ago, Song Jicheng, about three weeks ago, and finally Li Xing, about two weeks ago.


    All three died over a week ago, so the housing districts¡¯ surveince footages have been written over. The residents and property managers at the housing districts were questioned, but they didn¡¯t have any impressions of what had happened so long ago.


    As for the upations of the victims, Wang Dong was a mid-level manager in apany. Song Jicheng was an unemployed person who had lots of free time. Li Xing was a forum blogger. Except for their being single bachelors who lived alone, they had nothing inmon and lived far away from one another.


    On the 11th, Peng Sijue had re-examined the scene where Wang Dong was killed. He found vomit in the toilet, but the killer had poured a lot of disinfectant inside, so they were unable to extract the DNA.


    Footprints and fingerprints showed traces of being disguised. Judging from the footprints, the killer was a woman with a height of 167cm and weighing about 50kg.


    It is worth mentioning that Song Jicheng, thergest of the three victims, had tried to fight the killer off before his death. Skin fragments, paraffin oil, and colorants of the killer were left behind in his fingernails. It was suspected to be a lip balm or lipstick. There might be injuries on the killer¡¯s lips.


    In addition, all three victims had downloaded a voice chat social media app. The killer seems to use the app, but the ount that she used was changed after each murder. Social media apps are designed to attract user traffic, so they often just require a simple registration process.


    Almost everyone in the task force downloaded the app to see if they could bait the killer.


    Chen Shi raised his hand and asked, "I mentioned that day that the killer''s eyesight isn¡¯t that great. Have you guys investigated this clue yet?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "The people in the housing districts didn¡¯t have any impressions of someone that fits that characteristic. I asked people to visit the ophthalmology departments of major hospitals. There are about thirty people who fit the characteristic. The main task today is to check this out!"


    "I have a question. Do the victims have cars?"


    "Apart from Song Jicheng, the other two do."


    "Oh."


    "Do you have any insights on this?"


    "From the murderer''s actions, she is a behavior-oriented killer who only cares about achieving the goal but does not care about the process. Female serial killers are very rare. Generally, they will lock onto special types of victims. But the killer this time doesn¡¯t seem to be a ¡®picky eater¡¯. The types who do it for sexual desire, the adrenaline rush, and power can all be excluded. The only type left is the one who does it for profit. I noticed that her killing cycle is very regr and is about one week long on average. For a person with a visual impairment, killing someone would be really difficult. She must be able to gain tremendous benefits from the victims in order to repeatedly take on such risks."


    "Profit? No valuables were lost at the scene. I don''t see any profit, unless it''s killing for pleasure or something." Lin Qiupu noted, "You forgot to mention another type - The utilitarian type. I think she only wanted to kill one of these three people. The other two were just coteral victims muddling the investigation.¡±


    "That''s just your opinion. I think figuring out the motive for the crimes is the most critical part of this case. When I recreate the crimes in my mind, I have been confused about the motive of the killer all along."


    Lin Qiupu said, "If the killer has a cooling-off period of one week, I will negotiate with the chief for a little more time to solve the case. Let¡¯s start the investigation today at the hospital!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at the information again, thinking that thest victim was killed about seven days ago. It is likely that another victim will appear soon. But in any case, they must investigate first!


    The police officers involved in the investigation discussed it with one another. Chen Shi picked a blind person massage shop in a suburb within the city and drove there with Lin Dongxue. At about nine o''clock, the two arrived. The owner, who was smoking next to the shop, heard their footsteps and asked, "Is it massage for two?"


    Chen Shi said, "Master, your sense of hearing is very good."


    The owner smiled. "I also know that it''s a man and a woman and that this is the first time you¡¯vee here. Your footsteps are unfamiliar to me."


    Lin Dongxue pulled out her ID, "You can touch this."


    The owner touched the gold lettering on the ID and asked, "Officer? What brings you here?"


    "We¡¯re investigating a case and suspect that the murderer may have vision problems. Master, can you call out all the employees here? I want to take a look at them."


    "It''s strange to have a blind personmit a crime. Are you sure you''re not mistaken?"


    "You should have heard the news about the blind personmitting burry, right?"


    "I have. Are you also investigating a theft? The people who work here all have clean hands and feet[2]. I assure you that they won¡¯t do stuff like that."


    "It''s just a preliminary investigation and I don''t doubt what you¡¯re saying."


    The owner called out the few people working there for them to have a look. Two of them were women. Chen Shi saw that their height and weight were far from what they had deduced and there were no injuries on their lips, so they didn''t need to question any further.


    When they were ready to leave, the owner asked, "Since you¡¯re here, would you like a massage?"


    Chen Shi looked questioningly at Lin Dongxue and Lin Dongxue whispered, "We still need to investigate the case!"


    "It won''t take much time. You don¡¯t look very welltely. Rx a bit!"


    Lin Dongxue reluctantly agreed. The twoy on the massage beds and received massages. The owner''s technique was very skilled, making Chen Shi veryfortable. Chen Shi had been observing the blind people in the shop the whole time. They walked around as ifpletely free of visual impairment.


    Chen Shi asked, "Is it easy for all of you to go out normally?"


    The ownerughed, "I''m sure it''s not as convenient as for sighted people. I''ve been hit by a car several times, but it''s not a problem once you get used to going out alone. Nowadays, it''s more convenient since we have GPS on our mobiles... You might not understand. The most difficult thing for blind people to do is to cross roads."


    "I can appreciate that!"


    ¡°Officer, since you¡¯re here. I have a suggestion I¡¯d like to make... You should monitor the upation of paths meant for blind people. It¡¯s really inconvenient for us when we go out.¡±


    1. Hawthorn berries taste tart and a bit tangy. It¡¯s used in a variety of foods like soups and desserts. They can be made into haw kes and other lollies that are quite popr with children. Haw kes, unlike the berries themselves, are mainly just sweet though. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon/images/I/71ZW0tREPoL._SL1500_.jpg


    2. An expression to describe honest people who don¡¯t have sticky fingers

 Chapter 374: The Thief Who Called The Police

    <h4>Chapter 374: The Thief Who Called The Police</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Although Chen Shi was neither a police officer nor someone in charge of that, he still said, "I will ry your message."


    "Thank you so much."


    "Which app do you use to chat with others?"


    "We can use the same apps that sighted people use. The mobile phone has a screen reading function. Even reading novels is not a problem but I still love to listen to storytelling... By the way, there¡¯s an app recently which allows you to voice chat with others, called xx."


    That app was the one that the killer used to look for her prey. Chen Shi asked, "Do a lot of blind people use this?"


    "Yes."


    "Do the blind have their own social circles?"


    "Yes, mainly alumni groups. Everyone graduated from a handicapped school. They gather together during the New Years and special holidays. People segregate themselves into groups. As a police officer, most of the friends you know should be police officers too... Is this your girlfriend?"


    "How do you see..." Upon using the word "see", Chen Shi immediately uttered, "I''m sorry!"


    "It''s okay. I smell her on you, haha."


    Lin Dongxue heard the words and buried her face in embarrassment. Chen Shi continued to ask, "Can I ask you a silly question? Do you have something like a sixth sense?"


    "Hmm..." The owner pondered without stopping his massage. "If I say yes, you may feel that it is a little hard to believe. For example, if we walk in front of the wall, there will be a sound wave that echoes back to us and we¡¯ll naturally know that there¡¯s an obstacle there. Let me tell you something even more incredible. Some blind people can use echoes to locate things, just using this clicking sound... They can find things by the reflected sound waves. Of course, that would require training. Do you know what blind people are most afraid of?"


    "What?"


    "Rainy days."


    "It¡¯s difficult to differentiate sounds on rainy days?"


    "Yes, it¡¯s especially true with umbres. The raindrops drip down umbres, creating noise. It¡¯s really hard to gauge directions, so it''s easy to get lost. We usually don''t go out when it rains... Sir, can you see if it¡¯s going to rain outside?"


    "It''s okay today, but the weather forecast says it''s going to rain in the next few days."


    After the massages were over, Chen Shi paid for their services and left. The two visited several other blind women that day. They either worked in massage parlors or were full-time housewives. They didn¡¯t seem suspicious.


    After running around the whole day, Lin Dongxue was so tired that she began to doze off in the passenger seat. Chen Shi said, "Sleep for a while. I¡¯ll wake you upter."


    Lin Dongxue lowered the back of her seat and fell asleep. Chen Shi drove the car to Longhua Road. He stopped and locked the car, then went straight to the agency, opened the door and went inside to see Sun Zhen ying a game. kk was teaching Tao Yueyue how to steal wallets. He said in both shock and anger, "Why are you here?"


    Tao Yueyue was so scared she hid behind the sofa, staring at Chen Shi with half her face poking out.


    kk stood up and asked, "Brother Chen, why are you here? Yueyue¡¯s school is close to this ce. She just came here to y after school. I¡¯m just passing on my skills." He said as he raised his eyebrows up and down proudly.


    It seemed that Tao Yueyue had been here more than once. The little devil would have been greatly attracted to this "criminal tuition ss".


    Chen Shi¡¯s built-up disappointment exploded. "You... Why didn''t you tell me?"


    Tao Yueyue responded innocently, "You didn¡¯t tell me anything in advance. You¡¯ve been busy the past few days and you never go home as well."


    "Are you happy learning how to steal?"


    "Happy!"


    "You can learn but don¡¯t use it in school."


    "I know. I¡¯ll stray to a bad path sooner orter. Rather than learning this from bad people outside, I might as well learn it from Uncle kk, whom you are morefortable with. I promise not to mess around with it."


    Chen Shiughed at her so-called rationale. He thought mentally that kk was the person he was least reassured by.


    kk praised, "Yueyue''s so clever. She understands as soon as I tell her something once.. What promising talent. I want to pass on my lifetime¡¯s worth of acquired skills and train her to be Long¡¯an¡¯s king of thieves."


    "Low-level skills!" Sun Zhen said with disdain. "What era is it? You¡¯re still busting doors and prying locks? And you¡¯re still proud of it?¡±


    "Oh no, why is there such a big smell of vinegar in here[1]? Yueyue wasn¡¯t willing to learn your hacking skills, so someone¡¯s jealous now?"


    Sun Zhen snorted, "I¡¯m telling you that in the next 20 years, every family will use digital locks. Learning hacking will be the way to go. You¡¯ll lose out if you have no vision.¡±


    "Alright, alright, you two." Chen Shi poured himself a ss of water and sat down. "How¡¯s business?"


    "It¡¯s so good, it¡¯s unbelievable!" kk squatted down on top of the sofa and said, "Although it''s boring to catch mistresses and investigate affairs, with the two of us, we get them done in minutes. It¡¯s too easy. It''s way better than stealing things. I¡¯m just trying to figure out how to expand our scope and recruit a few reformed special forces to work together."


    "Be careful with recruiting. You need to at least inform me first."


    "I know. I¡¯ll definitely consult Brother Chen."


    "I still have something to ask you!" Chen Shi disyed the text message. "Did you do this?"


    kk scratched his head andughed like an idiot. "I''m not stealing things. I just had nothing to do and wanted to have some fun. It¡¯s mainly because I was inspired by a Korean movie 3-Iron a while ago..."


    "What was it about?"


    Sun Zhen replied, "Cheating on someone."


    "Go fuck yourself. It¡¯s mainly about a guy who broke into empty houses and experienced the life of others. After watching it, I found it interesting. I was restless from watching it and imitated it... Who knew I¡¯d find a dead person when I did it? I didn¡¯t dare call the police, so I texted you.¡±


    "Fortunately, I covered for it and the police didn''t investigate it, otherwise you¡¯d have to have your meals in prison again."


    kk rubbed his hands together. "I really didn''t take people''s things. That is, I went in to take a shower, eat a meal, and even helped people to clean up... I swear!"


    "In the future, if you encounter this kind of situation, call the police anonymously. Don''t text me. Do you think I can exin it away easily?" Chen Shi sighed. This wasn¡¯t his main purpose ining here. He threw the phone to Sun Zhen, "Little Worm, there¡¯s a newly downloaded app on it. Take a look.¡±


    Sun Zhen opened it for a look, "This is a social dating app."


    kk looked at Chen Shi with interest. Before he rambled on about nonsense, Chen Shi said immediately, "This app is focused on voice chat. Many people with visual impairments are using it. The suspect in this investigation may look for prey on it. She should be a young woman who is 167cm in height and weighs 50kg. She should be visually impaired or totally blind. The police are all downloading it for now, but the number isn¡¯t enough. Can you register a few more ounts and see if you can stand by the tree and wait for the rabbit[2]?¡±


    "Fishingw enforcement?[3]"


    "It''s fishing, not fishingw enforcement[4]... This time, count it as me personally hiring you guys. I¡¯ll pay you."


    kk said, "Brother Chen, what are you saying, since we¡¯re in this together, why do we need to treat each other as strangers? ... I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount!"


    "People who don¡¯t work should just shut up!" Sun Zhen scolded.


    Chen Shi immediately handed half of themission to Sun Zhen. Sun Zhen said, "This kind of work is easy for me. I''ll register two thousand ounts for you and say hello to strangers on the app every day!"


    "The other person may be blind. She can''t read text."


    "It will be a bit harder with voice messages, but it¡¯s not a big problem... Brother Chen, do you want us to report to you when we find the target?"


    "Of course!"


    1. Vinegar is associated with jealousy. This is a story originating from the Tang dynasty, when the emperor himself sent a beautiful young concubine to a favored prime minister as a gift. The prime minister¡¯s wife, known for her interfering and henpecking ways, was very jealous. She threatened to kill herself by drinking poison rather than bow to the emperor¡¯s will in the matter. The emperor found this touching but also wanted to test her dedication to her husband. So, he forced the wife¡¯s hand, giving her a vial of poison and telling her to either ept the concubine or die. She drank the vial without hesitation, only to find it full of vinegar. Since then, the words ¡°eat vinegar¡± have be a popr expression/metaphor for jealousy and envy.


    2. This is an expression that is used to describe someone who waits idly for opportunities and does nothing. In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a farmer in the State of Song. There was a tree stump in his field. One day, while he was working in the field, he saw a rabbit bump into the stump identally, break its neck, and die. The farmer was overjoyed at the unexpected gain. He thought, "How wonderful! Gamees by so easily! I''m tired of farming under the hot sun. I can make money from selling the rabbits." Therefore the farmer threw his hoe back into the storeroom and sat beside the stump; indulging himself in the fantasy that other rabbits woulde along and do the same thing. He waited and waited but no more rabbits came by. Many days passed before the farmer thought of his field again, by which time the field was overgrown with weeds.


    3. Entrapment.


    4. They¡¯re just trying their luck rather than designing a trap for someone tomit a crime and entrapping them.

 Chapter 375: The Fourth Victim

    <h4>Chapter 375: The Fourth Victim</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi drove Tao Yueyue home. Lin Dongxue woke up when he reached home, rubbing her eyes and saying, "Huh? You also picked up Yueyue in passing?"


    "Did you sleep well?"


    "I feel more energetic now." Lin Dongxue stretched her neck. "It¡¯s tiring to solve one case after another.¡±


    "Why don¡¯t you have dinner at my house tonight?"


    "What useless words. What else were you going to do? Drive me away?"


    Going upstairs, Lin Dongxue looked at the door next to theirs and asked, "Miss Gu lives here?"


    Chen Shi pointed to the opposite door. "That''s her home. You want to visit her?"


    "What would I say to her?"


    While they were talking, Gu You happened to go upstairs, and greeted Lin, "Officer Lin, I haven''t seen you for a long time. Why are you here today?"


    "Just eating dinner at Old Chen''s house before leaving."


    "You haven''t been to my house before. Would you like toe in and sit down?" Gu You opened the door and said, "Come in!"


    All four of them went in. Tao Yueyue was already familiar with the ce. She went to the refrigerator to get a drink by herself. Lin Dongxue looked around the house and said, "Did you buy this ce?"


    "I bought it less than a year ago."


    "Haii, look at us who work as police officers. I¡¯m still renting right now. You¡¯re about the same age as me, but you already have your own home with two rooms and a living room.¡±


    "Officer Lin, I should be older than you."


    "Really? I can¡¯t tell at all. Your skin is well maintained."


    "You tter me. Officer Lin should be fond of sports, right?"


    Chen Shi thought that women were really strange creatures. Lin Dongxue clearly said before that she didn''t like Gu You very much, but the first time she dropped by her home, she actually spoke with Gu You so happily.


    Gu You took Lin Dongxue around the house, then politely saw them out the door. As soon as the door closed, Lin Dongxue grabbed Chen Shi''s arm and asked, "Do you oftene over and chat with this beautiful female neighbor?"


    "Are you jealous? Don''t you know Gu You is dating Old Peng?"


    "Are they? I''ll ask him right now!"


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone to send a message, then raised her mobile phone and said, "Captain Peng denied it."


    "You don''t know what Old Peng is like by now?"


    "I don''t believe it. I¡¯ll ask Yueyue... Yueyue, does Uncle Chen often spend time with Miss Gu?"


    Chen Shi was afraid that the little thief would stab him in the back and said, "Only speak the truth. Just like how I¡¯ll take you to eat pizza on the weekend when I promise you pizza. You need to speak the honest truth rather than make up nonsense!¡±


    "You think I can¡¯t read between the lines? You¡¯re openly bribing her!" Lin Dongxue twisted Chen Shi''s ear.


    Tao Yueyue said, "To be honest, Uncle Chen and Sister Gu rarely interact with each other."


    Lin Dongxue still didn''t believe it. Chen Shi said, "How about this? I¡¯ll invite you to eat seafood. It¡¯ll definitely taste even better because of your vinegar[1]."


    Lin Dongxue finally cheered up and used her small fist to hit Chen Shi¡¯s shoulders as they went downstairs. "You¡¯re forbidden to associate with other beautiful women, do you hear!"


    "After seeing you, there are no longer any beautiful women in the world." Chen Shi replied, "Ah, yes, you should just move here, so you don''t have to worry."


    "Hmm, I think about it!"


    After eating a seafood meal, Chen Shi felt very distressed for his wallet. The price for incurring the jealousy of women was really high. Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue were very happy on the other hand. Tao Yueyue asked, "Sister Lin, if Uncle Chen cheated on you one day, what would you do?"


    "Not much. I¡¯d just kill him."


    "But men seem to often end up cheating. Our teacher is considering divorce because of this the past two days. She¡¯s been quite absent-minded during ss."


    Lin Dongxue gave Chen Shi a re. "It''s best that I don¡¯t find out! ¡®Female Police Officer Shoots Cheating Boyfriend.¡¯ Do you think that this news will cause a sensation?¡±


    Chen Shi looked helpless. "Can you two discuss something girls would normally talk about?"


    Tao Yueyue rebutted, "Loathsome men is always a popr topic among girls."


    "Just you wait. When you meet a boyfriend someday, I¡¯ll tell people everywhere."


    "About the pizza..." Tao Yueyue nced slyly at Lin Dongxue.


    "Don''t groundlessly imply something as if I really have some sort of dark secret."


    "You have an abundant supply of secrets anyway." Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang, but she was still holding a crab leg. Chen Shi helped her to answer and pressed it to her ear.


    "What... Where..." After the conversation, Lin Dongxue said, "There¡¯s a new victim."


    "I''ll send Yueyue back and I''ll pick you upter." Chen Shi said.


    "I''ll wait for you by the door."


    At 8:30PM, the two rushed to the scene of the crime. It was near a parking lot in a housing district. The victim was sitting in an SUV in the middle of a wooded area. The deceased was a pitiable-looking male who had been stabbed a few times.


    Chen Shi said, "Is this a new case or a new victim of our serial killer?"


    Lin Qiupu handed over the evidence, "Have a look at it yourself."


    It was a thin aluminum stick with red and white stripes on it and a rubber pad at the end. From the structure, it had snapped off from a retractable cane. Chen Shi asked, "Guide cane?"


    "Yeah, it was found in the car. It shouldn¡¯t be a copycat murder."


    In addition to the stick, a button was found in the car. It clearly did not belong to the victim. The policeid the body down outside, and the stab wounds on his body were concentrated around the heart, simr to the serial killer''s usual method.


    Chen Shi noted, "This woman is getting more and more skilled, but she¡¯s also getting more impatient. This time, she killed before entering the house. Right, where is the mobile phone?"


    "I didn''t find it. Maybe it was taken away." Lin Qiupu suddenly remembered, and immediately called the office and asked the information department to geolocate the victim''s mobile phone number.


    Chen Shi figured that he couldn¡¯t help much even if he stayed there, so he went to look for surveince footage with Lin Dongxue The footage showed that the car had entered the housing district three hours ago, and then about twenty minutester, a person in a jacket and hat had left themunity.


    It was June at the moment, so it was abnormal to be so tightly wrapped up. However, the suspected killer in the footage had walked briskly and didn¡¯t seem blind at all.


    Except for this person, there were no other suspicious people during that period. The killer might have left the housing district by climbing over the wall. Otherwise, this person was the person they were looking for.


    Chen Shi thought to himself that when she came in, she was clearly carrying the guide cane, but why was she walking normally when she left? Perhaps the killer was pretending to be blind, but what was the point in doing so?


    The assumption that pretending to be blind made it easier tomit murder wouldn¡¯t hold. The killer was judged to be a weak woman from her body build. Whether she was blind or not, the victims were unlikely to be on their guard.


    Moreover, the inference that the killer had poor eyesight was derived from facts. Perhaps something had happened to the killer recently that suddenly restored her vision!


    No, the guide cane...


    Perhaps if she killed people, her vision would be restored, and this was the huge benefit she derives from killing!


    This idea was too ridiculous. Chen Shi couldn''t believe his own thoughts. When she saw him frowning, Lin Dongxue asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Uh, I want to smoke..."


    "I can¡¯t believe you!"


    "Let''s go around and see if the killer had left by climbing the walls."


    1. Vinegar is associated with jealousy (see previous notes for the story behind this), so he¡¯s making a joke here.

 Chapter 376: Benefits of Murder

    <h4>Chapter 376: Benefits of Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue searched the area around the neighborhood, but they couldn¡¯t see any signs of people having climbed over the wall. They also made copies of all the surveince videos they could find in the surrounding shops.


    The two of them drove back to the station after the police had already left. By that time, the preliminary autopsy report had alreadye out. The victim had a double-edged weapon pierce his aorta and had died of pulmonary embolism. Alcohol was detected in his bloodstream. His blood sugar level showed that he seemingly just had a meal.


    In addition, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid,monly known as "g water", "amnesia water", and "obedient water", was found in the car. It is a psychotropic drug and is often used for date-rape purposes.[1]


    A cup of milk tea had been spilled in the car and it contained the same drugponents. There was unidentified saliva on the milk tea¡¯s straw. It was suspected that the killer had drunk it. Judging from the concentration and the amount of liquid remaining in the cup, the killer had taken in at least 5 mg of this drug.


    Lin Qiupu said, "It seems that the murderer met the victim, but the victim had indecent intentions and put the drug into the drink. That¡¯s why shemitted this crime hastily and didn¡¯t put a hawthorn berry in the victim¡¯s mouth.¡±


    Another police officer said, "The victim has a prior record of rape. He must do this sort of thing frequently to have this drug ready in the car.¡±


    "It seems that the killer unintentionally left us many clues. From the guide cane, it does point to her being a blind person... Check for manufacturers and retailers." Lin Qiupu asked Chen Shi who was silent. "What do you make of this?"


    "Can ¡®amnesia water¡¯ be used as an aphrodisiac?" He asked.


    "No, it will only put people in a daze. But from the amount that she ingested, she should still be able to leave the scene of the crime." Peng Sijue answered.


    "I was just thinking. If the killer can derive huge benefits from the murders, how did she find out about it? She must have killed someone before, purely by ident or just out of defense. Tomorrow, Dongxue and I will look for old cases and see if there are people that fulfil these conditions."


    "I don''t agree with you regarding the great benefits that the murders bring, but regarding the killer being blind, I agree that it¡¯s a truth that has been pretty much nailed down." Lin Qiupu said, "I visited the friends of the first three victims. Song Jicheng''s buddy said that he was told by Song Jicheng himself that he had gotten acquainted with a blind woman and nned to meet up with her in person. The meeting time was basically the same time as his murder."


    "I think she must be quite the looker." Chen Shi said.


    "Don¡¯t you have anything constructive to say?"


    "One more thing. You don¡¯t need to check with the ophthalmology department anymore. From the killer¡¯s actions, she is a ''veteran'' blind person. Such blind people generally won¡¯t continue going to the doctors. You can find blind people using blind people. The blind people in the city should know each other.¡±


    "But there are a lot of them. I didn''t know before, but Long¡¯an has so many blind people."


    Chen Shi shrugged. "I''m going home."


    The investigation of the case was progressing in full swing. During the past few days, each person in the task force met with a dozen blind people over the past few days. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue also visited some blind people who had prior criminal records, but none of them met the requirements.


    The person he was trying to find never appeared. The voice in his heart never said "It¡¯s her" to him.


    On the afternoon of June 15th, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to see another blind person. She had been raped and had injured the rapist in self-defense. However, when they saw her, they found out that she was a 170cm girl on the slightly heavier side. She didn¡¯t really match the killer¡¯s characteristics that they had deduced.


    Since they were there, Lin Dongxue still showed her badge to the girl and said, "Are you Kang Li?"


    "Yes, you guys are the police? What happened? Was the rapist from two years ago caught?"


    "We¡¯re investigating a case and would like to ask you where you were on the evening of June 13th?"


    "I was in the shop that day and the manager can testify to that."


    "The blind people massage parlor in the alley below?"


    "Yes, yes. What case are you investigating? Was the rapist from back then killed?"


    Chen Shi interjected, "Why are you asking that?"


    "You probably don''t know, but that guy purposefully picked blind people. He was rotten to the core. When I injured him out of self-defense back then, I bit his ear. The police found him through DNA tests. I think he was called... Luo Shiyu. That''s right. That was his name.¡±


    "Has hemitted another crime since then? How do you know that he only goes after blind people?"


    "Because a few of my friends have also been through it. This guy has been on the run from the police. Buttely, it¡¯s like he¡¯s disappeared. So, since you guys are looking for me, it would most likely be for this matter... Is he dead?¡±


    "That is inconvenient for us to disclose right now."


    "Tell me when it¡¯s convenient to disclose it. Because of that incident, I¡¯m now living in a constant state of fear."


    "No problem... Do you know who he raped?"


    Chen Shi wrote down a few names and said goodbye to Kang Li. He told Lin Dongxue to call the local police station and ask about the whereabouts of the rapist. Lin Dongxue exchanged a few words with the other party before covering up her phone with her hand in order to talk to Chen Shi. "They said that this person has disappeared for a year."


    "Where does he live?"


    "Guyi Lane on Caoshi Street."


    "Let¡¯s go and have a look."


    "Huh? Are you suspecting that the rapist was killed by the murderer?"


    "Since we¡¯re just bouncing around trying to get leads right now, we might as well take a look."


    After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue asked, "You said before that the killer derives huge benefits from the murders. What could it be?"


    "For a blind person, what would be worth taking the risk?"


    "It wouldn¡¯t be to restore their vision, right?"


    "That''s what I was thinking."


    "Are you teasing me? Killing people will allow her to see? How is that possible?"


    "I saw the surveince footage that day and I got this idea. I thought it was ridiculous too, so I asked Miss Gu... We spoke to each other via phone."


    "What did she say?"


    "She said that it¡¯s possible. Psychogenic blindness, also known as dissociative sensory disorder, is caused by huge mental trauma, causing part of the person¡¯s physical functions to be impacted or lost. But this loss is not the same as true blindness. Her eyes can still receive the visual signals, but she can¡¯t perceive them. It¡¯s like having a functioning monitor and a functioningputer but there¡¯s something wrong with the wire connecting them.¡±


    "I don¡¯t understand!"


    "In a nutshell, her eyes are fine, but she doesn''t know that she can actually see. She thinks that she¡¯s blind. Miss Gu feels that under the strong stimtion of murder, she is likely able to restore her eyesight for a short period of time. As a blind person, she was able to see the colorful world all of a sudden. This ''reward'' is better than anything else, that¡¯s why she¡¯ll continue to kill again and again."


    "Can there be such a motive for murder?" Lin Dongxue froze. "Are you sure?"


    "It''s just a hypothesis. After all, the probability of this kind of thing is extremely low, and it belongs to the category of medical miracles... We¡¯ll start with high-probability incidents. Based on the times in which the murders weremitted and her ability to meet with them alone, she seems to have a lot of free time. There¡¯s a high probability of her living alone. In the past two days, we¡¯ve checked a lot of schools for the blind, blind massage parlors, car-repair shops operated by blind people and other ces. All the people we found were blind people who lived together with one another. If she lived alone and was a young and beautiful blind girl, it¡¯s likely that she would be picked by rapists who actively chose blind people as their targets. They¡¯d just try their luck with her.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "After enough trial and error, the truth will pop out."


    1. GHB has been used in a medical setting as a general anesthetic and as a treatment for cataplexy, narcolepsy, and alcoholism. It is also used illegally as an intoxicant, as an athletic performance enhancer, as a date rape drug, and as a recreational drug.

 Chapter 377: Pursuing the Murderer on a Rainy Night

    <h4>Chapter 377: Pursuing the Murderer on a Rainy Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The alley wasn¡¯t far from Kang Li''s residence. The police had tried to arrest the rapist in this area two years ago, so he had stopped living here for a long time.


    Lin Dongxue looked at the house which now housed a small family of three and said, "Well, we came for nothing."


    "Let¡¯s go and find a ce nearby to have a meal!"


    Lin Dongxue looked up at the sky, "It seems like it¡¯s going to rain soon. Let¡¯s head back!"


    "Will you go to my ce tonight?"


    Lin Dongxue pointed upwards. "It depends on the will of the heavens!"


    The alleyways were intricately connected in aplicated way. They had gone in hoping to take a shortcut, but they ended up walking further and further away. A small bookstore appeared in front of them. The interior was simple but inviting.


    Chen Shi went in to ask for directions and noticed a girl on adder organizing some magazines. There were several rows of magazines on the shelf with paper clips of different sizes clipped onto the covers.


    He asked, "Excuse me, how do I get out of these alleys?"


    The girl was startled, and the magazine in her hand almost fell. She caught it just in time and put it back into ce. She said, "Go right and then turn left when you see a barber shop."


    "Thank you."


    When Chen Shi came out, Sun Zhen called him. He said, "I have a blind female from the inte asking me toe out and meet her at eight o''clock tonight. Should we meet her?"


    "Where are you right now? I''lle overter."


    "Let''s meet there. I''ll send you an address over WeChat."


    Lin Dongxue asked what had happened, and Chen Shi said, "I have news from my external help."


    "Could it be the murderer?"


    "She has just killed someone. It doesn''t match her cooling-off period, but we¡¯ll take a look anyway!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went out. The skies were already getting dark. Chen Shi noticed that the other shops had turned their lights on. He wondered why the bookstore just now hadn¡¯t turned on the lights as well and why there were paper clips on the magazines.


    "Go! We need to go back!" Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know what was going on and followed him back. When he returned to the bookstore, he found that the girl was gone, but the store¡¯s door was still open.


    "Where did the person go?"


    "She¡¯s blind!" Chen Shi picked up a braille book on the counter. "Magazines of the same thickness on the shelf but with different prices... She used paper clips to distinguish between them. Why did I not think of that?!"


    "A blind girl who runs a bookstore by herself?"


    There was a staircase at the back of the bookstore. The two walked up the stairs. There weren¡¯t any lights installed in the attic. Chen Shi used his mobile phone to light up the area and saw a bed with a broken guide stick beside the bed.


    Chen Shi opened the refrigerator, which had a box of hawthorn berries inside, each individually wrapped in stic.


    "Surely it¡¯s not..." Lin Dongxue said in shock.


    At that moment, there was a rattle downstairs, and Chen Shi rushed down to see that the roller shutter had been pulled down. It seemed like someone was locking the shutter outside.


    This blind woman was most probably the murderer. By this time, Chen Shi couldn''t care less about putting up an act. He took out a lockpick and got ready to unlock the shutter but found that the keyhole on the inside of the roller shutter had already been blocked.


    Lin Dongxue ran down. Chen Shi hid away the lockpick and said, "We¡¯re trapped! This blind girl is problematic!"


    "I¡¯ll call my brother."


    Chen Shi found the switch and turned on the lights. He went through the cabs and found a household registration booklet. The store owner''s name was Tu Yunmeng.


    When Lin Qiupu answered the call, Lin Dongxue eximed, "Brother, we found the suspect. We¡¯re now in Guyi Lane on Caoshi Street, and trapped in a bookstore."


    "You¡¯re so careless! I¡¯ll bring someone over right away."


    Chen Shi said, "Look at this!" He held up four movie tickets, all from the same theater nearby. "The times are close to the times of the four murders. Blind people won¡¯t go to watch movies."


    "So you have guessed it correctly? Every time she kills someone, she''ll recover briefly?"


    "Then she¡¯ll go and watch a movie... What¡¯s that sound?"


    Lin Dongxue put her ear against the roller shutter and listened, "It''s raining! This is good news! She won¡¯t get very far."


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth. "I''m afraid it''s not good news!"


    After waiting anxiously for half an hour, the sound of the shutter being pried open finally came from outside, and the shutter opened up. Lin Qiupu and others stood outside, wearing raincoats. Lin Qiupu handed them two raincoats, saying, "Where did she go? Hurry up and go after her! "


    "I don''t know," Chen Shi responded.


    "Haii, how did you guys handle things? Let¡¯s split up and look for her!¡±


    The two of them put on their raincoats and inquired everywhere within the alley. Several neighbors had just seen Tu Yunmeng leave. They got to the road, and Chen Shi said, "She didn¡¯t bring her guide stick, so it would be impossible for her to cross the road... Unless she can see right now."


    "What are you talking about?" Lin Qiupu asked in confusion.


    Chen Shi showed him the movie tickets. "Tu Yunmeng is only blind due to psychological reasons, and every time she kills someone, she will briefly regain her eyesight. This is her motive for killing people."


    Lin Qiupu was shocked. At that moment, his cell phone rang. After answering, he frowned. "There was a murder close by! It just happened."


    "She did it!" Chen Shi looked at the heavy rain. "Her hearing isn¡¯t good right now, so she has to recover her eyesight again... This rain really came at the wrong time."


    Lin Qiupu rushed over with some people and Lin Dongxue was ready to follow him. However, Chen Shi pulled her back. He said, "She went to this theater every time after shemitted the murders. It must be of great significance to her. Let''s go there and check. Let your brother handle the murder case."


    The murder had taken ce in an alley about a street away from them. The victim was an olddy. Witnesses said that the person who killed her was a girl. The two went into the alley arm in arm and then the girl ran out. They couldn¡¯t make out her face clearly.


    The olddy who copsed onto the ground had also been stabbed several times. It was most likely her that did it.


    Lin Qiupu murmured in disbelief. "Could there really be such a thing?!"


    At the same time, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were rushing to the theater. Sun Zhen called to ask, "Why aren''t you here yet, Brother Chen?"


    "Just have a casual meal with her and have a chat!"


    "Fuck, what if she is the murderer?"


    "No, the killer has already been found, bye!"


    They got to the theater braving the heavy rain. It was a small theater. There weren¡¯t many people at all, especially due to the weather that day.


    When Chen Shi was going up the stairs, he noticed a detail. He pointed it out to Lin Dongxue. There were a few drops of blood on the ground.


    The two went further inside to ask around. Chen Shi''s mobile phone had captured Tu Yunmeng''s household registration booklet¡¯s photo earlier. The front desk replied, "I¡¯ve seen her. She came here to watch the night screening of a movie two days ago and said a few words to Little Zhou back then... She was the only one in that cinema hall, so she left an impression on me."


    "Who is Little Zhou?"


    "The person who projects the movie. But he¡¯s working right now."


    "I want to meet him."


    The two went to the projector room and Chen Shi noticed a wet coat hanging on the wall. Little Zhou stood up and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her credentials to him. "Do you know Tu Yunmeng?"


    "Tu Yunmeng?"


    "This is her!" Chen Shi showed him the photo.


    "Yeah, she''s been here to watch a few movies... We¡¯ve talked, but we¡¯re not that familiar with each other."

 Chapter 378: Tu Yunmeng’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 378: Tu Yunmeng''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi nced out of the projection room¡¯s window. A romance movie was currently being broadcast. Judging from the protagonist''s crying, it should have reached the climax.


    The cinema hall was really small and only had ten rows of seats with a few people sparsely seated inside.


    "How did you two meet?" Chen Shi said.


    "Last month she came and watched a movie at night. It was a boring literary film. I saw that she had watched it with great interest. She was still watching when the ending credits came on... Our movie theater is small, and I work as a cleaner as well. When I went down to clean up, I said, "Miss, it''s over! This is thest movie of the day." She said, "What¡¯s the earliest time that I cane and watch tomorrow?" I said that she had to wait until 10 in the morning. She looked quite disappointed when she heard that."


    "She only came once?"


    "Yeah... Just once."


    Chen Shi showed him the movie tickets, "She came four times. Thest time was two days ago!"


    Little Zhou said awkwardly, "Maybe I didn''t notice her! Or I wasn¡¯t at work."


    Chen Shi pointed at the projection room¡¯s window. "How long has this movie been ying for?"


    "About an hour."


    "It has only been raining for forty minutes outside. You went out halfway through and your clothes got wet. Did you pick someone up? Is Tu Yunmeng here?"


    Little Zhou gulped and suddenly rushed towards the door. However, he was stopped by Chen Shi. Lin Dongxue took out her handcuffs but Chen Shi stopped her and said, "Leave the handcuffs for her... Take us to her!"


    "You must be mistaken! How could such a gentle girl kill someone!" Little Zhou anxiously defended her.


    "It looks like you know her quite well. Take us to meet her!"


    Lin Dongxue warned, "We can arrest you as well for sheltering a criminal."


    Little Zhou looked pained, sighed, and then led the two people out of the room and to his dormitory. Little Zhou knocked on the door and Tu Yunmeng, dressed in boy''s clothing, opened the door in high spirits. Her expression was like that of a young girl in passionate love. When she saw the two people standing behind Little Zhou, her expression quickly dimmed.


    Little Zhou said despondently, "I''m sorry..."


    Chen Shi noticed that Tu Yunmeng''s eyes were very big and bright, and that there was a wound on the right side of her lip that was about to heal. ¡°Come back with us.¡±


    When they took the suspect back to the bureau, Lin Qiupu said excitedly, "This is great! The case is finally solved!"


    Chen Shi said, "Let Dongxue and I interrogate her!"


    "Go ahead. Don''t talk nonsense during the interrogation though."


    The two sat in front of Tu Yunmeng and her eyes seemed dull. Her pupils seemed unable to focus. Chen Shi asked, "You can''t see anymore?"


    Tu Yunmeng nodded, "I couldn''t see when I got into the police car."


    "When you killed the second person, your DNA was left in the nails of the victim. In the case on June 13th, the deceased drugged you, and a policewoman just took you for a urine test. The results wille out shortly. Furthermore, from the evidence we''re about to find in your house... In short, the evidence is solid and you don''t have to hide anything from us any longer."


    "Will I get the death penalty?" Tu Yunmeng asked nkly.


    "I can''t say for sure, but it''s quite possible!"


    Tu Yunmeng smiled, "I wonder if my eyesight will suddenly be restored when I¡¯m getting executed. I think it¡¯s something to look forward to!"


    "It seems your eyesight doese back. So, it''s true! Let''s talk."


    After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "The first murder was about a year ago. When I was about to close the store that day, a man suddenly ran in and pinned me down on the ground, tearing my clothes off. I picked up a fruit knife that had fallen to the ground and stabbed it into his neck fiercely. When his artery was cut and the blood spilled out, it made a whistle-like sound as it sshed warmly on my face and my eyes... What was unbelievable was that I could see it! Of course, I was calm. I knew that when the corpse was found, I¡¯d have to go to jail, so I immediately closed the door, cleaned the scene, chopped the corpse into small pieces, and threw it into the trash bin in a nearby district overnight.


    "Which neighborhood?" Chen Shi interrupted her.


    "Near Wuyang Road. I¡¯ve forgotten."


    "The corpse dismemberment case on the 22nd of April was done by you?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The police never found out. In fact, they came and questioned me, but they didn''t expect that the killer would be a blind woman... The recoverysted for two days. As the adrenaline slowly subsided, things in front of me dimmed again. I had adapted to the darkness, but when a light suddenly appeared in front of a person who had adapted to the darkness, the darkness became extremely painful. I wanted to seize this light... I began to craft a thorough killing n. I''m blind, so it¡¯s a hard task for me. I couldn''t be sure how tall or strong the person I would kill was. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to confirm if there would be other people around when I did it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to know if the lights were turned on... Whenever a child entered my bookstore alone, I would be tempted, but I couldn''t do it. If I were to kill people, I would only be free from guilt if it was a man.¡±


    "In the period after that, I tried to walk around in an area where thew and order wasn¡¯t good at night. As a result, I heard hooligansing over in a group, but I was so scared that I was the first to run away... If I wanted to kill someone, the other party must live alone and it had to be a stranger... After some thinking, I could only go the online route. It was easier to find strangers who qualified online. I did think about giving up, but the experience of light was too seductive, and the moment my eyes recovered, this colorful world would overflow. Once I knew about this method, I couldn''t stop!¡±


    "After long experimentation, I finally found the right person. The man said he didn''t mind that I was blind and said that he wanted to invite me to his house as a guest. I agreed. When he was getting intimate with me, I felt his heartbeat with my hand and then ruthlessly stabbed him. I was able to see everything with my eyes. I squealed happily. It seemed like I had superpowers all of a sudden... After making sure that he was thoroughly dead, I cleaned up the scene. Before this, I had made a lot of ns regarding what I¡¯d do when everything was over, but unfortunately, it was in the evening, so I could only go to watch a movie.¡±


    "I met Little Zhou at the movie theater. He was a very clean and shy boy. He talked to me about many movie topics. Looking at another boy smiling at me made me feel very happy, but I wasn¡¯t sure how long my eyesight wouldst this time. Originally, I just wanted to experience it again and stop so that the police wouldn¡¯t find out, but I couldn''t help myself. As my eyesight faded again, I searched for new prey online... I knew that as long as I killed them, I could happily watch another movie and talk to Little Zhou... You won¡¯t understand that kind of happiness!"


    When she said that, Tu Yunmeng disyed an eerie smile.

 Chapter 379: Becoming Blind Due to Patricide

    <h4>Chapter 379: Bing Blind Due to Patricide</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    For the next two hours, Tu Yunmeng kept talking about the details of her murders while Lin Dongxue shuddered as she listened.


    "...There was an ident the fourth time. I drank the drink that the man gave me, and suddenly felt dizzy. I knew that he wanted to do something indecent to me, so I made my move in the car. I wore his coat as I escaped from the housing district and found Little Zhou. Little Zhou was frightened by the blood on my body, but I couldn¡¯t stay conscious any longer and fell asleep at his ce. In my dream, I dreamed that the police came and put me in handcuffs. However, when I woke up, Little Zhou had washed my clothes for me. He had been watching over me all night. My only regret is that I couldn¡¯t see his smile... Maybe it was because I was getting numb to killing people. My eyesightsted a shorter and shorter period of time.¡±


    "But that day was a day worth remembering for the rest of my life. Little Zhou confessed his love for me. After I told him everything, he said that he would like to have a formal rtionship with me once things have blown over. He didn''t care if I was blind and was willing to take care of me for the rest of my life... In fact, if you had stopped investigating, there wouldn¡¯t have been another victim, and the olddy today wouldn¡¯t have had to die.¡±


    Chen Shi challenged, "How can you guarantee that you won¡¯t kill now that you¡¯ve developed this addiction? If the police really didn¡¯t find you, if you married Little Zhou and had a child, would you kill people in order to see your child¡¯s face?¡±


    "Maybe!" Tu Yunmeng smiled.


    "Today, this olddy helped you to cross the road, but you killed her. You¡¯re devoid of conscience!"


    "If it weren''t for the police chasing me, why would I need to kill people in order to escape? I would only kill the men who wanted one-night stands on the app. I don¡¯t feel any guilt when I kill them."


    At that moment, a police officer came in with a document and Chen Shi read through it. He stood up and walked in front of Tu Yunmeng and waved his hand in front of her eyes. Tu Yunmeng said, "Don''t waste your time. My eyes can''t see anything."


    "Have you seen a doctor?"


    "Yes, a long time ago. He said that my eyes were normal. I also saw a psychologist, but regrettably, I wasn¡¯t cured."


    "Then I''ll help you cure it!"


    Tu Yunmengughed coldly.


    "Why are you blind?"


    "At the age of ten, my father ran a food processing nt that processed hawthorn berries into hawthorn paste and the like. At that time, our family ate and lived in the factory. One night, a bad person came in. My father and the bad person began fighting and rolled towards the feed inlet of the processor. I was afraid that the bad person would kill my father and thene for me and my mother, so... So...¡± Tu Yunmeng furrowed her brows and her lips were trembling. ¡°So, I pressed the switch and my father and the bad guy were drawn in together. When I saw my father''s blood and flesh, I could no longer see anything anymore... The psychiatrist said that I was blind because of the great guilt of killing my father. I couldn''t get better even after taking lots of medicine.¡±


    This statement was basically consistent with her past as shown by police investigations. Chen Shi said, "So you put a hawthorn berry in each of your victims, symbolizing your guilt?"


    "At first it was just for fun. The first man I killed happened to have just washed a bag of hawthorn berries, and I stuffed one into his mouth. Later, I kept this habit... Perhaps your interpretation is correct?"


    "What did the psychologist do for you? Psychoanalysis, cognitive therapy, or behavioral therapy?"


    "Everything you can name has been used on me, including electric shock therapy and acupuncture... The guilt of single handedly killing my father, and the guilt towards my mother''s subsequent death because of depression was like a cancer in my heart. It can never be cured."


    Chen Shi crumpled the paper in his hand, and suddenly threw it at Tu Yunmeng, who subconsciously blocked it with her hands. This scene shocked Lin Dongxue and the policemen watching outside.


    Tu Yunmeng looked towards the paper ball on the ground in disbelief and her eyes quickly lost focus again. She shook her head and said, "It''s no use. Psychologists have already tried this method. I know that my eyes have no functional damage. The problem is within my heart."


    At that time, Lin Qiupu called using the inte and said to Lin Dongxue, "Get Chen Shi to stop his antics. We¡¯re not in charge of curing illnesses here."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Lin said..."


    "Wait a while!" Chen Shi continued speaking to Tu Yunmeng. "You said that your blindness was because of great guilt? I¡¯m telling you that it wasn¡¯t like what you thought. When you were ten years old, your father and the bad guy had rolled towards the feed inlet of the processor. The button was right in front of you. You really wanted to press it. You wanted to see what it would look like when the bad guy and your father were grinded up together into mincemeat. Your heart is cold-blooded like a reptile, which is why you have such a strange pathology in which you would regain your eyesight with killing. At that moment, you will feel extremely happy. This is the actual source of your guilt. You feel guilty that you¡¯re a demon inside!"


    Tu Yunmeng opened her eyes wide and tears streamed down. She screamed, "You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying! I never thought of pressing that button! How could I... How could I kill my own father!"


    "It was exhrating, right? At that moment, the sound of two living people being grinded up, and the screams of your own father before he got processed! Killing was so delightful. It made you so happy as if you had ascended to heaven. Even if it was your own father, the real reason why your eyes recover is just because you wanted to see the faces of the people you killed with your own hands twisted in pain as well as all the blood on their bodies!¡± Chen Shi roared loudly.


    Lin Qiupu was afraid that the scene would get out of control. He rushed in and said, "Enough!"


    Tu Yunmeng turned to look at Lin Qiupu with tears in her eyes. At that moment, her pupils were focused like that of a normal person¡¯s. Lin Qiupu was stunned and the police outside rushed in. Lin Qiupu said, "She... Has she recovered?"


    Chen Shi was so tired that he was about to copse. He said, "You don''t need to be sent to a mental hospital. You can go directly to the detention center."


    Tu Yunmeng looked at her own hands and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, thank you... So I am a person like this... What''s your name? One day, I¡¯ll escape from prison and I¡¯ll kill you happily... Hahahaha! "


    "My name is Chen Shi. You''re wee." Chen Shi gestured with his head towards Lin Dongxue. "Let''s go out for some food. I''m hungry."


    By this time, the rain had stopped, and the usual humid and muggy air in June was reced with refreshing and crisp air. The two found a food stall and ate fried rice while drinking soda. Lin Dongxue was still reliving the scene in the interrogation room. She said, "The girl¡¯s gaze was really terrifying. I never imagined that there can be a person like this in the world.¡±


    "I think her real illness is ack of emotion. Even her love for Little Zhou was only a shift of affection after recovering her eyesight. What she loved were the colorful movies and Little Zhou was just part of the package."


    "If she wasn''t blind, would she have been an even more terrifying criminal?"


    "Perhaps. From a psychological viewpoint, Tu Yunmeng was a born criminal..." Chen Shi looked up at the night sky. Just like me.

 Chapter 380: Wang Sunxu’s Three Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 380: Wang Sunxu''s Three Dreams</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 26: Pursuit Of The Murderer Within A Dream


    On June 29th, Tao Yueyue went to her ssmate¡¯s house for a sleepover. Chen Shi seized the opportunity, and as soon as he entered the door with Lin Dongxue, they became fiercely passionate.


    The two were kissing on the sofa when Chen Shi suddenly discovered pink woman''s panties on the sofa. He cursed mentally and quickly stuffed the panties into his pocket.


    When he looked up, he saw kk standing behind the curtains with ascivious smile, waving at him.


    He turned to look at the bedroom, and there was a bespectacled perverted face behind the half-closed door.


    Chen Shi suddenly developed an urge to kill and quickly picked Lin Dongxue up. He tapped the bridge of her nose and asked, "Ah, yes, would you like to take a bath first?"


    "So, you love cleanliness that much?" Lin Dongxue said shyly.


    "No, I forgot to buy the ''necessary supplies'' and need to go out for them. I¡¯ll buy dinner while I¡¯m out as well. What do you want to eat?¡±


    "Then I¡¯ll have pizza!"


    "Why don¡¯t you have some standards? I''ll buy you lychee grilled fish. After you take a shower, you can y with your phone for a while. There are drinks and fruits in the refrigerator."


    Lin Dongxue hugged him and said, "Come back soon."


    After he had tricked Lin Dongxue into going to the bathroom, Chen Shi immediately went to confront kk and Sun Zhen. He took out the panties, shook them in his hand, and lowered his voice, "Are there any more?"


    "Just this one." kk said with a smile.


    Chen Shi kicked out the two perverted guys and scolded, "Are you guys trying to get me into trouble? Who let you in?"


    "Cool down, cool down. We¡¯re conducting a research project to observe your emergency response... Overall, Brother Chen''s resilience is pretty good. Right,Little Worm?" kkughed.


    Chen Shi was so angry that he felt like smoking.


    Sun Zhen said, "Did you forget, Brother Chen? We have a team-building activity tonight, so we came and waited for you in the house first."


    Chen Shi became frantic. "I said ¡®the end of the month¡¯. June 30th. Are you two brainless?"


    "I understand today to be the end of the month." Sun Zhen said confidently.


    kk said, "Hurry up. Sister Gu has already arrived and she said that there was an important discovery."


    Chen Shi sighed, took out his mobile phone and called for takeaway, indicating that it should be delivered an hourter. He said, "I have toe back within an hour."


    kk snickered, "Or we wait five minutes here for you. Can Brother Chenst for five minutes?"


    "Wanna die?!"


    When kk saw that Chen Shi was really angry, he retracted his teasing smile.


    The three went to Chen Shi''s temporarily rented room. Gu You was reading a document while drinking coffee. After entering the door, kk shouted, "Sister Gu, hurry up. Brother Chen still needs to go back and perform his marital duties with sister-inw!¡±


    Gu You smiled, "Sorry, I didn''t know that you were busy today."


    "Can you have some respect for other people¡¯s privacy?" Chen Shi said, "By the way, my door is equipped with a security rm. How did you get in?"


    Sun Zhen said, "This is also part of the project. I spent some time overwriting the program of the rm... Rest assured, I¡¯ve restored it back for you."


    Chen Shi thought that in a sense, he needed to thank both of them. If they could get in, so could Zhou Xiao. It seems that the defense at home needed to be upgraded. However, he was toozy to thank these two pranksters.


    Gu You tossed over the document in her hand, "Let''s just make this long story short. Do you still remember Wang Sunxu?"


    "I do. Zhou Xiao''s fanatical fan. What is this? A novel in dialogue form?¡± Chen Shi saw arge section of dialogue on the papers and the parties were named M and Z, respectively.


    "It¡¯s the record of a psychological consultation. One of my university ssmates is a psychological counselor in prison. His evaluation of Wang Sunxu was that he had a strong sense of self-protection, a strong tendency for violence and a penchant for extreme thinking. He had injured several fellow prisoners and even blinded another person''s eyes with a sharpened toothbrush."


    kkmented, "This type of death row prisoner isn¡¯t afraid of anything.¡±


    "Have you been in prison?" Sun Zhen asked.


    kk smiled proudly, "How could I have? I¡¯m a piece of wless white jade[1]. A thieving genius and I have never been caught... Since I work alone, there¡¯s no risk of any associates snitching on me."


    "Don''t! Go! On! A! Tangent!" Chen Shi yelled.


    Gu You continued, "Wang Sunxu didn''t want to disclose his childhood experiences, but he told his psychologist about his three dreams. I think Wang Sunxu knew Zhou Xiao at some stage of his life. If we can figure out these three dreams, we may find out the true identity of Zhou Xiao."


    "Cool!" kk pped, "Master Detective Freud. Have you watched that TV series?"


    "Let''s take a look." Chen Shi started reading the document.


    Wang Sunxu''s first dream: ¡°I dreamed that I was walking in a dark world. I was walking and walking. A stone appeared on the ground and I kicked it away. I kicked more and more stones. Then the stones became little people. Their heads poked out and they kept crying and screaming. I was so annoyed that I kicked their heads away one by one as Iughed out loud. At this time, a fluffy monster rushed from behind, looking like a werewolf with blood on both its mouth and ws. I was terrified and ran away.¡±


    ¡°I ran and ran and the little people on the ground popped up like bamboo shoots. I don¡¯t know why, but I suddenly had an idea. I picked off their heads and ate them, and every time I ate a little human head, I grew a bitrger. Then I also became a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°I thought that I could beat the werewolf chasing me in this manner, so I turned around and wrestled with it. Who knew that it would cut open my belly with its ws in one swipe? The little heads that I ate sang a song as they rolled out from my belly. Then I woke up.¡±


    There was a note from the psychologist at the end saying that the patient had been suffering from severe enuresis. Whenever he dreams of bleeding, falling into water and simr imagery, he will suffer from enuresis.


    Wang Sunxu''s second dream: ¡°I dreamed that I was walking in the desert. I was awfully thirsty. While I was thinking about that, a tropical forest emerged in front of me. Monkeys were leaping and jumping around on the trees chattering, as if they were showing off while eating wild fruits. The fruits were red and big, and the juice spurted out when they bit into them. My throat was so dry that it was almost going up in smoke. I was unable to pick the fruit, so I was really angry and threw rocks at them.¡±


    ¡°Walking on, I came to a church. Yes, the church in the tropical rain forest was veryrge and magnificent, and the exterior walls were covered in moss. I pushed open the mossy door and walked in. I was already too tired and wanted to sleep inside.I suddenly saw a portrait of the Virgin Mary; she was wearing red clothes.¡±


    ¡°I knelt down and prayed and saw that the Virgin Mary had suddenly started burning. The fire spread everywhere and even spread to my body. I was so scared that I began screaming as I ran out of the church. The fire kept spreading behind and the chattering monkeys on the trees were burned to death. The fire got bigger and bigger and finally swallowed me up. Then I woke up.¡±


    The psychologist''s note: Upon questioning, the patient said that he was influenced by his parents in childhood and was formerly a Catholic.


    The postscript mentioned that whenever the patient dreamt about fire, the patient would also suffer from enuresis.


    1. White jade is associated with perfection and rarity. So he means he hasn¡¯t been ¡°tainted¡± by getting caught.

 Chapter 381: Dream Interpretation

    <h4>Chapter 381: Dream Interpretation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Sunxu''s third dream: ¡°I dreamed of going to the woods near my home with my older brother to explore. There was a big hole on the road, and my brother jumped over easily. Then he encouraged me by saying, ¡®You can do it too!¡¯ It took me a while, but when I finally jumped over, I almost fell into the hole. My brother took my hand and dragged me back up. He even patted my head and praised me saying that I was really capable. I was very happy.¡±


    ¡°We walked into a maple forest. Older brother told me not to be afraid. I didn¡¯t know why he said that, but suddenly a python came out of the forest. Older brother hit it with a branch and even poked its eye out. He looked at me andughed.¡±


    ¡°The snake writhed on the ground, and looked really pitiful. I pitied it so I burned it to death.¡±


    The psychologist asked, "What did the burning snake smell like?"


    Wang Sunxu replied, "It stank like rubber. Some white stuff came out of the skin."


    The psychologist noted that upon questioning, the patient hadmitted animal abuse in childhood but had notmitted arson.


    Chen Shi put down the consultation record and said, "Wetting the bed, animal cruelty, and arson. It seems that this psychologist was purposeful in his questioning."


    "Correct. Macdonald triad symptoms[1],monly known as the three essential factors predicting serial killers." Gu You said, "In order to find out the origin of Wang Sunxu''s violent tendencies, my ssmate did a dream interpretation. Do you want to hear about it?"


    "No. It''s probably nothing more than oedipalplex and the like."


    "What? What? What?" kk picked up the file, "How can you tell?"


    Chen Shi said, "Miss Gu, this seems a little bit ridiculous. You¡¯re trying to find Zhou Xiao through three dreams?"


    "You have a good understanding of psychology. You should know that dreams are the truest reflections of the subconscious mind. By restoring images to their origins, you can dig out the true thoughts of that person."


    "But this truth is only on a psychological level. Anxiety, desire, and fear of people may be truthfully reflected in dreams, but do you think that there will be a person''s name and an address in these three dreams? Even if Wang Sunxu dreamed of it, he wouldn¡¯t say it out loud either."


    "We¡¯ve had no other breakthroughs."


    "Well then, highly experienced psychologist, what do you think of these three dreams?"


    "In the first dream, he walked through a dark world. Generally speaking, the darkness in dreams often hides danger, but Wang Sunxu was very calm when he described this part, which shows that he¡¯s apathetic and someonecking emotion. You and I know that dreams proceed and are generated synchronously. When you dream of a painting, the picture is blurred at first, then what you want to see gradually appears on the picture. Wang Sunxu in this dark world saw little people on the ground. He kicked off the heads with excitement. I think this symbolizes the people that he killed. As for the werewolf that suddenly appeared, I¡¯m guessing it was someone who hurt him in his childhood. Pay attention to a detail here. There was blood in the werewolf''s mouth, indicating that it had already harmed someone, and this blood may havee from Wang Sunxu."


    "I agree with you on that." Chen Shi said, "Wang Sunxu had a human-faced but a beast of a teacher in middle school. Teacher Xu pretended to care for those students who were not valued. In fact, he secretly controlled them and got them to do terrible things. The werewolf symbolizes Teacher Xu. The blood in his mouthes from the other students that he hurt. The werewolf does not appear from the front, but from the back, which shows that Wang Sunxu knows subconsciously that he is a ''person from the past'' and is dead. Even so, he is still the biggest nightmare in Wang Sunxu''s heart. One of the driving forces of Wang Sunxu''s constant killing was to constantly strengthen himself in order to ovee this nightmare. That¡¯s why he ate the people on the ground and became a werewolf. But even if he killed the teacher, he still couldn''t get rid of the Teacher Xu in his heart."


    "Childhood has a profound impact on a person." Gu Youmented.


    "You two are gods!" kk said, "You can analyze a bunch of things from such absurd stuff. You have my admiration.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This is based on the fact that I have personally experienced the case. Aside from that, we know nothing about Wang Sunxu''s past. Dreams alone won¡¯t give you the truth."


    Gu You said, "Do we really know nothing? It should be easy to trace his past through your contacts in the police."


    "That''s just a framework. Where he went, where he went to school and the like. But we can''t know what he experienced."


    "Not necessarily. If youy out Wang Sunxu''s life along a chronological timeline and find the unresolved cases that urred at the same time and ce, maybe you can dig out his past!"


    "Miss Gu, do you think thetter two dreams will draw out one or two cases?"


    "I¡¯m just saying that we should try. How would we know without trying? Everyone just wants to find out the true identity of Zhou Xiao."


    Chen Shi felt that this was too much of a roundabout way of going about it. While he was thinking about it, Gu You said, "Let¡¯s just treat it as a small activity for our team building this time."


    "Since you say so, I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try." Chen Shi looked at his watch. "I''m sorry, I should go."


    Sun Zhen said, "What do we n to do for team building? I propose to do outdoor activities like bungee jumping or something like that. I¡¯m usually always at home and I want to go out and have fun asionally."


    kk said, "Raise your hand if you agree!" He looked around and only Sun Zhen raised his hand. "Well, since no one agreed, in my opinion, we should go to a health club! I know a good ce." He raised his eyebrows upwards pervertedly.


    "Fuck off!" Chen Shi said.


    "Have some consideration for me as a woman!" Gu You said, "Let¡¯s look for some healthy and beneficial activities. What do you think of a hot spring spa?"


    "I agree with Miss Gu," Sun Zhen said.


    kk said, "What''s so interesting about a spa? It''s boring just lying there getting fixed up."


    Gu You said, "You¡¯ll know when you try it. It''s veryfortable and it''s good for the skin."


    Chen Shi stood up and said, "That¡¯s enough. Let''s just do what Chinese traditionally do for parties. We¡¯ll have dinner! I¡¯ll make a reservation for a good restaurant."


    This idea was also rejected. Gu You felt that it was best to have a quiet ce for social interaction. kk hoped for a ce that was more fun. Sun Zhen held no opinion. "I¡¯m fine with whatever Miss Gu wants."


    Chen Shi was anxious to get back and said, "How about this? I know a big bathhouse. It¡¯s a very luxurious one. We can even rest and eat a buffet there when we¡¯re done... Hurry up! Raise your hand to vote!" He took the lead in raising his hand.


    kk asked, "Are there any special services?"


    "No! But there are foot therapy treatments, massages and the like."


    "Forget it. Knowing that you¡¯re all serious people, you won¡¯t go to any shady ces. I¡¯ll agree reluctantly!" kk raised his hand.


    Gu You said, "Taking a bath and eating a buffet can allow for mingling. Seems to be not bad." She also raised her hand. Sun Zhen naturally raised his hand as well.


    Chen Shi said, "That''s it then. See all of you tomorrow night!"


    1. A set of three factors that has been suggested if all three or anybination of two, are present together, to be predictive of or associated withter violent tendencies, particrly with rtion to serial offenses. The triad links cruelty to animals, obsession with fire-setting, and persistent bedwetting past a certain age, to violent behaviors, particrly homicidal behavior and sexually predatory behavior. However, other studies im to have not found statistically significant links between the triad and violent offenders.

 Chapter 382: The More Was Said, The Dirtier It Got

    <h4>Chapter 382: The More Was Said, The Dirtier It Got</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next night, they went to Tang Pce Bathhouse to take a bath, and then moved to the public rest area wearing loose bathrobes. Gu You had already arrived; she was wearing sunsses and lying on a lounger drinking juice.


    kk and Sun Zhen were talking with smiles on their faces while walking towards her. Gu You asked, "What has made you guys so happy?"


    kk smiledsciviously, "Let me put it simply. It turns out that Brother Chen is a man of great stature..."


    "Did you not drink enough water in the bath?!" Chen Shi appeared from behind them, and kk shut up immediately.


    Gu You covered her mouth andughed, and then the four of them found a secluded corner. During this time, Sun Zhen ran to bring some fruits and said solicitously, "Miss Gu, you must be feeling thirsty after taking a bath. You should eat some fruits... This honeydew melon are thest few pieces. I barely managed to grab some."


    Gu You smiled, put the fruit te in the middle of the table, and said, "Let''s eat together!"


    kk taunted Sun Zhen softly, "You¡¯re not very skilled in bootlicking."


    "Mind your own business!" Sun Zhen picked up a piece of watermelon angrily.


    kk took out a box of fine cigars. There were four of them in total. He said animatedly, "Come! This is good stuff. Brother Chen,e and try it."


    Although Chen Shi was really tempted, he had promised Lin Dongxue to quit smoking, so he restrained himself. He said, "No thanks, you guys can smoke them yourselves!"


    kk and Sun Zhen smoked the cigars and looked as delighted as if they were taking drugs. Smelling the scent, Chen Shi was afraid that he would rpse, so he quickly got to the main topic. He threw a piece of paper on the table, "This is Wang Sunxu''s timeline. His background is like this. Childhood, orphanage, school, and entering society. Let¡¯s see what juicy details we can dig out!"


    Gu You said, "About the second and third dream, I think they have something to do with women. In the rainforest, there was a house hidden in the middle. Doesn¡¯t it seem like a woman¡¯s reproductive organ?"


    "Oh, Sister Gu is getting risque. Everyone, please sit tight." kk said excitedly.


    Chen Shi disagreed. "Pansexualism? I personally don''t think that the entire space in which the person is located is a symbol of some organ. I think that objects with humanoid characteristics in a dream can symbolize someone."


    Gu You said, "Don''t you think that Wang Sunxu is in a state of sexual deprivation?"


    "This assumption is meaningless. What if Wang Sunxu is gay and he and Zhou Xiao are a couple?" Chen Shi suddenly remembered something. "Well, he did have a crush on a girl in middle school."


    Gu You smiled, "A snake appeared in the third dream. In psychoanalytic theory, snakes also symbolize women. I said that dreams are generated synchronously. Wang Sunxu entered a house in the second dream. This symbolizes sexual intercourse, but he immediately found out that it was a church. In his faith, it represented a sacred and invible ce, so this woman should be a mother figure. He was obsessed with this person but knew she shouldn¡¯t be vited."


    kk and Sun Zhen ate the honeydew melon and listened with interest. Chen Shi has always disagreed with the theory of pansexualism. He felt that it was epoch-making to propose such a theory in the age of Freud, but given how open people are in modern times, people are no longer as oppressed as they were in the 19th century. Sexual imagery isn¡¯t omnipresent in dreams anymore.


    But Gu You¡¯s statement did have some truth. At least, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason for refuting her. Chen Shi said, "I agree with the statement regarding the ¡®Mother¡¯, but the image of ¡®Mother¡¯ should correspond to that portrait of the Virgin Mary. She wore red clothes. Red can be a symbol of blood or sexual desire. What happens in a person''s dream is exactly what they hope for. The portrait of the Virgin burned, which shows that he wanted to kill the person. Wang Sunxu¡¯s response afterwards was extremely flustered. This was likely to have been his first murder. He might have burned the body after killing her!"


    Gu You added, "He wanted to sleep in the church, which shows that this ce gave him a sense of security. It was a familial ce. I think the woman killed was his mother and the ce was his home."


    "No, that doesn¡¯t seem right! Wang Sunxu and his brother were interdependent. If he had really killed his mother, there must be a ce for his brother in his dream... And there¡¯s another detail. The fruit-eating monkeys. Wang Sunxu was thirsty, tired, and wanted to eat their fruits, but those monkeys didn¡¯t give any to him... What does the fruit symbolize? What do the monkeys symbolize? This was obviously a group that Wang Sunxu once lived with."


    "I see. The fruit-eating monkeys symbolizes other children who have families. The memory of this dream corresponds to his time at the orphanage. Could he have been adopted before?¡±


    "It''s possible that he was adopted. If he was, it must have been a woman. He killed the person who adopted him!"


    "Fuck!" kk eximed, "You two are fucking amazing. The analysis is very vivid. Younger Brother is deeply impressed." kk handed a slice of melon to each of them.


    Chen Shi smiled. "Go get some food."


    "Okay!" kk stood up and left.


    After the fruitful analysis, Chen Shi was very excited, but also a little tired.


    After kk had brought the food, Chen Shi took a few bites and took a break before continuing to say, "Let me talk about my thoughts regarding the third dream. The most important person in the dream is Wang Sunxu''s brother. But this brother probably started as his elder brother andter became another person. A brotherly person."


    kk blinked his eyes, "That¡¯s too unbelievable, right?"


    Gu You exined, "Dreams are generated synchronously, and one person often appears in dreams. As the ''plot'' advances, he will be another person that you want to see."


    kk pondered, then suddenly smacked his thigh. "No wonder I once had an erotic dream and the other party suddenly became Wu Mengda[1] halfway."


    "That''s disgusting!" Sun Zhen moved away from him reflexively.


    Chen Shi said, "I think there¡¯s a real reason for this. If we go back to our earlier analysis, during the orphanage period, his brother was no longer with him. The snake symbolizes women, and the imagery of fire appeared twice in his dream. Once in the maple leaf forest. Once when the snake was set on fire. This was probably connected to what happened in the second dream. This "brother" told him, "Don''t be afraid" and then killed the snake. This person must have guided him towards the path of bing a criminal. He may very well be Zhou Xiao!"


    Chen Shi pointed to the timeline, "When Wang Sunxu was in the orphanage, it was when ''ck Honey'' broke apart. Zhou Xiao had already be a criminal, and the timeline is consistent."


    Gu You added, "Wang Sunxu''s feelings for this ''snake'' areplex. He felt both pity and hatred towards it. He said that the snake was very smelly when he burned it. He also mentioned that white stuff came out of the snake¡¯s skin... The white stuff may be semen. Wang Sunxu may have raped this ''mother'' before killing her."


    kk gaped, "What! The more was said, the dirtier it got."


    1. An actor in Hong Kong. https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w235_and_h235_face/9kemdd6ubjuOC0DMPqLedbuQQlo.jpg

 Chapter 383: The Fire Ten Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 383: The Fire Ten Years Ago</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s consider this killing and arson event as the x event. Judging by the frequency in the dreams, the x event has a more profound impact on Wang Sunxu than Teacher Xu. In the next two days, I¡¯ll check the police files."


    kk said, "I don''t understand something. It¡¯s just three dreams. You guys came up with all those exnations. Can you really dig out the incidents from those years like that?"


    Sun Zhen pushed his sses up his nose and said, "Although I can''t interpret dreams, I have seen rted documentaries. The formation of dreamses from stimuli. For example, if you want to pee, you will dream of going to the toilet. Sometimes this stimuluses from the heart, such as anxiety, fear, desire, and the like. Dreams must correspond to reality."


    Gu You said, "When a person talks to me about dreams, it¡¯s as if he¡¯s showing his heart to me. Dreams are more honest than words."


    kk was pretty speechless. "What if he lied?"


    Chen Shi reasoned,"I don''t think that he would. Wang Sunxu isn¡¯t well educated and he won¡¯t be aware of this so he wouldn¡¯t be guarded... By the way, can you talk about what happened in the past between you and Zhou Xiao?"


    Gu Youughed. "We shouldn¡¯t talk about that while we¡¯re in such a nice and leisurely atmosphere. In fact, I have one thing I want to try. Little Worm has been brainwashed. I want to try to undo the lock in his consciousness."


    Sun Zhen was extremely excited. "I will definitely cooperate!"


    "Look at how excited you are." kk said with contempt.


    "Then I''ll be seeing you all at the agency in the next few days. By the way, has the agency printed a business card? Give me one!" Chen Shi said.


    "What do you want with a business card?"


    "I''ll have to investigate this case myself. I''m afraid that my police consultant''s ID isn¡¯t good enough. If someone realizes that I am not a police officer, I will need to im that I¡¯m a private detective."


    "Okay, I''ll give it to youter."


    Chen Shi went to the bureau early next morning. Lin Qiupu said, "You came at just the right time. Yesterday, we found a boy''s body. Come to the conference room. I¡¯ll be talking about the case."


    "I''m sorry but I have some personal matters to take care of today. You guys will have to handle this yourselves!"


    "This guy..."


    Chen Shi went to the archives room. Although he wasn¡¯t a police officer, all the police officers in charge of the archives knew him and instead of swiping a card to get in, he just needed to show his face.


    He took out all the unsolved cases in those few years and looked for the ones that matched what they were looking for. Of course, the files couldn¡¯t be taken away. Chen Shi could only try to remember the key elements.


    A baby girl was burned to death in a bicycle factory dormitory building in 2007. The cause of the fire was a short circuit. The wife who took care of the baby said in her statement that she had gone out to buy food and had put the baby to sleep at home. Her daughter had burned to death by the time she got back.


    The couple were high school ssmates and had known each other for a long time. After marriage, they had a happy life and gave birth to the crystallization of their love in the third year.


    Chen Shi found that during the statement, the wife had repeatedly mentioned how good her husband was to her, and had only mentioned the death of her daughter once. The wife had divorced parents.


    Now that he had seen it by ident, Chen Shi couldn''t ignore it. He wrote down his opinion on a note and put it in the file. "The cause of the fire should be the focus of the investigation. The wife is suspected of killing the baby."


    In 2007, a paint warehouse on Nanhai Road caught on fire. Two scorched corpses were found in the fire. Oney there in a fighting pose and there was a lot of smoke and dust in his respiratory tract. He was judged to have been burned alive. The other corpse had no smoke and dust in his respiratory tract and had been burned after death. However, the strange thing was that the corpse that was already deady on top of the corpse that was burned alive.


    The person who had burnt to death was the security guard of a nearby housing district. The identity of the other corpse was never determined. All the people that could be rted to the case had their DNA checked, but nobody was found to be a match.


    Chen Shi wrote down his opinion on another note. "The security guard is the killer. The fire that he set was too big and cut off his escape path. He wanted to use the body on the ground to break through the fire."


    A fire had broken out at the 19th middle school in 2008. The woods behind the school dormitory had caught fire. A couple was burnt to death and there were copper wires surrounding their bodies.


    Three homeless children who had snuck into the school were arrested afterwards and their confessions were very consistent with one another. They said that they had burned the wires they collected in the woods that night in order to take out and sell the copper wires inside. They may not have put out the emberspletely, so it led to a fire...


    The three homeless children were sent to correctional facilities for manughter and were released in 2018.[1]


    Chen Shi thought for a moment and wrote down his opinion on another piece of paper. "Suspect that the three had colluded toe up with a story beforehand. The wires might have been used to restrain the victims. This was murder."


    Then there was a fire in a mansion on Shengyang South Road in 2008. The woman who had burned to death was a 38 year-old woman who lived alone. ording to investigation, she was the mistress of a rich man who had previously died. Although a nanny had also been hired to work at the vi, it was Christmas. The victim, who had studied abroad, had retained the habit of celebrating Christmas. She had given the nanny the day off and had been home alone.


    Traces of unleaded petrol were found in the fire and were found to have been taken from the garage. What was strange was that the deceased''s body was full of jewelry, and her hands and feet were restrained tightly by nes. The jewelry had melted and adhered tightly to the deceased''s bones.


    The autopsy report of the deceased revealed that she had been beaten, had suffered multiple fractures, and was subsequently burned to death while she was alive.


    The case was called the "golden corpse burning case" at the time. The total value of the jewelry wrapped around the deceased''s body was nearly 300,000. The burned mansion was worth more than 10 million. The deceased''s assets were not lost. They were inherited by a distant nephew.


    The police investigated all the people who had bad blood with the victim, but they couldn¡¯t find a definite suspect, so the case has been unsolved till now.


    After reading the file, Chen Shi immediately felt that this was the case he was looking for. He picked up the file and went out. He was stopped by the chief of the archives section, "Consultant Chen, these cannot be taken away without the signature of the bureau chief."


    "I''m sorry!" Chen Shi was so excited that he phoned Lin Qiupu.


    Lin Qiupu came over to ask, "What''s wrong?"


    Chen Shi tapped the file in his hand, "I want to review this case!"


    "Are you joking? I have a child murder case going on right now. Instead of helping, you want to review this old case?¡±


    "This case may be rted to Zhou Xiao."


    "Are you sure?"


    "I¡¯m sixty percent sure."


    Lin Qiupu thought about it and felt that it wasn''t very likely. He said, "I don''t believe your nonsense. Where did you get the lead from? Don''t tell me that it''s from a random epiphany where you suddenly thought that you needed to review old cases and somehow you uncovered an earth-shattering secret!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "How about this? I¡¯ll help you with the child murder case. Then you need to authorize me to investigate this case. How about it?¡±


    Lin Qiupu raised a finger, "If you can solve the case within a day, I¡¯ll agree!"


    "Only one day?"


    "How free do you think I am to y with you every day?"


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll go and have a look... Keep this file for me."


    Lin Qiupu saw several files still on the table, and said, "You should put them away after reading them!"


    "In those three files, I wrote some suggestions on how they should be investigated. Take a look. I¡¯m helping you to increase the case-solving rate." Chen Shi winked.


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. He was simply increasing the workload.


    1. Unsure why this case was left in the unsolved section. I don¡¯t know anything about the case filing procedures in China though.

 Chapter 384: Investigating Du Xuemei

    <h4>Chapter 384: Investigating Du Xuemei</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A dayter, Chen Shi yawned as he got out of the car with Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, "I can¡¯t believe that the truth of the case was like this. How unbelievable."


    "The agreement that I had with your brother is finally fulfilled. I was so exhausted yesterday."


    "What agreement?"


    "Come with me."


    When they got to Lin Qiupu''s office, Lin Qiupu handed yesterday''s file to Chen Shi and said, "This is an old case from ten years ago. The chief didn''t agree too much with the case review. I tried to convince him, saying that this might be rted to Zhou Xiao. He¡¯s now contacting the procuratorate. The procedures should be finalized soon unless something crops up."


    Chen Shi said, "We can¡¯t open the case yet?"


    "Investigate it first. When you find the suspect, I¡¯ll get an arrest warrant on my side."


    There were two murderers in this case. He thought about how Wang Sunxu was already in custody and how Zhou Xiao was still atrge. Chen Shi shook his head, "I''m afraid the suspect can¡¯t be found. We can only find out the truth."


    "It''s okay just to find out the truth! Now that I have already consented, you can investigate it freely." Lin Qiupu noticed the dark eye circles on Lin Dongxue''s face and looked at the dark eye circles on Chen Shi''s face. He said to Lin Dongxue, "Don''t stay up sote at night. "


    "I didn''t try to stay upte. It was just because of yesterday¡¯s case." Lin Dongxue said.


    "You two didn¡¯te together, right?"


    "No... I don''t have a car or driver¡¯s license. So of course I came in his car.¡±


    "Take your driver''s license exam again. What kind of police officer doesn¡¯t have a driving license?!"


    "I know!" Lin Dongxue repliedzily before turning around and leaving cheerfully with Chen Shi.


    "She¡¯s so indifferent to me now!" Lin Qiupu grabbed the cushion on his seat and punched it a few times when another police officer came in. He patted the seat cushion and put on an act, saying, "Oh, I wonder why it¡¯s so dusty... What¡¯s the matter?"


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "How did you guess that this old case is rted to Zhou Xiao?"


    "If I didn¡¯t say that, the chief wouldn¡¯t approve the review."


    "So, it¡¯s not actually rted?"


    "No, I think it may be rted to Wang Sunxu, so I think it may be rted to Zhou Xiao. I¡¯ll tell you the reasonter!" Chen Shi said to appease her curiosity.


    The two went to the Information Department and investigated the information regarding the victim, Du Xuemei. Her background showed that she was born in a family of teachers and had gone abroad to further her studies. After returning to China, she became the secretary of the Zhang Group President Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin was also her lover. The two were together for over a decade and Du Xuemei still maintained an on-and-off rtionship with him even after leaving the Zhang Group.


    Zhang Bin was a preposterous person. After his death, there were many expos¨¦s about his life on the Inte. He was a self-made entrepreneur who had made his fortune in the 1980s. He was still vigorous in his fifties and once kept as many as seven mistresses.


    Zhang Bin''s wife, surnamed Li, had three children with him. They were probably the type to have different agendas while sharing the same bed, but they never divorced. ording to the unreliable online reports, Zhang Bin had once asked a Hong Kong master to read his fortune. The master said that Li would bless whoever her husband was, so Zhang Bin never agreed to her divorce requests, no matter how much time he spent outside with other women.


    Chen Shi thought that the reason why they didn¡¯t divorce could actually be because Li also had a powerful family background that was very helpful for Zhang Bin¡¯s career. On the other hand, he was worth over 100 million yuan. If he had divorced her, half of his assets would go to her. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t that foolish.


    "The red g at home won''t fall and the colorful gs flutter outside[1]." This popr portrayal of sessful men was not without basis.


    Zhang Bin died of liver cancer in 2008. His will was secretly executed by awyer and wasn¡¯t publicly announced. It seems that his assets still went to his wife and children. The lovers didn¡¯t get anything.


    But Chen Shi thought, if there was direct legal session, was there still a need to secretly execute the will? Would there have been outsiders who profited from it?


    2008 was also the year that Du Xuemei was burned to death in her mansion. However, her financial information didn¡¯t show that she had anything to do with the orphanage where Wang Sunxu lived. Although she had lost favor with her lover quite a long time ago, she was still very rich. No matter how you looked at it, she wouldn¡¯t have had a connection with Wang Sunxu.


    Chen Shi groaned, "Wang Sunxu was only ten years old that year. His brother was sixteen years old and had left the orphanage to work... Dongxue, go to thew firm and check the contents of Zhang Bin''s will. I¡¯ll go to the orphanage."


    "Wills? Orphanage? Does it have something to do with the case? You aren¡¯t suspecting that there¡¯s a dog blood storyline[2] in this, right? You think Wang Sunxu is actually Zhang Bin''s illegitimate son or something?"


    "How would we know if we don''t investigate?" Chen Shi smiled.


    Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue to thew firm and drove directly to the orphanage where Wang Sunxu had lived. He called Sun Zhen on the way. "Help me to get all the information that you can regarding Du Xuemei."


    "Who¡¯s Du Xuemei?"


    "The first person you can find online by that name. I don¡¯t want the stuff online though. I want the stuff that was never disclosed to the public, like her chat records, emails, and bank ounts expenses."


    "Fuck, someone who died ten years ago... Brother Chen, do you know how long the information on the Intests for?"


    "Well, do your best!"


    When he arrived at the orphanage, Chen Shi found the person in charge and asked to see Wang Sunxu''s file. The person in charge looked through the shelves for a long time and said, "Sorry Officer, a fire broke out in our orphanage a few years ago and all the files before 2008 were lost.¡±


    Chen Shi was surprised. Could it be so coincidental?


    After thinking about it, this coincidence was suspicious. It may be that Wang Sunxu or Zhou Xiao had burned all the files in order to conceal the incident.


    "How did the fire happen?"


    "The power lines were aging, so this archive room burned down. No children were injured though."


    "Don¡¯t you have any back up files?"


    "Since then, we¡¯ve made copies, but we didn¡¯t do that for the previous files."


    "Do you know about the child, Wang Sunxu? He was here from about 1997 to 2009."


    The person in charge shook their head. "I¡¯ve only been here for a few years, so I¡¯m unfamiliar with him."


    "I want to meet the other teachers."


    The person in charge was in a dilemma. Chen Shi took out five hundred yuan. "Right, since I¡¯m here, I want to donate towards your orphanage."


    "Okay, I''ll call the teachers over."


    The teachers gathered in a room and upon hearing Chen Shi¡¯s question, everyone tried to recall from their memories. A teacher said, "I seemed to have taught him before. I think he was a particrly antisocial child. In addition, he had an older brother who also grew up here. He went out to work when he was fifteen, and asionally came back to see him."


    "Yes, that''s him... I have only one question. Has he ever been adopted?"


    "Yes! But not for long." The teacher answered with certainty.


    "When?"


    "Sometime in the 2000¡¯s. A beautifully-dressed woman said that she wanted to adopt him. She left a deep impression on me. The woman was in her thirties, single, had no children, and didn¡¯t meet the conditions for adoption, but Wang Sunxu seemed to have quite taken to her. She also showed a lot of concern for him, so I agreed to let her adopt him and dealt with the formal procedures... But in less than three months, she brought Wang Sunxu back, saying that the child had psychological problems and violent tendencies. She no longer wanted him, and I felt very sad. The child had finally found a home but was thrown back. After that, he became even more antisocial."


    Chen Shi showed Du Xuemei''s photo which he had found on the Inte to the teacher, and asked, "Was this thedy?"


    "Yes, it''s her!"


    1. The red g symbolizes the wife and the colorful gs symbolize the otherdies, meaning that a man both has a wife as well as mistresses outside.


    2. A ridiculous and dramatic plot behind the case.

 Chapter 385: Second Generation Rich Commoner

    <h4>Chapter 385: Second Generation Rich Commoner</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi returned to thew firm, and Lin Dongxue was already done and waiting for him outside the door.


    After getting into the car, she said happily, "The investigation went smoothly. Thewyer was very polite, and said that since the person involved is no longer alive, it didn¡¯t matter if the matter was made public. Besides leaving his assets to his wife and children, he had handed over part of thepany¡¯s equity shares to several partners. In addition, a child named Du Xu received a small inheritance. Although it was said to be a small portion of the inheritance, it was already an astronomical sum!"


    "Du Xu is Wang Sunxu."


    "What?!"


    "Du Xuemei adopted Wang Sunxu and sent him back to the orphanage a few monthster. The purpose was to pass off Wang Sunxu as Zhang Bin''s child. His age was just right, and he might have looked a bit like Zhang Bin. The DNA test might have been forged. Of course, as an illegitimate child, he had the right to an inheritance. In fact, Wang Sunxu was just a tool for Du Xuemei to get the money. After exploiting him, she chucked Wang Sunxu back to the orphanage.¡±


    "That¡¯s too despicable!" Lin Dongxue eximed indignantly. "So Du Xuemei''s death was caused by Wang Sunxu?"


    "Did he have that ability at the time? I suspect Wang Sunxu had gotten to know a ''friend'' at that time!"


    "Zhou Xiao?"


    The phone rang at that moment and Chen Shi said, "It''s noon. Let''s go and have a meal opposite!"


    "Okay."


    After parking his car, he answered the phone. Sun Zhen said, "Zero! Zero! Zero! I can''t find anything on this woman. I''m really sorry!"


    "Forget it, I''ll try to find out myself."


    After a while, kk called, and he furtively lowered his voice. "Brother Chen, something¡¯s wrong with Little Worm. I don¡¯t know what he just saw, but he suddenly shut down theputer using the power switch... And even pulled out the power cable. When I turned off the machine like that before, he yelled at me for an hour, saying that this would cause a lot of damage to theputer hardware and banned me from ever touching theputer again... Brother Chen, is his brain malfunctioning?"


    Chen Shi was surprised and thought that Little Worm must have seen some information about Zhou Xiao. The "patch" in his brain had begun to work again. This could be said to be good news. Zhou Xiao and Du Xuemei were connected with each other.


    Chen Shi replied, "Wait until he goes out to eatter and look at the information he had just browsed. Let me know without his finding out.¡±


    "We called for takeout."


    "Figure it out yourself!"


    Lin Dongxue knocked on the car window from outside and said, "Is itfortable to sit in the car under the sun? Who are you talking to?"


    Chen Shi got out of the car and said, "My external help."


    "Are you using illegal means again?"


    "No, it''s mainly due to theck of manpower this time. I asked them to help me check something."


    "Tch!" Lin Dongxue looked at him suspiciously. "Why do I feel like you have more and more secrets now? When will you tell me? We¡¯re so familiar with each other now! Tell me a little!"


    "Which aspect?"


    "Do you have any small social circles I don''t know about?"


    Chen Shi thought to himself that Lin Dongxue was a police officer after all. Her intuition was very keen. He considered his answer and then said, "Yes, but my motivation is to investigate cases. Sometimes, I think the police move too slowly."


    Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi''s chest, "Humph, the police are slow, huh?! Don''tmit any information theft crimes. I won''t deliver meals to you in prison."


    "Don¡¯t worry! I know how to handle things." Chen Shi smiled and patted her head.


    While eating, kk sent a screenshot to him. It was apany webpage - Shida Software Development Company. Chen Shi was a bit surprised that these words could somehow activate the "patch" in Little Worm¡¯s brain.


    He searched briefly with his mobile phone. There was nothing particrly noteworthy about thispany, so he called the information department of the bureau and asked them to check if thispany had any rtionship with Du Xuemei.


    Lin Dongxue picked out all the green peppers that she didn''t like to eat and put them into Chen Shi¡¯s bowl. Then she took a meatball from his bowl and asked, "Should we try to find the evidence next?"


    "Can we find any evidence? The orphanage''s archives have been burned down and the room was rebuilt long ago. The corpse has also been cremated, and Wang Sunxu is already in prison."


    "Haha, there are times when you can¡¯t figure things out either. What you said just now is just your spection. We can get the DNA of Zhang Bin''s other children andpare it with Wang Sunxu. If they have no blood rtionship, your spection will be confirmed."


    "Amazing. You¡¯re quick to think of these things now."


    "It¡¯s because of who I hang out with."


    In fact, Chen Shi didn''t care much about the arson case. He was only concerned about Zhou Xiao''s role in it. But it was okay to investigate thoroughly now that they started investigation.


    He said, "Zhang Bin has three children. Two are abroad, and one is the eldest son who is now the president of the Zhang Group. It¡¯s not easy to get to meet him."


    "Let¡¯s call to make an appointment!"


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and found his secretary''s number on the Inte. After dialing it, the secretary said politely, "Mr. Zhang¡¯s schedule for the next few days is already full. I¡¯ll call you back after I inform him and it has been arranged."


    "Fuck! We still need to wait a few days. How arrogant." Lin Dongxueined angrily.


    "Will Wang Haitao know him?"


    "Let¡¯s try it!" Lin Dongxue encouraged him.


    Chen Shi called Wang Haitao''s phone. After listening, Wang Haitao asked, "Zhang Chaohuamitted a crime?"


    "Mr. Wang, why do you sound so excited?"


    "No, it¡¯s just that he¡¯s apetitor of my father¡¯s. If he falls, I¡¯d be pretty happy!"


    "Haha, you have really gotten into your role now... Can you find a way for us to meet him?"


    Wang Haitao thought about it and said, "I''ll arrange it. You guys should go down to hispany. I''ll wait for you there."


    After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi snapped his fingers and said, "It''s very useful to know a rich person."


    "Hmph, what a show-off!"


    After having their meal, the two went to the head office of the Zhang Group. After waiting for around ten minutes, Wang Haitao arrived in a suit while riding a shared bicycle. Lin Dongxue was stunned. A ck Mercedes followed closely behind. He was obviously escorted.


    Wang Haitao stopped and said with a smile, "Mr. Chen, Officer Lin... Officer Lin is getting more and more beautiful. Is it the nourishment of love?"


    "I''m still more used to your talking about ¡®your majesty¡¯ and ¡®the emperor¡¯." Lin Dongxue smiled. "Why are you riding a bike? Are you exercising?"


    Wang Haitao picked up the briefcase in his hand and patted it, "Isn''t it normal to ride a bike when you¡¯re interviewing for a job?"


    "Interviewing... For a job?!"


    "Doesn''t Mr. Chen want to see him? I asked the secretary to submit a resume, and he called to tell me toe for an interview within five minutes. Zhang will definitely see me of his own volition. Don¡¯t worry!" From Wang Haitao''s confident face, it can be seen that he was a veteran at job-hunting.


    Chen Shi deeply admired this unusual arrangement, "I thought you would arrange for him to meet you at a golf course, western restaurant, or somece where usmoners will feel inferior."


    "That would cost money! I don''t want to spend a dime on this stranger... Let¡¯s not talk about that. I¡¯ll park the bike first. It¡¯ll deduct my money again if I use it for more than an hour.¡±

 Chapter 386: Fake Illegitimate Child

    <h4>Chapter 386: Fake Illegitimate Child</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two pretended to havee with Wang Haitao and they went to the reception room upstairs. A female staff member brought them three sses of water. Wang Haitao said, "We won''t drink this. Change it to Evian[1]."


    The female staff member said nervously, "Okay, I''ll go and buy it now."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Mr. Wang, you¡¯re just like a rich second generation now!"


    "Haha, Evian is really expensive. I don''t usually drink that either... Although my father doesn''t expect me to inherit thepany, I usually still save money whenever I can. When ites to doing business, I have really invested sessfully recently..."


    "What?"


    Chen Shi kicked him underneath the table, implying that he shouldn¡¯t talk about the agency. Wang Haitao immediately changed his tune and said, "Stocks."


    After a while, three interviewers in suits came in. They seemed very nervous. They didn''t know if they were interviewing or being interviewed. Before they sat down, Wang Haitao asked, "What do you guys do?"


    "I''m the vice president of thepany. This is the manager of the marketing department and this is the manager of the human resources department... Mr. Wang, are we qualified to interview you?" The vice president nodded and bowed humbly as he asked.


    "I want to be interviewed by Mr. Zhang."


    "All right, we''ll call him then."


    Later, a young president came in, shook Wang Haitao''s hand and said, "Sorry, I amte because I was handling some documents... I am wondering what position in my humblepany Mr. Wang would like to hold? Does Old Man Lu n to invest in ourpany? Haha, just kidding... Are these two your secretaries? Mr. Wang has an eye for talent!"


    Wang Haitao made a gesture of introduction, "These two are my police friends. They have something to ask you."


    President Zhang''s face instantly fell. He seemed to realize that this was a ¡°trap.¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°We are criminal police officers. Rest assured, this matter is not only harmless to you, but also beneficial!¡±


    "Okay, okay, please go ahead."


    "When your father died in 2008, did the will secretly executed by thewyer mention an illegitimate child and did he receive an inheritance as well?¡±


    President Zhang was intrigued; he pulled a chair over and sat down. "What? Are the police suspecting him? I also said at the time that my dad was always careful. How would an illegitimate child evene about? But there was that DNA test result. In addition, my dad was mentally confused from his illness at the time, so he added a sum to his will."


    "We suspect that it might have been a scam!"


    Mr. Zhang pped his hands. At that moment, he didn¡¯t forget to ingratiate himself with Wang Haitao and said, "Mr. Wang, you have brought me good news... Officers, could you please tell me what is going on? Would we be able to recover the tens of millions that the scammer took from us?"


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, "The money fell into Du Xuemei''s pocket and was inherited by her distant nephew. Can they get it back?"


    "It''s legally possible, but it¡¯s troublesome."


    Mr. Zhang said, "It doesn''t matter actually. In fact, money is a trivial matter. It¡¯s mainly because my dad has worked hard for most of his life. We can¡¯t let the scammer run free with the money... You mentioned Du Xuemei. I have an impression of this woman. She was a shameless little three[2] who swindled a lot of money out of my father while he was alive. When my father became ill, she suddenly produced an illegitimate child to get a share of the estate. At the time, my mother scolded her and called her a prostitute, and everything was very unpleasant. But she still took away the money. Later I heard that she died in a fire. I think that she had that karmaing since you¡¯ll definitely meet your end if you do so many bad things."


    Chen Shi asked, almost jokingly, "Was the fire rted to the Zhang family?"


    Mr. Zhang was shocked, and then immediately smiled. "Officer, you must be joking. Our family is very strict. Our father taught us to be pure and honest in our actions. We will not do things such as harming others for the sake of money.¡±


    Chen Shi thought that his reaction seemed genuine. The fire should have nothing to do with them.


    Chen Shi asked, "If you want to recover the money with awsuit, we need to know more information about Du Xuemei. I wonder if you could provide some information?"


    "Which aspect?"


    Chen Shi showed him his mobile phone with the screenshot from kk, "Do you have any impression of thispany?"


    "Shida Software Development Company? Shida..." President Zhang muttered. "I remember now! Thispany originally belonged to my father. IT was trendy back then. My father had invested a few million in thispany. Later, when this shameless woman broke up with him, Shida was given to the woman as a breakup fee. It was in the 2000¡¯s."


    "So, Du Xuemei was the boss of Shida Company?"


    "Please, she doesn''t know anything about IT, so she couldn¡¯t run thepany well at all. I heard that it was bought over by someone elseter.¡±


    "In fact, we already know who this fake illegitimate child is."


    "Please tell me!"


    "It is inconvenient for us to disclose his identity right now. We have thought of a way to prove that he and your father have no blood rtionship. We need your DNA topare with his DNA. If it is proven that you aren¡¯t brothers, the fraud case can be established."


    "That idea is very good..." President Zhang mumbled to himself, seemingly considering the risks involved. "I''m sorry, I want to confirm your identities first."


    Lin Dongxue showed him her badge. President Zhang finally believed them and immediately found a cotton swab, took a sample from his mouth and gave it to them along with his contact information.


    After the questioning, Mr. Zhang returned to the topic, "Mr. Wang, do you still intend to apply for a job? If you cane to ourpany, it would be a great honor!"


    Wang Haitao said, "Well, I want to take some time to consider everything first. Wait for my phone call."


    "Okay, then I''ll send you off."


    Mr. Zhang personally sent them off. Wang Haitao went to scan a shared bike, hopped on and said, "Mr. Chen, I have to go grocery shopping. Let¡¯s eat together when we have time!"


    "Thank you so much today."


    "You''re wee. You''re wee."


    Gazing after him, Lin Dongxue said with emotion, "What a down-to-earth second generation rich man who doesn¡¯t put on airs."


    "Having lived in a poverty-stricken environment for over 40 years, he probably can¡¯t change his character!... You should go and look for Old Peng with the DNA. I¡¯ll go to the Shida Company to see if there is anything I can discover."


    "Give me a ride!"


    After sending Lin Dongxue back to the bureau, Chen Shi went to Shida Company by himself. Although everything had been changed, they still kept the files of former employees. Chen Shi got hold of a name-list and gave Gu You a phone call on his way to the agency.


    kk wasn¡¯t around. Sun Zhen, who was ying a game, said that he had gone out to film an extramarital affair. Chen Shi received a text message from Lin Dongxue while he was waiting. "The DNA isn¡¯t a match. Will you stille over today?"


    Chen Shi replied, "Still need to investigate, so I won¡¯t head over. See you tomorrow."


    1. https://danone-evian-prod.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws/originndscape_bottle_us.jpg


    2. Mistress.

 Chapter 387: Two Name-Lists

    <h4>Chapter 387: Two Name-Lists</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At four in the afternoon, the day¡¯s work was over. There was no urgent case that needed to be handled by their team. Everyone was impatient to go home. The two colleagues in front of the window were chatting away. Xu Xiaodong, who normally loved being assigned small tasks, was frowning at theputer instead. He looked as though he was studying the world¡¯splex problems.


    Lin Dongxue wanted to report on her progress to Lin Qiupu. When she passed by Xu Xiaodong''s desk, she found out that the young fellow was actuallyparing several brands of imported cat foods.


    When she went to Lin Qiupu''s office, Lin Qiupu, who had been winking at himself in front of a mirror, hurriedly put the mirror away. Lin Dongxue saluted and said, "Captain Lin, there is some progress on this case and I wanted to report it to you."


    After listening, Lin Qiupu said, "That was very fast! You''re getting better and better. I¡¯m very d."


    "It''s all thanks to Old Chen!"


    "Don''t be so modest. Your growth this year is obvious to everyone... Hahahaha!"


    "Youugh so sarcastically!"


    "I''m sincere, okay!"


    "Are you going to apany some leaders to dinner again? Are you secretly practicing how tough?"


    "Ahem, be more serious!" Lin Qiupu crossed his arms. "While you were investigating, I also helped you to check some things."


    "What? You investigated something as well?"


    Lin Qiupu brought the file and patted it, "Here are the names of the police who worked on that case back then. I got some information from them. A police officer named Wang Zheng waster transferred to the SWAT team. He knew something... Ah, speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao has arrived."


    An old policeman came in with a briefcase. When he smiled, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes were squeezed together. Lin Qiupu stood up to greet him, "Officer Wang, sorry for troubling you ining over."


    "It''s alright. This case has been left unsolved for ten years, and it has always been a sore point in my heart. I didn''t expect Captain Lin to investigate again."


    Lin Qiupu introduced, "This is my sister..."


    Lin Dongxue interrupted him, saluted and said, "I''m Lin Dongxue of the second team¡¯s criminal police task force.¡±


    After everyone was seated, Lin Dongxue told them what she had found. Officer Wang said in surprise, "You actually found out the identity of the illegitimate child? Amazing! Did he confess to it while in prison?"


    "Something like that..." Lin Dongxue didn''t know how to exin everything.


    "At that time, the case was stuck because of this illegitimate child. We checked the people connected to the victim and learned from a housekeeper that she had adopted a child named Du Xu a few months before her death. He was said to be her illegitimate son with Zhang Bin. At first, the victim was very good to Du Xu, as if he was her own, but when Zhang Bin died, her attitude immediately changed 180 degrees. She often yelled and beat the child. One time, the victim locked up the child in a room, and left him there all night. The housekeeper heard the child crying and the victim scolding him. It seemed like she was forcing him to sign some contract... We didn¡¯t know what kind of contract it was."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Did you suspect this ''Du Xu''?"


    "I can¡¯t say that we suspected him per say. He was only ten years old and didn¡¯t have the ability tomit the crime, but the problem was that we were never able to find out his true identity... Now I understand that he was only a tool for the woman to get an inheritance before being ruthlessly abandoned."


    "Du Xu is the serial killer Wang Sunxu who was arrested not long ago. He has a deep connection with Zhou Xiao, another suspect atrge. We suspect that they became acquainted at that time and that it may be Zhou Xiao who killed the deceased and set the fire."


    "Oh?!" Officer Wang looked at Lin Qiupu in surprise and then again at Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Were there any men in their 20s connected to the victim at the time?"


    Officer Wang smiled and shook his head. "The range is toorge. I can''t remember everything right now, but I can provide a name-list... I used to have a habit of recording everyone that I visited. Let me go back and look for it."


    "Thank you so much!"


    At five-thirty in the afternoon, the four people in the agency had all finally arrived. Chen Shi put the name-list that he had on the table and said, "This is a list of all the people who have worked at Shida."


    kk eximed, "There¡¯s so many!"


    Gu You asked, "Are we checking them one by one?"


    "Of course not." Chen Shi looked at Sun Zhen, "Are you sure that you know the true identity of Zhou Xiao?"


    "I am, but I can''t recall anything."


    "That¡¯s why I have an idea. We¡¯ll use the ¡®patch¡¯ that he imnted in you to our advantage. We¡¯ll get you to read these names one by one, and whichever name that you can¡¯t say, is the one that you aren¡¯t allowed to remember."


    Sun Zhen looked surprised and asked Gu You, "Will my brain fry from that?"


    "Rx, it won''t."


    Chen Shi made a copy of the name-list. Sun Zhen took it and started to read through it. He was very slow. Chen Shi crossed a name off every time he read one out. There was a person named "Zhou Tiannan" on the list. Chen Shi was worried that he might not be able to read it.


    Sure enough, when they got to this name, Sun Zhen got stuck. "This... This... This..."


    "It¡¯s time for the torture!" kk pped cheerfully, causing Gu You to re at him.


    Sun Zhen dropped the list, covering up his sweating head. Chen Shi whispered to Gu You, "Isn¡¯t his reaction a bit too much?"


    Gu You went over and pressed the back of his hand saying, "Little Worm, take a deep breath... I''ll cross the name off and you can continue to read the rest."


    Sun Zhen looked up. Encouraged by Gu You''s gaze, he picked up the list once again.


    However, there were still a few people with the surname Zhou at the back. The list was arranged in alphabetical order. When falling into the restricted area of the surname "Zhou", Sun Zhen''s tonguepletely failed him. He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t say it! I can¡¯t go on anymore!¡±


    "What if I cross out their surnames?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Please spare me! Whenever I think of the person who I shouldn''t be thinking about, I have a splitting headache."


    Gu You nced at the list. "There are only five people surnamed Zhou remaining. Could Zhou Xiao be surnamed Zhou to begin with? Zhou xx and Li Xiaochuan? This name is abination of two different people!"


    "Who is Li Xiaochuan?" Chen Shi asked.


    Gu You sighed, "My boyfriend in university was one of the founders of ''ck Honey''."


    "He was killed by Zhou Xiao, so you want to get revenge?"


    Gu You nodded sadly, "It''s about time to tell you guys. ¡®ck Honey¡¯ began as the pranks of two students from the Department of Psychology. They were Li Xiaochuan and I. I can¡¯t say whether our initial motives were for venting our dissatisfactions in reality or for studying criminal psychology. He and I snuck into other people¡¯s houseste at night to engage in various pranks for fun. Maybe it¡¯s the suspension bridge effect, but that¡¯s not important. During the intense and exciting pranks, the two of us had developed feelings for each other. We shared this secret with each other.


    "Later, Li Xiaochuan created the forum and expanded the scale. At first, I opposed it. I felt that letting in random people who didn¡¯t have good psychological self-cultivation would result in crossing the line. But Li Xiaochuan disregarded my opinions. We acquired more and more members. Everyone enthusiastically discussed and exchanged criminal techniques, developed difficult missions for one another and skirted the edges of thew. This continued until a person with the alias of ''g57'' joined. The copse of the group officially began. He was that devil - Zhou Xiao!"

 Chapter 388: His Name

    <h4>Chapter 388: His Name</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gu You continued, "¡®g57¡¯ was skilled in information technology. He rewrote the forum¡¯s source code, and also tampered with some of it. I only discovered thister. He modified the algorithm for assigning missions to one another. Our missions were originally randomly distributed. After he modified the algorithm, everyone received the missions that he had designed to turn fake crimes into real crimes. On October 18th, I was assigned a mission to delete someputer files. I snuck into a room, turned on theputer, and saw... I saw many nude photos of my ssmates, which were secretly taken in the bathroom, including my own!¡±


    "At that time, I received a text message from someone without a number disyed. It told me that the owner of the house was a worker at our university. He had installed a camera in the bathroom a long time ago, took nude photos of girls, and sold them to some porn sites. The person was currently anesthetized, and there was a knife near the bed. Although I really wanted to kill that person at that moment, my reason stopped me. I realized that it was a trap and immediately deleted the photos from theputer before leaving. The scumbag who worked at my university was called Zhang Jutian. I reported him anonymously. You can all find this piece of news."


    Gu You looked at the three, "You¡¯ve received simr missions, haven''t you?"


    kk suddenly burst into tears. "I killed someone. He was an old man... I remember it was in November. The mission I received was to rece a box with another. I performed the mission easily. After I left, the police suddenly came, and I quickly found a ce to hide. I received a text message telling me that the box contained the medicine that the elderly man took every day and that the box I had exchanged it with was poison. The person who sent the text message had already reported it to the police and the police had happened to be on patrol in themunity. If I stood by, the old man would die; if I wanted to save him, I would be caught by the police. I was too scared, so I didn¡¯t go back. When I passed by the neighborhood the next day, the funeral for the old man was already being held... I killed him! I killed him!"


    Chen Shi kind of wanted to beat kk up on impulse, but restrained himself. It was all Zhou Xiao¡¯s plot. He was the real killer.


    Chen Shi recalled, "My mission was this. I received a normal prank mission. When I entered the room, I heard a girl crying. A girl was locked in the bedroom inside the house. The door of that bedroom was welded with iron railings. The girl was dressed flimsily and covered with bruises. I received a text message saying that the owner of the house was a father whomitted domestic violence. They had already tampered with the electric nket. As long as I pulled the bedside tablemp¡¯s cord twice, he would be electrocuted to death... Although I was extremely angry, I didn¡¯t follow the instructions. I pulled out the electric nket from underneath the man, which of course awakened him. Then I beat him violently.¡±


    "The noises in the house rmed the neighbors. I failed to escape and was arrested. That incident almost ruined my future. One person saved me and allowed me to atone for my bad deed and redeem myself..." That person was Song Lang''s master Li Mu.


    Gu You asked, "Who saved you?"


    The phrase "I''m actually a policeman" stuck in Chen Shi''s throat. He hesitated, shook his head and said, "I don''t want to say it yet."


    Everyone turned their attention to Sun Zhen, and Sun Zhen covered his head in pain and said, "I can''t remember... I can''t remember anything at all..."


    "It seems like you also got caught in his trap!" Gu You said. "He arranged a convenient murder scene for everyone. Some members fell from grace while others noticed something wrong. Li Xiaochuan was part of the group who fell from grace. After he had experienced killing someone, he couldn¡¯t stop talking to me about how it felt tomit murder. His thoughts were being changed by Zhou Xiao. I proposed that the group should be disbanded, but he disagreed. You still remember that the forum was in an uproar and everyone was trying to guess who had issued those missions right? Then there was the tragedy at the vi, which was Zhou Xiao¡¯s official showdown. He selected some members who were willing to follow him and ordered them to kill those who didn¡¯t.¡± Touching upon the unfortunate past, Gu You supported her forehead with her hands.


    Chen Shi asked, "Did you go there?"


    "I went. I was very stupid. I wanted to persuade Li Xiaochuan at thest moment. But when I got there, I was attacked. When I woke up, I was tied up and wearing a ck cloth cover over my head. I heard crazed cheering and a voice booming, ''This world is made up of false appearances and order. Those who follow the order will be crushed, and those who break the order will be immortal. We are strong. In this world where the strong devour the weak, we deserve to live another kind of life. The crazy but gorgeous way of living that others can only envy. I don¡¯t expect or hope to change those idiots. They should die, and it¡¯s up to all of you to execute this!¡¯ Then there was another wave of people cheering like madmen. What broke my heart was Li Xiaochuan''s voice could be heard among them.


    "I heard Li Xiaochuan say ¡®I''m sorry¡¯ before stabbing me in the stomach. Iy on the ground. The air was full of the pungent stink of blood, and the moans of my dyingpanions. I kept crying and my body became colder and colder. I didn''t know how long I hadid there when Li Xiaochuan ran over to untie me and sent me to the hospital. Fortunately, he had deliberately avoided a fatal wound and my life was spared. I asked him why he did this kind of thing. He responded that he had been obedient ever since he was a child. He thought that what that person said wasn''t wrong. Together, they could be the most fucking amazing criminals in the world. If you had this kind of ability, why wouldn¡¯t you use it? Why would they still want to live ording to convention, working nine to five while getting trampled on by rich people for a lifetime?


    "I knew that I couldn''t change him anymore, so I just cried. As the expression says, ¡®If you possess a weapon, the intent to kill will arise.¡¯ Endless evil is hidden within human nature. After these ordinary people had learned superb criminal skills, they only needed a gentle push from a lunatic before they fell into the abyss. Later, the name Zhou Xiao appeared. He was a serial killer created by a group of people. They left no traces when they appeared and they couldn¡¯t be tracked after they left. The police couldn¡¯t do anything about them. As for Li Xiaochuan, he also appeared as one of his victims. That happened a yearter. I think they discovered his disloyalty and they killed the chicken to warn the monkey[1]."


    After Gu You finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Chen Shi smiled miserably, "Are we actually weak or kind in guarding the bottom line?"


    Gu You said, "Kind-heartedness is precious, but it¡¯s difficult to maintain and stick to."


    kk still seemed to be regretting indirectly killing the old man, and continued squatting down on the sofa, crying.


    Sun Zhen covered his head and said, "I participated in a project in 2007, but my brain is like a nk sheet... That person might have worked with me... That''s why he spared my life and just brainwashed me."


    Chen Shi said, "Perhaps you used to be close friends."


    Sun Zhen shook his head in distress. "I can''t remember!"


    At that time, Chen Shi received a text message. Lin Dongxue sent over a name-list. She exined, "This is the list of people that the police investigated back then. I don''t know if it helps though."


    Chen Shi picked up his copy andpared it with Lin Dongxue¡¯s. He said, "Guys, Dongxue gave me a list of people that the police investigated for that fire. The two lists only have one ovepping name... Zhou Tiannan!"


    Upon hearing this name, Sun Zhen screamed in agony while holding his head. It seemed like they finally found him.


    1. To punish one person in order to warn all the other people who weren¡¯t in line.

 Chapter 389: The Programmer Who Went Crazy

    <h4>Chapter 389: The Programmer Who Went Crazy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that we have to start the investigation with Shida."


    Gu You said, "I want to hypnotize Little Worm to see if the effects of the brainwashing can be removed."


    "Will the sess rate be high?"


    "It¡¯s just an attempt!"


    Gu You got Sun Zhen to lie down. Sun Zhen, who already trusted her a great deal, entered a hypnotic state after just a few words of guidance. Gu You said next to his ear, "Try to say the word ''Zhou''."


    Even in a hypnotic state, Sun Zhen shook his head desperately, "I can''t say it! I can''t say it!"


    "When you think of the word, what do you feel? Fear? Anxiety?"


    "Fear! It¡¯s fear!"


    "It seems like that person must have tortured you. Rest assured, you are with us now and it¡¯s very safe. Try and think of the word in your mind. You¡¯ll feel a little scared, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m here with you!"


    Gu You held Sun Zhen''s hand. Sun Zhen had sweat all over his brow and stuttered, "This... This... This..."


    With constant encouragement from Gu You, Sun Zhen finally said the word, "Zhou! Zhou! Zhou!"


    "That¡¯s amazing. It''s sessful!" kk praised.


    "It''s just a small step." Chen Shi said. Zhou Xiao''s brainwashing associated those information with deep fear. Gu You was using a systematic desensitization method to slowly reduce his fear.


    Gu You encouraged him, "Now, say the name ''Zhou Tiannan''."


    "Zhou... Zhou..." Sun Zhen suddenly sat up, eyes wide, sweating, "No! I can''t say that!"


    "He woke up?" kk asked in surprise.


    Gu You shook her head. "The brainwashing effect is too deep. Long-term treatment may be needed to remove this ''patch.''"


    Chen Shi suggested, "I have an idea. If he saw Zhou Tiannan with his own eyes, would he remember everything at once?"


    "Excessive stimtion may also cause his mind to copse instantly." Gu You said.


    Sun Zhen piped up, "I want to give it a try. I hope to do something to help you catch him."


    Chen Shi said, "Now that I know his name, I''ll go to the bureau and look for his photo. Wait for me."


    Chen Shi returned an hourter and said, "I found dozens of people named ¡®Zhou Tiannan¡¯ in the household registration database. Let''s try them one by one!"


    "Wait!" Gu You looked at Sun Zhen. "Let''s get you into a hypnotic state first. This time I¡¯ll guide you to enter a deeper state, so that you¡¯ll have a buffer."


    "I¡¯ll listen to Miss Gu." Sun Zhen said.


    Gu You poured a ss of water for him. After drinking arge ss of water, Sun Zheny down again, and soon went into hypnosis under the guidance of Gu You. He was hypnotized three times in total. Each time deeper than thest. He could only hear Gu You''s words now as he entered something like a semi-conscious altered sleep state.


    Gu You said, "Open your eyes!"


    Sun Zhen opened his eyes and kk said, "It''s scary. He¡¯s just like a zombie."


    Gu You exined, "His consciousness has entered a deep state of hypnosis. Even with his eyes open, there would seem to be ayer of frosted ss in front of his eyes... Mr. Chen, let''s start!"


    Chen Shi showed him the photos. After Sun Zhen looked at each photo, Gu You would ask, "Is it him?"


    Sun Zhen shook his head. Judging by his physical movements, he was in a state of extreme tension, as if he was ying Russian roulette by himself.


    Upon seeing a certain photo, Sun Zhen suddenly struggled as if he was getting electrocuted. Gu You was unable to hold him down as she desperately asked him to calm down and not to be afraid. At that moment, kk went over and kissed his forehead.


    Sun Zhen rxed his limbs as if he was in extreme bliss with a smile across his lips. Hey down calmly and serenely.


    Gu You looked at kk in surprise and kk asked, "Sister Gu, how did I do this time?"


    "Noment!" Gu You smiled, "Little Worm, you will wake up when I count to three. One, two, three!"


    Sun Zhen sat up like someone who was drowning. His chest heaved up and down and he was breathing heavily. He was still remembering the kiss that had just happened. He looked up at Gu You with a red face. "Miss Gu, just now..."


    "Yes, that''s right, Sister Gu kissed you." kk said, looking as if he was excited about the drama that would ensue.


    Gu You didn''t know how she should respond. Sun Zhen''s mental state was still rtively fragile. She didn''t want to shock him with the truth, so she could only agree tacitly.


    Chen Shi held the photo in front of him. "Little Worm, are you still scared when you see this face?"


    Sun Zhen stared at the photo for a few seconds, shook his head, and smiled shyly, "I will just remember being kissed by Miss Gu and feel a little excited!"


    "Pavlov''s dog[1]!" Kkmented.


    "Fuck off!" Sun Zhen chucked a shoe at him.


    "Ahem, let''s be serious. Who is he?" Chen Shi said.


    "Zhou Tiannan!" Sun Zhen said clearly and forcefully. "My former colleague."


    "What happened to him in 2007? What''s the connection with Shida Company?"


    "Pour me another ss of water." Sun Zhen drank the water, wiped his mouth and said, "Actually, Zhou Tiannan and I met over the Inte. It was the kind of rtionship where we admired each other¡¯s talent. At the time, I was still in school and he was already working in an ITpany. His monthly sry was 10k. It was naturally fucking amazing in the eyes of a loser like me. I called him ¡®Big Brother¡¯ and we often had fun together. One year, the Japanese embassy website was hacked. That was us.¡±


    "In 2007, he epted a project to build a virtual engine for a game. The gamey was equivalent to thews of physics in the virtual world. For example, how far can a stone fly when it is thrown, how quickly things fall, etc..."


    "We understand. No need to exin!" kk said.


    Sun Zhen continued, "Back then, China''s technology in this area was still behind other countries. It could even be said that no one here had done it yet. Zhou Tiannan thought it was a very challenging job and took it on. Thepany gave him a year''s sry in advance. They allowed him to work at home. He got me to share the work for part of the project and gave me some financial remuneration. It took a lot of effort and I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say that it¡¯s like building a magnificent pyramid. I wrote the code and found several bugs after doing some debugging. And the more the patches we applied, the more mistakes we made. This put heavy pressure on us.¡±


    "In order to cope with the high-intensity work, Zhou Tiannan seemed to have started taking some hallucinogenic drugs. I found out indirectly and I suspected that he had developed a mental problem. Once he asked me online, ''Sun Zhen, do you think this world we live in is also a virtual game?¡¯ He also found some information. Something about a holographic projection theory, multiverse hypothesis and that the real world was just a virtual simtion... I thought he was going to go crazy, so I suggested that he stop with the project and not destroy his health. But he was totally obsessed. You guys may not understand this frame of mind. Writing code is not the same as writing an article. Those who write online novels can close their eyes and make things up. Any bugs can be exined away casually. But coding is different. A single bug can crash the entire program, often destroying weeks or even months of hard work. There are news of programmersmitting suicide on the Inte due to this.


    1. Ivan Pavlov¡¯s experiments using dogs are quoted to this day, however, some of his experiments were very cruel. I happen to remember this from a course I once took that touched on ssical conditioning, but it¡¯s something I highly rmend reading about.

 Chapter 390: The Collapse of Black Honey

    <h4>Chapter 390: The Copse of ck Honey</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "At that time, I had already backed out. I couldn¡¯t stand the game anymore. I contacted him from time to time, but he stopped talking to me. I was really worried that one day he would suddenlymit suicide. The stuff that follows was what I heard after meeting him for the second time. It took him a whole year and countless trial and error, countless crashes, until he finally came up with a perfect virtual engine. He happily showed it to the president, that is-"


    "Du Xuemei."


    "Yes, he took his own blood, sweat and tears to show Du Xuemei. This woman, who didn¡¯t understand programming at all, listened to him exin everything for half a day, and only said, ''Tooplicated. It doesn¡¯t meet Party A''s requirements!'' Zhou Tiannan was furious and demanded a meeting with Party A. Du Xuemei rejected him saying, ¡®Who do you think you are? Go back and change it for me!¡¯ Zhou Tiannan mmed the table and said, "This engine is the most perfect engine possible. It¡¯s almost the same as the physicalws of the real world. It can¡¯t be more perfect than that. I can prove it to you!¡¯ Du Xuemei said to him, ''Prove it then!¡¯ Zhou Tiannan was about to explode. He opened the window and said, ¡®I¡¯ll show you how real it is!¡¯ Then he jumped out. It was the sixth floor! Guess what happened?"


    "He died?" kk guessed.


    "He got hurt?" Chen Shi asked.


    "He fell, but he was only slightly injured. Unbelievable, right?!" Sun Zhen said.


    "How was that possible? It was the sixth floor!"


    "That''s the truth. Zhou Tiannan didn¡¯t die. When he was in the hospital, he began to reflect on some things. He may have thought that the world was an illusion. His not dying was proof of that for him. He thinks that he came to this world with a mission. That was the starting point of his craziness. Putting things together with the truth uncovered by Brother Chen, the first person he killed after recovering must have been Du Xuemei. Then he joined ''ck Honey'' to n the tragedy at Vi Luolin."


    Chen Shi said, "He should have met Wang Sunxu at that time. The two had amon hatred towards Du Xuemei, so they nned the murder and fire."


    "I think this is bullshit!" kk said, "Jumping down from the sixth floor and only sustaining minor injuries? Who would believe that?"


    Gu You said, "I just thought of a news story. A farmer in California was swept away by a tornado. He was carried a few kilometers away and thrown onto the ground without serious injuries. Later, the doctor found out that he had bumped his head when he was swept away by the tornado. He had bumped his head on a wooden board and went into aa. Which meant that he waspletely rxed, and his bones and flesh somehow perfectly absorbed the impact when hended."


    "That¡¯s a bit ridiculous. Isn''t that a superpower?" kk asked.


    "The potential of the human body is huge. In a critical situation, a person can lift up to three times their weight and can fall from a high ce without being injured."


    Sun Zhen said, "If you have to analyze further, that¡¯s probably a potential reason. He hit his head when he fell. In addition, I went to Shida Company once. There¡¯s a row of awnings over the sidewalk along the street below thatpany. Maybe it cushioned the fall when he fell down."


    Chen Shi said, "No matter what, a person jumped from the sixth floor without dying. Strange thoughts urring are understandable. If this person had prior faith, he may feel that it was a blessing from God or whomever they worship. Unfortunately, Zhou Tiannan only held crazed thoughts in his head. He took the incident as evidence... Little Worm, what happened after that?¡±


    "I met him at ''ck Honey''ter. The mission that he arranged for me was a hacking mission. He asked me to write a program to open an elevator door as well as overwrite the target program. I thought that it was just a simtion because the elevator program was closed off, and impossible to enter from the outside. I didn¡¯t know that he had connected the elevatorputer board of an apartment building to the Inte beforehand. When I finished, a scene appeared on the screen. An old man opened the elevator door and walked in. He fell directly down the elevator shaft... I only realized then that I had killed someone!"


    Sun Zhen looked at his hands in horror and swallowed hard.


    "But I didn''t know who had assigned the mission at the time. I thought that it was random. Then I received an invitation to go to Vi Luolin. When I got there, I discovered that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t normal. I wanted to run but was stopped by him. He told me that the elevator murder was designed by him. He liked my talent. If we worked together, we¡¯d be invincible. He gave me a knife and told me to kill another person who was kneeling down. I cried and said that I couldn''t do it, so he injected me with some kind of drug, and I fell unconscious. After waking up, I was tied up in a secret room...¡± Sun Zhen covered his head, ¡°Sorry, I don''t want to remember that experience!¡±


    That experience was probably the brainwashing process. Zhou Tiannan reconstructed his nerve reflexes and made Sun Zhen forget all the memories rted to him forever.


    Gu You asked, "Zhou Tiannan is only good at hacking and programming skills. He can¡¯tplete such a deep brainwashing procedure alone. Who brainwashed you?"


    "A woman. Her name is Ling Shuang."


    "Ling Shuang!?"


    "What? Do you know her?" Chen Shi asked.


    Gu You replied, "She is a well-known psychologist who specializes in behavioral therapy. It turns out that even a person like that is on Zhou Tiannan¡¯s side."


    Chen Shi patted Sun Zhen on the shoulder and said, "It seems that Zhou Tiannan didn¡¯t kill you because he treated you as a friend."


    Sun Zhen smiled bitterly with a bowed head, "He probably thinks that I''m a worthless person that can only code. I can¡¯t make any waves, so there¡¯s no need to kill me."


    Gu You suggested, "Or, you were just a mouse that was used for an experiment. Someone timid and obedient like you would be perfect for that."


    Sun Zhen looked at her in shock.


    Chen Shi paced around looking at the photo in his mobile phone. Zhou Tiannan had a face that couldn¡¯t be more ordinary. This face did not belong to the one who screamed frenziedly at him that night three years ago.


    That "Zhou Xiao" should have been just one of the people from Zhou Tiannan''s gang!


    Chen Shi said, "During the serial killings three years ago, they left the name ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯ behind and used the same killing methods. I think that those who died should have been people that the gang¡¯s members respectively hated. No... they exchanged murder victims with one another. That¡¯s why the police couldn¡¯t figure it out."


    "Are you going to take those cases apart and solve them one by one?" Gu You asked.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I don''t n to do that for the time being. I want to investigate Zhou Tiannan first. I will check on the police side of things. kk and Sun Zhen, you two should also help to investigate... Although finding the evidence would be a bit difficult, let''s find him first!"


    Chen Shi nced at Gu You and said, "Even if you know who he is now, you should never do anything overly aggressive and use violent revenge methods. One day, you¡¯d be someone like him."


    Gu You sighed, "I know."

 Chapter 391: A Child’s Corpse on a Barren Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 391: A Child¡¯s Corpse on a Barren Mountain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 27: A Child¡¯s Corpse on a Barren Mountain


    In the middle of the night, Lin Qiupu received a text message. After ncing at it, he immediately sat up. This text message from Lin Dongxue was no less shocking than a thunderbolt in the midst of a sunny day. "Brother, I''m pregnant!"


    Lin Qiupu stared at his phone for a long time before replying, "How long has it been?"


    "It''s been a long time and I never dared to tell you. It seems that I can''t hide it any longer."


    "I''lle find you now!"


    Lin Qiupu immediately put on his clothes and sped to the house rented by Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi wereughing and eating roasted corn, looking at him as if looking at a stranger.


    Lin Qiupu anger rose to his head. He pointed at Chen Shi and shouted, "How could you do this? You¡¯re not responsible at all! And you kept it from me when something like this happened! Scum!¡±


    Chen Shi, who was still eating the roasted corn, said slowly, "She consented."


    Lin Dongxue agreed, "Yeah, I consented. It¡¯s none of your business."


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that his chest was undting. He grabbed a piece of roasted corn in anger and ate it as he wept and wept. Then, he woke up and found himself biting the edge of his pillow.


    The dream seemed too real. After he woke up, Lin Qiupu was still very emotional. He went on his phone and flipped through the text messages that Lin Dongxue had sent him in the past six months. "I know.", "None of your business.", "Understood.", "I¡¯m heading back."


    There were hardly any that were over five words. He sighed. It¡¯s no wonder he would have such strange dreams.


    At this time, it was 5:00AM on June 29th. Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t feel sleepy anymore, so he got up to take a shower and exercised. It was exactly 5:58AM when he was done. He sat quietly on the sofa until 6:00AM on the dot, then he got up to make breakfast. It was his usual milk with porridge.


    After eating, his phone rang. It was from the 110-emergency response center who told him that the remains of a child were found on a mountain. Lin Qiupu said, "Let me know the address. I¡¯ll bring people over right away."


    Three hourster, Lin Qiupu and several police officers arrived at a barren mountain on the outskirts of the city. The people who reported it were two young people and a mountain ranger who were camping. The three had been waiting for them anxiously. When they saw the police, they rushed down to greet them as if they had been relieved.


    Lin Qiupu asked what was going on as he went up the mountain. The ranger said, "The corpse was found by the young guys. They saw a piece of cloth on the ground and dug at it because they were curious. They didn¡¯t expect to dig out a skeleton. Then, they found me, and I reported it to the police... Officers, let me tell you something. The two guys seem to be homosexual. I was very scared having to wait with them for three hours."


    Lin Qiupu rolled his eyes at him and ignored thest sentence.


    Half-covered skeletal remains were revealed in a shallow pit. Judging by the skull, it would have been a child about ten years old. The forensics team immediately started digging. They questioned the people who reported the case. They didn¡¯t seem suspicious, so they were let go.


    ording to the preliminary judgment of the remains, the child should have died about half a year ago. It waspletely skeletonized, leaving disarticted bones[1]. The nts and roots growing between bone gaps and the molting of insects were carefully preserved as they were important for judging the time of death.


    There was an open wound on the back of the corpse''s skull. From the wound, it looked like it was a wound left by an axe. The police officers who were at the scene shook their heads. "I don''t know how an animal could do such a thing. Doing this to the poor child."


    Lin Qiupu said to them, "Don''t stand there and look for other clues. Contact the bureau to see if there were any missing children over the past six months."


    The police looked around for a long time, but they only found some rubbish left by mountain climbers, a broken rope, and a child¡¯s clothes that were stained with blood. They took all of it back as evidence.


    After staying in the wilderness for the whole morning, the police could finally take theplete set of bones and evidence back at noon. Lin Qiupu decided to investigate the case by himself. He retrieved the files of all missing children in the bureau and contacted the other branches.


    The autopsy results from Peng Sijue showed that the deceased was an eleven-year-old boy. The time of death was about five to six months ago. His entire body had already gone through the whole skeletonization process, and only the bone marrow could be drilled and obtained forboratory tests. They found carboxyhemoglobin from within the bone marrow, which ounted for over 60%. This is a typical death from carbon monoxide poisoning.


    Another small finding was that there was a hypersia in the tibia of the right leg of the deceased. There was a slight difference in length between the two tibias, which may have been caused by a previous fracture.


    After reading this report, Lin Qiupu asked, "How could it be carbon monoxide poisoning?"


    "I''m also a little unconvinced." Peng Sijue agreed. "But that¡¯s the result of the tests."


    "Then the wound to the back of the head..." Lin Qiupu muttered. "No, the most important thing right now is to determine the identity of the victim. The nature of this case is vile, and so was the means that were used. The chief has already told me that we have to solve this case no matter what.¡±


    "Should we call Chen Shi?"


    "Ahem, I just said that it was cruel, but I didn''t say that the case was difficult to solve. I¡¯ll find him if I¡¯m really out of options!"


    "Was it a kidnapping?"


    "You think so?"


    "DNA was found on the rope and child''s clothes you brought back. We¡¯re currentlyparing them. If it belongs to one person, chances are high that it was a kidnapping!"


    "Let''s go. I''ll go see the results with you!"


    When they got to the forensicsb, a forensics officer said, "Captain Peng, two sets of DNA were found on the rope."


    "Got it."


    After waiting for nearly an hour, the result came out. One of the DNA sets on the rope belonged to the boy, and the DNA on the blood-stained clothes belonged to him as well.


    Lin Qiupu said, "The other DNA set may be the killers. See if there¡¯s a match in the database. I¡¯ll look for the kidnapping cases during that period."


    After making a round of phone calls, he finally found a case that matched the requirements from a branch office. The kidnapped boy was named Hao Jie. It happened six months ago. The kidnapper asked his parents for a huge sum of 10 million yuan. The parents were instructed by the police to negotiate with the kidnappers. After bargaining with the kidnappers, it was agreed that a ransom of 5 million would be delivered somewhere on December 4th. The kidnappers asked to ce the ransom in a garbage bag, and the police closely controlled the surroundings.


    However, the kidnapper didn¡¯t show up. They waited until the afternoon when a suspicious man took the ransom. The police tailed the person all the way but didn¡¯t find Hao Jie''s traces, so they carried out the arrest. The other side was a homeless man who imed to have found arge bag of money in the trash and took it away. He didn¡¯t know it was a ransom. After investigation, the person didn¡¯t have a prior criminal record. He had an alibi when the crime happened, so he had to be released.


    Since then, Hao Jie was never found and the kidnappers never called again. Hao Jie''s parents med the police for their rash actions killing their son and filed awsuit. Of course, the court case hadn¡¯t gone ahead yet.


    On the phone, the police officer said, "We are quite innocent in this matter. We¡¯ve handled countless kidnapping cases. We can¡¯t say that it¡¯s a sure-thing, but at the very least, we wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of leaking intel. Ever since the boy went missing, we¡¯ve been checking whether that boy¡¯s parents had any enemies for two months. In the end, we could only helplessly believe that the kidnappers have killed the victim. The other officers and I who were involved in the case have been punished with demerits and now we¡¯re facing awsuit! We¡¯re honestly wronged."


    Lin Qiupu looked at his watch. Although it was already 6:00PM, the case had only just started having some leads. He said, "I want toe see you guys as well as visit the boy¡¯s parents.¡±


    "No, no, no, I have a headache just thinking about this case. I don''t want to kill myself over this case. If you want to investigate it again, I can send the materials over, but I don''t want to participate anymore."


    "Sorry, I didn''t tell you the situation. We found a boy''s body on the mountains today. It¡¯s suspected that it is Hao Jie who disappeared half a year ago."


    The other party was silent for a moment before saying, "What? They really killed him? Then, you shoulde. I''ll wait for you!"


    1. It requires several weeks and up to several years for a body to fully dpose. The length it takes depends on temperature, insects, etc.

 Chapter 392: Why Didn’t You Find Brother Chen?

    <h4>Chapter 392: Why Didn''t You Find Brother Chen?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu brought the DNA identification results, evidence, photos and statement from the people who reported the case to the other branch. The police officer over the phone waited for him at the door. He introduced himself with the surname Liu. Lin Qiupu asked, "Officer Liu, has Hao Jie ever had a fracture before?"


    "I don''t know about that. You don¡¯t know about the situation at that time. The parents were so anxious that they were like ants on the top of a hot pot. How could it have been possible for them to talk about their child¡¯s experiences with me?"


    "Then we can only rely on DNA identification. Do you have their phone numbers?"


    Officer Liu frowned. "Yes, yes I do, but I can''t guarantee whether Hao Jie''s mother will scold you or not. I called a few times to ask about the situation and I was scolded endlessly.¡±


    "I¡¯ll give it a go!"


    Lin Qiupu called Hao Jie''s mother and said politely, "Hello, I''m the captain of the city¡¯s public security bureau, Lin-¡°


    "Why are you contacting me again! Isn''t it enough for you guys to have killed my son half a year ago? You only know how to investigate and collect evidence. Hurry and find my son back for me! You¡¯re spending the taxpayer¡¯s money! How can you still have the face to do this?!¡±


    Officer Liu smiled bitterly and said, "I told you so."


    Lin Qiupu took a breath and said, "Ma''am, listen to me. We found the skeletal remains of a boy today. It¡¯s suspected that- "


    "What? What did you say?! Say that again! Is my son dead?! You guys killed him! I want to sue your public security bureau until it closes!"


    "Could you please calm down? Would you be avable for me to meet?"


    There was a crying sound and then the other party said, "The Third People''s Hospital in the city. I¡¯m in the No. 1 inpatient department."


    After hanging up the phone, Officer Liu said, "I won''t go. I have no face to see her again. These are the materials on this case."


    "Why is she in the hospital? Was she hospitalized because of this?"


    "I heard that Hao Jie''s father was tested positive for cancer. Haii, what a poor family."


    When thinking of meeting her alone, Lin Qiupu was a bit anxious. After thinking about it, he called Xu Xiaodong to go with him.


    The two met at the hospital. Xu Xiaodong looked very exciteding out to handle the case alone with the captain. When he met with Lin Qiupu, he asked, "Captain, what special case are you working on to be handling it personally like this? Have you contacted Brother Chen? Have you eaten?"


    "Why do you have so many pointless wordsing out of your mouth? Follow me."


    They met Hao Jie''s mother, Ms. Qin in the inpatient department. Ms. Qin''s eyes were red and she seemed to have just finished crying. She was well-dressed, so their family could be assumed to be fairly well-off.


    Ms. Qin said coldly, "For the past six months, I¡¯ve been looking forward to the police¡¯s phone call every day, but I was afraid of facing the reality. It seems that the time has finallye..." She took a deep breath. "I have been mentally prepared. Just speak directly!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "You¡¯ve misunderstood. We just found a set of skeletal remains. The identity of the remains is unclear and DNA identification is needed."


    "From me?"


    "Yes, I want to ask you whether Hao Jie had a fracture when he was a kid?"


    "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"


    "The deceased''s right leg showed signs of healing after a fracture."


    Ms. Qin''s eyes widened, and she suddenly covered her face and cried, "It''s him! It''s my Ah Jie! He climbed adder to y when he was younger and hurt his leg!"


    "But this alone is not enough. We need your DNA."


    Ms. Qin suddenly stomped on the ground hysterically. "The person isn¡¯t here anymore. What use is there to this? You police can''t do anything except report sad news. We shouldn''t have believed in you back then!"


    "I promise you that the killer will be brought to justice."


    "Humph, promise? Talking about promises again. Those words sound even better than people singing! Now that our family has be like this, it¡¯s not an overstatement to say that the family is ruined. Sorry. Forgive me but I can¡¯t bear this truth. I still have something to do. I¡¯ll be taking my leave!¡±


    "Aiya, ma''am..."


    Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t stop Ms. Qin from leaving and he looked helplessly at Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong said, "Isn''t the father still hospitalized here?"


    "I''m going to take a sample. You should go find a doctor to do a DNA test here.¡±


    Hao Jie''s father was in the ward next to them. He was full of tubes and was lying on the bed as if he was half-dead. He was asleep. Lin Qiupu exined to the nurse and the nurse took a cotton swab and took some connective tissue from Hao Jie''s father¡¯s epithelium[1] as samples. At the same time, she didn''t forget to advise Lin Qiupu, "The patient''s saliva contains germs, so you need to be extremely careful."


    "Thank you!"


    The nurse smiled slightly at Lin Qiupu and Lin Qiupupared her with Lin Dongxue silently in his heart, thinking that she wasn¡¯t even a third as beautiful as Dongxue. Then, he nodded and left.


    It took an hour for the DNA test result toe out. The two groups of DNA had a 99% match and it could be confirmed that they were rted. The deceased was Hao Jie.


    Lin Qiupu felt like burdens were relieved, but he also felt pressure at the same time. The bureau has investigated the couple''s interpersonal rtionship for two months and hadn¡¯t found any clues. It may not be fruitful even if he were to investigate again.


    While he furrowed his brows and pondered over it, Xu Xiaodong asked, "Captain, can you please treat me to m soup?"


    Lin Qiupu said to him sternly, "It¡¯s not good to eat this kind of greasy and spicy food at night. Doesn¡¯t your diet need some changing?"


    "Dongxue invited me to a m soup ce two days ago. I think it''s quite delicious. That¡¯s why I want to rmend it to you."


    "Well... It''s okay to try things like that asionally. Let''s go!"


    "Are you treating?"


    "What a pointless question!"


    Back at home, Lin Qiupu looked at the thick stack of statement files and found that the clues were quite messy. It may not be possible to investigate everything by himself in two months. He still sorted out the contents of the statements and prepared for a discussion at the meeting tomorrow.


    At the case meeting the next morning, Lin Qiupu said, "...There have been a lot of clues that the branch office has already found. Hao Jie''s father used to be a business manager for apany, butter he ran a smallpany by himself. We can focus on investigating the few people that have bad-blood with him due to the business. Wang Chao, the boss of the father¡¯s formerpany. The father took a list of customer names and details when he left thepany to cooperate with them at a lower price. Wang Chao once threatened to kill his whole family. Before and after the kidnapping case, he imed to be traveling outside of the country for business purposes. Besides the return ticket, they couldn¡¯t produce clear evidence of their alibi. The next one is Li Hai. This person and Hao Jie¡¯s father didn¡¯t have any bad blood between them, but he made a profit from the kidnapping case. Although the kidnapper didn¡¯t get the money, the 5 million was a deposit paid by the clients to Hao Jie¡¯s father. Due to the kidnapping case, Hao Jie¡¯s father didn¡¯tplete the order and refunded the deposit. Li Hai, apetitor, snatched the business. Thest one is Zhang Lijuan. It¡¯s alleged that Hao Jie''s father once sponsored her as a mistress, but the branch hasn¡¯t been able to contact..."


    The police officers below didn¡¯t seem very interested. Lin Qiupu asked, "Do any of you have any questions?"


    A police officer asked, "Why would they kidnap the child to snatch away business? Isn¡¯t that a bit much? Businessmen don¡¯t do stupid things like that. I forgot who said it previously, but I think it makes sense. People don¡¯t kill others easily."


    Another police officer piped up, "Brother Chen said that!"


    Others whispered below, "Why didn''t you find Brother Chen?"


    1. The mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth

 Chapter 393: Chen Shi Dependent

    <h4>Chapter 393: Chen Shi Dependent</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu looked helpless and said, "I find that everyone in team two now suffers from severe ¡®Chen Shi dependence¡¯. Didn''t we solve cases before Chen Shi appeared?"


    "No major cases were solved." It was unclear who whispered this.


    "Who was it? Who said that?! Stand up! Xiaodong, was it you?"


    Xu Xiaodong, who was sitting in the corner, was embarrassed and said with a full mouthful, "Not me. I''m eating!"


    Everyoneughed and Lin Qiupu knocked on the table. "If you have any ideas, then let it be known. The case is in its ice-breaking stage, so just make bold assumptions if you have to!¡±


    Everyone was silent. The case sent out an uncertain atmosphere from head to toe. The other branch had already admitted their defeat. Most people didn''t say anything, but they also felt that it wouldn¡¯t be helpful to follow the old clues.


    Lin Dongxue stood up and said, "Captain Lin, I looked at Captain Peng''s report. It mentioned that the victim died of carbon monoxide poisoning. What¡¯s going on?"


    With regards to this odd point, Lin Qiupu didn''t dare to recklessly draw conclusions either and asked, "What do you make of it?"


    "The carbon monoxide poisoning may have been from a gas leak. Perhaps the child was killed identally because the kidnaper had a mishap. Then, they created a farce and didn¡¯t show up to get the ransom.¡±


    "Then they went a bit overboard!" said another police officer. "Since the killer couldn¡¯t be found, they could have just buried the body in the first ce."


    "But Dongxue''s thinking is very good!" Lin Qiupu emphasized. "The murderer''s purpose may not be money, but to kill. It doesn¡¯t make any sense for the child to have died from an ident. This is because I heard a recording of the conversation between the kidnapper at the time where Hao Jie¡¯s voice could be heard. That is, during the incident, Hao Jie was still alive... Until thest call on the evening of December 3rd, Hao Jie was still alive. This much is certain!"


    "If the killer wanted to kill Hao Jie, and since Hao Jie''s father''s interpersonal rtionship has already been investigated, is it possible to start investigation from Hao Jie''s side of things? Didn¡¯t we just solve a simr case?" Lin Dongxue was referring to the Li Mengran Case.


    Lin Qiupu considered it and said, "Hao Jie is only a child in elementary. He¡¯s different from Li Mengran. His peers don¡¯t have the ability tomit crimes. Also, the voice of the kidnapper was processed. It was obviously an adult.


    "Let¡¯s listen to the recording!"


    "Okay."


    Lin Qiupu yed the recording with aputer. A processed voice said, "Hao Zhiqiang, your son is now in my hands. Prepare a ransom of 10 million. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to wait to collect your son¡¯s corpse!"


    Hao Jie''s father yelled, "Who are you?! Don''t make this kind of joke. Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the police!"


    "Haha, call the police? If you dare call the police, then just wait for the corpse!"


    "We won¡¯t. We won¡¯t. Can you let me hear my son''s voice?"


    "Come here!" The kidnapper roared, and then a boy cried, "Dad, I''m scared! Come and save me."


    Hao Jie''s father cried and said, "Ah Jie, don''t be afraid. Dad will think of a way. Have you eaten?"


    "I have. The bad uncle bought me a box of lunch, but I''m so scared!"


    "Where are you now?"


    "I''m at- Ahhh!!!¡±


    On the phone, Hao Jie seemed to be treated roughly. Then, the kidnapper said fiercely, "Don''t y any more tricks. Get the money ready!"


    "Where should I deliver it to?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you."


    "Listen, don''t hurt my son. If you dare to even touch a finger on him-"


    The call was suddenly hung up.


    Then, Lin Qiupu yed several other recordings, which can be said to be a typical kidnapping case. They could hear that the kidnapper was always only one person. In addition, Hao Jie would answer all his family¡¯s questions every time they spoke. It was impossible for the kidnapper to have forged this using recordings.


    After everyone listened to the recordings, there was only silence in the conference room before someone suggested, "If no suspects could be found around, wouldn''t it have been a professional kidnapper?"


    "In that case, it¡¯s impossible to solve the case as soon as possible."


    "Don''t say such words of defeat. Since we can¡¯t start with a motivation right now, let¡¯s start with the murder facts and visit the ce where the corpse was abandoned. Hao Jie¡¯s date of death should be after December 3rd. Let¡¯s ask around to see if anyone suspicious was around that area back then."


    "Captain, that¡¯s in the middle of nowhere though. Who would we ask?"


    Since half a year had passed, Lin Qiupu also felt like it would be difficult. "Ask the hill ranger, the drivers who pass around there, and conduct a carpet search to see if there¡¯s any evidence. Adjourned!"


    Nobody showed any enthusiasm when investigating this kind of old case. When they got to the scene, they found that the ce was already cordoned off. Everyone was divided into several groups and they used thin wire to poke around the leaves on the ground to look for any evidence that was previously not found.


    This work was time-consuming andborious. Almost all of it was worthless rubbish. Lin Dongxue was very tired and had a sore back. Then ,she suddenly saw an electric tricyclist passing by slowly on the road. She asked, "Would that person have witnessed anything?"


    "Let¡¯s go and ask!" Everyone couldn''t wait to find something else to do.


    Everyone ran down the hill. The old man on the tricycle saw a bunch of people running towards him, so he sped up out of fear. The crowd struggled to keep up and stop him. Finally, they showed him their credentials. The old man immediately said, "I paid the tax!"


    "Old man, we are the criminal police. We¡¯re currently investigating a case. Do you pass by here every day?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, I sell wood ear fungus. I go to the city every morning and return in the evening."


    "On December 4th ofst year, did you see any suspicious people?" After the words left her mouth, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t have any hope in her. It was a long time after all.


    The old man looked up and tried to recall for a long time. "Was someone killed?"


    "Uh... It''s indeed a murder."


    "I came back one night at the end ofst year and saw a car parked here. Two people were moving something around. It was quite big and looked quite heavy. I nced at them and the person yelled at me, saying, ''What are you looking at?!'' They were wearing a mask. I was wondering if they were bad guys, but I didn''t dare to report it to the police, for fear they¡¯d take revenge."


    "When was that?" Lin Dongxue asked excitedly.


    "I can''t remember it very well, but it''s definitely not in December. I''m sure I wasn''t wearing a traditional Chinese cotton jacket [1] at that time!"


    "And there were two people?"


    "Yeah!"


    After asking some other questions, they made sure that the old man told them everything he knew before letting him go. The old man asked them if they would buy some fungus. Lin Dongxue hesitated for quite some time before buying a catty[2], and several other police officers also bought a bagful.


    Everyone stood on the side of the road holding the fungus and discussed that they felt that the clues provided by the old man might not help much. It was obviously not in line with the case. First, there were two people. Secondly, he said that the bag was veryrge. If it was the corpse of a child, a single person could have carried it.


    Old Zhang said, "It¡¯s not the first time that a corpse has been found in these barren parts. I think this uncle may have just provided clues for a different case."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Since it''s not peaceful here, why not send a few people to guard it?"


    "Are you going to guard it?" Old Zhangughed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Should we continue to search the hills or go home and eat fried fungus?"


    Although they were reluctant, they continued to search the hill as they tried to lift their spirits up.


    1. They look like this but can have patterns, silk fabric, etc. Depends on the style. https://i.ebayimg/images/g/U-kAAOSw-1hbSBDR/s-l400.jpg


    2. Unit of measurement. Around 600 grams. Commonly used as a unit of measurement in China but is used in some other counties as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catty

 Chapter 394: One Day Covenant

    <h4>Chapter 394: One Day Covenant</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After ap of searching, everyone was dead tired. They began sitting on the ground and chatting with each other. Xu Xiaodong said, "We searched more carefully today than grave robbers. Why didn''t we find the body that old man talked about?"


    A police officer said, "It''s not necessarily a corpse though?"


    "What could it be? It couldn¡¯t be rotten green pepper shredded pork stuffed in a big bag and transported to the hills?"


    Old Zhang waved his hand and said, "There¡¯s still arge area of barrennd in front of us. If we were to dig three feet into the ground, maybe we could actually find a body."


    "No, it''s impossible to search anymore today."


    The police were a little reluctant to admit that sometimes unsolvable cases were a case of bad luck. They seemed to have grown ustomed to solving cases after cases following Chen Shi. Today''s work made everyone a little discouraged when they came out empty-handed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Why do I think that the more we check, the more we¡¯ve drifted from the truth?"


    Xu Xiaodong replied, "If Brother Chen was here, what do you think he would say?"


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. "''If I were the criminal...''"


    "How about it?"


    "No, no. I don''t have a quirky mind like his."


    "Ah, everyone is human. Why can Brother Chen get it, but we can''t?" Xu Xiaodong sighed while holding his legs.


    They were empty-handed after a full day. The thought of not being able to report anything when they got back home inevitably made them frustrated, but they were really hungry. They returned to the city for a meal before rushing back to the bureau.


    Lin Qiupu was not idle that day. He brought in several people who had bad blood with Hao Jie''s father. The interrogations were done over the course of eight hours, and although statements were made, everyone expressed that they had nothing to do with the case.


    These people had to be let go first. Lin Qiupu came out of the interrogation room and saw the crowd with dirty faces. He asked, "Did you find anything?"


    "No. We found a witness, but the information he provided may not be rted to this case." Old Zhang exined.


    "Don''t forget to record it down."


    "Captain Lin, it¡¯s not me who said this, but this case may not be solvable."


    "Don''t retreat as soon as youe up. Head back for today and have a good rest. We¡¯ll continue tomorrow."


    The crowd left, but Lin Dongxue was thest one to leave. Before leaving, she said, "Brother, I bought you something to eat. I put it on your desk."


    "I see." Lin Qiupu replied indifferently. "Hurry back!"


    As soon as Lin Dongxue left, Lin Qiupu sprinted back to his office. When he saw a bag of fresh fungus on the table, he was a bit surprised. Then, sat in front of theputer and started searching. "The meaning of gifting fungus."


    After eating a hearty meal of stir-fried fungus, Lin Qiupu pondered over the documents he took home with him. The case was wless, and he couldn¡¯t even make out the murderer¡¯s motive.


    After thinking hard for a full night, he fell asleep depressively. He went to the bureau the next day and happened to see Chen Shi. He was overjoyed, but deliberately put on a poker face and said lightly, "You came at just the right time. Yesterday, we found a boy''s body. Come to the conference room. I¡¯ll be talking about the case."


    "I''m sorry but I have some private business to take care of today. You guys will have to take care of this one yourselves!"


    "This guy..."


    Today¡¯s case discussion was even more dull than yesterday¡¯s. The entire meeting room was filled with an atmosphere of ¡°Hurry up and invite Chen Shi.¡± Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t unaware of this, but he had just talked about it with him and the guy seemed to be unwilling to do anything to help due to some personal issues he needed to deal with.


    You only know of some people¡¯s importance when they¡¯re not around.


    Lin Qiupu shook off these thoughts and knocked on the table to continue the meeting. "Our task today is..."


    After the meeting finished, he returned to his office. Chen Shi called as soon as he sat down. "Captain Lin, do me a little favor. I need to take a case file away. Could you ask the chief to write a note for me?"


    "Go find him yourself!"


    "The chief and I aren¡¯t familiar with each other. Just do me a favor!"


    "Humph, I asked you for help and you didn¡¯t, but now you¡¯reing to me asking me for help instead?¡±


    "Oh, you seem to hold grudges?"


    "Where are you?"


    "At the archives!"


    Lin Qiupu rushed to the archives room and asked what happened. Chen Shi tapped on a file in his hand. "I want to review this case!"


    "Are you ying?¡± Lin Qiupuughed angrily. "I have a child-killing case right now. Instead of helping, you want to review this old case?¡±


    "This case may be rted to Zhou Xiao."


    "Are you sure?"


    "I¡¯m sixty percent sure."


    "I don''t believe your nonsense. Where did you get the lead from? Don''t tell me that it''s from a random epiphany where you thought you needed to review old cases and to somehow obtain an earth-shattering secret!¡±


    "How about this? I¡¯ll help you with the child-killing case. Then, you need to authorize me to investigate this case. What about it?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was secretly ecstatic and was waiting for this sentence the whole time, but he couldn''t give it to him for free. He raised a finger. "If you can solve the case within a day, I¡¯ll promise you!"


    "Only one day?"


    "How free do you think I am to y with you every day?"


    "Okay, okay, let''s see... Keep this file for me."


    The two of them went to the office. Chen Shi sat down and began to look at the information. He said, "I''m thirsty. Get me a cup of tea."


    "Don¡¯t try to take a mile when I give you an inch. Do you think I found you because I couldn¡¯t solve the case myself?"


    "It''s all written on your face anyway." Chen Shiughed.


    "Don''t try to figure me out. You¡¯re all inted right now[1]!"


    "Did I get inted[2]?"


    Lin Qiupu went to pour him a ss of water, as Chen Shi looked at the documents. "What about the officers?"


    "They¡¯ve gone out to check for clues again."


    "Don''t check. What are you ying at? You¡¯re not checking the things you should be and instead checking stuff peripheral to the main point!¡±


    Lin Qiupu felt like he was ridiculing him. He sat down and folded his arms. "Detective Chen, why don¡¯t you tell us what we¡¯re missing then?"


    "The situation of the victim. His height, blood type, strengths, hobbies, and whether there are contradictions between the parents of the victim''s family."


    "Why do we need to check this?"


    "Do you think this is a kidnapping case? Do you think that¡¯s why there¡¯s no need to investigate these? If it were a homicide, would you investigate it?"


    "Of course I would!"


    Chen Shi threw the documents on the table and knocked on it. "The murderer didn''t show up on the day of the ransom payment. Their purpose was not money, but murder. Have you decided if it was murder due to hatred or love yet?¡±


    "Your hypothesis can¡¯t stand up to reason. From the various details we¡¯ve found, it¡¯s spected that the murderermitted the crime by themselves. Perhaps it was the first time theymitted a crime, so they were afraid and gave up halfway to hide away.¡±


    "No, the killer was very clever. Every detail was very carefully considered and no ws were made throughout... In fact, didn¡¯t they intentionally let the body be found?¡±


    "Why do you say that?"


    "The bloody clothes weren¡¯t buried with the deceased but were discarded nearby. ording to the autopsy report, the victim was poisoned first, and then had his head was smashed in. The murderer forged a victim getting killed for ransom, but the real purpose was to murder them or get rid of their responsibility as a guilty party."


    ¡°Get rid of responsibility? I don''t understand!"


    Chen Shi asked purposefully, "Is Hao Jie the one who died?"


    1. Lin Qiupu is talking about his ego.


    2. The way Chen Shi responds can also mean, ¡°Did I get fatter?¡± Which would mean he¡¯s ignoring Lin Qiupu and making a joke instead.

 Chapter 395: Prolific Thinking

    <h4>Chapter 395: Prolific Thinking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu felt like he was asked an absurd question. "Of course it¡¯s Hao Jie. We¡¯ve already done a DNA test.¡±


    "Who did you do the test against?"


    "His father..." Lin Qiupu''s eyes widened, thinking of Hao Jie''s mother¡¯s abnormal behavior at the time. Hao Jie''s father was sick in bed, so it would have been more convenient for her to provide DNA.


    However, he denied the idea. "It is impossible. Impossible. His mother was overly sad, so it¡¯s normal that she didn¡¯t want to cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    "You¡¯re actually helping exin her behavior? In short, the identity of the victim needs to be fully determined first. If this isn¡¯t ascertained, the direction of the entire investigation will be off course."


    "What if she doesn''t cooperate?"


    "That''s even better. If she doesn¡¯t evenply with a small request like this, it proves she has a problem... Let''s go! I''ll take your car!"


    The two went directly to Hao Jie''s house. On the way, Chen Shi called the task force members and asked them to search for new targets. When they heard Chen Shi''s voice, everyone was motivated.


    Lin Qiupu said, "You should just be a police officer. You¡¯ll be a captain within two years."


    "How much do you earn a month? Aren¡¯t you still paying off your mortgage? I¡¯m not going to do this kind of tiresome job that people don¡¯t like!"


    Lin Qiupu felt attacked and said, "You... Your development is limited by your short-sightedness. You can be a police officer, but you¡¯re here providing driving services!"


    Hao Jie''s family lived on the top floor. Lin Qiupu was about to knock on the door when Chen Shi stopped him and put his ear on the door to listen. Lin Qiupu followed suit. Hao Jie¡¯s mother was on a phone call and she didn¡¯t sound sad at all.


    "Li Jie[1], how were the skin care products my brother bought for you from South Korea? Nothing much... Okay, let¡¯s go out for tea when you have time..."


    Chen Shi then knocked on the door. Hao Jie¡¯s mother opened the door and her expression changed immediately. She said, "What are you doing here? Do you still think that you haven¡¯t harmed our family enough? I have already sued you. I don¡¯t want to see you pieces of waste again before going to court!"


    "Sue?" Chen Shi wondered.


    "Ms. Qin, you are suing the branch office responsible for the kidnapping case. We are the head office responsible for the murder investigation. I hope you can cooperate."


    "Humph!"


    "Can wee in?"


    After entering the house, Chen Shi looked around and said, "The house is smaller than I thought. I thought Boss Hao would live in a bigger house."


    "He is a fart boss who owes a butt-ful of debt. He¡¯s sick as well. Our family is considered a ruined family. All of this is because of you police."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Ms. Qin, can you please stop using that attitude with us all the time? We are trying our best to solve the case in hopes to bring justice for you and your family. Don''t you want us to find out the truth?"


    Thest sentence was said by Lin Qiupu with purposeful intentions. Hao Jie''s mother had a strange look. Lin Qiupu suddenly found that Chen Shi was gone and there was a movement from within the bathroom.


    "Who... Who told you that you could use the bathroom? I¡¯ll think it¡¯s dirty after you dirty police have used it!" Hao Jie¡¯s mother loudly made a scene again.


    "I''m sorry, I couldn¡¯t hold it in." Chen Shi shouted from the bathroom.


    A trickling sound echoed in the room, making the atmosphere very awkward. Lin Qiupu thought that this bathroom sessionsted too long. He said to Hao Jie¡¯s mother, "We are here to learn about some of Hao Jie''s situation."


    "I don¡¯t want to talk about it!"


    "Ms. Qin, I really hope you can cooperate. This case is greatly prioritized at the bureau. We have over 20 people in the team investigating over thest two days."


    "Did you find anything then?"


    "This is inconvenient to be disclosed right now. Can you tell us about Hao Jie? How was he at school?"


    Hao Jie''s mother sighed and began to wipe her tears away again. "My Ah Jie at school was an excellent student. He hadn''t made us worry ever since he went to elementary school. He also liked ying basketball and even participated in our district¡¯spetition..."


    Chen Shi came out of the bathroom while pulling up his pants. "But, I remember his right arm was broken."


    "Ah, that was something that happened when he was younger. Children''s bones are soft and easy to heal..."


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Wasn¡¯t it the leg?"


    Chen Shi acted in an exaggerated manner, "Yes! It''s the legs! I got it wrong... Sorry, I have a bad memory."


    "I''m talking about the leg! What did you think I was talking about?" Hao Jie¡¯s mother emphasized.


    "I''ll ask one more thing. How is your rtionship with your husband?"


    "Average, just like other couples. We¡¯ll have arguments here and there on repeat. Ever since I gave birth to Hao Jie, I¡¯ve poured my whole heart into him. People say that a child is a family¡¯s stabilizer. These words are so true. Hao Jie¡¯s father and I saw him as our lifeline."


    "There is something we need your help with. It¡¯s a small favor. Can you help?" Chen Shi said.


    "What favor?"


    "Plucking a hair out for us."


    "What?! Hasn¡¯t the identity been confirmed yet?"


    "The procedure from back then wasn¡¯t formal that day. It was done in the hospital. We need the DNA of you and your husband topare them again."


    Hao Jie''s mother changed her expression immediately. "What''s the point of that? Except for hurting our hearts once again. How can that help?"


    "Of course it helps-"


    Hao Jie''s mother interrupted him. "It¡¯s already confirmed that he¡¯s our family¡¯s Ah Jie. Is there a point in repeatedly checking one single thing like this? The country''srge sums of money support you all only for you to do stuff like this? Instead of dealing with those criminals, you guys only know how to deal with victim¡¯s families.¡±


    Lin Qiupu noticed a detail and said, "Ah, that¡¯s right. We didn''t seem to notify you of the identification results yet... You left early at the hospital that day."


    Hao Jie''s mother panicked for a moment and then cried again, "Mother and son are connected by the heart. How could I not know? Do you still need to check?"


    "I hope you can cooperate with us." Lin Qiupu urged.


    "What would cooperating do? Can you make Ah Jie alive again? Go away, go away! Don''te again!" Then, Hao Jie¡¯s mother picked up the mop and started driving them out.


    The two were sted out and Lin Qiupu looked helpless. Chen Shi grabbed him and peeped his eyes through the keyhole. Lin Qiupu said, "You look really disgusting right now."


    Chen Shi shushed him and said, "Let me teach you a little trick. Sometimes, heading back will garner you more clues."


    "What clue did you find?"


    Chen Shi shushed him again and peeped through the keyhole for a full five minutes before he pulled Lin Qiupu away. Chen Shi asked while going downstairs, "Guess what the first thing this woman did was?"


    "Don''t act all mysterious."


    "She checked the bathroom. I didn''t hear the water running just now. She was checking, not going to the bathroom."


    "Sure enough, there is a ghost in her heart[2]!" Lin Qiupu believed Chen Shi now. "But we didn''t get any DNA samples!"


    "Who do you think I am?" Chen Shi took out a small bag and a bottle. "Hair and toilet water with traces of urine. I took two samples as a precaution."


    "Then the long urine break you had..."


    Chen Shi pulled out a mineral water bottle with a small hole in it and Lin Qiupu realized immediately.


    "Come on, it''s time to witness the miracle."


    1. I¡¯m unsure whether this ¡°Jie¡± is part of the person¡¯s name, or whether she means ¡°Big Sister Li¡± in a respectful manner.


    2. There¡¯s guilt in her heart

 Chapter 396: Restraining the Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 396: Restraining the Suspect</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu nced back and Chen Shi put his arm around his shoulder. "Hurry up,¡± he said, beforeughing wickedly.


    "What?!"


    "Imagine Dongxue calling you ¡®brother¡¯ affectionately."


    "Fuck you. Why would I be happy with that?¡± Lin Qiupu was so happy that he couldn¡¯t suppress hisughter and Chen Shi alsoughed.


    Afterughing for a long time, Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu left. He whispered to Lin Qiupu, "Just then, weughed for the woman to see. She looked at us through the window. We¡¯re making her think we are hay bales[1] so we can make her numb and unguarded."


    "You don''t actually have to act. You already look that way."


    In the face of his ridicule, Chen Shi smiled. "This is also one of the magic weapons in order to win. I don''t look serious or heroic like you."


    "Are you pretending to be that way?"


    "No, I''m not a serious person to begin with!"


    "Let¡¯s have a nice talk between the two of us men."


    "Go ahead!"


    Lin Qiupu hesitated for a while before saying, "Never make my sister pregnant! Otherwise, I will chase you to the ends of the earth."


    Chen Shi was surprised and said, "It seems you aren¡¯t a serious person either."


    It was already noon when they returned to the bureau. Lin Qiupu called for take-out and other police officers returned to the conference room one after another. They reported their findings as they ate.


    They learned from the couple''s acquaintances that their rtionship wasn¡¯t very good. The husband had been having affairs for a long time. He raised a mistress outside. There had been talks of divorce even before the kidnapping case.


    The reason they didn¡¯t finalize the divorce was because of the matters surrounding child custody. The husband somehow obtained his wife''s psychiatric report, saying that she had a mental illness and was not suited to raising children.


    As for the mental problem, it was verified at the hospital that she wasn¡¯t diagnosed with any obvious mental illness, but she had an extreme personality and was easily irritable. The doctor also mentioned a term: "passive aggressive personality disorder". She had been taking medicine for her mental state over a period of time.


    It is said that during the pregnancy, the husband constantly had affairs and the wifeter suffered from postpartum depression. She once held the newborn Hao Jie and stood upstairs ready to jump off the building. Because it had been so long ago, the authenticity of this matter couldn¡¯t be verified.


    On another asion, the wife found her husband''s mistress and pped her. After the husband arrived, he pped the wife. The scene was very dramatic. This case was filed at a local police station and could be found.


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that the rtionship between the couple is close to emotional bankruptcy... Everyone should eat slowly. There¡¯s an appetizing dishter."


    "What? What?" Everyone was excited.


    Lin Qiupu secretly thought that if the identification result came out and the child was indeed Hao Jie, Chen Shi would have pped himself in the face. He didn''t know where his confidence came from.


    At this time, Peng Sijue came in and said, "The two sets of DNAs you brought back were from the same person. Then, Ipared it with the deceased..."


    "How was it?" Lin Qiupu asked impatiently.


    "There¡¯s no blood rtionship between them."


    The crowd was shocked. Most of them didn''t figure out what had happened. Chen Shi pped his hands. "This is the truth of the matter. The child who died was not Hao Jie, but his father''s illegitimate child. This woman is suspected of killing that child. After the murder, she directed and produced a kidnapping scene that made everyone think Hao Jie was dead."


    Everyone exploded in discussion and asked, "Is that true? I can''t believe it!", "Then she must have an aplice!", "What is she trying to do? In this manner, the child can¡¯t get his inheritance."


    Chen Shi slowly replied, "What she wants is the custody of the child. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten custody of Hao Jie in the divorce proceedings. If Hao Jie ¡®dies¡¯, she could divorce him and move to a ce where no one knows them to live with Hao Jie."


    Even after listening to Chen Shi¡¯s reasoning, everyone was still immersed in surprise. No wonder the w in the kidnapping case couldn¡¯t be investigated. It turned out that this was not a kidnapping case at all.


    Chen Shi continued, "There was no problem in the investigation process itself. Abduction cases are generally due to revenge on the family members. This time, the killer was too tricky and everyone here was afflicted."


    "We wouldn''t have thought of this without Brother Chen!", "Brother Chen''s thinking is too keen.", "Fortunately, our second team has Brother Chen."


    Lin Qiupu also admitted defeat. He unscrewed the cap off a bottled drink and handed it to Chen Shi. Then, he said, "Assign the tasks!"


    Chen Shi took a sip of the drink and said, "First, summon this woman into the bureau."


    "Would it be too fast?"


    "You just gave me a day!"


    "Then I¡¯ll give you-"


    "No, one day is enough. I have my own business to do." Chen Shi said, "First, bring the woman in and then check her expenses over the past six months. Hao Jie lives elsewhere but considering that he still needs to go to school, it¡¯s likely that he¡¯s in a boarding school. Furthermore, this woman is a housewife, so her range of activities isn¡¯trge. The deceased died of gas poisoning. I noticed that her family uses piped gas. You can go to the gaspany to check her usage over thest half year. Another thing we need to investigate is the identity of the deceased. Perhaps Hao Jie¡¯s father would be the clearest on this. Go to the hospital to find him. The most important thing is...¡± Chen Shi looked towards Lin Qiupu, ¡°To find out who her aplice is through questioning. This case happened six months ago, so the evidence would be very difficult to find. We can only find her aplice through questioning. I believe that as the clues are exposed one by one, her psychological defense will be weaker and weaker."


    After dinner, everyone acted separately. Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu went to visit Hao Jie¡¯s mother again. When she saw the arrest order, she was stunned and said, "What do you mean by this? You¡¯re letting the killer go, but arresting me? Are the police treating people like grass now?[2]"


    "Compulsory summoning. I hope you will cooperate." Lin Qiupu said.


    "What if I don''t cooperate?"


    "Then, we will make you cooperate."


    Hao Jie''s mother shouted, "The police are hitting me! Is there still anyw in this world?!"


    Chen Shi smiled and said to Lin Qiupu, "Why does everyone do this without people teaching them?"


    Lin Qiupu showed the DNA identification report to her. "This report shows that the deceased is not your son Hao Jie. We need you to exin this to us!"


    Hao Jie''s mother stared at them and said, "I don''t understand these professional terms."


    Lin Qiupu was toozy to talk nonsense with her and just directly ced handcuffs on her. When she was brought downstairs, a few neighbors were looking at them. Hao Jie¡¯s mother raged and shouted, "The police hit me!" The neighbor looked nkly at her.


    Chen Shi whispered in her ear, "If you really have to y this hand, we will publish in the newspaper afterwards and expose all your actions and actions. Hao Jie¡¯s father will see it too. Think about the consequences!"


    Then, Hao Jie''s mother quieted down and red at Chen Shi fiercely.


    Back at the bureau, she was taken into the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu set up the video camera and sat down with another interrogator in front of her, saying, "Name."


    Hao Jie''s mother sneered. "You can only detain me for 24 hours. As long as I don''t speak, you guys can¡¯t do anything."


    Chen Shi, who was watching from the outside, said to himself, "You will definitely speak. A mother has a weakness."


    1. Useless people


    2. Treating a human life like weeds that you step on without care. Back in the day, this was mainly used to describe government officials.

 Chapter 397: Hao Jie Is Alive

    <h4>Chapter 397: Hao Jie Is Alive</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Name!" Lin Qiupu asked for the third time.


    Hao Jie¡¯s mother seemed like she was in her own world. Her eyes fluttered around and then she opened her mouth and began to sing. "Don''t ask me where Ie from~ My hometown is far away~ Why stray, stray far away, stray..."[1]


    Chen Shiughed from the other side of the one-sided mirror. He heard the footsteps in the corridor and came out for a look. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were back. Lin Dongxue said, "Has the person been brought back?"


    "She¡¯s been brought back. She¡¯s holding a concert right now! Did you find anything?¡±


    "I went to the hospital and Hao Jie''s father was awake, but I was afraid of agitating him. I asked in a roundabout manner. He said that he did have a mistress 11 years ago. It¡¯s around the time when Hao Jie''s mother was pregnant, but he didn¡¯t know anything about illegitimate children."


    "What was her name?"


    "The mistress is called Guo Bilian."


    "Investigate her!"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I went to the gaspany. They charge monthly. The gas used by Hao Jie''s family can only reach 20 cubic meters. After the kidnapping, they didn¡¯t even use 10. However, the consumption increased to 25 cubic meters around November ofst year."


    "Ah!" Lin Dongxue suddenly remembered something. "The old man who sold fungus mentioned that he saw someone ¡®throw away a body¡¯ at the end ofst year, but we searched the entire hill and couldn¡¯t find anything.¡±


    Chen Shi also looked at the questioning records. He said, "The old man may have seen the corpse getting abandoned... You guys searched the whole ce and didn¡¯t find a corpse? Are you sure?"


    "Of course we¡¯re sure... But there are still a few hills behind it that haven¡¯t been searched."


    "This woman is good at utilizing standard thinking. If I were her, where would I hide the body?" Chen Shi thought.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Who would the other body belong to?"


    Lin Dongxue thought about it. "Would it be Guo Bilian? A 10-year-old child can¡¯te to Hao Jie''s house alone. He must have been brought over by the mother. Hao Jie''s mother killed two people!"


    "Fuck!" Xu Xiaodong was shocked. "That said, the murder took ce in November, and the kidnapping case was only nned in December. I didn''t expect that."


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of something, ran to the office, tore a piece of paper, scribbled a line of words on it, folded it and put it into Lin Dongxue''s pocket. He said, "Go to the scene again and open it when you get there."


    "What? A secret master n from a Chinese silk bag[2]"


    "asionally there needs to be some drama. Remember to bring some tools." Chen Shi winked[3].


    "Guo Bilian''s lead..."


    "I''ll investigate it! You guys hurry over."


    The two set off by car. Chen Shi found Guo Bilian¡¯s information through the household registration information held at the bureau. She came from the northwest. Her parents died early and she worked outside alone. It seemed that her life was very unstable.


    He couldn¡¯t tell if she was missing just by looking at the household registration information. Chen Shi asked people to check her mobile phone number. The results show that after November 11th ofst year, Guo Bilian didn¡¯t make a single phone call. Her phone number had debt on it. She was definitely missing.


    He told this news to Lin Dongxue and Lin Qiupu.


    In the interrogation room, Hao Jie''s mother was still singing and acting like a fool. Lin Qiupu wrote the words "Guo Bilian" on a piece of paper and held it up to ask, "Are you familiar with this person?"


    Hao Jie''s mother froze for a moment and said, "I don''t know any Guo Bilian. I only know that some people don''t want Bilian[4]. If they can''t catch the killer, they will bring the victim in for an interrogation and they want to frame me.¡±


    "Frame you? It''s obviously not Hao Jie who died, so why do you keep acting? You are the prime suspect!"


    "The person who died is Hao Jie. It¡¯s my son, my dear son..." Hao Jie¡¯s mother started crying again.


    "Don''t pretend to cry. If you suspect the DNA test result, I can take your DNA in for a new test now." With that said, Lin Qiupu stood up and walked towards Hao Jie''s mother.


    "The police are beating people! The police are beating people!" Hao Jie¡¯s mother began to act again, flinging her hands up in the air.


    Lin Qiupu pointed to the video recorder. "The machine is on. Stop acting, you drama spirit[5]!"


    "Don''t touch me, don''t touch me! I¡¯ll sue you for molesting me!"


    "Why don''t you want us to test the DNA? If you¡¯re innocent, isn''t this the best proof for you?"


    Hao Jie''s mother''s lips quivered and said, "Actually, I didn''t tell you the truth. Hao Jie... Hao Jie is not my own child."


    "Oh, really?"


    "When I was pregnant, I had a miscarriage and adopted a baby. Although he was adopted, I treated him as my own."


    Lin Qiupu had had enough. He shouted, "Is it that coincidental? Your husband and the body are rted by blood!"


    "Apparently only the stuff you police say is right, so how would I know?!" Hao Jie''s mother shouted.


    Lin Qiupu took out two DNA appraisal reports and handed them to her. "Look!"


    Hao Jie''s mother grabbed them, crumpled them, and stuffed them into her mouth. Lin Qiupu folded his arms and coldly watched her swallow the paper. He said, "If you like eating that, I¡¯ll print more copies for you."


    Hao Jie''s mother smiled. "No need. I''m a little thirsty. Give me a ss of water!"


    Lin Qiupu sat back and looked at his watch. "It''s only been an hour so far, so you should slowly wait it out."


    Chen Shi received a call from Old Zhang, iming that the bank informed him that Hao Jie¡¯s mother steadily deposited money into an ount each month. The ount was her own, but the card might be held by another person. This person was very likely to be Hao Jie.


    In addition, around January this year, she paid a lot of money towards a boarding school. It happened to be the same sum as the tuition for a school year.


    Chen Shi said, "I''ll go to that school now!"


    He hurried to the boarding school, found the person in charge of the school, and said that he would like to look at the list of students who were transferred in during January. He didn''t find Hao Jie''s name, but found a child named Guo Niandong who transferred in during January.


    There were student photos on the file. Upon closer inspection, Guo Niandong and Hao Jie''s father looked fairly simr. He smiled. "It''s another swap." Then, he called the bureau and told them, "Investigate a ten-year-old boy named Guo Niandong."


    He got an answer very soon. Guo Niandong had no father on his birth ount book[6]. It only listed his mother, Guo Bilian. There was no doubt that Guo Niandong was the dead child, but his identity card was being used by Hao Jie.


    In order to fight for custody, she actually resorted to such means. Hao Jie''s mother might move the hearts of the entirety of China. Chen Shi said to the person in charge, "Hello, I want to see this Guo Niandong."


    Chen Shi went to the ssroom where "Guo Niandong" was located. After ss was finished, he rushed into the ss and shouted, "Hao Jie!"


    A boy looked up, lowered his head, and then looked up again. Chen Shi shouted again, "Hao Jie."


    The child ran out and whispered, "Uncle, are you my uncle¡¯s friend?"


    Chen Shi said with a smile, "Yeah, I''m your uncle''s friend. He told me to bring you back for dinner tonight. Your mother¡¯s there as well."


    "Great!" Hao Jie pped joyfully and then mysteriously lowered his voice. "Uncle, don''t call me Hao Jie at school. My name is Guo Niandong right now. I''ll show you my student ID."


    "Why?"


    "This is what my mother told me. She said that the bad guys were looking for me and asked me to be careful! Uncle, you wouldn¡¯t be..." Hao Jie was frightened for a moment and then returned back to normal. "Haha, since you know my name is Hao Jie, you shouldn''t be a bad guy!"


    "Hao... Guo Niandong, what time do you finish school?" Chen Shi asked with a nice tone and gentle smile.


    1. Actual song lyrics from the song called ¡°The Olive Tree¡± by Chyi Yu. It opened the 1979 film "Your Smiling Face". It was the biggest-grossing Taiwanese film in Hong Kong at the time. https://.youtube/watch?v=6yhVNF6xw0Y A very ssic but old school song.


    2. Long ago, people put ns and tricks inside little bags that would help people ovee the obstacles toe. Kind of like a fortune cookie. This is what the bags look like: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSpRK2dnNEEzUsdhDrIMfNzeg7lRc5Rnbk_JwjpRmsxW4pCe0jX?


    3. The author said he blinked, but I felt like a wink made more sense.


    4. Commonly used to scold people for being shameless.


    5. The spirits in this sense holds a negative connotation. Kind of like an evil spirit. Chinese myths and legends have it that spiritse in all sorts of forms with different abilities.


    6. Rather than a birth certificate, they have a little book.

 Chapter 398: The Second Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 398: The Second Corpse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong returned to the site where the corpse was abandoned. Lin Dongxue opened the note given to them by Chen Shi. Xu Xiaodong leaned over to look at it. It read: "Directly below the ce the body was buried".


    The two looked away at the burial ground surrounded by the cordon. Xu Xiaodong said, "No way it''s that simple, right?"


    "That''s right!" Lin Dongxue said, "Upon thinking carefully, the whole mountain was searched besides this ce. This is our habitual thinking."


    "Brother Chen is so mig... Ahem, I''ll leave this sentence until after we find the body!"


    "Let¡¯s dig!"


    The two started digging with shovels. When the hole was dug ten centimeters in, a ck bag appeared below. Xu Xiaodong knelt down in excitement and wiped the soil away with his hands. He felt human bone through the decaying bag and said excitedly "Brother Chen is so mighty. He even thought of such a tricky hiding ce!"


    "He put himself in the position of the criminal!"


    After half an hour, the two dragged the bag out of the ground and opened it to see theplete remains of a human body. Judging from the body length and pelvic bone, it should be a woman.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Let¡¯s look to see what else is hidden below."


    After digging for a while, they found some ashes left by the burning of stic and fabric, as well as a smashed mobile phone. She picked it up and said, "This may be Guo Bilian''s mobile phone."


    "Haii, they¡¯re both mothers. How could they be so cruel to other children? The two children have half of the same genes as well."


    "This is motherhood. You can give everything to your children, but the children born from the husband and other women are as hateful as the enemy."


    "What scary motherhood."


    "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    The two carefully bagged the body into the car. On the way back, Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi and said, "You guessed correctly. The body really was there."


    "Where are you guys now?"


    "On our way back."


    "Be more specific."


    Lin Dongxue nced at the GPS. "We¡¯re almost at Guangchang Street."


    "Tell Xiaodong to go around and meet me on Dadong Street. I''ll take you to investigate an important clue."


    When they got to Dadong Street, Chen Shi''s car stopped at the corner. He was leaning on the car eating meat skewers. Lin Dongxue got out of the car and jogged over. Chen Shiughed. "How fast. Let''s go to Hao Jie''s uncle."


    "He''s the aplice?"


    "The possibility is extremely high. Hao Jie identally revealed it. Look here!" Chen Shi showed Lin Dongxue a photo he took of himself and Hao Jie.


    After understanding Chen Shi''s intentions, Lin Dongxue smiled. "You¡¯re a bit mean using this tactic. Isn''t it just telling the woman ¡®your child in my hands¡¯?"


    "If she confessed honestly, I wouldn''t use this photo to agitate her. But, I hear that she¡¯s still toying with your brother right now. She¡¯s acting as if she¡¯s possessed by a drama spirit. A mother''s weakness is the child. No matter how strong she looks, the fa?ade will copse if you lightly touch this point... Of course, I don''t want to take advantage of this if I don¡¯t have to."


    "A woman bearing a child for nine months, having the fetus in her belly absorb all her nutrients little by little and turning into a living baby. That kind of thing can only be understood by those who have been mothers themselves. I heard that many women who had been trafficked to remote mountain areas all stopped resisting and trying to run away after giving birth to a child. The child is like a rope which is tied to the mother¡¯s heart.¡± Lin Dongxue said emotionally.


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue meaningfully. Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t even think about it. I would never consider this matter until I¡¯m thirty."


    "Never consider what? I just wanted to ask if you wanted to eat." Chen Shi took out a packet of snacks for her.


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle was a restaurant owner. When they got outside of this restaurant, the two of them saw arge SUV before they entered the door. At this time in the afternoon, there were almost no guests. A middle-aged man asked, "What would you like to eat?"


    "You are Qin Xiang''s brother, Mr. Qin?"


    "Yes, what''s the matter?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge and Hao Jie¡¯s uncle looked a little nervous. He took out a cigarette and asked, "Still investigating that case? It''s been six months already. Does it still not have any results? Isn¡¯t the efficiency of you police a bit too low?¡±


    While Lin Dongxue was still thinking about how to talk to him, Chen Shi knocked directly on the mountain and alerted the tiger. "What we are investigating today is a murder case rted to your sister."


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle was startled andughed after smacking on the table. "Surely you¡¯re joking officer. How can a kind person like my sister kill someone? This joke is a bit too overboard."


    "I didn''t say she killed someone. I just said it was rted to your sister. Isn¡¯t your first reaction a little..."


    The other''s Adam¡¯s apple moved a little. He slowly lit the cigarette, saying, "I don''t know what you are talking about. After my older sister got married, we didn''t stay in touch much. Why are you looking for me?"


    "Really? When I saw Hao Jie, his first reaction was to ask if I was your friend."


    "Haha, Hao Jie and I are indeed quite close."


    "Isn¡¯t Hao Jie already dead?"


    Hao Jie''s uncle¡¯s hand shook, and the ashes fell on the table. He quickly flicked it away and said, "Oh no, the tablecloth is burnt." He stood up and pretended to grab a rag, before turning around and bolting out the door.


    Chen Shi directly picked up the vinegar bottle on the table and threw it over. Hao Jie¡¯s uncle yelped on impact. Lin Dongxue used this opportunity to rush over and handcuff him.


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle shouted, "Aren¡¯t you the police? How could the police hit someone with a vinegar bottle? Look at my clothes!"


    "I''ll reimburse you with one afterwards..." Chen Shi paused. "A brand-new prison uniform."


    "Fucking hell, I didn''t kill anyone. I just helped-" Hao Jie¡¯s uncle, who realized he had said the wrong thing, turned around and looked at the two of them in horror.


    "Let''s talk elsewhere."


    Back at the bureau, Hao Jie¡¯s uncle was interrogated by Lin Dongxue and another interrogator. Chen Shi went to see Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue was drinking coffee. It seemed that his work was over. He said, ¡°The report is on the table.¡±


    Chen Shi picked it up and looked at it. "The second body really turned out to be Guo Bilian¡¯s."


    "There were no obvious wounds throughout the body and the cause of death was also carbon monoxide poisoning. But, this is not conclusive evidence." Peng Sijue said.


    "Hao Jie¡¯s uncle has a car, which may have been used to transport the dead bodies. Let¡¯s check it out!... Thank you!"


    "In the face of your sincerity, I''ll go after drinking coffee. You¡¯re breaking the record again!"


    "How so? How so? It¡¯s because you allid enough groundwork that I could immediately see the ws."


    "When did you be so humble?"


    "I¡¯ve always been humble... I¡¯ll treat you to dinnerter."


    It was already the evening, but the enthusiasm of all the members of the task force was soaring. As a police officer, the happiest moment was when the truth came to light. Chen Shi asked around and everyone had found a lot of clues. Only one key piece of evidence was missing before they could chain the pieces of evidence together.


    This key evidence may be in Hao Jie''s uncle¡¯s car, or it may be their confession. Chen Shi thought for a while, and said, "Old Zhang, can I please trouble you to go and call the old man who sells fungus back here to identify the two of them?"

 Chapter 399: Corroborate Statements

    <h4>Chapter 399: Corroborate Statements</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle was extremely tense in the interrogation room and kept fidgeting. Lin Dongxue confirmed his basic information and asked, "What were you doing on November 11th ofst year?"


    "Apanying my wife to shop online. Wasn¡¯t that singles day?[1]" Hao Jie¡¯s uncleughed.


    "We checked your phone logs. You received your sister''s call on November 11th. It came in the early morning. The callsted half an hour. What did you talk about?"


    "We chat... We chatted about family stuff... You may not know, but my sister and brother-inw have a bad rtionship. She was just venting to me."


    "If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, I''ll speak on your behalf. On November 10th, your brother-inw was away for a few days on a business trip. On November 11th, a mother and son arrived at your sister''s house. The woman''s name was Guo Bilian and the child was Guo Niandong. Guo Bilian clearly led the child there to reunite with his biological father. Your sister allowed them to stay at the house and then opened the gas valve to let them die of carbon monoxide poisoning. After the murder, your sister was very flustered and contacted you. You two went to the suburbs to throw the corpses away the next day. Then, your sister thought of a brilliant trick to use the death of this mother and son to fight for Hao Jie''s custody. She nned a kidnapping case where she masked fakes with the real deal. No doubt it was you who kidnapped Hao Jie back then! You executed your sister''s script perfectly, didn¡¯t go to get the ransom, and the police didn¡¯t find you. Then, Hao Jie was sent to a boarding school. No one would think that you were the ''kidnapper''. You took care of Hao Jie privately while your sister was acting in front of the police. You would wait for your brother-inw to die due to illness. When all the disturbances subsided, you¡¯d take Hao Jie back to be with your sister again."


    Listening to Lin Dongxue retell the case, Hao Jie¡¯s uncle began to sweat intensely. Lin Dongxue twirled her pen around and calmly waited for him to speak.


    As time passed by, Lin Qiupu called her through the inte and said, "Change the interrogation room."


    "Change the interrogation room?" Lin Dongxue suddenly realized that Lin Qiupu, the drunk person, didn¡¯t want more alcohol, but something else.[2] This was so that the two would know that the other was being interrogated as well.


    "Remember, don''t let them speak when they meet in the corridor."


    Lin Dongxue went to untie Hao Jie¡¯s uncle¡¯s handcuffs and he asked nervously, "What! Why? Are you guys going to use torture?"


    "The air is bad here. We¡¯ll take you to another interrogation room."


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle was escorted out. At the other end of the corridor, Hao Jie''s mother was escorted by Lin Qiupu. Lin Dongxue thought that the scene was a bit fit for a drama. Here was the sister holding the brother and there was the older brother holding the older sister.


    The moment they looked at each other, they both showed a panicked expression at the same time. Hao Jie¡¯s uncle prepared to speak, but Lin Dongxue twisted his arm ruthlessly and said, "You can¡¯t corroborate your statements!"


    Dejectedly, they brushed past each other as they exchanged interrogation rooms.


    Chen Shi, who was having lunch in the conference room, suddenly stood up and said, "Oh no!"


    "What''s wrong, Brother Chen?"


    "This woman is very clever. They wouldn''t be stupid enough to not have taken any precautions before this. If that¡¯s the case, they couldpletely overturn the entire case..." Chen Shi immediately called Peng Sijue, "Where are you?"


    "Checking the car."


    "Don''t check it. Go to Hao Jie''s house with me... It¡¯s important!"


    Hearing Chen Shi''s tone being so serious, Peng Sijue said, "See you at the gate of themunity. I¡¯ll bring the toolkit with me."


    At this time, Old Zhang found the old man who sold fungus. The old man looked at two people on the other side of the interrogation room. When he heard Hao Jie''s uncle¡¯s voice, he said with certainty, "Yes, this is this person."


    "Are you sure?"


    "I¡¯m certain!"


    "Thank you, uncle. I hope you¡¯ll be there if we need you to appear in court."


    "Ah? I need toe again?... Haii, it''s not easy for me to get up early and back at night. Don¡¯t torture these old bones anymore. I still have half a car of fungus that hasn¡¯t been sold!" The old man sighed in pretense.


    Old Zhang reluctantly called everyone to go out and buy all of the old man''s fungus. The old man drove away with joy in an empty car and waved before leaving. "Thank you officers! I''ll bring you more next time."


    Old Zhang told Lin Dongxue about this via the internal telephone. Lin Dongxue said with even more certainty this time to Hao Jie¡¯s uncle, "An anonymous witness has just identified you. Do you still want to deny it?"


    Hao Jie¡¯s uncle grabbed his right wrist with his left hand for a while and then grabbed his left wrist with his right hand for a while. He mumbled to himself for a very long time before saying, "I confess! My sister didn''t kill anyone. The mother and son went to her house that day. She affectionately hosted them and boiled two eggs before going out to buy groceries. Maybe the mother and son fell asleep, but the water overflowed and extinguished the fire on the gas stove. When my sister came back, they were already poisoned by the gas... My sister was really scared and contacted me. After all, we¡¯ve been very close since childhood. Although I had good intentions, I came up with the stupid idea of burying the body in the suburbs. Later, with the case of the fake kidnapping, I admit that we were the ones who did it. My sister really wanted to be with Little Jie. It¡¯s not like we took any money or lives! It¡¯s just the love of a mother."


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t expect that he would say that and smacked the table angrily. "You¡¯re still lying even when you¡¯re at this point?!¡±


    "You can get people to investigate it. There¡¯s no evidence of a murder. You said my sister killed people. Isn¡¯t this framing her?" Hao Jie¡¯s uncle spread his hands, as if wronged. However, the corners of his mouth curled up in a cold sneer as if saying, ¡°What can you do to me?¡±.


    Lin Dongxue was suddenly frantic. The deceased was not strangled or stabbed, but died through gas poisoning. This could be exined as an ident. After six months, no evidence would be found.


    She stopped the interrogation and went outside. She saw Lin Qiupu''s expression wasn¡¯t very good either, so she asked him what happened.


    Lin Qiupu exined, "Asshole. That woman actually said that she cooked some eggs at home, went out to buy groceries, but the two of them were poisoned by the time she got back... What about your side?"


    "A statement that was exactly the same!"


    "The two agreed on a statement beforehand. When they ran out of options, they would sacrifice the pawn to protect the chariot[3]." Lin Qiupu walked around with his hands behind his back. "In this case, all the evidence we have can only be used as evidence of manughter."


    "This may not even count as manughter. It may only be considered an ident. In court, they will only be convicted of humiliating a corpse and obstructing official duties. They will escape the murder charges."


    Xu Xiaodong, who heard this from the sidelines, asked timidly, "What if this was the truth?"


    Lin Qiupu was so angry that heughed. "Look, there¡¯s already a little fool who believes it.¡±


    ¡°But Xiaodong also makes sense."


    "What?!"


    "In the courts, the judge and the prosecutor are all outsiders. When they hear about it, it¡¯ll just be another version of the truth."


    Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth and asked, "Where¡¯s Chen Shi?"


    "He said something like ¡®Oh no, oh no¡¯ just now and then ran out. He hasn¡¯te back yet."


    "Would he have guessed this trick in advance and gone to look for evidence?"


    1. A festival that¡¯s held every 11th of November for singles where lots of people try to pick-up a partner. There¡¯s also a lot of extreme sales and discounts on that day. Not a public holiday. Kind of like Valentines or White Day but for single people (to go nuts shopping). Pretty sure singles day came from Korea. The shopping part started because of Taobao as of 2009.


    2. They had other intentions


    3. Chinese chess reference. If you look at the photo attached, the pawns are the ones closest to the other party¡¯s pieces and the chariots are the ones at the back on either side. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon/images/I/61dZouA2fDL._AC_SX522_.jpg

 Chapter 400: Decisive Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 400: Decisive Evidence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu paced anxiously in the corridor. Xu Xiaodongforted, "Captain Lin, let''s eat first. Brother Chen will definitely find evidence."


    Everyone ate boxed takeaway meals in the conference room. Lin Qiupu saw that there was still more in the bag and exined to Xu Xiaodong, "Give two meals and bottles of water to those two drama spirits so that they can continue exerting their energy after they¡¯re full."


    Lin Qiupu only had a few bites of rice when Xu Xiaodong ran back and said, "The female drama spirit said that the rice has poison in it, so she¡¯s not going to eat it."


    "Whether she eats it is up to her." Lin Qiupu said while Lin Dongxue next to him was picking out all the green peppers she didn''t like to eat.


    It became noisy outside. A police officer came in and said, "Hao Jie''s father is here."


    "What? Who notified him?"


    "No one notified him. He came by himself."


    Lin Qiupu and the others went out to greet him. Hao Jie''s father was still wearing a hospital gown and a coat was covering his shoulders as he was helped in by a nurse. He shivered and said, "The neighbor called me to tell me that my woman was caught. I guessed it had something to do with her... That madwoman actually used her cruel hands against her own child! Where is she now? Where is she now?"


    After hearing what he said, he seemed like he didn¡¯t know the truth of the case. Lin Qiupu said, "Mr. Hao, don''t be too agitated. It¡¯s not good for your health. We are investigating the case right now."


    Hao Jie''s father used a cane to poke the ground. "I don¡¯t have many days to live anyway. Please let me see her. I will scold her until she dies... Even tigers don¡¯t eat their young, but she actually did that to her own son. A beast. Beast!"


    After a lot of polite persuasion, Hao Jie''s father finally calmed down and went to a conference room to have a seat. He said, "I was asked about Guo Bilian in the afternoon. Is this rted to Bilian?"


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Who is Guo Bilian to you?"


    "We were first lovers in university. We were very loving, but this woman stepped in and I was misunderstood by Bilian. Then, we broke up... I admit that we still had some contactter and even met a few times in private because I''m so tortured at home. This woman is mental. She¡¯s very paranoid and suspects me all day! "


    "So why did you get married in the first ce?"


    "Because this woman''s father is my top boss. Under his set-up, we became married. I was really blinded to marry such a woman. I have never loved her for a single day and lived in quarrels every day! Once, there was a quarrel. She actually took Little Jie out and said she was going to jump in the river. She was crazy. When we were trying to get divorced, she said that even if she were to kill Little Jie, ground him up into stuffing, and eat him into her belly, she still wouldn¡¯t give me custody. Have you ever seen such a lunatic before?!" Hao Jie''s father poked the floor with his cane looking heartbroken. ¡°When the kidnapping case urred, I already suspected her. It was really her! She really did it!¡±


    "Have you been in touch with Guo Bilian recently?"


    "We contacted each otherst year. She said she wanted to see me. I had initially refused. After all, I was married, but she said that there were important things she needed to tell me. Then, she told me she wouldn¡¯te anymore..." Hao Jie''s father took out his mobile phone and showed the police a text message.


    The first text message was sent on November 5th. Guo Bilian said, "Zhiqiang, I n toe to Long''an to see you in the next couple of days. I need to tell you something important. Rest assured, I won¡¯t disturb your family."


    The second text message was sent on November 12th, Guo Bilian said, "Sorry, I didn''t have the courage to meet you in the end. You and I should settle down separately and not think about each other anymore."


    Lin Dongxue found that the mobile phone was veryggy, even though there weren¡¯t too many apps installed on it. She said, "Mr. Hao, can we check your mobile phone?"


    "Go ahead."


    Lin Dongxue went to the information department with his mobile phone. Lin Qiupu asked, "Since you knew Guo Bilian woulde to see you in the next couple of days, why go on a business trip?"


    "A business trip? I didn¡¯t go on a business trip."


    "On November 11th, where were you?"


    "At home... To be honest, I''ve been living separately from that woman for a long time. Hao Jie lived on either end. Hao Jie was with me that day... Why are you asking this?"


    "It''s nothing. Just asking."


    Lin Dongxue came back and quietly called, "Captain Lin" outside. Lin Qiupu didn''t hear her and Lin Dongxue had to shout "Brother" loudly. Lin Qiupu immediately turned around and walked out.


    "What happened?"


    "This number sent out several short messages after November 5th. The number the messages were sent to were Guo Bilian¡¯s. but none of the messages were found in the inbox or outbox. Then, I found a hacking program in the mobile phone that you can buy online."


    "In other words, Hao Jie''s mother used the program to override this phone, spoke to Guo Bilian herself, and gave her a fake address. The murder was premeditated!"


    "We¡¯re stillcking key evidence." Lin Dongxue nced at the man''s back. "I don''t think he waspletely innocent. He had many affairs which were the root of this tragedy."


    "The police are not moral guardians. I don''t care who is right or wrong."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Just expressing my views on affairs."


    At the same time, Chen Shi and Peng Sijue were looking for clues in Hao Jie''s house. Chen Shi was a bit impatient. He searched from one ce straight to the next. Peng Sijue followed him to help him restore things back to their original ces andined, "Are you confiscating their household property [1]or searching?"


    "Enhanced search!" Chen Shi sat down on the sofa. "Ugh, a stiff brain needs a little nicotine!"


    Peng Sijue took out a cigarette packet and handed it over. Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "I promised Dongxue that I won¡¯t touch that in this life again.¡±


    "I suggest you buy some nicotine patches which can reduce the withdrawal symptoms." Peng Sijue nodded and exhaled into Chen Shi''s face.


    Although it was second-hand smoke, Chen Shi, who inhaled the nicotine, was still very pleased. He hooked his index finger. "Give me some more oil."


    After Peng Sijue exhaled the cigarette again, Chen Shi felt like his withdrawals were suppressed and his mind became active again. He stood up and walked to the bedroom, saying, "Since she said that she went out to buy food, it means that it was in the afternoon when the mother and child fell asleep together, right? What time does the train from Guo Bilian''s hometown get here?"


    Chen Shi searched on his mobile phone. The train most in line with the timing back then was the train at 4:00PM, which departed at 9:00AM.


    Chen Shi said, "If it was this train, the mother and son must have had a good restst night. They wouldn¡¯t have been so sleepy as to not have been aware of the gas smell, unless...¡±


    "They were drugged!" Peng Sijue remembered a slight detail. "Hao Jie¡¯s mother has a history of mental illness and had to take calming medication."


    "Search! Search! Search!"


    After another round of checking the ins and outs of every nook and cranny, Chen Shi found a pill bottle in the depths of a drawer and showed it to Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue said, "Thebel does show that it¡¯s a drug that has calming effects... Hmm, it¡¯s opened, but it¡¯s impossible to know the date."


    "It¡¯s okay, as long as we find the same ingredients in the body."


    "That¡¯s a little difficult."


    The two returned to the living room and Chen Shi found that the security door looked brand new. It was so new that it seemed a bit out of ce. He squatted down and checked. "Strange. Why was just this door painted recently?"


    When his finger touched a spot, Chen Shi said in excitement, "The traces of nail scratches!"


    1. People used to confiscate everything in someone¡¯s house while they were exterminating families on the orders of the government. During the confiscation process, some people would literally tear the house down, break things, etc. Peng Sijue is saying this because Chen Shi is flipping through everything while searching for clues.

 Chapter 401: Breaking Through the Psychological Defense Line

    <h4>Chapter 401: Breaking Through the Psychological Defense Line</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The nail scratches covered by the paint were concentrated on the lower part of the door. Chen Shi nced back. The bedroom was located to the side of the door. He said, "The victims crawled here, desperately scratching the door to try and escape."


    "People who are poisoned by gas are weak and can¡¯t stand up at all."


    "This doesn¡¯t count as key evidence either... But the woman deliberately covered it up."


    There seemed to be nothing left to check. The two opened the door and went out. An aunty saw them and hurried upstairs. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re not bad people. We are police."


    "Oh, the police? What are you looking for? In the afternoon, you took the woman who lived there away. Did shemit a crime or something?"


    "Do you know what her name is?"


    "''The woman downstairs.''"


    It seems that the aunty didn''t even know thest name of the family. Chen Shi asked again, "I want to ask you something. On November 11thst year, did you see anything strange happen in this house?"


    "Strange thing... I''ll ask the neighbors for you!"


    "Thank you so much."


    Soon, a group of neighbors came together, talking about how this woman was a psycho. She often cried when she was teaching her child saying that the father didn¡¯t want them anymore. And every time the man came, they would quarrel. They couldn¡¯t possibly understand how the couple could get along with each other.


    After listening to a lot of trivial matters that weren¡¯t rted to the case, a neighbor finally remembered something and said, "I don''t know what day that was, but one day when I was finished walking the dog and came back, the dog kept barking at the door non-stop. Then, I heard a ¡®cha-ra cha-ra¡¯ scratching sound from inside the door."


    "And then?"


    "Then the woman came back and I said, ¡®Sister, there seems to be some noisesing out of your house.¡¯ She said that she bought two bamboo rats and was ready to kill them to eat them. She smiled and said that the two animals inside[1] were scratching the door in the house. Then, I left."


    "Sorry, I want to ask you something alone."


    After bringing the neighbor to the stairwell downstairs, Chen Shi asked, "Did you not smell gas back then?"


    "Nothing at all. What''s wrong? Did she have a gas leak?"


    "Wait a minute!"


    Chen Shi went and asked the neighbors all around and they all didn''t smell the gas leak. He whispered to Peng Sijue, "This is very strange. The gaspany will add a smell to the gas. It stands to reason that people outside the door would be able to smell it. Her doors and windows in the house aren¡¯tpletely enclosed either."


    Peng Sijue muttered, "When we were checking just now, I found traces of glue on the edge of the window. Perhaps-"


    "I see!" Chen Shi smiled. This was the proof of murder.


    He said to the neighbor again, "Sorry, can youe back to the bureau with uster to cooperate with the investigation?"


    "Huh? I have to go to the bureau? No, no. I have business at home."


    "How about this..." Chen Shi took out three hundred yuan. "This is a small reward for providing leads. A car will pick you up and drop you off to ensure you won¡¯t be dyed in your business.¡±


    The neighbor smiled and was about to reach out and take it. Peng Sijue said sternly, "Giving witnesses money is bribery. If the defendant''swyer knows that you are doing this, you¡¯re turning valid evidence into invalid evidence!"


    "It¡¯s just a bonus for providing clues!"


    "It¡¯s a matter of principle!"


    "I''m not a policeman."


    "You¡¯re working with the police."


    "Okay, okay, I''m so sorry!"


    The neighbor was also too embarrassed to ask for the money again and said, "Cooperating with the police to handle a case is the right thing to do. I¡¯ll head back and feed the dog. Then, I¡¯lle down to find youter."


    "Okay."


    The two returned to the house, carefully inspected the doors and windows, and photographed the glue marks. Chen Shi said, "This woman must have glued things like rubber pads here in advance to make the entire room airtight. The room was then filled with gas! Afterwards, we can investigate what she bought over those few days. We finally have some evidence to go by."


    "You think she thought about the whole n from the beginning, including how to deal with the police today?"


    "I don''t know about this, but what is certain is that when the mother and son came to her door, she had the intent to kill."


    The two took the witness back, and the police officers that were sullenly sitting in a room were suddenly full of excitement when they heard that there was new evidence. Peng Sijue immediately conducted the necessary tests. Everyone waited anxiously as time ticked by.


    Peng Sijue walked out wearing a long white coat with a smell of medicine around him. He handed Lin Qiupu a report. "A trace amount of diazepam was found in the deceased''s bone marrow, which is consistent with the drugposition in this bottle."


    Lin Qiupu said excitedly, "Let''s see what that woman says!"


    They went into the interrogation room once again where Hao Jie''s mother had been waiting impatiently, sitting in a chair and shaking her head. "You¡¯re still not letting me go?"


    Lin Qiupu put the drug test report in front of her face and said, "A sedative was found in the victim and it¡¯s the same drug found in your home."


    "They¡¯ve already decayed to their bones. Don¡¯t lie to me!"


    "There are blood vessels in the bone marrow and the periosteum. Don¡¯t you know of suchmon sense?"


    Hao Jie''s face suddenly turned pale. She exined, "That woman said she couldn''t sleep and asked me for two sleeping pills."


    "You mean she couldn¡¯t sleep in apletely air-tight room? You bought glue and rubber pads online on November 6th andpletely sealed the edges of your doors and windows. Do you still want to deny that?"


    "Because it was cold at the time."


    "The neighbors proved that you heard the scratching door in the house. Not only did you not open the door, but you left. You came back around 8:00. Why is that?"


    "..." Hao Jie''s mother lowered her head and said nothing. Her psychological defense was slowly disintegrating.


    Lin Qiupu continued to give severe blows after blow. "If this evidence is put in front of the judge, what do you think they¡¯ll think? Did you think you were wless in your n? Let me tell you something. There¡¯s an eye in the world called ¡®God¡¯s eye¡¯[2]. When you do something bad and wipe the traces clean, the ¡®God¡¯s eye¡¯ might not take notice of you for a while. But as long as it notices you, it will slowly find all traces like a magnifying ss. There is no imprable wall in the world. If you kill someone, there must be traces that are left behind!"


    "..."


    "If you confess now, you might still get some leniency. Maybe you can see Hao Jie once more in your lifetime. If you continue to act like this, you might even lose thisst opportunity."


    Hao Jie''s mother burst into tears. The dam bursting meant that her inner line of psychological defense had beenpletely breached. She mmed on the hand rest on the interrogation chair and said, "Your police are all beasts! You guys are willing to separate this mother and child. What did I do wrong? Is it wrong for a mother to love her son? If that¡¯s the case, all the mothers in the world are guilty. Don¡¯t you have a mother as well? Shouldn¡¯t you have a little sympathy?¡±


    Lin Qiupu suppressed his rage and said coldly, "If you really loved your son, you should have thought about the consequences beforemitting murder. You should have thought about the consequences it would bring to Hao Jie''s life. He¡¯ll be scolded by others in school as the son of a murderer. He¡¯ll be discriminated against all his life! This is you loving him? This is not love at all. It¡¯s just magnified selfishness! Your son is like a treasure to you and other people¡¯s children can be brutally killed. What kind of positive example can such a mother give to their child?!"


    Hao Jie''s mother buried her face in her hands and burst into tears. Lin Qiupu was almost out of patience and said, "If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, then you never have to speak of it again!"


    "I¡¯ll talk... I¡¯ll talk..." She whispered through sniffles.


    1. I believe the pun was intended.


    2. You can also read this as ¡°Sky¡¯s eye¡±. People also call the surveince cameras this since it¡¯s so omnipresent.

 Chapter 402: Twisted Mother Love

    <h4>Chapter 402: Twisted Mother Love</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wiping her tears away, Hao Jie¡¯s mother began to say, "It''s all that man''s fault. In order to get my father''s help, he pursued me endlessly with false sincerity and kicked away his first love. After our marriage, he was extremely indifferent to me and messing around outside constantly. The reason I was admitted to the psychiatric hospital was all because of him. If he didn¡¯t treat me like that, why would I have gone crazy...¡±


    "I don''t want to listen to this." Lin Qiupu interrupted coldly.


    "After Hao Jie was born, I finally had a little motivation to live..."


    "I don''t want to listen to that either!"


    Hao Jie''s mother had no desire to resist at this moment. Instead, she smiled and asked, "What do you want to hear?"


    "The process of the murder!"


    "The murder... Yes... the process of the murder. Last November, that shameless mistress texted the man saying that she had a child for him and wanted to bring the child to see him..."


    Lin Qiupu knocked on the table. "Hao Jie¡¯s father didn''t know anything about the illegitimate child. Even now, he doesn¡¯t know about it. You installed surveince software on his mobile phone and then used his phone to sound the other woman out."


    "You really did a thorough investigation. Yes, that''s right! I didn''t monitor him for anything else. It was just to get evidence for the divorce. After seeing that text message, I was so mad that I went crazy. I went to find the man to reason with him, but he was drunk that day. That¡¯s why I used his phone to see what she would say... This shameless mistress actually wanted to bring the illegitimate child to see him. I told her an address. It was my home address.¡±


    "You may not know, but at that time, Hao Jie''s father had already found out that he had cancer. It was misdiagnosed as benign. He was messing around every day so his body was damaged early. He would have died in front of me sooner orter. I wouldn¡¯t allow another illegitimate child to appear, sharing his inheritance. I also wouldn¡¯t allow another child in the world to call him dad! Since my days had been like this, I didn¡¯t want him to be blessed either!"


    Hao Jie''s mother showed a fierce expression before smiling.


    "I needed to kill her! I have long wanted to kill this shameless little three. Now, I finally had the chance. I thought of many ns and finally thought of this trick that would cause them to die by ident. The police couldn¡¯t do anything to me! So I set up the scene and waited for them toe. They finally came. I said, ¡®I''m sorry, Hao Zhiqiang[1] isn¡¯t at home. You can sit for a while!¡¯ Then, I poured drinks for them. After they finished drinking, the two of them fell asleep. I switched the electric mainboard off, turned on the gas, and closed the windows and doors before leaving...¡±


    "I came back at 8:00 to turn off the gas and open the windows. Haha, the cheap woman and bastard diedpletely! When the gas was gone, I called my brother and asked him to help me handle the two bodies. When my brother found out about it, he called me stupid. The motivation for this kind of thing is so clear that the police would definitely suspect me! At that time, I was afraid... Fortunately, my brother had an idea and came over the next day to help me abandon the corpse on the mountain. At the time, I suddenly thought, ¡®Why not take advantage of this and let Hao Jie live with me?¡¯¡±


    "I told my brother my idea. He thought it was ridiculous, but he has always listened to me since he was child, so he still agreed in the end... We started to prepare after that. In December, the kidnapping case officially started. To be honest, when I heard Hao Jie crying over the phone, I was still very heartbroken. Hao Jie didn¡¯t know everything was fake at the time. I even had a hallucination at the time. This kidnapping wasn¡¯t real, was it? I wanted to call my brother several times but held back.¡±


    "I struggled to endure it. I only went to find my brother after the kidnapping case had finished. He told me that Hao Jie was with him now without any problems. When I saw Hao Jie, I thought it was all worth it. Nothing in the world could separate us! The man thought that Hao Jie had really disappeared and his condition became more serious. He couldn¡¯t even stand up due to his illness. Haha, this was retribution! Then, I secretly transferred Hao Jie to a fully closed boarding school and let him use the name of that bastard. Although I was reluctant to admit it, he and that bastard were half-brothers and looked a bit simr.


    "Hao Jie asked me why he needed to go to this school and why he couldn¡¯t go home. I lied to him saying that his dad was being targeted by bad guys and that he needed to hide outside for a while. I felt sad when I told him that, but Hao Jie has always been obedient and sensible ever since he was young, so he did as I said. The n went smoothly and there was even an unexpected surprise. The man''s cancer worsened. Since he thought Hao Jie was dead, his condition only worsened. When he died, I¡¯d be able to obtain the inheritance. This is what I deserve. He couldn¡¯t have what he has today without the help of my dad. I wanted to live with Hao Jie somewhere else and live together forever when I got the inheritance money. Together... Forever!"


    Hao Jie¡¯s mother had tears of hope in her eyes before suddenly snapping back to reality. Realizing that she was sitting in a cold interrogation room and facing two expressionless interrogators, she buried her face and burst into tears again.


    Lin Qiupu didn''t want to say anything else. He thought to just let prison reform her. Then, he stood up and said, "Take her away!"


    Walking outside, the police cheered. Chen Shi said, "I fulfilled my promise and the case was resolved within a day."


    Lin Qiupu gave him a light punch. "Let''s go. I¡¯ll treat you to supper."


    Chen Shi looked at his watch. "No, I still have a ce to go to."


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi along the way whether something was a good idea. Chen Shi answered, "It¡¯s good news after all."


    "But it''s also bad news. He didn''t know that the people who died were his first love and the illegitimate child whom he had never met."


    "He has the right to know the truth."


    "But he¡¯s so ill that he might not be able to stand the blow?"


    Chen Shi was silent. Lin Dongxue suggested, "Perhaps we should just tell him that Hao Jie is still alive. We¡¯ll leave everything else until the trial begins. Maybe he won¡¯t even be able to make it till then."


    "Okay!" Chen Shi smiled, "A kind lie."


    In the hospital, when he learned that Hao Jie was still alive, Hao Jie''s father sat up quickly and the heart rhythm on the next instrument next to him continued to rise. He grabbed Chen Shi''s hand and asked, "You¡¯re not lying to me, right? You¡¯re really not lying to me, right?"


    "This is a picture taken today." Chen Shi showed him his cell phone.


    Hao Jie''s father burst into tears. "Great! Thank you! Thank you to all the officers!"


    Lin Dongxue also smiled with relief.


    "But why was his mother arrested? And you asked me what happened to Guo Bilian. She wouldn¡¯t have... She wouldn¡¯t have killed Guo Bilian, right?"


    "With regards to this, we can¡¯t..."


    "I have the right to know the truth. Please."


    "Well, you''re right. She killed Guo Bilian. Her body has been found."


    Hao Jie''s father grabbed at his nket and cried for a while, smacking his leg with a lot of force. "I killed her. I killed her... Officers, don''t listen to that woman¡¯s nonsense. I have only ever had an affair once in my life. It was with Bilian."


    "That''s not important anymore. Have a good rest. After the operation, we will bring Hao Jie to see you." Chen Shi patted his hand.


    "Where is she now?"


    "In the morgue."


    "No, I mean Hao Jie¡¯s mother."


    "A detention cell."


    "Please take Hao Jie to see her. No matter what, she¡¯s his mother. It¡¯s too cruel to him. The mother has be a murderer and the father is dying. I don''t know how he will live in the future.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi said, "Okay, I promise you."


    1. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s note: The author wrote ¡°Hao Jie¡¯s father¡± instead of ¡°Hao Zhiqiang, but I feel like it''s weird to bring up Hao Jie''s name when they don''t even know who that is.

 Chapter 403: Night of Evil

    <h4>Chapter 403: Night of Evil</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 28: Bloodthirsty Muse


    He An came to the hotel door, habitually adjusted his tie and cuffs, and smoothed his hair with his hands. As a celebrity¡¯s manager, paying attention to his appearance had be his subconscious habit.


    Opening the door, the room was messy, and the floor was full of discarded music sheets. His superstar Luo Zuyu was sitting on the sofa wearing a ck singlet and ripped jeans with his hands separated and head tilted back. If the cigarette in his mouth wasn¡¯t lit, He An would have suspected that he had died.


    In addition to the smell of cigarette smoke and a mysterious smell, there was also another strange smell. It was the smell of drugs emanating from a person¡¯s pores after he had taken the drugs.


    The bridge of He An¡¯s nose wrinkled a little. He grabbed a stack of sheet music on the table and threw it at Luo Zuyu, scolding, "You¡¯re taking drugs again?!¡±


    "Do you think that genius singers are only inspired by their fans¡¯ love?" Luo Zuyu casually swept away the sheet music on his body, widened his bloodshot eyes, and ash from his cigarette fell on the paper.


    He An was instantly enraged. He controlled his emotions, saying, "How many times have I told you that you must be cautious when you¡¯re out of town? Three paparazzi can be hidden in a single trash can on the roadside. Especially in Long¡¯an. Did you forget what happened here a few years ago? This ce is in conflict with your bazi[1]!"


    "I haven''t forgotten!" Luo Zuyu''s gaze was instantly gloomy. "Fuck, that stinking bastard called Song Lang made thepany cast me out into the cold[2] for six years. Has he died yet?"


    "He¡¯s said to be missing," The manager said, while tidying up the ce. "It seems like he shot a colleague by mistake and is now a wanted man."


    "Ha, haha, hahaha!"


    Luo Zuyu was happier than when he was taking drugs. He jumped up and moved elsewhere. He produced a tablet out of nowhere and started ying with it. The manager nced at what he was doing and was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately snatched it away.


    The manager scolded in a low voice, "Why are these photos still here?! Didn''t I ask you to delete them?"


    "Those are my works. No, they¡¯re works of art." Luo Zuyu looked up, raising his eyelids that were swollen due tock of sleep. Because the power of the drugs that he took hadn¡¯t passed yet, he continued to wear a dazed smile on his face.


    "Hopeless!" The manager growled with anger. "If these things are leaked, it would be equivalent to ten nude photo scandals added up together! Do you want to die?"


    "That''s great." Luo Zuyu pped. "Then I¡¯d be even more popr. My name will be written down in history, haha, haha!"


    "Your name will stink in history!" The manager was looking for the power switch on the tablet when Luo Zuyu snatched it back.


    "Find me a girl. A young and sexy one. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s the type that nobody would take notice of even if she were to disappear."


    "Dream on!"


    "If you can¡¯t even meet these requirements, how can you expect me to write a new song? Are you treating me like a cow that dispenses milk? Even cows need to eat grass!"


    "I try my best to satisfy all your wishes. But do you have to do that kind of thing in order to write a song?"


    "You still don¡¯t know by now?"


    The manager sighed deeply. "You mustn¡¯t make trouble in Long¡¯an."


    "Song Lang is already gone. Who am I afraid of?"


    "Be careful. I¡¯ll tell your sister-inw... No, I meant the boss!"


    "Haha, haha!" Luo Zuyuughed dryly. "Go ahead."


    The manager cleaned up the room in annoyance, thinking that serving this master of his was really the worst luck of eight lives. When Luo Zuyu was really popr a few years ago, he hade to Long¡¯an to hold a concert. It happened that a policeman named Song Lang was investigating a case and identally found out that Luo Zuyu had made some xx remarks on a semi-public asion.


    The managementpany took out seven million and wanted to buy back the evidence from the police, but Song Lang said ruthlessly to them, "As a public figure, when you say this kind of thing, you should think about the consequences. Don''t you cry to me about how a star is human and makes mistakes too. People who have halos surrounding them like you are always being consumed by the masses. It¡¯s a pleasure to see your rise in poprity. But it¡¯s also a pleasure to see your destruction. No one will grieve for you. You should struggle as you fall into the abyss where you¡¯re disdained by thousands. Perform yourst show well and entertain your food and clothing providers,[3] superstar.¡±


    Song Lang had already given the video to the media before he told him this. The video brought about nuclear bomb-level consequences. Luo Zuyu lost several millions of fans overnight, and every portal was attacking him. In order to disy their stances on the matter, other stars decided to draw a line distancing themselves from him resolutely. He became a target of scorn. That was aside from the huge reparations that were paid topanies who had previously employed him as a brand ambassador.


    For seven[4] years, not a single job notice or product endorsement opportunity came. The managementpany spent a lot of effort doing PR work. They talked about how Luo Zuyu went to the mountains to visit poor children. How Luo Zuyu issued a public apology due to the xx remarks. How Luo Zuyu had to sell his beloved guitar due to being broke and the like. They gradually turned around his image of being a badly criticized artist. There was a hint of his returning to Spring.[5]


    In fact, the manager knew his character better than anyone else. If his brother and sister-inw hadn¡¯t helped him, he would have been thrown into the trash can long ago.


    After cleaning the room, the manager sniffed. There was always a weird smell. He was about to look for cleaning tools when he heard a snippet of music from somewhere in the room. It was a recording of Luo singing along while ying the guitar.


    He turned his head in surprise and saw Luo Zuyu lying on the sofa. The music was flowing from his tablet. He bopped his head along with the rhythm and continuously tapped his fingers on his thighs.


    "New song?!"


    Luo Zuyu raised his finger to signal that he should stop talking and continued to immerse himself in the music.


    After the song was finished, the manager raised his fists in excitement and said, "That''s awesome. l Celestial voice, catchy rhythm and tasteful lyrics. It¡¯s like the songs from the era when you were at your peak! I can already imagine the reactions of those critics now. I can say with confidence that this song will definitely be a hit on the Chinese charts for the second half of the year!"


    "Hmph, who do you think I am?" Luo Zuyu sneered arrogantly. "Help me find someone to arrange the melody as soon as possible. This time I¡¯ll add some special remixes. Right, the task of cleaning up the mess will be left to you."


    "Cleaning up the mess?" The manager looked at the drugs left on the ground. ¡°Do you mean this stuff?¡±


    Luo Zuyu pointed to the bathroom with a smile. The manager suddenly had an ominous premonition. He opened the door of the bathroom, and the stench hit him. The whole bathroom was red, and the tub was filled with internal organs and blood. A grossly mutted body that was barely recognizable as a young girl was immersed in it.


    The manager''s stomach turned, and he grabbed a vase on the side and vomited into it. Luo Zuyu''sugh echoed in the room. "That''s... A sacrifice to the muse! Clean it up for me. I''m going to bed."


    The manager nced at the bathroom again. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. He felt dizzy. After taking a long and deep breath, he helplessly took out his mobile phone and dialed his boss''s number. "Something¡¯s happened."


    "Luo Zuyu?"


    "Yes, it''s him again... PR level S!"


    The female voice on the other side inhaled sharply. "Has the news leaked?"


    "Not yet."


    "That''s good. Stay there and don¡¯t even take one step away. I''ll bring the team over right away."


    1. It¡¯s a form of superstition in which a person¡¯s fate is dictated by his date and time of birth. Some people believe that a person¡¯s bazi can be bad or good for certain people. E.g. ¡°Her bazi would bless me with lots of wealth if she were to marry into my family. However, the same bazi would make that dude die if she were to marry him.¡±


    2. The literal trantion is for people to be put in the freezer. It means that they¡¯re barred from any jobs and opportunities. Most artists sign a contract where they¡¯re only allowed to be part of a particrpany and can¡¯t work for anotherpany for years on end. However, if they¡¯re cast away like that, not only do they still have to stick with thepany, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to make any money or make a name for themselves during that time. They talk about ¡°freezing¡± them because when an artist is popr, they say they¡¯re really red and hot, like fire. So they¡¯re just opposing ng terms.


    3. Another way to talk about fans. If fans don¡¯t purchase tickets, the stars won¡¯t get any money in order to provide for themselves.


    4. The author previously mentioned six years instead of seven.


    5. It just means that he¡¯s getting revived. Also, potentially a y on his getting frozen previously (cast aside).

 Chapter 404: Zhou Tiannan

    <h4>Chapter 404: Zhou Tiannan</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the morning of July 15th, Lin Qiupu left the house and saw Chen Shi''s car waiting for him outside. He got into the car and asked, "Are you sure that person is Zhou Xiao?"


    "Very sure."


    "Where did you get this information from?"


    "Confidential."


    "You¡¯re keeping it a secret from me? I¡¯m more honest than you then. Do you still remember thatst case with the fake kidnapping? In the follow-up investigation, we found out that Hao Jie¡¯s mother had a group of friends from an online book club. A person named ¡®Ghost Face Butterfly¡¯ offered her a lot of advice for her criminal ns. It could even be said that this person was the one who orchestrated the entire course of the crime."


    "No wonder a housewife thought up such a method. I thought that she was mentally abnormal, so her thinking was particrly keen... Ah, yes, what book is the club for?"


    "An inte suspense novel. We investigated the author. In fact, he doesn¡¯t belong to the group at all. The group was organized spontaneously by people who read the book, but what they discuss doesn¡¯t seem to be the standard type of stuff. It¡¯s all about crimes. The group has already been shut down by the Inte police department."


    Chen Shi thought to himself, why does this cybermunity discussing crimes seem so much like "ck Honey¡±? He said, "The group can be rebuilt even after it¡¯s gone."


    "I have sent some people to monitor the core members of that group. At present, they are just ''crime enthusiasts''... I can''t figure out why some people have nothing better to do than to get together to discuss these things!"


    "Have you cheated on someone before?"


    "What are you saying?!"


    "For ordinary people whose lives are monotonous, breaking taboos will bring great pleasure. It¡¯s just like how most sessful middle-aged men would have affairs. Is it just for sex? Those greasy middle-aged people¡¯s sexual abilities aren¡¯t that great at all. What they¡¯re after is actually the excitement of breaking taboos."


    "You say it as if you¡¯ve done it before." Lin Qiupu gave Chen Shi a skeptical look, "I''m sorry but I can¡¯t empathize."


    "I heard that there are neen states in the United States where sibling marriage is legal.[1]"


    Lin Qiupu suddenly had goosebumps all over him. "Asshole, why are you suddenly talking about that stuff?!"


    "Look! Look!" Chen Shi smiled wickedly and raised his eyebrow. "You also have a desire to break taboos in your heart. Everyone has a muddy flow of chaos within their hearts. It doesn''t matter what you think as long as you don''t do it. That way, it¡¯s okay! "


    "I just want to kill you with one punch right now."


    "Okay, let¡¯s not talk about that... Do you have any background information for that ¡®Ghost Face Butterfly¡¯ that you just mentioned?¡±


    "So far it seems like he¡¯s just an ordinaryizen."


    "Keep an eye on him! Especially when thest case is reported in the news. As the strategist behind the scenes, he will definitely gain a great sense of aplishment. I think that he¡¯ll continue to give ''pointers'' to others."


    "Haii, when did Long¡¯an be so troubled?" Lin Qiupu sighed.


    kk and Sun Zhen found Zhou Tiannan¡¯s address, but there was no evidence to convict him. From the scattered evidence, Zhou Tiannan was a spiritual leader simr to Moriarty[2] in "ck Honey". Ever since the tragedy at Vi Luolin, his hands have not been stained with blood again.


    Chen Shi''s car was parked outside a housing district. The two sat in the car and stared at the people walking out of the housing district. A balding, middle-aged man over forty in a cheap suit walked out holding a briefcase. He smiled and greeted neighbors as he walked past them. He seemed to be quite approachable.


    Chen Shipared the photo in his hand with the man and pointed at him, "He¡¯s Zhou Tiannan!"


    "He looks so ordinary." Lin Qiupu said emotionally.


    "He was the creator of Zhou Xiao, the murdering fiend. Zhou Xiao is a gang. I suspect that the serial killers back then actually exchanged victims between the gang members who carried out the murders. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve never found this person.¡±


    "What''s the basis for your reasoning?"


    "I don¡¯t have one."


    "You¡¯re also just guessing that this person is the leader?"


    "Yes!"


    Lin Qiupu covered his face. "You should have confirmed it before calling me here!"


    "It¡¯s just to meet him face-to-face this time." Chen Shi got out of the car.


    Zhou Tiannan found a seat at a breakfast stall near the gate of the housing district. He asked for deep-fried dough sticks and tofu brain[3]. He ate them as if they were especially tasty and even asionally sucked the oil off his fingers. Chen Shi sat down in front of him. Zhou Tiannan¡¯s glistening bald head was still buried in the bowl of tofu brain. It took him a long time before he looked up and smiled at Chen Shi.


    "Boss, give me what he¡¯s having." Chen Shi said.


    "This store has been open for a long time and the taste has always been so good. Ie to eat here every morning." Zhou Tiannan said.


    "What do you do?"


    "What do you think I do?"


    Chen Shi noticed the frayed skin on his fingers and some white powder between the cracks of his skin and said, "Teacher? Someone who teaches science?"


    "Sharp eyes!" Zhou Tiannan gave a thumbs up. "I didn¡¯t expect a driver to have such sharp eyes."


    "The same to you!"


    Zhou Tiannan''s eyes turned from Chen Shi''s face to the car behind him. At that moment, the boss brought breakfast over and asked Zhou Tiannan, "Teacher Zhou, is this your friend?"


    "An old friend that I haven''t seen for years. He¡¯s be unrecognizable." He narrowed his eyes and a sneer formed at the corners of his mouth.


    Chen Shi stared at his face and Zhou Tiannan stared back at him. Chen Shi asked, "Have we met before?"


    "Have we?"


    "Maybe we¡¯ve chatted online before."


    "Haha, what do we have inmon?"


    "Mr. Zhou, do you still go online?"


    "Who doesn''t surf the Inte nowadays? It¡¯s convenient tomunicate with friends that way."


    "Not only is it convenient, there¡¯s also a lot of freedom! For an honest teacher, the online self is another identity, am I right?"


    "Haha, ording to this, you also have another identity. Maybe nobody around you knows about it, such as the one in the car."


    Zhou Tiannanughed and Chen Shiughed as well. Almost like old friends who hadn¡¯t seen each other in many years.


    In fact, Chen Shi really wanted to turn the table over and beat him up. He was very convinced that this person was the crazy programmer, Wang Sunxu''s mentor, and ck Honey¡¯s spiritual leader.


    Chen Shi stopped smiling. "Do you have a lot of friends online?"


    Zhou Tiannan dug his nostrils and wiped his fingers with a tissue. "There are a lot of them. One of them has yed a game with you as well."


    "Really? Why don''t I remember that?"


    "He said that your technical skills weren¡¯t very good. Two teammates were killed and the user name was also blocked after that." Zhou Tiannanughed.


    Chen Shi clenched his fists under the table. His nails dug into his palms and a smile appeared on his face. "Tell that friend to test his skills against mine again when he has the time."


    "Haha, it depends on what he wishes. He''s been very busy recently..." Zhou Tiannan looked at his watch. "Sorry, I should go to work."


    "Be careful on your way. Don''t run through red lights!"


    "Thank you for reminding me. I¡¯ve got great luck though. I always get a green light when I get to intersections." Zhou Tiannan patted Chen Shi''s shoulder. "Old chap, take your time to eat!"


    1. Since this isn¡¯t true, I¡¯m guessing that Chen Shi is just making a joke here to rile Lin Qiupu up. That or he meant first-cousin marriages.


    2. The main antagonist in Sherlock Holmes.


    3. It¡¯s a tofu dish. It can be eaten as a dessert served with syrup and sugar on top. Sometimes people add mochis and other things into it. Some don¡¯t have it as a dessert with syrup, but with soy sauce and whatnot. This is the dessert version (tofu hua) https://media.timeout/images/105479002/image.jpg and this is the savory version (tofu brain) https://intothemiddlekingdom.files.wordpress/2012/08/tofu-brains.jpg.

 Chapter 405: Corpse Fragments Falling From The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 405: Corpse Fragments Falling From The Sky</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The boss, who was busy greeting customers, suddenly heard a loud bang. He saw that the man had just flung away a bowl. He was about to scold him. Even if he didn¡¯t like the food, he shouldn¡¯t be throwing things. The guy must have a problem.


    But the man silently left fifty dors under a jar of hot sauce and left.


    Chen Shi returned to the car, leaned back on his seat and covered his face with his hands. Lin Qiupu asked, "What did you two talk about? I saw you guys talking andughing as if you were old friends.¡±


    "We tested each other..."


    "What was tested?"


    "Cigarette!"


    Lin Qiupu was startled and gave him one. Chen Shi''s trembling hand reached out to light it. Then he hesitated and returned it back to Lin Qiupu. "You smoke it!"


    Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t want the one with his saliva on it and lit up another. The car was quickly filled with second-hand smoke. Chen Shi took a deep breath and felt a lot better, saying, "I''ll take you to the bureau."


    "Thanks for your trouble."


    "Remember to pay!"


    "..."


    After sending Lin Qiupu to the city bureau, Chen Shi turned his car around. He didn¡¯t n to offer his driving services today. He wanted to go to the agency and continue to investigate Zhou Tiannan. At that time, Lin Qiupu ran out and kept tapping the door. "Send me to Jifeng Road!"


    "What happened?"


    "There¡¯s a case. I didn''t drive today."


    "Haii,e on then!"


    Lin Qiupu kept phoning people after getting into the car and then Lin Dongxue got into the car as well. Several other police cars set off one after another. Chen Shi whispered, "What''s the case about?"


    "I heard that fragments of a corpse fell from the sky. What a psycho! I haven''t seen such a thing in all my time as a police officer."


    "How long have you been a police officer?"


    Lin Qiupu hung up the phone. "We shouldn¡¯t go to Jifeng Road anymore. We need to go to Xinchuan Road. A second bag of corpse fragments was found!"


    Chen Shi thought, what kind of psycho did this? Falling from the sky? This is too extravagant!


    Chen Shi and another police car arrived at Xinchuan Road. A traffic policeman was directing traffic there. There was a major traffic jam on the roads since it had happened during rush hour. Needless to say, the drivers were really annoyed.


    They took the tools, got out of the car and put on rubber gloves as they walked. The ck stic bag had fallen on the top of a car. The driver had temporarily stopped the car on the side of the road under the direction of the traffic police. When he saw the policeing over, he said excitedly, "Officers, you guys are finally here. Somethingnded on the roof of my car just now, denting the roof of my car, and then stinky blood dripped down. It scared me to death! Please hurry up and deal with it!¡±


    Chen Shi used his fingers to lift the edge of the stic bag on the top of the car and saw several fingers coated with purple nail polish. Lin Dongxue immediately furrowed her brows and covered her mouth and nose with her hand.


    There was something behind the stic bag. It was a torn balloon. Chen Shi touched the material of the balloon and said, "The balloon is so thick.It should be a helium balloon."


    Lin Qiupu lifted the bag up and let Lin Dongxue stretch out another bag so that he could put it in. He weighed it with an electronic scale and said, "This bag weighs 7kg. It¡¯s estimated that the weight of the bag found on Jifeng Road is about the same. If things are like this, there should still be several more bags left all over the city."


    "What about the blood on the car?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Wipe it up. If every scene is fenced up and protected, it will cause a lot of trouble. We don''t have that much manpower either."


    Lin Dongxue returned to the car to look for a rag. Chen Shi asked the driver, "When it hit the roof of the car, where were you? Can you show us?"


    The driver got out of the car, looked for a long time on the road, and determined a location. Chen Shi stood there, opened up his mobile map, looked at the specific location, and saved the screenshot.


    He looked upwards and there were buildings on both sides. Today''s wind force was estimated to be at Level 3, and the wind force in the sky should be around Level 6. Why did he choose this "stunning" way to abandon the corpse? Was it because the killer intentionally wanted to show off his skills?


    Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi and said, "Let¡¯s leave."


    "Tell your brother to drive my car back first. You shoulde with me to look for the other corpse fragments."


    "We¡¯re walking?"


    Chen Shi pointed above, "It is also very likely that the fragments would fall on top of buildings."


    Lin Qiupu came over and said, "That makes sense. I¡¯ll send over a few more people and ask everyone to look on top of buildings. At the same time, I¡¯ll call the local police and auxiliary police[1] as well. Pay attention to emergency calls from various ces... The reporters will probably tten the bureau¡¯s door sill today[2] and ask lots of questions. I¡¯ll head back first."


    The two went to buy binocrs nearby and went directly to the highest building in the neighborhood. They stood on the rooftop and looked around. Lin Dongxue said with emotion, "The scenery here is so beautiful!"


    "Nothing here. Let¡¯s go to the next high point."


    During the move, they were added into a new chat group. The group¡¯s name was "715 Corpse Dismemberment Case.¡± Old Zhang said, "Reporters have already arrived. Captain Lin used holding a press conference as an excuse to block their questions for now. But the news will possibly have to be released in the afternoon.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I just came down from the Guomao Building. I¡¯ll go to the next high point now in the xx neighborhood. You don¡¯t need to try and take it from me."


    Peng Sijue''s apprentice, Little Zhou, sent a diagram of the structure of the human body, and some parts were colored with red pens, saying, "These are the parts that were already found. The deceased should be a female. Judging the body weight from the body fat rate and bone density, she is estimated to be just above 50kg. There should be about six bags or so. Everyone, add oil[/ref]Encouraging phrase. Cheering. ¡°You can do this!¡±[/ref]."


    Chen Shi corrected, "5 bags! Dividing the corpse in this manner, the blood would have drained out... Who¡¯s the best at mathematics?"


    Everyone agreed that it would be Peng Sijue.


    Chen Shi said, "Go to the meteorology bureau to find out the wind direction and speed fromst night till today and figure out where the crime scene would have been located."


    Xu Xiaodong said suddenly, "I found it. I found it! I saw an object that¡¯s suspected to be a corpse bag on top of a building. I¡¯ll go get it now.¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue spent the whole morning covering more than ten kilometers. At noon, the two sat on the top of a building eating lunch, chatting. Having a meal at such a high ce was really a remarkable experience.


    Lin Dongxue said, "What do you think about this case?"


    "I¡¯m afraid of drawing conclusions so early on before all the fragments are found."


    "Just talk about it casually!"


    "Talk casually..." Chen Shi looked at the dense buildings below. "The killer lived in a high-rise building and it was a tightly-guarded and well-monitored building. Perhaps it was a high-end hotel. There aren¡¯t any buildings around that are higher."


    "Wow, how can you tell?"


    "This is what I think. This manner of abandoning the corpse is too fancy. The police would first investigate the source of the balloons. These balloons aren¡¯t sold in the streets and alleys. It¡¯s easy to uncover his identity like this. Why didn¡¯t he dismember the body, divide it into small bags and throw it into the sewers? Then it wouldn¡¯t be found for quite a long period of time. The reason why he didn¡¯t do this was because he couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s because the crime scene was monitored heavily, and he figured out that he would be captured by the security cameras and exposed. Only the roofs of the buildingsck surveince monitoring and are blind spots. Balloons and helium are easier to bring upstairs than it is to bring the body down."


    "That makes sense!" Lin Dongxue nodded respectfully.


    "I also have another spection. The killer is well-off and has a rather high social status. The murder itself may have been an ident. Afterwards, the killer recovered his calmness and quickly came up with a way to deal with the body.


    1. Auxiliary police can¡¯t arrest people. They don¡¯t actually have the right to enforce thew. They¡¯re temp workers with contracts.


    2. There will be lots of interest from reporters and the number of reporters that will go through the door could trample and tten the door sill.

 Chapter 406: Assembling The Remains

    <h4>Chapter 406: Assembling The Remains</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "Your reasoning ability is superb! Teach me!"


    "No need. Your investigative ability is much better than before."


    "How can Ipare with you though?" Lin Dongxue whispered sweetly.


    "Okay, okay, I''ll teach you." Chen Shi looked around. "Do you see the blue house over there?"


    "I do, what''s wrong?"


    Chen Shi said deeply, "This house caught fire three years ago."


    "How do you know?"


    Chen Shiughed. "Because I was passing by back then. I called the firefighters over as well.¡±


    "How is that reasoning? You¡¯re ying with me, huh?" Lin Dongxue raised her fist.


    "Okay, okay, don¡¯t hit me. We should go to the next high building."


    Lin Dongxue pointed to a building in the distance. "That one? God, we still need to walk a long way. How about going by car?"


    "Let''s walk. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to find some clues on the way over."


    "Haii, why doesn¡¯t Long¡¯an have any superheroes that punish evil? It¡¯d be nice if we could ask superheroes to do suchborious work."


    "It''s better not to have superheroes."


    "Why?"


    "When there are superheroes, there are super viins. Everything in the world is bnced. Let''s go!"


    "So, if us police are a little stupid, the bad guys will be a little stupid as well?"


    "Haha, you can implement your own ideals."


    "That¡¯s a roundabout way of saying that I¡¯m stupid." Lin Dongxue, who was walking behind Chen Shi, kicked him from behind.


    On the way to the building, the two of them suddenly saw a group of school children ying with a balloon. The balloon had already deted quite a bit but hadn¡¯t popped. Chen Shi immediately stopped the child and said, "Child, where did you get the balloon from?"


    The child looked at Chen Shi and was a little scared. He was about to escape. Chen Shi grabbed his arm and he started wailing immediately.


    Lin Dongxue said softly, "Can you tell Elder Sister where you picked up the balloon? Here, Elder Sister will give you a piece of candy to eat." She took out a piece of chewing gum.


    The child didn¡¯t ept it and pointed to the front saying, "There!"


    "Can you give the balloon to Elder Sister?"


    "No, I found it first!"


    "Can Elder Sister buy it from you?"


    "Then give me five yuan."


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t have any change. Chen Shi fished out five coins and gave them to him and the child happily ran away with hispanions.


    The two walked towards the area that the child had pointed towards and passed through an alley where there was a courtyard formed by surrounding buildings. It was surrounded by garbage and had messy graffiti on the walls. A solitary ck bag had fallen onto the ground.


    Chen Shi put on his gloves and opened it. A rancid smell from the corpse floated out. He said, "Yes! We found another bag!"


    "Let¡¯s hurry up and bring it back."


    At that time, a press conference was being held in the bureau. Lin Qiupu answered questions raised by various media reporters one by one. Of course, most of it were official words meant to smooth over the situation.


    Back at the bureau, Old Zhang was waiting for them at the door and said, "Come in quickly. Don''t let the reporters see, or they¡¯ll ask questions again.¡±


    "Captain Lin is still entertaining reporters?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yeah, the questions get trickier than thest. The matter has already be a big scandal. The chief has ordered that the case be solved within seven days. Captain Lin had also responded to the reporters in the same way. If we can¡¯t solve it during this timeframe, the second team will lose a lot of face."


    Chen Shi replied, "Seven days is enough!"


    Old Zhang said with a smile, "If Little Chen says so, then my heart will be reassured."


    "I specte that the murder urredst night. Most hotel surveince will be overwritten after seven days. If it cannot be solved within seven days, there may be no evidence left."


    "Hotel?"


    "Old Zhang, I''ll tell youter!"


    By this time, including the two bags found in the morning, four bags of corpse fragments had been found, one after the other. The remains were more or less assembled and only the most critical part was missing - The head.


    As Chen Shi expected, the first breakthrough in the murder case was the source of the balloons. Lin Qiupu had already sent someone to investigate.


    Chen Shi asked to take a look at the corpse and went to the forensicboratory. He saw the broken corpse on the autopsy table. The female body had been cut into dozens of pieces. He picked up a piece and looked at the edges. He asked, "Was she sawed apart?"


    "I don''t know what kind of saw was used. I¡¯ve already asked someone to buy a pig and bring it back so that we can do an experiment." Peng Sijue said.


    "When you¡¯re done, I''ll take a pound of pork belly back!"


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes at him, "Look at the corpse''s palm."


    When he opened the palm and looked at it, he saw that the entire palm was ckened, as if it had been burnt by fire. A closer look revealed that the murderer had first cut it with a knife and then burnt it with fire. The fingerprints and palm prints werepletely destroyed.


    Chen Shi picked up the broken hand and inspected the edges under the light, saying, "The fire was very focused. The edge of the palm is hardly damaged. It should be something like a blowtorch. The kind with the canisters used in western restaurants."


    "The killer didn''t want us to find out the identity of the victim."


    ¡°We probably won¡¯t be able to find the head either."


    The two looked at the ce where the missing head belonged for a moment before Chen Shi asked, "What about other findings?"


    "There are more than a dozen injuries on the body that were sustained while she was alive. They¡¯re concentrated on the legs, ribs, and buttocks. Most of them were cut with sharp tools, but there were no fatal injuries. I suspect that she died from the loss of blood. Her hands and ankles show traces of being bound. One of her nipples was cut off and there are signs of sexual assault in both the vagina and anus."


    "Was there-¡±


    "There aren¡¯t any traces of semen. The killer was quite cautious. In addition, the deceased was injected with arge amount of a type of methamphetamine, which ismonly known as the drug called ¡®ice¡¯. Needle wounds were found around the corbone."


    Chen Shi, who was always calm, also frowned. "A carnivalesque sexual abuse case... There have been no such cases before. At least not in Long¡¯an anyway."


    "Because the corpse has been broken up like this, it¡¯s difficult to determine the exact time of death. The preliminary judgment was around twenty hours ago, between 8 and 12 o''clockst night."


    "Were there any stomach contents?"


    Peng Sijue actually smiled grimly. "The murderer turned the stomach bag inside out and washed it clean. It seems that he knew that what the deceased ate would expose him. My men are testing the intestinal contents of the deceased and the residualponents in the stomach."


    Chen Shi walked around the body, thinking about what else had been left out. He raised the hand of the deceased to examine it. He reached out and gestured; Peng Sijue understood and passed the magnifying ss into his hand.


    Chen Shi used the magnifying ss to look at the fingernails of the deceased for a while, and then looked at it under the light, saying, "Twoyers of nail polish. The upperyer is newly painted..."


    He smelled the corpse. In addition to the pungent odor of the internal organs, he carefully identified a perfume smell. "She had put on perfume."


    Then he checked the feet of the deceased. "She wore high heels when she was alive... From the shape of her feet and legs, she doesn''t usually wear high heels... This was a sudden date. It may have been the first time that they met. The deceased and the killer have widely different social positions. You can see that the victim was trying very hard to please the killer. Perhaps it was a male god[1] like an idol or something?"


    Chen Shi closed his eyes and imagined a high-end hotel, in which the meticulously dressed-up ordinary girl was very nervous and excited to have dinner with the male god in her heart. In his imagination, the faces of the two were blurred.


    After eating dinner, the male god showed his "treasure" to the girl. The girl was very afraid because it was a drug, but the male god still asked her or forced her to try it.


    Under the influence of drugs, the two began to let go of their restraints and misgivings and did some crazy things. Gradually, the girl found that the scale of this madness was getting bigger and bigger and that he was hurting her.


    "Blowjob." Chen Shi said with keen eyes. "It was a blowjob."


    1. Guys who are popr, ssically good-looking and widely adored. E.g. How people thought about David Beckham, Brad Pitt, etc.

 Chapter 407: Tough Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 407: Tough Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi found that everyone had gone silent and looked around. Everyone in theboratory was looking at him with surprise. He asked, "What¡¯s up with your reactions?"


    Peng Sijue said, "You were thinking there for such a long time and then suddenly came up with such a sentence. How do you think we should react?"


    "I mean, the killer washed the stomach of the deceased, and hid her head because the deceased had performed oral sex on him. The deceased may have his DNA in her mouth and stomach!¡±


    Peng Sijue understood and ordered, "Cut the esophagus!"


    "Ah yes, has the location been mathematically calcted yet?"


    "There is a group of meteorologists figuring it out right now!"


    "I¡¯ll go take a look."


    Throughout the post-mortem examination, Lin Dongxue stood at the door and peeredat them. She didn''t dare to walk over. She was disgusted just listening to the two of them make their deductions.


    In fact, with so many crimes solved, she wasn¡¯t too afraid of corpses anymore. It was just due to female instinct. She instinctively felt ufortable when she heard about this kind of sexual torture and murder.


    Chen Shi beckoned her to follow him. In another conference room, a group of experts wearing sses were arguing endlessly. Many draft papers and maps had been ced on the table. Chen Shi said, "Hello everyone, I''m with the task force. Is the result out?"


    An old expert with gray hair said, "It¡¯s like this. Captain Peng just said that the time of death was about 8 to 12 o''clock. If you use this interval to calcte, the range is still toorge."


    "Dividing the corpse is time-consuming. You can calcte from twelve to five in the morning."


    "That¡¯s also been calcted. You don''t know the situation. There was high negative pressure over the past two days. The wind directionst night can be said to be unpredictable. One second it might be the southeast wind, and the next it might be the northwest wind. We may need to do an experiment."


    "What experiment?"


    "Can you find the exact same balloon? We want to load the balloon with an equal weight, let it fly and see how long it would take to drop."


    "That''s a bit dangerous. It''s a blessing that the corpse that fell down today didn¡¯t kill anyone. If something unexpected happens in the test..." Chen Shi said.


    "We will follow the balloon all the way and conduct the experiment in the countryside to ensure that we won¡¯t hit anyone."


    "Okay then!"


    Chen Shi went to the forensicsb to get the balloon fragments. The experts took them one by one and figured out the size of the balloon. Fortunately, one of the balloons had not popped yet. The forensics team had already tested helium with a 98% purity from it.


    The experts then nned to go back to test things out. Chen Shi said, "Wait a second. Don¡¯t you also need to consider the height of the release?"


    The old expert was surprised and said, "Thisrade is really attentive. Yes, this is also an important variable."


    "ording to our survey, the ce of release was the top of a tall building, so you can use the highest 50 buildings in the city and get an average."


    "I¡¯ll let you know now that the calcted range may not be very narrow."


    "It''s okay." Chen Shi smiled. "A range is better than nothing."


    Peng Sijue came over and called them. Everyone went to the underground garage. The forensics officers had bought half a pig and various saws avable in the market, which included several chainsaws. First, they started with the chainsaws. When they turned one on, Chen Shi shook his head. "This is too noisy. He wouldn¡¯t use this to dismember the corpse."


    "Since we¡¯ve bought it anyway, let''s try it out!"


    After sawing off a pig leg, Peng Sijue checked the cross section, shook his head, and let his men try again.


    After trying all the saws, the half of the pig had been dismembered until it was about as broken as the female corpse. It was finally determined that the foldable gardener''s logging saw created an edge that was most simr to the one used on the corpse. It was like a folding knife and was very convenient to carry.


    Lin Dongxue said, "This thing can only be bought in arge supermarket, right?"


    "Go and investigate it now!" Chen Shi said, "Help me wrap up some leg meat and put it in the fridge in yourboratory first."


    The two questioned the suppliers of the saw and went to several supermarkets to investigate immediately. There weren¡¯t many people buying this type of saw. There were even less that matched the time period in which the crime wasmitted. They found five surveince videos from various supermarkets.


    At eight in the evening, when walking out of thest supermarket, Chen Shi stood still, looking at a building in front of him. Lin Dongxue followed his gaze and said, "It''s the Dynasty Hotel. It¡¯s a five-star hotel. You wouldn¡¯t be suspecting..."


    "No, I''m just thinking about the case... Let¡¯s hurry back. Tao Yueyue is probably starving."


    "Should I go to your ce for dinner tonight?"


    "Sure, you¡¯re very wee!"


    They were very exhausted that day and Chen Shi didn¡¯t even have the energy to cook. They ordered a takeaway meal for dinner instead.


    After eating, Tao Yueyue went back to her room to read and study. Chen Shi took out a bottle of alcohol from the refrigerator and asked Lin Dongxue, "Can I drink it?"


    "Drink it if you want!"


    Chen Shi drank a small ss of whiskey. After an exhausting day, having some alcohol felt so refreshing. He turned on the TV and watched it with Lin Dongxue.


    He had bought the TV recently. He used to think it was unnecessary and that aputer was enough. But recently he felt that watching braindead TV programs after dinner with Lin Dongxue made him quite happy.


    Maybe the feeling of home is made up of these seemingly insignificant things. A man striving outside during the day only looks forward to going home for a drink, watching TV and being intimate with his wife.


    Lin Dongxue took the remote control to change the channel and finally stopped at the usual channel that they watched. At this time, a variety show was being broadcasted. The singer Luo Zuyu was ying an interactive game with the host and the scene was full of energy with lots ofughter from the audience on the show.


    "We¡¯re not watching TV drama series tonight?" Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue while holding her in his arms.


    "They don¡¯t have those on Saturday night... Do you know this singer?"


    "Wasn¡¯t he the one that was exiled when he made the xx speech a few years ago? Why is he back now?"


    "Let me tell you a secret. The one who brought him down was my brother''s idol... Song Lang!"


    "Really?" Chen Shi became interested.


    "I only heard about this. I heard that when Officer Song was investigating a case, he identally found out that that singer had made some bad remarks on a semi-public asion. Song Lang actually turned things over to the media, disregarding the agency¡¯s pleading. How merciless. But that guy deserved it. How could he say such things whening to the maind to make money?"


    "Haha, he really deserved it!"


    At this time, the interview segment in the program started. It was actually part of the interactive game. Luo Zuyu had to randomly select a few questions from a bunch of questions to answer. He took a slip out of the question box held by the host.


    The host opened it and said, "Mr. Luo, an audience member wants to know which type of person you hate the most."


    Luo Zuyu made a speechless expression. "How should I say this? My experience growing up was quite smooth sailing. If I had to name someone, it would be my past self!¡±


    "You hate your past self?"


    "Because I feel that when I just became famous, I got a bit arrogant. I was full of pride andcency. Do you know what I¡¯m saying? I may have left bad impressions on some fans? I have been reforming myself all these years and have been working very hard to help out with charities and to volunteer. I hope to say goodbye to my past self, so that you can see a very bright and positive Luo Zuyu!"


    The host apuded. "What a wonderful answer. We can also see that your current image is indeed very different from your past self."


    Chen Shi, who watched this interview, showed a sneer of utter contempt.

 Chapter 408: Once in A Lifetime

    <h4>Chapter 408: Once in A Lifetime</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The host unfolded the second slip. "Let¡¯s listen to the second question. Some fans want to know when your new song will be released?"


    "Well, this question-"


    "You haven¡¯t written it yet?" The host teased.


    Luo Zuyuughed as he rocked his body back and forth. "You¡¯re so bad. No, I¡¯ve been working hard to create new songs."


    "How is the progress then?"


    "Well... Progress. You know that I¡¯m a passionate songwriter. Sometimes I need to let myself go and slowly umte a kind of energy and then release it all at once. I¡¯m not sure if you understand. Most of the songs that I wrote were love songs. Some people say that my songs have a gloomy glitz to them. Because these things are deep in my heart... They¡¯re things that are different, but they can move other people by analogy! I want to present them to others. Present them to everyone. But I also need a little time to umte everything."


    The host summed up the incoherent answer for him, "Mr. Luo''s meaning is that creation requires inspiration, and inspiration does note immediately."


    "Yes, inspiration... I think a song is an unforgettable feeling. It may be only once in your life. The most unforgettable kind. Just like how everyone is only born once and only dies once. This type of love onlyes once as well."


    "Some people say that every time you write a song, you fall in love. Is that true, Mr. Luo?"


    "Is this the next question?" Luo Zuyu asked with a smile. "No, creation does require experience, but this experience is not a 100% recreation. It''s like making the movie called A Nightmare on Elm Street. It¡¯s impossible for the director to have really gone out to kill people! When I create, I may take out some of the things that my former girlfriends gave me and look at them. I might take a look at some old photos and listen to CDs and the like. It¡¯s not like I really go out and fall in love in order to write each song."


    Lin Dongxue changed to another channel and said, "How boring. Let¡¯s watch something else!"


    Chen Shi smiled, "Let¡¯s see what movies are avable on China Central Television channel 6."


    At the case discussion meeting the next morning, everyone summarized their leads. Old Zhang had found the same type of balloons in the warehouse of a gymnasium. They were used to hang vertical banners weighing a few kilograms. The gymnasium was constantly being rented out for hosting cultural and sports activities and stored a lot of these balloons in their warehouse.


    During the investigation, it was found that on the evening of July 14th, someone had sneaked into the warehouse and stole several balloons and a helium machine. Old Zhang had brought back the surveince video and some photos of the scene.


    Looking at the photos, Old Zhang said, "The door lock has extremely obvious signs of having been pried open. Next to it is a picture of the stolen helium machine. It was notrge. Just the size of a chair. The staff said that it could fill about thirty balloons of this size with helium.¡±


    Strictly speaking, the surveince footage was recorded in the early morning of July 15th at around two o''clock. A man dressed in dark clothes snuck towards the door of the warehouse, fiddled around with it for a while, opened the door and then went in. Then he dragged a helium machine out after about fifteen minutes and left.


    Another camera recorded a man lifting a helium machine onto a SUV parked outside the gymnasium and driving away. The license te wasn¡¯t clear and they could only rely on technical means to see if the video quality could be enhanced.


    Chen Shi asked, "Old Zhang, was the gym really so easy to get into?"


    Old Zhang said, "I walked around several times at the scene. There are three routes from the outside to the warehouse. If you take Route A, you would encounter two security guards. Route B is the same and you¡¯d have to climb over or pry open an iron gate halfway. If you take Route C, you would encounter one security guard along the way. But most people are unlikely to know about this route, unless you¡¯re a person who frequents the ce... In addition, there¡¯ve been no concerts or sports games recently and there are no valuables in the venue. Thus, the security guards have been ratherx ofte. I asked a security guard and he said that he sleeps on a steel wire bed[2] in the security room at night and didn¡¯t hear anything outside."


    "I¡¯m also wondering why this thief knew so clearly that the helium balloons were stored there. He must have been there before. Should I check it?¡± Chen Shi looked at Lin Qiupu.


    "It is possible to investigate it, but the workload would be huge... I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that every year there are has-been singers who wille and hold concerts there. That¡¯s in addition to the provincial athletic games and the provincial Paralympics. There was also a coal boss who held a wedding there this year for his daughter. You will need to investigate tens of thousands of people. Can you really check everyone?"


    "So, this lead is a bust then."


    "Old Chen, did you find anything?"


    Chen Shi threw him a USB sh drive and said, "Open it up!"


    The USB drive held the copies of five surveince videos that were retrieved from the supermarket yesterday. Looking at the videos, Chen Shi suddenly thought, why would he pick such a small saw? From the incident of the murderer stealing the balloons, he seems to have been pretty clear that purchasing things would expose him. And this little saw could be hidden in a sleeve or pocket. Maybe it was stolen as well.


    Chen Shi said, "Don''t hold too much hope. These five people may not be the killer."


    Lin Qiupu said, "If it¡¯s just five people, you can still check them out. Check what they bought the saws for... We can carefully reexamine the footageter."


    Chen Shi told them about the conclusions he came to yesterday and added, "The lead regarding the drugs should also be investigated. Ice is a stimnt and its effect canst for several hours. The killer killed people under the influence of drugs. Then he calmly drove to procure the items to destroy the corpse as well as dismember it, which defied reason. I think someone helped him to wipe his buttocks[3]. The murderer is either rich or has a very high social status. There is someone by his side who protect him even if it breaks thew. This person is unlikely to be a wife and more like an elder of his. The killer may be a second generation rich, a second generation official, or a second generation star!¡±[4]


    Peng Sijue said, "Sperm was indeed found in the esophagus yesterday."


    Upon hearing this, everyone was excited, but Peng Sijue continued slowly, "Unfortunately, it has already been seriously contaminated by the microorganisms in the body. And the amount is too small to serve as a sample."


    "This is still good news." Chen Shi said. "As long as we find the head, we will have found conclusive evidence."


    After Lin Qiupu had assigned the day''s tasks, everyone went off to investigate the case separately. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were going to the Meteorology Bureau. On the way, Lin Dongxue opened up Weibo to see what reactions people had to the news that the official police Weibo had posted yesterday.


    Chen Shi asked, "Has it already made the headlines?"


    "No, the top headline is another piece of news. Luo Zuyu was exposed to have had a date at night with a mysterious woman. We are the second-ranked headline."


    "What the fuck?! This guy has just been washed clean[5], but he is already involved in another scandal? And it pushed down such an important police announcement?!"


    Lin Dongxue scrolled down and said, "Now he''s desperately working on his PR! Huh? He seems to be in Long''an."


    "Just you wait. There¡¯s bound to be other second-rate entertainers having scandals exposed in the next few days."


    "How do you know?"


    "This is called public rtions strategy. It¡¯s not strange to see people diverting attention by tarnishing other people¡¯s reputations... Oh right, when did this newse out?"


    "The evening of July 14th."


    "July 14th?" Chen Shi muttered. Could this just be a coincidence?


    Probably just a coincidence. He changed his mind.


    1. Expression originated from Japanese tea ceremony.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichi-go_ichi-e


    2. I believe the author means these foldable frames: https://i.pinimg/originals/8a/ba/b3/8abab365d4d5cd43c7b987e90bb960f9.jpg


    3. Someone took care of his mess for him


    4. An heir to a rich family, a family of government officials or a celebrity.


    5. Washed clean of all his dirty deeds. Someone who now has a clean reputation after getting ¡°washed.¡±

 Chapter 409: Focused Range

    <h4>Chapter 409: Focused Range</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two went to the Meteorology Bureau. The experts had worked out a mathematical model to estimate the starting point of the balloon. After they had calcted, Chen Shi was given a rough range. Chen Shi picked up the map and said, "This is toorge. It¡¯s almost an entire district."


    The experts said, "We can¡¯t help it. The air flow at high altitudes is unpredictable. It¡¯s impossible to urately infer the coordinates, and the fact that so many balloons fell at different locations in the city means that they weren¡¯t released at the same time. Between the first andst balloon, the interval could have been a whole night, or it might have just been within an hour. We calcted with the inclusion of all the margins of errors and we got such arge range."


    "Were the winds chaotic that morning?"


    "Very."


    "If you were a murderer, what strategy would you use to fly the balloon in order to prevent being traced back?"


    The experts waved their hands and said, "We dare not imagine this!"


    "Let¡¯s discuss it!"


    Thus everyone discussed it. At first, everyone was a bit hesitant, but with time they began to let down their guards. Some people said that the balloons would leak, so you could apply ayer of glue to dy the detion. Some also said that you could put some dry ice in the bag. After the dry ice had melted, the balloon would rise and fly even further.


    Listening to the discussions of these experts, Lin Dongxue asked skeptically, "Would the killer be so smart?"


    "I always tend to think of murderers as being extremely intelligent. When a person is eager to evade responsibilities for their crimes, they will disy more ingenuity than usual. This is called adrenaline-fueled cognition."


    "But there are also murderers who make more mistakes the more they panic.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "Those murderers will usually be dealt with by the police and the cases won¡¯te to me. You guys only look for me when the case is difficult."


    "That makes sense."


    Chen Shi called Peng Sijue and asked him to double-check what was on the balloons and bags. He also took a photo of the experts¡¯ draft calctions.


    Then Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove the car to the gymnasium where the balloons were stolen, and parked the car outside. Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "Why are we here? The local police have taken over the investigation regarding the balloon theft, so we don¡¯t need to intervene.¡±


    At that moment, several police cars were parked outside. Chen Shi looked at his phone and said, "I''ll calcte the distance. Let¡¯s get out."


    The two got out of the car and walked to the warehouse. They stopped for a while before returning. It took a total of twenty minutes for them to return back to the car. Then Chen Shi drove towards the investigation area. Two hourster, he reached the area that the experts had designated.


    He continued to drive onwards for another four hours. Chen Shi stopped at the side of the road, took out the map and said, "Four hours is the limit. Dawn is around 5 o¡¯clock at this time of the year. If the murderer hadn¡¯t gotten the balloons by four in the morning, the murderer¡¯s corpse abandoning n would have to be dyed by a day."


    "But there¡¯s not a lot of people on the streets early in the morning."


    "The killer won''t release the balloons after dawn. It¡¯s a corpse! It wouldn¡¯t be good even if they were seen by someone sweeping the streets!¡± Chen Shi drew arge circle on the map, which was the radius of the car departing from the gymnasium to where they were just then.


    "My brother is also investigating the footage at the traffic management bureau."


    "That''s even better. We¡¯ll take a two-pronged approach."


    At that moment, Peng Sijue sent several WeChat messages. He said in WeChat, "Theposition of substances on the surfaces of the balloons isplex. Maybe air pollutants had be attached to them in the sky, but a small hole was found at the bottom of each balloon. It¡¯s suspected that the killer had injected some water in the balloons. The water leaked out slowly during their flights. The ultimate loading weight of this type of balloon is ten kilograms. Even if there were three kilograms of water in them during take-off, I applied the form you had photographed and finally got this approximate range. The middle section of Hengyang Road is the center with a radius of ten kilometers going outwards.¡±


    Chen Shi replied, "Thank you!"


    The range was reduced by half again. Chen Shi nced at the circled map. His finger was at the intersection of the two circles, and said, "Let''s start checking from here!"


    After a day of driving, it was already afternoon. The two of them bought fast food to assuage their hunger. After arriving at the area, Lin Dongxue asked, "Didn¡¯t wee here yesterday?"


    "Yes, one of the supermarkets that sells folding saws is over there..." Chen Shi''s eyes fell on a tall building not far away. "Dynasty Hotel. Were the balloons really released there?"


    "Let¡¯s go and see!"


    The two stopped in the hotel parking lot and went to the hotel¡¯s entrance. They saw a group of young people holding signs with the words "Luo Zuyu, I love you" and the like. At that moment, three ck cars stopped in front of the hotel. A well-dressed young man got out, apanied by bodyguards and his manager. The fans immediately rushed over, cheering while the bodyguards desperately pushed them away so as to maintain order at the scene.


    "Add oil, Luo Zuyu! We believe in you!" Some of the fans shouted cheers, and the others followed suit. Luo Zuyu nodded, greeted everyone and walked into the hotel.


    "Wow, it''s really him!" Lin Dongxue said, "He looks very different from his image on TV. He looks sickly."


    Chen Shi was silent, staring at Luo Zuyu''s rear view deep in thought.


    When the two went inside the hotel, Lin Dongxue presented her credentials and asked to see the check-in records for the past few days. However, the hotel staff said, "Sorry, our hotel keeps the customers'' information strictly confidential and cannot disclose it publicly."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that it seems that the people who stayed here were either rich or powerful. Lin Dongxue questioned, "Can the police not ess it either?"


    "Only if you have a search warrant from a prosecutor."


    "Can we watch the surveince videos then?"


    "No!"


    Lin Dongxue was annoyed and was about to call Lin Qiupu. Chen Shi stopped her and said to the staff at the counter. "Book a room for me. I want one on the highest floor."


    "The rooms above the 20th floor are all VIP suites. Are you sure?"


    "Yes!"


    "How about the 22nd floor? It¡¯s all full up above that floor."


    Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi''s arm and whispered, "Don''t spend this money pointlessly."


    "It''s all right."


    Chen Shi paid the deposit. The VIP room cost 5,000 yuan a day. It was really painful, but he had to bear it for investigation purposes.


    The staff member escorted the two to the room and they reached the 22nd floor. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re not in a rush to enter the room. I¡¯ll have a look at the structuralyout of the entire floor."


    The staff member smiled in contempt. She was used to seeing skinny people punch themselves until their faces swelled up so they could pretend to be fat[1]. He was just like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View gardens[2]. As soon as he hade in, he looked around at the entire ce like a fool.


    Chen Shi walked up and down the corridor. The corridor was covered with thick carpets and some oil paintings were hung on the walls. There were surveince cameras at both ends. The noise reduction effect was very good and they couldn¡¯t even hear a hint of what was going on in the rooms. He reached out to touch an oil painting on the wall, and the staff reminded him, "Sir, you can¡¯t touch it."


    Chen Shi pointed at the surveince camera. "How¡¯s the security here?"


    "Foolproof. The security room has three groups on roster that take shifts to be on duty every day. If someone wants toe in, the consent of the room owner must be obtained before they¡¯ll allow them toe up from downstairs."


    Chen Shi nodded. At that moment, they heard amotion. The three walked over and saw a fat man in red pajamas holding a vase. He was arguing with a staff member, "How do you do cleaning around here? I spent tens of thousands to stay in this presidential suite. Do you treat your customers like this? Look at this vase. Who vomited into it? It¡¯s sickening! Go and find your manager for me!"


    1. It¡¯s an expression that describes people who desperately act like something they¡¯re not. In this case, she means to say that Chen Shi is a poor person who is trying to act rich. Fat people used to be associated with wealth because they were clearly the only people who could afford food.


    2. It¡¯s a reference to the novel Dream of the Red Chambers. It¡¯s used to describe people who act like country bumpkins.

 Chapter 410: Crime Scene

    <h4>Chapter 410: Crime Scene</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they saw this unexpected situation, the staff member who had came up with Chen Shi also quickly stepped forward to apologize. Chen Shi put on rubber gloves, rushed over and said, "I''m sorry, sir. I can take the vase for you!"


    The fat man was still arguing with the staff member with a face flushed with anger. Thinking that Chen Shi was also a hotel employee, he handed the vase over to him.


    Chen Shi sniffed and looked into the vase. It was indeed vomit, but there wasn¡¯t a smell of alcohol in it. He nced into the man¡¯s room.


    Chen Shi pulled out a stic bag and dumped all the vomit in it. The staff started, "Sir, you are-"


    "Is it against the rules?"


    "No... It¡¯s not against the rules, but let the cleaner do the cleaning!"


    "Since it¡¯s not against the rules, then I¡¯ll take it back with me. You don''t have to follow us around. We¡¯ll go directly to the room. You should deal with the things here!"


    Lin Dongxue whispered to him, "Why did you take such a disgusting thing?"


    "You must pay attention to abnormal things. This ismon sense. The vase was originally ced next to the bathroom. Why didn''t thest guest vomit in the bathroom, but vomited outside?


    "There was something in the bathroom!" Lin Dongxue suddenly realized.


    Chen Shi nodded with gratification. "Your thinking is nimble now, huh?"


    "No, I¡¯m nowhere as good as you. You realized it in a sh just now."


    When they got to the room, the five-thousand-yuan-a-day room was reallyfortable and luxurious. Although it was just for investigating the case, the thought of being able to stay here with Chen Shi that night made Lin Dongxue very happy. She was about to insert the electronic ess card to activate the lights when Chen Shi stopped her.


    He pulled out his phone, turned on the video camera, and swept the room. Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Checking if there are any spy cams."


    "You have a strong security consciousness. Do you often stay in hotels?"


    "Haha, you think too much."


    The room was very clean, which disappointed Chen Shi. He would rather that there was a spy cam installed there. There might have been unexpected evidence.


    After inserting the electronic card, the air conditioner, lights, TV, smart toilet, and water heater in the room came on together, humming. Lin Dongxue threw herself onto the bed to feel the softness of the mattress. The TV cab was opposite the bed so they could lie downfortably and watch TV.


    Opening the window, you could have a panoramic view of a wide expanse of the city below. It was an awe-inspiring view from high above. There were no other high-rises opposite. You could do anything you wanted by the window... When Lin Dongxue thought of this, she blushed.


    Chen Shi was on the phone. The first phone call was to Sun Zhen and the second phone call was to Peng Sijue. After the calls, he said, "Come out with me."


    When they got out to the corridor, the fat man had already quietened down. Chen Shi went under the surveince camera, nonchntly raised an oil painting, and winked at the camera. Lin Dongxue smiled and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Doing an experiment to see what the so-called ¡®foolproof¡¯ security looks like. Let¡¯s take this oil painting back to enjoy it!"


    "I want that rose painting."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi put the oil painting back and took the other back into the room.


    Back in the room, Chen Shi picked up the phone and asked the front desk, "Hello, are there any special services avable?"


    The front desk responded, "Sir, we have food delivery, cleaning,undry, and morning call service. Which one do you need?"


    "Do you have to pay extra for meal delivery or is it free?"


    "Breakfast is free. Others are charged separately."


    Chen Shi covered the phone with a hand and asked Lin Dongxue, "Do you want to eat something?"


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "Too expensive!"


    He turned back to the phone and said, "It''s okay, thank you!" Then he hung up.


    Chen Shi stood up and circled the room. He nced at the oil painting ced in the corner, and mocked, "¡®Foolproof¡¯ security huh? They still haven''t found it yet. It can be seen that the surveince cameras are just decorations."


    "Who did you just call?"


    "My hacker friend as well as Old Peng. I''ll go down to bring them up ande backter. Would you like me to bring you dinner?"


    Lin Dongxue pointed at the painting. "What should I do if the security guard finds it?"


    "It''s okay. Just call me."


    Lin Dongxue watched TV and half an hourter, Chen Shi brought Sun Zhen up. When he saw Lin Dongxue, he was very nervous and greeted her politely. "Hello, Sister-in-Law!"


    "Don''t talk nonsense. What Sister-in-Law?" Lin Dongxue said with a blush.


    Chen Shi said to him, "Little Worm, help me get it done."


    Sun Zhen pushed his sses up his nose. "It is not difficult to invade a closed-circuit system, but I have just observed this floor. The surveince is too intensive. If I operate here, it will be bad if I get caught by the security."


    "I''ll think of a way to get rid of the security. Stay here for now. When I call your mobile, you can start working."


    "Can I... Won''t I bother you and Sister-in-Law?" Sun Zhen nced at Lin Dongxue shyly again.


    "Fuck off, we''re here to investigate the case!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Where is Captain Peng?"


    "He didn¡¯te. I just asked him for some tools. He just sent someone to deliver them to me." Chen Shi was carrying two bags. One was full of food and one was filled with tools for surveying the scene.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went out with the tools and went to the fat man''s room. Chen Shi knocked on the door a few times. The fat man opened the door angrily, "Who is it?!"


    Chen Shi smiled faintly and said, "We met each other just now. I¡¯m staying on this floor as well."


    The fat man looked at Chen Shi, "People who stay in the standard room want toe to the presidential suite to make connections now?"


    "How do you know that I¡¯m staying in a standard room?"


    "Hmph!" The fat man suddenly saw Lin Dongxue standing next to Chen Shi. His eyes softened a little. "You two are in a rtionship?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her credentials, "Do you understand now?"


    "I don¡¯t understand. Why are the police looking for me? Do you know who I am?"


    Chen Shi pretended to recognize him. "You''re not the one who..."


    "Haha, yes! Have you watched the show that I host?"


    Lin Dongxue finally recognized him. The fat man was a very well-known self-media producer[1] of online shows.


    Chen Shi asked, "Has the vase from just now been sorted out?"


    "It¡¯s cleaned up. The hotel evenpensated me with a te of pizza. I suppose they¡¯ve been thoughtful. Would you like toe in and eat it together?"


    "We¡¯ll respectfully ept."


    The fat man opened the door for the two toe in. The presidential suite was really luxurious. It was not like a hotel at all. It was like the interior of a mansion. The fat man sat down and drank red wine while eating pizza. He said arrogantly, ¡°Hurry up and ask me what you need to know. I¡¯m really busy.¡±


    "Actually, we didn''te to look for you. We just wanted to investigate this room."


    "Sure!" The fat man unexpectedly agreed very quickly. "Are you investigating a major case? I heard about it when I came here. There¡¯s a Long¡¯an City Flying Corpse Case[2]. Is it to do with that case? I have a condition. If you find out anything, you need to tell me first."


    "What right do you have?!" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Oh, I¡¯m also a media person! People who stay in this ce are either rich or powerful, so no matter who it is, it would definitely be a major scandal!"


    "Alright, alright."


    Chen Shi pulled Lin Dongxue into the bathroom and the fat man said outside, "Don''t fuck in my bathroom! Hahaha!"


    "This guy is really annoying." Lin Dongxue said with disgust.


    "Ignore him."


    Chen Shi took out a bottle of luminol reagent and sprayed it on the bathtub. Then he went over the area with ultraviolet light. Blood stains appeared very clearly on the bathtub...


    1. Like people who make YouTube or TikTok videos.


    2. He¡¯s actually making a pun here because ¡°corpse¡± sounds simr to thest word of this action move from a very ssic and popr wuxia novel called The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng by the author Gu Long. So just think of it as someone saying Kamehamecorpse instead of Kamehameha because the corpse flew along like how the action move was depicted to look like.

 Chapter 411: What’s Wrong With You

    <h4>Chapter 411: What''s Wrong With You</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was pleasantly surprised, saying, "This really was the scene of the crime!"


    Chen Shi continued to spray luminol on the tiles, and there wererge blood stains on the ground that had been cleaned up. Chen Shiy on the ground and sniffed it, saying, "It smells of ammonia. This can be used to break down proteins. I''m afraid we won¡¯t be able to test the DNA."


    "Would you like someone toe and collect samples? Maybe something was left behind."


    "This hotel won''t let the police in."


    "It''s so annoying!"


    ¡°Could we actually test for DNA?¡± Chen Shi tentatively decided to take some blood samples from the gaps between the tiles. Lin Dongxue called and told Lin Qiupu about the situation. Lin Qiupu asked her to protect the scene. Lin Dongxue responded, ¡°The crime scene is a presidential suite that costs over 40,000 a day. And someone is staying in it currently."


    Lin Qiupu went silent and asked, "Is that person suspicious?"


    "Doesn¡¯t seem like it. He seems to have just moved in."


    "Take pictures and collect evidence. Don''t miss an inch! I¡¯ll try to negotiate with the hotel."


    Lin Dongxue began to take pictures with her mobile phone. From the shape of the blood stains, the bathroom had obviously been scrubbed repeatedly. At this time, the fat man knocked on the door outside. "Are you all done yet? I want to go to the bathroom!"


    "Soon!" Lin Dongxue said in vexation, "This is too passive. We can¡¯t even cordon off the crime scene."


    "After all, there isn¡¯t a body lying here. Only these cleaned up bloodstains are around." Chen Shi said.


    After confirming that every bloodstain had been photographed, Chen Shi used the shower to rinse away the luminol on the floor before opening the door. After the fat man came in, he saw that the ground was wet and looked skeptically at the two of them. "What were you doing? Are you really investigating the case?"


    "Go and use your toilet!" Chen Shi said.


    While the fat man went to the toilet, the two hurriedly collected fingerprints around the room. A total of five groups were collected. The fat man came out and saw the suite covered with powder. He said, "Fuck, why didn¡¯t you let me know in advance!"


    Chen Shi sat on the arm of the sofa and said, "Let me discuss something with you. This ce may be the crime scene..."


    "Crime scene? It¡¯s that exciting?!¡±


    "Oh, I mean, the police can''t officiallye in to investigate at the moment. And you¡¯re staying here right now. Can I trouble you to please protect the scene?"


    "Um..." The fat man mumbled. "Someone died here?"


    "Most likely."


    "Who?"


    "We''re still looking into that."


    "Why are the police so inefficient?" The fat manined and then muttered, "Then I have to stay alone in a room where murder wasmitted tonight? This... It''s a bit scary!"


    Chen Shi suggested upon hearing his words. "Shall we swap rooms then?"


    "Swap rooms? My presidential suite and your standard room?"


    "How do you know that we live in a standard room?"


    The fat manughed, "There is only one presidential suite on each floor. The others are all standard rooms, deluxe rooms, couple suites and the like. Do you know who lives upstairs? The superstar, Luo Zuyu!"


    "How long has he been living there?"


    "It seems like he¡¯s here to film a show and has been here for about a week!"


    "How about you?"


    "I''m here on business and I''ve only been here for half a day."


    Chen Shi mumbled to himself. The words "Luo Zuyu" appeared a little too frequently in front of his eyes. Was it really him?


    He had his own managing team, and all aspects matched the characteristics of the perpetrator. Chen Shi was still a bit shocked. This time the "fish" was too big!


    The fat man said, "If you¡¯re willing to make up the difference in price for the room swap, I can ept it."


    "Do you really need that money?"


    "That''s another matter. Do you want to swap or not?"


    "No. You can stay here. We don''t have that much funding for solving the case. We¡¯ve photographed everything that we needed anyway. Bye!¡±


    The fat man ran over and stopped the two. "Ah, hey, we agreed that you¡¯d share the information."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces. Chen Shi sighed, "Don''t speak nonsense to the public!"


    "How could that be possible? I know the importance of this news. Tell me!"


    "Someone died in the bathroom!"


    The fat man shivered. "Just this?"


    "We only found this out!"


    "Fuck, the police are really inefficient. Let¡¯s exchange contact information!"


    After saying goodbye to the fat man and returning to the room, they found Sun Zhen eating instant noodles. He said, "Brother Chen, do we have to eat this at a five-star hotel? Why not call room service?"


    "Funds! I don''t know if I will be reimbursed for staying at the hotel either."


    "Let¡¯s not talk about that. The smart toilet is pretty cool!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Master hacker, you should get to work quickly!"


    Sun Zhen wiped his mouth and said, "Sister-in-Law, you don¡¯t know this, but in order to hack into the system, you need to find the port. I just found out that it¡¯s in the corridor facing the surveince camera. How would I dare to do that?¡±


    Chen Shi sat down on the sofa, "Wait a while!"


    Lin Dongxue nced at the oil painting by the wall. "The security guards are really vegetarian[1]. They still haven¡¯t figured out that they¡¯re missing a painting from the corridor."


    "Even a rigorous system is controlled by people. People are the loopholes in the system... By the way, Little Worm, I need the hotel''s check-in list over thest week. I also want this floor¡¯s and the upper floors¡¯ surveince footage from the noon of July 14th onwards.¡±


    "Leave it to me!" Sun Zhen smacked his chest.


    It was already evening outside the window. Chen Shi took out some food from the bag and ate it with Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue asked, "It wouldn¡¯t really be Luo Zuyu who did it, right?"


    Sun Zhen sprayed out a mouthful of iced ck tea and wiped his mouth. "What. What? Did I hear that right? The suspect this time is Luo Zuyu?"


    "Aiya, don''t jump to conclusions like that. We¡¯ve only just started investigating." Chen Shi reminded her.


    "I heard that Luo Zuyu had been involved in a missing woman case before. But there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him." Sun Zhen lowered his voice mysteriously as he informed them.


    "How did you know about that?"


    "I have a friend on the dark web who steals the information of celebrities to sell for money. Let me tell you,pared with those extramarital affairs or drug abuses exposed on the Inte, the real private lives of celebrities are unimaginable."


    "Why didn''t we know about it? Didn''t your friend get it to sell for money?"


    "Hey, it depends on who¡¯s buying. Some are sold to the star¡¯s own studio, which is equivalent to hush money. Others are sold topetitors¡¯ studios, so those big stars have other stars¡¯ ckmailing material. Just like a nuclear threat. For example, during the xxx incident back then, xx and xxx exposed each other¡¯s ck material[2], which meant that they threw nuclear bombs at each other... In fact, let me tell you this. The stars themselves are just stand-ins for theirpanies. Most of the negative news that you see on the Inte are just thepanies behind them messing with each other. The way apany messes with anotherpany is to discredit the other''s stars. To put it inly, it¡¯s due to conflicts of interest."


    "The friend that you talked about isn¡¯t yourself, right?" Lin Dongxue asked skeptically.


    "No!" Sun Zhen waved his hands desperately. "If I had the ability, would I still be eating instant noodles here?"


    There was a sudden barrage of knocks from outside. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to answer the door. When they opened the door, three security guards stood gloomily outside and said, "What''s wrong with you? Why did you steal the painting on the wall?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Your response is really fast. It took three hours to find out?"


    "Where''s the painting? Bring it back quickly or we''ll tell the manager!"


    Chen Shi made a gesture. Lin Dongxue showed her credentials to them. When they realized that she was with the police, the security guards were dumbfounded. Chen Shi lied, "In fact, we were deliberately testing the security system here. It¡¯s really bad. Guests can¡¯t feel safe when they stay here. If something were to really happen, who would be held responsible? Didn''t you say that you¡¯ll look for the manager? What good timing. Let¡¯s go together so that I can report this situation to him!"


    1. It¡¯s an expression that people use to describe useless people.


    2. Negative news that would tarnish the person¡¯s reputation.

 Chapter 412: Odd Surveillance

    <h4>Chapter 412: Odd Surveince</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The security guards immediately relented and said, "No, no, we just went out for dinner, so we didn''t see it. Usually... Usually, we always stay right in front of the surveince monitors."


    Chen Shi said, "Really? I want to go to the monitoring room to have a look."


    "I''m afraid that won''t work. The hotel has its rules."


    "A greater rule than thew? The police are investigating a case and citizens have an obligation to assist."


    The security guards looked at each other and then agreed. After returning the oil painting, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue followed them to the monitoring room. The security guards said that they would clean it up and let them in after five minutes.


    Chen Shi noticed that the equipment there was advanced andplete. Then he looked at the sofa. A piece of clothing hanging on it was used in an attempt to cover up their ying cards and a few beer bottles were hidden in the corner. Their purposeful hiding made things even more conspicuous. Chen Shi secretly sneered.


    Chen Shi asked to see the surveince of the 22nd floor on the evening of July 14th. The security guard helped him to set it up. At about 8:00PM, a boy in a red T-shirt and a girl came out of the elevator and entered the presidential suite.


    Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "This is the victim!"


    "We can¡¯t confirm that yet... Can we copy this part of the surveince footage?"


    "I''m afraid that''s not possible. The hotel regtions are very strict." The security guard said.


    "Can we just watch it here then?"


    "You can!"


    Chen Shi dialed Sun Zhen¡¯s phone while leaving his phone in his pocket to signal that he could start hacking. Then he continued to investigate the footage with Lin Dongxue. Chen Shi rewound the tape a little. The boy had left the presidential suite at about 6 o''clock. He left in a ck hoodie and was wearing a beret cap.


    Although the clothes were different, from the body and posture, it was obviously the same person.


    The boy¡¯s body was very clean. He didn¡¯t have any tattoos or the like. They couldn¡¯t see his face due to the monitor¡¯s low resolution, but there was a glittering thing around his neck, which seemed to be a ne. When he returned at eight, the ne was also seen.


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and did some searching. She found the photos of Luo Zuyu''s recent activities on Weibo. He was also wearing a gold chain in those photos. She handed her phone over to Chen Shi. "Does he look simr to the person in the footage?"


    This action showed that Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi¡¯s suspicions were aligned. Chen Shi pressed her hand down and nced at the dazed security guards behind him, saying, "Let¡¯s discuss this when we get back. Let''s continue watching the video."


    They continued to watch and saw that when the two people entered the suite, a cleaningdy across the corridor had walked over while facing them. Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "There is a witness!"


    It was very quiet in front of the presidential suite until 11 o¡¯clock. At around eleven, a man in a suit walked into the presidential suite and stayed there for about half an hour. Then the red T-shirt boy came out alone. But this time he took the stairs instead of taking the elevator.


    "Security! Cut to the stairs for me."


    "The stairs aren¡¯t monitored," The security guard said.


    "What?!"


    "What hotel would install a security camera on the stairs? People don¡¯t usually take them."


    Chen Shi muttered to himself. There isn¡¯t anything weird there, right? He continued to fast-forward through the video. About twenty minutester, a boy in ck came out from the stairs and entered the presidential suite.


    Chen Shi asked to watch the video of the reception hall on the first floor. At 11:30, the boy in the red T-shirt came out from the staircase on the first floor and walked straight to the door. They rewound the video a little. At 11:10, a boy in a ck sweater went into the staircase.


    Lin Dongxue said, "What''s going on? It¡¯s as if it¡¯s a magic show?"


    Chen Shi said, "This is probably a trick he used since he knew about the blind spot at the stairs."


    The cell phone in his pocket rang. It was a secret signal indicating that Sun Zhen had already obtained everything. Chen Shi thanked the security guard and left with Lin Dongxue.


    Back in his room, Sun Zhen was using aputer. He said, "I have all the videos and check-in records that you wanted."


    "Good job, bring up the check-in records."


    Sun Zhen opened up a check-in list. Chen Shi searched for the name of the presidential suite on the 22nd floor on July 14th. He only saw a person named ¡°Liu Deyang¡±. Records showed that he had checked out at 6:00AM the next morning.


    "What''s going on?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Celebrities won¡¯t register using their own names. Check which room Luo Zuyu is staying in right now."


    Sun Zhen checked and said, "I can¡¯t find him!"


    "Sure enough..."


    Chen Shi looked at the records and pointed at a line. "Strange. The presidential suites on the 23rd to 25th floors were all booked in one go on the evening of July 14th, so now the three rooms are upied by the same group of people. It might be Luo Zuyu and his management team.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do we need to pay them a visit?"


    "It doesn''t make sense to go right now. We¡¯ll wait for your brother to get an arrest warrant!"


    Sun Zhen said, "Is this case really rted to Luo Zuyu? He seems to be filming a variety show in Long''an right now and will have to stop over here for a while."


    "It seems like there¡¯s still lots of time. Let''s talk tomorrow. Little Worm, I¡¯ll send you down!"


    "That''s a notice for visitors to leave. Okay, okay, I won''t bother you guys!"


    While he was sending Sun Zhen off, Sun Zhen said, "Brother Chen, is Yueyue on summer vacation right now? She oftenes over to our office to y."


    "Does she reallye over to y?"


    "She¡¯s actually learning skills from kk."


    "Little bastard..." Chen Shi couldn''t control Yueyue. It¡¯s as she said though. Learning from bad people he trusted was better than learning from people with unknown backgrounds. "I¡¯ll go back and teach her a lessonter."


    "Brother Chen, with all due respect, isn¡¯t your parenting a little too rxed?"


    "She¡¯s not my child and I¡¯m not responsible for parenting her. She and I are two independent people. As long as she grows up healthily, it¡¯s fine."


    "Learning to steal things with kk all day long, how could she be healthy?" Sun Zhen said. "It''s better to learn some hacking techniques from me. This stuff will be very useful in the future."


    "Fifty stepsughing at a hundred steps.[1] Take your phone out."


    Chen Shi transferred 2,000 yuan to Sun Zhen as payment for his services. Sun Zhen pretended to reject it politely a few times and then epted it calmly.


    After sending Sun Zhen off, Chen Shi went to the top floor, opened the lock on the rooftop, and called Lin Dongxue.


    On the rooftop, the night breeze was noisy. Chen Shi used his phone¡¯s light to search for clues on the ground. Whenever he saw suspicious areas, he sprayed some luminol on them. The two of them bent down and searched for a long time. Lin Dongxue called out, "Here, here!"


    Chen Shi ran over. Lin Dongxue was shining an ultravioletmp on the ground and there was a blood stain reaction there. But the blood stain was a bit strange in shape. It showed an irregr cross shape.


    "How did this blood stain form like this?" Chen Shi asked deliberately.


    "Uh..." Lin Dongxue pondered. "Something was ced on the ground and blood leaked from the gaps?"


    "Correct! Look around again."


    Many blood stains were found around the area, but it was getting too dark for the phone to take clear photos of them. Chen Shi made some simple marks so that Lin Qiupu coulde over and investigate again tomorrow.


    At a ce on the edge of the rooftop, Chen Shi found signs of abrasion. He poked his head over and looked down. Lin Dongxue said, "Be careful not to fall." and grabbed him from behind.


    Looking down from that height made him dizzy. The building''s steep exterior wall was lined with lit-up windows and buzzing air-conditioning units. Chen Shi said, "The presidential suites are in a line straight below."


    He moved back. They were exhausted by the investigation that night. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do we need to continue to investigate?"


    "Let¡¯s wrap up here. Let''s go back to the room to rest and eat. And then what should we do?" Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    Lin Dongxue smiled and punched him. "Take a shower first!"


    1. An expression that¡¯s simr to ¡°The pot calling the kettle ck.¡±

 Chapter 413: Forcible Summon

    <h4>Chapter 413: Forcible Summon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The five-star hotel was reallyfortable. The two of them did not get much sleep that night. When they went for the breakfast buffet in the morning, Lin Dongxue said, "This ce is really nice. Hopefully, we¡¯lle here to have fun next time instead of investigating a case."


    "Even if it¡¯s in the middle of investigating the case, you haven¡¯t lost out on anything." Chen Shi said.


    "You didn''t lose out on anything either!"


    "When should wee next? When you''re promoted?"


    A year ago, Lin Dongxue might not even dare to think about it, but recently she had been continually solving cases with Chen Shi¡¯s help. Many people in the second team have already been promoted and she was already a deputy captain. Maybe someday ¡°Captain Lin¡± would refer to Lin Dongxue and not Lin Qiupu.


    When she thought about it, she was a little excited for what¡¯s toe.


    "My brother always said that if you became a police officer, everyone else would have to step aside."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I''m used to being free. Aren¡¯t things alright as they are right now?"


    Although the hotel''s buffet breakfast options were plentiful, there were only a few people and the atmosphere was extremely quiet.


    Lin Dongxue got some food and turned around without paying attention. She almost bumped into a woman who was on the phone. The other party was wearing an exquisite skirt suit. Lin Dongxue apologized. Thedy nodded and said that it was okay before continuing her call. ¡°Send the script to me as soon as possible... I don''t care about that. We¡¯re going to record the show this afternoon. We won¡¯t have enough time... "


    Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "That older woman seems to be a manager."


    Chen Shi handed his mobile phone to her so that she could have a look, "It¡¯s the owner of Luo Zuyu''spany. It¡¯s said that she¡¯s Luo Zuyu''s sister-inw."


    "Wow, a celebrity."


    "Maybe it won''t be long before we meet somewhere else!"


    After having breakfast, Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi, "I read what you sent to my email. But before applying for an arrest warrant, I want to confirm with you whether you¡¯re sure he¡¯s the one. This is no joking matter! If we¡¯re wrong, we¡¯ll bear a very big ck pot[1]."


    "Rx. All the evidence points to him."


    At the other end of the phone, Lin Qiupu mumbled. "Facing this kind of public figure, if you don''t take forcible measures, it¡¯ll definitely drag on for a long time. Okay, I''ll go and apply now."


    "By the way, pleasemunicate well with the reporters. Once the matter is exposed, they¡¯ll most likely use public opinion to their advantage. The investigation will definitely be hindered."


    "You don''t need to remind me... Where is Dongxue?"


    "She¡¯s beside me. We¡¯re waiting for you at the hotel."


    Lin Dongxue was very agitated when he hung up the phone. "My older brother¡¯sing soon?"


    "There¡¯s still a while to go. Let¡¯s go back to sleep and conserve our energy. I foresee that we won¡¯t be having a good night¡¯s rest in the next couple of days.¡±


    "Oh, you didn¡¯t sleep? But you were all excitedst night?"


    "You have to reflect on this matter as well. Who was it that-"


    "Okay, okay, stop talking about it."


    At 9:00, the two were awakened by a phone call. Lin Qiupu told them toe down. They got dressed and went downstairs. A group of police officers were negotiating with the staff. The staff were still bickering with them and said that they¡¯ll need to look for the manager.


    "Doesn''t your manager have a cell phone?" Chen Shi came over and asked.


    "Regarding that...¡±


    "I''ll give you five minutes. Call him and let him know."


    The staff could onlyply and call the manager. Then they said, "Investigating is fine, but don''t rm other guests."


    Chen Shi asked, "How many cleaners work here? Call them all down here. I need to ask them some questions.¡±


    The job of interrogating the cleaners was left to the other police officers. Chen Shi didn''t want to miss the first meeting with Luo Zuyu himself. The police went to the floor where Luo Zuyu was staying and knocked on the door of the presidential suite. A person who was dressed like a manager asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Lin Qiupu disyed the documents issued by the procuratorate. "We suspect that Mr. Luo, who is staying here, is rted to a case. We want to bring him back for questioning."


    "Does he really have to go to the bureau? Mr. Luo has an interview this morning and it has already been booked."


    "This is not a reason for refusal. It¡¯s a forcible summon, do you understand?"


    The manager sighed. "I''ll go and ry this to Mr. Luo."


    Before Luo Zuyu came out, awyer came over from the corridor and said, "Hello, I''m Mr. Luo''swyer. I''m authorized to represent the case. Please let me through."


    Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "He hasn¡¯t shown up yet but thewyer has alreadye. It seems like they¡¯re well prepared."


    After thewyer walked in, no one came out for quite some time. The room downstairs was also under investigation. A police officer came up and said, "A lot of bloodstains were indeed found inside the bathtub."


    Chen Shi handed his room card to him. "I have a bag in the refrigerator in my room. It¡¯s the vomit found in the vase in room 2207. You can take it back for testing. The vase in room 2207 must be taken as well."


    "Vomit?" Lin Qiupu nced at Chen Shi.


    "It may be a key piece of evidence." Chen Shi smiled.


    Then Old Zhang came up to report, "Captain Lin, Captain Lin. There¡¯s a cleaner missing. And she¡¯s the one who had appeared on the 22nd floor on the evening of the 14th. Her colleagues said that she hadn''te to work for three days."


    Chen Shi muttered secretly. The key witness is missing. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s been bribed or...


    Lin Qiupu said, "Think of a way to find her!"


    At that moment, Luo Zuyu, who was neatly dressed, came out nonchntly, and put his hands up. "Do I need to wear handcuffs, sir?"


    This was the first time that most of the police officers have seen Luo Zuyu up close. They couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Entertainers were indeed groomed delicately and beautifully. The aura waspletely different from that of an ordinary person.


    Lin Qiupu said, "We¡¯ll leave you face. You don¡¯t have to wear it.¡±


    "Haha, save me face? I urge you to save your own face. You dare to arrest someone without evidence?"


    "Mr. Luo!" Thewyer whispered. "Don''t make careless remarks."


    After Luo Zuyu was taken away, the room was also investigated. The manager seemed a little disturbed. Chen Shi asked him, "How many rooms have you booked?"


    "Seven."


    "Why did you book so many at the same time?"


    "There¡¯s no way around it. There¡¯s a lot of people. In addition to me and Mr. Luo, there¡¯s his personal stylist, personal assistant, personal nutritionist and other staff."


    "There is one more!" Chen Shi said, "The boss of yourpany."


    "Yes, yes..." The manager was breaking out in cold sweat. "You¡¯re indeed the police. You¡¯ve investigated so thoroughly.¡±


    Chen Shi looked for Lin Dongxue to ask her for the notepad that she had with her and opened it. "Tell me who lives in each room and the check-in times. I¡¯ll verify them one by one."


    After taking note of this, Chen Shi said, "Tell me about all your activities after 6:00PM on July 14th."


    "This... This is also under investigation? You only summoned Mr. Luo."


    "Please cooperate."


    "Okay... I left the hotel at 6:00and ate with Director Chen. At 8:00, I went for a rxing physiotherapy treatment in the spa area of the hotel. From 9:30 to 10:30, I attended an inte conference in my own room. I went to Mr. Luo''s room at 11:00... But he wasn¡¯t there. "


    "You stayed in a room that nobody was in?"


    "I had been drinking that night and was exhausted from work, so I took a nap on the sofa."


    "Until when!"


    "Until I heard the knock on the door. It was about 11:30. Mr Luo came back and we talked about work for a while before I left.


    Chen Shi smiled coldly. "You''re lying!"


    1. They¡¯ll have to deal with a big mess

 Chapter 414: The Haughty Celebrity

    <h4>Chapter 414: The Haughty Celebrity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When he was rebuked with those words, the manager became flustered and said, "I didn''t lie. I didn¡¯t lie. You can ask anything you want."


    Chen Shi nced at the check-in information and said, "Your boss came with the team at 2:00AM on the 15th. Why didn''t shee with all of you? Why did shee a few dayster?"


    "What''s iprehensible about that? President Ji was negotiating a film and television project abroad. It¡¯s very normal for her toe a few dayster!"


    "I hope your lies won¡¯t have the slightest w in them." Chen Shi smiled, and the smile made the manager break out in cold sweat.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left. Lin Dongxue said, "Was it a good idea to expose his lies to his face?"


    "They have mutual interests. They must have figured out their response strategy long ago. We need to find a breakthrough point, so we have to frighten him a little first!"


    When going downstairs, the police were blocked by ady. It was Luo Zuyu''s sister-inw. She crossed her arms and looked at Luo Zuyu coldly, saying, "Zuyu, what stupid thing have you done this time?"


    Luo Zuyu smiled and replied, "I didn¡¯t do anything, Sister Ji. This group of police are arresting people indiscriminately."


    Lin Qiupu said, "You are..."


    The woman handed a business card over to him. Her name was Ji Xingyao. "I also count as his manager. I don''t know why you arrested him, but to be honest, today''s schedule is really full. If events are forcibly cancelled, thepany will lose millions. And it also takes a lot of energy to exin to the TV stations, the media, and the sponsors. Can we negotiate and let us arrange a schedule that suits each other?"


    "What do you think?" Lin Qiupu asked back.


    "Do the police everywhere have such rude and unreasonable attitudes?" Ji Xingyao sneered. "Let me be frank. If you can''t produce evidence, I will sue you and ask you topensate for all the losses incurred today."


    "Ma''am, this is a mandatory subpoena. It¡¯s not an illegal detention... You said a lot of things that convey a single meaning- Mr. Luo is very busy. However, you have to remember that before being a busy celebrity, he is first a citizen and a citizen must abide by thews of the country in which he is in. Whether you are earning ten yuan a day, or one million, you can''t override thew."


    Ji Xingyao gritted her teeth and asked thewyer, "How long will it take?"


    "The police officer said it would take twenty-four hours."


    "Well, twenty-four hourster, if Mr. Luo is proven innocent and released, help me sue the Long¡¯an City police! I will go with all of you."


    Lin Qiupu ordered, "Prepare a car for her."


    "No need. We have our own cars."


    After returning to the bureau, Luo Zuyu and hiswyer were brought into the interrogation room. Luo Zuyu found it to be a novel environment and looked around everywhere. "Maind interrogation rooms are so cheap. Can''t you change to a brighter light bulb? Wow, the wall really has those eightrge Chinese characters. It¡¯s almost like it¡¯s real!"


    Thewyer nudged him to remind him not to talk nonsense.


    Lin Qiupu was not in a hurry to interrogate him. Controlling him was only the first step. Peng Sijue had stopped all his other work and was evaluating the evidence brought back from the crime scene.


    Seeing that an hour had already passed, Ji Xingyao came over and questioned, "Why are you dawdling here? Why haven¡¯t you started yet? Do you think that our time is as cheap as yours?¡±


    "Ma''am, if you make trouble unreasonably again, we¡¯ll ask you to go out. The police have police procedures to follow."


    Ji Xingyao sneered, took out a carton of women''s cigarettes from her bag, and sat in the office smoking. Lin Qiupu frowned. "Smoking is not allowed here!"


    "So what? Are you going to arrest me as well?"


    Peng Sijue came, and Lin Qiupu went to meet him in the corridor. Peng Sijue delivered a few reports to him, saying, "The blood and hair in the bathtub indeed belong to the victim. It¡¯s the same with the blood on the rooftop. We¡¯ve yet to find a matching sample for the vomit."


    "Okay, well done!" Lin Qiupu said, "I¡¯ll go and meet him then."


    When he went into the interrogation room, Luo Zuyu was busyining that he had to go to the toilet, and thewyer was knocking wildly on the door inside, shouting, "My client wants to go to the bathroom. What are you guys doing? Are there still human rights?"


    Chen Shi reminded, "Take him for a urine test."


    When he heard that a urine test was required, Luo Zuyu was very uncooperative and actually spurted urine on the police officer apanying him. This behaviorpletely destroyed Lin Dongxue''s image of stars.


    After a long period of struggle, his urine test was finallypleted. It was determined via reagent identification that he had taken methamphetamine recently.


    Back in the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu threw the urine test result on the table and said, "Mr. Luo, you can¡¯t really deny this result, right? You¡¯ve recently taken methamphetamine!"


    Luo Zuyu sneered as heid back in his chair. Thewyer said on his behalf, "I admit that the urine test result is irrefutable, but you can''t conclude that my client took the drug voluntarily just based on this result. This only proves that he has methamphetamine in his body."


    Luo Zuyu saidzily, "After filming the program that day, I don''t know who handed me a cigarette, but after smoking it, I felt that something was wrong. I don''t even know what happened."


    Thewyer said, "See? The truth is that someone deliberately framed my client. He has neither the desire nor the habit of taking drugs. You can search his residence."


    These two yed off each other as if one was singing while the other was ying an apaniment. Lin Qiupu knew that they were stalling for time and had used answering this question as a means to do so. He said, "You know full well whether you took the drugs or not."


    "Officer, may I remind you not to use such implicatory wording-"


    Lin Qiupu gestured for him to shut up and continued to ask, "What I want to ask is, what did you do on the evening of July 14th!"


    Luo Zuyu sneered and thewyer said, "My client had been writing new songs in his room all night."


    "Really? Let''s look at surveince footage."


    Lin Qiupu asked someone to bring aputer in to y the surveince video from that night. After watching, Luo Zuyu said in shock, "Who is that?"


    "You¡¯re still acting? The video showed that at eight o''clock that night, you entered the room with a young woman. At eleven o¡¯clock, you came out alone. We found a lot of blood in the bathtub in that room and it has been confirmed that it belongs to the female victim. What do you have to say to that?"


    Luo Zuyu shrugged and spread out his hands. "I don''t know about this at all. I didn¡¯t meet any outsiders that day. You can ask my manager."


    "Do you want to say that something was wrong with the surveince footage?"


    "Electronics are bound to malfunction." Luo Zuyu said without a care.


    Chen Shi looked outside and nced at Ji Xingyao who was standing in the corridor. Ji Xingyao was smoking a cigarette and the corners of her mouth formed a small sneer that was only noticeable upon closer inspection. Chen Shi said, "They¡¯ve already figured out thorough countermeasures, but they won¡¯t use them now. They¡¯ll stall for time, and when they can''t drag any longer, they¡¯ll dish out all the lies that they have prepared in advance!¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What lies?"


    "Let¡¯s go. Come and investigate with us!"

 Chapter 415: Like An Iron Bucket

    <h4>Chapter 415: Like An Iron Bucket</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got into the car. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you think that the evidence we have right now isn¡¯t enough?"


    "It''s not enough. Remember the surveince video at around 11 o''clock?"


    "Um... Luo Zuyu came out of the room at 11 o''clock, entered the staircase, and then a man in a ck sweater went up from the first floor, reached the 22nd floor, and came out of the staircase."


    "Look at the scandal where Luo Zuyu was exposed."


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and checked it. She was stunned when she saw the paparazzi¡¯s secret photos. Luo Zuyu was wearing a ck sweater and a ck beret cap. Lin Dongxue seemed to have understood this trap.


    Chen Shi said, "Tell me how you think they¡¯ll defend themselves?"


    "The paparazzi''s photos are evidence for Luo Zuyu''s alibi. They would say that Luo Zuyu was dating someone outside that night and had returned to the hotel at eleven o''clock... But how would they exin that person who left the room?¡±


    "No exnation is needed. As long as they prove that Luo Zuyu was not at the scene, everything will be fine for them."


    "Actually, it was Luo Zuyu himself who left the room. Another person went upstairs in a ck sweater. Let¡¯s call this person X. X and Luo Zuyu exchanged clothes, hats and nes in the stairway where there are no surveince cameras. Then Luo Zuyu returned in a ck sweater while X went downstairs in a red T-shirt."


    "It is because the surveince cameras¡¯ low resolution can only allow you to see someone¡¯s general body build and clothing. X and Luo Zuyu have simr body builds... The other side understood this point and yed this hand. Normally, as long as the criminal is brought back to the bureau, it¡¯s equal to game over. But this group of people is different. They are experienced in ying with thew and there is a strong public rtions team and connections behind them. They were ready to confront the police face- to-face when they prepared everything. Now is just the beginning."


    Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows and mumbled. "The photos taken by the paparazzi were fake or they weren¡¯t wasn''t taken on July 14th."


    "Let¡¯s go investigate this matter now and give them a call."


    Lin Dongxue phoned them and the other party didn¡¯t believe that she was a police officer. He hung up the phone after mocking her. Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. Chen Shi said, "I had expected it. Let¡¯s look for them in person!"


    Two hourster, the two arrived at the entertainment news agency. The person who received them was the youngster who had just said that Lin Dongxue was a fake police officer over the phone. Lin Dongxue dangled her badge right in front of him and said, "Am I a fake officer? Why don¡¯t you look clearly?!"


    The youngster rubbed his hands andughed, "Officer, you can¡¯t really me me. Nowadays, people are faking all sorts of identities, so I have to be a bit more vignt... Come, sit down. Would you like tea or coffee?"


    "No need. We¡¯re here to ask one thing. On July 16th, you posted an entertainment article saying that the singer, Luo Zuyu, was out dating a womante at night."


    "Yes, yes, it was published by us. We also made Weibo headlines on that day and our article was reposted a million..." The youngster''s face showed pride.


    "We are requesting to see the original photos."


    "Ahh..." The youngster smiled.


    "Are you deaf? We want to see the original photos."


    "The two of you must have worked very hard today. Let me pour you a cup of coffee. It''s hand-ground coffee. It''s very fragrant."


    The youngster walked away as he was saying this. Lin Dongxue called after him a few times but he didn''t stop. She stood up and chased after him. The other members in the editing room stood up to block her saying, "What are you doing? What¡¯s happening? Enforcing thew violently? Beware or we will expose you!"


    Someone really pointed a camera at Lin Dongxue and Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth in rage.


    "These people have been bought." Chen Shi whispered.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Call your boss toe out!"


    A balding, middle-aged man came out with a smile on his face and said, "Beauty, I¡¯m the boss."


    Lin Dongxue could only repeat the request again. The boss also seemed to be suffering from selective hearing. He acted like he was deaf and continued smiling in an oily manner. Lin Dongxue raised her voice and said again, "I asked to see the original photos of Luo Zuyu. Please don''t waste our time!"


    "We hear you. We hear you, beautiful!" The boss said with a smile. "But did you go through the formal procedures?"


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she wanted to pull out her gun and fire a few shots. She said, "It is the duty of citizens to cooperate with the investigation. I¡¯m exercising the right of an oral subpoena. Pleasee back with me."


    "Ah, it¡¯s okay if we cooperate, right? Can I ask what case you¡¯re investigating?"


    "You¡¯re still going to talk in circles with me?¡±


    "No, but we¡¯re journalists. It''s just professional sensitivity. If you tell me what case you¡¯re investigating, then I¡¯ll cooperate.


    Lin Dongxue was so angry that she almost couldn¡¯t control herself. "Okay, pleasee back with me!"


    She reached for the boss''s clothes. The boss immediately retreated amongst the other staff. The boss gave them a wink and the staff immediately began to make a fuss as though they were obedient dogs. "The police are violently enforcing thew!" The cameras in their hands also clicked away.


    Chen Shi stood up and said, "Has someone already contacted you?"


    The bossughed and said, "Handsome guy, I don''t understand what you''re talking about... The news article has already been posted. You can read about it on the Inte. The wholework is full of this news. Could it be fake?"


    Chen Shiughed internally. What kind of logic was that? Even if the news flooded the whole, it still wouldn¡¯t necessarily be true. He said, "I have to remind you that providing false testimony will incur criminal charges. Don''t bury the entirepany''s future for temporary benefits."


    "Did you hear that? The police are threatening us!" The boss said to his employees.


    Chen Shi made a gesture. "Let¡¯s withdraw!"


    After leaving thepany, Lin Dongxue kicked an electric pole on the side of the road angrily, saying, "It''s so hateful. Without the original photos, we can''t overturn the alibi."


    She crouched down holding her head, thought for a while, and said, "Right, the woman who was with Luo Zuyu in the photo can prove it."


    Chen Shi shook his head, "I think the hope is slim! They would have thought of that. Let¡¯s go to the hotel again!"


    At the same time, Lin Qiupu had mmed the table until his hand hurt in the interrogation room. Luo Zuyu still wore an arrogant smile on his face and thewyer reminded him severely, "Please don''t intimidate my client again!"


    Lin Qiupu enunciated each syble slowly. "I¡¯m asking you where you were on the evening of July 14th. What were you doing?¡±


    Luo Zuyu repliedzily, "You don''t watch the news?"


    "I''m asking you!"


    Thewyer said, "Mr. Police Officer, I don''t think you wouldn''t know about this. Yesterday, the inte just revealed that my client had been photographed secretly on a date with a woman on the evening of the 14th. This is the perfect proof of his absence!"


    "How is it perfect? Who is the woman? Can she testify?"


    Luo Zuyu crossed his arms and said, "I have my privacy."


    "You have no privacy here."


    Luo Zuyu smiled with a shrug. Lin Qiupu hit the table in anger. "If you keep up with your flippant attitude, don''t me me for not being polite. Don''t forget that you just tested positive for methamphetamine."


    Thewyer whispered a few words to Luo Zuyu and Luo Zuyu shrugged and said, "She''s called Su Xiaowei. I was with her that night. Are you satisfied now? Sir!"

 Chapter 416: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 416: Confrontation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The interrogation came to a temporary stop. Lin Qiupu came out and the police were all outside in the corridor. Luo Zuyu''s sister-inw, Ji Xingyao, leaned against the wall smoking and cast a disdainful look at them.


    Lin Qiupu had noticed that they were fully prepared to deal with today''s interrogation but they could only counter every move for now.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Who will investigate this Su Xiaowei?"


    Many people were willing to go. Lin Qiupu ordered Xu Xiaodong and Little Li to bring the person back. He looked around and didn¡¯t see Lin Dongxue''s figure. When he asked about it, someone told him, "Dongxue and Brother Chen went out to investigate."


    "Has the witness been found?"


    Old Zhang said, "I was just about to tell you. I went to the cleaner''s house but nobody was there. I asked her rtives and friends, but they didn''t know where she was!"


    Lin Qiupu''s eyes dimmed. His hope disappeared little by little. He said, "I see."


    At that moment, Ji Xingyao came over and asked, "Is the interrogation over? Can I say a few words to Zuyu then?"


    "What do you think? It''s already against the rules for you to stay here and wait." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Okay, I don''t mind either way!" Ji Xingyao shrugged. "But it''s noon right now. Zuyu should eat now."


    "We will arrange that."


    "Can the food that you guys prepare really be eaten? All of his meals need to be nned by a professional dietitian. He¡¯s an entertainer. Unlike you guys, ourpany''s stock price will drop even if he gets a little fat."


    Lin Qiupu looked at her and said gloomily. "Go prepare the food for him, but we have to inspect it before it¡¯s given to him."


    "Thank you!"


    "Also, I need to remind you that he only has one name while he¡¯s here... The suspect!"


    Ji Xingyao smiled gracefully. "After 24 hours, he will be the intiff, and you will all be the defendants!"


    After lunch, Su Xiaowei was brought in. She was also an entertainer from Ji Xingyao¡¯spany, but she wasn¡¯t that famous. She had only yed some supporting roles in a few TV series. She appeared nervous in the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu asked, "On the evening of July 14th, where were you, who were you with and what did you do?¡±


    "I... Luo Zuyu and I met up in a coffee shop, we sat drinking for a while, and then went out for a walk together. We parted at 10:00 in the evening."


    "As far as we know, you and Luo Zuyu have never worked together. How did the two of you get to know each other?"


    "Of course we¡¯d be acquainted with each other if we¡¯re from the samepany!"


    "Okay then. What did you talk about that day and where did you go? Be specific!"


    Su Xiaowei described everything in detail, but she seemed particrly tense. Lin Qiupu noticed that she was lying, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. After an hour of questioning, he told Su Xiaowei to head back first but not to leave Long''an in case she gets subpoenaed.


    Leaving the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu felt very powerless. At this time, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned, and he couldn¡¯t wait to ask, "Any new findings?"


    Chen Shi said, "There¡¯s another person in the car. You can take him to the interrogation room and test his DNA."


    Lin Qiupu instructed people to do it and Chen Shi said, "Everyone,e with me!"


    The officers went to a conference room and Chen Shi asked someone to y some surveince footage found at the hotel. After watching it, everyone was a bit surprised. Chen Shi said, "They prepared a set of lies and nned to dish them out at the end. Now, we should take the initiative to step into this trap and disrupt their groove... Because there are loopholes in this set of lies. Captain Lin, you should continue the questioning. I¡¯ll give you the evidence when it¡¯s the right time.¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked, "How confident are you?"


    "Not that much." Chen Shi smiled.


    "If you¡¯re not, then why are you still smiling?"


    "In fact, this case is very simple. One person killed another person, but everyone around him all lied for him. We need to expose these lies one by one. The first lie is the photos taken by the paparazzi. That group has been bribed and have been reluctant to hand over the original photos. It caused us to make a trip for nothing. I think that we can use some forceful measures on them."


    Lin Qiupu muttered, "I think that Su Xiaowei would be a faster breakthrough point."


    "That group of paparazzis treated Dongxue so rudely. They used some particrly jarring words."


    Lin Qiupu immediately changed his attitude and said, "Those jerks! Bring them in right away. If they don¡¯t cooperate, I¡¯ll send the riot police out!¡±


    Old Zhang said, "It''s so quiet outside today."


    "What do you mean?" Another officer asked.


    "This big star has been detained. It stands to reason that it should be full of reporters outside. But so far, no reporters have been seen."


    Chen Shi said, "That''s because we still have a nuclear bomb in our hands. That is, Luo Zuyu''s urine tested positive for drugs. Right now, the country attaches great importance to this kind of thing[1] and entertainers who take drugs can¡¯t be washed clean[2]. No matter how they cover it up, this matter can¡¯t be covered up, so they didn¡¯t dare to ask reporters to block the doors."


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Should we expose this matter and dampen their spirits first?"


    Chen Shi shook his head with a smile. "This nuclear bomb should be left for threatening them. If you really exposed it, they would try to take us down with them. We wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that kind of public opinion. Stuff like ''confession under torture'', ''violentw enforcement'' '','' fabricating perjury'' and the like. Reporters woulde up with all of that. The police can¡¯t win that fight because journalists don¡¯t need evidence.¡±


    Old Zhang nodded and said, "Little Chen is absolutely right. Reporters don''t need evidence to speak. This is the wonderful trick they used to concoct their alibi. Now the whole world thinks that Luo Zuyu was on a date outside that night, as if it were true."


    Lin Qiupu said, "We¡¯ll wait until this case is over regarding the matter of drug abuse!¡±


    "Yeah, fuck this garbage entertainer up!"


    "Who said that! Who said that!" Lin Qiupu looked around, "Can criminal police say such a thing? If it was leaked, the whole bureau would meet with misfortune... Xiaodong, was it you?"


    Xu Xiaodong said innocently, "It wasn¡¯t me! I''m drinking water right now!"


    Chen Shi said to him, "You should only think about this stuff in your mind. Don''t say it out loud."


    "It''s really not me! I swear to God!"


    Returning to the interrogation room again, Lin Qiupu''s scalp was already numb[3]. Fortunately, Chen Shi was sitting next to him this time. Lin Qiupu felt very relieved. He only had this feeling when he was with Song Lang back then.


    He nced at Chen Shi and thought that if Song Lang was still here, he would already be the department head or even the bureau chief. Why wouldn¡¯t this fool, Chen Shi, just be an officer?!


    Chen Shi opened up theptop and said, "Mr. Luo, let''s watch a surveince video together first."


    While watching the video, Luo Zuyu crossed his arms and looked as if he didn¡¯t care at all and had things nned out in advance.


    He had already rehearsed what he had to say at least five times beforehand. All the questions posed by the police were predicted by his sister-inw ahead of time. He didn''t think that the police could do anything to him.


    After all, he had already killed people several times before and escaped the of justice several times. In his eyes, the police were just spicy chicken[4]!


    1. You get executed in China if you¡¯re caught selling and transporting drugs.


    2. Have their reputations restored.


    3. Lin Qiupu was extremely nervous


    4. Chinese inte pun on ¡°trash¡±.

 Chapter 417: Please Arrest Me

    <h4>Chapter 417: Please Arrest Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After watching the video, Chen Shi didn''t immediately question him. Instead, he said with a smile, "Let''s watch another video."


    Luo Zuyu was slightly shocked. Did this police officer not have a brain? Why did they y videos that were unfavorable to themselves?


    After watching all the surveince videos, Chen Shi said, "The videos show that a man in a red T-shirt and a woman took the elevator and entered your room at about 8:00 that night. At 11:00, the man in a red T-shirt left alone and used the stairs. At the same time, a man in a ck sweater entered the staircase from the first floor and went up to the 22nd floor before entering your room. At the same time, the man in the red T-shirt left via the first floor."


    Thewyer said, "Police officer, I need to remind you of a detail..."


    Chen Shi gestured to interrupt him. "I know. What you want to say is that in the photo taken by the paparazzi that night, Luo Zuyu was wearing a ck sweater. So, you want to say that the man who entered the hotel at 11:00 was Luo Zuyu."


    "You¡¯re a reasonable officer." Thewyer said.


    "But the surveince footage is very blurry and we can''t see the faces clearly. The aforementioned is just one possibility. There is also another possibility. The man in the red T-shirt who left the room at 11:00 was Luo Zuyu, and the man in ck who entered from the first floor was another person. The two of them exchanged clothes on the staircase and Luo Zuyu returned to the room from the stairwell on the 22nd floor while the person who changed clothes with him left via the first floor. Is that possible?"


    "This is coercing a confession!" Thewyer stood up agitatedly.


    "Really? This is just a hypothesis! I just asked you if this was possible? Is there a possibility? Is there?"


    Thewyer nced at Luo Zuyu and said shamelessly, "That''s totally impossible!"


    "Are you trying to say that there is not even one in a 10,000 chance that it could have happened?"


    "Yes, not one in 10,000."


    Chen Shi apuded. "People who know no shame are invincible..."


    "I warn you not to conduct personal attacks on me..."


    "Sure! Go ahead!" Chen Shi said carelessly, "If you¡¯d like to sue me, then just go ahead and sue... So, then we¡¯ve decided that the first possibility might be the truth of the matter. I observed the stairwell. There was no room for concealment there. That is, Luo Zuyu must have passed the murderer when he walked upstairs that night. Is that true? Mr. Luo?"


    Luo Zuyu raised his eyebrows, "Yes!"


    "Then did you see his appearance clearly?"


    "Sir, you don''t have anymon sense. I''m a celebrity! I went out for a date that night. I came back quietly and met a stranger in the stairwell. Of course I¡¯d lower my head!"


    "So, you didn¡¯t see him?"


    "I didn¡¯t see him at all!"


    "So, you weren¡¯t in the hotel around 10:00, right?"


    "You don¡¯t say!"


    "The surveince footage shows that your manager entered your room at 10:00. You weren¡¯t there at that time. Who was inside? The deceased and the suspect. Your manager was actually in the same room with the suspect. Do you think this is possible?"


    "Everything is possible."


    "Oh, I see. Your agent didn''t see him, so he didn''t know."


    Luo Zuyu was a little flustered. He vaguely realized that it might be a trap, but this "police" analysis was reasonable. If the manager saw the suspect, he would definitely not stay in the room.


    "I¡¯m asking you!" Chen Shi yelled.


    Thewyer said loudly, "Please don''t yell. My client can¡¯t answer this kind of question. He wasn¡¯t in the room at all."


    "It¡¯s up to us to decide what questions to ask. As a suspect, you have an obligation to answer."


    Thewyer gritted his teeth and whispered something to Luo Zuyu.


    Chen Shi continued. "Judging from the surveince footage, your manager indeed stayed with the suspect and it was very likely that he saw the corpse!"


    Chen Shi took out a piece of paper and a small bottle. "We found some vomit in a vase next to the bathroom. DNA testing proved that it came from your manager, which means that he saw the body in the bathroom. After seeing the corpse, he never left and waited for you toe back."


    Luo Zuyu was covered in cold sweat. Damn it to hell, the room was cleaned very carefully, but this detail was neglected.


    Thewyer said, "Your reasoning is totally untenable. The reason for vomiting is not necessarily due to seeing the body. Maybe he was drunk."


    "There is no alcohol in the vomit."


    "That''s because he had a bad stomach... In short, there is no necessary connection between the vomit and seeing the body!"


    Chen Shi sneered. "Excuse me, as a respectable person with a monthly sry of 200,000 yuan, why wouldn¡¯t he vomit in the bathroom, but vomit in the vase outside the bathroom?"


    "Maybe he couldn¡¯t get there in time." Thewyer argued.


    "Okay, let''s say that the manager vomited for unknown reasons. He didn''t leave the room after vomiting. This is a photo of your suite..." Chen Shi took out the photo. "There is no ce to hide except for the wardrobe and the bathroom. There is a contradictory point here. Before you went back and before the suspect left, the manager was in the suite. How did the suspect get out of the door under the manager''s nose?"


    Luo Zuyu grasped his own arms tightly with his hands and suddenly thought of an excuse. "He was asleep."


    Thewyer nodded desperately. "Yes, since he vomited, it means that he wasn¡¯t in good health. He went to bed after vomiting. It¡¯s reasonable!"


    "Okay, we¡¯ll test to see if the manager was sick." Chen Shi noted it down on the paper.


    Lin Qiupu was watching. Chen Shi''s move to retreat in order to gain an advantage really worked. The other party¡¯s rhythm was disrupted. They began to panic and exposed one w after another.


    Chen Shi said, "After talking about the first possibility, let me talk about the second possibility-"


    Thewyer protested loudly, "There¡¯s no second possibility! My client has a clear alibi. Do you think that he can clone himself?¡±


    "Clear alibi? What¡¯s clear? Where are the photos?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you see them on Weibo? Are you blind?" Luo Zuyu was already behaving with extreme impatience.


    "Yes, I am blind. I couldn¡¯t see them. I want to see the original photos. The original photos with dates-"


    "Who do you think you are! What right do you have to make us show you!" Luo Zuyu shouted.


    "If we can''t get the original photos, what face do you have to say that it was a clear alibi?!"


    "Because I am Luo Zuyu. Even my farts are the same as rainbows. What do you amount to? Fuck your mother, you damn bastard! Are you fit to sit here and question me?!" Luo Zuyu stood up violently, his eyes ring, grinding his teeth so hard that one could hear cracking noises.


    "No, no..." Thewyer tried to stop him and was punched in the face by Luo Zuyu. His sses dangled downwards miserably from his ears and blood was flowing from his nose.


    "What are you doing? Sit down!" Lin Qiupu stood up and said.


    Luo Zuyu simply resorted to scolding them in his dialect, spitting saliva everywhere, but Chen Shi couldn''t understand a single sentence. The scene instantly became so chaotic that he couldn''t sort things out. Ji Xingyao rushed in at that moment. "Zuyu! Sit down."


    Luo Zuyu stared at her for a while in shock before recovering his reason and sat down slowly.


    Lin Qiupu looked at Ji Xingyao. There were several police officers behind her who exined helplessly, "Captain Lin, we¡¯re in the wrong for not stopping her."


    "Who let you in?!"


    Ji Xingyao stretched out her hands, "Don''t question him anymore. He knows nothing about what happened that day. I¡¯m willing to be interrogated."


    "Interrogated? Have you broken thew?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I broke thew..." Ji Xingyao said, "I defiled a corpse. Please arrest me!"

 Chapter 418: Common Interests

    <h4>Chapter 418: Common Interests</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    With such a sudden situation happening, Luo Zuyu was invited to "rest" in another room for the time being. Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi went outside. Lin Qiupu lit up a cigarette miserably. "Old Chen, what do you think she would say?"


    Chen Shi replied, ¡°¡®We didn¡¯t kill anyone, but the body was dismembered by us¡¯, and so on."


    "What should we do?"


    "Don''t worry. Let her tell the lie before we break the whole chain of lies."


    It was already five o''clock in the afternoon. The two took a short break while also investigating some information.


    Luo Zuyu''spany was founded by his brother and sister-inw. His brother was naturally a celebrity as well. After Luo Zuyu was exiled, thepany had desperately engaged in public rtions behind the scenes to slowly rebrand and clean-up his image.


    It could be seen that thepany will use all its strength to resolve this crisis for him. Calling them formidable opponents would not be an understatement.


    A police officer ran over and said, "The people in the entertainment newspany said that the original photos couldn¡¯t be found. They said that a temp worker was careless and had reformatted the hard disk. We took people to search their office and brought theputer back."


    Chen Shi smiled. "They¡¯re still using temp workers as an excuse in this day and age?"


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t bring himself to smile. "Can it be restored?"


    "We¡¯re attempting it right now."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Isn''t that a bit stupid? They¡¯ve lost the evidence for their alibi now."


    ad"Of course they¡¯d have to do this when it didn¡¯t exist in the first ce. In this way, the entertainment article bes the only evidence for his whereabouts."


    "That wouldn¡¯t hold up in court!"


    "It depends on which court. Luo Zuyu''s nationality is..."


    Lin Qiupu just remembered and held his forehead. "Canadian nationality. Anglo-American legal system. There is a jury system there!"


    "But he is at best an ordinary citizen. As long as the evidence is solid, he can be tried in our country... The goal of this group of people is to prevent us from getting clear evidence and arresting him. Then they¡¯ll find a way to send him back to Canada for a trial instead.¡±


    Lin Qiupu felt a headacheing on and supported his forehead without speaking for quite some time. Lin Dongxue went over and said, "Brother, if you¡¯re too tired, let me and Old Chen take over the next round of questioning."


    Lin Qiupu looked at her. "You have to be careful."


    "I know!"


    When the interrogation beganter, Ji Xingyao had not found herself awyer. She seemed very confident. She said, "I didn''t expect you police to investigate so meticulously and even find the vomit in the vase. What you think is correct. The manager did see the corpse that night and vomited in the vase. But the person wasn¡¯t killed by Luo Zuyu, or by any of us."


    Chen Shi said, "Who do you think killed her then?"


    Ji Xingyao shrugged, "That''s the police¡¯s job. But I specte that someone wanted to frame and hurt Luo Zuyu. That¡¯s why he went to his room tomit murder. The surveince was filmed clearly. When Luo Zuyu came back that day, he saw the body and panicked. So, Manager He contacted me. My first reaction was that we absolutely could not call the police. After all, a celebrity¡¯s reputation is very important. Then I hurriedly brought the team there that night. I thought about it on the way. We would have to dispose of the body.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "We found the DNA of the deceased on the roof, but the process of moving the body was not captured by the surveince cameras. There are several floors between the 22nd floor and the roof, so you booked all the rooms in the upper floors. Then you used a rope to transport the body upwards from outside the window."


    Ji Xingyao smiled and nodded, "Sure enough, we couldn''t escape your discerning eyes. That¡¯s true. After all, the hotel is intensively monitored and we could only handle the corpse from above. How did we deal with it? I thought of therge helium balloons in the gym that I rented not long ago. I sent someone to steal the balloons and the helium machine. Then we took them to the roof under the cover of equipment boxes. We divided the body into small pieces, put them into bags, hung them from balloons, and let them fly away! Even so, the police were able to find this ce, I have to say you have my admiration! "Ji Xingyao pped slowly.


    "So, what about the head of the corpse and the used helium machine?"


    "They were taken away using balloons too."


    "I think most of what you said is the truth, but the motive doesn¡¯t make much sense. You said that you¡¯re protecting Luo Zuyu''s reputation. What reputation would be preserved by dismembering and throwing away a body? When this matter is exposed on the Inte,izens won¡¯t know what your name is or what yourpany is called. They will only search for keywords like ''Luo Zuyu'' and ''Dismembered corpse''. Do you think that his reputation can be protected?"


    Ji Xingyao said calmly, "Of course, protecting the reputation is a reasonable motive. This was based on the assumption that the police wouldn¡¯t be able to solve the case. Of course, I never dreamed that you can find the hotel with just a few balloons. The police in Long¡¯an City sure aren¡¯t your average Joes."


    Chen Shi sneered. What a good ¡°evade major charges while admitting minor ones¡± move. After taking away the murder charge, the charges of defiling a corpse, taking drugs, and disruptingw enforcement could be easily be shouldered.


    Chen Shi said, "Miss Ji, I admire your ability to adapt to crisis... You have prepared three ¡®outer coats¡¯ for Luo Zuyu. The first one was the tricky means of corpse dismemberment. It was a gamble made in the hope that we wouldn¡¯t be able to find you at all, or find you only after seven days. That way, the hotel¡¯s surveince footage would no longer exist. The second one was the forgery of fake surveince footage and alibi evidence. In short, as long as Luo Zuyu wasn¡¯t at the scene, he wouldn¡¯t be suspected of murder. The third one is what you¡¯re saying right now. When it can¡¯t be covered up, you¡¯ll take on the charge of dismembering the body. Besides murder, you confess to everything else... What beautiful tricks. But I want to remind you that this dam that blocks the truth is made up of lies. As soon as there is a gap, it will fall apart immediately. I hope you understand what you are doing!"


    Ji Xingyao shrugged indifferently. "You can say what you want. In short, this is the truth. There¡¯s no evidence, so you can only make guesses! Actually, I would like to ask you something. Why would a big starmit murder? Don¡¯t you think that he would know the consequences of doing it? Your unreasonable spections are nothing but jealousy. You want to watch a high and mighty person topple down and thenugh at his misfortune. It¡¯s lonely at the top, and stars like him are often framed and entrapped. As the owner of the agency, I¡¯ve seen this too often. I just didn¡¯t expect that one day, the maind police would also use this kind of dirty method to frame him. But the truth is the truth. Luo Zuyu didn¡¯t kill, so he didn¡¯t kill. Before you can pull out any evidence, what can you do to us?"


    Chen Shi sneered. Thest sentence was probably her only honest words. He said, "Call your whole team! We need to check your confession."


    At the end of the interrogation, Chen Shi came out and said to Lin Qiupu, "You can handle the rest! If you need to detain them, do that. If you need to let them go, do it."


    "What?! Did you give up?"


    "It''s not giving up. We really don''t have evidence right now. Continuing interrogations at this point is meaningless."


    Looking at Lin Qiupu''s disappointed look, Chen Shi wanted to say that he was, after all, not a god. Finding the murderers were the limits to his abilities. He just didn''t expect the murderer to be so cunning and meticulous this time.


    But of course, he wouldn''t say it out loud. Saying such words in front of the eyes of a group of police officers would undoubtedly pour a bucket of cold water on everyone''s enthusiasm.


    Chen Shi patted Lin Qiupu on the shoulder and said, "This time will be a battle of endurance. Don''t be discouraged. Look for evidence slowly... I believe there must be evidence."


    "For the first time, the suspect walked out of the interrogation room in peace."


    "Yeah, it''s our shame. But you can rest assured that we¡¯ll definitely get our justice." Chen Shiughed. "I just want to go back to sleep now. I¡¯m so tired, I can''t bear it anymore."


    On the way back, Lin Dongxue asked, "Why did you suddenly stop interrogating?"


    "Motivation!" Chen Shi said, "I suddenly found that the motive for the murder was a mystery. Why does a star with such a status kill people? I can''t figure it out! But if there is doubt, it¡¯s a good thing. If there is doubt, it means that there is still a ce that hasn¡¯t been investigated.¡±


    "A lot of manpower was invested in this case. I believe there will be results."


    "Let''s just take it as greeting them today!¡±


    Ji Xingyao and Luo Zuyu went through the bail procedures respectively. The two got into the car that came to pick them up. After getting into the car, Luo Zuyuughed. "Sister-inw, did you see the nk expressions on the police¡¯s faces? Hahahaha, a bunch of rice buckets[1]!"


    Ji Xingyao red at him fiercely. "Don''t let your guard down. This time, the police are very clever. Especially that one with the surname Chen. You¡¯re not allowed to act without permission from now on!¡±


    "What can happen. It¡¯s been so many times and I¡¯ve-"


    Ji Xingyao red at him again and Luo Zuyu was too scared to talk further.


    Ji Xingyao thought that there should be no ws. Everything followed the script perfectly. As long as they get over this obstacle, it would be fine. But Luo Zuyu was an unstable factor. She didn¡¯t think he would go nuts in the interrogation room that day.


    She had connected with the paparazzi. As long as they helped her with the "little favor", she would provide them with three or four major news tip-offs in the future.


    As for the female artist who just debuted, Ji Xingyao had promised her that she would be given a chance to star as the leading actress this year.


    Everyone now hadmon interests. If there¡¯s glory, they¡¯ll share it, and if there¡¯s loss, they¡¯ll bear it together too. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems... There should be no problems!


    No, absolutely not!


    This was the entertainment circle. Everyone lies for their own interests in exchange for their consciences. They were acting both inside and outside the shows. The people in this circle are all acting masters. A bunch of police officers couldn¡¯t do anything to them.


    Although she thought so in her heart, the voice of that officer was still ringing in her ears, making her frown...


    At that moment, an anonymous text message was sent to her mobile phone, "Boss Ji, do you want to make a deal? I can divert the police''s attention for you."


    Ji Xingyao was shocked. Who was this? How could they know her private number? She muttered to herself a few times before replying, "Who are you?"


    The other party quickly replied, "I¡¯m a professional. Let''s work out a ce to meet!"


    Was it a scam?


    She thought it over for a long time and then replied with an address. "See you at nine tonight!"


    1. An expression that is used to describe people as being useless.

 Chapter 419: Loss of Manpower

    <h4>Chapter 419: Loss of Manpower</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After waking up the next morning, Chen Shi went to pick up Lin Dongxue. Instead of rushing to the bureau, they went to a Cantonese restaurant. Chen Shi ordered a bunch of shrimp dumplings, crystal buns, crispy egg tarts and sliced-fish congee.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Howe we have the leisure time to eat this today?"


    Chen Shi said, while pouring tea, "Guess!"


    "Are you tired?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I''m really tired. To be precise, I can¡¯t muster up any zeal. I wanted to put the murderer into the hands of the police. You all managed to find that evidence after a thorough investigation. I just didn''t expect to encounter such an opponent."


    Chen Shi shook his head, "It''s hard to mess with the rich!"


    "If you don¡¯t want to investigate, let the task force do it. The identity of the deceased hasn¡¯t been determined yet and theplete body hasn¡¯t been found. The female cleaner is also missing. These investigations areborious and inconsistent with your elegant style."


    "Am I elegant?"


    "In everyone''s mind, you are the same as God, always pointing to truth when we¡¯re confused."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "The light of epiphany is also based on systematic andprehensive investigation. In fact, there are no genius detectives in the world. It¡¯s just a difference in experience and way of thinking."


    "We don''t have a brain like yours."


    Lin Dongxue pulled out her mobile phone to read Weibo. There was no news of Luo Zuyu being taken to the bureau yesterday. Everyone was still avidly discussing the gossip and news of other stars.


    Through this incident, she discovered that the scandals exposed by the entertainment industry were really just the tip of the iceberg.


    When breakfast arrived, Chen Shi ate with gusto. The food healed his exhaustion and he nned to continue his investigation that day. He must investigate until the water recedes and the rocks appear[1].


    After eating, the two went to the bureau. The meeting room waspletely full. Lin Dongxue thought that she waste. At that moment, Lin Qiupu came and said, "Drop Luo Zuyu¡¯s case for now!"


    "Wh- what?" Lin Dongxue suspected that she had heard it wrong. "Why aren¡¯t we investigating it?"


    "I¡¯ll exin in the meeting."


    "No, you have to make it clear now. Why shouldn¡¯t we check it? Did the higher-ups exert pressure? Or is it the influence of public opinion?"


    "What are you thinking about?" Lin Qiupu frowned. "If the police suddenly stop investigating a case, it¡¯s because there¡¯s an even bigger one that appeared! Last night, a triad weapon-carrying car was knocked over. There are a dozen guns missing. It¡¯s very likely that they will be scattered around the city. There may be shootings at any time. The chief immediately ordered the establishment of a task force and all other cases will be shelved for now!"


    Lin Dongxue was shocked and speechless. Did something like this have to happen right now?


    Chen Shi said, "I''m not going to participate in any gun-hunting case."


    Lin Qiupu mocked, "Do you think it''s boring?"


    "I don''t like to give up halfway. And besides, I¡¯m not a policeman. Why should I listen to your assignment? I¡¯ll investigate Luo Zuyu''s case even if I have to do it alone!"


    Lin Qiupu sighed. ¡°Are people who have already died or people who could die at any given time more important?¡±


    "Bye!"


    Chen Shi turned away. Lin Dongxue looked questioningly at Lin Qiupu and Lin Qiupu said helplessly, "Hurry up and catch up with him!"


    When Chen Shi heard this, he turned around and said, "I want Dongxue and Xiaodong. At least two police officers are required to obtain legal testimony. You can take away all the others!"


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a mile when I¡¯m giving you an inch?"


    Chen Shi walked back. "I investigated some things in order to understand Luo Zuyu''s motive formitting the crime. He was also involved in the disappearances of other girls before. In the end, he was released due to insufficient evidence. I have reason to believe that this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s done this. If we give up at this juncture, he might really go unpunished. He has a professional team to help him wipe his butt, so he will continue to kill without fear. But next time he won¡¯t be facing us. We only have this one chance to be his opponents! If we can¡¯t figure it out, would the police in other cities be smarter?¡±


    Lin Qiupu said earnestly, "The dozen guns lost right now..."


    "You haven¡¯t been a criminal police officer for a day or two. You know that a case has a hot period of one week. Once the time has passed, it will be more and more difficult to investigate. And it will eventually be a pile of wastepaper in the archives. How many ancient cases have been thoroughly investigated?! Many cases are just waiting for a death row prisoner to confess in return for a meal of roasted chicken. That¡¯s how they get solved!"


    Lin Qiupu thought it over again and again. Then he reluctantly took a step back. "I can only give you these two people. I can¡¯t provide any more help. We really don¡¯t have enough manpower.¡±


    "Thanks!" Chen Shi cupped his fist in his other hand in gratitude.


    "But there is a condition. After Luo Zuyu''s case is over, you have toe over and help us investigate this case."


    "I¡¯ll try my best!"


    "What do you mean that you¡¯ll try? Give me a definite answer."


    "Of course, of course!"


    While the others were holding a task force meeting over in the conference room, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong sat in the deserted office. Lin Dongxue said, "There are only a dozen guns. Why did they ask the criminal police to investigate? And they assigned two teams at the same time at that?"


    Xu Xiaodong replied, "You don¡¯t know about the situation. The criminal left a letter at the scene, saying that these guns would be mailed to a dozen strangers. This was the most terrible part. Now ordinary citizens may have received the guns. No one knows how many people would die!"


    "No way?"


    Chen Shi asked, "What else did the letter say?"


    "There seems to have been a symbol. A butterfly with a skull on it. I don''t know what it means."


    "Ghost Face Butterfly?!"


    "Brother Chen, what is that?"


    Chen Shi¡¯s mind kept running. This Ghost Face Butterfly has actually resurfaced again, and he concocted such an unprecedentedly major case in one go. His and Luo Zuyu¡¯s cases happened at the same time. Could it be a coincidence? Or was it intentionally done to divert the police''s attention?


    Xu Xiaodong asked again, "Brother Chen, what is this Ghost Face Butterfly?"


    "I¡¯ll tell youter. Let¡¯s investigate our case first. We only have the three of us. One of us has to do the work of ten!¡±


    "Huh?!"


    Lin Dongxue hit Xu Xiaodong and said, "Huh, what? Whether we can find out the truth or not depends on us."


    Chen Shi put a USB sh drive on the table. "When I went to the hotel yesterday, I took this thing from the suite where Luo Zuyu is currently staying."


    "Isn¡¯t that stealing?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "How can you say that it was stealing? I saw it fall to the ground and picked it up... Let''s see what''s in it."


    Chen Shi inserted the USB drive into theputer and opened it. There was only one audio file in it. He clicked the y button. It was a song. Xu Xiaodong bounced his legs to the rhythm and said, "Not bad. I haven''t heard this song before. What is it called?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Doesn¡¯t the phone have a shake function where you can find out what song it is?"


    "Let¡¯s try it!"


    Xu Xiaodong shook his phone to the music, but the screen showed that the song couldn¡¯t be found. Chen Shi smiled and said, "This should be a new song that hasn¡¯t been released yet. Listening to it, it seems like Luo Zuyu¡¯s the one singing."


    "Oh, it¡¯s almost finished. The arrangement is already there." Xu Xiaodong eximed in admiration.


    "Return this thing. We shouldn¡¯t let them use this against us."


    "Next time. We¡¯ll use it as a reason to visit again." Chen Shi said, "Come. Help me make a few calls. Let''s check this kid¡¯s background!"


    1. A popr expression that describes the truthing to light. It¡¯s because when the water recedes, rocks can be seen.

 Chapter 420: The Missing Cleaner

    <h4>Chapter 420: The Missing Cleaner</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At about nine o''clock, most of the officers had already left and the criminal police department was deserted. Xu Xiaodong looked at the documents faxed over from the public security offices around the whole of China and said, "How nice. We¡¯re the only ones left here. If we have any police reportse through today, it¡¯ll definitely find its way to us.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "Don¡¯t worry about those. We should only check our own."


    Chen Shi bought some food and beverages beforeing back. "How¡¯s it going?"


    Xu Xiaodong read the faxed file in his hand. "In the file sent by xx police, a girl disappeared in xx in 2005. There was a call record between the missing girl and Luo Zuyu. But the investigation was suspended due to insufficient evidence."


    Lin Dongxue read, "In 2007, a girl¡¯s corpse was burned in the suburbs of xx City. The police found that she had booked a hotel room with Luo Zuyu before her death, but the hotel''s surveince footage was wiped out by someone, and the case fizzled out after that."


    Xu Xiaodong read another one. "In 2010 in xx, a girl¡¯s corpse was thrown into the sewers. Simrly, Luo Zuyu was an important suspect at the time, but at the critical moment, he produced an alibi and was released."


    Chen Shi reasoned, "One time might be a coincidence, but a few times indicate premeditatedmurder."


    "Is there a pattern to his murders?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This should be discussedter. I need you to investigate the identity of the deceased."


    "This... How do we investigate this?"


    "The deceased should be a fan. Since Luo Zuyu can contact her, it means that she¡¯s not just an ordinary fan. She should have participated in fan activities like weing him at the airport or train station and so on. You can go to the local fan support group to try to find out... Remember her characteristics are that she¡¯s 24 years-old, 167 in height, with size 34 shoes. As for her looks..."


    Chen Shi grabbed the faxed documents in their hands. There were several photos of the missing and deceased girls on them. Chen Shiid out all these photos on the table. "Luo Zuyu likes this type. Follow this feeling to investigate!"


    Xu Xiaodong mumbled, "Upon a closer look, these girls all have veryrge eyes and slightly protruding foreheads."


    Chen Shi said, "Close the door when you leave. I don''t want to be disturbed."


    Xu Xiaodong saluted, "Yes, sir!"


    After the two left, Chen Shi turned on theputer and searched for "Luo Zuyu" and "interview". He put on headphones and began to go through his interview records.


    Lin Dongxue found the Luo Zuyu Fan Support Group in Long''an City by phone. The group leader said that there was indeed a person named Ling Shuangshuang who matched those characteristics. The group leader remembered that she had handed over the flowers to Luo Zuyu on the day that they weed him at the airport.


    After that, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong went to Ling Shuangshuang''s residence. They knocked on the door and no one answered. They found a locksmith to open the lock. The moment the door opened, the locksmith eximed, "Aiya, my mother!". There was a pool of blood on the living room floor.


    Lin Dongxue gave Xu Xiaodong a nce and entered the house holding her gun with him. They found a female body in the bathroom.


    Xu Xiaodong was startled and said, "I¡¯ll call for back-up."


    "There¡¯s nobody else in the team!"


    "Then... Do we both have to check the body ourselves then?¡±


    "Did you bring gloves?"


    "No."


    "Go to the kitchen to see if you can find rubber gloves."


    Xu Xiaodong found two pairs of stic gloves. Lin Dongxue began to examine the female body after putting them on. The female body was damp. The corpse seemed to have been washed with water and her face was corroded beyond recognition by something acidic.


    Of course, Lin Dongxue wasn¡¯t well-versed in forensic pathology. Shepared the female corpse''s feet with her hand and said, "Her feet are bigger than mine. Definitely bigger than size 34... Looking at the skin, she doesn¡¯t seem to match the age bracket either. Is this Ling Shuangshuang''s home?"


    "I just saw Luo Zuyu''s photos and newspaper clippings all over the wall. The owner of the property is a typical groupie.¡±


    Lin Dongxue picked up the female corpse''s hand and found that her palm was rough and covered with old calluses. She suddenly had a frightening thought. "This... This wouldn¡¯t be the missing female cleaner, right?!"


    "Why did they leave the corpse here?"


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "I''ll take some photos first."


    Without a camera, she could only use a mobile phone. She carefully photographed every detail. Xu Xiaodong inspected the house. There was only a pool of blood in the living room, but the bedroom had been ransacked, as if something had been taken away.


    The locksmith was still standing at the door and asked weakly, "Officers, can I go now?"


    "Oh, you can go. By the way, don¡¯t speak carelessly about this matter outside."


    When the locksmith left, a girl happened toe upstairs. She nced at Xu Xiaodong a few times, walked up to the floor above, came back and then went back down the stairs. Xu Xiaodong found it a bit suspicious and stopped her. "Who are you looking for?"


    "I... I went to the wrong ce."


    "Don''t be afraid. We¡¯re the police." Xu Xiaodong showed her his credentials.


    "You really are the police!" The girl said in surprise. "Did something happen to Shuangshuang?"


    "You are..."


    "I''m her friend. I haven''t been able to contact her for a few days. I was a little worried, so I came to have a look... I just saw you standing at the door and thought that you were a bad person. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t dare toe over.¡±


    Lin Dongxue came out and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    The girl said, "Elder Sister, are you also a police officer?"


    "Yes!" Lin Dongxue blocked her view and prevented her from seeing the blood stains on the floor of the living room. "We want to find out some things from you. Let''s go to another ce to talk!"


    "Okay... Okay."


    Lin Dongxue told Xu Xiaodong to go down with her first and locked the door herself. She left the scene to Chen Shi. After all, she couldn¡¯t handle it herself.


    The three found a pavilion in the neighborhood to sit down in. The girl asked, "What exactly happened to Shuangshuang?"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "When was thest time you were able to contact her?"


    "Can''t you tell me first? I care about her very much!"


    "You need to tell me first. I''ll tell you after you finish, okay?"


    The girl epted this condition and showed them her mobile phone. Ling Shuangshuang''sst WeChat message was sent at 8:00 PM on July 14th. There was a photo in it. A man in a ck sweater was driving but his face wasn¡¯t captured in the photo. They could tell from the photo that the person had a good physique and was driving a nice car.


    The girl asked in WeChat, "Who¡¯s that? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve be some rich man¡¯s mistress?"


    Ling Shuangshuang replied, "Hehe, I¡¯ll reveal his identityter."


    "Tch, you need to keep it confidential even from me? Let''s sever all ties with each other!"


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll give you a hint, his initials are NS."


    "NS? Who¡¯s that?!"


    "Stupid, think about it again."


    After that, the two didn''t talk again. The girl sent a lot of messages asking, "Are you there?" but Ling Shuangshuang didn''t reply. Lin Dongxue thought, "NS? Nansen? Boys? Male god[1]?!"


    "Yes, male god! It must mean that!" Xu Xiaodong agreed.


    "Police Elder Sister, who is it? Is Shuangshuang missing? Or has she been..." She covered her mouth in shock.


    Since she had agreed beforehand, Lin Dongxue told her, "She was killed."


    The girl turned pale in fright. "Was... Was it the person in the photo who did it?"


    "We are still investigating. Please send this photo to me and don''t talk about this carelessly before the case is solved."


    "Okay, I know. Please get justice for her," the girl said sadly.


    After getting the photo, the two of them gave the girl a lift. Then they returned to the bureau and pushed open the door of the office. Chen Shi was actually watching a TV program and recording things down in a small notebook while watching.


    Lin Dongxue stepped forward and smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re so rxed. You¡¯re actually watching TV?!"


    1. Super popr guys.

 Chapter 421: Exposing the Psychology

    <h4>Chapter 421: Exposing the Psychology</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi took off his headset. "I was watching Luo Zuyu''s interviews over the years and there were some small discoveries."


    He found a video and dragged it to the middle. The host asked, "Zuyu, congrattions on your new song making the Chinese charts again. Some viewers want to ask how your creative inspiration never dries up."


    Luo Zuyu answered with a smile, "Every time I write a new song, I will experience that feeling with all of my heart. Of course, it doesn''t mean that I¡¯m really falling in love! I¡¯ve seen a foreign movie. I think it was filmed by a director from Find or Spain. The male lead had an enemy that he wanted to kill very much. He just made a dummy at home and kept ¡®killing it¡¯ with a knife. You only experience that kind of feeling when you put yourself in a simr situation."


    After watching this interview, Chen Shi asked, "What do you feel about this?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "If you didn''t know his background, you may think that he was just making an analogy. Now that we know, I feel that there are hidden meanings."


    "Look at the next part."


    This video was a recently-recorded variety show. In fact, Lin Dongxue had watched it at Chen Shi ¡¯s house. The host asked, "Some people say that every time you write a song, you fall in love. Is that true, Mr. Luo?"


    "No, creation does require experience, but this experience is not a 100% recreation. It''s like making the movie called A Nightmare on Elm Street. It¡¯s impossible for the director to have really gone out to kill people! When I create, I may take out some of the things that my former girlfriends gave me and look at them. I might take a look at some old photos and listen to CDs and the like. It¡¯s not like I really go out and fall in love in order to write each song."


    Chen Shi pressed the pause button andughed. "This wasn¡¯t the only time. He mentions the word ¡®kill¡¯ in a lot of interviews about new song releases. This is self-disclosure psychology[1]. For example, Xiaodong, I am your father..."


    ¡°Huh?!" Xu Xiaodong looked nk.


    "I am your biological father, but your father doesn¡¯t know about this..."


    "What, I still have a father? What ethical rtionship is this?"


    "Don¡¯t go off on a tangent. Say that I watched you grow up and knew that you are my son, but other people don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll disclose little bits of information during a conversation with others. For example, I¡¯ll say, ''Xiaodong is such a good boy. It would be nice if he is my son.¡¯ Others wouldn¡¯t feel that there¡¯s anything else implied, but when I say this sentence, I¡¯ll feel secret satisfaction. This is self-disclosure psychology."


    "Understood, it''s just that the example just now was a bit..."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I understand. You mean to say that Luo Zuyu''s murder is rted to his creation of new songs. Whether intentionally or not, he¡¯s proudly showing off on the show.¡±


    "You¡¯ve got a good understanding of it!" Chen Shi opened the book. "I checked the timing of each murder case rted to him and found that they all happened right before he released a new song. I couldn''t help but make a bold guess that he killed them to gain creative inspiration!"


    "Killing someone to write a song!" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "This may be rted to his childhood trauma. When I watched his interviews, I noticed that his descriptions of his childhood were contradictory and ambiguous. His childhood was probably not very happy. Or perhaps he grew up in an environment with domestic violence. He¡¯s a serial killer. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s a serial killer with talents in music creation. He also had a brother and sister-inw who became famous early and have sessful careers. That¡¯s why he went on-stage and became a star."


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were silent for a long time. Xu Xiaodong said, "Such a person can actually be a star! There are so many fans who idolize him as well! How unbelievable."


    Chen Shi picked up a deep-fried dough twist[2] from the bag on the table and started chewing on it. "What did you guys find?"


    "A corpse."


    "Really?!"


    "The crime scene hasn¡¯t been touched and is waiting for your reexamination."


    "Okay, well done. Let''s go now... Xiaodong, do you know how to analyze audio samples?"


    Xu Xiaodong scratched his head, "No!"


    "Then take Luo Zuyu''s hottest songs and get therades at the information department to help. Include the unreleased one in the USB sh drive."


    "Why do we need to analyze these?"


    "What do you think?"


    Xu Xiaodong didn''t understand but Lin Dongxue reacted, "Do you suspect that there¡¯s evidence in his songs?"


    "Look, he¡¯s participated in the arrangement of every song. I can''t help but wonder if he added ''materials'' to the arrangements. As a serial killer, intentionally or not, he¡¯d want to showcase his ¡®work¡¯. If this serial killer happens to be a star, what would be more satisfying than having the voice of the dead being stuffed into a song to be sung by tens of thousands of people?"


    While Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were on their way to Ling Shuangshuang''s house, they yed Luo Zuyu''s famous song "ck Farewell" that had shot him into stardom. "The roses are withered like blood. You chose to leave without saying goodbye. Your warmth lingers on my fingertips. The farewell was as sharp as a dagger..."


    Lin Dongxue listened to the song quietly. When it finished ying, she said, "Now when I hear the lyrics, it sounds like this scene depicting a brutal breakup really has an undercurrent of murder."


    "Love and murder are essentially the same with both being strong feelings. They have many simrities. Possessing, seizing, and mingling!"


    "Is your love for me strong like murder as well?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I think it''s more like friendship. The best of friends... Love is aplicated emotion. Human emotions are just like cocktails withplicated blend of ingredients, only they have beenbeled differently."


    "So, I¡¯ve already reced Captain Peng¡¯s position in your heart?"


    "Uh..."


    "You actually hesitated!" Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi''s forehead.


    "Let¡¯s listen to the songs."


    The two continued to listen to Luo Zuyu''s other songs. Chen Shi found that the more recent the songs were, the more subtle the lyrics were. Perhaps Luo Zuyu had several encounters with the police. He realized that being too obvious would result in people paying attention to him. He no longer brazenly showed off what was in his heart.


    An hourter, they arrived at Ling Shuangshuang''s house. She had locked the door before she left earlier. Lin Dongxue said, "I''m going to find a locksmith."


    "No need!" Chen Shi took out his unlocking tools, which were actually just two polished ear pickers. The lock was easily opened. He thought that this skill didn¡¯t have to be hidden anymore. It¡¯d be more convenient to handle cases in the future like this.


    "You... How do you know how to pick locks?"


    "I''m so smart, can''t I have learned it?" Chen Shi smiled. "I¡¯ll teach youter on."


    "Speaking of lock-picking, my brother knows how to do it as well. I have always wondered why such a stiff and proper man knows how to pick locks. I wonder who taught him."


    "It definitely wasn¡¯t me!" Chen Shi pushed open the door. "Please go in!"


    1. I couldn¡¯t actually research what the correct terminology for this is, so hopefully you can just infer from the exnation below.


    2. They look like this: https://i.pinimg/474x/45/ea/ac/45eaacfa6c2c75bb6b16c1e1992a8435--twisty-snacks-recipes.jpg

 Chapter 422: The Scream in the Song

    <h4>Chapter 422: The Scream in the Song</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After entering the house, Chen Shi turned on all the lights. He checked around the blood stains and said, "This blood wasn¡¯t sprayed out. It should have been leaked out. There are traces of dragging on the ground, so the body should have been moved here from somewhere else."


    "They didn''t even clean up the blood?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Maybe they felt that it was unnecessary. After all, the corpse was left here!"


    "The bedroom was ransacked."


    "Let¡¯s go and see what¡¯s missing."


    Chen Shi went to the bedroom. There was aputer on the table. He dragged the CPU out and looked at it. The dust on it had been wiped off. He picked up the CPU to gauge its weight and then pressed the power button. However, theputer couldn¡¯t be turned on.


    "The hard drive was taken away. There may have been chat records and the like."


    "But when I came here with Xiaodong earlier, we were lucky to meet a friend of Ling Shuangshuang and got some chat records from her."


    "Let me have a look!"


    Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue''s mobile phone and looked at the screenshot of the chat record as well as the photo. Luo Zuyu''s face wasn¡¯t shown in the photo. Based on what was visible behind the car window, it looked like a parking lot. From the car¡¯s interior, they could more or less figure out the car model.


    He praised, "Very valuable evidence!"


    The bedroom drawers were all opened. Chen Shi found several different types of power cords in a drawer. However, the electronic equipment in the house only consisted of aputer with the hard drive removed and a digital camera.


    Chen Shi suspected that the gang had seized Ling Shuangshuang''s tablet,ptop, etc. to prevent leaving any evidence behind. They were indeed cautious.


    "How did this female fan contact Luo Zuyu?" Chen Shi wondered.


    "Maybe it''s a message via Weibo or she might have written her number down on the packaging of the flowers. ording to her friend, Ling Shuangshuang was the one to hand over the flowers when they weed him at the airport."


    "You should contact Weibo officiallyter to see if you can find Ling Shuangshuang''s chat history."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll note it down."


    Then the two went to the bathroom. Chen Shi put on gloves and squatted down to investigate. "The body had been cleaned and the back of the head was injured... There are some scratches on the body. There¡¯s no redness or swelling though, so they should have been left on the body after death. Maybe it happened when they moved the corpse."


    He carefully felt the bones of the corpse. The bones were intact. Then he checked the livor mortis[1] and pupils, saying, "The pupils arepletely clouded and adhering to the crystalline lenses. The livor mortis doesn¡¯t lose its color upon pressure and her back hasrge merged areas of vibices. This should have been caused by the transportation of the body. I can only estimate that the time of death happened more than two days ago. We have to let Old Peng check the body for a more urate result.


    Then he pried the drain cover open and retrieved all the hair and fibers inside as evidence.


    Chen Shi asked, "Has the identity been verified?"


    "No, but I¡¯m guessing that it is the female cleaner."


    "Take a photo."


    Chen Shi swept the hair off the face of the victim, raised her head and asked Lin Dongxue to take a photo. Meddling with a corpse in such a small and dim bathroom, Lin Dongxue was worried that the corpse would suddenly open her eyes. Horror movies had already imnted such fantasies deeply into her mind. As a result, it took her a few tries before she could capture a clear photo because her hands were shaking.


    Chen Shiforted her, "It''s a good thing to be afraid of corpses. It indicates that you respect death.¡±


    "Why aren¡¯t you afraid?"


    "I am afraid. If you asked me to stay with a body alone, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.¡±


    The body was as pale as paper and even her lips were no longer red. Lin Dongxue felt her heartstrings getting tugged. "She must have been killed by that gang. How unfortunate."


    "Yes. We¡¯ll avenge her... Go to the car to get a bag. We¡¯ll take the body away.¡±


    Fearing that Chen Shi would be uneasy staying there alone, Lin Dongxue rushed to grab a body bag and opened it up. The two of them moved the body together and put it into the bag. Then Chen Shi picked up the corpse in his arms and went out with Lin Dongxue.


    Finally, the body was moved to the car. The two went to the property management office and took a copy of the surveince video from the past few days. Currently, there wasn''t any extra manpower and time for them to investigate around the area, so they left.


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to go to the hotel to verify the identity and conveyed the body back to the bureau himself.


    Upon seeing the body, Peng Sijue said, "I can''t help you right now. I have other jobs on hand. You know there¡¯s a big case going on right now."


    "I didn''t expect that you would be able to help to begin with. I¡¯ll leave the corpse here with you for now!"


    "Wait..." Peng Sijue called on another forensic pathologist. "Little Zhou, make a preliminary evaluation of this body and then give the report to Old Chen."


    Chen Shi saw that Peng Sijue was wearing sterile clothing and had blood on his body. There were two bodies waiting to be dissected in the forensicboratory. He asked, "Who are those?"


    "Members of the underworld gang that were shotst night. It¡¯s said that the first gun has now been found. The murderer really mailed a dozen guns to strangers whom he didn¡¯t know."


    "You guys must have been exhausted over the past few days. I¡¯ll finish up on my side as soon as possible ande over to help you guys."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue also came back. She had confirmed the identity of the deceased with the hotel. It was truly the missing female cleaner. Chen Shi said, "Old Peng is already tied up by the gun mailing case. It¡¯s impossible for us topletely investigate the scene right now. To find evidence, we can only use the fastest way avable."


    "What¡¯s the fastest way?"


    Chen Shi pondered, "Actually, we all know that the whole group is collectively lying. Who do you think will be the weakest link?"


    "Luo Zuyu himself. He¡¯s irritable and naive."


    "I also thought of this. But Luo Zuyu isn¡¯t easy to approach. I think I can start with that female entertainer."


    "Should we go and find her now?"


    "It''s toote. We¡¯ll go tomorrow!"


    Xu Xiaodong ran in and said, "Hey, you guys are here? Listen to this."


    Xu Xiaodong inserted a USB sh drive into theputer, which contained an unrecognizable file and an instation package. After installing the audio analysis software, he loaded the file and said, "This is the new song that hasn¡¯t been released yet. The colleagues in the information department parsed out the audio tracks. I don¡¯t understand the specifics. But anyway, we can listen to it now. "


    On the screen, several audio tracks were disyed in a parallel format as voiceprints. It was very intuitive. Xu Xiaodong yed one of them, and a scream of a woman was heard.


    Although Chen Shi had expected it, he was still startled when he heard it on the spot. "Rey it!"


    Xu Xiaodong yed it again several times and Chen Shi said, "There¡¯s a sharp echo. It should have been recorded in a closed environment with smooth walls."


    "That should have been the bathroom... He actually added the victim¡¯s scream into the new song. He¡¯s truly a cold-blooded psycho." Lin Dongxue said in shock.


    "y the whole song again."


    Xu Xiaodong yed the whole song and the scream wasn¡¯t easy to make out spliced with the other sounds in the mix. In fact, there were many strange background sounds in the mix and it matched very naturally with the overall rhythm.


    Chen Shi said, "If this voice belongs to the victim, Ling Shuangshuang, then it¡¯s undoubtedly irond evidence to convict Luo Zuyu with!"


    1. Postmortem skin changes include livor mortis, vibices, Tardieu spots, and marbling. Livor mortis refers to the bluish-purple discoloration (lividity) under the skin of the lower body parts due to gravitation of blood after death. Onset of lividity, its location and color, provide information on the time and cause of death. Vibices are pale marks on a dead person''s skin that are caused by dermal pressure (e.g. marks around the neck from a rope). Dark pinpoint spots (Tardieu spots) are seen when capiries rupture due to increased gravitational pressure (e.g. in the legs of a hanged person). A prominent purple discoloration of subdermal vessels appearster in the process of dposition and leaves a marbling pattern. Not to be confused with rigor mortis.

 Chapter 423: The Only Hope

    <h4>Chapter 423: The Only Hope</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong to look for the colleagues in the information department again to see if they could find any clues from Luo Zuyu¡¯s other songs. The two went over and wheedled the information department, but everyone evaded them at all costs. In the end, a male police officer promised to help out with this "little favor¡± to give Lin Dongxue a bit of face. As a result, he sat in front of theputer for three hours, during which Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong stared at him from the side as if they were his supervisors.


    At 9:00 PM, Chen Shi went over carrying some food and asked, "How¡¯s it going?"


    The male police officer who had been tricked into doing overtime said, "Oh, Brother Chen, I really should get off work. My wife has already called me several times."


    "What song are you on?"


    "The fourth song."


    "We¡¯ll let you go after this song. Come. Would you like to eat wontons?"


    The male police officer sighed and continued to analyze the audio track on theputer. The information department¡¯s office was full ofputers, and there was a smell of the CPU overheating. Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "Why have you onlye now?"


    "Are you hungry?"


    "I¡¯m alright. I just ordered takeaway."


    "I just contacted Ling Shuangshuang''s friend and got part of her audio chat records to use as a sample."


    "It''s done!" The male police officer eximed. "You guys can use theputer. I really have to go."


    "Sorry!" Chen Shi pressed him back down. "Can you analyze another audio sample for me as well to see if it''s the same person?... Have some chocte!"


    The male police officer wailed. Under the supervision of the three, he had no choice but to take the USB drive in Chen Shi''s hands. Afterparing the voiceprints, he said, "It¡¯s the voice of the same person."


    "Could you write us a report that can be used as evidence?"


    "Brother Chen..."


    Chen Shi felt too ashamed to press further and said, "Okay then, you can go home!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯ll invite you to dinner another day!"


    The male police officer went away with a wry smile. Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯ve analyzed several songs. Two of which had some suspicious female voices, all of which had been processed."


    "It seems that this new song in our hands is just a demo, so the mixed portion hasn¡¯t been further processed... That¡¯s pretty lucky!" Chen Shi took a piece of paper from the table and scribbled on it. "This kid has added the screams of victims to his songs not just once or twice. How cocky can he get? I need you to check out these things again first. First, make sure that the singer is Luo Zuyu himself. Then go to the recording studio and confirm the original sources of this audio. Furthermore, find the owner of each scream. This is the only way to obtain valid evidence!¡±


    "This isn¡¯t a small workload. We¡¯ll have to beg for help again." Lin Dongxue shook her head helplessly with a smile.


    "You¡¯re born beautiful, so someone is bound to be willing to help... It''s getting prettyte. Let¡¯s get off work for the day.¡±


    The hard work was handed over to Xu Xiaodong. The next day, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to find the female entertainer. When she saw the police again, Su Xiaowei showed a little resistance and said, "I have already said everything that I needed to say. Why did youe to find me again?"


    Chen Shi opened the door to see the mountain.[1] "Miss Su, I don¡¯t think you told us the truth."


    "How funny. Why should I lie?"


    "Why do people lie? Of course, it¡¯s for their own benefit. Or it¡¯s to seek even more benefits and avoid harm. You and Luo Zuyu belong to the samepany. Luo Zuyu debuted over ten years ago, relying on his brother and sister-inw''sworks all the way to get by smoothly. You debuted almost ten years ago. Since you have an ordinary family background, you¡¯ve never had much of a presence and your career is neither here nor there. Mostizens don¡¯t even know your name... I guess that Luo Zuyu¡¯s sister-inw must have offered you a very tempting reward to make you agree to provide a false statement, right?"


    Su Xiaowei pursed her lips, raised her eyebrows slightly, and grasped her right arm tightly with her left hand. These small details didn¡¯t escape Chen Shi''s eyes. There was no doubt that she was very nervous at the moment.


    "This is just your spection. We¡¯re all entertainers in the samepany. It¡¯s normal to help each other."


    "What did you say? Help each other? What kind of help did you give?"


    Su Xiaowei was in a panic. "Of course,... Of course, it¡¯s telling the truth to the police. I did date him on the night of the 14th."


    "What clothes did he wear that night?"


    "A ck sweater, jeans and a beret cap."


    "Since you guys are dating, it seems that you must have known each other long ago. Can I see your private chat history with him then?"


    Su Xiaowei stared at Chen Shi and said, "No, Elder Sister Ji has told me before that my rtionship with Luo Zuyu must never be made public."


    "Is that so? Then how about going back to the public security bureau with us again?"


    Su Xiaowei bit her lip and didn''t speak. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Chen Shi stopped pressing her with questions. She was already at a delicate point. If she was provoked again, she would probably get angry.


    After an awkward silence, Su Xiaowei suggested that they should leave. "I still have a performance today. I¡¯ve already said everything that I can say. Please excuse me."


    "Okay, we''ll see youter then."


    After leaving Su Xiaowei''s house, Lin Dongxue said, "You gave up just like that?"


    "I¡¯m giving her some time to digest everything before I apply pressure again."


    "A female entertainer who is in her thirties and still has no achievements. In the face of such a deal, do you think she¡¯ll give up just like that?"


    "What if it was you?"


    Lin Dongxue thought about it, "Your views on people are too rational. She¡¯s a woman after all. Your method of persuasion needs to appeal more to her emotions."


    "Why don''t you do it then?"


    "Okay. First, I would need to know myself and know the enemy!"


    "Yes, you need to know yourself and the enemy before you can win the fight. We should first check all her recent call records. Her lies will copse automatically!"


    Lin Dongxue waspletely speechless and smiled bitterly, "I meant that I should get to know this female entertainer."


    "Let¡¯s go ahead with both methods!"


    The two returned to the bureau to start their investigation. The information about Su Xiaowei on the inte was very limited. Lin Dongxue learned from her household registration information that she was from a single-parent family. She was only admitted to the arts academy when she was 22 years old. It was obvious that she had met with a lot of frustration during her journey.


    Lin Dongxue was resting her cheek in her hand, thinking about how to convince Su Xiaowei when Chen Shi entered the office and chucked a pile of papers onto her desk. Lin Dongxue grabbed them with her hands in surprise and looked at them. "Where did you get these from?"


    "I found them with the help of my external help. Is this information enough?" Chen Shi took the water on the table and took a sip.


    The papers were full of bits and pieces of Su Xiaowei''s information. Lin Dongxue really admired him. Chen Shi said, "After checking her call records, we have two findings. First, she and Luo Zuyu were never acquainted with each other at all. Second, there was only one number fromst night to today that called her a few times. The other party was a director from a TV station. They are filming in the countryside today. We should set off now to find her as soon as she has a break at noon. When a person is full after lunch, their alertness is generally weaker. She¡¯ll be easier to persuade. Also, she¡¯ll have some free time then."


    "You really don¡¯t even waste a second of time." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Su Xiaowei is our only hope right now!"


    1. He asked in a very straightforward manner.

 Chapter 424: Convincing Su Xiaowei

    <h4>Chapter 424: Convincing Su Xiaowei</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two arrived at a newly-established film and television base[1] in the countryside. They ate their food directly in the car. The crew had bought out a "vige". However, the two had arrived a bit early and the crew was still filming.


    It seemed to be a period drama. Su Xiaowei, who still looked young and beautiful in the morning, was now ying a rustic peasant woman. She was filming a scene with another male actor. Lin Dongxue recognized the actor as one who was mildly famous. There were quite a few people at the scene, so nobody noticed the two of them sneaking in.


    The actor said passionately and vehemently, "12345678!"


    Su Xiaowei tugged his sleeve and said, "Xinmin, do you have to throw away your life? The Japanese have already reached Beiping. What difference does it make for you to go and fight the Japanese soldiers?"


    The actor responded, "12345678! 87654321!"


    Lin Dongxue giggled. "What are they filming?"


    Chen Shi exined, "They¡¯re probably going to do post-production dubbing!"


    At the peak of their argument, the actor pushed Su Xiaowei. She fell to the ground and then the actor helped her up in concern.


    The director said aloud, "Cut! The fall was too fake. Let''s do another one! Let''s start from the tugging of the sleeve."


    Once again, the director said ¡°Cut!¡± followed with, ¡°Do you know how to fall? You have to fall backwards with your buttnding on the ground! Your whole body has to lose it¡¯s bnce and you have tond with your butt on the ground to make it realistic.¡±


    A few people beside them wereughing. Su Xiaowei apologized with a blushing face.


    Then they filmed the scene again. Su Xiaowei fell very hard this time. After the shoot, the director said, "Very good. The expression was very good. Change to another angle and do another one."


    The staff immediately busied themselves with work. A group of people surrounded the actor to give him water and re-do his make-up. Su Xiaowei sat on the ground while still maintaining a painful expression on her face. It seemed that she was in real pain from falling.


    But no one in the busy group noticed her.


    "It''s really tough to film shows!" Lin Dongxue sighed sympathetically.


    Finally, they waited until noon when it was time for lunch. The actor''s assistant bought him lunch separately. He went back to his production van and ate there. Su Xiaowei took a takeaway box meal that was provided, thanked the crew, and found a secluded corner to sit and eat.


    Upon seeing this opportunity, Chen Shi signaled with his head and walked over with Lin Dongxue. When she saw that they hade to find her again, Su Xiaowei was visibly a little unhappy. She wiped the rice on her mouth away and said, "How did you find this ce?"


    "What can be hidden from the police?" Chen Shi handed her a bottle of water.


    Su Xiaowei said ¡°Thank you¡± in a small voice. Chen Shi said, "No need to rush, you can eat first!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Don¡¯t you have a manager and assistant?"


    "They didn''te today." Su Xiaowei lied,lowered her head and continued to eat.


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s too sunny here. You should go and eat in my car!"


    "N... No need."


    After the meal, Su Xiaowei said, "You came here in vain. I¡¯ve already said everything that I needed to. Unless you intend to ask me to make a false statement andmit perjury.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯ve checked yourmunication records. You and Luo Zuyu have no personal rtionship with each other at all. You two haven¡¯t cooperated in any films or variety shows before. Although you belong to the samepany, the two of you are like parallel railroad tracks and there¡¯ve been no intersections... I can¡¯t help but be suspicious of your date on the 14th.¡±


    "We..."


    Lin Dongxue interrupted her. "Actually, you know full well how important your lie is. It¡¯s Luo Zuyu¡¯s alibi. The bigger your lie, the bigger your burden! Let me show you a photo. This girl is six years younger than you. She was killed by Luo Zuyu on the evening of the 14th. The police know that the murderer was him, but there¡¯s no evidence, so we could only watch him leave the interrogation room! Of course, don¡¯t think that a few lies can block the police investigation. We have found out that he has more than one murder on his hands. Even if there¡¯s no witness, we will find physical evidence. The heaven¡¯s has wide meshes but nothing escapes it.[2]. He will have to pay the price one day... But you? You¡¯ll have to pay a painful price for perjury. What awaits you is the cmity of prison. However, you are not famous and would have to silently swallow the bitter wine that you have brewed yourself.[3] I know that you have an ordinary family background. In order to study at the arts academy, your mother even sold the house. You are different from people like Luo Zuyu. You can¡¯t climb up again after falling down. You won¡¯t go to prison more than a few years if youmit perjury. However, in your case, even if you just spent half a year in prison, would anyone be willing to let you take part in their shows?¡±


    Su Xiaowei lowered her head in order to cover up her tears.


    Lin Dongxue''s offensive tactic worked and Chen Shi secretly gave her a thumbs up. She continued, "Elder Sister, I don''t know what Ji Xingyao promised to give you, but whatever it is, it¡¯s not worth exchanging it in return for your conscience and future. In fact, you¡¯re still young. There are countless sessful stars in their thirties. You definitely have a chance, but the one in front of you is by no means the chance of your dreams. Those people are harming you. They are just using you for their own sake. The promise that they gave you is just a mirror-image of the moon in the water[4]. Once you swallow this bait, they will continue to use you in the future. Or they¡¯ll think that you know too much and try to get rid of you! I can tell you quite frankly that there is no key evidence held by the police. Your words are key evidence. The words that you say are very important to us. If you tell us now, you will help us a great deal and you won¡¯t be convicted. If you don¡¯t tell us, you won¡¯t have the chance to choose when we¡¯ve found tangible evidence.¡±


    Su Xiaowei cried. "I haven''t had a chance to star as the lead after being an performing artist for thest ten years. The agency has given me a few chances. But I was stupid and didn¡¯t take advantage of the opportunities. They gradually stopped taking me seriously. They invested their resources in those newly-debuted artists. I know that my aptitude for this is mediocre and my looks are average. I also know that I neither have the talent nor the background. This is the only time that the heavens opened a door for me. They said that they would use this opportunity to promote me, spreading gossip saying that I¡¯m Luo Zuyu¡¯s girlfriend. I¡¯ll be famous in this way and lots of film contracts and announcements wille to my door! If I don¡¯t take advantage of this, I might not have another chance for the rest of my life! I¡¯m currently ying a vige girl whose name nobody will remember. Ten yearster, I would y an aunt whose name nobody will remember. Twenty yearster, I would y an olddy whose name nobody will remember. I can¡¯t ept this! Everyone¡¯s human. Why can I only be obscure and unknown my whole life?!"


    Lin Dongxue grabbed her by the shoulder. "You believe that kind of lie? Luo Zuyu can barely save himself. When you pretend to be his girlfriend, the reputation that awaits you will only be an infamous one!¡±


    "Even if it''s being infamous, having a name which people will curse at, it¡¯s still being famous... I want to be famous!" Su Xiaowei cried.


    Chen Shi said, "Once Luo Zuyu¡¯s murder is exposed, it would definitely be a nuclear bomb. You will also be known by many people if you help the police. Do you not want such a positive chance to be famous?"


    Su Xiaowei hesitated. "But... But if I betray Sister Ji, would she spare me?"


    "Did your contract say that you had tomit perjury for a murderer? When that timees, Ji Xingyao and Luo Zuyu will both go to court. Their strength is only an illusion. Thew is actually the most powerful!"


    Su Xiaowei widened her teary eyes and stated slowly, "On July 14th, I didn¡¯t see Luo Zuyu. Actually, he and I have never met in private!"


    1. They have ¡°streets¡± set up for filming different films.


    2. Idiom from Chinese philosopher Lao Zi meaning that you can¡¯t run from the long arm of thew.


    3. Suffer the consequences of her own actions.


    4. Not necessarily real.

 Chapter 425: Formal Arrest

    <h4>Chapter 425: Formal Arrest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Su Xiaowei was finally willing to talk. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were very pleased. Chen Shi took out his phone and opened the recording app. "Tell us what happened in detail."


    "It¡¯s like this... I got a call from Sister Ji early on the 15th. She invited me to a meal. I was naturally shocked and ttered. I arrived for the appointment before noon. Sister Ji said a lot of things about my current situation, causing me to be quite ashamed. Then, she said that she wanted to promote me and make me the rumored girlfriend of Luo Zuyu. Naturally, I was very happy when I heard about it, but I didn¡¯t know why I was chosen. Thepany had countless actresses that were more excellent and more famous than me. Sister Ji exined that she mainly wanted to create a wave of interest for Luo Zuyu''s new album. It would increase the exposure for me as a side-effect. On the evening of the 15th, I was called out again. Luo Zuyu and I were photographed in a parking lot!"


    "Were those the photos that the paparazzi posted online?" Lin Dongxue interrupted and asked her.


    "Correct!" Su Xiaowei nodded. "We only took a few photos before Luo Zuyu left. We didn''t even talk. He didn''t seem to be well-rested. He yawned the whole time. He took some rest in his car after taking the photos. Then Sister Ji gave me a piece of paper with the whole process of our supposed date. It detailed what we said, what we did, where we went, and what clothes we were supposed to be wearing. It mentioned the time period of our date as well. Sister Ji emphasized that this ''script'' must be memorizedpletely without any errors, as if it really happened. I was also told to remember that the time of the date was on the evening of July 14th. No matter who asked, I had to say it that way.¡±


    "Sister Ji said that as long as Ipleted this task with a wless performance, I¡¯d be able to star as the leading actress in thepany¡¯s new film. The words she said to me at the time left a deep impression on me. She said to me, ''Xiaowei, your resume and acting are all there. You¡¯re just a step away from bing famous. As long as you¡¯re obedient, I guarantee that you will be a well-known third-tier star within three years. After that, you can continue working hard yourself. Bing a first-tier star might be attainable too!''¡±


    "After heading back, I worked hard to memorize the ¡®script¡¯. It was a blessing dropped from the heavens. But I was a bit suspicious. To suddenly be so good to me, did they have other intentions? Later, the police came to me and talked about an alibi. I realized at once that I wasmitting perjury. I was very scared and called Sister Ji, but she never answered... I naturally dared not disobey her, so I could only continue acting!¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged a surprised look with each other. Ji Xingyao''s arrangement was very detailed.


    Chen Shi asked, "Is the ¡®script¡¯ in your hands?"


    "It is!"


    "Can you give it to uster?"


    "Yes! But... If I came out to testify, I¡¯m afraid that Sister Ji would take revenge on me afterwards. You guys have to protect me!"


    Chen Shi ended the recording and said, "She won''t be able to take revenge on you afterwards, because what you hold is the switch that will consign them forever to doom! They¡¯re afraid of you. You shouldn¡¯t be afraid of them!"


    Su Xiaowei nodded and Chen Shi asked again, "Since you weren¡¯t with Luo Zuyu that day, where were you?"


    She pointed at the director, who was far away. "I was having a meal with the director and the producer that day."


    "Having a meal?"


    She smiled bitterly. "Us supporting actresses who are decent to look at and aren¡¯t famous are often called upon to attend dinner parties apanying the producing team to eat or to do other things... Of course no one forces you, but if you don''t do it, you might not be able to take part in the next show. Or they may give your role to someone else halfway through. Or cut the footage that you appear in as much as possible. Except for those second-generation stars with excellent backgrounds, it is basically impossible for ordinary actresses who want to be in the entertainment circle to stay innocent.¡±


    Chen Shi didn''t really care about this. He asked, "What time did the meal end?"


    "It ended at 10:00. I went home alone by car."


    Chen Shi asked about some more details. Afterwards, he would verify them one by one and he made sure that he had asked everything. He said, "You¡¯ll say the words that you¡¯ve said today again at the bureau or at the courts another day and not go back on your word, right?¡±


    "The words are already spoken. I won''t go back on them. It¡¯s just..."


    "Rx, when this incident gets exposed, you¡¯ll definitely be interviewed by many reporters!"


    "Thank you!"


    The two said goodbye to Su Xiaowei. Lin Dongxue said, "I said all that, but in the end, your one sentence was the one that touched her. Sure enough, people are moved by self-interest."


    "No, if it weren''t for your incitement that caused her to reveal her weaknesses, my sugar-coated pills wouldn¡¯t have been able to be fed to her.¡±


    "Sugar-coated pills? You mean that even if it¡¯s exposed, she won''t be famous?"


    Chen Shi nced back at Su Xiaowei who was putting on makeup. "It''s hard! Things on the Inte will be easily forgotten in a few days. Exposure causes fame? It''s just a screenwriter¡¯s fantasy. The most important thing is to keep her from going to prison and letting her keep her bottom line.¡±


    "What''s next?"


    "The key evidence is in hand now. It''s almost time to attack!"


    On July 20th, Lin Dongxue found Lin Qiupu with the newly collected evidence in hand and asked him to apply for an arrest warrant for Luo Zuyu from the procuratorate. Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t expect that they would find so many new clues with just three people. He browsed through the evidence once again. "The evidence in hand should be enough to apply for an arrest warrant, but there isn¡¯t direct evidence for him to be convicted. I¡¯m worried that even if he¡¯s arrested, he wouldn¡¯t be convicted in court."


    "Captain Lin, we can only rely on the suspect¡¯s confession.¡±


    "It''s very risky. What if he refuses to confess even if you beat him to death?"


    "Then we¡¯ll have to beat him to death again!" Lin Dongxue said confidently.


    Lin Qiupu smiled, "OK, I¡¯ll apply for it for you!"


    After a day¡¯s worth of grueling waiting, the arrest warrant with the official seal from the procuratorate finally arrived. Lin Dongxue was very happy. Although it was already dark at the time, she couldn¡¯t wait for the next day and immediately called Chen Shi.


    When Chen Shi arrived, there was a stranger in his car. The man said excitedly when he got out of the car, "Wow, there are police officers this beautiful? I¡¯ve already thought of a title. ¡®Beautiful Police Flower Captures Murderous Star.¡¯ It¡¯s going to be absolutely sensational!"


    "Who¡¯s this?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.


    "He¡¯s a reporter!" Chen Shi said.


    "You called a reporter?"


    The reporter grinned. "Our colleagues are already lying in ambush at the hotel. It¡¯s all thanks to Mr. Chen who said he would provide us with this big news. To be honest, I couldn''t believe it at first. Luo Zuyu murdering people? God, the whole world would be talking about it... I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Li. This is my business card."


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t take his card and looked at Chen Shi in surprise. He had actually called the reporters without letting them know first.


    Chen Shi said, "We should take action first. We can''t be so passive. When the first news headlinees out, Luo Zuyu and his team will be bombarded by city reporters... No, reporters from all over the country will be bombarding them and restricting their actions. Only in this way can we be in control of the situation... Reporter, don¡¯t forget the conditions that we¡¯ve discussed in advance."


    "I know! Only report the suspects, not those who are on the police¡¯s side... I''m curious though. Why don''t you want such a good chance for fame?"


    Chen Shi said with a smile. "Police being famous isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. Let''s go!"


    Lin Dongxue was also speechless. After thinking about it though, Chen Shi¡¯s tactic wasn¡¯t bad. They were indeed too passive when they could only react to the other party¡¯s moves.


    Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi, Xu Xiaodong and the reporter were about to set off when Lin Qiupu came out and said, "Stay there! Don¡¯t do anything nonsensical!"


    "What''s wrong, Captain Lin?" Lin Dongxue thought that he was going to stop them.


    "Three people driving over in a taxi to arrest him? Are you joking? Since there¡¯s already a reporter, there¡¯s no need to be low-key anymore. I¡¯ll send a few more police cars along. You guyse back, change into your police uniforms and wear your guns. Bring him back in an impressive manner!"


    Lin Dongxue saluted happily. "Yes, sir!"


    After a while, several police cars came out of the garage with all the police car lights turned on. Lin Dongxue, who rarely wore her police uniform, put on an ironed police uniform, coiled her hair up and put on a ck police brimmed hat. She stood in front of Chen Shi and he thought she looked even more beautiful.


    Chen Shi leaned on the car to look at Lin Dongxue''s slender and graceful figure. "You look better in police uniform than in other clothes. Why don''t you normally wear it?"


    "I''m afraid that I¡¯d get it dirty. It¡¯s troublesome to wash. In addition, I feel too formal when I put it on."


    Chen Shi blinked and whispered, "When the case is over, wear the police uniform at home and we can have fun doing role-ying."


    "Get lost. You dirty-minded guy!¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, "Let¡¯s go." Then he turned to look at Chen Shi and frowned. "You shouldn¡¯t go."


    "Do you mind that my clothes don¡¯t fit in with the rest of you? You can always temporarily lend me a set. Then I can pretend to be a police officer! My manly face would look so much better in the uniform than yours."


    "Get lost! Dressing so casually, if people didn¡¯t know, they¡¯ll think that you were the leader. Just wait for the good news here!¡±


    "Okay, good luck!"

 Chapter 426: The Coat of Lies

    <h4>Chapter 426: The Coat of Lies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When the police arrived at the hotel, Luo Zuyu was drinking and discussing things with several people in the entertainment circle as well as Ji Xingyao. Lin Qiupu entered the room without hesitation and disyed the arrest warrant. "Mr. Luo, you need toe with us!"


    Luo Zuyu held a bottle of wine with one hand and a cigar in his other hand. He raised his head scornfully from where he sat on the sofa. "Sir, we have to drink tea again? Is there anything that you can''t talk about here?" Then he smiled and exined to his friends, "I broke a railing while driving two days ago and the police keep pestering me.¡±


    The table of peopleughed with him and the police officers looked at them coldly. Lin Dongxue said, "Please look at this clearly. This is an arrest warrant. We suspect that you¡¯re rted to the murder of a female groupie."


    "What female groupie? I never sleep with fans, unless she¡¯s as beautiful as you." Luo Zuyu raised his eyelids slowly, looking Lin Dongxue up and down.


    "Zuyu!" Ji Xingyao reminded and said to other people, "It seems that there must be some misunderstanding. Sorry, I¡¯ll give you all a call when wee back."


    Everyone got up tactfully and left. Luo Zuyu smiled and said goodbye. As soon as the door closed, his attitude immediately changed. He stood up and yelled at Lin Qiupu, "Are you done? You keep watching me all day long. Do you have nothing else to do? My time is precious! Do you think that I¡¯m like you, earning only thousands of dors a month?"


    Lin Qiupu gestured to the police officers to handcuff him. Luo Zuyu pulled the arrest warrant from his hand, jumped over the sofa like a monkey, tore the arrest warrant up and threw it into the fish tank. Heughed loudly, "It¡¯s gone. Now you don¡¯t have an arrest warrant. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    "Do you want to resist arrest?!" Lin Qiupu growled.


    "Fuck your mum! If you force me again, I¡¯ll jump down. If I say that I will, I would definitely follow through. Let¡¯s see who will be able to bear the responsibility?!" Luo Zuyu acted as if he was about to rush towards the window with alcohol-fueled bravado. Immediately, two officers ran over and held him down. He shouted, "Let go, dickheads! Be careful, I¡¯ll sue you!"


    The policemen looked at his disgraceful behavior coldly, and Ji Xingyao said, "I¡¯m now contacting awyer. Before thewyer arrives, you will not be allowed to start the interrogation."


    "Go ahead! Take him away!"


    Several police cars brought them back into the bureau and Ji Xingyao reminded him, "Don''t say anything before thewyeres!"


    Luo Zuyu smiled and said, "Rx, Sister-in-Law. I still want to eat supper after this is over!"


    Chen Shi looked at Luo Zuyu, who was being taken away, from the side and said to Lin Dongxue, "He¡¯s acting so arrogantly?"


    "He¡¯s drunk! How hateful!" Lin Dongxue said disgustedly.


    Lin Qiupu said, "We¡¯ve brought him back. The interrogation will be handed over to you guys. I have other things I need to do... Can you guys handle it?"


    "I¡¯m 80% positive." Chen Shi said.


    Luo Zuyu was thrown into the interrogation room and he caused a ruckus inside. Ji Xingyao was making calls left and right by the door. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were calmly drinking tea in the office and waiting.


    Xu Xiaodong rushed in and said, "Thewyer is here!"


    "Let¡¯s go!" Chen Shi said spiritedly.


    It was the samewyer who camest time. Chen Shi had already investigated him earlier. Thiswyer was the most expensive privatewyer in the city. After he sat down, he asked, "Have you sobered up?"


    Luo Zuyu leaned back in his chair and said disdainfully, "If you have farts, hurry and let them out. I need to go back and rest.¡±


    Lin Dongxue mmed the table. "Where do you think you are?! Watch what you say."


    "Officer, please don''t intimidate my client." Thewyer reminded her.


    Chen Shi signaled Lin Dongxue with his eyes not to be agitated. If this kid wanted to be arrogant, they should let him be arrogant. He wouldn¡¯t be able to be arrogant anymore after that night.


    Chen Shi said, "You said previously that on the evening of July 14th, you were dating the female entertainer in yourpany, Su Xiaowei, near Yansha Square."


    Thewyer answered on his behalf. "This question has been repeatedly asked and the answer confirmed previously."


    "I still want to confirm it again today. What time did the date begin?"


    Luo Zuyu gestured to thewyer not to speak and said slowly, "I drove to her house to pick her up at 7:00."


    "What was she wearing?"


    "Blue Armani dress, ck jacket, and she was carrying a brown Gi bag."


    "When you met her, did you praise her on her clothes?"


    "Yes, I said that her outfit suited her well." Luo Zuyu looked a little irritated, but he answered very smoothly.


    "What did she say?"


    "She said that I was also dressed very dashingly that day."


    "And then?"


    "I asked her if she wanted to eat. She said that she had already eaten and wanted to go for a ride."


    "And then?"


    "We talked about filming in the car. She was taking part in a new show recently called Divine Eagle 1944, a WWII anti-Japanese drama."


    "She asked if you wanted to make a guest appearance?"


    "Yes. I said that I''ve been busy working on a new album recently.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled and picked up a piece of paper. "How interesting. All the words that you just said were all written on this piece of paper. Everything was exactly the same!"


    Luo Zuyu looked as if he was pped and thewyer asked, "Is that evidence?"


    "This is what we got from Su Xiaowei. Su Xiaowei and Ji Xingyao¡¯s fingerprints are on it. At the same time, we also have Su Xiaowei''s statement which proves that she was actually somewhere else on July 14th. The date was definitely fictitious. How do you exin this?!"


    Thewyer took the paper to have a look and it could be seen that thewyer was very flustered and kept exchanging his opinions with Luo Zuyu.


    Lin Dongxue threw another bombshell out without missing a beat. "The photos posted by the paparazzi online have been confirmed to have been taken on the evening of the 15th. We have already found four to five eyewitnesses, as well as physical and documented evidence. Your alibi ispletely fake! If you didn''t do anything wrong, why would you fake an alibi the day after the murder?¡±


    Luo Zuyu held his own hand tightly. Thewyer said, "You also know that my client is a public figure. Some things regarding public figures are not very easy to exin. They asionally fake things and put on a show. It¡¯s very normal."


    "Do you think that this reason would be epted in court?"


    Thewyer pondered for a moment and said, "Even though he has no alibi, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯smitted murder. There¡¯s no absolute rtionship between the two. I have no alibi for the 14th of July either. Why don''t you suspect me then? My client was afraid of being misunderstood by the police, so he faked his alibi. After all, as a public figure, being linked to such matters would greatly damage his reputation. It¡¯s a pardonable offence.¡±


    "Lawyer Liu, are you awyer or a contestant on a debate team? Even if it¡¯s a debate, sophistry like this wouldn¡¯t be used. You would have dealt with many criminal cases, so why don¡¯t you tell me something? The crime scene was in his room and the body was handled by him and Ji Xingyao. Adding the hotel surveince, what would the court¡¯s judgement be? I forgot to talk about the surveince. Since your alibi doesn¡¯t hold, who might the person who walked out of the room at 11:00 be?"


    Luo Zuyu gritted his teeth tightly. Thewyer whispered a few words to him and then said, "Excuse me for a while!"


    He ran out to find Ji Xingyao and Lin Dongxue whispered with a smile, "Thewyer can''t deal with it any longer and wants to change the direction of the defense."


    "They can go ahead. Surely they can¡¯t show a report saying that Luo Zuyu has mental illness!"


    There was silence in the interrogation room temporarily. Chen Shi stared at Luo Zuyu. He was a little afraid of Chen Shi¡¯s gaze and lowered his head. Chen Shi saw that his legs were shaking. This kid was already feeling nervous.


    The coat of lies finally had its corner torn apart. It was time to see his true nature!

 Chapter 427: Bloodthirsty Muse

    <h4>Chapter 427: Bloodthirsty Muse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It took around twenty minutes for thewyer toe back. During this time, Lin Dongxue wanted to ask Luo Zuyu while he was alone countless times, but she resisted her urges. With victory in reach, they couldn¡¯t let down their guard carelessly and disy any weaknesses to the other party.


    After thewyer came back, he whispered with Luo Zuyu. They could see that Luo Zuyu was very annoyed and kept saying, "What''s the use of calling you over here!", "Isn¡¯t that pushing me into the fire pit?"


    "Have you finished talking?" Chen Shi looked at his watch. It was already nine o''clock. "Let''s continue!"


    "Go ahead and ask!"


    "I''ll ask you this first: Have you had any contact with the deceased, Ling Shuangshuang?"


    "No!" Luo Zuyu gritted his teeth.


    "Then why does she have this photo on her mobile phone?" Chen Shi took out the second piece of evidence. It was the photo that had been secretly taken by Ling Shuangshuang.


    Thewyer was quite panicked after seeing it. Luo Zuyu was even more nervous than him. Chen Shi took a sip of water and said, "This is only part of the evidence found on her mobile phone. How can you exin this?"


    "The person in the picture isn¡¯t me!" Luo Zuyu said.


    Obviously, there was no way to retreat, but he still resisted. Lin Dongxue was so angry that she just wanted tough. She said, "You can continue to lie! If we didn¡¯t haveplete evidence, why would we be able to obtain an arrest warrant? What you are saying now will only aggravate your sins. It¡¯s meaningless!"


    Chen Shi said, "We still have decisive evidence in hand. When we reveal it, you¡¯ll have no chance to atone for your sins by cooperating with us."


    Thewyer wiped the cold sweat off his face with a handkerchief and exchanged his opinions with Luo Zuyu in a low voice. Luo Zuyu''s fists were clenched tightly. They could tell that he was on the edge of a breakdown. He just needed to have a little pressure applied before his mental state would copse.


    Chen Shi said, "Did you mix the sounds in your song yourself?"


    Luo Zuyu was terrified. His face was covered with cold sweat and his lips were quivering. Thewyer asked, "What''s wrong? What sound mixing? What is this about? If you don¡¯t tell me, how can I help you?!¡±


    "Shut up!" Luo Zuyu shouted and punched thewyer in the face. "What have you helped me with, useless trash? How did the police get these things?!"


    Lin Dongxue wanted to stand up and block him but was stopped by Chen Shi. Thewyer''s cheeks swelled up. For the sake of money, he tolerated it. He straightened his sses with a wronged expression. ¡°Can you please calm down? We need to think of something together.¡±


    "Think of something... What can you think of?!" Luo Zuyu shouted irritably. "I was the one who killed her!"


    As soon as this sentence was shouted out, the interrogation room fell into a silence. Only the slight sound of the recorder persisted. Lin Dongxue held her fist in triumph since they had sessfully pried his mouth open!


    The despair on thewyer''s face was hard to describe, but he still tried to defend Luo Zuyu. "This sentence doesn¡¯t count. Before evidence is produced, even if it¡¯s a statement made by the client-¡°


    "I killed her! I killed her! What can you do to me?! Hahahaha!" Luo Zuyu shouted. He had revealed his true face, and every time he shouted, thewyer''s face became even paler. He knew that the situation was hopeless.[1].


    "How did you kill her?" Chen Shi asked.


    Luo Zuyu looked at him sullenly. "I injected her with drugs and then cut open her blood vessels. I let her lie in the bathroom. While she was bleeding, I made love with her..." A morbid smile appeared on his face as if he was recalling that night.


    "That wasn¡¯t the first time, right? Killing one person and killing ten people are the same. You don''t have to cover it up anymore."


    "Yes, I killed many people. All women!" Luo Zuyu disyed a twisted smile.


    "No!" Thewyer shouted in despair, but it was toote.


    "You¡¯re a veteran. Why did you kill her?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Because... Because..." Luo Zuyu rubbed his hands together excitedly with his body trembling slightly. "Because every time I kill someone, I¡¯ll have inspiration for creation. No, murder is itself a work of art. Youmon people won¡¯t understand! The young and beautiful bodies were cut up by me with a knife and died slowly with smiles on their faces. That short-lived beauty is irreceable by anything in the world. I write this feeling into the songs. You wouldn¡¯t understand even if you listen to my songs. You guys think I¡¯m writing about love! Hahaha, love is like a dog¡¯s fart[2]. That is the voice of death. The most beautiful death in the world! Hahahaha!"


    His weak point was the arrogance in his bones. Even when confessing his crimes, Luo Zuyu took on a kind of pride, as if he was a murderous artist who was favored by God!


    Chen Shi said deliberately, "Although our positions are different, I can understand your frame of mind-"


    "You understand nothing!" Luo Zuyu shouted. His hair was wet with cold sweat and stuck to his pale forehead. "Youmon people who follow the boring rules of the world can never understand me... No one in the world can understand me... Real art is to break the rules of the world. What is thew? I am above everything! Beauty is justice!"


    Lin Dongxue was shocked by this morbid and psychotic confession, but Chen Shi knew that he was now in an excited state andpletely ignored all consequences. He purposefully assumed a humble position and asked as if he was enquiring something from a master, "Excuse me, when was the first time you killed someone?¡±


    Thewyer covered his face up with documents and leaned back on the chair, havingpletely given up on struggling.


    Luo Zuyu grinned. "It was a maid in my house. A pale and chubby woman. I was writing a song and participating in apetition back then. I was only 19 years old that year. That damn woman deserved to die. She had been tidying up the room and making lots of noise, so I had no peace. I strangled her with a fishing line. I watched her struggling and wriggling. I suddenly felt really excited and I did it with her body over and over again. When I got tired, Iy down on the floor. A beautiful song formed in my head. I quickly noted it down. I was crazed. I couldn''t find a pencil, so I dipped into the blood and wrote the song on her body like a sheet of music! Wow, you must have heard that song as well. Yes, it was the work that shot me to stardom. It was as beautiful as the sounds of nature... "


    "It was indeed the work of a genius!" Chen Shi praised and coaxed him to continue.


    Luo Zuyu looked up at the ceiling. His eyes seemed to be staring at the starry sky behind the roof. "Since then, I have gained faith. I had a God. A brutal, bloodthirsty muse. Whenever I took drugs, she¡¯d appear in my mind and tell me to offer her more sacrifices. She told me she¡¯d give me the best tunes! I couldn¡¯t control myself and killed the girls one by one. Of course, people like me who are famous, rich and handsome would have no shortage of women around me. There were countless female entertainers who wanted to be in a rtionship with me. There were lots of bone, meat and skin[3] that delivered themselves right to my doorstep. And there were female fans who would faint when they see me. In my opinion, God let theme to me so that I could choose them as sacrifices...¡±


    "One time, I killed a girl whom I liked very much. She was a senior at my school. I cried very sadly looking at her dead body, but I needed inspiration too much. That was my first Chinesenguage album, I had to produce the best work possible. The pressure around me was driving me crazy. I could only... I could only kill the person I loved and offer her as a sacrifice to my God!¡± Luo Zuyu burst into tears. He shouted, "I didn¡¯t kill those people! It¡¯s you guys! It''s you all who put me up on a pedestal as a genius singer, forcing me to write new songs every year. Music critics, listeners, media. You all drove me crazy! It''s you guys! It''s lonely at the top. Do you realize the sacrifices I had to make to get to where I am today? Do you guys understand? No one understands! No one understands me!"


    1. The author used a phrase that¡¯s used in war to describe losing an advantageous position and a future that had be hopeless.


    2. A phrase that¡¯s equivalent to ¡°bullshit¡±.


    3. Chinese for ¡°groupies¡± i.e. people who long to sleep with celebrities.

 Chapter 428: The Storm is Coming

    <h4>Chapter 428: The Storm is Coming</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Ji Xingyao saw Luo Zuyu confessing to his crimes through the monitor outside and knew that they had lost their battle. She slumped down in a chair.


    For four full hours, Luo Zuyu confessed to his crimes with a self-satisfied smile. Every time that he killed someone, he had no worries at all, because his brother, sister-inw and agency would help him smooth everything over and help him escape the police¡¯s investigations.


    With this illusory sense of security, his ego had be extremely inted. He wascent and viewed human lives like grass.


    "Even if these women were still alive, they would just get married; doing housework during the day and getting fucked at night. After a few years, they would be dry yellow-faced women[1]. Their lives are meaningless like most people... It was I who chose them as sacrifices and let them turn into famous songs that will be passed down through the ages. It is just like turning pitch-ck coal into sparkling diamonds. This sublimated their lives. Even if they have souls, they would thank me."


    Luo Zuyu ended his confession with these dark values. He had said all the words that had umted in his heart for a long time in one breath and he seemed very tired.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi said, "¡®Sublimated their lives¡¯. You actually dared to say that! Is it not you who relies on these songs that are popr all over the country to earn buckets of money and live avish life? What about those girls? Their families can only cry into their photos."


    "Art is like fire. It will burn everything. Real artists won¡¯t care about the life and death of others." Luo Zuyu grinned.


    There was no cure for this man whose sickness has reached his vitals. Chen Shi was toozy to refute him and just said, "I think that your future cellmates would be delighted to share a room with a big star!"


    Luo Zuyu was instantly pulled back towards reality. He shouted hysterically, "No, I want to withdraw my confession! I want to withdraw!"


    Thewyer, whose mind had been wandering for quite some time, suddenly sat up straight, as if grabbing onto a glimmer of hope. Lin Dongxue berated him, "The evidence is solid. Do you still want to deny it?"


    Luo Zuyu panicked and muttered for a long time, "I... I¡¯m sick. Yes, I have dual personalities. The one who killed people wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me! I don''t want to go to jail, not even for a day!"


    "You¡¯re trying to struggle even now? Is there a point?" Chen Shi asked coldly.


    Luo Zuyu cried, "I''m a big star! You can''t treat me like this. If I¡¯m in prison, who knows how many people would be sad... I don¡¯t live for myself, but for my hundreds of thousands of fans. You should think of them!¡±


    Thewyer echoed, "Yes, this case involves extremely extensive public influence and can¡¯t be dealt with hastily!"


    Chen Shi sneered. "Don''t think too much. When you kill and go to jail, in the eyes of others, it''s just a bigmotion. After watching it, everyone would still eat and sleep. No one will grieve for you or shed tears for you, no matter how dazzling you once were. Your fans won¡¯t hesitate to abandon you because there would soon be new idols for them to pursue. There is no shortage of stars in the world! You have chosen a career that sells dreams. This doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re as holy and beautiful as the dreams. That¡¯s just the public image your agency designed for you. It¡¯s because you¡¯re so inessible that outsiders can¡¯t see you clearly! You are just a presence that entertains other people. It¡¯s a pleasure to see your rise in poprity. But it¡¯s also a pleasure to see your destruction. No one will grieve for you. You should struggle as you fall into the abyss where you¡¯re disdained by thousands. Perform yourst show well and entertain your food and clothing providers![2]¡±


    Thisst passage gave Luo Zuyu a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Through his tears, Chen Shi in front of him seemed to turn into another person. He murmured, "Song Lang..."


    Chen Shi picked up the inte and said, "Take him away!"


    At the end of the interrogation, Luo Zuyu was taken to the detention room. Thewyer, who had failed to protect him, went outside. He bowed deeply to Ji Xingyao, who was sitting paralyzed in a chair, and left.


    At that moment, Ji Xingyao looked as if her soul had been taken away and her eyes were nk. She stood up and said to Chen Shi, "I won''t give up just like this!" Then she turned and left.


    "Where are you going?"


    Ji Xingyao turned her head and saw another arrest warrant in Lin Dongxue''s hand, on which her own name was printed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "We suspect that you are rted to the death of the hotel cleaner. Please ept being investigated!"


    Two dayster, the police held a press conference and confirmed that Luo Zuyu¡¯s murder case was true. This matter was tantamount to a powerful bomb. Over the next two weeks, it was hotly discussed byizens. Luo Zuyu and his agency¡¯s various ck materials[3] were uncovered as a result. Luo Zuyu, who was staying alone in the detention center waiting for the court proceedings, had already be an abandoned chess piece. His agency didn¡¯t take any measures to defend him and all real estate under his name was also auctioned off.


    As for Ji Xingyao, she let an assistant in the team bear the charge of murdering the female cleaner. She walked out of the police station without incident. When she left, she said, "Long¡¯an is really an ominous ce. I¡¯ll nevere again."


    The work of collecting Luo Zuyu''s murder evidencested for nearly three months, so the proceedings could only be dyed again and again. During this period, the agency released an album called "Pure ck Remembrance", which was a collection of songs Luo Zuyu had written after each murder. They publicly announced that all the proceeds from the sale of the album would be used topensate the victims'' families.


    The release of this album was met with criticism, with people ming the agency for itsck of conscience and making money off of dead people¡¯s backs. However, this couldn''t stop its sales from rising. Everyone sought it out for the novelty because they wanted to hear what these songs were about. And there were rumors that the screams of the victims were hidden in the audio mix of the songs.


    While "Pure ck Remembrance" was setting off a sales frenzy, Luo Zuyu, who had been forgotten by others in the detention center, quietlymitted suicide by slitting his wrists with a ttened and burnt cigarette filter.[4] The autopsy results showed that he had signs of being sexually assaulted and subjected to violence on a long-term basis. However, his buddies unanimously denied this matter, so they couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    These were all things that happenedter.


    The day after the case ended, Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong to the office and said, "Well done. I thought that this case would drag on for a long time. I didn''t expect it to be wrapped up by only the three of you."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "To be urate, it was due to Brother Chen alone."


    Lin Qiupu smiled, "You two have made great contributions this time. The Bureau will definitely reward you generously. As for you..." He looked at Chen Shi, "I still say that it¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re not a policeman. You can¡¯t even take credit for such a big thing like this. Isn¡¯t it such a shame?¡±


    "I don''t care. Just give me the case-solving bonus."


    "This will be a big bonus! You can look forward to it! By the way, there¡¯s one more thing that I need to talk about. The colleagues in the information department found that Ji Xingyao had contacted a suspicious number. The content of themunication is unknown, but checking her bank ount, they found that she had taken out two million in cash on the 16th."


    Lin Dongxue was slightly taken aback. "She didn''t mention this matter during the interrogation!"


    Chen Shi said, "The 16th was the day when the gun mailing case happened. Could it really be a coincidence? Was the Ghost Face Butterfly really directed by her and distracting the police?"


    "Unfortunately, we have no evidence and can''t sue her. Sure enough, money could make anyone work for you."


    "Who exactly is the Ghost Face Butterfly?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "We suspect that it¡¯s Zhou Tiannan or one of his associates. A crime master with hidden talents!"


    "How is the pistol mailing case going anyway?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Qiupu shook his head, "It''s not going too smoothly. Three people have already died and one police officer has died. We¡¯ve only found five pistols..." He looked up. "The follow-up for the Luo Zuyu case will be taken over byrades from other bureaus. You can put down that case and hurry over to help me!"


    "Long¡¯an has never had such a case. It seems that the storm ising!" Chen Shi sighed with emotion.


    "Yeah, the storm ising."


    1. Middle-aged women who generally have less time to take care of themselves and aren¡¯t as youthful-looking and pretty as before.


    2. Another way to talk about fans. If fans don¡¯t purchase tickets, the stars won¡¯t get any money to provide for themselves.


    3. News that would tarnish their reputations.


    4. So I didn¡¯t think this was actually possible until I found someone who actually did this. A video of it: https://.youtube/watch?v=6dGvnEnCXc8

 Chapter 429: Mailed Pistols

    <h4>Chapter 429: Mailed Pistols</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 29: Armed With Weapons


    On the night of July 16th, a van full of cargo was driving on the highway in the suburbs. Two people in the car were holding cigarette butts and staring nervously at the road illuminated by the lights. asionally, they said one or two words to break the silence.


    "Have the people over at the pier arrived yet? You should call them!"


    "Ah, how many times have we called? Don''t worry, there won¡¯t be any problems. Just get ready to count the money when the goods are delivered!¡±


    "I''m still a little worried."


    "What are you worrying about? We¡¯ve passed through several toll booths safely. If the police are targeting us, they would have long since taken action.¡±


    "I hope so!"


    "Can¡¯t you stop with all the negative words all the time? It''s really unlucky... Pei, pei, pei[1]!"


    The driver''s cell phone rang. When answering the phone, the body of the car started trembling. The two heard a loud bang. It seemed that the tires had burst and the four tires had burst together.


    Then, a bright light came from the field ahead and the two screamed. An ambush!


    The van with the t tires couldn¡¯t move at all as the off-road vehicle ahead of them came rushing over violently, running into them and knocking over their van. They rolled over a few times in the field and when they stopped, the body of the car had already been seriously deformed. The two people inside were knocked unconscious with their heads covered in blood.


    Two people jumped out of the off-road vehicle and one of the big men stepped forward, reaching into the car window. He cut their throats skillfully and they stopped breathing with theirst gasp.


    The other person was wearing gloves and began to search through the scattered goods. There were mandarins in the boxes, but under each box were pistols wrapped in baking paper. There were a total of sixteen guns.


    These smuggled guns that were worth a million yuan were casually packed into a big ck bag. The man with the guns then whistled to signal hispanion to get in the car.


    After getting in the car, the throat-cutter asked, "I still don''t understand. Why do such a thing?"


    "We¡¯re fulfilling orders to get money. Are you unhappy with having money?"


    "Do you dare to spend it though? The police are already targeting you." Thepanion sneered. "You¡¯re getting really cowardly now. You only take on risk-free work. When will we find the police to settle the score?!"


    "Haha, are you still thinking about this?" He patted hispanion''s shoulder. "What''s the point of a game without an opponent? We¡¯re able to get where we are because we¡¯re cautious."


    "I want to kill someone! I want tomit a crime alone and leave down my name in history instead of wearing the fictional name ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯." Thepanion rubbed the de in his fingers.


    "Don¡¯t rush. When the time is right, I¡¯ll let you go out and make a bigmotion... And this experiment is what I wanted to do long ago. Think about what wonderful reactions woulde about when an ordinary person with hatred gets a gun.¡±


    Thepanion smiled with interest. "The police will be tortured to the point of being terribly defeated."


    "And isn¡¯t it fun for us to watch on the side?" He started the car. "Let¡¯s do the delivery!"


    Thepanion suddenly said, "It seems like it¡¯ll rain... My shoulder is starting to hurt again."


    In the early morning of July 17th, Wang Xu was woken up by the rm clock and got up to put on his clothes. The window was covered with raindrops fromst night. He walked out of the bedroom and saw his mother sleeping on the sofa reeking of alcohol. The TV was left on the whole night and was just disying a screen of white noise. The ashtray on the coffee table was full of cigarette butts and the whole living room was filled with the pungent smell of smoke.


    His mother was still dressed up in nightclub clothes, with a gaudy red skirt and ck fis stockings. The makeup on her face was drawn on like a ghost and no matter how thick the makeup was, it couldn¡¯t cover the growing wrinkles on the corners of her eyes.


    Wang Xu wrinkled his nose in disgust, picked up his mother''s wallet, and took his pocket money for the day. Although there was a few hundred yuan in the wallet, he didn''t touch them. Instead, he picked out a twenty.


    When he thought of going to school, he was in a heavy mood, but he couldn''t miss school. If he skipped ss and the teacher''s phone call reached home, his mother would y out a bitter drama act, saying how she worked so hard in the clubs just for him. She¡¯d say that she raised him with abundant food and amodation, yet he couldn¡¯t even study properly. Then, she¡¯d start crying about her miserable life again and how she was impregnated by Wang Xu¡¯s father before she got married, had to drop out of school to give birth. And then she¡¯d talk about how the man was caught by the police while she raised the child alone, as if her miserable life was all Wang Xu''s fault.


    Wang Xu had shouted more than once during their quarrels asking why she gave birth to him at the time if she didn¡¯t want him. His mother''s answer was either more violent crying or a p in his face, depending on her mood at the time.


    Later, in his biology ss, Wang Xu found out about the "mystery" between men and women, and despised irresponsible mothers even more. It turned out that his birth was for the joy of the process. This woman''s whole life was stupid and she lived like an animal that could talk.


    Wang Xu carried his school bag on his back and was about to leave. Suddenly, he found a shoe box beside the door with a note reading, "Wang Xu to personally receive." The note was wet and crumpled, as if it was drenched in rain.


    Wang Xu was a bit startled. Which courier was so capable that they could put it in the house?


    After thinking about it for a while, something seemed wrong. There was no delivery note on the box. Besides, he didn''t have any friends outside the city and his father in the prison couldn''t send things out. In fact, he rarely even sent letters to him.


    Wang Xu opened the box and found it filled with crumpled newspaper shreds with a dark object in the middle.


    He opened his mouth in surprise. This... This was a gun!


    Upon touching it, he could feel the coldness of the hard metal. This gun was very heavy and seemed to be real. The inscriptions above were all in English, so he didn¡¯t know what model it was.


    In addition to the gun, there was a box of bullets.


    He poured the bullets in his palm. The texture seemed very real. Then, he pulled the cartridge out, pressed the bullets in, and then inserted the cartridge back. There was a dial on the side of the gun, which was probably the safety.


    He hadn¡¯t eaten pork, but had watched a pig run. After all, he often got exposed to firearms in games and movies. He knew how to use[2] the gun and how to aim.


    After opening the safety, Wang Xu held the gun in his hand and aimed with one eye closed. There was a subtle resistance from the trigger. As long as it was pulled hard enough, the bullet would be fired out.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t dare to shoot. The gunshot would be very loud and the whole building would hear it. His mother would be woken up as well.


    Ah, right, wouldn''t this gun have been brought back by mother?


    But the words on the note weren¡¯t written by my mother. Besides, how could a dancer in a nightclub get a gun? This looks like the real thing!


    After pondering for a while, Wang Xu hid the gun full of bullets in his school bag as he took the box downstairs and threw it away.


    This dangerous thing was in his school bag. He felt weird, but at the same time, he also had an inexplicable sense of security. If Dahu bullied him again today, he would use this gun to scare Dahu.


    After making up his mind, a smile appeared on Wang Xu''s face.


    1. Chinese version of ¡°touchwood¡±.


    2. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s note: The author wrote ¡°transport the gun¡± here, but we¡¯re unsure what they meant by that, so we wrote ¡°use¡± instead.

 Chapter 430: The First Gun

    <h4>Chapter 430: The First Gun</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the early morning of July 17th, the policemen of the second and third teams were called together to hold an emergency meeting. This case was a bit unprecedented. Last night, a car smuggling guns for a triad gang was knocked over and two drivers had their throats slit. The guns in the car were missing.


    The reason that these things were known so quickly was because the rampant criminal left a letter at the scene saying that these guns would be "mailed" to strangers who don¡¯t know each other.


    The gang was found to be a triad group in the city. that was already on the police¡¯s cklist. The first team was currently responsible for cracking them down and had already started acting. They were ready to round up the entire gang to find out how many guns were lost. They also wanted to investigate whether the incidentst night was self-produced by their internal members.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Everyone, the incident happened very suddenly. All the cases on hand need to be suspended so that we can try our best to find the missing guns. If these real guns fall into the hands of ordinary citizens, something dangerous could happen at any second. So, please do your very best!¡±


    Although two teams were invested into this case at once, everyone still felt helpless. After all, it was the same as finding a needle in a haystack. The only thing that could be done right now was to start the investigation around the crime scene.


    Judging from the paint and tire marks left on the scene, the murderer should have driven an off-road vehicle with a high chassis. The police checked the surveince footage around the surrounding intersections and finally found the owner of the car in the afternoon. However, the owner imed that his car was stolen a few days ago and had a clear alibist night.


    In the afternoon, the police received a police report saying that a gunshot was heard in a remote neighborhood in the city. Lin Qiupu immediately rushed to the scene. The area was filled with dense, illegal buildings. The owner of the property secretly added more buildings than what was registered and rented to the employees of nearby factories. They hung a taut clothesline between the buildings and clean white underwear as well as children''s diapers fluttered against the wind. There was even a field surrounded by broken bricks behind the house. The rainst night washed over the garlic sprouts and vegetables making them look very lively.


    Upon seeing the policeing, many residents hurried back into their houses. Lin Qiupu knew that most of the people there didn¡¯t even have a temporary residence permit. He ordered people to question the residents separately. After a while, Old Zhang walked over and pointed to a building and said, "Some residents reported that the gunfire came from that way."


    "Call everyone back. Let''s go!"


    Lin Qiupu found thendlord and asked about the situation of the residents living there. Thendlord said, "It''s a young couple. The wife seems to have some sort of sickness. She¡¯s been bedridden and her husband works outside every day. Although they live here, we rarely see each other... Ah, yes, they still owe me three months¡¯ worth of rent!"


    "Did you just hear the gunshot from above?"


    "Gunshot? Are you talking about that loud bang? I thought some car on the road had a t tire... Officers, did these twomit crimes?"


    "It¡¯s inconvenient for me to reveal this. Can I trouble you to deceive them into opening the door?"


    "You said he has a gun in his hands. What if he shoots me? I won¡¯t go. I won''t do it. I won''t do it!"


    "Then give me the key."


    Thendlord handed the key to Lin Qiupu and the police took the narrow stairs to the top floor. In this weather, they could feel the heat before they even entered the house. When they got there, it would definitely be like being inside a bamboo steamer.


    For this operation, everyone took out a gun at the gun depot. For safety''s sake, Lin Qiupu said, "Wait. Go to the car and put on your bulletproof vests!"


    "It''s too hot today. If we wear the vests, we might get a heat stroke."ined a policeman.


    "Is your life not valuable? Everyone needs to put on their bulletproof vests!"


    Everyone went downstairs again. As soon as the heavy vests were put on, their sweat immediately appeared. Once again, they went to the top floor that was as hot as a bamboo steamer. Most people were already drenched in sweat and their foreheads had visible beads of sweat on them. The air around them was filled with the smell of sweat.


    Lin Qiupu was very nervous. He had never experienced this kind of situation since he became a policeman. He knocked on the door but didn¡¯t get a response. He knocked a few more times.


    The police officers in the corridor swallowed their saliva nervously. Lin Qiupu took out the key and gently opened the door lock. Then, they burst through the door and rushed in. Several officers pointed the gun in several directions with great teamwork but found that there was no one in the house.


    Everyone entered the house one by one. The narrow and messy living room was almost unable to amodate so many officers. There was no bathroom in this house. A toilet bucket was ced in the corner and the smell was overpowering. Then again, it was a house where they only paid 500 yuan a month.


    Lin Qiupu considered how poverty-stricken the tenants would have to be to not even be able to afford to pay 500 yuan a month.


    The officers were too hot and started to take off their bulletproof vests. Lin Qiupu pushed the window open and a cool breeze came in. It made everyone feel a lot cooler. At this time, Lin Qiupu found a stic bucket in the corner of the house with metal objects inside.


    He reached out to fish through it. It was a brass bullethead. Then, someone shouted, "Captain Lin, Captain Lin! Someone¡¯s in the bedroom!"


    He immediately entered the bedroom. There was an extremely bony woman lying on the bed covered with a thin sheet. She heard the movements in the house, but although her eyes were opened, she couldn''t get up.


    There were some tinea corporis on the woman''s face and elbows, which made people wonder whether she had a skin disease. At this time, Lin Qiupu found a liquor bottle with two straws in it. He picked it up and smelled it. "It¡¯s a flute for smoking crystal meth[1]! The two of them are drug addicts. Go contact the anti-narcotics brigade quickly."


    "No... no..." As soon as she heard the words "anti-narcotics brigade", the woman struggled to get up. She moved too much and almost fell off the bed. Fortunately, she was held up by a police officer.


    The spots on the woman were all due to the drugs. The couple was addicted. Thendlord actually thought she was sick.


    Lin Qiupu said, "What about your husband?!"


    "No... Don''t catch me... Please, I beg you..."


    "Did you hear a gunshot?"


    "I don''t know... I don''t know..."


    It seemed like there was no way tomunicate with her at all. Lin Qiupu gestured for everyone to withdraw and left a person to guard there. Lin Qiupu spected, "This guy got the gun, tried the gun once and found that it was the real thing... He must have gone to exchange it for drugs."


    Old Zhang said, "A real gun on the ck market is worth a lot of money!"


    "We must find him. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!"


    Lin Qiupu notified the bureau to check the man''s number to see who he had just spoken to. He also contacted the anti-narcotics brigade. The anti-narcotics brigade had many informants and might be able to find leads.


    After waiting for a while, the police of the information department said, "We located his number. He¡¯s currently on Shengli East Street!"


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Half an hourter, their car arrived at Shengli East Street and the police of the information department reported an update. "His location is moving slowly. The speed isn¡¯t fast. He¡¯s probably walking! He went south from the intersection."


    Then, the anti-narcotics team called. "Captain Lin, there is indeed a drug trafficking den over on Shengli East Street. It¡¯s a bar. We¡¯ve been monitoring that drug dealer in order to find his higher ups."


    "Specific address..."


    As soon as he finished talking, a gunshot could be heard and pedestrians on the street started screaming.


    1. Ice (Crystal Methamphetamine) can be smoked using a ss pipe that¡¯s often referred to as a ¡®flute¡¯ apparently.

 Chapter 431: Dying After Relieving the Addiction

    <h4>Chapter 431: Dying After Relieving the Addiction</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing the gunshots, Lin Qiupu quickly jumped out of the car. The other police officers also got off as well, leaving the car left in the middle of the road.


    The situation was critical and there was no time to change into their bulletproof gear. Lin Qiupu waved a hand to the officers who were preparing to rush forward and shouted, "You guys shoulde after changing into your bulletproof vests. The others will follow me!"


    They followed the gunshots to a little bar. There were not many guests during the day. All of them were holding their heads and hiding behind the table at this moment. A strong-looking many on the ground with blood on his legs. He was holding his wound and moaned incessantly.


    "Don¡¯t move!"


    Upon hearing someone shouting that, Lin Qiupu looked up. Behind the counter was a man wearing a t-shirt who was so skinny that he looked like his skin directly wrapped his bones. He was holding a pistol in his right hand. The muzzle was still smoking. He held a cup in his left and was using it to smash some crystal-like objects. It was quite obvious that those were drugs.


    The iing police officers unconsciously raised their guns and the skinny man said slowly, "You have guns. I have a gun too. Let¡¯s see who is afraid of who!"


    "Put the gun down. Otherwise, we will shoot." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Humph!" The skinny man leaned his head against his gun. "Fire it! Do you dare?"


    The man on the ground said, "Officer, I came here to drink. This madman suddenly shot me. It''s got nothing to do with me."


    "He¡¯s a drug dealer. You should hurry to catch him." The skinny man said.


    The man on the ground was still bleeding and the bullet seemed to have prated arge artery. If he wasn¡¯t attended to as soon as possible, it could prove fatal. Lin Qiupu negotiated, "You take your drugs first. We won¡¯t hinder you, but we have to take this person first. Didn¡¯t you want us to catch him?"


    The skinny man continued to cut his drugs with dribbles of saliva flowing in the corner of his mouth. He acted like he was deaf.


    "Sir, can we take this drug dealer away first?" Lin Qiupu raised his voice. "Look, I¡¯m putting my gun away. Can Ie over?"


    The man on the ground said, "I¡¯m not a drug dealer. I really just happened to pass by."


    Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth angrily. I¡¯m trying to save you. Don''t you know that?


    He nced at the officer next to him, making a phone call gesture. The officer noticed and went out to call an ambnce.


    The skinny man was still pressing his temple against the gun, "Don''t move! I¡¯llmit suicide if you move! I have a worthless life anyway! I don''t care!"


    Then, he divided the smashed drugs into thin strips with a card, picked up a straw, and began to suck it up. He lifted his head in bliss after one go as drool fell from the corner of his mouth. His whole body was trembling, and he rubbed his nose vigorously. He picked up the straw while still trembling and prepared to have another go.


    "When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll end my life on my own. I won¡¯t cause trouble to the people''s police."


    Lin Qiupu frowned. This man seemed beyond rescue.


    "Goodd. You¡¯ve got guts!" The drug dealer said while still lying on the ground. "Do you dare to kill a policeman?"


    "Haha, why wouldn¡¯t I?" The skinny man raised the gun and panned it in a circle. The police clenched their own guns nervously and the customers behind screamed in fright.


    Old Zhang whispered, "Shoot him in one go!"


    "No, don''t shoot!" Lin Qiupu said with cold sweat forming. "He doesn''t seem to want to hurt anyone. After he finishes taking the drugs, we¡¯re up!"


    "Be careful!"


    The skinny man pressed his temple against his gun again. He lowered his head and began to suck the second line. This time, he was in so much bliss that he began trembling even more and couldn¡¯t hold the gun properly. He pointed it to the ceiling.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Qiupu shouted, "Go!"


    He rushed forward like an arrow and pressed the man¡¯s shoulder down on the bar table as the pistol fell from his hand. At the same time, Old Zhang came from behind and pressed his head on the counter. What made people speechless was that at the moment of his arrest, he was still desperately sucking up the powder on the table. For the parts he couldn¡¯t, he licked it with his tongue.


    "Still sucking?!" Old Zhang picked him up and pushed him to the other side, making the drugs out of reach.


    The skinny man thrust his tongue out and he burst into tears. "Let me get high! After that, I¡¯ll die. I won¡¯t cause any trouble to anyone!¡±


    "Take him away!"


    As he was taken away, the ambnce came. When the drug dealer was brought into the car, he held Lin Qiupu''s hand and said, "Thank you. Thank the people''s police. You came just in time. I¡¯ll send you guys a silk bannerter.¡±


    "Why did you encourage him to kill the police just then?" Lin Qiupu asked coldly.


    "Aiya, I was thinking that this kid might only have one bullet, but I wasn¡¯tpletely sure. I thought that if he tried shooting you guys that you¡¯d be able to shoot him to death. This was to create opportunities for you!"


    "Okay, hurry and go!"


    Old Zhang picked up the gun and showed it to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu took it in his hand. "Russian-made Makarov pistol. He¡¯s only fired two bullets. How fortunate!"


    "I asked the people in the bar. The person who was injured really was a drug dealer. It seems that the two of them quarreled because they couldn¡¯te to an agreement on the price. Then, the suspect shot him and took the drugs whose price could not be negotiated. He robbed the drug and got high by himself... No matter what though, no one died. It¡¯s a good start!¡±


    Lin Qiupu frowned. Did it count as a good start? He believed that the shooting incidents would soon spread throughout the city.


    "By the way, the person who gets the guns may try to fire a test shot like him. Keep in touch with local police stations and branch offices. Immediately lock onto the area when gunshots are heard. Also, release a public notice on Weibo to caution citizens to pay attention."


    "Should we really go public with this matter? Does the chief agree?"


    "I''ll tell him. You just need to do it."


    The third team also made progress and found two missing guns. Simr to the situation here, all the parties fired a test shot and got reported to the police.


    Interestingly, the owners of the guns they currently found were made up of this guy who was poor and had an addiction, a middle-aged bachelor who was dejected, and a homeless man who lived in odd ces. They didn¡¯t know each other, but there was onemon point between them: They all lived very unsatisfying lives.


    It seemed like the murderer deliberately selected such people and mailed the pistols to them, lest the world not have enough chaos.


    In the evening, Lin Qiupu and the third team¡¯s captain, Bi Guoliang, were called to the chief¡¯s office. The white-haired chief threw a report to them and said, "The first team has already found out information about these guns. There¡¯s a total of sixteen pistols and over two hundred rounds of bullets with three silencers... Since this happened, my phone exploded with calls today. The public heard gunshots and are now in a panic. The higher ups are trying to hold us ountable, but I know this isn¡¯t just responsibility, so I¡¯ll bear it down. Don¡¯t be stressed. Try your best to find them!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Our team found one and Captain Bi found two. In addition, I have already disclosed this matter on Weibo. After all, since we can¡¯t keep this matter under wraps, it¡¯s better to let the public help to provide clues. It may even be faster.¡±


    The chief nodded. "It''s a good idea. At the moment, we must put the safety of the people first. In addition, I heard that when you arrested the addicted gentleman today, you didn''t shoot. Is this true?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "He didn''t have the intent to harm others, so we used our intellect to resolve the matter."


    "That¡¯s too dangerous. There were so many people on the scene. The next time you encounter such a situation, if you need to shoot, you should shoot!"


    "But these people are just ordinary people. The mischievous murderer was the one who gave them the gun! If we kill them, we¡¯ve yed into the murderer''s intentions, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    "The gun was given by the murderer, but the action was taken by themselves. We¡¯re trying to take reactive preventative measures for them now. We must minimize the loss and risks. If this happens again, I¡¯ll allow you to shoot! Put the safety of the masses first, followed by yourselves. Leave the suspectsst, okay?¡±


    Although he was reluctant to ept this cruel decision, Lin Qiupu knew that "absolutely no casualties are allowed" were nothing but empty words. This incident was bound to cause casualties.


    He saluted the chief and said, "Understood!"

 Chapter 432: Subway Station Hostage Case

    <h4>Chapter 432: Subway Station Hostage Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Back at the office, a subordinate brought a cardboard box over and said it was found at the addicted gentleman''s house. Lin Qiupu picked it up to have a look. It was an ordinary carton. When it was opened, there was a piece of paper in it that read, "Personal delivery to XX (The name of the addicted gentleman)!"


    "Have the fingerprints been checked?"


    "Yes, there were only the fingerprints of the gunman himself. There are no others."


    "What about his wife?"


    "She was sent to do forced rehab. When we took her away, she was still reluctant and bit arade of ours. It wasn¡¯t easy, but we got her there in the end."


    Lin Qiupu nodded and signaled that they could leave. Most drug addicts couldn¡¯t get rid of their addictions. They could get rid of the physical addiction but it was hard to get rid of the heart¡¯s addiction. When the couple leaves the rehabilitation center in the future, they may fall back into this life and be an unstable factor in society again.


    He could only sigh about the matter. He remembered Song Lang once said that the police were just the white blood cells of society. They could only engulf the viruses and infected cells, but they weren¡¯t responsible for treating them.


    Sometimes as a police officer, Lin Qiupu would feel helpless. They could only deal with the symptoms of society, but they couldn¡¯t solve it at its root.


    Lin Qiupu packed his things and prepared to go home. When he passed the information department¡¯s office, he saw Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and a police officer checking something. He wanted to say hello, but decided not to after some thought.


    The following morning, the bureau received an emergency report saying that a man in a subway station was holding a hostage with a gun. Lin Qiupu immediately called the police to rush over.


    At this time, it was during the peak hours when everyone would go to work. The crowd in the subway station was dense. The police officers shouted, "Excuse me. Police." numerous times before they could finally get to the tform where the incident was uring. They saw a man with a blue nose and a swollen face leaning on a pir while holding a woman¡¯s neck. The gun in his hand was pressed against the woman''s temple and there was a bald, burly man standing opposite him. The man was wearing a leopard-print singlet and a thick gold chain.


    They were surrounded by people and many people took out their phones to take pictures.


    "Disperse! Disperse!" Lin Qiupu couldn''t care too much at this moment and kept pushing the crowd back.


    "The police are here. That''s great!" The bald guy said. "Help me judge this. This bastard molested my wife in the train. I taught him a bit of a lesson. He actually dared to take out a gun and take a hostage. Is there justice in this world?"


    The woman screamed, "Officers, don''t listen to him talking rubbish! He isn¡¯t my husband. He''s just a pervert!"


    The man with the gun said, "Yes, he¡¯s the subway pervert. I stood up to stop him but he actually hit me. I only did this because I had no other choice!"


    The woman said, "Don''t listen to him! He isn¡¯t a good person either!"


    The bald guy yelled, "Bastard, who are you calling a subway pervert? Don¡¯t nder me! Look, his pants zipper is still open!"


    Lin Qiupu had a headache just listening to this. What was the rtionship between those people? He said daringly, "Everyone calm down. Sir, you need to put the gun down first. The police havee, so no one will hit you. We¡¯ll help get you your justice."


    The man with the gun was very emotional. "You need to let this man go first, and you aren¡¯t allowed to arrest me."


    "You need to put down the gun first!"


    "If I put it down, you guys will arrest me. I won''t!"


    The woman screamed, "Hurry and kill him. This pervert is still pushing me from behind. It¡¯s so disgusting!"


    A closer look revealed a suspicious hard object in between the gunman¡¯s zipper. He was rubbing repeatedly on the woman''s buttocks. The bald guy immediately flew into a rage and clenched his fists. ¡°Let my wife go! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    "Who is your wife... Officer, arrest this man first. He¡¯s been following me around for quite a few days!"


    The police were going crazy. At this time, a dark-skinned man in a blue shirt pushed the crowd away and approached. Lin Qiupu felt as though he seemed a bit familiar, but he couldn''t remember who he was for the moment.


    The man showed his ID. "My surname is Yan and I¡¯m the deputy chief of the Public Security Bureau. I¡¯ll negotiate with you!"


    It turned out to be him!


    Lin Qiupu remembered that he was a strict teacher who taught crisis negotiation at the police academy. This course was only taken as an elective course and most people didn¡¯t take it seriously as they didn¡¯t have crisis negotiators in their country. This role would just be temporarily assumed by officers with the relevant skills.


    Hearing that the new visitor was a deputy chief, the gunman''s expression eased a little. "Promise me one condition."


    "State it!"


    "Withdraw the police and take away this bald guy who hits people. Then, I¡¯ll let her go.¡±


    The bald guy shouted, "What right is there?! You all can tell who the bad guy is here. Why should they arrest me?"


    "Look at how you¡¯ve hit me!" The gunman shouted.


    "Calm down! Calm down!" Deputy chief Yan gestured. "This gentleman, please stand back and stop agitating him, okay? This won¡¯t solve the problem. It will only make the situation worse. Your wife is still in his hands."


    The woman shouted, "I am not his wife!"


    "Okay, no matter what your rtionship is, shall we prioritize what¡¯s important? Your affairs can be resolved afterwards. Let¡¯s talk about this gentleman''s affairs first."


    Lin Qiupu thought admirably that he was definitely a negotiating expert. The atmosphere around him was definitely different. He controlled the scene with just a few words.


    The gunman said, "Promise me my terms!"


    Deputy chief Yan said, "Your conditions are too great. We can''t do it all at once. How about this? We shoulde to apromise. I¡¯ll withdraw half of the police; you take your hands away from her and don''t hold the youngdy down. There¡¯s so many people watching that it won¡¯t be good for you or her!"


    "Okay, I promise!" The gunman let go of the woman''s neck.


    Deputy chief Yan nced at Lin Qiupu. He understood and waved to several subordinates. "Withdraw!"


    Deputy chief Yan said to the onlookers behind him, "Everyone, please disperse. There are so many people here. It wouldn¡¯t be good if anyone got hurt. If you need to go to work, you should go!"


    Then, he said to the man with the gun, "I have a question to ask you. Where did your gune from?"


    "Mind your own business!"


    "Just curious, how did you get through the security check?"


    "I... I have my own method." The gunman stammered. Lin Qiupu noticed the change in his attitude and took a step back. Using the crowd as cover, he instructed Old Zhang to go to the security personnel to check with the security guards on whether they had any impressions of this man.


    Deputy chief Yan was still advising the man. "Looking at you, you should have a career and a family. You aren¡¯t particrly young. Have you considered the consequences of doing such extreme things? I suggest for you to put down the gun right now. This matter could be serious, but if you voluntarily surrender yourself, you can still win leniency. We will give you this opportunity. "


    The man with the gun cried, "But I don''t want to go to jail!"


    "Who said you were going to jail? Disrupting public order would get you detained for a few days at most. If you really fired the gun, then that would be a different story. Your whole lifetime would be ruined! I sincerely rmend that you should turn back while you still can. Small mistakes can be made up for, but once you make a big mistake, you won¡¯t be able to turn back."


    The man suddenly shouted, "Stop with your flowery words. When the police all leave, I¡¯ll immediately let her go!¡±

 Chapter 433: Agreed Suicide

    <h4>Chapter 433: Agreed Suicide</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While Deputy chief Yan and the gunman were still deadlocked in their negotiating, Old Zhang ran over and whispered to Lin Qiupu, "The security guard said that no gun was found at the beginning, but then a captain came and said they weren¡¯t too sure.


    Lin Qiupu nodded. Judging from the situation, it was most likely a fake gun, but the security check was afraid of taking responsibility, so they said they weren¡¯t unclear.


    ording to the principle of negotiation, fake guns should also be regarded as real guns, just in case. Furthermore, there was still the issue of the mailed guns that they hadn¡¯t resolved yet!


    Deputy chief Yan said to the gunman, "Okay, okay. I will ask the police to withdraw first! Little Lin, you withdraw first!" Deputy chief Yan gave Lin Qiupu a knowing look.


    Lin Qiupu understood the intentions behind that gaze and pretended to say, "How could we do that? How can not a single officer stay behind?"


    "I told you to withdraw, so withdraw. Am I not a policeman?" Deputy chief Yan kept signaling him with his eyes.


    Lin Qiupu asked everyone to retreat. They stopped some people after leaving the tform, borrowed their coats, hats, and backpacks from them, and then quietly mixed back into the crowd. At this time, Deputy chief Yan had won the trust of the gunman. The other party wasn¡¯t as agitated as before. Deputy chief Yan said, "Look, it''s the peak period for people to go to work. You¡¯re impacting a lot of people here. Why don¡¯t we change to another ce to talk?¡±


    "Don''t y any tricks!" The gunman yelled fiercely.


    "Look at all those people holding their phones. If it¡¯s photographed and posted online, it wouldn¡¯t be good for your reputation. If they¡¯re seen by the higher ups at your work, I am afraid it won¡¯t be a trivial matter. It is better to change ces and negotiate the conditions. Is that okay?"


    This sentence hit the heart of the gunman. He looked at the mobile phones in the hands of the crowd in fear. "Tell them not to take photos."


    Yan Zheng turned around and said, "Don''t take photos. Don¡¯t do it. There''s nothing to look at here."


    The gunman pushed the hostage forward slowly. Deputy chief Yan separated the crowd in front of him for him. He had already noticed the police hiding amongst the crowd, and quietly signaled them with his eyes again. When the gunman walked through the crowd, Lin Qiupu suddenly rushed out and twisted his arm upwards. The other police rushed out, pulled the hostage away, and controlled the gunman.


    The gunman yelled, "You lied to me!"


    Deputy chief Yan said earnestly, "I needed to consider everyone''s safety. I hope you understand."


    "You lied to me! You lied to me! You lied to me!" The gunman was struggling hysterically before finally getting his hands cuffed.


    Lin Qiupu, who snatched the gun, knew that it wasn¡¯t a real gun judging by the weight alone. He handed it over to Deputy chief Yan. Deputy chief Yan touched it and said, "Little Lin, you didn''t forget the knowledge you learned in ss."


    Lin Qiupu saluted. "Deputy chief Yan, long time no see!"


    The crowd around them apuded. Lin Qiupu looked around and found that the bald guy was gone. Then, he learned about the situation from the abducted woman and roughly understood what was going on. It turned out that the bald guy had been pursuing her, but he was a bit mentally ill. She had never epted his feelings, but the bald guy wishfully said that she was his girlfriend wherever he went and also followed her to work every day. It made her extremely annoyed.


    Today on the subway, they happened to encounter the perverted man who tried to get his way with women on the subway. The bald guy jumped up and beat him into a pulp. The perverted man pulled out a gun and took the woman hostage in a deadlock with the bald guy.


    The woman cried, "I¡¯m so ridiculously unlucky. I was stalked by this bald guy and I had to encounter this subway pervert. You have to get justice for me!¡±


    Deputy chief Yan responded, "How about this, you can leave down your contact information. I¡¯ll ask the local police station to file a case for this. You can go back and tell the bald person that you have made a report with the police. If he harasses you again, the police wille to arrest him."


    ¡°Thank you so much!"


    "You''re wee."


    After leaving her contact information, the woman left. Deputy chief Yan said, "I think that the woman also has a few problems to be constantly attracting these things.¡±


    Lin Qiupu felt that this remark was too narrow-minded, but because the other party was his teacher, he didn''t answer this remark and just said, "Deputy chief Yan, why are you here?"


    "Your chief asked me toe and help. Over a dozen pistols were scattered in the city. This matter isn¡¯t progressing smoothly. It''s time for me, a negotiating expert, to take the limelight."


    "The negotiation just now was really wonderful!"


    "You¡¯re praising me too much." Deputy chief Yan waved his hand with a smile. "No casualties are the best result. Little Lin, how are you doing now? Are you married yet?"


    The two left the subway station while chatting. When they just got in the car, they received a call from the bureau saying that someone called the police again about a gun.


    Lin Qiupu said, "We haven¡¯t even had a moment¡¯s worth of rest these past few days."


    Deputy chief Yan replied, "That¡¯s a good thing. If we quickly deal with the situation, this mentor and the disciple can have a good little reunion at noon.¡±


    This incident was in the inpatient center of a hospital. It was said that there were two patients, with one of them pointing a gun at the other¡¯s head at the top of the building. The situation was very critical. When entering the hospital, Lin Qiupu instructed using his radio, "Turn the police lights off!


    "No. Leave them on!" Deputy chief Yan said. "Criminals also want the police toe. That way, they can talk about the conditions when the policee."


    "Do what Deputy chief Yan said!"


    The police cars stopped in a row under the inpatient building and a nurse ran over to greet them. "You guys came! Those two patients are still on the top of the building! Our persuading was futile. I don''t know what conflict they have nor where the gun came from.¡±


    "Is there any bad-blood between these two?" Yan Jing asked.


    "No, the rtionship between them is usually pretty good. One has lung cancer and one has leukemia. They live in the same ward. They usuallye down for walks together. I don''t know what was wrong with the medicine they took today![1]"


    "Lead the way. We¡¯ll go up and see."


    Lin Qiupu stopped him. "Deputy chief Yan, bulletproof vest!"


    Deputy chief Yanughed. "Where have you seen a negotiator wearing a bulletproof vest?" He threw a small object over. "Wear this wireless radio on you. We should keepmunication with each other."


    The group of people walked up to the top floor. Deputy chief Yan quietly pushed the door open. They saw two old men sitting on the roof face to face. One of them was trembling while pointing a gun at the other person''s forehead. The scene was so peaceful that it didn¡¯t look like a hostage situation at all.


    Deputy chief Yan asked Lin Qiupu toe over and take a look. He said, "I can guarantee that this issue most likely came about due to medical expenses.¡±


    "Do you need to contact the SWAT team?"


    "It''s not necessary. I''m up."


    Deputy chief Yan pushed the door wide open and walked into the strong winds on the rooftop. The two old men were rmed, and one of them shouted, "Don''te here. If you do, I¡¯ll shoot!"


    What was puzzling was that the person who said this turned out to be the one who had the gun pointed at his forehead.


    The gunman said, "Don¡¯te any closer!"


    Deputy chief Yan showed his badge. "I am Deputy chief Yan of the Public Security Bureau. I¡¯m here to negotiate with you."


    "No need. Old Liu isn¡¯t a bad guy and I¡¯m not a hostage. Go away!"


    "Yes, yes, this is something between the two of us. Outsiders shouldn¡¯t interfere."


    Deputy chief Yan smiled. "How can I address you two uncles?"


    "My surname is Liu." The gunman replied.


    "My surname is Wang." The one who had the gun pointed at him said.


    Deputy chief Yan only then noticed that there was a bottle of Erguotou[2] ced between the two of them. It was half finished. Their faces showed they were a bit drunk. Judging by Old Liu¡¯s hands trembling from the weight of the gun, it was likely that the gun was real.


    1. Common expression used to express that they don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with the person they¡¯re talking about.


    2. It¡¯s a type of liquor. A light-aroma baijiu.

 Chapter 434: Old Person’s Troubles

    <h4>Chapter 434: Old Person''s Troubles</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Judging from their postures and how they were sitting, the rtionship between the two was very harmonious. It was not a hostage rtionship. Deputy chief Yan was very calm. "Can you two please talk about the situation first? What¡¯s troubling you so much that it¡¯se to this?¡±


    "You tell him."


    "You say it!"


    "You should."


    "Okay, okay. Let me tell you!" The old man who had the gun pointed at him picked up the bottle of Erguotou and took a sip. "I received a pistol yesterday. I used to be a soldier before, so I could tell that it was the real thing just by picking it up. What¡¯s more was that it came with bullets. Later, I asked Old Liu if we shouldmit suicide with this gun. Then, we drew straws and Old Liu chose the one that was responsible for shooting. After he¡¯s done, he¡¯dmit suicide.¡±


    Old Liu took the Erguotou and took a sip. "Ah, I¡¯m so unlucky to have drawn this straw. If it were Old Wang, we¡¯d have fired the gun long ago. I''m afraid just holding the gun. I couldn¡¯t pull the trigger.¡±


    "Aiya, you should just hurry up and do it. I''ve been sitting for an hour."


    "The police are all here. If I shoot, I would definitely be caught. That would give you the advantage you old child[1]."


    "Oh, the police won''t rush over right away. Quickly kill me and shoot yourself in the head. Wouldn¡¯t that end it all?¡±


    "You¡¯re making it sound so easy. My hands are shaking so much. How can I?!"


    "Honestly... Aim for my head. Don''t hit me in the chest. It¡¯ll take a long time to die, which would be terrible.¡±


    "How do I aim at this thing? No, no, my hands are shaking tremendously. Let¡¯s take a break!"


    The two of them discussed this matter and deputy chief Yan almostughed when he heard them. He said, ¡°I understand now. From a legal point of view, you aremitting suicide together. But I don¡¯t understand something. You two seem to be living well, so why are you trying to end it short?¡±


    "Living well? Is this what living well is like?" Old Liu challenged, "I have advanced leukemia. He has lung cancer. The house has been sold for medical treatment and we still owe a buttload of debt. I still owe over 100,000 in surgery costs. Yet the two of us worthless sets of bones won¡¯t die. They all say that there is no filial son in front of the hospital bed[2]. Although the children don''t say anything, we can see that it¡¯s really hard for them to take care of us. Haii, we really don¡¯t want to drag our children down anymore, so we decided to euthanize each other and die peacefully with content. So, don¡¯t worry about us and go catch some real criminals."


    Old Wang also waved him away and said, "Go, go. Two old coffins will just die peacefully here. There¡¯s nothing to see here. Officer, you should turn a blind eye to this and support thisst wish of ours. When it¡¯s all said and done, you can take the gun away. As for our bodies, you can give it to our children to cremate or you can send it away for an autopsy. You can do whatever you want!¡±


    Deputy chief Yan exined, "You two gentlemen are really open-minded about dying, but if you just die like this, what would happen to your children? They¡¯ll get pointed at when they go out with people gossiping saying that they didn¡¯t let their fathers see a doctor, making themmit suicide instead. They wouldn¡¯t be able to raise their heads to face people in the future. You guys just think about dying in a clean manner and not bringing trouble to your children, but that¡¯s just a matter of money. No matter what, money is something that can still be potentially solved. If you kill yourselves, it¡¯ll really bring trouble to your children!¡±


    Old Wang said, "We aren¡¯t going to live for long anyway. Why continue to drag our children down? It¡¯s not easy for them to make money. They still have a mortgage and car loan to repay, and their children have to go to school. We spent all the money on surgery and chemotherapy. How can they live in the future?"


    Old Liu agreed. "Yes, yes, that¡¯s right. The problem of money can berge or small. Our current situation is really a big problem. It¡¯s better to die sooner thanter."


    "Hurry up and shoot!"


    "My hands are numb. I need to stretch my fingers." Old Liu grabbed the Erguotou and took another sip. The spicy taste of alcohol made his brows scrunch up in the center.


    The policeman huddled behind the rooftop door whispered, "What kind of weird thing is this?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Don''t talk nonsense. They wouldn¡¯t havee to this if they weren¡¯t troubled.¡±


    Old Zhang said, "Actually, I think euthanasia should be legalized."


    Deputy chief Yan said, "Gentleman, your stomach won¡¯t do well if you drink like that. I think it''s almost noon now. Let me get you two something to eat. Whether you shoot or not, we should discuss it after you¡¯re full, okay?"


    Old Liu asked Old Wang as he didn¡¯t feel reassured. "The police won¡¯t put sleeping pills in the meals, will they?"


    "No, the police won''t do that kind of thing." Old Wang turned his head and said, "Then we¡¯ll trouble you."


    Deputy chief Yan said on the radio, "Go and get someone to buy us some food."


    Lin Qiupu ordered someone to buy some chicken legs, peanuts, meatballs, and other things from the cafeteria and bring up the takeaway meal. During this period, deputy chief Yan had been chatting with the two old people and narrowing their psychological distance.


    After the meal arrived, Lin Qiupu brought it over in person. He whispered to deputy chief Yan, "Do we need to use the opportunity to take action?"


    "No, the safety is unlocked. It¡¯s too dangerous."


    Lin Qiupu walked over and Old Wang looked more alert and said, "Alright, just put it down there!" Then, he went over and picked it up by himself. He spread the food out and ate with Old Liu.


    While eating and drinking, Old Liu put the gun next to him. Unfortunately, running over this distance would still be very dangerous. This was a small strategy in negotiating. The food and drinks given can lower their guard and gain their trust. Furthermore, people were more sensible in their judgment after eating.


    The two old men were satiated with the food and drinks while sitting across from each other. The police who were looking at them eating zealously were filled with envy.


    After eating and drinking, Old Liu said, "Thank you, officers. You¡¯re really servicing the people..." Then, he said to the Old Wang, "Why don''t you shoot? I can''t do it. You¡¯ve been a soldier before after all."


    Old Wang waved his hands and shook his head again and again. "Why are you nagging me? We clearly said that whoever drew the short straw would shoot. Anyway, I believe in Buddhism and killing people would make me go to hell."


    "Bullshit. If you believed in Buddha, why did you eat those chicken drumsticks so happily just now? Since I gave my consent, would it count as murder?¡±


    "Stop nagging. Hurry up and shoot! We¡¯ve had our food and drank our wine. It¡¯s time to go on the road. May we be born as brothers when we reincarnate.¡±


    Deputy chief Yan interrupted them and said, "Do you know how bad the wound on the face would be if you shot yourselves in the face? This gun has arge caliber. I''m afraid that half of the face would be gone. How much psychological trauma would your children have if they were to see that?¡±


    Old Liu sighed. "Officer, I know you are trying to do what¡¯s best for us. We can discuss this a thousand or even ten thousand times, but our problems can¡¯t be solved. We must die."


    "Yes, we must die!" Old Wang echoed.


    "I see..." Old Liu suddenly brought the gun up to his temple. "Neither of us should take advantage of the other. I willmit suicide first and then you willmit suicide. This is the fairest!"


    "Oh no!" Lin Qiupu screamed internally.


    Deputy chief Yan also became anxious and he shouted, "Old Liu, you¡¯re not being just! Didn''t you two have an agreement?"


    Old Wang said, "Yes, you aren¡¯t being virtuous right now. We agreed that you must kill me first and thenmit suicide. You can''t help yourself first. After the event, if I don¡¯t die and I was arrested by the police, wouldn¡¯t that be a big problem?¡±


    Old Liu cried, "Telling me to kill someone... I really can¡¯t do it!"


    1. An expression they typically use to describe people between 50 and 70 years old who still acts like a kid.


    2. It¡¯s an expression used to describe how prolonged sickness will cause detachment in your children. Even if they cared for you in the beginning, after a very long time, it¡¯s hard to care as much.

 Chapter 435: School Shooting

    <h4>Chapter 435: School Shooting</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Old Liu slowly lowered his gun while crying and Old Wangforted him. "Don''t be afraid. One shot to the head and everything will be finished."


    "It''s just you who¡¯d be finished!" Old Liu protested. "The blood and brain matter would stter all over me. I¡¯d have so much trauma. I still need to shoot myself too."


    "Aiya, who can you me for your bad luck!"


    "Gentleman, gentleman!" Deputy chief Yan asked, "Do we have to solve the problem with death? I want to ask something. How much do you still have to pay for the surgery?"


    "Two hundred thousand!"


    "Three hundred thousand!"


    "That''s half a million then. I''ll go back andmunicate with the hospital. We¡¯ll get the hospital to subsidize half. That¡¯s 250,000! The 250,000 is then divided into two halves. The police will donate half of that to you and then the rest would be afforded by you and your children. Will that work?"


    The two old men looked at each other and asked, "Are you really willing to pay that money?"


    "We¡¯re the police. Why should we lie to you? If we¡¯ve said it, we¡¯ll do it!"


    Old Liu shed tears. "Forget it. It¡¯s better to die. It¡¯s as if we¡¯re here trying to scam this money.¡±


    "Don''t do it. Let¡¯s say this is for us. The money problem is easy to solve. There are hundreds of people in the Public Security Bureau and it¡¯s enough if each of us donates a few hundred. It¡¯s better to be alive than dead. You two are only just over 60. You still have a lot of life left in you two!¡±


    Old Wang looked at Old Liu. The two hesitated and deputy chief Yan slowly walked over. "I will definitely solve the problem for you, so put down the gun, okay?"


    Lin Qiupu, who was watching this scene behind the door, wiped away the sweat that covered his forehead. The air seemed to freeze, and deputy chief Yan approached slowly while he wasforting them. He walked in front of Old Liu and took the pistol from his hand. Then, he quickly ejected the bullets.


    Deputy chief Yan was relieved and said, "Hurry back to the ward!"


    "Mm... You¡¯re not arresting us?" Old Wang asked.


    "You¡¯re not criminals. Go back. The roof is really cold!" Deputy chief Yan said kindly.


    "Thank you, thank you, officers!"


    The incident was finally resolved safely. Everyone was relieved, and deputy chief Yan got into Lin Qiupu''s car. He lit a cigarette with approval, saying, "In fact, it''s not that big of a deal. If it weren''t for this gun, we might not have had toe forward."


    Lin Qiupu checked the gun. "This is indeed one of the missing guns... Shall we go to the hospital to negotiate now?"


    "What for? Let¡¯s go back."


    "You just said..."


    "Oh, those were just lies. If I didn¡¯t say that, would he put the gun down?"


    Lin Qiupu looked at his former teacher in disbelief. "Teacher Yan, this... This doesn¡¯t seem very good. Their problems have not been solved. What if they jump off the building or take drugster?"


    "That is the responsibility of the hospital. It has nothing to do with us." Deputy chief Yan said coldly.


    "I''ll talk to the hospital!"


    "Come back!" Deputy chief Yan stopped him. Realizing that he was acting too cold, his tone became softer. "Little Lin, you¡¯re still too young and have experienced very few things. I see dozens of such suicides every year. Ny-nine percent of it is due to money. Should we take out our wallets and pay for it every time? In that case, if patients don¡¯t have money and act out a suicide y, what would the police be? A non-profit organization?¡±


    "However, since you agreed, leaving them be would be so pitiful."


    "What is the ultimate purpose of negotiation?"


    "Resolving the crisis!"


    "You remember it very clearly. Besides, now that medicine is so advanced, not everyone can afford this kind of financial burden. If all people have unlimited treatment, any country would go bankrupt. It¡¯s their own business to afford medical expenses. We are just here to resolve the crisis and not solve the fundamental problems for them! I know these words are a bit cruel, but this is our job! Okay, don¡¯t bear the psychological burden and just drive!"


    A bitter taste was left in Lin Qiupu¡¯s mouth. He was silent the whole way back. When he returned to the bureau, deputy chief Yan greeted the chief. Lin Qiupu returned to his office and sent a message to the second team. "Donate to those two old people!"


    Someone replied, "Didn''t deputy chief Yan say we didn''t need to donate?"


    Lin Qiupu stubbornly replied, "If I say we need to donate, then we need to donate. Everyone needs to donate over two hundred!¡±


    No one dared toin. They transferred money one after another. Among them, there was a thousand yuan donation from Chen Shi. In the end, there was probably more than 30,000, but it was like using a cup of water trying to save a truck full of hay[1].


    Lin Qiupu asked someone to send the money to the old men and asked his subordinates tomunicate with the hospital to see if it was possible. If it wasn¡¯t, that was fine. He also asked them to see if they could help them by raising funds through the Inte.


    After doing this, he finally felt morefortable in his heart. The police really couldn¡¯t solve the fundamental problems of society. This was just a little charity from him as an individual.


    It was already 2:00 in the afternoon at this time and they could finally have the time to have a bite to eat. Deputy chief Yan was at the lunch table chatting away happily with the second team. Lin Qiupu was still feeling a little sour in his heart, so he silently ate and didn¡¯t talk.


    Deputy chief Yan was stationed in the task force for the time being. He was responsible for responding to various critical situations. After all, there was no better negotiation expert than him in the entire city. He was experienced and had handled hundreds of kidnapping and suicide cases.


    Amidst these busy days, this afternoon was unexpectedly calm. There were no emergency reports and no gunfire was heard in the city.


    Captain Bi of the third team analyzed that the first batch of people who got guns and tried them without thinking were almost all captured. The next group was the most dangerous group. They had guns on them and they had people that they wanted to kill in their hearts. They were looking for opportunities to kill.


    At 5:00 in the afternoon, an emergency report was called in saying that there was a shooting situation at a high school and two students were shot. Everyone was startled when they heard the news. They didn''t expect it to happen on a school campus.


    Arge number of policemen were immediately dispatched to the school. At this time, it was summer vacation. Most of the students didn¡¯te to take sses. Only the students that were in the second grade going onto the third grade of high school had supplementary sses. The school forced this in order to raise their rate of grade-promotion.


    Teachers and school workers were evacuating students. A teacher exined the situation while leading the way. The high school student named Wang Xu was armed. The child was in aplicated situation. His father was sentenced to prison-time for robbery before and his mother didn¡¯t hold a serious upation. His grades were bad, but every time they wanted to meet his parents, his mom would refuse to show up. It seemed like she didn¡¯t care about his school situation at all.


    Deputy chief Yan asked, "What about students who were shot?"


    "One is called Liu Dong and the other is Ma Fei. They are all students in my ss. Liu Dong got a shot in the chest and has been sent to get emergency care. Ma Fei is in the ssroom right now. He seems to have also been shot. Wang Xu is also there... I don¡¯t understand where he got the real gun. It scares me to death.¡±


    "When did the shooting happen?"


    "During the third ss, I heard two bangs and ran over to see Liu Dong falling down outside the ssroom, all covered in blood. The children were terrified and ran straight out."


    Deputy chief Yan gestured for the other policemen not toe forward. He went to the door of the ssroom alone, but the door was closed. He knocked a few times and said, "Wang Xu, I''m a policeman. I want to talk to you. Will you let me in?"


    There was no sound inside. The ssroom curtains were drawn. Deputy chief Yan put his ears on the door to listen. He heard a boy crying, so it seemed like the hostage was still alive.


    1. The strength of it isn¡¯t enough and would be unable to solve the problem.

 Chapter 436: You Lied to Me

    <h4>Chapter 436: You Lied to Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Deputy chief Yan continued to knock on the door. "Wang Xu, Wang Xu, are you inside? I''m here alone and unarmed. If you don''t believe me, you can take a look through the window."


    Deputy chief Yan shifted over to the first row of windows. He lifted his clothes to show the other party that he was not carrying a gun. Lin Qiupu and the others were nervously guarding the passageway by the school gate. Lin Qiupu asked Wang Xu ¡¯s teacher, "Is there any conflict between these three children?"


    "I don''t know much about this."


    A female student came out of nowhere and said, "Uncle policeman, I know that Liu Dong and Ma Fei often bully Wang Xu. I saw them press Wang Xu¡¯s face into the sandpit on the yground several times after school. He was also forced to y ''Aluba''[1]or something. It was clear that they were bullying him. I warned Liu Dong several times that if he were to bully Wang Xu again, I¡¯d tell the teachers, but he would just say it was just them ying around.¡±


    "Why?"


    "I don¡¯t know either. Maybe it¡¯s because of Wang Xu¡¯s family difficulties. The boys in the ss alwaysugh at him and make jokes about him... Teacher Li, have you noticed that every time ss starts and Wang Xu gets up to read texts or answer questions, everyone justughs?"


    The teacher said, "This... I don''t know much about this. Was that the case?"


    Lin Qiupu informed deputy chief Yan of the situation through the radio and deputy chief Yan replied, "I understand."


    At this time, the curtains of the first row of windows moved a bit. It seemed like someone was sneaking a nce inside. Then, the door was pushed open slightly. Lin Qiupu reminded, "Be careful!"


    "Rx, it''s okay."


    Deputy chief Yan entered the ssroom and saw that several desks were overturned and blocked the teaching podium like a fortress. A boy was on the ground, wailing while covering his bleeding stomach. The other boy was holding a pistol in his hands, trembling with adrenaline.


    The window ss on the side facing the yground had a hole left by a bullet.


    Deputy chief Yan said, "I¡¯m the deputy chief Yan of the Public Security Bureau. I havee to negotiate with you. If you have any requirements, you can tell them to me."


    Wang Xu just panted and didn''t speak.


    "I''m here to help you, I know they often bully you and tease you while the teacher doesn''t care about this matter either. But look, you have made them pay a terrible price now. After this incident, I believe that nobody in the ss would dare to bully you again. You should calm down. If we take this child to the hospital now, we can still turn this around. You are a minor. As long as the person isn¡¯t dead, you won¡¯t have to bear criminal responsibility. If this drags on and there¡¯s a death, things won¡¯t be easy. Okay?¡±


    Deputy chief Yan tried to move forward, but Wang Xu raised his gun and shouted, "Don''te over!"


    This was a small strategy for strict negotiation. As long as the other party spoke, it didn¡¯t matter what they said. "You¡¯re finally willing to speak. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"


    "Would you give me anything I wanted?" Wang Xu asked.


    "We can negotiate."


    "How about this? Let my dad out of prison."


    "What happened to your father?"


    "He was arrested by the police for attempted robbery. He¡¯s been in jail from when I was in elementary school until now! If it were not for this matter, why would I be bullied? All the other children have both their parents, but I don''t!¡±


    Saying this, Wang Xu''s was agitated.


    "Calm down. Calm down." Deputy chief Yan soothed. "We can''t process this matter immediately. You still have one year until you¡¯re an adult. You should know that the public security bureau, prosecution office, and courts are independent of each other... Of course, I can call the prison now right now andmunicate with them, but you also need to ept a condition of ours. Let this child go to the hospital first. We really can''t drag this on anymore. Dragging it on would be bad for everyone."


    "Call now!" Wang Xu shouted.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll call them..." Deputy chief Yan took out his phone and dialed Lin Qiupu''s number. He said deliberately, "Is this the city prison?... I''m Yan Zheng from the Public Security Bureau. Right now there¡¯s a situation..." He held a hand over the phone and asked Wang Xu, "Your father''s name is...?"


    "Wang Dahai."


    Lin Qiupu said over the phone, "The SWAT team has arrived. They¡¯re just outside the ssroom!"


    Deputy chief Yan nced at the window and continued, "Is there a prisoner named Wang Dahai there? How long is his sentence?... Oh, really?"


    Lin Qiupu continued, "In addition, the child who was taken to the hospital has died as the bullet pierced the heart."


    "I see." Deputy chief Yan said, "I want Wang Dahai toe out now. You can handle the formalities yourself... Send someone to send him to the sixth middle school."


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Do we really have to do that? If we do, cough once. If we don¡¯t, cough twice."


    Deputy chief Yan coughed twice. "Okay, do it as soon as possible!"


    Then, he hung up the phone and said sincerely to Wang Xu, "The formalities are getting processed over at the prison. I think your father will be released in a few hours. I¡¯ll let hime to see you, okay?"


    Wang Xu expressed doubt. "Did you really make the call?"


    "Why should I lie to you? If I lie to you, you can kill me with one shot."


    "Adults always lie!"


    "I¡¯m different from those adults. Since I said I¡¯de to help you, I really came to help you... Wang Xu, you can see your father in a few hours, but this child can''t wait for a few hours. You need to let him go first. Let¡¯s wait here slowly, okay?¡±


    Wang Xu hesitated. The gun muzzle lowered down slowly. Besides the screams of the boy who was shot, the ssroom was silent. The screams seemed weaker than before. He had lost too much blood and his face was getting pale.


    Deputy chief Yan decided to call out loudly, "Wang Xu, don''t be silly any longer. He¡¯ll die soon! If you continue to hesitate too long, you won¡¯t be able to turn back! Do you want to be like your father?"


    "But..." Wang Xu''s lips quivered. "But if I let him go, you¡¯ll arrest me."


    "If I say so, that¡¯s that. No one will rush in to catch you. Or, how about this? When you let him go, I will be your hostage, okay?"


    Exchanging hostages was also amonly used strategy in negotiations. Deputy chief Yan thought that as soon as he got close, he would immediately grab the gun. Then, the matter would be resolved.


    Because of frequent negotiations, snatching guns at close range was his forte. The opponent this time was just a thin child. He was confident that he could easily take the gun.


    Deputy chief Yan urged, "Hurry up and decide. We have already agreed to your request. Now, it¡¯s up to you to fulfill your promise."


    The boy on the ground begged, "I''m in so much pain... Please... I don''t want to die!"


    Deputy chief Yan said, "Look at him. If he dies, how painful would his family feel? If you let him go now, your family can be reunited and so can his family. Is it not good for everyone to have a happy ending?"


    Wang Xu turned towards Ma Fei, "Why did you have to bully me?! Why?!"


    Ma Fei cried, "It won''t happen again... I swear... I swear!"


    Deputy chief Yan continued to guide the scene. "Now that he¡¯s suffered this loss, how can he bully you in the future? You¡¯re the boss now and you have the final say! Hurry up and let him go!"


    Wang Xu''s eyes were shaken. He raised his head and asked, "If he dies, do I have to go to jail?"


    "Yes!"


    "Then, is Liu Dong dead?"


    Yan Jing pressed the radio and pretended to ask. Then, he smiled and said, "My subordinate said that he has been rescued and is out of danger..."


    Wang Xu''s eyes widened. "You lied to me!!!"


    The next second, deafening gunfire came from the ssroom and everyone outside was stunned in fear.


    1. I believe it¡¯s a ng term, but basically it¡¯s when a group of kids grab another kid and turn their body horizontally. Then they open the victim¡¯s legs and run the victim¡¯s vulnerable sex organs into a pole, tree and the like. Kids be ruthless.

 Chapter 437: Deputy Chief Yan Killed in the Line of Duty

    <h4>Chapter 437: Deputy Chief Yan Killed in the Line of Duty</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing the gunfire in the ssroom, Lin Qiupu shouted over the radio, "Deputy chief Yan! Deputy chief Yan!"


    A row of SWAT officers squatting outside the ssroom immediately kicked the door and rushed in. There was a round of fierce gunfire sounds followed by a long silence. Lin Qiupu widened his eyes in disbelief. He saw that the SWAT team had exited, so he instructed his men, "Forward!"


    Going into the ssroom, a SWAT officer was carrying the student who was shot out so he could be rushed to get emergency treatment. The SWAT team leader collided with Lin Qiupu. He shook his head helplessly. "Toote!"


    The room was extremely messy. The wall at the back of the ssroom was full of bullet holes. Wang Xu had fallen into a pool of blood with the gun in his hand and his pupils had already started spreading.


    Deputy chief Yan leaned back on the podium. He was shot three times, all of which hit his torso. Lin Qiupu grabbed him and shook him vigorously. "Deputy chief Yan! Teacher Yan!" However, he didn¡¯t get a response. Deputy chief Yan¡¯s head dropped to one side and the body followed suit.


    The police present were all miserable. How could the situation that had been controlled suddenly be like this?!


    Lin Qiupu found that Deputy chief Yan didn¡¯t have a pulse anymore. He said with tears in his eyes, "Handle the scene!"


    The two body bags were then moved out of the ssroom. The surrounding teachers and students were either weeping or anxiously asking what happened. Lin Qiupu could only shake his head weakly.


    He looked at the pistol in the evidence bag in his hand. This sixth gun was actually exchanged with the price of blood!


    Lin Qiupu returned to the bureau and sat in his office holding his head sullenly. He had no energy to do anything else. He still couldn''t understand how this had happened. He sat there until the sun went down before he got up and went to the archive room.


    After recalling the files of Wang Xu''s father Wang Dahai, he realized that Wang Dahai stabbed a store clerk when he was robbing a store. He also took three store clerks hostage. The injured store clerk died on the way to the hospital. The negotiation expert at the time lied that the clerk was out of danger in order to try and stabilize Wang Dahai''s emotions. When Wang Dahai agreed toy down his arms, what was waiting for him was a pair of handcuffs and murder charges.


    Lin Qiupu nced at the signature of the file. It actually read the name Yan Zheng. That is to say, the negotiating expert who lied back then was him!


    Wang Xu must have heard about this matter from his father in prison, so when Deputy chief Yan lied that Liu Dong was out of danger, he recalled his memories and Wang Xu''s emotions broke out instantly.


    This tragedy can be said to be coincidental and there was an inevitability to it. It was Deputy chief Yan¡¯s negligent negotiation technique that buried these problematic roots in the first ce. But now that the man was dead, Lin Qiupu only had grief in his heart.


    After the task force experienced a day of grief, Chen Shi had made breakthrough progress on his end. They were able to arrest Luo Zuyu and pry open his mouth.


    Luo Zuyu''s case was settled. It was already 10:00 in the evening. Lin Qiupu called the three of them to the office and praised them. Then, he talked about the present case. Chen Shi asked, "How is the pistol case going anyway?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head sadly. "It''s not going too smoothly. Three people have already died and one police officer has died. We¡¯ve only found five pistols..." He pleaded, "The follow-up admin for the Luo Zuyu case will be taken over by therades from other bureaus. You can let go of that case and hurry on over to help me!"


    Chen Shi said, "I want to see the current progress."


    Lin Qiupuy down a copy of the materials on the table for him. "You should hurry to read it. Something may happen at any time!"


    After returning home, Chen Shi was drinking while looking at the materials. He had to say that in this gun mailing case, the targets chosen by the murderer were very tricky. He couldn''t help but wonder what the source of the murderer''s information was.


    What disappointed him a little was that this time, it wasn¡¯t a murder case. However, it seemed like Lin Qiupu had encountered a big problem and he was embarrassed not to help, so he could only stick his head through it all.


    After days of exhaustion, Chen Shi fell asleep by taking advantage of the alcohol he had just drank. He didn¡¯t have a single dream that night. He got up at 7:00 the next morning. Tao Yueyue had already made breakfast for herself and left Chen Shi two pieces of toasted bread and a ss of juice. Chen Shi said with content, "You are more and more sensible now!"


    "Uncle Chen, what is the stuff you put on the table?"


    "A case."


    "I saw it when you first went to bed. Did someone actually mail some pistols?"


    "Yes, you¡¯ll have to be careful when you go out."


    Tao Yueyue asked in disappointment, "If they posted them, why didn¡¯t I receive one?"


    "You brat, why do you want a pistol?!"


    "If I received one, wouldn''t you guys need to find one less?"


    "Thank you for your kindness!" Chen Shi smiled. "I should go out. It''s so hot today. You should just watch TV and y on yourputer at home!"


    Tao Yueyue waved. "Come back alive!"


    On the way, Chen Shi called Sun Zhen and asked him to check Zhou Tiannan''s recent whereabouts. Additionally, Chen Shi asked if he could find out whether the five gunmen had anything inmon. For example, having participated in the same forum or the like.


    Chen Shi felt that blindly looking for them was too passive. It was better to start from the source.


    Arriving at the bureau, Lin Qiupu was holding a special project meeting, "... The tragedy that happened yesterday was a huge blow to our entire task force. Deputy chief Yan has just passed away so I know that these words are a bit cruel, but I still hope that everyone will stay cautious and even more so when dealing with these critical incidents. No matter who you are, when approaching the gunman, a bulletproof vest must be worn! I repeat, a bulletproof vest must be worn! We can¡¯t have another officer killed in the line of duty!"


    After the meeting, Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "I looked at yesterday''s records. The officer with the surname Yan simply killed himself."


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "Don''t talk nonsense. Deputy chief Yan was my brother''s teacher, so he¡¯s really sad right now."


    "I know, I know. I just wanted to express my opinion... What are we going to do now?"


    "Wait for a police report!"


    "The efficiency is so low!"


    "Well what can we do? The division ofbor is like this. The third team is checking the ck-market transactions outside. We¡¯re responsible for emergency calls and situations."


    Everyone sat in the office on standby the whole morning. During this period, there were obviously calls for the police. However, all ordinary cases were handed over to other branches or local police stations. Right now, the task force only focused on the mailed gun case.


    Chen Shi yed Lianliankan[1] on Lin Dongxue¡¯sputer and was so bored that he said, ¡°If being a police officer is so easy, I should be a policeman too.¡±


    "What a sarcastic remark. When a sudden situation urs, you¡¯ll have heaps of time to be busy."


    "Hurry up and have something happen. I''m bored to death..." Chen Shi said to the phone on the table. "Big brother, give me face and ring me in three seconds. One, two, three..."


    Of course, there was no response. Lin Dongxue mocked him, "Do you think you¡¯re a god?"


    At this time, the phone suddenly rang. Lin Dongxue''s expression changed greatly after answering. She informed everyone, "A hostage situation with a gun is located in the downtown business street. Everyone needs to remember to wear bulletproof vests."


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "Bank or convenience store?"


    Lin Dongxue answered, "Captain Lin said it¡¯s a hot pot restaurant..."


    1. Game where you clear the board by connecting pairs of identical tiles and link them up.

 Chapter 438: A Leg For A Leg

    <h4>Chapter 438: A Leg For A Leg</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An hourter, the police car arrived in the city center. This street was normally crowded during the holidays, but right now it was even more crowded. Everyone could only park their cars nearby and push away the crowd who just wanted to watch the scene out of curiosity.


    Lin Dongxue picked up a bulletproof vest from the car and threw it over to Chen Shi. "Put it on."


    Chen Shi was very reluctant. It was like wearing a quilt on a hot day, but he had to obey.


    Through the window of the hot pot restaurant, everyone saw terrified guests squatting under tables. A man in a red shirt was sitting on the table in the middle, slowly drinking cold beer and eating mutton in a copper hot pot. He was holding chopsticks in his right hand and the gun in his left.


    Lin Qiupu put his gun belt down. "I''ll negotiate!"


    Chen Shi said, "Since I''m asked to help, if I''m not allowed to go in and negotiate, I''ll head back. Who has the patience to wear a bulletproof vest on this hot day getting heat rashes for no reason?"


    "You don''t understand. The negotiator must have a certain status, otherwise your words are like farts. It won¡¯t be persuasive.¡±


    "That''s just a certain strategy. There are many strategies in negotiation. I have my own strategy. Just watch!"


    With that said, Chen Shi walked in. Lin Qiupu shouted, "Radio!"


    He threw the radio to Chen Shi. Chen Shi took it and tested it. Then, he made an ¡°ok¡± gesture to Lin Qiupu.


    Chen Shi walked into the hot pot restaurant and the air-conditioning blowing at him made him feel veryfortable. Both his body and mind were calmed down. Lin Qiupu heard the sound of "Guru Guru" on the radio and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Drinking a cold beer. It¡¯s so refreshing!"


    Lin Qiupu was about to vomit blood[1]. He regretted it a little bit. Did this guy know how to negotiate? How could he act so casual?


    The gunman saw Chen Shi and pointed at him with the gun with the intention of not letting hime over. Chen Shi finished drinking the ss of beer, put the ss down, wiped his mouth, and said, "Hello, I¡¯m a negotiation expert. How should I address you?"


    "Ouyang."


    "Mr. Ouyang..." Chen Shi looked to the side. A man that looked like the manager was on the ground, moaning while covering his leg. Blood flowed all over the ground. "Since there are so many hostages, I reckon you should let this injured guy go first.¡±


    "I¡¯m not letting him go."


    "Let him go, okay? Please."


    "No!"


    "Is there a point in that?"


    Lin Qiupu outside said helplessly, "This guy doesn¡¯t know how to negotiate at all!"


    Chen Shi asked, "Can I sit down?"


    "No!"


    "I''m curious. There are gold shops, convenience stores, and tobo shops on this street. Why did you hijack this hot pot restaurant? Brother, what¡¯s troubling you?"


    Ouyang rolled his eyes. "It has nothing to do with you. Get lost!"


    Chen Shi walked to the window and Ouyang became alert. "What are you doing?!"


    Chen Shi said, "Helping you, brother. You have all the windows open. The sniper can kill you with a single shot. I¡¯m closing the window for you, okay?"


    Lin Qiupu was about to go insane. "How can this idiot do this?! Negotiation isn¡¯t to help criminals!"


    Chen Shi closed the windows one by one and the restaurant became a lot cooler. Ouyang''s expression eased a little as he said, "You¡¯re different from those policemen."


    "Actually, I¡¯m not a policeman."


    "Not a policeman?"


    "Negotiation experts are usually just citizens. By the way, I''ve been to this ce before. It''s not bad. Do youe often?"


    "No, I don¡¯t."


    Chen Shi observed his whole body and noticed that he was wearing thick trousers and thick socks. A person¡¯s ie can be known by looking at their shoes. He was wearing a pair of worn-out sneakers, which showed that he didn¡¯t have a high ie.


    "Do you have any conditions or anything?"


    Ouyang shook his head with a smile. "You don¡¯t need to waste your efforts. I¡¯ll surrender after eating this meal."


    "By the time you finish eating, the person will probably die. I suggest you let the injured one go first, and then you can just eat. I can even apany you to eat. It''s okay to eat until nighttime, okay?"


    "Don''t even think about it."


    "Do you have a personal grudge with him?"


    When the words "personal grudge" was mentioned, the hand that held a ss shook a little, but his face was still calm. This detail didn¡¯t escape Chen Shi''s eyes.


    In fact, when he came in, he was already thinking that this man had no reason to hijack a hot pot restaurant. He must have had his own reasons.


    Chen Shi asked the man on the ground, "How should I address you?"


    "My surname is Zhang... Hurry and rescue me. I¡¯m really dizzy... I can''t feel this leg anymore..."


    "No talking!" Ouyang roared loudly as he grabbed a handful of enoki mushrooms and threw them at the man''s face.


    Chen Shi noticed a detail. Ouyang could have kicked him with his left foot, but he grabbed something with his right hand to throw at him instead. The man on the ground was also shot on the left leg. He observed Ouyang''s legs again and noticed something.


    He asked the man on the ground, "Have you met this Mr. Ouyang before?"


    He shook his head desperately. "I don''t know him at all."


    "You don''t know me?!" Ouyang grabbed a handful of lettuce and chucked it at his face. "Bastard!"


    "Brother, what kind of bad-blood do I have with you?"


    "Do you want to nag me more? Do you not want that other leg anymore?"


    The injured man shut his mouth in fright. His lips were already purple.


    Lin Qiupu anxiously said over the radio, "Talk about the conditions. Talk about the conditions quickly!"


    Chen Shi ignored it and said to Ouyang, "If I¡¯m guessing correctly, your left leg is fake."


    Ouyang looked at him in surprise.


    Chen Shi continued, "Because your right foot¡¯s shoe is badly worn but your left shoe isn¡¯t. Also, you¡¯ve been sitting still since you entered. Just now, you could have easily kicked him with your left foot, but you grabbed things to throw at him with your right hand. I was just thinking that your left leg is either seriously disabled or prosthetic."


    Ouyang smiled. "You¡¯re amazing!"


    He slowly rolled up his left pant leg to reveal the wooden prosthetic leg. The man on the ground was surprised.


    Ouyang said to the injured man, "Do you really not remember me?"


    The injured man shook his head.


    "Let me remind you. On March 18th two years ago, there was still a Chinese fast-food restaurant here. One night, you received an order and asked a delivery person who was already off work to help you deliver it. You said you¡¯d give them extra money. In order to earn a dozen more yuan, the delivery person set off in the light of rain, but there was a car ident on the road and he lost a leg. When he wanted to talk aboutpensation, you insisted that he was already off work at the time and it wasn¡¯t a work-rted injury.¡±


    The injured man seemed to recall and said, "You aren¡¯t being reasonable. I alreadypensated! Ipensated a hundred thousand!"


    Ouyang was furious and swept all the dishes on the table to the ground. Lin Qiupu heard the movement inside and asked, "What''s wrong? What happened?"


    Chen Shi found it annoying and took off the wireless radiopletely. Ouyang shouted, "That''s after I spent money getting awyer to sue you. That¡¯s when you wanted to sort it out privately. Thispensation was dragged on for two years. Iy in bed for two years and lost everything! The source of all of this was caused by you. I will never forget your shameless face at that time!" He picked up a beer and took a big sip. "I don''t want to take any lives today. I asked the doctor and got told that if you¡¯re shot in the thigh and don¡¯t go to the hospital for an hour, then you¡¯d have to get it amputated. When I finish eating this hot pot, I¡¯ll surrender myself. Your leg would be rendered useless by then. A leg for a leg!"


    1. An expressionmonly used to express immense frustration caused by someone else.

 Chapter 439: All You Lost Is One Leg

    <h4>Chapter 439: All You Lost Is One Leg</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After understanding the reason, the injured man cried, "Brother, I''m sorry for you. Actually, I also have my reasons. Don''t think I¡¯m sessfully and morously opening a shop. I owe a lot of debt. I can only eat the customers'' daily leftovers and I only dare to smoke five yuan cigarettes. Thepensation I gave you back then was the dowry I had nned to use to marry my wife. Because the money was given to you, I lost my fianc¨¦e. Who do I go to about that?!"


    Chen Shi said, "Listen, you only lost one leg, but what he lost was love!"


    Ouyang nced at Chen Shi contemptuously. "Do you also want to get shot?"


    "I¡¯m just lightening up the atmosphere. Is that not okay?"


    Ouyang sneered and continued to eat the meat in the hot pot.


    "What are you talking about?!" Lin Qiupu''s roar could be heard from the radio hanging on Chen Shi''s neck.


    Chen Shi picked up the radio and whispered, "Prepare for an ambnce and ask them to have more blood bags."


    Chen Shi said to Ouyang, "Brother, I¡¯ll help you do the math. Using a gun, holding someone hostage, and aggravated injury will start from 13 years. Although he¡¯s impudent, shameless, and has a bad character and morals, he has no direct criminal responsibility. You said a leg for a leg is fair, but the judge won¡¯t think so. You¡¯ll go to jail, but although he won¡¯t have his leg, he can still run his restaurant. Will it affect him?¡±


    Ouyang waved his hand and said, "You don''t need to say anything more. I will pay for my own behavior. After an hour, I will surrender my gun and turn myself in..." He looked around, "Everyone, if you want to go, just go. I won¡¯t shoot."


    The guests squatting under the table crawled out hesitantly and walked out slowly. When an old man walked past Chen Shi, he patted his shoulder and said, "This is indeed the fault of the store owner. If the police can spare him, they should!"


    Then, the old man grabbed a bag of unopened fish balls from the side table and left.


    When the hostages came out in batches, the police were shocked. They stepped forward and asked if they were injured. Through the hostage''s mouth, they learned about the situation inside. Lin Dongxue said, "Chen Shi still has some skills up his sleeve."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "The injured one is the key!"


    Chen Shi said, "Mr. Ouyang. In fact, I think you¡¯re quite reasonable. Just through the act of letting the hostages go just now would take off a few years of your sentence in court. Why don¡¯t you add to your good deeds and turn a big incident into a small one?¡±


    "Okay, you can go out too!" Ouyang swung his gun around.


    "The prison is not a good ce to stay at. You are a disabled person. When you go to prison, wouldn¡¯t those jackals, wolves, tigers and jaguars[1] bully you to death? Do you think prison-life is easy? You have to work hard every day in order to get a bite. You¡¯d only be able to stare at the high wall over the decade and everything in the outside world would no longer exist for you! You are only in your twenties. Anything you do would be better than this. Even if you start a stall to help people put on protective screens on people¡¯s phones, get up early every day, and struggle to earn some money through blood, sweat and tears, it¡¯s still better than being in jail. It¡¯s really not worth it!¡±


    Ouyang mmed on the table and shouted, "The matter has already been done and I¡¯ve already shot the man. Do you want to say that I won''t need to go to jail? Do you dare to p your chest and guarantee it? Do you dare? Whether I get arrested for ten years or twenty, I¡¯d still be going to jail. Since what¡¯s done is done, I¡¯ll let this resentment out! I don¡¯t want his life. I want him crippled so he remembers this lesson his whole life!¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Of course you have to go to jail, but it can be short or long. You might even be able to fight for probation. That all depends on your current actions." He pointed to the dishes on the table. "These are not vegetables,mb slices, fish balls and shrimp balls. These are your future. If you eat one more bite, you may be sentenced to an additional year. When you¡¯re really in prison, you will regret eating one more bite... Don¡¯t struggle like this anymore. Hurry up and let him go!"


    Ouyang picked up a piece of rolled-upmb meat[2] with chopsticks, put it in the pot a few times, and ate it. "Don''t bother. I¡¯ve already said that as long as his leg is crippled, I will surrender!"


    The injured man yelled, "I''m finished. I can¡¯t feel my leg anymore. Nothing at all."


    Ouyang grabbed a beer and poured it down on his gunshot wound. The injured man screamed even worse. Ouyang said disdainfully, "Pretend. Continue to pretend!"


    Chen Shi sighed secretly. Negotiations were really a tricky business. This man had made up his mind to cripple the owner¡¯s leg. He couldn¡¯t convince him using a frontal offense. He walked to a table and said, "I think there are other means of retaliation. You don¡¯t have to be so extreme. For example..."


    Chen Shi kicked the table over. The pot on it as well as the dishes fell to the ground, nging as they broke and scattered all over the ground. He eximed in an agitated fashion, "We can smash this shop up so he can¡¯t run it anymore. He¡¯ll go bankrupt!¡±


    Ouyang looked at Chen Shi coldly.


    Chen Shi overturned another table and asked, "Is this enough topensate you?"


    Ouyang still didn''t speak. Lin Qiupu was going crazy shouting over on the radio, "What are you doing?!"


    Chen Shi continued to overturn the tables. He did them one by one, and soon the store was in a state of chaos. The injured man yelled, "Don¡¯t smash them. It¡¯s all my hard-earned money!"


    Ouyang pointed his gun at the pixiu[3] at the shop entrance and said, "Smash that toy over there as well."


    "I¡¯ll listen to you!"


    Chen Shi walked over and pushed the pixiu to the ground. He picked up a chair and beat the pixiu like an enemy until the chair fell apart. Then, he asked Ouyang, "Is this enough? I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to open this ce up again in at least half a year.¡±


    "The row of wine behind the counter is valuable."


    "I¡¯ll listen to you!"


    Chen Shi went behind the counter and smashed bottle after bottle of wine. Soon, the store was full of the sweet smell of wine. You¡¯d get drunk just by smelling it. The injured man cried even more. "Just cripple my leg. Please."


    Ouyang seemed to have already been shaken. He stood up limping, walked in front of Chen Shi, put a hand on Chen Shi''s shoulder, and patted him. "I¡¯ve relieved my hatred. Thank you."


    "You''re wee." Chen Shi reached out to get his gun. During this process, he was very nervous, for fear of any changing variables.


    This single moment seemed to be stretched to infinity. In the end, he snatched the gun away and put the safety on. Chen Shi said to the radio, "Hurry ande in to save him!"


    Then, he said to Ouyang, "It¡¯s good that your lost rationale hase back!"


    "Thank you. I can see that you really came to help me."


    Chen Shi patted his arm and smiled. The police rushed in and took the injured man out. Ouyang was also taken to the police car. The gun was sessfully delivered to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu hadn¡¯t expected Chen Shi to be able to resolve it peacefully. He looked at the store that was in a mess and asked, "Who will pay for this?"


    "The task force."


    "Do you still have the face to say that?!"


    "Isn''t the point of negotiation to minimize loss? Isn¡¯t it worthwhile to exchange a few tables and bottles of wine for a life?"


    Lin Qiupu had to admit that what he said was correct. This guy who had not received professional training actually had such good adaptability and was sessful using surprising means.


    More importantly, he was more empathetic than deputy chief Yan and fully understood the needs of the other party.


    However, Lin Qiupu said, "Don''t do this next time. You almost scared us to death.¡±


    1. Bad people of all sorts.


    3. People put these in their shops to bring wealth. Pixiu is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature and is considered a powerful protector in Feng Shui. It resembles a strong, winged lion. It¡¯s auspicious creature for wealth.

 Chapter 440: Armed

    <h4>Chapter 440: Armed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the incident was resolved, everyone huddled around and praised Chen Shi. Chen Shi said a few humble words. "It''s noon. Let''s eat hot pot. I got quite hungry from watching him eat."


    Lin Qiupu said, "It is too early to be happy now. There are still nine[1] guns left outside! Let¡¯s go back and stand by."


    Standing in front of the gun just then, it was impossible to say that he wasn¡¯t nervous. Chen Shi said, "Whether the case is solved or not, you still need to eat. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. Hot pot buffet. My treat!¡±


    When they found a buffet hot pot restaurant, Chen Shi chugged arge ss of an ice cold beverage down. Lin Dongxue said, "Won¡¯t you lose out like that? You¡¯ll be half-full from the drink alone."


    "Negotiating is way too exhrating.¡±


    "Who told you to do it then? Just get my brother to do it."


    "But it''s quite interesting. I seem to have found a way."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Let¡¯s eat!"


    The meal was very enjoyable and there were no police reports that interrupted them as they ate. Chen Shi figured that he didn¡¯t treat them to a meal for nothing since they were able to have an enjoyable meal.


    Immediately after eating, Lin Qiupu received a phone call. He walked over and said, "We just received a report from the bureau. It seems that someone hasmitted a robbery with a gun in the past few days."


    "Was anyone killed?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, the other party just pointed at the victim''s waist with the gun in a secluded cete at night. They stole their phones, wallets and other items, but they didn¡¯t hurt anyone. There are already two victims. The third team is currently investigating this case.


    Lin Dongxue said, "The person who sent the pistols has caused untold amounts of trouble. These people were originally just ordinary people, like today''s uncle. He originally didn''t have to go to jail, but because he had a gun, he did such an impulsive thing."


    "There''s a saying that when you¡¯re armed with sharp weapons, killing intent is formed. Guns are good things. You can kill someone with a light trigger," Chen Shi said, "But this incident also has its positive side."


    "What? There¡¯s a positive side?"


    "Yes! These people already had the target they wanted to kill, but they didn¡¯t have the means to. The appearance of the guns sped up their actions. If there was no such incident, they may have taken other actions in the future. Take the uncle today. He said that he wanted to retaliate against the owner of the restaurant, but he was unable to do so. Maybe he would take actions such as poisoning in the future."


    Lin Qiupu heard him and understood. "You mean to say that the incident this time justpresses a dozen or more vicious events that could happen in the future together in a different way."


    "Yes, it¡¯s like minesweeping. Some unstable factors have been eliminated."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Regardless, the appearance of guns still hurts people. If everyone has a gun, I think the crime rate would only be higher and not lower."


    Chen Shi said, "What you said makes sense. Some foreignerse to our country and feel that the public security here is pretty good."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Right, I have to remind you of something. Negotiation is not the same as unconditionally meeting the requests of the other party. If the other party is a bank robber and wants a car and a helicopter, would you satisfy his wishes?"


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Of course I understand this. It was just a stopgap measure today."


    "Let me go next time. I¡¯ll let you see some serious negotiations."


    "Okay, okay. I¡¯ll watch and learn."


    Lin Qiupu received another phone call. During the conversation, his expression gradually became more serious. He said to the two, "New hostage held at gunpoint situation!"


    In the process of rushing to the scene, Lin Qiupu exined the situation through the car radio. This time, the gunman was a woman and the hostage was her husband. The woman suspected that the husband was cheating on her. The neighbor heard their quarrelling get worse and worse at noon. Then. they heard a few gunshot noises. After several shots, the husband yelled through the window, "Murder! Hurry and call the police!"


    The police car drove into the neighborhood where the incident urred and went to the building. Lin Qiupu removed his gun belt and put on his bulletproof vest and wireless radio. He also attached a wireless audio bug to his tie. Lin Dongxue said, "Brother, be careful!"


    Lin Qiupu nodded, walked up to the unit, and opened the door. He heard a gunshot as soon as he stepped in. The sound of the broken ss caused everyone to break out in cold sweat. A woman shouted hysterically, "Don¡¯te in!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "I''m the negotiating expert from the police. I¡¯vee to help you. Can you please calm down? Look, I have no weapons!"


    It seems that the shot just then was just to scare him. Despite this, Lin Dongxue was still scared and grabbed onto Chen Shi''s hand tightly. Chen Shi patted her on the back of her hand tofort her.


    Lin Qiupu saw the mess in the house. The overturned furniture and the broken bottles would have been caused by their previous quarreling. He nced at the bedroom and saw a man kneeling on the ground. The woman¡¯s bare feet were also visible.


    Lin Qiupu walked over to the door and reached out his hand to show his ID. "Can Ie in?"


    "Go! Don''t enter my house!" The woman screamed.


    "I have already learned the situation from your neighbors. Is the cause of this because of your husband¡¯s affair? Is that right? I sympathize with you. Look, no one is injured right now. I hope this matter can be resolved peacefully... Can Ie in?"


    "Stand at the door!"


    This was a sign of agreement in epting the negotiation process. Lin Qiupu let out a sigh of relief, but also became more nervous. From this moment, he would bepletely exposed to the gun.


    The bedroom was also in aplete mess. The woman was wearing her undergarments and her feet were bare as she held a pistol in her hands. Her husband was kneeling on the ground, crying. He didn¡¯t dare say a word. The woman switched between pointing at her husband to Lin Qiupu.


    Lin Qiupu noticed that the window behind the bed was wide open and there was a building opposite them. It was a very good sniper point, but he didn¡¯t want to use murder to solve the problem, so he said, ¡°No action is allowed without my order!¡±


    Then, he asked, "How did you find out that your husband was cheating?"


    "How did I find out?!" The woman with disheveled hair and widened eyes looked like she was a little mentally unstable. "He bought sexy underwear for that bitch and hid it in the wardrobe. I asked him what was going on. He actually lied and said it was for me!"


    The kneeling husband said, "I bought it for you. You forgot that time..."


    "Quit quibbling!" The woman screamed with her voice almost breaking. Then, she fired a shot at the closet. The husband balled-up and trembled in horror as his legs quickly became wet.


    Afraid of the people outside not knowing what the situation was, Lin Qiupu said over the radio, "It was a shot toward furniture. It¡¯s okay... You can continue!¡±


    The woman cried and said, "I checked his expenses and found that he spent thousands of yuan a month somewhere. He also brought that bitch home."


    "Have you seen her?"


    "I haven¡¯t, but I can feel that the things in the house have been moved! Once, I even found a woman''s underwear under the pillow. It wasn¡¯t mine. It was so disgusting. When I asked him, he just denied it... He¡¯d go fucking swear using the mountains and the seas. That so-calling fucking lifetime of loyalty. Is that how you¡¯re going to treat me? Why did you betray me? Why did you betray me?! I hate the people who betray me the most!" The woman screamed hysterically again and the husband didn¡¯t dare say anything more.


    1. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s Note: The author wrote ten guns here. However, there was one gun from the drug addict (ch.431), 2 guns from the third team (ch.431), 1 from the subway (ch.432), 1 gun from the inpatient center (ch.433), 1 gun from the school incident (ch.429/435) and 1 gun from this chapter.

 Chapter 441: Dissociative Identity Disorder

    <h4>Chapter 441: Dissociative Identity Disorder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu saw that the woman was too agitated and tried to divert her attention. He asked, "Madam, how can I address you?"


    The woman panted but didn¡¯t speak.


    "What do you two do for a living?" He asked her husband.


    "I''m engaged in sales. She used to be an ountant. She just resigned and nned to get pregnant at home." The husband responded while ncing at the muzzle in fear.


    "Madam, I have heard what you said. I want to hear what your husband says as well, okay?"


    "He only knows how to lie!" The woman screamed.


    "Even in court, you have to let the used speak. Neither of you should interrupt the other person. Since you just finished talking, let¡¯s give him five minutes to talk, okay?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t speak, implying agreement. Her husband answered while trembling. "Officer, I¡¯ve really been wronged. I haven¡¯t been cheating. The money was spent with my wife for dinners and the clothes were bought for her. Recently, she¡¯s been a bit forgetful..."


    "You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re lying!" The woman screamed. "I''ve never bought those kinds of clothes. You must have another woman! Say it! Who is it? Is it that fox spirit[1] at yourpany?!¡±


    Lin Qiupu sighed. This negotiation was too difficult. The other party hadpletely lost their mind.


    The words inside were clearly heard from the outside. Chen Shi said, "Something¡¯s wrong."


    "What''s wrong?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "The murderer mailed the pistols with a specific goal. He recognized that these people would definitely pick up the gun and kill people. This couple¡¯s problem is definitely not as simple as an affair. There are so many married men cheating, so why did he choose them?"


    "It¡¯s clear that you don¡¯t understand women. Cheating impacts women a lot, understood?¡±


    "So much that you need to kill them with a gun?"


    "Well, what do you think is so special about this family then?"


    "Why did the man keep saying that the money is spent on his wife? A man who cheats has a guilty conscience... Would he say such obvious lies? I¡¯ll go to the neighbors to find out."


    "I¡¯lle with you."


    The neighbors gathered downstairs. When they saw the policeing down, they asked about the situation as if there were seven mouths and eight tongues[2]. Chen Shi said, "It''s okay, there are no casualties right now. We are currently negotiating with the female owner right now... I want to know more about this family¡¯s situation. Please tell me anything that you may know.¡±


    He learned from the neighbors that the husband''s surname was Li and the wife''s surname was Han.


    "Li xx is a pretty honest person. I think he¡¯s very kind to his wife. He also bought flowers for her on their wedding anniversary... I didn''t think that such a man would cheat, haii!"


    "I live across from his house. During this time, they would always quarrel in the middle of the night. It seems like it was about this matter.¡±


    "You guys don''t know, but this woman is a little neurotic. She often throws things making me unable to sleep at night. I don''t know how manyints I¡¯ve filed with the property managers.¡±


    Most of the neighbors¡¯ments were their opinions of this family. Chen Shi asked, "Did anyone witness the affair? We just heard Ms. Han saying that her husband brought the little three[3] home. Has anyone seen her?"


    Everyone shook their heads. One person said, "Oh, I once saw the mane back with a woman, but the woman was very old. I don''t know if it was her or not."


    "Nonsense, that''s his mother, okay?"


    The neighbors couldn¡¯t provide evidence of the affair. When Chen Shi was questioning him, Lin Dongxue kept texting. She dragged Chen Shi to the side and said, "I asked the bureau to check it out. There are several people in Long''an named Han X. Among them, there¡¯s one with a history of mental illness. I wonder if it¡¯s her?"


    "You¡¯re quite smart nowadays!"


    "Hehe, I just heard the neighbor say she was neurotic. Plus this woman is acting a bit crazy, so I wondered if she was mentally ill."


    "Call the psychiatric hospital to confirm. It¡¯s best if we can see photos."


    Lin Dongxue made the call immediately. After ten minutes, a document of information was sent to her mobile phone. The two of them looked at it and it was indeed the same woman. The psychiatric diagnosis was that she was overstressed, with slight anxiety and amnesia.


    "Amnesia? Did she forget these things herself?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "How can she forget so thoroughly? People''s memories are re-recognizable. If those clothes were really bought for her, even if she forgot them, she¡¯d still vaguely remember them when she sees them. But she keeps saying it¡¯s bought for other people... Could it perhaps be dissociative identity disorder[4].?"


    Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised. "So, it turned out to be like this. So, the so-called other party in the affair was herself!¡±


    The two immediately told Lin Qiupu of this discovery. At this time, Lin Qiupu was still listening to the husband and wife. After being told of this discovery by Chen Shi, he considered the negotiation strategy going forward. If he directly said that the woman had multiple personalities, she might not admit to it. He could only remind her in a way where she might realize it herself.


    So, Lin Qiupu said, "Ms. Han, how about this? We¡¯ll check each matter one by one to see if your husband has cheated or not.¡±


    Ms. Han screamed, "There¡¯s nothing to confirm! Things have already happened! Why wouldn¡¯t I be clear on this?!"


    "You know that people''s memories may not be reliable..."


    "What are you talking about? Do you want to say that I¡¯m mentally unstable? Huh?! You stinking men only know how to protect each other!"


    "I don''t intend to protect one or the other."


    "Then why don''t you arrest him and sentence him? Why doesn¡¯t thew care about cheating? The rtionship between husband and wife is clearly a legal rtionship, but when one betrays the other, thew ignores it. It¡¯s because thew is made by you men! Men are all bastards!"


    "It''s too extreme for you to say this. If a spouse cheats, he will definitely have topensate more in the divorce proceedings. This is what thew reflects.¡±


    "I don''t want to divorce! I will kill him andmit suicide!!! We live as husband and wife and will die the same way!" The woman screamed.


    Cold sweat flowed from Lin Qiupu''s forehead. He couldn¡¯t get through to her at all. He turned to the man with a harsh tone and asked the man, "Mr. Li. Tell me honestly, when did you buy that underwear?!"


    The man trembled in fright. "Last month on the 18th."


    "Is there evidence of this?"


    "What evidence? I obviously bought it for her. I don¡¯t know what happened to her. Sometimes she¡¯d let me have my way with everything and sometimes she¡¯d go crazy. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I sent her to get psychiatric treatment previously and got treated wrong."


    "You''re the one who¡¯s got problems! You''re the one who¡¯s sick!" The woman screamed with the gun pointed at the man.


    "Calm down! Calm down! You can''t solve the problem like this."


    "I didn''t want to solve the problem. I just wanted to kill him andmit suicide. Don''t care about me. Get out! Get lost!"


    The police outside all wiped away their cold sweat. It had been half an hour, but the woman¡¯s emotions never settled and they were unable tomunicate normally. Old Zhang asked Lin Qiupu, "Captain Lin, do you want to call the SWAT team to arrange snipers on the opposite side?"


    "No need!" Lin Qiupu answered firmly.


    Chen Shi said on the radio, "The topic needs to be directed back to the underwear. Remind her that she¡¯s worn them herself."


    "How would I remind her?"


    "The odor!"


    Lin Qiupu sighed helplessly. This idea wasn¡¯t very good, but as long as the woman¡¯s emotions could be stabilized, it would be okay. "Ms. Han, I will help you find out the truth now and see who this other party in the affair is, okay?"


    1. The fox spirits encountered in tales and legends are usually females and appear as young, beautiful women. It¡¯s an expression that¡¯s often used to describe mistresses that supposedly seduce people¡¯s partners.


    2. An expression to describe people speaking at the same time. Often expressing different opinions.


    3. The mistress.


    4. Multiple Personality Disorder is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Not to be confused with Bipr Disorder.


    DID is a rare mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and rtively enduring personality states. These states are unique enough that they may even have different names, life stories, etc. Apparently, these states are temporary behaviors or feelings that depend on a person¡¯s situation and motives at the time.


    People with DID might experience memory gaps beyond ordinary forgetfulness. Some professionals believe that DID is caused by childhood trauma and that about 90% of cases have a history of childhood abuse. Another belief is that it¡¯s a by-product of techniques employed by therapists.

 Chapter 442: Cheating With His Wife

    <h4>Chapter 442: Cheating With His Wife</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The woman stared at Lin Qiupu and said, "If you let me find her, I will kill that bitch along with him."


    Lin Qiupu said to the man, "Can you take out your phone and let me check it?"


    Chen Shi said over on the radio, "Are you crazy? If you really find something, this man''s life is over... Why not use my method?"


    "Shut up!"


    Although the man was nervous, he still agreed. He handed over his phone and Lin Qiupu scrolled through it. He saw a picture of dinner outside and showed it to the man. ¡°Where and when was this taken?¡±


    "A Sichuan hot pot restaurant just outside themunity. Honey, we went together. Do you remember?"


    "I don¡¯t!"


    Lin Qiupu found another photo where they were together and asked the man, "When was this photo taken?"


    "Our wedding anniversary!"


    Lin Qiupu asked the woman, "Do you remember this?"


    The woman looked confused. "Why don''t I remember this picture..."


    "I bought you flowers that day. We went out for dinner and we took this photo under the tower on the way back. Can''t you remember?"


    "Shut up!"


    Chen Shi outside was surprised. This move actually worked. Lin Qiupu actually had some brains to him.


    Lin Qiupu also had some reservations in looking at the photos. His finger was always ced at the bottom of the screen. If he saw an unfavorable photo, he would immediately delete it, but fortunately, there was no such photo so far.


    Then, a picture of a woman wearing erotic lingerie appeared. He was very excited. This should be the decisive evidence. He showed it to the woman, "Do you remember this?"


    The woman was shocked. She covered her head with her left hand and her body shook. Suddenly, her voice and tone changed, and said sweetly, "Hubby!"


    The husband was overjoyed. "Wife, quickly put the gun down."


    "Gun, what gun?" She looked down and yelped, "Huh?" She took a few steps back. Lin Qiupu almost rushed over to grab the gun, but he held back.


    He said, "It seems that you¡¯ve realized. In fact, you have dissociative identity disorder. The so-called other person in the affair doesn¡¯t exist. If we have to say there is one, then it would be yourself."


    "Multiple personalities..." The husband said in shock. "I thought my wife just had a bad memory."


    The woman stared at Lin Qiupu with wide eyes. Lin Qiupu said, "Hurry up and put down the gun. Things have passed now. Rest assured, no one will arrest you."


    "I... I cheated with my husband? I cheated with my husband? I cheated with my husband?!" As she said this, the woman''s original tone changed back. She suddenly pped herself and shouted in the original tone, "Bitch, I¡¯ll kill you!"


    The other personality said, "You¡¯re not feminine at all and so unreasonable. Of course your husband doesn''t like you anymore."


    The woman yelled, "You still shouldn¡¯t seduce my husband! If you want such a man, marry one yourself. You fish-stealing cat! Slut! Bitch!"


    The other personality cackled. "It¡¯s because you¡¯re so weird that your husband hates you. Your husband said that he likes gentle and pleasant women, so I appeared. He loves me to death. He buys me delicious food and clothes. Every time we make love, it¡¯s with me. You two haven''t slept together for months, right?"


    "Huh?! Get out of my body!"


    The police were stunned. What was happening? Was she quarreling with herself?


    The husband tried to mediate and said, "Don''t quarrel. You two are both my wives!"


    The woman screamed, "What did you say? I will never allow this bitch to share you with me!"


    As she said that, she raised her gun and aimed it at her husband, but her left hand caught her right and raised the muzzle upwards. It seemed that the two personalities were each controlling part of the bodies. With a bang, the gun rang and the bullet hit the ceiling.


    The recoil caused the woman to stagger back. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Qiupu rushed over, grabbed the woman''s wrist, and forcibly grabbed the gun.


    The other personality screamed, "Ah! Hubby, this man is taking advantage of me! Come and help me!"


    The woman shouted, "Let go! I''m going to kill him and then kill this bitch!"


    The woman opened her mouth to bite Lin Qiupu''s arm. Lin Qiupu grabbed the gun and pushed her away. Lin Qiupu ordered, "Come in and control her!"


    When the police rushed in, they saw a weird scene in front of them, where the woman was on the ground with disheveled hair, tumbling around pulling her own hair, biting her own hands, and pping herself. The two personalities were fighting for control of the body fiercely.


    "Your husband loves me, you should just disappear quickly, yellow-faced wife[1]!"


    "I¡¯ll rip your mouth open, bitch. I¡¯llmit suicide now, so that you won¡¯t survive either!"


    "Try it, crazy woman!"


    "Go to hell!"


    The woman smashed her head into the ground. The pain could be imagined just by hearing the loud bang it caused. Then, she fell to the ground with blood on her forehead. The husband rushed over and picked her up. "Wife, wife, are you okay?"


    The woman opened her eyes. Her eyes were full of charm. She hugged the man''s neck. "My husband, I''m so scared. That crazy woman wanted to kill me!"


    "It''s okay, it''s okay, she''s gone. Honey, I¡¯ll protect you!"


    "Hubby is so nice." The woman kissed him.


    The police stood outside the bedroom looking dumbfounded. Lin Qiupu said, "You already knew about this?"


    The man raised his face hesitantly and nodded.


    "Why didn''t you say so earlier on?"


    "If I said it, she wouldn''t believe it anyway. In fact, that woman is so neurotic that I stopped loving her long ago. Every time I watched TV, I¡¯d tell her that if she was half as good as the wives on TV, it would be nice. One day, she suddenly changed her temperament and seemed to be apletely different person. This was my ideal wife!" The man nced tenderly at the woman in his arms. ¡°Since then, I have loved her to death. But every once in a while, she would suddenly change back to what she used to be like. She would quarrel with me every time. I consulted a professional before I realized that it was because she had dissociative identity disorder... Of course, I like this version of my wife more. Whenever the woman came out, I would either hide or just try and appease her. I just have no idea where she suddenly pulled out a gun. That¡¯s why this scene today happened."


    Chen Shi said, "Is it exciting to cheat with your own wife?"


    The man smiled in embarrassment. The woman hugged him tightly, and said charmingly, "Women all hope to be the one who¡¯s spoiled in private. Although I have no title, I¡¯m very content."


    "Why don''t you have a title? You are my wife! That crazy woman is the one who¡¯s an extra."


    "You¡¯re right. She¡¯s the shameless little three."


    "When I¡¯ve saved enough money, we will find the best psychiatrist to make her disappear."


    "Haha, then you¡¯ll always belong to me."


    The two of them were very kind and loving, causing everyone to feel disgusted. Chen Shi thought that it was the strong expectations of the husband that made the wife split out this personality. The root cause of this incident was nted long ago and it was impossible to remove.


    When leaving the scene, Lin Dongxue sighed deeply. "Do men all have an ideal wife image in their hearts?"


    Chen Shi said, "It''s not just men. Who doesn''t have the ideal standard for their other halves?"


    Everyone happened to turn around at the same time and looked back at the broken window. This family would most likely have even more intense quarrels in the future. Hopefully they would find a solution for themselves as soon as possible!


    1. Describes a woman who has been married for a long time. The face color indicates that she has aged with the burden of housework. There are people who¡¯ve said that in ancient China, to cover the aging face, women misuse cosmetics with lead and end up making their face more yellow. So the older you were, the more yellow you got.)


    Husbands use this term to describe their fading love for their wives and wives can use the same phrase toin about their rtionship or the housework they have to do by calling themselves this.

 Chapter 443: The Paparazzi Who Was One Step Ahead

    <h4>Chapter 443: The Paparazzi Who Was One Step Ahead</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Back at the bureau, the third team also recovered a gun today. The task force put up a white board in the office. They could intuitively see that nine[1] guns had already been found from what was presented on the board. The chief was also very satisfied with the result. They had already recovered more than[2] half in three days, so he hoped everyone could continue to work hard.


    Seeing that it was almost 4:00, Chen Shi said, "It seems like there¡¯s not much left for today. I¡¯ll take my leave first."


    "You¡¯re leaving early!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I''m not a policeman. What can you do about it?"


    "Wait for me to get off work together."


    "I¡¯ve got some business to attend to. Sorry, I¡¯ll have to leave first... I¡¯ll pick you up at your house tomorrow morning."


    Since Chen Shi didn¡¯t wait for her to leave work, it made her a little unhappy. She scrunched up a ball of paper and threw it at him to show her dissatisfaction.


    Chen Shi went directly to the detective office, pushed the door in, and found that Tao Yueyue was reading on the sofa. kk wasn¡¯t there and Sun Zhen was ying games at theputer. Tao Yueyue put down the book. "Uncle Chen, why are you here?"


    "I knew you¡¯d be here. I have some business where I have to look for these two."


    Knowing his intentions, Sun Zhen pushed his sses up and said, "I¡¯ve checked the personal information of the gunmen you sent me. They don¡¯t seem to have anything inmon."


    "What about Zhou Tiannan¡¯s side of things?"


    Sun Zhen shook his head. "His personalputer and mobile phone can''t be hacked at all. This man is more skillful than me and has a tight defense."


    "I don''t think he¡¯s just better than you in this respect. He¡¯s also very good at gathering intelligence. Otherwise, how could he find so many people to post pistols to?"


    "Brother Chen, how is the case going?"


    "We¡¯ve found more than[3] half."


    "The police are pretty fast! I was wondering if this case wasn¡¯t rted to Zhou... Zhou Tiannan." Although his brainwashing effect had already been lifted, he still stuttered when speaking the word. "Doesn¡¯t he have a group?"


    "Do you think our ¡®old friends¡¯ would do this kind of thing?"


    Sun Zhen thought about it and shook his head. "Ask Miss Gu. She knows more than me."


    ¡°Where¡¯s kk?"


    "He¡¯s out."


    Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. kk''s voice came from the other side of the door, "Who¡¯s missing me? Brother Chen, you''re a rare guest!"


    "Did you find anything?" Looking at kk''s delighted expression, it was likely that there was a major discovery.


    "Hehe, I just slipped into Zhou Tiannan''s house and found this." He threw an envelope on the table.


    Chen Shi picked it up and saw sixteen photos. In addition to the nine known gunmen, there were also seven strangers of which included both men and women. He was very excited and said, "This is Zhou Tiannan''s mailing list!"[4]


    "Isn¡¯t it a great achievement? How are you going to reward me?" kk said with a grin.


    "Material reward! By the way, why did you take out the photos? What if it¡¯s found out?"


    "I didn''t think that much!" kk scratched his head.


    "Apart from this, was there anything special in his room?"


    "No, a single teacher''s room is so clean and tidy. You can''t tell that this guy is rich."


    "Where were the photos found?"


    "In the drawer!"


    "Was it locked?"


    "No, it opened when I pulled it."


    Chen Shi took the photos in his hands and pped them. Was this a trap since they were able to obtain the information so easily? But in any case, the photos of the eight known gunmen were on the top, indicating that Zhou Tiannan was definitely responsible for this incident.


    He immediately took photos of the sixteen photos, sent them to Lin Qiupu, and asked him to investigate the remaining seven people.


    kk proposed, "It''s rare that everyone is here. Should we go out for a meal?"


    Sun Zhen asked, "Should we call Miss Gu?"


    "You think about her all day long. She already has a boyfriend."


    "Who says she has a boyfriend? You?"


    "If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Brother Chen."


    "Brother Chen, is this really the case?"


    Chen Shi said, "It''s almost 6:00. Let''s go for a meal. I¡¯ve been exhausted today. Perfect time for rxing."


    The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau. Lin Qiupu called him and asked, "Where did you get the photos from yesterday?"


    "Can I keep it secret?"


    "Judging by your tone, it wouldn¡¯t have been from a serious channel, right? Just say it. I won¡¯t hold you ountable."


    "I hired a private investigator and stole it from Zhou Tiannan''s house. Does it count as very important material?"


    Lin Qiupu crossed his arms and remained silent for a long while. "You... You asked someone to steal it?"


    "You said you wouldn¡¯t hold me ountable."


    "This kind of evidence is not legal at all!"


    "But anyway, Zhou Tiannan had these 16 photos on hand, indicating that he¡¯s involved in the case... Did you send someone to monitor Zhou Tiannan yet?"


    "No. This case is so taxing that there¡¯s no extra manpower at all.¡±


    "Have the photos been checked?"


    "We¡¯re still investigating them. Don''t do this kind of thing in the future. If we get caught and have it held against us, we¡¯ll be out of luck!¡±


    Chen Shi smiled slightly. "This is just a private action by me, a citizen. How can it affect Captain Lin?"


    "Yes, private actions. Stealing things and breaking thew, you know? I¡¯ll let it go this time, but if I find out next time, I¡¯ll detain you for three days."


    Chen Shi saluted. "Understood. I¡¯ll go to the office and y Lianliankan[5]... Ah, no, I mean stand by!¡±


    Lin Qiupu was slightly puzzled. Why was this driver¡¯s saluting posture so on point? He wouldn¡¯t have been a policeman previously, right?


    Chen Shiy in the office ying Lianliankan the whole morning. Lin Dongxue was shopping on Taobao on her phone. Xu Xiaodong opposite them looked serious while looking at cat food on the Inte. Old Zhang took out some yarn needles out of nowhere and started working on something in a corner. All the other officers also busied themselves with other things. The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly said, "Hey, it¡¯s the news of the two pistol cases yesterday."


    Everyone gathered to read this news. The news came out really fast. There were also photos at the scene attached, but the article was overly exaggerated. Lin Dongxue asked, "Were there reporters at the scene yesterday? Why didn¡¯t I see them?"


    "There were so many people at the scene taking photos with their mobile phones. Maybe they were photos provided by the masses?"


    Chen Shi said, "No, something¡¯s not right. There were indeed many people who were at the hot pot restaurant, but the case at the neighborhood was only known by the people in thatmunity and there were no outsiders at the scene... Look at this picture. It was taken from outside the window. It should have been taken with a telephoto lens on the building opposite."


    Old Zhang said, "I heard that there is a profession called frence journalists which specializes in collecting news materials and selling them to newspapers."


    Chen Shi pondered, "But this guy is so fast. Did he tap through to the police radio station?"


    The so-called frence journalists were actually just paparazzi who eavesdropped on telephones and radios, forging press and media cards and using any means necessary to get what they want. Chen Shi suddenly had an ideae to him. Would the person who provided the leads know what was going on?


    Right now there were seven guns still on the loose. A glimmer of hope was also hope. He said decisively, "Dongxue, let''s go to the neighborhood to investigate."


    1. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s note: The author wrote eight guns here. However, there should be nine. One gun given to Wang Xu (Chapter 429) One gun given to a drug dealer and recovered (Chapter 431) Two other missing guns found by team three (Chapter 431) Hostage situation in the subway (Chapter 432) Inpatient center of a hospital (Chapter 433) Hot pot restaurant (Chapter 438) ¡°Cheating¡± Husband (Chapter 440) Another gun found by team 3 (Chapter 443)


    2. The autor just wrote half here, but if there¡¯s nine, then it¡¯s more than half.


    3. As above.


    4. Numbers here have been changed due to the problem listed in the notes above.


    5. The tile connecting game he yed previously.

 Chapter 444: Bus Hijacking

    <h4>Chapter 444: Bus Hijacking</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived at theneighborhood yesterday and brought up the property¡¯s surveince footage. At about 3:00 PM, police cars came in one by one, and then two hourster, the police cars left. Chen Shi said, "The incident happened between 3:00 to 5:00. The paparazzi should havee in during this time. "


    He reyed the video. There were five cars leaving and three cars entering during this period. None of them went both in and out.


    Chen Shi was puzzled and rewound the footage back a bit. He suddenly pointed at the screen. "This red car¡¯s timing for when they entered and left is the closest match!"


    "But we weren''t there yet. Let''s see if there are any others."


    Chen Shi looked at the previous hours¡¯ worth of footage. There was nothing else suspicious except for the red car. He said, "It seems that the paparazzi are well-informed and were in ce before the police came. By the time the incident was resolved, they had already finished shooting."


    "Did they really tap the police radio channel?"


    "Let¡¯s go and ask them!"


    They were barely able to make out the license te number from the footage. Lin Dongxue called the vehicle management office. The car belonged to an information mediapany named "Yicheng". Lin Dongxue felt that she seemed to have heard of this name somewhere. Chen Shi said, "Haven¡¯t we been to this paparazzi firm before?"


    "So it turns out it¡¯s them. But isn¡¯t that a coincidence? Don¡¯t they specialize in celebrity scandals?"


    "After the lossst time, I did some researching. Although they¡¯ve got ¡®media¡¯ in their name, they don¡¯t actually have any decent publications. In fact, they specialize in collecting news and selling them to other media outlets. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let go of such a big piece of news. I just don¡¯t know where their sources came from.¡±


    "Do you think they have a list on hand?"


    "Ji Xingyao bribed them before, but we checked her ounts. She didn''t give thepany money, so she probably provided a heavy news clue... If Ji Xingyao was the perpetrator behind the pistol case this time, it¡¯s entirely possible that she gave the list to the paparazzi. Killing two birds with one stone!"


    Lin Dongxue was excited. "If this is the case, Ji Xingyao may have escapedst time, but she can be justifiably arrested now."


    "But we have to figure it out first. You also know that the paparazzi are very sly. If there¡¯s no evidence, they¡¯ll refuse to speak."


    "How can there be evidence?"


    "Of course there isn¡¯t any, but we can verify-"


    At this time, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang, Lin Qiupu asked her where she was. He said that there was another hostage case where a gun was involved. This time, it was more troublesome as the gunman had hijacked a whole bus.


    After asking for the address clearly, Chen Shi said, "Hurry. That ce is close by."


    The hijacked bus stopped at the intersection of Dashun Road and Yihuan Road, which had caused severe traffic congestion. The two drove there quickly. Seeing that there was already a lot of traffic from far away, he parked the car to the side and ran through the traffic with Lin Dongxue.


    While running over, Chen Shi looked as though he was searching for something. Lin Dongxue asked him what he was looking for and he responded, "I¡¯m trying to see if the paparazzi came."


    Lin Dongxue saw a green bus at the intersection and vaguely saw a person standing inside through the window. They were holding something that looked like a pistol while talking.


    Lin Qiupu and the others hadn''t arrived yet. The two of them rushing over alone would be too dangerous, so she also helped to find the red car.


    They checked the area they were in together and then separated at the intersection. Chen Shi''s sharp gaze flicked back and forth in search when he suddenly saw a man with a camera around his neck and a man holding a video camerae down from a red car. They aimed at the bus and then continued recording from another angle.


    He walked straight over to the paparazzi squatting by the road that was taking photos passionately. Chen Shi poked his shoulder. The other party turned around, startled. He saw the badge in Chen Shi''s hand.


    "What are you doing?!" Chen Shi yelled.


    The paparazzi said with a grin, "Officer, why are you here looking for us instead of dealing with the bad guys? Is it illegal to take photos?¡±


    "Who allowed you to take them?"


    "Look, this is my reporter''s card." The paparazzi showed a card worn on his chest. The words ¡°TV station¡± was clearly written on it.


    "Don¡¯t give me that. Who doesn''t know that people in your industry have several fake documents on you at all times? Are you from Yicheng media?"


    "So you know... It doesn''t matter if I take a few photos. So many others are taking them anyway!"


    Thispany was truly suspicious and arrived at the scene so quickly. It was better not to hit the grass and startle the snakes[1] just yet. Chen Shi said, "You can take the photos, but don''t show the faces of the parties involved and the police."


    "I understand that. Thank you!" The paparazzi continued to take pictures after saying their thanks.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu had arrived. "You two came really fast."


    "There were still people faster." Chen Shi gestured to the paparazzi with his mouth.


    "Paparazzi? We don''t have time to deal with that right now... Let me tell you the situation. This bus was contracted by apany to go out for a group tour. The person who called this in was the driver. He said that the man wasn''t from thepany. The man shot the car suddenly, blocked the car, and got on.¡±


    "Will you or I go?"


    "I-"


    Chen Shi interrupted him. "I''ll go! You stay here andmand."


    "Don''t y any odd tricks this time. Negotiate properly."


    "Understood!"


    "Put on your bulletproof vest."


    After getting ready, Lin Qiupu summoned the others to surround the bus. The police officers who came were basically all wearing police uniforms. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t really take the offense until the SWAT police came. This was just to put a little psychological pressure on the criminal.


    Chen Shi walked to the bus and knocked a few times by the door. "I¡¯m a police negotiator. Can I get on the bus?"


    The man in the car shouted, "If youe up, I¡¯ll kill you!"


    "Brother, calm down. I''m here to help you..." Chen Shi nced at the man. He was very thin and looked like an honest guy. He was wearing a white button-up shirt. Although the car had air conditioning, the shirt was already soaked in sweat.


    Chen Shi gestured to the police officer behind him for a bottle of water. The police "borrowed" a bottle of unopened iced mineral water from a driver next to them and handed it to Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi reached in with the water. "Look at you sweating so much. You should be thirsty right? Do you want to drink some water?"


    "Smokes. I want to smoke!" The man shouted.


    "Okay, I''ll get you a packet."


    Chen Shi gestured again. Old Zhang threw a bag of Zhongnanhai over and a lighter. Chen Shi took the three things in his hands and lifted them into the car to show the man. "I don''t have any weapons on me. Can Ie in now?"


    "Come up!"


    Chen Shi got in the car slowly. He took each step slowly. Dozens of eyes in the bus looked at him. Eighty percent of the passengers were young guys wearing shirts printed with the logo of a certain ITpany. Their expressions were very tense.


    Chen Shi slowly walked over and handed over the cigarettes. When he reached one meter away from the man, the man pointed at him with a gun and shouted, "Stop!"


    Upon looking closely, the gun in his hand looked like the same model as the ones they seized before. It should be the real thing this time!


    1. Alert them.

 Chapter 445: Green Company Bus

    <h4>Chapter 445: Green Company Bus</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi raised his hands, indicating that he was not a threat. He kept staring at the man''s eyes with a smile, seeming to be very calm.


    The man flicked his pistol to the side. "Give him the cigarettes."


    Chen Shi handed over the cigarettes to a male employee. The male employee trembled slightly as he helped the gunman. Due to his trembling hands, he couldn¡¯t light the cigarette up for a long time. The gunman was getting annoyed and pped the employee¡¯s head. The employee immediately started bleeding.


    Then, the gunman snatched the lighter to light the cigarette himself. Once he was done, he exhaled in delight.


    Chen Shi looked at the injured employee before asking the man, "How should I address you?"


    "Call me Brother Fei!"


    "Brother Fei, you don''t seem to be from thispany. Why did you hijack this bus? Do you have any requirements?"


    "Take a guess!"


    "Give me a hint!"


    "Drive first."


    "Do you mean you want the driver to drive?!¡± Chen Shi repeated, making sure that Lin Qiupu could hear clearly over the radio.


    Lin Qiupu said, "The bus must never be driven. There¡¯s a motorway nearby and it¡¯ll be really troublesome if he were to get out of here."


    Chen Shi smiled. "There¡¯s a motorway over there in front of you. You have a gun in your hand. If the driver gets nervous and causes a traffic ident, everyone here will die!"


    "You drive!"


    "I don¡¯t know how to drive."


    "Get the police outside to get lost!" Brother Fei shouted loudly.


    Chen Shi said to the radio, "Everyone back away. Back ten meters away."


    The policemen began to retreat and Brother Fei looked at the scene outside the window. He believed that the negotiating expert wielded true power. He said, "Didn¡¯t you want a hint earlier? I¡¯ll give you one now. The president of thispany is my wife!¡±


    "Really?" Chen Shi looked around. Almost all of them were young guys. Several of them looked pretty good. "Do you think your wife is giving you a green hat to wear?[1]"


    Brother Fei smiled. "It''s not that I think that way. It''s a fact!"


    "Who is that little three... I have a suggestion. You should take him as a hostage and let the others go. There¡¯s no need to involve all the people in apany for this kind of thing, don¡¯t you think?"


    Lin Qiupu said over on the radio, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"


    Chen Shi pointed to the back. "Look how blocked the traffic is outside. The weather is so hot. You should also consider the other drivers! I can tell that you¡¯re not an impulsive type of person. Please consider my opinion."


    Brother Fei sneered and then pointed out several employees. "Him, him, him, him... They are all little threes! I can''t even fucking count how many green hats are on my head. I¡¯ve long since be a massive field over here...¡± Then, he kicked an employee¡¯s seat from the back. ¡°Stand up and talk about how your boss hired you!¡±


    The employee who got picked stood up trembling. "At the second round of interviews, thepany suddenly notified me that the interview location was changed and told me to go to a hotel. When I got to the hotel, I met President Yuan. She was very polite to me and we chatted for a very long time. Then, she told me..." He nced nervously at the gunman. "She told me to take off my clothes. I couldn''t refuse, so I took them off. And then... Then, I did that stuff with President Yuan!"


    "How many times?! How many times in total since you joined thepany?!" Brother Fei shouted frantically.


    The male employee was so frightened that sweat pooled on his forehead. He couldn¡¯t not tell the truth. "Over ten times... Thepany goes into overtime every night. In fact... it¡¯s so someone stays with President Yuan overnight...¡±


    ¡°Sit down!" Brother Fei grabbed the arm of another male employee. "You. Talk about your glorious deeds!"


    This male employee was even more scared than the previous one. He cried as soon as he stood up. "Brother Fei, you really can¡¯t me us for this. President Yuan gives us a high sry and we receive good treatment. Although there¡¯s this kind of ¡®corporate culture¡¯, we can¡¯t do anything about it. We can only do as we¡¯re told.¡±


    Somewhere on the bus someone whispered, ¡°Yeah, President Yuan is wild like wolves and tigers. Can you me us?¡±


    "Who said that?! Stand up!" Brother Fei turned around and pointed his gun at the group of silent employees. Unfortunately, he didn''t find the suspect, so he vented his anger out on the young man''s head. He hit his head with the gun as he shouted, "When you fucking fucked my wife, weren¡¯t you real cocky? ''Mine is bigger than your husband¡¯s.'' Did you say that?! Did you say that?!"


    The young man held up his hands to block him and replied as if he was wronged, "I haven''t said those kinds of things."


    "I¡¯ll shoot you to death!"


    "Don''t be impulsive! Brother!" Chen Shi hurried to stop him.


    It seemed like Brother Fei had already investigated it and the guy had to admit. "I''m sorry, Brother. I said it without thinking at the time. It¡¯s just nonsense. It doesn¡¯t mean anything... If I knew you were such a hero, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have said that."


    "pping the horse¡¯s bottom?![2] You¡¯re pping the horse¡¯s bottom!" Brother Fei roared while beating him. "You worked overtime the most!"


    "Brother, stop beating him. I understand now. They are all victims."


    "Victim?" Brother Fei stopped andughed out loud. "This whole group is a male harem my wife is raising. She¡¯s happily ying around the whole day. As soon as she gets home, she acts like a busy and independent woman, and faces me with an emotionless face all day while ignoring me. So it turns out that outside, she was... I¡¯ll give you guys a chance now. Whoever had sex with my wife, raise your hand! If you dare hide it from me, I¡¯ll shoot!"


    Everyone looked at each other as seven or eight people raised their hands one after another. A young guy asked, "Does that count?" Then, he raised his hand.


    Chen Shi was shocked. This really was a male harem. So many employees were giving Brother Fei the green hat. What a "harmonious"pany atmosphere. He couldn''t help but be a little curious. "Is President Yuan taking advantage of her position to forcefully take advantage of her subordinates?"


    "No, no. In fact, President Yuan looks really pretty. She has a pair of monolid phoenix eyes that can draw people in."


    "She also has a hot body. She goes to the gym almost every day."


    "So, we¡¯re also happy to work overtime."


    "No other ITpany has this benefit. I heard about this, so I applied for this job.¡±


    Everyone discussed it all at the same time as if they had forgotten their present situation. Brother Fei pulled at his hair frantically. "You¡¯re still talking?! You¡¯re still talking about it?! I¡¯ll kill you all!" Everyone became so frightened that they stopped talking.


    Brother Fei shook the gun in his hand agitatedly and said to Chen Shi, "You see?! What kind of life am I living? As a man, do I still have even the slightest drop of dignity left? I didn''t n to get out of this bus alive when I got on!¡±


    Chen Shi was afraid that the gun in his hand would misfire and said, "Calm down. I understand your troubles. In fact, thew is not without a solution. You can divorce your wife. Why do you have to take such extreme means?"


    Brother Fei shouted, "If it were you, would you be able to ept this kind of thing?! Dignity. How can Ipensate for my dignity as a man?! Even if we¡¯re divorced, everyone in the world would look down on me. How can I live on in the future?!¡±


    Chen Shi thought about how the whole world would only know about it because he made such a bigmotion about it.


    He must calm him down right now, so Chen Shi changed the subject. "I''m curious. Your wife betrayed you like this. How did you two meet and get married? Can you talk to me about this?"


    "It''s that bitch who used me!"


    1. An expression used to describe a woman cheating on a man


    2. An expression peoplemonly use. The same as brown-nosing/sucking up to someone.

 Chapter 446: Wife, Your Majesty

    <h4>Chapter 446: Wife, Your Majesty</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "How did she use you?"


    "Actually, I used to have a good family background and I was considered a rich second generation. This woman met me during a social asion and we soon got married. With the help of my father, herpany gradually improved! Then, she showed her true nature. After using my family, she immediately kicked us away. When my father''spany was on the verge of bankruptcy, she was reluctant to reach out and help. As a result, my family fell into disrepute, and her ownpany rose to greater heights... Our rtionship was only sweet for the first few months. That woman just faked it so she could use me. Then, when she was busy with her career, she gradually distanced herself from me. I could only stick my warm face to her cold ass every day[2]. Later, I realized that something wasn¡¯t quite right. I hired a private investigator and it was only after investigating that I found out she was having such a good time at thepany! This ho. This bitch!"


    "What do you do for a living?"


    "What does it mean to you?!" Brother Fei yelled back.


    Chen Shi figured that this man probably didn''t hold a serious job. He was dressed very gaudily from head to toe. Upon a closer look, they were all designer clothes.


    The crux of the problem was not just because he was wearing green hats for so long. This man was supported by his wife. He was someone who ate soft rice[3] for a long time. He held no dominant position in the family, so his self-esteem has always been attacked. This incident was probably the fuse that set everything off!


    Chen Shi persuaded whileforting him. "I think you¡¯re stupid for doing this. These guys are just little white faces[4] that your wife has raised. Is there a point in killing them? Even if this lets out some steam, it''s not a smart way to go about it. Let¡¯s just say you really killed a few people today. What would the result be? You¡¯d be sentenced to jail. Would it have any effect on your wife? Not only does it have no effect, but instead you will disappear from her forever. A divorce won¡¯t even be necessary... If you really want to prove that you¡¯re a man, you should go to her to solve this matter. Of course you shouldn¡¯t be holding this thing. It¡¯ll just prove that you¡¯re weak. Like a man, just straight up find the woman and talk it out!"


    Brother Fei¡¯s eyes were a little shaken. Then, he immediately used anger to cover it up. He shouted, "I have nothing to say to her. I will kill these little white faces to vent my anger and then go to kill that bitch.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "As soon as you shoot, the police will rush in and shoot you!"


    Seeing the man¡¯s fear, he added another shot. "You know that the police generally won''t shoot you in a fatal spot. You will get shot a lot, but you won¡¯t die immediately. Do you know how it feels to be shot through the body? It''s like a burning knife getting stabbed in. Your blood would spill everywhere from your internal organs, but you won¡¯t die. You will slowly lose blood. Your body will get colder and colder and then you¡¯ll finally die from shock!¡±


    Brother Fei, who was actually a coward, became increasingly shaken after hearing these words. The muzzle lowered down slowly. There wererge beads of sweat forming on his forehead.


    It may have been possible to take this opportunity to seize the gun, but there were too many people on the bus. It wouldn¡¯t be good if anyone got injured identally in the process. Chen Shi resisted this urge and reached out his hand. "Listen to my advice. It¡¯s not worth it for you to ruin your future for this type of woman. You¡¯re still so young. After the divorce, you can get half of the assets. You can marry a better woman... Give me the gun, okay? "


    Chen Shi took a step forward. The policeman and the people on the bus were extremely nervous.


    Chen Shi took his second step. He was only one step away from Brother Fei when Brother Fei suddenly backed away, pointed at Chen Shi''s head with the gun, and shouted, "Make a call! Call that woman!"


    "We can let you make the call and we can even help you resolve the conflict in person, but there¡¯s no need to raise the gun, right?"


    "I don''t believe the police''s bullshit. I am the master with a gun in my hand. The mastermands you to call her right now!¡±


    Brother Fei took out his phone with a trembling hand and threw it over to Chen Shi. "Press the 1 key to call her!"


    Chen Shi was helpless. Lin Qiupu said over the radio, "Don''t dial the number immediately. Tell me the number first. I¡¯ll talk to the other party first to avoid angering the gunman."


    Chen Shi pressed the 1 key, and the note of the correspondent which popped out read "Wife, Her Majesty". He immediately pressed down on a key, read the number out, and asked, "Is it this one?"


    "Stop it with your pointless garbage. Hurry up and call!" Brother Fei shouted.


    Chen Shi dialed slowly. At this time, Lin Qiupu was already making the call. Chen Shi¡¯s phone showed that the line was busy. Chen Shi said, "The line¡¯s busy."


    "Keep it on speaker mode and keep dialing!"


    Chen Shi had no choice but to do as he was told. Ten minutester, Lin Qiupu said over the radio, "Okay, we¡¯ve alreadymunicated with her. You can dial!"


    The call immediately connected and a woman''s voice came from the phone. "Big Fei, what are you doing?"


    "What am I doing? You shameless woman, I''m going to kill the little white faces you raised!"


    "Oh, you¡¯re getting pretty good now. If you want to kill them, just kill them. I won''t find awyer for you!" The other party said nonchntly.


    "Say that again!"


    Chen Shi immediately mediated. "Ms. Yuan, I am the negotiating expert from the police. Your husband has a gun in his hand right now. He¡¯s holding your employees hostage. I am also on the bus... It seems that the conflict between you two runs deep. Considering everyone''s safety, can you have a nice talk with your husband?"


    "Officer, reason can only be exined to people who are reasonable. He isn¡¯t like that. He¡¯s a huge baby who does nothing all day and only knows how to ask for money. As long as things don¡¯t satisfy him, he¡¯ll lose his temper. I¡¯m not surprised at all that he¡¯d do this kind of thing. I¡¯ve long said that he¡¯d ruin his own life one day.¡±


    "Ms. Yuan, let¡¯s have both parties calm down. He has a gun in his hand!" Chen Shi emphasized again.


    "Okay, I''ll calm down... Want to hear my story?"


    Brother Fei shouted, "Let this ho talk!"


    "Big Fei, let me remind you to pay attention to your wording!" The woman said over the phone. "Officer, do you know why I married him? At that time, I was struggling to start a business and owed a lot of debts. Big Fei said that as long as I marry him, he¡¯d provide me with financial support. Of course, I didn¡¯t immediately agree. He secretly did things behind the scenes causing me to have more obstacles, which made mypany almost bankrupt... "


    "You¡¯re lying! That''s all made up!" Brother Fei shouted.


    Chen Shi said, "Let her finish first."


    Ms. Yuan went on to say, "I married him since I had no other choice. He did help me solve the urgent problem, but it was only temporary. Soon, his father''spany went bankrupt. I could only continue to borrow money and run my own business. It was an ITpany that was walking on thin ice. I really couldn''t afford to lose even one order. Thank God, in the third year of our marriage, I finally got out of my predicament. As soon as I had a working capital in hand, he forced me to help his father pay off his debts. I only paid back the part he gave me back then. I just want to ask what right he had to the rest of it. He immediately overturned his face and refused to recognize me[5]. Every day when he came home, we would only quarrel, quarrel, and quarrel some more!¡±


    "I¡¯m a woman who loves money because being born a woman is always a disadvantage. Money is the only right of women and it can change their lives. So no matter what, I wasn¡¯t willing to use my own money to help his father¡¯spany. I couldn¡¯t lose all the money I worked hard to earn. Of course, mere financial problems wouldn¡¯t have caused this situation today. This man used to be a rich second generation. He umted a lot of bad habits along the way. He only knew how to squander money on eating, drinking, women, and gambling. When he saw a woman he liked, he¡¯d have to have her. It was like this before marriage and it didn¡¯t change after marriage... In fact, his father wasn¡¯t good either. If the upper beam isn¡¯t right, the lower beam would be crooked too[6]. This was how his family went into ruin. "


    "You¡¯re bullshiting! You¡¯re bullshit!" Brother Fei shouted.


    There was a sneer over the phone. ¡°What? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll expose your shorings? Let me tell you something. This man¡¯s that ce is only 6cm[7]...¡±


    Many people in the carughed and Brother Fei pointed at them with his gun. "I¡¯ll kill whoeverughs!"


    Everyone then resisted their urges tough. Ms. Yuan continued, "I never experienced an orgasm when I slept with him. He actually said that I wasn¡¯t like normal women. Maybe he just heard fake orgasms from the women who surrounded him. The life between us was a mess, but I¡¯m a woman and I have needs. I admit that I had an intimate rtionship with an employee of thepany. At that time, I was in my thirties. I finally realized that this kind of thing turned out to be so amazing. I got a little addicted and had rtionships with several of my employees one after another. Of course, it was all out of consent. They are not little white faces I¡¯ve raised. I haven¡¯t given them any money and I haven¡¯t threatened them... If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Little Li, Little Wang and some of the others. They refused my request, but I didn¡¯t pay them a penny less in their bonuses. I didn¡¯t take advantage of my status to get anything from them. I admit that I have had physical rtionships with a few employees in thepany, but those are just personal matters that have nothing to do with anything else. Then again, Big Fei, do you think your rtions with women outside would be less than mine?"


    Two shots of "bang, bang" interrupted the call and the people in the bus held their heads in fright.


    Brother Fei¡¯s gun was raised and two rays of sunlight leaked from the broken roof. Tears of anger ran down his face. "Shut up you stinking ho!"


    1. This can also be read as ¡°Wife-Big-Person¡±. ¡°Big person¡± is often used after someone¡¯s name to refer to officials and etc. back in Ancient China. By saying this phrase, it usually means that the wife is either put on a pedestal or wears the pants in the rtionship. This term can be used sweetly but can also be used negatively depending on the context, phrasing and tone used.


    2. Shamelessly trying to gain favor from someone who doesn¡¯t really care for you.


    3. An expression that is used to describe a man sponging off a woman.


    4. Sugar babies. If put in a more vulgar way, they¡¯re considered gigolos.


    5. An expression used to describe people who fall out and turn their backs away from someone.


    6. A bad character wouldn¡¯t be able to raise someone good.


    7. Oof. Why she gotta do him like that?

 Chapter 447: Entrapment Plan

    <h4>Chapter 447: Entrapment n</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The echo of the gunshots filled the car again and Ms. Yuan¡¯s contemptuous sneer could be heard over the phone. "Big Fei, you will pay for your words and deeds today. In fact, I¡¯ve already proposed a divorce long ago, but he¡¯s unwilling to do it. Do you know why? Because he knows that he¡¯s not a rich second generation now. He knows that if he leaves me, no one will support him with his food, drinks, and fun. He relies on my support but he feels like he doesn¡¯t have face. Are you just using this as an excuse to let it all out today?¡±


    Pointing at his mobile phone with the smoking pistol, Brother Fei shouted, "You transferred all the assets so that even if we divorced, I wouldn''t get much. You bitch. You sucked the blood of my family dry and now you¡¯re turning your face and not recognizing people? You¡¯re having a happy time ying around every day. What about me? I can only drink and y games at home. I don¡¯t have a sliver of a man¡¯s dignity at all!¡±


    "Big Fei, listen well. A man who has no dignity has nothing to do with his woman. That is his own ¡®credit¡¯! Without me, what kind of life do you think you¡¯d be living now? You can go ahead and kill and set fire. That would be even better for me. I can get rid of you that way. When you go to prison, I won¡¯t visit you even once. I¡¯ll just pretend you¡¯re dead!¡±


    Lin Qiupu anxiously said over the radio, "Hang up the phone. This woman is agitating him!"


    Chen Shi raised his voice. "Your wife is right. If you can put down the gun now, this matter can be properly resolved. If you really kill someone, the only one who loses the most is yourself... Ms. Yuan, if your husband puts down the gun, could you please hire him the bestwyer? It¡¯s a matter of life and death right now!"


    After a long silence on the phone, Ms. Yuan said, "Big Fei, listen to the police and put down the gun. I will find awyer for you and help you with bail procedures."


    Brother Fei cried and tears streamed down his whole face.


    Ms. Yuan said, "Be obedient. I will buy you the car you¡¯ve always wanted. Before you go to jail, I will allow you to go and find a prostitute once."


    "I... A man like me... No dignity at all..."


    "Didn''t you always want that Maserati? Driving a Maserati and taking a clubdy for a ride. How happy!"


    Brother Fei knelt down while crying. The gun in his hand fell to the ground and Chen Shi took the opportunity to grab the gun. He said over the radio, ¡°The danger has been lifted!¡±


    There was a burst ofughter over the phone. "Big Fei, you should really go to die!" Then, she hung up.


    "You lied to me! You lied to me!" Brother Fei rushed over to grab the phone as if it was his wife. Several young guys stood up immediately, pressed him to the ground, and kicked him with their feet angrily as if venting.


    Chen Shi shouted, "Don¡¯t do that! Do you want to go to jail?"


    The police then arrested Brother Fei. When he got into the police car, he cried intensely. "I... Living like this... I might as well die..."


    Chen Shi tried to encourage him. "It''s better to be alive than to die. You ate such fragrant soft rice[1]. A lot of people would be envious!"


    Upon hearing this, Brother Fei cried even more violently. Chen Shi said, "You haven¡¯t had lunch yet, right? Would you like us to buy you takeaway?"


    Brother Fei nodded while crying. "I want a coke and fried chicken."


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to buy a meal at a nearby fast food restaurant. Brother Fei kept crying in the car as he grabbed at the food to eat with his hands in handcuffs. Lin Dongxue saw this scene and whispered, "He¡¯s really a giant baby!"


    "Haha, it was finally resolved peacefully..."


    Outside, a group of police officers rushed onto the bus. It seemed that something had happened. The two of them got out of the car and inquired about what was going on. They were informed that a fight had broken out.


    When they asked for the reason, they found out that among those male employees who had ¡°personal contact¡± with President Yuan, several of them had girlfriends who also worked in thepany. They didn¡¯t know about these kinds of things until today and immediately tried to settle it with their boyfriends.


    The police finally mediated for them. The female employees who had been cheated on broke up with them on the spot and walked away in anger, leaving their ex-boyfriends whose faces were scratched and their hair ripped out to reflect on what they did.


    Chen Shi looked at the bus with emotion. "Green bus[2]. How environmentally friendly!"


    Lin Dongxue poked at Chen Shi and said, "You¡¯re not allowed to do this in the future."


    "I¡¯ll use this lesson as a reference! I¡¯ll use this lesson as a reference!" Chen Shi smiled.


    Back in the bureau, Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi to the office and said, "The man who hijacked the bus this time was not on the list."


    "Really?"


    "Actually, we just investigated and found two of the people in the photos. They didn''t know anything about the pistols. They didn''t seem to be lying."


    "Sure enough, the photos are fake..."


    Chen Shi thought that Zhou Tiannan was not so stupid to have put the evidence at home. He should have predicted that Chen Shi would use "improper" means, so he prepared fake photos to prank them.


    Such effort was enough to prove that he took part in this case, but evidence obtained like that couldn¡¯t be used as evidence in court, nor could they prosecute him.


    Lin Qiupu sighed. "Zhou Tiannan really is very cunning. In fact, ording to the information we found, he has no ws at all."


    "We¡¯re going to be busy again... By the way, the batch of paparazzi always seems to arrive at the scene in advance. I want to do a small test to see if they¡¯ve eavesdropped on the police radio or have a list on hand."


    "How do we test it?"


    "It¡¯s simple! We need to operate a false rm."


    "Right now?"


    "Right now. Dongxue and I will go to stand by and wait for the rabbit."


    "You have so many tricks like these."


    Lin Qiupu picked up the phone and called the police department to make the necessary arrangements. Then, an internal call reached the office to inform everyone that there was a hostage situation at Liyang Road. The officers who were eating hurried out and prepared to leave. Chen Shi said, "Fake. It¡¯s fake. This is in order to catch the paparazzi. You guys can continue to eat. Dongxue and I are enough."


    Lin Dongxueughed. "You¡¯re not harming anyone but me alone? I haven''t even finished my meal yet!"


    "You can eat lunch on the way there!"


    "No, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s good to eat less.¡±


    The two got into a police car and the police station reported the police code over the radio seriously. Then, they arrived at the scene. After waiting there for a long time, the paparazzi didn¡¯t show up. Chen Shi said, ¡°Then we¡¯ve confirmed it. They have a list in their hands!¡±


    "Those guys are very sly. Would they admit it? And even if there is a list, how do they determine when something will happen?"


    "You''re right. I didn''t think about that. I¡¯m guessing that they¡¯ll wait in a potential area for the incident to progress and then wait for something to happen... Check where the red car is right now!"


    "That requires a lot of manpower to check. We can''t rely on the two of us alone. Right, I¡¯ll tell Captain Lin.¡±


    Lin Dongxue informed Lin Qiupu about it. After listening, Lin Qiupu said, "No, our manpower is very tight right now. It¡¯s impossible to assign someone to investigate this. If we don¡¯t find them, who will be responsible for the hostage cases?"


    Chen Shi gestured to Lin Dongxue and took the phone. "If we can get the list, we can prevent the hostage cases in advance. Wouldn¡¯t this sort it once and for all?"


    Lin Qiupu was silent for a while. "I''m in charge of this case. I can''t take this risk, but I have apromise. The next time the batch of paparazzi reappears, you can tail them and find the other gunmen directly."


    "Doesn''t that mean we have to wait for the next incident?"


    "It can only be done that way. This is the most secure way at present."


    Chen Shi sighed. "Okay!"


    1. He sponged off of his wife really well.


    2. He¡¯s making a joke since it was a bus full of people getting cheated on and they describe this using green hats.

 Chapter 448: Bloody Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 448: Bloody Banquet</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The third team recovered another gun and there were five remaining from the final goal. The day ended just like this


    At noon the next day, the bureau received a call saying that gunshots and cries for help were heard in a certain neighborhood. The second team rushed to the scene immediately. The building was surrounded by a circle of residents, one of whom was covered in blood at his temples.


    Lin Qiupu stepped forward and said, "What''s wrong? Have you been shot?"


    "No, no, I was so anxious when I went downstairs that I fell."


    "What''s happening inside?"


    "Daughter-inw, do you know?"


    A woman next to him said, "It seems that the family in 314 is celebrating the birthday of their old mother. I don''t know why, there was suddenly a quarrel in the middle of it. After some clings and ngs, there was a loud bang and the youngest daughter shouted that there was a murder through the window.¡±


    "Does this family often quarrel?"


    "They do. This house belongs to the olddy. They have three rooms and two living rooms. It¡¯s said that her three children have been kicking the olddy around like a ball and no one wants to take care of her. One time, the olddy fell while going upstairs. I called the three children but they refused toe. It was the neighbors who sent her to the hospital. The olddy lives alone. It¡¯s hard for her to buy food every day and climb upstairs. We felt a chill just looking at it. Just recently, I heard that the old house was about to be demolished and the olddy can get more than two million yuan inpensation. The attitude of the three children changed greatly. They often buy things to visit their old mother... This is the 70th birthday of the olddy today. They all came. I don¡¯t know what happened halfway, but they began quarrelling."


    Lin Qiupu said to Chen Shi, "Leave it to me this time!"


    When he was ready, he went to the door of the house. There were the cries of women and children in the room, as well as the sound of cracking and burning. Lin Qiupu could also smell a bloody scenting out from the cracks of the door.


    He said over the radio, "Old Zhang, tell the SWAT team toe and stand by!"


    Then, he knocked on the door and said, "I am a police negotiator. Can Ie in?"


    There was a voice inside saying, "Mom, the police are here. Let the policee in. If you don''t let them in, they will force their way in."


    Listening to this tone, it seemed that the gunman was the olddy herself.


    After some coughing, the olddy said, "No one is allowed toe in. This is our family affair."


    The children cried even harder. Lin Qiupu continued to knock on the door, "Olddy Wei, are those your grandchildren inside? This is a matter between adults. Don¡¯t involve innocent children. Let the childrene out first!"


    After a moment of silence, the olddy said, "Fengfeng, you go out with the police uncle first."


    "Grandma, please don''t kill my dad."


    "I won''t kill him. Don''t be afraid. Go with the police uncle... Go open the door!"


    The door opened. A middle-aged man wearing sses hugged a crying boy and thanked Lin Qiupu repeatedly. He was ready to go while holding the child. The olddy shouted, "Eldest, where are you going?"


    "Mom, I will send Fengfeng down ande back."


    "I told you already. If we don¡¯t talk about this properly today, nobody can leave... Give Fengfeng to the police. Youe back to me!"


    The eldest son was sad as he handed the crying child to Lin Qiupu. An officer came to take the child. Lin Qiupu took the opportunity to enter the door.


    In addition to the olddy with the gun, there were a total of five adults kneeling in a circle. There was a woman lying on the floor, shot in the chest with her eyes wide open. Her pupils had already be cloudy. Lin Qiupu¡¯s heart palpitated. Someone was already killed.


    Generally speaking, it would be difficult to resolve things peacefully once the person taking people hostage had already killed someone.


    The olddy was wearing a grey cloth gown and holding a pistol in her trembling hand. There was an ashtray on the ground with a property title burning and emitting unpleasant smoke. The olddy pointed at Lin Qiupu with a gun. ¡°Close the door!"


    Lin Qiupu closed the door and showed his badge. "I am the captain of a criminal police team at the public security bureau. Olddy, we are here in hopes that this matter can be resolved properly. You can tell your troubles to the police."


    The olddy nced somberly at Lin Qiupu, then pointed at the eldest son and his wife with the gun. They screamed in shock. The olddy said, "You tell the police how you treated me!"


    The eldest son said tremblingly, "Mom, if you say it like that, it¡¯s easy to cause misunderstandings. Ever since dad passed away, I woulde to see you as soon as I had time. I also let you live in my house for a while. My wife quit her job to take care of you. I am the eldest and I wanted to set an example for my brothers and sisters. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m the most filial son, but I¡¯ve never owed you anything if I do say so myself... Do we have to make this happen like this?


    "Listen to him bullshit!" The woman who was kneeling on the left side of the olddy interrupted the eldest son. "From when we were young, Mom would spoil you. When you looked for a job, Mom begged everywhere to pull in some rtions and get you a bank job. But you? What have you done for Mom?"


    "Don''t speak rubbish! I give Mom 500 yuan a month!" The eldest son shouted.


    The little sister said contemptuously, "Yes, I admit that you give money to Mom every month, but you have taken even more from her. She helped you buy a house and marry your wife. It was two or three hundred thousand that caused second brother to not have a dowry when he married and causied me to not be able to go to school. The best in the family was always yours. Officer, he just said that he took Mom to live with him. I can¡¯t believe he has the gall to mention this matter. At the time, his wife was pregnant and didn¡¯t have anyone to attend to her. That¡¯s why you brought Mom over to help you. Later, she even helped you raise your child for four years. Do you know what our Mom ate and lived like when she lived with him? She wasn¡¯t even treated as good as a nanny. She lived in his small, hot, attic room. She¡¯s so old but she had to climb the stairs every day just to go to the toilet. Mom said she was getting old and was worried she¡¯d fall at night, so she wanted to set up a toilet pail for herself. Your wife decided that it was too smelly and threw out the pail while she was out. When Mom lived there, she used her monthly retirement sry to help you. You constantly said you¡¯d find a nanny to take care of Mom and said a lot of good things, but have you done a single thing of what you¡¯ve said? I think you might as well join a pyramid scheme. What you said sounds better than singing!¡±


    The elder brother''s face looked ashamed hearing these words. Then, the younger sister pointed at the second brother and said, "Compared to second brother, our elder brother¡¯s actions don¡¯t amount to much! The woman you married was aplete hag[1]. When Mom was living with you, you¡¯d work outside everyday. Second sister-inw would harass Mom with unpleasant words at home all day. Mom called me several times and started crying over the phone. You¡¯re scared of your wife and no matter what happened, you¡¯d always say, ''We¡¯re all a family. Let¡¯s all take a step back.¡¯ But Mom was the one who always had to make the concession. Second sister-inw got even worse and on several asions, she¡¯d even hit Mom over trivial matters."


    When the eldest son saw the gun shifting, he chimed in. "Yes, his wife is aplete jerk. She wears gold and silver every day, all mmed up, but Mom lived like a beggar. Even if Mom ate a bit more at the dinner table, she¡¯d have something to say about it. One time, Mom got appendicitis while with them. The couple actually left Mom at home for a day screaming in pain and ran out to y by themselves. Later, I drove mom to the hospital. People like you are just wasting a piece of human skin[2]!"


    Lin Qiupu had a headache just from hearing this. The problems of this family seemed to have been umted for a very long time.


    1. I believe they were using the word in it¡¯s most original sense ¨C A witch. As opposed to describing an old, ugly woman.


    2. He¡¯s saying that the second brother is not human.

 Chapter 449: Tracking the Paparazzi

    <h4>Chapter 449: Tracking the Paparazzi</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While Lin Qiupu was negotiating, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had been looking for the red car outside. They didn''t expect to actually find it. The car was parked in a corner where it wasn¡¯t noticeable. There was no one in the car when they found it.


    Lin Dongxue said, "This group of guys reacted really fast and arrived ahead of the police again."


    Chen Shi nced back. "Even when confronted, they won¡¯t admit that they have a list!"


    He blocked the light with his hands and looked into the car. There was a device in the car that was constantly shing a red light. It looked like it was used for eavesdropping. If this wasn¡¯t used to eavesdrop the police, who would it eavesdrop?


    Chen Shi suddenly understood and asked Lin Dongxue to follow him. He returned to his car and picked up a bug detector to bring to the building where the incident was urring.


    At this time, the corridors were full of policemen holding guns and waiting. The family in the house were arguing with each other. Chen Shi made a mute gesture to the officers behind him and went towards the door quietly, holding the detector across the door. The scan showed a suspicious signal in the dried wormwood hanging above the door.


    He put on gloves and pulled out a wireless bug from the dried wormwood. He removed the battery. Lin Dongxue was suddenly eximed, "So that¡¯s how they got their information!"


    "Let¡¯s go. Let''s follow them."


    The two drove away from the neighborhood andy in ambush nearby, waiting for the red car toe out. Then, they¡¯d immediately follow them.


    Lin Dongxue was a little worried and kept saying, "I wonder what¡¯s happening with my brother."


    "Rx, he''s fine."


    On Lin Qiupu¡¯s side, the three children counted out each other¡¯s faults. The more they quarreled, the fiercer they got. Lin Qiupu¡¯s head swelled up[1] just from hearing them. He interrupted the., ¡°Everyone, everybody. Let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. I want to ask how this incident started today."


    The three looked at each other. The eldest son took the lead in saying, "Isn''t it my mother''s birthday today? Look, the cake on the ground was ordered by me early in the morning. Then, while eating, something unpleasant..."


    The younger sister said, "My eldest brother was going to make an investment, so he was concerned about my mother''s demolition funds and mentioned it at the dinner table. That¡¯s why things became like this.¡±


    The eldest son rushed to say, "Don¡¯t frame me. This wasn¡¯t because of me. At least I¡¯m not like some people who secretly encouraged Mom to make a will. The reason I said that today is to take advantage of everyone being in the same ce and let you all know my opinions. Second brother wanted to use this money to buy a house and you want to use it to buy photographic equipment. I¡¯m looking to make an investment. I talked to Mom and said that I¡¯d pay her back with interest within three years. Not only would I not give her a penny less, but she¡¯d make a profit.¡±


    "God knows what¡¯s going on with your investment. We don''t know which friend is fooling you again. I really believe it. And you want to take our mom''s demolition money into it." The younger sister sneered.


    "What are you saying? As if my investment is fake or something."


    "Isn''t it fake? What kind of business did you run previously that made money? In the end, you just scammed your family!"


    The second brother whose wife had died just kept crying. He suddenly said, "Sister, don''t make yourself sound like a white lotus[2]. The three of us fought for the money at the dinner table today. We kept saying, ¡®After Mom dies...¡¯ over and over again. Not one of us is better than the other, white lotus!¡±


    The eldest son and the younger sister stopped quarrelling at the same time. Lin Qiupu asked, "What happened after that?"


    The younger sister said, "Later, second sister-inw said some things which basically meant that Mom was biased and always favored the eldest son. You must know that my second sister-inw''s speech towards her has always been unpleasant. Even words of praise from her mouth seemed toe with thorns. Mom got angry and pulled out a gun out of nowhere. At first, we thought it was Fengfeng¡¯s toy. Who would have expected the gun to sound and second sister-inw to fall down in that moment?"


    The younger sister nced at the corpse on the ground. There was only shock in her eyes and no sorrow.


    Olddy Wei, who hadn¡¯t spoken the entire time, said, "Weren¡¯t you all worried about my demolition money? Now that I¡¯ve burnt the property title, you all won¡¯t get anything. Even if I can get the money in the future, I¡¯ll donate it all to charities. I won¡¯t give a dime to you three unscrupulous children!"


    The eldest son said, "Don''t, mom! You can''t let outsiders have this unjust gain. At least we¡¯re your own children. Blood is thicker than water!"


    "Shut up! I''ve long since understood you three!" The olddy pointed the gun at the eldest son and shouted. The eldest son held his head andy on the ground in fear.


    Lin Qiupu was speechless. Even now, the eldest son was worried about money.


    Olddy Wei looked at Lin Qiupu and said, "Officer, you should have a general understanding of the situation. This was all my fault. I shouldn''t have given birth to these three white-eyed wolves[3]. They only think about how to tear these old bones of mine to shreds and eat it all day long. Originally, I wanted to say that I would divide the demolition money into three parts for them. Who knew that they¡¯d quarrel with each other? I got so sad from listening to them, and then my second daughter-inw said something so unpleasant. I got impulsive... "


    Lin Qiupu said, "Olddy, why don''t you put the gun down first before talking about it? I know that this gun was given to you by someone with ulterior motives. The purpose was to cause what¡¯s happening today. You can''t let him seed."


    Olddy Wei looked at the corpse on the ground with her lips trembling. "I¡¯ve already killed her. No matter what you say, it¡¯s all toote... I just wanted to send these three unfilial things to see the old man and thenmit suicide!"


    With that in mind, she pointed her gun at the eldest son, who shouted, "Mom, don''t! Give us another chance. We¡¯ll definitely change!"


    "Olddy, olddy. Don''t be impulsive!" Lin Qiupu persuaded her sincerely. "No matter what, they¡¯re your own flesh and blood! Even tigers don¡¯t eat their young."


    "Yes, tigers don¡¯t eat their young. To be forced to do this today, you should also know how they usually treat me... They all hoped for me to die in order to divide my inheritance. Now, you won¡¯t get anything.¡± Olddy Wei¡¯s eyes were determined.


    It seemed that the problems in this family had intensified to an irreconcble point. Lin Qiupu changed his methods. "How about this? Who are you most willing to let go? No matter what, should we let one of them out first?"


    Olddy Wei pondered and pointed at her youngest. "You don''t care about me, but you never abused me. You can leave with your boyfriend!"


    The younger sister got up as if she¡¯d received amnesty and said, "Mom, don''t be impulsive!"


    "Go!"


    The two hurried out and the older sister-inw said, "Mom, this is your Zhang family''s business. I don¡¯t want to participate in this as an outsider. Fengfeng is still waiting for me outside!"


    Unexpectedly, olddy Wei pointed her gun at her and said, "I want to kill you the most! If it weren''t for your privateints, would my son be like this now?"


    "Mom, how can you me me for that? Your son was just like that. You don''t know how unpleasant his words are in private..."


    "Shut up!"


    The eldest pped his wife''s face and then said to his mother, "Mom, I know that when you were in my house, you suffered a lot because of this woman. If you want to kill her, you can do it. I definitely won¡¯t stop you!"


    "You actually..." The wife''s eyes widened.


    Olddy Wei actually listened to him and immediately raised her gun to point it at the older sister-inw.


    1. Amon expression used to describe getting a headache from annoying things.


    2. White lotus represents grace, elegance, purity and the like.


    3. An expression used to describe people who bite the hand that feeds them.

 Chapter 450: Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 450: Who¡¯s Right and Who¡¯s Wrong</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Looking at Olddy Wei about to shoot and kill the eldest daughter-inw, Lin Qiupu stepped forward to dissuade her. Olddy Wei noticed the threat and immediately pointed her gun at Lin Qiupu. "Don''te here! Retreat!"


    Lin Qiupu raised his hands to signal that he wasn¡¯t a threat. "Olddy Wei, listen to me. Murder cannot solve the problem. We as policemen encounter all kinds of homicides every day. Those parties each have their own reasons, just like you. However, did the murder solve their problems? Not one of them did. It only made the problem more serious. Not only did they harm others, but themselves too, and then finally, they lost their reputation!¡±


    Olddy Wei said, "Look at your feet."


    Lin Qiupu lowered his head. He had stepped on the blood of the second daughter-inw. The blood stains were a little sticky because of how long it had been. Olddy Wei said, "Don¡¯t bully me just because I¡¯m old. I¡¯ve already killed her. I know I¡¯m going to go to jail no matter what. Based on my age, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll die in prison before the day of my execution... Young man, whatever you say today would be useless. I must kill these two unfilial sons and then go to see the old man as well.¡±


    The olddy''s thinking was more stubborn than the others. At this time, Old Zhang said over the radio, "The SWAT team is already in ce at the sniper point. Captain Lin, you should stand aside."


    Lin Qiupu looked up and saw a bright sh of light in the opposite window. It was the sniper aiming at them. He took the opportunity to whisper, "You can''t shoot without my order."


    Positive persuasion was almost impossible. At this time, the olddy coughed. Lin Qiupu asked, "Are you in poor health?"


    The olddy waved her hand while coughing. The eldest son¡¯s eyes rolled around once and he quickly stood up to grab the medicine. The olddy took the medication and swallowed one before her cough subsided. She said weakly, "I don¡¯t even know if this body of mine wouldst until next year... Officer, you don¡¯t know this, but this house is the only thing left from my husband and I. Back then, in order to get a foothold in this city, we struggled through countless bitter obstacles. Now, I know that I don¡¯t have that much more time in me. I know that the house will still fall into the hands of these three unscrupulous children after all. I can¡¯t ept it!"


    "Why not sell the house and go to a nursing home?"


    "Humph!" The olddy sneered. "I made this request before, but every time I said it, they quarreled and wanted to divide the money, as if it was what they deserved!" She yelled at her two sons. "Don''t forget, this is all mine. Stop trying to sink your teeth into my things!"


    The eldest son said, "We¡¯re not, we¡¯re not. It¡¯s okay as long as you¡¯re well. We hope you¡¯ll live a long life. I promise I¡¯ll be even more filial in the future.¡±


    The olddy sneered again. "You all crawled out of my stomach. Your lives are mine. Even if I were to kill you, it¡¯s justified by the heavens and earth!"


    If this went on, Lin Qiupu was afraid that the conflict would only intensify. He pondered the negotiation n. He switched to another angle. "Olddy, I don¡¯t mean to me you. If the child bes like this, is it not also the responsibility of the parents?"


    "You¡¯re saying I¡¯m responsible for this?!" The olddy pointed at him with a trembling hand. "If you want to talk about responsibility, it¡¯s because I spoiled them ever since they were young and held them like babies. I didn¡¯t allow them to do this and that. When they did something wrong and the old man wanted to hit them, I¡¯d always guard them...¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°Why did I treat them so well? In the end, they treated me like an outsider. On my birthday today, all their sentences started with ¡®When our mother is dead¡¯. It made my heart go cold!¡±


    "Let me say something, but please don''t be angry. In a problematic family, parents have undeniable responsibility. Unfortunately, the mistake has already been made. They have all grown up and have their own family. You can kill them in a moment of stubbornness, but it won¡¯t change anything. For example, the eldest already has a child. If both him and his wife dies, what will Fengfeng do in his life?"


    "I can leave my inheritance to Fengfeng."


    "It''s not a matter of money. A childhood without parents will be affected for a lifetime. Because I¡¯m an orphan myself, I know how painful it is."


    The grandson seemed to be the only weakness of the olddy. Her eyes became hesitant. Then, she started coughing again. At this opportunity, the eldest son suddenly jumped up and tried to grab the gun. The people at the scene were shocked.


    There was a deafening gunshot amidst the struggle for the gun. The olddy¡¯s body trembled once. The SWAT officer over the radio asked, "Captain Lin, should I shoot?¡±


    "No!" Lin Qiupu shouted. As things were, he couldn¡¯t dy any longer. He quickly rushed up and grabbed the olddy''s hand.


    The thin olddy actually burst out with amazing power and the gun in her hand couldn¡¯t be grabbed no matter what. She fired several shots and the bullets were all shot at the wall. The eldest daughter-inw held her head and shivered on the floor in fright.


    The police outside kicked in the door. With the help of several policemen, they finally captured the gun and handcuffed the olddy.


    Knowing that she was unable to change the situation, the olddy cried and knelt down. The eldest daughter-inw suddenly stood up like a different person and scolded, "Old immortal[1], you even wanted to kill me. You are way too savage. You¡¯ve lost your integrity! You deserve it!"


    "Step back! Step back!"


    The police had just persuaded the eldest daughter-inw away when suddenly a person rushed over unexpectedly and an echo resounded within the house. It turned out that the second son had rushed forward and pped the olddy.


    The second son was trembling with agitation. His eyes revealed his anger. "What right do you have to kill my wife? What right? Do you know how annoying you are? I hate you!¡±


    "Quick, detain him!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    The cuffed second son was still very agitated and shouted while struggling. "Don¡¯t believe her gibberish. She¡¯s not a good thing. Our entire family has been mentally devastated by this woman. Our father died because he got too annoyed with her antics. She came to us and controlled us again. If it were not for her own problems, how could everyone hate her?! Yes, we are thinking about your inheritance because that is the only area where you deserve our attention! You gave us an "unforgettable" childhood. You deserve to not have someone to rely on when you¡¯re old. You¡¯ve lost your integrity. If the gun was in my hand, I would also kill you! Hahahaha!"


    "Take him away! Take him away!"


    The second son was taken out. The eldest son fell to the ground unconscious. There was arge bloodstain on his shoulders. Lin Qiupu stepped forward to check it. The bullet just passed through the shoulder des and then shot into the back wall. It shouldn¡¯t be fatal.


    The police gave him first aid and contacted an ambnce.


    This family was like a pool of mud[2]. Lin Qiupu thought that he could finally rx.


    The olddy was crying until her nose ran while she was being taken downstairs. None of her three children came to see her. She looked back destely and said, "It was supposed to be a happy day, but it ended like this... Look, they won¡¯t care about me in the blink of an eye. Those three ungrateful things!"


    Lin Qiupu didn''t want to judge who was right or who was wrong at this moment. He was afraid they would not be able to resolve this matter even if they sat down together for a few days and nights. He said, "Don''t think about it. You probably won¡¯t see them in the future.¡±


    "Officer, how long will I be sentenced to?"


    "I don¡¯t know about that."


    "Just say it."


    "It should be a long time."


    The olddy sighed. "That¡¯s not bad. I won¡¯t need to see their faces again. Officer, do you think I deserve this? Tell me the truth!"


    Lin Qiupu didn''t know how to answer. He shook his head and said, "I don''t know."


    1. Negative phrase used essentially to describe old people who they feel should just hurry up and die.


    2. Their rtionships aren¡¯t solid and were exceptionally bad.

 Chapter 451: Name List

    <h4>Chapter 451: Name List</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue sat down in the car and looked down at her mobile phone. She breathed a sigh of relief. "It¡¯s resolved on my brother¡¯s side. A hostage was shot, but they¡¯re not in danger."


    "That''s good." Chen Shi kept staring ahead. At this time, they were following the paparazzi''s car and had already started driving.


    Chen Shi was very careful and the other party never found out. The red car entered a neighborhood one hourter and the two also entered after them. They tailed them until the other party went to a building.


    Chen Shi looked at the elevator and saw that it stopped on the 15th floor. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you want to go up?"


    Chen Shi thought. "ording to their habits, they will shoot the incident location from the opposite building... The opposite building will soon have an incident ur. Hurry up and go over!"


    The two reached the 15th floor of the opposite building quickly. Chen Shi put his ear on the door of the three units on the east side to eavesdrop on the movement inside. Then, he took out the detector and swept it around the area. They found a slight wireless signal on one of the doors.


    Chen Shi whispered, "The eavesdropping device should be installed inside the house. Let¡¯s break in!"


    "This... This isn¡¯t inpliance with the standard procedures!"


    "It¡¯s an emergency. Did you bring your gun and handcuffs?"


    "I did."


    Chen Shi took out the lockpicking tools and unlocked it swiftly before pushing the door in. There was no one in the living room. When the two went to the bedroom, they saw a thin, shirtless guy ying with a radio. He looked up and saw the figures from the window¡¯s reflection. He was so scared that he almost jumped up. ¡°Who are you guys?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Police. We suspect that you illegally possess a gun!"


    "Gun?" The guy was shocked.


    Chen Shi took the detector and scanned over the radio. The signal was very strong. The guy said, "This is my hobby. It doesn¡¯t break thew, right?"


    Chen Shi nced at the window and said, "We made a mistake. There¡¯s no way to photograph the window of this house. It should be another unit."


    "You guys should have figured it out before rushing in. You almost gave me a heart attack." The guyined.


    "Sorry, we¡¯re in the middle of an emergency... By the way, do you have any couples who quarrel a lot, problematic single-parent families, etc. living on your floor? Basically anyone that¡¯s facing big problems."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about!" The guy replied in a daze.


    Lin Dongxue exined, "We are investigating illegal possessions of guns."


    "I don¡¯t know what guns you¡¯re talking about, but the room opposite of me is a little weird. It seems that there ais re a man and a woman, or maybe a man and two women because I often hear those kinds of noises in the middle of the night... You know the kind. However, I¡¯ve never seen a woman go out. The man doesn¡¯t seem to have any serious work either."


    Chen Shi shook his head and motioned for Lin Dongxue to head out.


    The two went to the door on the opposite side and Chen Shi was about to pry the lock open again. Lin Dongxue said, "Let this not be a mistake this time. We just apologized for so long."


    "Surely not!"


    Chen Shi opened the door and a woman in underwear ran out. "Dear, you¡¯re back..." When she saw a strangering in, she ran to the bedroom in a panic.


    Chen Shi shouted, "Stop her!"


    Lin Dongxue rushed over quickly and walked into the bedroom. She saw a gun and bullets on the dressing table and the woman was about to get the gun. Lin Dongxue quickly knocked her down. Chen Shi rushed in and took the gun.


    "What are you doing! Are you robbers? I¡¯ll shout!" The woman shouted and struggled under Lin Dongxue.


    "Be more honest!" Lin Dongxue handcuffed her.


    "Handcuff her to the pipes. Don''t let her run away."


    Lin Dongxue did as she was told and the woman who felt like she was cuffed to the pipes for no reason screamed hysterically. Chen Shi nced out at the window. In the corridor window opposite them, two figures rushed away quickly.


    Chen Shi beckoned Lin Dongxue and the two sped downstairs, blocking the two paparazzi who were about to get in their car.


    Chen Shi raised the Makarov pistol in his hand. "Why don¡¯t you have a look and see what this is?"


    The paparazzi pretended to be surprised and said, "Wow, a pistol!"


    "Don¡¯t y dumb. We only found this ce by tailing you. How did you know that the person in the opposite unit had a gun? And it was before the police found out too. Exin it!"


    One of the paparazzi nervously nced at the other, and the other paparazzi smiled. "Someone provided us with clues."


    "Oh really?" Chen Shi sneered. "Then this person should live here, right? Call him and tell him toe out. We will confront them face to face."


    "This... This... We have to protect the identity of the person providing the clue, right?"


    "Don¡¯t y this trick with me. Would the police not protect their identity?"


    "You should talk to our boss."


    Chen Shi pointed at the two of them. "I suspect you have a list of gun owners. You¡¯re hiding instead of reporting it in order to capture news materials. This already constitutes breaking thew!" He raised his gun and the two were trembling with fright. Chen Shi shouted, "Lie on top of the car and don¡¯t move! Wait for the police toe!¡±


    The two looked at each other awkwardly, put down the equipment in their hands, and obedientlyy on the car. Lin Dongxue stepped up and searched for their mobile phones. When she took out the stuff in their pockets, she found various fake documents. They were truly professionals in their industry.


    Lin Dongxue called Lin Qiupu and a police car came not too long after. They took the two back for interrogation.


    The woman with the gun was also taken away. Her situation was a bit shocking. She was a missing person that was reported missing by her family for over three years. The man living with her was a pervert and imprisoned her illegally.


    However, day after day, the woman actually became dependent and admired the man. However, this man recently brought in another woman. This woman became jealous. At this time, a pistol descended from the sky and increased her hatred.


    Today, she had intended to use the gun to kill the other woman when the man and the woman came back. Fortunately, Chen Shi found her in time, otherwise it would have been another tragedy.


    These truths were only known after a few hours of interrogation. The police immediately arrested the pervert, but the two imprisoned women cried and shouted saying they didn¡¯t want to be rescued. They were even willing to testify for the pervert in court. People could not help but think that Stockholm syndrome was truly terrifying!


    The two paparazzi were brought back to the bureau for interrogation in separate rooms. No matter what was asked, they¡¯d only reply with a single sentence: "You should talk to my boss!"


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Do you think you¡¯re just working to make money? Do you realize this is a vition of thew?"


    The paparazzi said disdainfully, "We haven''t just vited thew once or twice. Frence journalists are already a gray profession. People need to eat, officers. Honestly, how can wepete with the big media in obtaining news?¡±


    "But, this time you are breaking thew. You¡¯ll need to go to jail!¡±


    "Why do we need to go to jail? We just took some news material without interfering with the parties, just like the cameramen who film seals in the North Pole. Even if the seals are killed, they wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene. This is the professional conduct of journalists!"


    Lin Qiupu smacked on the table agrily. "Because you¡¯re sheltering the criminals! Three people have died and a policeman was killed in the line of duty. Do you naively think that the court won¡¯t hold you ountable? You guys should anticipate eating the prison meals!"

 Chapter 452: Fallen Police

    <h4>Chapter 452: Fallen Police</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The interrogation continued until 8:00 PM. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were anxiously waiting outside. Lin Dongxue asked, "Are they really going to jail?"


    "It''s hard to say. They just didn''t report something they knew. They neither sheltered the criminals nor destroyed evidence. It depends on how the courts sentence them."


    "I¡¯m guessing that the courts will also have a headache when that timees." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu came out of the interrogation room. He was very tired, but his eyes were shining. "These two guys confessed. Let¡¯s go to theirpany to arrest people!¡±


    The police soon brought back all the people from thispany. After the interrogations the next morning, they finally got some key clues. As Chen Shi had expected, when Ji Xingyao bribed them, she promised to give them some heavy news.


    The list this time was just one of them. They didn''t expect the mess left by the previous case to only be resolved now.


    With this list, Ji Xingyao could be arrested.


    After going through twists and turns, this list finally reached the hands of the police. There were fifteen names on it. The police arrested the remaining people in sequence ording to the list. The bureau was extremely busy on this day and the guns on the whiteboard were retrieved one by one. They were found before the guns had been used.


    Until evening, there were two spots left unfilled. Lin Qiupu summoned everyone and said, "There are only fifteen people on the list that we¡¯ve gotten. Thest one on the list is Wang Xingdong. We went to his house but we couldn¡¯t find anyone. I suspect he has already started taking action."


    Chen Shi asked, "What''s the background of this person?"


    "It''s not a small one!" Lin Qiupu said, "He was originally an anti-narcotics officer that had made a lot of achievements. Later, when he went undercover, he was injected with drugs by drug dealers resulting in a drug addiction. After returning to the team, he was sent to get mandatory rehab. He went back to the team after half a year of rehab, but colleagues soon discovered that he was still secretly taking drugs. After each drug sweep, he would secretly leave a portion. After the incident was exposed he was of course severely punished. He was suspended and expelled from themunist party[1]... This is information from the anti-narcotics team so there shouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with the information we¡¯ve obtained! In addition, his marksmanship is very urate. He used to be an urate shooter in the team."


    Everyone was in an uproar. They didn''t expect that one of thest ones left would be such a hard bone[2]. Lin Qiupu said, "We¡¯ve recovered 14 guns so far. There¡¯s no more need to worry. From tomorrow onwards, we will try our best to find Wang Xingdong. We must find him before he kills someone!"


    Chen Shi said, "I don¡¯t want to attack your enthusiasm, but he used to be a policeman and the most dangerous kind of policeman at that. If he isn¡¯t at home right now, there is a high probability that he has already begun to act... I remember that there are three silencers that were lost with these guns. Have you found them yet?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head sadly. "We¡¯ve only found one, which means that Wang Xingdong must have a silencer."


    "That would be too difficult!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "There¡¯s a person missing from the list. Who could it be?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Could it be that the murderer took one for himself?"


    "We can¡¯t rule out that possibility... Right, who do you think Wang Xingdong would kill?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "His colleagues or the drug dealer who harmed him back then." Chen Shi spected.


    Lin Qiupu looked around. "Everyone has been busy today, so you¡¯re all tired, right?"


    Everyone heard the implication within his words and unanimously replied, "Not tired!"


    "Okay, we¡¯ll go to the anti-narcotics team now."


    The city¡¯s anti-narcotics team was built together with a branch office. The police rushed there to find the current captain of the anti-narcotics team to exin the situation. The captain was a little surprised and a bit in disbelief. ¡°Wang Xingdong has left for almost five years. Back then, we wererades! His drug abuse was initially caused by the drug dealers. After returning to the team, we sent him to get forced rehab. He had been sober, but then we learned that he had been secretly taking them. Everyone was very sad. We can only say that it¡¯s regrettable and a pity that he couldn¡¯t fight for himself... I heard that this kid may still be taking drugs even now. His house and car were both sold and he¡¯s in a lot of debt with loan sharks. He¡¯s been taking drugs for five years, so I think he doesn¡¯t have much power to retaliate against anyone.¡±


    Lin Qiupu said, "We can¡¯t let our guards down during this breakthrough point. In the previous cases we¡¯ve dealt with, there were weak women and old, meek people. They all took the guns to kill people. Wang Xingdong has now been determined to be armed with a pistol and silencer. He¡¯s likely tomit murder. I hope you can contact all the members again, especially those who¡¯ve worked with Wang Xingdong previously."


    The captain said, "Okay, I''ll contact them now."


    He took out his mobile phone, turned on the speaker, and made calls one by one. When one of the numbers was reached, it took a long time for the other party to answer. Then, there was a tapping sound with a beat over the phone before they hung up.


    The captain said to the phone, ¡°Little Long, Little Long, why won''t you answer the phone?!"


    He was ready to redial when Chen Shi said, "Wait!"


    He tapped on the table with his fingers, repeating the rhythm he had heard just then. "Is this a code?"


    "Morse code... SOS... He¡¯s calling for help!" Lin Qiupu said in surprise. "Where does that member live?!"


    The captain replied in shock, "I¡¯ll take you there."


    They sped all the way to Officer Xu Guolong''s home and the anxious captain broke through the door immediately. He saw a man wearing a ck hood raising a gun. The captain was frightened and immediately raised his own gun.


    "Don''t shoot!"


    Chen Shi''s quickly pushed away the captain''s hand and the bullet shot into amp. The captain shouted, "What are you doing?!"


    Chen Shi pressed the man¡¯s chest with one hand and uncovered the ck hood with the other. It turned out that it was the policeman who had just called for help. He had a toy gun tied with adhesive tape to his hand. If Chen Shi hadn¡¯t stopped the captain in time, the captain would have killed his own subordinate on ident.


    Xu Guolong''s had drooling out of his mouth and his eyes were in a daze. His hands fluttered around like he was drunk and he said some gibberish that nobody could understand.


    The captain opened his eyelids and cursed, "Fuck! He was injected with drugs. This guy wants to destroy even his colleagues¡¯ futures!"


    At this time, the captain''s cell phone rang. He answered and turned the speaker mode on. There was a gloomy voice that came from within the phone. "Captain Zhang, long time no see. Let''s have a talk!"


    The phone immediately hung up. Lin Qiupu said, "Call him back."


    The captain looked at the number in a daze. "The number he used is my colleague¡¯s. It¡¯s the colleague on standby downstairs."


    "Oh no, he led us here and hid himself downstairs in ambush!" Chen Shi realized.


    The crowd hurried downstairs, leaving a police officer here to take care of Xu Guolong.


    They went downstairs and found a car was missing. Captain Zhang asked Lin Qiupu''s subordinates impatiently, "Which car?"


    The officer said nkly, "It just drove away. I thought there was something they had to do, so I didn''t question it."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Catch him!"


    Everyone got in the cars in a hurry and left themunity. On the empty road at night, the police cars were speeding away and soon enough, the team had caught up. However, considering the suspect in the car was armed and had a hostage, they could only follow from a distance.


    At this time, there was some staticing from the radio. Someone was connecting to the radio. The voice was heard again, echoing in all the police cars. "Who is responsible for leading this team?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "I¡¯m Lin Qiupu, the captain of the second criminal police team."


    "Oh, I remember you. You were still a kid back then and you followed Song Lang''s butt around all day long."


    "If I remember correctly, there are two policemen in the car. Judging from your voice, you should be sitting in the back and pointing a gun at them, right?"


    "Sure enough, Song Lang taught you a lot." The voice praised.


    "Tell us about your conditions!"


    1. There are lots of benefits if you¡¯re in the party, like better job opportunities. Some jobs that are higher up in the chain only considermunist party members. Supposedly, they pay a fee to be a member and they have to take some political sses in order to enter.


    2. An expression people use to describe a difficult task.

 Chapter 453: Each Person’s Luck

    <h4>Chapter 453: Each Person¡¯s Luck</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the hijacked police car, Wang Xingdong leaned back on the back seat, syed out, and pointed a gun at the back of the two police officers¡¯ heads in front of him. He said, "I heard that the anti-narcotics team just seized five kilograms of heroin. Use that in exchange for the lives of these two policemen."


    In Lin Qiupu''s car, Captain Zhang roared, "We can''t do that!"


    "Don''t talk!" Lin Qiupu made a gesture for him to stop talking and then quickly typed on his phone. "Don¡¯t talk to him without mymand!"


    He showed the line of text to the people in the car and sent it to everyone present.


    Wang Xingdong''sughter came from the radio. "I''m kidding. I was nning tomit suicide next month anyway. I don''t know why, but this gun suddenly appeared in front of my door. I haven¡¯t felt a gun in so long. I think this may be God''s will. Some people want me to do something."


    Lin Qiupu replied sternly, "Wang Xingdong, that man is just using you."


    "It''s okay if I¡¯m used. It¡¯s fine no matter what. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been used... Captain Zhang, let¡¯s talk about the shameless transactions you¡¯ve made!"


    Captain Zhang countered, "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about!"


    "You really don''t know?!"


    "I don¡¯t know anything."


    A scream suddenly broke out through the radio and the car in front of them slipped on the road. Then, a policeman was thrown out from the passenger seat and rolled a few times on the road. The police cars behind them almost rear-ended each other.


    Lin Qiupu directed on the radio, "Old Zhang, take a few people, stay here, and take that person to the hospital."


    "No need!" Wang Xingdong interrupted him. "He¡¯s dead. It was a headshot."


    "What the hell do you want to do?!" Lin Qiupu questioned. He didn''t expect this guy to act so quickly.


    The cry of the officer driving came through on the radio. "I don''t want to die! Captain, I don''t want to die!"


    "Shut up!" A scream was apanied by the sounds of beating.


    Everyone who heard the sounds broke out in cold sweat. Wang Xingdong continued, "Captain Zhang, you¡¯re still not going to talk? I¡¯ll count to three. One... Two..."


    "I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!" Captain Zhang was sweating heavily. "After you left the anti-narcotics team, you were engaged in drugs everywhere. I sympathized with you, but I am a policeman, so I couldn¡¯t vite the regtions to help you. I proposed to let you continue to go undercover. After all, your identity still hadn¡¯t been exposed and you had a lot of contacts with drug dealers. And at the same time... At the same time, it could also meet your drug demands."


    "But you lied to me!" They could imagine Wang Xingdong gritting his teeth even through the radio. "You told me that as long as Iplete the task again, you¡¯d let me return to the team. I waited for years and years as I helped you get rid of drug trafficking strongholds one after the other. I was almost buried alive by the triads and cut down by knives. However, in the end, you told me that I was a policeman who had been addicted to drugs and that it was impossible for me to go back to the team. You told me to continue to go undercover! My heart always thought I was a policeman, but you would casually tell me to go undercover since I could continue taking drugs that way. You have no idea how painful it is to be an undercover agent. You have to act every day, just like walking on the tip of a knife. This is simply a road you can never return from! I¡¯m not even a policeman anymore, so why should I continue to help you?! There were so many times I really wanted to betray you to help the drug dealers once, but I couldn¡¯t do it because I was deeply hurt before and I know the pain of it... You never thought about why I still kept providing information even though I didn¡¯t have any hope of rejoining the team. It¡¯s because I held an illusion in my heart that I could continue to make contributions to get the bureau to ept me again. But, the credit went to you in the end! You didn¡¯t even fight for me once. To you, I was a depraved person who was unworthy of rescue. You couldn¡¯t wait for me to be identified by a drug dealer and be killed quietly one day, thrown into a river, and disappear from the world. I don¡¯t even amount to a fart to you!"


    Captain Zhang looked as though he was raining sweat. "Sor... Sorry, I didn''t know you had so many hardships. I really just wanted to help you at first."


    "And then?!"


    "Later..."


    "Hurry up and spit it out!!!" Wang Xingdong shouted.


    "Later, I was too busy and didn''t contact you often. I asked the higher ups about your return to the team. They said that if you didn¡¯t stop taking drugs, you wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the team. Only if you¡¯d stopped taking drugs first, but you clearly went to get rehab a few times and never seeded.¡±


    "That kind of thing can''t be stopped. It doesn¡¯t just go into your body, but into your heart. That¡¯s why there¡¯s the anti-narcotics police." Wang Xingdong''s tone held endless sadness.


    At this time, Chen Shi ¡¯s voice came from the radio. ¡°Officer Wang, I am the negotiating expert. I can hear that you¡¯re a just person. I also sympathize with you. It¡¯s too troublesome to talk while chasing after you in a car like this. Can we stop first?¡±


    Lin Qiupu was furious. Why did this guy suddenly chime in?


    Wang Xingdong said contemptuously, "Negotiation expert? Who do you think you are? Why would you be the one to speak to me?"


    Chen Shi replied, "I¡¯m here to solve the problem."


    "What problem can you solve? I have destroyed a policeman and killed another. As soon as I stop the car, I will be shot down by countless bullets immediately. I have no means of turning back now, just like my life. A little syringe ruined my whole life."


    "That''s not your fault!" Chen Shi said.


    "Haha, whose fault is it then?! The drug dealers? Police? Society?"


    "Listen, your upation is a profession that protects thew and justice. The police never ask the criminal¡¯s origin. Just like a drug dealer that appears in front of you. You don¡¯t care how miserable his past was. In your eyes, they¡¯re just a virus to society that needs to be eliminated or quarantined. The police are in such a sunny profession[1], but are they really that sunny? There¡¯s still corruption within. Is there corruption in the police force? Yes! Do they seek out prostitutes? Yes! Do they take drugs? Also, yes. That is, the iron fist is ruthless. Once such outliers are found, they will be ruled out immediately. All their private feelings will be put aside because this is their job. To exclude the virus of society! This is for anyone, including the police with no exceptions."


    "Don''t say anything more!" Lin Qiupu interrupted, fearing that Chen Shi would provoke him.


    Wang Xingdong actually said, "Shut up and let him talk."


    Lin Qiupu was shocked. This kind of talk actually worked on a gunman? Chen Shi continued, "That unfortunate thing happened to you. Whose fault was it? I think no one was at fault. It¡¯s just that you had bad luck, that¡¯s all! Actually, thinking about it carefully, the criminals we are fighting are also the way that they are because of bad luck. They cry about their tragic past, but no matter how much they cry, they won¡¯t get a trace of sympathy. If they were born into a happy family, obtained a good education, and met the right people, would they havee to this step? Of course not! Everyone with bad luck always asks why it had to be them. The world is like this. It arranges different luck and fates for everyone. Some people are extremely unlucky and step by step, they get to the point of destruction... As for you, you unluckily drew the extremely short straw!"


    1. Sunny in that they are just and walk the path of light.

 Chapter 454: Desperate Chase

    <h4>Chapter 454: Desperate Chase</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After a while of silence, Wang Xingdong''s voice came from the radio again. "Negotiation expert, you keep talking, but you basically mean to say that I was unlucky and can¡¯t me others, right?¡±


    Chen Shi responded, "It does mean that. If such a thing were to happen to anyone, it may have resulted the same way... The person who sent you the gun is just manipting your grievances. Are you willing to be his puppet? Calm down a bit! "


    "Calm down? Hahahaha!" Wang Xingdongughed. "Then let me ask you something, negotiator. What if you drew the short straw?"


    Chen Shi was silent for a moment, ignoring Lin Dongxue''s desperate shaking of her head to signal him not to continue. He said, "ept reality."


    "Okay then. I¡¯ll send you a short straw right now. Come and swap with the hostage.¡±


    "Okay!"


    Hearing this sentence, everyone was tense. Only Captain Zhang of the anti-narcotics team was relieved. Lin Qiupu said, "If we¡¯re exchanging hostages, let me go. He¡¯s just a consultant. I am the captain."


    "Shut up!" Wang Xingdong shouted. "I will stop in a minute. Get that eloquent guy toe over and get in from the passenger door. If anyone else dares to get off the cars, I will kill the hostage."


    "I promise!" Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue turned off the radio and said with a broken heart, "Are you crazy? He has already killed someone. It¡¯s impossible to dissuade him."


    "It''s okay. He¡¯s different from ordinary criminals. He will keep his promises."


    "I''m not talking about that..." Lin Dongxue was so angry that she was about to burst into tears. "What if he kills you?"


    "I will look for an opportunity to persuade him. Don¡¯t worry." Chen Shi gently patted Lin Dongxue''s shoulder,forting her.


    After the car stopped, Lin Dongxue cried and embraced Chen Shi. She said into his ear, "If you dare die on me, I willmit suicide!"


    "It won¡¯t happen. It won¡¯t."


    Although he said that, in fact, Chen Shi wasn¡¯t confident. He could only take it one step at a time.


    He pushed the door open and got out of the car. He opened the door of the police car and sat in the front passenger seat. The blood of the policeman who was shot was still on the seat. It was shocking to look at. Wang Xingdong was a thin man, like a thin branch. He looked simr to someone who was about to die from sickness. He was dressed in a long linen shirt and was unshaven. Hair that hadn¡¯t been washed in a long time draped on both sides. He looked as though he would fall down even with a light push. Amidst all of that was a pair of bright eyes.


    He swung the gun in his hand. "You, get out!"


    The officer who was driving looked as though he was bestowed amnesty from a king and hurried to get out of the car as he fled back to his captain¡¯s car. Then, Chen Shi shifted over to the driver''s seat. Wang Xingdong said, "Take out all the things in your pocket."


    Chen Shi took out the things in his pocket. There was a phone, wallet, and ID. Wang Xingdong reached out and picked it up every time a new item appeared. Finally, Chen Shi turned his whole pocket over, indicating that there was nothing left before Wang Xingdong nodded. ¡°Start the car!"


    The cars in the back immediately followed them as they drove quietly on the empty road in the middle of the night. Wang Xingdong turned over Chen Shi¡¯s wallet and saw the photo of Tao Yueyue, which was the ID photo required by Tao Yueyue¡¯s school. Chen Shi went to get it printed two days ago and it never left his wallet.


    "Is this your daughter?"


    "No, I¡¯m just her guardian. In fact, it doesn''t matter if I die. My house, car, and savings should be able to get her through to adulthood. She is very smart. It''s probably not a problem for her to live alone. She¡¯ll just be a little sad.¡±


    "Haha, you are an interesting person. Normally, wouldn¡¯t you y emotional cards to gain sympathy?"


    "I''m just telling the truth. Besides, would that trick work even on you?"


    "Hmph, it wouldn¡¯t!" Wang Xingdong continued to look at Chen Shi''s documents. "Criminal consultant? It turns out that you¡¯re not really a policeman. Then you''re really out of luck. They¡¯ll shoot you and I both if necessary.¡±


    "Don¡¯t worry. That won¡¯t happen unless you kill me first."


    "What is your job?"


    "I¡¯m a driver."


    "Haha!" Wang Xingdongughed. "Making you drive is in line with your job then."


    "Where would this gentleman like to go?" Chen Shi deliberately asked in the manner he usually used to speak to passengers.


    "Keep going in circles."


    "I need to remind you that there¡¯s not much gas. I suggest going to a nearby gas station where the police wouldn¡¯t dare to shoot and fill up on fuel before continuing."


    Wang Xingdong thought about this suggestion and said, "Don''t y any tricks!"


    "Rx, passengers are Gods."


    Wang Xingdong smiled. "This is probably the most dangerous ride in your career, right?"


    "Not really. One time, there was a long-distance ride on a rainy day. I had to cross through the mountain road. That was dangerous..." Chen Shi calmly talked about his experience and Wang Xingdong listened quietly. The atmosphere in the car was as if he was driving a normal passenger around.


    Half an hourter, they got to a gas station, filled up the tank, and got on again. Chen Shi made an ¡°ok¡± sign to the police behind him. Lin Qiupu and the others were getting impatient. Themunication between them ended so they didn¡¯t know about the situation at all, and they couldn¡¯t send a SWAT team after them right now either. Their only hope was Chen Shi¡¯s wit.


    Sitting back in the car again, Chen Shi asked, "Are you hungry? There¡¯s a skewer ce nearby. How about I take you there?"


    Wang Xingdong asked slowly, "Are you trying to help me or lie to me? It''s not easy to take action in the car, so you want to change to another ce?"


    "I want to help you."


    "How can you help?"


    "Let you escape outside the city!"


    Wang Xingdong was a little shocked. These words were actually said by a negotiating expert. But if you thought about it carefully, he was not a policeman after all. He was somewhat credible.


    "Really? Covering for and assisting criminals is a felony."


    "It''s better than death."


    Wang Xingdong poked Chen Shi''s head with the gun. "How does it feel to draw the short straw?"


    "To be honest, it''s quite a misfortune. I shouldn''t have said so much."


    "You deserve it!" Wang Xingdongughed and then looked sad. "There¡¯s no hope for a person like me. I either have to surrender myself or be killed on the spot. It''s just the difference between an early death andte one.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any family members?"


    "There was once a woman. After I started taking drugs, she turned away from me. I cheated money from her all day. Her family forbade us from being acquainted with one another... I even asked her things like why she didn¡¯t sell her body. I was just an asshole who always hurt the people around me. Finally, I ended up all alone. Let me tell you something. The first time I took drugs wasn¡¯t of my own volition. The drug dealers wanted me to show an act of loyalty since the drug dealers I¡¯d been involved with were all arrested in session. It was impossible for them not to be suspicious of me. At that time, if I didn¡¯t take the drugs, they would have found a chance to kill me. In order to survive, I could only do that. I almost died the first time. Then, I gradually started enjoying it after the second and third time. That kind of happiness was better than eating, drinking, or making love. Once the threshold was crossed, I was able to do all kinds of things. I was more of a drug dealer than the real drug dealers. In the end, even my past colleagues were shocked to see me. I repeatedly recalled that day. Did I choose the wrong path? I should have refused and then died in the line of duty. Then, I¡¯d forever be a martyr! It¡¯s like a pilot rushing into the city with a ne that¡¯s out of control. In the city, a forcednding would kill people and they¡¯d wear a tarnished name for life. They may even have to go to jail. They¡¯d have to find a way to fly away from the city. They¡¯d die, but they¡¯d be martyrs, praised by the world... Sometimes, if the principles of right and wrong want you to die, you will have to die. But I just wanted to live back then. I just wanted to survive!"

 Chapter 455: The Last Gun

    <h4>Chapter 455: The Last Gun</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi nced at Wang Xingdong from the rearview mirror. "I understand the decisions made for survival."


    "Huh, how would you understand?" Wang Xingdong sneered disdainfully.


    "Of course I understand. It¡¯s because I¡¯m in the same situation as you are. I want to live so I have to help you, but I will have to pay the price for it as well. People make choices their whole lives and then pay for their choices. If you only look at one snippet of someone¡¯s life, you¡¯d think that the person has a miserable life. However, this is only the price of their choices. They can¡¯t hide away from it...¡± Chen Shi''s eyes showed sadness. He was hesitating whether to talk about it. "I¡¯ll also tell you a secret. I used to have another identity. Unfortunately, because I did something wrong, I¡¯ve been paying off the debt this whole time. I don¡¯t want to die not because I am afraid of death, but because I still have something that I need to do."


    "What did you do wrong?" Wang Xingdong was interested.


    "Can you keep it secret?"


    "I can. In the face of death, someone¡¯s still willing to have a heart to heart with me. I¡¯ll keep it secret for you."


    "I killed two policemen."


    The atmosphere in the car suddenly fell silent and Wang Xingdong said, "You... You¡¯re Song Lang! Song Lang, who¡¯s been a wanted man and missing for four[1] years!"


    "Sure enough, fame is not a good thing." Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    "Hah, it''s fate. The two policemen who drew a very short straw are actually sitting together in the same car." Wang Xingdong put down his gun. "Was it true?"


    "It seems true to everyone."


    "So you were framed?"


    "That doesn''t matter anymore... These two words are bullets that can kill me. As long as you say them, I won¡¯t be able to stand back up again. Now, do you believe me when I say that I¡¯m trying to help you?"


    "Brother, let''s eat skewers!"


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi parked his car at a skewer stall that was still open. The police got out of the car as well. Wang Xingdong whispered, "Sorry" and pointed the gun at Chen Shi''s head. The diners who saw this scene were in shock.


    Lin Qiupu called out, "It¡¯s an emergency situation. Everyone should leave. I¡¯ll settle the bills.¡±


    The diners stood up and walked away in fear. The stall owner trembled and was prepared to leave as well. Wang Xingdong said, "Stay there. Bring over fivemb kidney skewers, twentymb skewers, some random vegetables, and two bottles of beer."


    The stall owner questioned Lin Qiupu with his eyes, and Lin Qiupu replied, "Do as he asked."


    The stall owner could only start grilling the food and looked as if they were about to cry. Wang Xingdong and Chen Shi sat on a table opposite each other. Wang Xingdong''s hand was ced underneath. Chen Shi said, "Don''t get too close. His gun is pointing at me from below."


    The police stood far away, on guard.


    The stall owner brought over edamame beans and the beer. Wang Xingdong signaled Chen Shi to open it. The two of them each had a bottle of cold beer. Wang Xingdong said, "You were very famous in the past. When that incident happened, it shocked the entire police industry. What did you experience after that?¡±


    Chen Shi replied, "I changed my face and lived incognito. I was always looking for the person who framed me... I lived a very painful life over the years. When I closed my eyes, I¡¯d see my deadpanions. I once thought about suicide. Let me tell you something. It was hatred that allowed me to survive."


    Wang Xingdong shook his head and smiled. "You¡¯re lucky. I don¡¯t even have an object of hatred. I don''t know who I should hate."


    Chen Shi looked at the police and lowered his voice. "I will tell the police to stop following us and help you escape out of the city. You¡¯ll have to take care of the rest."


    "Do you think I can be saved?"


    "Whether there¡¯s salvation cannot be based off of the past, but by looking at the present. Besides, this is just a transaction. I just want to live and you want to live as well. The choices made to live are justified."


    Wang Xingdong nced back. "If you let me go, you''ll be out of luck."


    "It doesn''t matter. I''m not a policeman anyway. Is it wrong for an ordinary citizen to let go of the person who¡¯s taking them hostage in order to survive?¡±


    "Okay, I¡¯ll believe you!"


    Wang Xingdong raised his beer bottle and clinked with Chen Shi¡¯s. Soon, the skewers were brought over. The two ate and chatted like old friends. The policemen standing by the road were very nervous. At their distance, they couldn¡¯t hear what the two were talking about.


    In the middle of eating, Wang Xingdong suddenly grabbed his hair in pain. "Damn it, it¡¯s here again!"


    "What? Drug addiction?"


    "Yes, as soon as the addictiones up, everything I eat tastes like grass and it¡¯s like there¡¯s ants that are crawling up and down my body.¡±


    "Hold on, brother. When you get outside the city, try to figure out some medicine for yourself!"


    "Outside the city..." Wang Xingdong''s gaze drifted far away and then fell on Chen Shi''s face. "Thank you for speaking with me along the way. Look at the eyes of those police. They¡¯re looking at me like I¡¯m a bomb that can explode at any time. But you¡¯re different. You treat me like a person!¡± Tears fell down from his eyes. ¡°Officer Song, you should live well. I believe that you can one day wash away the injustice and restore your identity."


    Chen Shi noticed something was wrong and asked, "What do you want to do? Don''t be impulsive!"


    Wang Xingdong smiled and shook his head bitterly. "Even if I escape from the city, I will be tortured by my drug addiction. I will steal and rob, bing a criminal again. I¡¯m a policeman. Even if I don¡¯t wear a uniform, I¡¯ve always been a policeman at heart. I want to leave with some face.¡±


    After saying this, Wang Xingdong suddenly put the muzzle into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed out from the back of his head and his head fell to the table.


    Chen Shi sat stunned in the spot and he didn¡¯t even notice the police rushing over. Lin Dongxue hugged him and cried, "You scared us to death!"


    "It''s alright now..." Chen Shi patted her lightly, feeling a little sad and unable to focus.


    "What did you say to him? Why did he suddenlymit suicide?"


    "I..." Chen Shi didn''t know how to answer.


    No matter how Lin Qiupu and the others asked afterwards, Chen Shi didn¡¯t say a thing about the words he exchanged with Wang Xingdong. Lin Qiupu stopped asking about it as well. They were able to retrieve the lost gun and everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief.


    Lin Qiupu said to him, "Go back and have a good rest. Don''t do such dangerous things next time. We were all terrified."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "There won¡¯t be a next time."


    That night, he suffered from insomnia and thought a lot. As a policeman, he had to face the bloody hearts of others. This kind of experience sometimes made people both physically and mentally exhausted. You couldn¡¯t do anything but sigh deeply.


    However, just like what he said with Wang Xingdong, this was the price he paid for his choices. If you choose this kind of identity, you have to experience such a life.


    The next morning, he went to the neighborhood where Zhou Tiannan lived. Zhou Tiannan was eating fried dough and tofu brain as usual at the stall nearby. He sat down calmly across from him and greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Chen. Why have youe again?¡±


    "Where''s thest gun?" Chen Shi, who hadn¡¯t slept for the whole night, looked haggard and a bit gloomy.


    Zhou Tiannan''s hand stopped. "What gun? I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about!"


    "Don¡¯t y dumb with me. I¡¯m asking you where thest gun is!" Chen Shi mmed on the table angrily. "Would you like me to beat you up right now, bastard?!"


    Zhou Tiannan smiled and raised his face, facing Chen Shi''s raging eyes without fear. "As long as you can afford the consequences, you can do whatever you want!"


    "Do you think you¡¯re a God who maniptes everything?"


    "I was one to begin with. I saw through the world and yed around with it in the palm of my hand at my will..." After a moment of ferocity, Zhou Tiannan calmed down again. "Mr. Chen''splexion isn¡¯t very good. Have you been busy? But life is like this. After this busy time, you¡¯ll be busy again. You won¡¯t ever be able to rest!¡±


    Chen Shi leaned close to him. "One day, you and your people will have to pay the price!"


    He stood up and left. Zhou Tiannan called behind him, "I¡¯m guessing the gun you asked about should be in the hands of someone worth having it. They are a ghost full of hatred, hidden under the mask of joy. I wish you luck, Mr. Chen!"


    1. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s Note: The author wrote three here, but the earliest chapters said four.

 Chapter 456: Gun Murder Case

    <h4>Chapter 456: Gun Murder Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 30: Ghost Gun[1]


    On July 26th, Chen Shi arrived at the bureau early in the morning. A few days had passed since the gun mailing case. Thest gun with a silencer was still missing. The task force was temporarily disbanded. The work that had umted before was piled up like mountains. The police who were working non-stop the past few days all envied Chen Shi who didn¡¯t have to do anything once the case was over.


    Chen Shi went to Lin Qiupu''s office and asked, "Did you check what I¡¯ve asked you to check?"


    Lin Qiupu, who was on the phone, made a gesture to indicate that Chen Shi should wait. After ending the call with a few simple sentences, he crossed his arms. "You¡¯re getting more and more arrogant. Do you know how busy I have been these two days?"


    "Who cares about that? Did you check it or not?"


    "I have. Zhou Tiannan''s private assets haven¡¯t increased. Ji Xingyao isn¡¯t in the city anymore. The interrogation will be carried out by the public security bureaus of the other cities. I read the fax sent over in the morning. She didn''t know the background details of the person she hired, and she isn¡¯t clear what they look like either. The two parties made the transaction in a dark alley."


    Chen Shi was disappointed. In fact, he had already expected this result. If Zhou Tiannan wasn¡¯t cautious, his identity would have been exposed long ago.


    It seems that it would be a long journey before they could arrest him and his people and bring them to justice.


    Chen Shi turned to leave, and Lin Qiupu asked, "Where are you going?"


    "Going home to rest. I¡¯ve been exhausted over the past two days and I¡¯m both physically and mentally drained right now.¡±


    "You should help me with some of the work. When we were tracing the missing guns, there were several more murders in the city. You must be interested in them."


    "No. Let me rest on such a hot day!"


    When Chen Shi turned around and left, Lin Qiupu received another call. He suddenly stood up and chased after him. "Hey, stop there. There¡¯s been a shooting!"


    Chen Shi turned around in surprise. Has thest gun appeared?!


    Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t have a lot of staff avable at the moment, so he asked Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong and Peng Sijue to go over together. The crime had urred in a high-end residential area. In the morning, an old man who was doing his morning exercises found that a household had left their lights on. When he looked inside, a man wasying in a pool of blood. He frantically ran to his local police station who then called it in.


    Seeing the criminal police show up, the local police officers who were at the scene breathed a sigh of relief. They could finally hand over the case. Chen Shi asked, "What is the identity of the deceased?"


    "I just checked the ID card with the station. This man is called Song Yuwen. He¡¯s 30 years old and a local. His upation is a dentist and his family background should be pretty decent..." The police looked around the house. To be able to buy such a big house at a young age, they could tell that his ie must be quite high.


    Chen Shi pondered, "Would a dentist have conflicts with anyone?"


    The deceased was lying on the wooden floor, with three bloodstains on his body. His head was facing the door. Peng Sijue put down the toolbox and used tweezers to pry open the wound of the deceased for examination. The wound was a round hole outlined with ckened burns. ¡°He was shot to death.¡±


    "Three shots were fired. If it was a normal gun, it would have rmed the neighborsst night. It must have been a gun with a silencer. Maybe it was the missing gun."


    "We¡¯ll have to wait until we see the bullet before we can confirm it."


    "Xiaodong and Dongxue, you two should interview the nearby residents to understand the situation."


    The local police also left as well. Chen Shi and Peng Sijue were the only ones left in the room. Chen Shi checked the pupils of the body and asked, "The time of death was about six hours ago?"


    "No." Peng Sijue took a look at the remote control of the air conditioner on the table. "The air conditioner is set on a timer. The air conditioner should have been on when the victim died. The indoor temperature was 20 degrees. The time must be pushed back two to three hours."


    "That''s around eleven then."


    "We have to wait and test the liver and anal temperatures to determine it properly."


    "The owner set the timer on the air conditioner, indicating that he was ready to go to bed. Seeing that he was wearing pajamas, the time seems about right?¡± Chen Shi took out his cell phone and told Lin Dongxue the time of death. He told her to question the property managers as well.


    Chen Shi stood up and looked around. There were two cups on the table. The tea inside had already cooled down. The deceased was facing the door, wearing pajamas and slippers. The perpetrator was obviously an acquaintance, and an acquaintance that the deceased would wee inte at night.


    Could it be a woman? He pondered.


    Then he picked up the TV remote control and turned on the set-top box. Thest viewing time was 11:00st night. The deceased should have been alive at that time. Someone came to visit, so he turned off the TV. That made more sense.


    He opened the refrigerator and the refrigerator was empty. It seemed like the deceased normally didn¡¯t cook. But there was an exquisite box inside. Chen Shi opened it and it turned out to hold a bouquet of pink roses.


    "Look at this! Could the murderer be a woman?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "You¡¯re jumping to conclusions. The flowers and the murder case may not be connected. Since it was ced in the refrigerator, it means that he was ready to leave it there for two days before giving it away.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "I was just saying it casually. By the way, are there any flower gifting holidaysing soon?"


    "Are there?"


    When he looked at the calendar on his mobile phone, it turned out that it was Qixi Festival[2] two dayster. It¡¯s unknown when it started, but Qixi Festival had be China¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day. Chen Shi wondered whether he should buy a small gift for Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi inspected both the inside and outside of the house and collected all the evidence that he thought would be valuable. On the kitchen floor, he saw a bullet hole in the tile and rubbed it with his fingers. The size of the bullet hole was very close to the size of the bullets that the Russian Makarov pistol holds.


    The kitchen was clean and tidy and there were no traces of struggle. It was also quite far from the living room. It was unknown why there was a bullet hole there.


    When Chen Shi went to the bathroom and lifted up the toilet lid, he suddenly realized everything. There was a mobile phone soaking in the toilet. The phone was already shattered by a bullet. The murderer should have put the mobile phone there and shot at it, shattering the tile. Then the murderer chucked the broken phone into the toilet.


    Chen Shi picked up the phone, but it was so damaged that it was probably impossible to repair it. Just in case, he also collected some water from the toilet to see if the murderer had used it before.


    Peng Sijue found a set of shoe prints in the living room which were left by a pair of size 37 high heels. It seemed that the murderer was likely to be a woman. There were only one set of fingerprints on the door frame, table, and walls. Judging from the size, they belonged to the victim. It was possible tomit the murder with a gun without leaving fingerprints.


    The two exchanged their findings. Chen Shi looked at the corpse on the ground. "The deceased''s appearance is fairly standard, and he¡¯s a well-paid bachelor. It¡¯s not surprising that there will be friends of the opposite sex visitingte at night... By the way, since the murderer is an acquaintance, how did shee in?"


    Peng Sijue immediately understood his words. "The doorbell!"


    The two went outside the door and collected evidence at the doorbell. They were able to find a small fingerprint.


    This time, the murderer used a gun with a silencer, and much of the information couldn¡¯t be seen. But Chen Shi thought of thest case. Most of the recipients selected by Zhou Tiannan were bitter and full of resentment.


    He should have been quite confident that this woman wouldmit murder if she got her hands on a gun to have sent her a pistol.


    In other words, the motivation must be very profound. It was definitely not a spontaneous murder.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong and Lin Dongxue returned. Xu Xiaodong said, "Neighbors reported that this young man''s parents operated a dentist''s clinic. His father bought this house for him after he started working. There¡¯s also a white BMW in the parking lot below which belongs to him. It seems that his family background is pretty good."


    "What about interpersonal rtionships?"


    "The people I questioned all said that he had a docile personality and that it was impossible for him to have any enemies. At the moment, he isn¡¯t in a rtionship either. He basically just goes to work from 9 to 5 every day. This is all that the neighbors know."


    Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue, "What about your side?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you some bad news. The surveince footagest night was deleted by someone."


    1. A ghost gun is a firearm made by an individual, without serial numbers or other identifying markings.


    2. The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhin¨¹ and Ning, AKA the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd. The tale of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty. It¡¯s the one day each year in which they can be together.

 Chapter 457: The Second Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 457: The Second Corpse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi was slightly startled and asked, "Was there no security guard on dutyst night?"


    "Yes, the security guard said that Old Wang was on duty and had left early in the morning. The keys were left on the table and the TV was still on. Maybe he was too sleepy so he went back to sleep."


    "Inquire about his address and go over to confirm... Xiaodong should go!"


    Xu Xiaodong was surprised. "Why me?"


    "Because I¡¯m ying favorites."


    "I have nothing to say!" Xu Xiaodong said before he left.


    Chen Shi stopped him. "By the way, go to the property managers and take the hard drive back to see if it can be restored."


    Lin Dongxue took the opportunity to take a good look at the body. She said, "It''s a pity to die at such a young age. Could it be a crime of passion?"


    "We¡¯re not sure yet. But I think the murderer is probably someone in his social circle."


    "It would be good if it¡¯s not a serial killer."


    Peng Sijue said, "Let''s protect the crime scene first. Old Chen, go to my car and get a body bag. We¡¯ll take the body back."


    While they were talking, a car stopped outside. They could hear crying from inside the car before the door was even open. A neatly-dressed middle-aged couple rushed out of the car and ran straight towards the building. The woman howled, "My son!"


    "Who had informed the family?" Chen Shi asked in shock.


    "No one notified them... Maybe it was a neighbor!"


    "Block them and stop them from damaging the scene."


    As soon as the couple saw what it was like in the house, they cried even more tempestuously. Lin Dongxueforted them, "My condolences. We are criminal police and we are investigating this case at the moment."


    "Who is so cruel as to kill my son? It was his 30th birthday as well. Why? Why?! If I¡¯d had known, I¡¯d have called him back home yesterday! It¡¯s my fault! My fault!¡±


    The mother of the deceased cried continuously and kept using her handkerchief to pound her husband''s arm. The husband whispered and soothed her while holding back tears.


    The most ufortable thing for the police was facing the family of the victims. No matter how much theyforted them, it wouldn''t ease the sorrow of the couple. Chen Shi reached out and closed the door. After the woman had finished crying, he said, "Sorry that I still have to ask you questions in this moment of sorrow, but it¡¯s for investigating the case..."


    "No, you can ask!" The deceased''s mother said. "We will cooperate fully with the police. As long as we can bring the murderer to justice, we are willing to spend whatever money it takes."


    "It''s not convenient to talk here. Why don¡¯t we change the location?"


    The four of them went to a ce in the neighborhood where there were stone chairs. After sitting down, the woman was still wiping away tears endlessly. Chen Shi asked, "How should we address you?"


    "My surname is Song. My wife¡¯s surname is He.¡± The husband replied.


    "When was thest time you saw your son?"


    The husband and wife nced at each other, and the husband said, "Three or four days ago, it was probably the weekend. Our family has the habit of having a meal together every weekend no matter how busy we are."


    "Are you a family of three?"


    "We also have a younger son who is currently studying in university, but it¡¯s summer vacation and he¡¯s staying at home!"


    The woman cried, "When I received the call, it was like a bolt from the blue. We haven''t even told him yet! I don''t know how to break it to him."


    "What did you talk about when youst met?"


    The husband recalled, "We talked about some work-rted stuff..."


    The wife said, "Both the father and the son are dentists. I couldn¡¯t even join in on their conversation when they talk about their profession.¡±


    Judging from the manner in which the husband and wife spoke, the couple seemed to be very affectionate with each other. Chen Shi continued to ask, "What else?"


    "We talked about some movies and games, mainly because the brothers were interested in them."


    "Anything else?"


    "And..." The husband recalled, "Oh, yes, Yuwen seems to have acquired a girlfriend. I said that he should bring her home for a meal together when he had the chance, but he said that the rtionship wasn¡¯t confirmed yet."


    "Was there anything else?"


    "No."


    Suddenly, his wife said, "He said that his younger cousin Wanjun wasing back to the country in two days and a reunion was nned."


    "Ah yes, that dide up. She¡¯s the child of a rtive who is studying abroad."


    Lin Dongxue wrote it all down and asked, "Has he had any conflicts with anyone?"


    Both the husband and wife said no. Chen Shi remembered the information revealed by the wife and asked, "Last night was his thirtieth birthday?"


    "Yes!"


    "I want to see his circle of friends on WeChat and Weibo. Although we found his mobile phone at the scene, it was destroyed by the murderer."


    The husband took out his mobile phone and showed it to Chen Shi. Last night, the deceased had posted something for his circle of friends. A ck forest cake topped with candles that had numbers on them. From the background, it should have been his workce. The following was written: "Thank you for everyone¡¯s blessings, please have some cake!"


    Going back to his old posts, they found that the deceased didn¡¯t post frequently. Most of them consisted of him sharing some interesting jokes. Chen Shi asked, "Was Song Yuwen a very cheerful person?"


    The husband sighed. "Yes, my son''s character has always been confident and cheerful. Since childhood, he¡¯s been the pistachio[1] in the family. Although he¡¯s not very smart, he had a good trait. He didn¡¯t like to admit defeat. When he was a child, he took second ce in his exams and couldn¡¯t sleep because of it. His results have been very good all these time and we basically haven¡¯t had to worry about it. At first, he wanted to studyputers, but I asked him to study dentistry, as the employment prospects of this field are very good. He protested, saying that the field was very boring. However, he obediently did as I askedter. After he went into this line of work, he has done quite well. He¡¯s now the director of the clinic!"


    "What about his younger brother?"


    "His younger brother, Song Yuqiang, and his older brother are like opposites. He was quite lively and smart when he was young, but he didn''t like to study. I don¡¯t know how many tutors we¡¯ve hired. Later, when he entered the period of rebellion, we were worried to death. I had hoped that he would be a dentist as well, but I couldn''t control him. As a result, he applied to major in art. Of course, as a parent, I will still support him."


    "Do the brothers have a good rtionship with each other?"


    "Very good. They¡¯ve yed together since childhood. The brothers always told each other anything before we found out."


    After writing down the information, the wife grabbed Chen Shi''s hand and said, "Officers, you must catch the murderer and give us justice."


    "Yes, yes, you can be rest assured!" Chen Shiforted her.


    After saying goodbye to the sad couple, Chen Shi said, "How do you feel about this family?"


    "It seems to be a family with a strict parenting style and the family background is good. The couple is also very loving. In short, it¡¯s a happy family... Unfortunately, it was ruined by this incident. The murderer is really abominable. Do you think it could be jealousy?"


    ¡°How would we know right now? Chen Shi said out loud as he pondered over it. "Is there any special meaning in his dying on his birthday?"


    The two went back to help Peng Sijue take the body to the car. When the three drove back towards the bureau and saw the main building of the bureau, Lin Dongxue said, "Aiya, did we forget something?"


    "Fuck, we forgot Xiaodong... Forget it, forget it. He has his legs and can walk back himself."


    The body was sent for autopsy. Chen Shi asked LinQiupu for a few people and began investigating the deceased, his interpersonal rtionships, recent expenses, andmunication records before his death.


    At noon, Chen Shi proposed that they go out to eat ypot rice[2]. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why hasn''t Xiaodonge back yet?"


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong called them and asked anxiously, "Where are you guys? Hurry back. I¡¯ve found a second body!"


    "What? Where did you find it? Are you the only one over there?" Chen Shi asked.


    "It was found in a nearby river. It may be the missing security guard. It isn¡¯t just me. There are severalrades from the nearby police station."


    "We¡¯lle over immediately!" Hanging up the phone, Chen Shi said to the waiter, "Excuse me, please pack our meals for takeaway!"


    1. Pistachios in Chinese can be directly tranted as ¡°happy nut¡±.


    2. https://.theculinaryfoodgroup/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/y-pot.jpg

 Chapter 458: Recreating the Crime Scene

    <h4>Chapter 458: Recreating the Crime Scene</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned to the neighborhood, they saw police cars and a lot of people from afar. There was a small river by the entrance of the housing district. To be precise, it was just a ditch with a bridge above it, and the body was stuck in the beams of the bridge.


    As soon as Xu Xiaodong met them, heined, "How can you guys leave me behind and go back first?"


    "We were sending the body back. Don''tin and eat your meal!" Chen Shi handed him the ypot rice package in his hand.


    Seeing the food, Xu Xiaodong''s grievances totally disappeared. He squatted down at the side to eat.


    The body had already been retrieved by the local police and was lying on a tarp. Chen Shi uncovered the cloth on the body. The deceased was wearing a security guard uniform and he was a middle-aged man in his forties. The bloodstain on his chest had been washed away by the river, so it looked very light. There was a hole in the center of the bloodstain that was suspected to be a gunshot wound.


    Chen Shi put on gloves and inspected the mouth of the corpse. His mouth was tightly closed, and his airway was very clean. Generally, people who drown would have pink foam in the mouth. Then he looked at his hands. His hands were not tightly clenched and there was no dirt or sand in his fingernails.


    He said, "The time of death was very close to that of the other body. He was first killed by someone and then the body was abandoned here."


    Lin Dongxue said, "The deceased looks quite heavy. There¡¯s quite some distance from here to the entrance of the housing district. If the murderer is a woman, how did she drag it over?"


    "He¡¯s about the same height as me. We can conduct an experiment to verify it."


    Xu Xiaodong interjected. "The security guard came over just now and confirmed his identity. He is Old Wang, who was on dutyst night. Then they said that because the toilet was far away, the security guards often came to the river to relieve themselves at night."


    "If he was shot while urinating, it was unlikely to be from the front... Dongxue, let''s turn the body over."


    The two turned the body over and saw that there was also a gun hole in his back as well. Whether it was the bullet¡¯s entry or exit wound had to be determined by a forensic pathologist. Generally, there would be gunpowder particles left in the bullet¡¯s entry wound.


    Chen Shi asked the local police to bring a permanent marker over and counted along the spine of the deceased so that Lin Dongxue could mark a spot at the corresponding ce on his body.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Are you not afraid of your clothes getting dirty?"


    "It doesn''t matter. It¡¯s only a few dozen yuan. I can just buy a new one when I go back."


    Hence, Lin Dongxue marked a spot behind him, and then Chen Shi turned the body over. Using the ribs of the deceased as a reference, he asked Lin Dongxue to mark the corresponding ce on his body. The two bullet holes werepared and the trajectory was found to be inclined. It was high from behind and low from the front.


    Chen Shi told everyone to spread out and look for footprints on the ground. There was a pair of shoe prints made from leather shoes ten centimeters from the river¡¯s edge, which were very close to the size of the deceased¡¯s shoes. Chen Shi stood in a parallel position to them and said to Lin Dongxue, "Where would the murderer have stood?"


    "There are no visible footprints on the ground."


    "That means that the murderer was standing on the concrete above."


    Lin Dongxue stood there, simting the murderer''s movements. Roughly calcting from the angle of shooting and the trajectory, the gun should have been fired from the roadside above. Then the bullet fell into the water.


    Just in case, Chen Shi still asked the local police to search on the opposite riverbank. The local police said, "The criminal police really have many ideas. You can recreate the scene without any equipment."


    Chen Shi spected, "The murderer should have waited for the security guard in themunity toe out, and then took the opportunity to kill him. Afterwards, the murderer pushed the body into the water and then deleted the surveince footage calmly... Haii, this person died really unjustly."


    The body was put into a bag and ced into the car. The scene was full of peopleing and going. Chen Shi took photos carefully, saying that there was no need for the scene to be cordoned off.


    The results of the autopsy came out very slowly. It turned out that Peng Sijue didn¡¯t have much experience with gunshot wounds. He went to the physical evidence center to find a special ballistics expert to analyze things together. However, from the bullet found at the scene, the pistol that the murderer wielded should have been that Russian Makarov pistol.


    The day passed by peacefully. Early next morning, everyone gathered in the office. Peng Sijue handed over the autopsy report, saying, "The death of Song Yuwen should have ured around 11:00 PM on July 25th. There were three gunshot wounds on his body. They all caused fatal injuries. The bullets all entered from the front, but the trajectory of the first bullet was almost perpendicr to the body and should have been shot from a standing position. The inclined angle of the trajectories of the second and third bullet was close to 30 degrees. The amount of bleeding was rtively minimal. Based on the trajectories, it¡¯s spected that the murderer may have fired insurance shots after the deceased fell to the ground. They were shot ten minutes after the first bullet.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "What would the murderer do in these ten minutes? Speak? Would the first shot have killed the victim?"


    "The shot went through the main vein and lung lobe, but he should still have struggled for a while. There were indeed signs of struggling on the floor. There is a long smeared blood stain. It had been covered up by the body at the scene yesterday... In addition, two things were found by the people I sent over to re-examine the scene. There were broken bits of leather scraps on the floor and the chest of the deceased. A strand of long brown hair was also found on the coat that the deceased had ced on a hanger."


    "Leather scraps? Why are there leather scraps?" Chen Shi wondered.


    Old Zhang picked up a bag from his breakfast and put his hand in the shape of a gun into the bag, saying, "Could the murderer have hidden the gun in her purse and shot directly through it?"


    "That''s right!" Chen Shi praised.


    Peng Sijue went on to say, "There are also some findings that may have nothing to do with this case, but I still need to mention that there are old injuries on the deceased. They were incurred about four or five days ago. It wouldn¡¯t have been more than a week ago. These old injuries were mostly concentrated on the torso and on the right arm."


    "That''s when the deceased fought with someone, or was attacked..." Chen Shi thought for a while. "These shouldn¡¯t have been left by the murderer, because ording to the timing of the gun mailing case, it can be inferred that the murderer had already received the gun four or five days ago. With a pistol on hand, the murderer didn''t need to attack the deceased and attract suspicion."


    Then the other policemen talked about some of the deceased¡¯s interpersonal rtionships. It seemed that his rtionship with others was good. There were more than a dozen friends alone, which would be troublesome to investigate.


    The deceased¡¯s mobile phone couldn¡¯t be repaired. Checking themunication records revealed that many people had sent him text messages on the day of his death, which may have been to congratte him on his birthday. Chen Shi said, "Please list the people who have sent him text messages. The murderer may be among them."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Could the murderer have anticipated this and chose tomit the murder on his birthday?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This notion seems too far-fetched. I don''t think so. Judging from the murderer''s actions, the murder seems more like a crime of passion. Because right after killing him, she destroyed the phone and killed a security guard to delete the surveince footage. If it was premeditated, she could have evaded the phone and surveince... I think that she¡¯s a first-time offender. After killing him, she suddenly calmed down and remembered that she had to tie up any loose ends."


    Peng Sijue supported this view. "During the re-examination, we found that the cup on the table had been wiped clean, but some fibers were left. The initial judgment is that it was a handkerchief made of synthetic fibers."


    "Right, what about the deceased''s girlfriend? Have we found her yet?" Chen Shi asked.

 Chapter 459: Could it be a Ghost?

    <h4>Chapter 459: Could it be a Ghost?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An officer responded, "The deceased''s girlfriend, Du Juan, works in a club. She is a DJ. She studied at an art college in this city a few years ago, butter dropped out to work in the club. She¡¯s only twenty years old this year."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Isn¡¯t the age gap between the two of them too huge?"


    "Some girls like uncles!" Chen Shi said and was pinched below by Lin Dongxue. He continued, "Call her over for questioning. The girlfriend probably knows more about the victim than the average person."


    "Do we also need to question his friends and colleagues?" Old Zhang looked at the list of interpersonal rtionships in his hand.


    Chen Shi said, "This case is an extension of the gun mailing case. The person who sent the guns was aiming at people with grievances. In addition, the murderer was a woman. I believe that the motive was resentment that had umted over a long period. We don¡¯t need to ask those acquaintances since it¡¯ll be a waste of time, but we can visit those who have a close rtionship with him. The point is to investigate what secrets the deceased had in the past and who he had hurt. By the way, he died on his birthday. Could it be rted to his birthday?"


    Old Zhang said, "By the way,munication records show that the deceased had a callsting half an hour with a certain number the day before his death. The number was found to be Australian, so we can''t find out anything from our end."


    "Just call them directly and ask. What time is it in Australia right now?" Chen Shi said.


    Everyone checked the time zone and said, "It''s 11:00 in the morning."


    "Call them!"


    After dialing the number, everyone waited quietly. Then a clear girl''s voice came from the phone, "Hello? Who are you looking for?"


    "Hello, we¡¯re from Long¡¯an City Public Security Bureau. Do you know Song Yuwen?"


    "I do, what''s wrong?"


    "Can we ask what is your rtionship with him?"


    "I¡¯m his younger cousin."


    Chen Shi remembered that the deceased''s parents mentioned that there was a cousin who was studying abroad. He asked, "Are you called Wanjun?"


    "Yes, my name is Shi Wanjun."


    "The situation is like this... It may be a bit of a shock for you..."


    After exining about the death of the deceased, the other party said ¡°ah¡± and was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°Cousin Yuwen was killed? Has the murderer been arrested yet?¡±


    "We are investigating it right now. We saw that you two had talked to each other, so we called to ask... Yes, I remember that you¡¯re supposed to return to China soon. Are you currently in China or abroad?"


    "I originally intended to return to China, but some things at school dyed me, so I¡¯ve already told my family that I n toe back for Chinese New Year."


    "What did you discuss with Song Yuwen on July 25th?"


    "We just had a casual conversation. I originally said that I was going toe back to China. His birthday wasing soon and cousin Yuqiang was also at home. We nned to go out to have fun together. In the end, I couldn''te back, so I called to inform him and we chatted idly for a while... My rtionship with him has always been very good. I didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen!"


    "My condolences."


    "Do you have any other questions?"


    Chen Shi pondered for a moment. The girl''s answers were very natural, but he felt like something was a bit off, and he felt that her behavior was overly calm.


    When the other party saw that he was silent, she repeated, "Is there anything else you¡¯d like to ask? I''m about to go out, and if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up."


    Chen Shi said, "If it is convenient, I would like to know your ID number."


    The other party provided her ID number without hesitation and Chen Shi noted it down. Then he asked, "What is your school called?¡±


    "Queennd University of Technology.[1]"


    "Okay, thank you."


    After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi said, "Send an email to this school to see if there¡¯s a Chinese student with this name studying there."


    At this time, a police officer from the information department knocked on the door. "Captain Lin, we retrieved the deleted video from the hard drive you sent us yesterday."


    Lin Dongxue still wasn¡¯t used to being called "Captain Lin". She said, "Thank you!"


    The other party handed her a hard drive and Lin Dongxue plugged it into theputer. Everyone moved their chairs closer and started watching the surveince video on the night of the incident. At about 10:00, the deceased drove into the housing district.


    At 11:30, the security guard trotted out of the duty room and went outside. He never came back and the duty room remained empty.


    Chen Shi said, "By this time, the unfortunate security guard was already killed. Rewind the footage a little. The murderer should have left the housing district around this time."


    Lin Dongxue rewound the video, but during that period, only an old man with a dog on the leash in his hand left the housing district. They rewound it an hour back. During this period, three people entered and exited themunity sessively. They didn¡¯t match the characteristics of the murderer.


    Chen Shi was stunned. "Something¡¯s wrong. If the killer deleted the surveince footage, it must have been shortly after the security guard was killed. Go back to around 11:30."


    There were no people with the same characteristics as the murderer in the footage. Chen Shi counted all the people who entered and exited themunity from 6:00 to 11:30. A total of six people both entered and exited. One of them was a young man in ck. He came in with a box in his hands, and his hands were empty when he left approximately after 11:30. By that time, the security guard had already been out for 20 minutes.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Isn¡¯t this person a bit suspicious? I was wondering if the murderer was a crossdresser?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "The timing isn¡¯t right either. The security guard had been out for 20 minutes before this person left. Even if the security guard was doing a number two by the river, he should havee back already... There is another key point. We determined that the murderer had deleted the surveince footage. The duty room was fully monitored by the surveince camera and the murderer would have been recorded as soon as she came in!"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Can the murderer be invisible? That¡¯s a little scary!"


    The listener heard something that the speaker didn¡¯t intend. Chen Shi suddenly remembered what Zhou Tiannan had said. He had said that the person was a ghost.


    Chen Shi shook off these thoughts. He didn¡¯t believe that there were ghosts in the world. Even if there were ghosts, ghosts who killed people with guns were way too "unique". This footage seemed to be unable to support his spection. So what was wrong was his own spection.


    Or maybe the security guard stayed outside for 20 minutes because of something. Or the murderer really cross-dressed?


    Chen Shi instructed, "Everyone should split up to verify the people who entered and exited the housing district that day. Those who appeared in the footage before and after the incident have to be found. I will go back to the crime scene to re-examine it in order to confirm whether there are other entrances or surveince monitoring in the neighborhood... Huh? Where¡¯s Old Peng?¡±


    Lin Dongxue looked back and said, "He left just now when we were watching the footage."


    "Let him go. Ah, right, Xiaodong, you stay and continue to watch the footage. Expand the search range from when it gets dark to before dawn. Watch very closely.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong wailed for a while, "Can¡¯t you assign me an interesting task? You¡¯re telling me to sit here and watch something for ten hours?"


    "If you feel bored sitting here and watching the footage... Then just watch standing up!" Chen Shi pped. "Let''s get going! I¡¯ll treat everyone to hot pot when wee back tonight."


    1. Actual university in Brisbane.

 Chapter 460: A Piece of Poisonous Cake

    <h4>Chapter 460: A Piece of Poisonous Cake</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It was troublesome for the police officers to verify the people in the footage. They could only query everyone they came across within the housing district. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue¡¯s job wasn¡¯t interesting either. They examined the grass carefully along the fence and stopped from time to time to bend the fence with their hands to see whether any part could be easily broken.


    The most time-consuming part of the investigation were all the different kinds of interference. Seeing the police walking around in the housing district, the residents asked them numerous questions. They couldn¡¯t make any progress. At noon, Chen Shi sent out a message. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for now. Let¡¯s go to the small restaurant outside the housing district to have a meal!"


    The weather was really hot. The police were drinking cold drinks to relieve themselves from heatstroke. Lin Dongxue fanned herself with a fan. "I don''t need to worry about gaining weight these days. I¡¯ve lost a few pounds just from sweating."


    "That¡¯s a good thing!" Chen Shi said.


    "Good my ass. My hands have gotten tanned[1]."


    Old Zhang said, "I found the dog-walking uncle who appeared in the footage. He¡¯s a resident of the housing district and doesn¡¯t seem suspicious."


    Another policeman said, "The aunt in the green blouse was also found, and she¡¯s not suspicious either."


    "There was also a food delivery person. I found him and confirmed that there was no reason for suspicion."


    Chen Shi consulted his notebook. "It''s progressing well. There¡¯s only one person left. The man in ck."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I think that ¡®he¡¯ is more likely to be the murderer."


    Old Zhang said, "Cross-dressing props could have been inside of the box. After killing the guy, the box was thrown away and he came out empty-handed."


    "Old Zhang, do you know what your words mean?"


    Old Zhang froze for a moment. After all, he had a lot of work experience. He immediately smiled. "It means that we have to go through the trash in the afternoon!"


    Everyone bewailed the chore. Chen Shi said, "There¡¯s no need to check the trash. The garbage gets collected every morning in that neighborhood. The garbage on the day of the incident may be long gone, but I noticed that there are scavengers nearby. If there really was a full set of women''s clothing in the box, as well as a leather bag and high heels. The scavengers would most likely have picked them up. Let¡¯s go over and try our luck!"


    After eating, everyone went to wait at the garbage dumps around the neighborhood. When they saw old people picking up bottles, they asked if they had noticed a big box. The other parties said no. Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to send a screenshot of the video and he studied it on his phone. "Look, it''s a white square box. It''s quite big. What could it be holding?"


    "Wedding dress?" Lin Dongxue blurted out.


    "If I was the murderer and was going to cross-dress as a woman tomit the murder, would I put everything in such a big, conspicuous box? Could it be holding something else? A square box... It was the deceased¡¯s birthday that day..."


    "Birthday cake!"


    "Yes!"


    At this time, a policeman called and said that a resident had just said that there was a scavenger nearby who was sent to the hospital yesterday for food poisoning. He still hadn¡¯t recovered.


    "Where does he live?"


    "At a salvage center[2] just outside the housingmunity."


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "Let¡¯s go and take a look."


    The two went to the salvage center and saw a woman stepping on cans. Lin Dongxue showed her badge and said, "I heard that someone suffered food poisoning here yesterday. Do you know anything about it?"


    The woman said, "Ah, police? My husband and son were poisoned. I was persuading them at the time not to eat this kind of thing with unknown origins. My husband said it didn''t matter. He ate it with my son and got poisoned. I cried all night!¡±


    "Cake? Was it a birthday cake?"


    "I don''t know. The words on it were all blurry. It was a big cake, chocte vored... Look, this is the box."


    The woman took out a ttened waxed cardboard carton printed with the trademark of a well-known cake shop out of a pile of paper. When they opened it, there were still traces of cream and chocte shavings in it. Chen Shi asked, "What about the cake?"


    "I threw it away. I told them not to eat the things they picked up. Haii, but they just don¡¯t listen.¡±


    "Look, there are words printed on the box." Lin Dongxue said. "This word is ¡®sheng¡¯. This word is ¡®le¡¯[3]... Happy Birthday! There are two other characters above as well, but they can''t be made out clearly!"


    "The name of the deceased has three characters. If there¡¯s two, it shows that he was addressed intimately."


    "¡®Yuwen¡¯?"


    "The shape of the characters doesn¡¯t seem like it... These two words seem to be the same and the strokes are rtively simple." Chen Shi stared at the jam pattern reflected on the inside of the box and tried to write it on his hand. He suddenly smiled. "I understand. It¡¯s ¡®Happy Birthday, Elder Brother¡¯[4]"


    Lin Dongxue also tried writing it on the palm of her hand. "That''s right!"


    Chen Shi asked the woman, "Were there candles on the cake?"


    "Yes, they were the numbered kind. There was a 0 and a 3. My son lit them up and yed with them."


    "Thank you!"


    The two knew who they should go to immediately. They had just said goodbye, but Chen Shi ran back to ask, "Ah, yes, what are the symptoms that your husband and son are suffering from?"


    "It¡¯s just constant diarrhea causing them to be really weak.¡±


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove to the deceased¡¯s parents¡¯ house. The husband was discussing informing their rtives about the news. The wife was still immersed in her loss. Seeing that Chen Shi had arrived, the husband asked with concern, "Is there any progress with the case?"


    "We are currently investigating. We¡¯vee over because there are things that we want to know."


    "We also have a favor we¡¯d like to ask... That is, we¡¯re preparing for the funeral..."


    Upon hearing this wording, his wife cried loudly again. Affected by his wife, the husband''s voice choked as well. He continued, "The most painful thing in the world is having the white-haired see off the ck-haired. We hope that Yuwen can get buried peacefully. So, his... Can his body be..."


    Chen Shi said, "The autopsy has beenpleted. I will speak to the bureauter and send him directly to the funeral hall!"


    "Okay, okay, thank you..." The husband wept again. "Oh, yes. What would you like to know?"


    "Is Yuqiang at home?"


    "He¡¯s in his room. When he heard that something had happened to his brother, he didn''t eat for the whole day... If you¡¯d like to know anything, you can just ask us."


    "No, some things are better understood by people of the same age. Can you call him out?"


    Song Yuqiang was called out. He was thinner and taller than Song Yuwen but otherwise strongly resembled his brother. When he saw the police, his eyes showed caution. Chen Shi immediately knew that this kid had something to hide.


    Chen Shi asked, "We would like to have a few words with you. Is it convenient for you to take a little walk with us?¡±


    "Can''t it be said here?" Song Yuqiang furrowed his brows.


    "Your parents are here. I¡¯m afraid they will be sad when we mention your brother."


    Song Yuqiang reluctantly agreed and the three went downstairs. Chen Shi stopped and turned to stare at Song Yuqiang in the eyes. "We just need to ask you one thing. Why did you go to your brother¡¯s house on the day he was killed? What did you do?"


    Song Yuqiang was shocked. "What? Do you doubt me? No wonder you wanted to call me down so that you can speak to me alone. I will go back now to tell my dad and let him find awyer for me."


    "We gave you some face, but you still want to throw it away? Just because you appeared at the scene, we can summon you to the bureau for an interrogation. But your parents are so sad now. If they saw you getting taken away by the police, wouldn¡¯t it be like taking their lives away from them?¡±


    Song Yuqiang nced upstairs, biting his lip. "Don''t frame me. I was ying games at home all night and never went out that night!¡±


    "Really? Would you like for us to go upstairs and verify it with your parents?"


    Song Yuqiang panicked. Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯re not doubting you. We¡¯re just here to investigate the case, because you¡¯re probably thest person who saw your brother."


    "I... I''m not thest one to see him..." Song Yuqiang said. "More urately, I was the first person to see his body!"


    1. Certain countries view being pale as being beautiful. China is one of them.


    2. ces that give you a few dors for paper, cans, etc. that scavengers pick up.


    3. Both characters make up half of ¡°Happy Birthday¡±, which is four characters long.


    4. Elder Brother can be written with two of the same characters ¡°gege¡±.

 Chapter 461: Fraternal Conflict

    <h4>Chapter 461: Fraternal Conflict</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Song Yuqiang said dejectedly. "Wasn''t that night my brother''s birthday? I¡¯ve been studying away from home all this while. This year was my brother''s 30th birthday. I bought his favorite chocte cake to celebrate his birthday... I rang the doorbell that day, but nobody answered. But the lights inside were on. I went round outside and looked in through the window. I was so scared that I dropped the cake on the ground. He... He had copsed onto the floor and his body was covered with blood... I knocked with all my might on the window and called him, but got no response... I was terrified, so I came back quickly."


    Chen Shi asked, "Why didn''t you call the police?"


    "I... I was terrified. My mind was nk."


    "You didn¡¯t even inform your parents?"


    "How can I tell them this kind of thing?! They were still talking about Yuwen''s girlfriend the next morning. They talked about it with so much enthusiasm. I was so worried that I didn''t even know what the breakfast I ate tasted like. I didn¡¯t know how they¡¯d react to such news."


    "Song Yuqiang, do you want me to expose you? You''d better confess honestly now, or we can talk elsewhere. You saw the body but didn''t call the police. Who would do this? The murderer!"


    Song Yuqiang was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. "How could I have killed him? You also checked that he was shot and killed. How can a college student like me find a gun?"


    "Then why didn''t you call the police?"


    "How many times do I have to tell you that I was terrified?"


    "I''m afraid there¡¯s another reason. In fact, we¡¯ve already found out, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be here."


    "You... Found out..." Song Yuqiang looked terrified, clutching his pants tightly. "I didn¡¯t n to poison him. I just wanted to prank him. The cake was filled withxatives. You can get it from any pharmacy."


    What he said should be the truth. If there was really poison in the cake, the scavenger father and son would not have been so lucky.


    "You were holding the cake with the ¡®added ingredient¡¯ in your hands and went to look for your brotherte at night. It turned out that he was dead. You were afraid of being suspected by the police, so you didn''t call the police. But the surveince camera caught you and two unlucky scavengers ate the cake that you threw away. They¡¯re now lying in hospital."


    "Huh?!" Song Yuqiang was shocked. "How could it be so coincidental? Are they okay? I''m willing to pay the medical expenses."


    "That''s good, but why did you want to take revenge on your brother?"


    "..."


    "If I¡¯m guessing correctly, you two fought a few days ago. I noticed the scabs on your knuckles."


    Song Yuqiang covered up his fingers subconsciously. "Forget it, he¡¯s already gone. I''ll tell you, so that you stop suspecting me. It was my brother who was disloyal and snatched away my girlfriend!"


    "Du Juan was formerly your girlfriend?"


    "Yeah, things happened a year ago. I met her at the club and we got along quite well. Once, she said that she had a toothache. I said I would rmend a famous dentist to her, which happened to be my brother! At the time, I didn¡¯t know they got together. I was stupid and kept texting her. I felt like she was getting colder and colder towards me. I was studying elsewhere at the time. I thought she might have gotten a new boyfriend. Although I tried to persuade her to stay, in the end, we still broke up. I was upset for one whole month...¡±


    "Afterwards, when we were having our family dinnerst week, my mother said that she would introduce my brother to a girl. He said that he already had a girlfriend. My mother asked who she was. He revealed some things about her. The more I listened, the more I felt like something was wrong. The time they met was exactly when Du Juan had a toothache. Of course, my brother noticed my reaction and then revealed to me that his current girlfriend is Du Juan. I got angry instantly and I beat him up, cursing him saying that he was worse than an animal, even snatching his younger brother¡¯s girlfriend away.¡±


    "The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. I scolded Du Juan online. My brother kept texting me to apologize. Right on his birthday, I pretended to ept his apology, bought a cake, and added a pack ofxatives inside. I just wanted to let him have diarrhea for a few days and teach him a lesson, who knew... Haii!"


    Song Yuqiang recalled the past events with sincerity and Chen Shi felt that he was telling the truth. Furthermore, Song Yuqiang didn¡¯t match the characteristics of the murderer. He asked, "Okay, we won¡¯t delve into this matter further. Let me ask you something. Does your brother have any secrets?¡±


    "Secrets?"


    "Did he hurt any women in the past?"


    Song Yuqiang was shocked for a moment. "No? I don¡¯t think so. If there was anything, I¡¯d definitely know. He tells me everything... Of course, my brother belongs to the type who refuses nobody, but I¡¯ve never heard of his cheating on anyone or getting someone pregnant and so on. Do you suspect that this was a crime of passion? But the other party has a gun. The murderer muste from an unusual background. Could it have been done by the triads? But my brother is a dentist. How could he have offended them?¡±


    "Okay, don''t talk to yourself anymore. We¡¯ll continue investigating the case! When is your brother''s funeral nned to be held"


    "It will be held sometime soon."


    "Leave me your contact details. I wille to offer my condolences."


    "Okay, I didn¡¯t know that the police are so kind. Thank you."


    After exchanging contact information, Chen Shi asked for another sample of his fingerprints, and then asked, "What kind of person is your cousin Wanjun?"


    "Her? She''s our younger cousin. We used to y together when we were children. Later, she went to a boarding school and got admitted to a university in Australia. Now she¡¯s studying abroad!"


    "It sounds like her family background is pretty good."


    "You¡¯ve misunderstood. Her family is rtively poor. Her parents areid-off workers and have borrowed a lot of money from my family! My words might be a bit much, but it¡¯s true that my family is pretty well-off and there are quite a few rtives whoe to ingratiate themselves with us. My parents are also quite generous and often lend money to our poor rtives.¡±


    "It seems that your parents are pretty good people."


    "Yeah, they¡¯re overly amodating. My dad is the eldest, so he often helps his brothers and sisters out!"


    "Do you have a picture of Shi Wanjun?"


    "Why are you so interested in this..." Song Yuqiang smiled and took out his mobile phone to show Chen Shi Shi Wanjun''s circle of friends on WeChat and her Weibo. There were many photos that she had taken abroad, and most of the Weibo posts were written in English.


    Chen Shi wrote down the girl''s WeChat and Weibo ount IDs. He bid goodbye to Song Yuqiang. When they left the housing district, he said, "This kid was lucky. When he rang the doorbell, the murderer was probably still in the house. He almost got murdered too."


    "You seem to be very interested in the girl studying abroad. Shouldn¡¯t she be the least likely to havemitted the crime?"


    "A recurring name. I will always pay attention to that."


    "Right, Song Yuqiang has been ruled out. That is to say, everyone who entered and left the housing district that night was not the murderer. The murderer was not recorded on the surveince video at all!"


    "She wasn¡¯t captured on the footage, but she deleted it. How did she enter the duty room without being captured?" Chen Shi furrowed his brows in thought. He didn''t believe that the murderer was an invisible ghost. There must be some kind of exnation.


    "Let¡¯s head back!" He said.

 Chapter 462: The Secret of Invisibility

    <h4>Chapter 462: The Secret of Invisibility</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Back at the bureau, Xu Xiaodong was leaning back in his seat and putting eyedrops in his eyes. When the two came back, he said, "Have you caught the murderer?"


    "Do you think it''d be so fast?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "If you¡¯ve caught her, I wouldn¡¯t have to watch this anymore... I¡¯m nearly blind from watching all day.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "Are you watching at the normal speed?"


    "Yeah, didn''t you tell me to watch carefully?"


    "Aren¡¯t you being too earnest? 2x speed would have been fine!"


    "Damn you, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?! My eyes are so ufortable. I¡¯m going to go to the window and stand there for a while.¡±


    Chen Shi sat down and asked, "Who entered the duty room?"


    "No one. Only the security guard."


    "You¡¯re sure?"


    "I¡¯m certain. Didn¡¯t you say the murderer entered the duty room and deleted the footage? I stared at the footage all day, and no outsider entered the duty room at all!"


    "Then who do you think deleted it?"


    "Uh... I heard that there¡¯s an optical camouge method that can make people invisible..." Xu Xiaodong¡¯s imagination started to soar again.


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Let me ask a more reliable person. What do you think, Dongxue?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "If only the security guard entered the duty room, then the impossible is ruled out. What¡¯s left is... But that¡¯s also impossible. Why did the security guard delete the footage himself? It happened at the decisive moment of the case as well."


    "The neighborhood is normally always quiet. No one would watch the footage at all. The security guards go to work, day after day, and basically face theputer all day. Suddenly, there was a murder one day and he actually reformatted the hard drive. What could be the reason?"


    "Is there something that had to be kept secret on theputer?" Lin Dongxue said.


    Xu Xiaodong eximed. "I understand now! The security guard has been downloading too much porn. He was afraid that the police would find out and that he would be fired by the boss, so he reformatted the hard drive."


    Chen Shi thought for a while. "Although your way of thinking is perverted, you¡¯ve gotten a point right. The security guard''s worst fear is not that the case never gets solved but getting fired. So he doesn¡¯t care about the case as long as the things in the hard drive aren¡¯t seen by anyone!¡±


    Chen Shi opened the folder. "Hey, why is there only one video in this USB drive? Is there nothing else?"


    "When the information department gave it to me, there was only this video."


    "Quickly stop one or two of them and get them to restore the entire hard drive. I want to see all its contents."


    The three of them ruthlessly stopped a younger guy who was about to get off work again[1]. They baited him by saying that they¡¯d treat him to a meal and forced him to work overtime. When Peng Sijue passed by outside, Chen Shi stopped him. "Old Peng, is the autopsy for the second corpse finished?"


    "The autopsy is done, but the ballistic expert has gotten off work already, so the report hasn¡¯t been written yet."


    "Any findings?"


    "Come and see."


    Chen Shi followed him to the forensicboratory. Two forensic pathologists were still working. The body¡¯s chest had been cut open. They were taking pieces of bone out piece by piece, and dozens of shattered bone fragments were ced in the tray next to it.


    Peng Sijue said, "I was just about to look for you. I found a suspicious point when dissecting the body. You know that when a bullet enters a body that it would quickly create a near-vacuum cavity in the body. Then the air would rush in from behind, causing a secondary st. There would be a lot of broken bones around the entrance."


    "Get to the point."


    "You previously judged that the bullet had entered from the back, but there wasn¡¯t much bone fragmentation in the chest. Instead, there are more bone fragments in the back and the sting direction was backward. That means that there¡¯s a higher probability that the bullet entered from the chest... I kept the deceased''s clothes and will go to the ballistic expert to confirm tomorrow."


    "Shot in the chest?!" Chen Shi was a little surprised. He pulled Peng Sijue outside and was about to use a pen to mark on his body.


    Peng Sijue eximed, "What are you doing?!"


    "Recreating the scene!"


    "Wait..." Peng Sijue took out a box of sticine from the drawer. "Use this. We bought this for a non-Newtonian fluid test."


    Chen Shi used different colors of sticine and ced them on the table to set up the scene at the time. "Here is the bridge. This is the river. He stood here to pee. If the bullet entered through the chest, where would the murderer be? In the river?"


    "Who told you that the deceased was peeing?"


    "The security guard said that they would all go to the river to urinate at night."


    Peng Sijue turned the sticine that marked the person around. "Maybe the deceased felt someone behind him, turned around, got shot and then fell into the water... No, that wouldn¡¯t have resulted in this kind of trajectory. The trajectory would be high at the front and low at the back."


    "The murderer shot him while in the water?" Chen Shi suddenly realized. "The murderer shot him while in the water! I understand why the murderer wasn¡¯t captured by the surveince cameras. That river! Let¡¯s get going!"


    "Where to?"


    "The crime scene! Bring a protective suit. The waterproof kind."


    The two drove back to the scene. At that time, it was already getting dark and the housing district was lit up by myriad twinkling lights. It was peaceful and quiet. Chen Shi went to the spot where the security guard was killed. Peng Sijue already knew his intentions. "Are you sure you want to do this at night?"


    "The crime also happened at night. It can only be recreated this way.¡±


    "I¡¯m not going down."


    "You keep watch here!"


    Chen Shi put on the protective clothing and immediately felt like he was sweltering and was very ufortable. After entering the water, he felt a little morefortable. But the water was mixed with the residents'' domestic sewage, so it was extremely smelly. He asked Peng Sijue for a shlight before going underneath the bridge.


    This bridge was actually an embankment bridge with water on one side and no water on the other. Actually, there was a pipeline underneath. He walked forward in water that came up to his waist. The walls of the pipeline were covered with disgusting moss and it was very hot. The protective suit was full of sweat.


    After walking an unknown distance, a light appeared in front of him. Chen Shi climbed upwards and was actually able toe out into an inconspicuous open drain inside the housing district.


    He was very pleased. This was the secret that the murderer used to disappear in the face of surveince cameras. He almost raised his hands to cheer. Then, a resident saw him. They thought he was a suspicious person and ran away screaming.


    Chen Shi ran outside the housing district and Peng Sijue was still looking into the water with his arms crossed. "I know now. I know. The murderer came out of the waterway. The peeing security guard saw someone get out of the water, so the murderer killed him."


    "What about the missing footage?"


    "That was a coincidence... Let me take off my clothes first."


    Smelling the reek from his body, Peng Sijue frowned. "Why didn''t you use a small paper boat to test it?"


    "You make it sound so easy. The hole wasn¡¯t so easily found. It''s hidden in the green belt within the housingmunity. It may be a rainwater well but there wasn¡¯t a cover on it... The killer either knew about the exit beforehand or had surveyed the area in advance."


    "If that¡¯s the case, she¡¯s quite smart!"


    "Do you want to go in and find out if there¡¯s any clues?"


    "What do you think?"


    Chen Shi thought for a while. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s very dirty inside and it¡¯s all sewage. There probably won¡¯t be any evidence."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue called. "Where did you go? You chased after Captain Peng and then disappeared.¡±


    "Old Peng and I are at the crime scene."


    "You slipped away without telling me? Honestly!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    "Have you found anything?"


    "We have. Um... it''s hard to exin in a few words. I''ll send you a few photos to let you understand what I mean!"


    1. Reference to the ¡°Bloodthirsty Muse¡± volume.

 Chapter 463: Deleted Surveillance Footage

    <h4>Chapter 463: Deleted Surveince Footage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Later, several photos were transferred to Chen Shi¡¯s mobile phone. Chen Shi didn¡¯t know what the photos were at first nce. After looking carefully, it turned out that they were photos of female cleavage. There were dozens of photos in total.


    Lin Dongxue attached a sentence to the photos. "In addition to these photos, there are a lot of videos. Someone adjusted the angle of the camera at the entrance deliberately, so that they¡¯d be able to photograph the chests of the people entering and exiting. I suspect that the security guard did it. That¡¯s why he reformatted the entire hard drive."


    Chen Shi responded. "Interesting. Let me handle this matter!"


    There were a total of two security guards who had entered the duty room at the time of the incident. One was the deceased Old Wang, and the other was Little Sun who had been questioned by the police. Chen Shi and Peng Sijue went to the property management to inquire about this and they learned that Little Sun had already gotten off work. Chen Shi wrote down his address.


    When the two arrived at Little Sun''s residence, Chen Shi found that the door was left ajar and reached out to push the door open. The lights in the house were on and so was aputer. The cigarette in the ashtray hadn¡¯t been fully extinguished. Peng Sijue said, "Stop. Don¡¯t break into people¡¯s houses again!"


    "Does it count considering that the door was open? Why don¡¯t you wait for me outside?"


    Chen Shi went straight in and screamed from the bedroom, "Old Peng, hurry ande in!"


    Peng Sijue thought the security guard was dead inside. When he entered the bedroom, he didn¡¯t see anything. Chen Shiughed loudly. "Look at you berating me. Aren¡¯t you trespassing on private property as well?¡±


    "Asshole, you lied to me!"


    "How did I lie to you?"


    "I thought something unexpected had happened, so I just..."


    "Understood. For you, whether you can break into a residential house depends on whether there¡¯s an emergency. What can be regarded as an emergency though? Someone dying? Someone falling ill? In short, when someone needs you, it¡¯s regarded as an emergency. If that¡¯s the case, since I need you now, you don¡¯t have to feel guilty! You shouldn¡¯t be so rigid about certain things. If it¡¯s a big issue, you can be rigid, but if it¡¯s the little things, you can give it some leeway.¡±


    Peng Sijue looked at him disdainfully. "Don''t change the concept with me. Does this ¡®need¡¯ and that ¡®need¡¯ mean the same thing? This kind of talk can''t convince me at all. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Peng Sijue was about to leave when he suddenly heard someoneing in. He had to retreat and red resentfully at Chen Shi. It turned out that the security guard Little Sun had gone out to buy a meal. After he entered the house, he sat on a chair and ate his bowl of fried rice. After eating a few mouthfuls, he picked up a can of beer on the table and took a sip.


    If Little Sun knew that two people were standing in the bedroom right now, watching his every move, he would definitely be terrified.


    At that moment, he pressed the audio button and said, "Old Bai, why have you only juste online? I¡¯ve waited for you for so long.¡±


    The other party said, "Why haven''t I seen you recently? Where have you been?"


    "I¡¯ve just been working. You don''t know, but a man was killed at my workce. He was shot by a gun and another security guard was killed as well. It scared me to death."


    "Really? Has the murderer been caught yet?"


    "How could it be so fast... It was actually quite dangerous. I was afraid the police would find the photos and formatted the hard drive. They thought that the murderer did it and didn''t pursue the matter further, haha!"


    "Fuck, you¡¯re even daring enough to y with the police? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll report you?¡±


    "Go fuck yourself!"


    "Seriously though, are you looking for me today because you have products to sell?"


    "These were taken recently. You have a look first..."


    Chen Shi peeped through the door crack and saw Little Sun opening a folder and sending over a bunch of photos. He smiled grimly, pushed the door open and went out directly, shouting, "Police!"


    Little Sun was so scared that he almost fell from his chair. He recognized Chen Shi and said in a panic, "You... How did you get in?"


    Chen Shi evaded the question. "What''s with the ying with the police that you just talked about? You''d better exin it properly to me, or I''ll arrest you for the offense of covering up crime!"


    Little Sun was very cowardly and he was so scared that he desperately begged for mercy. "Don''t arrest me, don''t arrest me! If I go to jail, how can I survive in the city in the future? Please."


    "Talk!"


    Little Sun told them that he had been a security guard there for three years. Seeing that the cameras in the housing district were left idle, he simply used them for himself and secretly adjusted several cameras¡¯ angles to exclusively capture the cleavages of the female residents. Then he¡¯d sell them for money as a side hustle.


    He didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with this matter. It was nothing more than earning money. A security guard¡¯s sry was really low. If he didn¡¯t figure out a way to make money, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to buy a house after a hundred years of hard work. As for those women who were photographed, he said ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯d be missing some meat if people looked at them.¡± [1].


    He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the matter to the police properly so he reformatted the entire hard disk.


    Chen Shi nced at theputer screen. "You haven¡¯t been in this business for a day or two. I know what industry this is. Specializing in supplying photographs of women''s private parts for people with the same interests to ''discuss and appreciate''!"


    "Big Brother, you like this stuff too?" Little Sun asked hopefully.


    "What do you think? You could have done anything, but you decided on this. If your heart wasn¡¯t shrouded in darkness, you wouldn¡¯t have thought of this money-making trick, right?"


    "No, Big Brother..." Little Sun defended himself, "I¡¯ve only graduated from high school and have no other skills. I found this business opportunity by ident. These photos sell very well on the Inte, and a good quality one can fetch a dozen yuan!¡±


    "How many were sold?"


    "Probably more than three hundred!" Little Sun scratched his head and smiled, with a puzzling hint of pride in his tone. Chen Shi thought that he was an idiot for telling them the truth about his criminal activities.


    "I¡¯m not going to talk to you about this. Do you know how much trouble you¡¯ve caused by deleting the footage? This dyed us by two days. If the murderer fled in these two days, who would be responsible for it, huh?"


    Little Sunughed like an idiot out of shame.


    "What clues do you know about this case? Tell me everything!"


    "Uh, my shift ended early that day, so I don''t know anything."


    "Have you ever seen the deceased, Song Yuwen, associating with anyone?"


    "I can''t remember that. I''ll contact you again if I remember anything!"


    "Okay, but I have to take the things on yourputer away. There might be evidence in them. Also, you¡¯re not allowed to operate this business again in the future.¡±


    Little Sun reluctantly surrendered his "work". Leaving his residence, Peng Sijue asked, "Aren''t you going to report it to the police?"


    "We¡¯ll see after a few days. Let''s see how this kid behaves before we decide." Chen Shi nced at his watch. "It''s almost ten o''clock. I''ll take you home."


    "The protective clothing must be returned to the bureau."


    "It¡¯s the same even if I do it tomorrow. You have the final say in the forensics department anyway. What are you afraid of?"


    "A person like you is a disaster for the system." Peng Sijue still insisted on sending the protective clothing back. Chen Shi had no choice but to apany him. It was already 11:00 at night when he returned home.


    1. Amon expression that means that people will not suffer any losses from some action. AKA it¡¯s no big deal. In this case, they¡¯re talking about the women getting looked at, but it can be applied to anything. E.g. Saying to a child that they¡¯re not going to ¡°miss some meat¡± from sharing their toys.

 Chapter 464: The Deceased’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 464: The Deceased¡¯s Secret</h4>


    The next morning, Old Zhang invited the deceased¡¯s girlfriend, Du Juan, to the bureau. This was a girl dressed in a very cool fashion. She was wearing a leather jacket covered with metal ornaments and had heavy, smoky makeup on. She crossed one of her legs over the other 1and sat in a careless manner in the interrogation room while lighting a cigarette up for herself. She said, "If you have any questions, then hurry up and ask them. I just got off work and still need to go home and sleep."


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi were in charge of the interrogation. Lin Dongxue said, "Youngdy, your boyfriend is dead, but you don''t seem to be very sad!"


    Du Juan said indifferently, "Whether I¡¯m sad or not, it¡¯s a personal matter. Do I have to cry here so that you think I''m innocent?"


    "We don''t have this requirement... I heard that you used to be the girlfriend of Song Yuqiang, the younger brother of the deceased?"


    "Awesome, you even found that out! I did have a rtionship with Song Yuqiang for a while. He was a boy with character and a very sunny disposition. Once, I had a toothache and he rmended his brother¡¯s clinic to me. As the saying goes, there¡¯s no harm withoutparison. After seeing the more mature and charismatic Song Yuwen, I was infatuated with him. In contrast, Song Yuqiang was just like a child who hadn¡¯t grown up... The two of us started dating without anyplications. We quickly confirmed the rtionship. Love itself is full of uncertainty. I really like this kind of uncertainty. Isn¡¯t the freedom to love used to let people find a more suitable partner before getting married? I think the obligation of marriage imposed on love is crazy.¡±


    "Song Yuqiang said that his brother stole you away."


    "Haha!" Du Juanughed. "He definitely would have said that. Men have to have face. He can''t very well say that I left him because he¡¯s childish and ignorant, right?"


    "It''s not just a problem of how things are phrased and face. It''s because he thinks so, so he formed a grudge against his brother. A few days ago, the brothers fought with each other. We want to confirm with you whether this was the case?"


    "Yes... Song Yuwen told me that he felt sorry for his brother, so he didn''t fight back at all. Iforted him and said that he wasn¡¯t wrong. Nobody is right or wrong when love is involved... You don¡¯t think that the murderer was his brother right?"


    "No, we just wanted to confirm this detail."


    "Is there anything else you want to ask?" Du Juan yawned. "I really have to go home to sleep. I still have to go to the club to work at night."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue whispered a few words and Lin Dongxue asked, "How was your recent rtionship with the deceased?"


    "It was good... I know how you police think. Whenever something happens to someone, the first person you guys suspect is always the spouse or lover. But I¡¯m different. I¡¯m not that kind of patient woman. If we have any emotional ormunication gaps, I would break up with him immediately. I once had a boyfriend who thought that it wasn¡¯t good for me to work at a club and said something that ndered my profession. I proposed breaking up over the phone that very day. Song Yuwen and I were people from two worlds. The age gap was also veryrge, but he was really good to me, and I liked him very much. Of course, if you have to doubt me, I have an alibi. At the time of the incident, I was working at the club and many people can testify.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said curiously, "I really wouldn¡¯t have thought that you and Song Yuwen would be a pair. You don¡¯t look like people who would be together.¡±


    Du Juan leaned back on the chair and smiled. "You and this uncle are very different too."


    "How did you figure it out?"


    "Haha, two people who like each other will emit an electric current when they¡¯re together, but the current needs both a high voltage and low voltage to flow. Every couple has one person who is high voltage and one who is low voltage. I was probably the low voltage while Song Yuwen was the high voltage. He usually took good care of me, and I was always very rxed with him. Sometimes, I felt that we were not like a couple, but more like a brother and sister..."


    "Brother and sister?"


    "Uh, I can''t really say why. He had the aura of an older brother, or maybe he had a bit of a ¡°younger sisterplex¡±. His former girlfriends were all at least five years younger than him. I asked him if he had a sister, but he said he didn¡¯t.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "Did you hear him mention a younger female cousin named Wanjun?"


    "Yes, once he called this cousin and chatted until veryte. He had originally nned to keep mepany that night. But when that cousin called, they talked for so long that it made me a little unhappy. He told me that this cousin has had a good rtionship with him since childhood, and that the two families are rtively close. She¡¯s now studying in Australia, and she rarely calls, h h h. In short, he said that she was just his cousin so that I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    "Have you seen her before?"


    "I''ve only seen photos that she posted for her circle of friends on WeChat. I''ve never seen her in person... Why are you asking this?"


    Lin Dongxue responded, "We can''t exin to you why we ask every question, or this conversation will never end."


    "Okay, okay, hurry up and ask!" Du Juan yawned again. "I really have to go home to sleep."


    "Has Song Yuwen hurt anyone before, or does he have any unspeakable secrets?"


    Du Juan bit her finger and thought for a long time. "No."


    "Well, thank you for cooperating with the investigation."


    "Wait!" Du Juan lit another cigarette again. "I don''t know if this counts, but once we happened to be watching TV and the news mentioned how many years the sentence would be when a minor is raped. Song Yuwen actually said, ¡®If this rapist was willing to work hard to repent and spend his whole lifepensating the other party, do you think you¡¯d be able to forgive him?¡¯ I thought that he was just discussing a topic casually and said that if this sort of thing happened to me, I would hack that guy to death when I grew up. He actually got a little bit angry even though he¡¯s normally very gentle. He said, ''Who doesn¡¯t make mistakes? Wouldn¡¯t you even give him the opportunity to make amends?'' Recalling it now, he was angry as if for other reasons..."


    "What do you think the reason was?"


    Du Juan crossed her arms and pondered, "It''s not good to talk about the dead. Could it be a girl that he had wronged before?"


    Du Juan could only provide these clues. After sending her away, Chen Shi was going to visit the crime scene again, but was told that someone was looking for him. When he went outside, it turned out to be the security guard. He smiled, "I have some clues to provide. I don¡¯t know if this would make up for my crime."


    "It depends on whether the clues you provide are important."


    "Aiya, Officer, can you be a bit more straightforward? I really don''t want to go to jail."


    "If I really wanted to catch you, would you still be standing here now?"


    Little Sun thought about it and realized he was right, so he went in with Chen Shi. It turned out that he remembered that the deceased had met with an older woman a few days ago and went back to check the surveince footage. On the night of July 24th, the meeting had indeed been captured.


    The older woman seemed to be visiting the deceased. The deceased went to the entrance of the housing district to pick her up and appeared extremely cordial. The two entered the housing district side by side. The older woman stayed there for about half an hour before leaving alone.


    In order to confirm the identity of the older woman, Chen Shi called Song Yuqiang. He hadn¡¯t described her characteristics much before Song Yuqiang immediately said, "That was my Second Aunt. The mother of Cousin Wanjun."

 Chapter 465: A Poverty-Stricken Family

    <h4>Chapter 465: A Poverty-Stricken Family</h4>


    Chen Shi asked, "How do you know? Did you see her that day?"


    "Yeah... I happened to look for my brother that day for the matter I told you aboutst time. When I got to his door, I happened to see himing back with Second Aunt. And then Second Aunt said that she won¡¯t disturb us and left.¡±


    "Why did your second aunt go to see your brother?"


    "How would I know? At the time, I was in a fit of rage. I fought with my brother as soon as I entered the door, so would I have bothered to ask him about this?"


    "How long did your second aunt linger at the door?"


    "She just said that and left. Maybe not even a minute."


    "Okay, thank you!"


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and asked the security guard Little Sun, "You said that this woman left after half an hour?"


    "Yeah, it''s clear in the footage. I brought it with me."


    "Leave it here. I''ll take a lookter."


    "Officer, is this clue important?"


    "When you dig out an ore, can you tell if it¡¯s gold at a nce?"


    "Aiya, don''t talk in riddles with me. I just want to know if this can make up for my crime."


    "We won''t arrest you, don¡¯t worry!" As Little Sun was about to cheer, Chen Shi added another sentence. "But there is a condition. We need to know who are the people buying these photos as well as all the forums and QQ groups.¡±


    Little Sun was a little reluctant, but in order not to go to prison, he agreed. Chen Shi sent him to Lin Qiupu and asked Lin Qiupu to arrange for a police officer who specialized in this to get involved in the investigation.


    Chen Shi reviewed the footage brought in by Little Sun. As he said, the second aunt and the deceased entered the entrance together at around 8:00 PM on July 22nd, and then the second aunt left at 8:30 alone.


    Chen Shi had visited the housing district several times, and even the elderly who weren¡¯t able-bodied wouldn¡¯t take half an hour to get in and out.


    Song Yuqiang didn¡¯t need to lie about the length of his second aunt¡¯s stay. That is to say, the woman did stay in the housing district for a while after saying goodbye to the deceased that night. But what did she do?


    She was also the mother of Wanjun. This woman had appeared in Chen Shi''s field of vision again.


    Chen Shi went over to Old Zhang. "Hasn¡¯t the Australian university responded yet?"


    "No, maybe it''s summer vacation."


    "Find a way to get in touch as soon as possible. If you can''t, just call them... Dongxue, let''s go out."


    Lin Dongxue ran out and asked, "Where are we going?"


    "To see someone!"


    Chen Shi obtained the address of the second aunt from Song Yuqiang and the two drove there. The second aunt lived in an old dormitory of a closed-down state-owned enterprise. There wasn¡¯t a property manager there and they relied on a neighborhoodmittee auntie to collect bill payments door-to-door from every household.


    Knocking on the door, a trembling middle-aged man opened the door, and asked who they were looking for. Lin Dongxue presented her badge. "We are looking for Ms. Song Xin. Are you her husband?"


    "Yes, she will be back in a while. Pleasee in first!"


    The man let the two enter the house. Chen Shi noticed that the house was dark and messy. The bedside table was covered in medicine bottles. The man ran to the bathroom, coughed for a while, spat up some phlegm, and then returned to the bed. ¡°Please excuse me. My health isn¡¯t very good¡­ I know why you came. That child did die really suddenly. We didn¡¯t expect it either. Haii, how sad his parents must be!


    "I heard that both your families are very close." Chen Shi said.


    "The main reason is that my wife often goes over. In the past, Song Yuwen¡¯s parents were too busy to take care of their family. My wife took care of their children for several years. Then my health deteriorated over the past two years. Song Yuwen¡¯s family gave a lot of financial support to our family and we¡¯re very grateful for it.¡± As he spoke, the manpsed into a fit of coughing again.


    "Your daughter is studying abroad?"


    "Yeah, she¡¯s studying in Australia. She originally said that she was going toe back during summer vacation, but she wasn¡¯t able to do so in the end because of some matter at school.¡±


    "Do you talk on the phone often?"


    "Her mother often calls her, and they would chat for a very long time. As a father, I don¡¯t have much to say... Actually, Wanjun doesn''t know that I''m sick like this. If she knew, I''m afraid it would interfere with her studies."


    "What interference with her studies? I think it¡¯s but the one-sided thinking of adults. I think it would be better to tell your daughter." Chen Shi said.


    "No need!" The man waved his hand. "When shees home for New Year, I wouldn¡¯t be able to conceal it even if I wanted to."


    "When was thest time Wanjun came back?"


    "Last year... No, the New Year the year beforest. Look, that''s the gift she bought for us. It''s some Western novelty." The man pointed to a handicraft on the shelf. The Western handicraft didn''t match the crude home at all.


    Chen Shi took it to have a look and asked, "Mr. Shi, I have a question. Please don¡¯t be offended! Your family is not particrly wealthy. Why did you think of sending your child to study abroad?"


    "Haii, this was the child''s own desire. Of course, as parents, we must satisfy her wishes... Besides, the tuition fees abroad are actually not that expensive. It is about 50,000 to 60,000 every year. In addition, she was awarded a schrship at school and works part-time to earn money. We can just barely manage to support her studies. "


    "How much is your sry a month?"


    "I haven''t been able to go to work like this. My wife works two jobs outside and with everythingbined, we manage to get by somehow. In fact, we only need to suffer for another year before our daughter graduates andes back to China. Us two old ones will be waiting to enjoy our blessings when that timees." The man disyed a heartfelt smile.


    "What¡¯s Wanjun¡¯s major?"


    "I don''t know much about that kind of stuff, but I think it was something like import and export trade. Our family has lost out due to having no education and only knows the truth that knowledge changes one''s destiny. So no matter how hard it is, we have to raise a university student."


    "That''s very true!" Chen Shi smiled. He noticed that the man seemed too talkative. Every time Chen Shi asked a small question, he would say a great deal, as if he had prepared in advance.


    The spear of suspicion in his heart had already been pointed towards this family. Only that it wasn¡¯t clear yet who he should point it towards.


    At this time, Ms. Song came back and wasn¡¯t too surprised to see the police in her home. She put down the vegetables she was holding and wiped her hands. "Aiya, our home is small and messy, and there¡¯s no ce to sit. Sorry for troubling you. Shall we speak outside?"


    When the three came outside, Chen Shi asked, "Ms. Song, your rtionship with Song Yuwen is..."


    "Oh, I¡¯m the sister of Song Yuwen¡¯s father.¡±


    "Biological brother and sister?"


    "No, we¡¯re first cousins. If we go back in the family tree, my father and Song Yuwen¡¯s grandpa were brothers.¡±


    "Do you know why we came to find you?"


    "I do. Something happened to Song Yuwen. He was such a good child. How can he die just like that?¡± As she said this, Ms. Song wiped her tears away sadly, and shortly returned to normal. "I know that you police would definitely question each and every family. Go ahead. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know. "


    "When was thest time you saw Song Yuwen?"


    "Let me think about it... Three days ago, I think?"


    "Why did you look for him?"


    Ms. Songughed. "It''s really embarrassing to say, but I wanted to ask him to lend us some money."

 Chapter 466: The Couple’s Lies

    <h4>Chapter 466: The Couple''s Lies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked curiously, "You went to your nephew to borrow money?"


    Ms. Song replied with shame, "Haii, I¡¯m ashamed to say that the family has been in debt ever since we bought the house. We¡¯re purely demolishing the east wall to fix up the west wall[1]. Later, Wanjun''s father got sick as well, worsening the situation. In order to slowly pay off the debts, I went around trying to curry favor with my rtives so that I could borrow money. I¡¯ve lost all that¡¯s left of this old face of mine. During this period, the creditors urged us to pay up again, and I had already asked for money from all the rtives and friends in my circle. I had no choice but to ask Song Yuwen for money in order to repay my debts."


    "Did he lend you any?"


    "No, didn''t Yuqiang have something to settle with him that day? It was inconvenient for me to ask at the time, so I left. I was nning to go again in a day or two. Who knew this would happen? Haii!"


    "My next question might not be too appropriate. The family is already in such a situation. Why would you still send your daughter to study abroad?"


    "This was our daughter''s dream. We¡¯ve been suffering for most of our lives. We know that you¡¯d suffer from disadvantages without an education. I hope that my daughter will have a good life in the future. It can also be counted as an investment in her education. In fact, I have to thank Song Yuwen''s family. If not for their family giving financial assistance to us so often, Wanjun may not have had the opportunity to study abroad. Their family really helped us a lot."


    "It seems that you have a good rtionship with one another?"


    Ms. Song waved her hands. "I can''t say that. It¡¯s mainly because I go over so often. Rtives would be distanced if you don¡¯t see one another often. In addition, I looked after Song Yuwen when he was a kid, so we¡¯re a bit closer... By the way, I heard that his funeral would be held in a couple of days. The white-haired seeing off the ck-haired, haii!"


    "Oh yes, your daughter is abroad. When was thest time you saw her?"


    "She came back for New Yearst year. She brought home a lot of gifts and even bought me a sweater. I told her not to spend money. We feel relieved just having her back with us. She stayed for a few days and then left again. We usually contact with each other by phone."


    "Apologies for asking, but do you have a photo of her?"


    "Let me look..." Ms. Song unlocked her phone and showed Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue a photo. It was a group photo of the family of three. The daughter in the middle hugged the old couple and the family looked blissful and happy. The date wasst year¡¯s New Year.


    Looking at the photo, Chen Shi felt that something was wrong and asked, "Who took this photo?"


    "The phone can be set for timed shooting!"


    "Oh..." Chen Shi smiled. "I actually didn''t know this. How embarrassing. Is this the only photo?"


    "The others weren¡¯t taken very well."


    "Let''s have a look anyway!"


    "They were really not very good. I won''t let you see."


    Regardless of whatever Chen Shi said, Ms. Song insisted on not letting him see the photos on her phone. After all, there was no search warrant, so Chen Shi had no choice but to give up.


    They asked some other questions, which were simr to those they had asked the husband. Afterwards, Chen Shi bid Ms. Song goodbye. Lin Dongxue said, "What a really poor couple. Oh yeah, why did you ask the same questions twice?"


    "What do you think?"


    "Were you trying to sound them out?"


    "Then what did you think I have found out?"


    "The couple''s answers were almost the same. Except for one point. The husband said that the daughter came back the year before thest, and the wife said that it wasst year. But the photo taken was indeed takenst year. That is, the husband remembered it wrong.¡±


    "The husband didn¡¯t remember incorrectly. He initially said that it wasst year, then he suddenly changed to say the year beforest, because his illness was diagnosedst year. I asked whether his daughter knew of his illness and he said that she didn¡¯t know. He obviously changed his tune and said it was the year beforest to patch up his lie."


    "He¡¯s lying?"


    "Both of them are lying. Otherwise, how could their answers be so overly consistent? It¡¯s obvious that they agreed on what they¡¯d say in advance.¡±


    "Why though?"


    "This girl may not be abroad at all..." Chen Shi was suddenly baffled. Everyone knew that Shi Wanjun was studying in Australia. If this was in preparation for the murder, it would have been done too early.


    The murder itself contained an unexpected factor - the pistol posted by Zhou Tiannan. The murderer started preparing three years ago? That didn¡¯t make sense.


    The lie must have another purpose! But it is inextricably linked to the murder case.


    Back at the bureau, Chen Shi asked everyone to investigate some things. At present, several other leads were set aside. He was positive that the second aunt''s family was suspicious. Xu Xiaodong called Chen Shi toe to the office in the afternoon and said excitedly, "I found something in the footage."


    "From the surveince that day?"


    "Yeah, remember how some data was recoveredter? Take a look."


    Xu Xiaodong started the video. On the evening of July 25th when it was close to 11:00, a woman in a white dress walked into the building. Chen Shi asked, "What kind of strange angle is this?"


    Xu Xiaodong said helplessly, "I can¡¯t help it. The camera was set at this angle."


    This was because of the security guard. In order to shoot the residents¡¯ breasts, the camera angle had been adjusted.


    Watching the video repeatedly, they could just barely make out the woman''s figure. She was thin and wore very youthful clothing. Her long hair was slightly curled. She seemed like a young girl.


    Chen Shi watched it several times again and waspletely focused. Xu Xiaodong waved his hand in front of him and asked, "Brother Chen, have you seen something significant?"


    "Why do I feel like something isn¡¯t right..." Chen Shi pondered.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Have you been assigned a task yet?" Chen Shi asked suddenly.


    "You told me to continue watching the footage."


    "You don''t need to watch the footage anymore. Go and do a stake-out for me. Go to the second aunt''s house and monitor their every action."


    "Oh?" Xu Xiaodongined, "Why are you giving me this kind of work again? Can¡¯t you give me something that takes some skill? Or does Brother Chen think that I can only do this sort of stuff with my IQ?"


    Chen Shi appeased him, "Investigating cases is like this. Most of it is boring. In fact, I think you¡¯re very good. It¡¯s just that your personality is a bit impulsive, so I¡¯m just training your character!"


    After eating this piece of candy that was used to coax a child, Xu Xiaodong reluctantly went to carry out the mission.


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue over and showed her the video. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "Wow, judging from the time and ce, this is definitely the suspect herself... Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the angle."


    "Yeah, it would have been a very violent and aesthetic scene in which a girl in white headed into the house tomit murder with a gun. With this camera angle, nothing can be seen except for cleavage."


    "In fact, there wasn¡¯t even any cleavage. So t. Completely inferior to me." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Well, if you look closely, you can still gather some information." Chen Shi paused the video and yed it frame by frame. Due to the extremely low number of pixels and being captured at night, it was really difficult to distinguish anything. "This girl''s face is very white, but the rest of her skin isn¡¯t as white."


    "It seems like she had put on makeup."


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone andpared it with the photos of Shi Wanjun that he had saved before. "Is it her?"


    "I can''t see her face from the front, and what¡¯s more, these are just ¡®photo scams¡¯[2]. You still don''t know what the real person looks like."


    "Isn''t there an ID photo?" Chen Shi took out Shi Wanjun''s ID photo. "Take a look."


    "This one looks so young. Was it taken in high school?"


    1. Chinese idiom meaning ¡°To rob Peter to pay Paul¡±. E.g. People taking out loans from onepany to cover their debts from other loanpanies or when you just try to deal with the problem at hand with what little money you have even though it may cause other money problems down the line.


    2. She was actually making a pun here. ¡°Photographs¡± in Chinese is made up of two characters. The second character ¡°pian¡±, sounds simr to ¡°pian¡± in the word ¡°scam¡± and they have the same pinyin.She¡¯s saying that they¡¯re photos photoshopped to look ttering.

 Chapter 467: The Blunder Incident

    <h4>Chapter 467: The Blunder Incident</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Since they couldn¡¯t figure out any clues after looking at it for a while, Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go and do an experiment!"


    The two went to buy a white dress simr to the one in the video and went to a quiet park. Chen Shi sat on the monkey bars and got Lin Dongxue to walk by underneath it while wearing the dress. He recorded her with his phone.


    "Wait, don''t just walk over. The person in the video did a door-opening action." Chen Shi reminded her.


    Lin Dongxue did as she was told, and they recorded the sequence three times. Then Lin Dongxue climbed up and sat next to Chen Shi to see the effects of the recordings. "Hmm, only seeing the top of the head while wearing such a beautiful dress, what a pity."


    "Our purpose wasn¡¯t to make things look good." Chen Shiughed. "Come andpare... Your chest is really bigger and perkier."


    "Get lost! Also, I think I have a bigger stride. The suspect should be shorter than me?"


    "Really? But Shi Wanjun''s height is simr to yours... Why do I feel like the person in the video has a heavy gait and doesn''t seem like a young person? And... The chest seems to be sagging a little."


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi with a disgusted face. Chen Shi said, "I''m not kidding!"


    "You want to say that the suspect may not be Miss Shi. Who would it be... Wait, her mother went to look for Song Yuwen alone two days before the incident. It¡¯s reasonable to say that rtives around the parents¡¯ generation[1] are unlikely to visitte at night, unless... Ah, I understand now. Ms. Song was going to kill him that day, but she happened to bump into the brother of the victim , so she changed her mind. She carefully investigated the inside of the housing district and found a more secure route to avoid the surveince monitors. Then on the evening of the 25th, she changed her clothes, put on a wig, andmitted the murder."


    After listening to Lin Dongxue''s reasoning, Chen Shi seemed surprisingly calm. He said, "I¡¯ve actually considered this possibility, but I can''t think of a motive. As an elder, there¡¯s no reason to kill the nephew."


    "In terms of root causes, the only weakness of the second aunt is her daughter and her family."


    Chen Shi nodded with pride. "You¡¯ve learned a lot now. Yes, the key problem is still with Miss Shi. If we can find her, maybe these questions will be solved... Come, let''s take a few more photos and see if we can figure out any other clues."


    In the evening, Chen Shi received a call from Xu Xiaodong, saying that he saw a young woman go into Ms. Song''s house. Chen Shi thought that the girl was probably Shi Wanjun. He asked Xu Xiaodong to watch closely and said that he¡¯d arrive immediately.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived quickly and met up with Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodongined, "I¡¯ve been watching them all by myself, so I didn¡¯t even dare to go to the toilet. I¡¯m too nervous."


    "Okay, you go to the toilet and have a meal as well. Leave this to us... Is she still in the house?"


    "She is!"


    "What are her defining features?"


    "Thin and tall. Almost as tall as Dongxue, and wearing a green dress."


    Lin Dongxue suggested, "Since the girl is at home right now, why not go up and meet her directly?"


    "No, since we suspect this family, we shouldn¡¯t appear too often, so as not to hit the grass and startle the snake[2]. Also, when she¡¯s separated from her family, it will be easier to get information!"


    The two sat in the car for an hour, during which Xu Xiaodong came back after eating and brought them some drinks. Chen Shi opened one and just had a sip when he suddenly saw a figuree down from the building. Xu Xiaodong said, "It''s her!"


    "Follow her and don''t get caught!" Chen Shi instructed.


    The three followed her. The facilities in the housing district were old, and it was very dark at night. They followed the girl outside. The girl called for a taxi, and they did the same in order to tail her all the way.


    When the girl got out below the dormitory of a clothing factoryter, Chen Shi saw that she was about to go upstairs. "Let''s make an appearance!"


    Lin Dongxue called out, "Shi Wanjun!"


    The girl turned around and the three immediately surrounded her. When they looked at her, Chen Shi realized that she didn¡¯t look like Shi Wanjun at all. The girl asked nervously, "Did you mistake me for someone else? I¡¯m not surnamed Shi."


    Lin Dongxue also felt that something was wrong and showed her badge. "We are the police. Let us look at your ID."


    The girl took out her ID card and they checked it using the mobile police information system[3]. Her name was Ye Xiaoling. She was a local, and the photo on the ID and the person they were looking at were unmistakably the same person.


    Chen Shi was silent for a while. It had all made sense. Why was it a mistake in the end? He asked, "We called ¡®Shi Wanjun¡¯ just then. Why did you react?"


    "It¡¯ste at night and I¡¯m alone. You guys shouted from behind, so I¡¯d look back of course."


    "Do you know this person?"


    "I don¡¯t."


    "But you just came out of her house!"


    "What?!" The girl raised her eyebrows, "You guys have been following me all the way? I want to sue you. I went to see my aunt. What Shi Wanjun? I don''t even know her! How ridiculous!"


    After saying that, the girl went straight into the dormitory, leaving the three of them frozen to the spot with confused faces.


    Xu Xiaodong said with embarrassment. "I''m sorry, I may have made a mistake. They were wearing simr clothes, and the build was about the same as well, so I thought that they were the same person.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "How did you know that she entered Ms. Song''s house?"


    "She came down to pick her up personally. At that time, the sky wasn¡¯tpletely dark, so I could see them clearly."


    Chen Shi said helplessly, "Let''s return and have a look again."


    The three returned the same way they came and stayed in the housing district until 9:00 in the evening when the lights in Ms. Song''s house were switched off. No one came down from upstairs. Xu Xiaodong med himself, thinking that he had made a mistake and let the real target escape.


    Chen Shi said, "I don''t me you. I should have left someone here."


    "Brother Chen, should I continue watching here?"


    "No, let¡¯s go back!"


    He said so, but Chen Shi was unable to let the matter go. After sending Lin Dongxue home, he went back again and sat in front of Ms. Song¡¯s building the whole night. He hadn¡¯t been staying up at nighttely. The more exhausted he got, the more he wanted to smoke. He wanted to give in and smoke a few times, but his reason still stopped him.


    All night long, the building was quiet. Chen Shi didn¡¯t have anything to do and used his phone to log in to the bureau¡¯s general email inbox. There was an English letter sent over from Australia. Chen Shi skimmed through the letter roughly. It basically said that their university didn¡¯t have any Chinese students enrolled there with this name.


    Sure enough, studying abroad was just a lie. Chen Shi remembered that when he was talking to her over the phone, the other party was very happy to leave her personal information and seemedpletely unafraid of the police investigating and verifying her details.


    Moreover, this person whose name popped up frequently never showed her face. What was going on?


    Chen Shi thought that there must be a key to answering all of these questions.


    The sky was getting gradually brighter and Chen Shi rubbed his nose bridge to force himself to be alert. He observed everyone who entered and exited the building without blinking his eyes. Finally, he saw Ms. Song carrying a bag of garbage outside. He waited for Ms. Song to leave, then snuck over and took away the bag of garbage...


    1. It¡¯s not that elders can¡¯t visit younger people, but they¡¯re of different status. People of the same age are more likely to visit you than your aunt when you¡¯re living alone. Especially, if they¡¯re alone and it¡¯s not because of a family gathering etc.


    2. Alert them.


    3. Editor IJ¡¯s Note: Baidu says it¡¯s something like a small tablet connected to police systems.

 Chapter 468: The Gun is Found

    <h4>Chapter 468: The Gun is Found</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Early in the morning, Chen Shi brought a bulging stic bag to the forensic department. Everyone was very happy and asked, "Wow, is Brother Chen treating us to breakfast again?"


    "Excuse me..." Chen Shi opened the bag, which turned out to be a bag of household garbage. "Help me do some tests! I¡¯ll treat you guys to a mealter on."


    Everyone was speechless for a while. Peng Sijue furrowed his brows. "You didn¡¯t go through any procedures, picked up a bag of rubbish and want us to run some tests? Do you think this is your home?"


    Chen Shi sped his palms together and smiled. "Old Peng, please help me!"


    Looking at his dark eye-circles, Peng Sijue knew that he might have stayed up all night again. He sighed helplessly and instructed his subordinates to screen the garbage and run the appropriate tests.


    Chen Shi looked at them from the side. An unusual thing had actually appeared in the trash. It was a New Year decoration and it was still new. He took out this decoration thoughtfully and gave it to Peng Sijue, "Old Peng, check this. "


    "It¡¯s difficult to extract fingerprints from this kind of material."


    "It''s difficult, but it''s not impossible."


    "I find that you, like many police officers, feel that the forensics department has an omnipotent button. As long as you press it, there will be results immediately or something. You never consider the process and the hard work we have to do."


    "Don''tin. I¡¯ll treat you to some food. What do you want to eat?"


    Peng Sijue sighed helplessly and took the decoration from him. "Nothing too greasy."


    "Roger that!"


    Chen Shi went out and bought arge bag of breakfast food. Some results had alreadye out. Two sets of fingerprints were extracted from some smooth objects. One of them matched the fingerprints left on the teacup[1] at the scene of the murder.


    The fingerprint was most probably left by Ms. Song. Her suspiciousness rose a little, but the fingerprints on the teacup[2] were not decisive evidence.


    It would take a while before the appraisal results came out. Chen Shi went to look for Lin Dongxue first. Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi who had a haggard expression and said, "Did you stay up all night again?"


    "This is normal for me. Anyway, I''m still young and can withstand the suffering." Chen Shi smiled indifferently.


    "I can¡¯t believe you. I don''t want to be widowed in the future!"


    "Okay, I promise you that this will be the only time. I''ll go to bed after we¡¯re finished in the morning."


    Everyone arrived one after another and reported their findings. First was Ms. Song¡¯s family¡¯s financial expenditure. Around April and Mayst year, their family spent arge amount of their savings. The recipient was a cancer hospital. The expenditure amounted to about 400,000 yuan. It was verified by the hospital that it was used to pay for an operation fee, but Mr. Shi''s follow-up treatments cost over a hundred thousand as well. The money had been borrowed by Ms. Song from her rtives and friends.


    Hearing this, everyone in the room was a little surprised. Lin Dongxue said, "This family looks very poor, but they still had 400,000 in savings. How unbelievable!"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "They¡¯re probably pretending to be poor!"


    Chen Shi said, "They shouldn¡¯t be pretending to be poor. After all, this money wasn¡¯t enough to cure his sickness. I think the money was originally meant for other purposes."


    Others also sessively spoke about what they found out about the family. Old Zhang found that in themunication records of Ms. Song and Mr. Shi, there wasn''t much contact with their daughter¡¯s mobile phone. It could even be said that there wasn¡¯t any. On the other hand, the deceased and his family had moremunication records with Shi Wanjun.


    The situation had be a little weird. Everyone looked at Chen Shi with astonished eyes, hoping to hear some brilliant deductions from him, but Chen Shi just yawned. "I understand. Let¡¯s stop here for the day. I¡¯m too tired today. Tomorrow is the funeral of the deceased. His rtives and friends will all go. So will we.¡±


    "Are we arresting them on the spot?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "No, there are some things that I want to rify when the two families are present. Let me keep you in suspense, I¡¯ll talk about what I think when the timees.¡±


    "So you already have an answer in your heart?! You¡¯re not being very kind!"


    Chen Shi yawned again. "It¡¯s no good. I¡¯m very sleepy. I''ll go back to sleep for a while."


    Old Zhang said, "It¡¯s too dangerous to drive after staying up all night. Why not go to the police dormitory and get some rest first? I¡¯ll let my disciple know."


    "In that case, thank you." Chen Shi was so sleepy that he was about to copse on the spot.


    After taking a nap in the police dormitory, he was able to regain some energy. It was just that a ce where a bunch of young guys lived stunk quite a bit. Chen Shi had just woken up in the afternoon and was thinking about what to eat when Peng Sijue called him. ¡°Are the results out?¡±


    "No, it''s a new discovery. Dongxue and the rest have already gone over. Would you like to go with me in my car?"


    "What''s the new discovery?"


    "We found the gun!"


    Chen Shi''s eyes widened in surprise. It turned out that after investigating Shi Wanjun''s ID card, they found that she had rented a house somewhere. The police went to the house and naturally, she wasn¡¯t there. However, they found a gun with a silencer on the table.


    This news was very important. Even Lin Qiupu had gone over. Everyone squeezed into the house of less than 20 square meters. Lin Qiupu held the gun with both hands and said with excitement. "Yes, it¡¯s a Russian-made Makarov pistol. This is the missing sixteenth gun."


    Chen Shi said, "But it was also the murder weapon in this case. We can¡¯t give it to you for the time being."


    "I know. I''m just here to confirm it. You keep it for now, I¡¯ll go back and report to the bureau chief."


    The room was very messy and there was a lot of dust inside. The forensics squad found a lot of skin kes and hair on the bed and on the floor. On the way back, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue visited Ms. Song¡¯s family again and asked them for their fingerprints and DNA. The husband and wife were quite cooperative.


    Fearing that he would say something wrong the more they conversed, Chen Shi didn¡¯t say much before they left.


    Back at the bureau, it was verified that the DNA found in that room did have a direct blood rtionship with the couple. Chen Shi was slightly surprised when he saw the report and asked, "What about the fingerprints?"


    "There were no fingerprints in the house."


    "In a house full of skin kes and hair, there weren¡¯t fingerprints?"


    "Yes, the gun was also wiped clean... In addition, some blood was found around the silencer. It was the deceased¡¯s. This gun is confirmed to be the murder weapon, but it¡¯s not yet certain who had fired it."


    "Some people want us to think that the owner of this house fired the gun."


    "Want us to think..."


    "Let¡¯s not talk about this yet. What about the results of the tests this morning?"


    Peng Sijue handed another report to Chen Shi. There were three sets of fingerprints on the ¡°Fu¡±[3] character on the decoration. Although they hadn¡¯t beenpared yet, experience told him that two of the sets belonged to the couple.


    Hearing this result, Chen Shi smiled instead. "Covering things up makes it even more obvious. Thinking of remedying things, they¡¯ve actually revealed more instead... Everything will be exposed tomorrow."


    "I can''t go to the funeral, so tell me the truth!"


    "No, I have to wait until tomorrow, so that it''s more dramatic." Chen Shi winked at him.


    "A face like that of a dishonest businessman." Peng Sijue sneered at this kind of behavior.


    Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t furrow your brows. I¡¯ll do a live broadcast of everything over my mobile phone tomorrow to let you know the truth.¡±


    1. It was mentioned that the teacup had fingerprints wiped clean, but that the doorbell had a small fingerprint left behind. Although I¡¯ve left this as is, I believe the author may have made a mistake.


    2. See note above.


    3. ¡°Fu¡± means ¡°blessing¡±, ¡°good fortune¡± and the like.

 Chapter 469: Twelve Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 469: Twelve Years Ago</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On July 30th, the funeral of the deceased, Song Yuwen, was held at the parents¡¯ home. Chen Shi called all the police involved in the case to go on standby nearby and went to the funeral with Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong.


    Lin Dongxue kept asking him, "Are you sure the murderer is among the peopleing today?"


    "Very sure."


    "It¡¯s actually Ms. Song?"


    Chen Shi made a gesture to signal her to be quiet. "Don''t be so obvious, even if you know it in your heart. Be careful not to hit the grass and startle the snake."


    Song Yuwen¡¯s parents and younger brother were in front of Song Yuwen¡¯s casket. The mother had swollen eyes from crying so much. Whenever someone came over to mourn, the family of the deceased bowed down to return their respects. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue also wore ck clothes and bowed before the casket and altar. They bowed three times and burned three incense sticks.


    The Song family¡¯s house was veryrge. The living room was enveloped in a sad atmosphere, but the other rooms were different. Chen Shi walked back and forth and saw some rtives in the master bedroom chatting together, talking andughing. From their clothes, they seemed to be middle-ss.


    There were also some rtives outside the door, including Ms. Song and Mr. Shi. Everyone smoked while talking andughing. Judging from their clothes, they were not well-off.


    Lin Dongxuemented in a low voice, "Poor rtives and rich rtives will always conscientiously divide themselves into two groups. The segregation between the rich and the poor is able to block familial affection more than blood rtionships."


    "Rtives are nothing more than strangers who are rted by blood," Chen Shi said.


    At this time, Song Yuqiang came out and said, "Officers, you¡¯re here!"


    Chen Shi asked, "Don''t you need to keep watch besides your brother''s casket?"


    "My dad asked me to rest for a while and told me to greet you. All of the people here today are rtives. You don¡¯t know them, so it¡¯d be awkward to be standing here yourselves."


    Chen Shi smiled at Lin Dongxue. "It''s okay. I''m with her, so I don''t feel embarrassed no matter where I go."


    "Hah, you two are really well-matched. Oh yes, the matter I talked about before."


    "Let¡¯s talk somewhere else!"


    There were people in every room of the house. They could only go to the kitchen. Even the kitchen had several uncles smoking inside. When they saw peopleing in, they moved aside. Song Yuqiang took out a tablet. "This is what you wanted to see."


    Lin Dongxue leaned over to have a look. "What?"


    "I asked Yuqiang for them. They¡¯re all pictures of his brother from childhood to adulthood." Chen Shi took the tablet and looked through them.


    Song Yuqiang was very attentive to Lin Dongxue. "Officer Lin, do you want to drink anything? I''ll get it for you."


    "No need. I need to ask you something... There are many rtives in your family."


    "We do have quite a lot. After all, there¡¯s two grandpas. My grandpa and great uncle[1]. They¡¯re brothers and have over a dozen children.¡±


    "I noticed... Uh, it may be inappropriate to say this, but the segregation between the rich and the poor among your rtives is very obvious."


    "Haha, you¡¯re indeed a police officer. So insightful." Song Yuqiang''s ttery was very unskilled. ¡°The wealthier uncles and aunts that you see are all from my grandfather''s side. The poorer rtives are from my great uncle¡¯s side."


    "It seems that the root cause happened in your grandpa''s generation."


    "Yes, my family was poor before the country was liberated. My great grandfather could only let one of the brothers go to school. The two brothers drew straws, and my great uncle drew the good straw..."


    "Did I hear wrong? Wasn''t your grandfather the one who had the opportunity to study, so all his future generations would have such a different fate?"


    Chen Shi interjected, "Didn¡¯t you see what era his grandpa was living in?"


    Song Yuqiang continued, "This is what my father and uncle told me. At that time, it was my great uncle who went to school. My grandpa had to stay home to farm. Later, during the Cultural Revolution[2], my educated great uncle was criticized and forced to live in a cow shed. His children followed after his bad luck. My grandpa escaped because he belonged to the category of peasants who owned little or nond. He cut off his ties with his brother to avoid a simr fate and his children were all assigned to good jobs because they were considered as good elements[3]. My grandpa said that fate ys tricks on you. Great uncle had good luck in the first half of his life, and he had good luck in the second half of his life. Sure enough, if he used up his luck early in his life, he would have had bad luck in the second half of his life. Because of this history and some special variables, people on my grandpa''s side have always been doing betterpared to my great uncle¡¯s side."


    "One small thing can change a life and even the destiny of future generations. Things in life are really unforeseen." Lin Dongxue sighed with emotion.


    Chen Shi handed over the tablet and pointed to a group photo. "When did your brother take this picture?"


    "His eighteenth birthday."


    "Is this you?"


    "Correct."


    "This is that younger female cousin?"


    ¡°It¡¯s her."


    "What about this boy?"


    "Younger male cousin."


    "Why was an 18th birthday celebration so grand? Isn''t a big celebration generally for people turning 20?"


    "My brother¡¯s birthday is in summer. It happened that he did well in the college entrance examinations that year. Since he had turned 18, he took us out to have fun and booked a holiday vi in Moon Bay. We stayed there for a few days."


    "It seems that your family is really rich. You could book a vi for a birthday after doing well in the exams... What did you do there?"


    "We drank. My brother had just reached adulthood and suggested that everyone drink for once. We drank red wine but we all got drunk."


    "And then?"


    "My male cousin and I went out to go on the Inte. We were teenagers and our minds were all filled with ying online games. Whenever we had the opportunity, we went online. The two of us yed all night before going back."


    "So your brother and Cousin Wanjun stayed behind alone in the vi? And they drank alcohol?"


    Song Yuqiang''s face changed. "Fuck! Aren¡¯t your thoughts too dirty? We¡¯re cousins, how could it be possible..."


    "I didn''t say anything. What are you thinking?" Chen Shi observed the subtle changes in Song Yuqiang''s expression. "Or do you actually know something?"


    Song Yuqiang bowed his head and didn¡¯t say anything. Chen Shi said, "Your expression has already told me everything."


    "That..." He said, "My brother was indeed a bit weird when we left the vi. He asked me if the other party would get pregnant if he had sex with a girl... I didn''t think much about it. After all, we usually talk about these things when we were together. Now that I think about it, something might have happened between them."


    "Wanjun was obviously from the side with the poor rtives, but you were often together."


    "Because my second aunt had taken care of my brother in the past. At that time, Wanjun was also in school. Since my second uncle had to work, she often came over to my house to eat. So we were often together when we were young. My brother also said often that he wanted to marry her when they grew up..." Song Yuqiang''s expression changed. "You don¡¯t think that she killed my brother, do you?!"


    Chen Shi avoided answering the question. "Finally, I will ask you onest question. Have you ever met her in person since the vi trip?"


    Song Yuqiang answered in a daze. "We¡¯ve talked over the phone. We also chat on QQ. We¡¯ve also yed games together online..."


    "I¡¯m asking if you¡¯ve met her in person."


    "I don¡¯t think so."


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened. She seemed to have understood. Chen Shi said to Song Yuqiang, "Call your parents and your second aunt and uncle to go outside so we can have a good talk.¡±


    1. Here¡¯s a chart for reference that I had to use because Chinese terms are on a whole different level with different terms based on whether they¡¯re derived from the mum¡¯s side or father¡¯s side and standing. https://i.kinja-img/gawker-media/image/upload/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/fzmzqdu46zj92varuqxj.jpg


    2. The author used xx due to censorship.


    3. People who were educated, had higher status,ndlords, rich and the like were considered as outliers and ¡°bad elements¡± during the Cultural Revolution.

 Chapter 470: Unveiling the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 470: Unveiling the Truth</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two families were called downstairs, and the police lying in ambush nearby also gathered slowly. Ms. Song and Mr. Shi seemed a little nervous, but still asked calmly, "Why have you called us toe down? What is it that we can¡¯t talk about while inside the house?¡±


    Chen Shi looked around at everyone. "What I want to talk about today is the truth about the death of Song Yuwen. It will take up some of your time, but no one has any objections, do you?"


    Song Yuwen¡¯s mother took out her handkerchief and began to wipe her tears away. Her husband patted her arm to calm her down. On the other side, Ms. Song furrowed her brows before rxing them again. A trace of contempt shed in her eyes. She didn¡¯t seem to think that Chen Shi would be able toe up with the truth.


    "We need to start from 12 years ago, when Song Yuwen was 18 years old. He and his cousin Shi Wanjun drank some alcohol in a holiday vi and the two spent the night alone. They may have had sex with each other-"


    "What?!" Song Yuwen''s father eximed in surprise. He looked at Song Yuqiang. "Weren¡¯t you there back then as well?"


    Song Yuqiang admitted with embarrassment, "Our other cousin and I went out to y online games all night."


    "Then... This..." The father obviously couldn''t believe it, but Ms. Song and Mr. Shi were silent. Ms. Song kept clenching her fists tightly. From this reaction, it was clear that they both knew about it.


    Chen Shi continued, "It has been 12 years since the incident, so it¡¯s impossible to know whether Song Yuwen forced her at that time, or if it was consensual. But in any case, Shi Wanjun was a minor and his behavior broke thew. After returning, Shi Wanjun was very anxious because she was afraid of bearing sexual consequences. Perhaps she did have some symptoms, or perhaps everything was just psychological. These can no longer be known. I can only tell you the result. Shemitted suicide!"


    "This... This is impossible!" Song Yuwen''s father shouted. "We don''t know about this at all."


    His wife clenched his arm tightly and looked shocked.


    At this moment, Ms. Song and Mr. Shi seemed overly calm, and just looked down at their shoes. Lin Dongxue noticed that Ms. Song''s eyes were already damp and that she was deliberately trying to cover up her tears.


    Chen Shi went on to say, "However, Shi Wanjun''s death was not publicly disclosed. Her parents secretly cremated her. Perhaps the husband and wife experienced countless quarrels, bouts of crying, and fits of resentment, but in the end, they decided not to tell anyone. Because this incident would hurt the harmony of the two families. Song Yuwen¡¯s family had been providing financial assistance to their family for a long time and the rtionship was unequal. Perhaps there were just some casual lies said at family gatherings at the beginning, such as ¡®Why didn¡¯t Shi Wanjune?'', ''She''s at school.'' and so on. Gradually, the small lies turned into big lies. In order not to let your rtives find out that she was dead, and in order to not break the harmony, you had to make up a lie that she had gone abroad to study. At the same time, you got an Australian number, forged her Weibo, circle of friends, and even used voice changers to make calls to Song Yuwen and others, letting everyone think that she was still alive.¡±


    "Your disguise was sessful and deceived everyone. Song Yuwen, who had a guilty conscience, even gave you some money to help his cousin who was studying abroad. Of course, you saved this money, but your family is very poor, and your husband¡¯s illness exposed you. You had no choice but to use these savings. Perhaps when you went to family gatherings and everyone talked andughed, there may have been a stabbing pain in your heart. When you pretended to be your long-dead daughter behind the phone calls and QQ and chatted with the person who had killed her indirectly, your heart would have been in extreme pain. The root of all this was your poverty. You were afraid to hurt the harmony between your families, especially these rtives who often helped you. You used ten lies to back up one big lie. A hundred lies to back up ten big lies. And finally, you actually created a ghost. That was your dead daughter. In this world, only you two knew that she¡¯s no longer alive. No... When you lie often enough, in the instant, maybe you yourselves will believe that she¡¯s still alive!"


    Ms. Song clenched her fists tightly with tears dripping down her face. The shock and terror within her heart was probably something that no one could even imagine. Song Yuwen¡¯s father widened his eyes and asked, "Cousin, tell me, is this true? Is Wanjun already..."


    At the moment when Ms. Song was about to confess, Song Yuwen¡¯s mother suddenly screamed, "Did you kill my son to avenge your daughter?! You¡¯re the murderer?! Officers, is that the case?¡±


    The light in Ms. Song¡¯s eyes disappeared again and was concealed by her usual worldly-wise slyness. She said, ¡°This policeman is speaking nonsense. He¡¯s just being ridiculous. My daughter is clearly studying in Australia. She¡¯s even called you, Yuqiang. I was next to her when she called you as well. How could we have faked it? Look, this is the photo she took with us during New Yearst year."


    Ms. Song took out her mobile phone and showed it to everyone. In addition to the group photo she showed to Chen Shi the day before yesterday, there were also photos of her daughter putting up a New Year decoration and pictures of the family eating.


    Chen Shi smiled grimly. If she hadn¡¯te up with this "evidence", things wouldn¡¯t have beenplete. But all the pieces could be fitted together now.


    Chen Shi also showed a photo to them, "Doesn¡¯t this decoration seem very familiar?"


    "Where did you... No, what do you mean?" Ms. Song looked at him in surprise.


    "Your photo was taken on the evening of July 28th. I found the props used to take the phototer in the trash bag that you threw out. Your superfluous actions actually confirmed my deductions instead."


    "You¡¯re spouting bullshit!" Ms. Song shouted, and spitnded onto Chen Shi''s face. "This is obviously my daughter. Look, everyone, look. Isn''t it her?"


    "That''s not your daughter. It''s a girl named Ye Xiaoling. Her age and build are simr to Shi Wanjun¡¯s. Photoshop can be learned by watching some simple tutorials. Just ask a model to pose and change her face. I¡¯ve carefully checked all the photos that Shi Wanjun posted in her circle of friends and Weibo. I found that all the faces came from a few photos inmon. For the photos that she had posted about 10 years ago, at the time your forgery skills weren¡¯t yet perfect enough and signs of skin color mismatching are clear... Yes, as for the model you hired, you two had worked in the same factory previously."


    Ms. Song was speechless as she looked at Chen Shi. Song Yuwen''s family also stared at her, both looking forward to the truth and fearing the reality.


    This was the seed that the two families nted together. In the end, the flower of tragedy was born, and they couldn¡¯t bear the weight of this reality.


    Chen Shi stared at Ms. Song. "Actually, when you had imitated your daughter long enough, she had also e alive¡¯ in a certain way and became your hidden personality. Otherwise, on the day you killed Song Yuwen, you wouldn¡¯t have deliberately put on a cute, pure white dress, am I right?"

 Chapter 471: The Murderer’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 471: The Murderer''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Song Yuwen''s mother stared at Ms. Song. "It was you who killed my son! Return my son to me! Return my son to me!" She pounced at Ms. Song as though she wanted to take the other party¡¯s life.


    Chen Shi rushed to step in between the two families. Ms. Song howled, "You¡¯re asking me to return your son, but who will return my daughter to me?! Your son''s death is to pay for her life. One strand of hair for one strand of hair. A drop of blood for a drop of blood. I took his life to avenge my daughter. I have no regrets over killing him!"


    Song Yuwen''s mother cried even more fiercely. The others were also affected by this and wiped away their own tears.


    Except for Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue who were not involved in the situation, both families were crying. Chen Shi had long expected Ms. Song''s confession. After all, she had been under pressure for an extremely long time. She had been lying to everyone all those years, and her confession was a relief for her.


    Ms. Song took the facial tissue that Lin Dongxue offered, wiped her tears, and said to Song Yuwen¡¯s parents, "Do you know what your son did to my daughter twelve years ago? She was only 13 years old! We were too busy and didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with Wanjun. Until one day when I got home, and I saw her lying in the bathroom with her right hand soaking in a basin. The whole basin had been stained red and her face was already as white as paper...¡±


    "Wanjun had left us a suicide note, telling us what had happened. She didn''t know what to say to us, and how to face our rtives in the future. She could only... She could only escape through death!" Ms. Song''s eyes were damp with tears again. "That night, we both cried for a long time while looking at our daughter. We med each other, quarreled, and discussed what to do. Her dad said that he would sue them, but how could we? Wanjun hadmitted suicide. If we wanted to sue Song Yuwen for rape, would the court believe us with only a suicide note as proof? Once this kind of thing is publicized, only the girl¡¯s reputation would be damaged. There would be no loss to all of you... Not to mention that after the court case, how would we get along with one another in the future!¡±


    "And of all people, it was your family who killed my daughter. At that time, you had given us a lot of financial support. The money that we used to buy a house was borrowed from you. You didn¡¯t ask us to pay interest and even now we haven¡¯t repaid all the money. When my mother fell ill and we didn¡¯t have money for the surgery, we went to look for you. When Wanjun didn¡¯t have money to continue with her education, it was also your family that helped us. You gave us all the clothes, shoes, and food that you didn''t need... Your family was too good to us. Too good. I will never be able to repay these favors! On the day that Wanjunmitted suicide, Sister-in-Law called me over saying that she had bought too many ling nuts[1] and that they¡¯d rot if they weren¡¯t eaten in time. She told me to take them home for my family. When Wanjun sat in the bathroom and cut her wrist, I was still in your yard peeling ling nuts... If only I could have gone back earlier. If I had went back earlier..."


    Ms. Song covered up her face with her hands and there was silence at the scene. Only her crying could be heard. Then she continued, "Every time that you bestowed some favors upon us, or if my family had difficulties and I had to shamelessly ask you for help, I hated myself for being useless. I hated that I was born in this poor family. But what could I do? I had to please people and get into their good graces my whole life. After Wanjun¡¯s death, we¡¯ve been unable to speak up about her death. If someone asked us, what should we say? Tell the truth? That Song Yuwen raped her, so shemitted suicide? Afterwards, how would the two families get along?! If we scolded you, doesn''t that mean that we¡¯re ungrateful?¡±


    "Sister-in-Law, do you remember the day when you bumped into me on the street and asked me why Wanjun didn¡¯t go to your house to y during the summer vacation? That was the third day of her death. I had to tell you with a smiling face that she was going to cram school. You said that we couldn¡¯t pick cram schools willy-nilly and that we had to find the right teacher, or the child would be badly taught. You insisted on introducing me to a teacher and transferring Wanjun there for tuition! So that I could maintain the lie, I asked my colleague¡¯s daughter to go and study under the name of Wanjun. Then I read her notes so that I could deal with your calls asking me about the progress of the tutoring... Since then, we¡¯ve lied again and again. We became more and more proficient and professional at lying. Finally, we lied that she had gone to study abroad. Sometimes, I really don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing. My daughter has been gone for more than ten years[2]. Why should I continue to conceal things? Whose reputation was I protecting? Was I protecting those of you who killed her?!"


    Ms. Song pointed her finger usingly at the mournful face of Song Yuwen¡¯s father. Then she wilted again and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not saying that you killed her. It was Song Yuwen... No, no one killed her. No one killed her. Shemitted suicide! During these years, I couldn¡¯t eat nor sleep well. I often shed tears when I thought of my daughter, and her father got sick from depression. This family is no longer like a family... I often dream about her. No, I will see her whenever I dream. She¡¯s still 13 years old in my dreams, looking smart and adorable."


    A fierce light suddenly shed in Ms. Song''s bleak eyes. "I was on the verge of breaking down. At that time, a gun appeared at my door. I... I think someone was helping me in secret. He must be a great person! It was a real gun with a silencer on it. I used it to shoot a dog. Bang. It died with just one shot! I was thinking that it has been 12 years, and no one knows about it except for my husband. Even if I avenged her, it was impossible for anyone to find out. The police aren¡¯t omnipotent. If I shot him to death with one shot, how would they trace it back to me?¡±


    "I had originally nned to kill him that day, but in the end, I didn¡¯t seed in killing him. Yuqiang hade over, which actually made me calm down. There are surveince cameras and security guards in the housingmunity. If I was seen, the police would definitely find me. I thought about it for a long time after I went back. My daughter told me in a dream that there was a sewage pipe in the housing district that wouldn¡¯t be monitored by the surveince cameras. I rushed over before dawn and had a look. There was indeed a sewer. I asked Wanjun if we needed to kill him. She said yes, that he must die. He¡¯s been living freely for 12 years, and it was his birthday in a couple of days. It was time for him to repay the debt!¡±


    "My daughter also said that she had always hated the way I nodded and bowed deeply before this family, as well as how cautious I was every time I went to their house. I would pinch her from behind and tell her to greet her uncle, aunt and cousins one by one. These were all things that she told me. Her ghost told me personally! Even when Yuwen was killedter, Wanjun held my hand and fired the gun for me! When the police came to the door, it was also her that taught me what to say. She told me to push all the responsibility onto her! She¡¯s actually here right now, standing behind you!¡±


    Ms. Song pointed forward with a pathological smile on her tear-stained face. Everyone looked behind themselves with shock. There was clearly nothing but air in the spot that she had pointed at.


    1. https://cdn.britannica/s:500x350/80/125580-004-473D8FA4/Ling-nuts.jpg


    2. The author wrote ten years here, but it¡¯s said that the vi party happened 12 years ago, and she must have killed herself shortly after (which is then confirmed again 2 paragraphster. Therefore it¡¯s been edited to ¡°more than ten years.¡±

 Chapter 472: Face

    <h4>Chapter 472: Face</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Song Yuwen¡¯s mother said sadly, ¡°Even if Yuwen was responsible for Wanjun¡¯s death, he has beenpensating for it all these years. You said that Wanjun was studying in Australia, and he used part of his sry to financially assist your family. I didn¡¯t know the reason before, but now I know that this child must have felt guilty! I know that Yuwen has always been kind since he was a child. That incident must have been an impulse. Why didn¡¯t you tell us the truth? We would have been willing topensate in any way. But why didn¡¯t you say anything, and directly... To my son... Would Wanjune back if Yuwen is dead? Argh, say something!¡±


    Ms. Song shook her head. "I wasn¡¯t the one who wanted to kill Yuwen, it was Wanjun who told me to kill him!"


    "You¡¯re lying! She¡¯s dead, and it was you who killed him. You just confessed it just then... How many times? How many times has our family helped you?! You can''t even count them all! Why have you done this to us? You ungrateful woman!¡±


    "You¡¯ve helped us, but that''s because..." Ms. Song raised her voice and looked at Song Yuwen¡¯s father, who looked a little panicked. Ms. Song pointed her finger at him, "Cousin, the summer when I was fifteen, you said you¡¯d take me to your bedroom to see your collection of flower petals. Then you closed the door, and did... That''s why you kept helping uster. You were guilty and you wanted topensate for it. I didn¡¯t think that more than ten yearster, your son would do exactly the same thing to my daughter as you did to me. Your whole family are animals!¡±


    "Is that true?" Song Yuwen''s mother looked at her husband in shock.


    Song Yuwen¡¯s father had cold sweat all over his face. He shouted, ¡°Do you guys believe her? Would anything truee out of a woman who can hide her daughter¡¯s death for twelve years? I can use my reputation as a guarantee that she made it all up! I helped you because I pitied all of you and felt sympathy for you. It wasn¡¯t topensate for anything. You¡¯re so ungrateful!¡±


    "You¡¯re actually saying that I¡¯m making it up?" Ms. Song cried andughed at the same time, then shouted, "Can you swear on that? Would you dare to swear that if that incident did happen, your whole family won¡¯t die peaceful deaths. Do you dare?"


    Song Yuwen''s father suddenly fell silent. He had aplex expression on his face and looked at his cousin with eyes full of anger.


    The two families had shed all pretense of cordiality, and the atmosphere became very awkward. Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue and signaled her to take Ms. Song away. She was handcuffed and on the way to the car, Ms. Song screamed, "You father and son are both beasts. If the upper beam isn¡¯t straight, the lower beam would be crooked. You don¡¯t get punished even though you did that kind of thing. I hate it. I hate that I¡¯m useless and can only be bullied forever by others!¡±


    "Speak less!" Chen Shi said. The rtives had alreadye down after hearing themotion. "You¡¯ve already ruined two families. Leave yourself some face!"


    Upon hearing the word "face", Ms. Song immediately calmed down and stopped causing a ruckus.


    Of course, Mr. Shi was also taken away since he had to be questioned. He got into another police car.


    After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue said quietly, "The ugliest thing to see in the world is rtives bing enemies."


    "But to be able to let out love, hatred, and resentment in one breath and not having to cover anything up is also a kind of bliss.¡± Chen Shi said. He turned to look at Ms. Song who was sitting behind them.


    Ms. Song smiled and said to herself, "Mom needs to go away with the police and I¡¯lle back soon." "You¡¯re a good daughter, I know you care about me. Mom is very happy." "Their family? We won''t meet them again in the future. I won¡¯t force you to greet them as ¡®Uncle¡¯ and ¡®Aunty¡¯ again."


    Chen Shi asked, "Talking to your daughter?"


    "Yes, she is here. Can you see her?" Ms. Song touched the air beside her with her handcuffed hands. There was already the first sign of craziness in her eyes. It was probably an early symptom of schizophrenia.


    Going crazy is a process of rebuilding a bnce within people''s hearts. It would be strange if Ms. Song didn¡¯t go crazy after living under lies and pressure for twelve years.


    Chen Shi said, "She¡¯s wearing a blue dress with a bow tie and has two braids, right?"


    Lin Dongxue looked at him in surprise and Ms. Song said with great joy, "I knew that you could see her. No wonder you talked about the case as if you had seen it with your own eyes. I was surprised since the police aren¡¯t gods. How could you have known everything so clearly? So it turns out that you have yin yang eyes[1]!"


    Chen Shi smiled. Of course, he couldn¡¯t see Ms. Song¡¯s imaginary daughter. What he described was how Shi Wanjun looked in the photo from twelve years ago.


    "At least, you won''t feel lonely in prison."


    "Ah, prison..." Ms. Song''s eyes suddenly dimmed, as if being pulled back to reality. Knowing that she would pay the price for her deeds soon, she said, "You also heard me. I had a reason to kill him."


    "What about the security guard?"


    "He... He saw me and Wanjun killed him in order to protect me."


    "The judge wouldn''t believe this rhetoric. Ms. Song, stop struggling. The truth is already out. Your struggles would be in vain."


    Ms. Song lowered her head and remained silent in the car for some time. Then she said, "I only have one request."


    "As long as it¡¯s not excessive."


    "Please keep my going to jail a secret from my friends and family."


    "Why? Why would you still care so much about your face even though you¡¯re going to jail?"


    Ms. Song smiled in the rearview mirror. "Families like mine don¡¯t have anything. If we don¡¯t even uphold our faces, then we would really be looked down upon!"


    She looked at the air beside her and asked gently, "Isn¡¯t that right, Wanjun?"


    "Yes, Mother."


    Lin Dongxue felt a shock course through her body. She had heard the voice of a young girl. She turned back in fear and looked at Ms. Song again.


    It took her a long time to figure out that the voice had been a mimicry by Ms. Song herself. It soundedpletely different from her own voice.


    She was on the verge of madness, and was perhaps just a step away from true madness. Fortunately, she was arrested before she had truly gone mad.


    Lin Dongxue breathed a long sigh of relief. This long case was finally over.


    1. People with ¡°yin yang eyes¡± are able to see things that other people cannot, e.g. ghosts and spirits.

 Chapter 473: Neighborhood Minced Corpse Case

    <h4>Chapter 473: Neighborhood Minced Corpse Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 31: Disciples


    On August 4th, downstairs of a certain neighborhood, a pet dog broke free from its owner''s leash andy greedily at the mouth of a sewer to eat something.


    The owner found their beloved dog and saw the red and bloody object. They couldn''t help butin, "Oh, Doudou, what are you eating now? Be careful of getting a stomachache. Do you know how expensive it is to go to the vets for injections? How can you worry your mother so much?"


    "Which family poured this stuff down?" An uncle on a walk was attracted to it. Then, more and more bystanders came over to study the suspicious things that came out of the sewer.


    "It must be minced meat stuffing that someone made. It hasn¡¯t gone bad, so why did they dump it out?¡±


    "It looks like pork belly. There¡¯s fats and lean meat."


    "But it doesn''t look like pork. Is itmb?"


    "No, no. It doesn''t smell like beef or mutton and the color doesn¡¯t seem like pork. It¡¯s definitely not chicken or duck either."


    "Perhaps it¡¯s human flesh!" The joke made those who looked at it have terrible thoughts. Their smiles disappeared and they exchanged nces with each other as they discussed, "Do we... Do we need to call the police?¡±


    At 7:00 in the evening, the criminal police arrived. At this time, the crowd had reached sixty or seventy people. Some people even came to join in themotion without eating dinner.


    No one noticed someone in the crowd wearing dark sses and a peaked cap with a mysterious smile on the corners of their mouth.


    Peng Sijue looked at the test results of the hemoglobin test in his hand and slowly nodded to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu understood and said, "Disperse, disperse. There''s nothing to look at. You should go back to what you were doing and not hinder the police work here. Thank you everyone!"


    "Officer, is it human flesh?" Someone asked.


    Lin Qiupu said ¡°noment¡±, but the next actions taken revealed the truth. He ordered people to block the surrounding area with a cordon. The masses thought that if it was animal meat, there would be no need to protect it. There was no doubt that it was human flesh.


    Lin Qiupu found the first bystander who discovered the "mysterious meat filling" to record their statements. He also sent people up the building to question the people from each household.


    Peng Sijue asked the bureau to send over some protective suits as well as send more manpower to go to the water well to retrieve the rest of the corpse.


    Half an hourter, the officers who went upstairs called Lin Qiupu and said, "Captain Lin, everyone has been questioned except for one family who refused to open the door, as if no one was in the house."


    "I''lle up immediately!"


    Lin Qiupu hurried upstairs and knocked on the door of the unit a few times. No one answered the door. So, he took out a hook-shaped iron needle and slid it back and forth a few times in the keyhole. He was able to crisply open the lock with ease.


    Pushing the door into the room, the living room seemed to be under renovation. The walls were covered with newspapers and there was a strange smell in the air.


    Everyone instinctively pulled their guns out. When they got to the bathroom, the lights were still on. There was a meat grinder ced on the ground which was covered with minced meat. The bathtub was red with blood and ayer of oil floated on the blood. There was the grotesque smell of internal organsing from it.


    Several officers in the room couldn''t hold it in any longer and ran outside to vomit.


    This was a cruel corpse mincing scene. Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows and dared not look at the bathtub any longer. He immediately called Peng Sijue to bring people up to obtain samples and evidence.


    After Peng Sijue looked at it, he asked people to bring severalrge buckets anddles to get everything out of the bathtub.


    The two stood in the bathroom and Lin Qiupu shook his head. "I haven''t seen such a brutal scene in a long time. It seems like this case won¡¯t be a small one."


    Peng Sijue said, "I''m a bit better. The forensicboratory looks like this every day."


    "Who would have the same nerves as you! By the way, with regards to this case, do you..."


    "I¡¯ve already called."


    "Eh?! Did you know what I wanted to say?"


    "I do. You wanted to ask if we should call Chen Shi."


    Lin Qiupu felt like he had lost face since his intentions were so easily read. Peng Sijue continued, "I thought that we¡¯d most likely have to find him, so it might be better to let him arrive sooner rather thanter. He might be able to find more clues that way.¡±


    "Good... That¡¯s good too."


    Half an hourter, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue came over together. Seeing Lin Dongxue dressed so casually today, Lin Qiupu guessed that the two might have been ying outside. He was a bit unhappy in his heart.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Don''t go in. There''s blood everywhere. You might stain your clothes. You can just let Old Chen go in alone.¡±


    "Oh?" Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows. "Captain Lin, are you treating me as Old Chen''s follower? I''m here to handle the case, okay? Why not let me in?"


    "I don''t mean it like that. Forget it, go in if you want!"


    Seeing the scene in the bathroom, Lin Dongxue''s face became pale. She somewhat regretted getting her way and insisting oning in to have a look. The scene would have been terrifying enough to see in photos, let alone in person.


    Chen Shi poked his head in and nced at the scene before leaving immediately. Lin Qiupu said, "Aren''t you going in to have a look?"


    "It''s too disgusting. I won¡¯t go in. Old Peng can handle it. I believe in him!"


    "You actually have times when you¡¯d admit defeat?!"


    "They¡¯re specialists. I¡¯m not a forensic doctor. What can I do except saying ¡®wow¡¯?¡±


    The other officers couldn''t stand it either. They hid in the corridor and smoked. The smell of nicotine wafted over. It smelled particrly sweet to Chen Shi who had quit smoking for several months.


    Even Lin Dongxue, who usually disliked the smell of smoke, felt that the smell seemed much better than the smell of blood.


    Chen Shi studied the newspapers on the wall. Lin Qiupu exined to him, "We¡¯ve asked about this house. Thendlord works abroad and has handed the property over to the real estate agent to rent. We¡¯re still trying to contact the agent. The residents said that it was raining heavily about two days ago and a lot of debris was washed into the sewer causing a blockage. That¡¯s why this ''meat filling'' would overflow out and be smelled by the dog. Otherwise, the case may not have been discovered."


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s a disgusting but practical method. Mincing the body and throwing them into the sewers is a method that¡¯s used in many homicides... But seeing it with my own eyes, it¡¯s still very impactful."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Why are there so many newspapers in the living room? I haven''t found any blood stains even after looking for ages."


    Chen Shi reasoned, "From the tools left at the scene, the murderer didn¡¯t spontaneously develop killing intent. The living room may have been set up with the intent to kill people. However, it was unexpectedly left unused, or it was prepared to kill the next person. This is a standard murder area... By the way, are there any patterns in these newspapers?"


    "I just nced at them. Thetest newspapers were from two years ago and the earliest were from five years ago. It¡¯s mostly made up of The Long¡¯an Evening News and these newspapers are very wrinkled and somewhat oily."


    "Newspapers may have been obtained from scrap buying stations. You can follow this clue to investigate."


    Lin Dongxue immediately wrote it down. When Lin Qiupu saw this, he could deeply feel that his sister''s investigative ability was increasing. You indeed take after those you surround yourself with!

 Chapter 474: Officially Opening a Case

    <h4>Chapter 474: Officially Opening a Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The forensics squad bought some stic buckets and scooped out all the blood in the bathtub. The rest of what was left in the bathtub was all internal organs of a human. Peng Sijue put on his gloves and began to sift through it. He calmly arranged the internal organs down on the tarp theyid down by the door of the bathroom.


    Peng Sijue told Lin Qiupu that judging from theposition of the internal organs, it should only belong to one person.


    Lin Qiupu nced at the meat grinder. "The meat is here and the internal organs are in the bathtub. What about the bones?"


    Old Zhang came in with a kitchen knife and said, "Captain Lin, we found this in the kitchen cab. There¡¯s also arge chopping board which seems to have some broken pieces of bone on it."


    Peng Sijue picked up the kitchen knife which was really heavy. It was the kind of knife that butchers used to chop up big bones. The knife¡¯s edge was dented in many areas.


    Then, they found other knives bothrge and small with greasy stains on them. After testing them with certain reagents, it showed that they all had human protein ingredients on them. It seemed that the murderer used these knives to mince the corpse and threw the bones elsewhere.


    In this quietmunity of a bustling urban area, such a murderous workshop was hidden within, causing people to shiver in horror.


    At the same time, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to a nearby scrap buying station and asked if anyone had bought arge amount of scrapped newspapers from them. The bosses of several buying stations didn¡¯t know of anyone that did.


    When they got to thest station, a man had his head lowered as he was bundling newspapers up. Lin Dongxue said, "Sorry to disturb you. We are the police."


    The man looked up and faced Lin Dongxue''s eyes. Both of them froze for a moment. The man said, "Officer Lin? I''m Wu Xu!"


    "Oh, it''s you!" Lin Dongxue said in surprise. "You¡¯re doing this now?"


    "No, I''m here to sell some scrap. I¡¯m ashamed to say that I don''t have a job. I can only rely on this to survive. I drive around my broken car to collect waste products every day!¡± He pointed to a van parked outside with the words ¡°Collect waste, electrical appliances, and furniture¡± on it.


    "It¡¯s better to support yourself through self-reliance than anything else. Is your mother all right?"


    "Very good. This is..." Wu Xu''s eyes fell on Chen Shi.


    "My boyfriend as well as a colleague." Lin Dongxue introduced generously.


    "Oh, you two are well-suited..." Wu Xu nced at Chen Shi and his eyes averted a little.


    The two of them exchanged a few casual words, and then the owner of the scrap buying station came back. He didn''t know anything either. Chen Shi''s eyes fell on Wu Xu. "Young man, do you also buy scrap newspapers?"


    "I don¡¯t specialize in it, but if someone wants to sell them to me, I would."


    "Did anyone buy a lot of waste newspapers from you recently?"


    "No, who would buy them from me?"


    "Okay, thank you."


    Leaving the station, Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, "Who is this person? How do you two know each other?"


    "Take a guess!"


    "I remember how you once told me that the son of thendlord who rented you your house before was a prisoner who was released from prison. It shouldn¡¯t be him, right?"


    "Haha, you guessed right on your first try. Yes, it''s him. He helped me move things when I moved. I guess it''s not easy to find a job with his background. It''s good to be self-reliant now."


    Chen Shi said, "Isn''t it a coincidence to meet him here? I''ll go back and ask your brother to check what he¡¯s done recently."


    Lin Dongxue threw him a punch. "Even you¡¯re discriminating against him? He became self-reliant, so how has he be an object of suspicion?"


    "Okay, I won''t discriminate against him... How do you write his name? Wu as in ¡®crow¡¯?¡±


    Listening to this, Lin Dongxue knew that Chen Shi would still investigate him. Sure enough, in the face of a prisoner who had been released from prison, most people couldn¡¯t let go of their prejudices. Even Chen Shi was no exception.


    Afterwards, the topic between the two returned to the case. Chen Shi said, "The source of the newspapers is either from another scrap buying station or from other channels... It¡¯s a little difficult to handle."


    "What¡¯s your initial judgment on this case?"


    "The probability of them seeking money is high."


    "It¡¯s just this?"


    "I can only see this right now. We don''t even know the identity of the dead yet!"


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called them and asked them to hurry back. Lin Dongxue thought that there was an emergency. It turned out that the police nned to enter the sewers to salvage the remains. However, there were too many people around atching, and even paparazzi were around, causing a headache for the police. The masses wouldn¡¯t leave regardless of them asking politely or threateningly.


    This continued until 9:00 in the evening, when the local police also came to help. The masses gradually dispersed. The police were all burned out and exhausted.


    The sewer was pried open, and Peng Sijue and a forensic apprentice put on waterproof suits to prepare to go down. Before going, Peng Sijue said, "There¡¯s still one waterproof suit left. Who wants to go with me?"


    Everyone looked at each other with reluctance written on their faces. Peng Sijue looked at Chen Shi, "Old Chen?"


    Chen Shi waved his hand in rejection. "I¡¯m not going. I haven''t eaten any food yet. I''m afraid it will affect my appetite."


    "You¡¯re a little weak today!" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Don''t always expect things from me with a policeman''s standards. Are there no officers braver than me? I¡¯m a driver. Is there anything wrong with being afraid upon seeing a corpse? You¡¯re the captain. Why don''t you go in?"


    Seeing Chen Shi throw the pot[1] back to him, Lin Qiupu frowned. "I have to stay here andmand. What if the mediaes back again?"


    "Dongxue and I can handle that for you. Let this be a heroic example from you, Captain Lin."


    Lin Qiupu coughed and figured out what to say. "Everyone has their own parts to do. What I should and shouldn¡¯t do is not up to you."


    "I will also return this sentence to you." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Okay, okay." Peng Sijue couldn¡¯t watch them any longer. "I finally know that you¡¯re both heroes[2]. You guys should just stay up here!"


    "Old Peng!" Chen Shi stopped him.


    Peng Sijue thought that this guy had repented, but Chen Shi said, "Be careful down there!"


    It took half an hour for Peng Sijue toe up. They were extremely tired and their whole bodies were covered in sweat. With the help of the police, they quickly took off their hot, waterproof suits.


    They scraped threerge bags of human tissue from the sewer. All of it was minced up. Aside from this, there were also some hairs found. However, not a single bone was found.


    That night, Lin Qiupu reported the situation of the case to the chief and set up a task force for the case. Early next morning, everyone gathered in the office. Lin Qiupu exined the current situation.


    "...The identity, sex, and age of the deceased are still unknown. At present, there should only be only one victim. The murderer dismembered the body, shaved the meat off, and minced it before washing it away in the sewer. If it wasn¡¯t raining heavily, causing a blockage, it may not have been found. Arge bag of coarse salt was found in the house and a lot of it was mixed in with the meat. It should have been used to dy the rotting of the meat. In addition, we have the information obtained from the real estate agent, who imed that the tenant was called ''Mr. Shen''. He only negotiated with the real estate agent via the phone and made the payment. The lease contract has been dragged out without signing. It has already been rented for a month. The agent has tried to get the tenant to sign the contract several times, but he was never there. They changed the lock though. As for the phone number, it was a ruyitong card[3] where no ID is required... Based off of this information, the murder has been premeditated for a long time and they should have some criminal experience!"


    1. Pots and woks are used to describe problems, mess, etc.


    2. Peng Sijue is mocking them for not being brave enough.


    3. A brand of prepaid sim card.

 Chapter 475: Three Rabbit Holes

    <h4>Chapter 475: Three Rabbit Holes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The police reported their various findings. Neighbors said that the tenant might be a man or two men, but the neighbors didn¡¯t see them enter the unit with their own eyes because the stairs were dimly lit and their faces couldn¡¯t be seen clearly.


    Some takeaway boxes, empty cup noodles, and other garbage was found at the scene. After tracing them back to the source, the business and the delivery staff were found. They said that this family always sent a note telling them to only leave everything downstairs when ordering food. It would often be around 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening. The food-delivery person was a middle-aged man with slightly sparse hair. His body was average leaning towards being overweight. As for other characteristics, the descriptions they got from other delivery staff were all different from each other.


    The surveince cameras in themunity had been copied. The flow of people in and out of themunity was quiterge yesterday. It would take time and effort to verify everyone, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to find references for the suspect from within the people in a short time.¡±


    Then, Peng Sijue submitted his autopsy report. He said, "The corpse has already been minced like this, so many routine tests couldn¡¯t be carried out. We weighed the blood, organs and minced meat brought back from the scene and determined that it belongs to a single person. The deceased is a woman who is about 25 years old with a lot of fat umted in the inner walls of the small intestine. This indicates that her figure leaned towards being overweight and she had a hobby of smoking and drinking. I found that her stomach was almost empty and the blood sugar in the blood was low. She may not have eaten for a long period of time before her death. In addition, the abnormally high number of acidoglycoproteins and white blood cells in her blood indicate that she had been under intense stress for a long time prior to her death."


    Lin Qiupu said, "That means she was abused and imprisoned?"


    Peng Sijue didn¡¯t ept nor deny this im. Then, Chen Shi said, "You haven''t said the time of death."


    "This is difficult to judge. The corpse has already be like that. The murderer also added salt to the body which has affected the reproduction of bacteria. The preliminary conclusion is that the time of death is about three to five days ago."


    "Three to five days? The range is really big." Chen Shi pondered.


    Peng Sijue went on to say, "By the way, treponema pallidum, that is, syphilis, was also found on the deceased. It should have been in an early incubation state."


    Lin Qiupu nodded and asked Chen Shi, "What¡¯s your opinion on this?"


    Chen Shi said, "I was thinking about a question. Where is the murderer right now? The murderer quickly moved away after the incident was revealed, indicating that they were already prepared. Also, everyone here has visited the house. There was no bed or decent furniture, and it didn¡¯t look like a ce that people stayed at at all. I think the murderer may be elsewhere. It¡¯s likely that they have another hiding ce within the samemunity."


    Lin Qiupu said, "I thought you¡¯de up with more shocking opinions!"


    Chen Shi shrugged. "We can only see the corpse right now. Who is she? How did she die? Where did shee from? It¡¯s all unknown. We¡¯ll have to investigate slowly. But, I have a feeling that the murderer''s technique is professional and the mental quality is extremely high. This is unlikely the first time that they¡¯vemitted a crime. We should investigate some old cases!¡±


    Right now was the ice-breaking stage of the case. Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t assign anyone tasks and allowed everyone to investigate for clues however they wanted.


    Everyone went out one after another. Only Chen Shi sat back without moving. Lin Dongxue went over and urged him. "Let¡¯s investigate!"


    Chen Shi replied, "You should go by yourself. Or,e and check a number with me. The number the murderer used in renting the house."


    "Isn''t that number not bound to an ID card? How do we check it?"


    "Yeah, without the ID card binding it, the police can''t trace his true identity. He shouldn¡¯t use such a convenient number just once."


    "You mean..."


    "Go and call the real estate agent."


    The two of them turned on their phones and called each agency ording to a rental website. This work was very boring. As soon as the other party heard that they were police, six out of ten of them suspected them to be scammers. They said two or three words before hanging up, causing anger to well up in Lin Dongxue¡¯s stomach.


    While recording down the phone numbers of these agents, Chen Shi said, "Since they¡¯re treating us as scammers, we¡¯ll go over there and humiliate them in person.¡±


    "I¡¯ve made so many calls that I¡¯m about to vomit. It¡¯s as if I were a telemarketer."


    "Haha, our investigation is much more difficult than making telephone sales. In telemarketing, as long as wee across people who are willing to buy, it¡¯s fine. For us, we need to find the correct one when investigating."


    "So when you find the right one, the pleasure is greater than selling things, right?"


    "That''s right." Chen Shi dialed another number again. They repeated the same words countless times. "Hello, I''m from the Long''an City Public Security Bureau. We are investigating a case and want to find some information from you..."


    After hearing this, the other party asked, "You want to check a number? Read it out to me. I¡¯ll look it up on theputer."


    Chen Shi reported the number and waited calmly while continuing to y Lianliankan on theputer. At this time, the other party said, "This number has rented a house here with us before."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue almost jumped with excitement. Chen Shi asked, "What is the name of the tenant?"


    "The logs say ¡®Mr. Shen¡¯."


    "Is the contract signed?"


    "No, but the rent for a quarter of the year had been paid. My colleague has tried contacting him numerous times, wanting the contract to be signed, but he kept dragging it out. Later, the owner found a tenant and signed the contract with them. They prepared to move in and we thought that it would be a big problem where both sides would have a big dispute. We didn¡¯t think that this Mr. Shen would move away quietly by himself without contacting us or asking for a refund. I thought it was weird at the time. This person was either particrly rich, or doing something illegal that they didn¡¯t want others to see."


    "What about that house now?"


    "Someone lives there now. It''s a family of three."


    "This Mr. Shen. Have you or your colleagues seen him before?"


    "My colleague said he saw him once."


    Chen Shi was relieved and said, "We¡¯reing over now. It¡¯s almost noon. I¡¯ll invite you two to have a meal to understand the situation a bit better, okay?"


    Of course, Chen Shi wasn¡¯t going to treat them for nothing. He went to Peng Sijue to borrow something, took aptop, and then drove to the real estate agency with Lin Dongxue. The agents who received them were surnamed Wang and Liu. After exchanging some pleasantries, they followed Chen Shi to the nearest little restaurant and said that it was their honor to assist the police in handling the case. When the two were talking, they peeked at Lin Dongxue.


    Chen Shi asked, "Excuse me, which one of you has seen that Mr. Shen?"


    Agent Liu said, "It''s me. I¡¯ve only seen him once."


    "What does he look like?"


    "Uh, a little taller than me. A bit fat and a little bald."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces with each other subtlety. These features were the same as the person that the neighbors had witnessed. Chen Shi opened theptop and ced it in front of agent Liu. He said, "Could you please use this to restore the face you saw?"


    Theptop was equipped with portrait creation software. Agent Liu¡¯s brows were knitted as he slowly pieced together a face from what he remembered. His stomach was already making sounds and he said with a smile, "Howe the dishes haven''te up yet? Should I rush them?"


    "No, I just talked to the boss and told them to make the dishester, so just piece together the face first! I also ordered double cooked pork and sweet and sour pork ribs. When we¡¯re done, we can drink beer and eat a good meal, alright?" Chen Shi smiled.


    The two agents were shocked and stared at the fried dishes on the other tables while salivating. They thought that the policeman in front of them wasn¡¯t someone to be underestimated and could only continue to piece together the face.


    1. An expression used to describe sly and cunning people who don¡¯t just stay in one ce. Rabbits usually create many entrances and exits for themselves.

 Chapter 476: Suspected Corpse Abandonment Location

    <h4>Chapter 476: Suspected Corpse Abandonment Location</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The restored image of "Mr. Shen" was finallypleted. The two real estate agents were already starving. As soon as the dishes were brought over, they began gobbling it up zealously. After they had some food, Chen Shi said with a smile, "Gentleman, I still have something else I need to trouble you with."


    The two who had been starving for the past half hour were a little bit unhappy when they heard this. However, since they had already eaten the food, they had to say, "Oh, it¡¯s no trouble. Please let us know."


    "I want to go to the house that Mr. Shen rented before. Can you inform the tenant?"


    "Then, I¡¯ll give them a call and you guys can go yourselves."


    "You must be quite familiar with this area. It might take a long time before I find it, so I¡¯ll trouble you two to bring me over.¡±


    The two agents had to take them to themunity. Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi and pointed to a ce. They saw a pet dog sniffing at the drains below the building. The owner was pulling the leash to urge it to leave, but the dog kept sniffing at the area like it had been possessed.


    Chen Shi whispered, "There might be a second body here!"


    Only the male owner was in the house. He heard that the police wereing and said that he was willing to assist in the investigation. Chen Shi asked, "Have you met the previous tenant?"


    "No, the house was empty when I came over. I just moved in and lived here directly.¡±


    "What was the date you moved in?"


    "Umm..." The male owner took out his mobile phone and had a look. "May 11th. This was the picture I took on the day I moved in. I have a habit of taking pictures wherever I move. In case there¡¯s any disputes after that, there would be evidence."


    "It''s a good habit. Can I take a look?"


    Chen Shi took the phone and looked at it with Lin Dongxue. There were a lot of newspapers put up in the living room with some grease-like things on the newspapers. This was probably another corpse dismembering scene. They weren¡¯t sure how the male owner would feel after he found out about this.


    Chen Shi sent a copy of these photos to his own phone. Then, he said that they needed to go into the bathroom to have a look.


    He squatted in the bathroom to inspect around the ce. He took a sample in the gap between the tiles and tested it with reagents. There was no result. The male owner said, "My wife loves to clean. The toilet has been repeatedly cleaned with disinfectant."


    "What did it look like before? As in, when you first moved in?"


    "Although it''s the same, it was a bit dirty. There was always some hair blocking the sewer. I feel like the previous tenant must have been a woman... Ah, yes, let me tell you something. Around June, there¡¯d be a hum around the drains at night that was so noisy that nobody could sleep. I boiled a pot of water and poured it into the pipe. As a result, arge swarm of flies flew out when I poured the hot water in. It was so disgusting.¡±


    ¡°How big were the flies?"


    "As big as watermelon seeds."


    Chen Shi smiled. "There are both big and small watermelon seeds."


    "About this big!" The male host gestured by squeezing his little finger.


    "Did they have green heads?"


    "Yes, how did you know?"


    Chen Shi looked towards the water pipe and asked, "Was it from here?"


    "Correct."


    The sewerage pipe wasn¡¯t straight. There are many bends in the middle, so there may have been rotten meat stuck in it, breeding this kind of rotten meat-eating fly. When Chen Shi was hesitating whether to unscrew the section of the water pipe to have a look, Lin Dongxue walked in with a hammer and asked, "Sir, did you buy this?"


    "Yes."


    "You should answer after some careful thinking. If it¡¯s tested to have something, who would be responsible?¡±


    The male owner was a little nervous. "No. What case are you investigating? Did someone die here?"


    "I¡¯m asking you about the hammer."


    "This... It¡¯s not mine. I found it in the corner when I moved in. I used it to hammer down a nail a couple of days ago and just left it there."


    Lin Dongxue also saw the hammer in the photo, so she determined that it wasn¡¯t the male owners.


    Lin Dongxue handed the hammer to Chen Shi. The average person was unlikely to scrub the hammer clean. Even after a few months, the traces on it should have still been retained. Chen Shi wiped the surface carefully with an alcohol swab, then threw the cotton swab into the kit and waited for a while. After a while, the kit changed color.


    Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "It''s human blood!"


    "Shhhh!" Chen Shi made a gesture for her to be silent and said to the host, "I need to borrow the toilet."


    "Okay!"


    When Lin Dongxue and the male host retreated outside, the male host asked, "Officer, don''t hide it from me. Did thest tenant do anything illegal?"


    "This is not convenient for us to disclose. It¡¯s still under investigation!"


    "Ah, I actually regret moving here. It always felt weird. I often have nightmares at night. My child''s grades have declined for a while as well. I feel that the Feng Shui here isn¡¯t very good."


    "I don''t know too much about Feng Shui." Lin Dongxue smiled awkwardly.


    "By the way, let me tell you something. There are always strange peopleing over and asking me if I¡¯ve seen Little Li. I don¡¯t know of any Little Li. This group of people seems to be unwilling to give up and often wanders around nearby. My lover doesn''t dare toe back from work alone. I have to pick her up every time. This situation hassted for half a month. I wonder if this Little Li is the previous tenant.¡±


    "Who are those people? Do you still have any impressions of them? Do you remember their license te numbers?"


    "They don¡¯t look like good people. I feel like they¡¯re triads. The license te number... It should be a local license te, but I can¡¯t remember the number. The cars they drive are very loud. When they drive over in the morning, it vibrates so much that my heart feels like it¡¯s going toe out.¡±


    "Is there anything else?"


    "If I remember anything, I¡¯ll let you know, okay? Can I have your contact information?"


    Lin Dongxue left him a business card and the male owner asked again, "I¡¯ve already said so much. Can you tell me whether this is a homicide or not? I need to be mentally prepared.¡±


    Chen Shi came out of the bathroom and said, "It''s not a homicide. You can live in peace!"


    "That''s good then."


    Leaving the male host, Chen Shi raised a small stic bag with some dark things in it. Lin Dongxue asked what it was and Chen Shi replied, "It was scratched out from the sewage pipe. It took a long time for me to get mentally prepared, bring up some courage, and reach in. It looks like minced meat that¡¯s been carbonized. There¡¯s still a few hairs wrapped in it along with some dead flies.¡±


    Lin Dongxue nced at it and frowned. "How disgusting."


    Chen Shi smiled. "With this psychological quality of ours, it seems like neither of us can be forensic pathologiests... What did the man tell you?"


    Lin Dongxue repeated what was told to her and Chen Shi nodded. "That also counts as a clue. Let''s go and talk to the security guard."


    When they got to the security duty room and mentioned these suspicious people, the security guard said he was familiar with them. At that time, they often came over to harass the residents. When the security drove them away, they said the group came with very cocky attitudes to find someone. The security guards couldn¡¯t do anything and had to call the manager to handle it. The manager said that this group were triads and to try not to provoke them. However, they had to be mindful of them and be alert. In case they really did do anything, it wouldn¡¯t be toote to call the police then.


    The security guard took out a book and said, "This is their license te number that I copied down. See if it helps."


    Chen Shi was overjoyed. "It''s super helpful. Thank you!"

 Chapter 477: Follow The Vine To Get The Melon

    <h4>Chapter 477: Follow The Vine To Get The Melon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went back first and handed the evidence they obtained to Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue held it in his hands to examine it for a moment. "This is not human tissue. To be precise, it¡¯s the excrement left after insects had eaten it.¡±


    "Can you detect the DNA from it?"


    "That''s a bit difficult. I''ll go back to the site to get another sample."


    "Ah, you don''t know the situation. There are people living there. They¡¯re a family of three. If you aren¡¯t worried about the trouble, you can go. I won¡¯t bother with this anymore.¡±


    At that time, the Traffic Management Bureau called over and said that the unit that the license te number was registered to was a health club. After hearing the name and address, Chen Shi understood. He said to Lin Dongxue, "You don''t need to go anymore. It''s a prostitution ce. Let me go in for a secret visit."


    "Huh? A secret visit?"


    "Don''t look at me with that kind of look. Do you think I¡¯d go and actually make a purchase? That time when I was caught, it was actually Wang Daji who went there. Do you still not believe me?¡±


    "I didn''t say anything. Why did you suddenly start to justify for yourself? Is it your guilty conscience?"


    "I surrender! I surrender!" Chen Shi smiled. "You rest here. I¡¯lle back soon."


    "Everyone¡¯s so busy here. How can I be so thick-skinned as to rest here alone? I¡¯ll go with you!"


    Chen Shi had no choice but to agree. Lin Dongxue asked while on the road, "How do you know it¡¯s that kind of ce as soon as you hear the name?"


    "Don''t forget that I¡¯m a driver. I¡¯m more familiar with Long¡¯an than you guys. When the night is quiet, there are often male passengers who go to such ces. Wouldn¡¯t I be able to guess just from that?"


    "So it turned out to be like that! Do you want to contact the local police toe over and sweep the yellow?[2]"


    Chen Shi waved his hand. "Don''t cause amotion as soon as we go. We need to first uncover the corner and see what¡¯s happening inside first. It¡¯s not toote to sweep the yellow after the investigation.¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought out loud, "Is the missing person a prostitute? When I heard Captain Peng say that the deceased had syphilis in the morning, I was thinking whether she would be in that kind of upation. It reminded me of a case."


    "Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I know. The 714 case."


    "Correct!"


    The 714 case was rtively well-known in the city and even the whole country. This happened a few years ago. A criminal gang specifically kidnapped sex workers and forced the sex workers to tell them their bank card passwords by using torture methods. They took away all their assets, killed them cruelly, dismembered them, and threw the body parts away.


    The gangmitted crimes everywhere. There were six[3] sex workers killed in total. They targeted women who weren¡¯t from the city. Even if they disappeared, people who knew them wouldn¡¯t report the crime. Plus, they generally had some savings no matter what. Both the mentality and motivation can be said to be extremely insidious.


    In the end, the gang was arrested in Long¡¯an. Song Lang hadn¡¯t participated in the case, so Chen Shi wasn¡¯t very clear about the specific situation.


    He parked the car outside the health club and told Lin Dongxue that he woulde back in a while before going upstairs. After entering the club, an employee asked Chen Shi what service he wanted. Chen Shi asked, "What services are there?"


    "Ordinary services include foot therapy, massage, and health care."


    "Listening to you, there are unordinary services then?"


    "Sir, were you introduced to us by a friend?"


    "Yes, I was introduced by a friend."


    "Then, this gentleman should know what services there are then?" The employee lowered his voice. His tone was full of hints.


    Chen Shi smiled and asked, "What price?"


    "One thousand yuan an hour."


    "That''s a bit expensive."


    "It isn¡¯t. Our service is good, the environment is good, and thedies are of high quality. Shall I take you to a room to have a look?"


    Chen Shi stood still. "Can I name someone?"


    "You can."


    "I want to find a girl named Little Li."


    The employee¡¯s expression changed slightly. Then, he took Chen Shi to a room. After a few minutes, the people who came in weren¡¯t girls, but a few strong men wearing unkind looks. They surrounded Chen Shi and the big man with a ponytail took the lead. "Is she in your hands?"


    "No, actually, I came to find her too."


    "Are you ying with me?!" The man grabbed Chen Shi''s clothes and widened his eyes.


    Chen Shi took out a document and pushed it in front of the eyes of the big man. When the man saw the words "Public Security", he immediately spread his hand as if he¡¯d been shocked by electricity. Then, he immediately reached out to smooth the folds on Chen Shi''s clothes, apanied with a smiling face. "It turns out you¡¯re an officer, you... What have youe here for?"


    "I already said I¡¯m looking for someone. Didn¡¯t you go to Anhui Community a month ago to find someone named Little Li? How did you guys know she was there?"


    "Uh, no..."


    Chen Shi sighed. "Don''t act anymore. Would we havee here without evidence? To tell you the truth, Little Li may no longer be here anymore. We are investigating a homicide case. I really don''t care if you¡¯re involved in prostitution. We aren¡¯t in charge of that either. Please cooperate with us on matters of life and death. You also want to find Little Li, right?"


    Ponytail pondered for a moment and told his men to go out. Then, he asked Chen Shi to take his phone out and put it on the table. He was afraid that Chen Shi would secretly record them.


    He said, "Officer, Little Li''s original name is Li Qiuli. To be honest, she was here as a prostitute. She¡¯s worked for over a year. She suddenly stoppeding to work at the end of May this year and we couldn¡¯t get through to her phone. So, we looked for her everywhere."


    "Why are you looking for her? Afraid she ran away?"


    Ponytail waved his hands over and over. "No, we¡¯re not forcing them to be prostitutes. I will tell you this. The girls who are heree voluntarily. Think about it. How much can you earn at work in a month? And how much can they earn here in a month? It¡¯spletely voluntary. No matter how you put it, we¡¯re an enterprise that needs to be responsible for our own brand and employees. One of them is missing, so of course we¡¯d have to find her. Otherwise, who would want to work here in the future?¡±


    "Yes, yes, I understand. By the way, how did you find thatmunity?"


    "Through inquiries."


    "Can you inquire in such a detailed manner? Even the house number was correct."


    "What? Little Li was really missing there?"


    "Answer my question first."


    Ponytail stammered and admitted that there was a GPS on Little Li''s mobile phone. Chen Shi¡¯s logic followed this train of information. It was likely that the youngdies here were secretly monitored to prevent them from running away. However, he didn¡¯t expose this matter.


    Chen Shi said, "Understood. You¡¯re also worried about her safety."


    "Yes, yes. We¡¯re apany and we care about our employees... Has Little Li been found? I mean, it¡¯s okay even if she¡¯s dead or alive.¡±


    "We might have found her, but we¡¯re not sure. Do you have her specific details? It¡¯s best to have an ID number."


    Ponytail covered his mouth. "She... She really got killed? Who did it?"


    "We''re still checking, but it''s definitely not the man you were looking for. He just lives there and knows nothing, just like you guys."


    Ponytail nodded. "Wait a minute, I''ll give you Little Li''s details."


    1. Track down. Follow up a clue and seize the culprit.


    2. Term often associated with purging sexual transactions and pornography. Arrest people involved in prostitution.


    3. The author says five going forward, so I¡¯m not sure which is the correct one.

 Chapter 478: Conditions From a Prisoner With a Death Sentence

    <h4>Chapter 478: Conditions From a Prisoner With a Death Sentence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi got Little Li''s information, nced at it roughly, and asked Ponytail, "Are you familiar with your peers in the same industry in this city?"


    Ponytail hesitated, "Uh... There are a few people I know."


    "Please do me a favor and help me ask which youngdies of theirs have disappeared recently. They need to be about 25 years old, slightly fat, and have a hobby of smoking and drinking. They also had syphilis in its incubation stages.¡±


    "Officer, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help. I don''t have that ability. I''m also a worker and I don''t have many connections in the circle."


    "If you do me this favor, I¡¯ll give you more connections from the police. It will only benefit you. Besides, I''m not getting you to do anything illegal. This group of criminals specializes in harming women who¡¯ve strayed and gone into prostitution, breaking your financial path while also challenging the prestige of the police. I will now give you a chance to make a contribution. If you don¡¯t help, I¡¯ll ask others."


    Ponytail changed his attitude immediately. He said with a smile, "Officer, I¡¯ll help you with this. Then if I help you with this, would you let this brother know in advance if there are any sweeping yellow and anti-vice activities in the future?"


    Chen Shiughed. "Talking about the conditions so quickly? How smart! Rest assured, we will meet again."


    Ponytail thought it was a hint as well as a promise, and the two parties exchanged contact information.


    When Chen Shi returned to the car, Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "What was inside?"


    "Looks like an ordinary massage parlor. I got Little Li''s information."


    "I just called the bureau and asked the brothers to help me check. Shen, the principal offender in the 714 case, was arrested two years ago. There was also an aplice, Zhou, who was a female. The rtionship between the two is boyfriend and girlfriend. Zhou was also a sex worker before, but because of a conflict with a colleague, she called her boyfriend, Shen[1] to vent her anger. Shen[2] kidnapped the first victim, tortured her, and forced her to spit out her bank card password before they killed and dismembered her. The two made a fortune of 400,000 and found that this was a fast way to make money. Then, they continued to find sex workers and ran aroundmitting crimes everywhere until they were arrested."


    "Using this as a way to make money... These two people are inhumane. Are there any others?"


    "The police investigated at the time and found that there might be another aplice, but Shen and Zhou were very tight-lipped. Both of them were sentenced to death and they shouldered everything. They didn¡¯t disclose the whereabouts of the aplice. They may still be roaming free even now. Old Chen, I think this case may bemitted by the other offender. It¡¯s too simr in all aspects!"


    Chen Shi pondered for a moment. "To exin this, we must find the person. Why don¡¯t we pay a visit to Shen?"


    "Will he say anything now that he¡¯s a death row prisoner? Nothing can be used to bluff him."


    "Let¡¯s try it. He¡¯s been squatting in prison for a long time now. Maybe his mentality has changed!"


    The two bought some roast chicken, beer, peanuts and the like along the way. They went to the reform and correctional facility in the suburbs. After exining the situation with the prison officers, they waited in the reception room. Chen Shi said, "It''s good to be a policeman. Being able to see the legendary thief when you want to, it¡¯s an opportunity most people wouldn¡¯t be able to have."


    "Tch, they aren¡¯t stars. Most people wouldn¡¯t want to see them, except for weird people like you."


    The death row prisoner who killed five[3] people looked verymon. He was wearing a numbered shirt, had close-cropped hair, and looked very wretched. He was brought in by hand from the other door by the prison guard while in handcuffs. The guard handcuffed him to the ring on the edge of the table. Shen was very honest throughout the entire time.


    Shen nced at the two of them. His eyes stayed on Lin Dongxue''s face for a while, but he didn¡¯t act out of line. Instead, he said with a smile, "Government[4], I¡¯m going to be shot next month. If you¡¯vee to question me now, has something happened outside?"


    "Your sense of smell is very sharp." Chen Shi said, "I''m not afraid to tell you the truth. Someone is paying tribute to the case youmitted a few years back. It may be that aplice of yours who escaped back then.¡±


    "Hasn¡¯t my aplice already been arrested? She¡¯s locked in the female cells right now!"


    Chen Shi opened the food on the table. Smelling the delicious roasted chicken, Shen gulped down his saliva and licked his lips constantly. Chen Shi asked as if he was luring a small animal, "Want to eat it?"


    Shen nodded desperately.


    "If you want to eat it, then be honest. This may be thest chance you can have a beautiful meal before you¡¯re shot. I won''t fool you. As long as you talk, this roast chicken, peanuts, braised vegetables, and sausages can be eaten at your will. I also have a carton of Hongtashan. You can take it back to smoke in your cell."


    Shenughed.


    "Want to eat it?"


    "I do!"


    "Are you going to talk?"


    Shen smiled and shook his head.


    "Then I think you still don''t want to eat it."


    Shen shook his head again. "No, government, I certainly want to eat it."


    "Talk then!"


    Shenughed in a vague manner again, making what he wanted unpredictable. Lin Dongxue warned, "Don''t y Tai Chi with us[5]. If you don¡¯t want to talk, then it¡¯s fine. We don¡¯t have time to waste with you.¡±


    Chen Shi cooperated with her and acted out the rest of the performance. "Since he doesn¡¯t want to confess, I¡¯ll ask the prison guard to take him away!"


    "Aiya!" Shen held out a hand. "I... I haven''t been exposed to oil[6] for a long time. When I see these things, even if you put poison inside, I want to eat them! But, I¡¯m not stupid. I know that if it¡¯s food from the police, I wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it for nothing.¡±


    "What''s the point of your loyalty right now? You¡¯re about to die. We checked. You don''t have brothers or children. That partner can''t be your rtive, so why don''t you give him up for a good meal? Even if you tell us now, he will go through the legal process for at least a few months and won¡¯t meet you in prison. For you, he¡¯s a non-existent person. "


    "I understand! I understand!" Shenughed. "In order to find this lead, you police have spared much effort. But, I know that you won¡¯t care about me once I tell you. I¡¯ll die soon and it doesn¡¯t make sense to bear it. Since it¡¯ll be forced out sooner orter, it¡¯s better to ask for a bigger reward. I have one request. If you are willing to satisfy me, I¡¯ll talk. If not, then forget it.¡±


    "What''s the requirement?" Chen Shi had already vaguely guessed that if it wasn''t food, it would probably be sex.


    "Get my girl over. I¡¯ll have a reunion with her. I¡¯ll tell you when it¡¯s done.¡± Shen continued to smile.


    Lin Dongxue''s cheeks twitched. "Will you really just have a catch up?"


    "Oh, it¡¯s embarrassing to say it so explicitly in front of this female officer, but you should know what we¡¯re doing when we meet... Right, she should have her period on the 7th. If you want to bring her over, you need to take advantage of these next two days. After that, we can only wait for after the 10th.¡±


    Lin Dongxue frowned. "Don¡¯t turn your nose up. Who would satisfy you with this requirement? You really think that we can''t solve the case without you."


    Shen said with a grin, "Then, forget it. Take the food and drinks away. I¡¯m a person who¡¯s going to die, so there¡¯s not much difference in having a meal or not.¡± Then, Shen stood up ready to go.


    1. Pretty sure the author means to say Shen, because he calls him ¡°Shen¡± going forward. But here, the author wrote that her boy was called ¡°Xu¡±. It will only happen once more.


    2. Pretty sure the author means to say Shen, because he calls him ¡°Shen¡± going forward. But here, the author wrote that her boy was called ¡°Xu¡±. This is the second andst time ¡°Xu¡± is mentioned.


    3. I¡¯m pretty sure the author wrote six women earlier.


    4. Some people address anyone who makes or enforces thew as ¡°government¡±.


    5. Don¡¯t y games with us. Usually used to address people talking in circles.


    6. As in, he¡¯s only been able to have nd food in prison.

 Chapter 479: Who Is The Accomplice?

    <h4>Chapter 479: Who Is The Aplice?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. This death row criminal actually dared to y chess with the police. Chen Shi said, "Slow down. The matter you¡¯ve asked for isn¡¯t so easily done. We¡¯ll go to the women¡¯s prison andmunicate with them. Then, we¡¯ll inform you.¡±


    "Hey!" Lin Dongxue desperately whispered, hinting that he shouldn¡¯t be fooled.


    Shen sat back down again and said, "You have to do it as soon as possible. Her period wille the day after tomorrow. If we meet then, you really think we¡¯ll just have a catch-up?"


    "Okay, I will do it as soon as I go out."


    Shen smiled and rubbed his hands excitedly. "This officer is easier to talk to. I wish you a smooth case."


    Chen Shi also smiled, put the things on the table in a stic bag, and pushed it in front of him. "You should also hold onto these. But, there is a condition. You have to disclose at least a little information, so we know that you really have the information."


    "When I see my girl..."


    "I¡¯ll only ask one question!"


    Shen''s eyes darted around. He weighed the proposal in his mind. "If the question is too much, I won''t answer it."


    "Okay! Let me ask you this: When you were arrested, you knew that the aplice would stillmit crimes, right?"


    Shen''s eyes changed. He was about to nod, but suddenly started shaking his head again.


    Chen Shi seemed to get a satisfactory answer. He pushed the bag in his hands and said, "Take it!"


    "As soon as possible. As soon as possible, government!"


    After leaving the prison, Lin Dongxue said, "You¡¯ve always been very smart. How can you get fooled so easily? It¡¯s a scam. He¡¯s a death row prisoner who isn¡¯t afraid of anything. He definitely just wants to scam some more benefits at once.¡±


    "I know that there¡¯s a high probability this is a scam, but from the perspective of ie revenue and expenditure, even if he scammed us, we wouldn¡¯t have sustained much of a loss. If he isn¡¯t scamming us, we would make a big profit."


    Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows and thought about it. Allowing the two death row prisoners to meet was just a matter of putting in some effort.


    "Moreover, he even knows the other''s physiological period clearly, indicating that he has long nned to make this transaction. He will talk. Believe me just this once!"


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "I really hope that you¡¯ll be cheated one day. You¡¯re still so confident."


    "Ah, which side are you standing on! Call your brother! No, your brother¡¯s words may not work. Ask the chief."


    "I... I haven''t spoken with the chief before. How can I make this kind of request?"


    "Let me do it!"


    The two returned to the bureau. Lin Dongxue brought Chen Shi into the chief¡¯s office. Chen Shi greeted the chief politely, and then said he hoped for a favor. The chief thought for a while before saying, ¡°Little Lin, you should go out first.¡±


    "Oh... Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue waited anxiously outside. Chen Shi came out twenty minutester, and she asked nervously, "How was it?"


    "He agreed. Your chief is easy to talk to."


    "No way, this... He agreed to this?"


    "The chief said that I¡¯ve solved many cases in the team. They owe me a favor. It doesn''t matter even if they help me a little. Besides, my original intention was to investigate the case."


    Lin Dongxue both admired and suspected him. Chen Shi and the chief wouldn¡¯t know each other right? It was the first time he asked the chief for help, but it went so smoothly!


    At the meeting the next morning, Peng Sijue said that he went to themunity where Little Li went missing yesterday. After careful investigation, female DNA was found at the scene. Little Li¡¯s parents weren¡¯t from the city, so there was no way topare them. The house was probably the ce where the murderer stayed.


    Along with the second scene, it meant that there are more eyewitnesses. After the real estate agent pieced together a face with the software and the neighbors¡¯ confirmation, the sketch artist was able to redo and create an official portrait. Now the suspect¡¯s sketch hade out.


    Ponytail said that ady from XX Foot Care Club had disappeared for a week, and the characteristics basically matched the first body. She was named Little Feng.


    The police checked the bank cards of the two missing women and found that they withdrew all the money in their cards at the end of May and the end of July. 300,000 and 250,000 were withdrawn respectively.


    This kind of tactic to gain ie by targeting women who had strayed was determined by the police to be a copy of the 714 case two years ago. The suspect was most likely the aplice who escaped justice.


    Today''s task was mainly to investigate Little Feng and Little Li to see if there was any connection between the murderer and them. Of course, considering the particrity of their workce, they may have to take a cautious approach.


    Chen Shi greeted the others and left with Lin Dongxue first. The two went to the women¡¯s prison with the document signed by the chief and brought the person out to the prison.


    In order to prevent Shen from ying any tricks, Chen Shi nned a two-handed approach and asked Lin Dongxue to question Zhou in the reception room first. Zhou didn¡¯t care about anything Lin Dongxue said, saying that she wouldn¡¯t say anything if she couldn¡¯t see her boyfriend.


    At 10:00 in the morning, Shen was taken by the prison guard to a visitation room. They let him nce from the window. When he saw that Zhou was sitting inside, Shen jumped excitedly towards the window. "You really kept your word. I give. I give. Rest assured, I¡¯ll tell you everything when we¡¯re done.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "I didn''t say you could meet now."


    "What?"


    "When you tell me about the aplice, I will let you in immediately. Don¡¯t worry, your girlfriend came from the women''s prison miles away. We won¡¯t trick you guys." As he said this, Chen Shi handed a condom to Shen.


    It could be seen that Shen was really impatient. He looked like he didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. "Master officer, don''t y with me. How many times have I dealt with you guys? I know how sly you guys are. We¡¯ll talk after I¡¯ve had my reunion. Didn¡¯t we agree to this?¡±


    "I don''t remember saying that to you. I promised you that you and your girlfriend could have a reunion, but you have to tell me the intelligence I require."


    "Reunion first!"


    "This is our bottom line. If you don¡¯t talk, then don¡¯t think you can enter this door.¡±


    Shen was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t handle it. At this time, his IQ was discounted[1]. Seeing Chen Shi standing so firm, he almost wanted to kneel and kowtow. Finally, under the impact of hormones, the sad male instinct made him admit defeat.


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll talk. I¡¯ll talk. But if you y me, may you be struck by the Gods and lightning!"


    "I won''t fool you. Just talk."


    "Actually... Actually, there¡¯s no aplice at all. It¡¯s because you checked in the wrong direction."


    "Huh? Are you ying with me?"


    "Aiya!" Shen stomped on the ground anxiously. "Would I tell a lie at this time? There is no aplice. The reason why you think this is because of another person¡¯s set of fingerprints found on the scene and the 200,000 missing from our stash. I¡¯ll tell you the truth. It¡¯s because it was stolen from me! It sounds like nonsense, but it¡¯s true. I killed five[2] prostitutes. When I was done, a thief pried the safe and stole 200,000 from me. After prying, they called the police and told them that I was murdering people. I didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have rented a house in a poorly secured area. After I was arrested, I repeatedly told you that there was no aplice. No aplice. But you all just didn¡¯t believe me! Since you all insisted there was an aplice, I followed along with your usations to see if I could get some benefits!¡±


    1. Popr phrase. Commonly used to express that something (in this case, IQ), was lowered/has dissipated


    2. I¡¯m pretty sure they initially said six. But thest two times it was mentioned, the author said five...

 Chapter 480: Apprentice

    <h4>Chapter 480: Apprentice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening to these words, Chen Shi was also a little surprised. However at this moment, Shen¡¯s IQ had plummeted as if sperm had gone up to his brain. If he wanted to lie, he wouldn¡¯t lie in such an unskilled manner. Furthermore, his expression wasn¡¯t that of someone who was lying.


    Chen Shi said, "Okay, I believe you... When I asked you that question yesterday, what did you mean by nodding your head and then shaking your head after that? Is there anything else you¡¯re hiding from me?"


    Shen''s expression was one of embarrassment and he was hesitant to speak. Chen Shi said, "The things I promised will definitely be done, but you have to tell me the truth first."


    "Brother, I¡¯m not familiar with you. How do I know if you¡¯ll do it or not?!"


    Listening to his tone, Shen was likely to know the clues regarding this case. Chen Shi stood firm. "If you don¡¯t talk, I won''t let you enter this door."


    Shen looked at Zhou, who was sitting in the room, before stomping his feet in anxiety. He sighed and shook his head. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time in his heart, he said, "Okay, okay, okay. l admit defeat. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so tough. I¡¯ll believe you once... Although I didn¡¯t have any associates back then, there was someone in the prison who was particrly interested in my past. I talked to him a lot. In your words, I taught him criminal skills and recognized him as an apprentice!"


    "So it was like that. I knew you were hiding something. What''s that person''s name?"


    Shen hesitated. He knew that this was thest card in his hand and there was no other bartering chip to y after he told him. However, Chen Shi¡¯s eyes were firm. He could only confess. "Zhang Xiao. He¡¯s a fraudster. We met at the detention cell at the station. After I went to prison, we didn¡¯t contact each other again.¡±


    Chen Shi''s expression loosened as he pushed the door behind him. "You should reunite with your partner. You only get two hours!"


    Shen was overjoyed and said a lot of words of gratitude. Lin Dongxue also retreated. The "reunion" process was monitored by a video camera in its entirety. After all, the prison side was also afraid of something happening and had to take preventative measures even if the possibility was low.


    Chen Shi called the bureau and checked the scammer named Zhang Xiao. He went to courtst year, but because he revealed several of his associates, he was only sentenced to half a year.


    Zhang Xiao in the photo was very simr to the suspect''s sketch. The big stone weighing down on Chen Shi¡¯s heart was lifted.


    Lin Dongxue said, "This man used to be a scammer, but now he¡¯s actually engaged in murder-for-wealth activities. The transformation is far too great."


    Chen Shi said, "His rap sheet is terrible in all areas. Before, in order to reduce his sentence, he exposed hispanions. He certainly can¡¯t go back to scamming. These people can do anything for money. I¡¯m actually not surprised.¡±


    That afternoon, Lin Qiupu found Zhang Xiao¡¯s current hiding ce. The police rushed there, quietly tread upstairs, and opened his door, but the house was empty.


    This was a temporarily rented apartment with a small area. Because the door and windows were closed, there was an unpleasant smell inside. Chen Shi found that there was a pot on the kitchen stove and there were leftover instant noodles in there. He examined the noodles. "He was here untilst night."


    Lin Qiupu put away his gun. "This kid should not know that he¡¯s been exposed. He mighte back. We should wait here for the rabbit!¡±


    "I¡¯ll stay." Chen Shi said.


    Then, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong also voluntarily stayed. Lin Qiupu told them to be careful. He also ced some more people around the area and notified the local police station toe over to assist. When Zhang Xiao appeared, he needed to be immediately arrested.


    All the bits and pieces from the room were taken by the police as evidence. The task of staying there to wait for the suspect was really boring. Chen Shi walked around the room, picked up the books on the shelf, and said with emotion, "This kid actually read a lot of books on how to be sessful. They¡¯re all highlighted. It seems like he really wants to get rich.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve always doubted this kind of book. If sess could be taught, wouldn''t everyone seed?"


    Chen Shi argued, "You can¡¯t say it like that. Understanding can be easy, but taking action is hard. Many people understand these principles, but they just can¡¯t do it.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong looked around the room. "Looking at the things in this house, you wouldn''t think this was the house of a murderer."


    Lin Dongxue responded, "This isn¡¯t something that can be seen from the room. Some murderer¡¯s rooms are full of world-famous novels in them!"


    Chen Shi found a bottle of unopened Wuliangye[1] in the cupboard. However, the owner of the house gave off a feeling like he didn¡¯t drink. He had only soft drinks in the refrigerator. Additionally, he also found supermarket-style stir-fried dishes in the refrigerator. From the receipt, it was a recent purchase.


    He had a feeling that the owner was going to invite someone for food, but he wasn¡¯t sure if the person who wasing to the house had anything to do with the case.


    They waited until 3:00 in the afternoon. Xu Xiaodong was so bored that he fell asleep on the sofa. Chen Shi suggested, "Let¡¯s go out for a walk!"


    "What if the suspect returns?"


    "Isn''t Xiaodong here? And we won''t go far. Just to the property managers office to have a look at the surveince footage."


    "Okay!"


    The two went to the property manager¡¯s office and asked to watch thetest surveince footage. Lin Qiupu suddenly called and asked, "Who allowed you two to leave your post without permission?"


    Chen Shi said, "I suggested it. It has nothing to do with Dongxue."


    "Enough excuses. Head back soon!"


    Chen Shi copied the footage for thest few days and then returned to the suspect¡¯s residence with Lin Dongxue. Lin Qiupu came over from the bureau. "The results of the trace identification came out. The person who lives here is indeed Zhang Xiao. I also called and checked all of his bank cards. There¡¯s one who was opened using his mum¡¯s name. Over the recent months, he¡¯s deposited over 700,000 into the card."


    "Seven hundred thousand? Those two victims were robbed of 300,000 and 250,000. This indicates that there¡¯s at least one other victim." Chen Shi said.


    "But the money is already gone. It was transferred away yesterday!"


    "What? Can you trace it?"


    "Still checking."


    Chen Shi looked around the room. "How was he alerted so quickly? This kid might have run away already."


    Lin Dongxue said, "After someone called the police in thatmunity, he might have been alerted... Brother, should we still stay here?"


    Lin Qiupu was also unsure. After all, this was the suspect¡¯s residence. He may stille back. Chen Shi said, "Don¡¯t put all the eggs in one basket. If he ran away, we might still be able to catch him if we chase after him now. Xiaodong and I will guard here. If Zhang Xiao reallyes back, we can handle him."


    Xu Xiaodong cried with a sad face, "Why is it me again? I want to go home and feed the cat!"


    Lin Qiupu gave implied permission. "You guys need to be careful there."


    Chen Shi said, "By the way, I haven''t finished investigating on the real estate agency side. I''ll check it again. Maybe I can find another victim."


    The other police officers left first while Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong stayed. The two didn¡¯t dare to turn on the lights. They could only sit on the sofa and y with their mobile phones. At night, they called for some takeaway food for dinner. In the middle of it, Chen Shi let Xu Xiaodong go home briefly beforeing back to wait.


    This work was boring, but fortunately, it wasn¡¯t tiring. Chen Shi took it as a chance to rest.


    At 9:00 in the evening, Xu Xiaodong was tired of ying with his mobile phone. "Brother Chen, I don¡¯t think he¡¯lle back to this den."


    "Don''t make an assumption too early. Sometimes what you think won''t happen will happen. The world is weird like that."


    "Why haven''t I encountered it before? I thought I¡¯d fail my exams and I really failed my exams. I thought my girlfriend might break up with me and we really broke up. There have never been any surprises."


    "If you have such urate hunches, you should buy lottery tickets."


    "I bought them, but I never won. I¡¯m only ever urate with my bad premonitions. It¡¯s useless for good things..." Xu Xiaodong suddenly stopped talking because there was the sound of footsteps outside the door, which was particrly clear in the dead of night...


    1. Alcohol brand that specializes in baijiu.

 Chapter 481: Pitiful People Must Have Hateful Places

    <h4>Chapter 481: Pitiful People Must Have Hateful ces</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi opened the door directly. Standing outside the door was Lin Dongxue carrying a bag in her hands. She raised the bag in front of her and smiled. "I was afraid you guys would get bored. I brought some food and drinks."


    "We aren¡¯t hungry. It¡¯s best to have a woman in order to relieve boredom." Chen Shi said.


    "Screw you!"


    Lin Dongxue came in and asked, "Is it boring staying here? Why are you voluntarily performing this task? It¡¯s very inconsistent with your restless personality."


    Chen Shi replied, "Everyone is looking for a needle in a haystack right now. I think the chance of catching the suspect here is a little better... Any new progress?"


    "We¡¯ve searched for Zhang Xiao''s rtives and friends. He hasn''tmunicated with his rtives or friends recently. Most people don''t even know that he¡¯s out of prison. In addition, the bank''s surveince monitoring shows that a thin, tall man took part of the money from his card. The ATM machine has a withdrawal limit. He withdrew 100,000 yuan in cash and the rest of the money was transferred to another card. The ount owner is called Zheng Jingjing, but it may be a fake ID card bought online."


    "It seems that the suspect is likely to have an aplice. Is this card frozen yet?"


    "Captain Lin has contacted the bank and will handle it tomorrow morning."


    "I suggest not freezing it yet. Freezing it would be telling the other party that the police are targeting them. They have enough cash in their hands to run away, and they¡¯ll only be more difficult to find at the time. 700,000 isn¡¯t necessarily a gigantic sum. The point is to catch them."


    "Uh, let me tell my brother!"


    "Personal opinion. He doesn¡¯t need to take my suggestion.¡±


    Lin Dongxue and the two chatted for a while before leaving. They nned to spend the night there. Before leaving, Chen Shi urged her to be very careful when she went home alone and told her to take a taxi as soon as she left themunity area. Lin Dongxue smiled. "I''m not a child. Don¡¯t worry!"


    Lin Dongxue walked out of themunity. The nights in August were cool and the moonlight was nice tonight. She strolled around casually for a while.


    A van was parked not far from themunity with the words "Collecting used electrical appliances" posted on the van. Lin Dongxue felt like it was a little familiar, so she walked over and knocked on the window. There was someone in the car. Wu Xu was using a cloth to wipe the car¡¯s insides. When he heard the noise, he raised his head. When he saw that it was Lin Dongxue, his alert gaze suddenly rxed.


    He opened the car door. "Officer Lin? You¡¯re still investigating a case thiste at night?"


    "No, I happened to be passing by... Why are you here?"


    "I go around everywhere collecting broken things. You¡¯re not here for questioning, right?"


    "No, no," Lin Dongxue smiled. "Since I saw your car, I came over to say hello. I¡¯ll be leaving now!"


    She walked away for a distance when footsteps came up from behind her. Wu Xu caught up, holding a cardboard box in his hands. "Officer Lin, this is for you."


    Lin Dongxue opened it curiously and inside was a small gift box. She looked at Wu Xu in surprise. "What is this for?"


    "I¡¯m giving it to you. I bought it myself after earning some money. It¡¯s not expensive. It¡¯s just a small souvenir."


    "Why are you giving me something?"


    "You encouraged me back then and helped me stand up again. I always wanted to find a chance to repay you, but I didn''t know where you lived."


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. "I just said a few words casually. I can¡¯t ept this."


    "You can just take it. You know I¡¯ve been in jail until now and it¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve bought anything for girls. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s to fulfill my wish... I know you have a boyfriend, I just... Just... Want to repay you. There¡¯s no other meaning behind it!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was in a bind. She shook her head. "I''m sorry, I really can''t ept it. Your good intentions will be epted in my heart.[2]"


    She reached back and handed it over, but Wu Xu didn''t take it. He said in a disappointed tone, "In the end, you¡¯re just like everyone else, looking down on me, a prisoner who¡¯s been released from prison, right?"


    "You¡¯re thinking too much. You¡¯re really overthinking this. No matter what your identity is, after all, we have only met briefly. How can I ept your gift?"


    "I know you look down on me. This is a little embarrassing to say. I know what your identity is and I know what mine is, so I shouldn¡¯t daydream like this.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was a little annoyed. She couldn¡¯t reason with him, so she stuffed the small box into Wu Xu''s pocket and said goodbye.


    Looking at Lin Dongxue''s back, Wu Xu bit his lip and his eyes shone with a fierce light.


    The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau. The task of monitoring the suspect''s house had been assigned to another group of policemen. Lin Qiupu asked him and Xu Xiaodong toe back first. When they had breakfast together, Lin Dongxue told them about what happenedst night.


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "I didn''t mean to discriminate against him. I wouldn¡¯t ept a present given to me all of a sudden, even if it were someone else! I don''t know why he was overthinking it so much!"


    Chen Shi said, "Aiya, Wu Xu''s recent ¡®camera appearance rate¡¯ is a bit high. Surely..."


    "Haven¡¯t you already investigated? He isn¡¯t suspicious."


    "To me, it¡¯s natural to discriminate against people like him."


    Xu Xiaodong pretended to p his hands. "Brother Chen always speaks in a way where others will understand and doesn¡¯t hide anything."


    "Why do you need to discriminate against him?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Isn''t that normal? He¡¯s a prisoner who¡¯s been released from prison. He was in prison with the scum of society during the years where his peers were studying, working, or getting married. His mentality must be a lot worse than ordinary people. That is, he¡¯s different from us. He¡¯s an outlier. I must avoid such people in my daily life as much as possible. I don¡¯t want to give them any sympathy."


    Xu Xiaodong nodded. "Pitiful people must have hateful ces."


    Lin Dongxue''s cheeks twitched and said, "I didn¡¯t think you men would be so worldly[3]. Xiaodong is one thing. Old Chen, I thought your thinking was better than the average person¡¯s.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "One of my life rules is that when a person bears the price for their previous behavior, I won¡¯t give them sympathy! There are also many pitiful criminals brought into the Public Security Bureau, but when have I sympathized with them? It¡¯s only reasonable to bear the consequences caused by yourself. There are indeed tolerant saints in the world, but I can¡¯t do it. My sympathy is only reserved for those who are born with misfortune. So, I suggest for you to stay far away from people who are drug addicts, people who prostitute themselves, and people who¡¯ve been to prison. Don''t give them any sympathy, lest they take a mile after you give an inch.¡±


    "Brother Chen sees everything so clearly!" Xu Xiaodong praised.


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi andughed helplessly. Chen Shi asked, "Why are youughing?"


    "Look at you speaking in such a long-winded manner that is full of reason, I was thinking that you must be very annoying when you¡¯re old."


    "Haha, I''m not just going to be annoying when I¡¯m old. I¡¯m always going to be annoying."


    "Well, at least you know yourself."


    At this time, the mobile phones of the three of them rang together. Lin Qiupu informed everyone that the third missing person was found.


    1. An idiom that mentions that people must have done something worthy of hate for them to be as pitiful as they are. Otherwise, there¡¯s bound to be some form of support.


    2. What people say when they say they¡¯re just happy with the thought.


    3. She worded it in a sarcastic manner.

 Chapter 482: The Third Missing Person

    <h4>Chapter 482: The Third Missing Person</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The third missing person was also a sex worker named Little Qin. The time she went missing was in the evening of August 3rd. Before going missing, she sent three voice messages to her friend. The first said she was about to arrive at the restaurant she was meeting at. The second message said that there seemed to be a suspicious person following her. The third was only a short scream. There had been no contact since.


    Her friend didn¡¯t call the police, but went to find the gang behind her. The first thought of the brainless triad members was that thepetitors had done it, so they went to their door to look for her. There was almost a knife fight between the two sides. If the police hadn¡¯t been investigating this case over the past two days, this case wouldn¡¯t be exposed.


    After listening to Lin Qiupu''s words, Chen Shi said, "The sex workers in the clubs of the city are basically all backed by triads. They won¡¯t report to the police if the girls disappear. The murderer is using this mentality to select them as targets."


    Lin Dongxuemented, "Women are always unlucky."


    Lin Qiupu yed the audio left by the missing person. Everyone listened together. The first voice message seemed to be her walking on the road and her voice was breathless. The missing person said, "Amy, I¡¯ll be here soon. You should order first! I met a nosy customer when I was about to leave work. I¡¯ll tell you about it when I arrive."


    Chen Shi asked, "Who¡¯s this customer?"


    Lin Qiupu responded, "We¡¯ve asked, but Little Qin''s workce repeatedly emphasized that they are a serious foot massage shop and wouldn¡¯t allow us to investigate. The surveince monitor, swipe records, and appointments were all kept from us."


    "Just close down their shop."


    "Yesterday, they closed the store by themselves. The manager disappeared cleanly and couldn¡¯t be checked at all. Isn¡¯t that annoying?"


    Chen Shi secretly suspected that the suspect may have had a "business" contact with these women, but their workces only thought about self-preservation when things happened, so they weren¡¯t able to investigate at all.


    They continued to listen to the messages. In the second audio message, the missing person seemed to be walking very quickly and the voice trembled slightly. "Amy, it seemed like someone was following me, but I think I lost them. It scared me to death.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Rey it again!"


    After hearing it three more times, he said, "There¡¯s a train in the background."


    "It may also be the subway." Xu Xiaodong said.


    Then, there was the third piece of audio. There was only a short "ah" in the audio, followed by a violent crashing noise. It may have been that the phone fell to the ground, or the owner was attacked.


    After listening, everyone was silent and dazed for a while. Lin Qiupu said, "Little Qin''s money in her bank card was transferred away in the early hours of August 4th, and the card that received the money was the suspect Zhang Xiao. So, we have full reason to believe that Little Qin has already been killed. How can we find her? The current clues on hand are only these three audio clips."


    "Did her friend say where they were meeting to eat?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Qiupu found a detailed map of the city and marked the restaurant they arranged to meet at with a pushpin. Chen Shi asked, "What about her workce?"


    "Here!" Lin Qiupu marked that as well.


    Everyone leaned forward to study it. Chen Shi was a driver and knew the roads better than anyone else. "There¡¯s no railroads between these two points. The nearest one is half a kilometer away. Little Qin didn¡¯t need to go around this road!"


    Lin Qiupu took out a few photos that were downloaded from the Inte. "ording to her friend¡¯s recollection, when Little Qin disappeared, she wore these clothes."


    The outfit included high heels, a tight dress, and a small shoulder bag. It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to move in them. Chen Shi suddenly said, "Why did we think about the problem so rigidly? Hearing the sound doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s nearby. Some ces are far away, but the noise can be clearly heard... Dongxue, Xiaodong, and I will check it out and tell you the results tomorrow. "


    "Okay!"


    The three drove to the ce near Little Qin''s workce and took her photo to inquire around the area. An uncle who sold boiled corn and roasted red taro downstairs knew what the girl with thick makeup that came down from this building every day did as a job. He had seen this girl, but couldn¡¯t remember the time.


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "We should buy you the same clothes and simte it."


    "Huh? Why are you always torturing me?"


    "Only you can wear these kinds of clothes."


    "Stereotypical thinking. Can''t you wear it? Can''t Xiaodong wear it?"


    Xu Xiaodong was afraid that the two really would discuss it and ask him to wear women''s clothing, so he said, "I don''t think it''s necessary to simte it. Listen to the audio carefully to see what we¡¯re missing. We can look for it at the scene."


    Right now, they didn¡¯t have a lead. The three had to find a secluded ce to listen to the audio messages again.


    After listening to it countless times, Chen Shi asked, "Have you noticed that there¡¯s no high heel noises in the first audio message? However, it¡¯s very clear in the second audio."


    Xu Xiaodong suggested, "Maybe it¡¯s because she was running in the second message?"


    Chen Shi was also unsure and asked Lin Dongxue, "Can you hear the sound when walking in high heels?"


    "Uh..."


    In the spirit of seeking the truth, the three of them experimented with it and bought a pair of high-heeled sandals around the area. Lin Dongxue, who rarely wore high heels, was quite unustomed to them. She walked and recorded a simr message for Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi opened it and listened. In the voice message sent by Lin Dongxue, he could very clearly hear the sound of the ¡°dook dook dook¡± noise the high heels made.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "That¡¯s strange. Did she take off her shoes?"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly realized and smiled. "I understand now. A girl''smon problem. They¡¯ll say they¡¯re almost there even when they haven¡¯t left at all. She hadn¡¯t put on high heels at that time!¡±


    "But she''s panting. Perhaps..." Xu Xiaodong was a little embarrassed to finish his sentence.


    "She shouldn''t be ¡®working¡¯." Chen Shi said, "Listen carefully. You can hear the sound of vehicles on the road, and the panting is at a set rhythm... Exercise. She was exercising. Maybe in a gym or something!"


    Chen Shi opened the map on his phone to check. There was a fitness club nearby. They went and asked the staff there, who said that Little Qin dide to go to the gym every afternoon. She rented a locker there and would change every time she came and put on fitness clothes and shoes.


    Chen Shi asked the staff to open the locker and looked at it. Sure enough, there were sneakers, sportswear, towels, and other insignificant personal items. Among them was a box of matches with the contact details of a winery on it.


    Chen Shi took pictures of the contact information on the matchbox and asked the staff, "Where does Little Qin generally exercise?"


    The staff pointed to a row of treadmills by the window. "Shees here every afternoon to do cardio exercises. It¡¯s generally not for too long. About 20 minutes to half an hour."


    The three went to the area the staff pointed at. Lin Dongxue turned on the treadmill to test it and recorded a voice message very simr to Little Qin¡¯s. Chen Shi said, "Your panting sound is still a little faint, indicating that Little Qin had been running for over ten minutes."


    "No matter what, we¡¯ve found the first point." Lin Dongxue smiled.

 Chapter 483: Public Abduction

    <h4>Chapter 483: Public Abduction</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    This fitness club made people swipe a membership card when they went in and out, so it was very easily known that Little Qin left at 7:04PM that night. The second audio was issued at 8:16, leaving an interval of more than an hour in between.


    Chen Shi said, "This Little Qin isn¡¯t punctual at all. An hour ago, she said she was almost there, but she was still on the road after an hour... Even if I walk from here to the restaurant in high heels, it wouldn¡¯t take me an hour. She must have gone somewhere else."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Would you like to look for the surveince footage nearby?"


    Chen Shi opened the map on his phone and carefully checked it. He said to Xu Xiaodong, "Xiaodong, you go to the winery to question them. We¡¯ll look for surveince here.¡±


    Although the shops around here were installed with surveince cameras, they were very scattered. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi only found two of them after a very long time. They found that Little Qin was wandering around at 7:10, seeming to be calling for a taxi.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong called, "The owner of the winery said she¡¯s been here. Come over!"


    Chen Shi said excitedly, "This way is right."


    "How so?"


    "From the gym to the restaurant, there¡¯s no railroads. However, from the winery to the restaurant, you¡¯ll pass the railway halfway... At 8:16, a train will pass through that area."


    "Do you think the murderer ambushed her in advance or followed her?"


    "It depends on whether the murderer knows Little Qin''s course of action that night. Let¡¯s go to the winery to inquire first.¡±


    The two drove to the winery. The winery''s surveince footage and boss confirmed that at about 7:00 PM on August 3rd, Little Qin came here by taxi and bought a bottle of red wine. The time she left was about 8:00 PM.


    Chen Shi asked the boss, "Is she a regr customer here?"


    "She does count as a regr, mainly because there¡¯s been events recently. I asked Miss Qin if she would like toe over to participate."


    Seeing the boss acting a little nervous, Chen Shi smiled and asked, "Are you a regr visitor?"


    "What... I don''t know what you mean!"


    "Don''t worry, we¡¯re not here to check this. I hope you¡¯ll tell us everything you know."


    The boss admitted with embarrassment. "Well, I did know her from that ce. When I was done, I left my contact details and said that she cane over if she likes wine. I give her a 30% discount every time shees, so she visits often."


    Lin Dongxue said, "No wonder you knew who she was when we mentioned her name. It seems that she doese often."


    The boss smiled in embarrassment. "I''m doing business decently. It doesn¡¯t mean anything special. I also have a wife and children.¡±


    "Okay, okay. We really didn''te to investigate this..." Chen Shi said, "Yes, did you notice anything abnormal when she came that day? For example, was there a suspicious person or vehicle following her?"


    "Uh, when we talked about wine, it seemed like a car was parked outside."


    "What car?"


    "Van? Or SUV? I remember it was white."


    Chen Shi asked again, "Can you hear the sound of the train passing by here?"


    "Yes, I can hear it at 8:00 every night."


    Chen Shi walked out of the winery while looking at the map on his phone. He said, "From here to the restaurant, if you take a taxi at the door, the car has to do a big loop. But, if you pass through the alley next to it, you can save a lot of time... Let¡¯s go!"


    The three of them went into the side alley. Lin Dongxue suddenly pointed in a certain direction. There was a pile of wine bottle fragments under the garbage pile. Chen Shi put on his gloves and picked them up. He found the piece with the trademark and said, "Yes, it¡¯s from that winery. This might be the bottle that Little Qin broke after meeting the murderer."


    Lin Dongxue raised her head. "It''s very open here. The train''s noise should be heard quite clearly. Should we do an experiment?"


    "We¡¯ll have to wait until evening for the experiment. No rush."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "But even if this is the second point, we can''t determine where the murderer was hiding."


    Chen Shi looked at his phone again. ¡°The third audio message sent was at 8:20 PM, which was only 4 minutes after the second one. Think about what happened in these four minutes."


    Lin Dongxue looked at the long alley and spected, "Little Qin was caught by the murderer and forced into the car."


    "At this time, her hands and feet weren¡¯t controlled yet, so she could have sent out a message. Unfortunately, the murderer found it and the bang in the audio was the movement of the murderer breaking the phone."


    "Yes, her friend said that all phone calls made showed that her phone had been turned off afterwards. The phone should have been broken... I think there must have been a lot of movement at the time. Would anyone living nearby have witnessed it?¡±


    "Let¡¯s investigate separately!"


    So, the three of them split apart to find witnesses. An olddy who lived nearby told Lin Dongxue that two men jumped from the van and dragged a woman into the car that night.


    "What did the two men look like?"


    "I don''t remember well."


    "What color was the van?"


    "White?"


    Lin Dongxue felt some goosebumps forming and asked again, "Were there words on the van?"


    "No, I didn''t see any," the olddy said.


    An hourter, the three met up. Their inquiries this time bore an unexpected amount of gains. They integrated all the witness testimonies together to roughly understand what happened that night. Two men jumped out from the van and dragged Little Qin onto the van. One of the men desperately exined to the crowd that she was his wife and they were quarrelling. Then, he jumped into the car and left.


    Xu Xiaodongmented, "The whole processsted for five minutes. A group of people saw but no one actually called the police at the time or afterwards. It¡¯s so annoying."


    Chen Shi said, "This is the bystander effect. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be as stupid as to believe that story. It¡¯s just because too many people were present, which diluted their sense of responsibility and morality."


    Lin Dongxue said, "And no one remembered or photographed the license te number. Witnesses described the characteristics of the suspects. One was fat and one was thin... It seems that Zhang Xiao does have an aplice, but why did this associate only appear now? He hid away so well!"


    "In short, we need to find this white van first!"


    Chen Shi told Lin Qiupu of this discovery. At present, they could only find the van through the traffic surveince. Near noon, the three went to a ce nearby to solve the problem of lunch.


    While eating, Xu Xiaodong looked at the calendar on the wall. "Hey, it¡¯ll be the Qixi Festival in the next two days."


    "Ah, it''s Qixi so soon?" Lin Dongxue sighed with emotion.


    Chen Shi suggested, "Do you have any ns for Qixi? Do you want to go out shopping? I hope the case will be resolved by then."


    "I wish... I wish..." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly, seeming to have some hidden meaning.


    Chen Shi didn''t ask about Qixi further. He ate and thought about things until he suddenly knocked on the table with a smile. "I vaguely know where Little Qin is."

 Chapter 484: Kill The Donkey When The Grinding Is Done

    <h4>Chapter 484: Kill The Donkey When The Grinding Is Done</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue hurried to ask, "Where is she?"


    "Where we were just at."


    Lin Dongxue thought for a moment and suddenly realized. "I seem to understand now. Little Qin disappeared on the evening of August 3rd and Zhang Xiao''s ''killing workshop'' was identally discovered by the neighbors and reported to the police on August 4th. He couldn¡¯t have known this in advance. That is to say, he didn¡¯t need to prepare another hiding ce because there was no problem killing two people in one ce. Little Qin is in the previousmunity.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong argued, "But we¡¯ve been to the scene several times. There were no other victims. Wasn¡¯t that dismembered corpse said to have been dead for several days?"


    Chen Shi exined, "Remember how the living room was covered with newspapers but was very clean? I think it was intended to be used to kill Little Qin. However, because it was identally discovered, the suspect had to transfer her away from that scene."


    Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯ve watched the surveince video over and over again. We¡¯ve also visited themunity many times. If there are suspicious peopleing in and out, we shouldn¡¯t have missed them."


    "Let¡¯s go and check it out again!"


    The three of them drove to themunity where the police were called the first time and returned to the crime scene. Chen Shi recalled the situation that day. "That day, the building was crowded with people downstairs. When the police cameter, it would be hard for the murderer to take Little Qin out. Perhaps they went upstairs?¡±


    "Or... They rented another hiding ce in this building." Lin Dongxue suggested.


    Chen Shi pondered. "Xiaodong, call the property manager over."


    Xu Xiaodong found the property manager who had a list of property owners that showed which units were rented out. They knocked on each door of these rented units. They were nervous every time they knocked.


    It turned out that there were no suspicious tenants in this building.


    Finally, they got to the top floor. Chen Shi pointed to the rooftop door with iron chains around it. He asked the property manager, "Is it possible to go to another building from the rooftop?"


    The property manager replied, "It¡¯s essible, but the roof door of each building is locked from the inside just like this door. It can¡¯t be opened from the outside."


    "Do you have the key?"


    "I do!"


    "Open it."


    They opened the rooftop door and went onto the rooftop. There were many air-conditioned venttors and sr panel water heaters on the rooftop. Additionally, there were several cylindrical water tanks. Chen Shi walked to the side of a water tank and climbed up thedder. The property manager said, "No way! How can there be people hiding in the water tank? And it was locked!"


    "What''s that smell?" Lin Dongxue sniffed around.


    If one were to smell carefully, there was a strange odor in the air, which came out from the gap of the water tank. It wasn¡¯t a stinking smell, but more like that of a chemical.


    Chen Shi felt a little dizzy and suddenly said, "Hurry and go! This smell may be poisonous!"


    Everyone hurried upwind. Chen Shi thought that it was very dangerous just then. There was a slight smell of bitter almond just then. It was most likely cyanide. Looking at the locked water tank, he thought there must be something in it.


    "Call Old Peng over!" Chen Shi said.


    After a while, several police cars drove over. Peng Sijue led several forensic officers to put on protective clothing before heading to the roof. They opened the water tank and a voice came from the radio. "Captain Peng, there are bodies in the water tank. There¡¯s two people."


    "What?!" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "Describe them." Peng Sijue instructed.


    "A man and a woman. The woman was underneath and the man was on top. They were both soaked in water that¡¯s waist-deep... The color of the body indicates that they were poisoned. The smell inside is really heavy. You can smell it a bit even through the gas mask."


    "Be careful. Don''t touch the water inside. Maintain venttion and let the scent disperse first."


    Three hourster, the bodies were taken out andid down on the rooftop. What was surprising was that one was Little Qin and the other was the suspect, Zhang Xiao, who the police had been looking for.


    The poison in the water should be hydrogen cyanide, which was a highly toxic gas produced by the reaction between hydrochloric acid and cyanide. It would be fatal even if you inhaled a small mouthful. Although the structure of the water tank was sealed, Chen Shi had just smelled a little from outside the water tank and still felt dizzy.


    Peng Sijue was still worried. "You¡¯re really fortunate. Do you want to go to the hospital for a checkup?"


    Chen Shi waved his hand. "It''s okay. If I was going to die, I would have already. This dose was at most like eating too many almonds. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    The two examined the bodies. The signs of death between the two were very simr. They should have died at the same time. The time of death could also be guessed. It must have been around the evening of August 4th.


    Little Qin''s clothes were thin and both her hands and feet were tightly bound by nylon rope, which caused them to change color. The skin where she was bound had torn apart. It was a sight people couldn¡¯t bear to look at.


    The police officer who discovered the body said that Little Qin was facing up at the bottom of the water tank while Zhang Xiao was pressed down on her sideways. His arm was pressed down by Little Qin''s body. They seemed to have fallen in together.


    When Zhang Xiao''s body was turned over for inspection, there weren¡¯t any wounds on his back, and they couldn¡¯t determine whether he had been pushed.


    Chen Shi looked at the body and asked, "Does Zhang Xiao smoke?"


    Peng Sijue said, "He might have. There were a lot of cigarette butts found at the corpse dismemberment scene downstairs. He should have smoked."


    Chen Shi spected, "Then he shouldn¡¯t have a good sense of smell. The hydrogen cyanide has a slight bitter almond smell, but many people can''t smell it. It¡¯s almost instantaneously fatal when inhaled. I think the murderer poured cyanide into the water tank in advance. Zhang Xiao intended to deal with Little Qin. However, when he opened the lid, he inhaled the deadly gas and fell down with Little Qin."


    Lin Dongxue said, "But when we came, the water tank was locked."


    "Yes. Old Peng, is the diffusion rate of hydrogen cyanide fast?"


    "This gas is lighter than air and diffuses rtively quickly."


    "How long does it take for it topletely diffuse?"


    "We¡¯d have to conduct an experiment."


    "It seems that the murderer locked the water tank before the cyanidepletely diffused. They must have put on a gas mask and hid nearby... By the way, it¡¯s most likely that he also called Zhang Xiao to deal with Little Qin here. A fatal trap wasid out in advance. This person is Zhang Xiao¡¯s aplice. He perfectly executed the killing of the donkey when the grinding was done. He killed Zhang Xiao without showing any traces and then transferred the money away."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I suspect that the sewer was blocked by him on purpose. The purpose was to force Zhang Xiao to run away and lose his rationality."


    Chen Shi nodded. "This guy is really smart. If we didn''t find the body in the water tank, we might still be looking for Zhang Xiao everywhere, thinking he had run away. Now that Zhang Xiao is dead, the lead is lost, but he¡¯s hidden in peace with the money.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Didn¡¯t the bank surveince film the money withdrawals at the ATM?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "The footage didn¡¯t capture the face at all. It''s too difficult to catch someone using that... Haii, after checking around, thest lead was lost as well. It¡¯s too vexing!¡±


    1. It means to get rid of something once they cease to be useful.

 Chapter 485: True Murderer Revealed

    <h4>Chapter 485: True Murderer Revealed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "Don''t be discouraged. Although the case seems to form a closed loop right now. I think there are still other clues to be found."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Right. Zhang Xiao''s criminal tactics were learned in prison. Would his aplice also be someone he knew in prison? Prison is like arge-scale criminal skill exchange forum."


    Peng Sijue pointed to the water tank where the corpse was found. "If this kind of crime wasn¡¯t taught, can most people really think of this?¡±


    Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "Then I''ll find out who Zhang Xiao was acquainted with in prison."


    Chen Shi added, "Also, this person is now outside the prison. They may have been released together."


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong left first while Chen Shi and Peng Sijue stayed there for the experiment. There were other water tanks beside them. Of course, it was impossible to test with cyanide. Peng Sijue used sodium bicarbonate and sulfuric acid which had simr properties.


    When opening the water tank, everyone was extra careful, fearing that the murderer had prepared a "surprise" in it. Fortunately, the murderer wasn¡¯t ruthless to that extent. There was nothing else in the water tank except for foul-smelling dirty water.


    At the beginning of the test, Peng Sijue asked his assistant to go to the mouth of the water tank to measure the concentration of the released matter every five minutes until about 5:00 PM. By then, the assistant said that the concentration was infinitely close to zero.


    Peng Sijue and Chen Shi looked down at their watches together, and then looked at each other. Chen Shi said, "45 minutes... I remember that after the police were alerted, the police came half an hourter and a dozen minutes to understand the situation. Then we went from house to house. There was more than enough time for the murderer to cover the lid and go downstairs. Would it have been possible for them to have met the police? How did they leave themunity without getting suspected?¡±


    "Dressing up as a repairman or something?" Peng Sijue asked.


    "Just then, Dongxue said..." Mentioning Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi suddenly remembered that they saw Wu Xu downstairs that day. A prisoner who was released from prison. Lin Dongxue saw Wu Xu against night, near Zhang Xiao''s residence.


    Wu Xu drove a car to collect waste products, and he could enter and leave various districts at will without suspicion. Could it be?


    Thinking of this, Chen Shi hurried to call Lin Dongxue, but she didn''t answer. He called Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong said, "Brother Chen, I¡¯m here at the property manager¡¯s ce watching the surveince footage."


    "Isn¡¯t Dongxue with you?"


    "She made a phone call to Captain Lin, but then she seemed to suddenly remember something, so she took a car away."


    Chen Shi felt his heart drop. She wouldn¡¯t have gone to find Wu Xu herself, right? Sometimes she is really impulsive.


    The ce where Wu Xu lived was the ce where Lin Dongxue had previously rented. Chen Shi hurried downstairs and called Lin Qiupu while driving, asking him to bring people over there.


    At the same time, Lin Dongxue had just returned to the ce where she rented in the past. She thought about how Wu Xu had appeared that day, and again near Zhang Xiao¡¯s residencest night. This was probably not a coincidence. Although she didn¡¯t want to think about him like that, it was precisely in line with the characteristics of the suspect.


    In order to verify this, she decided to go and find Wu Xu''s mother, her formerndlord, to ask.


    After getting out of the taxi, she discovered that Chen Shi had just called and sent a few text messages, "Don''t act alone! Wait for me!!!" Lin Dongxueughed at him being overly worried. She couldn''t go directly to Wu Xu of course. She was just going to ask his mother things in secret.


    In order to prevent Chen Shi from worrying, she replied to him, "I¡¯m waiting for you by the door of my previousmunity. Hurry up!"


    Chen Shi replied, "Scared me to death. You didn¡¯t tell me beforehand. Don¡¯t do anything until Ie."


    "Okay, got it!"


    It was dark and someone suddenly called out, "Miss Lin, why are you here?"


    Lin Dongxue turned back and found that it was the previousndlord aunty. She smiled, "I came to do something."


    "Oh, I haven''t seen you for such a long time. Come over to my house and have a sit down."


    "Aunty, did you go out to buy some vegetables?"


    "Yeah, I went to get some to cook when I get home. Have you eaten yet?¡±


    "No. How¡¯s your sontely?"


    As soon as she heard "your son", thendlord''s face sank. "He... He ended up buying a used car and collects broken goods now. He¡¯s earningborious money. Haii, you know his identity wouldn¡¯t get him a job anywhere he goes. Even restaurants wouldn¡¯t find him to pour tea and serve water. No matter who interviews him, as soon as they hear him say he has a criminal record, he¡¯d get rejected immediately. Haii, it''s really not me resenting the government. It¡¯s just that the words they say about rehabilitation sounds so nice and real, but when someone truly rejoins society, everyone looks down on you and you can¡¯t even find a job. Haii, I get teary when I say too much.¡± At this point, the aunt wiped a few sad tears away. It seems like they were living in hard and pitiful times.


    "It seems that you guys don¡¯t have it easy." Lin Dongxueforted. "I need to ask you something. Where did brother Wu go on the evening of August 3rd? Do you know where he went?¡±


    Thendlord aunty suddenly widened her eyes. "Huh?! Are you investigating him? At the end of the day, you guys don''t take him as a good person. My son has already changed. Why can¡¯t the government give him the opportunity to start anew? Why can¡¯t they do that? If that''s the case, what¡¯s the point of life sentences and non-life sentences? As long as theymit a small crime, they can just be shot directly, lest they suffer when theye out! Haii"


    Thendlord aunty¡¯sints made Lin Dongxue feel a little helpless. She said, ¡°I¡¯m investigating a case, but I really didn¡¯t mean to discriminate against your son. Sometimes, I have to question hundreds of people for a single case. It¡¯s just ordinary questioning."


    "You didn¡¯t ask anyone but came over to ask my son when he stayed at home and didn¡¯t mess with anyone. Just what do you mean by this?!¡± Thendlord aunty raged.


    "Aunty... Could you please cooperate?"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly found that thendlord¡¯s right hand had been hidden in the vegetable basket behind her the whole time. She lifted her eyes to peek, and the aunt deliberately covered it up. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t worry about being polite any longer. She directly grabbed thendlord¡¯s right hand and found that she was texting. The text message beingposed read: "Don''te home. The police havee."


    Lin Dongxue looked at her in disbelief. The impression the aunt gave her in the past was always amiable and reasonable. She couldn''t believe she would do such a thing.


    The aunty snapped her hand back. "You won¡¯t understand a parent¡¯s pitiful thinking. How can I let you take my son away? Last time, you took him away for over ten years. If you take him away again, I wouldn''t be able to see him again in this life!"


    "Aunty, do you know something?!"


    "I..."


    Lin Dongxue suddenly noticed that the aunt''s eyes were looking behind her. She turned around and saw Wu Xu taking big and fast strides over, clutching a handkerchief in his right hand. Lin Dongxue realized that something was wrong and immediately reached for her gun.


    The aunt held Lin Dongxue''s hand from behind and yelled, "Son, hurry up!"


    "Let go!" Lin Dongxue shouted and hit the aunt with her elbow. Unfortunately, the aunt¡¯s grip was so tight that she couldn''t draw her gun.[1]


    "Don''t hurt my mother!" Wu Xu shouted and rushed over, covering Lin Dongxue''s nose and mouth with the handkerchief. She knew what it was as soon as she smelled it. It was chloroform, and she¡¯d be finished if she inhaled it.


    Wu Xu grabbed Lin Dongxue''s left arm and covered her with the handkerchief. The aunt hugged her right hand from behind. Lin Dongxue desperately shook her head and resisted breathing in the chloroform. People entering the housing district knew something was up and crowded around to watch, but nobody stepped forward...


    1. It¡¯s unknown why the old aunty can overpower a police officer in their prime with grip alone.

 Chapter 486: Critical Place

    <h4>Chapter 486: Critical ce</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The smell of chloroform had prated into her nasal cavity. Lin Dongxue realized that things weren¡¯t good, and used all her strength to step backwards to hit thendlord aunty with her shoulder and elbow. Thendlord aunty staggered and fell after yelling. While Wu Xu was distracted, she quickly pulled out the pistol, holding both her hands on it tightly. Her fingertips felt numb and her head began to spin.


    After all, he was a person who had been in jail. Upon seeing the gun, Wu Xu didn¡¯t dare to do anything else. Lin Dongxue stepped back, keeping both the mother and son in her line of vision. Her bnce was already a little shaken.


    "Did you do it?" Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth and asked.


    "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about..." Wu Xu took a step forward.


    Lin Dongxue fired a shot upwards towards the sky, and the sound of the gun frightened the passersby around them. Then, she pointed the muzzle at Wu Xu and shouted, "Don¡¯t move!"


    "I just want to help my mum up. Is that not allowed?"


    "I told you not to move! Raise your hands!"


    Wu Xu nced at his mother who had fallen to the ground, then raised his hands with a contemptuous smile on his face.


    The scene just then still caused Lin Dongxue to be terrified. If she had fallen victim to it, being taken hostage would be a trivial matter. The key thing was that this gun was filled with bullets. Who knows how many public safety incidents would be caused from it?


    At this time, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang. While she was a little distracted, Wu Xu made some small movements. Lin Dongxue fired several shots at the sky. On the one hand, it was to report the direction to get her colleagues¡¯ attention. On the other hand, it was used to scare Wu Xu. ¡°If you move again, I¡¯ll shoot you.¡±


    "You wouldn¡¯t dare!" Wu Xu sneered. "I have dealt with the police too much. I know what you guys are like. Aren¡¯t you afraid of going to jail if you shot and killed an unarmed suspect? A criminal police officer would be destined to die if they went to jail.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said sadly, "You really disappointed me. I thought you had changed."


    "Changed?!" Wu Xu gritted his teeth fiercely. "Did this society give me a chance? Let¡¯s not talk about finding a job and being met with obstacles wherever I went. This society wouldn¡¯t even ept me when I¡¯m just collecting waste and broken objects. One time, in themunities I often frequented, the security guards wouldn¡¯t let me in. I asked why and they wouldn¡¯t say anything. I could only go to ces that were far away to collect things. Then, I learned that the nearby police stations gave themunity property managers a mention with "goodwill", saying that I was a prisoner just released and asking them to be careful! It¡¯s so funny. Just so ridiculously funny. Didn''t you guys say that you want to help me reform? As a result, did you even give me the tiniest bit of help when I walked out of prison? All I got was discrimination, discrimination and discrimination!"


    As more people gathered around him, Wu Xu shouted at the crowd, "You all should listen to me. I, Wu Xu, impulsively killed someone in my twenties and squatted in prison for over ten years! I know you all look down on me and my mother. You backstab us from behind. While your families are all gathered, we can only cry painfully at home with our heads in our hands. You guys just like to beat people when they¡¯re down, but when the real wolf[1]es, you all hide far away! You don¡¯t understand at all how each day is tolerated behind those iron bars. I was in there for 16 years. 16 years! I paid 16 years for the impulsive action from when I was young. I thought I had paid it all off, but when I came out, the society told me that it wasn¡¯t enough. I had to pay for it for the rest of my life!"


    Wu Xu''s eyes were moist and turned to Lin Dongxue. "You¡¯ve all already put out my hopes, but you¡¯re expecting me to be a good person?!"


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes began to sting. "I can help you. Not everyone will discriminate against you. Don''t treat the indifference from one or two people as the indifference from the whole world!"


    Wu Xu strode over with his eyes gleaming. Lin Dongxue pointed her gun at him with trembling hands. "Stay there! Stay there!"


    "You should shoot. I don''t want to go back to prison anymore. Kill me. Kill me!"


    "Stay there!"


    Lin Dongxue shouted with all her strength. She put her finger on the trigger and was ready to shoot. At this time, thendlord aunty suddenly jumped up and grabbed Lin Dongxue''s hands. The aim of the gun became skewed and the bullets flew into the air.


    Thendlord aunty shrieked, "Son, hurry up and go! Mother will fight with the police. I¡¯ll never let them catch you!¡±


    Wu Xu seemed to have recovered his senses and ran away immediately. The crowd of onlookers automatically opened a gap for him. No one dared to stop him, as if he was carrying a deadly virus on him.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t expect things to develop like this. She was in a hurry to go after him, but thendlord aunty held onto her for dear life and opened her mouth as if to bite the back of Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand.


    At this moment, there was a violent impact sounding from the road. Lin Dongxue pushed away thendlord and ran towards the road. She could only see the white van lying sideways on the ground. The deformed car was smoking continuously. The person who hit it was Chen Shi¡¯s car. Wu Xu was lying on the steering wheel, unconscious.


    Chen Shi jumped out of the car and beckoned Lin Dongxue over. Lin Dongxue quickly took out her handcuffs and threw them over. Chen Shi cuffed Wu Xu''s hands behind him and dragged him from the car in a swift manner. Wu Xu''s head was covered in blood and he was still unconscious. Both of legs were as limp as noodles, left to the mercy of others.


    "Don''t catch my son! Please, government!" Thendlord aunty screamed, pushing away the crowd and rushing towards Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi quickly put Wu Xu into the car, grabbed thendlord aunty¡¯s shoulder, and urged the bystanders, "Call the police! Call the police!"


    "Aren''t you a police officer?" A spectator asked.


    "Nonsense. How can two control the situation?"


    Lin Dongxue ran over and was about to exin, when Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ll talkter. You need to monitor the suspect.¡±


    Thendlord aunt was crying and scolding outside, but Chen Shi acted very resolutely. He didn¡¯t answer any of her questions and didn¡¯t allow her toe near. Thendlord aunt ran out of ideas and cried, ¡°You guys are animals! Animals! You want to separate us mother and son again. Don¡¯t you have an ounce of humanity in you? Since I can''t see my son again in this life, just let me die!"


    Having said that, she pushed Chen Shi away, ran towards the power pole, slowed down when she got there, and began hitting her head on the pole. Chen Shi was like a robot and ignored her stubbornly. He even took out his phone to record, so that he could prove it didn¡¯t have anything to do with him.


    Lin Dongxue looked at them in the car and felt that Chen Shi was too cold. However, this move was very useful. When thendlord saw that the other party didn¡¯t care, she hugged the pole, and no longer hit her head on it.


    Some bystanders expressed sympathy for the aunt and criticized Chen Shi one after another. "Are you a policeman?"


    Chen Shi replied, "I¡¯m not a policeman."


    "If you¡¯re not an officer, why are you interfering with their business? What right do you have to harm the mother and son? Look at the olddy hitting her head. Do you even have a heart made of flesh?¡±


    "I¡¯m a friend of the police."


    The passersby were speechless and changed to another method of criticism, "Are you even human?"


    "I came alone[2]."


    Finally, the other policemen arrived and the scene was under control. Chen Shi got into the car and let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Lin Dongxue and had aplex expression. He tried to find the right words before asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    "Fortunately, you came in time. Otherwise, I¡¯d be in trouble." It may have been because of the chloroform, but after calming down, Lin Dongxue felt weak and dizzy.


    Chen Shi smiled and touched her head. "Fool. Don''t act alone next time."


    Lin Dongxue could only nod.


    1. In the boy who cried wolf.


    2.¡±Are you even human?¡± can be said as ¡°Are you one person?¡±. He replied that he ¡°came alone¡± as a pun.

 Chapter 487: The Lost Soul

    <h4>Chapter 487: The Lost Soul</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi brought Wu Xu to the bureau and handed him over to Lin Qiupu to be detained first. They weren¡¯t in a hurry to start the interrogation. At present, they had to continue to collect evidence.


    Lin Dongxue sat on the bench in the hallway with mixed feelings. Chen Shi walked over and sat next to her. He unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her. "Would you like to go to the hospital for an examination?"


    "No, I just inhaled a little bit of chloroform. I¡¯m fine, but... I''m not in a good mood."


    "I understand. Finding out than an acquaintance is a criminal can hurt you a lot."


    "Actually, I was very happy to see him driving a van and collecting waste products that day. I thought this man was finally going in the good direction. Who knew that it would be like this!"


    Chen Shi knew that she wasn¡¯t sad, but pained. He gently patted her shoulder to provide somefort.


    The process of collecting evidence was quite smooth, but Wu Xu¡¯s mother had been making trouble unreasonably and obstructing the police investigation. Later, when the truth was discovered, it was found that she didn¡¯t know what her son was up to outside. She only vaguely knew that her son had recently made a fortune on the side. She knew it was probably not earned honestly. When in front of the police, she instinctively protected her son.


    When the police went to his house to gather evidence, Wu Xu¡¯s mother grabbed the police pants and sat on the ground crying. It was photographed by a neighbor with a mobile phone and posted on the Inte. It was used by some public ounts that wanted more people to view them. They forced the story into the police beating up a mother in her 70¡¯s.


    Two dayster, the interrogation with Wu Xu officially began. Lin Dongxue offered to serve as the interrogator this time. Chen Shi was her interrogation partner.


    After being detained for two days, Wu Xu''s expression was haggard and a gray stubble grew around his mouth. When Lin Dongxue sat down opposite him, his spirit lifted a little and he asked, "How¡¯s my mother?"


    Chen Shi replied, "The police have no obligation to take care of your mother for you."


    Wu Xu was instantly annoyed as he pointed at Chen Shi. "I don''t want to talk to this kind of person. Change the person. Otherwise, I won¡¯t tell you anything!"


    Chen Shi scoffed and then gave Lin Dongxue a knowing look. He¡¯d leave it to her and temporarily stop talking.


    Lin Dongxue began to ask, "Name."


    "Wu Xu."


    "Gender."


    "Male."


    "Age."


    "38 years old!" Wu Xu raised his head.


    "We have already investigated that you and Zhang Xiao served your sentence together. Other prisoners said that at the time that you were almost released. Zhang Xiao had juste in aftermitting fraud and you cared for him a lot. After he was released from prison, Zhang Xiao came to you soon after. Why did he find you?¡±


    Wu Xu stared at Lin Dongxue for some time before saying, "To do business."


    "What business?"


    "..."


    "I asked you what business."


    "..."


    "Wu Xu, you know how much evidence we¡¯ve collected. Today''s interrogation is to give you a chance for confessing honestl-"


    "Lin Dongxue!" Wu Xu said loudly. "I beg of you not to lie to me again. I killed so many people. I know it''s hard to escape death. You¡¯re still trying to tell me that I can fight for leniency? I know what kind of person I am in your eyes. The society gave up on me first, and then I gave up on myself. The only thing I can''t give up in this world is my mother. I originally just wanted her to live a better life in herter years. Who knew...¡± He sneered. "You guys are amazing to have found me. I''m willing to ept defeat. There¡¯s nothing more to say."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Yesterday, my colleague went to your house. Your mother cried so much, asking us to give you back to her. Listening to the neighbors..." Originally, she wanted to tell Wu Xu the truth. His mother hadn¡¯t eaten for two days. But when the words reached her lips, she stopped. "The neighbors said your mother was crying very hard at night."


    "Wahhhh,[1]. Mom!"


    Wu Xu buried his face in his hands and cried. His thin shoulder des shook as he cried. Lin Dongxue opened a pack of tissues and threw it over to the armrest on the interrogation chair. Once he¡¯d cried enough, he could use it to wipe his tears.


    After venting his emotions, Wu Xu finally calmed down. "I had nowhere to make a living after I was released from prison. I was quite annoyed. I quarreled with my mother every day. Later, a prisoner friend, Chubby Xiao, contacted me and asked me to go out for a drink. That night, we drank a bottle of alcohol on the riverside and just vented. He said that what this society oppresses are the weak and those who were truly in the underground society would go back to their old business after being released from prison. They¡¯d even do better than before. On the other hand, honest people who believed in the government and were seriously reformed would always be bullied. I understood the meaning behind the kid¡¯s words and asked if he had any ns. He told me that he got acquainted with a big guy in the detention center, Shen Ya, the main criminal from that case back then.


    "Chubby Xiao said that Shen Ya''s method was fucking badass. He kidnapped prostitutes, forced them to tell him their bank card password, killed them, dismembered the corpse, and threw them away. Shen Ya took his girl to wander around andmit crimes. He ate so well. He earned tens of thousands. He lived gloriously, but was found out by the police because of bad luck. In the winter, the sewer pipes were frozen. The dismembered body wasn¡¯t washed away and was found. Chubby Xiao told me that night not to think about Shen Ya being arrested and sentenced to death. When he wasmitting the crimes, he lived luxuriously. Xiao also told me that the police weren¡¯t so clever. Only a part of the cases could be solved. Most of them wouldn¡¯t be solved in over ten years..."


    Chen Shi interrupted him, "Zhang Xiao is now dead. You think you can me everything on him now, right?"


    Wu Xu red at him and continued, "I thought that what Chubby Xiao said made sense. I was like this anyway. I would rather hurt the people of the world than let them do it to me. So, we started to act. It was simpler than I thought. We went to those ces to find thedies. We¡¯d talk and sound out how long they¡¯d been working for. We looked for the kind who said that they¡¯re looking to stop that line of work after a couple of years. Those women usually had savings.¡± Wu Xu nodded his head meaningfully, then raised his eyebrows as if he was a master passing on his skills. This expression made Lin Dongxue furrow her brows.


    "We got our first ticket in June. Zhang Xiao followed a prostitute to a ce where nobody else was present and used chloroform on her. I followed behind in case something went wrong. This stupid fatty was useless. The woman kicked and beat him. She almost ran away. I went to help and got the woman into the car. For this reason, the two of us had a quarrel. I asked him to quit if he couldn¡¯t do it, but he said that he was definitely able to do it. I said sure and that he should handle the rest by himself since he could do it. He insisted that he¡¯d be able to do it.


    "That night, Zhang Xiao started to sort the woman out. He pierced her with a needle. Iughed. I asked if he was a motherfucking Rong Mama[2]? I told him to get lost and watch me. I went up and pped her really hard a few times. But this woman was very tight-lipped. She thought that she had the backing of the triad and we wouldn¡¯t do much to her. How na?ve! I used pliers to pull out her nails. Do you know what it¡¯s like to have your nails pulled out? A whole piecees out and the meat below is pink. It doesn¡¯t bleed in the beginning, but it¡¯ll slowly gush out after a few seconds, as if it¡¯s like red nail polish, hahaha... By the third nail, she couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. Fatty Xiao was also dumbfounded. This damn fatty was actually eating potato chips. After seeing the nails on the ground, he couldn¡¯t eat anymore because of the disgust..."


    Wu Xu had said all this calmly and his eyes were nk. The interrogation room was so quiet that they could hear his tongue clicking after each sentence. The temperature around them seemed to have dropped a few degrees...


    1. The author used ¡°Wuuu¡± here. Although I feel like ¡°wah¡± is often only associated with babies and children, I''m not aware of any terms in English that express sobbing/crying using onomatopoeia except ¡°wah¡±


    2. A character in ¡°My Fair Princess¡±(AKA ¡°Princess Returning Pearl¡±) who is an evil character. She also had a scene where she used a needle to hurt someone. Here¡¯s a photo for reference: https://pic2.zhimg/80/v2-d9bc9c94d4f71d4e05d0e7a675723abd_1440w.jpg

 Chapter 488: Another Qixi

    <h4>Chapter 488: Another Qixi</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wu Xu continued to calmly recall, "I took her card to withdraw the money. There was over 300,000 in her card. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I thought she would have a few million in savings after being in the industry for so long. Haii, but I guess 300,000 is 300,000. This was the first time in my life where I¡¯d earned so much money! I didn¡¯t let it get to my head. I just transferred the money to the card that I had previously prepared and then went back to tie up loose ends with the woman.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t think that Chubby Xiao would have stripped her. He wanted to have sex with her and I was speechless. This damn fatty didn''t have any long-term ambition at all. If the police tested the semen, we¡¯d all die! It was then that I started thinking that the damn fatty would be the death of me sooner orter. I may have decided to leave him behind that day. From then on, we were particrly careful. The second women-¡°


    "What about the first victim?" Chen Shi asked.


    "She was killed obviously."


    "Who did it?"


    Wu Xu grinned. "I did! She died with a hit to the temple. Chubby Xiao¡¯s face was sttered with blood. He shouted at me, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered with him! I told him to dispose of the body. I don¡¯t care about this useless teammate. I supervised him the whole time. This guy was super useless. He kept vomiting while dismembering the corpse. He even begged me to help him halfway through. I just ignored him. He cut and chopped his way through the corpse all night before it was done. We packed the bones and took them to the outskirts to burn them. We threw the minced meat into the sewer and cleaned the scene three times. A whole person disappearedpletely without any traces, as if she had evaporated."


    Wu Xu smiled proudly, as if it was an achievement that no one could match.


    "Do you know what I thought about at the time? I was regretful! It turned out that it was so easy to kill someone. The streets were the same the next day. No one would care about the disappearance of a prostitute. When I thought about how I tried to run away in fear after I stabbed someone over a decade ago, then getting arrested by the police, I feel like I was ridiculously stupid. If I had known that it was so simple killing and dismembering, I wouldn¡¯t have had to go to jail."


    Lin Dongxue felt a chill down her spine. Arrogance and pride were inadvertently revealed when this person recalled his killing experience, indicating that his heart had long since degenerated and he no longer held humane feelings. Killing was as easy as hunting prey for him.


    Wu Xu asked for a cigarette and exhaled happily. He looked at the ceiling and continued to recall the next two crimes. The whole process was chilling.


    "...I started thinking that Chubby Xiao couldn¡¯t be kept around any longer. The stupid cunt would be the death of me sooner orter, so I had to figure out a way to make him disappear. Then, I¡¯d me everything on him so that the police would keep tracking him. I could roam free with the money and use it on my mother. This was a murder method a death row inmate had taught me in prison. A bottle of hydrochloric acid and a packet of cyanide can create poisonous gas. Both of these things could be stolen from electroting factories... "


    Lin Dongxue nced at the evidence in her hand, which contained the surveince footage of a burry in the electroting factory. The thief¡¯s body and posture were very simr to Wu Xu¡¯s.


    "I set up the trap and then blocked the sewer with some garbage. Chubby Xiao didn''t know and stupidly washed down the ground meat into the sewer. As expected, what he washed down overflowed from the sewage pipes and the people in the housing district crowded around after finding it. I called Chubby Xiao and told him to look down at the crowd below, saying we had a problem. I told him to hurry and leave with the woman. I told him that I had already nned for him to go to the roof, kill the woman and throw her into the water tank.¡±


    "I removed the lock of the water tank closest to the roof door in advance. Then, I wore a gas mask and hid in the corner. Chubby Xiao fell into the trap as expected. He opened the lid and was poisoned within seconds. I put the lid back on and locked it. It was perfect! Then, I left from the other door and watched you solve the case amidst the crowd..."


    Chen Shi said, "When we first met you, it should have been two hours after the police were called. Why were you still staying near the district?"


    Wu Xu answered, "I wanted to see if I was missing anything. Then..." His eyes fell on Lin Dongxue, "I saw you. I wanted to look at you more. I wanted to look at you again. Unconsciously, I stayed at the scene for two hours. Did you know? After talking to you that day, I was very happy. I knew I was the toad who wanted to eat swan meat[2], but I just wanted to look at you more."


    Lin Dongxue felt sick and didn''t want to look at his eyes at all.


    Chen Shi asked, "What did you think you missed?"


    "The whole n was seamless, but I was too stupid. I shouldn¡¯t have shown up in front of you all so frequently, causing suspicion.¡± Wu Xu answered without knowing his own ws.


    Chen Shi shook the pile of evidence in his hands. "You don''t know how much evidence you left behind. Ever since we found Zhang Xiao''s body, it was only a matter of time before we caught you. It''s your own guilty conscience that caused you to sit here so fast.¡±


    Wu Xu pursed his lips tightly, frowning as he asked, "What evidence did I leave behind?"


    Listening to his tone, it seemed like there was a hidden meaning behind his words. Chen Shi asked, "You don¡¯t think you can have a chance to do it all over again, right?"


    "I know that I¡¯m dead no matter what. Why would I care? When I get to prison, I¡¯ll tell my deeds to others. The next time someonemits a crime with this method, they can keep improving and make fewer mistakes. Haha... Hahahaha..."


    Wu Xu raised his head upwards andughed out loud. Lin Dongxue shook her head with a pained heart. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve asked everything we need to. The specifics will be discussed when the scene has been examined for evidence."


    Chen Shi motioned for Lin Dongxue to go. When she stood up and walked to the door, Lin Dongxue suddenly said, "Did those women deserve to die? You said that society gave up on you, but you can kill people weaker than you?"


    "Those prostitutes are weak?" Wu Xu pointed at his chest. "Me, who has no money, no rights, and no status, is the weakest. The whole society owes me. It¡¯s right for me to kill anyone I want! Lin Dongxue, I¡¯m not going to hide it from you. If I had managed to drug you on that day, haha, guess what I would have done to you? Unfortunately, God didn¡¯t give me the opportunity!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so furious that she clenched her fists. Chen Shi held her shoulders, signaling that she didn''t have to spend more time with people like that.


    In the empty interrogation room, Wu Xu, who had been arrogant, suddenly shed two streams of tears. He murmured to himself, "Everyone looks down on me. No one looks at me without contempt. I¡¯m just trash. One day, I¡¯ll make you all pay the price!¡±


    "No one can help those who give up on themselves." Lin Dongxue walked in the corridor and found a lively scene outside the window. She looked back at Chen Shi. "Hey, is today-"


    "Yeah, Qixi. Look how busy it is outside... The case is finally over, let''s go for a walk."


    "Follow me!"


    Lin Dongxue dragged Chen Shi to Lin Qiupu''s office. Old Zhang and Xu Xiaodong were actually all there. Chen Shi noticed that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right, as if something important had happened.


    Lin Qiupu stood up and said, "Everyone, tonight... It''s Qixi again!"


    His tone was solemn and everyone present looked very uneasy, except Chen Shi who looked nk. He looked around at them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    "On Qixi, a girl will be killed in the city." Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows. "This is the shame of the second team. A serial murder case that hasn¡¯t been solved for many years!"


    "So it was like that." Chen Shi smiled confidently, "You have me this year!"


    1. The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in mythology. It falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month on the Chinese calendar.


    2. Used to describe people who aren¡¯t thought highly of, trying to get together with a beautiful girl.

 Chapter 489: Qixi Homicidal Demon

    <h4>Chapter 489: Qixi Homicidal Demon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 32: Don¡¯t Forget Me


    In the office with the lights off, Lin Dongxue touched theptop with her finger and projected a photo onto the white screen. The photo showed a girl in a bright red dress, with a slender figure. Her hands were crossed under her navel and she wore a calm expression. She was covered in snow-like white powder, especially around the neck. Her blood seeped through the white powder umted on her body and spread around, gradually changing from dark red to light red.


    "The deceased, Yan Qilin, died at about 10:00PM on August 13th, 2013. The ce of death was an empty house scheduled for demolition near Shengli Street. There weren¡¯t security cameras around and there weren¡¯t many streetlights. The people who reported it to the police were a young couple who had stumbled upon the scene. The deceased¡¯s throat had been shed with a knife from the front and she had died of suffocation. There were signs of violent struggle on the floor. The deceased¡¯s body had been sprinkled with about 500 grams of salt. The amount was equivalent to a big bag that can be found at the supermarket."


    Lin Dongxue continued her briefing while advancing through the photos, allowing Chen Shi to see more details.


    Chen Shi tapped his fingers on the table and thought about the case. He said, "The deceased looks very peaceful!"


    "It may have been arranged to look that way by the murderer after the fact."


    "Carry on!"


    Lin Dongxue switched to the next photo, which was a close-up of the deceased¡¯s hand. "There is a string of letters and numbers on the right hand of the deceased. From the direction and the handwriting, it should have been written on her by someone else. As for the meaning, so far nobody knows what it could mean."


    Chen Shi read it out. "hp6527963665... I don''t understand. Deciphering code is my weakness! Is the second team responsible for this case?"


    "In the beginning, the A branch was investigating this case. It was transferred to the head bureau three years ago, and Captain Lin took over."


    Chen Shi nodded for them to continue.


    The photos projected on the white screen kept changing. Lin Dongxue continued, "In the second case, the deceased, Cai Tingting, died on August 2nd, 2014 sometime around 8:00 to 9:00PM, and was found underneath a bridge south of Limin Road..."


    In the photo, the second corpse looked almost exactly the same as the first. The same short hair, slender body, and the age should be about the same as well. She was also wearing a red dress. Her hands were crossed under the navel, and she was covered with salt. The cause of death was also exactly the same. She had the front of her throat slit.


    Chen Shi pondered over why the murderer wanted to sh the throats of victims from the front. This method of murder wasn¡¯t very efficient. The people, time and ce were ever-changing. It would be very difficult for the murderer topletely follow the previous method of murder, unless this person had serious obsessivepulsive disorder.


    Or, this kind of death held a very strong and special meaning for the murderer.


    The photos continued to advance, and a close-up of the deceased''s right arm appeared on the white screen, with the same text on it: "hp6527963665..."


    Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue to turn back. Lin Dongxue said, "We don''t have to. The letters and numbers are exactly the same. In all subsequent murders, the codes written on the hands of the deceased are exactly the same."


    "Who was responsible for the investigation in the second case?"


    "B branch, because it happened under their jurisdiction."


    "The cases weren¡¯t investigated together at the time?"


    "Yes, it wasn''t until the third case happened on August 20th, 2015, that the head bureau started taking it seriously and asked for the cases to be handed over. It was only then that it was discovered that the dates of all three cases were on Qixi!"


    "Eh... A lot of things happen in a year. You guys can¡¯t be med for not realizing it."


    "Aren¡¯t your words mocking us?"


    "No, why should I? Think about what we were doing at this timest year."


    "Last year... We hadn¡¯t met each other at this timest year!"


    "Yes, see how much has happened this year? Continue!"


    Lin Dongxue continued with the slide show. 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. To make an inappropriate analogy, the murderer was as dedicated as Santa us. On Qixi, a young girl would be killed using the same method. Their age, height, and weight were all very close. Almost the same type.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Last year, the chief said that we must arrest this murderer no matter what. We started taking preventative measures before Qixi, invested a lot of manpower, and also brought in a criminal psychologist. The expert¡¯s profile of the murderer was that he was a male between age 25-35, with stable employment and a family. He has mysophobia and may have one or two childish hobbies. He would have been betrayed by his partner before, and Qixi was a painful day for him. His current partner is possibly working in the service industry... Do you think it sounds probable?"


    "It sounds pretty much correct. The average age of the victims was around 23 or 24 years old. The murderer had chosen this specific target, indicating that he was emotionally traumatized at this age. This experience had made his psychological age lower than his peers. The method of killing seems to have the meaning of burial behind it. He always tidies up the corpses cleanly and beautifully. This is probably a kind ofpensation. He hasplicated feelings for the person who had hurt him, so it should have been a romantic dispute. This person¡¯s long and regr killing cycle shows that he usually doesn¡¯t have any time at his disposal. He can onlye out to kill on Qixi, indicating that he¡¯s free on this day. It is reasonable that this expert had concluded that his partner was employed in the service industry. People in the service industry would be very busy on Qixi.¡± After this long analysis, Chen Shi rested his chin in his hand. "It¡¯s just..."


    "Just what?"


    "This is just a regr psychological portrait. If these cases weren¡¯t done by the same person, this wouldn¡¯t make sense. Or perhaps the murderer is a woman. Although the probability isn¡¯t high, it¡¯s still possible."


    "This was obviously done by one person, right?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi stared at the photos in a daze. After some time he said, "It¡¯s almost like a ritual. The murderer doesn¡¯t want to leave extra information, but just repeats the homicide continuously. He¡¯s copying the same homicide. Take that string of numbers. If the murderer really wanted to set a puzzle for the police, they should leave different numbers on different victims to let us find out the pattern in them. Wouldn¡¯t that be the normal way to go about it? But this murderer has been writing down the same string of code for six years, like a signature. It¡¯s as if he¡¯sughing at us as since we can''t solve it. If the string was his signature, it doesn¡¯t seem too aesthetic. I can''t imagine what kind of pleasure he can get from writing it. Nor can I imagine what pleasure the murderer can derive from repeating the same case.¡±


    Lin Dongxue guessed, "Perhaps his character is like that. Every year on Qixi, he goes out to look for prey, andpletes a murder as urately as a mission."


    "Yes, people''s personalities vary greatly, and such people do exist. But since this case has been investigated for so many years, I think that you all would have investigated everything you can."


    "Long live understanding!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "Yeah, we¡¯ve investigated everything possible, racked our brains, lost sleep and skipped meals, but we never got a lead. The second team all collectively have ¡®Qixi phobia¡¯ now. As soon as this festivales around, it¡¯s like we¡¯re going to be skinned[1]... So I want to hear what the great detective Chen thinks about this."


    "Well, I want to see the earliest case."


    "Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue turned on the light and handed a file to Chen Shi. He scanned through it. The victim¡¯s interpersonal rtionships were very simple. There were only a few people who were often in contact with her, and the police had already ruled them out as suspects...


    1. Tortured miserably.

 Chapter 490: Six Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 490: Six Years Ago</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The first victim, Yan Qilin, was a high school graduate at the time. She was shy and introverted. She usually liked to read books alone. After the murder, the police investigated three people.


    The first was Xiao Ran[1], a ssmate and best friend of the deceased. The two had known each other since they first met during military training in their first year of senior high, and they had been inseparable ever since. Xiao Ran had found a diary when she was sorting out the victim¡¯s belongings. She took the initiative to give it to the police. The diary mentioned that the deceased and Xiao Ran had fallen in love with the same boy at the same time, but afterwards Xiao Ran removed herself from the situation of her own volition. For this reason, the deceased often felt like she owed Xiao Ran and treated her doubly well.


    Judging from the narration in the diary and Xiao Ran''s own confession, this matter wouldn¡¯t have developed to the point where it was a motive for murder. Furthermore, Xiao Ran had an alibi. She was dating another boy at the time of the murder.


    The second one was Zhang Jinlei, the boy whom the victim had a crush on. He was also a ssmate. After graduating, the two of them formally became a couple and applied to the same university. At that time, it was the summer vacation in their senior year of high school, so no one except Xiao Ran knew about their rtionship.


    Perhaps Yan Qilin''s death dealt Zhang Jinlei a huge blow. For a time, he seemed very negative and threatened to avenge Yan Qilin. He fought a boy named Yue Chao, almost ending up with a criminal record.


    At the time of the murder, the deceased was originally nning to meet Zhang Jinlei near Wuyi Road. He had waited a long time and was unable to reach her over the phone.


    Although Zhang Jinlei had been standing alone at the intersection and he didn¡¯t have an alibi; through various investigations, the police ruled him out as a suspect.


    The third was Yue Chao, who was also a ssmate of the deceased. But due to certain reasons, he didn¡¯t take the college entrance examination. He had dropped out in the second half of his senior year.


    Zhang Jinlei said that he had seen Yue Chao sexually harassing the deceased, but Yue Chao said he had a sibling-like rtionship with the deceased and that asional disagreements were normal. He imed that Zhang Jinlei was just overly sensitive, and had misunderstood.


    The deceased often went to have fun at Yue Chao¡¯s workce and it seemed like the two of them had a good rtionship.


    Simrly, Yue Chao also had a convincing alibi, so the police also ruled him out as well.


    After reading the thick record of statements, Chen Shi asked, "Where is the deceased''s diary?"


    "It is stored in the evidence room. I know what you¡¯re thinking. The diary isn¡¯t forged. It¡¯s indeed the diary of the deceased. We checked the whole book and there were no traces of a page being torn out. Besides, Zhang Jinlei has also seen the diary before."


    "Why did Yue Chao drop out? A high school student who dropped out in their senior year must have made a big mistake."


    "ording to his teachers and ssmates in the school, this student has always been notorious for his misdeeds. The specific reason for dropping out is not very clear, but the police involved in the investigation said that it wasn¡¯t rted to the deceased and was an independent matter."


    Chen Shi stared at the fluorescent lights in a daze.


    Lin Dongxue said, "In fact, when the first murder urred, those three people, the deceased¡¯s ssmates and teachers were all visited countless times. The idea that an acquaintance hadmitted the crime was ruled out. As simr cases continued to happen, the police ssified it as a serial killing."


    "However, wasn¡¯t there no progress after investigating it as a serial killing?... Where¡¯s your brother and the rest of the?"


    "They¡¯re out."


    "Is there a case?"


    "No, Captain Lin had already asked for some police reinforcements from various jurisdictions and police stations a few days ago to step up patrols tonight. Although it¡¯s kind of like finding a needle in a haystack, what if they run into the murderer in a massive stroke of luck?¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "It seems that this case has tortured you guys a lot."


    "Truly. Everyone gets really tense whenever it¡¯s Qixi... Do you think he¡¯llmit a crime again this year?"


    "Since the criminal pattern is clear, after not getting caught in the past six years, I think that this murderer would have formed a certain mental mindset and will definitelymit a crime again this year."


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "How helpless we are! We have to wait for the corpse of a girl to be delivered here again tomorrow."


    "I¡¯ve gotten hungry. Let¡¯s go out and eat!"


    They had been busy with the case all day and hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet. Thus, the two of them went outside and ordered a bunch of skewers. Chen Shi pondered as he was eating and it could be seen that his brain was running at full speed, so Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t bother him.


    Chen Shi suddenly said, "Thinking carefully, these cases do differ."


    "What''s the difference?"


    "From the second case onwards, the victims were killed elsewhere, and then thrown in some remote ce. Only in the first case was the victim killed on the spot... Have you considered that the next five cases could all be copycat crimes?"


    "We have considered that, but this case hasn¡¯t been made public. Some details, especially the string of numbers and letters written on the arms of the deceased, wouldn¡¯t be known to outsiders."


    "True..." Chen Shi picked up amb skewer frustratedly, but his eyes were drawn to an approaching shing light. It was the siren on a police car.


    Lin Dongxue had also noticed it. There must be a problem if a police car was returning to the bureau with the siren still on. The two called the boss over at the same time and smiled at each other. Chen Shi said, "Check please! We¡¯ll have the food as takeaway!"


    They hurried back to the bureau and saw a man being taken out of the police car, as well as a girl who seemed to be drunk.


    The girl had been acting drunk the whole way and said to Xu Xiaodong who was holding her, "Handsome, what¡¯s your number? Why won''t you talk?" This put Xu Xiaodong in a bind.


    Lin Dongxue asked Lin Qiupu, "What did this person do?"


    "We met them while patrolling. They were acting suspiciously."


    The man shouted, "Are you guys crazy? I''m on a date with my girlfriend. What did you arrest me for?!"


    "Let¡¯s talk after we go in!"


    "You¡¯re all crazy! I want to sue you."


    Lin Dongxue looked at the man who seemed a bit familiar, but she couldn''t remember where she had seen him before.


    After finding out the man''s name, she was so surprised that she was gobsmacked. He was actually Yue Chao, one of the people rted to the first homicide.


    After six years, he was now 25 years old and working for apany that sells health products.


    When the police were patrolling that night, they passed the ce where the first murder had urred that year. A housing district had already been built there. Yue Chao and the drunk girl had been sneaking around inside. When he saw the police, he had dragged the girl and ran away. He was immediately stopped.


    Then the police found a red dress and a bag of salt in the bag that he was carrying.


    Such a reason made the police even more suspicious of him.


    The drunk girl was taken to the office to sober up and Yue Chao was taken into the interrogation room. He was very impatient and kept shaking his legs. He kept asking the police for cigarettes. Lin Qiupu only entered the interrogation room after ten minutes. He sat across from him and said, "After six years, we meet again. Tell us why you were arrested this time!"


    Yue Chao sneered. "How would I know why you arrested me?"


    "What''s with this red dress?"


    "I bought it for my girlfriend!"


    "What about this pack of salt?"


    "I bought it for cooking. Did I break thew?"


    Lin Qiupu smiled grimly, "It¡¯s indeed not illegal, but Yan Qilin was killed six years ago, and a girl has been killed in the same way every year on Qixi. You¡¯re a person pertinent to the Yan Qilin case. You know better than I do what these two things mean when put together!¡±


    1. Although it reads as ¡°Xiao¡±, it¡¯s not the same as ¡°Little¡± in this case.

 Chapter 491: Problem Student

    <h4>Chapter 491: Problem Student</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were watching from outside. Lin Dongxue said, "I didn''t expect that there would be significant progress this year. If this case is solved just like this, I really have to go to the temple to burn some incense."


    Chen Shi asked, "Do you think Yue Chao took the girl to the scene and wanted to kill her in the same way? But did he have a weapon on him?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "There wasn¡¯t one on him or in his car. Our colleagues are searching at the scene now. He might have thrown it in some corner.¡±


    "Who is that girl?"


    "Yue Chao said that she is his girlfriend. She¡¯s so drunk that she can''t answer any questions."


    Chen Shi smiled and whispered to Xu Xiaodong, "She looks pretty!" Lin Dongxue poked him,ining, "You¡¯re not being serious at all."


    In the interrogation room, Yue Chao was still wasting time. Lin Qiupu said, "If you want to drag this out, I¡¯ll y along. This is my job anyway, so I can keep youpany no matter what.¡±


    Yue Chao looked like he wasn¡¯t willing to ept the situation. "You have to guarantee not to leave a stain on my records!"


    "You¡¯re still afraid of that?" Lin Qiupu flipped open a document in his hand. "Look at what you did before. When you were fighting in high school, you were punished by the school. Later, in the drama troupe, you were almost jailed for the same reason. Then you changed your jobs several times and didn¡¯t manage to stay in any of them for a full year.¡±


    Yue Chao admitted his defeat and asked, "You¡¯re not suspecting that I¡¯m the murderer, right?"


    "It depends on the evidence and your testimony."


    "Fuck!" Yue Chao shook his head. "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. A month ago, our ssmates at the high school reunion talked about the murder of Yan Qilin. Then I heard that Zhang Jinlei went there every year on Qixi to burn paper in honor of her memory. Zhang Jinlei and I don¡¯t get along, so I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. So, I ordered my girlfriend to put on a red dress to frighten him by acting like a ghost tonight!"


    "How do you exin this pack of salt?"


    "I was nning to sprinkle salt on the ground to lure him over. Then my girlfriend, who would be hiding in a corner, woulde out and scare him. This is called a dramatic effect. I learned it in the troupe." Yue Chao smiled.


    "That girl is your girlfriend?"


    "Yes."


    "She¡¯s drunk like that but still needs to scare him? Do you think your statement will hold up?"


    "Why should I lie to you? When she sobers up, you can just ask her. How could I be a murderer?"


    "Then we¡¯ll talk again when she¡¯s sober!¡±


    Lin Qiupu asked the police toe in and detain Yue Chao first. Chen Shi knew everyone''s thoughts. If Yue Chao spent the night here and no new dead body appeared tomorrow, then he was most likely the suspect.


    It didn¡¯t seem like there would be results in the short-term, plus it was gettingte. Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "I''ll head back first. Do you want me to give you a ride?"


    They hadn¡¯t been able to have a good rest since they had been busy with investigations over the past few days. The next day, Chen Shi slept in and got up at 8:00 in the morning. He went out with Tao Yueyue to have a leisurely breakfast, before rushing to the bureau.


    It was calm in the bureau and no new dead body had been found. Yue Chao was still in the detention room. The girl confirmed Yue Chao¡¯s words after sobering upst night, but the police weren¡¯t buying it. This was just what Yue Chao had said to the girl. Whether he wanted to deceive and lure the girl to the scene and kill her was unknown. The two had only known each other for about a month.


    ording to their previous understanding of Yue Chao, he was a yboy. His girlfriends changed constantly and he was skilled in hooking up with girls.


    Chen Shi felt that he wasn¡¯t the murderer. Yue Chao gave off the impression that he was impetuous and ostentatious. It didn''t seem like there was rational thought behind whatever he did. Nor did he seem like someone who would persist in doing something over the course of six years. Besides, what would the motivation be?


    Chen Shi went to look for Lin Dongxue. The people in the office said that she and Little Li had gone to the scene where Yue Chao was arrested.


    So Chen Shi went to the detention area where Yue Chao was lying in a solo detention room sleeping. Hearing someoneing, he sat up immediately and said with a smile, "I''m really not a bad person. Can you please let me go or return my mobile phone to me? If I don¡¯t go to work today, I¡¯ll have two days of wages deducted."


    "Telling me that is useless. Rest assured, you¡¯ll be let out after 24 hours if there¡¯s no evidence."


    "Fuck. 24 hours? I don¡¯t have that much free time to waste here!"


    "Then why did you have the time to frighten Zhang Jinleist night? Oh yes, I have one thing I¡¯m curious about. What was the reason you dropped out of school back then?"


    Yue Chao was silent for a long time before reluctantly saying, "Personal reasons."


    "Can''t you talk about it?"


    "I say, six years have passed since that case and you should have asked everything there is to ask! The police are also ipetent. After six years, you still can''t catch the murderer. You¡¯re just setting yourself against me. I know that I didn¡¯t have the best track record in the past, but you can¡¯t view others through colored sses. You¡¯re all insisting that I¡¯m the murderer. Are you trying to make me the scapegoat because you can¡¯t catch the real murderer?¡±


    "Your imagination is too rich. Everything must be asked and rified in an investigation. Tell me, why did you drop out of school back then?"


    Yue Chao licked his lips before falling silent again.


    Chen Shi observed his expression. "If I¡¯m guessing correctly, the reason for your dropping out was rted to Yan Qilin. That¡¯s why you won¡¯t talk about it. You¡¯re worried that the police would suspect you, right?¡±


    "She harmed me!"


    "Oh?"


    ¡°My grades were particrly poor at that time. I basically had no hope of taking the university entrance exam. I just fooled around every day. Once, I was caught smoking in the toilet by the ss teacher. The ss teacher immediately pped me without saying anything. I was young back then-¡±


    "You fought back?"


    "No, no, how could that be possible? I still knew what was appropriate and what was not. I just said some ruthless words, saying that I¡¯d find some brothers to fix him up. Perhaps it was karma, but the damn old man was beaten on the way home from work two dayster and his mobile phone and wallet were stolen. I swear that it had nothing to do with me. He didn¡¯t know who did it either, but said that it was me. Then the school created a small court. The dean, deputy principal, and chief of security grabbed me and conducted a trial. I told them it wasn¡¯t me, but they didn¡¯t believe me at all. My mother even went to plead with the ss teacher. This pleading was embarrassing. It was like some yellow mud had fallen on my pants. Even if it wasn¡¯t feces, others would think it was. The school seemed to have found a witness and said that they saw me sneakily following the ss teacher that night. They said that they¡¯d give me some face and asked me to drop out myself. I couldn¡¯t do anything but suck it up and drop out. In hindsight, the school only forced me because they didn¡¯t have any evidence."


    "That witness was Yan Qilin?"


    Yue Chao nodded. "I kept brooding over this matter, and I often went to the school to ask around about it. Later, I heard that the witness was Yan Qilin. We normally never spoke to each other, so I didn''t know why she would use me like this. On her way home from school, I stopped and confronted her. I asked her when she had seen me hitting someone. At that time, it was quitete, and Yan Qilin was a little scared, so she screamed. I started pulling her clothes, then Zhang Jinlei, who was passing by, saw it and started hitting me without any hesitation... Later, Zhang Jinlei and Yan Qilin spread rumors at school saying that I wanted to sexually harass Yan Qilin. I didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. I just wanted to seek justice. I know I¡¯m a problem student in everyone¡¯s eyes, but you guys can¡¯t put this shit on my head!"


    When he got to that point, Yue Chao covered his face and seemed as if he felt terribly wronged.

 Chapter 492: Love From Hatred

    <h4>Chapter 492: Love From Hatred</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "That was how you and Zhang Jinlei became enemies?"


    Yue Chao nodded. "It was more than that. He actually got together with Yan Qilin after ¡°fighting for justice" on her behalf. I fucking inadvertently became Yue Lao[1]. Wouldn¡¯t you say that was frustrating? Then the unfortunate thing happened to Yan Qilin and Zhang Jinlei actually came over and tried to settle things with me. He fought with me again. I have been brooding over this matter for a long time. Why did they dump everything on me? Although I have neither learning or skills, I still have my own principles. I don¡¯t hit women, and I won¡¯tmit crimes.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "But you tried to get your girlfriend to pretend to be Yan Qilin''s ghost to scare him. Wasn¡¯t that a bit too much? By the way, it¡¯s been six years, how do you know that Zhang Jinlei would hold a memorial for Yan Qilin every Qixi?"


    Yue Chao grew silent again. Chen Shi took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it over. Yue Chao took it and asked, "Brother, do you have a lighter?"


    "No."


    "You¡¯re so strange. You have cigarettes but not a lighter. Are you joking with me?!"


    "I don''t smoke. I bought these for you... Okay, let me borrow a lighter for you."


    Chen Shi returned with a borrowed lighter. On the way back, he put his phone into the recording mode and put it in his pocket. Yue Chao reached out to take the lighter, but Chen Shi retracted his hand. "Answer the question first."


    Yue Chao held the unlit cigarette in his mouth and didn¡¯t speak.


    Chen Shi said, "I''m not doubting you. I just want to know the truth. Although it¡¯s been six years, the murderer who killed Yan Qilin is still atrge. Don''t you want to bring him to justice?"


    "Of course I want that. It¡¯s just..."


    "Just what?"


    "..."


    Chen Shi picked up on his nervousness and panic. "Do you and Yan Qilin have a different level of rtionship? Seeing how you know about Zhang Jinlei going there to mourn for her every year on Qixi, it indicates that you also went to that ce. What do you go there for?"


    "I..."


    "I¡¯m the only one here, and two policemen are required to take down a testimony. You can tell me without worrying."


    "I was very angry for some time just after I was persuaded by the school to drop out.. I often went to Yan Qilin to make "trouble" for her. She was a very introverted girl who couldn''t handle my harsh words. She would cry from being so frightened. I didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. After leaving, I was so irritated that I wanted to find her and rify things with her. Gradually, I... I actually fell in love with her. Fucking hell. I don¡¯t know why either. I always wanted to see, talk to and go home with her."


    When he said that, Yue Chao''s eyes became a little damp. He took the lighter in Chen Shi''s hand, lit the cigarette, and exhaled.


    "Once, I followed her home and found out that she was from a single-parent family. Her father was always drinking and ying mahjong. When he saw me going home with her, he questioned her about who I was. The young girl was so weak that she could only cry. At that time, I was eavesdropping outside. It made me so frustrated that I rushed in and scolded her father a little. Then I pulled her away and we stayed out all night. I treated her to some food and tried to counsel her. The more I looked at her pitiful expression, the more I thought she was cute... If Zhang Jinlei hadn¡¯t butted in, maybe we would have been together. So I hated Zhang Jinlei. He had good grades, a good family background, and knew how to y basketball. All the girls in ss liked him. Why did he have to take away Yan Qilin? It¡¯s clear that he was against me and he made me grind my teeth in anger!"


    "You don¡¯t care about how Yan Qilin caused you to be dismissed?"


    Immersed in his memories, Yue Chao smiled. "My grades wouldn¡¯t have qualified me for university anyway. To be honest, the main reason I wasn¡¯t able to ept it was because I couldn¡¯t let go of the resentment. But when I looked into the pitiful eyes of that girl, I was unable to get angry. She was an angel!¡±


    "Then I¡¯m quite puzzled. You liked her but you found someone to act as her ghost. Wouldn¡¯t that tarnish her image in your mind?"


    "I don''t mean to do that. I had another purpose..."


    "Do you suspect Zhang Jinlei?"


    Yue Chao raised his eyes and said with admiration, "Brother, how could you tell?"


    "I guessed it. Acting as a ghost to scare someone has two purposes. One is revenge, and the other is to force the person to reveal the horse leg[2]."


    "Amazing. Amazing. I can tell you¡¯re not an ordinary policeman... Okay, I¡¯m a little suspicious of Zhang Jinlei. After these two got together back then, I often followed them. I felt that Zhang Jinlei wasn¡¯t a good person. He often caused Yan Qilin to cry. The two of them quarreled over trivial matters on several asions, and Zhang Jinlei would leave by himself, leaving her behind to cry by herself. I was very sad listening to the sound of her crying. I think Zhang Jinlei seems to have a sunny disposition on the outside, but he¡¯s very immature on the inside. He¡¯s an extremely insecure kind of guy. Some people argue every day when they fall in love and some people are very sweet. I am thetter and he is the former. But I don¡¯t understand why Yan Qilin liked him. Was she a masochist? If she had been my girlfriend, I promise that I would have made herugh every day, taken her out to eat delicious food, and never let her shed a single tear. But she prefers Zhang Jinlei''s type... "


    "That''s the reason you suspect him?"


    "Zhang Jinlei''s personality isn¡¯t sound. Is that not enough?"


    Chen Shi understood that this was only one-sided spection from Yue Chao. Feelings could blind people''s eyes. When he saw Yan Qilin aggrieved, his heart infinitely magnified the pain.


    To confirm, Chen Shi asked, "What do they generally quarrel about?"


    "Hmm, I can''t describe it. It¡¯s just that the guy is a control-freak."


    "Understood."


    "If you want to re-investigate this case, you must interrogate that guy. Don''t be blinded by his infatuated appearance. He must have some dark secrets. I dare to guarantee that! Give me another cigarette.¡±


    Chen Shi gave him another cigarette. After lighting it, Yue Chao asked, "When can you let me go?"


    "I¡¯ve already said twenty-four hours."


    "God, can you give me my phone back?"


    Chen Shi took out his own phone from his pocket. "I can''t give you your phone, but you can use mine to make a call."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue''s name popped up on the phone. Chen Shi pressed to answer. Lin Dongxue informed him, "Old Chen, we found the body."


    "Send me the address."


    Hanging up the phone, he hurried away. Yue Chao shouted from behind, "Hey, give me the phone to make a call!"


    Chen Shi rushed to the scene. It was a paddy field next to a road in the suburbs. In the middle of the green crops was a striking smear of red. The police had cordoned off the surroundings and paid the farmers a sum topensate for trampling on their crops.


    Chen Shi walked closer and saw that the corpse was a girl about 20 years old with a slender figure. She was wearing a red dress, covered with white powder, and a line of numbers was visible on her right arm.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Peng said the time of death was around 10:00st night. This area doesn¡¯t have police patrol nor security cameras. There¡¯s no doubt that the same person did it."


    Peng Sijue, who was squatting on the ground, lifted the head of the corpse up for examination. He suddenly found that the back of her head was covered with blood. Her skull had been smashed to pieces by someone...


    1. The matchmaking god that intertwines fates with red string.


    2. To inadvertently reveal a secret.

 Chapter 493: Resentment

    <h4>Chapter 493: Resentment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    This discovery surprised everyone. Trauma to the back of the head was the only major wound on the body of the deceased. It was obviously the cause of death. After six years, the murderer had actually used another method of murder.


    Peng Sijue supported the deceased''s head and observed calmly. Then he pried open the lips of the deceased. Generally, if the back of the head had suffered a huge impact, there would be bleeding in the mouth and nasal cavity. Only the deceased''s teeth were covered with blood.


    He poked the teeth with atex-gloved hand, and found that her front teeth were loose. He asked his subordinates for an iron ruler.


    He pried apart the victim¡¯s top and bottom teeth with the iron rule. "Several teeth are loose and there¡¯s wear on the teeth. There are spots of bleeding on the gums... Someone has pried her mouth open before."


    Then he shone a shlight inside the victim¡¯s mouth. Chen Shi also looked aside. Chen Shi saw clearly that the dead person''s oral mucosa had been damaged. It seemed that a hard object had been stuffed roughly inside previously.


    "Did he pry open her mouth to look for something?" Chen Shi spected.


    "Scissors!"


    Everyone lifted the body and moved it onto a tarpaulin, and then Peng Sijue cut open the deceased''s clothes from the neckline. Under the dress, the deceased was naked, but there was a pressure mark on the chest that had been left by a bra. This indicated that the murderer had killed her first before stripping her and changing her into the dress.


    When her clothes were cut down to the abdomen, everyone gasped. The deceased''s abdomen actually had a vertical wound. Because the deceased had been lying down, there wasn¡¯t much blood flowing out. Also, the dress itself was red, so it wasn¡¯t noticeable from the outside.


    Peng Sijue parted the wound in the abdomen and the bloody internal organs inside were visible. He was afraid that doing the examination there would contaminate the corpse, so he stopped and asked someone to bag the corpse first.


    "Wait!"


    Lin Dongxue came over and checked the number on the hand of the deceased. After seeing the six bodies, she was already familiar with the string of code. The handwriting was exactly the same as before. She said, "Strange. It¡¯s the same handwriting and the same number, but the killing method has changed."


    "Maybe something unexpected happened!" Chen Shi stared at the deceased''s face. "She... Have we seen her before?"


    "She does look a little familiar."


    "Cai Tingting!" Lin Qiupu said. Everyone''s eyes fell on his face. "The second victim in 2014."


    "She¡¯s indeed very simr." Chen Shi had only seen the photosst night, so he had an impression of her.


    "It''s impossible that it is the same person. The body had already been cremated back then." Lin Dongxue said, "Looking closely, this person is a bit older and fatter than Cai Tingting. Could it be... Ah, I remember now. Cai Tingting was a twin. She had an older sister!"


    Lin Qiupu called immediately to check this information. Sure enough, the deceased was Cai Tingting''s twin sister, Cai Yating. In order to confirm things clearly, he sent someone to Cai Yating''s house to inquire again.


    Back in the car, Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, "Did you go to the scene of the first murder in the morning?"


    "Yes."


    "Was anyone mourning there?"


    "Yes, the security in that housing district said that a manes to burn incense every year. From the characteristics described, that man should be Zhang Jinlei. Yue Chao didn¡¯t lie."


    "Not only did he not lie, but he¡¯s also not a suspect. The deceased was killed at about 10:00st night. At that time, Yue Chao had already been arrested by us. By the way, let me tell you something..." Chen Shi yed the recording of Yue Chao¡¯s words for Lin Dongxue to listen to.


    After listening, Lin Dongxue said, "It had not urred to me that there were such hidden circumstances. The investigation at that time was truly not meticulous enough."


    "Not necessarily. But after apse of many years, some parties no longer need to keep their secrets... Oh yes, should we go to see Zhang Jinlei?"


    "Hmm, is it necessary? Why are you so concerned about the first case this time?"


    "Because these six... No, seven serial murders were exactly the same. I think that the first murder case was the source. If we dig at it again, there may be some leads."


    Lin Dongxue looked at him and smiled. "Your unspoken meaning is that you don¡¯t have an idea yet?"


    Chen Shi shrugged and smiled. Indeed, there wasn¡¯t a suspect present in his mind yet. It would be better to start the investigation from the first murder case.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Lin said that we¡¯re only investigating this case for three days. We don¡¯t have that much time to waste. After three days, if there¡¯s no breakthrough progress, we¡¯ll have to wait for next year... I hope that we can get some results this year so that nobody has to die again. It¡¯s heartbreaking to think about the girls who were killed in their prime."


    Zhang Jinlei was now working as a frence illustrator. The two of them went to his studio and knocked on the door. When he saw Lin Dongxue holding her badge in her hand, Zhang Jinlei let the two enter the house without a word, and then sat by the window to continue illustrating.


    Chen Shi saw many of his works hanging on the wall. There were beautiful women in the pictures, but the other half of their bodies were white bones. This contrast was really creepy. The predominant tone of the paintings was red.


    Seeing the two people appreciating the paintings, Zhang Jinlei said coldly, "They belong to a series of works entitled ¡®Withering¡¯."


    "Although I don''t understand it, I can feel that kind of artistic mood." Chen Shiplimented politely.


    Zhang Jinlei showed an expression of contempt. His eyes didn¡¯t move away from the drawing board. "They¡¯re justmercial illustrations. They¡¯re not highbrow art or anything."


    "I remember that you weren¡¯t an art student before, and that you majored in finance at university. Why did you choose this line of work?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I didn''t go to university at all. That incident was a huge blow for me. I suffered from depression. I tried tomit suicide several times. My family quarreled with me and forced me to study. I had to run away from home and work casual jobs outside. I have been living in great pain these past few years. I am always thinking of her. I hate the ipetence of the police and hate myself for being useless as well. I often have extreme thoughts. Later, I found that painting can calm me down and so I kept painting. I didn¡¯t expect that I would make a living out of this.¡±


    There was repressed resentment showing in his tone. Lin Dongxue tried to counsel him, "To be able toe out of the shadows..."


    The paintbrush in Zhang Jinlei''s hand snapped. He chucked it away, stood up and stared at Lin Dongxue. His face was distorted as he roared, "I¡¯ve never walked out from there. Every day, I think about what had happened that day. Every time I move the brush, blood will spread on the white paper and her death will appear before me! You policemen are just spectators who are forced to participate in the misfortune of others. Don¡¯t think that you can point fingers at other people¡¯s lives because you think you are high and mighty. You have never thought about how after a tragedy has happened and after you¡¯vepleted your jobs well, how much pain is left behind for the parties involved, pain which cannot be soothed for a lifetime.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was scared and stepped back.


    Chen Shi felt the umted grievances emitted from Zhang Jinlei''s body. He had been a sunny boy in the case file information, but the person in front of them seemed to have changed into another person. He was thin and wasted, with long hair that trailed over his shoulders. His eyes sank into his skull.


    As the saying goes, the face is the index of the heart[1]. Chen Shi could somewhat feel the torment that he had suffered over the years.


    Chen Shiforted, "Don''t be impulsive. We have the same standpoint as you. We all hope that we can bring justice to Yan Qilin''s tragedy. We came to look for you today in the hope that you can provide some clues for us."


    1. One¡¯s appearance is affected by one¡¯s thoughts.

 Chapter 494: Rebellious Youth

    <h4>Chapter 494: Rebellious Youth</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It was unknown whether Chen Shi''s constion worked, or just because he had heard Yan Qilin''s name, but Zhang Jinlei sat down in his chair and held his head in pain. It seemed like he had temporarily calmed down.


    The two waited for him for more than a minute. Zhang Jinlei stood up and opened the drawer. He took out a medicine bottle and took a pill with the cold coffee on the table. Chen Shi noticed that he was taking Paroxetine, a kind of antidepressant.


    Zhang Jinlei''s eyes were red. "Sorry, I got too agitated. I hope you can understand. I have a mental illness."


    Chen Shi said, "We understand. Excuse us for disturbing you today. You know that Yan Qilin''s case may have beenmitted by a serial killer. He will kill a girl every year on Qixi."


    Zhang Jinlei nodded calmly. "I¡¯ve heard."


    "Excuse us for asking, but where were youst night?"


    "Drinking."


    "Which bar did you go to?"


    "I used to go to the Queqiao Bar in previous years. The bar was relocated this year. I went to another newly opened bar called... Huoxing? Actually, I don''t drink normally, but I have to make myself drunk on this day."


    "Have you been drinking the whole time? Can anyone prove it?"


    Zhang Jinlei raised his eyes, seemingly unhappy. "You can go to that bar to inquire."


    "But someone said that you were in another ce around 9:00st night."


    "Who said this?"


    "We can''t disclose this. Did you go to another ce?"


    "I''ve been in the bar from 8:00 till 12:00. I didn¡¯t go anywhere. I don''t know what your intentions are, asking me this all of a sudden!" Zhang Jinlei''s tone clearly showed displeasure.


    If they continued asking, this kid might blow up again, so Chen Shi changed the subject. "The information says that you have a good family background and your parents work in the bank?"


    "My parents do work in a bank, and my family is rtively wealthypared to others. But my childhood wasn¡¯t happy. My parents have always been arguing, and anything can be a fuse to spark off a quarrel. Since I was very young, the two of them had been nning to divorce. But for the sake of their reputations, they had to maintain their empty marriage. I was my father¡¯s tool for showing off to outsiders. When I was in kindergarten, I was forced to participate in various enrichment sses. I had to take first ce in every exam. They even forced me to participate and win awards in some insignificantpetitions. Elementary school chesspetitions. Speech contests. Abacus mental arithmeticpetitions. All kinds of awards were hung on the walls at home. They were the source of my father¡¯s pride. I hated my family. They caused me great psychological trauma.¡±


    "I know that in the eyes of outsiders, I¡¯m a hardworking student with a superior family background who was born intelligent and talented. But my heart was full of scars. I am full of fear when ites to socializing. I¡¯m very insecure. You wouldn¡¯t understand these things... Anyway, before I met her, there was nothing happy in my life. In fact, we had also met by chance. There was a problematic student in the ss who was looking to cause trouble for her. When I saw them on the way home from school, I couldn¡¯t help but fight for justice. Then the next day, she came to me and thanked me, saying she wanted to treat me to a meal. My family strictly forbade me from dating at too young an age. My father would regrly invite my teachers to meals in order to understand how I was doing. If he heard that I was too close to any girl, he¡¯d castigate me harshly... But I still agreed to her."


    "Reverse psychology?"


    "Yes, the more they didn¡¯t let me do it, the more I had to do it! Actually, my family is very strict. At that time, I also had several girlfriends in school. They were all secret rtionships, but I was just ying around because I looked down on these ignorant little girls. She was also considered to be one of the better-looking girls in the ss. At first, I nned to toy with her, but then unconsciously, I developed real feelings. Maybe she had something special that attracted me. I started caring more and more about her and I¡¯d go crazy when I saw her talking to other boys. Then I¡¯d deliberately ignore her in order to have my revenge. But when I saw her being sad, I felt even more sad... Haii, the situation back then was a mess. I truly loved her very much, but it seemed like we were always arguing. In hindsight, it would have been nice if I treated her better.¡±


    "The two of us were always on the brink of breaking up, but we always cared about each other. During the whole second half of the senior year, we would leave school together, but we never held hands. After the entrance exam, I asked her what university choices she had filled out. She cried and told me that she hadn¡¯t done well and either had to attend band 3 universities[ref]There are three cut-off scores: one for band I (yi ben), one for band II (er ben), and one for band III (san ben) universities. Many universities (though not all), even the top 20, admit all three levels of students since the lowest band pays dramatically higher tuition fees. The gap in the cut-off score between band 1 and band 3 is huge (550 versus 380).[/ref] or repeat the year and then enter my university to join me. My grades at that time were already 50 points over the band 1 cut-off score, but I couldn¡¯t wait a year. Universities didn¡¯t mean much to me. Losing her would be the real pain. I filled out the same choices as her. I felt I was being very cool, filling out band 3 choices with a band 1 score. For my family, it was self-abandonment and resigning myself to degeneration. When they found out, they exploded with anger. My father had neverid hands on me, but he pped me at the time and told me that he wanted to sever our ties. I said that if he wanted to sever our ties, it was fine with me before running away. After that my family went to my teachers, friends and rtives. All of them tried persuading me. Under such circumstances, I confessed that I didn¡¯t want much. I just wanted them to give up. You may not be able to imagine what happened after that... "


    Chen Shi had read his previous statement and vaguely knew what had happened, but still pretended to be interested.


    "My dad finallypromised and asked me if it¡¯d be okay as long as I was with that girl in university. I said yes. My dad then used his strongwork of connections to get a special enrollment opportunity at a university for her. The condition was that I also had to enroll in the university. That way, both of us had made concessions. If it wasn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t havepromised. I¡¯ve always wanted to get rid of the control of my family. Of course, she felt bad about this matter, thinking that it was shameful to ept it, but she finally epted it. I dreamed of a good university life. When everything seemed to have worked out happily, that happened..."


    Zhang Jinlei''s eyes were damp with tears, and he sobbed while holding his head in his hands.


    After he had finished crying, Chen Shi asked, "How is your rtionship with Yue Chao?"


    "Yue Chao? The little gangster who dropped out of high school? I hate him very much. He¡¯s uneducated, lecherous and arrogant. What I hated more was that he was always harassing Yan Qilin, especially whenever our rtionship was strained. He¡¯d alwayse and stick his nose in. He backstabbed me with her and wanted to break us up. I warned him that if he were to approach Yan Qilin, I would beat him up. We¡¯ve fought over this before. When the incident happened, the first person I thought of was him. Who would do this kind of thing except for that scum? But after your police investigation, you guys said that he was innocent and he had an alibi!"


    "I want to say that no matter how worthy of hate he is, it doesn''t mean that he¡¯s a suspect."


    Zhang Jinlei looked as though he repudiated Chen Shi¡¯s words, and seemed unwilling to ept this fact.

 Chapter 495: Cohabitation

    <h4>Chapter 495: Cohabitation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "There is another person. Yan Qilin''s best friend Xiao Ran. How much do you know about this girl?"


    "Xiao Ran and I have close ties with each other[1]. We aren¡¯t rtives. Her father and my father are colleagues. But she¡¯s from a divorced family. We went to the same elementary and junior high as well. We both envy each other. I envied the rxed parenting she received and she envied my having aplete family..." Zhang Jinlei smiled bitterly. "Thinking carefully about it, we both came from unhappy families!"


    Chen Shi had not expected him to have this kind of rtionship with Xiao Ran. He continued to ask, "Yan Qilin''s diary mentioned that both of them fell in love with you at the same time, but Xiao Ran backed out of her own volition. Was this the case?"


    "Hmm!" Zhang Jinlei looked calm. "Actually, I¡¯m very grateful to her. She helped me and Yan Qilin get together. Xiao Ran is a very good girl. She¡¯s understanding and takes care of people, just like a big sister..."


    Lin Dongxue interjected, "Listening to your tone, it seems that you kept in touch even after high school."


    "We..."


    At that moment, someone opened the door with a key. A inly-dressed woman with a full figure came in with a bag of food bought from the supermarket. When she saw that there were strangers in the house, she was a bit startled. Although the woman''s appearance had changed, Lin Dongxue could still recognize her at a nce. Wasn''t she Xiao Ran?


    "Ranran, the two of them are police officers. They¡¯re here to investigate the case." Zhang Jinlei introduced.


    "Oh, hello... You guys aren¡¯t the same officers from back then. Did they change the people in charge of the case again?"


    "We¡¯re criminal police officers from the city bureau. Your rtionship with Zhang Jinlei is..."


    "Boyfriend-girlfriend!", "Cohabitation." The two answered at the same time, then nced at each other.


    "When did you start dating?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "No, we aren¡¯t dating. We met by chance a few years ago. She was renting a house at the time. I offered to rent a house with her, and then we began living together. I¡¯m useless at looking after myself, so she¡¯s been taking care of me."


    Xiao Ran said, "We haven''t established our rtionship. It''s more like being housemates. After I lost my job and couldn¡¯t find another one, I have been doing the housework and taking care of Jinlei. I know that our rtionship is strange, but Yan Qilin¡¯s tragedy was a great blow to us and it¡¯s another form of mutual support.¡±


    "It¡¯s our dereliction of duty for not being able to solve the case after so long. I''m sorry." Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s okay. I know you¡¯ve been investigating the whole time. Did youe and look for him today to understand the circumstances?" Xiao Ran said.


    Chen Shi said, "The original n was to visit the two of you. Since you two are here together, it¡¯s more convenient. Miss Xiao, can we talk privately for a while elsewhere?"


    Xiao Ran looked at Zhang Jinlei. "I understand. When you¡¯re asking questions, you don¡¯t want any interference... Let me put the food away in the fridge first.¡±


    Xiao Ran opened the refrigerator and put the food away. The things in the refrigerator were arranged in an orderly manner, in contrast to the messy studio. Then she cleared up the used cups and some garbage on the table. She reminded Zhang Jinlei, "Don''t always drink coffee. Drink more water."


    "Don''t take my stuff. I haven''t finished using them yet."


    "Ok."


    Listening to this conversation, it seemed that the two were very familiar with each other, as if they were husband and wife.


    Afterwards, Xiao Ran changed her coat and went downstairs with the two of them. A car was parked downstairs. Xiao Ran said, "Ah I forgot, I wanted to ask Jinlei to help me park the car. I¡¯m not very good at reverse parking."


    Chen Shi offered, "Let me do it!"


    "Thank you so much."


    Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, "Distract her." Then he took the key and got into the car. He parked the car in the parking lot skillfully. Lin Dongxue and Xiao Ran were chatting away. While she was distracted, Chen Shi opened the glove box to have a look.


    A photo of Zhang Jinlei and Xiao Ran was posted on top of the glove box. It looked like a special asion, as if they were a couple.


    In addition, there were some misceneous items. There was nothing of importance. When Chen Shi was getting out of the car, he suddenly found a piece of paper under the seat. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a small piece of joss paper[2] that was burned as offerings to the dead.


    Seeing the car parked, Xiao Ran said a few words of thanks again. Chen Shi asked, "Whose car is this?"


    "Of course it is Jinlei¡¯s. I have no ie. The house and car both belong to him."


    "Oh? The house was bought?" Chen Shi looked up. "It seems that Zhang Jinlei''s ie isn¡¯t bad. He must be a famous painter."


    "I wouldn¡¯t say that he¡¯s well-known. In fact, his family often gives him money. If we put it nicely, his parents had lent him the money. In fact, his parents don''t expect him to pay it back. He hasn''t returned home over the recent years, but his family''s financial support has never stopped."


    "So, he has a poor rtionship with his family?"


    "Mmm, how do I put it..."


    "No rush. Let''s go outside and find a ce to sit."


    The three went to a fast-food restaurant near the housing district. They found secluded seats inside and ordered three drinks.


    Xiao Ran said generously, "It''s okay for you to ask anything. The police havevisited many times over the years. Every time, it¡¯s to investigate. I really hope that one day they¡¯lle to inform us that the murderer has been caught."


    Chen Shi said, "Don¡¯t worry, that day will definitelye. How is your rtionship with Yan Qilin?"


    "We were like sisters. You know that she was introverted and her family background wasn¡¯t very good. For a while, she was ostracized by her ssmates. I could be said to have been her only friend. Her diary should still be with you. It mentioned that I fell in love with Jinlei at the same time as her, and then I backed out of my own volition. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Jinlei and I had known each other since we were young, and we¡¯ve always had feelings for each other, but we¡¯ve never talked about it openly. Later, Yan Qilin told me that she was in love with someone. To be honest, this kind of plot happens all the time. Why do good friends always fall in love with the same person? Maybe it¡¯s because of their simr personalities! The reason why I silently backed out was very simple. It was my senior year in high school, and studies were more important. Other matters could be set aside first while trying to get admitted to one¡¯s dream university.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "I remember that you studied at a band 3 universityter."


    "Yes." Xiao Ran looked regretful. "I did poorly in the exam. I was exhausted physically and mentally after finishing the third year of high school. Although I had the idea of repeating the year, in the end, I still gave up. My family background isn¡¯t too well-off. Furthermore, the majors I applied for were ones that I liked, so I basically just went ahead with it... In fact, during summer vacation that year, Yan Qilin and I basically didn¡¯t meet up, but just kept in touch with each other by phone. I heard that Zhang Jinlei had a big fight with his family because of her. The two almost eloped. Later, this thing happened, and it was a huge blow for all of us. I¡¯ve always thought that this kind of homicide would only happen on TV. Who knew it would happen to us? And it was my best friend. Even though it¡¯s been many years, when I think about it, it feels almost unreal..."


    Chen Shi asked her a question to catch her off guard. "Do you go to the crime scene to mourn her every year?"


    Xiao Ran was surprised. "How did you know?"


    1. Here, the author uses a phrase that described the two as having a rtionship simr to that of rtives or friends. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s an English equivalent for this.


    2. Also known as ghost or spirit money, they are sheets of paper or paper crafts made to be burnt as offerings,monly for Chinese ancestral worship the veneration of deceased family members and rtives on holidays and special asions).

 Chapter 496: Yan Qilin’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 496: Yan Qilin''s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "I heard that some people go to the scene to hold a memorial for Yan Qilin every year. When I was chatting with Zhang Jinlei alone just now, he said that he had been drinking himself into a stupor at the barst night. I was just thinking that if it wasn¡¯t him, could it be you?"


    "Yes... It was me."


    "Do you go there every year?"


    "Yes! Since her death, her QQ has be like a tree hole. Many ssmates who miss her will leave a message for her there. Once I left a message for her, but unexpectedly, she replied. It was actually Zhang Jinlei who had replied to me after logging into her QQ ount. We were both very sad when we talked about this matter. I suggested that we should go and mourn her. Zhang Jinlei was afraid that he would be sad when he revisited the ce, so he refused. So I go alone on Qixi to burn some joss paper for her."


    "I¡¯ll ask another question. How was the rtionship between her and Yue Chao?"


    "Yue Chao?" Xiao Ran recalled, "I don''t know very well..."


    "Do you have something that¡¯s difficult to say? We¡¯re only investigating, not trying to judge the behavior of the persons involved."


    "Uh..." Xiao Ran lowered her head and said after a while, "I think Yue Chao and her were a bit too close. I often saw Yue Chao sending her home even though Yue Chao had already dropped out of school. Every time she stayedte doing self-study, he¡¯d wait for her by the school gate leaning on his motorcycle. I asked her if she liked Yue Chao. She kept denying it and said she liked someone else. There are no airtight walls in the world[1]. In Zhang Jinlei''s view, Yue Chao was harassing her, and the two had some conflict over it. Yue Chao didn¡¯t reappear until the college entrance examination. But after the college entrance examination, I saw Yue Chao with her again..."


    "Didn''t you just say that you haven''t seen each other during the entire summer vacation?"


    "That was a chance encounter and I didn''t step forward to speak to them."


    "What were she and Yue Chao doing?"


    "They... They..." Xiao Ran''s expression changed. "I''m sorry. I don''t think it has anything to do with the case."


    "It''s up to us to judge if it¡¯s rted or not."


    "I don''t want to talk about it. You can ask Yue Chao."


    "Is it negative information about your friend?"


    After a long silence, Xiao Ran recalled, "On July 24th, 2013, a case urred on Guqiao Road. You can go and check that first, and then I will tell you after you have finished checking."


    "Wait a while."


    Lin Dongxue immediately sent a text message to the bureau. Five minutester, the message came back. She handed it over to Chen Shi, who read the words out loud, "High school prostitution ring?"


    "What great efficiency!" Xiao Ran praised. "There¡¯s a ce in that street where some high school girls and women dressed as high school girls will do dirty business. On that day, I was shopping with my cousin and saw a few police cars driving over. We went over to see what all themotion was about. I didn¡¯t expect to see Yan Qilin being arrested by the police. She was crying the whole time. Just when she was about to be taken into the police car, a motorcycle drove over. The driver jumped out and pushed the police away. He forcefully took Yan Qilin away. Although he was wearing a helmet, I still recognized that it was Yue Chao! After witnessing that incident, I was stunned. I didn¡¯t know why she would do this kind of thing. Her family background wasn¡¯t good, but she had always preserved her purity. Could she have done it to raise funds for university tuition? I don¡¯t dare to dwell on it too much. And why did Yue Chao appear in such a timely manner? He had been fooling around in society after he dropped out, so would he have had something to do with it?¡±


    "You chose to keep it secret?"


    "Who else could I tell? The police? Tell Zhang Jinlei? I also wanted to question her, but I hung up the phone before I got through to her. I think that she wouldn¡¯t have taken that step if she didn¡¯t have some colossal problem. Honestly, I¡¯m still shocked that my best friend would engage in this kind of business!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue temporarily fell silent. Xiao Ran lowered her head as she stirred the ice in the cup with a straw. Chen Shi broke the silence. "This matter didn¡¯t appear in your previous statement. It seems that you two are really good friends. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have kept it a secret.¡±


    Xiao Ran seemed as though she received understanding. "Yes, the police came to me after the incident. They were totally talking to me as if they were facing a suspect. I know what they think. Could I have done it viciously because I wanted to snatch Zhang Jinlei away? The police always like to look at people in a negative light. I could only pretend not to know and answer every question of theirs truthfully."


    After saying thanks, the two of them bid goodbye to her. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you doubt anything?"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "It''s quite tricky. Everyone''s words are reasonable, and no ws can be found."


    "Then, should we shift the focus a bit and stop confining ourselves to the deceased''s interpersonalwork?"


    "I want to see the crime scene."


    "Didn''t we juste back from there?"


    "I mean the scene of the first case."


    Lin Dongxue brought Chen Shi there. She walked to a spot in the housing district and said, "Here is the ce where Yan Qilin was killed back then. The ce is still the same but the people here have all changed.¡±


    Chen Shi saw a pile of paper ashes on the ground. Lin Dongxue said, "This is the paper burnt by the person who came to mourn herst night."


    "Let¡¯s look at the surveince footage!"


    The footage from the property management showed that there was indeed someone walking in with a bag around 8:00st night. The clothes they wore were very gender-neutral, and they couldn''t see whether it was a man or a woman. If it weren¡¯t for Xiao Ran''s own admission, they wouldn''t have thought that it was her.


    Then the footage showed Yue Chao and his girlfriend. The two were wandering around the district. They were found by the patrolling police and subsequently taken away.


    At around 11:00, the mourner left.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you want to go to the bar to verify things?"


    Chen Shi nodded. "Of course!"


    The bar owner had no impression of Zhang Jinlei, probably because he was there for the first time, and there were quite a lot of peoplest night.


    Chen Shi took out Zhang Jinlei''s picture, and a bartender remembered him. "He visitedst night."


    "What did he order?"


    "Who would remember that?!"


    "You use WeChat Pay here to settle bills here. Can you give me a copy ofst night''s bill?"


    Chen Shi got the WeChat bill from the bartender, went outside, and then looked around. He pointed to a traffic camera. "I want that footage. Since we¡¯re verifying, we should verify things clearly.¡±


    Lin Dongxue forced a smile. "Okay, boss."


    After a day of running about, both of them were exhausted. Chen Shi drove the car to a Korean barbecue restaurant near his house. He ordered a bunch of pork belly, fatty beef rolls, and beef tongue. Drinking a big mug of draft beer while eating such fragrant barbeque, it seemed that the exhaustion of the day had been wiped out. "Ah, the hard work of the day is for this moment of happiness."


    "It would be even better to have a drink with a sense of aplishment if the case had been solved smoothly!" Lin Dongxue said as she flipped the beef tongue over with her chopsticks.


    "You¡¯re not embarrassed about saying that? I could have been sleeping at home today after solving thest case yesterday, but you stuffed a new case for me again.¡±


    "Alright, great detective Chen, let me toast you, okay?"


    The two raised their sses, clinked them, and after putting them down, Chen Shi said, "I have a theory."


    "What theory?"


    "All three of them may be murderers."


    1. Everything gets leaked eventually.

 Chapter 497: Chen Shi’s Hypothesis

    <h4>Chapter 497: Chen Shi''s Hypothesis</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯m listening."


    Chen Shi picked up some meat with his chopsticks. "I found that Zhang Jinlei was a little paranoid and extreme after our contact with him. He has always wanted to dominate his romantic rtionships. Although heined about his family, his family had left a deep mark on him. He¡¯s verypetitive and is a control-freak. It¡¯s reasonable to attribute ¡®the hatred born from love¡¯ motive to him."


    "Hatred because of love... Can you be more specific?"


    "I don''t know. When the murderer confronts the police, he will hide or be vague about the parts of the testimony that will be disadvantageous to him, so we won''t get this piece of the puzzle from him."


    "Won''t get it from him?" Lin Dongxue thought, "In other words, you can find out from others."


    "So smart!"


    "I seem to understand. Based on Zhang Jinlei''s character, if he knew that his beloved was selling herself, he would probably have taken extreme actions. So even if he knew about this matter, he wouldn¡¯t tell us, but..."


    "But what?"


    "Forget it, forget it. I won¡¯t say it. You can continue."


    "Just say it. Make a bold assumption."


    Lin Dongxue smiled with embarrassment. "My opinion is rtively shallow. I think he¡¯s very infatuated. I don¡¯t think how he behaved in front of us was an act."


    "Emotion-based opinions are sometimes more reliable than analysis. I think so too."


    "What about the other two?"


    "With Xiao Ran, I noticed that she had some nervous little movements in front of us. Was it because she was facing the police? But when she talked about Yan Qilin selling herself, she was very rxed. If she was the murderer, what would the motive be? Hatred over Yan Qilin snatching Zhang Jinlei away? It seems to be justified. Although she said that she prioritized her studies, her results turned out to be unsatisfactory. After many years, she¡¯s gotten together with Zhang Jinlei and is living with him as a ¡®nanny¡¯. This shows that her generosity was an act and that she still likes the boy very much."


    "I think that whether she is the murderer or not, she has to pretend not to care. After all, the previous policemen, like us, would think of this motive."


    "This is an assumption anyway and it¡¯s still missing some pieces of the puzzle."


    "What about Yue Chao?"


    "Yue Chao is not highly rated by the other two. What I want to know is how Yan Qilin thought of him. Could he actually be the one that Yan Qilin really liked? Yue Chao is a straightforward person. He didn¡¯t seem to be lying. I don¡¯t think that he has the ability to put up an act either. It¡¯s just that he concealed some things so that we had no way of knowing the real rtionship between them. If we¡¯re talking about the motive, I have a hypothesis. He had always silently done things for Yan Qilin, but Yan Qilin betrayed him in order to go to a band 1 university, so he was consumed with jealousy."


    The meat on the iron griddle sizzled and the two of them realized that they had been talking for too long and the meat was almost burnt. Lin Dongxue quickly picked the meat off with her chopsticks.


    Lin Dongxue said, "What I¡¯m most puzzled by right now is what kind of person Yan Qilin was. Was she an angelic girl? She had been selling herself and seems to have been two-timing. I¡¯ve read her diary and she wrote down all the smallest things that happened in her day. It can be seen that she was an attentive and sensitive girl, but it feels a little pretentious. It¡¯s so unclear. Really unclear."


    "Let me ask you, since I¡¯m also curious. Are there angelic women in the world?"


    "Well... What is an angel like? Having no desire and needs? Being pure and kind? If so, I don¡¯t think so. Beautiful things are only beautiful from a distance. Everyone has selfish desires and when they look at themselves, they will see imperfections... If you have to say that there¡¯s such a woman, I think she must have had a loving family, be materially wealthy and raised in a sheltered environment since she was a child. She will feel that everything in the world is beautiful and her heart would be extremely simple and kind."


    "Wouldn¡¯t that be like being a fool?"


    "Yes, she will be a fool." Lin Dongxue smiled. If they thought of things that way, considering Yan Qilin¡¯s family background, she would not have been such a girl.


    "Actually, I think most men use ¡®angel¡¯ to describe a very obedient girl with a very sweet look.¡±


    "By the way, are you nning to use all three days to investigate the first case?¡±


    Chen Shi put a piece of beef tongue in Lin Dongxue''s bowl. "Rice needs to be eaten bite by bite. I''ll figure out the first case first, and then think about the others."


    "But we only have three days! One day has already passed."


    "I''m not a policeman. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s three days or thirty days. If I¡¯m interested in this case, it will be fine even if I have to spend a month investigating it."


    "Are you interested then?"


    "Well, it¡¯s a bit interesting."


    Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang and her expression suddenly changed when she answered. She informed Chen Shi, "A body was found."


    "Is there anything special about it?"


    "This murderer did it again! This year they killed two people!"


    "But I¡¯ve already drank..."


    "Call for a taxi. Hurry!"


    The two hurriedly paid the bill and went out to take a taxi. After getting into the taxi, Lin Dongxue said, "You just drank? Were you not nning to send me home?"


    "My sinister intentions were seen through." Chen Shiughed mischievously.


    The ce where the body was found this time was in a building ted for demolition in the city. When they arrived, Chen Shi saw that Lin Qiupu and the others had arrived quite some time ago. There was a female corpse in a red dress lying inside the cordoned-off area. The characteristics were exactly the same as the previous bodies. Moreover, the cause of death was a shed throat this time.


    Chen Shi said, "I already wanted to ridicule the patrolsst night. You said that you had to transfer so many policemen to patrolst night, but what¡¯s the use? Driving police cars all over the streets, the murderer must have hidden away when they saw that. Serial killers wouldn¡¯t be caught like this.¡±


    Lin Qiupu replied with a straight face, "When we were patrolling, we also caught a burr, two robbers, and sent a lost old man home."


    "Okay, they had some results."


    Peng Sijue hadpleted the preliminary autopsy and stood up. "The time of death was around 9:00st night. The cause of death was suffocation due to the shed throat. The blood on the body had been washed away with alcohol by the murderer. The clothes should have been put on after death."


    "Do the clothes fit?" Chen Shi asked.


    Peng Sijue immediately understood his intention in asking this question and said, "The fabric is stic, the dress can be worn as long as she¡¯s not too fat... It¡¯s exactly the same as the clothes worn by the body found this morning."


    The face of the female body was serene, as if she was in a deep slumber. Chen Shi saw the shadow of Yan Qilin in her face. Some of the characteristics were very close. Sure enough, the "prey" selected by the murderer was a copy of Yan Qilin.


    He became more and more convinced that the first case was of paramount importance, and it was likely that all the problems would be solved once everything in that case became clear.


    Xu Xiaodong came running over excitedly, "Captain Lin, the supermarket across the street has a security camera facing this side!"

 Chapter 498: Unplanned Murder

    <h4>Chapter 498: Unnned Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone arrived at the supermarket and pulled up the surveince footage, but they unexpectedly found out that the monitored field of view just avoided the location of the incident and they could only see the road in front of the door.


    Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows. "Could it be so coincidental? The only camera didn¡¯t capture anything?"


    "I think that someone deliberately did it." Chen Shi borrowed a stepdder from the supermarket and went out with Lin Dongxue. He propped up thedder and got Lin Dongxue to climb up and have a look while he supported it from below.


    Lin Dongxue checked around the area. "A little of the dust on the camera has been wiped off." As she spoke, she took photos of it using her phone.


    Chen Shi looked around, and noticed that a fruit shop across the street also had a security camera. The police all went over to watch the footage. It took half an hour for them to discover someone in the surveince footage sneaking to the door of the supermarkette at night, before pulling out a foldable hook and moving the security camera a little.


    The time indicated was August 6th, before the murder.


    The person captured in the video was wearing a ck sweater and was wrapped up tightly. The resolution was too poor for them to even figure out whether the person was a man or a woman.


    There was no doubt that the person was the murderer. He was unexpectedly meticulous and had surveyed the ce where he would abandon the corpse in advance to eliminate potential risks. Of course, if the murderer hadn¡¯t been so cautious, it would have been impossible for them ro remain atrge for six consecutive years.


    Chen Shi thought out loud, "Why did they do this?"


    Lin Dongxue went to the supermarket to buy two bottles of beverages and handed one of them to Chen Shi. "Isn''t that simple? They didn¡¯t want to be filmed."


    "But didn''t the other camera film them? It shows that it¡¯s not themselves that they didn''t want to be captured, but something else..."


    "Something else?"


    "The car they were driving, or the time of abandonment. Taking this into ount indicates that they predicted that the police would investigate their alibi. So, it seems that they¡¯re within our field of view..." Chen Shi muttered to himself. His logical brain was working at full speed. He suddenly looked up. "Remember to copy the surveince footage from the supermarket!"


    Lin Qiupu replied, "Both the supermarket¡¯s and fruit shop¡¯s footages have already been copied."


    "Old Peng, Old Peng, apany me to the scene again."


    Chen Shi hustled across the road. Lin Qiupuined, ¡°Exactly who is the captain around here?" Lin Dongxue said with a smile, "Seeing him so excited, he must have an idea!"


    Back at the crime scene, Chen Shi observed the body from all angles, as if he was an artist examining an exquisite piece of art. He opened the deceased''s eyelids and moved her arms in order to reconfirm the time of death.


    Peng Sijue said, "Don''t look anymore. The time of death is around 9:00 on the 7th. It couldn¡¯t be wrong."


    "What about the time that the corpse was abandoned?"


    "The abandonment time..."


    "Is there a way to figure out when it was abandoned?"


    "That¡¯s very difficult. We can start with the microbes and insects at the scene, but..."


    "That¡¯s not urate enough. I need it to be more precise, with the margin of error within one hour."


    Everyone''s face was nk. This was really a difficult problem. Chen Shi stared at the body in thought for as long as half an hour. He kept muttering to himself. There was a policeman smoking a cigarette at the side and Chen Shi stopped in front of him and nced at him.


    The policeman was too embarrassed to keep smoking and put the cigarette out. However, Chen Shi took a deep breath of second-hand smoke to take in a little nicotine to rev up his brain.


    Peng Sijue said, "Don''t look anymore. We have to take the body back for the autopsy."


    "Wait, wait..." Chen Shi squatted down besides the corpse and crushed some salt granules with his fingers. He flopped down on the ground to observe the surface, and suddenly smiled. "The ground¡¯s surface is soil!"


    "So what if it¡¯s soil?"


    "Salt touches blood, dissolves, and seeps into the soil... Old Peng, can you use this as a reference to calcte the time when the corpse was abandoned?"


    Peng Sijue thought about it for a while and said, "We need to conduct a set of experiments topare it."


    "Then do it. Take away the soil from the scene. The soil that¡¯s stained with blood and the soil that isn¡¯t. I want them all."


    Peng Sijue immediately ordered his subordinates to head over and start the project. In order to not destroy the original structure of the soilyer, they bought some lunch boxes from a nearby convenience store and shoveled the soilyers neatly into them.


    Anxious to get the result, Chen Shi left directly with Peng Sijue in his car, leaving Lin Dongxue behind.


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. "This guy really embodies the saying ¡®nothing short of obsession will bring you sess¡¯[1]... I¡¯ll send you home!"


    That night, the members of the forensics department worked overtime, while monitored by Chen Shi, doing the salt granules permeation experiments. They were busy until 10:00 in the evening. Of course, for the results, they had to wait till tomorrow morning.


    Chen Shi sat there to supervise and think about the whole case. He suddenly came up with the sentence, "Old Peng, can you drink alcohol while on antidepressants?"


    "It depends on which kind."


    "Paroxetine."


    Peng Sijue checked the ingredients of the medication on hisputer. "If this medication is taken with alcohol, the person¡¯s blood pressure will rise, apanied by stomach cramps. The negative side-effects are rtively severe.¡±


    "Would you die?"


    "It depends on the dosage, but even if you drank alcohol with the typical dosage, you wouldn¡¯t die. At most, you¡¯d suffer terribly."


    "Oh... The doctor should tell you not to drink, right?"


    "This is beyond the limits of my understanding."


    "''I don''t know'' was said in such a roundabout way..." Chen Shi smiled. "Oh, has the morning autopsy resultse out yet?"


    Peng Sijue threw a report at him, and Chen Shi skimmed it. "The internal organs were in pieces and the stomach pouch was missing? There were baked-brick fragments found on the back of the head?"


    Peng Sijue said, "I think your deduction at the scene may be right. The murderer opened up the deceased''s abdomen to look for something. The entire abdominal cavity had been messed with. It seems that the murderer doesn¡¯t have professional anatomical knowledge and took the entire stomach away."


    "If that¡¯s the case, the deceased might have swallowed something before her death. It may be an important piece of evidence... Do you think that the two victims were killed by one person?"


    "Tonight¡¯s body hasn¡¯t been dissected yet, so it¡¯s not clear. Although the cause of death was different for the victim found in the morning, the other details are all very simr. Because the bodies were all dissected by me in previous years, I¡¯m quite familiar with everything."


    Chen Shi nced at the report, "Then Cai Yating was an unnned murder. The murderer took her stomach after killing her, and then put her in a red dress to ¡°dress her up"... What did Cai Yating swallow? Can you test for that?"


    "During the autopsy, we found that the esophagus wasn¡¯t damaged. It seems that it wasn¡¯t anything too big. However, if you want to test what it was, it¡¯s quite a lot of work and it isn¡¯t easy to get results. It¡¯s likely that we won¡¯t get any results even after a few days. Are you sure?¡±


    "Forget it, there¡¯s no need... She chose to swallow it before she died, indicating that the item isn¡¯t easy to damage and that it¡¯s rtively small."


    "Could it be... A USB sh drive or a memory card for a mobile phone?"


    "Well, there¡¯s that possibility, but unfortunately we probably wouldn''t be able to see it... Oh right, if that¡¯s the case, it shows that Cai Yating had been secretly investigating the murderer and knew his identity. That¡¯s why she was killed."


    "Actually, Captain Lin is also checking Cai Yating''s lead today. Her profession is a newspaper reporter. We found information about the Qixi Festival serial murder cases on theputer in her house. She¡¯s indeed been tracking these cases."


    Chen Shi sighed with sympathy, "Poor girl, perhaps she already knew the truth, but she never had a chance to tell anyone."


    1. No excellence is possible without fanatical absorption in one¡¯s work.

 Chapter 499: A Brocade Banner

    <h4>Chapter 499: A Brocade Banner</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next morning, the police in the forensics department yawned and started their day''s work. Suddenly, they could smell the scent of scallion pancakes. Chen Shi came in with tworge bags and put them on the table. One bag was full of breakfast and the other was full of fruit. He smiled, "I''m sorry, I made you all work overtime till sotest night. This is a token of my appreciation.¡±


    Peng Sijue said, "You came so early. You¡¯re so energetic this early in the morning."


    "I was afraid that after you¡¯ve all eaten breakfast, my token of appreciation wouldn¡¯t be able to be given out. How¡¯s the results?"


    "Very good. Straight to the point again."


    "If you want to chat some more first, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll dly keep youpany."


    "Who wants yourpany?! Here."


    Peng Sijue handed over the report to him. After Chen Shi read it, a confused expression slowly appeared on his face, which was what Peng Sijue had expected.


    "The time that the corpse was abandoned was 8:00 that night?"


    "We did three sets of experiments. We tried to imitate the outdoor humidity and temperature, but this result..."


    "If the time when the corpse was abandoned was 8:00, but the time of death was 9:00... If they threw away the corpse before killing her... That¡¯s a contradiction.¡±


    "I also realized that, so I carefully confirmed the test environment and data. There¡¯s no error in that segment, unless there were any other variables that were not taken into ount."


    All the test data was clearly written down in the report. Chen Shi believed that in this aspect, Peng Sijue''s brain was much more meticulous than his. He didn¡¯t immediately reject this result but contemted another possibility.


    Did the killer use some trick to interfere with the judgment of the time of death?


    The murderer was a thoughtful person who had escaped the of justice for six years. He knew to survey the scene and set it up before throwing away the body. He had also found Cai Yating, who was secretly investigating them. All of which showed that they were extremely careful.


    While he was thinking, Chen Shi stepped out of the forensics department. Peng Sijue looked at his nk figure, shook his head and smiled. This guy¡¯s caught up in a case again.


    There were no major clues presented in the morning''s case discussion. Everyone just carried out the investigation tasks step by step. The vast majority of the officers didn¡¯t have too much hope for solving the case. The repeatedck of progress in the past six years gave them an indescribable feeling of loss.


    After the meeting, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "Great Detective Chen, where are you going today?"


    "Is Yan Qilin''s family still in Long''an?"


    Lin Dongxue opened the notebook in her hand. "Her father died of myocardial infarction two years ago, but there are still some rtives."


    Chen Shi thought about it for a while, "We can also visit the rtives, but they¡¯re our lowest priority."


    "Who are those that are the top priority to be visited?"


    "I want to meet Zhang Jinlei''s parents."


    "Speaking of meeting his parents, I called the university that Zhang Jinlei had applied for this morning to ask and they didn''t have a special enrollment candidate named Yan Qilin in that year. In fact, there weren¡¯t any special enrollments at all."


    "Your efficiency is really high!" Chen Shi nodded and praised. "The university won¡¯t admit to these kinds of things. It¡¯s not a glorious thing. Could it be..."


    "What?"


    "I have an acquaintance. He used to be called Wang xx. One day, he suddenly changed his name to Li xx. I thought that he had taken on a new father¡¯s name. Later, I found out that he was attending university under someone else''s name. Then he changed it back after he had found a job."


    "In what year did that happen? The ID card''s anti-counterfeiting encryption has been upgraded, so shouldn¡¯t it be very hard to impersonate someone now?"


    "That¡¯s not necessarily the case. Even the most rigorous system has loopholes because the system itself is manned by people. There are some poor candidates who score well and get into a good school, but can¡¯t afford to attend. They¡¯ll sell their identities to the stupid sons ofndlord families so they can attend university. This kind of thing still exists today."


    "Hmm..." Lin Dongxue frowned. "But there is no way to investigate it! Besides, Yan Qilin didn''t go to the university at all, and the file doesn''t exist."


    "Indeed there¡¯s no way of finding out. We can only try using my eyes that can see through lies to get some information!" Chen Shi pointed to his own eyes.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong passed by, holding a folded brocade banner in his hands. Lin Dongxue stopped him, "Who sent it? Who is it for?"


    "I don''t know who put it by the door. Do you want it?" Xu Xiaodong unfolded it. Eight gold characters were stamped on the banner: "Good-for-nothing Bureaucracy"[1].


    Lin Dongxue held her stomach andughed. "That¡¯s creative!"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I¡¯m going to hand it over to Captain Lin and let him handle it."


    Chen Shi said, "Could this have been sent by Yue Chao, who was released yesterday? You should give it directly to Old Peng, let him check the fingerprints and we¡¯ll find out."


    Lin Dongxue said, "This guy had the guts to scold us? It¡¯s open nder."


    Zhang Jinlei¡¯s father was a bank manager. It didn¡¯t take much effort to meet him. The three of them sat in the bank¡¯s VIP room on opposite sides. Father Zhang politely said, ¡°After so many years, you¡¯re still investigating this case. It must have been hard work. As a citizen of Long''an, I have a sense of security with such a serious and responsible police force."


    Chen Shi smiled, "Mr. Zhang, don''t call us ipetent in a roundabout way. This case hasn''t been solved in six years. We don¡¯t know where the murderer is hiding andughing at us!"


    Father Zhang said, "No, I didn''t mean that. I know this kind of case is really difficult to solve. If you need my help with anything, I¡¯ll try my best to cooperate."


    "Then we¡¯ll get to the point. In fact, we came here today mainly to understand what the girl Yan Qilin was like. How much do you know about her? Why don¡¯t you tell us?"


    "Hmm..." Father Zhang took out a cigarette and tapped it on his cigarette case a few times. "Can I?"


    "Please, go ahead."


    He lit a cigarette and recalled for a moment, "I remember that the girl was from a single-parent family. Her father was previously a soldier, and his leg had been injured in an explosion. After he was discharged, he was self-employed for a few years. After her mother died, her father was unable to recover from the blow and spent his days drinking...¡±


    The first sentence already revealed the worldlines embedded in his bones. He only talked about Yan Qilin''s family background.


    Chen Shi said, "We know all this. What I want to know is what the character of the girl was like. What do you think of her? And did anything happen while she was dating your son?"


    "Uh, to be honest, when I found out that Jinlei was dating this girl, I was against it. We took great efforts to cultivate such an excellent son. It wasn¡¯t to let him be together with a girl from that kind of family. This was equivalent to ruining most of his life¡¯s possibilities in vain! I asked him at the time, if he could be happy in the future with that kind of girl. If they got married, did they want to support her grumpy and useless father? It¡¯s difficult to obtain a positive oue when the two of them aren¡¯t well-matched with regards to socio-economic status. Because people who grow up in different environments have significantly different ways of thinking, views, and ideals. They¡¯ll break up sooner orter..."


    Hearing these words, Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows directly. Zhang Jinlei and his father were such a great contrast with each other. It was no wonder that Zhang Jinlei felt pressure from his family.


    1. Made up of two Chinese proverbs, with each being 4 characters long. However, this is the meaning behind them.

 Chapter 500: The Father’s Lies

    <h4>Chapter 500: The Father''s Lies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi interrupted him, "Mr. Zhang, your son was only a teenager at that time, and you told him this?"


    Father Zhang smiled, "That was how I told it to him. Our family circumstances cannot be said to be very good. All hope and resources had been invested in my son. I had taught him a lot of life¡¯s truths from childhood and taught him to be a man above men. Therefore, I was very shocked to hear that he was hanging around with this girl. Of course, young people are notprehensive in their consideration of issues, and they¡¯re easily confused. Therefore, as parents, all the more that we should give them guidance when they are on the wrong path..."


    "Have you seen Yan Qilin before?"


    "Yes, his mother told him to bring the girl back for a meal. It could be seen that this girl did not have a good upbringing and had very little substance. She waspletely like a barbarian. I personally disliked her a great deal. I really didn¡¯t want my son to be polluted by her."


    Chen Shi almost wanted to sigh. These kind of greasy middle-aged men[1] had ears that were merely decorations and insisted on saying whatever they wanted to say.


    He changed the question, "How does Yan Qilinpare with Xiao Ran?"


    Father Zhang suddenly became really enthusiastic. ¡°That¡¯s likeparing heaven and earth. Xiao Ran¡¯s father and I have been colleagues for many years. I know him very well and he¡¯s very knowledgeable when ites to educating children. The parenting Ranran received was very good. She¡¯s well-mannered and educated. She can¡¯t be said to be proficient in guqin, weiqi, Chinese calligraphy and painting[2], but her interests are broad. Ranran and Jinlei have often yed together since they were children. I¡¯m not opposed to youngsters dating early. If it¡¯s a girl like Xiao Ran, I can ept it. I know that the two of them are together now. Ranran takes care of Jinlei for me every day. I feel relieved. I visit them regrly. Ranran often reports to me on how Jinlei has been doing."


    Chen Shi interrupted him again, "But Xiao Ran didn¡¯t do well in the college entrance examination and only scored enough for band 3."


    "That was probably an aberrance." Zhang Fu responded with augh.


    Lin Dongxue interjected, "Is Xiao Ran''s father still working in this bank?"


    "He was transferred to the head officest year to be a manager." Father Zhang smiled.


    Sure enough, this man¡¯s endorsement of girls totally depended on the status of the girl¡¯s parents. He had incurable straight man cancer[3]. The value of the woman totally hinged upon the worth of the man that they were dependent on.


    Chen Shi said, "We haven''t been able to talk about the key point yet. We aren¡¯t here to listen to your parenting philosophy. I hope you can be frank and save everyone some time."


    "Oh, this officer really knows how to make jokes. I¡¯m not frank enough? Am I not sincere enough?"


    "In the past, Zhang Jinlei wanted to sever ties with the family because of Yan Qilin. You finally made apromise and helped Yan Qilin to gain a special enrollment opportunity at a university. Was this the case?"


    "I don''t know who you heard this fro-"


    "Your son."


    The smile on Zhang Fu''s face slowly solidified like a wax mask, and then he waved his hands desperately, "There¡¯s not much to talk about. Is it rted to the case? Let¡¯s talk about something else!"


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand it anymore. "Mr. Zhang, have you seen what Zhang Jinlei is like nowadays? The girl''s death was such a huge blow to him that he still hasn¡¯t been able to get over the trauma. He suffered depression due to this and had tried tomit suicide a few times. He takes antidepressants every day. But this matter has been yed down by you. No matter how much you advertise your philosophy, your parenting is still an extreme failure in our eyes."


    Father Zhang was embarrassed, but he stillughed. "Haha, the matter has already passed and the person is no longer alive. Is there any meaning for all of you in re-investigating an old case like this?"


    "This is our job."


    "It¡¯s true that it¡¯s your job, but you also have to consider the impact it has on others. As the saying goes, family shame should not be made public[4]. At the risk of sounding harsh, this is my family''s business. What does it have to do with you? Oh, my words were too serious, excuse me, hahaha! Have some tea!"


    He was met with their cold faces in response. Chen Shi wanted to see how long he could continue pretending.


    Father Zhang put his hand in his pocket and his phone rang suddenly. He pulled it out to answer, "Ah? What... The customer has arrived? I¡¯lle immediately!" Then he smiled apologetically at Chen Shi. "Sorry, there¡¯s business I have to-"


    Chen Shi snatched his phone away, looked at it in his hand and asked, "It was just the rm that sounded, right? Mr. Zhang, if you are really unwilling to talk, let''s talk somewhere else."


    "No, this... I didn''t break thew. What right do you have to invite me to drink tea?"


    "You didn''t get any special enrollment opportunities at that time. It was just a deferral strategy. From your detailed understanding of Yan Qilin''s father, it can be seen that you¡¯ve contacted him in private. You definitely used all your means to try and break them up!"


    Chen Shi threw this bombshell out and Father Zhang¡¯s forehead broke into a cold sweat. However, he immediately covered things up with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re not going to make such a big joke, right? As a parent, who doesn¡¯t want their child to be happy. Even if I don¡¯t support..."


    Chen Shi raised his voice, "Is it possible that after all your methods failed, you took extreme measures? In that case, you may be suspected of murder!"


    Father Zhang sat down as if he was cornered, sweat falling like rain. "Officer, you can¡¯t say such irresponsible words. I¡¯ve abided by thew all my life and I¡¯ve never done anything harmful to others."


    "Really? Would you like to say hi to my friends at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection[5] and have this bank¡¯s ounts checked? Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re so pure and innocent."


    The bluff was a violent blow to Father Zhang and he finally looked as though he admitted defeat. He gulped. "Don''t, I¡¯ll cooperate with the investigation."


    "Let¡¯s talk about what happened in the summer of 2013!"


    "That summer... That summer..." Father Zhang''s eyes looked blurred. "My son finished the college entrance examination. He had scored over 600 points, but he filled out his choices with band 3 universities. I was so angry that I threatened to cut him off. He actually left without looking back.¡± He pped his chest so hard that the ps resounded loudly. ¡°At that time, my heart was about to break. I had worked hard to cultivate such an outstanding boy, but for a little bitch, he wanted to sever ties with me. That night I cried at home. I mobilized all those that I could mobilize to persuade him to change his mind, but his attitude was very resolute. During those couple of days, I didn¡¯t live like a normal person and used alcohol to drown my sorrows all night. When that was done, I¡¯d quarrel with his mother. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown!¡±


    Recalling the sad past, Father Zhang wiped a few tears away. "I don''t understand what I did wrong for the heavens to want to punish me like this. Everything I did was for him! Seeing that the university choices were about to be handed in, I had no other choice. I could only... I could only promise to allow them to be together. I promised to get a special enrollment opportunity and let the girl go to a band 1 university. Actually... I actually lied to them. She had only scored over 400 points. Even if I went bankrupt, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get her into a band 1 university through bribing connections. That was just a dying tactic[6], but how long could I stall for? The admission notices would be sent out in a month. Once Jinlei knew that it was fake, he¡¯d run away from home again and not go to university. I couldn¡¯t bear this kind of shock anymore, so I found the girl¡¯s house. I nned to force them to break up with money. Her father also epted my cheque, but that old drunkard couldn''t control his daughter. They were still together..."


    Chen Shi listened on, feeling sad for him. He obviously couldn¡¯t control his own son but had ced hope in another parent¡¯s ability to control their child.


    1. Typically middle-aged men who aren¡¯t very capable, like to show off, are obscene, etc. Implies that their integrity and sincerity are questionable. This has be a buzzword among Chinese people and they typically use it to describe fat, obscene andcent middle-aged men. http://.eyeshenzhen/content/2017-11/02/content_17645240.htm


    2. The four arts. Guqin(ancient music instrument) ying, weiqi(Chinese name for the board game Go), Chinese calligraphy and painting are the four skills that ancient Chinese literati and elegantdies had to master. For more info, here¡¯s the wiki for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_arts


    3. It¡¯s a derogatory neologism used by Chinese feminists to describe men who stubbornly support traditional gender roles and are therefore considered sexist and chauvinistic.


    4. Actual Chinese proverb.


    5. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is the highest internal control institution of the Communist Party of China, tasked with enforcing internal rules and regtions andbating corruption and malfeasance in the party.


    6. Real stratagem that Sun Zi (Sun Tzu) devised during war while waiting for reinforcements. You can read this in his book The Art of War.

 Chapter 501: Framing Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 501: Framing Scheme</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Father Zhang took out a cigarette, lighted it, and continued, "I also considered going directly to her and giving her money. I can still afford to fork out a few hundreds of thousands of yuan, but my wife told me that this trick wouldn''t work. This type of girls who haven¡¯t suffered don¡¯t understand the concept of money and can¡¯t be bribed. If she told Jinlei about it, he would know that we were doing things on the sly. So we had to figure out a perfect solution.¡±


    "My wife understands my son more. His personality is quite straightforward. If we can stain the girl¡¯s reputation, they¡¯d break up by themselves and everything would be fine. My wife followed her and found out that she was close to a boy who was a gangster. They did suit each other quite well..."


    "Yue Chao?"


    "Yes, that was the name. My wife found Yue Chao and hoped that he would break up the rtionship between the girl and our son, but Yue Chao said that he couldn''t help us. This girl only liked my son and she was hopelessly in love. I really don¡¯t understand these youngsters! But this Yue Chao had an idea. He knew that there was a ce where high school girls would sell themselves. He¡¯d trick and lure the girl there, call the police and get them all arrested. If my son knew that she did that kind of thing in private, he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to see her again."


    Lin Dongxue was shocked to hear this. Chen Shi thought that this n may not have been devised by Yue Chao. Father Zhang could be just trying to dump the me on him.


    Chen Shi asked, "The n sounds good, but how would your son find out?"


    "That was easy to handle. I contacted my friends in the media. We¡¯d take some pictures at the scene and publish them. Then he¡¯d find out!" When he was saying this, Father Zhang raised his eyebrows, seemingly proud of how resourceful he was.


    "How did the n y out?"


    "It went quite smoothly, but I wonder if Yue Chao¡¯s head only holds shit in it. He ran out at a critical moment and snatched her away from the police. In the end, the photos weren''t able to be taken... Aiya, young people at this age are so unreliable. We had agreed that if he helped me to do this, I¡¯d give him 200,000 as a reward."


    "Mr. Zhang, now the problem has circled back to the original point. Your framing scheme went bankrupt[1]. You may have taken extreme measures to get rid of her!"


    "I didn¡¯t! Heaven and earth conscience[2]. How could I have killed someone?!"


    "For you, your son¡¯s ability to go to a good university was more important than anything. What¡¯s another way to describe an extremely strong desire? Motivation for criminal activities! You have criminal motives."


    "Aiya..." Father Zhang sweated anxiously. "I was so angry that I hoped that she¡¯d be killed by a car when she went out. No, no...¡± Father Zhang desperately pped his own mouth. "No, no, it¡¯s impossible for me to kill people. I did whole-heartedly think about my son¡¯s future, but I would never kill someone! I was about to be promoted as a party cadre at that time. How could I risk my own future?"


    "Then let me ask you something. Your n failed and the lies were about to be exposed. What action did you take? You were so persistent in separating the lovebirds, you wouldn¡¯t have stopped just like that."


    "I... I gave Yue Chao 200,000 to let him fix the problem."


    "How would he fix it?"


    "Rape the girl, and then take some pictures to show my son. He agreed."


    Lin Dongxue was stunned for a moment. He even thought of such desperate measures. If Yue Chao really did it, Zhang Jinlei would probably have killed Yue Chao at the time!


    "What was the date back then?"


    "I don¡¯t know. You can ask Yue Chao. He promised me that he would definitelyplete the task. Later, that incident happened. The girl died. My first reaction was that Yue Chao did it. He must have killed her after failing to rape her or something. He was a gangster to begin with. Although I was secretly pleased, I couldn¡¯t say anything, let alone call the police. Knowing my son¡¯s character, he would have gone nuts. But it¡¯s been so many years that it doesn¡¯t matter if I reveal it. You can go to investigate this Yue Chao. The probability of him havingmitted the crime is very high. It can¡¯t be wrong!" Father Zhang said confidently.


    Chen Shi gave Lin Dongxue a nce and stood up. "Well, thank you for your cooperation."


    "I hope that after this case is solved, you¡¯ll inform my son tactfully. I''m afraid he would be impulsive. Please be considerate of a parent¡¯s heart!" Father Zhang begged with his palms together.


    "Mr. Zhang, if the murderer is really Yue Chao, you will be guilty of abetting murder. You should exin it yourself at the time!¡±


    After dropping this bombshell, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left together and Father Zhang sat paralyzed in his chair, as if he had lost his soul.


    After leaving the bank, Chen Shi made a phone call. Lin Dongxue said, "If I didn¡¯t hear it myself, I wouldn''t have imagined that there could be such a parent in the world. Sometimes I''m d that I am an orphan."


    "What''s more terrifying is that he still thinks he had sincerely done everything for his son. Let''s head back."


    "Are we not going to look for Yue Chao?"


    "Old Peng just told me that the fingerprint analysis hase out, and that the brocade banner had been sent by him. We¡¯ll take the evidence over, so we won¡¯t have to worry about him staying silent."


    "It was analyzed so easily. Could this pig brain[3] be the killer?"


    The two returned to the bureau, took the fingerprint identification results, and settled their lunch in the cafeteria. Then they went directly to see Yue Chao.


    At the moment, Yue Chao was meeting customers in thepany. The so-called "customers" were a group of elderly people. Thepany had invited them for a simple lunch, and then started selling a healthcare product on the spot.


    This kind of marketing method is called conference marketing. The atmosphere at the scene was very lively. No one noticed that Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi hade in through the back door and were standing on the side watching them.


    Yue Chao stood on the podium. His burly figure looked as though it was about to burst through the cheap suit. He said passionately, "Let me tell everyone some good news. I just received internal news that you can buy one and get one free with all the products here today. Yes, as long as you pay $998, you can buy a box of cordyceps essence specially supplied by the Beijing Military Region, plus a box of nanotechnology restorative capsules! Only today, only for now!"


    The speakers yed ¡°Grateful Heart¡±. A group of salesmen ran in front of the old people and asked them to sign the bills. Every time an old person signed, the salesmen would shout things like "Aunt Li signed for three sets!" and ¡°Old Master Wang has signed for a set!¡±


    The atmosphere was very animated.


    Lin Dongxue''s cheek twitched. "Isn''t this tant deception?"


    "Let''s tell the relevant departmentter to check out this healthcare productpany."


    After the conference was over, the old people took their healthcare products and left with satisfaction. Yue Chao was flushed and sweaty, and he looked very excited. He chatted with his colleagues about how much money he had made today. Then his eyes fixed on Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue who were walking over.


    "Your sales ability isn¡¯t bad." Chen Shi said.


    "Oh, it''s just arduously-earned money. Do you need me for something?¡±


    "Let¡¯s talk."


    1. Failed.


    2. It means that the heavens and earth know it to be true and they can live with their conscience. Used when people want to say that they¡¯re telling the honest truth.


    3. Used to describe stupid people.

 Chapter 502: The Hero Saves The Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 502: The Hero Saves The Beauty</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and Yue Chao went to a meeting room in thepany. Yue Chao lit a cigarette, threw the cigarette packet on the table, exhaled towards the ceiling, and saidzily, "Hurry up, I¡¯m busy."


    His attitude annoyed Lin Dongxue. "Do you want to go to the bureau to drink tea again?"


    "Drink tea? Haha, forget it. Your water tastes really bad."


    "Did you send the banner scolding the police?"


    Yue Chao chuckled. "What banner? Beauty, what are you talking about?"


    "You still want to deny it? It clearly has your fingerprints on it."


    Chen Shi took out the appraisal report and ced it on the table while Lin Dongxue was talking. Yue Chao''s expression changed. He quickly put out his cigarette, sat upright, and said with a smile, "I was just kidding. Just kidding. Don¡¯t you police have a sense of humor?"


    "What a good excuse!" Lin Dongxue scoffed.


    Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re looking for you again to inquire about Yan Qilin. We heard something from Zhang Jinlei''s father and Xiao Ran. You once helped the Zhang family to break them up and used a very despicable method. Is this true?"


    "No..."


    "You don''t need to pretend in front of me. When you attacked the police, they didn''t see your face because you were wearing a helmet, but it was still recorded at the police station. This matter hasn''t passed the period of prosecution. Do you want to go to jail?"


    Yue Chao was very scared. "If I tell the truth, can I avoid going to jail?"


    "Yes, but as long as a single word of yours is a lie, we¡¯ll have a word with our colleagues at the police station."


    "I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk. In fact, the person who Yan Qilin really liked was me!"


    This surprised Lin Dongxue and she asked, "How can you be sure?"


    "Although she got together with Zhang Jinlei, she could never forget me. Every time I called and sent text messages, she¡¯d always say that I was annoying and told me not to call again, but I could hear her inner struggle. For example, whenever I waited for her in front of her house, she would tell me not to do this kind of thing again, but she¡¯d go with me. I could see that she had always held me in her heart, but that Zhang guy was too much of a control-freak. She just couldn¡¯t say it out loud. Isn¡¯t it true that when women say no, they actually mean yes? She was like that. What is the name of that word? Right, acting coy!"


    Lin Dongxue thought that Yue Chao was quite narcissistic. The other party had obviously refused him, but he made it out like she had feelings for him.


    "I heard about the matter between her and Zhang Jinlei. The Zhang family disagreed with their being together and used countless means to break them up. Zhang Jinlei''s father even went to her house and negotiated with her father. During that time, she oftenined tearfully to me. I alwaysforted her like a big brother. There are thousands of fishes in the sea. What was so good about Zhang Jinlei? Then one day, a middle-aged woman found me and imed to be Zhang Jinlei¡¯s mother. She said that she hoped that I could break them up and that there would be a reward after the deed. I didn¡¯t care about the reward. I was happy to break them up. After some thinking, I thought of this n-¡°


    "Did you actually try to stain the reputation of the girl you like? Are you still human?¡±


    "If we didn¡¯t do this, Zhang Jinlei wouldn''t take the initiative to break up with her. You know how stubborn that kid is. And I didn''t do this alone. Xiao Ran also took part in it."


    "She also had a hand in it?"


    "Yeah, what did she say to you? Xiao Ran asked her to go out and left her on that street that day. The police came a few minutester and arrested Yan Qilin and those prostitutes. I was hiding and watching from the side. I saw her crying so badly that I couldn''t bear it. I rushed over to save her and we sped off on my motorcycle! Haha, the police were dumbfounded at the time."


    The version that Yue Chao told waspletely different from what Xiao Ran had said. Chen Shi asked, "Didn¡¯t you want the 200,000 yuan in benefits?"


    "I really couldn¡¯t bear to see her crying." Yue Chao looked infatuated.


    "Do you know what I think? You had nned this from the beginning. You pushed the boat along the current and created a scenario where the hero saved the beauty in order to capture her heart. You could also conveniently break them up and receive the reward as promised. It was killing two birds with one stone. Otherwise, why would you ride a motorcycle while wearing a helmet and hiding nearby?"


    "Hey, why didn''t I think of this? Brother, you¡¯re really smart!" Yue Chao smiled to cover up his panic. Chen Shi thought that this guy looked crude and careless, but he was actually very smart. It could be seen just now from how he fooled those old people into buying healthcare products.


    "What did I just say? If you dared to lie with even a single word-"


    Yue Chao panicked and waved his hand desperately. "No, no, no. I¡¯m begging you. It was hard for me to get this job. If I get a criminal record, how can I work in the future?¡±


    "It depends on your attitude."


    Yue Chao bit his lip and looked as though he was weighing his options internally. Finally, he said, "I need to report a situation. Can you spare me? This is absolutely rted to the case!"


    "Really? Let¡¯s look at how weighty the information is."


    "Um... That... She..."


    "Stop stammering!"


    When Chen Shi yelled, Yue Chao was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat. "Wasn''t there a string of numbers and letters on Yan Qilin when she died?"


    "You know what that string of code means?"


    "It was... It was... the identification code on the ticket of the theaterpany that I worked for. Even if the ticket is lost, you can use those numbers as a ticket as long as you have them."


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. They had unexpectedly found the answer to the mysterious string of code here. Chen Shi asked, "Why didn''t you tell us back then?"


    "How would I dare? When I saw the writing on her hand, I was terrified. If I told you, you would definitely suspect me."


    "Do you really think that the police are as stupid as you? If the murderer is you, why would you write a string of numbers rted to yourself on her arm? That would be the same as writing your name on her... Tell us about the situation regarding this ticket."


    "I gave it to her. I rescued her from the police that day. She was frightened and cried endlessly. I took her to the riverside on the motorcycle, apanied her to forget her worries andforted her. After that, I gave her the ticket and told her toe to the show two dayster. I was ying a supporting role in that show."


    "She epted it?"


    "She epted it. In fact, the day she was killed was the day of the performance. The seat reserved for her was left empty the entire time. My mind wandered during the entire performance. I went backstage and found that there were many missed calls on my phone. Xiao Ran had called. She said that Yan Qilin had met with a mishap. I rushed to the scene and was shocked. How could she..." Recalling the sad past, Yue Chao covered his face in pain. From Chen Shi''s point of view, this reaction wasn¡¯t an act.


    "So what time did Xiao Ran call?"


    "How could I remember? How many years have passed by now? I don¡¯t even know how many phones I¡¯ve changed since.¡±


    "Yan Qilin was originally going on a date with Zhang Jinlei that day, but you said that she was going to see your performance. This sounds like a contradiction."


    "Don¡¯t listen to Zhang Jinlei¡¯s bullshit. She was going to see me that day. Ever since she was almost taken away by the police as a prostitute, she had seen clearly the ugly face of the Zhang family. She knew that even if she was with Zhang Jinlei, she wouldn¡¯t be happy. I took advantage of this opportunity to confess to her. She agreed to date me. After that, we went window-shopping together several times. Even if she had wanted to see Zhang Jinlei that day, it would be to break up with him!"

 Chapter 503: Yue Chao’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 503: Yue Chao''s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked, "You two dated?"


    Yue Chao nodded. "Yeah."


    "What did you do specifically?"


    "Shopping, eating, watching movies, and the like. Those days were the happiest times of my life. I can¡¯t describe how I felt when I heard that she was killed. I was willing to exchange my life for hers!"


    Yue Chao took out his handkerchief to wipe away his tears. Then he lit another cigarette, and shook his head sadly.


    For a moment, Lin Dongxue sympathized with him a little. She continued to ask, "Did Yan Qilin say that she liked you?"


    "She did."


    "How did she say it?"


    "I asked her if she liked me, and she agreed. Does that count?"


    "In that case, did you hold hands or kiss?"


    "We hadn''t reached that point yet, but she held me while we were taking pictures together. I still keep those pictures!" Yue Chao took out his phone to show them. He had several pictures with Yan Qilin, and they had been taken on their dates.


    Lin Dongxue held the phone in her hand to have a look. Chen Shi also moved his head closer to look. She was looking at the location of the photos, while Chen Shi was concerned about whether the photos were digitalposites.


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi in a whisper, "Do you have anything else to ask?"


    "Can''t wait to go out and breathe some fresh air." Chen Shi replied.


    Thus, they bid their farewells. Lin Dongxue said, "Thank you for providing these clues."


    Yue Chao sat still, wallowing in his sad memories as before. Yue Chao said, "Do you know why I sent that brocade banner? It was not because you detained me for a day. It was because six years have passed since the case. You still haven''t caught the murderer yet. I hate you for being ipetent. When can the murderer be caught so that she can be avenged?¡±


    "We will do our best."


    Yue Chao appeared a bit disappointed. This was probably what he was least willing to hear from the police. However, as a police officer, nothing could be revealed until the case was solved.


    Leaving thepany, Chen Shi sighed. "It''s practically Luo Shengmen[1] Everyone has their own version of the story."


    Lin Dongxue said, "One thing I can be sure of is that Yan Qilin didn¡¯t like Yue Chao. She was using him to propose a break up with Zhang Jinlei. The Zhang family had used all kinds of methods to break up the couple. As a girl, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. "


    "I think so too."


    "What next? Do you want to go and see Zhang Jinlei?"


    "Do you think he¡¯s a suspect?"


    "I was wondering if a stubborn boy like Zhang Jinlei would take extreme actions if he knew that Yan Qilin was together with his rival in love and she had proposed to break up with him.¡±


    "Hatred born from love? But as I said, the parties concerned will hide the most unfavorable parts for them. Even if we see him again, we won¡¯t be able to find out anything." Chen Shi nced at his watch. "Call everyone in for a little meeting."


    Back at the bureau, everyone was waiting in the office. Chen Shi told them of the current situation. The truth from the person involved surprised the people present, but some people raised questions. "If the string of numbers was just the ticket identification code, why did it appear on different victims for six consecutive years? From this point of view, isn¡¯t Yue Chao highly suspicious?" "There must be someone lying among these people. I think they should be detained separately so we can understand the situation in detail." "Although what happened six years ago wasplicated, at the end of the day, it was only a matter between a young couple. I think it¡¯s still slightly weak as a murder motive. Since the case was previously ssified as a serial murder, you can no longer limit your attention to the first case." "But all the murders that happened afterwards were repeating the first case. I agree with Brother Chen''s opinion that the first case is the most crucial."


    Everyone was arguing fervently. Chen Shi interrupted them and asked, "Does anyone have any progress to report at the moment?¡±


    "I went to verify Zhang Jinlei''s alibi on August 7th. The intersection¡¯s surveince captured him walking into the bar, and the guests in the bar also confirmed that he ordered a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey and sat in the corner the whole time.¡±


    "How much did he drink?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Not clear."


    Another person said, ¡°Xiao Ran¡¯s alibi holds as well. There was a security guard who saw the light from the fire and walked over. He saw her face-to-face. The time was around 9:00PM on the 7th.¡±


    Old Zhang said, "We found Cai Yating¡¯s car. It had been abandoned in the suburbs with the key left inside the ignition. It had been driven away, but it¡¯s been recovered now. The car has traces of having been rammed from the side by what looks like arge car."


    Chen Shi asked, "What color and brand was her car?"


    "Red Xiali[2]."


    Chen Shi nodded. "I need everyone to check something. What kind of girl was Yan Qilin? Cunning or naive and kind? All the parties are saying something different, so it''s difficult to obtain objective and fair evaluations. That¡¯s why we need to expand the scope and go to visit her ssmates, teachers, and neighbors."


    Old Zhang asked, "Little Chen, we just have to check those?"


    "Just these."


    Everyone left one after another. Chen Shi asked for Lin Dongxue''s notebook, wrote a few lines in it, and handed it to her. "You should help me investigate these."


    Lin Dongxue nced through the list. "I may not be able to investigate all of these."


    "Just investigate as much as you can."


    Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi curiously, "You seem to have thought out a n now."


    "Just a hypothesis. Of course, it needs to be verified."


    "You¡¯re nning to keep me in suspense again?"


    "I¡¯m not trying to keep you in suspense! In fact, I have several sets of assumptions. I still need evidence to figure out which one fits the truth."


    The following afternoon, Chen Shi was alone in the office looking at various surveince footage rted to the case. When he saw a certain detail, he became excited and made a query on theputer. Then he sent a text message to Lin Dongxue, "Help me check for a silver Mercedes-Benz. I don¡¯t know the license number. I want to know who owns this type of car among all the parties involved."


    Then he went to the forensics department and eximed, "Old Peng, Old Peng, let me show you something."


    Peng Sijue was giving instructions about some things to his subordinates at the time but was dragged away by Chen Shi and made to sit down on the chair. Chen Shi inserted the USB sh drive into theputer and began to y the video. After watching, Peng Sijue asked, "Okay, is there anything special about it?"


    Chen Shi rewound the footage a bit, paused it, and pointed at the screen. "This red Xiali belongs to the victim, Cai Yating!"


    Then he rewound it a little more again and paused. "After this silver Mercedes-Benz left, the Xiali followed closely behind. Cai Yating was following it."


    Due to the angle of the camera, only the upper part of the car¡¯s body could be seen. They could just barely make out that a single person was sitting in the car. Peng Sijue raised his eyebrows, "Without a license te, how do you know if this was the victim¡¯s car?"


    "The key point is that the time was 8:00, which is consistent with the time the corpse was abandoned based on the salt-permeation test. The two pieces of evidence mutually verified that the time the corpse had been abandoned was 8:00!"


    "The body was abandoned at 8:00 and time of death was at 9:00, so the murderer had manipted the time of death? Could it have been dry ice? But we can¡¯t trace that."


    "What if someone bought dry ice?"


    "Who bought it?"


    "I don''t know. I''m still investigating." Chen Shi patted on Peng Sijue''s shoulder. "I''ll leave first. See you tomorrow!"


    As he walked to the door, he remembered something. "Oh yes, give me something."


    1. Situation where conflicting interpretations of the same event obscure the truth. Named after Rashomon, a Japanese movie and novel of the same name which examined the nature of truth was created.


    2. Tianjin FAW.

 Chapter 504: Self-Produced and Directed

    <h4>Chapter 504: Self-Produced and Directed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At 7:00 in the evening, guests went into Huoxing Bar one after another. The boss suddenly found a man crouching behind the bar checking the whiskey bottles and asked the bartender, "Who is this?"


    "Police. He said he was looking for clues. He¡¯s been squatting down and looking at the bottles for over an hour now.¡±


    "Oh!" The boss looked at the guy suspiciously.


    Chen Shi was checking all of the fingerprints on the Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey bottles. He had asked Peng Sijue for Zhang Jinlei''s fingerprint samples. When the homicide case happened six years ago, the fingerprints of all parties had been collected by the police.


    Chen Shi stuck tape on all the bottles to lift off the fingerprints. Hepared them with the samples and finally found a match.


    He stood up and asked the bartender, "On the evening of the 7th, there was a guest who ordered a bottle of this whiskey and sat alone in the corner. Do you have an impression of him?"


    "Uh, what does he look like?"


    Chen Shi described him and showed Zhang Jinlei''s ID photo. The bartender said, "I seem to remember him a little. He sat there from 9:00 to 12:00 and only ordered a bottle of whiskey."


    "Did he finish it all?"


    "He did!"


    Chen Shi said deliberately, "Don''t lie to me. The guest has hepatitis B. If it was given to other guests before it was finished, it would be a problem."


    "I didn''t lie to you. He really finished drinking all of it. There aren¡¯t many customers whoe here and order a whole bottle of whiskey. It was the bottle I collected that day."


    "Thanks, I need to take this bottle away."


    Chen Shi took out a bag and put the bottle in it. Instead of going home, he wandered around until 9:00 before going home.


    The police¡¯s visits didn¡¯t bear fruit until the next afternoon. Everyone gathered in the conference room to report what they had respectively found. A policeman said, "ording to a ssmate of Yan Qilin, she was a girl with a good personality who usually spoke slowly and quietly. She also had high self-esteem. If she was aggrieved in any way at all, she¡¯d cry. Her studies had always been pretty good until her third year of senior high. Her ssmate said it might have been due to her romantic rtionship.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "Was the ssmate a male or female?"


    "Male student. He said he shared the same table with Yan Qilin for a year."


    Another policeman said, "I found out the opposite on my side. The student said that Yan Qilin was a very cunning girl. She often snitched on ssmates to the teachers. She always acted pure and pitiful in front of the boys. After she got together with Zhang Jinlei, her tail stuck up towards the sky[1]."


    "I¡¯m guessing it was a girl?"


    "Yes."


    The third policeman said, "Her form teacher said that Yan Qilin was obedient, diligent, hard-working, self-disciplined, and often helped her ssmates."


    It was obvious that they weren¡¯t familiar with Yan Qilin so they¡¯d say those things. Therefore, Chen Shi directly ignored that report.


    The collected information showed that the boys felt that Yan Qilin was a very gentle and attentive girl. The girls generally hated her, thinking that she was a scheming x[2] and a green tea x[3]. They said she had dubious rtionships with several boys. Some people even said that she instigated Yue Chao to mess with those that gossiped about her.


    After listening to the reports, Chen Shi had an impression of what she was like in his heart. It was no wonder that Zhang Jinlei and Yue Chao would like her at the same time.


    Old Zhang said, "A ssmate said that although she and Xiao Ran were best friends, she stole Xiao Ran''s boyfriend. For a while, the two werepletely in a state of cold war. In addition, Xiao Ran didn¡¯t attend the ss reunion."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Zhang Jinlei shouldn''t be considered as Xiao Ran''s boyfriend. It¡¯s just that they grew up together.¡±


    "But it was said that Xiao Ran and Zhang Jinlei used to go home together after school before, and their rtionship was very close. Ever since Zhang Jinlei and Yan Qilin began dating, they¡¯ve never walked home together again."


    Chen Shi said calmly, "The probability of Zhang Jinleimitting the crimes is quite high."


    Everyone was stunned for a moment. Chen Shi exined, "I went to the barst night. The bartender said that he ordered a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey alone on the night of the 7th. After drinking it, he left at 12:00. The nearby security camera showed that he hade to the bar on foot. A bottle of 700 ml Red Label is almost equivalent to three cans of c. The alcohol percentage is around 40%. My drinking ability isn¡¯t too bad, but if you were to tell me to drink a whole bottle in three hours, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d get drunk. But when he left the bar, the surveince footage showed that he had a steady gait. Of course, we can¡¯t rule out that he may be good at holding his liquor, but he¡¯s taking an antidepressant called Paroxetine on a daily basis. Taking this medicine and drinking spirits will cause blood pressure to rise. I think he would have been taken away in an ambnce that night. So, I suspect that he didn¡¯t drink the whiskey at all, but just quietly poured it out. He went to the bar just to create an alibi in a crowded ce.¡±


    Old Zhang said, "But he really did have an alibi. Wasn''t he always in the bar?"


    "Yes, ording to the time of death, he was indeed absent. But I did a salt-permeation test with Old Peng and a detail that appeared in the surveince footage showed that the time at which the murderer abandoned the corpse was actually 8:00 on the evening of the 7th. Why was the time of death at 9:00? Obviously, the murderer used a trick to interfere with the forensics¡¯ judgment of the time of death. The time of death should be about two to three hours prior to that. A variable appeared in the murderer¡¯s n this year, which was Cai Yating, who was secretly following them. ording to the autopsy report, Cai Yating''s time of death was at 10:00. I think the murderer also used the same means to postpone the time of death, so Cai Yating should have been killed between 8:00 and 9:00.¡±


    "Assuming that the murderer is Zhang Jinlei, he left the scene where he abandoned the corpse at 8:00 and was followed by Cai Yating. The murderer rammed Cai Yating''s car on the road, killed her and took her to the suburbs to abandon the corpse. I retraced this route against night. You can rush to the bar by 9:00. The problem is that Zhang Jinlei didn¡¯t drive ording to the surveince footage, so I walked around the bar and found an underground parking lot in a shopping mall. The footage there shows that Zhang Jinlei had parked a silver Mercedes-Benz there. After 12:00, he drove away. We can¡¯t prove anything with this footage alone. But when all the evidence isbined, it¡¯s aplete puzzle of the crime! Dongxue..."


    Lin Dongxue said, "There is only one car under Zhang Jinlei''s name. That¡¯s the white BMW that he shares with Xiao Ran. But there¡¯s a silver Mercedes under Zhang Jinlei''s mother''s name. His mother doesn¡¯t drive normally, so this car may be in Zhang Jinlei¡¯s hands."


    Chen Shi nodded. "You¡¯ve investigated thoroughly! With Zhang Jinlei''s profession, he usually wouldn''t go out often. It¡¯s more than enough to share a car with Xiao Ran. The house that he bought only has one parking space as well. Why should he keep an extra car? This silver Mercedes is used for killing people. We didn¡¯t notice it before because on one hand, he hid it well. On the other hand, it¡¯s because he was Yan Qilin¡¯s boyfriend and in our blind spot."


    Everyone was so shocked that they were speechless. After some time, Old Zhang said, ¡°It turns out that everything was produced and directed by Zhang Jinlei himself. The murder of Yan Qilin may be because of hatred born from love. He escaped the grasp of the police back then. Why would he want to take the risk to repeat the same murder year after year?¡±


    "This question can only be answered when they arrive."


    "¡®They¡¯?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Go through the formalities and forcibly summon Zhang Jinlei and Xiao Ran!"


    1. Smug and proud behavior.


    2. Scheming bitch. Used to describe girls who act pure but have a cunning personality.


    3. Green tea bitch. Used to describe girls who act innocent with guys but are actually maniptive and cunning. More on how this term came to be here: https://radiichina/green-tea-bitch/

 Chapter 505: Suspect Zhang Jinlei

    <h4>Chapter 505: Suspect Zhang Jinlei</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing that there was a mandatory subpoena that needed to be applied for, Lin Qiupu came over from his office and found Chen Shi. At the time, he and Lin Dongxue were sitting in the conference room and drinking grass jelly while chatting.


    "There¡¯s progress in the case?" Lin Qiupu couldn''t believe it.


    "Ah!" Chen Shi responded.


    "Ah? What do you mean by ¡®Ah¡¯? Do you have evidence?"


    "There¡¯s no direct evidence, so they have to be summoned."


    "Messing around again? Remember thest time when you summoned the suspect and then had no choice but to let them go?"


    "The investigation progress is almostplete. If you want a breakthrough in the case, you have to attack directly. Rest assured, I know what I¡¯m doing."


    Lin Qiupu nced at his watch, "The bank gets off work at 6:00. It¡¯s 3:00 right now.¡±


    "Do you need to go and withdraw money?"


    "No, his father will definitely bring awyer in after 6:00. If you want to attack directly, you need to do it as soon as possible!"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Rx, Zhang Jinlei won¡¯t call his parents. This person is very stubborn and strong-minded. If we agitate him, he might confess everything himself."


    "Hope this isn¡¯t just your daydream!¡±


    There was a siren sound outside, and Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "You go and interrogate Xiao Ran. I¡¯ll deal with Zhang Jinlei. Captain Lin, please help to boost my morale!"


    Lin Qiupu agreed helplessly.


    Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu were waiting in the interrogation room. Zhang Jinlei was immediately brought in. He nced at them gloomily and Chen Shi said, "Mr. Zhang, we met again."


    "Why did you bring me here?"


    "To ask a few questions."


    "Haven¡¯t I already said everything?"


    "Don''t be nervous. This is just a summon. It¡¯s not an arrest. You¡¯re not handcuffed.¡±


    Zhang Jinlei frowned. "Ask!"


    "Six years ago, at about 8:00 PM on August 13th, you and Yan Qilin agreed to meet near Wuyi Road. Did she invite you or did you invite her?¡±


    "She asked me to meet her saying she had something to say to me."


    "Did the two of you meet before that?"


    "We hadn¡¯t seen each other for a while because of the hot weather. We just kept in touch with one another over the phone."


    "We investigated Yan Qilin''smunication records that year and found that you called her very frequently from the end of July to the beginning of August, and she hardly ever took the initiative to call you. Did you feel that she was deliberately distancing herself from you at that time?"


    Zhang Jinlei''s eyes widened. "Her English was poor and she wanted to take advantage of the holiday to improve it, so she rarely called.¡±


    "Yan Qilin was the first victim. The police had checked what she did prior to her death very carefully that year. She didn''t go to a cram school, and she didn''t have English tutoring books in her belongings."


    "She lied to me?! That must mean that something had happened in her family."


    "I¡¯ll tell you the truth. In fact, she was with Yue Chao during that time."


    Zhang Jinlei suddenly jumped up. "You¡¯re lying! How could she be with that little hooligan?! Did she distance herself from me because... Because she had started to like someone else...?"


    "It''s true. Yue Chao has photos taken of them together when they were out on dates."


    Zhang Jinlei looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He widened his eyes in shock, but then shook his head desperately. "I don''t believe it! Let me see them!"


    "Why are you talking about these things?" Lin Qiupu asked quietly.


    Chen Shi gestured for him not to intervene with his eyes. He had said these to test whether Zhang Jinlei knew about it. Judging from his various reactions, he shouldn¡¯t have known.


    When Yan Qilin died, Zhang Jinlei had still believed that she loved him and didn¡¯t know about the shady business his parents had engaged in to break up the two of them.


    "I didn''t save the photos because they aren¡¯t important."


    "Why are they not important!" Zhang Jinlei looked like an angry lion. "She actually deceived me with that little hooligan... You¡¯re lying to me, right? Why are you lying to me? You police all have bad intentions."


    "Can you calm down?"


    "I''m going to find Yue Chao now to rify things!" Zhang Jinlei stood up and was ready to leave, but when he opened the door, he found that there were policemen outside. He roared, "Step aside!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Handcuff him!"


    The police forced Zhang Jinlei back into the interrogation chair and handcuffed him. He shouted in agitation, "What right do you have? I want to sue you! Let me call that damn guy. Hurry up!"


    "The police have the right to use harsher means if the citizen doesn¡¯t cooperate with the investigation after getting summoned.¡± Lin Qiupu exined.


    "Correct!" Chen Shi said. "There is a second question. Where were you on the evening of August 7th this year?"


    "I was drinking at the bar."


    "You did drink in the bar from 9:00 to 12:00. You ordered a whole bottle of Red Label whiskey and drank it all. What I want to ask is where you were before 9:00?"


    Zhang Jinlei vaguely realized something, suddenly calmed down and answered, "I was at home."


    "Can anyone prove it? Was Xiao Ran home at the time?"


    "She... She went out and no one can prove that I had worked for a day and was resting at home."


    "Then you don¡¯t have an alibi?"


    "I was at home. How can there be an alibi at home?!¡± Zhang Jinlei said angrily. "And what alibi is this for anyway?"


    "At 10:00 PM on August 6th, where were you?"


    "I went out for a walk."


    This was the time when a suspicious person had adjusted the security camera¡¯s angle near the second abandoned corpse. Chen Shi said, "Is there anyone who can substantiate it?"


    "No."


    "Where did you go?"


    "From..." Zhang Jinlei was so nervous that his forehead was covered in sweat. "Is this important?"


    "It can decide whether you can leave this ce. Would you say that¡¯s important?"


    "That¡¯s crazy. Are you saying that I have to have evidence of everywhere that I normally go and everything that I normally do? You can''t solve the case, so you¡¯re just ming it all on me? The police are really bastards. Bastards!"


    Lin Qiupu knocked on the table with his knuckles to remind him to pay attention to what he was saying. Chen Shi said, "Arguing tediously and vexatiously is useless here. Answer the question. At 10:00 PM on August 6th, where did you go?"


    "I was at... At home!"


    "Didn''t you just say that you went for a walk?"


    "I said that I was at home. Are you deaf?!"


    Chen Shi sneered. Lin Qiupu picked up the inte and asked Lin Dongxue to ask Xiao Ran in the other interrogation room. After hanging up, Lin Qiupu said, "Your roommate testified that you weren¡¯t at home. Where did you go?"


    Zhang Jinlei was sweating heavily. He lowered his head. "After leaving the housing district, I went to a nearby shopping mall...¡±


    "You need to think clearly. We can contact the local police now to investigate the surveince footage." Chen Shi said coldly.


    "I passed by in front of the mall, I didn''t go in. I... I walked around Jianshe road."


    "OK, we will go and check it now."


    "No, no, I went... I went..."


    "You can¡¯t make things up anymore?" Chen Shi picked up a piece of paper that was printed with a scene that had been captured in the surveince footage. "Let me say it then. You went to Lin''an Road at that time. You quietly moved the security camera at the entrance of a supermarket in preparation for abandoning the corpse the next day.¡±


    Hearing the words "abandoning the corpse", Zhang Jinlei gulped with his eyes wide.

 Chapter 506: She Snatched Away Everything From Me

    <h4>Chapter 506: She Snatched Away Everything From Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhang Jinlei still tried to resist. "Even if I don¡¯t have an alibi, you can''t say that I¡¯m the murderer. This is nder!"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Your problem is not that you don¡¯t have evidence of your absence, but that you can¡¯t produce evidence of your presence. During the two time periods when the murderer appeared, you couldn¡¯t clearly prove that you were at some location. In that case, if you were me, what would you think?¡±


    "I... I refuse to answer."


    "You¡¯re exercising the right of silence that no one has bestowed you?" Chen Shi smiled. "Okay then. You drank a bottle of Red Label whiskey at the bar on the 7th, then drove away in a car that belongs to your mother. This car appeared at the scene where the corpse was abandoned at 8:00. How do you exin this?"


    "How could I kill someone? How could I kill her with my own hands? At that time, we were just able to enter a band 1 university and we could soon be happily together. Why would I kill her?¡±


    "You truly didn¡¯t kill her!"


    Chen Shi raised his voice and even Lin Qiupu was astonished. He stared at Zhang Jinlei''s eyes and said, "You killed all the other girls, except for her. As for the motive, I can''t believe it even though I¡¯m saying it out loud. Every year, you use the same method to recreate her death in order to keep the police investigating until the murderer is found! You haven¡¯t thought about the victims you used to draw our attention. They also have family members. Hence, the older sister of one of the girls secretly investigated you and she might have already known the truth. You killed her to prevent her from talking, but this ident also exposed you.¡±


    "How could it be like this!" Lin Qiupu couldn''t believe it and whispered.


    Zhang Jinlei swallowed hard. "Do you have any evidence?"


    "We¡¯ll have some soon. You should calm down here first!"


    Chen Shi gave Lin Qiupu a meaningful nce and they temporarily left the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu asked, "Is this true? Or is it just a random guess? If this is the motive for the murders, it¡¯s too unbelievable!"


    "Rx, the evidence is on the way."


    While Zhang Jinlei and Xiao Ran were being brought in, the police were searching their residence. This had been arranged by Chen Shi.


    At the same time, in another interrogation room, Lin Dongxue dropped a bombshell. "I went to your alma mater and found that you had scored over 500 points in the college entrance examination six years ago, and had reached the band 1 level. However, you filled out band 3 universities as your choices."


    "It''s my freedom to fill in whatever university I wanted to!" Xiao Ran said with her head down.


    "Coincidentally, these band 3 universities happened to be the ones that Yan Qilin had filled in at the beginning. That is, they were the universities that Zhang Jinlei was going to attend regardless of his family''s objection. But things took a new turn. During the summer vacation that year, the Zhang family made apromise with their willful son, saying that they had gotten Yan Qilin a special enrollment opportunity in a band 1 university. Therefore, Zhang Jinlei still filled in band 1 universities ording to his family''s wishes but you could only go to a band 3 university."


    "..." Xiao Ran clenched her hands tightly, revealing her inner tension.


    "Then I called the band 3 university. You had received the notice but you didn¡¯t enroll there. After that, you worked in Long''an until you moved in with Zhang Jinlei."


    Xiao Ran raised her head, "I admit that I secretly changed my university choices. Later, I heard that Zhang Jinlei wasn¡¯t going, so I didn''t go either."


    "It seems that you still love him very much. But every time we¡¯ve contacted you before this, you always acted very magnanimously. Your best friend and the person you liked got together. You could only cry in silence, but never talked about it."


    "What could I do?!" Xiao Ran yelled, "He was infatuated with Yan Qilin, and I didn''t have the ability to snatch him back. If I don''t pretend to be a little lofty, should Iin everywhere like Xianglin''s wife[1]?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "You only pretended to act loftily, but in fact, you were helping the Zhang family to break them up. You said that Yan Qilin was almost arrested as a prostitute and that you were at the scene, but we heard another versionter on. In fact, you were the one who pushed her down into the fire pit[2]."


    Xiao Ran gritted her teeth. "So what if I harmed her? Even so, there was still Yue Chao who came out running to save her. No matter what, she was always surrounded by boys who were willing to do things for her. I could only be jealous in secret."


    Lin Dongxue paused. "So, you killed her?"


    Xiao Ran''s eyes widened. "I didn''t..."


    Lin Dongxue put a piece of paper in front of her. "This is a form I got from the ce where you work. It has your handwriting on it. We¡¯ve identified the handwriting to be the same as the handwriting on Yan Qilin''s arm."


    "Impossible! Impossible!" Xiao Ran reached out to grab the paper. She wanted to confirm it.


    Lin Dongxue withdrew her hand, "Yan Qilin''s mobile phone shows the two calls that you made to her. At that time, your confession said that you were just asking her to go shopping, but your ssmates said that you two had almost no contact with each other at that time. We re-examined the case from that year and picked up on a small detail. After Yan Qilin''s death, you were the first to arrive at the scene, and you were the first to call Zhang Jinlei and Yue Chao. Granted, notifyingZhang Jinlei was to be expected, but why would you notify Yue Chao? It was because the code you wrote on her arm was rted to Yue Chao. Unfortunately, the police back then didn¡¯t find out about this.Even if Yue Chaoter admitted himself that the code was rted to him, that was your childish means of framing him.¡±


    "I... I have alibis. I have one for every year. Why would you suspect me?!¡±


    "I didn''t say that you hadmitted the murders afterwards. I am saying that Yan Qilin was killed by you! Although you clearly hated her, you would secretly burn joss paper for her at this time every year because of your guilty conscience!"


    Under the repeated blows, Xiao Ran''s spirit finally copsed. She looked at her hands and said, "I... I hated her! She snatched Zhang Jinlei, and then took my chance to go to university. During the summer vacation, she told me insincerely that she and Jinlei were going to study at that band 3 university. I gave up the opportunity to enter a band 1 university like an idiot and filled out the same choices. Then I learned that the Zhang family had already gotten her a special enrollment opportunity. She wanted to use this to get rid of me forever! Why did she have to take everything away from me? She took everything away from me, so I... "


    "So you killed her?!"


    Xiao Ran¡¯s mind got stuck. She lifted her tear-filled eyes and stared at Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue''s gaze oppressed her and became thest straw that crushed her.


    "I just wanted to invite her toe out and talk in order to rify everything. You guys would never know what she was like in private. She always felt that she should have the best from birth. Others were only worthy of licking her shoes. I... I lost my head and used the box-cutter in my pocket to sh her. I shouted for her to shut up. After I regained myposure, I realized that she had copsed onto the ground and was bleedingcontinuously... I was both frightened and excited. This ho had never been so helpless and pitiful in front of me. I picked up a bag of salt and sprinkled it on her to make her die even more painfully... At that moment, I was very happy and felt that I had won. The true nightmare followed. The police came to investigate, and I was scared I¡¯d be found out. I started to have nightmares and saw her covered in blood, telling me to pay for it with my life. Even when I got together with Jinlei afterwards, I could feel that he had no eyes for me. She was forever the only one for him! The person who won was her. She died, so she became the most beautiful memory, and I¡¯m just a sad substitute!¡±


    1. A character from a short novel written during the Republican China era by Chinese writer Lu Xun. She was a poor farm widow who encountered many misfortunes.


    2. Harmed her.

 Chapter 507: Don’t Forget Me

    <h4>Chapter 507: Don''t Forget Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Over the phone, Lin Dongxue reported on the progress of the interrogation. Upon hearing it, Lin Qiupu gave Chen Shi a shocked look. Chen Shi shrugged and smiled as if to say, "My deduction was correct, right?"


    It was already 7:00 in the evening. Although everyone hadn¡¯t eaten, they weren¡¯t hungry at all. They followed closely the progress of the case.


    "Let''s go. The evidence is already in ce. It¡¯s finally the time to attack directly!"


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    The two returned to the interrogation room where Zhang Jinlei had already be impatient from sitting around. He said, "I want to make a call!"


    Chen Shi ignored him. "We went to your residence-"


    "Who permitted you to do a search?!"


    Chen Shi continued to ignore him. He held up two bags of evidence. One held a mobile phone and the other held a bank card. "We found these in your drawers!"


    Zhang Jinlei looked pale and kept quiet.


    "The deceased''s mobile phone showed that she had met a very talkative and funny boy on a dating tform before she died. The two quickly developed feelings and had met a few times. In this phone that you have secretly hidden, the same chat records could be found. Furthermore, the expenditure of this card is precisely a record of your dates and meals with the victim. But you were very smart. Yourst date was seven days ago. The surveince footage had already been overwritten. You¡¯d also use cash to pay for dates every time and never went to ces where you¡¯d have to get your ID recorded" Chen Shi pointed at him. "You¡¯ve used this method many times. We only need to investigate and we will certainly find out. Your family background is good, and you¡¯re pretty handsome. You also have substance, so it¡¯s very easy to get dates with girls. But they don¡¯t know that the purpose of your dating them is not to socialize with them, but to kill them on Qixi!"


    "Nothing to say now, right?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    Zhang Jinlei slowly raised his head. The look in his eyes changed, as if he were a different person. "I killed them, but you guys were the reason for it!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu folded their arms together to show that they were listening.


    "After her murder, you ipetent policemen were investigating everywhere, but there was no progress. I came to you more than once to ask you about the case¡¯s progress. The answer I always got was: ''We¡¯re trying our best!'' Whenever I see you all, you all have an expression like it had nothing to do with you and you had no feelings towards it. You can casually pick at others'' scars and ask cruel questions, but once you turned your head, you¡¯d forget about it... One day, two days, three days... One month, two months, three months, but your investigation was fruitless. You could only catch a little thief or a rapist if you got lucky. You¡¯d unt yourself in the newspaper talking about how capable you all were!¡±


    "Half a yearter, I hade to look for you guys again. When I asked about her case, the police officer called the captain. The captain asked the chief. I waited for three hours, and then the deputy chief came to me to say ''We¡¯ve tried our best!'' Tried our best my ass. The people in the office were talking andughing, talking about TV shows and their children. No one could see how disappointed I was! If I had a gun in my hand at the time, I would have killed all of you. Kill all of you! You¡¯ve already forgotten about her. The whole world has forgotten her. Except for me, I am the only one bearing the pain! Every day and every night, the memories are torturing until I am in so much pain that I¡¯d rather be dead!"


    Zhang Jinlei thumped his chest loudly as he shed tears. He looked extremely pained.


    "A yearter, I met a girl that my family set me up with, but her ignorance, superficiality and pretentiousness made me sick. No one could rece her in my heart. This stupid pig actually dared to say that she hoped I would be able to walk out of the trauma of my past and fall in love with her. Was she worthy? On the eve of Qixi, I went on a date with this pig, and I seemed to hear her say to me from the underworld, ¡°Don¡¯t forget me, don¡¯t forget me!¡± Suddenly I had an idea. A brilliant idea to make the police continue to investigate. Yes, it was a second sacrificial offering!"


    Zhang Jinlei sneered. "Of course, I wouldn''t be stupid enough to take my knife to that pig. I immediately dumped her, looked for a target, killed her in the same way, sprinkled her with salt, and wrote those numbers on her arm. How stupid are you policemen? Your investigation still failed to turn up anything, but I was willing to give you another chance. In the third year, I killed a girl in the same way again. This time, you showed me your stupidity again!¡±


    "More and more sacrifices were piled on her altar. You neither knew that these people were killed by me, nor who she was killed by. But my heart had be numb. It was like I was walking amidst the wilderness and the star in the distance was her soul. She allowed me not to get lost. She allowed me to continue offering sacrifices so that people wouldn¡¯t forget her! But until today..." Zhang Jinlei shouted," You still haven¡¯t found out the truth. You only caught me. You¡¯re all pigs[1], all you policemen are pigs!!! Hahahaha, hahahaha!!!"


    Crazyughter echoed in the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu smacked the table angrily. "Enough!"


    "You¡¯re all..." Zhang Jinlei was still talking angrily.


    "Therefore, behind your abnormal motive for murder, you had thought that your pain surpassed everything else and six other families needed to be sacrificed and buried for that one person¡¯s death?" Chen Shi asked.


    Zhang Jinlei held his head high. "My love for her is so passionate. I don''t care about anything else. Whether it¡¯s the life or death of others, or my own life and death, my heart has been dead since that day."


    This person was hopeless. Chen Shi didn¡¯t intend to educate him. He¡¯d let the prison and thew educate him well. He mockingly said, "Do you know how much sin you are carrying? Even if there was lingchi[2], five chariot dismemberment [3] and the Pao hot pir torture today[4], you wouldn¡¯t be able to repay this debt.¡±


    "I don''t care!" Zhang Jinlei leaned back and looked at them contemptuously.


    "Don''t talk nonsense." Lin Qiupu whispered to Chen Shi in reprimand. Then they began to confirm some specific details of the case.


    The interrogation continued until 10:00 in the evening. At the end, Zhang Jinlei asked, "Are you nning to never go and find out the truth?"


    "You don''t need to know."


    "You¡¯re all pigs. All pigs!!!"


    "Take him away!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    Zhang Jinlei scolded them the whole time as he was walking away. He totally exhibited the attitude of a dead pig who was not afraid of boiling water. While passing through the corridor, he came face-face with Xiao Ran, who was also handcuffed, and asked in shock, "Why are you-"


    "Jinlei, I''m sorry!" Xiao Ran lowered her head.


    Chen Shi, who was stretching his body, suddenly realized that things weren¡¯t going well. "Hurry and take him away!"


    Zhang Jinlei understood everything in an instant. He roared while pushing away the police officer beside him, pounced over and squeezed Xiao Ran''s neck...


    1. Not pigs in the English sense. In Chinese, calling someone a pig means they¡¯re stupid/useless.


    2. The slow process of slowly slicing people to death. Death by a thousand cuts. Used as a form of torture and execution.


    3. Archaic form of execution that has a person¡¯s limbs and head torn off with five chariots going in different directions.


    4. In this punishment, a person is forced to walk on a burning hot beam covered with oil. When the person couldn''t tolerate the heat any longer, he would fall into the fire under the beam and be burnt alive. The history of this cruel punishment dates back to the Shang Dynasty.

 Chapter 508: The Living Are The Most Important

    <h4>Chapter 508: The Living Are The Most Important</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The corridor instantly became chaotic. Zhang Jinlei squeezed Xiao Ran''s neck and pushed her down onto the ground. He roared, "It was you who killed her! You killed her!"


    Several policemen hurried over to drag him off, but Zhang Jinlei was surprisingly strong and they couldn¡¯t move him, even with several people. In that moment, a terrifying potential burst out of him. Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes had already rolled back and her entire face had changed color while her body twitched.


    Chen Shi picked up an aluminum trash can in the hallway, walked over and mmed it violently against Zhang Jinlei''s head. He fainted and copsed onto the ground on top of Xiao Ran.


    Tears ran from Xiao Ran''s closed eyes. She murmured, "I''m sorry".


    Chen Shi was relieved, but Lin Qiupu red at him and quickly stepped forward to check Zhang Jinlei''s condition. Fortunately, he had only fainted. He chided Chen Shi, "What would we do if you had killed him?"


    "Well, it was out of legitimate defense!"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head helplessly and ordered the two of them to be taken to the hospital, especially Zhang Jinlei, who had to be guarded closely.


    Everyone was tired and hungry, but therge stone that had weighed on their hearts had finally been lifted. The six-year serial murder case was finally over. Lin Qiupu said with emotion, "Unexpected. It was really unexpected. The two criminals actually lived under one roof. Did they know about each other?¡±


    "They didn¡¯t know for sure, otherwise Xiao Ran wouldn¡¯t have testified that Zhang Jinlei wasn¡¯t at home on the evening of the 6th."


    Lin Qiupu was silent for a while. Chen Shi asked, "What? What sentiments would you like to express?"


    "Love is a terrifying emotion."


    "No, I think it''s his personal problem. Even if Yan Qilin was alive and together with him, they would have eventually broken up. Their rtionship wasn¡¯t great... Six girls had appeared before him. He wasn¡¯t moved by them and sent them to hell instead. He only has that dead person in his heart. Is his love very grand and heroic? I don¡¯t think so. He just loves the person in his heart. He¡¯s intoxicated by this pilgrim-like self-satisfaction. Putting it simply,he only loves himself. He wanted everyone to know his pain. This is an extreme and narrow type of selfishness!"


    "Do you think that no criminal can be justifiably forgiven?"


    "There¡¯re a few exceptions, but this one is definitely a beast in human skin."


    "I suddenly remembered a senior who I admired very much. It¡¯s not known whether he¡¯s dead or alive, and his whereabouts are unknown. I wonder if he also wants to tell me: ¡®Don''t forget me!¡¯?"


    Chen Shi snorted disdainfully at his sentimentality. "I think you should forget him. Don''t you have me?"


    "Get lost!" Lin Qiupu glowered at him.


    Chen Shi ignored him and greeted Lin Dongxue who wasing out of the office, "Dongxue, let¡¯s go out for supper. We¡¯ll have a big meal tonight and sleep in tomorrow!¡±


    "Haha, the case is finally closed, Brother, let''s go!" Lin Dongxue happily held onto Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi''s arms.


    Chen Shi delivered on his words. He slept and watched TV at home the next day. He had been so busy this summer that he nearly died. He refused to participate in the follow-up investigation of this case.


    He heard that over the past two days, the people in the bureau were about to go crazy from the torture. As long as Zhang Jinlei was conscious, he would shout from his detention cell, "Xiao Ran, I¡¯ll kill you!" He shouted until his throat bled but refused to stop. He also engaged in several forms of self-muttion, until everyone was about to fall apart.


    This person waspletely hopeless, but the police''s duty was to send him to the detention center. The rest of his life will be dealt with by ruthless legal procedures and he would be removed from the world like dross.


    Lin Dongxue sent a text message to tell Chen Shi that the family members of the deceased had gone to the bureau and asked to see the criminal who had killed their daughters. They were sincere and cried painfully, but the police could only refuse these requests. The only constion they could provide was to promise to notify them of the date the court trial will start.


    Chen Shi replied, saying that he hoped this kind of tragedy wouldn¡¯t happen again.


    "Yes, sometimes I really want the criminal police to be unemployed forever and have these cruel things never happen again.¡±


    "If you¡¯re unemployed, I¡¯ll support you!"


    "Haha, by the way, apany me somewhere today!"


    The two went to meet Yue Chao. They had previously agreed to tell him the truth. After listening, Yue Chao''s shock was indescribable. He said, "I thought Zhang Jinlei was just extreme and stubborn, but he actually did such a thing!"


    "It''s really hard to believe. This is also the weirdest motive I''ve seen since bing an officer." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Haii, at least we¡¯ve finally found out the truth. It¡¯s been hard on you all. Thank you for making a trip to tell me."


    "I''m still curious what kind of girl Yan Qilin was. The girls said that she was a bitch, but the boys thought that she was an angel. I know that asking you will certainly not yield the correct answer, but I still wanted to ask.¡±


    "Um..." Yue Chao thought for a long time, then chuckled. "Actually, I¡¯ve already forgotten what she was like and what attracted me. I just vaguely remember the feeling of first love. To me, she was just a part of my past, a part of my youth. Of course, I love my current girlfriend more. After all, the living is always more important than the dead!"

 Chapter 509: The New Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 509: The New Teacher</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 33: Grandfather¡¯s Taste


    Ding Ding Ding Ding...


    This was the first bell for the new semester in September. As soon as the teacher left, Wei Zengmali ran over to Tao Yueyue''s seat and said happily, "Yueyue, you¡¯re too amazing! You took the first seat in our grade for our final exams! Treat me to some food!¡±


    Tao Yueyue was packing up her notes and took out a textbook. "It''s nothing much. I¡¯m only the first in our grade.¡±


    "Only the first in our grade?!" Wei Zengmali repeated this sentence with exaggerated expressions. "You¡¯re too calm. You only transferred here a semester ago and you took first ce in our grade. There¡¯s so many people who are jealous. Look at Li Yantong.¡± She nced over at the few girls who were gossiping together. The ss representative, Li Yantong who was smiling suddenly retracted it and looked at them with cold eyes before going back to gossiping again.


    Wei Zengmali lowered her voice and said to Tao Yueyue, "Did you notice that the way Li Yantong looks at you doesn¡¯t seem normal? It must be jealousy."


    "Follow me!"


    Tao Yueyue stood up and Wei Zengmali followed behind, puzzled. She actually went straight towards Li Yantong. The other party stopped talking and showed a hostile look. Several of her buddies also looked at Tao Yueyue. Their eyes looked like wolves who saw an intruder.


    "Exin!" Tao Yueyue looked at Li Yantong''s face and said coldly. She was ten centimeters shorter than Li Yantong. It looked like a lower-grade student was talking to a senior.


    "Exin what?" Li Yantong smiled and put her finger on her chin.


    Tao Yueyue opened the new book she had just received. There were many pages with shoe prints on it, causing it to be tattered. She said, "Why was the new book I received like this? You¡¯re the ss representative. I request a recement.¡±


    "What right do you have?" Li Yantong said arrogantly. "You want to exchange it after identally damaging it? If you pay another textbook fee, I can tell the teacher."


    "I identally did it myself?"


    Li Yantong looked at her with her head tilted and her friends were sneering on the side. "Do you suspect that I did it? Do you have evidence?"


    "Of course!"


    This sentence surprised Li Yantong, and she frowned, "Let me have a look."


    Tao Yueyue held up her phone, which contained a photo of shoe prints. "This is a photo I took of your shoe prints today. It¡¯s exactly the same as in my book. These shoes are worn on your feet right now. You¡¯re still denying it?"


    Li Yantong''s eyes widened and she continued denying, "Then tell the teacher. Would I be afraid of you? You just scored first ce in our grade¡¯s exam. Who do you think you are? I¡¯m the ss representative of this ss!"


    "So, you admit it?" Tao Yueyue stared straight into her eyes.


    Li Yantong''s cheeks flushed. Fortunately, the ss bell rang, and Tao Yueyue left her with a threatening look. After she returned to her seat, a friend sent a text message to Li Yantong, "Elder Sister Tong, you¡¯re not being careful. What if she told the teacher? What would we do?"


    Li Yantong replied disdainfully, "She¡¯s so introverted. I don''t think she¡¯ll find a teacher. Tch, I¡¯m letting her know that I don''t like her, so what?!"


    At this time, Tao Yueyue also received a text message from Wei Zengmali. "Li Yantong is so ridiculous. As ss representative, how can she do such a thing? Should we report to the teacher?"


    Tao Yueyue replied, "No!"


    Wei Zengmali persuaded her, "She¡¯s very powerful in the ss. You can¡¯t just bear it and swallow it back. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be bullied every day like xx.¡±


    The teacher came in and everyone stood up to greet them. After sitting down, Tao Yueyue calmly opened her textbook as if nothing had happened. In fact, in her heart, she was already scheming a n of revenge.


    It was a perfect time to experiment with the skills she learned during this time! A sneer of anticipation formed on the corners of her mouth.


    After school in the evening, Li Yantong walked out of the school campus with her friends. When she got to the bus station, she said goodbye to her friends and got on one of the buses. Sitting down, she had a habit of going through her circle of friends[1] on her phone. However, when she reached into her bag, she realized something was wrong.


    Her phone was stolen!


    Moreover, the "thieving" skills were superb. They stole the phone but put the phone case back into her pocket. In order to prevent her from detecting the change in weight, the case was filled with paper cut into the size of the phone.


    Li Yantong took out the paper in shock and saw the bottom one read: "The phone is in the ssroom. Come and get it!"


    "Asshole!"


    Her first reaction was to think of who it was that pranked her. She got off at the next stop and hurried back to school.


    At this time, there were no more people on campus, and the students also finished their cleaning duties and went home. However, the door of the ssroom was open. She returned to her seat and found the phone in her desk drawer, but it had no battery.


    The door mmed shut and Li Yantong rushed to the door, shouting, "Who is it? Open the door! You can¡¯t y jokes like this on people!"


    Dong. Dong. Dong.


    Someone was knocking on the window. She walked over to the window and looked out. Tao Yueyue stood there with a sneer on her face. Li Yantong''s face was twisted in anger. ¡°Tao Yueyue, so it really was you! You xxxx!¡± She said a lot of unpleasant words in a single breath.


    Tao Yueyue looked as though it didn¡¯t affect her at all. "Save some energy. The teachers are all gone. It¡¯s useless for you to call out... Tomorrow, if the teacher asks, you can say you came back to get your phone and the wind blew the door shut."


    "I¡¯ll tell the ss teacher!!!"


    "Really? Go ahead, but if you dare to say a single word, I¡¯ll send out the "interesting things" in your phone to everyone. If everyone knew that your mother is a mistress, I wonder how they¡¯d react?"


    "You..." Li Yantong couldn''t believe that she was so vicious. She was just joking with her, but she used this method to take revenge.


    Tao Yueyue picked up a bottle of mineral water, "Apologize to me and I¡¯ll give you this bottle of water."


    "You wish!"


    "Are you sure?"


    Li Yantong''s lips twitched, but she finally made up her mind. "Don''t even think about it!"


    "Goodbye then!" Tao Yueyue waved and left. She didn''t leave from the main entrance because there was a security camera there. She left the school through an obscure corner after climbing over the wall.


    Li Yantong shouted for a while in the ssroom. The sky gradually darkened and she began crying.


    The next day, the fact that Li Yantong was locked in the ssroom became big news in the ss. When the students asked, she said that when she came back to pick up her mobile phone, the wind blew the door shut.


    It''s just that the way she looked at Tao Yueyue had an added hint of fear.


    Wei Zengmali excitedly said to Tao Yueyue, "Haha, this is retribution. Who told her to always bully others?"


    "Yeah, if you keep doing bad things, you¡¯re bound to meet your own end[2]."


    Tao Yueyue smiled slightly. At this time, the ss bell rang, and everyone returned to their seats. A new teacher was said to being in to teach their physics ss today. Many of them were full of expectations.


    Tao Yueyue didn''t care about it at all. She lowered her head to do some after-ss exercises. The teacher came in. He was an uncle with a smiling face. He bowed to everyone. "Hello everyone, I, Zhou Tiannan transferred to your school this year to teach physics. You guys can call me Teacher Zhou."


    "Hello, Teacher Zhou!" The people below greeted in unison.


    Hearing the name, Tao Yueyue''s hand trembled and the tip of the pencil broke. She looked up and Zhou Tiannan looked at her with a slight smile.


    1. WeChat news feed.


    2. This is a proverb written out using its general meaning. Basically saying that there¡¯s karma/retribution if people do bad things.

 Chapter 510: Laoji Noodle Soup

    <h4>Chapter 510: Laoji Noodle Soup</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On September 1st, it was a rare day of rest. Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue out early in the morning and walked all the way through the streets. They walked among the rows of old houses in the city.


    Lin Dongxueined, "Where are we going so early in the morning? You¡¯re acting so mysterious and not telling me.¡±


    "We''ll be there soon. We''ll be there soon." Chen Shi continued to act secretive.


    "I don''t know how many times you¡¯ve said that."


    Things took a new turn and there was light at the end of the tunnel[1]. There was actually a soup noodle restaurant in an alleyway. Although it was 7:00 in the morning, the store had no empty seats. Most of them were retired, elderly people. On the bench out front, the pot gurgled with steam and hot red peppers floated inside.


    "Arrived."


    "After all that, it was to eat breakfast here?" Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    "This noodle store has tasty food. There is no other ce in Long''an City who can make this kind of soup base. I guarantee you¡¯ll remember it for a lifetime after trying it once.¡±


    "It seems very spicy." Lin Dongxue nced at the big pot.


    After entering the store, they waited for a while before they got a seat. Chen Shi asked for two bowls of beef meatball noodles. Although they ordered it to be mild, when they looked at it, it was full of red hot chili oil. Chen Shi said, ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    Lin Dongxue picked it up suspiciously and took a bite. She choked a little from the chili oil and coughed while covering her mouth for a very long time. She said, "This soup..."


    "Delicious?"


    "It¡¯s a bit bitter and it¡¯s too spicy."


    "The addictive stuff is a bit ufortable at the first bite. After you eat this whole bowl, sweat it out, and then have a bowl of iced mung bean soup, it¡¯ll be like bliss." Chen Shi picked up a beef ball, closed his eyes, and chewed it. "Ah, it''s delicious! This store was closed for a few years. It only reopened in thesest couple of days. There are a lot of customers whoe here. I heard about it from the passengers I drove around and came here to admire it. I was instantly captivated."


    "I don''t think it''s that delicious."


    "This is a matter of taste..."


    "Get lost!"


    After eating a bowl, Lin Dongxue was sweating. Chen Shi ordered two iced mung bean soups. After drinking the mung bean soup, their hot and spicy mouths cooled down at once. It did really feel refreshing.


    Chen Shi took out a small bottle and filled it with a little soup when no one was watching.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you doing? Are you taking it back to study?"


    "I made a bet with Old Peng. He said there might be opiates inside which made it so addictive to eat. I¡¯m taking it back for him to test.¡±


    "Captain Peng has also been here?"


    "He came here a couple of days ago with me."


    "What?!" Lin Dongxue was surprised. "You came with him first before bringing me?"


    "Is this jealousy?"


    "What do you think?


    "Weren''t you busy that day?" Chen Shi defended.


    Recently, they were less busy and could finally have a normal Sunday. After the two hottest months had passed, the crime rate in Long''an has also dropped. This was not pseudoscience. The data was the same every year.


    A new term called "996" appeared on the Inte nowadays. It referred to the work system implemented by some IT industries. It meant to go to work at 9:00 till 9:00 every day, 6 days a week.


    However, as a police officer, most of the time they were in a "996" working state, and they didn¡¯t earn much. She didn¡¯t know who she could vent to about the hard work.


    Lin Dongxue noticed that there were two people at a table next to them. One was a young man with his hair dyed gray and the other was a middle-aged uncle with gray hair. The young man looked deted and sat on the bench as if he had no spine. The unclepletely ignored the sign prohibiting smoking on the wall and lit a cigarette as soon as he sat down to start poisoning everyone around them[2].


    After a while, the waiter brought two bowls of noodles over. Gray Hair[3] pulled out a paper bag from his pocket, opened it, took out a dead cockroach and threw it into the soup bowl.


    Lin Dongxue kicked Chen Shi under the table and used her lips to gesture over to that side.


    Gray Hair mixed the bowl with chopsticks, stirred the dead cockroach into it, and then mmed on the table, shouting, "Who is the boss?! Who is the boss?!" When everyone''s eyes looked over, he used chopsticks to pick out the dead cockroach from the soup. "Look at what this is? You¡¯re giving this soup for customers to eat? What¡¯s the situation with hygiene here?¡±


    The waiter went over to apologize. "Sorry, I''ll exchange another bowl for you immediately."


    "Exchange!?" The two stood up. Gray Hair smashed the bowl to the ground. "I already drank a few sips. I want you topensate me for my mental loss!"


    The uncle with the cigarette stood up and sneered.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Is there still such a low ckmail method in this day and age?"


    Chen Shi said, "I think they most likely came to find trouble."


    Many people also noticed it, but the other party was arrogant and the customers were mostly elderly people. Everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb. When some of them noticed that things weren¡¯t going well, they quickly paid their bills and left.


    "Get the boss out here! I want to get justice today!" Gray Hair got more aggressive.


    This matter couldn¡¯t be ignored. Lin Dongxue stood up and said, "Stop acting here. I personally saw that you threw the cockroach into the bowl yourself. If you want to ckmail people, you¡¯ll need a new trick!"


    Gray Hair widened his eyes. He looked Lin Dongxue up and down. "What are you trying to do? Fighting for justice?¡±


    The uncle showed a traitorous and ambiguous smile. "You don¡¯t even have all your hairs grown out[4], so why are you interfering? You should just step aside."


    Lin Dongxue was frustrated. "I¡¯m a policeman!"


    Gray Hair was suddenly frightened. He used his eyes to ask the uncle what to do. The uncle hurriedly threw the cigarette down, stamped it out, and smiled. "I can see that your aura is special at first nce. So you were a police officer. It was a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding.¡±


    At this time, a man in his forties came out. "Why are you here again? Did youe early in the morning to cause trouble? Is there a point, second uncle[5]?"


    Lin Dongxue was also taken aback. They turned out to be family, but the second uncle didn¡¯t look like a good guy.


    He smiled and pointed at Lin Dongxue. "Coincidentally, the police are here. We can make things clear."


    Lin Dongxue said to the boss, "I saw everything just now. Later, when the officers of the police statione over, I can testify for you."


    "Thank you!" The boss said, "He is my second uncle and this is my cousin, so I won''t bother the police."


    "Aiya, what''s wrong, do you feel guilty?" The second uncle said with an arrogant tone. "Officers, you don''t know the reason. I wouldn''t do this if I had another choice. This kid invaded my real estate. This store is half mine. He didn¡¯t even so much as inform me before he opened business."


    "Second Uncle, do you still want face?" The boss red. "I''ve given you the money for the store. Is there a point in causing trouble every day when there isn¡¯t any?"


    "What do you mean you¡¯ve already given it to me? It¡¯s still missing over a few hundred thousands! Your cousin[6] doesn''t have a job and the whole family lives on my pension. You open a shop and make a lot of money while I eat the northwest wind[7] every day at home. Where would people find a nephew like you?¡±


    "Hurry up and get lost. Don''t stop me from doing business!"


    The second uncle raged and grabbed his cor. "You¡¯re telling me to get lost? You damn bastard. Everyone needs to help me get justice. As a family member doing this usurping the property kind of thing, aren¡¯t you afraid of giving birth to a son without an asshole?[ref]It¡¯s just a phrase for people to curse others. There¡¯s multiple meanings to this. E.g. In Hong Kong, they¡¯re cursing others to have a girl instead of a boy (which was considered bad back in the day). In maind China, it was to curse the child to be deformed. In modern times, with more medical knowledge, there¡¯s actual conditions where a child is born without an asshole. Surgeries can be done to fix this, but if not, the baby would die."


    Lin Dongxue was getting a headache from listening to them. The second uncle didn¡¯t seem like a good person. He looked like he was a greedy person. "Don''t argue. Come with me to the Public Security Bureau!"


    1. This sentence was actually created using two proverbs. The meaning was written out in ce of two directly tranted proverb.


    2. People use this as a term to describe others releasing bad things to others. Even sending people nice photos of food while they¡¯re on diet can be described as releasing poison.


    3. The guy who has his hair dyed. I only figured this out when the author simply calls the middle-aged man ¡°The uncle¡±ter on.


    4. You¡¯re just a child.


    5. So I know the author writes ¡°second uncle¡± going forward, but after tranting the whole volume, I believe there were only two brothers in that generation. I think ¡°second¡± was only written to show that he¡¯s the younger sibling and then the author just rolled with it. Generally, calling him the second uncle would mean there¡¯s an additional sibling who¡¯s older than that uncle, but yeah.


    6. The author wrote ¡°brother¡±. While that¡¯s standard in Chinese, I changed it to cousin for it to make more sense in English.


    7. Live on air and nothing else.

 Chapter 511: Hooligan Father and Son

    <h4>Chapter 511: Hooligan Father and Son</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When he heard that he had to go to the Public Security Bureau, the second uncle seemed a little flustered and loosened his grip on the boss''s cor. "I won¡¯t be going to the Public Security Bureau. We won¡¯t bother you guys with these little things. They¡¯re just family affairs. Family affairs. I¡¯m going back first. You guys should eat slowly. Everyone should eat slowly!¡±


    The two of them left without looking back and the storm seemed to be over. The boss said to the customers in the store, "Sorry everyone. We¡¯ve disturbed you."


    Soon, the shop returned to peace. Chen Shi said, "Fortunately, they didn¡¯t go to the bureau. Otherwise, today¡¯s holiday would have been wasted.¡±


    "It feels like a mess, but the second uncle doesn''t look like a serious person."


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    "Okay."


    "Please wait." The boss came over and sat down. He looked at the cups and bowls on the table. "Thank you for just then. I won''t charge any money for this meal."


    Chen Shi said, "It''s okay, if we didn''t speak out, then it''s negligence!"


    The boss was skinny, wearing a pair of ck-framed sses, and looked very polite. If he weren¡¯t wearing a uniform in the store with the brand on his chest, they wouldn¡¯t have made him out to be the noodle shop owner.


    He said, "Can I take up five minutes of your time to talk about my family¡¯s situation?"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other, and then Chen Shi said, "Go ahead!"


    "Actually, the situation isn¡¯t like what he said at all. I didn''t take away any real estate. This store was previously owned by my grandfather. My grandfather passed away suddenly and didn¡¯t have a will. The real estate was divided by the two sons byw, but this is a shop with a living area above. There was no way to divide it, so my father proposed that the shop should be his. He paid half of the money to my second uncle ording to the market price, which was 600,000! That was not a small expenditure for our family. We didn¡¯t finish paying it off until the previous year, but my second uncle was greedy and said that the real estate price has risen now. This shop is at least worth 30,000 yuan per square meter. I still needed to give another 600,000 yuan to him. How¡¯s that reasonable?"


    Chen Shiughed. "ording to this rogue logic, if the property price drops one day, does he have to refund the money?"


    "I think that would be impossible." The boss smiled. "This shop is an old shop. It¡¯s been in business for decades. When my father took over from my grandfather, my second uncle was messing around outside all day. He hasn''t had a serious job since the 80s. His name is Zhang Farong. You can check how many bad things he¡¯s done. When he grew old, he turned into an old bastard. If the upper beam isn¡¯t straight, the bottom will be crooked too. I heard that his son, Zhang Kui, is also muddled in with the underground society. He caused trouble outside and ran back to his home to avoid the storm. That group of people are still looking for him everywhere, threatening to kill his whole family after finding him."


    "It can be seen that neither the father nor the son are good people." Lin Dongxue said. "Do I need to go to the police station to prepare a case? I can help you contact them."


    "No need. I can handle this matter. There¡¯s a police station on the other side of the street, so they won¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    "Let me remind you to not be impulsive. Leave evidence behind when things happen and take the legal route." Chen Shi said.


    "I know. No matter what I won''t do anything violent."


    Chen Shi looked at the empty bowl. "It tasted good. I¡¯lle again."


    "If you guyse, I¡¯ll give you a free order. Thank you for today!" The boss smiled.


    After leaving this store, Lin Dongxue spoke sentimentally, "Having these kinds of rtives is really unlucky."


    "Don''t trust one side of the story too much. These kinds of family disputes often have different sides to the story. Otherwise, why would he refuse when we suggested filing a case?¡±


    "Okay, this matter shouldn¡¯t be under our jurisdiction... Where are we going to y today?"


    "Shall we go watch a movie?"


    "Okay!" Lin Dongxue readily agreed.


    While Zhang Farong was returning home after failing, he felt anger welling within him. He stood on the corner of the street and smoked, staring at the bustling store gloomily. His son, Zhang Kui, asked, "Should I find some brothers and smash his damn store apart?"


    "How thoughtless. If the store is smashed apart, we¡¯d be in the wrong. Would we still be able to get that money?¡±


    "Then let''s kidnap Zhang Hao''s son!"


    Zhang Farong poked his head with his finger. "Pig brain[1], the only thing you cane up with are bad ideas. What would we do if he calls the police? We wouldn¡¯t get a single cent."


    "Would he dare to call the police? Grandpa passed away dubiously and big uncle[2] also went missing in the past two years. I think Zhang Hao must have a problem!"


    "That¡¯s why we have to utilize this point. But, we can''t force him too much or alert the police, understood? What exactly have you learned in the past two years since you¡¯ve been in the underground society?¡±


    Zhang Kuiughed. "The older the ginger is, the spicier it gets[3]. Let''s find a restaurant to eat?"


    "You only know how to eat!" Zhang Farong stomped out his cigarette ruthlessly.


    The two went to another street and found a wonton shop to eat at. Zhang Kui suddenly wolf-whistled towards a woman and asked, "On holiday today?"


    The woman frowned as if she saw a maggot and left her breakfast unfinished. She immediately settled her bill and left. Zhang Kui said towards her back, "Hey, help us to settle the bill as well. Prostitutes are really heartless!¡±


    "Who was that?" Zhang Farong asked.


    "A girl who I¡¯ve yed with before. Her ass is particrly perky. Pinching it is particrly pleasurable!¡±


    Zhang Farong narrowed his eyes and looked at the woman who had gone out. "You don''t know how to honor or respect your dad."


    "Then, should I find one for you?"


    Zhang Farong shook his head. "Don''t spend money on it. I find it dirty."


    "What money do I spend? I never use money to y with women. This is inherited from my father."


    "Go and fucking find me one. I haven''t touched a woman in the years since your mother passed."


    "Today?"


    "Today!"


    "No problem!"


    So, after eating, the father and son started to move to one of the most prosperous streets. Zhang Kui went back and forth like a salesman on the street to talk to single women passing by. Zhang Farong was sitting and smoking on the railings at the side of the road. He watched his son as if he was watching a movie and he felt proud of his son.


    Zhang Kui wasn¡¯t a pick-up artist. He only knew a few lines like: "Ah, have we met each other before?", "You¡¯re a bit like my ex-girlfriend." And ¡°Are you happy to exchange contact details?¡±


    Because of his thick skin, he was able to try again and again after failing. Finally, he met someone who was willing to take the bait. The two of them walked and talked. Zhang Kui invited her for a drink, and then happily ran back and said, ¡°I got her WeChat! Dad, aren¡¯t I awesome?"


    "Awesome? You only got one in four hours. Back in the day, I-"


    "Okay, okay, I know you were amazing back then."


    "I still am!"


    "Yes, yes, the golden gun hasn¡¯t fallen and the sword is not old[4]."


    The father and the sonughed for a while before Zhang Farong made a serious expression. "That girl looks okay. Can you call her out?"


    "Let me try!"


    1. Stupid.


    2. The older brother of ¡°second uncle¡±. There¡¯s really only two brothers in this generation...


    3. Experience counts.


    4. His skills haven¡¯t gone rusty.

 Chapter 512: Poisoning At Night

    <h4>Chapter 512: Poisoning At Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At 10:00 in the evening, in the corridor of a small hotel, Zhang Kui was leaning in front of a door with a cigarette as screams came from inside the door. "Help, rape!"


    A person passing by nced sideways and Zhang Kui said with hostility, "What are you looking at? Do you want to die?"


    The man picked up the pace and walked away. Zhang Kui shouted from behind, "I¡¯ve remembered what you look like. If you dare call the police, I¡¯ll invalidate you!¡±


    The man turned around as he descended the stairs and waved his hands. "I won¡¯t dare! I won¡¯t dare!"


    Zhang Kui exhaled the smoke with pride. He knocked on the door. "Dad, be more quiet. People outside can hear you."


    "Don''t bother me!" A voice inside roared.


    Zhang Farong was pulling the girl¡¯s clothes apart. He was sweating impatiently. The new type of bra was too difficult to undo. The girl was still struggling. He said impatiently, "Don¡¯t scream. If this kind of thing gets out, would you still have face?"


    The girl was so frightened that she turned pale. Zhang Farong finally undid her bra. Seeing the girl''s upper body made him excited. He began to y with his crime-making tools. However, the old man was so old that he couldn¡¯t enter the correct state.


    He regretted that he didn¡¯t buy a small blue pill before he came and wasted his son¡¯s filial deed.


    At this time, there was a bang outside, which made Zhang Farong shake a little. Then, three big men pushed the door in. The two walking behind carried Zhang Kui whose face was swollen and he was beaten unconscious.


    The big man in the front widened his eyes. "You dare rape my wife in broad daylight when things are peaceful?[1] You old fart, why aren¡¯t you getting off the bed?!¡±


    Zhang Farong looked at the girl in bed who put the nket over her chest as she cried softly, and then at the group of people who came in. He understood immediately. It was no wonder that it was so easy to trick her intoing to the hotel. It was definitely a trap.


    Without clothes, even his aura felt weaker. Zhang Farong said, "Misunderstanding. It¡¯s a misunderstanding, brother. She didn''t say anything!"


    "How do you think we should take care of this matter? Public or private?"


    He nced at his son. Zhang Farong clenched his jaw. "Don¡¯t y this game with me. Us father and son both walk the path of the underworld. Don¡¯t threaten us with the police. I don¡¯t have a job and my son doesn¡¯t either. You can report us. We¡¯ll be released after two days max. Hmph, I know you guys wouldn¡¯t dare call the police.¡±


    "Hoho!" The big man smiled. "You seem to understand, so I won¡¯t talk in circles. If I break your legs here, would you call the police?¡±


    Zhang Farong felt humiliated and took off the only piece of fabric on his body ¨C the undershirt on his upper body. He revealed the dragon tattoo on his chest that looked a bit odd due to the ck in skin from old age.


    He smacked his chest. "Fuck, you didn¡¯t investigate who Zhang Farong at the South Gate Vegetable Market was like back then? You dare ckmail me?"


    "Okay, so you want to do this the hard way!"


    The big man made a gesture. One minuteter, the father and son knelt on the ground with swollen faces and the big man kept hitting Zhang Farong''s face. "Old fart, do you still want to fight with me?"


    "I don''t dare." Zhang Farong whispered.


    "Give me money or I¡¯ll break one of your legs. You choose!"


    The father and son looked at each other with swollen eyes and started to take out their money. Zhang Farong handed over a bank card and said, "The password is xxx. There¡¯s 200,000 in it. I know the market. It should be enough."


    Who knew that the group of people had brought an Eftpos machine with them? They swiped the card on the spot and the big man pped him in the face. "XXX. There¡¯s only three thousand in there."


    Zhang Farong pleaded with his hands together. "I only have this much. I don¡¯t have anything else."


    "Is there anything valuable on his body?"


    After searching them for a long time, his son "contributed" arge, gold chain. The big man''s eyes lit up as he bit it with his teeth. He found that the gold paint on the top broke off, exposing the iron chain below. He raged and used the "gold chain" to whack Zhang Kui across the face, causing a bloody line. "You like fucking pretending, huh? Pretend away!"


    Zhang Kui defended with his hand as he cried for mercy.


    The big man said, "That¡¯s right. If you weren¡¯t so poor, you wouldn''t do this kind of thing. Take out your ID card."


    Zhang Farong thought that dead pigs weren¡¯t afraid of boiling water. He didn''t work and his reputation wasn¡¯t good anyway, so he pulled out his ID card. However, Zhang Kui desperately shook his head and whispered, "Dad, don''t!"


    The big man held the ID card, did something on his mobile phone, and finally smiled. "Done. You should pay back the money yourself!"


    "What money?" Zhang Farong was at a loss.


    Zhang Kui said sadly, "He made a small loan with your ID card!"


    "Small loan? You can use your phone to borrow money so easily now?" Zhang Farong still didn''t understand.


    "How much did you borrow and from whichpany?" Zhang Kui asked.


    The big man let him have a look. When he saw the figure of 200,000, he almost copsed.


    After getting the money, the big man called his men to finish work. Before they left, they grabbed the underwear on the ground and chucked it on Zhang Farong''s face before educating him, "Take care of your dick. Don''t mess up your reputation when you¡¯re old."


    When the people left, Zhang Kui sat paralyzed on the ground, "Dad, 200,000! If we don''t pay it right away, the interest will umte and we won¡¯t know how much it¡¯ll be!¡±


    Zhang Farong''s lips trembled. He punched Zhang Kui while shouting, "You¡¯re so useless... You can¡¯t even do this sort of thing... Getting scammed even though you¡¯re walking this path... I should have shot you onto the wall[2]!¡±


    Zhang Ku,i who was getting beaten, anxiously pushed Zhang Farong away. He angrily shouted, "You¡¯re the one who wanted a woman but wasn¡¯t willing to spend money! You¡¯re happy now, aren¡¯t you?! That money was borrowed with your ID card. I don''t care!"


    Zhang Kui stood up and Zhang Farong asked, "Where are you going?"


    "Leave me alone!"


    When Zhang Farong left the small hotel, it happened to be raining lightly, reflecting his depressive mood. A sound of Peking Opera could be heard in the distance and he suddenly felt like he had lost just like Guan Yu in Lu Meng¡¯s invasion of Jing Province[3]. The hero was old now and it was depressing.


    Zhang Farong shook his head. Whether it was rain or tears that dripped down from his eyes were unknown.


    As he walked, he went to his nephew''s shop. After all, this was the ce where he was born and raised. The memory of going home was engraved in his bones and couldn¡¯t be erased.


    Seeing this familiar two-story building, evil fire welled in his heart. Everyone¡¯s bullying me now that I¡¯m old. The world is getting worse and people¡¯s attitudes are different from those of the past!


    So, he bought something with thest bit of pocket change he had. When he got back, it was dark and windy. No one was around. He took a handkerchief and wrapped it around a brick. He shattered the shop window and then cleaned up the surrounding ss debris. He opened the window and crawled awkwardly inside.


    The second floor was where the nephew''s family lived. At this time, the family was sleeping soundly. Zhang Farong wandered around the store using the shimmering moonlight outside. He opened the freezer. There were several metal basins inside which were filled with meat filling.


    He sprinkled some powder into the meat filling and wiped it, making it invisible to the eye. He held a cheerful smile on his face.


    See how you can continue running this damn shop!


    Before he left, he remembered to clean up the scene. He would go home and use tools to repair the broken window. The debris on the ground had to be picked up so that others wouldn¡¯t notice.


    He squatted down, and because of the dim light, the process of picking up the debris was very difficult. His hand was cut in the middle of it and he quickly sucked on his finger.


    There was thunder outside, so he didn¡¯t hear the movement of someoneing downstairs. The man who was quietly approaching behind him clearly saw the man squatting on the ground. His face contorted with anger. He picked up a kitchen knife and held it up high.


    A sh of lightning cast his shadow on the wall. Zhang Farong looked up, startled.


    1. Two proverbs were written here, but I just summarized the meaning here instead.


    2. Shooting the sperm in the wall instead would mean his son would have never been born.


    3. Guan Yu and his son both died in this battle.

 Chapter 513: Unexpected Meat

    <h4>Chapter 513: Unexpected Meat</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Murder! Murder!"


    A scream broke the peace in the alley. People opened their windows and looked down. They could only see a man covered in blood rush out of the shop at the entrance and fall to the ground. The rain on him was dyed red extremely quickly.


    He was followed by a man holding a kitchen knife. The man looked up at the surprised faces of his neighbors, silently dropped the knife, pulled out his phone, and dialed 110.


    "Hello, 110, the police tform."


    "Someone wounded someone with a weapon." Zhang Hao said quietly.


    "What''s the address?"


    "No need. I will surrender myself to the head office."


    Early in the morning of the next day, there was clear weather after the rain had stopped. Chen Shi couldn¡¯t forget the taste of the meatball noodles and went there again, only to find that the shop was closed.


    It was not only him who was disappointed. Many old patrons gathered at the door. For some seniors, eating a bowl of hot Zhangji soup noodles early in the morning was a ritual not to be missed every day. They even brought teapots and alcohol bottles over.


    There were people living here in the crowd who talked about what happenedst night.


    It turned out that a thief broke inte at night, and the boss Zhang Hao wounded the thief with a knife. As a result, he found that it was his second uncle. So, he called the police himself and they¡¯re both still in the bureau right now.


    "Then when will the store open?" This was the only concern for the diners.


    Chen Shi sighed and prepared to go to another ce for breakfast. At this time, several police cars stopped outside the alley. The people who came were all acquaintances. Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong were among them. Chen Shi greeted, "What a coincidence?"


    "Brother Chen, how did you know about the news?!" Xu Xiaodong asked in surprise.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Does he look like he knows the news? He''s definitely here to eat noodles."


    "I can¡¯t eat them anymore." Chen Shi smiled. "They didn¡¯t die, did they?"


    "Who did you listen to?"


    "Neighbor!"


    "His second uncle was cut on his back. It¡¯s not fatal. They¡¯re both in the detention center. They only found out that the second uncle went in to poison the food when they questioned them. We¡¯re here to obtain evidence.¡±


    "Poison?" Chen Shi was shocked. "Fortunately, the boss found out. Otherwise, there¡¯d be so many people who would have died today."


    "It''s not actually poison. He said it was axative bought from a pharmacy."


    Lin Dongxue went to knock on the door. Although the shop was closed, Zhang Hao''s wife and son were still inside. They lived on the second floor. After exining the situation, the police went in to investigate the scene.


    One of the windows was broken and there were scattered fragments and blood on the ground.


    All the basins of minced meat in the freezer were taken away. All of them were beef mince.


    A neighbor collected the knife thrown away by Zhang Haost night. They handed the knife over to the police. It was just an ordinary kitchen knife. ording to Zhang Hao''s wife, he usually put it on the shelf.


    "It seems to be an ordinary event." Lin Dongxue said. "Are you going toe and watch?"


    "Um..." Chen Shi thought. "It decides whether I can eat noodles tomorrow, so I¡¯ll care about it!"


    "Haha, you really care about things regarding eating and drinking!"


    "It¡¯s from your blessings. Since I quit smoking, everything I eat tastes nice... I seem to have gained weight recently as well."


    Arriving at the bureau, Chen Shi went to visit the boss first. Zhang Hao was sitting in the detention cell, covered in a nket given by the police. He looked a bit depressed. Chen Shi said, "I have listened to the neighbors talk about the matter. The fault lies with your second uncle, and you made the report on your own initiative, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    "If possible, I don''t want to sue him. After all, he¡¯s my father''s younger brother. I don''t want to make the family rtionship so tense." Zhang Hao said.


    Chen Shi was a little curious and asked, "Why don''t you want to go through the legal process?"


    "Blood is thicker than water."


    Chen Shi didn''t believe this reason, so he exchanged a few perfunctory words and left.


    Peng Sijue asked people to buy somexatives that weremon in the market and theparison results came out quickly. It was indeed axative. Also, because Zhang Farong wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about these things, only a small amount of ground pills was ced in each pot. The dose wouldn¡¯t have even caused people to have diarrhea.


    Peng Sijue said, "Whether it constitutes a crime of dropping dangerous substances or not depends on the court''s judgment."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I really hope that this old hooligan will be sentenced. He would surely be convicted of trespassing in a private house, right?"


    Chen Shi pondered on it. "Can you let me go to the interrogation?"


    Peng Sijue said, "You¡¯re already a regr customer here, so what is there to be so polite about? Just let Captain Lin know.¡±


    "Okay. Dongxue, don¡¯t talkter. I''ll ask the questions." Chen Shi winked. Lin Dongxue didn''t know what he was acting so mysterious about.


    Although he acted melodramatic, yelling while sitting in the interrogation room, Zhang Farong¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t a big problem. "Hurry up and ask. I still have to go to the hospital to lie down for a few days. I¡¯m old and I might die from such an injury.¡±


    Chen Shi threw a pile of documents on the table. "Zhang Farong, we just checked your criminal records. Your life is really rich and exciting. You¡¯ve sold pirated discs, organized prostitution, and fought both individually and as a group. You¡¯re so lucky to not have been caught in in the 90s to be executed!"


    Zhang Farong waved his hands and smiled. "Heroes don''t mention the bravery of those days! It''s a thing of the past."


    "Then, let''s talk about what¡¯s happening now. Why did you go to Zhang Hao''s store to poison the foodst night?"


    "Officer, you¡¯re making it sound so serious. It wasn''t poisoning. I just put somexatives in so that he couldn¡¯t run his business the next day. It wouldn¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    "Have a littlemon sense, okay? Do you know there is a crime in the criminalw called the crime of spreading dangerous substances? And the customers in that old store are mostly elderly people. If the dose wasn¡¯t done well, it could have caused a fatality. Can you bear those consequences?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Farong''s face went pale. "Is it so serious? I... Didn¡¯t I not seed? Look, I¡¯m already like this. I¡¯ve already received my karma. Can you let me go?"


    "Unsessful?" Chen Shi chuckled a bit. "There¡¯s another crime. You broke into a private dwelling!¡±


    "I didn''t steal anything. I just put somexatives in... And it was just an attempt!"


    "Don''t talk around the point! You¡¯re so old but you¡¯re still fooling around, these two crimes are enough for you to go to jail. At your age, with that body, when you go in, that will probably be your graveyard!"


    Zhang Farong was frightened and his whole body broke out in cold sweat. He looked as if he was about to cry. "Government, pity me. I¡¯m so old and the whole family is relying on my pension!"


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi, wondering why he deliberately frightened Zhang Farong.


    "It depends on your own attitude!" Chen Shi loosened his tone. "Be honest. Maybe there¡¯s a chance we can help you."


    Zhang Farong swallowed and asked, "Exin... What?"


    "Motive!"


    Zhang Farong bowed his head in contemtion, and suddenly said, "You should go for a test. The meat is definitely not beef."


    "What is it?"


    "Unexpected meat!" Zhang Farong nodded to imply it was the truth.

 Chapter 514: Hidden Corpse In The Wall

    <h4>Chapter 514: Hidden Corpse In The Wall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi rushed out of the interrogation room, leaned against the wall, and wanted to vomit.


    Lin Dongxue was also pale. Chen Shi asked, "Do you want to go to the hospital to wash your stomach?"


    "All the food I ate yesterday has arrived in the small intestine. Can you wash that?" Lin Dongxue said in denial. "Impossible. How is that possible? Absolutely impossible!"


    Although he wanted to have breakfast, Chen Shi had no appetite anymore.


    Zhang Farong had just said that the meat was actually human flesh, and the source was even more exaggerated. That is, it was Zhang Hao''s father''s flesh.


    Lin Dongxue said, "But if it''s human meat... We should have been able to tell. The taste and texture of beef is different from other meat."


    "Go for a test!"


    Upon hearing this request, Peng Sijue tly refused. "The meat isposed of protein and fat. Even the mass spectrometer can''t tell what kind of meat it is. I can''t test it."


    "I¡¯ll think of a way!"


    Chen Shi ran to the cafeteria to borrow a pot, then ran back to the forensics department. Peng Sijue scolded him right away. "Don''t do that here!"


    "It''s about whether I can eat meat deliciously in the future. Have a little sympathy!"


    "So? What does it matter? Aren''t human flesh and beef all protein?"


    "Captain Peng is so open-minded. If it¡¯s human flesh, would youe and taste it?" When talking about human flesh, Chen Shi wanted to vomit again.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "No way. It tasted like beef."


    Peng Sijue said, "Do you know there¡¯s something called beef paste?"


    "What is that?"


    "An additive made from beef bones and fat. It can be used to make other meats taste like beef."


    Upon hearing this, Lin Dongxue stopped being calm. In fact, Chen Shi had already thought about it, but he didn''t want to say it out loud.


    The price of beef is high. In order to reduce costs, some stores would sell pork as beef. Beef paste can cause pork to have the same taste and texture as beef.


    There are sticizers in the cake, washing powder in deep-fried fritters, and a drop of incense is widely used in m hotpot restaurants. Chen Shi knew these well. Sometimes when you go out to eat, as long as you don¡¯t see it, you¡¯d pretend it¡¯s clean. After all, Chinese people¡¯s constitution was rtively resilient from eating various poisons.


    However, if the food they ate yesterday really was human flesh, it would really be unbearable!


    He heated the pot with a gas stove, put the meat filling into it and the smell of beef soon wafted out. Lin Dongxue smelled and looked at it again. "The texture and smell are both like that of beef!"


    "Have you ever seen human meat filling?"


    "No..."


    "I guess there¡¯s something mixed into the meat stuffing. Let''s go to the scene to check. If the shop uses beef paste, then the meat has to be tested."


    The two went to the Zhangji Soup Noodle House. His wife was packing up the shop. When she saw that the police hade back, she asked with concern, "When will my husband be back? This situation wasn¡¯t his fault. Why should he be detained?¡±


    "After all, it¡¯s bodily harm caused by a weapon. We have to figure everything out before letting him go. I hope you understand."


    "Ah, if he was really put in jail, how would my son and I live from now on?! The soup in this shop is an ancestral recipe and only he knows the recipe. Without him, we can''t do business."


    "Rx, it won''t be dragged on for too long... We are here to ask you about something else. Where is the source of the meat in this shop?"


    "Meat source? I don''t know very well. It¡¯s the chefs who buy it."


    "Is there any contact information for them?"


    After a while, several chefs were called to the store. When asked about the source of meat, they were a little vague. They only said that they bought it from the vegetable market, but they couldn¡¯t produce any evidence. Chen Shi asked a different question. ¡°Do you guys use beef paste?¡±


    "No... No..." The masters denied it in unison with a suspicious attitude.


    "Okay, you all can head back first!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue began to search around the store. They finally found a few green tins in a drawer at the bottom. They opened one of them and smelled a strong beef smell.


    Lin Dongxue''s face changed color. "I will never go out to eat again."


    Chen Shi looked at these items in a daze and suddenly said, "Why am I so stupid? If there¡¯s such a thing, we just need to check where that person is."


    He asked Zhang Hao''s wife, "I want to know something. Where is Zhang Hao''s father?"


    His wife looked embarrassed. "He... He... Went missing."


    "How long has he been missing?"


    "Wait a minute." The wife ran upstairs and brought a stack of paper down. It was a printed missing persons notice, which said that Zhang Fade went missing in the beginning of 2017. It also mentioned his appearance at the time of disappearance, the family¡¯s contact information, etc.


    Lin Dongxue called the police station and then whispered the result to Chen Shi. Chen Shi said, "The police station has no record of this. Your father-inw is missing. You only posted missing persons notices but didn¡¯t call the police?"


    "I don''t know much about it. My husband did it."


    "Your husband did it?¡±


    "No, no, I mean, he printed them all." The wife looked a little flustered.


    "He¡¯s been missing for two years now. Is there no news of him?"


    The wife shook her head.


    Chen Shi seemed to understand something. Zhang Farong knew about this matter but kept it secret so as to ckmail his nephew. His instinct was correct. The abnormal attitude of the parties indicated that there might be a murder case behind it all.


    Thinking back, this store was closed for two years before reopening again.


    Lin Dongxue gave Chen Shi a look and the two went outside. Lin Dongxue said, "Zhang Farong''s confession and Zhang Hao''s confession don¡¯t match."


    "About what happenedst night?"


    "Yes, Zhang Hao said that when he saw a man crouching on the ground, he was scared and he defended himself with a knife. However, Zhang Farong said that at that time, he shouted Zhang Hao''s name and the other party had already recognized him, but he still cut him with the knife."


    "Where is Zhang Farong''s injury?"


    "Behind..." Lin Dongxue pointed to her own shoulder des. "Here. There are two more knife wounds on his back."


    Chen Shi thought, "Since it¡¯s a rtive, when the first knife wound was made, the other party would definitely speak out. Adding two more may have been to murder him so he couldn¡¯t talk."


    "Murder? Are you saying that Zhang Hao really killed his father? But Zhang Farong has no evidence!"


    "There¡¯s no evidence, but he knows and ckmails him this way. This is a threat!"


    "No wonder you scared him in the interrogation room back then. Do you suspect there¡¯s a case within?" Lin Dongxue looked back at the old shop. "Didn''t you say you¡¯re afraid that you won''t be able to eat breakfast in this shop tomorrow?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "Compared to soup noodles, the truth is more attractive to me... Go and search again!"


    Lin Dongxue asked Zhang Hao''s wife to take her leave first. The two conducted a carpet search in the store. There was nothing suspicious on the first floor. They were considering whether to go to the second floor when Chen Shi noticed that the wall behind the freezer was a bit abnormal.


    He asked Lin Dongxue to help him move the freezer aside. The wallpaper there bubbled out slightly. He tapped it with his fingers to find that it was hollow inside.


    Chen Shi made a decisive decision and picked up a kitchen knife to scratch the wallpaper off.


    There was only a wooden board under the wallpaper. Lin Dongxue''s was a little ufortable. Chen Shi lifted the board up, revealing a hole in the back. When he reached in, his expression changed.


    He pulled out a burnt bone. Judging from the size, it was likely to be that of a tibia.

 Chapter 515: Inheritance Of Domestic Violence

    <h4>Chapter 515: Inheritance Of Domestic Violence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Two hourster, Peng Sijue rushed to the scene with his own people. The bones in the wall were taken out piece by piece and ced on a tarpaulin. Chen Shi silently counted them. The tibia, arm, ribs, skull. Thesepleted a full human skeleton.


    In order to prevent unnecessary trouble, the shop door was temporarily closed. Everyone was crowded in a room of 60 square meters. Above their heads was an incandescentmp that was yellowed by smoke and oil. The scorched ck bones looked particrly gloomy.


    Thinking that the atmosphere there was too dull, Chen Shi said something to liven the atmosphere. He asked, "Dongxue, do you know how many bones humans have?"


    "Don¡¯t they say there¡¯s 206 in books?"


    "That''s the standard answer. In fact, Asians only have 204."


    "Really?"


    Peng Sijue said, "Asia as a range isn¡¯t urate. To be precise, Chinese and Japanese only have 204, because our fifth phnx only has 2 sections, and other races have 3 sections. Some children¡¯s bones aren¡¯t merged. It''s 218...¡± He nced at Chen Shi, "Show off!"


    "How many pieces have you found now?" Chen Shi asked.


    A forensics technician answered, "186 pieces. It seems that some small bones are missing."


    Peng Sijue held the tibia with gloved hands and observed, "Adult male. Height is around 165."


    Chen Shi unfolded the missing persons notice in his hand. "Zhang Hao''s father, Zhang Fade, is also about this height."


    "Unfortunately, these bones have all been scorched. I don''t know if it¡¯ll affect the further identification tests."


    As they finished up and were about to leave the shop, Zhang Hao''s son came to stop Lin Dongxue and asked, "Auntie, do you need to take my father away?"


    Lin Dongxue hesitated for a while and touched his head. "We¡¯re only investigating. When the investigation is over, you will see your father."


    The child shook his head. "No, you should still take him away. He has a bad temper. He beats me and my mother every day. I hate him. It¡¯s better for him to nevere back."


    "Little Chi, don''t talk nonsense!" Zhang Hao''s wife came over to stop the child.


    Lin Dongxue noticed previously that Zhang Hao¡¯s wife¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t very good. There seemed to be old injuries in the area covered by her hair on her forehead. She asked, ¡°Is what the child is saying true? Has hemitted domestic violence?¡±


    "Don''t listen to children talking nonsense. How can a couple not argue?"


    "You know what we found in the store. This matter is no longer a trivial matter. I hope you don''t hide anything from me..." She nced at the child. "If we take you to the bureau for investigation, it wouldn¡¯t be good for you or your child!"


    The wife hesitated and nced at the other police officers. "I don''t want to talk about this type of matter outside. Let''s go upstairs!"


    Lin Dongxue told the others to leave first. She went upstairs with the wife. The second floor was a small attic. Although the area was asrge as the store below and there was an extra balcony, the ceiling was very low. The bed there was directly on the ground and all kinds of boxes around were packed full. For a full family to live here, it would indeed be a little crowded.


    Lin Dongxue thought that it seemed smaller than the ce she was renting right now.


    The wife said guiltily, "It''s a mess in the house, sorry. Do you want some water?"


    "No need!"


    The wife asked the child to y on the side. There weren¡¯t any chairs, but the floor was wiped clean. The two of them sat cross-legged on the floor. The wife said, "He has a bad temper, but it¡¯s not entirely his fault. In the first few years when we got married, he wanted to start a career outside, but he didn¡¯t have any savings after working hard for a few years. He was working for other bosses. So, he could onlye back to inherit his father¡¯s restaurant. You may not know that although this shop only sells breakfast, it has a lot of work every day. They have to buy and prepare materials during the day. They get up at four in the morning to prepare to open the shop. There is no rest all year round. The pressure is a bit heavy and he would drink some alcohol when he was down. Sometimes, when he feels emotional, he would start-"


    Lin Dongxue stretched out to brush the wife''s hair away. "Is this what he did?"


    The wife nodded. "He¡¯s under great pressure. On the other hand, I feel that he has a tendency to be violent. I heard that he lived under a very violent environment from an early age. His grandad would hit his dad, hang him on a tree and use a rattan cane to beat him. His dad would also hit him quite hard. The neighbors all know this. You may not be able to understand that feeling. Generally, if a man has a conflict with his wife, it may just be some arguing and it will be fine after some venting, but he¡¯s different. He will umte anger in his heart and burst out suddenly. For example, I miscalcted the ounts a while ago, causing him to check the ounts for a whole night. Little Chi and I fell asleep. He called me to the balcony. Every time he calls me to the balcony, I get scared, but I don¡¯t dare resist. He kicked me down and started beating me. If I cried or screamed, he would put more strength into it, so I always just clenched my jaw and stopped moving. It would be fine once he vented it all out.¡±


    Lin Dongxue understood. "He has a personality w and he will only express his dissatisfaction with his fists and feet?"


    The wife nodded silently. Her eyes turned red. "However, even though he has a bad temper, he certainly won''t kill people. I can guarantee this."


    "Why have you been defending him this whole time? If something like this happened a single time with ordinary couples, they¡¯d probably divorce. Have you been enduring silently this whole time?"


    The wife lowered her head and fell silent. Lin Dongxue could tell that she had "adapted" to this kind of life. Habits really were a terrible thing.


    "After all, I already have a child. I want to stay until Little Chi grows up. Maybe the situation will get better. He¡¯s already in the fifth grade this year, and he¡¯s about to start junior high. It¡¯s a crucial year. If there¡¯s a change in family circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t be good for the child." The wife''s words were full of helplessness.


    "Do you know what the situation is with those bones?"


    The wife shook her head. "He takes care of everything in the shop. I just help with the ounts and do the housework."


    "Your father-inw has been missing for two years. Did the father and son quarrel before the disappearance?"


    "I have no impression of it. The rtionship between the father and the son has always been very rigid. It¡¯s almost impossible tomunicate without quarreling. Quarrelling is already the norm in this family. The father-inw has a worse temper than him. When I lived together with him, I was worried every day, especially during the time after I had given birth. My father-inw always told me to do this and that, and he¡¯d scream at me if I said anything wrong. I really wanted to die at that time, and then I realized that I had postpartum depression."


    Recalling these sad memories, the wife wiped tears away with a handkerchief.


    "What did the father-inw say and do before the disappearance?"


    The wife recalled, "It seemed like my father-inw was often away from home for some time. He¡¯d always reek of alcohol on his return. He had already handed over the shop to my husband at that time. He didn''t worry about it and wandered around every day... One day, he suddenly didn''te back. Two dayster, my husband said that he would post missing persons notices. Officer, you wouldn¡¯t really arrest him, would you? If he¡¯s gone, this family is over. Little Chi and I really won¡¯t know how to survive on. I beg of you to please look past it."


    Lin Dongxueforted her. "Things are still under investigation. Don''t think about it in the most negative way. I¡¯ll inform you as soon as there¡¯s news."

 Chapter 516: The Missing Grandpa

    <h4>Chapter 516: The Missing Grandpa</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue took a taxi back to the bureau, where Chen Shi was waiting for her at the door looking very excited.


    "Why are you so excited?" Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    "What did you hear?"


    "There¡¯s no useful clues. Zhang Hao hasmitted domestic violence towards his wife and son for a long time now and the wife seems to have be numb to it..." Lin Dongxue sighed. "Poor woman."


    "Human bone''s DNA matches 99.99% with Zhang Hao and 99.98% with Zhang Farong. It can only be Zhang Hao''s father and Zhang Farong''s brother. This may be a father-killing case!"


    "Where¡¯s Zhang Hao?"


    "In the interrogation room. We¡¯re just waiting for you."


    The two went into the interrogation room. Zhang Hao sat in the interrogation chair and looked calm. Chen Shi said, "I didn''t expect to meet you here. In fact, I really like your noodle soup. I feel a bit sorry that I have to interrogate you."


    Zhang Hao said, "No worries. This is your job."


    "Do you know what was found in the wall of your shop?"


    Zhang Hao shook his head.


    Chen Shi produced a printed photo with the bones taken on the spot. "Do you have an impression of this?"


    "Absolutely not."


    "Did your father disappear two years ago?"


    "You should ask him about that."


    "This set of bones has been scorched and the soft tissue on it has been burnt away, so it won¡¯t smell bad even when ced in the wall. I asked your shop¡¯s employees at the scene. They said that the freezer was bought by you two years ago. Is it a coincidence that it blocks the wall where the human bones are hidden? Another person mentioned that you¡¯ve been buying beef paste from a cannery for a long time, which seems to answer a question of where the meat on the bones went. We suspect that the meat was mixed with beef paste and turned into beef balls. They¡¯re then sold to customers for 16 yuan for arge bowl and 13 for a small bowl.¡±


    Lin Dongxue kicked him underneath the table. How could he still make jokes in this situation? Later, when Lin Qiupu looks at the interrogation records, who knows what he¡¯d say.


    Zhang Hao raised his head. "Do you have cigarettes?"


    Chen Shi walked over, gave him a cigarette, and Zhang Hao exhaled. Zhang Hao looked at the cigarette in his hand. "I can answer these questions one by one. I don¡¯t know anything about the bones being burned. In fact, I didn¡¯t even know that it existed at all. I bought the freezer two years ago because the original one wasn¡¯t cold anymore. You can ask the clerks. Because it was broken, we weren¡¯t in business for a few days. Why did I put it in front of the wall? You¡¯ve seen theyout of my shop. One side is where the customers sit, one is the bench, and one is the cash register..." He gestured with his hands. "The freezer can only be ced there! Also, as for human meat being mixed with beef paste, I don¡¯t know how you guys have imagined it. I haven¡¯t thought about it and I definitely didn¡¯t do it. But, I do admit that I¡¯m not using beef in my shop.¡±


    "What kind of meat is it then?"


    "Pork,mb, duck, and chicken."


    "Did I hear that right? Lamb is more expensive than beef."


    "This is the recipe of our store. The taste of the mixed meat is the best, andmb ounts for about one-tenth."


    "So, how much do the other meats ount for?" Chen Shi asked with interest.


    Lin Dongxue kicked him again. To be actually caring about the making of beef balls, she was speechless. She said, "I just talked with your wife for a bit. She said that your rtionship with your father has been bad and that you grew up in a domestic violence environment. Can this be regarded as a motive for crime?"


    "I would like to ask who wasn¡¯t subject to domestic violence if they were born in the 80s? You have to kill your father if you¡¯ve been subjected to domestic violence? Wouldn¡¯t China¡¯s aging poption problem long been solved then?¡±


    The two exchanged looks with each other. They didn''t expect this guy to be so tight-lipped. It was time to show the decisive evidence. Chen Shi said, "Your father disappeared two years ago, right?"


    "Yes!"


    "So why are the bones in the wall your father¡¯s?" He showed Zhang Hao the document. "This is the DNA identification result. It¡¯s been confirmed that it¡¯s your father. What else can you say?"


    Zhang Hao smiled faintly and shook his head. "I don''t know!"


    "You don''t know? Some people know that your second uncle has been ckmailing you. It seems that he knows something."


    Zhang Hao sneered disdainfully.


    "Your version and his of what happenedst night arepletely different. He said that you used your knife after you had recognized who he was. However, you said that you didn¡¯t recognize him before you hurt him. However, you cut him three times: One on the shoulder, two on the back. We tried to restore the scene. After your first knife fell on him, it would be impossible for him not to make a sound. That is to say, you continued to chase after him after you recognized his identity. You needed to kill him to prevent him talking. From this, we can infer that there¡¯s a ghost in your heart![1]¡±


    "You can ask as much as you want and ask whoever you want, but I didn''t kill anyone. I have a clear conscience!"


    Zhang Hao was taken back to the detention cell by the police. Lin Dongxue said, "This is too tight-lipped!"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Thinking carefully, we really have no evidence. He won¡¯t easily admit to it.¡±


    "Then, do you want to try the second uncle again?"


    "We can only do it that way."


    In the interrogation room, Zhang Farong said, "My elder brother must have been killed by that boy. This shop was originally my father''s, which was then inherited by my elder brother. Suddenly, my elder brother disappeared and all his inheritance was passed onto him. You don¡¯t need to think too hard to know what''s going on! Now that you¡¯ve discovered my brother''s bones in the shop, the evidence is conclusive. Why don''t you hurry to take him to court?"


    Chen Shi sighed. "Have you got no other evidence?"


    "What other evidence is needed? To catch adultery, you need to catch the both of them. To catch a thief you need to find the stolen goods. The corpse has been found but you still need evidence? Can¡¯t you police use some means? Like that tiger chair[2] or chili water[3]. Let him try it and see whether he¡¯ll talk!"


    "You ckmailed him just relying on these?"


    Zhang Farong spread his palms out. "I have a clear conscience. When have I ckmailed him? I originally owned half the house. The property prices are going up and the market says it¡¯s at least worth 30,000 yuan per square meter. I just want to get back my part of it. Isn¡¯t that reasonable?¡±


    Chen Shi got a headache from listening to him. "Tell me something else. How did your father die?"


    "My father isn¡¯t dead!"


    "Your father isn¡¯t dead?"


    "He went missing. Two years after the disappearance, the Public Security Bureau considered him dead, so I went to get my part of the inheritance. It¡¯s reasonable!"


    "What year did it happen in?"


    "1999. Or was it 2000?"


    "Did you report it?"


    "It''s reported. They couldn¡¯t find him after the investigation. I had been arguing with my elder brother for the inheritance for some time. I didn''t have time to care about the old man''s life and death. My elder brother was disloyal. When my dad left, he continued to open the shop like nothing happened.


    Chen Shi leaned back on the chair and pondered. Lin Dongxue asked, "When you were young, did your father often subject you guys to domestic violence?"


    "What is domestic violence?"


    "Hitting you."


    Zhang Farongughed. "He mainly hit my elder brother. My brother would talk back to him and was disobedient. Every time my dad beats him, it¡¯d be half to death. I was sensible. Every time my dad beat my elder brother, I¡¯d say, ¡®Dad, don¡¯t hurt your health from being so frustrated. You should have a rest before beating him again.¡¯ Ever since I was a child, I¡¯ve been my parent¡¯s baby. They gave me lots of love and rarely hit me... My nephew and my elder brother were too straightforward and deserved to be beaten as kids!"


    1. Guilty conscience.


    2. It¡¯s a torture method in China that targets the joints.


    3. Unsure if they¡¯re talking about water-boarding with water spiced with chili-pepper, but that¡¯s a torture method used by the Mexican police?

 Chapter 517: First Impressions Are The Strongest

    <h4>Chapter 517: First Impressions Are The Strongest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue asked again, "However, it was your elder brother who inherited that shopter, and not you. Why¡¯s that?"


    Zhang Farong said, "This is what my dad wanted. He wanted my elder brother to inherit the store so that I could do anything I want! I went out of the city to do business and earned big money for a while. I sent money back home and my parents were delighted. But, my elder brother wanted to work in a canning factory. He didn¡¯t make much money. My dad was so angry that his blood pressure was really high. He almost severed the father and son rtionship with him. Later, he wasid off and had nowhere to go. That¡¯s when he became willing to run the business with my dad.¡±


    "What cannery?"


    "The Hualin Cannery in the city. It was previously state-owned, but it¡¯s now privately owned."


    Chen Shi said, "When your father disappeared, why didn''t you suspect your brother?"


    Zhang Farong was shocked. "Oh, now that you¡¯ve said that, I really do suspect him. Yes, they often quarreled at that time."


    "Why did they quarrel?"


    "Sister-inw was worrying. My elder brother would always defend my sister-inw. Their family only had this type of bad stuff.¡±


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "We won¡¯t interrogate further for now!"


    "Not interrogating already?"


    The interrogation had to be suspended. Chen Shi went straight to the forensics department. There was a stranger in the room who looked to be an appraiser. Peng Sijue said, "You came at the right time. The meat quality test came out, it was-¡±


    "Don''t talk about that yet. Is the DNA result wrong?"


    "That''s impossible!" A forensics technician said. "I did it. I did it three times in total."


    "Do it again. This time, test the nephew first, then the second uncle. Don''t test them together."


    Pence Sijue frowned. "What¡¯s up with you? You¡¯re actually suspecting that we did something wrong?"


    "Just think of it as satisfying my willfulness. Thank you... What were we just talking about?"


    Peng Sijue wasn¡¯t in good spirits and snapped, "I invited an expert from the Material Evidence Center toe over and help. Tests found that the meat was made up of beef, pork,mb, chicken, and duck."


    Lin Dongxue said, "That¡¯s the same as what he said."


    Chen Shi confirmed, "Is the meat mixed together?"


    "No, this is a specific report..."


    Chen Shi nced at the report. Theposition of the pots of meat wasplicated. He couldn''t help but wonder. If it was to reduce costs, why would he use beef ormb? Was it really a mysterious recipe?


    But what kind of recipe is this? Using meat from different animals and then mixing beef paste into it. Wasn¡¯t the selling point of that store the soup?


    Chen Shi stayed there waiting for the result. He paced around causing Peng Sijue to be annoyed. Peng Sijue wanted to kick him out several times. Two hourster, the DNA test results came out. The forensic technician said guiltily, "Zhang Hao''s DNA and the dead are 99.98% match..."


    Pence Sijue looked at him, startled. He couldn''t believe that the result going out from this ce could be wrong.


    "How could this be?"


    "It was my fault. During the previous test, I found that Zhang Hao was 99.98% and Zhang Farong was 99.99%. I thought it might be that the sample was mibeled. Didn¡¯t you say at the scene that the person missing was the father? So-¡°


    "You actually had a preconceived notion? Go and write me a review to self-reflect!"


    Chen Shi was very happy. "I knew it was wrong! So the problem lies here!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "How did you figure it out?"


    "When the second uncle said that his father went missing, I vaguely guessed why Zhang Hao was so calm. Could the bones not be his father at all? Judging from the results now, the deceased was the immediate family member of the second uncle and Zhang Hao¡¯s rtive of a different generation. That is his grandpa, not father!"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while and covered her mouth in surprise. "The second uncle said that after his grandfather disappeared, his father continued business as usual. Could it be..."


    "It¡¯s almost certain that the father killed the grandfather, minced the grandfather''s meat and mixed it with beef paste to make meatballs. The bones were charred and hidden in the wall."


    "What about father?"


    "I have a bold guess that the father waster killed. The body was not dealt with in this manner, but in a more concealed way. The reason I¡¯m saying this is because I still believe that Zhang Hao has a ghost in his heart. Otherwise, why did he want to kill the second uncle who had no direct evidence? What he feared was that the second uncle would leak this matter, attracting police attention¡­¡± Chen Shi paused. ¡°These mixed meats are likely to be Zhang Hao experimenting. He wants to test what other meats will taste like if it¡¯s added with beef paste. If the second uncle didn¡¯t rush out and shout ¡°murder¡± that night, what would the result look like? He may be dead and the body may have been minced to make beef!¡±


    There was silence at the scene as Peng Sijue said, "Are you thinking from the criminal¡¯s perspective again?"


    "Yes. If I was Zhang Hao, this is the most likely method of murder."


    Lin Dongxue wondered, "Zhang Hao has a very contradictory personality. He¡¯s both calm and irritable. The childhood domestic violence experience made him emotionally impaired, and it¡¯s indeed possible to cause him to take extreme actions."


    Peng Sijue said, "But adult men with domestic violence experience tend to point their frustrations to other people rather than their fathers. Such as their wives and children."


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s verify it and see if we find the body. Dongxue, send a few people to the other branches to check the unnamed corpses that have appeared in the past two years."


    "By the way, the time limit for their detention is fast approaching. We can''t detain them here much longer."


    Chen Shi considered this. "Before the release, we¡¯ll interrogate Zhang Hao again! Dongxue, you shouldn¡¯t go. Go find his wife again and see what you can dig out."


    Chen Shi and Zhang Hao met again in the interrogation room. Zhang Hao casually said, "Is there anything else that needs to be asked?"


    "I have news to inform you. That set of bones isn¡¯t your father¡¯s.¡±


    "Mm."


    "Judging by your reaction, you already knew it!"


    "Yes, because I didn''t kill anyone, so I know it''s definitely not him."


    Unexpectedly, Zhang Hao would deliberately evade this problem. Chen Shi threw out the truth. "The bones are your grandfather¡¯s. Because of the scorching, the age of the bones couldn¡¯t be determined. Some problems urred in the previous identification results."


    "..."


    "Your grandfather disappeared 18 years ago. What do you know about it?"


    Zhang Hao smiled. "I was still working outside. How would I have known?"


    "It''s impossible for the family not to notify you of such a big event."


    "You might not believe it, but they really didn¡¯t inform me. I only found out he disappeared when I returned home six monthster for the New Year. Although I reported the case, the police couldn¡¯t find out anything. I finally got an exnation today."


    "How many employees did you have in your shop back then?"


    "Two."


    "Were there any other people?"


    "Only my father. My mother died of illness early on. Every day after business, my father would close the door to drink and watch TV. He liked to watch ¡®Records of Kangxi''s Travel Incognito¡¯[2] the most. As long as the TV station kept ying it, he would sit by the TV to watch it. It¡¯s been the case for many years.¡±


    "So, I¡¯ll now make a hypothesis that your grandfather was killed by your father. Do you think it could be the case?"


    1. It can mean being attached to the first thing you hear despite what other people say going forward, but it can also mean preconceived notions that the person themselves make.


    2. This is the English name I could find. The Chinese pinyin is: Kangxi wei fu si fang ji

 Chapter 518: Fathers Remains

    <h4>Chapter 518: Father''s Remains</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow. "Do you police always like to try to figure out other people''s families with the most malicious ideas?"


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Your grandpa''s bones were in the wall of your shop. What do you think I should think? Do I have to produce a supernatural story?"


    "I don¡¯t know how he disappeared, or how he died. My grandfather and I were very distanced. The impression I had of him was that he was a grumpy old man. I didn¡¯t like him at all. If you want to investigate this case, just investigate it, but don¡¯t hinder me from doing business. I¡¯ll say again that I have a clear conscience.¡±


    "Well okay. I¡¯ll find you again if I have a new discovery. Don''t leave Long''an in the near future!"


    "You are always wee to visit my shop."


    The interrogation ended just like that. It was already getting dark. Chen Shi waited until Lin Dongxue came back. Lin Dongxue said, "I''m starving."


    "Come eat at my house!"


    "Sounds good."


    On the way, Lin Dongxue said, "Having talked with Zhang Hao''s wife for a long time, I found some useful clues. The couple knew each other outside of the city. The wife isn¡¯t a local. When Zhang Hao went out to work in those few years, they were together over there. Later, Zhang Hao went home for a while. She heard that his work wasn¡¯t going well and he was financially exhausted, so he had to go back and help run the business."


    "Which year was it in?"


    "She said it was the third year after their marriage. That is 2000."


    "Oh, isn''t this just around the time of the grandpa''s disappearance?"


    Lin Dongxue continued, "Later, Zhang Hao settled here and took his wife to live with him. When she heard that she had to live with her father-inw in that kind of small loft, she was very reluctant at first and kept urging him to find a house. Zhang Hao didn¡¯t intend to inherit the store at the time and still wanted to find a suitable job. He graduated from the Department of Sociology."


    "A sector with a wide scope of employment routes, but it¡¯s not easy to find a job."


    "The wife said the same thing. During that time, Zhang Hao went out to find a job and helped to take care of the shop. He was very busy. The father-inw and the wife were often together. The wife said that the father-inw often said things that were out of line to her. Once, the father-inw got drunk and even tried to touch her. After Zhang Hao knew about the matter, the father-inw actually tried to turn it around, saying that his wife didn¡¯t stay in check. The father and son had a big quarrel."


    "Then? Did they still live together after that?"


    "Seems like it."


    Chen Shi secretly thought that there might be something hidden within.


    Arriving at Chen Shi''s house, they found Tao Yueyue had already arrived home long ago. Chen Shi was used to preparing the next day''s meals at night so that Tao Yueyue could have dinner even if he came backte.


    Tao Yueyue only started school in the past few days. Chen Shi entered the house and asked, "How is it at school?"


    "You don''t care about how I am at school, but you¡¯re still asking!"


    "I¡¯m just asking casually!"


    "Um... We have a new teacher."


    "Really?"


    At this time, Lin Dongxue entered the house and greeted her warmly. Tao Yueyue immediately stopped talking and went into her room.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Have you and Yueyue notmunicated as much recently?"


    "That¡¯s quite true. It''s been too busytely. Think about how many cases we¡¯ve had recently... Would you like to take her out on a trip on the 11th[1]?"


    "Look, look, you now have the same attitude as a perfunctory parent. You always think that you can solve the problem by going out to y."


    Chen Shi raised his voice, "Yueyue, do you want to go out for a trip on the 11th?"


    Tao Yueyue answered from the room, "I won¡¯t go. There¡¯s so many people. I might as well y at home.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled, "Look, she doesn¡¯t want it. It''s not that I''m not responsible."


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯d look like as a dad in the future."


    "I don''t have that n. I don''t think I¡¯ll be a qualified dad, so I won¡¯t drag them down."


    "Awareness isn¡¯t bad!"


    Three dayster, the clues in the case came to light one after another. Chen Shi sorted out Zhang Hao¡¯s ¡°timetable¡± and visited the two old employees in his shop. They reflected that Zhang Hao returned during the New Years of 2000.


    The grandpa''s disappearance was reported after the Spring Festival in 2000, and then he was dered dead in 2002.


    From 2000 till the father¡¯s disappearance in 2017[2], the father, son, and daughter-inw lived together. During this time, the father had always been sleeping below, leaving the upper loft for the couple.


    After writing out this timeline, everything seemed to be clear. Chen Shi spected, "The grandpa should have been killed on the New Years of 2000. The store was closed for seven days during the New Years. Zhang Hao probably knew or even witnessed this incident. He was able to use it as ckmail against his father. This may have been a time bomb between father and son."


    Then came the unimed corpses retrieved from the various branches that piled up on a table. Theboratory work was very time-consuming. Finally, only one was found and it was particrly unexpected.


    It was a skull with metallic paint on the surface with a few screws in.


    It turned out that this was an "essory" installed on a motorcycle by the midnight racing gang. Later, he was detained because of illegal traffic regtions. The traffic police identally discovered that the skull was real. That person said it was found in a wastnd in the suburbs. He thought it was really cool and it put it on his motorcycle.


    The branch bureau went to the site to investigate and found no other bones, so the skull was kept in the evidence room, and it was only until now that it saw light again.


    The skull¡¯s DNA had a 99.99% match with Zhang Hao''s DNA, which was undoubtedly a direct rtive. It was discoveredst year, after Zhang Hao''s father disappeared.


    There was no trauma left on the skull.


    Lin Dongxue said, "It seems that Zhang Hao''s father is dead, but we can¡¯t apply for an arrest warrant with just this evidence."


    "Yes, even if all the customers in the store are found and asked one by one, they wouldn''t know that they¡¯ve eaten human flesh. This method is really tricky!" Chen Shi sighed.


    "I checked on the Inte. The news of beef paste appeared only in the past two years. In 2000, beef was 20 yuan a catty. His noodles were 10 yuan a bowl. There was no cost reduction to use beef paste?"


    "You forgot that Zhang Hao''s father worked in a canning factory previously. That canning factory mainly produced canned beef. He is very familiar with these additives, and I''m pretty sure he did it that way."


    "But, this is still just your spection."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Is there any human flesh in the shop? This sensational news is actually not important in this case. What matters is how the person died and who killed him!"


    Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang. She put it in her ear. "Officer Luo, what happened..."


    After hanging up, Lin Dongxue said, "The police station said that Zhang Farong and his son were causing trouble at the front of Zhangji Noodle Shop, saying that this shop sold human meat and drove the guests away."


    "You informed the police station?"


    "Yeah, I greeted them and told them to pay attention."


    "Good job! Let¡¯s go!"


    1. October 11th is the national day for China.


    2. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s Note: The author wrote 2016 here, but it was changed to 2017 to be consistent with earlier chapters.

 Chapter 519: A Storm

    <h4>Chapter 519: A Storm</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At the entrance of Zhangji Soup Noodle House, a white banner was hung between two electric poles. On it was written: "Unscrupulous Noodle House, killing father and family, selling human flesh, losing all conscience!"


    Zhang Farong shouted using a microphone, "Fathers and brothers,e and take a look at what a filial son looks like. He killed his father, minced him into meat, and sold it to customers to eat. He even cut his second uncle up like this!¡±


    Zhang Farong was shirtless and wrapped in thick bandages. The bandage was leaking blood. He deliberately went to the clinic to re-bandage himself and the blood was dripped on using red ink for a bloody effect.


    His son, Zhang Kui, held sticks with a group of his brothers, driving away the guests in the store. "You¡¯re still eating! Does human meat taste nice? After eating human flesh, aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll be livestock in your next life?"


    The customers were driven away one by one. Zhang Farong became more and more energetic. "Come and see a great filial son who killed his father and sold human flesh to make money! The police have already filed a case to investigate. It¡¯s retribution, retribution!" He smacked his chest. ¡°If I didn¡¯t run so fast that night, I would¡¯ve already been turned into beef balls today!¡±


    Zhang Hao was standing behind the bench and his cheeks twitched with anger while the rest of his face contorted. The rolling pin in his hand made a cracking noise in his hands.


    "Don''t believe this old hooligan. I¡¯ve already called the police and they will be here in a moment." The wife persuaded him.


    Zhang Hao couldn''t stand it anymore and rushed out. Zhang Kui and the others immediately stopped and shoved him back. "What are you doing? Do you want to kill us to prevent us from talking? What can you do to us alone?¡±


    Zhang Hao red at him, almost breathing fire in his eyes.


    Fortunately, the police arrived at this time and the scene finally stopped. After half an hour, when Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived, Zhang Farong and his gang of troublemakers were squatting down on the ground with their hands on their heads. Zhang Farong still persistently said, "You don''t catch the murderer, but you came to arrest me, aw-abiding citizen? Did you receive this kid''s ck money?! Are the police now turning ck and white upside down?"


    "Zhang Farong, have you caused enough trouble?" Lin Dongxue said sternly.


    Seeing these "acquaintances", Zhang Farong stood up with a smile, and the local police reprimanded him, "Squat down."


    Zhang Farong squatted back down again. "Beauty, you should control your subordinates. Why aren¡¯t you discerning right from wrong? I¡¯m clearly the victim!"


    Lin Dongxue was about to say something when Chen Shi said, "There is nothing to talk about with these hooligans. Let our colleagues take them away first."


    The people were taken away, the banners were taken down, and the crowds gradually dispersed. The scene finally calmed down. Chen Shi walked to the store and said, "Boss, it seems that there won¡¯t be business today."


    Zhang Hao threw down his rolling pin and said angrily, "Stop acting like a good person. You think I don''t know? You guys deliberately let this guy out to harm me. You can''t find out the truth because of your ipetence and used this kind of low trick?"


    "Your words are too radical. Your second uncle didn''t break thew at all. Why should we arrest him?"


    Zhang Hao Yu''s anger didn¡¯t disappear. His wife came out and mediated, "Talk to the police properly. Let¡¯s not cause trouble."


    "Don''t get involved! Get lost back inside!" Zhang Hao angrily flicked his wife''s hand away. He had anger welling up inside of him and needed someone to vent on.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand it any longer. "What are you doing?! Do you want to be arrested again?"


    "She¡¯s my own wife. What does it have to do with you if I beat her or not?¡±


    "So much for a university student. Do you not have anymon sense regarding thew?"


    Chen Shi said, "I have something to inform you today. We found your father''s remains."


    Zhang Hao raised his eyebrows slightly. "Where?"


    This reaction exposed his heart. He already knew that his father wasn¡¯t alive. Chen Shi said, "Your father died an unnatural death. We have a few questions to ask you. I hope you can cooperate."


    Zhang Hao sat down and took out a cigarette. "I have nothing to answer. I don''t know anything about his disappearance."


    "I know you have a car. Can you drive it to the bureau for us to check?¡±


    Zhang Hao rolled his eyes back. "What right do you have?"


    The wife said, "My father-inw has a bad temper and he has quite a few enemies outside. You can¡¯t doubt my husband as soon as youe over!"


    "This is not suspicion. It''s just an investigation. It¡¯s the citizen''s duty to cooperate with the police investigation." Chen Shi said.


    Zhang Hao took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. Then, he threw the cigarette on the ground to stamp it out. "I¡¯ll take you to get the car."


    Chen Shi left with Zhang Hao, and the shop waspletely deserted. His wife took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears away. "One thing after another. How can we survive now? Do you police have to hold on to my husband like this?¡±


    "Elder sister, don''t be sad. If your husband really isn¡¯t suspicious, it will be fine after it¡¯s investigated thoroughly."


    "Really isn¡¯t suspicious? So that means you still suspect him? He has a bad temper, but I trust that he wouldn¡¯t murder anyone.¡±


    "Grandpa was killed by Dad!" A small but shrill voice shouted out.


    The wife was startled and looked towards the stairs, only to see her son standing there. The wife ran over and said, "Little Chi, hurry back up. Please don''t intervene when adults speak!"


    "No, I''m going to talk! Take dad away! Then, he will never beat me and my mom again."


    ¡°Hurry and go back!!!"


    "I won¡¯t!"


    The son jumped down the stairs, circled around Lin Dongxue with his mother. Lin Dongxue pulled him. "Child, do you know anything?"


    "You can¡¯t speak nonsense!" The mother shouted.


    The child was too scared to speak and was dragged upstairs by his mother. Lin Dongxue suddenly found something in her pocket. It was a piece of paper stuffed inside by the child.


    She went to a corner where no one was around and looked at it. It was a child¡¯s drawing. There was a man holding a sharp knife walking into the door. The body was covered with blood. Lin Dongxue felt a chill down her spine. The son of Zhang Hao might be a witness.


    She wanted to go upstairs to ask the child right then, but she was afraid of leaking the news and instead waited for Chen Shi toe back.


    After a while, Chen Shi drove Zhang Hao''s car back and said to Zhang Hao, "We¡¯ll take this car back to check and we will return it to you if there¡¯s no problems with it."


    Zhang Hao frowned. "I hope you can do it as soon as possible. Business has been dyed each day, and the family will soon eat the northwest wind."


    After returning to the bureau, Lin Dongxue showed the drawing to Chen Shi. Chen Shi''s reaction was the same as Lin Dongxue''s. "This child witnessed the case? But, he¡¯s a minor and he was less than ten years old two years ago. It would be hard for his words to be epted by the courts."


    "Maybe he knows where the weapon is!"


    Chen Shi thought for a while. "It''s been two years and Zhang Hao is so cautious. It¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯s left the weapon at his side¡­ The longer we wait, the more variables there will be. Make the preparations. We¡¯ll go and ask now. Bring a few more people over!"

 Chapter 520: Fish’s Death And Broken Net

    <h4>Chapter 520: Fish¡¯s Death And Broken Net</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After careful identification of the car, Zhang Hao¡¯s father¡¯s DNA was not found in it. However, an investigation into its driving records revealed that the car had driven out of the city repeatedly two years ago. Chen Shi felt that it was the time when Zhang Hao abandoned the body.


    Chen Shi spected that Zhang Hao killed his father in the same way his father killed his grandfather. The meat was mixed with beef paste to be made into meatballs, and the bones were discarded in multiple ces. A lone human bone appeared in the suburbs, even if dogs didn¡¯t walk away with it, it was difficult for the finder to associate it with murder, so only one skull was found in the end.


    Lin Dongxue aggregated all the evidence she had on hand and handed it to Lin Qiupu. He tried to apply for an arrest warrant. In the afternoon, an arrest warrant sent by the Procuratorate was handed over to Lin Dongxue.


    The formal arrest was at 7:00 in the evening. Lin Qiupu felt that the case involved eating human flesh, so the social impact wouldn¡¯t be very good. If it was possible to keep it low profile, they should.


    When he got in the car, Chen Shi said, "Let me tell you some interesting news. A restaurant owner in a foreign country killed someone and treated the body in the same way. The customers called the police."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Why? Was the taste not right?"


    "Because it was a vegetarian restaurant." Chen Shiughed.


    "What a heartless guy. How can you stillugh about it? You almost ate human flesh.¡±


    Arriving at the Zhangji Soup Noodle Store, it was very dark in the alley. Sounds of crying came from the building. Lin Dongxue stepped forward and knocked on the door. The wife came to open the door after a while and her eyes were red. The police entered the store without being polite.


    "Where¡¯s Zhang Hao?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "He went out shopping."


    "Sister, were you and your child crying just now?"


    The wife lowered her head and stayed silent. The child ran down the stairs. His face was red on one side and there were tears on his face. He said aloud, "Daddy is a bad guy. Please take him away!"


    "What happened?" Lin Dongxue asked the wife.


    "He..." The wife stammered. "He was in a bad mood and hit the child. Can you not involve yourselves in other people''s affairs all the time? I beg you."


    The child screamed, "Dad ran away. You guys should hurry and catch him."


    "Don''t talk nonsense!" The mother scolded.


    Chen Shi said sternly, "What the hell is going on? Absconding from a crime will increase the crime. You shouldn¡¯t cover for him anymore.¡±


    The wife was so frightened that she cried with her face covered. She told them the truth. After the incident happened in the morning, Zhang Hao had a stomach full of rage and didn¡¯t look too good. Later, he hit her son because of a trivial matter.


    The son said he had told the police the truth and told him to wait for jail time.


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao went out immediately.


    Everyone was shocked. Chen Shi nced at the shelf and said, "A knife is missing... Not good. He may have gone to find his second uncle."


    "Let''s go find him!"


    "You stay. I¡¯ll go with the others."


    "Be careful!"


    Chen Shi took the other police officers and went straight to the second uncle''s house. They entered the housing district and found a bunch of residents downstairs from a building. There was a lot of discussion there. They told the police that there seemed to be something wrong upstairs. People heard someone shouting. "Murder!"


    Looking up at a lighted room, blood was sshing on the curtains and there were silhouettes chasing each other inside.


    Without further ado, the police rushed up and kicked the door open. The room was in chaos. Zhang Kui was sitting on the ground covered with blood. He cried while stuffing his exposed intestines back into his belly.


    When the police came, Zhang Kui burst into tears. "Help, my cousin is crazy!"


    When they went to the bedroom, they saw Zhang Farong kneeling on the ground. He had already been stabbed several times. Zhang Hao grabbed his sparse hair with one hand and held a bloody knife in his other. His eyes were full of murderous intent.


    All the guns pointed at Zhang Hao. Chen Shi said, "Put the knife down!"


    Zhang Hao shouted, "Go ahead and shoot. I don''t care! You ruined my life. I know I can''t escape this disaster. Before I die, I will take this old hooligan¡¯s life with me. I¡¯ve endured him for a long time!"


    "Wake up. If you dare do anything, you¡¯ll be killed immediately. You won¡¯t even be able to see your wife and son for thest time. If this incident where you¡¯ve harmed others while armed spreads, your son will be subjected to discrimination his entire life. He will have to live under a psychological shadow his whole life." Chen Shi knew that he couldn¡¯t persuade Zhang Hao,who had epted his doom, so he made him realize the costs of doing so.


    A little hesitation appeared within Zhang Hao''s eyes. Zhang Farong struggled. Zhang Hao yanked his hair with force and shouted, "Don''t move!"


    Zhang Farong screamed in pain and the police were on edge.


    "Why was it necessary for me to exist in a family like mine?" Zhang Hao said sadly. "Beating, insulting, and indifference are the ways in which fathers of every generation educate their children. If you put it in a nice way, filial sons are born under sticks[2]. Such filial sons. My father killed my grandpa, I killed my dad, and my son betrayed me! There is only calction and indifference between loved ones. Everyone¡¯s rtionship is as cold as ice. I hate him and I hate myself for the blood of the Zhang family that courses through my veins. I¡¯ve lived my life without being able to get rid of the painful and helpless memories of being beaten by my father when I was a child!¡± He shook his head and shook his tears away. ¡°I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I don¡¯t want to exist in such a world at all. It only brings pain to me!"


    "Do you know what I think of you? Although you are also a product of this sad family, you aren¡¯t like your grandfather, your father, and your second uncle who cluelessly lived their days. You¡¯ve introspected and tried to escape from it. You must want to be a good father and husband deep down. This opportunity hasn¡¯t beenpletely lost. At least, don¡¯t leave them with painful memories!"


    Zhang Hao cried and set his knife down and the police rushed in to arrest him.


    The injured Zhang Farong and his son were taken to the hospital. After Zhang Hao got into the police car, Chen Shi handed him a cigarette. Although Chen Shi rarely sympathized with the suspects, he still felt a tingle of pain when he faced him.


    Living and bing the person you hate the most - This is the greatest sorrow in life!


    Chen Shi said softly, "You can¡¯t escape going to prison for these matters, but your wife and son can sell the house and live elsewhere."


    "My son will definitely be happy without me!"


    "A family without a father cannot be happy. Even a father of domestic violence isn¡¯t as bad. Of course, it would still be very difficult. Your son will be an adult in seven or eight years. I hope he will not be like you!"


    "Can you do me a favor?"


    "Tell me about it."


    "I will confess everything. After this ends, I will divorce my wife and let her remarry."


    "Okay, I promise you."


    1. The fish struggled in the, broke the and got out, but died in the process. So both the fish and the were harmed.


    2. Actual proverb.

 Chapter 521: Growing Up With Domestic Violence

    <h4>Chapter 521: Growing Up With Domestic Violence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi met in the bureau. Lin Dongxue asked him, "Do you know why Zhang Hao suddenly took desperate measures?"


    "His son betrayed him?"


    "Did he say that?"


    "Not in detail."


    "Two years ago, his son saw him washing bloody clotheste at night. When asked, Zhang Hao pped him and told him to get lost back to sleep. The son welled up in anger and drew the picture. He also found a knife in Zhang Hao¡¯s drawer and secretly hid itter on. Zhang Hao found that the knife was gone and he was beaten again. The child lied that the knife was lost. In fact, this knife has been hidden by the child the entire time. It was just handed to us with Zhang Hao''s fingerprint and his father''s DNA."


    "This is key evidence!"


    "In fact, there was a misunderstanding within. The child told Zhang Hao today that he gave the item to the police. He was talking about the drawing and Zhang Hao thought it was the knife. He thought that the matter had already been exposed."


    Chen Shi said sentimentally, "Adults always feel that children don¡¯t understand anything. In fact, everything is clear in the children''s hearts, but their expressions are never taken seriously."


    The material evidence had been obtained and now only the confession was needed.


    The two went to the interrogation room and Chen Shi bought Zhang Hao a bento and bottle of mineral water. He waited for Zhang Haoto finish eating before the interrogation began.


    Zhang Hao no longer resisted after the experience. He was very frank. "My father, Zhang Fade, was killed by me, but I have no regrets about this matter. That is what he deserves."


    Chen Shi nodded. "I understand your mood."


    Zhang Hao looked up and recalled, "What kind of family is my family? The words ''domestic violence,'' can''t summarize it all. The violence my father imposed on me is not because of anything I did. I was mainly beaten simply because he was in a bad mood. As long as he was in a bad mood, my words and deeds would be a reason for getting beaten. The most ridiculous time was because I didn¡¯t say ''goodbye'' when I went out. He dragged me back into the house for a severe beating. He didn¡¯t need a reason to beat me. My mother and I were his punching bags, but he kept venting every day. Instead of reducing his anger, it just got worse!" He thumped his chest. "The anger that doesn¡¯t burn out will remain in my heart forever. It has be a nightmare after I became an adult, and it has be my bad personality and my deep fear for others!"


    Zhang Hao closed his eyes as if immersed in those painful memories. "I have been beaten continuously ever since I could remember. As a child, I couldn''t resist at all. I always remember him drinking at the dinner table and suddenly getting angry because of a trivial thing. He took off his belt and prepared to give me a ¡®lecture.¡¯ I would hide under the bed and tremble. ¡®I''m wrong, I''m wrong.¡¯ He would stab me with a clothing line and use leather shoes to kick my head. My mom wanted to stop him and would get pped in the face and pushed aside. Behind closed doors, he was the emperor of this family. Everything in this family was his. I was his for kicking and hitting and we could only watch his actions and act ordingly. Every day was lived in caution and fear. We couldn¡¯t even cry too loudly in case it affected his mood while watching [1] TV every day. Otherwise, it would mean another beating.¡±


    "After the beating, he felt like he had fulfilled his father''s duty, and he would rub my head and say affectionately, ¡®Son, what do you want to eat tonight? Dad beats you for your own good you know?¡¯ I just followed along and responded, but my eyes were full of fear. Perhaps in his eyes, this was being obedient. At that time, I felt that I didn¡¯t have the dignity of being a human being, and I wasn¡¯t on par with a dog! What he nted in my heart made me be extremely irritable. I only get along with people in two ways. I smile at that person or beat that person! Whoever offends me, I will endure it. Then, one day, I¡¯d find a chance to beat him up! Such a bad personality apanied me even when I grew up to adulthood. I know that I¡¯m a person who everyone despises. I hated myself and I hated others. What I hated more was the demon who unknowingly caused all this!¡±


    "After graduating, I tried to escape from this house. I wanted to nevere back again. However, my work outside didn¡¯t go smoothly. After a few years, I didn¡¯t even have any savings. As a result, I had to ept reality shamefully. When I got back to this house, I saw the ugliness there again. At that time, Grandpa¡¯s health was getting worse by the day and the family quarreled every day about the inheritance. Grandpa wanted to leave all his inheritance to second uncle, who wasn¡¯t ambitious at all. His main inheritance was this shop. My father already ran the business, so my grandfather meant for my father to sign an agreement to give the money for this house to second uncle in installments. My father and grandfather quarreled as long as they saw each other. On New Years, the whole family reunited in the house. Second uncle, who had finished drinking, had left first. My father started to talk about the inheritance again. The more they quarreled, the fiercer it got. I never participated in this kind of quarrel. Watching these two abominable people argue was like two predatory dogs who were fighting for food, I felt pleasure within.¡±


    "I was watching the New Year¡¯s Program upstairs at that time. My grandfather shut up with a sudden bang, and I ran downstairs to have a look. My father had knocked him down with an alcohol bottle. I asked if he needed to be taken to the hospital. My father checked the breathing and said that Grandpa was already dead, so why would they take him to the hospital? He told me to hurry and think of something. After that, I understood what he meant by ¡®think of something¡¯. He began to dismember my grandpa. Blood was spewed everywhere. He asked me to find a few bags of baking soda to take care of the blood. I just stood by and watched at the time. He was old then and couldn¡¯t touch me anymore, so he could only scold me as he did it himself. I ate next to him. I watched him cut up my grandpa piece by piece. He scolded, ¡®Old fart, you¡¯re bringing me trouble even after you¡¯re dead.¡¯ Then, he threw the meat into the meat grinder. The internal organs were packed into bags, and they were thrown out at night.¡±


    "The house was full of my grandfather''s odor. My father bought a lot of disinfectant to clean it up carefully. Then, he scorched the bones and put them in an urn[2]. He warned me not to talk nonsense outside. I was already used to perfunctorilyplying in front of him even if my intentions weren¡¯t so. Although that¡¯s what I said, I thought to myself that sooner orter I would make him go to jail. Later, my father actually sold the meat as meatballs and the police never had any leads on my grandpa¡¯s disappearance case. I wanted to report it to the police multiple times, butter, I found a more interesting thing to y with. This material for ckmail made the old animal start to fear me. As long as I mentioned the date or some details, he would immediately act obedient.¡±


    "So, I told him to move downstairs to live. On a cold night, he slept on the kitchen bench and shivered. He had to go outside to urinate in the public toilet at night, causing him to have tracheitis, but he didn''t dare toin. The bliss I felt was immeasurable! This old bastard was paying off his debts, and I didn¡¯t have any sympathy for him. The word ''father'' was a sickening word in my dictionary! Later, I asked him to give me the property... After many years, the old bastard seemed like he wasn¡¯t able to bear it any longer. During a quarrel, he repeatedly emphasized to me that he was my father and how I wasn¡¯t being filial. He said there was no son like me in the world. I responded coldly that he set a very good example for me. He was going to hit me in anger, but I tripped him, pressed his head to the ground, and said that this is where he killed grandpa and that such a filial son like him should kowtow for him. This demon that had ruined my life was so fragile. I pressed his head down over and over again, ignoring his pleas and crying. I was ecstatic! I did this until he no longer resisted."


    Zhang Hao curled his lips as if talking about the death of a dog. "I found he was killed by me."


    Then, he smiled.


    1. The author said ¡°listening to TV¡± here. It may be correct if the dad was multitasking and listening to the TV like a radio or something.


    2. I don¡¯t know how this is possible unless it was massive since they put the bones in the wall piece by piece.

 Chapter 522: The Whole Family In Order

    <h4>Chapter 522: The Whole Family In Order</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhang Hao''s smile gave Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi a chilling feeling.


    He continued, "My father was killed by ident, but what I thought was how good this old bastard would be if he was a dog. Then, I could just easily put his body in a bag and throw it out in the trash. I used the exact same method he used to throw away his internal organs. The meat was minced and made into meatballs. The bones were scorched to ensure that there would be no smell. Later, I threw his bones into the outskirts in batches..."


    Lin Dongxue interrupted him, "Do you remember the specific locations?"


    Zhang Hao shook his head. "I just remember some. I went out to throw away the bones at night. Like I said at the beginning, I didn''t feel an ounce of remorse for killing him. I told my wife that he didn''te back after a walk. Although I printed out missing persons notices, we didn¡¯t post much. At that time, he didn¡¯t care about what happened in the shop anymore. With his personality, he didn¡¯t have many friends. No one had asked about him after his disappearance for quite some time. Only my second uncle noticed some signs. He didn¡¯t go to the police but used it to ckmail me."


    "Did you give him money?"


    "Yes, sometimes a few thousand, sometimes a few hundred. Adding it all up, there might have been around two hundred thousand. But, the guy was still greedy and came to find me every three to five days to ask for money. I couldn¡¯t bear it! Actually, my shop doesn¡¯t use beef paste. I bought it to kill him and Zhang Kui. So long as these two guys didn¡¯t die, I wouldn¡¯t have a day of peace. However, I had no chance to put it into practice..." Zhang Hao shook his head, as if it was a pity.


    "So, when we were eating in your shop that day, you told me that Zhang Kui was being hunted down by the triads and the other party threatened to kill his whole family. You were trying to sow the seeds for it?" Chen Shi said.


    Zhang Hao smiled. "You actually noticed it."


    "This question is besides the point but this old store wouldn¡¯t open again, right?"


    "The recipe is handed down from generation to generation. No one but our family can make that taste, but that¡¯s fine. This family is the source of my life¡¯s nightmare. I hope my son can live a normal life. I also hope that he won''t hit his own children in the future..." At this point, Zhang Hao wiped away his tears.


    "Your grandfather''s bones were in the store. Have you always known about this?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Actually, my father bought a basement before and these bones were hidden there by him. Later, the basement was demolished. I was afraid of it being discovered, so I moved the bones there. I had nned to deal with them bit by bit, but I ran out of time.


    "What exactly is the recipe in your shop? Spices? Or do you add drugs as rumored?" Chen Shi asked. He knew it wasn¡¯t the right time to be asking this, but as a person who loved cooking, he was very curious about it.


    "Chili."


    "Chili?"


    "Yes, the taste of chili is very addictive. My family uses several kinds of chili to bring out this taste. The specific recipe is a family secret."


    "So it was like that."


    The interrogation ended. After that, the police took Zhang Hao to the areas he abandoned the bones at. They found some of Zhang Fade''s remains one after another. The other parts were unable to be found, so they could only leave it at that.


    As for his second uncle, Zhang Farong, after Zhang Hao''s father''s case was over, he was taken to the Bureau for interrogation because Zhang Hao''s confession mentioned the fact that he had extorted money from him. This time, it was to rify the matter.


    A case was added onto another case. In the face of the police interrogation, Zhang Farong panicked and came up with a cheeky n. He talked about the bad things his son had done. As a result, both the father and son were put in prison and the whole family went into the detention center neatly.


    In the early morning a weekter, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Zhangji Soup Noodle Shop. Surprisingly, the ce had already been bought out. This was an old shop with an excellent reputation. Zhang Hao¡¯s wife listed it and it was immediately bought after that.


    The shop still hung the sign of "Zhangji Soup Noodles". The chefs were changed and it was still a lively scene in the morning. Chen Shi went inside the store and asked for two bowls of beef meatball noodles and took a sip of the soup. ¡°The taste is too normal. It¡¯s nothing like it was before.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "I think it''s easier to ept than the salty and spicy kind from before."


    "This kind of taste can''t keep the old customers. In short, I won''te back to this store again."


    Lin Dongxue looked at the staircase in the shop and said, "Are there people still living upstairs?"


    "Do you want to go up and take a look?"


    "Forget it... I suddenly remembered how Zhang Hao was crying while holding his wife when he was sent to the detention center yesterday. The family was torn apart just like that."


    "This time, it''s the child who should get the credit."


    "Humph, what a heartless guy!"


    "I want to say that the path he took today came about both identally and inevitably. People who grow up in domestic violence grow up to be the source of domestic violence. When parents pped them in the past, they only thought about getting some peace at that time. But they never thought about how much impact the p would cause. Children hold grudges more than adults think. Even when they grow up, they won¡¯t remember how good their parents were to them. They¡¯ll only remember how their parents beat them. This makes me think of a sentence. As a parent, it¡¯s always easy to forget that they too, were once a child."


    "You have a lot of sentiments this time!"


    "Hey!" Chen Shi smiled. "Thinking about it, as expected, I still don''t have the foundation for being a parent. We should just stay as DINKs[1] in the future."


    "Huh? Is that a proposal in disguise? I won''t mention my opinion yet. Does your family agree?"


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of a troublesome thing. Song Lang himself was an orphan, but bearing Chen Shi''s identity, he suddenly had a pair of parents out of thin air. Thest paternity test had proven their "blood rtionship".


    After receiving the benefits, you have to bear the responsibility. It may be time to go back and see his "parents"...


    1. "DINK" is an acronym that stands for "double ie, no kids". It describes a childless couple living together while both partners are receiving an ie.

 Chapter 523: Mysterious Disappearance

    <h4>Chapter 523: Mysterious Disappearance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 34: Sudden Disappearance


    After going back "home" to visit his "parents", Chen Shi felt that he was finally relieved of something that weighed on his heart.


    At 8:00 PM on September 10th, Chen Shi drove back from a neighboring city with snacks he had bought for Tao Yueyue. The car drove smoothly on the highway and he was quite bored while driving. He listened to the radio to pass the time.


    I should get home at about 9:00 in the evening.


    A white Mercedes-Benz appeared in front of him. Interestingly, there was a Husky in the front passenger seat poking its head out with its tongue sticking out. Chen Shi waved at the dog and the dog turned to look at him.


    The driver was a woman wearing sunsses. It¡¯s sote at night, but she¡¯s wearing sunsses while driving on the highway. Isn¡¯t she afraid she¡¯ll get into an ident?


    The other party nced at him from the rear-view mirror and suddenly stepped on the elerator to elerate away.


    Ten minutester, Chen Shi stopped and refueled at a gas station along the way. He also bought a burger and a beverage. Soon after he re-entered the road, he saw that the white Mercedes-Benz had stopped on the side of the road. He slowed down and passed by it. No one was in the car. Only the husky was left inside, scratching the window. There was a touch of red on the fur near the dog''s mouth.


    upational sensitivity made Chen Shi suspicious, so he stopped the car on the side, pulled the key out, and ran over. He looked into the car. The dog scratched the window even more vigorously. There was a pool of red under the seat, which seemed to be blood stains.


    Did something go wrong?!


    He decisively called Lin Qiupu. "I was on the highway when a female driver mysteriously went missing and there¡¯s blood in the car."


    "What?!" Lin Qiupu didn''t seem to hear him clearly.


    Chen Shi repeated himself, this time adding a sentence, "I suspect something¡¯s gone wrong."


    "Which highway?"


    "XX highway."


    "That''s in the outer suburbs. Even if we rushed over, it¡¯d take us a couple of hours[1] and we¡¯re off work right now...¡±


    "Hurry up. Get whoever is closest toe. I¡¯ll send you my location."


    "I¡¯ll let the branch office know. By the way, why do you always meet with these sorts of situations?¡±


    The police rushed over, but it took a while. Chen Shi thought that this woman might have been attacked. Maybe she was still alive. This dog might be able to help.


    So, he went to his car to find a wrench and smashed the window of the Mercedes-Benz. Thankfully, nobody was around to see it. The ss shattered and the Husky jumped out anxiously, wounding its stomach.


    The husky excitedly circled around Chen Shi, wagging its tail and sticking its tongue out. It had a cor and leash. Chen Shi was afraid that it would be hit by a passing car, so he pulled on the dog leash. "Don''t worry, I¡¯ll apany you to find your owner."


    The husky seemed to want to cross the road. Chen Shi looked to see that there were no vehicles on both sides. He took the husky and hurried over. The dog sniffed around on the other side of the road and then found a ce to pee. It stuck its tongue out and sat down, watching Chen Shi.


    "You really are a purebred husky. Where¡¯s your owner?"


    The husky kept panting and Chen Shi remained silent. He led the dog back and the dogy down beside the car.


    Chen Shi nced into the car. The key was not pulled out and the car wasn¡¯t turned off. There was a mobile phone and a box of cigarettes in the car. He looked around and thought that this was really strange. A living person suddenly disappeared.


    After a while, the police arrived. The captain stepped forward to ask, "Are you the Consultant Chen Captain Lin talked about?"


    "That''s me."


    "Hello, my surname is Zhang."


    "Captain Zhang, this is the case..."


    After exining the situation, the police officers who arrived were very surprised. They only came with four people and didn¡¯t bring a toolbox or surveying equipment. They checked around the Mercedes-Benz and didn¡¯t know where to start.


    Chen Shi suggested, "Contact the Traffic Management Bureau and bring up the surveince footage. Additionally, there¡¯s a security camera at the gas station. It¡¯s best to send a few more people to see if there are blood stains or footprints around the area."


    Captain Zhang furrowed his brows. "Really disappeared out of thin air?" He was still immersed in incredible shock.


    Chen Shi was speechless. How many times did he have to say it before the other party believed him? He said, "I didn''t see the moment when the person disappeared. This car was previously in front of me. I fueled up for about ten minutes. When I drove over, I saw the car had parked here.¡±


    "That¡¯s unbelievable!" Captain Zhang shook his head and sighed.


    "Captain Zhang, I know it¡¯s unbelievable. Don¡¯t just stand there and share your sentiments. The top priority is to protect the scene and obtain first-hand evidence.¡±


    "I have to make a call first."


    Chen Shi simply wanted tough. The small branch office in the suburb hadn¡¯t had that many criminal cases at all and had no experience in dealing with emergencies.


    He called Lin Qiupu again. "The people you sent over from the branch office aren¡¯t good enough. They¡¯re totally rookies. Send someone from the head office and get Old Peng toe.¡±


    "We can''te right now. Did you find the body?"


    "There are blood stains but no corpse."


    "This kind of case can only be officially filed after forty-eight hours. Special circumstances also have to wait for twenty-four hours. Maybe the person just took off temporarily."


    "Who would leave their car and dog on a highway and leave without taking the car keys?¡±


    "Notifying the branch office is already breaking standard procedure. Should we pretend it¡¯s a criminal case and file it then?" Lin Qiupu''s tone was full of dissatisfaction.


    "Lin Qiupu!" Chen Shi was a little annoyed. "You¡¯ve learned to use an official¡¯s words with me now?"


    "I¡¯m toozy to care about you!" Lin Qiupu hung up the phone.


    Chen Shi sighed while looking up at the sky. He nced at the husky who was crouching next to him and sticking its tongue out. This kind of thing was hard to understand over the phone. They would only know how abnormal it was if they were here.


    His instinct told him that this matter may not be simple, but intuition couldn¡¯t be used as evidence.


    Chen Shi took out the uneaten burger in the car and fed it to the dog. Then, he walked back to the Mercedes-Benz. Captain Zhang had already called his subordinates to go to the surrounding wastnds to look for thedy. He also took the mobile phone from the car, went through her recent contacts, and called them. "Hello, I¡¯m from the Public Security Bureau. The owner of this phone seems to have gone missing. I want to ask about her basic situation."


    People answered over the phone, "You¡¯re not a scammer, are you?", "Missing? I just saw her this morning. Would a missing persons case be filed so fast? You¡¯re not a scammer, right!", "Since you say you¡¯re from the Public Security Bureau, give me some evidence!"


    Captain Zhang hung up the phone and shrugged helplessly. "I couldn¡¯t find out anything."


    "I''m sorry to have made youe out sote at night." Chen Shi said.


    "Hey, it doesn''t matter if wee out. I just hope it''s a false rm."


    Chen Shi leaned into the car and sniffed. The bloody liquid inside was indeed blood and it was very fresh. He pulled out the car key and went to the trunk of the car. After opening it, he and Captain Zhang were both stunned.


    Inside was a cloth bag, which was filled with RMB[2]. The amount was over ten million yuan. Chen Shi picked it up, looked at it and said, "It''s old money!"


    Captain Zhang said, "I will call for more people!"


    1. I know it says that Chen Shi would get home within the hour above, so I¡¯m guessing he means it would take a couple of hours to mobilize everyone and drive over? Assuming their starting point is further away than Chen Shi¡¯s house.


    2. Chinese currency.

 Chapter 524: Huge Amount Of Money

    <h4>Chapter 524: Huge Amount Of Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Half an hourter, the husky squatted beside Chen Shi''s car and drank the water Chen Shi fed him. Chen Shi called the bureau and found the identity of the owner through her mobile phone number. Her name was Lin Hui. She was an ountant of a foreign designpany. Lin Hui worked at the branch in Long''an.


    The police and the traffic police rushed to search for Lin Hui''s traces around the area, but found nothing. Chen Shi, as an important witness, had to be questioned by each group of police that arrived. He was about to die from annoyance.


    Chen Shi repeatedly emphasized that he didn¡¯t see suspicious vehicles or personnel and that there were no other vehicles that appeared between him and this vehicle. He also said that he didn¡¯t hear any strange sounds.


    The more he said this, the more the police looked at him with suspicion. Although it was a professional habit of the police to suspect everything, the taste of being doubted wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    With this dy, he didn''t know how long it would take before he could get home. He called Tao Yueyue and informed her. Tao Yueyue said, "Was that aunty abducted by aliens?"


    "Fortunately not. Otherwise, this group of policemen would suspect that I¡¯m crazy... I wille backter. Go to bed first!"


    "Stay safe."


    After hanging up the phone, Captain Zhang said to go to the gas station to look at the surveince footage. The husky had been following Chen Shi, so he could only put it on a leash.


    There were four security cameras at the gas station. All of them showed Chen Shi entering the station and refueling from multiple angles. Chen Shi thought that this should be regarded as favorable evidence for himself.


    However, no Mercedes-Benz was captured. The security camera at the intersection only captured a part of the car¡¯s body passing by quickly. The time was eight minutes before Chen Shi refueled and there were no particrly noteworthy scenes captured afterwards.


    Looking at the time, it was almost 10:00. Chen Shi wondered what was going on. He said to Captain Zhang, "I''ll take my leave first."


    "Why don¡¯t youe back with uster and file a case?"


    "I see it like this. I¡¯ll talk to Captain Lin about this matterter and file it directly at the head office. The car should be sent directly to the head office. There should still be someone on duty right now. I will call them and let them know."


    "Okay, then we¡¯ll be troubling you."


    Chen Shi nced at the husky squatting next to him and had a headache. He was worried about leaving it with the police, so he could only bring it back with him.


    When he made it back home at 11:00PM, the husky was very excited as it entered the house, sniffing everything. It licked up all the leftover cat food in the bowl in one fell swoop. Maoqiu was so scared that all its fur stood up as it crawled up the pole quickly along the curtain. It made a threatening noise.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, why did you bring a dog back?"


    "There was no other way. Its owner mysteriously disappeared so it can only stay at home with us for now."


    "What about Maoqiu?"


    "It¡¯ll have topromise. Look at how stupid it looks. You won¡¯t know who¡¯ll bully who!¡± Chen Shi poked the dog''s head and the dog stuck out its tongue with a dumb look.


    Chen Shi said, "Bring it to the kitchen."


    When it got into the kitchen, Tao Yueyue tempted it with a ham sausage. Chen Shi opened the dog''s mouth to check it. There was still some blood on the dog''s mouth. It may have licked the blood of its owner. He took a cotton swab to sample it and kept it in the refrigerator.


    Tao Yueyue gave the sausage to the dog. She looked at the dog with interest. "Are we going to raise it?"


    "Your attitude has changed too quickly. You just rejected it, but now you want to raise it?" Then, Chen Shi used a piece of cotton dipped in iodophor and wiped it on the dog¡¯s stomach where it was injured by the ss.


    "Who says I want to raise it? I''m asking if you want to raise it."


    "Um... No. It¡¯s too much trouble. I don''t have time to walk the dog."


    "Do you think it bit the owner?"


    Chen Shi nced at the stupid dog. "I don¡¯t think so. Look at how dumb it looks. How can it hurt someone?¡±


    "You usually suspect anyone who has the ability tomit the crime when you solve cases. Why don''t you suspect the dog which has the ability tomit crimes? Maybe something happened at that time. The dog bit the owner so the owner got out of the car and ran away."


    Chen Shi thought about it carefully. What Tao Yueyue said had some reason to it. He argued, "But there was a lot of money in the car. The owner had the ability to lock the dog in the car, so why did they leave the money behind?"


    "Maybe it''s a sudden case of life and death."


    "Mm... This issue will be considered tomorrow. The case hasn¡¯t been officially filed yet. This dog..."


    "Put it in the bathroom and make an area for it."


    That night, this husky stayed overnight in the bathroom. It scratched the door for several hours before finally epting reality. When Chen Shi saw it the next morning, it had turned over all the waste paper in the trash basket. When it saw Chen Shi, it pounced over to greet him. Chen Shi thought it was disgusting and tried pushing it away. He tried for some time but was unable to get the dog off of him. Early in the morning, the house was already a mess.


    Of course, the dog couldn¡¯t be left at home, so Chen Shi took it to the car and went to the bureau with it. Lin Qiupu asked, "Why did you bring the dog into the bureau?! Do we still have to work here?"


    "This dog¡¯s a party inv- No, it¡¯s a dog involved[1]. Do you think it needs to be interrogated or detained?"


    "Did you deliberately do this to retaliate against me? We really had something going onst night..."


    "Has the missing person been found?"


    "The branch office called in the morning and said she hasn¡¯t been found yet. The car is now in our garage and all the money is put in the safe." Lin Qiupu frowned. "We can''t file a case in less than 24 hours!"


    "Do you have anything else going on today? If not, we should start investigating as soon as possible. I don''t think this case is that simple."


    After saying so, Chen Shi left the dog behind and went to eat breakfast. Lin Qiupu shouted from the office, "Hey, don''t leave the dog here!"


    Afterwards, Lin Qiupu summoned a few people in the team and had a brief meeting. After listening to Chen Shi''s remarks, everyone was quite surprised and had lots of questions they wanted to ask. Old Zhang took the lead and asked, "Little Chen, are you sure-"


    Chen Shi interrupted him. "I have already retold what I witnessed no less than ten times. I¡¯ve mentioned all the minor details. There are no omissions and I can¡¯t lie to you. The situation is that strange.¡±


    Everyone nced at the dog squatting on the ground and drinking water. Lin Dongxue said, "I feel that the first thing we need to find out about is the money. The missing person is an ountant. Will the money be rted to thepany?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Let''s start with thepany then. The family of the missing person also needs to be visited. Also, the person who saw herst-"


    Chen Shi pointed to himself. "That''s me!"


    "I mean, the people who met her before. Figure out where she¡¯s been, who she¡¯s met, and what she¡¯s done!"


    Everyone disbanded just like that. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Lin Hui¡¯spany. Thepany said that Lin Hui took three days of sick leave on September 8th. As for money, thepany hasn¡¯t lost a lot of money. There are security monitors around, so if it really did happen, it would have been discovered long ago.


    Chen Shi wasn¡¯t at ease and yed the footage of Lin Hui leaving thepany on September 8th. That night, she worked overtime in her work unit and left at about 9:00. There was no suspicious behavior.


    None of the drawers in her station were locked. When they opened it, there were only some personal items. The reason for her leave was a gynecological examination...


    1. The pinyin for ¡±Parties involved¡± is Dangshiren. Ren means human. So Chen Shi substituted thest character from human to dog as a joke.

 Chapter 525: Traveling For Work

    <h4>Chapter 525: Traveling For Work</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two met several colleagues who had a good rtionship with Lin Hui. One colleague said that Lin Hui had always been very motivated and never made any mistakes. After joining thepany for a few years, she was promoted to deputy supervisor. Her husband worked in a neighboring city, Lieyang. His work and house were both over there, and it takes four hours to drive there from Long''an. So, Lin Hui rented a cheap apartment nearby and usually stayed there, only returning home on the weekends.


    Chen Shi asked this colleague for Lin Hui''s photo. He looked at the photo for a long time. Lin Dongxue asked, "Is that the woman fromst night?"


    Chen Shi picked up a mirror on the table, set it up, and put some distance between them. The two could only see each other from the rear-view mirror. He said, "Last night, I just saw her from the rear-view mirror. It was dark and she was wearing sunsses. I could only see a woman with long hair."


    "You mean it might not be the person herself?"


    "I just wanted to say that uncertain things should be left in doubt for a while!"


    Next, they met a second colleague. They talked about how Lin Hui recently quarreled with her husband. Once, she went to Lin Hui¡¯s apartment as a guest. She and her husband quarreled over the phone for half an hour. The problem seemed to be about the house.


    A colleagueter asked about it and Lin Hui revealed that her husband seemed to have cheated on her. The two had ns to divorce.


    Also, Lin Hui didn¡¯t return home on her holidays recently, and the couple seemed to be in a state of separation.


    The colleague finally said, "I¡¯m only guessing regarding the separation and divorce. She didn''t tell me about the specific situation."


    Chen Shi asked, "When you saw her for thest time, what was her hairstyle like?"


    "She usually wears her long hair in a ponytail!"


    "Was it as long as this?" Chen Shi gestured around his shoulder.


    "Yes."


    Then, they met several other colleagues, but they didn¡¯t provide any fresh clues. The two left thepany, went to the apartment that Lin Hui rented, and asked for the key from thendlord to open the door.


    The house was small, with only one bedroom and one bathroom. It was specifically rented to nearby office workers.


    However, the house was clean and the garbage waspletely discarded. Lin Dongxue said, "It seems that she was going to go out for some time when she left."


    "Your observation skills are getting better and better." Chen Shi praised.


    "However, there seems to be no sign of raising a dog." Lin Dongxue sniffed. "Houses with dogs usually don¡¯t smell this good.¡±


    "It''s a bit painful to raise a medium-sized dog in this small ce. Those colleagues didn''t mention anything about her keeping a dog. The dog might have been raised at her other house.¡± Chen Shi pulled open the drawers one by one and inspected the house. It was so clean that he wasn¡¯t sure if he could retrieve any DNA.


    "Look at this!" Lin Dongxue opened a drawer with a pile of letter papers inside. A resignation report was drafted using pencil. The reason for her resignation was to go home and try for a baby. Lin Hui didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with her husband and she could earn over 10,000 a month. Would she quit her job so hastily like this and stay at home to raise children?¡±


    "The reason for her resignation is definitely a guise. Did she get a lot of money recently and didn¡¯t n on working anymore?" Chen Shi spected.


    Before leaving, Chen Shi didn¡¯t forget to take pictures of all the areas of Lin Hui''s residence.


    After going downstairs, the two discussed whether to go to Lieyang. A round trip would take 8 hours. Lin Dongxue proposed, "I want to use a simpler method. Let''s call and ask about the situation."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "If the husband is the suspect, this call would be tantamount to giving him a vination, giving him enough time to respond. Either we make the call, or we¡¯ll have to go there and question in person.¡±


    "But a return trip would mean we¡¯de back at night. If something happens during this time..."


    "There are some things we just have to do. If we continue to hesitate, we should go by train. We¡¯d be there in two hours."


    "Okay! I''ll book the tickets."


    On the way to the train station, Lin Dongxue giggled with joy. Chen Shi asked, "What are you thinking about?"


    "I was thinking about what kind of rtionship a husband and wife has. It¡¯s obviously thebination of love, but the cells of society mean that as long as something goes wrong, the first person to be suspected is always the spouse."


    "Actually, I already discussed this with Old Peng. Monogamy may not be a good thing."


    "What is good? Polygamy?"


    "No, because there¡¯s no better system than monogamy, that¡¯s why this system is poprized. The so-called cell of society, I think, is an individual thing rather than a family. That¡¯s why Old Peng nned to be single."


    "Listening to your tone talking about Captain Peng, it seems that you¡¯ve known each other for a long time."


    "It¡¯s like we¡¯ve known each other for a long time ever since we met."


    "Tch, how sour[1]!"


    On the train, Lin Dongxue sent a text message to inform Lin Qiupu of their actions. Lin Qiupu told them to be careful on the road, and to go to the local police if they needed assistance.


    At noon, the two arrived in Lieyang and looked at the architecture in the foreignnd. Lin Dongxue said, "This is the first time I¡¯ve gone outside the city ever since bing an officer, and it¡¯s a business trip.¡±[2]


    "Let''s go and travel when we¡¯re free!"


    "Free? There are cases every day, when can I be free?"


    "Then, wait for retirement!" Chen Shiughed.


    The train back was at 6:00 in the evening, so they weren¡¯t tight for time. Chen Shi found a Hunan restaurant with a good reputation ording to publicments. After eating, they found Lin Hui''s husband, Li Xiang''s, house.


    Before meeting, Chen Shi urged, "You ask while I observe. Don''t mention the money. If he takes the initiative to mention it, then something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Li Xiang was an IT man. When he went downstairs to see the two, Lin Dongxue saw his ck t-shirt with the words "Sony Dafa[3] is good" and was confused.


    Li Xiang was shocked to learn that his wife was missing, but Chen Shi felt that his reaction was slightly exaggerated.


    "Did you find her yet?! Has the case been filed?"


    "It''s because we couldn¡¯t find her that we visited you."


    "No..." Li Xiang pointed at himself. "Are you suspecting me?"


    "You are her husband. Of course we¡¯lle to understand the situation."


    "Oh, then ask away!"


    "Your family owns a husky, right?"


    "Yes, its name is Haha."


    "Is it this one?" Lin Dongxue showed him the picture.


    "Yes, is Haha with you?"


    "In the Public Security Bureau. When was thest time you saw your wife?"


    "The night before. She came back and took the dog away. We... quarreled."


    "Why?"


    "I really want to say that this has nothing to do with the case, but if I don¡¯t make it clear, you guys probably wouldn¡¯t let it go. That is, she thinks that I don¡¯t do anything all day and earn less money than she does. I suspect that she¡¯s having an affair outside because she hasn¡¯t been back recently. I¡¯m not afraid of you guysughing if I told you - We haven¡¯t had couples¡¯ time in over a month.¡±


    "Do you have any evidence that she had an affair?"


    "It¡¯s just a feeling. She¡¯s been very cold to me recently. I went to her ce once and she was still working. Then, awyer came over to find her and left when he found that she wasn¡¯t at home. I saw thewyer''s car saying xx office. I found out that it was a ce that handled divorce proceedings, so I suspected that she had an affair. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to consult awyer to discuss countermeasures. This woman is very calcting."


    1. She¡¯s jealous.


    2. I¡¯m aware she¡¯s mentioned that she¡¯s been on a ne previously in the timed ne case, but this is what the author wrote, so I¡¯m rolling with it.


    3. It¡¯s an unofficial slogan for Sony supporters.

 Chapter 526: Visits

    <h4>Chapter 526: Visits</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi was observing his actions and expressions on the side and felt like this man wasn¡¯t lying.


    Lin Dongxue continued to ask, "Listening to her colleagues, you two were nning a divorce and wanted to divide your property. Something about the house. Is this the case?"


    Li Xiang was silent for a moment, "So, it seems that she really intends to divorce. Even her colleagues know... Haoo, some people are really not suited to be together. We¡¯ve only been married for four years, but as long as we meet, we would always argue. This also rtes to us living separately. She¡¯s usually in Long''an while I stay here. We only get together on our holidays. We¡¯ve been married for four years and our time together may not be as much as some couples who¡¯ve been together for a month. The house right? It¡¯s the house here that we bought together. She may want to split the money after selling it."


    Chen Shi noticed that his eyes flickered when he said thest sentence and questioned, "Is this the only property under your names?"


    "We only have this one. Why would I lie to you?"


    "Well, we will verify this informationter."


    Li Xiang suddenly panicked. "Wait a minute. I will add that there¡¯s indeed only one house under our names, which is the one I live in now, but there¡¯s another house in her name. It¡¯s just... Just... Part of the money used to buy it is mine."


    "What exactly is the situation?"


    "The house was bought here because she worked here previously. At the time, we were still in love. She said that she wanted to buy the house as a wedding house. Her and I each paid half of the money. I was also the one to pay off the mortgage. You could say that I have the majority of the ownership, but the property title is under her name, which is legally counted as her pre-marital property. When we quarreled, she said that the house would belong to her when we divorced. I told her that I had paid for it and that she¡¯d have to return the money to me. I don¡¯t know how many times we¡¯ve quarreled over this matter. The woman is too scheming. If I¡¯d had known, I wouldn¡¯t have just written her name on the title back then.¡±


    "What about the house you live in now?"


    "That¡¯s the new house my parents got after their old one was demolished. Because it was close to my work, they let us live in it for now. The original house¡¯s location was a bit out of the way and it took over two hours to get to work from there, so I rented it out. It¡¯s still being rented now!"


    Lin Dongxue quickly recorded the information down. After asking the addresses of the two houses, she asked, "Where were youst night?"


    Li Xiang was a bit startled. "Do you suspect me?"


    "Just investigating."


    "I was ying games at home."


    "Can someone prove that?"


    "My buddy Zhang Rui was also at my house. We yed until 11:00, and then went to bed."


    Chen Shi interjected, "What game were you ying?"


    "¡¯Zhng¡¯. It¡¯s a single yer game."


    "The new one?"


    "Yes, you know about it!" Li Xiang showed an expression like he found someone who had the same hobby as him. In fact, Chen Shi had only heard about it from Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong was tortured by this game a while ago and often mentioned it.


    Chen Shi said, "I remember this is not a game yed by two people."


    "It''s not that two people are ying together, but it doesn''t mean that two people can''t y it. Both Zhang Rui and I love to y single yer games, so after I bought this disc, I called him to the house. We¡¯d drink a ss of alcohol and switch to the other yer if we died. It was really fun and we yed until 11:00.¡±


    Chen Shi nodded and asked for the contact information of this buddy, which would be convenient for verificationter.


    Before leaving, Li Xiang said, "I think there¡¯s an 80% chance that my wife went to see her lover. You have to contact her and tell her toe back quickly. Hai, I can''t continue to pass days like this... Right, are you able to bring Haha back to me?"


    "The dog is in the bureau right now. You cane to Long¡¯an or we cane over afterwards.¡±


    "Okay, remember to inform me in advance."


    After saying goodbye to Li Xiang, Lin Dongxue asked, "How was it? Do you think this man is suspicious?"


    Chen Shi said, "His reaction is a bit flustered but it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s lying. He seems to be a character who isn¡¯t very good at dealing with strangers."


    "The wife''s monthly ie is over 10,000 yuan andpetitive. She should be a strong and independent woman. Her husband is a bit nerdy and introverted. It¡¯s no wonder this couple can¡¯t live together. I don¡¯t know how they met in the first ce.¡± Lin Dongxue said with emotion.


    "People will always be attracted to the traits that they don''t have. When they get it, they find that it¡¯s not what they want."


    It was still early, so the two discussed where to pass the time. At this time, Lin Qiupu called."We checked the traffic surveince footage and found no suspicious vehicles or people. We carefully searched the surrounding areas again and came up with nothing. What¡¯s happening on that side?¡±


    "Everything is calm!" Chen Shi said, "Are there any clues we need to check?"


    "Lin Hui contacted a number many times before her disappearance. This man is called Lu Hao. He¡¯s a barber and lives in Lieyang."


    "What¡¯s the address?"


    The two went to the barber shop where Lu Hao was located. It turned out that Lu Hao didn¡¯t go to work today. They called him and a soft voice answered, saying he was at home.


    At around 5:00, the two rushed to Lu Hao''s residence. Lu Hao had been waiting for them at the door. He was very thin and his skin was very white. He was wearing shorts and a pink t-shirt. His dyed hair stood up like a chickenb.


    Lin Dongxue secretlypared him to herself. The boy''s skin was fairer than hers. When they approached him, he smelled of cologne.


    Lu Hao looked delicate and pretty. He was an effeminate boy, but Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t like this type of man. This person is most likely Lin Hui¡¯s lover, right?


    "Hello!" Lu Hao reached out and shook hands with them. His hands were thin and tender and he was very weak. "What have youe to find me for?"


    "What is your rtionship with Lin Hui?" Chen Shi asked straightforwardly.


    "Ordinary friends!"


    "How did youe to know each other?"


    "We went to driving school together. Since we got older, we often arrange to go out together and y.¡±


    "What does going out and ying refer to?"


    "Aiya, what are you guys thinking of? We¡¯re really just ordinary friends. I know she¡¯s married, and I also have a girlfriend. It¡¯s just that after a haircut, we¡¯d go out to eat and such."


    Chen Shi didn''t believe this. As a married young woman with a busy career, he didn''t think she would take the time to meet an ordinary heterosexual friend.


    "Do you know she¡¯s missing?"


    "No way!" Lu Hao covered his mouth. "Why is she missing? Where at?"


    "We¡¯re here to investigate this matter. We found that she made four calls to you before she disappeared. Have you met?"


    "No... No!"


    Chen Shi sneered. He wasn¡¯t being honest. He asked, "What did you talk about over the phone?"


    "She¡¯s been in a bad mood recently. She¡¯s been arguing with her husband, so she¡¯d vent to me over the phone while I tried to console her.¡±


    "Okay, wait a moment!"


    Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu and asked him to send a screenshot of the call records on Lin Hui¡¯s mobile phone. During this period, Lu Hao was a bit nervous and kept biting his fingers.


    Chen Shi subsequently looked at the call log. "The first call was from 8:04PM to 8:05PM on September 8th and the second call was from 8:23PM, whichsted only 30 seconds. The third call was at 8:40PM, whichsted thirty seconds. Finally, thest call was from you, at 8:00 on the evening of September 10th, but she didn''t answer it. Based on the length and frequency, it didn¡¯t seem like you were chatting. It¡¯s more like you two were getting ready to meet each other and were confirming each other¡¯s location. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 527: Pathological Liar

    <h4>Chapter 527: Pathological Liar</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing this, Lu Hao was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. He immediately stered a smile on his face. "Yes, we met. She asked me to go out and eat that day. She vented to me at dinner.¡±


    "Which restaurant was it?"


    "Chani Restaurant on Liuxi Road..."


    "Are you sure?"


    "No, I remembered it wrong. It''s Burger King."


    "Are you sure? Then, let''s verify it now."


    "No, no, no, it was a food stall."


    Chen Shi sneered. "There¡¯s no security cameras at food stalls, so it¡¯s convenient for your lie."


    "I didn''t lie. Why should I lie?!" Lu Hao really wasn''t good at lying. Although he said so, his expression was flustered.


    Chen Shi said, "Do you think we would be unprepared before we came to find you? Actually, we¡¯ve visited her husband before we came to find you. We basically know what the rtionship you two have with each other."


    Lu Hao kept touching his nose and his cheeks flushed. Chen Shi gave him a final blow. "Or, let''s change ces and sit down for a nice talk?"


    "No, no!" Lu Hao finally admitted defeat. "I admit. I admit that I have that kind of rtionship with her, but it''s not the rtionship you think. Our rtionship is a little bit more of that kind."


    "What kind of rtionship is it? Make it clear!" Lin Dongxue was a little impatient.


    Lu Hao smiled and said to Lin Dongxue, "Leave me a little face, okay? That is... We had an affair!"


    "How long have you two been in this rtionship?"


    "Over a year now."


    "How did you two get to know each other?"


    "She came to get her hair done and left her contact information down. I¡¯m not as weird as you think. She took the initiative to seduce me. She said that her marriage was unhappy and her husband was trash in all aspects. She didn¡¯t know why she blindly married him. Iforted her. At first, it was just verbalfort. Later, it became physicalfort..." Lu Hao raised his eyebrows and smiled at Lin Dongxue. "Beauty, that isn¡¯t illegal is it?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell the truth in the beginning?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I want to save some face too!"


    "So, you met on the 8th. Where did you meet?"


    "As usual, we found a bed, ordered take-out, had sex after eating, and then ate after sex. Then, we slept until the next day."


    "Address!"


    Seeing the other party''s expressionless face, Lu Hao was smiling a little ashamedly. He retracted his smile and told them the address. It wasn¡¯t a hotel there, but a cheap apartment near his workce.


    Lu Hao exined that it was his friend¡¯s house. When the friend went abroad, he was safekeeping the keys and temporarily borrowed it.


    Hearing this, Chen Shi thought that it was another clue that couldn¡¯t be verified by physical evidence.


    He asked, "Can we go and have a visit?"


    "There¡¯s nothing to visit. It¡¯s just a small broken house. Rest assured, there won¡¯t be any corpses in it." Lu Hao tried to joke, but neither of the other two smiled. He scratched his head in embarrassment.


    "Let''s take a trip over!"


    "I... There are still guests in my house."


    "We¡¯ll apany you to exin to the guests."


    "No, I haven''t eaten yet."


    "We¡¯ll treat you!"


    Lu Hao couldn''t produce another reason. He could only reluctantly agree. The three of them got into a taxi. Lin Dongxue sat in the front passenger seat and Chen Shi monitored Lu Hao from behind. He felt like this youngster wasn¡¯t honest and might be the key to the case.


    Lin Dongxue nced at the time, thinking that it wasn¡¯t good. The train was about to leave. So, she sent a text message to Chen Shi. "Do you want to postpone the ticket? We¡¯re not going to make it."


    Chen Shi replied, "I¡¯m a little interested in this case right now. I won¡¯t go back tonight."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you."


    Chen Shi called Tao Yueyue and said that he wouldn¡¯t be heading back tonight. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t react very much. "Then, I¡¯ll go and stay with Sister Gu."


    "Okay, be careful!"


    "You guys should also be careful outside..." Then, she quickly added, "Take protective measures with Sister Lin!"


    "You little devil!"


    After a while, the three went to the residence of Lu Hao''s friend and pushed the door into the house. Lin Dongxue covered her nose and asked, "Is this a ce people can live in?"


    Lu Hao smiled in embarrassment. "It¡¯s a bit busy. My friend doesn''t usually clean up. I''ll get you a chair."


    "No need!" Lin Dongxue found that this guy was particrly attentive. At first, she wondered if he would be gay. Now, it seemed like he was just a lecherous person.


    Some subconscious reactions couldn¡¯t be acted out. Every action or gaze would reveal it.


    There wasn''t even a bed in this house. There was only a Simmons mattress spread on the ground and there were faint sweat stains on it in the shape of a human. There were also take-out boxes, used condoms, and an ashtray next to it.


    Chen Shi took a look at the cigarette butts in the ashtray. He remembered that Lin Hui had cigarettes of the same brand in her car. This should have been smoked by Lin Hui.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Lin Hui''s own house is very clean and tidy. How could she go to this pigsty and spend her night here?"


    Chen Shi made an "I don''t know" gesture. He only knew that if it were Lin Dongxue, she¡¯d be unwilling to undress in this kind of pigsty.


    Lu Hao said with a grin, "Don¡¯t look at the mess here. This is our little love nest. Shees here every week. We¡¯re very happy together. She said that it¡¯s like she¡¯s recharging here. She can go back to face her life after recharging here."


    "Didn''t you say that you have a girlfriend!"


    "Aiya, my girlfriend is too na?ve. I still like mature young women like Lin Hui more... By the way, I also like women like elder sister here. Why did you be a criminal police officer?"


    Lin Dongxue ignored him. "You two stayed here for two days?"


    "Yes, two days."


    "Why did you call her on the night of the 10th?"


    "Her charger was left behind. Look, it¡¯s this one..¡± Lu Hao picked up a power cable.


    Chen Shi nced at the five used condoms beside the ¡°bed¡±. It should be about right for two days, unless this guy was particrly energetic. He asked, "Has Lin Hui mentioned to you about what¡¯s happening with her family?"


    "Yes, she said she might get a divorce."


    "Because of you?"


    "No, no, she and I have a feeling of an older sister and younger brother getting together. Besides, I¡¯m so young and I don''t want to get married. We¡¯ve never talked about that type of stuff. She got married mainly because of her husband. Her husband..." Lu Hao paused. "He¡¯s particrly useless. He only knows how to y games all day long. The two of them were married because she thought her husband''s family background wasn¡¯t bad and that he was also quite interesting. When they got married, she found out that he¡¯s a mama¡¯s boy. He didn''t care about anything and they often argued."


    While listening, Chen Shi squatted down to check the feet of a cab. He stood up. "Did Lin Hui suddenly get richtely?"


    Suddenly, Lu Hao became nervous and then used a smile to cover it up. "Are you talking about her bonus? I heard that she performed outstandingly recently, and her work gave out 100,000 yuan to her as her bonus. She nned to travel with me.¡±


    "All right, you can go back first!"


    Lu Hao let out a big sigh of relief. This action made Chen Shi even more suspicious of him. When he went downstairs, Lu Hao took a taxi away. Chen said to Lin Dongxue, "There are signs of a dog chewing in the house. Lin Hui went home beforeing here."

 Chapter 528: Suspicious Lu Hao

    <h4>Chapter 528: Suspicious Lu Hao</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while and said, "Lin Hui''s husband, Li Xiang, also said before that she took the dog away on the evening of the 8th. The timeline sounds about right."


    "Of course, the dog is not the point. The point is the money. I''m sure the amount of over 10 million yuan is one hundred percent gained from unknown means and it¡¯s directly rted to the disappearance of Lin Hui. To find out about the source of the money, we have to investigate every ce that she¡¯s gone to before her disappearance..." Chen Shi pondered, "Lu Hao is definitely hiding something. He generously brought us to the ce where he and Lin Hui cheated in, but he wouldn¡¯t let us go inside his home. Would his house have any clues?¡±


    "Should we go back and catch him by surprise?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Well, let''s take a two-pronged approach. I''ll go to Lu Hao''s house. You go to Li Xiang''s house to see who he meets and does after he gets off work.¡±


    "We need to monitor Li Xiang as well?"


    "Of course. His house is also the ce where Lin Hui went to. Would the money be from there? Anyway, we¡¯ll need to figure it out!"


    "Okay, I''ll see youter."


    "Be careful!"


    Along the way, Chen Shi was thinking about the whole incident. The money shouldn¡¯t be Lin Hui¡¯s. No one would put ten million yuan in cash in a sack and hide it in the boot of their car.


    It¡¯s very likely that the money was stolen or deceived from someone. The person who lost the money wouldn¡¯t speak out and would only try to find it in secret.


    The suspicions in the case made Chen Shi very excited, and he couldn''t wait to know the truth.


    Arriving at Lu Hao''s house, Chen Shi entered the building opposite it, stood in the corridor, and stared toward the opposite side from the window. Stake-outs were naturally boring. He would sit on the stairs for a bit, then stand up and walk around. The residents going up and down would look strangely at him.


    After nightfall, the stairs were dark. Lin Qiupu called and asked about the situation there. He said that the case had been officially filed. He greeted Lieyang¡¯s public security bureau and gave Chen Shi a deputy chief¡¯s contact information so that he could ask them for help at any time.


    Then, Lin Dongxue sent a WeChat message with a red Chevrolet in it. Lin Dongxue said, "This car came to Li Xiang''s house in the evening and the person has been in the house the entire time. The curtains have been closed. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing inside. I can only see the light from the TV."


    Chen Shi was slightly surprised. This car was very simr to his own car.


    He replied, "Is there a hotel nearby? Book it if there is and I¡¯ll find youter."


    Lin Dongxue replied, "There is one that I¡¯ll bookter. After a day of running around, I stink of sweat. I¡¯ll have to take a nice shower tonight.¡±


    Chen Shi looked up. Lu Hao still had his curtains pulled shut. At this time, the lights went out. Chen Shi intuitively judged that Lu Hao might have to go out.


    He hurried downstairs and hid under a tree within the housing district. After five minutes, Lu Hao came out carrying a big ck bag. He kept looking around and walked straight to the entrance of the housingmunity. Chen Shi followed behind. At night, the housing area was only illuminated by the streetlights. There was arge area of darkness between the streetlights, which made it easy to hide.


    Lu Hao went to the door of the housing district and suddenly backed away. He stepped on the grass and tossed the bag over before heading out the door.


    Chen Shi followed to see him find and pick up the bag he threw out, carry it for some time, and cross a few roads while sneakily ncing around the whole way. It was very suspicious. Chen Shi even wondered whose corpse it was in the bag.


    Finally, Lu Hao stopped in front of a trash can and threw the bag in before turning around to leave. Chen Shi quickly hid under the stairs of an Inte cafe.


    After Lu Hao walked past, Chen Shi came out, dragged the bag out, and opened it. The contents inside made him too excited. It was a woman''s wig, clothes, stockings, and high heels.


    He photographed the contents of the bag and sent it to Lin Dongxue. "Unexpected find. Trash thrown out by Lu Hao."


    "Was the person you saw actually him?" Lin Dongxue spected.


    Chen Shi thought about it. In fact, he wasn¡¯t too sure either. It was sote at that time. If the man in the car was really a disguised man, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell.


    In any case, this package was essential. He immediately called the local police and asked them to detain Lu Hao.


    He texted Lin Dongxue, "We¡¯ll see you at the Public Security Bureau of District xx."


    Lu Hao didn¡¯t expect that the police would descend from the sky and arrest him. He struggled all the way and was taken down by the police. When he saw Chen Shi standing there, he was stunned. He said, "Officer Chen, what can¡¯t you ask directly? Why do you have to do this? If my neighbors saw, it would be bad!"


    Chen Shi raised the bag in his hand. "Some words, I''m afraid you won''t say when asked face-to-face... Besides, I''m not a policeman, but a consultant. They¡¯re the police."


    Chen Shi gave the bag to the police officers, saying that he would arriveter. After the police car left, he went to find Lu Hao''s door and opened the lock.


    After seeing the pigsty in the afternoon, and then looking at Lu Hao''s messy little house, he actually felt like it was alright. This was a very ordinary ce with leftover lunch on the table. The TV was still on and a variety show was being broadcasted.


    Chen Shi checked around the ce. When he went into the bathroom, he smelled a burnt smell. He opened the toilet and found that there was some ck ash on the inner wall of the toilet, as if someone had burned something.


    He put on the rubber gloves he carried with him, reached into the toilet bowl to fish around, and actually pulled out a handful of ashes. From the amount, Lu Hao had burned a lot of paper. It would have weighed a kilogram at minimum.


    Although he didn¡¯t know if anything could be tested, Chen Shi still collected the ash.


    Then, he saw arge sack in the kitchen, which was stuffed under the gas stove. When he opened it, there was the smell of paper from it, but it was definitely not the smell of money. The smell of money and paper were different.


    Things are getting more and more interesting.


    He left and went to the public security bureau. Lin Dongxue had been waiting for a long time. She said, "Why have you onlye now? You wouldn¡¯t be trespassing in a private dwelling again, right?"


    "The door wasn¡¯t closed and a suspicious smell came out. Wouldn¡¯t I naturally push the door in and have a look?¡±


    "The door wasn¡¯t closed?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I mean, to me, it¡¯s like it wasn¡¯t closed."


    "I really don¡¯t know what to do with you!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "We aren¡¯t in Long''an right now. Don''t let the local colleagues know what you do."


    "Rx, I¡¯ll be cautious... But this kid really is suspicious."


    Lin Dongxue and the local policemunicated and they agreed to borrow the interrogation room for two people, after which they could take the interrogation records away.


    Lu Hao was overthinking alone in the interrogation room. When he saw Lin Dongxueing in, he lifted his handcuffs as if he was seeing a rtive. ¡°Elder sister, have you made a mistake? I haven''tmitted any crimes! Can you release me?"


    "Look at your attitude."


    "Aiya, why don¡¯t you just ask what you want to ask? I¡¯ll tell you everything I know. Please, I beg you, elder sister!¡±


    Chen Shi sat down and mmed on the table. "Don¡¯t sweet talk here. Lu Hao, sit down properly!"

 Chapter 529: A Big Whoopsies

    <h4>Chapter 529: A Big Whoopsies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lu Hao sat upright obediently, furrowed his brows, and kept looking at Lin Dongxue, seeming to think that Lin Dongxue would save him.


    Chen Shi confirmed that the camera in the room was operating normally, and then asked, "Let''s get to the point. What did you deal with tonight?"


    Lu Hao bowed his head in dismay. "Didn¡¯t you already see it all? Do you police not take breaks? It¡¯s already sote, but you¡¯re still turning over trash cans? How did you know that I was the one who threw it away?¡±


    "Talk! What is it?!" Chen Shi increased his tone.


    "Wigs and women''s clothing..."


    "What did you use it for? Don''t tell me that you have some sort of special hobby!"


    "Yes, yes. You saw through it at a nce. I do have such a hobby. Look at how I was born with fair skin and tender meat. After I put on women¡¯s clothes, I look even better than women. When I was in university, I was famous for being a cross-dresser, so I usually dress up at home to show off." Lu Hao kept gesturing with his eyes towards Lin Dongxue, hoping that she¡¯d believe his words.


    Chen Shi snorted. "Which students know about it? We¡¯ll call to verify it right now."


    "That¡¯s not needed right? It''s not a glorious thing or anything..."


    "If you want to waste our time, let¡¯s see who wins in the end."


    "All I¡¯ve said is true!" Lu Hao still insisted stubbornly.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "This kid isn¡¯t honest. Do you want to let him stay here alone for a while?"


    "No, this kind of person is actually very easy to deal with!" Chen Shi raised his voice. "Lu Hao, we went to your ce of work in the afternoon. We heard that you¡¯ve been working in Lieyang for several years and your sry has been raised a few times. If you aren¡¯t honest, we¡¯ll put you in the detention center for a night to reflect and your file would be stained. Think about which barber shop would want you in the future!"


    Lu Hao was frightened with cold sweat. He rubbed his hands constantly, but still didn¡¯t speak.


    A person who wasn¡¯t even afraid of losing his job indicates that there was something that¡¯s making him act brave. If they wanted him to speak, they¡¯d have to smash hisst glimmer of hope. Chen Shi said, ¡°Don¡¯t be disillusioned. That ten million yuan is now safe in the Public Security Bureau!"


    "What?!" Lu Hao was shocked, and then his whole person became deted. "She was really killed?"


    "I told you she was missing."


    This reaction seemed real. It seemed that Lu Hao didn¡¯t know what happenedst night, so the person Chen Shi saw wasn¡¯t him.


    In fact, Peng Sijue''s DNA identification had been sent to him this afternoon. Although he couldn''t determine the identity, he knew that the owner of the blood was an AB blood type woman.


    Chen Shi followed the hypothetical steps and continued to specte, "Did Lin Hui agree to share the money with you? You know that the money didn¡¯te from legal means, but you couldn¡¯t resist the temptation, so you still agreed... I noticed that in the bag you threw away, the wig was the same as Lin Hui¡¯s hairstyle. She made you look like her and led the people who were after her away, right?"


    Every time he talked, it looked like one of Lu Hao¡¯s spinal columns had been taken away and he¡¯d slump on the chair even further. He said, "I thought she used me at first."


    "Tell me about it!"


    "Actually, my rtionship with Lin Hui is a bit like eating soft rice[2]. I earn about 4,000 a month. It¡¯s not even enough for me to spend. She has a sry of over 10,000 and her year-end bonus was hundreds of thousands. In my eyes, she is a bit of a rich woman. I usually tried my best to make her happy when we were together and she would often give me money to spend. Of course, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m clinging on to her. I¡¯m sincere towards her, though I don¡¯t know how she feels about me... When she met me a while ago, she asked me if I wanted to get rich. I said of course I wanted to. Later, she told me something that I couldn''t believe. She said I could get 10 million, but someone was trying to kill her and she needed my help. At first, I thought it was a joke. Would such an exaggerated thing happen in reality? Then, I met her that day. She really brought 10 million yuan over!"


    "What date was it?"


    "September 8th."


    "Where?"


    "Just at my friend¡¯s. She has the key." Lu Hao bit his finger. "I was stunned to see the money. I have never seen so much money in my life. I asked her where it came from, but she refused to say anything. We were very happy, lying in the money and having sex over and over again..."


    "Talk seriously!" Lin Dongxue interrupted him.


    "We discussed how to hide the money together. At the beginning, we nned to hide it in my friend''s ce. Later, we thought about getting a few cards and storing them in batches. We wouldn¡¯t have to worry about eating and drinking in this life..." Lu Hao showed a smile like he was looking forward to it. Then, he snapped back to reality. "On the morning of the 9th, Lin Hui said that someone was following her. That group of people had great skills and they could find her anywhere she went. She was really scared, so I thought of a trick. We¡¯d make them go off-track. One of us would lead the bad guys away while the other went to hide the money. So, I bought wigs, clothes, bags, and a bunch of joss papers. We put some real money on the joss papers and it looked just like the real one in the bag. We marked the bag of real money.¡±


    "That afternoon, the group of people appeared near the housing district. She carried a bag and left, while I carried another bag away. I had already prepared 20 cards registered in other people''s names in advance. The purpose of me pretending to be a woman was to prevent the ATM security camera from recording me. However, when I went to deposit the money, I found out that I had the fake money on hand! I croaked inside. Lin Hui wouldn¡¯t have used me, right? So, I called her, but she didn''t answer. I thought about it over and over but I didn''t understand. I was the one who came up with the n. If she wanted to deceive me, there was no need for her to havee to me in the beginning. And she wasn¡¯t that kind of person anyway!¡±


    "I ran out of options, so I waited for her at the appointed ce. When nobody came, I was very disappointed. In fact, until today, I was still hopeful. It wasn''t until the police appeared that I knew that things went sour. That¡¯s why I quickly disposed of these things. I didn''t expect you to find out... Haii!"


    Chen Shi asked, "What mark?"


    "We just made a small mark on it with a pen."


    "The real money is marked?"


    "Yes."


    "Were you in a hurry at that time?"


    "We were. Lin Hui said that the group of people had guns. Then, she took a bag and left."


    Chen Shi thought about it, went out, and took the bag found from his house. He showed it to Lu Hao, "Is this the mark?"


    "Oh?" Lu Hao hugged his head regrettably. "I''m a pig brain. The mark is right, but I put the money in the wrong bag!"


    Chen Shi seemed to understand why Lin Hui didn¡¯t hesitate when she abandoned the money in the car. She thought it was fake money!


    What a big whoopsies.


    1. They used a cute way of saying misunderstanding/mistake.


    2. When a man is told, or is spoken of, that ''he eats soft rice'', it means that he relies on his wife or girlfriend to feed him.

 Chapter 530: Man in Gray

    <h4>Chapter 530: Man in Gray</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked Lu Hao, "Where did Lin Hui get the money from?"


    Lu Hao shook his head again and again. "I really don''t know. Of course, I asked her many times, but she just assured me that it was definitely not stolen, and the person who lost the money wouldn¡¯t dare to speak up. I wondered if she would have taken it from thepany. After all, she was an ountant and can usually ess thepany''s money."


    "When was the earliest time she mentioned the money?"


    Lu Hao recalled for a long time, "Mid-August?"


    "Did you notice who was tracking her?"


    "Once, we were walking on the streets. She suddenly became very nervous and dragged me away. When I looked back, I saw two men wearing sunsses. I forgot what they looked like though."


    "When was this?"


    "Earlier this month!"


    They couldn¡¯t get much more out of interrogating Lu Hao, so Chen Shi released him. After "regaining his freedom," he asked Lin Dongxue for her contact information with thick-skin. Lin Dongxue scolded him.


    The two went out of the public security bureau and were about to fill up their bellies. Lin Dongxue suddenly said, "It''s unbelievable. He actually put ten million in the wrong bag. Even if it were a few thousand, people would usually check it carefully. Isn¡¯t this kid lying?¡±


    "I don''t think he lied. When the amount of money is too much, it''s not money. It''s just a number... In fact, Lu Hao was on the edge of the whole thing. He doesn''t know the core information."


    "Two men with sunsses. It seems that the other party is a small organization. Perhaps the triad? But Lin Hui is just an ountant. How can she be rted to the triad?"


    "Don''t think about that anymore. Let''s eat first. I''m exhausted today."


    Early next morning, they woke up on the hotel bed and Chen Shi sneezed a few times. After all, the hotel wasn¡¯t as clean as his own home, and he couldn¡¯t sleepfortably.


    In the morning, the two took a leisurely walk on Lieyang Street to find a ce to have breakfast. Chen Shi asked, "Is there any progress from the team?"


    "Nothing. By the way, Xiaodongpressed and sent me the surveince video. Do you want to see it?"


    "Bring it here."


    He grabbed the phone and watched for a while. Lin Hui''s missing location wasn¡¯t monitored. There was one at each end. The camera on the east side clearly photographed Lin Hui and Chen Shi¡¯s cars passing by one after the other. Nothing was unusual after that.


    Chen Shi thought that if he wasn¡¯t familiar with the police, he would probably be the first to be suspected.


    Chen Shi called Peng Sijue. "Old Peng, can you check the money and see what clues you can find? We urgently need a breakthrough point."


    "What can we test from the money? Fingerprints?"


    "Try it, please."


    Peng Sijue''s sigh could be heard over the phone. His workload had increased again. He said, "I really can''t deal with you. Okay!"


    "Thank you, I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast. Listen..." Chen Shi picked up a fried dumpling and bit into it, making some crunching noises. Peng Sijue hung up the phone before he finished listening.


    "A guy who doesn''t understand humor!" Chen Shi put down the phone with a smile.


    Lin Dongxue was also on a call. "The police in Lieyang said a shooting urred somewhere. I don''t know if it has anything to do with the case. Do you want to go and have a look?"


    "Let''s see!"


    After eating, the two went to the branch office. The police said the shooting urred on the evening of September 10th and was located in a housing district called Lvyi. The district was about to be demolished. Many residents had already moved out. That evening, two shots were heard, and it wasn¡¯t as loud as in the movies. At first, the residents thought someone was setting off firecrackers.


    A bullet hit a cigarette and alcohol store on the first floor. The owner said that he saw a man wearing a gray windbreaker holding a gun-shaped object. His shooting target was a woman in red carrying a bag.


    The sound of the gun rmed the property managers. The man in the windbreaker hurried away and the woman disappeared.


    The police showed Chen Shi a bullet found at the scene. The bullet was actually a steel bead with gunpowder residue on it. Chen Shi said, "This is a homemade pistol!"


    "The firearms experts in the bureau also analyzed it this way, but from the perspective of the impact, the rate of fire isn¡¯t worse than that of a real gun. If it hits the person, they¡¯ll probably die."


    "Is there any surveince footage?"


    The police showed them the footage on the scene. Around 6:00PM, a woman in red wearing sunsses came in, and a man in a windbreaker followed. Chen Shi paused and zoomed in. "This may be Lin Hui."


    He fast-forwarded the footage until 6:20PM, when the woman in red came out hurriedly carrying a sack. Five minutester, the man in the windbreaker followed.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Is Lin Hui holding the money? Judging from the time, she should be finding Lu Hao at this time."


    "Then this area is where she temporarily hid the treasure. Check the renting information in the area and see if the surrounding security cameras captured the shooter''s car."


    Both of these were investigated by the branch office. They were also investigating the shooting. Fortunately, no one was injured in the shooting.


    Chen Shi thought to himself, if the bullet they didn¡¯t find had hit Lin Hui. However, if she was injured, Lu Hao wouldn¡¯t have omitted it. After Lin Hui left Lu Hao, she might have encountered another gangster somewhere, which is why there was blood in the car.


    But there was also a possibility that the blood doesn¡¯t belong to Lin Hui.


    It was hard to wait there, so Chen Shi said, ¡°It¡¯s better to investigate around Lin Hui¡¯s house and find some clues.¡±


    However, the two were very disappointed. Lin Hui¡¯s neighbor didn¡¯t even know that her name was Lin Hui. The couple had just moved in. The wife was working in Long¡¯an, and the husband was a homebody. The neighbor knew almost nothing about them.


    After ap of investigations, it was already afternoon. When the two came out from the housing district, Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi''s arm and gestured in a direction with her eyes.


    They saw a suspicious man in sunsses hiding in the flowers and bushes of themunity with a cigarette in his mouth. He was holding a walkie-talkie in his hand. When the two noticed him, the man in sunsses immediately turned and left.


    Chen Shi chased after him immediately and the man in sunsses figured the situation wasn¡¯t good. He ran away at full speed, rushed into a car, and drove away.


    Chen Shi gasped with his hands on his knees. Lin Dongxue caught up with him as he said, "Asshole. He got away, but I noted down the license te number."


    He took out his mobile phone and sent the license te number to the Long¡¯an police for help. Lin Dongxue asked, "Are these people also looking for money? Are they the triad?"


    "If it¡¯s really the triad, the means they use may be a bit more radical, so I don¡¯t think so."


    After a while, the query result was sent over. The owner of the license te was a college student who had just turned twenty years old. They had absolutely no rtion to the case. Lin Dongxue asked if they should go find this person. Chen Shi shook his head, "No, this must be a fake license te. The other party has a strong sense of anti-reconnaissance. They¡¯re in this industry. Could it be... Private investigators?!"

 Chapter 531: The Truth About The Cold Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 531: The Truth About The Cold Feelings</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi thought about it for a while, turned around, and walked into the housing district. He went to Lin Hui¡¯s house and took out the unlocking tools to pry the door open. Lin Dongxue hurried to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. We¡¯re investigating a case outside our city right now. Stick to the regtions more!¡±


    "Lin Hui is missing right now, but the gang is still monitoring her house, indicating that there are clues here."


    "But don¡¯t pry the door open! I''ll call Lin Hui''s husband back."


    Chen Shiid down the tools in his hands and pondered, "We can say that his house might be bugged and need to have a look?¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Okay, we¡¯ll use this reason. I¡¯ll make the call!"


    Li Xiang imed that he could only head back after he got off work and that he would call them when he went back. However, Chen Shi insisted on waiting there to prevent Li Xiang froming back and tidying up the house first. At the moment, he didn¡¯t understand the core of the case yet, and he couldn¡¯t trust any of the rted parties too much.


    The waiting process was naturally very boring. Lin Dongxue had long been ustomed to this and took out her phone to read novels. Chen Shi had been thinking about something. "You said that the car was very simr to mine?"


    "Ah?" Lin Dongxue looked up from her phone. "You mean the one parked herest night? It should be Li Xiang''s friend!"


    Chen Shi seemed to have thought of something but kept silent.


    At 6:00 in the evening, Li Xiang came back carrying a bag of vegetables in his hand. He said with a smile, "You two have been waiting for a long time. Would you like to eat together?"


    "No, we didn''t n toe to find you. We found suspicious people nearby this afternoon. I was wondering if someone has bugged your house with listening devices, so I want toe in and have a look." Chen Shi said.


    "What? Listening device? What can they eavesdrop from this family? I onlye back every day to y games and watch movies... Haii, I don''t know who my wife has attracted."


    Chen Shi¡¯s eyes fell on the vegetables in his hands. It was a full bag. It looked like there were a lot, but the leaves weren¡¯t very fresh. They looked like they were casually picked up from the supermarket. He said, "You bought so many vegetables."


    "I ce them in the freezer to eat slowly. Pleasee in!"


    Upon entering the house, Li Xiang apologized, "The house is messy. Please just sit down as you please."


    "The house is quite big. Do you have a toolbox?"


    "I¡¯ll find it for you."


    Li Xiang entered the bedroom and closed the door, as if he was packing something up. Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, "He¡¯s hiding something!"


    Then, Li Xiang came out. "I remembered it wrong. It¡¯s in another room.¡±


    He brought the toolbox out. Chen Shi took a screwdriver to remove the electrical panel on the wall and checked areas that weren¡¯t noticeable. No wiretapping equipment was found. At this time, there was a garbage truck that came to collect the garbage. Li Xiang packed up two bags of garbage and was ready to throw it out.


    Chen Shi said, "Let me do it!"


    "No, no, the garbage in the toilet is very dirty. I''ll do it myself." Li Xiang said with a smile on his face.


    "I¡¯ll do it!"


    "No need, you can just take a seat."


    "Open it and show it to me!" Chen Shi''s eyes became serious.


    Li Xiang also retracted his smile. "Officer, you aren¡¯t suspecting me, right? I was at home when my wife disappeared."


    "Let me take a look."


    Li Xiang could only put down the garbage bag. Chen Shi put on gloves to check the rubbish. It was full of used toilet paper and the smell was unforgettable. There were several used condoms at the bottom, and Li Xiang exined, "It was a prostitute I found on WeChat. My wife isn¡¯t at home, but I also have normal physiological needs! The reason I didn¡¯t let you see is mainly because I also need a little privacy, right?"


    "Understood." When Chen Shi stuffed the condoms back, he hid one in his palm, then tied the bag up and gave it to Li Xiang, "OK, you can go throw it out!"


    After Li Xiang went out, Chen Shi wrapped the condom in the gloves and was ready to take it back for testing.


    Five minutester, Li Xiang came back and asked, "Is there anything else you need to ask?"


    "I want to see your call logs."


    Li Xiang took out his mobile phone. "Go ahead."


    Chen Shi turned over and pointed to a number with the contact called Zhang Rui. This number was frequently contacted. He said, "This is your buddy?"


    "Yes, we often eat together."


    "Where does he work?"


    "A parts processing nt."


    "It can be seen that your rtionship with each other is quite good."


    "Yes!" Li Xiang looked a little embarrassed.


    They asked some irrelevant questions before the two were ready to leave. At this time, Li Xiang suddenly stopped them. "Officer Chen, did you take one of the condoms away?"


    Chen Shi turned back.


    "Is this necessary? To take a condom back for testing, do you suspect me that much?"


    "Doubting everything is our profession."


    "What can a condom tell you? My wife is cheating outside and I can''t have my own life?"


    "Even if you say so, we will still test it."


    "Don¡¯t bother. Let me tell you the truth. That condom is for me and Zhang Rui."


    Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised.


    "So hees often not to y games with you."


    "Yes!" Li Xiang admitted with a blush. "I''m gay, and he is as well. We aren¡¯t buddies, but we met at the bar. This is mainly the reason why my wife and I have a bad rtionship. I¡¯m not even slightly interested in women. I even feel disgusted when I see the stars who show their chests and thighs.¡±


    "Then why did you get married?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "What can I do if I don''t get married? My family kept reminding me that if I don''t get married at this age, others will gossip about me. My parents couldn¡¯t lift their heads high in front of outsiders! I know it sounds ridiculous, but it¡¯s a big matter for my family and I don¡¯t have the courage toe out. My parents would be really sad. I could only find a random woman to marry over a blind date... Of course, my nature is my nature. I thought I could change, but I couldn¡¯t do it. The more you want to suppress it, the more you want it. Just like Officer Chen. If you were made to be lovey-dovey with a man, you would only be in a state of painful suppression!¡±


    "Does Lin Hui know?"


    "Living together, even if I didn''t say it out loud, she would have discovered it already. She scolded me saying that I ruined her youth and that I was helpless. If she wants to me anyone, she should me it on this society full of discrimination. I told her that the house would belong to her if we divorced, but we¡¯d divide this house in half."


    Chen Shi walked in front of Li Xiang. "Since you¡¯re being frank, let me tell you something as well. There¡¯s a lot of money missing along with Lin Hui.¡±


    "How do you know?!" Li Xiang was shocked and immediately realized that he was acting abrupt. He exined, "I mean, what money? How do you know about it? Was it her own savings or some unjust profit?"


    "We¡¯re still checking this. Do you know anything about it?"


    Li Xiang shook his head. "I deceived her, but I didn¡¯t deceive you guys."


    "Okay, I believe in you." Chen Shi slightly smiled in a baiting[1] way. "Right, I want to see the house. The one you rented out."


    "Right now?"


    "It¡¯s best if it¡¯s now!"


    1. You need to let them go before you can catch them.

 Chapter 532: The Origin Of The Money

    <h4>Chapter 532: The Origin Of The Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Before leaving, Chen Shi asked, "Who has the house been rented to? I want to see the rental contract."


    "It''s just a mother who apanied her child as they go to school."


    "Show me the contract."


    "Contract... I don''t know where I¡¯ve put it. I¡¯ll look for it..."


    Li Xiang moved everything around and found a bunch of documents. Chen Shi looked at them one by one, but they all weren¡¯t the contract. Chen Shi asked, "What about the property title?"


    "It¡¯s in Lin Hui''s possession."


    "Can you contact the tenant?"


    "Uh... I¡¯ll try!"


    Li Xiang''s hesitant attitude made Chen Shi suspicious. He dialed a number on his phone. "Sister Li, a police officer wants to confirm with you about your renting the property."


    The other party said, "What police officer? I haven''t done anything while living here."


    "He just wanted to ask some questions. You should talk to him!"


    Li Xiang handed over his phone, and Chen Shi talked to the other party to confirm that she was indeed Li Xiang¡¯s tenant. After hanging up the phone, he said, "Let¡¯s go over and have a look now!"


    "Didn''t you just call them? Why do you still want to go over?"


    "We¡¯ve already agreed prior."


    "Okay, I will take you there..."


    When leaving, Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "This guy is very suspicious."


    Chen Shi nodded. Li Xiang¡¯s little tricks couldn¡¯t get past him. He just said on the phone that there was a ¡°police officer¡± who wanted to confirm the ¡°renting of the property¡±. He seemed to be alerting the other party. Judging from this, the house was the key to everything.


    Two hourster, they went to a newly built housingmunity in the suburbs. Although the facilities here wereplete, the location was a bit far off. Li Xiang exined, "When the real estate was developed, it was said that there would be a subway built here, but they still haven¡¯t started on that project. It¡¯s because it¡¯s too far away that we didn¡¯t use it as our wedding house. It¡¯s not convenient going to work from here.¡±


    "Do you have the key?"


    "Uh, they changed the locks after I rented it out."


    "You actually agreed to that?"


    "This is what they asked for. In order to rent it out, I had no problems with that. It¡¯s not easy to rent out a property in this area."


    "You said that the aunt only rented it to apany her child¡¯s studies, but there seems to be no schools nearby."


    "There is. Two stations from here, there¡¯s a middle school."


    Without a key, they could only stand outside the door. Chen Shi tried to ring the doorbell, but no one answered. Li Xiang exined, "Her son is probably studying by himself and the elder sister probably went out to buy food."


    "Call her back!"


    "This... This doesn¡¯t seem right. This is my family''s business. Why should we drag her into this?"


    Chen Shi sneered. "Okay, you should go back first. We¡¯ll wait for her here.¡±


    Li Xiang was embarrassed. Facing Chen Shi''s grim gaze, he couldn¡¯t do anything but go home first. As soon as he left, Chen Shi took out his unlocking tools and said to Lin Dongxue, "I promise not to touch anything inside."


    "Hurry up. Don''t let anyone see."


    Chen Shi skillfully unlocked the door and pushed into the house. A smell of formaldehyde came out. Unexpectedly, the furniture in this room was all covered with stic cloth. The floor was covered in dust and the toilet in the bathroom was all dry. The bed in the bedroom didn¡¯t have sheets either.


    Chen Shi smiled. "He actually wanted to lie to me. No one lives here!"


    "Okay, go out quickly!"


    After leaving, Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu and asked him to check for the tenant¡¯s information through the real estate bureau. Lin Qiupu said, "You can just ask the local police to check Lieyang''s real estate. Do I have to check it every time?"


    "I don''t know anyone here, so please check it for me!"


    "It''s really troublesome to handle a case in two ces. I''ll call some more people to go over and help you!"


    "That would be great. Can they arrive by tomorrow?"


    "It should be possible... Captain Peng is here and has something to tell you."


    Then, Peng Sijue''s voice came over the phone. He said, "Some paint residues were detected on the banknotes, which is a kind of paint for wood. Pay more attention when investigating the case. If there are samples, you can make aparison.¡±


    "There should be some samples, thanks!"


    After hanging up the phone, Chen Shi returned upstairs. Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t stop him. After going upstairs, he actually went into the apartment again.


    This time, Chen Shi went straight to the bedroom, opened the closet for inspection, and then lifted the headboard of the bed. There was indeed a heavy smell of paint within. He said, "Do you have a knife?"


    "Would scissors work?"


    Chen Shi used Lin Dongxue''s small scissors to scrape off some of the painted wood. Lin Dongxue asked, "Who would put money here?"


    "Who do you think?"


    "Well, triads or corrupt officials."


    "Corrupt officials are more likely. If it was a triad, their means of recovering stolen money would be even crazier and more extreme. If arge amount of cash hidden by corrupt officials is lost, even if it¡¯s found, they wouldn¡¯t dare to speak up."


    "They quietly sent private detectives to find it? But the private detectives actually hurt people with guns?"


    "It¡¯s another person who tried harming her with a gun, but from Lin Hui''s perspective, she thinks that they¡¯re the same group of people chasing after her."


    Although it was only spection, everything seemed like it could be pieced together.


    The next day, Xu Xiaodong and Old Zhang rushed to Lieyang. At the same time, the investigation of several clues bore results. There was indeed a room rented by Lin Hui in Luyi housing district. She only rented it for less than a month, most likely to use it as a hiding ce for the money.


    What''s more interesting is that the husband of this "tenant" was a middle-level cadre of the Urban Construction Bureau. In fact, this house was bought by the wife and the name of Lin Hui was used on the sales contract.


    Li Xiang most likely stole Lin Hui¡¯s name stamp or forged a signature to sell the house under her name. The buyer happened to be a corrupt official. After learning this, Lin Hui was going to visit the other party, but identally found the ill-gotten wealth, so she concealed it.


    For specific details, it may be clearer to ask Li Xiang. Now, it was necessary to call him over for an "interview", but before that, Chen Shi intended to meet his gay friend, Zhang Rui.


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong and Old Zhang to arrest Li Xiang. He and Lin Dongxue went to see Zhang Rui.


    Zhang Rui worked in a small factory that produced auto parts. Thepany only had five or six people and the factory was very noisy. The technicians used the machinery to sand and produce various essories. The sparks scattered around.


    Seeing this working environment, Chen Shi suddenly thought that as long as they had a certain level of knowledge regarding firearms, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to produce privately made pistols here.


    Zhang Rui didn''te to work today. The co-workers said that he was in the dormitory and gave them directions.


    Behind the workshop was a dormitory building. Knocking on Zhang Rui¡¯s door, a dark-skinned and muscr man leaned on the door and asked who they were looking for. Although his skin was dark, his skin remained smooth and he looked manly with the stubble around his mouth.


    Lin Dongxue thought that if people didn''t know that this guy was gay, they would regard him as an ordinary tough man.


    "Are you Zhang Rui?" Chen Shi issued his consultant¡¯s ID.


    Zhang Rui took it and opened it. "Consultant? Do consultants count as police?"


    "I don''t count as one, but she does!" Chen Shi pointed to Lin Dongxue. His gaze went past Zhang Rui''s shoulders. There were many simtion pistols that could be seen inside the house.

 Chapter 533: The Death Of Li Xiang

    <h4>Chapter 533: The Death Of Li Xiang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "Can wee in?"


    Zhang Rui stepped aside from the door. "It''s messy. I hope you don''t mind."


    The room wasn¡¯t big. The most conspicuous part of the house was a worktable, on which some small parts and scraps were ced. The cab next to it had tank models and simtion guns, some of which were welded out with iron tes.


    Noting his gaze, Zhang Rui exined, "I usually like to y with little things like this."


    "Have you ever made a real gun?"


    "Real gun?" Zhang Rui leaned on the table and lit a cigarette. His two thick eyebrows were scrunched together. "The principle of a real gun is very simple, but the bullets are more difficult to make than the gun, so the average person builds a gun that uses steel bullets. It¡¯s called Dujuezi. Of course, only ruffians would make those. I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen, so it¡¯s impossible for me to make a real gun. What did youe here to find me for?"


    "What is your rtionship with Li Xiang?"


    "Gay friends!" Zhang Rui paused. "Literally."


    "So a same-sex couple."


    "That doesn¡¯t break thew, right officer?" Zhang Ruiughed happily. Since the two of them came in, he had been staring at Chen Shi without looking at Lin Dongxue, which gave Lin Dongxue a feeling of being treated differently.


    "It¡¯s just an ordinary affair, so it can only be said to be immoral.¡±


    ¡°When we met, I didn''t know that he was married. He removed his wedding ring every time he went to the bar. He waited until we¡¯d had sex before he told me he was married. His marriage was aplete mess and he was living separately from his wife. I advised him to get a divorce, but he really wanted to keep his face, so he just dragged it out."


    "Do you know that Lin Hui has a huge sum of money on her?" Chen Shi observed his expression.


    "I don''t. What huge sum of money?" Zhang Rui scratched his nose, clearly reacting nervously.


    "Do you have a gray windbreaker?¡±


    Zhang Rui suddenly got nervous. "Yes... But, it''s impossible to wear a windbreaker in this season. Wouldn¡¯t I be taken for a madman if I wore it around the streets?¡±


    Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang. She went outside to take it. Xu Xiaodong told her a shocking piece of news: Li Xiang died.


    Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi outside. "Li Xiang was killed near the housing district. The forensic pathologist said the time of death wasst night, and then..." She nced into the room. "The cause of death was a gunshot wound!"


    "Surely it wouldn¡¯t be so coincidental!" Chen Shi was also very surprised.


    Back in the house, the two''s expressions obviously changed. Chen Shi asked, "There¡¯s another question. Where were youst night?"


    "At home."


    "Who can prove it?"


    "No one can prove it. What''s wrong? You¡¯re suddenly so serious..." Zhang Rui tried to smile.


    "What were you doing at home?"


    "Watching a movie!"


    "Online?"


    "Correct!"


    "Let me see the browsing history."


    Zhang Rui turned on theputer helplessly and showed him the history. He had been watching a series, and he watched it from 7:00PM till 10:00PM. However, Chen Shi wasn¡¯t convinced with this since it could be forged simply by ying it on theputer.¡±


    To test his reaction, Chen Shi threw down a bombshell. "Li Xiang is dead."


    "What?!" Zhang Rui was shocked. "Who did it?"


    "Why didn''t you go to work today?"


    "Are you suspecting me?" Zhang Rui''s reaction seemed very real, which made Chen Shi a little uncertain. "I¡¯m working in a flexible working system. I¡¯ve got very little work over thesest few days, so I decided to stay at home. This is very normal. You can ask around."


    "You should stille with us!"


    "Are you guys crazy? Li Xiang is dead and you¡¯re suspecting me? Why would I kill him? If it was Lin...¡±


    "What?!"


    Zhang Rui stopped talking. "I see. It''s the slut who¡¯s framing me. Where is she now? Was she the one who reported the case?¡±


    "Come with us!"


    In the face of Chen Shi''s tough attitude, Zhang Rui could only obey. After taking him away, Chen Shi searched his apartment and took a few photos.


    At 10:00 in the morning, Zhang Rui was taken to the bureau. He was shouting in the interrogation room, "I didn''t kill anyone! You caught the wrong person!"


    Chen Shi was looking at the autopsy report outside. The bullet had been dug out. It was a steel bullet. Although it wasn¡¯tpared, it was very simr to the one found in the Luyi housingmunity. It may have been shot from the same homemade pistol.


    Thest person Li Xiang contacted on his mobile phone was Zhang Rui. Based on the time, Li Xiang was killed on the way back after apanying Chen Shi out.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Why would Zhang Rui kill him?"


    "If we have to talk about motivation, I think it should be for money. Zhang Rui may think that Li Xiang has already gotten the money, or it would be to seal his lips." The incident happened suddenly and Chen Shi was also a little confused.


    "When we were downstairs, I noticed that Zhang Rui''s car is really simr to yours." Lin Dongxue said, "I may know how Lin Hui disappeared. Lin Hui should have met Zhang Rui that night. He hurt her, and then she saw your car on the motorway. Thinking that Zhang Rui was chasing after her, she abandoned the car in a hurry to escape. "


    "I think so too."


    "From this, I actually have a new spection. Zhang Rui had already killed Lin Hui, but the money wasn¡¯t recovered. In order not to be suspected, he killed Li Xiang."


    "It still feels a little too sudden."


    "People will do extreme things at the critical moment."


    "Let¡¯s go and meet him!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the interrogation room. Zhang Rui had shouted so much that he was about to go mute. He knocked on the interrogation chair. "I really didn''t kill anyone!"


    "Let''s put aside the matter of whether you killed anyone or not. I have other questions to ask. You''d better be honest." Chen Shi warned.


    "I didn''t kill anyone..." Zhang Rui whispered.


    "Do you know anything about the 10 million yuan?"


    "Know... I know." He said dejectedly.


    "How did you find out?"


    "Li Xiang told me that he sold the house behind his wife¡¯s back. After Lin Hui found out, she went to find someone to change the lock. It should have been then that she discovered it. The woman took it quietly after she found it and didn¡¯t go home after that. The person who lost the money found Li Xiang and tried to sound out the situation without asking about it directly. Li Xiangter found out that the man was a corrupt and greedy official. He guessed that he might¡¯ve lost a lot of money..."


    "Then?"


    Zhang Rui''s lips quivered. "We nned to take the money!"


    "What guts."


    "Because the money was taken by Lin Hui, the other party was also looking for Lin Hui. If we took it from her, the person who lost the money would only target her. But... But the n was to keep it confidential and not let Lin Hui nor the other party know. That way, Lin Hui would think that the money was taken away by the other party, while the other party would think the money was still in her hands. We would gain 10 million easily and not have to worry about anything for the rest of our lives.¡±


    "For example, by making Lin Hui go ''missing''?"


    Zhang Rui weighed the pros and cons in his heart. "Yes, we were nning to make Lin Hui die. Li Xiang couldn¡¯t do it. This was up to me because outsiders didn¡¯t know our rtionship. Li Xiang promised to halve the money with me before running away to spend our days together. But we were only nning it and didn¡¯t implement it. I swear it was never implemented. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be here right now!"


    "So, how far did the n progress to?"

 Chapter 534: Zhang Rui’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 534: Zhang Rui''s Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When Zhang Rui said "make Lin Hui die" so easily, Lin Dongxue thought that a huge sum of 10 million yuan would indeed make people want to take such risks.


    Zhang Rui was silent. Chen Shi mmed the table and repeated the question once more.


    He spoke slowly, "I followed Lin Hui to find out who her little lover was."


    "You followed her on September 10th?"


    "Yes, I saw her carrying the bag that day and walked into the bank. Strangely, she never came out of the bank. I suspected that I had been fooled and went back to her little lover¡¯s ce, but found that nobody was there. It was then that I realized that she may have lured me away!"


    There was a discrepancy with Lu Hao''s testimony here. Chen Shi was thinking that Zhang Rui was more likely to lie between the two of them.


    He continued to ask, "After that, did you continue to chase after Lin Hui?"


    "I''m not like you police who are so omnipresent. When I lost her, I went to find Li Xiang. I told him that I lost her and the money might be gone. We were depressed and drank all night. Iforted Li Xiang. It might be a good thing that the woman disappeared. After two years, we could pretend that she was dead and the two houses would belong to him. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a loss.¡±


    "Youforted Li Xiang?" Chen Shi sneered. " Li Xiang would get the benefit, but you would get nothing."


    Zhang Rui became agitated. "I did think of killing people and grabbing the money, but I couldn''t afford the consequences. Even if I had the money, I wouldn¡¯t have the life to enjoy it. I''m not that kind of reckless person! Of course, I¡¯m sad that I lost the money, but I didn''t kill anyone!"


    "Another question. When you followed Lin Hui, did you notice that other people were also following her?"


    "It seems like there were. I guess it would be the private investigators that the corrupt official hired. There were many of them. There was only me, so I knew about them, but they didn¡¯t know about me.¡±


    "Did you go to the Luyi housing district on September 10th?"


    "What Luyi housing district? I haven''t been!"


    "How do you exin this?" Chen Shi showed him a screen taken from the surveince footage.


    Zhang Rui''s eyes widened. "That''s not me. I really haven''t been there. I haven¡¯t worn that windbreaker sincest winter. How could it be possible to wear a windbreaker in this weather?"


    "We will find more evidence to make you talk."


    "Hey, I didn''t kill anyone. I didn¡¯t kill anybody!" Zhang Rui said loudly.


    The interrogation was suspended. Chen Shi asked Old Zhang to bring back the evidence rted to the case. Chen Shi looked unhappy, so Lin Dongxue asked him what was wrong. Chen Shi answered, "I feel like there¡¯s a problem somewhere!"


    "It¡¯s not the first time where the suspect didn¡¯t confess the truth. I believe that evidence will be found to pry open his mouth."


    The location where Li Xiang was killed didn¡¯t have security cameras. After that, the police went to search Zhang Rui¡¯s residence, found some gun blueprints, the windbreaker, and found a bottle in the most hidden corner of the drawer. After identification, it was found to be cyanide.


    The corrupt official had already been handed over to the Discipline Inspection Commission, but the man was very tight-lipped. He didn¡¯t admit that he was hiding 10 million in cash. He said that buying a house was just ordinary investment behavior.


    In the evening, Old Zhang came back and brought an important clue with him. A hair of Zhang Rui¡¯s was found in Lin Hui''s car, which showed that Zhang Rui was lying. He had close contact with Lin Hui before she disappeared.


    Everyone went to a hot pot restaurant for dinner. At the dinner table, Chen Shi seemed much quieter than usual. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong happily ate mutton. Seeing that Chen Shi was silent, Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t think about it anymore. This case is closed now."


    Old Zhang raised his beer ss. "Little Chen, the work is over, but you¡¯re still thinking about it?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "This case has been taken over by Lieyang. It counts as us doing them a favor. We should head back tomorrow!¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve already booked my ticket. Come and have a drink!"


    Back at the hotel in the evening, Chen Shi said that he wanted to go and take a walk around. He went to a ce where nobody was around and pulled out a Zhonghua from his wallet. He felt that he needed a little nicotine to activate his brain cells. But after all, he promised Lin Dongxue and didn''t want to break the oath.


    Chen Shi was holding the cigarette and lighter in his hands. The lighter went back and forth towards the cigarette. He couldn¡¯t do it. A hotel guest next to him saw it and joked, "Elder brother, are you practicing trombone there?"


    Chen Shi ignored him. He stared at the little stick for a long time. He suddenly thought of something and immediately returned to the room.


    Lin Dongxue had just taken a shower and was lying in bed, watching TV. She was finally able to rest after rushing around for thest couple of days. She felt particrlyfortable and content. Seeing him rush in like that, she was startled. "Didn¡¯t you say that you were going out to buy a drink?"


    Chen Shi raised the cigarette in his hand. "This is the one I stole from the cigarette box that Old Zhang set on the table when we were just eating."


    "What?!" Lin Dongxue smiled. "Why did you do such a thing?"


    "The point is that he didn''t find out... I mean, his cigarette case was almost full at the time and he didn''t notice one going missing."


    "So?" Lin Dongxue looked at his serious expression as if there was something important he had to say.


    "The corrupt officials didn¡¯t admit to that money and Li Xiang onlyter learned that there was arge amount of money. So only Lin Hui knows how much money there really was. It may be 10 million, or maybe 11 million."


    "You mean, Lin Hui took some of it?... Didn''t we say not to think about it anymore? Why are you still thinking about it?¡±


    "Because there¡¯s an unreasonable point in this case. ording to the current timeline, Lin Hui went to withdraw money at 6:00. When meeting Zhang Rui, Lin Hui ran away. Lin Hui got in the car at 7:00. She mysteriously disappeared at 8:00 on the highway... How did Lin Hui get hurt? And how could Zhang Rui''s hair appear in the car?"


    "The reasonable guess is that between 7:00 and 8:00, Lin Hui met Zhang Rui."


    "Zhang Rui had a gun in his possession. If he had entered the car, could Lin Hui actually survive? That would be a bit unbelievable.¡±


    Lin Dongxue crossed her arms in thought. "He may not have necessarily entered the car. For example, when Lin Hui parked, he reached into the window and shot Lin Hui, but she wasn¡¯t dead."


    "If he left his hair in the car, he must have at least put his head into the car. Isn¡¯t that kind of movement a bit strange if you think about it?¡±


    "Well, maybe the hair on his sleeves fell into the car."


    "There was a dog in the passenger seat. You¡¯ve seen that dog. It''s huge!"


    "Perhaps he reached in from the window of the main driver¡¯s seat.¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Shooting at such a short distance, Lin Hui''s chances of survival would be slim... And our assumptions are all based on a metaphysical basis. Lin Hui didn¡¯t resist and the dog didn¡¯t bark. The people around weren¡¯t aware. Lin Hui had a huge amount of money hidden in the car, so she would try her best to get rid of Zhang Rui who was tracking her. She wouldn¡¯t let him get close to her. That would be the closest to reality.¡±


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "A lot of details can¡¯t be exined unless you¡¯re one of the parties involved. I think we¡¯ll find out when Zhang Rui talks."


    "Or if we find Lin Hui!"


    "Aiya, why aren¡¯t you taking a shower yet? I need to go to sleep. I''m exhausted today." Lin Dongxue urged.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll do the ¡®serious thing¡¯ first."

 Chapter 535: New Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 535: New Reasoning</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An hourter, Chen Shi was sitting up on the bed holding a mobile phone and watching a video. Lin Dongxue leaned her head over. "What are you watching? Isn¡¯t that the surveince footage?"


    "Yeah, I want to see if there are any suspicious points."


    "I find that you¡¯re a workaholic just like Captain Peng. Don''t you feel tired?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "Things I don''t understand will cause me to feel ufortable."


    "Well, I won¡¯t bother you then... Sleep! Sleep!" Lin Dongxuey down wrapped in the nket.


    Waking up the next morning, Lin Dongxue found that Chen Shi was still watching the surveince video in that posture. She asked, "You didn¡¯t watch that for the whole night, right?"


    "No, I fell asleep in the middle of it and got up early... I had a dream. I dreamed that there was another possibility for this case. Lin Hui was the murderer."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Isn¡¯t that too exaggerated?"


    "No, dreaming is also a way to integrate information. There are no realistic logical constraints in dreams and bold ideas oftene up. Many scientists are inspired by dreams."


    Lin Dongxue changed her posture and looked at Chen Shi with her hand on her cheek. "ording to your bold guess, what does the whole case look like?"


    Chen Shi put down his mobile phone. "One of Lu Hao''s and Zhang Rui''s statements are different. Lu Hao said that those wigs and women''s clothes were worn when he was depositing money. However, ording to Zhang Rui, Lu Hao wore these clothes to pretend to be Lin Hui and draw him away."


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "Actually, I was a bit skeptical about this at the time. Lu Hao pretended to be Lin Hui and took the fake money to lead the people tracking her away. Lin Hui then took the real money to leave. This is the safest n.


    "Assuming that Zhang Rui''s words were true, then Lu Hao was lying. At that time, Zhang Rui was sessfully led away. Lin Hui took the real money away and an ident happened on the way out. That is, my appearance. I drove the exact same car as Zhang Rui. Lin Hui thought Zhang Rui was chasing after her so she left the car and money and pretended to disappear."


    "But is she willing to lose 10 million?"


    "One possibility is that she had already left a part of it for herself. She gave up on therge sum but left a small amount for herself. This small amount would still be a huge sum for an ordinary person. Another possibility is that her motive was not money at all. We always assumed that everyone was fighting for the ten million but ignored all other possibilities."


    "What other possibility?"


    "Revenge!"


    "Lin Hui''s revenge on her husband?"


    "Think about it. If you were in her shoes, what would be your mood?¡±


    "Uh..." Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi. "I loved you very much. If one day I found out you were gay, I might be extremely shocked! But would I kill you over it? I don¡¯t think I could do it."


    "Betrayal is not the whole of motivation, but it may be one of the catalysts. The increasingly intensified contradictions, the problem of property division, and her ruined youth."


    "Okay, let''s assume she has this motive!"


    "Assuming she has this motive, the hair in the car was naturally prepared in advance. The purpose was to frame him."


    "Wait, she saw your car and thought that Zhang Rui was chasing after her. Does she still need to frame him?"


    "I said it was unnned. ording to her original script, there should be another method she would use to frame him. We won¡¯t analyze this right now. From the perspective of Lin Hui when she went missing, she thought that Zhang Rui was the one who was following her. Therefore to her, it¡¯s likely that the money was now in Zhang Rui¡¯s hands. If shemitted the murder during this time, it would solidify Zhang Rui¡¯s motive in killing for wealth.¡±


    "Killing two birds with one stone. She had her revenge on both people at the same time? What about the gun wielding man in gray?"


    "That was self-produced and directed. She knew that Zhang Rui liked model guns and was engaged in a job creating auto parts. The police would think that Zhang Rui made a gun himself and used it to kill people. However, poison was found in Zhang Rui''s apartment. This indicates that his original murder n was to poison her, which is more subtle than shooting. Why did he give up the most insured n and openly wound her with a gun in the housing district? That would be illogical.¡±


    Lin Dongxue leaned against Chen Shi and pondered for a long time before saying, "It seems to make sense, but..."


    "I know. Lin Hui hasn''t been found yet, so everything isn¡¯t tenable yet!" Chen Shi changed to a morefortable position. "Right, I watched a videost night and found a truck staying at the gas station for a few minutes. If Lin Hui crawled into the truck, she could disappear perfectly from the security cameras."


    "Really?"


    Chen Shi rewound it to that section and showed Lin Dongxue that the rear of the heavy truck was indeed a blind spot for the security cameras. The direction it was travelling towards was that of Lieyang.


    "Let¡¯s investigate!"


    "Then we¡¯re not going home today?"


    "Change the ticket."


    "I really don¡¯t know what to do with you!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    Xu Xiaodong was surprised to hear that the two weren¡¯t leaving again, but if Chen Shi didn¡¯t solve the case thoroughly, he wouldn¡¯t let it go. He could only follow along.


    Zhang Rui was still undergoing rounds of interrogation today. The two went through the traffic control bureau¡¯s surveince footage to check the truck. From footage to footage, they saw a woman crawling out from behind the truck at a certain intersection in Lieyang and walking towards the sidewalk.


    Although the pictures were blurry, they could faintly discern that it was Lin Hui. From the movement of her walking, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t injured at all.


    Lin Dongxue was very excited. "Old Chen, you guessed it right! She really disappeared in this way... Then, she¡¯s now in Lieyang City."


    "Think who she would go to."


    "Lu Hao?"


    "It is possible, but not necessarily the case. She will probably remain ¡®missing¡¯ during this time."


    "But she must have a ce to live and eat."


    "I think she would have prepared a hiding ce in advance!"


    In the afternoon, the two went to the local public security bureau to investigate Lin Hui¡¯s ID card. However, Lin Hui had never used her ID card recently, and several bank cards under her name weren¡¯t touched as well. She was really very cautious.


    A small detail was found during the investigation. Lin Hui''s bank card had arge amount of money withdrawn shortly before her disappearance. The destination was unknown. She should have transferred the savings in advance for use when she went in hiding.


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that the only breakthrough point is Lu Hao."


    Lin Dongxue said, "We don''t have any evidence right now. This isn¡¯t our home court. We don¡¯t have the power to forcefully summon him.¡±


    "Lu Hao can only be investigated in all directions."


    Through the police in Lieyang City, the two of them carefully investigated Lu Hao and found that the kid was hiding his secrets deep. Nothing was exposed.


    However, it was interesting to find that Lu Hao worked in a mechanical processing nt for two years before bing a barber. Lu Hao was capable or had connections in making homemade pistols.


    In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. The two have been staying in Lieyang for almost a week, and the case was in a stalled state. Lin Qiupu phoned them every day to urge them to return, as there were still a lot of things waiting for them to be done.


    On the afternoon of September 16th, Lin Dongxue sighed at the pile of materials on the table while holding her head. "It seems that this case can''t progress on. Lin Hui will never show up now. As long as she¡¯s in the ¡®missing¡¯ state, Zhang Rui will be greatly suspected.¡±


    "Are you going to stay in Lieyang forever?" A voice came and the two turned around. They said in shock, "Captain Peng?"

 Chapter 536: Things Have Taken A New Turn

    <h4>Chapter 536: Things Have Taken A New Turn</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue was carrying a toolbox with him. It seemed that he had just gotten off the train after a long journey. Chen Shi was overjoyed and stood up to greet him. "Did youe here by yourself or did Captain Lin send you?"


    "A bit of both!" Peng Sijue put down the box and took out a few documents. "I brought you guys something."


    It was a co-investigation document signed by the Provincial Departments. Based on this, the police in Lieyang City could be mobilized. Chen Shi smiled. "Aiya, we¡¯ve been sent the sword of state[1]."


    "Captain Lin said that the way you two were investigating was very inefficient. He asked our superiors to get more resources for you.¡±


    "Let''s go and arrest Lu Hao right now to interrogate him," Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi looked at Peng Sijue''s box thoughtfully and asked, "Is the wood paint found on the money the same as the sample I gave you?"


    "It¡¯s the same."


    "Well, then I have a bold idea."


    They knew the bank Lu Hao entered on September 10th. Chen Shi¡¯s idea was to take out the money from the bank and test it. If the Public Security Bureau hadn¡¯te forward for this matter, it would have been impossible for the bank to cooperate. It also required a lot of manpower.


    Throughout the afternoon, the Public Security Bureau called all the appraisers over and checked the recently deposited banknotes one by one with a formaldehyde detection instrument. They finally found several banknotes containing wood paint.


    Through the records of the ATM machine, they found a few bank cards. The cards were obviously registered to other people¡¯s names, but these cards had two million sessively being deposited on the 8th and 9th.


    Seeing this result, Chen Shi was very pleased. His spection was correct. Some of the money had already been transferred over before Lin Hui disappeared.


    At 9:00 in the evening, Lu Hao sat in the interrogation room again. He looked nk. "Did you not catch the criminal already? Why did you bring me here again?!"


    Chen Shi put a few bank cards on the table. "Are these cards yours?"


    "No..."


    "They were found in your house. The deposits were also checked. There¡¯s over two million in them. Where did you get the money from?"


    Lu Hao was silent, but his eyes were in a panic.


    "The money was given to you by Lin Hui as an aplice."


    "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about at all!"


    While summoning Lu Hao, the police conducted a thorough search of his house. He handled the fake identities for these cards and did other things. Chen Shi picked up a printed online shopping record. "From one of the fake identities used, you bought a long windbreaker on the 5th. How do you exin this?"


    Lu Hao''s eyes widened.


    "In the evening of September 10th, there was a man in the same windbreaker with a gun in the Luyi housingmunity trying to harm someone. Where were you then?"


    "At my friend''s house!"


    "Is there any evidence of that?"


    "I..."


    "Lu Hao, don''t struggle anymore. Since this evidence is here, you can''t keep your money. You should think about how to keep your future. It''s not you whomitted murder. Whether you choose to make a meritorious deed or be a criminal, it depends on your own attitude."


    Lu Hao panicked, biting his lip as if fighting himself psychologically.


    Time ticked by and Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi waited patiently. Soon, ten minutes passed. Chen Shi said, "Okay, if you don¡¯t want to talk, then we¡¯ll investigate ourselves. Did you both really think that this matter wouldn¡¯t get exposed and that it would escape the police¡¯s attention?¡±


    As the two stood up and were about to leave, Lu Hao suddenly cried out, "Waaah, I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! All this was nned by that woman! It had nothing to do with me!"


    He trembled and began to confess. In fact, on the 5th of the month, he had already seen this huge sum of money in the Luyi housing district. There was a total of 13 million. He had never seen so much cash in his life, so Lu Hao was dumbfounded. He thought that he wouldn''t have to struggle for the rest of his life.


    However, Lin Hui told him that the money was from a corrupt official. Although the other party wouldn¡¯t dare to speak up when he lost the money, he wouldn¡¯t easily give it up.


    At the same time, Li Xiang and Zhang Rui, who knew about the existence of the money, were actively looking for it. During those days, Lin Hui was constantly worried. She was always worried about being killed by a gun just walking out on the streets.


    Lin Hui prepared two sets of ns. It would be best if she could take the money, but if things were revealed, she would only take a part of it.


    So, Lu Hao prepared over 20 cards and deposited the money in batches. Some of these cards were in Lin Hui¡¯s possession and some were in his.


    Lin Hui asked Lu Hao to prepare two other things. One was a long gray windbreaker and the other was a self-made pistol. Lu Hao asked where he¡¯d get the gun. Lin Hui told him to figure it out, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t get a share of the money.


    Lu Hao got something from his friend called a pen pistol. It was shaped like a pen, but it could fire steel balls.


    In the evening on the 10th, Lin Hui and Lu Hao went to the Luyi Community. Lu Hao wore a windbreaker, held a pen pistol, andy in ambush in the dark. When Lin Hui took the money down, Lu Hao rushed to "attack" her and smashed the ss of the shop beside them using the pen pistol. He waited for the security guard to be rmed, and then quietly left themunity.


    At that time, he didn¡¯t understand the reason for doing this.


    Then, they returned to their temporary residence. Lu Hao pretended to be a woman and walked away with fake money first to lead possible tracers away. Then, Lin Hui took the real money downstairs and drove to Long¡¯an to hide the money there.


    Along the way, Lu Hao did feel that someone was following him from behind. He was worried and did ap in the bank before changing back to his original outfit. It seemed that no one followed him afterwards, so he hurried home.


    He waited for Lin Hui¡¯s news for a full night. Lin Hui used another mobile phone to tell him that the money was taken by Zhang Rui, but she had just implemented the next part of the n. She told Lu Hao to be careful and to tell the police their pre-prepared rhetoric if they came to find him.


    Chen Shi interrupted him. "Is that what you told us before?"


    Lu Hao lowered his head. "Yes, we rehearsed it many times."


    "What about that pen pistol?"


    "Thest time we met, she took it with her."


    "Go on!"


    He went on to say that in fact, these past few days, Lu Hao had been wondering if Lin Hui was lying to him and taking the money for herself. But when he thought about it, he had made two million all of a sudden, which is an amount he should be content with. It was enough to buy a house and not work for a few years.


    After the situation passed, he could take the money out and enjoy it. At this time, he heard that Li Xiang was killed and guessed that it might have been done by Lin Hui. Then, he realized that she was nning to me Zhang Rui.


    Lin Hui also mentioned before that the two men actually nned to kill her, so it seemed like she took action first.


    Lu Hao never dreamed that the police would eventually see through their ns.


    "So where is Lin Hui right now?" Chen Shi said.


    "Luyi housing district."


    "We¡¯ve been there many times."


    "She rented another basement there..."


    "Ha, actually hiding right under our noses!"


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_state

 Chapter 537: Wife Of A Gay Man’s Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 537: Wife Of A Gay Man¡¯s Revenge</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Hui''s arrest went unexpectedly smoothly. When she saw the police rushing in, she barely resisted.


    At 10:00 in the evening, Lin Hui was sitting in the interrogation room. Peng Sijue took an evidence bag to find Chen Shi. The bag contained a chip-like item. He asked, "What is this?"


    "It was found on the cell phone of the deceased Li Xiang. It seems like it¡¯s a listening device."


    Chen Shi took it in his hand and seemed like he thought of something. Then, he said to Lin Dongxue, "Let¡¯s go. Let''s put an end to this case."


    The two went into the interrogation room. Chen Shi said, "This may seem like the first time we¡¯ve met, but actually it¡¯s the second time we¡¯ve met."


    Lin Hui said coldly, "I''ve never seen you before."


    "Several cards were found in the basement you rented in addition to some cash which the forensic technicians have identified. The cash was the money lost by the corrupt official."


    Lin Hui''s eyes widened as she looked at Chen Shi in disbelief.


    "I¡¯ll exin to you how we were able to test that it was the same batch of money. That money was hidden under a bed that had just been painted. The windows to the house were never opened for venttion, so the money was covered in formaldehyde. Couldn¡¯t you smell it when you used them?"


    Lin Hui did not speak.


    "Or you did, but didn''t expect it to be a breakthrough point in the case?"


    "I took the money," she admitted.


    "Youmitted murder too, right?"


    "I just took the money. What murder? I don''t understand what you¡¯re talking about!"


    "Well okay. In fact, the clues we¡¯ve uncovered are enough to piece together the entirety of the whole case. Let me talk about it a little!" Chen Shi picked up the ss of water and drank from it. "On the 10th, you asked Lu Hao to pretend to be Zhang Rui to wield a weapon with the intention of causing harm at the Luyi housing district. The intention was to be caught on camera so as toy a foundation for what happened afterwards. Then, you asked Lu Hao to lead the people following you away while you ran away with the remaining 10 million. If the people caught up to you, you would abandon the car decisively. If no one found you, you would transfer the money over to Long''an. As a result, you found that Zhang Rui had followed you and immediately pretended to go missing. The car had the blood you nted as well as a hair of his that you found somehow. I suspect that it was from your own home. You¡¯ve been monitoring this same-sex couple for quite some time, and from the conversation between the two of them, you heard Zhang Rui telling Li Xiang that he didn¡¯t get the money. You thought that the fish had taken the bait, so you killed Li Xiang. When the police found out that Zhang Rui was hiding a huge sum of money, he would naturally be guilty of murdering for wealth."


    Lin Hui''s eyes widened.


    Chen Shi continued, "But why did we continue to investigate when Zhang Rui had already been arrested? It¡¯s because the whole thing has a major w. The car you saw that night was not Zhang Rui¡¯s, but someone else¡¯s. Their cars were the same. So, Zhang Rui doesn¡¯t have money in his hands and his motive for killing is untenable."


    ¡°Someone else¡¯s? Who was it...?"


    Chen Shi pointed to himself. "It was me! I was going back home to visit my parents and prepared to return to Long''an. It was already gettingte. You saw my car and thought I was Zhang Rui, so you abandoned your empty car and the money. Right now, the car and the money are all in the police¡¯s possession!¡±


    "Impossible!"


    "The reality is like this. ns will never catch up with the variables. Miss Lin, you left us with a big problem, which caused me to not be able to sleep for nights. But now, the mystery has been solved."


    Lin Hui lowered her head and looked panicked.


    "Why did you kill your husband?"


    Lin Hui didn¡¯t answer.


    Chen Shi stood up. "Was it because of the lying, cheating, or betrayal?"


    The phone suddenly rang at this time. After answering, Lin Dongxue said, "Lin Hui, we found the pen pistol used as the murder weapon in your residence. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to exin?"


    Lin Hui''s eyes widened and tears gushed out from the corners of her eyes. "I was just defending myself. Those two shameless men actually nned to kill me!"


    There was silence in the air for a minute. Lin Hui spoke slowly, "I hadn¡¯t dated a single time before my marriage. I met Li Xiang through a blind date. He was funny, talkative, and tidy. He attracted me at once. We got married soon after, but after the marriage, the atmosphere in the house changed all of a sudden. He was often angry with me and fell asleep on the sofa alone without letting me touch him. I didn¡¯t know what had happened between us. To outsiders, we were a very good pair. I could only suppress my tears.¡±


    "One day, I found him kissing a man. My world fell apart. We quarreled and broke everything in the house. He was actually very straightforward and said he was forced to do this by society and the environment. If he hadn¡¯t, he¡¯d have been ridiculed. Then, we fell into a state of cold war. I didn¡¯t go home for a long period of time using work as an excuse. I would feel sick when I saw him. I waspletely like a widow in those years. Every day was torture. I cried silently at night, but he was very happy in Lieyang alone. I finally summoned the courage to propose a divorce, but do you know what he said? He asked me to give him a child. The child would go to him and I could go wherever I wanted after. He said that although he was gay, he wanted to be a father. If he got married and didn¡¯t have children, he¡¯d getughed at in the future... I wondered what right he had. What right did he have to torture me because of the discrimination he may face? He ruined my life. Did I owe it to him?¡±


    "Looking at his ugly face, I really wanted to kill him, but I restrained myself countless times. I couldn''t ruin my life for a scumbag. I wanted him to really pay off his debts! I even thought that I should buy a gun and kill all these gay guys who scam women into marriages. But of course, I didn¡¯t take such an action. So, I installed an eavesdropping device in his mobile phone and collected evidence so that he wouldn¡¯t get anything when we divorced. At that time, this shameless guy continued to show his shamelessness. He actually sold the other house without my knowledge. I went crazy after finding out. I went there and changed the locks. This was when I discovered something unexpected. There was an enormous amount of cash hidden by the bed in that house.¡±


    "When I saw the money, I thought it was thepensation that God had given me. I epted it without going through much mental struggles. Anyway, it was him who sold the house. The other party would only find him. Facts proved that I was too na?ve. The person hiding the money was a corrupt official. After finding out that the money was lost, he went to find Li Xiang several times. Li Xiang said that the money must have been taken by me. Soon, private detectives began to appear around me to monitor my every move, which made me very scared.¡±


    "Despite being my husband, do you know what he did at this time? He and his lover spent a spring day together, and actually nned to get rid of me to take the money. The two discussed this very seriously. What was even more intolerable was him saying ¡®that bitch¡¯, ¡®that scheming bitch¡¯, and the like. He never even mentioned my name once, as if I was the sole responsibility for his life bing like this. Officer, if it were you, would you be able to bear it? My husband is a selfish, indifferent, and ruthless person. This has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. He¡¯s essentially scum. From that moment on, I intended to make that scum die!¡±


    "The reason I wanted to take the dog away that day was because the dog was raised by him, and I didn¡¯t want him to live well. The n I originally prepared was to throw the car away in the wild, fake being kidnapped and kill the dog with the "gun". As for the money, I nned to burn it all without even leaving ashes behind. As long as the money didn¡¯t exist, it meant it could belong to anyone! However, there was an ident. I saw Zhang Rui chasing after me with his car and even beckoning to me. I was in a panic. When he parked the car at the gas station, I cut my own hand and dripped the blood in the car. Then, I ced one of his hairs in the car, left the keys behind, and left... Zhang Rui isn¡¯t a good person either. He helped a married man n to kill his own wife. Would he be a good person? I figured that he¡¯d definitely take the money away.¡±


    "It''s exactly as I expected. Later, over the phone, Zhang Rui said that he didn''t find me at all. I guessed that he hid the money. That''s not money. It''s a ck pot[1] that could never be thrown away... Of course, I never thought that the truth would be like that. They¡¯re very lucky. If you hadn¡¯t figured out my n, that pair of scumbags would have gotten their retribution!¡±


    After listening to her story, Lin Dongxue was infected by the kind of pain that stung deep into the bone marrow. The sorrow of being the wife of a gay man could never be understood unless you were the party involved.


    Chen Shi said, "Li Xiang has already received retribution. There¡¯s not a lot that would be considered greater punishment than death.¡±


    Lin Hui raised her tearful eyes and smiled. "When he was about to be killed, he was shocked and desperately apologized. I know what price I will pay, and every day in prison I will relive that moment of revenge."


    After a long silence in the interrogation room, Chen Shi said, "Since you already have the consciousness to pay the price, then we have nothing more to say. As outsiders, we can''t feel the pain you suffered. In short, Miss Lin, good luck!"


    "Thank you..." Lin Hui looked directly at Chen Shi. "Will that child go to jail?"


    "Who? Lu Hao?"


    "Without him, I really wouldn¡¯t have known how to live back then. I know this kid iszy and stupid, but he listened to me andforted me seriously. He was just helping me."


    "Lu Hao shouldn¡¯t go to jail, but of course, he can''t get the money."


    "I understand. After all, that wasn''t our money. It¡¯s for the best. For the best..." Lin Hui murmured with tears rolling down her eyes.


    The case finally came to an end, and Chen Shi was finally relieved to go back to Long''an City.


    In the follow-up investigation, the police found a diary written by Lin Hui. It was filled with helpless pain between the lines, which was really heartbreaking to read.


    A part of this diary waster published in the newspaper and caused a heated discussion. When they saw the report, Long¡¯an had already fallen into autumn. Lin Dongxue said emotionally, "Pitiful woman!"


    1. Mess.

 Chapter 538: Apologize

    <h4>Chapter 538: Apologize</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 35: Dead Japanese[1]


    The film and television studio on the outskirts of Long''an was originally a small town. It had been converted into a film and television shooting base ten years ago, and it had already developed to a sizable scale by now.


    On the evening of September 17th, several featured extras were celebrating the end of the filming of the new drama in a farmhouse restaurant. There were dozens of dishes on the table and the food was cheap, albeit not of great quality. Everyone was drinking and discussing the funny things that had happened during the filming process as well as gossipping.


    "I heard that the second female lead had been signed to do the next drama by the director."


    "Really? Her acting seems average. Did she get the part using the unwritten route[2]?"


    "You¡¯d know, even if you didn¡¯t think too deeply about it! I think that this woman would definitely be a star within three years with her speed of climbing into beds.¡±


    "Haha, you want to sleep with the director too? Do you fulfil the requirements?"


    After lots of drinking, the topic of conversation gradually revealed a sour taste[3]. The featured extras were just a step above ordinary extras. Their ie wasparable to that of the average office worker and their schedule was flexible. However, when they thought of the people making over a million yuan in the same industry and enjoying fame, their hearts would always be unbnced.


    When everyone had arrived here carrying their luggage, they had all dreamed of bing Wang Baoqiang. [4] However, after being grinded down over and over again by reality, being content with whatever they got had be a motto for most people.


    "Sorry, we¡¯rete!"


    The two men walked in, speaking poor Chinese. They bowed to the people present.


    The atmosphere suddenly became a bit uneasy, and some people whispered, "Why were these two things called over?" "Who invited them? What bad taste!" "Tell the Japanese to get lost."


    The two Japanese actors, Tamura Shinji and Fujiwara Akinori, didn¡¯t notice the subtle changes in the atmosphere. They greeted their colleagues with smiles and sat down. Tamura Shinji poured himself a drink. "In ordance with Chinese customs, I will first punish myself with a ss."


    ¡°Wait, change it to a big ss!" said Old Wang, the oldest featured extra. Someone immediately gave the Japanese man a big ss of Erguotou, and there was a burst ofughter as they prepared to see a foreigner make a fool of himself.[5]


    Tamura Shinji hesitated for a short while as he stared at the full ss brimming with liquor. After drinking half the ss, it was so fiery that he frowned. He quickly handed the remaining half to Fujiwara Akinori who rejected it with a smile, [6]"Chotto matte yo.[ref]¤Á¤ç¤Ã¤È¤Þ¤Ã¤Æ¤è is an informal version of ¡°chotto matte kudasai¡±, which means ¡°Wait a little¡± or kind of like how people say ¡°Hold up one sec.¡±[/ref] Sake ni yowai[7]."


    "Fujiwara-san, kore wa chuugokukisoku!"[8]


    "Yabai yabai!"[9]


    "Ikki ni nondai."[10]


    The two of them declined the liquor in turn for a long time until Fujiwara Akinori swallowed the rest. The whole tableughed, and some people said, "Don''t speak birdnguage.[11] Speak some humannguage."


    "Fujiwara-san said that he can''t drink, so he¡¯ll only have this ss." Tamura Shinji exined.


    "Fujiwara, your Chinese isn¡¯t very good. You should learn more from Tamura." Old Wang said.


    Another featured extra said, "Fujiwara, do you still remember the sentence that we taught you?"


    Fujiwara Akinori thought for a while and parroted, ¡°I¡¯m a Japanese devil!¡±


    There was another burst ofughter. Old Wang put the ss down on the table. "Little Japan[12], do you know why we¡¯re drinking together today?"


    "The crew has just finished filming desu yo." Tamura Shinji replied. The vague hostility showing at the dinner table made him a little ufortable.


    "You¡¯re wrong, it¡¯s because tomorrow is an important day in China. 918. Have you heard of it? 918!"


    The Japanese men conferred with each other. Tamura Shinji told them the conclusion they had reached. "918 is the holiday celebrating the defeat of the Japanese by the Chinese. Anti-Japanese War of Resistance saikou, and world peace saikou!"[13] He raised his fist and smiled, trying to disy his stance.


    As featured extras in China, the two had learned early to follow the local customs.


    "You¡¯re wrong. 918 is China''s National Day of Humiliation. In that year, you Japanese invaded China, caused the Lugou Bridge Incident[14] and upied Beijing. Didn''t your history textbooks mention this?¡±


    "Sou desu ne!"[15] Fujiwara Akinori nodded in agreement.


    "I¡¯m asking you something. Did your history textbooks mention this?"


    The two looked embarrassed, while the others got more fired up. "I despise the Japanese the most for invading China. The whole world knows but they won¡¯t admit it.


    "They also said that the Nanjing Massacre had never happened. They¡¯re totally shameless.¡±


    "Did you know? The crew gives these two Little Japans 3,000 for each episode.¡±


    These words suddenly seemed to add fuel to the fire and the atmosphere around them was ignited at once. As featured extras, they only got a thousand yuan per episode on average. Some people mmed the table angrily, "What right do they have? They¡¯re treating them differently? These Little Japans are neither talented actors nor handsome. So how can they earn three times as much as us?!¡±


    "Why don''t you guys go back to your country and act as AV actors?[16] Wouldn¡¯t you earn more? And you will even get to y with actresses for free."


    "Yes, go back to Japan. Don''te here to earn Chinese people¡¯s money. Don¡¯t you have any sense of shame?!"


    The two looked at each other awkwardly. Fujiwara Akinori, who wasn¡¯t very good at Chinese, had also noticed the hostility and poked Tamura Shinji non-stop, urging him that they should leave quickly.


    Old Wang took a sip of alcohol and slowly put down his ss. "Let me say something fair. You two came all the way to China to get ¡®killed¡¯ by the Chinese[17]. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the crew giving them extra red envelopes.¡±


    "Aiya, Old Wang, why are you speaking for the Japanese?"


    "That''s right. Don¡¯t tell me that your mother-inw is Japanese?"


    "Get lost!" Old Wang scolded, "I haven''t finished speaking!" He was already getting a bit drunk. He pointed at the two Japanese men whose faces gradually paled. "But you have to remember that if it weren¡¯t for China defeating you all back then, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to earn this money. This is the source of the water you drink. You must be even more thankful than us towards those anti-Japanese heroes!"


    "Right, they should apologize to the dead anti-Japanese heroes!"


    "Apologize! They should kowtow and apologize!"


    The table of people created amotion. Tamura, who was in a cold sweat,, stood up and bowed, "We came to China for filming shows. We thank China in our hearts. China is bing more and more prosperous and powerful. It has produced many excellent film and television works and given working opportunities to many international friends. We are very, very grateful for the opportunity!"


    "Stop saying nonsense. Hurry up and apologize!" A person smacked the table.


    "Every Japanese has to apologize to China. If you don¡¯t, don¡¯t think you can leave today!"


    Fujiwara Akinori also stood up, visibly angry. An actor next to him stood up and sshed alcohol onto his face. "What''s wrong, Little Japan? You¡¯re not happy with it?"


    "You guys... Bu Jiao Ku Si Lou. Kutou wa yurushimasen!"[18] Fujiwara Akinori shouted and babbled.


    Tamura Shinji counseled him, "Fujiwara-san, iu na...[19]"


    Fujiwara Akinori swept his hand off. The half-ss of alcohol that he had drunk had already started to take effect. He became more and more agitated, and actually flung and smashed a bowl.


    "What birdnguage are you speaking in?! Speak humannguage!" The featured extras didn¡¯t let up.


    "Ikimashou!"[20] Tamura Shinji frowned as he persuaded Fujiwara. He regretteding today.


    A man stood up and blocked the door of the private room. Fujiwara Akinori shouted, "Let me out!" A pnded on his face and the other person pointed at his nose with a sinister gaze. "I killed you in the show. Don¡¯t think you can fight me outside of the show. If you don¡¯t fucking apologize today, don¡¯t think that you can walk out through this door!¡±


    Everyone was filled with indignation in an instant. All the Chinese were brimming with a sense of national pride on their faces and Old Wang patted hispanions¡¯ hands, "At that time, Little Japan bullied us. Now that China is rich and powerful, it¡¯s our turn to bully them, hahahaha!"


    1. Can also be read as ¡°Damned Japanese¡±.


    2. Euphemism for ¡°casting couch¡±.


    3. A taste of jealousy.


    4. He¡¯s a man regarded to have neither acting talent nor looks. However, he learned martial arts and gained fame after acting in Blind Shaft (2003). Right now, he¡¯s very famous.


    5. This is because baijiu is a very strong liquor. It¡¯s at least 50% in terms of alcohol percentage.


    6. Important Trantor Note: The author uses random Chinese characters to phically sound out Japanese words and phrases and it¡¯s quite hard to guess what they¡¯re saying even if you understand some Japanese. Unsure how many of the author¡¯s original readers would have understood these parts. There will be a few parts like this here and there for the rest of the volume. I will use romaji in the text and use trantor notes to exin the meaning behind them.


    7. ¾Æ¤ËÈõ¤¤ means ¡°I¡¯m weak when ites to alcohol/I¡¯m not very good at drinking alcohol.¡±


    8. ¤³¤ì¤ÏÖйúÒŽ„t means ¡°This is the Chinese rule/custom.¡±


    9. ¤ä¤Ð¤¤¤ä¤Ð¤¤ means ¡°Dangerous¡±/ ¡°Uh-oh¡±/ ¡°Not good¡± / ¡°Shit¡± depending on context or the person saying it.


    10. Drink it in one shot.


    11. Anguage that¡¯s hard to understand.


    12. Wiki: Xiao riben is a derogatory Chinese ng term for the Japanese people or a person of Japanese descent. Literally tranted, it means "Little Japan", a reference to the stereotype of the Japanese being short in stature. Anti-Japanese demonstrators used the term xiao riben during the 2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrations.


    13. ×î¸ß means ¡°The best¡±/ ¡°Supreme¡± etc.


    14. Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937.


    15. ¤½¤¦¤Ç¤¹¤Í is used to agree with a statement. Essentially means ¡°So it is, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    16. Porn actors.


    17. I assume they mean in all the shows that they act in.


    18. It¡¯s unclear what the author means by the first part, so it¡¯s been left as Chinese pinyin. ¾äî^¤ÏÔS¤·¤Þ¤»¤ó means ¡°Your words can¡¯t be forgiven.¡±


    19. Means ¡°Stop saying (that).¡±


    20. ¤¤¤­¤Þ¤·¤ç¤¦ means ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±.

 Chapter 539: Dead Japanese

    <h4>Chapter 539: Dead Japanese</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the middle of the night, Old Wang and another featured extra went to the toilet together. The toilet in the dormitory had been built outside. It was troublesome to use the toilet.


    The two of them were still drunk and talked about how they had given the Japanese a piece of their mind while having their meal that day as they walked. They couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.


    Old Wang said, "No, I can''t hold it in anymore. I¡¯ll just relieve myself here!¡±


    It was the middle of the night and nobody was around anyway. The two ran to a tree and took out their ¡°tools¡± to apply ¡°fertilizer¡±. Old Wang had the pee shivers.[2] He felt a bit chilly and sobered up a little. He suddenly thought he saw something in the thicket and rubbed his eyes vigorously.


    "Baoqiang, look at what that is!" Old Wang raised his pants and called out to hispanion.


    The two made their way through the thicket and saw two Japanese officers tied up with ropes, kneeling down. Old Wang froze while Baoqiangughed. "They look like the real deal!"


    "Haha, they do look like the real thing."


    They thought that they were stand-in dummies prepared by the crew. It was already early in the morning by then. It just happened to be 918, so it really suited the asion.


    "Let¡¯s quickly pack them up and send them back to the props department." Old Wang proposed.


    He stepped forward to touch one of the dummies, and a "Japanese officer" fell straight down. A pool of blood trickled down from the cor. Old Wang screamed as if he was being electrocuted. "Isn''t that so and so? Hurry up and call the police. Hurry up and call the police!"


    The next day, the ce where the bodies had been found was cordoned off by the police. Peng Sijue led his subordinates there to investigate and obtain evidence. Lin Qiupu questioned the two who had called the police. Old Wang said, "The two who died are featured extras from Japan. One is named ¡®Tamura¡¯. Written out in Chinese characters, it¡¯s ¡®Tamura Shinji¡¯. The other one is called ¡®Fujiwara¡¯. His full name is ¡®Fujiwara Akinori¡¯."


    Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows as soon as he heard that they were foreigners. This case was bound to be a bit troublesome.


    "How did you find them?"


    "Last night at around 12:00, Baoqiang and I came out to use the toilet, because we had been drinking and urgently needed to relieve ourselves. We decided to relieve ourselves next to a tree when we saw the two of them kneeling on the ground.¡±


    "Did you notice anything abnormal in the surroundings at the time?"


    "Abnormal..."


    "For example, were there suspicious people going in or out?"


    The two shook their heads repeatedly. Lin Qiupu wrote down their names and contact information. One was named Wang Ying and the other was named Lu Baoqiang.


    Back at the scene, Chen Shi squatted on the ground in order to examine the bodies. Lin Qiupu asked, "Why are you here?"


    "Dongxue said that this case is a bit interesting, so I came over to have a look. I happen to be quite free today.¡±


    "It''s good that you came. The two who died are Japanese. If the case can''t be solved, it will be very troublesome."


    "I was wondering why they didn¡¯t look Chinese."


    The body lying on the ground was dressed in a cheap costume. He had been dressed up like a Japanese officer. His face was as white as paper. The one named Tamura had his throat shed. The one named Fujiwara had been stabbed three times in the back. The wounds were under the clothes, indicating that the clothes had been put onter.


    ording to preliminary evaluation, the time of death was around 9:00st night. One of the more troublesome things was that the ce was a small town and there were no security cameras around at all.


    Chen Shi observed the surrounding meadow. "There are traces of dragging. It seems that this wasn¡¯t the original murder scene."


    "Do you know what day it is today?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "September 18th, I heard the broadcasting of air defense warnings in the morning."


    "Then do you think this case is..."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I never believe the clues deliberately disyed by the murderer, unless they had killed Japanese people with no connection to each other in session. It¡¯s the same saying. One person won¡¯t kill another person casually. Lofty andmonce notions like national enmity can¡¯t be crime motives in this era.¡±


    A middle-aged man wearing a beret came over. "Hello, I¡¯m the director and producer of this drama. I¡¯vee to have a look at the situation."


    Lin Qiupu said, "It¡¯s being investigated. Can you tell us about the backgrounds of the deceased?"


    "Uh..." The director nced at the corpses, feeling a little frightened. "Both of them are from my cast. I also feel very sad that something like this has happened."


    "What show were you filming?"


    "An anti-Japanese drama series called "Fiery Divine Eagle¡± which talks about a group ofmoners spontaneously organizing themselves to fight the murderous Japanese invaders. Of course, the series had finished filming yesterday, so our contract with them has expired."


    "Labor contract?"


    "Yes, it was abor contract, not an employment contract." The director added, "ording to the terms of the contract, we don''t need to paypensation. Our crew''s funds are also currently tight."


    "Okay, okay, that¡¯s not something that we oversee. How long have they been in China?"


    "Tamura has been acting here for six years, and he speaks decent Chinese. Fujiwara came here a year ago. The two of them shouldn¡¯t havee from the same hometown, but they were usually together because they are both Japanese."


    "What about their family backgrounds?"


    "I really don''t know. Ourmunication is limited to work."


    "What about their rtionship with the rest of the cast and crew?"


    "It¡¯s mediocre. After all, there¡¯s anguage barrier. They don¡¯t usually get together with the others during their rest periods.¡±


    Lin Dongxue ran over to Chen Shi and asked him if he wanted to go to the ce where the two lived to have a look. Chen Shi agreed.


    As the film and television base had been built here, the residents of the town had renovated the original houses and rented them out. The two Japanese shared an apartment with a monthly rent of 1,000 yuan. The facilities were very mediocre.


    The apartment had a bedroom and a bathroom. The bedroom was divided by a curtain. The half where Tamura lived was very clean, while Fujiwara¡¯s side was the exact opposite ¨C It was very messy.


    When Lin Dongxue opened Tamura¡¯s drawers, she found many instant noodle packages. She said, "It seems that he loved eating Chinese instant noodles."


    "I don¡¯t think so. Look, his personal items are all very old and he basically didn¡¯t have any items for entertainment. This person must have been very frugal. He might have a family. Now look at the ce where Fujiwara lived. He had bought a small refrigerator and there¡¯s beer and snacks inside. He had also bought aptop. He must be a bachelor.¡±


    Chen Shi opened hisptop. There was no password set on theptop, and there were all kinds of websites for watching anime and Japanese dramas in it. Lin Dongxue pointed out sentimentally, "His private life was really rich and exciting. He was still watching such an old Japanese drama!"


    "Have you seen it before?"


    "I watched it in middle school."


    The biggest benefit for foreigners in China is the ability to download all kinds of films and television dramas online for free. It seems that in some countries, you have to pay just for downloading a song. This Fujiwara hadn¡¯t been idle. He had thoroughly enjoyed the freebie culture.


    There were two cans of beer on the table and a pack of opened potato chips. The beer hadn¡¯t been finished. Chen Shi bagged them in order to bring them back for testing and made small marks on them to distinguish between them.


    Chen Shi walked to the window and watched the crowding and going below them. Lin Dongxue nced at her phone. "Xiaodong has discovered something. When they had dinner with several featured extrasst night, something unpleasant had happened."


    1. Can also be interpreted as ¡°Damn Japanese¡±.


    2. Some people shiver as they pee. Possible causes are centered on two main ideas: It''s caused either by the sensation of the drop in temperature as the warm pee leaves your body or by a confusion between signals in the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

 Chapter 540: Anti-Japanese Sentiment

    <h4>Chapter 540: Anti-Japanese Sentiment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At noon, the people who had dinner togetherst night were called back to the farmhouse restaurant. On the table were teapots and melon seeds. The group of people nibbled the melon seeds and smoked cigarettes as they chatted away. The atmosphere was a bit like that of a tea party.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue walked in, and Xu Xiaodong briefly exined the situation. Chen Shi nodded and sat down. "I heard that there was some unpleasantness between all of you and the two deceased menst night. Did something like that happen?"


    "There was nothing too unpleasant. We were just kidding.", "After we finished filming, everyone was very happy, and we casually talked about the topic of Sino-Japanese rtions.", "Those two Japanese people flung dishes and broke bowls. We were originally joyous and harmonious, but they ruined the atmosphere.¡±


    "Okay, okay, okay. Speak one by one. You go first. Others aren¡¯t allowed to interrupt!" Chen Shi pointed to a man on the left.


    After a round of questions, everyone had a different story and it was very confusing. Old Wang said, "Officer, we were inebriated at the time and asked the two Japanese to kneel down and apologize to us Chinese. That¡¯s fine right? After all, they hadmitted wrongdoings first..."


    "They hadmitted wrongdoings first?" Chen Shi looked surprised.


    "How many Chinese people have been harmed by the Japanese invasion of China?"


    "That¡¯s right. I reckon that these two Japanese devils didn¡¯t die unjustly. They owed it to millions of Chinese lives!"


    "If this had happened before the liberation, it¡¯s likely that the Japanese devils would already be waging war with us. Now, they don¡¯t dare to because we¡¯re rich and powerful.¡±


    "Yes, we¡¯re rich and powerful now and we¡¯re no longer afraid of getting bullied!"


    The more they talked, the more passions ran high. Chen Shi smacked the table. "Are you guys not sober? Today is September 18th. Two Japanese people died in China. The person whomitted such a violent crime was most likely a Chinese person. Yet you guys are still proud of it?¡±


    The pride on everyone''s face gradually dissipated and Chen Shi looked around. "If the murderer is among you, no matter how he uses patriotic feelings as an excuse, this was still murder. Don''t act too cocky. Please cooperate with the investigation properly."


    Old Wang said, "Impossible, how could there be a murderer among us?! I think it must be that someone had taken revenge because the Little Japan toyed with Chinese women."


    "What do you mean by toying with Chinese women?"


    "It''s Fujiwara. He was a yer. We often see him going to that kind of ce. I heard that he even has a girlfriend here. He can¡¯t even speak Chinese properly. I don''t know how he had managed to deceive her."


    "It''s so hateful. This kind of woman only worships foreigners. Do the Japanese have diamonds iid down there?" Someone echoed.


    "Stop talking. Old Wang, you borate on the situation.¡±


    Old Wang spoke while Lin Dongxue took notes. It was already 12:30. Many of them were starving and asked Chen Shi, "Can we go and have lunch? We haven¡¯t done anything this morning because of all this. There was a new drama recruiting actors today. Haii, what hateful Japanese!"


    Chen Shi said, "Okay, I¡¯ll treat you all to lunch!¡± Everyone cheered, and Chen Shi added, "What food did you orderst night? We¡¯ll order it again, including the drinks. None of it can be left out.¡±


    Everyone didn''t know what he had got up his sleeve, so they ordered the dishes that they hadst night based on their memories. Chen Shi told them to sit where they had satst night. He and Lin Dongxue sat in the seats of the two Japanese men. Xu Xiaodong stood aside.


    Lin Dongxue could tell that he was nning to reenact the scene. Chen Shi said, "Eat as you didst night. You should drink the same amount as you did yesterday and repeat the words that you¡¯ve said.¡±


    Someone looked sullen. "Is this necessary?"


    "Aren''t you actors? It shouldn''t be too difficult? I just want to know what happenedst night. Thank you for your cooperation!"


    Everyone looked at each other. They ordered wine and dishes, and Old Wang toasted, "Here¡¯s to finishing the filming!"


    "Cheers!"


    They acted until the part where the "Japanese" had to kneel and apologize. Chen Shi said to the featured extra who had pped Fujiwara in the face. "Why did you hit him?"


    "I...I didn¡¯t like the look of him."


    "What was the cause of it? Because he earns more than you?"


    "No... no, because he¡¯s Japanese and owes blood debt to Chinese people. Can you smile while looking at the Japanese?"


    Chen Shi sighed. "Don''t do this kind of thing next time. You could get sued for that p. A court case is one thing, but there would be a stain on your record. Who would want to hire you for a film in the future?¡±


    The man knew that he didn¡¯t have reason on his side and lowered his head in shame.


    "What happened afterwards?" Chen Shi asked the others.


    Old Wang said, "Then we told the Japanese to kneel and kowtow three times."


    "Did they do as you asked?"


    "They were probably afraid of being beaten, so they kneeled down. Tamura was quitepliant, but Fujiwara was a little reluctant. The two of them pressed down Fujiwara''s shoulders to make him kneel..." Old Wang pointed out the two involved. The team leader who had been "sold out" looked embarrassed.


    "Let''s do it again!" Chen Shi moved the chairs and freed up some space. He was about to kneel down.


    "Aiya, Officer, that¡¯s uneptable." Old Wang tried to stop him.


    Chen Shi still "kneeled" down. As apromise, he just sat cross-legged on the ground and told the two toe over and press on his shoulders.


    After reenacting the scene, Chen Shi asked, "Did you use violence against Fujiwara?"


    "No!" The two shook their heads like pellet drums.


    "Don''t lie. The body is in the bureau, and injuries can be detected."


    A youngster admitted awkwardly, "I kicked him once at the time because I had drunk too much."


    "Where did you kick him?"


    "On the calf..." The youngster¡¯s face was red, mostly due to drinking.


    "After that?"


    "Then they left, and we... We continued to drink."


    "Come and continue pouring and drinking!"


    Old Wang said, "Officer, can we not? If we drink any more, we¡¯ll get drunk again! How can we cooperate with your investigation like that!"


    Lin Dongxue also reminded Chen Shi in a low voice, "You shouldn¡¯t go too far!"


    This group of people had already drunk three bottles of Erguotou. Their faces showed that they were drunk, and the dishes on the table were also almost finished. Although they were exactly the same dishes asst night, they didn¡¯t have the mood. It felt as though they were chewing wax.


    "What time did you guys go home?"


    "At 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening."


    "Be more specific."


    "At 8:45!" Old Wang said, "I have a WeChat bill record on my phone."


    After verifying it through his mobile phone, Chen Shi asked, "Did anyone leave the table midway?"


    Several people imed to have left the table, but they had only gone to the toilet or answered a call. The time was only a few minutes to just over a dozen minutes. It waspletely impossible to have run out andmited the crime in that time.


    Chen Shi again asked everyone when they had gone back and with whom. If it was just based on their own statements, then they all had alibis verified by one another. After the questioning, Chen Shi said, "Thank you for your cooperation. You can go back now."


    "Officer, this matter wouldn¡¯t affect our acting, right?" Old Wang asked.


    Another person said, "The two people who died are Japanese. What¡¯s there to worry about? In my opinion, this murderer is a national hero! A big hero!"


    Chen Shi''s eyes fell on the speaker''s face. The person lowered his head after realizing that he had said the wrong thing. Chen Shi said, "Do you still think that what happenedst night was a patriotic act?"


    "Wasn¡¯t it?" The man asked.


    "I evaluate your behavior in a few words ¨C Taking advantage of your position and bullying people[1]! I hope you¡¯ll all reflect on it and don''t do such disgraceful things in the future! All of you aren¡¯t even ashamed, but proud of yourselves."


    After Chen Shi and the others left, the quiet room exploded, "There¡¯s something wrong with this policeman. He¡¯s defending the Japanese.¡±


    "I think his mother¡¯s probably Japanese, that¡¯s why he¡¯s so upset."


    "This kind of policeman is not worthy of defending the people. Look at his cocky face.[2] I bet he has never solved any cases before.¡±


    Everyone got more fired up as they spoke and they recovered their patriotic pride. But there was one person whose smile slowly vanished...


    1. The author actually wrote ¡°four characters¡± and then inserted a proverb, but I¡¯ve changed it to ¡°a few words¡± and inserted the general meaning


    2. The author had written ¡°¶þÎå°ËÍò¡± which refers to the mahjong tiles ¶þÈf, ÎåÈf, °ËÈf, which y an important role in winning the game. The metaphor is used to describe someone who is doing well(holds the winning mahjong tiles in the game) and acting cocky, arrogant and annoying, or like a pompous ass.

 Chapter 541: Deserted Alley

    <h4>Chapter 541: Deserted Alley</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Leaving the farmhouse, Chen Shi handed over the small book in which he had recorded down notes to Xu Xiaodong. "Go and verify everyone''s alibis."


    "Ah?!" Xu Xiaodong was shocked. This was a huge task.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you think the murderer is among them?"


    "The time of the dinner and the times of death were very close. Within the cast, they have equal status with the two victims and have the most contact with them. Therefore, I think they can be designated as suspects."


    "Then what was the motive formitting the crime... Could it be due to envy? The Japanese made more money than they do."


    "Theymitted murder just because of that?"


    "Don''t forget, they were all drunk at the time."


    "Well okay, it can be counted as a motive. In my opinion, there should be a deeper motivation."


    Just a moment ago, this group of featured extras had mentioned that when everyone was humiliating the victims, Fujiwara had agitatedly gabbled a lot of things. However, everyone present said that their Japanese was very average and that they could only understand some everyday phrases. Therefore they didn¡¯t understand what Fujiwara had said.


    Could there be any key information hidden in those words?


    Back at the bureau, the autopsies were underway. Peng Sijue handed Chen Shi a few photos showing the bloodstains on the deceased. He said, "Fujiwara''s blood covered Tamura''s blood. Tamura should have been killed first and Fujiwara was killedter... The liver temperatures were measured, and the time of death were almost the same."


    "What about the beer cans that we brought back?"


    "The can that you had marked "A" had been drunk by Fujiwara, and it was almost finished. The other can had been drunk by Tamura. Over half of the beer still remained in the can."


    "What else?"


    "The wound on Tamura''s neck had been made by a weapon inserted from the side and then shing outwards. Based on this, it¡¯s spected to be a double-edged weapon. The shape of the weapon that pierced Fujiwara was simr, but the position is very high up, probably at this position..." Peng Sijue used one of his assistants for his demonstration. He pointed out the knife wounds. "The first stab was from the back of the first rib to the fifth rib of the front chest. The second stab was from the first rib to the fourth rib in the front chest. The third stab was from the second rib to the third rib of the front chest. The tip of the knife had prated the lung lobes and the aorta, and the entire chest cavity was a mess."


    After thinking for a while, Chen Shi nced at the photos again and pointed to one of them. "Was Fujiwara¡¯s blood found on Tamura''s chest?"


    "There was a little of his blood."


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Shi smiled. "Did you know? Saying ¡®Tamura¡¯ and ¡®Fujiwara¡¯, it¡¯s like we are in one of those Japanese murder mysteries."


    Peng Sijue kept a straight face. "I still have things to do. I¡¯ll take my leave first."


    "Aiya, I was just kidding! I¡¯m guessing that Fujiwara was squatting down and had been stabbed by the murderer from behind. When he arrived, Tamura might have already copsed. Fujiwara had squatted down to check Tamura''s condition..." Chen Shi asked the assistant to squat down and gestured behind his back. "The murderer stabbed twice from behind. Fujiwara tried to stand up. The murderer stabbed him again, so the third knife wound was almost vertical."


    "I think so too. You should continue investigating it. I still have to continue dissecting."


    "By the way, I''m curious. Are there any differences in the physical structure of Japanese people? Are their stomachs really very small?"


    "Hurry up and get lost!" Peng Sijue ordered.


    The mobile phones, wallets and IDs of the two weren¡¯t found at the scene. Since they were foreigners, if their IDs weren¡¯t found, they wouldn¡¯t be able to investigate theirmunication records.


    At the case meeting in the afternoon, Lin Qiupu said, "The embassy has already called. It was to urge us to solve the case as soon as possible. In short, just investigate it as you should."


    Chen Shi said, "Can we get a Japanese police officer toe over to help?"


    "It will probably be very hard to find someone who speaks Chinese! It''s not necessary either. We can just investigate the case ourselves."


    "No, I have other arrangements. As long as they¡¯re Japanese, it¡¯s fine. I don''t need them to speak Chinese. It¡¯s best if they can¡¯t even speak a single sentence.¡±


    "If you don''t exin it properly, I won''t help you."


    "Really, I don¡¯t even get the right to keep you in suspense... I think the killer has some Japanesemunication skills. They¡¯re acquaintances of the deceased, but now they¡¯re going to try really hard to cover up the fact that they can speak Japanese. Therefore, I want to set a trap. We¡¯ll just get a random Japanese person to pretend to be a police officer or someone from the embassy and see who can understand Japanese in this group.¡±


    "Okay, I¡¯ll try to think of a way!"


    It was gettingte. Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue to the scene again. At the time, there were several crews in the film and television city filming night scenes. Lin Dongxue saw Xu Xiaodong sitting on a prop box eating some food. She tapped his shoulder, "Is the crew¡¯s meal box delicious?"


    "I bought it myself! Do you want to eat it? The takeaway boxes here are really good and cheap. I can''t believe that there are still meals avable for ten yuan."


    "We¡¯ve already eaten... How¡¯s your investigation going?"


    Xu Xiaodong handed over the book. He had put a tick next to the name of everyone whose alibi he had verified. He said, "I¡¯ve asked thendlord, kiosk operator, and the water delivery people. Their alibis are tenable."


    "How were they tenable?" Chen Shi asked.


    "At the time of the incident, they hadn¡¯t left the dorm."


    "Check it carefully again. There are no security cameras here. These witnesses may not be reliable!"


    Lin Dongxue looked around. "This is such a big ce. Only the entrances and exits are monitored, and no criminal cases have happened in recent years. What a fluke.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said, "The main reason is that this is where filming takes ce. A security camera appearing in a period drama would be out of ce. Even the electric wires are concealed very well.¡±


    "You can continue eating. We¡¯ll go to the scene to have a look." Chen Shi said.


    "Hey, hey, I¡¯ll go with you!" Xu Xiaodong gobbled the food down and wiped his mouth before standing up.


    They went to the deceased''s residence. It was Xu Xiaodong¡¯s first time there and he was very curious. Lin Dongxue asked, "Xiaodong, how is your Japanese?"


    "Limited to the words "Sayonara"[ref]¤µ¤è¤Ê¤é means ¡°Goodbye¡±.[/ref], "Ikuzou"[1].


    "We need to find an interpreter right now, otherwise we can''t contact the family of the deceased."


    "Just ask the embassy to send someone over." Chen Shi went to the window, looked down, and waved them over. "From here, we can see an alley. Let''s go down and have a look."


    They went to the alley. There was a corner in the alley. Chen Shi looked up at the window, then looked down. He shoveled the ground with a small stic spoon, and put the soil into an evidence bag. Lin Dongxue asked, "You found some blood?"


    "I found a little. This may have been the scene of the crime."


    "So close?" Xu Xiaodong was surprised.


    "Old Peng and I discussed the situation in the afternoon. Tamura was killed first, and then Fujiwara. Fujiwara had squatted down to check Tamura''s condition and was stabbed with a knife from the back. It should have been like this at the time. Tamura had been called outside by someone, so he put down his beer and went into this alley. About five to ten minutester, Fujiwara saw Tamura copse onto the ground from the window, so he came over to check out the situation and was killed by the murderer who was lying in ambush nearby..." Chen Shi looked around. "It''s dark here at night, and there¡¯s only the light from the streemps at the intersection shining in."


    "Looking down from the window, you can see almost everything. Where would the murderer hide?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi walked out of the alley. There was a small street outside and it was very deserted at night. He stood against the wall and looked back into the alley. "The murderer was here..."


    "Old Chen, there¡¯s blood on the ground!"


    1. ÐФ¯¤¾¤¦ means ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±, and "Yamete"[ref]¤ä¤á¤Æ isbined with ¡°Kudasai¡± to mean ¡°Please stop¡±. However, ¡°Kudasai¡± is dropped when you¡¯re making a polite request without sounding overly polite.

 Chapter 542: XX Died Here

    <h4>Chapter 542: XX Died Here</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three of them came over and saw that there really were a few drops of blood on the ground. Chen Shi took a photo and then took a sample. The blood should have dripped on the ground while the murderer was hiding there with the weapon.


    They checked the alley again. Chen Shi looked at the gradually darkening sky. "Aiya, did you notice who hadn¡¯t slept well among those people?"


    "I think that they all had red eyes. It should be because they had been drinking... Do you think that the murderer hadn''t slept all night after killing them?"


    "In the past, there was a case that was solved that way. It was very extraordinary. Aftermitting murder, they¡¯d be in a state of high tension and excitement. At the same time, they¡¯d be worried that they hadn¡¯t handled the scene well, leaving clues behind. The first time that people kill someone, they would usually have insomnia for the first three days."


    "Where did the case take ce?"


    "¡®Gushi Hui¡¯[1]! But the next time you see them, you should take a good look and see who doesn¡¯t look well."


    "You really suspect that group of people?"


    "What¡¯s your opinion?"


    "From the scene, this was a premeditated murder. The murderer chose the day of 918, put the deceased in Japanese military uniforms and made them kneel as if apologizing, indicating that they wanted to cover up their true motives. It may have nothing to do with those bunch of drunkards."


    "Speaking of military uniforms..." Chen Shi looked back and froze.


    It turned out that Xu Xiaodong was lying prone on the ground with his buttocks in the air as he sniffed a clod of dirt on the ground. The two couldn''t help butugh out loud. They walked over and Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you doing?!"


    "Major discovery! Major discovery!" Xu Xiaodong stood up. "Someone had vomited here, but it had been shoveled away. Look at the dirt marks on the ground."


    Chen Shi squatted down to check. Sure enough, there were traces of dirt having been shoveled away. He rubbed a little bit of residual liquid with his fingers and smelled it. "It¡¯s indeed stomach acid. Take a sample!"


    "I made a contribution!" Xu Xiaodong said tedly.


    "Don¡¯t be too proud. This may not have been left behind during the murder." Lin Dongxue said.


    "By the way, where did the military uniformse from?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The crew said that they had been taken from the prop warehouse. Captain Lin checked the scene and there was no sign of the lock having been pried open. The prop master said that Fujiwara had the key."


    "He had the key?"


    "The scenes with the two had finished filming that day, but the director said that he wanted to re-do a shot. The prop master went off to eat first, and the key was handed over to Fujiwara. He was asked to return the clothes to the warehouse once they were done.


    "Who knew about this?"


    "Still asking... There are more people in this crew than expected."


    "Let¡¯s go to the warehouse and have a look."


    The three arrived at the prop warehouse and found that several trucks were emptying the warehouse. Chen Shi asked the staff at the scene. They said that the filming had been finished, so they weren¡¯t renting the warehouse anymore.


    "Who is the prop master?"


    "I am!" An auntie walked over.


    "We are the police and want to ask you about some things...¡±


    The prop master said that there were dozens of people present at the time. There were actors, directors, stage crew, and costumers present. Chen Shi took out his book. "Which of these people were present?"


    "None of them were."


    "There are so many things in this prop warehouse, but you just gave the key to a featured extra?"


    "Uh, this..." The prop master was very embarrassed. "Actually, we have been filming this movie for half a year. Everyone¡¯s very familiar with each other and I wasn¡¯t worried. The things in here aren¡¯t worth much anyway.¡± She picked up a costume. "Look at the fabric of the clothing. These are only worn when filming. Who would steal them?¡±


    "So there are no security cameras in here?¡±


    "No."


    "I want to see the key."


    The prop master handed over the key. There was a wooden tag with the words "Third Prop Warehouse" on it. There was a hole punched into the tag and the key hung from it. The prop master exined, "This is the key to the film and television base. When we rented it, we prepared a few spares. We¡¯re going to hand them back soon after we¡¯re done with them."


    "Who has a spare?"


    "Me. The costume designer and director also has one each.¡±


    After their questioning, Lin Dongxue asked, "Should we go to see the costume designer and the director? Since the filming has been finished, they¡¯ll be leaving soon."


    "Okay, let¡¯s go and meet them!"


    After interviewing those two people, it was already 10:00te at night and there wasn¡¯t much progress. They went home at that point.


    The next morning, Chen Shi woke up at 8:00 and found that Tao Yueyue was frying up some eggs. He said, "Yueyue, you don¡¯t need to go to school today?"


    "It¡¯s September 18th in addition to the weekend. It¡¯s so nice to have three days off in a row!"


    "It would be nice if the murderer took holidays off."


    "Uncle Chen, what interesting case are you investigating?"


    "Two Japanese people have died..."


    While eating breakfast, Chen Shi discussed the case with her. Tao Yueyue listened attentively. She said, "The murderer must hate the Japanese!"


    "Why?"


    "Didn¡¯t you say that the murderer had left the alley at that time? Why did he have to go back to kill again? At that time, it was very dark. The one called Fujiwara ran down to check the condition of his friend, indicating that he didn¡¯t see the murderer and the process of the murder. But why did the murderer have to go back and kill him as well? That¡¯s why I think that the killer hates Japanese people.¡±


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t take a child¡¯s opinion seriously. "You wouldn¡¯t be saying that the motive for murder is national enmity, right?"


    "I think the person called Tamura must have deceived them!"


    "Why¡¯s that?"


    "Just a feeling!"


    "By the way, it¡¯s a holiday today. Do you want to visit the film and television city?"


    "No, there¡¯s no point if I have toe with you to investigate the case. I might as well go and y by myself!"


    On the way to the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi considered Tao Yueyue''s words and felt that she made some sense. The murderer''s overly deliberate "performance" had made them ignore the motive of "hating Japanese" from the beginning.


    But he didn¡¯t consider private hatred. Tamura had spent six years in China and spoke good Chinese. The people around him didn¡¯t know much about him. He might have actually deceived the murderer, so the murderer hated Japanese. Thus, Fujiwara became coteral damage.


    In the morning, he continued to investigate the case. When Lin Qiupu went to yesterday¡¯s murder scene and saw something, he suddenly became furious. "Who did this?!"


    The tree at the scene of the corpse abandonment had it¡¯s bark scraped off and "Sasaki Kojirou[2] and Yekaojinju[3] died here" had been written on it using a marker pen. These two names were the names of the Japanese characters in the drama that the deceased had yed. The characters were both heinous Japanese officers.


    Lin Qiupu ordered, "Find out who did it and teach them a lesson. They¡¯re really too bold, actually daring toe over and mess up a murder scene!¡±


    This gave everyone a goodugh the whole morning, but they still needed to investigate. The "culprit" was a brave person but they hadn¡¯t been very cautious. They had left footprints at the scene. The police came to the dorm that the featured extras had rented, and finally found the ¡°culprit¡±, Lu Baoqiang.


    Faced with the police''s inquiry, Lu Baoqiang became scared, and said with shame, "I thought that these two Japanese deserved to die. I wanted to vent my hate so I woke upst night, and just..."


    Lin Qiupu said, "You still think that you¡¯re just?"


    "No, I don''t think these two were liked by either side. They deserved to die."


    "Okay,e back with us!"


    "Wait!" Chen Shi interjected, "You said they weren¡¯t liked by either side. What does that mean?"


    1. Gushi Hui is a Chinese literary magazine published fortnightly in Chifeng, China. It¡¯s supposedly one of the leading titles in the country.


    2. Master Japanese swordsman. There¡¯s lots of movies and anime that reference Sasaki Koujirou.


    3. IJ (editor) and I both can¡¯t figure out the Japanese name here, sorry...

 Chapter 543: Seriously Ill Wife

    <h4>Chapter 543: Seriously Ill Wife</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lu Baoqiang scratched his head, "The two of them came to China to act as evil officers here. They weren¡¯t liked here, nor were they respected in their own country. Tamura''s friend once grabbed his cor and shouted at him, ¡®Nandai konna mono iikai shinji masuka?!¡¯"[1]


    After all, he was an actor. He acted very convincingly and amused the police officers present. Chen Shi asked, "What does that mean?"


    "It means, ¡®Young fellow, why do you want to act in this kind of thing?!¡¯"


    "Lu Baoqiang, your Japanese isn¡¯t bad. I asked you what Fujiwara had said yesterday. Why didn''t you tell me then?"


    "Actually, I don''t understand Japanese at all. This is what Old Wang had told me."


    "Old Wang? Call him over!"


    After a while, Old Wang came. When he saw all the police in the room, his expression was a little flustered, but it was only for a moment. He immediately recovered his smile, "You¡¯re looking for me?"


    "I heard that your Japanese isn¡¯t bad."


    Old Wang waved his hands. "It''s not good at all. I only know a few sentences. I learned them while filming.¡±


    Chen Shi said to Lu Baoqiang. "Repeat the sentence from just now."


    Lu Baoqiang said it again. "It took me so long to learn this sentence and I was taught by Old Wang. Birdnguage is really difficult to learn.¡±


    Old Wang was slightly startled. He seemed to have understood who had ¡°sold him out¡±. Chen Shi said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you can say such aplete sentence without any Japanese foundation. It seems that your Japanese isn¡¯t too bad?¡±


    "Ahem, I know a little bit. I learned it while chatting with Japanese actors. I had learned this sentence from Tamura. I just learned the pronunciation."


    "What did Fujiwara say that day?"


    "He said..." Old Wang recalled. "Tamura''s family is in a difficult position, and his wife is sick."


    Lu Baoqiang said, "Old Wang, I remember Fujiwara saying a lot that day!"


    "You don''t know this, but the Japanese are very verbose in their manner of speech. They can speak for half a day just saying one thing. Furthermore, my Japanese isn¡¯t very good and I can only understand the gist of it.¡±


    "Why didn''t you say this yesterday? You only said this after an ident happened today!"


    "What ident?" Old Wang suddenly seemed very nervous. At this time, Chen Shi deliberately talked about a w.


    "It has nothing to do with the case. Answer my question."


    Old Wang licked his lips. "Officer, you¡¯ve seen how it is. We all despise the Japanese. If I said that I could understand Japanese, they¡¯dugh at me. I¡¯ve been working as a featured extra for ten years. I can be regarded as the most senior among all the extras, so I have to pay attention to my image.¡±


    "That¡¯s a good reason!" Chen Shi nodded.


    "It isn¡¯t an excuse. It¡¯s a fact."


    Chen Shi looked around. "You two live here?"


    "Yes, I share the rent with Baoqiang."


    There was a bunk bed in the room with an iron frame. Chen Shi asked him who slept on the top bunk. Old Wang said that he slept on the top bunk himself.


    This answer was a bit different from what Chen Shi had expected. He was just a little suspicious of Old Wang, but if Old Wang slept on the upper bunk, it wasn¡¯t too easy for him to enter and exit the room.


    "Okay, I''ve finished asking!"


    Lin Qiupu gave Lu Baoqiang a lesson and everyone left while walking side by side. Lin Qiupu said, "I discovered a small detail in the morning. The deceased''s clothes didn¡¯t correspond to the ones they had used in the film. They were wearing the clothes of ordinary Japanese soldiers. Only the cap is an officer¡¯s cap. In addition, cycle rickshaw tracks were found surrounding the scene. There are cycle rickshaws in the warehouse, one of which was used by the murderer to transport the corpses but it had been wiped clean."


    "It seems that the murderer had originally just wanted to take a cycle rickshaw to transport the bodies. He identally discovered the costumes, so the idea came up."


    Lin Qiupu looked around at the historical buildings. "Don''t look at how big it is here. Many areas are closed at night. The streets in the residential area have people walking around and some shops have security cameras. There aren¡¯t many ces for the murderer to choose from when abandoning the corpses."


    "Was anything discovered in the surveince footage?"


    "It''s still under investigation. It¡¯s been less than thirty hours since the case happened. How can it be so fast?!"


    "Help me investigate the victims. Especially Tamura¡¯s bank ount and the bank ounts of these featured extras."


    "What are you suspecting?"


    "I suspect that Tamura was a scammer!" Chen Shi smiled.


    On September 21st, at the case discussion meeting, Lin Qiupu revealed the new findings rting to the case. "Tamura¡¯s bank ount shows that his monthly ie was nearly 40,000 yuan, and that he can save more than 30,000 after expenses were deducted. But every month, an extra 4,000 yuan was credited and converted to Japanese yen for remittance to a hospital in Japan... ording to the information from Japan, his wife suffers from paraplegia and has been receiving treatment. The purpose of his work in China was to treat his wife."


    "What is his wife¡¯s situation?"


    "Her name is..." Lin Qiupu nced at the document in his hand, "Tamura Yukari. Twenty-four years old this year. She was injured because of a car ident seven years ago. Tamura was a graduate of a film university and his sry was barely enough to make ends meet. After his wife became bed-ridden, he came to China to work as an actor and doubled his ie to meet his wife¡¯s medical expenses."


    "It seems that Tamura loved his wife very much, which was why he came to do a job where he¡¯d be scolded by people.¡± Lin Dongxue said sentimentally.


    Chen Shi sent a WeChat message to Tao Yueyue. "You were right. We¡¯ll eat pizza tonight," and then said, "This extra four thousand yuan was probably the motive of the murderer. How much does it add up to?"


    "This extra ie has beening in since 2015. Sometimes there would be more, but it was never less than 4,000, which adds up to over 200,000!"


    The police present eximed at how persistent this "fooled" guy was. No wonder they¡¯d be so ruthless.


    Lin Qiupu added, "But as for those featured actors, their ounts weren¡¯t abnormal."


    "Is there a list?"


    "I will give it to youter on."


    Chen Shi leaned back in his chair and pondered over it. "I think that people who have known Tamura since 2015 are very suspicious. We¡¯ll use the rule of elimination!"


    After this round of elimination, there were only five people left. They had been acting together for many years. Among them was Old Wang.


    From the sample brought back that day, the blood stains in the alley were Tamura''s blood, proving that the murderer had indeed killed Tamura first before secretly hiding and observing at the entrance of the alley. There were blood stains of two people in the alley.


    As for the vomit, they couldn¡¯t detect the DNA because the sample was too small. However, the traces left on the scene should have been made by a shovel.


    In addition, several footprints were found at the scene. The shoe size was 40, and no matching shoes were found among the featured extras.


    Chen Shi was holding these documents in his hands. After thinking for a long time, he asked, "Lu Baoqiang was really drunk that day. Did he sleep in the dormitory? If so, he shouldn''t know if Old Wang had gone out."


    "You aren¡¯t suspicious of Old Wang, are you...?" Lin Dongxue said, "Didn''t the auntie from the kiosk downstairs say that she didn''t see them go downstairs that night?"


    "Is the auntie''s testimony reliable? Let''s go and check it out at night!"


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and sent another WeChat message to Tao Yueyue. "Sorry, we¡¯ll have to postpone the pizza to tomorrow!"


    1. Why do you believe that something like this is ok?!

 Chapter 544: Visiting Baoqiang At Night

    <h4>Chapter 544: Visiting Baoqiang At Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the evening, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the film and television city, where the actors lived.


    It was only 8:00 at the time. There weren¡¯t many people on the street. The two arrived opposite the kiosk and saw that the auntie was sitting with her back to the door,ughing and knitting as she watched a TV series.


    The streetlights were spaced far apart, and the section that the store was in waspletely dark.


    When the two walked to the front of the kiok, the auntie still hadn¡¯t noticed. Chen Shi said, "Excuse me!"


    "What do you wish to buy?" The auntie stood up.


    "We are the police and want to verify your testimony."


    "Oh, you¡¯re asking about the Japanese that were killed! I really didn¡¯t see Lu Baoqiang going out that day."


    "Auntie, we just stood opposite the kiosk for five minutes. You didn''t look back and see us at all. You said that you were facing this street all night. We can''t believe this kind of testimony."


    The auntie looked embarrassed, "I didn''t watch TV that day."


    Chen Shi nced at the paused screen on the TV, "Really? Could you show us the broadcast record on the set-top box?"


    "Okay, I admit that I was watching TV that day, but when I said that Lu Baoqiang didn''t go out, I have proof. It¡¯s because he often buys things here, and he¡¯d say hello every time he passes by."


    "Auntie, can you please have somemon sense? If he went to kill someone that day, would he greet you?"


    "How could he kill someone! The kid is only twenty-five this year and had struggled really hard to move up to bing a featured extra from an extra. He¡¯s very ambitious. He even wrote a poem. Ah, let me think about it. Something like ¡°One ¡®Wang¡¯, one ¡®Lu¡¯, both are called ¡®Baoqiang¡¯. One day, ¡®Lu¡¯ will certainly surpass ¡®Wang¡¯¡±. How can such a good child kill people? And to kill Japanese people?¡±


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I know that you want to help him, but such a subjective testimony won¡¯t be epted in court."


    "He... He wouldn¡¯t kill people!"


    Seeing the tiny hesitation in the auntie''s expression, Chen Shi asked, "Are you hiding something?¡±


    "No, no!"


    "It¡¯s illegal to cover up for him."


    Frightened by this, the auntie admitted, "Okay, okay, I saw him that day... But he had juste back from going online and he bought a drink from me. He was just at the Inte cafe diagonally opposite me! You can go and check."


    "What time was it?"


    "It was about 11:00 at night!"


    "Why didn''t you say so before?"


    The auntie said with shame, "I mainly thought that this kid isn¡¯t bad and I didn''t want him to get drawn into these affairs. The two who died were Japanese, so no matter who killed them, I think they rid the people of evil... I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but I thought that you police would just go through the motions and not investigate seriously."


    "Whether they¡¯re Japanese or aliens, they¡¯re still human lives. Thank you for being honest today!"


    The auntie took two bottles of mineral water and asked, "Will you arrest me?"


    "No, but don''t do this in the future."


    "I''m afraid there won''t be something like this again in the future... Let me give you these bottles of water."


    Chen Shi still took out two yuan, put them on the counter, then walked towards the Inte cafe with Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, "Lu Baoqiang''s alibi is untenable. In that case, Old Wang¡¯s alibi is also overturned. Speaking of which, why did you suspect Old Wang from the beginning?¡±


    "Take a guess!"


    "Because he was nervous in front of you?"


    "Many people are nervous when dealing with the police, but nervousness isn¡¯t always suspicious. I had just noticed that when I met him that day, his feet didn¡¯t fit his shoes which should have beenrger than his original size."


    Lin Dongxue thought for a moment and suddenly realized, "I understand now. He deliberately wore a bigger size!"


    "Yes, the suspect was aware that he may have left a lot of evidence at the scene, so he used this trick. It precisely exposed his suspiciousness."


    The two went to the Inte cafe and found out that Lu Baoqiang had been online from 8:30 to 12:00 on the day of the incident. Lin Dongxue photographed the Inte record and copied the surveince footage from the entrance and exit of the Inte cafe as evidence.


    Just as the two were about to leave, Lin Dongxue nced back and tapped Chen Shi''s shoulder, pointing in one direction.


    They saw Lu Baoqiang with a cigarette in his mouth wearing headphones while fully absorbed in ying a game. He couldn¡¯t hear external sounds, so his voice thundered, "Mage, follow up with a fiery meteor shower. Warriors should go over and hit him. Let me say it again. Don¡¯t call me by name in the group. Call me Young Master!¡±


    The two stood behind him, and he didn''t even notice them. Lin Dongxue caught sight of the gaudy screen and asked, "What¡¯s this game?"


    "Rebirth. It¡¯s an old game... It should be a private server."


    He poked Lu Baoqiang. Lu Baoqiang took out ten dors impatiently. "Add another ten dors!"


    Chen Shi poked him again. He nced back and continued to immerse himself in the game. Then he reacted. He took off the headphones and turned his head. He smiled, "Are you looking for me?"


    "Lu Baoqiang. You¡¯re like this every day but you still want to surpass Wang Baoqiang?"


    Chen Shi''s words pierced his heart. Lu Baoqiang¡¯s face and ears went red with shame. He immediately logged off and settled the bill. "I just... y when I have a break. Normally when I am working, I am very conscientious."


    "We¡¯re not here to educate you. Let me ask you one thing. Were you online on the day of the incident?"


    "Yes..."


    "Why did you say that you were drunk and unconscious, sleeping in the dormitory?"


    "I didn''t say that I was sleeping in the dorm. I just said that I was drunk."


    "Is there a difference?"


    "Whenever I get drunk, I woulde to the Inte cafe to sober up."


    "Sober up here?"


    "Yeah, my friends all know this. After ying for a while, my brain would sober up, and then I would go home and sleep."


    Chen Shiughed. "The previous testimony was really problematic... That is to say, you weren¡¯t with Old Wang at that time. You actually dared to say that he was sleeping in the dorm that night?¡±


    "I was the one who sent Old Wang back that day. He was totally drunk at that time. I threw him onto the bed and then left. When I came back, he was still sleeping, so he must¡¯ve been sleeping in the dorm the whole time..." Lu Baoqiang scratched his cheek.


    Chen Shi pondered. It¡¯s reasonable to say that the Inte cafe alibi was more tenable than saying that he was sleeping in the dormitory. Why did Lu Baoqiang hide it? He felt that there was something fishy.


    So he asked, "Were you really online the whole time?"


    "You can investigate it!"


    "Okay, we will check it. However, if we find something that you didn¡¯t personally admit to, then the nature of things would be different. Let¡¯s go!"


    Lu Baoqiang chased after them. "That, that... What do you mean by ¡®the nature of things would be different¡¯?"


    It seemed as though they were about to get a good show. Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s illegal tomit perjury. If you admit it now, it won¡¯t be considered as perjury. Think about it. Even if you be Wang Baoqiang one day, this matter will be a stain on your record."


    Lu Baoqiang bit his lip and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. It could be seen that he was having an internal struggle.


    Subsequently, he stuttered and admitted, "I... I visited the Japanese¡¯s house that day!"

 Chapter 545: Recounting the Crime

    <h4>Chapter 545: Recounting the Crime</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lu Baoqiang lowered his head. "We ordered the Japanese to kowtow that day. When they left, Fujiwara scolded us. My Japanese isn¡¯t good, but I could still understand that they were cursing us. I had also drank a lot that day. I was thinking that these Little Japans came to our country and still dared to be defiant, so I went below their apartment and scolded them. Then I vomited heaps! After vomiting, I sobered up and left."


    Chen Shi said, "Didn¡¯t you say that you had sent Old Wang back?"


    "Yeah, when I met Old Wang, he was buying soda in the kiosk. I helped him back, and then I went to the Inte cafe."


    "Did Old Wang know that you had vomited?"


    "He did!"


    Lin Dongxue wrote down his statement. Chen Shi said, "I hope you¡¯ve told us the truth this time."


    "I swear that this is absolutely the truth!"


    Before leaving, Chen Shi looked at the murky Inte cafe behind them. "Young man, let me give you some advice. It¡¯s your leisure time that decides who you¡¯ll be in the future. If you really n to surpass Wang Baoqiang, then you should practice your acting when you¡¯re free."


    After leaving the Inte cafe, Lin Dongxue said, "It¡¯s rare to hear you advising people."


    "Everyone has a time when they were young and had a dream, but because they were young, they felt that they had a long time to go, and let time slip away."


    "Did you have a dream when you were young?"


    "It¡¯s been realized."


    "What?"


    "Bringing a beauty home!" Chen Shi smiled.


    They didn¡¯t go to look for Old Wang. After all, they didn¡¯t have enough evidence. However, Old Wang was now the number one suspect.


    After two days of investigation, they found out that Old Wang had once purchased arge number of Japanesenguage textbooks online and had also passed a Japanesenguage proficiency test. In addition, he had also sold his family house, but the whereabouts of this money are unknown.


    Chen Shi felt that it was time to invite Old Wang over. Therefore, Wang Ying sat in the interrogation room that afternoon.


    Before the interrogation began, a policeman came in and asked Old Wang to change into a pair of slippers and measured his foot size with a ruler. His feet were the same size as the footprints left at the crime scene. The shoes on his feet were exactly one sizerger.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue sat down in front of Old Wang. Chen Shi picked up a photo. "Old Wang, this is the shoe print we found at the crime scene. The size is the same as your feet. How do you exin that?"


    "What¡¯s there to exin?" Old Wang said slowly. "There are men wearing size 40 shoes all over the streets."


    "However, ording to your friends, you had a pair of leather shoes before this, and the shoe prints were very simr to this one. Nevertheless, we didn''t find them during the investigation, how do you exin this?"


    "I have nothing to exin."


    "Your alibi has already been overturned. No one can prove that you were sleeping in the dormitory that day."


    "I drank three taels[1] of alcohol that day. Everyone knows how much I can drink. I was totally drunk after dinner that day."


    "Really?"


    "It''s true!"


    Chen Shi stood up and paced in front of him. Old Wang kept rubbing the back of his hands nervously. Chen Shi said, "Let me tell you a story. An unsessful featured extra met a Japanese person on the drama set. He had nned to go to Japan to develop his career. That Japanese person was willing to help, but he said that immigration to Japan was very difficult, and that it took a lot of money. The featured extra obediently gave money to him and the other party kept dispelling his doubts with promises. One day, the Japanese person¡¯s friend exposed his lies with a sentence. The speaker had said it unintentionally, but the listener understood. The fooled guy was also at the scene. He welled up with rage at the time. Once the party ended, he went to argue it out with the Japanese person. On impulse, he killed the other party as well as the Japanese¡¯s friend.¡±


    "After killing them, he was very scared. He went to the warehouse to find a cycle rickshaw, but he identally saw the Japanese officer costumes. He remembered what had happened at the party that day and that it was September 18th the next day. Therefore, he developed a n. He dressed up the two bodies and made them look like Japanese officers who were apologizing for their sins. That night, the murderer called up his roommate and pretended to urinate near the abandoned bodies. Thus, they became the people who reported the case!¡±


    Old Wang listened as cold sweat dripped down drop by drop. He kept rubbing his hands on his legs.


    Chen Shi stared at him. "The murderer''s criminal technique wasn¡¯t very clever, and the way they tried to shift the focus really underestimated the police''s observation skills. Sitting here and listening to our story, what step do you think our investigation has progressed to? You still have a chance to confess now!¡±


    Chen Shi was just bluffing. In fact, they had no key evidence at all. However, interrogation was like ying mahjong. The other party doesn¡¯t know what tiles you have.


    Old Wang, in Chen Shi''s view, wasn¡¯t a suspect with high mental fortitude.


    Old Wang swallowed and said calmly, "I can provide a clue. That night, Lu Baoqiang went to the crime scene. I never said anything about this the entire time."


    "Really?" Chen Shi sneered. "Where¡¯s the crime scene?"


    "It''s just under the Japanese¡¯s hom-" Old Wang suddenly widened his eyes and looked up at Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi sneered. "I didn''t seem to have mentioned the location of the crime scene, so how do you know about it?!"


    After a brief silence, Old Wang broke down. He cried while covering up his face, "I didn''t want to kill him. It was that Japanese who scammed me and then pretended as if he was the victim. I couldn¡¯t handle my anger!"


    Lin Dongxue let out a sigh of relief and the police outside were secretly excited. The suspect was finally about to speak.


    Chen Shi handed Old Wang a cigarette. He took it with a trembling hand and lit it. Chen Shi returned to his seat and looked at him quietly.


    Halfway through the cigarette, Old Wang said, "Tamura and I have known each other since 2014. At that time, he asked me for directions. We had anguage barrier, so wemunicated with each other by writing on paper[2]. We talked for quite some time. He hade from Japan and was a featured extra. He looked particrly... lecherous. He was very suitable for acting as an officer in anti-Japanese dramas and soon found a crew who was willing to hire him. Then, he mentioned me to the associate director, so I also joined the cast. In the show, we were enemies who were out to kill each other, but off the set, we were like brothers. He didn¡¯t understand anything in China. I helped him a great deal. Later, during a holiday, he said ¡®Wang-san[3], nihon e ryokou shimasu ka?¡¯[4], and asked me if I wanted to go to Japan to have fun. I have never been abroad, so I agreed!¡±


    "I went to Japan to have fun for a few days and I felt it was pretty great. Especially the streets full of Chinese cuisine. What did they sell? Pot-stickers, mapo tofu, shredded pork with green pepper. I wanted tough. Weren¡¯t they just home cooking? I said that even I could make them. At that time, I was thinking. I wouldn¡¯t get anywhere as an extra in China. If I went to Japan to open a restaurant and earned money, I could bring my family over and that wouldn¡¯t be too bad. Tamura found out what I was thinking. He said that immigrating to Japan was very difficult, but there was a way - To get married. He said that he had a younger sister named Tamura Yukari who was severely paralyzed and bed-ridden. If I married her, I would be able to immigrate over. At the same time, his sister would have someone to look after her.¡±


    "I refused at the beginning. I may not be a great catch, but how could I marry a disabled person? But Tamura came up with a medical diagnosis report and said that his sister wouldn¡¯t have too many years left to live. If I married her, she¡¯d pass away after a few years. I¡¯d also sessfully became a Japanese citizen. Then I met her. Although she was disabled, she didn¡¯t look bad, she had a nice voice and she was educated as well. To be honest, if she weren¡¯t disabled, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find a woman like this in my lifetime, so I agreed...¡±


    1. A tael is a Chinese unit of weight measurement. It was standardized to 50 grams in 1959.


    2. Kanji is a Japanese writing system with ideograms (or characters) adapted from Chinese characters. Kanji constitutes as one of the two systems used to write the Japanesenguage, the other being the two indigenous kana sybaries (hiragana and katakana).


    3. ¡®San¡¯ is an honorific. Can be tranted as ¡°Mr.¡±, ¡°Mrs.¡±, ¡°Ms.¡± etc. It¡¯s gender neutral.


    4. Would you like to travel to Japan?

 Chapter 546: I Wish You Luck

    <h4>Chapter 546: I Wish You Luck</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing this, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had basically understood everything, but they still listened to Old Wang patiently.


    Old Wang again asked Chen Shi for another cigarette. He somberly exhaled, looked at the ceiling and said, "For a person¡¯s life: one- fate, two- luck, three- feng shui, four- umtion of virtue and five- education[1]. I have none of these. Some people''s lives are multiple choice questions, but my life is just right and wrong questions. Furthermore, I can¡¯t take a single wrong step! I listened to Tamura¡¯s lies and started to learn Japanese and I applied for a passport. Tamura said that he had bought a house for his sister in Japan and that we can only get married if we have a house. But he could only pay the down payment. I had to pay the rest of the mortgage over 20 years. I thought that since he¡¯s already done so much, then I¡¯d pay it off! Moreover, after Yukari died, wouldn¡¯t this house be mine?¡±


    "I sold my old house and gave Tamura 4,000 yuan in cash every month. He would show me the bank statements to prove that the money was indeed used for mortgage payments. Over the past few years, I have been tightening my belt[2] and providing monthly payments for the house in Japan. I often asked Tamura when I could go to Japan. He told me to take the Japanesenguage proficiency test. I took the test. He asked me to umte work experience. My work experience was enough. He asked me to get a chef¡¯s license and I¡¯m doing that... He always found reasons to put me off. I felt that something was wrong, but I still believed him deep down. Since I have seen things with my own eyes, he couldn¡¯t have deceived me!¡±


    Chen Shi interrupted him, "Didn¡¯t anyone in the cast know that you have such a good personal rtionship with Tamura?"


    "We filmed anti-Japanese dramas. What we filmed will affect the rtionships outside the shows more or less. Look at those stars. Couples in the films turn into couples in real life. In the film, we were enemies, and out of it, we weren¡¯t friends. Furthermore, the cast¡¯s atmosphere was like this. Everyone hates the Japanese. I¡¯m a tough guy. If the news spreads that I was nning to immigrate to Japan, marry a Japanese girl, and change to a Japanese name, how could I face people in the future?"


    Chen Shi thought to himself that the truth was really ironic. The man in the cast who least liked Japanese people actually wholeheartedly nned to immigrate to Japan.


    "Okay, please continue!"


    "At dinner that day, everyone teased them. Fujiwara was anxious, saying that Tamura''s family situation was very difficult and that his wife was paraplegic. Which was why he hade to China to act so that his wife could be treated! When I heard this, I was in a daze. I immediately looked at Tamura''s expression and it seemed a bit off. It was impossible, right? His sister is paraplegic and his wife is paraplegic? Besides, Tamura had been saying that he wasn¡¯t married. I suddenly understood that I have been cheated by this Little Japan over these few years. The immigration etc. was fake. This guy was just waiting until he had scammed me enough before he took off!¡±


    "So I didn''t drink any of the alcohol afterwards and seized the opportunity to pour it all away. I was almost crazed with anger and I brought a dagger with me. I was just going to scare him. I went below Tamura¡¯s apartment and threw stones at his window. When Tamura saw me, he came down. I asked him what was going on and asked him to return the money to me. However, Tamura said that the money had already been given to the hospital. He also arrogantly said that I didn¡¯t have my eyes open[3] and said I deserved to get scammed. What made me even more angry was him saying that he was going to leave China the next day!¡±


    "I had ced all my hopes on going to Japan. I have nothing now. The house is gone, my future is gone, and I can¡¯t even get married! How could he deceive me like this? This Little Japan. This damned Japanese devil. There are 1.2 billion people in China[4]. Why did he have to deceive me?! I got so angry that I was ready to do anything. I stabbed him in the neck, and then I dragged the dagger, slicing open his throat. When the gas sprayed on me, I finally realized what I had done. I had killed someone. I killed someone!¡± Old Wang hugged his head in pain.


    "The activity seemed to have alerted Fujiwara. I hurriedly hid at the entrance to the alley. At that time, Tamura was still twitching on the ground. Fujiwara came over to check and he had his back to me. I thought that I couldn¡¯t let this Little Japan go. He would definitely expose me. Who knows what they''ve been talking about in private. Fujiwara definitely knew about this matter! So, I walked over. Fujiwara kept shouting at Tamura and didn¡¯t hear anything at all. After that, I raised my dagger and stabbed it through Fujiwara¡¯s back, and then did it two more times before he fell to the ground!¡±


    "I took the key to the warehouse from Fujiwara¡¯s pocket and was going to get a cycle trishaw or a box to take the bodies away. They would definitely be found if they were left lying there. Like you said, I walked into the warehouse and saw a few Japanese officer costumes. I got the idea to dress them up, tie them up with rope, and let them kneel there. It happened to be September 18th, so the police would never have thought of it!" Old Wang shook his head. "Sure enough, I was too naive. I should have thrown them into the sewers so that their bodies could never be found!"


    "Why did you go to dispose of Lu Baoqiang''s vomit?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "After the bodies were discovered, Lu Baoqiang told me about it. I pondered over it. If you knew that Lu Baoqiang wasn¡¯t in the dormitory, then I wouldn¡¯t have an alibi. So I told him that vomiting there would bring trouble to himself. If the police ask him to go back to the bureau with them, how would he be able to act in the future? This kid was so scared that he ran there with me to shovel away the vomit. It was early in the morning and no one found out."


    After verifying some details, the whole case was closed. They might take Old Wang back to the scene for some identification.


    Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve solved many cases. Your criminal tactics really weren¡¯t clever, but the motive was indeed unexpected at the beginning."


    Old Wang sighed and shook his head. "I''ve felt as though I¡¯ve been sitting on needles over the past two days. Now that I¡¯ve said everything out loud, I feel better. Honestly, who can you me for their deaths? me Tamura himself. Why did he have to lie to me? The hope he gave me was like letting me climb up to the top of a 20-story building step by step. Then Fujiwara¡¯s words made me fall down with a bang. The Japanese aren¡¯t good people. They can¡¯t be trusted!¡±


    Chen Shi originally wanted to say something, but since the parties concerned had already paid the price, whatever he said now would just be an insensitive remark.


    When the words came to his lips, the same sentence remained. "There¡¯s nothing more to say. In short, I wish you luck!"


    Old Wang smiled bitterly. "I have no luck in my life. I killed two foreigners. Even if it¡¯s not the death penalty, I¡¯d need to go to prison for life. Surely, there wouldn¡¯t be any special amnesties one day?¡±


    "Old Wang, as long as you¡¯re alive, there will always be times when you¡¯re lucky!"


    1. In feng shui, they are the five forces that determine the oue of your life and the five areas of influence are listed in order of importance. This site has a nice English exnation of it: http://.fengshuiadvantage/articles/oueofyourlife.htm


    2. Lived very frugally.


    3. Someone who hasn¡¯t experienced much. Country bumpkin.


    4. Not sure when the author wrote this. The Chinese poption is around 1.44 billion in the year 2020.

 Chapter 547: Suicide By Jumping Off A Building

    <h4>Chapter 547: Suicide By Jumping Off A Building</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 36: Why Did Ah Zhen Die?


    Ah[1] Zhen: Are you there?


    Ah Zhen: I can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m so miserable. Can you talk with me?


    A Zhen:?


    Mieba: Fuck. Do you have to be like this? You just got jilted. Why haven¡¯t you gotten over it yet? You¡¯re too narrow-minded, aren¡¯t you?


    Ah Zhen: I want to die!


    Mieba: Oh save that crap. Go wash up and go to sleep!


    Mieba: When you¡¯re sad, try not to listen to sad songs and watch those weepy Korean dramas. You should read more unconstrained poems. A person needs to look further ahead and just be heartless like me. See how well I live!


    Ah Zhen: Thank you!


    Mieba: It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t think too much. Just go to sleep. That man is a scum. There¡¯s no need to shed tears for him. Who hasn¡¯t experienced such a thing as a breakup? Be more mature!


    Ah Zhen: Alright.


    Ah Zhen: Sorry for bothering you.


    ...


    Ah Zhen: Hello, this is Zhang Jianjun, a policeman from the Long''an Public Security Bureau. The owner of this phone died after falling off a building half an hour ago. I need to verify her identity with you.


    Mieba: *A message was withdrawn*


    Mieba: Stop teasing me. How could shemit suicide.


    Ah Zhen: Please tell me your mobile phone number!!!


    Mieba: Fuck, really?!


    In the middle of the night on September 25th, there were police sirens shing in the Taohuayuan housing district. The woman who had fallen from the building was surrounded by the police cordon. The police were taking photos and fixing the area. Some residents ran down to watch in their pajamas and were stopped by the police outside the cordon.


    Old Zhang had a mobile phone with a broken screen in his hands. On WeChat, the friend who had chatted with herst finally sent over information on her identity. The deceased''s name was Ai Lizhen. She graduated from XX University and had been working for three years. She worked as a telemarketer in an investmentpany.


    Old Zhang copied the information down and looked at the female corpse on the ground with emotion, "Haii, so young."


    A policeman came down. "No outsiders have been in the house. The door was locked from the inside and the window was open. This was found on the table!" It was a suicide note, and some of the writing had already been blurred. Old Zhang sniffed it to confirm that it was wet from tears.


    "It seems to be a suicide. Take the body away quickly! Hey, don''t take pictures. There¡¯s nothing to see here. Go back to sleep!" Thest sentence was directed towards a grinning young man who was taking photos just outside the cordon.


    A car drove into the housing district and two youngsters came out, rushing into the cordon regardless of the police''s obstruction. Old Zhang said, "What are you doing? Hurry and get out. The police are handling the case!"


    A guy in a red id shirt who reeked of alcohol cried and pointed at himself. "I was the one on WeChat just now, Mieba. I killed her! I should have figured it out earlier, why didn''t I figure it out... Ah Zhen, Ah Zhen, wake up!"


    The guy knelt beside the body and cried. The guy in the leather jacket stood next to him, looking sad. He shook his head and sighed for a while, then took out a cigarette and got ready to light it up.


    Old Zhang said, "No smoking here!"


    "I¡¯m not trying to smoke. I want to mourn Ah Zhen."


    "Stop shedding crocodile tears!" The guy in the red id shirt stood up and pushed him. "Officer, arrest him. It was this scumbag who yed with her emotions and caused Ah Zhen tomit suicide! It''s all your fault!"


    "What do you mean? Thest person that she contacted was you. If it weren''t for your words, would she die?" The guy in the leather jacket countered.


    The two of them looked like they were about to get into a fight. The police quickly persuaded them to stay away from each other. Old Zhang smelled alcohol on them and asked, "Who drove the car?"


    The guy in the leather jacket pointed to the guy in the red id. "He did!"


    "Drinking and driving? Take him away!"


    The guy in the red id wailed and shook them off, trying to kick the guy in the leather jacket in order to vent his anger. When he was taken into the police car, he was still shouting, "Ah Qiang, karma will get you! It definitely will!"


    Hearing the word "karma", the guy in the leather jacket felt a little lingering fear. Old Zhang came over and asked, "What is your name? What is your rtionship with the deceased?"


    "Gu Daqiang. I just broke up with her."


    "Because of what?"


    "Because I had found someone else. You can ask any one of our friends and they¡¯d tell you that, but it¡¯s not true! I know it¡¯s bad to speak ill of the dead, but Ah Zhen was too insecure and was suspicious of everything. As long as I was one secondte replying to a text message, she¡¯d suspect that I was with another woman. Do you know what the reason thest time that we quarreled was? Wasn¡¯t a province in the south flooded? Everyone in ourpany donated as a group. I donated a thousand dors. After she found out about it, she started overthinking. She said that my ex-girlfriend was from that province and asked if it was because of this reason that I donated so much. I said that she was mad and refused to answer her unreasonable questions. She cried and scolded me. I couldn''t stand it anymore, so I suggested that we break up. About a week after the breakup, I found another girlfriend. This incident reached her ears, and she started to overthink it, thinking that I had met someone else long ago, which caused us to break up. She would vent her grievances to people everywhere, just like Xianglin¡¯s widow[2]. Our friends all came to criticize me. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m being wrongly used? Officer, shemitted suicide, right? It¡¯s got nothing to do with me!¡±


    "We¡¯re still investigating whether shemitted suicide. What is the name of the guy from just now?"


    "Liu Qin. We were all ssmates."


    "You two were together?"


    "We were just drinking, and we were at the Bluebird Bar on Erma Road from 10:00 in the evening until we received the text message."


    Old Zhang recorded the information down while listening. He finally said, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. Leave down your contact information and we will inform you if there¡¯s progress."


    Gu Daqiang shook his head. "No need, she must havemitted suicide. I should have known. I want some peace and quiet for the next two days."


    Gu Daqiang took his leave.


    After the site investigation waspleted, the police loaded the body into the van and returned to the bureau. Old Zhang was on duty that night. In fact, he had been exposed to too many such suicide cases ever since he became an officer. Compared with those earth-shattering murders, it didn¡¯t seem like a big event.


    Back at the bureau, a police officer brought a detention document over and asked Old Zhang to sign it. When he read "Liu Qin" on it, Old Zhang said, "He¡¯s a drunk driver. Why was he detained here?"


    "You didn''t tell us earlier!"


    "Forget it. Leave him here first. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll contact the traffic department and let them deal with it."


    Just before he got off work, Old Zhang went to take a look at Liu Qin. He sat very dejectedly in a solo detention room. Old Zhang asked, "Are you sober yet?"


    Liu Qin nodded.


    "Although there aren''t many cars at night, it was still too dangerous for you to do so. I know that things have happened suddenly, but there are no exceptions before thew."


    "Did she leave a suicide note or something?"


    "She did, but I can''t show it to you right now. We have to wait until we¡¯vepletely ruled out homicide.¡±


    "I really shouldn''t have said those words back then, really... I''m practically a pig, why didn''t I notice it?!" Liu Qin covered his face with great pain. "You can punish me. Shoot or jail me, I¡¯d take it. I was the one who killed her!¡±


    Old Zhang shook his head. "Don''t me yourself. She¡¯s already gone. You should have a good rest here!¡±


    1. Used in front of a shortened form of peoples'' given names to express familiarity


    2. A very pitiful woman whoined to everyone about the misfortunes in her life. To be fair, she did meet with a lot of misfortune.

 Chapter 548: Apologize By Dying

    <h4>Chapter 548: Apologize By Dying</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    He had been very free these past few days. While Tao Yueyue was at school, Chen Shi cleaned up the whole house. The house had looked quite clean but he actually had to change the water with which he had washed the rag three times. It could be seen that he had indeed been a bit too busy these days.


    After the house was tidied up, Chen Shi put on an apron to wash vegetables and cook. Lin Dongxue would being over for dinner that night.


    The reason why he didn¡¯t drive his taxi that day was because Lin Dongxue had happily told himst night that she had gotten her driving license after sitting the exam again and had driven to work herself that morning.


    At this time, his phone beeped. Lin Dongxue sent a message to tell him to hurry down.


    Going downstairs, Chen Shi felt heartbroken when he saw that his car had been dented. What shocked him even more was that the car was full of napa cabbages. He asked, "What happened?"


    "When turning a corner, I identally hit a stall selling vegetables. The stall was run by an olddy. I felt so sorry that I bought all her napa cabbages."


    "My God. There are over sixty catties here. Why didn¡¯t you hand them out to your colleagues?¡±


    "I¡¯ve already done that, but there are still so many left..." Lin Dongxue looked very wronged.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll make some hot and sour cabbage!" Chen Shi patted her head. "Don''t me yourself. I think you need to hone your driving skills. You still can''t drive alone."


    "I''ll give you money for the car repairs!"


    "No need. There¡¯s insurance."


    Chen Shi parked the car, and the two brought the napa cabbages[1] home making multiple trips. When he thought about the situation, Chen Shi wanted tough. He asked, "There are no cases that I have to attend totely, right?"


    "There are none that we need to trouble you with. They are all minor cases. Today, a man blindly spouted spoilers for a movie that he watched. He was hacked to death. The murderer confessed to us himself. Oh yes, there was a girl who jumped off a building two days ago because she was jilted. Old Zhang has already dealt with it."


    "Long¡¯an''s highly-intelligent criminals aren¡¯t doing well this month!¡±


    "I disagree. You¡¯ve already solved two cases."


    "Just one. That disappearance case didn¡¯t count as ours. I didn¡¯t get a bonus for it.¡±


    "I know you¡¯re so free that you¡¯re bored. Why don¡¯t you go to the bureau with me tomorrow to see what you can help out with?¡±


    "I¡¯m not going. I don¡¯t want to do the post-investigation work. Just let me drive my taxi!¡±


    "No wonder you don''t want to be a police officer..."


    "Yes, being a policeman is boring!"


    When Yueyue came home, the three had dinner together. Tao Yueyue put down her bowl and went back to her room to read. Lin Dongxue looked at her back. "Yueyue has grown up."


    "Oh? I didn''t notice!" Chen Shi said.


    "A little suggestion. She¡¯s already a big girl. Is it still appropriate for her to live with you?"


    "You know that we¡¯re usually like this and don¡¯t interfere with each other. We asionally talk with each other. I don''t think there¡¯s a problem. She¡¯s not an ordinary child."


    "I feel that it¡¯s best to be more concerned about her!"


    Chen Shi waved his hand. "She doesn''t need me to pay attention to her and I don''t have the time. The two of us are just friends who have arge age gap between us. It¡¯s not a father-daughter rtionship... I''m still so young!"


    "Look at your irresponsible attitude."


    "I never thought that a child should be the guardian''s possession. The two sides are just two independent people."


    "I''m curious about what your family is like."


    "They¡¯re just like that. They can¡¯t be said to be either good or bad. I experienced some troubles typical of those born after the 1980s." Of course, this was a lie. Song Lang had grown up in an orphanage. He still remembered Song Lang''s rebellious adolescence. If he hadn¡¯t met a certain personter on, perhaps Song Lang would have continued to fool around.


    To be honest, childhood was a time that Chen Shi didn''t want to live through again. This point also resonated with Lin Dongxue.


    Sometimes, he also considered whether he should pay more attention to Yueyue, but he didn¡¯t know how to deal with children. If he couldn¡¯t find a way to go about it, then he should just let it be, and not bother each other.


    Tao Yueyue had indeed be more silent recently. He thought that maybe her studies in the third year of junior middle school had be a heavier burden. Or there might be some adolescent troubles.


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone, held it to her ear and spoke a few simple sentences. "Fell off a building? Do you need me to go? Okay, I''lle over right away!"


    Putting down her phone, she said to Chen Shi with a smile, "Great detective, give me a ride!"


    "It¡¯s perfect for aiding food digestion. Let''s go!"


    The ce where the incident had urred was very close by, so Lin Qiupu asked her to handle it. When they reached the scene, the local police had already arrived. The deceased was a male. His ID card had been found on him. His name was Gu Daqiang. He was only 24 this year.


    Chen Shi looked up and saw a window standing wide open and asked the police, "Is that the deceased''s home?"


    "Seems like it."


    "Let''s go up and have a look."


    Chen Shi and a local police captain surnamed Li went up to the apartment. Captain Li said, "I¡¯ll call a locksmith."


    "No need!" Chen Shi dealt with it himself, opening the lock swiftly.


    "The criminal police really have a lot of tricks."


    "I learned this from dealing with so many criminals." Chen Shi said humbly.


    Gu Daqiang¡¯s house wasn¡¯trge. There were leftover takeaway boxes on the table and the ashtray was filled with cigarette butts. The cold wind blew in. The window screen had been removed, and there was a shoe print on the window frame.


    Chen Shi was checking the bedroom. Captain Li found a piece of paper somewhere and called out, "Officer Chen, look at this. It¡¯s a suicide note!"


    The suicide note had been printed out. It read, "Ah Zhen, I''m sorry, I''m an asshole. After two days of all kinds of suffering, the only thing I can do is to personally go to Yellow Springs[2] and ask for your forgiveness. Ah Qiang."


    "It was a suicide." Captain Li concluded.


    Looking at a crease on the paper, Chen Shi asked, "Where did you find it?"


    "On the bookshelf."


    "You folded this crease here?"


    "No, it was there when I found it."


    Chen Shi went to the bedroom and turned on theputer. There was a printer next to theputer. He printed a web page to confirm that the printer was functioning. He said, "It was murder! There¡¯s a printer in the house. Why did he fold the paper? This paper was brought in by an outsider."


    Captain Li suddenly saw the light. "It¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯re a criminal police officer. Your experience is rich!"


    Chen Shi was toozy to exin that he wasn¡¯t actually a police officer because he was afraid of the trouble. Since there was suspicion of murder, he immediately withdrew with Captain Li and asked the forensics squad toe over and investigate the scene.


    Half an hourter, Old Zhang and Peng Sijue arrived together. Old Zhang said, "I just heard that the deceased was Gu Daqiang. Is it true?¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you know this person?"


    "A few days ago, a girl named Ah Zhen fell down from a building and it was determined that she hadmitted suicide. Gu Daqiang was her former boyfriend. I feel that these two cases are rted, so I came."


    "Old Zhang, did you see him that day?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I did."


    "How was he like? Was he full of regret or was he indifferent?"


    "He wasn¡¯t indifferent. We talked for a while. He was trying to shirk responsibility the whole time. He said that the girl was prone to being suspicious and that it had nothing to do with him. From what I saw at that time, he would nevermit suicide, so I think this case of him falling off the building is suspicious."


    Chen Shi nodded. "He really wouldn¡¯t havemitted suicide. I just found his cell phone in the house. He had saved a red envelope after ordering takeaway.[3] He forwarded a recent movie that he wanted to watch in his circle of friends. His recent fitness ns were also written down on his calendar. It shows that he was in a calm state of mind and was nning for his future life. A person with such a mindset wouldn¡¯t kill himself!¡±


    Chen Shi¡¯s eyes shone brightly. "This case is rather interesting. I¡¯ll take it!"


    1. AKA ¡°Chinese cabbages¡±.


    2. In ancient Chinese mythology, the realm of the dead is called the ¡®Yellow Springs¡¯ (Hu¨¢ngqu¨¢n »ÆȪ).


    3. You can send red envelopes on WeChat. It¡¯s real money.

 Chapter 549: The Third Homicide Case

    <h4>Chapter 549: The Third Homicide Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Peng Sijue and his subordinates began to survey the scene. There were many fingerprints and footprints of outsiders found in the deceased''s house. Within the two hours of his death, he kept receiving messages from his friends on his phone. There were three people who had invited him out to have fun.


    It seemed that Gu Daqiang was a very social person, so these fingerprints and footprints on the scene were totally useless.


    The focus was on the window frame and Gu Daqiang¡¯s body.


    However, the surveince footage held a clue. A man who was well-wrapped up in clothing had entered the housing district around 7:00 in the evening. After Gu Daqiang fell down from the building, the man left silently.


    Chen Shi asked Old Zhang, "Old Zhang, do you suspect anyone?"


    Old Zhang shook his head, "Ah Zhen''s death was determined to be suicide, and the case was closed directly, so there was no in-depth investigation. Two guys hade over that night though."


    "Besides Gu Daqiang, who was the other one?"


    "He was called Liu Qin, but it¡¯s impossible for it to be him. I smelled alcohol on him that night and found out that he was drinking and driving, so he was taken directly to the bureau.¡±


    "Is he still there?"


    "He¡¯s being detained by the traffic police right now!"


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to make a phone call to confirm this and Old Zhang continued, "But this Liu Qin might have been the direct cause of Ah Zhen''s death. That night, Ah Zhen had sent him messages and he said a few things. I¡¯ll show you the chat history."


    Old Zhang took out his mobile phone with the photos of the chat history. As Ah Zhen''s mobile phone was already badly shattered at the time, the text wasn¡¯t too clear, but they could still make out the gist of it.


    At first nce, it was just ordinary conversation. However, after careful consideration, one will discover that Ah Zhen was asking him for help. Maybe she had already reached the uppermost-limit of despair. Liu Qin had closed the door with a few words and pushed her into the abyss.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "People don''t know how to regret until a tragedy urs."


    "That¡¯s so true. Liu Qin was very emotional afterwards. He said that he had killed Ah Zhen and was willing to pay for it with his life."


    "I''ll go and see him!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the traffic police department. Seeing the policee to him, Liu Qin wasn¡¯t surprised. He was still immersed in his sins. Chen Shi was very straightforward. "Your friend, Ah Qiang, is dead."


    "How did he die?!"


    "He fell from a building."


    "Was it suicide?"


    "I''m afraid it''s not that simple. We want to talk to you, but it''s not convenient here. I''ll help with your bail."


    After going through the formalities, Liu Qin was released, holding a box of his personal belongings in his arms. He immediately searched for his phone inside, and looked at it, before putting it into his pocket.


    The three went to a teahouse outside the city''s traffic police bureau. They didn¡¯t order anything and just found a secluded ce to sit down. Chen Shi asked, "What exactly is the rtionship between the three of you?"


    "University ssmates. Ah Zhen and I were from the same department while Ah Qiang was from another department."


    "Did the two of them start dating then?"


    "To be more urate, I was the one who set them up. My rtionship with Ah Zhen is like that of close female friends[1]. She had be infatuated with Ah Qiang after seeing him at a sports meet. She had a crush on him for a year, but she was so introverted that she would never say out loud who she liked in a lifetime. As a friend, I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so I found Ah Qiang through people from my hometown and told him. Ah Qiang took the initiative to look for her. You¡¯ll never know how shy Ah Zhen was. Facing the person she loved, she was terribly nervous and acted extremely cold. At that time, Ah Qiang thought I was ying with him and that this girl wasn¡¯t interested in him at all. After a lot of twists and turns, these two got together. From then on, the stage for today¡¯s events was basically set. One had extremely low self-esteem and the other was vibrant, cheerful and outgoing. Ah Zhen always felt that she wasn¡¯t worthy of Ah Qiang, and always worried that he was too close to other girls. Her kind of insecurity got to the point where she¡¯d overthink as soon as Ah Qiang was out of her sight. However, I know that she had an unfortunate childhood: she hade from a divorced family, so the two were always quarreling when they were together. Ah Qiangined to me that she was too suspicious of him and that he was almost at the end of his rope."


    "You seem to be friends with both these people at the same time. Between these two, who do you prefer?"


    "Ah Zhen!"


    "You like her too?"


    Liu Qin smiled and shook his head. "My fondness is just out of sympathy and concern. In fact, I have a boyfriend."


    "You have a boyfriend?"


    "It''s already the year 9102[2], is it strange?"


    "It¡¯s not strange. It¡¯s not strange."


    "However, I became closer to Ah Qiang after we graduated, because we were working at the samepany. On the day of the incident, we had just been with a client. We were both physically and mentally exhausted, and were drinking in a bar... I was so stupid. Ah Zhen sent me a message. I should have noticed something, but I had too much to drink and my brain was muddled. I randomly consoled her like a dick. I thought that she was alright, who knew...¡± Liu Qin held his head in pain.


    "I saw Ah Qiang''s testimony from that day. What had happened exactly between them?"


    "The two of them each had their own version of the story regarding that matter. Ah Qiang said that he had gotten friendly with the new girl only after breaking up, but Ah Zhen said that he had been cheating on her. As far as I know, Ah Qiang had long exchanged flirting nces with Lili. Yes, he was already impatient with Ah Zhen at that time, and a person as sensitive as Ah Zhen definitely would have been aware of it."


    "When did this happen?"


    "About six months ago."


    "This may be presumptuous, but who do you think would kill Ah Qiang to avenge Ah Zhen?"


    "I don''t know, but I¡¯m sure that if this person was taking revenge for Ah Zhen, then the next one will definitely be me."


    "Revenge is just a hypothesis. The case is still unclear, but you should be careful and keep in touch with us."


    Liu Qin nodded. "Ah Qiang''s private life was quite chaotic. I mean, there were many girls who had ambiguous rtions with him. You can investigate in this direction."


    "Was there anyone in particr who cared for Ah Zhen?"


    "Her mother and her elder brother."


    "Do you know their contact information?"


    "Let me search for it!"


    Later, the two bid him goodbye. Chen Shi looked at the time and it was gettingte. "Let¡¯s investigate again tomorrow!"


    Over the next two days, the police sorted through the interpersonal rtionships surrounding Ah Zhen and Ah Qiang and found no obvious suspects. The only person who had a grudge with Ah Qiang was Sun Jun.


    ording to Ah Qiang¡¯s ssmates, Sun Jun had said something at the banquet on the eve of graduation, been beaten up by Ah Qiang and badly injured. Sun Jun had thrown down the gauntlet and said that he would do away withAh Qiang sooner orter.


    Sun Jun held no serious jobs after graduation and also acquired a gambling addiction. It was said that he¡¯s been hiding from his creditors.


    On the afternoon of September 25th, the police found Sun Jun''s residence. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi went over to his residence and knocked on the door a few times. However, no one answered. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why are people who gamble and take drugs always the biggest suspects?"


    "This kind of people can''t control themselves. They could do anything."


    "Okay, it seems that he¡¯s not at home, or he has moved away. We¡¯vee out empty-handed again."


    "Let''s go in and have a look."


    "That''s not a good idea!"


    "I don''t know how slow following the normal procedure would be. I can''t wait."


    Seeing that no one was around, Lin Dongxue agreed. When Chen Shi opened the door, the two were stunned for a moment. A man hung from the beam of the room and swayed like a wind chime...


    1. Common term used to describe best/close female friendships was used here.


    2. Chinese people reverse the year sarcastically when asking why the other party is so conservative when it¡¯s a new century.

 Chapter 550: You Stay

    <h4>Chapter 550: You Stay</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue stepped forward and reached out to touch the man. She found that the man''s skin was as cold as ice. His trousers were bulging, and ginger-colored excretion dripped down from the trousers onto the ground, and the skin that the rope had bitten into was dark purple. His two eyes bulged out, as if they would fall out at any moment. His face was flushed and swollen. The skin elsewhere waspletely different. At first nce, it was as though he was wearing an eggnt-colored mask.


    Chen Shi went over. "He¡¯s been dead for at least a day. Protect the scene and call Old Peng!"


    Peng Sijue rushed to the scene with his people and began to survey the scene ording to the standard procedure. He turned his head and found that Chen Shi was sitting on the sofa and drinking a bottle of soda. He scolded, "You¡¯re drinking things at the murder scene again?"


    "The scope of what you control is sorge. Do you need this to be tested? I¡¯ll keep the bottle for you if you need to test it!" Chen Shi shook the soda bottle in his hand.


    Peng Sijue took a camera and photographed Chen Shi¡¯s cocky expression while he was sitting with his legs crossed. Chen Shi said carelessly, "What? You want to report me? I don¡¯t care!¡±


    Lin Dongxue was so annoyed that sheughed. "Captain Peng, he¡¯s teasing you. This bottle of soda was bought outside. It wasn¡¯t taken from here."


    Peng Jue nced at Chen Shi angrily and continued to work.


    Lin Dongxue had long noticed that the left ring finger and pinky finger of the corpse were gone. The injuries should have been old ones. When the forensic police carefullyy the corpse down, the scene was quite exciting. The excrement in the corpse''s pants was scattered all over the ce. They had to pick up the feces for sampling. Chen Shi felt sick from watching and wanted to leave quickly.


    "Captain, what¡¯s this?"


    "It''s a tattoo. Old Chen,e and take a look."


    Chen Shi popped his head back in from the door and walked back. The tattoo was a little special. A stripe was tattooed on the forehead of the deceased. The pattern was very abstract. Everyone studied it for a long time. Chen Shi said, "Isn¡¯t this male genitalia? Aren¡¯t the words I used very refined?"


    Peng Sijue red at him. "No ivoryes from the mouth of a dog[1]."


    The tattoo was indeed that of male genitalia. Based on the color, it had been tattooed a long time ago. The deceased might have found it embarrassing and deliberately kept his hair long in front to cover it.


    All kinds of signs showed that this victim definitely had enemies.


    Peng Sijue examined all parts of the deceased. "The cornea is quite cloudy, the pupils are visible, there are small folds on the surface, the rigor mortis has partially dissipated, and the livor mortis is starting to stabilize. The time of death should be about 24 hours ago."


    Chen Shi added, "Don''t forget that the victim had been hung up. The rope was tightly tied around the neck, so the air couldn¡¯t enter the internal organs. Therefore, the decaying process would slow down. The time of death must be brought forward."


    Peng Sijue said disdainfully, "Do I need you to remind me? This has already been taken into consideration."


    "Are you still holding a grudge? What a narrow-minded guy."


    The naked eye couldn¡¯t tell whether it was suicide or homicide. There was a chair upside down on the scene with shoe prints on it, but Chen Shi felt that the shoe prints were too clear. If the deceased had kicked it backwards, they would be a little blurry.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi went out to interview the neighbors. The deceased¡¯s house and the surrounding houses were all old bungalows. There was no property manager at all. The neighbors said that they were not familiar with the victim. He had moved in not too long ago and they hadn¡¯t noticed any suspicious peoplee or go recently.


    As they were investigating, Lin Qiupu came with some people and Lin Dongxue asked, "Captain Lin, why are you here?"


    "This case is about to be a serial killing case. I came over to have a look. Do you think that it has something to do with the previous case of the victim falling from the building?"


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s 80% likely that they are connected, but this is just a series of murders, not serial killings."


    After Lin Qiupu entered the house, Xu Xiaodong said mysteriously, "Two peoplemitted suicide. Could this be the female ghost taking revenge?"


    "Yes, one hundred percent right!" Chen Shi apuded. "The case has been solved, the case has been solved. Let''s go and invite a master exorcist to catch the ghost tonight."


    "Aiya, Brother Chen, don''tugh at me. I just said it casually." Xu Xiaodong said with shame.


    "Ah yes, I need you to do me a favor."


    "What favor?"


    "I¡¯ll tell youter!"


    After the on-site evidence collection waspleted, everyone was ready to take their leave. Chen Shi said, "Let Xiaodong stay!"


    "Let him stay?" Lin Qiupu was surprised, and Xu Xiaodong also looked shocked.


    "The deceased''s interpersonal rtionships are chaotic. There¡¯s a high probability of him having enemies out there. If we go directly to them, those people won''t say anything. I think it''s better to wait and see if anyone will show up at the door."


    "It¡¯s fine if we just ask the neighbors to look out for these kinds of things."


    "Did you see the deceased man''s missing fingers and the dick tattoo on his forehead? I think that ordinary people won¡¯t dare to provoke the people who woulde and look for him. It''s better to leave a policeman on guard!" Chen Shi patted Xu Xiaodong¡¯s shoulder. "Xiaodong''s skill is good, he¡¯s got courage and he¡¯s young and vigorous. There aren¡¯t a lot of people as suitable as he is."


    Xu Xiaodong¡¯s cheek twitched awkwardly.


    "Xiaodong?" Lin Qiupu asked him for his opinion.


    Xu Xiaodong stood upright at once. "Let me stay. This is an opportunity to make a contribution."


    "Okay then!"


    After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue said, "You always manipte Xiaodong into your traps."


    Chen Shi replied seriously, "No, I think he has a pure heart without any distractions, so he¡¯s very suitable for this kind of work."


    "Doesn''t that mean that he''s stupid and easy to deceive?"


    "Haha, you saw through it!"


    The previous autopsy report hade out. Gu Daqiang¡¯s body contained anesthesia that had been ingested through the digestive system. His autopsy records showed that he hadn¡¯t made any defensive actions when he fell so he should have beenatose.


    No container containing the drug was found at the scene, but there was a bottle of wine in the refrigerator that had just been opened. However, no wine-ss was found. The police suspected that the murderer had a drink with Gu Daqiang, took the opportunity to spike the wine, and then took the two sses away.


    The suspicious figure that appeared in the surveince footage couldn¡¯t be identified as they were all covered up. They discovered through another surveince camera that the person hade out of the subway station. This was thest clue that the police could find.


    After nightfall, Xu Xiaodong sat in the dimly-lit house. Although it had been cleaned up there, he still felt scared at the thought of someone hanging from the beam in the house. Whenever his line of sight shifted away from the beam, it seemed like the person was still hanging there, swaying left and right.


    He secretly encouraged himself, telling himself that this was the test Chen Shi had given him, and that he had to stick it out.


    He told himself that there were no ghosts in the world and that there was nothing to fear.


    It was just that the atmosphere was too gloomy. It was unclear where the air had seeped in, but the temperature there seemed to be lower than outside. There were no street lights outside. asionally, there were dog howls and the noise of a quarrel between the couple next door. There was a water pipe leaking somewhere, with the sound of water dripping. These sounds made up the background sounds there.


    "Awu!"


    Xu Xiaodong trembled in fright when a stray cat screeched outside. He looked back and saw the old furniture hidden in the dark, looking as if they were something strange.


    When he thought about it, Chen Shi had told him to stay, but he didn¡¯t mean that he had to stay overnight, right? Could he head back?


    At that moment, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside...


    1. No good words are expected from a scoundrel.

 Chapter 551: Guarding The Tree Stump Waiting for Hares

    <h4>Chapter 551: Guarding The Tree Stump Waiting for Hares</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong became tense and listened carefully. The footsteps stopped at the door before turning away quickly. Xu Xiaodong jumped up and ran out in pursuit.


    He ran into a small alley following the direction where the sound of the footsteps had vanished. Looking around, there wasn¡¯t anyone around. At that moment,ughter came from the alley behind him. Chen Shi said, "I was testing your responsiveness."


    Xu Xiaodong became deted. "Brother Chen, why did you give me a scare all of a sudden?!"


    Chen Shi raised his hand. He had bought some snacks and drinks. "I was afraid of your being bored alone, so I came to keep youpany.¡±


    "It¡¯s not too boring, it¡¯s just..."


    Chen Shi entered the house. Looking at the dark house, he asked, "Why don''t you turn on the lights?"


    "I''m afraid that I¡¯ll alert them."


    "You¡¯re too upright! If someone really came to look for the victim, they would walk away if the lights weren¡¯t turned on!"


    Chen Shi turned on the lights, drew the curtains, sat down and opened the bag. He took the food and drinks out one by one. He said, "This guy''s interpersonal rtionships aren¡¯t easy to investigate, and the friends he associated with aren¡¯t good people. They¡¯re all snakes and rats."


    "I¡¯m puzzled. He also graduated with a four-year undergraduate degree. How did he turn out like this?"


    "It was because of gambling. I heard that his family background was pretty good. Ever since his father died, he couldn''t get rid of the bad habit of squandering money. He lied that he was working outside of the city. In fact, he was just aimlessly living out his days, waiting for the day it all ends. The family couldn''t afford this spoilt brat. He went around everywhere to borrow money from his friends and all of his more respectable friends cut ties with him.¡±


    "Brother Chen, you won''t leave tonight, right?"


    "I''ll stay and keep youpany. You wouldn¡¯t have any backup if you¡¯re here alone."


    Xu Xiaodong was moved.


    In fact, Chen Shi hade directly from the bureau. The preliminary autopsy results of the victim, Sun Jun, had juste out. There was a lot of alcohol in his stomach, which contained anesthetics. He had undoubtedly been murdered.


    Chen Shi paced back and forth in the empty house. Xu Xiaodong yed Honor of Kings[2] on the sofa. He said, "Brother Chen, why do you keep walking around? Do you want to y with me for a while?"


    "y it by yourself. I''m recreating the process of the crime."


    Chen Shi imagined what the situation back then was like. The furniture in the house was neat. The murder process shouldn¡¯t have been too intense. The murderer was an acquaintance. After anesthetizing Sun Jun, he hung him on the beam.


    Chen Shi looked up and there were signs of friction on the beam of the house. A lot of dust had been found on the cloth that had strangled Sun Jun. The murderer shouldn¡¯t have been able to hang Sun Jun up alone. They would have first looped a rope around Sun Jun¡¯s neck, pulled it up, and then tied the other end of the rope to the window frame.


    Sun Jun''s arm had been slightly dislocated and there were fragments of trouser fabric in his fingernails, which showed that he had been struggling violently.


    After that, the murderer stamped footprints with Sun Jun''s shoes on the chair and pushed it over behind the body, forging the illusion of suicide.


    If the murderer was a single person, they should be someone who is familiar with Ah Qiang and not so familiar with Sun Jun, so he had only forged Ah Qiang¡¯s suicide note. But why did they have to make it look like a suicide?


    Take Ah Qiang for example. If the murderer had ughtered him and ced him in the house, the corpse might not have been discovered for a few days, and the investigation would have been more difficult.


    The motive of the murderer was definitely rted to Ah Zhen''s death. The ¡°suicide¡± method showed the aspiration of the murderer, causing the two to die in the same way as Ah Zhen, returning an eye for an eye.


    After thinking about this, Chen Shi searched around the house, and Xu Xiaodong asked curiously, "Didn¡¯t Captain Lin already search the ce?"


    "I¡¯m seeing if anything is missing."


    When he opened the closet, he found a piece of clothing that looked like what the first murderer was wearing, so heid it out on the bed and took a few photos.


    Then he found more than a dozen IOUs in a CD box. He showed them to Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong was still ying his game. He said anxiously, "I''m almost finished with this round. It was hard for me to make aeback. Please be amodating.¡±


    "Do you dare to speak to Captain Lin like this?"


    "I know that Brother Chen is very nice!"


    Chen Shi didn''t ept his sweet-talk and took away his mobile phone directly. Xu Xiaodong looked dejected. Chen Shi said, "When you have the skills one day, you can y games while talking to others about the case. Currently, you don¡¯t have the capital to be naughty.¡±


    "Okay... Wow, so many debts!" Xu Xiaodong picked the IOUs up. "100,000, 130,000, 200,000, how much did he owe?"


    "Wait!" Chen Shi picked up a sheet with the name ¡°Liu Qin¡± written on it. "He owes Liu Qin 200,000?"


    "There¡¯s more. He owed 300,000 yuan to Gu Daqiang. Those two have only been working for three years. Could they be so rich?


    "They work in marketing and sell raw materials. It''s not surprising that they have that much savings... Are you looking regretful that you have entered the wrong field?"


    "No, no!" Xu Xiaodong denied repeatedly. However, he was thinking in his heart that they were younger than him, but had made so much money.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Didn¡¯t they say that he fought with Gu Daqiang? Why did Gu Daqiang still lend him money?"


    Chen Shi shrugged. "Everyone is dead, how can I know?"


    "Can you return the phone to me...?"


    "If the phone runs out of battery, how can I contact you?"


    "I brought the charger."


    "Okay, I give up!"


    Xu Xiaodong retrieved his phone happily, continued ying that round of the game, and actually won. He said, "Doesn¡¯t Brother Chen get bored when he investigates cases?"


    "I''m very excited to investigate these kinds of odd cases!"


    "You don¡¯t get excited for ordinary minor cases, right?"


    "Yes, I have no interest at all."


    That night, the two fell asleep there. When they got up the next morning, Chen Shi, who was putting on his clothes, said to Xu Xiaodong who was still in bed, "I¡¯ll continue to investigate the case during the day. I¡¯lle here at night. You¡¯ll stay on guard here the whole time. Do you understand?"


    Xu Xiaodong said in a daze, "Mm!"


    "Don''t ¡®mm¡¯. Repeat my words!"


    Xu Xiaodong repeated Chen Shi¡¯s wordspletely. Chen Shi only left after ensuring that Xu Xiaodong had remembered his words.


    A task force had been set up for this case. The clues to be investigated were veryplicated. They had to follow up with a lot of people that had hung out with the victims. The main reason was that Ah Qiang had too many friends and Sun Jun had too many enemies. However, there wasn¡¯t much of an intersection between the two.


    The only intersection, Liu Qin, had long been excluded as a suspect.


    Old Zhang said, "ording to one of Sun Jun''s gambling buddies, he had his fingers chopped off by a gang boss six months ago because he was cheating. Then the humiliating thing was tattooed on his forehead."


    Lin Qiupu asked, "What is this gang boss called?"


    "The gambler didn''t know. They only knew that his nickname is ¡®Brother Bian¡¯, and that he runs an underground casino."


    "Old Zhang, contact the local police to see if this man has a criminal record and where he operates the casino. Don¡¯t alert him yet after you¡¯ve found this out."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I met a ssmate of Gu Daqiang yesterday. He said that when the two were fighting, Sun Jun had mocked Ah Qiang for picking up another person¡¯s discarded girlfriend. Gu Daqiang got physical and Ah Zhen cried. Gu Daqiang left with her. Sun Jun and Gu Daqiang were from the same department, but their other ssmates aren¡¯t based locally here. I will see if I can contact them by phone today." Then Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang and she nced at it. "Captain Lin, Liu Qin is outside right now. He said that he was afraid of bing the next victim and asked for protection!"


    "Got it!" Lin Qiupu nodded. "Your phone needs to be put on silent mode the next time we have a meeting."


    1. Meaning: Waiting for a stroke of luck. Story behind it: There was once a farmer working the field when he saw a hare break its neck on a tree stump. The farmer decided to give up farming and just wait by the tree-stump. He believed that he could pick up other hares that would inevitably run into the tree again. However, he never saw a hare run into the tree again.


    2. Also known as King of Glory.

 Chapter 552: Murder Advance Notice

    <h4>Chapter 552: Murder Advance Notice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Ten minutester, Liu Qin sat in the office, holding a cup in his hands and shaking so hard that the water in the cup had all spilled out.


    Chen Shi sat down in front of him and asked, "Do you smoke?"


    Liu Qin took a cigarette as he trembled and lit it. Lin Dongxue said, "The higher-ups don¡¯t agree to the protective detention, but if you¡¯re really afraid, you can stay here without any restrictions on your freedom."


    "Thank you!"


    "How do you know that you¡¯ll be next?"


    "Her signature. Please take a look. Her QQ signature."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took out their phones and added Ah Zhen¡¯s QQ number, and saw that the signature read, "Lonely suffering, lovesick bones, withered flowers, one, two, three..."


    "The previous signature was something like "Flickering me". Last night, I logged in to QQ thinking of leaving a message to bid her farewell. Suddenly, I found that her signature had changed. No one knew her QQ password. This must be a murder advance notice. I will definitely be the second one! Absolutely!"


    Chen Shi said, "Although I don''t agree with it being a murder advance notice, I have to correct you a little. You¡¯d be the third!¡±


    "Who was the second one? Ai Guowei?"


    "Sun Jun. He¡¯s already dead."


    "Sun Jun?" Liu Qin thought for a while, "Sun Jun from the other department? Surely, it isn¡¯t him. Why is it him? He didn¡¯t do much to Ah Zhen!"


    "Who was the person that you just mentioned?"


    "Ah Zhen''s brother."


    "Did he treat Ah Zhen badly?"


    "Actually, he treated Ah Zhen very well. So well that he went overboard. As it was a single-parent family, the elder brother was the only male in the family. In addition, he had gone out to work early and had more authority at home. When she was in high school, she was discovered to have depressive tendencies. She was sent to an unregted institution for treatment by her brother. Instead of being cured, it made Ah Zhen even more sensitive and vulnerable. However, she no longer dared to tell her loved ones that she wanted to die. She could only keep it in her heart." Liu Qin grabbed at his hair. "I should have noticed that she wanted to talk to me that day. You don''t know about this, but she used to vent to me frequently before. Working for the past two years has hardened my heart. I¡¯m also not as sensitive as I was before. I thought that she would have gotten more mature. Now I understand that she had never grown up! I killed her!"


    Liu Qin pounded his own head. Lin Dongxue grasped his wrist. "Don''t me yourself. This is no longer a simple suicide, but murder. We still need your help."


    Liu Qin wiped away his tears and drank some water.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "I want to ask you something. Do you know what Gu Daqiang and Sun Jun were fighting about?"


    "I don¡¯t. They fought? Sun Jun even borrowed money from Gu Daqiang!"


    "It was at the graduation banquet."


    Liu Qin recalled, "Was it because of Ah Zhen?"


    "I''m afraid that was the case."


    "I just remember that during the banquet, Ah Qiang ran over to our ss to announce that he and Ah Zhen were dating. The two had kept it a secret before. Then Ah Qiang took Ah Zhen''s hand and led her to the table for his ss. Maybe the fight had taken ce there. Our banquet wasn¡¯t in a private room."


    "I see, it seems that you don''t know Sun Jun well too!"


    "We only came into contact after I started work and we weren¡¯t acquainted at school."


    Chen Shi asked, "You lent Sun Jun 200,000, didn¡¯t you?"


    "Yes!"


    "You knew that he was a gambling addict, so why would you still lend him money? With your ie, 200,000 isn¡¯t much, but it isn¡¯t a small sum either."


    "I know what kind of person he was, but he kept begging me during that time. The only thing he didn¡¯t do was kowtow on the spot. He said that he needed to borrow this money to repay the loan sharks. After repaying the debt, he would start afresh. At that time, he had a million in debt. With Ah Qiang¡¯s persuasion, I lent him 200,000 and Ah Qiang lent him 300,000. Honestly speaking, my heart was bleeding when I lent this money out. Would this kind of person repay it? Sure enough, the dog can¡¯t change his habit of eating shit. He went to gamble again with the money, and since then, I have pretended that I didn¡¯t know him. I¡¯ve already helped him as a friend. He could extort someone else!¡±


    "Looking at this, it seems that Ah Qiang had a good rtionship with him."


    "It was pretty good. Even after fighting in university, being in the same city after starting work is fate. When I was attending university, I had some conflict with my roommates, but after meeting them again in a few years, we became extremely close.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "This murderer can log in to Ah Zhen''s QQ, indicating that their rtionship must be very close."


    "I think so as well."


    "Ah!" Liu Qin shouted, "I remember now that Ah Zhen''s QQ space isn¡¯t open to the public. She had the habit of writing diary entries. You can check that out. Maybe there¡¯s a clue!"


    The information department couldn''t figure it out. The quickest way was to go to Ah Zhen''s house. Liu Qin asked to go with them because he was too scared to stay alone.


    Arriving at Ah Zhen''s residence, Liu Qin knelt at the entrance, kowtowed three times towards the empty house and repeatedly said, ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡±


    Lin Dongxue remembered that a boy had gone to the reservoir to swim and drowned back in junior high school. When the news came out, she had been shocked beyond description. Only when death came to someone around her, could she feel the weight and suddenness of it.


    Liu Qin''s casual words on WeChat that day had directly led to the death of Ah Zhen, and his psychological burden must have been very great at that moment.


    This was Lin Dongxue''s first visit to Ah Zhen''s house, which was neater than any house she had ever seen. The furniture was spotless and delicate handicrafts on the shelves revealed the owner''s sensitivity and delicate nature.


    She saw a ss jar full of small, colorful origami stars. Liu Qin said, "Officer Lin, you can open it and take a look."


    Lin Dongxue poured out a few and took them apart. It turned out that each little star had words written in them. The handwriting was beautiful and regr. They read, ¡°I hope Ah Qiang doesn¡¯t always swear, as it¡¯s not cool at all¡±, ¡°I hope his knee injury gets better soon. He is always pulling a long face, and he hasn¡¯t smiled at me for three days.¡±, ¡°I saw Ah Qiang talking to the girl. I was very sad and couldn''t sleep. Maybe I¡¯m thinking too much.¡±, ¡°My world only has him in it, but there are many people in his world whoe and go. Is it despicable of me to be always wanting to tie him down?¡±, ¡°I always stare at the dialog box after saying ¡®Good night¡¯ hoping that we could talk a bit more. It¡¯d be nice if he knew.¡±


    These fragments revealed a girl''s heart that was as sensitive and fragile as a drinking ss. She could also see her strong love for Ah Qiang. Lin Dongxue was moved by reading them. When she thought that she had already passed away, her eyes began to sting.


    Chen Shi was reading them next to her. "The handwriting leans to the right, indicating that she was a very emotional person. Also, these words seem to be framed by an invisible frame, which shows that there was an invisible cage in her heart. She had severe obsessivepulsive disorder."


    "Go away. How hateful. Who asked you to analyze here!" Lin Dongxue pushed him away.


    Chen Shi shrugged helplessly. Liu Qin, who hadn¡¯t spoken, was crying silently. He wiped his tears away with his sleeves, afraid that the tears would fall on the paper slips. "This is what I taught her. If you have a wish, write it on a piece of paper and turn it into a little star, so that you will feel a bit better.


    "Liu Qin, I couldn¡¯t tell how sensitive you are. Have you always been gay?"


    "I¡¯ve loved men since junior high, so we were like good sisters."

 Chapter 553: An Empty Hole Invites the Wind

    <h4>Chapter 553: An Empty Hole Invites the Wind</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi turned on Ah Zhen¡¯sputer, and it automatically logged in to QQ. A lot of messages had appeared over the past few days after her death. First, Ah Qiang¡¯s message said, "Death may not be the worst thing. Let those of us who are alive bear the burden you have left behind. I¡¯m not the person of your ideals. I can only apologize for this. I hope that in your next life, you can find your ideal man."


    Then it was Liu Qin¡¯s message, ¡°I¡¯m a bastard. I should have noticed it that day. I me myself for drinking. Sorry, sorry, sorry... Ten thousand sorrys! I wish for you to find true happiness in another world.¡±


    There were some other friends and ssmates leaving messages. It seemed that the news had spread quickly.


    One person''s message attracted Chen Shi''s attention. The person''s online name was "Silent Bamboo". He said, "Who killed you? Can you tell your brother through a dream? I must make them pay a painful price!"


    Liu Qin said, "This is her brother, Ai Guowei."


    "Is this man in Long''an?"


    "He resides outside the city."


    "Dongxue, write it down and investigate this personter."


    Ah Zhen''s signature had indeed been modified, because the signature had been synchronized, and one could see that the modification time was around 9:00st night. Chen Shi said, "Ask a colleague from the information department toe over to check thest login location."


    There were many things written in Ah Zhen''s diary, but they were written in an overly delicate and reserved way. They couldn¡¯t understand the situation based on the text alone. It seemed that the girl had been immersed in depression and troubles every day. Chen Shi thought that her mental state was unhealthy and that she should have perhaps gone to a psychiatrist. However, her brother had roughly sent her to an unregted treatment facility at that time, which resulted in a fear of psychiatrists.


    Liu Qin told Chen Shi to read posts from four years ago, when Ah Zhen was still in school. There was a diary entry that caught Chen Shi¡¯s attention: "...Some gossip is spreading among the ssmates. I clearly didn¡¯t do anything, but even he is starting to suspect me. How can he doubt me like this? Am I that kind of girl in his eyes? I obviously even gave him my first time...¡±


    Liu Qin said, "The rumors may have been spread by Sun Jun. I don''t know the specific details."


    Chen Shi asked, "You¡¯re so close to Ah Zhen, so why don''t you know about this?"


    "Sun Jun wasn¡¯t in the same department as us. I guess that Ah Qiang must have heard the rumors first, so he went to question her. We didn¡¯t hear anything on our side at all.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s go and look for the other ssmates."


    Later, the colleague from the information department arrived and discovered that thest login location was actually their current location, which showed that the person and the deceased had a very close rtionship.


    Chen Shi asked the colleague to look at theputer log again and he concluded that theputer had not been turned onst night.


    ncing at the blinking demodtor next to theputer, Chen Shi said, "This person may have stood at the door, connected to the WIFI, and logged into Ah Zhen''s QQ. This shows that they were very close to Ah Zhen and had been here before.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "An introverted girl like Ah Zhen is unlikely to tell her others her password. It seems that her brother is the most likely suspect."


    "I don''t think that way. QQ is a very private thing. Will she let her elder brother know the password? But we¡¯ll investigate it!"


    When they were leaving, Chen Shi asked the colleague from the information department to go to the housing district to get the surveince footage fromst night. The other party said, "I belong to the information department!" Chen Shi said, "And I drive a taxi. Please!" The other party went helplessly.


    At noon, the three of them had lunch together. Liu Qin treated them to the meal. Chen Shi asked, "Are you okay with not going to work?"


    Liu Qin said, "With this happening, how can I go to work? I took annual leave. I¡¯m really afraid of being killed. It¡¯s still safest for me to follow you... In fact, I¡¯m not afraid of death. It¡¯s just that the process of death is very horrifying to think about!¡± He said as he shuddered.


    Chen Shi said jokingly, "Have you ever thought about the possibility of a ghost haunting?"


    "It''s impossible, right? Although I''m not an atheist, I don''t think that ghosts will kill people."


    "Haha, if ghosts can avenge themselves, the police would have it too easy."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, are you an atheist?"


    "I don¡¯t count as one. Although I¡¯m not religious, I think the universe is big and there are many unsolved mysteries in the world. There must be some unclear, unknown power!"


    "As a police officer, I don''t want this mysterious power to appear in a case."


    "Haha, I wish that I experience such cases in my lifetime and challenge the impossible."


    "What kind of solitary and defeat-seeking[2] psychology is this! Cases in the human realm are no longer challenging for you?"


    Liu Qin suddenly asked, "Is this Officer Chen very good at solving cases?"


    Chen Shi uncharacteristically replied without any humility, "Crime solving rate is 99%."


    "Oh..." Liu Qin''s expression suddenly looked a little intriguing.


    In the afternoon, they went to visit a roommate of Ah Zhen. The roommate saw Liu Qin and was very cordial. The two of them made small talk with each other for a long time before getting to the topic. When talking about Ah Zhen, the roommate said, "I was very surprised when I heard the news. From my impression of her, Ah Zhen was an easy-going girl who loved tough. I really didn¡¯t know that she wouldmit suicide for such a trivial matter as a love affair."


    Liu Qin said, "You don''t understand Ah Zhen. She was always like this in front of outsiders, posing as a gentle girl who was harmless to both humans and animals."


    "What? We were together for four years, and I still count as an outsider?" The roommate was a little envious.


    Chen Shi interrupted. "Let¡¯s not talk about this. Do you know that there were rumors about her in the school?"


    "Well... I have a friend from another department who said that Ah Zhen and a teacher were very close, and the two... had a rtionship with each other."


    "This was the rumor spread by Sun Jun?"


    "I don¡¯t know if Sun Jun was the one who started it, but it spread in the other department. As Ah Qiang was from the other department, I remember that one night, Ah Zhen and Ah Qiang argued over the phone for a long time, and that Ah Zhen cried for one whole night. However, she refused to tell us what had happened."


    Liu Qin suddenly realized. "I understand now. At that time, Ah Zhen didn¡¯t look too well and she was still taking medicine. Later, Sun Jun said at the banquet that Ah Qiang was someone who picked up someone¡¯s discarded girlfriend. These matters were rted!"


    Chen Shi pondered, "In other words, when the rumors were spreading wildly, Ah Zhen had be pregnant, and Ah Qiang took her to get an abortion. Due to this rumor, Ah Qiang suspected that she might not have been impregnated by him, but by the teacher, so the two of them quarreled.¡±


    The roommate covered her mouth in shock, "Ah Zhen couldn¡¯t be that kind of person!"


    "Public opinion is powerful enough to melt metal[3] and people in love are very sensitive. It was normal for Ah Qiang to suspect her, but it¡¯s obvious that the boyfriend¡¯s doubt had done great harm to Ah Zhen, and this gradually caused a crack in their rtionship which had far-reaching consequences.¡±


    After bidding farewell to the roommate, Lin Dongxue asked, "Would you like to find this teacher? He works in Long''an."


    Liu Qin said, "The rumor can''t be true! Sun Jun had a glib tongue."


    Chen Shi said, "The murderer might not think that way. Call the teacher! See if you can arrange a time to meet."


    Liu Qin got the teacher¡¯s number from hiswork of friends and Lin Dongxue dialed it. After speaking over the phone, she looked a little worried. "It was the police at the local police station who had answered the phone. That teacher had been attacked!"


    1. Rumors are not baseless ims.


    2. ¶À¹ÂÇó°Ü is a character in a Jin Yong novel, who was basically someone who found it boring that he was never defeated and sought challenge/defeat.


    3. Rumors can cause great harm.

 Chapter 554: Late Night Visitor

    <h4>Chapter 554: Late Night Visitor</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Two hourster, the three went to the local police station and met Teacher Li, who was injured. His head was wrapped in bandages. He had just finished giving his statement and sat in the hallway with a ss of milk. Lin Dongxue stepped up to show him her badge and after introducing herself, Teacher Li said nkly, "Criminal police? Why are you looking for me?"


    "Of course, it¡¯s regarding matters rted to you. Who attacked you?"


    "I have just spoken to the local police, and I¡¯ve described what the assant looked like."


    Chen Shi retrieved a photo on his mobile phone, which was a photo of Ah Zhen''s elder brother, Ai Guowei. "Is this him?"


    Mr. Li nodded desperately, "Yes, yes, this was the person. He didn''t say anything and hit my head with a brick directly. If I hadn¡¯t run away fast enough, I would have lost my life. Sure enough, criminal police are very efficient."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you know why he hit you?"


    "How could I know?"


    "His younger sister is called Ai Lizhen. She graduated from your school''s economics and management department after three years and was formerly your student.


    Teacher Li didn¡¯t have an impression of her. Liu Qin pointed at himself. "Teacher Li, do you still remember me?"


    Teacher Li still shook his head, so Lin Dongxue showed him Ah Zhen¡¯s photo. Teacher Li furrowed his brows and took a while before he could recall, "I seem to have taught her before, but us university lecturers leave directly after ss and we don¡¯t have much interaction with the students. Furthermore, there are hundreds of students every year, so it¡¯s impossible to remember them all.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "Have you ever had a rtionship with your students?"


    Teacher Li looked nervous. "Why are you asking this?!"


    "Just investigating the case. It¡¯s by no means for gossip. We won¡¯t tell anyone either, so I hope that you can cooperate."


    After muttering to himself irresolutely, Teacher Li replied, "I did have a rtionship with a female student, but I was less than 30 years old at the time, and we only had a five-year age difference. Both parties were adults, so isn¡¯t this legal and reasonable?"


    The female student that he had been with wasn''t connected with Ah Zhen at all, but the time was exactly four years ago. Chen Shi tried to confirm, "Was she the only one?"


    "What are you saying? I''m not that kind of scum. It was just this one."


    "What did the person who beat you today say?"


    Teacher Li considered for a while, "He said that a debt of blood needs to be paid with blood. I¡¯m totally confused. I don¡¯t even know him. Is he rted to XX (the girl that Teacher Li had a rtionship with)?"[1]


    "He isn¡¯t. I think you were beaten today because of a misunderstanding."


    "Misunderstanding?! I almost lost my life. Such a thick brick was smashed onto my head. It wouldn¡¯t be settled by just saying that it was a misunderstanding, right?¡±


    "No, no, don''t misunderstand. Although the other party had misunderstood something, he still needs to be legally responsible for causing your injury. We will definitely catch that person."


    Teacher Li finally calmed down. "I believe you!"


    It could be seen that the origin of the rumors may have been because of Sun Jun¡¯s mistake, or due to ulterior motives.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you want to arrest Ai Guowei?"


    "Arrest him!"


    It was gettingte, so the day¡¯s work stopped there. Chen Shi still had to go over to apany Xiaodong. He asked Liu Qin, "You still n to follow us?"


    "What if I go home tonight and get killed?"


    "Just lock the door."


    Liu Qin shook his head desperately, "I¡¯m afraid of being alone. Let me be with you, please. Please."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces with each other and Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to bring Liu Qin back to his home. That way, Lin Dongxue could take care of Yueyue. Lin Dongxue said, "Isn''t Yueyue afraid of strangers?"


    "It doesn''t matter as long as you¡¯re there. By the way, Liu Qin, don''t use my razor. If you want to shave, go to the small supermarket at the entrance to buy one."


    Liu Qin said, "You can rest assured that I¡¯m hygienic and won¡¯t cause you any trouble."


    Lin Dongxue was obviously a little reluctant and sent a text message to Chen Shi after leaving. "I need to keeppany with a strange man at your house at night?"


    Chen Shi replied, "He is GAY. There is nothing to worry about. Oh yes, let him sleep on the sofa."


    Lin Dongxue reluctantly returned a "Haii!" in her message.


    Chen Shi bought some food and drinks and went to find Xu Xiaodong. He had been staying there for two days. Xu Xiaodong looked a little haggard. There was ayer of stubble around his mouth. He had gone to the old bookstore nearby to buy arge box of manhua[2]. He was reading them while lying on the sofa.


    "You¡¯ve worked hard!" Chen Shi said.


    Seeing Chen Shi¡¯s arrival, Xu Xiaodong sat up and stretched. "Brother Chen, has there been any progress?"


    "What are you being impatient for? How can it be so fast?"


    "I''m so bored!"


    "Bored my ass!" Chen Shi nced at the manhua that he had rented. "You have already read up to the Marineford battle in One Piece[3], so you must be in bliss today!"


    "The mood is different. I have to constantly be wary about peopleing in, so I can''t rx at all."


    "The most important thing about being a criminal police officer is..."


    "Patience?"


    "For you, it¡¯s patience."


    Xu Xiaodong opened the lunch box and suddenly realized, he said, "Brother Chen, what you said just now means that I have no talents and can only do this kind of work?"


    "Haha, you finally reacted."


    "You''re so bad. I¡¯ll pound your chest with my little fists~ Do I sound like Dongxue?"


    "If you do that again, I¡¯ll record it for Dongxue. She¡¯lle over and kill you immediately."


    "One Piece is so good!" Xu Xiaodong shifted the topic "naturally".


    As night fell, Lin Dongxue sent messages from time to time to "report" on the situation. "Liu Qin and Yueyue are bathing the cat, and Yueyue doesn''t seem to resent him", "Liu Qin showed me a picture of his boyfriend. He¡¯s quite handsome. Why are all the handsome boys gay?", "This youngster is very polite, and he closes the door when he uses the toilet, unlike you!"


    Chen Shi replied, "Did he use my razor?"


    "He bought one for himself."


    "Let him put it in the cupboard when he finishes. He might still have to stay over tomorrow night.¡±


    "You¡¯re noting back tomorrow night?"


    "Xiaodong and I are talking about life and we were just getting to the key points. Don''t disturb us!"


    "Humph, I don''t want you anymore!"


    Chen Shi put down the phone. Xu Xiaodong ate potato chips and then said, "I think Luffy has this ability..."


    The two chatted until 8:00, when they both suddenly stopped talking. Someone was outside. Chen Shi perked his ears up listening. The man walked to the door without attempting to be discreet.. He banged on the door and shouted, "Sun Jun, you motherfucker,e out!"


    Xu Xiaodong was about to get up, when Chen Shi signaled that he should wait and see first.


    The man knocked on the door for a long time, and then there was the sound of something being sprayed. Chen Shi opened the door and saw a hefty man and a thin man standing outside the door. The thin man was holding a spray can and was spraying on the wall, "A debtor must repay with money and a murderer must pay with his life.¡±


    "Who are you?" The hefty man looked Chen Shi up and down.


    "The same as you guys."


    "Fuck, he gave you the house? Where did he disappear to?"


    "He¡¯s in the house!"


    The hefty man kicked the door open and scolded, "Sun Jun, you..."


    Xu Xiaodong, who had been hiding behind the door, pinned him down onto the sofa before he finished his sentence. The hefty man shouted, "What are you doing in broad daylight? You¡¯re even trying to fuck with me?¡± When the handcuffs clicked into ce on his wrists, the hefty man froze.


    Chen Shi pulled the thin man in, closed the door, and shouted, "Squat down!"


    The hefty man said disdainfully, "What joke is this? Don¡¯t tell me that you guys are the police?¡±


    "You¡¯re right."


    "Eh... please spare me!"


    1. This is the format the author chose to use instead of giving the girl a random name.


    2. Comics. AKA manga in Japan or manhwa in Korea.


    3. RIP my heart during this arc.

 Chapter 555: Revealing The Answer

    <h4>Chapter 555: Revealing The Answer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two quickly squatted on the ground, dejected. Chen Shi asked the hefty man what his name was, and he answered Ye XX. Chen Shi saw the bat tattoo on his neck and asked, "You wouldn¡¯t be that Brother Bian, right?¡±


    The hefty man said with a smile, "The brothers on the same path just gave me face by calling me Brother Bian[1]."


    "What do you do?"


    "Reporting to the government[2], we are absolutely serious people and collect debts for personal loanpanies."


    "Just collecting debts?"


    "Just collecting debts!"


    "Don¡¯t lie to me. You think I don''t know that you operate an underground casino?"


    "Oh, that was long ago in the past. I¡¯ve already turned over a new leaf. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask my brothers.¡± Brother Bian smiled.


    "How much does Sun Jun owe you?"


    "Two, thirty... three, forty[3]... four, five hundred thousand or so."


    "Exactly how much is it?!" Chen Shi berated him.


    "Forty-six thousand, including interest! He¡¯s been owning it for a long time. This kid has been in hiding and we haven¡¯t been able to find him. It¡¯s making my boss impatient.¡±


    "Let me ask you something. Were you the one who chopped off Sun Jun''s fingers?"


    "Nothing like that happened. Nothing like that. How could we do that kind of thing?!" Brother Bian shook his head like a pellet drum.


    Chen Shi gave Xu Xiaodong a nce. It was unclear what Xu Xiaodong got from that as he handed over a bottle of mineral water over. Chen Shi rolled his eyes. "Take this guy to another room!"


    So, the thin man was picked up by Xu Xiaodong, and screamed as he was taken to the bathroom. Brother Bian¡¯s expression looked as though this didn¡¯t sit well with him, fearing that the younger brother would betray him. Chen Shi wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He sat on the sofa and drank some water. He patiently waited and typed out a message to Xu Xiaodong, instructing him about what he should say when he came out.


    Xu Xiaodong came out and clenched his fist. "Brother Chen, this youngster has been taken down."


    Chen Shi looked at Brother Bian, who was already so anxious that he was full of sweat. Chen Shi said, "You¡¯re really not going to say anything? You really think that we don''t know anything? I¡¯m asking now to give you a chance. When you get to the bureau, you won¡¯t get this chance. Think about it!"


    Brother Bian pinched his eyebrows as if he had a toothache, and under Chen Shi''s cold eyes, he finally said, "I was the one who chopped them off..."


    "Why?"


    "He had been cheating. At that time, I was working in a casino. I found out that the boy had cheated a big boss out of hundreds of thousands. The big boss immediately wanted to kill him on the spot. I told him to calm down and that I would take care of him. So I just chopped two of his fingers off."


    "If it was as you said, you had actually saved him?"


    "I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that." Brother Bian smiled.


    "You¡¯re stillughing? Listen, I don''t care about any casino affairs. I don''t care if you collect usury or gambling debts. I''m just investigating Sun Jun''s affairs. If you cooperate well, I¡¯ll let you go out of the doorter!"


    Brother Bian looked as though he was grasping at a life-saving straw, so he nodded desperately. "I¡¯ll cooperate! I¡¯ll definitely cooperate"


    "Apart from chopping off his fingers, what else did you do to him?"


    "Nothing!"


    "Let me remind you. Did you tattoo a ¡®dick¡¯ on his forehead?"


    "What ¡®dick¡¯[4]?"


    "Male genitalia."


    "Haha, so it¡¯s a cock. You really know how to be eloquent. I know about that, but I didn''t do it. It¡¯s most likely that he offended others and was fixed up by them. That was too fucking funny. Way too creative. Iughed for a long whilest time when I saw it."


    "Don''t go off on a tangent. Do you know who did it?"


    "This kind of thing isn¡¯t something glorious and he didn''t tell me too."


    Chen Shi took the wad of IOUs and asked Brother Bian to go through them and tell them who he recognized. Brother Bian looked at them one by one. "This Zhao XX is also a loan shark... I don¡¯t know this one... This one seems to be a gambler."


    When he saw Gu Daqiang''s IOU, Brother Bian said, "This is one of Sun Jun''s buddies. Sun Jun had deceived him."


    "How do you know?"


    "He told me. He once came over with a lot of money to gamble. I asked where the money hade from. He said that it was from an investment project. In fact, it was a leather bagpany with which he deceived two well-off friends."


    Brother Bian knew this in such detail that he may have participated in it himself, but Chen Shi didn¡¯t pursue this. "When did this happen?"


    "Six months ago!"


    "Does Sun Jun have any enemies that wanted him killed?¡±


    "They can¡¯t be counted with the fingers of one hand!"


    "Just tell us the ones that you know of."


    Brother Bian recalled and listed a few people who had been deceived by Sun Jun. After listening to this, Chen Shi felt that Sun Jun deserved to die and wasn¡¯t worthy of sympathy.


    At this time, two police cars drove up outside. Chen Shi lifted Brother Bian up, and Brother Bian said in a panic, "Aiya, police officer, didn''t you say that you wouldn''t arrest me?"


    "Did I say that? I just said that I¡¯d let you out of this door!"


    "Fuck! You tricked me!" Brother Bian shouted in disappointment.


    In fact, as soon as Brother Bian started confessing everything, Chen Shi had sent a text message to Old Zhang. After handing the two over to Old Zhang, it seemed as though they had sessfullypleted their task. The clues provided by Brother Bian were enough for them to investigate for a while.


    Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, "Investigate Sun Jun¡¯s scams tomorrow."


    "Brother Chen, we don¡¯t need to stay on guard here again tonight, right?"


    "I don''t have a ce to sleep even if I go back now. I''m still going to stay here! You stay here with me."


    "Ah? But I haven''t showered in two days."


    "I¡¯ll invite you to take a shower. Let¡¯s go!"


    At 10:00 the next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau. Instead of meeting Lin Qiupu, he went to the surveince monitoring room and copied some surveince footage. Then he went to Lin Dongxue''s office, and took a look at the copy brought back from Ah Zhen¡¯s housing district yesterday.


    On the evening of September 25th, there was indeed a suspicious person entering Ah Zhen''s housing district. Chen Shi carefullypared this person with the person who killed Ah Qiang. He leaned on a chair and crossed his arms in contemtion.


    Lin Dongxue walked in and asked, "Why are you hiding here? Get to work!"


    "Where is Liu Qin?"


    "He¡¯s with me! We have just arrested Ai Guowei who¡¯s now in the interrogation room. Do you want toe over?"


    "Ai Guowei isn¡¯t the murderer. Just go through the standard procedures!¡±


    "Ah? You¡¯re not participating in the interrogation?"


    "No, I need to go somewhere. I''lle back at noon to take you out for a meal. Bring Liu Qin. We¡¯ll eat grilled fish."


    Looking at Chen Shi''s furrowed brows, it seemed that the truth was already on the verge ofing out. Lin Dongxue knew that he wouldn¡¯t say anything no matter what she asked him at this point.


    In the interrogation room, Ai Guowei confessed to injuring Teacher Li. He said that he had found Ah Zhen¡¯s friend. After hearing the rumor, he believed that Teacher Li had hurt Ah Zhen and made her even more depressed, so he became impulsive and took some extreme actions.


    Although Ai Guowei was filled with indignation facing the interrogator, Lin Dongxue could also tell from her experience that he was only an outsider in this case.


    The interrogation continued until noon, and Ai Guowei was temporarily detained. Chen Shi only came back at 2:00 in the afternoon. Lin Dongxueined, "Where did you go? I am famished."


    "Sorry, let''s go and eat!"


    Chen Shi picked a restaurant that specialized in grilling fish that was killed on the spot and ordered a pot of spicy lychee grilled fish. The three of them ate happily. After spending time with each otherst night, Lin Dongxue found that she had a lot ofmon topics to discuss with Liu Qin. The conversation at the table never died down.


    After eating and drinking their fill, Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go back to the bureau and get down to business!"


    "What business?" Lin Dongxue blinked.


    Chen Shi winked, "The suspect has been caught."


    Liu Qin said excitedly, "Really? You guys are too efficient. I can sleep easy tonight."


    "Liu Qin, who do you think that person is?" Chen Shi asked meaningfully.


    "Letting me guess? Someone who might have been in love with Ah Zhen?"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly noticed that outside the restaurant, Xu Xiaodong was lying in ambush with a group of police officers. Was the person Liu Qin? This was impossible. When Ah Qiang was killed, he was at the bureau and there was absolutely no time for him tomit the crime.


    Chen Shi patted Liu Qin''s shoulder, "Let''s go and reveal the answer together!"


    1. Means ¡°bat¡± here, but the ¡°Bian¡± Chen Shi mentioned earlier uses a different Chinese character even though the pinyin is the same.


    2. What people sometimes call the police or people who uphold thew.


    3. The reason why there¡¯s ¡°thirty¡± and ¡°forty¡± present, is because you count Chinese numbers using groups of four zeroes rather than three. Hopefully this link can provide more insight. http://blog.tutorming/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/count-with-numbers-in-mandarin-chinese


    4. They both used Chinese characters that phically sound out ¡°Dick¡± in English.

 Chapter 556: The Buried Secret

    <h4>Chapter 556: The Buried Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When the handcuffs were suddenly ced on Liu Qin''s hands, he widened his eyes in surprise. Chen Shi said, "Xiaodong, take off your coat and cover them up for him."


    Liu Qin said angrily, "No need! Let everyone see how you police treat the lives of citizens with disregard. If you can''t catch the real murderer, just find one to me it on!"


    Chen Shi stared at his eyes and asked aggressively, "Do you think that my deduction is wrong?"


    "I don''t know what shit deduction you have. I¡¯m the victim, so why did I suddenly be a suspect?"


    "Liu Qin, I actually sympathize with you, but thew is thew. If you kill someone, you have to pay the price. Come back to the bureau with us for a talk.¡±


    On the way back to the bureau, Lin Dongxue kept thinking about it. It must absolutely be a mistake. Or this might be one of Chen Shi¡¯s tricks again. However, Chen Shi¡¯s eyes were filled with certainty. He only showed that kind expression when the real murderer is caught.


    Aputer had been ced in the interrogation room. Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to sit beside him. After sitting down, he looked at Liu Qin. "Let''s talk about what you did on September 25th!"


    Liu Qin''s face tensed up. "What did I do? You personally bailed me out that day. After talking to you, I went home and slept that night. The next day..."


    "I didn''t ask you what happened the next day, I just asked you where you went after you left this ce on September 25th?!"


    "I went home!"


    "You should think about it properly before answering."


    "I¡¯ve already thought about it properly!"


    "Okay, then I¡¯ll ask someone to retrieve the surveince footage at your residence to see if it can be verified." Chen Shi phoned Xu Xiaodong and then said to Liu Qin, "I have something to show you before the surveince footage arrives."


    He turned on theputer and started ying a snippet of surveince footage. Surprisingly, it was actually the internal surveince monitoring within the city bureau. Within the screen, Liu Qin was sitting in the detention room. He stood up and paced around for a while and then sat back on the bed.


    Liu Qin''s expression was a little nervous. On the screen, at about 4:00 in the afternoon, Liu Qiny down facing the wall, took something out of his pocket, and manipted it with his right hand using his body and the wall to cover it up.


    Chen Shi pressed the pause button. "What were you doing?"


    "Picking out boogers."


    "Picking out boogers? Okay, let''s repeat that now!"


    Chen Shi sent a policeman to the same detention room to lie on the bed with a curved back and dig his nostrils while facing the wall. The image appeared on theputer synchronously. The young policeman who had been assigned this task was very confused at that moment.


    Chen Shi asked, "This is what the act of picking your nose actually looks like. Your hand was in front of your chest, and a light illuminated your face. What do you think you were doing at the time?"


    Liu Qin pursed his lips tightly and his eyes were wary.


    Chen Shi answered for him, "You were using a mobile phone!"


    "Nonsense. When I was caught, my phone, keys, and wallet were all taken away."


    "But there was a small ident. At first, you were sent to the detention room at the criminal police department. Old Zhang returned from the scene and found that you were in the wrong ce, so he transferred you to the traffic police department. The person who escorted you over was a rookie. Look, it was this officer who just picked his nose. He was holding a cardboard box with your personal belongings and detention documents in it. I have asked him repeatedly. At first, he was afraid of taking responsibility and he dared not admit it. Later, he told me that on the way to the traffic police department, he had answered a phone call and lost sight of you and the box on the table. He didn¡¯t check it afterwards and sent you directly to the detention room."


    Liu Qin started to be a bit ufortable.


    "When I bailed you out that day, you retrieved your personal belongings and pulled out your phone as soon as possible. Iter recalled this detail and found that there was something wrong with it. You were just acting for me. You had hid your phone in your sleeve at the time, slid it into your palm while putting your hand into the box and pretended to take it out. In fact, this phone has been on you all the time and identally escaped the police''s notice!"


    At this time, a police officer came in through the door, handed a document to Chen Shi, and whispered some words to Chen Shi. Chen Shi nodded.


    After the officer left, Liu Qin said, "I admit that I had stolen my phone back, but what can this exin? At that time, I was just bored and ying games!"


    "Really? Anything can be done when a modern person has a phone in their hands!"


    Liu Qin gulped. Chen Shi took a piece of paper, pointing the back of it at Liu Qin. "A colleague at the information department just checked yours. Although the social software that you used had been deleted, you can re-download and log in using the registration information. There is a chat record between you and someone on this paper. When I turn it over, you won¡¯t have a chance any longer!"


    Liu Qin''s eyes widened, and a drop of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. Lin Dongxue nced at it and found that the paper was not actually that of the chat history. Chen Shi was deliberately bluffing, but fearing that she would give him away, Lin Dongxue pretended to nod as if she had seen it.


    This hint made Liu Qin even more nervous. He closed his legs and bit his lip, posing defensively.


    "Shall I say this person''s name? He¡¯s..." Chen Shi said slowly.


    "Sun Jun!" Liu Qin''s psychological defense had finally copsed.


    "What did you say to Sun Jun?"


    "I... I got him to kill Ah Qiang for me!"


    "After you were released on bail on September 25th?"


    "..."


    "You went to find Sun Jun immediately and killed him!"


    "It wasn¡¯t like this. It wasn¡¯t like this!" Liu Qin said in a panic.


    Chen Shi knew that instigating murder and murder were two different things. Liu Qin only admitted the former, not thetter. He was still struggling in the face of death.


    Chen Shi said, "Why did Sun Jun kill Ah Qiang? I have a document here. It is a confession from a tattoo artist. I just got it! The tattoo artist confirmed that Gu Daqiang had dragged an unconscious Sun Jun to the shop about half a year ago. He asked the tattoo artist to tattoo a dick on his forehead, andter gave the tattoo artist a sum of money to seal his lips! Sun Jun and you guys weren¡¯t friends. He had just cheated you two out of your money. When the lie was exposed, Ah Qiang flew into a rage out of shame and used this means to humiliate him and got him to write down the IOU at the same time. Therefore, Sun Jun hated him very much. You took advantage of this. The condition of the murder was that you¡¯d write off the 200,000 yuan of debt between you two. For Sun Jun, when Ah Qiang died, he not only had his revenge for being humiliated, but he wouldn¡¯t have to pay the 300,000 back. That would mean that he earned 500,000. He was already in a desperate situation, and was cornered by his creditors, so he agreed to this opportunity!"


    Liu Qin lowered his head and sped his hands together tightly.


    Chen Shi stood up. "As for your motivation, of course, it was to avenge Ah Zhen. However, there is another matter here that I have to mention. Why were you so intimate with Ah Zhen? Was it because you were best friends? Or maybe she was the only person who knew your secret. That secret is..."


    "Stop talking! Stop talking!" Liu Qin begged.


    Chen Shi stared at his eyes and said coldly. "You¡¯re not Mr. Liu, but Miss Liu!"

 Chapter 557: Misery Loves Company

    <h4>Chapter 557: Misery Loves Company</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Upon hearing this sentence, Lin Dongxue couldn''t close her mouth in shock. She turned her eyes from Chen Shi to Liu Qin. He cried while covering his face, and his voice became sharper and smaller. It was clearly the voice of a girl.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly thought of all kinds of details. Liu Qin had said, "I have a boyfriend" twice and had said that he and Ah Zhen were like "girlfriends". Then there was that thing with the razor mentioned by Chen Shi. Could it be that Chen Shi had already known at the time?


    What kind of acumen was this? Lin Dongxue had once thought that having been around Chen Shi for so long meant that she had already gotten a lot better than in the past. She only knew now how far she was from Chen Shi¡¯s level.


    Liu Qin cried for a long time. Chen Shi walked over and handed her a tissue. She took it and wiped her eyes. "How did you find out?"


    "I checked the razor that you had left in my house. It hadn¡¯t been used at all. But it had been deliberately moistened with water. Of course, it didn¡¯t rule out that your hormone levels could be low, so I took a look at the surveince footage and observed that it was a girl using the toilet. I¡¯m really sorry. I noticed that the number of times you went to do a number two was quite high. You also went to urinate a few times. However, if one looked closely, you were just facing the surveince camera with your back and pretending to urinate.¡±


    Liu Qin''s voice hadpletely changed from a low male voice to a female voice. She said, "I grew up in a sexist family. My oldest uncle¡¯s wife had given birth a son, my third uncle¡¯s wife had given birth to a son, and my fourth uncle¡¯s wife had given birth to one as well. But my family? After my mother gave birth to my elder sister, she gave birth to me. My father nearly threw me into the cattle pen and buried me. My life was spared because of my mother¡¯s pleading. My father felt that my existence made him lose face. When the rtives came to inquire, they lied about my mother having given birth to a son, and I was raised as a boy since I was a child. My parents told me not to spill the beans in front of anyone, otherwise I would be beaten to death!


    "From elementary to high school, I¡¯d been living with mockingughter from the others. There was rumors among my ssmates that Liu Qin was transgender, that Liu Qin never goes to the toilet, and that Liu Qin is missing a penis. I wanted to y with the girls in the ss, but I could only continue to act as the sex that my family had assigned to me. The boys didn¡¯t like me and the girls didn¡¯t like me either. I didn¡¯t have a single friend! I developed depression, and the thought of dying was impossible to get rid of in my mind until I met Ah Zhen at university. I told her my secret. We were both people who had to wear masks in front of others, so we became very close friends. She saved me!¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Actually, I went to Ah Zhen''s house again. I read all the chat records between the two of you. You alwaysforted her, encouraged her, and enlightened her. The way you talk to her was very gentle. You both liked Liu Yong and Li Qingzhao''s poetry quotes.[1]"


    Liu Qin nodded and tears fell onto the back of her hand. Her shoulders shook uncontrobly.


    Looking at her crying so sadly, Lin Dongxue was also a little touched. She suddenly thought that when Ah Zhen died, Liu Qin had said to look at more bold and heroic quotes. Perhaps the message hadn¡¯t been sent by her?


    Lin Dongxue went over and patted Liu Qin''s shoulder, "Don''t cry, little sister!"


    Liu Qin suddenly cried even more fiercely, because in her entire life of gender inversion, no one had ever called her little sister. She still remembered that when she first got her period, her father had to go somewhere far away to buy sanitary pads[2] and told her, "Let people discover that you¡¯re a woman and I¡¯ll kill you!"


    "Only the two of us could understand each other in this world. I am the other half of her soul. She died just like that. She died worthlessly. Someone had to pay for her death!" Liu Qin lifted a tearful face. Her eyes became firm. "The first sacrifice was Ah Qiang, the second was Sun Jun, and the third is me! I don''t regret anything that I did. The people who bullied her had to die!"


    Chen Shi knew that he was despicable and had used a secret to pry open another secret. However, finding out the truth was his heaven-bound duty and it was his job to bloodily uncover the innermost hearts of others. He had no other choice.


    "You didn''t send that message, right?"


    Liu Qin nodded. "At the time, Ah Qiang''s mobile phone was out of power. He had borrowed mine to y with. I didn''t know that he had said that to Ah Zhen. How could he not tell that Ah Zhen was asking for help? Of course he could tell. But he was an indifferent, selfish person who never looked back. He cut off Ah Zhen¡¯sst hope! I thank the policeman that night. If he hadn¡¯t detained me, I would have killed Ah Qiang on the way back. Do you know what I¡¯d have done? I would have driven as fast as I could and killed myself with him by ramming the car so hard that our bodies were unrecognizable. Even then his debts couldn¡¯t be paid off!"


    "Actually, your murder n afterwards was still quite clever. It even deceived me. I was the first to exclude you from being a suspect."


    "Thank you for thepliment!" Liu Qin sneered. "You are indeed too smart. Therefore, yesterday when I heard that your crime solving rate was so high, I got a bit scared. I originally followed you guys to keep tabs on the progress of the investigation. All the way until we went for dinner, I thought that you didn''t doubt me at all. It seems that I was wrong! That day, I had contacted Sun Jun with my mobile phone and convinced him to kill Ah Qiang, but Sun Jun was so greedy that he asked me to promise him a big reward after killing him. I agreed. On the 25th, I brought money with me and went to look for him. Sun Jun was happily counting the banknotes. I was a little hesitant as I stood behind him. Should he be damned? He did spread rumors about Ah Zhen back then causing her a great deal of pain. However, that matter had happened so long ago. But I had to kill Sun Jun. He¡¯d confess in front of the police within ten seconds. In order to prevent the police from finding me, I had to kill him to tie up loose ends! It¡¯s actually quiteughable. I, who had originally nned to sacrifice myself for Ah Zhen, actually nned how to evade responsibility for murder. Maybe this is the mentality of a murderer. If I had a one in ten thousand chance to escape the punishment, I¡¯d give it a try even if it was risky! After killing him, I originally thought that I¡¯d go to Ah Zhen''s house and delete the chat history between the two of us to prevent you from seeing them. I remembered Ah Zhen had a key in the circuit breaker box, but when I got there, I found that the key was missing. I was thinking that since I was already there, I¡¯d connect to the WIFI at the door and log in to her QQ to modify her signature."


    Chen Shi asked, "I still have a question. As a novice, how were you able to n such a sophisticated crime? You almost even lowered my crime-solving rate."


    "Because I¡¯ve thought about this kind of thing countless times. Ah Zhen was a fragile and kind girl. This world was always bullying her. I wanted to protect her forever." Liu Qin raised her face and smiled. "I did it. I avenged her. Now she can rest in peace. I love her. Not that with that kind of erotic love, but I love her, because misery lovespany. We were both marginalized people in this world.¡±


    "Actually, I admire you a lot. To have been able to give everything for the person that you loved. Since you¡¯ve chosen this, don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    "Officer Chen! I know that you¡¯re a good person. You knew that I was the criminal but still invited me to have a meal and talked so much to me. In fact, I¡¯m quite fortunate that I¡¯m a girl. I heard that men¡¯s prisons are a mess. The women¡¯s prison would be much better!¡±


    Chen Shi gently patted her shoulder. "Anyway, good luck!"


    Liu Qin was taken away by the police and Chen Shi found that Lin Dongxue was still in the interrogation room. She sprawled onto the table and wept. The sounds of her crying made Chen Shi feel even more mncholy...


    1. Song dynasty poets.


    2. Unsure why this was the case if Liu Qin had an older sister... Since she¡¯d have periods too.

 Chapter 558: I’m Not Surnamed Ke

    <h4>Chapter 558: I¡¯m Not Surnamed Ke</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 37: Don¡¯t Get Close To Strangers


    On the small holiday of October 1st, Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue to y in a newly opened surfing hall in the city. He felt that Lin Dongxue''s suggestionst time was very constructive. If he didn¡¯t spend time with Yueyue, it would put a distance between the two of them.


    It was early in the morning today and there weren¡¯t many people in the venue. For her first time being in this kind of ce, Tao Yueyue seemed a little embarrassed. She sat by the pool the whole time kicking her feet on the water.


    Chen Shi sat down next to her. "Yueyue, should I teach you how to swim?"


    The people passing by pointed at Chen Shi. "Look at that person!", "He¡¯s not a gangster, is he?!"


    There were some scars on Chen Shi¡¯s back. In fact, it was deliberately made when he had stic surgery. Chen Shi¡¯s design was that of a hooligan and his body couldn¡¯t be too clean. He also considered whether to tattoo himself, but he felt it would be too ugly as well as easy to investigate.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Chen, if you want to exchange feelings with me, we don''t have toe to this kind of ce. You know I hate ces with lots of people."


    "I don''t like busy ces either, but it''s rare to have a holiday. It¡¯s good toe out and increase my experience."


    "Increase experience? Why not read at home?!"


    "Let¡¯s make a n. Today, I will teach you how to swim freestyle, okay?"


    Chen Shi jumped into the water and sshed Tao Yueyue all over with water, forcing her to get into the water. He held her hands and taught her how to swim and breathe. Tao Yueyue, who was clever in all aspects, onlycked motor skills. She couldn¡¯t get a feel for it in the water.


    Tired of ying, the two went to a deck chair on the shore to rest. Tao Yueyue bought a pair of sunsses. Wearing sunsses, she looked very mature as she drank a coconut through a straw. She said, "Uncle Chen, you haven¡¯t spent much time driving a taxi recently and only solve cases. You¡¯re really not nning to go back to being a policeman?¡±


    "The past is just like a previous life for me. In this life, I still prefer to live freely. I think it¡¯s good right now. I can contribute to society without being constrained... What are your ns for the future?"


    "What n can a student have? To study hard!"


    "And then?"


    "I also hope to live a free life. I found out that this society is very indulgent to talented people. I should enrich myself before talking about this further!¡± These words were so mature that it didn¡¯t seem like a little girl would say them.


    "Haha, that''s not necessarily the case. Sometimes, you have to be more slick. Otherwise, your talents will be treated as heresy."


    "I hate some people in my ss. They¡¯re obviously very naive but arrogant. Do I need to act slick with these kinds of people? Just thinking about it makes me annoyed." Tao Yueyue said in contempt.


    "Are you ¡®teaching¡¯ ssmates again?"


    "No!"


    "Lying in front of me?"


    "Well, okay. I did once or twice. Mainly because they were too annoying!"


    Chen Shi rubbed his head. "The mistakes that smart people easily make are to feel that they can control others casually. You should retract your thorns a bit. The more you look like you shouldn¡¯t be provoked, the more troublesome people wille to your door. Be more low-key. If you really meet someone who¡¯s a nuisance, you can y the pig and eat the tiger[1]. The other party will lose out without knowing who did it."


    Tao Yueyue snorted. "Uncle Chen is also an adult!"


    "The ¡®adult¡¯ in your words doesn''t seem to be a good thing."


    "Adults just feel that they have rich experience and can educate children at will. In fact, many adults don¡¯t understand. For example, our Teacher Cao. Teacher Cao is very childish. Ever since they fell in love, they got even more childish, and their emotions are written all over their face."


    "Okay, okay, why don¡¯t you educate me? What do I have to improve on in life?"


    "Um..." Tao Yueyue considered. "I think you¡¯ve been a littlex towards Elder Sister Lin recently. Do you think you don''t need to maintain it anymore after she¡¯s in your hands? Look. Today, you only brought me out to y, but not her."


    "Firstly, I''m afraid you¡¯d think that we¡¯re having fun together and neglecting you. Secondly, she needs to go to work today."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll ept your reason!"


    "Yueyue, let me tell you some words of honesty!"


    "Go ahead!"


    "I''m thinking that you¡¯re growing bigger and bigger, and it''s not convenient to live with me. Do you want me to transfer you to a boarding school? I''m asking for your opinion."


    Tao Yueyue pouted and considered. "No need. I don''t like a collective lifestyle. I think it''s good not disturbing each other like this!"


    "Okay, that''s it then."


    "I also want to say some words of honesty."


    "Go ahead!"


    Tao Yueyue pushed her sunsses to cover her emotions. "Uncle Chen, can you hug me more regrly?"


    "What?"


    Tao Yueyue had a little blush on her cheeks. "If you want to exchange feelings, you don''t need toe to this sort of ce deliberately. Usually, you¡¯re too busy. When you¡¯re free, you take the child here and there to y, feeling like you¡¯ve done your duty. This is nothing but the wishful thinking of adults. In fact, for children, more praises and hugs are enough... I¡¯ve had no father ever since I was a child. You¡¯re the first person that seems like a father to me. I hope you can praise me more often and touch my head, instead of stuffing money or a Pizza Hut to me every time. I can¡¯t spend all the pocket money you¡¯ve given me. This part is what Elder Sister Lin does well. Maybe it¡¯s just something trivial, but it¡¯s very important for children... Of course!" Tao Yueyue coughed once and raised her voice. "These are not things I wanted to say. I read your psychology books and learned to analyze myself. To be precise, this is Tao Yueyue¡¯s subconscious desire and has nothing to do with my opinions!"


    Chen Shi smiled. He knew that when saying these words, Yueyue had to muster up a lot of courage. This was indeed his own negligence. He always considered Tao Yueyue as a friend with a vast age difference, but he ignored the fact that she was still a child. Children required various nutrients to grow up.


    Chen Shi touched her head. "I''m sorry. It was my negligence. Let''s start today!"


    "Mmh!" Tao Yueyue nodded blushing, before looking around at the crowd. "There won¡¯t be a homicide today, right?"


    "It sounds like we¡¯re both disaster stars where people will die wherever we go. I¡¯m not surnamed Ke."


    "Conan''s surname is Edogawa, okay[2]?"


    "It''s impossible for a case to happen..."


    As soon as he said so, a scream could be heard somewhere. Tao Yueyue looked at Chen Shi with a smile that implied "What was I just saying?" Chen Shi helplessly got up to check. A lot of people had gathered there.


    Then, he came back and said, "It''s not a big deal. An aunt''s swimsuit was washed away by the water and they just caused a fuss."


    "Aiya... Did you like what you saw?"


    "Am I that kind of person?"


    "Yes!"


    "You¡¯re actually ndering me!" Chen Shi picked up Tao Yueyue and threw her into the swimming pool. She screamed and giggled. After she stood firm, she sshed water on Chen Shi. At this moment, she had put down her constraints and yed with all her heart.


    Suddenly, a scream came from somewhere, "Ah! Murder!"


    Tao Yueyue said, "Okay, this time it¡¯s real. Go check it out!"


    Chen Shi said helplessly, "Is my surname really Ke?"


    "They¡¯re surnamed Edogawa, okay?"


    1. To y dumb to gain the advantage.


    2. Ke is how you pronounce the ¡°Co¡± part of ¡°Conan¡± in Chinese.

 Chapter 559: A Man Who Can’t Wear Clothes

    <h4>Chapter 559: A Man Who Can¡¯t Wear Clothes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On October 2nd, while having breakfast together in the morning, the two were stillughing and discussing the matter from yesterday. It turned out that a man had met his ex-girlfriend at the swimming pool[1] and said too much. The current girlfriend went into a fit of rage. While they fought, hands were thrown, and his girlfriend blindly shouted about homicide.


    Through this incident, Chen Shi was convinced that he wasn¡¯t a disaster star, and he could rest assured when he went out to y during his holidays.


    After talking about this matter, Chen Shi temporarily fell into silence at the table. Chen Shi considered the suggestion made bravely by Tao Yueyue yesterday and coughed. "Yueyue, your hairclip isn¡¯t too bad. It looks good!"


    "I¡¯ve had it for a long time already!"


    "Oh... Your skin is so nice!"


    "I haven''t washed my face yet!"


    "It''s so white even when you haven¡¯t washed your face. It can be seen that it''s natural beauty. Your Elder Sister Lin still needs skincare products!"


    Tao Yueyueughed. "Uncle Chen, what are you doing?! It''s disgusting!"


    "Praising you!"


    "Who praises like that?"


    "Okay, okay, it seems that I need to learn how to praise children. Then, let''s proceed to the next item!" Chen Shi stood up and opened his arms. "Come! I¡¯ll give you a warm, fatherly hug twice a day in the future, in the morning and the evening."


    "Is this medication? How long is this course of treatment?"


    "Hurry up! Get it while it¡¯s hot!"


    "I don''t want it!" Tao Yueyue went back to her room and then popped her head out. "You won''t have a case today, right?"


    "No, the city of Long''an is peaceful today. Criminals are busy on vacation. I said so!"


    "Then, y with me!"


    "y what."


    "y games!"


    "I''ll tidy up the table and I''lle in a bit."


    Tao Yueyue opened the game and was looking forward to it. However, when Chen Shi came in, he received a phone call. Her mood plummeted. She would have to stay at home alone again today. Chen Shi said to the phone, "What? Someone is going to kill President Trump? I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to apany Yueyue today. That''s final!"


    Tao Yueyue''s heart was full of enthusiasm. However, after the two of them yed two games, the phone rang again. Chen Shi sandwiched the phone between his shoulder and ear, holding the remote in his hand. On the other end of the line, kk said, "Brother Chen, there¡¯s a difficult case. Come over for a bit!"


    "No, I¡¯m staying with Yueyue today."


    "No, we really can''t solve this..." kk lowered his voice. "That man looks deranged!"


    "Send him to a mental hospital!"


    "But he gave us a deposit, so we can¡¯t get rid of him. You can keep Yueyuepany any time!¡±


    "I didn¡¯t go out even when the police tried calling for me, let alone you."


    "My God, this agency was started with your own hands. You can''t just detach yourself from it. We can only find you since we couldn¡¯t handle it ourselves. God, pleasee and save us!"


    "Would you die if you don''t earn this money?"


    "It¡¯s very unlucky to drive out a customer so early in the morning. If we don''t do well, we might not have business for a month. Please."


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Can I go too?"


    "You want to go?"


    "Yes, I do!"


    Chen Shi said to kk, "I''ll be there soon!"


    kk was overjoyed. "It turns out that you¡¯re not the decision-maker in your family. If I¡¯d had known, I¡¯d have called Yueyue directly. Please, thank Yueyue for me!"


    The two got in the car and Tao Yueyue said on the way, "Should I be a private detective in the future? There¡¯s freedom and it¡¯s fun."


    "Don''t even think about this. The police equipment is being updated year by year. The surveince cameras have cut off the livelihoods of many private investigators. This industry will be even worse when you grow up. It¡¯s a miracle that this agency can continue its business."


    "Thinking about it, that¡¯s true. It seems boring since kk investigates affairs and mistresses everyday.¡±


    "It¡¯s the same in any industry. When you¡¯re in it, you¡¯ll notice that there¡¯s a huge gap between reality and your imagination. It¡¯s difficult to seed in this industry without strong motivational support. In the end, it will only be days that pass you by."


    "Why do you like to solve cases?"


    "Because I want the world to be peaceful... This is the official answer."


    "What about the private answer?"


    "The private answer is because I¡¯m sinister at heart and like to spy on the dark side of others. Police are like visitors, opening a window to observe the lives of others. Police officers can see many different things. Human nature at its dirtiest and characters at their lowest who can do anything horrible. It¡¯s like a doctor seeing a strange tumor. When solving these puzzles, it¡¯s very pleasurable!"


    "Oh, if so, I want to be a police officer too."


    "The ie isn¡¯t that high!"


    "It''s okay."


    "It¡¯s very tiresome. There¡¯s basically no time for a private life."


    "Hmm..." Tao Yueyue fell into silence. Chen Shi was thinking that since Yueyue had aplicated childhood, a precocious mind, and had seen the menacing parts of society, she might be a good seedling if she became a police officer.


    Afterwards, the two went to the agency and opened the door. They saw a naked man sitting in a chair. Chen Shi was shocked and quickly covered Tao Yueyue''s eyes. "Children shouldn''t see this...Put on your clothes!"


    "The clothes are too hot to bear," the man said.


    "Put them on!"


    The man had no choice but to put on a pair of underwear. kk whispered to Chen Shi, "This man has a problem with his brain. Don''t ask too much. Listen to him first."


    "I know!" Chen Shi said to the man, "I¡¯m from this agency and at the same time, I¡¯m also a police consultant. Do you require any help?"


    "Ah!" The man screamed. "Zombie! I saw a zombie!"


    "Calm down first. Can you start from the beginning?"


    The man took the cup of coffee offered by Sun Zhen and stared at the steam in a daze. It took a long time before he opened his mouth.


    His name was Wei Yi. He was an ordinary office worker. He came back from working overtime one day and passed by downstairs of his house. He saw a car parked there and a red-clothed, long-haired woman sitting in the passenger seat. He nced at her out of curiosity.


    Unexpectedly, the long-haired woman slowly turned her face around, revealing a zombie face before she slowly opened her mouth, as if to say something.


    Wei Yi was scared shitless and rushed to escape. He called the police, but the police looked at him as if they were watching a maniac and left without much investigation.


    Soon after that, Wei Yi began to have nightmares. A woman in red appeared often in his dreams. She was very beautiful. When Wei Yi was about to get intimate with her, the woman suddenly said, "Want to see my true face?" Then, she ripped her face to reveal the zombie face covered with maggots underneath.


    This nightmare recurred repetitively, torturing Wei Yi''s spirit. He began tonguish. He always felt inexplicably hot, and took off his clothes to take a cold shower as soon as he got home.


    His symptoms became more and more serious, so much that when he walked on the streets, his body suddenly burned like thousands of ants were crawling all over him. He once took off all his clothes on a street with a lot of people and was caught by a police officer saying he was an exhibitionist.


    Now, wearing clothes was like capital punishment. At home, he must turn on the air conditioner to the lowest setting. Since he had taken continuous leave, he even lost his job. He went to the temples to ask the masters for help. The masters said that he was haunted by a soul that wasn¡¯t at peace and packed a pack of incense ash for him. However, he dared not drink it.


    He also turned to a psychiatrist, but the other party just thought that he was having delusions and continued to do psychoanalysis to determine the psychological traumas of his childhood, which caused Wei Yi to be furious. He repeatedly stressed that he wasn¡¯t sick. He even smashed everything on the psychiatrist¡¯s deck. The other party actually called the mental hospital. If he hadn¡¯t run fast enough, he would have been caught and put in the mental hospital.


    Wei Yi felt that he was about to have a mental breakdown. No one wanted to believe him at all. Later, he heard his neighbor¡¯s aunt¡¯s ssmates saying that this firm specialized in these kinds of difficult stuff, so he came to ask for help with a might-as-well-try-it mentality.


    1. Thest chapter mentioned indoor surfing hall (for artificial surfing), but it looks like they had a swimming pool as well, which is where Tao Yueyue was probably learning freestyle in.

 Chapter 560: A Sign Of A Felony

    <h4>Chapter 560: A Sign Of A Felony</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening, Chen Shi questioned, "Do you want us to help you treat the disease or investigate this matter?"


    Wei Yi replied, "Of course it''s to investigate it properly! I think this is a problem of my heart. I can''t sleep well unless everything is made clear."


    "When did you see the zombie?"


    Wei Yi took his pants, found the phone from inside, and flipped through it. "September 4th."


    "There are photos on your phone?"


    "No, I was so scared that I was about to piss my pants. How would I dare take a photo? I was just paid a bonus that day, so I remember it."


    "Do you remember what car it was? Where was the location?"


    Wei Yi described it for a long time. Chen Shi guessed that it should be a Nissan Bluebird located diagonally opposite a ce called Fumanduo Supermarket on Sanmin Road. Chen Shi nodded. "We will start the investigation right now and visit youter at your house. Don¡¯t go anywhere today, okay? By the way, how do you usually solve your meals?"


    "Home-made instant noodles at home or dumplings."


    "Okay, we will call in advance when wee. Otherwise, don''t open the door no matter whoes."


    Wei Yi nodded in agreement, painfully put on his clothes, and left.


    As soon as he left, Sun Zhen asked, "He¡¯s unemployed. Can he afford themission money? Themission money here isn¡¯t cheap."


    kk said, "Rx, I asked. He used to be an investment broker. He¡¯s rich and currently has over one million in savings!"


    "In that case... Do we need to find Miss Gu to see if she can help?"


    "Manshow[1]. You only think about Elder Sister Gu all day and night. Brother Chen is here, so how can we not handle it?!"


    Sun Zhen didn¡¯t speak and continued to type up some code on theputer. Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, "What do you think of this matter?"


    Tao Yueyue considered for a while. "The zombie must be fake. I think he suddenly got sick due to someone pulling the strings. It was probably a group of robbery gangs, wearing a zombie mask. They were seen by him, and then this gang wanted to get rid of him."


    Chen Shi nodded. "From his narrative, I also smell the signs of a felony. Little Worm, check if there was a criminal case during this time near that location."


    Sun Zhen conducted a thorough investigation and spread his palms. "There wasn¡¯t a robbery, but there was a fire on September 3rd. The news said that it was controlled in time. One middle-aged aunt living alone was burned to death, but there were no other casualties. "


    "Address!"


    "Tonghua Community, about three hundred meters away from where the zombie was seen."


    "It''s a coincidence in time! Let''s go to his house to have a look.¡±


    kk said with a smile, "Brother Chen, business is business. This time, we will divide the reward into a third for each of us!"


    "Save it. Yueyue, do you want to get a little reward?"


    "Um... I''ll take a thousand yuan to buy clothes and books."


    "That''s it then. The rest is yours."


    kk smiled. "Yueyue is really the decision-maker in your household."


    Sun Zhen whispered, "Brother Chen, Brother Chen!"


    Chen Shi noticed that he had something to say and asked Yueyue to go down to wait for him first. Sun Zhen said, "I have something to tell you. Have you recently seen Zhou Tiannan?"


    "No, I''ve been very busytely with one case after another. I was only free today."


    "Ahem, don''t be surprised when I tell you!"


    "Stop acting so mysterious."


    "Zhou Tiannan transferred to another school. The sixth middle school in Long''an City, teaching physics in the third year of junior high."


    Chen Shi was suddenly shocked. This bastard actually moved to Yueyue''s school and maybe he was the teacher of her ss. Was he deliberately being so slick?


    "Are you sure?"


    "We¡¯ve been monitoring Zhou Tiannan the whole time and we know his every move. After all, the existence of this agency is to guard against him and his people."


    kk sat on the table. "We also know that every three to five days, a pretty girl will spend the night at his house. We don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing. We¡¯re serious people, so we can''t imagine it. The girl is different every time. A junior high physics teacher is living the life of fucking nourishment!¡±


    "Is the frequency high?"


    "Once a week. Sometimes twice a week."


    Zhou Tiannan and his men should have made a lot of money by relying on various dirty activities, but Zhou Tiannan was on the cusp of the police''s suspicion and had to act low-key. He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to spend money.


    These women who "visit" his house may be filial piety from his men.


    "Monitor this. One day, when Zhou Tiannan suddenly stops getting these prostitutes, you must tell me. You must remember!" Chen Shi instructed.


    Getting into the car, Chen Shi didn¡¯t drive immediately. He said, "Yueyue, your school..."


    "Ah?" Tao Yueyue froze.


    After a second thought, Yueyue didn''t know the person Zhou Tiannan. It was his capable men who had killed her mother and framed Song Lang under the name "Zhou Xiao". Chen Shi didn''t know where to start.


    Transferring schools wasn¡¯t very realistic. After all, that group of people were omnipresent. Perhaps they had already understood the basic situation around Chen Shi.


    Now, ck Honey was very quiet. They made a lot of money in thest case of posting the handguns[2]. What was Zhou Tiannan doing this for? To nauseate Chen Shi, or to find Tao Yueyue? Or, perhaps they¡¯re brewing a scheme.


    Thinking about it, Chen Shi didn''t have a good countermeasure. The topic changed. "It''s okay, let''s go to Wei Yi¡¯s house to have a look!¡±


    After driving to Wei Yi''s residence, Wei Yi opened the door, exposing two nervous eyes as he let them in. There was a smell of sandalwood in the dark room and there were a few yellow charms at the foot of the bed. Chen Shi asked, "Did you pray for these from the mountain?"


    "I asked my friend to pray for the guardian spirit mantra from Wutai Mountain, as it¡¯s said that it will make me sleep more peacefully."


    "Does it work?"


    "It worked at first, but it gradually became useless. I still get the nightmares at night and feel like I have ants crawling on my body."


    Chen Shi looked at the house. The house of a man living alone was naturally messy. Unwashed clothes were thrown randomly on the sofa. On the table were leftover noodles and dumplings. There were many cigarette butts in the instant noodle bowl.


    "It''s a mess at home. Please sit down as you please!" Wei Yi cleaned up the sofa. He was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts.


    Chen Shi reached out to him. "I''m sorry, I¡¯m just testing your temperature." Then, he put his palm on Wei Yi¡¯s forehead. Wei Yi''s body temperature was normal, but Wei Yi screamed aloud. He ran to the sink to wash his forehead endlessly. Chen Shi asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "You... Your hands are as hot as a soldering iron, sorry!"


    "Let me check what you eat every day."


    Wei Yi asked him to wait a moment and took out instant noodles, frozen dumplings, instant buns, yogurt, and the like from the refrigerator. He said, "I don¡¯t like takeaways and street stalls. I think they¡¯re unhygienic. I ate in the cafeteria when I worked but now that I¡¯m unemployed, I go to the supermarket to buy these things.¡±


    "Apart from these? What do you drink?"


    "Water, beer, yogurts."


    "Let me see."


    Chen Shi inspected them with the naked eye and poured some into cups to smell. They were bought from supermarkets and there was nothing unusual. He asked Wei Yi if he often went out. Wei Yi shook his head. "I can''t stand the heat outside. I usually just y games and watch TV at home. The thing I¡¯m most afraid of is going to bed. I have nightmares as soon as I sleep."


    "Do you cover yourself with a nket while you¡¯re sleeping?"


    "Uncovered. Just bare."


    "It''s a miracle that you haven¡¯t caught a cold."


    1. Men Sao in Chinese. Used to describe people who are mild mannered on the outside but wild on the inside.


    2. The author wrote cell phones here, but I¡¯m pretty sure they were talking about the 16 guns from previous volumes.

 Chapter 561: Transporting The Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 561: Transporting The Corpse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi checked the tableware Wei Yi normally used and checked the cigarettes he smoked. While investigating it, Tao Yueyue pulled the corner of his clothes. "There¡¯s a milk box outside."


    A nce at the door showed that there was a small box for delivering milk. The box was made up of wooden boards nailed together and had a lid with a lock on it. Chen Shi asked Wei Yi to open it. Wei Yi said, "Is there any problem with this milk? I drink it every day."


    Chen Shi said, "I will take it to the Public Security Bureau to test it!"


    "Mr. Chen, I also wondered if I had a strange disease or got a virus. I¡¯m very cautious of the things that go into my mouth. Even if it¡¯s milk, I only drink it after heating it up every day. I think there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    "Wait for the test results toe out in two days. Wait patiently at home."


    "Ah? Then I have to suffer from nightmares for several more days."


    "Rx, I think the one who is secretly causing mischief doesn¡¯t n to kill you. Ah, yes, don''t drink the milk tomorrow. Put it in the refrigerator and wait for me to get it."


    "Okay, thank you!"


    Chen Shi returned to the bureau without stopping. Peng Sijue was busy and as soon as he heard that he had to help him with the test, he was very impatient. Chen Shi said a lot of nice things before Peng Sijue put some of the leftover milk in the bottle under the microscope.


    He immediately concluded, "There¡¯s something in the milk. Like bacteria... No, it¡¯s bigger than bacteria. It seems like a kind of creature."


    "Let me see!" Chen Shi walked over to see that there were many cells in the form of bacilli swimming under the microscope. The number was extremelyrge. That shouldn¡¯t be the normal probiotic bacteria in milk. He saw Tao Yueyue looking curious next to him. He asked, "Do you want to see it too?"


    "Is it okay?" Tao Yueyue looked at Peng Sijue¡¯s serious face in fear.


    "It''s okay,e over!"


    Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue to stand on the chair and she watched it in excitement. Peng Sijue''s face became more and more tense. "I need to work. Take the child to y elsewhere!"


    "Aiya, have some love in your heart, okay?¡±


    "Get out!"


    "Old Peng, take the time to help me test it. I¡¯ll invite you to dinnerter.¡±


    "I have to be able to make time for it. Do you know how busy I¡¯ve been recently?"


    "Can''t you work overtime? Look at your hair. It''s still a long way from beingpletely bald. Work some overtime!" Chen Shi said as he moved his hands and feet around.


    "That''s the door. Get out!"


    After being chased away, Chen Shi still begged him, "Please! I¡¯ll invite you to eat Japanese foodter on."


    Upon leaving the bureau, Chen Shi called Wei Yi and told him that the milk was indeed tampered with. In order to prevent him from alerting the other party, the milk should be kept every day going forward, and the empty bottle should still be ced in the box.


    Then, he contacted kk and asked him to investigate the milkman. If convenient, he could install a spy cam in an inconspicuous corner of Wei Yi''s door.


    After eating something simple, the two went to the spot where Wei Yi witnessed the zombie. This was a secluded street. To be precise, it was a road that connected a certain housing district to the road, so there weren¡¯t many people at night. There were small shops on both sides of the road. They were basically all closed at night. Only the Fumanduo Supermarket¡¯s lights were lit. Through the ss door, the owner could be seen ying Dizhu[1] on theputer.


    Chen Shi opened the map on his phone. "There aren¡¯t any banks or gold shops within half a kilometer."


    Tao Yueyue immediately understood what he meant. "Uncle Chen, do you mean to say that they may not be robbers?"


    "Yes, I don''t think it''s a robber. ording to a robber¡¯s mentality, they won''t dress up before they reach their destination. There are surveince cameras on the road that would photograph them. It''s too conspicuous to wear a zombie mask on the passenger seat unless their goal is this small supermarket."


    "This is a tobo and alcohol supermarket. It¡¯s worth stealing from."


    "But the other party wasn¡¯t wearing the clothes like that of robbers. Wei Yi said that the woman he saw was a long-haired woman in red clothes. This image appeared repeatedly in his dream. He shouldn¡¯t have lied to us. Except for robbers, what else do you think is possible?"


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. "It was the corpse itself?"


    "Yes, this corpse wasn¡¯t ced in the back seat, nor in the boot, but was carefully dressed and put on the passenger seat. This exins two points. First, the back seat and the boot may have more important things ced there, but what is more important than the corpse? Perhaps the driver wasn¡¯t going to throw the body away, but was just transporting the body. Second, since they dared to put the body on the passenger seat, it indicates that they aren¡¯t afraid of being caught by surveince cameras. There may be no surveince cameras along the way."


    "Or perhap Wei Yi lied! He may not have seen it in the passenger seat, but in the back seat."


    "It was so dark. How could he have seen a well-dressed corpse sitting in the back seat?¡±


    Tao Yueyue looked at the car parked on the side of the road. "Maybe he dived into the car. For example, the driver got out of the car and left their phone there with the window open. He wanted to take advantage of that, but saw the ¡®person¡¯ sitting in the back seat.¡±


    "Haha, you¡¯re thinking too specifically."


    "Isn''t it right?" Tao Yueyue was looking forward to Chen Shi''s evaluation.


    Chen Shi patted her head. "It¡¯s not entirely impossible. After all, all our reasoning is based on Wei Yi''s own narrative. It¡¯s well-known how unreliable people''s memories are. People can close off their memories to defend themselves and doubting the objectivity of the other parties is also understandable.¡±


    "Listening to your tone, you don''t n to adopt my reasoning!"


    "We¡¯ll adopt it! But our investigation needs to go from what¡¯s close to what¡¯s far. Let¡¯s investigate this housingmunity first and then expand out, okay?¡±


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    This small road connected the east and north gates of the housing district. Chen Shi went to the north gate of themunity and asked the security guard in the duty room for information on the rental houses. The security guard didn''t know much about it. Chen Shi gave him 300 yuan and asked him to help.


    Chen Shi asked again, "Right, this door doesn¡¯t have a surveince camera, right?"


    The security guard replied, "It hasn¡¯t been installed yet, mainly because the owner felt like going to the supermarket on the north side was a massive inconvenience if they had to take the long way, so they temporarily opened this door. So, the monitoring hasn¡¯t been installed yet."


    "Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll trouble you regarding this matter then."


    "Of course, of course!"


    Chen Shi pulled Tao Yueyue away and Tao Yueyue said, "I think I may not be able to be a police officer. I have to talk to strangers when investigating a case. I may not be able to."


    "Investigations are originally very boring. Sometimes, after a long time, you¡¯d find that it¡¯s a dead end. You can¡¯t bear that sense of frustration without an iron heart."


    "But you always find the key immediately."


    Chen Shi shook his head with a smile. "It might seem easy to others, but whether it¡¯s easy or not can only be known by that person. Let''s go to the next housing district."


    "Across the road is themunity where Wei Yi lives, right?"


    "Yes, I was thinking that the person who transported the body might live in the samemunity as he does! Are you tired?"


    "Not tired. I feel very happy to investigate the case together with you." Tao Yueyue smiled.


    1. Card game in the genre of shedding and gambling. It is one of the most popr card games yed in China. Dou dizhu is described as easy to learn but hard to master, requiring mathematical and strategic thinking as well as carefully nned execution. The game starts with yers bidding for the ¡°Dizhu¡± AKA ndlord" (µØÖ÷) position. Those who lose the bid or do not bid enter the game as the "peasants" (Å©Ãñ).

 Chapter 562: Starting The Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 562: Starting The Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On October 4th,[1] several people met at the agency. Chen Shi had obtained a list of tenants from the two neighboring housing districts. He said, "The people who transported the corpse may be among these tenants. Let''s check them one by one. The bureau told me that the test result was of an organic algae and the specific ingredients are still being tested. The career of the ruthless creator is probably inseparable from biological research and pharmaceutical research."


    kk said, "I went to install the security camera yesterday morning and I didn''t see any suspicious personnel approaching Wei Yi''s house. However, I found that the joint of the milk box was a little loose. That type of thing can be opened just by unscrewing the screws. You don¡¯t even need to know how to open locks. There¡¯s no technical skill required."


    "The milk delivered every day is definitely problematic. Have you investigated the milkman?"


    kk smiled in embarrassment. "I got up toote, so I didn''t run into them. How early do they go to work? However, I looked at the surveince footage today and the milkman seemed to be fine."


    "Seemed? Investigate it properly for me!"


    "I''m not a police officer. It''s very hard to check this..."


    Noticing Chen Shi''s stern eyes, kk dared notin further and made a face at Tao Yueyue.


    Sun Zhen said, "I checked the fire on September 3rd as you asked. The fire department''s announcement said it was a fire caused by a gas leak. The person who died was Zheng Xuemei, a 50-year-old widow living alone. The person who imed the body and the person who handled the matter of her funeral proceedings was her nephew, Li. After the fire, the fire brigade and the gaspany inspected the gas pipelines in the entire housingmunity from the 4th to the 6th.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Regardless of whether or not the fire is directly rted to what happened to Wei Yi, I think it was because of the sudden inspection that the person hiding the corpse at home had to transfer the body."


    "Are they a necrophiliac?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "Fuck, necrophilia? What heavy taste. I like it." kk looked excited.


    "It may be the case. ording to Wei Yi''s description, the owner carefully dressed the corpse. If it¡¯s just to deal with the corpse, then that¡¯s not necessary. The car owner''s consciousness may be that the female corpse is his family, so he let it sit on the passenger seat."


    "Brother Chen, tell me more about necrophilia!" kk said.


    "I won¡¯t talk about it. Read it by yourself."


    "How disappointing. It''s rare that I have a passion for learning."


    Tao Yueyue said, "If it is just to transfer the body, he doesn''t need to drive the car out of themunity. He can just put the body on the car, park it in another ce, and then transport it back after the inspection is over."


    "Correct!" Chen Shi was reminded by Tao Yueyue. "This entry point is very good. Perhaps that night, the owner nned to do it that way. So it seems that he may still be hiding in the original ce."


    kk raised his hand. "Is necrophilia illegal?"


    "The enlightened and free modern society doesn¡¯t legally constrain people¡¯s sexual orientation. What breaks thew can only be the method in which people use as a means of satisfying their fetishes. Where did his bodye from? Did they kill someone or was it stolen? No matter which it is, they¡¯ve vited thew. It¡¯s also illegal to use dangerous substances on Wei Yi after he identally saw them."


    Sun Zhen said, "The murderer''s purpose is just to drive Wei Yi crazy, so that nobody would believe his words."


    "Or they nned to kill him. Wei Yi''s milk is heated every day before he drinks it. Perhaps the things inside could have been lethal. After it¡¯s heated up, it was only left with these negative side-effects.¡±


    "This kid¡¯s life is fortunate!"


    kk covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to Sun Zhen, "Should we sell this incident to the newspaper office and earn a bit more?"


    "Aiya!" Chen Shi heard him. "Give me a break. When I find out the truth, I will directly contact the police and let them handle it."


    "If the guy had money, wouldn''t it be nicer to ckmail him directly with this secret?"


    "Do you want the firm to close down?!" Sun Zhen scolded.


    "It was just a discussion. You guys know that I love to talk nonsense. It¡¯s impossible to implement the action." kk said with a smile.


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s go to the housing district to ask about the fire and visit these tenants... kk,e with us!"


    kk said, "Let¡¯s pretend to be salesmen like usual!"


    kk took out two sets of salesman''s vests from the cab, and two bags of herbal toothpaste from unknown sources. There was no desire to purchase them just from looking at the packaging.


    This was his old trick when investigating mistresses and being a thief before. He pretended to be a salesman and knocked on the doors. If there was no one in the house, he would slip in. For security reasons, he would also bring a spy cam to ensure that nobody was inside.


    On the way to themunity, Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, why would anyone love a corpse?"


    "Because they are perverted[2]!" kk said.


    Chen Shi red at him and exined, "The causes of this sex fetish is a bit moreplicated. They¡¯re generally people with a strong desire to control but also suffering from social phobia. They have no feelings for living people, only the dead."


    "Little Worm may be this kind of person in the future. Did you know? He might still be a virgin!" kk giggled.


    "Is it fun tough at someone''s private life?"


    "It¡¯s interesting. Especially Little Worm¡¯s. That¡¯s a great pleasure in my life... Yueyue, did you meet a boyfriend at school?"


    "Shut up!"


    "Look at you as a dad, talking to a child about necrophilia, but not daring to talk about normal rtionships between men and women. That¡¯s failed education! Isn¡¯t that right, Yueyue?¡±


    "Yueyue, is this guy very annoying? Do you want to throw him out?"


    Tao Yueyue just giggled.


    Arriving at the housing district, Chen Shi went to investigate the fire on September 3rd. kk took Tao Yueyue to check the tenants. Chen Shi told them to be extra careful. kk said without much concern, "Rx, Yueyue is very skilled now. It only takes her ten seconds to pick locks."


    Chen Shi sighed. What has Yueyue learned from these people? Was it a mistake in his education policy?


    The unit where the fire took ce was still ck. There was a piece of paper on the door that read "Please contact me when buying a house..." Chen Shi called them and a middle-aged man came. He looked very gentle wearing a neat blue shirt and rimmed sses. He also had a burn wound on his face.


    The middle-aged man asked, "Did you want to buy a house?"


    "Is this house for sale?" Chen Shi pointed his thumb at the apartment.


    "Yeah, this is my aunt''s house. Unfortunately, there was a firest month. My aunt was also burnt to death. Her daughter, who is my cousin, studies in the United States and asked me to help sell the house."


    "How much is it?"


    "The price is negotiable. If you really want it, the price can be lower than the average market price."


    "Sorry, I didn''t actuallye to ask about the house." Chen Shi took out his consultant''s certificate. "I''m with the police. I¡¯d like to understand some things from you regardingst month''s fire."


    "Why did it take so long for it to be investigated? The fire was a pure ident. The local police station and fire brigade have already investigated it."


    "I want to check something else. What¡¯s yourst name?"


    The middle-aged man imed to be called Li Xiang. He said, "Let''s talk somewhere else. The house ispletely burnt."


    1. Editor Conspiracing¡¯s Note: The author wrote May 4th here, but Chapter 559 says that it¡¯s October 2nd and the recent chapters have all been centered around this time.


    2. In Chinese, there¡¯s a word for being perverted in an abnormal/disgusting way that others view in contempt. This is the word the author chose to use here.

 Chapter 563: Don’t Bully My Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 563: Don''t Bully My Daughter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Li Xiang took Chen Shi downstairs and went to another unit in a different apartment building. The apartment was too clean and tidy, evencking in human presence. Chen Shi often cooked andould feel it when he walked into the house. The owner of this house must not usually cook.


    "You live here?"


    "This is also my aunt''s house. Strictly speaking, it is my younger cousin¡¯s. Because I work in Long''an, my aunt rented the house to me. When my cousines back from studying abroad, I will move out... Do you smoke?"


    "No, thanks! Did your aunt''s funeral already take ce?"


    "It''s done. She¡¯s already buried and resting in peace. It''s really a tragedy that this happened." Li Xiang shook his head with a sigh.


    "Did the police not rmend an autopsy?"


    "They told me that if we needed an autopsy, we could go to the medical university to do it ourselves. The cost was over 20,000. My cousin and I discussed it. This wasn¡¯t a criminal case. Besides, she was already dead. Getting it messed and broken by a forensic doctor wouldn¡¯t be very good, so we didn¡¯t do the autopsy.¡±


    Chen Shi pointed to his cheek and asked, "Did you get burnt?"


    "Yes, you don¡¯t know what the fire was like. The whole building was smoking. I ran up and opened the door, and the fire burst out. Not only did I burn my face, half of my body was burnt... The onlyfort is that the firefighter said my aunt didn¡¯t pass away painfully. She may have been poisoned by the gas first."


    Chen Shi nodded. For some reason, he felt Li Xiang was too calm.


    However, with only this point, he wasn¡¯t to be suspected. Real life isn¡¯t acting where everything you say is full of emotion. Many people speak monotonously.


    Chen Shi looked around and Li Xiang followed behind. When he walked into the bedroom, Chen Shi smelled some odors and asked, "Has this house been cleaned recently?"


    "Yes, my cousin is nning toe back for the New Year, and my work contract ising to an end soon. I¡¯m ready to move out. I took a few days off because of the fire and cleaned up at home."


    "What is your upation?"


    "Management of apany."


    "Leave your contact details!"


    After taking down Li Xiang''s basic information, Li Xiang asked, "Are the police at the public security bureau nning to re-open the case for investigation? Was my aunt killed? But when the local police station investigated it, she didn¡¯t have any enemies."


    Chen Shi smiled slightly. "This is temporarily confidential. I''ll be taking my leave."


    "Safe travels. I won¡¯t see you off."


    Walking out of this apartment, Chen Shi stood far away and watched from under a tree. Li Xiang didn''t do anything abnormal. He just sat down to drink water and y with his mobile phone.


    Tao Yueyue checked several unit buildings and waited at the ce where Chen Shi stopped his car. Suddenly, a stone was thrown and hit her back. She turned her head and looked around. A boy in a sports jacket walked over with his hands in his pockets and said disdainfully, "Haha, Stinking Yueyue is actually working to make money. Your family must be very poor. I will tell everyone tomorrow when I arrive in the ss!"


    Tao Yueyue furrowed her brows in disgust. The boy was Liang Zuoming. The boy whose leg she designed to break a year ago. After he recovered, he often looked for trouble. Tao Yueyue also made some small ns to let him taste a few losses, but he still persevered. Looking at him was as disgusting as swallowing a fly.


    Liang Zuoming went over and studied Tao Yueyue''s uniform as if he was very interested. "What are you selling?! How much have you sold? Is it enough for you to eat tomorrow? Do you want me to give you two yuan?"


    "I don¡¯t want to talk to you."


    "Tch, the most stinking bitch in the ss. Don''t think I don''t know what you¡¯ve been doing in private!" Liang Zuoming grabbed the bag in Tao Yueyue''s hand and took out a box of toothpaste from inside. "Haha, you¡¯re actually selling this kind of stuff? You can tell it¡¯s fake at a nce!"


    Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth secretly. Her heart was beating wildly, looking at the stones beside the road and thinking about whether to go head-on with him.


    The other party was a strong and tall boy and she¡¯d definitely suffer from going head-on with him. However, she couldn''t swallow down the anger.


    She clenched her fists to restrain the violent impulse in her heart. She didn''t even notice that Chen Shi passed through thewn path, grabbed Liang Zuoming''s cor, grabbed the bag from him, and shouted, "Little bastard, what are you doing? Bullying my Yueyue?"


    Liang Zuoming widened his eyes and he was a little timid in the face of the grown-up. However, he still stuck his neck out and insisted, "Tao Yueyue came out to work and vited the school rules. I¡¯ll tell the teacher tomorrow."


    "Go ahead. Hurry and get lost before I beat you!"


    "Stinking uncle, my dad is here. Let him beat you, hahaha... Dad, someone bullied me!"


    A ck Mercedes-Benz from themunity stopped suddenly. A big man got off from the car and came over with ring eyes as he shouted, "Who dares to bully my son? I¡¯ll kill him!"


    When he walked in front of them and looked at Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue, the big man froze for a moment. Liang Zuoming took the opportunity toin, "Dad, Stinking Yueyue and her father bullied me. I didn''t do anything and he wanted to hit me."


    "Look at how your child is educated. Lying like he¡¯s just drinking water. Yueyue, what did he just do to you?" Chen Shi said.


    "Humiliated me!"


    "Go and fuck yourself!" The big man said. "I know you two. She broke my son''s legst year. Damn, what do you still want to do to my son? Are you looking for a beating?"


    Chen Shi looked at his words and manners and knew that he was a vulgar person. No wonder his son became a bully in the ss. He said slowly, "Don¡¯t talk about the past, alright? I lost a lot of moneyst year. We¡¯re talking about today¡¯s business. Don¡¯t drag other things into this."


    The big man sneered and pointed at Chen Shi. "A taxi driver. Why are you being so arrogant? I don''t care what your reason is. Nobody in the world cany a single finger on my son. Apologize to my son!"


    Liang Zuoming hid behind the big man and said, "Stinking Yueyue, apologize!"


    "Yueyue, you don¡¯t have to reason with these sorts of people. They¡¯re animals that haven''t evolvedpletely and only recognize their fists but not their rationality," Chen Shi said.


    "Oh, are you itching for a fight? You haven¡¯t researched what I, Liang, does for a living?¡±


    Chen Shi clenched his fists. "You can still take your son and get lost right now. Then, yourst dignity as a father won¡¯t be lost."


    "You¡¯re even fucking talking like that. I don''t think you want to live!"


    "Don''t stand there and boast pretentiousness. I can¡¯t be bothered talking nonsense with you.¡±


    The big man was still acting that way. In the tone of educating his son, he said, "See here? This kind of person doesn¡¯t know what he can handle. He doesn¡¯t remember his abilities and dared to challenge me!"


    Liang Zuoming urged, "Dad, beat him!"


    "Beat him? I''m afraid this hangman would say I bullied him..."


    "Are you done?!"


    Chen Shi turned around to the side of the big man and kicked at the face of the big man with thunderous force. He stopped right before he made contact. The big man stared nkly at the patterns on Chen Shi¡¯s sole and swallowed hard.


    Chen Shi put his foot down and stretched out a finger, his face sullen as he warned, "If your mouth doesn¡¯t get cleaner, I will leave you in bed for three months!"


    It took awhile for the dazed big man to retrieve his soul. He led his son to escape and turned back as he was walking away to leave behind a clich¨¦ phrase. "Okay, just you wait! Wait for me."


    After sending away the pair of gods of gue, Tao Yueyue embraced Chen Shi''s arms with excitement. kk also came out from behind a tree with apuse and gave a thumbs up. "Brother Chen is so powerful!"


    "Have you been watching the whole time?"


    "I can''t help you anyway, so I became the audience!" kk said shamelessly.

 Chapter 564: Hapless Genius

    <h4>Chapter 564: Hapless Genius</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked kk how his investigation was going. kk showed him the list that still needed to be checked, and many of them had been crossed out. "There are still over a dozen of them because there were people in and they couldn¡¯t be checked. So, I could only investigate so many."


    "Add one more!" Chen Shi asked kk to check Aunt Li Xiang''s apartment.


    Seeing that it was almost noon, the three went to Pizza Hut outside to eat. kk casually sat down in a chair. "Only children like to eat these! Brother Chen, I find that you really love Yueyue and always ask her for her opinions.¡±


    "Isn''t kk''s father like this?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "My dad?" kk smiled. "He only promised to take me out to y after he¡¯s done some drinking. Once he¡¯s sober, it¡¯ll all be forgotten. The old man also died in a funny way. He had no money to drink and went out to steal a manhole cover. The day after, he stumbled into the manhole from which he stole the cover from a day ago. I¡¯ve told this joke for ten years!" kk smiled andughed, and then burst into tears. "I often think that if my family background was better, I might have be Jack Ma[1]!"


    Chen Shi looked at his pitted face. "In some ways, you are on par with Jack Ma."


    "Yes, I regret everything I did when I was young!"


    Tao Yueyue asked, "How do you two know each other?"


    "Haha, that process was wonderful..."


    "Don''t say it!" Chen Shi interrupted.


    "Do you want to hear about it?" kk asked with raised eyebrows.


    "Get lost. Shut up!"


    Fortunately, Chen Shi was rescued by a phone call from Sun Zhen. He turned on the speaker mode and ced it on the table. Sun Zhen said, "I just checked Wei Yi''s information. This kid lied to us. He wasn¡¯t an investment broker at all. He¡¯spletely unemployed."


    "Fuck, can he afford themission?" kk was agitated.


    Chen Shi said, "I already wondered why his house was so messy. I thought he loved saving money, but it turned out that he has no money."


    "That bastard, let¡¯s go find him now!"


    "After food!"


    The fooled kk was scolding the whole time in between some cursing, saying that he had pushed away several cases of investigating mistresses to investigate this damn case, but he was fooled.


    After eating, the three went to Wei Yi¡¯s house. The light was on in the room, so they knocked at the door. kk said, "Yueyue, don''te in. There may be scenes unfit for children."


    "You¡¯re not going to beat him up, right?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Lying to us to get us busy in vain? Of course I have to teach this bastard a lesson!" kk was filled with rage.


    "Come on, listen. Whether he can afford it or not, this case still has to be investigated. I think there¡¯s a criminal case behind this. If he can''t pay for it, let¡¯s say I hired you guys."


    kk calmed down and politely said, "How can I ask for Brother Chen''s money? This agency wouldn¡¯t be here without you.¡±


    "Go in and speak politely... Forget it, I¡¯ll talk and you shut up for me!"


    Knocking on the door, Wei Yi was wearing a small undershirt. He said happily, "Mr. Chen, since I didn''t drink that milk, my symptoms seem to have been relieved a lot. Thank you very much. How is the case progressing?"


    "Wei Yi, I have something to ask you!" kk said with a tense his face.


    Chen Shi continued, "You lied to us, right? You¡¯re actually unemployed and have no ie."


    Wei Yi panicked for a while. "I... I have a serious job. I can definitely afford themission."


    kk shouted, "Look at the days you¡¯re living. Can you afford amission of 20,000 yuan? Don¡¯t lie to us!"


    "Don''t talk!" Chen Shi said. "Wei Yi, what is your real upation?"


    "Eh... supermarket salesman, leaflet distributor, drug tester, frence creator, Inte navy." These were all unserious and unstable jobs. Having a job was equal to not having a job. Wei Yi added one more sentence. "Actually, I do have a serious source of ie. Come in and sit down!"


    After letting the three people enter the house, Wei Yi took out a low-quality booklet and said, "I print these things and sell them. I can feed myself every month."


    Chen Shi opened it and looked at it. kk beside him issued various interjections, "Woah... Fuck... My God!"


    "Uncle Chen, show me!" Tao Yueyue was also curious.


    Chen Shi closed it quickly and said seriously, "You can only look at the contents of these once you¡¯re 20 years old!" Then, he said to Wei Yi, "You sell the publications privately. Does anyone buy them?"


    "Yes, there are a group of regr customers who wille to buy them every three to five days."


    kk shook his head andmented, "Only people with water in their brains[2] would look at this and the people who painted them are also people with water in their brains."


    Wei Yi said in shame, "Even those kinds of websites are scared of buying these contents, so I can only sell them in private. Don''t talk nonsense when you go out. This is my source of food and clothing. If you tell the police, I will have no money to eat."


    kkughed. "I think that if I told the police, you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about eating and sleeping in the future."


    Chen Shi said, "I don''t care about this. By the way, what else have you hidden from us?"


    Wei Yi scratched his head. "I didn''t see the zombie in the passenger seat that day. I saw it in the front."


    "Is there any difference?" KK asked.


    "The car was actually covered with lots of heat-insting films. You couldn''t see what was inside if you didn''t get close. I leaned in and suddenly saw a terrifying face. I was so scared that I started sweating all over. Then, a man who bought cigarettes in the supermarket turned around and his eyes were very fierce."


    "Why didn''t you say this detail at the time?"


    "Because if I saw it from the passenger window, logically, I couldn''t see the supermarket."


    "Ha, you lied so carefully!"


    kk asked, "What were you doing at the front of someone''s car?"


    Wei Yi bowed his head in shame. "Pulling... pulling the car logo ornament off."


    "Pulling the car ornament?"


    "It¡¯s a little hobby of mine! Wait a moment." Wei Yi took out a little box from his drawers, which was filled with various car ornaments from domestic to imported. "Whenever I see those about as old as I am, but driving luxury cars with girls in them, I get unhappy. Why should they live better than me?! So, I take their car logo back home for collection and create some business opportunities for the 4S shop. To make a meager contribution to the growth of the society¡¯s GDP. I also get some bnce in my heart and the loss for these people doesn¡¯t amount to much.¡±


    Chen Shi and kk were dumbfounded. kk nodded. "I''m starting to like this guy a little bit."


    Wei Yi took the opportunity to promote. "Would you like one? It¡¯s ten yuan for one. Look at this red g. It¡¯ll look very cool when you install it on your car.¡±


    "Put it away! Put it away!" Chen Shi waved his hands again and again. "Right, you sell these... Ahem, little booklets to earn money, and someonees to you every three to five days. Do you know those people?"


    "I know some and I don¡¯t know some."


    "Do you know most of them, or do you not know most of them?"


    "I know most of them. If I don''t, when theye to my door, I¡¯ll ask..." He lowered his voice and raised his eyebrows to imitate a sales expression. ¡°¡®Do you want that?¡¯ If the other party said yes or tells me who introduced them, I will sell it to them."


    "Did the person you met at the supermarkete and find you afterwards?"


    Wei Yi recalled, "No... I don¡¯t think so! Maybe he changed his clothes. Anyway, a stranger came to the door the next day. I sold one to them, and they left without saying anything. Could they have been that person?¡± Wei Yi covered his mouth in shock.


    Chen Shi secretly thought that maybe the man was going to go to the door to kill Wei Yi, but Wei Yi looked entric and didn¡¯t look like a serious person, so the man decided to turn Wei Yi into a madman!


    "Do you remember his appearance?"


    "I don¡¯t. His cor was high and he was wearing a hat."


    Chen Shi turned over the booklet in his hand, looked at the shocking content, and asked, "Onest question. Do you have any mental illnesses from creating these things?"


    "No, I''m just a hapless genius!" Wei Yi smiled confidently, showing his yellow teeth.


    1. Chinese business magnate worth around 43 billion.


    2. ng from Shanghai for people who are stupid.

 Chapter 565: The Real Murderer Escaped

    <h4>Chapter 565: The Real Murderer Escaped</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After leaving Wei Yi''s house, kk was still worried about whether the guy could afford to pay themission fee. Chen Shi said, "Don''t worry about it. You and Little Worm won¡¯t lose money. We¡¯ll talk about it again after you¡¯ve investigated what I¡¯ve asked."


    "Brother Chen, what about you?"


    Chen Shi nced at Tao Yueyue. "Tomorrow, Yueyue goes to school, so we won¡¯t go running around today. I¡¯ll take her back first." Then, he said to Tao Yueyue, "Shall we go back and y that game?"


    Tao Yueyue said, "I don¡¯t mind."


    Chen Shi said to kk, "See you tomorrow!"


    These two days of running around blindly, plus the crowd, were exhausting. They could finally rx at home.


    In the evening, the two called for takeaway of some barbecued meat on rice. Thinking that he wouldn¡¯t have much to do today, Chen Shi nned to drink some alcohol. After breaking off his smoking addiction, asionally having a ss of whiskey was his only fun.


    At this time, Sun Zhen sent a message. "Brother Chen, I checked the situation regarding the fire victim again. She has a car in her name and it¡¯s a Bluebird."


    Chen Shi immediately messaged back. "Are you sure?"


    "It can''t be wrong."


    "What about kk?"


    "After dinner, he said that while there¡¯s nobody around at night, he¡¯d check the rest of the units and he hasn''t returned yet."


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and called kk, but he couldn''t get through. He hoped that kk hadn¡¯t encountered any problems. He hurriedly called Yueyue to put on clothes in preparation to go out.


    Half an hour ago, kk returned to the housing district again and used the same methods of knocking on the door to make sure there was nobody inside before he picked the lock and slipped in. When he entered the unit that suffered from the fire that Chen Shi had additionally asked him to check, he saw the walls were all ck and hadn¡¯t been painted yet. When he walked to the bedroom, he was shocked by what he saw.


    A beautifully dressed zombiey on a double bed. Her dry skin had already turned dark brown, attached to the bone like someone who was extremely skinny. She was wearing a dress and a wig like a doll.


    A table and two chairs were ced against the wall. Two dried-out zombies were also sitting on it. One was dressed like a French nobledy, and the other was shorter, wearing a gothic loli costume.


    The air conditioner in the room was very cold, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant water. In addition, there were some jars on the innermost shelf, where various human organs were soaked like they were being brought to life.


    kk was so scared that he turned and was about to leave. However, behind him stood a motionless man. His eyes were like that of dead fish. He lifted his wrench and smashed it on kk¡¯s head. kk felt like his head was spinning and immediately fell unconscious on the ground.


    After knocking down kk, the man walked into the bedroom and stroked the corpse on the bed lovingly. "Peipei, it didn¡¯t scare you, did it?¡±


    "My dear, thank you foring back in time. Otherwise, I really don''t know what this guy was going to do to me! I was really scared just now!" He squeezed his throat, imitating the woman''s voice, and replied to himself.


    "It seems that someone has found us. I¡¯ll take you to a safe ce now. Don''t be afraid, I¡¯m here."


    "You¡¯re so nice!"


    The man kissed the zombie''s lips affectionately, then carefully picked her up and down the stairs to the underground garage, before running back up again to do the same to the other two corpses.


    Finally, he went back and looked at kk who was lying on the ground, groaning. He squatted down and took out the mobile phone from kk¡¯s body. There were a few missed calls, but kk hadn¡¯t made a call nor answered.


    After contemting again and again, the man took out a needle-free needle tube from the drawer, which was filled with light yellow liquid medicine. He put the needle tube into kk''s mouth and sent all the liquid medicine into kk''s throat in one breath before leaving.


    When he left, he broke the key in the keyhole.


    Sitting in the car, the two corpses behind him "opened their mouths" and said, "I told you to watch out for the police who came in the morning, but you didn¡¯t listen. Now it¡¯s exposed, right?¡±


    "You usually only know how to take care of Peipei and put all of your attention on her. You didn¡¯t make any security measures. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re going to do now!"


    The man shouted behind him, "Shut up! Do you want to be found?"


    The corpse wearing the nobledy costume "asked", "Have you found a good hiding ce?"


    The man said, "I have my own arrangements. Qiqi, don''t talk and just sit there."


    "Hmph, I hope that we won¡¯t get found out this time. I''m worried every day while being with you. My skin will get bad."


    Li Xiang started the car and drove to the west gate of the housingmunity. The security guard made a call in the duty room. His eyes kept looking out. When he saw the caring, the security guard rushed out and shouted with a stic baton, "Stop the car! Stop the car!"


    The electric retractable door didn''t open, so Li Xiang had to stop the car. The security guard nced into the car, and immediately shouted with widened eyes, "Come out. Come the fuck out you damn pervert!¡±


    Li Xiang began to sweat a lot. He reached out and picked up the dead body from the passenger seat and ran away from the other side door. The security guard went around to block him. Li Xiang kicked the door on the side of the cab and hugged the corpse as he ran away.


    "Stay there!"


    The security guard chased for a while with his fat body, but Li Xiang eventually got away. The security guard returned while gasping and held his knees for a long time. Then, he nced into the car, cursing in his heart that the man was really a perverted person.


    He suddenly remembered to callChen Shi back, who had just called him. He said, "Officer, I saw the pervert you talked about."


    "Very well, control him. I''ll be there soon!" Listening to the sounds in the background, Chen Shi was on the way.


    "Uh, he ran away..."


    "What?!"


    "He didn''t run too far away. He left behind the car and he¡¯s holding a corpse in his arms.


    Chen Shi sighed towards the sky and could only say "Understood". He originally hoped that the security guard would hold the guy down, but he wasn¡¯t a police officer after all. It was his miscalction. He dialed Lin Dongxue''s number while driving...


    Ten minutester, Chen Shi arrived. The security guard chattered non-stop about the "terror" he encountered as soon as he saw him. Chen Shi nced into the car. Thinking that kk might be in trouble right now, he hurried inside the housingmunity.


    After losing his audience, the security guard said to Tao Yueyue, "It really opened my eyes. I didn''t expect a pervert like this to live in themunity. This kid ran really fast and I couldn''t catch up... That''s right, was that big brother your father?"


    "Yes!" Tao Yueyue said, looking at the Bluebird curiously. Then, she sat inside.


    Two borately dressed corpses sat side by side in the back seat. Staring at their empty eye sockets would normally cause a shudder, but Tao Yueyue¡¯s heart didn¡¯t fluctuate much. She reached out and touched the skin of the corpse. It was dry and cold, as if it was rubber.


    So, this was a zombie!


    She noticed a seam at the shoulder joint of the zombie. She tried to lift the arm of the zombie. She didn¡¯t expect that the arm could turn just like a doll, but when she gently pulled outward, the arm turned from the body and fell down.

 Chapter 566: Weird Toxin

    <h4>Chapter 566: Weird Toxin</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "kk!"


    Chen Shi broke open the door and saw kk had fallen to the ground, groaning. "It''s hot! It''s so hot!"


    kk''s skin was pale like paper. Unexpected urticaria[1] had appeared on his fingers and the back of his hand. When he touched his hands, he was as cold as a dead man. Chen Shi quickly dialed 120 and woke up kk. When kk woke up, he started tearing at his clothes frantically and shouted, "Ah, my body is like it¡¯s on fire. I''m about to burn to death. It''s so ufortable! Even the air inhaled into my throat is hot. Brother Chen, save me!"


    A needle tube without a needle was thrown on the ground. Chen Shi guessed that Li Xiang must have given kk the poison.


    "Don''t move!"


    Chen Shi took a cup, washed it with water, shattered a piece of soap into it, poured water into it, and stirred it with his fingers.


    At this time, kk was tearing his clothes apart and scratching his chest, causing streaks of bloodstains. Chen Shi lifted him up and let him drink soapy water. kk tried a sip and yelled, "It¡¯s hot. It¡¯s so hot! I can¡¯t swallow it!¡±


    "Drink it!" Chen Shi ordered.


    After some struggle, the soapy water was poured into the belly. kk vomited a lot and all the things in the stomach were emptied. However, the hot and cold feeling wasn¡¯t relieved.


    At this time, the sound of an ambnce came from below. Chen Shi picked up kk and brought him downstairs. There was also a police car with the ambnce. It turned out that the police met the ambnce on the road and found that they were going in the same direction.


    Chen Shi told the doctor that kk might have been poisoned and had already washed his stomach with soap. The doctor nodded intently and took kk into the ambnce.


    Lin Dongxue ran over and asked, "What happened?"


    "We¡¯ll talk as we walk!"


    Arriving at the door of themunity, Chen Shi asked the security guard to describe the characteristics of Li Xiang before his disappearance. The security guard said that he wore sses, a white T-shirt, and a blue jacket. He was a thin and had an open 3-7 hairstyle[2]. He carried a ck bag, and most importantly, he was carrying a female corpse.


    Many policemen had already seen the two bodies in the Bluebird and there was a lot of discussion. Lin Dongxue said, "You¡¯ve been silent over the past two days, but you were actually looking for a necrophiliac? Why not inform us earlier?"


    "I didn''t expect him to be exposed so quickly. It¡¯s a little unexpected."


    "Did he kill someone?"


    "ording to my judgment, he probably killed a person. What¡¯s more dangerous is that he has a virus that can amplify people''s sense of heat and cold."


    "Amplify people''s sense of heat and cold?" Lin Dongxue was surprised. This poison was unheard of.


    The crowd began to search around themunity. Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Chen, the bodies in the car are like dolls. You can disassemble their arms and legs."


    "Really?"


    Chen Shi went to the car and took a look. The limbs of the corpses were fitted with doll-like joints, which could be disassembled freely and moved. At the same time, he also noticed that the clothes on the corpses were wornyer byyer, and they were dressed very carefully. In Li Xiang''s eyes, they were like living people.


    Taking a female corpse with him to escape, this kind of feeling was one normal people couldn''t imagine.


    At the same time, Li Xiang carried Peipei in a bag, whose arms and legs had been removed, and squatted in the bushes on the side of the road. He heard the sound of the sirens and hid like a wounded bird.


    Amidst his delusions, Peipei, who was in the bag, wailed, "My dear, I''m so hurt. It¡¯s so boring inside here!"


    Li Xiangforted, "I''m sorry. Bear with it for now. I¡¯ll take you to a safe ce soon."


    "I me that police officer. How hateful. Why did he bother us?"


    "No one can understand our love. They¡¯re all ordinary people. I will protect you!"


    "You''re so kind. When we get to a safe ce, I want to do that with you."


    "Okay, let''s do that. We¡¯ll do that all night!"


    The sce of his "lover" made Li Xiang feel a little courage. He took a sharp pocket knife from his pocket and opened it. At this time, it was thest night of the holiday, and many people were still out on the streets. From his angle, he could see the long legs of women passing by. There were those that were slender, full, healthy, fat, and various other ones, causing his eyes to blur. It was like looking at a cab of dazzling jewelry.


    But he only looked at them with the eyes of a craftsman who examined his essories. These legs did not evoke his desire because they had a fatal w - They all grew on living people. Those who ate and went to the bathroom were as dirty as pigs. They were moody and uninteresting living people!


    Li Xiang targeted a pair of slender and fair legs. His gaze followed ordingly. He rubbed the de in his hand and said, "My dear, I will pick you a beautiful body!"


    The police¡¯s scope of search had been expanded to the few streets around them, but there was no trace of Li Xiang. There were many people on the streets today, and nothing was gained from questioning passersby. Lin Dongxue stood on the side of the road with her hands on her hips, looking at the flow of people. She exhaled and blew away the hair on her forehead that blocked her eyes. She decided to call for reinforcements. She called the bureau and the traffic police department sessively, and then other police calls came from the walkie-talkie, "Captain Lin, we found something on the west side of Buxing Street!"


    "I''ll be there soon!"


    Lin Dongxue rushed away. Chen Shi also was also there at the time. The police found two pairs of discarded arms and feet in a trash bin. Their joints were equipped with doll-like ball joints. Chen Shi said, "It seems that Li Xiang took the dead body¡¯s torso and escaped. As a result, the mobility is much higher. He¡¯s probably no longer around these streets."


    "I¡¯ll ask the traffic police to take a look at the surveince footage at the intersection." Lin Dongxue looked at her phone. "Li Xiang''s photos and materials were sent over by the bureau. I¡¯ll pass them on to you."


    Chen Shi nced at it. It turned out that his job was as a researcher at an algae research institute. Sure enough, this kid had lied to him.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Why did you investigate alone? Now you¡¯ve alerted him.¡±


    "What happened today was really an ident. I was nning to inform you once we had more information."


    "It doesn''t matter. We were working overtime on the holiday anyway. We¡¯re just handling this since it came up." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly, "Maybe this is a big case again!"


    "Where would this guy go..." Chen Shi pondered. "As a necrophiliac, what does he need the most right now?"


    "A hiding ce!"


    Chen Shi nced at the trash can, "In addition to a hiding ce, he also needs a pair of arms and legs to rece his beloved doll¡¯s. He treats them like people, and even brings one to escape with him. He must not be able to bear his lovercking arms and legs... Ah yes, check the source of these bodies!"


    So, Lin Dongxue sent several people to take the bodies back to the bureau.


    Chen Shi drove the car with Tao Yueyue and went to the hospital first. He was worried about the safety of kk.


    When they got to the hospital, kk was anesthetized and fell asleep under observation. The doctor said that fortunately he emptied his stomach contents in time, otherwise the situation would have been even more dangerous. He didn¡¯t know what the toxin was. kk¡¯s arms and legs had frostbite and the blood on him no longer flowed. They could only injectrge amounts of artificial hormones and anesthetics to stabilize him.


    "So is this going to be fatal?" Chen Shi asked.


    "It''s not fatal. ording to my feelings, this toxin will deceive the body and make the body feel particrly cold. The central nervous system will forcibly start its secondary blood supply, and all the blood of the arms and legs would be distributed to the torso. The worst result may be that the epidermis on his arms and legs will turnpletely necrotic. The symptom is the same as frostbite. Human frostbite is like this. Your body is afraid of blood flowing to the surface, getting frozen, so it won¡¯t be distributed there, and the surface cells will enter necrosis."


    Chen Shi thought of Li Xiang''s corpse dolls that could have their arms and legs dismantled. Is this where they came from...?


    1. AKA winter bumps.


    2. It can be various lengths, but it¡¯s generally short-ish hair parted in a way where one side has 30% of your hair and the other 70%.

 Chapter 567: Pursuing Li Xiang

    <h4>Chapter 567: Pursuing Li Xiang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi guarded theatose kk as Tao Yueyue also stood beside him. After a while, she blurted out, "The human body is really amazing!"


    "Indeed. This time it was an eye-opener."


    "Will Uncle kk be okay?"


    "Well, nothing should happen. Bad things live for a thousand years[1]. How could such a person die so easily?"


    There was a loud cry outside, but the voice seemed very familiar. Chen Shi went out and took a look. Sun Zhen was crying at a person who was pushed out from the emergency room. Chen Shi asked, "Why are you crying? This way!"


    Sun Zhen quickly wiped away his tears and said awkwardly, "Wrapped up like that, I thought it was him. I thought he was incurable... How is he?"


    "The doctor said he¡¯s out of danger."


    This kind of toxin was just a type of algae. It doesn¡¯t spread like a virus. Now that it had been controlled, it would slowly be excreted from the body through his own metabolism and the drugs.


    Sun Zhen looked at the unconscious kk. "I shouldn''t have told him that I had a dream this morning."


    "What''s going on?"


    "We¡¯re people who walk the path of Jianghu[2]. The biggest taboos in the morning are about dreams, rabbits, tigers, and the like. This kid will definitely resent me when he wakes up.¡±


    "Your reflection point is a bit off. I think it¡¯s my responsibility. I should have reminded him not to go alone."


    Tao Yueyue pointed to the infusion bottle. "Uncle Chen, if you inject air into this thing, can it really kill people?"


    "It¡¯s fake!" Chen Shi gestured. "Ventral air embolism is not so easily formed. Blood protein itself has the function of carrying air. You have to push a needle that¡¯s long and thick into the blood vessel to form a fatal air embolism."


    Sun Zhenmented, "You two are so harmonious. If I asked my dad this kind of question, a p woulde my way."


    "Is your dad still alive?"


    "He was sent to the crematorium long ago."


    "How about your mother?"


    "Can we not talk about this in the ward?"


    "What should we say then? Will you open the window and shout for his soul toe back?"


    "Will that work?"


    "I feel that it''s the same as madly beating the CPU after theputer encounters a problem."


    While the three were chatting nonchntly, Lin Dongxue sent a text message to ask which hospital he was in. Chen Shi replied telling her they were at the Third People''s Hospital. Lin Dongxue said, "We''ll be there soon!"


    Chen Shi asked the two of them to stay there and not go anywhere. He went to the yard when Lin Dongxue arrived. Lin Dongxue said, "Two findings. There was a woman on the road just now who said that a suspicious person was following her. The characteristics are very simr to Li Xiang, but she discovered him in time so the other party ran away. Then, Captain Peng tested the DNA of the arms and legs of the corpse and found that they came from different bodies. We asked the branches and local police stations. They said that they lost corpses from the mortuary of this hospital two years ago."


    "How fast!"


    "So, I was wondering if Li Xiang woulde here to steal bodies?"


    "Let¡¯s go and check it out!"


    The mortuary of the hospital was in the corner of the yard. It was but a small room for temporary storage of corpses, which was contracted privately. When the police arrived, they found that the lock had been smashed open. They immediately raised their vignce and pulled out their guns.


    Lin Dongxue slowly pushed the door open. Behind the door was an entryway with another door behind it. The ss on the door was frosted. Through it, a row of iron cabs could be seen.


    The creaking noise when pushing the door open was chilling. The temperature in the room was very low. Here, it had the same kind of push-pull mortuary cabs withtches on them as the morgue in the basement of the Public Security Bureau. Since Li Xiang had been here before, he must have the tools to open them.


    Lin Dongxue asked the manager who came in to pull the mortuary cabs out. Chen Shi said, "You don''t have to open them one by one. You should have registration notes of whichever cab holds the bodies of young women, right?"


    "There is!"


    The manager pulled a cab open, but it was empty inside. He was shocked.


    Chen Shi said, "Sure enough, he¡¯s been here. He wouldn¡¯t have gone far dragging around a corpse. Hurry and search!¡±


    Everyone searched in the hospital yard until someone found a rusty iron fence broken by someone. There were some icicles scattered on the ground. They chased out from there, got to a road, and looked at the vehiclesing and going. Lin Dongxue dialed for the traffic management department¡¯s phone number to get them to check the surveince footage at this intersection.


    At this time, Chen Shi''s mobile phone also rang. Unexpectedly, it was actually Li Xiang who called him. He said gloomily, "Officer Chen, you¡¯re so efficient!"


    Chen Shi made a silent gesture towards his surroundings and said to Li Xiang, "I sincerely advise you that there¡¯s still time to surrender. Once we catch you, the nature of the crime will be different.¡±


    "Ha, don''t the police ever change their rhetoric? There is a supermarket outside the hospital. I suggest you go and check the surveince footage there."


    After saying that, Li Xiang hung up the phone.


    Chen Shi crossed the road, went to the supermarket, and asked to see the surveince footage. Half an hour ago, Li Xiang came in with a big bag on his back, picked up the mineral water on the rack, fiddled with it in his hands, and put it back again.


    Chen Shi found the row of shelves. Sure enough, there were a few bottles of mineral water with pinholes in them that weren¡¯t too noticeable. He immediately called Li Xiang back. Li Xiang said, "Did you see? I put that kind of gete in many supermarkets. As long as you stop targeting me, I¡¯ll tell you the address of the ces I¡¯ve poisoned every hour. You don¡¯t want to make this a big deal and into arge-scale poisoning incident. You police can¡¯t bear this responsibility, but letting me go is just letting go of a person with a special fetish who is otherwise harmless. Weigh it up yourselves.¡±


    "You want to talk to the police about conditions-"


    The phone hung up before Chen Shi finished his sentence. When he called back, he found that the phone had been turned off.


    "This bastard!" Chen Shi said.


    "Do you want to increase the manpower? Send over SWAT as well?" Lin Dongxue frowned.


    "I don''t believe that he has this ability. He wouldn¡¯t make it in time. He must be ying with us!" Chen Shi stared at the mineral water bottle for a long time before twisting it open and taking a sip... Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t even stop him. Chen Shi said, "If I don¡¯t appear abnormal in ten minutes, it proves that he¡¯s ying us!"


    "You..." Lin Dongxue was rendered speechless.


    "It''s okay, this dose won¡¯t affect me." Having said that, Chen Shi was still a little anxious as it was also a gamble.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue received a portion of the surveince footage from the traffic management bureau. In the footage, Li Xiang was carrying a bag and ran out of the hospital with something wrapped in cloth. He quietly turned to a truck parked on the roadside for about ten minutes. Later, the truck drove away.


    Lin Dongxue called everyone. "Go, go, go. Keep up with this truck!"


    With the cooperation of the traffic management and public security bureau, everyone quickly located the truck. When approaching, there was a traffic jam in front. They saw fire soaring up towards the sky. The police left their cars and ran there. They could only see a truck at the intersection getting burned up.


    This was the truck that Li Xiang "rode" on. He ignited the goods inside before he escaped. The truck transported cotton textiles, which could be lit with a lighter. Lin Dongxue said, "This guy is too ruthless!"


    Li Xiang¡¯s purpose was to stall the police, so that they couldn¡¯t split up to chase him. Chen Shi looked around. He seemed to see a figure carrying a bag running across the bridge. He immediately called Lin Dongxue and several other police officers to chase after it.


    1. People usually use this to say that good people die young, but bad people don¡¯t get the karma they deserve.


    2. See glossary for WW¡¯s exnation on this.

 Chapter 568: Perverted Monologue

    <h4>Chapter 568: Perverted Monologue</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    They crossed the road. This was a public park and no one was there at night. Everyone dispersed and searched, but only homeless people were found in some corners. They said they hadn¡¯t seen any suspicious peopleing in.


    The police at the intersection called and said that the fire was under control. There was a female body in the burning truck which was suspected to be the one stolen from the hospital. Both of her arms had been cut off.


    Then, the police who searched the park together called and said that no one had left at the other exit. Observers and hawkers there confirmed this.


    "Stay there and guard!"


    Lin Dongxue looked around therge but quiet park and was lost. She found Chen Shi standing in a daze by an innerke and walked towards him. Chen Shi made a gesture for her to stay silent and pointed to the grass and shrubs with footprints beside her.


    "Impossible!" Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "Try and shoot into the water."


    Lin Dongxue took out her pistol suspiciously and fired a shot at the sky. Hearing the gunshot, the other policemen ran over.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Your body doesn¡¯t feel abnormal, right?"


    "No, it can be seen that this guy is bluffing!"


    "Don''t do this kind of thing next time. It makes me worry for nothing."


    "I promise!" Chen Shi smiled.


    The police gathered at theke and Chen Shi exined, "Shoot a few more shots and startle the guy out from the water!"


    "Are you that confident? Is it you putting yourself in their shoes thinking again?"


    "No, it''s the exclusion method. The park is so big, but he disappeared. We have searched everywhere except here, so it could only be here!"


    The police kept firing at the sky until bubbles appeared on the surface of the water. A man floated up, holding a corpse with no arms and legs in his arms. A pair of freshly cut arms hung on his neck with rope. The scene looked very strange.


    "Li Xiang, you have no other way out of this!" Chen Shi said.


    Li Xiang wiped his face and said angrily, "Do you have to push us to this state? Can the world not even allow this sincere love? You are a bunch of executioners!"


    "Sincere love? You still have the face to say so? You have three corpses in your house. You usually have one in each arm, like a harem. Do you dare to say to her in your arms that it¡¯s sincere love?"


    Li Xiang nced at the corpse in his arms. "Even then, I only love Peipei. You can kill me. If you kill me, I¡¯ll cross the boundary of life and stay with Peipei forever!"


    "Enough with your nonsense. You burnt your aunt to death, right?¡±


    "So what if I did? She shouldn''t have found my secret and told me this and that!¡±


    "If you break thew, you should obediently bear the consequences!"


    "Ha, what I vited is nothing but humanws. I¡¯m not human. I am a metamorphosis[1]! Do you know what metamorphosis is? Caterpirs turn into pupae and evolve into beautiful butterflies. That¡¯s called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis means evolution. I¡¯ve already evolved from this human shell. You ordinary peasants can''t understand me. You¡¯re vulgar, ugly, superficial, and your love is narrow and boring. It¡¯s just the original animal desire driven by hormones. Only Peipei and I have sincere love!" Li Xiang hugged the corpse in his arms as he said this, and his face was full of sorrow.


    The perverted deration made Lin Dongxue''s cheeks twitch. She whispered, "I really want to shoot him dead!"


    Chen Shi said, "Get up! You have no way to escape!"


    Li Xiang stood motionless. Chen Shi gestured towards Lin Dongxue with his eyes before deliberately saying, "Shoot him on the shoulder!"


    Lin Dongxue took aim and Li Xiang went pale with fright. He raised one hand and said, "I surrender! I surrender!" The other hand still held the corpse tightly.


    Li Xiang didn''t struggle much when he was arrested, but when the police snatched the dead body from him, he cried as if he were mourning. "Don''t take my Peipei away. What do you want to do to her?!"


    "There¡¯s one thing I can''t understand." Lin Dongxue said, "Has he practiced holding his breath? How did he stay underwater for so long?"


    "He didn''t hold his breath, he breathed normally under the water."


    "Normal breathing? What did he use..."


    "Take a guess!"


    She nced at the "captured" corpse and took a closer look. Its nostrils and eye sockets were wrapped with transparent sticyer byyer, only showing the mouth. At the moment she understood, Lin Dongxue felt a shiver down her spine.


    There was a little air in the belly of the dry corpse. Li Xiang sealed the other orifices so he could breathe underwater if he did mouth-to-mouth. That scene was terrifying to think of.


    Everyone was exhausted today. The interrogation began only on the third day after the investigation. The three female corpses owned by Li Xiang came from eight corpses. Some of them were stolen from the mortuary and some were bought with money from funeral parlor staff. In his own necrophilia circle, he was a cult leader, so he had his ways to get bodies. Through him, they arrested several other necrophiliacs. The several police officers who participated in the case received psychological treatment afterwards. They were very "thankful" towards Chen Shi for discovering the case.


    The gellette used by Li Xiang had a scientific name of "Dinogetes" and were stolen from the research institute. After ingestion, this thing would produce hallucinations and confuse people¡¯s sense of heat and cold.


    As for the case of Li Xiang killing his aunt, since the aunt¡¯s body had been cremated, no investigation was possible. However, Li Xiang regarded the aunt¡¯s burnt house as his ¡°harem¡±. After careful investigation, it was found that there was a residue ofbustion aid on the scene, which was evidence of deliberate arson.


    During the several days of being imprisoned, Li Xiang kept shouting to see Peipei. When he was taken into the interrogation room, he was already practically mute. His whole person was dejected. His skin was pale and his eyes had sunken in. He looked like a dead person.


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s talk about it nicely!"


    "I want to see Peipei. If I can''t see Peipei, I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    "Don''t negotiate conditions with us."


    "Then I won¡¯t speak even if I die."


    "Do you really think we¡¯re missing this confession? There¡¯s already solid evidence and it¡¯s certain to send you to prison. We¡¯re giving you an opportunity but you¡¯re not even cherishing it!"


    "What are you going to do with Peipei? Do you want to cremate her? In the eyes of ordinary people, she is just a corpse. You don''t know how to appreciate her beauty! If your mother was taken to get cremated, how would you feel? Do you not respect human rights?" Li Xiang roared.


    Lin Dongxue was startled and Chen Shi was stunned for some time as well before saying, "Mr. Li, I have seen a lot of perverts. It¡¯s really the first time for me to see one as straightforward as you are. When did your special hobby start?"


    "When did you find out that you liked women?" Li Xiang countered.


    "So, you were born like this?"


    Li Xiang was silent. When he realized that this might be thest chance to talk about what was in his heart, he slowly said, "It was at a funeral I attended when I was a child. The dead woman was the wife of a distant rtive. I couldn''t even name her. I saw her lying in the flowers, so quiet and so beautiful. It seemed like something in my heart was slowly crawling out and I couldn¡¯t control it. I kept imagining making love with her. I masturbated again and again and couldn¡¯t stop. Since then, I¡¯ve had no interest in living people...¡±


    Listening to this perverted monologue, Lin Dongxue had the urge to rush out several times, especially since his voice was so monotonous. In conjunction with the "deeds" he told, it was really chilling.


    Chen Shi twirled his pen around and he seemed to be very engaged. His habit was to let the suspects speak freely as they were bound to talk about the case eventually. Everyone had the urge to talk, and just like eating and drinking, it couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    At about the same time, Chen Shi asked, "What were you nning to do with the stolen gete from theboratory?"


    Li Xiang replied, "A small amount has a magical effect."


    "What a magical effect?"


    "When I touch Peipei''s skin, it will have the same temperature as a living person, and it''s stic. You couldn¡¯t stop even if you wanted to! Peipei is my most perfect work. I put her together with the most perfect arms and legs. She¡¯s perfect all over and she is impable. You ordinary people can¡¯t appreciate this kind of beauty!" As he said so, he showed a proud expression.


    "Your aunt must have said something bad about her, so she was killed by you?"


    "She was courting her own death!" Li Xiang said angrily. "I warned her many times that I didn¡¯t want her in the room I rented. She still went there and saw things she shouldn''t have. Then, she said many unpleasant words. I was so angry that I strangled her to death. I was a little frantic when I saw her corpse. What should I do with it? Of course, I wasn¡¯t interested in my aunt¡¯s old and ugly body. I¡¯m not like that kind of perverted... If she went missing, I wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it to her family. Corpse dismemberment was also easily found out. After thinking about it, I created a fire and told her to disappear. Sure enough, the police didn¡¯t find anything out! But how did you know?¡±


    Taking into ount Wei Yi''s privacy, Chen Shi didn¡¯t answer this question, only saying, "The police will know everything. The heaven¡¯s¡¯s mesh is wide but nothing will be leaked. Understood?¡±


    Li Xiang sneered contemptuously. "Someone must have seen it and talked nonsense before you suspected me. Otherwise, who would have thought that I hid Peipei in a house that was lost in a fire... I have said everything I should say. Can you let me see Peipei onest time? It¡¯s just onest time. I beg of you!¡±


    "You should really let it go!"


    Li Xiang shook his handcuffs. "You¡¯re still discriminating against me at the end of the day, you gang of ordinary people!"


    Chen Shi stood up, "Why can''t we discriminate against you? You keep saying ordinary people, but us ordinary people can fall in love publicly, while you have to hide in a dark corner like a cockroach to satisfy your sexual fetishes. No matter how justified you pretend you are, you always knew that you were abnormal. Your anger when youmitted murder proves this. As an outlier, you must hide yourselfpletely and spend a lot of thought and costs to disguise your source of twisted happiness. Otherwise, don¡¯t me anyone when you¡¯re exposed, and don¡¯t expect others to understand you. Ordinary people can¡¯t even understand each other. Who would share their precious sympathy with you?!¡±


    Li Xiang widened his eyes. His lips were trembling, but he was speechless.


    Before leaving, Chen Shi said again, "Right, I will give you some meaningful advice. When you go to prison, don''t preach your wonderful sexual habits everywhere. They¡¯re not the same as your circle with the same fetishes. Otherwise, you¡¯ll live a very painful life.¡±


    1. The harsh way of saying pervert is the same as metamorphosis.

 Chapter 569: Bloody Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 569: Bloody Beginning</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 38: Revival In A New Guise


    On September 30th, a quarrel between a man and a woman happened in the staff lounge of the Sixth Middle School and rmed the sparrows perched on the telephone poles.


    With a bang, the quarrel ended abruptly.


    The man looked at the bloody trophy in his hand, and his girlfriend that had copsed onto the floor with pupils slowly erging. No matter how much he knelt down to apologize, p her, or shout, he could no longer amend the huge mistake.


    The trophy in his hand dropped down and he knelt down on the ground. He pulled hard at his own hair, crying silently with regret and punching his own chest with his fists in remorse.


    Someone knocked on the door and he turned back suddenly. His eyes suddenly turned fierce, and a colleague said outside, "Teacher Yan, my textbook has been left inside."


    "I... It¡¯s not convenient right now."


    Teacher Yan nced at the corpse on the ground. He didn''t know whether the lie came from his heart. He just felt his tongue move and said it out loud naturally.


    He knew in an instant what price he would have to pay to back up this lie.


    "Oh, got it. Then I''ll retrieve it after the holidays. Happy holidays."


    "Happy holidays!"


    Hearing the sound of the footsteps going away, the smile on Teacher Yan''s face disappeared. He was brought back to the cruel reality. This matter must be dealt with and he must not give the game away, but what did he have to do? His brain was already in a mess...


    Being in the same room as the corpse, his thoughts were changing every second. One moment, he would trace things back to the root of the tragedy. Another moment, he would imagine the heavy punishment, during which he suddenly jumped up, pped the corpse''s face a few times and gritted his teeth while cursing, "It¡¯s all your fault!"


    The body seemed to move. He wasn''t sure if it was an illusion. He jumped away as if he was electrocuted. He knelt on the ground and stared with wide eyes. He stayed in this position for five minutes and dared not blink.


    He wanted to smoke, but he didn¡¯t have any cigarettes with him. He remembered that there were Zhonghua cigarettes that a student¡¯s parents had gifted to another teacher inside a drawer. He hesitated for a while, and shook his head in resignation, ¡°Who cares about him?!¡±


    He opened the packaging and took one out before smoking it with pleasure. After some time of not touching nicotine, the pleasure was unparalleled when he breathed it deeply into his brain. The sense of numbness made his finger-tips tingle slightly.


    He sat on the ground with the cigarette and his right hand on his bent right leg. He criticized the person on the ground, "You don''t understand anything. I don''t have the kind of background as you. Every step of my life is ten thousand times harder than yours. You only know how to criticize others, saying this and that is wrong, as if the world would be perfect without this and that. You¡¯ve never seen the evil of the world!"


    He suddenly really wanted to do ¡°that¡±. The basic nature of killing and fucking are always intertwined. When one basic desire is awakened, and the other will follow.


    No matter how civilized people pretend to be, human beings only desire these two things.


    The first thing some murderers do is to find prostitutes immediately after killing someone. Now, I know that there¡¯s a reason behind it.


    "You don''t understand anything!"


    using the deceased, he began to take off the other party''s clothes. When his hands touched her skin that was cold like iron, he shrank back in fear, and his body didn''t react at all.


    "Why?! Why?! Why?!" He beat himself and wept in tears, suffering for what he was about to lose. The tears were all for himself, and not even half a drop was for the deceased.


    Night had already quietly descended outside the window. He peeped through the window and didn¡¯t see anyone down at the sports field.


    Teacher Yan carried the corpse in a sack downstairs. He often picked up his girlfriend when he was frolicking with her, but she wasn¡¯t as heavy as she was right now. She was as heavy as arge rock and the weight bent his back.


    Arge area of bright red appeared near the back of the corpse¡¯s head. A human-shaped sack covered with arge area that was as red as flowers around the head. Anyone who saw it would understand what was going on.


    He looked around!


    Walking through the empty school campus was like crossing a minefield where danger lurked in every corner. If anyone saw him, he would be consigned to eternal damnation. He silently prayed to the gods. Please, please let things go smoothly again this time!


    The damn parking lot had to be built on the other side of the sports field. When he finally got there, he breathed a long sigh of relief as if he had just reached the finish line.


    Opening the boot, he threw the body in, as if he was throwing a sack of wastepaper. Listening to the sound, it seemed that a bone had shattered, but he didn''t care. Now she was just a lump of meat. A lump of meat that could cause trouble.


    He sat in the car and was suddenly blinded by bright light, and he covered up his eyes with his arm in horror.


    From within the headlights that had suddenly appeared, a figure came out and leaned on the front of the car, calmly lighting up a cigar and hooking a finger at him.


    Teacher Yan got out of the car as if possessed and walked towards the man. He said in shock, "Teacher Zhou?"


    "Who¡¯s in the boot? Teacher Lin?"


    "No... no, it¡¯s just a bunch of tutoring materials."


    "Look at how nervous you are. Even your tongue is knotted. If you¡¯re acting like this in front of me, how are you going to face the police in the future?¡±


    Teacher Yan looked at him suspiciously, trying to judge the other party¡¯s position. Was he trying to help him?


    Teacher Zhou was very mysterious. He had been at this middle school for only a month. He never participated in the conversation in the office. He always silently thought about things alone while he had his cigar. He drove home right after ss finished. After being acquainted with him for so long, Teacher Yan didn''t even know what his full name was.


    He was the one who had knocked on the door and said that he had left his textbook behind. Had he already noticed something at the time?


    "Why can the police catch the real murderer every time? Is it because they¡¯re powerful? No, it¡¯s because the murderers are so stupid. The police academy trainingsts three to five years and the courses range from criminal investigation to identifying traces. The police who leave the academy have to do an internship for a year and follow their masters for several years. They have all kinds of equipment, surveince cameras all over the streets, the right to question anyone, and they can also legally hurt others. You¡¯ll face not only one of these opponents, but a whole gang of them! But what do you have? You have no experience. You¡¯re panicked, helpless, and as full of loopholes as a lousy magician performing tricks that then allows a group of experts toeonstage to discover the ws. Novices like you will have to drink tea at the Public Security Bureau within three days. Facing rounds of interrogations, how long do you think you¡¯llst? Do you have the money to hire awyer? You can only say, ¡®I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t do it.¡¯ It¡¯s like telling the police, ¡®It¡¯s me. It¡¯s me!¡¯¡± Teacher Zhou took a deep drag on his cigar and shook his head meaningfully. ¡°You¡¯re too inexperienced, boy!¡±


    Teacher Yan opened his eyes wide and tears of regret flowed from his eyes. He knew that there was a master standing in front of him. Only masters would speak like that. He knelt down and touched Teacher Zhou¡¯s shoes, "Help me. Help me! Please!"


    Teacher Zhou casually tasted his cigar and raised his eyebrows to examine the mes at the end of the cigar. It was as if a century passed before he spoke. "What can I get out of this?"


    "What do you want? As long as I have it!"


    "If you¡¯re willing to give me something, I will help you this time. I will ensure that the police can only stare at you in vain even when they know you¡¯re a murder suspect. I will let you escape thew¡¯s and live out your life smoothly."


    "Thank you! Thank you! You must have been sent by God. No, you are God!"


    Teacher Yan knelt down and kissed Teacher Zhou''s shoes, over and over again, as if they were his girlfriend''s soft lips. Teacher Zhou smiled slightly and pulled out his phone, "Shuangshuang, there is work to be done!"

 Chapter 570: Missing

    <h4>Chapter 570: Missing</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the long holiday from October 1st, Tao Yueyue discovered changes in her school. Several police cars were parked on the edge of the sports field, and several local police officers entered and exited the office. The dean apanied them with a smiling face.


    "What happened?"


    The students asked one after another. It was unclear who had said this, but it was said that Teacher Liu, who taught geography, had lost a packet of Zhonghua cigarettes. Police had to be dispatched for such a small matter? Everyone thought that it was unbelievable. After the morning ss, Teacher Liu really ran over and blocked everyone in the ssroom from leaving, saying with a serious face, "I know one of you did it! Not bad, even daring to take things out of a teacher¡¯s drawer. If you¡¯re a man, then take responsibility. I advise that person to confess and not get other students involved. Otherwise the matter will be more serious and you¡¯ll be punished!¡±


    As he said this, he walked between the seats. His gaze stayed on the faces of a few boys who weren¡¯t too honest, as if they looked like suspects.


    "Who is it... Stand up... You¡¯ve seen the police cars parked outside. Don''t think that you can get away with it..."


    When Mr. Liu mentioned "police", a policeman poked his head through the door of the ssroom and said, "Mr. Liu, we have something to ask you."


    "Oh? Oh, I¡¯lle immediately!" Teacher Liu''s attitude changed 180 degrees. As soon as he left, the ssughed and chattered away. Although they didn''t know what happened, it was definitely not regarding the missing cigarettes.


    "Did someone die?" Someone spected in horror.


    "Haha, I really hope it was the form teacher." Someone also responded randomly.


    Tao Yueyue sat in her seat without saying a word, andposed a text message to Chen Shi, "There are a lot of policemen at school today!" After thinking about it, she deleted it and rewrote, "Uncle Chen, why are there so many police officers at my school?"


    It was still inappropriate. She deleted it and changed it to, "Are you going to solve the case today?"


    The first lesson was English. The English teacher was an easy-going olddy who stood on the podium and shouted, ¡°Good morning everyone[1]¡±. Some boys below asked at the same time, ¡°Ms. Song, did a case happen in school?¡±, "What are the police investigating?"


    The English teacher smiled gently and shook her head, "I can say nothing about it![2] Regardless of the secret[3], there will inevitably be a day when it¡¯s disclosed publicly. In the afternoon, your form teacher may tell you. Well, boys and girls[4], let us open our textbooks to page 36. Today, we¡¯ve going to learn..."


    There were disappointed sighs followed by the sound of people flipping through their textbooks.


    Chen Shi replied to the text message, "I¡¯m at the bureau. I received the bonus for solving the case today, what do you want to eat tonight?"


    Tao Yueyue hesitated for a long time and said via her phone, "It seems that a case has happened in our school."


    The English teacher walked around while reading out from the textbook. When she saw Tao Yueyue holding the phone, she turned a blind eye. As the top student in the school, she had many invisible privileges and she wouldn¡¯t be disturbed even if she slept in ss.


    "The police are there?" Chen Shi replied.


    "They¡¯re here. They¡¯re from the sub-bureau and local police station. I¡¯m curious, so I asked you."


    "I¡¯ll ask about it..." After a moment, Chen Shi replied, "A female teacher from your school surnamed Lin is missing."


    Tao Yueyue suddenly realized that it was no wonder she hadn¡¯t seen her that day.


    She didn¡¯t tell anyone else about it. After ss, everyone was still making wild guesses. A boy slipped into the office to eavesdrop on the police¡¯s conversation. When he ran back, he was immensely pleased with himself and acted as though he was a warrior who hade back after taking a huge risk. However, he didn¡¯t hear any substantial content.


    At 10:00, several cars drove into the sports field, and the boys at the window whispered, "Are they also policemen?", "Hey, they don''t wear police uniforms!", "What do you know? They¡¯re in in clothes, they are the highest-ranking policemen", "Wow, that policewoman is so pretty, she looks like a star."


    Tao Yueyue turned her head and saw a few familiar people. Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong. Chen Shi looked a bit frustrated that day. He hadn¡¯tbed his hair and was wearing a dull grey jacket, because he was still handling a casetest night.


    When Chen Shi looked over, he smiled. He guessed that Tao Yueyue must be looking out at him.


    Today, Chen Shi had persuaded Lin Qiupu to send them out. He had told Lin Qiupu that Zhou Tiannan was at this school. Lin Qiupu was shocked and med him for not saying so earlier. Chen Shi said, "If it was a murder, it¡¯s better to go sooner rather thanter. Hurry and take over the case from the sub-bureau!"


    "Do you think that Zhou Tiannan would be so stupid as to kill someone next to his own nest?"


    "Of course he¡¯s not stupid. He¡¯s been quite low-key these years, but in case this case is rted to him, we¡¯ll have a chance to investigate him."


    "That¡¯s true. Okay, let memunicate with the sub-bureau!"


    Chen Shi and the others went directly to the dean for the grade that the missing person taught. The people from the sub-bureau and the local police officers were also in the office. When they saw the people from the head bureau arrive, a police team leader said, "I really wouldn¡¯t have thought that Captain Lin would be so eager about this case. He actually transferred it over directly. We actually saved a lot of energy. Please thank Captain Lin and the chief for me."


    "What¡¯s the current situation?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Teacher Lin...", "The situation is..."


    The police officer spoke at the same time as the dean and then realized his disrespect. The dean said obsequiously, "You talk. You talk... Would you police officers like to drink some tea?"


    "No need!"


    "The missing teacher is called Lin Xiaoxiao. She¡¯s the only daughter of Deputy Director Lin of the Education Bureau. She teaches music and is also in charge of a ss. She went missing on October 1st. She hade to school to pick up some things that day. The security guard saw her at 9:00 AM. Teacher Liu of the same grade also saw her. The two exchanged a few words. She left her mobile phone in the office with an unsent message saying that she was troubled recently, wanted to go out for a walk and asked everyone not to look for her, for she¡¯ll be back soon. It¡¯s been four days since then, and her family couldn¡¯t get in touch with her, so they reported the case.


    Xu Xiaodong whispered, "It doesn''t sound like a big case."


    Lin Dongxue replied in a low voice, "Do you believe in words like ¡®I¡¯m going out, don¡¯t look for me¡¯?¡±


    "Have you watched the surveince footage?" Chen Shi asked.


    "During the holidays, the school wasn¡¯t monitored."


    "So, there are only witness statements? Which one is the witness?"


    A fat male teacher with a balding head said, "That¡¯s me. That¡¯s me."


    "Why were you at school on the holiday?"


    "I divorced my spousest year and the house was given to her. I¡¯ve been living in a rental house near the school. The monthly exam is around the corner and I couldn¡¯t stay idle. I wasing up with exam questions in the office on October 1st."


    "What did you talk to Teacher Lin about thest time you saw her?"


    "It was just an ordinary conversation."


    "Be more specific."


    Teacher Liu repeated their conversation. It really was just exchanging casual greetings with each other. Chen Shi said, "She left her mobile phone on her office table?"


    "Yes, when I left, I was wondering why she had left her phone behind and helped her by putting it into her drawer.¡±


    "Did she seem abnormal that day?"


    Teacher Liu thought for a long time, "She seemed very normal!"


    1. This was said in English


    2. This part was said in English, but ¡°nothing¡± was written as ¡°noting¡±. I don¡¯t know if the author did this on purpose or not, but I changed it to the correct spelling.


    3. ¡°Secret¡± was said in English.


    4. ¡°Boys and girls¡± was said in English.

 Chapter 571: Bloodstains In The Office

    <h4>Chapter 571: Bloodstains In The Office</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Teacher Liu didn¡¯t look like he was lying. Chen Shi asked again, ¡°How are Teacher Lin¡¯s interpersonal rtionships?¡±


    "Interpersonal rtionships? She is the precious daughter of the deputy director of the Education Bureau. She is only 24 years old this year and a recent graduate. We all said in private that she¡¯s like a fairy normally, teaching her students to sing every day as well as looking after her assigned ss. She never got involved with other things. She just ys with her phone in the office when she¡¯s not in ss. She often traveled. When she came back, she would bring souvenirs for us. Every teacher in the office got a share, and she had a good rtionship with us! Oh, right...¡± Teacher Liu pointed to a workstation. "Mr. Yan, who teaches Chinese, is dating her right now. They look like an ideal couple when they stand together. Although Teacher Yan is from a normal family, his grades have been very excellent from an early age. He came first in our school interview. This year, he also participated in the evaluation of excellent teachers and gave open sses for the experts of the Education Bureau. The response was very good. He can be described as the top talent in this cohort of young teachers."


    "Was there any conflict between them?"


    "What conflict can they have? I think that they¡¯re sweet with each other every day, like those lovers in romance novels."


    "Where¡¯s Teacher Yan?"


    "He¡¯s in a ss!"


    Chen Shi looked around and noticed a shelf with some trophies and awards on it. Teacher Liu exined, "These are the honors our grade has received over the years. See? The first ce in the province¡¯s recitation contest and the first ce in theposition contest. First ce in the International Mathematical Olympiad..."


    "Several awards were received by this student named Tao Yueyue!" Chen Shi said deliberately. Lin Dongxue secretly smiled behind him.


    Teacher Liu beamed. "Tao Yueyue was in my ss. She only transferred herest year. At the end of thest semester, she took first ce in the entire school. This child is extremely smart, and she understands everything as soon as she¡¯s taught. We said in private that a little Einstein has appeared in ss. In the future, she¡¯d certainly get into the top school in the province.¡±


    "This is due to the good education provided by the teachers."


    Teacher Liu concealed his joy and humbly said, "All the credit belongs to the parents. Teachers only provide support.¡±


    "If my child is like this, that will be nice." Chen Shi sighed. His eyes fell on a trophy. The dust on the trophy had been wiped off, so he put on gloves to remove the trophy and handed it over to the Little Zhou from the forensics team who hade with him.


    Everyone watched Little Zhou spraying reagents on the trophy. Chen Shi checked all around the ce, focusing on obscure corners.


    Chen Shiy on the ground and found several hairs. Under a table, he found a stain that looked suspiciously like blood stains. He quickly asked Lin Dongxue toe over and have a look. Lin Dongxue squatted down and lit up the area with her mobile phone. It wasn¡¯t easy to take a picture of that.


    She whispered, "When you mention Tao Yueyue, you look very happy."


    "I didn''t know that she had participated in so manypetitions in school at all."


    "It¡¯s clear that you don¡¯t pay attention to her normally!"


    "Actually, I don''t want her to be too outstanding. Her childhood days will go by in a sh. People who were too outstanding as children will often have psychological gapster."


    "¡®If my child is like this, that will be nice!¡¯" Lin Dongxue imitated his previous tone. "You were clearly secretly pleased!"


    Finally, a clear picture was taken, showing a drop of blood with some gray residue on it, like paper ash or something.


    At that moment, everyone in the office eximed. Little Zhou had found residual blood on the bottom of the trophy. Chen Shi asked him to preserve the bloodstains under the table as well as on the trophy. Then he said to Teacher Liu, "The office may have to be cordoned off first. Do all of you have other ces where you can do your work?"


    "It''s possible to squeeze in with the other teachers. This must be ryed to the dean."


    "Please do so."


    "Police Officer, this... this won¡¯t be a criminal case, right?"


    "The discovery of blood stains doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s a criminal case. Don''t think too much about it." Although he said so, Chen Shi had already concluded in his heart that Teacher Lin was likely not in this world anymore.


    When leaving the office, Chen Shi bumped into an "acquaintance" in the corridor, and he said to the others, "Go ahead first!"


    Zhou Tiannan was holding a pile of teaching documents, and wearing rimmed sses. He sneered slightly, "Long time no see!"


    "What trick do you want to y this time?"


    "Do you suspect me as soon as someone disappears? Mr. Chen is too sensitive! I''m just an ordinary teacher."


    "Stay away from Tao Yueyue."


    "Haha, that kid is very clever. I set a question in thest exam and she was the only one in the whole ss who got it right. This brilliant cleverness is as precious as a diamond. I think she will be an excellent sessor!"


    Hearing him talking about Tao Yueyue, a flood of blood rushed upwards into Chen Shi¡¯s brain. He said, "If you let me find out that you have any schemes targeting her, I will risk everything to settle scores with you. I am not a police officer, and you¡¯re just a mortal!"


    Zhou Tiannan shrugged his shoulders. "I really want to see what meticulous tricks you can design."


    The two passed each other by, and Lin Dongxue was waiting for him at the stairs. She asked, "Who were you talking to?"


    "The teacher from Yueyue¡¯s ss."


    "Was he also praising her?"


    "Yeah, it was all praise." Chen Shi smiled, thinking about what Zhou Tiannan had just said. Did he y a part in this case? There was only one big question mark in Chen Shi''s heart.


    When he walked downstairs, the bell rang, and the students ran out. Some courageous students came to ask what had happened. Several of them surrounded Xu Xiaodong and wanted to see his gun.


    Chen Shi stopped at the door of Tao Yueyue''s ss. Tao Yueyue just happened to be looking out. He beckoned and Tao Yueyue ran out. "Uncle Chen, you mind revealing your identity?"


    "Haha! I''m not Batman. What identity is there to be revealed? This time, you were well-informed."


    "I was just mentioning it casually to you. I wanted to know what had happened, but I didn''t expect that you and Sister Lin would be dispatched. Is it a big case?"


    "At present, it won¡¯t be a big case. Rest assured, the truth wille to light soon."


    "Did the teacher disclose that we would go on vacation soon?"


    "Teacher Liu praised you just now but you¡¯re already thinking about the holiday. Didn¡¯t the Golden Week holiday just end?"


    Tao Yueyue pouted. "Do you need me to help you ask around about anything?"


    "What can you inquire about?" Chen Shi changed his tone to the one he used for asking a witness, "Miss, do you have any clues that you can provide for this case?"


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. ¡°Teacher Liu lost a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and was still looking for the thief in ss this morning."


    "That''s it?"


    "Before the case is solved, any clue may be the key to the case." Tao Yueyue said maturely.


    "Okay, okay, thank you for the important clue that you¡¯ve provided. I believe that with this clue the case will definitely be solved. I wille to your door tonight to say my thanks and invite you to eat at Pizza Hut, okay?"


    "You¡¯lle back in the evening? I don''t want to eat Pizza Hut anymore. I said that Pizza Hut was delicious once and you take me to eat there every time. Can we change to something else?"


    "Okay, you get to pick tonight."


    At this time, the ss bell rang, and Tao Yueyue returned to her ss. Her ssmates surrounded her and asked, "Tao Yueyue, is your father a criminal policeman?"


    Wei Zeng Mary also ran over, full of excitement, "Hey, hey, is your father really a criminal policeman? Didn''t you say that he drove a taxi? You actually lied to me. Our friendship is over!¡±


    "He really drives a taxi!"


    "You¡¯re still fooling me? Humph, I¡¯ll ignore you..."

 Chapter 572: First Meeting With Teacher Yan

    <h4>Chapter 572: First Meeting With Teacher Yan</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At 4:00 in the afternoon, an old couple was crying in the reception room. Lin Dongxue tried to console them, promising that the police would find out the truth.


    Chen Shi stood outside the door, and Peng Sijue came over with a report saying, "The blood stains that you found in the office have a 99.99% match with the parents of the missing person. That is, the missing person had left them behind."


    "Sure enough, it''s not that she¡¯s simply missing. What about the ashes above?"


    "It should be cigarette ash."


    "What kind of cigarettes?"


    "Stillparing them one by one."


    Chen Shi suddenly remembered Tao Yueyue''s words. "Try Zhonghua cigarettes."


    Shortly after Peng Sijue returned, he sent a message to Chen Shi, "The ash is indeed from soft Zhonghua."


    Chen Shi pondered it over again and felt that it was necessary to return to the school.


    At 5:30, school was out. After a day of hard work, everyone had forgotten what happened in the morning. They left the campus in throngs while discussing the topic of games and animation. Tao Yueyue and Wei Zeng Mary walked side by side and saw Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue standing at the door.


    She quickly stepped forward, "Uncle Chen, are you here to investigate the case?"


    "Why didn¡¯t you guess that we¡¯re here to pick you up?" Chen Shi smiled.


    "Tch, I don''t believe you would pick me up with Elder Sister Lin!"


    "The teachers haven''t left yet, right? I want to see them. Did you want toe with us?¡±


    "Okay!"


    Wei Zeng Mary also went together with them to join in the fun. She followed behind them quietly and asked, "Yueyue, is that your mother?", "Will they take the form teacher away?"


    "What''s wrong with your form teacher? I feel like you all want him to be taken away." Chen Shi asked.


    "The form teacher often takes up our physical education sses by dragging out his sses. He picks his nose while teaching the ss, and often ridicules the students with poor grades." Wei Zeng Mary enumerated several major crimes of the form teacher angrily.


    Tao Yueyue said, "He often sniffs violently and then swallows his snot."


    Wei Zeng Maryughed loudly, "Yeah, it¡¯s super disgusting!"


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "Yueyue has also made good friends at school!"


    The first person that they saw was Teacher Liu. Chen Shi said, "We heard that you lost a packet of Zhonghua cigarettes. When did you find out?"


    Teacher Liu was flustered. "Oh, how can I bother you guys with this matter... Why is Tao Yueyue here?"


    Chen Shi touched Tao Yueyue''s head. "She is my child."


    Teacher Liu¡¯s mouth became O-shaped, and it took a while to return to its original state. "Like father,like daughter. Respect. Respect."


    "Let¡¯s get back to business. When did you find out that you have lost your cigarettes?"


    "Do you really want to investigate this? This morning."


    "You came to the office on October 1st and didn''t discover it?"


    "Well... I had brought cigarettes that day, so I didn''t open the drawer to have a look. The cigarettes were given by the parents of a student and I kept them in the drawer. I¡¯m guessing that it was a male student who smokes that had taken them from the drawers. They sure have guts. They took the whole carton apart and only took a pack."


    Chen Shi thought that the "criminal" might be a teacher. This person had smoked in the office.


    It so happened that the ash had fallen onto the bloodstains of the missing person, which couldn¡¯t help but cause suspicion.


    As a former smoker, Chen Shi understood this kind of mood. One really needs a cigarette forfort when one is extremely dejected.


    Teacher Liu took out the carton of cigarettes, and Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue carefully extracted the fingerprints on it, as well as the fingerprints of Teacher Liu himself. Teacher Liu also specifically urged, "It¡¯s just forty something yuan for a pack of cigarettes. Don''t make this matter too serious. I just wanted to scare them. If they really get disciplined because of this matter, then it wouldn¡¯t be too good!"


    Chen Shi said sternly, "That''s not okay. A child who steals needles will grow up to steal gold.[1] We need to investigate this matter thoroughly.¡±


    Upon hearing him talking nonsense, Lin Dongxue exined, "We suspect that the lost cigarettes are rted to the missing person case. Of course, it¡¯s just a suspicion."


    "Understood!"


    "We want to meet the other teachers from the same office."


    Teacher Liu nced outside, "Aiya, aiya, Teacher Yan is about to leave. Hurry down and stop him."


    Chen Shi asked Teacher Liu to stand in front of the school gate. If teachers of the same grade attempted to leave, he was to stop them. Then he hurried with the others to the parking lot. Teacher Yan drove a ck Mercedes-Benz car and wore a pair of sunsses. He looked very handsome. When he saw people heading over, he asked, ¡°Looking for me?¡±


    Lin Dongxue showed him her badge. "We¡¯re criminal police and want to collect your fingerprints."


    "Okay!"


    After the collection was done, Chen Shi said, "I heard that you¡¯re currently dating Teacher Lin."


    Teacher Yan nodded. "The news about her disappearance is also quite sudden to me. I¡¯ve been uneasy all day and I couldn¡¯t get any news about her even after calling all the people who knew her."


    "How is your rtionship with her?"


    "Although we haven''t reached the point of talking about marriage, it''s quite harmonious. We¡¯ve never quarreled. You can ask about this at school if you like."


    Chen Shi nodded, "We have heard that you two are an ideal couple and very well-matched. Was there anything unusual before she disappeared?"


    Teacher Yan tilted his head and thought, "I didn''t notice any."


    "Why do you think she¡¯s missing?"


    "Oh, if I could guess this, what would we need the police for?"


    "Don''t get me wrong, we just want to know more about Teacher Lin from different aspects."


    "Then I¡¯ll just say something for what it¡¯s worth. I think that her disappearance may have something to do with her family. Her ambition was originally to be a musician, and she didn''t originally major in education. She had participated in a provincial musicpetition just after graduation and won a prize. She had a boyfriend who yed rock music, but her family has been teachers for two generations, and her father is now the deputy director of the Education Bureau. He hoped that his daughter could follow in his footsteps, and the family had arranged everything for her. However, her heart was not in it. She finallypromised after experiencing a lot of things. Whenever this matter is mentioned, she¡¯d feel wronged. Being a music teacher and a musician arepletely different things. As her boyfriend, I don¡¯t wish to think this way, but I am wondering if she went to look for her ex-boyfriend?"


    "What''s the ex-boyfriend¡¯s name?"


    "He¡¯s called Ma Baobao and his stage name is Ma Qianli. He¡¯s the lead singer in what is called a ck metal band. It¡¯s one that¡¯s fairly popr. It¡¯s not that I have any stereotypes about rock singers. I just don¡¯t think they¡¯re the same kind of people and that it¡¯s impossible for them to get together. But the thing about dreams is that people won¡¯t give up until they hit the south wall.[2]¡±


    Chen Shi felt that he was a bit too calm talking about these things, but perhaps that was just his character.


    Chen Shi took out a packet of Zhonghua from a bag and handed it over, "By the way, do you smoke?"


    Seeing the Zhonghua cigarettes, Yan Ke panicked for a moment. He smiled and waved, "No thanks. I quit many years ago."


    "Haha, it¡¯s good you quit. We won''t disturb you then."


    "Remember to inform me if there¡¯s news about her!"


    1. Needles and gold rhyme. Idiom simr to ¡°As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined¡±.


    2. Traditional Chinese houses are built with doors facing the south and there would be a wall ced just behind the doors so that you can¡¯t see inside for privacy reasons. This is what¡¯s regarded as the south wall.

 Chapter 573: Tampered Surveillance Footage

    <h4>Chapter 573: Tampered Surveince Footage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After collecting the teachers¡¯ fingerprints, they left the school. Wei Zengmali was still talking to Chen Shi along the way. "Uncle, Yueyue¡¯s results are so good. Do you often give her special rewards?"


    "She mainly gets to eat well. I usually cook, and I don''t repeat the same dishes."


    "Wow, you cook your own food? How amazing!"


    "Show-off in disguise!" Lin Dongxue smiled. "Old Chen, I have something to talk to you about."


    Chen Shi said to Tao Yueyue, "You and Mali should go and buy ice cream."


    Tao Yueyue understood and took Wei Zengmali away with her. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you have any suspicions towards any of those teachers?"


    "Not right now."


    "Actually, you do but you¡¯re just afraid that you¡¯d mislead me."


    "Haha, Dongxue really understands me."


    "But everyone thinks that the date of Miss Lin''s disappearance was October 1st. When we were with her parents just now, her father mentioned that he had asked Lin Xiaoxiao to go home for dinner that day. Lin Xiaoxiao had entered the housing district and given him a box saying that she had some things to do and couldn¡¯te home for dinner before taking her leave.¡±


    "What box?"


    "It was just a foot-washing machine that she had bought for her parents."


    "What was the time?"


    "About 4:00 in the afternoon. That is to say, her father was thest person to see her."


    "As a result, there are three witnesses who proved that she was still alive on October 1st."


    "Correct!"


    Chen Shi felt that it was a bit strange. They were all eyewitness testimonies. If Teacher Lin wanted to go somewhere, wouldn¡¯t it be best to leave on September 30th?


    She had gone to school on October 1st and didn¡¯t do much. It seemed that she had just done it to be ¡°seen¡± by people. What¡¯s more anomalous was that she had actually left her mobile phone behind in order to leave a message, when she could have left a slip of paper instead.


    Abnormal!


    All three eyewitness testimonies regarding October 1st were questionable.


    Chen Shi said, "I want to take a look at the surveince footage near the school and her house to verify these witness testimonies."


    "Didn''t you promise to keep Yueyuepany tonight?"


    Chen Shi looked helpless. Tao Yueyue and Wei Zengmali returned with three chocte ice creams. Tao Yueyue gave one of them to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue gratefully said, "Thank you!"


    "Yueyue, I have to work overtime tonight." Chen Shi said.


    Tao Yueyue behaved calmly, "Oh, then I will go to Mali''s house to do my homework!"


    Wei Zengmali said happily, "Just eat dinner at my house. You can also help me with my homework."


    "Then I¡¯ll trouble you Mali... Yueyue, do you still have pocket money? I''ll give you a little!"


    "Uncle Chen!" Tao Yueyue said in a tone that reminded him.


    "Oh, yes, I forgot!" Chen Shi smiled. Remembering the previous promise, he hugged Tao Yueyue and patted her head. "I will pick you up tonight."


    "Don''te back toote."


    Then, Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue hugged each other, and the two children left side by side. Chen Shi then drove away with Lin Dongxue.


    After getting the surveince footage of the housing district where Teacher Lin¡¯s father lived, the two returned to the bureau. Many people in the second team were working overtime in order to watch the footage. Xu Xiaodong was eating cup noodles by theputer. Chen Shi patted his shoulder from the back. "Any findings?"


    "Although there isn¡¯t any footage for October 1st, Teacher Lin did leave the school normally on the evening of the 30th."


    "Let me see."


    Xu Xiaodong rewound to that segment, and there was indeed an image of Teacher Lin walking out with another female colleague at 6:00 in the evening.


    Everything was very natural.


    Chen Shi found aputer to y the surveince footage of the housing district and looked at it. Suddenly, an object flew into the screen. The screen vibrated a little and then the whole screen turned uselessly towards the other side and didn¡¯t capture the entrance to the housing district at all. The footage thereafter was all of bushes.


    "What''s going on?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I''ll rewind it."


    He rewound to that segment, paused, and then yed it frame by frame. Chen Shi paused it again at a certain frame. The suspicious object in the picture was already very close. There were some regr geometric lines on it. Lin Dongxue said, "This wouldn¡¯t be a football, right?"


    "It seems too coincidental. I don''t know which youngster would kick the ball at the camera, causing it to turn so that the key footage wasn¡¯t captured."


    "The camera is probably still crooked, but the security guard didn¡¯t discover it."


    Chen Shi contemted it silently for a long time before saying, "Let''s take another look at the school''s footage on September 30th."


    When Chen Shi yed the video, Lin Dongxue stared at the screen and asked, "What are you suspecting? Why watch this footage? There is a lot of surveince footage near the school on October 1st that we have brought back."


    "I¡¯ll tell youter!"


    Chen Shi had a vague guess. Someone had tampered with the time. He reached out and pressed pause. The screen stopped at the scene where Teacher Lin and her colleague were walking out side by side.


    After thinking about it for a while, Chen Shi fast-forwarded the footage. Arge number of students were heading out. The scene was very messy, and the pixels were a little blurred.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t know what he was looking for, she got up and poured him a ss of water, but Chen Shi suddenly grabbed her hand. "Here!"


    "What is it?"


    Chen Shi erged the image and pointed to a little girl. "This is Tao Yueyue."


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "So you were watching her."


    "Tao Yueyue was wearing jeans, but this pair of jeans was sshed and dirtied by a car on the way home from school on September 29th. I washed them myself. She was wearing a id skirt on September 30th."


    "Perhaps..."


    "Someone overwrote the surveince footage on September 30th with the previous day''s footage."


    "But the timestamp shows that it was September 30th."


    Chen Shi pointed to the upper right corner. "This ''1'' is a bit blurred. It had been tampered with. You just need to add ayer in a video editing software and ovey it, export it, and change the name. It will be the surveince footage for September 30th."


    "I''ll look for the surveince footage on September 29th!"


    Lin Dongxue found that segment of surveince and yed both of them at the same time. She was surprised to find that the two days of surveince were exactly the same, except for the date.


    "Everyone, there is a major discovery!" Lin Dongxue pped.


    Everyone came around and expressed their surprise at this discovery. A police officer said in shame, "I overlooked it. I watched both of these footages. I didn¡¯t expect them to be the same."


    "The footage at the school entrance is almost the same every day at first nce. We don''t me you!" Chen Shi said.


    "But why switch the surveince on September 30th? Didn¡¯t she go missing on October 1st?¡±


    "This shows that something had happened on September 30th. Maybe this day was the real date when Teacher Lin really disappeared."


    "No, there were three people who had witnessed seeing Teacher Lin on October 1st. Even if the school worker and Teacher Liu lied, her father couldn¡¯t have done so!" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi went silent. How did this happen?!


    He increasingly believed that this was by no means an ordinary case. The murderer had used some trick to push the date she had gone missing on back by one day. This showed that the starting point of the incident was a sudden urrence which couldn¡¯t be changed itself, so the murderer had to tamper with the timing.


    After a long silence, Chen Shi asked, "Who was the criminal who stole the Zhonghua cigarettes?"

 Chapter 574: Anonymous Police Tip-off

    <h4>Chapter 574: Anonymous Police Tip-off</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Arriving at the forensics department, Peng Sijue told Chen Shi, "There were only two people''s fingerprints on the Zhonghua cigarettes'' packaging. Teacher Liu and Teacher Yan''s fingerprint distributions were like this..." Peng Sijue showed him a simted picture.


    As a former smoker, Chen Shi saw that they were fingerprints left behind from dismantling the cigarette carton. He said, "Teacher Yan stole the cigarettes. Were his fingerprints on the trophy?"


    "There are no fingerprints on the trophy. It had been wiped clean, including the blood stains. If luminol wasn¡¯t used, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to discover the blood stains."


    Chen Shi picked up the trophy on the table. Based on it¡¯s structure, you¡¯d have to hold it up with both hands or grasp the top with one hand. Chen Shi said, "If this thing had spattered blood left on the bottom, how had it been used?"


    "It would have been picked up with one hand and swung hard to strike the target!"


    "Where would I strike?"


    "ording tomon sense, such a blunt and heavy object will only have so much blood on it if it had struck the head. Blood vessels are the densest under the scalp. If you had used it to hit the body, it may have only caused bruising and not bleeding on the spot."


    "The office was most likely the scene of the murder. Someone went to deal with it afterwards... Teacher Yan quit smoking many years ago. Why did he suddenly steal his colleague''s cigarettes to smoke? And the ash just happened to fall on the blood stains as well.¡±


    "That doesn¡¯t count as evidence. The other party cane up with a hundred exnations for it as long as there¡¯s no body!"


    Chen Shi''s expression dimmed. He mumbled, "There must be a skilled master that helped, could it be him..." Then he walked away in a daze. A minuteter, Peng Sijue realized that he had actually taken the trophy away.


    Chen Shi¡¯s mind was full of thoughts. When he had driven home, he discovered two things. First, he had forgotten to pick up Tao Yueyue. Second, there was a trophy on the passenger seat.


    This is what happens once he¡¯s deep in thought. He pped his forehead, pulled out a cigarette from his bag, put it in his mouth and hesitated repeatedly. However, he didn¡¯t light the cigarette and just started the car to pick up Tao Yueyue.


    Arriving at the bureau the next morning, Chen Shi was a little dispirited. Lin Dongxue sniffed at him and asked, "Are you hungover?"


    "No... I did drink some alcoholst night."


    "I thought you always had a poker face, but you¡¯re depressed just by this small matter?"


    "Drinking was because I was too tired yesterday, not because of this." Chen Shi defended himself. "Is there any progress?"


    "I was just about to tell you that we received an anonymous police tip-off callst night, and the other party had deliberately lowered their voice to provide a clue, saying that on September 30th, Mr. Yan and Ms. Lin had been heard arguing. The school principal was mentioned during the quarrel, along with words like "despicable". Teacher Yan''s car only left the school at 8:00 in the evening, and Teacher Lin was not in the car."


    "Eh, an anonymous police tip-off? Maybe I was the one who called."


    "No way?!"


    "I mean, this tip-off can''t be regarded as evidence. The other party''s identity is unclear. In court, thewyer can say that it was faked by us."


    "But no matter what you said, it did give me a clue."


    "Actually, I had already suspected this Teacher Yanst night. Fingerprints, blood stains, cigarette ash. Something must have happened between him and Teacher Lin on the evening of September 30th."


    "Should we go and look for him now?"


    "It''s a little early! It''s a little early..." Chen Shi considered, "We''ll go to Teacher Lin''s house."


    Teacher Lin was definitely the daughter of the deputy director. Her family had bought her an apartment near the school. The two went there apanied by her father. The house was exquisitely decorated. There was a modr sofa as soon as you walked in. The living room was clean and tidy. There was also a piano by the window.


    Teacher Lin¡¯s father said, "Xiaoxiao has loved music ever since she was a child. When she was a child, she won an award in the city''s children''s musicpetition. Haii, if we could have supported her dream more, that would have been good. Then today¡¯s incident wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    "¡®Today¡¯s incident¡¯, you mean..." Lin Dongxue inquired.


    "Isn''t there a rumor that she had ran away with the ex-boyfriend who ys rock music? Didn''t you investigate this?"


    "We are also following up with this clue. That guy is on tour right now and isn¡¯t in the local area, but Lin Xiaoxiao''s ID card information shows that she hasn''t bought any train tickets or air tickets during this period. Does she have a car?"


    "She doesn¡¯t know how to drive, and the school is close by, so she doesn''t need to."


    Chen Shi asked, "Who started this rumor?"


    "It was circting in school."


    "What did they specifically say?"


    "Someone said that she was dissatisfied with the family arranging everything for her. After enduring things for too long, she suddenly left without saying goodbye." Teacher Lin¡¯s father sighed and shook his head again.


    "I want to ask one more thing. From your perspective as a father, does she have a bad rtionship with her current boyfriend, Yan Ke?"


    "It''s pretty good! Although the boy''s family background is average, he¡¯s really striving hard to improve himself. He¡¯s been to the house for a few meals. My wife likes him very much. I feel relieved about entrusting my daughter to him. Thest time he came, he bought a lot of health products specially for my wife¡¯s illness."


    "Your wife''s illness?"


    "She has high blood pressure and myocardial infarction. Haii, there¡¯s nothing you can do when you get old. She justpleted stent surgery a while ago and has been hospitalized since."


    "But you said previously that your family of three were preparing to have dinner together on October 1st."


    "Yes, for National Day. It¡¯s rare that I have free time, so I went to the market early in the morning to buy some groceries and cooked them when I got back. Her mother also came home from the hospital after asking for leave to attend the gathering. But we didn''t expect her to leave after saying that she had some business to attend to..."


    "You were home alone on September 30th?¡±


    "Yes!"


    The main purpose foring that day was to collect Teacher Lin¡¯s fingerprints and DNA. Chen Shi paid special attention to the shoe rack, entrance, and toilet. There shouldn¡¯t have been any outsiders that came here. Lin Dongxue made a discovery. She found an unopened foot washer in a drawer.


    Teacher Lin¡¯s father said unexpectedly, "Why did she buy another one?"


    "Are they exactly the same?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes, they are exactly the same. I saw this brand on TV. I once joked that I wanted one to try it out. Who knew that she¡¯d note it down and actually buy two?"


    ording to various signs in the house, Teacher Lin definitely didn¡¯t leave suddenly. She didn''t take any clothes or turn off electrical appliances. She didn''t even bring her credit card or ID card with her.


    After going downstairs, Chen Shi said to Teacher Lin¡¯s father, "Have you two turned on and used the foot washer yet?"


    "We used it on the same day."


    "Is the box still there?"


    "Yes, we used it to make a nest for the dog at home!"


    "I want to take the box back for inspection."


    "Why do you want to test that? But since you insist..."


    At noon, the two took back the packaging of the foot washer, and it was verified that there were Lin Xiaoxiao¡¯s fingerprints on it, which made Chen Shi begin to doubt his previous guess. Was she really alive on October 1st?


    Just then, the sub-bureau called and said that a female body had been found in the countryside. The entire second team rushed to the scene.

 Chapter 575: Fall Into The Mire

    <h4>Chapter 575: Fall Into The Mire</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At noon, Tao Yueyue settled for lunch near the school as usual. On the way back to school, she suddenly felt that someone was following her. When she looked back, a boy in the uniform of the Sixth Middle School hid behind the power pole.


    Tao Yueyue, who was instinctively wary of strangers, immediately sped up and returned to the ssroom. Many of the ssmates who didn¡¯t return home at noon were taking their lunch break. The boys were ying games on one side. Wei Zengmali was sprawled on her seat while reading manhua for young girls on her phone and giggling idiotically.


    "Mali, it seems that someone was following me just now." Tao Yueyue said.


    "What? Guy or girl?"


    "A boy. I seem to have seen him before. He¡¯s from our school."


    "He couldn¡¯t have fallen for you, right?"


    "You think of nonsense all day!"


    Tao Yueyue returned to her seat. Her lunchtime entertainment consisted of reading a thick ssic novel. Wei Zengmali went over and asked about the topic from just now, "Was the boy handsome? Was he tall?"


    "I. Do. Not. Know!"


    "Oh, don''t you normally think about this at all? Have you ever received a love letter? Or is there someone that you like?"


    "I like Stendhal[1]."


    "Which ss is he from?"


    Tao Yueyue tapped on the author''s name on the book.


    "Tch, you¡¯re fooling me! I¡¯m talking about a guy in reality."


    "Do you really have to get me to say one before you¡¯re happy?" Tao Yueyue indifferently read her book.


    "I understand now!"


    "What do you understand?"


    "You have an Electraplex..."


    "Don''t talk nonsense!" Tao Yueyue''s cheeks turned red.


    "You must like the older brother type, so these boys in the ss aren¡¯t your type."


    Tao Yueyue was pursing her lips in contempt, when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw that the boy from just now was sneaking nces at her from outside the window, and then he suddenly retracted his head.


    At the same time, Chen Shi and the police were at a wastnd in the countryside. A burnt female body was lying in the dirt pit. Chen Shi judged from experience that the body had been burned after death, and the murderer had burned her thoroughly. They first smashed the female¡¯s face, then cut her stomach open. A lot ofbustion aid had been sprinkled in her belly and on her body. The whole body had shrunk because of the burning, and it looked dry and thin, leaving only the dark skeleton.


    Peng Sijue was collecting fragments of skin from the female body. Chen Shi squatted down next to him and asked, "Can you tell the time of death?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "The margin of error will be veryrge with this kind of burning method.¡±


    Lin Dongxue sent a few people to retrieve the surveince footage around the intersection and to search for any remaining traces. The police found several shoe prints, a tire print, and some fabric fragments, which might have been from the clothing of the deceased, that had flown away during the incineration process.


    Throughout the afternoon, Chen Shi walked back and forth in the corridor, anxiously waiting for the results. The first autopsy report came out that there were intensive injuries on the head of the deceased caused by a blunt object, but it was impossible to tell whether they had urred before or after death due to the burning.


    The internal organs were almost all burnt, and neither the stomach contents nor liver temperature could be the basis for judging the time of death. It could only be vaguely judged from the nts at the bottom of the pit that the time of death was within one week.


    The skin at the fingertips of the deceased had been cut off. It seemed that the murderer intentionally wanted to hide her identity, but DNA identification showed that the body was Lin Xiaoxiao.


    Hearing the result, Chen Shi said, "Maybe the fingerprints were cut off not to hide her identity, but for other purposes. Old Peng, can the fingerprints on the foot washer packaging be investigated further?"


    "We¡¯re already doing so."


    The surveince footage was more troublesome. There were too many vehicles passing through the intersection within the week. It was necessary to check them one by one. After two days of non-stop work, everyone was so exhausted that they almost went blind. The answer only arrived on the morning of October 10th. The vehicle that had abandoned the corpse was a ck SUV passing through the intersection on the evening of October 1st. The tire prints and the one found at the scene were basically the same.Through tracing the license te, they found the owner, who imed that the car had been stolen. The owner had reported the loss on October 1st and the record could be found at the local police station.


    All clues pointed to the time of disappearance as October 1st, except for Peng Sijue''s test results. After in-depth evaluation, it was found that the fingerprints left by Lin Xiaoxiao on the foot washer packaging had a fat secretion level much lower than that of a normal person¡¯s.


    In other words, the person who held the box with both hands and handed it to Teacher Lin¡¯s father that day may have been Lin Xiaoxiao who had already died, or another person who had left fake fingerprints on the packaging using the victim¡¯s pre-cut skin ahead of time.


    The whole case was shrouded in a dense fog of mystery. When everyone went to investigate the case in the morning, Chen Shi sat in the empty office, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. His eyebrows were tightly knit. He hadn¡¯t taken a good rest over the past few days, and he had slight eye-circles.


    Although the nature of the case had been ressified after the corpse was found, and there were now a lot of clues that could be followed up with, the most critical one had ended in a dead end without any possibility of reversal. It made him puzzled despite much thought. How did the mastermind ¡°resurrect¡± the dead and have three unrted people see her with their own eyes?!


    He had already considered disguise methods, and had also looked up some information. In reality, disguise methods were not so mysterious. Even the ¡°Fujisaki Ayumi Disguise Method¡±[2] used by spies in actualbat only changed the facial muscles using y strips and cosmetics. The faked face could only be static and mask-like, and it was impossible for even the biological father to be deceived.


    Another point. It¡¯s very difficult to imitate another person. Chen Shi himself was wearing another person¡¯s face, but when the real Chen Shi appeared, he found that their temperaments, micro-expressions, and small movements were very different. It was impossible to imitate them in a short time.


    Yet another point was the person¡¯s voice, which is the hardest to copy.


    He envisioned a bunch of possibilities and the final answer were three characters - Impossible![3]


    This was simply an impossible crime. It was extremely clever and made him feel a little admiration in the midst of frustration.


    There were footsteps behind him. He knew that it was Peng Sijue based on the sound. Chen Shi asked, "Any new findings?"


    "I found that when you¡¯re investigating a case, your brain is only filled with the case. I''m very sorry, but nothing new was found."


    Peng Sijue pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "Today is your ¡®birthday¡¯."


    Chen Shi thought about it and smiled, "Yes, my ''birthday''."


    "You haven''t bathed in thest two days. Seeing you so haggard, let''s rest for a day today."


    "Aiyo, it''s rare to hear you caring about people."


    Peng Sijue took out a cigarette. Since it was a special day today, Chen Shi made an exception and did not refuse. He took it and lit it up. He was in bliss as he inhaled it. He said, "Do you think that this case was done by Zhou Tiannan?"


    "When there¡¯s no evidence, I generally don¡¯t have an opinion. All opinions are nonsense. It¡¯s better to do something practical."


    "We¡¯re just discussing it! How boring."


    "You shouldn¡¯t bang your head against a brick wall. It¡¯s not just one or two cases that only get solved after a few years. The serial murder case from back then still has no answer."


    "You want to say that as long as Zhou Tiannan is involved, I''ll be defeated!"


    Peng Sijue made a speechless gesture.


    "He¡¯s indeed a professional criminal, and his psychological qualities, techniques, and anti-investigation awareness are first-rate, but he is not without any weaknesses. The body could obviously have been buried in ce, but he threw it there carelessly and waited for it to be found. It¡¯s like throwing me a puzzle to see if I can solve it. He¡¯s very conceited. Killing is like a game to him. Perhaps the clues have already appeared, but we haven¡¯t realized them!"


    1. 19th century French writer.


    2. A fictional disguise method used in Chinese spy thriller drama Peace Hotel involving the use of prosthetic material and makeup.


    3. ¡®Impossible¡¯ in Chinese is made up of three Chinese characters.

 Chapter 576: Phoenix Man

    <h4>Chapter 576: Phoenix Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    ¡°Why do you say such a thing!? Argh!"


    Chen Shi picked up and swung a bottle of mineral water, pretending to strike someone hard, then knelt down with his head in his hands and muttered to himself, "No! I killed her! I killed her!"


    Turning his head, he found Lin Dongxue leaning on the door of the meeting room, watching with interest. Chen Shi immediately returned to normal. "I repeated the crime to see if there¡¯s something that we missed. How long have you been here?"


    "I''ve been here ever since you killed someone." Lin Dongxue patted the document in her hand. "Want to see this?"


    The two sat down. Lin Dongxue saw a cigarette butt in the ashtray and moved closer to Chen Shi to have a sniff. She said, "You smoked? This case is so difficult that you had to smoke?"


    "No, today is a special day."


    "A special day... Ah, I remember now. It was a bit weird when you ran to my house at this timest year. You said it was the day that your friend died. Was it a very important friend? Can you tell me now?"


    "A wild guess! I didn''t say it was the day that a friend died!"


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t give up. "What secrets are hidden in your past? Can''t you tell me now?"


    "Mm..."


    "Tell me a little!"


    "Sorry!"


    Lin Dongxue disyed an angry expression and Chen Shi coaxed her, "Are you angry? I¡¯m not talking about it because it¡¯s not the right time. I¡¯m not purposefully hiding it from you.¡±


    "I told you everything about me, but I don''t know anything about your past. It''s not fair!"


    "I will tell you everything one day."


    Lin Dongxue was really angry this time. This sentence didn¡¯t work anymore, but fortunately, it was during work. Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t quarrel with him. "Hurry and have a look!"


    Flipping open the document and reading it, Chen Shi said unexpectedly, "Your efficiency is pretty good. You even dug this sort of stuff out.¡±


    "I learned about it from the Education Bureau. Maybe it¡¯ll help! Do you want to summon Yan Ke now?"


    "It''s still a bit early to be summoning him. Let¡¯s go and pay him a visit!"


    The two drove to school immediately. Chen Shi said on the way, "Don''t be angry, okay?" Lin Dongxue looked out the window, "Just let me be angry for a while. Don''t worry about me."


    Chen Shiughed bitterly. He was very helpless.


    Arriving at the school, Teacher Yan happened to be not teaching a ss. The three of them talked in a teacher''s lounge. Chen Shi asked, "Have you always had a good rtionship with Teacher Lin?"


    "It¡¯s always been very good." Teacher Yan observed the expression of the two, "Of course, it¡¯s inevitable for a boyfriend and girlfriend to quarrel, but they were all small disagreements."


    "It¡¯s said that there''s been conflict between you two recently."


    "Who said that?!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "We¡¯re the ones asking you now."


    Chen Shi replied uncharacteristically, "ording to a staff member of the Education Bureau."


    The prompt was clear enough. Teacher Yan''s expression immediately changed. He took a sip of water and slowly said, "Yes, we were in conflict."


    "What was the cause?"


    "I was conducting a public ss at that time and a female deputy director expressed appreciation for me and invited me out for a meal. The other party was a deputy director, so I didn¡¯t refuse. Then she said that she wanted me to do something for her. She suspected that the principal of the Sixth Middle School had engaged in corruption. He had put the allowance that was originally meant for the teachers into his own pocket, but the Bureau had no evidence. She wanted me to write a letter reporting it anonymously, and I did as I was asked. After all, it involved my personal interest."


    "Does personal interest refer to the allowance that belonged to you or your personal development?" Chen Shi asked.


    Yan Ke was silent for a while.


    Chen Shi also said, "Due to your report, the principal was expelled from the CPPCC and faced the punishment of being transferred. Don¡¯t look at how calm it is at school right now. The Education Bureau has already exploded in chaos. The reason why the principal is still here is because someone is shielding him. That person is the father of Lin Xiaoxiao. The principal is an old ssmate of his. The Director of the Education Bureau is about to retire, and the female deputy director as well as Deputy Director Lin are strong contenders. The incident may cause Deputy Director Lin to lose out on that position. As long as the female deputy bureau bes the director, you would benefit a lot, right?"


    Since he had already spoken of this, Yan Ke no longer concealed the truth, "Even without this matter, Deputy Director Lin wouldn¡¯t have gotten the opportunity. He has a very poorwork at the Bureau, which is why I transferred to the camp of the female deputy director instead. I don¡¯t want to be a teacher my whole life. I want to go to the Education Bureau to be a leader, and failing that, I want to be a principal at least. Soldiers who don¡¯t want to be generals are not good soldiers!"


    "So, you pursued Lin Xiaoxiao for the purpose of..."


    Yan Ke said indifferently, "Yes, it was because she is the daughter of the deputy director. However, after I courted her I realized that Deputy Director Lin couldn¡¯t help me. You may think that this is very utilitarian, but I came from a poor family. My family didn¡¯t give me any help. I¡¯m where I am today because I took advantage of every opportunity I had ever since I was young. I once went to Starbucks with Lin Xiaoxiao to drink coffee. I told her that the price of that cup of coffee was 30 yuan for her, but for me, it was 20 years. It took me 20 years to sit there and drink coffee with the daughter of the deputy director of the Education Bureau... This was the root of our long-standing conflict. She thought I was anxious to gain quick sess. It wasn¡¯t until this incident happened that we had a big explosion."


    Yan Ke was very calm when he talked about these things, which made Chen Shi even more convinced that a mastermind was advising him behind the scene. When it was necessary, he gave up his rook to save the general[2].


    "To what extent was the explosion?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Quarreling. We kept quarreling!¡±


    "You didn¡¯t get physical?"


    "I didn¡¯t. I never hit women. But she bit me when she got anxious while we were quarreling previously." Yan Ke rolled up his sleeve and showed them a bite on his arm.


    "On the 30th, you stole Teacher Liu''s Zhonghua cigarettes."


    "No..."


    "We found your fingerprints."


    Yan Ke frowned slightly. "I admit that I took a pack. I was in a bad mood, and I only took one puff."


    "Do you know where your ashes fell?"


    Yan Ke looked alert, "Where?"


    "Lin Xiaoxiao''s blood stains!"


    Yan Ke bit his finger and didn¡¯t speak for a long time.


    "Exin it, Teacher Yan."


    "There¡¯s nothing to exin. I don''t know. I did smoke, but I didn''t know where the ashes fell. Who would care about these things?"


    "But Teacher Lin was, of course, in the office. She bled. Why did she bleed? Was it an ident? A fight? After which you smoked a cigarette and a piece of ash fell onto the blood stains that hadn''t coagted. What do you think this process looks like? Doesn¡¯t it look like a violent situation had urred?"


    Yan Ke raised his voice, "Don''t ask this kind of leading questions. We just quarreled that day. During the quarrel, she threw a few things. I was gloomily smoking alone in the office, and I don''t know anything about blood stains!"


    "What clothes did she wear that day?"


    "Red dress with a denim jacket and a butterfly knot was tied[3]." Yan Ke replied as if he was reciting it. These happened to be Lin Xiaoxiao''s clothes in the fake surveince video. Sure enough, he had prepared ahead of time.


    Hearing this, Chen Shi suddenly burst into loudughter and keptughing non-stop. Yan Ke looked at him with panicked eyes, desperately thinking about where he might have exposed himself...


    1. Used to describe men who grew up in the countryside who gained a foothold in the city through hard work.


    2. Chinese chess move.


    3. The author didn¡¯t say where the knot was tied on.

 Chapter 577: Exposing The Trickery

    <h4>Chapter 577: Exposing The Trickery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi¡¯s smile vanished and he gazed sternly at Yan Ke¡¯s eyes. ¡°The mastermind behind the scenes directed you to do this, right? Has he promised you that even if the police suspected you, there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence to arrest you, because his magic is boundless, and he can make people who are already dead stand up, talk and die the next day? But he wouldn¡¯t have helped you for nothing. If you don¡¯t have money to give him, he must want you to do something for him. You need to know that agreeing to his terms is to be truly consigned to eternal damnation!"


    Facing Chen Shi''s questioning, Yan Ke was so scared that he even fell off his chair. He gasped as if he was facing a fierce beast, and then covered up his panic with anger, "This is intimidation. This is intimidation. I want to sue you guys!"


    "That¡¯s enough from you. Do you really dare to do so?" Chen Shi sat back down. "It''s not a formal interrogation right now. All our conversations are informal. I am just reminding you that there are no good oues if you make deals with the devil."


    Yan Ke wanted to talk but stopped again, fearing that a single word would also let the cat out of the bag. He pretended to say angrily, "I can''t understand what you¡¯re saying, is it your style to frame innocent people?"


    "Well okay, Mr. Yan, I believe we will meet again."


    After leaving the school, Lin Dongxue reproached Chen Shi, "You went overboard just now."


    "Sorry, I was a little out of control."


    "I know you hate evil!" Lin Dongxue smiled. "Do you really suspect him?"


    "What about you?"


    "About ny percent!"


    Teacher Liu came up and asked, "Yo, you two, are you still investigating the case? I would like to ask when the office will be cleared? We have been squeezing with other teachers in their offices over the past two days, or we would have to correct homework in the ssroom. It¡¯s too inconvenient."


    "We¡¯re really sorry. The forensic police wille over again this afternoon and review it. It should be avable for you guys to use tomorrow."


    "That¡¯s great. By the way, is there any progress in the case?"


    "This is not something convenient to disclose."


    "Just reveal a little. What percentage has been investigated? 30, 60 or 90?"


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Investigating the case is not the same aspleting work. Sometimes, when a clue appears, it¡¯s 100%, and before this clue appears, it¡¯s 0%."


    "This means that there¡¯s currently no key clues yet?"


    "By the way, I have something to ask you. Do you live alone?"


    "Yes, I do. I live in an apartment near the school. Just above the window with the ¡®XX Tutoring School¡¯ billboard."


    "Does the school worker who provided the eyewitness testimony live alone as well?"


    "Old Zhang? He¡¯ll sleep in the duty room if he¡¯s on duty at night. So of course he¡¯s alone."


    Chen Shi thought for a while and asked again, "Let me ask some unimportant questions. Did you have any special experiences on the evening of September 30th?"


    "You mean that happened to me?"


    "Correct!"


    "I can''t remember anything. It was a very ordinary day. I went home and drank some beer, watched TV, and then went to bed."


    "Okay, thanks!"


    When the two walked away, Teacher Liu suddenly chased after him and wanted to talk to Chen Shi alone. He nced at Lin Dongxue and whispered, "I''m a little embarrassed to talk about it. I had a dream that night, and I dreamed about... Teacher Lin!"


    "Was it that kind of dream?"


    "Aiya, look at what you¡¯re saying." Teacher Liu''s cheeks were red. "To be honest, I think it''s very strange. The age gap between Teacher Lin and I is sorge. I rarely talk to her normally. I''m a teacher who serves as a role model and never thought of her like that. But I don¡¯t know why, I had a dream about her that night, and it was very realistic. I haven¡¯t had it before or after... I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s considered private or not. I hope that the case can be solved as soon as possible, so I told you. I suppose it can¡¯t really be considered a clue, haha. Don¡¯t tell the female police officer."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll definitely keep it a secret."


    After Teacher Liu walked away, Lin Dongxue asked, "What did he say to you?"


    "He said he dreamed of Teacher Lin on the night of the 30th. Is it strange?"


    "Could it be tuomeng? [1]?"


    "The so-called tuomeng phenomenon is just due to psychological suggestions..." Chen Shi''s eyes widened. "Psychological suggestion!?"


    "Psychological suggestion?"


    Chen Shi suddenly ran outside. Lin Dongxue finally caught up with him with some difficulty. After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue asked, "Are you going to look for Miss Gu?"


    "Yes!"


    He didn''t go directly to the clinic, but called Gu You, and they agreed to meet downstairs below the agency. After half an hour, Gu You arrived, fresh and sharply-dressed as always. She greeted them with a smile, "Miss Lin, we haven''t met for such a long time. Why didn¡¯t both of you go up?"


    "Gu You, I have something to ask you. If I have a pear in my hand, can I make a person think that it¡¯s an apple by hypnotizing them? No matter how it looks like or tastes like, it¡¯s an apple. It was also an apple when you recall the event.¡±


    "Oh, that''s easy. Anyone who knows a little hypnosis can do so. Not to mention pears, even if it was an onion, it can turn into an apple."


    "What about a person?"


    "A person?"


    "Changing them from one person to another through suggestion."


    Hearing this, Lin Dongxue suddenly realized that the eyewitness testimonies of the three people were based on meeting Teacher Lin when they were alone, and no physical evidence had been left behind. Were they hypnotized?


    But how did that person do it?


    Gu You thought about it and asked, "What case is it this time?"


    After finding a coffee shop, Chen Shi recounted the case, including his own conjectures. Gu Yu muttered, "Zhou Tiannan has started up his activities again? It¡¯s faster than expected."


    "I remember you mentioned that he has a psychologist under him with skillsparable to yours - Ling Shuang."


    "I wouldn¡¯t describe my skills asparable to hers. Ling Shuang is a master in the field of behavior control. Do you know the term ¡®reflex regtion¡¯?"


    "I¡¯ve heard of it." Chen Shi said but Lin Dongxue looked nk.


    Gu You took out a cube from a jar and ced it on the table. "This is a piece of sugar. No matter how it looks and tastes in your mouth, it¡¯s sugar, because your brain has already established a reflex arc that correctly provides feedback. But if I hypnotize you deeply and keep telling you that it¡¯s a piece of salt, and re-establish a new conditioned reflex: When you eat it, it will really taste salty."


    "Can this be done?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.


    "Because the human brain is too sophisticated, it¡¯s also easy to deceive. Such examples happen everywhere in life. You just said that through reflex regtion, one can make a person think of target A as target B. The key is the process of the hypnosis which must be concealed and not be detected."


    "The three witnesses all lived alone."


    "That was easy to carry out then. She snuck into their homes in the middle of the night on the 30th, hypnotized them in their sleep and kept telling them, ''The person that you see now is Teacher Lin''. That person must have been Ling Shuang. She has all these skills!"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly realized, "No wonder Teacher Liu dreamed of Teacher Lin that night. It was because someone kept saying her name in his ear."


    Chen Shi thought for a while, "So if you show them Ling Shuang''s photos now, will they still regard her as Teacher Lin?"


    Gu Yu shook his head, "Zhou Tiannan is cautious when he acts and wouldn¡¯t leave behind such a major weak point. If it were me, I would release them from their hypnotized state after October 1st. The tampered memories would remain in their minds, but they wouldn¡¯t know anything at all."


    1. Chinese supernatural concept of a ghost appearing in one¡¯s dream to make a request.

 Chapter 578: Minimal Hope

    <h4>Chapter 578: Minimal Hope</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening, Lin Dongxue was shocked. She said, "Would my brother and the others believe this?"


    "This is just spection. It will be really difficult to convince them, and people are most confident about their own memories. Those three unrted witnesses will also solemnly vow that they¡¯ve seen the deceased on October 1st when they are in court. Compared with this, our hypothesis seems feeble." Chen Shi paused. "Thus, it''s best to do an experiment and film it."


    Gu You looked at the agency across the street. "Did you n this from the beginning?"


    Chen Shi sent a text message to kk, asking him toe down first, and then exined about the n. kk smacked his legs,ughed loudly and raised his hands in favor. He said, "Little Worm takes a nap at noon every day. Wait for him to fall asleep before we do it!"


    At 12:00, the four went upstairs quietly. kk peeked through the crack in the door and whispered, "He¡¯s asleep."


    They went in quietly. Sun Zhen was lying on the sofa and wearing an eye mask, snoring evenly. Gu Yu approached him and began to speak some guiding suggestions. Lin Dongxue whispered, "Unbelievable. Can you hypnotize people by talking in the ear of a sleeping person?"


    "Yes, it is possible because the human subconscious is still active. The principle of hypnosis is actually notplicated, but there¡¯s also a metaphysical element in it. If an average person guides the hypnotized person, the effect isn¡¯t as good as with a professional."


    Gu You soon brought Sun Zhen into a deep hypnotic state and took off his blindfold. Sun Zhen opened his eyes. It looked a little horrifying, but he was still asleep. Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone to start recording the whole process.


    "Look at my face. From now on, when you see this face, think of it as kk¡¯s. I am kk and kk is me. Repeat it after me!"


    Sun Zhen said in a daze, "You¡¯re kk. kk is you."


    Gu You made a gesture and got kk to hide first. Then Gu You woke Sun Zhen up directly. Sun Zhen jolted awake, looked around in confusion and asked, "Brother Chen, why are you here?"


    "I came to look for you two regarding a matter." Chen Shi said. "Let me borrow kk for a day."


    "Okay, take him!" Sun Zhen nudged Gu You''s arm.


    Gu You said, "I still have something to do in the afternoon!"


    Sun Zhen said, "I know you. You¡¯re going out to have fun again. Hurry up and go. I still have to sleep!"


    "All right, I''m going with Brother Chen."


    Sun Zheny down to sleep and waved his hand, "Go, go, I have to sleep a little longer."


    Lin Dongxue was secretly surprised that there was something so miraculous. Sun Zhen totally didn''t recognize that the "kk" in his eyes was another person.


    The test was not over yet. In order to test the intensity of the reflex adjustment, Gu You put her face in front of him and asked, "Do you think that my facial hair has been shaved clean?"


    Sun Zhen looked at her for a long time and answered, "It''s pretty clean."


    "Do you not find me looking a bit different?"


    "No, do you have a fever? You¡¯re spouting nonsense!"


    Gu You pped him gently and Sun Zhen said angrily, "kk, do you have something wrong with you?!"


    "Idiot, I¡¯m Gu You."


    Sun Zhen stared at her face suspiciously, and after a while, he said, "Get lost!"


    "Okay, I''m leaving then."


    The four of them left the office, and kk eximed, "Sister Gu is too amazing. She is even able to do something like this. I was sweating and afraid that Little Worm would suddenly discover that you¡¯re not me."


    Lin Dongxue said, "It¡¯s too easy for people who master this kind of skill tomit crimes.¡±


    "No, it''s not that easy." Chen Shi said. "Each person''s ability to receive suggestions is different. This method can only deceive a certain type of person, but not many people at the same time."


    kk said, "I''ll head back if you don¡¯t need me for anything."


    Chen Shi said, ¡°No, I¡¯m going to hire you to help me keep an eye on Yan Ke. Report to me any recent unusual activity of his. I will pay you after the case is resolved.¡±


    "What payment? Just take it as my contribution!"


    Gu You wanted to participate in this case, and Chen Shi was also willing to let her participate. After all, she was the only one who could fight against the psychologist Ling Shuang.


    Back at the bureau, Lin Dongxue summoned everyone in the second team and showed everyone the video of the experiment. After watching it, many people were shocked and rendered speechless. Some people said on the spot, "This must be an act. How can it be possible to keep your eyes open and recognize one person as another?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "I can''t believe it either unless I saw it with my own eyes."


    Gu You said, "Reflex regtion is a kind of superb deception. You already know this principle. There will be instinctive resistance, and it won¡¯t work on you. I don¡¯t mind trying it again, but I must find a person that¡¯s vulnerable to suggestions and doesn¡¯t know about this.¡±


    She looked around the scene. Everyone was discussing spiritedly. Peng Sijue was also present, but the two didn¡¯t spend additional time looking at each otherpared to the others. Chen Shi thought, are these two really dating?


    Lin Qiupu coughed. "Then forget it, the police officers from other teams are working, and it''s not good to hastily disturb them... This matter can be exined in principle, but it¡¯s only a hypothesis after all. How can we prove it?"


    Chen Shi said, "This hypothesis can perfectly exin the whole case. It¡¯s the missing piece in the whole puzzle."


    Lin Qiupu thought about it but still shook his head, "If our country has a jury system, this may be able to persuade the court, but the reality is that there is no persuasion without evidence."


    Lin Dongxue said, "As long as we can prove that an outsider visited each of the three witnesses¡¯ houses, won¡¯t that work?¡±


    Chen Shi said, "That won¡¯t work either. We have no direct evidence of the connection between the murder and Yan Ke. In court, there may still be insufficient evidence. This case can almost be concluded to have multiple perpetrators involved in the crime. There¡¯s a top-notch criminal helping Yan Ke to deal with the aftermath and fabricating a truth that doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Everyone fell into silence. Lin Qiupu asked Peng Sijue, "How is the result of the site reexamination?"


    "There were blood stains on the floor, but the floor had been wiped clean. No fingerprints or footprints were found. The cordon around the office has been lifted."


    "The blood of the victim?"


    "Yes, but with the amount of bleeding, it is difficult to determine whether it was murder. Moreover, everyone¡¯s seen the body. It¡¯s been burned thoroughly. Even the cause of death and the specific time of death couldn¡¯t be determined."


    Old Zhang said, "This reminds me of several corpses in sacks that were salvaged from the bottom of the river a few years ago. We finally found out that they were members of a criminal gang, and we knew who did it, but there was no evidence. These matters cause the most headaches for the police."


    Chen Shi said, "Our job is to recreate the case. Just like this cup. It can still be put together if it¡¯s broken. However if it is broken, ground into powder, and mixed into soil, it cannot be restored even if you have the best skill."


    "The conclusion is... This case can¡¯t be solved?" Lin Qiupu said.


    Chen Shi thumped the table. "What if... What if the witness testimonies can be overturned? The three did not see Lin Xiaoxiao. Some detail must be off, so we just need them to realize this!"


    Peng Sijue said, "The residences of the three witnesses can be investigated once through. If there are traces of the same person in all three ces, we can determine that an aplice was involved."


    Although he knew the hope was slim, Lin Qiupu stood up and announced, "Let¡¯s investigate it like that! This is the long-awaited confrontation between us and Zhou Tiannan. We must never let him seed!"

 Chapter 579: Eyewitnesses

    <h4>Chapter 579: Eyewitnesses</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    A police car arrived at the school. The police exchanged a few words with Teacher Liu and took him away. Seated in a ssroom near the window, a boy bit his pen and severely reproached himself.


    Teacher Liu, the school worker and Teacher Lin¡¯s father were questioned separately. The police asked them every detail about the time they had seen Lin Xiaoxiao on October 1st. All three said that Lin Xiaoxiao was no different from usual.


    The police showed them pictures of Ling Shuang and Lin Xiaoxiao again. Ling Shuang was not a criminal who was in hiding. She was a schr and she lived in seclusion. Only Chen Shi and Gu You knew that Ling Shuang was their "old friend."


    The three of them didn¡¯t recognize Ling Shuang from the photos, but were able to recognize Lin Xiaoxiao''s photos sessfully.


    During the entire process of the questioning, Chen Shi and Gu You both watched from outside. Gu You said, "Their consciousness is now normal, and they only have the tampered memories in their heads. They have also rationalized them to themselves."


    "Guessed as much!" Chen Shi said disappointedly. "Let¡¯s not talk about the active members of ¡®ck Honey¡¯. Even if us ¡®interns¡¯ nned a simted crime, leaving no traces behind is a basic skill."


    "You¡¯re not an ¡®intern¡¯. If you are a criminal, you won¡¯t rank below Zhou Tiannan. Causing damage is easy, but protecting is difficult. That¡¯s why there¡¯s the saying that the devil is ten feet tall and virtue is one foot high[1], and you shouldn¡¯t be too discouraged."


    "Is it appropriate to say these things at the public security bureau so openly?" Chen Shi confirmed that there was nobody else behind them. "By the way, forgive me for being curious, but are you dating Old Peng? Why doesn''t it feel like it?"


    "The rtionship between the two of us, if we have to define it, is just that of congenial bedmates. We both hate the entanglement of rtionships. I think this is quite suitable. You could also try this kind of rational love."


    "For me, forget it! I¡¯ll be beaten to death!" Chen Shi waved his hand.


    After being silent for a moment, Gu Yu lowered her voice, "If Zhou Tiannan cannot be dealt with by normal means, have you ever thought about using what you learned?"


    "I considered it before, but I can''t do it!"


    "If Zhou Tiannan died unnaturally one day, would you solve the case?"


    Chen Shi looked at Gu You for a long time and said, "I hope that this day won¡¯te. Zhou Tiannan must be arrested. He must undergo trial and pay for his sins!"


    After the questioning ended, Lin Qiupu asked everyone to go to the conference room, and Peng Sijue said, "Everything has been investigated, and no traces of outsiders have been found."


    Lin Qiupu said, "There is no progress on the witnesses¡¯ side. I don''t think that the case can go on."


    Everyone was discouraged for a while. Before Chen Shi appeared, announcing the "suspension of the investigation" in the face of unsustainable cases had also happened before. This kind of thing had actually happened again, which was really disheartening.


    Lin Dongxue stood up and asked, "Why not go directly to Ling Shuang and ask for her alibi?"


    Lin Qiupu spread out his hands. "We have no right to ask her. The entire case has no connection with her from the chain of evidence. At least it¡¯s like that on the surface. The basis of her participation is only a hypothesis. The police cannot investigate others based on a hypothesis. It¡¯s like someone getting killed by a flying knife on the streets and us going to look for a magician who throws knives, suspecting that it was done by him. That¡¯s ridiculous. Do you understand?¡±


    What Lin Qiupu said was the truth. Lin Dongxue sat back down very helplessly.


    Looking around, Lin Qiupu hoped that someone coulde up with some ideas, but even Chen Shi looked as if he was at his wits¡¯ end. Lin Qiupu announced powerlessly, "I¡¯ll give everyone onest day, and by this time tomorrow, if there are still no new clues, then this investigation needs to be discontinued!"


    In the evening after school, Wei Zengmali had to stay back on duty. Tao Yueyue walked out of the school campus alone. The student crowd gradually dispersed into the streets around the school. She walked alone on a busy street and was going to take a bus further up.


    There was the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned her head slightly and saw the boy who had been following her again. She quickened her pace.


    Unexpectedly, the other party also sped up. At a corner, the boy suddenly said, "Tao Yueyue, I have something to say!"


    Tao Yueyue stood still, looking at the strange boy. She slowly moved under the security camera of a supermarket, and her fear of strangers overwhelmed her. She said, "Don''te over. Just stand there and talk!"


    "I don''t want to do anything to you. I really have something to say!" The boy looked wronged.


    "Say it!"


    The boy pulled out his phone and read a number out. "This is my WeChat. You can add it. I can''t say it on the street."


    Tao Yueyue skeptically added the number. The boy stood ten meters away and sent a message, "Isn¡¯t your father a criminal police officer?", "I saw them take Teacher Liu away in the afternoon. They caught the wrong person. I know who the real murderer is!", "But I''m afraid. I dare not say it!"


    Tao Yueyue replied, "Photograph your ID card."


    The boy found it funny. Why was this girl so afraid of strangers as if she was a cat? He could only do as he was asked.


    Tao Yueyue passed on his identity in an email and wrote a few words, "This boy named Cao Rui said that he has important clues to share with me. I¡¯m with him right now. If I go missing, please investigate him!" After thinking about it, she added another sentence, "Uncle Chen, I love you!"


    She set the email to be automatically sent out to Chen Shi three hourster.


    Tao Yueyue pointed at the fast food restaurant across the street, "Go over there. Let the surveince camera capture your face, and then sit by the window and wait for me."


    "I''m really not a bad person." Cao Rui looked embarrassed.


    "Hurry up and go!"


    Five minutester, Cao Rui sat beside the window of the fast food restaurant and waved at her. Tao Yueyue then went in. Two drinks that Cao Rui had ordered were on the table. Cao Rui said, "Don¡¯t be so nervous. I have never seen anyone as cowardly as you. Look, I¡¯m wearing a school uniform. How could I be a bad person... I don¡¯t know whether you like to drink Fanta or Coke. You pick first.¡±


    Tao Yueyue pushed both drinks away and took out her own water bottle. "You should just say it!"


    "The murderer is Teacher Yan!" He lowered his voice. "I''ve clearly already called the police. How could the police be so stupid? Why did they take Teacher Liu away?"


    "Teacher Yan who teaches Chinese?"


    "It''s him. I heard him quarreling with Teacher Lin that day. Then there was a bang, and suddenly there were no more sounds. I was terrified... Then I saw him carrying a big bag downstairs with blood on it!" After making these remarks, Cao Rui made up his mind. He furrowed his brows. "Do you know how scared I was during Chinese sses these past two days? I dared not even look Teacher Yan in the eye. He told me to recite some text and I kept thinking that he seemed to know something... But I dared not say so. What if I get retaliated against? I¡¯m so scared. So scared, but I wanted to help you guys as well, so I called the police anonymously. Why aren¡¯t the police investigating it?!¡±


    "The police have no evidence."


    "If you have no evidence, you won¡¯t arrest the bad guys?"


    Seeing the other party being so frank, Tao Yueyue became frank as well. "Did you know? The police know who the murderer who killed my mother is, but because there¡¯s no evidence, he can¡¯t be arrested. Even if he is arrested and sent to court, he will also be acquitted."


    "Really? Your mother actually..."


    "It''s all in the past."


    "Sorry."


    "It''s nothing."


    Cao Rui looked at the window and said in annoyance, "How good would it be if Long¡¯an had a Batman?!"


    Tao Yueyue took the cup of Coke and took a sip. She smiled, "I like Batman as well."


    1. It takes constant vignce to stave off evil.

 Chapter 580: Cowardly Justice

    <h4>Chapter 580: Cowardly Justice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi drove the car so fast that it was as though they were flying. Lin Dongxue told him, "Slow down! Slow down!"


    He had learned from Tao Yueyue that she had found a witness, and Chen Shi¡¯s excitement was beyond description. When he arrived at the appointed ce, he called Tao Yueyue and asked her where they were. Tao Yueyue said, "In the animation shop with the red signboard."


    He turned around, and Tao Yueyue waved at him from behind the window.


    Upon seeing Chen Shi, Cao Rui hurriedly hid behind the shelf in fear and looked towards the street. Tao Yueyue whispered, "He¡¯s afraid of being retaliated against."


    Chen Shi said across the shelf, "Do you want to talk in the car?"


    "..."


    "The informants in the movies all talk in the car. It''s very safe."


    "There are also ones who are killed as soon as they get out of the car! Or the bad guy has set a bomb in the car and will kill us all with an explosion."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that the boy was really timid. He said, "We¡¯ll drive the car to the corner of the street, and Yueyue will bring you over, okay?"


    "...Okay!"


    After a while, Cao Rui and Tao Yueyue got into the car together. Cao Rui held a small Batman figurine in his hand. He was very nervous and said, "Hello!" His eyes moved from Chen Shi to Lin Dongxue and his cheeks flushed slightly.


    "Were you the one who called the police anonymously?"


    "I was the one who made the call."


    "Do you know that if the identity of the witness cannot be verified, the testimony cannot be used in court?"


    "I... of course I know. I thought that I would provide some clues for you and you¡¯d solve it in no time. How would I know that you¡¯d take Teacher Liu away today. Are you ying me for a fool?"


    Chen Shi was taken aback for a moment and exchanged nces with Lin Dongxue. Both of them smiled. It turned out that the boy had misunderstood.


    Lin Dongxue exined patiently, "We didn¡¯t arrest Teacher Liu in the afternoon, we just brought him back for questioning. He has gone back now."


    "In that case, do I have to be taken to the bureau for questioning too?"


    "No, you can just talk here!" Chen Shi took out his phone. "Can I record this?"


    "Go ahead!"


    "What''s your name?"


    "Cao Rui..."


    After he had given his basic information, Chen Shi asked, "That day was the eve of the holiday. Why did you stay behind in school?"


    "Do I have to tell the truth?"


    "Of course!"


    "You won¡¯t tell the teacher?"


    "Protection of witnesses is the duty of the police."


    "That day, Teacher Xu took my Zelda card pack. I didn''t y with them in ss at all. He saw the card pack peeking out of my school bag, so he stretched out his hand and took it. Don¡¯t you think that he¡¯s despicable?¡±


    "We won¡¯tment on this."


    "Despicable Old Xu ¡®stole¡¯ my cards and even humiliated me from the podium. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I don¡¯t know how much effort it took for me to collect them. Many of them were particrly difficult to find. So after school I borrowed some junk cards from my ssmates, thinking of secretly swapping them back. Despicable Old Xu doesn¡¯t understand these cards, so he wouldn¡¯t find out. As a result, I heard Teacher Yan and Teacher Lin arguing in the office, so I had to wait outside..."


    "Where did you wait?"


    "The back door of the ssroom next to the stairs."


    "Continue."


    "They kept quarreling and she said something about how she had misjudged Teacher Yan and it turned out that he was that kind of person. Teacher Yan said that people had to look out for themselves or the heavens and earth would destroy them. I was wondering if Teacher Yan had cheated on her. At first, I was quite excited listening to them, when there was a sudden bang followed by silence. Then I heard Teacher Yan crying woo woo woo... It sounded as if he was crying softly while covering his mouth. I felt that something was wrong at the time and I was terrified. I was really afraid that Teacher Yan would kill me as soon as he came out... So I ran away. I went down the other stairs, but I didn''t dare to leave through the sports field. I was afraid that Teacher Yan would see me from upstairs. So I just hid and trembled under the stairs! I don¡¯t know how long I had waited when I saw Teacher Yan carrying a sack through the sports field. From my angle, I could see the corner of the parking lot. He stuffed the sack into the boot and then there was a light illuminating his car. It might have been headlights. Teacher Yan was in a daze and as was I. I thought that he was going to kill people to tie up loose ends. He stared at the light and then walked over, as if he was talking to someone..."


    "Don''t you know who it was?"


    "Teacher Zhou Tiannan!"


    "Did you see his face?"


    Cao Rui shook his head. "After the two of them finished their conversation, Teacher Yan drove away first, and then Teacher Zhou''s car came out of the parking lot. I paid special attention these past two days before I found out that the car was his."


    "Do you have a photo?"


    Cao Rui took out his phone and retrieved a photo. After seeing it, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were shocked. It was a back view of Yan Ke carrying the sack across the yground. The photo was very blurry as Cao Rui''s hands were shaking tremendously, in addition to the deepening dusk. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem. The mobile phone had more pixels than a security camera, so it just needed a little technical processing.


    Cao Rui said, "I was really scared when taking the photo and I was afraid that Teacher Yan would suddenly look back! I was afraid that I¡¯d forgotten to turn off the sh!"


    Chen Shi said, "Child, you¡¯ve helped us a lot. Now, the whole case is missing a key testimony. Your testimony is more critical than the photo. Thank you for your bravery."


    Cao Rui blushed, "Actually, I could have said it earlier. That- Do I have to testify in court? What if Teacher Yan retaliates against me? I don''t want that. I don¡¯t want that! I don''t want to testify in court!"


    "Coward!" Tao Yueyue ridiculed him.


    "I''m not a coward! I¡¯m just... just..." Cao Rui looked embarrassed, as if he was particrly concerned about Tao Yueyue''s evaluation. After all, she was someone of the same age and opposite sex.


    Chen Shi ended the recording and sent it to Lin Qiupu. "I¡¯ll send you home!"


    "Thank you, uncle!"


    When Cao Rui arrived home, he first rolled down the car window to look outside before he dared to get out of the car. When he was about to leave, he suddenly stuffed the Batman figurine into Tao Yueyue''s hands and blushed, "My family has a bigger one. I¡¯ll give you this one!"


    Cao Rui ran and disappeared inside the housing district. Lin Dongxue smiled, "Yueyue, he seems to like you!"


    "Ah? What does he like about me?" Tao Yueyue pouted and looked at the figurine.


    Chen Shi was reading his text messages. Lin Qiupu replied with three exmation marks and said, "Great! Hurry up and bring the kid in to do a written statement."


    Chen Shi called back, "Captain Lin, the kid didn''t want toe to the Public Security Bureau. He was afraid of being retaliated against."


    "Exin it to him clearly. Does he think that the police can¡¯t protect him? It''s not enough to have a recording. We have to have a written statement!"


    "Okay, I''ll negotiate it with him now."


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and asked, "Yueyue, where does he live?"


    Tao Yueyue found Cao Rui''s ID photo, read out the address on it, and the three of them got out of the car.


    Cao Rui didn''t expect them toe back again. His family only consisted of him and his grandmother. At that time, he was sprawled on the table drinking the mung bean soup made by his grandma. The deaf grandma with blurred vision saw the guests and greeted them, "Are you Ruirui¡¯s ssmates?" Come in and drink some mung bean soup."


    "They won''t drink it." Cao Rui ran over and lowered his voice. "Why did youe here?! What if I get retaliated against?"


    Tao Yueyue snorted, "Who would retaliate against you, coward!"

 Chapter 581: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 581: Confrontation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On October 12th, Yan Ke was formally summoned. He sat in the interrogation room, sweating nervously, but in the face of any question, he only uttered only one sentence, "I won''t say anything before thewyeres!"


    Later, awyer arrived at the Public Security Bureau and introduced himself. "I¡¯m Lawyer Wang Chengda of Chengda Law Firm, and Mr. Yan has entrusted me to act as his attorney."


    After entering the interrogation room, Lawyer Wang whispered a few words in Yan Ke¡¯s ear. This time, the interrogation was carried out by Lin Qiupu and another interrogator. Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and other police officers stood outside watching.


    After asking for the basic information, Lin Qiupu said, "Suspect, where were you around 6:00PM on September 30th and what did you do?¡±


    Thewyer replied on his behalf, "We have no obligation to answer this. Various clues now prove that the deceased was killed on October 1st, and on this day, my client has a clear-cut alibi..."


    "However at present, the police have a testimony that on the evening of September 30th, you had a violent quarrel with the deceased, and then you took action." Lin Qiupu took out two bloodstain identification reports. "We found the blood of the deceased in two ces within the office. Neither you nor the deceased have the key to that office. The blood could only have been left behind on September 30th.


    Thewyer said, "Mr. Police Officer, on the morning of October 1st, Mr. Liu, the colleague of the deceased, was working in that office and witnessed the deceased. Do you want to say that the deceased was killed on September 30th and resurrected on October 1st?"


    "Yes!" Yan Ke nodded, with his eyes full of confidence.


    Everyone had discussed the strategy of this interrogation in advance. The other party would definitely try to lead the topic to the three witness testimonies. This was a trap, so Lin Qiupu avoided answering. He emphasized, "I¡¯m asking the questions right now, not you. What were you doing on the evening of September 30th?"


    Yan Ke spread out his hands, "We had a fight."


    "Who was quarreling with whom?"


    "I quarreled with Lin Xiaoxiao."


    "Why?"


    While Yan Ke exined the process in detail, Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi outside, "Thatwyer is very slick. One witness testimony versus three witness testimonies. I wonder if Captain Lin can handle it?¡±


    Chen Shi said, "The most terrible thing is that the three eyewitness testimonies created the chain of evidence. However, we have photos, which is iron-d physical evidence. It can only be said to be fifty-fifty."


    Lin Qiupu continued to ask, "ording to the testimony of the security guard on duty that day, it was you and your colleague Zhou Tiannan who left the schoolst, but he didn¡¯t see the victim. How did she leave the school?"


    Yan Ke said, "That¡¯s obvious. She left in my car."


    "But this wasn¡¯t captured on the surveince camera. In fact, the surveince monitoring that day had been tampered with. We analyzed the data and found that the footage had been reced with the one from the previous day through software processing.¡±


    Yan Ke panicked for a moment and whispered to thewyer. Chen Shi secretly praised, "Your brother has some skill. He used evidence that¡¯s not to our favor to counter-attack and force him into a corner."


    Thewyer replied, "My client ispletely unaware of the incident regarding the surveince footage. This may just be a coincidence."


    "Don''t you think that it''s too much of a coincidence? It just happened to be the surveince footage for that day. In fact, your so-called three eyewitness testimonies have no physical evidence to support them. Although Lin Xiaoxiao¡¯s fingerprints were on the foot washing machine¡¯s packaging, the amount of oil secreted was much lower than that of ordinary people, and the fingerprint distribution wasn¡¯t natural. We have reason to believe that the fingerprints are fake. If it was her, why should she fake her own fingerprints?"


    Thewyer said, "There are many exnations for low oil secretion. For example, the girl may have applied hand cream, or she had been using chalk for a long time, blocking the pores."


    "Whether you¡¯re pretending to not understand or you really don''t understand, you can look at this appraisal report yourself."


    Thewyer didn¡¯t pick it up. He crossed his arms and said, ¡°But you also can¡¯t prove that the eyewitness testimonies are fake. Could the biological father of the deceased lie? If the three eyewitness testimonies are all fake, can I also suspect that the eyewitness testimony you have is also fake?"


    Lin Qiupu sneered. The other party had finally taken the initiative to ask this question. He said, "This witness had taken a picture! Mr. Yan, you were in the picture and so was Teacher Lin. You were on the sports field at the time!¡±


    Yan Ke''s eyes widened and he gulped nervously. Thewyer said aloud, "Please take out this evidence, otherwise, I think you¡¯re extracting a confession by deceit!"


    Lin Qiupu handed the erged photo to thewyer. The photo had already been technically processed and the photo was clearer and brighter. A person with the same build as Yan Ke had been photographed carrying a long sack through the yground. Red liquid seeped through one end of the sack.


    Although the profile had been photographed, the face wasn¡¯t clear, even with pixel sharpening. Yan Ke should thank his parents for this as his profile had no obvious features such as moles or birthmarks, and his ear shape was also normal.


    Yan Ke¡¯s sweat was falling like rain and his hands were shaking. Thewyer whispered tofort him, "Don''t be afraid!"


    Lin Qiupu took the opportunity to add another stab, "This is only one piece of the evidence we have. I want to ask you, what did you carry through the sports field that night?"


    "I..." Yan Ke seemed like he would faint at any moment.


    Thewyer interrupted loudly, "Wait a minute, how can this photo prove that it was my client?!"


    Lin Qiupu looked at Yan Ke''s eyes. "You are a teacher. There were hundreds of students that day who can prove that you were wearing these clothes. Your height and build are exactly the same. Mr. Yan, please exin this!"


    Thewyer continued to give tit-for-tat, "Even so, it proves nothing. I can even suspect that this picture had been photoshopped by someone for the sake of creating a sensation!"


    "We have verified that the photos are real."


    "That person may not have been the real one. Anyone can wear this outfit. This kind of figure is verymon among young men, and you had also said that the surveince footage from that day was gone. This is uncorroborated evidence. It¡¯s meaningless! "


    Upon hearing this, Yan Ke rekindled his confidence, and Lin Dongxue said angrily, "Thiswyer is simply too annoying. Such evidence would normally have pried the suspect''s mouth open already!"


    "Have some confidence in your brother. The confrontation isn¡¯t over yet!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "This photo was taken by the eyewitness and can prove his testimony. ording to the security guard¡¯s testimony, there were only four people in the school at that time. You, Zhou Tiannan, Lin Xiaoxiao and this witness. From this photo¡¯s distance, first of all we¡¯ll exclude the eyewitness. Zhou Tiannan¡¯s figure doesn¡¯t match this. It is even more impossible for it to be Lin Xiaoxiao. Then who was the person in the photo, and what was he carrying?!"


    Thewyer said, "We will not answer without further evidence."


    Yan Ke summoned up his confidence again, "Yes,e up with further evidence! You don''t have any at all!"


    Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth angrily. He announced that the interrogation was temporarily suspended, went outside and said to Chen Shi, "Bring that child over to identify him on the spot! Let¡¯s see how stubborn he can stay.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Don''t be too anxious. We still have 24 hours to detain him!"


    Thewyer went into the corridor, dialed a number, and whispered, "Mr. Zhou, there is an eyewitness who may be a student... We can still barely handle it, but if he¡¯s identified, it will be troublesome."


    There was momentary silence over the phone before he said, "If you can stall for time, I¡¯ll get it sorted out!"

 Chapter 582: Secret Fight

    <h4>Chapter 582: Secret Fight</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Yan Ke was sitting in the empty interrogation room. The recording device had been turned off. During the interrogation, he had been soaked in cold sweat all over, again and again. The policeman''s eyes showed that he clearly knew everything.


    If he hadn¡¯t had thewyer beside him, he would have broken down long ago. However, he still had lingering fears and he wasn¡¯t sure how many cards the opponent had up his sleeve.


    At this time, thewyer slipped in, holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand. He leaned over and said, "Want to live?"


    Yan Ke nodded desperately.


    "If you want to live, you need to self-harm. The more seriously, the better!"


    The two men¡¯s faces were almost touching. Yan Ke saw muscles twitching under thewyer¡¯s skin while he was talking, and he looked very sinister. The eyes hidden behind his sses were expressionless. Yan Ke seemed to have an illusion that Teacher Zhou was watching him through these eyes.


    Thewyer straightened up and walked away, leaving him to imagine endless horrible possibilities.


    When he got outside, Xu Xiaodong stopped him, "What did you go in for?!"


    Thewyer shrugged. "Just passing him a bottle of water."


    "Who permitted it?!"


    Xu Xiaodong rushed in and took the bottle of mineral water away, just in case. Who knew if there was anything in the water?


    Thewyer curled his lip indifferently and lit a cigarette in the hallway. Chen Shi walked over and said, "Lawyer Wang, right? I just called your office and found that no one picked up the phone. I have done a little investigation. You¡¯re the only one working at your so-called office, and you haven¡¯t had any business over thest few years. It isn¡¯t fake, is it?¡±


    "It¡¯s a registeredpany. Whether there¡¯s business or not, is my own affair. It''s none of your business!"


    Chen Shi approached him and smiled threateningly, "I advise you not to associate with Zhou Tiannan. On the day that he is arrested, misfortune will befall you as well!"


    Thewyer shook his cigarette indignantly, "Are you threatening me? Look, this police officer is threatening me. I¡¯ll sue you!"


    Chen Shi took out his ID, "I¡¯m not a policeman. Just a passing citizen, bye-bye!"


    At that moment, the sound of wailing and howling came from the interrogation room, and the police rushed in. They saw Yan Ke cradling a hand that was bleeding profusely. He cried out, "She¡¯s dead and you still doubt me. I¡¯ll just die in the name of love. Xiaoxiao!"


    Lin Dongxue grabbed his hand to have a look and instantly her scalp crawled. He had actually bitten off one of his fingers. His mouth was full of blood. When he wailed, they could even see the broken finger moving around on his tongue.


    "Send him to hospital! Hurry!"


    Yan Ke was taken away, and thewyer eximed loudly and gleefully, "I can testify that the policeman was thest person to see him."


    Xu Xiaodong was so angry that his face went pale, "Stop ndering others. You were the one who passed him water without permission. I just took the water away."


    "Who knows if you had said anything that threatened him? Look at the attitude of all of you police officers. You all treated my client as if he was the real criminal. I reserve the right to sue you!"


    Chen Shi clenched his fist. He really wanted to punch him in the face.


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of something and dragged Lin Dongxue aside, "Check who thewyer just called!"


    "That... That¡¯s unauthorized! It¡¯s best not to mess around at this critical point."


    "Check it!" Chen Shi insisted.


    Thewyer''s business card had his number on it. Upon checking, it was found that he had just called an anonymous number. The length of the conversation wasn¡¯t very long and it had happened just after the interrogation ended.


    Chen Shi had a bad hunch. Yan Ke had a weak personality. The sudden self-muttion was obviously instructed by someone else. He said, "Let¡¯s go to the school!"


    Tao Yueyue finished lunch and went back to the ssroom to read a book. Someone knocked on the window and whispered her name. She turned and saw that it was Cao Rui.


    Ever since she had apanied him to the public security bureau to have his statement taken down that day, he had "harassed" her on WeChat every day. Tao Yueyue put down her book and left the ssroom. She said, "What are you doing? It will be bad if my ssmates saw you."


    "I missed you..." Cao Rui scratched his head and simpered.


    Tao Yueyue turned away and Cao Rui quickly said, "Don''t, don¡¯t, I''m just joking. Why can¡¯t you take jokes? I¡¯m looking for you regarding serious business.¡±


    Tao Yueyue raised her eyebrows and stared at him.


    "Let¡¯s go to the store we went tost time after school. There¡¯s an event today."


    "Why should I go with you? Am I that familiar with you?"


    "Ah... that... didn''t your dad ask you to protect me?"


    "He didn''t say that."


    "I saw Teacher Yan being taken away this morning. Haha, the real murderer finally got arrested. I finally let out a sigh of relief. I¡¯ll invite you out to eat!"


    "No!"


    "It''s quiet outside the school. No one will see us. Besides, you still care about this? You¡¯re already the top student in the school. Who dares to gossip about you?"


    "I¡¯m leaving."


    "I''ll wait for you at the milk tea shop outside the school, okay? I¡¯ll wait there the whole time. If you don¡¯te, I won''t leave!"


    After saying this, Cao Rui left. Tao Yueyue read her book for a while, but felt restless. She put down the book and left the school. The milk tea shop was empty. Tao Yueyue was looking for Cao Rui when he poked his head out from under a seat with a smile. He waved her over. "I''m here!"


    Tao Yueyue sat down and said, "Don''t talk to me in the near future. Chen... My dad said that if someone knows that you¡¯re the eyewitness, they may really retaliate against you."


    "Hasn¡¯t Teacher Yan been caught already? What else is there to be afraid of?"


    "Tch, a guy who doesn''t understand anything."


    "Do you want to drink something?"


    Cao Rui bought two cups of milk tea. After sitting down, he began to talk about random things. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t hate him. Cao Rui talked a lot. He could go on by himself for half a day and she didn¡¯t find it too boring to be sitting together with him, but she didn¡¯t want to be seen by ssmates and be the butt of gossip.


    Especially Wei Zengmali. If she found out, it would mean that the whole universe would know.


    At that moment, a car parked outside. Tao Yueyue recognized Chen Shi''s car and ran out. Chen Shi also saw her and asked, "Why are you here?"


    "Uncle Chen!" Cao Rui greeted him with a smile.


    "Great, you¡¯re here!" Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief, "Go to the Bureau with us."


    "To do what?"


    "To identify the suspect."


    "What?!" Cao Rui was shocked. "Teacher Yan would recognize me. I don''t want to. I don¡¯t want to!"


    "Silly boy, haven''t you watched TV before? The ss in the interrogation room is one-sided. You stand on the other side and he can''t see you at all."


    "Even then, I don''t..." Cao Rui shook his head like a pellet drum. The object of his fears was very specific. It was Yan Ke. He would be afraid of even being in the same building as him. "Go and identify him, no way! I will identify him here now. It¡¯s him. It¡¯s him. It absolutely can¡¯t be wrong."


    "Don¡¯t you understand thew? Identification has to follow the procedure. You think that you can just say it verbally?


    "Thew is so troublesome!"


    At that moment, the ss bell rang. Cao Rui said, "I''m going back to the ssroom."


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "It¡¯s estimated that it will be evening at the earliest when Yan Ke is able to be interrogated again. Why don¡¯t we keep guard here? There will be no outsiders in the school."


    Chen Shi reminded Cao Rui, "Stay in the ssroom at school in the afternoon. We will protect you outside. If anything happens, please contact me immediately."


    Cao Rui incongruously saluted, "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 583: By Fair Means or Foul

    <h4>Chapter 583: By Fair Means or Foul</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the afternoon, it was quiet outside the school, and the sound of recitation came from within the school. The two were eating popsicles outside, waiting for school to finish.


    The time for the two sses passed by quickly. Lin Dongxue said, "When you were in school, you would feel that time passes slowly. When you grow up, you will find that forty minutes is really nothing. You might not even be able to write a few lines of a report after forty minutes in the office.¡±


    "Yeah, do you want to go back to school?"


    "Not at all!"


    "Sure enough, when adults say that the happiest time is when they were going to school, they¡¯re just coaxing others. To earn money and live by yourself is happiness, even if you have to bear hardships and deal with troubles.¡±


    "Shall we wait in the car?"


    "No, let¡¯s stay right here. Is there any news from the hospital?"


    Lin Dongxue nced at her phone. "He¡¯s been rescued. His finger had been contaminated and couldn¡¯t be reattached. He has a low fever right now and is on an IV.¡±


    "He really went all out."


    "I''ve seen people swallowing des, washing powder, and various things. A suspect even pulled the de out, picked it up, and swallowed it back. In order to evade interrogation, these people can do anything. A senior at the anti-narcotics team said that a drug addict was pregnant every time she was arrested, so she had to be let go. This happened for a few years, but the child was never born. Later, after dragging her for a CT scan, it was discovered that the child had already died inside her long ago."


    "Look at you behaving so calmly when you talk about things like this. After being a police officer for a long time, your nerves have be very thick."[1]


    "Really? I feel I''m still very sensitive."


    "That¡¯spared with other police officers."


    When the ss bell rang, Chen Shi felt uneasy and he entered the campus to take a look. Cao Rui was still sitting in the seat near the window. The security guard said, "Who are you? Don''t stand on the sports field. If the management saw, they¡¯d deduct my sry."


    Thus, they stayed by the school gate and waited. It was already 4:00 in the afternoon. As long as the identification was sessful, everything would pass, and Cao Rui would be safe.


    Of course, the final conviction in this case depended on the court''s judgment. Chen Shi could only do his best and leave the rest to the prosecutors.


    During thest ss, parents arrived to pick up their children one after another. Chen Shi saw a middle-aged woman entering the school, possibly a student¡¯s parent. He said, "There are outsiders entering the school. Just in case, we should also go in!"


    When they walked into the school campus, Chen Shi looked up and Cao Rui was no longer in his seat. The two turned pale with fright. At that time, the ss was still in session. Chen Shi rushed in and asked, "Where¡¯s Cao Rui?!"


    The teacher on the podium asked, "Are you his parent?"


    "I''m a policeman. When did Cao Rui leave?!"


    The whole ss looked at each other, and a boy said, "I saw Gu Xixi calling him out just after thest ss."


    Then a girl said, "The form teacher sent a text message to ask him to go to the office. Look, this is the text message."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue immediately went upstairs and rushed into the office. The two teachers chatting away looked lost when they were asked where Cao Rui¡¯s form teacher was at the moment. They said that the teacher was still teaching a certain ss.


    Chen Shi suddenly heard a scream, and then a person fell from the rooftop down onto the ground below. Several ssrooms exploded in chaos and the screams came one after another. Chen Shi looked down, and a boy in school uniformy on the ground. The arms were twisted in a strange posture, and a pool of blood was slowly spreading under the head.


    He shouted to Lin Dongxue, "I''m going up. You go down!"


    Then he rushed to the rooftop in one breath and saw a man in ck clothes running away. The man ran to the edge and jumped to the top of a small shop outside the school before jumping onto the street.


    Chen Shi chased after him along the same route. He rolled over afternding on the ground, and felt pain in his legs when he climbed up. Perhaps his muscles might have been injured somewhere.


    He had no time to care about this. He stood up and chased the man. The man ran away as if he were crazy, pushing down pedestrians or bicycles on the way to create obstacles. Chen Shi shouted, "I¡¯m a policeman. Stop that man!"


    Passers-by heard the words and immediately jumped to either side. At most, they just pulled out their mobile phones to call the police.


    One chasing the other, they arrived at a road. The man tried to cross the road and was hit head-on by a car. Apanied by the piercing sound of car brakes, the man rotated three times in the air and fell heavily onto the ground. His neck broke at a strange angle and traffic was immediately paralyzed.


    Chen Shi panted heavily while holding his knees and his eyes widened in disbelief.


    Within the school, Lin Dongxue went to check on the boy who had fallen off the building. When she found that the boy was Cao Rui, she only felt that the sky was spinning.


    At the moment of impact, Cao Rui''s head had hit the ground. At that moment, there was still a sliver of consciousness. Tears kept seeping out of his bloody eyes. He kept opening and closing his lips but couldn''t say a single word.


    "Hold on! Hold on! I¡¯ll call an ambnce now!" Lin Dongxue dialed 120 with a trembling hand.


    By this time, she was already surrounded by students. Everyone stood outside the ssrooms and watched. They dared not step forward. Tao Yueyue rushed out of the crowd and knelt beside Cao Rui. Cao Rui tried to squeeze out a smile with his dying breath. His blood had already stained the palm of Tao Yueyue.


    Tao Yueyue clenched her fists and looked upstairs. Zhou Tiannan held the guardrail with both hands, and smiled in triumph.


    I will avenge you! I will avenge you! Tao Yueyue said silently in her heart.


    By the time school was over, Cao Rui had already been sent for emergency treatment. Many policemen gathered both inside and outside the school. After investigation, the text message received by the girl named Gu Xixi had been sent using a fake base station. The form teacher had not sent the message. The person who had pushed Cao Rui off the building was quickly identified. He was a suspect in a case three years ago and had been released due to insufficient evidence.


    The policeter spected that he might have, like Yan Ke, received Zhou Tiannan''s "favor" and hade to "repay his gratitude".


    At 8:00 in the evening, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, Tao Yueyue, Xu Xiaodong and others waited anxiously outside the emergency room of the brain surgery department. The past few hours had been a great torment for them. The doctor finally came out of the emergency room. Chen Shi went forward to ask, "How is it?"


    The doctor shook his head, "Sorry, we tried our best!"


    Hearing the news, Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue cried in each other¡¯s arms, and Chen Shi walked out without a word. Xu Xiaodong caught up with him, "Brother Chen, where are you going?"


    "Isn''t Yan Ke also in this hospital?!" Chen Shi gritted his teeth and asked.


    In the inpatient department, Yan Ke was sitting on the hospital bed in handcuffs while still on the IV. Lawyer Wang came in and whispered something to him. Yan Ke opened his eyes in excitement, "Really?"


    "Mr. Zhou reminds you not to forget your promise. One day when he needs you, you can''t refuse."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely repay him!" Yan Ke raised his hands and cheered, "Great, I¡¯m not guilty! I¡¯m not guilty!"


    Someone rushed in suddenly without saying anything, grabbed Yan Ke and dragged him towards the window. He and thewyer were both shocked. The man was so angry that his face was twisted. Yan Ke finally recognized him. It was Chen Shi.


    "Hey, what are you doing?!" Thewyer tried to dissuade him.


    Chen Shi pushed thewyer aside and dragged Yan Ke by the cor towards the window. He roared, "To cover up the crime, you even killed a child. Are you still human?! Are you human?"


    Yan Ke was terrified and struggled furiously. Chen was very strong, and his thin and weak self was no match for him. Thewyer warned, "If you don''t let go, I will sue you! Let him go!"


    "Go ahead!" Chen Shi¡¯s eyes burned with rage. "Don¡¯t think that you two can escape punishment!"


    Xu Xiaodong chased after him panting, shouting, "Brother Chen, are you crazy?" He tried his best to dissuade Chen Shi. When he was taken out of the ward, Yan Ke sat paralyzed on the floor in fear. When Chen Shi looked at his face, some dark thoughts spread through his mind.


    Zhou Tiannan must pay the price!


    1. Desensitized.

 Chapter 584: The Price

    <h4>Chapter 584: The Price</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the afternoon of October 13th , Chen Shi was released from the detention room. He hadn''t slept almost the whole night and had sat there thinking about things. He was totally haggard. Lin Qiupu swallowed back the words that he had prepared to reprimand him. He said, "Don''t be so impulsive next time."


    Chen Shi took out his consultant certificate. "I don¡¯t want to work as a consultant anymore. I¡¯ll just drive taxis in the future.¡±


    "Why?!" Lin Qiupu blocked his hand. "You don¡¯t n to use violence to suppress violence, right? If so, where would it ce the principles and positions of us police?"


    "I''m not a policeman. What¡¯s the use in telling me this?"


    "Calm down! Come to the meeting."


    There was a gloomy atmosphere in the meeting room. Lin Dongxue''s eyes were swollen. She whispered to Chen Shi, "We told the child''s family. As for the grandmother, we¡¯ve been hiding it. How can we tell her this kind of thing?"


    "Raise your spirits!" Lin Qiupu mmed the table. "I admit that this was a major mistake made by us police. It was because we underestimated how cunning and venomous our opponents are. The deceased is still not resting in peace. I know everyone is holding a grudge, but don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re the police. This battle is still going on, and we will continue to fight with them. Evil will never prevail against justice, and one day, this ount will be settledpletely. The moment that they¡¯re most arrogant will be when they¡¯re about to perish!¡±


    After a pause, he announced, "I have asked the superiors to form a team to formally investigate Zhou Tiannan and his gang!"


    At the same time, Yan Ke was teaching a ss in the ssroom. It was quiet below the podium. It was so quiet that it was strange. Only his voice exining the text echoed within the ssroom. He noticed that the students looked at him with strange eyes.


    His eyes fell on the missing seat in the corner. Thinking about it, Cao Rui was from this ss.


    Some rumors had spread between the teachers and the students, but he didn''t care. As the students left, peace would soon return. The thing that humans were best at was forgetting.


    With one finger missing on his right hand, it was a bit inconvenient to hold the chalk. He was still adjusting to it.


    The feeling of the sun shining on him felt great and even the smell of the chalk was wonderful. This was the taste of freedom. He felt as if everything had been a dream, and standing on this podium was like living another life.


    "Students, Kong Yiji''s personality is multifaceted. He has both a pedantic old-school literati side and a kind side. Which student is going to summarize these two aspects... Zhou Shuren, you answer it."


    The boy was motionless and looked at him with angry eyes.


    "Okay, let''s change to another ssmate... Sun Wanyue, you do it!"


    The girl didn''t move either, as if she was a statue.


    "ss rep, write down their names and visit my office after ss!"


    The ss leader, who was usually the most obedient, also stayed motionless. Yan Ke realized that no one had opened their textbooks. He mmed the textbook on the table. "What are you guys doing? Do you have some opinions about me?¡±


    "Teacher, you don''t deserve to stand here!" said one student.


    "Who said that? Stand up for me!" Yan Ke shouted.


    "You don''t deserve to stand here!"


    "Get lost!"


    "Murderer!"


    At first, it was just individual voices, but they gradually converged together into a mor. Every student was criticizing him. All their young faces were full of anger. Some boys even began to tear apart their Chinese textbooks, crumpling the papers into balls and throwing them at him. Soon, everyone followed their actions.


    "Get lost! Get lost!"


    Countless paper balls were thrown at Yan Ke. He used his textbook and arms to ward them off in disbelief. He dropped the sentence, "I''m going to look for your form teacher" before fleeing. Behind him, the students in the ss cheered for their sess in their first revolt. He found it hard to listen to.


    Yan Ke fled back to the office, fuming. There was another person in the office. Zhou Tiannan was holding a cigar and staring out of the window.


    Yan Ke quickly tidied his hair, took out a box of highly-priced cigars from the drawer, and walked over. Zhou Tiannan raised his eyes to look at him. Yan Ke squatted down and said with a smiling face, "Mr. Zhou, I bought this for you."


    "Driven out by the students?"


    Yan Ke smiled, "This group of disobedient students. I don¡¯t know who spread the rumor."


    "That kind of resistance is actually fear. You shouldn''t be afraid of them. They are afraid of you."


    Yan Ke nodded slowly, as if appreciating this philosophy, and then offered the cigar box with both hands, "Mr. Zhou, please take this as a small token of my appreciation."


    "We shouldn''t have any contact with each other. This is for each other¡¯s safety. The police will not give up so easily."


    "Okay... okay. You can order me any time if there¡¯s any matter. I will always owe you a life."


    Zhou Tiannan swiveled his cigar and looked at the flickering me. "I have something I need your help with recently, but don''t worry, it''s not murder or arson. It''s just a small thing!" He smiled and looked at Yan Ke. "As long as youplete it, it¡¯s settled between us."


    "I will definitely do it!" Yan Ke said firmly. Something in his heart had quietly changed. He was no longer his past self.

 Chapter 585: Scheming

    <h4>Chapter 585: Scheming</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 39: Split Crime


    On October 19th, Chen Shi, Gu You, kk and Sun Zhen sat in the office. Everyone was called together because there was something important to talk about.


    "Remember Yi Qing''s case? The police found thepany sponsoring the orphanage is Dahong Group from this city. The current chief and vice executive officers are twins named Qu Jing¡¯an and Qu Jingli. A few years ago when thepany didn¡¯t belong to them, there were sessive cases of mysterious disappearances of upper-level personnel from within thepany. The Qu brothers took advantage of the low stock price to buy arge number of shares and became a major shareholder. They quickly took control of the Dahong Group. These past few years, they kept pushing aside theirpany¡¯s veterans and purchasing shares in-house. They¡¯re already firmly in the top spot."


    Gu You said, "These two names are very unfamiliar. They don¡¯t seem like our ¡®old friends.¡¯ Do you suspect that Zhou Tiannan is secretly assisting them?"


    "The possibility is very high because it is the period when the serial killer under the pseudonym "Zhou Xiao" was most active. The police simply didn¡¯t have enough personnel to investigate the case of the Dahong Group. Drawing attention to other things has always been Zhou Tiannan''s specialty. The police are currently focusing the investigation on Dahong Group. Their suspicious activities are even more exaggerated. Captain Lin believes that Dahong Group may be supporting Zhou Tiannan behind the scenes, but they don¡¯t have a clean background themselves. As a rapidly rising youngpany, they hid many shady activities. This provided the police with a reason to investigate them."


    Sun Zhen raised his hand. "Isn¡¯t that too roundabout? In order to investigate Zhou Tiannan, why not just investigate him directly?"


    "There¡¯s no evidence. Please, the police are subject to thew and cannot investigate a citizen casually." kk said, "I say that I should just follow him whenever he goes out and then push him really hard onto the road all of a sudden. Then, all the troubles are solved. Why make it so bothersome?¡±


    Chen Shi said, "If we can''t interrogate and sentence Zhou Tiannan, it doesn''t have any meaning. He¡¯s the spiritual leader of ''ck Honey'', and he has many ruthless characters underneath him such as Ling Shuang. Also, we can''t do anything to him right now. We can only slowly dig around him. If we make him fall down suddenly, the gang of evil people under him will go out of control."


    "It''s like a tumor. Hastily removing it would bring worse results," Gu Youmented.


    "It''s so troublesome!" kkined. "It''s not me who¡¯s saying this, but your justice methods are totally useless when dealing with this kind of scum. He¡¯s unreasonable. All the ideas inside him are evil."


    "Last time I asked you to follow that teacher, did you find anything?" Chen Shi asked.


    kk took a few photos from the drawer and threw them on the coffee table. Sun Zhen nced at them. "This doesn¡¯t capture anything!"


    "Idiot!" kk smiled profoundly.


    The photos were taken of windows. Chen Shi carefullypared them and found that the position of a flower pot on the window had constantly been changing. He said, "This is the method of contact between Yan Ke and the mastermind?"


    "Brother Chen is clever. I found this guy ying with this flower pot every day at home. I thought that it must be something shady. I really caught them!" kk pulled out a photo from his arms, like he was showing his trump card. He chucked it boldly on the table. "Look!"


    A side profile of a person was taken in the photo. That person was wearing a ck sweater and sunsses.


    Gu You looked at it in her hands. "Xu Fa, a master of making and using drugs. He¡¯s also one of Zhou Tiannan''s loyal men."


    "Unfortunately, Ling Shuang wasn¡¯t photographed. Even if she was, it¡¯d be difficult to use as evidence." Chen Shi sighed.


    "That case ended just like that?" kk asked.


    "Only on the day of Zhou Tiannan''s arrest can we really convict Yan Ke. Not only Yan Ke, but also many people who¡¯ve received Zhou Tiannan''s ''benevolence''!" Chen Shi sighed when he wondered when that day woulde.


    "So, what will Zhou Tiannan do next?" Gu You asked.


    "Who knows?! But this time, the investigation of Dahong Group is an opportunity. kk and Little Worm, you two should continue to monitor Zhou Tiannan during this time. Don''t let go of any of his actions. I want to know what his reaction is."


    "Roger that!"


    "By the way, has Zhou Tiannan still been getting prostitutestely?"


    "It''s still the same. His life is very ''routine''. There¡¯s a woman going there every Wednesday."


    Yan Ke was now in the school monitoring the warehouse. This was a leisurely job. Because the students were unwilling to listen to him, the school had to throw him there temporarily in order to calm down the situation.


    Sitting there holding a cup of tea every day, facing the room full of books, Yan Ke''s mood was veryplicated. Of course there was no possibility of promotion in this job. He held a grudge in his heart and felt that this society was unfair to him.


    He said to Zhou Tiannan in private that he could do many things. In his eyes, Zhou Tiannan was a god. He was omnipotent, which made Yan Ke haveplete admiration for him. He hoped that Zhou Tiannan could help him, even if his hands were stained with blood again, it would be fine.


    After experiencing thest incident, he was more open-minded. As long as he had a good life, it didn¡¯t matter no matter who he sacrificed. The most important thing in this world was himself!


    After the school bell rang, Yan Ke saw the students running out of the ssroom from the window. The teachers walked out of the campus chatting with each other. Everything was so calm. Their world wasn¡¯t affected at all without him in it.


    Yan Ke sighed deeply and looked at his left hand wearing a stic finger. When he looked up, he saw Zhou Tiannan standing on the yground and pointing in the direction of the parking lot. Yan Ke nodded desperately. He was very excited. Zhou Tiannan had a "mission" to arrange for him.


    Waiting for most of the people to leave, Yan Ke ran to the parking lot. Zhou Tiannan sat in his car and was surrounded by smoke. He only said one sentence. "Go to the Red Ind Caf¨¦. There¡¯s a man wearing a ck hat by the window. "


    "Teacher Zhou, is this the task for me? You¡¯ve also seen my current situation. I have nothing to lose. I can do a lot of things to prove my worth to you!"


    Zhou Tiannan smiled. "Can murder be done?"


    "Yes!" Yan Ke was excited. He wanted this kind. Only this could prove his value. He hoped that Zhou Tiannan would treat him as his ownrade.


    Zhou Tiannan shook his head. "I promised not to let you get involved in danger. Rest assured, the things to be done this time are very safe. Don''t let my friend wait."


    Yan Ke nodded with a smile on his face and retreated like a minion.


    He went to the cafe outside the school. A man in a ck hat was drinking coffee casually by the window. The location was strategically nned so that it was impossible to eavesdrop around them. Yan Ke sat down and said, "Teacher Zhou asked me toe."


    The man looked him up and down. "Which school are you from?"


    "My surname is Yan, I am a teacher... I used to be."


    "Mr. Zhou loves to help others." The other party smiled.


    "Yes, he saved my life. I¡¯m willing to do anything?" Yan Ke lowered his voice. "Do I need to transport drugs? Ormit murder? Or kidnapping? I¡¯m mentally prepared. I can do anything, as long as it¡¯s for Teacher Zhou!"


    The other party nced at him. "In this day and age, a sincere young man like you is rare."

 Chapter 586: Signing Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 586: Signing Ceremony</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening to the other party, Yan Ke''s eyes widened in surprise. "That''s it?"


    "Not satisfied?" The other party looked at him with his head tilted. "Don''t think that this matter is trivial. You must finish it perfectly as I¡¯ve said."


    "No, I can do more. I won¡¯t lie to you. I¡¯ve killed someone before!" Yan Ke stared at the other party¡¯s eyes, trying to act fierce and ruthless.


    The other person smiled and shook his hand. "Okay, okay, I know you¡¯ve got the skills. Don''t be impatient. As long as you¡¯re useful, Mr. Zhou won¡¯t neglect you. You shouldplete this matter well!"


    "Then... goodbye."


    Soon after Yan Ke left, another man sat in front of the ck hat and whispered, "Mr. Zhou asked me toe."


    The man in the ck hat nodded. "My task to you is..."


    In the beef noodle restaurant across the road, Tao Yueyue furrowed her brows suspiciously. From where she was sitting, she couldn¡¯t hear what the other person was saying, but she knew it was definitely not a good thing.


    Unconsciously, Tao Yueyue sat there until veryte. Chen Shi called and anxiously asked where she was. Tao Yueyue said, "I¡¯lle back immediately."


    "Are you with friends?"


    "No, I... I had some matters."


    "Shall I pick you up?"


    "Okay, I''m in a noodle shop next to the school."


    When Chen Shi arrived, the ck hat in the cafe had already gone. He smiled in relief. "What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re not going home after school. Who are you investigating?¡±


    Tao Yueyue hooked her finger and Chen Shi sat down in front of her. Tao Yueyue showed him a few photos. The photos were taken with a mobile phone across the road and ss at an extended focal length. The quality was very poor, but a male with a ck hat could be seen sitting with different people.


    "I saw Yan Ke sneakilye out today and saw this person. Then, this person saw ten people one after another." She no longer called Yan Ke Teacher Yan.


    Chen Shichao nced across the road. "Thank you for the information, but don''t do such a dangerous thing next time. What would you do if you were found out?"


    "It wouldn¡¯t happen. I want to avenge Cao Rui. Didn''t you say that there are other forces behind Yan Ke who are helping him? Could it be rted to this person today?"


    "You can''t afford to provoke those forces."


    Tao Yueyue said indifferently, "I¡¯m originally a child. Who can I afford to provoke? Couldn¡¯t I hide?"


    "Okay, okay, okay, you make sense... Have you eaten?"


    "I ate three bowls of beef noodles..." Tao Yueyue burped.


    The next morning, the ten photos taken by Tao Yueyue were taken to the Public Security Bureau by Chen Shi. Due to the poor quality of the photos, the people in them couldn¡¯t be seen clearly even after technical processing. Furthermore, the meeting ce was tricky and avoided all the surrounding security cameras.


    If they really wanted to investigate it, it wasn¡¯t impossible. They¡¯d slowly screen them from the surveince footage of the intersection, but with the flow of tens of thousands of people, it was unsure how long it would take to investigate, so they were afraid that it would dy the opportunity for battle.


    Lin Qiupu said, "The meeting of these people must have been arranged by Zhou Tiannan. He recently made a big move...Why can''t you buy a clearer phone for Yueyue?"


    Chen Shi said helplessly, "I¡¯ll give her a professional camera, and instead of going to school every day, she should just monitor Yan Ke and Zhou Tiannan? I already told her not to do this dangerous sort of thing in the future."


    "But this little girl''s vignce is pretty good. She does live with you after all. Speaking of which, I haven''t met her yet!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Lin, if you meet her, you¡¯d definitely love her. She¡¯s smart and cute. A collection of the good traits of other people''s children."


    Chen Shi said proudly, "The child of my household!"


    Lin Qiupu smiled. "Okay, okay, who doesn¡¯t know what? Let''s have the meeting!"


    The morning meeting was mainly about the progress investigating the Dahong Group and working with the economic police to find out many business crimes such as tax evasion, false invoices, and illegal financing in the Dahong Group over the recent years. To be honest, the criminal police weren¡¯t interested in these. In contrast, the economic police¡¯s eyes glowed in front of these ounts. They were very excited in their investigation. The criminal police only supported them.


    "Our investigation has already been carried out for a week. At present, we have not found a substantial connection between the Dahong Group, the Qu Brothers, and Zhou Tiannan. There¡¯s still no progress regarding the case of the shareholders disappearing back then.¡± Lin Qiupu concluded.


    Chen Shi was almost asleep from listening and leaned on the seat. "I think the connection is very simple. Zhou Tiannan only helped the Qu brothers to get to the position they¡¯re in. The benefit they can give is money. Investigate it from that angle."


    "You talk as though it was easy. Look at the financial expenditure of a listedpany over the year. It''s like a bunch of messy ropes. It wouldn¡¯t be made clear within a year and a half. By the way, today, the Qu brothers are going to sign a contract with a foreignpany¡¯s CEO. We don¡¯t need to go today."


    "The police are investigating them, but they¡¯re still conducting business? They¡¯re businessmen after all. Money is prioritized since this type of investigation won¡¯t have any impact on thepany over the short term."


    "That¡¯s great!" Lin Dongxue cheered. "We were originally investigating Zhou Tiannan, but in the end apany was dragged out. It¡¯s been a headache over thest two days."


    "We still have things to do today. We¡¯ll continue to investigate the disappearances and the serial killings of ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯ back then."


    Everyone agreed with ack of enthusiasm. The cases that the criminal police didn¡¯t like to touch were ancient cases where the evidence no longer existed. It was more troubling than archaeology.


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue to take a small trip away from work with him. They went to the hotel where the twopanies signed the contract under the pretense of investigating. They saw many media cars outside and there were a lot of hired security guards. Lin Dongxue asked, "What are we doing here?"


    "After all that investigating, I still don''t know what the Qu brothers look like. I want to see them up close."


    "You¡¯re still shamelessly saying that? You¡¯ve been skiving off work the past two days.¡±


    "This kind of investigation is not what I¡¯m good at. If there¡¯s a bizarre case, I promise to be the first to rush forward."


    "Crow''s mouth! I hope there won¡¯t be a big case anytime soon. We really don¡¯t know how to clone ourselves.¡±


    It was said that this time when the twopanies cooperated with each other, a certain urban area of Long''an would be redeveloped.


    Although the signing ceremony was lively, it was also boring. The reporters were standing in the doorway. The two stood and watched from afar. There were a lot of flower baskets ced downstairs and a stage with a long table was set up. The two presidents would sign the documents hereter.


    At this moment, it seemed that a press conference was being held. A public bicycle suddenly came from outside the door. The person wearing a suit and riding a bike was Wang Haitao. After he stopped, there was a staff member that went up to greet him. The poor person riding a bicycle here was considered frugal. A rich second generation riding a bicycle was considered environmentally-friendly. His arrival immediately attracted the attention of many reporters.


    "Mr. Wang!" Chen Shi shouted.


    Wang Haitao saw him, smiled, and immediately gave the bicycle to the staff to stop. He jogged over. "Go, go, go. The reporters around are very annoying!"


    The three went to a milk tea shop and finally avoided the reporters. Wang Haitao said, "Mr. Chen, I haven''t seen you in a long time. Thank you for your investment advicest time. I have made a lot of money recently."


    "You even gave people investment advice?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.


    Chen Shi smiled. "Mr. Wang said he wanted to investst time and asked me for any suggestions. I said he could try projects that don¡¯t seem like they¡¯d make money. Unreliable projects are often wildly exaggerated. Those who sound like they don¡¯t make money but dare ask for investment show that they really want that career.¡±


    Wang Haitao said, "After listening to your suggestion, I invested money into drug research and development for rare diseases, scooters for people with disabilities, a new kind of streetlights, and pet grooming. I¡¯ve basically all broken-even. Mr. Chen is quite the visionary."


    "How so, how so? I''m just ayman talking about it casually. It''s your own good taste and luck."


    Lin Dongxue thought, Chen Shi really dared to blindly make ns. Fortunately, the other party profited.

 Chapter 587: Sudden Murder

    <h4>Chapter 587: Sudden Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The three chatted away in the milk tea shop for some time. Wang Haitao said, "Oh yeah, did you notice that there are a lot of bodyguards today?"


    "It seems like that."


    "I heard that only 20 people were originally employed, but the number was temporarily increased to 60. It seems that something is going to happen."


    "Mr. Wang, where did you get this information?"


    "My father told me. He has a share in the bodyguardpany. I came to the signing ceremony in ce of him today. He told me to be careful. I¡¯m relieved to see you here."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue nced at the scene. Those bodyguards looked really nervous. Lin Dongxue said, "Something won¡¯t happen today, right?"


    "Have you heard anything from the police?"


    "No... If I have to say something, it would be that during the investigation, it¡¯s been difficult for us to meet the Qu brothers. Even when we met, they also had lots of bodyguards. They seemed overly cautious and seem to be guarding against something at all times."


    During Chen Shi''s thinking, Wang Haitao said in surprise, "You¡¯re investigating Dahong Group. Have theymitted anything?"


    Chen Shi said, "This is inconvenient to disclose. However, if your father has their stocks on hand, hurry up and throw them away. The brothers of the Qu family may have been involved in certain matters."


    "Thank you for the warning!" Wang Haitao immediately sent a text message.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you want to tell my brother about this?"


    "What would we say about something that¡¯s without any solid proof?"


    Wang Haitao said, "If you guys want to go in, I have invitations here. The two of you can join me."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged their opinions and thought that it would be a good idea to go in to have a look. They followed Wang Haitao into the hotel. The hotel was currently booked out by the Dahong Group. There were a few tables with cold dishes in the hall. The invited guests came and went, eating and chatting.


    Wang Haitao impolitely loaded a te for himself and began to eat. He asked Chen Shi if he wanted to eat. Chen Shi said there was no need. Wang Haitao said, "I didn''t eat breakfast and need to deal with the hunger."


    "You''re so frugal. You don''t want to show off your wealth?"


    "Haha, what do you mean show off? The whole city knows my identity. If you can save money, you should. No matter how much money you have, there¡¯s a day when it¡¯ll all be spent. I told my father that and persuaded him to save from unnecessary expenses. He easily epted. I honestly think my father is quite reasonable."


    "Old Master Lu is indeed kind and reasonable." Chen Shi thought that if it weren¡¯t for the death of his two sons, Old Master Lu''s mentality wouldn''t be the way it is today. However, it wasn¡¯t bad this way. He¡¯d live more peacefully in hister years.


    Lin Dongxue turned around and went back to Chen Shi, saying, "Bodyguards are standing in the safe passage and in front of the kitchen door. The security index couldn¡¯t be higher... I¡¯ll contact the local police station to stand by nearby. If something happens, we won¡¯t be caught off guard."


    Chen Shi nodded. "Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue''s had just called when suddenly, a man dressed as a reporter fell to the ground while holding his stomach, screaming painfully. The bodyguards around him immediately went to check the situation. Wang Haitao saw this and spit the food in his mouth back onto the te.


    Chen Shi said to him, "There may be something wrong here, so leave quickly!"


    "I must at least meet with the CEO of the Dahong Group. Otherwise, I would havee in vain..."


    "Never mind the etiquette anymore. This is for your safety."


    "Okay, see you next time!"


    Lin Dongxue checked the reporter¡¯s condition. His lips were going blue and he was covered in cold sweat. He seemed to have been poisoned. She immediately called people to take the reporter to the hospital for emergency treatment while Chen Shi looked around. A sneaky man went into the safe passage while the bodyguards weren¡¯t paying attention.


    Chen Shi rushed over and grabbed the man by the shoulder. The man was terrified. At this time, Chen Shi found that he was holding a small iron box in his arms.


    "What are you holding?!¡±


    "I... I don''t know!"


    The bodyguards heard the news and ordered the man to open the box for inspection. Chen Shi heard a ticking noise from the box. "Wait, there may be dangerous goods inside!"


    "Say what''s inside!" shouted a higher-level bodyguard.


    The man cried with a sad face, "I really don''t know!"


    "Who ordered you toe?!"


    "I... I can''t say."


    The bodyguard was going to beat him when Chen Shi grabbed his arm. Chen Shi handed the box to him and instructed, "Take it to a ce outside where no one else is located. The police will handle itter."


    "Who are you?"


    Chen Shi showed his consultant ID, and the other party did as instructed.


    Chen Shi asked the bodyguard to control the man first. He said, "You can check nearby to see if there are any other suspicious peopleing in!"


    "We can''t listen to you. Who would be responsible if something goes wrong?"


    "Yes, this policeman may also be fake."


    The bodyguards didn¡¯t obey his instructions.


    Chen Shi was so angry that he wanted tough. Lin Dongxue walked over. "The local police said they were stopped by a truck on their way over and they couldn¡¯t find the owner."


    "It must have been for the Qu brothers. Where are they?!¡±


    A bodyguard replied, "We can''t disclose that."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I just saw Qu Jing¡¯an go upstairs under the bodyguard''s escort..."


    As soon as she said this, there was a scream from the crowd as the elevator started descending rapidly. The bodyguards were frightened. Fortunately, the elevator stopped on the third floor. It may be that someone inside pressed the emergency button.


    A group of bodyguards immediately rushed to the third floor, and Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue followed suit.


    They saw that at the elevator, several bodyguards were desperately trying to open the door. One bodyguard suddenly screamed before retreating back. When he looked at his hands, they were actually blistered. A fire may have urred within the elevator.


    The temperature could be felt through the elevator door, and screams were constantly heard inside. Thinking about it, it must have been a hell-like scene inside.


    Chen Shi broke the fire box on the wall with his elbow, took out the fire axe, and asked Lin Dongxue to get the fire extinguisher. The bodyguards took the fire axe and tried their best to pry the elevator door open. Finally, the door opened. With the influx of air, the mes in the elevator got stronger. mes spewed out, making everyone not dare to step forward.


    Several burning people rushed out, screaming and rolling around. The scene was hard to watch.


    Lin Dongxue immediately extinguished the mes on their bodies with the fire extinguisher. When the smoke dissipated, they saw that the people were burned all over. They couldn''t even identify who they were. The bodyguards stepped forward to confirm them one by one and found that one of them had already died. It was chief Qu.


    Lin Dongxue was stunned, and Chen Shi said, "Hurry and call for reinforcements. Cordon the scene and don''t let anyone leave!"


    The signing ceremony was forced to be suspended because of this sudden incident, and the people of the partnerpany hurriedly left the scene. There was already a mess here. People flocked to escape, and there was almost a stampede.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were desperate to maintain the order at the scene. After an hour, Lin Qiupu led people into the scene and the situation was finally brought under control. At the chaotic scene, everyone was still living in a state of shock and panic.

 Chapter 588: Hired Kill

    <h4>Chapter 588: Hired Kill</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On the afternoon of October 20th, Qu Jing¡¯an¡¯s body was lying on the corpse bed at the public security bureau. ording to the surveince footage inside the elevator, the three bodyguards escorted Qu Jing¡¯an to the upper level of the hotel. Midway, the elevator suddenly had a power outage, and then fell sharply. A strange me suddenly appeared inside the elevator.


    The three bodyguards were all severely burned and were now being treated in the hospital. Only Qu Jing¡¯an was burned alive.


    The whole thing seemed strange and suspicious. It seemed like someone was targeting the Qu brothers.


    At the current moment, Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi, Lin Qiupu and others were wearing sterile clothes, waiting for the autopsy results from Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue used a scalpel to dissect the surface of Qu Jing¡¯an¡¯s body under the severe burns. He took out the internal organs for weighing as the assistant stared at the electronic scale and reported the weight with a monotonous voice. Peng Sijue said, "There¡¯s an abnormality in the liver. Little Wang, go and conduct a pathological test. Wait a minute..."


    He removed the burnt skin and attached fragments from the corpse and asked the assistant to conduct a test. Soon after, the assistant came back and reported, "Captain, the cause of death may be due to poisoning."


    "Poisoned?" Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised. "He was obviously burnt to death!"


    "Of course. We¡¯ve all seen the situation. The burns on the other people''s bodies aren¡¯t less than that of Qu Jing¡¯an, but only he died." Chen Shi said.


    "Did someone put poison in the fire extinguisher?"


    "How imaginative. How do they put poison in the fire extinguisher? That thing ispletely sealed."


    Peng Sijue personally went to conduct a test and came back to tell everyone. "Arsenic was detected on the inside of the deceased''s shirt. It¡¯s suspected that someone had applied it to the clothes in advance. Skin absorption alone isn¡¯t enough to be fatal, but in case of a fire, the epidermis gets damaged, the toxin heats up, and then it evaporates into the body, killing them within seconds.¡±


    Chen Shi said with emotion, "The bizarre fire in the elevator was for this purpose?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "We¡¯ll interrogate the suspicious people caught at the scene.¡±


    At that time, the police arrested a total of three suspicious people at the scene. In addition to the one holding the metal box, there was the truck driver who intentionally parked the truck at the intersection, resulting in the police not arriving in time. The third person was near another emergency exit wandering around and was captured by bodyguards.


    The metal box which Chen Shi thought was an explosive or a dangerous item was sent to the bureau for careful inspection by a bomb disposal expert and found to be just a pocket watch with only the man''s own fingerprints on it.


    None of the three people directly participated in the process of killing Qu Jing¡¯an, but their presence increased the trouble for the police. It was suspected that someone had instructed them to do so.


    They didn''t expect them to be so tight-lipped, insisting that they just happened to be at the scene. After investigating their upations and identities, they found that they didn¡¯t know each other.


    They didn¡¯t know when the interrogations woulde to an end. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to see the surveince footage found at the scene and stared at the monotonous video. Lin Dongxue asked, "Would the Qu Brothers have offended Zhou Tiannan?"


    "It''s possible. I think this murder case is definitely carefully nned."


    "Brother Chen, look here!"


    Xu Xiaodong found a suspicious point. On the morning of the signing ceremony, a man dressed as a cleaner entered the elevator with a spray can in his hand and sprayed something carefully on the elevator.


    Then, another person entered the elevator, pried off the emergency button, and stuffed something underneath.


    The two suspicious people not only tampered with this elevator, but also did the same thing to the other one. Seeing this, Chen Shi was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. Lin Dongxue said, "It''s okay, the scene has been sealed. No one will use these two elevators again."


    "Let¡¯s go and take a look at the scene!"


    They brought two forensic police officers with them. The hotel lobby had already been blocked with a cordon and the hotel staff was being questioned. When passing by, some words and phrases floated into Chen Shi''s ears.


    "...The man said that he was lost and went into the security monitoring room. Fortunately, the security guard found out and he was kicked out."


    The inside of the elevator in which the incident urred was already scorched. As samples were being collected, Chen Shi sniffed it carefully and eximed, "Combustion aid!"


    Then, his eyes fell on the emergency button. The button was gone. There appeared to have been a slight explosion in the hole. Chen Shi found some burnt metal fragments inside.


    "Go and look at the other elevator!" Chen Shi said.


    The two entered the other elevator and smelled the inner wall of the elevator. After smelling carefully, they could smell something simr to gasoline. However, because the fragrance was used in the elevator, it wasn¡¯t too noticeable. Chen Shi touched it using his finger. "This is ordinary anti-oxidation paint, but it¡¯s mixed with mmable, unleaded gasoline. The paint itself could be melted into gasoline."


    "So, as long as there was an ignition source, the entire inner wall of the elevator would burn up immediately?"


    "This is the first time I¡¯ve seen this murder method. It¡¯s very imaginative." Chen Shi seemed a little excited.


    The two cautiously pried off the emergency button and found nothing underneath.


    The subsequent investigations were very trivial and took a lot of time. After three days, they could finally be considered to have made some progress. Lin Qiupu announced at the morning meeting on October 24th, "This case has been characterized as a deliberate murder, but it isn¡¯t possible to define who the murderer is. It¡¯s not because there are no suspects. In fact, the number of suspects is so high this time that it¡¯s unimaginable! We have arrested a total of thirteen people through eyewitness testimonies and surveince footage records from the scene. Perhaps there are more than this number. They created chaos at the scene, turned off the fire rm, changed the clothes worn by the deceased that day, made phone calls to interfere with bodyguards, appliedbustion aids in the elevator, tampered with the elevator''s main control program, and some people were responsible for the aftermath. The traces left by those people were removed.¡±


    "We¡¯ve interrogated all of these people. They don''t know each other and their ages and upations are vastly different. Some people confessed that a man in a ck hat hired them to do these things and the props were also provided by the other party. Each of them just did a small thing, and they didn¡¯t even know what the consequences would be. The mastermind behind the scenes dposed a carefully nned murder case into several small tasks and gave them to different people to perform. They were like blind people and didn¡¯t know the meaning behind their tasks at all. In other words, these people who were used have not vited criminalw. They were just a dozen pieces in the hands of the murderers behind the scenes."


    This conclusion caused them to be dumbstruck because the police officers involved in the case had traced their respective clues. Many of them found suspicious personnel and thought they had caught the real murderer. The shock at that moment was beyond description.


    After some struggle, it was finally quiet in the conference room. Chen Shi asked, "Are they still in the bureau?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head helplessly. "All of them are just ordinary people and no matter how much they were interrogated, we only got the tiny clue where the person in the ck hat asked them to do it.¡±


    "There should be people among them who have received Zhou Tiannan''s ¡®benefits¡¯, right?"


    "I suspected that this was the case, so I arranged people to follow them..."

 Chapter 589: Recreation Of The Crime Scene

    <h4>Chapter 589: Recreation Of The Crime Scene</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "At 11:00 in the evening before the signing ceremony began, Target 1 entered the elevator and sprayed the paint with thebustion aid added into it."


    Xu Xiaodong walked into the elevator and gestured with the spray bottle in his hand. On the night of the 24th, the police were recreating the entire crime scene. If they wanted to sort everything out clearly, it wasn¡¯t enough to just talk about it verbally. They had to feel as though they were there.


    In addition to the police officers involved in the case, Chen Shi also brought along Tao Yueyue. She said she wanted to go and have a look since they were just recreating the scene tonight. Therefore, Chen Shi brought her along.


    "Soon after, Target 2 entered the elevator and installed an igniter under the emergency button."


    Lin Qiupu recited the case and Xu Xiaodong cooperated to repeat it.


    After the igniter was identified, it was found to be made of two stic sheets sandwiching traces of mercuric acid and yellow phosphorus. It would cause fire with just a light pressure, igniting the paint on the wall. It had to be said that the person who nned the crime was really creative.


    "Uncle Chen, would it be easier to kill people with some knowledge of chemistry?" Tao Yueyue asked quietly.


    "Not necessarily. Some dangerous goods are difficult to obtain and the forensic police are experts." Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue, who was with them, nced back at the two of them. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re just discussing the case. By the way, can the source of the igniter be investigated?"


    "It''s difficult. These things are indeed the chemical products in the bang snaps[1] that children usually y with. After purification, the murderer can make it as long as they have some knowledge of chemistry."


    Tao Yueyue said, "Why not use them to kill people directly?"


    Peng Sijue exined, "That would require a lot of it and yellow phosphorus burns very quickly. It also has to be mixed with sawdust and gunpowder. If you buy so many bang snaps, you¡¯ll definitely cause suspicion."


    Tao Yueyue nodded and Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows. "Can''t you guys talk about something else? How can you teach children this kind of thing?"


    Chen Shi said, ¡°The child in my household loves these things."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "The failure of education! Let¡¯s go. Go upstairs!"


    When everyone went to the third floor, Lin Qiupu continued, "It was also around 9:00 the night before the signing ceremony. Target 3 came here, removed the cover of the main control board, and connected a serial port to override the elevator control program with aptop. He probably used a cell phone as the remote control."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "As long as you dial a number with your mobile phone, the elevator would fall down?"


    "We specte that this is the case, but the tool was recovered afterwards and the elevator program was covered up, leaving behind next to no traces."


    Staring at the main control board, Chen Shi thought of Sun Zhen. When he was young, he wrote a virus that tampered with an elevator program. However, Zhou Tiannan himself was also a master of programming and this level shouldn¡¯t be a challenge for him.


    Chen Shi said, "This is a crucial part of the entire murder. What is the name of Target 3?"


    Lin Qiupu nced at the records and replied, "Cheng Liwei, an ordinary office worker. He¡¯s only a salesman and knows nothing about programming. The ck-hat man taught him how to do it... However, this guy was once suspected of killing his wife, but was released because of insufficient evidence."


    "Sure enough, he is a person who has received ''benefits'', so he was assigned a heavy responsibility." Chen Shi nodded.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Why not just directly use the elevator to drop the victim to death?"


    Chen Shi exined, "Elevators have hardware and software insurance. These are independent. Most elevators have buffer devices installed at the top and bottom. If you want to use the elevator to kill people, unless someone cuts the cable from the top, it¡¯s almost impossible. The cable is also thicker than your wrist."


    Peng Sijue said, "The elevator door is more dangerous than the elevator itself. Some people have been beheaded by elevator doors."


    Lin Qiupu said, "I have to add one more person: Target 4. Before the first three people slipped in to do these things, Target 4 drove a car and drove it into a car parked outside. There was a small dispute with the owners, which led to the security guard having his attention drawn away.


    Chen Shi asked, "How long did thatst?"


    "ording to the security guard, the two of them quarreled for a long time, and then they called the traffic police. It looked to be about twenty minutes in duration.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "The four security guards didn''t even notice someone hade in. How thick are they?¡±


    Chen Shi said, "Target 4 is a beautiful woman. She was dressed extremely sexyily and maturely that night. Where do you think the security guards would have looked?"


    "Haii, men!" Lin Dongxue sighed.


    The group of people went to the room where the deceased lived, located on the 16th floor. Lin Qiupu pushed the door open and the lights weren¡¯t on. From the window, the brightly lit night view below could be seen. Lin Qiupu said, "The deceased stayed here the night before the signing ceremony. At 7:00 in the morning before the signing ceremony, Target 5, dressed as a cleaner, entered here, spraying poison on the cor of the deceased''s shirt. To be safe, they sprayed all the shirts in the closet."


    Peng Sijue added, "The poison was mixed in with the cologne that the deceased usually wears, so he wasn¡¯t aware of it.¡±


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Why didn''t they poison the water dispenser directly?"


    Peng Sijue said, "Killing with poison isn¡¯t easy. If the dose wasn¡¯t enough, he¡¯d be easy to rescue. If the dose was too much, it would smell unless the food itself was very smelly and could cover it up. However, the deceased only ate congee, bread, and juice in the morning and these aren¡¯t easy to poison."


    Chen Shi said, "This is the n of the murderer behind the scenes. Besides the poisoning sess rate being low, this would mean that the poisoner himself bes the murderer. Their expected effect is that even if we arrest all the suspects, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything."


    The murder was like an unprecedented grand performance. Chen Shi thought that Zhou Tiannan seemed to be deliberately showing off his skills and showing his omnipotence.


    He wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with a simple way of killing.


    Lin Qiupu said, "This Target 5 is also one of the people we¡¯re cing focus on monitoring. They¡¯re the owner of a smallpany and were prosecuted formercial crimes. However, the key witness, their ountant, mysteriously disappeared and they were acquitted... Old Chen, it¡¯s as you¡¯ve said. Target 5 is also a person who has received ''benefits¡¯."


    "It seems that there¡¯s a feeling of training an army for a thousand years to use them for an hour[2] here." Chen Shi sighed.


    "Let''s go to the scene!" Lin Qiupu said.


    Everyone went downstairs and the site had already been cleaned. Lin Qiupu turned around in the empty hall. "On the day of the signing ceremony, there were six people who appeared here. Their assigned tasks were to create chaos. Someone was responsible for poisoning the food. Someone was responsible for attracting bodyguards with a suspicious object. Someone was responsible for calling to lie about a bomb in the building. Lastly, someone was responsible for turning off the surveince."


    Peng Sijue exined, "The poison in that reporter wouldn¡¯t have been fatal. In fact, it¡¯s just a glycerine form. That is, a glycerine enema, which can cause acute stomach cramps when ingested."


    "That¡¯s a bit disgusting!" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi looked around. "I still feel that the chaos created on the spot is a bit trivial. If I was the mastermind, I¡¯d at least set a fire."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Fire is definitely the worst way to go about it. First, it¡¯s not easy to control, and secondly, the deceased may not enter the elevator... It¡¯smon sense to not enter an elevator in the event of a fire."


    Peng Sijue added, "If the fire spread, the paint in the elevator may be ignited in advance, so the murderer''s n would be a bust."


    Lin Dongxue raised a question. "What if someone upied the elevator at that time, or shared the elevator with the deceased?"


    "On this point, the surveince footage showed that after the chaos at the scene, the deceased was escorted into the elevator by the bodyguards immediately and pushed out a person who was going to take the elevator. The bodyguard said that this was the order they received from the captain sent via walkie talkie."


    Chen Shi pondered, "The deceased is like a wounded bird. Generally speaking, when there¡¯s chaos at the scene, as the host, he should stand up immediately to maintain order. Instead, his choice was to leave quickly. Qu Jing¡¯an had been working in the business for so many years. This etiquette cannot be ignored... The bodyguards on the spot were temporarily tripled, as if he had long predicted that something bad would happen..."


    Lin Dongxue concluded for him. "You mean, the deceased received a murder notice prior?!"


    1. https://.easyatm.tw/img/e/f4e/nBnauM3XycDN5YTO5ATOwEjN4QTM4QzMxITM0QTNwAzMwIzLwkzLwYzLt92YucmbvRWdo5Cd0FmLzE2LvoDc0RHa.jpg


    2. It means that extensive preparation eventually pays off.

 Chapter 590: Zhou Tiannan’s Trend

    <h4>Chapter 590: Zhou Tiannan''s Trend</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to take Tao Yueyue around outside, and then said, "I also think there was a killing notice. Dahong Group and Zhou Tiannan have an unclear rtionship. Either the Qu Brothers had received Zhou Tiannan''s ''benefits'' and didn¡¯t pay the promised remuneration, or they were originally Zhou Tiannan''s men or disciples. Because they wanted to cut ties with Zhou Tiannan, their n needed to be cleaned out. In short..."


    "Don''t jump to conclusions yet!" Lin Qiupu interrupted him. "When we investigated the Dahong Group, we didn''t find even half a piece of paper mentioning the name Zhou Tiannan. We can''t conclude that there¡¯s a connection between them. These are just your spections. "


    "Spections? Among those who participated in the murder n, there were a few that Yueyue has already recognized as people who were talking with the man in the ck hat at the cafe that day. This is already a proof. You don¡¯t know Zhou Tiannan. He does things cleanly and never dirties his own hands. He¡¯s just an ordinary junior high school teacher that can¡¯t be more ordinary, living in a house of around 100 square meters, driving a good car, and smoking good cigarettes. There are beautiful women whoe to him every three to five days[1]. Every week it¡¯s someone different. However, we didn¡¯t find any gray ie when we checked his ounts. This person is leak-proof like that. Our thoughts should be a bit more flexible and not be too confined to the evidence in front of us."


    Lin Qiupu pondered and asked, "Yueyue said so herself?"


    "Beforeing here, I showed her the interrogation videos and she recognized a few of them."


    "What about the ones that didn''t appear? Including Yan Ke!" Lin Dongxue said, "Could it be that Zhou Tiannan has a second mission? He wouldn¡¯t want to kill his brother as well, right?"


    "There is such a possibility!" Chen Shi nodded.


    "Tomorrow morning, we will meet Qu Jingli!" Lin Qiupu said.


    The following morning, Lin Qiupu, Lin Dongxue, and Chen Shi went to Qu Jingli''s residence. After his brother''s death, he attended the funeral in a low-key manner and took over the entirepany.


    The three of them got off at the door and found that several cars had been parked in the yard. Chen Shi said, "These are the bodyguardpany''s cars."


    He also hired some security guards at home. Qu Jingli had just gotten up and was going to have breakfast. Next to him stood a bulky man in a suit. Lin Qiupu sat down in front of him. "Mr. Qu, we want to talk to you."


    "About my brother''s death? I¡¯ve said everything I should say. Can I be left alone these days? I¡¯m physically and mentally exhausted from the consecutive shocks and have nothing to talk about."


    "I only want to ask you one thing. Did your brother receive a death notice before he was killed?"


    Qu Jingli raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Death notice? Have you been watching thriller movies too much? Who would notify someone before killing them? If we¡¯ve received them, why would we hide them?"


    Qu Jingli picked up the orange juice on the table and prepared to drink it. Chen Shi said, "Aren''t you afraid of it being poisoned?"


    "Unbelievable!"


    Chen Shi pointed to the bodyguard on the side. "Because this man on the side has already tested it for poison, right? I noticed a drop of orange juice dripping from his clothes and breadcrumbs around his mouth. Why do you need someone to test the food? And what¡¯s with the bodyguards in your yard? Just like the day of your brother¡¯s incident - The number of bodyguards suddenly increased. You knew what was going to happen in advance, but you didn¡¯t want to tell the police!"


    Qu Jingli showed a slightly angered expression. "This is my personal business! I have no sense of security so I hired people to protect me. What about it?¡±


    "Do you think bodyguards can protect you? The ones you hired are from the samepany that your brother hired from. They had proved how ipetent they were that day... Sorry, no offense." Thest sentence Chen Shi said was directed to the bulky man.


    Qu Jingli put the cup down heavily and said unpleasantly, "You police have been trying to solve cases using your delusions all day long? My brother''s case isn¡¯t being investigated, but you¡¯re here giving me trouble again. Are you ill?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Mr. Qu, we¡¯re here for your safety. We need to understand the insider situation moreprehensively."


    Qu Jingli smiled and shook his head, uttering one word at a time, "No. Comment! Don''t think you can use this opportunity to investigate me and mypany. You¡¯ve already messed me up before. Please don''t interfere again. You¡¯re the criminal police, right?" He pointed to himself. "If I really were killed, you can file a case and investigate. When did the police be so active that they¡¯d protect people before they die? Is it because I have money that I can get special treatment?"


    "What are you talking about?" Lin Dongxue said angrily.


    "Beauty, don''t be angry. Your smile looks better." Qu Jingli said with a grin.


    Lin Qiupu signaled Lin Dongxue not to argue with him and stood up. "Since this is the case, then we will take our leave first."


    "Take your time. I won¡¯t see you off!"


    After leaving the house, Lin Dongxue was still holding a grudge. "Look at his impatient attitude. Does he think that we really want to protect him?"


    Chen Shi said, "I think it is impossible for him to cooperate with us. Zhou Tiannan''s motive to kill the brothers must be inseparable from the activities they¡¯ve done before. There were so many shareholders that mysteriously went missing. There must be a case behind them."


    Lin Qiupu looked at his phone. "There¡¯s a new situation... Thest signing ceremony wasn¡¯t held smoothly. Qu Jingli has now taken over thepany and intends to re-sign with that foreignpany. The time is set for the day after tomorrow."


    Lin Dongxue eximed, "Is he crazy? Someone is going to kill him, but he dares toe out and show his face! Just how important is it for the businessman to earn money?"


    "Probably more important than their lives!" Chen Shi said.


    "In any case, when Qu Jing¡¯an was killed, it made headlines in the newspaper. The impact was very bad. We can''t let Qu Jingli follow suit in getting killed. I will go and apply with the chief for the procedures. If necessary, we¡¯ll forcefully protect him." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Then I¡¯ll get creative," Chen Shi said.


    "Do what you want!"


    Lin Qiupu left first. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi took a walk in the neighborhood. Lin Dongxue said, "Zhou Tiannan is just a Moriarty. He makes ns and gets others to do it. When will this hard bone be eaten?"


    "Every time I see him, I want to punch him." Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "This matter can¡¯t be rushed. Find the evidence bit by bit!"


    "Do you think that Zhou Tiannan is murdering to prevent loose lips this time? The Qu Brothers might have something that they can hold over him."


    "Mm..." Chen Shi thought, "It''s not impossible! You¡¯re looking at the big picture nowadays."


    "I have another idea. If Yan Ke is the next soldier to be sent, why not follow him from now on and figure out what he¡¯s going to do. Then we¡¯d also be prepared.¡±


    "Actually, I¡¯ve sent someone to follow Yan Ke already."


    "Your friends?"


    "Yes!"


    1. Frequently.

 Chapter 591: Sneaky

    <h4>Chapter 591: Sneaky</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    kk was eating a hamburger in the car and listening to the "broadcast" intently. The sound of the window getting knocked on scared him. He turned to look over and found it was Chen Shi.


    kk opened the car door and Chen Shi sat inside. A man''s voice came over the radio. "Okay, I¡¯ll hand over the materials on Friday. Thank you for your notice."


    "What is this?" Chen Shi asked.


    "He¡¯s calling."


    "Who is ¡®he¡¯?"


    "That teacher whocks virtue. Didn''t you tell me to follow him? I put a bug in his bag! When I brushed past him, I stuffed it in. Haha, aren¡¯t I awesome?"


    "You really do anything you please! Eavesdropping is illegal, you know?"


    "I know. Does he dare to sue us though?"


    "Why wouldn¡¯t he dare? The more people who roam free from their crimes, the more they know how to use thew." Chen Shi shook his head. "Find an opportunity to take the bug back. Don''t be found. Otherwise, it would be adverse evidence."


    kk said indifferently, "You don''t have any favorable evidence to begin with. Wasn''t this guy unable to be prosecuted after killing someone? I''m helping you!"


    Cao Rui¡¯s appearance at the time of his death was still vivid, which made Yan Ke¡¯s impunity hit Chen Shi really hard. He sighed, "The bug will need to be removed as soon as possible. If you want to eavesdrop, tell me next time! By the way, since you want to eavesdrop, why don¡¯t you eavesdrop on Zhou Tiannan?"


    "I really wanted to. I installed one in his house before but it was found. I¡¯ve been to his house three or four times and found nothing. The old thief is too treacherous."


    "Are there any leads from Yan Ke¡¯s side?"


    "No, but I saw him go to the hardware store yesterday and sneak out with a bag."


    The two sat quietly for a while. kk said, "Brother Chen, I read the newspaper. This case has made you troubled again, right? Would you like me to kill Zhou Tiannan? The police can justly search his home."


    Chen Shi made a "pay attention to me" gesture and said, "Walking over thew is one thing, but don''t even think about breaking thew!"


    "Just saying... Haii... if I had superpowers, that would be great. I would make this guy disappear and all the troubles would be over!¡±


    Chen Shi nced at his phone. Lin Dongxue had sent a message, "We¡¯ve arrested the ck hat man."


    Chen Shi patted kk on the shoulder. "I have something to do. You can let me know if anythinges up."


    Arriving at the bureau, the ck hat man was sitting in the interrogation room without saying a word. Chen Shi asked, "Where did you catch him?"


    "When Xiaodong investigated thest few suspects, he found this man sneaking around nearby, and arrested him."


    "Great! Xiaodong has made great merits!"


    "This guy is very tight-lipped. We still don''t know what his name is!"


    In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu mmed on the table angrily and asked, "Name! upation!"


    The man said disdainfully, "What did I do? Why did you arrest me?"


    "We suspect that you were involved in Qu Jing¡¯an''s death." Lin Qiupu took out the photos and pointed at it. "You want to say that this isn¡¯t you?"


    The man sneered, "Drinking a cup of coffee breaks thew?!"


    "You¡¯re still acting? A few people who met with you were directly involved in the murder n. Do you want to say that you¡¯re innocent?"


    The man shrugged. "Speak reasonably, okay? For example, I said a few words to the driver in a car. The next day, the driver killed someone. Then this matter needs to be med on me?... What¡¯s wrong with having coffee with friends?¡±


    "Friends? Are you friends with these people?"


    "Inte friends!" he said obstinately.


    "Hard as a dead duck¡¯s beak[1]!" Lin Dongxue sighed. She turned around and saw a police officer from the forensics department hade and asked, "Little Zhou, did you find out his identity?"


    "I found it through his fingerprints. His name is Zhang Wei. He was suspected of killing his wife to scam insurance...


    "Let me guess. There was ack of evidence and he was acquitted?" Chen Shi said.


    Little Zhou said, "Yes, there was insufficient evidence! I¡¯ll give the report to Captain Lin." Then, he walked into the interrogation room.


    Chen Shi said, "I think this man has also received ¡®benefits¡¯. He¡¯s not the murderer behind the scenes, but a message ryer, and he won¡¯t say anything. If Zhou Tiannan can ask them to do things, it means he has something he¡¯s holding over them."


    No matter how Lin Qiupu interrogated, the man didn¡¯t say anything and was finally sent to the detention center first. Lin Qiupu asked someone to search Zhang Wei''s house. Chen Shi felt that this was useless as there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence there.


    "You have to investigate it even if it''s useless. We finally caught a suspect and it wasn¡¯t easy." Lin Qiupu said. "By the way, Qu Jingli''s contract signing location is set tomorrow. It¡¯s in his newlypletedpany building. We¡¯ll take people to guard there at night. Don''t let suspicious people go in again."


    "The police decided to protect Qu Jingli?" Chen Shi asked.


    "We already know that Zhou Tiannan wants to take action against those brothers, so we can''t just watch him get killed!"


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and other police officers went to the scene. The building was justpleted and hadn¡¯t been officially opened, so the whole building was empty. The person who managed the building showed them to Chief Qu¡¯s office. Some office facilities had already been put inside.


    Chen Shi asked the police to drive their cars away, and the crowd squatted in the building to wait. The whole process was boring. Chen Shi kept yawning. Suddenly, there was contact made from hispanions via radio, "Suspicious person found!"


    "Describe them!" Chen Shi said.


    "It''s a man with a bag in his hand. They have a suspicious look... He took wire cutters out of the bag. Do you want to arrest him?"


    Chen Shi thought about whether or not to do so. The gang didn¡¯t have any contact with each other, and arresting one of them wouldn¡¯t leak it to the others. He said, "Catch him!"


    When Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi hurried over, the man was already subdued and yelling on the ground. He had a bag beside him with tools such as wire cutters, wrenches, other tools, and a receiver.


    Chen Shi yelled, "Who told you toe?!"


    The man was terrified and responded, "A man in a ck hat."


    "What did he ask you to do?"


    "Connect... Connect this to the wires."


    "This one?"


    "Yes, I don''t know anything else."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I will take this guy away first and take that thing back for identification."


    "I¡¯ll apany you."


    The two escorted the person back to the office, and the receiver was taken apart to see that there was a fuse link with electric holders at both ends. Looking at this structure, it would melt as soon as the signal was received, and then the power supply would get cut off.


    This device seems to be designed to cut off power at the scene, but with the tip of the iceberg alone, it was impossible to judge Zhou Tiannan''s scheme.


    At that time, the colleagues who stayed in the building called and expressed excitement, "We arrested another suspicious guy and found a detonator on him!"


    "What?" Lin Dongxue was shocked. "It doesn¡¯t have a fuse line or explosives?"


    "Only the detonator."


    Chen Shi pondered, "Zhou Tiannan intends toe up with a bigmotion and get a bomb to kill Qu Jingli at the scene."


    Lin Dongxue frowned. "How many people would die?!"


    1. Used to describe stubborn people.

 Chapter 592: Crisis-ridden

    <h4>Chapter 592: Crisis-ridden</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    That night, the police arrested a total of four suspicious people. They were all assigned small missions. From the current situation, it seemed that Zhou Tiannan intended to use a bomb to kill Qu Jingli. However, the most critical thing, the bomb, had never appeared.


    It was 11:00 in the middle of the night. Lin Dongxue said, "Let''s go back first. It will be the signing ceremony tomorrow morning and we¡¯ll have to be extremely alert."


    Chen Shi stared at the empty street around. "I was thinking that it went too smoothly this time. Zhou Tiannan''s scheme was so easy to disassemble? Would he have a back-up n, or is this simply just a guise?"


    "Haha, you¡¯re thinking too much. You¡¯re worried about the case going smoothly? Zhou Tiannan isn¡¯t a god. Last time, we just allowed him to seed through a loophole. This time, he won¡¯t seed."


    "I hope so!"


    Back at home, Chen Shi found that kk had sent a few text messages to him reporting that Yan Ke went to the building at night, turned around, and walked away. Chen Shi thought that Yan Ke should have been rmed and didn¡¯t deliver himself into the trap.


    ording to the current situation, Zhou Tiannan''s scheme was finished. But was it really that simple?


    Chen Shi''s mood was very conflicted. He hoped to stop Zhou Tiannan smoothly, but also wanted to see what earth-shattering ns he coulde up with.


    That night, he didn''t sleep well and dreamed that Qu Jingli had been shot in the head at the signing ceremony. When he woke up, it was already dawn. He had breakfast with Tao Yueyue and Tao Yueyue went back in the house to watch TV. Chen Shi asked, "Aren''t you going to school?"


    "It¡¯s the weekend!"


    "Oh yes, I forgot."


    "Do you have an important case to handle today? Can I go with you?"


    "Well, not today. Next time!"


    Chen Shi went directly to the location of the signing ceremony. At 8:00 in the morning, a lot of cars had already parked there. Lin Dongxue and the others were already in ce. The police were all dressed in in clothes to patrol nearby. When Chen Shi came, Lin Dongxue said, "No suspicious personnel were found. It would be nice if it was peaceful the whole time."


    "Oh, are we continuing the investigation on Dahong Group?"


    "The economic officers are still following up on that. I heard that some new clues have emerged. They found evidence of economic crimes in Qu Jing¡¯an''sputer, but he¡¯s already dead..."


    "I think this is the younger brother trying to shirk the me. There is nothing more convenient than making a dead person the scapegoat."


    "We all know this, but the evidence is perfect. If we go on like this, Qu Jingli should still be able to hold the position of chief executive officer... If he is still alive after today!"


    "If he is still alive?!" Chen Shi was reminded and began to consider another possibility.


    Lin Dongxue''s walkie-talkie sounded as a colleague said, "Dongxue, there¡¯s a suspicious man taking photos across the street. Have a look."


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    Opposite of them was a hotel. The two of them found the room and pushed the door in. A man holding a high-resolution digital camera was frightened and hid in the bathroom. Lin Dongxue shouted, "Come out. What are you doing?!"


    "Rep... reporter!" the man said in fear.


    "Certificate!"


    The man couldn''t take one out. Chen Shi checked the camera and whispered to Lin Dongxue, "This guy¡¯s good. He found all our people... Who are you showing your photos to?"


    The man shivered and took out aptop. All the photos were sent to an ount through a social software. The other party''s information was empty.


    "Who told you to do this?" Chen Shi asked.


    "A man. I don''t know what he''s called."


    "What characteristics were there?"


    "He wore a ck hat the day we met."


    "Sure enough!" Chen Shi said, "I guess you know Zhou Tiannan?"


    When he heard the name, the man panicked and shook his head desperately. "Don''t know. Don''t know!"


    "Don''t pretend... Dongxue, take him away! In addition, I would like to inform everyone to change their clothes as much as possible. They¡¯ve already been exposed."


    Lin Dongxue cuffed the man and Chen Shi stood next to the window to look down. There were over 20 police officers here today, and there were 60 guards for Qu Jingli. The fire protection equipment, elevator, power supply, and surveince cameras at the scene were all guaranteed to be fine. Could Zhou Tiannan really seed amidst such precautions?


    At this time, Qu Jingli left the building under the protection of everyone and was ready to get in the car. Chen Shi asked, "Why is he leaving? Dongxue, you stay here. I will go down and have a look first!"


    Chen Shi rushed down. Lin Qiupu in his casual wear stopped Qu Jingli, who was about to get into the car. He asked, "Mr. Qu, why did you suddenly change the location?"


    Qu Jingli said helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to either! Zpany representatives are worried that the ce I arranged isn¡¯t safe. They¡¯ve asked me to sign at his current hotel.¡±


    "It''s not safe here? We spent two days rigorously arming preventative measures and arranging so many people. If you want to move the location now, wouldn''t the police be put in a passive situation?"


    "I didn''t ask you to protect me. It was you guys who just had toe."


    Qu Jingli pushed Lin Qiupu away, went straight into the car, and ordered the driver, "Drive!"


    Seeing these cars driving away, Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth in anger. "Why can''t he just stay here and be protected by us?" Then, he informed everyone to hurry up and keep up with them.


    On the way, the bodyguards¡¯ cars escorted Qu Jingli''s car on either side, followed by police cars. Chen Shi smiled while driving. "This is such a big disy!"


    After driving for half an hour, a truck suddenly rushed out of the intersection from west to east, almost hitting the car in front. Lin Qiupu ordered Xu Xiaodong over the radio to get down and take a look. Xu Xiaodong drove to stop the truck and replied, "It¡¯s a driver who drove while being too exhausted."


    "Subdue them!"


    When they were about to arrive at the hotel, Chen Shi heard a buzzing sound above his head. Many people looked up and saw a drone approaching Qu Jingli''s car. Lin Qiupu was alert and called Qu Jingli to tell him to quickly stop the car.


    At this moment, the drone exploded, and the windshields of several vehicles were destroyed by the explosive debris. Several police cars rear-ended other cars and the vehicles in front were frightened and immediately fled.


    "Chen Shi, you keep up. Don''t let him out of your sight!" Lin Qiupu instructed.


    "Understood!"


    Fortunately, his driving skills were top-notch. Chen Shi didn¡¯t collide with other cars. He immediately elerated to catch up with Qu Jingli while Lin Qiupu stayed to deal with the mess. Lin Dongxue asked, "The explosion of the drone just now wasn¡¯t enough to be fatal?"


    "I think the man who manipted it was just doing it to cut off the team so that Qu Jingli would be an easier target."


    Chen Shi stared at the car in front of him without blinking and continued to maintain his alertness. Suddenly, Qu Jingli''s car stopped and Qu Jingli ran out in panic, shouting, "Police! Police! Hurry and protect me!"


    Without a word, he opened Chen Shi''s car door and sat inside, trembling.


    It turned out that his driver suddenly foamed in the mouth and had probably been poisoned. The sessive "idents" made Qu Jingli no longer able to put up a front. Chen Shi said, "The signing ceremony should be suspended. You also see that someone wants to kill you. There¡¯s nothing more important than your life.¡±


    "No, I have to sign a contract today. In order to cooperate with Zpany, we have paved the way for three full years. How can we just give up?!"


    Chen Shi stared at his eyes. "Are you still not going to tell the truth right now? Have you received any murder notices?"


    Qu Jingli was already like a wounded bird. He nodded. "Zhou Tiannan sent out word saying that he was going to kill us brothers!"


    1. Can also mean growing crisis.

 Chapter 593: Success

    <h4>Chapter 593: Sess</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Qu Jingli took out his cell phone and yed a recording of the phone call. The voice of the person who called was processed.


    "Qu Brothers, I haven''t seen you for a long time. What you owe me should be paid now. I will arrange an impressive gift for you!"


    "Hey, hey, who are you? Zhou Tiannan?"


    The content of the call was just these two sentences. Qu Jingli said nervously, "A few days before the signing ceremony, we received this call. We knew that Zhou Tiannan was going to get revenge on us. I didn¡¯t expect that my brother would really die!"


    Talking about it, Qu Jingli cried while covering his face.


    "Revenge? So, you offended him?" Chen Shi asked.


    Aware that he let something slip, Qu Jingli shook his head desperately. "I don''t know anything. Everything was done by my brother."


    "Till when do you want to keep secrets? When thepany''s shareholders disappeared one after another, it was when the serial killer under the pseudonym "Zhou Xiao" was most rampant. The police didn¡¯t have enough resources so those missing persons cases were overlooked just like that... The person who helped you two firmly sit in this position was Zhou Tiannan. He asked for the repayment, right? You didn¡¯t pay it? Or was it not as he intended?!"


    Qu Jingli''s nervous expression had already exposed his heart. Of course, these truths may directly send him to prison, so he desperately shook his head. "It''s not like this. It''s not like this. We haven''t done anything like hiring murders."


    "Save it. Based on Zhou Tiannan''s character, being able to n such a sensational murder, he definitely hates you guys."


    Qu Jingli was covered in cold sweat and took out a bottle of eye drops. He was about to drip them when Chen Shi grabbed his hand. Qu Jingli frowned. "I have dry eye syndrome. I take these eye drops around with me."


    Chen Shi carefully inspected it and opened it to smell it. Only then did he give it back to Qu Jingli. He dripped his eye drops into his eyes and said, "Please send me to the hotel where the Zpany is located. The signing ceremony must go on. This is my brother¡¯s long-cherished wish. It has to be done no matter the price."


    Unable to stand up to Qu Jingli''s pleading, Chen Shi told Lin Qiupu and Lin Qiupu agreed to continue.


    At this time, the poisoned driver had been taken away by the ambnce. Several other vehicles followed Chen Shi''s car and escorted Qu Jingli the whole way.


    After finallying to the hotel, Chen Shi saw that many reporters were already at the scene. He asked, "How could the news have already been leaked to the media?"


    "I don''t know. They may have been contacted by the Zpany. They¡¯re doing projects In China for the first time and want to use the media to build momentum."


    The reporters saw Qu Jingli and rushed over to surround him. Chen Shi quickly got out of the car and prevented anyone from approaching him. The bodyguards also ran over to maintain order. Amidst the mess, Chen Shi made eye contact with a set of eyes. That person was Yan Ke.


    Yan Ke turned away sneakily and walked away. Chen Shi handed Qu Jingli to the bodyguard and pushed aside the crowd. Yan Ke actually wore reporter''s clothes and ran away when the situation was bad.


    The two crossed the road. Chen Shi chased after him and threw him to the ground. Yan Ke desperately said, "I didn''tmit anything. Don''t catch me."


    "Why did you run? Who told you toe!"


    "I..."


    Lin Dongxue came and saw this "acquaintance". She sneered, "We meet again."


    "What is the task assigned to you by Zhou Tiannan?!" Chen Shi demanded.


    "Who¡¯s Zhou Tiannan?" Yan Ke pretended to be confused.


    "You¡¯re still pretending? You work at the same school. How could you not know him?"


    "Even if we¡¯re in the same school, we usually don''t talk!"


    Yan Ke wouldn¡¯t tell the truth no matter what. Chen Shi escorted him to the car. Lin Dongxue''s handcuffs had already handcuffed the man who was taking photos, so they stood beside the car and watched him.


    Lin Qiupu had already arrived. Qu Jingli entered the hotel safely and was shaking hands with representatives of the Zpany. There seemed to be no safety at the scene anymore[1].


    Chen Shi felt uneasy and called kk, "Didn''t I tell you to monitor Yan Ke? How did hee to the hotel?"


    kk seemed like he hadn¡¯t woken up yet, yawning, "Brother Chen, I need to sleep. You should know that I only get up at ten every morning. How can I monitor him for twenty-four hours? I''m not made of iron."


    "Did he exhibit any suspicious behavior yesterday?"


    "No... wait, he seemed to receive a couriered parcel."


    Chen Shi looked in the car. Yan Ke''s expression was calm. He was wearing a uniform for a media reporter and was also wearing a reporter''s licence.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ll take him to the bureau first."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Leave it along with your driving skills. Monitor the scene first. We¡¯ll deal with this guyter."


    Chen Shi called a bodyguard to watch Yan Ke and entered the hotel with Lin Dongxue. The signing ceremony went ahead smoothly. At the press conference, the people invited to the site had their identities verified. There were also bodyguards and police guarding all around.


    Time passed by and the press conference finally ended. The reporters left the scene one after another. Qu Jingli took out the bottle of eye drops and dripped a bit more into his eyes. Then he talked with the representative with a smile, when he suddenly twitched and fell to the ground from his chair. The reporters who were leaving rushed back in.


    "Stop!" Lin Qiupu yelled, stepping forward to check on Qu Jingli''s condition, only to see him foaming in his mouth. His body was twitching and he had bloodshot eyes. His breath stopped under everyone¡¯s gaze.


    Chen Shi was stunned when the bottle of eye drops dropped in front of him. Lin Dongxue said, "Yan Ke just approached him to change the eye drops!"


    "It''s impossible. When Yan Ke appeared just now, there was a person between me and him. Besides, he¡¯s just a teacher. He doesn¡¯t have this skill."


    Qu Jingli only had this bottle of eye drops in his jacket pocket. Until the scene waspletely controlled, Chen Shi was still immersed in deep surprise. How had Zhou Tiannan do it? Only through a batch of untrained, ordinary people, how could he have adjusted the eye drops under the eyes of everyone?


    In the afternoon, Yan Ke was taken to the interrogation room for interrogation. When he came here for the second time, he looked around and sneered, "I didn''t expect toe here for the second time this month."


    Lin Qiupu scolded softly, "What did Zhou Tiannan ask you to do?"


    "I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about."


    Lin Qiupu took out the photo, which showed that he was in a coffee shop with a man in a ck hat that day. Yan Ke shrugged his shoulders and refused to talk.


    "This time, there¡¯s nowyer to help you. You still don''t understand? The other party treats you as a piece they can abandon, but you¡¯re still thinking you¡¯re repaying them like a fool?¡±


    "..."


    "How do you exin the reporter''s clothes and reporter''s license on you?"


    "Someone sent it to me yesterday."


    "Who?"


    "I don¡¯t know!"


    "What is your mission?"


    Yan Ke spread his hands. "Put these clothes on and go to the scene."


    "That''s it?"


    "That''s it. What do you expect me to have done? You want me to bear the murder charge?"


    After the interrogation ended, Yan Ke was temporarily detained. Lin Qiupu said in frustration, "I didn''t expect him to be so tight-lipped."


    Chen Shi said, "I think this matter is a bit strange. Zhou Tiannan wouldn¡¯t arrange for a person to kill people directly, and because of Yan Ke''s ability, he can''t do it either."


    "Did you really not see anything at the time?"


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he was asked about it. Chen Shi shook his head. "I''m sure he didn''t switch the eye drops. The eye drops were also checked by me beforehand. What did Old Peng say?"


    "Only Qu Jingli''s own fingerprints were on it."


    Lin Dongxue ran over, holding a document in her hand. ¡°Qu Jingli recently sent a huge sum of money to an overseas ount. The other party immediately withdrew it after receiving the money.¡±


    "How much?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Forty million!"


    1. The author wrote ¡°no safety¡± at the scene anymore, but I assume this would be ¡°no danger¡± instead. However, I¡¯m leaving it as is just in case it serves a purpose down the line.

 Chapter 594: Secret Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 594: Secret Scheme</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the evening, everyone sat around the conference table without eating or drinking. Everyone was immersed in today''s failure.


    "The defense was so strict, but Zhou Tiannan still seeded!" Lin Qiupu sighed.


    Old Zhang said, "I think Zhou Tiannan''s original n was dismantled by us. He spontaneously arranged Yan Ke to switch the poisoned eye drops and chucked him out as a scapegoat."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I¡¯ve said it a thousand times. It wasn¡¯t switched by Yan Ke. I¡¯m certainly not defending him. I hate Yan Ke more than you guys, but the fact is the fact. Besides, Yan Ke just escaped legal sanctions. Would he do a task that would put him in jail? The tasks assigned to these people by Zhou Tiannan must all look harmless so that they¡¯d be willing to perform them."


    "That''s not necessarily the case!" Lin Qiupu argued, "Didn¡¯t we specte that Zhou Tiannan holds something over all these people? He could have threatened Yan Ke to poison the victim."


    "Yan Ke is a coward. If he really falls into this dilemma, he would run away."


    "Why did Zhou Tiannan arrange such a meaningless task then?" Lin Qiupu said.


    Old Zhang said, "It''s not meaningless. Didn¡¯t the appearance of Yan Ke lead Old Chen away? Maybe a second person took advantage of this opportunity... Could it be someone from the bodyguards?"


    "Impossible. We¡¯ve verified the identities of the bodyguards before and after. They belong to the samepany and know each other. The chances of mixing in with them by wearing a bodyguard uniform is impossible in reality."


    Lin Dongxue said, "But it¡¯s feasible to pretend to be a reporter. The reporters don''t know each other and most of the sponsors don''t know them... I think the real murderer was among the reporters."


    Lin Qiupu came up with a list. "I¡¯ve written down all the reporters at the scene. We¡¯ll verify them one by one!"


    Chen Shi said, "Why did Qu Jingli have to pay?"


    "That money isn¡¯t necessarily Zhou Tiannan''s. Theirpany has a lot of ount expenditures. It may be other expenses." Lin Qiupu said.


    "I''ll check out the crime scene!"


    "I¡¯ll go too!" Lin Dongxue said.


    The two went to the scene of the incident during the day. The hotel had already returned to a state of peace. Chen Shi parked the car nearby and stared at the hotel entrance for a long time. Lin Dongxue said, "There wouldn¡¯t be any clues here, right? Would you like to go in?"


    "No, I was thinking... after the first murder, the police would surely guess his method. It would have been almost impossible for Zhou Tiannan to seed with the same technique. How did he do it?"


    "The key is still in the bottle of eye drops."


    At this time, the hotel was clearing out the garbage. Chen Shi walked over and said a few words to the staff, and they left behind arge bag of garbage.


    He found an area that didn¡¯t affect traffic, dumped the garbage out, and looked inside. Lin Dongxue didn''t know what he was looking for, but still helped to find it together.


    Suddenly, Chen Shi saw something. He put on his gloves to pick it up and showed it to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "Identical eye drops?"


    Chen Shi opened it and sniffed it. "I¡¯m guessing it''s the same bottle... I may know the trick. Apany me to a ce."


    Chen Shi''s mind was filled with the case. He drove the car to a ce where Lin Dongxue had never been to before. Lin Dongxue asked where they were. Chen Shi pointed to the housingmunity. "Zhou Tiannan''s house!"


    "You came to his house to confront him?!"


    "This is the only way to figure it out. I will record it."


    "No, I¡¯ll go with you!"


    Chen Shi hesitated for a few seconds and thought about seeing Zhou Tiannan alone. If something happened, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it properly, but he was afraid that Zhou Tiannan would let it be known that he was Song Lang.


    After hesitating again and again, Chen Shi agreed.


    Arriving at the door of Zhou Tiannan''s house, Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi''s hand. Chen Shi whispered, "He¡¯s not a monster or anything, don''t be afraid."


    "Must you verify this way?"


    "We have no evidence to arrest him formally, but private visits are okay... Actually, I¡¯ve been here a few times before."


    The door finally opened. Zhou Tiannan saw the two people outside the door and smiled slightly. He was wearing loose home clothes with a cigar in his hand. There seemed to be a guest in the house.


    This was not the first time Lin Dongxue had seen him. She had seen the photos before. When Yan Ke was involved in the case, she also met him at the school. However, in the face of this evil man where thew couldn¡¯t help, she was still inexplicably nervous.


    "What wind blew you two here?" Zhou Tiannan asked with a smile.


    "Let''s talk!"


    Lin Dongxue nced inside the house. There was a charming woman who was eating with Zhou Tiannan. This was probably what his men regrly arranged to "serve" him. Zhou Tiannan said towards the house, "I have to talk to the police. Be right back."


    "My dear, don''t make me wait too long," the woman said charmingly.


    "Your girlfriend?" Chen Shi asked intentionally.


    "What''s wrong? Can''t I have a private life as a teacher?... Ms. Lin, we meet again. You¡¯re still so beautiful." Zhou Tiannan held out a hand. Lin Dongxue hesitated and then ignored him.


    Zhou Tiannan closed the door and walked with them to the balcony at the end of the corridor. He leaned on the iron railing and smoked his cigar leisurely. "Please tell me about what¡¯s happening!"


    "Your killing tactics are really brilliant." Chen Shi said straightforwardly.


    "Isn¡¯t Mr. Chen''s thinking a bit too creative? I don''t understand what you¡¯re talking about."


    "I know how Qu Jingli died. He killed himself!"


    "Oh?"


    "I don¡¯t know what you have to do with the Qu brothers, but I can be sure that you wanted to get rid of them. You issued a killing notice. At this time, the police were also investigating the Dahong Group. Qu Jingli was terrified. He knew your ability. Whoever you wanted to die would die! Qu Jingli contacted you and expressed his willingness to pay for his own life. You pretended to agree to this transaction, so you nned the death of Qu Jing¡¯an. As soon as he died, Qu Jingli became the chief executive officer and took over the entirepany.¡±


    "But the drama wasn¡¯t over yet. You told Qu Jingli that if he didn''t want to be suspected by the police, he should cooperate with you. You arranged a fewpletely unaware people to pretend to go to the scene, deliberately letting the police see through it, as if posturing that you wanted to kill Qu Jingli. In fact, you had already given Qu Jingli a bottle of poisoned eye drops prior. You told him that this was a bitter n where he had to poison himself. The amount of poison wasn¡¯t much. He¡¯d be poisoned but he wouldn¡¯t die. That way, the police would think they had sessfully stopped your murder n. Qu Jingli could also live on and you¡¯d get the money...¡±


    "But in fact, you gave him enough poison to kill him. You arranged Teacher Yan, who didn¡¯t know of the n at the scene, and made him act as a reporter to approach Qu Jingli. Yan Ke didn¡¯t do anything. Qu Jingli did as nned and poisoned himself, killing himself! When he arrived at the venue, he threw away the bottle I checked, took out the poisonous bottle, and ced it in his pocket. Then, he chose a suitable opportunity to perform the trick."


    When saying these words, Chen Shi had been observing Zhou Tiannan''s reaction. The slight expression on his face was enough. Chen Shi was convinced that his reasoning was correct.

 Chapter 595: Fall

    <h4>Chapter 595: Fall</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening to Chen Shi¡¯s speech, Zhou Tiannan took a leisurely drag of his cigar and smiled. ¡°Mr. Chen should really switch to writing a novel. That spontaneous story you made up is so interesting. I wouldn¡¯t mind if you use my name in the story, but If it¡¯s true, I will sue you for nder."


    "Actually, you don''t need to say anything. I already know the answer. It¡¯s just a pity that it was in my hindsight. I¡¯m not as great as Mr. Zhou."


    "Did you know? I hate the act of going back on one¡¯s words..." Zhou Tiannan''s eyes showed a fierce light, as if to imply his motivation behind killing the Qu brothers.


    "The Qu Brothers went against their word? They asked you to help them sit in the chief executive officer position, but they didn¡¯t give you the promisedpensation, did they?"


    Zhou Tiannan shook his head and sneered before looking at Lin Dongxue. "Miss Lin, I have something to say to you. As the saying goes, you may know the person for a long time, but you don¡¯t know their true nature. Even if you spend time with them every day, you may not know their secrets.¡±


    Lin Dongxue knew that there was something hidden in his words, but she was still confused. Chen Shi said, "Zhou Tiannan, do you think that luck will be with you every time?"


    "You¡¯re wrong. I never believe in luck. I only believe in hard work and talent. In fact, you¡¯re also very talented, but you haven¡¯t used it."


    "Evil reaps evil karma. You will pay the price!"


    "I won¡¯t send you two off. I still have something to do." Zhou Tiannan smiled. "If you want to meet next time, please let me know in advance. Although I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen, I don''t want to be disturbed by the police so much."


    Chen Shi stared at his eyes. The confrontation this time failed again, which made him discouraged.


    Leaving the building, Lin Dongxue asked, "How could you tell?"


    "Tell what?"


    "Qu Jingli poisoned himself?"


    "I was watching when he was dripping eye drops into his eyes at that time. I recalled that his hand seemed to be shaking. Also, Yan Ke repeatedly said that he was just approaching and didn''t do anything. His expression didn¡¯t seem like he was lying."


    "In the end, Yan Ke and the others couldn¡¯t be arrested. Two people died, but no one was held responsible for it!"


    Chen Shi looked back. Zhou Tiannan smiled and waved at the balcony by the house on that floor. Chen Shi threw him a vicious look and turned to leave.


    "Song Lang, you¡¯re excellent, but after all, you¡¯re only a mortal, and you can''t fight God!" Zhou Tiannan muttered to himself. The cigar in his hand had been finished. He extinguished it on the iron railing and threw it away. He was ready to go back into the house to celebrate the victory. When he turned around, he found that a person was standing behind him and he didn¡¯t have time to react when the other person pushed heavily on his chest. He fell off of the balcony backwards.


    A scream broke the tranquility within the housingmunity. At this time, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had already gotten to the front entrance and ran back immediately. When they saw the person on the ground, Chen Shi was shocked as if he had seen an alien. How could it be that the viin who was still high and mighty in thest moment was now lying on the flower bed with his neck broken and blood seeping from his mouth?


    "Hurry and call 120!" shouted the onlookers in the housing district.


    Chen Shi walked over, took Zhou Tiannan''s hand, and questioned, "Who did it?!"


    Zhou Tiannan opened his mouth with difficulty and said a few words in his ear. "Song Lang... You¡¯re really..." Then, his breath stopped as his head went limp.


    Chen Shi stood up and was immersed in indescribable astonishment. He looked up. Ironically, Zhou Tiannan just fell from the third floor. He once fell from the sixth floor and didn¡¯t die. That was the starting point of his craze. Now, it ended with a fall.


    The police who rushed over afterwards cordoned off and started investigating the scene. The woman in Zhou Tiannan''s house came from a high-end club. She waspletely unaware and was terrified. She left her contact information down and the police let her go.


    After confirming Zhou Tiannan''s death, his body was put into a bag and sent to a police car. Everyone''s surprise was beyond description. Lin Qiupu said, "I didn¡¯t think that I would investigate such a murder one day. Chen Shi,e here!"


    "How many times do I have to say it? When he fell, Dongxue and I were downstairs." Chen Shi had already been asked until he was impatient.


    "Why did youe to find him?"


    "I wanted to debunk his murdering technique. I had already told Dongxue about this and she was by my side the whole time.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was very helpless. "Did you see any suspicious peopleing in?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I¡¯ll take my leave first. I have a headache!"


    On the way back alone, Chen Shi was in aplicated mood. Of course, he hoped that Zhou Tiannan would have retribution, but not in this way. His death would definitely cause a vicious circle.


    Thinking about it, he called Gu You and asked, "Where are you right now?"


    "At home!"


    "I''lle to you!"


    No trace of the murderer was found at the scene. Zhou Tiannan fell with his back to the ground. The ground was very dry. Lin Qiupu thought that someone pushed him down, but the surveince only caught Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue walking in.


    Lin Qiupu suddenly had a thought. It wouldn¡¯t have been Chen Shi who pushed Zhou Tiannan down in a fit of rage during the conversation, right? Lin Dongxue had such a good rtionship with him and would definitely cover up for him.


    In order to make it clear, he called Lin Dongxue alone to the car. He carefully observed her expression, and asked, "When the fall urred, you and Chen Shi had already reached the front entrance of themunity?"


    "Yeah, the security guard can testify to this. The security guard came rushing over afterwards... You¡¯re not suspecting us, right? We wouldn''t do this kind of thing!"


    Lin Qiupu took her hand and asked, "Are you sure Chen Shi didn¡¯t do anything?"


    "What are you saying?! Are you doubting him? You still don''t know his character?"


    "But we don''t know his past. It¡¯s possible for such a smart man to n a perfect murder. You¡¯re just being used by him to provide evidence of his alibi."


    Lin Dongxue withdrew his hand. "Brother, I swear it wasn''t him! How could this murder have been done? Who could push someone downstairs from a different location? There are many people who hate Zhou Tiannan. The family members of the people he killed, and of course, us police. Can you not target and doubt Chen Shi alone?"


    "I¡¯m just... excluding him first. Don''t think too much."


    Lin Dongxue looked out unhappily. The car carrying Zhou Tiannan''s body was driving away. She said, "Isn''t his death a good thing?"


    "Somehow, we can search his home justifiably. Perhaps we can find a lot of criminal evidence and make those in impunity pay the price... But, this spiritual leader is dead, so his men won¡¯t stay still."


    At the same time, Chen Shi brought Gu You to the agency. When he announced the news, everyone was particrly shocked. Chen Shi closed the curtains, closed the door, and sat down. "Who did it?!"


    "No way, right? You¡¯re suspecting us?" kk asked. "Little Worm and I were here the whole time."


    "I''ve been at home the whole time. Theputer usage records and the surveince footage at the housing district can prove it." Gu You said.


    Chen Shi still refused to give up. "I don''t want to arrest you. I just want to know the truth. Anyone in this room can n that kind of murder. I want to know who did it!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions were dazed. It seemed that they hadn¡¯t been there. kk said, "I honestly wish that I did it. Everyone wants Zhou Tiannan to die... Fuck, are you kidding me? Such a powerful person died just like that."


    "Maybe this is retribution!" Gu You said with a small smile.

 Chapter 596: Debt Repayment

    <h4>Chapter 596: Debt Repayment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi returned home in a trance. Tao Yueyue had not gone to sleep yet. She was using Premiere on herputer. Chen Shi asked her what she was doing. She said, "Making a small video for a speech. Small environmental protection experts. It¡¯s a boring activity at school."


    Chen Shi nced at her and smiled. "You¡¯re doing so well. Wouldn¡¯t this make the other children¡¯s unpresentable?"


    "They can learn it too!" Tao Yueyue stared at the screen intently, adjusting the sound source.


    Chen Shi took out some alcohol from the cupboard, poured a ss, and drank half of it in one go. The hot alcohol burned his esophagus and his brain immediately had a paralyzing pleasure. If he didn¡¯t drink a ss, he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep tonight.


    Sometimes, he needed alcohol to slow down his brain, and he unconsciously became infected with the habit of drinking.


    After sitting silently on the sofa for a while, Chen Shi took out a packet of Yuxi which he didn''t want to throw away when he quit smoking. He put one in his mouth, but couldn''t find where the lighter was.


    A me leaned over. Tao Yueyue knelt on the sofa, holding a lighter in her hand.


    Chen Shi lit it and inhaled. Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, are you in a bad mood today?"


    "Something happened."


    "Bad things?"


    "It can''t be said that it¡¯s bad, but the impact was too great... A bad guy died. It was an old opponent. They suddenly died and I should obviously be happy, but my heart is empty."


    "It''s like losing your goal?"


    "Haha, I''m not too sure either."


    Tao Yueyue took out a cigarette and tried to light it. She exhaled and looked at the cigarette. "I don''t know what¡¯s so good about this thing."


    "Ahem, don''t learn this."


    "I didn''t breathe it in my lungs."


    "Let''s put it out together! I shouldn''t smoke."


    Chen Shi took out the ashtray from under the table and the two put out the cigarettes together. Then, Chen Shi threw the remaining packet away. He drank the remaining alcohol in one go. "I¡¯m going to bed. You should go to bed early as well.¡±


    "Uncle Chen!" Tao Yueyue reminded him.


    "That''s right, that¡¯s right." Chen Shi gave her a hug and patted her head. "Show me the video when it¡¯s ready!¡±


    "Be a little happier. I don''t want to see you always frowning." Tao Yueyue whispered.


    Waking up the next morning, Tao Yueyue had already gone to school. Chen Shi neither drove his taxi service nor went to the bureau. He wandered around the housingmunity and ate breakfast. The young people all went to work. Only the old people were walking around on the streets. The sun was nice and it felt like the time had slowed down.


    After eating, he considered where to go next. He suddenly found that he didn''t seem to have a hobby. The way he passed the time was to cook and drink alcohol.


    Today, there seemed to be a movie with good reviews. He was going to watch it alone.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called and asked, "Why haven¡¯t youe in?"


    "Who required me to be there?¡±


    "Don''t you want to investigate Zhou Tiannan''s case?"


    "Why should I? Do I like him very much?"


    "You¡¯re doing this intentionally, right?!"


    "Don''t disturb my rest. I won''t go anywhere today. I''m giving myself a holiday. Are you envious?¡±


    Lin Qiupu angrily hung up the phone. Chen Shi opened the ticket-purchasing software and began to buy his movie ticket.


    A weekter, the case of Zhou Tiannan''s falling from the building hadn¡¯t been resolved, and there were no traces at the scene. If they were talking about the motive, there were too many people who hated him.


    The police searched Zhou Tiannan''s residence for the first time, unlocked hisputer, and found arge amount of criminal evidence of people he had "helped" in it. As expected, he was holding things over everyone.


    All of a sudden, the police were extremely busy and were arresting people every day. Many people, including Yan Ke, were sent to the detention center, waiting for the execution of legal procedures.


    This was good news, but Chen Shi felt that the real storm wasing soon...


    In a basement on October 30th, a bulky man grabbed a woman by her hair and used his fist to punch her face fiercely. The bridge of the woman''s nose was broken, her eyes were full of blood, and her teeth had also fallen out. She cried and begged, "Don''t hit..."


    "Say it! Who pushed the boss downstairs?!" the bulky man shouted.


    "I don''t know... I really don''t know... The police asked me many times... Let me go. I won''t say anything..."


    The pitiful appearance of the woman begging ignited the tyranny in the man''s heart. He punched her face a few more times. The woman originally had a good face, but it was now distorted from the beating.


    There was a man and a woman watching quietly next to them with indifferent looks. The man wearing goggles said, "Old Three[1], don''t just hit the head. If the head is dizzy, the body won¡¯t feel pain.¡±


    The burly man grabbed the woman, mmed her on the ground, and kept stepping angrily on her spine. As he did so, he shouted, "Why didn''t you see?! Why didn''t you see?! You didn''t see, why?!"


    With a crisp click, a pool of feces mixed with blood came from the bottom of the woman, and the man with goggles giggled. "Look at what you did. You broke the spine. I won''t clean up the mess afterwards... Fuck, it¡¯s really stinky."


    "Kill her. It''s useless." The female onlooker said casually.


    The goggles man whistled, took out a needle, and injected it into the woman''s neck. She struggled a few times before dying silently.


    "Who handles the body? Let¡¯s do rock-paper-scissors." The goggles man suggested. The burly man red at him, and he narrowed his neck in fear.


    "Ling Shuang, Xu Fa, the boss is dead. We have to avenge him!"


    "You¡¯re a wanted criminal. Recently, the limelight has been tight. You should stay low-key. Both Xu Fa and I can move around freely. We¡¯ll investigate this matter slowly."


    "No need to investigate!" The burly man wrinkled his nose, his face fierce. "Even if we don''t know who the murderer is, we all know who should pay the price!"


    The three were silent. Their exchanged looks reached a tacit agreement. They had thought of the same person.


    "Starting today, everyone listens to me. Let those people know how amazing we are!"


    "Old Three, we still need to discuss who should lead... I think."


    "Don''t call me ¡®Old Three¡¯. My name is ¡®Zhou Xiao¡¯. From today onwards, I will only use this name. We start with this name and we end with this name!¡± The burly man yelled, his eyes full of the mes of hatred.


    1. Could be inferred as the youngest/person with lowest seniority amongst the three. I don¡¯t know if the other two are considered one and two since I don¡¯t know if there are other characters yet.

 Chapter 597: New Case

    <h4>Chapter 597: New Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 40:Love The House[1]


    ¡°In the barren outskirts, a child¡¯s remains were found. Who could have killed the 10-year-old child so cruelly?


    A kidnapping case shattered the formerly happy and blissful family. The father became terminally ill and the mother bathed her face in tears all day long..


    The police analyzed ityer byyer to find out the truth and discovered an astounding inside story. A wrong encounter a decade ago actually caused today''s tragedy. Behind all this, was it moral distortion or a loss of humanity?!"


    In the conference room, everyone was watching a legal program expressionlessly. The case mentioned was the case of Hao Jie¡¯s mother which had previously been solved by the second team. After the artistic processing of the TV station, apanied by eerie music that tortured the soul and also baffling images, it made everyone¡¯s scalp crawl.


    "Stop, stop, stop!" Lin Qiupu said, "Don¡¯t add random drama for the police, okay? Who came up with those inner monologues? And this entire case-solving process waspletely inconsistent with the facts!"


    The program director said with a smile, "Police officer, this is to add some drama. The audience likes this kind of thing. If it was totally based on the facts, then we simply need to take the case file and read it out. It¡¯s all for the ratings! This case isplicated enough and it also easily arouses sympathy. I believe the response will be good."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you have to add this kind of clich¨¦ every time? What "moral distortion of human nature"? I only find itughable when I hear this sentence now."


    The director shrugged, "Beauty, have you seen Peking Opera? Is Peking Opera realistic? It isn¡¯t! The things on the stage are a little more exaggerated in order to catch people''s attention. The same is true for TV shows. Otherwise, who would watch it? This is the routine. I admit that it¡¯s a bit hackneyed, but if there was no such routine, it¡¯d feel wrong. It¡¯s the same as eating sushi without wasabi. The teacher[2] who wrote the script is very experienced. He¡¯s worked with China Central Television before and there¡¯s no problem with the script."


    "My surname is Lin, not ¡®Beauty¡¯."


    "Okay, Beauty Lin."


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand, "I just want to say one thing. I think that the content you edited is a bit too partial towards Hao Jie''s mother. It seems to imply that the victims were guilty. Since the deceased were a mistress and her illegitimate child, it seems as though Hao Jie¡¯s mother was very innocent. This is very bad. The woman was crazy. We¡¯ve all seen her. She wasn¡¯t so wronged and helpless."


    "We can change this. You only saw the trial broadcast version. Not the official version." The director pretended to ept the suggestion humbly. "Captain Lin, how do you think it looks overall?"


    "Just leave it like that!" Lin Qiupu sighed helplessly. It was just a 20-minute lunchtime legal program. He felt that there was no need for them to take it too seriously since no matter how it was changed, the audience would never know the truth.


    The director seemed to have obtained official permission and was very happy, "By the way, I want to shoot a few more scenes of forensic experiments, human bones, as well as a scene where the police are dispatched. Can you guys put on police uniforms and cooperate with the cameraman for a few shots? I just want to highlight the positive image of the police in Long¡¯an City."


    "You find the source materials yourself. We¡¯re really busy. We still have cases on hand."


    "What?!" The director''s eyes lit up. "Is it a murder case? Can we follow you and film it? We promise not to interfere with your work."


    "Sorry, you cannot be allowed to participate until the case is solved."


    "Then let me talk to the bureau chief. Excuse me, everyone."


    The director brought his team with him to annoy the chief, and the lights in the meeting room were turned on. Today was November 3rd. When the TV station had looked for the chief previously and said that they wanted to shoot a legal program, the chief had agreed. The matter that the higher-ups had casually agreed to made LinQiupu feel very helpless. Reporters and cameramen had been been wandering about in front of them for the past two days.


    "Please bear with it, everyone. The reporters will leave today after finishing it. The higher-ups said that it¡¯s necessary to strengthen the publicity promoting a positive image of the police force. This is a mission. You should cooperate with it." Lin Qiupu said.


    "But you have to tell them not to run into theboratory without asking for permission. Theboratory is a sterile environment. Outsiders can''te in without permission. Today, the reporter also asked which machine was used to photograph DNA." Peng Sijue looked expressionless. He obviously had suffered terribly.


    "The machine used to photograph DNA!" Xu Xiaodong thumped his legs andughed.


    "I appreciate everyone¡¯s hard work. Let''s talk about the case at hand. Father and son were both killed. What progress have you all made?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "The father, Zhang Haichang, operated a pharmacy. His son, Zhang Chao, had just graduated from college and worked in a designpany. Zhang Haichang married another woman after getting divorced. The woman was the ex-wife of a colleague from his previous job. The wife had lent money to her ex-husband behind his back. Due to this, there had been conflict, but it was only a few thousand dors. I don¡¯t think it constituted a motive for murder. The son¡¯s social rtionships were simple. The young man had just graduated. Seeing that the father and son were killed at home, the probability of the murderer going after the father is higher!" Old Zhang reported.


    "Do the wife and the wife''s ex-husband have alibis?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "The wife does, but the wife''s ex-husband does not. I¡¯m still following it up."


    Peng Sijue said, "The autopsy report on my side is out. The father and son had their throats slit open after they were drugged. They had mung bean porridge in their stomachs. The table and stove at the scene had been wiped clean by someone. The drugged food had been taken away. Some fibers were found. It¡¯s suspected that they had fallen from an essory such as a headscarf or a ribbon. The footprints aren¡¯t very clear. The murderer had wrapped the shoes. They were probably size 39."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "The lock at the scene hadn¡¯t been pried open. The murderer may have been an acquaintance. The surveince footage had captured someone who had entered and left the housingmunity before and after the incident. They were well-wrapped up in clothing, wearing a green windbreaker, and the characteristics weren¡¯t clear."


    Lin Qiupu nodded and was about to express his opinion when he turned around and saw the director lying in wait by the door with his eyes shining like a wolf who had seen food. He said, "Wow, both father and son were killed. Captain Lin, can we follow this case?!"


    Seeing the director''s smiling face, Lin Qiupu felt his scalp crawl. "No, this case is still under investigation and cannot be made public."


    "Oh, we''re not a newspaper. We may not use the material immediately even if we film it. Please let us film some scenes! This first-hand material is very precious. You¡¯ve also seen the trial broadcast version just now. It¡¯s not enough to catch people''s attention!"


    "If I say no, it means no!"


    "Then I¡¯ll talk to the chief..."


    They had used this tactic again. Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth with anger and suddenly had a sh of inspiration. "By the way, you haven¡¯t met the person who understands the case of Hao Jie''s mother best. His name is Chen Shi and he handled the whole case."


    "Is Officer Chen here?"


    "He¡¯s not a police officer. He¡¯s a consultant."


    "Wow, the criminal police consultant. That means he¡¯s a master! Where can I find this master?!" The director was excited.


    Lin Qiupu gave them Chen Shi¡¯s contact information and address. They set off immediately, and it felt as though they had lured a dog away with a meaty bone. They finally had peace and quiet. Lin Dongxue whispered to him, "You¡¯re so bad! You¡¯re letting him suffer misfortune on your behalf!"


    "Ever since Zhou Tiannan fell off the building and died, he¡¯s been ying MIA with us, saying something about giving himself a vacation. Let this group of reporters annoy him!" Lin Qiupu smiled naughtily.


    1. Also the first half of the 4 character idiom: Love the house and its crow, which means that there¡¯s involvement with everyone connected.


    2. Expert.

 Chapter 598: Case Analysis

    <h4>Chapter 598: Case Analysis</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone went their own way. Lin Qiupu considered the case while facing the whiteboard full of photos alone in the meeting room. After momentary peace, the director came back and leaned against the door frame. ¡°Captain Lin, the master you talked about isn¡¯t at home.¡±


    "Why wouldn¡¯t he be home?"


    "There was only someone with a fierce attitude who had turned up at the door to collect debts. He even asked us where the person surnamed Chen is. We don''t know either!"


    Lin Qiupu thought that it was most likely Chen Shi ying tricks again. The director noticed the crime scene photos on the whiteboard and ran in excitedly. His eyes gleamed, "Hey, is this the case that you talked about? Wow, they really had their throats cut. Ah! Master cameraman,e in and take a picture. Captain Lin, can we please trouble you to strike a thinking posture against the whiteboard?¡±


    "No, no, you can¡¯t take photos of these!" Lin Qiupu blocked the whiteboard with his body.


    "The chief has asked you guys to fully cooperate with us, so you should cooperate with us. We won¡¯t use these immediately after shooting them. We will censor these bloody photos as well. Please."


    "You really can''t take photos!" Lin Qiupu begged hard, and there was a feeling that he was a schr who had met up with soldiers[1]. Amidst the panic, he redirected the misfortune elsewhere again. "Go to the forensics department. They¡¯re conducting an autopsy. There must be something that you want to shoot there."


    "Let''s take a picture here first!"


    "You can¡¯t do that...¡±


    Lin Qiupu finally got rid of them after a lot of struggle. He quickly collected the information and prepared to go back to the office to hide from them. After opening the door, he found Chen Shi sitting on his chair. "Are you ying with me?! We agreed at the beginning that my name wouldn¡¯t be made public. You actually sent reporters to me?!"


    "Who let you in?"


    "I let myself in!"


    "You¡¯ve been ying MIA so happily these past two days. You¡¯re noting over even though there¡¯s a new case.¡±


    Chen Shi smiled. "Your second team is too dependent on me right now. You used to struggle by yourself previously. You don¡¯t even do that anymore. Captain Lin, if you think you don¡¯t have the skills, just say so clearly. I¡¯ll rush over every time you have a case.¡±


    Lin Qiupu was speechless facing his retort and nced back. The cameraman was collecting source materials everywhere. He closed the door.


    "It''s not like we don¡¯t pay you as a consultant. Your current ie is higher than mine. There¡¯s nothing toin about."


    Chen Shi shrugged. "Okay, okay, thank you for always thinking about giving me the opportunity to make money. By the way, why did you bring in the reporters?"


    "They¡¯re from the TV station. The chief said that he wanted to publicize a positive image of the police. These two days have been a headache and the case hasn¡¯t been solved properly.


    "Let me see!"


    Lin Qiupu handed him the photo, briefly exining the incident. On November 2nd, the police received a report from Anhua District, saying that there was a heavy stench of blood. When they got to the scene, they found a father and son murdered in their home. The cause of death were the slits across their throats. The time of death was presumed to be the night of November 1st.


    The father, Zhang Haichang, had copsed onto the ground. The blood stains extended from the sofa to the floor. He might have been attacked on the sofa, and then rolled off onto the floor in his struggle.


    The son Zhang Chao''s body was in the kitchen. While struggling, he had knocked over a bag of rice and his body was covered with rice.


    No valuables had gone missing from the scene. Zhang Haichang had a bank card with 1.4 million in it on him. ording to his wife, he had nned to buy his son a house with these savings. A key that Zhang Haichang carried with him had been thrown on his body. It was suspected that the murderer had used it previously...


    No fingerprints. No hair. No murderer¡¯s DNA.


    Thiopental sodium had been detected in the bodies of the two. The killer had probably drugged the mung bean porridge that they ate, but the pot that had been filled with porridge was cleaned and the bowls had been taken away.


    ording to Zhang Haichang''s pharmacy staff, his wife had lent money to her ex-husband. Zhang Haichang learned of the matter and quarreled with his wife. The wife ran back to her mother''s house in anger. Zhang Haichang had sent several messages to his wife''s ex-husband asking him to return the money. The ex-husband''s name was Wang Zhenlong. Wang Zhenlong said that they haven''t seen each other recently.


    The borrowed sum wasn¡¯t much. It was only a few thousand. Zhang Haichang''s mobile phone had chat records between the two. Zhang Haichang mainly suspected that he was wearing a green hat because his wife and her ex-husband were still in contact with each other. He angrily rebuked Wang Zhenlong for being in contact with his wife.


    In his counterattack, Wang Zhenlong''s words weren¡¯t very friendly either. He had said, "I¡¯ve already yed with her before. Who would want her?"


    After talking about the whole case, Lin Qiupu found that he had been standing the entire time. Chen Shi was sitting in his office seat and it made him feel like a subordinate who reported to him. "Will you get up?"


    Chen Shi waspletely deaf to this sentence as he considered the case. "So you suspect Wang Zhenlong then?"


    "Anyone would suspect him."


    "Does he have a criminal record?"


    "No, but this person''s character isn¡¯t very good. He often gets into drunken fights and vites discipline. Both he and Zhang Haichang were formerly medical sales representatives. The two have very different personalities. Once, due to dissatisfaction with his superior''s work arrangements, Wang Zhenlong made a dummy on which he had written the name of his superior and hung it on the tree in front of thepany¡¯s entrance. News of this matter spread throughout theirpany. Therefore, Wang Zhenlong was never given an important position, and has remained a lowly salesman for many years. He doesn¡¯t even have a house. On the other hand, Zhang Haichang relied on his ownwork and opened a pharmacy. The business wasn¡¯t bad. After Wang Zhenlong''s wife divorced him, she got together with Zhang Haichang who was a widower. However, there were rumors that the two had hooked up well before the divorce."


    "As long as there¡¯s a homicide, these scandals will always be dug out."


    "Do you think Wang Zhenlong isn¡¯t a suspect?"


    "I don''t know. I wouldn¡¯t know unless I¡¯ve seen him myself. Motive varies from person to person. For some people, losing a single yuan could make them furious, while others could lose 10,000 but not care much about it.¡±


    "I asked Dongxue and Xiaodong to go and meet Wang Zhenlong."


    "I want to see the crime scene. Youe with me!" Chen Shi took the lunch box that had been ced beside him and opened it. It contained char siu pork[2], fried egg and rice. He handed over the chopsticks. "Try it!"


    "What is this?"


    "Char siu."


    "I know it''s char siu."


    "I¡¯ve been idle at home these two days and tried making it ording to a recipe. I originally wanted to give it to Dongxue, but by the time I meet her, it¡¯ll already be cold. Try it for me!¡±


    Lin Qiupu raised his eyebrows and picked up the chopsticks to taste a piece dubiously. He had never eaten anything that Chen Shi had made before. He found that his skills weren¡¯t bad. Chen Shi asked expectantly, "How does it taste?"


    The char siu pork had been roasted until it was soft, the marinade had prated deliciously into the meat, and there was a fragrance of osmanthus. Lin Qiupu said, "Well, for char siu, it¡¯s quite nice, but I don''t really like this kind of sweet meat."


    "Look at you. Just say it if it¡¯s delicious. I¡¯ll leave this box for you."


    "Hey, I don''t want it!"


    Despite his objection, Chen Shi sealed the box and put it in the drawer, saying, "Come on, let¡¯s go to the crime scene!"


    1. It doesn¡¯t matter if reason is on your side if the other party is unreasonable.


    2. AKA Cantonese-style barbeque pork.

 Chapter 599: Unique House

    <h4>Chapter 599: Unique House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they were going out, Lin Qiupu found that the film crew happened to be messing around in the corridor and had gotten a group of policemen to rush out, taking footage of them doing so from various angles. This activity was more grueling than the interviews. Those entangled policemen turned to Lin Qiupu with expressions asking for help.


    Lin Qiupu looked as though he had seen a ghost and made Chen Shi follow him into the basement. They went to the parking lot from the basement. Chen Shi smiled, "The next time you send reporters to me, I¡¯ll expose you as having a sisterplex.¡±


    Lin Qiupu took this seriously, and said after a long time, "Behave like a human being!"


    Lin Qiupu was finally relieved when they drove away from the Public Security Bureau. Lin Qiupu sat in the front passenger seat and after some time, he asked, "You haven¡¯t quarreled with my sister, right?"


    Chen Shiughed loudly.


    "Why are youughing? Is it funny?"


    "I was just thinking that you¡¯d definitely ask about Dongxue after getting into the car, and it came true."


    "Answer my question!"


    "Rx, we have a very good rtionship and we¡¯re very harmonious. We only quarrel over trivial matters and make it up with each other after a few minutes.¡±


    Except for the absence of the corpses, the scene remained basically the same. Numbered signs had been ced on the floor. Chen Shi walked around the house. He went to the kitchen. The kitchen wasn¡¯trge. The blood stains had covered the entire floor. Chen Shi said, "The murderer had washed the drugged pot carefully before theymitted the murder. They were very meticulous and hade prepared.¡±


    Then he returned to the living room and studied the blood-stained sofa, recreating the action of slitting the victim¡¯s throat, and asked, "What was the cutting angle of the wound?"


    "The report says that the incision was nted forty degrees from the midline of the spine, and the cut was very deep. The esophagus and veins were all cut open. It should have been a very sharp knife with some curvature. It might have been a folding knife."


    "That means they had slit the victim¡¯s throat after dragging his head up... It''s cruel to kill by slitting people¡¯s throats. Novices generally can''t do it. The murderer was calm and decisive. They just wanted to kill them, almost without any personal feelings involved. I think they¡¯ve done this before."


    "Serial killings?" Lin Qiupu''s tone was a bit hesitant. Thest thing he wanted toe across as a police officer was indiscriminate killings.


    "Was there such a case before?"


    "I¡¯m not sure. I have sent someone to get the files from the branch office."


    "What was that?" Chen Shi pointed to an empty gap amid the blood stains on the ground. There should have been something left there, which was then taken away, leaving a nk space with square margins.


    "It was a property guide. The deceased intended to buy a house and it had already been brought back for identification."


    "Where''s the house?"


    "It was something like Tiancheng International District. It¡¯s a newly-built real estate development."


    "I heard that the housing prices there are expensive..." Chen Shi nced at the sofa. "Is operating a pharmacy so profitable? So much that they can buy a house and pay in full?"


    Chen Shi looked out of the window and stood there thinking. He said, "The murderer should be someone that the deceased knew. They were invited to the house. They drugged the porridge and left. They stole the deceased''s key and waited for the drug to take effect before they returned to kill and clean up the scene... I haven¡¯t seen such a professional technique for a long time. Was it a hitman? Who would benefit from his death?"


    "Of course it¡¯s the wife. Zhang Chao is not her biological son. If both father and son die, the wife would legitimately gain all of the inheritance, including the pharmacy, property and insurance payout. Perhaps Wang Zhenlong will also get a share."


    "They also had insurance?"


    "Zhang Chao has a life insurance policy, which was bought by Zhang Haichang''s wife two years ago and it has now alreadye into effect."


    "If that¡¯s the case, the wife is definitely the most suspicious..."


    "Old Zhang is now looking for Zhang Haichang''s wife for investigation."


    "It seems that you¡¯ve already sent people to find the targets of suspicion. What am I here to do? Is there something missing?"


    Lin Qiupu came up with a list of the people whom the deceased had contacted before he died. Most of them have been ticked off and he had already sent people to visit them. There was only one number that had not yet been checked. She was a staff member from the housing sales department. She had been responsible for signing the house purchase agreement with the deceased.


    Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go and check it out. You¡¯ve always liked to leave no stone unturned. Don''t miss this blind spot."


    The two went to the sales department of Tiancheng International and asked to see the salesdy named Gong Jianqin, but they didn¡¯t reveal their identities. When the girl politely asked if they hade to buy a house, Chen Shi nodded to say yes.


    "What size are you looking for? Sir, what is your budget? Perhaps I should bring the two of you to see the model house, so that you can have a feel for it before you make a decision." The salesdy had memorized these recited lines long ago. Chen Shi only needed to nod throughout the whole process toplete themunication.


    They arrived at a 120 square meter model house. The whole house had been renovated to be bright and spacious, and the waxed floor shining that they were almost afraid to step on it. It was also fully furnished. Of course, this was just for disy. Customers could buy minimally-renovated or unrenovated houses.


    "How much is this?"


    "One square meter is 13,000 yuan. The full payment is about 2 million, and the minimum down payment is 30%. Therger the down payment is, the higher the discount. It depends on your needs and how much you can afford." The salesdy smiled, exposing a row of white and bright teeth.


    "It¡¯s a bit expensive!"


    "Therefore, it¡¯s generally rmended to pay in instalments. Are you nning to live in it as a couple? How many people will live here? Do you want to look at a smaller apartment?" The salesdy noticed that Chen Shi was hesitating and immediately rmended another opportunity.


    "Ahem!" Lin Qiupu pulled out his badge. "Actually, we¡¯re not here to buy a house. We would like to ask you something."


    "What is it?"


    "You have among your clients a father and son pair surnamed Zhang, don¡¯t you?"


    "Mr. Zhang Haichang?"


    "Yes, have you been to his house recently?"


    "I haven''t. What''s wrong with him?"


    "Actually, he was killed, and we¡¯re investigating the matter now."


    The salesdy covered her mouth in horror. "All the contracts of intent have been signed. What about the house? Will his son buy it?"


    "I''m afraid that won¡¯t be possible. His son is also dead. Both the father and the son were killed. Don''t spread this news around."


    The saleswoman widened her eyes in surprise, and Chen Shi asked, "Which house were they looking at?"


    "None of these."


    "There are other model houses besides this?"


    "No, that house is unique. Do you want to see it?"


    Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu exchanged nces and decided to take a look at this one-of-a-kind house. The saleswoman took them to the floor that had not been opened for sale yet and they took the elevator to the 18th floor. The structure of the 18th floor and the other floors were not the same. There was a sky garden on one side, and only one apartment on the other side. Opening the door, Chen Shi was stunned by the bright and spacious living room, hugending and suspended balcony. There were three bedrooms on one side, and the other side had a kitchen and bathroom as well as a utility room. The sunlight was particrly abundant and prated almost every nook and cranny. Since it was facing South, the morning sunlight wouldn¡¯t disturb their sleep.


    "How much is this house?!" Chen Shi asked sincerely.


    "If you want to buy it, it¡¯s a little over two million."


    "The model house just now was not as big as this and it was two million. Why is this so cheap?" Chen Shi was already tempted and thought that his savings should be enough for the down payment. If his current house was sold, he could buy it directly.


    Thinking of Tao Yueyue and her cat ying in this spacious living room, a more beautiful image could not be imagined.


    And this floor only had this one house, which means that the corridor and the balcony on the other side were all their own. This house was simply a garden vi hidden in an apartment building!


    "As this floor is the eighteenth floor, everyone feels that it¡¯s unlucky, so when designing it, they made it into a special apartment type. The price is also favorable.¡±[1]


    1. The 18th floor is considered unlucky due to feng shuinumerology. It also reminds people of the 18 Levels of Hell in Buddhism which has widely influenced Chinese culture. You¡¯re more likely to see the 4th floor, 14th floor, etc omitted in buildings because the number 4 sounds like the word ¡°death/die¡± AKA ¡®ËÀ¡¯. There¡¯s developers that actually keep the 18th floor in because 8 is considered an auspicious number as it sounds simr to fortune/wealth and 18 sounds like ¡°To get rich for sure¡±.

 Chapter 600: Dream Home

    <h4>Chapter 600: Dream Home</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "The eighteenth floor is not easy to sell?" Lin Qiupu said, "Is it because the eighteenth floor reminds people of the Eighteen Levels of Hell? I have also bought a house before. I¡¯ve heard that the 13th, 14th and 18th floors are unlucky. Odd numbers are considered yang, even numbers are considered yin and so on, but when people actually buy a house, it seems that nobody cares about these."


    The saleswoman shook her head. "In fact, everyone still cares. Especially the middle-aged and the elderly, and some rural household buyers. I¡¯ve seen more than one case in which only the 18th floor was left and unable to be sold.¡±


    Chen Shi asked, "You said that this house is unique, but there are several units in this building. Shouldn''t there be such a house on each floor?"


    "The other floors are divided into three small houses on each floor to be sold. Only this unit is thisrge. In fact, this house was originally promised to the designer by the developer, but the designer immigrated abroadter, so we¡¯re selling this house."


    "How willful!"


    "Sir, are you interested?"


    "Haha, you¡¯re very good at capturing business opportunities. How many people have taken a fancy to this house?"


    "The house hasn¡¯t officially been released for sale to the public yet, but there are several families that are nning to buy it. If you want it, you can make the intention payment now."


    Chen Shi was thinking about it when he suddenly heard renovation noisesing from downstairs. He said, "Eh? There are people already living in this building?"


    "Some houses have already been sold."


    "That''s weird. When it was released for sale, weren¡¯t the units in the whole building put on sale together?"


    "Well, as I just told you, this house was originally given to the designer by the developer. When it was releasedst time, the designer had gone abroad, so it was left until now to be released for sale with Phase C."


    "In other words, this building only has this one house that has no owner."


    "Yes!"


    "Can you please provide the names of the people who want to buy this unit?"


    The salesdy was hesitant and said that this was amercial secret. It wasn¡¯t convenient to disclose the information and she needed to inform the manager.


    The three returned to the sales department. After a while, a fat manager with an oily face came over to shake hands with them and said with a smile, "Sorry, we can''t provide the name-list that you want, because the unit hasn¡¯t been officially released for sale. We¡¯re still unsure who definitely wants this house. It was all just verbally expressed. You also know that the people whoe to view houses shop here and there. Nothing¡¯s certain.¡±


    Chen Shi said, "There are only a few hundred customers at most. You have dozens of salesmen. One person may serve a dozen or so customers. Every customer is followed-up with for a long time. How could it be unclear?"


    "The salesmen aren¡¯t all here right now. How can I ask them? Please be more amodating!"


    "I''m curious as to why only that house was left."


    "This is the situation..."


    The manager¡¯s remarks were exactly the same as the salesdy¡¯s, with almost no change in the words used. Chen Shi observed him carefully and felt something was wrong, ¡°Are you hiding something from us?¡±


    "No, no!" The fat manager smiled and waved his hand. "Who would dare to do so in front of the police? The situation is really like this!"


    "I guess you won''t let us see the customer list, right?"


    "Sorry, it''s not that I''m unwilling to cooperate. These aremercial secrets, and even ordinary salesmen aren¡¯t allowed to see them. Unless you have a clear-cut search warrant. However, what does this homicide have to do with buying a house?"


    "Have you seen a movie called Dream Home?"


    "I have seen it. The male and female leads¡¯ romance was very touching. At that time, I went to the cinema with my wife to watch it. It was a well-made film.¡±


    He could tell that he was speaking nonsense as soon as he heard him, so Chen Shi said disdainfully, "You should do a search on the Inte. That movie was not released in the maind at all, nor did it have a romantic theme. It talked about a person killing people in order to buy a house!"


    The manager smiled awkwardly, "Oh, is that so? I must have remembered it wrong. I''ll watch it when I go back tonight!"


    Leaving the sales department, Chen Shi said to Lin Qiupu, "Go and apply for a search warrant."


    "That¡¯s easier said than done. Without evidence, how is it possible to apply for a search warrant? Just because the deceased intended to buy a house... Having said that, do you think this can be the motive for murder?"


    "Do you know how I felt when I walked into that house? I thought that the house was too wonderful. I want to live in it too much. Is it possible that the murderer is another buyer who wants this house? The house itself is also fishy. It¡¯s clearly sorge but selling at a price a lot lower than the average price, and it is the only unit left over after thest sales release. I don¡¯t actually believe what the manager said at all. I think there¡¯s a hidden secret!"


    Lin Qiupu pondered, "How did the murderer know the information of other buyers? Even we can''t get the customers¡¯ information. How can he be so omnipotent?"


    "We couldn''t get it because we tried the official channel. The murderer is not someone who followed the rules. Maybe he¡¯s a skilled hacker. Maybe he met the father and son while viewing the house."


    "I seem to have an impression of the movie you have just talked about. At the time, I thought that it was crazy to kill people in order to buy a house?"


    "You probably don''t know what¡¯s happening over in Hong Kong. Land is extremely expensive. The rate that housing prices are skyrocketing is daunting. Many famous stars can only live in small apartments, and there are those 4 square meter coffin rooms that are sold exclusively to working individuals.[2] There is nothing but a bed inside each room, and they can¡¯t even lift their heads up. That movie was based on a real case. The so-called motive is the purpose that the murderer wants to achieve through crime. Whether it¡¯s lust, money, freedom or even limited-edition sneakers. As long as it is something humans want, it has the potential to be a motive. Why can¡¯t a house be the motive? Everyone wants a house!"


    Lin Qiupu was silent for a moment. "I have sent someone to check on the wife of the deceased. I can¡¯t hastily bring them back to investigate this lead without evidence, unless there¡¯s really no progress there."


    Chen Shi pointed at himself, "Okay, this ¡®bizarre train of thought¡¯ lead will be followed up by me, a non-staff member!"


    Lin Qiupu thought that Chen Shi was overthinking it and that this kind of motive was too exaggerated. He felt that this case wouldn¡¯t be soplicated.


    Back at the bureau, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong had returned and were chatting while eating fast food in the office. The two of them were watching a video when they saw Lin Qiupu enter and immediately sat up straight. Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, you¡¯re here as well!"


    "The reporters came to my house. How can I note? Fortunately, I¡¯m quick-witted. They didn¡¯t recognize me."


    "How was the investigation?"


    "Wang Zhenlong said he didn¡¯t know anything in reply to all our questions, but..." Lin Dongxue smiled slyly. "I learned from Old Chen''s trick of a back thrust and made another trip back after the questioning to see his reaction. As a result, we photographed something."


    Xu Xiaodong yed the video captured on the mobile phone to show them. After watching, Lin Qiupu was shocked, and Chen Shi eximed, "This is too oundish, right?!"


    1. It¡¯s the name of a movie. The literal trantion of the Chinese title is ¡°Victoria No.1¡±, but this is the English title. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Home


    2. These coffin rooms/cubicles really exist, but there are a lot of old, socially-neglected people who live in them as well. https://.theguardian/cities/gallery/2017/jun/07/boxed-life-inside-hong-kong-coffin-cubicles-cage-homes-in-pictures

 Chapter 601: Feigning A Diversion Whilst Doing Something Else

    <h4>Chapter 601: Feigning A Diversion Whilst Doing Something Else</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the video, Wang Zhenlong was singing and dancing in his dirty and messy rental house. He held a bottle of Erguotou in his hand, dancing a nondescript dance, and singing, "Good luck came, good luck finally came, Zhang Haichang''s family is dead..."


    While secretly filming him, Xu Xiaodong had almost burst outughing.


    After they finished watching this video, Xu Xiaodong said, "Look at this reaction. He most likely did it!"


    Chen Shi said, "Do you really think so? Dongxue, what do you think?"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while. "I don''t think it¡¯s him. If he was the murderer, the reaction after sending the police away wouldn¡¯t be so frivolous. This is obviously the reaction towards hearing about an unexpected surprise, so Wang Zhenlong is not a suspect. We should focus on the wife of the deceased."


    "I don''t think that the wife needs to be investigated, I have just found another clue."


    Lin Qiupu interrupted Chen Shi, "Is it raining just because you hear the wind? That''s just your spection. There''s not even a shadow of proof. Investigations are not for your self-satisfaction. Don''t listen to him. Continue to investigate the wife of the deceased."


    "Okay, I''m leaving!"


    Chen Shi said that as he went out but he came back less than a secondter. After closing the door, Lin Dongxue asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "The reporters are still outside! When are they leaving?!"


    "They might have to film enough material before leaving." Lin Qiupuughed.


    Chen Shi looked through the door crack. The director''s creative soul had red up and he got the cameraman to shoot the police regtions on the wall in the corridor as well as the potted nts. It was a terrible feeling to be blocked from getting out. Chen Shi asked for the director''s mobile phone number from Lin Qiupu, dialed it, pinched his nose and said, "Is it Director Wang? I''m Officer Luo. We have just met. We have caught a suspect and are about toe back. We will be at the entrance soon. Would you like to take a picture?"


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll be right there!"


    The director was overjoyed and asked the cameraman to go out with him to meet them. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Shi made his escape. Xu Xiaodong said, "It''s time to get off work. Captain Lin, can I go home?"


    "No need to work overtime today. Go ahead!"


    "That''s great. I¡¯ll go home and y..." Xu Xiaodong cheered. He noticed Lin Qiupu''s expression and changed his tune, "Ahem, I mean I¡¯ll go home and read!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went out together. "Let¡¯s go to my house for barbecued pork, I only made it today."


    "When did you learn that? Why didn''t you bring me some?"


    "I brought it originally, but I found that it had turned rancid on the road, so I gave it to your brother."


    The next day was Sunday. Chen Shi didn¡¯t go to the bureau and took Tao Yueyue to the sales office instead. The salesdy took them to visit the "vi". When she saw the bright and spacious living room, Tao Yueyue said excitedly, "Wow, this house is great!"


    "Do you like it? If you like it, we can consider whether we should move."


    "Does Uncle Chen like it?"


    "I''m alright with it..."


    "But do you have enough money to buy a house?"


    "We will have enough if we sold our current house, but I will have to withdraw the money I have invested in several financial projects. I¡¯ll basically have no savings if I buy this house... but I can still make more money even if I run out of money!"


    "Well, I''m afraid you¡¯ll be under too much stress. I think this house is so-so. Besides, Maoqiu may not be able to adapt to a new ce."


    Chen Shi smiled, "You don''t have to worry about these things. I like this house very much. If you like it as well, we should consider it! Or we can pay for it in installments."


    "Or wait for me to grow up and make money. I¡¯ll help you pay off your mortgage!"


    "Will you still live with me when you grow up?"


    "If I don¡¯t live with you, who would I live with?!"


    "Then we¡¯ll buy it! Miss Gong..."


    The salesdy was in a daze at the side. She only came to herself when Chen Shi called her name. She said, "Mr. Chen, do you really like this house? If you want to buy it, you should first go to the sales office to make the intention payment."


    "What is intention payment?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    The salesdy exined with a smile, "It¡¯s to pay a small amount of money in advance, to ensure that you will definitely buy it. Of course, this money will be returned when you buy the house."


    "Meaning that you¡¯re afraid that customers would go back on their word. How much is that small amount of money?"


    "Usually 10,000 yuan."


    "Sister, do you make a lot of money from selling houses?"


    "It¡¯s been pretty good for the past few years but over these two years, there¡¯s been development everywhere, and the real estate market has long since been saturated, so the market is in a slump."


    Tao Yueyue asked Chen Shi, "Why do they talk about a slump everywhere?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "Because it is not easy for any industry. The country is developing fast and all kinds ofmodities are in excess of demand."


    Gong Jianqin asked, "Mr. Chen, with all due respect, if you¡¯re a policeman buying a house at such a young age, are you in a high position?"


    "Ah, I¡¯m not actually a policeman, but a consultant with the police force."


    "There are consultants with the police force?"


    "Consultants can be understood as unofficial staff. I also participate in solving crimes. There is no sry, only bonuses and subsidies."


    Back at the sales office, Chen Shi went to sign a contract of intent with the saleswoman. This trip was not just about looking at the house. He had also given Tao Yueyue a small mission. Under the pretense of going to the toilet, Tao Yueyue turned off the antivirus software on theputer at the sales office, and entered a web address into the browser. What was loaded appeared to be a mini puzzle game. In fact, a Trojan was being downloaded in the background.


    This level of hacking can be done by Chen Shi himself. When he had given Tao Yueyue this small taskst night, she had said, "Elder Sister Lin will tell you off again if she found out that you are using this kind of illegal investigation method."


    Chen Shi said, "When a detective doesn¡¯t use illegal means, what is the difference between him and salted fish?[2]"


    The fat manager saw that Tao Yueyue was using theputer to y a puzzle game. Tao Yueyue wasn¡¯t tall and looked like a primary school student. The fat manager said, "Hey, kid, thisputer is not for ying games. Where are your parents?"


    "Dad¡¯s signing the contract over there. They¡¯ve been talking for a long time and I¡¯m bored!" Tao Yueyue said, using a childish voice intentionally.


    "Well, Uncle still needs to use thisputer. Why don¡¯t Uncle bring you to get a drink?"


    "Thank you, Uncle."


    ncing at the bottom right corner of the webpage, she saw that the Trojan horse program had entered theputer already, so Tao Yueyue closed the webpage.


    She took two bottles of oolong tea and went to Chen Shi. She handed a bottle to him and whispered, "It''s done!"


    "Miss Gong, I''lle back when the house is released for sale." Chen Shi ended the conversation.


    "Okay, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me."


    After leaving the sales office, the two quickly found an Inte cafe, went to a private room, and reaped the fruit of the harvest. Tao Yueyue instructed him from the side, "Use a proxy IP! You just registered with your ID card and people will find out."


    "Haha, you know a lot now."


    Chen Shi opened the main program of the Trojan, and the operation interface of the sales officeputer appeared in the small window. He ¡°stole¡± all the forms that seemed to be customer information, cleared the other party¡¯s background operation records and deleted the Trojan. Perfect.


    "I''m not worse than Uncle Little Worm!" Chen Shi said arrogantly.


    "If it was Uncle Little Worm, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to go to the scene, and he wouldn¡¯t have needed to shut off the antivirus software. You still fall short... Are you really going to buy that house?"


    "Half of it was for investigation and I¡¯m also half-serious about buying it."


    "Did someone die in that house?"


    "That... I''ll know when I investigate."


    1. A stratagem used by Liu Bang in 206 BC against Xiang Yu. They were secretly crossing the Wei River at Chencang.


    2. Corpse, or someone with no dreams or motivation.

 Chapter 602: Chen Shi’s Progress

    <h4>Chapter 602: Chen Shi''s Progress</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On November 5th, the case took a turn for the better. The wife of the deceased Zhang Haichang, Ji Hongmei, was found to have made a suspicious payment. Some witnesses also imed that a suspicious man had been wandering around below Zhang Haichang¡¯s building taking photos with a camera for a few days at the end of October.


    The police summoned Ji Hongmei for questioning. Before entering the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu said to Chen Shi, "Look, you were overthinking it and thought that this case wasplicated, but it¡¯s as simple as the wife having hired a hitman."


    "Such words should be left unsaid until after the interrogation. Saying it before the interrogation, aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯d lose face?¡±


    "Haha, we¡¯ll see who loses face... By the way, I ate the pork that you brought over that day. I had diarrhea. You didn''t give it to Dongxue, did you?!"


    "We ate it and nothing happened."


    "Don''t bring me food in the future. I don''t like eating in the office!"


    After finishing the conversation, Lin Qiupu walked into the interrogation room. When he had finished asking basic questions, he said, "Ms. Ji, we found a payment of 50,000 yuan under your bank ount. Earlier, you have said that it was an instalment payment for a car, but we went to the car dealership and verified that this wasn¡¯t the case. Do you have any exnation for this?"


    "Do I have to exin? This is my private business." Ji Hongmei, who was wearing a red trench coat, frowned.


    "Your husband and son were murdered, and you are the person who would profit the most from this. At this juncture, everything that you do must have a reasonable exnation."


    "How funny, I profit? I¡¯m not such a selfish and cold-blooded woman. Although our rtionship as a married couple hasn¡¯t been smooth over these past two years, I would definitely give arge part of his inheritance to his mother as support."


    "Your rtionship as a married couple wasn¡¯t good?"


    "Could you not think wild thoughts? We¡¯ve been married for ten years. How else can a couple who¡¯s been married for ten years be like? Isn¡¯t the rtionship just living together aspanions?¡±


    "I want you to exin where that 50,000 went."


    Ji Hongmei knew that she couldn¡¯t avoid ounting for the 50,000 yuan, and hesitated repeatedly. "I gave it to my ex-husband, Wang Zhenlong."


    "Really? We can verify that now, but if you¡¯re still lying, you might have toe back again. I suggest that you tell the truth."


    Ji Hongmei kept plucking at the button on her sleeve, "Why do you sound as though you¡¯re interrogating a murderer when you¡¯re questioning me? Are you suspecting that Imitted murder? How could I kill someone? I have never even thought of doing that!"


    Lin Qiupu silently picked up the inte and asked his subordinates to verify her statement. Ji Hongmei suddenly said, "Don''t ask. I¡¯ll tell you. I hired a private detective."


    "Private detectives aren¡¯t that expensive."


    "I agreed to pay this money in advance. If he managed to photograph evidence of my husband having an affair, I would give him 50,000 yuan."


    "Do you have his contact information?"


    Lin Qiupu got his subordinates to verify this matter. Ji Hongmei continued, "I have seen through it all. There are only two kinds of men in this world: they¡¯re either poor or bad. When I was with Wang Zhenlong, he was terrible at making money. We lived a life of restricted means. The poor couple encounters a lot of grief. We often quarreled over even the most trivial thing, we quarrelled until my head hurt. Later, I got divorced and married Zhang Haichang. We weren¡¯t together for very long when the novelty of the rtionship wore off for him. I was probably just a decoration or free servant at home. Zhang Haichang opened a pharmacy and made a lot of money, so he messed around outside. He messed around with every young girl that he hired. When he encountered those who were unwilling, he would think of ways to get rid of the other party.¡±


    "Zhang Haichang looked like a honest and simple man. You wouldn¡¯t know what he was like if you didn''t live with him. I quarreled with him when I found out about this. He actually acted as if he was justified in doing so, saying that I was infertile. The Zhang family needed heirs, so it was normal for him to fool around with other women. He even said that it motivated men to strive hard. If I couldn¡¯t bear it, I could get back together with Wang Zhenlong and live a life of hardship. During that period, I wept all day. What was worse was that he instigated his son to go against me. His son didn¡¯t ept me as a stepmother. I proposed a divorce a few years ago, but Zhang Haichang refused to agree no matter what. He didn''t tell me the reason. Later, I found out from his friend that he had gone to get his fortune told and he had been told that I have the luck to bless my husband with prosperity. His pharmacy did be more profitable after marrying me, so he ced me at home as a auspicious pixiu[1]¡±


    "I endured living like that for ten years, but I didn¡¯t get back together with my ex-husband Wang Zhenlong[2]. Wang Zhenlong[3] asked to borrow money from me because he really needed money. He had already borrowed money from all his friends. I didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse him. Zhang Haichang quarreled with me over this matter. God knows how much money he had spent on other women. He¡¯s ugly, fat, and he has body odor. If those young and beautiful women weren¡¯t after his money, who would be nice to him? Later, I gained inspiration from a TV series and decided to make ns for myself, so I hired a private detective to photograph evidence of his affair, and prepared to go to court to prosecute him! By the way, as for that 150 square meters house, do you think he bought it for his son? His son didn¡¯t even have a girlfriend. He was nning to give it to a mistress. He usually felt distressed when he spent even a dime on me. Even the nes he buys me are only ten yuan goods from street stalls. He was so generous when it came to spending money on his mistresses. Whenever I thought about this, I would grit my teeth in anger!¡±


    "You said I hired a hitman? Do you know what my reaction was? Why didn''t I think of this move from the beginning? If I could find a hitman, I''d have hired one long ago, but unfortunately I really didn¡¯t do it. When I heard that he had died, I was relieved. Someone must have taken revenge against him. Wicked people will have wicked people targeting them. It served them right. Both the father and son deserved it. His inheritance is my due!"


    After listening to her long speech, the phone in the interrogation room rang. The subordinate who had gone out to verify her statement confirmed that the suspicious man in the neighborhood was indeed a private detective. He verified what Ji Hongmei said.


    Lin Qiupu was depressed that the direction of his investigation was wrong.


    "Okay, I believe what you said, but I hope you will help us with the investigation. Does Zhang Haichang have any enemies?"


    "There are a few people who aren¡¯t on good terms with him, but I think they¡¯re unlikely tomit murder."


    "I heard that your ex-husband Wang Zhenlong had a bad rtionship with Zhang Haichang in the past and that they had even fought with each other. Do you think it might be him?"


    "Wang Zhenlong is a paper tiger.[4] He dares tomit murder? I wouldn¡¯t believe it even if it killed me."


    "Your husband is dead. Has Wang Zhenlong proposed to remarry you?"


    "He did, but I refused. I had made a mistake once and don''t want it to happen a second time. Anyway, I dere here that you can go ahead and investigate Wang Zhenlong as you please. I have nothing to do with him."


    "Okay, Ms. Ji, thank you for cooperating with our investigation."


    After Ji Hongmei left, Lin Qiupu walked out of the interrogation room with a trace of disappointment in his expression. Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. "What did I say? This woman couldn¡¯t have hired a hitman."


    "Cool it with the sarcastic remarks! By the way, is Wanshida Information Consulting Agencyrun by those disreputable friends of yours?"


    "Yes, what''s the matter?"


    "It was this firm that had investigated Zhang Haichang''s affair. What are their characters like?"


    "Don¡¯t assume things. They usually specialize in investigating affairs. They take dozens of jobs like this a month. If they have to kill scumbags while investigating, lots of people would have died in Long¡¯an... This lead is a dead end, but the good news is that I still have a lead on my side.¡±


    "You mean the house?"


    "All three batches of customers who were interested in that house died unnatural deaths. Do you still think it¡¯s a coincidence?"


    1. Pixiu are mythical creatures with a voracious appetite for gold and silver who are supposed to bring their masters wealth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixiu#:~:text=Pixiu%20(%E8%B2%94%E8%B2%85%3B%20p%C3%ADxi%C5%AB%3B%20P,resembles%20a%20strong%2C%20winged%20lion.


    2. The author wrote ¡°Wang Zhenfu¡± here, but I¡¯m pretty sure he means ¡°Wang Zhenlong¡±.


    3. As above.


    4. The term refers to something or someone that ims or appears to be powerful or threatening, but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge (Wiki).

 Chapter 603: Die For The House

    <h4>Chapter 603: Die For The House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing this, Lin Qiupu was excited, and asked, "Where did you find this out?"


    "I made trips to the branch offices and there was a case that hasn¡¯t been solved recently in each jurisdiction. The earliest case was in Junest year. The deceased, who was surnamed Qin, had been nning to buy a house and get married. After the house went onto the market, he bought this house, but was killed the next day. The back of his head had been smashed with a hammer, and the murderer had faked it to look like a robbery. All the valuables on his body were taken away. As there was no payment made, the house was left to be released with Phase B. The sale opening of Phase B wasunched in April this year. Mr. Li was also killed by myocardial infarction before he made payment due to the injection of excessive anesthetic. The anesthetic that had been injected by the murderer was thiopental. Then this case happened. However, this time, the murderer took action a little early. I suspect that it was because Zhang Haichang intended to make payment for the house in full and the murderer couldn¡¯t wait any longer."


    "The methods were all different."


    "The murderer doesn¡¯t want to be treated as a serial killer with the cases being investigated together. Otherwise, themonality of the three groups of victims would be exposed. They only wanted to kill people and keep this house forever. Maybe the murderer wants to buy it but is temporarily unable toe up with the money to do so for some reason. Or, perhaps the murderer wants to lower the price of this house in this way by scaring away other buyers, just like the murderer¡¯s motive in Dream Home.


    "How did you find out? Did you use illegal means again?"


    Knowing that concealing this matter would be a hidden problem in the future, Chen Shi euphemistically stated, "When I went to buy the house, I took a nce at the customer information while they weren¡¯t paying attention and then checked them one by one. From this, I can see that their customer information isn¡¯t difficult to obtain."


    "You remembered everything at a nce? Are you a genius?"


    "A genius with a USB stick." Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Qiupu raised a finger, "Fortunately, you aren¡¯t a policeman. Otherwise, I¡¯d have to ask you to write a self-criticism report!"


    Chen Shi shrugged. "If you don''t check it like this, how long would the investigation take? Or, how many people will have to die before the police will realize this motive? You also know that if there are ideas in my head, they will be put into practice immediately."


    "I¡¯ll call everyone to gather now and have a meeting!"


    "No, I have an appointment with the salesdy. Let''s talk to her first and learn more about the situation."


    Lin Qiupu informed everyone that they need not follow up with the clues on hand for the time being. He went with Chen Shi to a tea house. The saleswoman hadn¡¯t arrived yet. They ordered tea and snacks. The tea house had been selected by Chen Shi. The tea snacks included garlic green beans, pistachios, rice cakes and dried fish. Chen Shi tasted them one by one, saying, "They¡¯re delicious. You should try them too!"


    "Mind your image! You¡¯re still concerned about eating even while investigating... By the way, the agency that your friends run must often do a lot of things like illicit photography, stealing information, and home invasions, right?"


    "No home invasions. As for the other things... The private investigator industry has always been a little gray. My two friends just investigate mistresses. Captain Lin, please be magnanimous. Here, I¡¯ll give you a toast!¡±


    "I don''t care about this, but you need to tell them to be more mindful. There is a lot of news about private detectives going to jail."


    "If they don''t check these, what can they do? Help people look for missing cats?"


    "Doesn¡¯t your tone sound a little as if you are defending them? I find that you often don''t follow the rules. Birds of a feather flock together indeed.¡±


    Chen Shi wondered what Lin Qiupu would think if he knew that kk was a former thief who had turned over a new leaf. Chen Shi responded perfunctorily, "I will remind them."


    At this time, Gong Jianqin entered the tea house and smiled, "Sorry, Mr. Chen, there was a traffic jam on the road. Is there some matter for which you have invited me here today?"


    "Sit down!" Chen Shi poured a cup of tea for her. "I have something to ask you."


    Gong Jianqin tapped on the table with her index and middle finger to show her thanks.[1]


    "Please speak."


    "Qin Yi and Li Xiaolei. Do you have any impression of these two people?"


    Gong Jianqin''s expression changed slightly, "They were my former customers..."


    "After that?"


    She nced at Lin Qiupu, "Have you found out already?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Sure enough, you were hiding something from us!"


    "It''s not something I intended to hide. The manager said that if this kind of news spreads, not just that house, the sales of the entire building would be affected. Ourpany''s budget is very tight, and we can¡¯t afford the price to drop by even 100 yuan per square meter."


    "Is this what the manager said?" Lin Qiupu disagreed. "Property profit is several times the cost, so many people are rushing to go into this business. Even if it¡¯s affected, it won¡¯t be affected too much."


    "Mr. Police Officer, you are not familiar with this line of business. Selling a house is not as easy as you think."


    "Okay, okay, let''s get back to the point!" Chen Shi asked, "When did you find out that the two of them have died?"


    "Mr. Qin didn¡¯t pay in time after buying the house. I found out after receiving a phone call from his family. Mr. Li also didn¡¯t pay in time. I went to his house to look for him and saw his mourning altar. So the house went back to thepany."


    "So, the designer going abroad was all nonsense made up by the manager?"


    "Yes, the manager said that outsiders shouldn¡¯t be told that people rted to this house had died. If the customer asked why it had not been sold, we¡¯d just stick to the story."


    "Who do you think did it?"


    Gong Jianqin smiled, "I don''t know. I''m not a policeman!"


    "You¡¯ve been handling that house the entire time?"


    "Yes, I have."


    Chen Shi borrowed a book and pen from Lin Qiupu and handed it to her. "Please write down the names and contact information of all the people who are interested in this house!"


    Gong Jianqin took out her mobile phone, wrote the information down one by one, and got to thest name. She looked up and asked, "Mr. Chen, including yourself?"


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Do you want to buy that house?"


    "I''m not superstitious. The house is really good. Isn''t it great to solve the case and buy a house as well?"


    "I think you¡¯re taking advantage!"


    "What do you mean taking advantage of it? I¡¯m buying it with my own money!"


    Lin Qiupu meant that the price of this house had fallen because the murderer killed four people. However, after thinking about it, did he do it to sound out information?


    Lin Qiupu''s eyes fell on the baby-faced saleswoman. Perhaps Chen Shi wanted to test her. It was normal to suspect everyone in the process of solving the case, so he asked, "Miss Gong, have you bought a house?"


    "I bought one. It¡¯s not far from the unit."


    "I''m just curious, if you insiders buy a house, would it be a little discounted?"


    "No, we are just like everyone else. It¡¯s just that we have moreprehensive knowledge about the market, so we will end up wasting less money... If you wish to buy a house, look for me. Even if you don¡¯t buy it from ourpany, I¡¯d just charge a small consulting fee afterwards." She was indeed a salesperson. She didn¡¯t forget to solicit customers even at this time.


    "Thank you, I will consider it."


    Chen Shi took the book that had at least twenty names on it. Gong Jianqin wrote 1, 2 or 3 in front of them, indicating the phase in which the customers had taken interest in the house. She specifically warned, "These aremercial secrets. I know that you¡¯re investigating the case, which is why I¡¯m willing to disclose this information. It¡¯s best not to leak it. Thepetition in this industry is fierce."


    "Understood!" All your customers¡¯ information is in myputer, and the confidentiality protection measures are very mediocre.


    "I also have a small request. I hope that this news will be published. The customers I have handled are constantly getting killed, but I can¡¯t tell other customers. If it goes on the news and people are warned, perhaps no one will be murdered!"


    Chen Shi nodded, "This matter can be considered, but wouldn''t this affect your entirepany?"


    "I can resign. However, as long as I¡¯m in thepany, I can¡¯t speak out because it¡¯s the manager¡¯s order. I really don''t want anyone else to be killed. Dying for a house is really not worth it!¡± As she said this, she showed a sad expression.


    1. ording to some stories, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty was fond of traveling throughout the country incognito to observe his subjects. At a teahouse he was particrly impressed by the way people were able to lean across the table and pour tea without spilling a drop. The Emperor decided to try pouring tea for hispanions. He spilled it everywhere and decided he needed more practice. However, custom demanded that people bow before the Emperor. This, of course, would ruin his disguise. Instead, the Emperor told hispanions to "bow" with their fingers each time he refilled their cups. Nowadays, tapping the table is a way of paying silent thanks to the person who poured your tea.

 Chapter 604: Murderer’s Speculation

    <h4>Chapter 604: Murderer''s Spection</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Gong Jianqin left, Lin Qiupu said, "She¡¯s really a kind girl."


    "Don''t just look at appearances!" Chen Shi said, "Let me remind you; If you want to investigate, everyone in the sales department has to be investigated once. They are the ones who have the easiest ess to customer information, including this girl."


    "You don''t need to teach me this kind of thing!"


    "I''m leaving. I don''t have anything to do today. I¡¯ll go home, buy vegetables and cook..." Chen Shi exhorted him as he left, "Remember to pay for the tea."


    The next day, Lin Qiupu told all the members of the second team about these matters and analyzed the information of the previous three cases. The first was the surveince footage. The surveince retained by the police had captured a ck-clothed person entering and leaving the scene. However, he was wearing loose clothes as well as a hat, and the camera''s resolution was too low. It was impossible to distinguish any specific characteristics of the murderer. They couldn¡¯t even tell if it was a man or a woman. It could be seen that the murderer was good at evading investigation.


    The deceased Mr. Qin in the first case had gotten the back of his head smashed in the parking lot of a shopping mall. He was then pushed under the car by the murderer, so the corpse was only found on the fourth day when the body started to stink.


    The murderer wasmitting a crime for the first time and seemed a little nervous. Some fingerprints and footprints were found at the scene. The footprints were size 38. It could be seen that the size 39 footprints that had appeared in Zhang Haichang''s house were the result of deliberately wearingrger-sized shoes to obscure the facts.


    In the second case, the deceased Mr. Li had been killed at home. After injecting an excessive amount of thiopental into him, the murderer had taken off his clothes and burned him in the bathroom. They had also sprinkled a lot of toilet cleaner on the deceased, seemingly to remove any evidence.


    Undigested steak, red wine, vegetables and other foods were found in the deceased¡¯s stomach. ording to the meal-ordering hotline that the deceased had called before his death, he had ordered a set meal for two people. It was spected that he had dinner with the murderer.


    Since more than half a year had passed since the two cases happened, the only evidence on hand were these. At that time, the branch offices had also investigated the interpersonal rtionships of the victims, but did not expect their deaths to be rted to a house.


    Hearing this, Chen Shi said, "I was thinking that the murderer had entered and left the scene all wrapped up in professional assassin''s clothing, but could they have entered the deceased¡¯s house dressed like this? If an acquaintance came to my house dressed like this, I would definitely be suspicious. I think the murderer changed their clothes after passing through the surveince area. Another point is that the second victim had been stripped naked and sprinkled with toilet cleaner. Isn¡¯t this way of dealing with the aftermath a bit too exaggerated? I can¡¯t help but have one thought. Could the murderer be a woman? She had sex with the second victim, so it was necessary to clean up the scene so thoroughly. A man is unlikely to invite a same-sex acquaintance to eat steak and drink red wine. At least I wouldn¡¯t... And if the murderer is a woman, it can be exined why the same person wasn¡¯t found in the interpersonal circle of the three victims. All three of them were married middle-aged men. They knew a member of the opposite sex, and such rtionships wereoften one-way. As long as the person himself dies, nobody would know about their rtionship, so the police can¡¯t discover it. Moreover, if it was a member of the opposite sex, it would have been easier to make the victims rx their vignce. I have another reason to support this spection. The murderer had killed people in particrlybor-saving ways. They were killed with one blow. That is to say, they didn¡¯t have the confidence to fight with the victims. It should be due to ack of physical strength."


    Many people felt that Chen Shi¡¯s words were reasonable. Lin Dongxue said, "Zhang Haichang promised to buy a house for his mistress. Could it be this woman? But if Zhang Haichang had already agreed, why did she kill him prior to getting the house?"


    Chen Shi said: "Zhang Haichang died more tragically than the previous two, and they even took his son''s life... Could it have been like this? Zhang Haichang¡¯s buying a house for her was just a pretense. The house was actually for his son and it just temporarily lent to her to live in. She wanted to obtain this house and found that she had been cheated, so shemitted murder!"


    Old Zhang said, "I have a question. Now that the police have discovered this motive for which the murderer is doing this to get the house, would they still dare to buy the house? If they buy it, they¡¯d be a target of ours. If they didn''t buy it, the three crimes would all be in vain. They would have made bridal clothes for others.¡±[1]


    Xu Xiaodong raised his hand fervently. "I watched the movie Dream Home rmended by Brother Chen once, and I have a question. Has the murderer been caught yet?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "The murderer has been caught. Otherwise, how could they have made a movie based on this if the murderer hadn¡¯t been caught?"


    "This kind of motive is too easily discovered. It''s unbelievable that someone would actually kill to buy a house!"


    Chen Shi said, "The murderer¡¯s perspective is not as objective and clear as ours. They may be a low-ie office worker who desperately wants to have a house in Long''an. This house determines their household registration, marriage and their child¡¯s registration and school certificate, their face in front of family and friends, and their entire life. It means everything to them. They finally found this house but strongpetitors appeared again and again, so they developed this crazy idea of relying on murder to lower the house price. It¡¯s an ingenious idea from their point of view, but for us, we would see through it immediately. Every premeditated murderer thinks that the police are stupid and thinks that they can escape. A crime always contains two goals: To get rid of the dead and to not to be discovered!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "The house price has indeed fallen. The house used to be 3 million yuan, but now it only costs a little over 2 million yuan. As a result, more people are interested in it. There are already over a dozen people interested in buying it in the third phase that is about to beunched, including..." Lin Qiupu nced at Chen Shi, and he thought to himself. Chen Shi couldn¡¯t be the murderer, right?!


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly thought, "In this case, I don''t think we need to do anything. Just look at who ends up owning the house in the end, and the suspect is most probably them!"


    "Stupid!" Lin Dongxue said, "The person who bought the house is not necessarily the murderer. If the murderer doesn¡¯t get the house, they will continue to kill until the house¡¯s price is reduced to the point where they can afford it, but how many people will die before then?"


    Xu Xiaodong stuck out his tongue and admitted that he didn¡¯t think it through.


    Lin Qiupu asked everyone to pick two buyers from the list to follow-up with. Chen Shi said, "Ah, by the way, if any of these people have already bought other houses, I think that they can be eliminated directly. Captain Lin, did you check the staff at the sales office?"


    "It was toote yesterday. I will check them today!"


    "I''ll go too!"


    Chen Shi was tending to personal matters under the guise of work. He went to look at the house again. This time he brought Lin Dongxue. When she saw this house, Lin Dongxue''s reaction was almost the same as Tao Yueyue''s. She said, "God, this house is too amazing. It feels like a pce."


    "Moreover, it¡¯s an eighteen-story house with a panoramic view of the scenery outside. Look at the distant mountains, the clouds, and look, there¡¯s a dog on the street urinating and pooping everywhere." Chen Shi embraced Lin Dongxue and admired the scenery below.


    "You like this house so much? I thought you said you wanted to buy it for the sake of the investigation. Are you really nning to buy it?"


    "When we move over, I¡¯ll invite everyone to dinner to celebrate the joy of moving."


    "But... I don''t really suggest you buy this house. If you buy it, wouldn''t you be the target of the murderer? I don''t want you to be in danger."


    "Don''t be afraid. I have the protagonist¡¯s halo!"


    "Arrogant guy. Before everyone dies, they all think of themselves as the protagonist."


    Chen Shi leaned on the railing. Looking down, he had a sudden spell of dizziness. He suddenly shed back to the scene of Zhou Tiannan being pushed off the building to his death, and muttered, "Yes, even Zhou Tiannan once thought he was the protagonist of the world."


    1. The poem "Poor Girl" by Qin Taoyu of the Tang Dynasty used the analogy to mean working hard on other people¡¯s behalf without getting anything in return.

 Chapter 605: Quarrel

    <h4>Chapter 605: Quarrel</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "When I buy this house, you should terminate the rental of your current house. Just move in here with me. To be honest, I think it is not worthwhile for you to rent a house. You only sleep there every day and when you work overtime, the time you spend there is even shorter. In addition, you have to pay two thousand yuan a month."


    Lin Dongxue said, "What I buy with the two thousand yuan is a sense of security. Even when outside, I feel more at ease knowing I have a ce to go back to."


    "Look, how about treating this as your home?! You can choose any of the three bedrooms."


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself. Was this an official proposal for cohabitation? The current rtionship between the two was progressing, and it was normal to live together, but she wanted more than that. She tactfully said, "I hope this ce can really be my own home."


    "Haha, then treat it as your home."


    Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows secretly. Didn''t he understand what she meant? She had to muster up her courage to say those words. Just when she was about to express her dissatisfaction, someone came in.


    Gong Jianqin discovered that there were people in the house and stood at the door in a daze for a moment, before disying a professional smile, "Mr. Chen, are you looking at the house again?"


    "No, I''m here to investigate the case today and I just came up to have a look on my way."


    "I know. A lot of police officers came to the sales department."


    "You came just at the right time. I have something to ask you. The police found that Zhang Haichang''s cell phone contained a lot of messages sent to you, all with that kind of provocative content. He also said several times that he wanted to invite you to dinner. Did you agree?"


    "How could I agree?! He¡¯s a married man, and he¡¯s so old."


    "But you didn''t seem to have explicitly refused."


    "This is the difficulty in our line of work. Some buyers always make some unreasonable demands, but in order to sell the house, we can only perfunctorily assuage them. I have encountered this kind of harassment many times. Although I don¡¯t feel veryfortable inside, I¡¯m already used to it." After that, she nced at Lin Dongxue, as if looking for understanding.


    Lin Dongxue nced at her phone. "Captain Lin is looking for me. I¡¯ll go down first."


    She walked to the elevator and pricked her ears to listen to what Chen Shi was saying. Chen Shi was actually asking, "Miss Gong, have you ever slept with a buyer?"


    "Is this kind of question also for the investigation?"


    "I''m curious!"


    Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth with anger, entered the elevator and pressed the button fiercely, sulking with her arms crossed all the way.


    In the room, Gong Jianqin shook her head. "I have principles and won¡¯t have excessive dealings with my clients..."


    Chen Shi stared into her eyes and ascertained that she was lying. It was enough to get this answer.


    Gong Jianqin asked, "Mr. Chen, I also want to ask you something. You¡¯re not a policeman, but you always investigate crimes with the police. Do you have a particr background?"


    "I don''t have a special background. I¡¯m just an ordinary citizen, but I''m fairly good at this."


    "Good? And you can be a consultant just like this?"


    "I¡¯ve solved more than one case. I have solved many difficult cases. Every case was twisted and bizarre, with hidden motives." After that, Chen Shi kept staring at her eyes and caught a momentary sh of panic.


    Gong Jianqin just showed a habitual smile. "It seems that you¡¯re very amazing! I meet all sorts of people selling houses, but it¡¯s my first time meeting someone like you.¡±


    Chen Shi withdrew his sharp gaze and smiled, "Theunch is next week, right?"


    "Correct."


    "I don''t quite understand the matter of the shared area. I read the guide that you gave me. It turns out that the house is actually only 180 square meters, and that more than 30 square meters is shared area. Can you exin it to me?"


    "It''s actually like this..." she exined patiently.


    When Chen Shi went downstairs, he found that Lin Dongxue had already left. He didn¡¯t get to see her for the rest of the day. Could she have gotten angry?


    She seemed to have expressed her desire to get married just now in a roundabout way, but he had deliberately acted stupid.


    Zhou Tiannan¡¯s death would bring about many changes. This is definitely not a good thing for him. Zhou Tiannan¡¯s group of subordinates would get out of control, and vicious incidents in Long''an could ur at any time. Chen was sure about one thing. That group of people will target him.


    The memory of Han Luoxi''s death back then was still vivid in his mind, and it had taken Chen Shi a long time to get over the trauma, mend his broken heart, and fall in love with Lin Dongxue. However, at this juncture, he dared not take the rtionship further.


    Because of his fear of suffering a loss again!


    In the evening, Chen Shi waited at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau and finally saw Lin Dongxueing back. Upon seeing Chen Shi¡¯s car, she deliberately turned a blind eye. Chen Shi got out of the car and blocked the way, saying, "I sent you a text message and you never replied. Are you angry with me?"


    Lin Dongxue red at him, "So you know?"


    "I can exin that matter."


    As soon as she heard the word "exin", Lin Dongxue immediately became angry. An exnation meant there was a problem.


    The anger that had been suppressed for a day had long been brewing in her heart, and only needed a light prod. Chen Shi actually stumbled into the gun muzzle by himself.


    "What''s the exnation? That girl is pretty good. I saw the two of you talking andughing together, and you seemed very happy. You don¡¯t seem that happy when you¡¯re with me."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "You think I didn''t hear it? You asked if she¡¯s ever slept with someone who bought a house, and you¡¯re buying her house now. Isn¡¯t that suggestion obvious enough?"


    "I''m investigating the case!"


    "Yes, as long as it¡¯s investigating a case, you can ask anything! Under the pretense of investigating a case, are you having a good time meeting new ''friends''? Who told you toe to investigate the case? Do you think you are a policeman?"


    "Did water flood your brain today?!"[1]


    "My brain is flooded!" Lin Dongxue was so angry she wanted tough. "Who is Su Ruijuan?!"


    "Su Ruijuan?"


    "You don''t even remember? She was that fake Chen Shi¡¯s girlfriend. Why did you two keep in touch after the case was over?! Exin it. Use your eloquence to exin it!"


    "Are you crazy? Wait, did you peek at my cell phone?"


    "Don''t go off on a tangent! Tell me!"


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth with anger and didn''t bother to exin this kind of misunderstanding. "You can go and calm down by yourself! Don''t expect me to coax you, unless you apologize for spying on my privacy first!"


    "Go to hell, scumbag!"


    Chen Shi got into the car, mmed the car door shut with a bang, and drove off. At night, he was so angry that he didn''t even eat any food. Lin Dongxue sent many text messages with fierce expressions. As the saying goes, cursing someone wouldn¡¯t yield good words. The two usually only had minor disagreements. This was the first time a major fight had happened. The main battlefield was on WeChat.


    After arguing until 10:00 in the evening, Chen Shi''s fingers hurt from pressing the buttons. By this time, the focus of the quarrel was no longer on debating, but on hurting each other. Chen Shi recorded a voice message on the phone. "Lin Dongxue, I wish that you will never have any orgasms in your life!"


    Lin Dongxue soon sent her greetings. "I wish that you¡¯ll start balding from tomorrow onwards!"


    Usually, as long as Chen Shi was sitting on the sofa, Maoqiu woulde over and rub itself against him. However, the cat was frightened by his hostility now and dared not approach. Chen Shi patted the sofa and shouted, "Come here and let me touch you!"


    Maoqiu ran into Tao Yueyue''s bedroom and Tao Yueyue popped her head out. "Uncle Chen, don''t be angry, okay? Although I don''t know why you two quarreled, it must be Elder Sister Lin''s fault!"


    Chen Shi was gratified. "You still understand me the best. This damn woman relies on her good looks to blindly use me! It''s too overboard! Don''t be like this when you grow up!"


    "Would you like to drink some alcohol to cool down? Or to do something else?" Tao Yueyue suggested timidly. She was also afraid of Chen Shi''s angry demeanor.


    "Yes! I don''t want to think of these annoying things..."


    Chen Shi ran to the kitchen, took out a kitchen knife and started to sharpen it with a sharpener. The ear-piercing ¡®cha-rak cha-rak¡¯ sounds of the knife getting sharpened made Tao Yueyue anxious. After ten minutes, he started cooking...


    1. Are you out of your mind?

 Chapter 606: It’d Be Good If A Few More Died

    <h4>Chapter 606: It¡¯d Be Good If A Few More Died</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The investigation continued. The next morning, Chen Shi called Xu Xiaodong toe with him to investigate the case. Xu Xiaodong said to Lin Dongxue who was sitting in the office eating breakfast, "Dongxue, let''s go together!"


    "Who are you calling?" Chen Shi looked at the office, "There are still people in the office? Could it be that you can see ghosts? Oh my God, could it be the policemen who have died in the line of duty in the past?"


    Lin Dongxue sneered and stood up. "Someone has gone blind because the heavens have punished him for doing too many bad things."


    Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, "You tell the ghost that I¡¯m not afraid of evil forces because I¡¯m just. Viting other people''s privacy, and then imagining dramatic plots to frame others is a sickness and requires treatment!"


    Lin Dongxue said to Xu Xiaodong, "Tell the blind man that he knows what he has done. Hiding and concealing things everywhere while pretending to be upright and just is so hypocritical that even Yue Buqun[1] would be defeated!"


    "Tell that ghost that unless she apologizes first, she can forget about hearing any exnation. Just let her torture herself with the melodramatic plot that she had imagined!"


    "Tell the blind man that he can keep those boring exnations for himself. He¡¯s blind, but I¡¯m not. I know what you did and what you¡¯re thinking!¡±


    Xu Xiaodong said awkwardly, "Why don''t you two just quarrel directly? Don¡¯t drag me into this, okay?"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other. Lin Dongxue sneered and turned her head away. This expression made Chen Shi very angry and he didn''t want to argue anymore. He said to Xu Xiaodong, "Let¡¯s go and investigate the case. Once the case is solved, the two of us will go and have a nice meal!"


    After getting into the car, Xu Xiaodong asked, "Brother Chen, are you two arguing?"


    "Arguing? What argument? My mentality is very good! It''s her who¡¯s being unreasonable and causing a ruckus!"


    "Brother Chen, do you know? People who quarrel are very immature. You¡¯re being immature right now."


    "Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Cigarettes!" Chen Shi hooked his finger.


    "Don''t. You¡¯ve already quit."


    "I quit for an unreasonable woman. I won''t avoid it now. Hand me one! It¡¯s just living five minutes less, what''s the big deal? As long as I don''t stay with her, I can live for several years longer!"


    Xu Xiaodong produced the cigarettes and Chen Shi took one out to have a look. However, in the end, he didn¡¯t light it.


    "Why are you two arguing?" Xu Xiaodong was puzzled. "When I had a crush on Dongxue in the past, I thought that if I ever got together with her, I¡¯d treat her well everyday... I¡¯m not offending you by saying this, right?"


    "No. Don''t you usually quarrel with Little Li?"


    "We don¡¯t quarrel anymore. Mm... because we broke up."


    "No wonder you two aren¡¯t together these days."


    "Aiya, it¡¯s a long story!"


    There was a car in front of him, and Chen Shi hit his horn. "If I have a choice in my next life, I want to be homosexual. Only men can understand one another. Men and women are creatures from two differents who are forcibly bonded together due to primitive reproductive needs. This is the source of countless tragedies. Look at these cases. Which one doesn¡¯t involve the mess that is love between men and women? Shitty love. Love is an abnormal psychology without logic. If men and men are together and women and women are together, the world will simply be wonderful!"


    Right now, Chen Shi had be a philosopher as if he was possessed by Peng Sijue. This was his anger reaching a certain critical point, taking on a new form.


    "Let this kind of world be over!"


    "Xiaodong, you¡¯re a policeman, and you¡¯re often not at home. It will be very troublesome to get married in the future. You can just learn from Old Peng and be single for a lifetime. Why want a child or family? It¡¯s not like people surnamed Xu are going to be extinct."


    "Let''s not talk about this. Let''s talk about the case!"


    "Okay, we''ll talk about the case. Is there any progress?"


    "No."


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi said, "In short, she has to take full responsibility for this matter, and she has to apologize. Let her see what dignity is. I will not bow to the evil forces. Even if the evil force has beautiful looks, it¡¯s useless..."


    Along the way, Xu Xiaodong was forced to be a trash can.[2] When he got out of the car, he really wanted to pat his ears and pour out all of what he had heard.


    The target to be visited that day was Liu Jin. He was a car repairer and fit the characteristics of the suspect: he did not own a house at the moment, he wanted that house, and had participated in all three of theunches. ording to a salesperson, when Mr. Li, the second victim, had gotten the house at the second opening, Liu Jin had stopped Mr. Li in the parking lot and quarreled fiercely with him. The reason for the quarrel was unknown.


    When they got to the car repair shop, Liu Jin came up to Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong, wearing an outfit badly-stained with grease. He wiped his hands with a rag and asked, "What can I help you with?"


    Xu Xiaodong showed his credentials and left the rest to Chen Shi. Chen Shi asked, "Mr. Liu, have you always intended to purchase House 1818 of Unit C8 in Tiancheng International Housing District?"


    Liu Jin''s eyes shed suddenly, "Yes, I''m saving money for it."


    "How much is your monthly ie?"


    "Is this a discriminatory question? Do you think I¡¯m a car repairer and can''t afford that apartment?"


    "It''s just a normal question. Don''t think too much."


    "I have a monthly ie of 4,000 to 5,000, but we sold the house in my hometown so we still have a little savings. Since you¡¯re asking this, you¡¯ve probably seen the house. It¡¯s pretty good, isn¡¯t it? I n to buy it and bring my parents over. I will live there even after I get married. It¡¯s 180 square meters, more than enough for four people. My whole family is thinking about ways to raise money for this."


    "How much more do you need before you can buy the house?"


    "Why, do you want to help me make the rest of the payment?" Liu Jin smiled, "It''s almost enough. The down payment should be no problem, and the monthly mortgage payment can be paid off slowly! As you all know, I¡¯m a migrant. [3] If I want a Long''an residence permit, I have to first get a house. It¡¯s not easy to find a partner without a house. Women are very realistic these days! Officers, why are you asking about this? What is illegal or criminal about buying a house?"


    "Actually, I really want to persuade you not to buy that house, because everyone who has taken a liking to it has met untimely deaths."


    The purpose of exposing this matter was to observe Liu Jin''s reaction. He opened his eyes wide and said a little excitedly, "Then the price is lowered now? Aiya, you¡¯re not suspecting me, are you?!"


    "I¡¯m not suspecting you. We will visit everyone who wants to buy that house."


    "How many people died? How much is the house now?"


    "The full amount is two million."


    "Fuck, it''s still so expensive. It¡¯d be good if a few more died... Don''t get me wrong. I¡¯m just saying that casually.¡±


    "Are you familiar with Li Xiaolei?"


    "No!"


    Chen Shi showed him the photos and Liu Jin immediately remembered. "I know what you¡¯re asking. Yes, I had a fight with him at theunch. I asked him to give up the house because I really wanted it. In hindsight, that wasn¡¯t very rational. I¡¯m not the only person who wants the house. Even if he gives it up, I may not be able to get it since that damn real estatepany has an internal policy."


    "What internal policy?"


    "People who buy a house in full have priority. Why? Isn¡¯t this motherfucking discriminating against us poor people? At that time, I sat there waiting from 6:00 in the morning. In the end, he waste but got it first. I was very upset, so I quarreled with him."


    1. A character from Jin Yong¡¯s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.


    2. For people to vent (rubbish) at.


    3. People from out-of-town who do not have local residence permits.

 Chapter 607: Tailing

    <h4>Chapter 607: Tailing</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After chatting for a long time, Chen Shi nced at Liu Jin''s feet and asked, "Last question. Mr. Liu, what size shoes do you wear?"


    "Size 39."


    "Okay, thank you for your cooperation."


    Turning around, Xu Xiaodong asked, "Brother Chen, do you think he¡¯s suspicious?"


    "Vaguely. We can continue to follow up."


    Later, they visited a few more people and had a meal in between. After doing some things to distract himself, he didn''t seem to be so angry anymore. After thinking about it carefully, the source of Lin Dongxue''s anger was because he pretended to be deaf and dumb when she suggested getting married. The rest was just pretext. She wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to think that he wanted to sleep with the salesdy.


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong, "Is it bad to reject when a woman mentions marriage euphemistically?"


    "Brother Chen, why are you talking about this again? I''m not a woman, so I don''t understand, but... maybe... probably. Girls still want to live a stable life! Dongxue said that she wants to marry you?"


    "Forget it. I¡¯ll apologize. Things have to be made clear!"


    "Where¡¯s your dignity?"


    "Men should know how to be magnanimous, okay? Men who are magnanimous have dignity!"


    "Sounds like an excuse."


    After returning to the bureau, it turned out that Lin Dongxue had already gone home first. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t early, Chen Shi didn''t go to her house in the end. He hesitated while on the phone at night, wrote and deleted messages, but finally didn''t send any out.


    How should he exin his unwillingness to get married?


    This involved his secret, but this secret had always been a sore point between the two of them. Lin Dongxue always asked, but Chen Shi was reluctant to talk about it. For this reason, they¡¯ve had a few quarrels, all of which were old scars.


    What he did in the past would always affect the present, like a shadow that followed him. He couldn¡¯t hide the past by just changing his face. He had avoided it for too long and no longer had no courage to face it. Thinking of this, he felt very despicable.


    Tao Yueyue saw him lying on the sofa in a daze, went over and asked, "Uncle Chen, did you guys quarrel again today?"


    "No."


    "You guys didn¡¯t make up?¡±


    "Oh, this kind of thing takes some time. How are you doing at school?"


    "Very good. If we move, will we not be able to y with Sister Gu in the future?"


    "You can go to her office to look for her."


    "Verbally, we¡¯ll say that we¡¯ll often contact one another, but in fact we won''t keep in touch anymore.¡±


    "Don''t you like that house very much?"


    "I like it, but..." Tao Yueyue hesitated, "I¡¯m worried that Maoqiu won¡¯t adapt to the new environment."


    "It''ll be okay. Buy a big cat climbing frame for it, make some cat corridors on the wall, just like what you see on TV, and it¡¯ll definitely adapt quickly. It¡¯s such arge space, it will be very happy inside."


    "I¡¯m going to go y games."


    The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau and found that Lin Dongxue wasn¡¯t in the office. Xu Xiaodong said that she hade to check-in in the morning and then went out immediately to investigate the case. It was really to avoid me.


    Today, they would continue to investigate the few people from yesterday, focusing on Liu Jin.


    Liu Jin had lied. After investigation, it was found that his parents had already passed away. Although Liu Jin had inherited a house in his hometown, he had also inherited debts from his father. His father owed a lot of debts from gambling, and the house had been quickly taken away by the creditor to settle some of the debts. As for the rest of the debts, Liu Jin couldn''t pay them back, so he went to Long''an to work, and had barely contacted his rtives over the past few years.


    Liu Jin''s card had a deposit of 400,000 yuan in savings of unknown origin.


    Liu Jin¡¯s body size and foot size matched the murderer¡¯s. Chen Shi¡¯s level of suspicion of Liu Jin was only at 30%, because one thing still didn¡¯t make sense. The murderer was able to enter the deceased¡¯s home and had even shared steak and wine with the second victim, Mr. Li. However, Liu Jin and Mr. Li had quarrelled with each other before. There was a huge gap between their upations, ages and backgrounds. Could this be possible?


    To confirm this, Chen Shi also checked Mr. Li''s sexual orientation and concluded that he definitely was heterosexual, but no woman appeared around him.


    Of course, there was one: The salesdy!


    In order to verify this, Chen Shi sent a text message to Gong Jianqin, "I want to visit your residence. It¡¯s just to investigate the case. Please choose a suitable time!"


    The other party replied, "Today?"


    "It¡¯s best if it¡¯s today."


    "Tonight then. I get off work at 6:00."


    During the day, Chen Shi checked all the information about Gong Jianqin that he could find, and what she reported was true.


    At 5:00 in the evening, Chen Shi went to Gong Jianqin¡¯s residential area. He arrived early to prevent her from going home first and hiding things. At 6:30, Gong Jianqin appeared and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting. Why did you suddenly want toe to my house?"


    "I don¡¯t want to state the reason."


    "Am I in your list of suspects?"


    "I suspect everyone, including your manager, your colleagues, and your customers."


    Gong Jianqin seemed a little restrained as she brought a male stranger home. Chen Shi tried his best to maintain a socially-safe distance. He walked into her house and looked around. It was a pretty good house. There were various signs that she had lived alone there for a long time.


    "Miss Gong, what is your monthly ie?"


    "It¡¯s pretty good during the peak season, but the off-season is a bit worse. For example, it¡¯s the off-season right now."


    "To be specific, how much did you earnst month?"


    "About thirteen thousand."


    "What aboutst year''s year-end bonus?"


    "Because I was the sales championst year, I received an award of 300,000 yuan."


    Chen Shi nodded. He felt that Gong Jianqin could be eliminated motive-wise. She didn''t need to buy a house, and her ie wasn¡¯t low. Moreover, as a salesperson, she wouldn¡¯t want the price of the house to be lowered, or hermission would shrink.


    After a short stay, Chen Shi left. Gong Jianqin asked politely, "You just took a look and left? Don''t you need to ask anything?"


    "Then I¡¯ll just ask some questions casually. How long have you been single?"


    "For quite a long time..." She smiled in embarrassment, "It''s been about a few years. Although I''m a salesperson and meet quite a lot of people, there are few that I fall for. Other than selling houses, I don''t know how to make friends with people."


    "It might be better to cultivate some hobbies."


    "I''m a fairly crass person. I don''t like anything other than earning money. My former boyfriend also thought that I was too realistic, and we broke up after that... By the way, theunch will be on the day after tomorrow. Just a reminder."


    "I will definitely be there. Thank you for your cooperation. I¡¯ve disturbed you."


    "It''s okay."


    After leaving, as per the old rules, Chen Shi monitored her from downstairs to see what her follow-up reactions were like. The window remained calm, and she also didn¡¯t go downstairs to throw out the trash. Gong Jianqin didn¡¯te out until it got dark and when he was about to leave. She hadn¡¯t even changed her clothes and went directly to the underground parking lot to pick up her car.


    Chen Shi immediately went outside the housing district to fetch his own car and waited for Gong Jianqin''s car to drive out before he tailed her.


    In the end, she just went to the sales department. Chen Shi saw her getting out of the car. She didn¡¯t enter the sales center. Instead, she went directly to the property under Phase C and entered the unit building with House 1818.


    Chen Shi seemed to catch a whiff of something suspicious and got out of the car to follow. He didn¡¯t take the elevator. He climbed up the stairs to the 18th floor and stopped in the dark stairwell.


    There was only this suite on the entire 18th floor, so the corridor wasn¡¯t lit. The darkness and silence were oppressive. Chen Shi stayed motionless like a stone sculpture. After waiting for a long time, he even became a little unsure about whether she hade in or not. At that moment, he heard an indistinct moaning sound drift out from within the house...

 Chapter 608: I’ll Treat You To Steak And Red Wine

    <h4>Chapter 608: I¡¯ll Treat You To Steak And Red Wine</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The soundssted for a while, and Chen Shi was a little embarrassed to hear them. This voice echoed throughout the corridor, and there seemed to be faint crying in between. Gong Jianqin was calling someone''s name softly, but it couldn¡¯t be heard clearly. It was probably the man who was with her at the moment.


    Strangely, the other person''s voice wasn¡¯t heard during the whole process, and even in the final stage, the man was very silent.


    Then everything calmed down and silence enveloped the entire floor. Could someone be dating her here, and that person had waited here beforehand?


    Was he a tenant from another floor of this building who had quietlye out without telling his wife?


    Half an hour passed, and there was no sign of activity during the period. Chen Shi suspected that she had already left. Of course, this was impossible, because he was keeping watch on the stairs. If she had entered the elevator, the light in the elevator would have illuminated the entire floor.


    He decided to go down first and drove the car parked outside to a nearby supermarket. This was the route Gong Jianqin had to take to go home.


    Sitting alone in the car, the cigarette that Xu Xiaodong had given him yesterday was still under the windshield. Chen Shi picked it up, prepared to light it, and stopped himself in the end. He texted Lin Dongxue, "Sorry, I had a bad attitude. Please give me the opportunity to apologize in person!"


    The rock sunk to the bottom of the ocean. There was no reply.


    He texted Peng Sijue. "Are you off work?"


    Peng Sijue returned a "1¡±. The meaning was unknown.


    "Come overter. I¡¯ll invite you to eat steak and drink red wine!"


    "State the matter directly!"


    "Old Tsundere[1]!" Chen Shi smiled as he grumbled. After waiting for a long time, Gong Jianqin''s car passed by and Chen Shi drove back to the sales office.


    Back in the building from just now, he walked into House 1818. He used his mobile phone as a shlight and looked for clues on the ground. He only found a pool of liquid and collected some of it with the cotton swabs and specimen collection bottles that he carried with him.


    There was a circr mark on the wall one meter above the ground. It was unknown how it had been left behind.


    After pondering over it for a long time, Chen Shi walked into the elevator which had a surveince system installed. He went directly to the property manager and asked for the surveince video. It turned out that Gong Jianqin had gone upstairs and came downstairs alone. Before and after, except for Chen Shi, no one else had been to the 18th floor.


    With all kinds of doubts, Chen Shi went back to the bureau to look for Peng Sijue. By that time, everyone had gotten off work, and Peng Sijue was sitting in theboratory, using theputer.


    Chen Shi said, "Help me test something."


    "You said you wanted to treat me, but I waited for you until 9:00."


    "Sorry, I was investigating the case."


    Peng Sijue sighed, took the specimen bottle to start the test, and said, "There¡¯s food on the table."


    There was a small induction cooker on the table, and Chen Shi said, "No need. Let''s go out to eatter and have some wine tonight..." When he lifted the lid and found the sweet and sour pork ribs being kept warm inside, he changed his tune. "Where are the chopsticks?"


    Eating the fragrant sweet and sour pork ribs and rice, Chen Shi said sentimentally, "The sweet and sour pork ribs from the cafeteria are still so delicious. They haven¡¯t changed after so many years."


    "Have you quarreled with Dongxue?"


    "You also know about it?"


    "Everyone knows."


    "Xiaodong really has a big mouth!"


    "He didn¡¯t say anything. People saw you two standing outside quarrelling that day.


    "Do you and Gu You usually quarrel?"


    "Why would we quarrel? We¡¯re not dating each other. It¡¯s just limited to having an asional meal or going to the movies together..."


    "Sleeping together and the like." Chen Shi added for him.


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes at him. "Speak no evil."


    "Your kind of rtionship is actually quite good, keeping a distance from each other..."


    "Gu You knows who you were before!"


    Chen Shi almost spewed out a mouthful of rice, and Peng Sijue said, "I didn''t tell her. She already knew it."


    "If you didn¡¯t tell her, how would you know that she knows?"


    "I''m toozy to exin the cause and effect."


    "She knows who I am? She still pretends not to know?" Chen Shi pondered. In the beginning, it was suspicious that Gu You had moved in opposite his home. After a long time had passed, he gradually stopped finding it suspicious.


    No, I have to find an opportunity to ask her!


    "Chen Shi!" Peng Sijue roared, "What did you bring for me to test?"


    "What happened?"


    "This is vaginal discharge."


    "There¡¯s only vaginal discharge?"


    "Only this. If I have to mention something else, then there¡¯s some urine, belonging to the same person."


    "Did I miss something?"


    He went back to the scene ten minutes after. If two people had done it there, they would definitely have left something behind. Why was there only one person¡¯s...?


    Besides, the house was empty and there wasn¡¯t even a cushion. It was definitely not asfortable as a hotel or doing it at home. Why did she choose that ce?


    Why in that house?!


    Before he knew it, a bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs had been emptied, and Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go and eat steak."


    "I''ve eaten long ago. If I waited for you, I¡¯d have starved to death."


    "Another day then!"


    Peng Sijue apanied him out and they walked out of the Public Security Bureau. It was only then that he lit a cigarette. Chen Shi admired his self-control very much. He didn¡¯t smoke during working hours and only did so after work. His previous self would have gone crazy after not smoking for an hour.


    Seeing that Chen Shi was watching, Peng Sijue handed over the cigarettes. Chen Shi smiled and shook his head, "Don''t tempt me."


    "Do you know when I started smoking?"


    "After I disappeared?"


    "Around November 2015."


    "Isn''t that after I disappeared?"


    "Can you not imagine that your love is reciprocated? By the way, are you nning to return to the police force? You won''t be a driver forever, right?"


    "Things are quite good now. I¡¯m very free."


    "You¡¯re running away!"


    "Escaping is sometimes the solution."


    "Zhou Tiannan is dead. His subordinates will soon take action. You have to be careful."


    "I think you people who wear police badges have to be more careful than me."


    Peng Sijue looked at the night sky. "Don''t go missing again!"


    After leaving behind this sentence, he drove away, which made Chen Shi feel moved for a long time.


    The next morning, Chen Shi made a hearty boxed breakfast and ced it on Lin Dongxue''s table. He wrote "Not made by Chen Shi." on a sticky note and put it on top. Then he went off to continue investigating the case with Xu Xiaodong.


    Yesterday, Xu Xiaodong had made some progress. He discovered that Liu Jin had bought narcotics, ropes, small knives and the like before the incident. Furthermore, one of Liu Jin¡¯s friends was Zhang Chuang, who had a notorious history of getting into fights, drug abuse, and organizing a prostitution ring.


    This discovery made Xu Xiaodong very excited, and he kept chattering the whole way, "I knew this youngster had a problem long ago!", "If I can render meritorious service this time, I have a shot at getting a promotion in the second half of the year, hahaha!", "Brother Chen, why aren¡¯t you talking?"


    "I was wondering why he had bought a rope?"


    "Maybe he has some backup n. I think that this may be a gangmitting crimes. Liu Jin''s friend helped him to murder people and lower the house price. Liu Jin then helped this friend in turn, so that they wouldn¡¯t be in the list of suspects when the police investigate.¡±


    "Swap murder targets? That''s a good idea... But you¡¯re blindly guessing and have no basis for it."


    "Don''t you oftene up with crazy ideas?"


    "Am I the same as you? Mine are called reasoning. Reasoning is based on facts."


    "Brother Chen, what¡¯s your level of suspicion towards Liu Jin right now?"


    After thinking about it, Chen Shi replied, "Thirty percent."


    1. Japanese loan word ¡°°Á½¿¡± which means a person who is unfriendly and blunt on the outside but warm and tender on the inside.

 Chapter 609: Failed Kidnapping

    <h4>Chapter 609: Failed Kidnapping</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Today, the two of them were going to look for Zhang Chuang. He worked in a nightclub. The nightclub wasn¡¯t open during the day. It took them some time to contact the manager and find out Zhang Chuang''s residential address.


    Before knocking on the door, Chen Shi asked, "Have you done your homework on this kid?"


    "I¡¯ve read his information."


    "You¡¯ll question himter."


    Xu Xiaodong knocked on the door a few times. A drunk man opened the door and asked them who they were looking for. When he saw the police badge, he immediately sobered up and cleared his throat. "I am Zhang Chuang, what can I do for you?"


    "Are you and Liu Jin friends?"


    "Mm, we are drinking buddies."


    "Did you know that he¡¯s been wanting to buy a house as ofte?"


    "I do. Something like Tiancheng International Housing District. When we were drinking once, he said that he fancied a house there and asked me to lend him money for the down payment. How could I be so fucking rich? I¡¯m so poor that I¡¯m about to make jingling sounds.[1]" Zhang Chuang squeezed out an ingratiating smile. "What are the two of you investigating? Did Liu Jinmit an offence? I need to state that we¡¯re just casual acquaintances."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "But I checked Liu Jin''s recent call records and he contacts you very frequently."


    "It¡¯s to borrow money. That kid has been looking for people to borrow money from everywhere." Zhang Chuang touched his neck. His nervousness was exposed in front of Chen Shi''s eyes.


    "Do you know someone named Zhang Haichang?"


    "Mm... Let me put my pants on first. My legs have almost frozen while standing and talking at the door. Excuse me for a while."


    Zhang Chuang was about to close the door, when Chen Shi braced his foot against it. He turned and ran like a frightened bird and jumped down directly from the second-floor window.


    Xu Xiaodong was stunned. He didn''t expect him to make his escape before they had even exchanged a few words. He immediately rushed downstairs in pursuit.


    After a while, Xu Xiaodong escorted Zhang Chuang back, and Zhang Chuang started pretending to be pitiful again. He screamed, "Aiya, aiya," and said, "My ankle is sprained. Can you be gentler?"


    "Why did you run?!" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "I... that... I thought..."


    "Straighten out your tongue and speak."


    Zhang Chuang was very nervous and couldn¡¯t speak. Xu Xiaodong took out his handcuffs and handcuffed him to the railing of the stairs. Chen Shi nced meaningfully towards the house, and the two walked into Zhang Chuang''s residence together.


    "It was a close call just now. Brother Chen, how did you know he wasn¡¯t going to change his pants when he went in?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "He looked flurried, was sweating profusely, and you could tell that he was lying at a nce."


    "Sure enough, there¡¯s something fishy. Otherwise, why would he run away when he saw the police?"


    Chen Shi nodded, "When he answered your questions just then, I think he was lying."


    The room was chaotic like a pigsty, with beer bottles and dust all over the floor. There was a bank card on the coffee table. Xu Xiaodong picked it up and rubbed the powder on the card between his fingers. He asked Chen Shi, "Are these drugs?"


    "Taste it."


    "You can taste this?"


    "Numbed gums means it¡¯s heroin. A piercing sour taste means it¡¯s methamphetamine."


    "Brother Chen, you even know this!" Xu Xiaodong admired him. He tasted it, and spat it out. "It''s methamphetamine."


    "Haha, take him back for a urine testter and detain him for a good round of questioning... Go and keep an eye on him outside. This kind of person can''t be restrained just with handcuffs."


    When Xu Xiaodong went outside, he saw that Zhang Chuang was trying to twist his thumb in the opposite direction. This kind of technique is often used in the movies, but it was actually useless. Xu Xiaodong furrowed his brows. "What are you trying to do?!"


    "Nothing. I''m just ying with my fingers. Officer, you came to investigate the case early in the morning. Have you had breakfast?" Zhang Chuang stered a smile on his face.


    "Be more honest!" Xu Xiaodong didn''t want to talk nonsense with this kind of person.


    Chen Shi investigated the house and found a knife, walkie-talkie, rope, and a bottle filled with a suspicious liquid in a drawer. In addition, there was also a photo of Zhang Haichang''s son Zhang Chao. Based on the angle, it had been taken secretly.


    Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to contact the team toe over and collect evidence as well as to take theputer away to see what was inside.


    At 10:00 in the morning, Zhang Chuang was locked up, and Lin Qiupu sent someone to detain Liu Jin, because some chat records had been found in Zhang Chuang''sputer, and the two had been plotting to carry out a kidnapping.


    The kidnapping target was Zhang Chao, but from the current point of view, it seems that it had not been carried out.


    Xu Xiaodong rushed excitedly to look for Chen Shi and informed him, "Brother Chen, a colleague found that Liu Jin had appeared in the surveince footage on the day of the incident. He had been to the housing district. These two people must havemitted the murder."


    "No, you¡¯ve made a mistake."


    Xu Xiaodong had a bucket of cold water poured over him. "The evidence is solid. How can I be mistaken?"


    "Has the DNA of the deceased been detected on Zhang Chuang''s knife? They were only nning to kidnap him. Notmit murder. You still remember that none of the property at the scene had gone missing? The murderer¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t money, but the people... It was just a coincidence. It inadvertently let us discover two would-be kidnappers."


    "This..."


    Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder, "But you¡¯ve done a good job. I won''t be going to the interrogation!"


    "Where are you going?"


    "I¡¯ll look at the files to see if anything¡¯s been left out."


    Sure enough, Zhang Chuang and Liu Jin divulged their n. Liu Jin wanted the house, and Zhang Chuang urgently needed money to buy drugs. The two colluded together and targeted Zhang Haichao¡¯s son. Liu Jin had heard Zhang Haichao saying that he nned to buy a house and pay for it in full at the sales department. He believed that he must have a lot of money.


    In fact, they had nned a kidnapping a few years ago and demanded a ransom of 600,000. The victim didn¡¯t call the police at the time, but they were still a little conscientious. They did not kill the victim after getting the money and let the child go back home by himself.


    For the house, they had taken quite a risk.


    Chen Shi sat alone in the conference room, looking through the collection of testimonies and material evidence they had on hand. Everyone from the previous list had been followed up with by the police. They all wanted House 1818 like crazy.


    Looking at them all, there wasn¡¯t one that fitted Chen Shi''s expectations of the suspect.


    Gong Jianqin did fit them, except that he didn¡¯t know what her motive was. However, this was just suspicion.


    From the view of outsiders, Chen Shi always figured out the suspect at once, just like an eagle catching a rabbit. In fact, he always had a vague outline of the suspect in his heart. Every time he encountered a person during the investigation, he would attempt to put the person inside the outline.


    At the beginning of every case, Chen Shi''s suspicion radar was turned on from the moment he saw the person who reported the case. This intuition of his was generally quite urate.


    If Gong Jianqin wasn¡¯t the murderer, then the suspect was out of the police''s field of vision. Perhaps the person wanted the house but never showed up, or their purpose was to bring down the real estatepany.


    "Maybe I can think of a way to verify it!" He thought. An absurd idea came to his mind...


    1. If you¡¯re so poor that you¡¯re only left with coins, they¡¯ll make jingling, rattling noises.

 Chapter 610: Using Oneself To Test For Danger

    <h4>Chapter 610: Using Oneself To Test For Danger</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On November 8th, Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue went to the sales center. Tao Yueyue said, "How do we buy the house? Is it the same as an auction?"


    "No, when the market opens, just use the app topete for it."


    "Then why did you have to make a special trip here?"


    "You have to sign the contract and have your fingerprints taken afterpeting for it."


    "I''ll wait for you in the car then!" Tao Yueyue took out her phone and started ying a mobile game.


    "I''ll be back soon." Chen Shi patted her on the head.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    "Hm?"


    Tao Yueyue, who was sitting in the car, hesitated over whether she should say something. Then she said, "Go!"


    There were a lot of people at the scene, and the market hadn''t opened yet. Everyone sat and waited. The staff brought them coffee and other drinks. The uncle sitting next to Chen Shi said, "Young man, are you buying a house too?"


    "Yes!"


    "I¡¯m also buying one for my son. It''s already the third phase. I still haven''t grabbed a house that I like. New housing developments are everywhere now but the house prices are so expensive and it¡¯s still so difficult to buy a house!" The uncle shook his head and sighed.


    "There¡¯s nothing you can do. Chinese people are like this. One can scrimp on everything else, but one can''t settle for just anything in terms of housing."


    "Haha, you''re right. We usually scrimp on food and drinks, and hoard our pensions in order to buy a marital house for our son. As for the house I gotst year, I looked at the house and found that there wasn¡¯t much natural light, so in the end, we didn''t sign the contract. This year, I hope to get a good one that meets my expectations. My son reproached me for not getting the housest year. As a result, his girlfriend whom he had dated for seven years left him. I said that if she wants to leave, then leave. He needn¡¯t be afraid of not finding a girlfriend when he has a house. Get a good house and find a better one! This kid can¡¯t get his priorities right!"


    Chen Shi smiled politely and perfunctorily.


    The countdown to the opening began. Everyone was staring at their mobile phones and preparing topete. Many people silently turned off the WIFI and used the 4Gwork. They were afraid that even a one-second dy would let the opportunity to get the house of their dreams slip by.


    Some even took out two mobile phones andpeted left and right.


    A war without gunpowder came to an end quickly. Chen Shi snatched the 1818 house in an instant and looked around. Those who got their houses were pleased and those who lost looked depressed.


    A big man stood up and kicked the trash can angrily, "Who?! Who snatched 1818 away? Stand up!"


    Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, his attitude softened again, "Which person snatched 1818? Please stand up. I¡¯m willing to pay more money to buy it, okay? I really want that house and have been thinking about it for three years!"


    Oh, that¡¯s right, the first two victims were killed during the period after they had sessfully bid for the house and before paying the money. That is to say, at this moment, I¡¯m already the target of the murderer.


    Gong Jianqin stood in the corner, looking at Chen Shi gloomily. After he met her gaze, she suddenly resumed smiling and mouthed, "Did you manage to snatch it?"


    Chen Shi nodded, pointing outside.


    When the two went outside, Gong Jianqin said, "Congrattions, Mr. Chen. This house finally has a master."


    "But I¡¯m also in a very dangerous position now. ording to the murderer''s regr pattern, I will die in the next two days." Chen Shi observed her expression.


    Gong Jianqin concealed her emotions with her habitual smile. "No way. You must pay attention to safety these two days... Shall we sign the contract now?"


    "I¡¯m not in a hurry. Apany me to 1818. There¡¯s something to be done."


    "Right now?"


    "Right now!"


    "I''ll get my bag."


    "We¡¯lle back down in a while."


    Chen Shi grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving. The next test would be very dangerous. He had also tried to persuade himself not to do stupid things, but his desire to find out the truth was too strong, even if he was in danger.


    The two arrived at 1818. Gong Jianqin said, beaming, "This is your home from now on."


    "Living in such a big house, I¡¯d definitely be in a good mood. I n toy white wood floors and install some cat-climbing shelves on the wall. The sunlight will be beneficial for growing some flowers and nts..." Looking forward to the future, Chen Shi walked into the bedroom. He pointed to a wall and asked, "Is this a load-bearing wall?"


    "That side? No."


    Chen Shi suddenly took out a spray paint can and sprayed a cross on the white wall. Gong Jianqin cried out, "What are you doing?!"


    "After making payment on the way back, I n to ask the renovator toe over and merge the two rooms into one big room. Just making a mark first."


    "Could you not scribble on the wall?"


    "What''s the big deal? This is my property. By the way, the house is unlocked. I¡¯ll write ¡®This house has an owner.¡¯ on the wall to prevent anyone froming in at night."


    As he said this, he was about to spray paint on the other wall. Gong Jianqin unexpectedly stood in front of the wall, spread out her arms, and begged sadly, "Please, don''t ruin it. Treat it well, okay?"


    Chen Shi stared at her damp eyes for a few seconds, then he said, "Let''s go down!"


    Before leaving, Gong Jianqin nced at the ugly cross on the wall, as if seeing a holy thing being sullied. She ground her teeth loudly, and her fingernails dug deeply into her own flesh.


    When they got to the sales department, there were already far fewer people. The uncle from just now was wearing reading sses and reading the terms of the contract carefully. He had obviously managed to grab his ideal house.


    Gong Jianqin recovered a salesperson¡¯s sense of courtesy and distance. She smiled slightly. ¡°Sit down for a while and I¡¯ll get the contract.¡±


    "Okay!"


    Five minutester, she brought the contract with a cup of coffee. Chen Shi verified the contract, signed his name, inked his fingerprints, and returned it to her. Gong Jianqin said, "Mr. Chen, the coffee is going to be cold."


    "I don''t like coffee."


    "Then shall I give you a cup of tea?"


    "No need. I''m leaving now."


    "Don''t rush off. I still have some things I need to talk to you about again." Gong Jianqin''s expression showed a trace of weird persistence.


    Chen Shi had already realized that there was a problem with this cup of coffee. Staring at the ck coffee, there was a voice in his heart saying that the truth was right in front of him.


    If Gong Jianqin was the murderer, ording to her habit, she would first anesthetize and then kill him. She wouldn¡¯t poison him directly.


    If he doesn''t drink it, she may be alerted, and she may run away! Or even do something more extreme.


    Chen Shi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, took the coffee and slowly brought it to his mouth. Halfway through the coffee, Gong Jianqin seemed to smile in relief. Chen Shi said, "This coffee is not bad, is it hand-ground?"


    "Yes, our coffee here is all hand-ground. I want to tell you about..."


    After she exined some misceneous things, Chen Shi said goodbye. He already felt a little dizzy and had to return to the car quickly!


    The narcotics made his mind dull. He walked to the dimly-lit underground parking lot and saw that it was empty. He suddenly understood that Gong Jianqin was nning to kill him here.


    For a moment, it seemed that there was a Gong Jianqin hidden in every corner, holding a sharp de with her eyes glinting ominously, waiting for the moment he copsed toe forward and cut his throat swiftly and fiercely.


    Chen Shi sped towards his car and knelt down when he opened the door. Tao Yueyue asked him what was happening in a panic. Her voice was very far away and her face became blurred, as if he was dreaming.


    Chen Shi opened the glove box with hisst shred of consciousness and said, "Someone wants to kill me... It''s toote to call the police... Use this to..."


    He shook his head desperately. His hands and feet were so numb that they no longer felt like they were on his body. He finally climbed onto the seat, closed his eyes and said, "Use me as bait..." then fell deeply asleep.

 Chapter 611: Catching The Real Murderer Bravely

    <h4>Chapter 611: Catching The Real Murderer Bravely</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gong Jianqin nced at her watch. The thiopental sodium in the coffee should have already taken effect.


    Without saying anything to anyone, she quietly left the sales office, took out a ck bag from the fire-fighting cab in the corner, and walked into the underground parking lot by the elevator corridor. She emptied out her coat, hat, mask, folding knife, and gloves from the bag. She quickly tied up her hair, stuffed it into the hat, checked the edge, and made sure that no hair was exposed.


    Then she put on gloves, mask and coat. She looked like an ordinary maintenance worker.


    She tested the sharpness of the de. She was determined to kill. Originally, she had nned to stop after she killed three people in session and rmed the police. However, she couldn''t bear it. The man surnamed Chen had actually done such a thing. He should pay the price for his arrogance.


    Staring at the de, she hesitated. If a police consultant dies in the parking lot of the sales office, the police will inevitably shift their attention here, and they will invest more resources and energy in investigating.


    But she had to do it!


    Gong Jianqin walked softly into the parking lot and searched everywhere. At that moment, there were no outsiders in the parking lot. She finally saw Chen Shi sitting in a Porsche with the door open, slumped in the driver''s seat and fast asleep.


    "You asked for it!" she whispered.


    She gradually approached Chen Shi, stretched her left hand towards his head, and reached under his neck with the knife in her right hand. At that moment, an electric current flowed through her body, and she screamed, instinctively trying to avoid it.


    The other party didn¡¯t give her this opportunity and continued to stab her body with a stun gun. Gong Jianqin fell to the ground, her body stiffened due to the electric shock, and she kept twitching. She turned her head angrily. The person who ambushed her was actually the young girl who had been brought to view the house by the man surnamed Chen that day.


    The stun gun had been prepared by Chen Shi in advance, and Tao Yueyue was using it for the first time. She had just hid in the dark and watched the woman approaching Chen Shi. Her heart was beating like a drum, but she still waited for the best time to rush out.


    The murderer copsed. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t stop there. She put the stun gun on her opponent¡¯s neck and kept shocking her. Gong Jianqin screamed loudly. The electrical power seemed to be running out. Tao Yueyue, who was afraid her opponent would resist, dropped the stun gun immediately and picked up a belt, which she had removed from Chen Shi''s body. From behind, she strangled Gong Jianqin''s neck and pressed her knees against her spine.


    Gong Jianqin brandished her knife in pain but couldn''t sh Tao Yueyue at all. Tao Yueyue calmly counted, "One, two, three, four..."


    It takes fifteen seconds to cause a person to fall into aa. This is what Gu You had told her. When she counted to fourteen, Gong Jianqin rolled her eyes back and her head suddenly became heavy. Tao Yueyue stopped and kicked away the knife from her opponent¡¯s hands. Then she dragged her hands behind her back and tied them tightly with the belt.


    Everything went smoothly, but when she calmed down, her little heart thumped wildly. If something had gone wrong and they ended up grappling each other, she was definitely not her match, not to speak of being able to protect Chen Shi at the same time.


    Tao Yueyue took a few deep breaths, calmed herself down, and shook Chen Shi, "Uncle Chen, get up quickly. We¡¯re safe."


    The only answer she got was snoring, which made Tao Yueyue a little angry, as she had risked her own safety to subdue the murderer. The result was that he slept through it all and even snored... Although she knew that it was the effect of anesthetic in her heart, she was still unhappy.


    Tao Yueyue used the stun gun, which had little power left and stabbed the back of Chen Shi''s hand. Chen Shi woke up and his eyes were nk. He was dumbfounded. He said, "Luoxi? Where are you?" It seemed that he was still lost in his dream.


    "I settled it."


    "Huh?" Chen Shi nced at Gong Jianqin who was lying on the ground, and only reacted then. "Call the police!" Then he fell asleep again.


    When Chen Shi woke up in the hospital, his brain was still dizzy due to the effects of the anesthetic. He was thirsty and tried to reach the cup by the bed, but the cup fell to the ground.


    The sound of the cup shattering into pieces rmed the medical staff, and a nurse came in and asked, "Sir, do you need help?"


    "Who sent me here?"


    "The police."


    "Oh... I remember now. Am I okay?"


    "It''s okay, it''s just that you identally swallowed an anesthetic. You have been checked and there won¡¯t be any serious effects.¡±


    "I¡¯m thirsty. Can you please pour me a ss of water?"


    "Okay, wait a minute."


    For some reason, the nurse held back a smile the whole time. Chen Shi wondered if there was something on his face.


    Hey down and slept for a while again, and then was shaken awake. He opened his eyes and saw Lin Dongxue''s beautiful fair face. Lin Dongxue smiled and asked, "Are you stupid? Why did you use yourself as bait?"


    "If I didn''t do that, she might have run away. Even if I caught her, there¡¯s no conclusive evidence... Oh yes, what happened after I fell into aa?" Chen Shi put his hand on the back of her hand as he spoke. He couldn¡¯t remember what had happened when he woke up halfway through at all.


    Lin Dongxue helped him up and gave him water. "You have to thank Tao Yueyue. I didn''t expect this child to be so brave and decisive. She captured the murderer by herself. When the police arrived at the scene, they were shocked!"


    "Like father, like daughter." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Don''t do such dangerous things in the future. At least, call me up toe with you. I¡¯m really worried about you doing things alone."


    "Aren''t you angry with me?"


    Lin Dongxue nced at him and smiled, "Where is your official apology?"


    "Okay, I formally apologize. I won''t make you angry anymore. I shouldn''t have said those hurtful things."


    "I ept your apology, and I shouldn''t have peeked at your phone... It''s just that you usually leave it around, so I just asionally look at it, but I didn''t really want to peek. When I thought about itter, you and Su Ruijuan shouldn¡¯t have anything going on between you two. Otherwise, why would you have kept the chat log?"


    "Women are oversensitive. I just dealt with some of Wang Daji''s funeral matters. Did you think that since I look exactly the same as Wang Daji, I¡¯d go over and take advantage of her? Am I that kind of shameless person?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled again when she heard the word "shameless". Chen Shi didn''t know why she was smiling.


    Lin Dongxue recalled, "Hey, speaking of Wang Daji, you once behaved strangely in front of me. Was it possible that the person talking to me back then wasn¡¯t you?"


    "Let me rest for a while longer. My brain is so numb that I can''t remember what the next line after ¡®Bright moonlight before my bed'' is. [1]" Chen Shi evaded the question. He couldn''t let Dongxue learn too much about Wang Daji.


    "Go to sleep!" Lin Dongxue covered him up with the nket. "When you wake up, let''s go to interrogate the woman..." When she walked to the door, Lin Dongxue reminded him, "Don''t forget to wash your face when you wake up, and wash it carefully!"


    After she left, Chen Shi suddenly reacted and looked around for a mirror. He couldn¡¯t find one, so he had to use the phone''s selfie function instead. It turned out that he had a ¡®tortoise¡¯ drawn on his face. He had just been talking to the nurse and Lin Dongxue with this face. It was no wonder that they wereughing.


    Tao Yueyue must have done it. He had to teach her a lesson when he went back. Thinking about this, Chen Shi fell asleep again.


    1. This is a line from an extremely famous Chinese poem by Li Bai. The poem is made up of four lines and the English trantion can be found here: https://eastasiastudent/china/ssical/li-bai-night-thoughts/

 Chapter 612: Soulmates Are Hard To Find

    <h4>Chapter 612: Soulmates Are Hard To Find</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    By the afternoon, Chen Shi had recovered and he went to the bureau. Tao Yueyue was also there. She had been driven to the bureau in a police car and had her lunch there at noon. At the moment, Xu Xiaodong was with her.


    Seeing Chen Shi''s arrival, Xu Xiaodong looked as though he had received an amnesty, and quietly said to Chen Shi, "Brother Chen, is the girl at your house an ordinary child? I chatted with her for an afternoon, and I was so shocked that I had no ce to hide my shame. How can she understand everything?"


    "That¡¯s how a child is. They¡¯ll show off when they learn something. Don''t bother arguing with the likes of her... Your IQ can''t even match a fraction of hers anyway."


    "That¡¯s over the line! I¡¯m off!" Xu Xiaodong was driven away by the attack.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Chen, are you okay?"


    "I¡¯m okay..." Chen Shi raised his right hand, "It''s just that my hand was left with scars after being electrocuted, and it won''t heal for a few days. Honestly, child!"


    "I was so scared all by myself!" Tao Yueyue rushed over and hugged him.


    Seeing her like this, Chen Shi didn¡¯t pursue the matter of the drawing on his face and patted her head, "Thank you for saving my life!"


    "Can I keep the stun gun?"


    "Yes, but don''t use it on ssmates."


    "Okay!"


    "Would you like me to take you home first? We¡¯re going to interrogate the prisoner soon. It may take a lot of time, which will be quite boring."


    The process of interrogation oftensts for several hours. It¡¯s not as simple as getting the confession out of the suspect. Every detail of the case needs to be verified repeatedly, and then they have to return to the crime scene to re-enact the case. However, Chen Shi never participated in thetter procedure.


    "I want to have a look." Tao Yueyue said.


    "Let''s go!"


    In this interrogation, Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu were the interrogators. Lin Qiupu felt that Chen Shi always talked nonsense during the interrogation and made a mess of the written records so he needed to supervise the interrogation.


    Gong Jianqin was cuffed to the interrogation chair and was still wearing the coat she was wearing during the attack. The hair that was originally tied up now hung down loosely and blocked part of her face, making her look a little despondent. When Chen Shi sat down opposite her, Gong Jianqin said, "It turns out that you have quite a lot of authority."


    "I don''t have any authority. Captain Lin had to nod and agree for me to participate in the interrogation... You have nice hair!"


    "I¡¯ve been growing it for quite a few years. When I go to prison, it¡¯ll probably be cut off." Gong Jianqin said, a bit regretfully.


    "Ahem!" Lin Qiupu motioned to Chen Shi not to talk nonsense. "Suspect, please state your name and upation..."


    After asking the basic questions, Lin Qiupu began to interrogate her regarding the case. The first case was Qin Yi who was killed in Junest year. Gong Jianqin didn¡¯t resist too much. She nodded and said, "I killed Qin Yi. The first time I killed someone, I was nervous. Before that, I studied many short videos of criminal cases. The efficiency of killing with a knife isn¡¯t high. People will resist if they¡¯re stabbed with a knife. But in terms of physique, I¡¯m definitely not Qin Yi''s match. So, I chose a hammer and used the hammer to smash the back of his head. As soon as he was struck, he copsed on the ground struggling non-stop, and then I did it a few more times until he stopped moving. I took his cell phone because I had asked him out that day, and I was afraid of being caught. After thinking about it, I decided that it would be better to take away all the valuables on his body and frame it as a robbery-cum-murder. I then pushed the body under his own car."


    Chen Shi said, "You¡¯re quite clever. Qin Yi was discovered only after the body started stinking a few dayster. In addition, the scene was in a bustling downtown area. The police investigation was mainly focused on some idle gangsters around the area. They didn¡¯t expect it to be you, a real estate saleswoman.¡±


    Lin Qiupu rolled his eyes at Chen Shi and whispered, "Will you die if you don''t speak?"


    Chen Shi pretended to look helpless and let Lin Qiupu lead the interrogation again. After asking about the details of Qin''s case, Lin Qiupu continued to ask about the second case, the murder of Li Xiaolei in April that year.


    Gong Jianqin said nkly, "Li Xiaolei was a disgusting middle-aged man. He often flirted with the opposite sex in customer service scenarios, such as with waitresses in restaurants, and with flight attendants when he flew. The other parties just smiled at him as part of customer service. It wasn¡¯t because he was a very attractive person, but he just never got tired of it. Every time I talked to him, I felt very disgusted, but in order to sell the house, I could only bear it."


    "Was your motive selling the house? Li Xiaolei took a fancy to House 1818, and you nned to kill him!"


    "No, I wanted to sell the house at the time. At the beginning, killing Qin was out of impulse. Later, when Phase B was about to open, Li Xiaolei wanted to buy it in full. I nned to sell it. Later, I gradually learned about his personality. After that, I changed my mind again!"


    "How did you kill him?"


    "He asked me to go to his house that day. In fact, he had invited me many times before and I could only make excuses. When I made up my mind to kill him, I pretended to ept. We ate together and talked a lot, mainly because he was chattering endlessly. This disgusting man showed his true colors after some drinking. He kept implying that I should sleep with him. I said that I liked S&M. He agreed. I blindfolded his eyes. I handcuffed his hands and injected him with a syringe prepared in advance. Originally, I had nned to kill him after anesthetizing him, but that was the first time I used thiopental sodium. I wasn¡¯t sure of the dosage and his heart stopped directly. It saved me a lot of effort. Afterwards, I took off his clothes because I wasn¡¯t sure if there were any traces on his clothes. Then, I burned the clothes and scattered toilet disinfectant on him. There was no guilt in my heart at the time. This disgusting man looked like a cockroach in my eyes. I really wished that there was a liquid that could directly dissolve him."


    Chen Shi said, "I should thank him for letting you learn the correct dosage for the medication, otherwise I¡¯m afraid I can''t sit here today."


    "Don''t interrupt!" Lin Qiupuined.


    When Lin Qiupu continued to ask questions, Gong Jianqin remained silent. Lin Qiupu urged, "Exin the case!"


    "I want to talk to Mr. Chen."


    "I¡¯m the policeman. He¡¯s just a consultant." Lin Qiupu felt that his authority was being defied.


    "I want to talk to Mr. Chen!" Gong Jianqin insisted.


    Lin Qiupu shook his head helplessly and handed over the interrogation to Chen Shi. Chen Shi asked, "Why do you want to talk to me? Because we¡¯ve met several times, so we¡¯re almost considered acquaintances?"


    "Because I think we have some affinity. You may be someone who understands me... He¡¯s just ayman who sits on the sidelines." She nced at Lin Qiupu and Lin Qiupu''s expression at the moment was very interesting.


    "In the beginning, you really nned to sell me the house, right?"


    "Yes, you¡¯re very kind. I thought that you would treat it kindly."


    "Until I did that thing this morning?"


    "I was crazed with anger at the time, now..." She nced at the handcuffs, "I seem to understand that it was Mr. Chen''s strategy, but since you can see through this, you should understand why the four people died."


    Lin Qiupu was confused when he heard this. Wasn''t it because she wanted this house for herself?


    "Very few people call a house ¡®it¡¯[1]. In your eyes, it is a living being with feelings. Throughout the entire case, we kept focusing on the people who wanted this house. It was just amodity and a property to us, but we were wrong. This motive is too bizarre even for me. Miss Gong, you fell in love with it when you spent time with it day and night and when you praised it to others every day!"


    Gong Jianqin''s eyes moistened instantly, as if she had found a soulmate. She bit her lip and nodded.


    "What?!" Lin Qiupu''s eyes widened. At that moment, outside the interrogation room, the police onlookers also exploded into chaos. This was the motive? Who could have thought that this was the motive?!


    Xu Xiaodong sighed, "Is Brother Chen''s brain a ck hole?"[2]


    1. The ¡°it¡± used here and when she said ¡°I thought you would treat ¡®it¡¯ kindly.¡± is used to describe living beings.


    2. Immenselyrge, infinite, containing everything etc.

 Chapter 613: Living For The House, Dying For The House

    <h4>Chapter 613: Living For The House, Dying For The House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the quiet interrogation room, Gong Jianqin slowly said, "In the beginning, it was just a house in my eyes. Of course, I also liked it very much. Itsyout is so perfect. The living room is always full of sunshine. I really wanted to live there. asionally, when I was mistreated by clients or managers and needed to vent, I¡¯d run up alone and sit on the balcony to watch the clouds. This became my secret little house. I talked to myself about my troubles. It just listened. Gradually, if I didn¡¯t go there every day, I would feel ufortable. If I didn¡¯t see it, my inner anxiety was like that of a smoker without cigarettes or an alcoholic without alcohol. As soon as I walked into its clean living room, I would calm down soon after...¡±


    "I spent more and more time there. I touched every wall and kissed every floor. I even made love with it. Of course, from your viewpoint, it¡¯s just masturbation with toys stuck onto the wall, but that feeling was wonderful. I was in it, it was in me..." Gong Jianqin said this as if she was intoxicated, like a girl passionately in love. She said with red cheeks, "Even when I think about it now, I would suddenly get wet."


    "Ahem, don''t talk about your objectophilia[1] in detail. It sounds disgusting to listen to!" Lin Qiupu interrupted.


    "Don''t use that word to address me[2]!!!" Gong Jianqin''s expression changed drastically, and she roared violently. She, who was slender and petite, shook the interrogation chair with her anger. "Never use that word to define me. You guys don''t understand anything,don''t understand anything!"


    This was tantly threatening the police.[3] Lin Qiupu wanted to say something, but Chen Shi gestured to stop him.


    Chen Shi said, "Do you know what I think about objectophilia?"


    Gong Jianqin nodded calmly and listened. Lin Qiupu wondered why Chen Shi could talk about it but he couldn¡¯t. What kind of differential treatment was this?


    "I think that is love!" Chen Shi said, "What kind of thing is love? To make it clear, it may be just a cocktail of several chemicals in our brain. It¡¯s a feeling. This feeling would appear when you meet the right person. If that person is of the same sex, an animal, something, or even themselves, is this feeling wrong? I don¡¯t think anyone can call it wrong. Love is love, no matter who or what the love is directed towards." [4]


    "Thank you for your understanding!" Gong Jianqin nodded, crying.


    "Actually, I had thought of this possibility suddenly. I couldn''t believe it, so I set up a scheme to infuriate you. It turned out that I was right."


    "I love it more than anything else! Even if I read its name, 1818, my heart would tremble!" Gong Jianqin said, "So whenever I saw a customering in, leaving dirty footsteps on its floor, pointing here and there, saying how they would decorate it in the future, as if they were talking about an item, I would have anger well up in my heart! Thinking of what this ce would be like in the future, having children dripping mucus crawling all over the floor, dirty and smelly cats and dogs peeing and pooping inside and smoke and oil ckening the walls. Thinking of the owner proudly showing the guests how big his house is and selling it to the next unknown person when the house¡¯s price rises, I¡¯d go crazy. I know this is wrong. I¡¯m the one who was selling it but I fell in love with it. However, I can''t control myself. Love is selfish. I don''t want to share it with others. I want it and I can sacrifice everything for it!"


    "Then why don''t you buy it? Even if you are a sales staff, you can buy it yourself."


    "I thought about it, but by then I¡¯ve already killed two people. If I bought it at this juncture, the police would suspect me. So I changed my mind and let all this happen and end quietly. I¡¯d find someone worthy of my trust and hand over 1818 to them. Ordinary people would also be disappointed in love as well. It¡¯s just a failed love affair. I can bear it!"


    "What does it mean to ''find someone worthy of trust''?"


    "Killing continuously!" Gong Jianqin smiled sinisterly, "Until it meets a good person! Actually Mr. Chen, after you appeared, I had already nned to entrust it to you. If you hadn¡¯t seen through me and if this case had ended just like that, you would be safe even if you bought it.¡±


    "I''m really sorry. I have a cat."


    "A cat... I can still ept that!"


    Lin Qiupu gave Chen Shi a look to indicate that he was starting to talk nonsense again. Chen Shi said, "Let''s continue to talk about the case!"


    "Okay." Gong Jianqin''s expression became much brighter after revealing the secret in her heart.


    The interrogationsted until 5:00 in the evening, and finally Gong Jianqin said, "I have a small request."


    "To see it onest time?" Chen Shi asked.


    She nodded.


    Chen Shi turned his head and asked Lin Qiupu, "This doesn¡¯t count as an excessive request, right?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "I¡¯ll think about it!"


    This was really not an excessive request. Lin Qiupu had actually already agreed in his heart, but he didn''t say it out loud. When the case was reenacted the next day, Lin Qiupu asked the team to make a detour to Tiancheng International Housing District. Gong Jianqin was in prisoner¡¯s chains and stood at the doorway of 1818. She took off her shoes and walked in, wandering back and forth in every room.


    In order to prevent her frommitting suicide by jumping off the building, police guarded the balcony and windows, and she was not allowed to approach those areas.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi stood at the door, and Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve lived a long time. I¡¯ve seen everything now. I heard that a foreign woman married the Eiffel Tower, broke up with the Tower and then fell in love with a construction crane. When I saw this news, I thought that it was just an act.¡±


    "The biggest unsolved mystery in the world is the human heart. You never know what other people might be thinking. Objectophilia is just a sexual orientation. It has nothing to do with right or wrong. Sometimes, I''m d that I was born in this day and age where homosexuality won¡¯t cause you to be burned to death, and S&M activities won¡¯tnd you in jail."


    "Are you an S or M?"


    "Why are you asking this suddenly?"


    "I heard that S&M is also a kind of orientation. As long as you¡¯re a person, you¡¯d be one, just like gender."


    "If I have to say, I might be an S."


    "Really?"


    "Why do you look a bit regretful?" Chen Shi took her hand.


    "Really nning to buy this ce?"


    "What a great house this is. Objectophilia aside, I¡¯ve almost fallen in love with it."


    "Then I suggest you don''t buy it... Can we talk tonight?"


    The root causes of the two people''s quarrel hadn¡¯t been resolved. Chen Shi''s past and Chen Shi¡¯s unwillingness to marry her. Chen Shi couldn¡¯t provide answers for these two matters yet. He said, "We can talk, but we shouldn''t fight."


    "The quarrel started because of you, didn¡¯t it?"


    "Someone has a bad memory? You obviously got angry first."


    "Okay, okay, I admit it!"


    "In the evening, let''s go and eat grilled fish. I heard that the restaurant offers a Thai-style tom yum grilled fish now."


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯m drooling just thinking about it. If I had objectophilia, I¡¯d marry grilled fish."


    "I heard that there was really a man abroad who married a pizza[5]."


    "Married to a pizza. Then how does he..." Lin Dongxue blushed suddenly.


    "What are you thinking?! What are you thinking?! Little Comrade Lin, your current thoughts are very dirty!"


    Gong Jianqin stayed there for half an hour. She kept stroking the walls, crying. After fulfilling her wish, she was escorted back to the police car. Before getting into the car, she said, "Mr. Chen, please buy it. Be kind to it, please! I beg you! This way, my heart will be at ease even while I serve my sentence!"


    "Okay, I promise you."


    As the police car drove away, Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He had to pay within these two days. He had to sell his current house or get a loan. There were still many things to do!


    After returning home in the evening, Chen Shi told Tao Yueyue to prepare for the move in the near future, but Tao Yueyue was unhappy. She said, "Do I have to move? I''m used to living here."


    "Don''t you like that house a lot too?"


    "But..."


    "What do you want to say?"


    "That house is really good, but I don¡¯t want a big house or anything. I like living here. I don¡¯t quite understand why adults care about houses so much. What is important are the people who live with you! I want to continue living here with you and Maoqiu... Uncle Chen, am I a bit too much? You¡¯ve already signed the contract. You can buy it if you want. Don''t worry about me."


    Chen Shi gave a wry smile, squatted down and poked the bridge of her nose, "Really don''t want to move?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head.


    "This time you saved my life. You have the final say. If you don''t want to move, then we won''t move. The penalty of 10,000 yuan isn¡¯t much. It would save a lot of trouble too."


    "Great, no need to move!" Tao Yueyue happily lifted the cat up high in the air.


    After thinking about it carefully, it seems that there was no reason to move in the beginning. It was purely because he saw that 1818 was too good and was tempted. This was the case in themodity age. People are always stimted by merchants to pursue things they don''t need.


    Wallets, clothes, pay-to-y games, limited edition items, luxury cars, designer watches. If you asked yourself honestly, are those things really indispensable?


    A wrong decision made in a moment of weakness resulted in 1818 bing a house without an owner again. When the market opens next time, who knows how many people would fight for it again? Houses, oh houses, how many people exchange their entire youth and lives for them, willing to be ves?


    1. A form of sexual or romantic attraction focused on particr inanimate objects. Individuals with this attraction may have strong feelings of love andmitment to certain items or structures of their fixation.


    2. The author wrote ¡°those three words¡± as objectophilia is written with three characters in Chinese.


    3. I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯s actually ssified as a threat under Chinesew.


    4. Note: I don¡¯t condone malicious, harmful or illegal activities in tranting this. e.g. beastiality.


    5. Can also be read as a pancake, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s pizza because there was quite a bit of news about the Russian man who married a pizza back in 2015.

 Chapter 614: Witnessing The Murder

    <h4>Chapter 614: Witnessing The Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 41: Fellow Sufferers Empathize With Each Other


    On November 11th at 4:00 in the morning, the housing district waspletely dark. Only one window was still lit with a lonely light.


    The otaku[1] Little Zhou was drinking Diet Coke with a cigarette in his hand and facing the screen. A hot, domestic TV series was being broadcasted. When he saw a funny clip, Little Zhou rewound the footage and opened the screenshot software. This whole snippet was saved as a GIF and he tapped away on the keyboard to add some text.


    His profession wasn¡¯t a normal one in the eyes of his parents and elders. Little Zhou specialized in making online emojis and selling them on major chat tforms. He couldn¡¯t be considered a leader in the industry, and his monthly ie could only just allow him to scrape by with the rent and basic life expenses.


    He was also a young man with dreams. He wanted to earn enough money to be an illustrator. He asionally drew a few things with a drawing board, flipped through the books on the introduction of illustrations, and posted his works online for others to appreciate.


    However, the gap between his dreams and reality was still too wide. At the moment, he was exhausted just by living in a different ce. He was already used to such a life.


    There was the sound of a quarrel outside which made him uneasy. He went to the balcony to see that there was a man and a woman arguing below. There were only these two people on the empty street, like two actors standing on an empty stage.


    The woman shouted herself hoarse. "You''re a scumbag! You¡¯re a scumbag!" As she yelled this sentence, she acted exactly like she was the God of Songs. The man yelled out, "She was the one who took the initiative to seduce me. I just made a mistake any man would have made."


    Aiya, aiya, it was a drama people enjoyed watching again. Little Zhou simplyy on his balcony and watched themotion with a smile.


    After lots of arguing, a sneaky figure came out from the corner with a big construction sledgehammer in hand. Anticipating what would happen, Little Zhou''s smile instantly solidified on his face.


    The ck shadow walked behind the couple, picked up the sledgehammer, and smashed the man to the ground. Little Zhou was so frightened that he covered his mouth. He untimely thought of a GIF he saw on the Inte. Someone violently used a stick to smash a pig''s head. The pig fell to the ground, its limbs stretched straight, and it kept twitching. The man who fell on the ground at the moment was exactly the same as the pig in the animation.


    The woman received a huge shock and didn''t even have time to scream. The shadow picked up the sledgehammer again, and the woman instinctively ran away with a sharp scream. Then, she was hit in the spine and fell to the ground.


    The shadow lifted the sledgehammer high above themself and smashed it on the woman as if kneading rice cakes until she stopped moving.


    Little Zhou was so frightened that his heart thumped wildly. He froze on the spot due to the fear. At this moment, only his window was lit in the whole building, which was more conspicuous than a coffee stain on white clothes. The killer lifted the sledgehammer that was covered in blood and turned around. Their gaze stopped on Little Zhou''s stunned face.


    "It''s over! He saw me!"


    Little Zhou went into a fit of craze. He hurried to get his phone to call the police, but a blunder was made in his rush. The phone that was getting charged fell to the ground and the screen cracked. No matter how much he pressed on it, there was no response.


    He shook it anxiously a few times, then threw the phone away in anger. "Luo X X, I X X X!"[2]


    He ran back to the window and looked out. The Sledgehammer Man was walking into the housingplex. The security in thisplex was very weak. There were only security guards on watch during the day and no one was on duty at night.


    He must havee to silence me! For sure!


    It¡¯s toote to turn off the lights at this time. Run? It seemed that he couldn''t escape either. There was only one exit for the unit building. By the time he went down, the opponent would have alreadye up.


    All he could do was quickly bolt the door. He looked around and wanted to move a piece of furniture to block the door, but he was physically weak. He hated himself for not having a habit of exercising. He was in his 30s but hecked the strength to even truss up a chicken[3].


    There was a suspicious movement outside. Little Zhou put his ear on the door to eavesdrop. There was a pattering movement from the stairs. The Sledgehammer Man was dragging his weapon upstairs. Every time he took a step, the sledgehammer he dragged behind him would p on the steps.


    The sounds were fast approaching, reverberating in the silent stairs. Little Zhou''s heart thumped. It was like there was a string tied around his throat, making him lose all hope.


    "Don''te in! Don''te in!"


    Little Zhou cried in fright. Some hot and humid liquid flowed around his crotch. There was no weapon to defend himself in the narrow rental house. Even if there were, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight the murderer with hisck of courage.


    He was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t keep still. At this moment, the ¡®pa-ta pa-ta¡¯ sounds stopped, and Little Zhou stared at the door in a shock. The corridor light that prated through the peephole was blocked. There was something blocking it. It was the person!


    The other party just stayed outside, motionless, seeming to wait for Little Zhou to open the door before they attacked him.


    Time seemed to have stopped. The tears on Little Zhou''s face solidified. He curled his back while holding his head, and kept that posture while looking towards the door, motionless.


    Why did I have to be dragged into this kind of thing?!


    It was unknown how many seconds or minutes ticked past. The other party knocked on the door a few times, and the rhythm and force used to make each sound were exactly the same, like a robot that coldly executed its task. The door blocked Little Zhou¡¯s vision, but it let his imagination run wild. In his horrible fantasy, standing outside the door was the most hideous monster in the world.


    After a minute of silent torture, the knocking on the door sounded again, monotonously heavy, reminding Little Zhou of the sound of the sledgehammer hitting the victim¡¯s head just now.


    He didn''t have the courage to look through the peephole. He only froze in ce, allowing his urethral dtor to lose control again and again. His whole pair of trousers had been soaked, and they were clinging wet on his skin.


    A minuteter, the knock on the door sounded again. The murderer was stubborn and persistent, seeming to believe that Little Zhou would definitely open the door.


    "Knock-knock-knock, are you nuts? It¡¯s the middle of the night. Aren¡¯t you going to let people sleep-¡±


    The voice of the neighboring aunt came through the door. Before she even finished speaking, it turned into a scream. The aunt¡¯s husband was awakened in a daze, shouting "Wife?" before it also turned into a fierce scream along with the sound of beating. It was like the sound of tearing down a wall. Little Zhou shivered every time it sounded, and salty tears flowed into his mouth through his nose.


    There seemed to be a family of three next door. He suddenly remembered this. Would that child have to suffer too?


    Sure enough, the cry of the boy came from outside the door. The sound wasn¡¯t loud, as if his mouth was covered. You could imagine what the little boy looked like at that moment. Little Zhou''s heart tightened. Don''t! Don''t! Don''t kill the child!


    The crying continued, and the torture made Little Zhou go crazy. He was debating whether to go and help, but it was just a passing thought. Or, he could take this opportunity to run away!


    He leaned in front of the peephole and looked ahead. There was a lifeless eye looking back at him outside the door. The two looked at each other through the peephole for a few seconds. Little Zhou''s willpower had reached its limit. His eyes rolled back and he fell.


    1. The original intended meaning reflected the derogatory nature of the original Japanese word. However, many men have begun to use Õ¬ÄÐ in a self-deprecating or slightly humorous way when referring to themselves.


    2. I assume he¡¯s just cursing.


    3. Feeble. Lacks strength. This phrase ismonly used.

 Chapter 615: Witness

    <h4>Chapter 615: Witness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Just after dawn, Lin Qiupu received a police report and sent several people to the scene.


    The scene of the crime was amercial street next to an old housingmunity. It was said to be amercial street, but in fact, there weren¡¯t many people around. It mainly consisted of tattoo, antique, vet, and other shops that weren¡¯t afraid of not being busy. However, at the moment, there were a dozen people around the cordon. People talked a lot. "It''s too pitiful like this.", "What''s the matter?", "I¡¯ve long since said that the security in this area isn¡¯t good. Look, something has happened!"


    "Okay, please don''t look anymore. Please don''t hinder us from handling the case." Xu Xiaodong told the crowd of onlookers. Most of them remained unmoved. A small number of people moved to the sidewalk and continued to watch.


    The police had long been used to crowds watching when they were handling a case. As long as they weren¡¯t[1] photographed with their mobile phones, it¡¯d be okay.


    Peng Sijue was examining the corpses. The deceased were a man and a woman who were killed a few hours ago. Judging from the injuries, they were killed by a blunt weapon to the head. The man was fatally hit by a single blow, and the woman seemed to be hit in the back from behind and then a few times on the head. After a few hits, the entire head of the corpse had been severely deformed, and transparent cerebrospinal fluid flowed out of the broken skull. Some gray-white brain sma could be seen in the gaps.


    He noticed that the man''s clothes were lifted up, revealing his back waist. They found mobile phones, wallets, and documents on their bodies. The man was named Song Quan, a local of Tiantai, 29 years old; the woman was named Cai Xiaoting, a local, 24 years old.


    Many policemen couldn''t stand this scene. Among the crowd of onlookers, some people ran to the side and vomited, wiped their mouths after vomiting, and then came back to look again. Their faces seem to have the expression implying ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After looking at it for a bit longer, the excitement will disappear.¡±


    Peng Sijue covered the face of the deceased with a handkerchief, called his subordinates over, pointed out a few details, and asked them to take pictures one by one.


    Lin Dongxue nced at her phone. "The informant lives nearby. Captain Peng, I''ll go there first."


    "Okay, you go!"


    Lin Dongxue called Xu Xiaodong to go to the nearby housingplex. There were no security guards there, only a small pavilion responsible for the ups and downs of the gate arm. There was currently nobody inside and outsiders could enter and leave at will.


    "There¡¯s surveince." Xu Xiaodong pointed to it. There was indeed a camera hanging on the power pole next to it.


    "Wait for someone toeter and then we¡¯lle and ask again!" Lin Dongxue said.


    The two of them entered the unit building and got to the top floor. They knocked on the door a few times and a man''s voice came from the inside. "Who is it?!" There was panic in the voice like a frightened bird.


    "Police. Did you report the case?"


    "You... Stand back and let me take a look," said the person inside.


    The two did so and the man said, "Hold up your credentials."


    "How could we lie to you?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "You¡¯re not wearing police uniforms. How would I know who you are? Maybe you¡¯re here to silence me."


    "Okay, okay!" Lin Dongxue took out her badge.


    The door opened, and the owner was a thin man. The dark circles on his face indicated that he hadn¡¯t slept all night. He gave the impression that he was a field mouse popping out of a hole. It seemed that as long as they pped or stomped their feet, he would be scared and rush back.


    "Sir, why is there the smell of urine in your room?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "Don''t ask, don''t ask!" The owner blushed and raised his voice. "We¡¯re both men. Please give me some face, okay? The murderer came to my door in the middle of the night. How could I not be afraid?"


    "What''s your name?"


    "Zhou Xiao."


    "What?!"


    "Zhou as in the weekend and Xiao as in smile. Is this name so strange?¡±


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth and looked at Xu Xiaodong. He had the same name and surname. Xu Xiaodong smiled. "It''s not strange. I share the same name and surname as a fighting madman!"


    When the two entered the house, Zhou Xiao seemed to be very interested in Lin Dongxue. He kept stealing peeks at her. His cheeks were red like a thermometer. He had never had someone of the opposite sex visit this small house, let alone a dazzling and graceful one at that.


    The house was small and messy with a bed and aputer desk. The bed was doubly used as a chair. The bed was covered with misceneous things. There was even a rice cooker and razors. There was a human-shaped space in the middle of this "garbage." That was where Zhou Xiao usually slept. Sleeping in it was like putting his body in a sea of garbage.


    The floor hadn¡¯t been cleaned for a long time, and the dust in the corner had been piled up. Lin Dongxue frowned as she looked at it, really wanting to pick up the broom and help him sweep it.


    Zhou Xiao rushed to pick up something and hid it in the cab. Lin Dongxue saw what it was and deliberately pretended not to know.


    Xu Xiaodong walked to the window and looked down. From here, he could see the scene of the crime. He said, "Mr. Zhou, did you witness the assault from here?"


    "Yeah, it was 4:00 in the morning. The couple was arguing and then the man rushed out. Two hits and they were knocked down. I was frightened like crazy...¡±


    "Why did you only call the police in the morning?"


    Zhou Xiao took out his mobile phone with a broken screen. "This damn shanzhai mobile phone[2]. It¡¯s not durable at all. After I woke up, I turned it on and off several times before I could barely make a call."


    "You said the murderer came here?"


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Zhou Xiao nodded desperately. "I was so motherfucking frightened. The light from one of my windows was on at the time. He saw me and came up. He must havee to silence me. He kept knocking outside the door. He kept knocking and knocking. I really wanted to jump down from the seventh floor at the time. I thought it would be better to fall to death than to be hit by a sledgehammer."


    Although these words were also mentioned when calling the police before, Lin Dongxue was still surprised when he said it personally. The murderer was really too arrogant and went straight to kill him.


    "Then what?" Xu Xiaodong continued to ask.


    "Then..." Zhou Xiao cried. "Then the aunt next door woke up and opened the door. Maybe it¡¯s because she saw his face, but he just directly... A family of three. There was even a ten-year-old child. He¡¯s a monster.¡±


    "What?!" Lin Dongxue said in shock, "Which door?"


    "The one next door."


    When the two went outside, Lin Dongxue knocked a few times, but no one responded. Lin Dongxue asked Zhou Xiao, "A family of three really was-"


    "It''s true! I heard it."


    "Why didn''t you say that when you called the police?"


    "I was a little flustered..."


    "The door can''t be opened, and the property manager isn¡¯t working." Xu Xiaodong said, "Can you find someone to unlock it?"


    "Get Old Chen toe over."


    "Brother Chen can unlock doors? Wow, he really knows everything."


    They called Chen Shi. He had just gotten up and was watching the morning news. Lin Dongxue briefly exined the situation and Chen Shi said that he would be there soon.


    During the waiting period, the two chatted with Zhou Xiao and verified every detail of the case. Zhou Xiao said that the man was tall and burly, wearing a brown, shabby windbreaker, a round hat, and had wrinkles on his face. He looked ruthless.


    Lin Dongxue checked the door. The door was very thin, giving people the feeling that it was light. It was clearly a cheap product. She asked Xu Xiaodong, "The man was so crazy that he killed all the neighbors who nced at him, but he didn''t think of smashing down the door with the sledgehammer?"


    "Could it be that he was afraid that the movement would be so loud that it would alert others?"


    "He killed a family of three. Wouldn''t he be afraid of that movement?" Lin Dongxue nced at the door next door. Thinking that at this moment a family of three''s corpses were lying inside and there was a ten-year-old boy as well, her heart couldn''t help but tighten.


    "What!!!"


    Zhou Xiao let out a scream like a groundhog, pointing to the stairs. They saw an aunt carrying a vegetable basket, taking loud steps as she climbed the stairs. She casted curious nces at the two strangers standing in front of her house and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "It''s a talking... ghost! Ghost!" Zhou Xiao shouted hysterically, "It''s the aunt next door who was killedst night. Can you see her too? She''sing up! Coming up!"


    1. The author wrote ¡°were¡± here instead of ¡°weren¡¯t¡±, but I changed it as it doesn¡¯t make much sense based off of standard procedure.


    2. https://./news/shanzhai-ji-all-you-need-to-know-about-fake-phones/

 Chapter 616: Aunt Is Very Angry

    <h4>Chapter 616: Aunt Is Very Angry</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhou Xiao, who saw the "ghost", hurried back into his house, held his head as hey on the ground, and muttered, "May the blessings of Heaven¡¯s Officials be upon you and all taboos stay away!"


    "Hey, what do you mean by that?!" The aunt rushed in. "You¡¯re cursing me to death early in the morning? Pei, pei[1], what bad look... Look at what''s going on in your house. It''s like a pigsty."


    "Ah!" Zhou Xiao looked back and screamed in horror. "The ghost hase in! It hase in! Don''t look for me. For every debt there¡¯s a debtor. Find the murderer."


    "Mr. Zhou, did you hear wrong then?" Lin Dongxue walked in and asked.


    "Can you see it too?" Zhou Xiao looked back and forth between Lin Dongxue and the angry aunt''s face.


    "What''s the matter?" the aunt asked.


    Zhou Xiao responded, "A murderer camest night and killed your entire family. I know you think you¡¯re alive, but you¡¯re already dead. You are just repeating what you would normally do. This is called a soul echo."


    "You bastard!" The aunt frowned and took out a stick of green onion from the basket. She went over and hit him with it. Zhou Xiao squirmed around while holding his head. She pped the green onion at him while saying, "Who are you cursing?! Your family is the one that¡¯s dead. Your whole family is the one that¡¯s dead!"


    Xu Xiaodong tried to stop her, but the aunt was tough and she shoved his arm away. "Don''t stop me, I must kill this bastard." Xu Xiaodong staggered and almost fell.


    Zhou Xiao screamed and ran around the room. The aunt¡¯s usual grievances were brought up. She chased and shouted, "Smelly boy, you usually listen to songs in the middle of the night, call takeaways at three in the morning, spit on my air conditioner, and your rubbish is piled up outside every day without taking it to the bin. The little worms born in summer would fly into my house. I¡¯ve tolerated you for a long time!¡±


    "Aren''t you dead?"


    "Say it again!!!"


    "Understood. You¡¯re a zombie. A zombie is biting people!"


    "Oh, what kind of scene is this?!" Chen Shi''s voice came from the door as he watched the drama with a smile.


    Hearing Chen Shi''s voice, Lin Dongxue''s heart felt hot as though her savior had arrived. He was a driver who often chatted away with uncles and aunts. As expected, he stopped the aunt with a few sweet words. The aunt sat on the bed and panted away. Squatting in the corner, Zhou Xiao¡¯s clothes were torn open, revealing his white shoulders, and a vegetable leaf hung on his face. He looked very pitiful.


    "...That''s the situation." Lin Dongxue ryed.


    The aunt¡¯s anger hadn¡¯t dissipated yet and she pointed at Zhou Xiao angrily. "Your family are the ones who are dead!"


    "Auntie, don''t be angry. Zhou Xiao, did you mishear, or was it another resident?" Lin Dongxue said. She deliberately called Zhou Xiao''s name to see Chen Shi''s reaction.


    "Wait, what was his name?!" As expected, Chen Shi had a massive reaction.


    "Zhou Xiao. Xiao as in smile."


    "This... this, the same name and the samest name?"


    Zhou Xiao asked nkly, "Why do you all act weird when you hear my name? Is there also a celebrity with this name?"


    "Let¡¯s go back to talking about the serious matters!"


    "I didn¡¯t hear wrong. There are six households on this floor. Except for me and her, there¡¯s a young couple next door. On the opposite side to the left, it¡¯s an old man...¡±


    The aunt corrected, "On the left side, there are two old men living together."


    "Two... two old men living together?" Chen Shi looked surprised.


    Zhou Xiao went on to say, "In the middle lives a cat and its ve. The household on the right has a dog. It must not be the case. It¡¯s just her..."


    "Point at me again!" The aunt red at him.


    "I heard it. I really heard your whole family..."


    "Say it again!!"


    "Auntie, let him finish talking first." Chen Shi said.


    "I heard the voices yelling so miserably. I was shocked at the time."


    "You¡¯re nuts!" said the aunt. "My husband went to work in the morning, and the child went to school. This kid has a problem with his head. You should send him to a mental hospital to have a check."


    "Auntie, why don''t you go back first? Your fish isn¡¯t going to be fresh anymore," Chen Shi suggested.


    The aunt snorted and left. To vent her anger before she left, she kicked the garbage bag at the door. "Take out the garbage. Are you saving it for the New Year?!"


    Zhou Xiao recalled everything he knew. When they left, the three of them went downstairs and each threw two bags of trash out for him. Lin Dongxue said, "I think this witness isn¡¯t reliable. Most people don¡¯t remember things wrong to that extent.¡±


    "Could there be any mystery behind it?" Xu Xiaodong asked. Chen Shi was present and he wanted to hear Chen Shi''s opinion.


    "Where is the mystery? It must be that he remembered it wrong. But why did he remember it wrong? I think we can look into it a bit deeper. I noticed that he¡¯s a bit neurotic. Could he have a mental illness? We should check his background!"


    Back at the scene, the corpses had been sent away. Peng Sijue told Chen Shi, "This time, the murderer is very ¡®generous¡¯. They left footprints and fingerprints behind."


    "How big is the footprint?"


    "Size 45."


    "Oh, it''s a big and tall man. They¡¯re at least 190cm..." Chen Shi looked up, as if imagining looking up at the murderer. "Such a person must be very conspicuous in a crowd... By the way, send some subordinates to me to check if that person had entered the housingplex."


    It was only 7:00 in the morning. The footprints on the stairs may still be found. The forensic police inspected it step by step and found blood and a pair of huge footprints. Finally, the footprints stopped in front of Zhou Xiao''s door.


    Chen Shi nced at the next room and asked, "Would you like to go in and investigate? We¡¯re all the way here anyway."


    "If you insist," said the forensic police officer.


    "Let¡¯s check it!"


    Knocking on the door, the aunt looked upset. "What are you doing here again? You really believed the kid''s nonsense? It was impossible for anyone toe inst night!"


    "We¡¯re investigating just in case."


    "Are you that free?"


    Chen Shi saw that aunt had fish scales on her hands and said, "Are you preparing fish? I''ll help you!"


    "Aiya, is that true? You¡¯re a policeman but you still do this?" The auntughed happily.


    "I''m good at cooking. Let me do it."


    The aunt let Chen Shi into the kitchen. Chen Shi rolled up his sleeves and started to clean the fish. The aunt said with a smile, "Kid, that''s not bad. There aren¡¯t many young people like you."


    "Thank you for thepliment. This grass carp is rtively small and has many bones. It can be fried with flour and the bones will be so crispy that children can eat it."


    "Haha, then I''ll give it a try."


    Taking this opportunity, the forensic police carefully inspected the ground and found no footprints outside of the family¡¯s.


    Xu Xiaodong went in to report. Chen Shi said, "Go to Zhou Xiao''s house and check it too!"


    "It''s not necessary. If the murderer entered, how could he not kill him?"


    "Check it out!" Chen Shi insisted. Zhou Xiao''s memory was messy, which meant that investigations were needed to fill in the truth. So, they had to confirm all possibilities.


    Xu Xiaodong brought the people away, and the aunt said, "A murderer really came upst night? God, that''s terrible!"


    Everyone adopted the mentality of conducting just a routine check, knocked on the door of Zhou Xiao''s house, and checked it. They didn¡¯t find anything. Lin Dongxue said, "Check with the reagents."


    Although they were reluctant, the forensic police still did as they were told. After all, Lin Dongxue''s police rank was rtively high now.


    When they sprayed luminol reagent and saw that there was no response, they began to close up as blue-green fluorescence slowly appeared on the ground. Lin Dongxue said, "Look!"


    When everyone turned their heads. They saw a pair of bloody footprints on the ground. Size 45.


    The murderer had been here!


    1. Touch wood.

 Chapter 617: Outstanding Memory

    <h4>Chapter 617: Outstanding Memory</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "I really don''t know. I fainted. Did the murderer reallye in? That''s too terrifying!" Facing the questions, Zhou Xiao answered in a flustered manner.


    Chen Shi had already finished preparing the fish for the aunt. Standing with Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong and two forensic policemen at Zhou Xiao''s house, the small house which wasn¡¯trge to begin with seemed even more cramped with all the people inside.


    "I checked the door lock just now and there¡¯s no trace of it being pried open. That is to say, you opened the door by yourself." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Impossible! Impossible! I took a look from the peephole and I was shocked. How could I open the door? Right, could it be that he had a master key or something? When he came in, I fell to the ground with my whole body covered in urine, so he let me go?"


    "Xiaodong, have you seen such a thing after being a policeman for so long? A witness isposing a story right in front of the police!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "The so-called master key is nothing more than a professional lock-picking tool and using that would leave behind scratches." Chen Shi debunked his assumption.


    "I really didn''t lie!" Zhou Xiao was anxious and took out a pair of trousers from the sink in the bathroom. "Look, these are the trousers I wettedst night. I heard the footsteps and became incontinent over and over again, just like a fountain. How could I open the door? Wouldn¡¯t I be crazy?!"


    "Do you have a history of mental illness?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Insane."


    "So, you do then."


    "I mean you¡¯re insane!" Zhou Xiao said and seemed incredibly upset. "It''s fine if you don''t believe my testimony, but you¡¯re even doubting my mental state. I''m very normal!"


    "How do you exin the killing of the family of three next door then?"


    "They¡¯re dead!" Zhou Xiao''s confident expression was like saying that one plus one equals two. "It''s just because of some unknown power that they¡¯ve resurrected, or they returned to the day before. The world is so big and there are so many unsolved mysteries. The mystery may have happened here!"


    "Your remarks seem to me like you¡¯re just avoiding problems."


    "I remember it was true. They were silenced! It was the aunt who lied, not me! She shouldn''t be alive! A dead person is alive, you don''t doubt her, but you came here to doubt me!"


    Chen Shi saw a movie poster on the wall and asked, "Do you often watch movies?"


    "Not often. That is, I watch them every day."


    "Talk about the lines of the movie that you¡¯re most familiar with. It''s best if everyone has seen it before."


    "Uh..." Zhou Xiao thought for a while. "I''ll just talk about Infernal Affairs. You¡¯ve all seen it, right? When Andy Lau was on the rooftop, he said ¡®I didn''t have a choice before. If God could give me another chance, then I want to be a policeman. If I have to add a deadline to this choice, I hope it will be 10,000 years!¡¯"[1]


    Everyone at the sceneughed. Chen Shi said, "Recite a poem for us to listen to."


    "Let me think about it. I''ll just recite Li Mochou''s [2]Shuidiao Getou[3] ¡®When will the bright moone, toast to the bright moon, feelings of sorrow in the wine, heartbroken people at the ends of the earth! Where... Aromatic grass!¡¯" He recited passionately.


    Everyone was dying ofughter as Chen Shi said, "Mr. Zhou, your memory seems to be really problematic... We¡¯ll have to summon you back!"


    Zhou Xiao thought he was going to be taken away, so he screamed as he was taken downstairs.


    The purpose of the summoning was to investigate the house carefully. Chen Shi asked the forensic police to investigate the house carefully, especially the doorknob, to see if there was only Zhou Xiao¡¯s fingerprints on it.


    The name "Zhou Xiao" still sounded weird to say.


    A few days ago, Lin Dongxue was still saying that Zhou Tiannan was dead, so why didn''t his group of subordinates move? Chen Shi replied that it wasn''t that there was no movement. It was because that group of people were all criminals with high intelligence. They wouldn¡¯t leave behind traces when theymitted murder.


    Long¡¯an had daily disappearances. There might have been victims from that group amongst them. However, this was time-consuming andbor-intensive to investigate, which was unrealistic.


    Back in the bureau, the forensics department carefullypared the traces found in Zhou Xiao¡¯s home. Zhou Xiao himself was taken to the interrogation room for questioning. He still insisted on the same rhetoric and didn¡¯t change a single word. The inquiring police asked him to recite his multiplication tables, but the results werepletely wrong.


    Chen Shi stayed in the office waiting for the result. He yed games on Xu Xiaodong''sputer when he was free.


    Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong came in together. Lin Dongxue said, "I called his family. Zhou Xiao has a history of mental illness and was sent to a mental hospital, where he stayed for three years."


    "When did this happen?"


    "It seems that it happened when he was in university. He was forced to drop out of school because of a mental illness, and he has a very stiff rtionship with his family, so he was sent there... Listening to the family''s tone over the phone, it seemed that they were dealing with a piece of garbage."


    "I guess he must not be the only child?"


    "I just checked his household registration information. There¡¯s a younger brother in his family. Zhou Xiao has been in Long''an for many years, and it seems that he¡¯s never returned home."


    "What''s wrong with him?"


    "I don''t know. There was a big fire in that mental hospital a few years ago. All materials were burned. I heard that some mental patients ran away at the time and caused some trouble, but it has since subsided."


    "Mental patient..." Chen Shi muttered.


    Lin Dongxue casually conveyed the findings of the forensics department. Zhou Xiao only had his own fingerprints at home. This was the case for the door handles as well. The bloody footprints were indeed the same as the crime scene. There could be no other exnation other than Zhou Xiao opening the door to "wee" the murderer in.


    Xu Xiaodong also investigated some things. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t investigating. He showed Chen Shi a printed picture. It was a man in a trench coat and a round hat with wrinkles on his face. However, this was not a photo. It was a CG screen.


    "This can''t be theputer sketch of the murderer, right?" Chen Shi asked.


    "How can there be this kind of technology? Even if there was, it wouldn¡¯t be so fast." Xu Xiaodong said, "When I first heard him describe the murderer''s appearance, I felt like it was oddly familiar. After investigating, sure enough... Brother Chen, do you know what this is?"


    "Don''t act mysterious."


    "The tyrant in the horror game ¡®Resident Evil¡¯. It¡¯s a boss.¡±


    Staring at the picture in his hand, Chen Shi said, "Zhou Xiao is also an otaku. He should have seen this character, so he confused his memory and filled his nk memory with things he had seen elsewhere."


    "Then why does he think the neighbor''s family was killed?" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Lin Dongxue guessed, "I think that was his ''wish''. The neighboring aunt is very fierce to him, and it¡¯s probably the same normally, so he hopes that this family would be killed."


    "Is it possible that Zhou Xiao is the murderer?" Chen Shi''s hypothesis was really shocking.


    "Apuse. Apuse. Brother Chen is about to start his reasoning again!" Xu Xiaodong said excitedly.


    "It''s not reasoning. It''s just guesswork! It''s mainly because the footprint at the door made me suspicious. The footprints were directed towards the inside of the house. It was only found in that ce. Was the murderer just standing at the door? Doesn''t he have to turn around and leave? Could it be that he never left and is Zhou Xiao?! Zhou Xiao wore a pair of huge shoes and went out tomit crimes. After returning, he changed his shoes at the door. As for why he remembered wrong and why it¡¯s so real to him as if he could vow that it was true, it¡¯s because he has dual personalities. His main personality doesn¡¯t know the existence of his sub-personality, so he made up some content in his brain to fill in these nk memories."


    Chen Shi remembered one more thing. "By the way, aren''t there fingerprints and hairs of the murderer at the scene? Ask Old Peng topare them and we¡¯ll get the answer!"


    "I bet fifty yuan that you¡¯re wrong this time." Lin Dongxue said, "The luminol reagent reacts very sensitively. If this is the case, there must be other blood stains on the scene, not just those bloody footprints."


    "It''s best to be wrong. That would mean that we can eliminate a wrong option." Chen Shi said indifferently.


    1. The actual quote I retrieved online was "I had no choice before, but now I want to turn over a new leaf."


    2. Character from The Romance of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and Little Dragon Maiden


    3. Shuidiao Getou is the name of a traditional Chinese melody to which a poem in the c¨ª style can be sung.

 Chapter 618: Waking Up In A Strange Place

    <h4>Chapter 618: Waking Up In A Strange ce</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The fingerprints on the deceased¡¯s clothes weren¡¯t easy to extract. It took quite some time. Chen Shi took this opportunity to meet Zhou Xiao in the interrogation room. Zhou Xiao said impatiently, "How many times do you have to question me? Once one person finishes asking, you¡¯ll change to another person!"


    "I won''t ask about those things. I want to ask something else." Chen Shi took out the picture Xu Xiaodong gave him and asked, "Is this ''tyrant'' very much like the murderer?"


    Zhou Xiao was taken aback for a moment and nodded. "It''s a bit simr. What''s the matter?"


    "Have you been ying Resident Evil recently?"


    "Hmm... I yed the remake of Resident Evil 2 for a while."


    "I suspect that your memory is contaminated. The murderer must not look like this. Zhou Xiao, did you have such a bad memory previously?"


    "No, when I was a child, I had a good memory and I¡¯d memorize text super fast. Then, I got depression and my memory got worse..."


    "Depression wouldn''t cause you to live in a mental hospital."


    "What? You investigated me?"


    "Your parents told us."


    As soon as he heard the word "parents", Zhou Xiao''s expression became a bit resentful, indicating that their family rtionship wasn¡¯t very good. He said loudly, "My parents don''t love me at all. Ever since my brother was born, their attention all went to my younger brother. They¡¯d only give me my younger brother¡¯s leftovers or things he didn¡¯t like. Have you ever seen this kind of fucking thing? I met my first girlfriend when I was in university, but we didn¡¯t get along well. She always med me for being inattentive, bad-tempered, and insecure, but what can I do? I came out of such a family so I can only have such an ugly character. I hated myself too. After we broke up, I got depressed. My parents threw me into a mental hospital... That ce was scarier than prison. They fed me medicine every day. The more you take the medicine, the worse your brain gets. The other patients were like this every day..." Zhou Xiao put on a dazed smile. "Just like this. They went stupid from taking so much medicine. I hated them every day I was there!"


    "This kind of thing is very helpless. People cannot choose their own parents."


    "Parents are evil!" Zhou Xiao said through gritted teeth.


    Chen Shi suddenly thought that everyone who used to sit on that interrogation chair had four big characters hanging on their heads - Family misfortune. A family¡¯s evils breeds big social evils, which could only make people hold their heads and sigh.


    Chen Shi pulled a chair in front of Zhou Xiao and said in a conversational tone, "No matter how you were in the past, you have be what you are now. ept yourself! Leaving the family is better than any magical medicine."


    "You¡¯re right. Although I¡¯m alone in Long''an right now and don''t make much money, I¡¯m very free and happy... If only I could find a girlfriend." Zhou Xiao smiled.


    "Find one! Two people being together is actually quite helpful for your physical and mental health since there¡¯s a person around you to talk to. Children only really develop after they learn to speak. This is also true for adults. In fact, we¡¯ve seen many psychopaths. They all have two things inmon: Loneliness and ack of understanding from other people!"


    "If people don''t fall in love in silence, they have to be a psychopath in silence? Is this reasonable?"


    "Quite reasonable. Loneliness can kill people." Chen Shi said empathetically. He remembered the three years he spent alone. It was like he was being tortured every day.


    "Mr. Chen, do you have a girlfriend?"


    "Yes, that Officer Lin is her."


    Zhou Xiao''s mouth turned into an O shape, and it took a long time to return to normal. He smiled. "You don''t have to buy lottery tickets for the rest of your life then."


    "Why?" Chen Shi asked with a smile.


    "Because you would have run out of luck."


    It could be seen that Zhou Xiao was a funny person. Funny people were usually lonely in their hearts. Humor was used to prevent others from seeing through their outer shells. In this regard, Chen Shi, a fellow sufferer, empathized with him.


    "Did you really have depression back then?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes... It was depression." He was obviously lying.


    ¡°Does your memory loss happen often?"


    "What memory loss? I remember everything!"


    "Have you ever suspected that you have a dual personality?"


    Zhou Xiao''s eyes widened, and then he desperately shook his head. "No, no! Mr. Chen, you¡¯re so awful. You suddenly came back to this topic while chatting."


    Someone knocked on the ss outside and Chen Shi went out. Lin Dongxue said that the appraisal results were out. The murderer wasn¡¯t Zhou Xiao.


    "You guessed wrong, right?" Lin Dongxue said triumphantly.


    "But, I still think he has a dual personality."


    "You¡¯re just splitting hairs now!"


    "Were his fingerprints on the doorknob?"


    "Yes!"


    Chen Shi made an expression of "what did I say?". "He opened the door by himself. He doesn''t remember it at all. Why would the murderere in but not kill him? Isn''t this suspicious? The murderer was about to silence him aftering to his door. Under what circumstances would they give up killing him?"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while and replied, "If they don''t think the other party poses a threat?"


    "What would constitute not being a threat? He has a mouth and eyes... I will test him again!"


    Chen Shi took the appraisal report and returned to the interrogation room. He frowned and said to Zhou Xiao, "Guess whose fingerprints were found at the murder scene?"


    Zhou Xiao looked puzzled. "I don''t have a single friend in Long''an. Who do I have to guess?"


    "The fingerprints were yours!"


    Zhou Xiao was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted fiercely. "Are you crazy? I was making pictures in the house at the time. How could I clone myself tomit murder? And I saw myself from upstairs?"


    "I lied to you. The fingerprints were someone else''s." Just as Zhou Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, Chen Shi said again, "But..."


    "But what? If you have something to say, can you say it all in one go?"


    Chen Shi showed him the report. Zhou Xiao couldn''t understand the professional report. Chen Shi said, "On the doorknob, there were only your fingerprints. Do you still remember the pair of bloody footprints you found at home? The murderer came in and you opened it yourself. This is the only reliable exnation based on the evidence. You remember that the family of three in the next door was killed. It was a memory made up by your own brain which filled the gap in your memory at that time. The real situation is that you opened the door and let the murderer in. You stood face to face, as if you knew each other. Maybe you had said something to make him give up killing you!"


    Zhou Xiao was shocked, and immediately denied all of this. "That¡¯s impossible!"


    "On this paper is the word ¡®possibility¡¯. You don¡¯t remember that anyway. Let me change the question. Do you remember where you were when you woke up? On the floor, or on the bed?"


    Zhou Xiao bit his finger, struggling to remember. He said timidly, "This has nothing to do with the case, right?"


    "Of course it''s rted."


    "In the corridor!"


    "Corridor?"


    "I was in the corridor when I woke up! And it wasn¡¯t my apartment building, it was the third unit next to mine. Mr. Chen, if you could help me find out the truth about this, that would be nice. I¡¯ve woken up there more than once. I suspect that I sleepwalk, or... have the dual personality you talked about!" Zhou Xiao admitted, albeit reluctantly.

 Chapter 619: My Girlfriend Descended From The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 619: My Girlfriend Descended From The Sky</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue to go to the scene again. At this time, the investigation was in progress. The identities of the two deceased were also found out. They spent some time at a nearby underground barst night. Thest person who saw the two deceasedst night was the bar owner.


    Nearby surveince footage was also being retrieved. One surveince camera captured the murderer¡¯s face. He was a tall man wearing a gray trench coat. In the blurry picture, he was photographed with his hands wrapped in bandages holding a sledgehammer.


    Chen Shi told Zhou Xiao to get in the car first, and then said to Lin Dongxue, "I think the murderer might live nearby. Zhou Xiao may know him. To be precise, Zhou Xiao¡¯s other personality knows him!"


    "Did he apany the murderer home after losing his memoryst night?... Should I bring more people?"


    "Call Xiaodong over. You two should bring guns and handcuffs."


    The four of them went inside the housing district and walked into the third building. Chen Shi asked Zhou Xiao, "Do you remember which door it was?"


    Zhou Xiao shook his head, "I have no impression at all, but I often wake up on the stairs leading to the second floor from the third floor, usuallyte at night. Mr. Chen, you said my brain would fill up the memory by itself as if my memories are true. At first, I woke up in a strange ce. I thought about it and although it was absurd, I thought I was buying cigarettes. But that was what I thought at the time. Later, this ''self-deception'' method didn''t work anymore. So, I thought I was sleepwalking..." He still had a hint of hope. "I hope it''s sleepwalking!"


    Xu Xiaodong expressed his feelings. "Human memory is the most unreliable thing. My grandfather often tells a story that a friend of his was participating in the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression and ran across three viges with a Japanese man in his arms. Later, my dad told me that my grandfather was confused the whole time. The truth is this: His friend didn¡¯t join the army at all. When the Japanese came, he carried a cab and ran away. My grandfather remembered it as him running away with a Japanese person. He swears on the story every time. My dad corrected him, and he wasn¡¯t very happy. He always said that what he remembered is the correct version."


    Lin Dongxueughed. "Many legendary stories probably came about in this manner!"


    Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s not talk about that now. Let''s go up from the third floor and inquire about it from house to house!"


    The four people knocked on the doors of each house. As it was daytime, many were out at work. They were all a little nervous when they knocked on the doors, fearing that a murderer would suddenly appear.


    When they got to the sixth floor, a girl opened the door. She nced at Zhou Xiao in surprise, and then asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "We are the police and we¡¯re investigating a case."


    "Oh, oh, oh, is it the murder case in themercial street next door? The whole neighborhood is talking about it today, but I haven''t seen anything."


    "We aren¡¯t looking for witnesses. We¡¯re just here to ask about one thing. Have you seen him before?" Chen Shi pointed to Zhou Xiao.


    The girl stared at Zhou Xiao for a long time. "Zhou Xiao..."


    "How do you know my name?" Zhou Xiao was shocked.


    "Don''t be too surprised when I say this. I¡¯m your girlfriend. We¡¯ve been dating for almost a year."


    "What?!?!" Zhou Xiao was extremely shocked.


    Five minutester, the four of them were sitting in the girl¡¯s house with tea on the coffee table. The girl¡¯s name was Wang Ying. She said that she and Zhou Xiao met this way:


    "Once, I came back from workte at night. Two bad men came over and asked me if I wanted to go out for some singing. Of course, I refused. They persisted endlessly, and then you..." Wang Ying pointed at Zhou Xiao. "...appeared!"


    "Wow, is the story about the hero saving the damsel in distress?"


    "No, the two men yelled at you saying, ¡®What are you looking at?¡¯. You apologized and ran away."


    Zhou Xiao buried his face in his hands, as if he had no ce to show his face. "I vaguely remember this!"


    "But you came back a minuteter with a folding chair in your hand, probably from a nearby food stall. You brushed your hair back and said, ''Let her go. If you have the guts, you¡¯de over and mess with me instead. If you¡¯re a man, you should only mess with men. How can you harass a woman?¡¯ The little hooligans got offended all of a sudden, came over, and knocked you down, then grabbed the folding chair and beat you up. You were getting beaten but still acted tough. Wow, it was so cool!"


    "How is that cool?" Zhou Xiao held his head, ashamed.


    "Anyway, I just felt like it was really cool. For the first time in my life, someone stood up to protect me. He obviously acted tough even though he couldn''t fight. This is a real hero. I was particrly touched!" Wang Ying recalled the past with her eyes bright like an idiot. "The little hooligans left after hitting you. I thanked you and you looked at me directly, then kissed me and left without saying a word. I froze in ce. My heart was beating so fast! After a few days, I was restless thinking about the kiss. I work in this city by myself, and I don¡¯t have friends or rtives around me. I especially wanted to see you again... Please excuse me for saying this!"


    Wang Ying smiled ashamedly, and then continued, "Later, I unexpectedly discovered that you actually live in this housing district. One day, you walked in with a supermarket bag. I was ashamed to say hello, so I walked in front of you. You looked at me and didn¡¯t say anything, as if you didn¡¯t know me at all! I was very disappointed at the time. After seeing you several times, you didn¡¯t seem to know me. Just when I was about to give up, you actually came to find me. I don¡¯t know how you found out about my ce. It waste at night. You knocked on the door very urgently. I opened the door and you leaned on the door frame with a rose and gift in your hand. Then, you stuffed the saliva-stained rose into my hand. I asked, ¡®What are you doing? Do you have business with me?¡¯ and you said, "Let¡¯s talk!¡¯. I asked, ¡®What do you want to talk about? It¡¯s the middle of the night. Hurry and leave. I¡¯ll call the police!¡¯ and you responded saying, ¡®I have a love I want to talk to you about. What is your name?¡¯"


    Zhou Xiao listened intently and asked, "Did you ept?"


    "ept your head! It was in the middle of the night and I¡¯m a girl! I closed the door at that time and opened the door the next morning. There was a red heart made of petals on the ground. I heard that someone picked all the roses in themunity that day. Was it you?"


    "I... when did I get so courageous?"


    "You had a lot of crazy ideas. During that time, it was always to woo me, which made neighbors have opinions too. At first, I wondered why you pretended not to know me during the day and only took the initiative toe find me at night. Also, you seemed to be apletely different person during the day and at night. One day, I¡¯m not sure where you found a harmonica, but you yed it by the door. It was 11:00 at night and you yed very poorly. The dog next door kept barking and I didn¡¯t know whether to find it funny or enraging, so I let the scourge that you were inside... That night, it was very sweet. You didn¡¯t leave until daybreak. You said that your ndlord'' was very troublesome, and you couldn¡¯t be discovered by him. You said you¡¯de to see me quietly in the future, but said I couldn¡¯t take the initiative to find you.


    "We¡¯ve always maintained this weird rtionship. I only found out what your name was after half a year. To be honest, I often wondered whether this was considered a rtionship. Were you seeing other people at the same time? Or perhaps you were already married. I work ten hours a day and I¡¯m too tired to eat when Ie back from my work. I often cry at home alone. To have someonee to apany mete at night and tell me jokes, I was already very happy. It¡¯s like what you said to me. We¡¯re two lonely souls who hug each other to keep warm in this city. This touched me very much. Although you¡¯re very mysterious, I was willing to ept you."


    Wang Ying looked at Zhou Xiao''s eyes with eyes full of love, but Zhou Xiao looked overwhelmed by an unexpected favor. To him, it was a girlfriend who had descended from the skies above.

 Chapter 620: The Murderer Is An Acquaintance

    <h4>Chapter 620: The Murderer Is An Acquaintance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Zhou Xiao was too shocked. He didn¡¯t know where to start. Wang Ying went to the bedroom to fetch a notebook with a sketch of her. She said, "Look, you drew this for me!" There was a sense of pride in her tone.


    "It¡¯s better than what I draw normally," Zhou Xiaomented. "Where has our rtionship progressed to?"


    "Don''t you remember what happenedst night?" Wang Ying asked back.


    Chen Shi said, "The Zhou Xiao who came to youte at night said that his ndlord'' was very troublesome. Does this ndlord'' mean..." He nced at Zhou Xiao.


    "I understand! This is the one in front of me. The person I associate with is actually his inner personality. Don''t look at him looking so honest on the surface, he¡¯s actually very cool on the inside and is especially masculine."


    Zhou Xiao looked out the window and said sentimentally, "I often wondered where my girlfriend was and what her name is. So she lives next door... No wonder I often wake up and feel like my body has been hollowed out. Can I ask how many times does it happen in a night?"


    "Yesterday''s garbage hasn''t been taken out yet. You can see for yourself."


    Zhou Xiao went to the bathroom and nced at the trash basket. He returned with a look of shock.


    Chen Shi said to Wang Ying, "Miss Wang, this is what happened. Zhou Xiao witnessed a murderst night. This key witness has a rare dual personality and a confused memory. Maybe his other personality saw the murderer''s face, but we have no way of knowing. Did he say anything to youst night?"


    "He didn''t say anything special, but... he seemed to be particrly excited." Wang Ying nced at Zhou Xiao.


    "Is there a way to bring out his inner personality?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "I don''t know how. Um, but we can try it!"


    Wang Ying told Zhou Xiao to sit next to her. Wang Ying slowly moved closer. Zhou Xiao''s face turned red, and then she kissed him. After the kiss, Zhou Xiao''s eyes changed a little, and everyone was looking forward to it. At this time, Zhou Xiao said, "Your lips are cherry vored!"


    "Is this the inner-personality?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Obviously not. The tone of his speech is different."


    "So, how often does the personality appear in the middle of the night?"


    "Not sure. Sometimes it¡¯s consecutive, sometimes he onlyes to see me every three to four days. I don''t know his contact information... Give me your WeChat ID!"


    Zhou Xiao left down his WeChat contact and asked, "Can I call you my ''girlfriend''?"


    "Go ahead! But don''te to find me. Let him find me."


    Zhou Xiao was shocked. After all, what the other party liked was his other personality. He was just the ndlord" of his inner personality. He thought of a question. "So, strictly speaking, we aren¡¯t considered a couple, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, I''m still single. Can I also go find other girls?"


    "Definitely not!" Wang Ying widened her eyes. "Wouldn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re riding two boats? I won¡¯t tolerate that kind of thing... Elder sister, you wouldn¡¯t tolerate that kind of thing either, right?!" She consulted Lin Dongxue.


    "Yes, zero tolerance!" Lin Dongxue answered with a smile.


    "Isn''t this crazy? Isn''t this crazy?" Zhou Xiao held his head in madness. "How long would it take for me to get out of this!"


    "Legally speaking, you¡¯re no longer single." Lin Dongxue said, "You¡¯re the subject of your behavior. Even if your other personalitymitted a crime, you would also have to go to jail. Thew treats you as the same person."


    "Can''t thew give me some special rights for having a dual personality?"


    "At least you don¡¯t get taxed twice!¡±


    Wang Ying said shyly, "asionally, it''s okay to go shopping together. But I mean, if it¡¯s at night, you should let hime. You¡¯re still basically a stranger to me!¡±


    Zhou Xiao and Wang Ying chatted for a while longer before leaving.


    The four of them went downstairs and discussed whether or not to follow Zhou Xiao all day long. Thinking about it, the efficiency was too low. Based on the routine, the other personality would only appear at night. They could only let Wang Ying know that once the other personality appeared, they¡¯de and look for him.


    Thus, they let Zhou Xiao go home for the time being. After he left, Xu Xiaodong said, "Are dual personalities like that? They don''t know about each other''s affairs?"


    "You can understand it this way. It''s like setting up two users on aputer. They don''t know each other¡¯s passwords, but they share a lot of things. They just can''t see the files on the other¡¯s desktops. Personality A knows what happened when he was a child, and he knows everything he¡¯s learned before. Personality B also knows all the knowledge learned, but the two sides don¡¯t know about the recent events each other have experienced. However, listening to Wang Ying¡¯s description, the other personality should know that they¡¯re the inner personality. This is probably because Zhou Xiao has been suppressed for too long, so a new personality was born in his subconscious. A happy, active, and daring personality!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Is it possible that his inner personality is the Zhou Xiao we¡¯ve been looking for?"


    Chen Shi said, "I thought about this. The age isn¡¯t right and Zhou Xiao is just a pseudonym."


    "It''s a bit scary to think about it!" Xu Xiaodong said. "If you have a dual personality, the brain will automaticallyplete the missing memory in your brain. Without outside reminders, you¡¯d never know... What if I¡¯m like that too?"


    Lin Dongxue said contemptuously, "Your CPU can''t drive two systems at once."


    "Haha, then I can rest assured!"


    Chen Shi said, "Actually, I have an idea as well. Why did the murderer give up after seeing Zhou Xiao? You said that the murderer might not have seen Zhou Xiao as a threat. How would he be considered not a threat? Would you think I was dangerous if you saw me?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Of course not, we¡¯re familiar with each other... Ah! I see. He knows the murderer!"


    Xu Xiaodong pped his hands. "Let¡¯s go check Zhou Xiao''s interpersonal rtionships!"


    Chen Shi looked at his watch. "We just let the person go and we¡¯re already calling back? Let''s have a meal first. It''s already 2:00 and I¡¯m about to starve to death.¡±


    "Call Zhou Xiao toe together with us! We¡¯ll inquire about his interpersonal rtionships on the way." Lin Dongxue suggested. In fact, she quite liked this young man who was a bit boring but was also a bit funny.


    The four of them went to eat nearby. They wanted to eat Jiugongge. Xu Xiaodong said that it was too spicy, so they went to eat Hunan food.


    They were so hungry that their stomachs grumbled. When the stir-fried pork, salt and pepper tofu, marinated eggnt, and of course, fish head with chopped peppers were served, they started eating without a word.


    Chen Shi was the one who picked this store. The fish head with chopped peppers in the shop was a major feature. The fat fish head¡¯s mouth was filled with pickled cherry peppers. The steamed cherry peppers were moderately spicy and tasted very nice with the rice. The rice on the table was eaten bowl after bowl.


    The only regret was that they couldn''t drink. After all, they had to continue investigating the case in the afternoon.


    "I always feel that chopped peppers are used to give the fish head a funeral," Zhou Xiao said.


    "Now that you¡¯ve said that, it''s quite simr." Chen Shi said, "Let me ask you something. Do you have a friend that¡¯s about 190cm in height?"


    "Hmm..." Zhou Xiao bit his chopsticks and pondered. "I have no friends in Long''an and my former ssmates only contact me on the Inte. There¡¯s nobody 190cm among them. I''m really sorry, I¡¯ve eaten your food for nothing."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Could that person only be known by his other personality, just like Wang Ying?"


    Chen Shi pondered. "After dinner, let us check all yourmunication devices!"


    "For the fish head, sure!" Zhou Xiao readily agreed.

 Chapter 621: The Silent Man

    <h4>Chapter 621: The Silent Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After eating, the three of them went to Zhou Xiao¡¯s house and checked hisputer and mobile phone. Lin Dongxue was in charge of reading the chat records on hisputer. With a beautiful woman checking his chat records and emails, Zhou Xiao felt very ashamed as he stood next to her while sweating.


    Lin Dongxue said, "You have so many emoticons on QQ."


    "I... It¡¯s my work."


    "No wonder there are so many editing softwares on the desktop. How interesting, and this kind of work... Do you know this person?"


    "Yes, it''s a colleague I used to work with. Don''t worry, he¡¯s not 190cm."


    "What about this one?"


    "A friend from a game. He¡¯s an uncle. He doesn''t live here."


    After checking around, Zhou Xiao could exin every chat record. It seemed that they weren¡¯t left by the other personality. The other personality didn¡¯t seem to like to use social media. Zhou Xiao said, "Sometimes the money I have on me would go missing, but my brain wasn¡¯t working well and I couldn¡¯t figure it out. Now that I think about it, that guy must have spent it... Aiya, he¡¯s not frugal at all!"


    This reminded Chen Shi something. He checked the taxi records and confirmed each of them with Zhou Xiao. There were several addresses Zhou Xiao hadn¡¯t remembered visiting. Those ces were food bureaus, bathing centers, and second-hand markets. They were all ces Zhou Xiao didn''t usually go to.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Would you like to visit these ces?"


    Chen Shi said, "No need, the murderer won''t stand there and wait for us." He asked Zhou Xiao, "Does your other personality have many friends?"


    Zhou Xiao spread his hands. "How would I know?"


    "For example, your girlfriend. I noticed that you¡¯ve been peeking at her. Is she your type?"


    Zhou Xiao admitted shyly, "Yes."


    "So I think your other personality is just doing what you¡¯ve long wanted to do but didn''t have the guts to. Maybe you¡¯ve also met that person in reality."


    "I don''t usually go out. Where would I meet a man of 190cm? Could it be..." Zhou Xiao''s expression changed.


    "What did you just think of?"


    "I thought of a man who¡¯s 190cm! He¡¯s called The Silent Man. He was a patient at the mental hospital, but we never spoke to each other. As the name suggests, he never speaks, but I¡¯m not sure if this other personality is close to him."


    "Silent?"


    "Uh, it''s a nickname made up among the patients. He should be surnamed Wu. I forgot what he was called. By the way, my nickname is thendlord. At that time, I was wondering why I was called thendlord. I now understand that it must be the other personality spouting nonsense." Zhou Xiao thought about it again. "Right, it must be him who I sawst night! That body shape, the walking posture, and the injured hand."


    "Do you know anything about him?"


    "The Silent Man used to be a construction site worker. I heard that he was very unfortunate when he was a child. His mother went out to y mahjong all night and left him at home alone. He suffered a cold, had a high fever, and had his brain fried. His intelligence was a bit low and he wouldugh idiotically when he saw people. Later, his mother remarried. His stepdad saw him as a burden and screamed at him all day long. As for his mother, if her love for her son could have been one-tenth of her love for mahjong, he wouldn¡¯t be like this. The Silent Man wouldn¡¯t speak. He just screams if he has any needs just like an animal. His stepdad found him annoying and would burn him with cigarettes as long as he yelled. Later, he dared not scream anymore. He wouldn¡¯t make a sound even if he had urine or shit on his pants. The stepdad said he was crazy and looked for the neighborhoodmittee to issue a certificate of mental disorder and sent him to the mental hospital. He has never been taken care of since then." Zhou Xiao¡¯s face was filled with sadness. "Everyone in that ce has an unfortunate past. We¡¯re a bunch of monsters to society, but no one has ever asked who made these monsters!"


    "Since he can''t speak, he¡¯s unlikely able to write. How do you know this?" Chen Shi asked curiously.


    "His biological father talked about this. His father has visited him several times, and every time, The Silent Man screamed and begged his father to take him away. All the patients were sad, but his father was very poor and couldn''t even take care of himself, let alone him.¡±


    "The one you stayed in is called Rehabilitation Psychiatric Hospital?"


    "Yes! You can probably tell that the name isn¡¯t like your typical mental hospital. It¡¯s privately-owned. The hospital director originally wanted to set up an online organization, hearing that it made money, but the higher ups didn¡¯t approve. So, he turned it into a mental hospital and recruited some people who didn¡¯t even have professional qualifications casually toe in as caregivers. The way they dealt with us was to get us to take medicine, take medicine, and take more medicine non-stop. What pipotiazine, sulpiride, haloperidol... I feel nauseous just hearing about it."


    "What medicine?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Zhou Xiao repeated them again. Lin Dongxue researched it on her mobile phone and showed it to Chen Shi. Chen Shi nodded. "They¡¯re all medicines that have the effect of treating schizophrenia,[1] haven''t you discovered it?"


    "Treat my ass. Those medicines would only cause you to get sicker the more you take them."


    The Tiantai City Rehabilitation Psychiatric Hospital disappeared in the fire five years ago, and the information of all personnel was burned to a crisp as if it had never existed before. Now, if someone wanted to investigate them, they could only rely on inquiries. Chen Shi asked, "Among your fellow patients, was there anyone from Long¡¯an?"


    Zhou Xiao thought for a while and said, "No."


    "What''s the name of the director?"


    "Called... Qin Wanmu."


    Since they couldn¡¯t get anything else from Zhou Xiao, the three of them bid their goodbyes and told him to contact them immediately if there were any issues.


    Back in the bureau, they checked the name "Qin Wanmu" in the household registration files. There was someone who was suspected to be the director who was rtively close in age. He was from Tiantai City. The files showed that he had run a rehabilitation institution before but the rest of the file was nk.


    Chen Shi said, "I remember that the male deceased was also someone from Tiantai. Could it be rted to the mental hospital?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you think it¡¯s a murder for revenge?"


    "We can¡¯t rule it out!"


    Lin Qiupu was investigating the situation of the deceased. Judging from the clues currently avable, the deceased had nothing inmon with the director except for being from Tiantai City. His upation was just apany employee.


    The surveince around the scene of the crime all captured the characteristics of the murderer. Several eyewitnesses were found around as well. They said that they saw a tall man who was holding something wrapped in newspaper that night. It looked to be a hammer-like object and he exuded a dangerous atmosphere.


    The leads were broken right there, which made the entire task force very frustrated. They could only switch angles and go to the local police stations to check the information of the migrant poption. However, the murderer seemed to have not applied for a temporary residence permit, and no one knew where he was now in the big city of Long¡¯an.


    On the evening of November 14th, the second murder urred with exactly the same modus operandi.


    1. And other disorders.

 Chapter 622: Low Intelligence Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 622: Low Intelligence Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    That night, Chen Shi received a call and drove to the scene of the crime.


    The area was arge,pound housing area. The murderer broke into the door and smashed the head of a middle-aged man living alone. The deceased fell to the ground, holding a mobile phone tightly in his hand. His entire head was severely deformed, leaving sttered bloodstains on the ground. Human tissues sshed everywhere, reminiscent of the scene where the hammer made impact with the head.


    The lower body of the deceased was lifted up by the overturned chair. The murderer should have kicked the door in, knocked the deceased who was sitting on the chair while on the phone down with a hammer, and then smashed his head again like bursting open a coconut.


    In addition, the deceased''s clothes were also lifted up, revealing his waist.


    "The deceased is male, 48 years old, a local of Tiantai..." Peng Sijue checked the documents he found from the deceased.


    "It''s someone from Tiantai again?" Chen Shi was a bit startled.


    He really couldn''t look at the scene in front of him any longer because he just had mapo tofu for dinner. So, he went outside. Several witnesses in thepound were being questioned. There were mothers and children crying as they held each other, and young female migrant workers who were so scared that they became incontinent.


    They basically all reported the same situation. They heard a bang and then a muffled sound an hour ago. When they went out to have a look, a man with a bloody hammer walked out and the door to Old Li¡¯s house was open. They saw Old Li through the door. He had fallen to the ground.


    When they walked in, the neighbors all went nuts. They hadn¡¯t calmed down yet.


    "Old Li is usually very nice. He didn''t provoke anyone. He divorced his wife and his son is studying abroad. We just heard him calling his son. Haii, why did this happen?!" An aunt who was a neighbor exined.


    "What is his upation?"


    "He works as a civil servant at the Food Administration Bureau."


    Chen Shi heard the words ¡°Food Administration Bureau¡± and immediately opened the map on his phone and looked at it. It turned out that thispound was called the Food Administation Compound. Across the street was the Food Administration Bureau. Zhou Xiao¡¯s other personality had been here before, and the deceased was from the same city as the hospital director.


    He walked over and asked, "Elder sister, judging by your ent, you don¡¯t seem to be a local."


    "I¡¯m from Tiantai."


    "So, all the people living in thispound are from Tiantai?"


    "Yes, they¡¯re all fellows from my hometown because thendlord is from there as well. Everyone has a support abroad here."[1]


    "What''s thendlord''s name?"


    The aunt said a name, but it wasn¡¯t who Chen Shi was after, so he asked, "Has a person called Qin Wanmu ever lived here before?"


    "Yes, Old Qin lived here previously and moved outter."


    "When did this happen?"


    "Half a year ago. Why? Does this matter have something to do with Old Qin?"


    Chen Shi was suddenly enlightened. He called Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue aside. "The murderer came to find Qin Wanmu."


    "Qin Wanmu, the director of that mental hospital?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "It''s him! The man who died on the 11th was someone from Tiantai. He was arguing with his girlfriend at the time. Old Li, who had just died, was also from Tiantai. He was on a call. They were from the same town. They were both talking when they died. The recognition rate for the Tiantai ent is very high."


    "Chen Shi, do you want to say that the murderer regarded them as the hospital director?"


    "Correct!"


    "This... this is ridiculous. If he wants to kill him, wouldn¡¯t he figure it out beforehand?"


    "Most people would, but The Silent Man is different. He has a low IQ and may only remember the director''s ent."


    Lin Qiupu wore an expression as if he had a headache. He thought of something and said, "Right, today the police station called to tell me that there was an attack on the police a month ago. The assaulter was this Silent Man. He was wearing a windbreaker and carrying a sledgehammer wrapped in newspaper on the street. The police officer found him suspicious and asked him to show his ID, but the other party pushed the officer down and fled... From this point of view, the murder on the 11th wasn¡¯t idental. He was always looking for a target. That night, he heard the deceased, Mr. Song, arguing with a Tiantai ent, so he rushed out to kill him."


    Chen Shi said, "I can''t learn the Tiantai ent, but one of its characteristics is that it¡¯s loud and fast, just like when you argue."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "How could he find this ce? If it weren''t for Qin Wanmu''s move, he might have seeded tonight... ording to this method of murder, I don''t know how many innocent people will have to suffer."


    "Zhou Xiao told him. To be precise, it was Zhou Xiao''s other personality who did." Chen Shi replied, "The two met on the evening of the 11th. Zhou Xiao told him this address. Zhou Xiao had been here before. His other personality was also looking for the director."


    "If that¡¯s case, wouldn''t he be aiding the murder?" Lin Dongxue asked. She hoped that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Deep down, Chen Shi also didn¡¯t want this. Zhou Xiao¡¯s inner personality never appeared. He couldn¡¯t find out about the situation from him. Lin Qiupu frowned. ¡°He¡¯s suspected of instigating murder. I think he should be detained or sent to the mental hospital so that we can ask a psychologist for help."


    "That¡¯s too extreme. No matter which personality Zhou Xiao has, they both greatly dislike mental hospitals. It¡¯d only make him more rebellious."


    "But he instigated murder..."


    Lin Dongxue assured him, "If we find evidence that he instigated the murder, I will personally arrest him."


    "Okay, keep an eye on this guy. I think he has a big problem." Lin Qiupu''s understanding of Zhou Xiao was merely from a few simple words from Lin Dongxue at the project meeting. The witness and a serial killer had the same name, so naturally he wouldn¡¯t have a good impression on him.


    A piece of paper was found at the crime scene, which was packed in a stic bag by the forensic police and sent to Lin Qiupu. The three of them saw that it was a crude map with a few lines indicating the route. Lin Qiupu ordered someone to get it tested. Chen Shi eximed, "Wait!" Then, he took out his phone and took a photo of it.


    It took three hours to process the handling of the crime scene. Just likest time, The Silent Man "generously" left a lot of evidence and surveince footage. Then, he disappeared in a certain alley. Chen Shi didn''t think he possessed any anti-investigation awareness. He spected that The Silent Man may not have a fixed ce to live and wandered around the city. He mostly came out at night like a ghost, so the police haven¡¯t been able to find him.


    Chen Shi silently hoped that when they met, it wouldn¡¯t be after the next murder.


    The next morning, everyone went out to investigate the case. Chen Shi was sitting in the meeting room with a few identical maps of the city spread out on the table. He drew on them until Lin Dongxue came in and asked, "Old Chen, what are you doing?"


    "I¡¯m restoring the road map and to have a look at it. I¡¯ll guess where The Silent Man set off from."


    "So it¡¯s like that. We¡¯d find out where he resides like that!¡±


    "This route is the most simr..." Chen Shi pointed to one of the maps. "But the starting point was at the scene of the first murder. In other words, Zhou Xiao gave him the route map which shows how to get to the Food Administration Bureau¡¯spound."


    "Does he live near Zhou Xiao''s house?"


    "I don''t think so..." There were many small dots on the map, which were marked down by Chen Shi. These were all ces where surveince cameras captured him, or ces where witnesses had seen him. "The Silent Man has a low IQ. I''m afraid one road map couldn¡¯t take him to the destination smoothly, so the second murder took ce three dayster. He¡¯s been looking for this ce everywhere..." Chen Shi pondered. "Let¡¯s look at the surveince footage around the murder scene!"


    1. They refer to it as abroad even though they¡¯re from the same country as everyone is registered to their hometown/city.

 Chapter 623: Puppy

    <h4>Chapter 623: Puppy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It took two days for Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong to sift out footage that captured The Silent Man from arge number of surveince videos. Three bottles of eye drops were used. Chen Shi was dizzy from watching it all. Xu Xiaodong asked, "When there¡¯s automatic face recognition systems, it¡¯d be good. I¡¯m not nearsighted from ying games, but I¡¯m about to be nearsighted from watching surveince footage all day.¡±


    "Be more grateful. At least we can watch it at 4 times or 8 times the normal speed. Think about the previous era where you could only watch in real time. The life of the police was even more sad." Chen Shi said.


    "But there weren¡¯t so many weird criminals at that time." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Youngster, don''t think the past is better than the present. Do you know how many rampant criminals there were over twenty years ago?"


    "Tch, you¡¯re really trying to sell it with your age. How old were you then anyway?"


    Chen Shi marked all the locations where The Silent Man had been photographed on the map and then tried to connect them. Lin Dongxue was puzzled by his intentions. Chen Shi exined, "This is my thinking. Although The Silent Man has a map, he may not be able to distinguish North, South, East, or West and went in the opposite direction. That¡¯s why he was dyed by several days."


    "It''s no wonder that after the incident, he appeared twice at the first scene. It was to set off again after going back to the starting point!" Lin Dongxue suddenly realized.


    Xu Xiaodong couldn''t help but feel annoyed. "We should have sent someone to monitor the scene of the first case at that time so this wouldn¡¯t have happened."


    Lin Dongxue narrowed her eyes at him. "Hindsight is 20/20. Even after knowing that there was going to be a second murder, we wouldn¡¯t have expected the murderer to run back to the crime scene for this purpose."


    There was a miserable cry from the corridor. It turned out that it was the family of the deceased Li who came to im the corpse. The three stopped arguing. Chen Shi sighed and shook his head. "Let¡¯s hurry up and get back to work so we don¡¯t have a third murder!"


    Chen Shi connected the points on the map using the map found at the crime scene. It required a lot of brainpower to sort out the chronological order of The Silent Man appearing at each point. Xu Xiaodong felt that his head was turned to mush just from watching, but Chen Shi got it done. He pointed to the map and said, "From these routes, The Silent Man¡¯s sense of direction is really worrying. Over thest two days, he¡¯s been looking for the Food Administration Bureau¡¯spound like a headless fly. He only had this map on hand and there¡¯s no North, South, East, West indicated on the map. Only up, down, left and right.¡±


    Lin Dongxue said, "ording to these routes, the starting point for The Silent Man is near Binhe Road. Does he live there?"


    "It''s very probable. Let''s take a trip over!"


    Xu Xiaodong said in a rush, "I''ll go too." After watching surveince videos for the past two days, he had been excited to go out to investigate the case, but Chen Shi said to him, "You don''t have to go. Stay and watch the surveince footage. Find out what''s missing."


    "Huh?" Xu Xiaodong opened his mouth in disappointment. "This guy is very dangerous. What if there¡¯s a conflict? I should go!"


    "We aren¡¯t stupid. We won¡¯t say anything when we see him. If we find him, we¡¯ll let you know." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi said that he¡¯d order Xu Xiaodong a crayfish rice bowl at noon, which made him willingly stay to watch the surveince footage. The two immediately set off and went to the vicinity around Binhe Road. Next to this road was the Hung River, which traversed between the East and West of Long''an.


    There was a legend about this river which was well-known in Long''an. In ancient times, a tradesman saw a white dragone out of the water. The white dragon took off its scales and turned into a man to go ashore. The protagonist in the folktale¡¯s biggest hobby was stealing clothes, and the tradesman was no exception. He stole the dragon''s clothing and put it on. He changed himself into a dragon and plunged into the water. Since then, the weather here has always been smooth-sailing, and people say that the tradesman was guarding the area which slowly became a city.


    The two of them walked along Binhe Road and asked about The Silent Man at the shops along the way. Lin Dongxue said, "I have a question. He has a low IQ and only recognizes the ent. How can he confirm that he killed Qin Wanmu?"


    "Haha, you¡¯re right!" Lin Dongxue''s words made Chen Shi understand a suspicious point. "The deceased Mr. Song and Mr. Li both had their clothes lifted up. I didn''t understand what was going on at the time. Now I understand. Qin Wanmu most likely had an identifying mark on him like a birthmark or scar. The murderer lifted their clothes to confirm this."


    "In that case, why can''t he confirm first and thenmit murder?"


    Chen Shi pointed to an uncle passing by the road. "How would you make sure that he has a birthmark?"


    "Hmm... It''s difficult."


    "The same is true for The Silent Man. He can''tmunicate normally. Put yourself in his shoes. When he was walking on the streets, he suddenly heard a familiar ent and blood immediately rushed into his brain. He didn''t have the mind to think about it at all... This kind of person is very lonely. For him,munication is more difficult than killing people!"


    "Then what the director did to him was more than just getting him to take medicine, right?"


    "I also want to know the truth, but I sincerely hope that he will stop killing irrelevant people, or find the director quickly."


    "Captain Lin found out Qin Wanmu''s information from a real estate agency. We may be able to see him in person today."


    Chen Shi nodded. "Let''s do our part as well."


    The two went to a housing vige in the city and asked an uncle who was sitting at the door smoking a cigarette. The uncle said, "This person you¡¯re talking about should be Puppy. He lives here!"


    Lin Dongxue was excited that they found him and asked the uncle, "Where does he live?"


    "Aunt Yu''s house." The uncle pointed to a door.


    The two went to knock on the door of that house and there was an old voice in the house that said, "The door is unlocked. Come in!"


    Pushing open the door, they found that the room was dimly lit and there were pots and pans on the table. An olddy was sitting on a bed covered with a shabby mosquito, coughing, "Who are you looking for?"


    "Do you know Puppy?"


    "Who are you people?"


    "His friends." Chen Shi said.


    "Nonsense. He doesn¡¯t have friends. Are you here to trouble him?" The olddy was very alert.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces, and Lin Dongxue said bluntly, "We¡¯re the police."


    The olddy insisted that they take out their ID. Lin Dongxue showed it to her, and the olddy waved. "Bring it over! Bring it over!" She took it and touched the gold letters on the police badge with her hand. It turned out that she was blind.


    The olddy finally believed them. "Did Puppye into trouble outside?"


    "He¡¯se into a little trouble. Do you know where he is?" Chen Shi asked.


    "He hasn¡¯te back for the past two days."


    "He'' always lived here?"


    "He¡¯s lived here for over two years."


    "Auntie, who is he to you?"


    The olddyughed. As sheughed, she began coughing again. When she started breathing well again, she said, "We have no rtionship. Two years ago, there was heavy rain. Someone squatted at the door of my house. I knocked him with my cane, but he still didn''t say anything. I thought he was a dog, but when I touched him, I found out it was a person. I thought he was very pitiful and gave him a cold bun. I didn¡¯t know that he didn¡¯t leave, but instead stayed squatting under leaves for the whole night. I found out the next day and said he shouldn¡¯t stay here, but to another house to beg. What could a poor and blind old woman give him?... However, he didn''t speak. When I was heading out, he¡¯d support and help me across the road. At night, he¡¯d sleep by the door just like a dog. My heart couldn¡¯t take it, so I¡¯d give him any leftovers I had. He¡¯s very loyal. He helped me repair the roof, catch mice, and wash the dishes. He goes to the garbage dump if he has nothing to do. If he picked up anything good, he¡¯d bring it back to me to ''honor'' me. Once, he picked up a bag of rotten vegetables from the door of the restaurant. After eating it, we almost died of poisoning... I thought that this kid was really good, and I felt he was also a pitiful person, so I took him in. He can''t speak. He only whimpers. But when gangsters came here a few times to cause trouble after getting hired by ck-hearted demolition dealers, he¡¯d beat them away easily. Now, with him here, even thieves are afraid toe. Everyone thinks that this kid is like a dog who can look after the house, and they all like him, so they call him Puppy."

 Chapter 624: Unexpected Person

    <h4>Chapter 624: Unexpected Person</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing this, Lin Dongxue couldn''t help feeling sad. Chen Shi said, "It seems that he likes to stay here."


    "Yeah, he¡¯s just like a child!" The olddy smiled proudly. "He can''t speak but when I hear him whine, I know what he¡¯s doing. Whether it¡¯s someoneing or it''s raining outside, I¡¯d know. At night, when he can''t sleep, I would tell him stories about Meng Jiangnu crying on the Great Wall[1], about the pony crossing the river, and the like. He¡¯d kneel in front of me and listen very seriously... Sometimes, he reminded me of my dead son who was also loyal and honest. He went to work on a construction site and worked for a whole year, but thepany didn¡¯t pay him. The workers told him to stand atop a crane and call the reporters to expose it so that the boss would pay them. My son really went up. He climbed to the top of a crane more than 100 meters high. It was very windy that day. He climbed up but didn''t climb down again...¡±


    The olddy''s tone was very calm. She seemed to have told this story many times and her soft sigh felt very helpless.


    "Officers, I don''t know what trouble Puppy has caused, but please be magnanimous. He¡¯s a good boy. If he causes trouble outside, he must have his own reasons. He would never provoke others for no reason."


    Chen Shi lied to her. "We just want to find him and get some information. When did he leave?"


    "Last week. He hasn¡¯te back since."


    "Aren¡¯t you worried?"


    "Worried? Of course I¡¯m worried. When you find him, no matter what trouble he¡¯s caused, please let me see him, okay?"


    "Okay, we¡¯ll notify you."


    After leaving, the two asked the neighbors again, but the neighbors said that Puppy had returned the day before yesterday. That is, before the second case happened. It could be seen that the olddy was lying. She was deliberately protecting this "godson", but Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t go back to expose her.


    Walking out of the vige, Chen Shi sighed sentimentally. "Everyone has misfortunes."


    "I''ll contact my brother. Let''s deploy an ambush around here!"


    "Okay!"


    Xu Xiaodong called and said that there was an important discovery, but he couldn''t make it clear on the phone and asked them toe back quickly.


    It turned out that Xu Xiaodong found a person near the scene of the second crime. It was Zhou Xiao¡¯s girlfriend, Wang Ying. She didn¡¯t appear at the time of the crime but appeared twice on the night of the 12th and 13th.


    Chen Shi praised Xu Xiaodong a lot for being able to find this clue in a bunch of surveince footage. A person who seemed to have nothing to do with the case appeared at the scene of the crime twice. This alone was worth visiting her again.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Wang Ying should still be at work, right? Shall we go to thepany to find her?"


    Chen Shi said, "Send her a message!"


    Lin Dongxue sent a message to her saying that she wanted to meet, but she didn¡¯t reply. By the time she replied, it was already evening. Wang Ying said in a text message, "Excuse me, I¡¯ve been working without looking at my mobile phone the whole time. I¡¯m walking home right now."


    "We¡¯lle and find you!"


    Two hourster, the three of them went to Wang Ying¡¯s residence. Chen Shi printed out the screens that Wang Ying appeared in on the surveince footage in advance and straightforwardly showed it to her. "Miss Wang, how do you exin this?"


    "Do I have to exin everywhere I go?" Wang Ying was a little flustered. She didn''t expect the three people to visit her for this.


    "Of course there¡¯s no need to exin that, but the murder urred where you appeared on the night of the 14th. You appeared at the scene of the murder in advance. There must be a reason for it, right?"


    "What?! Who was killed...? Still failed to stop him?" Wang Ying bit her lip.


    "Stop who? The Silent Man?" Chen Shi asked.


    Wang Ying lowered her head in silence and only spoke after a while. "Actually, I¡¯ve also stayed at the Rehabilitation Mental Hospital before."


    This surprised the three of them. It turned out that she, Zhou Xiao, and The Silent Man all knew each other. Wang Ying continued, "In fact, Zhou Xiao came to me that night to tell me that he saw The Silent Man. He even told The Silent Man about the hospital director¡¯s address that he had found. I was very scared. If the director was really killed, would Zhou Xiaomit the crime of instigating murder? I don¡¯t want him to go to jail, so I wanted to stop this. I needed to tell The Silent Man that killing couldn''t solve the problem. That person has already received retribution... I went there to stop him, but I didn''t see him for two days. I thought he stopped. Who knew..."


    "Why didn''t you tell us this directly that day?" Chen Shi asked.


    Wang Ying cried, covering her face. "I don¡¯t want you to catch The Silent Man. The real bad guy is the hospital director! It¡¯s the nurses! Every one of us suffered deeply... Two male police officers, can you excuse yourselves first? I have something to show Officer Lin."


    Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong went to another room and heard Lin Dongxue''s surprised low cry through the door. "This is what the hospital director did?!"


    "Yes! Now you understand why we hate him to his core."


    "Old Chen and Xiaodong, you cane in now."


    The two returned to the living room. Wang Ying sat sullenly holding the teacup. Recalling the past made her look sad. Lin Dongxue said, "There¡¯s a long scar on her waist. The mental hospital took the patient¡¯s kidneys and sold them for money."


    Wang Ying said calmly, ¡°In their admission contract, there is a line of inconspicuous fine prints. ¡®If Party B is unable to provide treatment costs, they will allow Party A to collect treatment fees throughbor dispatch or medical trials.¡¯ This was a huge trap. As long as the family of us patients no longer care about us or if we have no family, the director¡¯s subordinates would take us to the basement where they¡¯d draw our blood and archive it. We were pigs and sheep waiting to be ughtered. Once someone needed a kidney with a certain blood type, that person would be taken away and there would be an ugly scar on their body after they returned!"


    Wang Ying¡¯s lips trembled and tears fell into her cup. ¡°There is no so-called professional treatment in that ce. Their treatment method was to administerrge doses of drugs. We ate food that seemed like sewerage water and slept on cold sheets. The cries of patients reverberated in the corridors at night. I knew a patient who had a fever after he had his kidney taken. He cried all night in the next room. The two nurses in the duty room were ying cards andughed constantly. They heard him, but they didn¡¯t care. The patient stopped crying in the middle of the night, and then there was no sound at all. When the day was about to dawn, I saw the two nurses carrying a single frame outside, and then the director told us that they had recovered and were discharged!" Wang Ying smiled bitterly and shook her head. "This is the only missing person I have witnessed. Many patients disappeared overnight. Because our bodies were weak to begin with, taking a kidney away would really kill us. The night I was brought back from the surgery room, I kept crying. I was so afraid that I wouldn¡¯t survive the night. I was afraid that I¡¯d also go ¡®missing¡¯!¡±


    She raised her head and looked at the three with tears in her eyes. "That was hell, and the director was Satan. He held the final say there and weird things were happening there every day, but the world had already forgotten us. We just died prematurely, leaving behind a numb shell of a body that lived its days out. Until someone stood up and resisted..."


    1. Chinese tale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Meng_Jiang

 Chapter 625: Crazed People’s Resistance

    <h4>Chapter 625: Crazed People¡¯s Resistance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "The one who dared to stand up and resist them was Zhou Xiao!" Wang Ying''s eyes sparkled from the recollection of the past. "He was as weak as we were, but he didn¡¯t give in. When there were any absurd regtions in the mental hospital, he always stood up against it. Although this was basically hitting an egg at a rock, someone had said what we all wanted to say. The director used him as a thorn. They killed a chicken to scare the monkeys and often put him in confinement. Sometimes it was three days and sometimes it was five. The longest was seven days. Whenever he ended his long confinement, he¡¯de out thin and haggard. We were all very worried. We were worried that he would fall down and we were also worried he¡¯d give in. However, no matter how starved he was or how much he had suffered and been beaten, he always smiled unyieldingly. He was the spiritual pir for all of us. As long as he refused to bow his head for a day, we seemed to have a glimmer of hope for resistance.¡±


    "Zhou Xiao¡¯s struggle with the mental hospital can¡¯t all be told even if we had three days and nights. I¡¯ll only talk about one incident. This was the time which left the moststing impression on me. That summer, the weather was very hot. The director said that as long as we performed well, we¡¯d be able to eat popsicles next week if we didn¡¯t get punished. We really wanted to eat popsicles. Every day there, we¡¯d eat the same things. I didn¡¯t even remember how long I had gone without sweets. Everyone was looking forward to it. It was finally the day when the popsicles would be issued, but what we received was a homemade popsicle with a lot of sugar and pigment added into it. It wasn¡¯t tasty at all. It was so sweet that it made people want to vomit, but the director was shameless. He kept saying that this kind of popsicle was healthier than the ones sold outside. If we were harmed eating those, who would be responsible for that?¡±


    "Zhou Xiao stood up and said, ¡®How much money do you make from us? Are you reluctant to buy a popsicle for even a yuan?¡¯ The director said, ¡®It''s you again! Sit down. You weren¡¯t meant to have the popsicles anyway. What are you making a ruckus for? Do you want to enter the confinement room again?!¡¯ Zhou Xiao mmed on the table and shouted, ¡®We want to eat popsicles!¡¯ He shouted over and over again, and some people followed suit. We had never been united like this before. The shouts were so loud. ¡®We want to eat popsicles! We want to eat popsicles!¡¯ The director ran away in fright and called the caregivers toe and take us back to the room, but this time no one obeyed. The patients used their own housekeeping skills - pretending to be crazy and stupid, scaring the caregivers to the other side of the iron door. Everyone rushed to the iron gate, shook it, and kept shouting, ¡®We want to eat popsicles!¡¯


    "This strugglested until the night, and the director finally made concessions. He asked people to buy popsicles for three yuan apiece. Everyone had a share. It was the sweetest popsicle I''ve ever eaten in my life. I couldn''t even bring myself to bite it. I just licked it again and again. We ate the popsicles happily in the room for some time. The faces of the people on the side of the iron gate were petrified from shock. I finally knew that they were also afraid of us because we had so many people and had nothing to lose. This was all because we have Zhou Xiao!¡±


    "Maybe it was this incident that made the director feel a potential threat. One night, I was woken up by other patients. People were calling out in the corridor. Some people said that Zhou Xiao was taken to the basement by them. They wanted his life! Everyone was afraid of losing him, so we shook the door of the single ward and protested loudly. The caregiver surnamed Wang ran over and knocked on the surveince window with a rubber stick, telling us to get lost back to sleep. At this time, the strongest of us, The Silent Man, kicked the door open. Caregiver Wang was frightened and kept waving her stick to tell him not to get close. In front of The Silent Man, she was as weak as a chicken. Everyone cheered frantically. The Silent Man knocked her to the ground with a single punch and grabbed the key. We were free. The first thing everyone did was to beat up the caregiver on the ground fiercely. Everyone got a punch in and she didn¡¯t even look human after the fact. Maybe she was already beaten to death at that time, or died afterwards in the fire.¡±


    "We rushed out, picked up the table in the activity room, and mmed it against the iron door. Every time we smashed an iron door, we screamed enthusiastically. The caregivers along the way either escaped or ended up like Caregiver Wang. Everyone only had one thought: Save Zhou Xiao! We finally rushed into the basement. Zhou Xiao was anaesthetized. He was lying naked on the hospital bed. A line was drawn on his belly. The doctor was about to get the knife. Although we didn''t know what organ they were going to take, what was certain was that Zhou Xiao might not have been able to get out of the operating room alive if it weren¡¯t for us breaking in. The doctor and the director were both there, and the doctor fled upon seeing us. The director berated us in vain and told us to get lost, but at that moment, no one was afraid of him anymore. The Silent Man picked up Zhou Xiao. Several people pressed the director onto the operating table and cut his waist with a scalpel. The director cried and screamed. At this time, I don¡¯t know where the fire started. Everyone panicked and ran to Zhou Xiao. Someone had lit a fire in the archives room. The fire spread quickly. When we ran down, the entire second floor was on fire. Only then did we discover that the director had taken advantage of the chaos and ran away.¡±


    "I didn¡¯t seem to be myself that night. I was caught in the crowd, crying, shouting, and screaming with them. I was wrapped in fanaticism. When facing the fire, many people cheered. After a while, some people said that it would be troublesome when the police showed up, so people left one after another. We separated just like that. A female patient and I went to a small county and I relied on her to steal some clothes and food. We were able to survive and escape the pursuit of the police. Later, I came to Long''an to work alone. I¡¯m not sure how the other people were. I read the news that all the mental patients who ran away were under control. Obviously, it was just an official statement. I believe some people must have escaped smoothly like me. I never expected that I would see Zhou Xiao here!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were shocked by what Wang Ying said. After a long time, Chen Shi asked, "So, the scene where you and Zhou Xiao met again is also made up?"


    Wang Ying nodded. "In fact it''s not that dramatic, but meeting him and discovering that we live in the samemunity was very dramatic in and of itself... Officers, now that you know, are you going to arrest me?"


    "Thew doesn''t punish numerous offenders[1]. Just treat that incident as the past! The psychiatric hospital has been burned down and lost anyway. No files or evidence are left.¡±


    "Thank you. I know you¡¯re good people."


    "So, why is the director here?"


    "I''ve told you all that I know. I have a request. Can you let The Silent Man go? He has a simple mind. He might have been talked into it. He doesn''t understand the severity of doing these things."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Because of his simple mind, he¡¯s very dangerous. In order to seek revenge, he has killed three innocent people in a row. We will definitely arrest him. No one can be harmed again!"


    "Is that so..." Wang Ying lowered her head in disappointment.


    After they left[2], Chen Shi suddenly thought of something. He asked Lin Dongxue to wait for him and went back to see Wang Ying. He showed her a sketch on his phone and asked, "Was this person there too?"


    Looking at the sketch for a long while, Wang Ying said, "I have the impression that he¡¯s the one who pressed the director down on the operating table."


    Chen Shi suddenly understood. That guy actually stayed in this mental hospital before. That''s why he changed his name to Zhou Xiao. Because the name was very meaningful. Chen Shi asked excitedly, "What is his name?"


    1. When everyone is an offender,w can¡¯t be enforced.


    2. The author wrote ¡°the two of them¡± but I changed it to ¡°they¡± because it mentioned Xu Xiaodong being there as well in thest chapter.

 Chapter 626: Switched Personalities

    <h4>Chapter 626: Switched Personalities</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Wang Ying said guiltily, "I don''t know. I don''t know the names of most patients, including The Silent Man."


    "Okay, don¡¯t wander around too much during this time."


    "Will Zhou Xiao be okay?"


    "He¡¯ll be okay, don''t worry." Chen Shi promised. After all, The Silent Man was originally going after the director. What Zhou Xiao did couldn¡¯t be considered as aiding and abetting. It only constituted as sheltering and assisting a criminal. Furthermore, he had a mental illness, so it shouldn¡¯t lead to jail time.


    When he came back, Lin Dongxue sighed. "I really had my eyes opened today. I didn''t think such a dark ce existed in the world."


    "Yes."


    "What did you talk to her about when you went back?"


    "I''ll tell youter."


    When they went downstairs, they actually ran into Zhou Xiao. With a cigarette in his hand, Zhou Xiao smiled and said, "You¡¯re here to investigate the case again? How diligent."


    Chen Shi nced at the cigarette in his hand and asked, "Are you here to find Wang Ying?"


    "No, I worked for a whole day, so I¡¯m just here to rx and have a meal. Do you want to eat together?"


    Chen Shi deliberately said, "Let¡¯s go and eat at the Jiugongge we ate atst time, okay?"


    "Jiugongge? When did we eat Jiugongge?" Zhou Xiao looked confused.


    Chen Shi was testing him because he noticed that Zhou Xiao¡¯s cigarette was different from the ones he had seen on his desk before. Smokers generally wouldn¡¯t change their brands so casually. He suspected that Zhou Xiao¡¯s personality at the moment was that of the other one.


    Zhou Xiao remembered. "Police Officer Chen, you¡¯re fooling me. That day we ate fish head with chopped peppers."


    "I remembered wrong."


    "Haha, and you said I had a bad memory. I don''t think you have a good memory either."


    This time, Zhou Xiao invited them to go to a nearby shop selling hot ted beef rice and talked about the mental hospital. Zhou Xiao said, "I just took medicine all day long. I refused at first. Later, they threatened me. I didn¡¯t dare to resist anymore and took the medicine obediently."


    It waspletely different from what Wang Ying said. Chen Shi asked, "Your personality split started from back then. When you were there, your other personality took the lead."


    Zhou Xiao bit his finger. "Probably! I¡¯ve suffered periodic memory loss since then. Sometimes when something unreasonable happened in the hospital, I¡¯d get very agitated and lose consciousness. In the next moment, I¡¯d find myselfying on the bed. Sometimes, I¡¯d have injuries on my body, and sometimes I would find myself in a dark and narrow confinement room. I tried to recall things, but after trying to remember, I couldn¡¯t actually make sense of it all. Actually, I thought about the matter of a dual personality, but I was afraid to talk about it. I was worried I¡¯d never get out of there if I did.¡±


    "Don''t your familye to see you?"


    "See me?" Zhou Xiao smiled bitterly. "Every time I call, they¡¯d always say that they were busy and talked about this and that regarding my younger brother. They¡¯d ask me to just stay put obediently and treat the illness. These were the same words that were said every time."


    "I''ve heard about something. There were some homeless patients who were dragged away to have their organs cut out for money. Do you know about this?"


    "Selling organs?" Zhou Xiao frowned as he tried to recall.


    "Your inner personality can be said to be a spiritual leader-like existence in the mental hospital. You took the lead to resist."


    "That happened?"


    Zhou Xiao bit his lip, as if slowly opening the gates of his memory. Suddenly, he showed a sleepy expression, closed his eyes, his head drooped, and then suddenly raised his head. His eyes had changed slightly.


    "You¡¯ve investigated carefully, officers!" Zhou Xiao said with a sarcastic smile.


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself. Did he switch his personality just now? She found it very strange. The tone and atmosphere of the person sitting opposite her¡¯ had changed to that of another person.


    Of course, Chen Shi figured this out as well. He asked those questions to stimte him. He asked, "How should I address you now?"


    Zhou Xiao shrugged. "You can address me how you want."


    "Did you give The Silent Man a map to help him find the director?"


    "Have you found it?" Zhou Xiao asked back.


    "That idiot killed another innocent person."


    "Tch, If I knew, I would help him."


    "You¡¯re assisting in a crime!" Chen Shi''s tone suddenly became stern. "The death of the third victim is directly rted to you. He also had his own family and career. Because of your piece of paper, he¡¯s now dead!"


    Zhou Xiao yed with his chopsticks and said indifferently, "There are no innocent people in this world. People hurt each other and the bitterness umted is shouldered by irrelevant people. After my brother was born, the whole family surrounded him. This kid took away everything from me in an instant. What did I do wrong? You officers only see the results of the incident, but never pursue the cause. If you¡¯ve experienced all this, could you still stand here saying those words?"


    "There¡¯s never a legitimate reason tomit murder!"


    "Haha!" Zhou Xiaoughed, showing a contemptuous expression. "Some things, when it happens to you, you will feel that it¡¯s not too much to even destroy the whole world for revenge. We are those poor monsters abandoned by society. Don''t think you can inquire anything about The Silent Man from me. I won¡¯t betray my friends!"


    This guy had apletely anti-societal personality. He was a dangerous person on a spiritual level. Chen Shi listened to what he said and concluded that he might know more about The Silent Man.


    "Did hee to see you these past two days?"


    "Noment."


    "Right, how did you know that we¡¯re the police? We¡¯re meeting for the first time, which shows that your two personalities actually have some ovep. He¡¯s now hiding under your eyes, peeping into your consciousness. If you don''t tell me, he will because he¡¯s kinder than you!"


    "Haha, how unbelievable. I¡¯m the real master of this body..."


    Zhou Xiao''s right hand kept writing on the table. It was an address. Zhou Xiao suddenly realized and picked up a bowl to hit his right hand. "Stop! Stop! You traitor!" The bowl was broken and his right hand was dripping in blood. His right hand finished writing thest word using the blood.


    "Go to hell!"


    Zhou Xiao grabbed his right hand and smashed it on the table desperately.


    Time was running out. Chen Shi had no time to persuade him. He gestured to Lin Dongxue with his eyes. The diners in the restaurant were all shocked watching the man fight with himself.


    Chen Shi checked on his cell phone and found that there was a ce called "Rehabilitation Physiotherapy Center". He drove over quickly with Lin Dongxue[1] and sent the address to Lin Qiupu on the way.


    The so-called physiotherapy center was hidden in a housing district. It didn¡¯t seem to be a serious ce at a nce. The sign on the door read "quantum massage, nano wrinkle removal, gic testing" and other amazing items.


    An employee received the two of them[2], and Chen Shi asked, "Do you know Qin Wanmu?"


    "Why are you looking for him? He¡¯s our manager."


    "Where is he now?"


    "Why should I tell you? Are you the police?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her credentials, and the employee was dumbfounded. Lin Dongxue repeated the question again, "Where is the manager now?"


    The employee blurted out fearfully, "He went to eat. There¡¯s a Shaanxi noodle restaurant across the street and he always eats there."


    1. Okay, at this point, I¡¯m pretty sure the author just fully forgot that he wrote that the ¡°three of them¡± went to see Wang Ying. I.e. Xu Xiaodong was originally there...


    2. Yes, let¡¯s just pretend Xiaodong disappeared to do other work...

 Chapter 627: Chasing The Silent Man

    <h4>Chapter 627: Chasing The Silent Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When they walked out of themunity, they happened to run into Lin Qiupu and his party. Lin Qiupu said, "You¡¯re really fast. ording to our original schedule, I¡¯m afraid it would have taken a few days to find Qin Wanmu."


    "This was revealed by Zhou Xiao. He told the murderer about it and the murderer mighte here... If he doesn''t get lost this time..." Chen Shi said.


    "What?! That kid is helping with the crime?"


    "The situation is a bitplicated."


    "A dual personality again." Lin Qiupu frowned. "We¡¯ll interrogate him when we find the murderer. See if this kid is really sick or just acting!¡±


    When the crowd went into the restaurant, they didn¡¯t see Qin Wanmu. The boss saw the policeing and said in a panic, "You came just at the right time. There was a suspicious person walking around herest night. He was tall and holding something like a hammer in his hands. He would listen in on whoever was on a call. It scared me to death!"


    "Have you seen this person before?" Lin Qiupu showed him Qin Wanmu''s ID photo.


    The boss took a moment to recognize him and replied, "This is a regr customer. Hees here every day."


    "Was he here today?"


    "Eh... he was just there!" He looked at a table. On the table was a bowl of noodles that had barely been touched. Coriander was heaped on top and the noodles had already gone soggy. The boss asked the employee, "Where¡¯s that fat guy? "


    The man replied, "When I brought the noodles to him, he suddenly ran out for some reason. Did he have a stomach ache? He didn''te back after so long."


    "Retrieve the surveince footage!" Lin Qiupu ordered.


    Ten minutes ago, The Silent Man appeared at the door of the store, standing behind a man who was on a call to eavesdrop. The man was terrified.


    The ce where The Silent Man stood was outside the store. Maybe Qin Wanmu had recognized him and fled in a hurry.


    Xu Xiaodong asked for further instructions, "Captain, who do we look for now? The hospital director or the murderer?"


    "Nonsense! Of course it''s for the murderer. He¡¯s a mentally retarded man. He will kill someone if he hears a Tiantai ent!"


    Everyone looked around everywhere. Chen Shi walked on the sidewalk and said loudly, "How are ya? This world is so big! It takes three hours to stroll from the East to the West!"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Leading the snake out of the cave. How¡¯s my Tiantai ent?"


    "It¡¯s too fake."


    At this time, gunshots came from somewhere and the police rushed over at the same time. They saw a ss partition in a shopping mall shattered and a manying in the broken ss, struggling and rolling. His head was covered with blood, and there was a little boy crying nearby.


    There was a local policeman on the scene calling for reinforcements. Lin Qiupu stepped forward and said, "I¡¯m Lin Qiupu from the Public Security Bureau. What''s the situation?"


    "A suspicious person just smashed the man into the ss. It¡¯s reinforced ss but it was smashed to pieces. My colleague chased after the person and he was probably the one who fired the gun.¡±


    Lin Qiupu called a few people to chase after them, leaving Old Zhang there to investigate the situation. The "suspect" had escaped from the mall and rushed out through the back door. When the police rushed there, they found that the originally locked back door had been knocked down. Because the door opened inward, the person had to directly knock the door off the door frame from the inside and it fell off. It was hard to imagine how strong he was.


    This person must be The Silent Man!


    Arriving in the alley behind the mall, a policeman was pointing a gun at the tall figure fleeing at the entrance of the alley, shouting, "Stop right there!" and was about to shoot.


    "Don''t shoot. Be careful of injuring passers-by!" Lin Qiupu shouted, "We are criminal police. We¡¯ll deal with it!"


    Everyone was chasing after him desperately. The Silent Man was wearing a shabby windbreaker. Because of his long legs, he was running so fast it was as if he was flying. Bystanders were knocked away like a wave by him, as if he was a human tank.


    Lin Qiupu shot into the sky. The pedestrians were so scared that they hurriedly got into the shops on both sides. The sidewalk was suddenly empty.


    At this moment, The Silent Man crossed the road as a car came from the side. Lin Qiupu thought he would be hit, but he jumped up with a run-up, stepped on the top of the car, and the whole car sank. He jumped to the sidewalk on the other side.


    The policemen who were left behind wheezed as they wondered, is this guy human?


    Xu Xiaodong was the fastest out of all them. He followed closely behind The Silent Man. He turned over and passed the car parked on the road. Then, he jumped from behind and threw himself on The Silent Man. His hands locked tightly around The Silent Man¡¯s neck.


    The Silent Man screamed and shook his body desperately. Xu Xiaodong¡¯s entire body was flung up sideways and then thrown heavily on the wall.


    At this time, a ck SUV stopped on the side of the road and opened the car door. A masked man dropped a bag on the sidewalk and then beckoned, shouting, "Get in!"


    The Silent Man jumped into the car without hesitation. The police watched them speed away, but they couldn¡¯t care about it at the moment. The bag on the ground kept beeping suspiciously. Lin Qiupu guessed that it might be an explosive and couldn¡¯t let it explode there.


    He grabbed the bag and ran, but the street was full of pedestrians. The frequency of the beeps in his arms became faster and faster, and suddenly stopped. For a moment, his brain went nk, and his body instinctively reacted to hold down the bag with his body.


    He closed his eyes and waited for the moment his body would explode. After one or two seconds passed, but nothing happened. Pedestrians looked suspiciously at the man lying on the street.


    He opened the bag and saw that there was a shoe box stuffed with rubbish with an electronic watch inside. He breathed a sigh of relief, sitting on the ground. His whole body was soaked in cold sweat, as if he had just been in water.


    "Brother!"


    Lin Dongxue ran over and knelt beside him with eyes full of tears.


    "It''s okay, it''s okay, it''s fake..." Lin Qiupu smiled miserably. His face was covered with sweat.


    Lin Dongxue threw herself into his arms and started crying. She had been so frightened just now. Lin Qiupu patted Lin Dongxue''s back. It was worth it. When was thest time he hugged his sister?


    Other police officers arrived one after another and Lin Dongxue separated from him. Lin Qiupu stood up, exhausted. He felt like all the strength in his body was gone. "How is Xiaodong?"


    "Captain, I''m fine." Xu Xiaodong emerged from the crowd. He had vomited a mouthful of blood and there were blood stains on his chin.


    Chen Shi walked up to Lin Qiupu and said with pride, "Little Lin, that was very cool."


    "Thank you... Who are you calling Little Lin?!"


    The Silent Man actually had an aplice helping him, which made everyone both discouraged and surprised. Lin Qiupu guessed that the masked man couldn¡¯t be Zhou Xiao, right? Chen Shi also thought it was Zhou Xiao, but it wasn¡¯t the Zhou Xiao who had the double personality. When the door to the car opened, he seemed to see three people inside. One driving, one pulling The Silent Man up, and one throwing down the "bomb."


    This was the most depressing thing. Many officers were regretful for not firing their guns, but there were too many pedestrians on the road. No one could guarantee that the bullets wouldn¡¯t identally injure the pedestrians.


    Returning to the mall in a frustrated mood, Old Zhang had already asked about what happened on the spot. When The Silent Man walked into the mall, he saw the man beating his son. This angered him, so he picked the man up by his cor and smashed the man into the ss. The man was injured, but he was okay.


    The patrolling police had heard it, ran in, and The Silent Man fled immediately. At first, the gunshots heard were made by the local police who shot into the sky.


    "Besides, there¡¯s another idental discovery... Come out, it''s all right." Old Zhang said to a pir.


    A man in a cheap suit emerged from behind the pir, shaking like a sieve. He was Qin Wanmu.

 Chapter 628: Qin Wanmu Goes Missing

    <h4>Chapter 628: Qin Wanmu Goes Missing</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Qin Wanmu was brought back to the bureau for questioning. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Zhou Xiao to confirm that The Silent Man¡¯s aplice wasn¡¯t him.


    When they arrived at Zhou Xiao''s house, Wang Ying was there bandaging Zhou Xiao''s injured right hand. Judging from his silly expression, Zhou Xiao was in his main personality.


    "Hey, where did you just go? I remember we were eating together and when I went back to my house, my hand was hurt."


    "You two have been here the whole time?"


    Wang Ying said, "Yes, he said he was injured. I came to help him bandage it up. Look, these are the bandages and anti-inmmatory drugs that I bought at the pharmacy just now... How did you get injured? There are wounds all over your hands."


    "Lightly, lightly." Zhou Xiao drew in a breath as the wound red up.


    Seeing this, they realized they shouldn¡¯t have left. In order to verify it again, Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve seen The Silent Man!"


    "Really?"


    "You¡¯ve caught him?"


    The two said this in unison. Their reactions were real.


    "It¡¯s regrettable that we lost him."


    "That¡¯s great!" Wang Ying eximed happily.


    "Little sister, don''t say such things in front of the police!" Lin Dongxue reminded her.


    Wang Ying stuck her tongue out. "I really don''t want him to be caught!"


    After the task waspleted, the two hurried back to the bureau. Lin Qiupu was questioning Qin Wanmu at this time. Qin Wanmu said that he saw The Silent Man while eating and ran away in fright before hiding in a shopping mall. Who knew that The Silent Man would go into the mall as well.


    God knows if The Silent Man recognized him when those terrifying eyes met with his. At this time, a father pped his son over buying toys. The son cried a lot and The Silent Man stepped forward to stop it in his own way. Then, the police came and Qin Wanmu was able to escape misfortune.


    Qin Wanmu clutched his chest and said, "This lunatic is chasing me everywhere... What have I done for him to hate me so much?!"


    "Since when did you know that he was chasing after you?"


    "A year ago. He wandered around where I used to live. I was so scared that I moved away quickly."


    "A year ago?!" Lin Qiupu raised his voice. "Why didn''t you call the police?"


    "Can the police protect me?"


    "Of course the police can protect you. Did you know that because you didn''t call the police, three people were killed because they had the same ent as you."


    "What does that have to do with me? He was the one who killed those people. Just because you police aren¡¯t doing a good job, don¡¯t put the me on a citizen. Do you have cigarettes?"


    Lin Qiupu was speechless. At this time, Chen Shi walked in and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t call the police because you had a guilty conscience. You were carrying baggage around with you. The mental hospital was burned down by the fire. The local police intervened. The things you had done may have already been exposed, so you hid."


    After speaking, Chen Shi sat down next to Lin Qiupu and smelled him. "Why didn''t you change your clothes? It''s all sweaty."


    "When would I have had the time?" Lin Qiupu whispered, "Did Zhou Xiao go to the scene?"


    "No!"


    Qin Wanmu showed an expression as though he had a toothache. "This police officer needs evidence before he speaks. What did I do? I just ran a mental hospital. Is it illegal to treat illnesses and save people?"


    "You did treat diseases and save people, but you didn''t save the patients in your hospital. You sold their organs to other hospitals to save those patients who bought kidneys and livers on the ck market. Am I right?"


    "What a baseless im. That¡¯s sheer fiction. I, Qin Wanmu, am an upright citizen. How could I do such a thing!?" Qin Wanmu insisted stubbornly.


    "What''s this?" Lin Qiupu asked in a low voice.


    Chen Shi nodded slightly. "I only found out in the afternoon, so I didn''t have time to tell you." Then, he said to Qin Wanmu, "No need to quibble. We have leads on hand right now. Your caregivers and doctors are still around. It won¡¯t take too much time to find out about this matter. At that time, we won¡¯t be questioning you but interrogating you. You should take the initiative to exin it!"


    Qin Wanmu was at a loss and stayed silent for a long time, only grumbling.


    Lin Qiupu picked up the phone and bluffed, "Call the Tiantai City Public Security Bureau-"


    "Aiya, aiya..." Qin Wanmu raised his hands to stop him. "I have something to say! I have something to say! I admit that I did it once or twice, mainly because it was stated in the contract. They owed tens of thousands of medical expenses alone, so what could I do? Should I have hoped that those lunatics would be discharged from the hospital and earn money to pay me back? There are dozens of staff waiting to receive their wages. I need money for when those patients eat and shit. If I didn¡¯t do that, I¡¯d go bankrupt!"


    "This reason is really valid." Chen Shi sneered. "Your target was mainly homeless patients!"


    "It''s written in the contract! I wouldn¡¯t do that if they didn¡¯t sign the contract! They donated their kidneys voluntarily. It was a consensual transaction. Is that illegal? Why are you interrogating me? I am a victim. Victim. Why don¡¯t you catch that lunatic?"


    "Don''t misunderstand. We want to figure out what potential dangers you¡¯d have, so as to protect you... As far as we know, every patient in that hospital hates you to the core. You still have the scar from them wounding you."


    Qin Wanmu subconsciously covered his waist. "Operating a ce like that is thankless. I¡¯m actually benefiting the society. Those lunatics wander outside all day and kill people without breaking thew. If no one controls them, how many social problems would they cause? I selflessly took them in! Right? Why do they hate me? Why do they chase me everywhere to try and kill me? They don¡¯t know how to be grateful. What a bunch of pigs and dogs!"


    What Qin Wanmu could provide wasn¡¯t very helpful in solving the case. Lin Qiupu said that he would be detained in a protective manner, but Qin Wanmu disagreed no matter what. He feared that this kind of protection would turn into that kind of detention.


    When he left, Lin Qiupu told him to be more careful in the uing days. Chen Shi said to Lin Qiupu, "Check this guy''s background. It''s best to find out what he¡¯s done and sue him. It would be justice for this group of people. It¡¯s also to protect his life.¡±


    "It''s very troublesome to investigate this. We have to go through Tiantai City."


    "You figure it out!" Chen Shi smiled.


    At this time, a policeman came in and reported to Lin Qiupu that the car that picked up The Silent Man seemed to have been stolen. The branch office was assisting in investigating its whereabouts. Lin Qiupu nodded and said, "I understand!"


    Chen Shi said, "I think the three people in the car are from Zhou Tiannan''s gang. ording to what I have heard, one of them was a patient friend with The Silent Man in the past. This person is the serial killer under the pseudonym Zhou Xiao."


    "Could it be that this group of people were actually the ones behind this case?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I don''t think so. Those three are very shrewd. If they nned it, Qin Wanmu would have died long ago... Wait, Zhou Xiao hated him too. Now that they¡¯ve taken action, Qin Wanmu might be in danger!"


    Lin Qiupu hurriedly called Qin Wanmu, but the phone kept hanging up. He was out of ideas and could only go to his ce again with Chen Shi.


    The physiotherapy center operated by Qin Wanmu had already closed up for the day. They found his residential address through the property manager. He lived alone and hadn¡¯t gone home. When they dialed his number, they found that it had been turned off. Chen Shi realized something was wrong.


    In the next few days, the police kept looking for Qin Wanmu, but after he left the Public Security Bureau that day, he disappeared like he evaporated into thin air...

 Chapter 629: Big Revenge Achieved

    <h4>Chapter 629: Big Revenge Achieved</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Qin Wanmu had his head covered with a ck cloth bag. He didn''t know where he was being taken. He shouted along the way, "Who are you? Why have you kidnapped me? If you want money, we can negotiate. I still have a lot of savings."


    The person who escorted him was silent. The man''s hands were like pliers, making his shoulder hurt.


    With the sound of the door opening, Qin Wanmu was taken into a room, and the people behind him kicked him at the back of his knees. Qin Wanmu staggered onto his knees and his knees almost shattered.


    "Old friend, is itfortable living here?" the person behind him asked.


    Qin Wanmu was confused and wondered if he was talking to him.


    "Woo woo!"


    Hearing this voice, Qin Wanmu was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. The Silent Man was here!


    "I prepared a gift for you. I hope you like it. Do you know how much I want to kill him? But I know you want to kill him personally even more!"


    The man opened Qin Wanmu''s hood. When he saw the ugly and horrifying face, Qin Wanmu was so terrified that even his liver trembled. He knelt on the ground desperately and kowtowed. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Please forgive me and don¡¯t kill me. As long as you don''t kill me, I can agree to any conditions!"


    Zhou Xiao and Xu Fa retreated to the back of this basement and watched the show quietly.


    The Silent Man sitting on the chair immediately recognized the voice. He stood up with tears in his eyes. Qin Wanmu looked up at the tall man as if he was looking up at a majestic judge. He was so scared that he couldn¡¯t even cry anymore. Urine was flowing in the pants.


    "Let¡¯s make a bet of one hundred yuan. Do you reckon he¡¯ll strangle him or smash his head in?" Zhou Xiao leaned against the wall and asked casually.


    "I guess he¡¯d be smashed to death. Only then can his hatred be vanquished!" Xu Fa said, "It would be great if I had a mortal enemy. It would be so blissful to kill them myself!"


    The Silent Man was so agitated that he didn''t know how to express it. He took off his clothes. Since he was too rough, hetore off the buttons, revealing his muscr but scarred body. He pointed to a scar on the liver area and howled.


    "I''m not a human! I''m not a human! I¡¯ve wronged you!" Qin Wanmu said as he began to p himself.


    The Silent Man turned around, pointed at the scar on his back, and howled with tears in both of his eyes. Only those who have had a kidney removed knew the pain that apanied it each day.


    Qin Wanmu also cried. "I''m sorry!"


    The Silent Man continued to point out the scars on his body to show him. Each time he pointed out one of them, Qin Wanmu would say sorry.


    Then, The Silent Man knelt down. Only in this way could his vision be level with Qin Wanmu. He put his hands on Qin Wanmu''s shoulders. This movement made Qin Wanmu tremble with fright. He couldn''t help trembling.


    Faced with the enemy that he had been pursuing for years, The Silent Man¡¯s mood was veryplicated. It wasn¡¯t only the monstrous anger in his chest, but also the satisfaction of his wishinging true, the emptiness of the end of his pursuit, and the desire to gain understanding.


    The Silent Man stretched out his hands and hugged him. This movement surprised Qin Wanmu. Could it be that he was about to shake hands to make peace? The next second, he found that the opponent''s strength was getting stronger and stronger, as if an iron hoop was holding him. He opened his mouth and couldn''t breathe. His ribs contracted inch by inch under his opponent¡¯s hug of death. When his body''s endurance reached its limit, there was a movement from the depths of his body. Something had broken inside. Qin Wanmu raised his head. Blood spurted out from his throat like a fountain and his eyes began to have blood rushing into them as they became blood-red.


    When Qin Wanmu finally turned into a pile of dead flesh, The Silent Man finally let go. His body was covered with blood, and his eyes were full of tears.


    Zhou Xiao raised his eyebrows. Xu Fa was dumbfounded as he eximed, "Awesome!"


    The Silent Man grabbed his clothes, stood up, put them on, and walked towards the door. Xu Fa stopped him. "Hey, you can''t go out now. The police are looking everywhere for you... If you¡¯re arrested, our location may be exposed!"


    The Silent Man pushed Xu Fa away violently. In front of him, Xu Fa was as weak as a child.


    Zhou Xiao stopped him. "Old friend, stay. You can live a better life with us. You have physical strength, and we have brains. We will make you the best criminal!"


    The Silent Man howled and Zhou Xiao guessed what he meant. His expression became a little impatient. "Why? You have to go back to find the old blind woman? She isn¡¯t your mother. Besides, the police must be monitoring around there right now. You¡¯ll only get arrested!"


    "Woowoowoo!" The Silent Man replied. His eyes were full of disgust towards these people.


    "I rarely pull people into our gang so sincerely. Give me some face!" Zhou Xiao poked his chest. "Everyone here kills more people than you. You¡¯re just a junior!"


    "Old Three, he¡¯ll be angry if you say that. He¡¯s a fool!" Xu Fay on the ground reminding him.


    "You¡¯re not allowed to call me Old Three!" Zhou Xiao roared viciously, and then he turned to The Silent Man. "I will kill the blind old woman now and let your heart die!"


    As Zhou Xiao walked out, a huge force suddenly dragged him back. He was unable to move even an inch. The Silent Man had grabbed his cor and pulled back. Zhou Xiao fell from the door directly on the other side and was hit hard. He slid down like a painting, and he felt his blood surge.


    What kind of weird strength was this? Zhou Xiao felt regretful for the guy. He was born with the qualifications of a criminal, but he didn''t know how to use it.


    He drew out a knife. His face twisted as he said, "Asshole, no one dares to do this to me!"


    "What are you doing?" Xu Fa asked in horror.


    "Kill him!"


    Zhou Xiao rushed forward and shed out with his knife. The Silent Man pped him and knocked him into the air. Zhou Xiao fell to the ground, clutching the ribs that seemed to be broken, burning with anger.


    The Silent Man turned around to step on Xu Fa on the ground. Xu Fa screamed in fright, rolling away immediately.


    Zhou Xiao rushed up from behind and stabbed him in the chest with a knife. The Silent Man howled in pain. He flung Zhou Xiao off as if he was taking off a hat and Zhou Xiao mmed to the ground heavily.


    He vaguely realized that these two weren¡¯t good people. Just as he was about to step on Zhou Xiao to death, Xu Fa suddenly inserted a syringe into his leg. The poison flowed quickly into his heart. He knelt down while holding his chest and fell asleep forever.


    Zhou Xiao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and got up. He stared at the corpse of the little giant, stepping forward and stabbing him in angrily on his back while cursing.


    "Okay, okay, he''s dead!" Xu Fa persuaded, "I¡¯ve already said that it''s not reliable to get him to join the gang. This fool doesn''t understand anything."


    "What happened?" Ling Shuang walked into the basement.


    Xu Fa made a helpless gesture. "The interview failed!"


    "Who asked you to persuade him?!" Ling Shuangined. "I should handle this kind of thing in the future."


    "Using your psychology?" Zhou Xiao looked at her viciously with a face full of blood. He pointed at her with a knife. "I don''t need to use those tricks. If my personality and charm can¡¯t conquer them, there¡¯s no need for them to join us!¡±


    "What do you mean by personality and charm? Do you think you¡¯re the boss?" Ling Shuang said contemptuously.


    "Smelly woman, of course I¡¯m the boss!" Zhou Xiao roared violently. The only response he got was Ling Shuang''s indifferent gaze. Xu Fa quietly waved his hand and whispered, "Stop arguing, okay? That... How do we deal with the body?"


    "Throw it to the police! Let them do something for once." Zhou Xiao pointed at Ling Shuang and said in amanding tone, "You do it!!"


    He clutched his injured ribs and walked out. Ling Shuang looked at The Silent Man¡¯s huge body. Getting ordered to do something made her particrly unhappy. For what reason did women have no ce in a criminal gang?


    After a while, a sneer came to the corner of her mouth as she had a dark thought. "The corpse is really big. It''s probably more than enough to hide something in it. Can you get explosives?"


    "Hey..." Xu Fa said in a panic. "Are you crazy? You can''t take the initiative to provoke the police. We¡¯re in a very dangerous situation right now."


    "Killing one or two policemen would be med on Zhou Xiao anyway!" Ling Shuang smiled happily.

 Chapter 630: Reunion Of "Old Friends"

    <h4>Chapter 630: Reunion Of "Old Friends"</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On November 16th, Zhou Xiao sat in his small broken house to make emojis. With all the issues over the past two days, he almost had no time to work. It was rare to have a peaceful day, so he could finally work hard in peace and quiet.


    Chen Shi called and said that he had something to tell him when there was a knock on the door.


    "Coming!"


    Zhou Xiao put out the cigarette and went to open the door. There was a stranger standing outside the door. He was wearing a ck sweater, a hat[1], and reflective sunsses. There was an evil smile at the corners of his mouth.


    "Who are you looking for?"


    "Looking for you!" The stranger took out a newspaper-wrapped box from behind them, like a gift.


    "Do we know each other?" Zhou Xiao was a little nervous.


    "Can''t you remember me?" The other party took off his sunsses. "A few years ago, I stayed at the Rehabilitation Mental Hospital. I lit the fire that time."


    Zhou Xiao furrowed his brows and looked at his face. He seemed to be vaguely familiar to him, so he let him in.


    The stranger closed the door and put the box on the table. "Mypanions persuaded me not toe to see you, but when I learned that you were here, I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to see you in person. You¡¯re my idol. I was previously also a loser. I was ruthlessly abandoned by society and thrown into that garbage dump until I saw you. In that ce, you dared to stand up and resist. You inspired all of us. You gave me my second life. You were too cool and brave! When I killed someone for the first time, I wrote your name on the wall. It was a tribute to tell the world that I was resisting it, but the police understood it incorrectly as my name. So, I went along with it and have been using this name the whole time... killing people ceaselessly!"


    "Kill...Killing people?" Zhou Xiao was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. This person wasn¡¯t joking right? Or maybe he has a mental illness?


    But the person¡¯s eyes were serious. They were as sharp as the tip of a knife, making people afraid to look at them directly.


    "I only came to find you. Nothing else." The stranger looked around. "Idol, it seems that you aren¡¯t living very well off. You¡¯ve got so much guts. You shouldn¡¯t be buried here. I want to invite you to join us. We need someone with a clean identity to join us for work. You¡¯ll have a lot of money."


    "What do you mean? If you keep talking like that, I¡¯ll call the police!"


    "Hey, hey, you¡¯re the ndlord''. Let ¡®him¡¯e out and talk to me." The stranger said in a yful tone, approaching him step by step.


    Zhou Xiao was frightened. He picked up an airne cup from the bed and waved it around indiscriminately. "Go away. Don''te close to me or I¡¯ll really call the police!"


    The stranger caught his wrist. His hand was like pliers. Zhou Xiao couldn''t pull out no matter what. The stranger drew a knife from his arms, pointed at Zhou Xiao, and said word by word, "Tell. Him. To. Come. Out!"


    Staring at the tip of the shimmering de, Zhou Xiao''s heart beat wildly with fright. He felt dizzy and faintly felt that ¡°he¡± wasing.


    The next second, his eyes changed, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "Old Three?"


    The stranger was overjoyed. He retracted the knife and grabbed Zhou Xiao''s shoulders. "It''s you, it''s you. I finally got to see you again. It''s almost like a dream."


    Zhou Xiao flicked his hand away, walked to the table, and picked up the box. The box itself wasn¡¯t important. What was important were the old newspapers wrapped around the box. There was a fresh headline on it. "Serial killer Zhou Xiao continues tomit crimes. The police issued a heavenly-priced wanted order."


    Zhou Xiao turned to look at him. "You became a criminal after you escaped there? You murdered people? And you used the name my parents gave me?"


    "I''m sorry that I didn''t inform you in advance. I wanted to carry forward and showcase this name around. In my opinion, it¡¯s a symbol of resistance. Now, the locals in Long''an will tremble as long as they hear the name Zhou Xiao. Isn¡¯t that very beautiful?" The stranger grinned, expecting his idol''s approval.


    Zhou Xiao lit a cigarette, sat down, and asked unhurriedly, "Who are these dead people? Are they guilty?"


    "As you said, no one in this world is innocent."


    "Thank you for your tributes!" Zhou Xiaoyu said sarcastically. "If I came to Long''an two years earlier, I might have witnessed your ''deeds'' with my own eyes."


    "Based on your words, I haven¡¯t lost my notoriety. I''m still the most wanted criminal here!"


    There was a knock on the door. The stranger suddenly retracted his smile. Zhou Xiao said, "Don''t be afraid. It¡¯s Wang Ying. I asked her toe."


    The stranger walked to the door and looked at the peephole. Zhou Xiao suddenly grabbed the box and swung it toward his head. The stranger heard the wind behind his head, slipped sideways, and the box missed. He looked at Zhou Xiao with stunned eyes beforeughing.


    "Asshole, you want to get me into the gang? You scumbag of society. You don''t know what resistance means!"


    The stranger looked stunned with a betrayed expression. He said, "You disappointed me too much!"


    "It''s that you have the wrong expectations... Mr. Chen, smash the door in!" Zhou Xiao shouted.


    The stranger shed behind Zhou Xiao and put a knife to his neck. When Chen Shi broke the door and rushed in, he saw the serial killer Zhou Xiao taking Zhou Xiao hostage. Zhou Xiao pointed at the person behind him. "This criminal came to the door by himself. He said he idolized me. How ridiculous.¡±


    "Shut up!" Old Three roared angrily, squeezing Zhou Xiao''s hair and pulling it back. The de was pressed against his throat.


    Zhou Xiao''s face was distorted due to the pain, but the smile on his face remained undiminished. He said, "Listen. I stood up and resisted to protect the weak, not to harm the weak. Your understanding of me is theplete opposite of that!"


    Old Three¡¯s lips trembled as if he was heartbroken. The object he had been longing for over the years easily denied the meaning of his existence. All of them were like this. The Silent Man. Zhou Xiao. Why would they refuse to ept his invitation? Was it true that he was wrong?


    Chen Shi''s eyes widened and his entire being was immersed in great horror. This face was the one who killed his master and girlfriend and then framed him back then.


    Three years... No, four yearster, he finally saw him again.


    "We finally meet again!" Chen Shi said through gritted teeth.


    "Yeah, how nostalgic!" Old Three smiled, "Unexpectedly, four yearster, you would return to your old career. Did you remember what I said at the time?" Old Three¡¯s knife drew a line of blood on Zhou Xiao''s neck.


    "Officer Chen!" Zhou Xiao said with his eyes closed, "Although I don''t know him, I know he¡¯s a scourge. It doesn''t matter if I die. Please catch him!"


    "He¡¯s not Officer Chen!" The oldest three eximed, "He is Officer Song. A legend in the police world, Song Lang, who changed his face and became a driver. By the way... Your wanted order hasn¡¯t been revoked yet. Who is arresting whom?"


    Chen Shi clenched his fists angrily and approached them step by step. Old Three slowly backed away while still holding Zhou Xiao hostage. Chen Shi roared, "I have thought about the scene of our ''reunion'' countless times. Even if we die together, I will catch you!"


    "Unfortunately, it¡¯s not today!" Old Three blew out a kiss and then suddenly shoved Zhou Xiao into Chen Shi''s arms as he jumped out of the window.


    Chen Shi ran after him like crazy and saw Zhou Xiao jumping repeatedly on the air-conditioning units outside the unit building. He was flexible like a monkey and quickly reached the ground before running away.


    Chen Shi was about to follow suit when Zhou Xiao grabbed him. "Are you crazy?!"


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth, rushed out the door, and rushed to the first floor as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Old Three was nowhere to be seen. He punched a nearby power pole a few times in annoyance and there was a loud noise behind him. One of the air-conditioning units that came loose from getting stepped on came crashing down. Fortunately, no one was hurt.


    The residents gathered around and discussed what had happened just now.


    "I should have found a way to stall him." Zhou Xiao came over from behind. "I''m sorry, Mr. Chen."


    "Your neck is okay, right?"


    Zhou Xiao wiped the blood off his neck and smiled casually. "It¡¯s just a superficial injury... I didn''t think that what I did back then would create a madman. I don''t understand why he treats me as an idol. I just wanted to leave the damn mental hospital. I¡¯m rebellious, but I¡¯m not evil!"


    "You don''t need to me yourself. He was already corrupt inside, but he was just making excuses for his degeneration!" Chen Shi regretted not calling Lin Dongxue with him today. Since they found the body of The Silent Man by the river today, she was busy. He said to Zhou Xiao, "By the way, please keep the matter you just heard about a secret."


    "Don''t worry!" Zhou Xiao blinked once. "You and I both have secrets."


    Chen Shi told him about the death of The Silent Man. Zhou Xiao was shocked. Then, Chen Shi hurried back to the bureau. Peng Sijue was preparing for an autopsy in the autopsy room. He suddenly found a long scar on the abdomen of The Silent Man, which was sewn up after his death.


    "What¡¯s this?" He picked up a pair of scissors.


    An explosion shook the Public Security Bureau. Chen Shi''s footsteps stagnated, and then he sprinted quickly...


    1. The author wrote ¡°head¡± here.

 Chapter 631: Unknown Poison

    <h4>Chapter 631: Unknown Poison</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi rushed into the autopsy room and saw The Silent Man¡¯s body lying on the table. Peng Sijue was sitting on the ground. Several interns were shaking him. "Captain! Captain!"


    "Old Peng, what''s the matter with you?"


    Peng Sijue¡¯s eyes widened as if his soul was gone. It took a full minute before he said, "Who did it?"


    An intern said guiltily, "I put my phone on the test bench to charge in the morning and I was so busy I forgot about it. It exploded somehow."


    Another intern scolded him, "I asked you to change your phone long ago but you¡¯re still using that brand? Didn''t you read the news?"


    "Go and check if there¡¯s any damage to the equipment." Peng Sijue stood up with Chen Shi''s help, clutching his chest. "I was scared to death."


    "Haha, you also have times when you¡¯re so cute." Chen Shi smiled as it was just a false rm.


    "Who let you in like this? Get out!"


    Chen Shi saw an extremely conspicuous scar on the corpse''s abdomen and asked, "What''s going on?"


    "If you want to see it, change into a sterile suit."


    Chen Shi put on a sterile suit and went in. As Peng Sijue was about to open it, Chen Shi said, "Wait, look at his bulging stomach. It wouldn''t be an explosive, right? This corpse passed through the hands of those people, so be careful just in case. Is there a metal detector?"


    "What day and age is it? A metal detector?" Peng Sijue rolled his eyes and ordered his subordinates, "Go to the fourth floor to borrow a drug detector."


    Peng Sijue inspected the surface of the body first. There were six stab wounds on the right shoulder of the deceased, but none of them were fatal. There were some bruises on the body, which seemed to have urred in a fight. The time of death should have been two days ago. It had been discovered that there was a needle hole in the leg of the deceased and his pupils were constricted, so it was suspected that the injection of drugs caused the death.


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that he, like Zhou Xiao, didn¡¯t ept the invitation, so he was killed."


    "How do you know?" Peng Sijue asked.


    "Zhou Xiao told me. Don''t be scared when you hear about it, but I saw that serial killer at his house... It''s a pity that he ran away."


    Peng Sijue was silent for a long time before he whispered, "You must be prepared to expose your identity."


    "It won''t be too long. It won''t be too long." Chen Shi murmured. With Zhou Tiannan''s idental death, his group of subordinates would go crazy for onest time, but they would definitely be destroyed.


    Soon, Peng Sijue¡¯s subordinates fetched the instrument that Peng Sijue wanted. The full name of this apparatus was a drug bomb detector, which could detect trace particles of drugs and explosives. After inspection, it was confirmed that it was safe. Then, Peng Sijue cut the sutures on the abdomen of The Silent Man.


    His bloody internal organs were exposed, and Chen Shi instinctively resisted the urge to throw up. He furrowed his brows and looked in, but found no foreign matter.


    However, Peng Sijue had seen the structure of the human body countless times and found something wrong at the first nce. He picked up the kidney with tweezers and said, "Look, this kidney was already dead. This kidney was sewn in afterwards... and here, this liver was also sewn up."


    "This kidney is definitely not his own. I seem to understand that the person who killed him reced the lost organ for himself. This is a kind of respect. A criminal''s respect to another criminal, leaving him with aplete body.¡±


    "Whose kidney and liver does this belong to?"


    "I guess it''s Qin Wanmu who is still missing at this time. No, I can''t bear this imagery. Bye-bye..." Chen Shi patted Peng Sijue on the shoulder when he left. "When the case is over, let''s go out to rx."


    "I''m free on Saturday." Peng Sijue replied without looking back.


    "See you then."


    After Chen Shi left, Peng Sijue and his assistants went to work. They separated the deceased¡¯s abdominal cavity. Peng Sijue saw that the deceased¡¯s liver was very dirty, showing signs of edema and necrosis. He ordered, ¡°Take a pathological section of the liver.¡±


    The organs of the deceased were taken out and weighed. Pericardial blood, urine, and gastric contents were all taken. The cause of death may have been poisoning. Finding the target organ was the same as seeding half-way. He noticed that the main cardiovascr system of the deceased was dted and his pupils were contracted. Acute kidney failure and severe liver disease.


    There was no pungent odor in the stomach contents. The poison was injected into the body and acted on the liver and kidneys. He thought of arsenicpounds and ordered his subordinates, "It may be arsenic poisoning. Do an X-ray diffraction analysis.[1] We¡¯ll also need to take samples of his hair and nails for testing."


    Half an hourter, the subordinates came in and reported, "Captain, the analysis result shows that it¡¯s not arsenic poisoning."


    "How was the blood test?"


    "Blood potassium and white blood cells were above average."


    Peng Sijue immediately thought of something and murmured, "Snake venom?" He said, "Take a urine test to see if myoglobin is positive."


    He examined the lymphatic organs of the deceased, but the pathological features didn¡¯t match that of snake venom. He suddenly thought of something. The deceased was once a mental patient. He should have taken phenothiazines for a long period of time. The liver had long been necrotic, so it couldn¡¯t be used as the index to analyze the poison.


    The increase in white blood cells may have been caused by the deceased''s struggle and injuries before his death.


    How could he exin the increase in blood potassium? He suddenly thought about how the pupils of the deceased were contracted. This was an abnormal phenomenon because the pupils of dead people would usually dte. Could it be drugs?


    A subsequent urine test confirmed that it wasn¡¯t snake venom. Peng Sijue calmly ordered, "Chromatography analysis[2]!"


    He continued to check all the organs of the deceased. One hourter, his subordinates reported excitedly, "Captain, there¡¯s cocaine in the urine of the deceased."


    "Let me have a look."


    He took off his gloves, handed his current task over to his assistant, and personally checked the identification results. There were indeed drug residues in the urine, and the amount was still high. In order to verify this, he performed liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry identification[3]on the blood.


    The results showed that not many drugs were injected into the deceased''s body, and the dose was far from lethal. Because the deceased had no history of drug use, cocaine had a strong effect on his organs, which sessfully interfered with the judgment of forensic medicine on the poison.


    This can be said to be a technical level of anti-investigation, where the killer sets up interference objects to make the real poison "invisible".


    Peng Sijue remembered his teacher''s teachings. There was no undetectable poison in the world, only undetectable methods. So, he made a decision. "Craniotomy and brain dissection!"


    A few hourster, Peng Sijue fell into confusion. All the methods were used. Metal poisons, biological poisons, nt poisons, drugs, alcohols, anesthetics... all of these weren¡¯tparable. The things that every forensic doctor had imagined in his student days happened. An unknown poison!


    If there was an unidentifiable poison, it meant that the murderer could kill as he pleased but could not be prosecuted because it could be interpreted as an ordinary sudden death.


    "Make another-"


    Peng Sijue didn''t give up. However, when he turned his head, he found that his several assistants were all leaning against the wall or staggering, asleep.


    He woke them up and an assistant rubbed his eyes and said, "Captain, it''s 12:00!"


    There were no windows here. He didn''t notice that he¡¯d been working for ten hours without eating, drinking, or even sitting. Peng Sijue said tiredly, "Head back and write an appraisal report tomorrow morning."


    "How should we write it?"


    "Acute poisoning... The poisoning substance is unknown!"


    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14216681/


    2. Analytical techniquemonly used for separating a mixture of chemical substances into its individualponents, so that the individualponents can be thoroughly analyzed


    3. Enables Large Scale Molecr Characterization of Dissolved Organic Matter

 Chapter 632: Elderly Angler

    <h4>Chapter 632: Elderly Angler</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 42: Unnamed Poison


    On November 20th, Chen Shi went to the park where he and Peng Sijue had agreed to meet up. It was already autumn at the time. He was wearing a windbreaker and had changed his hairstyle slightly.


    He couldn''t find Peng Sijue no matter how he looked, and Peng Sijue didn''t answer his phone. He looked around and suddenly found someone who looked simr from the back by the river. Old Peng was actually sitting under a tree and fishing.


    In a joking mood, Chen Shi picked up a stone and threw it into the river in front of Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue frowned, "You bastard!"


    "When did you start fishing? Didn''t you like archery before?" Chen Shi leaned over and asked.


    "There are always many people in the archery arena. Sitting alone in the park, you can think about things quietly." Peng Sijue said as he looked at the water surface which gradually recovered its calmness.


    Chen Shi squatted down next to him. "We¡¯re both close to 40, so it¡¯ll be nice to cultivate a little hobby suitable for middle-aged people... What kind of fish are there in this river?"


    "Small crucian carps."


    "Are they tasty?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "I never cook."


    "You¡¯re so proud saying that... When will you finish? Where are we going to eat?" Chen Shi only cared about what to eat at noon. Maybe they could go for a massage after eating. Recently, his shoulders have be stiff.


    Peng Sijue looked at the water without speaking, as if he was engrossed in it.


    Chen Shi was an active character, but Peng Sijue was theplete opposite. When everyone came out to have fun together when they were young, he was also the least social out of all of them, always doing his own thing. Gradually, there weren¡¯t any friends left around him. Only Chen Shi was willing to care about him.


    "I can''t detect the poison on The Silent Man." Peng Sijue said quietly.


    "If it can''t be tested, it can''t be tested."


    "This is the first time I wrote ''the poisoning substance is unknown'' in a report. Captain Lin asked me what was going on, but I didn''t say anything. After that, I carefully read the autopsy report that day and consulted the pathologist at the Material Evidence Center. There was no answer! A nameless poison. This kind of thing had actually appeared. Could it be a newpound developed by the murderer himself? I foresee that I will see this kind of poison again in the future. It¡¯s likely to be determined to be a sudden death, so there¡¯ll be a murderer atrge!"


    "Is that why you¡¯re so unhappy?"


    "It''s the same as when you can¡¯t figure out the truth about a case."


    "So, was it really poison?"


    "Animal experiments were conducted. Rats and rabbits died suddenly within a few seconds after being injected with the deceased''s serum[1]. It must be poisoning."


    Chen Shi thought, "It must be Xu Fa. Zhou Tiannan''s poison expert is also a powerful character."


    "Cocaine was detected in the body of the deceased, and the dose wasn¡¯trge. It was only used to interfere with the testing."


    "Cocaine? Since the other party has set up distractions, I think that this kind of poison can still be found in the books. However, this isn¡¯t my specialty, so I can''t give you any advice! By the way, how could they possess drugs? Although Zhou Tiannan killed a lot of people, they¡¯ve never touched drugs. Is it possible that his subordinates have degenerated to this level now? Aiya, my legs are numb..." Chen Shi stood up and walked around for a while. "You fishermen are really patient. Once you sit down, that¡¯s a whole morning gone. Isn¡¯t it boring?¡±


    "You know me. It doesn''t matter how long I stay alone by myself."


    "This is what I admire you for... Look at the man over there, sitting motionless."


    Peng Sijue turned his head and nced. The uncle wearing a boonie hat and an outdoor vest kept sitting in the same posture. The fishing rod in his hands was as stable as Mount Tai. He said, "He was sitting there when I came."


    "He¡¯s really determined!"


    Peng Sijue smiled, "I''mpeting against him."


    "How are your results?"


    "I¡¯ve caught three, but the uncle hasn¡¯t caught a single one..." Peng Sijue vaguely noticed something. "He doesn''t seem to have moved for three hours! Old Chen, his hands seem to be a little pale."


    "Let''s take a look."


    Peng Sijue collected the fishing gear and then the two walked over. Chen Shi called out a few times. The uncle didn¡¯t move at all. Chen Shi lifted his hat and saw that the uncle¡¯s face was pale and his eyes were closed.


    The two exchanged stunned nces. Chen Shi used his hand to check the uncle¡¯s breathing before dering, ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    Peng Sijue was about to check his eyelids. Unexpectedly, with just a touch, the uncle maintained his sitting posture but fell on his side like a statue. His joints werepletely stiff and his posture had be fixed.


    "Okay, we won¡¯t get any rest today." Chen Shi smiled.


    The police car arrived at the park soon after, and the police were shocked to see the dead body. There was no sudden death that was like that. He was just like an old monk that died while sitting cross-legged.


    His ID, wallet, and mobile phone were found on the body. There were a dozen missed calls from someone with the caller ID "Daughter" on his mobile phone. The ID showed that the name of the deceased was Geng Zhangle, aged 58, and he was an employee of a gearpany.


    The corneas of the deceased was slightly cloudy. Livor mortis had spread all over his body and were fixed in ce. Although livor mortis had formed, it would recede with the finger pressure. His joints were stiff. His hands clutched the fishing rod tightly, so the police had no choice but to borrow a saw from the park manager and saw off the fishing rod. The preliminary judgment was that the time of death was about twelve hours ago. That is to say, he had kept this sitting posture here all night.


    Park staff said that they didn''t notice anyone here during theirst patrolst night. Chen Shi asked, "How many people patrol and what routes do you take?"


    "Usually three or four people patrol around the park, mainly because we¡¯re worried about homeless people staying here." When the administrator said this, his expression was a little nervous. Chen Shi thought that this was mostly a lie. People were free to enter and leave the park without payment and it was big and empty. There were only a few administrators, so they would have be negligent long ago.


    Chen Shi pointed to the river. "Does the marine police patrol here?"


    "They don''te to this side. This river was man-made. It encircles the park and isn¡¯t too deep. There has never been a drowning incident."


    "Old Peng... Old Peng?"


    Chen Shi discovered that Peng Sijue was facing the corpse in a daze. Peng Sijue stopped zoning out. "It seems that there¡¯s no trauma on the surface of the body, and the pupils are a little constricted. It¡¯s very simr to The Silent Man..."


    "Don''t think about it so much. How could ite about so soon?" Chen Shi''s words were purely tofort him. He wasn¡¯t too sure either.


    "Dad!" A girl ran up crying and was stopped by the police. She said while crying her heart out, "I¡¯m his daughter Geng Qing. You just called me... How did my dad die? Was he killed?"


    The police replied, "The cause of death is still being investigated."


    "May I see my dad?"


    The police urged her not to touch anything. The girl knelt beside the deceased and cried loudly. Chen Shi watched from the side. Her grief wasn¡¯t an act. Chen Shi said, "Condolences. Does he live with you?"


    Geng Qing wiped her tears away. "I usually live in thepany dorm and onlye back on my days off. Last night, my dad said he would go fishing, but he didn''te back even when it got dark. I called his phone and came out to look for him. I was so anxious!¡±


    "Is this where he usually fishes?"


    "I don''t know. Every time he goes fishing, he goes alone. He¡¯s maintained this habit for over twenty years."


    "Why was your first reaction murder? Does your father have enemies?"


    1. Serum is the fluid and soluteponent of blood which does not y a role in clotting. It may be defined as blood sma without fibrinogens. Serum includes all proteins not used in blood clotting; all electrolytes, antibodies, antigens, hormones; and any exogenous substances.

 Chapter 633: Bizarre Death

    <h4>Chapter 633: Bizarre Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Geng Qing hesitated for a while and said, "There are no enemies, but my father has some acquaintances who have bad rtionships with him. But no matter how bad the rtionship is, they wouldn''t kill my dad, right?"


    Peng Sijue asked, "Does your father have a history of medical problems?"


    "Frozen shoulder and rheumatism. Except for these, his health has always been very good."


    "Although there are no obvious wounds on your father, I think it¡¯s necessary to do an autopsy and I wish to obtain your consent."


    Geng Qing furrowed her brows, seemingly a little resistant to an autopsy, but nodded in agreement anyway.


    Peng Sijue went to bag the corpse and take it away while Chen Shi questioned Geng Qing about some matters. As she talked, her tears started falling again. The questioning process was interrupted several times. Nobody could handle this kind of thing if it happened to them.


    After questioning, Chen Shi took down Geng Qing''s contact information and returned to the bureau in a police car.


    Half an hourter, Geng Zhangle¡¯s corpse was lying on the dissection table. His clothes had been cut off. Since the joints were already stiff, the assistant applied a hot towel to the joints after measuring the liver temperature and rectal temperature so that the corpse could lie t.


    Chen Shi saw the tiger descending a mountain on Geng Zhangle''s chest at a nce. As the man was already old, his tattoo was wrinkled and the color had faded a lot, as if it was recounting the Jianghu spirit of this man back when he was young.


    In addition, there were some old scars on his stomach, which seemed to have resulted from being shed by a knife. They should have been left when he was young.


    "This uncle was probably part of the group of young people who were active in the 1980s!" Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue ignored him, and began to examine the body. The assistant pointed to a ce and said, "Captain, there¡¯s a scar here that¡¯s new."


    Upon a closer look, there was a round red dot on the deceased''s shoulder. It was a bruise under the skin. It didn¡¯t look like livor mortis and the surrounding skin wasn¡¯t damaged.


    In addition, there were no external wounds on the whole body, which could not help but make one suspicious.


    Peng Sijue stared at the corpse for a few seconds. "Autopsy!"


    "I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m leaving!" Chen Shi said, "I can''t stand this scene."


    The forensic pathologists opened the corpse¡¯s chest and fixed it. The deceased''s liver had congestive edema, which seemed to be signs of poisoning. However, he didn¡¯t rule out rheumatism as the cause. He had minor renal failure, which gave Peng Sijue a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    As the autopsy progressed, he had an increasingly ominous hunch. He could tell that it was due to poisoning, but he couldn¡¯t detect the substance. All he could find was cocaine in the urine.


    He did not give up and continued with a brain autopsy to rule out causes of sudden death such as arachnoid hemorrhage and myocardial infarction.


    "Let¡¯s stop for now! Don''t stitch it up yet, preserve the organs first."


    The assistants looked at each other and did as they were told. Peng Sijue went outside and found Chen Shi sitting in theboratory. He was holding the little folding stool brought back from the scene in his hands. It was the one that the deceased had been sitting on. He said, "Old Peng, I have some findings. This stool has been tampered with. It¡¯ll fall over with the slightest touch.¡±


    "..."


    "What''s the matter? You¡¯re not saying anything."


    "It''s the same type of poison asst time. The pathological characteristics are exactly the same. This time there isn¡¯t even an injection hole. I''m afraid we won¡¯t be able to file a case."


    "Talk to Captain Lin about it."


    "I don''t know how to tell him."


    "Let''s go!"


    Chen Shi dragged Peng Sijue to Lin Qiupu''s office. After hearing Chen Shi''s exnation of the incident, Lin Qiupu''s first reaction was, "Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a sudden death?"


    "It was definitely not a sudden death." Peng Sijue said.


    "If no poison can be found, how can we be sure that it was a homicide?"


    Chen Shi said, "It can be seen from the scene! I noticed that the front of the stool that the deceased had been sitting on had part of the frame sawn off. The deceased was sitting five centimeters away from the water and would fall into the water with little effort. The purpose of setting up the deceased in this way was to let the fish bite the hook and use the power of the fish to drag the deceased into the water. This was a dying mechanism. The murderer could leave calmly and let it run its course and take effect. It¡¯s spected from the time of death that it was 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. Once the deceased is dragged into the water, it would only be regarded as an ordinary drowning incident when he¡¯s discovered, and the police wouldn¡¯t even be alerted."


    "Then why didn''t this person push the deceased directly into the water?"


    "You didn''t go to the scene. There was a shopping street opposite theke in the park. It¡¯s very lively untilte at night. If someone fell into the water with a crash, they¡¯d definitely be spotted and then the murderer would be spotted."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "This is just your conjecture. It''s untenable."


    "I think that it was God¡¯s will that we discovered this case! If the murderer''s dying mechanism had taken effect and the deceased had been discovered by the park rangers, they wouldn¡¯t call the police. They¡¯d only notify the family to pick up the body. If Old Peng didn¡¯t go fishing today and find the corpse, the case would have been handed over to the branch office. When the cause of death cannot be found, it would be hastily determined to be sudden death. Another thing is that this undetectable poison has appeared twice. Either this case was done by Xu Fa, or he¡¯s selling this kind of poison. If we let this case go, there will soon be other dead people. Do we have to wait until Xu Fa gives himself away before investigating? How many innocent people would die before that? "


    Chen Shi''s remarks moved Lin Qiupu. He said, "I believe in Captain Peng''s professionalism. If he can''t detect the poison, nobody in Long''an would be able to. Investigate it! But be careful. After all, we don''t have any evidence to prosecute the murderer with. We must find other evidence.¡±


    "Although you¡¯re dislikable, you still have a sense of justice." Chen Shi praised.


    "Don¡¯t sweet talk me after taking advantage of me!"


    Chen Shi called Sun Zhen. "Little Worm, I need you to check something for me. Are there any poisons being sold on the Inte? I need to find a poison that will kill people without being detected."


    "Brother Chen, are you investigating a case?"


    "Of course, or do you think I¡¯m going to use it myself?"


    "I don¡¯t know much about it either but I¡¯ll give it a go!¡±


    "Thanks, I¡¯llpensate you afterward."


    "You''re wee."


    The task force was immediately established and they began a thorough investigation of the deceased Geng Zhangle. ording to Geng Zhangle¡¯s neighbor, Mr. Cui, they had met up to go fishing together in the park on the afternoon of the 19th and Mr. Cui had gone home at 5:00 in the evening. Geng Zhangle had said that the catch that day wasn¡¯t good and that he nned to fish for a while longer. Mr. Cui should have been thest person to see the deceased.


    Unless the suspect had been targeted and screened first, the surveince footage at the entrance of the park was difficult to use as evidence because many senior citizens as well as people who had just gotten off work would enter in the evening to exercise, and the flow of people was immense.


    The ce where Geng Zhangle fished was rtively remote, and it was almost impossible to find witnesses. The police had offered a reward for leads, but nobody had their hopes up.


    As for Geng Zhangle¡¯s history, his youth had coincided with the reform and opening up. He sold pirated tapes near the Bailong Temple and hung around with shady people all day, infuriating his father. He had killed someone in a DUI incident. Back then, the punishment for drunk driving wasn¡¯t so harsh. Geng Zhangle was sentenced to 20 years, and his sentence was gradually reduced to 10 years. After he was released from prison in his thirties, he took up a job in a gear factory as a security guard. However, his ie was as high as that of a senior technician. ording to a colleague¡¯s report of the situation, he had a personal rtionship with the factory director Wei. Wei had taken care of him and given him that leisurely job.


    Geng Zhangle was married once andter divorced. He had custody of his daughter Geng Qing. His daily life consisted of drinking, smoking, watching TV in the duty room, and going home after work to drink, smoke, and watch TV. His only hobby was fishing.

 Chapter 634: The Old Cannon

    <h4>Chapter 634: The Old Cannon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi found out from Geng Qing about several people who had bad blood with the deceased. Everyone went to investigate them.


    The first was a middle-aged man named Han Dabao who was a neighbor of Geng Zhangle¡¯s. ording to the investigation, the two had a disagreementst year and had a war of words. Han Dabao had gotten angry and cut the cable of Geng Zhangle¡¯s cable TV that passed by his own house with a knife.


    Geng Zhangle "returned the favor". He sneaked into Han Dabao''s housete at night and peed into his pickled cabbage jars.


    Hearing about this grudge, many police officersughed, and Chen Shi said, "What¡¯s Han Dabao''s education and background like?"


    "He sells pancakes and fruits outside the housing district and has never gone to school." The officer who had gone to investigate this lead answered.


    "Pass. I don¡¯t think he can think of such an ingenious method of murder. The root cause of the problem between them doesn¡¯t need to be investigated either."


    Then there was a man named Li Zhen, a colleague of Geng Zhangle who once publicly threatened to kill Geng Zhangle. Someone reported that he had stolen dangerous raw materials from the factory before.


    Investigating the reason for the quarrel, it was because Geng Zhangle often bragged about his youthful love affairs in front of his colleagues. When describing a certain love affair, the more Li Zhen listened, the more things didn¡¯t seem right to him. He went back and asked his wife. It turned out that the woman in the "story" was his wife.


    Li Zhen''s wife had been introduced by Geng Zhangle. It was only after 20 years that he found out that Geng Zhangle had messed around with his wife before they were introduced. That was sufficient to constitute the crime of hooliganism in the 1990s.


    Li Zhen wanted to sue Geng Zhangle, but the criminalw had long been revised, so he held a grudge and had several quarrels with Geng Zhangle in the factory.


    Old Zhangmented, "Who is this deceased person? An old cannon?¡±


    Chen Shi asked the policeman who investigated, "Did Li Zhen have an alibi?"


    "He said that he had dinner with his wife at home that day, and it still needs to be verified."


    "I think it¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯s a suspect."


    "Brother Chen, do we need to follow up with this person?"


    "Not for now."


    In addition, there were three other people who had conflicts with Geng Zhangle, but the man was already dead, and the people questioned all told their stories in ways that were favorable to themselves. They said that it was Geng Zhangle¡¯s fault that the feuds started, that he had messed around with their wives, caused trouble at the workce or gossiped behind their backs.


    Judging from the various testimonies, Geng Zhangle was a person who didn¡¯t do his job properly and was always idle. He had a very bad temper andcked shrewdness. He had offended many people. When they heard about the news of his death, many people pped and cheered.


    But Chen Shi felt that these people didn¡¯t match the portrait of the suspect in his mind. The person who cane up with this kind of murder must be an educated, meticulous, and a secretive person. Hatred towards Geng Zhangle would be hidden in their heart and wouldn¡¯t be proimed everywhere like these people did.


    Therefore, Chen Shi felt that there was no suspect in the list provided by Geng Qing.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What about Geng Qing herself? Does she have a motive for murder?"


    Chen Shi said, "We chatted a little that day. Although she and her father lived together, they had their own separate lives. Even when Geng Qing acquired a boyfriend, Geng Zhangle didn''t ask about it. Although Geng Zhangle was an old bastard, his biological daughter was his only rtive in the world and he treated her well... I observed her expression at the time and she didn''t lie."


    "How should we investigate this then?" Old Zhang asked.


    "Confirm the alibis of these people. The surveince footage in the park can also be used as a means of exclusion. Dongxue and I will go to the ce he works at to have a look."


    After the meeting was adjourned, the two went to the gear factory. This ce mainly processed customized machine parts. There were loud noisesing out from several workshops in the factory. Chen Shi said that he wanted to know about Geng Zhangle''s situation. A worker came out. He was the one who wasn¡¯t on good terms with Geng Zhangle, Li Zhen.


    Li Zhen said, "The police came to see me two days ago. I said some impulsive things back then. You wouldn''t be suspecting me, right? I took some paint from the factory. I took it home for my personal use. It¡¯s impossible to use that to murder someone."


    Chen Shi said, "You are familiar with Geng Zhangle¡¯s character?"


    "I am very familiar. It¡¯s estimated that 80% of those who knew him were looking forward to his death."


    "So you don''t need to think too much. We will visit those people who had feuds with him. It¡¯s just an ordinary investigation."


    Li Zhen rxed. "Should I provide a few names?"


    "Let''s talk about thister. I asked for you in order to inquire about his situation at the factory. What was his monthly sry?"


    "He had a sry of five thousand a month, which is the same level as us mechanics, and he¡¯s absent from work every two or three days. He just drank and slept whenever he was at work!" At this point, Li Zhen disyed a look of contempt. "I don''t know why Director Wei kept this scourge and gave him such a high sry."


    "What''s the sry of an ordinary guard?"


    "Old Wang, the other guard, has a sry of less than two thousand."


    "If that¡¯s the case, the treatment he got was pretty good. Any rumored reason behind it?"


    Li Zhen scratched his cheek. "I heard that Director Wei were friends with this old fellow when they were young. This is just what I heard."


    "What is your director¡¯s educational background?"


    "Technical secondary school. But in that era, the technical secondary school¡¯s level was already very valuable for making money."


    "Did Geng Zhangle have a girlfriend?"


    "I don¡¯t know..."


    "Okay, thanks!"


    When the two were about to leave, Li Zhen caught up and said, "I''ll tell you, so that you don¡¯t have to hear about it from others and think I¡¯m hiding something. I suspect that he has a rtionship with my wife. Once, I saw him near my house. It¡¯s shameful to talk about it, but he actually took my wife¡¯s virginity before she married me. That old bastard even showed this off at the banquet table. Due to this, my wife and I have been quarreling ceaselessly."


    "It¡¯s no wonder this kind of person was hacked to death!" Chen Shi said.


    "He was hacked to death? How many knife wounds were there? Was it brutal?" Li Zhen asked excitedly. The police hadn¡¯t disclosed the details of the case yet. Judging from Li Zhen''s expression, he should have been hearing about it for the first time.


    Chen Shi smiled, "I''m just talking nonsense. He wasn¡¯t hacked to death."


    "Haha, I see. You¡¯re testing me, right? You guys are very wily!" Li Zhen alsoughed.


    Saying goodbye to Li Zhen, Lin Dongxue said, "This factory director has been supporting this idler Geng Zhangle this whole time. I don''t feel that it¡¯s because of friendship. It¡¯s as if Geng Zhangle held something over him."


    Chen Shi nodded. "I share the same sentiments. We can go and meet him."


    Director Wei was also a fifty-year-old middle-aged man, but as he was sitting in the office, wearing a suit and sses, he looked as if he was only in his forties, giving people a very refined impression. He greeted the two of them warmly and asked his secretary to serve tea to them.


    "It has spread in the factory that Geng Zhangle was killed. I was so surprised to hear that. You may also know that we were good brothers when we were young, and we often drank together. He wasn¡¯t a bad person, but his temper was quite violent and he offended a lot of people like Li Zhen. You must find out the truth. I¡¯ll ask everyone in the factory to assist the police in the investigation."


    The director¡¯s opening remarks were very well put, but there wasn¡¯t much sadness in his expression.


    1. ng for an old ruffian who¡¯s often in and out of jail. Can also mean a fiery personality.

 Chapter 635: Intensive Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 635: Intensive Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi asked, "I heard that you were friends with Geng Zhangle. Did you know each other when you were young?"


    Director Weiughed, ¡°ying together when we were young is nothing worth talking about. We were just a bunch of young people messing around on the streets. Oh yes, we also fought with other groups and grabbed their territory. Geng Zhangle was our boss. Could his opponents from back then have taken revenge against him?"


    "Who were they?"


    Director Wei listed a few names and Chen Shi noted them down one by one. Then he asked, "I heard from the factory employees that you pay Geng Zhangle a very high sry, and you were basically supporting an idler."


    "We were good friends! Not a single ce was willing to take him in after he was released from prison. How could I not help him out as an old buddy? Besides, he was actually very responsible when guarding the door. There has been basically no theft urring in the factory over these years."


    When he said this, Director Wei concealed a trace of panic with a smile.


    The two chatted for a while longer and he asked about Director Wei¡¯s alibi before they said goodbye. After preliminary probing, Chen Shi felt that Director Wei could be listed as a suspect. He vaguely felt that there was some secret between Director Wei and the deceased.


    Lin Dongxue received a text message from the Information Department. It was a list of people Geng Zhangle had contacted before he died. It included Li Zhen, Director Wei, his daughter, and his daughter¡¯s boyfriend. Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s focus on investigating Director Wei first. Let''s go to Geng Zhangle''s house and have a look."


    "Yesterday, a colleague found out from the bank that Geng Zhangle''s ICBC card had recently received 400,000 yuan, but the money was quickly transferred away."


    "Was it before or after his death?¡±


    "Noon on the day of the incident."


    "Can you find out where it went?"


    "Still investigating."


    Geng Zhangle¡¯s family had already set up a mourning hall. His daughter, Geng Qing, and her boyfriend were wearing mourning clothes and burning joss paper in front of Geng Zhangle¡¯s altar. Geng Zhangle¡¯s old gang of buddies were ying mahjong in the living room and there was constantughtering from them, which seemed a bit out of ce for the asion.


    Chen Shi said to Geng Qing, "My condolences. We just came to take a look."


    "Thank you. When can my father''s body be brought back? The funeral home has been contacted, and I¡¯m going to cremate him in the near future." Geng Qing''s eyes were swollen, as if she had cried.


    "We will do it as soon as possible." Chen Shi nced at the living room. "Who are those people?"


    "They¡¯re all my dad¡¯s friends. Look at my dad¡¯s character. Only these few people came after his death, and there are no rtives! I¡¯ve gotten over it thesest two days. Sudden death might not have been a bad thing for him. He¡¯d only suffer with health like that in old age. Leaving so suddenly would actually spare him a lot of trouble."


    "Uncle Geng met with sudden death? Was it because of rheumatism?" the boyfriend asked in a low voice.


    "As for the cause of death, the police haven¡¯te to a conclusion yet." Chen Shi asked, "Yourst name?"


    "My name is Wang Mengqi. This is my business card. If you need anything, you can contact me at any time." Wang Mengqi handed over a business card.


    Chen Shi nced at him. He was the sales manager of a children''s foodpany. He smiled and said, "A manager. How young and promising!"


    "That¡¯s too much praise. I¡¯m just working for others."


    "Geng Qing, can you step aside and have a talk with us?"


    The three moved to the bedroom, and Chen Shi asked, "We found 400,000 yuan in your father¡¯s card. The money was transferred away on the day of his death. What happened to this money?"


    "I don''t know!" Geng Qing was taken aback.


    "Any ideas?"


    Geng Qing thought for a while. "Have you checked all those people?"


    "We checked, but there¡¯s nothing suspicious. Oh yes, how was his rtionship with Director Wei?"


    "Emm, he often told others how strong his rtionship with Director Wei was, but on a few asions when he was drinking at home, he scolded Wei for taking revenge after owing favors or something... Ah, right, my dad has a QQ ount. Do you want to have a look?."


    Geng Zhangle had applied for a QQ ount using his daughter¡¯sputer. Geng Qing asked them to try Geng Zhangle¡¯s mobile phone number, and they managed to log in. All of his friends were women. His screen name was "The Last Big Brother of Jianghu" and his profile picture was a selfie wearing sunsses and smoking a cigarette.


    Chen Shi thought that this uncle was quite trendy, but before the spirit of the deceased, this kind of remark was disrespectful, so he didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    This QQ ount was mainly used by Geng Zhangle to y games. There wasn¡¯t much in his chat history. There were only some flirtatious chat records with some middle-aged women. Chen Shi asked, ¡°There are rumors that your father and Li Zhen¡¯s wife were in a rtionship. Was this true?¡±


    Geng Qing admitted reluctantly, "My dad was indeed a bit immature. He often fooled around with other people¡¯s wives and had been beaten several times as a result, but I know he was actually going crazy from being so lonely and wanted to find someone to talk to."


    "Where is your biological mother?"


    "They divorced when I was young, and my mother remarried. She passed away a few years ago."


    "Was there any contact between the two of them?"


    "They were basically strangers. Although my custody went to my dad in court, I lived with my mom when my dad was in jail. At that time, my mom had given birth to a baby with my stepdad and focused all her energy on the baby. She didn¡¯t care about me much. I was like an outsider in their home. I also hated my dad at that time. Why did he get a divorce and why did he have to go to jail? Then my dad got out of jail and got a decent job. He saved his sry to put me through school. No matter what outsiders say about my father, I know that he treated me truly well. Better than how my mother treated me..." At this point, Geng Qing had to wipe away her tears again.


    "Old Chen, look at this." Lin Dongxue opened the mailbox on QQ and found a whistle-blowing letter in it. It was riddled with typos, and she could just barely make out the meaning. It basically talked about how Director Wei had embezzled money, misappropriated wages, and led an immoral lifestyle.


    "This was written by Geng Zhangle. It seems that their rtionship isn¡¯t that simple..." Chen Shi suddenly saw Geng Qing''s boyfriend''s face reflected in theputer screen. When he turned around, Wang Mengqi was standing at the door and eavesdropping.


    Wang Mengqi said, as if to hide his embarrassment, "Little Qing, the joss paper has run out, where did you put the rest?"


    "In the big bag next to the sofa."


    Wang Mengqi left with an "Oh".


    The conversation topic returned to the whistle-blowing letter. Lin Dongxue spected, "Maybe Geng Zhangle was really holding something over Director Wei somehow. Could it be that Director Wei couldn''t bear it any longer..."


    "Andmitted murder to silence him?" Geng Qing asked in surprise.


    "Let¡¯s investigate that!"


    Geng Qing saw the two off, and Chen Shi asked her, "How long have you known your boyfriend?"


    "More than two years."


    "How was his rtionship with your dad?"


    "Very good. He often bought things for my dad. He bought the color TV, refrigerator, and massage machine at home. My dad even praised him for his filial piety, but recently..." Geng Qing stopped talking. "Forget it, I should tell you. Recently, my dad had nned to set me up with the son of Factory Director Wei. I don¡¯t know what the hell he was doing. Mengqi and I¡¯ve been dating for two years. We have even reached the point of discussing marriage. Why did he organize a blind date for me? He said that Little Wei had a good family background and was highly educated. He might be taking over as the factory director in the future. For this reason, my dad and I quarrelled, and in the end, I didn''t go on the blind date."


    "Does your boyfriend know?"


    "Yes, there are no secrets between the two of us. He said that my dad just loves to fawn on the rich and to just ignore him."

 Chapter 636: Buying Drugs

    <h4>Chapter 636: Buying Drugs</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When passing by the security duty room, Chen Shi took away seven days¡¯ worth of surveince footage from the housing district. Then he nced at his cell phone and said to Lin Dongxue, "I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯ve asked Little Worm to help me with finding the source of the poison. He has some findings on his side."


    "I''ll go with you!"


    "Don''t you dislike them?"


    "We¡¯re investigating the case. What do you mean by like or dislike? Also, I need to monitor you to prevent you from messing around."


    "Okay!"


    When the two arrived at the office and they saw that Lin Dongxue hade, kk enthusiastically brought a chair over, and took a bottled drink from the refrigerator. They had note over for a while, and the office had purchased a lot of things in the meantime. It seemed that the business was doing well. Chen Shi said, "kk, didn''t you say that you wanted to hire more people?"


    "It''s okay, we can handle it... Sister-inw looks good. It must be the nourishment of love."


    "Hurry up and get down to serious business!" Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with this shifty person. Every time she saw them, she wondered how Chen Shi could have such friends.


    Sun Zhen pushed up his sses and said, "I found a person on the Inte who says that he sells all illegal drugs and poisons, but to show our sincerity, we must pay him two thousand yuan before he¡¯s willing to meet up and hand over the goods."


    "It''s fake!" kk said, "Paying money in advance? If you used your brain a little, you¡¯d know it¡¯s fake. People who buy these drugs won''t dare to call the police even if they¡¯re cheated."


    "Where did you find him?" Chen Shi asked.


    "A city resident forum. He sent me his transaction records and product photos."


    "What''s your opinion on this?" Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue.


    "Try it. If it''s a scammer, just catch them and conveniently get rid of a villian."


    "Haha, is this kind of scammer a good person or a bad person? Those who buy these drugs harbor evil intentions to begin with! Little Worm, give him the money!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Wait, I¡¯ll contact the Information Department to determine their IP address first!"


    "No need. I can do it from here." Sun Zhen said proudly.


    After transferring over two thousand yuan, when the other party discussed the meeting time, Sun Zhen replied that he wanted to meet as soon as possible, so they arranged to meet that afternoon. Chen Shi said, "Ask him if he has any poisons that the police can''t detect."


    Sun Zhen tapped on the keyboard for a while and replied, "He said yes, but we have to add money."


    kk said, "You can tell it¡¯s a scammer at first nce. He¡¯s scamming you time and time again until you realize it."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I don''t think we should wait for the afternoon. Let¡¯s take the initiative. We¡¯ll look for him now."


    Chen Shi snapped his fingers, "Tell me the address."


    The two rushed directly to the other party¡¯s residence. The IP address could only be narrowed down to a certain housing district. Sun Zhen forwarded the chat history to Chen Shi immediately.


    XX: I have a type of drug here. It is extracted from a nt. It can kill within three seconds after injection. The police can never detect it.


    Sun Zhen: Has anyone bought it before?


    XX: Yes, many people buy it!


    Sun Zhen: You said that the police can''t detect it. Why is there no news about it?


    XX: Haha, little brother, you¡¯re stupid. If the police can¡¯t detect it, they won¡¯t file a case. Of course you won¡¯t see it in the news. I can see that you want it sincerely. I won¡¯t ask what you¡¯re going to use it for out of professional ethics, but it¡¯s also risky for me if I sell it to you, so you have to add another two thousand yuan to show your sincerity. I will arrange a meeting in the afternoon.


    Sun Zhen: You wouldn¡¯t be a scammer, right? You want four thousand yuan before we even meet?


    XX: Haha, it¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not, but the goods are definitely high quality. However, I have to be cautious in this line. How do I know that you¡¯re not a policeman?


    Chen Shi sent a message to Sun Zhen: "Find a way to get his specific address. Send pictures or a voice message."


    Sun Zhen replied after a moment. "We¡¯ll chat via voice message."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were listening downstairs below each building, and a voice came from the window on the third floor of a certain building, "Boss, I believe you can afford to pay this money. What you¡¯re doing is inherently risky in itself. Isn''t this just a small risk?"


    Chen Shi was ecstatic and he rushed upstairs with Lin Dongxue. He knocked on the door, and they hid on both sides of the door to avoid the peephole.


    Someone on the other side of the door asked, "Who is it?"


    Chen Shi said in the local dialect, "Open the door. I¡¯m here to collect the garbage disposal fee."


    "I dispose of all the rubbish by myself. I¡¯m not paying for it!"


    "It''s not that we want to collect it, it''s the garbagepany that¡¯s collecting it. All the other tenants have paid up."


    The door finally opened and Lin Dongxue rushed in, pinned the uncle on the table before shouting, "Don''t move". Then she took her handcuffs and handcuffed him. The uncle screamed, "What did I do? What right do you have to arrest me?!"


    When Chen Shi entered the room, he found the chat history with Sun Zhen on theputer screen. He was the person on the other side of the screen.


    "Where are your goods?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Huh?" The uncle looked nk.


    "Stop pretending. We¡¯re the people who just chatted with you. Didn''t you say that you have poison that the police can''t detect?"


    "Scam... It¡¯s a scam. How could I have that kind of thing?"


    A bedroom was filled with cardboard boxes, and when they were opened, they were full of illicit drugs such as pethidine, methylphenidate, and amphetamine. It turned out that he really had the goods, which could be counted as an idental harvest.


    These drugs were brought back to the bureau for testing. Peng Sijue told Chen Shi that they were all vitamin tablets, and that none of the boxes were real. Chen Shi poured a tablet into his mouth. This action made Peng Sijue frown. Chen Shi said casually, " Just replenishing my vitamins."


    After interrogation, it turned out that this man was a fake drug seller. If he could deceive people, he would since those who buy these illegal drugs weren¡¯t good people, and they dared not say anything even if they were fooled.


    "What I sell is not real. Is this illegal?" The man asked in the interrogation room with a big smile stered on his face.


    The police had already checked his ount, and the amount he defrauded was sufficient for a sentence of at least ten years in prison. Chen Shi said, "In your case, it should be just counted as fraud."


    "That''s good, that''s good..." The man was actually very happy. He obviously didn''t understand thew.


    "Want to have your charge reduced?"


    "Yeah!"


    "Who sells real drugs like this in Long''an?"


    The man recalled, said a few names and Chen Shi recorded them all. He continued asking, "Is there anyone in the same industry that ims to have developed a poison that the police can¡¯t detect?"


    "That the police can¡¯t detect? That''s too easy. If thebel is torn off, the police can''t detect it!"


    It seemed that he not only didn¡¯t understand thew, but also didn¡¯t understand chemistry. He couldn¡¯t tell them anything, so Chen Shi asked someone to send him to the detention room first. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve guessed that Xu Fa was responsible for this poison, why not go and look for Xu Fa directly?"


    "The problem is that we don''t know where Xu Fa is, whether he developed this poison himself or had bought it from someone else... Oh yes, don''t arrest the list of drug dealers provided by this crook for now, in order to prevent hitting the grass and alerting the snake. I think Xu Fa has a channel for selling poison."


    "What¡¯s Xu Fa¡¯s background?"


    "He used to be a chemistry student. I heard that he was expelled for doing experiments in the school¡¯sboratory. Now, he has been determined to be one of Zhou Tiannan¡¯s subordinates. When The Silent Man was killedst time, he had this poison in his body. It can be seen that he and Zhou Xiao are in cahoots."


    Xu Fa was formerly a well-known chemical crime boss in the "ck Honey" forum. He had posted information like how consumption of lychee can be detected as alcohol by breathalyzers, how poison can be extracted from dry cell batteries, and how Lianbang cough syrup can produce the effect of ecstasy when taken inrge doses.


    The appearance of the nameless poison proved that Xu Fa hasn¡¯t been idle all these years and was constantly improving his skills. This person had to be caught.

 Chapter 637: Sinful Debt

    <h4>Chapter 637: Sinful Debt</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, the investigation had made new progress. The surveince footage at the housing district showed that a few days before the incident, Director Wei had visited Geng Zhangle twice, picking times when Geng Qing wasn¡¯t at home.


    400,000 yuan had been recently transferred out of Director Wei¡¯s bank ount. The police suspected that the deceased was ckmailing Director Wei. Thus, Director Wei had a motive for murder and could be summoned for questioning.


    In the interrogation room, Director Wei was very calm. Chen Shi picked up a printed document. "This is a whistle-blowing letter written about you that we found in Geng Zhangle''s mailbox. It can be seen that your rtionship is not actually as close as what everyone believes.¡±


    "Who was the letter addressed to?"


    "The upper management of thepany."


    Director Wei heaved a sigh of relief. "That''s good, you won''t use this incident as a pretext to check these usations, right? These are all groundless and unfounded. Everyone can see how I treat Old Geng. He¡¯s just too greedy."


    "What exactly was the rtionship between you two?"


    "Like I said that day, we were good brothers when we were young."


    "I''m afraid it''s not as simple as that, right?"


    Director Wei bit his lip before saying, "I owe him."


    "What do you owe?"


    "Old Geng was in jail for ten years. You probably know that. In fact, it was not him who should have been in jail, but me! We had been drinking together and went for a drive afterwards, who knew I would hit someone? I was so scared. Yes, I was the one who was driving. Before the police arrived, Old Geng smacked his chest and said that he would shoulder the me for me. He said that I was about to be promoted to workshop director and had just gotten married with a bright future ahead of me whereas he just had a crappy life. He asked me to take good care of him after he got out of prison. He pleaded guilty and went to jail. When I visited him, he joked that he regretted it a little. I promised him that after he¡¯s released from prison, I would support him for the rest of my life... After that, I kept my promise. I gave him a leisurely job that everyone envied. No matter what trouble he caused in the factory, I¡¯d turn a blind eye to it. His daughter needed tuition fees for school, I lent him the money too. It still hasn¡¯t been repaid yet. It can be said that any debts I¡¯ve owed have been repaid."


    Sure enough, the past of the two people involved more than just friendship. Chen Shi asked, "How did conflict arise between you two afterwards?"


    "Perhaps he was mentally unbnced. During the ten years in prison, he developed some psychological issues. During a meal once, he said that he had bumped into someone from prison. After he was released, he lived an ostentatious lifestyle, driving a luxury car and living in a vi. He married a pretty, young girl who was twenty years younger than him. Although he had said these words while he was tipsy, I could hear what he meant. He felt that I hadn¡¯t repaid him enough and that I should give him more money. I understood then that Geng Zhangle was a viin. Owing this viin meant that I could never repay my debts within my lifetime. Later, he became blunter and asked for money directly. The more I gave, the more he wanted. I¡¯m not a saint. I got angry. I asked him how much he wanted and to give me a figure so that he wouldn¡¯t bother me in the future. I couldn¡¯t give the amount he wanted, so he threatened to report me. Who was this person? If I didn¡¯t help him, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten a job or house after he came out from prison. If you took 10,000 steps back, even if I was the one who went to jail back then, what promise could a person like him have had? He would have been hacked to death while fighting long ago!"


    "So, you hired a killer to get rid of him?" Chen Shi asked tentatively.


    "No, no, no!" Director Wei said in a panic. "I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen, how could I do this kind of thing?"


    "Then how do you exin the 400,000 you spent recently? We checked it and the payee was your wife¡¯s younger brother. He doesn¡¯t hold a proper job and has been in the detention center several times because of fights. Why would you give him money?"


    "This is my own family¡¯s business and has nothing to do with this case!"


    Factory Director Wei refused to exin the matter, so Chen Shi changed the question. "I''m curious. Geng Zhangle has such a tense rtionship with you, so why would you let his daughter and your son go on a blind date?"


    "Because my son was previously in love with his daughter."


    "That was not the reason, right? His daughter has a boyfriend right now, and their rtionship is very close. Why did he need to break up his daughter¡¯s rtionship with her boyfriend? Is your son so outstanding that he doesn''t even mind about being inws with you?"


    Director Wei took out his mobile phone and showed Chen Shi his son''s photo. His son was also working in the factory at the time. From an objective point of view, he was inferior to Wang Mengqi in every aspect.


    "I don''t know what this guy was doing. He was like that. Whenever he came up with an idea, he¡¯d do it. Maybe he was nning to repair his rtionship with me?" Director Wei said.


    "Did he dote on his daughter?"


    "Old Geng was a bastard, but he treated his daughter well. He had never beaten or scolded his daughter since she was a child. He bought everything that she wanted. Once, he came to mete at night in order to borrow money, saying that his daughter was about to celebrate her 20th birthday but he had drank all his sry away... I heard that he was nning to send his daughter to study abroad as well."


    "When did this happen?"


    "Recently."


    "Hasn¡¯t Geng Qing already started working?"


    "She has always wanted to study abroad. When she was offered an opportunity to go on exchange, Old Geng fell ill, so she gave up the opportunity and stayed behind to take care of him."


    "Does it require a lot of money?"


    "That I don''t know..."


    Factory Director Wei was temporarily detained. He protested against this, saying that he wanted awyer. The police told him that he would only be detained for 24 hours, which happened to be legal.


    During that period, the police brought his brother-inw in for questioning. The brother-inw initially said that Director Wei had lent him the 400,000 yuan to buy a house, but the youngster wasn¡¯t exactly a tough guy. He was like a mouse seeing a cat when he faced the police. He soon confessed.


    The truth was startling!


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue interrogated Director Wei for the second time. Chen Shi said straightforwardly, "You should confess the purpose of the 400,000 yuan directly. The chair you¡¯re sitting on right now had another person sitting in it just then. He¡¯s already confessed.¡±


    "Who? Hua Chao? (Brother-inw''s name)"[1]


    "Are you going to talk or wait for us to verify it ourselves? The nature of the two will be different."


    Factory Director Wei was sweating profusely and his legs were trembling. He asked, "How exactly did Old Geng die?"


    "We¡¯re the ones asking the questions right now."


    Factory Director Wei clutched his pants with aplicated expression. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue waited quietly for him to speak. Five minutester, he raised his head and said, "How many years would you get for hiring a murderer?"


    "It¡¯s the same crime as murder."


    "No, no, this wasn¡¯t hiring a murderer. Hua Chao said himself that he¡¯d help me get it done. I just gave him a sum of money. These are two separate matters and can¡¯t be counted as the same thing!"


    "The moment someone promised to kill for you and you gave the other party money, this was already hiring a killer tomit murder."


    Factory Director Wei was so nervous that he nearly went crazy. He covered his face and cried, "I drank too much that day. Hua Chao heard me say that a viin was ckmailing me and told me that he would sort it out for me. I told him to be careful and not let people find out. He said it would be impossible for the police to see through it. Who knew that you would have found out so quickly? It¡¯s true that the heavens are watching what people do!¡±


    1. This was the format that the author chose to use.

 Chapter 638: These Hooligans Aren’t Reliable

    <h4>Chapter 638: These Hooligans Aren¡¯t Reliable</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Then what?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I said that doing this was risky, and that we needed to buy some equipment. I gave him some money and the first price that came out of his mouth was a million. I told that kid he was crazy. I gave him 400,000. No more, no less. Just the 400,000. I transferred the money over to him on the spot.¡±


    "Why 400,000? Does this number have any special meaning behind it?"


    Director Wei was silent for a moment. "Old Geng borrowed 400,000 yuan from me before. Both of us knew what ''borrowing'' meant. It meant giving it to him for nothing! He said that he wouldn¡¯t send out the letter if I gave him 400,000 yuan. I was going to give him the money when I went over to his house that day, but what he said sounded so awful. He acted all high and mighty even when he got a bargain. He was just so petty. So I changed my mind..."


    "You thought that instead of giving him money, you might as well use the 400,000 to hire a killer to get rid of him?"


    Director Wei nodded his head heavily and looked as if he had epted his fate. "Back when I was active in the underworld, I got to know a few ruthless characters, but when I contacted them, I found out that they had either turned over a new leaf or had been executed by the Public Security Bureau. None of them were useful. While I was venting, my brother-inw said he could handle this matter, so I gave him the money. I told Hua Chao that he had to keep the matter a secret no matter what once the money was given to him. Even if the police held a gun to his head, he mustn¡¯t sell me out. I didn¡¯t know he was so weak, haii!¡±


    "After that?"


    "I was very happy to hear that OldGeng was dead. It seems that this kid had done it. We haven''t been in contact for a while, just to prevent suspicion from the police. I didn''t know you guys would be so tricky and even check my bank ount."


    At the end of the interrogation, Lin Dongxue asked, "The case counts as solved, right?"


    "No, Hua Chao didn¡¯t confess to the murder. Director Wei thought he did it. In fact, this kid isn¡¯t so capable."


    "It''s a capital offense if he confessed. He definitely wouldn¡¯t do that. Do you want to try interrogating him again?"


    "You interrogate him. I''ll check the surveince footage."


    Lin Dongxue felt that they were one step off from getting the confession, but no matter how she asked, Hua Chao refused to admit to murder. In fact, he didn''t know the details of Geng Zhangle''s death. He said that he had nned to find a brother from the underworld and give him 200,000 yuan to get rid of the old man. That way, he could make money without taking any risks.


    "What''s the name of that brother of yours?"


    "Wang Yiming."


    Unexpectedly, this person actually existed and when he was brought back for interrogation, he was just as scared as Hua Chao. He admitted that he had received Hua Chao¡¯s money, but he denied the murder. He said that he had been pondering things over at home for a long time. Rumor had it that there was a powerful person in the second team of the criminal police that solved any case that came by, but he wanted to make money, so there was a fierce internal struggle in his heart.


    Finally, Wang Yiming scouted for and found a new gang recruit, gave him 100,000 and asked him to push the old man onto the road and get him run over by a car while he was out. That way, he wouldn¡¯t be taking any risks and could make money.[1]


    "What''s that youngster¡¯s name?" Lin Dongxue was already quite tired by this stage of the interrogation.


    "Xi Xiaohu."


    Later, Xi Xiaohu was summoned for an interrogation. He was still a minor and was dressed in a very non-mainstream manner. It was the first time he was facing the police in the interrogation room, and Xi Xiaohu was so scared that he almost pissed himself. He admitted that he had received Wang Yiming¡¯s money. He was very happy at the time about earning 100,000, but he was afraid of killing someone and going to jail, causing his parents grief. After lots of thought, Xi Xiaohu thought of a brilliant idea...


    "Hire someone else to be the killer?" Lin Dongxue had already guessed his lines.


    "Wow, Police Elder Sister, you are so smart. You guessed it on your first try. I found a person on the Inte. They imed to be a retired Vietnamese special forces soldier who had killed dozens of people. I could pay 20,000 yuan as a deposit first, and then pay the 30,000 yuan bnce after the mission was aplished. I thought that in this manner, I could make money without taking any risks.¡±


    "And then?"


    "Motherfucker, I got scammed!"


    Lin Dongxue wondered whether these hooligans were reliable or not. After checking their cash flows, Hua Chao had indeed received 400,000 from Director Wei, Wang Yiming had received 200,000 from Hua Chao, and Xi Xiaohu had received 100,000 from Wang Yiming and then transferred 20,000 yuan to an online ount.


    Everything fitted together nicely. It seemed that none of these people had actuallymitted the crime.


    Chen Shi carefully watched the surveince footage at the park. Hua Chao didn¡¯t show up on that day, so the group of people were all released.


    After conducting interrogations all morning, Lin Dongxue was very tired and said disappointedly, "The lead is a dead end."


    "Don''t be impatient. I found someone on the surveince footage. Guess who it was."


    "Don''t act mysterious. I don''t have the strength to guess right now."


    "Geng Qing''s boyfriend."


    "Really?"


    Chen Shi shrugged, "The body stature and hairstyle are a bit simr. The footage is too blurry, and I can''t see his face clearly."


    "But what motive would he have for murder?"


    "I said before that a murderer''s motive must be hidden, so let''s dig deeper!"


    They needed a reason to visit Geng Qing. Fortunately, they needed to send Geng Zhangle''s body back. Chen Shi went to look for Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue sat in theboratory with a courier box in front of him, facing a cylindrical object in a daze.


    "Old Peng..."


    "Come here!"


    Chen Shi walked over. Peng Sijue grabbed his arm and poked it with the cylinder. Chen Shi felt as though he had been flicked by a finger. He drew his hand back and saw a round red dot on his arm.


    "What is this?!"


    "I¡¯m doing an experiment, and what I injected just now was saline."


    "This is a syringe?"


    "Yes, a needleless syringe. This type of syringe uses pressure to squeeze the liquid drug into the capiries. In fact, it has been avable since the 1990s. The disadvantage is that the dosage is too small and the production cost is high. It¡¯s currently being used by patients to inject themselves with insulin."


    Chen Shi looked at his arm and said, "It¡¯s exactly the same as the mark on the corpse."


    "Captain Peng, I have a suggestion that¡¯s a bit amateur." Lin Dongxue said, "Could the murderer not have injected anything at all, and just injected air into the blood vessels? It¡¯s said that air embolisms are not easy to detect."


    "This possibility has been ruled out. We used the diluted blood serum of the deceased in animal experiments to prove that it was indeed a toxic substance."


    "Oh... By the way, I saw a very ingenious method of killing when I was watching a TV series. The formalin you use is poisonous. One of the murderers used formalin to kill someone, and then the body was immersed in formalin. Forensic pathologists couldn¡¯t detect it either.


    "Formalin is not used for autopsies. That kind of thing is very pungent. If you really use it to kill people, it¡¯s impossible not to detect it. Unless you kill someone and donate it to a medical university as a ¡®silent teacher¡¯[2] after soaking for a long time."


    Lin Dongxue smiled awkwardly, "These are just the opinions of someone outside the field. I wanted to see if I could help you."


    "These opinions are very good, andymen can sometimes see things that experts can''t see." Peng Sijue said with a smile.


    "Then let ayman like me boldly ask: Why would the murderer mix cocaine in the poison?" Chen Shi asked.


    "That''s an interfering substance. People who have no history of drug use will experience varying degrees of hyperactivity in the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys when they are injected with cocaine for the first time. This prevents us from determining the type of toxin through pathological signs."


    "It looks like this poison must act on the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys."


    "Youyman!" Peng Sijue rolled his eyes at him. "Almost all poisons target one or two of these four organs. Disruptors are very troublesome. I once tested tetrodotoxin, which requires many deproteinization processes in order to find the ''culprit''. If it weren¡¯t for the knowledge that the deceased had died from eating puffer fish, it would have taken a lot of time..." After speaking, Peng Sijue seemed to have had an epiphany. "Protein toxins, why didn¡¯t I think of that... "


    He stood up to take a sample for a test. Chen Shi said, "I came looking for you because I wish to take the body away..." Peng Sijue couldn¡¯t even hear him.


    1. I believe this was inspired by this real case: https://.theguardian/world/2019/oct/22/the-five-reluctant-hitmen-of-china-group-jailed-over-botched-contract-killing.


    2. Donate a body to science for medical students to practise on.

 Chapter 639: Returning The Body

    <h4>Chapter 639: Returning The Body</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "No way?"


    Looking at the reagent in the test tube that hadn¡¯t reacted, Peng Sijue showed a disappointed expression, and turned his head to discover that Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were still standing at the side. He asked, "Why haven''t you guys left yet?"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly, "Can''t you hear people talking to you while you¡¯re working? I want to take the body away and return it to the family. I had promised them previously."


    "Wait for two days."


    "You¡¯ve already preserved the necessary samples. It''s useless keeping the corpse."


    "Wait for two days."


    "When you die someday, you wouldn¡¯t want to stay in the freezer for so long, right?"


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes, "Take it away! Take it away!"


    Lin Dongxue borrowed a police SUV and put Geng Zhangle''s body inside. Chen Shi called Geng Qing. She was very excited when she heard that her father was "returning". She agreed to meet them at the funeral home. Chen Shi said, "Get your boyfriend toe too. I have something to ask him."


    "He''s at work... Okay, I''ll call him."


    When they drove the car to the funeral home, they found that Geng Qing was already waiting at the door. The staff loaded the corpse onto a wheeled cart. The dissected corpse had a long suture line from the corbone down to the abdomen. In fact, there was also a suture line on the back of the head. When they conduct an autopsy on the skull, the whole face woulde off like a mask. The corpse was still covered with frost. Geng Qing wept in grief when she saw this. Wang Mengqi, who was by her side, had a hard timeforting her.


    "Have you found out the cause of death yet?" Geng Qing asked while wiping away at her tears.


    "The forensic pathologist judged it to be poisoning." Chen Shi said this with reservations. He observed Wang Mengqi''s expression and noticed a sh of panic on his face.


    "Was my father in pain when he passed away?"


    "He should have been killed instantly and wouldn¡¯t have suffered too much."


    "That''s good, that''s good!" Geng Qing wept again.


    She went into the funeral home to find a staff member to put makeup on the corpse so that her father could pass on with dignity. Wang Mengqi wanted to apany her, but Chen Shi stopped him and he stayed behind by himself. Wang Mengqi seemed a little nervous. Chen Shi asked, "Mr. Wang, do you own a ck jacket?"


    "Why are you asking this? Did you find a suspect?"


    "Please answer my question directly."


    "Who doesn''t have a ck jacket? I¡¯ve bought one, but I don''t wear it often."


    "Are there a few white stripes on the shoulders?"


    "Yes... This style is verymon."


    "How was your rtionship with the deceased?"


    "When I tell you a story, you will understand. I remember that when I first started dating Geng Qing, Geng Qing said that her father wasn¡¯t home that night and asked me toe over to keep herpany. As a result, while I was getting dressed and preparing to leave the next morning, her father came back. That was very awkward for everyone. I couldn¡¯t exactly hide under the bed. So I sat on the sofa and waited for him to ask me to exin. Uncle Geng came in and saw me, but he acted as if he didn¡¯t see me. He talked to Geng Qing about some domestic trivialities. I practically felt as though I was sitting on pins and needles. After some time, he finally asked, ¡®How long have you two known each other?¡¯ I told him half a year, and he nodded before telling me toe over for dinner that night! Uncle Geng was like that. He didn¡¯t interfere much in Geng Qing¡¯s affairs. Sometimes, when he came back and ran into us, he would go and stay elsewhere. It kind of felt as if the well water did not mix with the river water. As his future son-inw, I was usually quite filial. I often bought him gifts and I sometimes went drinking with him. He talked a lot whenever he got drunk. He mainly talked about Geng Qing¡¯s childhood. He loved Geng Qing very much, but he was afraid that he would interfere too much, so he kept his distance... I think he was quite a good person. Some people behave well in public but are tyrants when they get home. Uncle Geng was the opposite of that. Outsiders have a poor opinion of him, but he was a dutiful father."


    "It looks like you have a good opinion of him."


    "Yes, I was quite surprised to hear that he was killed. I very much regret not being able to spend more time with him. The onlypensation I can offer is giving him a grand funeral."


    "So, where were you on the evening of November 19th?"


    Wang Mengqi suddenly became angry. "How can the police suspect others randomly?! Uncle Geng has a bunch of enemies outside. You don¡¯t want to investigate them, but you¡¯re here suspecting me? Are you kidding? I have an alibi for the time of the crime, but I won¡¯t say anything because your suspicions are unfounded."


    "Mr. Wang, can you not get so angry? It''s just our routine."


    "You aren¡¯t a police officer, are you?"


    "No, I¡¯m a criminal investigation consultant. She¡¯s the police officer."


    "Mr. Chen, I have heard of you. I have met many customers through mypany, and some of them know you. They said that you¡¯re very powerful and that you solve all your cases. Now, you¡¯re the treasure of the second team."


    "You tter me."


    "But I don''t think you can solve the case this time!" Wang Mengqi showed an expression of inexplicable pride. "I heard people say how good you were, but now I find that the questions you ask are really low-level. You¡¯re nowhere near as good as you¡¯re rumored to be."


    In the face of the provocation, Chen Shi smiled without saying anything. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter what he asked. The key point was to observe the other party''s attitude.


    He noticed that Wang Mengqi was an arrogant and conceited person, who seemed to be showing off intentionally or otherwise. This further deepened his suspicion towards him.


    "Mr. Wang, some people will be silent when they are nervous, and some people will be very aggressive. You belong to thetter. This cannot conceal your nervousness." Chen Shi calmly analyzed.


    "I¡¯m nervous? How ridiculous, why should I be nervous?" Wang Mengqi brushed his hair subconsciously.


    "There¡¯s one thing that I want to figure out. You have a good rtionship with Geng Qing and have even reached the point of discussing marriage. Why did Geng Zhangle want to arrange a blind date for Geng Qing? The other party was even the son of Director Wei who was on bad terms with him."


    "You shouldn''t ask me about this kind of thing."


    "The person who we could ask is no longer here. I can only ask you why Geng Zhangle wants to break up your rtionship. What happened between you two?"


    "Nothing happened!" Wang Mengqi shook his head. "My rtionship with Uncle Geng has always been very good. You can ask Geng Qing about this. By the way, regarding the alibi, I was on the phone with Geng Qing that day. I used thepany¡¯sndline. Is that enough?"


    "Thank you for your cooperation!"


    Wang Mengqi took his leave first and Lin Dongxue said, "This young man isn¡¯t suspicious, right?"


    "No, I think he¡¯s gotten even more suspicious. Isn¡¯t he going to look for Geng Qing? Let''s go over quickly to prevent them from collusion."


    "What do you mean by collusion? What you said seems too serious." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    The two rushed to find Geng Qing before Wang Mengqi, and Chen Shi asked, "I have something to ask you. What were you doing on the evening of November 19th? I¡¯m just asking casually."


    "I was on the phone with Wang Mengqi!" Geng Qing retrieved her call log and showed it to the two of them. Sure enough, they had talked for half an hour. Wang Mengqi was using the officendline.


    "What did you talk about?"


    "We were just casually chatting. We talk for a few hours every time we call each other, and we talk about trivial things."


    "Was your father short of money recently?"


    "He didn¡¯tck money. Ever since I graduated and started working, I¡¯ve given him 500 yuan a month. He has his own sry as well, so maintaining his lifestyle was not a problem."


    "But why did he ask Director Wei for 400,000 yuan? Director Wei didn¡¯t give it to him. However, his card still had 400,000 yuan deposited. It seems that he was in urgent need of this 400,000 yuan."


    "400,000?!" Geng Qing pondered. "Could it be that he..."

 Chapter 640: Drug Seller

    <h4>Chapter 640: Drug Seller</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Could it be what?" Chen Shi asked.


    Geng Qing said, "I previously mentioned to my dad that I wanted to study abroad. In the job that I¡¯m doing now, if I am an overseas graduate, my sry will be several pay grades higher. The school that I nned to go to costs 400,000 yuan a year, but I had just said this casually. I hadn¡¯t nned to put it into action at the moment. I didn¡¯t expect that he would really raise money for me... My dad was always like this. Whenever I said I wanted something, he would go and buy it silently. He never said anything. When I got home, I would suddenly see what I wanted on the table. I¡¯m already so old, but he still treated me like a child." Geng Qing smiled bitterly.


    "If you study abroad, how many years would you have to stay there for?"


    "I may have to stay abroad for three years."


    Chen Shi nodded.


    "I just saw Wang Mengqi with a face filled with anger. Did you ask him something? It couldn''t be him. He had a good rtionship with my dad. During Chinese New Yearst year, he bought a lot of gifts and spent the New Year at our house. My dad said that it felt as if we were a family." After death, these happy memories had turned into sadness. Thinking of this, Geng Qing''s eyes became red again.


    "Don''t be too sad. We¡¯re going to keep investigating, and we will keep you informed of the progress."


    "Okay."


    Leaving the funeral home, Lin Dongxue said, "I don''t think Wang Mengqi is suspicious. They suit each other and have the ¡®husband and wife look¡¯."


    "What exactly is this so-called ¡®husband and wife look¡¯?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No way. You don¡¯t even know about this...? It¡¯s said that the longer two people are together, the more they grow to resemble each other."


    "Is that right?" Chen Shi smiled, "At most, the two will gain weight together after getting married."


    "This has a scientific basis to it![1] Let''s see if we have the ¡®husband and wife look¡¯..." Lin Dongxue turned the rearview mirror.


    "Hey, I''m driving! If we crash and die, we¡¯ll have that ¡®husband and wife look¡¯.


    "Damn you!" Lin Dongxue scolded with a smile.


    Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone rang and he asked Lin Dongxue to help him take the call. Lin Dongxue leaned forward, took out the cell phone from his pocket, and turned on the speakerphone. Sun Zhen said, ¡°Brother Chen, I found another one who ims to sell that kind of drug. Will youe over?"


    "Wait for me. I¡¯lle over right away... Can you order some takeout for us? I¡¯ll give you the moneyter."


    "No worries, I¡¯ll treat you and Sister-in-Law."


    When they got to the office, Sun Zhen showed Chen Shi their chat history. Sun Zhen had asked if there were any drugs that the police couldn¡¯t detect. The other party simply replied, "One hundred thousand yuan as a deposit of intention and attach a photo of your ID."


    "They¡¯ve demanded an exorbitant price!" Chen Shi sighed.


    "Should I make the payment?"


    "It¡¯s most likely a scammer!" kk said. "Those who ask for money outright are definitely scammers."


    "Where did you find this person?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The other party found me. I posted on a forum and left my contact information behind."


    "Try it and see. I''ll pay for it."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Let the team pay for it. This is for investigating the case. How can we ask you to pay for it out of your own pocket?"


    "That would be great!" Chen Shi said very gratefully. "It¡¯s a bit painful for me to have to pay 100,000."


    After the police''s money reached his ount, Sun Zhen immediately sent the money to the ount designated by the other party. Lin Dongxue wrote down this number and notified the Network Information Section to investigate it. Then Sun Zhen sent a photo of the ID. Following Chen Shi¡¯s suggestion, he had sent a fake one.


    If the other party was really Xu Fa, he might recognize Sun Zhen, kk, and Chen Shi, not to speak of Lin Dongxue. She was a policeman, and they¡¯d know instantly if they checked.


    There was no response for a long time, and KK said in hindsight, "You see? It¡¯s a scammer. This IQ tax was so not worth it."


    "Shut your crow¡¯s mouth!" Chen Shi reprimanded.


    "He replied!" Sun Zhen said excitedly, but the content was only a short sentence. "Add another 100,000. I will leave the goods in the designated location. You need toe over to pick it up. After you get it, pay the outstanding bnce of 200,000."


    kk said, "This scammer is a high-level one. They didn¡¯t even try to lead up to it when they wanted money."


    Sun Zhen looked at Chen Shi with hesitation. "Brother Chen, I think this may be a scammer. Let¡¯s forget it!"


    Lin Dongxue was sending a message, "My brother said that it¡¯s impossible to pay another 100,000, unless there¡¯s a lead."


    Chen Shi bit his lip and said, "I¡¯ll pay this 100,000!"


    "A human tragedy!" kk sighed as he looked up towards the heavens. "If I spend this 200,000 gambling, I could enjoy myself for a night. If I spend it at XX, I could enjoy myself for many nights. This money is just gone like that.¡±


    "Is this person''s job just to sit here andin?" Lin Dongxue said sarcastically.


    "I can even stand up andin!" As he said this, kk got up from his chair.


    Under Chen Shi''s insistence, they transferred another 100,000 to the other party. Chen Shi stared at the screen and waited for the phrase "Haha, you¡¯ve been fooled." The office was quiet. Chen Shi said, "Check the other party''s IP. "


    "I checked it earlier. They used proxies. After several transfers, I couldn''t find the original IP at all."


    "So vignt. I think there might be something here." Chen Shi said, as if tofort himself.


    After waiting for ten minutes, the other party finally replied, "At 3:00PM this afternoon, the trash can opposite China Construction Bank on Liuyang Road."


    "Wow, it¡¯s real?!" kk called out.


    Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. "It''s 1:40PM. Let''s hurry up and see if we can intercept him."


    The two of them didn''t even bother to eat their takeouts. They hurried to get to the car. Only when they went downstairs, did they remember that they had been transporting the body earlier, so they had driven a police car. Wouldn¡¯t this alert the other party?


    kk came down with the takeouts and asked, "Fuck, do you guys have to be so eager? You won''t even eat any food?"


    "kk, lend me your car." Chen Shi said.


    They got into kk¡¯s small dpidated car and kk offered to apany them. He smiled and said, "I¡¯ll show off my skills to let Sister-in-Law know that I¡¯m not just a leech... Sister-in-Law, do you want to eat?"


    "Don''t call me Sister-in-Law! It sounds so awkward!" Lin Dongxue warned sternly.


    "Even if you aren¡¯t now, you will be in the future."


    "Since you like to cotton up to her, why don''t you call her ¡®Mom¡¯?"


    "Mom!"


    Lin Dongxue was speechless and Chen Shi smiled, "This kind of person is shameless. Don''t get drawn into an argument with him."


    "I don¡¯t pester just anyone. It''s my honor to have such a beautiful Sister-in-Law!" kk smiled as he took out his phone. "Look, you are still my phone¡¯s screensaver. People asked me which movie star this was."


    "Don''t talk to me. Let me eat in peace." Lin Dongxue helplessly opened up the boxed lunch. She ate it herself and also fed Chen Shi a few bites, force-feeding kk a mouthful of dog food.[2]


    At half past two, the three of them went to an area close to the designated ce and stared at the trash can without blinking until 3:00PM. kk began to suggest giving up again. "Probably a scammer? They still haven¡¯t shown up."


    "Could it have already been put inside?" Chen Shi guessed. "I will get out of the car and have a look."


    When he opened the door, kk called out, "Brother Chen! Someone upstairs is looking over here with binocrs!"


    The two looked in the direction that kk''s finger pointed. In an old building across the street, someone kept looking at the trash can with binocrs. From this, it could be seen that the other party may sincerely want to make a deal, so it was necessary to confirm that the client wasn¡¯t the police.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Should I go upstairs now to catch that person?"


    "How are you going to prosecute him? Are they breaking thew by looking at the trash can with binocrs? The main point is this drug. We must get it."


    "But what if they recognize us? Although we aren¡¯t celebrities, we are often in the limelight. Also, this time the case is still under investigation, so the other party will definitely be vignt."


    1. There¡¯s been studies by Robert Zajonc and other people. Besides assortative mating, there are some other reasons that have been proposed over the years.


    2. ng for showing off one¡¯s rtionship in front of single people.

 Chapter 641: Missed Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 641: Missed Opportunity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi thought for a while and said, "I have an idea."


    He drove the car in a circle and parked behind the China Construction Bank, avoiding the scope of the man¡¯s view. Then Chen Shi stopped a young man who was passing by. "Want to make some money? Help me get the item in the trash can opposite the bank. I¡¯ll give you a hundred yuan."


    The guy showed an expression of interest. "Something¡¯s happening?! One hundred yuan is too little!"


    Lin Dongxue showed him her badge. "We are the police, not bad guys. Please cooperate with us."


    "It''s not a bomb, is it?"


    "Absolutely not."


    "We¡¯ll add three hundred!"


    "Deal!"


    The guy went off to fetch the item and kk said, "I¡¯ll detour to the upstairs of the building opposite him and take a picture of the man so you can investigate him easilyter on."


    "Okay, but don''t get caught."


    "Taking photos secretly is my forte. I won''t get caught. Wait for my good news." kk winked his eye at them before leaving,


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "It''s useful to have brought this kid."


    Lin Dongxue snorted, "He''s just a petty trickster."


    The guy they sent out rummaged in the trash can and brought back a box. He said, "I looked for quite some time but I¡¯m not sure if this is it."


    It was a small and slender iron box. They thought that a syringe would be inside when they opened it. Who knew there would only be a pin code for a supermarket locker? The supermarket was right next to them. Chen Shi thanked and paid him, saying, ¡°They¡¯re too vignt."


    "Why hasn''t the little thiefe back?"


    The two looked over and their jaws dropped in surprise. They saw kk behind the window fighting with the man. They hurried across the road to the building, only to hear kk yelling, "Taste the wrath of my Nine Yin White Bone ws!"[1]


    The other party''s wailing seemed to be due to getting his vital parts grabbed.


    "Hoho, I¡¯ve cut off your hopes for children and grandchildren!"


    Then there was the sound of someone falling down.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue hurried upstairs. This was an abandoned building waiting to be demolished. The upper floor had been cleared out. The suspicious person fell onto the floor and moaned. kk strutted arrogantly as if he was the victorious cock in a cockfight.


    "Weren¡¯t you just taking a few photos in secret?" Chen Shi said.


    "This kid caught me, but I didn¡¯t retreat. I would have been beaten to death if I didn''t fight back." kk pointed to the ground, where there was an iron rod.


    The suspicious person was a haggard young man. He sat up cross-legged, sneered, swiftly fished out a syringe and plunged it into his own arm. Chen Shi rushed over, but it was toote. He had already injected the entire tube of liquid into his vein and his eyes started to roll back.


    Chen Shi was horrified. They were just selling drugs. Did they have to be so unyielding?


    But he didn¡¯t die. Instead, he disyed a drunken and idiotic expression. "Can¡¯t... can''t make up a reason to arrest me... gift you... gift you a... reason, hahahaha!"


    It turned out that he had injected himself with drugs in front of the police.


    They had never seen such a fierce criminal. Since he wanted to be arrested, they had no choice but to fulfill his wish. Lin Dongxue handcuffed him and took him downstairs. When they were exposed under the sun, Chen Shi suddenly said, "It''s over! We were exposed!"


    "How?"


    Chen Shi looked around, "His aplices must be around. He got himself arrested in order to send a signal to his aplices!"


    Chen Shi didn''t say another word and rushed to the supermarket. It didn''t matter if he was exposed. The point was to get the poison. However, when he opened the cab and found that it was empty, the feeling of having been manipted made Chen Shi feel very discouraged.


    The man was taken to the bureau, and he was quickly identified. His name was Lin Tao. He was an addict as well as a seller of illegal drugs. He had a bad record. Lin Tao remained in a psychedelic state after taking drugs and they couldn¡¯t ask anything. He sat in the interrogation room and kept drooling. He giggled foolishly, "Hehehe, little stars... many little stars..."


    Chen Shi was on the alert and had copied and taken away the surveince footage when he left the supermarket. He confirmed that a few minutes before his arrival, someone who appeared very simr to Xu Fa had taken away the item in the locker.


    The opponent was just too cautious!


    Chen Shi spected, "Lin Tao must have been working and selling the drug for Xu Fa. They will only make a deal after confirming that the person buying the drug isn¡¯t suspicious. Lin Tao used his arrest to send a red g to Xu Fa and let him take the drugs away. We¡¯ve fallen short at thest hurdle!"


    "Don''t be discouraged. At least we indirectly proved that Xu Fa was involved in this case, and Geng Zhangle was most likely killed by the poison he sold."


    "A syringe of poison costs 400,000 yuan, which is more profitable than drugs... Oh yes, 400,000 yuan. It¡¯s also 400,000 yuan. Geng Zhangle''s card is also missing 400,000 yuan! The murderer used the deceased''s own ount to pay for it, so we can''t investigate the murderer through the ount. How smart!"


    "So it turns out that the four hundred thousand was lost like this... It seems that the murderer was someone who had been in contact with Geng Zhangle and took the card from him."


    "Where did the moneye from?"


    "Cash deposit. Geng Zhangle deposited it by himself a few days ago. We can¡¯t find out."


    "Let''s look for that card!"


    In this regard, Chen Shi had little hope. It was only to confirm his own spection. The two of them visited Geng Qing again the next day. She checked Geng Zhangle''s belongings again, and the card was indeed missing.


    Geng Qing said that her father left things around everywhere. This card was registered a long time ago and hadn¡¯t been used. It was usually kept in the drawer.


    Chen Shi said, "The card would only be left around carelessly if there is no money in the card. If this card had arge amount of money, he would carry it on his person, right? Has he received arge amount of money from someone recently?"


    "No. Could it be Director Wei? He was here two days ago."


    It seemed that Geng Qing didn''t know about this, so Chen Shi asked, "Can I have a look at your father''s belongings?"


    "Yes, go ahead."


    There were a few packs of cigarettes in the big cardboard box, which Geng Zhangle had received at his wedding banquet. He didn¡¯t have the heart to smoke them. There were also some personal letters, which Chen Shi nced at, but they had nothing to do with the case. There was also a medical record and some misceneous old objects.


    He found a photo in an iron box. It was a photo of a youthful Geng Zhangle with a girl. The young man in the 1980s disyed a gaudy fashion sense. Geng Zhangle had a crew cut and was wearing sunsses as well as red pants. He posed as though he looked very cool.


    The girl was wearing a white shirt, had her hair curled and was wearing a navy-blue skirt with suspenders as well as red leather shoes on her feet. The man and woman were standing and sitting respectively. The background was a photo studio backdrop with andscape painted on it.


    "This is my mother." Geng Qing said. "Wasn''t she beautiful when she was young?"


    "She was indeed really beautiful. Can I take a photo of this?"


    "Go ahead!"


    Chen Shi took the photo, and then found several unmarked discs. Chen Shi wanted to see their contents so Geng Qing found the old DVD yer at home and connected it to the TV. Once they were yed, the eyes of the three almost went blind. They turned out to be a few imported pornographic discs that had been collected by Geng Zhangle.


    Thus, the DVD yer was turned off hurriedly.


    1. This is a martial arts move from The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

 Chapter 642: The Truth Comes To Light

    <h4>Chapter 642: The Truth Comes To Light</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On November 24th, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Wang Mengqi¡¯s workce. The secretary told them that Manager Wang had gone to attend a funeral that day. Lin Dongxue said, "Okay, we came in vain!"


    "No, I deliberately picked today toe..." He said to the secretary, "We want to see where Manager Wang works."


    "I''m afraid I have to ask for permission."


    "We¡¯re just taking a look. We won''t touch anything. Manager Wang is open and aboveboard. I don''t think there will be any secrets, right?"


    The secretary reluctantly agreed, and took the two to Wang Mengqi''s office. She stood at the side to prevent the two from messing around as it would be difficult to exin afterwards.


    Lin Dongxue said, "There are still a lot of leads that can be checked. Why are you focusing on Wang Mengqi so persistently?"


    "When investigating a case, the real murderer will always appear in front of you inadvertently. Wang Mengqi gave me the feeling that he was very simr to my outline of the suspect."


    "Okay, we¡¯ll trust your intuition!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    Chen Shi pointed to the phone on the desk and asked, "What is this phone¡¯s number?"


    The secretary recited a string of numbers. Chen Shi dialed it with his cell phone and it went through. The internal phone could be used to make external calls. Chen Shi asked again, "On the evening of November 19th, was Manager Wang at thepany?"


    "November 19th?" The secretary recalled. "I can''t remember, but Manager Wang is always alone in the office handling documents every afternoon, so I think he should have been here."


    Chen Shi nodded. He picked up the phone and noticed that there was a stickyyer on the receiver. He quietly took a sample.


    After the "tour", the two went to look for surveince footage nearby and brought back everything they could find.


    Back at the bureau, Chen Shi went directly to Peng Sijue and asked, "Where is that thing?"


    "I¡¯ll give it to you!"


    Peng Sijue handed him a document with the photo that he had found at Geng Zhangle¡¯s house that day, and a photo of another woman. This was a featureparison conducted by a face recognition expert at the Physical Evidence Center. Chen Shi covered up the results below and showed it to Lin Dongxue. "Do you think these two are the same person?"


    "The woman on the right is fat, so I can¡¯t tell."


    "That day, Geng Qing said that the girl in the photo was her mother. Iter found the household registration photo of her biological mother. The more I looked at it, the less they looked like the same person, so I asked an expert for help..." Chen Shi took away his hand, and the results below showed that they were not the same person.


    Lin Dongxue wasn''t too surprised. "Geng Zhangle was very promiscuous when he was young. It isn¡¯t strange that he had other girlfriends."


    There was also a document behind this piece of paper. It was also the results of a facial-features¡¯parison. Chen Shi showed it to Lin Dongxue. The result above was that the two were the same person. The photo showed a middle-aged woman that they hadn¡¯t seen before. Chen Shi smiled and said, "But I still found the girl in the picture."


    "Who is it?"


    "Take a guess!"


    "Damn it, you¡¯re being all mysterious again!"


    "It''s Wang Mengqi''s biological mother."


    Lin Dongxue was shocked for a long time. "No way?!"


    "I did some investigation. Wang Mengqi''s parents have a 20-year age gap. I went to the neighborhood to check and confirmed that his father isn¡¯t his biological father."


    "I seem to have heard something!" Peng Sijue interjected.


    "Old Peng, can I bother you again please? Compare this with the DNA of the deceased." Chen Shi took out a strand of hair, which he had just collected from Wang Mengqi''s office.


    While the test results were yet toe out, Lin Dongxue¡¯s head was full of wild thoughts. It couldn¡¯t be so coincidental and melodramatic, could it? Wang Mengqi and Geng Qing had such a good rtionship, and Geng Zhangle was also very satisfied with Wang Mengqi, but he was secretly trying to break up their rtionship. Everything seemed to make sense.


    "That day, you told me that they had a ¡®husband and wife look¡¯. After careful consideration, some of their characteristics are indeed simr. Along with some other signs, I think the truth is about toe out. Wang Mengqi and Geng Qing may be brother and sister." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t really ept it. "When I watched TV series in the past, I thought that this kind of ridiculous plot couldn''t happen in reality. There are so many people in the world, how could a pair of brother and sister meet so coincidentally?"


    "This is called gic sexual attraction. Brothers and sisters who grow up together will gradually lose their sexual attraction towards one another. Therefore, the child brides in rural areas in the past often had unhappy marriages with their husbands when they grew up. It¡¯s because they grew up together and were too familiar with each other. However, if it¡¯s a sibling who has been separated since childhood, they will be attracted to each other because of their simr genes. This kind of example is not umon."


    "You¡¯re quite confident!" Peng Sijue poured cold water on his reasoning. "The result came out. It''s not a parent-child rtionship."


    Chen Shi was confident about his reasoning. He said, "Are you happy lying to me?"


    Lying in front of Chen Shi was a waste of effort. Peng Sijue smiled and said, "I just wanted to see your expression when you lost. They are indeed father and son."


    "Look, the case is solved!" Chen Shi said.


    "This is the motive for the murder? Geng Zhangle knew that Wang Mengqi was his son, so he had been obstructing their rtionship. But wouldn''t Wang Mengqi in killing Geng Zhangle be killing his father?"


    "From his point of view, Geng Zhangle, who is his biological father, is just a stranger. He and Geng Qing were deeply attached to each other. Suddenly, his future father-inw quietly told him one day that they couldn¡¯t be together because they were brother and sister. This was a big blow to Wang Mengqi. After thinking over it many times, if he couldn¡¯t solve the problem, he would get rid of the person who caused the problem. As long as Geng Zhangle was dead, no one would hinder them. Even if a normal couple has been together for decades, they wouldn¡¯t suddenly go nuts and do a paternity test... I checked. Wang Mengqi''s biological mother passed away a few years ago, and as long as Geng Zhangle dies, this secret would be buried forever."


    "How irrational. They can go abroad!" Peng Sijue said.


    "That''s your opinion as an outsider. For the parties involved, this solution will inevitably affect many factors. The most direct issue is whether Geng Qing can ept it or not. Murder is a kind of ultimate solution. This sentence can exin most murder motives."


    "So should we summon Wang Mengqi right now?" Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "No, let¡¯s do our homework again! We need to be well prepared."


    "In fact, I still hold a glimmer of hope in my heart that this is just his secret, and not the motive for the murder... An elder brother killed his father in order to be with his younger sister. It¡¯s hard to ept, even when just thinking about it."


    The whole case stillcked a piece of the jigsaw puzzle: the origin of the 400,000 yuan. After checking Wang Mengqi''s ount, he hadn¡¯t spent 400,000 yuan recently, but he had an inconspicuous expenditure of 3,000 yuan. The other party was a loanpany.


    The twoter found thepany. Thepany refused to disclose the borrower''s information. Chen Shi copied their interest rate table and roughly calcted it himself. He found that if he borrowed 400,000 yuan, the monthly interest would be exactly 3,000.


    Although Wang Mengqi had a lot of savings, he chose to borrow money from a loanpany, hand the cash to Geng Zhangle, and then pay for the poison using Geng Zhangle¡¯s card. This meticulousness was to be praised. If Chen Shi hadn¡¯t caught him, the police might not have found out this inconspicuous lead.


    This case almost became an ordinary ident, but it was identally solved by Chen Shi. Now, it was time for the truth toe to light...

 Chapter 643: Unavoidable Problem

    <h4>Chapter 643: Unavoidable Problem</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, Wang Mengqi was summoned to the bureau. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were responsible for questioning him. Chen Shi said, "Mr. Wang, we meet again."


    "If you have something to say, then hurry up and say it. I still have work to do." Wang Mengqi looked impatient.


    Chen Shi turned on aptop and yed a video. This was a copy of the surveince footage from a supermarket opposite Wang Mengqi¡¯spany. Wang Mengqi raised his eyebrows slightly while looking at the video, because the person who left thepany in the video was himself. And the time was 4:00 pm on November 19th.


    "We asked about your alibi that day. You said that you were talking to Geng Qing using thepany''sndline, but we investigated the surveince outside yourpany and found that you had left at 4:00 in the afternoon that day. Where did you go?"


    Chen Shi continued to y the next video, which was surveince footage from outside the park, then he paused the video. He pointed to a man dressed in ck who walked into the park. "I asked you if you have this outfit, right?"


    "I have replied already. Those clothes are very ordinary. I¡¯m not the only one who owns them. This can¡¯t be used as evidence.¡±


    "But we found your ride-hailing record for that afternoon at the Inte ride-hailingpany. The destination was the park. How do you exin that?"


    Wang Mengqi gritted his teeth and knitted his eyebrows.


    "Are you thinking that you let one detail slip out of a hundred secrets?" Chen Shi demanded.


    "Even if you call for a ride, you don¡¯t necessarily have to get in!" He tried to quibble.


    "What beautiful sophistry! It''s like when US President Clinton said that the semen found on the secretary''s skirt didn¡¯t mean that there was sex involved. Should we ask that driver to identify you?"


    "I''m very busy at work, and sometimes my superiors have to cancel the previous n with a single call, so I may not take the ride even after calling for one." Wang Mengqi exined forcefully while covered in cold sweat.


    "We will verify this matter. Regarding your alibi, I think it was forged like this. The call between you and Geng Qing started at 4:00. You attached a mobile phone to the handset of thendline and used it from a distance. In fact, when you presented this alibi, I was a little skeptical. Why did you use yourpany¡¯sndline to make a call? We investigated your record of using the officendline and found that you only used it to make internal calls and never made outbound calls. Doesn¡¯t it imply something like ¡®There aren¡¯t 300 taels of silver buried here.¡¯?"[1]


    Wang Mengqi seemed to be infuriated, and raised his chin. "If you have something to say, get to the point. Don''t talk in such a roundabout manner."


    "We suspect that you killed Geng Zhangle."


    "Haha! Just because of this ¡®evidence¡¯? The park is a public area that anyone can go to, and I am the murderer because I¡¯ve been to the park? What''s my motivation?"


    Lin Dongxue handed him a paternity test result. When Wang Mengqi saw it, there was definitely something wrong with his facial expression. Chen Shi said, "Geng Zhangle is your biological father. I think he¡¯s already told you this secret. He arranged for his daughter and Director Wei¡¯s son to have a blind date. He asked you for money to send Geng Qing to study abroad. The purpose was to separate the two of you. Geng Zhangle¡¯s feelings for you were veryplicated. You are his own flesh and blood. When he was young, he loved your mother and blood is thicker than water. He obviously liked you, but he definitely could not let you two siblings get married!"


    "He liked me?" Wang Mengqi roared. "This old bastard knew who I was from the beginning. He kept asking me for this and that. Later, he asked me directly for money, as if it was his right. As a biological father, he never did anything for me, but now he was there obstructing my rtionship with Geng Qing. One day, he told me the truth. I am his son, and Geng Qing and I are brother and sister. Everything was a sin hemitted when he was young. Now, we had to pay the debt!"


    "So you killed him?"


    "No!!!" Wang Mengqi tly denied. His expression had clearly already betrayed him. "I haven''t killed anyone, and I don''t know how Geng Zhangle died. Besides, he is my father. How could I possibly kill my father?"


    "Geng Zhangle died of a kind of poison. We have already investigated and found that it costs 400,000 yuan to buy this poison. You borrowed 400,000 cash from a loanpany, handed it to Geng Zhangle, and then at noon before his death, gave the card to the person who sold you the drug in exchange. That afternoon, you carried out the murder."


    After Chen Shi exposed the truth, Wang Mengqi was sweating like rain, but his face still looked stubborn. Heughed, "These are all your spections. There¡¯s no such thing at all. You said he was killed by poison. What poison is it? If you can''t find that out, then it¡¯s sudden death!"


    Chen Shi had expected that he would reverse checkmate them like this. After all, this was an unknown poison that he bought for 400,000 yuan. Indeed, even if he was sent to court, he would be released because of insufficient evidence.


    This 400,000 was well worth it!


    Lin Dongxue secretly exchanged nces with Chen Shi. At this point in the interrogation, it had basically been proved that Wang Mengqi was the suspect, but there was a huge obstacle in front of them.


    "Should we detain him?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "What''s the point of detaining him?" Today''s goal has been achieved.¡± Chen Shi said, "Let''s release him first!"


    When leaving the interrogation room, Wang Mengqi''s clothes were already soaked in cold sweat. Chen Shi said to him, "Mr. Wang, you and I both know what you did. There will be evidence sooner orter."


    Wang Mengqi''s arrogance was aroused. Staring at Chen Shi''s eyes, he whispered, "Go ahead and investigate. No one can stop us from being together!"


    After he left, Lin Dongxue said, "I had expected that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to get him to confess, but the clues are clear now. We¡¯ll concentrate all our energy into investigating him! I will go and report this to Captain Lin."


    "I''ll go to Old Peng¡¯s side to see what progress he has made."


    Chen Shi went to the forensics department, and was told that Peng Sijue wasn¡¯t there but in the reading room. Chen Shi was able to find Peng Sijue in the reading room. There were several thick books on toxicology, chemistry, and radiology in front of him.


    Seeing Peng Sijue''s dark eye circles and increasingly pale face, he probably hadn¡¯t slept all night. Chen Shi sat down beside him and asked, "Do you have to work so hard?"


    "I might have figured it out..." Peng Sijue''s voice was a little hoarse. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Apany me to smoke a cigarette outside."


    Out in the corridor, Peng Sijue put a cigarette in his mouth with shaking hands. Chen Shi lit it up for him and said with a pained heart, "You spent the night in the library looking up materials? How young do you think you are? Still staying up all night like this?"


    Exhaling a puff of smoke, Peng Sijue mustered up some energy with difficulty. He said, "If I don''t figure it out, I can''t sleep well at night. Speaking of sleeping, I just took a nap in the library. I got a revtion in my dream that the poison may be potassium!"


    "Potassium?"


    "This is a radioactive substance, but it¡¯s also a trace element required by the human body. Bananas contain potassium. Excessive potassium can cause arrhythmia and respiratory arrest. If it exceeds the limit one hundred or one thousand times, the heart will stop beating instantly. In both cases of death, it was found that the blood potassium of the deceased was excessive. The first thing I thought of was snake venom, because snake venom would produce this pathology, but I didn¡¯t find snake venom after several instances of spectrum analysis and deproteinization. I had a revtion in the dream just now that it was potassium that killed them, high-dose, concentrated potassium. Potassium is a substance that exists in the body itself. Furthermore, the killer set up an interference, so we couldn¡¯t detect it.¡±


    "Too amazing. No wonder you were a brilliant forensics student. You came up with the answer anyway. The suspect has just left. I''ll go chase him down now and formalize the arrest!"


    "It''s useless." Peng Sijue shook his head tiredly. "This is just a spection. Although it¡¯s a spection that¡¯s infinitely close to the truth, it¡¯s still a spection. We can''t prove how the potassium had entered the deceased''s body, unless we can get a sample of this poison that proves the business rtionship between the suspect and the drug maker!"


    "So, we still have to catch Xu Fa?" Chen Shi pondered. The truth was close at hand but they couldn¡¯t get to it in a straightforward manner. This feeling was very ufortable!


    1. It means to make something obvious while trying to hide something. Origin of the story: A man named Zhang Shan saved up 300 taels of silver after years of hard work. He didn¡¯t know where to store the money safely and decided to dig a hole behind his house and bury the silver taels in it. Then he wrote ¡°There aren¡¯t 300 taels of silver buried here¡± and left his silver there. His neighbor stumbled across the note and thought it was obvious that silver was buried there. He stole the silver and wrote a note saying ¡°Your neighbor didn¡¯t steal this.¡± in turn.

 Chapter 644: New Victim

    <h4>Chapter 644: New Victim</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the middle of the night, a secret conversation took ce quietly over the Inte.


    "Mr. Xu, the police are already suspecting me. The guy surnamed Chen really lives up to his reputation. When he exposed the truth, it was as though he had seen it with his own eyes."


    "It can only be said that you were unlucky he came across this case."


    "I want to ask you a favor!"


    "You want to kill the guy surnamed Chen? If you do it yourself, I will give you the drug for free. If you¡¯re asking me to do it, I wouldn¡¯t even if you gave me 100 million."


    "No, the police really couldn¡¯t figure out the drug you gave me and I¡¯m very thankful! I want to buy two more syringes. You don''t have to send them to me. Use them to kill people randomly. I will definitely pay the money."


    "If it bes a serial murder case, the police will divert their attention away from you. Haha, so smart!"


    "Can I?"


    "One life is worth 1 million."


    "I can afford it, but I can''t pay you right now. If I move my funds, the police will find out."


    "It doesn''t matter. You and I have worked together several times. I trust your personal character. You can pay after this storm passes."


    "Thank you so much!"


    On November 26th, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi stood at the scene of the crime. The divers were salvaging items from the bottom of the river. Although the hope was slim, it was still worth a try in case Wang Mengqi had thrown the syringe into the water aftermitting murder.


    A diver came out of the water and screamed. The police immediately leaned over and asked what he had found. The diver said, "No, my balls were mped by a lobster... There are actually lobsters in the water here."


    "They¡¯re crayfish!"[1] Old Zhangughed out loud.


    Everyone dispersed in frustration and continued to wait for the results. Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, we¡¯re using all our manpower to investigate Wang Mengqi right now. Some matters concerning him have surfaced. I suspect that he¡¯s involved in other cases."


    "This isn¡¯t his first murder?"


    "One of hispetitors died unexpectedly on the way home three years ago. Anotherpetitor died unexpectedly when he went to the toilet after going out drinking. His biological mother suddenly diedte at night after undergoing stent surgery. The doctor said that the operation had been very sessful. The cause of death for the three could not be found... One sudden death isn¡¯t suspicious, but when four sudden deaths happen around the same person, it¡¯s very suspicious."


    "How much poison did Xu Fa sell?!" Chen Shi sighed. "This case is a window for us to see the truth."


    The diver came up again, and Old Zhang asked, "What mped you this time?"


    "I found a gold ne..." the diver said, raising his hand.


    After the whole morning, they had found a lot of things under the water, including wine bottles, rings, dentures, lighters, and lots of mobile phones. The most shocking thing was a baby¡¯s skeleton that had been packed in a sack. But this was another case, and it was handed over directly to another branch. Evidence that was rted to the current case didn¡¯t appear.


    No wonder scavengers often picked up good items when they tied strong mas to a rope before throwing it to the bottom of the water.


    "Okay, we didn''t find anything. We¡¯ve wasted the whole morning." Lin Dongxue said, discouraged.


    "Police investigations are like this. Zero percent progress to one hundred percent can happen in a sh. Let''s go and eat. I heard that there¡¯s a grilled fish restaurant nearby."


    "Okay! Okay!" Lin Dongxue was very happy when she heard him talk about eating grilled fish, and she pped her hands excitedly.


    After eating a blissful meal of grilled fish with spicy sauce, Lin Dongxue received Peng Sijue''s message telling them to head back. In the afternoon, the two returned to the bureau. Peng Sijue was about to dissect a corpse. Lin Qiupu was also there. The man lying on the autopsy table was a thin young man who had no obvious signs of trauma.


    Chen Shi sighed inwardly. "Is it the same murder method again?"


    Peng Sijue nodded. "He was a college student on campus. Someone found him with his arms crossed and leaning on a tree in the morning. They thought he was waiting for someone, because he was opposite the female dormitory. Later, a ssmate touched him and found that he was dead. He had ¡®stood¡¯ there all night!"


    "The nameless poison?"


    "The potassium in his blood is off the charts. Look here..." Peng Sijue pointed to the arm of the corpse which had a round red dot on it that had been left by a needleless syringe.


    Lin Qiupu said, "There should be no connection between the deceased and the suspect this time, but we obtained the surveince footage and found that a man in a ck jacket had entered the campus yesterday. It¡¯s very simr to the previous case in the park. You should go and investigate it!"


    "No connection?" Chen Shi instantly understood. "Could it be that Wang Mengqi intends tomit indiscriminate murders to mislead us?"


    "Isn''t that crazy? The whole of the police force is focusing on him right now, yet he stillmits crimes when the storm hasn¡¯t passed?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It seems that it¡¯s necessary for us to meet him again."


    The two went to see Wang Mengqi. He was keeping Geng Qingpany at her house. When the police came to the door, Wang Mengqi wasn¡¯t flustered at all and went outside to talk to them alone. Chen Shi asked straightaway, "Where were youst night?"


    Wang Mengqi smiled. "I¡¯ve been on annual leave recently, and I¡¯ve been keeping Geng Qingpany the whole time. We were in a hotelst night."


    "Which hotel?"


    Wang Mengqi told them the name of the hotel.


    Chen Shi said, "I really admire you. You personally killed Geng Zhangle, yet you can still stay with Geng Qing unmoved andfort her."


    "You can say whatever you like!" Wang Mengqi said with disdain. "There¡¯s no evidence, so all spections are fictitious. I sincerely advise you not to waste time on this case. It¡¯s meaningless." He smiled and nced at Lin Dongxue.


    His expression saying "The police can''t do anything to me." was really disgusting. Chen Shi said, "Mr. Wang, you won¡¯t be able to act so recklessly for long."


    "You can see yourself out!"


    When they got downstairs, Geng Qing chased after them. She asked, "Why do you guys look for him again and again? You even brought him to the bureau that day. Could he be rted to my father''s death? This is impossible. Hisrtionship with my dad has always been very harmonious."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Little Sister, sorry, we can''t disclose anything."


    "Please, tell me, I beg you. I don''t want to be kept in the dark. He said he wanted us to go to the hotel to take my mind off my grief yesterday, because I would be reminded as long as I stayed at this house, but we quarreled all night. I wanted to know why the police are looking for him. If I ask him, he gets angry. He¡¯s been behaving abnormallytely and it makes me very scared. Please tell me. I can''t take it anymore!" At this, the fragile girl cried again.


    Lin Dongxue empathized with her feelings. Chen Shi also had a secret that he kept from her. For this reason, the two have quarreled several times, but she couldn¡¯t tell her the truth as it would only be a bigger blow for her. For this girl, it would be a deadly blow.


    While hesitating on what to say to her, Wang Mengqi came down and said with a serious face, "What are you telling her? Are you trying to drive a wedge between us?"


    "Enough!" Geng Qing roared, "What on earth are you hiding? Did you do something wrong? Why have you been like a gunpowder barrel with me these past two days?!"


    Wang Mengqi frowned, not knowing how to answer. Lin Dongxue announced, "He¡¯s not suspected of murder!"


    Geng Qing and Wang Mengqi both froze for a while.


    Telling this lie was purely because she didn¡¯t have the heart to see Geng Qing be the ultimate target of his grievances. Lin Dongxue continued, "We are looking for Mr. Wang because there are some details that need to be verified. In fact, he¡¯s not the only one, we¡¯ve also visited other people four or five times. Don''t think too much."


    "Yes, that''s it!" Wang Mengqi let out a sigh of relief and used the opportunity to say, "I¡¯ve said that you police are super inefficient in doing things. You can just phone me to ask about these things, but you have to make a trip over."


    The doubts in Geng Qing''s heart vanished, and she burst into tears in Wang Mengqi''s arms. Lin Dongxue said to him, "Wang Mengqi, can you treat Geng Qing better? She is now the person closest to you."


    Wang Mengqi widened his eyes and watched the two leave with aplicated expression.


    1. They are smaller than lobsters and live in freshwater.

 Chapter 645: Diverting The Focus

    <h4>Chapter 645: Diverting The Focus</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the hotel and verified Wang Mengqi''s alibi for yesterday. After leaving the hotel, Chen Shi kept frowning. No matter what Lin Dongxue said, he kept silent.


    "It wasn¡¯t Wang Mengqi who killed the second victim, but the same technique was used!" Chen Shi said.


    "Anyone can tell. I think this is another case."


    "Could this really be another case? The victim was just a student. It costs 400,000 yuan to buy this drug. Is there such a rich person in his circle? Those who buy this drug would try to make the deceased look as though they¡¯ve died naturally as much as possible in order to not attract the attention of the police. However, this student, like Geng Zhangle, was arranged in a pose and discovered by someone in public. It seemed as though they wanted us to find him. I suspect that Wang Mengqi is bribing Xu Fa to help him fake a serial murder case in order to confuse us."


    Lin Dongxue nced at her phone. "My brother told us to go to the college to investigate the interpersonal rtionships of the victim."


    "No, we should do something else right now!"


    When Chen Shi got into the car, Lin Dongxue was baffled. He believed his own spection. It was no coincidence that the two simr murders happened consecutively. He nned to question Lin Tao again.


    The drug dealer Lin Tao who was arrested previously had been very uncooperative. No matter what they asked, he¡¯d talk nonsense. This time was no exception. No matter what Chen Shi asked him, he would say, "Go to hell, you guys!" with a disdainful sneer on his face.


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to turn off the recorder and Lin Dongxue said, "No, it''s against the regtions."


    "Then you should go out first. I will stay alone with this kid for a bit."


    Lin Dongxue said uneasily, "Don''t go overboard!"


    Only the two of them were left in the room. Chen Shi walked up to Lin Tao. Lin Tao rolled his eyes and looked at him with disdain curling his lips. However, his trembling legs betrayed him. He was very nervous at that moment.


    Chen Shi clenched his fist, deliberately creating a tense atmosphere. "You gave Wang Mengqi his drug?"


    Lin Tao momentarily showed a flustered expression. However, he stubbornly answered, "Who¡¯s Wang Mengqi? Your father?"


    "Do you know where Xu Fa lives?"


    Lin Tao shook his head. "I don''t know a Xu Fa."


    Chen Shi was observing his expressions. He was sure that Lin Tao knew where Xu Fa was, but when he asked this, he had already reached the limit, and he couldn''t get any specific information without prying his mouth open.


    "Do you want drugs?" Chen Shi asked in a low voice.


    Lin Tao''s eyes widened and his pupils shrank. He had been in the detention center for the past two days, and he hadn''t touched any drugs. His addiction had started bothering him long ago.


    "Stop fooling me. The police can''t do this kind of thing."


    "I can get some."


    Lin Tao swallowed, "Don''t bluff me..."


    Chen Shi immediately went to Lin Qiupu for drugs. Two days ago, the police had seized methamphetamine from a nightclub, but it hadn¡¯t been transferred to the narcotics team yet. Lin Qiupu said, "What are you doing? How can you give the suspect drugs?"


    "Captain Lin, I have every reason to believe that this poisoning case is about to turn into a serial murder case. Confusing the opponent has always been Zhou Tiannan''s forte. Do you remember the original pistol posting case? In order to divert the attention of the police, 16 pistols were sent to different people, and we were tortured! Xu Fa was Zhou Tiannan¡¯s subordinate, and he¡¯s also very good at this. Right now, we must do whatever it takes to ask for clues. Otherwise, someone else will die! Since the seized drugs need to be chemically destroyed anyway, does it really matter if we give this scum a hit?"


    "Using drugs seized by the police in exchange for information. Do you know how big a vition that is?" Lin Qiupu was firm and determined.


    "Yes, regtions are greater than human lives!" Chen Shi roared in dissatisfaction.


    Lin Qiupu frowned, "This is just your spection."


    "We have fought with Zhou Tiannan and his subordinates so many times. You still haven''t figured out what they¡¯re like? You¡¯re still fixing problems only as theye? Isn¡¯t it frustrating for you to be on the losing end so many times?"


    Chen Shi¡¯s words struck a chord in Lin Qiupu¡¯s heart, but he still couldn¡¯t make up his mind. "You have no evidence."


    "When fighting against this group of people, it will be toote when there¡¯s evidence. Think about the previous case!"


    After a moment of silence, Lin Qiupu sighed. "I will apany you to interrogate him."


    He took a small bag of methamphetamine from the evidence room and went to the interrogation room with Chen Shi. Lin Tao was an old hand. He became excited when he saw the ice-like powder in the bag, and pleaded, "Give me a hit! Give me a hit! I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know if you give me a single hit."


    Lin Qiupu shook the bag in his hand. "Where is Xu Fa?"


    "Let me have some first!" Lin Tao already had cold sweat all over his head as he stared straight at the powder.


    "Where is Xu Fa? This is yourst chance. You need to first reveal a little information before we give you this."


    Lin Tao knew that he didn''t have much room for bargaining, so he gave out an address. Lin Qiupu snorted and put away the bag, "We''ll verify the address and talk about itter!"


    "You¡¯re a liar. A liar will have their whole family killed!" Lin Tao shouted in the interrogation room.


    "How cruel. At least give him a methadone tablet." Chen Shi said.


    "It¡¯s not that I¡¯m blindly following the rules. It¡¯s that the police can¡¯t cross the line even once. If you cross it once, there¡¯ll be a next time. The police are a legalized violent organization. If we don¡¯t follow these rules and regtions that you find ridiculous, we will be no different from criminals in the end... We will have the answers to the investigation soon. I¡¯ll ask Old Peng to get him a methadone tablet, so that this kid won¡¯t keep the other detainees up at night with his yelling."


    "I will investigate it!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed to the address immediately and arrived at the door. Lin Dongxue was well-prepared. She took out a reverse peephole viewer and looked inside. She said, "There isn¡¯t anyone inside the house."


    "I¡¯ll just open the lock directly then."


    Chen Shi unlocked the door in an experienced manner. The house seemed to have been unupied for a long time. There wasn¡¯t much furniture and aputer was ced by the window. Chen Shi turned it on but it was password-protected. He called Sun Zhen and asked him to send a XX software to his mobile phone, and then connected it to theputer with a data cable. After a while, they bypassed the password, and he said to Lin Dongxue, "Simple hacking trick."


    There were games on theputer. They opened a messaging app and the records on it were deletedpletely. This was the minimum amount of vignce required for a criminal. Chen Shi called on Sun Zhen¡¯s off-site support again. Sun Zhen said, ¡°Turn off the anti-virus software, log in to a website, and I will help you remotely. I can¡¯t even y a round of my game in peace!"


    "Sorry, it''s urgent."


    Chen Shi logged in to the website sent by Sun Zhen, and theputer automatically loaded the Trojan. Then the mouse icon moved on its own. Sun Zhen had already taken over theputer remotely. A videocam window appeared on the desktop. Sun Zhen''s face appeared in it, and he greeted them with a smile, "Sister-in-Law, how are you... Brother Chen, what do you need me to do?"


    "The owner deleted the recent chat history. Please restore it."


    "Okay!"


    Lock-picking and the use of hacking techniques were already considered illegal tactics. Chen Shi thought that Lin Qiupu was really exaggerating.


    However, thinking about it again, he wasn¡¯t a police officer after all, which was why he was so unruly. It was hard to specify limits for some matters. A good policeman may notpletely abide by the regtions, but they must be able to face their own conscience.


    Restoring the chat history was a piece of cake. It didn¡¯t take long for him to find arge number of temporary backup files for the chat history. Among them, the content of one file surprised Chen Shi. It was a chat record from the evening of November 24th:


    "Mr. Xu, the police are already suspecting me. The guy surnamed Chen really lives up to his reputation. When he exposed the truth, it was as though he had seen it with his own eyes."


    "It can only be said that you were unlucky he came across this case."


    "I want to ask you a favor!"


    "You want to kill the guy surnamed Chen? If you do it yourself, I will give you the drug for free. If you¡¯re asking me to do it, I wouldn¡¯t even if you gave me 100 million."


    "No, the police really couldn¡¯t figure out the drug you gave me and I¡¯m very thankful! I want to buy two more syringes. You don''t have to send them to me. Use them to kill people randomly. I will definitely pay the money."

 Chapter 646: Setting A Tempting Trap

    <h4>Chapter 646: Setting A Tempting Trap</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "You guessed correctly! Xu Fa really intends to kill people indiscriminately!" Lin Dongxue said in surprise.


    "This conversation happened two days ago..." Chen Shi looked around. "Could it be that Xu Fa still lives here?"


    "Let me call for reinforcements!"


    Chen Shi looked at the chat log and fell into deep thought. He said, "Little Worm, look at what else has been deleted."


    "Okay."


    Sun Zhen created a document folder and restored the deleted things into the folder one by one. He said, "Although this person is a chemistry expert, he isn¡¯t aputer expert. The deletion wasn¡¯t professional at all. If you really want to delete these things without them ever being recovered, you should fill the hard drive with trash after deleting the documents and then delete them again."


    "Fortunately, you didn''t teach this at the time." Chen Shi whispered, lest Lin Dongxue, who was making a call at the door, heard it.


    "This isn¡¯t a high-level technique. There¡¯s nothing to teach... By the way, since we¡¯re dealing with Xu Fa this time, I will ask Miss Gu and kk to help too! We¡¯ve agreed to deal with ''old friends'' together."


    kk said from beyond the screen, "You just want to see Sister Gu! She has a boyfriend and you¡¯re still thinking about her, isn¡¯t that considered improper?


    Sun Zhen replied, "Get lost!"


    Chen Shi said, "Gu You doesn¡¯t need toe over since she can¡¯t help. Get kk to stand by. Maybe we¡¯ll find a use for him!"


    There were several web pages in the recovered files. Chen Shi clicked on them and found that it was a college website. He searched for the name of the second victim and found it. Could this be Xu Fa''s way of searching for "prey"?


    Even if it was indiscriminate murder, he would still choose the target first and make sure that there are no unstable factors around them that could interfere. He was really cautious.


    Chen Shi wanted to guess who Xu Fa''s next target was from this, but he had browsed too many pages and Chen Shi didn¡¯t know where to start.


    Chen Shi wrote down all the people with specific addresses he could find. On the map, the ce where the second case had urred was five kilometers away. ording to the hypothesis in criminal geography, the next crime should be no further than ten kilometers away, but this scope was still too big.


    The college was a good ce. There are almost no people around at night. After killing someone, you could leave their body outside and retreat.


    What would I do if I were Xu Fa? Chen Shi pondered.


    "Who had the second victim contacted before his death?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Dongxue went through the chat log of the task force group and answered, "An unknown number that we couldn¡¯t track down. They only talked for one minute."


    "Xu Fa will make an appointment with the victim in advance and lure them to a ce where it would be easy to take action..." Chen Shi pointed to the screen. "From now on, monitor the phones of these people!"


    "How can we do that?"


    "We¡¯ll just need their consent. I think they¡¯ll cooperate." Then he said to Sun Zhen, "Come over, we need your help!"


    Afterwards, the police rushed over and the house was left for them to monitor, in case Xu Fa returned. Sun Zhen and kk met with Chen Shi at the bureau. kk was still a little nervous when he saw a bunch of police officers. Facing Lin Qiupu¡¯s question, Chen Shi answered, "They are friends of mine."


    "Informants?"


    "I¡¯ve already said they¡¯re friends! Good buddies!"


    Lin Qiupu nced suspiciously at the two of them. They didn¡¯t look very respectable and he wondered where Chen Shi had met people of all sorts.


    For those potential targets, the police contacted them and said that they wished to monitor their mobile phones. Most of them were willing to cooperate, but a few were unwilling. So the police visited them and patiently tried to persuade them.


    Taking advantage of this time and with a little effort, Sun Zhen had already written a monitoring software for each person to install on their mobile phones, so that their calls and text messages would be fed back to the police in real-time. The police promised them that their privacy would be kept absolutely confidential.


    This skill garnered the admiration of Lin Qiupu. Although he felt that this was an unconventional gambit, he had to admit that it was also the most likely way to find Xu Fa.


    The monitoring process was extremely boring. Everyone sat in the conference room with headphones on their ears and ate instant noodles whenever they were hungry. Most of them were male police officers, who smoked as they sat there. Lin Dongxue stood up and turned on the air conditioner. The chilly wind blew on them and some police officers tactfully put out their cigarettes.


    Lin Dongxue sat down and whispered to Chen Shi, "When I be the captain, there will be a total ban on smoking in the team. What''s wrong with all of them?"


    "A modern Lin Zexu. I admire that!"[1] Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue''s gaze fell on kk. He was still holding a cigar shamelessly in his mouth, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-Law, can I be an exception? This doesn¡¯t produce much smoke."


    "Go and smoke it outside! Also, call me ¡®Officer Lin¡¯!"


    "Hey!" Old Zhang put down his earphones, "A suspicious courier just asked this person to go down and pick up a parcel!"


    "Who?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "An unemployed young man living alone..." Before he finished, the young man called and they turned on the speakerphone. The young man said, "Police officers, you guys guessed it correctly. Someone is targeting me. I didn''t buy anything but a courier suddenly asked me to go down in the middle of the night, saying something about fruit and how they would rot if I didn¡¯t take them... What should I do now?!"


    "Stall for time. Stall for as long as possible. We will head there now!" With that, everyone got ready to leave.


    They rushed all the way to the scene. Everyone left their cars outside the housing district and went on foot. There was no sign of Xu Fa around. There was only one courier in yellow clothes. Old Zhang called the young man. "Call them back!"


    Sure enough, it was the courier who answered the call. Lin Qiupu suspected that he might be Xu Fa''s subordinate, and gestured for the courier to be arrested.


    The crowd rushed up and apprehended the courier. Upon inspection, it was discovered that there was really a box of durians in his vehicle. The courier was very innocent and asked, "Why did you apprehend me? What did I do?"


    Old Zhang nced at the order receipt and called the young man, "Who is XX?"


    "Ah, my dad had sent it. Sorry, sorry!"


    The young man came down to take the fruit very guilty, and said that he wanted to invite everyone to eat them. Although it was a false rm, the police felt a bit disappointed.


    At this time, Sun Zhen called and said, "Brother Chen, there was a suspicious call just now. I suspect it¡¯s Xu Fa. I will send you the target¡¯s number and address... kk is already on the way there."


    Everyone got into their cars quickly, and Chen Shi called the target on the road. The other party was a girl. She said, "Police, please quickly save me. Just now, someone said that she was Zhang X from my hometown and asked me to head down. The number is hers, but I felt that something was wrong and called Zhang X. She never came to our school at all!"


    "Can you see that person?"


    "There is a man downstairs, it seems..." The girl lowered her voice. "What should I do?"


    "Is there anyone in the dormitory?"


    "There is!"


    "Don''t do anything. Don''t leave the dormitory. If he calls you again, say that you¡¯re getting dressed and wille down immediately."


    That school is five minutes away. Chen Shi thought. We can make it in time!


    Three minutester, the girl called back. "He¡¯s gone!"


    Chen Shi¡¯s heart thumped. Xu Fa was very vignt. The girl was talking on the phone just now while looking down. He had probably noticed something was wrong. Once he realized the danger, he might inject the poison into another person, so that there¡¯d be no evidence.


    The poison that cannot be detected only had value as legal evidence if they managed to obtain it!


    1. Lin Zexu was a Qing dynasty official whose opposition to the opium trade sparked the First Opium War.

 Chapter 647: Professionalism

    <h4>Chapter 647: Professionalism</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The police car arrived at the school gate, and Old Zhang went to look for the person in charge of the school to exin the situation. Lin Qiupu ordered, "After confirming Xu Fa''s identity, you can shoot if necessary. Try to avoid the vital points and be sure to get the drug from his possession."


    Xu Fa should still be in the school and the police didn¡¯t act immediately until Old Zhang called and said that the school had notified all the dormitory administrators. They had locked up the dormitories in order to prevent a hostage incident.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Lin Qiupu gave the order, and everyone began to search the school. Each and every flower bed and corner was carefully checked. Suddenly, several police officers shouted, "We found a suspicious person."


    "What¡¯s that look in your eyes? What do you mean by ¡®a suspicious person¡¯?" Someone walked out from behind a dormitory building, took off his helmet, and smoothed his dyed-blonde hair. It turned out to be kk. "Xu Fa was here just now. I was checking the footprints on the field. "


    "kk, you can search with us, so as not to confuse people." Chen Shi said.


    "Roger that!"


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and kk searched towards the direction of the teaching block. There were no lights on in the teaching block at night. Lin Dongxue was very nervous as she went up the stairs. She raised her gun and pointed it forward at every turn. They checked every floor and confirmed that Xu Fa wasn¡¯t in the building.


    "Teaching Block No. 4 is safe!" Lin Dongxue reported via radio.


    "Sister-in-Law, do you want to go over there for a look?" kk pointed down towards a small forest that had a smallke within.


    "We¡¯re going to the small forest opposite No. 4 Teaching Block to check." Lin Dongxue reported.


    "Be careful!" Lin Qiupu told them.


    The three of them went downstairs. The forest was extremely quiet at night. kk casually chattered away to boost their courage, but suddenly fell silent, because there was some suspicious movementing from a certain ce. The three of them walked over, brushed aside a bush, and saw two boys hugging each other in fear.


    The boys became even more frightened when Lin Dongxue¡¯s gun pointed at them and they said, "Don''t shoot! We¡¯re students."


    "College students nowadays are really open!" kkmented.


    "Stop talking so much!" Chen Shi reprimanded.


    "Hurry back to the dormitory. There¡¯s a criminal on campus." Lin Dongxue instructed the two boys.


    "Thank you, Auntie..."


    The two boys were about to leave as they said this, but Lin Dongxue stopped them. "Wait, don''t leave for now. It''s probably safer toe with us. If you¡¯re abducted by the criminal on the way, that¡¯ll be troublesome."


    "By the way, have you seen any suspicious people?" Chen Shi asked.


    Boy A shook his head and Boy B pointed at theke. "I seemed to hear the sound of water sshing just then."


    The group went to theke. Some aquatic nts grew on the bank of theke, but they had already withered by this season. kk picked up the pebbles on the ground and threw them into theke. Chen Shi said, "If he¡¯s hiding inside, he won¡¯te out even if you throw stones at him."


    "What should we do? Should Sister-in-Law fire a shot?"


    "Would shooting into the water scare the students?" Lin Dongxue asked Boy B. "Are you sure you heard someone going into the water?"


    "I''m not sure. I just heard a sshing sound. There don''t seem to be ducks in thiske. Or could it be the wind?" The boy couldn''t make up his mind.


    Lin Dongxue asked Lin Qiupu for further instructions. Lin Qiupu said that she could fire a warning shot. At that moment, Chen Shi noticed a furtive figure moving in the woods on the other side. He screamed, "Stop right there!"


    When the other party heard this, they ran away as fast as they could. kk and Chen Shi immediately ran after them. kk ran extremely fast and shouted from the front, "Brother Chen, it''s Xu Fa!"


    "Fire a warning shot!"


    Lin Dongxue fired her gun towards the sky, and the sound of the gun echoed on the empty campus, attracting the attention of all the police officers. Xu Fa fled at lightning speed but soon, police officers surrounded him on all sides.


    Getting closer, Chen Shi saw Xu Fa''s panicked face. This was the first time he had seen Xu Fa in real life. He was a slightly balding middle-aged man with an unprepossessing appearance.


    "Don''t move! We will shoot if you move!"


    Lin Qiupu led people running over from the other side.


    Xu Fa stood a few steps away from Chen Shi. Chen Shi didn''t dare to step forward any further and said, "Give up, you no longer have any means of escaping."


    "I fell into your hands in the end!" Xu Fa gritted his teeth and said something before he suddenly plunged the syringe into his own leg. Then he threw the syringe onto the ground and smashed it with force. At that moment, the drug took effect and he copsed as he sneered.


    The surrounding police officers were shocked. They didn''t expect him to resist arrest with death. Chen Shi was also startled. Xu Fa seemed to be doing more than just resisting arrest by this. Thest sentence he said, judging by the shapes his lips made, seemed to be: "Professionalism!".


    He was a drug seller who sold poison that the police couldn¡¯t detect. In the end, he "destroyed" the poison that could be used as evidence. In this way, there would be no evidence to prosecute Wang Mengqi with.


    What professionalism!


    "Xu Fa died just like that." kk was shocked, "I thought he would at least struggle a little."


    "A chemical crime master meeting with such an end seems to be in line with his identity." Chen Shi sighed with emotion.


    Afterwards, Peng Sijue brought people to the scene to collect evidence. Xu Fa was confirmed to be dead. The state of the body was simr to the previous two victims. It appeared to be the same drug, but the syringe had been crushed by him and was contaminated.


    The police scoured Xu Fa''s residencepletely, but no evidence rted to this poison was found.


    On November 27th, Wang Mengqi was summoned for questioning again. This time, they asked about the chat history between him and Xu Fa that was found on Xu Fa¡¯sputer. Wang Mengqi refused to admit that it was him no matter what. An ount with that particr socialworking software could be registered without using one¡¯s real identity. In the end, the police couldn¡¯t hold anything against him.


    Due to insufficient evidence, the procuratorate didn¡¯t sign the arrest warrant for Wang Mengqi. The police hoped that he would voluntarily admit his guilt during theirst attempt but they failed and Wang Mengqi was released.


    Before he left, Chen Shi said to him, "Do you know why you can get out of here safely today? Because Xu Fa destroyed the poison that could be used as evidence. He injected thest tube of poison into his own body. You should be thankful for his professionalism!"


    Wang Mengqi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about. Mr. Chen, I believe we will never meet again in this life."


    "Even if you can get away with it, there is no imprable wall in the world. Geng Qing, your younger sister, will find out everything one day. How can she ept this truth? Especially since you will be living together in the future. I¡¯m not warning you. I am suggesting this to you. If you really care for her, you should leave her!"


    Wang Mengqi said earnestly, "If I can''t be with Geng Qing, everything in the world is meaningless. From the time when I first found out about the truth, I was already consigned to eternal damnation, but so what? I can''t live without her!"


    "Well, good luck to you." Chen Shi ended the conversation as he watched his departing silhouette.

 Chapter 648: Brother and Sister’s Tragedy

    <h4>Chapter 648: Brother and Sister''s Tragedy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    It was night when a bunch of tulips were ced where Xu Fa died. The flower-presenter stood in the darkness and said towards the empty space, "We¡¯ve known each other for so long, but you still passed away before me. Although I normally don''t like you very much, as a friend, I will miss you... Dying in such a way can be considered a kind of release. Don''t worry, I will avenge you!"


    "Miss Ling!" A voice came from the dark.


    Ling Shuang was startled and saw Chen Shi, Gu You, Sun Zhen and kk walk out from the darkness. They had already been lying in ambush there. Chen Shi had guessed that someone woulde to pay respects, and it was as he had expected.


    The four people surrounded Ling Shuang. She was unprepared, so she frowned and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Chen Shi nced at the tulips on the ground, and said, "Xu Fa decided tomit suicide to prevent his client from being arrested. From a criminal''s point of view, he is a good role-model."


    "Stop acting like a cat weeping for a dead mouse!"[1] Ling Shuang said in disgust. "Did youe as a policeman today or as an ''old friend''?"


    "Of course it''s as an ''old friend''. I thought there would be two people who woulde to pay their respects, but you are the only one." Chen Shi said disappointedly. However, it was unsurprising. Ling Shuang''s identity was still clean, unlike Zhou Xiao, who was a wanted criminal.


    "Teacher Ling!" Although Ling Shuang was younger than Gu You, Gu You still addressed her respectfully. "I have read all your works. I admire your contributions towards the fields of social psychology and reflex regtion, but I also know your other identity. Just treat it as if I¡¯m talking too much. I hope you can mend your ways and not walk towards annihtion together with that person. His doom is already foreordained, but you¡¯re different. You can still turn back."


    "Thank you for your kindness!" Ling Shuang said stiffly. She looked around at the four people, "Let me ask you something. Who killed Zhou Tiannan?"


    "Even if I told you that it wasn''t us, you wouldn''t believe it, so just pretend that we did it!" Chen Shi said.


    Sun Zhen said, "Back then in the forum, you were also a person I admired very much. Why did you have to get mixed up with Zhou Tiannan and the others? You have a sessful career, unlike them.


    Hearing that Sun Zhen could say the name "Zhou Tiannan", Ling Shuang said with interest, "Your brainwashing has been undone?"


    "Miss Gu helped me. She is as good as you are." Sun Zhen said proudly.


    "So you guys came today to instigate me to switch sides?"


    "We don¡¯t need you to help us catch Zhou Xiao. We just hope you won¡¯t continue making mistakes. You must havemitted crimes previously, but fortunately, the police have no evidence. You can still live a normal life. The ship ''Zhou Tiannan'' is about to sink. You don''t need to be destroyed together with it." Chen Shi said.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Ling Shuangughed. ¡°Everyone has ambitions. Back then in the forum, everyone discussed criminal techniques and yed crime simtion games to show that they were rebellious and uninhibited. In fact, we are all the same kind of people in our bones, it¡¯s just that you guys did not dare to cross that line. Once you cross the line and have a taste of it, you¡¯ll be unable to stop. That¡¯s the meaning of my existence. Have you heard the story of ¡®The Frog and the Scorpion¡¯?[2] Some people are born as scorpions. That¡¯s my nature even if I know that I¡¯ll be doomed. You can kill me here, and be done with it, just like how you plotted Zhou Tiannan¡¯s murder and forced Xu Fa to die!¡±


    ¡°We will not be someone like you!¡± Chen Shi said, ¡°We didn''t kill Zhou Tiannan either! If youmit a crime in the future, we will assist the police in arresting you, using proper methods!¡±


    ¡°How boring it is to be proper!¡± Ling Shuang smiled, turning around to leave. Sun Zhen met Chen Shi''s meaningful nce and stepped aside to let her go.


    Ling Shuang disappeared into the night, and the four of them fell silent. Chen Shi took the lead to break the silence. "I know what you¡¯re all thinking, but it¡¯s definitely not possible. Today was just a face-to-face meeting, we won¡¯t do unnecessary things."


    "Will she retaliate against us?" kk said worriedly. He had been scared speechless by Ling Shuang''s aura just then.


    "It¡¯s hard for people to change. Sooner orter, she will n a crazy crime as the closing number for her criminal career." Gu You sighed.


    "We don''t have to be afraid of them. They¡¯re afraid of us!" Chen Shi said firmly.


    Half a monthter, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were staying at home on a rare day off. The sun was just right that day. Chen Shi ced a small potted nt on the balcony. Lin Dongxue leaned on him and said, "It¡¯s sprouting!"


    These seeds had been found in a password-encrypted box in Xu Fa¡¯s house. They were so carefully hidden that they seemed to be something important. Chen Shi had given them to Peng Sijue for testing. Peng Sijue had said, ¡°How can I test the seeds? nt them yourself and see what they are!"


    Now that the seeds have grown, it seemed that they weren¡¯t opium poppies or marijuana based on the seedlings, but just ordinary nts.


    At that moment, Lin Dongxue received a text message that read: "Someone jumped off a building. Do you want to go over?"


    "They also need me for cases where people jump off a building?"


    "The one who jumped off the building was Wang Mengqi."


    "Really? Let''s go!"


    Wang Mengqi had jumped off the building where Geng Qing lived. When they rushed to the scene, the police were collecting the body, and he had already been confirmed dead.


    Why did Wang Mengqi jump? Was it someone¡¯s revenge? Or did something happen to Geng Qing?


    With all these doubts, the two went upstairs. The door was locked. Chen Shi pried the door open directly. The house was deserted, enveloped in an ominous atmosphere. When the two went into the bedroom, Lin Dongxue cried out in fright.


    A rope made from a twisted bed sheet looped around Geng Qing''s neck and she hung from the window frame. When the two of them took her down, they found that she had already been dead for some time.


    "Suicide?"


    "Here¡¯s a suicide note..."


    Chen Shi picked up the suicide note on the bedside. It was indeed Geng Qing''s handwriting. The long suicide note was filled with details. It turned out that when Geng Qing was sorting through her father''s drawer, she had found a paternity test. It said that Geng Zhangle and Wang Mengqi were father and son.


    Putting together Wang Mengqi''s several summons by the police and the changes in his attitude after the incident, this sensitive girl had guessed who killed Geng Zhangle. It was difficult for her to ept the truth so she chose to end her life.


    After reading the suicide note, the two of them fell silent. The follow-up investigation revealed that Geng Qing had indeedmitted suicide. Wang Mengqi had opened the door and saw the scene. After staying alone in the house for a few hours, he resolutelymitted suicide by jumping off the building. Just like he had said, he couldn¡¯t live without Geng Qing.


    On the icy autopsy table, the pair who were both siblings and loversy together. Peng Sijue had confirmed their suicides, so there was no need for further autopsies. They were spared the fate of being dissected.


    Wang Mengqi¡¯swyer called the police, saying that he had sent a letter to thewyer before his death. Anyone who settled the funeral arrangements for him could get his estate, but on the condition that he and Geng Qing must be buried together and as husband and wife.


    "It was destiny." Facing the two corpses, Chen Shi said empathetically.


    Lin Dongxue felt doleful. She said, "Old Chen, is this considered true love?"


    "I think so, I hope they can..." Chen Shi didn''t know whether to say he hoped they would be lovers or siblings in their next lives. He could only say, "I hope they will be happy in their next lives!"


    1. Idiom for hypocritical pretense of offering condolences/crocodile tears.


    2. A reference to the story they had mentioned in the early chapters.

 Chapter 649: Strange Video

    <h4>Chapter 649: Strange Video</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 43: A Phoenix Gracefully Appears[1]


    After Xu Fa''s death, Long¡¯an enjoyed a period of rare tranquility. In January, the first snow of the year fell. A video sent to the police by an anonymous email broke the calm at the beginning of the year.


    In the video, a big fat man wearing a suit with his hairbed back was repeatedly hitting something with a blunt object. Red liquid was repeatedly sshed onto his face. The fat man¡¯s face was gloomy and his eyes were sinister. A denseyer of sweat beads formed on his forehead.


    He continued this action for a while, then stood up, straightened his cor, and said something. The video was muted.


    Everyone studied this weird video repeatedly. Many people''s first impression was that the fat man in the video was killing someone because judging from his lips, thest sentence seemed to be: "Find a ce to bury him.¡±.


    "Who is this person?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "I think we should first figure out whether this is real or if it¡¯s a film. The angle of the camera didn¡¯t look like a video taken from a surveince camera. We¡¯ve received some spoof videos before." Old Zhang said.


    "Can the IP address be traced?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    A police officer from the Information Department said, "The IP address is from a foreign country. A proxy IP was obviously used. The registration of that email was also randomly filled in."


    "I think someone wanted to report the crime, but they dare not disclose their identity. This fat guy looks very rich. There are even people watching him when he mits murder''. He might be a powerful man." Lin Dongxue spoke up about her spection.


    Nobody could identify who the person in the video was, so they went to the physical evidence center to conduct a facial feature recognition and then searched for the man in the household registration database. It took a few hours toe up with over a dozen candidate lists, including one person¡¯s face that closely resembled the one in the video. The person¡¯s name was Dong Xiao. After investigating, they found out that he was the president of the famous Zhuoyuan Communication. Thispany mainly engaged inmunications and electronics. The head office was in the northwest and a subsidiary had just been established in Long¡¯an. In the subsidiarypany, he was rumored to be a big fat man of three hundred catties. He usually went out, but there wasn¡¯t even a picture of him on the Inte.


    "Captain Lin, shall we go see him in person?" Old Zhang said.


    Lin Qiupu had a headache. To investigate using a video of unknown origins would only result in the door being shut in their faces. There also wasn¡¯t much value in meeting him directly. He said, "It¡¯s better to find out if anyone from Zhuoyuan Company has disappeared recently. Ideally, a corpse can be found. We can file a case if there¡¯s a corpse."


    "Shall I find Old Chen?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Okay, he¡¯s been idle long enough." Lin Qiupu said.


    Chen Shi was called and when he watched the video, he looked very excited. Lin Dongxue said, "Look at your face of happiness in the face of misfortune."


    "I can smell the scent of a big case. Ah right, this person is called Dong..."


    "Dong Xiao. I¡¯ve checked and he doesn¡¯t have a shabby background. It turned out to be a little-knownpany in the northwest. It suddenly rose up and expanded South, buying out severalpanies such as Long¡¯an''s Hanying Communication. I heard that it has mastered a core technology."


    "I remember that there was a mobile phone war for a while. At the time, you could buy a smartphone for two hundred yuan. This should be regarded as a viciouspetition. Later, Hanying Corporation went bankrupt... Shall we go and have a look now?"


    "Where are we going?"


    "Zhuoyuan Company."


    "My brother told us not to go for the time being, so as not to alert the snake."


    "Then what is it that you¡¯ve asked me here to do? Is there anything I can do?"


    "Everyone is looking for surveince footage around thatpany to see if there are any missing persons."


    "Let''s go as well!"


    Immediately, the two drove to Zhuoyuan Communication. The outstanding building was originally owned by Hanying Company. After Hanying was acquired, it was transferred to Zhuoyuan Company along with the real estate. The sculpture in front of the door was that of a drawn sword on a galloping horse. It is said that it was also created after melting the globalmunication sculpture in front of the Hanying Company, revealing a conqueror¡¯s spirit.


    The two got out of the car and looked up at this skyscraper. It felt very majestic. Chen Shi thought that thepany was a small kingdom with the cloak of civilization. Just like tribes in primitive times, people are tied together by interests to form a closed power structure. Behind the many systems and the shiny ss wall, who knew what secrets were hidden inside.


    There were already other officers busying around, and the two of them also helped to find nearby surveince footage. This job was boring, just like sales promotion. When they arrived at each store, they repeated the monotonous words, "Hello, we are from the Public Security Bureau. We want to see the surveince footage from the store."


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "Why don''t we start with that email?"


    "You think we didn¡¯t check that? The IP address couldn¡¯t be found."


    "I mean, since it''s an email and the other party wants to report the crime, you can reply to the email to ask. The sender must know something.¡±


    Lin Dongxue was stunned momentarily. Unexpectedly, they hadn¡¯t thought of such a simple thing. They could really just send over an email.


    At this time, a long ck car stopped at the door, followed by a Rolls-Royce. A tall and burly man came down from the Rolls-Royce. His muscles were so full that his suit looked like it would explode. He jogged over to the car in front to open the door. Chen Shi noticed that he had a naked woman tattoo on his right hand in the space between the index finger and thumb.


    A woman stepped out from the long car. She was wearing a tight-fitting qipao with fox fur around her neck. She had a very beautiful figure. Even her back had the lethality to make all men crazed. She nodded to the burly man as thanks, twisted her slender waist, and walked into the building slowly.


    "Who is that man?" "Who is that woman?"


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi asked almost at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled. The two of them were both lecherous.


    The store manager was also staring at the woman''s back in a daze. Then, he came back to his senses and said, "The man is the vice president of Zhuoyuan Company, Lu Qi. The woman is amazing..." The store manager lowered his voice. " I heard that she¡¯s President Dong¡¯s new love. President Dong is almost 60 years old but he found a beauty as beautiful as flowers and jade. Haii, we can¡¯t imagine the life of a rich man."


    "I guess she must look like a vixen!"[2] Chen Shi said, expressing his loyalty to Lin Dongxue.


    "Haha, she doesn¡¯t just have a killer back. I saw her face that time. Wow, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep all night. Then I saw President Dong¡¯s appearance and I cried. He looks like that, but he has such a beautiful girl giving herself to him. This world is so unfair... Haii, we need to make money!"


    Leaving this store, the car outside has already driven away. Lin Dongxue sighed, "They really had a good figure!"


    "You mean the male or female?"


    "I¡¯m talking about that woman and her small waist... Haii, I''m really ashamed[3]."


    "You¡¯re not bad yourself!"


    Lin Dongxue pinched her waist. "No, it seems I¡¯ve gained weight recently. Haii, don''t always invite me to dinner."


    "Is it my fault again?"


    1. Auspicious sign.


    2. Used negatively in this sense to say she¡¯s a female fox rather than just sexually attractive.


    3. Ashamed in the sense of one¡¯s inferiority.

 Chapter 650: The Dong Group

    <h4>Chapter 650: The Dong Group</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the next few days, everyone was looking for clues in the surveince videos they found. Everyone¡¯s eyes had almost shrunk into two ck holes. However, the videos that could be found were all within seven days. What was even more painful was figuring out who the missing person was. They didn''t have a clue at all. They didn''t know whether they were male or female, old or young, and they could only search around blindly.


    This time, Chen Shi seriously helped. After watching surveince footage for two days, he said, "Watching surveince videos is really boring. I feel like I could watch a bad movie with gusto if you gave one to me right now."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "Does Brother Chen know that there¡¯s a foreign film called "Sleep"? It¡¯s the longest film in the world and they just filmed a person sleeping for five hours. [1]


    "It must be wonderful." Chen Shi smiled.


    "I''d rather watch that!" Xu Xiaodong rubbed his eyes, took a sip of coffee, and barely mustered enough spirit to continue to look at theputer.


    They had sent a reply to the email ording to Chen Shi¡¯s suggestion, but there was still no response. Chen Shi also suggested checking the people around Dong Xiao to see if there was a strange disappearance. It turned out that Dong Xiao was an orphan and had been married several times. He divorced all of them, had no children, and all his ex-wives were alive.


    The police also investigated the people around him. The first was Vice President Lu Qi. This person turned out to be an executive of anothermunicationspany. When Dong Xiao led the Zhuoyuan Company to the south, he suddenly jumped ship and became the Vice President. The originalpany was immediately annexed. Some people in the industry spected that Lu Qi sold out his original boss and stole some core technology for Dong Xiao. If this matter was found out, Lu Qi may have to go to jail.


    Lu Qi was just as mysterious as Dong Xiao. He has almost never been interviewed by the media. The only piece of news about him that could be found was from around ten years ago. Lu Qi started his own business in the 1990s and was a very hard worker. Back then, this energetic young man took a small personal handy-phone system[2] to Shenzhen to earn his first pot of gold. He married once but got divorced because he was busy with his career and didn¡¯t have time for his family. However, this report wasn¡¯t verified and seemed like a spection, so it didn¡¯t hold much value.


    Regarding Dong Xiao¡¯s new love, Su Chan, it is said that she used to be a model and was part of a few unpopr movies. Later, she met Dong Xiao through a mutual connection and was taken care of by him. In fact, Dong Xiao still has a wife and Su Chan is just an extramarital affair.


    The police turned their attention to the inside of thepany and asked some cleaners and security guards for information. They didn¡¯t know anyone who had disappeared recently in thepany.


    A few days passed and there was no progress at all. The weird and spooky video was repeatedly studied, but nothing could be seen from it.


    On January 16th, Chen Shi announced loudly in the conference room, "I will go crazy from watching the surveince footage for another day. Let me go directly to see Dong Xiao himself!"


    Lin Qiupu stopped him, "How can we investigate without evidence?"


    "Why don''t you bring the surveince footage back from the entire country? You can definitely see 10,000 cases happening in them. It¡¯s energy. Energy. We don''t have unlimited energy. The investigation hasn''t started yet, but everyone has already withered away frombor."


    Many people concurred in their hearts and silently nodded in agreement. Lin Qiupu said, "Are you going to go to Dong Xiao''s office and ask him if he murdered someone?"


    "Can you see the room in the video? Go to that room and take a look to see if there¡¯s any blood stains and whose blood stains they were. Wouldn¡¯t we know then?¡±


    Indeed, there was this way. Lin Qiupu had a sudden revtion.


    Thus, everyone watched the video again and analyzed the characteristics of the room. There was some relief [3] next to the ceiling and an oil painting was hung on the wall. Lin Qiupu asked Peng Sijue to change into casual clothes and bring luminol reagent, then go with them to tackle the defense.


    A group of people went to the Zhuoyuan Company and exined their intentions. Thedy at the front desk said, "Wait a minute, I will call Mr. Dong."


    After making a phone call, she said, "President Dong said that he¡¯s free right now."


    They took the elevator up to the thirty-seventh floor. This floor was entirely Dong Xiao¡¯s office. It was very spacious. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows let in the early winter sunlight. The room was warm. The police noticed that there was the same relief next to the ceiling, but the oil painting wasn¡¯t there. This discovery made everyone excited as it showed that the crime scene was on this floor.


    Dong Xiao¡¯s office had no desks or chairs. His body of fat was sitting on a huge sofa, causing him to look very swollen and bloated. In contrast, the woman wearing a qipao who was sitting next to him looked as delicate as a doll. Dong Xiao held her hand and said, "My dear, I have something to say to the police. You should head out for now."


    "Was the incident fromst time discovered?" Su Chan smiled.


    "Aiya, is it okay to make these kinds of jokes? Hurry on!" Dong Xiao gently patted the back of her hand with his fat hand.


    Su Chan nced at the policeman and that burst of electrifying current instantly pierced and killed the hearts of a group of male police officers. She walked through the group of people towards the elevator, and everyone subconsciously stepped back to give her a passage, leaving the smell of jasmine perfume in the air.


    The same perfume sprayed on a beauty or held in the hand to smell was twopletely different scents. It was a breathtakingly seductive scent. The men at the scene had their hearts flutter and they couldn''t drag their thoughts away from her for quite some time.


    Looking at Dong Xiao, who was as fat as a pig and full of meat on his face, the police couldn¡¯t help being jealous. Why should such an old and ugly man possess such a stunning beauty? Noting that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right, Lin Qiupu coughed a few times to remind them. Everyone barely dragged their souls back.


    He was one of the few who hadn''t been affected by Su Chan. He admitted that the woman was indeed pretty, but she was far worse than his own sister. It was just the bewitchment of makeup. If Lin Dongxue also put on makeup, she wouldn¡¯t be worse than her.


    "I''m very busy. If the police have anything to ask, then please keep it short... By the way, are you the criminal police or the economic police?" Dong Xiao asked.


    "Criminal."


    "Then you guys are in the wrong ce..." Dong Xiao took a te of pasta from the male secretary next to him. "Sorry, I have a binge eating disorder. If I don''t eat for five minutes, I will be so hungry that it will be unbearable. Do you mind? "


    "We don¡¯t."


    Dong Xiao stirred up the spaghetti and slurped them up, almost as if he was drinking water. He ate up a te of noodles in an instant.


    Because he was too fat, the male secretary picked up a handkerchief for him and wiped his mouth. It felt as though he was taking care of a giant baby.


    "Mr. Dong, we are investigating a missing person¡¯s case. I hope you can provide a detailed list of thepany''s employees." Lin Qiupu said this prepared speech. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t directly mention the video.


    "Missing persons case? What does it have to do with me?"


    "How many people are there in yourpany?"


    "Several thousand..."


    "ording to the information we have, the person involved in this disappearance case is from yourpany, so I hope you can cooperate."


    "Okay, okay. Little Jia, go print a list of the employees."


    After the secretary left, Lin Qiupu walked to the window and asked, "Excuse me. How long has yourpany been established in Long''an?"


    "Haha, it''s been three years. Officer, looking down from here, the scenery is pretty good!"


    Taking advantage of Dong Xiao¡¯s focus being diverted, Chen Shi gave Peng Sijue a wink, and the two snuck into a door next to them. They saw the oil painting on the wall. Yes, this was the room in the video...


    1. In 1964, Andy Warhol debuted this movie whichsted 5 hours and 20 minutes, but it waster extended to 8 hours. The 2013 remake was also extended to make the 8 hour mark.


    2. The Personal Handy-phone System (PHS), also marketed as the Personal Communication Telephone (PCT) in Thand, and the Personal ess System (PAS) andmercially branded as Xiaolingtongin Maind China, is a mobilework system operating in the 1880¨C1930MHz frequency, used mainly in Japan, China, Taiwan, and some other Asian countries and regions. (Wiki)


    3. Relief is a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term relief is from the Latin verb relevo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background ne. (Wiki)

 Chapter 651: The Missing Reporter

    <h4>Chapter 651: The Missing Reporter</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Using that oil painting as reference, Chen Shi looked for the specific location in the video. He pointed to an area of the floor and said, "Here."


    Peng Sijue took out the luminol reagent and sprayed it there. The luminol reagent was very sensitive and couldn detect even a drop of blood that falls into a tank of water. No matter how many times this area was wiped, there would be residues.


    An irregr blue fluorescent stain appeared on the ground. Chen Shi excitedly said in a lowered voice, "Found it!"


    "Sampling!"


    Peng Sijue took a sample with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Chen Shi heard footsteps. Looking around, there seemed to be someone passing by the door on the other side of the corridor. The person opened the door and the two were very frightened because the investigation wasn¡¯t a formal one. If found, it would be extremely disadvantageous to them.


    The big hand holding the doorknob was tattooed with a naked woman. The hand stopped for a moment, then closed the door again, pretending that nothing had happened.


    Chen Shi was relieved and continued to work with Peng Sijue. He thought of the angle of the picture in the video. He looked up and saw a potted nt on the front. Could it be that there was a pinhole camera there? So, he searched inside but didn¡¯t find anything.


    After sampling, the two immediately left. At this time, the secretary hadn''t returned yet. Lin Qiupu was chatting with Dong Xiao. Lin Qiupu caught a glimpse of the twoing out and Chen Shi quietly made an ¡®OK¡¯ gesture.


    So, after getting thepany''s employee list, Lin Qiupu led the group of people to leave.


    After leaving the office, several police officers started chattering in the elevator. "Wow, that woman is really a national beauty.", "She¡¯s more beautiful than a celebrity.", "How can she be with such a person? It''s really a heavenly flower stabbed in cow dung."


    "Pay attention to the impact of your words!" Lin Qiupu reprimanded, "When investigating a case, don''t discuss other people''s private affairs."


    "Anyone who looks at that woman and remains unmoved must be gay," someone said.


    "Who said that? Who said that?! Xiaodong, was it you!" Lin Qiupu angrily looked for the culprit.


    "It wasn¡¯t me!" Xu Xiaodong waved his hands innocently.


    "Ahem!" Chen Shi interrupted them. "We found blood stains in the smoking room next door, but I have to say something. When Old Peng and I were taking samples, someone almost came in and saw us there. Instead of alerting anyone, they closed the door quietly."


    "Who was it?"


    "If I guessed correctly, it should be Lu Qi. I saw the tattoo on his hand yesterday."


    "Lu Qi? The vice president? Why did he not say anything when he saw you guys? Was he the one who sent the video?" Lin Qiupu guessed.


    "Isn''t that impossible? He¡¯s the vice president of thepany. He¡¯s under one person but above 10,000. Why would he betray his boss?" Old Zhang questioned.


    "It may not be the case. Lu Qi relied on selling out his former boss to take hold of his current position. Maybe he wanted to use the police''s hands to knock Dong Xiao down." Lin Dongxue said.


    "No matter what the person who reported the case¡¯s purpose is, as long as Dong Xiao did kill someone, we can''t ignore it! Other things are not within our jurisdiction!" Lin Qiupu said.


    Chen Shi thought of the scene where Lu Qi opened the door for Su Chan yesterday. This detail showed that Lu Qi¡¯s status wasn¡¯t actually high. He was more like a little horse next to Dong Xiao. Of course, he hadn¡¯t officially met Lu Qi yet. It was impossible to say what kind of person he was and what purpose he had.


    When the elevator was approaching the first floor, there was a loud noise outside. A person shouted, "Return my friend to me! You¡¯re apany that eats people without even spitting out their bones!¡±[1]


    Everyone looked at each other. When the elevator door opened, a man with sses was being pushed out by the security guard. He was held up but he still struggled with iling limbs and yelled. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue hurriedly chased after him, but the man disappeared.


    Chen Shi asked the security guard standing at the door, "Where was that person just now?"


    "I don''t know..." The security guard had cold sweat on his face, and even his sunsses couldn''t hide his panic.


    "Huh, you¡¯re so bold doing this kind of thing in front of the police!"


    Chen Shi walked behind a car and found that another security guard was covering the young man¡¯s mouth and squatting behind the car. The young man¡¯s sses hung from his ears and he looked very battered. Lin Dongxue shouted, ¡°Release him!¡±


    The security guard let go of the man helplessly and the young man asked in anger, "Are you the police?"


    "Yeah, who are you?"


    "My name is Chen Gong and I¡¯m a reporter. My colleague Cao Man came for an interview half a month ago and he hasn¡¯t returned to thepany since. I went to his house and couldn''t find anyone. I couldn''t get in touch with him at all. I came to thispany several times. They always said that this person had never been here before. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d disappear into thin air!"


    "You didn''t call the police after he was missing for half a month?"


    Reporter Chen was speechless. It seemed that there was a secret hidden behind this.


    Chen Shi asked, "Does Cao Man have any rtives?"


    "He has a younger brother."


    The police immediately found Cao Man''s younger brother, took his DNA, andpared it with what was found at the scene. It was a 99.9% match. The person in the video who was violently beaten by Dong Xiao was obviously Cao Man. He may already be dead.


    Lin Qiupu asked Chen Gong, "Why didn''t you call the police?"


    "I didn''t think the police could help..." Reporter Chen hesitated.


    "Aren¡¯t we investigating it now?"


    "I didn¡¯t expect it to be that way."


    "Your newspaper is linked to a major newspaper, but you don¡¯t have an official business registration. I think Cao Man''s interviews weren¡¯t legal, so even if he went missing, you wouldn¡¯t dare call the police."


    Chen Gong bowed his head in silence. Chen Shi ordered, "Show him the video!"


    Lin Qiupu brought aptop and yed the video. Chen Gong was dumbfounded watching it. "Cao Man was killed?! He was killed by Dong Xiao? Why don¡¯t you arrest him?"


    "This video didn''t even capture the corpse, only the face of Dong Xiao. Do you know how much effort we took to obtain Cao Man''s DNA? You can talk now!" Lin Qiupu said.


    "I persuaded him long ago that he shouldn''t make that money!" Chen Gong cried with his face covered and whimpered when he learned that his friend was dead. When he cried enough, he exined, "Someone paid 700,000 yuan to buy news about the Zhuoyuan Company. Cao Man deliberately arranged a fake interview with thepany regarding thetest technology intelligence to obtain news. A pinhole camera and a bug was installed there. It was probably discovered by that man surnamed Dong..."


    "Who offered that money?"


    "I don''t know. It was a reward from the Inte. We do business like this sometimes. Some materials will be given to the newspapers and some will be sold to some channels on the Inte, such as celebrity affairs, police killing unarmed suspects, etc..."


    "Speak carefully!" Lin Qiupu scolded


    "Oh, I just gave you an example. I didn¡¯t have the intention to cause offense. No offense!"


    "What information was worth so much money?" Chen Shi said.


    "We heard that Zhuoyuan Company was developing thetest mobile phone motherboards, which are not much different from the smart phones we use now, but the cost is very, very low. A smart phone would only cost a little over 300 yuan. Think about how big of an impact this would have on the nationalmunications industry. By then, the phones they produce would be present everywhere. Let¡¯s not talk about the Hanjiepany, other mobile phonepanies wouldn¡¯t be able to handle this kind of price war. It¡¯s definitely going to be a huge war!"


    "Dong Xiao usually stays simple and has never held a press conference. How do you know this in such detail?"


    "Because this technology was originally owned by the Ding Group. With Lu Qi switching sides, the Ding Group was suddenly annexed and now belongs to the Zhuoyuan Company. The CEO of the Ding Group mentioned it in a press conference before and it immediately caused the condemnation of those in the industry saying that this was unfairpetition. President Ding didn¡¯t dare to sell such ultra-cheap smartphones, but Dong Xiao is different. He is an overlord who doesn¡¯t care about even his own rtives. He dares to fight such a price war. When this kind of mobile phone isunched, who knows how many telmunicationspanies in the country will be destroyed by him!" Chen Gong nodded solemnly. "By then, Dong Xiao will dominate the entire mobile phone market!"


    1. Ruthless and greedy.

 Chapter 652: Abandoned Corpse in the Suburbs

    <h4>Chapter 652: Abandoned Corpse in the Suburbs</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing what Chen Gong said, it seemed as though it actually happened, but Chen Shi disagreed. "It''s not a particrly great technology. Any product will gradually reduce their costs, especially electronic products. I still remember that smart phones cost a few thousand ten years ago. Now they¡¯re in the thousand¡¯s range and so it¡¯s even popr among school students."


    Chen Gong said, "From the perspective of its long history, this really is nothing. However, this price cut has made manymunicationpanies be unable to survive. Zhuoyuan Company is best at fighting price wars. This is how Hanjie Company was driven to a desperate situation previously."


    "These seem to have nothing to do with you though?" Lin Qiupu asked. "When was thest time you saw Cao Man?"


    "I remember that it was at the end of December. He was going to interview Dong Xiao that day. He finally got Dong Xiao''s reply after lots of struggling. After he went, he never came back and I couldn''t get through to him over the phone, so I thought that something might have happened."


    "Cooperate with us. If we can find the corpse, we can sessfully file the case. We don''t care about the business war. They have to pay the price if they do bad things!" Lin Qiupu said.


    "You can start with Lu Qi. Lu Qi is Dong Xiao''s confidant. If Dong Xiao kills someone, he will definitely be asked to deal with the corpse... You may not know this, but Lu Qi is not only the vice president, he¡¯s also Dong Xiao''s godson. Their rtionship is very close." Chen Gong said.


    Chen Shi said, "You know a lot."


    "Haha, I''m a reporter!"


    "What is Lu Qi like?"


    Chen Gong thought for a while and replied, "Shady, cunning, and ys both fields. His eyes glow at the sight of money. It is said that... And this is only what¡¯s been said, but Dong Xiao gave him arge sum of money when he was still in the Ding Group and asked him to steal the technology. He worked in the Ding Group for ten years, but he actually sold out his boss so casually! However, he is indeed very capable, holding many sales channels in his hands. There was a group of top-notch sales people who switched jobs together with him. He became the vice president and Dong Xiao recognized him as a godson."


    "Since he¡¯s this type of person. I think that nurturing the tiger will bring cmity sooner orter." Chen Shimented.


    "Haha, great minds think alike."


    "We¡¯ll make a transcript of what you¡¯ve just said. I will apply for the official filing of this case!" Lin Qiupu made a transcript for Chen Gong, and then applied for a search warrant.


    The first person they needed to look for was Lu Qi. The next day, Chen Shi, Xu Xiaodong, and Lin Dongxue found him and asked about the missing Cao Man. The meeting ce was in the underground garage. It was just when Lu Qi was getting off work. He was a tall and burly man. He might have been over 190cm, had a stout figure, and full, strong muscles that stuck out from underneath his suit. Even Lin Dongxue¡¯s face flushed red a little just looking at him.


    He was also pretty handsome with sword-shaped eyebrows. When it was raised, it gave people a feeling of anger. Perhaps it was because of this that there was a hostile spirit in his appearance.


    After seeing Cao Man¡¯s photos, Lu Qi leaned on his Rolls Royce and lit up a cigarette at a leisurely pace. ¡°I have no impression of this reporter. You should ask Mr. Dong, but as far as I know, he doesn¡¯t ept interviews normally, let alone from such small newspaper agencies."


    Chen Shi observed him carefully. Based on Lu Qi''s expressions, it didn''t seem like he was lying.


    "What we¡¯re investigating right now is his disappearance." Lin Dongxue said.


    Lu Qi raised his eyebrow at Lin Dongxue and smiled. "Beauty, I have never seen this person. How would I know that he¡¯s missing? Go ahead and ask what you need to but I''m in a hurry. It¡¯s better if you guys do it quickly."


    Chen Shi said, "We want to see your driving records in thest half month."


    "Uh..." Lu Qi pondered. "It¡¯s okay if you have a look, but please don''t make a fuss about it. People like me usually socialize a lot and often go to certain ces. I hope you won''t bother with the content outside of the case. "[1]


    "We won¡¯t invade your privacy."


    After copying down the driving records, the three of them verified the data and images for that night. The car went home on time on the day of Cao Man¡¯s disappearance and didn¡¯t go elsewhere. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°If he abandoned the body, he is unlikely to drive his own car. His luxury vehicle is too conspicuous."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I think we should just investigate Dong Xiao directly! It¡¯s not reliable investigating this guy.¡±


    "The murder happened in his own office. There must have been Dong Xiao''s cronies right by him. They won¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s impossible for Dong Xiao to cooperate and allow everyone in thepany to be investigated." Chen Shi said.


    "Fuck. Someone went missing in thatpany, but the police are just going to watch it happen?" Xu Xiaodong said.


    "Do you know why it¡¯s difficult to investigate the case of the underworld? It''s because the door is closed when things are done and nobody knows what¡¯s happening. Everyone has a uniform testimony, so the police can¡¯t do anything."


    The three of them were unable to do anything when Lin Qiupu came over and asked, "How¡¯s the investigation?"


    Lin Dongxue shrugged, and Lin Qiupu said, "Look, there¡¯s a reply from that email."


    Lin Qiupu opened the email on aputer and the anonymous ount sent a photo of the suburbs, which seemed to suggest the location of the body. Lin Dongxueined, "Would it kill them if they sent over an address? We have to investigate again since they just sent us this picture!"


    "Now I¡¯m even more convinced that the person who made the anonymous report is Lu Qi. As soon as we left, he sent the photo. It seems that he wants to borrow a knife to kill someone." Chen Shi said.[2]


    "Borrow what knife and kill who?" Lin Qiupu scolded. "Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Someone killed someone, so we have to investigate it. This is the duty of the police. As for the informant''s purpose, it¡¯s their own business... I¡¯ll call people over to investigate this photo!"


    Everyone spent a whole night looking for clues from the photo. It took another half of the next day to find the address in the photo.


    Each member of the police shoveled around on the wastnd thoroughly. Chen Shi, who was forced to be there and participate in theborious task, shoveled for a while before stabbing the shovel in the ground to rest. Next to him, Xu Xiaodong said, "Let me tell you a joke. A prisoner¡¯s wife sent him a letter saying that since he wasn¡¯t home, there wasn¡¯t anyone to dig up the ground and life was too difficult to live on. The prisoner wrote back, ¡®Don¡¯t turn over thend. I hid the gun underneath.¡¯ As a result, the police went to his house and dug three feet around the house to find it. His wife sent a letter again saying that the police went over and tore the ground apart but couldn¡¯t find the gun he mentioned. The prisoner said, ¡®I can only help you this much.¡¯"


    After listening to himself, Xu Xiaodong smacked his thigh andughed. At this moment, someone shouted, "Found it!"


    Everyone threw their shovels down and ran over, only to see a piece of human tissue that was as ck as charcoal in the ground. Everyone carefully dug up the ground in that area and a set of human bones was exposed. The skeleton, including the surrounding soil, was scorched ck. It seemed like the abandoned corpse was first burned and then buried.


    Peng Sijue preliminarily determined that the deceased was a male in his 20s or 30s. The root systems of the nts there hardly grew in winter and there were no insects in the ground. It was difficult to determine the exact time of death. It should have been within three months.


    Everyone looked around for clues and found a tire print and a hose. The most surprising thing was that they found a reporter¡¯s identification card in the grass with the words ¡°Cao Man¡± written on it.


    1. The author wrote the content that¡¯s to do with the case, but I¡¯ve changed it to content outside of the case as that makes more sense.


    2. Get others to do one¡¯s dirty work.

 Chapter 653: The Giant Baby

    <h4>Chapter 653: The Giant Baby</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu looked at the dusty and muddy press card, then looked at the ce where the tire marks had just been found. "This may have fallen out of the deceased¡¯s pocket when the corpse was transported."


    "That¡¯s too sloppy!" Chen Shimented, "However, they are just helping the boss. Of course they wouldn¡¯t be too meticulous. After all, no one would have thought that someone would reveal this ce secretly."


    "Yes, being able to find the body today, we have to thank the anonymous informant."


    After returning to the bureau, Peng Sijue took a sample of the bone marrow from the burned corpse. DNA identification showed that the deceased was indeed the missing Cao Man. Unleaded gasoline was found on the body and it was burned quite thoroughly. Almost all of the soft tissues were destroyed and there was no value in conducting an autopsy.


    In addition, the skull of the corpse was almost entirely shattered. Judging from the shape of the wound, it was repeatedly hit by some kind of blunt instrument, which caused his death.


    The next day, the police informed Cao Man''s younger brother toe and identify the body. He cried very sadly over his dead older brother.


    Peng Sijue quickly made new discoveries. The hose found at the scene contained gasoline and saliva enzymes were detected at the end of it. It was suspected that the murderer used this hose to siphon out the gasoline from the fuel tank and use it as abustion aid for the incineration.


    The police started arge-scale investigation on Zhuoyuan''spany. This time, Dong Xiao wasn¡¯t as patient and said, "You found a corpse in the wilderness and you suspect me? You even want to investigate everyone in mypany. What right do you have to do that?"


    Lu Qi was also at the scene. "If you can''t produce evidence, we will find awyer to sue you. Thepany has a lot of affairs we need to attend to recently. Please don''t trouble President Dong with such meaningless things."


    "Meaningless things? Does a dead man seem to be such a worthless event in your perspectives?" Lin Qiupu asked back.


    "What does it have to do with us? How can you prove that it has something to do with us?" Lu Qi said with anger detected in his tone.


    It seems that it was impossible not to produce evidence. Lin Qiupu yed the video to Dong Xiao on the spot. Dong Xiao began sweating and his fat jaw hung open for a long period of time. Lu Qi was also very shocked. Dong Xiao struggled to get up after watching, but fell back on the sofa. He shouted at his men, "Who was it? Who betrayed me?!"


    Lu Qi also pointed at the employees and said, "Step out for me!" Chen Shi realized that his expression looked a little artificial and thought to himself that this person was the one who was acting. Wasn¡¯t he the traitor himself?


    Lin Qiupu said seriously, "Mr. Dong, it seems that this video is real. I would like to ask you to exin what you were doing."


    The fat on Dong Xiao''s chin trembled. "I...I was working out."


    "What¡¯s the red liquid sshing on your face?"


    "Tomato juice!"


    "Tomato juice?"


    "Yes, one of my hobbies is smashing tomatoes. The doctor said it¡¯s good for the heart... You guys tell them whether I smash tomatoes every day."


    The employees standing in a row said one by one, "Mr. Dong likes to smash tomatoes!" and "Yes, Mr. Dong will smash tomatoes when he has nothing to do." They all repeated this one by one, like human recordings. Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu hadplete veneration for him to be able tomand this behavior. In thispany, so long as Dong Xiao said something, that was that. He could even switch ck and white around in front of the police.


    "You see?!" Dong Xiao quibbled with cold sweat on his face. "In the video, I was just smashing something and there was red liquid sshing on my face. You can''t prove that this was murder."


    Lin Qiupu sneered, "We have a witness that proves a reporter surnamed Cao came to interview you at the end of Decemberst year and then disappeared. Now, we have found his body in the countryside. Does this have nothing to do with you?"


    "Nonsense!" Dong Xiao roared. "You can ask Secretary Jia. I usually even reject the Long¡¯an Evening News¡¯ interviews. No reporter has ever been to this office, let alone a small reporter from a small newspaper agency!"


    "I didn''t say that Reporter Cao was from a small newspaper agency, so how did you know?" Lin Qiupu asked sharply.


    Dong Xiao panted heavily and made a gesture. Lu Qi went and fetched arge te of cantaloupe melons for him. He ate each slice with a single bite. The juice flowed down the corner of his mouth to his chest, relieving his nervousness.


    "You can check my schedule. I haven''t epted an interview in the past six months!" Dong Xiao said.


    "This can no longer convince us. The evidence that has emerged so far is sufficient to prove that you are rted to this murder case. ording to the criminalw, we have the right to collect the DNA and fingerprints of the person involved. If you continue not to cooperate, we will have to enforce it. Don''t me us for being impolite then."


    Dong Xiao kept panting, waved his hand, and said as though he was suffering a setback, "Collect it!"


    The employees and executives around Dong Xiao, including himself, had their DNA collected. During the whole process, Dong Xiao kept eating to relieve his nervousness. Secretary Jia would wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief from time to time.


    "Call her over!" Dong Xiao told Secretary Jia.


    When the police left, Su Chan took the elevator up, nced at the police suspiciously, walked past them without fear, and walked towards Dong Xiao who was on the sofa.


    The moment the elevator door closed, everyone saw Dong Xiao pulling Su Chan into his arms, kissing and touching her. It was as if a pile of fat had swallowed her. He didn''t shy away from outsiders'' sights and the police who watched this scene felt disgusted and wondered how the girl could stand it.


    "I have never seen..." Chen Shi started. Many people perked their ears up to listen, thinking that he was going toment on the scene just now, but Chen Shi said, "...such a nervous suspect. He almost had everything written on his face. We could almost just directly arrest him."


    "We still have to go through the formal procedures." Lin Qiupu said. "This person truly is too nervous. I think it is him!"


    "Logically, shouldn¡¯t this fat guy have a good state of mind? He started from scratch and became a giant in themunications industry. I think he should have met with a lot of experience." Lin Dongxue was puzzled.


    "Perhaps he was very vigorous when he was young, but now, his body is blessed and his mentality has be sensitive and fragile. He¡¯s the king of thispany and at the same time, a giant baby surrounded by a bunch of people. Everyone around him goes along with what he says and almost no one opposes him. That is to say, his ability to withstand pressure is almost zero."


    "Was Lu Qi acting?" Xu Xiaodong said. "You can tell he knows just by looking at his eyes."


    "I think Lu Qi wanted to take advantage of this incident to take Dong Xiao down and take over thepany himself." Old Zhangmented.


    "Despicable and illegal are two different things. We only care about thetter." Lin Qiupu said.


    After a moment of silence, Xu Xiaodong asked timidly, "Don''t you guys think that the image of the fat man and Su Chan''s intimate rtionship is disgusting?"


    "Yes, yes, it''s way too disgusting. I have goosebumps all over!", "I don''t know how she can stand the 300 catties of fat!", "It seems that Dong Xiao must have given her a lot of money."


    With the conversation started, the policemen who had been holding back for a long time began discussing endlessly. Lin Qiupu shouted, "Shut up. Go and gossip after you guys get off work!"


    The DNA test results came out unexpectedly smoothly. The saliva left on the hose belonged to Secretary Jia. He was the one who handled Dong Xiao¡¯s body. The case seemed to be entering the final segment.

 Chapter 654: Forged Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 654: Forged Evidence</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On January 20th, the suspect, Secretary Jia, was taken to the bureau for questioning. When he was taken away from thepany, Dong Xiao reminded him with two sentences. "Remember what should be said and what should not be said!", "Before thewyeres, don''t say anything."


    Lin Qiupu replied, "Mr. Dong, you¡¯ve been sitting on this sofa for a while now."


    Secretary Jia was just the corpse burner. He was the key to revealing the truth of the case. To prevent Dong Xiao from escaping or doing other things during this period, Lin Qiupu left two police officers to monitor him.


    Secretary Jia, who was taken to the interrogation room, was extremely nervous. Thewyer whispered to him. "No matter what the police ask you, don''t answer directly. Tell it to me."


    Secretary Jia nodded desperately.


    "Suspect, state your name and upation." Lin Qiupu ordered.


    Thewyer replied, "My client''s name is Jia Xu and his profession is the secretary to the president of Zhuoyuan Company."


    "I think you¡¯re the closest person to Dong Xiao. You must know all about him..."


    "Please don''t make such hints!" Thewyer interrupted Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu thought to himself that thiswyer was probably also greeted by Dong Xiao in advance in order to control Secretary Jia''s lips.


    Thus, he went straight to the point. "On the evening of December 30th, what did you do? Answer truthfully."


    Secretary Jia spoke to thewyer in a low voice and thewyer said, "My client said he was handling official affairs as per usual."


    "You¡¯re now in handcuffs. This is an interrogation. If we have no evidence, it¡¯s impossible to arrest you. You had better not lie... On the evening of December 30th, a reporter named Cao Man disappeared in yourpany and we have a video on hand. I believe you¡¯ve seen it too."


    "Cao Man didn''t get the permission to interview at all!" Secretary Jia said.


    Thewyer reminded him not to speak arbitrarily. Secretary Jia said in cold sweat, "Don¡¯t worry, I have my sense." Then, he said to Lin Qiupu, "Every item on Mr. Dong''s agenda is handled by me. He hasn¡¯t been interviewed for nearly half a year, so it¡¯s impossible for Cao Man to show up at thepany, let alone at night. Mr. Dong goes to Fengyi Court every night. He bought Su Chan''s vi there in the rural area."


    Lin Qiupu thought for a while and said, "Even if Cao Man didn''t obtain the interview rights and he snuck in, he did disappear in yourpany."


    "Who told you that? That person was lying. I don¡¯t even know a Cao Man."


    "Then on the evening of December 30th, who was it that Dong Xiao killed?!" Lin Qiupu raised his voice.


    "President Dong, he..."


    "Ahem!" Thewyer interrupted him and reminded Lin Qiupu, "Please show your evidence."


    Lin Qiupu sneered and showed the evidence they found. The body of Cao Man found in the suburbs and the hose with Secretary Jia¡¯s DNA. Hearing this, Secretary Jia was sweating so much that it looked like rain. Lin Qiupu attacked further. "You used the hose you held in your mouth. It¡¯s not a coincidence that the gasoline found was the sameposition found on the body."


    "Police officer, I want to say..."


    Lin Qiupu interrupted thewyer. "I know that you weren¡¯t the one who killed him. You were instructed to deal with the corpse. It¡¯s not good for you to cover up for him right now. Do you want to take on the crime for Dong Xiao?"


    Secretary Jia¡¯s cold sweat ran like a hose. Regardless of thewyer''s dissuasion, he tremblingly said, "Maybe Cao Man dide, because... because Mr. Dong has a schedule, but he rarely follows it. Everything depends on his mood. Mr. Dong has always been self-willed. Several important clients wanted to meet him, but Su Chan would call and say that she was sick or bored alone. Mr. Dong would go to see her immediately and throw the clients to be received by the vice president. He spoils Su Chan like crazy."


    "On the evening of December 30th, did Dong Xiao meet Cao Man?"


    "I wasn¡¯t at thepany at the time. I received a call and hurried over. When I went..."


    "Secretary Jia!" thewyer scolded.


    "Are you here to represent your client or act as Dong Xiao¡¯s informant?! " Lin Qiupu exposed him with no trace of politeness. Thewyer gave an embarrassed expression. Lin Qiupu continued, "Your client didn''t kill anyone and keeping silent right now won''t help him. He can only save himself if he tells the truth. Do you want to dump him in the fire pit? How much money did Dong Xiao give you?"


    Thewyer stopped speaking and Secretary Jia continued, "When I went to the office, that person¡¯s face had already been altered beyond recognition. Mr. Dong was all sweaty. He took off his blood-stained suit. While eatingsagna, I saw something on the ground. It was a trophy stained with blood and... some bits of meat."


    "What time was it?"


    "At around 9:00 in the evening on December 30th. I had already gone home when I was called over. I always rushed over immediately whenever he asked me to and I never stopped to ask why... At the time, he asked me to dispose of the body while he was eating, as if he was just asking me to throw away a piece of rubbish. I was scared, but I did it anyway. Another secretary and I carried the body into the car and went to the outskirts to dig a hole. I was worried that just burying it like this would leave evidence. What if there were wild dogs or something nearby? So, I got some gasoline from the gas tank, burned the body, and buried it after it was burnt."


    Thewyer put his hand on his forehead and sighed. His task waspletely over. He stood up and said, "I want to go out."


    "Why? To inform him? Sit down!" Lin Qiupu scolded as he continued to question Secretary Jia. "Who was the one with you?"


    After asking all the details of the case, Secretary Jia was temporarily detained. Lin Qiupu asked Old Zhang to hold thewyer to prevent him from reporting to Dong Xiao. Lin Qiupu immediately arranged for someone to arrest Dong Xiao. When passing through the corridor, Peng Sijue called him with Chen Shi there in theboratory as well. Peng Sijue said, "I have some findings. Look at this picture..."


    The photo was of the part of the hose. The saliva enzyme on it was revealed by the reagent. Lin Qiupu didn''t understand and asked, "What''s wrong? Is there anything abnormal?"


    "If the hose was in the mouth, there would be lip marks and a small amount of the skin from the lips on it, but these aren¡¯t here. The saliva was distributed very evenly. It doesn¡¯t look like a person left it. It seems that someone collected it from Jia then applied it onto the hose."


    Chen Shi said, "Old Peng and I felt that the evidence was unreliable, so we re-examined it. I was wondering how the hose with the DNA was found at the scene."


    "Forged evidence?" Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows.


    "It¡¯s spected that it¡¯s forged evidence made by the person who exposed this case is to us in order to find Secretary Jia... How¡¯s the result of the interrogation?"


    "It went very smoothly. He confessed everything. Now, as long as we find the murder weapon, I think he they can be convicted... Regardless of the origin of this evidence, it guided us to find the truth. Let''s arrest Dong Xiao!"


    On the way, Chen Shi listened to the outline of the case and said, "ording to Jia, there was only him and another secretary at the scene. Only the other secretary knows the details. Could it be him?"


    "Didn''t you guess that the person who exposed the case was Lu Qi?"


    "Is that what I guessed? You said it first!"


    "Anyway, let¡¯s first arrest Dong Xiao, so as not to introduce any new variables if we drag it out. I believe the evidence will only increase."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that this "forged evidence" was like the first breath of gas drawn from the fuel tank. Although it was fake, it made the whole case go smoothly. The person who exposed the case seemed to be extremely smart...

 Chapter 655: Fengyi Court Fire

    <h4>Chapter 655: Fengyi Court Fire</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu called on a few police officers and prepared to formally arrest Dong Xiao. When he was about to leave, reporter Chen Gong appeared out of nowhere and said, "Police officers, are you trying to arrest people? Can I follow along and take some photos?"


    "How did you know?" Lin Qiupu asked back.


    "You¡¯re wearing police uniforms. Don''t you usually wear in clothes?" Chen Gong said with a grin.


    Lin Qiupu thought that bringing a reporter wouldn¡¯t be too much of a hindrance. There needed to be a press conference sooner orter anyway. He nodded in agreement and asked him to ride in Chen Shi''s car.


    Hearing that Secretary Jia had already confessed to Dong Xiao¡¯s crime, Chen Gong was very excited along the way and he kept talking about getting justice for Cao Man.


    However, when the police rushed to Zhuoyuan Company, they were told that the president wasn¡¯t at the office. Lin Qiupu called the officers who he had arranged to monitor the door and asked, "What kind of monitoring was that? At this crucial moment, the suspect has run away?"


    "We didn''t see him go downstairs."


    "Yes, we couldn¡¯t possibly miss him with his size." The two policemen said innocently.


    Secretary Jia had been taken away. Dong Xiao should have known that the situation was in a decline, so he probably hid away. Lin Qiupu asked the other people to search thepany. He, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Peng Sijue searched his office.


    Everyone found some blood traces on a trophy. It seemed that the object was the murder weapon that killed Cao Man. Peng Sijue bagged it up. Chen Shi looked up and found that Chen Gong was sitting in front of Dong Xiao''sputer and was doing something.


    "What are you doing?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I''m not doing much. I¡¯m helping you turn it on. There must be some evidence in thisputer!"


    "Thank you for your kindness." Lin Qiupu walked over and confirmed that no files were opened on theputer. "Get out of the way. We need to search."


    "Can I take a picture of you?" Chen Gong asked happily.


    "Take it when we find Dong Xiao, but remember to show it to me after the shot."


    "Don''t worry, I''m a professional..." Chen Gong nced at the smoking room, "Can I go to the ce where my friend was killed to express condolences?"


    "Aiya, don''t touch anything randomly. We are still collecting evidence. What are we going to do about your footprints?" Lin Qiupu thought to himself that this kid was really hard to monitor as he was so active.


    The officers who went to search for Dong Xiao came back and said that they hadn¡¯t found him anywhere and the wholepany didn¡¯t know where Dong Xiao went. However, it¡¯s worth mentioning that Lu Qi and Su Chan weren¡¯t in thepany either and Dong Xiao¡¯s personal secretary, Li, suddenly disappeared as well.


    "I feel that this guy has noticed something was wrong and ran away." Chen Shi said, "Dongxue, let''s go down and take a look."


    Ten minutester, Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu to go to the first floor. He and Lin Dongxue stood by an inconspicuous side door. "I asked the employees here. This door is only used for shipping goods. We found that it was open when we came down. Dong Xiao might have escaped from here."


    "Take the surveince footage!"


    The footage showed that two hours ago, Dong Xiao and Secretary Li hurriedly went downstairs and walked through this door. The exit of the door wasn¡¯t within the surveince range of the two officers. Lin Qiupu called the bureau and asked the information department to locate Dong Xiao¡¯s cell phone.


    As a result, they found that Dong Xiao hadn''t turned on his phone, but they could still find Secretary Li''s cell phone signal. He was moving towards apany on Chenggao Road. The speed was fast, as if they were driving a car.


    Everyone immediately chased after them. When they got to Chenggao Road, they saw that a car was driving in reverse. The body of the car was damaged in many ces as if it had been hit. The driver¡¯s head was covered in blood and looked battered. He kept screaming with his mouth open. Who else could it be but Secretary Li?


    "Stop him! Stop him!" Lin Qiupu ordered hastily.


    Secretary Li drove extremely wildly. Several police cars tried to block him, but were hit to the side of the road. Chen Shi turned his steering wheel and tried to stop it. The traffic on the road was paralyzed, and the traffic police were also dispatched.


    After several efforts, Chen Shi rammed Secretary Li¡¯s car to the side and he finally stopped. The police rushed forward and dragged the crazed Secretary Li out of the car and handcuffed him. He cried out strangely, "Big fire! What a big fire! Everything is burned, hahaha!"


    "Where is Dong Xiao?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    Secretary Liughed foolishly and said to Lin Qiupu, "Have you seen the fire? It''s a big fire!"


    "Crazy." Chen Shi said.


    "Why did he go crazy? Especially at this time?"


    "Do you guys smell..." Chen Shi looked back. Smoke came out from behind the forest in the distance, "There¡¯s a fire there!"


    If they remembered correctly, that was Fengyi Court. Dong Xiao had specifically built a suburban vi for Su Chan there. Everyone had an ominous feeling. Lin Qiupu ordered two policemen to escort Secretary Li back first. The others rushed to Fengyi Court. They made a call to the firefighters on the way.


    As the distance shortened, the temperature in the air gradually rose and a fiery red color appeared in the forest ahead. There were small burning ashes floating in the air. How was it that just a house had burned? It was clearly a forest fire. Lin Dongxue, who had never seen such a big fire, was startled and Chen Gong wasn¡¯t idle either. He hurriedly took out the camera and took shots in front of him.


    "Did you know? This Fengyi Court is a vi. It''s arge area of garden. Dong Xiao demolished a warehouse in the suburbs of the Hanying Group and built this house on thend, covering an area of several hundred square meters. It¡¯s a three-story European-style building and the yard is full of exotic flowers and weeds. Su Chan lives there alone." Chen Gong said.


    "You know a lot." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Su Chan is a big beauty. We came here to sneak some shots. As long as a frontal photo is taken, it would make headlines. Unfortunately, the security measures here are too good. There¡¯s only one piece of news on the Inte about ''Wealthy man takes in exceptionally beautiful model'', but that report only has a photo of Su Chan¡¯s back."


    "This fire seems to have spread to the forest. We can''t go forward anymore." Chen Shi stopped the car. There were woods on both sides of the road. If they went any deeper and the fire spread, the road would be blocked. It would have been the equivalent of them falling into the firegrounds.


    When everyone got out of the car, the entire forest in front of them was burning and the fire was soaring up. The huge plume of smoke ckened the sky, as if dusk hade early.


    Everyone had a question in their hearts. After Dong Xiao came here, what happened?


    Then, the fire department arrived. However, the fire was too strong and there were no fire hydrants around. Just the water in the water tank couldn¡¯t extinguish the fire at all. They could only prevent the fire from spreading and let it die out by itself. The police also helped. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi shared a chainsaw to cut down trees. This kind of job wasn¡¯t easy. It took a long time just to cut the tree down, but the tree had to be transported away as it couldn¡¯t be left there.


    They werepeting in speed against the fire. Reinforcements from the fire department continued to arrive and firebreaks were created non-stop. At the same time, fire-fighting helicopters also came. Several tons of fresh water were dumped on the periphery of the fireground. Chen Gong was fortunate to be one of the first at the scene. It was a pleasure for him to take pictures of it all with his camera.


    As night fell, the fire was finally brought under control. Everyone¡¯s faces were covered with soot and exhaustion. The smoke had dissipated. The firefighters drove the car inside for the final round of firefighting...

 Chapter 656: Surfaced Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 656: Surfaced Secrets</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The fire finally dissipated, but the air was still filled with a strong, pungent smell of the scorched remains. The trees that weren¡¯tpletely incinerated had be charcoal. Lin Qiupu called a big box of takeaway lunches and mineral water to reward the firefighters who put out the fire. The police also had some food. The fire had caused everyone to be overwhelmed.


    "You¡¯ve all worked hard. This fire may be rted to a case. We suspect that a murder suspect set the fire. Let us collect evidence and investigate the scene!" Lin Qiupu said.


    A fire chief said, "That is all right, but you should be careful when you enter the fireground. There may be more fire under some ruins and haystacks."


    Just in case, the fire brigade left a car and sent two firefighters to follow them, carrying foam fire extinguishers.


    Everyone walked onto the scorched woods. The ashes under their feet made cracking noises. They could feel the warmth on the soles of their feet even through their shoes. Lin Dongxue looked around. "Such arge forest was burned. The arsonist should be held criminally responsible, right?"


    "It depends on whether they caused a death or not. Is this ce considered public property?" Lin Qiupu answered.


    "This forest is Dong Xiao''s private property. If he burned it himself, he shouldn''t have to go to jail." The apanying reporter, Chen Gong, said lightly. "The premise is whether he himself was burned to death or not."


    After walking for ten minutes, the wreckage of a small western-style vi appeared in front of them. Looking at the tall wall, you could imagine how magnificent this Fengyi Court had been. It was actually built by Dong Xiao for his mistress Su Chan alone. It seems he really adored her.


    The police searched around, mainly to look for corpses. Several charred corpses were found inside. It was already very difficult to identify them. Even if Dong Xiao himself was among the charred corpses, his body had been burned away and his skeleton was no different from an ordinary person¡¯s.


    Chen Shi opened the deceased¡¯s mouth and examined it. There was soot in the deceased¡¯s mouth and respiratory tract. It seemed like they were burned alive. Most of these corpses were in small rooms, such as toilets andundry rooms. They may have hidden there to try and hide away from the fire before being burned alive.


    There was a corpse lying in arge bathtub. Both the bathtub and the corpse were quite well preserved, but the color of the corpse was a bit strange. It turned out that this person was lying in a bathtub filled with water to avoid the fire, but was boiled to death.


    "It''s truly miserable!" Lin Dongxue frowned and sympathized. "Who are these dead people?"


    "Housekeeper, bodyguard, and nanny!" Chen Gong guessed, "It¡¯s impossible to live alone in such a big house. Someone must maintain it."


    "Take all the corpses away!" Lin Qiupu ordered.


    The thirteen skeletal remains found in the ruins were sent back to the bureau. The identification work took three full days. During this period, Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu were investigating some of Dong Xiao¡¯s information. As he was no longer here, the investigation was much more convenient. They could go to his office to conduct an open search, and Dong Xiao''s secrets that weren¡¯t known popped up one by one.


    After some investigating, they found out that Dong Xiao wasn¡¯t a simple man. He had actually colluded with the underworld, bought guns in private, and seemed to havemitted kidnappings and murder. He had suddenly emerged from an ordinarymunicationspany in the northwest and went southward. There was indeed blood in his history ofing to fortune.


    Secretary Li had mild burns on him. The blood on his clothes was tested and found to be Lu Qi''s. He waspletely crazed and they couldn''t get anything out of questioning him. He had to be sent to a mental hospital for treatment.


    Based on their findings, Lin Qiupu inferred that Dong Xiao knew that he was about to be arrested. Out of nowhere, he found out that the person who betrayed him was Lu Qi, so he ran to kill Lu Qi. However, Chen Shi raised an objection. At the time, why would Lu Qi have been in Fengyi Court?


    It didn¡¯t matter what the situation was. Lu Qi shouldn''t have shown up in Fengyi Court ¨C It was Dong Xiao¡¯s pce for his treasure!


    As the investigation progressed, the police found that Dong Xiao had watched surveince footage on hisputer before disappearing. This surveince footage wasn¡¯t from a camera in thepany, but it was one that was installed in Fengyi Court. In the footage, a man and a woman were having sex with each other. The imagery wasparable to that of an adult video.


    The man was Vice President Lu Qi and the woman was Su Chan.


    This discovery shocked everyone. Su Chan actually had an affair with Lu Qi. ording to the people in thepany, Lu Qi often went out with Su Chan, but it was because he was ordered by Dong Xiao to take care of her. There had been rumors in thepany saying that the two of them had a rtionship.


    Chen Shi thought that Dong Xiao wasn¡¯t careful enough. Su Chan was stunningly beautiful and Lu Qi was strong and handsome. He was a hundred times better than the old and ugly Dong Xiao. It was almost inevitable that these two young people would generate a spark with each other.


    When investigating Lu Qi previously, Chen Shi took his driving records. When he read it again, he unexpectedly found that Lu Qi often didn''t go home at night and drove the car to Chenggao Road, where he got into another car. It seemed that someone was picking him up. Sometimes the car didn''t leave, and the body would sway regrly after stopping for half an hour. Then, Lu Qi would get out of the car with a tired look and drive home in his own car.


    Judging from this, the adultery between the two hadsted for a long time, and Dong Xiao had been kept in the dark the whole time.


    The police opened a locked drawer of Dong Xiao¡¯s and found it was empty. The shape of the dust seemed to indicate a pistol. However, the gun was taken away.


    Three dayster, the autopsy results showed that Dong Xiao, Su Chan, and Lu Qi weren¡¯t among the corpses brought back from the scene.


    The events that happened on that day may have been simpler than what everyone had thought. Lu Qi learned that Dong Xiao was about to be arrested and couldn¡¯t wait to "celebrate" with Su Chan. He didn¡¯t expect Dong Xiao to see them through the surveince camera. Dong Xiao was furious and took a gun with him to catch the adulterers. Lu Qi might have already been killed. Or perhaps Dong Xiao was too agitated, ultimately setting the entire Fengyi Court to fire.


    Peng Sijue brought people back to the scene for a reexamination, but the fire had destroyed everything. Lu Qi''s DNA couldn¡¯t be found and no clues could be found. The three of them seemed to have evaporated into thin air.


    It doesn¡¯t matter whether Lu Qi was the traitor who secretly provided them with information. The important thing was to find Dong Xiao. He was not only involved in Cao Man¡¯s case, but also suspected of kidnapping, extortion, hiring hitmen, arms-dealing, and an extreme amount of economic crimes.


    The police issued a huge reward. As long as they could provide information on Dong Xiao, the amount ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan and the person who assisted in the capture of Dong Xiao would receive a bonus of 600,000.


    Chen Shi jokingly asked Lin Qiupu, "I am also a citizen. If I catch Dong Xiao, will I get a share of that reward?"


    "You¡¯re already considered half a police officer as a consultant. We¡¯ve never been short in giving you money for the cases you solve, but you¡¯re wanting a reward... But do you have a lead? If you cane up with a lead, I can make an exception and consider it."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "There¡¯s no lead. Would you like to listen to my deduction?"


    "Let¡¯s talk!"


    "I think this fire was deliberately started and it wasn¡¯t an ident! There were several possibilities at the scene. Dong Xiao was going there to catch the adulterers. He might have killed Lu Qi and Su Chan at the same time. This is the first possible scenario. Dong Xiao would have to have taken the two corpses and left. In the second scenario, Dong Xiao killed Lu Qi and took his corpse away with Su Chan. Su Chan had already been exposed to have had an affair and would definitely not cooperate-"


    "She¡¯s a woman and Dong Xiao has a gun. Would she dare not to cooperate?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Okay, what you said makes sense. In the third scenario, Dong Xiao killed Su Chan and took away the corpse and Lu Qi who¡¯s alive. This one¡¯s a bit funny. He killed his beloved woman, but walked away with the subordinate who betrayed him... In either case, Dong Xiao had to take two people with him, alive or dead. His size is obvious to all of us. Do you think he can move a corpse? Even if Su Chan¡¯s corpse is 100 catties, can a big fat man like him carry 100 catties with him alone, and in the midst of a fire?"


    "So, this fire is by no means an ident. Someone wants to cover up the truth. Dong Xiao was already anxious at this time. The police would arrest him at any moment. Was it necessary for him to burn his own house down to cover up the truth? So, I think Dong Xiao wasn¡¯t the arsonist. In all likelihood, he¡¯s already dead. It¡¯s Lu Qi who wants to conceal the truth!"

 Chapter 657: Redirected Focus

    <h4>Chapter 657: Redirected Focus</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Dong Xiao is already dead?" Lin Qiupu looked suspicious of this. "Don''t forget that he went with a gun, and Lu Qi''s blood was found on Secretary Li who escaped. How do you exin this?"


    "The blood may be left behind by a wound of Lu Qi¡¯s. The two had a fight. After that, Lu Qi killed Dong Xiao. He and Su Chan disposed of the corpse and burned the evidence. Why did Secretary Li go crazy? He might have gone crazy when he saw Dong Xiao being killed. Secretary Li has been with Dong Xiao for a long time and knew the dirty things he did. If he saw Dong Xiao killing people, he wouldn¡¯t go crazy."


    "Secretary Li went crazy because he was trapped in the fire and finally escaped after lots of struggle. He would have gotten some trauma."


    "Then why was he the only one who escaped? There were so many strong bodyguards at the scene. Why didn''t they escape, but were instead trapped inside and burned to death? Some of them were trapped on the first floor, one step away from the front door. I think the deaths of these people were a bit strange. What happened in the vi may be far moreplicated than what we think."


    The two held their own opinions and neither of them could convince the other.


    At this moment, Peng Sijue called them over. The autopsy room was now full of burnt corpses. There were so many that even the ground was full. Lin Qiupu asked, "Captain Peng, have you found anything?"


    "I found that all the corpses had more or less signs of fractures and cracks. During the first autopsy, I didn''t care too much because there were a lot of broken bricks falling down at the fire site, and the deceased would definitely have varying degrees of injuries. However, I just checked again. Look at this..." Peng Sijue pointed to a bone marked ¡®3¡¯ and said, "His fracture was in the elbow joint."


    "Deceased Number 5 had a fracture in the neck. Number 6 had a fracture in the leg. Number 8 had a fracture at the bottom of the spine..." Peng Sijue pointed to them one by one.


    Chen Shi muttered, "The fractures in these parts don''t look as though they were hit by something, but rather a fight before their deaths. Their opponent maimed them but didn''t kill them... Who could be so tough?"


    "Could it be Lu Qi?" Lin Qiupu asked in shock.


    Lin Qiupu immediately asked his subordinates to check Lu Qi''s background. It was unexpectedly discovered that Lu Qi had been practicing grappling and fighting ever since he was a teenager. This set of fighting skills he had cultivated could correspond to the fractures that the deceased had suffered.


    Chen Shi said, "Do you remember how these people were trapped in a small room and burned to death? At first, we thought they were hiding in the rooms to avoid the fire. It seems that we might be wrong. It was Lu Qi that beat them until they couldn¡¯t move. Then, he dragged them into each small room before setting the house on fire. After the fire passed, it was what we saw before us."


    Lin Qiupu was stunned for a moment. "Why did he kill these people? He and Su Chan had an affair and almost all of these people would have already been bribed so that they wouldn''t tell Dong Xiao."


    "People can be inhumane after they kill people!" Chen Shi sighed. "Lu Qi killed Dong Xiao first, and then began to madly beat the people in the house. Secretary Li went crazy when he saw this scene in front of him."


    "The blood on Secretary Li''s body was in a stter form. Could he be the one who shot the gun?" Peng Sijue proposed a hypothesis.


    The three of them sent Secretary Li''s bloodied clothes to the physical evidence center to conduct a gun residue test. Sure enough, gun residue was found on it. It could only be left after a shot was made in close proximity.


    Chen Shi''s mind had already sketched the whole picture of the incident that took ce in Fengyi Court on the afternoon of January 20th. Lu Qi and Su Chan had an affair. Dong Xiao drove there and had a dispute with Lu Qi. Lu Qi killed him in anger. Secretary Li picked up the gun and ran away.


    On the way to look for Secretary Li, Lu Qi decided to settle the matterpletely. He crippled all the people in the house and locked them into small rooms before he found Secretary Li.


    Secretary Li shot the gun in panic, wounding Lu Qi, and he was able to save his own life.


    Lu Qi started to set fire to the house and fled with Su Chan with Dong Xiao''s body.


    "But why didn''t Lu Qi throw Dong Xiao at the scene and let him be burned as well?" Lin Qiupu raised a doubt.


    "No matter how much a body is burned, DNA identification technology can be used to confirm the identity of the body. If Dong Xiao''s body was found at the scene, the police would turn their attention to Lu Qi and guess that hemitted murder. Old Peng, based on the current evidence, is it impossible to use Lu Qi?"


    "Yes. The direct cause of death of these people was suffocation caused by inhtion of toxic gas. They died in the fire. We cannot prove that the injuries on their bodies came from a specific person... Actually, I think you¡¯re overthinking this. Maybe there¡¯s evidence on Dong Xiao''s body that cannot be burned, so Lu Qi must take the body away."


    "Evidence that the fire can''t burn?" Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi asked in unison.


    "I¡¯ve once dealt with a case in which the deceased was incinerated extremely thoroughly, but the suspect¡¯s DNA was detected on the deceased¡¯s teeth. He bit the murderer when he was fighting with the murderer. Of course, this is only based on my technical opinion."


    "That makes sense!" Chen Shi nodded.


    "I¡¯ll inform everyone at the meeting that the focus of our work now is to find Lu Qi!" Lin Qiupu said.


    After the meeting, the focus of the second team¡¯s work changed from searching for Dong Xiao to searching for Lu Qi, but it was very difficult to find Lu Qi. There were no surveince cameras at the scene. Peng Sijue noticed a detail during the re-investigation. Several vehicles were burned at the scene, but there was no sign of Dong Xiao¡¯s car. However, Lu Qi¡¯s car was burned. ording to their inference, it seemed as though Lu Qi drove Dong Xiao''s car away to deliberately create the illusion that Dong Xiao was missing.


    The next day, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Lu Qi''s house. Although they knew that it was impossible to find him there, there was nowhere else to investigate at the moment. Perhaps some hints would appear!


    Lu Qi was now the suspect in this case, so Chen Shi wasn¡¯t polite with him. They went to his apartment and he pried open the door.


    This was a duplex apartment. When you entered the door, you could see a spacious sofa, a mounted TV, and a dazzling array of wine racks. There was also a small bar table in the living room. Chen Shi sighed. "It¡¯s indeed a wealthy person¡¯s residence."


    There were many books on the shelf in the study room, but when they took them down, they found that they were all brand new. The stic film on the outside hadn¡¯t even been removed. It seemed that this guy didn''t read books at all.


    There was a book ced in an inconspicuous position that actually looked a bit old. After taking it down and having a look, Chen Shi was dumbfounded. Lin Dongxue curiously leaned over. "What are you looking at? This is-"


    The book was full of nude photos of women, but it wasn¡¯t a professional photo book. Based on the quality of the photos, they were taken by amateurs. Chen Shi guessed that this was a book of Lu Qi¡¯s beauty-hunting "mementos". This person was truly a debauchee.


    "Disgusting man!" Lin Dongxue had a look of contempt. "Don''t look."


    "Okay, I won''t look at it." Chen Shi put the memorative book" back on the shelf. There was a photo on the shelf where Lu Qi was shirtless, wearing boxing gloves, and sweating. It seemed that he had just practiced in the gym and was photographed after boxing.


    Chen Shi checked the toilet, kitchen, and refrigerator, and said with certainty, "No one has been in this house in recent days."


    "Do you think Su Chan is in a hostage situation right now? Seeing Lu Qi kill so many people with her own eyes, can she still follow himfortably?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I don''t know what she thinks, but I¡¯m guessing that when we find her in the future, she will definitely say that she was a hostage."


    At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside and the two became alert...

 Chapter 658: Lu Qi’s Wife

    <h4>Chapter 658: Lu Qi''s Wife</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "It won''t be Lu Qi. Why would he knock on the dooring back to his own house?"


    The two looked out of the peephole and saw that it was a woman, so they opened the door. The woman looked surprised. "Who are you to Lu Qi?"


    "We¡¯re the police." Lin Dongxue showed the woman her badge.


    "Did Lu Qimit a crime?"


    "Who are you? Why are you looking for him?"


    "I''m his wife!"


    "Wife? Don¡¯t you live together?"


    The woman''s surname was Ding. After entering the house, she got a ss of water and drank it in one gulp. She seemed to be quite thirsty. Seeing that she was so worn from travel, she had probably walked a long way. She said, ¡°I came here from a neighboring city first thing in the morning. I haven¡¯t even had breakfast yet. I¡¯m here to ask for alimony today.¡±


    "You¡¯re divorced?"


    "No. We aren¡¯t divorced, but we¡¯re living separately..." Ms. Ding sighed. "Can you tell me what Lu Qi did? Was it murder?"


    Chen Shi exchanged nces with Lin Dongxue and replied, "We¡¯re still in the middle of investigating. There are several murder cases that may be rted to him."


    ¡°Is he atrge right now?¡±


    ¡°To be more urate, his whereabouts are unknown.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, I knew there would be a day like this eventually." Ms. Ding shook her head and sighed. "Our marriage is very utilitarian. My father was the former president of the Ding Group. I used to be the precious daughter of a wealthy family, but now... I¡¯m a phoenix with all my feathers torn away from me. I¡¯m worse than a chicken. My dadmitted suicide because he owed a huge debt. I dare not inherit his inheritance because inheriting his houses and cars means paying back tens of millions of debts. In the beginning, Lu Qi went to work at my father¡¯spany and he had a bold[1] spirit in him. My father liked him very much. A few yearster, he was already a top tier executive. When we met for the first time at my father¡¯s birthday party, I was seduced by him instantly. His charm was like a dangerous vortex that always makes women desperate for him. Heunched a passionate pursuit towards me. I understood that he just wanted to be my father''s son-inw so that he¡¯d have the opportunity to take over thepany in the future, so I didn¡¯t give him the time of day. However, I couldn''t block his persistent efforts. Women are all fools in love. Soon enough, I was captured by him. This was probably the starting point of my misfortune...¡±


    ¡°We had children soon after we got married. Lu Qi''s attitude towards me suddenly changed. He and I were like strangers living together, but in front of outsiders, we had to act as a loving couple. I found out that he had an affair. Any woman would be furious the first time they find out about this sort of thing. However, he didn¡¯t even bother to cover it up. He stared straight into my eyes and told me that I¡¯m not his first woman, nor hisst. If I dared to interfere with him, he would find someone to kill me! I lived in great fear and even thought about taking my children with me tomit suicide, but I know it wouldn¡¯t threaten him. He doesn¡¯t actually love me or the children at all. He would cry more than anyone at my funeral so that my father could see it... My father had been kept in the dark by him the entire time as everything was taken by him step by step before my father found out what kind of person he was. He¡¯s a human-shaped beast. For his own desires, he can sacrifice anyone. He never loves anyone except for himself. Young and beautiful women are his ythings; a passing moment in his life. When he feels bored one day, he¡¯ll immediately abandon them like old shoes without regrets.¡±


    "My father''spany was betrayed by him. He was bought by Dong Xiao using a limited-edition sports car!" Ms. Ding smiled bitterly and shook her head. "Then, my fathermitted suicide under huge debts and I knew that my disaster would subsequently follow. The day the newspaper published the news of my father¡¯s death, he walked in calmly and said that I should move away. I wasn¡¯t allowed to tell anyone that I was his wife. He didn¡¯t want to divorce me because if that was the case, the property he acquired by exchanging his conscience would be half mine. I asked if he didn¡¯t even want his own flesh and blood but he coldly responded that those were my children and it didn¡¯t matter to him. I told him that he at least had to let us live since I didn¡¯t know anything, so I was at a dead end. Then, his children would go to the orphanage and be monsters just like him or maybe even find him to exact revenge. Maybe it was this sentence that touched him. He made apromise and promised to send me alimony every month. However, I couldn''t show up in front of him ever again... The alimony should have been transferred over to me thest two days, but I couldn''t get in touch with him, so I made a trip in person. I didn''t expect to meet you two here."


    "Is Lu Qi an orphan?" Chen Shi asked.


    "His past sounds like a story. I don''t know if it is true or false. He said that he was a vagrant when he was a child and was adopted by a group of scammers because he was born good-looking and well-behaved. The scammers pretended to be people from the orphanage looking for rich families to adopt him. Then, he would cooperate with them from the inside and the families would get ransacked. If they couldn¡¯t find any cash, they¡¯d conduct a kidnapping. He was in this line of business until he was a teenager, when he met a family who treated him very well. It made him especially sad because if someone had treated him so nicely when he was a child, he wouldn¡¯t have be what he was today. He figured that after he left, the couple would adopt other children. Or, if they got lucky and had children of their own one day, they¡¯d definitely treat them very well too. He felt jealous when he thought that there would be another child in the world who would have a good childhood. So, he poisoned and killed the couple, and then ran away by himself. The police eventually found out about the gang of scammers and took them down. However, they couldn''t find his whereabouts. He changed his name and went to other cities."


    Lin Dongxue was shocked to hear of this past. The word ¡°twisted¡± could no longer be used to describe this person. He was apletely selfish person.


    Lin Dongxue said, "The ce and time when this case happened..."


    Ms. Ding shook her head. "I don¡¯t know. He was calm when he talked about his past, as if he was telling a story. Do you know why he told me this on a whim? He threatened me once and he wanted to tell me that he had killed someone previously. If I didn¡¯t listen to him, he would kill me in the same way! If you ask me if I hate him, my answer is no, because I understand he isn¡¯t a human being now. He¡¯s a beast in human skin. A beast has the logic of a beast. He always lives for himself and everything in the world can be betrayed to him... If I''m right, the person he betrayed this time is his godfather, Dong Xiao. There were a lot of rumors in the city that Dong Xiao is missing. I guessed he did it. Am I right, officers?"


    The other party said so much in one breath. Chen Shi felt that it was impossible to conceal the situation further, so he replied, "Yes, we thought the same way. He might have killed Dong Xiao, but there¡¯s no leads about it, so we don¡¯t even know where to start to find him. Ms. Ding, do you have any clues?"


    "Lu Qi¡¯s only tolerance and kindness is not towards women or children, but towards his brothers[2]. No matter where he is, there will be a group of brothers following him. Just like a wolf pack, men like even more alpha males even more so than women. You can find his brothers. Perhaps he¡¯s hiding in a house of one of his buddies right now."


    "Thank you!"


    1. Can also mean heroic and open-minded.


    2. Buddies.

 Chapter 659: Darkness Under The Light

    <h4>Chapter 659: Darkness Under The Light</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After Ms. Ding left, Chen Shi turned on Lu Qi¡¯sputer to see if there were any other clues. There was no password set on theputer. There were somepany documents on the desktop. Chen Shi opened them and nced over them, but they were only some financial statements and internal notices.


    The hard drive was filled with nude photos of women and fitness videos downloaded from the Inte. This was Lu Qi¡¯s personal hobby. There were no games, movies, or e-books on hisputer. Chen Shimented, "His life is quite simple."


    Lin Dongxue said, "It¡¯s also the first time I¡¯ve seen a person like Lu Qi with a developed mind and simple limbs like an animal."


    "Being too simple can make you a bad person, which shows what human nature is really like."


    After searching for a long time, they found a suspicious folder that was password-protected. Lu Qi posted a note on theputer with a string of letters on it. They opened the folder after a single try. This guy couldn¡¯t even remember the password he set.


    The document was full of photos. Lin Dongxue''s attention was suddenly attracted. These were all bloody photos. There was a man in a suit thaty in a pool of blood. In another photo, there was another man in a suit whose face was already smashed into a pulp.


    From the perspective of the photos, it looks like they were shot secretly, probably with a mobile phone. In a few photos, two plump pir-like legs were also shown with blood on the pants.


    Chen Shi said, "These fat legs belong to Dong Xiao. Are these the evidence of Dong Xiao''s crimes? Lu Qi usually follows Dong Xiao around, so when Dong Xiao kills people, he secretly photographed them?"


    "Who are these dead people?"


    "This uniform looks like someone from apany..." After skimming over the photos, there seemed to be five or six deceased people.


    "Dong Xiao killed his own staff casually when he¡¯s in thepany? That¡¯s too much! I remember when we first went to find Dong Xiao to check the employees of thepany. He gave us a list and there were no missing people on it."


    "Dong Xiao asked someone to print that list. It¡¯s obviously unreliable. These people who were killed by him have long been ''delisted'' from thepany''s roster."


    The two brought theputer back since they couldn¡¯t confirm the identities of the deceased. They could only bring in Secretary Jia who was in custody for another interrogation. Chen Shi showed him the photos one by one. Secretary Jia saw the first photo and said, "This is the bodyguard. He said something that he shouldn''t have said, so President Dong... No, Dong Xiao stabbed him to death with a table knife."


    "What did he say that he shouldn¡¯t have?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I remember that he made a joke. The premise was that Dong Xiao is fat."


    "What? Just because of this?" Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe it. Was Dong Xiao a tyrant? He killed people casually just because of one sentence.


    "Dong Xiao''s temper is very explosive. We have to act carefully when we follow him around, for fear of saying something wrong and being killed by him. When he wants to kill someone, he will call them to him, smile, and tell you to help him fix his cor. Then, he¡¯ll suddenly take out a knife and cut their throats. The Zhuoyuanpany is regarded as Dong Xiao''s small kingdom. The executives are all Dong Xiao''s attendants. Once, an executive was in the smoking room ying games. Dong Xiao called him but he didn¡¯t hear it. In anger, Dong Xiao grabbed a trophy and smashed him to death. Because of the death of this executive, we lost a few million yuan in business. The next day, Dong Xiao Xiao was very regretful and berated the people in the office as to why they didn''t dissuade him. We were all frightened at the time and feared that we would be objects of his anger."


    "How did you develop this kind ofpany?" Lin Dongxue asked in shock.


    "You must have checked that we¡¯ve been using dirty means. As long as it can bring down the opponent, Dong Xiao will do anything he can. Have you ever seen a gun against the contractor''s head, forcing them to sign a contract? Dong Xiao would do that. After that, he kidnapped the other person¡¯s family members to prevent the contractor from calling the police. He colluded with the underworld. No, he himself was the underworld. He was thoroughly a criminal.¡±


    "I¡¯m guessing you were still willing to work for him for the money?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes, when I was an executive at Zhuoyuan Company, my sry was very high. At the end of the year, Dong Xiao would gift you a house, a car, and a bonus. He was very generous. The most ridiculous one was when an executive took a liking to a third-tier star. After Dong Xiao learned of that, he brought the star over directly and asked her to apany the executive for the night. However, Dong Xiao never gave away shares. All the shares in thepany are held in his own hands. He had a 100% decision-making power. Regardless of everything, Dong Xiao was very good at winning over people¡¯s hearts. He knew how to use people. He has never failed at taking employees from otherpanies, but it¡¯s like he has a double personality. He is tyrannical like thunder and lightning when he¡¯s angry, and he can beat someone to death over a little thing. We have to deal with the aftermath for him when it''s over."


    "Why didn''t you say this before?"


    Secretary Jia lowered his head. "You didn''t ask!"


    Chen Shi felt as though he lost. "Is there anything else we didn''t ask? Anything you didn''t already say. Dong Xiao has fallen already and the police are investigating yourpany daily. Many people have already been arrested. You can take advantage of it now and make some merit!"


    Thus, Secretary Jia talked about a bunch of dirty things that Dong Xiao had done. After talking all afternoon, Lin Dongxue''s view of the world was enlightened.


    One of the photos caught Chen Shi''s attention. He asked Secretary Jia, "Who is this person?"


    "The face is already broken like that. I can''t tell."


    "This photo was taken in Decemberst year. Do you have an impression of this?"


    "Dong Xiao killed one person in December. It¡¯s the Reporter Cao you guys mentioned."


    "Is this man Cao Man?"


    Secretary Jia squinted his eyes to try and identify him. "He¡¯s a reporter. It¡¯s impossible to wear apany uniform... Ah, right, I said before that Cao Man didn¡¯t have the right to interview. This is the truth. Dong Xiao doesn¡¯t have the patience to meet such a small reporter. I also wondered how he met with Cao Man?"


    "Thest time you handled the body, what clothes did the body wear?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "Why don''t you know?"


    Secretary Jia sighed. "I really don¡¯t know. Do you remember some random person¡¯s clothes that you saw on the streets one dayst month? I was very nervous when handling the corpse, and I can¡¯t remember these details at all. However, they seemed to be ck clothes."


    Chen Shi immediately went to Peng Sijue andpared this photo with Cao Man''s corpse. They found that the person in the photo was most probably Cao Man.


    But this "Cao Man" clearly wore thepany uniform, which raised suspicions. Chen Shi suddenly thought of an incident. The fact that the deceased was Cao Man was brought up by Chen Gong first. Cao Man''s younger brother was also brought over by Chen Gong.


    As the saying goes, there was darkness under the light. They hadn¡¯t paid attention to Chen Gong who had been following them all the time.


    Chen Shi immediately called the newspaper office where Chen Gong was located, but the one who answered the phone was a frolicsome female voice. She said that they weren¡¯t a newspaper office, but a dance hall.


    Chen Shi spent a lot of time investigating and found that Chen Gong''s newspaper agency had already closed down. There was no such person as Chen Gong. However, the photo of Cao Man, an employee of the newspaper, looked exactly like Chen Gong.


    It turns out that Chen Gong was Cao Man. He secretly arranged to guide the police to bring Dong Xiao down.


    1. The things you miss when you¡¯re in close proximity.

 Chapter 660: Midnight Phantom

    <h4>Chapter 660: Midnight Phantom</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    That night in the Zhuoyuan Company, a dark figure snuck into Dong Xiao''s office and looked for something as they pressed themselves against the wall. They unexpectedly found a small secret door and whistled excitedly. When they opened it, there was only a pistol inside.


    Although thispany hadn''t been cordoned and blocked off by the police, it was almost at that point. Ever since Dong Xiao''s disappearance, the employees in the entirepany had no mood to work, so there wasn¡¯t anyone there at night.


    The dark figure didn''t find what they wanted and continued to patiently search for it. They finally sat on the sofa in exhaustion. This was Dong Xiao''s usual "throne".


    Sitting there, they looked up and saw cigar boxes on the opposite shelf, walked over out of curiosity, removed it from the shelf, and opened it. It contained high-end cigars. They opened all the packaging boxes one by one until they found that one of them had a different weight to it. Upon inspection, they discovered that there was a groove at the bottom with a USB drive embedded inside a metal shell.


    The dark figure was extremely excited. Unexpectedly, the mantis stalked the cicada while unaware of the oriole behind them.[1] Suddenly, a hand came out from the shadows behind them. They snatched the USB drive that the dark figure had just obtained.


    The first figure turned their head and saw that the other party was wearing a cktex outfit, which outlined their lithe body and curves, while causing unlimited imagination.


    At this moment, Cao Man didn''t have the time to appreciate the other party''s exquisite curves. He quietly bellowed, "Give it back to me!"


    "Want it? No way!" Su Chan sneered while shaking the USB drive.


    Cao Man stretched out his hand to grab it, but Su Chan dodged away very quickly.


    Cao Man looked up and down at Su Chan''s attire. This was definitely not a ordinary outfit. He smiled. "It turns out that Miss Su is also in the same industry. I should have known that you wouldn¡¯t fancy people like Dong Xiao!"


    "Reporter Cao, who are you working for?"


    "Do I have to work for someone? Can''t I take it to start my own business?"


    Su Chan smiled and shook her head. "It seems that we don¡¯t speak the samenguage. Goodbye."


    "Wait!" Cao Man called out to her. "Why don''t we cooperate? We¡¯re both here for this thing. In order to obtain it, I provided clues to the police and knocked Dong Xiao down. It took a lot of effort. You were one step ahead even though I was the one who set up the stage. Isn''t that unvirtuous?"


    Su Chan looked at the USB drive in her hands withplicated eyes. "You wouldn¡¯t understand the price I paid for it. Goodbye!"


    She ran to the stairs and Cao Man chased after her, but he found that she had disappeared just like a ghost.


    Aftering out empty-handed, Cao Man was so angry that he punched the wall with his teeth rattling. He wondered if there was any possibility to turn the tides.


    With a lot of resentment, Cao Man slipped out of the building, but was stopped by a bright light. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got out of the car, and Chen Shi said, "Reporter Cao, what are you doing so sneakily?"


    Hearing the other party calling himself "Reporter Cao", Cao Man knew that his disguise had been seen through. After all, this Chen Shi was also a powerful character. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it under wraps for long.


    "You... why are you here?" Cao Man changed the subject.


    "Let''s make a trip!"


    An hourter, Cao Man was taken to the interrogation room. At this hour, the officers were already off work, so the corridor was deserted. Chen Shi handed Cao Man a bottle of mineral water, sat back, and asked, "That anonymous email was from you?"


    "It seems you already know everything."


    "I don''t know. I¡¯d only know after you talk about it." Chen Shi said deliberately.


    "Okay!" Cao Man sighed. "I am indeed Cao Man, and I¡¯m the one who provided you with the clues. Although I lied to you, I really did help you in bringing down Dong Xiao. In principle, I wasn¡¯t wrong."


    "Who was the one who died?"


    "An employee of Dong Xiao''spany. I bribed him to install a pinhole camera and a wiretap in Dong Xiao''spany. Maybe he was discovered. Thus, the brutal Dong Xiao killed him. The murder process happened to be captured by the pinhole installed by him. Perhaps this is God¡¯s will! Speaking of which, I have to re-introduce myself. I¡¯m actually a business spy..."


    "I¡¯ve already noticed this. When you went to Dong Xiao''s office with us that day, you went to hisputer. After verifying your identity, I checked the operation log of thatputer and found that someone had run a Trojan through it. The time was right when you used hisputer, which meant that you went prepared that day. That¡¯s why we stayed here to monitor his office tonight. In fact, we¡¯ve already stayed here for two nights."


    "You¡¯re not looking for Lu Qi, but here trapping me?" Cao Manughed.


    "Of course, Lu Qi has to be arrested, but we have to know every detail of the entire incident, which includes you."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Who was the ''Cao Man''s younger brother'' you found when confirming the identity of the deceased?"


    "Of course, it was that man''s younger brother."


    "You just wanted Dong Xiao to fall, so why did you fake your own death? I don''t quite understand."


    Cao Man looked outside and smiled bitterly. "What happened and what is happening in that building can¡¯t even be investigated by 10,000 policemen. Dong Xiao has a bunch of obedientckeys. He raped female secretaries, murdered, and abused his employees. These things will all be handled cleanly the next day with no traces left. The files of the missing people will be erased. All traces of them would be erased, as if they had never worked there before. It was as if they were never born. It¡¯s difficult for you to find a murder victim without a name, so it¡¯s better to fabricate a person to make it easier for you guys to investigate. Although the evidence I left is only half-true, it was like a drug primer. The things you investigated are real. Dong Xiao is indeed a cruel and terrifying person, and hispany is a legal underworld organization!"


    "Have you obtained what you wanted yet?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Not yet." His expression didn''t look like he was lying.


    "I¡¯m guessing that what you¡¯re struggling so hard to look for is the new mobile phone motherboard!"


    Cao Man nodded.


    "Stealingmercial secrets is illegal and the police investigation is still ongoing. The materials in Zhuoyuan''spany are all evidence exhibits. If you take the exhibits away, it¡¯s also illegal." Lin Dongxue said.


    "I really didn''t get it. You can search me if you don''t believe me." Cao Man said indifferently.


    Chen Shi immediately asked him to take out the things in his pockets and checked his cor and cuffs. There was nothing like a USB sh drive. Chen Shi didn¡¯t feel assured, so he even checked his car and under the seat, but nothing was hidden.


    After the inspection, Cao Man said, "Trust me now? I have such bad luck. After spending so much energy on the preparation, I couldn''t find it in the end. That sly bastard Dong Xiao is really good at hiding things."


    "Who are you working for?"


    "This involves professional ethics. I can''t say anything. If you want to sue me for stealing trade secrets, go ahead!"


    "I can guess. Dong Xiao only has fewpetitors left right now."


    "You guessing it and me telling you are two different things. Go ahead and guess!" Cao Man smiled with a nonchnt expression.


    After all, Cao Man''s behavior could only be considered an economic crime. Besides, it was just an attempt and he didn¡¯t need to be detained, so he was released. Looking at Cao Man''s departure, Chen Shi thought that he was really a cunning man. All the police were almost deceived by him.


    1. This Chinese proverb refers to and warns about being so focused on a narrow goal that one neglects the potentially greater danger. The hunter neglected that they¡¯re also prey.

 Chapter 661: Hiding Place

    <h4>Chapter 661: Hiding ce</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next morning, Chen Shi used breakfast and sweet words to coax Peng Sijue into going to Zhuoyuan Company first thing in the morning and surveying the scene again. Cao Man was cunning and they couldn''t believe everything he said, so Chen Shi had to check the scene himself to be relieved of his worries.


    In Dong Xiao''s office, Chen Shi found a secretpartment at the back of a cigar box, which could fit an object the size of a USB sh drive. Chen Shi thought, Sure enough, this liar had already taken something.


    However, Peng Sijue had some other findings. There was a set of shoe prints on the floor which were extracted with a film-forming agent. They should be women''s footprints. Chen Shi didn¡¯t necessarily agree. "There¡¯s so many people going in and out of this office. A set of shoe prints wouldn¡¯t be too strange, right?"


    "No, I¡¯ve been here three times. I have carefully checked every inch of the floor. This shoe print is definitely new."


    Looking at the distance between the footprints and the bookshelf, Chen Shi thought about Cao Man¡¯s conversation with himst night. There seemed to be a smile at the corner of his mouth. He wondered if something had happened here that prevented him from getting the confidential documents.


    Maybe it was someone who beat him to it. As long as it didn''t fall into the hands of the police, Cao Man still had a chance. That¡¯s why he had acted so rxed and calm.


    Who could it be?


    "Captain, a pistol has been found here!" a policeman shouted.


    After the office search was over, Chen Shi deliberately checked the back door. That is, the door where Dong Xiao had escaped from. The door was locked and there was no sign of being picked. It was obvious that Cao Man came down by himselfst night.


    As he walked out of the building, Chen Shi looked up. Something seemed to catch his attention. He said, "Go to the rooftop!"


    "Why are we going to the rooftop?!" Peng Sijue asked impatiently.


    "Please, please!"


    Peng Sijue shook his head and sighed. He could only follow him to the roof. On the edge of the roof, the two found a round head nail that had been nailed into the concrete floor. The nail was fixed with a steel wire connected to the building on the opposite side. Peng Sijue inspected it a little and came to a conclusion. "Someone used this wire to slide to the opposite side. There was still snow the night before, but the wire is very clean. It should have only been installed yesterday."


    "So, there was a woman herest night. This woman must have taken the confidential documents..." Looking down from here, the height would make people dizzy. Chen Shi pondered, "This woman¡¯s skills aren¡¯t bad. She flew over even at this height. Who could it be? Could it be Su Chan?¡±


    She was the only woman involved in this case, so Chen Shi naturally suspected her.


    "It''s not possible. She should be running away with Lu Qi right now. How could shee back alone?"


    "Check the surveince footage!"


    Chen Shi searched all the surveince footage around the area that he could find, only to find that a car was parked nearbyst night and a person in a windbreaker got out of the car. Their height and physical appearance were very simr to Su Chan¡¯s.


    When this person came back, it was from the opposite direction, as if she had "flown" from Zhuoyuanpany to the opposite building. This route waspletely consistent with what they expected.


    This case was getting more and more interesting. Each party had their own purpose.


    Chen Shi told Lin Qiupu about this discovery. Maybe they could find Lu Qi''s current hiding ce based on this lead. Lin Qiupu summoned everyone to start the investigation, mainly checking for the license te and surveince footage.


    Whenever they heard the words "check the surveince footage", the police all got headaches. They checked the footage from various intersections. They kept investing manpower and time crazily into it. This kind of method wasn¡¯t useless, but it was exhausting.


    The car belonged to Dong Xiao. After several days and nights of this fierce battle, they finally found traces of the car on several major roads including Linyang Road, Andong Road, and Binhe Road, and found a factory along the way.


    Chen Shi was very surprised that Lu Qi would hide in such arge ce. The police rushed there immediately. The factory was abandoned and the current owner was Dong Xiao. He bought thend but the purpose was unknown.


    Everyone walked into the factory area and there were scrapped mechanical parts everywhere. The factory waspletely empty, which was clear at a nce.


    Naturally, there was no surveince camera in this ce, but the footage did show that Su Chan came here by car. Everyone''s hard work finally exchanged for such a measly return. Everyone could not help being discouraged andints filled the air.


    Lin Qiupu looked around and couldn¡¯t find any clues either. When he was about to dismiss the team, he found that Chen Shi was missing. He called him, to which Chen Shi replied, "Come to the east of the factory. I have found some things."


    Everyone mustered up their drive again. When they found Chen Shi, they found that Chen Shi was squatting in a corner studying a litter of wild cats. The mother cat was lying on a broken mattress with many kittens in her arms without opening her eyes. The kittens were squirming trying to find a nipple.


    "So, this is your discovery?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "No. Look at the shrubs nearby..." Chen Shi pointed in one direction.


    Lin Qiupu saw some cat food, chicken bones, and fish bones. He understood. "Someone is feeding these cats?"


    Chen Shi picked up a grain of cat food, broke it, and smelled it. Then, he called Xu Xiaodong to have a taste. Xu Xiaodong tasted it and reported, "This is imported cat food. The retail price is quite expensive... It''s quite dry. It should have been fed to the cat recently."


    "Search! We have to find them even if we have to dig this ce up!"


    Eventually, someone finally found a basement with an unremarkable entrance hidden in a warehouse. When they walked in, they found that the ce was very spacious with somethes and tools. Thethe had been lubricated recently, and it was obvious that someone was still using it.


    Chen Shi noticed that theputer was still powered on, and when he touched the router, he found that it was very hot. There wasn¡¯t any dust on the table and there was a lot of food in the refrigerator. Someone had stayed here, and they moved in a hurry.


    "Could it be Lu Qi and Su Chan?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Why are they hiding in this ce? Looking at this scene, it seems they¡¯re tinkering with something." Chen Shi said.


    "They don''t intend to build a rocket to escape, right?!" Xu Xiaodong eximed. When everyone cast incredulous eyes at him, Xu Xiaodong awkwardly defended, "Aren¡¯t they amunicationspany? There is a precedent for amunicationspanyunching a rocket in China."


    "That''s forunching a satellite. Building a rocket to escape? Where can they go, the moon?" Lin Qiupu instructed, "Check what this ce is for. It doesn''t look like there are only two people hiding here. Captain Peng, take your people over to investigate."


    Everyone was divided into two groups. Lin Qiupu went to thepany to check. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue stayed behind to apany Peng Sijue in investigating and collecting evidence. Many people''s footprints and fingerprints were found here. Fingerprints were left on the tools. They were indeed making something. It¡¯s just that everyone wasn¡¯t a professional, so they couldn¡¯t tell what it was just by looking at the parts on the ground. Peng Sijue made a list of the things that they found there and was going to go back to consult an expert.


    They found foreign wine and cigarettes, some food, and a bed in a small room. What they found on the bed proved that not only did Lu Qi and Su Chan stay here, but they also conducted "business" there. The days they spent here weren¡¯t bad.


    In addition, there was aputer. Thisputer, like otherputers in the workshop, had its hard disk formatted. It would take time to recover the data.


    It seemed like Lu Qi was very vignt and moved locations before the police arrived. Peng Sijue made another important discovery. His subordinates found a sack in the garbage dump and found Dong Xiao''s DNA in it.


    It could be seen that Dong Xiao was indeed murdered and Lu Qi escaped with his body.

 Chapter 662: Torch Program

    <h4>Chapter 662: Torch Program</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While Peng Sijue led his subordinates to investigate and collect evidence without leaving anything behind, the two idlers, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, looked around everywhere. Chen Shi picked up Lu Qi¡¯s "reserves". Although they were all convenience store foods, they were also the most expensive kind you could find among convenience store foods. There was organic hot pot, pasta, Russian sausage, German beer and a big box was filled up. Chen Shi said, "The food here is pretty good. I usually eat this one. It¡¯s good. If I had just this for a meal, it would be considered quite good."


    "Since we followed Su Chan toe here, it seems that Su Chan is really a spy in the industry. I wonder if Lu Qi knows about this?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "One possibility is that Su Chan was inserted by Lu Qi next to Dong Xiao... But I think it¡¯s unlikely. Would he give himself a green hat? It doesn''t fit his character."


    "It does fit his character. A woman is only a tool for Lu Qi. I think he can do this kind of thing with his character." When she thought that Su Chan was intimate with Dong Xiao, a tyrant, for a trade secret, Lin Dongxue felt that there was too much she had sacrificed. It was a humiliation she had to suck up and bear.


    "No, you don''t understand men. Lu Qi is a lustful man. The more lustful he is, the more conservative he is. It sounds contradictory, right? But it isn¡¯t because conservative values discriminate and objectify women to protect men. It¡¯s not values that determine behavior, but behavior that determines values. Whatever people do, they will find corresponding values for themselves. Therefore, criminals who are full of crimes will also justify that everything is the fault of society, which is only a numbing agent that their conscience is giving themselves and nothing more. Some people have crooked outlooks. They¡¯re not actually crooked, but have crooked behavior. So, this kind of lecherous man is most concerned about the problem of receiving a green hat. Furthermore, I think Lu Qi likes Su Chan very much. At the very least, he¡¯s not tired of her yet. He couldn''t put Su Chan beside Dong Xiao and use beauty to get information."


    "So, Lu Qi doesn''t know about this?"


    Chen Shi nodded. "If this is the case, I think Su Chan was inserted by another force. Perhaps apetingpany."


    "We¡¯ll know if we check her background."


    "I originally wanted to investigate that, but now the focus is on finding Lu Qi''s whereabouts, so I put it aside."


    At this time, Peng Sijue came in and said, "You guys are chatting here? Then it¡¯s better to investigate the case."


    "Do you think we¡¯re in the way?" Chen Shi smiled.


    "Go out. We have to survey this room."


    The two were kicked out and smiled at each other. Lin Dongxue suggested, "We¡¯re really just idling here. It''s better to go around and investigate. Since there were people hiding here, they would definitely go out to do activities."


    "Good idea!"


    They went to the nearby supermarket to check the surveince footage. Lin Dongxue felt like she almost went blind watching footage over the past few days. She joked, "Sometimes, I think that us police are just tools that watch surveince footage."


    "Although I¡¯m not a police officer, I feel the same way."


    The investigation was still slightly rewarding. They found that a man came to this supermarket every day to buy arge amount of fast food such as yogurt, beer, instant noodles, bread, etc. Each time, he brought enough to fill arge car.


    They copied this piece of surveince footage.


    At this time, Peng Sijue was already done. They went back with him by car. Lin Qiupu was interrogating an executive of thepany. Faced with Lin Qiupu''s questioning, the executive shook his head and said, "I don''t know what Director Dong wanted to buy the broken factory for."


    "Do you know about this matter?"


    "I don¡¯t!"


    "Did he mention anything he wanted to do?"


    The executive thought for a while. "I remember he mentioned something about a torch program, but I don¡¯t know the specifics."


    This was the only information that they could get out of him. Dong Xiao seemed to have bought this factory for another purpose. After the questioning, Lin Qiupu came out and Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Lin, we found a subordinate of Lu Qi who often went to nearby supermarkets to purchaserge quantities of convenience store food."


    "Did you find it on surveince footage?"


    "Yes."


    "Let''s have a look at itter. Come with me to the Information Department."


    Lin Qiupu ordered someone to search for the words "Torch Program" in the documents found in Dong Xiao¡¯sputer, only to see a digital copy of a contract. The content was unclear and only mentioned that apany named Chengxing assisted Dong Xiao inpleting a certain engineering project.


    "What does Chengxing Company do?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    A search revealed that this was apany specializing in the manufacturing of rockets. Several engineers of thispany had participated in national rocket engineering in Jiuquan previously. Hearing the word "rocket", the three of them had a bad premonition.


    "Go to thatpany!" Lin Qiupu said.


    The three of them immediately went to thepany. Although it sounded like a bigpany, its address was actually hidden in an inconspicuous office building. It was very dpidated and felt like a shell corporation.


    Lin Qiupu found the manager and asked, "What does yourpany do?"


    "We make rockets... I know this sounds a bit much, but we actually do this. We mainly create private rockets tounch satellites."


    "So, legally..."


    "There is no problem with thew. As long as it¡¯s approved by the state, we¡¯re allowed tounch satellites in the name of apany. Generally, as long as it¡¯s a small-scalemunicationspany, the state will approve it."


    "Why would you want tounch a satellite privately?" Lin Dongxue asked, very puzzled.


    "Have you ever heard of the term ''satellite signal rental fee''? Everyone usually uses mobile phones and mobile phone signals are transmitted through satellites. However, you have to pay the signal rental fee to whoever owns the satellite. Of course, themunicationpany pays this, but the fleecees from the sheep and the money is paid by the users in the end. In the past, our country didn¡¯t have many satellites and we had to pay billions of signal lease fees to developed countries every year. These privatemunicationpanies also have to pay the country, unless the satellite belongs to you. Within its coverage area, you can even charge other people¡¯s signal rental fee... Our country already has a precedent for private satelliteunches. That is, Fengma Niu 1.[2] You can check it out. Ourpany also participated in this project.¡±


    "I¡¯m guessing yourpany''s business has been bad!" Chen Shi said.


    The manager smiled awkwardly. "You¡¯re right. It really isn¡¯t too good. We went to various telmunicationspanies to lobby for rmendations. They were all unwilling. In fact, when the cost is calcted,unching satellites by yourself can save a lot of rental fees, but the risk has to be considered. You must know that private rocketunches are prone to idents. Of course, a telmunicationspany was willing to cooperate with us a while ago, and this has allowed us to survive the difficult period."


    "Zhuoyuan Company?"


    When the name was mentioned, the manager''s eyes brightened. He even said, "Yes, yes, Director Dong has good eyes. After listening to us, he agreed to cooperate with us. After several negotiations, the contract was officially signed, and we were contracted to create the rockets and satellites. The project is funded by him..."


    "How¡¯s the project progressing?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "It was going very smoothly. We nned tounch the satellite in the first half of this year, but then there was a problem with the capital and the project was stopped..." As he said this, the manager inadvertently touched his nose.


    1. A n to develop new and valuable technology.


    2. Fengma Niu 1 wasunched in Jiuquan on February 2, 2018 with the Long March II Ding rocket.

 Chapter 663: Come and Catch Me

    <h4>Chapter 663: Come and Catch Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi immediately knew that the manager was lying. He said, "Your project has been restarted recently, right?"


    "No, no..." the manager said in a panic. "I already said that there was a problem with the capital. Besides, isn¡¯t Director Dong missing? How could it be restarted?"


    "As long as someone is willing to pay, the project will be restarted. Is that person''s surname Lu?"


    "I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about..."


    "How heavy is the satellite?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Returning to professional questions, the manager calmed down again. He replied, "There arerge and small ones. Early satellites were only tens or even a few kilograms. Now, satellites are equipped with more and more equipment and some have reached one ton."


    "Is it harder to build rockets or satellites?"


    "It has to be satellites. Rockets have no technical content. Anyone with a little knowledge of science and engineering can make their own rockets. Of course, they don¡¯t fly as high as hydrogen-fueled rockets."


    Lin Qiupu called them aside and the three of them had already guessed what had happened. "Lu Qi is going to build that rocket andunch Dong Xiao''s body into space!"


    Although they guessed it, the shock was still indescribable. If it was true, it would definitely be an unprecedented masterpiece in the history of world crime.


    "Has something been misunderstood somewhere? How could someone do this kind of thing?" Lin Qiupu struggled for thest time. He even wondered if he was dreaming. How could there be such a thing?


    "Money can make ghosts grind for you. It could be done with Lu Qi''s financial resources... By the way, is his ount frozen yet?" Chen Shi said.


    "It must be frozen, but there¡¯s only a bit over one million in it."


    "Lu Qi¡¯s house is worth over one million. He must have transferred his assets to other ounts. ounts that the police cannot find."


    Lin Qiupu immediately called the Information Department and asked them to investigate it thoroughly again. At this moment, a tall and thin man pushed the door open and handed a document over to the manager. As he passed, he and Chen Shi looked at each other. Wasn¡¯t this the buyer that appeared in the surveince footage?


    Lin Dongxue also reacted. She went up and pressed the man¡¯s hands behind his back and handcuffed him. The manager was frightened. "Aiya, this is Little Zhang from mypany. He¡¯s not a bad guy. What are you doing?"


    Lin Qiupu also froze for a moment. After making a phone call, they had caught a suspect, so he asked what was going on. Chen Shi whispered to exin the situation. Lin Qiupu said, "Take him back for questioning."


    "No, I''m afraid it would be toote. Just question him here!" Chen Shi said.


    They took this person to an office and closed the door. He looked very nervous as Chen Shi asked, "Do you know why we detained you?"


    Little Zhang shook his head desperately.


    Chen Shi used theputer on the desk to show him the surveince video copied from the supermarket and asked, "Is this you?"


    "Police officer, am I breaking thew when I go to the supermarket to buy things?"


    "The ce where you bought things was where we found Lu Qi''s hiding ce. He¡¯s basically a fugitive right now. Why did you buy so many convenience foods? Why did you buy them every day? Are there many people in that workshop doing things? What are you making?"


    Little Zhang was silent.


    Lin Qiupu mmed on the table. "Did you see Dong Xiao''s body?"


    Little Zhang was frightened and shook his head desperately. Ayer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.


    "You¡¯re building a rocket and nning to send that corpse to the sky, right?"


    Seeing that the police had seen through their n, Little Zhang became even more nervous, but he still didn¡¯t speak.


    No matter what they asked, Little Zhang remained silent. Chen Shi could see that they had taken Lu Qi''s money and wouldn¡¯t betray him even if they were faced with death. Otherwise, the money would be gone.


    For the sake of money, people were even willing to risk their lives.


    Lin Qiupu scolded, "You¡¯re helping a murderer andmitting a felony, you know?"


    "I don''t know what corpses you¡¯re talking about. We just work based on the money we receive and build rockets." Little Zhang tried to argue in sophistry.


    The manager pushed the door in, holding a few cups of coffee in his hands. "Officers, calm down. You guys are thinking too much. Using rockets tounch corpses? Would a rocket that costs millions be used for that?"


    "Who allowed you toe in?" Lin Qiupu asked coldly.


    The manager put the coffee down hesitantly and left. Before leaving, he gave Little Zhang a threatening look. This look didn¡¯t escape Chen Shi''s eyes. It seemed like the manager was also involved in this, but the people of thepany¡¯s personnel were aligned by the same purpose and no information would be leaked.


    He had a hunch that the rocket may already have beenunched or would beunched soon.


    Seeing that they couldn''t ask for any more information, Lin Dongxue said, "Brother, think of another way!"


    "Why did hee back?" Chen Shi said, "He must have finished his job. Check where he¡¯s been!"


    The three hurriedly went downstairs to check the dash cam of the youngster, which showed that he had been to an extremely remote ce in the countryside. Lin Qiupu called other policemen to deal with this ce and drove there hurriedly with Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue was thinking wildly along the way. This can''t be true. It can¡¯t be true, right?


    If Lu Qi intended to use this crazy method to dispose of the corpse, could the police spend tens of millions to build a satellite trap like the Soviet Union during the Cold War to retrieve the corpse that turned into a satellite?


    A few hourster, they arrived at the location and saw a snow-white rocket standing on the empty ground from a distance, with a makeshiftunch tower around it. A bunch of people stood below it.


    Lu Qi and Su Chan were also among them. Their size was too noticeable. Lu Qi was talking to people. He suddenly noticed the car and said something to the people next to him. Those people immediately moved.


    "Asshole. Stop him!" Lin Qiupu shouted, "Speed up!"


    "I¡¯ve stepped on the elerator as far down as possible." The car soared so fast that it was like they were flying. There wasn¡¯t any road there. It was all grasnds covered with a thinyer of snow. The three of them bounced around in the car and they were all getting dizzy, but they couldn¡¯t care about that.


    When they were about to arrive, they saw a pir of fire spouting from theunch tower, and the rumbling sound drowned out everything around them, shaking the bones of the three of them.


    They got out of the car and ran over. Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth angrily, drew his gun, and prepared to shoot. Chen Shi said loudly, "No! If the fuel tank explodes, everyone here will die!" His voice waspletely overwhelmed by the loud noise of the rocket.


    Lin Qiupu probably realized it as well. In the end, he put his gun away and stamped his feet in anger. The three of them could only watch the snow-white, slender rocket slowly rise into the sky, getting faster and faster. Lu Qi stood below against the background of heavy smoke. He spread his hands andughed, shouting wildly.


    When the rocket rose a few meters into the sky, they finally heard what Lu Qi was yelling about: "Police,e and catch me! Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 664: Interrogation of Su Chan

    <h4>Chapter 664: Interrogation of Su Chan</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While they were being brought back from the scene, neither Lu Qi nor Su Chan resisted. They calmly epted the summon as if they were epting an invitation.


    At 4:00 in the afternoon, Lu Qi sat in the interrogation room with a sneer as he smoked a cigar. He wore an expression as though nobody could do anything to him. He manipted his eyes and eyebrows towards the single-sided mirror on the wall from time to time. He knew that there must be a few police officers who wanted to kill him behind it.


    The interrogation hadn¡¯t started yet. This was firstly because Lu Qi''swyer hadn¡¯t arrived and secondly because Peng Sijue was still investigating at the scene. Both Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu were looking forward to the emergence of some key evidence, although their hopes were slim.


    "Interrogate other people first!" Lin Qiupu suggested.


    "Shall we interrogate Su Chan?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "No, we should try the other staff members who came back from the scene first."


    Bringing a supervisor in charge of the rocketunch project into the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu asked, "Surname. upation."


    "Du XX. My profession is an engineer of Chengxing Company..." the other party lowered his head and answered.


    "Do you know him?" Lin Qiupu showed him Dong Xiao''s photo and the other side nodded. "This is Director Dong of Zhuoyuan Company. He is the fund provider of the Torch Program."


    "Is it also the transportation object of the Torch Program?" Lin Qiupu sneered.


    "No, no, no such thing. I haven''t seen him at all recently!" The engineer repeatedly denied. His expression was extremely flustered.


    "Then what have you been doingtely?!"


    "Mr. Lu restarted the project and let usplete the unfinished rocket. Finally, weunched it today. Generally speaking, it was a sess." The engineer had justunched a rocket sessfully. When he thought about it, the engineer showed a prideful smile.


    "What''s on the rocket?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Of course it¡¯s... a man-made satellite."


    "Don''t y word games with us. As long as they are sent to the sky by humans, they are called man-made satellites, whether they are normalmunication satellites or something else." Lin Qiupu said.


    Lin Dongxue added, "In fact, we have already visited your workshop before. The documents found there didn¡¯t mention the satellite. What is in the rocket?"


    The engineer shook his head. "I don''t know!"


    "Youunched it but you don''t know?"


    "I don''t know!!!" His lying expression was extremely clear. This was no longer a lie. He was acting shamelessly like a dead pig that wasn¡¯t afraid of boiling water.[1]


    Everyone knew in their hearts that Lu Qi gave them a lot of money. This group of people wouldn¡¯t spill anything.


    Lin Qiupu had no way to go about it, so he could only let this person go first before interrogating Su Chan.


    After some discussion, the three of them decided to let Lin Dongxue lead the interrogation because Su Chan was too beautiful. Neither Chen Shi nor Lin Qiupu could remain calm and objective in front of her.


    Before entering the interrogation room, Chen Shi handed a piece of paper to Lin Dongxue. "This may help."


    When the two looked at it, it was a copy of a mobile phone number contract. They were both confused. Chen Shi exined, "Dong Xiao received a call from a number before leaving the office and didn¡¯t talk to them. The other party just rang a few times, so we didn¡¯t pick it out in the call log. I checked itter and found out this mysterious number actually belonged to Su Chan."


    "What? It was Su Chan herself who notified Dong Xiao about the affair?!" Lin Qiupu couldn''t believe it. "Why didn''t you say so earlier?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "I just got this. After knowing that she might be amercial spy, I thought about it in this direction."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Is it possible that Su Chan provoked Dong Xiao and Lu Qi to turn against each other?"


    "Both of them are cruel and unscrupulous. There¡¯s no need to stir things up with them, but she might have yed the role that fanned the mes." Lin Qiupu spected.


    At the beginning of the interrogation, when looking at Su Chan from close range, Lin Dongxue also felt like her heart stirred a bit. How could a woman have been born like this? The nose, eyes, eyebrows, and mouth were all so perfect, especially the corners of her mouth. She looked like she was smiling even when she wasn¡¯t. It was a dignified expressionced with an evil charm. One really had to appreciate her beauty upon looking at her.


    "Miss Su, this is not the first time we¡¯ve met. I know quite a lot about your situation. You were Dong Xiao¡¯s mistress before. On the day of the Fengyi Court fire, we saw the video on Dong Xiao¡¯sputer. You and Lu Qi had an affair. Dong Xiao went to catch the affair that day. May I ask what happened that day?"


    "Would you believe me if I told you?" Su Chan asked back.


    "That depends on whether what you say has evidence behind it."


    "I admit that Lu Qi and I had an affair. I can¡¯t tell you when this began. Maybe we¡¯re both not serious people. I caught feelings after some flirting. Then, I tried it behind Dong Xiao¡¯s back. It was bliss..." Su Chan sneered and licked her lips. "The rtionship between us is very simple. There¡¯s no soul-level connection nonsense. No fake pledges of love. It was simply an obsession with each other''s body. He¡¯s very handsome and he¡¯s even more handsome when his clothes are off!"


    Lin Dongxue was embarrassed by these words. She coughed and reminded, "Don''t talk about these irrelevant things. I¡¯m asking you what happened in Fengyi Court on January 20th!"


    Su Chan shrugged. "I wasn¡¯t feeling well that day, so I went back and rested. Then, Lu Qi came over and we engaged for a while. There was the sound of a car outside. Dong Xiao hade, and Lu Qi put on his pants to run away. It was very noisy outside, and I don¡¯t know what happened. Then, the fire started. Lu Qi came in to grab me before running away."


    "What about Dong Xiao?"


    "How could I know?!"


    "You mean, you didn''t see him that day?"


    "Yes, he didn''t enter my room at all."


    It seemed like Su Chan wasn¡¯t going to tell the truth. Chen Shi secretly wondered why she wanted to defend Lu Qi. From his perspective, he couldn''t tell if she really loved Lu Qi. Did Lu Qi still have a purpose for her?


    At this time, her true identity should be revealed.


    Chen Shi motioned to Lin Dongxue with his eyes. Lin Dongxue understood and opened theptop on the table. She yed the surveince footage to Su Chan, which was the scene where she was filmed that night.


    Su Chan looked at it with a smile and without panic. Lin Dongxue asked, "Are you the person in the video?"


    "I never wear those kinds of clothes. It doesn''t show off my figure."


    "Dong Xiao bought this car for you. We followed the person in the surveince footage and finally found you and Lu Qi''s hiding ce. Do you want to say that this person isn¡¯t you?"


    "Maybe it''s me then. You can think whatever you want." She looked at her nails indifferently.


    "Miss Su, although your criminal record is very clean, ording to the information we currently have, there are good reasons to suspect that you¡¯re actually amercial spy who broke into the Zhuoyuan Company. On the evening of January 21st, you appeared in Dong Xiao''s office and took something. It was most probably a USB sh drive. Then, you escaped by the cable on the rooftop. In fact, you were the person who informed Dong Xiao to catch the affair that day. You¡¯re provoking this rtionship between godfather and godson in order to reach your purpose, right?"


    "Miss Police Officer, your story is very interesting. It¡¯s too imaginative." Su Chan smiled. Her acting skills were very superb, and there was no trace of panic on her beautiful face.


    1. When you¡¯re dead, you wouldn¡¯t be scared of anything.

 Chapter 665: Masculinity

    <h4>Chapter 665: Masculinity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue was getting a bit angry. Who was this woman trying to fool? She said, "You said you didn''t see Dong Xiao that day. You obviously called him. We found Dong Xiao''s DNA in your hiding ce, but we didn¡¯t see him alive nor find his corpse. How could you have never seen him?!"


    Su Chan casually leaned back on her chair and said, "Let me tell you a story! There was a woman from a humble background who was favored by a general. The woman''s father had her betrothed to the general''s godfather, a tyrant, to achieve his own goals. The beloved woman became his ¡®mother¡¯, and the general could only sneakily try to find this woman. Of course, paper cannot contain the fire. One day, things were revealed. The tyrant got angry and rushed to catch the adulterers. He wanted to kill the general, but he was old and fat. Even if he had a weapon in his hand, he couldn''t beat the general and was quickly killed. The general made a decisive decision and killed all of his subordinates. Then, he used a fire to destroy all the evidence and took his beloved woman to escape.¡±


    This was basically the same as Chen Shi''s spection. This was the most cooperative that Su Chan could be.


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t ask who the characters in the story were, and Su Chan wouldn¡¯t answer anyway. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have told it as a story. He only asked one question: "Does Lu Qi love you that much?"


    "Probably... You have to ask him yourself. Can I go now, officers?" Su Chan smiled.


    The police had no evidence to prosecute Su Chan, so they had to let her go. She made a phone call, and then a car came to pick her up. Lin Qiupu paid special attention to the license te number and asked someone to investigate it. It was a buddy of Lu Qi¡¯s.


    As soon as Su Chan left, Peng Sijue returned from the scene. Everyone surrounded him in concern and asked what he had found. Peng Sijue said that the physical evidence he brought back still needed to be identified. He asked someone to remove some items from the car. It was the remains of theunch tower and the discarded outer shell of the rocket. It took a lot of effort to retrieve these things. It can be said that it was the mostborious scene surveyance they¡¯ve ever done.


    Due to the high temperature during the rocketunch, there were no clues on them, but a woven bag was found on a truck carrying the rocket to the scene, and some of Dong Xiao''s DNA was found in it.


    Dong Xiao was taken to the scene, and as the rocket lifted off, he also disappeared cleanly. Anyone could think of the connection. Dong Xiao "rode" the rocket and left.


    "Did the body enter the universe now, or is it in orbit?" Lin Dongxue asked. She felt a little absurd when she said those words. She actually had to discuss such a case.


    "It''s definitely still in orbit. It¡¯s probably orbiting around us." Chen Shi said.


    "Mm, I don''t quite understand. This rocket went straight to the sky. Why would the contents be satellites? There¡¯s nothing on the corpse." Xu Xiaodong was puzzled.


    "Do you know about Newton''sw?" Peng Sijue asked, "Things thrown from the earth have only three results. They get captured by gravity, escape from gravity and fly into space, or be satellites of the earth. After the rocket continues to elerate, it finally reaches the first universe speed. The wreckage after it burns out of fuel will definitely be a satellite."


    Xu Xiaodong looked as though he kind of understood and murmured, "That''s incredible!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "So is Dong Xiao scorched or frozen right now?"


    "Either way, we won''t be able to collect the corpse."


    "I don''t understand. The fuel used tounch the rocket burns up to thousands of degrees, which canpletely burn Dong Xiao so much that there¡¯s no residue left. Why would Lu Qi do such a thing?"


    Chen Shi smiled. "For him, not only does he have to win, but he needs to win beautifully! He¡¯s very masculine. The term masculinity, if made more specific, can be said to be a big boy, childish and self-willed!"


    Lin Qiupu said angrily, "Look at his arrogant appearance. His nostrils are almost upturned towards the sky. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve encountered such a crazy suspect."


    "If we¡¯re talking about that, I think I''m quite masculine." Xu Xiaodong suddenly said before taking the brunt of Lin Qiupu¡¯s re.


    Lin Qiupu stood up and said, "Let''s start the interrogation!"


    Sitting in the interrogation room with Lu Qi and hiswyer, Lu Qi was enjoying beef and red wine. He ate whole beef tartare and the corner of his mouth was covered with blood.


    Seeing the policeing in, he greeted them with food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, leaned back on his chair, and said, "It''s finally started. I almost died from waiting. Hurry up and question me. When it''s over, I have things to do."


    Lin Qiupu was so angry with this arrogant attitude and it took a lot of effort to suppress himself. "Where did Dong Xiao go?"


    "I put him in the rocket and he wasunched into the sky with a ''shoo'', hahahaha!" Lu Qi smacked his thighs andughed. He was unexpectedly honest.


    Thewyer was terrified and quickly interrupted him with a cough. Thewyer exined, "My client made a joke. Of course this isn¡¯t true."


    "Of course it''s true!" Lin Qiupu raised his voice, "Besides, I can''t think of where the corpse would otherwise be. It''s quite a sum, Mr. Lu. An unprecedented sum spent."


    "Do you dare to write it down? Do you dare to write it down?" Lu Qi sneered and threatened. "Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll retract the confession? Do you have evidence? Can you take out any evidence?"


    Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth in anger. Indeed, he could retract his confession at any time if there was no evidence.


    Lin Qiupu continued to ask, "What happened in Fengyi Court on January 20th?"


    Thewyer wanted to speak for him but Lu Qi stretched out his hand to beckon him to shut up. He said with a grin, "I went to see my little lover. I didn''t know Dong Xiao woulde over. He discovered our rtionship. In fact, Dong Xiao is despicable. In order to test my loyalty to him, he allowed me to take care of Su Chan every day. I¡¯m not a vegetarian. How can I not try my way with her? Thus, we got intimate without considering the consequences. Dong Xiao found out and ran over to catch us adulterers.¡±


    "And then?"


    "It¡¯s catching adulterers. What good can happen? Su Chan and I had just finished having sex and we were smoking cigarettes on the bed. Dong Xiao and Secretary Li ran in, cursing, saying that I was ungrateful, a white-eyed wolf, etc. He was really crazy that day. He unexpectedly climbed up to the third floor in one go. He usually needs someone to help him up any floor."


    "Did Dong Xiao carry a gun that day?"


    "I don''t know about that."


    "You have a gunshot wound on your body. Won''t you admit it? We can examine your wound."


    Lu Qi made an impatient expression as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered with the trouble. "Okay, okay, don''t bother. I admit it. Dong Xiao shot me but missed the fatal point. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be here right now! Hahahaha!" Lu Qi thought he was funny and let out a dryugh like a hyena.


    "The gunshot was shot by Secretary Li. Why did the gun fall into the hands of Secretary Li? Why did an outsider who apanied Dong Xiao shoot? What happened at that time forced him to shoot!" Lin Qiupu questioned in order to corner him. He watched Lu Qi''s increasingly nervous expression and added, "By the way, Secretary Li wasn¡¯t burned to death. He escaped."


    Cold sweat came down between Lu Qi''s frowning brows. He didn''t know that Secretary Li went crazy. Through Lin Qiupu''s suggestive remark, Secretary Li seemed to have exined everything to them. This made Lu Qi panic. He actually missed this...

 Chapter 666: Not Worthy of Mentioning Her Name

    <h4>Chapter 666: Not Worthy of Mentioning Her Name</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu said, "Dong Xiao went to catch the adulterers that day. You had a dispute with him, and then you killed him. Since it came to that, you figured you wouldn¡¯t do things in halves. You beat all the people in the house to have serious injuries and put them in a small room. The house was then burned down. You and Su Chan took Dong Xiao''s body and fled. All those people were trapped in the house and burned alive."


    When Lu Qi heard these words, his expression was panicked. He kept shaking his head in denial, before finally shouting, "Stop talking!"


    "Mr. Lu." Thewyer handed out a handkerchief and reminded him with his eyes.


    Lu Qi took the handkerchief and wiped it hurriedly on his face full of cold sweat. His nostrils were ring and he kept breathing heavily. This reactionbined with the "story" that Su Chan told them before, Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi already knew it.


    But they also know that it was impossible for him to confess. What came next would most likely be ugly sophistry.


    Thewyer spoke on his behalf. "These are all Secretary Li''s one-sided remarks. You can''te up with reliable evidence to support them. If my client says that these things are all done by Secretary Li right now, who would you believe?"


    "Yes. Without evidence, I wouldn¡¯t admit it." Lu Qi recovered hisposure.


    "But it is true that Secretary Li shot and wounded you. If it wasn''t an emergency, why did he use a gun to wound you?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Hohohoho!" Lu Qi spread out his hands and said with an exaggerated expression, "Listen here. The one who wounded someone with a gun is actually on the right side now? Right, I want to sue Secretary Li for shooting and wounding me. Lawyer, record this down."


    "Why did Secretary Li wound you?! Answer the question." Lin Qiupu asked.


    "He was neurotic and he rushed in with Dong Xiao. I fled when I saw that the situation wasn¡¯t good. Dong Xiao told him to shoot and he really shot me, so I got a shot."


    "Where did you get hurt?"


    "My pectorals."


    "Mr. Lu, this doesn''t match what you just said. Secretary Li should have shot you head-on, but ording to your story, you could only be shot in the back."


    "I heard the gunshot, turned around, and got shot. Can''t I?" Lu Qi didn''t even bother to make up a decent lie.


    Lin Qiupu could only wait patiently to listen to his version of "what happened." Lu Qi looked triumphant and his cocky face made Lin Qiupu so angry that his stomach was full of fire. His fists creaked from being clenched so hard.


    Chen Shi shook his head towards him secretly. It was useless arguing with him right now. The fire did burn everything, and what theycked the most right now was evidence.


    Lin Qiupu reluctantly changed the question. "Do you know of Su Chan''s other identity?"


    Lu Qi said with a grin, "Are you referring to me and her concealing the affair from Dong Xiao? Or is it about her being a former model?"


    "Did she leave on the evening of January 21st? Think about it carefully."


    This was just an ordinary question, but Lu Qi was furious for no reason. "You can suspect me, but don¡¯t suspect her. People like you are not worthy of even mentioning her name."


    "Mr. Lu, are you threatening the police right now?" Lin Qiupu said tit-for-tat.


    Thewyer also whispered to remind Lu Qi to calm down. Lu Qi red at Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi. Chen Shi thought to himself that this guy became very aggressive when he was nervous. From this, it can be spected that he might vaguely know Su Chan''s secret.


    "Did you know that she¡¯s actually amercial spy?" Lin Qiupu asked calmly.


    Lu Qi became angry again. "What do you mean?! You want to say that Little Chan is with me to steal business information? Hahaha, that¡¯s too ridiculous. We love each other sincerely. No matter what happens, nothing can separate us. Not Dong Xiao, not-"


    "Mr. Lu!" Thewyer hurriedly reminded him. Thewyer was most likely hired to prevent Lu Qi from identally leaking anything.


    Lu Qi returned to his senses, calmed down a bit and continued, "She can''t be amercial spy. Our love is beyond you peasants¡¯ understanding."


    "Peasants? How arrogant." Lin Qiupu sneered. He was a sad man who didn''t know that he was being used.


    "I will leave if there¡¯s nothing else." Lu Qi said while grinning.


    As there was no evidence, Lin Qiupu could only let him go. Before leaving, Lu Qi acted nice and said, "Next time you want to find me, please show me some reliable evidence. Of course, if you just want to treat me to dinner and tea, I¡¯ll reluctantly think about it... Oh, hey, what about that beautiful female police officer? I haven''t said hello to her yet!"


    "Asshole, how long do you think you can be arrogant?!" Lin Qiupu was so angry that he was about to blow, but he was persuaded by his subordinates. Lu Qi''sughter echoed in the corridor, and he left.


    Lin Qiupu felt very depressed. He sat down with his head in his hands and asked Chen Shi, "How do we find evidence?"


    ording to Chen Shi, there had been no ws ever since Lu Qi set fire to the Fengyi Court that day. The only witness, Secretary Li, went crazy, as if God was standing by Lu Qi''s side.


    Investigating cases was his interest and specialty, but the embroidery skills of finding evidence were not.


    He didn''t know how to answer so that Lin Qiupu wouldn¡¯t be affected, but ording to the current situation, Lu Qi was likely to be acquitted.


    Money can even make ghosts grind for them. Lu Qi upied a lot of assets, making his crimes almost impossible to leak.


    Thinking of this, Chen Shi could only let out a long sigh.


    Lin Qiupu suddenly asked, "Where¡¯s Dongxue?"


    He looked around and couldn¡¯t find Lin Dongxue. He called her and she said that she was on the road. Lin Dongxue came back half an hourter and said, "Guess where I just went?"


    "Did you go and see Su Chan?" Chen Shi guessed.


    "How did you know?"


    "When Su Chan left just now, I was thinking about where she would go and whether we should follow her."


    "Haha, we thought about the same thing. I went directly to Lu Qi¡¯s house. Sure enough, she went there too, as if she was looking for something! Su Chan probably hasn¡¯t gotten the trade secrets yet. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be with Lu Qi. She¡¯s already searched all around Dong Xiao, so she probably thinks the thing she wants may be in Lu Qi''s hands."


    "Did you two meet?"


    "When I got out, she saw me and I was a little embarrassed. But when us two women were together, she shared a rare glimpse of what was in her heart. She said that she was very scared being with Lu Qi during this period and just wanted to finish the task and leave him earlier. She also said that she had been pretending for too long and had forgotten what realughter and crying felt like. Hearing this, I felt a little sympathetic towards her... I think Su Chan might be a breakthrough point. As long as she gets what she wants, she¡¯ll be on our side."


    Lin Qiupu listened before he asked, "Don''t you think she¡¯s trying to gain your sympathy to use you?"


    "Brother, I think she¡¯s very pitiful. For her mission, she evenmitted to being with Dong Xiao and Lu Qi while running around with him in fear over these past few days."


    "She¡¯s pitiful? I think she¡¯s getting what she deserves!" Lin Qiupu right now basically regarded Dong Xiao, Lu Qi, and Su Chan as the same kind. "Even if we have no evidence now, we will never assist her inpletingmercial crimes. This is a matter of principle!"


    After saying this, Lin Qiupu left in a huff.


    Lin Dongxue sighed, "This person isn¡¯t old yet, but why is he so stubborn?"


    Chen Shi said, "Did Su Chan ask you anything about the progress of the investigation?"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while. "She did. She asked if we found a document about the motherboard of a mobile phone from Dong Xiao... She really was trying to get information from me. This cunning woman."


    "But I think your idea is right. Su Chan participated in almost the entire case and is an important witness. Mm, there¡¯s still a glimmer of hope for this case!"

 Chapter 667: Comradery Between The Same Kind

    <h4>Chapter 667: Comradery Between The Same Kind</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On January 26th, Long''an University of Science and Technology.


    After ss, Professor Zhuge stopped a student and said, "Go and have a look. Is that man at the door?"


    The student came back and said that he wasn¡¯t there before Professor Zhuge left the ssroom with confidence.


    Recently, a man who imed to be a police consultant had beening to him with a thick stack of files. While he was indeed the leading aerospace expert in China, that didn¡¯t mean that he was obliged to help them solve the case. It was close to the end of the year. There were many misceneous affairs at the school and he really didn''t have the leisure.


    Professor Zhuge went to the faculty canteen with a textbook in his hand, ordered a few of his favorite dishes, unscrewed a small bottle of alcohol, and tasted it pleasurably.


    Chen Shi appeared in front of him unexpectedly and Professor Zhuge was startled. He picked up the tray, got up, and was about to leave. However, Chen Shi held his wrist and asked, "Professor, why are you hiding from me? Am I scary?"


    "You¡¯re not scary, you¡¯re annoying! I¡¯m very busy, can you stop looking for me?!" Professor Zhuge said bitterly.


    "It¡¯s a matter regarding a life. Please take a look at the design blueprint."


    "It¡¯s a matter regarding a life? Which one of your police affairs isn¡¯t a matter of life and death? Just because of these words, you don¡¯t have to do other things? Right now, I have to create test papers and write a paper. Can you stop trying to find me for your affairs? Please... If we take a step back and say that I have time right now, it¡¯s my freedom whether I help you or not. Hurry up and don¡¯t disturb me while I eat!"


    After being so blunt, Chen Shi was still unwilling to make concessions. Professor Zhuge had never met such a brazen person like him before. He finally had to make a concession reluctantly and ask a graduate student to take a look before he could send the "gue God" away.


    The reason why Chen Shi hade to find an expert to verify matters was because he found a point of suspicion. Dong Xiao imed to be three hundred catties, but only when he visited Dong Xiao¡¯s personal doctor did he realize that it was him being "modest". Thetest measurement showed that Dong Xiao¡¯s actual weight was more than five hundred catties.[1]


    The load of that rocket was about 300 kilograms. Could it be that Dong Xiao was not put in at all? Could it be that he didn¡¯t fit even if it could bear the load? Could a part of him still be left on the earth?


    The rocket lifting into the sky already meant there was no evidence. In fact, Lin Qiupu had been to the observatory and there was no corpse in the vast starry sky. Only things on the ground could be checked.


    Chen Shi was working hard with this glimmer of hope. This case was now like a point of anxiety. Only when it is solved could he sleep well.


    Lin Dongxue was also working hard. In the past few days, she and Su Chan had met several times in private. She learned about her life experience. She was an orphan and was adopted by an entrepreneur when she was a child. Because of her outstanding beauty, she was raised at home by her adoptive father until she was 18, and her education was also done by home tutors.


    "One day, my adoptive father asked me to seduce a director and obtain information about stocks from him. All my previous education was in music, etiquette, dance, media response, etc. I didn''t know what to do. My adoptive father grabbed a mirror and told me that I had the most powerful weapon in the world!" Su Chan stroked her face and gave a wry smile. "I managed to get the information, but I also lost a girl¡¯s first time. The old man who took my first time was quickly forced into bankruptcy by my adoptive father, and he carried billions of yuan in debt on his back. What was the price of a piece of film[2]pared to this? My adoptive father praised me and gave me many rewards, but I just couldn¡¯t be happy. Since then, I have be a tool. A weapon!"


    This was the third meeting between the two. Su Chan already regarded Lin Dongxue as a friend. The two had many things inmon. They were both women and orphans, but Su Chan was very envious of Lin Dongxue''s ability to live like an ordinary person who dared to love and hate with no need to act deliberately.


    "If I help you get that trade secret, you¡¯ll provide evidence to sue Lu Qi?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, this evidence will definitely keep him in prison for a lifetime."


    "Don''t you have no feelings for Lu Qi?"


    Su Chanughed coldly. "I know how to make men fall in love with me, but I have never loved anyone. Lu Qi doesn¡¯t amount to much at all. He¡¯s just a naive and conceited big boy."


    "I''m a bit sour[3] after hearing these words." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "I can teach you as well. You have a lot of potential, but you don''t know how to use it."


    "Forget it!"


    Su Chan blinked. "Talk to your captain and arrange a search. As long as you find the document and quietly hand it to me, I will give you the evidence of Lu Qi''s murder. Hurry!"


    "Right, since you¡¯re still looking for that confidential document, what was in the USB sh drive you found in Dong Xiao''s office previously?"


    "Take a guess."


    "You don''t want to hand it over, so it seems that the contents still have transactional value. Could it be that Dong Xiao collected Lu Qi''s previous criminal evidence?"


    "Officer Lin is really smart. The content is very impactful. I hope you can see it sooner rather thanter."


    After talking, she walked away and got into the car outside the caf¨¦. She attracted the attention of a bunch of men.


    Although Lin Dongxue was willing to believe in Su Chan, Lin Qiupu''s attitude waspletely the opposite. He resolutely said, "We¡¯re not making a deal. How can you be sure that she has evidence? How do you know that she¡¯s not fooling you?"


    "I believe her!"


    "You believe her? Do you know what kind of woman she is? Deception and lying aremonce for her." Lin Qiupu said very confidently, making Lin Dongxue extremely unhappy.


    "It''s been so long and there¡¯s been no progress at all. We¡¯re constantly back at square one. Why can''t we be a bit more flexible? Is principle more important than solving the case?" Lin Dongxue said in disagreement.


    Lin Qiupu seemed to have heard these words recently. He said, "I think you have stayed with someone for a long time and have been influenced by him. Of course principle is above all else. To use illegal means to solve the case is something I won¡¯t do!¡±


    "How can this be considered illegal?"


    "You¡¯re assisting amercial spy to steal intelligence, understand?"


    "I have other ns for this matter. When Lu Qi''s case is over, we will investigate Su Chan''s side again to find out who the mastermind behind the scenes controlling her is. Encouraging this behavior is only temporary."


    She thought that Su Chan''s adoptive father didn''t seem to be a good person either. In this way, Su Chan would no longer have to do this kind of thing in the future. It would kill two birds with one stone.


    But Lin Qiupu still insisted, "We do not trade with criminals no matter what type of criminals they are. It¡¯s impossible!"


    What was originally a shortcut to solve the case was easily denied by him. Lin Dongxue was going crazy with anger.


    However, Chen Shi made some progress. After a lively discussion with Professor Zhuge¡¯s graduate students, they believed that the carrying capacity of this private rocket couldn¡¯t hold 500 catties of weight, and the overly fat body would seriously affect the stability and bnce of the rocket, resulting in a crash. They repeatedly watched the video of the rocket when it lifted off, analyzed the data at the time, and came up with a bold conjecture that the rocket might be empty.


    In other words, Dong Xiao''s body was very likely still hidden somewhere on the earth!


    1. 300kgs.


    2. Hymen.


    3. Jealous.

 Chapter 668: Betrayal and Threat

    <h4>Chapter 668: Betrayal and Threat</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lu Qi sent away two more policemen. The investigation had been going on for over two weeks. The police knew that there was no evidence, but they kepting to visit his house. They were as annoying as flies.


    He sat back on the sofa, drank his beer, and thought about what was amiss.


    Why did the police persevere and refuse to give up? Did they have other investigative directions, or had new evidence emerged?


    These thoughts made him uneasy as he irritably paced around the house, as if a swarm of hos was swarming around him.


    He heard the sound of a caring down the road and looked down from the window. He saw Su Chan driving her car back from outside. She was wearing sunsses, a scarf, and a small bag as she slowly made her way upstairs.


    Lu Qi turned off the lights and hid by the door. When Su Chan entered the house, he suddenly hugged her waist from behind, pierced her delicate cheek with his hard stubble, and asked jokingly, "Honey, where have you been? Out partying?"


    Su Chan was startled and asked, "You didn''t go to thepany?"


    "Are you not happy to see me?" Lu Qi put her down and his enthusiasm dropped. He could feel that Su Chan had be colder to himself recently, and some changes were happening subtly.


    He absolutely could not be like Dong Xiao, who was kept in the dark until a catastrophe was imminent.


    "Where did you think I went? Having an affair?" Su Chan unhurriedly asked in a naughty voice.


    "Hmph, let me check it out!"


    Lu Qi picked up Su Chan, threw her on the big bed, and ripped off her brand-name clothes randomly. After some venting, Lu Qi sat on the bed with a lot of sweat and lit up a cigarette. His sweat-drenched hair was draped on his forehead. There was a gloomy and dangerous look in his eyes.


    Since Dong Xiao''s death, he had been walking on thin ice every day. Under such high pressure, his sexual desire had be stronger and stronger, and he would explode if he didn¡¯t get catharsis.


    But just now, Su Chan didn¡¯t cater to him as enthusiastically as usual. This indifference made Lu Qi feel a lump in his heart. He was afraid of losing her, so he grabbed her hand and said, "Su Chan, I have had many women in my life, but my love for thembined is less than ten thousandth of what I have for you. Do you know how much I value you?"


    "I love you too, I''m just too tired today." Su Chan said, touching his cheek, as if she was calming a giant beast.


    Lu Qi showed a silly smile and kissed the back of Su Chan''s hand. After some kissing, he wanted her again.


    "I just went to see a policeman." Su Chan said calmly.


    Lu Qi stopped moving, raised his head, andughed. "I saw two of them just now as well. Don¡¯t say anything!¡±


    "I have something to show you."


    Su Chan pushed him away, got out of bed, turned on theputer, and yed a video. From the angle and the screen, it was a candid shot. On the screen was Su Chan and a man who looked like an engineer. The engineer said, "The body can''t be put into the rocketpletely. It''s too big and heavy."


    "President Lu spent so much money on hiring you, but you answer in this way?" Su Chan said.


    "No! At first you said that the ''cargo'' was only 200 kilograms. You didn''t even let us know what it was. You only let us see it when the corepartment was ready, and it was 300 kilograms. Now it¡¯s impossible to modify the n. Anyway, it''s impossible to put all this stuff in the rocket."


    "Then how do you want to solve it?"


    "Could you please tell Mr. Lu..."


    "Are you dreaming?" Su Chan yelled, "Why did Director Lu spend over 10 million to build this rocket? Just tounch this thing into the sky. Now you tell him that the rocket can''t carry it? With his temper, he¡¯d smash your heads open on the spot."


    The engineer shuddered in fright. "What should we do... Or, can we take out a part of the corpse and reduce the weight? That way, Mr. Lu won¡¯t know.¡±


    "Do it yourself. Don''t let Director Lu know, let alone the police! You must be tight-lipped about this matter."


    "I know, I know. We¡¯re being given money to work. We''ll keep the matter silent!"


    At the end of the video, Su Chan was smoking a woman''s cigarette leisurely and observing Lu Qi''s reaction. He was stunned. He was dumbfounded looking at the screen and remained motionless for a long time.


    He always thought that Dong Xiao was in the sky right now, so he appeared so confident in front of the police. He said, "Which part was taken out?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "Who is this person? I''m going to find him now!"


    "You¡¯re being mindless right now. The police must be watching you closely. Wouldn¡¯t you be exposing yourself if you went to find him?"


    Lu Qi sat down, held his head in his hands, pondered for a moment, and asked, "You didn¡¯t let others see this video, right?"


    "No."


    "Why did you record it? Why did you only show it to me now?"


    "To make a deal!" Su Chan smiled.


    "Deal?" Lu Qi''s heart flicked. He remembered what the police said that day. They said Su Chan was amercial spy. He took it as a joke and didn''t even want to offend her by asking. He believed that his love with Su Chan was strong and pure.


    "You have the document for the new mobile phone motherboard. Give it to me."


    "What can I get out of this?"


    "Safety!" Su Chan said with her crisp voice. "I won¡¯t give this video to the police and they won''t know that there¡¯s still a part of the body left here. When everything passes, you can continue to be the director that you are."


    Lu Qiughed bitterly and angrily. He didn''t expect his favorite woman to say something like this. "This is not a deal. It''s a threat!"


    "I have spent too much time on you and Dong Xiao. I don''t want to drag it out anymore." Su Chan''s tone showed exhaustion.


    "You¡¯reparing me to him? Youpared me to him!" Lu Qi stood up angrily. "I loved you so much. It turns out that everything was fake. You¡¯re using me, right?"


    Su Chan felt terrified, but deliberately pretended to be calm. She said, "Lu Qi, my love for you is real, but my mission is also real. I must get that."


    "Is your love for me real?!" Lu Qi roared, ring at Su Chan with a twisted face.


    "I love you."


    "You liar! You liar!" Lu Qi sounded like he was abusing himself. He was even more angry when he heard the other party say that she loved him. What he was looking forward to was a cruel and bloody answer, so that his anger could have a reason to release.


    "You liar!" Lu Qi grabbed Su Chan''s neck and lifted her up. Su Chan was hung in the air, struggling in pain. Her hands tightly grabbed Lu Qi''s hand. Her slender fingers were as weak as a de of grass whenpared to his big hands that resembled iron pliers.


    Love turned to hate. The betrayed Lu Qi just wanted to choke Su Chan to death and break her neck. He was full of anger and he wanted to destroy everything he owned.


    A man rushed in unexpectedly, and strangled Lu Qi''s neck with the drape on the sofa. Lu Qi let go of his grip and roared like a gori. Cao Man behind him was very clever and remained in a position where Lu Qi couldn¡¯t reach him.


    Su Chan took the opportunity to grab vases, pottery horses, pen holders, and other objects on the shelf to smash them on Lu Qi''s head. This broke Lu Qi''s heart. He stared at her with a pair of bright red eyes, making Su Chan''s heart tremble. However, in the end, he still fainted. He looked like a T-rex who had been knocked down and fell to the floor.


    Su Chan looked in the mirror. There was a scarlet mark left on her neck. She looked at Cao Man. "Why are you here?"


    "If I didn''te, you''d have died. If you want to make a deal with a monster, you have to ensure your safety first, okay?" Cao Man wore a smirk and nced at Su Chan.

 Chapter 669: Escaped Unscathed

    <h4>Chapter 669: Escaped Unscathed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lu Qi woke up and found that he was tied up like a zongzi. A thick rope the width of his index finger was wrapped around him a dozen times and he waspletely immobile.


    When he saw Su Chan standing side by side with a strange man, Lu Qi yelled like crazy, "Who is he?! Who is he?! You two joined hands to betray me. Su Chan, you slut!"


    The yelling shook the crystal chandelier above his head. Cao Man thought that maybe Lu Qi had the legendary XYY gene - super male[1].


    But no matter how mighty Lu Qi was, now that he was tied up, Cao Man wasn¡¯t afraid. He replied in an unhurried manner, "Brother, you¡¯re too sensitive. Your wife and I are just in a cooperative rtionship. Don''t worry, I was born so ugly that she won¡¯t make you wear a green hat.¡±


    "What are you cooperating for? What are you cooperating for?! You¡¯re cooperating? Have you done it? How many times have you done it together?!" Lu Qi yelled hysterically, without any logic at all. His eyes seemed to spew fire.


    Su Chan sighed. "Lu Qi, your possessiveness is really terrifying. In your eyes, I¡¯m just your private property. On this point, you and Dong Xiao are no different from each other. No matter how much you spoil me, you will never respect me. You keep saying that you love me, but you don¡¯t understand love at all. Love only happens to two people who are equals, yet you don¡¯t understand the word ¡®equality¡¯. You¡¯re a big boy with an immature mentality and I think you¡¯ll never grow up."


    "Is that why you betrayed me?" Lu Qi asked sadly.


    Su Chan sneered and shook her head. It was like a chicken trying tomunicate with a duck. He couldn''t understand at all, so she stopped talking so much and went straight to the point. "Give me that document."


    "What right do you have?"


    "We can call the police right now..." Su Chan pointed to her own neck. "This is enough to detain you, not to mention the video just now. The police will find part of Dong Xiao''s corpse. In this way, Chengxing Company can''t be kept hidden anymore. In the end, you will only end up in chains!"


    "Untie me first."


    "Sorry!"


    "Untie me first!" Lu Qi yelled, kicking his feet. "If you want to negotiate, you have to use the attitude of a negotiator. Let''s sit down and talk slowly. I can agree to your request, but you have to untie me first. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about it."


    Lu Qi''s intentions were too obvious. Once they untied him, he would kill the both of them.


    Su Chan had clearly set up insurance for herself. If she died, an email containing evidence would be automatically sent to the police. However, she didn''t even have time to say this when she was almost killed by Lu Qi earlier.


    The strangle mark on her neck still faintly hurt. The scene that happened just now left her with lingering fears. She couldn''t treat Lu Qi like a person. He was a beast. Selfish, cold-blooded, and stubborn.


    Su Chan said, "Think about it carefully. I showed you this video first because I didn¡¯t want you to be arrested. This is my sincerity. If you still don''t want to hand it over, then I can only call the police."


    Su Chan took out her phone and tried to dial. Lu Qi roared incoherently, "Don''t do this to me. I love you. I love you! I can give you whatever you want. How could you betray me? You¡¯ll go to hell for betraying me!"


    He shouted while kicking his legs. He looked like a child throwing a tantrum, but Su Chan sneered disapprovingly, "Hell? I experienced that long ago!"


    "I think he doesn''t want to give it to you. Just call the police!" Cao Man couldn''t stand it anymore.


    "Wait... wait..." Lu Qi finally gave in.


    Ten minutester, Su Chan confirmed that the document on theputer was indeed what she wanted. After all the twists and turns, she finally got the document. It made her feel helplessly sentimental. However, Cao Man grabbed it and said, "Sorry, given the lessonst time, I can''tpletely trust you. I will keep this thing temporarily."


    "Let go of me! Let me go!" Lu Qi roared.


    Su Chan picked up a knife and Cao Man took her hand. "Leave him alone!"


    "You don¡¯t have to keep your promise, but I must." Su Chan stabbed the knife into the floor. Lu Qi could shift over to it by himself and slowly use it to cut the rope. However, it would take a lot of time.


    Lu Qi looked up at her and asked as if he were begging, "Did you ever loved me?"


    Su Chan lifted his chin. "What do you have that¡¯s worth loving?"


    Lu Qi''s eyes became empty in an instant, as if he had been sentenced to death. When the two left, he burst into tears and his cries echoed in the room. In every corner of the room, they talked about how much they loved each other and expressed love in a passionate way. It turned out that everything was fake. All fake.


    Lu Qi''s tears stopped abruptly, and the remaining trace of his humanity gradually disappeared in his tear-stained eyes. He red his nostrils, gritted his teeth, and crawled towards the knife.


    "Thank you for saving me just now." In a hotel, Su Chan formally thanked Cao Man. "Now it''s time to discuss how to divide the spoils."


    "How to divide this thing?" Cao Man shook the USB sh drive in his hand and asked with a smile.


    "I can give you something equivalent to half its value." Su Chan said in a very seductive tone, and her eyes became soft and charming.


    Even though he knew what the woman was ying at, Cao Man was still tempted. This was a curse that no man could escape.


    He restrained his inner impulse and asked, "Who is your back-end boss? The Hanjie Group? How much can this trade secret sell for? Several millions, tens of millions? But it¡¯s probably worth ten times the price. I have a proposal. Why don¡¯t I use it to start my own business? Using cheap smartphones, I can dominate the mobile phone market very soon. If you follow me, you can have what I have, and you don¡¯t have to work for others from now on. There¡¯d be no need to follow neurotics like Dong Xiao and Lu Qi!"


    "I¡¯ve been with Dong Xiao and Lu Qi. Don''t you look down on me?"


    "Look down? Why should I? I¡¯m different from them. I respect you very much. What I value is not only your beauty, but also your inside." Cao Man said very sincerely.


    Touching tears shed from the corner of Su Chan''s eyes. She leaned in front of Cao Man and said, "You are the first man to say this to me."


    Cao Man stroked her smooth arm and said, "I will always respect you and love you..."


    Before he finished speaking, Su Chan¡¯s red lips already greeted his and the two kissed fiercely. Cao Man tasted the sweet and sizzling taste of her lipstick, which made people fascinated. He suddenly realized that something was wrong and pushed Su Chan away hard. However, he found that his hands were growing weak.


    With his eyes erratic, Su Chan sneered and wiped off her lipstick with paper. Cao Man knew she fell into her trap, but smiled. "What a woman..." Then, he fell to the ground and fell asleep.


    "Sorry."


    Su Chan apologized casually and took the USB sh drive from him. To be on the safe side, she used theputer to confirm its contents, and then she stuffed another USB sh drive into Cao Man''s hands.


    It was the one found from Dong Xiao¡¯s office. It contained all evidence of Dong Xiao¡¯s subordinates¡¯ crimes, and naturally included evidence of Lu Qi¡¯s crimes. This was used by Dong Xiao to coerce his subordinates to prevent idents, but he didn¡¯t expect himself to die so suddenly.


    This thing was left to Cao Man, who could choose whether to send it to the police or to the media. As for her, she¡¯dplete the task and escape unscathed.


    1. The myth of ¡°super males¡± with additional Y chromosomes are still prevalent in pop culture. https://.vox/2015/2/25/8103965/gics-crime-xyy

 Chapter 670: Thundering Rage

    <h4>Chapter 670: Thundering Rage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Chengxing Company to investigate once again. The manager was extremely annoyed after being disturbed over the past two days. The police randomly came up with a hypothesis that part or all of Dong Xiao''s body was still left on Earth. They had a glimmer of hope.


    The manager didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He really wanted to directly tell the police that this assumption was not true because he handled the project and Dong Xiao''s body was sent to the skies above.


    Of course, he couldn''t say such a thing. In the face of Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue''s questions, he could only answer perfunctorily or prevaricate.


    While they were talking, there was suddenly a deafening gunshot outside. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged gazes in astonishment. The gunshots rang three more times. Looking out from the door of the manager''s office that was left ajar, they saw that an employee had been gunned down. There was a bloody mist on his chest as he knocked over a table with a crash.


    Lin Dongxue immediately drew her gun, kicked the door and pointed it outside yelling, "Police! Put the gun down!"


    It was Lu Qi who rushed in with a gun to kill. He had shot and wounded three employees of Chengxing Company. Hearing Lin Dongxue''s shout, instead of giving up, he adjusted the tip of his muzzle and shot twice at her.


    Lin Dongxue retreated immediately in fright. One of the bullets shot through the wooden door, leaving a bullet hole in the side wall.


    "He seems to have gone crazy..." Lin Dongxue said, dumbfounded.


    "Flee first!" Chen Shi said.


    Seeing that the situation wasn¡¯t good, the manager had already slipped away from the side door first, and the two also moved to the secretary''s office next to them. The two offices were connected and both could be entered from the corridor.


    Lu Qi kicked the door and rushed in. He shot two shots and blew up theputer on the table. He shouted, "Police, aren''t you guys very arrogant? Why are you suddenly turning into a tortoise with your head inside your shell?"


    Chen Shi had already dialed Lin Qiupu''s number. He directly raised his cell phone and asked Lin Qiupu to listen to the scene. It was more intuitive than describing the situation in panic.


    What he didn''t understand was why Lu Qi suddenly came to kill people with a gun.


    Lu Qi only had one weakness and that was Su Chan. Could it be that something happened between them?


    "Save yourself. Don''t try and fight head-on. We''ll be right there!" Lin Qiupu said loudly over the phone. When he heard Lin Dongxue''s life was in danger, he was immediately in a rush.


    Lu Qi stopped slyly, held the front door of the manager''s office, and stared at the corridor at the same time, so that no matter which door they came out of, he could see them and shoot instantly.


    Time passed by, and the two sides stood in a stalemate across a wall. Chen Shi shoved the manager with his arm and whispered, "Talk to him. Stall for time. The police will be here soon."


    "Talk about what?" The manager was crying and looked like death itself.


    "Improvise."


    The manager took a few deep breaths before he calmed down. He said tremblingly, "Mr. Lu, we¡¯ve been working together very smoothly. Why would you do such a thing? Can you give me an exnation?"


    "You lied to me!" Lu Qi shouted angrily. "Why didn''t the entire corpse getunched? I gave you guys so much money."


    The manager looked up and closed his eyes before he nced at Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue. He wondered whether Director Lu went crazy. He talked about the incident directly in front of the police.


    Since the other party exposed the truth, he had nothing more to worry about, so he answered straightforwardly, "Why would we lie to you? The whole corpse wasunched and not even so much as a hair was left behind. Otherwise, the police would have discovered it long ago."


    "No! I saw a video. You clearly lied to me!" Lu Qi yelled and knocked something down.


    The bloody smell of the employees who had been shot began to fill the air, making the atmosphere even more eerie and terrifying.


    The manager was speechless and Chen Shi shouted, "Lu Qi, are you crazy? You tantly came and killed people. Even if we can¡¯t prosecute you for the matter regarding Dong Xiao, do you think you can get away with what you did today?"


    "Prosecute your mother!" Lu Qi roared. "I don''t care about anything. I will kill all the people who deceived me and all the police!" Although he couldn¡¯t see him, Chen Shi could imagine his expression as he said this.


    Lin Dongxue was so frightened that her hands and feet grew cold. She held Chen Shi''s hands tightly. Chen Shi''s big, generous hands gave her somefort. He whispered, "Don''t be afraid. I will protect you. Give me your gun."


    "No! No!" Lin Dongxue shook her head. On one hand, police guns couldn¡¯t be given out. On the other hand, she was afraid that Chen Shi would take risks.


    "Haven¡¯t you always wanted to know about my past?" Chen Shi mustered up the courage and prepared to tell the truth.


    Lin Dongxue looked at him in surprise, but then there was amotion outside. They all thought it was reinforcements arriving. The people who came in shouted, "Fuck, he really has a gun!", "Hurry and call the police!"


    It turned out to be two security guards.


    Lu Qi fired a shot at the door, but there was only the sound of the trigger being pulled with no gunshot. His bullets were all used up. Chen Shi took advantage of this opportunity to grab Lin Dongxue''s gun without saying a word, rushing into the corridor, holding both hands t and aiming at Lu Qi.


    Lu Qi was angrily changing the magazine. Seeing Chen Shi rush out, he threw the pistol over to hit him as if it was a projectile. The corridor was already narrow and the gun wasing at him aggressively. Chen Shi shed to the side when he saw that Lu Qi had strode forward speedily. He wanted to grab the police gun.


    At this time, the two sides were already too close to each other and it was toote for Chen Shi to shoot. Even if he fired, he wasn¡¯t sure that he would be deprived of his mobility. So, he threw the gun at Lin Dongxue inside the door and shouted, "Catch!"


    Lu Qi let out a roar like a beast, rushed forward and punched Chen Shi. Although Chen Shi blocked it with both hands, he still took the punch firmly and was forced to slide over two meters away. This strength was truly terrifying.


    Lu Qi mmed open the secretary''s office door and rushed towards Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue stepped back and fired. All three shots hit Lu Qi''s shoulder and leg. After being shot, he just shook slightly and his expression became more fierce. Then, he picked up a sofa chair with one hand and threw it at Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue hurriedly backed away in fright. The sofa slot into the door perfectly. Then, the manager''s cries came from the secretary''s office. "Let me go... let me go... Ah!!!"


    At the end of the cry, it became a heart-piercing scream. When Chen Shi rushed in, he saw an unforgettable scene.


    The tall and burly Lu Qi held the manager''s legs upside down and tore them in two directions. With a snap, he tore off one of the manager''s legs and therge pieces of flesh around his waist. Blood sshed all over the room.


    He turned his face sullenly with a twisted smile on the corner of his mouth, like a demon immersed in the pleasure of killing.


    Chen Shi felt a deep fear run through him. This kind of opponent could not be defeated. He turned and ran. Lu Qi quickly chased after him. At the same time, Lin Dongxue rushed out of the manager¡¯s office and fired several shots at Lu Qi from behind until the bullets were used up.


    Lu Qi received three more shots in the back, whichpletely angered him. He turned his head around furiously, staring at her with a pair of red eyes, and rushed towards Lin Dongxue...[1]


    1. While researching whether it was possible for such a monster to even exist, I came across this NY Times article that addresses people getting shot 20 times and still being able to survive. I guess it¡¯s really down to luck, adrenaline and sheer willpower. https://.nytimes/2008/04/03/nyregion/03shot.html

 Chapter 671: A Tool’s Misfortune

    <h4>Chapter 671: A Tool¡¯s Misfortune</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing Lu Qi rushing towards Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi did a run-up from behind and rushed directly onto Lu Qi''s back, gouging at his eyes hard.


    Lu Qi yelled in pain and mmed Chen Shi, who was hanging on his back, against the wall. Chen Shi felt like he had been run over by a road roller. All his internal organs seemed to be squashed t. He vomited a big mouthful of blood and weakly fell down.


    Like a mad lion, Lu Qi turned around and kicked at Chen Shi angrily, but his eyes hadn''t recovered yet. His kick missed and arge piece of the wall¡¯s exterior was kicked off.


    Chen Shi endured the severe pain and hurried to the side. Lu Qi''s eyesight barely recovered. His eyes were red with blood and the corners of his mouth showed a wicked grin. He eximed proudly, "Look at you. You look just like a dog!"


    It was at that dangerous moment when reinforcements arrived. Several criminal police officers rushed in and pointed their guns at Lu Qi. Lu Qi wrinkled his nose in disgust, turned, and rushed into the manager''s office. When the police chased him, they saw him stepping on the desk, protecting his face with both hands, and rushed directly towards the window.


    With a crash, the ss shattered and his burly body sted out of the building like a cannonball and fell down from the fourth floor, crushing a police car parked below.


    Lin Qiupu exposed half of his body from the window, fired three shots at the sky and shouted, "Stop that guy!"


    The police officers below immediately surrounded Lu Qi in a circle. Lu Qi was hit by several bullets and had jumped from such a height. No matter how tough he was, he was at his end. When the police surrounded him at gunpoint, Lu Qi was helpless and kept panting angrily. He kept ring at the police around him with his frightening eyes.


    Upstairs, Lin Dongxue helped Chen Shi up. The smash just then broke several of Chen Shi''s ribs, and he felt some pain when he walked around. Looking down from the window, he saw Lu Qi was cornered like a stray dog.


    Knowing that he was unable to turn the situation around, Lu Qi knelt down, stretched out his hands towards the sky, and roared from his core, "Heaven, why have you abandoned me?! Why did you abandon me?! Why did you abandon me?!?!"


    The voice went straight up towards the heavens, and even people from a few streets away could hear him. The police officers who were closest to him were shaken by the roar that even their hearts were shaking. The windows of the shop nearby even cracked.


    At thest shout, Lu Qi''s eyes widened as if he had swallowed something. His fierce face was frozen in an angry expression, and then he fell straight down with his eyes open.


    A long time passed before the police dared to move forward. Someone checked under Lu Qi''s nose and found that he had stopped breathing.


    It took the police a long time to clean up the scene. Out of the staff, one had died and two were injured. The manager had a leg torn off and even the doctor was shocked. The police suspected that Lu Qimitted suicide for his crime. Later, the autopsy report caused a big stir. He had died of a cardiovascr burst.


    It was his three loud shouts, coupled with overexcited emotions, that caused his cardiovascr system to burst before dying suddenly.


    Peng Sijue had never seen such a cause of death after conducting so many autopsies on corpses.


    But there was a question that was raised. Why did Lu Qi suddenly go to Chengxing Company to "settle the score" and what was that about the video he mentioned? When the police searched his residence, they unexpectedly found a video. The video seemed to have been taken secretly. It was a conversation between Su Chan and an engineer. It was mentioned that the corpse was toorge to be transported by rocket, and a part of it had to be left behind.


    However, after verification, this "engineer" with his back to the camera didn¡¯t exist. The video was forged by Su Chan in order to achieve her own purposes.


    Perhaps the inspiration for her forging this video came from the hypothesis put forward by the police. The police never found Dong Xiao''s body in the end.


    The "engineer" looked a bit like Cao Man from the back. Speaking of which, he had also disappeared along with Su Chan. Lin Qiupu suspected that the twomercial spies colluded to perform this act. The betrayed Lu Qi went crazy.


    It was just that the police couldn¡¯t find Su Chan. It waster discovered that all her information was forged. Ever since Lu Qi''s death, she had mysteriously disappeared, and this case was left unsettled.


    The New Year was fast approaching. In a nursing home on the outskirts of Long''an, an old person sat in a wheelchair looking at the koi in a temperature-controlled pool. Su Chan, dressed in ck, approached him from behind and put a USB sh drive on the stone table in front of him. She said, "Father, I got it."


    The old man grabbed her hand, patted it lightly, and said, "Well done. Not only did you get this core technology, you also destroyed the Zhuoyuan Company. Soon, we Hanjie can make aeback again."


    Thinking of all these years of hard work and sleeping on brushwood tasting gall[1], which made you so fond that you would be unwilling to let go.


    He said meaningfully, "My dear daughter, you were born with a beauty that is unparalleled in the world. This beauty is like a natural disability, making your life destined to be extraordinary. No matter how poor your background was, you would have been destined to be what men dream of. Their pursuit of you re-empowers you with value. You should know how to use it to find a ce in this man''s world!"


    Su Chan''s tears fell on the old hands of her adoptive father. In order toplete her mission, her heart had been broken many times. All she wanted were ordinary things.


    A defiant anger rose in her heart. She grabbed the ashtray on the table and raised it at the USB disk. "I sacrificed too much for this!"


    "You dare?!" The adoptive father growled with a low voice. His cloudy eyes shone like a fire in a furnace.


    In the end, Su Chan didn''t dare to defy this look. She mmed the ashtray against her head again and again. The self-harming form of resistance made her feel inexplicably happy and sheughed wildly.


    Finally, she passed out into aa and fell into the pool. Her blood spread throughout the big pool, scaring the fish away.


    An assistant hurried over after hearing the noise, and the old man said calmly, "Tend to her injury and create a new identity for her. I have a new mission to give her! The Liu Group in the South is rising, and it¡¯ll carve up Hanjie¡¯s market sooner orter. Think of a way to get her to be an undercover agent next to Director Liu."


    The assistant didn¡¯t have the heart to do so and frowned. "Miss has only been back for a few days. Let her rest for a while. Doing this kind of thing is truly a torture."


    "You sympathize with her?!"


    Facing the old man''s gloomy gaze, the assistant was too scared to say anything more. The old man pointed to the pool. "Does she look good?"


    Su Chan was floating in the water and surrounded by a misty blood red, like a beautiful picture scroll. The assistant gulped and nodded. "Miss is just so beautiful."


    "She¡¯s so beautiful that people ignore her own value. This is her misfortune. Because of this..." The old man''s eyes were cold again. "She will always just be a tool, and a tool is not worthy of sympathy."


    The old man looked at the gloomy sky. Since the advent of the smartphone, the world hade together to aspire to monopolize market share. Within this turbulent flow, a person¡¯s fate was just so small.


    Even he himself was just a stepping stone for others!


    1. People nowadays use this to describe self-imposed hardships to maintain resolve to attain their ambition/revenge. Background story in English can be found here: https:/.hujiang/new/p191864/[/ref] for the sake of reviving Hanjie, tears flickered in the corner of the old man''s eyes.


    Just as the old man was immersed in his ambition of reviving Hanjie, Su Chan very untimely asked, "Father, I... May I take a break?"


    "Take a break? How long do you n to have this break for?" The old man sneered. "You only have a few years of youth. If you don''t make good use of it when you¡¯re young, it will be toote to regret itter."


    Hearing these cold-blooded utilitarian words, tears instantly swelled up in Su Chan¡¯s eyes. She knelt down and held the old man¡¯s knees. ¡°I... I don¡¯t want to live this kind of life anymore! I don¡¯t want to lie, scam, or y with people¡¯s feelings anymore. I want to live an ordinary life. Please, father... I can do something else. I can go to yourpany as an office clerk!"


    The old man stretched out his dry hand to hold up Su Chan''s chin. Compared with his face full of wrinkles and age spots, her skin was plump, shiny and stic, like a high quality piece of Xuan paper[ref]Xuan paper, or Shuen paper or rice paper, is a kind of paper originating in ancient China used for writing and painting. Xuan paper is renowned for being soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting.

 Chapter 672: Bizarre Police Call

    <h4>Chapter 672: Bizarre Police Call</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 44: Puppet¡¯s Life[1]


    "Hello, this is the 110 police emergency tform."


    "Hello, I want to make a police report. A woman was killed on Mopan Road in Shiqiao Town."


    "Excuse me, when did it happen? Could you please provide your contact information and surname right now?"


    "My name is Chunqin. I¡¯m the woman who was killed. I died tragically!"


    A strange call broke the peace at the beginning of the new year.


    Today was the first day of Chinese New Year. Most of the policemen had gone home for the New Year. Only LinQiupu, Lin Dongxue and a few other policemen were at their posts. The main reason was that the two of them didn¡¯t need to be reunited with their family. Lin Dongxue never thought much of New Year. Instead of eating instant noodles at home alone or going to their paternal aunt¡¯s or maternal aunt¡¯s family to join in the festivities, it¡¯s better to earn overtime pay.


    During Chinese New Year, every floor in the bureau was empty. When the police officers were not dispatched, everyone would sit in a circle, shelling melon seeds, drinking tea, and chatting. The atmosphere was peaceful.


    Chen Shi had alsoe today and brought her some food, which made her feel very blessed.


    When everyone was talking about the Spring Festival G show fromst night, the front desk officer knocked on the door, came in and said a few words to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu nodded and said to everyone after she left, "The first rm call in the year 2019. Let''s listen!"


    After listening to the call recording, everyone was stunned. Lin Dongxue frowned. "This is a prank, right? Someone must have too much time on their hands over the holiday. Shiqiao Town is so far away. Should we make a special trip just to confirm?"


    "I also think it''s a prank. How could the deceased call the police themselves? It''s definitely fake." Old Zhang said confidently.


    "Old Chen, what do you think?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi said casually, "Isn¡¯t it enough to call Shiqiao Town and ask? See if there¡¯s a dead person named Chunqin."


    "Do you think this is true, or do you hope it is true?" Lin Dongxue teased.


    "I don''t hope for anything. I''m just afraid of that one in ten thousandth possibility." Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Qiupu also agreed with Chen Shi¡¯s opinion. Verifying it wouldn¡¯t take much effort, so he dialed the number for the Shiqiao Town Public Security Bureau. Receiving a call from the criminal police team from headquarters on the first day of the new year, they were both nervous and respectful. Lin Qiupu calmly asked, "Is there a dead person named Chunqin over there?"


    "Captain Lin, you... how did you know?"


    Lin Qiupu was surprised and turned the speakerphone on. He responded, "Just now we received a police call and the other party joked that she was Chunqin and that she had been killed on Mopan Road in your town. Did such a thing happen?"


    "Three months ago, a woman named Chunqin was indeed raped and killed there."


    "Has the case been solved yet?"


    "Not yet... No. Captain Lin, I think the person who reported it is probably the family of the deceased. In fact, we haven''t been idle during this time. We¡¯ve been investigating non-stop, but we just couldn''t find anything out."


    "Okay, I understand. I''ll call youter."


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Qiupu crossed his arms on the table and looked around at the crowd. "What''s your opinion?"


    Old Zhang said, "I think the police officer''s guess may be correct. It must be because the family of the deceased suspected that they weren¡¯t handling the case well and used this method to pressurize them."


    Another policeman said, "Could it be that the town''s public security bureau is up to something fishy, and the family members used this method to petition?"


    "What kind of petition is this? We¡¯re on the same level as the town¡¯s public security bureau." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Although we¡¯re equal, our resources, manpower, and experience are several levels better than the town''s public security bureau." Old Zhang said.


    "Can I express my opinion?" Chen Shi said, "That person called 110, right? Where would the call go if they called 110 in a township under Long''an?"


    "Here, of course. The entire Long''an¡¯s callse here, and then it¡¯s allocated ording to the jurisdiction." Lin Qiupu answered.


    "If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a petition. This call was just like a joke. The police officer who answered may not even believe it, or may even hang up. This police officer was fairlypetent and handed it over to you when she couldn¡¯t make a judgment call so that you can deal with it. The reason it was sent here is because today is the first day of the New Year. You¡¯re the only police officer holding a Section Chief¡¯s rank at the bureau. It can be said that us hearing it is a massive coincidence. If this person wanted to petition, isn¡¯t this method too roundabout?¡±


    Lin Dongxue thought about Chen Shi''s words, and then thought of one thing. She asked, "Oh yes, has this case been made public yet?"


    Lin Qiupu called the Shiqiao Town Public Security Bureau again. The other party said that because the case was still being investigated, it hasn¡¯t been made public yet. Of course, everyone in the town knows about it. After all, Shiqiao Town is only as big as the palm of a hand[2]. It could be seen from this that the person who called was someone from the town or family of the deceased.


    Lin Qiupu told him not to hang up yet, and ordered someone to check the number that had called the police. The caller was a 23-year-old girl in Long''an, named Chang Juan, a graduate student at a certain university.


    Shiqiao Police heard the name and said that it wasn¡¯t familiar to them and that she had no connection with the deceased.


    "Okay, thank you." Lin Qiupu hung up.


    "Call the person who made the call." Chen Shi suggested.


    This was indeed the quickest way, so Lin Qiupu dialed the number. Everyone was silent. This incident has already revealed a weird atmosphere. Chen Shi was more excited than anyone else. He seemed to smell a bizarre case.


    The call went through, and the other party had a soft girl''s voice, "May I know who you¡¯re looking for?"


    "We¡¯re from the city¡¯s Public Security Bureau. You just made a police report saying that someone was killed in Shiqiao Town and that you were the deceased, right?"


    "That''s right." The other party was as calm as ever.


    "What''s your name?"


    "My name is indeed Chang Juan, but the person talking to you right now is Chunqin."


    The police officers all responded differently. Some were surprised and someughed. Lin Qiupu said sternly, "If you call the police in this way, we won''t be able to ept it. Do you understand?"


    "Elder Brother Policeman, I''m not kidding. Even if you¡¯re all firm believers that only tangible things are real, you can''t exin some of the things that happen in this world. Communication with the spirits is one of them. The person talking to you now is the deceased Chunqin. I can tell you the details of the case. Tell you where the police have made mistakes, and even tell you who the murderer is. My address is XXX. Please consider whether you¡¯d like to make a trip over!"


    The phone hung up with a bang. Lin Qiupu widened his eyes. "I''ve never seen a prankster who¡¯s so arrogant. Should we head out and arrest the girl and ask her to spend the New Year in the detention room on the charge of making a false report?!"


    After that, he nced at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi said unusually, "Go. Arrest her. I¡¯m in favor of it!"


    "Forget it, we don¡¯t have the time to engage with this kind of prankster." Lin Qiupu shook his head.


    "No, go and bring her back. If she really knows the details of the case, how interesting would it be?!" Chen Shi disyed a look of expectant excitement.


    1. This could also be a reference to the movie Being John Malkovich as the Chinese characters used here are the same as the ones used for the Chinese title of that movie. The movie is about a puppeteer as well.


    2. It¡¯s really small.

 Chapter 673: I Am the Deceased

    <h4>Chapter 673: I Am the Deceased</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu looked at Chen Shi in confusion, "You don''t really believe in such nonsensical things, do you?"


    "Some things are difficult to exin. For example, I fried four small sausages and ced them on the table this morning. When I turned around, it had turned into three. Who would I find to reason with?" Chen Shi said half-jokingly.


    "It''s a waste of time! There aren¡¯t many people on duty during New Year and we still have to deal with such false rms. What if there¡¯s a real problem? If you want to go and confirm it, confirm it yourself.¡±


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly at Chen Shi. She knew that Chen Shi liked this kind of strange case. From the look in his eyes, he was very interested in it and eager to find out more.


    Lin Dongxue asked for permission. "Captain Lin, can I contact the Shiqiao Town Public Security Bureau for a copy of the case file?"


    "Yes, but you¡¯re not allowed to take action without authorization. There¡¯s no need to go out for this matter."


    Later, a fax of the dossier was sent over. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat down and read the case together. This case can be described as "making one¡¯s blood boil". The case had urred inte November. There were two victims, Chunqin and her husband Li Tiezhu. The two were sleeping in their own house at the time. When the murderer came in, the big yellow dog kept in the yard didn¡¯t bark at all. After testing the dog¡¯s feces, it was found that it had been given sleeping pills.


    Chunqin was raped and then killed. The cause of death was a thin string that had strangled her by the neck from behind. It was suspected to be a fishing line. Li Tiezhu was strangled to death by the same kind of thin string, and his hands and feet had marks from being bound. The police investigated the scene. It was determined that Li Tiezhu had been tied to a pir facing the bed. Arge amount of cotton textile fibers were detected in his mouth, which had the sameposition as a rag found at the scene.


    The police suspected that the murderer had tied Li Tiezhu to the pir and stuffed a rag into his mouth before raping Chunqin, forcing him to "watch" his wife''s abuse throughout the process. Judging from Li Tiezhu¡¯s ligature marks, the whole process may have taken two hours.


    It¡¯s worth mentioning that when the murderer wasmitting the rape, witnesses had passed by the scene. They were several teenagers who were returning from the Inte cafe. They had seen figures swaying in the window at the back of the house. They were so excited that they whistled and stayed for some time before leaving.


    The witnesses'' confessions were unexpectedly detailed. They were all unemployed youths in the town. The police seemed to have suspected them at first.


    After two hours of torture, the murderer killed the couple in session and boiled some water before pouring it all over Chunqin¡¯s body. Additionally, the murderer had brushed her skin with a wire brush, seemingly to remove any evidence left behind by him. Therefore, the body had a lot of fine scratches all over.


    However, the murderer had actually ignored the most important thing: the semen. The way he dealt with that was to pour boiling water inside of her.


    Of course, it was impossible to eliminate DNA like that. From this, it was spected that the murderer seemed to be an uneducated person.


    However, three months had passed since the case happened and there had been no leads.


    Reading the dossier, Lin Dongxue said, "The method was so cruel. Chunqin was just an ordinary working woman in a town. Why would a female graduate student in Long''an im to be possessed by her spirit?"


    Lin Dongxue was looking at a list of the deceased''s interpersonal rtionships. Nobody surnamed Chang was listed on it, let alone Chang Juan.


    "Won¡¯t we know if we just go to meet this girl?" Chen Shi said.


    "Captain Lin won¡¯t allow it." Although Lin Dongxue¡¯s interest was piqued, she didn¡¯t dare to disobey orders.


    "Fool, you can go during your lunch break. A private visit."


    "Good idea!"


    When it was time for the lunch break, everyone went out for lunch together because the cafeteria was closed. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got into the car and hurried to the address provided by Chang Juan, which was her college dormitory.


    At the time, the campus was quiet and there wasn¡¯t anyone in sight during the holiday. There was umted snow left on the flowerbeds from a few days ago. There were only a few windows in the graduate dormitory building that had lights on. The two went to Chang Juan¡¯s dormitory and knocked on the door. Chang Juan¡¯s voice came from beyond the door, "Police?"


    "Yes, Miss Chang, we havee to see you."


    "Please wait five minutes, sorry."


    Lin Dongxue was very puzzled. There were no outsiders in the room and she wasn¡¯t taking a shower. Why did she need them to wait for five minutes? She kept looking at her watch. Five minutester, at exactly 1:00 in the afternoon, the door opened on time.


    Chang Juan was a short girl with big eyes who wore a pair of framed sses, and a choker around her neck. Her mouth curled up at the corners as if she was smiling, her hair was dyed a dark brown color and she wore a goose yellow sweater, giving people the impression of being the girl next door.


    This was a single dormitory room. The room was very neat and tidy and made people feel veryfortable. Lin Dongxue said, "Miss Chang, why did we have to wait for five minutes? Did something urgent juste up?"


    "No." Chang Juan answered calmly.


    "Then why..."


    "Because the meeting time must be 1:00 in the afternoon. Pleasee in!"


    Lin Dongxue secretly exchanged nces with Chen Shi. Why did this girl feel so weird? Chang Juan turned around and poured tea for them. Chen Shi saw a big bow tied behind her head.


    Chang Juan sat down in front of them and put her hands on her knees without moving, staring at them with wide eyes, as if awaiting questions.


    "Why report the crime in that manner? How did you know that Chunqin in Shiqiao Town was killed?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "You should change the question." Chang Juan replied. "Ask me who I am."


    Lin Dongxue didn''t believe it at all. She said, "I called you ''Miss Chang'' just now, and you responded, indicating that you¡¯re Chang Juan. I don''t believe in things like resurrecting a soul using another¡¯s corpse. How can human consciousness leave its organs to exist independently? It¡¯s ridiculous, it¡¯s as if aputer can run software without hardware."


    "A lot of things are invisible, but it doesn''t mean they don''t exist, such as electromaic waves." Chang Juan said calmly.


    Chen Shi smiled, "The favorite opening remark of psychic medium scammers. Electromaic waves and the soul aren¡¯t the same thing. Don''t change the concept."


    "Are all police atheists?"


    "Strictly speaking, I¡¯m not an atheist, but I also don''t believe in these supernatural things, because they are vague and contradictory. Also, the demonstrations of proof are full of ws. Not to speak of convincing me, you can¡¯t even give a usible exnation." Chen Shi picked up the teacup. After taking a sip, he noticed that the cup was very cute, and the tea smelled of flowers.


    Chang Juan stared at him in a daze, and a few secret voices came from somewhere, which only Chang Juan could hear. "This policeman is too annoying, scold him!", "Haha, scold the police, how funny and interesting. I agree!", "That¡¯s not good, it''s illegal, and we agreed that you can''t do illegal acts.", "Everyone, this uncle is not a policeman. He¡¯s just a consultant, I know him!", "Then just scold him. It¡¯s annoying to watch him show off his IQ!"


    Chang Juan asked calmly, "Yourst name?"


    "My name is Chen Shi, and I¡¯m a criminal investigation consultant."


    "Mr. Chen..." Chang Juan smiled slightly. "Your mother is dead!"

 Chapter 674: Giving Directions Secretly

    <h4>Chapter 674: Giving Directions Secretly</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Hey, stop. What are you doing?!" Lin Dongxue scolded.


    Chang Juan ignored her and blurted out profanities, insulting Chen Shi in a monotonous voice as if she was reciting ancient poems. Chen Shi wasn¡¯t irritated and remained very curious. This girl was really strange and he wanted to know why.


    When Chang Juan had finished scolding, Lin Dongxue said, "Do you know what you¡¯re doing right now? You¡¯ve made a false report and insulted others. I can arrest you right now."


    Chang Juan stared at Lin Dongxue nkly for a few seconds, and then said to Chen Shi. "I''m sorry." The tone was no different from her previous cursing.


    "I¡¯ll reserve my opinions regarding this matter for the moment. Let''s talk about serious business. What do you know about the case of Chunqin''s murder?" Chen Shi said.


    "The case happened on the night of November 18thst year. My husband and I were in bed when an uninvited guest broke into the house. When my husband called out and asked who it was, he was punched and dragged under the bed. I was so frightened. I curled up on the bed and didn''t dare to say a word. They fought and grappled with each other in the dark for a long time. Suddenly, my husband stopped moving. The man came over and turned on the light..." Chang Juan narrated in a calm tone.


    It seemed that she was still insisting that she was Chunqin. Chen Shi decided not to pursue this matter for the time being. He said, "What is your husband''s name?"


    "Li Tiezhu. His childhood nickname was Tiedan."


    "What is the name of your dog?"


    "Little ck, even though it¡¯s a yellow dog."


    "What is your house like?"


    "Two rooms and one living room, plus a courtyard. A bungalow, probably..." Chang Juan was dazed for a moment. "It''s probably over 100 square meters!"


    Lin Dongxue was stunned. These details werepletely correct, and only people who were very close to the deceased would know about them. She couldn''t help asking, "Who are you?"


    Chang Juan pointed to herself. "Right now in this body, Chunqin herself is talking to you."


    "If you make this kind of joke again, I will lose patience!" Lin Dongxue was a little angry.


    "I told you the answer, but you just don''t want to believe it." Chang Juan said calmly, as if she was reciting a lesson from memory. "I can continue to tell you the details of the case until you believe it."


    "Okay, you just said that the murderer turned on the light. You saw what he looked like, right?" Chen Shi said.


    Chang Juan nodded.


    "What did he look like?"


    "I can''t remember clearly. It''s been too long."


    "That was thest face you saw before you died." Chen Shi simply decided to pretend that she was the deceased herself. "This face swayed in front of you for two hours. How could you not remember?"


    "It didn''t linger in front of me for that long. I was raped, but that person basically only did it from behind. I only saw him a few times and I didn''t dare to look directly into his eyes because I was so scared."


    "Nice sophistry!" Chen Shi sneered, "Then you should still remember little details, right? For example, any distinctive features of his."


    There was another silence and Chen Shi suddenly thought that the mysterious gaps of silence in Chang Juan''s speech seemed as though she was receiving instructions from someone.


    Chang Juan replied, "He was very white. He seemed to have a coat of powder on his body, and he wasn¡¯t wearing clothes. I didn''t realize this at first. After talking to you, I remembered that he didn''t take off any clothes after entering the house. He hade in naked. He had a lot of hair on his body, but all of it had been shaved off. When he raped me, I could feel therge areas of hard stubble on his legs and chest!"


    These details were so exhaustive that Lin Dongxue even felt a sense of difort. She remembered a detail mentioned in the file. Some white powder had been found at the scene. The main ingredient was calcium carbonate. The police discovered that someone had broken into a small workshop nearby. It specialized in making century eggs and there was a lot of lime powder there.


    How could Chang Juan know about these details? Lin Dongxue was secretly surprised, and immediately considered the possibility that Chang Juan had been to the crime scene or had contact with people rted to the case.


    Chang Juan paused for a moment and continued, "There¡¯s a long scar on his right hand between the thumb and index finger. [1]. The skin color of his thumb was different from other parts of his body as if the thumb had been grafted on. It left a deep impression on me, because halfway through, that person told me to lick the scar on his hand and suck his thumb. His skin was like sandpaper, and there was a stink of animal internal organs mixed with motor oil in his nails."


    Lin Dongxue widened her eyes. This... This was too detailed. Only those who had experienced it would know.


    Then she had second thoughts. She might have just made up these details. After all, it was impossible to verify the authenticity. It must be fake!


    On the other hand, Chen Shi listened very attentively. He asked, "He ordered you. Do you remember his voice?"


    "I do. It''s very deep and low, like that of a smoker. My father-inw is a longtime smoker, and when he speaks, it always sounds like he has phlegm stuck in his throat."


    "Did he speak any dialect?"


    "His speech was a bit unclear. I can''t imitate it."


    "When he raped you, where was your husband?" Chen Shi asked suddenly.


    Sure enough, Chang Juan went silent again. Her eyes looked confused, as if she was receiving instructions from someone. Then she said, "He was tied to a pir next to us and forced to watch me have sex with that person. He burst into tears and he never stopped weeping."


    Chen Shi observed her ears which were covered up by her hair as well as her hands. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t wearing earphones. Could it be the sses?


    Only a voice that Chang Juan could hear secretly said, "The police consultant surnamed Chen is observing you. Behave naturally!", "Get up, close the window, and don''t let him see that you¡¯re in a daze."


    "I''m sorry, I''m a little cold." Chang Juan smiled and got up to close the window. Taking this opportunity, Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, "I suspect that someone is secretly ''giving directions'' to her!"


    Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows in surprise. Chang Juan had already returned and asked with a natural facial expression. "Shall we continue to talk about the case?"


    Chen Shi gestured "please" with his hand.


    Chang Juan stroked her own neck, "I was very scared at the time because there was no one at the scene who could protect me. I only had one thought. If I satisfied that person¡¯s needs, he wouldn''t hurt me and my husband again. The whole process was very, very long. When I thought it was about to end, a string was suddenly looped around my neck from behind. He pulled back vigorously, making me raise my head involuntarily. I felt as though my whole head was about to explode. My consciousness became weaker and weaker, and finally... I died!" Chang Juan raised her eyes and stared into Chen Shi''s eyes.


    Listening to this calm description, Lin Dongxue shuddered. Chen Shi said, "You said that you¡¯re Chunqin. Why do you talk about this as if you are talking about another person''s affairs? Chunqin can''t be so tranquil, right?"


    "You don''t understand. I don''t have a body right now, so I don''t feel emotions like hatred, anger, and pain."


    "If that¡¯s the case, why do you need to report the crime? You don''t even feel hatred."


    "It wasn¡¯t easy for me to borrow this girl''s body in order to converse with you. I hope to do something meaningful, such as catching the criminal to prevent more victims." As she said this, the corners of Chang Juan''s mouth disyed a faint smile.


    1. In Chinese, there¡¯s a different name for each section of the hand. The particr section that the author mentioned is the stretchable area between the thumb and index finger which is called ¡°tiger¡¯s mouth¡±.

 Chapter 675: Is Communicating with Spirits Science?

    <h4>Chapter 675: Is Communicating with Spirits Science?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi continued to ask, "In that case, why are you in Chang Juan''s body? Is there any connection between the two of you?"


    Chang Juan replied calmly, "We have no connection with each other. This is just a random event. I could also enter a man''s body or a child¡¯s. I like to stay here. Chang Juan doesn''t make a fuss about my existence or try to drive me away by superstitious means."


    Chen Shi silently ridiculed. She called those methods of exorcism "superstition". Does that meanmunicating with spirits is science?


    At that moment, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang, and Lin Qiupu asked if she had gone to see that "crazy girl". Lin Dongxue hurriedly said a few words, hung up, and whispered to Chen Shi, "It''s time to go."


    "Will you investigate this case?" Chang Juan stood up and asked, "I hope to be able to go to the crime scene because it¡¯s my home."


    "Regarding this matter, we will give you the answer when we visit next time. Don''t run around for the time being." Chen Shi said.


    They bid farewell at that point. Lin Dongxue looked at her watch when they were going downstairs. The two of them had been outside for two hours already. Would Lin Qiupu find out? She smiled bitterly. "How should I exin to my brother when I go back?"


    "Tell him frankly. Don''t you think this is very strange?"


    "Given my brother¡¯s character, it''s impossible for him to believe it. Could it be that you believe it?¡±


    "Mm, of course I don''t believe it. I think she¡¯s just a ''spokesperson''. It¡¯s another person who wants to report the crime, but why doesn''t that persone and see us directly?" Chen Shi wondered if that person was afraid of retaliation. Or could it be that they knew the murderer?


    "''Spokesperson''?" Lin Dongxue pondered.


    Back at the bureau, Lin Dongxue recounted the visit to Chang Juan, and proposed that she wanted to go to Shiqiao Town. Lin Qiupu''s reaction was as expected. He shook his head. "Do you guys believe in such ridiculous things? No matter how realistic that girl¡¯s act was, I think it¡¯s a prank. Not only will I not condone this behavior, I have to pursue legal responsibility!"


    Chen Shi said, "I don''t think this matter can be summed up simply with a sentence saying it¡¯s ¡®ridiculous¡¯. That girl does know many undisclosed details in the case. She may know more, and maybe it can really help us solve the case."


    Old Zhang also said, "Captain Lin, Shiqiao Town just called again and wanted to request some technical assistance. It seems that they want help with solving the case."


    Lin Qiupu seemed to waver andined, "I hate such dishonest people the most. If they want to report the case, then just report the case. Why engage in these illusions?! Investigate Chang Juan''s background."


    Through the household registration information, they discovered that Chang Juan''s parents had passed away a few years ago. Both had died at the same time and it seemed to have been an ident.


    Chang Juan had no rtives in Long''an. The college was currently on holiday, so there was no one they could talk to in order to find out more about her. They could only go to her personal homepage. The information found on the Inte showed that she was just an ordinary graduate student who liked handicrafts, paper models, and painting. She often posted her little creations on her homepage. Her Weibo and Qzone were updated very frequently, almost on a daily basis. Her life did not seem to have any changes both before and after the Chunqin case.


    Her ID card information also showed that Chang Juan hadn¡¯t left Long''an City in the past six months. In a word, she had no connection with Chunqin at all.


    Looking at the information, Lin Qiupu felt confused, but he still contacted the Shiqiao Town Public Security Bureau and told them that they would send people over to assist with the case in three days.


    On February 9th, Chen Shi went to the bureau early in the morning. Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong etc. were preparing to set off. As there wasn¡¯t a sound forensicboratory in Shiqiao Town, the main force assisting in solving the case this time was Peng Sijue and his forensic team. A lot of equipment had been installed in the car.


    While waiting, the members of the forensic department gathered together and discussed spiritedly. After rxing at home for a few days during the New Year, everyone looked well. They didn¡¯t expect to encounter such a weird situation as soon as they arrived at work. A case where a call from a person iming to be possessed by the deceased had actually resulted in this mission.


    Chen Shi found Lin Dongxue and said to her, "Let''s pick up Chang Juan. Didn''t she say she wanted to go together?"


    After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue found a bag under the seat. After opening it, she found that it was a mobile phone signal jammer, the kind used in interrogation rooms. She curiously asked, "What is this for?"


    "It¡¯s confidential for the time being. You¡¯ll find outter."


    Speaking of "confidential", Lin Dongxue thought of something. Last time when she was investigating Lu Qi''s case, Chen Shi had almost told her his previous secrets. At that time, she had been interrupted by an ident. Later, Lin Dongxue didn''t have the chance to ask him about it again due to several events in quick session, but she was always thinking about it.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Remember what you were going to say to me when we were attacked at Chengxing Company that day?"


    This matter is finally mentioned. He said, "I..."


    "Still not nning to talk about it?" Lin Dongxue''s tone was calm. She didn''t want Chen Shi to think she was "interrogating" him.


    "You knew I thought I might die at the time, so I nned to tell you. Now that the situation has passed, I don''t know how to talk about it." Chen Shi smiled helplessly.


    "Has the atmosphere been lost?" Lin Dongxue also smiled, but there was some reproach in her eyes. How long would he keep this secret?


    Chen Shi patted the back of her hand lightly, "Dongxue, I assure you. When I¡¯m ready to speak out, you will be the first to know!"


    "Okay, I look forward to that day." Lin Dongxue looked out the window, concealing the disappointment on her face.


    The two went to Chang Juan''s college, and called her down via phone. Today, she had totally changed her clothes and hairstyle. The only things that hadn''t changed were the choker on her neck and the bow on her hair.


    Lin Dongxue praised, "I think the clothes you wear are tastefully selected. You always match them very well."


    "Thank you." Chang Juan smiled sweetly.


    "We¡¯re setting off to Shiqiao Town now. Did you bring everything you need?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I¡¯ve brought everything." Chang Juan patted her bag.


    "Have you been there before?" Chen Shi observed her eyes using the rearview mirror.


    "No." It didn''t look like she was lying.


    Lin Dongxue asked unexpectedly, "Aren''t you Chunqin? Why haven''t you been there?"


    Chang Juan fell into that mysterious silence again, and only spoke after more than ten seconds, "I thought you were talking to Chang Juan just now, so Chang Juan¡¯s personality answered. Chang Juan and Chunqin have always been here, just like two people living in a room. Who do you n to talk to right now?"


    "Okay, okay, you should sit behind me as the living person!" Lin Dongxue said.


    From the corner of Chen Shi''s eye, he caught a glimpse of a shiny little item on Chang Juan''s choker. Was that a camera? He really wanted to uncover Chang Juan''s secret right now. After thinking about it again, he¡¯d still wait until they arrived!

 Chapter 676: Breaking Contact

    <h4>Chapter 676: Breaking Contact</h4>


    It was the first month of the lunar year, so there were basically no cars on the road, and it was a smooth drive. Lin Dongxue and Chang Juan were chatting. When they talked about their hobbies, Chang Juan was very happy, and her eyes were bright as she talked.


    "What do you major in?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chang Juan, who had been very excited before, suddenly became indifferent. "Environmental science. It¡¯s mainly researching pollution and environmental protection."


    "It seems that you don''t like your major very much." Chen Shi said.


    "No, I like it very much. Otherwise, why would I have chosen it back then?" When she said this, Chang Juan''s expression was very unnatural.


    "With all due respect, how did your parents pass away?"


    Chang Juan was surprised for a moment and fell silent again. In the silent car, Chen Shi seemed to hear the slight movement inside earphones. Indeed, someone was secretly "giving directions" to Chang Juan.


    Chang Juan replied, "Car ident."


    "Were you still in high school at the time?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes." Chang Juan''s eyes dimmed again. "The death of my parents hit me very hard and affected me in all aspects. My life became a financial struggle and I couldn''t evenplete my studies smoothly."


    "Then how did you get into college?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chang Juan looked at her nkly, was silent for a few seconds, and replied, "Why are you asking me all these questions? Can I ask you questions? You two are always together. Are you a couple?"


    This way of speaking waspletely different from that of Chang Juan herself. Chen Shi thought to himself that it was most likely the "mastermind behind the scenes" who was teaching her how to deal with the police.


    The scenery outside the car window was getting more and more deste. Looking around, there were only wide expanses of wilderness. The dry grass was sparsely covered with a few piles of snow. After driving for about half an hour, they arrived at Shiqiao Town. This town wasn¡¯t very big. There were only two long intersecting streets. Some residential houses and farnd were scattered around but there wererge forested areas around the periphery, and it was as though the small town was hidden deep in the middle of arge forest.


    They heard that every household here owned its own piece of woond. Most of the townspeople lived a veryfortable life. The pace of life here was slow. It was already 10:00, and there were still people on the street eating breakfast leisurely.


    Chen Shi scented the fragrance of iron oven shaobings1. He remembered that the shaobings sold here were meat-filled, baked crisply and coated with a rich sauce. They were especially delicious.


    Thus his gluttony was aroused and he asked Lin Dongxue to buy three of them: one for each person. However, Chang Juan resolutely refused to eat the shaobing, staring at it and swallowing saliva, but desperately shaking her head.


    They met up with Peng Sijue and the rest at the Public Security Bureau. A bureau chief surnamed Zhang greeted them with extreme enthusiasm and prepared toy out a banquet for everyone as a wee reception. Peng Sijue said, "No need, let''s get to know about the case first!"


    The chief still insisted. Peng Sijue repeated his words. The chief could only reluctantly withdraw his offer. His politeness almost made people forget that he was the bureau chief and Peng Sijue was just a captain from the city¡¯s bureau.


    Along the way, the chief said that the people here were simple and honest. Not to mention this kind of extremely vicious case that seldom happens even once in ten years, they normally didn¡¯t even have petty theft cases. The residents of the town all knew each other and were all rted in some way. If someone was caught stealing or robbing, their whole family would not be able to raise their heads from shame. That was why their public security was particrly good. The criminal police basically did civilian police work like registering vehicles and resolving disputes.


    "That¡¯s why this case caused amotion throughout the whole small town. We investigated for three months and didn¡¯t find any leads. Someone butted in and said that we have the murderer¡¯s something¡­ Right, DNA. Wouldn¡¯t we know who it was if we tested the whole town? He was just an armchair expert. We don¡¯t have DNA testing equipment here at all. We have to take the samples to the hospital. It takes two days just for a blood test. It¡¯s really inefficient." The chiefined with a sigh.


    "How do you conduct autopsies? Do you have a forensicboratory?" Peng Sijue asked.


    "Don¡¯tugh, but our team doesn''t even have a forensic pathologist. They¡¯re all sent to the hospital in the city for the doctors to help out with the autopsies."


    An assistant asked, "Is the autopsy report written by the doctor legally valid when you send a body to the hospital for an autopsy?"


    Peng Sijue replied, ¡°It has legal effect, but strictly speaking, the outsourcedboratory needs professional forensic certification.¡±


    Chen Shi interjected, "Chief, how many people live in this town?"


    The chief didn¡¯t notice Chen Shi who hade along with them, and asked with a smile, "How may I address you?"


    "My surname is Chen."


    "Oh, Officer Chen."


    "I¡¯m not a policeman. I¡¯m just a driver."


    "Is thisrade kidding?" The chief smiled and looked at Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue replied, "He¡¯s not a policeman. He¡¯s a consultant in our team, and he is indeed a driver by profession."


    When he heard that Chen Shi was just a driver, the chief ignored Chen Shi and continued to chat with Peng Sijue. Chen Shi thought to himself that the chief was really self-interested.


    Peng Sijue asked to see the corpse and the autopsy records while Chen Shi wanted to go to the scene. He immediately noticed the differential treatment. The chief solicitously found a car to take Peng Sijue and his party to the hospital, but Chen Shi was ignored.


    He was simply treated like air. It was impossible to say that he didn''t care at all. Chen Shi said, "Old Peng, let¡¯s go to the scene first and then look at the bodyter."


    "This master2, aren''t you being difficult? The car is already ready. You can go to the scene anytime but the hospital staff will get off work at 5:00PM." The chief persuaded, ncing at Peng Sijue frequently with dubious eyes.


    Peng Sijue said, "Then we¡¯ll go to the scene first."


    The chief was shocked. On the way to the scene, he asked the police officers in a low voice whether the "master" was a police officer pretending to be a driver, and why Captain Peng also obeyed him. The answers he got were all, "He¡¯s a consultant.", "He¡¯s really not a policeman.", "But he''s even better than a policeman."


    The chief was at a loss, but he doubted how amazing a mere consultant could possibly be.


    Walking with strangers, Chang Juan seemed uneasy along the way. Lin Dongxue apanied her to the bungalow where the crime wasmitted. Lin Dongxue asked, "This is your home?"


    "Yes." Chang Juan replied.


    After three months, the scene had already been cleaned up. The furniture had basically all been removed. Some stains and blood stains could be seen on the walls, and the screen on the window was slightly damaged. These were all traces left behind by the case. Set against the deserted atmosphere, it was inexplicably eerie.


    The chief began to chatter again, and Chen Shi said, "He¡¯s so annoying. Please get him out of here!"


    Peng Sijue said, "Chief Zhang, we want to discuss the case here. Can you and your subordinates go outside and wait for a while? Sorry."


    "No problem, no problem." The chief said with an apologetic smile, took his men and left. They all gathered in the yard to smoke.


    Chang Juan wasn¡¯t as nervous after the strangers left. Chen Shi said, "You can repeat your ount of the case here. Where were you sleeping with your husband that day?"


    Chang Juan pointed to a wall, "Our bed was there."


    "Who woke up first when the murderer came in?"


    "It was me. I¡¯m a light sleeper."


    "And then?"


    "Then..." Chang Juan froze suddenly and remained silent for a full thirty seconds. Under the gaze of the crowd, cold sweat appeared on her forehead.


    She subconsciously wanted to touch her choker, but desperately restrained herself. Chen Shi said, "What? You and Chunqin''s ''ghost'' had your contact disconnected?" He pointed to the wall. When he came in just then, he had blocked the signal by plugging the signal-blocking device in. Now, it was impossible to receive electronic signals throughout the whole house.


    "Yourmunicator is the choker, right? Who¡¯s been teaching you what to say all this time?" Chen Shi interrogated her.

 Chapter 677: The Attitude That Life Goes On Is Necessary When Investigating Cases

    <h4>Chapter 677: The Attitude That Life Goes On Is Necessary When Investigating Cases</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Facing Chen Shi''s gaze, Chang Juan was speechless. She was extremely flustered at the moment as if she was about to cry in the next second.


    Chen Shi continued to ask, "I noticed that you always pause for a long time between conversations, as if you¡¯re waiting for someone''s instructions. Whose ''spokesperson'' are you? That person understands Chunqin''s case very well. Why didn''t they report the case themselves instead of speaking through you?"


    Everyone''s eyes fell on Chang Juan. Some people didn''t know the cause and effect of everything, but Peng Sijue had heard about the whole thing before they came here.


    Under the pressure of everyone''s stares, Chang Juan became more and more nervous and seemed as though she was about to copse at any time. Then she made an unexpected move. She actually squatted down and cried, "I died tragically!"


    Everyone was stunned for a moment. Chang Juan''s "acting skills" were really extremely terrible. Her crying was fake, her wails were fake, and there was no emotion behind it at all.


    "If you want to act, you should make it more realistic. Do you still want to say that you¡¯re possessed by Chunqin?" Chen Shi said.


    "I died so miserably!" Chang Juan continued to "wail", causing some police officers tough secretly.


    Although her acting skills were poor, she remained in this state for ten minutes, making people tremendously dumbfounded. It was as though she was hiding in an invisible shell to resist all damage from the outside world.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "Forcing her like this will only produce a counterproductive effect. This girl is too introverted."


    Chen Shi furrowed his brows. "Can you take off her choker?"


    "That isn¡¯t a good idea. She isn¡¯t a suspect. We have no right to do this."


    Chen Shi was very discouraged, mainly because he was unwilling to ept that he had no way of finding out the truth. However, he could only give up.


    After this saga, it was already 12:00 noon. Chief Zhang saw everyoneing out, and approached them very enthusiastically, saying that he would invite everyone to lunch. Peng Sijue didn''t like to join social engagements like these. It would be torture for him to have lunch with strangers. He said, "I''m going to reexamine the body now."


    "No way!? Captain Peng, you can do the work in the afternoon. It''s time for lunch. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. Give me some face!"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "We will drive over there by ourselves."


    The chief had no choice but to follow along,ining constantly along the way, thinking that the people from the city were really workaholics.


    Chen Shi and the rest were divided into two groups and their group went off for a leisurely meal. Chang Juan followed him and Lin Dongxue silently. As it was still the first month of the lunar year, they had trouble finding a restaurant that was open for business. They ordered lotus root slices sandwiched with pork, winter bamboo shoot and cured meat soup, spicy cabbage and other special country dishes. While waiting for the dishes to arrive, the three of them sat in the private room. Chang Juan kept her head down, ying with the tassels of the tablecloth. These small movements revealed that she had serious social phobia.


    "Now that there¡¯s only three of us, can you tell me about your history?" Chen Shi asked.


    Chang Juan was stunned for a while, and seemed to be receiving the mysterious signal again. Then she calmly said, "Why do you have to keep asking about this? Isn''t it more important to solve the case?"


    This was obviously the "mastermind behind the scenes" talking. Chang Juan was just repeating their words. It feels like one character was holding another character''s script and reading it aloud without emotion.


    "Information from unknown sources must of course be suspected. If you really hope that this case can be solved, you should give us a reasonable exnation. Who exactly are you and why are you getting involved in this?" Chen Shi asked, staring at Chang Juan''s choker with the camera hole.


    There was another silence before Chang Juan said, "Mr. Chen, your behavior is very naive. It''s like a cat being attracted by aser and chasing it endlessly. There are many things in the world that you can''t find out the truth about. Please stop asking further. I won''t tell you anything. What you¡¯re doing is just hurting this girl in vain..." She pointed to herself nkly.


    Lin Dongxue felt that Chang Juan was like a puppet,pletely at the mercy of this person. She said angrily, "It''s really cruel to hide in the dark and use a little girl as a shield. I warn you, don''t y games with the police!"


    Chang Juan stared nkly, indifferent, as if on standby.


    Soon after, the dishes they ordered arrived one after another. Although they looked very greasy, they were full of distinctive regional vor after they tried a bite. This was especially true for the homemade cured meat, which was fat but not greasy. The more they chewed, the more delicious it got.


    There was also a bowl of rice in front of Chang Juan, but she didn''t move her chopsticks. Lin Dongxue curiously asked, "Aren''t you hungry?"


    Looking at the fragrant food on the table, Chang Juan was clearly salivating, but she just didn''t touch her chopsticks. Chen Shi seemed to understand. She was waiting for that person''s instructions. Did they even control her eating?


    After a minute, Chang Juan picked up the chopsticks, selected some vegetables, and ate them slowly with the rice.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "What kind of strange y is this?"


    "Either she¡¯s being threatened..." Chen Shi guessed. He had met plenty of weird and strange people, but it was his first time meeting a living puppet like Chang Juan.


    "Chang Juan!" Lin Dongxue said, "From the first time we met to the present, has there been a sentence that came out of you sincerely when ites to what you have said to us?"


    Chang Juan replied, "Every sentence was." She was obviously lying.


    Lin Dongxuepletely gave in. She really wanted to pull off Chang Juan''s choker to see who was "remotely controlling" her.


    In the afternoon, Chang Juan followed the two of them like a shadow. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the bureau, where Chen Shi experienced the differential treatment again. The police who were extremely cordial towards Lin Dongxue treated him politely when he first entered, but then cast him aside thereafter.


    The criminal police told Lin Dongxue everything rted to the case. At first, the police suspected the unemployed youths who had returned from the Inte cafe, and they questioned them multiple times. The direction of the investigation was then focused on the fishing line from the crime scene. One month passed after only investigating this clue. Later, when investigating the deceased¡¯s interpersonal rtionships, they learned that Chunqin seemed to have had an affair previously. Li Tiezhu suspected that it was a co-worker surnamed Jia and had a fierce dispute with him. The police then focused the investigation on Jia...


    Listening to these investigation procedures, Chen Shi thought to himself the investigation of this case was slow and poor. They couldn''t grasp the key points at all.


    "Your investigation is too slow!" Chen Shi said, but no one paid him any attention.


    "Aren¡¯t you too slow in investigating the case?" Lin Dongxue repeated. The three policemen answered at the same time. One of them said, "Is this considered slow? I don''t know about the speed of the police in the city, but we¡¯re already short on manpower. The equipment is also poor, and a single lead has to be investigated for several weeks. Another point is that we¡¯ve never had such arge criminal case before, and we¡¯re a bit inexperienced."


    Another said, "The bureau chief also said that investigating a case requires you to have the attitude that life goes on. It¡¯s possible for such a big and special case to be investigated for decades. If it weren¡¯t for your city bureau leaders suddenly asking about this case, we¡¯d probably still be investigating it slowly!"


    Chen Shi couldn''t help but say, "Are you holding onto a bunch of old cases?"


    Still, no one paid attention to him. Chen Shi was shocked. Turning his head around, he found that Chang Juan was actuallyughing at him secretly. There was a hint of sympathetic understanding in her smile. At that moment, she seemed to reveal her true self...

 Chapter 678: Made A Big Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 678: Made A Big Mistake</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Noticing that Chen Shi had been snubbed by the police, Lin Dongxue ended the conversation with a few short words. After all, they couldn''t find any valuable information here. The police cast around for a conversational topic and asked, "Miss, you¡¯re still single, right?"


    "No, he¡¯s my boyfriend." Lin Dongxue said openly as she took Chen Shi''s arm. The policemen were surprised.


    At this time, one of them suddenly rushed to the door and asked, "Little Chun, why are you here again?"


    A teenage girl standing outside the office said timidly, "I heard that experts from the city came to investigate my sister''s case. I¡¯m here to see if I can help... Are you the experts from the city?"


    Thest sentence was directed at Chen Shi. Chen Shi said, "We are from the city, but we¡¯re not experts."


    "That¡¯s great. Oh, by the way, I''m Chunqin''s younger sister, Chunli. Do you have anything to ask me?"


    A policeman said, "Chunli, you¡¯re not an eyewitness. Don''te here and cause trouble. We¡¯ve been investigating this case. We will definitely notify you as soon as there is a result."


    "I know, but my sister and my brother-inw died tragically. During the Chinese New Year, the whole family sat together but only the two of them were missing. My parents were so upset that they cried again. I was just anxious and hoped the case could be solved soon." As she spoke, Chunli rubbed her eyes sadly. The loss of family members was devastating to a family.


    Chen Shi exchanged nces with Lin Dongxue, and Chen Shi said, "Let''s just have a simple chat!"


    They found an unupied office. Chunli talked a lot about Chunqin. Actually, sometimes it''s the family that least understands their family members. As a younger sister, Chunli¡¯s impression of Chunqin was that she was kind, gentle, and brave. Her evaluation was overly subjective and she didn''t know about many of Chunqin''s private matters.


    Sure enough, they couldn''t find out any valuable information from her but Chen Shi noticed that Chun Li kept looking at Chang Juan, and asked, "Do you two know each other?"


    "No... we don''t. I was just thinking that city girls dress really well." Chun Li smiled in embarrassment.


    "Aren''t you also studying in the city?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, I¡¯m in my third year of high school this year, but I hardly leave the school normally, so I don¡¯t have any contact with the outside world."


    After talking with Chunli, she bid them goodbye first. Chen Shi looked out the window and said, "The murderer is someone from out of town, and I feel that they¡¯re a habitual offender. Don''t investigate the local affairs. It¡¯s a waste of time."


    "Why hasn¡¯t Captain Penge back yet? Should we go to look for him?" Lin Dongxue then asked Chang Juan, "Are you going toe with us or go home first?"


    "I¡¯ll go with you guys."


    Chen Shi said mockingly, "Since you im to be possessed by Chunqin, why were you so indifferent when you were talking to that girl just now? She¡¯s your own sister."


    After a few seconds of silence, Chang Juan said, "You¡¯ve already exposed the lie anyway, so I won''t pretend anymore."


    "How straightforward!" Chen Shimented, "You admit that your spirit channelling is just an excuse, but you still don''t want to let us know why you¡¯re involved in this case, and why you know the details of the case, right?"


    Chang Juan nodded.


    "Did your parents really die in a car ident?"


    Chen Shi asked this sentence unexpectedly, and Chang Juan''s pupils shrank suddenly. Then she furrowed her brows and continued to remain silent.


    Afterwards, Chen Shi called Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue said he was busy at the moment and told Chen Shi not to head over as he¡¯de back soon. He also asked them to help him with booking a hotel.


    There were only a few motels in the town. The conditions were so-so. After smelling the mustiness of the nket, Lin Dongxue frowned. She hadn¡¯t stayed in such a hotel for a long time. Taking advantage of the sunshine in the afternoon, Chen Shi opened the curtains and spread the nket out for the sun to shine on.


    Chen Shi looked around the room with peeling walls. "Look at this room that looks like a crime scene. It actually still costs two hundred for a night. Only byparing do you realize how convenient the ones in the city are.¡±


    "Why are you speaking so pleasantly during the first lunar month?" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "By the way, let¡¯s see what Chang Juan is doing."


    Chang Juan''s room was also on this floor. She deliberately chose a room that wasn¡¯t next to anyone else¡¯s.


    Lin Dongxue went to "spy" on her, came back and reported, "She¡¯s sitting down."


    "Sitting?"


    "Yes, just sitting motionless in the room... This girl is really weird!"


    "To be honest, I''m used to her kind of ''weirdness'' now." Chen Shi smiled.


    Peng Sijue hadn''te back and there was nothing to do on their end. Chen Shi wandered around in the town and went to the scene again on his way. He and Lin Dongxue reconstructed the case there.


    In the evening, the two heard the sound of the police siren and they went to the bureau. Peng Sijue and his party had already returned. The chief had been apanying him for half the day and was exhausted. The smile on his face still hadn¡¯t diminished. As they walked, he said, ¡°Criminal police from the city sure are amazing. All these kinds of advanced equipment and methods make my eyes dizzy. Captain Peng, after a busy day, it¡¯s time to rx. Shall we go for dinner?"


    "Old Peng, were there any leads?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I should really have let you go too today." Peng Sijue smiled, and then said to the chief, "Before dinner, I have a few words to say."


    "Captain Peng, you can talk at the dinner table if you have something to say!"


    "It¡¯s about this case."


    "Oh, are you still talking about work? The police from the city are really dedicated." Chief Zhang''s obsession with eating was unmatched.


    "Let''s go inside!"


    Chief Zhang had no choice but to follow them in, and Peng Sijue called the other policemen who were involved in the case over. He showed Chen Shi a copy of the autopsy results. After reading it, Chen Shiughed involuntarily, thinking that there would be a good show.


    "Ahem!" Peng Sijue cleared his throat, "When I went to reexamine the material evidence today, I found that the outsourced forensic investigators had many loopholes in their processes, and the autopsy records weren¡¯t very detailed.¡±


    "It can¡¯t be helped. After all, they¡¯re not professional forensic pathologists. It would be nice to have our own forensic pathologist on our team." The directorughed.


    "In addition, have you done a sampleparison of the ''suspect¡¯s¡¯ semen inside Chunqin?"


    "This... Mainly since we haven''t caught a usible suspect, there have been no samples to check. Of course, we have also sent a copy to you guys and checked it against the DNA database. This person seems to have no previous conviction."


    Many of Peng Sijue''s subordinates secretly fought to keep fromughing. The chief faintly noticed something was wrong, but he didn¡¯t know what part of what he had said was incorrect. He had a dazed expression. Peng Sijue rified, "Ipared the semen with the DNA of the deceased, Li Tiezhu. It turned out that the semen was Li Tiezhu¡¯s, so it was obviously not left by the suspect."


    The chief was so shocked that his jaw hung open. This was a big mistake and the sample was right in front of him, yet they didn¡¯t make aparison.


    The chief''s face alternated between going pale and flushing. He still tried to exin, "You don''t know about this but it takes three days for us to do a DNA test here, which is very troublesome..."


    "You don''t need to exin anymore. We are here to assist with solving the case. Fortunately, this loophole was discovered in time. It¡¯s not toote to fix it. In addition, from a forensic point of view, I can understand why such a mistake urred. The deceased Chunqin had arge number of scratch marks both inside and outside her vagina. This showed that she was forced to have involuntary sex. Therefore, the doctors believed that the semen found near the vagina belonged to the suspect, but overlooked that she and Li Tiezhu were husband and wife. The two had had sex before the suspect arrived."


    1. Author used a cuter way of saying ¡°mistake¡± which is something along the lines of ¡°whoopsies¡± and can refer to a mistake or misunderstanding etc.

 Chapter 679: "Reattached Finger"

    <h4>Chapter 679: "Reattached Finger"</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi asked, "Are the scratches in the deceased''s vagina very serious?"


    Peng Sijue replied, "The typical traces that rape cases show are when the murderer enters without protective measures. As the remains had been left therefor too long, some details can no longer be ascertained. I examined carefully for a long time, but no traces of semen were found on the deceased. It seems the murderer did not ejacte. In addition, it was discovered that the murderer may have killed the deceased while raping her. After the deceased was strangled, he still continued sexually assaulting her for a long time."


    Chen Shi pondered, "Could it be that person?" He stood up and said to the chief, "Excuse me, we need to borrow yourputer and fax machine."


    Chen Shi contacted Lin Qiupu, and soon after a file was faxed over. It was an old case from a few years ago. A rapist and murderer nicknamed "Reattached Finger" hadmitted multiple crimes around Long''an and was still atrge.


    This person had two distinguishing features. First, his right thumb was a transnt. Due to his body¡¯s rejection, it had been in a state of infection and ulceration for a long period of time. This was discovered through the traces left at the scene.


    The second feature was even more bizarre. This person had a missing penis. Whenmitting rape, he used a rubber or stic dildo worn around his waist.


    When someone first proposed this hypothesis, others were both surprised and in disbelief. A rapist that did not have a penis. Then how could he gain the pleasure from the crime? As evidence continued to appear, this hypothesis was gradually confirmed.


    Criminal psychologists believe that the criminal pleasure gained by "Reattached Finger" was from his desire to conquer the opposite sex. Due to hisck of a penis, this person may not have been able to lift his head in front of a real spouse, or perhaps their marriage had long been shattered. He couldn¡¯t satisfy his sexual desires through prostitutes, one night stands and other methods and was in a long-term state of suppression. That¡¯s why this kind of twisted criminal behavior urred.


    "Reattached Finger" especially liked to let the victim''s spouse "appreciate" them from the side when he raped his victims. This was also a way for him to showcase his "masculinity". Of course, he would kill the victim''s spouse afterwards as well.


    Lin Dongxue flipped through the fax and said, "This case has never been solved. How did you know about it?"


    "Of course I have heard about it. That case caused quite a stir back then." Chen Shi smiled lightly. There was a signature which wasn¡¯t very noticeable on the file: Song Lang.


    However, Song Lang had just graduated from the police academy at that time. It was his master Li Mu who was in charge of this case. The deduction of this case really opened Song Lang''s eyes. A criminal''s mindset was so intriguing. It was endlessly fascinating and gave him inspiration, stimting the youthful Song Lang to read many books on criminal psychology and abnormal psychology.


    Lin Dongxue proposed an idea. "Since this person has such an obvious disability, we should be able to find him through his medical records. Why hasn''t the case been solved after so long?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head, "He didn''t go to a regr ce for medical treatment, so he didn''t leave a medical record... I was also involved in this case."


    "Why did you say ¡®also¡¯? Who else was involved, my brother?" Lin Dongxue nced suspiciously towards Chen Shi.


    Peng Sijue realized that he let slip information. Lin Dongxue had be very sensitive now. That was her instinct as a police officer. Thus he casually said a colleague''s name to cover it up.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t care too much, because she had noticed another thing. "Chang Juan mentioned that a finger of the murderer was transnted. It¡¯s impossible for a witness to know this detail."


    "It''s not necessarily the case. Maybe she knew that the murderer was the ¡®Reattached Finger¡¯, so she knew the details. The person behind the scenes is most likely from the family of one of the victims of a previous murder."


    Peng Sijue said, "¡®Reattached Finger¡¯ has been quiet for five years and then came back tomit a crime again. There must be some reason, right?"


    "Counting his age, he¡¯s not young anymore. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s already forty or fifty years old..." Chen Shi''s eyes lit up. "I think he disappeared over the recent years because of his health."


    "Then let''s go to the hospital to investigate!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "No, no, no need to rush. Let¡¯s research it first..." Chen Shi suddenly found his stomach growling. "Why am I so hungry? Ah, it''s 9:00. Let''s go and eat!"


    The chief who had almost fallen asleep from waiting next to them jumped up at once. "The conversation is finally over. Let''s go have some food."


    Peng Sijue was most afraid of having dinner with his unfamiliar colleagues. He had escaped at noon but he was unlikely to be able to escape in the evening. He gave Chen Shi a meaningful look to request for help. Chen Shi smiled bitterly and had a few words with the chief. The chief stopped mentioning about having dinner.


    When he came out, Peng Sijue asked curiously, "What excuse did you use to reject it instantly?"


    "I said, ''Captain Peng is shy and asked me to help with rejecting you.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that very persuasive?¡± Chen Shi smiled.


    "At least make up an excuse."


    "In that case, next time I¡¯ll say you¡¯re fasting."


    It looked like they had to stay there overnight. Everyone was talking about the case at the dinner table. Since the suspect may be "Reattached Finger," they had to investigate within the city. Lin Dongxue suggested that Peng Sijue and the others go back tomorrow, while she and Chen Shi stay for a few more days to try and discover as many clues as possible. After all, "Reattached Finger" may have been here before. This ce was not a tourist attraction. Perhaps "Reattached Finger" had rtives here.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, do you think that youngdy knows any other information?"


    "Mm, maybe we¡¯ll question her in detail again tomorrow. Since she has admitted that she¡¯s not a psychic medium, it proves she does have a ¡®mastermind behind the scenes¡¯. This is already a serial killing case. It¡¯s difficult enough to solve as it is. It¡¯s of course good for someone to help. I also want to arrest ¡®Reattached Finger¡¯ sooner rather thanter so that no one will be harmed by him again."


    "I saw the file saying that ¡®Reattached Finger¡¯ often broke into strangers'' homes and killed both the husbands and wives. I suddenly remembered that Chang Juan''s parents had died of unnatural causes at the same time. Could it be..."


    "What are the names of Chang Juan''s parents?"


    "Mm, I forgot."


    There was a bang that came from outside, and then there was the sound of an rm. Chen Shi was taken aback and ran out quickly. Only then did the others react. Someone had touched their car.


    When the others arrived, they saw Chen Shi driving his beloved car out and yelling, "Hurry up, hurry up, something has happened!"


    There was no parking lot here. They had parked in an open space behind a street. Lin Dongxue saw that a brick had fallen onto the hood of a police car. The hood had been seriously deformed, and it seemed that someone had thrown it down from a great height.


    She was bbergasted that Chen Shi''s first reaction was to remove his own beloved car away from the danger zone. She said, "The culprit is daring to have smashed a police car!"


    "Dongxue!" Chen Shi stopped her and pointed up. "I was the first toe down. No one hase down from this building. The suspect may still be inside."


    So everyone watched all the entrances and exits of the building closely. Several police officers went up to investigate, and indeed found a suspicious man in the stairway. Lin Dongxue asked him, "What are you doing here?"


    The man looked flustered. "I... I didn''t smash the police car!"


    Lin Dongxue told him to spread out his hands and saw that there were still brick remnants in his hands. This time, they had caught him red-handed...

 Chapter 680: A Puppet’s Life

    <h4>Chapter 680: A Puppet¡¯s Life</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The man who smashed the police car was immediately taken back to the town¡¯s public security bureau for questioning. The documents found on him showed that his name was Ai Ying, a salesman from Long''an City. When asked why he had smashed the police car, Ai Ying remained silent. After being asked a few more times, he said impatiently, "If I tell the truth, you¡¯d let me go? You can detain me here however many days you want. Don''t waste your spit!"


    Chen Shi showed Lin Dongxue something. It was Ai Ying''s cell phone, which had Chang Juan''s number on it. Also,he hadmunicated with her that day.


    "No way?" Lin Dongxue was very surprised. "Is he here for Chang Juan? He¡¯s the mastermind behind the scenes? I thought that person would be more mysterious, but he appeared so carelessly."


    "Let¡¯s go and meet this youngster!"


    The two reced the interrogators and sat opposite Ai Ying, asking, "What is your rtionship with Chang Juan?"


    Ai Ying frowned.


    Chen Shi also said, "You have her number on your phone and you have no rtives or friends in Shiqiao Town. You came here during the first lunar month and smashed a police car ''for fun''. It could only be because of her. As for the reason, it¡¯s because we used a signal-blocking device to ''deal with'' Chang Juan."


    Ai Ying''s expression became uglier, but he remained silent.


    Lin Dongxue said, "It doesn''t make any sense for you to remain silent right now. It seems that you¡¯re the person who instructed Chang Juan. Why do you know about the details of the case? Do you know the murderer?"


    "Police are so vulgar! Vulgar!" Ai Ying said angrily. "You¡¯re all so utilitarian when considering issues."


    "Then give me a non-utilitarian answer."


    "I can''t talk about this because it involves other people''s privacy."


    "Sorry, at this present moment, we have the right to know about this ¡®privacy¡¯ and judge whether it has anything to do with the case."


    "Chang Juan has nothing to do with this case!" Ai Ying said loudly, and then sighed. "Call Chang Juan over and I¡¯ll discuss it with her."


    Ai Ying insisted on seeing Chang Juan. In order to find out the secrets between the two of them, Lin Dongxue asked someone to bring Chang Juan over. Seeing Ai Ying, Chang Juan was only slightly surprised. Ai Ying smiled bitterly. ¡°These police officers bullied you during the day. I was a little upset. I came to smash their cars at night but got caught. As expected, the police aren¡¯t easy to mess with."


    "She¡¯s here so you can talk now. What¡¯s your rtionship with each other?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I actually have no connections with her. To tell the truth about this matter, I have to get the consent of some other people, because this isn¡¯t just the private business of Chang Juan and I. Can I make a phone call?"


    "Don¡¯t take a mile when I give you an inch!" Lin Dongxue yelled. This guy had been acting mysterious, almost making her lose all her patience.


    Ai Ying withdrew in fright and looked at Chang Juan timidly. "Then... You just watch what you say. The police are so troublesome and have to ask about everything."


    "If you think the police are troublesome, why did you still trouble us?" Lin Dongxue snorted.


    "Can I talk now?" Chang Juan asked.


    "Say it!" Ai Ying nodded.


    Chang Juan was silent for a long time, took off her choker, and said, "Police Sister, there¡¯s a pinhole camera and a radio on this thing. It¡¯s amunicator."


    "I knew that a long time ago."


    "But I don¡¯t wear it because of you guys. In fact, I wear it every day. Several people use it to keep in touch with me in real time and supervise me. What I wear every day, what I eat, where I go, and who I see is something they must decide."


    Lin Dongxue was puzzled and looked at Ai Ying. Ai Ying said, "Oh, you need to finish listening first. Things are not as you think!"


    Chang Juan took a deep breath and told the secret that she had been hiding for so long. "They are my life shareholders and decide everything in life for me!"


    "Life shareholder..." Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "This matter started when I was in high school. Although it¡¯s a bit arrogant to say so, I was indeed a student of good character who also excelled academically. My family background was very good. My parents had shielded me from all external interferences ever since I was a child. I only needed to study hard and I could get everything. My family was warm and sweet. My parents loved each other and treated me very well. I was obedient and never made them worry about me. My family was heaven and everything to me!¡±


    "One day, my parents went on vacation for their wedding anniversary and were killed in the countryside. Suddenly, my world fell apart. Suddenly, I didn''t know how to live on! After a final exam, I took the whole exam as usual and was first in ss. However, when I returned to my empty home with the report card, I didn''t know who to show it to. The report card had no meaning anymore. Studying, sleeping, and eating were all meaningless. The color grey was the only thing left in my life.¡±


    "I thought about suicide and tried it as well, but I was too cowardly. At this time, I saw a report about a foreigner named Mike Merrill[1] in a curious overseas column. He divided his life into a thousand stocks and sold them. His shareholders decide how he should live every day. This was like a kind of revtion to me. I posted an announcement on a forum saying that I wanted to sell my life¡¯s equity shares. Initially, there were lots of people who were just there to watch the fun. Some people joked that this was a disguised prostitution business, or a covert way of finding a rich man to keep me as a mistress. I didn¡¯t care what others said about me. I reposted the ad every day and then the moderator pinned it on top for me. This incident caused a small fad on the Inte and some people who followed the trend came to buy my stocks.¡±


    ¡°After half a year, I have over 100 shareholders. They decide what I would do the next day in a group forum every day. Surprisingly, all the requests were very ordinary, such as going to get my hair done, reading, making friends or practicing yoga. However, this was of great significance to me. It gives me the motivation to live. I only need to faithfully implement the shareholders'' orders without thinking or hesitating.¡±


    "During the days that other people have arranged for me, I¡¯ve made two boyfriends, suddenly broke up with them, and chose a major that I didn¡¯t like. However, I studied earnestly and got a schrship, raised a pet, and made many friends. I¡¯ve participated inpetitions with no chance of winning, worked, and traveled. From that day on, there were no idents or ups and downs in my life. Everything was arranged. This made me feel particrly safe as if there was a nned route in the vast ocean, so that I wouldn¡¯t get lost. Only in this way, would I stop recalling the scene when my parents were killed over and over again. I¡¯m used to being a good girl. I need someone else to arrange my life!"


    Having said this, Chang Juan¡¯s eyes glistened with tears, and she smiled faintly, "This is the first time Chang Juan has spoken to you officially. Mr. Chen, I think you¡¯re very smart. You could see the ws as soon as we met. Sister Lin, thank you for always caring about and taking care of me. I really wish I could have an elder sister like you."


    The interrogation room was quiet for a while, and Chen Shi said, "So the truth was like this. I was overthinking it.¡±


    "But who could have thought of this?!" Lin Dongxue said with emotion. "It''s really an intriguing life. Won''t you feel tired?"


    "Sometimes. But I''m used to it. If Iplete the shareholders'' arrangements honestly, I¡¯d have a sense of aplishment."


    Lin Dongxue looked at Ai Ying and asked, "So... you¡¯re her shareholder?"


    Ai Ying suddenly became proud. "I¡¯m a major shareholder! I own 13% of the shares!"


    1. The world¡¯s first publicly traded person.

 Chapter 681: Sense of Participation

    <h4>Chapter 681: Sense of Participation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi looked at Ai Ying and asked, "So the person who instructed Chang Juan to provide us with the details of the case is one of those shareholders? Did you discuss it together? You must know who that person is!"


    Ai Ying looked as though he was put in a tough spot. "I can''t talk about this. It involves other people''s private business. We have an agreement between Chang Juan and us shareholders, and we can''t just leak the secrets willy-nilly."


    Lin Dongxue said, "You guys are really having fun ¡®ying¡¯."


    "This is not for fun. Aiya, you won''t understand it."


    Chen Shi asked Chang Juan, "How did your parents die?"


    "They were murdered. My mother was raped before she died..." When she told them of this incident, Chang Juan was extraordinarily calm. It was the kind of indifference after all the tears had run dry.


    "Was it the same murderer as in this case? That''s why you promised one of your shareholders to help solve the case?"


    "I don''t have the ability to agree or not..."


    "Oh, I forgot about this!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. Chang Juan couldn''t decide her actions. She was a living puppet.


    Ai Ying said, "Let Chang Juan go back first. I want to speak with you alone."


    Without waiting for Chen Shi to speak, Chang Juan stood up and left. Ai Ying took out a cigarette and Lin Dongxue said sarcastically, "You¡¯re conscious of your position."


    "Am I a criminal?" Ai Ying asked in reply.


    "Okay, what do you want to say? How did you be her shareholder?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "In fact, in the beginning when I heard about this matter, my reaction was the same as most people. I thought it was a disguised attempt at going viral or that sort of thing. Later, after some investigation, I found out that her parents had been murdered. From what I understood, it was a covert way of asking for donations and she would repay the donors in some way in the future. As there was no such precedent, her posts in the forum were also initiated in the form of donation appeals... I also had some spare money at the time, so I bought some of her ''life stocks''. Later, we were put into a shareholder group. At first, everyone thought it was a very fresh idea. We could decide what the other person would do at will. It was so interesting. Some people harbored bad ideas and asked Chang Juan to do a striptease in the chat room or asked her to find a man she didn¡¯t know to do that kind of thing. I thought to myself that a young girl making this decision would only be ruined by these old men.¡±


    "However, the subsequent development was unexpected. After decisions made by over 100 shareholders, there was nothing too improper that she had to do. We just decided what clothes Chang Juan would wear that day, what books she¡¯d read, where she¡¯d work and the like. It was all very ordinary. Maybe this is the so-called neutralization effect... Those ''shareholders'' who snuck in trying to get her to do bad things found that they couldn''t do what they wanted, so they gave up their stocks. Gradually, only a few decent people were left in the group. There are over ten people left!"


    "Do these ''decent people'' know each other?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, no, no, we¡¯re allizens. We don''t know each other, but we understand a little about one another more or less after interacting for so long... Can I talk about this at my own pace? Can you not interrupt me?"


    "Okay, go on."


    Ai Ying took a drag on his cigarette, and then said, "At first, I felt like I was ying a game. I got up every morning and attended a meeting seriously to figure out what Chang Juan was going to do today. Sometimes I was too busy and just passed, letting the others decide. We observe Chang Juan¡¯s life every day and participate in it. Gradually, many people¡¯s attitude towards Chang Juan shifted and they treated her as if they were raising a daughter, including me. From the gaming mentality to sincerely hoping that she can be happy and blessed, the decisions we made became more and more rational. It was our decisions that allowed her to get over the trauma caused by the murder of her parents, enter a university, and transform from a pampered girl into a graduate student that takes charge. Sometimes I feel a special sense of aplishment!" Ai Ying grinned.


    "I''m skeptical of this ¡®take charge¡¯ opinion." Chen Shi said. "She just depends even more on others now, right?"


    "This is her way of life, and also our way of life. As a result, she¡¯s living very well now. She¡¯s proactively forging ahead as well as working and resting on time. Her life is fully nned..."


    Lin Dongxue wondered whether there was any joy in this kind of life, but this was Chang Juan''s own choice. Maybe she herself took pleasure in it. Some people were born liking to obey and execute orders in life.


    "Then what do you personally gain?" Chen Shi asked.


    Ai Ying took a deep breath with dark eyes. "For a while, Chang Juan was my spiritual sustenance... At the time, the business I started failed and I went dejectedly to work for others. My mood plummeted. Thanks to Chang Juan, this girl was born with... How do I put it? A healing power. Being with her helped me slowly regain my confidence and the courage to live on."


    "Wait, have you met her in private? Was this decided at the ''shareholders'' meeting?" Chen Shi interrupted him.


    Ai Ying giggled. "I only have 13% of the shares in my hands, and my decision-making power isn¡¯t much. However, where Chang Juan goes and what she needs to do every day are public, and you could easily use this to find her. After learning that I was her shareholder, she was also willing to take time to apany me."


    "That¡¯s despicable, sir. Taking advantage of a young girl who doesn''t know how to refuse." Lin Dongxue said.


    Ai Ying said with a bit of embarrassment, "I... I know. I admit that I had some improper thoughts about Chang Juan at that time. I even thought about using the ''shareholder meeting'' to satisfy my own selfish desires, but in the end, I still gave up. I know that the mentality of wanting to make Chang Juan mine is wrong. We just decide what she does in life, but her life still belongs to her and she¡¯s not anyone''s private property. Since then, I¡¯ve had a special feeling for Chang Juan. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here now. During the day, you used that kind of method to interrogate her. I couldn''t stand it, so I came to "retaliate" against you guys. As a result, I got arrested!" Ai Ying helplessly spread out his hands.


    "You''re not the only one who thought about Chang Juan this way, right?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Ai Ying nodded, "Chang Juan¡¯s life is determined by our discussions. Her connections, her knowledge, her personality, and everything from top to toe are chosen by us. This feeling is very miraculous. It¡¯s like we¡¯re raising a daughter who isn¡¯t rted to us by blood. Besides, Chang Juan is a gentle and cute girl. From the beginning with a mob of more than 100 shareholders, there were only more than ten people left after attrition like the sand that¡¯s left after beingshed by big waves. Everyone is willing to stay only because they truly like Chang Juan... So I''m pretty sure I''m not the only one who¡¯s been tempted by her. As far as I know, a shareholder once called Chang Juan over to his house, but the other shareholders came forward to stop it before anything happened. It¡¯s because there are always shareholders who want to see her privately that weter got this thing..." Ai Ying pointed at his own neck. "We monitor and eavesdrop on Chang Juan''s life in real time to ensure her safety."


    Chen Shi thought of Tao Yueyue. Raising and teaching Tao Yueyue really did give him an intimate sense of participation.


    Imagining that everything about Chang Juan was selected and decided by this group of people, the huge sense of participation and living vicariously through someone would simply be iparable. This was a dangerous game. It was a miracle that nothing bad had happened to her.


    Chen Shi went back to the topic at hand. "Who was the person who first proposed to let her pretend to be possessed by Chunqin to assist the police in solving the case? I hope you can tell me something, or at least reveal some clues. After all, lives are at stake. We need to know the truth!"


    Ai Ying was silent for a long time, then replied, "That person is called Brother 39!"

 Chapter 682: Withdraw

    <h4>Chapter 682: Withdraw</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Brother 39? What kind of name is that?" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi asked Ai Ying, "Then what is your name in the group?"


    "Hehe, I¡¯m Brother 13, because I own 13% of the shares, and Brother 39 naturally has 39% of the shares. In addition, there¡¯s Sister 22, Younger Brother 11, and Younger Brother 4. We usually call each other by numbers when we chat. Apart from these long term members, there are some marginal shareholders who don¡¯t have much voting power and don¡¯t really matter."


    "What you said wasn¡¯t very helpful." Chen Shi said, "In that case, what is the background of this Brother 39?"


    He thought to himself that he might not know.


    Ai Ying spread out his hands and said, "I don''t know either. We don''t know any real information about one another. In fact, when 39 first asked Chang Juan to help solve the case, everyone else opposed it, but 11 who liked to participate in drama sided with him. So the minority obeyed the majority and could only follow 39''s wishes. When you talked to Chang Juan previously, 39 was answering you and Chang Juan was just passing his words on as the intermediary."


    "This person knows a lot about the details of the case." Lin Dongxue thought that they had finally found this mysterious guy. "I feel that 39 has a lot of say. Did he have so much equity since the beginning?"


    "No, at first everyone only had one or two shares in hand. Later, some people stopped ying and sold their shares. 39 bought them at that time and gradually became a major shareholder."


    "Does Chang Juan''s stock ever stop rising?" Chen Shi asked curiously.


    "That depends on how many buyers want to buy, and how many sellers want to sell. An interesting thing happened. After Chang Juan turned 18 years old, her stock suddenly appreciated. Maybe it was because she had be more ''valuable''." Ai Ying paused. "I''ll give you some advice. Don''t talk to Chang Juan alone next time and use the signal-blocking device to block the signal like today. Doing this will only enrage the shareholders. Just investigate the case and stop investigating us all the time. It¡¯s meaningless!"


    There was nothing left to ask. Chen Shi let Ai Ying go first. It was already gettingte. He nned to spend the night in the town tonight. Of course, he went to the hotel to book a room by himself.


    After he left, Chen Shi frowned and said, "This 39 is definitely not a victim''s family member or anything like that. He must know more than the police and the victims¡¯ families. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t need to let Chang Juan participate in the case. Using such a roundabout way, I am certain that 39 knows the murderer, and may even have a very close rtionship with the murderer."


    Lin Dongxue pondered, "Haii, this guy is so detestable. He isn¡¯t willing to show himself no matter what... Actually, we have two strategies right now. One is to get to the bottom of it all and find out first who 39 is. The other is to follow the shareholders¡¯ rules of the game and wait for 39 to provide information to help us arrest people."


    "I''m wondering if there¡¯s any conspiracy behind this? 39 hopes that we will catch the murderer. What is in it for him? Being kept in the dark always causes the misperception of being used as a gun. I lean towards figuring everything out before deciding anything."


    Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. "It seems that we haven''t finished our meal yet?" They had heard the sound of the car being smashed and rushed out halfway through the meal. It was probably all cold now.


    Chen Shi looked at the time, and it was already 11:00. He felt a wave of exhaustion and said, "I¡¯m not going to eat. I¡¯ll head back to sleep."


    The next morning, Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu to fax over a copy of Chang Juan¡¯s parents'' case from ten years ago. He carefully studied it. Chang Juan¡¯s parents, Chang Qing and Shen Yan were researchers at a biotechpany and they were working on gically modified crops. Their ie level was very high at the time.


    On the 15th anniversary of their marriage, the two went to a ce called Xianghezhuang on vacation. Someone sneaked in and killed them in the middle of the night, and Shen Yan was brutally raped before her death.


    There were simrities between that case and this one. For example, Chang Qing had been tied up and forced to watch his wife being abused by the murderer. There were also differences. The biggest difference was that the deceased had been strangled first and then stabbed a few times in their chests. It seemed that the murderer had been afraid that they wouldn¡¯t die and added those stabbings.


    When the murderer left the scene, he took some of their personal belongings, seemingly to fake a robbery-cum-murder.


    Lin Dongxue hadn¡¯t been idle that morning either. She got some clues from the town¡¯s public security bureau which mainly consisted of a three-page list of outsiders who had been to the town before and after the incident. Electricians, construction workers, delivery men, drivers etc. Lin Dongxue said, "Great detective, where should we start the investigation?"


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t figure out much either just by looking at a bunch of names. ¡°The time of the incident was November 18th. The investigation should start with the people who had been to the town that day, and then people from the 17th.¡±


    However, it was only the sixth day of the first lunar month, and many people weren¡¯t at work and couldn''t be found. The investigation had to be postponed.


    Chen Shi suggested, "It''s better to see Chang Juan again and see what other information 39 knows. I think he can give us an address or even a name, but I don''t know if he will be willing."


    "Don''t annoy the other party anymore."


    "I won¡¯t!"


    The two called Chang Juan over to a tea room in the town. Staring into her eyes, Chen Shi felt like he was on a phone call. He said, "Now, both of us have a certain understanding of each other. 39, you shouldn¡¯t y around like this anymore. Whatever information you know about the murderer, just tell us directly so that that person can be brought to justice earlier. Isn¡¯t this also your wish?"


    After a moment of silence, Chang Juan said, "Mr. 39 asked me to tell you that the basis of cooperation is unconditional trust, but you¡¯ve never trusted Chang Juan and the general assembly of shareholders before. Right now, you haven¡¯t shown any trust but you¡¯re asking me to help you, no way!¡±


    The other party actually withdrew, which made Chen Shi even more convinced that 39 had a deep connection with the murderer. 39 was no longer willing to provide information about the murderer when he was about to be exposed himself. This was a form of self-protection.


    Chen Shi said, "It¡¯s absurd to negotiate terms with the police. Every citizen is obliged to assist the police with solving cases. If you don''t cooperate, then we don''t need to respect you anymore. We will investigate to the end!"


    "Hahaha!" Chang Juanughed hollowly three times as if she was reading out loud, and said, "Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to prosecute me?"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Let¡¯spromise, what do you want before you can trust us again?"


    39 replied via Chang Juan, "Leave the town and leave the matter alone!"


    After their channelled conversation was over, the man called "39" angrily said in the shareholder group, "This group of police is too much. Why should I give them all the information? Their skin is as thick as a city wall. From now on, I¡¯ll figure out what to do myself!"


    13: "You mean you¡¯re going to catch the murderer yourself?"


    39: "There¡¯s no need to catch him. I want to set a trap to draw him out!"


    22: "Hey, that man is a serial killer and a rapist. Who do you n to use to draw him out?"


    39: "Of course it¡¯s Chang Juan!"


    13: "That won¡¯t do! I don''t agree!"


    39: "Don''t make a fuss. Vote. As long as the number of votes in favor is over 50, we¡¯ll get Chang Juan to seduce the murderer tonight."

 Chapter 683: A General Meeting of Shareholders Gone Sour

    <h4>Chapter 683: A General Meeting of Shareholders Gone Sour</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the middle of the night, Chen Shi was awakened by fierce door knocking. After opening the door, he saw Ai Ying knocking on the doors one by one in the corridor. Seeing Chen Shi, he said agitatedly, "Mr. Chen, I¡¯ve finally found you. I don¡¯t have your contact information and didn¡¯t know which room you are staying in."


    Many guests had been woken up and stood in the corridorining constantly. Chen Shi asked, "Is there an urgent matter?"


    "Chang Juan may be in danger right now!"


    Ten minutester, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and Ai Ying went outside. Ai Ying took out his mobile phone to show Chen Shi. It was the chat record of that day¡¯s shareholders meeting. The member named 39 had actually suggested using Chang Juan to lure the murderer out and votes were cast. As before, 11 was on 39''s side. Although the others disagreed, 39''s wishes finally prevailed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I think that this 11 is very problematic. They always support 39 unconditionally. The equity shares of these two people added together are sufficient to let almost any unreasonable decision pass through sessfully."


    Ai Ying sighed, "We think so too, but 39 and 11 are both old members... Haii, this is probably the drawback of the stock ownership system."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that if 39 had decided to let Chang Juan seduce the murderer, it seemed as though 39 had a way to reach the murderer. He said, "Where are we going now?"


    Ai Ying said, "Sister 22 is also worried about Chang Juan getting into trouble. She sent me an address, which may be Chang Juan''s current location." He took out his mobile phone and showed it to the two of them. It was actually somewhere near the town.


    At that moment, they were afraid that something might happen to Chang Juan and he no longer concealed anything. "In fact, the person who had called Chang Juan over to his housest time was 39. It was Sister 22 who stopped him. It¡¯s said that 39 is a rich old man. He must harbor evil thoughts towards Chang Juan. I¡¯m really worried that he has a hidden motive behind making Chang Juan go out as bait tonight."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Let¡¯s not talk about hidden motives. If by any chance she actually encounters the real murderer, that would be the worst scenario."


    Soon, they arrived at a parcel of abandonednd surrounded by bamboo fences. This area was very big, overgrown with weeds, and there were some old vis. Chen Shi saw the wooden sign fallen on the ground saying "Xianghezhuang" and said in surprise, "This is Xianghezhuang?"


    "Yes, it used to be a holiday vige. Since no one came because it was too remote the business couldn''t go on. The bosster sold all of thend and it is waiting to be developed!"


    "Chang Juan''s parents died here."


    "Re... Really?"


    Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi. Someone was walking around in the dark. From such a distance, they couldn''t see who the other party was. Lin Dongxue didn''t bring a gun, but deliberately said, "Stop! Police! Or I¡¯ll shoot!"


    "Don''t shoot, I''m not a bad person." It was a woman''s voice. She walked over and the three found that she was a slightly overweight middle-aged woman with well-maintained skin. She was wearing a brown windbreaker, a gold watch and had a leather handbag on her arm.


    "Sister 22?" Ai Ying asked tentatively.


    "Little 13?" The other party said.


    "It''s me. It¡¯s me. I came over when I received your text message. These two are police officers who are in charge of this case." Ai Ying introduced.


    "Why didn''t you tell the police in advance that something like this had happened? Everything is so passive now.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Sister 22 said in embarrassment, "Originally, we didn''t want the police to intervene. I kept contacting 39 to persuade him not to do this, but he insisted. I didn¡¯t have any other ideas, so I called Little 13 toe out and find Chang Juan. I''m really worried about this girl getting into trouble."


    "You and 39 know each other privately?"


    "I... We used to be husband and wife." 22 lowered her head and said.


    "What!?" Ai Ying was shocked.


    "This is a long story. Let''s talk about it on the way! In the beginning, when 39 became Chang Juan¡¯s shareholder, his enthusiasm was indescribable. In order to be a good ''life counselor'', he looked at books on nutrition, fashion styling and fitness training all day. He sat in front of theputer for at least eight hours a day discussing with the other shareholders. I got annoyed that a big man was so obsessed with a young girl but I had no way of stopping him! He rationalized it by saying that I didn¡¯t give birth to a child for him, so he was showering this young girl with his paternal love. I was afraid that he would do something improper, so I also bought part of the stocks in order to participate. At first, it was just to monitor him. 13, you may remember that for a while, 39 and I were always opposing each other!"


    Ai Ying nodded, "I remember. I was wondering at the time why you two weren¡¯t on good terms."


    22 sighed, "These are all matters that happened before we got divorced. It would be a bit exaggerated to say that we had divorced because of Chang Juan. In fact, we¡¯ve umted too many issues with each other. Chang Juan was just the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. We divorced three years ago, and my mind has calmed down since. What he loves to do has nothing to do with me. But I¡¯m also Chang Juan¡¯s shareholder. Participating in her life makes me feel very peculiar. I really feel like she¡¯s my own daughter, so I¡¯ve been wanting her to be well... I don¡¯t know why 39 has gone crazy recently, ying a detective game. Today, he actually made such a ridiculous decision to use Chang Juan as a bait. I have to stop him no matter what!"


    It seems that 22 knows a lot about 39. Chen Shi asked, "Do you know 11?"


    "I haven''t seen him in person, and I don''t know what this person is doing, but I suspect that 11 had been bought by 39. You probably don''t know, but there¡¯s an agreement between the shareholders that no one''s equity ownership can exceed 50% in order to prevent someone frompletely controlling Chang Juan. That would be meaningless. 39 has always been keen to obtain full control over Chang Juan. He regarded Chang Juan as his private property. Lately, all his absurd decisions had 11¡¯s unconditional support. This has created the current situation. 39 wants Chang Juan to do whatever he wants, so I suspect that he had bought 11 out in private!"


    22 showed a distressed expression. 13 said, "We should have discovered this long ago, haii!"


    "Is there someone in front?" Lin Dongxue pointed in one direction.


    A ray of light seemed to flicker in an abandoned house. Everyone went to the door. Chen Shi asked Ai Ying and 22 to wait by the door and walked in with Lin Dongxue.


    This was an abandoned vi. The old and dpidated wooden floor had been warped by the overgrown weeds. Chen Shi wondered why it was here where Chang Juan¡¯s parents had been killed. How did 39 ask the murderer toe here?


    A bloody reek hit Chen Shi''s nose. He and Lin Dongxue immediately went on guard. The two followed the stench and walked into a bedroom. They heard "puchi, puchi" sounds, which made them feel uneasy.


    When they walked into the bedroom, they saw a figure kneeling on the ground, holding a knife in both hands, repeatedly stabbing another person who was lying down. The eyes of the knife holder were gleaming with a terrifying light, and the smell of blood filled the whole room.


    When the knife stabbed the person, it made a horrifying "puchi" sound. It looked like they had already stabbed the other person many times.


    Lin Dongxue was thunderstuck and roared, "Put the knife down and don''t move!"

 Chapter 684: An Astonishing Change

    <h4>Chapter 684: An Astonishing Change</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone to illuminate the scene and it was Chang Juan who was kneeling there with a knife in her hands. Her face was covered with blood, and her expression was indescribable. It was as if she was a sleepwalker who had woken with a start.


    There was a middle-aged man lying on the ground. His whole body was stained red with blood. 22 stepped back in shock. "That man is my ex-husband!"


    "Chang Juan, put down your weapon!" Lin Dongxue ordered.


    Chang Juan remained motionless, as if she hadn''t heard her. 22 repeated, "Put the weapon down."


    "Dong", Chang Juan then dropped the knife.


    Lin Dongxue slowly walked over and handcuffed Chang Juan. She didn¡¯t resist at all and calmly let Lin Dongxue take her outside. Ai Ying covered his mouth and cried when he saw this. He kept asking why, but no one could answer him.


    Chen Shi looked around the scene. The windows had been boarded up and some dpidated furniture was piled up in the room. An old nket was spread on the floor and the area 39 was lying on was already stained red with blood.


    He walked to the window and took a look. It was naturally pitch-ck outside, but he vaguely saw that someone seemed to be moving in the darkness.


    Chen Shi immediately asked Ai Ying to follow him out and they chased after the figure in that direction, but found nothing. He looked around and suddenly said to Ai Ying, "Don''t move!"


    It turned out that there was a fresh footprint in the mud near Ai Ying''s feet. Chen Shi looked as though he had found precious treasure and carefully took a photo of it.


    Lin Dongxue called the town¡¯s public security bureau. Since it was already midnight, it took nearly an hour for the police toe, and Peng Sijue couldn¡¯te over until tomorrow. All the inconveniences made Lin Dongxue¡¯s head swim. This ce was big and empty, and they couldn¡¯t ask people to guard the scene all night. They could only seal the entrance with police tape as a warning.


    The bloody clothes and murder weapon on Chang Juan were taken away as evidence. She herself was taken into the interrogation room. Faced with the interrogation, she didn''t say a word. Chen Shi could only let 22 in to repeat every sentence.


    "Chang Juan, did you kill 39?" 22 asked.


    "It was as you saw." Chang Juan answered calmly.


    "What we need is your answer. Did you kill anyone?" Chen Shi said.


    When 22 repeated the question, Chang Juan said, "Noment."


    "Chang Juan, do you know what your current attitude means? You may be charged with murder and stay in jail for a lifetime. Your life will be over." 22 said, heartbroken. "Be obedient and cooperate with the police!"


    Chang Juan looked at 22 and replied after a long time, "From the day my parents were killed, I vowed not to make any choice in my life, but to ept things and resign myself to fate."


    Chen Shi vaguely felt that this matter might not be that simple. It seemed that another person had left the scene. The footprint was neither Chang Juan¡¯s nor 39¡¯s. He said, "What you did for us to see at the scene was a certain shareholder¡¯s order?"


    "Noment."


    Chang Juan didn¡¯t want to reveal anything. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t do anything about it. They could only detain her first. When she was taken away, 22 told Chang Juan to have a good rest in the detention room, not to overthink things and that the shareholders would help her. Chang Juan nodded silently.


    It could be seen that 22 truly cared about Chang Juan. It was her ex-husband who was killed.


    Afterwards, Chen Shi chatted with 22. Her real name was Chu Shifang, and she was a senior manager at a designpany. 39''s real name was Ma Xiang. Chu Shifang said that he didn¡¯t have a serious job. He had earned money from stocks and real estate in his early years. With that money, he bought various financial products, and idled away at home every day. Being a shareholder of Chang Juan had be his biggest "project."


    Chen Shi asked, "How did Ma Xiang know about the details of this case?"


    "I asked him in private and he said it was his analysis, but he was afraid that he would be embarrassed if he said something wrong, so he ryed it through Chang Juan."


    "In fact, the details he provided were very detailed, and they tally with the facts. However, the case hasn¡¯t been made public at all, so he wouldn¡¯t have had anything to analyze."


    "It seems that he lied to me." Chu Shifang said indifferently.


    "What did Ma Xiang used to do?"


    "His past is very mysterious. When we met, he said that he was a rich second generation whose father was in the coal mine industry. He was very generous no matter where we went to eat and have fun. I was young at the time and was so besotted with him... I found outter that he was lying to me. Both his parents were ordinary office workers, but his ount did have arge amount of money. When I asked him how he had gotten it, he said it had been earned through flipping real estate. I said he¡¯d have to have capital to flip real estate!"


    Chu Shifang drank a sip of water and continued, "Even I suspect that he¡¯d done something illegal, let alone you guys. That guy had a very short fuse and couldn¡¯t put up with anything. After we got married, we kept arguing until my head was about to explode! Oh yes, he would go on a long journey every few days and never exined anything. I once suspected that he was having an affair...¡±


    "Later, he bought Chang Juan''s life stock, and he smiled idiotically at theputer all day. He didn¡¯t even leave it to eat. Just like those unsessful old men chasing after Inte celebrities. Of course I¡¯d be angry. He didn¡¯t care about his own wife but circled around another girl every day. I was so angry that I also bought Chang Juan''s life stock to see how this "little vixen" seduced my husband.¡±


    "Butter I found out that the situation was different from what I thought. It is hard to describe a girl like Chang Juan. She was like a doll that could breathe. Her life was ced there, waiting for others to decide everything for her. This was so interesting. She aroused my motherly instincts! The struggle between Ma Xiang and I became a struggle for control of Chang Juan. I wanted Chang Juan to be like this, but he wanted Chang Juan to be like that. We¡¯d argue non-stop in the group over a small thing. It seems that the two of us were fated not to agree with each other. No matter what we did, we would have to quarrel! The time that he used the shareholder meeting to date Chang Juan privately, I ran over to stop it. I wasn¡¯t worried about him, I was worried about how Chang Juan would be treated by him because Chang Juan is like my daughter. She¡¯s more important to me than this bastard. It can be said that she¡¯s my spiritual support!"


    "Is it that amazing?" Lin Dongxue listened, enthralled.


    "I don''t know if you¡¯ve ever yed character-raising simtion games. Making decisions for Chang Juan was like raising a character. Although I look like a middle-aged woman, I also have a girlish heart." Chu Shifang smiled.


    Chen Shi brought back the topic that had gone off on a tangent.. "Does Ma Xiang have any special friends?"


    "He had almost no friends and just stayed at home all day long. Oh yes, there was an old ssmate of his who once came to our ce for a meal. This was an unprecedented first for him."


    "Has that person''s right thumb been injured before?"


    "Why are you asking about this? Did you not pay attention just now? Ma Xiang''s own finger had been injured, and his right thumb was a transnt."

 Chapter 685: Ma Xiang’s Identity

    <h4>Chapter 685: Ma Xiang¡¯s Identity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi was taken aback. He truly hadn¡¯t noticed this detail. The body had been covered with blood, and the surrounding area was very dark. After the police arrived, they had bagged the body and brought it back to the bureau.


    Chen Shi continued to ask, "When was he injured?"


    Chu Shifang replied, "A few years ago, I asked him how it had happened. He said that he had visited a factory run by a friend and identally gotten his hand caught in a machine. He also said that it didn''t matter as the doctor had helped him to reattach it and that after a while, it¡¯d grow better. However, I discovered that the transnted finger seemed to be a bit different from his original finger."


    "Was it ten years ago?"


    "Seems like it."


    Ten years ago was the time when Chang Juan''s parents were killed. Could it be that Ma Xiang''s severed finger was rted to this matter, or was Ma Xiang the criminal fugitive?


    "Could I ask you some more private questions?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Well... As long as it¡¯s rted to the case, please ask!" Chu Shifang was very cooperative.


    "Does Ma Xiang have a missing penis?"


    Chu Shifang spat out her tea with a "poof". She wiped her mouth, looked at Lin Dongxue and then at Chen Shi. "Mr. Chen, this question is really too ''private'', right? No, no, he¡¯s normal there... However, if I have to say it, we haven''t seen each other''s naked bodies for years. After all, we¡¯re divorced!"


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi both felt it was necessary to personally check Ma Xiang''s body.


    After asking some other questions, Chen Shi thanked Chu Shifang. She said that she would stay there that night and wouldn¡¯t leave until afternoon the next day. Before leaving, Chen Shi suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°I¡¯m very curious about something. How did you know that Chang Juan was here?"


    Chu Shifang''s eyes became wary for an instant, then calmed down again. She replied, "I installed a tracking program on Chang Juan''s mobile phone. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, right? Chang Juan is spiritually my daughter. I was just afraid that she¡¯d encounter danger."


    "I understand."


    After Chu Shifang left, the two went to examine the corpse for the first time, and it turned out that Ma Xiang''s penis was intact. Lin Dongxue felt ufortable examining that part of the deceased, so Chen Shi put pants on the corpse again.


    Then he looked at the right hand of the corpse. Ma Xiang really had a scar encircling the base of his thumb. The color of the thumb was slightly different from the other parts of his body.


    Lin Dongxue said, "That the murderer''s penis is missing was just our spection from start to finish. Perhaps the murderer has no physical parts missing at all and just suffered from simple erectile dysfunction. That was why he used an artificial penis to rape."


    Chen Shi mumbled, "It can be exined like that, but there¡¯s a question here. This incident would have be Ma Xiang''s self-directed act from beginning to end. He provided clues to catch himself and set up a situation to lure himself out? He might as well just go and surrender to the police."


    Lin Dongxue fell silent. This was indeed a problem, but she still tried to find a solution. She said, "Dual personality?"


    "I don''t think it¡¯s like that. Even if it¡¯s a dual personality, self-harm is impossible. This vites biological instinct. To every personality, the body is its own. The focus of conflict with dual personalities is often control of the body."


    "Then what do you think?"


    "The case in which Chang Juan¡¯s parents were killed ten years ago was slightly different from the other cases that have urred since. Chang Juan¡¯s parents seemed to have had additional stab wounds, and the scene was also faked to look like a robbery-cum-murder. It seems that the murderer back then was very careful. However, the otherter cases became sloppy. I have a hypothesis that when Chang Juan¡¯s parents were killed, there were two people at the scene. Ma Xiang was one of them, and the partner of the other murderer. Let¡¯s call him Murderer A. After that, Murderer A continued tomit crimes, but Ma Xiang gradually turned over a new leaf. Perhaps due to his love for Chang Juan, he wanted to give her justice, but couldn¡¯t voluntarily reveal himself, so he guided us through Chang Juan."


    "There¡¯s a problem with that. Chu Shifang said that Ma Xiang had money without having to work. He wouldn¡¯t have been paid for rape and murder. If he had taken the deceased¡¯s assets, he would definitely have been tracked down by the police. So I think the death of Chang Juan¡¯s parents was actually a hired hit. The rape was purely a spontaneous idea of Murderer A. Due to this incident, the two were punished by their employer!" Lin Dongxue pointed to her thumb, "Murderer A may also have had his penis removed. His heart became more and more twisted and he began to continuously rape and kill people."


    "That¡¯s some proper reasoning!" Chen Shi nodded and praised. "Indeed, Ma Xiang''s ''gray ie'' is something I am particrly concerned about. When he was young, he seemed to have had a stable and lucrative source of ie. Maybe he was a hitman."


    "So Chang Juan''s parents..."


    "They were just researchers studying gically modified crops. Was it necessary to kill them? Or were they doing other research...? Well, this matter can be investigatedter. The focus now is to find Murderer A."


    "Shall we stop by the scene to have a look?" Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "No, we can''t find out anything there. When Old Penges over tomorrow, let the professionals investigate."


    That night, Lin Dongxue had trouble sleeping thinking over the details of the case. The next morning, Peng Sijue and his team came back from the city and surveyed the scene carefully.


    Returning during the day without the gloomy atmosphere of nightime, this abandoned resort was only half a kilometer away from the town and had many stray cats and dogs roaming around. During the search, signs of human habitation were found. They found some convenience food packaging, an induction cooker, kettle, toothbrush and other daily necessities in a certain house.


    The footprints found at the scene belonged to a woman based on their size. Footprints of the same size were also found on the first floor of the scene of the crime and on part of the window frame. The person had stayed at the scene and then left through the window.


    Chen Shi remembered that when they came, he had seen a bright sh of light in the window. Could it be that someone had jumped out from there, and the buttons on their clothes or something else had reflected light?


    Peng Sijue had inspected the murder weapon, and it only showed Chang Juan¡¯s fingerprints and Ma Xiang''s blood stains. This result made Lin Dongxue very discouraged. She really didn''t want Chang Juan to have killed someone.


    Since the town¡¯s public security bureau didn¡¯t have a forensicboratory, the body was taken back by Peng Sijue for an autopsy. Lin Dongxue anxiously wanted to know the results, but under Chen Shi¡¯s persuasion, they stayed in the town and continued to investigate the Chunqin case and this case.


    The two wandered around the crime scene for a day, looking for witnesses or missed evidence, but came up empty-handed.


    As the night settled in, Peng Sijue called and informed them, "The initial autopsy has been done and the direct cause of death was a stab to the liver. One thing is very strange. I carefullypared the depth and shape of the stab in the liver. I found that it was different from the weapon found at the crime scene. The fatal stab had been caused by another weapon. As for the other wounds, they were all post-mortem injuries."


    Chen Shi was taken aback by this. "That is to say, someone killed Ma Xiang first, and then Chang Juan stabbed Ma Xiang''s body with another knife in front of us?"


    "I don''t know the specific situation. In short, from the autopsy, except for the fatal one, the other wounds are very shallow. It can be seen that the knife holder is weak or didn¡¯t use all their strength."


    "Thank you, this discovery is very important."


    Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue and when she learned that there was another who was the real murderer, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew things wouldn¡¯t be so simple."


    "It seems you really hope that Chang Juan isn¡¯t the murderer."


    "Yes!" Lin Dongxue smiled. "I think this girl is very pitiful, and she¡¯ll be even more pitiful if she is unjustly med for this crime for no reason... Would this hinder the objectivity of a police officer?"


    "There¡¯s no harm. The police are also human! But back to the topic, she had wildly stabbed a corpse in front of the police. She could actually have done it. If the autopsy hadn¡¯t been performed so carefully, she¡¯d have been charged with murder!"


    "Fortunately, we have Captain Peng." Lin Dongxue said.

 Chapter 686: A Shortcut

    <h4>Chapter 686: A Shortcut</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On February 13th, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to Ma Xiang''s residence to investigate. Naturally, it would be impossible for the home of a single middle-aged man to be organized or clean.


    His refrigerator was full of frozen convenience food, the ashtray in front of theputer desk was full of cigarette butts, and there were many garbage bags piled up at the door. It seemed as though Ma Xiang rarely went out.


    Although Ma Xiang was a recluse, his main hobby was collecting schr¡¯s objects. There were a dazzling array of handicrafts on the shelves. This was the cleanest ce in the whole living room.


    Lin Dongxue said, "This guy has hundreds of thousands in savings in his bank ount, as well as various funds and bonds, but he¡¯s never worked. It¡¯s been 20 years since he graduated from high school and he hasn¡¯t worked a day in his life... What kind of life is that?"


    "Are you envious?" Chen Shi smiled. "Ma Xiang''s work is probably something we can''t find out. It must have been something extremely risky."


    "Was this person really a professional killer?" Lin Dongxue looked around the house, feeling very strange that the owner of this ordinary house was actually a professional killer.


    Chen Shi opened the cab to check. He ran his hand over the dust on thepartment and pondered. Lin Dongxue approached and asked him what was wrong. Chen Shi said, "I feel that the things in this cab seem to have been moved."


    "Hey, there¡¯s an album here." Lin Dongxue picked it up and looked through it. She found that some photos seemed to have been taken away, leaving only the photos of Ma Xiang and his ex-wife, his parents, and solo shots of him. "Old Chen, your feeling is right. Someone has indeed taken away some things."


    "They¡¯ve acted really fast, right? He just died and someone had alreadye to deal with the aftermath. Who would do this?" Chen Shi looked around. Had the murderer been here before? Wouldn''t it be possible to see them in the housingmunity¡¯s surveince footageter?


    "Could there be an organization behind Ma Xiang and the murderer? They were punished for ''bad work'' back then, indicating that they had a more powerful figure behind them." Lin Dongxue spected.


    "Things have beplicated!" Chen Shi sighed.


    Soon after, Chen Shi found a hospital invoice in the trash bin. It was recent and the text on it was unreadable.


    The highlight was of course Ma Xiang¡¯sputer. Theputer desktop wallpaper was a solo photo of him on a trip to another part of the country. Ma Xiang wore sunsses and carried a briefcase. He stood upright in front of the scenic spot and smiled idiotically. It was very unsophisticated. The act of using a selfie as a desktop wallpaper in itself was something an old uncle would do.


    In addition to some chess and card games as well as traditional storytelling recordings on theputer, there was a chat software. However, when they clicked on it, they found that only the shortcut was left and someone had deleted the program.


    When they opened a certain folder, Lin Dongxue screamed and quickly looked away. The folder was full of male penises. All kinds of penises. Chen Shi nced at the watermarks in the lower right corners of the photos, and said, "They were all found online."


    "Why did Ma Xiang collect such things..." Lin Dongxue¡¯s face was red. "Speaking of which, these things of humans are really ugly. It''s better to look at flowers."


    "So during bodybuildingpetitions, only this one part is covered up." Chen Shi smiled.


    Chen Shi earnestly recalled that Ma Xiang''s penis was not missing. Why did he have to squeeze out precious time from ying cards and chatting to "appreciate" these? Did he have a special fetish? Impossible!


    Chen Shi brought theputer back and asked the police from the Information Department to help take a look. When they were leaving the housingmunity, the two took away recent surveince videos of the entrance.


    This case now had a formally established task force with two groups of personnel. One was to investigate the rape and murder on November 18thst year, and the other to investigate the death of Ma Xiang.


    Over the past two days, the police went back and forth between Long''an and Shiqiao Town, and they were extremely busy.


    After returning to the bureau, the two of them had a leisurely meal amidst their busy day. Lin Dongxue said, "Thest two days [1] were still part of the winter vacation. In the end, you¡¯ve been investigating the case every day and you haven¡¯t been able to spend time with Yueyue."


    "I can¡¯t do anything about it. It just happens that the case didn¡¯t ur in the city. That youngdy will be fine by herself.¡±


    "I can instantly tell it¡¯s an excuse. I¡¯ll apany you to see her tonight."


    "Okay, let¡¯s try to get things done during the day... Actually, I suddenly thought there was a shortcut we could take. It¡¯s actually very simple to find out what happened that night."


    "Chang Juan?"


    "Yes, Chang Juan is unwilling to tell the truth. I think it was Ma Xiang or another shareholder¡¯s order. If the remaining shareholders collectively decide that she should tell the truth, I think she can''t refuse!"


    "Haha, that''s a good idea, but we still don''t know the true identities of these shareholders!"


    "Call 22... No, get Ai Ying to inform them!" Ai Ying was chosen instead of Chu Shifang because Chen Shi felt that Chu Shifang couldn¡¯t be fully trusted yet.


    He always felt that Chu Shifang was hiding something from them, even though it was just a vague feeling.


    After their meal, the two went to Shiqiao Town again. Chang Juan was still detained here. When they arrived, Ai Ying and three other men waved at them. Chen Shi asked, "These are..."


    "Let me introduce you. This is Younger Brother 11 and this is Little 4. Sister 22 has things to do during the day and can onlye over in the evening.


    Brother 11 was a small, ruddy-faced fat man. He wore a puffy red down jacket that made him look like a ball. Little 4 looked like a student. He was tall, thin and wore sses. Heter stated that he had be a shareholder as a topic that he was preparing for his graduation thesis.


    In addition, there was a middle-aged man with buck teeth. Ai Ying said, ¡°This is Brother X. Isn¡¯t the major shareholder, 39, dead? Brother X intends to buy the stocks and join us. When ¡®X¡¯ joins us, we¡¯ll haveplete numbers again."


    "Wee! Wee!" 11 and Little 4 apuded together. Buck Teeth Brother nodded with a smile. "It¡¯s a pleasure. I heard that it¡¯s very interesting to be a life shareholder. I¡¯d like to experience it too."


    "Do you still n to y this meaningless game?" Lin Dongxue frowned.


    "A meaningless game?!" Brother 11 raised his voice, "Miss, it¡¯s very impolite for you to say that about other people''s hobbies. We invest a lot of time and energy every day in the general meeting of shareholders. What we vote for decides another person''s life. How can you casually describe another person¡¯s life as a meaningless game? I want you to apologize!"


    "11, don''t do this, she¡¯s a policeman!" Ai Ying whispered.


    11 was a bit dumbfounded. Lin Dongxue said, "Okay, I apologize... I just think that given what has happened to Chang Juan, it is a bit ridiculous to continue with the life shareholders system. That¡¯s all I mean."


    "Officer Lin, this is our interest as well as her way of life. Nothing will change because of this incident."


    "But I think..." Chen Shi nced at Brother X who was nning to join the group. "In the future, it¡¯s best to have a shareholder review system. Who was Ma Xiang? Such a person actually oncepletely controlled Chang Juan. I really want to know something here. 11, have you been bribed by Ma Xiang?"


    "No... no..." 11 was very flustered and kept waving his hands. "I just thought it was fun, so I just pushed the boat with the current."


    "39 told Chang Juan to lure the murderer out and you voted in favor without saying a word!" Ai Ying said angrily. "I really wanted to kill you back then!"


    "Yes, why did you always stand on 39¡¯s side unconditionally? Who¡¯s responsible in case something happens to Chang Juan?" Little 4 said loudly.


    11 looked wronged, crossed his arms and defended himself, "I just thought it''d be fun!"


    "Ahem!" Chen Shi interrupted the conversation between them, "Let¡¯s talk about the important matter at hand. I need everyone to make a decision together to help us solve the case."


    1. Author wrote ¡®two years¡¯ here and the sentence was slightly different, but I feel this makes a lot more sense.

 Chapter 687: Sex Shop

    <h4>Chapter 687: Sex Shop</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After listening to Chen Shi¡¯s proposal, the few of them discussed it. Ai Ying said, ¡°We have no problem with this. I don¡¯t know what Sister 22 wants. Let me contact her!¡±


    After making a call, Ai Ying said, "Sister 22 agreed, but she said that she woulde over after work tonight. She would like to hear the truth together with us."


    11 hurriedly said, "I want to know the truth too."


    "As long as you¡¯re willing to wait, I¡¯ll see you here tonight!" Chen Shi said.


    11 went bashfully over to ask for Lin Dongxue¡¯s WeChat. Chen Shi gave him his own WeChat instead. 11¡¯s small and round face showed disappointment. Ai Ying pulled him away and said, ¡°What are you doing? They¡¯re a couple. Can¡¯t you tell?"


    "Can''t I make friends? I don''t have any other intentions." 11 defended himself. The group disappeared noisily around the street corner.


    Looking at the backs of this group of people, Chen Shi smiled and said to Lin Dongxue, "Let''s go walk around too. We''ll talk about it at night."


    "There seems to be no clues to investigate right now."


    "You forgot that there¡¯s still a footprint on the scene that hasn''t been investigated, but we don¡¯t have a clue at this moment in time."


    The two were strolling along the street leisurely. Chen Shi saw an X sexual aids store and said, "Let¡¯s go in and have a look!" Lin Dongxue frowned. "Why do we need to look at these things?"


    Chen Shi had already walked in, and Lin Dongxue felt embarrassed, but fortunately nobody was around on the street. She followed in.


    The shop was dark and empty. The shelves were full of sex toys with a variety of exaggerated names. Chen Shi didn¡¯t even know what some of them were used for. The shopkeeper who was ying cards saw visitorsing to the door and immediately made his way over with a smile stered on his face. He asked, "What are you looking for? For men or women? Do you want SM props? Do you want Viagra?"


    "Boss, I¡¯ll go out if you continue to rmend things to me." Chen Shi said in embarrassment.


    "Okay, okay, you can have a look at your leisure." Even so, the boss still followed them around as if he was afraid that Chen Shi would leave without buying anything.


    Chen Shi picked up a few fake dildos,pared and stroked them. The boss disyed a lecherous smile as if he understood. "That¡¯s not as good as the real deal. Would you like to try Indian oil? It really works!"


    "Stop rmending me things please. I beg you not to follow me."


    "Okay, okay." The boss verbally agreed, but didn¡¯t move away.


    Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "I thought these toys would be very hard, but the material is softer than expected."


    Lin Dongxue touched one, but she was too embarrassed toment in front of a stranger. She knew that Chen Shi was considering the details of the case.


    Chen Shi asked the boss, "Are there any of these that are particrly hard, such as stic?"


    "How can these things be made of stic? There is hard silicone but they are notfortable if they are too hard."


    Chen Shi''s eyes fell on something. He picked it up and looked at it. He asked, "What is this?"


    "Can¡¯t you tell from its shape? The function is simr to condoms, but most people don''t dare to use it. If you use this, you¡¯d have to use a lot of lubricant, or scratches will happen easily."


    Chen Shi stroked the leather object with his hand, thinking. Lin Dongxue asked the boss, "Has anyone bought this thing recently?"


    "Why are you asking this?"


    She showed her badge to the boss, and the boss replied, "Uh, no one has ever bought this item since it was stocked. Do you want it? Don''t worry, it hasn''t expired!"


    Lin Dongxue said no, and the boss tried desperately to sell her other things. His persistence was as if he would die if they didn''t buy something.


    When they finally left the store, Chen Shi bought a small item. While he was paying for it with WeChat, he suddenly saw an unfamiliar profile picture in the update notification from his circle of friends. He only discovered after clicking it that it was 11 who he had just added.


    11 had posted a photo a few minutes ago. He and Little 4 were standing with their faces touching each other outside an old house. The line of text below said. "It¡¯s said to be the scene of a murder case. A couple was raped and killed. The murderer still hasn¡¯t been caught yet. Are you guys afraid?"


    "Fuck!" Chen Shi yelled out loud. "How could these kids go there to y?!"


    He dragged Lin Dongxue with him and rushed over there. The ce had originally been sealed by the police, but now the doors were wide open. The four men were smiling, posing and taking photos in the courtyard.


    Chen Shi stood at the door with a stern expression. 11 who was posing with a v sign awkwardly lowered his hand. The others followed his gaze and looked over. Chen Shi asked, "Who let youe here to y?"


    "There are no tourist attractions in the town... So we came to see the legendary murder scene." Ai Ying exined.


    "Why don''t you go to the ce where Ma Xiang was killed? It''s more exciting there!" Chen Shi sarcastically said.


    Ai Ying didn''t seem to pick up the sarcasm in his words. "That ce has been sealed. Isn''t it illegal for us to run in and y?"


    "Wasn¡¯t it sealed here?"


    "No."


    "Was the door open like this?"


    "Yes!"


    Chen Shi was a bit surprised and went to investigate. The sealing tapes had been cut away long ago. There was a lock which had fastened the two rings on the door, but now, the lock was only fastened on one ring. At first nce, it seemed to be locked but it actually wasn¡¯t.


    "Someone hase in before." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Have you entered the house yet?" Chen Shi asked Ai Ying.


    Ai Ying said, "We did... This door was open so we went in to have a look around. There was nothing inside."


    11 grinned, "I thought there would be a human silhouette created using white lines at the murder scene. You guys are too unprofessional." Chen Shi red at him and the little fat man curbed his mirth.


    Lin Dongxue notified the people at the local Public Security Bureau toe over and deal with it since they had the keys. Chen Shi drove all four of them out.


    Ai Ying said, "Didn¡¯t this case happen in November? It wasst year, so why can¡¯t we go in yet?¡±


    "The local police sealed it and you should respect that!" Chen Shi said.


    "It''s not that we were disrespectful, it''s the people who came before us that were disrespectful. Don¡¯t me us."


    "How did you know that this ce can be entered?"


    Ai Ying shrugged, "We didn¡¯t know about it at first, but this small town is the size of a palm. We wandered around and saw this door."


    11 asked the others one by one, "Little 4, do you want to go to the bathroom together?", "Ai Ying, do you want to go to the bathroom together?"


    Ai Ying agreed, and Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ll go too!"


    The three men went to the public toilet together. When they came out, 11 didn''t look so good. He said to Ai Ying in a low voice, "There¡¯s something wrong with this man. He stared at those parts of ours while we urinated."


    Just then, Chen Shi had taken a nce and there was nothing wrong with Ai Ying. His suspicion of Ai Ying diminished further again.


    "Old Chen, look at this!" Lin Dongxue stopped Chen Shi and took him to the courtyard. There was a footprint on the windowsill. Chen Shi took out his phone, found a photo andpared it. "It¡¯s the same as the footprints found at the other scene. This person climbed in through the window and opened the door."


    "Size 37. This is a girl¡¯s size... Could it be her?" Lin Dongxue thought of someone.

 Chapter 688: Chunli

    <h4>Chapter 688: Chunli</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you remember how Chunqin has a younger sister named Chunli? We met her before at the Public Security Bureau."


    Chen Shi had almost forgotten the existence of the girl, so he suggested that they pay her a visit.


    When he arrived at Chunli''s residence and saw her, Chen Shi lowered his head and nced at her feet, which seemed to be size 37. This made him secretly excited as they seemed to have found the right person.


    Chun Li asked timidly, "Why are you looking for me? Is there any progress for my sister and brother-inw¡¯s case?"


    "Sorry, we came to look for you today regarding another matter." Lin Dongxue''s eyes fell on the shoe rack by the door. "Where were you on the night of the 11th?"


    "I... I was home alone."


    "Doing what?"


    "I wasn¡¯t doing anything. I was sleeping."


    "Sleeping the whole night?"


    Chunli''s eyes already revealed panic. She asked, "Why... why are you asking me this? Is there anything special about the 11th? Did a case happen again?"


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to retrieve the photo of the shoe print on his phone and said, "Can we check your shoes?"


    Chunli''s eyes widened. "What''s this about a footprint...?"


    "I found it at a ce in the outskirts of the town on the night of the 11th." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chunli went silent. When Lin Dongxue asked again if she could check her shoes, she said with cold sweat beading on her forehead, "Don''t... don''t bother checking. I admit that I was there that day and I heard it!"


    "What did you hear?"


    "A man was swearing as if someone had attacked him, and the other person didn¡¯t speak. I heard the footsteps of the two people going back and forth, just above me." Chunli''s memories were very fragmented, but these sorts of expressions were often the truth because reality is often fragmented.


    "Where were you?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "The first floor of that vi."


    Chen Shi said, "When we rushed over, you escaped from the window?"


    "I don''t know. The surroundings were too dark and I didn''t notice anyone outside when I ran out."


    "Was the man upstairs still alive when you escaped?"


    "The voice was getting weaker and weaker..."


    Chen Shi thought suddenly that if Chunli''s words were true, she would have actually left the scene earlier, because Ma Xiang had died of a liver rupture and it would have taken him a while to diepletely.


    What was the reflection they saw from the window at that time? Was it another person? "Reattached Finger" who had appeared there?


    No, there was no trace of a fourth person at the scene. Chen Shi had judged previously that "Reattached Finger" might not have turned up at all.


    Chunli was actually an eyewitness in this case. This involved a key question. Lin Dongxue asked, "Then, why were you there?"


    Chunli''s eyes widened, and stammered, "For a walk..."


    "It''s half a kilometer from the town, and it''s in the wilderness. This kind of reason is too far-fetched. Please tell us the truth." Lin Dongxue said sternly.


    "Someone told me the facts of the case, saying that the person who killed my sister would show up there..."


    "Did you go there to take revenge?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, no, no, I don''t have the guts to. I just wanted to know who that person was and if he was someone I knew. If I saw his face, I could tell the police and get him arrested." Chunli''s eyes shifted around.


    Chen Shi said, "Youngdy, the fact that the murderer would appear there was only known within a small circle at the time. They weren¡¯t police officers and didn¡¯t have any connection with you. Besides them, only the two of us knew. Who told you that?"


    Chunli knew that she couldn''t hide it anymore, so she took out her mobile phone to show Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue a group chat. There were only a few people in the group. Chunli said with trembling lips, "These people are the same as me. They¡¯ve all had their rtives humiliated and killed by that beast. It was them who found me. We licked each other''s wounds and shared information in hopes of catching him soon... Maybe this approach is meaningless in your opinion, but these are the only things we can do. I think about my sister getting killed every day. I hope I can do something, instead of just waiting around!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were very surprised, but it wasn¡¯t umon for the families of the victims of serial killers to form a mutual aid group.


    Having uncovered the old scars, Chunli shed tears. Lin Dongxue gently patted her shoulder tofort her. Chen Shi said, "Even within this small circle, there¡¯s only one person who can give you that information."


    "Yes, I know Chang Juan and she¡¯s in the group too."


    "Then did you know about the general meeting of shareholders?"


    "Shareholders¡¯ meeting? What is that?" Chun Li looked confused.


    Lin Dongxue briefly summarized the information. "You mean that on the night of the 11th, Chang Juan told you the information that the murderer might appear somewhere, and then you ran to the scene to lie in wait? Why didn''t you call the police?"


    "Because Chang Juan wasn¡¯t sure if the murderer woulde. I was just worried about her safety and was afraid that something would happen to her... Actually, I had met Chang Juan when I was studying in the city. It was after my sister was killed. I was very depressed. Sheforted and counseled me. I was surprised to see her here afterwards, but she was with the police and I never had a chance to speak to her."


    Chen Shi never expected that Chang Juan would have friends of her own.


    Feeling that nothing was amiss, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue bid their goodbyes. Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t leave the town in the short term. We may look for you at any time."


    After leaving, Chen Shi kept frowning and thinking. He suddenly said, "No, Chunli¡¯s reason for not calling the police is a bit far-fetched. I think her purpose isn¡¯t to protect Chang Juan, but to get revenge! When we arrived at the scene, Chang Juan was constantly stabbing the corpse. We were stunned when we saw that scene. Chang Juan achieved her goal - to confuse our perceptions. Who was she protecting? That person is Chunli!"


    "But Ma Xiang isn¡¯t the murderer!"


    "Chunli made a mistake. Ma Xiang has the same characteristic as the murderer- the transnted thumb. The murderer''s nickname is ''Reattached Finger''. Amidst the darkness, Chunli saw this feature and thought Ma Xiang was that person. She was overly impulsive and killed Ma Xiang with a single stab. Chang Juan knew that things couldn¡¯t be turned around, so she chose to sacrifice herself to protect her... Let''s go back again!"


    Chen Shi needed to find Chunli again to confirm some details. When the two hurried back, nobody answered no matter how much they knocked on the door. Lin Dongxue was about to call Chunli on her phone when Chen Shi said, "No need!"


    He was staring outside, looking out from upstairs, only to see Chunli carrying a bulging backpack and leaving quickly. She was heading towards the town''s bus station.


    Chun Li looked back in panic as she ran. Lin Dongxue looked surprised before quickly rushing downstairs with Chen Shi.


    There weren¡¯t many people on the street. When she found her "pursuers" behind her, Chunli quickened her pace. Her bag might have been too full. It burst open and the clothes inside fell all over the ground.


    Just after being questioned, Chunli had hurried back to pack up her things and escape. This action convinced Chen Shi that she was probably the one who killed Ma Xiang. He shouted, "Stay where you are!"

 Chapter 689: The True Identity of "Reattached Finger"

    <h4>Chapter 689: The True Identity of "Reattached Finger"</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue quickly caught up with Chunli who was trying to escape. She was terribly frightened and stammered, "I suddenly had somethinge up and I need to go to my ssmate''s house."


    Chen Shi said, "I think you shoulde back with us."


    After a few weak attempts at resistance, Chunli was finally taken to the bureau in a dejected state. However, she refused to say anything while sitting in the interrogation room and remained silent.


    "Did this youngdy really murder Ma Xiang?" After calming down and re-examining previous deductions, Lin Dongxue had some doubts.


    While Chen Shi was thinking, Lin Dongxue received a text message from Xu Xiaodong. She told Chen Shi, "There weren¡¯t any suspicious people found in the surveince video from Ma Xiang¡¯s residence, but 22 had been there before Ma Xiang¡¯s murder... Also, the hospital receipt found in Ma Xiang¡¯s residence was for a kind of medicine that treats lung cancer.¡±


    "Ma Xiang had lung cancer?"


    "Captain Peng''s autopsy report didn''t mention it, so maybe he didn''t discover it."


    "ording to his usual practice, if the deceased suffered from a certain disease, he would definitely mention it. It¡¯s impossible that there weren¡¯t any findings when lung cancer is so obvious.¡±


    "Maybe it''s just early-stage cancer. Or he wasn¡¯t the one taking the medicine."


    Chen Shi thought of something. "I have to go somewhere."


    "I¡¯ll go with you."


    "No, I''ll be back soon. You wait for 22 and the others here!"


    With that said, Chen Shi drove away. Lin Dongxue knew that he must be verifying an idea.


    As dusk set in, Ai Ying, 11, 22 and the others arrived together. 22 said apologetically, "Sorry, I¡¯ve made all of you wait so long. I had something to deal with at mypany."


    Ai Ying said sympathetically, "Sister 22 is a very busy person. We understand."


    22 said, "Everyone hasn''t eaten yet, right? I''ll treat you all to dinner."


    The crowd cheered. Lin Dongxue called 22 aside and asked, "I have something to ask you. When we went to Ma Xiang''s house to investigate, we found that you had been there before. Did you need to meet him for some matter?"


    "I visit him regrly." 22 replied calmly. "Although we¡¯re divorced, we¡¯re still friends. Ma Xiang has several investments in which I have partial ownership of. I collect interest regrly."


    "We watched the housing district¡¯s surveince footage. You visit your ex-husband a bit too frequently."


    "Officer Lin, do you have to suspect this too? Due to the matter with Chang Juan a while ago, I went over to tell him not to y with fire anymore. Who knew it would end up like this..." 22 sighed.


    Ai Ying and 11 had already booked seats in the restaurant and they came out to urge them toe in. Lin Dongxue didn''t want to eat with them, so she found an excuse to leave. When she was leaving, she heard 22 coughing violently. She was holding on to the edge of the table and coughing so much that she couldn''t straighten her back. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Lin Dongxue seemed to see something red in the handkerchief.


    Ai Ying asked her what was wrong and 22 smiled, "I¡¯m fine. I choked after drinking tea because a small piece of tea leaf got stuck in my throat."


    After the group of people had eaten, they went to the Public Security Bureau. Lin Dongxue was waiting there. She said, "I''ll bring Chang Juan to the interrogation room. After that, we¡¯ll begin!"


    "Where¡¯s Police Officer Chen who¡¯s usually with you?" 22 asked.


    "He has something to do. He¡¯lle overter. We won''t wait for him."


    Chang Juan was taken to the interrogation room. Although she had been detained for a few days, she looked well.


    Lin Dongxue turned on the recorder. Except for 22, Chang Juan didn¡¯t know the identities of the other shareholders. They introduced themselves one by one, and then 22 said, "Now, the general assembly of shareholders collectively vote that you have to disclose everything that happened on the evening of February 11th. No details must be concealed."


    Chang Juan said calmly, "I went to the abandoned resort where my parents were killed that night ording to the decision of the shareholders¡¯ meeting. 39 said he would invite the murderer to go there. I saw Ma Xiang. He told me that it would be impossible for the murderer to turn up, but he wanted to see me. Then he started making advances on me. I had brought a small knife for self-defense. When Ma Xiang pounced over, I stabbed him with the knife. He clutched his wound and copsed onto the floor. For some reason, when I stabbed him with a knife, I felt a strange pleasure, so I stabbed him again and again, as if I was popping pimples on my face. When the police arrived, I suddenly came to myself. I had stabbed Ma Xiang until he no longer looked human.¡±


    Chang Juan''s unchanging tone made the atmosphere in the interrogation room weird. Ai Ying couldn''t bear to listen anymore and said, "39, this bastard. I knew he harbored evil intentions towards you!"


    "Chang Juan, are you telling the truth? This is murder!" 11 was heartbroken.


    Little 4 said, "Knowing that it would cause such a situation, why did you still vote in support of 39?!"


    Lin Dongxue raised her voice to interrupt everyone''s quarrelling, "Chang Juan, you¡¯re lying!"


    "I didn''t lie." From the expression in her eyes to the tone of her voice, Chang Juan was unusually calm.


    "You¡¯re defending someone. Do you want me to name her? Chunli!"


    When she heard the name, Chang Juan¡¯s pupils clearly contracted. Lin Dongxue continued, ¡°We¡¯ve found out that Chunli was also at the scene that night. She was very close to the crime scene. Why didn¡¯t you say a single word about her presence?"


    22 said, "Chang Juan, tell the truth!"


    Chang Juan furrowed her brows. "I killed him. This is the truth. Chunli may have been there, but I didn''t know about it."


    "If you didn''t tell her about it, she wouldn''t have been there." Lin Dongxue exposed her lie.


    "I didn''t know Chunli had been there!" Chang Juan said emphatically with a firm attitude.


    "Did 39 order you to lie to the police?" A voice was heard and they saw Chen Shi walking in.


    Everyone''s eyes were on him. Lin Dongxue noticed that Chen Shi''s expression was slightly different. It seemed that he made an important discovery, which made her look forward to how things would unfold.


    "39''s order?" Ai Ying was confused. "39 is already dead. He has no voting rights."


    Chen Shi pointed to the shareholders and asked Chang Juan, "Do you know who they are respectively? How many equity shares does each person own and what are their names?"


    Chang Juan didn¡¯t speak. 22 replied for her, "She only knows Ai Ying and I."


    "There was a major misunderstanding with this whole case." Chen Shi said calmly, looking across every face that held varying expressions. "We all thought 39 was Ma Xiang. Before and after Ma Xiang appeared, there wasn''t any decisive evidence to prove that he was 39. What made us think he was 39 were your words..." Chen Shi looked at ¡°22¡±. "After we met that night, you said that 39 is called Ma Xiang and your ex-husband, so we always thought so."


    22''s expression became a bit unpleasant. She said, "If 39 isn¡¯t Ma Xiang, who else could it be? How can you talk nonsense like that? I stopped Ma Xiang the time he went to look for Chang Juan. 13 also knew about this. You can ask him!"


    "No, it was indeed Ma Xiang who went to look for Chang Juan that time, but he had another purpose. That¡¯s because Ma Xiang is ¡®Reattached Finger¡¯, the murderer who killed her parents. It was you who appeared in time to protect Chang Juan, because you¡¯re 39. On the night of February 11th, the murderer who was called to the scene by 39 was Ma Xiang!"


    Everyone was shocked. They all stared at Chu Shifang. She pursed her lips and there was a quiet change in her expression.

 Chapter 690: Hitman’s Partner

    <h4>Chapter 690: Hitman¡¯s Partner</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The truth came so suddenly that even Lin Dongxue was taken aback. Yet when she thought about it carefully, Ma Xiang being 39 was indeed something Chu Shifang had personally stated that night, and there was no other evidence than that. Everyone had been misled by her.


    ording to the previous hypothesis, 39 and the murderer ¡°Reattached Finger¡± were a pair of partners. Perhaps they were actually a criminal couple?


    Chen Shi looked at Chu Shifang and said in a measured tone, "I¡¯ll just ask you one thing. Are you a woman?"


    "What... What does that mean?" Ai Ying and the others didn''t understand at all.


    Chu Shifang pursed her lips and after a long time, she replied, "I didn''t think that someone would see through this matter in my lifetime. Did you figure it out yourself, or did I reveal some ws?"


    "Both."


    Chu Shifang pointed to Chang Juan''s position. "Let me sit there and answer your questions slowly. In addition, please let Chang Juan go. I was the one who killed Ma Xiang."


    "No, she didn''t kill Ma Xiang..." Chang Juan said.


    "Okay, it''s already gotten to this point. There¡¯s no need to lie in front of the police anymore." Chu Shifang smiled bitterly. After the truth was exposed, she was actually relieved. "Chang Juan, you did a good job. I promised to take revenge for you. I did as I said. Ma Xiang deserved to die, and I... will soon be punished by thew."


    Chang Juan furrowed her brows as if she couldn''t bear it.


    "I don''t quite understand." Ai Ying said, "How could Sister Chu be 39? Then who¡¯s the real 22?"


    "She is two people at the same time. 39 and 22. It¡¯s very easy to pretend to be two people on the Inte. This person is the real major shareholder." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue asked the others to go outside for a while. Then Chu Shifang sat on the interrogation chair. Chen Shi asked her if she wanted tea and she replied indifferently, "Give me a cigarette!"


    "Aren''t you suffering from lung cancer?" Chen Shi asked tentatively.


    Chu Shifang widened her eyes slightly. "It doesn''t matter anyway. I won''t be able to live for long anyway."


    "It''s still better not to smoke. I¡¯ll pour you a ss of water."


    Chu Shifang wrapped the cup with her hands. "I can tell you now what happened that night... Actually, I originally nned to use Chang Juan to guide the police step by step to catch Ma Xiang without exposing my existence, but I found that it was too motherfucking difficult. Ma Xiang gradually realized what was happening and the police¡¯s curiosity was too great. You kept investigating my identity, which put me in a very passive position. My original n couldn¡¯t be realized, but I promised Chang Juan that I¡¯d definitely avenge her. Hence, that night I lied to Ma Xiang and lured him to the abandoned vi. I told Ma Xiang that I had found the little tail[1] he always wanted to get rid of.


    "After they met, Chang Juan was very emotional and asked why he wanted to kill her parents. Ma Xiang didn''t n to answer. He was about to attack Chang Juan, but I unexpectedly stabbed him and Ma Xiang copsed onto the floor, asking me why..."


    Chen Shi said, "We also really want to know why."


    Chu Shifang sighed, "You can think of it as a terminally ill killer finally finding the right path, or maybe it was his love for Chang Juan and the hope of doing something that wouldpensate her."


    "Since your goal was to kill Ma Xiang, why did Ai Ying receive your text message?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "No, I didn''t send a text message to him. This kid had found his way there. I thought about it after the fact. The kid might have installed some tracking app on Chang Juan''s phone... After he arrived, he contacted me and said that the police were with him. Thanks to his text message, I wasn¡¯t caught by you guys. I quickly ryed a few things to Chang Juan and left that ce to meet the three of you."


    Lin Dongxue was taken aback for a while, remembering that Chu Shifang was indeed at the resort back then, and they actually didn¡¯t doubt her at that time.


    "What did you ry to Chang Juan?"


    "''Take responsibility for the crime. I¡¯ll protect you.'' This was what I told her. I own 61% of her equity, so she must unconditionally execute my orders. You already know what she¡¯s like. She¡¯s a ''living puppet''. Even if she was highly suspicious, you wouldn¡¯t suspect her. Besides, I believed in your ability to handle cases."


    "Then why did you do this? You have a terminal illness and want to make up to Chang Juan. Why did you go about it in such a roundabout manner?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Because I can¡¯t be arrested for the time being. I still have some things to deal with. In fact, I¡¯ve already written a confession which would be sent to the police¡¯s email inbox on the day of my death. Chang Juan would be fine. Only bad people would die this time!"


    "In that case, what¡¯s the rtionship between you and Ma Xiang?" Chen Shi asked.


    "First of all, I will answer the question you just asked. I used to be a man. Ten years ago, I was a man. Then something happened. I can only live as a woman. My old name was Chu Xiong. Ma Xiang and I were a pair of hitman partners. It sounds very cool, but in fact, we were like the dumb thieves in Crazy Racer.[2] Our ability was average, but we looked forward to making a fortune all day long. Killing Chang Qing and his wife was thergestmission we ever received. The employer generously gave us arge sum of money. The mission was to kill the family of three. It had to be done efficiently without leaving any traces.¡±


    "We picked an opportunity to do it while they were out, but we found that the little girl wasn¡¯t with them. Yet we still did it. When we tied the couple together, that damn pervert Ma Xiang became very excited. I persuaded him to calm down, but he didn''t listen. He raped Chang Juan''s mother, Shen Yan, and tied Chang Qing next to them as an audience. It was too motherfucking perverted. I couldn''t bear the scene at all...¡±


    "He only killed the couple after venting his disgusting animal desires. We faked the scene and withdrew. Then the employer''s people found us and took us to a ce. I had a bad premonition... Sure enough, the employer knew what we had done and wanted to settle it with us. Iined incessantly in my heart. It was obviously something Ma Xiang had done, but I had to suffer misfortune with him. We were beaten by the employer¡¯s subordinates. We desperately begged for mercy. The employer said darkly, didn¡¯t we like to y? He got us to ¡®y¡¯ there. He got us to make out with each other in front of a bunch of people!¡±


    "In order to survive, we could only endure our disgust while kissing and touching each other. However,no matter what we did, there was no sexual response. After all, we¡¯re not gay. Even if we were, we couldn¡¯t get any erections in such a situation. The employer got a bit impatient and asked someone to take my..." Chu Shifang''s cheek muscles twitched. Her throat kept moving, but she couldn''t speak. "Then he forced Ma Xiang and I. And I..."


    Chu Shifang finally broke down. She covered her face and burst into tears. She cried and said, "Ten years have passed since this incident, but I still can''t forget it. For me, it¡¯s a nightmare that will never go away. Even if I couldn¡¯t be a man, I couldn¡¯t be a eunuch. I gave myself hormone injections and simply lived as a woman. Ma Xiang had never been able to get it up since that day. Even though hemitted those rape and murder casester, he had to bring a special tool. We got married... It sounds a bit funny, but it¡¯s only in name. At our age, if we don¡¯t have a family, we would be suspected by the people around us. But how can people like us have a normal family?"


    Silence enveloped the interrogation room, making people feel stifling oppression. After a full minute, Chen Shi asked, "Who was that employer and why did they want to kill Chang Juan''s parents?"


    "I don''t know what his name was or why he wanted to kill their family. I only know one thing. Zhou Tiannan was the person in charge of contacting us!"


    1. Loose end.


    2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Racer

 Chapter 691: Her Forgiveness

    <h4>Chapter 691: Her Forgiveness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Hearing this name, aside from surprise, Chen Shi felt a sense of nostalgia. He said, "The person in charge of doing the contacting? Do you meanmunication between you and the employer?"


    "Yes,Brother Zhou had found us the job. When the employer got angry and wanted to kill us, Brother Zhou made a call and the employer spared us... Of course, this kind of punishment is worse than death."


    "Do you know what Zhou Tiannan does for a living?"


    "He¡¯s a public school teacher."


    "Besides this?"


    "Nothing more!" Chu Shifang looked nk.


    Lin Dongxue wore a look of disbelief and whispered to Chen Shi, "Zhou Tiannan cultivated a bunch of killers himself. Why did he give the job to other people?"


    Chen Shi silently shook his head. He remembered that ten years ago was the period when Zhou Xiao was violentlymitting crimes. Could it be that their gang was so busy that they outsourced the murder?


    Were Chang Qing and his wife worth assassinating? Did they offend an important person, or did they find out about some earth-shattering secret?


    In order to confirm that the Zhou Tiannan mentioned by Chu Shifang was the one they knew, Chen Shi asked him to describe Zhou Tiannan¡¯s characteristics. What Chu Shifang described was consistent with the Zhou Tiannan they knew.


    What he knew about Zhou Tiannan was limited and he didn''t know why the employer wanted to kill Chang Qing and his wife. He and Ma Xiang were just carrying out the mission for mary gain.


    "So how did you and Chang Juan meet?" Chen Shi asked.


    "After that incident, I watched the police investigating the case like headless flies. I knew they couldn''t figure it out. When I wasn¡¯t killing people, I liked to y mahjong and visit forums. By chance, I saw Chang Juan''s posts saying that as long as you pay for her life stocks, you can manipte her life and y the role of a parent. I thought this was astonishing. The girl¡¯s parents were killed by Ma Xiang and I, but I actually encountered this matter. I was hesitant at the time. I didn¡¯t know whether I should notify Ma Xiang, find the girl, kill her and tie up loose ends, but I didn¡¯t do it in the end. Firstly, the risk was far too great. Secondly, there was no need for it anymore as the matter was already in the past.


    ¡°I bought Chang Juan¡¯s life stock using the reward I got for killing her parents. It was really ironic. Then I became her shareholder. This ''game'' was quite fun. We discussed what Chang Juan needed to do, what she needed to wear and who she was going to see every day. I became very busy. Most of the people in the group are rich and idle people.¡±


    ¡°I have to mention Ma Xiang here. Ever since that incident, his heart had be warped. He often went out to look for prostitutes in the middle of the night. Ma Xiang had be traumatized and no matter how he tried, he couldn¡¯t get hard no matter what. When he got impatient, he¡¯d hit the prostitutes. Then he was beaten until his face was swollen. After that, he started stalking ordinary women. One night, Ma Xiang suddenly called me. I rushed over to the ce he told me about and saw that a couple had been killed. It was very tragic. Ma Xiang was naked. He knelt in the blood and cried, ''I can''t get hard no matter what I do!''¡±


    ¡°I said, ''Are you nuts? You have to kill people if you can¡¯t get hard? I don¡¯t even have anything that can get hard even if I wanted to get hard!'' As soon as this matter was mentioned, the two of us quarreled, and I got very angry. Why was my dick chopped off when Ma Xiang was the one who raped her? I finally understand now that this was the ingenuity of the employer¡¯s mind. He would never allow us to get along normally again. Perhaps today¡¯s tragedy was due to the seeds nted at that time. I had a fight with Ma Xiang, and then helped him deal with the crime scene. Since then, Ma Xiang kept raping women. As long as he raped, he would kill people. You police would have another unsolved case. I knew he would be the death of us sooner orter but he wouldn¡¯t listen no matter how much I tried to persuade him.¡±


    ¡°One day, Ma Xiang called me excitedly and told me that he had found the little girl, Chang Juan! Ma Xiang had a kind of obsessive idea. He felt that as long as he killed Chang Juan, and finished the unfinished business, his sinful debts would be cleared and he¡¯d be able to get hard again. I was really afraid of what would happen to Chang Juan, because I already viewed her as a daughter at the time. However, Ma Xiang didn¡¯t know about this. I was extremely anxious. After asking around, 13 said that he could find Chang Juan, so we rushed over to rescue her together. Fortunately, we arrived in time and blocked Ma Xiang. After I went back, I had another big fight with Ma Xiang. He said I had dog shit seeping into my head, that I had actually fallen in love with the person I was supposed to kill. I said that he was the one who was crazy. The murdermission was over. I told him not to touch Chang Juan and that killing her wouldn¡¯t cure his dick! Then we parted on bad terms.¡±


    "I gradually realized something. Men are really animals ruled by their bottom halves. Men are irritable because testosterone is at work. Look at young men in their early twenties. All of them are explosive like a gunpowder barrel. All of them just fucking suppress it. Once they are married and have stable sex lives, they are different. If a man can¡¯t get hard, he will be perverted and can do anything since he can¡¯t vent his testosterone. It¡¯s like a rat¡¯s asshole being stuffed with chili powder. It can bite a whole nest of rats to death. Testosterone is truly a harmful thing. I think the country should retain castration sentences and chop off people¡¯s balls. Then men will immediately be rational. Didn''t Sima Qian write those things after he lost his balls?!¡±


    "A man will be a sage if he loses his balls, just like me... Ever since I lost these harmful things, my personality has gradually changed, and I can look at all sides when I consider matters. I think it was foolish for Ma Xiang to kill people over such a small matter all day long. At the same time, I knew that he was digging his own grave. One day, he would be the death of himself. Hence, I started to stay away from him. I lived my easy and peaceful life. One day, I found out I had cancer. Motherfucker, Ma Xiang messed around all day long. Why was I the one who got cancer? It must be that I had shielded him from disaster?¡±


    "I even got motherfucking lung cancer. The only thing I loved doing was smoking and I had to quit. The doctor said that I could only live for two more years. Fuck this! There are two things in this world that are most likely to change people. One is castration, and the other is death. One of these two things has already happened to me, and the other ising soon. I realized the preciousness of life. I realized that it was easy to kill a person but difficult to save them. I wanted to do something helpful for the world. Ma Xiang has been doing all these evil deeds and was always thinking about Chang Juan, so I nned to let him get arrested..."


    Chu Shifang shrugged, "The things after that are what I¡¯ve said at the beginning. In fact, I don''t care what kind of ending there will be, as long as Chang Juan can survive... I once told her my true identity, and her expression was beyond description. I said I had regretted it and changed, and asked her if she could forgive me. Her answer was that I can order her to do anything, except forgiving Ma Xiang and myself. It really hurt my heart. I hope that she can forgive everything I have done!"


    With that said, tears fell from the corners of Chu Shifang¡¯s eyes. Chen Shi nced at the single-sided mirror. Chang Juan was listening outside right now. From her attitude, Chang Juan didn¡¯t just view Chu Shifang as an enemy. There seemed to be a slight trace of dependence.


    What a tangled rtionship these two people have.

 Chapter 692: Redemption

    <h4>Chapter 692: Redemption</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the interrogation, Chu Shifang said, "I have a request. I want to say a few words to Chang Juan."


    Chen Shi responded, "Sure."


    When she left the interrogation room, both Ai Ying and Chang Juan looked at Chu Shifang with surprised eyes. Chu Shifang said to Chang Juan, "I have told the police the whole truth. You don''t need to lie anymore. I will not be your shareholder anymore. You should live a good life from now on... Maybe we will meet again in court. I hope I can live till then." She forced a smile.


    Chang Juan¡¯s expression lookedplicated. After Chu Shifang was taken away, she said, "Police Elder Sister, I also have something I want to say."


    Chang Juan sat in the interrogation room again and said, "About a year ago, 39 found me and told me that she was the one who had killed my parents. I waspletely dumbfounded because she had always treated me very well, just like a kind elder. This person was actually the one who killed my parents. Of course I couldn¡¯t forgive her. I never will. 39 promised me that I will get my revenge. Now, she has finally fulfilled her promise, but my heart is very heavy... I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that bad, what do you all think?"


    "She is a bad person who found her conscience and mended her ways. It¡¯s never toote for that." Chen Shi said.


    Chang Juan recounted what had happened that night, which was basically the same as Chu Shifang''s version of events. Finally, Chang Juan said, "Please let Chunli go. She didn''t do anything. It¡¯s just that she was too timid to deal with the police. "


    Since the murderer was Chu Shifang, and Chunli was just an eyewitness, she was released after being detained for a few hours.


    The case finally came to fruition. Lin Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the Public Security Bureau. It was already early in the morning, and Lin Dongxue said, "How did you find out that Chu Shifang is a man... I mean, was a man?"


    "It was the photos. I went to Ma Xiang''s house and looked at them again. I found that there was only young Ma Xiang in the photos, but no young Chu Shifang. From this, I spected that the photos taken away were actually hers, so what did she need to hide? The surveince video, cancer treatment drug, and things found on theputer all pointed towards the same conclusion. The person who lived there wasn¡¯t Ma Xiang. Thus, I made this bold assumption that Chu Shifang was his former partner."


    "I see!" Lin Dongxue smiled and nodded. "I don''t know why Chang Juan''s parents were killed. Why didn''t Zhou Tiannan make use of his own people, but outsourced it to two greenhorn hired killers?"


    "More importantly, the time when Chang Juan''s parents were killed was almost exactly during the same period as Zhou Xiao''s grant crimes. I wonder if there¡¯s any connection there?"


    "Do you think that there must be a connection?"


    "Judging from Zhou Tiannan''s habits, he onlymitted purposeful murders, not simply to ''seek pleasure''. I believe that there must be a certain pattern with the deceased."


    Chen Shi sighed. Perhaps there will never be an answer for this matter.


    "Don''t think about it too much. It''s already sote. Should we still go back to the city?"


    "Let¡¯s go back, it¡¯s just in time for supper."


    "Will there still be any when it¡¯s sote?"


    "I''ll take you to a ce."


    Arriving at the car, Chen Shi remembered that it was February 14th. Even if he hadn¡¯t prepared anything, it didn''t seem good to pretend not to know about it, so he said, "Sorry, we¡¯ve been so busy these past two days and didn¡¯t prepare anything for today."


    "Huh?" Lin Dongxue looked at her phone and smiled, "Haha, I forgot all about it as well. Then just say some pleasant words to me."


    Chen Shi thought for a while and said, "I still have a gift for you."


    Lin Dongxue suddenly became interested and looked at him with shining eyes. Chen Shi said, "Maybe I was inspired by Chang Juan. I will give you permission for an order right now. As long as you say ''one, two, three, four'', I would do whatever it is unconditionally for you."


    "Anything?" Lin Dongxue smiled. "Guess what I want you to do the most?"


    Of course, Chen Shi knew. "If you want to ask, just ask. I know you¡¯ve been curious for a very long time. Although I haven''t made the mental preparations yet, I will probably never be prepared regarding this matter."


    Lin Dongxue''s heart was beating fast. Chen Shi''s past was only a thinyer away from her. The two looked at each other for a long time. Lin Dongxue kissed his lips and said softly, "I reserve this right for the time being. Didn¡¯t you say that it could be anything? Let me think about something that would be more cost-effective, hahaha!"


    "Aren''t you curious?"


    "I may be curious, but I also believe in you. There must be a reason why you don''t talk about it. I don''t want to make you feel awkward. Let''s talk about it when you¡¯re ready, my dear."


    "Thank you." Lin Dongxue''s thoughtfulness moved Chen Shi very much.


    There was still a lot of follow-up work in this case. The police were very busy. Chu Shifang exined a lot about the process through which he and Ma Xiang were hired as hitmen. Through his confession, the police uncovered four or five more hits in session.


    The exception was Chang Juan''s parents, whom Chu Shifang knew almost nothing about. The employer was very mysterious. They had met every time in an abandoned house in the suburbs. Chu Shifang never even saw his face.


    However, Chu Shifang mentioned a detail. The murder order mentioned that they had to burn a brown notebook and they had obeyed.


    "What was in the book?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    Chu Shifang shrugged and replied, "It was all molecr forms, data, and so on. It seemed very professional and I couldn¡¯tprehend it. If we could understand this, we wouldn''t be hitmen."


    In order to rify the truth, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue investigated all the projects handled by Chang Juan''s parents. After several days, Chen Shi''s head hurt.


    Theirst project was researching gically modified und rice. There was nothing special about it. The final product wasn¡¯t ideal. It remained in the experimental stage and wasn¡¯t put on the market.


    While reviewing the entire case this time, Chen Shi suddenly found a suspicious point. He couldn¡¯t wait to talk about it and ran to the detention center to see Chu Shifang again. Due to lung cancer, Chu Shifang looked awful and kept coughing. She was detained in a women''s detention center.


    Chu Shifang said, "I will be released on bail for medical treatment after a while, but I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t live long with this disease."


    "I found that your previous killing habits were a little different from this murder. You never seemed to have used a knife."


    Hearing this, Chu Shifang suddenly raised her eyebrows. "What nonsense is this? At the time, the situation was critical and I had no time to think about it."


    "What was the crisis?"


    "Ma Xiang wanted to attack Chang Juan."


    "You stopped himst time, so why not this time? Besides, you were the one who took him there this time."


    "I¡¯ve already said that this time, I wanted to take revenge on behalf of Chang Juan."


    "For revenge, it makes more sense for Chang Juan to kill Ma Xiang personally. I suddenly have a spection that the person who stabbed Ma Xiang to death that night was Chang Juan. You found that things were already irreversible, so you taught her to be more exaggerated and wilder. You knew that the more suspicious she was, the safer she would be because we already know her identity... Why do I think so? It¡¯s because Chunli¡¯s attitude was so suspicious. She didn¡¯t kill anyone, so why did she run away in front of the police? I suddenly figured it out. She had witnessed Chang Juan killing someone that night. She ran away to protect her friend."


    Chu Shifang stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair behind her. She said, "The case is over. What¡¯s the point in arresting one more person?! She was just impulsive. She¡¯s different from us two scum who are rotten to the core!¡±


    "I''m satisfied with your answer." Chen Shi smiled.


    Chu Shifang''s face became pale when she became aware that she had made a slip of the tongue. Chen Shi said, "Don''t worry, I just wanted to know the truth. Since you''ve shouldered all the me, why should I continue to pursue it? It¡¯s not like I have any evidence."


    Chu Shifang let out a long sigh. "As long as she can live well. As long as she lives well, it¡¯s a kind of redemption for me. It only takes one night to ruin a person''s life, but it takes a long, long time to redeem it."

 Chapter 693: The Arrested Author

    <h4>Chapter 693: The Arrested Author</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 45: Keeping An Author[1]


    After Chu Shifang''s case was over, Long''an City was quiet for a while. On the weekend of March 16th, Tao Yueyue hadn''t returned home yet, so Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue enjoyed couple¡¯s time together leisurely.


    Chen Shi leaned on the sofa and Lin Dongxue was lying in his arms. Chen Shi grabbed the phone in his hand. "Let me show you a good thing. I¡¯ve downloaded an app to watch videos on the phone. It has everything on it. Haii, it''s so convenient."


    "Are you even a modern person?" Lin Dongxue smiled and teased as she took a slice of cut apple from the te and stuffed it into Chen Shi''s mouth.


    "What are you watching?" Chen Shi was still operating his phone. He opened a movie trailer and the two watched a funny little video together andughed. It was not that the video was particrly funny, they just wanted to have augh.


    When going through the videos, Chen Shi happened to see a small column called "Netizens Criticism" and opened it. The UP owner wearing sses said, "Hello my friends, we meet again. Recently, an explosive detective novel appeared on a certain website, causing unprecedented heated discussion in major forums. The author of this novel is Xin Bai. This "The Detective of the Abyss" was serialized in Marchst year and has now reached hundreds of millions of views.


    ¡°What is this novel about? It''s about a detective who was hit by a thunderbolt from the sky along with the criminal he was about to arrest. Friends who are familiar with online writing know that this opening lightning strike must mean something is about to happen. Indeed, the protagonist and the criminal have their bodies swapped. It was very intense from the moment the story began.¡±


    ¡°The protagonist found that the guns of hispanions were all aimed at him and his heart was like that of a husky. His survival instinct caused him to escape, and the criminal who became the captain of the criminal police force used the resources of the police to continuously set up a to chase the protagonist. The antagonist knew very well that he could only get away with being a policeman if the protagonist was killed. Thus, a continuous thrilling chase of the century began just like that.¡±


    ¡°Not only is the main plot of this novel exciting, but the side plots are also eye-opening. It¡¯s entertaining, but it¡¯s a pity, hehe. The author is an unscrupulous person. As soon as his work got some results, the writer started to drag it out. He didn¡¯t update regrly, cut things short, and went on hiatus. He even released news that the finale was about toe more than once. The readers were shocked at first. There were a lot of unresolved matters, so how could the finale being up? Only after the fact did they realize the news was fake. The author didn¡¯t want to write any more, but the editor wouldn¡¯t let it go.¡±


    ¡°So, this unscrupulous author started to y tricks. For example, the style of writing changed after 400 chapters, and the protagonist became someone with supernatural powers as he fought with the antagonist using supernatural powers on the streets. He wrote a dozen chapters like this. Later, he forcefully exined that these were nightmares that the protagonist had after he was shot and had a fever. It¡¯s unknown how many stab wounds[2] the author received that day. Another example is Chapter 476, where the protagonist and a supporting female character were suddenly described together for no reason for a few thousand words. Haha, the author intended to block his book. I really admire this kind of show-offing action. This chapter was blocked by the website. Many readers had to go to forums or pirated websites to find this mysterious 476 Chapter to have a read.¡±


    "The author''s unwillingness to write is revealed between the lines. For example, in a recent case of his, one supporting role was called Yao Ziyou[3] and the other supporting role is called Qiu Xin[4]. In Chapter 505, the author drew a dividing line with ''='' and ''-''. If a reader who understands Morse Code actually read it, a sentence could be derived from it. ¡®Hurry ande to save me¡¯. Haha, this author really renders people speechless. However, writing has always been both painful and pleasant. The author''s actions didn¡¯t reduce his work¡¯s poprity. On the contrary, its poprity increased and it has be more and more famous due to the criticism. It has be a topical masterpiece. Life is really unpredictable..."


    "There¡¯s actually this kind of book. I want to go and read it." Lin Dongxueughed.


    "I''m reading it!"


    "This one?"


    "Yes, it''s very interesting. I feel like this author knows a lot of criminal knowledge. My greatest pleasure is to guess who the murderer is. Every time I can guess it right... We¡¯ll stop watching. Let''s eat!"


    "Eat, eat, eat. You only know how to eat. It''s only 4:00 in the afternoon."


    "I''ll take you to a restaurant where you can eat raw oysters. The oysters there are very fresh and can be eaten raw. I saw a way to eat them on the Inte. Drink the fresh oyster meat with sparkling wine... It¡¯s said to be an aphrodisiac!" Chen Shi smirked.


    "Let''s go, let''s go!" Lin Dongxue couldn''t wait. Spring had just arrived and everything was recovering. It must be very enjoyable to eat oysters during this season.


    She nced at the small iron pot on the window sill. The nts in it had already grown out. It was the mysterious seed they found from Xu Fast time. She said, "It¡¯s grown out."


    "Yeah, I don''t know what it is. I''ll know when it blooms in a bit."


    After the two ate, someone in the team suddenly sent over a message. Lin Dongxue opened it and said, "There was a car ident on Shuli Road. This isn¡¯t the main point though. A severed limb fell out of the car from the side of the crash. My brother and the others have rushed over to deal with it."


    "This murderer is so unlucky. There was a car ident on the way to abandon the corpse. I¡¯ve heard of someone who was even more unlucky. He cut himself and went to the hospital when he was dismembering the corpse and was directly arrested."


    Another message came up on the group chat. Lin Dongxue''s eyebrows raised slightly. She handed her phone to Chen Shi. The message read, "Fuck, guess who this person is? The online writer Xin Bai."


    Chen Shi¡¯s jaw hung open. "It only takes ten minutes to get to Shuli Road. Hurry up!"


    The two immediately jumped into the car and set off towards the scene. After arriving, they saw several police cars surrounding the scene. Peng Sijue and his men were cleaning up the broken body parts found in the car. A middle-aged man wearing ck-rimmed sses was covered in a nket and was handcuffed. His forehead was already wet with cold sweat and his expression was a little bit excited. He kept muttering nervously like he was reciting something.


    Chen Shi had actually seen Xin Bai previously.[5] He hadn''t read the book he wrote at the time. When he saw him again, he was excited. After all, he was the original author of the book he read every day.


    "Xin Bai in the flesh. It was a worthwhile trip." Chen Shi was excited.


    "Aiya, my brother is here, don''t get an autograph or anything."


    "Don''t worry, why would I want an autograph... I want a signed photo!"


    "Get lost!" Lin Dongxue smiled and punched him. She looked at Xin Bai. This uncle''s appearance was very contradictory. He perfectly incorporated being handsome and creepy. "I feel like if he wasn¡¯t a writer, he might have sess in being aedic actor."


    "Thank you, thank you officers!" When the two approached and heard Xin Bai talking, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted while looking up into the sky. "This is great! No need to write tonight!"


    Lin Qiupu was dumbfounded. What kind of person was this? He sneered, "You don''t need to write anything ever again."


    "Really? That¡¯s awesome!" Xin Bai was sincerely excited. "Thank you, officers, for arresting me. You¡¯re all good people!"


    1. The word ¡°keeping¡± used here is normally used when talking about keeping an animal.


    2. Figuratively.


    3. Directly trantes to ¡°Needs Freedom¡±


    4. Prisoner¡¯s heart.


    5. If you guys recall, he met him in a taxi previously (in the early chapters where the brother of the victim was holding his girlfriend/sister-inw¡¯s current boyfriend hostage) and Xin Bai left him his business card.

 Chapter 694: Crazy Author

    <h4>Chapter 694: Crazy Author</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    An hourter, Xin Bai was taken to the interrogation room. Chen Shi found that this guy seemed to be suffering from ADHD. He kept moving non-stop while sitting on the chair and his eyes kept darting back and forth. However, his eyes seemed empty and cold sweat poured down his face, as if he had taken some kind of medicine.


    ording to the traffic police''s recount, his car drove like he was dancing ballet. Before hitting the truck, he ran into several cars one after another. The traffic police asked him to blow on the alcohol tester, but the results showed that he hadn¡¯t been drinking.


    Chen Shi suggested taking a urine test to see if this guy was taking drugs.


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t like to read web articles much. Tao Yueyue was the one who rmended this book to him. It was the only work he was up to date on. Seeing his favorite writer sitting in the interrogation room, he had a slight feeling of not knowing what to do.


    Soon after, Lin Qiupu and Old Zhang went in for the interrogation and turned on the recorder. Lin Qiupu asked, "Is Xin Bai your real name?"


    Xin Bai stared at the recorder and didn¡¯t speak. Lin Qiupu asked again with his eyes twitching. Xin Bai suddenly yelped, "Turn it off! Turn it off! They¡¯re looking at me! Turn it off quickly!"


    Lin Qiupu nced at the recorder and responded, "Don''t you write criminal investigation novels about this? You have to record interrogations."


    "No, no, turn it off, please, I beg you... Turn that off too..." He pointed to the camera on the wall. "Don''t let it face me. I''m very scared."


    No matter what they said, he held this nervous reaction. Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t do anything but remove the recorder and ask Lin Dongxue toe in as a note-taker.


    At this time, the urine test results came out. Lin Qiupu took a look. The first urine test used drug test strips, but it didn¡¯t yield any results. So, he sent the urine sample to the forensics team for mass spectrometry. The results were surprising.


    Xin Bai''s body contained a lot of Ritalin, which was a banned drugmonly known as the "smart drug". It was a stimnt that forced concentration.


    But the negative side effect was that after the drug¡¯s effects passed, the body wouldpensate for it, causing ack of energy and concentration. Xin Bai''s current appearance seemed to be under this negative effect, and the car ident was probably caused by this.


    Lin Qiupu put the results of the urine test on the table and said, "Did you take illegal drugs?"


    "I don''t just eat that. I also eat fish liver oil, vitamins, seaweed oil... After eating seaweed oil, the hair will be ck and shiny, see?!" Xin Bai pulled out a lot of his hair. "Right! Did you know? There is a substance called Chlorine E6. After eating it, the eyes will see far into the dark. I¡¯m currently conceiving a novel in which this drug makes an appearance."


    Lin Qiupu smacked the table angrily. "Don''t change the subject. Why did you take Ritalin?"


    Xin Bai scratched his neck vigorously and the skin fell downyer byyer. He stared at him and said, "Don¡¯t writers have to take some drugs for writing? If you don¡¯t take drugs, where would the inspiratione from?"


    "Then you murdered for inspiration as well?"


    "Murder...I didn''t murder anyone!" He continued to scratch his neck. He had already created bloody marks on himself.


    "What happened to the corpse in the car?"


    "The corpse in the car? The corpse in whose car? Whose corpse was it?"


    "I¡¯m the one asking the questions right now."


    "You¡¯re asking me?" Xin Bai stared back in surprise. "You should do an autopsy. When doing an autopsy, some forensic doctors like to use a linear open cavity. Some like a T-shape and some like a Y-shape. I like the Rokitansky method[1]the most. Do you know what the Rokitansky method is? It is to cut the neck and chest, separate the musclesyer byyer, expose the various organs, and then cut the aorta, esophagus and inferior vena cava, etc. Finally, all the internal organs can be pulled out. When you do the autopsyter, can you let me have a look? I really want to have a look."


    Xin Bai said this with a smile and his neck had already been scratched to the point of bleeding.


    Lin Qiupu frowned. "You shameless guy!" He had seen a lot of unreasonable people in the interrogation room, but it was the first time that he had met someone acting like this.


    "How can I write this down?" Lin Dongxue asked, not writing a single word in the notebook.


    Chen Shi knocked on the ss from outside. Lin Qiupu, Old Zhang, and Lin Dongxue came out. Chen Shi said, "His mental state isn¡¯t right. It seems that there¡¯s a problem with his brain. If you question him like this, you won¡¯t be able to get anything."


    "This guy is acting."


    Chen Shi showed them the novel app. "This is histest updated chapter. It¡¯s not only logically confusing, but it also has many typos, which shows that his mental state is very, very bad."


    "How could a writer be like this? By the way, what did histest novel write about?"


    "It¡¯s written that a deceased person disappeared after the autopsy. From the surveince footage, it seems like the corpse went out by themselves. I wonder how he intends to fix this problem."


    "Brother, look!" Lin Dongxue pointed in surprise.


    In the interrogation room, Xin Bai actually stood up and sang and danced there. The four people "appreciated" in shock for a while. Chen Shi said, "What kind of dance is this? Why does it feel like the eighth set of the broadcasted radio gymnastics?"


    He walked into the interrogation room as Xin Bai was doing stretching exercises while muttering, "One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four..." It was indeed the eighth set of radio gymnastics.


    "What are you doing? Sit back down!" Lin Qiupu scolded.


    Xin Bai looked terrified, but his body seemed to be uncontroble, moving mechanically. Lin Qiupu asked someone toe in and cuff him to the interrogation chair. He was only wearing gloves just before. [2]Xin Bai yelled, "Let me finish. Let me finish, or they will beat me!"


    While he was struggling, Chen Shi noticed that there seemed to be injuries on his body and asked, "Who will beat you?"


    "Master! Master!" Xin Bai shouted, tears streaming down his eyes.


    Chen Shi whispered, "Let me talk to him alone. After all, we¡¯ve met once before."


    Lin Qiupu thought for a while before saying, "Turn your phone on to record."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi and Xin Bai were the only ones left in the interrogation room. Chen Shi pointed to himself and asked, "Remember me? One time, I was driving you. I happened to encounter a case and I took you to the scene."


    "Oh..." Xin Bai suddenly seemed to realize. "Are you the one who was killed?"


    Chen Shi was speechless. He raised his cell phone. "I¡¯ve been reading your novel. It¡¯s quite well-written."


    "Hehe, it¡¯s only average. Do you know why I love writing these kinds of novels? When I was a kid, I was bullied by someone and I hated it, so I wrote the story of the bully being killed in my book to vent. That¡¯s how I became a writer. Did you know? The viin, Lan Xiao, was based on the bastard who bullied me when I was young!"


    When it came to talking about his works, Xin Bai''s mentality seemed to get better and his eyes changed from being in an impetuous state to a calmer one.


    Sure enough, for a writer, their works were like their children.


    "You¡¯ve fallen short of your normal level recently. Are you too tired?" Chen Shi asked in concern, trying to get into the topic of his current situation.


    "I''m too tired. Haii, I have to write every day. I have to write every day. I¡¯ve been so busy. Sometimes, I dig a hole in my story and don''t know how to fill it up. I look at thements of the readers in thements section. An ID named ''The Long¡¯an Old Driver'' likes guessing who the murderer is the most. Hehe, every time he makes a guess on who the murderer is, I write in this direction and somehow fill the hole up in a mysterious way."


    Chen Shi was shocked. The ID was his. He thought he had guessed who the murderers were. It turns out the author looked at hisments to write the plot. He smiled helplessly. "I¡¯m ¡®The Long¡¯an Old Driver¡¯."


    "Wow, really? It¡¯s an honor to meet you!" Xin Bai caught Chen Shi''s hands and shook them vigorously.


    1. I googled the Virchow, Letulle, Gohn and Rokitansky methods and decided on this one based on the simrities of what the author described and what the books I read described. Though it might also be Virchow as it also removes every organ one by one before getting dissected...


    2. Unsure what this is referring to.

 Chapter 695: Soy Sauce Murder

    <h4>Chapter 695: Soy Sauce Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi and Xin Bai chatted in the interrogation room. Peng Sijue sent someone to call Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue to the forensicboratory. The autopsy was currently in progress. Honestly speaking, Lin Dongxue couldn''t adapt to this scene no matter how many times she witnessed it.


    It was said that the corpse found in Xin Bai¡¯s car was cut into over forty pieces. It was barely put back to form a human figure. It was an adult male. Peng Sijue said, "There¡¯s something you guys have to see."


    He used tweezers to dig out a part of the stomach. Lin Qiupu noticed that the stomach had already turned ck and asked, "Is it rotten?"


    "No, the corpse is actually very fresh. I estimate that the time of death was about 20 hours ago. It shouldn¡¯t be over a day old. Arge amount of this was found in the deceased''s intestines..." Peng Sijue paused. "Soy sauce!"


    "What?"


    Lin Qiupu suspected that he had heard it wrong. Lin Dongxue did smell soy sauce from the stench of the corpse. When she thought of dipping food into soy sauce during dinner, she couldn''t help feeling nauseous.


    Peng Sijue continued, "At first I thought it was food residue, but no clear cause of death was found on the corpses. Later, we did a blood test and it was found that the deceased''s blood sodium levels were very high and there was too much soy sauce in the deceased''s stomach. It¡¯s much more than the normal dose for human consumption. The main substance in soy sauce is salt. A lethal dose of salt is 40 grams. The deceased was forcefully fed arge amount of soy sauce when he was healthy. The salt that entered the body would extract the water in the body¡¯s cells. Excessive blood sodium would increase blood pressure and shock the autonomic nerves. His death was long and painful. This is not an ordinary murder. It¡¯s a torturous murder!"


    After listening to Peng Sijue''s narration, everyone was in shock that a bottle of ordinary soy sauce could kill people. If the murderer didn''t have a deep hatred for the victim, then they must be psychotic.


    Lin Qiupu directed his anger at Xin Bai, gritted his teeth, and said, "That guy is still acting in the interrogation room. I must make him pay!"


    "Brother, things haven''t been rified yet. The author is in a very poor state of mind. We can¡¯t say for sure that he¡¯s the murderer." Lin Dongxue said.


    "If he didn''t kill him, why would he drive his own car to abandon the body? Old Zhang, is that car his?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "It''s his." Old Zhang replied.


    "Should we go to his house? It might be the crime scene." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Yes!" Lin Qiupu asked Peng Sijue, "Are there other findings?"


    "The deceased was a young male. His identity hasn¡¯t been figured out yet."


    Lin Dongxue nced at the dissecting table and suddenly felt that the deceased seemed a bit familiar. This feeling was the most frightening ¨C Finding out that the deceased might be your acquaintance.


    She walked to the dissecting table step by step and stared at the pale face for a long time. She didn''t even hear Lin Qiupu calling her. Suddenly, she remembered and ran out immediately.


    After a while, Lin Dongxue dragged Chen Shi over and said, "y the video you watched earlier."


    "What?" Chen Shi was confused, but still did as he was asked.


    Lin Dongxue looked at the faces of the UP host in the video and the deceased. She said, "Yes, this is the UP host of a program that criticizes people on the Inte."


    "What does UP host mean?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "It''s the person who recorded and released the show..." Chen Shi nced at the dissecting table. "It really is him!"


    "Online criticism? Xin Bai wrote an online novel. Is there any connection between the two?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "I don''t think that it can be regarded as hatred. This UP host had recently criticized his book, but it wasn¡¯t the malicious kind. Killing for that? I can''t believe it!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s not really considered hate. It can be said to be a good thing to increase the exposure because of the show..." Chen Shi thought, "No, this wouldn¡¯t be the motive for the murder. There must be other reasons. Let''s go to Xin Bai''s house. "


    "It¡¯s the same as what I think."


    Thus, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi went to his residence with the keys seized from Xin Bai while Lin Qiupu and Old Zhang continued to interrogate him.


    On the way, Lin Dongxue told Chen Shi of the autopsy results, and Chen Shi was also very shocked. He said, "Killing with soy sauce? This kind of killing technique has appeared in Xin Bai''s novels. His novels always like to explore strange killing techniques. After all, curiosity is also one of the selling points of suspense novels. It¡¯s unexpected that it would appear in reality."


    "What did you talk to him about just now?" Lin Dongxue smelled herself. She seemed to have the smell of the corpse on her aftering out of the autopsy room. Perhaps it was just cebo.


    "We just had a casual chat. I feel like he''s experienced some trauma. When talking about daily trivial matters, like asking him what he ate tonight, etc., he can respond well. However, when ites to the murder, he gets stuck or just speaks nonsense."


    "In my opinion, this person is afraid to face reality!"


    Chen Shi smiled. He had a feeling that Xin Bai seemed to have suffered some kind of mental torture, and there were some injuries on his body. However, when Chen Shi wanted to have a look, Xin Bai appeared to be particrly resistant.


    As a fairly well-known online writer, Xin Bai¡¯s residence was very ordinary. It had the atmosphere of a bachelor¡¯s house. There were many movie posters on the wall and several game consoles on the TV cab. In order to y an exclusive game, he bought a game console. This can only be done by a bachelor with a certain financial strength. In this regard, Xu Xiaodong may share amonality with him.


    The tall bookshelf was full of professional books. Looking at those books on criminalw, forensic medicine, toxicology, folklore, and mythology, Chen Shi didn¡¯t just admire him, but figured that if Xin Bai really were tomit a crime, the professional knowledge he had was definitely richer than that of an ordinary person.


    Chen Shi checked the kitchen and bathroom again and proved that someone indeed lived there. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why don¡¯t we see aputer? Don''t writers all work on aputer?"


    "I don''t know either. Let¡¯s go to the bedroom and have a look."


    There was a desk in the bedroom with a notebook on it. When they opened it, it turned out to be a handwritten manuscript. Chen shi wondered if this guy was that old-fashioned.


    Eventually, the two found aptop in a drawer, and the two took both the notebook and theptop back for inspection.


    "No blood stains and the like were found." Lin Dongxue said. "Could it have been wiped away?"


    "Would he be so meticulous with his mental state?" Chen Shi suddenly remembered something. The house could show what the person was like. Xin Bai was like a madman. How could this house be so organized? This shouldn''t be the case.


    "Does this guy have a work studio or something?" Chen Shi muttered.


    "Old Chen, look at this!"


    Lin Dongxue opened a cab and found a strange set of clothes, rope, knife, detergent, gloves and the like.


    In order to open this, the book in Lin Dongxue''s hand was chucked aside. Chen Shi caught a glimpse of the lines above, took a look, and said, "Hey, this doesn''t seem to be the manuscript of a novel, but a murder diary!"

 Chapter 696: Fear Of Cameras

    <h4>Chapter 696: Fear Of Cameras</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "...When the corpse was cut open, the stench of pig sewage permeated out. This woman smelled fragrant when she was alive, and she was as clean as a crystal handicraft that had just been wiped with silk. It''s hard to believe that her insides were so dirty and pungent. Human beings are really strange creatures. Killing a person and then dismembering her created an astonishing pleasure of possession, as if she had be something of mine, allowing me to control her how I liked. The bathroom was full of pleasure and even the smell was fragrant. Looking at the red meat, I thought about the best premium beef. I wonder what it tastes like if it was fried. When I was a child, I had a rabbit and fed it using the best carrots every day. One day, it died. The taste was something you wouldn¡¯t forget in this lifetime. Human beings eat the highest quality ingredients. Presumably, their meat is also very delicious. I had a desire to try it. Haha, it¡¯s no wonder that police can¡¯t find all the missing pieces when a psychotic murderer kills someone and dismembers them. Especially the meat on the legs and abdomen..."


    Picking out a random paragraph of the text in the notebook caused shivers to run down Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue¡¯s spine. This was absolutely psychopathic. At the same time, it was written so well. It was far better than Xin Bai''s online novel.


    The entire notebook contained disgusting and explicit content. It recorded the mental journey of a murderer. Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯m going to have nightmares after reading this. Can this book convict him?"


    "Are these true? He¡¯s an author. An author¡¯s profession is creating fiction." Chen Shi expressed doubt.


    "From a certain point of view, writers are also the best at lying and acting. They will act like different characters from their works. You¡¯ve said that professions would alienate a part of a person. People who write these things for a long time wouldn¡¯t be psychologically normal, right? These skills extend to reality. Presumably, his lying skills are also at a MAX[1], so the private lives of some writers are extremely chaotic."


    "Haha, you¡¯ve forcefully exined everything. I don¡¯t think writing these things will make people turn bad. If we use this rationale, would people soar up into the sky in broad daylight if they were to write cultivation novels? The deterioration can only be due to personal reasons. No serious profession can make a person bad." Chen Shi looked at the notebook in his hands. "This should be debated. Don''t think so arbitrarily that this is evidence of a crime."


    "Oh. Let''s head back!"


    Before leaving, Chen Shi took onest look around the ce. Lin Dongxue asked him what he was looking for. Chen Shi replied, "Where¡¯s the camera? Xin Bai showed great resistance to the camera. It wasn¡¯t an act. The ce where he lives should have a camera."


    "It must be fake, right? I think he¡¯s acting. Who would install a camera at home? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s being imprisoned.¡±


    "Imprisoned?!" The speaker said it unintentionally, but the listener found intention. Chen Shi thought of Xin Bai''s various abnormalities. In his works he sought for help, then there were his injuries, and the master he mentioned. Was he imprisoned by someone?


    Back at the bureau, the interrogation continued, but there was no progress. The two looked at the interrogation room from the surveince window and saw Xin Bai moving around, gesticting something. His eyes were spirited and extremely excited. Lin Qiupu and Old Zhang looked tortured. How could a normal person endure longer than a madman?


    The interrogation ended, and it was already gettingte. Xin Bai was taken away by the police to the detention room. The others went home to rest first.


    The next day, Lin Qiupu held a simple case-discussion meeting and assigned tasks to everyone to visit the deceased¡¯s house, take the surveince footage from the intersections to see where Xin Bai¡¯s car came from, and to verify the content of that psychopathic notebook.


    After the meeting was adjourned, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the detention room to visit Xin Bai, only to see him curled up on the bed, covering his head with a nket. His body was trembling as if it was very cold.


    "Hey, did you get sick?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Don''t let that thing face me!" Xin Bai said tremblingly.


    "What?"


    "That, that..." Xin Bai pointed behind them.


    Chen Shi looked back and there was a security camera on the wall facing him. He said, "Should I find something to block it?"


    "Thanks, thanks!"


    "This is against the regtions." Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "I''m not a policeman. Look at him. He¡¯s already sick to his core due to his fear of cameras. How can we talk if we don¡¯t cooperate?¡±


    "What¡¯s the point in talking? It¡¯s just crazy talk."


    Chen Shi found a piece of paper, folded it, and covered the camera. Xin Bai took a look from under the nket before standing up. Hisplexion had improved a little because Peng Sijue gave him a shot of Dexamethasone and a calming agentst night in addition to some rest overnight. The negative side effects of the illegal drug had already been weakened.


    Chen Shi said, "Your readers really care about you. You haven''t updated sincest night and everyone is wondering if you were in a car ident, kidnapped, or sexually assaulted by a pervert."


    "Hehe, just let them be anxious. This bunch of impatient people only ever know toin and add more chapters all day long. I wasn¡¯t even allowed to take leave when my dad died, saying I was lying. My dad would die over a decadeter anyway, so how is that considered a lie?" Xin Bai was actually a little proud.


    "You¡¯d lose fans from saying that, you know?"


    "If they leave, then leave. I have 100,000 fans. Would fans who really love me care about little things like this?" At this point, Xin Bai''s expression changed, as if thinking of something.


    Chen Shi caught the signs and said, "The deceased in your car is a UP host who criticized your novels. Of course, he was also a fan. I found that he¡¯s quite knowledgeable about your affairs and he interpreted what you wrote within a chapter. It was the signal for help. I had an ideast night. Could he have gone to find you, but happened on one of your secrets, causing him to be murdered to prevent him from talking?¡±


    Chen Shi said it very vaguely without mentioning who killed him. He intentionally left room for the other party to answer.


    Xin Bai''s eyebrows were twisted towards the center. "He... his name is Old B.[2] He dide to find me, but I didn''t kill him. I was just in charge of... in charge of dismembering the corpse."


    "Responsible for dismembering the corpse? Then, who killed him?"


    "It was... It was master!"


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. This guy actually told the truth. She hurriedly said, "I''ll call my brother."


    "Don''t!" Chen Shi turned on his phone''s recording function. He was afraid that when Lin Qiupu came, this guy wouldn¡¯t say anything again. Xin Bai seemed to only rx his vignce in front of him.


    "Who is your so-called master? Is it the person who imprisoned you?"


    "Imprisoned? Imprisoned!" Xin Bai knelt down, covering his face and crying, "He beat me, burned me with a cigarette butt, humiliated me, forced me to write... Ah, I''m sorry master! I didn''t say anything bad about you. I didn¡¯t!"


    Xin Bai suddenly retracted into the nket, trembling. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other in surprise. Looking back, it turned out that the wind blowing in the corridor had blown off the paper covering the camera.


    Exposed under the camera, Xin Bai''s attitude immediately changed 360 degrees...


    1. The author wrote this in English using capital letters.


    2. B can also be used as ng to mean ¡°cunt¡±.

 Chapter 697: Bursting At The Seams

    <h4>Chapter 697: Bursting At The Seams</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi put the piece of paper back to block the camera and said, "Who is your ''master''? Did they make you call them master?"


    Xin Bai covered his ears and shook his head desperately, like a tortoise retracting into their shell. "I can''t say, I can''t say! Master will punish me. Sorry master, I was wrong. I¡¯ll write the manuscript, I¡¯ll write it well!"


    Chen Shi retreated in order to advance. "Do the injuries on your body hurt?"


    Xin Bai nodded with tears falling down his face.


    "I''ll take you for a checkup and treatment, okay?"


    Afterwards, Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue. Although Lin Qiupu didn''t say anything, his expression showed disgust toward this "actor". As a serious and upright person, he despised these dishonest suspects.


    Xin Bai was taken to Peng Sijue who took off his clothes for examination. Several people saw that there were many bloodstains and bruises on his body. New wounds covered the old ones. There was almost no piece of good skin. There were cigarette burn marks on his arms. Peng Sijue also found that there were a lot of whip marks on his back.


    "Take off your pants," Peng Sijue ordered.


    "Take off my pants?" Xin Bai nced at Lin Dongxue who was present.


    "How about I take my leave?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Aiya, hehehe, I''m a little excited to take off my pants in front of so many people!" Xin Bai blushed and started to take off his pants. He readily tried to take off his underwear, but was stopped by Chen Shi. "Hey, no one wants to look at that."


    "This inspection isn¡¯t thorough. Forensic medical examinations have to be done while stripped naked." Xin Baiined.


    They saw a lot of injuries on his legs. It seemed to be mainly from scratching and whipping. Xin Bai touched his private parts and said shyly, "There are also injuries here..."


    "Everyone, get out first. I''ll check." Peng Sijue instructed.


    After a while, he called them back. At this time, Xin Bai was already wearing clothes, sitting on the dissecting table like a child, dangling his legs.


    Peng Sijue said, "His urethra is swollen. There¡¯s a scar from an electric shock on his penis. He says that he was tortured by a person who inserted something into his urethra before electrocuting him."


    "Really... It¡¯s really psychotic." Lin Dongxue couldn''t imagine what had happened.


    "Are these injuries caused by others? Or did you do them yourself?" Lin Qiupu questioned.


    "It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me!" Xin Bai said loudly as he was lying on the dissection table, before suddenly clutching his stomach and rolling around. "My stomach hurts. There is a ma in my intestines. It hurts!"


    Peng Sijue was about to step forward to check, but Xin Bai struggled so hard that he couldn''t get close at all.


    Lin Qiupu frowned. "Acting again? You put up an act as soon as we ask you about the key matters!¡±


    "I think it''s still better to do an X-ray!" Chen Shi suggested, "This kind of passage appeared in his novels. There was a psycho who fed a ma to the deceased. That passage was written quite realistically. Could it be his personal experience?"


    "What would happen if you were fed mas? Are mas poisonous?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "A small piece of ma won¡¯t do any harm, but if there are many, they will attract each other in the intestines. This isn¡¯t fatal, but it will cause necrosis and inmmation of the intestines over time." Peng Sijue said. "Take him to get an X-ray!"


    At the same time, in a supermarket in Long''an, a TV hanging from the ceiling was broadcasting an advertisement. "What kind of tea is it? Intestinal cleaning tea[1]; What does it clean? It cleans the intestines. What brand is it? The Chang Qing brand! Clean the intestines and bowels. Remember that it¡¯s Chang Qing brand, Qing Chang Tea. We all like to use the Chang Qing Brand Qing Chang Tea. After using Chang Qing brand Qing Chang Tea, your intestines will be relieved and you won¡¯t have constipation. So use Chang Qing brand Qing Chang Tea!¡±


    Every time he heard this advertisement, his scalp numbed and a blood vessel bulged on his forehead.


    This damn advertisement was broadcasted every three minutes. He worked in the supermarket for ten hours a day, which meant listening to it a hundred times. One hundred times!!!


    "Brother, what''s the barcode for the broli?" His colleague Little Wang asked.


    "XD9873!" He answered impatiently.


    He continued to help the customers weigh vegetables and bag items. A lot of old men and women crowded in front of the weighing area without consideration for queuing at all. They all exuded the stink that came with old age.


    An old man threw arge handful of Chinese celery onto the counter and arrogantly chatted away with the olddy next to him. The dirt on the celery flicked on his hands.


    He picked up the bag and weighed it mechanically. The old man took it away as if he never saw him. After standing here for ten hours, it was a miracle to even hear ten ¡®thank you¡¯s.


    Resentment continued to umte in the body, and it was about to burst out. It was about to explode!


    "What kind of tea is it? Intestinal cleaning tea; What does it clean? It cleans the intestines; What brand is it? The Chang Qing brand! Clean the intestines and bowels. Remember that it¡¯s Chang Qing brand, Qing Chang Tea. We all like to use the Chang Qing Brand Qing Chang Tea. After using Chang Qing brand Qing Chang Tea, your intestines will be relieved and you won¡¯t have constipation. So use Chang Qing brand Qing Chang Tea!"


    It was here again. He felt his blood pressure rising and he was about to break.


    "Brother, what''s the barcode for broli?"


    "XD9873!" He replied, his tone getting even more impatient.


    "What kind of tea is it? Intestinal cleaning tea..."


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, cursing the person who filmed and broadcasted the advertisement eighteen times. He restrained the force that was about to burst out in his heart.


    "Brother!" Little Wang smiled like an idiot. "What''s the barcode for broli?"


    Life was torture that repeated every day. His nostrils were ring and certain energy in his body had risen to a critical value.


    He picked up a white turnip and walked over to Little Wang. Little Wang had a dazed smile that wasced with ttery on his face. Suddenly, the white turnip hit Little Wang''s face, and the turnip broke into two.


    He held up the electronic scale and swung it at Little Wang''s head, shouting, "XD9873! XD9873! XD9873! Pig¡¯s brain, remember it. Don¡¯t ask again. Don¡¯t ask again!"


    Xiao Wang''s ugly head slowly ttened, and a bright red liquid appeared like a squashed water radish. The smell of blood filled the air. The old men and women fled, tripping and trampling over each other as they screamed.


    He brushed his hair that was dampened with sweat, raised his hands, and shouted, "Are you guys alive? Huh?!"


    "What kind of tea is it? Intestinal cleaning tea..."


    He threw the blood-stained electronic scale at the TV and shouted, "I¡¯ll fuck your mum!"


    Under the effect of adrenaline, his nostrils expanded to the limit, as he greedily inhaled the air soaked in blood. It smelled so sweet. This was what being alive was like. This was what it meant to be alive...


    "Brother, brother, what''s the barcode for the broli?" Little Wang''s voice awakened him from his fantasy. It turned out that he was in a daze with a bag of unweighted potatoes in his hands. The old man in front of him urged, "Hurry up. Why are you in a daze?"


    He suppressed his fists that wanted to hit someone, took a deep breath, and continued to act like the honest side of him.


    After work came to an end, he went to the manager¡¯s office and said that he was feeling ill and wanted to ask for leave. The manager replied, "One day of leave will have three days¡¯ worth of pay deducted. You should think about it."


    "I¡¯m really sick today and I have a fever." He said passively. The image of himself reflected in the manager''s sses was a disgustingly honest image, just like a harmless sheep.


    "Go to the HR office and tell them yourself. Bring a leave form over and let me sign it." The manager waved his hand to drive him away and continued to y Hearthstone on his phone.


    Leaving this hell-like ce, his steps became livelier until he identally bumped into a big man. He quickly stepped back and apologized. The big man dusted his clothes down, widened his eyes, and shouted fiercely, "Don¡¯t you have eyes?!"


    "I''m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I''m in a hurry." he replied, bing a yesman.


    After finally escaping from this world,[2] and returning to his dark and warm nest, he muttered excitedly, "My baby. My writer baby, are you okay? Daddy misses you so much!"


    There was only oneputer in the narrow and dark room. He opened a surveince program, stared at it for a few seconds, and suddenly widened his eyes.


    He immediately picked up the phone, but put it down and searched the Inte for the keywords "Xin Bai" instead.


    A bunch of links rted to Xin Bai popped up on the Inte. "Is Xin Bai female?", "Please, Chapter 476 of ¡®The Detective of the Abyss¡¯ from Xin Bai!", "Mars Novels has an Inte writer who looks like Chen Daoming. What is he called?"


    There was a post in an unremarkable Long''an City forum. "Hurry and have a look before it¡¯s deleted. First-hand witness. Writer Xin Bai was arrested and an unknown body was found in the car!"


    Looking at the post, his pupils slowly dted, and heavy breathing leaked from his nostrils. "Am I a psychopath or is the world too mediocre?! You want to y games? Then I¡¯ll join you!"


    1. Intestinal cleaning is written as Qing Chang, and I¡¯ll leave it as ¡°Qing Chang¡± to show the effect of the advertisement.


    2. The supermarket.

 Chapter 698: A Corpse That Can Move

    <h4>Chapter 698: A Corpse That Can Move</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "This guy has nothing but shit in his intestines." Half an hourter, the forensic officer responsible for the X-ray examination concluded.


    "Pay attention to your words." Peng Sijue cautioned.


    Xin Bai was lying on the X-ray inspection machine with a dazed expressionced with disappointment. He said, "Take another scan carefully. By the way, don¡¯t I need to have a barium meal?"


    "Barium meals are for the visualization of non-metallic objects. It has no other effect except to make the excrement in your intestines clearer." Chen Shi said. "Did that person really feed you mas?"


    "I ate it... As long as I eat something, my stomach hurts." Xin Bai said while touching his belly.


    Lin Qiupu hooked his finger to gesture Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi outside. Lin Qiupu said, "Don''t spend time with this nutter. Have you noticed that his injuries are all scratches and whip marks? If he was beaten, there would be traces of punches and kicks. Those injuries were caused by himself. This guy has a problem with his brain!"


    "But the whip marks on his back..." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Those whip marks are all concentrated on the sides of the back, and they¡¯re scattered. Some people with masochistic torture tendencies will whip themselves and the wounds they leave are shaped in this manner." Chen Shi nced at Lin Qiupu. "I don¡¯tpletely agree with your point of view. I¡¯m just making inferences. These injuries are indeed suspicious, but I cannot arbitrarily think that the ''master'' doesn¡¯t exist."


    "I see a lot of people pretending to be crazy and stupid. Not everyone who is arrested will honestly confess their crimes. Some people struggle a bit even right before going to court and sell out their so-called aplices." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Xin Bai doesn¡¯t have sufficient motive to kill the UP host. From his life, he has a decent ie, freedom in his work, and a stable life. There must be external issues that cause a person to go crazy. I think he¡¯s been in a state of stress for a long period of time. Furthermore, I¡¯m also one of his readers. Since the beginning of this year, his works have gone from bad to worse. The logic is chaotic and full of loopholes. He ims that his level of decline is caused by quitting smoking. I¡¯ve also quit smoking, but it¡¯s not that dramatic. I think something must have happened to him. The most likely reason is that an ''uninvited guest'' broke in."


    Lin Qiupu didn''t believe it and stood firm. "Your reasoning isn¡¯t convincing at all. Your habit is to overthink simple things, such as-"


    "Come on, give me an example of where I was overthinking it!" Chen Shi raised his eyebrows with a defiant expression.


    Lin Qiupu could only divert the subject. "That¡¯s because you¡¯re not a policeman. There are lots of dangerous cases that the police handle, but not all of them have twists and turns. It¡¯s not as if it¡¯s a novel. For example, a while ago I solved a murder case where a girl took a few hooligans to threaten her father for the gems he had, but the father refused to hand them over to her. The hooligans chopped off his head with a single strike. It was enraging, but the process of solving it wasn¡¯tplicated at all. The blood dripping from the scene will directly lead us to find the murderer..." Lin Qiupu felt that saying this made him sound a bit ignorant, so he added, "Of course, simple cases also require effort."


    Chen Shi pointed to himself. "My nose can smell the simplicity andplexity of a case. I think this case is by no means as simple as what you can see on the surface. There are many issues behind this."


    "Okay, let''s wait and see!" Lin Qiupu left on his own.


    "Would you like to make a bet? Isn¡¯t it more exciting to bet some money?" Chen Shi called out.


    "Enough of that!" Lin Qiupu wouldn¡¯t be fooled again.


    "Captain Lin, Captain Lin!" A policeman ran over. "We found the ce where the suspect¡¯s notebook is sold."


    Lin Qiupu turned his head and asked, "Shall we go then?"


    The notebook brand Xin Bai used was only sold at one stationery store inside the supermarket in the city as they had sole retail rights. The police who visited the ce before had already asked the owner. Of course, they didn¡¯t remember who bought this book. The surveince footage couldn¡¯t be checked either. They could only look around the perimeters.


    If you buy stationery by yourself, you generally wouldn¡¯t go too far.


    The police officer, Little Dou, was responsible for "studying" this book. He was almost crazy from reading it all morning. He recorded simple data from it. There were a total of 13 murders recorded in the book. It may be an upational habit, but the writer used a lot of words to describe a single point. He always liked to describe the details specifically. He repeatedly mentioned details such as "bathroom with light golden-patterned tiles", "windows where you could see two willow trees", "dark brown curtains", and "dazzling ss chandeliers". From this, the police judged that Xin Bai had a murder studio.


    Everyone inquired about the "bathroom with light golden-patterned tiles", "windows where you could see two willow trees", "dark brown curtains", "dazzling ss chandeliers" and other details in the surroundingmunities. Suddenly, Lin Dongxue pointed in one direction and said, "Look, two willow trees!"


    There was a window behind the willow trees that had dark brown curtains. Everyone was excited and immediately went upstairs.


    When they got to the front of the apartment, Lin Qiupu was about to pick the lock, suddenly frowned, and put his ear to the door to listen. He said, "There¡¯s someone inside!"


    After listening carefully, there was a rhythmic pattering sounding from the house. Everyone immediately took out their guns on guard, and Lin Qiupu knocked on the door. He shouted, "Open the door!"


    However, there was no response.


    The strange sounds continued and Lin Qiupu pried the door lock open, gently opened the door, and the police followed behind.


    As soon as they walked into the house, they smelled something rotten. They followed the smell to the bathroom. The sliding door of the bathroom was closed and the light inside was on. A humanoid object could vaguely be seen through the frosted ss, which was even more strange. Yes, that sound was emitting from this "object".


    Even Lin Qiupu felt very nervous. He opened the door and arge swarm of small flying insects rushed towards his face. The police subconsciously used their hands to block them. The bathroom was indeed covered with light golden-patterned tiles. It was very spacious. There was a fat man lying inside. His body kept moving constantly. The pitter patter noises wereing from him.


    Judging from his pale skin and therge amount of livor mortis covering his skin towards the bottom, this person had been dead for a long time, and his body had already begun to swell. There had to be a wound on his chest and abdomen. The rotting gas in his body rushed out from there, lifting his body just like water vapor lifting the lid of a teapot. It created a rhythmic pattering noise.


    After a person died, the bacteria in the body would start to erode the intestines and stomach from the inside and release rotten gas because it no longer has anything to feed on. The power of that gas was so strong that it could blow open the internal organs and even the body.


    Seeing this scene, Lin Dongxue felt that her heart had missed a beat. Chen Shi said, "Hurry and turn the corpse over. I¡¯m going to go crazy from the sound."


    A policeman took the dishwashing gloves from the kitchen. The body was very heavy. When it was finally turned over after much struggle, a high-energy scene suddenly happened like an explosion. A clear and loud whistle was heard from the body, and then something exploded out of his abdomen and fell to the ground. That policeman withdrew his hand and pressed himself against the wall in fright.


    Everyone at the scene looked pale as paper. When they looked down, it turned out to be a metal whistle, which had been severely corroded. The murderer deliberately stuffed it into the wound of the corpse to create this dramatic scene.


    "Asshole!" Lin Qiupu couldn''t help but swear.

 Chapter 699: Murder Selfie

    <h4>Chapter 699: Murder Selfie</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The corpse was so dposed that it made people''s scalps numb. They hurriedly closed the bathroom door and waited for Peng Sijue toe and deal with it.


    Lin Dongxue patted her chest. "It feels like I¡¯ve lost two years of my life."


    "As have I!" Chen Shi raised his head. "Look!"


    Following the direction of where his finger was pointing, they saw that the four corners of the house were equipped with cameras. The data lines were taped to the wall, leading outdoors. Chen Shi went to the balcony and took a look. These data lines were connected to amunication serial port with a phone on it, sending over signals.


    "Oh no, could we have been seen?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s toote even if we were." Lin Qiupu went out and said. "I will notify the Information Department toe over and see where the data is being transmitted to."


    "No matter where it¡¯s transmitted, it proves that someone is monitoring everything in this room remotely and that the ''master'' exists." Chen Shi said.


    "Not necessarily. Maybe the author did it." Lin Qiupu was still in denial.


    Everyone checked the house carefully. There was a massage chair, aputer desk, and a bookshelf in the bedroom, but no bed.


    Chen Shi turned on theputer and found that it was password-protected, so he turned off theputer and unloaded the PC. He was already very proficient in doing this.


    He nced at the kitchen again. The kitchen was very clean. It seemed like the people who lived here didn''t have the habit of cooking. There was some instant frozen food stuffed in the refrigerator. Besides that, there were some medicine bottles withoutbels.


    "Look at this!" Chen Shi said, "This is probably the banned drug Xin Bai took. Let''s take it back for testing."


    "What is this?" Lin Dongxue picked up a sticker-like thing.


    Chen Shi sniffed it. "Maybe it''s a nicotine patch."


    There was a smell in the house. It wasn¡¯t just the smell of the corpseing from the bathroom, but the smell that came about when a ce hadn¡¯t been cleaned for a long time. The overall feeling was rtively messy. He felt that Xin Bai''s style of living here made more sense.


    Could he actually work here? Perhaps the host also lived here?


    "Chen Shi, Chen Shi!" Lin Qiupu shouted from outside.


    When the two went out, they found that Lin Qiupu had discovered something incredible. There was an overturned picture frame on the shelf. When they picked it up, they were shocked. In the photo was Xin Bai smiling as he held something bloody with a few red liquid stains on his face. The thing in his hands looked like arge slug. Chen Shi recognized it and said, "It''s a human tongue!"


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth in disgust. "Is that from the corpse just now?"


    "It shouldn¡¯t be. The deceased''s mouth and throat are intact. This is a whole tongue, which can only be taken out from the throat." The tongue in the photo was as big as the pig tongues sold in the market.


    "Do you still want to say that this person is innocent?" Lin Qiupu asked. "Would normal people take this kind of photo and keep it at home?"


    "This photo was taken by someone else because both of his hands are in the frame." Chen Shi pointed out.


    "Most mobile phones on the market have a timepse camera function."


    "No. Don''t you think he¡¯s smiling really reluctantly? A human smile affects 20 to 40 muscles. It¡¯s the most difficult expression to forge. His smile is fake. Someone is threatening him!" Chen Shi insisted.


    "I don''t understand where your affection for himes from. Is it because you read his book? In fact, I took a look at the novel when I went backst night. What was written? A police officer and the criminal exchange bodies and the criminal police captain gets killed? In the first case, the mother killed her child to retaliate against her husband. It¡¯s a third-rate novel that just tries to get views. I really can''t see where the brilliance lies!"


    "My opinion of him is very objective. I just think it is more reasonable that there¡¯s another person. Who would monitor themselves?"


    "Why don''t you guys continue to debate when we head back?" Lin Dongxue mediated. "What is this?"


    There was a tape recorder on the table. Lin Dongxue was born in the 90s and had never used a cassette tape recorder. It felt very novel to her, so she pressed the button and a burst of passionate music came out from it.


    "Now let''s do the eighth set of the broadcast gymnastics! Keep walking in ce..."


    The three remembered the exercises Xin Bai did in the interrogation roomst night. Lin Dongxue said, "We did the ninth set when we went to school. The times are changing."


    "Captain, I found more photos." A police officer said.


    They found several photo frames in a cab, all of which were Xin Bai¡¯s "personal shows". One of them showed him holding a bloody intestine in his hands, posing with a heart shape, and smiling.


    In another one, he held a woman''s head and pretended to kiss it.


    In the other one, he clipped up a heart with chopsticks, pretending to be surprised.


    There were five such "works" in total.


    "God... My God!" Lin Dongxue couldn''t use words to describe her disgust and shock. She felt that her body was shaking and that this writer was absolutely psychotic.


    "How disgusting!" Lin Qiupumented, taking a look at Chen Shi to see what he had to say now.


    Chen Shi stared at the photo and pondered. He pulled out the photo and found a line behind it. "Is it that I¡¯m psychotic or is the world too mediocre?"


    Upon seeing this, Lin Dongxue also took out the other photos, and there was elegant penmanship behind them.


    "If internecine annihtion is human nature, why should we flee from it?"


    "The one who decides who lives and dies is a god!"


    "Death is the sublimation of life and the carnival of the soul. Let me burn your mediocre life."


    "Death is eternal. Seeing the eternal moment is like facing the mirror of truth."


    "It''s that guy''s handwriting. It''s the same as the one on the notebook." Lin Qiupu said, "This person is rotten from the inside out."


    "These words have appeared in his novels. They were said by the antagonist Lan Xiao. He¡¯s a criminal who likes to show off. Every time he kills, he has to say something deep." Chen Shi said.


    "In that case, the creator drew inspiration from the murders? Or did he write and gradually substitute himself into the role of the viin?"


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t answer Lin Qiupu¡¯s question either. He picked up the first photo and studied it. Then, he pointed to Xin Bai¡¯s face and said, ¡°Look, the blood on his face was wiped off with a hand. The thumb is on top. If he did it himself, the thumb should be below!¡±


    Lin Dongxue tried to wipe her face with her hand. She really admired the discovery of this minor detail. Lin Qiupu pondered for a moment and said, "If you wipe the blood off with the back of your hand, your thumb will be on top."


    "That¡¯s too far-fetched."


    "Okay, okay, leave this matter aside for now. Let¡¯s investigate first."


    Later, Peng Sijue and others arrived and began investigating the scene. The police of the Information Department checked the whereabouts of the video data and discovered that the IP address of the mobile phone was located in a nearby building.


    Lin Qiupu quickly led people to that office building. When they located the IP and got there, a group of office workers who were working had eyes of confusion.


    After exining the situation with the manager, the police started investigating everyputer there and found a Trojan in one of theputers. However, the port had already been closed and the background data had been thoroughly deleted. Theputer was only a signal transfer station.


    "Why did he choose the transit station here?" Lin Qiupu looked outside, only to see the window of the apartment.


    To be on the safe side, everyone in thepany registered their personal information. The police would investigate them slowly after heading back. At this time, Lin Dongxue called and said with agitation, "Brother, we found thendlord of that house. Guess who the renter is?!"


    "Who?"


    "Lan Xiao!"


    "Lan Xiao, could it be..."


    "Yes, it''s the antagonist in Xin Bai''s novel. I checked and the information is true. This person is called Lan Xiao!"

 Chapter 700: Return My Husband To Me

    <h4>Chapter 700: Return My Husband To Me</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu hurried back after receiving the call. Lin Dongxue was talking to thendlord. Once he heard that a dead person was found in his house, thendlord was frightened and was willing to actively cooperate with the police investigation.


    He showed them a rental contract and a copy of the tenant''s ID card, which clearly read the name Lan Xiao. He was a fierce-looking man from Fengqi City.


    Xin Bai''s hometown was also Fengqi. He had told Chen Shi that night that Lan Xiao was based on the campus bully who bullied him when he was a child, but he didn''t expect that even his name was copied.


    "Is this the person who rents the house?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "He¡¯s not the one who rents the house."


    Lin Dongxue showed him Xin Bai''s photo and thendlord nodded repeatedly. "Mm, it seems to be him."


    "When did he start renting?"


    "Last winter. He rented it for two years at once."


    "You¡¯re happy to rent it to him even though it¡¯s for someone else?"


    "This man said he was renting for a fellow from his hometown. He said that the fellow was transferred to work here and he couldn''t spare time to do it himself, so he asked him to do it on his behalf. I heard his ent was also from Fengqi, so I rented it to him... Haii, it¡¯s mainly because my house hasn¡¯t been able to be rented out for half a year. This person rented it for two years at once and he paid the money very swiftly. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t look into it carefully. I didn¡¯t know he was a bad guy. Haii, what a sin! My house won¡¯t be affected, will it?"


    Lin Qiupu said, ¡°When you rent the house in the future, you will have to be more attentive. At the very least, you have to make sure that you sign the contract with the tenant themselves. Otherwise, you will have to take responsibility if something goes wrong.¡±


    "Yes, yes, definitely!" After being warned, thendlord had cold sweat form on him from fright.


    Lin Qiupu told them of their findings and Lin Dongxue said, "Why are there so many criminals that can hack technology these days? I don''t understand anything like hacking and nting Trojans like these people."


    "There are a lot of online tutorials that are easy to learn. Some film and television working on crime-fighting topics will also be criminal teaching materials. It¡¯s too easy to be led astray."


    Chen Shi thought of "ck Honey" suddenly. They were a bunch of young people happily sharing the taboo knowledge of this world.


    "From all indications, there is indeed a second person that exists." Lin Qiupu said frankly.


    "However, Xin Bai is still a major breakthrough point. I¡¯m even considering the possibility that he himself may havemitted a crime under the coercion of that person." Chen Shi said, as if they had each taken a step back inpromise.


    "Haha, you guys have finally reached a consensus... Why hasn¡¯t Captain Peng finished yet?"


    They realized that they had been standing downstairs for too long, so they went up to take a look. The forensic officers in the room were collecting fingerprints. Peng Sijue was squatting down in the bathroom and staring at the corpse in a daze. Chen Shi asked, "What''s wrong? Is the deceased an old ssmate of yours?"


    "Why does this person say such nice sounding things?!" Lin Qiupu frowned. He found that Chen Shi was particrly presumptuous in front of Peng Sijue. Somehow, there was a little jealousy in his heart.


    Peng Sijue rolled his eyes at Chen Shi. "I can''t tell the cause of death."


    At this time, the corpse had been turned over. All three of them noticed that there was a cut in his abdomen. Due to the decay, pus was flowing out. The blood vessels on the deceased''s belly were blue with a hint of yellow.


    "This knife wound seems to be struck above the stomach. He wouldn¡¯t die from that, right?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "He¡¯d die, but very slowly. Stomach acid would enter the abdominal cavity to corrode internal organs causing internal bleeding, just like a Japanese samurai sepukus. The death would be slow and painful." Chen Shi said.


    "Stop trying to show off in front of a professional, okay?" Peng Sijue said, "This knife just opened the abdomen and the internal organs weren¡¯t damaged. I don''t understand the meaning behind the murderer doing this... Also, have you noticed that the blood vessels are a bit different? That''s right. The rotting blood will gradually turn blue, but the blood of the deceased was a hint of yellow. I suspect he was poisoned. We¡¯ll go back and examine it carefully!"


    "Right, Little Zhang!" Peng Sijue called.


    A little policeman came over holding an evidence bag with a ring inside. They said, "This was found under the sofa with blood stains on it. The size obviously doesn¡¯t belong to the deceased."


    The three looked at the corpse''s thick fingers that looked like carrots. Chen Shi said, "More than one person died here."


    Lin Qiupu then called the team back. When they returned to the bureau, they heard amotion at the door. A woman insisted on seeing Xin Bai. Lin Qiupu asked, "Who are you?"


    "I am Zhang Zhenlei''s wife."


    Zhang Zhenlei? Lin Qiupu was dazed for a moment. Then, he remembered that it was the real name of the UP host, Old B.


    There were still tear traces on the woman''s face. "You called me before and asked me toe and im the corpse. Just now I identally heard that you caught the author. I want to see him."


    "Let''s talk somewhere else!"


    When they got to a meeting room, Lin Qiupu poured a cup of water for her. As soon as the woman calmed down, she began to cry. She was still immersed in the pain of losing her lover.


    "My husband has recorded small videos on the Inte over the past two years. He doesn¡¯t know how to do anything else. He just likes to read novels, so he specifically reviews them. Didn¡¯t he make the video regarding ¡®The Detective Of The Abyss¡¯st week? After uploading it, he spent the night sitting in front of theputer looking at thements. Suddenly, he said he was going out. I asked him where he was going sote at night. He said that he suddenly remembered something and that Xin Bai may be imprisoned. I told him to call the police, but he said he wasn¡¯t actually sure. He had the idea when he saw thements just then. Someone said that this writer might have been kidnapped. He sent out a distress signal in his work. The more he pondered, the more he felt like it was possible, but he wasn¡¯t too sure and wanted to have a look. If it was true, then he¡¯d call the police. If this matter really was true, it¡¯d definitely make the headlines. He would definitely trigger a wave ofmotion.¡±


    "I didn''t think much of it at the time, so I just told him to be careful. This author is also on his friends list. Everyone lives in Long''an and they¡¯ve met before. In fact, he had been chatting with Xin Bai sincest year and said that he wanted to record this issue. As a result, he never came back after he left. Then, I received a call and saw that he had already..." The woman said as tears streaming down, "I want to see Xin Bai once. It¡¯s not to take revenge on him. I just want to know what happened. Otherwise, I can''t feel at ease!"


    Of course, the suspect couldn¡¯t be seen casually. However, the woman was so earnest that she almost knelt down. Chen Shi suggested, "Why don¡¯t we let them meet for a moment with the detention room between them?¡±


    "Okay." Lin Qiupu said, "But don''t hold on to too much hope. His mental state isn¡¯t really there, and he probably won''t be able to tell you anything. We¡¯re still investigating this case!"


    "Thank you! Thank you!" The woman was grateful with tears flowing on her face.


    Taking her to the detention room, Xin Bai was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and using a gel pen to draw a watch on his wrist. He enjoyed his time there alone. Lin Qiupu saw what was happening and yelled, "Hey, how can the suspect have a pen?!"


    The policeman on duty hurried over and opened the door of the detention room. Xin Bai was unwilling to hand over the pen, yelling, "Let me finish drawing. Let me finish drawing! I¡¯m only missing one clock hand..."


    Taking advantage of the chaos, the woman quietly entered the detention room. Catching him off guard, she scratched Xin Bai¡¯s eyes and shouted, "Return my husband to me! Return my husband to me!"

 Chapter 701: Small Fool

    <h4>Chapter 701: Small Fool</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After a huge struggle, they finally pulled the woman out, but Xin Bai''s eyelids were already scratched. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t hurt his eyes. He was taken to Peng Sijue for some medical treatment.


    Lin Qiupu also learned that the pen was taken by Xin Bai from theboratory when the X-rays were taken, and the policeman who left the pen lying around was ordered to hand in a self-reflecting report.


    The woman was taken back to the conference room where she was questioned. She was sobbing ceaselessly. Lin Qiupu knew that she was devastated. The husband who had been with her day and night was tortured and then dismembered. Nobody could bear that. Thus, when words of me arrived at his lips, it only came out as one sentence: "Haii, how can you do such a thing?"


    "My husband was killed by him. He¡¯s a psychopath!" The woman gritted her teeth.


    "Did your husband reveal something to you?" Chen Shi guessed.


    The woman nodded silently. After her breathing settled, she took out her mobile phone to y a video. The video was filmed from outside the window. She saw a man kneeling on the ground naked and beating himself with a small whip. Upon a closer look, who could this man be but Xin Bai?


    The whip was made of leather, and the front end was divided into many strands. He whipped himself with a lot of force. Each time he whipped his back, a few purple marks appeared. He would cry and mutter things as he whipped himself.


    At this time, a voice spoke. "Hello, wife, do you see this? What is he doing? I heard him saying, ¡®Is it enough? Is it enough?¡¯ Is there someone else in the room? I can''t see clearly from this angle."


    "It''s my husband''s voice." The woman said with tears falling down her face.


    This room was the one that had just been searched. At this time, Xin Bai began to take off his pants, and the voice behind the camera became agitated. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, what is he about to do?"


    The naked Xin Bai brought out a small box from the cab and took something out of it.


    It was a small, ck, and square box, about the size of a cigarette case. A long thin metal wire stretched out in front of him. He pinched his penis and carefully poked the metal wire in. His face twisted and looked deformed due to the pain.


    Lin Dongxue was shocked watching this scene.


    It was a self-abuse prop. The wire pierced into the urethra before the electrical current was discharged. Hey on the floor, electrocuting himself and twitching. Then, he curled up into a ball, crying. It looked extremely sad.


    The video ended there. The first question Chen Shi thought of was, "That apartment is on the third floor!"


    "My husband climbed up and took a sneaky video... This is thest message my husband sent. I didn''t hear the notification because I was in the shower. When I watched itter, I sent him over a dozen messages saying that this person was a psycho and that he should hurry ande back, but there was no reply. You¡¯ve also watched it. He was the only one there at the time. My husband must have been killed by him for sure!"


    "Madam, there is one thing I must tell you. Installed in that room..." Chen Shi nced at Lin Qiupu who didn¡¯t object, so he continued, "The four corners of the room had cameras installed to monitor and imprison him. He is also a victim, so the person who killed your husband is very likely another person."


    "Can you catch him?" the woman asked.


    "Don''t worry, we definitely will!"


    "Wait, y the video again." Lin Dongxue said.


    When the video was yed again, Lin Dongxue pointed to the corner of the screen and said, "Look, there¡¯s a camera facing the window. It¡¯s very likely that Zhang Zhenlei was seen while taking the video, and that person went to kill him to prevent him from talking."


    Lin Qiupu said, "If he coulde over in such a short amount of time, it means he lives very close!"


    After sending the woman away, Chen Shi suggested for them to go out to eat. Lin Qiupu said, "Go to the cafeteria. The things outside are unsanitary."


    Chen Shi said, "I wasn¡¯t talking to you... Okay, okay, let¡¯s eat together. We¡¯ll go out to eat!"


    "We¡¯ll go to the cafeteria to eat!" Lin Qiupu insisted.


    Seeing as it was Lin Qiupu''s treat, Chen Shi didn''t insist further. When they got to the cafeteria, Chen Shi ordered braised chicken legs, fried spinach, and pot-sticker tofu. Lin Dongxue said, "There¡¯s your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs. "


    Lin Qiupu cast a slightly surprised look at them, and Chen Shi pretended to lightly say, "I don¡¯t particrly like that. I¡¯ll change my pte today."


    After getting seated, Lin Dongxue said, "I seem to understand the ins and outs of this case. When Xin Bai was a child, he was bullied by a ssmate named Lan Xiao. After he grew up, he became an author of novels. Lan Xiao found out that the guy he bullied in the past was now famous, and he had be the big viin in the novel. He went to find him to take his anger out, but it snowballed into imprisoning and torturing Xin Bai, even forcing him tomit murder and dismember the body."


    "That¡¯s too unbelievable. The viin in the novel ''crossed'' into reality to torture the author." Lin Qiupu sighed helplessly.


    Chen Shi said, "But when I read this novel, the viin Lan Xiao had been making lots of trouble. In the recently updated chapters, he¡¯s still a consistent character and hasn¡¯t been beautified nor changed to a less antagonistic role. If it¡¯s really Lan Xiao who was doing this, wouldn¡¯t he add some extra screen time for himself?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "We still don''t know what this Lan Xiao person is like."


    "Your name appeared in the novel and you aren¡¯t a good person either. Would you mind?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Mmm..."


    "For example, in a Danmei novel[1] and you¡¯re the victim of 10,000 years."[2]


    "Don''t use me as an example!" Lin Qiupu smacked the table and stood up. "Dongxue, what is this ¡®victim of 10,000 years¡¯ thing? Surely it¡¯s not a good thing?"


    Lin Dongxue covered her mouth andughed as Chen Shi alsoughed. "It seems like you also mind it."


    "Not everyone minds." Lin Qiupu said.


    "But I believe a person who saw his name appear in the novel and came to trouble the original author must mind it a lot."


    "It¡¯s still the same deal. We still don''t know what Lan Xiao is like. We aren¡¯t in a hurry to make a final conclusion. Of course, the character of a former campus bully is definitely not going to be great."


    "Okay, okay, let¡¯s check Lan Xiao first! By the way, check Xin Bai''s ount expenditures."


    After eating, Lin Qiupu went to work. The autopsy results from Peng Sijue hadn¡¯te out yet. It seemed that he had encountered a problem. Most of the police had gone to investigate the identity of the deceased.


    Chen Shi didn''t go anywhere. He sat at Lin Dongxue''s desk and used theputer. Lin Dongxue came in with two cups of coffee and asked, "Going out to investigate?"


    "Close the door!" Chen Shi said mysteriously.


    After closing the door, Chen Shi pulled Lin Dongxue over and sat her down on hisp. It turned out that he was browsing thement sections of the novel. After the break, the readers were already stirred and sent "warm" blessings to the ck author.


    "If Lan Xiao read this novel, he may have left ament. I''m looking for..." As he said this, Chen Shi''s perverted hand groped at Lin Dongxue''s waist.


    "Aren''t a lot of people reading the novel from websites that rip from the original?"


    "Let''s check from the main website first..."


    After looking through a few pages, there were too manyments. Lin Dongxue suggested that it would be better topile and edit them all directly. Hence, the two called Xin Bai¡¯s editor in charge, and after exining the situation, the editor was shocked. "I was wondering why Mr. Bai suddenly disappeared. I couldn¡¯t contact him via WeChat either. It turned out to be something like this. When can hee back out?"


    "That depends on the speed in solving the case. We need your assistance."


    "As long as it¡¯s something I can do, I will definitely help."


    The editor sent all thements from the novel to them through the backend of the website. Due to therge number ofments, the two turned on twoputers to look through them. Lin Dongxue suddenly said, "Here¡¯s a deleted message."


    Chen Shi leaned over and took a look. The ID was a string of meaningless letters. The content of the message was, "Fuck, you actually wrote a novel. The small fool is doing pretty good for himself. You¡¯re using my name to make money? Hahaha you¡¯re making me out to be a big boss as well. Are you still afraid of me? Do you still remember when I pushed your head into the toilet for you to drink tea?"


    1. Originally coined in Japanese as a trantion of ¡°aestheticism¡± and was applied in the description of boy love-themedics since the 1970s which at the time were mostly aesthetic and romantic.


    2. The person who is typically regarded as the ¡°bottom¡± during male homosexual intercourse.

 Chapter 702: Strange Cause Of Death

    <h4>Chapter 702: Strange Cause Of Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "The author has deleted thisment" was disyed below this message, and it was published in October ofst year.


    This brother with the string of numbers as his IP address left several other messages. "Small Fool, why aren¡¯t you replying to me. Writing your motherfucking novels, pretending to be all that? In reality, I once stripped your pants down in front of the whole ss! Do you remember how the girl you had a crush on saw your penis? Why don¡¯t you write about that? Hahahaha!"


    "Motherfucker, have you ever seen the triad underworld? Stop pretending. If the real underworld found you, they¡¯d smash your head in. The heroine has been written decently enough. Motherfucker, let me fuck her in the next chapter. Let¡¯s happily decide on that!"


    "Hey, you¡¯re so arrogant now. You haven¡¯t replied to a singlement. Forgetting your old ssmates once you¡¯re famous. Motherfucker, just try and delete thement again. I¡¯ll send some brothers to your house for tea! It¡¯s annoying just seeing your dog-like face."


    Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows. "This guy is really too much. He doesn''t know how much others hate him. He¡¯s being verbally abusive just because he is an acquaintance."


    "Perhaps in his consciousness, no matter how Xin Bai has changed, he¡¯s still the small fool who was bullied by him back then. There was a case in the past about a farmer-born entrepreneur named Chen. One day, a fellow viger from his hometown went to him to seek help from him. Facing his mansion, he made a fuss and even publicized Chen''s old embarrassments. Chen killed him out of anger. His old acquaintances who went there uninvited showed enthusiasm on the surface, but in fact, it was an act. Their intentions were to tell others not to look at how he was doing right now, when in fact he met with a lot of difficulties previously. I understand these frustrations as well. Pulling the opponent down to a certain level shows that they¡¯re superior. This brother with the string of numbers as his IP has the same mentality, exposing that Xin Bai was bullied in the past to show off his ¡®specialness¡¯ and prove that he¡¯s the ¡®VIP¡¯ among readers!"


    "But in the eyes of other people, they will only think that this person is very low and ill-bred," Lin Dongxue said. Under thesements, there were many enthusiastic readers who were hating on this rude guy. "This brother with the string of numbers as his IP should be Lan Xiao, right?"


    "Most likely."


    "Thetestment was fromst November, when the quality of Xin Bai''s works began to decline. I think Lan Xiao really went to find him."


    Chen Shi was silent. "However, this brother with the string of numbers as his IP doesn''t seem to be this cunning. The person behind the scenes didn¡¯t leave behind any traces. His most brilliant y was to install security cameras so that Xin Bai was in a kind of imaginary trauma by being monitored every minute. He forced Xin Bai to torture himself in fear and asked him to perform radio gymnastics regrly every day. Xin Bai was the ything in the palm of their hand. What he imposed on Xin Bai was a kind of mental imprisonment, so that Xin Bai didn¡¯t dare to resist at all. He didn¡¯t even have the courage to say his name in front of the police. How clever! Could this kind of criminal trick be the work of a guy who speaks loudly and shamelessly right away?"


    "His Inte personality and real personality might not be the same. For example, someone who is serious in reality may bluff all day on the Inte." Lin Dongxue smirked and nced at Chen Shi.


    "Are you talking about me? You¡¯re thinking about things increasinglyprehensively." Chen Shi praised and touched her head.


    When Chen Shi touched her head to praise her, Lin Dongxue''s heart was filled with sweetness and her face flushed.


    "But..." Chen Shi said, "I still have a question. This person behind the scenes has been urging Xin Bai to write. He also borrowed from the murderous techniques in his work, which shows that he¡¯s a die-hard fan. He loves this work very much. The brother with the string of numbers as his IP isn¡¯t this type of person..." Chen Shi suddenly thought of something. "Yes, for reference! Why didn''t I think of this?!" Then, he ran out.


    "Hey, where are you going?" Lin Dongxue ran after him.


    Chen Shi went to see Peng Sijue. As expected, the autopsy was still in progress. Everyone had done various checks and still didn¡¯t figure out the cause of death. Chen Shi said, "I may know how he died!"


    "Oh?" Peng Sijue replied casually. He was doing liquid-solid extraction of blood samples to analyze the toxicponents.


    "Tell me about any signs of death."


    "Acute lung failure, liver edema, pericardial blood atherosclerosis, and kidney inmmation. The cause of death should be suffocation. Many poisons target the lungs. There are many proteinponents in the blood of the deceased, and there are many interfering substances. External symptoms included multiple beating marks on his body, mainly concentrated in the upper body. The deceased''s right arm was slightly dislocated, and his wrist was tied up. It¡¯s suspected that he had his hands tied behind him."


    Chen Shi recalled the plot in the novel and said, "Check the stomach to see if there¡¯s a perforation on it."


    Peng Sijue ordered someone to check the stomach bag. Because the organ contained ayer of rotting tissue fluid, it was difficult to find the slight traces on the stomach wall. Chen Shi reminded, "It might be a needle hole. You said that the deceased had his abdomen opened without destroying the internal organs. I suddenly though of the murder technique in the novel."


    "The murder techniques in novels may not be reliable."


    "The professional knowledge in this novel is pretty good. He told me that he had gone to the hospital to ask doctors how to kill people. He was considered a lunatic and almost had the police called on him."


    "Well, I¡¯ll believe you for the time being."


    In order to look for the hypothetical needle hole, the forensic police cleaned the stomach bag and put it in formalin solution before taking it out again. As expected, a small hole was leaking the liquid.


    Chen Shi nodded contentedly. "I''ll tell you the murder technique. The murderer extracted the victim¡¯s stomach acid and injected it into the victim¡¯s blood vessels."


    "This..." Lin Dongxue was shocked. This was too strange.


    Peng Sijue was also surprised, but this conclusion fit all the symptoms. "The mainponent of gastric acid is hydrochloric acid, which makes proteins coagte. Furthermore, gastric acid carries a lot of bacteria."


    He immediately asked everyone to re-identify the "poison" sample that was within reach, and the result was indeed the case. The deceased had his abdomen cut open and stomach acid was extracted and injected it into his own body.


    Injection of hydrochloric acid into blood vessels is also very rare in forensicboratories. Peng Sijue had never seen a real case of it.


    Once stomach acid enters the blood, it¡¯s a huge disaster for the blood circtory system. Hydrochloric acid will corrode iron and coagte blood proteins, making it unsustainable for oxygen supply. What is even more deadly is the various bacterial infections. This manner of death is extremely long and the pain is no less than archaic torture methods.


    "Unexpectedly, there would be such a method of murder. This has broadened my horizons." Peng Sijue sighed.


    "In that novel, all kinds of weird killing methods emerge in an endless stream. The author especially likes to kill people with the mostmon things. For example, in one case, the murderer forced the deceased to swallow octopus legs that had just been cut off, and the octopus with powerful suction cups sucked at the esophagus and caused suffocation."


    "That would not necessarily lead to death. If the deceased has a strong swallowing ability, he can swallow it down directly."


    "It was swallowed one by one until he was suffocated."


    "Why is it sucking the esophagus? Wouldn¡¯t it be the trachea?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    Peng Sijue patiently exined, ¡°Because a person¡¯s trachea and esophagus grow together, the p over the trachea will temporarily close when eating. If the esophagus is blocked by a foreign body for a long time, the trachea won¡¯t open. Some children swallow toys and suffocate in this way.¡±


    "Understood."


    There was some noise outside at this time. Chen Shi patted Peng Sijue on the shoulder and said, "You should hurry and go to dinner." Then, he went out with Lin Dongxue.


    It turned out that Xu Xiaodong and his partner arrested a few men. Xu Xiaodong¡¯s mouth was bruised, and the corner of his eyebrows was stered with an adhesive bandage. It seemed that he had just been in a fight. Although he was injured, he was spirited. He pointed to the men and said to Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, "You didn¡¯t see it but I was fighting all four of them by myself, just like an action movie."


    The four men with blue and swollen noses had their heads downcast, so they knew that what Xu Xiaodong said was true. Lin Dongxue praised, "Wow, you¡¯re so strong!"


    Chen Shi smiled, "Haha, the victorious cat is as jubnt as a tiger. You have the might of a tiger right now."

 Chapter 703: Diary of Forced Persecution

    <h4>Chapter 703: Diary of Forced Persecution</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Each of the four men dressed increasingly showy, with colorful clothes and hair, various ornaments, tattoos, and jewelry on their bodies. Their chests and belly buttons were also exposed.


    Lin Dongxue sneered at this because one of the men who exposed their belly had no abdominal muscles at all. She didn''t know where his confidence came from.


    When Xu Xiaodong''s partner saw them leaning against the wall standing still, he yelled, "Show¡¯s starting. Stand up and follow me."


    They were taken away to record their statements and Lin Dongxue asked, "What¡¯s with these people?"


    "They¡¯re people from Lan Xiao¡¯s Company."


    "What? People like that are actually office workers?" Chen Shi was also surprised.


    Xu Xiaodong answered, "I didn''t believe it either but they¡¯re actually from a logisticspany. Do they dress like this to deliver couriers? I went to Lan Xiao''s house and then went to a bar he frequented. I didn''t expect these four people to be looking for him too. When they heard me inquiring about Lan Xiao, they immediately surrounded Little Zhang and I. Their attitudes were arrogant. I wondered if they would run away if I showed them my ID, so I subdued them first. Hehe, that fight was really fun... ording to them, Lan Xiao is the vice president of theirpany. It¡¯s been over two months since he disappeared and thepany is looking for him."


    "Did they call the police?"


    "It doesn''t seem like they have."


    "I think there¡¯s most likely a problem with this logisticspany. Otherwise, why wouldn''t they call the police if someone went missing?"


    "Yeah, all the employees look like hooligans. You can tell that they aren¡¯t a seriouspany with one nce." Lin Dongxue echoed the sentiment.


    "I think so too. Let¡¯s interrogate them and see." Xu Xiaodong said.


    "Xiaodong, hurry and put on some iodophor!" Lin Dongxue said with concern.


    Xu Xiaodong touched the wound on the corner of his mouth and took a breath, but insisted that he was fine.


    When these people had their statements recorded, they all imed that they were part of a seriouspany and that it was purely a personal preference to dress like this. As for why they didn¡¯t call the police when Vice President Lan went missing, they evaded the question and made vague statements.


    From them, they learned that after graduating from high school, Lan Xiao worked in a loan sharkpany for a while, traveling here and there, thenter settled in Long''an and joined thepany.


    Thispany was put on the police¡¯s suspect list, and they intended to investigate them after the case was over.


    One whole day had passed, and several clues were being followed up on. Chen Shi suggested, "Let¡¯s get off work early today. The oysters yesterday were delicious. I bought some more online. They may be delivered in the evening. Do you want toe to my house to eat them?"


    "Sure, thisdy shall reluctantly agree." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Wait a minute."


    Chen Shi went outside to buy a lunch box and a bottled drink before sending it to the detention room. Xin Bai was doing yoga during this idle time, but his movements were extremely clumsy. Chen Shimented, "Teacher Bai, it seems like you¡¯re doing well here."


    "Since I don¡¯t need to write, I feel like my whole body is rxed!" Xin Bai giggled.


    "The readers would be sad if they heard that. I''ll give you these." Chen Shi handed over the food and drink. Of course, the detention room also managed the meals. It¡¯s just that the taste wasn¡¯t bad as Chen Shi had eaten it before!


    The meal wasn¡¯t given to him for nothing. When Xin Bai took the lunch box, Chen Shi suddenly asked, "Have you seen Lan Xiao recently?"


    "Lan Xiao?" Xin Bai was momentarily stunned. "I haven''t seen that guy since I graduated from elementary school. That guy is just human-shaped trash. When I hear that name getting mentioned, my chest feels heavy."


    This was a genuine reaction. Since he was able to talk about Lan Xiao so calmly, it indirectly proved that Lan Xiao wasn¡¯t the mastermind behind the scenes.


    The mastermind behind the scenes was cunning and meticulous. Judging from the methods he used to kill the two victims, his resentment was strong. Chen Shi spected that he may be a single man with a cowardly appearance, mild obsessivepulsive disorder, or hygiene-prone with a low-paying work.


    "Childhood nightmare!" Chen Shi agreed with a smile.


    "Yes, a childhood nightmare, haii!" Xin Bai opened the lunch box. "Can you buy me another bottle of Lafite 1982, or a "Science Fiction World" magazine. You can decide which one for yourself!"


    "You¡¯re nuts!" Chen Shi smiled. Normal people would definitely choose thetter. "I¡¯ll bring it to you tomorrow morning."


    Chen Shi drove home and went to the convenience store to pick up his delivered package. When he got downstairs from his house, he saw Gu You and Tao Yueyue squatting in front of the flower bed loosening the soil and nting flowers. Chen Shi greeted, "Miss Gu, it''s rare to see you off work early like this!"


    "Aren''t you the same? Is Officer Lin here too?"


    "Hello." Lin Dongxue greeted. She always felt a sense of inexplicable alienation when faced with Gu You.


    Chen Shi said, "I bought a few catties of oysters. Would you like toe to my house for dinnerter?"


    Gu You originally wanted to refuse, but Tao Yueyue persuaded, "Come on! Come on!" so she agreed.


    After entering the house, Lin Dongxuemented, "Yueyue likes Miss Gu very much."


    "She¡¯s an orphan after all. Shecked the care of a mature woman during the process of growing up. In fact, I think it¡¯s a good thing."


    "Can''t she find a shadow of a mother from me? I usually treat her well."


    "I think you¡¯re more like a sister to her."


    "I''m like a sister and you''re like a father, so what is the rtionship between us?" Lin Dongxue teased mischievously.


    "Why is your little head so dirty? Go watch TV and I¡¯ll cook!"


    "Roger that!"


    Frozen oysters weren¡¯t suitable for eating raw. Chen Shi nned to bake them. While the oven was preheating, Chen Shi prepared the ingredients and braised the rice. The two tes of stir-fried dishes madest night were directly heated up in the microwave.


    For someone who loved cooking, doing these things were easy and casual.


    While waiting, he sneakily took out his phone...


    Today, he took advantage of Lin Dongxue¡¯s absence to do things and copied the original manuscript from Xin Bai¡¯sputer to his mobile phone. Although he was a loyal supporter of the original version, there was a chapter in "The Detective of the Abyss" that wasn¡¯t visible in the original version. That was the mysterious chapter 476!


    He wanted to know what the protagonist and heroine did that night!!!


    When he opened the document, he suddenly found a paragraph of unedited text at the front of it.


    "I don''t know how long my spirit and body willst. If this text is discovered by him, I might be beaten to death, but I must write it out while I¡¯m still conscious and still have the tiniest bit of courage to resist him!"


    "An uninvited guest broke into my house, iming to be a hardcore book fan. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to open the door to let him in because I really don¡¯t know how to talk to an admirer. I¡¯m just an ordinary person who writes novels, but I don¡¯t know how to refuse a smiling face. Thus, I let a demon in!"


    "Ever since that day, he has visited me every day, bringing discounted fungus and edamame from the supermarket. I don''t like eating fungus at all! He very diligently called me ''Teacher Bai'' the whole time. He cleaned the house, cooked, and even washed my underwear (It made me feel very ashamed). The atmosphere at home was very awkward and I felt the illusion of being watched. I was troubled to see a strange man sitting at my house eating and drinking, ying my game console, and watching my collection of cards. After he left, I would always wash the things he used over and over again."


    "Work is the only topic I can talk to him about. I once mentioned that I wanted to end the book. He was furious and said that I couldn¡¯t let down an ''excellent work'' like this. I was just the soil that cultivated this ¡®excellent work¡¯ and had no right to end it hastily!"


    "I changed the lock of the anti-theft door. He couldn''t get in. He stood outside without saying a word. It was terribly scary. I was so scared that I trembled behind the door. I called the police, but he left before the police came. Two police officers came - one tall and one fat. Theyughed when I told them about the whole situation and said they were envious of celebrities like me. They asked if it was a female fan. I seriously said that the person was harassing me. When the police questioned me thoroughly, it was only then that I discovered that it was my personal choice to let him in and invite him to dinner, so from a legal point of view, it didn¡¯t constitute harassment. ¡®As long as you explicitly reject him next time, it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ The police said this, but they don¡¯t understand that I¡¯m as weak as a soft creature without carapace protection. Rejecting someone was as difficult as climbing up the sky. What should I do?!"

 Chapter 704: Yin And Yang

    <h4>Chapter 704: Yin And Yang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The extra text was like a diary. Chen Shi hurried to find Lin Dongxue. After briefly exining the situation, he turned on theputer in the living room to download the document.


    The strange thing was that there was no such text in theputer version of the document. In the beginning, there was only a title and some basic settings. Chen Shi said, "I understand now. He wrote it in the nk space at the beginning of the document in the same color as the background."


    Thus, Chen Shi selected all the text and changed the color to ck. Sure enough, this mysterious text appeared in the nk space at the beginning of the document. It was also written in the smallest font, so that it could be written in the nk space of a mere few pages.


    "Why did he write it within his own old manuscript, but not send out emails... Did he not have ess to the Inte?" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    "That person strictly monitors him and may also check hisputer. However, this was one of his earliest manuscripts, which is a blind spot. That person is a reader. There is a high probability that he won¡¯t read what he has already read. Xin Bai was probably betting on this probability."


    "Why did you want to copy the old manuscripts back for viewing?"


    "Um... I just wanted to revisit it." Chen Shi rubbed the tip of his nose.


    Lin Dongxue didn''t mind. She looked at theputer screen. "But who would see it written in the old manuscripts?"


    "Didn''t we see it? He expected that one day the police would intervene in the investigation and take away hisputer. This text might appear under the police''s line of sight."


    The two continued to read further.


    "He began to live in my house and interfere with me! My life has always beenzy. Sometimes, when inspiration hits, I can write tens of thousands of words. Sometimes, I can''t motivate myself for days and I often y games all night. I always admired those hard-working writers because I¡¯m a cker of intermittent passion. That person sleeps in the living room and makes me feel like I can¡¯t do anything. He forbids me to close the bedroom door andes over to check if I¡¯m writing from time to time. He has to read every chapter I write in advance, correct the typos for me, and point out the unreasonable ces. It¡¯smon for me to modify my manuscripts, but having a strangere to my house, eat my food, use my stuff, and control me, it¡¯s something I have a strong opinion about. Shouldn''t I be a free and independent person?"


    "On the third day, I brought it up to him and said it was weird. We¡¯re not rtives, so why does he live in my house and control me? I felt a lot more brave when I said what I had held in my heart. Heughed, saying that strange men and women who aren¡¯t rted can get together when they like the other party and share each other¡¯s property. What kind of logic was that? The rtionship between people originally goes from nothing to something anyway. He saw me as a soulmate. The first time he read my words, he felt a strong sense of resonance. It felt like an old friend was chatting with him while sitting opposite him in the room. He hoped that I could treat him the same way and said, ''I know you better than yourself.'' I yelled, saying that he needs to leave and this was my house! His expression slowly changed, as if he had removed a mask..."


    "He hit me, took my phone away, and cut mywork cable. This person who looked like a thin and gentle man sat on the bed like a tyrant,manding and supervising me to write. I must resist, but it¡¯s not like I can beat him. After all, he was a manual worker, and I¡¯m someone who uses a pen for a living. After being beaten to the ground several times, I rushed to the kitchen to find a kitchen knife. I didn¡¯t fucking care anymore. I wanted to kill him, dismember him, and then bury him! However, I found that there were no knives on the kitchen knife stand, and all the pots and pans were hidden away. He appeared behind me gloomily, leaning on the door with his hands. He said, ''We need to set some rules''!"


    "One of the rules was that my work was everything. Every day, regardless of whether I had inspiration or not, I had to write 8,000 words in front of theputer and give it to him for inspection. He would publish it. I also had to discuss the plot progression with him. The second rule was that I couldn¡¯t leave the bedroom without permission, and I wasn¡¯t allowed toe into contact with outsiders. He would also take care of the couriers, take out the garbage, buy food, and other out-of-home work. The third rule was that I would get rewards forpleting the work with quality and quantity for seven consecutive days. Small requests that weren¡¯t too excessive could be granted, such as what I was to eat or y a few hours of games. The fourth rule was that I needed to report my psychological condition to him regrly, and I couldn¡¯t hide anything."


    "Although I¡¯m cowardly, I¡¯m not a person who likes to obey people! There are two kinds of personalities in the world - the saboteur and the guardian, which are like yin and yang. The saboteur likes to break existing things and create new things. Based on their psychological essence, they¡¯re rebels of society. Writers and revolutionaries are all such personalities. Guardians are the opposite. They¡¯re naturally fond of protecting and management. They¡¯re often nostalgic and like orderly things. They are suitable for police, doctors, and officials. Superheroes are also guardians. You¡¯ll find that the Chaoying story has an eternal theme - to keep the world as it is. Of course, evil guardians will degenerate into a champion for the old ages they live in, elderly who stay loyal to the previous dynasty after the change of dynasty, and a henchman dog to evildoers. The reason why I graduated from the University of Political Science and Law and didn¡¯t be awyer was because I suddenly discovered my psychological essence. What I yearn for is creative work. I¡¯m a saboteur who yearns for freedom. I will not obey! Never!"


    "I pretended to be sick. I broke theputer. I went on a hunger strike. I ran to the window while he was asleep and yelled for help to resist him. After a long and arduous struggle between us, his violence began to escte. He realized my strength under my weakness, and he decided to break my ''spine''! On this day, he bought many strange props and got me to wear them. It was an SM item. It was very humiliating. I growled, ''Why don''t you just kill me then!'' After a round of beating, I cried and put it on. He beat me with a small whip and told me to crawl on the ground like a dog. A huge sense of shame filled my heart for a few moments. I really thought I was a dog, but I hoped to at least be a mad dog that could go up and bite his neck!!!"


    "He immersed me in this kind of training game. Although this person was uneducated and often didn¡¯t understand some of the idioms in my book, he knew one thing: Forced obedience could destroy the heart. This is a truth that Nazis, scammers from pyramid schemes, and unscrupulous entrepreneurs alike all know. A terrible thought appeared in my heart - Obeying him would make life a little morefortable. I resisted the thought desperately, but it spread like a virus. I¡¯m about to lose myself. Who can save me? Batman, Superman, Iron Man, where are you all?!"


    "I¡¯ll fuck your mum! Eat shit. I¡¯m going to kill you! You really think a writer dare not kill anyone? I will cut your throat out tonight! This bastard raised by a bitch. I¡¯ll fuck your ancestors for eighteen generations...... (This paragraph is all swear words, omitted)."[1]


    "My murder n was seen through. I knelt in front of him and ced the murder weapon I prepared on the floor - a sharpened pair of chopsticks. He stood against the light with his arms crossed, making a grim expression. Suddenly, a strong desire to survive drove me to cry and beg for mercy. I smashed my head to the ground, saying, ''Master, I was wrong. Please forgive me. Don''t kill me, don''t kill me!'' He held up my chin and my eyes were full of tears. I looked at him in fear. Time seemed to freeze. He said, ''Punish yourself until I¡¯m satisfied.'' It was like I was given amnesty, and the joy of hope rose in my heart, so I nodded desperately. At that moment, I knew that it was over for me and I had fallen into a bottomless abyss..."


    1. The author was the one that wrote the words in the brackets, so nothing is actually omitted. Some of the Inte ng (made up of alphabets, as the actual words are not allowed to be written online) used didn¡¯t make sense in context, so some of it has been changed.

 Chapter 705: Learned Helplessness

    <h4>Chapter 705: Learned Helplessness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Physical worker, thin and gentle, low educational level..." Seeing this, Lin Dongxue summarized the scattered clues that appeared in the passage.


    "There¡¯s also the discounted fungus and edamame from the supermarket. We can find out which supermarket has done this kind of promotion before." Chen Shi said.


    "My brother shouldn''t have gotten off work yet."


    "Let¡¯s go and tell him these clues!"


    At this time, Gu You and Tao Yueyue came in. Tao Yueyue smelled the scent of the grilled oysters and drooled. "Has it already been grilled? I¡¯ve brought Sister Gu over to eat!"


    Gu You was holding a case of beer and said, "I also bought ck beer."


    "Doesn''t ck beer and seafood cause gout?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Haha, that''s just a rumor. We can verify it ourselves." Gu Youughed.


    Chen Shi said, "We have to make a trip out, but you two should eat. It won''t taste good after leaving it out for the night anyway."


    When she heard that Chen Shi was leaving, Tao Yueyue drooped her eyebrows and asked, "Do you need to attend to a case?"


    "We found some clues. Sorry, I''ll be backter."


    "Okay, okay, you go!"


    Before leaving, Chen Shi especially told Tao Yueyue not to drink any alcohol.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived at the bureau. It was already 6:00 at this time. Lin Qiupu was working on documents in the office after having his dinner. The two pushed the door in and Lin Qiupu raised his head. "What''s up?"


    "Brother, we found some important clues!"


    After Lin Qiupu scanned through it, he said, "It''s truly very important. I can¡¯t believe you guys found this."


    "And judging from the various defining features, this person isn¡¯t Lan Xiao." Chen Shi said.


    "Then how can Lan Xiao''s ID card be in his hand... Could it be that Lan Xiao has been killed already?"


    "It¡¯s possible!"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "What the hell does this kind of person want? Infringing on other people''s lives and at the same time ruining their own life... After you left just now, we found some clues." He turned around and picked up a piece of paper from his desk. "This is a thorough list of Xin Bai''s ie and expenditure details over the past year."


    Chen Shi held it in his hand and saw that Xin Bai received a sum of money from the novel website every month. He spent most of the money on online shopping and a live broadcast tform. Lin Qiupu said, "From the records on hisputer, it was discovered that he bought trading cards, game CDs, various snacks and drinks on the Inte, and then gave a mary reward to a female anchor. He¡¯s almost given one-third of his ie to the female anchor."


    "His life is like a kid that can earn money on his own." Lin Dongxuemented.


    ¡°We originally thought that this uninvited guest had ckmailed him. However, not only was there no trace of this, ever since November ofst year, Xin Bai¡¯s expenses have greatly reduced, and there¡¯s been almost no expenditures over the Inte. The money has been withdrawn to be used.¡±


    "I think this person spent the cash on his behalf. Cash spent isn¡¯t easy to trace." Chen Shi said.


    "Yeah..." Lin Qiupu muttered, "I think it would be better to try questioning him again. His mental state has recovered a bit. Plus, we have this in hand. Will he talk this time?"


    "It¡¯s worth a try."


    Lin Qiupu arranged the interrogation. This time, the three of them were sitting together in the interrogation room. As soon as they got to this room, Xin Bai became inexplicably nervous, wearing a smile to please them on his face.


    "We found the words you wrote in the old manuscripts." Lin Qiupu was straightforward.


    Like a punch in the stomach, Xin Bai suddenly opened his mouth and leaned back. Then, he asked timidly, "I... What did I write?"


    "Do you need me to read a paragraph to you?"


    "..."


    Lin Qiupu picked up his phone and read for a while before Xin Bai waved his hands desperately. "Don''t read it, don''t read it. These unsightly things were written a long time ago."


    "We don¡¯t think this is a fictitious work. It seems to record the entire process of you being imprisoned and abused. This was written by you personally. We were lucky to see it. I think you must have something to say. Shall we talk?"


    Xin Bai was picking at his nails and biting his lip. Chen Shi thought to himself that the fear that the man imposed shrouded Xin Bai¡¯s consciousness like the silhouette of a ghost. He was like a person rescued after being trapped in a mine for half a month. There would be resistance to sunlight.


    Once people adapt to a certain state, they will reject other stimuli and the transition is very painful.


    Chen Shi said, "Teacher Bai, you¡¯re in the Public Security Bureau right now. You have a lot of police to protect you. That person can''t hurt you. You¡¯re very safe!"


    "But when I called the police for the first time, the police didn''t help me at all!" Xin Bai shouted with tears in his eyes.


    "This time and that time are different. The local policemen who went there at the time just treated it as an ordinary report. Right now, this is a criminal case. You wrote this. You should believe that just like the ideas conveyed in your work, evil isn¡¯t invincible. After all, light will shine into the darkest corners."


    "Novels only convey an ideal, but reality isn¡¯t like this. People think that evil can''t ovee righteousness only because those powerful evil spirits disguise themselves as righteous. This world is cruel and hopeless, and no one can change reality! You can''t help me... "


    He wiped his tears away.


    Lin Qiupu frowned in disgust, but Chen Shi felt a pain in his heart. He thought of a story. There¡¯s hearsay that elephant tamers would tie a baby elephant to a wooden post, and the wooden post would be firmly nailed to the ground. The little elephants would struggle at first, but when they found that the stake couldn¡¯t be moved, they would eventually give up.


    The elephant tamers would keep thinning this wooden stake. The baby elephant grows up day by day but is still used to not resisting. When visitors walk into a circus one day, they will see an adult elephant weighing several tons tied to a thin branch and be amazed by it.


    This psychology is called learned helplessness!


    "What do you want?" Lin Qiupu asked, "We can''t help you? Will you go back to your master and be abused by him? Are you willing to live like that? We can arrest him as long as you say his name. We can save you with just one name!"


    Xin Bai shrank his shoulders like a child frightened by thunder, and Lin Qiupu thought that this man was hopeless.


    Chen Shi whispered, "Don''t force him. He already has trauma and he needs psychological treatment!"


    "Who should we find?"


    "Miss Gu."


    Chen Shi called Gu You and exined the situation. Gu You smiled and said, "I knew that your oysters weren¡¯t for nothing. I¡¯lle over now..."


    A voice next to her said, "I want to go too!"


    Gu You said, "Should I bring Yueyue there?"


    "No problem. Pay attention to safety on your way. I¡¯ll wait for you at the door."


    While Gu You came over, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue continued to read Xin Bai¡¯s diary, skipping the middle part and directly reading the part where it described the experience of that person bringing him to his first murder.


    "He rented a studio for me, installed a surveince camera, and asked me if I liked it. I didn''t dare to defy him in any way. I answered that I absolutely loved it and thanked my master. He said he woulde over at night and stay here. I was extremely nervous every second in the room. Those cameras were facing me, as if his eyes were peeping at me. Although I knew this was his trick, my heart couldn¡¯t resist. My spine was broken. There was a sudden movement in the living roomte at night. I was terrified. He was standing there with his face scratched and a sack was ced by his feet. He said, ¡®This is my gift to you!¡¯ He kicked the sack and it moved. There was a whimpering cry from inside..."


    1. Learned helplessness is behavior exhibited by a subject after enduring repeated aversive stimuli beyond their control.

 Chapter 706: A Soul’s Call

    <h4>Chapter 706: A Soul¡¯s Call</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "He ordered me to open the sack. When I saw a woman''s head exposed inside, I fell to the ground, paralyzed in fright. The woman had been drugged and she was in a daze. Her expression was like that of someone sleepwalking. Heughed and said that I was still afraid. He learned the whole process of kidnapping someone from my novel in order to kidnap her, including how to use diethyl ether. ''Today, you have to surpass yourself'', he said."


    "Vaguely aware of his intentions, I desperately shook my head and asked for him to hurry and let her go. ¡®You can do anything to me, but killing someone is absolutely impossible.¡¯ He held my face and said that I had vividly described murder in the novels. What was it like in that situation? Wasn¡¯t it all about substituting myself into a murderer¡¯s world? He said that the things I had written recently were in and tasteless. He said I needed some ''growth'' and a strong,sting mental stimtion. When I looked into his eyes, I felt a deep terror. It was a look that someone who had murdered before would have."


    "He said many, many things to me, yet I was still reluctant to agree. He was extremely disappointed in me. He asked me to observe the whole murder process and record it in first person. You will find the notes in another notebook. I don¡¯t want to repeat the cruel experience again. Did killing people help me? No, not at all. I fell into the pits of self-me, guilt, and fear because when the woman was killed by him, she was crying and her eyes were pleading. She looked like a cow about to be ughtered, and the murderer had his back to me. I obviously could have taken what I had beside me to hit him and save this woman for a bit, but I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t dare to resist him anymore. I¡¯m guilty! I¡¯m guilty! I¡¯m guilty!"


    The following long section was all about Xin Bai watching the murderer''s murder experiences. There were a total of six murders. It also mentioned the fat man discovered by the police. His name was Xi Xiaohu, who seemed to be Xin Bai''s colleague.


    The murderer''s "teachings'''' for him were gradual. Xin Bai didn''t dare to kill anyone, so he got him to beat them. First, he cleaned the bathroom, then he got Xin Bai to dismember the bodies, and then he got him to hold the organs of the corpses to take pictures as mementos. Chen Shi thought to himself that in time, Xin Bai would gradually lose himself under his control, and perhaps would kill strangers numbly and mercilessly as well!


    This had nothing to do with his personal morality. The human heart was like this. It will constantly adapt to the environment and be ustomed.


    "There¡¯s no mention of Lan Xiao here." Chen Shi said, "When I talked about the name Lan Xiao with Xin Bai, he reacted calmly. If he had seen or witnessed him being killed, he definitely wouldn¡¯t act so calm."


    "But Lan Xiao¡¯s ID card was indeed in the hands of the murderer. This ID card was used when renting the house. If Lan Xiao had already gone ''missing'' at that time, Xin Bai wouldn¡¯t know... Has the murderer not ''gifted'' this to him yet? Or if Lan Xiao is still alive, where is he imprisoned?"


    "Lan Xiao is Xin Bai''s childhood nightmare. I think the murderer must hope that Xin Bai would kill him personally... Right, that novel has entered the main story line. The identity of the viin, Lan Xiao, has been exposed and the betrayal of his friends and rtives isn¡¯t far away. "


    "Old Chen, look at this segment of text."


    Lin Dongxue pointed out a piece of text.


    "He told me that he did all this to make me the best there can be. He saw himself in me, but he was uneducated and rather stupid, so he was unable to write these amazing stories. He wanted me to be the best writer, leaving my name down in history. A good writer must have extraordinary experiences. He said that one day he might be arrested by the police and executed, but these experiences will be carved in my bones and will be remembered forever. It may be a best-selling novel. There is an important role this novel has. That is, he, in this way, has something like eternal life. To give me sess was like giving himself sess! After some talking, he shed tears and I also shed tears. My tears were fake. My heart had long since gone numb. I just hoped that all of this would end as soon as possible and hoped that this demon would die!"


    "He mysteriously revealed to me that when the plot of the novel enters its final chapter, he¡¯d have a big gift to give me. However, when I receive this big gift, I must be prepared... This so-called being prepared refers to having the guts to kill someone!"


    "I hope I can hold on to thisst bit of myself and before I lose myself even more. To those who discover this passage in the future, perhaps I will be arrested in the future, shut myself away in front of you, and behave numbly and indifferently. I know I¡¯ll end up like that, but please don''t abandon me. I have already seen hell. Please have mercy on this weak and helpless soul and give it a little warmth!"


    "PS: For my ''health'', he forbids me to eat fried chicken. I really want to eat fried chicken. God¡¯s Fried Chicken is so tender and crispy, especially when covered with cumin and chili noodles. Once you bite down, the juice under the crispy skin will overflow out... If you¡¯re reading this and are willing to help me, please buy me a set of God¡¯s Fried Chicken. Remember to add french fries and Coke. My heart may have been lost, so please wake me up in other ways. Remember, it¡¯s God''s Fried Chicken in Chang''an Lane!"


    The segment of text ended there. Although thest passage was a bit weird, neither Lin Dongxue nor Chen Shiughed. They heard the call of a lost soul. Lin Dongxue said, "Is the fried chicken shop in Chang''an Lane still open? "


    "I¡¯m not too sure. I don''t usually like eating that stuff. Why don¡¯t we go over early tomorrow morning?"


    "Miss Gu should be here by now?"


    The two walked outside, and a takeaway boy parked his motorcycle there. A police officer said, "Hey, hey, don''t park the bike by the door."


    The takeaway boy readilyplied and pushed the bike away. He nced at Chen Shi inadvertently. This man looked honest, but Chen Shi caught an abnormality in his eyes.


    "Miss Gu is here." Lin Dongxue poked him.


    Gu You''s car appeared and Lin Dongxue went forward to greet her. Tao Yueyue got out of the car first while Gu You went to the parking lot to park.


    Gu You changed her outfit. Although her beautiful figure was slender and tall, she was wearing loose and unremarkable clothes. Psychologists seemed to have regtions in this regard, to not dress too seductively.


    Gu You went over and asked, "What''s the situation?"


    Chen Shi replied, "Mm, PTSD and learned helplessness."


    Gu You teased, "I asked you what the symptoms of that person were, but you directly told me what illnesses he has? When the doctor asks you where it hurts, do you just start talking about stomach ulcers?"


    "Okay, okay, let me rephrase it. They¡¯re probably the symptoms of PTSD and learned helplessness."


    "Haii, got it."


    "What is PTSD?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Tao Yueyue, who was holding her hand, said, "Sister Lin, you don¡¯t even know this much? It''s post-traumatic stress disorder."


    "Sister hasn¡¯t read as many books as you!" Lin Dongxue smiled. "Yueyue is really knowledgeable."


    "Why don''t you look at whose child she is..." Chen Shi said proudly, suddenly noticing that the takeaway boy just walked away. A trace of doubt passed through his mind.

 Chapter 707: Gutsy

    <h4>Chapter 707: Gutsy</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Seeing that Chen Shi was suddenly standing still, Lin Dongxue asked what was wrong. He said, "There was a takeaway delivery person just then. I thought he was a bit suspicious, but I don''t have any evidence."


    "Which takeaway ce? Call theirpany and ask!"


    "XX takeaway. I hope I¡¯m thinking too much."


    There was one thing that Chen Shi felt couldn¡¯t be easily ignored. What actions would that psychopath take during Xin Bai¡¯s arrest? He had a fanatical desire to dominate Xin Bai. Under the control of such feelings, he would definitely not sit still.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Speaking of takeaway, we haven¡¯t had food yet. Would you like to order some?"


    Chen Shi thought that Miss Gu would have to spend some time there, so he said, "Let''s go out to eat. Yueyue, are you going toe with us or Sister Gu?"


    "I want to see that crazy writer." Tao Yueyue said.


    "Then, we¡¯lle back soon."


    "You cane backter." Tao Yueyue blinked mischievously.


    An hourter, the two came back after eating their food and heard a cry from a certain conference room. It turned out that Gu You had given Xin Bai psychological counseling there. Perhaps something she said had touched him, causing him to bawl his eyes out.


    "Teacher Bai, today''s consultation ends here. It will take some time to liberate you from this prison in your heart. I won''t give up, so you shouldn¡¯t either, okay?" Gu You said gently.


    "It''s been a long time since somebody has said these things to me. Thank you!" Xin Bai whispered tearfully.


    Then, Xin Bai was taken back to the detention room. Before he left, Chen Shi said to him, "Teacher Bai, we all want to help you. The most important thing is for you to work up your courage."


    Xin Bai nodded silently.


    After he was taken away, Lin Qiupu rushed over to listen to the results. Gu You said, "His psychological problem is very serious, but his cognition is still normal. I wanted to learn about that person¡¯s information, but Teacher Bai would always avoid my attempts. Maybe it''s that the conditioning given by this person gave him a sense of self-restraint. As long as he says things about that person, he would be brutally murdered, so he¡¯s unwilling to reveal any clues out of self-preservation.¡±


    "I really can''t understand. He¡¯s so safe here, so what is he afraid of?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "You¡¯re really ayman outside of the industry. Don''t use ''take things too hard'' to understand psychological problems. It''s an illness. Illness! It''s like how a broken leg won¡¯t recover from just standing up and taking two steps." Chen Shi said.


    "Do I need you to teach me that?" Lin Qiupu was upset. "Miss Gu, the consulting fees..."


    "No need. We¡¯re all friends here and I¡¯m just here to help." Gu You smiled.


    It was gettingte. The four of them bid their goodbyes. Gu You said that she needed to do something and left by herself. Chen Shi knew what was going on as he just saw Peng Sijue not leaving after getting off work as if he was waiting for someone, so he didn''t pry.


    Tao Yueyue and Lin Dongxue got in Chen Shi''s car. Chen Shi began to send Lin Dongxue back first. On their way off work, the atmosphere was very rxed. Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue were chatting about the topic of movie novels when Lin Dongxue received a call.


    After putting down the phone, her expression had changed slightly. "The food deliverypany called and said that a customerined when they found that the delivery man couldn¡¯t be reached. He was found in a trash can outside a housingmunity and his clothes were stripped. The motorcycle was ridden away, and the person... The person is dead!"


    "Something is wrong. Let¡¯s go back quickly!" Chen Shi turned the steering wheel.


    "Is that psychoing to steal the crazy writer?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "It''s possible..." Chen Shi hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be a reality. There were only a few people on duty at night in the bureau. Moreover, no one had ever done anything like forcing themselves into a police station. The police might be paralyzed from the unexpected.


    Ten minutester, they arrived at the Public Security Bureau. Chen Shi left the car at the door and told Tao Yueyue not to leave the car for even half a step. He rushed into the bureau with Lin Dongxue.


    There was no one on duty at the front hall. Lin Dongxue walked into an office and found several police officers lying on their desks in deep slumber with unfinished instant noodles and mineral water in front of them. Lin Dongxue shook them, but they didn¡¯t respond. She picked up the instant noodles to smell them, but there was no peculiar smell to them.


    She found that everyone had the same brand of milk tea on the table, and they each only drank half of it. She guessed, "Was it drugged?"


    "Bang! Bang!"


    There were two gunshots outside, and the two of them rushed out in shock only to see a dark figure running across the corridor quickly. Lin Dongxue shouted for them to stop and reached for her gun out of reflex, only to remember that the gun was dropped off at the gun warehouse when she got off work.


    The guy ran extremely quickly. He was wearing a red vest from the XX takeawaypany. Based on his figure, he was clearly the suspicious person who had appeared previously. Chen Shi said, "I''ll chase after him! You should have a look at Xin Bai."


    He chased the man out and ran outside, only to see the man pushing out a motorcycle from behind the tree and rushing to the road after riding on it. Tao Yueyue pushed the car door open and shouted, "Uncle Chen, hurry up!"


    Chen Shi got in the car and stepped on the elerator to keep up. The motorcycle drove so fast that it even rushed onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians screamed and dodged, before he turned into an alley and disappeared.


    With the size of a car, it was impossible for them to drive in, and it was even more unlikely for Chen Shi to catch up using his pair of legs. Chen Shi could only give up and hit the steering wheel in annoyance. Tao Yueyue reminded him, "You just ran a red light."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "It can''t be helped. I will pay the fine by myself another day."


    "Was that the bad guy?"


    "Most likely."


    Tao Yueyue raised her phone. "When I heard the gunshots, I recorded this video facing the door."


    The front face of the person was photographed in the video. Chen Shi was delighted and rubbed Tao Yueyue''s head. "You¡¯ve done a great job!"


    He drove the car back to the bureau. It turned out that Old Zhang was the one who fired the gunshots. While on duty at night, someone had brought milk tea with a note saying, "Thank you for your hard work to those on duty. Please drink this." Everyone thought it was bought by Captain Lin, so they didn¡¯t put much thought into it and drank them.


    This person was very scheming. The milk tea came in various vors, and it had unsweetened oolong tea, so even Old Zhang drank it.


    Old Zhang took a sip and went to the bathroom. He suddenly felt dizzy and realized something was wrong. He ran out staggering. He saw a man grabbing a key from an unconscious policeman, so he fired a few shots toward the ceiling and the man ran away.


    The crisis was averted, but the several police officers were still out cold. Old Zhang sshed cold water on his face in an attempt to stay awake. He said to Lin Dongxue, "That¡¯s way too gutsy. He dared to go to the Public Security Bureau to try and kidnap someone. This hasn¡¯t happened since the Public Security Bureau was established... No, my head feels too dizzy..."


    "You can lie down on the sofa for a bit. Captain Lin wille shortly and we¡¯ll keep guard here." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Oh, then I give you guys my thanks..." As he said this, Old Zhang climbed onto the sofa and within a few seconds of lying down, he was snoring.


    "How is Xin Bai?" Chen Shi asked.


    "He was so scared that he held his head andy on the ground, trembling, as he pleaded something like ¡®Master, don''t hit me...¡¯ I guess they didn¡¯t see each other. What is this person thinking? We know Xin Bai¡¯s name, and there¡¯s surveince cameras everywhere in the bureau. Even if he seeds in kidnapping him, we would be able to find them immediately. Wait, was he here to kidnap him or kill him to prevent him from talking?"


    "It''s impossible for him to kill Xin Bai. Xin Bai is like his private property. If he didn''t miss him so much, he wouldn''t do such a desperate thing. I think something is still yet to happen..."

 Chapter 708: Locking-on The Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 708: Locking-on The Real Murderer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    At the case discussion meeting the next morning, Lin Qiupu said, "An incident happenedst night. By now, everyone must already know about it. I won¡¯t punish the police officers that were on duty. After all, it happened so suddenly and nobody would have expected it. But from now on, please be vignt. The criminal we¡¯re facing this time can be described as vicious and inhumane."


    After a round of whispering below, Lin Qiupu summarized the suspect''s known information. A male about 35 years old engaged in manualbor and probably lived near the work studio rented by Xin Bai.


    The most important clue was the video taken by Tao Yueyue. Although the suspect who ran out of the Public Security Bureau was wearing a hat at the time, they could still make out certain distinctive features, which increased the probability of arrest.


    The face that came out through the slideshow prepared perfectly matched Chen Shi''s expectations. He had an ordinary face, was clean, had no beard, wore sses, and looked very cowardly.


    In addition, the corpse found in the work studio yesterday was called Xi Xiaohu. This person was also an Inte writer. He had misdemeanors where he used to pretend to be an editor to scam for manuscripts. He also argued with readers on Weibo.


    ording to Xin Bai¡¯s editor, Xin Bai was scammed of some of his manuscripts by this person in the past. Xi Xiaohu changed it into his name and published it. In a cocky manner, he had said, "You can sue me if you can." Considering that awsuit was needed for a few thousand yuan, it wasn¡¯t worth it. Xin Bai could onlyin to the website. Later, the book Xi Xiaohu published was blocked. He actually bought a bunch of paid posters to leave negativements to tarnish Xin Bai¡¯s reputation.


    Xi Xiaohu disappeared a month ago. The autopsy found that he had only had rice, pickles, and other food residues in his stomach, and there were many old wounds on his body. The catechmine concentration in the heart muscle was higher than average. It was spected that he had been imprisoned and abused before being killed. This could be confirmed in Xin Bai''s "Murder Diary".


    The "Murder Diary" mentioned five other homicides, all of which urred in this work studio. It was currently impossible to determine the identity of all the deceased.


    The police discovered that the missing Lan Xiao¡¯s ID card had been used many times in the city and was even used to issue a new sim card. The time he went missing was two months ago. It was spected that he should be still alive now. The suspect wanted to let Xin Bai kill him personally at a specific time.


    "The main task today is to find this person and arrest him!" Lin Qiupu announced.


    "Wait everyone, don''t rush away." Chen Shi took out a bag and the police smelled a fragrant smell. The bag read God''s Fried Chicken. "Perhaps Xin Bai can provide some more clues. Captain Lin, please arrange for an interrogation."


    Xin Bai was taken to the interrogation room again. Although he didn¡¯t see the suspectst night, the gunshots and the shouts of the police frightened him. He still hadn¡¯t recovered from it yet. He sat on the interrogation chair and trembled. "He camest night, didn''t he?"


    "There¡¯s no need to hide it." Chen Shi whispered to Lin Qiupu, and then answered, "Yes, he was here and wants to kidnap you. We almost arrested him."


    "He really came! He really came!" Xin Bai looked horrified.


    "You haven¡¯t had breakfast, right?"


    Chen Shi put the fried chicken, coke, and french fries in front of him. Xin Bai was stunned looking at these three things, as if he had thought of something. Chen Shi smiled and said, "You said so yourself. If other methods can''t wake you up, just use this!"


    Xin Bai swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, then grabbed the chicken leg and gnawed at it wildly. After eating for some time, tears flowed down his face. In the blink of an eye, he had finished a whole crispy chicken leg until all that was left was bones. He sucked at his fingers with zeal.


    "Could you please tell us what his name is and where he lives? We¡¯re just one step away right now. As long as he¡¯s arrested, you will be safe. If you don''t save yourself, no one can save you!"


    Xin Bai trembled, as if he was umting courage. "Walmart on Dongyang Road. I saw this written on the bag he brought back. He works there."


    Chen Shi announced excitedly, "I will buy you fried chicken again when we arrest him."


    The police rushed to the supermarket and found out that there was an employee named Xu Guolong who worked there, but he had asked for leave for two days. The supermarket employees didn¡¯t know where Xu Guolong lived.


    However, this didn¡¯t trouble the police. They quickly found out where he rented a house through his ID information. As Lin Qiupu predicted, the ce where he rented was only two blocks away from Xin Bai''s work studio.


    At noon, everyone rushed to the housing district and went to the door of Xu Guolong¡¯s house. Everyone¡¯s nerves were tense. The door was opened. They saw a dark cabin that hadn¡¯t been cleaned for a long time. There was aputer and a few books on the table. The books, one of which was a physical novel of "Detective of The Abyss", had the pages turned over so much that they were about to fall apart.


    There were many printed papers and newspaper clippings posted on the wall. They were all news rting to Xin Bai. There were also public photos of Xin Bai that were posted from the Inte. This person was basically a fanatical fan.


    Lin Qiupu turned on theputer. "Yes, this is the person. A monitoring program is installed on theputer."


    "It looks like he never came back yesterday." Chen Shi said from the bathroom.


    "Find some clues and rescue Lan Xiao first!" Lin Qiupu ordered.


    "I''ll take a look at the surveince footage." Lin Dongxue said.


    The police started searching in the narrow house. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi went to find the property manager. They brought up the surveince footage fromst night. At about 11:50, an unexpected scene appeared.


    They saw Xu Guolong walking to the gate of the housingmunity in the takeaway uniform. He didn''t mind showing his face under the security camera, and even raised a sign with some words vaguely written on it.


    "It''s a number... 139..." Lin Dongxue struggled to make out the numbers.


    The two finally recognized the number. Lin Dongxue hurriedly told Lin Qiupu, and Lin Qiupu asked, "Does he want us to call him? I¡¯ll first contact the bureau to track his signal."


    After a brief exnation, Lin Qiupu dialed the number and turned on the speakerphone. Everyone in the room held their breath nervously.


    The phone went through and a very ordinary male voice said, "I know that the person who made this call must be a police officer. You should already be at my house right now, but don''t think I¡¯m here to surrender. Actually, I want to negotiate terms. "


    "Xu Guolong, keep dreaming. You have nowhere to run. Your crime has been exposed by us and surrendering is your only way out!" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Hahahaha!" The other partyughed, then hung up the phone.


    Five secondster, a call was returned. Xu Guolong said, "Since I left you the phone number, can''t I leave something else? Look at what¡¯s hidden behind the electric fan above your heads!"


    Everyone looked up and found that it was a camera, which was installed on the hanging handle of the electric fan and was almost invisible.


    "I put a bomb in the house, and now the detonator is in my hand. As long as I press it, all of you will be wiped out!"


    "Xu Guolong, do you want to openly challenge the police?" Lin Qiupu roared.


    "Why not?!"[1] He hung up again.


    1. This was written in English.

 Chapter 709: Death By Reflex Suppression

    <h4>Chapter 709: Death By Reflex Suppression</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone was very nervous when they heard that there was a bomb. Chen Shi said, "This kid is bluffing us. He only took leave yesterday. Perhaps he only learned about Xin Bai''s arrest at that time. Where would he go to get explosives in a single day? This plot is very familiar. It appeared in Detective of the Abyss. He¡¯s just imitating that segment."


    Lin Qiupu said, "The control of mmable and explosive materials in the city is extremely strict. I don''t think he can get it all in one day."


    "What if he prepared them beforehand? It¡¯s best to be careful!" Lin Dongxue said.


    The easiest way was to get out immediately. Everyone moved outside. A call arrived again. Xu Guolong said, "Haha, I lied to you. Were you scared? However, what I want to say next is absolutely real..."


    A woman suddenly yelled on the phone, and then stopped abruptly, as if she was gagged by something.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "What do you want?"


    "Release him and withdraw the case! If you don''t release him and don''t withdraw the case, for every day that you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill one person. The millions of residents in Long''an City are all my hostages."


    "We already know your identity, do you think-"


    Before Lin Qiupu finished speaking, the call disconnected again. He was so angry that he almost threw away his phone. He couldn¡¯t get through to the other party through any additional calls.


    The information department said that the signal couldn¡¯t be tracked because each call happened to be less than 30 seconds. Only the rough area could be located. Now, the signal hadpletely disappeared.


    Chen Shi said, "This is another technique mentioned in the novel. This novel is simply his guide to crime."


    "Does he want to threaten us with indiscriminate killing?" Lin Qiupu frowned. The man already had a hostage in his hands.


    "Let Xin Bai go. Xin Bai himself didn¡¯tmit a crime, so it doesn''t matter if he¡¯s let go." Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "We cannot ept a criminal¡¯s terms. This is too passive. I will mobilize all police forces to find the hostages."


    Chen Shi had no hope in his heart. Xu Guolong was originally a cowardly and honest person, but now he openly challenged the police to prove that he had "awakened", like a beast rushing out of the cage. Thus, no matter whether Xin Bai was let go or not, people would still die.


    We may not be able to save this hostage!


    Lin Qiupu contacted criminal police and local police in the district to search each housingmunity one by one, and posted an announcement on the Long¡¯an Police Weibo to remind the general public to be alert.


    All the investigations on hand were put on hold and everyone was running around. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were also asking for clues on the street.


    After a long day of searching, in the evening, a security guard¡¯s report from a certain housing district said that he saw a man that looked like the suspect entering and leaving the area at about 10:00 in the morning that day.


    There were many buildings in the housingmunity, so they could only ask the people of themunitymittee to help, and contact each house. During this period, Peng Sijue also brought people there.


    "Found it!" A phone call came through to Lin Qiupu and he informed everyone to rush over.


    When the door was opened, the room waspletely dark. A naked middle-aged woman was lying in the darkness. She was tied to a chair with her face turned up and a towel in her mouth.


    Peng Sijue stepped forward to check. "The time of death is probably within five hours."


    When the body was taken off the chair and ced on the ground, Peng Sijue found that she had no external wounds on her whole body, and there were no signs of poisoning in her pupils, nails, nose, and mouth. Judging from her respiratory tract, she didn¡¯t die of suffocation.


    Facing this corpse, he couldn¡¯t draw any significant conclusions.


    "How could this happen? It¡¯s such a clean corpse..." Lin Qiupu said. When he stepped forward, he identally stepped on something. It was an electronic fire starter that was removed from a lighter.


    He picked it up and took a look. When he pressed it, sparks could still be emitted. However, this item couldn¡¯t possibly kill people!


    "Let me see." Chen Shi took it and looked around the body''s nipples. "I may know how she was killed. The call time was at 8:00AM, and the security said he left at 10:00AM. In other words, he has been doing one thing over those two hours... He repeatedly electrocuted the nipples of the deceased with the electronic fire starter."


    "Is this also a killing method written in the novel?" Lin Dongxue was shocked. "Don''t say killing people with this discharge amount, you can¡¯t even kill cockroaches."


    Peng Sijue inspected the deceased''s nipple with a magnifying ss. "I seem to understand now. It¡¯s a death due to reflex suppression."


    "Yes, death due to reflex suppression. I was pondering what the terminology was just then!" Chen Shi said.


    Peng Sijue exined to the bewildered crowd that everyone has particrly sensitive parts on their bodies. Some are on the soles of their feet, and some are under the armpits, because these ces have a lot of nerves gathered.


    If these sensitive parts are repeatedly stimted to keep the person under a state of high stress and at the same time in a psychological state of fear, the body will madly release adrenaline and catechmines, causing myocardial contraction until ites to a sudden stop.


    In the Middle Ages, the tickling punishment utilized feathers to scratch the soles of the prisoners'' feet,[1] or applying honey onto them for the goats to lick them[2]. These made the prisoners feel worse off than death or even caused them to suddenly die on the spot.[3]


    "There are two additional reasons why the deceased died of reflex suppression. The first is that she was tied up and her body kept issuing rms, but she couldn¡¯t take action to avoid the stimnt. The rm would continue to escte and reach an intensity that the body cannot withstand. The second is that her mouth was blocked. People will yell when they¡¯re in pain because yelling can share part of the pain, but the most important thing is that it can release stress. If you can¡¯t yell, this stress will umte in the body.¡± Peng Sijue said.


    "The murder technique in the novel is the same. It¡¯s exactly the same." Chen Shi said that Xu Guolong, who had already entered a state of violent frenzy, was holding a book of murder and couldn''t wait to try it.


    "He¡¯s aplete lunatic. Carefully investigate all the surveince footage around and look for witnesses. We must find him before he kills the next person." Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth.


    "Captain Lin, I think we should still let Xin Bai go." Lin Dongxue suggested, "We will definitely find him since he¡¯s in the city. We need to let him go since we can¡¯t let him kill someone again."


    Looking at the corpse, Lin Qiupu sighed, "How can we just let Xin Bai go? We can''t contact him at all. Or do you mean that if we let Xin Bai go, he¡¯d definitely know?"


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s go with it. We¡¯ll let him go and then send a few people to follow Xin Bai. That person will definitely find him."


    Lin Qiupu called the bureau, went through the release procedures, and arranged for people to monitor and protect him the whole time without Xin Bai knowing. "If the suspect appears, the safety of the writer should be given priority."


    They were still looking for the whereabouts of the suspect on their side. The police called for surveince footage from the vicinity and kept investigating untilte at night. A local police officer came over and brought a person with them. The person said in agitation, "Today, I parked the car outside the hospital and didn¡¯t turn off the car. There was still elderly person in the car. When I got the medicine and came out, the car was gone. I haven¡¯t been able to contact my dad."


    "Which hospital and when did it go missing?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "It''s the Xiehe Hospital nearby. He disappeared at 3:00 in the afternoon. Please find him as soon as possible. My dad hasn''t taken medicine for a whole day." The man pleaded bitterly.


    1. Chinese tickle torture was practiced in the Han dynasty but was really only for the nobility. The author may also be referencing recounts of witnesses to Nazi prison camps, where they subjected this torture while inciting fear.


    2. I¡¯ve searched and can only find instances in Ancient Rome where feet got dipped in salt solution repeatedly so that what starts as tickling will be extremely painful due to the constant licking.


    3. While umon, it is apparently possible to die ofughter, specifically due to a heart attack, asphyxia, brain aneurysms or other stress-rted injuries. The individual loses control of his or her body and, unable to regte their breathing and being subdued by stress, the aforementioned issues can ur depending on the intensity and duration of the torture. The author continues to provide reasons why his instance is usible below.

 Chapter 710: Don’t Think You Can Use Me As Bait

    <h4>Chapter 710: Don¡¯t Think You Can Use Me As Bait</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Qiupu assured the man that the police would find a way to find his father before the man was no longer in distress. Then, Lin Qiupu sent someone to investigate near the Xiehe Hospital.


    The sky was getting darker when a phone call arrived at Lin Qiupu''s mobile phone. Xu Guolong said in a gloomy voice, "You haven''t released him yet, so you¡¯ve sessfully killed another innocent citizen."


    "Help..." An old man''s voice sounded over the phone.


    Lin Qiupu suddenly understood that the hostage Xu Guolong was holding was the old man who had disappeared at the entrance of the hospital. He said, "We¡¯ve already let him go. Don''t break your promise. Can you get past your conscience when you attack an old man? Don''t you have a father!?"


    "No, you didn''t let him go!"


    After speaking, Xu Guolong hung up the phone. Lin Qiupu was never contacted by that number again.


    Lin Qiupu looked at the time and found that it was exactly 12:00AM. Everyone had unknowingly investigated for a whole night. He felt extremely frustrated. He returned to the bureau and asked them if they had released Xin Bai yet.


    A policeman reluctantly said, "Captain Lin, the writer is unwilling to leave, saying that he¡¯s afraid. Although he has gone through the release procedures, he¡¯s been squatting at the door being unreasonable. We can''t drive him away."


    "Why didn''t you notify me?!" Lin Qiupu roared.


    "Ten phone calls... You never answered..."


    Lin Qiupu nced at his mobile phone. Sure enough, there were over a dozen missed calls, because he hadn''t heard them while on the road at all. He was so frustrated that he violently kicked a street light.


    He made a call. "Dongxue, Xin Bai is unwilling to be released. You and Chen Shi should go back and deal with it."


    Chen Shi said, "The old man can''t be saved no matter what, but you don''t have to me yourself. The purpose of the murderer is to throw the me to the police. However, he¡¯s the one whomitted murder. No one is responsible for the behavior of this lunatic."


    Lin Dongxue said, "It''s been a busy day, brother. You should go back and rest!"


    Lin Qiupu wanted to say something but stopped. He was full of anger now. He just wanted to find Xu Guolong and destroy him with one shot.


    He had never been so irritated from a criminal since he became a police officer.


    "Go now. Coax the writer away so that we don''t have a third victim." He waved his hand weakly.


    It was already 2:00AM by the time Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got back to the Public Security Bureau. They saw Xin Bai squatting in the hall, holding the legs of the bench like a spoiled child with leftover food and mineral water on the bench.


    A police officer said, "Thank God you came back. This guy didn''t want to go anyway no matter what we said. We bought him a boxed lunch and water. He¡¯s been squatting here for six hours. He¡¯s too stubborn."


    Xin Bai was already drowsy and was awakened by the sound of the words. "I won''t go! I won''t go! You want to use me as bait? Don''t even think about it!"


    "Who said we¡¯re using you as bait?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Nonsense. Can I still not understand? I¡¯ve written these kinds of stories. If you suddenly release me, it must be that the person gave you conditions. I won¡¯t leave no matter who persuades me!"


    "I''ve read your novel. The protagonist of the story cooperated with the police and finally caught the bad guy. Isn''t everyone happy?"


    "The novels are all deceptive!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other and smiled bitterly. "Okay, I''ll make it clear. Xu Guolong is killing people outside..." Xin Bai shuddered when he heard the name. "The condition for him to stopmitting crimes is to release you. However, the police also thought of a sure-fire n. Captain Lin arranged manpower to monitor and protect you every half-step."


    "You see? That is the case! You¡¯re using me as a bait. I don''t care what he does! I! Won¡¯t! Go!" Xin Bai hugged the legs of the chair tighter.


    "What should we do? Pull him out forcibly?" Lin Dongxue asked in a low voice.


    Xin Bai seemed to have heard her words. "Don¡¯t. If you drive me out, I willmit a crime when I go out. I¡¯ll smash a car or act like I got hit by a car to see if you¡¯ll arrest me. Why are you police officers so frustrating? You can¡¯t arrest him, so you¡¯re using me as bait?"


    Chen Shi said, "What you said is quite biased. Long''an City is so big. It¡¯s difficult to find someone to begin with. We can definitely find them, but it takes time. We don''t have that time right now. You are the magic weapon that can buy time for us!"


    "Yeah, do you know that a woman was killed today? Then, another old man disappeared. I''m afraid it¡¯s boding ill rather than well. Although it¡¯s for these people you don''t know, you should make a little sacrifice and show the face of a grown-up, okay?" Lin Dongxue persuaded.


    Xin Bai was a little shaken, but then reverted to his old attitude and said even more stubbornly, "How many sacrifices have I made? How many crimes have I suffered? Why does it have to be me? I just want to peacefully write novels and asionally watch movies or y games! When I get the manuscript fee, I can get escort services, so why can''t I do what I want?!"


    After talking so much, Xin Bai remained unmoved. Chen Shi said, "Call your brother and exin the situation."


    "Haii, I don''t know what to say." Lin Dongxue picked up the phone.


    Chen Shi said to Xin Bai again, "Don''t squat here either. Squatting for a long time isn¡¯t good for your anus. Just go to the detention room and sleep. If you want something to eat, I will buy it for you."


    Hearing this, Xin Bai got up in silence and followed the police. However, instead of going to the detention room, they found a conference room, brought a bed and quilt over, and bought some food for him. He was bored and had to turn on the projector to watch movies. They eventually met his requirements.


    At 3:00 in the morning, Xin Bai was lying on the conference table eating snacks and watching "Edward Scissorhands",pletely enjoying himself. This scene made Lin Dongxuepletely speechless. Chen Shi said, "Let''s not stay here anymore either. What time is it right now? Let¡¯s go to bed!"


    "It''s 3:00. How long does it take for a return trip? Or maybe we can just sleep here? Old Zhang has a foldable recliner."


    "How is a recliner enough for two people to sleep on? I think we should order a room to sleep in."


    "Okay, but... we can only sleep!"[1]


    "Nonsense. I''m so sleepy that I¡¯m about to fall down."


    After taking a rest for the night, the police came to work with dark circles in the morning. They were surprised to see an uncle in a conference room sleeping on a bed. Disregarding how nice it looked, the room smelled of stinky socks.


    Lin Qiupu asked what was going on. Lin Dongxue exined the situation, and Lin Qiupu sighed. "Why is this guy so shameless? Find a way to drive him out."


    "Even if we drove him out, he would run back by himself. He¡¯s a patient. Today, I¡¯ll try to convince him to cooperate with us."


    "What patient? I think he¡¯s simply acting mad while taking advantage of the fact that he¡¯s sick. You don¡¯t have to do anything else, but you must make him leave by the early morning."


    "Understood! I will also perform the task of protecting him. I will bring Old Chen with me. Xin Bai has taken a liking to Old Chen."


    Lin Qiupu felt this was too dangerous and didn''t want to agree to it. However, thinking that Lin Dongxue was no longer the little police officer from the past, he said, "You must pay attention to your safety."


    That morning, everyone was dominated by negative and exhausted emotions. They dragged their sleep-deprived bodies and continued to look for the missing old man. At around 10:00 in the morning, he was finally found under a bridge. The old man¡¯s corpse was shocking!


    1. Usually people ¡°order a room¡± when they¡¯re going to have sex.

 Chapter 711: The Death Bell Tolls For You

    <h4>Chapter 711: The Death Bell Tolls For You</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Everyone rushed to the scene and saw an old man lying in the sludge under the bridge. His upper body was stripped of clothes. His chest and back were covered with something like a medicinal ster. Peng Sijue stepped forward to check and found that the old man¡¯s lips were dry and his eyes were bulging. The skin on the neck was red.


    Removing a piece of ster from the corpse, Peng Sijue immediately found that they were warming stickers[1] avable in convenience stores.


    "These are warming stickers on the deceased. I think the cause of death should be heatstroke. The body surface temperature exceeded the body''s ability to remove heat, causing serious dehydration of the cells, failure of various organs, and finally, heart and lung failure." Peng Sijue concluded.


    This method of death was undoubtedly another long and torturous murder. The old man¡¯s mouth had been blocked with something. In order to make the warming stickers have its heatpletely utilized, the murderer tied the old man¡¯s hands and feet together and stretched him out so that he couldn¡¯t bend over. Late at night, nobody noticed the abnormalities under the bridge at all even though there were carsing and going on the bridge. Everyone shuddered at the thought of the situation at the time.


    Chen Shi said, "This is another method of murder mentioned in the novel. It¡¯s terrible when you think about it properly. These readers of this curious story can actually kill people using the methods written."


    Looking at the old man''s body, Lin Qiupu felt a deep sense of powerlessness. He murmured to himself, "There can¡¯t be any more deaths!"


    Aside from the forensic police investigating the scene, Lin Qiupu asked the other people not to stay on the scene anymore and immediately went around to look for Xu Guolong''s whereabouts.


    "Wait..." Chen Shi said, "Where¡¯s the deceased''s clothes?"


    After he said that, everyone discovered that the old man''s clothes weren¡¯t there. Lin Dongxue said, "You mean he put the clothes on?"


    "It¡¯s possible. The cases yesterday and today were in this area, within a radius of tens of kilometers. There¡¯s security cameras everywhere. The police are now searching for him everywhere. If he walks out on the street casually, he¡¯d be easily spotted."


    Lin Qiupu observed the corpse and took out the photos of the deceased before his death. He said, "This old man originally had a beard, but now he¡¯s been shaved. It may be used by the suspect as a disguise. Please pay attention to find someone who¡¯s wearing brown clothes and an old man¡¯s beard."


    "Is this another part of the novel?" Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi.


    "No. I think he¡¯s ying hide-and-seek with the police right now and is using his own creativity. Although he doesn¡¯t have much education, human potential is endless during this time."


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of Song Lang''s hard years of "hide and seek" with the police when he was a wanted person in the city. In order to avoid the police, no matter how dark and narrow the ce was, he¡¯d use it to hide himself.


    He cast aside these thoughts and said to Lin Dongxue, "Let''s continue to do our task and persuade that guy to leave."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I n to go again in the afternoon. In the morning, I will follow my brother to find the suspect."


    "Okay, there should be time."


    Without noticing, it was already afternoon. There was still no progress on the police¡¯s side of things. Xin Bai was still lying on his side on the table in the conference room. The two of them walked in. Xin Bai opened and closed his eyes. Chen Shi asked, "Teacher Bai, are you taking a nap?"


    "What else can I do if I don¡¯t sleep? There¡¯s nothing here," he said stiffly.


    "How nice would it be if you went home? You can use aputer and y games. By the way, shouldn¡¯t you update your novel? Your readers are all kicking up a fuss."


    "No way! I finally got arrested. Why would I waste such a good reason to procrastinate?!"


    Chen Shi held his palms together. "Another old man was killed early this morning. Another life. Brother, I beg of you not to be so scared. If you walk out of this door right now, Dongxue and I will protect you personally!"


    "Why does it matter to me?" Xin Bai said angrily. "Can you not put the responsibility of the dead on me? Isn''t this responsibility yours? You couldn¡¯t arrest him in two days!"


    "There are hundreds of thousands of people in XX district, and there are only dozens of police officers. Two days just isn¡¯t enough."


    "Anyway, if I don''t leave here, you guys can¡¯t push me into the fire pit. Hmph!"


    Chen Shi scratched his head straight. He was too stubborn. He wondered if he should get some ether to make him faint and drag him away.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue leaned over and said, "I have something to tell you."


    In front of a beauty, Xin Bai was still a little reserved. He sat up and tidied his clothes up, blushing, "Don''t persuade me. It¡¯s really my freedom to stay here. If you have the energy, then use it to catch the suspect!"


    "Can I show you something?" Lin Dongxue took out a photo of a woman. "This woman is called Qin Xuemei. She runs an online shop at home and works freely, just like you. Her husband works in another city and onlyes back once a week. The husband and wife are going to have a baby in the second half of the year. Every time her husbandes back, she will go to the supermarket to buy food early in the morning and make a table of delicious food. Do you know what her biggest goal is? She feels that her teeth aren¡¯t beautiful and neat enough, so she wants to save money to get a set of the most expensive porcin teeth, so that she canugh more confidently... But this will never be achieved because her life stopped yesterday morning. The forensic pathologist spected that her process of death was a long one,sting two hours. She was gagged and couldn''t scream. Facing the abuse and torture of a stranger and thinking of her favorite person, she died in despair."


    Lin Dongxue''s tone was sad. Xin Bai moved his body ufortably and whispered, "What does this have to do with me?"


    Lin Dongxue took out another photo of the deceased, "This old man is called Han Jianjun. 70 years old this year..."


    She vividly recounted the lives of the deceased and the painful experience of their deaths. Chen Shi understood her intentions. She wanted to let Xin Bai know that two lives weren¡¯t just a number, but two lively lives that were put to a halt. Their two families were hit hard, and countless friends and rtives were also hit.


    "You should have read that Hemingway novel, "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I remember a sentence in the book where it says, ¡°don¡¯t ask for whom the death bell tolls, the bell tolls for you...¡± Everyone¡¯s death is rted to you." Lin Dongxue said.


    Xin Bai''s face was red from shame and he scratched his neck. He was silent for a while. Lin Dongxue continued to move him with sincerity. "No one knows who the next victim is, but as long as you¡¯re willing to go home, that person can escape a hurdle, and our police will have more time to hunt down the real murderer."


    Xin Bai slowly shook his head. "You¡¯re all deceived by him. He¡¯s a wild killer. Asking to release me is just a cover... Forget it. I will go home now, but you must protect me."


    Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. This stubborn guy was finally persuaded. Xin Bai packed his things and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "I can¡¯t believe you thought of that. So you were making these preparations in the morning."


    "I didn''t inquire too much. Part of it was my personal take!"


    "Good job... Right, did you bring your gun?"


    "I have!"


    When Xin Bai tidied up everything, the two walked out with him. Seeing the sunshine again, Xin Bai sighed and turned to Chen Shi. "How many psychopaths are there in this city? It must be really hard for you police officers!"


    1. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRoG0ZGKulFzXtgksTCyzBKGGWweFUoh3zu6g&usqp=CAU

 Chapter 712: Slacker, Hurry Up And Work

    <h4>Chapter 712: cker, Hurry Up And Work</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    While they were on the road with Xin Bai in the car, Xin Bai suddenly said, "Wait. Let¡¯s go to a ce before going home. Do you know of the Henghui housingmunity?"


    Chen Shi searched on the GPS and the route was automatically marked. He asked, "Going to meet a friend?"


    Xin Bai was silent.


    When he arrived at the housingmunity, Xin Bai wandered around like a fly without his head, and Chen Shi said impatiently, "If you want to inquire about something, just ask people directly. Why are you embarrassed to speak?"


    Xin Bai replied, "Xu Guolong may have rented a house here. I once heard him talk about renting one while he was on the phone."


    "Let¡¯s find the property manager and ask!"


    They found thendlord through the property manager. Thisndlord had signed a rental contract with Xu Guolong in January of this year.


    It was a basement that was airtight and the rent was rtively cheap. Thendlord said as they walked, "Aiya, you¡¯re the police? That man said that he operates a small business and rented the basement to store his carts. I really didn¡¯t know that he was a criminal."


    "It doesn''t matter. We have only just found out about this matter, and we won¡¯t hold you ountable." Chen Shi reassured.


    When they got to the front of the basement, thendlord opened the door as Lin Dongxue unbuttoned her leather gun holster in alert. Chen Shi used his mobile phone to illuminate the basement. The basement which was barely ten square meters was empty. A dog¡¯s leash was tied to the heat pipe, and a food bowl and toilet bucket were ced on the floor. Although the toilet bucket was empty, there was still a smell in the house. It was the rotten smell of people who¡¯ve been detained for a long time.


    Xin Bai covered his mouth and nose. "I don''t know if this will help you or not."


    "It seems that this ce is used to hold the hostages. Perhaps Lan Xiao was kept here." Chen Shi said.


    "Lan Xiao!" Xin Bai drew a deep breath. "Is it that Lan Xiao?"


    "Yes, it¡¯s that Lan Xiao. He intended to give Lan Xiao as a ¡®gift¡¯ to you. Let me ask you something. Did you personally rent the work studio?"


    "It wasn¡¯t me. Ever since he imprisoned me, he¡¯s done everything on my behalf. Only, the money spent has been all mine."


    After leaving that ce, Lin Dongxue called Lin Qiupu and told him of this clue.


    The three arrived at Xin Bai''s original home. When they were about to open the door, a female neighbor walked out from the opposite door and greeted them with a smile, "Mr. Bai, you have guests at home? How rare."


    Xin Bai blushed and said shyly, "They¡¯re distant rtives."


    "Hello." The female neighbor smiled and greeted Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue before going downstairs with a vegetable basket. Xin Bai looked at her back as she left and couldn¡¯t get the key into the keyhole for a long time.


    "Why are you in such a daze?!" Chen Shi asked.


    Only then did Xin Bai wake up, smiling, "It''s great to be home."


    "The neighbor is so beautiful." Chen Shimented.


    Xin Bai''s face blushed again, and Chen Shi figured that there was an 80% chance that this guy was interested in her.


    Returning to a familiar ce, Xin Bai took a bath before ordering takeaway. He invited Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue to eat. The takeaway was actually from Haido. The hotpot base and the dishes totaled to over 400 yuan. This was the most luxurious takeaway meal Chen Shi had ever eaten.


    Eating duck intestines and drinking beer, Xin Bai''s tears fell down. "I haven''t been sofortable in a long time. I didn''t know how to cherish it in the past. Now, I only have one wish. I hope I can live like this every day."


    "What are you dreaming for? Go and write your manuscripts after dinner!" Chen Shi said.


    "I... I want to take a day off today."


    "Don''t talk nonsense. You have to update even if it¡¯s shit today. Otherwise, don''t eat tonight."


    Xin Bai looked resentful and his mouth pouted like a child.


    After eating, Chen Shi helped clean up the table. As soon as he came out of the kitchen, he saw Xin Bai sitting cross-legged in front of the TV and ying Fortnite. He begged, "Just ying one round. Just ying one round. I¡¯m just adjusting my condition. "


    Lin Dongxue looked helpless. "I just went to pour a ss of water, but he turned on the game console himself. I couldn''t stop him."


    Chen Shi reprimanded, "Give me a break! Get to work."


    As he said this, he turned the console off. Xin Bai opened his mouth wide like he was about to rage. "The game console can''t be turned off like this! It will damage the motherboard, you illiterate!"


    "I will pay you back if it breaks."


    "Then I¡¯ll turn it on and check if it¡¯s broken."


    "Get lost and go to work!"


    Chen Shi could then see this guy''s procrastination prowess. He made tea, ate snacks, listened to music, stood in front of the window to enjoy the scenery, ory in his bed to y phone games. He kept making it sound nice by saying he was adjusting his condition and state of mind, but three hours passed. When the word document was opened, it was still snow white and clean.


    "I really don''t want to write anymore!" When Chen Shi urged him to write a manuscript for the tenth time, the writer rolled around the bed and wailed. "Every time it''s killing, investigating, and closing cases. How can readers not get bored with the same routine? During New Years, Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival, I haven''t rested for even a day. Can you let me rest for two days and let myself rx? If you force me like this, it will only generate crap."


    "Teacher Bai, you should be more content. Think about when you weren¡¯t well-known. If you go and find a convenience store worker and tell him about this job where you type on theputer every day to be able to eat and clothe yourself without issues, don¡¯t you think he¡¯d do it?"


    Xin Bai looked upset. "I would rather do manualbor. At least I wouldn¡¯t need to use my brain. My brain is almost dry from thinking up cases!"


    ¡°One¡¯s hard work is the ease of others. Think about your readers who get off after a hard day of work, take the bus to go home, open the novel and read two chapters. They can temporarily forget the trivialities of life. It¡¯s a kind of rxation for them. The process of writing online novels may be unpleasant, but after you finish and get the manuscript fee, you can go to a restaurant where you can enjoy the fruits of other people¡¯sbor. Everyone gives out a portion ofbor so that this society will function healthily and get better. No matter what reasons criminals use to justify harming others, they are always just destroying the other person''sbor. Even if Moriarty the second was born, he wouldn¡¯t be as great as a cleaner becausebor is the most valuable thing... Aren¡¯t those words you¡¯ve said?!"


    "I understand, but..."


    As soon as Chen Shi heard this, he sighed. This guy was reallyzy to the bone. Even prostitutes who pick up customers are more conscious than him.


    "If he doesn¡¯t want to write, then don''t write. Don''t try to persuade him. I¡¯m getting annoyed just listening to it all." Lin Dongxue persuaded.


    "Officer Lin is so kind!" Xin Bai cheered.


    "No, it must be updated today. Today''s update is very important. We aren¡¯t sure through what channels Xu Guolong would know about Xin Bai¡¯s release. Maybe it¡¯s through the novel updates. In order to prevent the next victim from appearing, every possibility must be considered." Chen Shi said.


    Upon hearing this, Xin Bai was downcast again. "Alright, alright, get out. I don''t want anyone to disturb me when I work."


    The two stayed outside for a while. They couldn''t watch TV and bother him. They just sat there and went on their phones. Chen Shi closed the window and carefully checked every corner to make sure there wasn¡¯t surveince equipment installed.


    When he went to the bathroom halfway, he came back and found Xin Bai standing in front of the living room window with his hands on his back. Chen Shi said, "Why are you touching fish[1] again?"


    "It''s finished!" He said leisurely.


    "What? It¡¯s finished already?"


    Chen Shi took out his phone to see that it was actually updated, and the quality wasn¡¯t too bad with a full four thousand words. He thought to himself that this cker was actually very talented. If not, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to live sozily.


    He looked up and noticed that Xin Bai was looking at a person outside. It was a woman...


    1. cking.

 Chapter 713: Miss Me?

    <h4>Chapter 713: Miss Me?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi went up to see that the person standing downstairs was the female neighbor from earlier. He asked, "Are you interested in her?"


    "No... no... don''t talk nonsense!" Xin Bai was suddenly as shy as a middle school student, and his thoughts were written all over his face.


    The female neighbor downstairs said, "Come to mommy." Then, a little toddler walked into her arms and she kissed the toddler. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "She already has children."


    "Even if you have children, you don''t necessarily have to be married..." Xin Bai said with a blushing face. "She¡¯s a single mother. It¡¯s said that she was cheated by a scumbag before. She was pregnant and couldn''t bear to have an abortion. She gave birth alone. Up till now, she still doesn¡¯t have a residence permit in Long''an. It¡¯s very hard for a person to work alone in a fast food restaurant while raising a child." He showed a sympathetic expression while he exined this.


    "Are you two close?" Chen Shi asked.


    "We only... only greet each other every day!"


    "Look at you. You¡¯re still single in your thirties and live like a giant baby. The person you obviously like is right in front of you, but you don¡¯t dare to take action." Chen Shimented.


    "What... take action? You make it sound so ugly. Everything will go ording to fate!"


    "¡¯Everything will go ording to fate¡¯ is a phrase of self-deception. The person you like appeared in front of you. If you don''t take the initiative, the other person will never know that you like them. Waiting is unreliable. It will only dy time and you¡¯ll miss the opportunity. There are so many people in this world. Encountering true love is inherently a low-probability event. This is already what you call fate. If you don''t take the initiative, in the end, destiny won¡¯t take care of you again."


    Hearing this, Xin Bai blushed and fell into silence. Lin Dongxue said, "As a woman, I will add my two cents. In fact, it¡¯s also possible to chase after girls using pick-up gimmicks. There are ''tips'' that you can find on the Inte. But if you really pursue her, you will find that it is easier than you think. They will unconsciously be epting of these gimmicks."


    "Isn''t that too hypocritical?" Xin Bai used sophistry to cover up his cowardice.


    "Pick-up gimmicks don¡¯t mean hypocrisy. You can understand it as a social etiquette between the sexes. For example, if you buy two movie tickets and say you identally bought an extra and want to invite her to watch a movie, or tell her you bought too much dim sum and can¡¯t eat it all. After that, they¡¯ll know your intentions. If she¡¯s interested in you, she will agree. If not, they will decline. In this way, neither side will lose face. Ximen Qing even used a ten-step n to seduce Pan Jinlian!"


    "What are those examples?!" Chen Shimented.


    Lin Dongxueughed out loud. "I¡¯m not very educated and haven''t read any romance novels."


    Xin Bai didn''t speak, as if he was thinking about something. Then, suddenly he denied, "Everything will go ording to fate. Everything will go along with fate. I don''t have the mind to think about this. Only perverts would think about how to pick up girls all day."


    Saying that, he went back into his room. Lin Dongxue smiled at Chen Shi. "You¡¯re a pervert!"


    "Fuck, what gimmick did I use on you?"


    "Didn''t you use one back then?"


    It was getting dark, and the two of them didn''t n to leave tonight. At night, Xin Bai became anxious and kept peeping out the window. He asked, "You two will protect me tonight?"


    "Are two not enough?" Chen Shi said.


    "What if you fall asleep?"


    "It''s okay. I will contact Captain Lin and add a few people to keep watch outside." Lin Dongxue said.


    Soon after, there was an extra car downstairs. Lin Dongxue said, "Look, reinforcements came."


    Xin Bai was relieved and pointed to the game console. "Can I y it for a while?"


    Chen Shi said, "This is your home. You can y as much as you want without asking us."


    "Oh, it¡¯s a habit... It¡¯s a habit."


    As midnight approached, both Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were nervous, fearing that the guy wouldn¡¯t keep his promises and would keep killing people. Suddenly, Lin Dongxue received a message. After reading it, she said, "There shouldn''t be a third victim." Then, she showed Chen Shi the text.


    It turned out that one hour ago, Lin Qiupu followed Xu Guolong''s traces and arrived at a certain housing district. At the time, there was a screaming from a building. The police rushed up to see that when thedy of an apartment was taking a shower in the house, the front door was pried open by somebody. Rope, tape, gloves, and other items were ced on the coffee table in the living room, which frightened her.


    This was obviously Xu Guolong conveying a message, telling the police that he could¡¯ve killed the woman but didn¡¯t. He was fulfilling his promise.


    When 12:00 came, Lin Qiupu didn''t receive a call from Xu Guolong again. After a day of running, he announced tiredly that everyone could go back to rest first.


    "It seems like it¡¯ll be safe tonight." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Will hee?" Chen Shi looked out the window, "One possibility is that he wille. The other is that he won''t."


    "Aren¡¯t you just stating the obvious?"


    "What I¡¯m worried about is that he¡¯ll run away. Even if this dog that everyone wants to hit doesn¡¯t kill people today, he may kill people for a bowl of rice, corn, or a pair of shoes during his escape. This is the most troublesome situation."


    "You actually want him toe, right?"


    "But will hee? There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t think that the police are here lying in ambush!"


    "Let''s not sleep tonight."


    "I''ll go down and buy some food and drinks in preparation for an endurance battle. Do you want to drink Red Bull or Coke?"


    "I¡¯ll have what you¡¯re having."


    When Chen Shi went down, he checked the surroundings of the housing district, especially around the surrounding walls and security cameras. Then, he bought arge bag of drinks from the convenience store, gave some to the two police officers who were keeping watch below, and returned to the house.


    Chen Shi turned off the light in the living room. He and Lin Dongxue sat in the dark. However, solely sitting with each other was really boring. Chen Shi improvised some stories and Lin Dongxue listened in delight.


    At 2:00AM, in the middle of the night, even with the effects of their Red Bulls, they couldn''t stand it anymore. The biological clock is such a powerful force. Lin Dongxue was already asleep on the sofa. Chen Shi was also in a daze as he pped his forehead repeatedly. He sent a message to the police officers below. "I can¡¯t do it anymore, you two. I will have to have some shut-eye for a while."


    Policeman A replied, "Brother Chen, you can sleep for a while. I¡¯m a night-owl. I¡¯m very energetic at night. I¡¯ll keep watch!"


    "Call me as soon as possible if a situation arises."


    After the call ended, Chen Shi leaned on a pillow. He had umted too much exhaustion from a few nights of not sleeping, so he fell asleep soon after.


    Hearing a soft snoring sound in the living room, Xin Bai, who was pretending to be asleep in the bedroom, walked out lightly. He whispered, "I''m sorry", then quietly opened the door and snuck out.


    Living here, he naturally knew how to avoid the police downstairs and took a taxi after leaving the housing district.


    His heart was thumping along the way. Why did he do this kind of thing? He knew it was a trap, so why was he stepping into it? However, there was another voice in his heart saying, ¡®No, you must go!¡¯


    He finally arrived at a park and followed the instructions on the text message into the forest. He suddenly saw a person "floating" in the air, and he screamed.


    "My baby, do you miss me?"


    The gloomy voiceced with intimacy made his pores shrink all over his body, and his urine was about to burst out. He tremblingly turned to the direction of the voice. "Mas- Master!"

 Chapter 714: Last-minute Goal

    <h4>Chapter 714: Last-minute Goal</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Guolong was wearing make-up, sses, and a wig. He opened his hands as if to embrace Xin Bai. "Do you know how much I¡¯ve missed you these past few days? I killed those people and forced the police to release you. It was all for you!"


    Xin Bai backed away while trembling. He looked at the person hanging from the tree. The man had a noose around his neck and there were a few stones under his feet. The stones were picked up from nearby and all very irregr in shape. He could only use his feet to try and struggle for bnce on those stones to avoid being hanged. Although this was very difficult, the desire to survive forced him to do so.


    There was a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth, which was soaked in saliva. His eyes were jet-ck and hisplexion was shallow. He was extremely haggard.


    "You... you¡¯re lying to me!" Xin Bai said.


    "Yes!" Xu Guolong grinned. "The picture I showed you was something I photoshopped. I didn''t take the female neighbor you have a crush on as a hostage, but this person..." Xu Guolong used his thumb to point behind him, "is meaningful to you in the same way."


    Xin Bai kept shaking. His hands and feet became cold. The man on the tree seemed a tad familiar, but standing in front of Xu Guolong, he was full of tension and fear. He couldn''t remember who that person was.


    "You have to admit that we already have some kind of special connection. That¡¯s why I can trick you out with a single message. In the eyes of outsiders, I¡¯m a murderer and a demon. Even the water I¡¯ve drunk before would poison people... Haha, these are words from your novel. However, you dare toe to see mete at night because you know that I won¡¯t hurt you. Loving you is like loving myself. Everything I do is for you... To tell you the truth, I n to escape, but I have to conduct one important matter before I escape. This person, Lan Xiao, is the nightmare of your life. I want you to kill him yourself!"


    "Lan... Lan Xiao?" Xin Bai looked at that face. After over 20 years and being imprisoned by Xu Guolong for a while, he was barely recognizable.


    It was indeed Lan Xiao, the little bully who insulted and bullied him in a multitude of ways when he was a child, causing him to feel like he was thrown in a pan of hot oil every day he went to school. It always made him hide in his bed and cry. Lan Xiao was his childhood nightmare.


    It was also this person who caused a life¡¯s truth to be inscribed in his bones - Others are hell. It¡¯s caused him to always have a deep-rooted fear of strangers.


    This surge of thoughts flooded Xin Bai''s chest, making him almost unable to breathe.


    "I¡¯ve already prepared everything. You just need to kick the rocks under his feet, then leave this ce and go back to the house to sleep before the police find out. As for me, I¡¯ll escape from Long''an. This murder will also fall on my head. When I get arrested one day, I¡¯ll also tell the police that I was the one who did it. No one will think it was you. You don¡¯t have to take any risks, but you can end your nightmare with your own hands. This is the parting gift I¡¯ll give you. Do it!" Xu Guolong tempted him with a crazed smile.


    Xin Bai, as if being nudged forward by ghosts, walked towards this "gift". Lan Xiao whimpered, twisting his body desperately with hot tears rolling out of his eyes.


    When he was only one step away from Lan Xiao, Xin Bai stopped. "Why do you have to make me kill someone?"


    Xu Guolong hugged him from behind, rubbed his face against his shoulder, and said affectionately, "It¡¯s because the first time I saw your words, I seemed to be looking at myself. I shared a strong resonance with it. I couldn¡¯t contain myself from loving you! However, you were just a little-known online writer. Only a few thousand or just over 10,000 readers knew your name at best. I couldn¡¯t ept that. I want you to be the best suspense novelist in the world. What you need is an extraordinary experience. I tortured you and imprisoned you so that you could grow up. Ever since you ''appreciated'' the process of my murders, your words have indeed been baptized,[2] but that isn¡¯t enough. You have to kill someone to truly awaken and be a better version of yourself. Come on, my love!"


    The man talked about this fanatically, blowing hot air at Xin Bai¡¯s face, which only made him feel sick. However, he didn¡¯t dare to resist him too tantly, so he turned around to escape the sweaty hug.


    "You¡¯re wrong. Writing suspense novels doesnt require murder. Just like people who write fairy tales may not have been to a fantasy world. People who write romance novels may not have all fallen in love. The experience of being bullied when I was a child has already be my memory and is a part of me. That is a demon of my heart and the source of my inspiration. Creators are people who can only imagine if they aren¡¯t satisfied in reality. Their status is humble and their souls are tall. This is what a writer is. I don¡¯t need to do this kind of thing at all, and you don¡¯t understand me at all!"


    He said these words he¡¯d kept in his heart all in one breath.


    "Do as I say!!!" Xu Guolong roared with spitnding on Xin Bai''s face. He shook Xin Bai''s shoulders. "I did so much for you! Why don''t you appreciate it? Which reader would love you like this? Tell me! Tell me!"


    "Go to hell, you psycho!!!"


    Xu Guolong''s abdomen became cold. He looked down and stared. Xin Bai''s trembling hand was slowly leaving a knife that had pierced his abdomen. He felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Compared to the physical pain, the pain in his heart was even more unbearable for him. His passion was regarded as trash, and the person he loved most hated him so much!


    "Ahh!!!"


    Xu Guolong yelled, and his shout rmed the birds in the forest who pped into the dark night sky.


    Noticing that the situation wasn¡¯t boding well, Xin Bai pushed him away and ran. Xu Guolong was dominated by adrenaline. He pulled out the small knife from his abdomen. Xin Bai, who had never killed anyone, didn''t even stab the knife deep enough. He chased after Xin Bai, crazed, and soon after, Xin Bai''s back was within reach.


    With a cruel decision, he raised the knife. He wanted to kill Xin Bai, then light a fire to burn himself to death in a pile of fire. Their bodies would melt together and they would have to be buried together in the future. There will always be two people buried in Xin Bai''s tomb forever, and they will always be together in death.


    Xu Guolong mmed Xin Bai to the ground, gritted his teeth, and raised the knife. In his desperation, Xin Bai grabbed a stone and hit Xu Guolong in the face. Xu Guolong felt warm liquid flow down his forehead, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of pain.


    Xin Bai continued struggling to escape. The two were fighting on the grass. Xu Guolong pounced again and held him down, like a lover¡¯s wrestle. He held up the knife to stab Xin Bai''s paling face.


    At this time...


    "Xu Guolong!"


    Hearing the stern shout, he raised his head on reflex. Lin Dongxue stood a few meters away with a gun raised in her hands.


    The situation was critical. Lin Dongxue didn''t have much time to think, so she squeezed the trigger. Xu Guolong looked as though he was hit in the chest with a fist and his body fell backwards.


    The bullet pierced his heart. Hey on the ground and kept vomiting blood. He watched Xin Bai crawl over to observe him. Xu Guolong acted as though he had something to say, but purposely made his words unclear. As expected, Xin Bai fell into his trap and leaned over to listen to hisst words.


    The knife in Xu Guolong''s hand suddenly lifted. He was ready to die with Xin Bai. Chen Shi, who rushed over, called out, "careful" before pulling Xin Bai away.


    With this failed attempt, it exhausted Xu Guolong''sst ounce of strength. His eyes were open as he died, looking as though he was both lonely and unwilling to ept things as they were. Thus ended his sinful life...


    1. Can also mean sudden murder.


    2. His writing seems as though it¡¯s had a rebirth. As in, it¡¯s a lot better now.

 Chapter 715: Justified Defense

    <h4>Chapter 715: Justified Defense</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Fu... fu... fu..."


    Xin Bai leaned on his knees and kept panting. Cold sweat was expelling from every pore of his body. Chen Shi stepped forward to inspect Xu Guolong''s body. "He''s dead, Dongxue. Your shot was a bit cruel!"


    "I couldn''t aim at his hand, so I could only shoot at the chest." Lin Dongxue said.


    "But it¡¯s good that Xin Bai is okay. I suppose it''s finally over." Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief.


    The two found out that Xin Bai was missing shortly after he had quietly left. In addition, the two police officers outside were looking for him like crazy. Xin Bai had called for a taxi at the gate of the housingmunity. Chen Shi, who discovered this from surveince footage, immediately contacted the taxipany and found the park after following the leads.


    It could be described as a critical matter.


    "Teacher Bai, what were you doing deliberately increasing the thrill of this story?" Chen Shiined.


    Xin Bai looked ashamed. "He... he sent a fake photo saying that he kidnapped my neighbor and asked me toe alone, so I just..."


    "Wouldn''t you knock on her door to confirm?"


    "I was afraid of waking you guys up. When I went out, I heard my neighbor''s child crying. I thought she really had been kidnapped."


    "Haii, there were 10,000 ways you could have avoided this situation. You chose the most thrilling one!" Chen Shi sighed. He suddenly noticed a stab wound on Xu Guolong''s abdomen. He was holding a knife in his hand. It seemed to havee from Xin Bai¡¯s house.


    He thought to himself whether it was possible that this guy came secretly to kill Xu Guolong?


    "By the way, hurry up and save people. Lan... Lan Xiao is still in the woods. I dare not see him." Xin Bai said.


    As soon as Lan Xiao was put down, he ran behind the tree and let out his urine for three full minutes. Then, he walked back while pulling up his pants and cursed, "Bastard, bullying me? Where¡¯s Xin Bai and that psycho? Let¡¯s see if I won''t stab them both to death!"


    "Enough from you!" Lin Dongxue showed him her badge. "Wait for the police to deal with it!"


    Lan Xiao sat under the tree in anger and asked, "Do you have any cigarettes?"


    Lin Qiupu and the others rushed to deal with the scene. Lan Xiao and Xin Bai were both taken back to the bureau to record their testimonies. Although the versions of what they recounted were slightly different, they were generally the same. The knife Xin Bai stabbed was considered a legitimate defense to save Lan Xiao, because at that time, Lan Xiao would have been in life-threatening danger at any time.


    At 4:00 in the morning, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue waited for him at the door of the Public Security Bureau. Xin Bai walked out and sighed emotionally. "It unexpectedly ended like this. Thank you for your care over these past few days."


    "You¡¯re wee. There¡¯s no cars at night. Let me take you home!"


    "Why don''t we have breakfast and take a shower? I''m all sweaty..." Looking at the sky outside, Xin Bai said, "I can finally walk outside with peace of mind."


    On the way, Xin Bai lowered his head in silence. Chen Shi said, "Don''t think about it. I know this has caused you a lot of psychological trauma. Your counselling hasn¡¯t ended. If you need to find Miss Gu, you can contact me."


    "What is the rtionship between Miss Gu and you?"


    "Neighbors."


    "Wow..." Xin Bai eximed and looked at Lin Dongxue. "Officer Lin doesn''t mind?"


    "Why should I mind?" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Actually, I''m thinking about how to finish this volume. Didn''t I write that a person walked out after entering the forensicboratory? I can''t leave such a big hole in the story. Can Mr. Chen provide some suggestions?"


    "Suggestions?" Chen Shi thought for a moment. "Has that person been dissected yet?"


    "I only said an autopsy was done. I didn''t mention the word dissect."


    "But the forensic pathologist would definitely confirm the death. Generally, the liver temperature is measured and the autopsy would be done. How can this persone back to life?"


    "Aiya, I know it''s unrealistic, but I didn''t consider so much at the time. Novels originally don''t consider reality factors, but only the possibility. As long as it can happen in a 1 in 10,000 probability, it can happen in the novel. Mr. Chen, help me think of that 1 in 10,000 probability! Please." The Xin Bai right now seemed to be more energetic.


    Chen Shi racked his brains. "What if it''s that?"


    "That?"


    "That¡¯s that!"


    "That¡¯s that?"


    "Haha, figure it out for yourself!"


    "Fuck, Mr. Chen, are you messing with me? I won''t treat you to dinner!"


    "Do you want to hear about the cases I¡¯ve previously experienced?"


    Xin Bai''s eyes lit up. "Okay, okay, where do you want to go for breakfast?!"


    Everything returned to normal, but Xin Bai didn¡¯t discuss the matter on any social media tforms. He continued to bury his head in updating the novel. He took part of his savings and gave it to the families of the victims.


    The long-dyed volume finally came to an end. Xin Bai took a sip of the coffee that had long been cold next to hisputer, thinking about the content of the next volume. The story of this volume would be very exciting.


    At this moment, a knock on the door scared him so much that his cup almost fell out of his hands. A fierce voice shouted at him from outside the door. "Little Fool, do you live here? Get the fuck out for me!"


    Upon hearing this voice, even Xin Bai¡¯s soul was scared. He ran to the door to see that Lan Xiao brought a few brothers to the door to settle the matter. Lan Xiao had been imprisoned for nearly two months and was chained like a dog, eating only old pickles and rice. He was full of anger and had nowhere to vent. He angrily kicked the door. "If you don¡¯te out, I will smash this door of yours!"


    Xin Bai knelt down, leaning his back against the door. He took out his cell phone and called Chen Shi. "Mr. Chen, things aren¡¯t boding well. Lan Xiao came to my door to seek trouble. You... need toe and save me!"


    That day, Chen Shi happened to be running his driving services nearby. After receiving the call, he rushed over and went upstairs. He saw a few fierce and burly males holding water pipes and sharp iron weapons, moring and kicking at the door.


    "What are you guys doing?"


    "Ah, you¡¯re the policeman from that night. Good timing. I was imprisoned for such a long time. This kid didn''t give me a dime aspensation. Has the police made this right for me? Has thew made this right for me? Today, I came to seek justice for myself." As he said this, he twirled the crowbar around in his hand.


    How was this the attitude of a victim? Chen said, "First of all, I¡¯m not a policeman. Secondly, I hope you would seek legal assistance instead of bing a perpetrator. Lastly, Xin Bai is a victim of this incident just like you. He doesn¡¯t need to take any responsibility for your case."


    "What did he say? He isn¡¯t a policeman?" As soon as Lan Xiao heard this sentence, his attitude immediately became even more arrogant. "Fuck your mom¡¯s vagina. Don''t interfere with my matters."


    Chen Shi sneered and hooked his index finger at him. "I want to interfere!"


    Afterwards, there were sounds like that of ghosts crying and wolves howling in the corridor. With every loud noise, Xin Bai hiding behind the door covered his ears and shivered. Finally, he heard Lan Xiao yelling, "Okay, okay, you¡¯re quite something. Watch your back!" Then, there was the sound of this group of people rushing downstairs.


    The sudden knock on the door shocked him. Chen Shi¡¯s voice came from outside the door. "I''ve ''asked'' them to leave!"


    Xin Bai opened the door. Chen Shi¡¯s fist was scratched and was shaking his hands. Xin Bai said, "Mr. Chen, you¡¯re so brave! It''s great knowing you."


    "It''s a small matter! If you encounter this kind of thing in the future, please call the police directly."


    "Oh, I shouldn''t trouble you."


    "That''s not what I mean. I mean you should call the police if someone is harassing you. Finding the police is the fastest way to solve the problem. You have to trust the police, okay?"


    "Understood!" Xin Bai nodded.


    The opposite door opened and the beautiful neighbor came out rubbing her eyes. "Why was it so noisy just now? My baby woke up... Ah, Mr. Bai, you¡¯re home!"


    "I¡¯ve been working!" Xin Bai smiled shyly.


    "By the way, I''m reading the novel you wrote. It''s quite interesting. I can''t stop reading it."


    "You like it...?" Xin Bai scratched his head. "I thought girls didn''t like reading things like this."


    "No, we like it a lot. I gave you ament."


    After the beautiful neighbor went back inside, Xin Bai rushed to theputer to read the message. Although there was only one phrase of "Add oil"[1], it made him feel warm. Chen Shi teased while leaning on the bedroom door, "You two are making progress! It seems this incident made you a bit brave."


    "I told her the other day that I was a writer."


    "Haha, she likes your novel. It''s not a bad start!"


    "Aiya, hehe!" Xin Bai scratched his face andughed shyly.


    1. Chinese ng for something like ¡°you can do this¡±. The same as ¡°fighting¡± in Korean or ¡°Gambatte¡± in Japanese.

 Chapter 716: Another Possibility

    <h4>Chapter 716: Another Possibility</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On March 27th, Chen Shi went to the bureau and read through the entirety of this case¡¯s files. He did so out of slight suspicion.


    In the follow-up investigation, the police found several dead people killed by Xu Guolong through clues provided by Xin Bai. They were all abandoned in the countryside. After investigating their identities, the police found that these people didn¡¯t have a single connection with Xu Guolong.


    They were website editors who refused to pay Xin Bai''s manuscript fee, fellow writers who exchanged verbal attacks with Xin Bai on forums,izens who repeatedly pirated novels on Baidu Tieba, which was prohibited, and female scammers who used blind dates to scam Xin Bai for money and sex.


    Counting the fat man who scammed the manuscript fees previously, all five deceased had offended Xin Bai. Xu Guolong¡¯s "love" was really selfless and great. He used the ultimate means to eradicate them from the world, but this also caused a trace of doubt to form in Chen Shi¡¯s mind because Xin Bai had vested interest.


    While he was browsing the testimonies, Lin Qiupu suddenly found him and asked, "Have you read the novel that was just updated?"


    "Huh? Didn''t you say that this novel was third-rate? Why are you up to date with it?"


    "When free... I just took a look while I was free."


    Chen Shi was thinking that the novel had now been updated with 2 million words. Lin Qiupu continued, "Thetest volume is about a little-known writer who was kidnapped by a fanatical fan. The whole thing is exactly the same as this case. However, in the end, there was another plot twist. It was the writer who manipted the ¡®kidnapper¡¯ and used their hands to get rid of people who weren¡¯t good to him. Finally, he killed the donkey the moment it left the mill[1] and thus, the evidence died with him... I can''t help thinking that on that night, he was clearly protected by the police, but he just had to go meet Xu Guolong alone. Could this matter be suspicious?"


    Chen Shi pondered, "I think this is just another possibility he¡¯s exploring in the novel. A novel typically has lots of twists and turns."


    "Why are you defending him? Is it because you¡¯re his loyal reader?" Lin Qiupu sneered.


    While thinking about how to answer, Chen Shi''s gaze inadvertently noticed a line of words on the paper, which was Lan Xiao¡¯s testimony.


    Answer: I heard the little fool and that psycho say, ¡®This was different from the n¡¯!


    Question: Are you sure you heard that?


    Answer: (Talking while bouncing his leg up and down) I¡¯m very sure.


    Chen Shi picked up this piece of testimony and looked at it carefully. "What was going on in this passage? You did the interrogation at the time. I was listening outside during the whole process. I don''t remember this part!"


    "Oh, that? It was Lan Xiao who came back to give us that supplementary information."


    "When did that happen?"


    "Aroundst Monday!"


    The date of the written testimony indeed indicated that date. This happened after Lan Xiao had gone to harass Xin Bai. He said, "One possibility is that Lan Xiao is deliberately mudslinging and wants revenge against Xin Bai. He felt that someone needed to take responsibility for the torture he went through."


    "Then Lan Xiao''s thoughts are fairly meticulous. If Xin Bai really said ¡®this was different from the n¡¯ at the time, I¡¯m afraid the whole case would have to be overturned and re-investigated."


    "Have you checked Lan Xiao''spany?"


    "The third team has joined in the investigation. Theirpany is a bit suspicious. It¡¯s unlike a serious logisticspany, but they haven''t found any evidence."


    "It''s really hard for people to believe someone like Lan Xiao. This sentence is probably fabricated, but..." Chen Shi paused, "if it''s true, I''m afraid there will be another possibility that stemmed from this case. That is, Xin Bai tricked us all!"


    "Thinking about it carefully, Lan Xiao was at the scene at the time. He was both an eyewitness and a reason for why it was a justified defense for Xin Bai to stab Xu Guolong with a knife. Everything was so perfect." Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows.


    Before Lin Qiupu was done speaking, Chen Shi left without saying a word. For the entirety of the next day, he was immersed in this "other possibility".


    Regardless of whether there was "another possibility", one thing was certain: when a person speaks, they will inadvertently defend themselves. When a group of people describe the same thing, the Rashomon effect is realized. The truth of a case can never be restored to 100%. There are bound to be secrets hidden within the darkness.


    1. Idiom meaning to get rid of something once they cease to be useful. People used to tie donkeys to the grinder in a mill, so as they circled around, the grinder would be put in motion.

 Chapter 717: Abandoning The Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 717: Abandoning The Corpse</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 46: What Kind Of Trash Are You?


    At midnight, when it was dark and windy, a group of people sneakily walked out of the housing district with ck bags, poking their heads out to nce around as if they were holding some mysterious parade.


    "Asshole, it had been taken away!"


    "Let¡¯s throw it on the street!"


    The people carrying the bags went to the street in scattered groups of twos and threes. Although they didn¡¯t know each other, they smiled knowingly the moment their eyes met, as if they had bumped into arade while in an enemy-upied area.


    Someone in the crowd shouted, "Hey, there is a trash can over there!"


    "Go! Go!"


    "What motherfucking garbage sorting!"


    "Yes, damn that motherfucking garbage sorting, hahahaha!"


    Everyone rushed merrily to the lonely trash can on the corner of the street. When the trash can was still a few steps away, the few people in front threw the bags in their hands like shot putters. Some fell right inside, and some fell outside the trash can.


    These people didn¡¯t care about this at all. Throwing the rubbish into the trash can was already a great civic act for them.


    Not long ago, Long''an was designated as one of the pilot cities for garbage sorting. Many people couldn¡¯t adapt to it. They didn¡¯t understand what to do with wet garbage and dry garbage. A milk box had to be broken down into several parts before being thrown away, which was extremely troublesome.


    "Don''t the stic bags used to separate all kinds of garbage pollute the environment even more?"


    "China has its own national circumstances, and these things that came from Japan are simply not suitable for us."


    "Originally, we had our own ecosystem, and the scavengers sorted the garbage themselves. This has messed up the whole process and wastes manpower and material resources. It¡¯s probably just a transient experiment though."


    Like several other pilot cities, there were protests everywhere in Long''an. Of course, they alsoined in private.


    Hence, a group of people would sneak out of the housing district in the dead of night to dispose of the garbage that had umted during the day.


    Suddenly, a white beam of light shot out from behind the trash can. The midnight rubbish-trashers reflexively blocked the re with their hands. At the other end of the re, someone shouted, "Stop right there! Police!"


    "Fuck, it¡¯s the police! Run!"


    Everyone dropped the garbage bags in their hands and ran away. The police officers and the garbage supervisors from the neighborhoodmittee who had hidden in ambush for a long time chased after them, but only caught one or two people. The people who were caught resigned themselves to their bad luck and paid the fines.


    Soon, the tranquility of the night was restored. People from the neighborhoodmittee looked at the ground full of garbage bags and shook their heads, sighing, "Even after repeated prohibitions, this group always litters in the middle of the night, increasing our workload. Thank you, officers, for your work tonight."


    "Haii, I feel that chasing and intercepting isn¡¯t the way to go." An officer said.


    "After all, the fine of two hundred yuan isn¡¯t too high. If you get someone to throw out the trash for you, it would cost you four hundred a week. The sorting of trash has to be done slowly." A wise elderly woman from the neighborhoodmitteemented.


    They started with the garbage on the ground. When a stic bag was opened and the contents were poured out, a pale human hand suddenly appeared amidst a pile of fruit peels and toilet paper. The garbage collector was shocked and screamed, "Officer, what is this?!"


    The policeman stepped forward and felt his scalp crawl. "Contact therades from the criminal police team toe over and deal with it!"


    On April 2nd, Chen Shi received a text message from Lin Dongxue and went to the bureau. The pile of dismembered parts had been ced on Peng Sijue¡¯s autopsy bench, and roughly assembled into a human shape. The corpse was in a total of nine pieces and seemed to be a woman. It had been a week since the time of death, and the cause of death was still unclear.


    "What''s the situation?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Hasn¡¯t garbage sorting been implemented recently? There are always people who secretly throw away garbage at night. Last night, the neighborhoodmittee and local police organized an operation to arrest this group of people. As a result, a dismembered body was found in the garbage discarded by this group of people... By the way, the dismembered body parts were packed in different bags." Lin Qiupu said, "However, by the time we got there, the people from the neighborhoodmittee had already emptied dozens of bags of rubbish. The whole ce was full of rubbish, so we couldn''t trace which bags originally contained the dismembered parts."


    "Who are those people?"


    "Theye from over a dozen housing districts nearby. We can¡¯t even ask around. After all, their motivation is to avoid garbage sorting, so of course they won''t admit it."


    "You can tell them that we¡¯re investigating a case right now, and we won¡¯t pursue the matter of littering."


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. "I think they won''t believe the police even if we were to say this. These people are habitual littering offenders. It¡¯s estimated that they can be fined over a thousand yuan, so they won''t admit it, no matter what."


    "Habitual littering offender!" Chen Shi wanted tough. The garbage sorting also brought a lot of trouble to his life. The garbage sorting pamphlet issued by the neighborhoodmittee gave him a headache just from reading it. Fortunately, Tao Yueyue helped to sort the garbage. He really missed the times when he could just throw a full bag of garbage away.


    So-called civic virtues are all coercive methods at the beginning. Looking back a few decades ago, people never felt that spitting everywhere was immoral. Under the constraints of various explicit sanctions and fines, not spitting everywhere became a part of civic virtues.


    In his opinion, garbage sorting was essentially letting citizens share the burden on behalf of the country. In this era, environmental protection should also be a part of morality, so even though he was reluctant, he still supported it.


    "Chen Shi, what do you think?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "The person who abandoned the corpse is very smart." Chen Shi said, "The purpose of abandoning the corpse is to prevent the police from finding out two things: the source of the corpse and the identity of the deceased. They hid a piece of wood in the forest. Throwing it away in the city and throwing it away in the wilderness has the same effect."


    "Did we call you here to praise the person who abandoned the corpse?" Lin Qiupu sneered.


    "You have a forensic pathologist here. Why are you asking for my opinion?"


    Peng Sijue said, ¡°I haven¡¯t figured out the identity of the deceased and the cause of death, but I found that the tool used to dismember the body seemed to be the same one, because the traces on the cut surfaces and the metal particles left behind by the tool were very close. However, these dismembered pieces had been treated with different methods. For example, the right leg had been washed with a steel wire ball and the left hand had been soaked in alkaline water. There were also tooth marks on the chest and I suspect that they were the result of a dog bite. The head is the most severely damaged. It has been washed with some corrosive liquid.


    Chen Shi concluded, "I suspect that the people who threw away the corpse weren''t the murderers. They are a group of people. The corpse had been dismembered by someone and the parts fell into their hands. They didn''t know how to deal with it, so they adopted this method. But one thing is certain. They know each other. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t meet up to abandon the corpse on the same night. They should be from the same circle."


    "Neighbors?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Neighbors aren¡¯t considered people from the same small circle. I think they might be from the samepany or perhaps they¡¯re from a group of hobby enthusiasts."


    "If the people who abandoned the parts aren¡¯t the murderers, why didn''t they call the police?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi looked at the dismembered parts on the autopsy bench and said, "There is only one possibility. The deceased had a rtionship with them. This rtionship can¡¯te to light. The person who dismembered the corpse ''posted'' the pieces to them as a kind of silent threat, as if saying ¡®I know your secret.¡¯!"

 Chapter 718: Midnight Experiment

    <h4>Chapter 718: Midnight Experiment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the dead of night, Chen Shi parked his car near Heping East Street where the dismembered parts had been found. Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue were there with him that night to perform an "experiment."


    Peng Sijue could roughly identify the bags that had contained the dismembered parts through DNA. However, this wasn¡¯t very helpful, because the garbage bags brought back from the scene were allmon, ck, degradable stic bags, which were previously verymon. As garbage sorting had been implemented in Long''an, supermarkets are now selling transparent stic bags.


    The three sat quietly in the car. Chen Shi fished out his mobile phone to read Xin Bai''s newly updated novel. Tao Yueyue was eating potato chips, and the sound of the chips crunching echoed in the car. Lin Dongxue stared at the night scene in a daze.


    "I recently read a novel. Is it true that a corpse can bepletely broken down by chemical means?" Tao Yueyue said.


    "Haha, was it The Deer and the Cauldron? Corpse melting water is fictitious!" Lin Dongxue responded happily since she had found amon conversational topic.


    "No, it''s The Picture of Dorian Gray."


    "Dor..." Lin Dongxue hadn''t even heard of the title of this novel. She smiled awkwardly. "Elder Sister hasn''t read it before."


    "Dposing the corpse by chemical means is a problem in itself!" Chen Shi said, "ording to thew of conservation of mass, when a substance reacts with another substance, a third substance will be produced. For example, if a strong acid is used to corrode the corpse, there¡¯s bound to be a lot of foul gas generated. If you do this at home, your neighbors will call the police. You can only go to the countryside to do this. However, it¡¯s better to burn the corpse directly if you have such a space. Burning is the most convenient and effective chemical method. This way, you won¡¯t be tracked down by the police because you bought arge quantity of corrosive acid."


    "Can''t we talk about cartoons or something?" Lin Dongxueined.


    "Thinking about this in another way, as long as the corpse is turned into another substance, it''s okay." Tao Yueyue said excitedly.


    "Haha, this trick is feasible."


    "Well, what if the body is burned to ashes and then made into diamonds?"


    "You can send a private message to Xin Bai and tell him about this idea." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Why didn''t the people who abandoned the corpse this time burn it?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "Yes, why?" Chen Shi looked at Lin Dongxue.


    "Are you asking the question like a university professor or a primary schooler?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I¡¯m thinking... Yueyue¡¯s statement made sense. It must be in the criminal interest of the one who abandoned the corpse to dispose of the corpse in this manner. The dismembered parts were thrown into garbage bags. The police would definitely investigate if they were toe across them, and it¡¯s a major case as well. Why didn''t they go to the countryside to burn it?"


    "Didn''t you say that people who abandoned the dismembered parts aren¡¯t the murderers? Maybe they thought that it wouldn¡¯t matter even if the police investigated it." Lin Dongxue spected.


    "Perhaps they want the police to investigate. I heard Old Peng say that there was a rural woman who died at home with a knife in her chest. Upon examination, they found that shemitted suicide by drinking pesticide. It turned out that the knife had been inserted by her son. His parents had been at odds with each other for a long time. One day, he went home and saw that his mother was dead. There were no obvious signs of trauma. His family was going to send the body to the crematorium. He was unable to ept that the death of his mother would be left unsettled like this. So he faked a criminal case and called the police so that they¡¯d intervene and investigate."


    "If you want the police to investigate, just call the police directly. This still doesn''t make sense." Lin Dongxue objected.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Chen, could this group of people think that the deceased is trash, and that there was no need to go to a lot of trouble to deal with it?"


    "Haha, psychological interpretation. You¡¯ve made progress! The deceased was a young woman with a slender figure whose appearance is unknown. Who would find her worthless?"


    "You all think too much!" Lin Dongxue said, "I think this group of people used this method of abandoning the dismembered parts due to limitations, such as not having a car or being too busy at work."


    "Or their legal knowledge is bad and they don¡¯t know what the crime of insulting a corpse is..." Chen Shi considered.


    "They¡¯re here. Wow, there are a lot of them!" Lin Dongxue said, facing out of the window.


    It was already 11:00 at the time. They saw arge group of people appearing on the street like a parade stretching from one end of the street to the other. Everyone carried a ck stic bag in their hands, looking really solemn.


    The three prepared garbage bags. Of course, all of them just contained waste paper. Chen Shi said "Go" and they joined the group carrying their garbage bags.


    As they got close, they heard some of them talking to one another, "Garbage sorting has caused scavengers to lose their jobs. Originally, how many scavenger families can be supported by these bottles and cans? Now the state has taken this resource away from them. This is the equivalent to forcing them into a dead end!", "Precisely. I had already paid the garbage disposal fee, but now I have to sort the garbage myself. How horribly troublesome. If that¡¯s the case, the neighborhoodmittee should refund me the garbage disposal fee!"


    The group of people chatted with increasing fervor, as if they had formed their own system of philosophy. Chen Shi whispered to Tao Yueyue, "You definitely mustn¡¯t be like this when you grow up."


    Lin Dongxue was observing whether there were a few people walking together. As the corpse parts hade from nine bags, this small team of corpse abandoners had nine people at most.


    However, these people were in groups of twos and threes, and there wasn¡¯t a big group of people walking together.


    Everyone was looking for trash cans because neighborhood officials had taken away the trash cans at night in order to prevent people from littering.


    Someone suggested, "Aiya, just throw them here. Finding a trash can every night is like a treasure hunt. It''s so troublesome. I still have to go back to take a bath. The cleaner wille and clear them away tomorrow morning."


    As he said this, the man threw the garbage bag on the side of the road, and a second person followed suit. Everyone else emted them one after another. This is called the broken window effect [1]. Soon a mountain of garbage piled up on the side of the street, which was quite a spectacle. The group pped their hands, with smiles on their faces as though they were lucky to have earned two hundred yuan for nothing, and went back to their respective homes.


    "How uncivilized!" Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Chen, do we have to throw our garbage here too?"


    "If we¡¯re acting, we have to make it realistic." Chen Shi threw his bag of waste paper at the side.


    The three returned to the car, and Lin Dongxue said, "I didn''t discover any small groups. It stands to reason that if this group knows that there are people littering here every night, they must have at least one person living nearby."


    "Is this area hard to manage?"


    "Yes, I heard fromizens that there are a lot of residential areas on Heping East Street, no bustling downtown area around, so peoplee here to dump trash every night. Netizens also joked that some people aren¡¯t really interested in dumping trash, but are participating in this ''group activity'' to make friends."


    Tao Yueyue said, "I just saw a man hit on Sister Lin."


    "Aiya, I hate it." Lin Dongxue said disgustedly.


    "Hmm, it seems that not all of these people live here, so they came from other cesst night, just like us. Oh yes, let¡¯s check the cars!" Chen Shi''s eyes lit up.


    1. The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes.

 Chapter 719: Flirtatious Man

    <h4>Chapter 719: Flirtatious Man</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi thought it was really funny. After the experiment was over, the results were three words - check surveince footage.


    He went to the traffic control office the next day with Lin Dongxue and obtained the surveince footage around Heping East Street. They really found a taxi stopping there that night, and a person had gotten out with a ck bag in their hands.


    They found the driver through the taxipany. The driver described the passenger that night as a garishly-dressed fat boy with permed hair. He had been carrying a bag of garbage in his hand. He told the driver that they were bottles he had drunk at work. He had nowhere to throw them so he was taking them home for disposal.


    The fat guy had gotten into the taxi on Liyang Road so the two went there and asked around in the nearby housing districts on the afternoon of April 3rd.


    The two made inquiries separately and searched for over an hour. Lin Dongxue bought a bottle of mineral water. While she was sitting on a bench in themunity resting, a chubby guy approached her with a smile on his face, and said politely, "Beauty, I¡¯m sorry, is there a 4S shop nearby? I identally scratched the car when I was driving, and I have to meet a friend in the evening. It¡¯s very troublesome.¡± He pointed to a red Chang¡¯an car parked outside the housing district. "That''s my car."


    "That¡¯s your car?" Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    "Yeah, I''m not very used to driving domestically-made cars. I used to drive German cars in Los Angeles. The stability is better. The only drawback is that they aren¡¯t cost-effective. Haha... Hey, are you here alone? Are you waiting for someone?" The fat guy started weaving in questions.


    Lin Dongxue saw through his routine. This was just a way to strike up a conversation, and his skill was very low-level. The car he just pointed to was Chen Shi¡¯s, so it could be seen that he had also made up everything else.


    Looking at his greasy smiling face, a little contempt rose in her heart. Lin Dongxue calmly said, "That car belongs to my boyfriend." Her one sentence cleverly rebuffed him.


    "Oh, oh! I was just kidding. Don''t mind me. I won''t bother you then." He retreated tactfully.


    When he turned to leave, Lin Dongxue suddenly noticed that his clothes and hairstyle were simr to what the driver had described, and abruptly stopped him. "Hey, stop right there!"


    "What?"


    Lin Dongxue stepped forward and showed him her badge. The fat guy''s smile faded immediately. Lin Dongxue asked, "Did you go to Heping East Street on the night of April 1st?"


    The fat guy panicked, "Uh, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ve never been there. I was watching A Better Tomorrow at home that night. That day was the anniversary of Elder Brother¡¯s[1] death. I rewatch his works at this time every year."


    "Elder Brother?"


    "Leslie Cheung. Beauty, do you like Leslie Cheung?" He said, raising his eyebrows.


    Lin Dongxue almost wanted to swear at him. Why was this man so cheap? He was being questioned by the police, but he still dared to flirt.


    She took out her phone. "Old Chen,e here. I may have found him."


    Seeing Chen Shi arrive, the fat guy immediately stopped smiling and replied seriously, "I haven''t been to Heping East Street. Why would I go there?"


    "What is your name?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Zhang Xiao. ¡®Zhang¡¯ as in ¡®Zhang Fei¡¯[2] and ¡®Xiao¡¯ as in the word ¡®Xiaosa¡¯.¡± [3]


    "What¡¯s your upation?"


    "Pro... promoting shoe polishes!" Zhang Xiao nced at Lin Dongxue subconsciously, perhaps ashamed of his lies just now. Then he became chatty again. "Do you want shoe polish? Oh, you¡¯re wearing sneakers, but you must own leather shoes!"


    "Why do you have so much to say?!" Lin Dongxue rebuked.


    "Beauty, don''t be offended. I admit that I was trying to flirt earlier, but this is the same as sending a hello on WeChat. There¡¯s no offense!" Zhang Xiao smiled.


    Chen Shi returned to the topic. "You said you hadn''t been there, but the license te of the taxi you took that night was LXXXX. Why don¡¯t youe with us and confront the driver?"


    "I still have to go to work."


    "If it''s really not you, I canpensate you for missing work, okay?"


    Zhang Xiao scratched his face awkwardly, still trying to quibble, "I really haven''t been there before."


    Chen Shi contacted the driver to meet with them somewhere. When he heard the phone call, Zhang Xiao immediately panicked and said, "Okay, okay, no need to identify me. It''s as if you¡¯re identifying a criminal. I''ve been there."


    "Why did you go there?"


    "To... y!"


    "Have you ever thought about the reason why we approached you? Let me remind you that she is a criminal police officer from the city bureau. We¡¯re investigating because something had appeared in front of us. You should know what it was!"


    "Guns? Drugs?" Although he looked flustered, Zhang Xiao still put up an act.


    "What did you do on Heping East Street that night?!" Chen Shi emphasized each word of his question.


    "To throw... throw trash away."


    "You live on Liyang Road, and you spent 20 yuan on a taxi to go to Heping East Street to throw trash away. Is that reasonable?"


    Zhang Xiao was silent, and then said, "No, no, I went to look for a friend. Throwing the garbage away was an extra errand."


    "Haha!" Chen Shi was already impatient. "Dongxue, subpoena him!"


    "I will now formally serve you with a subpoena. The detailed reasons will be exined at the bureau. If you have anything to say, wait until you are in the interrogation room!"


    "Your name is Dongxue? Your name is really nice. What¡¯s yourst name?"


    Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes. She had never seen such a thick-skinned and shameless person.


    When he got to the interrogation room, Zhang Xiao refused to admit to abandoning the body. There was a policewoman among the interrogators. Zhang Xiao kept asking her about this and that, with an ingratiating smile. Chen Shi found out that this guy had a "Jia Baoyu¡¯s disposition"[4]. He got excited just from seeing a woman.


    Listening to Lin Dongxue talking about Zhang Xiao¡¯s botched flirting when they had first met, Chen Shi couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°This guy has a deep routine. He couldn¡¯t be a professional, right? A small group and a dead young woman? Haha, I seem to understand something now."


    "What?"


    "Let¡¯s wait for him to say it!" Chen Shi smiled.


    "Tch, you¡¯re acting all mysterious again."


    At this time, Peng Sijue came over with a stack of documents and asked Lin Dongxue, "Where is Captain Lin?"


    Chen Shi said, "What''s the progress on your side? Looking for me is the same!"


    Peng Sijue said contemptuously, "Going beyond the sacrificial altar and taking over the kitchen!"[5]


    "Let me take a look." Chen Shi disregarded his protests and took away the documents in his hand. Upon reading it, he saw that progress was well underway. The identity of the deceased had been discovered, and several ID photos were included in the documents.


    It turned out that Peng Sijue hadn¡¯t been idle over the past two days. The team had held a small meeting. There were two choices. One was to take the garbage brought back from the scene and conduct DNA identification on them one by one, and then to look for clues in the garbage that had been packed with the dismembered parts. The other was to perform 3D skull restoration on the deceased to confirm her identity, so as to find the murderer and the people who had abandoned the corpse.


    Everyone unanimously voted for the second n. Although 3D skull restoration was very time-consuming, it was much more challenging than testing garbage all day long. Compared with repairing a hundred earthen jars, making a crystal vase was of course more interesting.


    Although the deceased¡¯s head had been corroded by acidic substances, some facial features were still preserved. After a day and night of fierce struggle, the forensic department reconstructed her appearance on theputer through these special features, and then found a person in the household registration database with a simr set of photos.


    This was what Chen Shi saw at that moment.


    1. Leslie Cheung was also known as ¡°Elder Brother¡±. He died of suicide on 1 April 2003.


    2. Military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei in thete Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period.


    3. ¡°Xiaosa¡±¡¯ means ¡°natural and unrestrained¡± but is also used to describe people who are cool.


    4. Principal character in Dream of the Red Chamber


    5. Idiom for exceeding one¡¯s ce and meddling in other people¡¯s affairs.

 Chapter 720: PUA

    <h4>Chapter 720: PUA</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi said, "Old Peng, you¡¯re too capable. Let me investigate the identity of the deceased!"


    "Go ahead!" Peng Sijue didn''t care who went to investigate, and then said to Lin Dongxue, "Dongxue, can you talk to Captain Lin about it?"


    "No problem."


    Chen Shi said, "By the way, can these photos be printed separately?"


    "Do it yourself!" As he said this, Peng Sijue left.


    Lin Dongxue nced at the document and asked, "Shall we investigate it now?"


    "No, I have a faster way."


    Chen Shi separated the photos, and by the time the interrogation was over, Zhang Xiao really didn¡¯t disclose anything. Chen Shi borrowed the interrogation room from the interrogator. Holding a stack of household registration photos in his hands, he asked, "Do you know this person?"


    Zhang Xiao squinted for a while and shook his head.


    Chen Shi showed him the next picture. "Do you know this person?"


    "What is this for, Officer? Are these women missing or killed? I don''t even know them!"


    "Continue to act..." Chen Shi changed to another photo. "Do you know this person?"


    Zhang Xiao''s expression changed inadvertently, but he continued to shake his head. "I have never seen her before."


    After asking about all of them, Chen Shi was sure it was the third one, and went out to say a few words to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue said, "Surely, this isn¡¯t a good idea!"


    "This kid is too cunning. We have to take a strong approach."


    "Then I¡¯ll go and ask Captain Peng for the photos."


    When Lin Dongxue came back a momentter, the two entered the interrogation room again. Chen Shi leaned against the table and said, "Zhang Xiao, let me show you something good." Then he handed out a photo of the body to him.


    "Oh my God!" Zhang Xiao was frightened.


    "You should know this corpse, or at least, you know part of it. She¡¯s the person you just identified." Chen Shi held up the photo.


    Zhang Xiao mumbled, knowing that there was no way out and relented atst. "Police officer, we didn''t kill her!"


    "We?" Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows slightly.


    Zhang Xiao sighed and confessed about the situation. The girl was called Linlin and she was the new girlfriend of a certain friend of his. Some time ago, she was killed by someone unknown. The murderer cruelly chopped her into nine pieces and sent them to him and some of his other friends separately.


    This story was full of loopholes, and Chen Shi said, "You¡¯re still not being honest? This girl is dead. She was dismembered and the parts sent to all of you. Why didn''t any of you call the police instead of putting them into trash bags and disposing of them in the middle of the night? Were you all helping the murderer to destroy the body? I could even suspect that one of you is the murderer!"


    "No, no, Linlin actuallymitted suicide." Zhang Xiao told them the truth in a panic.


    "Suicide? Why?"


    "I don''t know why the girlmitted suicide. Women easily take things to heart." His eyes were evasive.


    "Mind yournguage!" Lin Dongxue chided him.


    "Police Officer Dongxue, I''m not talking about you. A brainless woman like Linlin can''t bepared to you!" Zhang Xiao smiled ingratiatingly but made Lin Dongxue feel even more disgusted.


    "In that case, who are your eight friends?" Chen Shi asked.


    Zhang Xiao had no choice but to write down their names and contact information one by one. After the interrogation was over, he was released. Chen Shi saw that he started to make calls as soon as he walked out of the door of the Public Security Bureau. Presumably, he was notifying the others.


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t call these people directly, but searched for their phone numbers on WeChat. When he looked at their WeChat Moments, all of them seemed to be dragons and phoenixes among humans[2]. The photos posted were of them leaning on luxurious cars, wearing suits and watches and traveling to Southeast Asia, etc. They gave off an aura of being sessful, members of the elite and unconventional.


    After looking through this, Chen Shi said, "I more or less know who these people are."


    "PUA?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Ha, you guessed it!"


    "Tch, you¡¯ve acted mysterious about this for so long. Of course, I know about this. When girls venture into the world, they need to know about these bad people."


    PUA is the abbreviation of the English term ¡°pick-up artist¡± and it¡¯smonly known as the study of seduction. Although its purpose was to help introverted men find true love when it first appeared, it gradually became a collection of tricks for cheating money and sex.


    "When I first learned about this kind of thing, I was most shocked that women who ount for half of the world''s poption could be easily attained by people who lived in small dark rooms after they learned these strategies over a few days." Chen Shi said.


    "No, this group of people are super thick-skinned and cast extensives in order to catch women. There are bound to be one or two who gets tricked." Lin Dongxue sneered. "It''s like telmunications fraud. No matter how ridiculous the scamming messages are, someone is always fooled as long as the base number of messages sent isrge. There was a scammer in Beijing who said he was Sun Yat-sen and even scammed more than 200,000... That said, PUA has only been around for the past few years. When a man meets a vixen, he¡¯s fooled faster than a woman."


    "Hahaha, it¡¯s because ordinary people are elementary students who follow their feelings in love, and they will be tricked as soon as they meet an ¡®expert¡¯."


    "This kind of expert is disgusting!"


    "It seems that the death of this girl is inseparable from the nine men. The murderer sent the body parts to them, and it feels as though he was calling them to ount for their sins."


    "''Murderer''? Are you sure that the corpse dismemberer is the murderer?"


    "Sorry, I was wrong. Let''s look at the corpse again!"


    "Captain Peng''s autopsy isn¡¯t over yet. Let''s find out the identity of the deceased first."


    "I''ll go and look for Old Peng to let him know. He¡¯ll save some effort if he knows what to look for. I¡¯ll see you at the doorter."


    The girl¡¯s household registration data showed that her name was Duan Lin and the address on her ID was in Jingzhou. Lin Dongxue made a round of phone calls to various police stations. After receiving the results, it turned out that Duan Lin had obtained a temporary residence permit locally. She was a female worker in a cotton mill.


    The staff at the police station also said that the girl had recently disappeared, and that her father hade from her hometown to make a report. For the past two days, he had been holding up a sign in the downtown area, asking if any kind people could provide clues. It was quite pitiful.


    "Is there any contact information for her father?"


    "Yes, I¡¯ll ask him to go to the Public Security Bureau."


    Lin Dongxue said, "No, I''ll go and find him!"


    Lin Dongxue was about to set off when she found that Chen Shi hadn''t arrived yet, so she went to the autopsy room to find him. He was indeed there.


    Peng Sijue was studying the dismembered parts and Chen Shi stood beside him, covering his nose with a perfume-scented napkin. His action made Lin Dongxue want tough.


    "Come here!" Chen Shi beckoned, "I told Old Peng and he checked again. There were indeed some findings. Old Peng, I¡¯ll leave it to you to talk about them!"


    Peng Sijue picked up the corpse¡¯s right hand, and the blood vessels on top had already begun to turn dark green. ¡°The shape of the knife wound here is slightly different. The wound was quite messy. I didn¡¯t pay attention to it before. I checked it carefully again and it seemed as though it had been cut with a de... The one who divided the corpse deliberately cut along where the de had cut, making it difficult for us to discover that there was originally a wound here."


    "Suicide by cutting the wrist?"


    "I can only say that it had been cut by a de. The body had been broken down in this way and many of the ''parts'' are missing. Also, with the severe decay, it¡¯s impossible to specte whether it was suicide or homicide."


    "From this, we can see one thing!" Chen Shi said, "The man who divided the corpse really isn¡¯t the murderer. If he was the murderer, doing so will only expose the fact of his murder. He divided the corpse and sent it to nine men to convey a kind of Information. The person who killed this girl is among the nine of them... Whether shemitted suicide or was killed, in the eyes of the corpse dismemberer, she had been killed by them!"


    "Go somewhere else to show off. Don''t disturb my work." Peng Sijue said, giving him the cold shoulder.


    1. AKA Pick-up artist. Written in English. As with all the instances henceforth.


    2. A man among men.

 Chapter 721: Mushroom Cultivation Skills Exchange Group

    <h4>Chapter 721: Mushroom Cultivation Skills Exchange Group</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Brothers, the police are already on to us. Quickly delete all the photos, videos, chat records, and everything else that can be deleted. I have deleted all the ones in the group sharing area. You guys should delete all the ones on your mobile phones. Don''t leave any evidence behind!"


    In a certain chat group, a newly-sent message caused amotion between the group members.


    "Brother Xiao, is that necessary? Whichw stiptes that picking up girls is illegal?!"


    "Little Doggie, you fucking said that you had a car ident in the United States and asked someone to send you forty thousand yuan. Isn''t that illegal?"


    "How can a consensual transaction be considered illegal? Besides, I can¡¯t even remember which girl it was. Can the police still find it out?"


    "I don''t know if it''s illegal to send money for a car ident, but I know that if the police knew about Big Ox spiking a drink with drugs and then bringing the girl back home, it would be enough."


    "Big Ox,e out and say a few words!"


    "Hehe, it¡¯s just a debated style. You guys use words and I use drugs. The effect is the same."


    "Using goddamn motherfuckingnguage? I rely on my looks. My looks!"


    "Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore! I just came out of the Public Security Bureau and they¡¯ve already found out about Linlin''s situation. I didn''t expect the police to be so efficient. I don''t know whose girl Linlin was. No matter who it is, the evidence must be deleted. Don''t let the police catch any slips of ours, no matter how minor... The police might call us in individually for questioning. If they ask what we do, we should say... Mm, it''s an interest group. I''ll change the group name."


    "Oh wow, mushroom cultivation skills exchange group. How creative!"


    "Haha, what the hell are mushroom cultivation skills? Brother Xiao, you really can think of anything."


    "Brother Xiao, are there any police flowers[1] in the Public Security Bureau?"


    "Yes, the one who found me definitely scores 95 points in terms of figure and face."


    "Do you have a photo?"


    "It''s a pity that she has a boyfriend. A failure of an uncle. Haii, the good cabbage was eaten by the pig."


    "I can''t wait to be called for questioning. Does the police flower wear a police uniform? I can¡¯t resist uniforms."


    "Quiet down, you beasts. I¡¯m deleting the chat logs. From now on, don''t say the word ''girl'' in this group."


    "Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl... Aiya, the cat identally stepped on the keyboard."


    *Little Four has been removed from the group chat*


    Coming out of Peng Sijue¡¯sb, Lin Dongxue posted this clue in the WeChat group, and each person went to investigate one of the group members. The two of them got ready to see the father of the deceased first.


    After getting into the car, Chen Shi nced at his phone and asked, "How¡¯s your driving skills now?"


    "What kind of car?" Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    "Naughty. You should drive."


    Lin Dongxue shifted across Chen Shi and sat in the driver''s seat. Chen Shi started using his phone. Lin Dongxue asked him what he was doing and Chen Shi replied, "These bastards suddenly deleted their WeChat Momentspletely. They must have been informed, but this is even more suspicious."


    "I just remembered that there¡¯s a death control method in PUA, which is to continuously deepen the control over the girl, finally making her die for oneself. Some bad PUAs take this as their highest honor. This girl seems to have died by cutting her wrist. That Zhang Xiao is so secretive. Is it possible that she had died like this?"


    "I also thought of this, but you should have studied thew before. What¡¯s the crime for instigating suicide?"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while. "It seems that there¡¯s no charge for instigating suicide."


    "Didn¡¯t Ji Changxin break thew? He seems to be still in jail right now!"


    "Ha, that was intentional murder!"


    "Exactly. This isn¡¯t the end of it. If Linlin was really subjected to ''death control'', then her boyfriendmitted intentional murder."


    "The word ¡®boyfriend¡¯ is tainted by this kind of person."


    "Yes, only a gentle, considerate and wholehearted person like me can be called a boyfriend." Chen Shi smiled.


    When they arrived at a certain downtown area, they saw a middle-aged uncle with graying hair standing under the scorching sun. He had a sign hanging on his body with a photo of Duan Lin taken before her death. Although this girl wasn¡¯t beautiful, she was in the prime of her youth and had a beautiful smile on her face. She was charming in her own way. Below the photo was written: "I beg kind-hearted people to help out by providing any clues regarding my daughter."


    Passers-by came and went, casting their curious gazes upon him, but they couldn¡¯t help even if they wanted to.


    Chen Shi sighed sympathetically and stepped forward to say to the uncle, "Uncle, we¡¯re the police. About your daughter..."


    "Where is my daughter?!" The uncle asked agitatedly.


    "No need to be impatient. Let''s talk somewhere else." Lin Dongxue said.


    After learning of his daughter¡¯s death, the uncle, who was sitting in a coffee shop, covered his face and cried. His thin and frail shoulders couldn¡¯t stop shaking. He said, ¡°I only had this daughter when I was 40 years old and I treated her like my treasure. In order to send her to school, we sacrificed everything we had. Even when her mother became ill, we kept it secret. Oh my Linlin, you died so tragically! How should I tell your mother when I go back?!"


    Facing the sad family member of the deceased, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t know how tofort him, so she could only wait for him to finish crying.


    Chen Shi handed over a tissue to him. "Uncle, my condolences. We¡¯re investigating this case. When was thest time she contacted you?"


    The uncle wiped away his tears. "Is this for investigating the murderer? I will definitely do my best to cooperate, I hope you can give Linlin justice... Thest time she called me wasst month. She said that she had found a boyfriend in the city. She said that the man had studied in the United States previously and that his parents were both public prosecutors. I told Linlin to be careful not to run into liars as the people in the city are veryplicated and that they lie to young girls like her who don¡¯t know anything. She said it wouldn¡¯t happen and that her boyfriend treated her very well. I came to the city to look for her two days ago and found that she wasn¡¯t at home. I looked for her colleagues and friends but they didn¡¯t know of her whereabouts either. Only then, did I report it to the police. Who knew that it would end up as a white-haired person sending off a ck-haired person? Haii!"


    "On what date did you go to her house?"


    The uncle took out his mobile phone. He was actually using a smartphone. "Uh, March 25th."


    "Can we go there and have a look?"


    "Okay, it''s near here."


    Chen Shi called Peng Sijue, and he sent two people over. Then the two went to Linlin¡¯s residence with the uncle. It was a low-rent apartment and a copsible wire bed[2] had been set up in the living room. The nket on it hadn¡¯t even been folded. On the table were leftover instant noodles and the broken shells of tea eggs. However, there was arge bed in the bedroom, which was very clean and tidy. The sheets were as if they were brand new, and the nket was folded like a tofu square.


    "You¡¯ve been living here these past two days?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes, the guest houses in the city are all very expensive. Linlin had loved being clean since she was a child. I didn''t dare to sleep in her bed, so I set up a wire bed outside and hoped that she woulde back one day." A sad sigh apanied these words.


    Chen Shi couldn''t help thinking that if Tao Yueyue disappeared one day or had something happen to her, he would probably also be in pain like this. He could more or less understand the feelings of this elderly father.


    What would bring him the greatestfort would be solving the case.


    At this time, someone knocked on the door. The forensic police sent by Peng Sijue hade over. Although the uncle didn¡¯t understand what collecting evidence for the investigation meant, he still agreed, so the forensic police collected fingerprints around the house and looked for blood stains.


    "Captain Lin!"


    The forensic police suddenly called Lin Dongxue over to the bathroom. Under the action of the chemical reagent, arge pool of bloodstains had appeared on the floor...


    1. Beauties.


    2. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSxCsviM_nH9BPELVEDsoP2V6Zg-rLEAPhxRw&usqp=CAU

 Chapter 722: Surveying the Scene

    <h4>Chapter 722: Surveying the Scene</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Duan Lin''s father also went in to have a look. When he saw the bright blue blood stain on the floor, he was shocked and asked, "Why is the color of this blood like this?"


    Lin Dongxue exined to him that this was luminol reagent, and that it turns fluorescent blue when it reacts with blood stains. The uncle nodded in understanding.


    Chen Shi walked over and said "Excuse me" to the uncle. The bathroom was very narrow, withrge areas of bloody drag marks on the uneven tiles. The bathroom was very clean when he came in previously. It seemed that the blood stains had been cleaned up.


    "Brother Chen, the tiles weren¡¯tid very professionally. Traces of blood can be extracted from the gaps." The forensic police officer said to him.


    "This seems to be left behind from the dismemberment." Chen Shi knelt down and looked back to see that the uncle had already gone out. He whispered to Lin Dongxue, "Is there something wrong with Duan Lin''s father?"


    "Is there a problem? I didn''t notice anything."


    "Didn¡¯t he ask you just now why the blood is this color? Thisrge area of blue looks like spilled toilet cleaner, so how did he know that it¡¯s blood?"


    Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows suddenly when she noticed this suspicious point.


    The forensic police expanded the scope of investigation. When they sprayed luminol on the walls, they identally discovered that there were some sttered blood stains on the wall, but their location was very low, under the shower head.


    "Little Zhou, unscrew this and check it." Chen Shi pointed at the drain.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went out for the time being, and Chen Shi asked the uncle, "Have you used the bathroom these past two days?"


    "Of course I used it."


    "Have you showered in it?"


    "I... I''m not very used to this thing. I usually just boil a pot of water on the stove and wipe my body with a towel."


    "You never used the water heater?"


    "Yes, I never used it."


    "When you arrived, was the water heater on or off?"


    "On or off?" The uncle furrowed his brows and pondered.


    "Was it lighted up?"


    "It didn¡¯t seem to have been lit up." The uncle took out a pack of cigarettes and handed Chen Shi one. Chen Shi thanked him but declined. The uncle said, "I''m going outside to smoke a cigarette."


    "Okay."


    Lin Dongxue opened a closet and sighed with emotion. This girl had very fashionable tastes when it came to buying clothes. She recognized several new spring season articles of clothing that had only been released that year.


    "What is the monthly ie of a female cotton mill worker?"


    "I also saw a pile of cosmetics on the table. I¡¯m not very familiar with the prices."


    "Let me see."


    Lin Dongxue went to the table, picked up the cosmetics and looked at each of them, saying, "They¡¯re not very valuable, but they¡¯re not cheap either... Thest time I chatted with a young girl born after 2000, she said that she spends over 1,000 yuan on makeup a month. She also said that nowadays, girls can''t go out without makeup. It made me feel old."


    "She had only been in Long''an for three years, and she wouldn¡¯t be making more than five thousand yuan at a cotton mill. I feel that her expenses aren¡¯t low."


    Chen Shi had seen an article on the Inteining that girls and boys in the city nowadays have the same sry, but their living standards aren¡¯t at the same level at all. Boys have to save what little money they earn in order to buy a house and for betrothal gifts, making ns for the future while the girls use all of their ie on dressing themselves up. Those gorgeously dressed girls on the street are like young maidens who have walked out of a mansion¡¯s rose garden. When you delve deeper, you will find that they¡¯re all ordinary working women who wear clothes worth thousands of yuan, before going home to eat instant noodles that are worth a few yuan. Then they would show off how they are living well on their WeChat Moments.


    Of course, these words were somewhat disrespectful to the deceased, so he resisted saying it.


    The forensic police found some hair and blood traces, as well as some human tissues in the drain. From the amount, it couldn¡¯t have been left behind by the wrist-cutting. No one would cut their wrist so much that pieces of flesh would fly off. It could only have been left from when the body was dismembered.


    Chen Shi spected that Duan Lin hadmitted suicide by shing her wrist while sitting under the shower head with the water running. Since her body would feel cold when she was shing her wrist, it would be a little morefortable to have hot water showering on her body. It would also speed up blood cirction and cause a faster death.


    If this was the case, Duan Lin shouldn¡¯t have had the ability to turn off the shower head by herself. If they checked the water consumption in this apartment, they could predict the time of her death.


    Then the dismemberer came here, divided the body into nine pieces in the bathroom and then cleaned the scene. The forensic police mentioned that there was a heavy smell of disinfectant in the cracks of the tiles.


    He specially checked the door lock. The lock cylinder was intact and there was no traces of it having been picked.


    In that case, did the corpse divider have keys to the ce?!


    When they bid the uncle farewell, he took out his smartphone and asked for Chen Shi¡¯s phone number. Chen Shi couldn''t help but ask, "Is this phone your daughter''s?"


    "She had reced her phone and gave me the old one to use. I don''t really know how to use it. I just use it to make calls."


    "In that case, when you came, was her cell phone in the house?"


    "No." The uncle was sure.


    "What about her ID, wallet, and other everyday carry items?"


    "They weren¡¯t here either, or I wouldn''t think she was out."


    "I noticed a hanger behind the door. Were there clothes hanging there before?"


    "No."


    "Okay, thank you, we will let you know if we find any clues."


    Taking their leave of the uncle, the forensic police went directly back to the bureau. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the property management to check the water and electricity consumption of the household.


    On March 23rd, Duan Lin''s water consumption had reached one cubic metre.


    As for the electricity usage, it hadn¡¯t been interrupted since March 23rd, which meant that there were always electrical appliances turned on in the house. Duan Lin didn¡¯t buy a refrigerator, so someone must have turned on the lights or TV.


    However, on March 24th, the water consumption was very normal.


    Leaving the property management office, Lin Dongxue said, "Didn''t her father say that he had arrived on March 25th? Why has the electricity consumption been continuous the entire time?"


    "It could only be the dismemberer. Someone came in on March 24th, turned off the shower head that had been left running, and turned on the lights. Based on the electricity consumption, they stayed for quite a while."


    "It takes a lot of time to divide up a body."


    "It seems that this person who came on March 24th is the dismemberer."


    "Let¡¯s look for witnesses!"


    "I''m wondering if it¡¯s necessary to find the dismemberer? He has been sessful in getting the police to open the case for investigation. If we find out who killed Duan Lin, I think this person who has taken great pains will also surface by themselves."


    "Aiya, don''t bezy. Let¡¯s investigate!"


    Chen Shi was dragged away by Lin Dongxue to look for surveince footage and witnesses while heined non-stop. The neighbors had no recollection of what had happened a week ago since it had been such a long time. In fact, the neighbors didn''t even know who lived in the house.


    They copied a lot of surveince footage from the security department, and took them back for slow examination. This rather technical work was left to Xu Xiaodong again.


    It was gettingte, and the day''s work was over. Lin Dongxue hadn¡¯t eaten much for lunch, so she was famished. Chen Shi heard that a newly opened restaurant was holding a promotion. As long as people finished eating an extrarge portion of beef rice, they would be exempt from paying.


    "Oh~?" Lin Dongxue raised her fist excitedly. "I wouldn¡¯t even have any problems eating a whole cow in the state I¡¯m in!"


    The two went ambitiously and paid over one hundred yuan afterwards. Holding on to the walls for support as they came out, they went to the drugstore to buy digestive tablets...

 Chapter 723: Nine-Man Alliance

    <h4>Chapter 723: Nine-Man Alliance</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next day, the special investigation team went to investigate the nine men. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi were "assigned" to investigate a man named ¡°Little Four¡±.


    When they called him, Little Four saidzily that he was in a certain bathing center, and that if they were looking for him, they had to go there in person. Lin Dongxue was very upset by this. After Chen Shi hung up the phone, she said, "His attitude is so arrogant. It¡¯s best for him if we don¡¯t find evidence of his crimes."


    When they got to the bathing center, Lin Dongxue unexpectedly discovered that the other groups of policemen had also arrived. After asking each other "Why are you here?", they realized that all the nine men were taking a bath there that day.


    These nine people lived in different parts of the city, yet they were all gathered together that day. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°They suddenly got together. I''m afraid they¡¯re discussing countermeasures and colluding their testimonies.¡±


    "I hope they really are colluding. That proves that they are indeed problematic."


    "It¡¯s best if we find evidence and arrest this whole group of disgusting, bad PUAs."


    Soon after, a man walked out. They couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t handsome, but he belonged to the ¡°pretty boy¡± category that wasn¡¯t Lin Dongxue¡¯s type. He scanned the police waiting in the lobby and said, ¡°Yo, there are so many policemen. No wonder guests don¡¯t dare toe in."


    "What is your name?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Liu Qiang. My English name is Tony. Of course, you can also call me ¡®Little Four¡¯."


    "I was the one who called you. I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time."


    Little Four saw Lin Dongxue, whistled and smiled, "If I knew that Miss Police Flower was waiting here for me, I wouldn''t have taken a bath!"


    Lin Dongxue frowned in disgust. "Let''s talk elsewhere!"


    "Wait a minute. I have to pay the bill first."


    The three of them went outside. There was no caf¨¦ or tea house nearby, so they stood on the sidewalk and talked. Little Four looked at the passing cars. "If you have something to ask, then please hurry up. The street is dusty and I just had a bath!"


    Chen Shi retrieved a photo from his phone. "Do you know her?"


    "No. Who would know this kind of ugly girl?"


    "Be honest with me! Zhang Xiao has already confessed. At the end of March, all nine of you each received a part of the girl''s body. Then you discarded the body parts on Heping East Street together on the evening of April 1st. Do you know how much social panic it caused? A neighborhoodmittee aunt was so frightened that her blood pressure shot up."


    Little Four raised an eyebrow and remained silent.


    "What do the nine of you do?"


    "We¡¯re an interest group."


    "What interest group?"


    "Mushroom cultivation interest group." Little Four actuallyughed when he said this. The skill of this lying was too low.


    "Mushroom cultivation?" Chen Shi sneered. "Can you tell me the names of four kinds ofmercially cultivated mushrooms?"


    "Well, Ice-shroom, Doom-shroom, Puff-shroom, Fume-shroom..."[1]


    "There are also Sun-shrooms, right?" Lin Dongxue crossed her arms. Her expression showed that she was already impatient.


    "Oh, Beauty, you also y nts vs. Zombies?!" Little Four raised his eyebrows.


    "Be honest. If you don''t confess, we can talk slowly in another ce."


    Berated by Lin Dongxue, Little Four finally got a little serious, spread out his hands and said, ¡°Duan Lin¡¯s death has nothing to do with us. We did receive her body, and we were also scared crazy. This motherfucking person is framing us, so the boss thought of an idea to dispose of the corpse. In fact, we¡¯re also victims..."


    "Who is the boss?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Brother Xiao!"


    "You know her name is Duan Lin. I would like to ask, if she has nothing to do with all of you, why would the body be sent to you?"


    Little Four frowned and shook his head impatiently. "Okay, okay, I admit that we are a PUA Association. Yes, yes, yes, it¡¯s the kind that you frown at when you hear about it. I¡¯m an art student and had very low self-esteem in college. I never dated a single girlfriend. I felt sour as though I had eaten a lemon when I watched other couples. A senior said to me, ¡®Little Four, how can you produce good art if you don¡¯t sleep with women?¡¯ So I signed up to join this group. This group is simple and crude. We don¡¯t y around. Everyone just discussed together about how to trick a girl into bed..."


    "Talk about serious matters!" Chen Shi interrupted.


    "Don''t be so impatient. I¡¯m almost there... Someone among us had toyed with this girl called Duan Lin. We don''t know who it was. We usually move quickly. For example, I have dumped a lot of women. They¡¯ve always been very simple breaks. For example, when I met myst girlfriend, we slept together that night. I left the next morning and sent her a text message dumping her. I don¡¯t even know what her name was..." Little Four smiled triumphantly, "I guess Duan Lin had been dumped by one of our brothers and couldn''t bear it, so shemitted suicide. Afterwards, some fallback guy of hers couldn''t ept it, so he chopped her up and sent the parts to us. He probably meant that he wanted us to repay with our lives. Fuck, this motherfucker is a psycho. You should be investigating this person instead of us!"


    His wording and testimony made Lin Dongxue disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly. She sarcastically said, "You¡¯re quite self-aware."


    Little Four spread out his hands and said, "I know that we aren¡¯t good people in your eyes. I got tired of being a nice guy long ago. Nice guys will only end up in the friend zone. The reason why PUA appeared is also rted to you women. Take a look at the girls on the streets. All of them are so proud with their noses turned up towards the sky. All day long, they only fantasize about marrying a rich second-generation or some young CEO. If it weren¡¯t for their ownck of caution, how could they be fooled and allow us scum to take advantage of them?"


    Noting that Lin Dongxue was clenching her fists in anger, Chen Shi warned him, "Don''t promote your distorted values any longer, or I will beat you!"


    "Fuck, the police beats people!"


    "I''m not a policeman." Chen Shi showed him his consultant¡¯s ID.


    Little Four''s expression changed drastically for a moment. "Okay, okay, I know you don¡¯t like to listen to this. Anyway, I still maintain that we didn¡¯t break thew by picking up girls. Chopping up a person and sending it to us is illegal! You should go and arrest him instead!"


    "Who was Duan Lin''s boyfriend?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I don¡¯t know!"


    "In that case, how did you know Duan Lin¡¯s name?"


    "Someone in the group mentioned her."


    "Don''t you have names in the group?"


    Little Four frowned, as if he was caught in a self-contradiction, so he simply quibbled, "If I don''t know, then I don''t know! I don''t know even if you ask me ten thousand times!"


    "Okay, we¡¯ll investigate how Duan Lin died and who dismembered her. If we find out that her death is rted to you guys, we won¡¯t be so polite. You will have no chance to talk, even if you want to."


    Little Four made an indifferent gesture, and the questioning ended just like that.


    The other groups of police investigated the other people and obtained simr information. Several of them confessed to the PUA Association, but they were very secretive about whose girlfriend Duan Lin was.


    There was another detail. Duan Lin''s body parts had been ced in food storage containers and sent to their respective residences. That had happened on the morning of March 27th.


    Chen Shi spected that these people were covering up for one another. If Duan Lin had reallymitted suicide after being dumped, there was no need to cover it up. Thus her death was probably due to someone imposing "death control" on her and inciting her tomit suicide!


    Over the following days, the police called on them several times. Several of them were even summoned over for questioning, but the group of men were extremely stubborn, as if their defenses were as tough as steel boards.


    This reminded Chen Shi of the saying that the alliance between men is the strongest, because men know one another''s secrets, and this kind of check-and-bnce rtionships means that they will never betray one another.


    The case entered a stalemate, and what broke the calm at this time was an unexpected murder...


    1. All mushrooms from the game nts vs. Zombies.

 Chapter 724: Hazardous Garbage

    <h4>Chapter 724: Hazardous Garbage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    On April 6th, Chen Shi received a text message from Lin Dongxue and rushed to the scene. The text message just said, "Little Wei is dead. It¡¯s a tragic sight." Little Wei was one of the nine men who hade to the bureau a few days ago as "a guest".


    Many policemen had already arrived at the scene of the crime, and there were some neighbors watching themotion. This was an old-fashioned tube-shaped building. Chen Shi pushed his way through the crowd all the way to the door. At first nce, he saw a lot of bloody handprints on the wall. A man was lying on the floor and his entire right leg had been amputated. The blood that had spread all over the ground had already solidified.


    The head of the deceased was facing the door, and the bloody handprints were in the opposite direction. There was indeed a lot of blood on his body, as well as on his hands, but from the shape of his hands, he didn¡¯t leave those bloody handprints.


    "Stop looking at them. The handprints are fake with a textile texture though the blood is real. The murderer must have stuffed a woman''s glove with a sponge soaked in blood and used it like a stamp." Peng Sijue had already finished his inspection.


    "Woman''s glove?! To inform us that this is Duan Lin''s revenge? Could the murderer be the dismemberer?" Chen Shi said.


    "We just saw the corpse, so don''t rush to judge." Lin Qiupu said.


    "In that case, what did you call me here for?"


    "I asked you toe here in order to see the scene with your own eyes, so that you won''t ask againter."


    "Okay, okay, I won''t draw conclusions yet."


    Chen Shi had always believed that Peng Sijue was more professional than him with respect to on-site surveys, and Lin Qiupu had always advocated for not omitting any details. With these two people at the scene, it was fine for him to just feel the atmosphere for himself.


    Peng Sijue took a ruler to measure the length of the bloody handprint, and then retrieved a photo from the phone. When forensic pathologists took pictures of the corpse, they would put a colorful multifunctional measuring ruler next to it as a reference object. He said, "The size of the handprint is almost identical to Duan Lin¡¯s hands."


    "It really has something to do with Duan Lin." Chen Shi nodded.


    The forensic police officers were taking pictures around the corpse. The deceased had several wounds from being beaten. There was a scratch on his forehead, and a small portion of a shoe print seemed to be visible. The right calf had been amputated from the knee. The cause of death was judged preliminarily to be excessive blood loss. If a person had a limb amputated, they would die if they didn¡¯t receive first aid within 15 minutes.


    From the cross-section of the wound, the murderer had sawn off his leg with a saw and the knee-cap had been sawn-off directly. This was really cruel and most people wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. There¡¯s a pate on the knee, and cartge under it. It¡¯s not easy to saw it from the front. You will have to saw from the leg socket at the back to cut and tear the soft tissue in the space between the bones. Finally, the whole calf would have to be torn off. The process is hair-raising.


    However, the sawn-off calf of the body wasn¡¯t found at the scene.


    Chen Shi asked, "Didn''t the neighbors hear anything?"


    Lin Dongxue replied, "The neighbors on the left and the right have been questioned. They only heard a ¡®dong¡¯ noisest night. They thought someone had dropped something. It was just this one noise, so they paid no mind to it."


    "So who discovered it?"


    "In the morning, a few elementary school students had kicked a football up into this building. They came up to look for the ball and then saw a dead person inside the house through the window."


    Chen Shi looked at the corpse and suddenly blurted out. "The murderer is a man."


    "Huh? It must be a man. A woman doesn''t have the physical strength."


    "No, I''m not guessing. People like him won''t bring women to the house, as it goes against his public persona. Look at the clothes he was wearing..."


    The deceased was wearing an undershirt with the words XX Fertilizer Factory and a pair of shorts that had faded white from washing. There were also leftover pancakes, a bottle of leftover beer, and a pack of five-yuan cigarettes on the table.


    What they saw in Little Wei¡¯s WeChat previously were all these words like this - "Work hard, exercise self-control, and be a better version of yourself", "Today, I had lunch with the CEO of Yusi. It turns out that he¡¯s also a Harvard alumnus, and we had a great conversation with each other." "After changing to a BMW335i, the sound of the L6 turbocharged engine is particrly pleasing to the ear.", "This nutritious meal after going to the gym is only $19.7."


    "He wouldn''t meet a woman dressed so casually. The murderer is most likely a man." Chen Shi said.


    "Perhaps it was an acquaintance..."


    "Yes, it is very likely that it was an acquaintance..." Chen Shi suddenly thought of something. "Eh? Where''s his mobile phone?"


    "I couldn''t find it anywhere." Lin Dongxue shrugged.


    "Previously, Duan Lin''s cell phone couldn¡¯t be found before either. If the murderer wanted to avenge Duan Lin, why did he take the cell phone away? This is very contradictory. There must be clues on the cell phone from which we can find out who killed Duan Lin. This person has worked tirelessly. Wasn''t Duan Lin''s body divided and posted to the nine people in order to make the police pay attention to this matter?"


    "Hey, you¡¯re jumping to conclusions. Haven¡¯t you already equated the murderer with the dismemberer?" Lin Dongxuemented.


    "Let''s assume this hypothesis first, and then consider the possibility that they might be different persons."


    Lin Dongxue pondered for a while, walked to the wall andpared her hand with the bloody handprints. "My hands are simr to these. Most women have such small hands. You can''t just carelessly assume that this was someone who was avenging Duan Lin. People like Little Wei have harmed many other women."


    "This view is very objective." Lin Qiupu nodded affirmatively, "Don''t rush to associate this with Duan Lin''s case. The appraisal hasn¡¯t been finished yet!"


    "Okay, I won''t say anything!"


    Chen Shi originally had wanted to mention the method of death. Killing a person doesn''t have to be so troublesome. A knife can solve the problem. Why did the murderer have to cut his leg off? Duan Lin had also been divided into nine pieces. Was this some kind of omen?


    Looking at this bloody scene, Chen Shi had a feeling that more cruel things would happen next.


    Peng Sijue asked for the body to be bagged. At that moment, a mobile phone fell out of the deceased''s shorts. The people at the scene were surprised. After that, the mobile phone was put into an evidence bag and taken back for inspection.


    When everyone was driving away from the scene, an uncle in a yellow coat suddenly stopped the police cars with a panicked expression.


    It turned out that this person was a nearby garbage inspector. He discovered that someone had thrown wet garbage into a hazardous garbage bin. Lin Qiupu said, "Uh, this matter..."


    "Look, this is it!" The garbage inspector took out a bag, and the police officers immediately became flustered when they saw the shape of the bag. After opening it for inspection, they found that it was aplete calf.


    "I was so frightened. I happened to see your police cars passing by. Aiya, thank the heavens!" said the garbage inspector.


    "You call this wet garbage!?"


    "Isn''t this wet garbage?"


    Looking at the bloody calf in the bag, Lin Qiupu gave in. "Okay, it¡¯s indeed wet garbage."


    "That''s the leg of the deceased?" Chen Shi asked in the car.


    "I have to take it back for identification." Peng Sijue said.


    "What identification? Won''t you know after gauging it?"


    Peng Sijue red at him. "You should wait for the tests to be done before you participate in a case next time."


    Chen Shi looked really enthusiastic. "The broken leg was thrown into the canister for hazardous trash. The tactic is a metaphor! The murderer is the dismemberer. I¡¯m 100% sure now!"

 Chapter 725: A Man Wipes His Phone Before He Dies

    <h4>Chapter 725: A Man Wipes His Phone Before He Dies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "I think the murderer has clearly expressed what he wants to express. He¡¯s avenging Duan Lin and will continue to kill people in the future!"


    Chen Shi expressed his opinions in the car.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Although I think so too... but we should still wait for the identification results toe out!"


    "We don''t need to wait for identification for everything. It¡¯s good to have a mind of one¡¯s own!"


    Peng Sijue who was sitting in front said, "Someone means that my existence has no value!"


    "Aiya, Old Peng, don¡¯t take your seat based on your number,[1] okay?" Chen Shi said, "By the way, I want to ask you about something. Which parts were Duan Lin divided into?"


    "The head, upper chest plus left and right upper arms, left forearm, right forearm, pelvis plus left and right thighs, right calf, left calf, abdominal viscera, heart and lungs as well as other thoracic viscera."


    "Thank you. You see? Little Wei had his left calf cut off. I have a bold idea. I think what he received was the left calf, and that the corpse parts they received were death notices."


    The nine guys had been reluctant to talk about which part each person had received.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I don''t understand why they don''t want to say which part they had received. It doesn¡¯t affect anything? Like with that Little Four previously, he was willing to talk about all the nasty things they did. However, he refused to talk regarding this matter no matter what."


    Chen Shi said, "I was also thinking about this and suddenly discovered that we have always had a blind spot. How did they know that the corpse in their hands came from a girl named Duan Lin? Of course, for the one who received the head, it would have been obvious at a nce. For the remaining eight who received the hands, feet, and internal organs, it would have been impossible for them to know!"


    "Ah!!!" Lin Dongxue suddenly realized. "They want to hide who received the head. But why? Is this important?"


    "It¡¯s the murderer''s test!" Chen Shi pointed out with a piercing gaze. "The murderer doesn''t know who killed Duan Lin, but he has a suspect in his heart. This suspect received the head. This person only needs to recognize Duan Lin and the person who killed Duan Lin would definitely be him. Having a guilty conscience, the ''suspect'' himself realized that something bad was about to happen, so he did two things. The first was to destroy the face of the deceased, and the second was to make the other eight people conceal it together."


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while and said, "Is there another possibility that the ''suspect'' had received another corpse part? For example, if Duan Lin had a birthmark on her chest? Just think. These nine people usually showed off their new girlfriends in the group. When we first asked Zhang Xiao toe in for questioning, he knew about Duan Lin, and Little Four also knew about Duan Lin. This shows that the information between them was publicly shared. Maybe there was a characteristic of Duan Lin that only her boyfriend knew about. This person also knows that the other party is testing him, so they got everyone to keep which part they received a secret!"


    "Hahahaha, very meticulous!" Chen Shi praised Lin Dongxue''s imaginative ideas. "If this is the case, I have a new idea. It was the murderer who ruined the face of the deceased. Even though the face of the deceased was unclear, these nine people still knew who she was, proving that the person who received the ''special part'' is her boyfriend!"


    "But how did the murderer know they knew?"


    "Hmm..." Chen Shi was also confused. Yes, from what channel did the murderer obtain the information? He suddenly thought that the murderer might be one of them.


    Chen Shi wanted to ask for Peng Sijue''s opinion, "Old Peng, what do you think?"


    Peng Sijue was motionless in the front seat, and the driver said, "Captain Peng is asleep."


    "Fuck!"


    Back at the bureau, Chen Shi couldn''t wait to go out to investigate the case, and visit the remaining eight people, but Lin Qiupu repeatedly emphasized, "Wait for the appraisal results!"


    The first result was that the fingerprints and blood stains on the cell phone of the deceased Little Wei were all his. Many files on the cell phone had been deleted, but they were restored by technical means.


    Everyone sat in the conference room and "appreciated" some videos from the deceased''s mobile phone.


    After watching one of them, Lin Qiupu said, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"


    All of those videos were unsightly. It turned out that the deceased had secretly videoed his sexual encounters. There were dozens of self-produced, self-directed adult videos that he personally acted in, and the "heroines" were always different.


    "Disgusting scumbag!" Someonemented from a dark corner.


    "Who said that? Xiaodong, was it you?!" Lin Qiupu red.


    "It wasn¡¯t me..." Xu Xiaodong looked innocent.


    Then there were a bunch of pictures. These pictures were of him sitting in a luxury car with an expensive mechanical watch on the hand holding the steering wheel , posing in front of some scenic spots (mostly in Europe and the United States), or participating in sports like golf.


    When the mobile phone photos were magnified dozens of times on the white screen, it was easy to spot the ws. Many police officers said, "Photoshop. The directions of the shadows on the face are inconsistent!", "It was stolen off the web. The photo¡¯s dimensions are wrong and the watermarks below have been cropped out."


    The above were all deleted content. Lin Dongxue curiously said, "Why did they delete these things?"


    "Haha, the most important thing for a man to do before he dies is to wipe his hard drive. The deceased not only wiped his phone, but also hid it in his shorts, so he has a high level of awareness!" Chen Shi said.


    "Don''t be disrespectful to the dead." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Yes, respect the dead scum." Someone said from a dark corner.


    Lin Qiupu nced at Xu Xiaodong in helpless fury. Xu Xiaodong said innocently, "It''s really not me this time... nor was it me just then!"


    "A police officer should behave like one. Don¡¯t shoot your mouth off!" Lin Qiupu reprimanded.


    Next were the chat logs. Opening the WeChat ount of the deceased, everyone was shocked. The femaleizens in it were marked as "Five-star Prey - Lili", "Three-star Prey - Little Ai", "Three-star Prey - Little Ai''s Mom", "Don''t dare to engage - President Wang", "Slept with her already - Ah Juan".


    If the content of the chats weren¡¯t informative, they ignored them.


    There was a conversation segment between him and Zhang Xiao, which was unexpectedly serious.


    Little Wei: Brother Xiao, you¡¯ve deleted the third intake¡¯s lecture record in the group sharing area.


    Brother Xiao: If it¡¯s deleted, it¡¯s deleted. It¡¯s quite possible that the police will check our mobile phones. Delete them all and we¡¯ll make them againter.


    Little Wei: The police are so annoying!


    Little Wei: By the way, Little Four will treat us to a bath tomorrow.


    Brother Xiao: Little Four will treat us to a bath? Where?


    Little Wei: White Sand Pools.


    Brother Xiao: Look at the ce he picked. It¡¯s actually a respectable bathhouse.


    Little Wei: Haha, Brother Xiao wants to go somewhere that¡¯s not respectable?


    Brother Xiao: Only stupid cunts spend money to y with women!


    Little Wei: Hahahaha.


    After reading it, Chen Shi said, "It seems that this conversation had taken ce on April 2nd, and Little Four and the deceased were fairly close. He¡¯s worth visiting again."


    "We have to see that little hooligan again?" Lin Dongxue frowned. "Talking with him takes so much energy."


    "Now that one of them is dead, if we don¡¯t handle this well, he might be the next one. I think he should be a bit more honest!"


    "Ah, what are you talking about? What do you mean by the next one?" Lin Qiupu was shocked.


    "Oh, I forgot to say that I was discussing this with Dongxue in the car. I think the murderer may have his next target."


    After Chen Shi finished telling them about his spection, Lin Qiupu frowned. "There¡¯s no evidence for that!"


    "We can''t wait for three or four of these people to die before we slowly conclude that this is a serial killing. The murderer''s meaning is clear as day. He wants to chop off a part of each of these nine people."


    "The appraisal hasn''te out yet, but you¡¯re in such a hurry?"


    Chen Shi looked helpless. "The appraisal won¡¯t be finished today, but the murderer may still act tonight. Can I go and visit them again?"


    Lin Qiupu reconsidered it and said to everyone, "Visit them again! Tell them the news of Little Wei''s death!"


    1. It¡¯s a Chinese idiom that means jumping out and assuming that a criticism orment is about you.

 Chapter 726: My Dream

    <h4>Chapter 726: My Dream</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were leaving the Public Security Bureau together, Xu Xiaodong caught up with them. "Brother Chen,st time you asked me to check the surveince footage and I discovered something. On March 23rd, Duan Lin and an uncle walked into the housing district together. She was also helping the uncle carry his bags."


    "What did the uncle look like?"


    After Xu Xiaodong described him, Chen Shi said, "That¡¯s Duan Lin''s father."


    "In that case, do I need to continue checking?"


    "March 23rd?... Haha, this discovery is very important, thank you!" Chen Shi patted Xu Xiaodong on the shoulder.


    After Xu Xiaodong went back, Lin Dongxue said, "Uncle said he had arrived on the 24th, so he lied to us?"


    "And the 23rd was the day Duan Lin died..."


    "Uncle was the man who dismembered the corpse?" Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows.


    "Isn''t that a bit absurd? A father found his daughter dead and the first thing he did wasn¡¯t to call the police. Instead, he chopped up his daughter and sent it to nine ''suspects''... I think based on his educational background and age, he wouldn¡¯t be such a schemer."


    "You don''t know his educational background or experiences. His daughtermitted suicide. He knows that it¡¯s useless to call the police and can only obtain justice by himself."


    "Then you think he was the one who killed Little Wei?"


    "I noticed that the smartphone he was using is very new. He said that his daughter had traded up and given it to him, but is there a possibility that the phone belonged to Duan Lin?"


    "If it was Duan Lin''s cell phone, he should know who killed his daughter."


    "This is just your hypothesis. Duan Lin''s mobile phone may not have this clue. Maybe the person wanted to impose ''death control'' on Duan Lin from the beginning, concealing all aspects of his true identity to prevent himself from being exposedter."


    "Then the uncle got hold of the cell phone, found the nine people, chopped up his daughter and sent the parts to them to probe the identity of his daughter''s boyfriend?" Chen Shi shook his head, "I keep feeling that there are many ws with that."


    "Then... we¡¯ll investigate the background of the uncle first. You don¡¯t oppose it, do you?"


    "No objection. Let Xiaodong do it!" Chen Shi sent a text message to Xu Xiaodong, asking him to investigate Duan Dazhu''s information and attached a "1" to it.


    Xu Xiaodong replied, "Not ¡®1¡¯. I want ¡®2¡¯!"


    "Okay, okay, ¡®2¡¯!"


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "What does this mean?"


    Chen Shiughed and replied, "ording to the secret code that Xiaodong and I set, ¡®1¡¯ stands for treating him to supper, and ¡®2¡¯ stands for treating him to dinner. It saves us the trouble of typing it out each time."


    "You seem to be training a police dog, Pavlov?"[1]


    "I think it''s quite appropriate to describe Xiaodong as a police dog. This kid has good physical strength, strong execution ability, and a simple heart. I was thinking that if he is fired one day, I would hire him to work at the detective agency."


    "Why would Xiaodong be fired? He will be my good subordinate in the future!" Lin Dongxue winked mischievously.


    They arrived at an art studio and met Little Four. It turned out that he was an art teaching intern there. Seeing the two arrive, Little Four hurriedly covered up a painting he was working on, and went over. "Is Little Wei dead?"


    They had informed him about this on the phone earlier, and Chen Shi nodded. ¡°Originally, it shouldn¡¯t have been revealed, but after the police¡¯s investigation, we feel that the eight of you are also simrly at risk, so we specifically came to tell you to be careful in the near future.¡±


    "It means..." Little Four raised his eyebrows. "The person who sent us the body killed Little Wei?"


    "There is a matter rted to the case. We must ask this for rification. Which part of the corpse did Little Wei receive?"


    Since he was already dead, Little Four no longer hid this information and replied dispiritedly, "I saw that he had a leg in his bag."


    "What about you?"


    Little Four indicated his right arm by clutching it near his elbow with his left hand. "Right arm!"


    "Who received the head?"


    "I don''t know!"


    "Why don''t you know? You only received the arm, so how did you know that it was Duan Lin? Duan Lin wasn¡¯t your girlfriend. She was someone else''s girlfriend." Chen Shi had said these words to sound him out. He was observing Little Four¡¯s expression.


    Little Four¡¯s expression did not change. He took out a cigarette and asked, "Can I?"


    Obviously, he was a bit more honest than when they metst time. Perhaps the death of a friend was a bit of shock to him.


    "Go ahead!" Chen Shi said.


    Little Four lit up a cigarette and exined, ¡°You know how QQ groups have an anonymous function? We were having dinner together one night, and an anonymous message was sent to the group. It contained a video recorded by Duan Lin while shemitting suicide by cutting her wrist. That person said excitedly, ¡®Brothers, I¡¯ve seeded. A foolish girl has died for me. This life has been worth it!¡¯ Of course, I personally felt that this kind of thing was a bit too much, but everyone was very excited and were guessing who it might be! Brother Xiao said that ying around is one thing, but one shouldn¡¯t actually put lives in harm¡¯s way. He told whoever that girl belonged to that he should hurry up and take her to the hospital or call an ambnce."


    "At that time, did you know her name was Duan Lin?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I did. The anonymous person himself said that he had posted Duan Lin''s photos before. We have an unwritten rule. Whoever has a new girlfriend should share her photos with the group for everyone toment on. This was to prevent us from falling in love with a woman, because we¡¯re all ruthless hunters... Miss Police Flower, please stop furrowing your brows. I¡¯m just making an objective statement! That person was anonymous when he posted Duan Lin¡¯s photos. Duan Lin¡¯s body and face looked average. Furthermore, she was from the countryside. We thought the person was embarrassed of her, so he sent it anonymously, but it turned out that he wanted to toy with her until she died!"


    "After Zhang Xiao said that, who stood up to call or leave?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Brother Xiao was rather generous after all. He told us to go back to our own houses at the time, which allowed the person to preserve a bit of privacy. I don''t know who called the ambnce because Duan Lin wasn¡¯t my girl! Death control is one of the games of PUAs. It can be said to be an advanced pursuit, just like how the top type of y in sadomasochism circles is to let ves self-mutte andmit suicide. I find it hard to exin how I feel about this in a few words, but I won¡¯t try it. After all, my rank isn¡¯t that high."


    "What high-level pursuit do you have?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Haha, to find a rich woman to support me. Then there¡¯d be no need to work for the rest of my life! As for Brother Xiao, I know his dream is to have a threesome without spending any money, but to persuade two women to participate willingly. Due to this, I don¡¯t know how many ps from ex-girlfriends he has endured. Have you seen A Clockwork Orange? The hero''s dream is to rape a woman in public. I know this is very perverted, but I can understand him. You ordinary people will be content if you have one lover during your lifetime. We aren¡¯t the same. We are very empty and are all just diaosi.[2] In this life, we can¡¯t afford to drive luxury cars or live in luxury homes. We can only collect stamps and try to sleep with a few more women while we¡¯re young. In the beginning, it was just to sleep with them. As time passed, it became a kind of addiction that couldn¡¯t be stopped. Using the same words when deceiving people. People are the same when they take off their clothes. Even their actions in bed are the same. However, it was just to find a little difference amidst those things that were the same. With that, one is satisfied. After bing satisfied, there is an even greater emptiness, just like a person drinking sea water to quench their thirst while they¡¯re lost at sea. They can only drink continuously and drink until they die! Even though they know this would be the end result, in the moment when the cool sea water enters the throat, it feels fucking amazing!"


    While saying that, Little Four seemed to be gazing into the distance, unexpectedly giving off a sublime air.


    1. Pavlov¡¯s theory of ssical conditioning.


    2. Diaosi is a Chinese ng term, often used in aedic manner, that refers to a young male of mediocre appearance and social standing. Born into a humble family, he has no car, no house, and no connections. Yet as the term went viral on the Inte, Chinese youth from all backgrounds began to embrace it.

 Chapter 727: Retired Veteran

    <h4>Chapter 727: Retired Veteran</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue frowned, obviously notfortable with this kind of conversation. Chen Shi brought the topic back on the right track. "Then who received Duan Lin''s head?"


    Little Four spread out his hands. "I don''t know!"


    "Who told you about the identity of the corpse?"


    "He was anonymous!" The answer was the same as what Chen Shi expected. Little Four said, "When everyone all received the corpse parts, the group erupted into amotion. The anonymous person said it was Duan Lin and that someone was taking revenge against him. He was very afraid and hoped that us buddies could do him a favor."


    "What favor?"


    "Disposing of the body... Later, he told us that if the police ask who had received each part, we should not tell you."


    "Tell me all the information you know about who received which part." Chen Shi changed his train of thought and used the elimination method instead.


    "Little Wei received a leg. I received the right hand, and Big Ox''s bag was soft. They were probably internal organs."


    "Can you be more specific?"


    "I don''t know the details. I really only know this much. We each carried a big ck stic bag on the day the body was abandoned, so nothing could be seen."


    "Okay!" Chen Shi sighed helplessly. "Show me your group chat."


    Little Four took out his mobile phone and Chen Shi saw that the group was really called "Mushroom Cultivation Skills Exchange Group" and that there was nothing in it. Little Four shrugged. "Brother Xiao deleted everything to guard against police investigation."


    "What do you have to guard yourself against?"


    "We have guilty consciences!" Little Four said with a mischievous smirk.


    At this time, Zhang Xiao posted a message in the group. "This is not a drill! This is not a drill! This is not a drill! Little Wei was killed by a psychopath. The police have just sought me out. Don''t hide and cover things up. Actively cooperate with the police in solving the case. Life is precious!"


    There was one more message attached below. "Just don¡¯t disclose everything. Don''t help them so much that you end up putting yourself in jail!"


    The others started discussing fervently in an instant. The discussion moved so quickly that Chen Shi was dizzy just from looking at it. He thought to himself that this group of people may all have engaged in shady business like scamming money and sex. Of course, they were only investigating the murder case. They¡¯ll deal with this matter afterward!


    Chen Shi handed the phone back to Little Four. "Tell them to say which body parts they had received."


    Little Four sent out a message ording to his wish and stated that it was a police request. As soon as the message was sent out, an anonymous message appeared, "Please don''t tell them! The police are using the exclusion method! I''ll be exposed if you guys tell them!"


    Everyone condemned him saying, "Bastard, who are you? You killed Little Wei!", "You didn¡¯t reveal your identity from start to finish. You¡¯re not a man!"


    Chen Shi counted, and all seven people except Little Four had criticized the anonymous person. That is to say, the anonymous person himself was pretending to denounce himself as well.


    What was the meaning of this? Werewolves Kill?[1]


    Big Ox made an amazing discovery. "Why isn''t Little Four talking? Little Four is the bastard!"


    Little Four got angry and spoke into the phone via voice message, "I''ll X you XX. I''m talking to the police right now! That bastard should step out by himself. I¡¯ll be the first to dere that I received the right arm!"


    Spurred by him, No. 2 spoke: "What I received is... cunt!"


    No. 3 stated: "Intestines!"


    No. 4 stated: "Chest!"


    Zhang Xiao said: "Head."


    Everyone had spoken and the anonymous person disappeared without a trace like a ghost under the sun, never to be seen again. Little Four said excitedly, "Are these clues enough?"


    Chen Shi said, "Can you ask if the head Zhang Xiao received had been disfigured?"


    Little Four ryed this message and Zhang Xiao replied, "I¡¯m not sure what was poured on the face, but anyway, it was a total mess."


    Chen Shi was dumbfounded and said to Little Four, "Okay, we¡¯ll head off first."


    Little Four stared at the phone in a daze. Chen Shi spoke twice before he reacted and said, "Oh, then I¡¯ll get back to work."


    Leaving the art studio, both Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were puzzled. Lin Dongxue couldn''t wait to speak. "This is too strange. The purpose of the corpse dismemberment was a test. Why would the head sent out be disfigured?"


    "One possibility is that Zhang Xiao is lying. Duan Lin was his girlfriend. Think about what he did at the gathering. He was the one who took the initiative to announce that everyone should go back, which would have made it convenient for him to leave and attend to the aftermath."


    "The other possibility is that Duan Lin had something like a birthmark on a special part of her body as I proposed!"


    "This is also easy to check. The body is in the morgue. Let Old Peng examine it again."


    "Wait, should we reorganize the information again? It''s just our spection that the motive for the dismemberment was to test them."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Remember what the anonymous person just said? He actually figured out that we wanted to use the method of elimination. This shows that he knew that the part he received would reveal that he was Duan Lin''s boyfriend. It was correct to test this theory!"


    Chen Shi immediately called Peng Sijue and he felt it was necessary to visit Zhang Xiao again.


    It turned out that Zhang Xiao was still at work, saying that it wasn¡¯t very convenient for him at the moment. Lin Dongxue suggested, "Let¡¯s go and see Duan Lin''s father!"


    "Sounds good!"


    On the way, Xu Xiaodong sent the information he had found to Chen Shi. Duan Lin''s father was formerly a soldier. Besides farming in the countryside, he also worked part-time ughtering pigs and sheep because he had obtained a butcher¡¯s permit.


    In addition, his ID card usage information clearly revealed that he had arrived in Long''an by train on March 23rd.


    Duan Lin¡¯s father was still living in her rented apartment. For the past few days, he had been waiting for the police as if he was wishing for the stars and the moon. He was very happy to see the two of them there. He poured tea and handed out cigarettes. He asked: "Are the results for my daughter¡¯s case out?"


    "Not yet. We came to verify some information." Chen Shi said.


    "Oh..." The uncle''s mood clearly dipped somewhat. "Go ahead and ask!"


    "On what date did you arrive in Long''an to visit your daughter?"


    "March 24th!"


    "Why did youe to see her so suddenly?"


    "She had a mild illness and I was worried about her." The uncle put a smile on his face, as if he was hiding something.


    "You didn¡¯t see her when you came?"


    "Yes."


    "Did you have the key to this ce?"


    The uncle''s forehead was already sweating, and he continued to nod. "Yes!"


    "But the housing district¡¯s surveince footage shows that you hade here on the 23rd. Duan Lin helped you to carry your bags and you two chatted all the way." Chen Shi tried his best not to sound as if he was interrogating him.


    The uncle¡¯s hand trembled and the cigarette ash fell on his pants.


    "Duan Lin died on the 23rd, and you were also here that day. Did you witness any suspicious people?"


    "I... I..."


    "We aren¡¯t suspecting you, but we have to find out every detail! There¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve always wanted to ask. Is that her phone in your hands? Can we have a look?"


    The uncle covered up his phone in a panic. "No, no, no, this phone belongs to me."


    "Okay, we won''t force you, but can you give us a clear exnation? What did you do when you came here on the 23rd?"


    The uncle looked very nervous. When this nervousness reached a critical point, he suddenly put down the phone and covered his face. "I¡¯m a bastard! I was the one who killed Linlin!"


    1. This is a game where there are a group of werewolves and a group of vigers and their aim is to kill the other party. Every night, the werewolves eat a viger and during the day, they disguise themselves and act as normal vigers. During the day, the vigers discuss amongst themselves who they believe is a werewolf, and ¡°kill¡± them. Ideally, it would be the werewolves who are eliminated. A more modern version would be ¡°Among Us¡±.

 Chapter 728: Repeatedly Deceived

    <h4>Chapter 728: Repeatedly Deceived</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue got up, poured a ss of water, handed it to the uncle, and said, "Don''t rush and just speak slowly."


    "Thank you..." The uncle wiped at his tears, looking for something on the phone, and said as he looked for it, "This phone is really mine. Linlin bought the Pear phone and gave this used one to me."


    "Do you mean Apple?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Ah, yes, yes, Apple..." The uncle''s finger stopped swiping the screen. "I suddenly received this one week ago. I didn''t want to show it to you because it''s shameful."


    On the phone, there was a nude photo of Duan Lin with her hands covering up her private parts and a look of shame on her face.


    "What''s going on?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yeah, I also wanted to know what was going on. I called and asked her, but she said that a friend had taken it as a joke. I knew it was definitely not that simple based on her tone, so I bought a ticket and came to Long¡¯an on the 23rd. I kept a cold face when I saw her. As soon as I entered the house, I asked, ¡®Linlin, did you make some bad friends outside?¡¯ She said, ¡®Don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t ask.¡¯ I asked her how I could possibly not ask? She wasn¡¯t married yet, so if these kinds of photos were taken and they got out, how would the entire family hold up our heads? As we talked, we began arguing...¡±


    The uncle sighed and fumbled for his cigarettes with shaking hands. Chen Shi said, "This is a nude IOU, right?"


    The uncle nodded desperately. "Yes, the police officers in the city are indeed more knowledgeable. It¡¯s indeed called a nude IOU. She told me that she owed the loan sharks money and couldn''t repay them. The loan sharks sent this photo out. I wasn¡¯t the only one who received it. I lost all my face! I asked her why she owed the loan sharks money when she earned a few thousand dors a month working in the city. How could she have such big expenses?! She said she bought clothes, cosmetics and went out to have fun. In the beginning, she borrowed a few thousand, then the interestpounded and it became almost ten thousand. As soon as I heard this, I was about to have a heart attack. What do you think? How did a good young girl be like this after spending a few years in the city? She had never sent a dime back home, and she often asked us for money. I always said, ¡®Linlin, you should spend less since you are living out there alone. Don¡¯t always eat takeout food and cook your own meals instead.¡¯ I learnedter how she was living and I nearly shed tears. She was actually eating frugally. She ate noodles for every meal and just the addition of an egg would be considered an improvement food-wise. Her entire meagre sry was used to buy clothes, cosmetics, and mobile phones. Her expenses were more what she earned in a month!"


    "When we were quarrelling, she said that she had found a boyfriend whose family is rich. She said that she¡¯d be able to enjoy the good life when she gets married in the future. I said she was possessed. Her previous boyfriend had cheated on her and she still hadn¡¯t learned her lesson. I couldn¡¯t talk about this matter. When I mentioned this, she got angry and quarrelled even more fiercely with me, bringing up old grudges. I got agitated and pped her. I had not hit her since she started junior high. I also told her that I¡¯d pretend that I didn''t have a daughter like her after I pped her, then I took my luggage and left!"


    "I bought a bus ticket and prepared to go back that night. However, the ticket was for the next morning, so I stayed one whole night in the waiting room. I thought a lot that night. Maybe every family has a skeleton in the cupboard. It¡¯s not easy to raise a child to begin with. Later, I saw a mother with a child. Her child was tiny, only three or four years old, prattling away adorably in a babyish voice. Looking at her, I was reminded of Linlin when she was a child. I figured I¡¯d let it go. Although she was in the wrong, I shouldn''t have hit her, so I went back to look for her. By then, the sky had already started to lighten."


    "When I returned here, I found that the door was open and that Linlin wasn¡¯t around. The bathroom light was on and there was a smell of 84[1] which was particrly unpleasant. I called her phone but couldn''t get through. I was too tired at the time, so I fell asleep. I figured she¡¯d be back by the time I woke up. Who would have thought that she wouldn¡¯te back the next day? I finally managed to contact herpany. The people from thepany said she hadn¡¯t gone to work that day. I figured that things didn¡¯t look good, so I hurriedly reported it to the police. In the blink of an eye, a few days had passed. Then you came to tell me that she was gone..." The uncle covered his face with arge pair of rough hands. "I cried all night when you guys camest time. It must have been my words that provoked her intomitting suicide. I am a bastard!"


    The uncle wiped his tears away vigorously, sniffed, and waited for Chen Shi''s questioning.


    "Did she mention anything about her current boyfriend?"


    "I learned one thing during the quarrel. Her boyfriend had asked her for money. I knew it was bad when I heard about it. She must have met a swindler again, but she was already too far gone. She insisted that her boyfriend¡¯s foreign assets or something had been frozen and that everything would be sorted out after a while. Then the money he owes her would be repaid."


    "You¡¯ve guessed correctly. The police have found out that her boyfriend is a swindler. He¡¯s a veteran in swindling money and sex. You don''t have to me yourself too much. Her death is not your responsibility."


    "Thank you. Thank you for telling me this. I just want to catch the person who killed her and have him sentenced, so that he can repay Linlin with his life."


    "Don''t worry, we will give you an exnation... By the way, what happened with herst boyfriend?"


    "I¡¯m not clear. I only found out by ident that she was cohabiting with a man. The man''s background was unknown. He lived with her and asked her for money to spend. I¡¯m unsure how they broke upter. Haii, it was too easy for her to be deceived as an immature young girl who came to the city alone. She doesn¡¯t know how to learn from her mistakes either. Her mother and I were both worried sick about this!"


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi exchanged gazes as a new clue inadvertently appeared. Chen Shi asked, "Do you know anything about the previous boyfriend? Anything will do."


    The uncle shook his head. "I don''t even know what he looks like or what his name was. She doesn''t let us ask about her affairs, and we can¡¯t control her either."


    "Oh yes, where did you wait for the bus that night?"


    "North Bus Station."


    When preparing to leave, Chen Shi''s gaze fell onto an open venttion window above the bathroom. Due to its high position, not only did Chen Shi overlook it, the two forensic police officers who hade previously overlooked it as well.


    Chen Shi asked, "Has that window always been open?"


    "Huh?" The uncle looked back. "It''s always been like this. I haven''t touched it."


    Chen Shi moved a stool over and stepped on it to discover that the dust on the window frame had been brushed off, and a clear fingerprint had been imprinted on the frame. The texture on it must have been from a rubber glove¡¯s non-slip grip.


    He poked his head out to have a look. This was the sixth floor. There was a white PVC pipe next to it. The mps and expansion bolts that secured the pipe were loose. There was a small piece of fiber stuck in a section¡¯s mp as well.


    "Hey, a major discovery!" Chen Shi let Lin Dongxuee up and have a look.


    Lin Dongxue said, "This pipe ends at the second floor. That person had jumped down directly from the second floor!"


    "If it weren''t for desperation, few people would use this kind of suicidal way to get downstairs!" Chen Shi looked around the house, and the situation here in the middle of the night on the 23rdseemed to reappear before his eyes. He already had a spection, but he still required technical evidence to support it.


    1. Chinese household disinfectant.

 Chapter 729: Seen Through

    <h4>Chapter 729: Seen Through</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi called Peng Sijue and wanted him to send a few forensic police officers over to identify the traces, but he couldn¡¯t get through. Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Peng is still dissecting Little Wei''s body now, right? Why don''t wee back tomorrow?"


    "Someone climbed out of this window that night. The main point is not the traces on the window frame, but the suspicious fiber on the pipe. Can we take it off ourselves?"


    "That isn¡¯t a good idea. I just saw it. That piece of fiber is on the fifth floor. It''s too dangerous to climb out of the bathroom window in order to pick it up.


    "Then we should go to the fifth floor!"


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "All right!"


    The two knocked on the door of the tenant on the fifth floor, took the small piece of fiber stuck in the pipe from the window and put it in an evidence bag. Chen Shi said excitedly, "As long as we find out who left it, we¡¯ll know who killed Duan Lin!"


    "Why wouldn''t it be left by the corpse dismemberer?"


    "Uncle said that the door of the house was open when he came back on the morning of the 24th. I checked before and the lock had no traces of being picked. It had been opened with a key. The person with the spare key is most likely Duan Lin''s boyfriend. After Duan Linmitted suicide, her boyfriend came here to deal with the aftermath and took her cell phone away. At this time, the dismemberer arrived, and the boyfriend escaped through the bathroom window in a panic. Then the dismemberer divided Duan Lin''s body in the bathroom, cleaned up the scene before dawn and also took the corpse parts away."


    "So did the dismemberer see her boyfriend?"


    "He obviously didn¡¯t see him."


    "Then how did he know that her boyfriend was one of the nine? How did he know Duan Linmitted suicide?"


    "Yes, how did he know?" Chen Shi''s eyes lit up. "I understand now. He¡¯s also one of the nine!"


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened in surprise. "This seems to make sense... but this spection only holds water based on the premise that the uncle didn¡¯t lie this time."


    "Just check the surveince footage in the bus waiting room to see if he lied..."


    "Shall we go to the bus station now?"


    Chen Shi checked his watch. It was already prettyte. "No, let¡¯s go and meet Zhang Xiao!"


    When they called Zhang Xiao, he said that he was off work and was waiting for a bus on a certain street. Chen Shi told him not to wander off, and that they would arrive immediately.


    Half an hourter, the two met Zhang Xiao. He was dressed more decently since he had just gotten off work, and he smelled of shoe polish. As soon as he saw Lin Dongxue, he greeted her with a smile on his face. Chen Shi said, "Let''s find a ce to talk."


    "There¡¯s a Starbucks nearby."


    When they got to Starbucks, Zhang Xiao expertly ordered a lot of food and drinks, as if he was a regr customer. Chen Shi wondered if this kid was going to scam him out of a meal. Zhang Xiao finished ordering and asked, "Aren''t you two going to order?"


    "No, since you¡¯re the only one eating, you pay for your own food."


    "Oh, why are the police so stingy?"


    "It''s not easy to make money... Let''s talk about business. What were you doing on the night of the 23rd?"


    "Having dinner with friends."


    "Nine of you together?"


    "No, it was just me, XX, XX, XX, XX, and XX. The six of us."


    "Why was it the six of you?"


    "Because we were friends to begin with. Ah, I forgot to mention that XX and XX and I were from the first intake, the other three were from the second intake, and Little Four, Little Wei, and Big Ox were from the third intake."


    "Why make such a distinction?"


    "Because the nature of our group is equivalent to a training course. Little Four and the others hadn''t graduated at the time and were taking online sses."


    "Who holds the online sses? Do you have a teacher?"


    "They¡¯re usually video lectures. Sometimes, I¡¯ll be a guest lecturer and personally guide new students." Zhang Xiao disyed a proud expression.


    Lin Dongxue took out a small notebook and wrote down this clue. Zhang Xiao mentioned the names of several teachers.


    At this time, the waiter brought the food that Zhang Xiao had ordered. Zhang Xiao was deliberately attentive and said, "Let''s eat together. Since you guys asked me toe here for questioning, isn''t it normal for you guys to treat me to a cup of coffee?"


    Chen Shi nced at the coffee, tiramisu, sandwiches, and pudding piled on the table, and smiled, "If you ordered a cup, I can treat you, but I can''t afford so much."


    "In that case, can you settle the bill for this cup of coffee?" Zhang Xiao said with a grin.


    Chen Shi thought that this kid was really shrewd. "As long as you answer the questions honestly, a cup of coffee is fine."


    "Go ahead and ask."


    "Where did you go after the dinner gathering?"


    "I went home!"


    "Where was the dinner held?"


    "Caiyuanzi Restaurant."


    "Till what time?"


    "It was past 10:00PM."


    "You took a taxi back alone?"


    "Yes."


    Chen Shi stretched out his hand. "Let me see your taxi records from that day!"


    Zhang Xiao stopped eating, raised his head from the cake, and a trace of panic passed across his crumb-stained face. He said, "It¡¯s been deleted!"


    "It doesn''t matter. Show me your phone."


    "It¡¯s really been deleted."


    "Actually, I¡¯m not a police officer. I¡¯m a criminal investigation consultant. My main job is working as an Inte ride-hailing driver. I know this system extremely well. Show me your app. It doesn''t matter if you deleted it. I can find your records."


    Zhang Xiao didn''t speak. His brows were tightly-knitted and he didn¡¯t notice that his right hand was crushing the cake into crumbs.


    This detail didn¡¯t escape the eyes of Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, and Lin Dongxue thought to herself that the case was solved now.


    "You¡¯re Duan Lin''s boyfriend, the one who made hermit suicide, right?" Chen Shi enunciated every word.


    "No, no, no!" Zhang Xiao desperately denied. "I don''t know her. I have a girlfriend. If you don''t believe me, I will call her now."


    "This proves nothing. It''s normal for a person like you to have several girlfriends at the same time."


    "What do you mean... What do you mean?!" Zhang Xiao mmed the table and stood up. "If you look down on PUAs, then just say so. With my looks and family background, would there be any woman out there who wants me if I am earnest? Two years ago, I hadn¡¯t even held hands with a woman. If it wasn''t for PUA, I would still be single! To put it bluntly, you¡¯re just envious that I can attract the opposite sex. All crows under the sun are ck. We¡¯re all animals that think with our lower bodies. No one needs to look down on anyone else. You dare to guarantee that you have never cheated on Officer Lin behind her back?"


    Zhang Xiao suddenly started to purposely make trouble., He rambled incoherently, causing many customers in the cafe to look over at them. Chen Shi looked on coldly. The source of his anger was a guilty conscience.


    "Can we talk like adults..."


    Suddenly, Zhang Xiao fell to the ground, convulsed all over, and foamed at the mouth. Chen Shi thought he was acting at first, but it didn¡¯t seem so, so he instructed, "Hurry up and call an ambnce!"


    Half an hourter, Zhang Xiao was taken to the hospital, and Lin Dongxue asked, "This illness happened too coincidentally, right?"


    "It''s a coincidence, but we already know that Zhang Xiao is Duan Lin''s boyfriend."


    "In that case, is he in danger?"


    "Danger?" Chen Shi thought of something, "Yes, the murderer was in the group. When he lied previously, the murderer had already seen through him! The murderer mighte and look for him tonight!"

 Chapter 730: Ambulances Are Expensive

    <h4>Chapter 730: Ambnces Are Expensive</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "But the murderer may not know that Zhang Xiao will be hospitalized."


    "Yes, you¡¯re right. His illness was a sudden development, so you might as well contact your brother and arrange for someone to monitor Zhang Xiao''s residence from downstairs... Why don¡¯t we monitor everyone at the same time?"


    "How can we have so much manpower?!"


    Instead of calling, it was better to exin in person. The two returned to the bureau and reported the situation to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu said, "The murderer is in the group? This is just your guess. There might be other clues that haven''t surfaced yet!"


    "Even if the murderer isn¡¯t in the group, he must have his own information channel!" Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu muttered and nodded, "Okay, I will arrange for two people to stake-out Zhang Xiao''s residence, and I¡¯ll go with you to the hospital... That kid wouldn¡¯t be pretending to be sick, right?"


    "Yes, let''s go there quickly, lest he runs away." Lin Dongxue said.


    When the three got to the hospital, Zhang Xiao was still lying in bed with an intravenous drip, looking at the ceiling in a daze. He seemed to be really sick. Chen Shi asked the doctor about his condition. The doctor took them outside and asked, "Are you family members of his? "


    "No, we¡¯re the police."


    "Oh... I just performed a CT scan on him. He has a tumor in his head. He seems to have had surgery before, but it wasn¡¯tpletely removed. Now, the tumor is growing bigger and bigger. The right half of his brain is being crowded out. His life is in danger at any moment if he doesn¡¯t have surgery."


    "Is the operation sess rate high?" Lin Qiupu asked. If Zhang Xiao went to jail, the operation fee would also be borne by the government.


    "It isn¡¯t high. I suggest going to a big hospital in the province, because he has cerebrovascr malformation. The tumor had grown on the main artery..." The doctor shook his head. "He¡¯s still so young."


    After the doctor left, Lin Qiupu said, "Don''t question this kid, lest he gets too agitated and dies. You¡¯d have to bear responsibility in that scenario."


    "Hey, is he awake?" Lin Dongxue looked into the room.


    They saw Zhang Xiao sitting up and taking a selfie with his mobile phone. Lin Dongxue snatched the mobile phone and saw that a message had been sent. "Brothers, I''m in the hospital. Police Flower was the one who sent me here."


    "Who let you post that?!" Lin Dongxue scolded hurriedly.


    "Dongxue." Lin Qiupu reminded her.


    Zhang Xiao looked innocent, "I''m sick. Can''t I ask friends to show care for me?"


    "Don''t disclose your information casually. Haven¡¯t you noticed that we¡¯re trying to protect you?" Chen Shi said.


    "Haha, protect me? What protection does my crappy life need? The doctor has already told you..." Zhang Xiao pointed to his head. "I have a time bomb in here. I don''t know when I¡¯ll die. Originally, my family had tightened their belts to let me undergo the operation. After the operation, do you know what I felt the most deeply about? It was a guy on the opposite hospital bed. His girlfriend came to feed him every day. As I watched them, my pillow was soaked in tears. I might say goodbye to the world without even holding a girl¡¯s hand. Therefore, I participated in the PUA training course after I was discharged from hospital. The world hasn¡¯t given me much, and it won¡¯t give me anything in the future. I¡¯m a person who might not be able to see the sun tomorrow. The future is too far away for me. I just want to spend every day happily and heartlessly."


    "Did Duan Lin''s death make you very happy?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Qiupu rolled his eyes at him.


    However, Zhang Xiao''s attitude had already changed at that moment. He decided not to hide anymore and took out his mobile phone to y a video.


    In the video, Duan Lin was sitting under the hot water that wasing out of the shower head with her clothes on. Her hair and clothes were already soaked through. She said sadly, "My dear, you¡¯re right. To live is to suffer. To prove that I love you, I decided to die for you!" Then she made up her mind and cut open her wrist with a knife. The red blood gushed out of the veins and turned into a red river as the hot water flowed into the drain.


    Zhang Xiao said calmly, ¡°She said that she had quarrelled with her father that night and asked me tofort her. Instead offorting her, I gave her a push! I was both excited and scared to see that she had reallymitted suicide. I seemed to hear a ¡®dingdong¡¯ noise, as if I was unlocked a new achievement. There was a woman in this world willing to die for me!"


    Lin Dongxue frowned when she heard this, but Zhang Xiao had a sick smile on his face. "For her, death was a release. She was stupid and ugly. She came to the city dreaming of bing Cindere and dressed herself up gorgeously, longing to meet the Prince Charming in her heart. Every woman is innocent and naive before reality deals her a blow. She met me before her fantasies were shattered. I gave her the experience of an unforgettable love, and her life stopped in that second. It¡¯s so perfect. It ended like a fairy tale."


    "What are women to you? ythings?" Chen Shi said sarcastically.


    "Are they not? The world is inherently unfair. Half of humankind are born as ythings and ves for the other half. If you admit this, you will find that life gets better!" Zhang Xiao grinned. "Oh, Officer Lin, I¡¯m not talking about you. You¡¯re definitely a stunner!"


    "I''ll go out for a while." Lin Dongxue prepared to go out. If she stayed any longer, she was going to beat up this damn fat boy.


    Leaving the room, Lin Dongxue sat in the corridor. She felt as if the ward was full of poisonous fumes, and that she could only breathe aftering out.


    She also hoped that Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu would not ept such distorted ¡®straight male cancer¡¯ values. Although she knew that the two of them wouldn¡¯t be affected, she felt sick when they heard such disgusting words.


    Hence, she pricked up her ear to eavesdrop on the conversation in the room. Chen Shi turned the subject back on track and asked, "When did you go to Duan Lin¡¯s to deal with the aftermath?"


    "After the dinner at about half past ten. I had a foreboding feeling that she couldn¡¯t be saved because I didn''t call an ambnce when I was going there. Ambnces are expensive!"


    "They are truly expensive. We shouldn''t have called one today." Chen Shi mocked.


    "Hehe, just pretend I don''t know. When you called an ambnce for me, you were using public money. If I had called an ambnce for her that day, half of my monthly sry would be gone."


    "After you went there, what did you see?"


    "She had died and was already cold. When I looked at her body at the time, I was wondering whether I should unlock another achievement-"


    "Shut up!!!"


    "Okay, okay, I didn''t close the door at the time. I was going to leave with the mobile phone. Who knew that someone would suddenly appear behind me. Lights weren¡¯t turned on in the house, so I didn''t know who it was. I was so scared that I gasped out loud. I jumped up the wall and escaped out of the window. After that, I slid downstairs while holding on to the water pipe. The water pipe was also wickedly designed. It stopped at the second floor. I fell onto thewn and nearly broke my butt... I didn¡¯t have the leisure to care about that at the time, so I got up and ran away."


    "Where¡¯s the cell phone?"


    "I¡¯ve deleted everything, broken the card and sold it, earning a thousand yuan!" Zhang Xiao actually let out a peal of delightedughter.

 Chapter 731: Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 731: Uninvited Guest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    After the questioning, Zhang Xiao fell asleep again. Lin Qiupu received a call and went out for a while. Chen Shi sat with Lin Dongxue at the bench by the door. He might have to stay overnight tonight.


    "Disgusting guy!" Lin Dongxue said suddenly.


    "There¡¯s no need to care about such words!"


    "As a woman, I can often feel gender discrimination. When I first went out on a police call during my internship, the other party actuallyined about them sending a woman, and his tone seemed to indicate we were disrespecting him. There are also some leaders who would say when they saw me, ¡®Yo, there is a beautiful woman in your team!¡¯ Whenever someone emphasizes that I¡¯m a woman and that I¡¯m different from the others, I can feel the hidden discrimination. Maybe they don''t even notice it. They think that this kind of remark is very normal. I don¡¯t know if other women are so sensitive, but there is one thing I¡¯m sure of. Every woman in the world has thought at least once about how nice it would be if she were a man!"


    "I haven''t said such a thing, right?" Chen Shi examined himself.


    "Do you think you haven''t?" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Let me talk about my views. I think that gender equality will happen one day, and it will be in the near future. Discrimination against women is based on the exploitation of women, because women are born weaker, and the disparity in physical strength has been the cornerstone of all inequality. This shows how primitive and backward the world we think civilized actually is. Power still determines everything. However, with the development of technology, the gap in physical strength will gradually be eliminated. Look around us. There are more and more feminine men. This is because the world gradually no longer requires muscles. For example, a docker only needs to be able to operate the machines. They don¡¯t need to be strong. I think this is a good phenomenon. People don¡¯t have to live ording to gender stereotypes. Men can be like women and women can be like men. People can choose the lifestyle they like. This trend will continue to grow. Over time, gender and sexual orientation will no longer bebels that define everyone. A person is a person first and foremost, and then the gender to which they belong toes after. At that time, sexism will naturally disappear."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "What do you mean power determines everything? That''s a really masculine point of view. You don''t understand. The reason why women are inferior to men is because they give birth to children. The 9 months of pregnancy determines that they will always be worse off than men in thebor force, and it also determines their status."


    "So it¡¯s like that!" Chen Shi smiled, "It seems I have to reconsider."


    "Thank you for yourfort. I¡¯m in a much better mood now..." Looking at the ward with the lights turned off, she said, "Let¡¯s continue to protect this man!"


    "Would you like something to eat?"


    "Mm, no." Lin Dongxue didn''t want to eat in the hospital.


    "I''ll go out to buy some drinks. It¡¯ll be a long night."


    "Okay then. I want ck tea."


    Chen Shi bought drinks for three people. When he came back, he found Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue sitting together. Taking a drink, Lin Qiupu thanked him and said, "There¡¯s no need for three people to stay here and monitor him. Let¡¯s find an empty ward and take turns to sleep!"


    "Captain Lin, are you sure you want to stay here tonight? You have to work tomorrow!" Chen Shi asked.


    "Right now, there isn¡¯t enough manpower in the team, and no one else can be sent... Dongxue, why don¡¯t you go and sleep first."


    "It''s only 10:00. I''m not sleepy at all. I''m just bored."


    "Then go and lie down in a ward. You can y with your phone for a while."


    Chen Shi suggested, "Why don''t I go and have a rest first? Firstly, I can fall asleep, and secondly, it¡¯s a bit embarrassing for me to sit with Captain Lin."


    Lin Qiupu looked disdainful. "You shameless guy. Go!"


    Chen Shi found an empty ward, set an rm on his phone,y down and cleared his mind. He fell asleep soon after.


    After 12:00, Chen Shi swapped with Lin Qiupu so that he could rest. He kept Lin Dongxuepany. Lin Dongxue was gaming on her mobile phone and asked Chen Shi to join her.


    Chen Shi asked for the WIFI password of the hospital and found that he couldn¡¯t connect to the WIFI.


    A nurse in the corridor also said, "Why can''t I connect to the WIFI?"


    However, the WIFI connection automatically resumed after a while, and Chen Shi didn''t pay it too much mind.


    After a while, staring at their phones became too ufortable for their eyes. The two simply sat there chatting with each other. Fortunately, they always had endless topics to talk about. They talked about everything. The trivial, daily interactions are exactly what nourishes love. It was also what Chen Shi liked most and was passionate about.


    After sitting for a long time, Lin Dongxue got up to stretch and move around. She suddenly noticed someone peering out from the head of a flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, and then quickly retracting their head.


    At first she didn''t pay any mind to this. When she sat down again, she jumped up and went in that direction. Chen Shi said, "Where are you going?"


    "Hush!" Lin Dongxue made a gesture. She subconsciously reached for her gun, only to remember that she didn¡¯t have it with her. When she got to the stairs, she looked around, but the person was long gone.


    Upon seeing this, Chen Shi also became vignt and opened the door, checking on Zhang Xiao who was still lying in the ward while Lin Dongxue went to both ends of the corridor to investigate. She asked the nurses if they had seen anyonee in.


    She couldn''t stop worrying, and said, "I seem to have seen someone familiar just now. I''ll go and check the surveince!"


    "Go ande back quickly." Chen Shi urged.


    When she got to the surveince monitoring room of the hospital, Lin Dongxue called up the video for that corridor. Just ten minutes ago, someone had sneaked up the stairs, taken a look, then turned and left.


    When she paused the video, Lin Dongxue leaned towards the screen to take a closer look, and her mouth hung open in surprise. It was Duan Lin''s father!


    Why was he here?!


    She hurriedly called Chen Shi and said, "Duan Lin''s father hase to the hospital..."


    "I see." Chen Shi''s tone was extraordinarily calm. "He''s right here."


    Chen Shi put down his cell phone, and the uncle standing in front of him pleaded, "Officer Chen, please, let me meet the person who killed my daughter. I want to know why. Who did my daughter offend or what wrong did she do that she had to die?!"


    Not long after Lin Dongxue left, the uncle went to Chen Shi. Perhaps he realized that he couldn¡¯t escape Chen Shi''s surveince no matter what, so he pleaded directly with him.


    "Uncle, this won¡¯t do." Chen Shi said.


    "Why do the police protect a bad guy? He killed my daughter!" The uncle pointed at the door in great agitation.


    "We¡¯re not trying to protect the bad guys. We are upholding thew. He will pay for what he did, but it must be through legal means. I hope you can calm down and trust thew!"


    The uncle became even more agitated, "Do you think... Do you think I would do something to him? I just want to see what he looks like and talk to him. I want to know what my daughter said before she died!"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I noticed something hidden under your clothes. Is it a knife?"


    The uncle subconsciously covered it up with his hands and gritted his teeth. "Since you won''t let me in!"

 Chapter 732: Killer Commits the Crime Again

    <h4>Chapter 732: Killer Commits the Crime Again</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Since you won''t let me in!" As he said this, the uncle fell to his knees with a plop and kowtowed loudly. "Please, please, please empathize with the feelings of a father!"


    Seeing an uncle in his 50s or 60s kneeling for him, Chen Shi subconsciously wanted to help him up, but suddenly realized that he might have a weapon on him. Since he was there alone, he should be careful.


    Hence, he said, "Uncle, get up first. Are you trying to reduce my lifespan?"[1]


    "If you don''t agree, I won''t get up."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue ran over and was stunned by the scene before her. The uncle thought that Lin Dongxue might be a little more softhearted, and begged her instead, "Officer Lin, please let me go in!"


    "Uh..." Lin Dongxue looked to be in a dilemma.


    If this continued, it would never end, so Chen Shi said, "Who told you he was here?"


    "No one told me."


    "Someone must have told you this information!" Chen Shi was quite convinced that Zhang Xiao had indeed said in the group chat that he was hospitalized, but he didn¡¯t mention which hospital he was in. He thought of the mysterious disconnection of the hospital''s WIFI just then. Could someone have hacked in and found the address?


    "Uncle, get up first! Get up and talkter." Lin Dongxue stepped forward to help him up.


    Chen Shi stopped her, shook his head slightly, and signalled her not to approach him. Since there were only three people guarding the hospital right then, they couldn¡¯t afford any mistakes. He whispered, "Go and find Captain Lin."


    Soon after, Lin Qiupu rushed over, and after some patient persuasion, the uncle made a slight concession. "I will just see him for a brief moment. You can watch from the side. I swear I won¡¯t do anything."


    Lin Qiupu said, "I can let you see him, but the meeting must be arranged by us in the Public Security Bureau and not here. What about tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Is that okay? You should go back today and calm down."


    "What right do you have?!" The uncle raised his voice. "I rushed over herete at night, without a car. I rode for hours on a motorcycle-taxi. Can''t I even see him for a moment? I understand now. His parents are both public prosecutors. He¡¯s a second-generation official. That¡¯s why you¡¯re protecting him like this. My daughter''s life was cheap and she died for nothing, right?!"


    "Aiya, aiya, if you have something to say, please go outside to say it instead of making amotion in the hospital." A nurse came over to remind him. The uncle red ferociously at her, and the nurse was too scared to say anything else.


    Lin Qiupu sighed. They could no longer reason with him. He said to the nurse, "Please call some security guards over."


    The nurse agreed and went. Realizing that force was going to be used against him, the uncle suddenly took a knife out from under his clothes, pointed it at his neck and yelled, "You¡¯re going to drive me away? Who dares to touch me, I will die here! I have to see him today no matter what!"


    "You¡¯re carrying a weapon. With this attitude, it¡¯s even more impossible for us to agree to your request!" Lin Qiupu said firmly.


    The uncle¡¯s nostrils red, and blood slowly oozed onto the tip of the knife on his neck. Many nurses rushed over to watch. Even some patients and their families had been awakened. They came out of the wardsining. Seeing people watching, the uncle''s volume increased even more, "The police officers are shielding other officials. They¡¯re protecting the son of a public prosecutor. He killed my daughter, and the police are still protecting him. Is there any conscience in the world?"


    Chen Shi said, "Can you put the knife down and talk? We¡¯re listening to what you say. Must you hold a knife and threaten us using your own life?"


    The uncle became more and more agitated, "Anyway, my daughter¡¯s and my lives aren¡¯t as valuable as an official¡¯s son. Let me see him! Otherwise, I will never put down the knife!"


    "I promise!" Lin Qiupu said.


    The uncle''s eyes widened as if he couldn''t believe it. He said, "You¡¯re lying to me!"


    "I won¡¯t lie to you. Put the knife down. You think you¡¯re hurting yourself? You¡¯re breaking thew right now, you know?"


    "You¡¯ll really let me see him?"


    "Of course!"


    The uncle put down the knife suspiciously. When he walked over, Lin Qiupu suddenly pinned him onto the bench and handcuffed both his hands from behind. The uncle struggled very hard but couldn''t get free from Lin Qiupu''s hands.


    "Don''t yell. You¡¯ll disturb the other patients. I¡¯ll let you see him now." Lin Qiupu said, "Dongxue, open the door!"


    Lin Dongxue opened the door and suddenly found that the bed was empty. The window was wide open and the night wind blew in, blowing the curtains up and down. She ran over to check. The window originally had rails, and Zhang Xiao had actually magically broken one of the rails, creating a gap that he could squeeze out from.


    Seeing this situation, Chen Shi ran out of the inpatient department without saying a word and asked the security guards at the entrance of the hospital. They said that a fat man in a hospital gown had just gone out. The security guard had asked him where he was going and he said he was going out to buy something, so he didn¡¯t bother about him. After all, this was a hospital and not a mental institution, and patients often go out.


    Looking at the surveince footage, Zhang Xiao had gotten into a taxi after leaving the hospital, and Chen Shi could only write down the license te number.


    The uncle was turned over to a nearby police station by the security guards. Themotion in the hospital finally ceased. Chen Shi exined the situation and Lin Qiupu was very troubled. "This kid is so troublesome."


    "Zhang Xiao was scared away, right? He heard Duan Lin''s fathering to settle scores with him." Lin Dongxue guessed.


    "I think this incident is the result of the murderer making use of Duan Lin''s father. The murderer knew that he couldn¡¯t get close to Zhang Xiao, so he told Duan Lin''s father the address and he himself went to fish in troubled waters,"[2] Chen Shi said.


    "But Zhang Xiao ran out by himself."


    "He may have received a message from someone. For Zhang Xiao, the murderer still stands as his friend."


    "It would be terrible if that''s the case!"


    Lin Qiupu said, "Hurry up and call everyone to confirm where they are right now, and call them all over to the bureau. Even if we can''t catch the murderer, we¡¯ll at least render him unable to make a move."


    Lin Dongxue thought of a more convenient trick. She called these people one by one. Receiving calls in the middle of the night, they had all been sleeping. Lin Dongxue asked them to take a selfie and send it over, making a special gesture in the photo to ensure that it was taken at that very moment.


    The perverts took the opportunity to tease, "Officer Lin should send a selfie first!", "Without Officer Lin''s WeChat, how can we send the photos?!"


    Lin Dongxue swallowed her pride and added everyone''s WeChat ounts. The photos were sent over one by one. Four of them were sleeping in their own homes, one was sleeping in an Inte cafe, and two were sleeping with their girlfriends in their arms.


    There were only two people who they couldn¡¯t get in touch with. One was Zhang Xiao himself, and the other was Big Ox.


    Chen Shi had a vague impression of Big Ox. He was a big and burly Northern man. It was said that he liked to drug girls and pick up ¡®corpses¡¯[3] in bars. He was the lowest of PUAs.


    Was he the murderer?!


    In the middle of the night, the police were all sleeping, so they couldn¡¯t call for reinforcements. The three rushed over to Big Ox¡¯s residence. When they walked towards the door, they suddenly smelled a pungent bloody stench floating out from the crack of the door.


    "Impossible!" Lin Dongxue was shocked. She thought of two kinds of situations. One was that Big Ox had been killed, and the other was that Zhang Xiao had been killed here.


    Lin Qiupu immediately pried the door open. There was blood everywhere which had yet to solidify in the living room, and a bunch of maple leaf-like bloody handprints had been left on the walls. A man was lying in a pool of blood. His abdomen had already been cut open. The entire abdominal cavity was open and the internal organs were already missing.


    1. What happens when people older than you pay you their respects by kneeling, addressing you in a manner that¡¯s more than you deserve, etc.


    2. This idiom means to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain.


    3. Not literally. It refers to girls who arepletely wasted and can barely move.

 Chapter 733: Long-cherished Wish

    <h4>Chapter 733: Long-cherished Wish</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi turned on the light, and the man lying on the floor was Big Ox. The open abdominal cavity was bloody, like a bottomless ck hole. His face was fixed in an expression of extreme pain and his right hand gripped a mobile phone so tightly that the tempered ss screen protector on the phone was bulging.


    The items in the house were neatly arranged and there were no signs of struggle. The blood stains on the floor and walls were still a bit warm. Based on this, it was spected that the murderer had left the scene less than two hours ago.


    "Why would it be Big Ox who died?!" Chen Shi muttered to himself in disbelief. "It stands to reason that the murderer already knew that Zhang Xiao was the person he was looking for."


    "It''s 4:00 in the morning, and Captain Peng is still resting. Let''s stay here until dawn and call someone over to deal with it!" Lin Qiupu suggested.


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to go to the car to sleep for a while. She had been awake the whole night and she could barely open her eyes. He checked the scene himself and tried not to touch anything.


    Compared with thest homicide, the murderer¡¯s technique this time was even cleaner. There were almost no additional injuries on Big Ox''s body. It seemed as though he had been injected with anesthetic and had his internal organs directly taken out. Big Niu was likely to have woken up in pain afterwards. The murderer had already left by then, and Big Niu struggled alone in the house for a while before dying in despair.


    His right hand clenched the phone so tightly that it couldn''t be removed. Chen Shi was afraid that forcibly prying his fingers away would break his finger bones, so he could only wait for Peng Sijue and the others to find a way.


    Chen Shi carefully observed the wound of the deceased, then looked at the bloody handprints on the wall. He said to Lin Qiupu, "Have you noticed that the murderer is left-handed?"


    "Really?" Lin Qiupu raised his head from the phone and said, "I¡¯m looking at the photos sent by the seven people just now, and I can''t see any problems with them. I think you guessed wrong this time. The murderer shouldn¡¯t be among these people."


    Chen Shi went to the door to check, and said, "The lock has not been picked, and the deceased is dressed casually. This shows that the murderer is most likely someone he knew... The same as thest crime scene."


    "The people they know may not be among the nine."


    "I still stick to my reasoning. There must be an exnation for what happened tonight."


    "Maybe the murderer just wanted to divert our attention, or he couldn''t find Zhang Xiao, and killed someone randomly. Let me say something I probably shouldn¡¯t. If I were the murderer, I would think all nine of them deserve to die!"


    "If that¡¯s the case, the murderer could kill them one by one from the beginning. If he could send the body parts by post, it means he knows everyone''s address. Why wait until the police intervene before doing it?"


    "To pursue a kind of criminal effect. To punish them or something." Lin Qiupu shrugged.


    "I won''t debate with you anymore. Your reasoning ability still isn¡¯t as good as Dongxue''s. You¡¯re just blindly guessing."


    Unwilling to ept, Lin Qiupu snorted, carried over a chair to sit down on and rested. He yawned for a long time.


    Around 6:00, the two of them went to eat something nearby. They were exhausted from staying up all night, but after their sleepiness passed, they didn''t want to sleep anymore. Their bones just felt a little bit sore. Maybe it was too cold in the hospital.


    Chen Shi saw early-rising residents throwing trash outside through the window. He said, "Where do you reckon the murderer would throw the guts of the deceased?"


    "They¡¯re not in the hazardous garbage bin again, right?"


    "Let¡¯s go find it."


    However, they weren¡¯t found in the nearby trash can. Chen Shi looked back and found that there was a surveince camera opposite the trash can. The murderer was probably concerned about this, so he didn¡¯t throw the viscera there.


    As the sky gradually lightened, Lin Qiupu made a few phone calls. After half an hour, a police car arrived. Peng Sijue had brought people over to survey the scene.


    Chen Shi asked if there were any results from yesterday¡¯s autopsy. Peng Sijue said, ¡°The tool used to saw the legs is a saw, which is simr to Duan Lin¡¯s previous wounds. It may be the same murder weapon. No biological information left by the murderer was found at the scene. The footprints on the head were found to have been left by a pair of leather shoes in the deceased¡¯s shoe cab. The murderer had changed into these shoes tomit the crime after entering the house. The deceased had been injected with chloroform as an anesthetic. In addition, some lime powder and sand were found at the scene."


    "What about the blood on the wall?"


    "It¡¯s the deceased''s own blood."


    Lin Qiupu was looking at his mobile phone. He handed it to Chen Shi. There was a blurry picture on it. "This suspicious person was found on the surveince footage at the crime scene yesterday."


    The picture showed a person wearing a ck jacket and cap, with his hands in his pockets. His features were almost unrecognizable.


    With a head full of doubts, Chen Shi returned to his car. Lin Dongxue was curled up in the back seat and sleeping soundly. Chen Shi lowered his seat and sorted out all the clues in his mind. He gradually fell asleep and had a strange dream.


    At the same time, in an inconspicuous illegal Inte cafe in the city, Zhang Xiao was smoking a cigarette and typing away at lightning speed with both hands on the keyboard. Fearing that the police would track him down, his cell phone had been turned off.


    He was using the PC-version of WeChat to send a message to a woman. "...American scientific research shows that sex between more than two people can make a woman secrete a special mtonin, which causes them to age a little slower than those of the same age. It can be up to ten years slower. Actually, I feel this matter is no big deal if you think carefully about it. Are you interested in trying it out?"


    "I originally had a good impression of you, but I didn''t expect you to be thinking about these disgusting things. Goodbye, and don''t contact me anymore!"


    Sending a message again, the WeChat prompt read: "You¡¯re not a friend of the other party".


    "Fuck!" Zhang Xiao was so angry that he smashed the keyboard. He was exploiting the "prey" he had cultivated by asking them one by one to participate in a threesome.


    No matter how favorable their impressions of him were, or if they were taken in by his flirtatious, bad boy persona, women wouldn¡¯t agree to such a thing by nature. They all blocked Zhang Xiao.


    What happened in the hospitalst night, the fact that the murderer was pursuing him, and the fact that the police had found out that he had killed Duan Lin: these various realities forced Zhang Xiao to the brink of copse.


    Knowing that his death was approaching, he wanted to fulfill this long-cherished wish before he died. Without spending money, using only his mouth, persuading two women to have a threesome with him.


    As long as he got to try once, he could ept his death.


    Zhang Xiao took a big gulp of the Coke next to theputer, rubbed his eyes, and looked through his list of friends. There weren¡¯t many people left to try it on. He wasn¡¯t too familiar with these women, and they wouldn¡¯t necessarily even agree to a normal date. The sess rate was infinitely close to zero.


    A notification prompted that someone had added him. It was a girl named Amy. Her profile picture was pretty good-looking. Zhang Xiao agreed without thinking about it.


    "Hello, you chatted with me in the mallst time and you left me your WeChat." The other party was very proactive.


    "Oh, it''s you!" In fact, Zhang Xiao couldn''t remember her at all. Since he had struck up a conversation on his own initiative previously, she wouldn¡¯t be of bad quality. He had no patience left and quickly broached the topic.


    After some idle chat, he gradually brought up the topic, "...I was betrayed by the woman I loved deeply, and this became a sore point. So I came up with this strange idea. I want to know why a person would try this kind of thing."


    This time, he changed his strategy, trying to move her.


    "Why?" The other party seemed to be humoring him and also seemed curious.


    As a chatting veteran, Zhang Xiao directly attacked. If it works, it works. If it doesn¡¯t, he would leave it at that. "Do you want to try this with me? I think people should try everything at least once in their lives. Be it good or bad, they should give it a try."


    "Sure!" the other party replied.


    Zhang Xiao was ecstatic. Great! Finally, a silly girl has been fooled. This dream that would let him die without regrets was half aplished!

 Chapter 734: Murder Trap

    <h4>Chapter 734: Murder Trap</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Song Lang, my name is Human Observer. I¡¯ve been observing you for a long time...


    Chen Shi woke up from the nightmare, thinking that these strange dreams might be caused by the sunlighting in through the windshield and shining on his eyelids.


    He had slept really poorly, and was even more tired than before he had slept. He found that Peng Sijue and the others had already surveyed the scene and left.


    There was a bang behind him. It turned out that Lin Dongxue had rolled off her seat. She cried out and then woke up, asking nkly, "What time is it?"


    "It''s 10:00."


    "This night of sleep has been really ufortable." Lin Dongxue rubbed her sore shoulders, crawled back to her seat, and continued lying down in a different position.


    Her mobile phone rang. Lin Dongxue took it out and nced at it. She suddenly sat up. "Hey, I have located Zhang Xiao''s mobile phone number! It''s in Haitang New Street."


    "Let''s head there now."


    "Okay, let me talk to my brother."


    At the same time, in an alley on Haitang New Street, Zhang Xiao had a woman with heavy makeup following behind him. The jagged bricks under her feet were like unavoidablendmines, which would ssh dirty water on her feet if she wasn¡¯t careful.


    "Brother, are we still not there yet?!" the woman asked impatiently.


    "It¡¯s just ahead. It¡¯s just ahead."


    In the end, the wish of having a free threesome was still not realized. Except for the girl named Amy, no one else agreed. Zhang Xiao could onlypromise with reality and pay for a sex worker.


    Haii, I just barely made the number! After all, this is the closest I¡¯ve had in my life to my wish of a threesome.


    He suddenly had a lightbulb moment. There seemed to be a roundabout way of working around it. If Amy provided the prostitute for him, he wouldn¡¯t have spent any money. Wouldn''t it mean having a threesome for free?


    No, no, no, it¡¯s best not to. No matter who the money came from, it can''t change the fact that she was a paid addition.


    "Oh my god, my feet have been sshed with mud. How dirty... Brother, why haven''t we arrived yet?" the sex workerined.


    "Don''t talk anymore, okay?"


    Her ent put off Zhang Xiao. She was like a female version of Big Ox. When he was paying the prostitute¡¯s fee, he had turned on his mobile phone and vaguely saw someone in the group talking about something happening to Big Ox. He had turned the phone off without looking carefully.


    Nothing should have happened to Big Ox, he thought.


    Finally, they got to a dpidated motel deep in the alley. Zhang Xiao asked if there was a girl in Room 1143 at the front desk. The front desk checked the registration book, answered ¡°Yes,¡± then looked at Zhang Xiao and the woman behind him with an ambiguous smile.


    Walking up the narrow and dark stairs, Zhang Xiao''s heart was pounding. His long-awaited wish was finallying true. Hugging two women left and right, like an emperor. As long as a man has done it once in his life, then death would be worth it.


    "You also called a girl over? I can tell Brother is someone who knows how to y. Do you want to buy some medicine first? I have it here..." The woman behind took out a small bag, ready to fish for some extra money.


    "No need, no need. Stop talking. Don''t talkter on too!" Zhang Xiao waved his hand impatiently.


    When he reached the door, he straightened his cor, brushed his hair with his hands, and knocked on the door.


    A girl in a dress opened the door. She might have been too shy, because she kept her head down the whole time. Zhang Xiao was ecstatic and said, "Amy, right? I''m Brother Xiao! How about it? Am I more handsome than the pictures?!"


    He went into the room to change his shoes. The dirty little motel made him look forward to it. The girl was very attentive and had already closed the curtains, but the TV was on in the room, and the sound was a bit noisy.


    He turned around and hung his clothes up. There was a muffled noise behind him. When he turned his head, he saw that the woman he had brought with him had copsed onto the floor with a syringe stuck in her neck.


    He was taken aback, thinking, this woman is even taking drugs? Sure enough, three hundred yuan wouldn¡¯t get me anything good!


    Suddenly, a huge force dragged him onto the bed. Zhang Xiao¡¯s legs were tripped by the edge of the bed. He lost his bnce and fell onto the bed. Amy raised her head. A cold pair of eyes stared at him. Zhang Xiao grinned naughtily. "What? You can''t wait? Soon, Brother will treat you... Ah!"


    His smile froze. Why was ¡°Amy''s¡±face so familiar? He saw "her" take off her wig and ¡°she¡± said in a low voice, "What was Elder Sister to you? A toy? An achievement? A trophy to show off?"


    "Hey, you... what are you doing?! Are you toying with me? Who do you mean by ¡®Elder Sister¡¯!"


    "I gave them all anesthetics, but you aren¡¯t worthy!"


    After that, the other party picked up the ashtray and smashed it on Zhang Xiao''s head. A muffled sound echoed in his head. He fell onto the bed and saw a shiny knife through his eyes blurred by blood.


    At that moment, he understood everything and shouted in his heart, No! No! No!


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue quickly rushed to Haitang New Street. The two looked around. Chen Shi''s eyes fell on an alley off the road. He saw a stray dog pawing at a trash can, as if there was something delicious in it. The stray dog couldn''t wait, scratching at the galvanized iron trash can, causing screeching noises.


    Chen Shi walked over and the stray dog barked and ran away. Chen Shi opened the trash can and he immediately spotted a bloody ball. He held up the item with both hands. Lin Dongxue was so scared that she covered her mouth. That was Zhang Xiao''s head!


    "Damn it, we¡¯re toote! Get a stic bag and put this thing in first."


    Putting his head into a stic bag, Chen Shi saw some intermittent drops of blood on the ground. There was a motel at the end of the alley. The two rushed to the front desk immediately, disyed their IDs, took out Zhang Xiao¡¯s photo and asked, "Has this person been here?"


    "Oh, are you here to arrest prostitutes and their clients? They just went up to Room 1143. He brought the woman himself, and it has nothing to do with us!"


    "He brought a woman."


    "She was a streetwalker from the red-light district opposite us. I recognized her at a nce. He¡¯s probably feeling really good now!" The person at the front desk gloated with schadenfreude.


    "Could we please trouble you toe up with us?"


    The person at the front desk took the keychain and apanied the two upstairs. On the way, Chen Shi asked if there were any security cameras there. The front desk said, "How could a motel that costs fifty yuan a night afford to install security cameras?!"


    "What about ID registration?"


    "The guests fill them in by themselves. Didn''t you see a book at the front desk?"


    Chen Shi thought that this was really a "good ce."


    The person from the front desk opened the door carelessly thinking that he was about to watch a good show of catching prostitutes and their clients. In the end, what appeared in his eyes were a bed full of blood and a corpse that had lost his head. He screamed in fright.


    Judging from the size and clothes of the corpse, it was Zhang Xiao. There was also a woman lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.


    This murderer was very reasonable and didn¡¯t kill indiscriminately, but this made Chen Shi even more suspicious. Why did he kill Big Oxst night? There must be a reason. There must be a reason!


    "Who booked this room?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I... I don''t know! I might remember if I look at the registration book."


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to stay on guard there and contact the police. He went to the front desk. In the registration book, the name registered for Room 1143 was Li Xiangran, followed by a long string of ID numbers. The front desk said, "Oh, I remembered. It was a gaudily-dressed woman, but I didn¡¯t see her face clearly because she kept her head down. I thought she was a school girl who was embarrassed because it was the first time she was booking a room for a sexual tryst. Half an hour after she booked the room, that fat guy brought the prostitute here and went to that room."


    "When did this girl leave?"


    The person from the front desk shook his head. "I had just gone to the bathroom and didn''t notice!"

 Chapter 735: The Corpse Strangely Disappears

    <h4>Chapter 735: The Corpse Strangely Disappears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    As the alleyway was too narrow, the police cars couldn''t drive in, so Peng Sijue and the people from the forensics department walked in carrying their toolboxes.


    The sex worker at the scene was woken up. Due to the effects of the anesthetic, her head was muzzy. They asked her about what happened at the time. She only remembered that the TV was on when she walked in. It was very noisy. While looking at the TV, someone suddenly pierced her neck. Before she felt the pain, she had lost consciousness.


    Chen Shi tried to re-enact this process, and found that the murderer was using his left hand. It was undoubtedly the same person.


    She couldn''t remember any other information, including the clothes and the appearance of the murderer. The woman was temporarily sent to a nearby hospital for examination. When she was more sober, they would record a more detailed statement.


    When she was being taken away, she suddenly thought of something and yelled, "You aren¡¯t going to arrest me, right? I haven''tpleted the transaction with that big brother."


    One thing was missing from the scene. The bloody handprints that had appeared in the first two cases were absent. An ashtray left behind on the floor had some human tissue adhering to it and it was slightly broken. It was suspected that it had been used by the murderer to knock down the deceased.


    There was a little more improvisation in this case, and the murderer seemed a bit anxious. After all, it was a rare opportunity given that Zhang Xiao hade out by himself.


    At the scene, Peng Sijue found some fibers. Judging from the color and length, they hade from a wig. It confirmed Chen Shi''s conjecture that the murderer might have been disguised as a woman in order to lure Zhang Xiao here.


    Lin Dongxue went up the stairs and said to Chen Shi, "I checked the information registered by the murderer, and a person named Li Xiangran actually exists. She¡¯s from Hunan."


    "This may also be a clue." Chen Shi nced at the messy room. "After taking revenge for Duan Lin, what do you think this person will do next?"


    "Will he run away?"


    "I don''t think so. He doesn''t know about the spections we have so far. From the very beginning, when he posted those corpse parts, he had concealed himself and posed as one of the possible victims. Hemitted all three murders very efficiently. He has sufficient confidence that he hasn¡¯t been exposed yet."


    "He really hasn¡¯t been exposed... Have you guessed who he is yet?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "I still don''t understand why he killed Big Ox."


    "Could Duan Lin just be a cover? He¡¯s avenging another person. I think we can investigate this Li Xiangran."


    At this time, the forensic police carried the bagged body out and Peng Sijue walked out afterwards. Chen Shi asked, "Did you find the deceased''s cell phone?"


    "No. By the way, trace particles from the first murder scene were found in Big Ox''s case. With the help of the local police, the missing internal organs were found in a nearby manhole."


    "There are no valuable leads." Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    "Whether it has value depends on how you use it. I''m just responsible for checking."


    Looking at the room onest time, Chen Shi remembered something. Little Four had said that Zhang Xiao¡¯s wish was to have a threesome without spending money. Zhang Xiao had brought a sex worker in, and there was a "woman" waiting for him in the room. This showed that someone was using his wish to trick him here.


    The murderer had taken the cell phone away, further confirming this point. Their chatting might have been conducted through a socialworking software, so the logs can¡¯t be found even if they checked the call records.


    This ce belonged to the old part of the city. There were no security cameras around this motel. The murderer had deliberately picked this ce to lure Zhang Xiao to his death.


    This kind of small motel wouldn¡¯t have been found online. Chen Shi mentally recalled which of the remaining people lived nearby. There was only one man named XX.


    The outline of the murderer in his heart had already formed a vague image, and it seemed that he was just missing the finishing stroke.


    The two returned to the bureau in a police car, and Lin Qiupu held a case discussion meeting. The case had already been ssified as a serial murder. Although Zhang Xiao had already been killed, the possibility of the murderer continuing tomit crimes couldn¡¯t be ruled out.


    Someone suggested that at this critical juncture, the few remaining people should be controlled and they should check where they had been recently and whom they have contacted.


    Chen Shi felt that the investigation scope shouldn¡¯t be tightened all at once. The murderer''s tactics were very sophisticated and it couldn¡¯t be ruled out that he might have a criminal record. This person was very dangerous. In the previous investigation, the police spected that the murderer had always been someone close to Duan Lin, who was not among the nine people. Now that they¡¯re suddenly changing their direction to investigate the few of them, it was easy to alert the murderer.


    "If we were to investigate, we have to do it secretly. Don''t directly ask them for their alibis." Chen Shi said.


    "Or bring people over for questioning one by one. Let''s not make the news of Zhang Xiao''s death public, so as to test them." This was Old Zhang''s suggestion.


    "Who is Li Xiangran?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Oh, I just called the Hunan police and found the actual person. She¡¯s an ordinary rural teacher. I asked her about the names of these nine people one by one. She didn''t know any of them." Lin Dongxue said.


    "The murderer couldn¡¯t have blindlye up with an ID number. Even if his name is different, he must have lived there before... Who among these nine people has a Hunan ent?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "None of them." a policeman replied.


    "Oh yes!" Chen Shi said. "Did Duan Lin''s father confess anything? He should have been in touch with the murderer, or at least have contacted him."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "He¡¯s detained at the police station. After questioning him for over an hour, he said that person was taking revenge on behalf of Linlin, so he won¡¯t betray him."


    "There should be a record of him talking with that person on his phone, right?"


    "We checked, but there isn¡¯t anything."


    "How watertight."


    "At the present time, we will start investigating the few remaining people. Try to take note of two points when questioning them face-to-face. Don''t disclose the news of Zhang Xiao''s death and also make them think that the police are suspecting someone else instead of them." Lin Qiupu announced.


    "I suggest that everyone copy a photo of Duan Lin''s father and show it to them before questioning them. Ask whether they¡¯ve seen this person, to divert their attention." Chen Shi said.


    "Too immoral!" Lin Qiupu rolled his eyes. "Just find a picture of a wanted criminal to set up a smoke screen with."


    After the meeting, Chen Shi rubbed his face tiredly, thinking that the murderer had good physical strength. He murdered someonest night, and he had continued to kill today.


    Lin Dongxue asked him to go and investigate the case. The two left the meeting room. In the corridor, a forensic intern panicked and eximed, "The body is gone!"


    The policemen, who had been walking out, gathered together again. The little forensic intern kept repeating these words for a long time. Finally, everyone ran to the autopsy room and saw an empty autopsy table.


    "The corpse was there just now. I just went to wash my hands and it was gone!"


    "Is someone ying a prank?!" Peng Sijue, who was rarely stern, looked around at his subordinates sternly. "You shouldn¡¯t y this kind of joke!"


    "Captain, who would dare to y such a joke? Where would we hide a corpse that weighs over a hundred catties?"


    "Hey, why are there blood stains on the ground?" Chen Shi said, and everyone looked down together. There were indeed faint blood stains on the ground. They weren¡¯t from blood dripping, but left by dragging.


    Lin Dongxue had a sudden idea. Could the murderer have done it? But that¡¯s impossible. The murderer had even thrown his head away. Why would he take the risk to steal a heavy body?


    Speaking of the head, Zhang Xiao''s head had been ced on an iron tray.


    The atmosphere in the autopsy room became strange and eerie. Everyone discussed and finally reached an agreement ¨C check the surveince footage!


    Just as they were heading out, there was a scream that came from the street...

 Chapter 736: The Birth Of An Urban Legend

    <h4>Chapter 736: The Birth Of An Urban Legend</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi rushed outside and saw a scene that went againstmon sense.


    A headless, naked "person" wearing only red underwear was running rampant on the sidewalk. Passers-by screamed and fled. The vehicles on the road braked one after another. The drivers behind them were caught off guard and collided with the cars in front. The crashing sounds were endless.


    The headless man swayed as if it was drunk. If you observed carefully, you would find that its right hand was hanging down. Its left leg stepped forward and dragged its right leg along. It had no sense of direction at all and the path of travel was extremely erratic.


    A woman was so frightened that she fell on her bottom. Yellow liquid came out from under her skirt. When the headless man approached her, the woman crawled backwards on her hands and feet, screaming.


    An empty zone formed around it. People were shocked and took out their mobile phones.


    The police stood at the door of the Public Security Bureau,pletely stunned and dumbfounded. Peng Sijue ordered, "Don''t stand there stupidly! Hurry up and get the body back."


    "That... Is that considered a corpse?" someone stammered.


    "Whatever it is, get it back quickly!"


    The police rushed over. A young policeman actually took out his gun, pointed it at the headless man and shouted, "Don''t move!"


    "Don''t shout. It''s useless. It can''t hear you." Chen Shi said.


    Chen Shi stretched out his hand to grab the headless man¡¯s arm. When the palm of his hand touched the icy and slippery skin of the headless man¡¯s arm, the headless man suddenly panicked, shook off Chen Shi¡¯s palm forcefully, and rushed towards the road, dragging its right leg. It staggered on the drop from the sidewalk to the road, and then propped itself off the ground with its left hand. When its palm touched the slightly hot concrete pavement, it seemed a little confused and paused for a few seconds.


    The police took this opportunity to surround it. When someone touched it, it was like a frightened animal, punching recklessly before knocking aside the police in front trying to block it with its arm. Its strength was amazing. Then it rushed across the road and ran into a street light, bounced back, and fell onto the ground.


    It was like a fish out of water, lying on the ground and struggling. Thest bit of its vitality seemed to have dried up. Its left hand was drawing something on the ground.


    The police immediately surrounded it, but no one dared to touch it. Several police officers even had guns in their hands.


    A policeman asked, "It... Is it the one from the autopsy room?"


    After drawing for a long time, the headless man finally stopped moving. Chen Shi turned it over and felt for its heartbeat. The heart had stopped, but the chest was actually warm. This proved that the heart was still beating a few seconds ago.


    Looking around at the mobile phones held by the surrounding citizens, Chen Shi knew that this matter was no longer controble, and that a new, urban legend had been born at that moment.


    Peng Sijue asked someone to fetch a body bag. They put the headless man into it and lifted it away. This ordinary action was described thus in a forum a few weekster. "Several expressionless, well-trained staff members dressed in whiteb coats from some mysterious department rushed to the scene, and packed the headless man into a ck waterproof cloth bag with a zipper that had an unidentifiable number on it. The police at the scene didn¡¯t show any signs of obstructing this. Obviously, they had been given orders in advance from theirmanders at the top."


    Lin Qiupu had hurried back when he received the news. At the time, almost all the policemen of the second team were crowded in the autopsy room, looking at the recovered body. It had been confirmed that it was Zhang Xiao''s body.


    "How many people had witnessed it?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "At least a few hundred..." Chen Shi took out his phone and flipped through Weibo. "There¡¯s amotion on Weibo. This news is unstoppable."


    Lin Qiupu held his forehead helplessly. "How could such a thing happen? Who was on duty in the hall? No one stopped a ¡®corpse¡¯ from going out? Did it go out by itself?"


    "We checked the surveince and it had gone out on its own." Old Zhang said, "The police officer on duty said that an olddy had thought this ce was a local police station and came in to settle the formalities for change of registered residence. He took the olddy away and gave her directions. He saw the body running out when he was standing outside the door, but it was already toote."


    "Could the resurrection of the corpse have something to do with this olddy?" Xu Xiaodong asked in horror.


    Everyone looked at him at once, and then ignored his spection. Peng Sijue said, "I will do an autopsy on itter to find out the reason for this ''resurrection''."


    "The biggest trouble caused by this incident is that the murderer may already know, and he will think Zhang Xiao isn¡¯t dead yet." Chen Shi said.


    "So what if Zhang Xiao didn''t die? Would hee to kill him again?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Of course not, but in the eyes of the murderer, the ''resurrected'' Zhang Xiao may provide some clues which will expose his identity, and he may take some radical measures. For a murderer, the most terrifying thing is nothing more than the resurrection of the dead, let alone having the resurrection happen in front of the police."


    "But this time, when he ''resurrected'', he offered nothing."


    "No, he provided it!" Chen Shi raised his phone. "This is a video of him writing and drawing on the ground before he died. Let''s see what he wrote."


    Everyone went to the meeting room and projected the video on the white screen. After watching the video several times, everyone was confused andpletely unclear about what was being drawn.


    Old Zhang said, "He rebelled so fiercely before, so why did he write and draw before he died, leaving us clues?"


    Chen Shi said, "I¡¯m guessing that after he ''woke up'', he thought he was still at the murder scene and in front of the murderer, so the first thing he did was to escape. He couldn''t see or hear anything, so when I touched him, he thought it was the murderer wanting to catch him and resisted with all his strength. However, when his hand touched the road, he was taken aback. He probably realized that he was no longer at the scene of the murder, and that there were other people standing around him, so he thought to leave a clue."


    "Old Chen, isn¡¯t there something wrong with your wording?" Lin Dongxue pointed to her head. "He doesn''t even have a head. How can he ''think'' and ''realize''?"


    This question really puzzled Chen Shi, and he couldn''t give a reasonable exnation either. He could only wait for Peng Sijue to obtain the answer.


    "Hey, guys, what he wrote weren¡¯t words!" Lin Qiupu yed the video again. "Look at him drawing circles on the ground. There are no characters with a radical like what he¡¯s drawing!"


    So everyone took out a piece of paper, watched the video, and recreated the strokes of the deceased. Finally, they integrated everyone¡¯s observation results and found that the deceased had drawn three people.


    "What clue is this?!" a policemanined. "Why didn''t he write? He must know the name of the murderer."


    "Three people. There were indeed three people at the scene. This clue is meaningless." Lin Qiupu said.


    "The deceased was also the third to be killed. Does it mean that?" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    "Could the sex worker be an aplice?" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi was silent. The clue itself was too vague, but the three numbers reminded him of one thing. Just as he was about to say it, there was amotion outside. They could hear someone shouting, "You can''t go in!"


    Lin Qiupu got up and took a look before closing the door immediately. His face was pale. "Oh no, the reporters havee!"

 Chapter 737: The Truth Is Almost Out

    Chapter 737: The Truth Is Almost Out


    Rubber gloves, wig, women¡¯s clothes, and forged documents. He threw these things into the burning iron barrel. The matter was done. He could finally open a bottle of beer. Half of it was poured on the ground for his elder sister and half of it was for himself to drink.


    "Look at Weibo!" someone sent over a message.


    He opened Weibo and was stunned. The Inte was full of news about Long''an¡¯s Headless Man. The rumors mixed with the truth, making the whole incident even more confusing. Live videos could be found on Weibo. After watching the videos, he fell into a panicked silence.


    Zhang Xiao who died at his hands had been resurrected?!


    With a tter, the phone fell from his trembling hands onto the ground.


    He sat down and bit his nails, thinking hard. He finally made up his mind, picked up the phone and prepared to send a message to the group. "Hey, is that headless man Brother Xiao..."


    After thinking about it, he didn¡¯t think it was a good idea and deleted the message. He logged into a sockpuppet ount and sent a message to a friend, "Brother Xiao was killed!"


    The other party was shocked. "How do you know?"


    "The police came to question me in the morning. I heard that his body had already been taken away. Oh yeah, he had died from being beheaded."


    "Really?"


    Soon after, this person himself talked about the matter within the group, and a second person said, "The headless person that¡¯s causing amotion on Weibo looks more and more like Brother Xiao!"


    "Brother Xiao had also died of beheading and the time matches."


    "Fuck, this is too shocking, right?"


    "Could it be that Brother Xiao was unable to rest in peace due to his obsession about wanting to have a threesome?"


    Everyone discussed this with one other. Seeing that the fire was already burning, he sneered and sent a message: "I suggest we should meet up and hold a memorial service for Brother Xiao."


    "Okay, I agree!"


    "Where shall we meet?"


    "Wait till I get off work!"


    Everyone agreed and he smiled in triumph...


    The reporters who went to the Public Security Bureau after receiving the news formed an imprable crowd. Chen Shi just nced through the window and was noticed by a keen reporter who yelled, "Hey, isn''t that the policeman in the video? Sir, can I interview you?"


    Chen Shi hurriedly closed the curtains and smiled bitterly at the others, "What''s this?"


    Lin Qiupu had been summoned by the chief to discuss countermeasures. Before leaving, he had ordered everyone not to disclose a single word. Before he came up with countermeasures, they mustn¡¯t let the situation escte.


    The situation right now was like a big house burning up. It could be seen from a hundred miles away. The small basin of water in the hands of the police waspletely useless.


    In fact, Chen Shi didn¡¯t care about the headless man issue. He believed that Peng Sijue would be able to give a reasonable exnation through an autopsy. He felt that it was more troublesome that the reporters made it so they couldn¡¯t go out to investigate the case. For something like this to happen during this critical juncture, the murderer may take other actions. Haii, how annoying.


    "Hey, there is a policeman who is being surrounded by reporters." Someone discovered through a gap in the curtain.


    Everyone moved over. It turned out that he was a police officer from another department who had gone out on call. The reporters swarmed up to him. The policeman in question was embarrassed. He said that he didn''t know anything, but the reporters didn''t believe him at all and asked him questions relentlessly.


    "There have been some conspiracy theories on the Inte saying that a certain mysterious department is conducting human experiments, and that the headless man is a specimen that had identally escaped." Lin Dongxue was reading on her mobile phone.


    "Eternal conspiracy theories are a form of poor imagination that thinks of everything in the most exaggerated way." Chen Shimented.


    "I guess they won''t believe anything even after the official exnation is given in the end."


    "I still don''t understand how a person can get up without a head?" Xu Xiaodong said. On average, someone would bring up the question again every few minutes. This time, it was Xu Xiaodong''s turn to take over the baton.


    "Stop talking! What''s the use of discussing it? Wait for the results of the autopsy!" Old Zhang was already impatient.


    Chen Shi brought his thoughts back to the case. It wasn¡¯t time for him to participate in this national carnival. He had thought of something and he needed to confirm the evidence.


    When he got up and walked out, Lin Dongxue also stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "I thought of a clue and it should be investigated."


    "Haha, me too!"


    One of the two went to the information department and the other went to the evidence room. After half an hour, the two met in the corridor. Lin Dongxue asked, "What did you find?"


    "I think I already know who the murderer is."


    "Really?!"


    "Zhang Xiao drew three little people on the ground. Although I don¡¯t know what he means, it reminded me of something mentioned in Little Wei¡¯s chat record. He said that the third intake¡¯s lecture record in the group sharing area had been deleted. There are three people who were from the third intake ¨C Little Wei, Big Ox, and Little Four! I wanted to call the other members to ask about when the third intake members had joined. However, I suddenly found that I couldn¡¯t ask anyone, because the other six people belonged to the first and second intakes, and until the 23rd, they didn¡¯t know the third phase members, except for Zhang Xiao and the deleted record!"


    "The truth is almost out. Big Ox¡¯s death has been solved. The murderer is Little Four. The motive for killing Little Wei and Big Ox was to prevent the time when he joined the third intake from being exposed. In other words, it is likely that Little Four might have only joined after Duan was killed."


    "I also thought of two details at the same time. The first is that Little Four is left-handed. The second is that he treated everyone to a bath. He has a low ie and is a neer. There was only one reason for him to be doing this. He wanted to observe everyone¡¯s naked bodies and letting them take a bath was the most convenient method. As the person who killed Duan Lin once fled along a water pipe, he most likely had unhealed bruises!"


    After expressing this reasoning, Chen Shi felt relieved. A big stone had finally left his heart. He also admitted, "I had never suspected Little Four. Perhaps I was deceived by his frivolous image. But when I think about it carefully, a basic PUA skill is crafting one¡¯s persona, and the dissolute image he showed us was just his persona. Or perhaps he was already very good at acting."


    "I think your reasoning is correct." Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve been thinking about Li Xiangran¡¯s connection with the murderer. She doesn''t personally know these people, so I called the police in her county. The result was very unexpected. There was a vicious murder case three years ago. The suspect was identified as a man named Guo Yang. I found Guo Yang¡¯s wanted warrant online!"


    Lin Dongxue picked up a piece of paper, and the person on it was clearly Little Four. Although he had be thinner and his hairstyle had changed, it was the same person.


    "I investigated in the opposite direction. Guo Yang hade from Li Xiangran''s school. Maybe she used to be his teacher, but she didn''t know."


    "Sure enough, Little Four is a veteran criminal. Why did he originally kill and go on the run?"


    "It was allegedly for his elder sister..."

 Chapter 738: Either The Fish Dies Or The Net Splits

    <h4>Chapter 738: Either The Fish Dies Or The Net Splits</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "Guo Yang''s sister was bullied by the local hooligan. He carried a hatchette at night and snuck into the house of the hooligan and killed all three people in the hooligan¡¯s family. This case has solid proof. Before he was arrested, he escaped and has been a wanted criminal ever since. I heard from the local police that the people in the county treated his sister coldly because of the homicide involved. One year after Guo Yang escaped, she could no longer bear it. Under the pressure of public opinion, his sistermitted suicide by drinking pesticide."


    "Is there no one else in his family?"


    "Brother and sister only had each other to rely on. It¡¯s said that his sister and the little hooligan who bullied her actually knew each other. The police spected that his sister couldn¡¯t support herself and Guo Yang, who was in high school, with just her meagre sry from the factory. Rumor was that she had secretly prostituted herself. This is what the local police said. Whether it¡¯s true or not remains uncertain."


    "Who canpletely know the truth of what happened three years ago!" Chen Shi thought for a moment. "We should go find him now, but the reporters outside..."


    "Follow me!"


    Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi down the stairs to the underground parking lot. It turned out that several reporters also stood in front of the parking lot. The entire Long¡¯an media had gone crazy, people from the satellite TV station was said to havee, and the interview car was parked outside the door.


    "I remember that the windows on the second floor don''t have grills." Chen Shi said.


    "If you climb out and are seen, you will definitely be cross-examined."


    "I¡¯ll take the risk!"


    Hence, the two went to the second floor and carefully climbed out from a window. Chen Shi went down first and caught Lin Dongxue. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t discovered by the reporters and left quickly.


    The car left in the parking lot couldn''t be retrieved, so they had to take a taxi to Little Four¡¯s. When they got to the studio, Chen Shi said, "Don''t say anything when we meet him. Let¡¯s try to find a way to restrain him. Did you bring your handcuffs?"


    "I¡¯ve brought them!" Lin Dongxue patted her waist.


    It turned out that Little Four wasn¡¯t in the studio. The people there said that he had applied for leave. Chen Shi had a vague bad premonition. He called the others and found that he couldn''t get through to them. It was daytime, and having all their phones turned off at the same time was definitely no coincidence.


    The two had to ask the bureau for help with trying to locate Little Four¡¯s cell phone signal.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called and questioned, "I saw your text message. Who told you two to investigate the case without authorization?"


    "Brother, Little Four should be the murderer. Now that this has happened, he¡¯s likely to do some crazy things. We have to subdue him as soon as we can."


    "Ai, the bureau is in a mess right now. We¡¯re thinking of a way to deal with the reporters. Please pay attention to your own safety."


    "Understood!"


    After that, there was another call from the Information Department. Little Four''s cell phone was turned off. Lin Dongxue asked them to check the other people¡¯s phones. The result was that everyone¡¯s phones had been turned off and couldn¡¯t be geolocated at all.


    Just when they were at their wits¡¯ end, Lin Dongxue gasped. It turned out that she had received an address via WeChat. It had been sent by one of them half an hour ago. That location was a board game bar on Longhe Road.


    "Okay, let''s head there quickly!" Chen Shi said.


    The two arrived there by car at dusk. The busy flow of people on the street was normal, and there were advertisements for the board game bar on nearby walls.


    The board game bar was on the second floor of a building. Lin Dongxue held her gun in her hand and went upstairs with Chen Shi.


    When they got to the door of the board game bar, they found that the rolling shutter was locked tightly. Chen Shi knocked on it a few times. Suddenly, there was an urgent "Help!" that came from inside, and then the voice stopped abruptly.


    Oh no! It¡¯s a hostage situation. Chen Shi thought.


    "We¡¯re the police, who are inside?!" Lin Dongxue shouted.


    Nothing happened and Lin Dongxue continued to bluff, "Don''t want to talk? We¡¯reing in!"


    Chen Shi made a phone call gesture, and Lin Dongxue nodded, quickly sending a text message to the nearby branch to request back-up.


    Chen Shi put his ear on the rolling shutter to listen. He heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer, then stopping behind the rolling shutter. The other person had stopped moving, as if he was also listening to the situation outside.


    There were no gaps in the rolling shutter. The two sides stood with a sheet of galvanized iron between them, and the breathing of the other party could almost be heard. The atmosphere couldn''t help but be tense.


    "Was it Officer Lin who spoke just now?" someone said from inside the door.


    "Who are you?"


    "Can''t you tell?"


    This was Little Four''s voice, but he wasn¡¯t using his usual tone of speech. Lin Dongxue looked to Chen Shi for his opinion, and Chen Shi answered the person inside, "Little Four, since we have found this ce, do you know what that means?"


    "I do. It means that you already know my identity. I''m astonished. This one in ten thousand probability of an event has actually happened. Did Zhang Xiao say something? No, he doesn''t have a head, so he shouldn¡¯t have been able to speak. Did he write something?"


    "It was the clues you left behind that exposed you."


    "Hehe, I thought I had done a wless job this time, but the result is... I am still too inexperienced."


    "So what''s the rtionship between you and Duan Lin?"


    "What''s the rtionship? I don''t want our rtionship to be defined by those boring titles. In short, I can do anything for her... I¡¯ve already avenged her this morning, but I feel dissatisfied. I want to make some disgusting men all die so that they can no longer harm other girls."


    "How many people did you kidnap?"


    "Haha!" Little Fourughed. "All of them!"


    The sound of footsteps left, and then a man called for help, followed by a second one. Five people called out in turn, and then the room fell silent again. Chen Shi guessed that Little Four had removed the gags covering their mouths one by one.


    "Did you hear that?" Little Four shouted from inside. "I want to cut off their heads and see if they¡¯ll be resurrected like Zhang Xiao! You must be looking forward to it too!"


    What was this? After getting his identity exposed, was this a ¡°either the fish dies or the splits¡± situation? Chen Shi thought to himself that this murderer had always been very cautious in his impressions of him and had a strong sense of self-preservation. How could he so easily abandon himself to destruction?


    Could this be another one of his ns?!


    "Little Four, we know your past and understand your feelings for Duan Lin, but you can''t make up for anything by doing this. You will only cause her name to be be associated with a serial murder forever. If she was alive, would she want to see you be like this?" Lin Dongxue tried to negotiate.


    "What I do is my decision. It has nothing to do with my sister, Officer Lin. When you came into contact with this group of people, did you also think they were extremely disgusting? There¡¯s invisible mold growing on them from head to toe! In fact, you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just go down and have a drink or go to the toilet. Give me a little time and I will clean up this whole group of hazardous garbage, and then you can rush in and shoot me to death. Both sides will be satisfied!"


    Hearing these words, Chen Shi silently went downstairs. Lin Dongxue was surprised and immediately followed.


    Chen Shi walked some distance away so that he could observe the windows of the bar. He said, "What he said just now seemed to be begging for death!"


    "He referred to Duan Lin as his elder sister, and it seems like he had substituted Duan Lin for his elder sister. He hadpleted his great revenge n, so he doesn''t want to live anymore!" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    "No! He isn¡¯t this kind of person. He took this extreme move because of the idental incident of the corpse ''resurrection''. He thought he was exposed, but he could have just escaped just like thest time. So why did he do this? I think he has a back-up n! Or a n to cross the sea by a trick."[2]


    "But how can this little bar cross the sea by a trick? It''s impossible for it to fly away, right?"


    "Who is thendlord here? I need to ask about something!"


    1. Either party has to die.


    2. Achieve one¡¯s aim of deceit/camouge through underhanded means.

 Chapter 739: Crossing The Sea By A Trick

    <h4>Chapter 739: Crossing The Sea By A Trick</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "How many proprietors does that board game bar have?" Chen Shi had found the building¡¯sndlord after making several inquiries, and asked him.


    "I remember that there is just one person. He¡¯s a young guy who just graduated from university. Running a board game bar doesn''t require much manpower. When customerse, they can y by themselves." Thendlord replied.


    "Do you have a picture of him?"


    "Haha, why would I store a picture of a man in my phone... Oh, yes, I have his WeChat."


    Thendlord opened WeChat and showed Chen Shi the photo of the bar owner. Chen Shi nodded and said, "Can you try contacting him?"


    Thendlord called, then shrugged and said, "His phone has been turned off."


    Chen Shi was silent for a moment, then continued to ask, "There is another question. Are there any other exits besides the front door?"


    "Uh, there are no more exits."


    After thendlord left, Chen Shi said, "The operator is about the same age as Little Four, and his build is about the same. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s also being held hostage right now."


    "Why would he kidnap an irrelevant person?" Lin Dongxue suddenly realized. "Is this the n to cross the sea by a trick that you mentioned?"


    "For example, starting a fire. When we rush in, there will be six corpses inside. Since we don¡¯t have Little Four¡¯s DNA data, we¡¯re likely to believe that Little Four has been burned to death inside as well, while the real Little Four has escaped by other means."


    Chen Shi observed the building again. An office building was opposite, while the other side was a parking lot and a road. The front door and windows of the board game bar were all closed. The police couldn¡¯t observe the situation inside at all, let alone snipe at him. It was simply the best possible terrain for hostage-taking.


    "That''s not necessarily true. Even if we see six corpses, we will think that the owner was inside." Lin Dongxue objected.


    "In that case, there are seven corpses. I''m pretty sure he hasn¡¯t given up on himself, but is actively trying to survive." Chen Shi said, "Just in case, call a fire truck to stand by nearby!"


    As night fell, the fire truck and the people from the branch office arrived. Lin Qiupu informed Lin Dongxue of the situation and also applied for a small SWAT team to be dispatched.


    The expert negotiator from the SWAT team negotiated with Little Four through the door and asked for the hostage-taker¡¯s request. However, Little Four behaved very negatively and kept trying to get rid of the expert negotiator. He said, "I want to talk to Officer Lin."


    So Lin Dongxue went to the door and said, "Little Four, I''m here."


    "I feel more at ease when I hear your voice." Little Four smiled from behind the door. "Officer Lin, I have a question for you. Do you have any particrly important people in your life? People that are so important that you can''t bear to lose them."


    Lin Dongxue didn''t want to answer, but in order to stall for time, she still said, "Yes."


    "Then you should be able to understand my feelings. My elder sister was used as a worthless trophy for showing off. My heart felt as though it had been crushed. These people must pay for her death with their lives."


    "I understand your feelings, but I don¡¯t agree with your approach. You only see their hateful sides, but you forgot that they also have families and bear social responsibilities. Their deaths will only bring more pain and hatred. Killing people won¡¯t solve any problems at all."


    "Haha, do you think people will change? Be honest."


    "...It''s difficult."


    "I think so too. Even if these scumbags go through this ordeal, they won¡¯t turn over a new leaf. I don''t know how many women will cry because of them again. Won¡¯t killing them be saving more people?"


    "You don''t need to persuade me. Have you thought about where you will go after you die?" Lin Dongxue remembered that Guo Yang had religious beliefs. Perhaps she could utilize this point.


    "I¡¯ll go to hell, hahaha."


    "The more people you kill, the farther away from your sister you will be in hell, and you may never see each other again."


    Little Four was silent for a moment before saying, "I have a request."


    "Go ahead!"


    "Today is my sister''s birthday. I want to see twenty-three volleys of fireworksunched from this window."


    "What happens after we meet your request?"


    "I can release a few people."


    "I will negotiate for this, but I hope you can fulfil your promise."


    "You have my word."


    Lin Dongxue went down and talked to the police about the matter. In terms of cost, it was nothing, but the SWAT team didn¡¯t really agree. "We should not encourage the arrogance of criminals. When the fireworks areunched, city residents will ask why they wereunched. If it¡¯s known that the police hadunched them in order to reach apromise with criminals, wouldn''t it discredit the police?"


    "Captain X, you have too many concerns. Even if one hundred fireworks are exchanged for one life, it will be worthwhile. The most important thing is that he will open the door so that we can observe the situation inside and discuss countermeasures." This was the expert negotiator¡¯s opinion.


    In the end, everyone reached an agreement and went to discuss it with a nearby hotel building. At around 8:00PM, the fireworks gradually rose into the heavens, and bloomed brilliantly in the night sky. Many pedestrians stopped and looked up.


    Little Four sat on the windowsill holding a knife. Tears slowly fell down his face and were illuminated by the fireworks. He got up and told himself that it was time to make a move.


    The twenty-three fireworks hadn''t finishedunching, when someone suddenly screamed, "There''s a fire!"


    Everyone looked up and saw thick smoke billowing from the windows of the board game bar. Seeing this, the SWAT team immediately put on gas masks and rushed up. They forced the lock open, and rushed in.


    Through the thick smoke, they could only see a few tied-up men on the floor with blood gurgling out from their necks. The SWAT team was shocked and hurriedly grabbed their walkie-talkies to call for reinforcements.


    At this time, Chen Shi was standing downstairs, observing the floor without blinking. The fire made the other residents run outside, crowding all the balconies and corridors. He suddenly noticed a person wearing a red vest with his head lowered walking out of the crowd.


    He¡¯sing! He was startled and grabbed the policeman next to him. "The suspect is escaping! Come with me quickly."


    The policeman was on the phone and didn''t hear Chen Shi''s voice at all. He was taken aback and continued to say to the phone, "Send as many ambnces as you can, please hurry!"


    The surroundings had fallen into chaos dealing with the sudden fire, and Chen Shi could only chase after Little Four by himself.


    The man came down the stairs and looked at Chen Shi. Although he hade out of the fire, there were no ashes on his face at all. Chen Shi found that his clothes were dripping water. That man was Little Four!


    Little Four was alert and ran away while Chen Shi tried his best to catch up.


    The two ran into an alley. Little Four suddenly turned around and swung his arm. Chen Shi stepped back instinctively, and a cold de¡¯s edge swept dangerously past his neck, making the ends of his hairs stand up.


    "Haha!" Little Four shifted the knife from his right hand into his left. "Mr. Chen, you really are smarter than the police."


    "You¡¯re clever enough to escape from under the nose of the police!" Chen Shi clenched his fists and assumed a fighting stance.


    "You¡¯re just a consultant. Why are you so trying so hard? Did the police buy you insurance?"


    "Stop spouting nonsense!"


    Chen Shi threw a punch, Little Four evaded it and thrust the knife insidiously from below. Chen Shi kept his eyes on the knife, and he immediately pped his hand down. He pressed down Little Four''s wrist, and head-butted Little Four¡¯s face.


    Little Four staggered from the blow, blood from his nose filling his mouth. The pain enraged him and he said, "I''m going to ruin you! As long as you dare to grab your phone, I will cut your throat immediately."


    "Oh, really?"


    Chen Shi put his hand into his pocket. Little Four really rushed forward, but what Chen Shi took out was not a phone, but a handful of white powder, which he threw into Little Four¡¯s face.


    He was instantly blinded, and then he was kicked hard in the abdomen, sending him flying.


    Chen Shi ran over quickly and kicked the knife out of his hand. He turned him around, held his hands behind his back and shouted, "You¡¯re under arrest!"


    "Fuck!" Little Four cursed. This guy is too despicable.

 Chapter 740: Headless Mystery

    <h4>Chapter 740: Headless Mystery</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue hurried over upon hearing the news. Little Four was cuffed and taken away. She asked, "What''s wrong with his face?"


    "I sprinkled flour on him." Chen Shi replied.


    "Where did you get the flour?" Lin Dongxue asked with a smile.


    "I was afraid that he¡¯d have a knife on him as that would be difficult to deal with, so while strolling around downstairs, I borrowed a handful of flour from a nearby noodle shop... Isn''t it a bit mean of me?"


    "Haha, I don''t want you to be too brave. As long as he was caught, it¡¯s okay."


    The fire was quickly brought under control. The police found that the fire wasn¡¯t actually that big. Little Four had wrapped the cards in the bar with cotton cloth, sprinkled them with water, and burned them to create a lot of smoke.


    The most shocking thing was that there was arge wooden bucket next to the door, which was full of tap water. Little Four had been hiding in it at the time. When the police broke in and the whole house was enveloped in smoke, he got out of this bucket of water quietly and escaped in the chaos.


    What a n to cross the sea by a trick!


    There were a total of seven people held hostage in the bar. They were the owner and a part-timer in addition to those five who all had their throats shed. However, Little Four deliberately didn¡¯t cut them too deep. The reason was so that the wounded would stall the police. Even if the police found out that he had escaped, the police could only give priority to the preservation of lives when the five people could die at any time.


    They were sent to the hospital and all survived, but it would take them some time to recover. They were currently unable to speak due to their throat injuries.


    After running around the whole day, both Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were exhausted. Lin Dongxue suggested that they should hurry home and sleep. Chen Shi raised both hands in agreement. Just as they were about to take a taxi home, they received a text message from Lin Qiupu - "The headless mystery has been uncovered!"


    "Do you want to go back to the bureau now?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Let¡¯s go back and have a look. I also want to know what''s going on."


    Back at the Public Security Bureau, the reporters had already left. The chief had personally promised that a press conference will be held in the near future to exin the headless mystery and the causes and results of this case. Personal interviews before this wouldn¡¯t be epted.


    Although the peace there had been restored, the Inte became even more lively. Many city residents got home after work and joined the discussion excitedly after seeing this Weibo post. The first few live videos had been reposted over one million times. Countless advertisers werepeting for the hot spots.


    Walking into the public security building, Lin Dongxue was extremely excited, as if she was about to open a gift. Chen Shi said, "Don''t be too excited. The truth is often not so mysterious."


    It was a full house in a certain conference room. Besides the members of the second team, there were a few fresh faces. Lin Qiupu saw the twoe in and said, "You¡¯re here. We¡¯ve waited for a long time. Let''s start then! Let me introduce you to these experts in neurosurgery from the city hospital. Thanks to their valuable opinions, and their afternoon-long discussion with Captain Peng, we now understand the cause of the whole thing.


    A white-haired doctor nodded and smiled, "This time¡¯s matter has caused quite a stir, and it¡¯s our great honor to be able to participate."


    Another young doctor said, "Although there¡¯s indeed a medical exnation, I can only use ¡®miracle¡¯ to describe encountering this kind of thing in my lifetime."


    Peng Sijue stood up and said, "The autopsy has beenpleted. Here, I must first conduct a self-review. After the murder happened in the morning, I rushed to the scene. Usually, I¡¯m used to observing the pupils and checking the carotid arteries to confirm death. This time, as the deceased had been beheaded, I had the preconceived notion that he was already dead, so I skipped this step. This was my grave negligence!"


    "You mean Zhang Xiao, who had no head, was still alive when he was brought back to the autopsy room?" Chen Shi was surprised.


    "He must have been alive then. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have ''resurrected''."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Captain Peng has always been rigorous. This time, such a careless mistake actually happened. It can be seen thatmon sense is the most likely to mislead people. When you see a headless body, you think it must be dead. Everyone must take this as a lesson."


    "Old Peng not confirming a death was an unlikely event. The policeman on duty in the hall was called out by the olddy to ask for directions. This was the second unlikely event. ''Resurrection from the dead'' itself was the biggest unlikely event. Having all three of these happen together is the coincidence of coincidences, but there¡¯s also a certainty in it, because this is called Murphy''sw!" Chen Shi said. Everyone could tell he was defending Peng Sijue.


    Peng Sijue asked his assistant to start the slideshow. A photo was projected on the white screen. Most of the people present couldn¡¯t recognize the organ. Peng Sijue said, "During the autopsy, I found that there was gray soft tissue with many grooves in it within the spine of the deceased. The subsequent brain autopsy revealed that his right brain was squeezed by a huge tumor. The tumor took over most of the blood supply and the entire right brain was in a state of necrosis. I contacted the doctor in his hometown. It was confirmed that this brain tumor was discovered in Marchst year. As it had grown along the artery, it was difficult to remove. The doctor said that the deceased had signs of hemiplegia at one point. However, the sess rate of the operation was too low. A decision was made to recreate a right brain for the deceased. That is, stem cell transntation!"


    Hearing these words, the audience below started discussing spiritedly and took a long time to calm down.


    "Stem cells are primitive, undifferentiated cells with multi-directional differentiation potential and self-replication ability. They aremonly known as universal cells. They can rece any cells in the human body. Doctors injected stem cells into the bone marrow of the deceased, and the bone marrow has the same cerebrospinal fluid as the brain. The neuron structure is also the same. The injected stem cells ¡®settled¡¯ there and gradually formed the ¡®second brain¡¯. Of course, this was only a transitional medical n. The doctor originally nned to wait for the second brain to be fully formed before removing the tumor along with the necrotic right brain."


    "When the deceased was decapitated, there was actually a right brain in his body, but the decapitation also took away his cerebellum and paralyzed the autonomic nerves throughout the body. I discussed with the experts and reached a conclusion that as this second brain was connected to the spine, it assumed part of the functions of the cerebellum. Human neurons have strong adaptability. There was a medical case where the patient¡¯s finger nerves were wrongly connected, but quickly returned to normal function. When the deceased was taken back to the autopsy room, he was in a state of suspended animation caused by hemorrhagic shock. In order to save itself, his nervous system rebuilt his cardiopulmonary function through the second brain andpleted the ¡®resurrection¡¯!¡±


    "The evidence to support this conclusion is in the video taken at the scene. After the ''resurrection'', only the left half of the body could move, because the right brain controls the left half of the body. However, this ''resurrection'' was just terminal lucidity. First of all, his body gravelycked blood. Secondly, without the filtering function of the respiratory tract, the air directly entered the trachea. During the autopsy, I found that his alveoli were swollen and showed signs of slight inmmation. As the body alreadycked blood, with the internal organs failing, the inhtion of unfiltered air meant that the blood was unable to detoxify itself. Various cumtive reasons led to his true death."


    After hearing this speech, everyone was amazed. Chen Shi said, "No wonder he drew on the ground before he died. It was because he no longer had the left brain that controlsnguage and logic."


    Lin Dongxue only felt that the deceased was really pitiful, actually dying twice. She said, "If we found out in time, could we have saved him?"


    A doctor replied, "That¡¯s almost impossible. It was his adrenaline and adenosine diphosphate converted from adenosine triphosphate that prompted the deceased to move. This is equivalent to squeezing energy out of thest bit of cell storage. In fact, he already had severe organ failure. The bacteria in the air entered the blood directly, and it¡¯s a miracle that he could move like that for even a few minutes."

 Chapter 741: Diary

    Chapter 741: Diary


    On April 9th, the police went to Little Four¡¯s house to investigate and collect evidence.


    Little Four¡¯s "home" was a bit special. It was a broken excavator in front of a ruined building. He had removed the seat inside the cab. His bedroom was the cab that was less than two square meters. There was a bed there. There was azyptop table on the bed with aptop, and a lock on the door.


    In such a cramped space, the search could only be carried out alone by Lin Dongxue.


    The area around the excavator could be called his home¡¯s "yard". It had an old sofa, an iron bucket, and some old furniture that he had picked up.


    The police found a lot of ashes in the iron bucket, which wereter identified as a burnt wig, women''s clothing, etc. They were probably the props he used to trap Zhang Xiao.


    In addition, there were some paper ashes, which seemed to be photos or the like. Chen Shi also found a small piece of partially burnt printed paper with a string of numbers on it.


    After investigation, it was learned that Zhang Xiao had designed a new recruitment poster for the PUA Association in mid-March, and carried it with him. Chen Shi guessed that he might have identally dropped this piece of paper at Duan Lin¡¯s house by him and it was found by Little Four. Little Four, who definitely had some hacking skills, found them through the poster.


    "Look at this!" Lin Dongxue crawled out of the excavator, holding a notebook in her hand. It was a diary. Based on the handwriting, it had been written by Duan Lin.


    The contents of the diary were very trivial, and Lin Dongxue selected a few paragraphs to read out.


    "...I was paid today so I got to have a good meal for once. I bought a box of Yangzhou fried rice and walked ahead. A boy had been following me, making me a little nervous. He had been staring at the food in my hands as if he hadn¡¯t eaten for a long time. As if I was possessed, my heart went soft and I gave him the fried rice in my hands. He squatted on the side of the road and ate it with his hands. Looking at him was saddening. After he finished eating, he left without saying a word... It felt as though I had fed a stray dog.


    "The boy appeared again today. He was waiting for me on my way home from work. I told him that Elder Sister had nothing for him to eat. He ran over and stuffed a wad of crumpled small-denomination money[1] into my hands and ran away."


    "I saw him again. It was strange. I was actually looking forward to it. He squatted there motionless, as if he was waiting for me. I smiled at him. He actually stood up and followed me. I actually let this strangere into my house even though I don¡¯t even know his name and gave him a bowl of instant noodles. We didn¡¯t talk a lot, but it didn¡¯t feel awkward. He ate it hungrily. I have never seen anyone eat instant noodles with such zest. After he finished eating, he went over and washed the dishes by himself. Then I heard the sound of the stove being turned on. He was actually clumsily making me noodles. He even cracked the egg outside of the bowl, making meugh."


    "He has gotten into the habit ofing to my house. He¡¯s a lot cleaner after taking a shower. He¡¯s a handsome young fellow, but his eyes look like that of a child¡¯s. I even hugged him to sleep that night. No, nothing happened between us. We are not in that kind of rtionship. In his sleep, he called me his elder sister, and I responded. It¡¯s a very happy thing to have a person to snuggle up to for warmth in this cold city. Outside the window, there was a pattering sound. It turned out that it was raining..."


    "¡®Little Four¡¯ is the name I gave him and he¡¯s already living in my house. He¡¯s like a small animal. Whenever I get home, he would be overjoyed and hug me to sniff the scent of my body. Taking care of him is quite interesting, but I really don''t have that much money. I told him that he should earn some money himself. He wasn¡¯t happy and ignored me all night. This cker."


    "After my persuasion, Little Four finally took this step and became self-reliant. He went to work in an art studio. It turned out that he could paint. I never knew. After earning his first paycheck, he bought a little gift for me. I was very happy and gave him a kiss."


    "Dad knows about this. From his point of view, my rtionship with Little Four is - ''You¡¯re cohabiting with a man before you¡¯re married''. He threatened toe to the city to take care of this matter. I exined to them that we¡¯re not in that kind of rtionship, but in their opinion, a woman and a man must have something between them if they live together. It¡¯s so tiring! I could only exin this to Little Four. Little Four promised to move out, but he would visit me regrly."


    "Dear Diary, I have found a boyfriend! Haha, I actually left singlehood behind! He¡¯s an outstanding man. He has just returned from studying in the United States. His parents are both public prosecutors and his manners are especially good. When we went on our first date, he sent me home like a gentleman and said, "I won''t go up." He was practically the textbook example of a good man. I hugged my nket andughed foolishly all night. I was sure he was the one I had been waiting for. I didn''t tell Little Four about this. Maybe it was because I was afraid he would be jealous. I''ll tell him when the rtionship is confirmed."


    "He encountered some troubles and needed some money. I immediately gave him this month''s sry. I believe in his personal character."


    "A failed date. He said it was all my fault. I shouldn''t bring up that topic. I was sad and cried all night. He¡¯s such a good man that I don''t think I deserve him. No, I want to be a better version of myself, so that I¡¯ll never disappoint him again!"


    "He¡¯s starting to ignore me. Does he have another woman, or does he not want me anymore? My heart¡¯s almost broken. I took the initiative to contact him, ask him out, and gave him my first time. I don¡¯t have regrets, because I love him more than anything else."


    "I¡¯m a humble, base, and useless woman. He¡¯s right. My life is indeed a mess. I can''t handle anything. I don''t deserve his love at all like this. I can''t choose who I was born for, but I¡¯m able to choose who I will die for. That way, I will always have a ce in his heart."


    The diary illustrated the step-by-step process in which Duan Lin walked towards self destruction, from meeting Little Four to meeting Zhang Xiao and being deceived by his routine. After reading it, everyone fell silent and felt sad.


    Loosening the reins temporarily in order to capture her, devaluing her self-worth, and spiritual dominance were PUAs'' means to control a woman. It¡¯s because human beings¡¯ fear of loss is greater than the desire to obtain something. Love should be a joyful thing, but women who are immersed in this kind of love do not have much joy. PUA veterans wouldn''t even take the initiative with sex, but would just wait for the woman to propose it herself. They¡¯re like a swamp covered with fresh flowers. Just stepping into it would consign you to eternal damnation. Not to mention a girl like Duan Lin who wasn¡¯t very experienced.


    But then again, the prey that PUAs look for are types like Duan Lin, inexperienced girls with poor judgment whock romantic experience and have no friends around them for support. They bypass outstanding women because they know full well that in front of high-level women, their lies and routines would be seen through anytime.


    Xu Xiaodong sighed, "Why didn''t she talk to Little Four when she was in greatest pain? Then this series of tragedies wouldn¡¯t have happened."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Women are like this. There will only be one person she cares for at a time. In the second half of the diary, she didn''t mention a single word about Little Four. Her whole body and mind has been invested in this ''Prince Charming''."


    Lin Qiupu said, "We have sufficient evidence and it¡¯s time to go back to interrogate Little Four."

 Chapter 742: Case Closed

    <h4>Chapter 742: Case Closed</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In the interrogation room, Little Four had one leg propped up on the arm of the chair with his right hand on his knee, and he was biting his nails. His sitting posture was like that of an unruly child. Lin Qiupu reminded him three times before he returned to a normal sitting posture. He coldly said, "I¡¯ll only talk to Officer Lin."


    "Why are you willing to talk to me?" Lin Dongxue walked in. "Do I remind you of your elder sister?"


    "Because you look good." Little Four smiled.


    This time, the interrogation was conducted by Lin Dongxue and Lin Qiupu. In fact, Lin Dongxue mainly asked the questions. After asking for his basic information, Lin Dongxue began to verify the details of the case. Little Four spoke slowly. The whole process was simr to Chen Shi''s spection.


    In fact, when Zhang Xiao said in the group chat that the head he received was disfigured, he had already guessed it was him. However, he didn''t want to be arrested after killing people, so he still killed Little Wei and Big Niu in turn ording to his own n. Then it was Zhang Xiao. Only these three people knew when he had entered the association.


    "I originally nned to use self-muttion to hide the truth from you. I¡¯d chop off my right hand, fake the scene, and act as if I was found by the murderer but identally escaped with my life. I even bought painkillers and rope, but... I couldn''t do it. Maybe my survival instincts are too strong. I bit my lips until they split but I still couldn¡¯t cut my hand off."


    "I have something I¡¯m very curious about. Since you knew their addresses from the beginning, why not just kill them one by one?"


    "That would be meaningless. I must find the person who killed my sister, look into his eyes, make him repent, and then kill him slowly!" As he said this, Little Four''s eyes showed a sh of viciousness.


    "Did Zhang Xiao repent before he died?"


    Little Four sneered and shook his head. "Died without repentance... Officer Lin, I have a question to ask you. If you met a PUA, would you recognize one?"


    "I don''t think I would be fooled like that."


    "But my sister would. She was a very innocent girl. Every day, she fantasized about meeting her Prince Charming. This was her cute but unfortunate side... Both my elder sisters were like this. The more innocent a woman is, the more people will deceive her. The world never protects the weak until one day when the weak turns into a jackal and fights back against the despicable people."


    Lin Qiupu frowned when he heard the remarks. They were words that shirked responsibility. However, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t intend to lecture a person who was about to be sentenced to death. Chen Shi said that behavior determines values, and a few words cannot change their thinking.


    "I don''t mean to offend. What did your original sister do?"


    "She was an ordinary employee."


    "But ording to the police, she was secretly a prostitute, and the little hooligan you killed was her ''customer''."


    Little Four took a deep breath and didn¡¯t fly into a rage. He said, "It was those people defaming her. My sister was the kindest and gentlest woman in the world. In order to earn money for me to go to school, she gave up her own studies and got a job in a small workshop. It¡¯s the kind that makes the mobile phone charms which people use. Her job was to string small beads on them. One hundred of those would only earn her one yuan. She was always very gentle. Only one thing would make her angry, which was my desire to quit school and get a job. I felt that it was too hard for her by herself. She refused to agree to this matter no matter what. She said that our parents had passed away early, and that I must study in order to be sessful. For this goal, it didn¡¯t matter how tired she was or how hard it was on her."


    Lin Dongxue thought of how Lin Qiupu had taken care of her when she was a child. Although they were orphans, they were fortunately supported financially by rtives. Although their childhood was difficult, they could both receive an education.


    "Do you know that your sister is dead?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, I found out about it a year ago, but I was away trying to lie low and couldn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t go back to mourn her. Then I met Duan Lin. She treated me as though she was my elder sister, and I found a sense of familiarity with her. I was willing to regard her as family. A woman can be an older sister, a mother, a lover, and at the same time, women are themselves. They have their own unique value, but when I saw her being used as a ything, with the video of her suicide being shown off in the group, I could no longer calm down. In the eyes of this group of people, women are worthless except for being ythings."


    "So you thought you were ridding people of a scourge?" Lin Qiupu couldn''t help but ask.


    Little Four nced at him disdainfully, ignored him, and continued saying to Lin Dongxue, "Why do you want to save those people? I shed their throats. As long as you took a little longer to call the ambnce, or if the ambnce was dyed on the road, they would die. Why do you want to save these people? In your eyes, as long as it¡¯s a life, is it more important than everything else? No matter how bad a person is? If you knew what each of them was doing, you would feel that all of them deserve to die...In fact, when I did that, I had a thought in my mind that for every scum like this that¡¯s killed, there will be fewer unhappy women like my sister."


    "Little Four, I discussed this with Old Chen. Bad PUAs are indeed hateful things. To make them disappear and prevent women from being deceived, it requires media advertising, public efforts, and legal protection. The most important thing is the awakening of women themselves. The idea of treating women as ythings is widespread in society. It was only in this soil that the deformed product, PUA, was born. This process is arduous and the road is long, just like curing a disease. It¡¯s very slow, but it¡¯s the only way to solve the problem. Killing a few people won¡¯t solve the problem. By the way, we are investigating those people. They are suspected of fraud and rape. If there are no unexpected circumstances, they will all be punished by thew."


    "Elder Sister Lin, is it because you¡¯re a police officer that you¡¯d never agree with murder, or is it because you originally thought that way?"


    "I originally thought that everyone has their own value. Even people who are regarded as rubbish by everyone have their own value and unlimited possibilities in the future. No one can deprive a person of the right to live."


    "Is even a person like me valuable? What is waiting for me must be the death penalty. The death penalty means that thew considers me to be garbage that should be disposed of!"


    "Have you ever heard of the prisoner who invented the brushless electric motor[1] one day before he was due to be executed? His sentence was reduced and he was finally released. Never give up on yourself. As long as you¡¯re still alive, there are endless possibilities!"


    Little Four covered his face and his shoulders shook. It turned out that he was crying. He said, "I really wish I could eat the stir-fried tomatoes and scrambled eggs made personally by my sister!"


    1. Also known as electronicallymutated motors.

 Chapter 743: Gu You’s Visit

    <h4>Chapter 743: Gu You''s Visit</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Volume 47: Dream Exchange Murder


    After the Little Four case was closed, the headless man incident was still unresolved. Although the police gave an exnation, the public always felt a little skeptical when they saw the words "expert" and "refuting rumors."


    Just like Chen Shi¡¯s estimation, few people were willing to believe the truth. All kinds of spections were tossed around. Conspiracy theories, aliens, and human experiments were all topics that came about. Maybe life was too ordinary and everyone needed a little mysticism to adjust it.


    On April 10th, on a quiet day, Lin Dongxue finally had a day of rest. She was wearing a loose T-shirt while ying with theputer at Chen Shi''s house and waiting for food.


    Chen Shi was preparing dinner, humming the tune of "Red Sun"[1] while cutting vegetables. He suddenly found that his humming tune had an echo. Upon closer inspection, Lin Dongxue was actually hummimg the same tune in the living room.


    Lin Dongxue was wearing headphones and ying League of Legends with all her heart. She was so reckless that her teammates were crying. Five minutes in, the other team had already raised a boss.[2]


    Chen Shi thought that it was impossible for her to hear him, so it must be a coincidence. But then again, when would she have ever listened to this old song?


    With a testing mentality, he hummed "Troubled World Superstar"[3] and looked at the living room with his head poking out. A minuteter, Lin Dongxue also hummed the tune.


    Chen Shi was shocked and tried to hum "Soul Haunting Old Dreams"[4] this time. This time, he hummed very quietly, just like a mosquito¡¯s buzz. As it was such an old song, even if their hearts were aligned, Lin Dongxue wouldn''t be able to hum it.


    However, what happened was shocking. Lin Dongxue was able to hum the same tune.


    Chen Shi was inexplicably surprised. In order to clear his doubts, he went to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue, who was waiting or to be resurrected, turned to look at him with a smile and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.


    "What were you humming just now?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Huh?" Lin Dongxue took off her headphones. "What?"


    "Did you hum a song just then?"


    "Yeah, I''m listening to your ylist. The old songs are pretty good."


    Hearing Lin Dongxue opening the song listening software, Chen Shi saw that the three songs yed were "Red Sun", "Troubled World Superstar", and "Soul Haunting Old Dreams". He solved the case there and then. It turns out that he usually listened to this song list. A conditioned reflex was formed and the humming of songs came in the aforementioned order. Lin Dongxue happened to be listening to the ylist.


    Chen Shi smiled and said, "I thought we had telepathy. As expected, mysterious events can all be exined."


    "What is it? You baffling guy, when is the meal ready? People are hungry~" Lin Dongxue stretched out her hands coquettishly.


    "It''ll be ready soon. The soup is ready."


    At this time, Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone rang on the table. Lin Dongxue snatched it before saying, "Miss Gu said she¡¯sing to find you."


    "I''ll open the door."


    "Wait, I need to put my pants on."


    Chen Shi nced at theputer and said, "By the way, just surrender. It¡¯s not easy for elementary school students to have time to y the game. You¡¯re trolling them so hard, they¡¯re losing out."


    "Hateful!"


    Chen Shi opened the door and Gu You was standing outside. She was holding a box of eggs in her hand. Chen Shi was a person who knew his goods. At first nce, he knew that they were eggs you could eat raw. They could also be fried into very tender eggs, or they could be beaten into the rice directly. It would be delicious.


    "Am I imposing on you guys? You treated me to eat raw oystersst time, so this is a little token of my appreciation." Gu You said.


    "Thank you!" Chen Shi epted the little gift. "Miss Gu, would you like to stay and eat?"


    "Huh, you cooked so early?"


    "This cker didn''t get up until the afternoon. This is lunch." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue punched him. "Why are you talking about me? Didn¡¯t you just wake up as well?"


    "You two are so sweet. Actually, I came because I heard that you two were at home. I wanted to invite you guys to dinner. I also have a rest day today. This is a rare opportunity."


    "Miss Gu, do you need us for something? Don¡¯t worry about dinner. Us old acquaintances needn¡¯t be so polite." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Oh,e in and sit down!" Chen Shi let Gu You in.


    Lin Dongxue poured a cup of tea for her. Gu You said, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about something for a long time, but I haven¡¯t been able to find a suitable opportunity to talk about it. This is the case: I once counseled a special mental patient whose symptoms and identity were both very special. I want to see him again after many years to see his current state because it would be toote if I don¡¯t see him again. He will be executed next month..."


    "Death sentence? Is this patient still serving his sentence?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.


    "Yes."


    "You can visit the prison. You¡¯re his former doctor and the prison won¡¯t disallow it."


    "There is indeed no problem with the prison, but he himself does not want to see me. After thinking about it, the only way is to call him out for questioning through the police, so that I have a chance to see him. So, I want to ask Officer Lin for help."


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while. This matter wasn¡¯t actually difficult, Chen Shi asked, "What is the situation of this person?"


    "His name is Chen Fengde. He can be considered someone who was in my industry. He used to be a professor of psychology at Long''an University. When I first came into contact with him, I couldn''t even define whether his symptoms were paranoia, split personality, or ordinary psychological problems... By the way, do you know the term ¡®Lucid Dreaming¡¯?"


    "I do." Lin Dongxue replied. "I¡¯ve done it before. I knew I was dreaming, and then I could control the dream. It was very interesting."


    "It''s really interesting. Chen Fengde was also particrly interested in lucid dreams. When people dream, the firing speed of neurons is extremely fast. In dreams, they can often inspire extraordinary inspiration. Chen Fengde wanted to improve his work efficiency by lucid dreaming. This was originally a good thing, but he got caught up in it. He had mastered a way to control dreams. One of the key points is the marker. For example, if you always have an oil painting in your dream, then you can keep telling yourself that as long as you see this painting, you¡¯re dreaming. This idea is carved into your nerve reflex. When you see this painting again, you will instinctively realize that you¡¯re dreaming."


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "Dreams are all so different, so how can there be things that will appear forever?"


    "In fact, there will be. For example, some people will repeatedly dream of their deceased spouse. If there¡¯s no sign, there¡¯s also a simple way. You probably didn¡¯t realize this, but people''s dreams are ck and white."


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise. "If I think about it carefully, it seems that this is indeed the case."


    "Environmental changes and physical feelings can all be markers. Chen Fengde found his own marker X and continuously strengthened this concept. It went well at the beginning. Whenever he saw X, he knew he was in a dream and his consciousness would be woken up. Then, he could manipte his dreams. Through continuous training and hints, he gradually learned to have continuous lucid dreams. In his dreams, he owns a small ss house in the deep forest where he can relive his daytime studies. He can think and even write. He works in his dreams!"


    "That''s incredible."


    "Let me guess." Chen Shi said, "One day, the marker X appeared in his real life and he regarded reality as a dream."


    "You¡¯re really sharp." Gu You smiled. "Yes, X, which was impossible to appear in the first ce, appeared in reality. This set of neural reflexes that automatically recognized X had prated deeply into his brain, and it forced him to think that reality was a huge dream, and his life was instantly messed up..."


    1. https://.youtube/watch?v=2-rGtcdl5aE


    2. This doesn¡¯t actually make much sense as there¡¯s no boss in League of Legends. I can only assume the author just means that someone on the other team got real fed, or she lost first blood. It can¡¯t be the rift herald since it doesn¡¯t spawn early into the game and the first dragon only spawns at five minutes.


    3. https://.youtube/watch?v=ivc0oH_0gV8


    4. https://.youtube/watch?v=okcsNZTYopc

 Chapter 744: Dream Exchange Murder

    <h4>Chapter 744: Dream Exchange Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "What then?" Chen Shi said, "Chen Fengde killed people in reality in order to ''wake up''?"


    Gu You replied with a heavy expression, "The crime hemitted was the murder in Jici Hospital ten years ago."


    Chen Shi immediately recalled the case, but he pretended to take out his mobile phone and search for it. He said, "Oh, it was a sensational case at that time. Sixatose patients in the inpatient department were killed, along with a nurse. It was said that there were a bunch of suspects. After half a year of investigation, Chen Fengde, who had absolutely nothing to do with the deceased, was found. They also don¡¯t know the motive for the murder. It¡¯s a mystery."


    "From the interrogation to the conviction, Chen Fengde had always imed that he was wrongly used. The police regarded his exnation as nonsense. He had said that his body was exchanged with another person in a dream and that person killed the patients with his body. He had no grievances with thoseatose people, so why would he kill them? I was the only one willing to listen to these words in the detention center for psychological counseling. Right, I was still an intern back then. Going to the detention center to conduct psychological counseling for prisoners was my volunteer work."


    "Does the dream he talked about refer to reality?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I don''t know what he was referring to. When I saw him, he was confused and impaired. He spoke incoherently with disconnected sentences. He oftenughed eerily in the middle of the conversation saying that this dream was really long, but he would definitely wake up. ording to the detention center, he painted strange symbols on the wall and talked to himself all day long. The prisoners in the same prison regarded him as a lunatic and often bullied him."


    "So who did Chen Fengde swap bodies with?" Chen Shi asked, before adding, "ording to his statement."


    "A young man named Liu Tao. Liu Tao''s wife was one of the patients he killed. Because his wife wouldn''t wake up, he was burdened with a lot of medical expenses. Liu Tao had a hard life. In order to relieve the pressure, he had affairs outside. It¡¯s inevitable that a man will have an affair in that situation. After the death of his wife, he received arge sum of insurance money and soon married his mistress. It can be said that he had a clear motive for murder. I haven¡¯t met Liu Tao, but another person met him - Chen Fengde¡¯s daughter. When I visited her, she identally mentioned something. One day, a stranger imed to be her father. He went to school to pick her up from school. His speech and habits were exactly the same as her father¡¯s. This stranger was Liu Tao! That day happened to be the day of the murder! When you conduct psychological research for too long and you meet too many patients, you will always doubt the authenticity of the world. This incident has always made me unable to let go. I haven¡¯t been able to find the answer till now."


    "I think there must be a problem here. I don''t believe in any identity exchanges. There is only one concept of the soul. There¡¯s no soul in the human body." Chen Shi asserted.


    "Mr. Chen, I am not refuting you. I¡¯m just curious. What do you think of children who suddenly talk about how they were someone else in a previous life and are able to speak foreignnguages fluently before they learn to do so?"


    "Is there such a thing?" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "Yes!" Chen Shi said, "Indeed, these kinds of reincarnation cases happen all over the world, and some of them are too real to deny, but I think there¡¯s a reason behind this. Perhaps the reason is that science isn¡¯t too clear yet, but it must be scientific and not a fantasy solution such as a crude soul exchange and reincarnation."


    "In order to find a reasonable exnation for Chen Fengde¡¯s matter, I¡¯ve read a lot of books. Materialism believes that the brain is the material organ of thinking, but some others believe that the brain is just a signal receiver. All human thinkinges from amon point. To borrow the words of Carl Jung,[1] human consciousness is like an isted reef on the sea, and the waves below are the collective unconsciousness of human beings. With the dessification of the KGB files in thest century, people discovered that the Soviet Union had done telepathy tests. Subjects A and B of a set of identical twins were separately isted in small rooms that were shielded of all signals. Subject A repeatedly memorized a fifty-digit number and then went to bed. A few dayster, they made Subject B randomly write fifty digits based on what they were feeling, and more than one hundred sets of experiments were conducted. In six sets, B wrote the exact same number string as A had seen."


    "This... Isn¡¯t this too mysterious?" Lin Dongxue opened her mouth wide in surprise.


    Chen Shi said, "Most of the views in psychology are doctrines and assumptions. I do not deny this view, but the problem is that these theories cannot surpass the actualw. Even if it¡¯s correct, thew still believes that Chen Fengde is the criminal subject. This fact cannot be changed."


    "I''m looking for the answer, not to defend Chen Fengde. I want tofortably say to him, ¡®I know you¡¯re innocent¡¯ when I meet him again." Gu You''s eyes showed a faint glimpse of sadness.


    Chen Shi vaguely caught something and asked, "Miss Gu, do you have any other rtionship with Chen Fengde? For example, was he your teacher?"


    "No, no, it¡¯s because he was my first patient and I wasn¡¯t able to help him, so I¡¯ve been brooding about it. This might make youugh, but it''s a little bit of my obsession." Gu You smiled. Chen Shi felt that there was something hidden under her smile.


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while and said, "There¡¯s one thing I¡¯m curious about. What was X that made him like this?"


    Gu You shook her head. "I don''t know either. When he told me, he used the code name X. Maybe he didn''t want me to know."


    "Miss Gu, I can talk to Captain Lin about this. It shouldn''t be difficult to see Chen Fengde."


    "Thank you so much."


    Chen Shi was still thinking about this when he suddenly smelled a burnt odor. He ran to the kitchen to take a look and was shocked. "While we¡¯ve been talking, the soup went dry."


    "That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner!" Gu You suggested.


    "No need. It¡¯s just a small favor. It¡¯s nothing." Lin Dongxue declined.


    "I didn''t mean that. I just wanted to invite you two to dinner. A new grilled fish shop opened nearby. They use Qingjiang fish. There¡¯s only one bone in its body. I heard that the meat is very delicious. It''s a bit too lonely to eat it up by myself."


    Lin Dongxue''s saliva practically flowed down. When Chen Shi saw that, he smiled and said, "It¡¯s hard to turn down such a warm-hearted offer, so let''s go."


    Lin Dongxue asked curiously, "Miss Gu, don''t you date Captain Peng?"


    "We¡¯re very utilitarian when we meet."


    "Utilitarian?"


    "We just book a hotel, and then..."


    "Oh, oh, oh, I get it. I get it! But don''t you guysmunicate?"


    "We usually chat on social media. I like this kind of rtionship that keeps a delicate distance. It''s what I¡¯ve always wanted." Gu You smiled lightly.


    "I still prefer to date and y together." Lin Dongxue smiled and nced at Chen Shi.


    1. Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.

 Chapter 745: The Murder Back Then

    Chapter 745: The Murder Back Then


    "What? Go to the prison to meet someone?" Lin Qiupu asked after hearing Lin Dongxue''s exnation. "It can be done, but is it necessary?"


    "Miss Gu really wants to see him. Miss Gu has helped us a lot. It''s not a big deal to help her out for once!"


    "And she has to see him?"


    "Brother!"


    "Okay, okay, I''ll talk to the prison and apply for an interrogation."


    Lin Dongxue told this information to Gu You who was waiting outside. Gu You was very grateful. Chen Shi suggested, "Let''s take a look at his file first! Since it¡¯s in the name of an interrogation, we should also find out who he is."


    Lin Dongxue agreed. The three of them went to the archives room and found the files of the case.


    The file was very detailed and was made up of a thick stack. The hand-written transcript was over 20 pages long. In the interrogation, Chen Fengde mentioned something: Deep dream pool. It was like this paragraph for example:


    Question: Describe the murder weapon you used.


    Answer: I want to correct the posed question. It¡¯s the murder weapon used by the body. It was a serrated dagger, which was about this long (about forty centimeters).


    Question: You didn¡¯t buy this knife. How did you get it?


    Answer: Picked it up.


    Question: Picked it up? Where did you find a controlled knife?


    Answer: The original owner of the knife was a young man. He went to the hospital for a urology operation, but was mistaken by the doctor and had a circumcision. This made him feel ashamed, so he bought a knife and prepared to threaten the doctor. However, when he went to the hospital again, he regretted his actions and hid the knife under a trash can.


    Question: Do you know the original owner of the knife?


    Answer: I don''t need to know him. I saw it in the deep dream pool.


    Question: I don¡¯t understand what you mean by "Deep Dream Pool". What you mean is that a stranger hid a knife somewhere in the hospital and the day you were about to murder people, you went empty-handed and took the knife directly?


    Answer: I need to correct you. It was this body. I have repeatedly emphasized that it was a person named Liu Tao who controlled my body.


    Question: Excuse me, how do you know that it wasn¡¯t you who was in your body at the time?


    Answer: I saw it in the deep dream pool.


    Through the words on the yellowed paper, Lin Dongxue could imagine the helplessness and mental copse of the interrogator at that time. She said, "This person is really crazy."


    Chen Shi flipped through the records. "Have you discovered that there are many unexinable things in this case? It should be said thatmon sense does not make sense, but ording to Chen Fengde''s ¡®facious theory¡¯, he can justify himself."


    Gu You said, "I¡¯ve been in contact with some patients in a mental hospital. They have sound cognition,plete thinking, and have their own worldview. They can justify themselves no matter what you ask, which is really amazing. In the famous Sergei Ponomarenko time travelling incident, the person involved, Sergei Ponomarenko, was also treated as someone with a mental disorder at first. After many years, the incident was scrutinized heavily and became so real that it makes your hair stand on end. Due to this, I have thought more than once about so-called mental patients. Perhaps there are some people who have really been misdiagnosed."


    Chen Shi smiled. "I remembered that there was someone with a mental disorder somewhere that was preaching a theory, but so many people believed it that it almost became a cult, and was finally banned by the police."


    "Ah, what theory?" Lin Dongxue was curious.


    "He thought there were no women in the world."


    "Crazy. Then what are we?"


    "He said that women on earth were projections of men''s hypnosis. In 1972, a group of aliens removed women collectively and slowly perished mankind through isting men and women. In fact, all children were alien babies. All obstetricians have been brainwashed by the aliens. In less than a hundred years, the entire human race will be reced by aliens without even knowing it.¡± This facy was made so truthful that Chen Shi couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    "Typical delusion." Gu Youmented.


    "By the way, what exactly is this ¡®Deep Dream Pool¡¯?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Chen Fengde himself said that ¡®Deep Dream Pool¡¯ is a vortex of collective unconsciousness. He asionally gets there when dreaming, but most people don¡¯t know about it. He can visit the deep dream pool consciously through dream training. He said he can observe the world from there. You can even enter other people''s dreams, but it¡¯s very dangerous. If the person whose dream was intruded upon wakes up..." Gu You paused for mysterious effect.


    "What would happen?"


    "His consciousness would go into that person''s body. He said that he was trapped in a pregnant woman¡¯s body before and forcibly experienced the pain of giving birth. He was trapped for a full 20 hours before the pregnant woman fell asleep. After returning to his body through the deep dream pool, the tearing pain seemed to remain in his body."


    "ording to this theory, exchanging bodies means that two people enter each other''s dreams and wake up again?" Chen Shi said.


    "Yes, that''s how he exined it."


    "Who was the pregnant woman he mentioned..."


    "A Czechoslovak woman."


    "Damn!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Then Liu Tao, who swapped his body with him, has also been to the so-called deep dream pool? Or does he have the means to actively control dreams as well?"


    "Liu Tao lives in Long''an. You can go find him whenever you want," Gu You said.


    There was a silence in the room, then Lin Dongxue and Chen Shiughed together. Chen Shi said, "What are we doing here, deliberately trying to verify what a mental patient said?"


    Gu You did not smile and seemed a little serious. "Are you afraid of a sessful verification?"


    Chen Shi spread his hands. "I don''t believe in such a thing at all!"


    "If you don''t believe it, falsify it."


    "Miss Gu, are you angry with me?"


    "No, I just think we should take a pragmatic attitude, instead of immediately denying such things. A few weeks ago, no one in Long¡¯an would believe that a headless person would run out from the autopsy room here to the streets, but didn¡¯t it happen?"


    "Okay then, let¡¯s seek truth from facts." Chen Shi made a concession. He thought to himself that the anger shown by Gu You seemed to imply that she and Chen Fengde had an extraordinary rtionship.


    "My brother needs some time on his end. Why don¡¯t we find Liu Tao now?" Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "Wait a minute..." Chen Shi was still looking at the files. He found a suspicious detail that he wasn¡¯t sure about. "There are three people among the deceased that are all of the same age. Is this a coincidence?"


    Lin Dongxue took out her phone. "Let''s take a picture and investigate itter."


    Through the query of household registration data, they quickly found a person who was consistent with Liu Tao¡¯s characteristics in all aspects. The three drove there together. Gu You was a little anxious on the way. Lin Dongxue asked, "Miss Gu, do you not want to verify this?"


    "Let me tell you a story. I once received a patient who imed to be from the future. Guess what I asked him?"


    "¡¯Tell me the winning numbers in the next lottery?¡¯" Chen Shiughed. "Generally, they will say that the future will change as long as they say it out loud."


    "You¡¯re half right. In order to deny his hypothesis, I also asked this question. He looked into my eyes and said very seriously, ¡®Most people do not deliberately remember the winning numbers of a certain lottery. If I asked you about the winning numbers of a certain lottery in 2004, you wouldn¡¯t remember either, but I guessed that I would be asked this before I crossed over, so I wrote down the winning numbers for the first lottery of 2014. I can tell you them right now.¡¯."


    "He really said it?" Lin Dongxue asked in surprise.


    "He did, and I also wrote it down, but when the lottery started to sell, I didn''t buy it and didn''t read about the lottery information."


    "Why?!"


    Gu You smiled bitterly. "I''m afraid that if it was true, I¡¯d go crazy."

 Chapter 746: A Man Who Doesn’t Dream

    <h4>Chapter 746: A Man Who Doesn¡¯t Dream</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Liu Tao''s address was located in the old city. The three of them searched with their mobile phone¡¯s GPS for a long time before they got to the front of a standalone two-story building. Chen Shi went forward and knocked on the door. No one answered the door. He walked a few steps back to look up and say, "Is there anyone?"


    Lin Dongxue put her ear to the door to listen. Her eyes suddenly erged and she beckoned them over. "Listen to what''s going on inside."


    When Chen Shi went to listen, there was a faint groan from a man in the room, which seemed to be one derived from pain.


    "Could it be that someone had an ident at home?" Lin Dongxue guessed. She had heard of a middle-aged man who fell at home after getting drunk and died suddenly in the afternoon.


    Chen Shi thought about it and said, "I''ll open the lock."


    "Isn¡¯t that not so good?" Gu You asked.


    "It''s better to be reckless than to sit on the side-lines." As he said this, Chen Shi took out his tools and pried the lock open in the blink of an eye.


    Apanied by a creak, the old wooden door opened. The light in the room was dim and there was a musty smell, characteristic of old houses. When their eyes adjusted to the dimness, the three were surprised to find that the walls were covered with various strange symbols. It felt very eerie.


    Gu You went pale and said, "These symbols are the same as those painted by Chen Fengde in the detention center."


    "No way!" Lin Dongxue was shocked, "Is this red stuff blood?"


    "Find the person first!" Chen Shi reminded them.


    The sounds came from the bedroom. When the three of them walked in, they saw a big iron cage with a scrawny man squatting inside. His eyes were big. When he looked at the visitors, his eyes looked as though he was a dog being rescued by a dog lover while getting sent to the ughterhouse.


    This was a kidnapping case! Chen Shi thought immediately and stepped forward to open the cage, but found that the cage wasn¡¯t locked at all. However, he didn¡¯t know how to open it.


    "Sir, who kept you here? I¡¯m a police officer!" Lin Dongxue showed her badge.


    The man raised his head and looked at Lin Dongxue. His thin neck made people worry that his head would just fall off. Then, he pointed to his mouth.


    "He''s hungry..." Chen Shi guessed. "I''ll get some food."


    With that said, Chen Shi went out to buy scallion pancakes and mineral water. The aromatic scallion pancakes were ced in the man''s hands. He immediately took a bite as soon as he picked it up, but he only took a single bite. Suddenly, his expression changed and he vomited the food in his mouth. It was also thrown out of the cage.


    "Don''t like this?" Chen Shi was confused.


    "He''s on a hunger strike." A girl''s voice came from behind them.


    The three of them looked back and saw a little girl holding a doll with very clear eyes. She said, "He locked himself up. The cage can be opened from the inside. You don''t need to be so nosy."


    "Little girl, is this your father?"


    "He¡¯s Liu Tao... Yes, he¡¯s really my father in terms of rtionship." The little girl''s tone was very sophisticated, even though she clearly looked less than ten years old.


    "How long has he been like this for?"


    "It''s already been ten days."


    "This could be deadly! No, we¡¯ll call an ambnce!"


    The little girl frowned and said "nosy" before leaving. The sound of her going up the stairs came from the outside.


    Chen Shi couldn''t not save someone who was dying in front of him. He immediately hit 120. The medical staff rushed over, but the man refused to leave the cage, covering his ears and shaking his head like a child refusing to leave.


    The doctor said both amused and angrily, "This should be handled by the mental hospital."


    "I''m really sorry. Can you just give him an infusion?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Looks like he¡¯s indeed malnourished. Let¡¯s try it!"


    The doctor immediately took out the IV stand and glucose and put them on the edge of the cage. After Lin Dongxue coaxed him for a long time, the man obediently stretched out his hand to let the doctor insert the tube.


    Thenes were narrow, so the ambnce couldn¡¯t stop there for a long time. Furthermore, the doctor was unwilling to spend the whole day on the madman. Chen Shi said, "I will change this bottle, so I won''t bother you."


    "That''s fine then. Please settle the first aid fee."


    After the ambnce left, the man in the cage stretched out his hand to grab at the IV tube. Lin Dongxue persuaded, "Don''t pick at it. Don''t pick at it. If you take it out, you will have to have another needle inserted. It¡¯ll hurt."


    The man raised his face, showing a foolish expression.


    "This ce is weird." Lin Dongxue hugged her shoulders and whispered, "How can you live like this?"


    "Would you like to go upstairs and ''have a tour''?" Chen Shi suggested.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem right. We came uninvited."


    "They don''t seem to have driven us away."


    "Don''t go up!" Gu You said, "We¡¯re here to find Liu Tao. Isn''t Liu Tao right here?"


    "He¡¯s here, but I don''t know where the soul has gone." Chen Shi joked.


    Lin Dongxue tried to call his name. Liu Tao with the wandering mind looked up, then lowered his head and scratched at the skin of his feet. The cage was very narrow, but he kept squatting inside. They didn''t know how his body could stand it for ten days.


    The infusion eventually worked. Gradually, Liu Tao''s paleplexion began to flush, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "You... why... are you in my house?!"


    "I''m a police officer, I came to find you..."


    "Help me... It¡¯s already been a long time... a long time... a long time... since I haven''t dreamed." He said in a slow, dreamy tone.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi exchanged nces in surprise. Gu You said, "Let me ask."


    "Okay."


    "Liu Tao, do you remember Chen Fengde?" Gu You asked.


    Liu Tao stared at her identally-exposed cleavage in a daze and said, "I don''t remember."


    "Have you been to the deep dream pool?"


    When he heard these words, Liu Tao looked as though he was struck by lightning and acted in horror. He said, "Master Dream rejected me! I did bad things to him. He punished me so that I could never go to the deep dream pool again. I can''t dream ever again!"


    Gu You widened her eyes and stepped back, gasping for a long time. Lin Dongxue stepped forward and asked, "What''s wrong with you, Miss Gu?"


    "It''s true! It''s true!" Gu You said in horror. "Look at what he said, then look at these symbols on the wall. It¡¯s true that dreams exchange bodies!"


    "No, I don''t think so." Chen Shi said, "This can only show that he and Chen Fengde do have a certain connection, but it must be a real connection."


    "Hearing these words, are you still not willing to believe it?" Gu You asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it from the beginning. As long as it¡¯s something thates out of a human¡¯s mouth, I will always listen with scepticism. It¡¯s impossible for a few words to convince me of something. It¡¯s not umon for two people to lie at the same time. I even met a group of people who lied together. Unless I dream tonight, wake up the next day, and be a beautiful Russian white long-legged beauty, then I won¡¯t believe it."


    "Your attitude is basically that you won¡¯t cry until you see your coffin?" Gu You smiled to ease the offense of her questioning.


    "This is called seeking truth from facts." Chen Shi also smiled.


    "How do you think they¡¯re rted?"


    "I don''t know, but I have a guess. Chen Fengde was threatened by someone. This person may be him..." Chen Shi pointed to the person in the cage. "It may also be another behind-the-scenes mastermind. Liu Tao went to pick up Chen Fengde''s daughter back then. Why did he do this? Just to prove that the exchange of bodies is real? No, this was a hidden threat. ''Your daughter is in my hands. You must do what I say.'' Is this not the mostmon threat used in dramas?"


    Gu You suddenly widened her eyes, then lowered her head, seeming to be caught in a memory...

 Chapter 747: The Matter Gets Increasingly Mysterious

    <h4>Chapter 747: The Matter Gets Increasingly Mysterious</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Miss Gu, Miss Gu..."


    "Ah?!"


    Lin Dongxue called out a few times before Gu You recovered from her daze. Lin Dongxue asked, "Can Chen Fengde''s daughter still be found now?"


    "I... I don''t know. I haven''t contacted her since then."


    "How strange. Chen Fengde''s file clearly doesn¡¯t mention a single word about his daughter[1]." Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi.


    "Let''s go upstairs and take a look!" Chen Shi was still thinking about it. "Let¡¯s understand how this man became like this."


    Although it felt impolite, since they were already here, Lin Dongxue agreed. Gu You said she would wait downstairs.


    A wooden staircase led to the upper floor. There were several pairs of shoes under the stairs. It seemed that they needed to take off their shoes. So, the two took off their shoes and walked up to the attic.


    It was a normal bedroom upstairs. The sunlighting in from the window shone brightly there, and the floor was polished smoothly. The little girl who had talked to them was sitting cross-legged in front of the TV watching cartoons with relish. The volume wasn¡¯t too loud, and there was a woman sitting on the bed next to her embroidering something. She was slightly surprised when someone came up.


    Lin Dongxue thought to herself that the ambnce had juste and the movements were so loud, but the pair of mother and daughter didn''t go downstairs to have a look?


    "There¡¯s nothing worth investigating. You guys should go! My husband went crazy like this a long time ago." The woman was very young, and she was probably the woman who had an affair with Liu Tao back then.


    "Why not send him to a mental hospital? Why just torture yourselves like this at home?" Chen Shi went up, sat down cross-legged, nced at the TV and said, "SpongeBob!"


    The little girl was indifferent.


    "Is the mental hospital a ce where people should stay? Although my husband is crazy, he didn''t go out to harm people, so staying at home isn¡¯t so bad. The room below was given to him. He can do whatever he wants." The woman said with contempt.


    "Do you have a job?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "We don¡¯t, but we have savings. After his ex-wife died that year, he received a lot of insurance money... Don''t look at me with that kind of look. Due to this incident, the police have constantly visited us. Her getting killed by a lunatic has nothing to do with my husband."


    "A ''lunatic'' named Chen Fengde? Has your husband mentioned this person before?"


    "I have no impression of it."


    "Has he ever said anything regarding a deep dream pool..." Chen Shi wondered why he was asking this. Actually, he was also very curious.


    The woman tilted her head and thought about it. "He did have a ''supernatural power'' previously and could control his dreams. He told me mysteriously that he could enter my dreams. On our third wedding anniversary, I said that I wanted to y in the Maldives. He said that we could go in our dreams without spending that money. At night, I really dreamed that he took me to the Maldives. The next day, he arrogantly said, ¡®Was it fun going to the Maldives?¡¯ What the fuck can I feel from a dream?! One summer¡¯s afternoon, we bothy on a mat and slept. I woke up from the heat. When I looked at him, he was smiling in his sleep. His smile looked so perverted. Then, I saw his little stick slowly harden and all that dirty stuff came out. His shorts were all wet. I woke him up and asked him what strange dreams he was having. He was very upset... Then, I had some suspicions about this low and impudent guy. A man in his forties was having wet dreams every day. I have to help him wash his underwear as well. Fuck this motherfucker¡¯s cunt. He must be fucking a woman in his dreams, cheating as hey next to me. Fuck, howe men are all so impudent?!"


    This woman, who seemed to be gentle and quiet, was so powerful when she opened her mouth that even Chen Shi blushed. Chen Shi said, "He was just having sexual dreams. As for the dream regarding the Maldives, I think it must be that you really desired for it, causing you to dream about it at night."


    "I thought that way in the beginning as well." The woman sighed. "That is, until he knocked up another woman in his dream. Can you believe it? He snuck into the other person''s dream like a thief and had sex with her. Then, that woman got pregnant in reality, and she brought her baby to the door!"


    "What about the child?"


    "It''s this little sinner!" The woman threw a pillow at the girl''s head, but the girl continued to drink Vitasoy indifferently. "Seven years ago, a woman who looked like a vixen came to our house with her and said ¡®I can¡¯t raise her. I¡¯m leaving after dropping her off!¡¯ I have to fucking raise this motherfucking bastard that my husband had with someone else?! Whom do I owe this to?"


    "Are you sure it''s not just ordinary cheating? After all, your husband has previously..." Chen Shi stopped talking so as not to offend the other party.


    "What motherfucking cheating? He doesn¡¯t go out all day. His skin is as white as a young chick, and all his shit and urine are all in the toilet bucket. I even have to take it to the alley and pour it away for him. If he wants a pack of cigarettes, he¡¯ll get me to get it for him! That woman was an actress. She filmed "New J Ping Mei". The actress''s unmarried pregnancy ruined her career and she just left after dropping off the child. How could this fucker hook up with an actress? Through dreaming! I wrote to the newspaper and said that XXX had been impregnated by a wretched man in her dreams, and the child was born. The newspapers didn¡¯t believe it and told me that I shouldn¡¯t make stuff like that up. Fuck that motherfucker¡¯s cunt!"


    "That...Can you not speak with so many letters[2], please?"


    "If I don¡¯t fucking use the letters, how can I fucking express my fucking anger over the years? Why did that fucking woman do something like this? This asshole made her feel so good in the dreams but he hasn¡¯t fucking had sex with me in five years!"


    "Where did you go to watch ¡®New J Ping Mei¡¯? I haven¡¯t been able to find the resources." Lin Dongxue changed the subject.


    The woman calmed down in a second. "I have Inte resources. I can send you a linkter."


    "Thank you so much."


    "The drama was well filmed, but fucking watching that little bitch who yed Li Ping''er made me so angry." She hit the bed, tossed things and became angry again, making Lin Dongxue think of werewolves on a night with a full moon.


    "I have a question." Chen Shi said, "Who did Liu Tao learn to control dreams from?"


    The woman shook her head. "I don''t know."


    "Excuse me, who is Master Dream?"


    "Don''t mention this name. When you mention it, he¡¯ll get angry and say that mortals shouldn''t mention this noble name. Motherfucker, if I knew how to learn it, I¡¯d sleep with Daniel Wu every day. No one cherishes my beauty. That asshole made me so haggard... and fucking said all that. Fuck!"


    "Okay..." Chen Shi looked embarrassed. He noticed that the little girl had been looking at himself and asked, "Little girl, what do you want to tell us?"


    "It''s fun to observe other people''s misfortunes, isn''t it?" The little girl still said something that didn¡¯t match her age.


    "Are you going to school?"


    "I don''t need to go to school. I can learn everything in my dream."


    "Dreams can do anything?"[3] In order to test the truth of what she said, Chen Shi used his Chinglish after a long time.


    The little girl replied something that he didn''t understand, and Chen Shi asked, "What did she say?"


    "She''s scolding you in German. This little evildoer knows everything. She¡¯s a sophisticate." The woman said.


    Chen Shi was secretly shocked. Suddenly, Gu You screamed from downstairs.


    1. The author said ¡°Cheng Fengde¡¯s file clearly mentions his daughter in one word¡± which doesn¡¯t make too much sense, so based on the grammar used, I believe the author missed one word and have changed this ordingly.


    2. Letters are used to rece the cursing in ng and when written over the Inte. E.g. QTMLGB


    3. Written in English.

 Chapter 748: The Mad Writer Reappears

    <h4>Chapter 748: The Mad Writer Reappears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The two went downstairs and saw that Xin Bai was standing on the first floor.


    Gu You said, "This guy snuck in quietly, and I suddenly found someone behind me, so I screamed in fright."


    "I''m sorry, Miss Gu." Xin Bai smiled indecently. "I''m here to find materials."


    "Why are you here?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "Haha!" Chen Shi smiled. "I texted him. This guy always asks me what new material I have, and asks me to bring him when investigating a case. Such good material was here, so I called him since this isn¡¯t a real investigation anyway."


    "You should have told me." Lin Dongxueined with a smile.


    Xin Bai leaned closer to observe the man in the cage. Liu Tao shrank his shoulders in fright, and Xin Bai said hello, "Hello, material. Tell me your story!"


    "Aiya, aiya, I''ll talk to youter!" Chen Shi said.


    "Should we go now?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    In this state, Liu Tao couldn''t provide any more clues. Chen Shi said, "I''ll change his infusion bottle."


    Chen Shi changed the bottle, and the four left together. After walking a certain distance, Chen Shi seemed to hear something behind him and hooked his finger at her implicitly. Lin Dongxue knew that he was going to turn back again.


    The two went to the house and looked through the hole in the door panel. Liu Tao''s wife walked down carefully carrying a bowl. The bowl was still steaming. She saw the infusion bottle next to the cage and cursed, " Nosy police".


    Then, she put the bowl on the ground, kicked the cage with her foot, and shouted, "Come out!"


    Liu Tao obediently opened the cage from the inside. He shivered and seemed to be very afraid of his wife. The wife pulled his arm and roughly pulled out the infusion needle. She then held Liu Tao''s head with one hand and picked up the medicine bowl on the ground with the other. She ordered, "Bastard, take the medicine."


    Liu Tao shook his head desperately and kept retracting like a snail, but he couldn''t break free of his wife''s hand. Finally, he was forcefully fed a bowl of medicine, and the liquid dripped down the corners of his mouth.


    This scene shocked the two of them. Just as they were peeping attentively, an eye emerged from the crack in the door, peering back at them.


    "What?!"


    Lin Dongxue took a step back in fright.


    Chen Shi recognized that the eye was the little girl''s. She moved up, exposed her mouth to the crack of the door, and mouthed, "Get lost!"


    Since they were noticed, the two left angrily. Lin Dongxue said, "Want to call the police? Liu Tao seems to be under control."


    "What can be done even if the police came? Liu Tao''s situation is probably a bit like him from before..." Chen Shi pointed to Xin Bai. "It¡¯s not the iron cage that traps him, it¡¯s the prison of the heart!"


    "This whole family is very strange."


    "Don''t worry, I wille again. I will investigate this matter clearly."


    Seeing the two approaching, Xin Bai suggested, "Let''s eat. My treat!"


    "No, we n to return to the bureau." Lin Dongxue declined.


    "We should eat the Haido fromst time, yeah? There¡¯s a branch nearby." Xin Bai excitedly rmended.


    "AA system!"[1] Gu You suggested.


    "Whatever you want." Lin Dongxue reluctantly agreed. It was noon and she was hungry as well.


    Before they made it to Haido, Xin Bai was attracted by a newly opened pizza restaurant and insisted on eating this. However, when he entered the restaurant, he found that he had to wait in line and changed his mind...


    Half an hourter, the four of them were sitting in an ordinary fast-food restaurant eating fast food. Xin Bai said elegantly while eating fries, ¡°That¡¯s why they say that it¡¯s the most troublesome if a few people go out together. It¡¯s hard to unify what they want to eat.¡±


    "It''s because you¡¯re always changing your mind. Crazy!" Lin Dongxue was dissatisfied.


    "Don''t call me crazy. I have already recovered. If you don''t believe me, I can recite the alphabet for you. ABCDEFG..."


    "Stop!" Chen Shi gestured. "You seem crazier like this."


    "We writers are active in thinking. The speed of your ordinary people''s brain is ten beats per second, and I am one hundred beats." Xin Bai said happily, attracting a lot of people''s attention.


    Lin Dongxue felt embarrassed and suggested to Chen Shi, "Shall we go to eat by the window?"


    "It¡¯s okay, let''s talk about business. Don''t you want material?"


    "Ai-ai!" Xin Bai nodded desperately.


    Chen Shi recounted the current situation as Xin Bai listened intently. Hemented, "That¡¯s even more exaggerated than what people write about... Miss Gu, is it really possible to control dreams?"


    "Don''t try that kind of thing. Sleep was originally a very basic thing. If you have to deliberately train it, it will make you very anxious."


    "I¡¯ve tried Da Vinci''s sleep method. It was good at first, but after some time, I found that my body was very tired. If peopleck deep sleep for a long time, they will be unhealthy." Xin Bai said.


    "What¡¯s Da Vinci''s sleep method?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    This madman changed the subject again. "Right, I remember now. The trick to dream control is dream recognition, right?"


    "How did you know?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Nonsense. You¡¯re all written by me, of course I know!"


    "Have you gone mad again?"


    "Just kidding! I''ve seen this stuff. A writer''s belly is like a grocery store. I know a bit about everything. By the way, have you heard of the t Earth theory?"


    Chatting with this guy was really exhausting. They couldn¡¯t keep up with the rhythm of him jumping around conversations, so they simply ignored him. The three of them talked about their own affairs. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°My brother said that the procedures wouldn¡¯t be able to be processed today. The prison¡¯s inefficiency is quite shocking."


    "It doesn''t matter. I¡¯m sorry for taking up your time." Gu You said.


    "No, I would also like to know the full picture regarding this matter."


    "I think that after visiting Liu Tao today, things have be even more mysterious. Let''s not be led by the nose. Let''s investigate as if this was a case. Check the identity of the deceased and find the motive!"


    Gu You held her cheeks and said, "Can I insist that dream exchange is real?"


    "Do you really think so? Or is it out of other considerations?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Using dialectical thinking, let''s just explore this matter using a positive and negative perspective."


    "Haha, well, the more rebuttal there is, the clearer the truth bes. I¡¯m of the negative perspective. I insist that the whole thing has a realistic exnation."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I remain neutral...This burger is really unptable. It''s high in calories and tastes bad. I don''t know why so many people like it."


    "Don''t drink Coke so as to eat less calories." Chen Shi reached for it.


    "Thank you, but no need!" Lin Dongxue picked up the iced Coke and took a big sip, protecting the food vigorously, "I take full responsibility for my fat!"


    "I think Officer Lin would be more beautiful if she was fatter." Gu You said, "I¡¯ve never been able to get fat. I¡¯m too thin."


    "You can''t see the meat on my body. Ever since I met this guy, I don''t know how much fatter I¡¯ve be." Lin Dongxue sighed.


    "I have no chance to see it!" Gu You said. "Why don''t we go to the hot spring club together when you have time."


    "Do hot spring clubs really have hot springs?"


    "Of course not. Has Officer Lin never been to a spa?"


    "I have no time to go!"


    The two women chatted enthusiastically. Chen Shi simply lowered his head to eat. He suddenly found that Xin Bai was missing. It turned out that he went to the next seat and was chatting with a dazed little brother about an unknown topic. "...So, this Sumerian civilization is most likely from outer space..."


    1. You pay for your own share.

 Chapter 749: The Ring

    <h4>Chapter 749: The Ring</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "How were you and that female neighbor?"


    "Going to her house yesterday made me sweat profusely, and now my waist is still sore..."


    "Oh, congrattions!"


    "Moving a chest of drawers is really tiring!"


    After dinner, Chen Shi and Xin Bai walked together to chat. Not far away, Gu You and Lin Dongxue were chatting enthusiastically about topics between women.


    "I still care about this dream control thing and want to try it out." Xin Bai said.


    "Don''t fool around. One of the two people known at the moment has be a death row prisoner and the other has be like this. Isn''t it enough of a lesson? Just write your damn book!"


    "Don''t you think it''s very interesting? Living another life in a dream. I¡¯ve long wanted to experience another life. Hehe, I will go to the Xinhua Bookstore in the afternoon to find books rted to it."


    "You really do whatever you think of in the moment..."


    Chen Shi thought to himself that the temptation of dream control is probably its risk as well. If the dream is too beautiful, the person involved won¡¯t care about reality, or treat the beautiful, continuous dream as reality and the heavy, trivial reality as a dream.


    A documentary about the future described such a scenario. With the maturity of brainwave decoding technology, the poor in the future will be immersed in a virtual world. They can get all their satisfaction from it and only wake up eight hours a day to work to earn a meager sry to maintain the physical body and pay the electricity bill so that they can continue to be paralyzed in the virtual world.


    Scientists say that the future of mankind may not be in distant stars, but in virtual reality.


    He suddenly understood the painful emotions conveyed by Liu Tao''s words: "I can''t dream anymore." What he lost was too important to him.


    When they walked to the parking lot, the four who were temporarily separated gathered together again. Lin Dongxue said, "Since we can''t go to the prison today, I have no reason to wander outside. I have to go back and investigate cases."


    "What case is there?" Chen Shi asked.


    "A man was stabbed to death in the shower room of a gym..."


    Before she finished speaking, Xin Bai said, "Someone must be jealous of his muscles."


    "Even if you don''t speak, no one will treat you as a mute!"


    "I won''t go!" Chen Shi said.


    "Why?"


    "Don''t want to go!"


    Gu You giggled. "Mr. Chen, you can easily cause quarrels like this. It''s better to find a reason to refuse your girlfriend."


    "Should he be getting taught in front of me like this?" Lin Dongxueined.


    Chen Shi really thought about it and said, "Yueyue wants to buy audio textbooks after school in the afternoon and I have to apany her."


    "Did you just make that up?"


    "It¡¯s true, it¡¯s true. She¡¯s going to take the entrance examination soon."


    Lin Dongxue pouted. "Send me back to the bureau!"


    After getting in the car, Xin Bai asked, "You¡¯re going to prison? Fuck, take me, take me! I¡¯ve never had a chance to go to prison to open my eyes, so this opportunity cannot be missed.


    "Ah?!" Lin Dongxue looked reluctant.


    "I beg you. I would rather let the protagonist of my novel shorten their lives by three years. I hope you can agree."


    Chen Shi said, "In order for the protagonist of his stupid novel to live another three years, you should agree to it. It''s okay to bring someone along anyway.


    "Fine!" Lin Dongxue sighed and agreed.


    Gu You got off the car halfway and went back to her consultation room. Lin Dongxue went back to the bureau for work, leaving Chen Shi and Xin Bai idling. Xin Bai said with a perverted tone, "Shall I treat you to a health club?"[2]


    "Get lost! I''ll take you home. Remember to pay for the car ride."


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi casually gged customers down on the street, then picked up Tao Yueyue and visited the Xinhua Bookstore. Chen Shi asked her, "What dreams have you had recently?"


    "It''s nothing. Just ordinary pubescent girl dreams."


    "Why are you so honest?"


    "I can say anything in front of Uncle Chen anyway." Tao Yueyue made a cute expression.


    "You didn''t make a boyfriend at school, did you?"


    "Our school only has a junior high school and at most, there are only naive boys who are in the third grade. I have no interest at all..." Tao Yueyue made a disgusting expression. "Why do all you adults talking to children going through puberty have to bring up this kind of topic to lessen the distance between each other? It¡¯s so deliberate."


    "Because adults are very nosy!" Chen Shi smiled.


    He suddenly noticed that Tao Yueyue had indeed grown up, and the weather was getting hot now. She was wearing a little skirt, making her legs look very thin and long.


    Chen Shi remembered that she wasn¡¯t so tall a year ago. He could easily hold her in his arms.


    Unknowingly, Yueyue was already hitting puberty, and it was inconvenient for him to ask girls about certain things. The only thing he could do was...


    "I''ll give you some extra pocket money!" Chen Shi suggested.


    "You¡¯re very busytely. Don''t you n to apany me?" Tao Yueyue said coquettishly.


    "Silly guess!"


    After going home to eat, Tao Yueyuey in her bedroom, holding her mobile phone and chatting with her ssmates while giggling. Chen Shi felt relieved when he saw that she wasn¡¯t studying. He put down a te of apples as a cover and left quietly.


    On a rare peaceful night, he engaged in some of his own entertainment. Chen Shi sat in front of theputer in the living room, logged in to his Zhihu[3] ount and looked for the souls who asked for help.


    At this time, Xin Bai was looking for him on QQ. The excitement could be noticed through the screen. He said, "Hey, hey, I found a paper on controlling dreams on CNKI![4] Would you like to read it?"


    "Not interested. Write your damn manuscript."


    "Take a look at it. It''s easy to understand."


    Xin Bai sent over a document and Chen Shi''s cheek twitched. He clicked to receive it. After opening it, he nced at it and found that the author of the paper was actually Chen Fengde!


    He read it patiently, but unfortunately, this paper only provided detailed methods and had no valuable clues... The paper was published three years before Chen Fengdemitted the crime. It seemed as though he had been immersed in this thing for a long time.


    Chen Shi thought for a moment. Dream marker? It seemed that his identity in his dreams was always Song Lang. As long as he finds himself as Song Lang, would it mean he was dreaming?


    No, no, I wouldn''t try this kind of thing!


    Tao Yueyue came out and said, "Uncle Chen, watch a movie with me."


    "What movie?"


    "Ring."


    "You want to watch such an old movie? It''s scary as well."


    "I often hear people talk about it, but I haven''t watched it before. I know it''s scary, so watch it with me! If you can¡¯t, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll watch it by myself next time."


    Chen Shi wouldn¡¯t refuse a rare parent-child activity and said, "Let''s do it!"


    Chen Shi opened a video streaming website and watched it with her. At first, Tao Yueyue was eating potato chips with a casual look. Later, when the atmosphere became more gloomy and strange, she shrank into Chen Shi''s arms in fright.


    "Horror movies are all fake. You won¡¯t be afraid if you just think about the directors and photographers in front of these actors. You see? I¡¯m not afraid..." At this time, the phone rang suddenly and Chen Shi jumped.


    Chen Shi hung up the phone with a trembling hand. It turned out that someone made a wrong call. Tao Yueyue covered her mouth and giggled, "And you say you¡¯re not afraid?"


    "Why don''t we watch something else. You can already guess the ending here now."


    "No, I want to finish watching it. Don''t you think Sadako is very pitiful?"


    "It''s true. After all, we¡¯re born different and it¡¯smon for humans to reject those who are different."


    After watching the movie, the two went back to their respective rooms to sleep. In his sleep, Chen Shi became Song Lang again. He even realized this. When he noticed it, the ck and white dream instantly turned into color, which was an automatic repair by the subconscious mind.


    He was standing in a small, empty room with moss on the wall. Clusters of gray weeds grew out of the cracks in the bricks, and an old-fashioned TV set was ced in the center of the small room. An old well popped on the screen with a crashing noise.


    "Fuck!" Chen Shi was shocked. "Don''t ring! Don''t ring!"


    He turned and ran...


    1. Movie title of a horror/thriller where a woman and her ex-husband investigate a series of teen deaths caused by a tape, when their son bes a victim.


    2. The ones that offer sexual services.


    3. Zhihu is a Chinese question-and-answer website where questions are created, answered, edited, and organized by themunity of its users.


    4. CNKI is a key national research and information publishing institution in China, led by Tsinghua University, and supported by PRC Ministry of Education, PRC Ministry of Science, Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China and PRC General Administration of Press and Publication.

 Chapter 750: Dream Dream Dream

    <h4>Chapter 750: Dream Dream Dream</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Chen Shi ran out of the room in one breath and kept looking back to see whether Sadako hade out of the TV. He mmed the door open. The outside was not "outside", but a huge abandoned warehouse filled with building materials. The smell of blood lingered in the air. His eyes widened, knowing that somewhere in front of him, the corpses of Han Luoxi and Li Mu wereying there. This was the starting point of his nightmare.


    "Don''t be like this! Don''t be like this!"


    Since this was a lucid dream, let it end without danger. Change the scene! Chen Shi closed his eyes and said silently.


    When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in a messy and dirty little Inte cafe with his hands on a yellow keyboard covered with soot. Theputer was running Red Alert[1], which was his favorite when he was young. When he felt lost, he became addicted to the game. He saw a group of bombers attacking his hometown. Without even thinking about it, he immediatelymanded the air defense unit of the base to defend it.


    After some operation, the party he belonged to won. Chen Shi was very excited. He picked up a pack of Hongmei cigarettes on the table and smoked it. When he reached over, the whole box of cigarettes directly appeared.


    There were cigarettes but no fire to light them. At this moment, a person next to him handed the lighter over. Chen Shi lit one up, thanked him, and looked at the guy sitting next to him. He was an ordinary man, dressed tastelessly in a white shirt that was neatly buttoned and his hair wasbed as though he had used a ruler to part it. He wore a pair of sses without a special frame.


    On hisputer, Red Alert was also running, and he was the one who was defeated by Chen Shi.


    "I haven''t seen you before." Chen Shi said.


    "You have, but forgot." The man replied. "I am a human observer."


    "What do you observe?"


    "Observe you humans!"


    "Haha, you¡¯re so funny, do peeping toms call themselves that way now?"


    "I¡¯ve been observing you for a long time. The sins brewing in this city have exceeded its ability to purify itself. It¡¯s time to take action to break this vicious circle."


    "Do you mean killing people?"


    "You have to admit that killing is the most effective way to solve most of the problems in this world."


    Chen Shi stood up which caused the chair behind him to fall. He yelled, "Are you crazy? I¡¯m a policeman. What are you saying in front of me?!"


    "The police can only solve what has already happened. You guys are as powerless as ordinary people for what is about to happen and what is currently happening." The mysterious man picked up the cigarettes on the table and lit a cigarette for himself.


    "I have heard a lot of self-righteous words, but no one can override thew, no matter the reason!"


    "The justice of thew is a kind of faith for you, so you never dared to question it. Even in your dreams, you will unconsciously defend it... Song Lang, I¡¯m not your enemy. I didn¡¯t appear here to persuade you either. This is just a notification. I will take action. I will take action to correct this sinful city. You can stop me if you can find me."


    With a mysterious smile, he got up and left. Chen Shi shouted at his back, "Hey, you took my cigarettes away!"


    "I¡¯ll return it to you next time." The man waved goodbye.


    Chen Shi was baffled. He sat down, intending to continue to engage in a few rounds of Red Alert. It was quite nice ying games in his dreams. He should just y until he woke up so as not to encounter any more strange things.


    At this time, a window popped up on the screen. "Want to experience other people''s dreams? YES/NO"


    "Ai, this damn dream!" Curiosity drove Chen Shi to click YES.


    A whirlpool appeared on theputer, sucking him in. Then, he got to a door that seemed familiar to him. Inside the door came a seemingly very intimate conversation between a man and a woman.


    "Do you like it like this?"


    "Yes, I like it."


    "I''ll try it from the back... Ah!"


    Curiously, Chen Shi opened the door and saw Xin Bai moving a chest of drawers while panting. His beautiful female neighbor stood to the side. Xin Bai''s thin and small physique was already sweating profusely from moving the drawers. The female neighbor said, "Mr. Bai, if it really doesn''t work, I can find a movingpany!"


    "No need. No need. There¡¯s no need to do that. I canpletely move these drawers... Hey, go!" He pushed hard and the chest of drawers slid out a short distance.


    Chen Shi wanted tough. He walked over and said, "Weakling, let me help you!"


    He put his hand on the chest of drawers, but couldn''t push it at all. He said in his heart, Damn, why are these drawers so heavy?


    Then, he found that neither Xin Bai nor the female neighbor were aware of his appearance and were talking amongst themselves.


    Chen Shi tried to grab an apple off a te. The apple was as though it was welded down. It couldn''t be picked up no matter what. This was someone else''s dream, and he couldn''t interfere with thews of physics.


    Xin Bai was tired and sweating, so he sat down. The female neighbor took out a towel to wipe the sweat off of him and asked, "It''s hot, do you want something to drink?"


    "A Coke, thank you!"


    "I don''t have Coke in my house. I''m afraid that the baby will have a cavity. Mr. Bai, how old are you to drink this kind of thing?"


    "No, no, I don''t actually like to drink it. Please give me whatever you want."


    Although it was an ordinary conversation, the two of them constantly released mixed signals towards each other through their eyes. Chen Shi thought, It''s fake. This is just a dream, and this part must have never happened in reality.


    At this moment, the window exploded. Yes, it indeed exploded!


    A man came out from the flying fragments. He was Xu Guolong, who had imprisoned Xin Bai. He smiled coldly and said, "Writer baby, did you miss me?"


    "Ah, run! I''ll protect you!" Xin Bai bravely guarded the female neighbor.


    The female neighbor behind him was motionless and her face slowly melted like wax oil. She was turning into another person. It was Lan Xiao, who bullied Xin Bai as a child.


    Lan Xiao put a hand on Xin Bai''s shoulder and said with a grin, "Little Cowlick, I¡¯ve been looking for you again."


    "Ah!"


    Xin Bai screamed, mmed the door, and ran away. Chen Shi also ran, not because he wanted to run, but his body moved involuntarily.


    He thought about the reasons for this. The perspective of dreams was always focused on the dreamer, so he was forced to move along.


    As they ran out into the housingmunity, the two assants chased after them. For some reason, there were suddenly two knives in their hands. However, when they looked out into the distance, they would find that there was no scene in front of them at all. It was just an area of nothingness.


    After running away, even the building behind them disappeared.


    The stage of the dream was set in a small space a dozen meters around Xin Bai.


    Xin Bai jumped into a bush, holding his head and trembling. Suddenly, he looked up at Chen Shi. His eyes were full of surprise. Chen Shi wasn¡¯t sure whether Xin Bai was looking at himself or if there was something behind him.


    The ground under his feet suddenly began to soften, as if turning into a muddy swamp, and the two of them sank together. Chen Shi had a strong feeling that Xin Bai was about to wake up.


    Wait, since this is Xin Bai''s dream, what will happen if I wake up with him...?


    1. The game is called Command and Conquer: Red Alert.

 Chapter 751: The Murder In The Gym

    <h4>Chapter 751: The Murder In The Gym</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "The boundless horizon is my love, and the flowers are blooming at the foot of the green hills..."


    In the early morning, the employees in Hot Pot City opposite of the Public Security Bureau began to dance again. Whenever Lin Dongxue heard this, it meant that she waste, but this time, she wasn¡¯t actuallyte. Then, she saw Xu Xiaodong appear with dark circles under his eyes greet her.


    "Did you stay upte ying games again?"


    "I didn¡¯t y the game. The game yed me. I was stuck on a boss for four hoursst night... But I¡¯ve passed it now." Xu Xiaodong still showed a trace of pride on his face.


    "You can die suddenly like this."


    "No, the experts said that working overtime is called enduringte sleep, but ying mobile phones andputers untilte is just going to sleepte, which doesn''t have much of an impact on your health. What does it matter if young people sleep for a few hours less? Aren¡¯t I still very energetic every day?"


    "There are heaps of experts, but you just pick this kind of thing to listen to!"


    At this time, a taxi appeared on the side of the road, and a man jumped out of the car. Xu Xiaodong let out a "Huh?" and asked, "Isn''t this what¡¯s-his-name from thest time?"


    Seeing Lin Dongxue, Xin Bai ran over excitedly and shouted, "Dongxue, it¡¯s me! It¡¯s me!"


    Lin Dongxue frowned. Why did this damn uncle call her in such an intimate way? She said, "I won''t necessarily go to the prison today!"


    "No, I''m Chen Shi!"


    "What?"


    "Last night, we swapped bodies in our dreams!" Xin Bai scratched his hair. "Damn it, why did this happen?"


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth wide in shock. At this moment, a rolled up newspaper knocked on Xin Bai''s head. Chen Shi suddenly appeared and said, "Don''t make such silly jokes."


    Xin Bai grinned and asked Lin Dongxue, "Officer Lin, were you deceived by me?"


    "You bastard! Old Chen, you don''t look too good."


    "Oh, I had a nightmarest night and didn''t get a good rest... I really shouldn''t have watched ¡®Ring¡¯ with Yueyue before going to bed."


    In that dream that was like a serial drama, Chen Shi kept going till dawn, which made him very haggard. Of course, it was impossible to exchange bodies. He woke up and thought about it. All the images in the dream were experienced or heard by himself previously. From this, it could be seen that they were just ordinary dreams.


    But from this dream, it could also be seen that his subconscious was also tempted by the facies of Chen Fengde and Liu Tao.


    Lin Dongxue went to see Captain Lin. She came out and said to them, "Okay, the prison procedures haven¡¯t beenpleted yet. Why don¡¯t we go investigate the case today?"


    "The one in the gym?" Xin Bai asked.


    "I wasn¡¯t talking to you. Can you not follow me?" Lin Dongxue said in contempt.


    Xin Bai shook Chen Shi''s hands. "Mr. Chen, take me. Let me broaden my horizons."


    "Take him and let him know how boring it is to investigate cases."


    Lin Dongxue sighed. "Don''t regret it!"


    "Awesome!" Xin Bai raised his hands and cheered.


    The deceased in the gym was called Lu Ming. The scene was surveyed yesterday. Lu Ming maintained his fitness habits all year round. It¡¯s said that he ate 70 egg whites a day and bought human milk online. He was very muscly ¨C So much that he needed two autopsy beds side by side toy his corpse down.


    After being dissected, it was understood that Lu Ming was stabbed in the heart with a 30 cm long sharp weapon, and he was killed on the spot without any resistance. Since the murder scene was a shower room, the murderer likely went in naked and "generously" left a footprint. Judging by the length of the sole, it was a male of about 1.7 meters, who was leaning towards being thin.


    No matter how you looked at it, it was an ordinary case that could be solved on foot just by visiting people.


    Lin Dongxue''s assignment was to visit Lu Ming''s girlfriend, Liang Jing.


    The two were currently living together. When they got to Lu Ming''s house, Xin Bai was as excited as though he was full of beans. As he was going upstairs, he said, "Should I go downstairs toy in ambush?"


    "Who are you ambushing? A golden retriever that urinates everywhere?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, as soon as you knock on the door, the murderer in the house would know that the situation isn¡¯t good for them. They will definitely jump out of the window to escape. Then, you will chase after them. Who knows how many stalls get overturned in the chase before the murderer finally escapes. You can only head back in failure to investigate his girlfriend''s body."


    "You¡¯ve watched too many movies. If this kind of thing is really going to happen, I¡¯ll take yourst name!" Chen Shi said.


    The three went to the apartment and rang the doorbell. No one answered the door for a long time. Xin Bai put his ear on the door to listen and hooked his finger. Chen Shi curiously leaned forward. He heard the sound of a window opening inside, and then there was the sound of a cry a man made when jumping from the building. Based on the Doppler effect,[1] it must have been called out during the jump.


    "No way!" Chen Shi was shocked. Xin Bai¡¯s crow''s mouth came true, and they immediately rushed to the stairs.


    When they got downstairs, they saw a man rolling down from the awning on the first floor, rolling a few more times on the ground, getting up, and then running away. Chen Shi was shocked because the man was naked.


    "Look at that man!"


    "Is he mad?"


    Residents in the housingmunity stopped to watch drama unfold.


    "Don''t run!" Chen Shi caught up with him in a few steps and pressed the man to the ground. The man yelled, "The dick is about to rub off, let go!"


    Chen Shi didn''t have any rope or handcuffs. Seeing an older sister walking a dog next to him, he borrowed the leash from her. The older sister was almostpletely dazed the entire time.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to tie him up using the leash, so he could only put it around the man¡¯s neck and hold it.


    The man sat up and checked his genitals. "Is this necessary? It¡¯s just an affair."


    "Ah? Then why did you run?"


    "Fuck, I was in the middle of my business when someone suddenly came back. How could I not run? Her boyfriend is as strong as a cow! Were you the one who pressed the doorbell?"


    "Head back with me for questioning."


    Chen Shi held the leash and walked, but the man refused to go. He asked, "You were sent by him to catch us in the act?"


    "No, I¡¯m a policeman." Chen Shi lied, though not necessarily to trick him.


    "Oh, that''s great then." The man breathed a sigh of relief.


    Bringing the man back, Lin Dongxue and Xin Bai were standing in the house for questioning. When they saw a naked man being brought back, both of them widened their eyes. Liang Jing buttoned up his buttons and said, "You knocked on the door without saying you were police, making me think it was that guy who came back."


    "Don''t you know that Lu Ming is dead?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Huh?" The hand that was buttoning stopped. Chen Shi thought this was a very normal reaction. "How did he die?"


    "He was killed in the gym. Do you know if he had any enemies around him?"


    "Tch, he has many enemies. Don''t look at this guy''s tasteful daily life. In fact, he owes a butt load of debt to the loan sharks. He hides from them all day. He¡¯s a man who doesn¡¯t work and doesn''t want to earn money honestly. He just wants to start a business and make a fortune in an instant. He fooled around for a few years and none of his businesses were sessful. He borrowed a lot of loans and even asked me to help him pay it back. I''ll tell you the truth. My rtionship with him is irrecoverable. Who would want to be with this kind of hopeless man? However, he struggles and insists on not letting go." Liang Jing raised her chin towards her lover. "See, this is my new boyfriend. He¡¯s a photographer."


    The naked man sat on the bed and fiddled with his genitals, saying frustratedly, "You have topensate me for my mental damage. I can''t get it hard even after ying with it for so long. I might have been scared into impotence by you guys."


    1. The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave in rtion to an observer who is moving rtive to the wave source.

 Chapter 752: Unexpected Partner

    Chapter 752: Unexpected Partner


    After questioning Liang Jing for quite some time, they found a lot of clues. While leaving the housingmunity, Xin Bai said excitedly, "Wow, investigating a case is really interesting. Do you often encounter such interesting things?"


    "What''s the use of it being interesting? I haven''t grasped the key clues yet." Chen Shi said.


    "Didn''t you ask about the names and contact information of a bunch of loan sharks?" Xin Bai said.


    "The loan sharks won¡¯t kill people. They will catch the people who don¡¯t pay them back and beat them up or threaten their families, but they won¡¯t use a knife to stab people directly to death. After all, their purpose is money."


    "Was that lover just then a suspect?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I observed that his height is shorter than mine, and it doesn''t match the characteristics of the murderer... I don''t think we have to verify his alibi."


    "Loan sharks will kill people if they don''t get the money!" Xin Bai said, "I wrote in a novel that they buy insurance for those that don¡¯t pay up and then forge idents to kill people."


    "You¡¯re making things up! Insurance must have an immediate family member or spouse be the beneficiary. Even if they threaten his family to submit, the insurancepany wille to confirm the death with the police and it would be revealed immediately." Chen Shi exined.


    "Shall we check the loan sharks now?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Chen Shi considered, "Let¡¯s go to the crime scene and have a look."


    When they arrived at the gym, Lin Dongxue stared lustfully at the muscr men who lifted weights, and Chen Shi asked, "What¡¯s so good about the same muscle?"


    "Don¡¯t you guys love looking at breasts when they look the same as well?" Lin Dongxue retorted.


    "Lecherous!" Chen Shi smiled.


    The shower room was cordoned off by the police. The three put on shoe covers and went in. There were still blood stains on the ground, which were marked by cards one by one. The shower room was separated by screens. Lu Ming was killed in the innermost one. It was afternoon when there were a lot of people, so the employees didn¡¯t pay attention to who went in and out.


    There were no witnesses at the scene. Lin Dongxue said, "Since there are many people in the afternoon, why was he the only one in the shower room?"


    "This isn¡¯t a bathhouse.[1] The members will leave as soon as they¡¯ve showered off their sweat. They won¡¯t stay for too long, so there must be some time when it¡¯s free. That is, when only the murderer and the deceased were present at the same time." Chen Shi looked around. "This is a good ce for a murder. There¡¯s no security camera and there¡¯s hot water at the scene to wash away most of the clues."


    "Then the murderer was here pretending to take a shower while waiting for the deceased to appear?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "What if someone came in at this time? The murderer wielded a knife while he was naked so he¡¯d be exposed at once." Xin Bai asked.


    "The simplest solution is to kill the witness directly... Wait, was the murderer really alone? If it were me, wouldn''t it be safer to find an aplice to stay at the door as a scout?"


    "Let¡¯s go and ask!" Lin Dongxue said.


    The three of them inquired about it in the gym. Lin Dongxue took the opportunity to appreciate abdominal muscles and was satisfied.


    A man in a tank top who was lifting dumbbells said, "I didn''t see any suspicious person, but there was a small ident in the gym that day. One piece of equipment broke. When the man used it, the tes fell off with a crash. It hit his back muscles, and we all ran over to check the situation."


    The time he was talking about happened to be the time when the crime happened. The urrence of this small ident drew everyone''s attention away for five minutes, and those five minutes were enough tomit a murder.


    "Which man?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I can''t name him, but I often see him around. Right, he has a wolf head tattooed on his shoulder."


    "Which equipment did he use?"


    "That one who trains arm strength."


    Chen Shi went to check, and sure enough, the belt on the top was newly reced. He said, ¡°One possibility is that this was done by the murderer¡¯s aplice, and the other is that this person himself did it by himself in order to divert attention.¡±


    "Let¡¯s consider both possibilities!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Could do. No one usually touches the back of the equipment. If that person wasn¡¯t wearing gloves, there may be fingerprints left behind."


    Thus, they contacted Peng Sijue to send someone to collect fingerprints. They actually found a palm print, which was like finding treasure.


    The three of them did not leave right away, and stayed there until the afternoon. They even had a fitness meal there at noon.


    In the afternoon, they finally found the tattooed man. Upon questioning, he was the person who had the ident that day. Chen Shi felt that he shouldn¡¯t be suspected of assisting the murderer based on his reactions.


    This day passed just like that and Xin Baimented, "It''s really tiring to investigate a case."


    "Yes, it''s like embroidery. Every detail has to be verified. If the person under investigation casually says anything, we have to run around to verify it." Lin Dongxue said.


    "The key clue is the piece of gold hidden within all the sand." Chen Shi said.


    "Thank you for bringing me to collect materials. I¡¯ve learned a lot today. I¡¯ll treat you guys to some food!"


    "No, I¡¯ll treat you."


    The three of them ate at a nearby restaurant. Xin Bai talked without stopping throughout. The atmosphere was rxed and happy. Lin Dongxue suddenly took a look at her mobile phone and said, "Captain Lin told us to go back, saying it¡¯s something important!"


    Xin Bai wanted to follow, but Chen Shi urged him to go back home and write his manuscript, saying that he would be called when they go to prison, so he left obediently.


    When the two returned to the bureau, Lin Qiupu was sitting in his office, looking at a piece of paper with a serious expression, as if something terrible had happened.


    "Why did you suddenly think of meeting Chen Fengde?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Ah? Didn''t I already say that it was Miss Gu''s request?"


    "If it was a coincidence, then it¡¯s really a big coincidence!" Lin Qiupu put down the document in his hand, which was an identification report. "Captain Peng found a match to the fingerprints you brought back today in the fingerprint database. It¡¯s 100% Chen Fengde¡¯s!"


    "What?!" Lin Dongxue was inexplicably shocked. "He should still be in prison right now!"


    "I think things are very weird and it doesn¡¯t make sense. It''s not a big deal to see a prisoner, but the prison¡¯s side keeps dragging on... The person ran away and is stillmitting crimes outside!"


    "Lu Ming''s case happened three days ago. It seems that Chen Fengde''s escape from prison was even earlier." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu crossed his arms and sighed. "Lu Ming''s interpersonal rtionships don¡¯t need to be investigated. I¡¯m afraid this case isn¡¯t an ordinary murder for revenge. I will pressure the prison through the chief. If that still doesn''t work, I will find the leader of the provincial government and I¡¯ll go with you to see what happened there!"


    "Brother, the gym doesn''t get off work until 9:00. If Chen Fengde had actually been there, someone from the staff may have seen him." Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "Take the people who haven''t got off work, and then go to the gym to investigate... Take the photo of Chen Fengde."


    While leaving the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi suddenly thought of something and asked, "What year was Lu Ming born in?"


    Lin Dongxue nced at the information stored on the phone. "1979!"


    "He¡¯s the same age as the three vegetative people killed back then!"


    1. Where everyone is in the same area.

 Chapter 753: Trip To The Prison

    <h4>Chapter 753: Trip To The Prison</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi brought the police to the gym and called all the employees for questioning. During the period, the gym manager showed them the snapped belt for the equipment that had broken at the time. Chen Shi put on gloves to check it. It had been cut by a knife.


    Xu Xiaodong brought over an employee and the employee said, "I haven''t seen the person you mentioned, but a thin man kept smoking on the stairs that day."


    "Which staircase?"


    "It''s the safe exit one."


    The employee brought them there. There was a safe passage behind the gym. In fact, you could enter the gym directly from this staircase, but climbing the stairs was too tiring and few people came from here.


    The employee got to the tform separating the stairs, pointed to the floor, and said, "Look, there are still cigarette butts on the ground! He had been standing here smoking the whole time. I saw him here at 1:00 in the afternoon and he was still here at 3:00, which was very suspicious."


    "What did he look like?"


    "Skinny, long hair, and with a tattoo on his hand." ording to the employee, it was a bull head tattoo with some English.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you have time tomorrow? Can youe to the bureau to help us make a portrait?"


    "Okay, I¡¯ll definitely cooperate."


    The police took the cigarette butts left on the ground back for sampling. Chen Shi proposed that they look for surveince footage and walked down the stairs with Lin Dongxue. There wasn¡¯t a security camera in the entire stairway. However, there was a clothing store on the first floor with a security camera.


    After the investigation, it was gettingte, so Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home.


    The next morning, Lin Qiupu said that there was a response from the prison and they could go there today. When he found out that Xin Bai was among the people going, he questioned, "Why should this guy go?"


    "He said he wanted to go to the prison to collect materials, and I agreed." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Hai, you follow along quietly and don¡¯t run amok when you get to the prison."


    "Understood!" Xin Bai saluted with a grin.


    Jiyu Mountain Prison in the countryside was thergest prison in Long''an. When he saw the long high walls with barbed wire and sentry towers on the mountain, Xin Bai was extremely excited and took out his mobile phone to take pictures.


    In the car, Lin Qiupu kept thinking about things with his hands holding up his face. He said, "The prison didn¡¯t respond to Chen Fengde''s escape. They only said we¡¯d talk in detail when we meet."


    "Can someone escape from such a tightly guarded prison? Chen Fengde is almost 60 years old." Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Any prison can be escaped from. The system is made from people, so there must be loopholes." Chen Shi said. "There was a prisoner abroad who weaved dental floss into rope and used it to climb over the high walls."


    "Don''t talk nonsense when you get to the prison. The prison system is different from ours." Lin Qiupu instructed.


    When they arrived at the prison door, a leader came out to receive them and enthusiastically took Lin Qiupu''s hand to shake it. Lin Qiupu heard the noise within the high walls and asked if the prisoners were having free time.


    "Yes, they¡¯re currently out and about, but they¡¯ll go back soon." The prison chief said.


    "Wait a while before going in." Lin Qiupu took out a cigarette case.


    Many of the prisoners were sent in by themselves. Lin Qiupu didn''t care about this, but he didn''t want his sister to be exposed to the eyes of this group and be leered at by the prisoners.


    When it became quiet, they walked in, passed through the doors, and arrived at an office.


    Lin Qiupu introduced the people on his side to the other party. Chen Shi was said to be a policeman, Xin Bai the chief''s driver, and Gu You was a psychology consultant assisting the police.


    He thought of these words on the way. The prison chief knew Lin Qiupu, so he acted very politely and didn¡¯t ask for their documents.


    "There was a homicide in the city recently. The fingerprints left at the scene are an exact match with Chen Fengde, who was supposed to be serving his sentence here. Of course, we aren¡¯t here for ountability. We just want to figure out what happened." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Ah, this is the situation. Chen Fengde disappeared when he was working a week ago. We searched inside and out. We even called police dogs to search the nearby forest, but we never found him. We don''t know how he aplished this feat at all... The responsibility of course lies with our prison, but this matter is too bizarre. Chen Fengde has been crazy and doesn''t feel like an ordinary prisoner."


    "Are there no prison guards watching the prisoner when they go to work?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Yes, there must be. Three people were watching him!" The prison chief''s eyes flickered.


    "Take us to the scene to have a look."


    Gu You said, "I would like to ask whether Chen Fengde has been interrogated in prison?"


    "He should have been."


    "Is there any video kept? If so, I want to have a look if it''s convenient."


    The prison chief called a prison guard to take them to the archives room to watch the video, saying that he still had some official duties to deal with. Then, the prison guard, Little Wang, took them to investigate the scene.


    As he was leaving, the warden gave the prison guard a wink. This little gesture didn¡¯t escape Chen Shi''s eyes.


    The prison wouldn''t go to the scene to destroy evidence, right? Chen Shi said vigntly, "Since it¡¯s like this, the five of us shouldn¡¯t stay together. Let''s act separately. One group should go to the scene and the other should watch the video."


    Hence Lin Qiupu, Lin Dongxue, and Xin Bai went to the scene while Chen Shi and Gu You followed the prison guard to the archives room. The prison guard turned on theputer and said, "These videos are all his."


    "Comrade, you don''t need to be here anymore. If you have things to do, you should do that!" Chen Shi took out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes and handed it to him.


    "You¡¯re wee!" The guard epted with a smile. "Then, I''ll go back to work first ande overter."


    Gu You opened a video with a trembling hand. In the picture, an uncle with a crew cut in a numbered outfit was sitting on a chair. The prison guard sitting opposite him asked, "Your motive for murder."


    "Helping them get their release." Chen Fengde replied.


    "This is already the third interrogation. Are you still going to perfunctorily answer us with such remarks?"


    Chen Fengde said unhurriedly, "In your eyes, they are vegetables, but you don¡¯t know that they will also have dreams. It is very painful inside the dreams and they begged me to help them, so I helped them."


    The prison guard threw the pen on the table impatiently. "This again? Can¡¯t you have an excuse that¡¯s fresh?... Let me ask you this: Why did you kill the nurse?"


    "Because Li Xiaomei told me that the caregiver was dishonest and often raped herte at night. He¡¯s a viin."


    "Who¡¯s Li Xiaomei?"


    "One of the vegetative people I killed."


    "Hmph, it''s a dream again!"


    "Dreams are my everything. You can imprison my body, but you can''t imprison my dreams. I can do anything in the dream, and I can know everything... I know that you went on a blind date recently, and you¡¯re very satisfied with the girl, but she doesn''t like your career. You¡¯re very distressed. Also, you¡¯re too addicted to smoking and can''t quit. You often dream that you will die of lung cancer. "


    "Who... who told you this?!"


    "Dream Master."


    "You¡¯re crazy!" The guard was about to go into a fit of rage.


    Chen Shi found two lines of tears on Gu You''s face. He suddenly asked, "Miss Gu, you¡¯re Chen Fengde''s daughter, right?"

 Chapter 754: Gu You’s Secret

    <h4>Chapter 754: Gu You''s Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Gu You looked at Chen Shi in surprise and asked, "Did you investigate that?"


    "No, I just observed your reaction. You care about Chen Fengde a lot and it¡¯s not like the attitude of a psychologist towards their patients. Furthermore, when we asked about his daughter, you were a little nervous."


    Gu You burst intoughter. "Sure enough, nothing can escape your eyes, Mr. Chen... Yes, Chen Fengde is my biological father. My mother and him weren¡¯t married. The rtionship between the twosted until I was ten before it was over. I took my mother¡¯s surname. She said that she didn''t seem to have any privacy in front of Chen Fengde. He could see through everything she did or even thought about. That feeling was very unsettling, so they both broke up."


    "My mother took me to live in another city. Later, a car ident took my mother''s life. I was helpless and had to go back to find Chen Fengde. Although Chen Fengde showed no nostalgia for my mother, he had always been missing this daughter of his. He always dreamed of me, so he set me as a marker to recognize in his dreams. X is me! He thought he would never see me again in his lifetime. Who knew that one day, I would cry and appear in front of him. He treated me very well, but because of my appearance, he gradually couldn''t distinguish between his dreams and reality. I think I was the source of his madness. Over the years, I¡¯ve felt guilty and want to prove that he hasn¡¯t gone mad and that the deep dream pool is real. I¡¯m very conflicted knowing that this kind of thing sounds too absurd."


    As she said this, Gu You felt another wave of sadness and took the tissues from Chen Shi to wipe away her tears.


    "Do I need to keep it a secret for you?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, no need. I was hiding my rtionship with him because I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t help me."


    "You¡¯ve thought too much. We¡¯ve known you for so long, so we believe your character. Of course I will help you... By the way, why doesn''t Chen Fengde want to see you?"


    "I don''t know. A year ago, he refused to see me. He refused to see anyone."


    "Have you ever dreamed of him?"


    Gu You smiled. "Mr. Chen, you aren¡¯t starting to believe this facy, right?"


    "I¡¯m just curious."


    "I dream about him often. In my dreams, I would always look like I did when I was twelve. He would take me to the yground and talk about a father¡¯s teachings. It¡¯s strange to say that whenever I encounter troubles, he appears in my dreams. Maybe I¡¯m too eager to getfort, but these dreams really gave me a lot of encouragement and courage. Every time I wake up, I record in detail what happened in the dream. In fact, I have an ulterior motive. I will verify these dreams with Chen Fengde again when I see him again. If he can tell them all to me, it will prove..."


    "Prove that he can really enter other people''s dreams?"


    "Yes!"


    Chen Shi pointed to the screen. "Look at his expression when he talks. That is an expression that shows he¡¯s certain of the truth. Whether the deep dream pool is real or not, it¡¯s real to him."


    Gu You stared at the screen while holding her cheeks. "I have a deep inferiorityplex in my heart. My father is a death row prisoner. He¡¯s killed so many people. The newspaper describes him as a demon. I dare not tell this to anyone. Dating Captain Peng, I didn''t dare to talk about my father either for fear that he would dislike my background."


    "Old Peng''s family situation isn¡¯t good either. The influence of his family has created his current awkward character. You can tell him honestly. It¡¯s a blessing to have someone to lick each other''s wounds."


    "He is a perfect person who can transform his dark side into a positive side of his character, calmly handle his life, stick to his beliefs, and not interfere with others. In my eyes, he¡¯s so perfect. It often makes me feel ashamed from inferiority."


    Chen Shi smiled. "We have one thing inmon. We both like him very much."


    Gu You smiled. Her emotions had settled down. Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ll keep the matter of Chen Fengde being your father a secret for you. If you want to make it public, you can make it public yourself."


    "Thank you!"


    They continued to watch the interrogation video. In these records, Chen Fengde had been talking about dreams and mysteries. All the questions thrown at him by the prison guards were answered by the deep dream pool and Dream Master.


    An hourter, Lin Dongxue and Xin Bai came back and asked if they had found anything. Chen Shi shook his head. "There are no valuable clues. This person ispletely living in his own world."


    "Actually, I¡¯m also a person who lives in my own world." Xin Bai said. "For most people, fantasy is just an adjustment, but for me, fantasy is my life."


    "Haha, solving cases is everything to me." Chen Shi smiled.


    As they turned to leave, Lin Dongxue stared at Gu You''s face and curiously asked, "Miss Gu, have you been crying?"


    "We talked about some things and I was a little sad, so I cried." Gu You answered frankly.


    "Just let people keep a little privacy!" Chen Shi said.


    "You didn''t make Miss Gu cry, right?"


    "Absolutely not."


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi suspiciously.


    Xin Bai said on the way that it was an eye-opening experience to visit the workshops where the prisoners went to work. This ce was mainly used for electroting and parts processing. Work was an important part of a prisoner¡¯s life. Earning work points allowed them to exchange them for many necessities and reduce their sentences.


    "Any leads?" Chen Shi asked.


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "There were fingerprints and footprints everywhere, and there¡¯s no way to examine them. After the escape, the prison should have contacted us as soon as possible. They were hopeful, thinking they could chase the fugitive back and missed the best opportunity for investigation."


    "Who was thest person to see Chen Fengde?"


    "Prisonmates A, B, C, D, etc., We¡¯ve questioned them one by one. They kept saying that they knew about the situation, but in fact, they just figured out a way to bezy. The things they said were worthless... However, one person mentioned that Chen Fengde was very thin and often skipped dinner. However, his energy levels were always very good. The man said that no one had better sleep quality than he does, and he oftenughed in his sleep."


    "How thin was he?"


    "It¡¯s said that the legs are thinner than the average arm. He was practically skin and bones."


    "Starving himself into a thin stick to get out from somewhere?" Chen Shi pondered for a while. "Impossible!"


    "My brother is currently investigating his personal belongings."


    When they got to an office, Lin Qiupu had put a big cardboard box in front of him. He took the things out one by one. Chen Shi found an item and held it in his hand.


    It was a piece of soap, carefully carved into a human shape. It was a woman, but the lower body was just arge tentacle shape with many strange symbols on the back of it, making it look strange.


    "Is this the so-called Dream Master?" Chen Shi said, "Hey, look. Have you seen the face of this statue?"


    Lin Dongxue leaned over and said in surprise, "That little girl?!"

 Chapter 755: The Dream Master

    <h4>Chapter 755: The Dream Master</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue said, "It''s impossible for Chen Fengde to have met that little girl. She¡¯s less than ten years old. A child¡¯s looks change a lot. The soap sculpture shows what she looks like now, which he definitely shouldn''t know."


    Chen Shi said, "What you¡¯re talking about ismon sense. However, now that this thing has appeared in front of us, we should consider what connection exists between them... Of course, perhaps the soap carving isn¡¯t of her, but of another person, such as her mother."


    "Miss Gu, has he mentioned the Dream Master to you?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Gu You replied, "He mentioned it once. His tone was very respectful, as if he was talking about a God. He said that the Dream Master lives in other people¡¯s dreams, but most people will wake up from dreams, which means that they constantly have to change ''ces'', so the Dream master often chooses to stay in the dreams of vegetative people because they can''t wake up."


    "Why does it sound more like a biological habit?" Chen Shimented. He saw Xin Bai holding a small notebook and asked him what he was noting down. Xin Bai replied, "Material!"


    After inspecting Chen Fengde¡¯s daily items, the group of them left. As they passed through the prisonpound, Lin Qiupu saw a prison guard carrying a tin bucket walking towards the factory. Some powder leaked from the bottom of the bucket. He noted this and stepped on the powder purposefully.


    After leaving the prison, Lin Qiupu took off his shoes and asked Lin Dongxue to bring over an evidence bag. He ran his finger on the powder on the sole and said, "No need. This is cement."


    "Why is there cement? There seems to be no ce that needs to be repaired in the factory, right?" Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Qiupu shook his head.


    Back in the city, Xin Bai and Gu You went back to their homes respectively. The other three had lunch together. Lin Qiupumented on today¡¯s prison trip. ¡°The prison must be hiding something. Of course, I¡¯m not referring to a conspiracy theory. It must be the negligence regarding the prisoner¡¯s escape, but this can¡¯t be investigated thoroughly. The prison has always been isted and behind closed doors, no one knows what happens inside.¡±


    "When ites to istion, Chen Fengde was the most isted. He can dream no matter where he is, so there¡¯s no need to escape from prison. I think someone coerced him toplete the unfinished mission from back then." Chen Shi said.


    "Unfinished mission? That means he¡¯ll kill more people?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Let¡¯s check the connection between the deceased in the afternoon."


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi visited Lu Ming¡¯s parents. After Lu Ming died, the loan sharks went to his parents to collect the debt. When they got to the door, they saw several debt collectors spraying paint on the door of the two elderly people who were hiding behind the door, trembling.


    Chen Shi took the opportunity to teach the debt collectors a lesson and drove them away.


    They learned something from Lu Ming¡¯s parents. Whether it was a valuable clue or not depended on whether it could be associated with the other clues. Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to check with the hospital¡¯s side of things. Could the information from ten years ago still be investigated? That was still unknown.


    It was gettingte when they left Lu Ming¡¯s parents¡¯ house. Chen Shi said, ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up Tao Yueyue. I didn¡¯t buy vegetables today. Can you help me buy some braised food from Huai¡¯an Road?¡±


    "What''s delicious about braised dishes? It''s all spices. It''s better to eat crayfish." Lin Dongxue''s saliva came down when she thought of crayfish.


    "Those things are so unsanitary."


    "Having it on a rare asion is no big deal."


    "Okay, okay, take the key and go to my house, as well as cook the rice while you¡¯re at it. Don''t forget to plug in the power this time."


    "Go to hell!" Lin Dongxue raised her small fist.


    When Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue home, he saw Gu You and Lin Dongxue sitting in the living room talking, and there was arge bag of m crayfish that Lin Dongxue had just bought on the table. Lin Dongxue''s expression felt a bit off.


    Tao Yueyue noticed the atmosphere and whispered, "I¡¯ll do my homework first."


    "I¡¯ll call you out for dinnerter."


    After Tao Yueyue entered her room, Gu You said to Chen Shi, "I told Officer Lin about that issue."


    "Which issue?"


    "The one we talked about this morning. Firstly, I don''t need to keep it secret from Officer Lin. I believe her. The second is that this morning, Officer Lin saw me crying. I''m afraid she would misunderstand so it¡¯s better to rify it!"


    "You¡¯re such a good person."


    Lin Dongxue''s reaction was due to shock by what Gu You had told her. She said, "Miss Gu, I''m really sorry. I talked poorly about Chen Fengde in front of you."


    "No, no. I never call him father. I always called his name."


    "If we can catch him, would you like to see him?"


    Gu You was a bit sad. "If I can, of course that¡¯s preferable, but you don''t have to worry about my rtionship with him. You can find me if you need help. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know."


    Then, Gu You bid them farewell. Lin Dongxue sympathized with her and said, "She¡¯s more unfortunate than me. My parents are only dead, but her father has be like this. Her heart must be very heavy!"


    Chen Shi was about to respond when he suddenly walked to the bedroom door and pulled at the door really hard. Tao Yueyue staggered out. Chen Shi said, "I knew you were eavesdropping, little thief!"


    "What''s wrong with sister Gu? I''ll go see her!" Tao Yueyue said.


    "Go ahead... By the way, a lot of crayfish was bought. You can take it and eat with her."


    As Tao Yueyue was leaving, she said to them, "I will be back on time at 9:00. I won¡¯te back early. You can eat the crayfish together slowly. Don''t worry."


    "Okay, thank you for being so sensible. Come back at 9:30!"


    "Roger that!"


    When Lin Dongxue was sent home that night, Chen Shi browsed the Inte for a while before heading to bed. When hey down, he was still looking back at the clues of the case.


    In his dream, he became Song Lang again, standing in a small broken room. The TV in the center of the room was broadcasting "The Ring" and strange music was streaming from the TV speakers.


    "Fuck!"


    He almost immediately realized that he was dreaming and wondered why it couldn¡¯t change to something else.


    An ancient well appeared on the flickering TV and Sadako''s head appeared. Chen Shi became nervous and thought, Please don¡¯t climb out!


    But dreams often have an unspoken rule. The more fearful of something happening, the more they will happen, so he hurriedly ran away.


    Pushing open the door, he actually came upon an interrogation room, but not the one from the Public Security Bureau. This was the interrogation room in the prison.


    Two prison guards were sitting at the table. One of them was holding a cigarette. The person sitting opposite them was Chen Fengde.


    Chen Fengde''s gaze seemed to fall on Chen Shi, and he spoke to him, "...For you, dreams are just dreams, but for me, dreams and reality have long been integrated with each other. I can wake up from dreams and return to reality, but I can also wake up from reality and return to dreams. Just like this..."


    With that said, Chen Fengde disappeared, and the two prison guards were shocked as they searched all over the room. Chen Fengde''sughter echoed in the air. "I¡¯ve woken up. Continue struggling in your dreams, mortals!"

 Chapter 756: Midnight Invasion

    Chapter 756: Midnight Invasion


    Trantor: Azza


    Seeing Chen Fengde evaporating directly from the world, Chen Shi''s reason told him that this was impossible. He said, "It¡¯s fake. No one can escape from prison like this!"


    Suddenly, the scene changed like a curtain on a stage. He was at the factory where the prisoners were working. At this time, the escape had already happened. A group of prison guards were investigating the scene. Behind a bucket full of liquid, they found that the wall had a hole in it.


    "It''s over! It¡¯s over! He ran away!" Guard A said.


    "Why didn''t you keep watch at that time!" Guard B said.


    "I¡­ I went to the bathroom. I had constipation!"


    "He¡¯s a death row prisoner. If he runs away, we would all lose our jobs and maybe even go to jail¡­ I think it''s better if we have a unified testimony where we say we don''t know how he ran away."


    "Then this hole¡­"


    "Seal it with cement before the police find it!"


    Chen Shi listened to this on the side and everything seemed reasonable, but he immediately denied it. When the prisoners went to work, more than one prison guard was monitoring the scene. Even if the prison guard went to the toilet, no matter how long he stayed in the toilet, nobody could use this time to dig a hole leading to the outside.


    Besides, there were other prisoners at the scene! Reporting someone else¡¯s escape is considered a meritorious deed. How could so many prisoners just watch Chen Fengde break out of prison?


    This was just a useless n he reasoned in his brain. It didn¡¯t count as a fresh clue.


    The image in front of him suddenly stopped. The prison guards stood motionless, and the cigarette in their hand solidified in the air. A little girl in a white dress walked slowly through the still picture up to Chen Shi. She was the little girl they had seen that day.


    "Dream Master?" Chen Shi asked.


    "You already know who I am? Dreams are my kingdom, where I can create everything and even interfere with reality."


    "Through your believers?"


    "Believers? Huh, you¡¯re really keen. There are people who believe in me, so I gave them gifts."


    "What you can give is nothing but an illusory dream."


    "What human beings pursue all their lives are illusory anyway. In a dream, you can have another life. You can dominate a kingdom, you can be free from the shackles of reality and morality, and you can do whatever you want at will. Furthermore, it doesn¡¯t disappear. Dreams are always there. As long as you close your eyes, you can get rid of the troubles of reality ande to the kingdom of dreams! Song Lang, your heart is full of contradictions and anxiety. You¡¯re escaping from your past. You must have thought of living another kind of life where the thing that ruined you didn¡¯t happen. You and Han Luoxi could be together, living as a ''police legend''. Or, you could discover your talent,pletely liberating your nature, and use evil to control evil!" The little girl stretched out a hand. "As long as you want it, I can give it to you."


    "Prove it to me!" Chen Shi said gloomily. "Prove that you really have this ability."


    "Why should I prove it to you? Proving something is a sign of weakness. You only need to believe in me to open the door to dreams."


    "Hmph!" Chen Shi sneered. "Forget it, these¡­ these¡­ are all things I see with my eyes and hear with my ears. This dream is just a scrap of my thinking. Even you are. The deep dream pool and the Dream Master doesn¡¯t exist at all, and no one can enter the consciousness of others!"


    The little girl smiled. "The door of madness and reality is right in front of you. The thing that locks it is called reason. The key is always in your hands. It depends on whether you want to open it or not. Try it out!"


    After saying that, the little girl drifted away like mist. Chen Shi sat up from the bed and pinched his arm to confirm that it was reality.


    He went to drink some water, and stepped on something soft as he got out of bed.


    It was the cat, Maoqiu. It always liked to sleep everywhere and was often stepped on. Chen Shi had already developed a conditioned reflex and he immediately retracted his feet before he put any more weight on his foot.


    Maoqiu let out a grunt, and Chen Shi knelt down to pet it. "Why don''t you go to Yueyue''s room? Did youe to find me?"


    He found Maoqiu trembling. There was a very light click in the midnight silence. Chen Shi rushed out of his bedroom, opened the door, and saw a dark figure sprinting down the stairs.


    "Stop!"


    He couldn¡¯t chase after the dark figure in slippers. The dark figure was already gone. He gasped and returned angrily, only to find that the door was closed by the wind and he had no key. Hence, he had to ring the doorbell.


    Tao Yueyue opened the door and asked, "Why are you running out in the middle of the night?"


    "Shhh. Someone entered our house¡­ Go and get gloves!"


    Chen Shi put on the gloves and checked the keyhole carefully. There were indeed signs of prying. He asked Tao Yueyue, "Have you picked the lock recently?"


    "I went downstairs to buy potato chips the day before yesterday and forgot to bring the key¡­"


    "Okay!"


    In this way, it was impossible to judge whether it was the person just then who pried it or Tao Yueyue.


    Back in the house, the danger was lifted. Maoqiu jumped into Tao Yueyue''s arms and acted affectionately. Chen Shi found that a cup had been turned over on the table and was sitting upright. There was still some water in it. He picked it up and observed. This "thief" was drinking from a cup?!


    The next morning, Chen Shi brought this cup to Peng Sijue for identification. It was confirmed that the lip lines weren¡¯t from Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue, but there was no database for lip lines unless they found the person forparison.


    Someone did enter his housest night, and no valuables were gone from the house (Though in fact, nothing was valuable in the house). It was unknown whether it was an ordinary thief or a malicious criminal.


    Could it be that he was hypnotized?


    The defense of the brain is very weak in a person''s sleep. It can be hypnotized by just a few words of guidance in the ear. He had strange dreams for two consecutive nights. Was it rted to this mysterious person?


    He couldn''t figure this out, so Chen Shi didn''t think about it anymore and continued to investigate the case today.


    Xu Xiaodong made an important discovery. He said that it was arge hospital with well-preserved data. He found the data of the patients who were killed ten years ago. The three people of the same age came from the same ce. They were from a small town called Yinxian, which was next to Long¡¯an. In fact, they used to be ssmates. The three of them travelled by car together and fell into theke in a car ident. Because they were not rescued in time, they were brain dead for about five minutes and became vegetative.


    "There¡¯s another clue. Prior to the incident ten years ago, Liu Tao changed his wife¡¯s ward and it happened to be with these three vegetative people." Xu Xiaodong said.


    "Awesome, you¡¯ve been really helpful to find such detailed information."


    "Hehe, Brother Chen, how are you going to reward me?"


    "I treat you to lunch at noon!"


    At noon, Chen Shi treated Xu Xiaodong to have a teppanyaki meal. At the food table, he said, "Lu Ming and the three vegetative people are all from Yinxian No. 1 Middle School, which is consistent with my spections. I think the murderer also came from there."


    "Isn''t the murderer Chen Fengde?" Lin Dongxue asked, "You mean there¡¯s a mastermind behind the scenes?"


    "Yes, this mastermind behind the scenes knows how to manipte people''s hearts. Chen Fengde and Liu Tao are both their pawns. The murder may not be for utilitarian purposes, but for personal revenge¡­ In fact, I think they¡¯re a secret cult!"

 Chapter 757: An Evil Portent’s Reincarnation

    <h4>Chapter 757: An Evil Portent¡¯s Reincarnation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Cult? Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I''m talking about the nature of this small collective. They all believe in something that others think is very absurd. It''s not an exaggeration to call it a cult!" Chen Shi said.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "They should be called dream worshipers!"


    "Okay, that''s a good summary... By the way, Xiaodong, help me monitor an individual."


    "Okay, let me know." Xu Xiaodong was very excited when he heard that there was a mission.


    Chen Shi asked him to monitor Liu Tao and wrote down a copy of the address. Heplimented, "Your energy is good. I¡¯ll treat you to dinnerter."


    "Hehe, I like to perform tasks. I can do them without using my head."


    "That¡¯s nice and all, but if you keep this kind of thinking, you won¡¯t be an outstanding police officer."


    "Why do I have to be outstanding? I can just be a good support. The police are always about teamwork! Right, Dongxue?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "You have so many sets of facies."


    Early the next morning, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the bus station. To reach Yinxian, they had to pass some rugged mountain roads. It was more convenient to take a bus. Chen Shi hadn''t taken these to travel for a long time.


    Enjoying the scenery of the mountains along the way, the two arrived at the small town in the mountains at 10:00 in the morning. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°It¡¯s a warm and quaint town. If it weren¡¯t for investigating this case, I would never have had a chance toe here in this life. I¡¯ve never even heard of it."


    "If you aren¡¯t in a hurry, we can spend the night here and take the bus back tomorrow morning."


    "Yueyue is at home alone though? Let¡¯s forget it! We¡¯ll spend a lot of time together in the future, but you won¡¯t have that much time to spend with Yueyue."


    "Haha, I¡¯ll thank you for being such a considerate big sister for Yueyue."


    The two inquired around and got to Yinxian No. 1 Middle School. Chen Shi told a teacher the names of the deceased. The teacher furrowed their brows and recalled, asking, "Which ss were they in?"


    "I don''t know, but they were all born in 1979."


    "Then they should have entered the school before the 90s. It¡¯s been too long. The teachers of that ss have already retired. I¡¯ll check if there¡¯s any information about them in the archives."


    The archives room was actually on a hill behind the school. The teacher said as he walked, "It¡¯s actually the old school site. Now, it¡¯s used as a warehouse. It¡¯s just a row of tiled houses. I went to school here when I was a child. This school has always been very poor and can''t keep people. Later, a Hong Kong actor donated money to build the teaching building down there and expanded the enrollment capacity. The situation got a bit better as a result."


    "What year did you go to junior high?" Chen Shi asked.


    "1992."


    "Were there any rumors in the school, such as a student being bullied by the whole ss?"


    The teacher hesitated to speak. When Chen Shi said that they were investigating a case, he said, "Then I will just casually talk about it. Don¡¯t take it too seriously. I heard that there was a girl who was an evil portent¡¯s reincarnation. In reality, her life was quite unfortunate. Her mother was abducted by human traffickers. In those days, human trafficking was still rampant... The woman was bought by a family for three thousand yuan to be their daughter-inw. She didn¡¯t obediently ept no matter what they did, so she was chained and locked in a basement. The strange thing was that she was actually pregnant. The man who bought her thought it was his younger brother who knocked her up. The two brothers fought and a knife was used. The older brother hacked his younger brother to death and went to jail. Ever since that woman gave birth to the baby, she went crazy. The family kept her locked up because they didn¡¯t want the shame of the family to be known. When I was a child, I passed through the basement and heard herughing in it, saying something about ¡®my baby¡¯. The children in the town didn¡¯t dare approach that ce. I heard that in the seventh year, the woman died. It was very miserable."


    "What about the girl?" Lin Dongxue asked, listening attentively.


    "The girl killed her ''father'' with the misfortune she brought with her before she was even born, and the family is patriarchal, so how good could it have been for her? She was beaten and scolded by her grandparents from when she was young and they told her to do this and that. She hadn¡¯t had her menstruation at the age of fifteen and her body was as thin as her bones. However, no matter how bad her family was, she must be sent to school for the nine years ofpulsory education. At school, everyone said she was an evil portent, so they distanced themselves away from her. She never changed her clothes and only had a school uniform with patches on it. Some people said that she had a moldy smell on her. Later, a student in her ss died, and the story of her being a cmity became even more widespread. So, after she graduated, we could still hear these words at school."


    "How did the student in her ss die?"


    The teacher shook his head. "I don''t know about that. Perhaps you could ask the people in the town. Almost everyone my age knows something about her..."


    The teacher suddenly stood still, and then dashed away in one direction. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked up, only to see billowing smoke from the top of the mountain.


    The two rushed to the top of the mountain. Thick smoke came out of a window. The teacher smacked his leg. "Oh no, oh no! The archives room is on fire!"


    "Is there a fire brigade in town?"


    "The fire brigade is dozens of kilometers away!" As the teacher said this, he shook the water pump. With a click, the wrench of the water pump was broken. Chen Shi stepped forward to check and found signs of damage.


    He had a feeling that some people don''t want them to check the student files here.


    Looking at the dense smoke, the fire should have just been set up. Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue to stay there and rushed down the mountain. At this time, the teachers and students under the mountain were all alerted. They stood on the yground and watched from a distance. Some teachers were panting, climbing the mountain to fight the fire.


    Seeing a stranger rushing down, some teachers tried to stop Chen Shi and asked, "Who are you?!"


    Chen Shi simply held his ID in his hand and said to whomever he saw, "I¡¯m a policeman. Have you seen a suspicious person running down?"


    Everyone shook their heads. Chen Shi went all the way to the yground. A school worker said, "I just saw a man in a ck hate down from the mountain. He also had the China Tel logo on his clothes."


    "Where did he go?"


    "Out of the school."


    Chen Shi got to a street outside the school where people came and went. He could only ask everyone he saw. Then, he found a China Tel uniform and a ck hat in a trash can.


    Chen Shi picked up the clothes to check its size and once again focused his eyes on the peopleing and going, looking for people of simr size. At this time, he noticed a man sneaking into an alley.


    Intuition led him to walk over. The man saw that there was someone chasing behind him, so he sped away. Chen Shi knew he couldn¡¯t let him escape this time and chased after him desperately.


    After passing through a few alleys, he finally threw the man to the ground and turned his face to take a look. It turned out to be Xin Bai.


    "Why are you here?" he asked.


    "I... I came over to collect materials..." Xin Bai said, "Will you get off of me? People would think we¡¯re doing that kind of stuff!"


    Chen Shi asked him to stand up. When he saw ayer of soot on Xin Bai''s fingers, he suddenly understood and interrogated, "You¡¯re the one who set the fire?"


    "Uh... why would I set a fire..."


    "Was it you?!"


    This frightened the cowardly Xin Bai who confessed, "Yes... The Dream Master asked me to do it."


    Chen Shi couldn''t believe it. He angrily mmed Xin Bai to the ground and shouted, "You traitor!"

 Chapter 758: Dreams Are Like Drugs

    <h4>Chapter 758: Dreams Are Like Drugs</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Lin Dongxue received a call and hurried down the mountain. She found that Chen Shi was grabbing onto Xin Bai and dragging him to the town¡¯s public security bureau. Like a shameless kid, Xin Bai struggled, "No, no, no, we can talk this out." He squatted down after walking for two steps.


    The two stopped outside a fat offal noodle restaurant a few steps away from the public security bureau. The police officers standing guard in front of the bureau took a look at them. Lin Dongxue stepped forward and said, "The fire has been extinguished. It wasn¡¯t very big, but the files were all burned."


    "You didn''t expect it to be him, right?!" Then, Chen Shi shouted at Xin Bai. "Why did you set the fire?!"


    Xin Bai stammered and Chen Shi sneered. He brought them into the noodle shop next to them. He asked the boss to bring a te of raw pig intestines and put it in front of Xin Bai, saying, "If you can finish all of it, I won''t pursue this matter further and let you go right away."


    "Really?"


    "Of course, it''s true."


    Xin Bai began immediately, but vomited after taking two bites. He said with a grimace, "Can we not go to the bureau? Let¡¯s settle this privately. I¡¯m willing topensate for the burned things."


    "Shameless!" Chen Shi was so annoyed that his jaws clenched. "It depends on your attitude when you admit to your crime."


    "Yesterday... Last night I had a dream and I met the Dream Master. She said that she could give me a beautiful dream, as long as I did one thing for her."


    "You agreed?"


    "You know I don¡¯t have the ability to resist temptation at all. Fantasy is my whole life. If I can dream as I want, doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯d possess another life? So, I agreed. When I was done, I was suddenly here. When I got here, yes, it was this small town. The streets and surrounding mountains were exactly the same. She asked me to go to a school on the mountain to burn their archives room. I tested it in my dream, and after setting the fire, she told me not to forget the promise, otherwise she¡¯d make me unable to dream forever. After that, I had the best dream of my life. I was the protagonist of an urban novel. The dream was so realistic that I had my own consciousness. It was bliss. Do you get what I¡¯m saying? I stayed in the dream for three days!" Xin Bai smiled in content. "After waking up, I felt a sense of loss, and even wanted to buy some sleeping pills and go back to bed. However, I clearly remembered everything that happened in the dream. If I didn¡¯t fulfill my promise, she would make me never dream again, so I came here by bus and did... what I needed to do."


    Chen Shi''s eyes looked as though he were looking at a piece of garbage, and he pointed to the raw pig intestines in the te and said, "Eat some more!"


    Xin Bai obediently ate a few mouthfuls, then turned his head aside and vomited again. He wiped his mouth and said, "It''s too unptable. At least give me a te of mustard."


    "You¡¯re really disappointing. You betrayed us so casually. Do you know what you did?"


    "Burned an archive room."


    "Do you know how important that archive room was to us?"


    Xin Bai lowered his head and said nothing. Lin Dongxue asked in a tone of hatred, "Teacher Bai, how could you have no principles at all?"


    "It''s not that I don''t have principles, but the conditions were too attractive. If it were you..."


    "I''m not like you!"


    Xin Bai lowered his head in shame. Chen Shi asked, "Is it you who went to my housest night?"


    "What? I didn''t go anywherest night. I was always in my bed."


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, "How is arson judged?"


    "His situation would be upwards of three years and less than ten years."


    "Ah, no, no!" Xin Bai was frightened and waved his hands desperately. "Let¡¯s privately deal with this. Let¡¯s privately deal with this. I¡¯m willing to reimburse the school money so they won¡¯t sue me."


    "When you go to jail, can''t you continue to dream?" Chen Shi mocked him.


    They immediately took Xin Bai back to the school and exined the situation to the school, but said that Xin Bai had been instigated by a bad guy and didn¡¯t know what he was doing. The school agreed to settle the matter privately. Xin Bai took out all his savings, which was his ie for the past year. His face was full of pain when he paid the money.


    Chen Shi told Xin Bai to stay outside as he and Lin Dongxue entered the charred archives room to see what could be rescued.


    The piles of archives on the shelves were already burned to ashes. After searching, both of them were covered in soot. Suddenly, Lin Dongxue called out. She found a photo under the ashes, which was only half burned.


    In the photo, there was a girl in a shabby school uniform. She was standing on the edge of a group of happy and cheerful students with a gloomy expression. What was surprising was that she looked exactly like the little girl from that day.


    "How could there be such a thing?" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "They may be rted by blood." Chen Shi guessed.


    "Even mothers and daughters don¡¯t look so alike. Are they the same person? The teacher said that she didn''t even have her menstruation at the age of fifteen. I think it might not be because of malnutrition, but a problem with her pituitary nd.[1] This problem kept her from growing up."


    Chen Shi nodded, "If this is the case, then we can exin how Chen Fengde had met her."


    They went to check with the teacher. The teacher said that he had never seen the girl''s appearance, but this graduation photo seemed to belong to her ss.


    "Do you know where she previously lived?" Chen Shi asked again.


    "I don''t know this. It was all hearsay for me. You should ask others!"


    While leaving the school, Chen Shi showed Xin Bai this photo. Xin Bai was shocked and said, "Yes, she¡¯s the Dream Master. The eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as those I saw in the dream."


    "Would you like to help us inquire information from your dreams and redeem yourself?"


    "Okay, okay. Should I go now?" Xin Bai couldn''t wait.


    Chen Shi took him to a motel and booked a room. Xin Bai entered the room and threw himself on the bed. "I''ll go to my dream to help you find clues!" In less than a minute, he had fallen asleep, and showed a very happy expression.


    "I can''t believe that indulging in dreaming is like taking drugs." Lin Dongxue said in surprise.


    "That kind of dream and drugs are of the same nature. It makes you extremely happy and is simple... He will definitely not run around here."


    "Was that your n? To put him here?"


    "No, I''m doing an experiment. I don''t believe that a so-called Dream Master can bestow others with dreams. I don''t think his dreams were made."


    "Then what is it?"


    "We''ll know when he wakes up." Chen Shi smiled mysteriously.


    The two discussed where to find information, and finally reached an agreement to go to the town¡¯s public security bureau.


    Regarding the mysterious girl, the Public Security Bureau produced two files. The name of the girl registered with the Public Security Bureau was Hanmeng. She had no surname, most likely because her grandparents rejected her from their own family. Her name was actually given to her by a female officer from the public security bureau back when she was still in elementary school.


    One file was about the bizarre death of a student in Hanmeng''s ss. This student named Gao Lei didn¡¯t return home after school one day. His family searched all over and finally found his body at the school.


    Gao Lei¡¯s head had been buried in the long jump sandpit and he suffocated to death. The body was bent over, standing on his legs, with his head stuck in the sand and his hands supporting the ground, maintaining a weird triangle shape.


    "At that time, a school worker was so scared that they were bed-ridden for three months," said the policeman who showed them the file.


    The police didn¡¯t find any traces of injuries or coercion on Gao Lei. The technology wasn¡¯t advanced back then and many identifications couldn¡¯t be made. The final conclusion written in the file was only one sentence - "Gao Lei suspected of suicide."


    In order to find out why Gao Leimitted suicide, the police also conducted a lot of investigations. Some students told them that Gao Lei often bullied Hanmeng at school...


    1. The pituitary nd makes growth hormone, which stimtes the growth of bone and other tissues.

 Chapter 759: Miserable Background

    <h4>Chapter 759: Miserable Background</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    In a written testimony, a ssmate mentioned how Gao Lei usually bullied Hanmeng. Lin Dongxue could hardly read it anymore. Bullying wasn¡¯t a humane thing at all.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Hanmeng was bullied at school, so she should have always had injuries on her. Didn''t her family ever ask about it?"


    The police said, "They never asked. I heard that Gao Lei bullied her and she bit his hand in retaliation when she resisted. Gao Lei''s family went to Hanmeng''s house to settle this. Gao Lei¡¯s oldest uncle ran a private enterprise in town. Their family was particrly powerful, so Hanmeng¡¯s grandparents apologized and even gifted them things. They also pped Hanmeng in the face and gave them a basket of eggs before they left."


    "What kind of people are they?!" Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth.


    "After Gao Lei died, the story that Hanmeng was an evil portent spread around the school. No one dared to approach her. She went from being bullied by everyone to a state of rejection by everyone. In a sense, it was a good thing for her. At least no one beat her." The police sighed.


    "Did you go to school there too?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes. There¡¯s only this middle school in the town. All the children go to school there. I was in another ss... Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve always been curious and inquiring about things around me ever since I was a child that I became a policeman when I grew up."


    Chen Shi showed him the burned photo. "Is she Hanmeng?"


    "Yes, that''s her. Haii, after so many years, I still can''t forget the look in her eyes. She was like a lonely ghost in school and was always by herself. Looking back, I¡¯m quite ashamed. I was also a heartless little boy at the time. As long as I heard my ssmates say "Hanmeng ising", I¡¯d scream and run away with everyone. Now that I think about it, this kind of reaction would hurt a girl a lot! I never talked to her. The closest contact I had with her was when I saw her squatting by theke, crying next to a drowned puppy after school. She heard meing, turned her head around, and looked at me. I ran away in fright. Later, I asked a group of children to go there, but Hanmeng had already left. There was a mound on the ground. When I dug it out, it was a deformed puppy. I guess someone threw it out."


    "Can you help us find the students in her ss?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The few who came in for the written testimonies aren¡¯t here now. Few young people are willing to stay in our small and decrepit town. After graduation, they went to Long''an to develop their lives. Ah, yes, there¡¯s one person I know the whereabouts of. It''s Du Zilin."


    "Are you friends with him?"


    "No, no, we aren¡¯t friends, but he¡¯s too ''famous''. I will copy the address to you." The officer took out a small book and copied the address from it for the two of them.


    The two continued to read the second file. This was the file of the suicide of Hanmeng¡¯s grandparents. The police said that her grandparents participated in illegal fund-raising activities called Huibaili, which would return money every month, but in fact, it was done by swindlers. The swindlers got enough money and disappeared overnight. Many people in the town were deceived, and Hanmeng¡¯s grandparents lost their life savings.


    The file said that Hanmeng¡¯s grandparentsmitted suicide by hanging themselves. The two were hung on a beam and their weight broke the beam. A wire passing through it broke, causing a fire and setting the house alight.


    As the technology back then wasn¡¯t advanced, the investigation concluded that it was suicide. Whether their suicide was causally rted to being deceived was only the conjecture of the police and there was no evidence to support it.


    In addition, on the night Hanmeng''s grandparents died, Hanmeng disappeared and never appeared in the town again.


    This case happened in 2002. Chen Shi asked, "Hammeng should have graduated in 2002. What was she doing then?"


    "She didn¡¯t do anything and just stayed at home, doing housework or something. Whenever I patrolled, I often saw her sitting in the yard peeling ginkgo. A food processing nt in the town bought these. It costs only two yuan per catty." The police shook his head. "At almost 20 years old, she was still thin, wearing that torn school uniform. I feel sad when I see her. What kind of life does this girl lead?"


    "So, has she grown up?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Has she always looked like a child, or did she eventually grow up?"


    "She has to have grown up. How can anyone not grow up?! Don''t look at her being thin and small. When she was sexually assaulted by Geo Erhu, she was brought to the bureau for forensic evaluation, and the forensic doctor confirmed that she had already developed secondary sexual characteristics and was an adult."


    "What happened with that matter of sexual assault?"


    "That incident may have been the most absurd thing I¡¯ve ever seen since bing a police officer. Gao Erhu is Gao Lei''s cousin. One night, Hanmeng came to us in disheveled clothes and blood on her face to report the crime. We immediately caught Gao Erhu. Gao Erhu¡¯s family tried to bail him out using their connections, but it didn¡¯t work. Then, guess who came? Hanmeng¡¯s grandparents! They actually said that Gao Erhu was Hanmeng¡¯s fiance, and Hanmeng also confirmed this after lots of stammering. We could clearly see that the old couple were threatening Hanmeng with their eyes. She was so scared of them! The police told her that even if he was her fianc¨¦, she could still sue him, although we all knew it was the Gao family who asked the grandparents toe forward to settle the matter. However, Hanmeng withdrew her testimony and denied being sexually assaulted, so the matter had to be let go... This happened one month before her grandparentsmitted suicide."


    "Where is Gao Erhu now?"


    "He died."


    "Died?"


    "One year after this happened, he rode a motorcycle into a ravine and fell to his death. The investigation concluded that it was a simple ident. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange? People who have offended Hanmeng died one after another. As a policeman, I probably shouldn''t say this, but I always feel that there¡¯s a mysterious power in this world that is protecting her... By the way, why did the police in your city suddenly investigate this? Did she show up in Long''an?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "We¡¯re in the same mood as you now, and we find it weird beyond belief. Four of Hanmeng''s ssmates in Long''an died, but this time, it wasn¡¯t an ident or suicide. We¡¯re investigating the murderer."


    "It wouldn¡¯t be her, right?!" The policeman said with a shocked expression. "Aiya, this girl has such a miserable background. If you catch her, please be a bit kinder to her!"


    "We know... By the way, can you take us to see her house?"


    "That old house was gone a long time ago. It was burned down by the fire. Later, another house was built in its ce. You can''t see anything even if you went."


    The two thanked the police officer and left the public security bureau. Lin Dongxue said, "I think this case is getting deeper and deeper. Does this girl really have any special powers?"


    "I don''t believe it. I think there¡¯s someone next to her who is protecting her. This person has a superb technique. In that era of technological backwardness, they could have easily stayed hidden from the police."


    The two had lunch in the town and went back to see Xin Bai. Xin Bai was already awake and cried in shock, "It''s over. It¡¯s over! I can''t have that dream again!"


    It was just as Chen Shi had guessed. "Of course you can''t dream in a house alone."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Because you weren¡¯t dreamingst night. You were hypnotized!"

 Chapter 760: The Same Method

    Chapter 760: The Same Method


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi said, "Actually, I had a simr dream as youst night, but I didn¡¯t agree to that girl¡¯s proposal. Isn¡¯t it strange when you think about it? She can ''buy'' anyone with her dreams, so why not just let me experience it first? Why does it need to be approved by me first? It¡¯s because this is basically a hypnotic step, which makes you sink in step by step¡­ When you sleptst night, someone next to you was talking to you and inducing you to have these dreams. "


    Xin Bai drew in a breath of horror. "The Dream Master in your dream was a girl?"


    "Was she of a different image in your dream?"


    "Although she was also a girl, she was a monster with tentacles as her lower body and some weird symbols around her¡­"


    "Isn''t this like the small sculpture you saw in the prison? I¡¯m different from you. I met the girl first, so the image of the Dream Master in my dreams became her¡­ All of this is just a conspiracy. Someone is obstructing our investigation, which is enough to show that we¡¯re very close to the truth."


    Xin Bai lowered his head and muttered to himself. "But that dream was really cool¡­"


    "Wake up! Indulging in dreams will only turn you into trash; a puppet at the mercy of others. Using wonderful dreams to dominate others is the method of those people¡­ See? you haven''t updated thest two days!"


    Xin Bai looked ashamed. "I¡¯ll write today when I get back."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Shall we continue to investigate in the town or go back to the city?"


    "Let¡¯s go back to the city. I don''t care what happened in the past. The most important thing right now is that no one gets killed again."


    The three of them bought tickets and went home, just in time for thest bus back to the city. After an exhausting day, Chen Shi fell asleep on the bus. In a half-asleep and half-awake state, he heard someone say in his ear like they were breathing, "Everything is sinking! Everything is sinking!"


    He opened his eyes suddenly and found himself in the small broken room again, and "Ring" was broadcasting on the TV at the most eerie part.


    "Asshole!"


    He turned his head and ran outside. When he got out, he saw that the sky was a blushing red, heavy on top of his head. This was a dpidated town and the ground was covered with ashes from a fire.


    On the side of the road, there was a crowd that knelt and struggled as blue mes burst from the gaps in their bodies. They screamed in pain and a man on fire rushed towards Chen Shi screaming. Chen Shi quickly avoided the man in fright.


    Everyone in this town was experiencing a strange spontaneousbustion, and the ashes on the ground were left by them.


    As if being urged by something, he arrived at a ce with a huge tform made up of house wreckage, on top of which was a girl in school uniform, kneeling down. Her face was covered with blood and her hands were stretched out towards the sky. Her eyes were mournful.


    "Lasidajinjiuma, Hatagelisi, Aiqikusouliwaqiu¡­"


    Apanied by that strange and inexplicablenguage, a vortex appeared in the sky facing the tform, and a half-naked woman with a lower body full of tentacles came down from the inside. Her eyes werepletely white.


    The monster slowly approached the girl kneeling on the tform as if it was floating. At this moment, Chen Shi noticed that the girl was holding a bright red item in her hand. It was beating constantly. There was a huge hole in her chest, and dark blood stained her school uniform.


    "Dream Master, I will dedicate myself to you and punish all those who have hurt me!" The girl shouted like a storm.


    Under Chen Shi''s shocked gaze, the monster wrapped the girl''s whole body with its tentacles, wrapped her human upper body around her neck, and pressed the girl¡¯s face to her forehead, revealing a strange tenderness.


    "This is the truth you¡¯re looking for. A poor girl sacrificed herself and gained the ability to punish her enemies!"


    A calm voice came from behind him. Chen Shi turned around and saw the little girl wearing a white dress and holding a bunch of blood-like red flowers.


    "Don''t use these things to perfunctorily assuage me. These are just thoughts that shed in my brain¡­" Chen Shi pointed to the sky. "This is just my dream, and the most exaggerated and bizarre pictures will always appear in dreams."


    The girl smiled faintly. "You will never understand this kind of mood. Hatred burns your whole body like mes, tearing at your chest, making you unable to breathe!"


    "No, of course I¡¯ve experienced it. I have also had someone I really wanted to kill, but it is a sad life to live for revenge."


    "If you were honest with yourself, didn¡¯t you get your revenge? When you couldn¡¯t do anything when facing Zhou Tiannan, didn''t you also choose to make him pay an eye for an eye?"


    "Motherfucker!" Chen Shi yelled angrily. "I didn''t kill him. I would never use this method to solve the problem."


    "Vengeance is great. It''s great to see the person who ruined your life die helplessly like an ant. It¡¯s joyous."


    "I haven''t killed anyone!" Chen Shi gritted his teeth. "Even if I hate them to death!"


    "Have you ever asked yourself a question? If you¡¯re Chen Shi, then where is Song Lang? Has he disappeared, or is he still in your heart? Would this wounded soul wake up in your sleep?"


    Chen Shi looked at his hands and feet as he touched his face. He was actually Chen Shi now. He became Chen Shi in his dream!


    No, that''s not right. Why should he believe this?!


    He needed to wake up from this damn dream right away. Thus, he turned and ran, and a cliff appeared in front of him. He jumped down without thinking in desperation. The weightlessness of the fall made him wake up with sweat and he found himself sitting in the bus again. The sun outside the window seemed to be roasting him, and Lin Dongxue next to him looked at him in surprise.


    "What happened to you?"


    "Did anyone get off the bus just now?!" Chen Shi asked.


    "Uh, a thin man got out of the bus halfway, just after¡­ you fell asleep."


    It was the same method!!!


    Chen Shi stood up and asked the driver to stop. The driver said no, so he could only sit back in the chair in grief and put his head in his hands. What happened in his dreams still gave him lingering fear.


    Lin Dongxue handed him a wet tissue and said, "Wipe your sweat!"


    "Thank you." Chen Shi took it.


    "Speaking of which, you often have nightmares. Sometimes, I don''t dare to sleep with you. You¡¯ll yell and scream in your dreams."


    "I¡­ I have something in my heart that causes anxiety." Chen Shi admitted with a wry smile.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t ask. When you¡¯re willing to talk about it, tell me by yourself!" Lin Dongxue smiled slightly.


    "Thank you." There was a warmth in Chen Shi''s heart.


    "That''s right!" Lin Dongxue picked up her phone, "I just found this Du Zilin. Do you know who he is? He started his own business after graduation, and he¡¯s worth hundreds of millions in his thirties. However, he isn¡¯t famous for this. Have you heard of the 6.21 car ident?"


    Chen Shi thought for a while. "I remember a driver who drove their car onto the sidewalk without the influence of drinking, drugs, or driving fatigue, and killed 13 people. Thewyer showed a mental appraisal report in the courts that said he had something like acute transient mental disorder and he only got sentenced for ten years."


    "Yes, that was the case. That person is Du Zilin, so he¡¯s particrly infamous¡­ By the way, he receivedmutation three times in prison, and has already been released. He is now in Long''an."

 Chapter 761: Evil Portent’s Legacy Passed On

    <h4>Chapter 761: Evil Portent¡¯s Legacy Passed On</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Back in the city, Xin Bai was still asleep on the bus. Chen Shi woke him up, and Xin Bai jumped up excitedly. "Haha, it''s done! I sessfully controlled my dream!"


    "Can you stop? Don''t try these dangerous things and just write your novels seriously!" Chen Shi frowned. "Wasn''t today''s lesson enough? Do you want to go to the mental hospital?"


    "This... was truly really fun!" Xin Bai said ashamedly.


    "Hurry up and go home. We still have things to do."


    Xin Bai still wanted to follow them, but was sted away forcefully by Chen Shi¡¯s words. While it wasn¡¯t dark yet, the two nned to see Du Zilin. They could find Du Zilin''s address through the police''s household registration information database. At around 5:00, they got to a vi.


    Through the big iron gate of the vi yard, Lin Dongxue saw that the yard was full of leaves, as if it hadn¡¯t been cleaned for a long time. She said, "Why does this house feel a little eerie?"


    "Maybe it''s because all the windows are sealed!"


    "You¡¯re right! All the windows are sealed with wooden boards, like a haunted house."


    They didn¡¯t know if anyone still lived there. Chen Shi tried to press the answering machine at the door and a face appeared on the small screen. The other party stared wide-eyed at them and demanded, "Password!"


    "Are you Mr. Du? We¡¯re the police and want to ask you some questions."


    "Certificate!"


    Lin Dongxue raised her police officer''s certification. The person asked for her to open it. The other party was still uneasy and had to look at Chen Shi''s certificate as well, then asked them to name three police colleagues.


    "Do you need to be so on guard? We¡¯re really the police." Lin Dongxue was a little impatient.


    "It''s too easy to make fake documents. I won''t open the door without verifying that you guys are real police officers," the other party said.


    "All right..." Lin Dongxue casually listed three names.


    "Recite the police code for me."


    "Are you done?!"


    "Don''t even think abouting in if you¡¯re not reciting it!"


    Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. It was so troublesome just to enter. She could only recite a few police rules. The face on the screen disappeared and with a click, the iron gate opened.


    Entering the vi was like entering an old castle. The house was lifeless. The furniture was covered with dust and iron doors had been installed in the corridor. Lin Dongxue knocked on the door and a man covered in a bed sheet came out and took out some keys. He unlocked the three locks on the iron door one by one.


    He brought the two of them to a room. This room had no windows. If you looked closely, you would find that the walls were very thick. There was ayer of fireproof cotton on the walls and ceiling. There wereputers, refrigerators, beds, sofas, etc. in the house, and garbage was piled up like mountains, exuding a foul smell.


    "First of all, I''m not crazy. The reason why I want to hide here is because someone wanted to kill me. I killed 13 people and came out after only three years in jail. The families of the deceased tried to find me to settle the debt. I could only buy this house and hide in this city," said the man covered in the bed sheet.


    "You¡¯re Du Zilin?"


    "The one and only. What can I do for you?" He leaned on the sofa and picked up unfinished instant noodles.


    "How long have you been here?"


    "Ever since I was released from prison. I¡¯ve basically never left. I have a lot of savings anyway, so I won''t have to worry even if I hid for a lifetime."


    "To be honest, I don''t really believe in any acute transient mental disorder. Yourwyer really knows how to find a reason."


    "What?!" Du Zilin red. He threw the instant noodle bowl onto the table, sshing the noodle soup on his hand. "Which family member are you here to ¡®seek justice¡¯ for? I wasn¡¯t frugal with the money I should havepensated them with, yet they think I should pay with my life. That is the result of the court''s decision. The acute transient mental disorder was written in the judgment by the court. Thew supported me. What do you guys still want?!"


    "Okay, okay, don''t be so angry. We didn''te to you for this matter. Are you from Yinxian No.1 Middle School?"


    "Yeah!" Du Zilin was taken aback. "I graduated a long time ago, so why are you asking about this suddenly?"


    "There was a girl named Hanmeng in your ss, right?"


    "Hanmeng?" Du Zizheng giggled. "The girl who smelled like shit? What happened to her? Did she die?"


    Judging from this attitude, Du Zilin was definitely one of the bullies from back then. Chen Shi simply admitted, "We came regarding a murder, but the deceased wasn¡¯t Hanmeng. Do you know XX, XX, XX, and Lu Ming?"


    "They were all ssmates." Du Zilin''s expression gradually became tense. "What happened to them?"


    "They were killed!"


    "What?!" Du Zilin jumped onto the sofa. "I... I was definitely not the one who took the lead in bullying her. The whole ss hated her. What could I do? Sympathize with her?! Go fuck your mom! This kind of person was born to be bullied. Bullying her was the politics between our ssmates. If I didn¡¯t bully her, other boys would start gossiping and say that I like Hanmeng. That would be shameful. How could I continue living like that?!"


    Hearing this, Lin Dongxue frowned secretly, and Chen Shi asked, "Mr. Du, why are you so agitated? Have the four people I just mentioned all bully Hanmeng?"


    "You should ask who in our ss didn¡¯t bully her!" Du Zilin sneered, "If you were in our ss, you would have bullied her too because she was born looking cheap. She would apologize desperately if you touched her once. One time, I pped her. Each time I pped her, she said ¡®I''m sorry¡¯, causing rage to well up inside of me. Eventually my hands were swollen... Cheap bones. She deserves to be fucked!"


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t hold it in anymore. "You treated a girl who couldn¡¯t resist like this? What a man!"


    "She''s a bastard! A bastard! She caused her parents to die when she was born. Her body is stinky, just like shit. Don''t tell me that everyone is equal. She¡¯s a two-legged dog who lives just to suffer!" Du Zilin became inexplicably angry when Hanmeng was mentioned. He began pulling at the cotton wool exposed on the sofa with his right hand.


    Lin Dongxue wanted to refute this, but was persuaded by Chen Shi''s eyes. Chen Shi asked, "Are there any weird rumors about Hanmeng in the town?"


    "Yes. Everyone says she¡¯s an evil portent. You outsiders shouldn¡¯t be outraged as soon as you hear about campus bullying. This can be said to be a tradition in the town! There will always be a very misfortunate and ugly person in our town. Or they¡¯d be physically handicapped. This person is the evil portent of the town. Everyone will bully them so our bad luck will be transferred to them. Everyone can live a good life like this. As long as the evil portent dies, there will immediately be a new one, and there will never be exceptions. In the year that Hanmeng was born, the old handicap in the town died. She was the reincarnation of the old handicap. It was reasonable for us to bully her! It¡¯s reasonable! One year, there was a heavy rain in the mountains. My dad was out on errands and didn¡¯te back tillte at night. My mom was so worried that she told me to beat Hanmeng up to take away the disaster and pray for my dad... This is the tradition of our town. Outsiders shouldn¡¯t fucking randomly judge it."


    Lin Dongxue could hardly listen anymore.

 Chapter 762: Exercise Before Sleep

    <h4>Chapter 762: Exercise Before Sleep</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    "Then have you heard about the bizarre deaths of the people who had bullied her?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I know that Gao Lei died really eerily!" Du Zilin¡¯s agitated mood fell again. "I understand it like this. Hanmeng is a container for bad luck, but she was too small at the time and the capacity wasn¡¯trge enough, so this bad luck overflowed and spread to the people around her."


    "Isn''t it supposed to be hatred? A girl was bullied like that. Do you think she doesn''t hate you guys?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Right, how did Lu Ming and the others die? Is the murderer Hanmeng?" Du Zilin became nervous.


    "We¡¯re still investigating."


    "If you need help such as a portrait and the like, let me know. I don''t want to be killed without a clear reason." Du Ziyu shivered while holding his shoulders.


    Chen Shi saw an envelope on the table with the words "ss Reunion Invitation" written on it. He asked Du Zilin if he could look at it. Du Zilin agreed.


    Picking up the invitation letter and looking at it, Chen Shi raised his eyebrows slightly. "Your middle school ssmates are going to have a reunion the day after tomorrow?"


    "Yes. Of course, it¡¯s impossible for me to go. There are so many people outside who want to kill me, so I¡¯ll never leave this ce."


    "Was Hanmeng also on the invitation list?"


    "Haha, how could it be possible to invite her..." Du Zilin took out his mobile phone. "This is the contact group for all of our middle school ssmates except for her."


    Chen Shi opened the group and nced at it. A group of old ssmates chatted fervently, looking forward to the gathering the day after tomorrow. They didn¡¯t know that Lu Ming had been killed.


    Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi outside and whispered, "This party cannot be held. They may all be the target of the murderer. If the murderer does something at the party, we will be in a very passive position."


    Chen Shi looked at the chat content in the group. "It looks like it was organized by a person called the ss representative. Tomorrow, we should find them and stop the party."


    "Okay!"


    Back in the bedroom, Du Zilin roughly guessed what they were talking about and smiled. "If Hanmeng really went to the ss reunion to kill people, please tell me. I want to see if this group of people can still be so arrogant. What ss reunion? Isn''t it just showing off how good you have it right now?! Tch!"


    "You think you¡¯re really safe?!" Chen Shi asked in turn.


    Du Zilin spread his hands and said, "The security of this ce is foolproof. I won¡¯t let any strangerse within ten meters of me. Hanmeng can''t kill me, haha!"


    "I must state that there¡¯s currently no evidence that the murderer is Hanmeng."


    "Haha, who else could it be but her? What¡¯s the big deal? She was just bullied as a kid. Is she murdering people because of this? Pitiful people must have hateful sides to them!"


    "I won''tment on your values. Right, can you add me to this group?"


    "I¡¯ll lend you my mobile phone. Nobody is going to contact me anyway. Return it after investigating the case." Du Zilin waved his hand. "If there¡¯s nothing else, leave. I still have to y games. I¡¯m very busy!"


    Aftering out of Du Zilin''s house, the sky was already dark. Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s go to my house!"


    "Go to your house for dinner again? Let me treat you once in a while!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "No, you should stay at my house tonight."


    "Huh? So suddenly? Are you afraid that someone wille in again at night?"


    "Someone snuck inst night. Thinking about it, I¡¯m scared."


    "Unexpectedly, you have times when you¡¯re timid."


    The two returned to Chen Shi''s house. After dinner, Tao Yueyue asked, "Should I stay with Sister Gu for a while?"


    "You don¡¯t need to be so considerate. It makes us sound like we''re going to do something. Just y in the house!" Chen Shi said.


    "Oh... It looks like you two have already passed the honeymoon period."


    "Nonsense!"


    At this moment, someone knocked on the door and Gu You came in. Seeing Lin Dongxue, she smiled and asked, "Does Officer Lin live here now?"


    "No. I¡¯ve rented a house, but he asked me to apany him." Lin Dongxueined.


    Gu You was holding a few old books in her hand, and she spread them out. These books were all written by Chen Fengde. Of course, they were all of some kind of academic nature, and they probably couldn¡¯t be bought from bookstores.


    "Today I re-read Chen Fengde''s books and found that he mentioned a small group that teaches people to control their dreams. Although it was only briefly mentioned as a case study, I think it might be helpful to you."


    Chen Shi took it and looked at it. It was a short essay at the end of the main text with the title: "Do you believe that dreams can be shared?"


    "...In an interest group specializing in dreams, everyone shared their dreams every night. Two group membersy together to receive hypnosis and they had the same dream. Using the hypnotist as the medium, they began talking to each other, and they were able to repeat the conversation after waking up. With the deepening of the experiment, the members could evenmunicate directly in dreams without verbal hypnosis. Communication must have its medium. The author believes that the human unconscious is interlinked. With training, everyone canmunicate in dreams..."


    Chen Shi looked at the cover of the book and asked, "Was this book printed at his own expense?"


    "It was originally an academic paper written by Chen Fengde. The college thought it was too subjective and didn¡¯t publish it for him. He was unwilling to ept this, so he printed a thousand copies at his own expense."


    "Can hypnosis control another person''s dream?"


    "It''s very easy. The function of dreams is to protect sleep and turn internal and external stimuli into dreams that won¡¯t wake up the hypnotized person. For example, when you hear someone yelling ''fire'' in your sleep, logically speaking, you would jump up immediately and run for your life. However, your brain will process this information into a dream so that you can continue to sleep peacefully."


    "Haha, what an extreme example." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    Gu You said to Lin Dongxue, "Officer Lin can buy a sleeping device online and try it out. It''s actually a headset that will y soothing music, making you have sweet dreams."


    "No, no, my sleep has always been good."


    Chen Shi continued to ask, "So can a person stay in a dream for three days? I mean one night in reality, but three days in a dream."


    "Theoretically, when a person is dreaming, the brain runs very fast and the time in the dream is often longer than in reality. However, this has a limit, unless external force is used to forcibly increase the link speed of neurons."


    "What kind of external force... Ah, I get it! Drug stimnts!"


    "Yes, or like Chen Fengde, if they constantly trained their dreams... Whether it¡¯s dreams or drugs, they¡¯re cheap means of transcendence. Those illusions will make people indulge in them to escape reality." Gu You sighed.


    Chen Shi suddenly stood up and went to the bedroom to check on his pillows and quilts. Recently, he had a lot of strange dreams and couldn¡¯t sleep well. He was afraid that someone would have drugged him.


    Of course, the result of the inspection was nought. He went back to the living room and asked Gu You, "Do you have sleeping pills? I¡¯ve been having nightmares for the past two days, and I¡¯ve be a little haggard."


    "I''m just a psychologist. I don''t have prescription rights or medicine.[1] I suggest doing some exercise before going to bed so that you can sleep more peacefully."


    "Miss Gu, you¡¯re so dirty!" Lin Dongxueughed.


    "I''m talking about ordinary exercise. What did Officer Lin interpret it to be?" Gu You asked with a smile.


    "I... I also thought it was ordinary exercise." Lin Dongxue buried her face in shame.


    1. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication.

 Chapter 763: Closed-Room Murder

    <h4>Chapter 763: Closed-Room Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The next afternoon, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to see the ss representative who organized the ssmate¡¯s reunion, but the ss representative impatiently refused the two people¡¯s request. "This reunion has been in preparation for over two months, and many ssmates came from other ces. If I cancel it just because of your casual words, even if I agreed to it, others wouldn¡¯t. Shouldn¡¯t you police arrest that crazy woman?"


    "You have already had four ssmates die. Isn''t that enough to sound the rm? I didn''t ask you to cancel it. You can postpone it, such as holding it next month." Lin Dongxue reasoned.


    "Impossible!" The ss representative sneered. "Why would we be afraid of her when there¡¯s so many of us? How funny. Almost the whole ss bullied her back then. Is she capable of killing us all?"


    "What''s the reason for not cancelling?" Chen Shi asked.


    "What reason do we need? We just don''t fear her!"


    "I noticed that you are often trying to get close to a certain ssmate in the group. ording to his profile, he¡¯s an executive of thepany that works upstream of yours. The ss reunion is just so you can personally tter him, am I right?!"


    The ss representative became irritated. "There is no such thing. The ss reunion is to connect with each other. It¡¯s been 20 years since we graduated. It¡¯s rare to get together in this vast world. Why is it so unscrupulous in your mouth? The police''s thinking is really dark!"


    The ss representative was as smelly and hard as the bricks in a bathroom. They couldn¡¯t persuade him no matter what, so they could only leave their contact information and leave.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I will tell Captain Lin to put some people at the scene tomorrow, just in case!"


    "All right, I¡¯ll go as well."


    Chen Shi was in a conflicted mood. He was both looking forward to an incident and hoping that everything would be okay. All the conclusions at the moment were just spections based on history, and there was no direct evidence that Hanmeng was taking revenge on her old ssmates. If there was another murder...


    The mobile phone in Chen Shi''s pocket beeped, and he took it out. It turns out that it was the one that Du Zilin had lent him. There was a transfer notification on it saying that one of the bank cards of the phone owner had just transferred over four million out.


    When Chen Shi usually received such messages, he¡¯d regard them as fraudulent text messages. He suddenly realized that Du Zilin was indeed a rich man, so he called the bank to verify it. The bank confirmed that the transfer information was real.


    "Why did he transfer so much money out all of a sudden? To whom did he transfer it to?" Chen Shi questioned.


    "Contact him!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "His phone is in my hand. How can I contact him? We¡¯ll have to make a trip."


    When they arrived at Du Zilin¡¯s ¡°reclusive¡± vi, the two pressed the answering machine, but there was no response. They had a bad premonition. Chen Shi boosted Lin Dongxue over the courtyard wall, then took a few steps back to haul himself up, grabbing onto the courtyard wall before flipping in.


    The front door was locked. Chen Shi pried it open, and a bloody smell oozed out.


    The nerves of the two immediately tensed. When they got to the corridor, Du Zilin was lying on the back of the iron gate covered in blood, holding the railing tightly with both hands. The iron gate that had been used to protect him had turned into an obstacle when he was trying to escape.


    Chen Shi pped him in the face and called out his name desperately. Du Zilin slowly opened his eyes and said, "They were here..." Then, his head dropped and he died.


    Confirming that Du Zilin had no pulse, Chen Shi stood up and said, "Call Old Peng over!"


    Around 5:00, several police cars arrived at the scene. The iron door took nearly half an hour to pry open. Du Zilin died of a sharp weapon causing a puncture wound. The strange thing was that these injuries were all concentrated on the shoulder and back. Based on the angle of the weapon punctures, the murderer stabbed him from behind and was at least one meter and ny centimetres.


    The other end of the corridor was sealed with bricks. Neither the iron door nor the main entrance had signs of it being pried open. There was a lot of blood in the bedroom. That seemed to be the first crime scene. Only the footprints of the deceased were among the messy blood stains.


    "It''s so weird. It''s totally... a closed-room murder!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi found a key in a small bowl on the cab, picked it up, and said, "Can we use this key to unlock the lock from the outside?"


    The two tried it. Although there was a gap in the iron door, Du Zilin welded an iron te to the outside of the lock to be safe. It was impossible to reach in and unlock the lock from the outside, unless the person''s hands were like tentacles and could bend.


    "Where did the murderere in?" Chen Shi looked up and checked the ceiling. The ceiling and walls were all covered with fireproof cotton, and it seemed as though there were no ws.


    He brought over a herringbonedder from the corridor and inspected each piece of fireproof cotton one by one. He suddenly found that one of the pieces was loose. He opened it and it revealed a hole in the back.


    "Go to the second floor!" Chen Shi said.


    He and Lin Dongxue went to the second floor. The windows on the entire second floor were sealed. Only a small skylight had light shining in. The hole was facing the floor which could be lifted up. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why leave a hole here?"


    "Maybe it was set aside to install the chandelier when it was designed..." Chen Shi used his hand to measure it. "This hole is very small. Could people pass through it?"


    The two called several forensic police officers toe up to check, and they actually found fingerprints around the hole.


    Afterpleting the on-site survey, Peng Sijue and the others withdrew first. Chen Shi stood in the bloodstained room as if looking for something. He pointed to a table. "I remember that when I came yesterday, there was aptop on the table... The murderer not only killed him, but also took away Du Zilin¡¯s savings. It was really a clear goal."


    "You mean the bank password was saved in theptop?"


    "Yes, it seems that the murderer is someone whocks money."


    "Who do you think Du Zilin was talking about before he died? Hanmeng? Or the three people Xu Xiaodong was monitoring?"


    "Xiaodong didn''t contact me. Did those three people never leave?"


    Chen Shi dialed Xu Xiaodong''s number, but found that he couldn''t get through. A bad feeling washed over him, so he and Lin Dongxue rushed to find him.


    Outside the old house, Xu Xiaodong''s car was parked there, but he was gone.


    There was still half a drink and an unfinished burger in the car. His mobile phone was also left in the car. Chen Shi asked the uncle of the nearby concession stand and the uncle said that the person in the car had left half an hour ago. He wasn¡¯t sure where he went.


    The two had no choice but to inquire while searching nearby. They got to amercial street. As it was already dark, most of the shops were closed, and there was a group of people fighting on the street. It seemed to be one versus many.


    Lin Dongxue nced over and found that Xu Xiaodong was the one who was fighting with a group of gangsters.


    "Old Chen, Old Chen!"


    Before Chen Shi coulde over, Lin Dongxue hurried over, showing her ID and shouting, "Police! All of you stop!"


    Seeing this, the little gangsters immediately dispersed and ran away.


    Xu Xiaodong suffered a bit of superficial injuries and was leaning on his knees gasping. When Lin Dongxue came running over, he showed a silly smile at her. "Dongxue, look at how amazing I am! Those gangsters were bullying a girl. I couldn¡¯t stand by and watch, so I took action. Haha, it was really fun."


    "Who allowed you toe here..."


    Xu Xiaodong suddenly grabbed Lin Dongxue''s hand. Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened and she quickly threw his hand away. It was Xu Xiaodong''s turn to be dumbfounded. He saw Chen Shiing from behind and said in surprise, "Brother Chen, why are you in my dream?"


    "Dream?" Chen Shi raised his eyebrow. "Why don''t you pinch yourself? This is reality!"

 Chapter 764: Suspicious Fingerprint

    <h4>Chapter 764: Suspicious Fingerprint</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Xu Xiaodong pinched his arm nkly and his eyes became startled. "I... Aren''t I dreaming? When did I wake up?"


    Chen Shi found that Xu Xiaodong was sweating and his pupils were dted. He said, "Let¡¯s go back and talk about it!"


    "I... I''ll pick up the car."


    The two apanied Xu Xiaodong back to the old house. Chen Shi asked, "Did the people inside the housee out?"


    "They didn¡¯t. Then, I fell asleep and had a very realistic dream..." Xu Xiaodong nced at Lin Dongxue. His cheeks flushed. " I somehow ended up fighting the little gangsters on the street. When you showed up, I thought I was still dreaming."


    "Do you remember when you fell asleep?" Chen Shi asked.


    "It seemed to be after buying a meal..." Xu Xiaodong pointed towards the car, "There¡¯s still my leftover hamburger in the car."


    Chen Shi took a casual look, but suddenly found that the drink that was still in the car was missing. Just a short while after they left, someone took it away. Xu Xiaodong had probably been drugged.


    How daring!


    Chen Shi walked towards the old house. He stopped in front of the wooden door, hesitated for a moment, then retracted his outstretched hand. Even if they confronted them, they wouldn''t admit it!


    At the same time that Du Zilin was killed, the police officers who monitored them were drugged. These three must be connected to them!


    But there was no evidence at all.


    Chen Shi said, "Put your gloves on to drive. When you get back, take the car for an investigation to see if there are fingerprints on it... By the way, get Old Peng to give you a urine test."


    "Why do I need a urine test? My health is fine!"


    "Don''t ask the reason. We''ll see you in the bureauter."


    "Brother Chen, won''t you go back with me?"


    "We¡¯ll inquire around and see if anyone saw anything."


    After Xu Xiaodong left, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue asked around, but came out empty handed.


    Around 8:00, the two returned to the bureau and found Xu Xiaodong sitting in the forensic department holding a piece of paper with trembling hands. He asked, "Captain Peng, this matter won¡¯t cause me to be suspended, right?!"


    "What did you find out?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Hyoscyamine. It¡¯s a natural alkaloid derived from snaceae nts." Peng Sijueforted Xu Xiaodong, "This thing isn¡¯t a drug, but a simple poison. However, it has a negative effect. It can make people hallucinate."[1]


    "Then my body..." Xu Xiaodong was scared into a cold sweat.


    "Don''t worry. The dose found in your body wasn¡¯t enough to kill you. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be here right now."


    "Uh, why am I even more scared after hearing this?"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Don''t you remember when you woke up?"


    "Uh, from the time I fell asleep in the car to what happened between us just now, I don''t remember clearly..." Xu Xiaodong¡¯s eyes suddenly widened and he checked for his gun. "Oh no, my gun!"


    "You didn''t bring a gun while performing a surveince mission!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi brought a paper cup over to them and said to Peng Sijue, "Help me do a urine test as well."


    Peng Sijue nced at the paper cup in slight shock. "Why is it this color? What have you eaten recently?"


    "Ah, no, this is coffee poured from your coffee machine..." Chen Shi took a sip. "Give me a cup and I¡¯ll use it to hold the urine."


    "Sit down!"


    Peng Sijue pressed Chen Shi on the chair, checked his pupils, and said, "No need for testing. Hyoscyamine metabolizes very fast in the body. If it exceeds one day, it can¡¯t be detected at all."


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be untraceable to murder people with this?" Xu Xiaodong eximed.


    "Idiot, metabolism doesn¡¯t exist after death." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi thought of something and asked Xu Xiaodong, "By the way, did you see a little girl in your dream?"


    "What girl? Does Dongxue count?"


    "This girl." Chen Shi showed him the picture.


    Xu Xiaodong shook his head. Chen Shi thought that entering the dream state was indeed fake. The dreams they each had were all things they had seen or experienced.


    Chen Shi asked if Peng Sijue''s identification results from the afternoon hade out yet. Peng Sijue said that they would have to wait a while. The three of them went out for a meal and went to a small noodle shop. Xu Xiaodong ordered two iced mung bean soups, saying that it was to detoxify himself.


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "Why are you like an olddy? It¡¯s harmless if it doesn¡¯t reach the lethal quantity. For example, this tomato. If you eat too much, you¡¯ll die, but... who ordered the tomatoes?"


    "I ordered it." Chen Shi took a slice. "Tomatoes contain nicotine, which can make my head clearer."


    "Does it work?" Lin Dongxue didn''t believe it.


    "If you think it works, it works." Chen Shi smiled. "Xiaodong, were you having a dream or a nightmare?"


    "A sweet dream."


    Chen Shi thought, why do I have nightmares every time? Sweet dreams are for controlling people, such as Xin Bai. What are nightmares for? Do they want me to drive myself crazy?


    At the ss reunion tomorrow, would this group of people use simr methods?


    "Xiaodong, what have you monitored over the past few days?"


    "Nothing at all. This is probably the most boring surveince task I¡¯ve ever done. The family just keeps the door closed all day as if they don¡¯t need to eat. Right. At night, I often heard someone groaning in the room. It was the voice of the man who lives on the first floor. The girl often looked at me from the window on the second floor. My car window is covered with sun shields and I couldn¡¯t be seen from the inside, but she seemed to be looking at me... Their whole family is weird."


    "Tomorrow, you should still go there and stare. Go early. This time, bring your own food and water, and don''t have the window down."


    "Oh, okay!"


    After eating, Lin Dongxue nced at her phone and said, "Captain Peng''s results havee out."


    The three hurried back. Peng Sijue sat at the table looking a little off. He said, "The fingerprints brought back from the scene where Du Zilin was killed belonged to Chen Fengde."


    Peng Sijue pushed through two photos of the scene. "On the floor of the second floor, and the back of the deceased are his."


    "Chen Fengde really came in through the skylight, then got into that hole and killed Du Zilin?" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    Chen Shi took a piece of paper, drew a circle on it, and said, "I remember the hole was only this big. How could he get through?!"


    "Didn¡¯t someone in the prison say that Chen Fengde had been starving himself and was very thin? Maybe he was preparing for this murder."


    Chen Shi felt unconvinced and shook his head. "Even if people starve, their heads won¡¯t get smaller. This incident is very suspicious!"


    "That''s right..." Peng Sijue continued, "I also found a fingerprint on the roof of Xiaodong''s car. I did theparison together. I wanted to exclude it, but it turned out that the fingerprint was also Chen Fengde¡¯s!"


    He pushed another photo over, and the three were shocked. Lin Dongxue said, "Why did he leave fingerprints there? When Du Zilin was killed, we spected that the murderer was very tall, but Chen Fengde''s actual height is only 1.7 meters."


    Chen Shipared the three photos and said, "These fingerprints are all very strange. They¡¯re entire palms, as if someone deliberately printed fingerprints for us to see..."


    "Yes, these fingerprints are exactly the same!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi looked at Peng Sijue and asked, "Old Peng, are these fingerprints left by a living person?"


    1. Hyoscyamine is actually used to treat stomach and intestinal disorders, but it does have many potential side effects. Some of them include confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, short-term memory loss, ataxia and speech difficulties.

 Chapter 765: Uninvited Guest

    <h4>Chapter 765: Uninvited Guest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Peng Sijue said, "I tested the secretions during the identification. The variousponents on these fingerprints were identified, and the values are almost the same as those of ordinary people."


    "Almost the same? So there¡¯s a discrepancy?"


    "Aren¡¯t you taking unnecessary pains for an insoluble problem? Everyone has different amounts of perspiration, and the value of secretions will definitely fluctuate¡­ The owner of this fingerprint has a higher amount of perspiration.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Do you suspect that Chen Fengde has been killed and that someone is using his fingerprints to interfere with the investigation?"


    "Yes. If this was the case, the jailbreak problem has also been solved. He didn''t escape at all. Someone killed him and took his hand away¡­ I felt like things were strange with the fingerprints at the gym at first." Chen Shi put a chair by the wall and pointed to the back of the chair. "The distance between the side where the fingerprint was left is very close to the wall, but the entire palm was shown, and the fingers were facing outwards. I couldn¡¯t figure it out. What kind of action was this? I was questioning the authenticity of the fingerprints at that time."


    Peng Sijue said, "Since the murderer has the ability to not to leave their own fingerprints, I¡¯m wondering why they bothered to nt fake fingerprints. It¡¯s purely a superfluous action. Besides, these fingerprints are left by a living thing. You don''t have to worry about it anymore."


    "Living thing¡­" Chen Shi seemed to have thought of something, but he couldn''t say his conclusion. "Dongxue, let''s go to Du Zilin''s house again."


    "Huh? We need to go to that kind of ce sote at night? The ss reunion is tomorrow morning and we all have to keep watch at the scene."


    Chen Shi had to give up his idea. "Okay, we¡¯ll go home!"


    Back home, Gu You went to inquire about the progress of the case again. When she learned that another person had been killed, she let out a sigh. "Chen Fengde may have been used as a hitman."


    The night was very peaceful. With Lin Dongxue''spany, Chen Shi no longer had strange dreams and for once, he was able to sleep peacefully.


    The next morning, the two went to a hotel. Lin Qiupu had booked a room. When they got to the room, they saw a lot of radio equipment on the table. The members of the second team were all dressed in in clothes. Lin Qiupu said, "Today''s task is to catch the criminal at the scene, but protecting the safety of the citizens is still the primary priority. When encountering a dilemma, save people first, then arrest people. Because it¡¯s in a hotel, everyone shouldn¡¯t carry guns¡­ In addition, this hotel is a non-smoking hotel. Colleagues that need to smoke need to go to the balcony to solve that first."


    Some police officers stood up one after another and took out their small sticks to the balcony to pass their addiction.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, who had no such need, put on their radios first and rushed to their ce.


    The two stood outside the hall where the ss reunion was being held. Those who walked by cast curious eyes at them. "Hotel staff?", "I heard it was the police who came to protect us.", "What is going to happen today?"


    A group of old ssmates met and greeted each other both enthusiastically and awkwardly. Lin Dongxue asked, "Have you participated in this kind of ss reunion?"


    "Not even once." Chen Shi replied.


    A woman came over with a chair and said, "Officers, you should be tired standing around for so long. Sit for a while!"


    "No. No need, thank you¡­ How did you know we¡¯re the police?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The ss representative told us in the group chat! Haii, I didn''t expect such a thing to happen, but with your protection today, I don''t think anything will happen!"


    "Right, where''s the ss representative?"


    The woman nced into the hall. "He¡¯s not here yet, but he should be here soon!"


    The woman was called over. This group of old ssmates ordered a big cake and was about to cut it. A group of people elected a representative to cut it. When the cake was cut, someone suddenly screamed.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed in, Chen Shi pushed aside the crowd. "What happened!?"


    They saw something hidden in the cut cake. Someone had already picked it up. It was a girl''s school uniform with patches on it and it gave off a foul smell.


    "Isn''t this our old school uniform?"


    "It¡¯s so dirty. Who put it in the cake? Can the cake still be eaten?"


    "It might be a surprise by the ss representative, but this is too much!"


    "No one invited me?" A voice came from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw a little girl standing on the stage, speaking into the microphone.


    "She¡­ She¡¯s Hanmeng!"


    "Impossible. How could she still be like this after so many years?"


    "Didn¡¯t she go missing long ago?"


    That girl was the girl from the old house who looked Hanmeng. Chen Shi picked up the torn school uniform covered with cream, walked over, threw it on the ground, and said, "Dressing up as a god and ying the devil![1] This is what you prepared!"


    "Hanmeng" jumped off the chair and walked towards the crowd as if she couldn¡¯t see Chen Shi. The group of adults spread out in horror as if they had seen a ghost, forming a vacuum zone around her.


    "Chu Yuhan. April 6th, 1994¡­" She looked at a woman and spoke indifferently. The other party covered her mouth in surprise.


    Then, her eyes turned to another man. "Jia Lei. April 20th, May 2nd, May 13th, June 2nd 1994¡­"


    She said everyone else¡¯s names and a series of strange dates to everyone present. Lin Dongxue asked puzzledly, "What is she talking about?"


    "Maybe¡­ It was the specific times when these people bullied her." Chen Shi guessed.


    "Liu Xin, May 2nd, May 13th, 1994¡­"


    Suddenly, the man named Liu Xin pped "Hanmeng" to the ground. Thedies screamed and backed up. Liu Xin''s nostrils fluttered and said, "What do you want to do?! Evil portent, you came here to use us? A good ss reunion was ruined by you like this! The whole ss bullied you. Isn''t it because you have a problem?!"


    "Hanmeng" was crawling on the ground with blood on the corners of her mouth, but with a strange and excited smile on her face.


    Chen Shi immediately stepped forward to stop him and said to the man, "What are you doing? Who allowed you to use violence? Do you think you¡¯re still a kid?"


    "You¡¯re a policeman, right?" Liu Xin sneered, and suddenly pped Chen Shi''s face. Chen Shi quickly blocked him.


    Unexpectedly, this guy turned around and took the cake-cutting knife, and pointed at Chen Shi. "Fuck, I opened an Inte cafe, but you police have never approved the procedures. I lost hundreds of thousands of yuan! I¡¯ll take it out on you!"


    "Have you gone nuts?!" Chen Shi scolded.


    Liu Xin was taken aback for a moment, then looked around. Suddenly, his expression rxed. "Forget it, I can''t beat you. It''s time to wake up!"


    As he said this, he swiped his neck directly with the cake knife and fell to the ground, blood spurting out.


    The scene erupted in chaos as people screamed and jumped away wildly. Chen Shi tried to cover the man''s wound, but the wound was too deep. His opened eyes kept twitching, and his breath became weaker and weaker.


    "Dongxue, call someone quickly!"


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t use the radio at all in this noisy environment. She was about to go out and call for someone when a thin man kissed her face. The man smiled happily. "Haha, I kissed the police flower! It''s worth it. It''s worth it!"


    Then, he ran to the window and jumped out from the sixteenth floor with a crash¡­


    1. To deceive people.

 Chapter 766: Trapped In The Dreamland

    <h4>Chapter 766: Trapped In The Dreand</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Standing downstairs smoking, Old Zhang was startled by the huge movement, and saw a man fall onto a car with a smile on his face.


    Before Old Zhang could calm himself, another woman jumped down and fell on the road. Her whole body was deformed, and the screams of bystanders echoed in the sky.


    "Everyonee to the 16th floor!" Lin Qiupu shouted over the radio.


    Old Zhang immediately threw his cigarette butt away and rushed to the 16th floor. The scene was already a mess. The crowd screamed and some people squatted in the corner with their heads in their hands, trembling. There was a bloody corpse lying on the ground while Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were holding down a struggling person.


    A man was actually tearing at another woman''s clothes. Lin Qiupu immediately held him back and shouted, "What are you doing!"


    With a foolish smile on his face, the man said, "Disappear from my dream."


    "Cuff him!"


    After being handcuffed, the man violently broke free from the police, shouting, "No more, no more, I want to wake up!" Then, he rushed straight toward the window.


    If it weren''t for Chen Shi''s quick reflexes throwing him down to the ground, it would have been another life lost.


    After a lot of hard work, all these "lunatics" were brought under control. Not all of those that were invited to attend the ss reunion had been affected. It was only some of them. A total of three people died. One of them killed themself and two of them jumped off the building.


    At this time, Chen Shi suddenly found that "Hanmeng" was sitting leisurely on the edge of the stage, eating a piece of cake in her hand as if it had nothing to do with her. When Chen Shi saw her, she raised her hands as if to say: "Please catch me!"


    "She¡¯s the suspect?!" Lin Qiupu said incredulously.


    "Yes, I suggest taking her for an individual examination to see how old her actual age is." Chen Shi said. He was full of doubts and didn¡¯t know how she had done it.


    These crazy and suicidal people had one thing inmon. They all thought they were in a dream.


    "Hanmeng" was taken away and Lin Qiupu asked the policeman in charge of tracking the safety exits and elevator, "Who saw hering up?"


    Everyone shook their heads and Chen Shi said, "Dongxue and I have been watching the entrances and exits at the scene. It¡¯s impossible for us to not find a "child"ing in¡­" Chen Shi looked at a fewrge boxes with speaker equipment beside the chair and walked over. He opened them one by one and smelled the insides. One of the empty boxes smelled of sweat. He said, "She was hiding here in advance to ambush the reunion."


    "Take it back for the interrogation!" Lin Qiupu sighed feebly. Such close surveince still allowed for something to happen.


    Chen Shi was also exhausted. He followed everyone down the elevator. When he walked into the elevator, he suddenly saw his face reflected on the elevator wall. Suddenly, he said, "Fuck, here we go again!"


    "What''s wrong, Old Chen?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "What did you call me?"


    Everyone''s gazes fell on Chen Shi. Chen Shi reached out and pressed the elevator button and went straight down to the ninth floor. It happened so suddenly that Lin Dongxue thought he was going to the bathroom, but she saw him run across the corridor towards the window at the end.


    "No, even he was affected!" Lin Qiupu was shocked.


    Lin Dongxue rushed out of the elevator to catch up, and threw Chen Shi to the ground at her fastest speed. She cried, "Wake up! You¡¯re not dreaming!"


    Chen Shi gently said to her, "Okay, okay, I know. Get off of me!"


    Lin Dongxue, who thought Chen Shi had already woken up, let him go. This scene had frightened her. Lin Dongxue''s tears kept pouring out, and she couldn''t wipe them away no matter what. Chen Shi stretched out his hand to wipe her tears away and said, "Even in a dream, I love you so much and don''t want to see you cry."


    "Hey!" Lin Dongxue was shocked. "This is reality!"


    She pinched Chen Shi''s arm extremely hard, and Chen Shi''s tears almost fell from the pain. He took out his phone and opened the front camera to look at his face. After looking at it, he seemed to understand something and his expression became more determined.


    Lin Qiupu caught up and said, "Another one¡¯s gone crazy? Handcuff him!"


    "I¡¯ve already woken up, okay?" Chen Shi said.


    "I can tell when someone is lying, even if it¡¯s you." Lin Qiupu said confidently.


    "Hahahaha, Little Lin, you¡¯ve learned well!"


    Lin Qiupu was astonished for a moment. Nobody had called him "Little Lin" for a long time.


    Everyone was surprised as well. They didn¡¯t know when Chen Shi was affected. Lin Dongxue said that she had been with Chen Shi for the past two days, but Chen Shi often had strange dreams before that and was a little unstable.


    So, they could only ask Gu You for help.


    Lin Qiupu invited Gu You, and Chen Shi was locked in a conference room with his hands cuffed to the back of the chair. Gu You sat in front of him and asked, "Why do you think you are dreaming?"


    "Give me a mirror!"


    Gu You opened the front camera of her phone and handed it to Chen Shi. In the image, he was Song Lang. This would never happen in reality, so he was quite sure that this was a dream.


    An extremely real dream!


    "Take a picture!" Chen Shi said, "Who do you see in the photo?"


    Gu You took a picture and looked at it suspiciously. "It''s yourself."


    "Who am I?"


    "Chen Shi!"


    Chen Shi shook his head and said in a low voice, "It''s Song Lang. That¡¯s who I am originally. I only have this identity in my dreams."


    Gu You got up and said, "I''ll pour you a ss of water."


    When she got outside, she said to the police officers who were waiting outside, "In reality, he saw a sign that only appeared in his dreams. I guess someone adjusted this while he was sleeping and buried this ''catalyst'' in his consciousness in advance."


    "I can''t believe that a clever person like Chen Shi would also be affected by such a cheap trick!" Lin Qiupu was shocked.


    "The smarter the person, the more he believes in his own judgment. He now firmly believes that he¡¯s dreaming and no one can change that." Gu You said. "Don''t force him. Forcing him will only make him pretend topromise and deceive you with lies¡­ I will follow along and tell him that this is indeed a dream. I will give him hypnotic suggestions when he falls asleep."


    "Xiaodong was also tricked in the same wayst night. He couldn''t distinguish between reality and his dreams¡­ Today''s deceased and ¡®crazy¡¯ people are probably like that due to the same principle!" Lin Dongxue said in horror.


    "I''ll go to Captain Peng for a urine test to see if he has been drugged." Lin Qiupu said.


    "You should interrogate the suspect first. I¡¯ll take care of Mr. Chen."


    Everyone left one after another. In the end, only Lin Dongxue was left. She asked Gu You, "What was the marker that Old Chen saw? He seemed to care about his face. Is it rted to this?"


    "I can''t reveal any secrets of the patient, but you can ask him yourself. He thinks he¡¯s dreaming, and he might tell you."


    "This probably involves his secret, so I won''t take advantage of him!"


    "You respect him very much!" Gu You smiled.

 Chapter 767: Woken Up

    <h4>Chapter 767: Woken Up</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Gu You shed the key to the handcuffs in front of Chen Shi''s eyes and said, "I¡¯ve already told Officer Lin that as long as you don''t try to wake up through suicide, I will release the handcuffs for you."


    "Sure!" Chen Shi said.


    "¡¯Sure won¡¯t do. You have to promise."


    "Okay, I promise!"


    After Gu You unlocked Chen Shi''s handcuffs, he stood up and walked to the window. It was indeed Song Lang''s face reflected in the ss, but the scenery outside was so ordinary that he was very confused.


    "Do you remember when you fell asleep?" Gu You asked.


    "It must have beenst night. Today, when the people in the hotelmitted suicide one by one, I was thinking, this wouldn¡¯t all this be fake, right? I¡¯ve been having weird dreams the past few days, and I stayed in those dreams for a long time. Someone must have hypnotized me. This damn guy!"


    Gu You knew that the more she tried to convince Chen Shi, the more suspicious he¡¯d get. Just like her father at the time. Chen Fengde was also a very smart person, but once a smart person gets into a dead end from stubbornness, no one can change their minds.


    "Since you know you¡¯re dreaming, why not tell Lin Dongxue who you are?"


    "I¡­ I dare not say. I''m afraid this dream will turn into a nightmare as soon as I talk about it¡­ Haii, wake up quickly! Can I go out for a walk?"


    "As long as you don''t mess around."


    Chen Shi went outside with Gu You. Even when he walked in the familiar corridor, Chen Shi had an illusory feeling. The obsession of "this is a dream" upied his heart like a virus.


    At this time, the police were interrogating "Hanmeng", but the little girl did nothing but sneer while sitting on the interrogation chair with her arms hugging her legs.


    When Chen Shi was outside the interrogation room, Lin Dongxue asked in surprise, "Old Chen is all right now?"


    Gu You made a ¡®be silent¡¯ gesture.


    Lin Dongxue changed the subject. "Old Chen, do you want to hear about the case?"


    "Yes." Chen Shi said, thinking that breaking through cases in a dream could be really interesting.


    "All the people affected came from different ces. They booked a hotel room to restst night and were given urine tests. Hyoscyamine was found in their bodies. The hotel surveince footage was altered by someone. The footage from 11:00PM until 3:00AM kept repeating. We suspect that someone snuck into their rooms during that time period and hypnotized them."


    "What kind of hypnosis can make a person confuse dreams and reality?" Chen Shi asked, "If this was true, is it possible that what happened to Xiaodong was an experiment?"


    "My father was in such a state back then. He tried to ''wake up'' through suicide several times, but was stopped by me. Day after day, he was trapped in a ''dream'' called reality. He became restless. Losing interest in everything, his whole person became like the walking dead."


    Hearing Gu You say this, Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi sadly, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t be like this.


    Chen Shi stared at the closed-circuit television outside the interrogation room and was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he said, "I want to talk to her."


    The interrogation couldn''t go on anyway, so the interrogator inside came out first and Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue reced them. After getting seated, the little girl with her head down looked up at Chen Shi and said, "You know what? When people are in a dream, they can¡¯t verify that it¡¯s a dream unless they wake up."


    "Shut up!" Lin Dongxue said, for fear that this little girl would confuse Chen Shi''s heart.


    "Why do you want to do this to me?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Because you hide a big secret in your heart. You¡¯re very confused right now. You don''t know whether you¡¯re in reality or in a dream. As long as you believe in me and learn to control your dreams, you¡¯ll be free."


    "Stop talking!" Lin Dongxue scolded. She regretted agreeing to let Chen Shi talk to her.


    "Did you kill those people in this manner?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Don''t they deserve to die?"


    "It''s not up to you to decide whether or not they¡¯re deserving of death."


    "Your so-called justice is just self-righteousness out of context. One person kills another. You only see blood and brutality, but you don''t know what the murderer had previously experienced¡­" The little girl''s eyes changed. "What I experienced was worse than hell. Can you understand this? What right do the people who personally sent me to hell have in order to say that they¡¯re innocent? As outsiders, why do you interfere with all of this?!"


    Suddenly, her lower body turned into countless tentacles, twisting enchantingly. Chen Shi''s eyes widened in shock and Lin Dongxue kept tapping the table and roaring, "Stop talking!"


    Seeing the weird smile on the little girl''s face, Chen Shi held his head and rushed out. Fearing that something might happen to him, Lin Dongxue hurriedly chased after him.


    She saw Chen Shi run into an office, kneel on the ground, and touch the desk and chair. Then, he turned on aputer and browsed the contents on it. Lin Dongxue was shocked. Gu You rushed over and said, "He vaguely noticed something and is judging the authenticity of this world."


    "How would he judge it?"


    "Details! The real world can be infinitely expanded. For example, if you go to a supermarket to buy a pack of instant noodles, the packaging will clearly indicate the form and manufacturing location. If you go to that location, you will see an instant noodle factory. You can talk to the people in the factory. Everything in the factory can be traced back to the source¡­ The world that can be unfolded infinitely must be reality. He¡¯s waking up through his own reason!"


    Chen Shi raised his head and said tremblingly, "I understand what they did to my brain!"


    In hisst dream, he became Chen Shi in his dream. This was impossible. Now, he found himself as Song Lang in reality. However, if he was Song Lang, Lin Dongxue, Lin Qiupu, and the others¡¯ reactions wouldn¡¯t be so ordinary.


    There must have been a mistake there. Someone swapped the two interfaces in his brain so that he would think it was Song Lang when he saw Chen Shi, and vice versa.


    "Miss Gu, please treat me!" Chen Shi requested.


    Chen Shi was taken to Gu You''s consultation room. When he woke up again, he immediately took out his mobile phone and took a picture of his face. He had changed back to Chen Shi.


    "Great!" He breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Feeling better?" Gu You brought him a cup of hot tea.


    "I¡¯m okay. This is reality, right?"


    "Correct. Officer Lin is waiting for you outside!"


    Chen Shi walked out and when Lin Dongxue saw that he waspletely normal, she cried with joy and went up to hug him. Chen Shi patted her on the back andforted her softly. However, he suddenly wondered whether Gu You¡¯s hypnosis didn''t work and whether it was a dream when he saw himself as Chen Shi.

 Chapter 768: The Little Girl’s Real Identity

    <h4>Chapter 768: The Little Girl¡¯s Real Identity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    On the way back to the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi suddenly said, "That girl isn¡¯t Hanmeng."


    "Oh?" Lin Dongxue was taken aback. "I think so too. Captain Peng has checked her. She¡¯s an ordinary little girl. Hanmeng can¡¯t be of this age."


    Chen Shi stared at his face in the rearview mirror and said, "She said in the interrogation room just now that a person cannot tell that it¡¯s a dream when inside a dream. Just like now, although you all said this is reality, but it may not be reality."


    "Hey, you haven''t recovered yet?" Lin Dongxue was nervous.


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "Don''t be agitated and listen to my theory¡­ Those people and I were all hypnotized. If this little girl did it, her deliberately mystifying remarks should have had an impact on me, but it didn''t. This proves that she isn¡¯t a hypnotist! She appeared in order to divert the attention. Hanmeng wanted to kill all her ssmates, but only three died today. I think the suspect still has big ns ahead¡­ After Xiaodong¡¯s incidentst night, the surveince was corrupted and these people were hypnotized. It¡¯s that woman. She¡¯s Hanmeng! Yes, the age is consistent!"


    "So who¡¯s the little girl?"


    "If I¡¯ve guessed correctly, she should be Hanmeng''s biological daughter. It¡¯s very possible that the daughter would look like her mother when she was a child."


    "That¡¯s way too simr, right?!"


    Aftering to this reasoning, Chen Shi couldn''t wait. He turned the steering wheel and went straight to the old house.


    The alley was still very quiet. There weren¡¯t many people on the street. Xu Xiaodong¡¯s car was still parked here. Lin Dongxue went over and knocked on the window. Xu Xiaodong, who was listening to music, took off his headphones and said in surprise, "Why are you here?"


    "Has anyonee out of the house today?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, that woman has been watching TV upstairs the whole time. Look, you can still see her back from the second-story window!"


    "Let¡¯s go up and see!"


    "Do we knock directly on the door?"


    "There¡¯s no problem with this procedure, right?" Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue.


    "Since the little girl is suspected of murder, it¡¯s justified to investigate her family members."


    When the three arrived at the old house, Lin Dongxue was about to knock on the door. Chen Shi made a gesture to stop her. He took out the tools to pry the lock open and opened the door to see that the first floor was still deserted. The big iron cage was empty.


    Xu Xiaodong said in surprise, "I didn''t see this maning out!"


    "Go upstairs!" Chen Shi said.


    The three of them went upstairs. It turned out that the "female owner" who was watching TV with her back turned to the window was Liu Tao. He was wearing a full set of women''s clothes and a wig. When someone broke in suddenly, he was shocked and asked, "Who let youe up?"


    "Why are you pretending to be your wife here? Where is she?" Chen Shi interrogated.


    "I don''t know! I don''t know!" Liu Tao was shaking his head.


    "Who exactly is your wife? Is she called Hanmeng?!" Chen Shi asked.


    Liu Tao''s eyes widened and he denied mechanically, "I don''t know. I don''t know anything!"


    It seemed that he was reluctant to say anything. Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue aside and asked, "Where are the people from the reunion?"


    "The hypnotized people are temporarily under control, and the others are of course gone."


    "Get in touch with them and see."


    Chen Shi only had the ss representative¡¯s number. He dialed it, but he couldn''t get through. He vaguely guessed something was wrong and said, "Locate them through their phone numbers!"


    Lin Dongxue notified the bureau to investigate this, but the result was that all of those mobile phone numbers couldn¡¯t be located.


    "Maybe those detained right now know of their whereabouts!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Let''s hurry back!"


    The three hurried back to the bureau. The detention room was almost full. It was full of Hanmeng¡¯s old ssmates. Lin Dongxue asked one of the men, "Did the ss representative mention where you¡¯d go after the party today?"


    The man sat in the detention room ying cards with himself. He raised his head and said with a grin, "I won''t tell you!"


    "He thinks he¡¯s still dreaming, just like you were just then." Lin Dongxue whispered.


    "I wasn¡¯t so naive in my dreams¡­" Chen Shi said to the man in a coaxing tone, "Do you want to eat anything? Tell us and we''ll buy you some delicious food!"


    The man looked at Lin Dongxue and said, "Tell me her three measurements."


    "Enough!" Lin Dongxue red. "Forget it, let''s ask others!"


    "Okay, okay, I¡¯ll talk¡­" The man relented. "The ss representative booked a bus and prepared for us to go back to our alma mater at the end of today¡¯s party. We were going to spend the night there¡­ It was said to be until tomorrow night, because I¡¯m still sleeping right now, hehehe!"


    "Number on the te!"


    The man knocked on his head. "Who would deliberately remember the numbers on the license te? I can''t do it!"


    They asked a few other people, but they didn''t know, so they could only call the bus charteringpany to find out.


    The police immediately went to the traffic control station to check the surveince footage. It took nearly three hours to find the traces of the bus. It left the hotel at noon. After passing a few roads, it was now parked next to an abandoned factory in the suburbs.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t you think it''s weird? If something like that happened in the morning, would they still go back to their alma mater to y as originally nned?"


    Chen Shi said, "After the reunion was over, this bus has indeed been driving around on the roads. It may be a guise, just like the little girl. It might just be a smoke bomb that diverts our attention. Let''s not all rush there. Let¡¯s confirm with the three of us first!"


    The three drove there. At sunset, they found the bus that was abandoned on the side of the road. The bus was empty. Chen Shi got on and checked. The bus was very clean and there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone on it except the driver.


    Taking into ount the possible danger, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong both brought their guns this time. The three walked into the nearby factory, where there were overgrown weeds, abandonedthes, and car parts everywhere. It was pitch ck when they entered the workshop area.


    Suddenly, a few shots rmed Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi, and they rushed toward the noise. Xu Xiaodong stood in the abandoned factory building, staring in front of him in a daze. The gun in his hand was still smoking. He said in astonishment, "There was something just now that jumped out. I was shocked and shot!"


    "Don''t shoot randomly!" Lin Dongxue reprimanded him.


    "It wouldn¡¯t¡­ have hit someone, right?"


    Chen Shi saw a knife and a line of blood on the ground. He said, "You¡¯re very quick to react. That person was trying to kill you!"


    Xu Xiaodong gulped in fear.


    The three of them followed the blood trail on the ground. The blood was getting fainter and fainter, and finally disappeared around a corner. Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong nervously pointed their guns there, only to hear a squeaking sound, which seemed to being from some kind of animal.


    The three exchanged nces with each other in surprise, and Chen Shi said, "Do you guys have anything to eat?"


    "I have an unfinished bag of biscuits here." Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi threw the biscuits on the ground and signaled the two to back away. The three of them held their breaths and watched. The thing hiding there probably thought they were gone, and so it ran out after smelling the scent of the biscuits. At first nce, the three thought it was an alien. It turned out that it was a shaved monkey. It had been shot in the shoulder, but still couldn''t resist the temptation of delicious food, so it picked up the biscuits on the ground and stuffed it into its mouth.


    "Notice its hands!" Chen Shi pointed out.


    Lin Dongxue found suture threads on the monkey''s wrists and its hands were strange. That¡­ that looks like two human hands!

 Chapter 769: Mysterious Helper

    <h4>Chapter 769: Mysterious Helper</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When the monkey saw the strangers, it immediately bared its teeth and showed hostility. Xu Xiaodong took out some more cookies, but the monkey seemed to be very unwilling to see him. Lin Dongxue said, "You just shot him. Let me do it!"


    "Be careful. This monkey is very likely to have killed someone!" Chen Shi reminded them.


    An animal was an animal in the end. When Lin Dongxue handed it the biscuit, the monkey rxed its vignce and lowered its head to eat. The three squatted down to check its hands. Lin Dongxue said, "Are these hands connected to it?!"


    "No, look carefully. Someone put a pair of human hand skin on its hands like gloves. In order to restore the size, it seems to be filled with some stuff." Chen Shi stretched out his hand and squeezed it. The monkey was hurt and squealed. They gave it a few more biscuits to soothe it.


    If they guessed correctly, the pair of human skin transnted to the monkey belonged to Chen Fengde so that fingerprints could be left from that of a living creature.


    Humans are also primates. Monkeys and orangutans have the same blood types as humans. Even so, the rejection caused by allotransntation wasn¡¯t small. The parts where the monkey''s "strange hands" were joined had be inmed and had pusing out. There were needles in the arms, probably to give it antibiotics and drugs that would suppress the immune system.


    It was the one who cut the belt of the equipment in the gym, and it was also the one who killed Du Zilin. Only its size could pass through the hole in the ceiling. It fell on Du Zilin''s back and left such a wound.


    The people who domesticated it shaved it bald in order not to leave hair on the scene.


    "How cruel and vicious toe up with such a technique!" Lin Dongxue said, "Do you think it escaped, or was it discarded?"


    "The possibility of it escaping is rtively high. From this point of view, Chen Fengde has already been killed. He hadn¡¯t escaped at all. Someone killed him in prison and took the skin off his hands. The body should be stuffed in a ce that isn¡¯t easy to find."


    "There are barrels with corrosive chemicals in the factory where the prisoners work. Could it be¡­" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    Xu Xiaodong said, "This monkey has killed someone. Do you want to handcuff it?"


    "What are you handcuffing? Give it a few more biscuits and liaise with someone from the zoo to take it awayter.


    "It''s not illegal for a monkey to murder people?"


    "If you have the same IQ as a monkey, it¡¯s not illegal to murder people either."


    The three heard a call for help from somewhere. The monkey liked Lin Dongxue, so the two told her to stay behind. Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong hurried away towards the noise. After searching in the dark factory building for a long time, they found a person in a spout of equipment for materials to be dumped in. The man was strapped to a broken chair with tape,. Judging by his haggard appearance, he seemed to have been tied there for a long time. He started calling for help when he heard people talking.


    "Who are you?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "I''m the driver! Last night, there was a man who chartered a car and said he was going to Yinxian Town. Today, I drove the car to the designated location, and a man suddenly jumped out, pointed a gun at me, and told me to drive. I was scared crazy. We drove around the city all afternoon. We drove until the car ran out of gas. Then, he told me to park the car here, and then tied me up¡­ Hey, do you have any water? Quickly untie me. I want to pee!"


    "Do you want to pee or drink water?"


    "Both! Hurry!"


    Xu Xiaodong was about to untie the man when Chen Shi told him to wait. He asked the man, "Are you dreaming right now or in reality?"


    "Are you nuts? I¡¯m definitely in reality!"


    It seemed as though the person hadn¡¯t hypnotized him. Maybe it was toote, or they felt it unnecessary. They didn''t even n to kill him to prevent him from talking.


    After letting go of the driver, he ran to a corner to relieve himself heavily. He asked Chen Shi for a cigarette while Chen Shi asked him about the characteristics of the robber. The driver said, "He was in all ck, thin, wearing a hat and a mask. I don''t know what he looks like. That''s right. He was carrying a bag which was always moving."


    "How do you know it was a man? Did you hear his voice?"


    "Yes!"


    Xu Xiaodong whispered, "It can''t be Liu Tao. He was still at home this afternoon!"


    The characteristics of that person weren¡¯t very simr to Hanmeng either. Chen Shi suspected that he was Han Meng¡¯s helper. It¡¯s very likely that he was hired because Du Zilin¡¯s savings were transferred to an out of town ount after he died and the police couldn¡¯t track it down.


    The driver, the monkey, and the bus were all thrown here to divert their attention.


    "Let''s go and have a look in the bus!" Chen Shi suggested.


    The two took the driver back to the bus. Chen Shi saw some faint footprints in the car. It seemed that the person wasn¡¯t very tall. He took a photo with his mobile phone and sampled the dirt on the footprints.


    "Did he ever make any calls while on the bus?" Chen Shi asked.


    The driver recalled and said, "He made one and said, ¡®The watermelon has been delivered to the watermelon shed¡­ Happy cooperation¡­ Leave the cantaloupe for me!¡¯ and that kind of thing. I didn''t understand things like that.


    "It''s a secret sign. Hanmeng may have already kidnapped those people somewhere to be killed. As for the cantaloupe¡­ Does this coborator have an extra goal?" Chen Shi guessed.


    After a while, people from the animal protection organization came and took the monkey away. Chen Shi took a set of the monkey¡¯s fingerprints.


    He halved the gasoline in his car and gave it to the driver to let him drive away. The driver suffered from this crime and although the police didn¡¯t have the obligation topensate him, Chen Shi gave him 1,000 yuan out of humanity so that he could go to the hospital for an examination.


    The three hurried back to the bureau. Lin Qiupu and the others hadn¡¯t gotten off work yet. Chen Shi and the others took the physical evidence brought back from the scene to the forensic department, and unexpectedly discovered that Gu You was also there.


    Gu You said, "I was treating those who were hypnotized, but it¡¯ste."


    Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi in a low voice, "Do you want to tell Miss Gu the truth?"


    Chen Shi responded, "We should tell her. She has the right to know the truth¡­ Old Peng, please check these fingerprints."


    After the identification results came out, Peng Sijue said, "This is Chen Fengde''s fingerprints."


    Hearing the name, Gu You stood up, agitated. "Where did you find it? Did hemit another crime?"


    "Miss Gu, please listen to me¡­" Lin Dongxue said.


    After hearing what happened, Gu You sat back on the chair, wide-eyed, and said in a choked voice, "So, if it¡¯s like that, it means that it bodes ill rather than well for Chen Fengde?"


    "Yes."


    "Thank you for telling me this. In fact, I¡¯m actually relieved. He was just being used by others and wasn¡¯t subjectivelymitting crimes." Gu You lowered her head, concealing the tears on her face.


    Peng Sijue took out a tissue and hesitated for a long time as he didn¡¯t know how to approach the subject. Chen Shi could see that he was anxious and said, "Old Peng is handing you a tissue!"


    "Ah, thank you!" Gu You took it from him.


    Peng Sijue continued to test the soil they brought back from theboratory. Half an hourter, he said, ¡°Theposition of these soils is slightlyplicated. There¡¯s toner, glycerin, ethylene glycol, and the like.¡±


    "What is thebination of these ingredients?"


    Peng Sijue searched it on Google and replied, "It seems to be ink."


    "Ink? Stationery store?"


    "There are too many stationery shops in the city. Captain Peng, can you confirm what kind of ink it is?"


    "Unless there are samples."


    Gu You suddenly said, "It''s an ink factory. My father used to work near an ink factory. He gave the house to someone I¡¯m not familiar with before he went to prison."

 Chapter 770: Bloody Classmate Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 770: Bloody ssmate Reunion</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Everyone set off immediately and prepared to go to the ink factory. Gu You followed and said, "Please let me go with you. I want to meet this person who ruined my father''s life!" Lin Qiupu agreed.


    Around 9:00, everyone arrived at the residential area near the ink factory. Gu You led the way. Chen Shi asked, "Why did your father rent a work studio outside? Shouldn''t he have lived in the university?"


    "He wanted to write his book in a quiet environment. He said that he wanted to write a powerful book about dreams¡­" Thinking of the past, Gu You shook her head and sighed. "At the time, he was fascinated by the experience of lucid dreams, but none of the publishing houses were willing to publish the works he wrote."


    "Then he¡­"


    "Okay, don''t ask!" Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi.


    When they got to the front of an apartment, everyone tightened their nerves and stuck to the left and right of the door as they discussed how to enter. The trick of "checking the water meter" was obviously not ideal. If Hanmeng and the kidnapped people were really inside, she would likely be extremely vignt.


    "The house is quiet, almost as if no one is in there." Lin Dongxuemented.


    "Let¡¯s directly pry the door open." Lin Qiupu decided.


    The police opened the door and the room waspletely dark. The books on the shelves were covered with dust and cobwebs. It seemed that no one had been there for a long time. Lin Dongxue pointed to the ground and said, "Look!"


    There was a dragging trail on the dusty ground.


    After following this trace to the bathroom, everyone found that the ce had been cleaned. Chen Shi knelt down to check the drain. There were blood stains and hairs inside. His heart thumped. Was he toote?


    "How many people are missing?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Including the ss representative who can''t be contacted, there are a total of seven people. They¡¯re all men." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Hanmeng has a heavy sense of ritual. This ce is too small and the surroundings are very noisy. She might have changed to arger and quieter ce to murder them." Chen Shi guessed.


    "The ink factory next to us is generally closed this season. When I was young, I would go there for walks. The factory area is veryrge and quiet." Gu You said.


    "To take away seven people, she must have needed transportation!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Let¡¯s go out and ask!"


    Everyone went outside. As they left the housing district, Chen Shi saw a woman with long ck hair standing across the road with a lollipop in her mouth. She looked to be both smiling and not. When a car passed by, she disappeared.


    In that instant, he felt like it was someone he was familiar with, but he wasn¡¯t sure because it was too dark.


    Lin Dongxue came over and said, "The nearbyndlord said that in the afternoon, a dpidated van drove out of the housing district and entered the factory."


    "Let¡¯s go!" Lin Qiupu instructed everyone.


    When they arrived at the factory, everyone searched around. Lin Dongxue, Chen Shi, and Xu Xiaodong entered one of the factory workshops. When they were looking around, they suddenly heard a steel beam above their heads moving and dust was falling down, making ¡°su-su¡± sounds.


    Chen Shi seemed to understand something. He made a detour and walked around the pile of boxes next to him, and saw a man being hung from a steel beam by a rope. His face was already turning into the color of pigs¡¯ liver. If he weren¡¯t touching the edge of the boxes next to him with his feet, he would have been dead long ago. Only God knows how long he had been struggling for.


    "Hurry and help him!" Chen Shi yelled as he hugged the man''s leg and lifted him up so that he could breathe. The man coughed nonstop.


    Xu Xiaodong attempted to break the rope above him with his pistol but Lin Dongxue stopped him. "Don''t shoot. It¡¯ll be bad if you identally shot him."


    "But this rope is tied to the top."


    "Move a box and let him stand on it first!" Chen Shi shouted. He could hardly hold the man up anymore.


    Lin Dongxue brought a box for the man to use as a stepping stool. The man gasped and his eyes were tearful. Chen Shi tried talking to him, but it was as though he was sleepwalking and had gonepletely deaf.


    "What about the others?" Chen Shi asked again.


    The man looked at him with nk eyes and then pointed in a direction.


    "Xiaodong, you stay and watch here. Dongxue and I will head over!" Chen Shi instructed.


    On the way over, Lin Dongxue contacted the other people, and everyone rushed towards the same factory workshop. The door to the factory workshop was actually bolted from the inside and they couldn''t get it to open no matter how hard they pushed. The police were all extremely anxious. Chen Shi said, "One person can enter through the window!"


    The side skylight was both high and small. Only Lin Dongxue could get in in terms of body size. Chen Shi used his back as a stepping stone and helped her up. Lin Qiupu was very worried and said, "Don''t do anything after you go in. Open the door immediately!"


    Lin Dongxue was able to enter. Just like a stone sinking into the sea, there were no sounds of her movement after the initial sound of hernding.


    "Dongxue!" Lin Qiupu anxiously kicked the door.


    At this time, the door slowly opened. Lin Dongxue''s eyes were full of tears and her face was full of horror. Everyone looked inward over her shoulder and saw several bloody corpses.


    They walked in. There was a corpse lying on the ground that looked like a skinned body and it was still smoking as if it had been sprayed with some kind of corrosive liquid. The person had died in a painful manner while struggling.


    Another man sitting next to him was sitting on a chair with nails all over his body. His head was tilted and his clothes were stained red with blood.


    Another body was sitting by the wall. His stomach had been split open. From the movements of his hands, it seemed that he was struggling to push his internal organs back in.


    This "body" suddenly raised his head and shouted for help, which frightened everyone. Lin Qiupu said, "There¡¯s people still alive! Contact the hospital!"


    A dim light was lit in the gaps by the piles of boxes in front of them, as if they were guiding intruders. They clenched their pistols tightly with their sweaty hands, passed through the corridor between the boxes, and went under the light.


    A sound ¡°dong-dong¡± came from there. They saw a man kneeling under the light using a kitchen knife and chopping board to chop up a piece of bloody meat. There were corpses and internal organs everywhere beside him, and it was impossible to tell how many people there were.


    The man was crying, but he couldn''t stop his hands because he had a metal ring around his neck.


    Not far from him, a woman was wearing an old school uniform stained with blood, sitting on a chair and holding a remote control in her hand. Shezily looked at the "visitors" as if she didn''t care about the arrival of the police.


    "Police, help!" the man screamed.


    "Don''t stop. Go on!" The woman pressed the remote control once, and the man was electrocuted by the metal neck ring. He continued to chop the meat mechanically with both hands.


    "Stop right there!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    The woman raised the remote control in her hand and smiled. "Without my order, would he dare?"


    "You¡¯re Hanmeng?!" Chen Shi said.


    Hanmeng nodded slightly. "I''ve been waiting for you. Waiting for you to kill me with a bullet. My painful and desperate forty years of life has finally concluded today. I have had an extremely happy day using the most cruel means to torture these people who tortured me! This is the ss reunion I wanted."


    "Why did you drag my father Chen Fengde into this, using him as a tool for murder ten years ago and using him as a scapegoat again ten yearster?!" Gu You roared.


    "Chen Fengde is your father?" Hanmeng widened her eyes with a sickly smile on her blood-stained face. "I didn''t use him. He volunteered to help me because I could give him beautiful dreams."


    "You don''t have that ability at all. It''s just drugs and hypnosis. It wasn¡¯t even done by you, but by the helper you hired with money!" Chen Shi revealed on the spot.


    "You just love using the logic of reality to understand all the unknown, don¡¯t you?" Hanmeng said faintly, "There was once a girl who was regarded as an evil portent by everyone and was bullied by others. Her life was like hell every day, but the God in the dark gave her a kind of ability, allowing her to freely run around in dreams. It was dreams that supported her to live to this day; to live until the moment she could personally kill her enemies!"

 Chapter 771: I’ll Wake Up

    <h4>Chapter 771: I¡¯ll Wake Up</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t listen to this anymore and raised his gun threateningly. "Hanmeng, allow yourself to be arrested without resistance. Think of it as allowing your daughter to see you onest time!"


    Hanmeng sneered. Her thumb firmly pressed the button on the remote control, and the man who was chopping meat fell to the ground and kept twitching. His hair lit up with a thin smoke from the electric shock. Seeing that the situation was critical, Lin Qiupu shot Hanmeng on her shoulder and the remote control flew out of her hand.


    With a frantic smile, Hanmeng turned around and ran. Lin Qiupu fired several shots but only hit the boxes next to her. She quickly escaped under the cover of these boxes.


    "Chase after her!"


    Everyone rushed out immediately. When they got outside, the police had lost their target and were looking around nkly. Someone shouted, "Hey, she¡¯s over there!"


    It turned out that Hanmeng had climbed up a nearby chimney. On the handrail outside the chimney, there was a person following closely behind her. Everyone checked theirpanions and found that the person who followed her was Chen Shi.


    Although the handrail outside the chimney was protected by ayer of barbed wire, the more they climbed, the more dangerous it was. The two of them rushed to the highest ce and looked down to see the surrounding lights of all the households. Even Chen Shi trembled.


    Hanmeng crawled out of the protective and spread her hands towards the ground. Chen Shi had a bad feeling and shouted, "Don''t do anything stupid. Your daughter is still waiting for you!"


    "Do parents have responsibility towards their children?" Hanmeng snorted. "A person like me can''t be a good mother at all. My life has long been ruined. My desire for revenge has supported me to survive. Now, I have nothing to hold me back."


    Chen Shi clenched the handrail and furrowed his brows, thinking about how he could stop her.


    "But isn''t your revenge still not over? You can sue those people or make your story public. There is hope in your life."


    "Hahahaha! In order to save me, you¡¯ve really racked your brains. Officer Song, you¡¯re so cute¡­ By the way, do you think you¡¯re dreaming or in reality right now?"


    In order to stall for time, Chen Shi epted this topic. "We talked in our dreams, right? Can you tell me what you said to prove to me that you have this wonderful ability?"


    "I won''t prove it to you. Proof itself is a kind of weakness. You can only believe it if you want to get in the door of the dreand!" Hanmeng sneered. "Even if you don''t believe it, it doesn''t matter. Just treat this as the selffort of pitiful people. People who like dreams have one thing inmon. They¡¯re all abandoned by reality¡­ Goodbye. I should wake up. Maybe we¡¯ll meet again in another dream!"


    Unexpectedly, she jumped off, opening her hands towards the sky. Chen Shi''s eyes widened in surprise.


    He returned to the ground in despair as if he¡¯d lost his soul. Hanmeng¡¯s corpse broke to pieces. Falling from such a high ce, almost all of her bones were shattered. Some broken bones even poked out of her skin, but her face still held a smile of release.


    Many police officers would have nightmares about that night due to this scene. Lin Qiupu sighed, "Go and save people first!"


    Four people were found at the scene. Although the other three were seriously injured, they were rescued from life-threatening danger. However, the experience from that day would cause them huge psychological trauma.


    Chen Shi voluntarily went to the hospital to take care of those rescued. It was mainly because he wanted to spend his time quietly after experiencing these things.


    Lin Dongxue also apanied him. The two stayed in the silent hospitalte at night. Chen Shi took out a small silver sk and took a sip of alcohol. Lin Dongxue asked, "Aren''t you hungry? You haven¡¯t had anything to eat all night."


    "It''s okay. Just this is fine." Chen Shi shook the small sh in his hand.


    "Drink less! By the way, what did you two talk about on the chimney?"


    "Nothing really. I advised her to survive, but she just wanted to die and said a few words regarding dreams."


    "You won''t believe those things, would you?"


    "I wouldn''t believe things without evidence and logic. People''s subconscious minds can be shared? Please. This world is so miserable because people can never understand each other. The hearts of two people are two worlds."


    "Because of the differences between people, it¡¯s so interesting to discover a ''new world''." Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi and smiled gently.


    "Let¡¯s discuss the case. Both Liu Tao and Chen Fengde were pawns of Hanmeng¡¯s. Ten years ago, Hanmeng convinced Chen Fengde to kill her ssmates through some means. At that time, she was very careful and the police didn¡¯t find any connection between the deceased. The huge insurance money Liu Tao received at that time was probably used to paymissions to the mysterious helper. This mysterious helper yed a big role. They¡¯re proficient in hypnosis and drugs. Perhaps Chen Fengde and Liu Tao were also brainwashed. As for why it was them and what connection they had with Hanmeng, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to find out anymore! Chen Fengde was arrested for the clues he left behind, but he was very tight-lipped and didn¡¯t betray her. Hanmeng¡¯s revenge n was put on hold for ten years. Ten yearster, with the assistance of a mysterious helper, a big revenge drama was staged again."


    "In this whole case, Chen Fengde was the most pitiful one." Lin Dongxuemented.


    "Could it be that Chen Fengde owed something to Hanmeng? I don''t think he waspletely forced." Chen Shi thought.


    "The murder of Chen Fengde hasn¡¯t been investigated yet, but the prison is willing to cooperate this time. I believe that we¡¯ll know of his whereabouts soon."


    Suddenly, there was a nurse running in the corridor, as if heading towards the nursing ward. Lin Dongxue said, "It wasn¡¯t the three people who had something happen to them, right?"


    "Let¡¯s go and see!"


    They followed to the front of a ward and saw an olddy holding a girl in a hospital gown, crying and tearing up. The girl was skinny as skin and bones with long hair, and her thin face made her eyes look very big. She was sitting on a wheelchair.


    Lin Dongxue asked the nurse on the side what was wrong, and the nurse excitedly replied, "This vegetative patient has beenying there for ten years and just woke up suddenly. We don''t know why. The previous diagnosis clearly stated that there was no possibility of recovery. It¡¯s a medical miracle! Tomorrow, the hospital is going to have some big news!"


    The girl looked around in a daze. When her gaze passed over Chen Shi''s face, she suddenly showed a meaningful smile. This expression shocked Chen Shi¡¯s heart instantly.


    "No, it''s impossible. This is just a coincidence!" Chen Shi said to himself.

 Chapter 772: Ling Shuang Appears

    <h4>Chapter 772: Ling Shuang Appears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Why did Chen Fengde need to be killed? Who ordered you to do it?" Lin Qiupu questioned the man in the interrogation room.


    "I just did things for money!"


    "Who told you to do it?"


    "Haha, I¡¯ll die if I told you."


    Chen Shi received the call and rushed to the bureau. At this time, the interrogation was in progress. He asked Lin Dongxue, "Caught him?"


    "After all, the prison is rtively closed. The prisoners were interrogated one by one and some leads were found. This guy¡­" Lin Dongxue pointed to the interrogation room, "It was he who caused the small ident in the factory. While everyone''s attention was diverted, he killed Chen Fengde and hid him in a machine. Then, he slipped back quietly after chopping Chen Fengde''s hands off, put the body into a chemical barrel, and cleaned the scene with chemicals so that the police dogs wouldn¡¯t smell it. I don''t know how, but he sent Chen Fengde''s hands out. We suspect that he has an aplice, but he refuses to confess anything."


    "Very professional! Why was he locked in jail?"


    "Robbery of a convenience store. He just robbed a few packs of cigarettes. He was locked in half a year ago. We suspect that this was deliberately done. This person may be a professional killer who specialized in killing prison inmates. We checked his files and found that while he was in jail, other prisoners had died strangely."


    "People who know this kind of role are by no means ordinary!"


    "I was suddenly thinking that this mysterious helper wouldn¡¯te cheap. They¡¯ve got superb skills, clean execution, and are proficient in hypnosis. Could they be¡­"


    "Mm, I also thought of this person. This debt will be settledter! I¡¯m going to see Miss Gu. I promised to tell her the truth."


    "The case is closed today. You shoulde back to eat with us tonight. You can ask Miss Gu toe too!"


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi went to the consultation clinic where Gu You was located. After hearing the truth, Gu You couldn''t control her emotions. Tears in her eyes couldn''t help but fall as she said, "It''s okay, I finally have an exnation. His corpse¡­"


    "It¡¯s at Old Peng¡¯s. When the autopsy is over, you can take it back for a good burial."


    "Isn''t burial equal to forgetting? In the past, I always wanted to forget this murderer of a father, but now I want to remember him forever. I want to make his ashes into an hourss and put it here to see every day."


    "I support you. Loved ones shouldn''t be forgotten!" Chen Shi got up and walked to the window, looked outside, turned around and said, "I still have something to tell you."


    "Oh?"


    "When I was hypnotized and dreaming, the person in my dream inexplicably used me of killing Zhou Tiannan. Thinking about it now, there¡¯s more than meets the eye. The person who hypnotized me thought I killed Zhou Tiannan. Who would think so?"


    "Ling Shuang?!"


    "Superb methods, proficient in hypnosis, elusive, and at the same time, knows that I¡¯m Song Lang. If it isn¡¯t Ling Shuang, who could it be?!"


    "It''s not surprising when thinking about it. After all, they also have to earn money and will take jobs from time to time. You¡¯re a policeman and you will always encounter cases in which they¡¯re involved with. This is a rivalry between you guys."


    Chen Shi returned to his chair and spread his hands. "I dare not tell Dongxue. This involves my true identity. I can only tell you. But, I have a question. How did you know that I was Song Lang? It¡¯s not a coincidence for you to move next to my house, right?"


    Gu You smiled, "Let me keep some secrets! I will tell you when the opportunity is right."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "Okay! By the way, I need a small favor¡­"


    Leaving the Tianchuan Psychological Counseling Room, Chen Shi gged a passenger along the way. It was an uncle in a windbreaker and hat with a cigar in his hand. Chen Shi reminded him not to drop his cigarette ashes on the seat.


    Apart from the smell of smoke, there was also the strong smell of alcohol. Chen Shi asked, "Uncle, how much wine did you drink at noon?"


    "Ai, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It was socializing!"


    "Socializing is really annoying."


    "Isn''t it? In order to make money, I wear a mask and please customers¡­ Young man, each of us wears a mask. You do, and as do I!"


    Chen Shi looked up in the rearview mirror and saw that he was actually Song Lang. The person sitting behind him, sneering, was Zhou Tiannan.


    "If you wear the mask for too long, you won¡¯t be able to tell whether it¡¯s a mask or your own face!" Zhou Tiannan opened his mouth to say, but it was the voice of a woman. Chen Shi woke up from his dream.


    He opened his eyes and grabbed the wrist of the person who was standing next to the bed talking to him. He couldn''t see clearly in the dark. He could only vaguely see an outline. It was a long-haired woman dressed in ck. She sneered and her teeth were shining in the dark.


    "Ling Shuang!" Chen Shi called her name.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Song Lang, you¡¯re as keen as always, using yourself as bait to lure me in?" Ling Shuang taunted calmly.


    "More than that!" Chen Shi sneered. He took out a pair of handcuffs from under the pillow, and handcuffed Ling Shuang to his thumb. He borrowed these from Lin Dongxue at dinner and made up a very unserious reason.


    In the afternoon, Chen Shi had asked Gu You to hypnotize himself. As long as he heard the words "Zhou Tiannan" in any situation, he would immediately wake up.


    He guessed that Ling Shuang woulde again because she hadn''t found out who killed Zhou Tiannan, and he was the prime suspect in their eyes.


    Instead of passive defense, he should take the initiative!


    Seeing the handcuffs on her hand, Ling Shuang¡¯s smile faded. She said, ¡°I have a question for you. As Song Lang, you¡¯ve been acting as Chen Shi. Where did you hide Song Lang in your heart? Does he wake up asionally?"


    "That''s your purpose, right? Driving me crazy to make me kill myself."


    "We don''t want you to die. The city would be too boring if you die. What''s the fun of a game without an opponent? Song Lang, the fun is yet toe!"


    "Stop acting deliberately mystifying!"


    Suddenly, a knife appeared in Ling Shuang''s hand, and Chen Shi immediately became alert. When the knife stabbed at him, he grabbed it with his hand. The sharp de cut through his palm and blood gurgled down.


    Ling Shuang pulled the knife out fiercely. Her goal wasn¡¯t to kill Chen Shi, but to chop off Chen Shi''s left thumb and remove the handcuffs.


    At this moment, Ling Shuang raised her head and screamed, arching herself in pain. She gritted her teeth and cut off her thumb like a carrot, before stepping on the bed and rushing to the window, breaking out. A few secondster, the sound of a car getting started could be heard.


    Chen Shi looked at the severed finger that had fallen on the ground. He couldn''t imagine cutting off your own finger could be done so decisively. She deserved to be a bandit trained by Zhou Tiannan.


    He wrapped his injured palm with a pillow towel.[1] Tao Yueyue stood by the bedroom door in her pajamas. Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "Thank you for saving me."


    "Sorry, Uncle Chen. Your favorite peeling knife is gone."


    "Come over!"


    Calling Tao Yueyue to his side, Chen Shi stroked her head and said, "You¡¯re really ruthless."


    "Who was it just then?"


    "You don''t even know who it was and just stuck a knife into her back?"[2]


    "Because she was hurting you and I was really scared¡­ Right, do you want to call the police?"


    "No, don''t call the police. I¡¯m afraid that this matter wouldn¡¯t be made clear¡­" Chen Shi fell into a deep state of gloom. When they finally arrest Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang, his own secret couldn¡¯t be kept any longer. Evasion wasn¡¯t a solution after all, but how should he bring it up?!


    Once the secret is revealed, you can never look back!


    1. Some people put towels on top of their pillows.


    2. Not sure when this happened, but this is what was written, so I¡¯ll leave it here. I assume the author originally meant for Tao Yueyue to stab Ling Shuang, then Ling Shuan took the knife out somehow and tried to cut Chen Shi¡¯s thumb off before cutting off her own thumb. That¡¯s just my spection though.

 Chapter 773: Little Lin, The Newcomer

    <h4>Chapter 773: Little Lin, The Neer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 48: Lin Qiupu, The Neer


    A scream broke the tranquillity of the alley at night. Two patrolling policemen followed the sound and rushed over. They saw a man lying on the ground with a shiny steel knife stuck in his back, and a pale girl standing next to him, biting her fingernails nervously.


    "Dead¡­ dead!" the girl stammered.


    "Sir, sir!" The policeman, Little Lin, shook the man on the ground, and his patrolling partner, Dachang reminded him, "Don''t shake him. Check whether he¡¯s breathing first."


    The young policeman put his hand under the nose of the corpse, then retracted it as though he had suffered an electric shock and said in surprise, "No breathing at all. Just like a dead person."


    "Isn''t that a dead person?!" Dachang almostughed out loud. Making a fool of himself in front of outsiders, this neer was really terrible.


    Little Lin remembered something, and tried his best to wipe the back of the deceased with his sleeve. Dachang hurriedly stopped him. "What are you doing?! Stop that."


    "No, I just touched the body with my hand. If I leave my fingerprints on it, won''t it affect the identification work?"


    "You can¡¯t wipe it. What if the fingerprints of the real murderer are on it? Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen a dead person?!"


    Little Lin said shyly, "This is my first time."


    "Haii, I give up." Dachang said to the girl next to him. "He¡¯s new. It¡¯s his first day on the job. How embarrassing. Were you the one who found the corpse?"


    "Yes, I walked by here after I got off the night shift and saw someone on the ground. At first, I thought it was a drunk person, but when I saw a knife in his back, I couldn''t help but scream."


    "Leave us your contact information. We may look for you again."


    "There¡¯s no need for this, right? I just walked into this alley less than a minute ago and didn''t see anything suspicious."


    In the end, Dachang took down her number anyway and called headquarters to report it.


    The two were guarding the scene. Little Lin looked at the corpse intently without blinking. Dachang poked him with his arm. "Don''t look, it''s just a dead person. I¡¯ve seen a scene more bloody than this. It was the bombing casest time. Blood and minced flesh covered the scene and a piece of intestines even hung on the ceiling fan and swirled around. Everything inside had been flung out."


    Little Lin gulped down a mouthful of saliva. "As criminal policemen, do we have to see these things every day?"


    "Haha, what do you think? Normally, it¡¯s all minor cases. Some people say that criminal police work is dangerous. In fact, if you continue doing it, you will find that it¡¯s more boring than dangerous."


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s boring!"


    "It¡¯s because it¡¯s your first day. You¡¯ll know how boring it is after some time¡­ What do you think this person does?"


    Little Lin carefully observed the clothes on the corpse. The deceased was about sixty years old. He was well-proportioned and seemed to have good living habits. He was wearing a ck woollen coat, a hat, and his wrists had ligature marks.


    "He''s a rich man. Perhaps he was a veteran cadre or something. He may have worn a watch and was robbed of it. This is most likely a robbery-cum-murder."


    "Why did the murderer leave the knife here?"


    "Nervousness, it may have been their first time, or someone wasing."


    "Young fellow, you¡¯re very good at thinking." Dachang praised.


    "Brother Chang, am I right?"


    "How do I know if you¡¯re right? I came together with you."


    There was the sound of a police siren at the entrance of the alley. Little Lin quickly straightened up, and saw a man in a brown trench coat walking up with a cigarette in his mouth. There were police officers and forensic technicians behind him. He was very awe-inspiring. Little Lin was envious. This is what the police should be like.


    "How many times have I told you not to smoke at the crime scene!" Peng Sijue reminded him.


    "You don¡¯t let me smoke in the car and there¡¯s no smoking at the scene. Do you want me to die?!" the man responded.


    "The neer is watching. Have you forgotten that you¡¯re the captain again?!"


    The man shrugged helplessly and put out the cigarette in the tin box that Peng Sijue handed him. Peng Sijue carefully fastened it to prevent soot from falling on the scene.


    The captain turned his head to look at Little Lin and asked, "You¡¯re new?"


    Little Lin hurriedly saluted. "My name is Lin Qiupu. Police number is XXXX. This is my first day on the job. I wanted to greet the captain in the morning, but you weren¡¯t in the bureau."


    "Haha, I was sleeping in this morning."


    "You must¡­ you must have workedtest night."


    "No, I just wanted to sleep in. Don''t copy me, otherwise you will have your sry deducted!"


    The captain went to look at the corpse, and Peng Sijue, who was following him, said helplessly to Lin Qiupu, "Captain Song is very unrestrained. You¡¯ll get used to it."


    "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve attended his criminal investigation techniques ss at the police academy. He is my idol!" Lin Qiupu said bashfully.


    "He¡¯s very different from what you imagined, right?!" Peng Sijue smiled.


    Song Lang didn''t wear gloves, and gestured towards the corpse. He pondered for a moment, then looked up at the sky again. Then he walked directly past the corpse towards the other side of the alley. Only then, did Peng Sijue and the others begin to survey the scene.


    Song Lang waved from the other end of the alley, "Come here, neer!"


    "You¡¯re calling me?" Lin Qiupu was as excited as if he was a concubine the emperor had chosen to bestow his favor upon.


    His partner, Dachang said, "Apart from you, who else is a neer?"


    Lin Qiupu ran over and Song Lang asked, "Do you smoke?"


    "Uh¡­ I don''t smoke."


    "Okay, the lighter was left in the car, and I have to go back and get it."


    Lin Qiupu quickly took out a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and offered it to him with both hands. Song Lang smiled and took out a cigarette. "You¡¯re not honest. You clearly smoke!"


    Lin Qiupu, who had been exposed, looked ashamed.


    Song Lang exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "How old are you?"


    "Twenty-one."


    "Police officers are getting younger and younger nowadays, but it''s no wonder since you have a sister who is still in school and you want to earn money to support her."


    Lin Qiupu''s eyes widened. "You¡­ How did you know!?"


    "Your underwear is very old and there are patches on your socks. It seems that your family¡¯s financial situation isn¡¯t good. The lighter you handed over just now had the words "Haido" on it. That ce is expensive and doesn¡¯t seem to be a ce you would patronize, so I guessed that you¡¯ve most likely worked there before. It may have been from this summer. This was inferred from the residual amount of lighter gas. In addition, you have a girl¡¯s scent on your body. Your clothes may have been ced together with a girl¡¯s clothes for a long period of time. Excluding a cohabiting girlfriend, I think a younger sister is more likely."


    "You¡¯re too amazing. No wonder everyone says you¡¯re a legend in the police world!" Lin Qiupu was full of admiration.


    "It''s an undeserved reputation. So-called reasoning is just big data statistics. I''m talking about high-probability events. It''s just good luck that I was right. It''s not as miraculous as you think."


    "Were you considering the case just now?"


    "No, I was just feeling the atmosphere at the scene and tried to recreate the crime. What I can see with my eyes is far inferior to the expert¡¯s appraisal results. The investigation of cases isn¡¯t based on shes of epiphany, but on detailed and thorough investigation. There are no geniuses in this line of work."


    Lin Qiupu took out a small notebook to record down Song Lang''s words. Song Lang asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"


    "Writing down what you said!"


    "Can you stop saying ''you''? I''m just a few years older than you."


    "You¡¯re my idol!"


    "Haha, I can¡¯t bear the responsibility of being an idol. I¡¯m your captain. In the future, I will often lecture you, order you about, and tease you!"


    Lin Qiupu respectfully saluted. "Roger, Captain Song!"

 Chapter 774: The Slovenly Captain

    <h4>Chapter 774: The Slovenly Captain</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After Song Lang satisfied his smoking addiction, he returned to the scene and asked Peng Sijue how he was doing.


    "Male, over fifty years old, and died within thest two hours. His body was only stabbed once. There is almost no blood on the surface of the body. It may be that blood had umted in the lungs and caused suffocation. The specific cause of death will have to be determined by the autopsy when he¡¯s taken back. These are things we found on the body."


    Peng Sijue handed over a wallet and a mobile phone.


    There were a few thousand yuan in the wallet, a bunch of tiny metal keys, and a photo of a family of three that looked like it had been taken at some tourist attraction. The man in it was the deceased. His name was noted on an ID card - He Taiyang.


    The phone had been dropped and couldn¡¯t be turned on.


    Song Lang cast his gaze on the body again. The body had been ced in an open body bag. In order to facilitate observation without damaging the wound, he was ced on his side. It was obvious that his front was dirty. It had rained two days ago, so the ground in the alley was still a little muddy. Song Lang noticed a long scratch on the ground.


    "After being stabbed by the knife, he struggled and crawled for a certain distance. Instinctively, people would crawl in the opposite direction away from the murderer. Check the footprints there." Song Lang pointed to where LinQiupu was standing, and Lin Qiupu quickly stepped back in fright.


    "No, based on the direction of the deceased''s footprints and the pration of the weapon, he was wounded from above." Peng Sijue said.


    "A knife wound from above? Was he squatting down and tying his shoces?" Song Lang nced at the deceased''s feet, which had a pair of leather shoes on. "Or he was punched by the murderer and bent over, then the knife stabbed him from above¡­ "


    "Captain, the right wrist of the deceased." Lin Qiupu thought that Song Lang hadn''t seen it, so he pointed it out.


    "I saw that." Song Lang said tly. "The deceased carried a box, and the box had been robbed from him."


    "Wasn¡¯t¡­ wasn''t it a watch?" Lin Qiupu asked in surprise.


    Dachangughed and said, "Rookie, don''t try to show off. If the captain says it¡¯s a box, then it must be a box."


    Song Lang took out the tiny keys from the deceased¡¯s wallet and said, ¡°These are the keys to the handcuffs. Scars in that kind of shape are usually left by handcuffs. Have you watched any TV shows? When carrying boxes with valuables, some people would use handcuffs to handcuff their wrists to the box¡­ Ah, I have suddenly figured it out. The drag marks on the ground may not have been left by the deceased when he crawled away, but from the murderer tugging at the box which dragged the deceased a certain distance."


    "But the keys to the deceased''s handcuffs are still on him!" Lin Qiupu objected.


    "Haha, how hard do you think it is to open handcuffs?" Song Lang smiled, took the handcuffs from Lin Qiupu''s waist and put them on his own wrists. He then asked Peng Sijue for a needle. After picking lightly at the keyhole a few times, they were opened.


    This shocked Lin Qiupu, and his admiration for his idol deepened.


    Song Lang threw the handcuffs back to him. "Also, these are police handcuffs. The kind that civilians are able to buy can be poked open with a wire."


    Song Lang stood up, took off his gloves, and took out a cigarette from his cigarette case. "The deceased shouldn¡¯t live too far away. He was carrying a box of valuableste at night. It was perhaps for a transaction that can¡¯t see the light of day, or he was being ckmailed. The murderer was someone who knew¡­ Neer, you and Dachang take this ID card and go search for his residence nearby."


    "Captain, my name is Lin Qiupu."


    "I know. Go!"


    Lin Qiupu and Dachang left together. When they left the alley, they saw Song Lang stretchingzily and saying, "I''m hungry. Let¡¯s order takeaway!"


    Peng Sijue said, "When will your work and rest habits be more normal?"


    "You¡¯re controlling me? Are you my wife?" Song Lang retorted.


    Lin Qiupu said to Dachang in a low voice, "The rtionship between Captain and Captain Peng is pretty good!"


    "The two of them are old friends of many years, naturally their rtionship is like this. Doesn¡¯t our captain leave a deep impression?" Dachang asked with a smile.


    "He¡¯s really extraordinary."


    "In fact, he really doesn''t know how to be a leader, but he¡¯s solved too many cases. If he really wants to climb up, he may already be the deputy chief. The previous captain was transferred away, and he became the captain very reluctantly. He¡¯s slovenly like this all day long¡­ but those of us in the second team like him very much from the bottom of our hearts."


    After going around the neighborhood, it was already 10:00 in the evening, and Dachang said impatiently, ¡°Let¡¯s stop, let¡¯s stop searching. Investigating in the middle of the night? The murderer may still be wandering about nearby. Let¡¯s go back and sleep. We¡¯ll investigate tomorrow."


    "But the task was entrusted to us by the captain¡­"


    "Aiya, if you¡¯re so serious, then it might get very hard for you in the future. The captain just asked us to try searching, but didn''t say that we must find it. Let¡¯s go home! It¡¯s already sote.¡±


    "I want to go to the housing district ahead to try asking around."


    Dachang smiled bitterly. "You can go ahead. I''ll go to the convenience store over there to eat something and wait for you."


    Lin Qiupu asked the property management of that housing district. The staff member checked on theputer and said that there was no such owner. Lin Qiupu thanked him before leaving, then stood on the street and looked around nkly, not knowing where to look.


    Suddenly, his eyes fell on a golden sign. There was a Taiyang pawn shop on the street corner. Looking down at the ID card in his hand, the deceased just happened to be called He Taiyang!


    One will search high and low only to find it when one least expects to. Lin Qiupu was really excited and ran over to knock on the door.


    The roller shutter of the pawn shop was locked tightly. He knocked on it a few times and thought that there was no one inside. When he was about to leave, a woman opened the small door in the roller shutter and walked out. She looked up and down at Lin Qiupu, who was in a police uniform, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "Does He Taiyang live here?"


    "He¡¯s my father. What happened to him?!" The woman asked in surprise.


    "Is this him?" Lin Qiupu showed her his ID card, and the woman nodded. Her expression became more and more nervous.


    "He has been murdered. The body was nearby. We just found it." Lin Qiupu told her the truth.


    The woman opened her mouth wide and burst into tears. Seeing this, Lin Qiupu was very awkward and didn''t know whatforting words to say.


    "Where is he now? Take me to see him!"


    "He should have been taken to the bureau, but I don''t know if family members can go and see him. I have to call and ask."


    "Please, he¡¯s my biological father!"


    "Okay¡­ Alright!"


    The woman went back and changed her clothes. She changed from her jeans and jacket into a ck dress and brought a pair of gloves as well. Lin Qiupu thought to himself that this girl was very particr!


    Lin Qiupu didn''t own a car, so he called Dachang, took the girl into the two-person patrol car, and drove back to the bureau.


    Dachang asked LinQiupu to inform the captain, and Lin Qiupu asked, "He''s here now?"


    "If there¡¯s a case, he would be here all night."


    Lin Qiupu knocked on Song Lang''s office, and when he went in, he saw a pile of takeaways spread out on Song Lang''s desk. The sweet and sour pork ribs smelled particrly fragrant. He was eating arge bowl of rice, and looked a little surprised when he saw Lin Qiupu.


    "This is not supper. It''s dinner. I haven¡¯t yet had dinner tonight." Song Lang exined.


    "You eat so much by yourself?"


    "I have selection obsessivepulsive disorder, so I ordered one of everything. You can also have a bite if you¡¯re hungry."


    "That¡­ I found the deceased''s daughter and brought her here. Would you like to meet her?"


    Song Lang pped his chopsticks down and praised, "Wow, you are so capable on your first day. You¡¯ll be able to sit in this position if you keep up this enthusiasm!"

 Chapter 775: Mysterious Little Bowl

    <h4>Chapter 775: Mysterious Little Bowl</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Song Lang took Lin Qiupu along with him to meet the girl. The girl was crying at the door of the autopsy room. It turned out that she had insisted on seeing her father, so Peng Sijue broke protocol and allowed her to stand by the door to take a look.


    "Condolences." Song Lang stepped forward tofort her.


    The girl covered her mouth and nodded, "As long as we can find out the real culprit, I will definitely do my utmost to cooperate."


    "Let''s talk somewhere else!"


    When they got to a meeting room, Song Lang asked LinQiupu to pour her a ss of water. The girl held the cup for a long time and remained silent. Song Lang noticed her gloves and asked, "Don''t you take off your gloves when you¡¯re indoors?"


    "Oh, I''m used to it." She put the cup down, "My name is He Jingjing, and He Taiyang is my father. How did he get killed?"


    Song Lang asked LinQiupu to talk about the discovery of the corpse. Lin Qiupu rambled on when the matter could have been summarized in a few words. Song Lang reminded him, "We don''t need to talk about our spections."


    "This is the situation¡­" Song Lang said to He Jingjing, "When did he start operating a pawn shop?"


    "For as long as I can remember."


    "Has it been that long? Pawn shops and private loans were only legalized two years ago."


    "He used to do it before too, but it wasn¡¯t with a storefront like now. My dad''s shop also operates a loan business. All three floors of the building belong to our family and the lower level is the shop. We live upstairs."


    "How many people are there in the family?" Song Lang was still learning about the basics of the situation, and Lin Qiupu wrote down in his notebook "Find out about the situation of the deceased first."


    "Me, my dad, my mom, and an employee, He Jun¡­My mom passed away half a month ago. I didn¡¯t think that my dad would leave in a blink of an eye as well.¡±


    "That¡¯s so unfortunate!"


    "Actually¡­ actually¡­" He Jingjing''s lips trembled, as if she had something to say, but found it inconvenient to say.


    "What is it?"


    "Actually, I have a clue to provide. It may sound absurd, but I swear it¡¯s true."


    "Please let us know!"


    "Officer, do you know how many pawn shops there are in the city?"


    Song Lang shook his head.


    "There are over two hundred pawn shops in the city. There¡¯s a strange rumor in the pawn shop industry in Long''an. ording to hearsay, a mysterious man pawned a small bowl in a pawn shop called Yuxiang a few years ago. The small bowl is said to be made from human bones. Then the owner of the Yuxiang Pawn Shop died bizarrely, and the small bowl also disappeared. After that, other pawn shops received this bowl in session. However, everyone who received it would have to offer life-preservation money, otherwise they¡¯d die unnatural deaths. Fortunately, it never appears in the same pawn shop twice. This bowl appeared in our house a month ago!"


    Song Lang raised his brows slightly. "Then who should they give the life-preservation money to? This small bowl won''t appear out of thin air, right? Someone has to bring it over. ces like pawn shops usually have security cameras installed."


    "There will be a note in the bowl with the address to send the money to. As for the amount of money, it¡¯s up to the pawn shop owner. The more money offered, the safer you will be. Otherwise, family members will meet with trouble within a month. This is very evil. Everyone says so¡­ As for who sent the small bowl, I don''t know. My father takes care of everything in the store himself."


    "You mean, after your father received this evil little bowl, your mother passed away. He was afraid that others would suffer a cmity next, so he decided to suffer financial loss in order to avoid cmities?"


    "Yes, he went out with a box of cash tonight. ording to this theory, perhaps he failed to deliver the money to the designated ce in time, so an incident happened. After all, the small bowl had appeared at my house in the evening exactly one month earlier."


    Lin Qiupu said, "This must be fake. How could such an evil thing exist?"


    "Don''t rush to judge." Song Lang took the small notebook in his hand and opened it to see what was written in it. "Don''t ask your superiors too many questions, it will be annoying.", "Fuel refill fee is 200 yuan.", "Reasoning is big data.", "No details must be omitted when investigating cases, there are no geniuses in this line of work."


    The small notebook issued by the bureau was actually used to record these things. He nced at Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu buried his head in shame. Song Lang used this notebook to record clues about the mysterious small bowl.


    "Is it still in the store?"


    "It has probably been locked in a safe by my father."


    "Please take us to see it!"


    "Right now?"


    "Didn''t you say it will disappear without a trace? So the sooner the better."


    He Jingjing agreed. Lin Qiupu followed Song Lang. He was very excited to ride in his senior¡¯s car. Song Lang asked, "Where¡¯s your partner, Dachang?"


    "He went home after handing over the car."


    "It¡¯s already sote, so why aren¡¯t you going home?"


    "I¡­ I will learn more about this case first, and learn how to solve the case."


    "You¡¯re a neer. Don''t be embarrassed to go home for the sake of face. It''s okay. There isn¡¯t that much work to do during the ice-breaking stage of the case. Take this time to rest. When you be busyter, you won''t get to sleep.


    "It''s okay. I think I learned a lot tonight."


    "Young man, you¡¯re very promising." Song Lang praised.


    Song Lang followed the car He Jingjing was in. He kept smoking while driving. He found it too embarrassing to smoke in front of the deceased¡¯s family. When he got into his own car, he had no more qualms. It was just that it choked Lin Qiupu so much that he found it unbearable.


    "Open the window if you can''t stand it. Don''t be so reserved, okay? No bosses like having such a reserved subordinate." Song Lang said casually.


    "Oh¡­" Lin Qiupu rolled down the window of the car. "Captain, you smoke too much. It''s not good for your health!"


    "Smoking is truly bad, and we will have to pay off our debts when we get old. However, in our line of work, we don¡¯t even know whether we will survive to that day when we have to pay off our debts! Hahaha, I¡¯m not going to make an excuse to preserve my image in front of you. My addiction is quite deep. Don''t you usually smoke too?"


    "I do, but I only smoke half a pack a day. My sister will tell me off whenever she sees me smoking, so I can only smoke secretly."


    "You respect her very much. It seems that you two have a good rtionship!"


    "We¡¯re orphans. Our parents passed away early¡­ By the way, she also wants to be a policeman. She¡¯s now in the police academy, although I don''t want her to do this job."


    "Think this line of work isn¡¯t good?"


    "I just think that she¡¯s a girl, so wouldn¡¯t being a police officer be too hard on her? It¡¯s dangerous too."


    "Whether a profession is hard or not doesn''t depend on how the profession is. It depends mainly on whether you like it or not. You¡¯ll never get tired of a profession you like. If I exchange professions with Jack Ma, I don''t think either of us would be happy."


    Lin Qiupu had heard another wise saying and nodded silently, wanting to write it down in his notebook.


    "How far along is Younger Sister Lin now at the police academy?" Song Lang asked.


    "She¡¯s in her first year."


    "Work hard. You¡¯ll be promoted in three years, and you can take care of her when she¡¯s transferred over, so that she will have to bear a lot less hardship and danger."


    Lin Qiupu suddenly realized that he was right. If he builds a solid foundation here, he could take care of his sister in the future. He suddenly had the motivation to work hard.

 Chapter 776: Zhao Di

    Chapter 776: Zhao Di


    At 10:00 in the evening, the two arrived at the Taiyang pawn shop. He Jingjing waved them in from the door. The lights weren¡¯t turned on inside and it was really dark. Lin Qiupu imagined that there was a gangster holding a sharp de behind the door, and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva nervously.


    He followed behind Song Lang and entered the house. He Jingjing turned on the light, and there was a reception desk directly opposite the door. On the left was the consultation room, which only contained sofas, a coffee table and potted nts. He Jingjing opened the door on the right, which led to an office. The room was full of tall ss cabs with a dazzling array of antiques, calligraphy, paintings, branded watches, jewellery, gems and other objects, but they could only be seen and not touched. They were all locked up.


    "This is my father''s office. He keeps all the coteral and ount books here. Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed to enter without authorization. Not even me."


    "In that case, why do you have the key to this ce?" Song Lang asked.


    He Jingjing looked panicked for an instant. She said, "He¡¯s my dad. Of course I know where he hid the spare key. He can''t hide things at home and in the shop from me."


    "How many people work in the shop?"


    "My dad, the receptionist Little Li who works from nine to five every day and shop assistant He Jun who mainly does random chores. When Little Li isn¡¯t around, I¡¯d take over."


    "There wouldn¡¯t be just these people, right? This is also a money lending business. Debt collection is a hard job. Who¡¯s responsible for debt collection? Miss He, if you want to help us investigate the case, then don''t hide things."


    He Jingjing pursed her lower lip and said, "He Jun has a few friends in the underworld. When we encounter debts that can¡¯t be collected, we¡¯ll go to these friends for help. Of course, they¡¯ll collect them using legal means."


    "Does your father really trust He Jun?"


    "Yes, He Jun is his nephew, a distant rtive¡¯s son. He had fought and gone to jail when he was young. He couldn''t find a job when he came out and my dad took him in. He¡¯s been working here for ten years."


    Song Lang nodded and turned his head to find Lin Qiupu standingpletely still. He said, "You brought the notebook just to note down the few phrases I said?"


    "Oh!" Lin Qiupu came to himself and quickly took out his notebook to record the information down.


    Song Lang said to He Jingjing, "Let me take a look at that little bowl!"


    "I¡¯ll go find it!"


    He Jingjing went to open the safe. After trying several times, she still couldn''t open thebination lock on it. So she shouted "He Jun" upstairs. A tanned, muscled man wearing an undershirt came downstairs. His neck tattoo was very eye-catching. Seeing the two strangers in the room, he instinctively asked, "Police?"


    "Don''t talk nonsense. They¡¯re here to investigate the case. My dad has been killed by someone!"


    "Wh... What?!" He Jun was shocked. His expression didn''t seem to be an act.


    He Jingjing briefly exined the situation and asked He Jun to open the safe. He opened it easily. Song Lang nced at the safe. There were cash, gold bars, real estate certificates, etc., and there was also a small bowl.


    He Jun carefully offered the small bowl. Song Lang took it into his hands and observed it. The shape, color, and texture showed that it was clearly carved out of a human skull. However, it was hardly a work of art, because there were no additional carvings, polishing or processing. The bowl base was installed at the bottom and also made out of bone.


    "What is this?" Song Lang noticed a strange pattern on the bottom of the bowl, which had been pasted on.


    "Captain, that''s a QR code." Lin Qiupu exined.


    "QR code?" Song Lang looked puzzled.


    Lin Qiupu thought to himself that it was too weird how Song Lang didn''t even know about QR codes. Later, he noticed that Song Lang was still using an old-fashioned flip phone.


    "How does this thing work?" Song Lang asked.


    "It works like this¡­"


    Lin Qiupu took out his mobile phone, scanned it, and a video popped out. He clicked to y it. The screen showed a man sitting in a dark room. They couldn¡¯t see what he looked like clearly as he was against the light. He was holding a folding fan in his hand and constantly tapped it on his other hand. He said in a story-telling tone of voice, "She¡¯s called Zhao Di, a Huaibei rural woman who was born at the end of the 19th century. Because her family was very poor, her father asked andlord¡¯s second son to marry her, and she became thendlord¡¯s daughter-inw. When she was seventeen, she became pregnant, but because the fetal position wasn¡¯t correct, the child didn¡¯t survive, so she was very sad and cried for a long time. When she was twenty, she became pregnant again but again failed to give birth. The two children who were lost in session were both sons. The husband was heartbroken and looked for reasons everywhere. On that day, the husband came back from the midwife utterly difited and beat Zhao Di up. He said, ¡®I told the midwife to prioritize the child but you actually said you wanted to survive and begged them to save you instead? I will X you XXX. If you don¡¯t give birth to a son for the X family, what was the point of my marrying you? If you can''t give birth to a son next time, I will screw off your head and give it to the dog to use as a dog bowl!¡¯"


    The man in the video shook his head regretfully. "However, it''s as if fate was joking with Zhao Di. The third child was a son again and once again, she couldn¡¯t give birth to him. After that, Zhao Di disappeared. When people asked her husband about her, her husband said with a cold face that she had run away, and that the bitch had killed his sons, so she wouldn¡¯t have the face toe back.


    The man took out a small bowl exactly like the one in Song Lang¡¯s hands from a small wooden box. ¡°This bowl was found in thendlord¡¯s second son¡¯s house during the Cultural Revolution. Yes, you guessed right. It¡¯s Zhao Di! A poor and helpless woman! This isn¡¯t just her skull, but also a vessel for her grievances. Deep grievances that span a century... Boss, I want to pawn this thing right now. I want 6 million yuan. If you don¡¯t want to give me so much money, I will leave Zhao Di at your house. She will bring continuous ''good luck'' to your family, hahaha..." After he had finishedughing, the man continued, ¡°I¡¯ll notify you as to where to pay the money. By the way, it¡¯s useless if you call the police. This is not ckmail, because whether you believe it or not is up to you. You can throw it in the trash and see if Zhao Di would get angry! Hahahaha!"


    The four people stared at the screen quietly, and He Jingjing said, "Now do you believe it? This bowl will bring about a curse!"


    "Can we take the bowl back for appraisal?"


    "Yes, yes, and don''t return it! Your police station has heavy inauspicious influences, so maybe it would be subdued." He Jingjing breathed a sigh of relief as if she had sent away the gue.


    "By the way, how much cash did your father take with him when he went out at night?"


    "I don''t know. Thest time I saw him was at 8:00 in the evening. He was carrying a box while he was leaving. He usually used that box to store money, and he had also handcuffed his wrist to the box. It must have been a big sum of money. I asked him where he was going, and he said he would be back soon."


    "He didn''t personally say he was going to send this life-preservation money?"


    "I guessed. Otherwise, what was he doing with the money in the middle of the night? Officers, it''s really not because I am superstitious. You can go to any pawn shop in the city to ask and you will find out that there¡¯s a curse on this bowl. The boss of the Yuxiang Pawn Shop died bizarrely after receiving this bowl. You police also have a case file regarding this matter."


    He Jun also agreed, "Yes, yes, it¡¯s true. This bowl is really evil. Ever since it appeared in the store, unlucky things befell me one after another this month, and the boss¡¯s wife fell ill and died as well."


    Song Lang noticed the pair of young people standing together. He Jun''s hand seemed to have brushed He Jingjing''s waist...

 Chapter 777: I’m In Charge Of The Outside. You’re In Charge Of The Inside.

    <h4>Chapter 777: I¡¯m In Charge Of The Outside. You¡¯re In Charge Of The Inside.</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu stared at themb skewers in his hands, feeling excited. This was a supper that his senior had treated him to.


    The two had juste out of the Taiyang pawn shop. Song Lang simply ordered some supper at a small barbecue stall nearby. He didn¡¯t eat the grilled food. He had a cigarette in his hand and stared at the small bowl in the evidence bag in a daze.


    "Captain, won''t you eat?"


    "I''m not hungry. This is to reward you. You worked for over ten hours on your first day at work. Do you have a newfound understanding of the police business?"


    "No, I feel very lucky. I actually encountered this kind of case on my first day as a police officer. Reality is really stranger than the movies."


    "What do you think about this case?"


    "The curse must be fake!"


    "I don''t believe in something illogical like curses as well."


    "Then is this considered ckmail?"


    "Of course it counts as ckmail. For example, if I told you that thismb skewer is poisonous, and that I¡¯ll give you the antidote if you pay me 100 yuan but themb skewer wasn¡¯t actually poisonous. However, you still paid for it. Is this considered ckmail? Taking advantage of someone¡¯s fears, whether it¡¯s a lie or a fact, it¡¯s ckmail! Little Lin, you should investigate this bowl. The more detailed the investigation, the better. You should also visit the other pawn shops in the city."


    "Is this necessary? I think all this is just He Jingjing''s one-sided statement, and there¡¯s no need to believe it."


    "You don¡¯t think that the criminal police only care about homicides, right? The person who made this video is suspected of intimidation and extortion, and may havemitted other crimes. If you find him, it¡¯s your merit, and you can take your sister out for dinner when you receive the bonus. Don''t you want it?"


    Lin Qiupu suddenly understood. "Thank you, Captain!"


    Song Lang took a sip of beer with a smile. Lin Qiupu ate a little and said, "Captain, I have a humble opinion. Doesn¡¯t He Jingjing have a motive for murder? Once He Taiyang dies, she¡¯s the only heir to the inheritance."


    "I also suspect He Jingjing."


    Lin Qiupu was excited, thinking that he had been recognized by his senior, but Song Lang exined slowly, "But I suspect her not because of her inheritance rights. Whether He Taiyang dies naturally or identally, she has inheritance rights. That is, unless you can prove that she has an urgent need for arge sum of money, and that her father was unwilling to give it to her. Only this can be called a motive for murder."


    "Then why do you suspect her?"


    "I suspect her because she had appeared in front of me. Everyone who appears in front of my eyes will bepared to the outline I have of the real murderer. I exclude them one by one. Suspicion is normal. I¡¯m used to assuming that a person is the murderer and then proving that they aren¡¯t. For example, who was the first to find the body?"


    "It was a girl passing by."


    "You should check whether she had really passed by or lied to you. If she has a clear alibi, then she can be excluded as a suspect. This should be done instead of basing it on your feelings about whether this person looks like a bad person."


    "Oh!" Lin Qiupu hurriedly noted this down.


    "He Jingjing and He Jun are a pair." Song Lang said suddenly.


    "Aren¡¯t they cousins?"


    "Have you ever been in love?"


    "I¡­ I was in a rtionship once." Lin Qiupu stammered.


    "The two of them stood very close to each other and they weren¡¯t wary of each other. There was also inadvertent physical contact. Do you usually touch your sister''s waist?"


    Lin Qiupu desperately shook his head. "I¡¯d be beaten to death!"


    Song Lang smiled and nodded, "The rtionship between the two of them isn¡¯t that of mere cousins, but lovers. Are the two conspiring something? How did Mrs. He die? Did He Taiyang really trust He Jun? These things have to be investigated. Investigating a case is like ying a game of minesweeper, revealing the truth piece by piece, and then finding the most critical clue."


    Lin Qiupu quickly recorded these words.


    After drinking a bottle of beer, Song Lang threw the car key to Lin Qiupu and told him to drive him back to the bureau. He was going to see the results of Peng Sijue¡¯s autopsy. Lin Qiupu was already a little sleepy at this time, and he found that Song Lang was an out-and-out night owl.


    "Captain, I can''t drive!" Lin Qiupu said awkwardly.


    "What? An officer who can''t drive? Why didn''t you remind me when I ordered a beer?" Song Lang helplessly held his forehead. "During the long October holiday, get yourself to the driving school and take lessons!"


    Thus, they had no choice but to find a recement driver. Lin Qiupu started to get sleepy in the car, but was afraid of being caught by Song Lang, so he leaned on the window and pretended to be contemting. In the end, his snoring betrayed him. Song Lang smiled as he looked at him.


    When he woke up, Lin Qiupu found that it was already dawn, and that he was actually lying on the back seat of the car with a nket wrapped around him. He sniffed the nket, and felt excited when he thought it was his senior who had covered him up.


    He carefully folded the nket and ced it on the back seat. After getting out of the car, he straightened up appearance using his reflection in the ss. He had just woken up, and he was desperate to use the toilet, but this was an underground parking lot, so he could only take the stairs to the bureau.


    He wasn¡¯t familiar with the public security bureau and got lost. Passing by a room with a ss door that had the lights on, Song Lang and Peng Sijue were actually sitting inside, drinking coffee and eating breakfast. Song Lang sat cross-legged on a revolving chair, spinning around and around like a naughty child.


    "Captain!" Lin Qiupu greeted him.


    "You woke up? I couldn''t lift you, so I had to let you sleep in the car. Do you want to eat?"


    "No¡­ No need. I haven''t brushed my teeth yet¡­ Didn''t you sleep at allst night?"


    "I¡¯ll go to bed after I hold a case analysis meeting for you guys in the morning. I may have been a vampire in my previous life. I¡¯m very energetic at night. As for him¡­" Chen Shi pointed to Peng Sijue. "He¡¯s an alien and doesn''t need to sleep."


    "Can you pay me some respect in front of the neer?" Peng Sijueined.


    "How do I disrespect you? Although I¡¯m in charge of the outside, you¡¯re in charge of the inside. I¡¯ve always respected you as my humble wife.[1]"


    Peng Sijue pointed to Song Lang and said to Lin Qiupu, "This guy is too garrulous. You should apply for a transfer to another team, so you won''t be harmed by him!"


    Lin Qiupu smiled. Listening to their interaction was like listening to cross-talk. He really envied the close rtionship between Peng Sijue and Song Lang, and even wondered if they could be¡­ childhood friends!


    "Look at this!" Song Lang handed a few pages of paper over.


    It was the forensic pathologist¡¯s autopsy report. The densely-packed words and professional terms gave Lin Qiupu a headache. He agreed, "It seems that there are many doubts regarding the deceased!"


    "Haha, all these words mean the same thing. The knife was inserted into the aorta. The knife was pulled out and inserted back into the deceased''s body¡­ Forensic doctors are very verbose. You have to learn to read these reports."


    "Don''t mislead the neer!" Peng Sijue furrowed his brows. "A corpse can provide a lot of information. The job of a forensic pathologist is to record this information down, but not every piece of information is helpful for solving the case."


    "Understood." Lin Qiupu nodded. After standing there for a long time, his dder was about to explode.


    "Why are your legs shaking? Did you catch a coldst night?" Song Lang asked.


    "No¡­ I want to go to the bathroom¡­" Lin Qiupu said in embarrassment.


    "Haha, you¡¯re too shy! Hurry and go!" Song Lang smiled.


    1. Wives have traditionally been tasked with being in charge of the ¡°inside¡± (the home).

 Chapter 778: What’s Being Pawned Isn’t The Bowl

    <h4>Chapter 778: What¡¯s Being Pawned Isn¡¯t The Bowl</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At the case discussion meeting at 9:00 in the morning, Song Lang told everyone the results of the autopsy and his own inferences. ¡°The direct cause of death was the sharp weapon piercing the aorta, causing a pseudoaneurysm. There was no other injury on the deceased except for the fatal injury. From the weapon''s angle of pration, the deceased was in a squatting position, and the murderer had attacked him in front from above. The alley where the crime urred was narrow and long, and there was no ce for an ambush in the deceased¡¯s direct line of sight. If a stranger were to walk over, the deceased, who was carrying valuables, would definitely be on guard. From this, I specte that the murderer should be an acquaintance¡­ Perhaps this was the situation at the time: The murderer walked over directly and talked face-to-face with the deceased. During that period, the deceased performed a squatting action. The murderer suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed him in his back."


    "Captain, why wasn¡¯t he stabbed from behind?" a policeman asked.


    "Last night, I experimented repeatedly with Old Peng. The angle of the wound couldn¡¯t have been made from behind. In addition, no traces of the suspected murderer were found behind the deceased, but there was a set of indistinct footprints in front."


    Song Lang put a few photos on the whiteboard. They showed a series of indistinct leather shoe footprints. He said, "We¡¯ve sent the footprints to experts for identification."


    Another policeman said, "I think it¡¯s also possible that the deceased had bent down, due to a sudden bout of illness or poisoning, and the murderer took advantage of this moment."


    Song Lang nodded. "Good suggestion, I will ask Old Peng to check the deceased for signs of disease or poisoning."


    He continued, "A more interesting point is that the murder weapon had been pulled out once after it had prated the deceased¡¯s back, and then inserted again. There are two possibilities. One is that the murderer had identally left their traces on the murder weapon when stabbing the deceased. For example, they might have cut their own hand, so they reinserted it after pulling it out and cleaning it¡­ But there¡¯s something contradictory about this, because leaving behind a murder weapon is extremely detrimental to the murderer, even if there are no fingerprints or DNA left on it. It¡¯s very easy to trace this kind of controlled knife to its source. Another possibility is that the murderer had pulled out the murder weapon after killing the deceased, and then inserted another knife into the wound. In this way, what remains on the body isn¡¯t the real murder weapon. But what was their purpose in doing this?"


    "To frame someone or to mislead the investigation!" Someone spected.


    "I have considered these as well. There¡¯s another possibility. It was inconvenient for the murderer to carry the knife for whatever reason. Perhaps they were afraid that the blood dripping from the knife would reveal their whereabouts, or they would be suspected if they were stained with blood. Or maybe they were going to meet someone, so they chose to leave the knife at the scene¡­" Song Lang added, "These are just spections. Don''t be misled by me. Think about it yourself."


    Lin Qiupu listened very earnestly and noted down things in his notebook from time to time. He could learn a lot of things from the case discussion. Song Lang''s spections were also meticulously detailed, arousing his admiration.


    Song Lang said, "Also, the palms of the deceased had been wiped with a rough cloth. I suspect that the deceased had grabbed the murderer¡¯s clothes before his death, and that the murderer had cleaned them up after the murder. There are several suspicious points in this case. Who did the deceased carry a box to meet in the middle of the night? What was in the box? Who knew about this matter? What enemies did the deceased have? It¡¯s understood that the deceased¡¯s spouse had died of illness half a month ago, and it¡¯s better to verify this matter too¡­"


    After the tasks were assigned, everyone went off to investigate separately. Song Lang lit a cigarette and pondered while looking at the whiteboard full of photos. Lin Qiupu stepped forward and asked, "Captain, did you forget to talk about the bowl?"


    "I didn''t forget." Song Lang smiled. "A cursed small bowl would easily mislead and distract everyone so I won''t tell them. You and Dachang should investigate and clear things up."


    "Okay!" Lin Qiupu saluted.


    Lin Qiupu and Dachang went to the Yuxiang pawn shop mentioned by He Jingjing. The owner seemed a little displeased with the police showing up early in the morning. Lin Qiupu showed the owner a photo and asked, "Have you seen this bowl before?"


    The shopkeeper looked at it for a moment and said, "I¡¯ve heard of it, but I haven''t seen it before."


    "But some people reported that your pawn shop had received this bowl before."


    "Oh, are you investigating this? That was the previous boss. He received this bowl, and then his family of three were stabbed to death. I only took over this shop six months ago."


    "It''s true!" Lin Qiupu was surprised. "Has the case been solved?"


    The owner asked in reply, "You¡¯re a policeman, but you¡¯re asking me?"


    Dachang poked Lin Qiupu with his arm, and reprimanded, "Why do you ask questions without thinking?¡­ Boss, do you have anything to say about this bowl?"


    "What?" The owner scratched his head. "I heard that it¡¯s the skull of a Russian monk. It¡¯s strange and mysterious. Those of us who run pawn shops in Long''an know that as long as you receive it, you¡¯ll have bad luck unless you pay money to ward off the misfortune. However, it¡¯s never appeared in the same shop twice, so I¡¯ve never seen it before."


    Except for the origin of the bowl, the owner''s statement was exactly the same as He Jingjing''s. They asked some other questions before they left.


    When they walked out of the shop, Dachang stretched his body in a rxed manner. "Okay, let''s go back and hand in our results for the task!"


    "There are many pawnshops in Long''an. Let''s ask again."


    "This is just a legend. It''s the same no matter how many times you ask. There¡¯s no need to do useless work."


    "The origin of the bowl ording to what the shopkeeper said just now is different from what I heardst night. This is the discrepancy." Lin Qiupu said seriously.


    "Aiya, you¡¯re too rigid. The captain didn''t even mention this at the meeting. He didn''t think it had anything to do with the case. There¡¯s no need for detailed investigation. It¡¯s just a waste of time."


    "I mustplete this task that the captain had assigned to me well!"


    Dachang felt helpless and disdainful. He sneered, "Neer, you really want to climb your way up!"


    Hearing the mockery in his words, Lin Qiupu didn''t dare to talk back. After all, he was his senior, so he could only beg him to drive him to the next pawn shop.


    In the afternoon, they went to three more pawn shops, and their statements were simr. One of the three shops had received this bowl before. The boss had to ept his misfortune and paid a life-preservation fee of 100,000 yuan, sending it to a dpidated building designated by the other party.


    The boss in question pointed to a roller shutter door across the street, and said mysteriously, "That shop used to be a pawn shop run by a bunch of small-time gangsters. After receiving this bowl, they didn¡¯t pay up. They were suddenly investigated and shut down by the police. This matter sounds incredible but actually it isn¡¯t incredible. I understand it this way: Have you watched Da Zhai Men?[1] Bai Jingqi pawned a bag of poop in return for silver. I¡¯m guessing that this bowl was also owned by some powerful figure. He wasn¡¯t pawning the bowl, but his reputation. You know what I mean, young fellow?!"


    "You mean that this bowl is a prop used by a certain leader to extort bribes?" Lin Qiupu concluded.


    The boss smiled mysteriously. "Haha, your words, not mine."


    Dachang scolded, "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    He thought to himself that this neerckedmon sense, saying everything that came to his mind. Although the police y a small role, they represent the government in the eyes of the people. One couldn¡¯t make irresponsible remarks.


    Lin Qiupu was still obsessed with the bowl. "But one can''t get it back if it''s pawned. How can it appear in different pawn shops?"


    "Ai, a small bowl made of broken bones isn¡¯t worth much. Wait a moment!" The boss entered the shop and took out a bone bowl that looked exactly the same. "Look, this is the small bowl that I bought for 100,000 yuan! You can take it away if you like."


    1. 2001 Chinese Drama.

 Chapter 779: Dont Insult My Sister

    <h4>Chapter 779: Don''t Insult My Sister</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu asked again, "Who sent this bowl?"


    "A man. It might be a man, they were wrapped up tightly. They had wrapped this thing innewspaper, flung it on my counter, and then ran away."


    Lin Qiupu looked at the small bowl on the counter. It was almost exactly the same as the one from Taiyang pawn shop. The workmanship of this item wasn¡¯tplicated, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that it was exactly the same.


    Lin Qiupu said, "What if you had received a fake? I mean what if someone used this legend to scam money?"


    "Never mind if it¡¯s true or false, this bowl will only appear once in the same pawn shop. If it appears, you¡¯ll ept your misfortune and hand over the money! If it¡¯s truly fake, I can only curse 18 generations of their ancestors, but this legend only circtes in Long''an''s pawn shop circles, so outsiders won¡¯t know about it. I know everyone in this industry. I don¡¯t think they could do this kind of thing. Who would do this kind of wicked thing for tens of thousands of dors? If someone finds out, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make a living in Long''an. The price is too high, do you understand?"


    Lin Qiupu nodded. "I want to take this bowl back for appraisal. Is that okay?"


    "Okay, okay. Take it away, don''t return it. Keep it under control in your public security bureau." The boss was eager to get rid of this ominous object.


    Leaving the shop, Dachang looked at his watch and counted, "Three, two, one¡­ Okay, time to get off work! Let¡¯s head back."


    "But we only checked four of the shops!" Lin Qiupu said.


    "It''s 5:00 and time to get off work! The captain isn¡¯t here, so who are you showing your earnestness to?"


    "We have to summarize and report our information at tomorrow morning¡¯s case discussion meeting. We can only produce information from four pawn shops. This is too little and has no reference value. Maybe the captain will give us a new task tomorrow, so today¡¯s task must bepleted."


    "You want to go to all the pawn shops in Long''an in one day!?" Dachang sneered.


    "At least a few more shops. Please."


    "Are you dumb? There¡¯s no need to dig deep into this lead. Investigating things is a long-term matter. Do you want to get fat in one bite? Your sister¡­"


    "What are you saying?!" Lin Qiupu suddenly roared, pulling Dachang''s cor.


    "What are you doing?!" Dachang yelled back, "You¡¯re upset just because I said a few things?"


    Realizing his rudeness, Lin Qiupu hurriedly cooled his rage and said, "Brother Chang, don''t insult my sister. You can even insult my mother instead¡­"


    Dachang disyed an expression as though he had seen a weirdo and said disdainfully, "You can investigate it slowly by yourself. I¡¯m going home to eat and watch Shun Liu[1]. I hope you die of exhaustion!"


    He drove away and Lin Qiupu sighed.


    He looked at the map and went to another pawn shop to investigate. When he got there, the boss and his family were having their meal in the shop. The stewed pig''s feet and duck necks on the table were fragrant. Lin Qiupu had to swallow his saliva every time he asked a few questions.


    Leaving the pawn shop, he bought himself a roujiamo[2], sat on the side of the road and ate it. Themps came on in the evening, and the people who got off work plunged into the wonderful nightlife. Gaily dressed young men and women passed by in front of Lin Qiupu and saw this young guy dressed in a police uniform sitting on the side of the road gnawing on a roujiamo. They all cast curious looks at him.


    He saw a grilled fish shop and told himself that he could take his sister to eat there if he got his bonus. When he thought of how joyful and excited his sister would be, he summoned up his enthusiasm and continued to visit pawn shops.


    Before he knew it, it was 10:30 in the evening, and there were a decreasing number of pedestrians on the street. Lin Qiupu had already visited six pawn shops, and he nned to go to one more before thest bus.


    There were some shady people loitering about. He was a little scared, and his feet were aching in his leather shoes.


    It doesn''t matter. I¡¯m a policeman now. I¡¯m not afraid of them. They should be afraid of me! Lin Qiupu said to himself.


    He arrived at a pawn shop called Wantong. The shop was lit up but there was no one inside. Lin Qiupu yelled a few times at the front desk, and a voice came from a doorway saying, "Come in!"


    Lin Qiupu walked in and saw an uncle in his fifties with a full face and a darkplexion soaking his feet. A young woman was washing his feet next to him. She was dressed in revealing clothes and nced at Lin Qiupu out of the corner of her eye from time to time.


    Behind the uncle were nothing but camphor wood boxes, piled up almost to the ceiling. There was a smell of walnut oil in the shop.


    "Aiyo, such a young policeman. How old are you this year?" The uncle asked with a smile while picking at his nose.


    "I''m twenty-two years old. I want to ask¡­"


    "You¡¯re a criminal police officer at such a young age? You must have a good family background? Is your father an official?"


    "Can I ask some questions?"


    "How much is your monthly ie as a policeman? Is it enough for you to spend?" The uncle was still asking his own questions.


    Lin Qiupu frowned. He slightly disliked the atmosphere there, but still hardened-up and asked his questions.


    The uncle turned a deaf ear to his questions. He smiled ambiguously and said something to the woman who washed his feet. The woman went and brought over a card. The uncle smiled and said, "Come. Since we¡¯re meeting for the first time, Uncle will give you some pocket money. It¡¯s not much. It¡¯s just two hundred thousand."


    Lin Qiupu was taken aback when he heard this number. He had never made so much money since he started working in high school.


    The uncle noticed this reaction, and he smiled, "Take it. Let¡¯s be friends!"


    "I''m a policeman!" Lin Qiupu frowned and said very seriously.


    "I know you¡¯re a policeman, and I am not trying to bribe you. It¡¯s a small token of my appreciation. I like the police most of all. I¡¯ve always wanted to be friends with a police officer¡­ Do you think my daughter is pretty? Oh right, do you have a girlfriend? Shall I introduce her to you?" The uncle hugged the woman and said with a smile.


    Lin Qiupu''s nostrils kept ring, and he restrained himself for a long time before he said, "Farewell!"


    After turning around and leaving, the woman chased after him, grabbed Lin Qiupu''s arm, rubbed her chest against his arm, and stuffed the card into his hand, saying, "Little handsome guy, take it. There¡¯s no other meaning. It''ll be difficult for me if you don¡¯t take it!"


    Lin Qiupu nearly died of embarrassment, but he was unable to push her away. The woman stuck to him like sticky candy.[3]


    "Little Lin!"


    A familiar voice made LinQiupu feel as if he had seen sunlight in the midnight darkness. He saw Song Lang standing across the road. He strode over, and his long windbreaker billowed behind him like a superhero''s cloak. He said in a deep voice, "What are you doing? Let go of my man!"


    The woman blushed and ran back hurriedly.


    Standing in front of Song Lang, Lin Qiupu was nearly on the verge of tears. He restrained his emotions and said, "Captain, I''m here to investigate the lead. That boss tried to give me money inexplicably."


    "Who told you to investigate the case alone?" Song Lang smiled and reprimanded him. "This shop must have met with trouble and wanted to find a policeman as a backer. Your little face is as tender as tofu, so of course they¡¯ll take you for a soft persimmon."[4]


    "Why are you here?"


    "I''m also investigating the case!" Song Lang pouted, pointing to the pawn shop from just now. "Come, let''s go in!"


    1. The full name of the TV show is My Brother¡¯s Name is Shun Liu or ¡°ÎÒµÄÐֵܽÐ˳Áï.¡±


    2. Street food originating from the province of Shaanxi. It¡¯s meat sandwiched in tbread. The meat is mostmonly pork that has been stewed in a soup. The meat used varies from province to province.


    4. Someone malleable that they can manipte into doing whatever they want.

 Chapter 780: The Eldest Couldn’t Control The Second-eldest

    <h4>Chapter 780: The Eldest Couldn¡¯t Control The Second-eldest</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When they got to the door of the pawn shop, Song Lang asked, "Where¡¯s your partner Dachang? Why are you investigating the case alone?"


    "He¡­ he got off work."


    "Hmph, I knew it! Don''t follow his example. The police don¡¯t work nine to five. People who do this job as if they are office workers can''t be good police officers."


    Lin Qiupu nodded silently and asked Song Lang, "Captain, what are you here to investigate?"


    "The owner of this shop knew the deceased. I came to understand the situation. Do you know why they tried to pester you just now? It¡¯s because this pawn shop has been found to be selling stolen goods for someone else. The police are currently investigating this. The owner is probably in a flustered state, so he thought of some dishonest ways."


    Entering the store, the boss greeted them enthusiastically, and tried to gain their favor, "I was wondering why the magpies were calling today.[2] It turned out that we are going to be honored by Captain Song¡¯s visit. Ah, is this your beloved pupil?" Then he beckoned for his daughter toe out and present them with a box of cigars.


    Song Lang didn''t even look at it, and said, "Boss Zhai, did you know your friend He Taiyang was murdered?"


    "I know. The news spread quickly in this line of work. I heard about it this morning. Did he die miserably?"


    "Do you know what enemies He Taiyang had?"


    "There are a few enemies. Why don''t youe into the shop so we can sit while we talk? It¡¯s tiring standing there."


    "No need. I¡¯ll just stand here!" Song Lang lit a cigarette for himself.


    "Oh, you¡¯re such an important criminal police captain, but you¡¯re still smoking Zhongnanhai? It¡¯ll lower your status. Come and smoke this!"


    "Boss Zhai, let me tell you clearly that it''s useless for you to act polite with me. What I''m investigating is a criminal case, and it''s a different matter from the case where you sold stolen goods for someone else."


    "I¡­ I didn''t help people sell stolen goods. It was just that group of little thieves ndering me. By the way, Captain Song, you have a good rtionship with all the leaders in the bureau. Can you help me plead with Captain Zhang?" Boss Zhai disyed a greasy smile on his wrinkled face.


    "We¡¯ll talk when I finish handling my affairs. Tell me who He Taiyang''s enemies are."


    "Aiya, aiya, I have suddenly lost my memory. Who¡¯s He Taiyang? Is the person male or female? Where have I heard this name before?" Boss Zhai put on a fake act. This was undisguised bargaining, and Lin Qiupu was very angry upon seeing this.


    Song Lang sneered, and said, "Then I¡¯ll tell Captain Zhang to stop investigating and return all the things they took from you, okay?"


    Boss Zhai smiled, "I don''t want the items¡­" He noticed the mockery in Song Lang''s tone, and frowned. "Captain Song, are you kidding with me?"


    "You know it¡¯s impossible as well? Bear the responsibility for what you¡¯ve done and don''te up with these crooked ideas all day long. Have you seen people who fall into swamps? You¡¯ll only sink deeper and deeper if you struggle blindly like this. The only thing that can save you is confessing before the investigation ends in order to get a reduced sentence."


    These words made Boss Zhai lower his head in shame. Song Lang said, "If you don''t tell me, I will ask elsewhere. He Taiyang has other friends."


    As he said this, he turned around to leave. Boss Zhai hurriedly took his arm and said, "Captain Song, I will cooperate with the investigation. I¡¯ll cooperate with the investigation!"


    Boss Zhai said that he and He Taiyang had been friends for decades. When they were young, they came to Long''an together. He Taiyang had many ideas and was willing to endure hardships. His only drawback was his lust. The eldest couldn¡¯t control the second-eldest. He slept around all the time, but he was still afraid of his wife. He was caughting cheating on his wife a couple of times. His wife punished him by making him kneel on the washboard at home. He swore seriously that he would never touch another woman again. Of course, a dog can''t stop eating sh*t. They were just words he spouted.


    In the 1990s, He Taiyang had just made his fortune. He slept with a woman he shouldn''t have slept with and people from the underworld went after him. He went into hiding for a few years and didn''t dare toe back until the triad boss was arrested for another matter. However, during the years he was on the run, he still produced an illegitimate daughter. That¡¯s He Jingjing who is now helping out in the store.


    ording to hearsay, He Jingjing went to Long''an to reunite with her fatherter on. He Taiyang liked her because He Taiyang had no other children, but Mrs. He didn''t like her at all. One can guess just using one¡¯s toes that when He Jingjing arrived, their family never had a peaceful day.


    "I heard that he did something very unprofessional some time ago. A guest pawned an antique, and when the guest came to redeem it, he actually swapped it out with a fake item. The guest came from a powerful background and told him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do business in Long''an again. Thest time I had a drink with him, he was very depressed. He even asked me where he could find a professional killer. I told him he was crazy, that he should quickly apologize to the other person and make amends. He said I didn''t understand."


    "What does that guest do?" Song Lang asked.


    Boss Zhai lowered his voice. "He¡¯s from the dark path!"


    "There were no underworld gangs in Long''an twenty years ago. Which path was he on? The sidewalk?"


    "This is just a way to say that this boss is really powerful, I¡­ I can''t disclose too much."


    "What was the antique?"


    "It was a calligraphy painting by Zhang Detian, from the Qing Dynasty."


    Song Lang nodded and asked, "When did this happen?"


    "A month ago."


    "Then does he have any other enemies?"


    Boss Zhai listed a few more. When Song Lang and Lin Qiupu left, Boss Zhai told his daughter to press the box of Cuban cigars into Song Lang¡¯s hands. Song Lang simply said coldly, "Don''t touch me." Boss Zhai''s smile froze on his face.


    Walking out of the store, Song Lang said, "You have to remember that the police represent justice, not kindness. Justice and kindness don''t conflict most of the time, but when dealing with people like this, you don¡¯t need to be kind to them, or they¡¯ll take a mile when you give them an inch."


    "I¡¯ll remember." Lin Qiupu thought that the captain had taught him a very vivid lesson again.


    "You¡¯ve been looking at your watch just then. Do you have an appointment?"


    "No¡­ no, thest bus was at 10:30. I''m afraid I won¡¯t make it."


    "Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? I''ll send you home!"


    "No¡­ no need. Captain, please go ahead and go about your business. I''ll just take a taxi."


    "Stop talking nonsense and get into the car!"


    Lin Qiupu didn''t dare to defy him, and got into the car obediently. Song Lang didn''t say a word along the way. Lin Qiupu noticed that his hand was tapping at the steering wheel the whole time. That was probably the captain''s habitual movement when thinking about things.


    "What did you find out today?" Song Lang asked.


    Lin Qiupu recounted the clues he had investigated, and finally said, "The clues aren¡¯tprehensive enough. I will visit a few more pawn shops tomorrow."


    "Very good, but don''t be too rigid when investigating cases. Most of these pawn shop owners know He Taiyang. While inquiring about this bowl, remember to find out about He Taiyang¡¯s situation. It¡¯s best to listen to different people talk about the same thing several times to get a general understanding of what the facts are."


    "I¡¯ll remember!" Lin Qiupu took out the small bowl in the evidence bag. "This is from a pawn shop. You can take it back for identification!"


    Half an hourter, Song Lang¡¯s car drove to the apartment which LinQiupu was renting. It was in a dpidated residential building. The whole building was dark, except for a window on the top floor with the light on. Lin Qiupu said cheerfully, "My sister is back and waiting for me!"


    "How much is the rent here?"


    "Not expensive. It¡¯s only 500 yuan a month."


    An apartment that could be rented for five hundred yuan in Long''an must be in very poor condition. Furthermore, it was on the top floor. It must be cold in winter and warm in summer. Song Lang took out his wallet and pulled out a wad of banknotes, wanting to give him a little financial aid.


    After thinking about it, he stuffed the money back in. Such a poor boy must have strong self-esteem, and he would feel humiliated if he was given money directly. It was better to wait for the case to end and give him an extra bonus instead.


    Song Lang said gently, "Hurry home!"


    "Thank you, Captain."


    1. This is an euphemism describing men who can¡¯t keep their penises in check.


    2. In China, this is an auspicious omen.

 Chapter 781: The Origin of the Legend

    Chapter 781: The Origin of the Legend


    "Three, two, one... Haha, it''s time to get off work."


    The next afternoon, his partner Da Chang "got off work on time" again. He waved to Lin Qiupu and said, "I''m heading back. You should go home early as well. It¡¯s the same if we continue investigating tomorrow."


    Lin Qiupu frowned and said, "Da Chang, it''s really bad for you to be like this. Everyone is looking for clues day and night. You should spend a little more time on it!"


    Da Chang poked Lin Qiupu twice in the chest. "I don''t need a neer like you to teach me how to be a policeman!"


    With that said, he drove away. Lin Qiupu sighed and shook his head.


    Even after busying himself the whole day, he couldn¡¯t find many clues. Lin Qiupu personally experienced the difficulty of investigating cases. He was about to visit the next pawn shop before it was dark when a phone call arrived. Song Lang asked, "Where are you?"


    "I''m on... Shangma Street."


    "Don''t move. I''lle find you."


    After saying so, he hung up the phone. Lin Qiupu wondered why the captain was looking for him. Was there something important? However, after spending a few days with the captain, he could feel his concern for him. Every time he heard the captain¡¯s voice, he always felt his heart pounding with excitement.


    Half an hourter, Song Lang''s car appeared in front of him and he was told to get into the car.


    After getting into the car, Song Lang said, "Let''s go and eat!"


    "Captain, did you look for me because of this?"


    "No, I n to go to Taiyang pawn shop. I knew you were out, so I called you toe along. This meal is a reward for working overtime!"


    Lin Qiupu was ttered.


    When they arrived at a home-style restaurant, Song Lang ordered a few dishes at random, lit a cigarette, and asked, "Have you found out anything?"


    Lin Qiupu opened his small notebook and said, "There are three versions of the legend surrounding this bowl. Some said it was Zhaodi, some said it was a Russian monk, and some said it was thest prisoner executed in the Qing Dynasty. The other details are the same. It¡¯s uncertain how many bowls exist. Many pawn shop owners have received them. I suspect that someone is using the legends to scam money."


    "Old Peng tested the bowl you brought back yesterday. It was made out of cow bones. As for the bowl you got from Taiyang, it was made from monkey bones."


    "Ah, none of them are real?!"


    "I also checked the files. This bowl had first appeared at Yuxiang pawn shop. The perpetrator was arrested long ago. This started with an unemployedding up with this ''innovative'' fraud method one day. He took a small crappy bowl and a story he made up tomit fraud, but was humiliated afterwards by the pawn shop owner who pped him in the face. That night, the guy killed the pawn shop owner¡¯s family of three in order to vent his anger. He was on the run for a few days, but was so scared that he surrendered himself and is still residing in prison today. It stands to reason that the matter is over, but the strange thing is that this bowl and this legend spread like a virus among the pawn shops of Long''an. Almost all pawn shops have received it. A small number of people paid the life-preservation fee, but most peopleughed it off. A number of people who didn¡¯t pay the money indeed met with misfortune. Based on the data, it isn¡¯t convincing at all, but after outsiders have added details to the stories while retelling them over and over again, the stories have be increasingly strange, and there are even three versions of the origin story of the bowl." Song Lang shook his head and smiled, "This matter is simply a ssic example of rumor spreading, and it can even be used for a sociology textbook. Little Lin, tell me your opinion!"


    "Uh, someone is utilizing it?"


    "Why are they utilizing it?" Song Lang asked encouragingly.


    "Because... because this legend is very evil, and the people who operate pawn shops are particrly superstitious. Utilizing it, they can scam a lot of money."


    "Correct. You¡¯ve grasped the essence of this. The reason why this legend is alive is because it can bring practical benefits, just like all ridiculous scam tricks."


    "Then is this legend... rted to the case?"


    "It isn¡¯t rted, because He Jingjing is lying." Song Lang said lightly.


    "Ah!" Lin Qiupu was shocked. The captain knew from the beginning that there was no connection, but made him investigate for two days.


    "You don''t have to show a disappointed expression. Investigation is not only for proof to confirm the truth, but also to prove falsehoods. Why did He Jingjing make use of this legend and what can she get out of it? He Taiyang took out one million from the bank before he died and the whereabouts of this sum is unknown. Perhaps He Jingjing brought out this legend in order to seize the opportunity to take this money. Of course, it might have been for other purposes."


    "I think we should focus on investigating her!" Lin Qiupu became agitated.


    Song Lang smiled. "Don¡¯t just focus on one person. He Jingjing is indeed suspicious, but she has no clear motive for killing. At least not right now."


    Lin Qiupu took a look at his notebook and said, "A pawn shop owner said that the rtionship between He Taiyang and his nephew He Jun wasn¡¯t actually very good. The two had quarrelled a while ago, seemingly over money."


    Song Lang nodded.


    "There is also the owner of the calligraphy painting. I asked and these pawn shop owners seemed to know something, but they were all unwilling to say anything."


    "You¡¯re quite considerate." Song Lang smiled. "They didn''t say anything because they¡¯re afraid of offending that person. This person is really powerful."


    "Captain, does Long¡¯an still have organized crime syndicate-style groups right now?"


    "They must exist in such a big city. As long as a group of people use violence for profit, they are legally considered organized crime syndicates... You should eat quickly. We still have to investigate the case after we finish eating."


    At this time, the food had already been brought to the table. Lin Qiupu let out an "Oh" and lowered his head to eat.


    After the meal, Song Lang brought Lin Qiupu to the Taiyang pawn shop. He unexpectedly discovered that Captain Peng was also there. Captain Peng was carrying a survey box in his hands. Standing next to him was an unfamiliar uncle who didn¡¯t seem to be a policeman.


    "Why are you sote?!" Peng Sijueined.


    "Haha, it seems that you haven''t waited too long for me. You won''t talk to me if it¡¯s been over half an hour." Song Lang said shamelessly.


    "Fourteen minutes. I stood here and waited for you for fourteen minutes!"


    "My solemn apologies."


    Song Lang said this without a trace of guilt, and then he exchanged a few polite pleasantries with the uncle. Through their conversation, Song Lang learned that he was an expert in calligraphy and painting.


    After entering the pawn shop, they discovered that He Jingjing wasn¡¯t there. Only He Jun was looking after the store. Seeing the four peopleing in together, He Jun seemed a little impatient. "Why do the policee every day? Don¡¯t we need to do business?"


    "Murders don''t happen in every pawn shop. Just cooperate!" Song Lang said.


    "Okay, what do you want to ask about this time?" He Jun looked impatient.


    "We learned that this shop once epted a calligraphy painting of Zhang Detian''s. Do you know who that customer was?"


    "I know but I can''t tell you."


    "Why?"


    "If I tell you, you¡¯ll go looking for him and disturb the old man¡¯s peace. He would be unhappy, and then find out that I was the one who told you guys. Then I¡¯d meet with misfortune!"


    "Haha!" Song Langughed dryly. "A big boss of this level will also be short of money ande pawn a calligraphy painting?"


    "Billionaires also have times when they have cash-flow problems. Big Brother had sent someone here to pawn it. Uncle He didn¡¯t do a conscientious job this time. He split the calligraphy painting into two pieces.[1] He didn''t expect the other party to redeem it after a few days. He was greedy and gave one of them to them and kept a copy for himself. Big Brother was very angry when he found out, and let word out that they were going to fix Uncle He!"


    What He Jun said was yet another version of the story.


    Song Lang said, "So, on the day He Taiyang was killed, he had taken the other half of the calligraphy painting and money to go and apologize?"


    "No, I don''t know what was in his box."


    "Is that half of the calligraphy painting still in the store?"


    "I¡¯m not sure about that!" He Jun said with evasive eyes.


    1. Some old paintings were done on jiaxuan, which is 2-ply xuan paper. It¡¯s made thicker by meshing twoyers of pulp together. This kind of xuan paper is more absorbent and good for very expressive brushworks. However, it also makes it possible for unscrupulous (and skilful) art dealers to split a valuable painting into two by peeling off oneyer from the other for more profit.

 Chapter 782: Grudges Between Relatives

    Chapter 782: Grudges Between Rtives


    Song Lang said, "In that case, we¡¯ll investigate the store ourselves!"


    He Jun looked reluctant. "All of the things in the store are valuable. If you search around here and something is lost, how will I exin to Jingjing when shees back?"


    Song Lang smiled, "Just tell her that the police hade here with a search warrant." Song Lang took out a document. He Jun had nothing to say after he saw the red seal on it.


    The calligraphy and painting appraisal expert went to check the calligraphy paintings in the cabs. Song Lang took a few ount books and asked Lin Qiupu about his mathematics skills. Lin Qiupu said, "I don¡¯t make mistakes when ites to ounting."


    Song Lang asked He Jun to open the safe and check the cash inside.


    After a while, the two had verified that there was about 1.3 million cash missing from the safe. He Jun muttered, "I haven''t taken the money inside. Jingjing has probably taken and used the money."


    Song Lang looked at his face with a sneer, "We were here that night. He Jingjing couldn''t open the safe. Only you can open it."


    "I told her the passwordter on. Uncle He is no longer here, so she¡¯s the one in charge..."


    "You¡¯re still pretending?!"


    Under Song Lang''s prating gaze, He Jun could only admit, "After Uncle He died, I took 300,000 yuan, but the money originally belonged to me anyway."


    "You just took 300,000?"


    "I just took 300,000. How could I take 1.3 million, unless I have gone nuts?"


    Song Lang observed his expression. This time, he didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. He Taiyang did withdraw a million in cash before he died. Perhaps he had other purposes for the money, and the sum of money might have been taken away by the murderer.


    The calligraphy and painting appraisal expert found the painting in question. He spread out the painting on the table and examined it carefully with a magnifying ss. Everyone in the room was waiting for the result.


    After looking at it for a long time, the calligraphy and painting appraisal expert said, "This painting is the original and hasn¡¯t been split."


    "Nonsense. Uncle He had asked someone to split it. This is just one of them. Stop showing off here with your low skill level." He Jun said.


    "Young man, let me teach you a lesson. Not every piece of paper can be split into two pieces. It has to be done on jiaxuan[1]. This painting is made of sandalwood bark paper and is very thin. How could you split it?"


    He Jun remained silent, looking extremely embarrassed.


    "Little Lin, bring that book over." Song Lang asked Lin Qiupu for an ount book, opened it, and it was recorded that a customer had pawned a Qing Dynasty ink painting on June 14th for half a million cash. The customer''s name was written as "Old Gentleman".


    Song Lang thought, what immortal is this? The pawn shop owners dare not even mention his name.


    Then on June 25th, the "Old Gentleman" redeemed the painting again.


    Song Lang walked up to He Jun, staring into his eyes and asked, "Hasn¡¯t this painting already been redeemed? Why does it still appear here? What did He Taiyang do?"


    "Uncle He has always wanted this painting. He bought a copy from an auction and kept it at home. He had always thought it was real. After the real thing appeared, he knew that the one in his possession was fake. He might have gotten greedy and gave the old man the fake one. After finding out that the old man had redeemed a fake, I persuaded Uncle He, telling him that he couldn¡¯t do that. After offending the old man, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make a living in Long''an, so..."


    "¡®So¡¯ what? Did he go to apologize?"


    "I... I thought he had already returned the painting. I don''t know why this painting is still here. Or maybe the expert has appraised it wrongly."


    "Why did you say that the original painting had been split into two in the first ce?"


    He Jun became angry. "I don''t know! I don''t know! Uncle He was the one who did it and I¡¯m not very clear about it. Besides, is this rted to the case?"


    Song Lang sneered. "He Jun, ever since we came in, you haven¡¯t spoken an ounce of truth. I heard that you had a very poor rtionship with He Taiyang. He Taiyang even wanted to find a professional hitman to kill you. I think this is what happened: You switched the paintings, wanting to use someone else to get rid of him. Therefore, you know that the one left in the store is the genuine one. In order to patch up your lie, you made up the story about splitting the painting."


    He Jun was sweating profusely, and stammered, "nder... Uncle He is my biological uncle. Even if we have small disputes, I wouldn¡¯t go to this extent."


    "Captain!" Lin Qiupu suddenly shouted.


    It turned out that there were several photos pressed under the ss of He Taiyang¡¯s desk. One of them showed He Jun wearing sunsses and peeling an apple with a dagger in his hand. Lin Qiupu pointed to the dagger and said, "Captain, isn¡¯t this the murder weapon?"


    "What are you talking about?! What murder weapon?! Do you suspect that I havemitted murder?" He Jun panicked.


    Song Lang smiled and asked him, "Where were you on the night of September 2nd?"


    "An alibi? I was drinking in a small bar nearby and chatting with a woman."


    "Do you have her contact information?"


    "I didn''t ask for it and I don''t know what her name is, but asking the bartender will definitely prove that I¡¯ve been there. It''s the Feiyang Bar close by!"


    "He Jun, I want to summon you back to the bureau right now. We¡¯ll chat slowly there."


    He Jun frowned. "A man standing straight doesn¡¯t worry about his shadow nting!"[2]


    Song Lang asked Lin Qiupu to go to the bar to investigate, and gave him a hundred yuan, asking him to take a taxi and return to the bureau after the investigation. He could also go home as well. It was up to him to decide.


    He Jun was taken to the interrogation room. Song Lang raised the murder weapon in the evidence bag. "Do you have any impression of this knife?"


    Seeing the blood on the knife, He Jun suddenly widened his eyes, "I didn''t kill anyone!"


    "Was I asking that question?!" Song Lang berated him.


    He Jun lowered his head. "I bought this knife when I was traveling in the Northwest. I¡¯ve had it with me for many years. I only use it to peel apples and cut mutton, but I¡¯ve never killed any living creatures."


    Song Lang yed with the murder weapon in his hand. The de was very sharp. It seemed that it had been sharpened recently. At this time, his mobile phone rang. Song Lang answered the phone and said, "Little Lin, please repeat your investigation results again."


    Then he pressed the speakerphone button. Lin Qiupu said via the phone, "The bar staff didn¡¯t remember He Juning here that day, and there are no security cameras here. Asking a few guests, none of them know He Jun."


    He Jun immediately jumped up. "How could they say that they don''t remember me when it¡¯s a matter of life and death? I swear to God that I was really drinking that night. If there¡¯s even half a lie in my words, may I be struck by the heavens with lightning!"


    "Alright!" Song Lang hung up the phone. "Not having an alibi doesn¡¯t necessarily equate to your havingmitted murder. You should honestly exin what happened between you and He Taiyang previously. Don''t tell me any more lies. Only facts can save you!"


    He Jun lowered his head and said hesitantly, "I had just been released from prison and couldn''t find a job anywhere back then. Uncle He took me in. He needed a bodyguard and debt collector in this business. I have a few buddies in the underworld. He Taiyang was a stingy old man. He often found ways to deduct money from my pay. Whenever I mentioned money, he uses "Blood is thicker than water", "Why draw such clear lines between rtives", "What¡¯s mine is yours" to perfunctorily assuage me. Motherfucker, how many debts have I have collected for him over the years? His life was getting better and better, but I don¡¯t even have a house to my name. The year beforest, He Taiyang offended someone and he was beaten by a bunch of little hooligans when he was out. Hey in the hospital for three weeks. When I went to visit him, he actually asked if I did it. Have you ever seen such a bad person?"


    1. 2-ply xuan paper. It¡¯s made thicker by meshing twoyers of pulp together. This kind of xuan paper is more absorbent and good for very expressive brushworks. However, it also makes it possible for unscrupulous (and skillful) art dealers to split a valuable painting into two by peeling off oneyer from the other for more profit.


    2. An upright person fears no gossip, usations and nder.

 Chapter 783: The Skill of Distinguishing Lies

    <h4>Chapter 783: The Skill of Distinguishing Lies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    He Jun talked about a lot of the conflicts he had with He Taiyang, and then asked Song Lang for a cigarette. Smoking gloomily, he said, "I know these things sound trivial to you, but as for me, I was so angry that I wanted to kill He Taiyang at the time¡­ Of course, I¡¯m just running my mouth. As someone who¡¯s been to prison, I know how much it costs to act on impulse."


    After he finished smoking the cigarette, he continued, ¡°Something happenedter that enlightened me about He Taiyang¡¯s attitude. Jingjing and I got together. He Taiyang became very angry when he found out. He said a lot of offensive things to me and told me to get lost. I finally understood that because I¡¯ve been to jail, He Taiyang feels that I¡¯m inferior, so he oppresses me and forbids Jingjing and I from being together."


    "How was the rtionship between He Taiyang and He Jingjing?" Song Lang asked.


    "They have an ordinary father-daughter rtionship. He Taiyang dotes on his daughter, but he doesn¡¯t allow Jingjing to take charge of anything in the store. It¡¯s strange, because parents usually help their children to find jobs, but Jingjing just stayed at home every day. He was not anxious about it at all, and also didn¡¯t want to train her to be his sessor. I don''t know what this old thing was thinking at all. Did he n to support his daughter her whole life and not let her get married?"


    "For all these reasons, you wanted to kill He Taiyang?"


    "No, I didn''t. I admit that I switched the paintings. I wanted to make use of that old man to make He Taiyang suffer. Once when I was quarrelling with He Taiyang, I revealed this matter and he was terrified. But he didn¡¯t dare to look for the old man because the painting had been hidden by me. Even if he wanted to apologize and make amends, he had to bring the painting! When He Taiyang died, I was afraid that you would investigate and find out, so I quietly put the painting back¡­ To be honest, I thought that I was sessful in using someone else to get rid of him, but when I thought about it more, it was impossible. That old man would make it impossible for him to do business again, but wouldn¡¯t kill him directly. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the painting back even if he killed him and he would just dirty his own hands."


    "After all is said, who on earth is this old man?"


    "I can''t possibly tell you. I won''t tell you. You can rage at me at best, but if I tell you, the old man will make it impossible for me to survive in Long''an. I can''t afford that."


    "Huh!" Song Lang sneered. "I¡¯m guessing it''s some underworld boss. Your business is a gray industry, and you have ties with underworld gangs."


    He Jun shrugged. "You can guess whatever you want, but I can''t say his name."


    "If you don''t tell me, that¡¯s fine. Let me summarize it for you. You switched that person''s painting and framed He Taiyang, but that person hasn''t found out, or didn''t take any action, right?"


    "That''s right."


    "Then who killed He Taiyang?"


    "How would I know? This knife belongs to me, but I really didn''t kill anyone. If I killed someone, I wouldn''t keep the knife. It''s also the knife I carry with me daily. It¡¯s not like I don''t have a brain!"


    Of course, Song Lang had taken this into consideration. The appearance of this "weapon" showed too many traces of someone trying to shift me. It was obvious that He Jun wasn¡¯t the murderer.


    However, he deliberately didn''t say so. Taking advantage of this opportunity to gather more information, he asked, "How did He Taiyang''s wife die?"


    "She died of illness half a month ago."


    "We checked the records at the funeral home, and it was strange that He Taiyang cremated Madam He the same night that she died. You guys had conducted the funeral with her ashes."


    "I don''t know, I wasn¡¯t home at the time."


    "How much do you know about that bowl?"


    "I''ve heard about the legend regarding the bowl, but I don''t know when He Taiyang received it. I only found out about it when Jingjing mentioned it to you guys that day. This curio is quite evil. Perhaps it¡¯s really because He Taiyang received the bowl that he¡¯s had a string of bad luck this past month!"


    "Thank you. You can go now." Song Lang stood up.


    He Jun let out a sigh of relief.


    After He Jun left, Song Lang found out that Lin Qiupu had returned. He said, "You want to work overtime again? There¡¯s no overtime pay here!"


    "Captain, when I came back, I passed by the murder scene and saw a man loitering around there. Books say that criminals often go back to the crime scene. Could it be¡­"


    "Any distinctive features?"


    "Mm, he was about 1.7 meter tall and all wrapped up clothing-wise. The alley was too dark and I couldn¡¯t see clearly what he looked like."


    "In the future, you can just phone me directly to tell me about such clues."


    "I understand¡­ By the way, why was He Jun released?"


    "He Jun isn¡¯t a suspect."


    "But he has no alibi and the knife was found at the scene. I think he should be detained for a few days for observation."


    "Haha, do you think I¡¯m growing a flower? Observe him for a few days? I can tell if he¡¯s lying or not."


    Lin Qiupu very much admired Song Lang''s ability to judge whether the other party was lying or not with just his eyes, and asked timidly, "If we want to judge whether a person is lying, do you have to observe his micro-expressions?"


    "Today¡¯s my birthday." Song Lang said all of a sudden.


    "What?"


    "Ha, this is a lie, did you see a change in my expression?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head.


    "Most people lie every day. The important point is not the lie itself, but what the other party wants to conceal. The more dangerous the thing they want to conceal is, the more nervous they will get. To judge whether a person is lying or not, it is not only by looking, but also through sounding them out and intimidation. The liar will only reveal their mistakes when they get nervous in front of you, understood?


    Lin Qiupu nodded, engraving this sentence in his heart.


    Song Lang went to look for Peng Sijue to see if there were any findings. Lin Qiupu followed behind him like a little attendant. Peng Sijue sat alone in theboratoryparing fingerprints. When he smelled cigarette smoke behind him, he guessed who hade.


    "Don''t smoke in theboratory." Peng Sijue furrowed his brows.


    "Does theboratory have an opinion or is it your opinion?" Song Lang sat down nonchntly, picked up a cup of coffee on the table and drank it. "How¡¯s the fingerprint results?"


    Just now at Taiyang pawn shop, Peng Sijue had collected the fingerprints on the safe. He said, ¡°Only the fingerprints of He Taiyang, He Jun, and He Jingjing were found. In addition, I conducted fingerprint identification on the small bowl that He Jingjing had brought over. Guess what the results were?"


    "He Taiyang¡¯s fingerprints must be absent."


    "Yes, only He Jingjing¡¯s fingerprints were present. Both He Taiyang and He Jun have not touched that bowl."


    "It seems that He Jingjing did nt the bowl. Actually, this isn¡¯t a big problem. I guess that she has her own motive¡­" Song Lang pondered. "Does a biological daughter have a motive for killing her own father?"


    Song Lang suddenly sat up. "Is He Jingjing his daughter?"


    "What bizarre ideas have youe up with again?" Peng Sijue said.


    "He Taiyang didn''t let her work, and didn¡¯t allow He Jun to date her. He Jingjing didn''t show much emotion when talking about He Taiyang. If she wasn¡¯t his biological daughter, it could all be exined! Let¡¯s go and check the household registration database!"

 Chapter 784: Deducing Madman

    <h4>Chapter 784: Deducing Madman</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Through the rtive query of the household registration database, Song Lang found out that He Jingjing''s former name was Li Jingjing. Li Jingjing''s father was Li Qiang, and Li Qiang lived in Long''an.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Captain, isn''t He Jingjing He Taiyang''s illegitimate daughter? Why is there another father?"


    "It may be that her mother had married Li Qiang. In this case, Li Qiang is her adoptive father. There is another possibility that it¡¯s Li Qiang who is the biological father¡­"


    "He Taiyang is the foster father?"


    "He should be called godfather. When He Jingjing came to find him, she was already an adult."


    "Why did He Taiyang adopt her?"


    "What do you think?"


    "Mm, I can''t think of a reason."


    "He Jingjing wasn¡¯t living in He Taiyang''s house as a daughter at all, but as a mistress. This isn¡¯t a glorious thing, so he said that she was his illegitimate daughter. I suspect that Madam He discovered this long ago. After all, it¡¯s hard to keep secrets between husband and wife. Therefore, she had a very poor rtionship with He Jingjing. He Jingjing and He Taiyang have an age gap of over 30 years, and it was most likely not true love. Based on He Jun¡¯s reaction, he doesn¡¯t know He Jingjing is He Taiyang¡¯s mistress. When He Taiyang got angry with He Jun because He Jingjing and the youthful, strong He Jun had gotten together, he thought he was just a father who didn¡¯t want his daughter to be with someone who had been in jail."


    Lin Qiupu admired that Song Lang could make so many inferences at once.


    "Of course, these are just my spections, and we still need evidence to support it¡­ Little Lin, I will set up tomorrow''s task for you. You go and look for He Jingjing alone, and have a casual chat with her. The important point is for you to invite her out for a drink. Then you need to take back the cup she drank from and send it to Captain Peng within two hours."


    "Collect her DNA? Captain, can''t we directly request the person involved in the case to provide their biological data?"


    "I don''t want to alert her for the time being. Asking someone for their DNA is equivalent to telling them that the police are suspicious of them. If He Jingjing isn¡¯t rted to He Taiyang, then she at least has a motive for the murder."


    "Motivation for murder?" Lin Qiupu scratched his cheek. The captain''s thinking was too fast, and he couldn''t keep up.


    "Don''t think about it. You should go home early to rest."


    "Okay, Captain." Lin Qiupu was about to leave when he remembered something. He took out a handful of change from his pocket. "This is the money I got back after taking the taxi just now."


    "Save it and buy yourself some snacks!"


    "No, even if you¡¯re the captain, I don''t want to owe you anything." Lin Qiupu said seriously, handing over the change and the invoice for the taxi to Song Lang before saying goodbye. Song Lang looked at the boy''s back and smiled slightly.


    Looking at the money in his hand, Song Lang suddenly thought of something and hurried to find Peng Sijue.


    "Old Peng, do you have a million in savings?" Song Lang asked when he entered the door.


    "You want to buy a house?" Peng Sijue was cleaning the test bench.


    "I suddenly thought of something. If the deceased took one million that day, how much would it weigh? Let me look at the photos of the scene. All of them."


    Song Lang leaned back on his chair with his legs crossed, looking at the pictures of the scene one by one. It was already 11:00 at night. Besides a few police officers on duty in the bureau, only the two of them were left. Song Lang enjoyed this kind of quiet atmosphere, it was as if the whole world was asleep. It was only in this tranquil atmosphere that his brain could operate at full speed.


    "1.15 grams!" Peng Sijue brought over a cup of coffee, "I weighed it with an electronic scale. A hundred-dor bill is 1.15 grams. If it is an old bill, it might be a little lighter."


    "Ten thousand yuan is 115 grams, one million is ten kilograms, which is the weight of a bag of rice."


    "That¡¯s the weight of the entire head of an adult male."


    "You sure are a forensic doctor. Even the examples you give are so weird." Song Lang smiled. "I¡¯ll go find a ten-kilogram object."


    "It should be over ten kilograms. Don''t forget the weight of the box!"


    The two went to the evidence room. The police evidence room was a treasure house. They had everything. They found a box with ten kilograms of paper in it. Song Lang handcuffed his wrist to the box. "Let¡¯s go for a walk."


    "It looks like it''s going to rain. Just experiment here."


    "No, there¡¯s no atmosphere here. Only the ck night and high wind outside provides the right atmosphere. I¡¯ll treat you to supper when I¡¯m done."


    Peng Sijue sighed and had no choice but to apany him.


    The weight of ten kilograms didn''t feel like much at first. Only after Song Lang did a round of walking, did he discover that it was very heavy. His wrist was handcuffed to the box, so he couldn''t change hands. His hand was a little sore from carrying it.


    It was about half a kilometer from the Taiyang pawn shop to the scene of the crime. After walking this estimated distance, Song Lang put down the box and breathed a sigh of relief. Peng Sijue said, "You¡¯re really dedicated to your work. Even your wrist is chafed red."


    Song Lang looked at his wrist. "I have a professional question. Would blood run out of the mouth with the position where the knife had stabbed the deceased?"


    "The deceased''s trachea did have some reverse blood flow, and there was some in his oral cavity."


    "But there was no blood on the ground. Something was blocking the blood."


    Peng Sijue nced at the box. "The box?"


    "Yes, the bending action made by the deceased was actually to put down the box. Why did he put the box down in front of the other person? It¡¯s because the other person was the party who came for the transaction. From this point, it seems that we had misjudged things. The murderer is not necessarily an acquaintance, he was the other party in the deceased¡¯s transaction. When the deceased bent over and opened the box, the murderer drew out the knife and stabbed the deceased in the back. The blood that the deceased vomited was vomited onto the box, and then the murderer took the box with them."


    "The ground was very muddy. There would be traces if he put the box down."


    "The deceased crawled over that part of the ground and wiped out the indentation. Of course, if you look closely, there¡¯s actually a slight indentation." Song Lang took out a photo of the scene, and a small square indentation could be seen on it.


    After seeing this, Peng Sijue was convinced. "This means that you have more subjects to investigate?"


    "This is a good thing. The identity of the murderer has be clearer. As long as we find out who the deceased went to see that night, we won¡¯t be far from the truth¡­ But what was this million for¡­ Life-preservation money? It¡¯s definitely not life-preservation money¡­ Could it be money to pay off the old man? Wrong as well¡­ Why did He Jingjing bring out that legend? Does she have other intentions¡­"


    Song Lang pondered and walked away alone with his hands behind his back. Peng Sijue said, "Hey, take the box back!"


    Song Lang waspletely immersed in his own deductions and turned a deaf ear to Peng Sijue''s words. As he walked further and further away, Peng Sijue sighed helplessly, and could only bring the box back to the Public Security Bureau by himself.


    Peng Sijue returned to hisb, made a pot of coffee, turned on the music, picked up a book and began reading it. Light rain fell outside the window and Song Lang suddenly ran back. His windbreaker and hair were all wet. He said, "Fuck, I actually walked into a park. You haven''t gone home yet?"


    "I was waiting for you. Didn''t you say we were having supper together?"


    "Sorry, sorry, I was too focused on the questions in my head¡­" Song Lang picked up the coffee on the table and drank it. "It''s really bitter. There¡¯s no sugar."


    "Sugar can make people tired and cause tooth decay. I never eat sugar."


    "See how restrictive your life is?" Song Lang took out a cigarette for himself.


    "A self-disciplined life will give you a lot of benefits." Peng Sijue reached out and grabbed the cigarette in his hand and threw it out of the window. "Don''t smoke in theboratory!"

 Chapter 785: Most Powerful Person in Long’an

    <h4>Chapter 785: Most Powerful Person in Long¡¯an</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Where did you grow up as a kid?"


    "Does your biological mother still stay in contact with He Taiyang?"


    "Does He Taiyang and his wife quarrel often?"


    Lin Qiupu opened his notebook again to confirm these prepared questions. Song Lang had asked him to ask He Jingjing out, get her to drink something and ask some casual questions. It sounded simple, but it was very difficult for Lin Qiupu. He didn''t know how to chat ¡°casually¡± with a female of the same age. As a criminal police officer, if he asked some questions about her family, would his intentions seem impure?


    When he got near Taiyang pawn shop, he found that the pawn shop wasn¡¯t open for business. There were three ck cars of the exact same model parked in front of the door. Lin Qiupu vaguely had a bad premonition.


    When he approached the Taiyang pawn shop, he heard the sound of things smashing inside. A man roared, "Apologize and make amends? How are you going topensate us? Eat this and I¡¯ll pretend nothing happened."


    Some people havee here to cause trouble!


    Lin Qiupu stepped forward to push the door open, but the door was actually not locked. He went to the office and saw a few men in ck suits crowding inside. Some vases and potteryy smashed on the floor. He Jingjing and He Jun knelt on the ground miserably, with faces covered in blood.


    These guys with unknown backgrounds saw that a little policeman had run in and their arrogant expressions disappeared. One of them, who had long hair, sneered. "Nice, you actually dared to call the police! Watch your backs!"


    As he spoke, the people were about to leave, but Lin Qiupu shouted, "Don''t move. Come back to the bureau and exin everything clearly."


    "Officer, what is there to exin? We¡¯re friends with He Jun. We¡¯re just ying around." The long-haired man said with a fake smile, "If you don''t believe me, you can ask Little Junjun."


    "Yes, yes, Brother Feng was just ying with me. He didn''t hit me." He Jun said in a trembling voice, obviously under pressure from the long-haired man.


    Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t wearing a gun. He took out his handcuffs and said, "Follow me back to the bureau!"


    "Go back to the bureau? Don''t waste our time. Why don¡¯t you ask them whether they dare to sue us?" The long-haired man walked out directly, but Lin Qiupu blocked the door to prevent them from leaving. Unexpectedly, a tall and well-built man in a suit pushed Lin Qiupu away.


    The group of people walked out of the shop rudely. Lin Qiupu chased after them. The three cars started. He gritted his teeth, took out his phone and took a picture of the license te of one of the cars.


    The other party noticed his movements and turned the car around quickly, seemingly intending to hit him.


    The car aggressively reversed at high speed, raising a cloud of dust under its wheels. Lin Qiupu was very frightened, but kept telling himself ¡°I am a policeman! I am a policeman!¡±.


    He didn''t dodge, and when the rear bumper of the car was a few centimeters away from him, it mmed to a halt. The long-haired man poked his head out from the driver''s seat and said with a thumbs up. "Little policeman, you do have a backbone!"


    Then, the car drove away, leaving exhaust and dust in Lin Qiupu¡¯s face.


    After the incident was over, Lin Qiupu finally felt fear wash over him. If the car hadn¡¯t braked in time, he would have been disabled for the rest of his life. He walked back into the store in a daze with his legs trembling, and took a paper cup from the water dispenser. It took several sses of cold water to calm his nerves.


    "Thank you. If it weren''t for your appearance, we would really not be able to make it through this crisis today." He Jingjing came out to express her thanks.


    "No¡­ It¡¯s nothing. I''m a policeman, this is what I should do¡­" Lin Qiupu noticed blood on He Jingjing''s forehead. "Did they beat you?"


    "They pushed me once and I bumped into the table. He Jun was the one who was beaten badly!"


    He Jun walked out while supporting himself against the door. There were no injuries on his face, but there was a lot of dirt on his clothes. He was limping when he walked. He Jun didn''t feel grateful. He said, "You didn¡¯te earlier orter, but right at this moment. Brother Feng must think that I had called the police!"


    "If he hadn''te in time, you would have been lying in the hospital right now!" He Jingjing reproached him. She went back into the office and brought out a small stic bowl with mung bean starch jelly in it. Upon closer inspection, he found that some thin and bright fragments mixed in. "Mung bean starch jelly mixed with ss shards. That group of people told He Jun to eat this for them and they will pretend that this matter never happened. If you ate this, you would have died!"


    "Why are you telling them everything?!" He Jun grumbled.


    "What right do you have to stop me from talking? You incited today¡¯s trouble!"


    "Yes, I brought it upon myself, so I¡¯ll deal with it myself! There¡¯s no need for outsiders to get involved. I¡¯ll eat sh*t, let alone ss shards. I should have this kind of mentality since I walk this path!" He Jun shouted in anger. Perhaps he aggravated his wound- he took a deep breath and clutched his waist.


    "Shut up!" Lin Qiupu interrupted him. "They¡¯re people sent by that ¡®old man¡¯?"


    "Yes, they¡¯re Lie Guoxiao''s subordinates! They came to cause trouble today because of the painting. He Jun wanted to make use of them to kill He Taiyang, but now that He Taiyang is dead, they¡¯re directly going to him to settle the debts. He lifted a rock and smashed his own feet!"


    "Don''t mention his name!" He Jun''s eyes widened.


    "I''m going to mention it! I''m going to mention it!" He Jingjing said angrily. "You don''t need to know what Lie Guoxiao does. He is the most powerful person in Long¡¯an. No one dares to offend him. His godsons are the richest and most powerful people in Long¡¯an. If he wants to make a person disappear, that person will disappear from the world, and even the police wouldn¡¯t be able to find any evidence."


    Lin Qiupu''s eyes widened, and he couldn''t believe that even after twenty years of fighting organized crime, there would still be such an underworld boss.


    He took out his notebook, "Lie Guoxiao? How do you write those three characters?"


    "¡®Lie¡¯ as in ¡®fierce¡¯ in ¡®fierce fire¡¯, ¡®Guo¡¯ as in ¡®country¡¯, and ¡®Xiao¡¯ as in ¡®hero¡¯."


    "You don''t want to live anymore?" He Jun mmed the wall. "Tell the police his name, and we¡¯re all finished."


    He Jingjing said angrily, "Why should I be afraid of him? Why should I be afraid of him!? What''s so scary about a damned old man?!"


    He Jun sighed, clutched his chest and went to another room.


    Although Lin Qiupu had unintentionally discovered this major piece of information, he didn¡¯t forget his mission on this trip. He took out a napkin and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Why don¡¯t you wipe the blood off your head!"


    "Thank you, you¡¯re so kind." He Jingjing took it, wiped the blood from her head, and threw the balled-up napkin into the wastebasket.


    He had to think of a way to get this napkin.


    He Jingjing asked, "Is there anything else you need?"


    "Ah no, it''s okay. I''ll have another ss of water."


    "I¡¯ll pour it for you."


    He Jingjing went to the water dispenser to pour him water. He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to steal the napkin, but his cell phone rang unexpectedly. Song Lang said via the phone, "Have you gotten He Jingjing''s DNA?"


    "Almost!"


    "What does ''almost'' mean?" Song Langughed over the phone, "The n has changed. Directly summon He Jingjing to the bureau. We need to confront her face-to-face over certain matters."


    "Then¡­ do you still want me to collect her DNA?" Lin Qiupu nced at He Jingjing.


    "Why is the little fellow so upright? We¡¯re already calling her in, so of course we don''t need to collect the DNA. Bring her back quickly."

 Chapter 786: Selling Daughter To Pay Debts

    <h4>Chapter 786: Selling Daughter To Pay Debts</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu brought He Jingjing back to the bureau and told Song Lang what had just happened at the Taiyang pawnshop. Song Lang was stunned. "Lie Guoxiao? I have never heard of this name. To put it bluntly, they¡¯re just a bunch of lowlifes."


    "Captain, why did you summon He Jingjing?"


    "We brought her other father, Li Qiang, here to see if he is the biological father or the adoptive father!"


    In order to prevent the two from colluding, Li Qiang and He Jingjing were kept in different meeting rooms. Song Lang sent some police officers to keep watch. Peng Sijue used cotton swabs to swab the mouths of the two for DNA testing. While waiting, Song Lang chain-smoked one cigarette after another. The ashtray was full of cigarettes. Lin Qiupu thought that his senior''s addiction to cigarettes was too great, and was very worried about his health.


    Half an hourter, the results came out. The DNA match rate of the two reached 99.9%. They were confirmed to be father and daughter. Song Lang instructed Lin Qiupu, "Go and take Li Qiang to the interrogation room!"


    Song Lang then went into the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu was about to leave. Song Lang said, "You should stay and learn how to interrogate people."


    Lin Qiupu sat on the chair in fear and trepidation. He had only seen this kind of scene on TV when he was young. He didn¡¯t expect to be able to participate in an interrogation one day. The interrogation room wasn¡¯t as dark as those in police films. A few fluorescent tubes illuminated it. It was very bright, because the whole process had to be recorded.


    Song Lang adjusted the recorder, and sat down opposite Li Qiang. Li Qiang was a thin, balding, middle-aged man. His eyes and nose looked as though they were squashed together. He looked slightly uncouth. He was wearing a blue shirt faded from too much washing and he kept shaking his legs.


    "Do you smoke?" Song Lang asked.


    "Give me one." Li Qiang responded.


    Song Lang handed him a cigarette case and a lighter. After taking a puff, Li Qiang seemed to be less nervous.


    "How did you and He Taiyang meet?"


    Li Qiang frowned. "He Taiyang and I are old ssmates. A person¡¯s life is really predestined. We both left our jobs to start businesses after the Chinese economic reform. I set up a factory and He Taiyang opened up a pawnshop. After a few decades, he became a big boss, but I still have no money to my name and even owe heavy debts."


    "Li Qiang, stop bluffing here. We checked your files. When did you run a factory? You just had an unreliable friend iming to be engaged in the industry and you borrowed money to buy shares of the business, but the person turned out to be a scammer. This matter also happened after you wereid off. You owed hundreds of thousands of yuan after being deceived. Also, they were high-interest loans. You could only pull down the east wall to repair the west wall, using one high-interest loan to repay another. You were still obsessed with investments and wanted to get rich overnight. You kept borrowing more money. How much do you owe now?"


    Li Qiang lowered his head in shame after being exposed. "Over 3 million and I haven¡¯t repaid it all yet.¡±


    "Your wife also ran away because you owed debts, right?"


    Li Qiang nodded. Thinking of the sad past, his eyes reddened.


    "Where is your daughter?"


    "I don''t have¡­ a daughter!"


    "Since we invited you here, we must have your information on hand. Exin honestly where your daughter went."


    Li Qiang looked up and saw Song Lang staring at him coldly. He suddenly panicked and the cigarette soot in his hand fell to the ground.


    Later, Song Lang told Lin Qiupu that when facing the suspect, if you expose one of their lies, the other party will think you know everything about them. This is a bluff, but it works, because all liars have guilty consciences.


    "My daughter was sold to He Taiyang as a mistress!"


    "When did this happen?"


    "A few years ago, He Taiyang came to my house to collect debts. Although he was polite to me, his attitude was unyielding. He made implicit threats. If I still don''t settle my debts, he would find someone from the underworld to deal with me. Every moneylender is like this. Pei![1] In the end, he took a liking to my daughter, Jingjing. She was only seventeen years old. She had just returned from school, thought that we had a visitor in our home, and she even greeted him saying, ¡®Hello, Uncle.¡¯ This old pervert, He Taiyang¡¯s attention was immediately diverted, and he looked at my daughter lecherously. In a perverted manner, he asked whether I wanted to reduce the debt. I had already guessed what he was going to say, and asked how I could reduce it. He said that he was going on a business trip soon and that it would be boring if he went alone. If my daughter could apany him to Shanghai, he could reduce it by 100,000."


    "I really wanted to sh him with a knife there and then. Saying this in front of me, the dad, is he even human?!" Li Qiang¡¯s eyes glinted ominously. "However, poverty stunts ideals. I said, ¡®100,000, are you kidding me? What good is 100,000?!¡¯ He Taiyang said that it just costs this much to sleep with a virgin prostitute, and it wasn¡¯t like my daughter was made of gold. 100,000 was already very fair¡­ Did you hear that? He wanted to fuck my daughter at a clear set price, this old pervert!


    "Poverty stunts ideals though. I agreed and made up a pack of lies to trick my daughter into going out with him. Aftering back, my daughter never talked to me again. Later, He Taiyang came very often. He sometimes took Jingjing to a hotel and sometimes they had sex in my house, giving me a debt reduction of 100,000 each time. However, I owed too much debt. This was nothing but a drop in the bucket. He Taiyang even persuaded me to let it go since she¡¯d be someone else¡¯s when she grew up anyway. Letting him fuck her, I can even make money¡­ He seemed to really like Jingjing, and one day, he suddenly proposed to me to let him adopt Jingjing. All the debts I owed him would be written off. I asked how we¡¯d do that. He said it was easy and that we just needed to change her name, and enter her into the household registration database as his daughter. To everyone else, he would say that she was his illegitimate daughter, but in fact, she would be a mistress he kept at his house so that he could y with her anytime, anywhere. Haha, who said you can''t take a concubine nowadays? As long as you have money, wouldn¡¯t you be able to keep a concubine in your own house all the same?"


    Li Qiang looked full of contempt and took out another cigarette. These words made Lin Qiupu want to throw up. Such a father actually existed in the world. Although he kept attacking He Taiyang for his perverted shamelessness, if it weren''t for his nod in agreement in the first ce, how would He Jingjing have been pushed into this fire pit?


    "You¡¯re a bastard of a father!" Song Langmented calmly.


    "I''m a bastard. I have no choice. Poverty stunts ideals. Jingjing was unfortunate to have been born into my family. However, from another perspective, at least she can eat and dress well with He Taiyang. It¡¯s better than staying with me!" Li Qiang said righteously.


    "Then after you settled He Taiyang''s debt by selling your daughter, how much debt do you still owe?"


    "In the beginning, it was around half a million, but then the interestpounded and it became three million. If only I had another daughter, it would be great." Li Qiang grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.


    "Therefore, you ckmailed He Taiyang?"


    "That''s not ckmail¡­" Li Qiang was suddenly startled. Lin Qiupu saw cold sweat erupt from the pores on his forehead. Li Qiang quickly stopped talking. "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about, Officer!"


    "Don''t worry, it''s all recorded. The question I just asked can¡¯t be used as evidence in court."


    "Aiya, you scared me. You suddenly came up with this question, and I identally said the wrong thing." Li Qiang smiled in relief after the false rm.


    Song Lang sneered. His expression suddenly turned serious. "But we all understand in our hearts that you¡¯re the one who killed He Taiyang!"


    1. Imitating the sound of spitting, showing disrespect.

 Chapter 787: Uncovering Lies

    <h4>Chapter 787: Uncovering Lies</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Hearing this, Li Qiang immediately became agitated, and he waved his hands desperately, "Officer, don''t talk nonsense, okay? How could I have killed He Taiyang? I have no grievances with him."


    Song Lang stood up and smiled, "You should sit here for a while, take a break and then we can talk. You can look for the police officer at the door if you want water or cigarettes."


    Song Lang took Lin Qiupu outside, and Lin Qiupu said with surprise, "Captain, why do you think he killed him?"


    "There are clues that Li Qiang had visited He Taiyang''s house on the 16th ofst month."


    "The 16th ofst month?" Lin Qiupu recalled. "The day Madam He died?"


    "Was it a coincidence? There must be something to it. Madam He''s death itself is suspicious. After her death, He Taiyang took out a million in cash and brought arge amount of cash to meet somee at night. What can you think of? Yes, this is an extortion case! There¡¯s a high probability that Madam He¡¯s death was rted to He Taiyang. Li Qiang, who went to his house that day, happened to see this scene and ckmailed He Taiyang. ording to our revised reasoning, the person who met the deceased that night was the murderer¡­ Just now, Li Qiang identally made a slip of the tongue, making me more certain about this point."


    Lin Qiupu very much admired Song Lang''s line of thought. He was actually able to make sense of all these clues. He said, "So what''s the motive for murder?"


    "I don''t know." Song Lang lit up a cigarette. "When new evidence appears, we may have an idea."


    It was already noon, so Song Lang ordered a few takeaways, and asked someone to send a meal as well as water to He Jingjing and Li Qiang respectively. He finished his meal, drank tea and read the newspaper leisurely. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon but Song Lang had no intention of continuing the interrogation.


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t sit still any longer and asked Song Lang, "Captain, what are you waiting for?"


    "Haha, I''m waiting for evidence!"


    "Evidence?"


    "When Li Qiang was brought in, I asked people to search his residence at the same time. If this million was in his hands, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to deposit it in the bank. It would definitely have been hidden somewhere."


    "Is it legal to search like this?"


    "Rx. There¡¯s no problem."


    Lin Qiupu groused in his heart about whether "no problem" meant that it was legal or illegal, but he didn¡¯t dare to question the captain''s decision face-to-face.


    At that moment, several police officers came in. Song Lang got up eagerly from his chair and asked them how the investigation went? However, the group of officers shook their heads. One of them said, "I didn''t find a lot of cash. In fact, we couldn¡¯t even find 100 yuan in his house."


    Song Lang raised his brows slightly, and he pondered for a moment. "Was there anything anomalous in his house?"


    "Uh, it''s hard to exin in a few words, but we found this." The policeman took out a transport ticket.


    The ticket had been bought recently. Li Qiang had nned to go to a ce far away. Song Lang instructed, "Little Lin, check who Li Qiang has been in contact with recently. The money may have been hidden elsewhere by him. Go and search together with these two older brothers. You must find it before it gets dark."


    "Captain, I don''t know whether I should say something." Lin Qiupu hesitated.


    "Are you afraid that I¡¯m investigating along the wrong direction?"


    Lin Qiupu nodded in embarrassment.


    "Don''t doubt your own judgment because of a minor obstacle. Three days have passed since the murder happened. No matter how stupid the murderer is, they wille up with a set of ways to deal with the police. You have to imagine that you are Li Qiang and think about where you¡¯d put the money."


    "What if there really isn¡¯t any money?"


    "If you really hit the south wall, then you can turn back! That way you have done your best." Song Lang smiled and patted his shoulder. "Hurry up. You must find it before dark, or we¡¯ll have to let them go."


    After Lin Qiupu left, Song Lang took He Jingjing to the interrogation room. He Jingjing had already be impatient from waiting, "You police are really inefficient. It took so long just for you guys to interrogate me. How do you n topensate me for the time I wasted?"


    "Sorry, I was interrogating another person before this. He has a connection with you as well as with this case."


    "A connection with me?" He Jingjing raised her eyebrows suspiciously.


    "Have you already thought of someone?"


    "I didn¡¯t even finish middle school, and my brain is slow. Don''t try hinting things at me. I can''t think of anyone!" He Jingjing countered.


    "Then let me try another question. When we met at your housest time, you mentioned the legend of the bowl." Song Lang put a small bowl in an evidence bag on the table, "Why did you fabricate the lie about how He Taiyang received this bowl?"


    "Fabricate? Don''t nder me! This is a fact!"


    Song Lang put the other two identical bowls on the table. "In fact, we¡¯ve already investigated it carefully. This legend has indeed circted around the pawn industry in Long''an. Those fooled have paid as little as tens of thousands and as much as 100,000. Nobody has ever paid one million in life-preservation money. He Taiyang was very stingy. Even if Madam He passed away half a month ago, he wouldn¡¯t spend one million to avert misfortune. How much is your pawn shop¡¯s monthly turnover? One million is a huge sum of money. The statement you provided was full of loopholes. Why did you lie to us? I believe you didn¡¯t want the police to find out where the money had really gone, or that the person collecting the money has a connection with you."


    He Jingjing became angry from being exposed and yelled, "Don''t confound ck and white here. Why should I lie? I just told you what I saw and heard. You police are so annoying. You have to doubt everything, and you nder people just because you couldn¡¯t catch the murderer!"


    Song Lang said solemnly, "You think there¡¯s no proof left after He Taiyang died? There are only your fingerprints on this bowl. It didn''t pass through He Taiyang''s hands at all."


    He Jingjing was taken aback and continued to put up ast-ditch struggle. "He¡­ he wears gloves when he works."


    Song Lang sneered. "He Taiyang''s fingerprints are everywhere on the safe, cabs, and counters. You¡¯re telling me he wears gloves? Speaking of safes, you couldn''t open the safe in front of us that night. He Jun was the one who opened it for you. However, only your fingerprints are on this bowl, which shows that you actually know the safe¡¯s password and that you were just acting in front of us. Look, when one lie is exposed, another lie will be exposed as well. You desperately denied this lie in order to cover up another matter. Am I right?"


    He Jingjing''s face was pale, her throat kept moving, and her nostrils twitched as she panted heavily.


    Song Lang''s tone became milder, but his attitude remained tough. "We have found out a lot of things about you. He Taiyang has no blood rtionship with you at all, and both of you were also not in a father-daughter rtionship. Madam He had a very poor rtionship with you. It was not the kind of poor rtionship that a stepmother has with the step-daughter but the kind that the legal wife has with the mistress."


    He Jingjing suddenly lost her calm and shouted, "Did I want to be the mistress of that rotten old man?! Was I willing? My own father sold me and used me to pay off his debts. He Taiyang told everyone that I was his precious daughter, changed my name and entered me into his household registration. However, once behind closed doors, he¡¯d start ¡®doting on¡¯ me! Do you know what kind of life I¡¯ve been living these past few years? I have been kept like a canary. He Taiyang forbade me from going out and monitored my every move. Every night, I would hide under the nkets by myself and cry secretly. What would you know as an outsider? What would you know?!"

 Chapter 788: Song Langs Train of Thought

    <h4>Chapter 788: Song Lang''s Train of Thought</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    He Jingjing covered her face and cried as she said that. Song Lang stepped forward and handed her a piece of tissue, saying, "Miss He, I sympathize with you very much."


    "Stop pretending!" He Jingjing grabbed the piece of tissue angrily and blew her nose vigorously.


    Song Lang sat back again, "When did you and He Jun get together?"


    "We got together a few years ago. This kind of life in which I was kept at home by He Taiyang was too depressing. If I didn''t have my little affair with He Jun, I would have gone crazy long ago¡­ Of course, I was also bored with He Jun, this boorish man. I was like a concubine in bygone days who was kept at home by a rich man. I couldn¡¯t go anywhere except for that dark and depressing shop. I could only watch TV in my bedroom most of the time. He Taiyang restricted me from usingputers or phones. He was afraid that I¡¯d meet a young guy over the Inte. That rotten old man got jealous really easily!"


    "Did your biological father Li Qiange to see you?"


    He Jingjing sneered, "Why would hee? To him, I¡¯m already dead and gone. Haha, he even thinks I had a better life with He Taiyang. Let him try what it¡¯s like!"


    "Did Li Qiange on the 16th ofst month?"


    He Jingjing fell silent suddenly. She was considering how much Song Lang had already found out through his investigation. Song Lang tapped the table unhurriedly. His handsome face seemed to be smiling even when he wasn¡¯t, exerting invisible pressure on He Jingjing.


    "He came¡­ but he didn¡¯te to see me. He came to borrow money from He Taiyang."


    "He Taiyang was a loan shark, but Li Qiang still dared to borrow money from him?"


    "No one around Li Qiang dares to lend him any money. Since I was born, he¡¯s been borrowing money to get by, using this high-interest loan to repay that high-interest loan. All the things that could be mortgaged have been mortgaged. He bows down and begs others all day long. I saw him being taken to the rooftop by the moneylender with my own eyes as a child. They wanted to push him down and he was so frightened that he peed his pants. He still didn¡¯t get his act together. He has always been unemployed and didn¡¯t want to find a job either. He would onlyin about society. Every time he seeded in borrowing money, he would happily get himself drunk first as if he was a wealthy person. He¡¯d get drunk while there¡¯s wine for the day. [1] I feel ashamed of having such a father!"


    "What kind of parents you have is something one cannot choose." Song Langmented briefly, "Returning to the previous question, how long did Li Qiang and He Taiyang talk that day?"


    "I don''t know and I don''t care. They might have talked the whole afternoon. Li Qiang kept begging He Taiyang to lend him money, but He Taiyang knew what he¡¯s like and he refused to lend him anything."


    "Was Madam He there that day?"


    He Jingjing''s eyes widened and she fell silent. Song Lang felt that he had gotten close to the truth. Otherwise, why would He Jingjing remain silent in response to such a simple question?


    Song Lang answered for her, "Madam He must have been at home. During the conversation between Li Qiang and He Taiyang, Madam He heard them mention your situation. Madam He had never liked you as an illegitimate daughter. When she heard from an outsider that you weren¡¯t an illegitimate daughter at all, but a mistress being kept at home, her reaction would definitely have been very violent. He Taiyang flew into a rage from shame and killed her identally! All of this was witnessed by Li Qiang."


    He Jingjing''s face was pale, but she still pointlessly denied, "Ha, your imagination is so rich."


    Song Lang took out a piece of paper. "Madam He already had high blood pressure, heart disease and other diseases, in addition to her advanced age. A small push would have killed her. The doctor said that when they asked him to sign a consent form for her surgery that day, He Taiyang actually ran out to withdraw money and took half an hour to do it. He was obviously carrying a credit card. He was deliberately stalling for time, because as long as his legal spouse died on the operating table, he wouldn¡¯t have to face this shambles. There is also a point which can prove that Madam He¡¯s death was abnormal. Less than three hours after her death, He Taiyang took her to the funeral parlour for cremation. In fact, even if he wasn¡¯t so cautious, this was at best an ordinary death of an elderly woman in the hospital. Who knows how many of these incidents happen every day? As long as no one calls the police, the police wouldn¡¯t intervene."


    He Jingjing bit her nails and her face became increasingly pale.


    Song Lang looked at her expression, it was as if he had seen her tell the truth with her own mouth. He continued, "However, Li Qiang was there that day. He witnessed the whole process and he desperately needed money. He Taiyang was a rich man in his eyes. He also had something to ckmail He Taiyang with, so what would he do? ckmail him, of course. Li Qiang asked for a million or more. After half a month of bargaining, the two finally met on the night of September 2nd. He Taiyang had gone to see him with a suitcase full of money, but Li Qiang changed his mind for some reason. He asked He Taiyang for something even more valuable than money."


    "Base- baseless im!" He Jingjing said angrily.


    "I find your reaction strange. You¡¯re just a bystander with regards to this matter. Why do you want to keep it secret? Why did you fabricate the legend of a small bowl to obstruct us? Is it just because Li Qiang is your biological father? Compared to the fragile thing like familial love, I¡¯m more inclined to think it was your judgement of value. I think you can get huge benefits from this whole thing. You and Li Qiang are bound by shared interests, so you have to lie and cover for him."


    "Inspector Song, in your heart, people must be all beasts with no fathers and mothers, right? Li Qiang is my father no matter what. What bullsh*t judgment of value? I''m already so miserable. What benefits can I get? Why don¡¯t you tell me about it?!" He Jingjing became enraged, and her rebuttal was almost unreasonable.


    Song Lang calmly tapped his fingers on the table, "Miss He, can I take your refutation as admitting that Li Qiang had ckmailed He Taiyang?"


    He Jingjing''s gaze flickered. Her breathing became short and she sank into a huge panic. Then her eyes lit up, and she found the final excuse like other suspects who had sat on this same chair.


    "These are all your spections. Where is the evidence? Bring out the evidence!"


    Song Lang had expected this sentence a long time ago, and he smiled slightly. "There will be evidence. One million isn¡¯t easy to hide. Miss He, let''s take a break."


    "Sorry, I''m heading back!"


    "No, you can''t leave now. ording to the Criminal Procedure Law, I can interrogate you for twelve hours."


    "I¡¯ve already stayed here for ten thousand years!" He Jingjing roared.


    "I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re measuring time. You¡¯ve only stayed here for six hours, and there are six hours left. That is, until 8:00 in the evening."


    "Fine, I will stay here until 8:00. Let¡¯s see if you can produce evidence!"


    Song Lang walked out of the interrogation room and called Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu said, "Captain, we went through Li Qiang''s house again, and we couldn''t find a dime."


    "Has he bought anything recently?"


    "The refrigerator is filled with booze. I don''t know if it was bought recently."


    "Check where the booze had been bought. If there aren¡¯t any unexpected issues, money withdrawn from the bank will have consecutive serial numbers. I¡¯ll liaise with the bank to find out the numbers. You go to the ce where Li Qiang bought the booze and check the banknotes. If you find the money with the serial numbers on them and there are Li Qiang''s fingerprints on them, it will be evidence!"


    Lin Qiupu was fully convinced that he deserved his position as captain, as his train of thought was really sharp and clear!


    1. Indulged himself for the moment without caring about the future.

 Chapter 789: The Whereabouts of the Money

    <h4>Chapter 789: The Whereabouts of the Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Song Lang was pacing back and forth in Peng Sijue''s office. Time was passing by, and he was waiting for news from Lin Qiupu.


    At this time, Lin Qiupu called and informed him excitedly, "Captain, we found a banknote with the corresponding serial number in a supermarket in front of Li Qiang¡¯s residence."


    "Okay, great, hurry up and bring it back immediately!"


    Peng Sijue made a gesture and seemed to have something to say. Song Lang covered the phone¡¯s receiver. Peng Sijue said, "A banknote cannot be decisive evidence. The cirction of banknotes are very high. Even if Li Qiang''s fingerprints are found on it, his futurewyer will be able to find usible exnations for it."


    Song Lang reflected on Peng Sijue''s opinion, and said over the phone, "Little Lin, no need to hurry back. You need to find more. The more the better."


    "Yes, Captain."


    After hanging up the phone, Song Lang said, "Little Lin is a serious kid. If even he can¡¯t find the banknotes at Li Qiang''s house, the banknotes are definitely not there, but Li Qiang couldn¡¯t have spent it all in a matter of days."


    "Didn''t Li Qiang owe loan sharks money? He would have used it to repay the debts!" Peng Sijue said.


    "No, no, this money concerns life and death. If I were him, I wouldn¡¯t let the money be tracked down by the police in any way. I would definitely hide it¡­" Song Lang muttered. "The murder weapon was something He Jun carried with him. Li Qiang had no chance of getting this knife. Only He Jingjing could have done it. This father and daughter pair are aplices. They must have been in contact with each other¡­ Oh yes, hiding the money with He Jingjing is the safest. Old Peng,e make a trip down with me!"


    "Can''t you find someone else? I have something else to do!"


    "Hurry up! Time is running out. Bring your identification tools."


    Peng Sijue looked helpless and had no choice but to apany him.


    The two drove to the Taiyang pawn shop. He Jun was cleaning up the mess left by the group of people in the morning. His head was wrapped in bandages, probably because of the injuries he had sustained. He said irritably, "You invited me to drink tea at the bureau yesterday, and invited Jingjing to have tea today. Your investigation is so efficient. Why hasn''t shee back yet?!"


    "It''s possible that she won''t be able toe back today." Song Lang said.


    "What do you mean?!" He Jun widened his eyes. "She broke thew?"


    "We¡¯ll naturally inform you of these things when our investigation ispleted. I have something to ask you. Has Li Qiang been here after September 2nd?"


    "Li Qiang?" He Jun took some time to recall. "That infamous debt dodger?[1] What would he be doing here? Anyway, I didn''t see him."


    It seemed as though He Jun didn¡¯t know about the rtionship between Li Qiang and He Jingjing at all.


    "Has He Jingjing hid anything?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "Let''s go to her bedroom and have a look."


    Song Lang had a search warrant, and He Jun couldn¡¯t stop him. He could only let the two of them enter He Jingjing¡¯s room. Her bedroom was on the second floor. It was a very ordinary room. There was only a TV in the room, but noputer. They could see many branded clothes and bags when they opened the closet, but on a closer look, they were all high-end fakes.


    "You gave these to her?" Song Lang asked He Jun.


    "He Taiyang bought them. How could I buy these fakes¡­ Hey, where¡¯s the LV bag I gave Jingjing? Surely, He Taiyang couldn¡¯t have sold it, could he?!"


    "It seems that He Taiyang loved this ''daughter'' very much."


    "He only had one daughter after all."


    Song Lang carefully checked the bed, cabs, drawers and even the floorboards. Peng Sijue also checked some ces with identification equipment, but found nothing.


    He Jun became impatient and asked them to leave. Song Lang said, "You go outside for a while!"


    "What if you steal Jingjing¡¯s things?"


    "If I''m really so cheap, you can go and lodge aint against me. Losing my job over a fake? I must really take things lightly!"


    He Jun left reluctantly and went back to his room to lift some barbells.


    Song Lang sat down by the bed and lit a cigarette. Peng Sijue said, "Aiya, aiya, don''t smoke here!" Then he handed him an ashtray.


    Song Lang smoked a cigarette drearily, thinking. "He Taiyang and Madam He''s room is now vacant. Is it possible that the money is hidden there?"


    Peng Sijue took a look at his watch, "You can search, but at our speed, by the time you find it, the two of them would have been released."


    It would be 6:00 in the evening in another hour. Song Lang was a little anxious. If a person wanted to hide something, they would never put it in an ordinary ce. This house was very big, and many crevices could hide a million.


    And one million could be broken into smaller amounts and hidden in different ces. For example, in movies, money is often hidden in the bathroom¡¯s water tank.


    Thinking of this, Song Lang rushed out. At the end of the corridor was a shared toilet and bathroom. Song Lang lifted the water tank¡¯s lid expectantly, but there was nothing inside. Peng Sijue walked in soon after. Song Lang said, "Go find a screwdriver and take apart the water heater to take a look."


    "Are you crazy? The person who hid the money is a woman who lives in someone else''s house. She doesn¡¯t have the ability to do it."


    "One million makes such a high stack. Where could so much money be hidden?!"


    "Dug a pit and buried it?"


    "Impossible. From the time of the incident to the present, the police have been visiting very frequently. He Jingjing has no time to take the money out¡­ Could it be that the money has disappeared? Yes, money is made of paper, and it could have been burned in a fire!"


    "You mean the one million yuan was burned? Then what was the motive for the murder?"


    "He Jingjing can get over a million. She¡¯s already He Taiyang''s daughter in the household register. She can inherit everything here." Song Lang walked out energetically, and his long windbreaker billowed behind him.


    He ran to the kitchen and backyard to search. Time was running out. He searched roughly and made a mess wherever he went.


    He found an old charcoal basin in a corner of the backyard and took it down. There were some paper ashes inside. Peng Sijue carefully picked them up with tweezers, looked at them with a magnifying ss for a moment and eximed, "They¡¯re paper money!"


    "What did I say?!" Song Lang smiled confidently.


    Lin Qiupu[2] felt a lot of admiration. First of all, for Song Lang''s judgment, followed by admiration for the suspect''s "boldness" in resolutely burning a huge sum of one million yuan.


    "But can these be used as evidence?"


    "I''ll leave it to you. Call more people over. It would be better if you can find the box that contained the money."


    "It''s easy for you to say." Peng Sijue sighed and took on this arduous task.


    Song Lang rushed back to the bureau with the ash remnants that still had recognizable serial numbers. Lin Qiupu had also returned already. He had found five banknotes from restaurants and supermarkets near Li Qiang¡¯s home. The results were better than Song Lang had expected. Song Lang spent some time praising him.


    When he got to the interrogation room again, He Jingjing had already be impatient from waiting. "Officer Song, can I go now? How long do you want to dy this?"


    "Sorry, you can''t leave now. Is there a charcoal basin in your yard?"


    He Jingjing suddenly widened her eyes, already understanding what Song Lang was about to say.


    Song Lang put the ashes on the table, "After our careful search, we discovered that you have handled the thorny problem of one million yuan for Li Qiang using a very simple and crude way. What else do you have to say?"


    He Jingjing frowned, "I don''t believe there would be fingerprints if it was burnt like this!"


    "We¡¯re still investigating this, but you can''t leave right now."


    "Why?"


    "What do you think you burned? This is RMB!"


    1. Also ng for deadbeat in certain regions.


    2. The author wrote Lin Qiupu, but I¡¯m of the belief that it¡¯s Peng Sijue as they should be the only two at the scene. That is, unless the author is referencing the admiration Lin Qiupu feltter on when he finds out, which has happened before.

 Chapter 790: No Matter How Rotten A Father

    <h4>Chapter 790: No Matter How Rotten A Father</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    He Jingjing furrowed her brows. "Is it illegal to burn my own money?"


    Song Lang didn''t expect anyone to evenck thismon-sense knowledge, but He Jingjing hadn¡¯t even finished middle school. It wasn¡¯t surprising that she didn''t know. He deliberately bluffed, "Of course it''s illegal, and the punishment is very severe."


    He Jingjing was frightened. Her eyes widened and her face turned pale. She couldn''t speak for a long time.


    "Oh, by the way, is this million yuan yours?"


    "Yes¡­ He Taiyang gave it to me."


    "This lie is too daft. We¡¯ve already contacted the bank and found the serial numbers of this batch of money. The money you burned had these numbers. In addition, you may not have known this, but that biological father of yours is a troublemaker. After getting the money, he first took a few notes to buy alcohol and cigarettes. We found the money with the corresponding serial numbers in businesses near his house with his fingerprints on them."


    "What¡­ serial numbers?"


    "Miss He, if you had a bit of education, this crime might have been more perfect. The money you burned and the money Li Qiang spent can be traced to the source. It¡¯s the money He Taiyang took out, and Li Qiang is the person who met He Taiyangte at night. What do you want to say about this?!"


    He Jingjing gritted her teeth. She finally stopped struggling. "He Taiyang was killed by Li Qiang!"


    "Why? Hasn¡¯t Li Qiang already gotten what he wanted, which was the money?"


    "Li Qiang is also a man with his own pride. His own daughter was ruined by a bad old man. He felt very upset about it in his heart. When he met me in secret several times, he cried and apologized to me. He also said that if he had a chance, he would kill He Taiyang so that I could live my own life again." He Jingjing wiped her sad tears away. "I''m only in my twenties. Other girls of this age are happily dating boys, but I have to go to bed with a bad old man. I call him Dad in public, but secretly, I¡¯m a concubine who warms his bed. There is no hope in my life. All of this was caused by Li Qiang, and he has always regretted it. He Taiyang went to see him alone that night. For Li Qiang, this was the best chance to kill He Taiyang!"


    "Why was the knife inserted into He Taiyang''s back the one that He Jun usually carries with him?"


    "How would I know this?!" He Jingjing said exaggeratedly.


    "Then how did you know about Li Qiangmitting murder? How did the one million get to you?"


    "Li Qiang came to me on the night of September 2nd, shortly after you left. He told me everything. I was very scared. It was murder after all. However, he said he had worn gloves and shoes that were one sizerger than normal. Li Qiang and He Taiyang rarely interacted with one another. The police were unlikely to think of him. The most important thing was the suitcase of money. If it was found by the police, it would be bad. I said I¡¯d deal with it. I originally nned to put it in the safe and wait until everything had blown over, but I was wrong to think that. This is because after He Taiyang died, He Jun secretly stole money from the safe several times. I had no ce to hide the money, and couldn¡¯t let He Jun know about it. After thinking about it, I burned all the money. This was the safest option!"


    Song Lang sneered and nodded, "You made Li Qiang¡¯s motive sound so natural, but you and I both know Li Qiang. Would he regret selling his daughter? In fact, he¡¯s beenforting himself the whole time, thinking that you were even better off with He Taiyang instead. A bad person won¡¯t suddenly feel regret, because they won¡¯t reflect on their actions at all!"


    "In your eyes, all other people are bad people and trash, right?!" He Jingjing roared angrily. Song Lang knew that she had started to use anger to cover up her own wrongs again.


    "I didn¡¯t mean it like that." Song Lang said, "Do you know how I see it? You stole the knife from He Jun and gave it to Li Qiang. You told him the murder n. The reason why Li Qiang agreed tomit murder was for money. As long as He Taiyang died, you will be the only legal heir as the ¡°goddaughter¡±. Although He Taiyang wasn¡¯t a billionaire, his estate is sufficient for Li Qiang to pay off his debts, and to cover your living expenses for most of your lives. As for He Jun, you may have thought that this nephew of his would threaten your inheritance rights, or perhaps you just wanted to use him as a scapegoat. He Jun is an ex-convict. Everyone knows he had conflicts with He Taiyang. Also, the knife is the one he carries with him everywhere. When these clues appeared in front of the police, He Jun was the most ''perfect'' suspect!"


    "Money, money, money. In the eyes of you police, for the sake of a bit of dirty money, people can even forgo being human! I didn¡¯t participate in the murder. I didn¡¯t know anything until September 2nd. You can go and confront Li Qiang about it!"


    Song Lang suddenly realized a problem. Whether He Jingjing was an aplice or not depended entirely on Li Qiang''s confession, but Li Qiang was her biological father, and he couldn¡¯t possibly drag his biological daughter down into the water when his murder charge is confirmed.


    Song Lang dialled the internal phone line and asked someone to detain He Jingjing first and bring Li Qiang over. He set up a scheme to let the two pass each other by in the corridor, which would put Li Qiang under psychological pressure.


    When he sat down in the interrogation room, Li Qiang''s face had turned pale, and his legs kept trembling. Song Lang ced both hands on the table and said sternly, "Speak. What did you do on the night of September 2nd? I know you are under great psychological pressure right now, and telling the truth would be a relief to you."


    "I¡­ I didn''t kill anyone!" Li Qiang was so nervous that even his lies were awkward.


    In the end, under Song Lang¡¯s pressure, Li Qiang confessed to the murder of He Taiyang. As for the motive, he said that he saw He Taiyang quarrel with Madam He that day. He Taiyang had hit her over the head with an ashtray. Madam He fainted on the spot and died directly after she was sent to the hospital.


    Li Qiang ckmailed He Taiyang over this matter. He Taiyang had to deal with Li Qiang while making funeral arrangements. He had beenpletely overwhelmed. He kept bargaining with Li Qiang. At first, Li Qiang asked for four million. He Taiyang was only willing to give him half a million. During those few days of bargaining, these two old ssmates said all the most offensive things in the world to each other.


    This incident greatly humiliated Li Qiang. How could He Taiyang kill his wife so grantly and still sleep with his daughter every day? Wasn''t it because he had some money?!


    Thus, he pretended to agree to ept one million in ckmail money and nned to kill He Taiyang that day so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to live so happily again.


    During the whole process, Li Qiang spoke very fluently. Only one detail couldn¡¯t be exined clearly - that is the knife. He said he had stolen it from He Taiyang¡¯s house and didn¡¯t know who it belonged to. This was simply impossible, because that knife was still with He Jun until September 1st. Could it be that Li Qiang had stolen the knife the same day hemitted murder?


    Song Lang guessed that he and He Jingjing had already figured out how to deal with the police in advance. In desperation, Li Qiang took on the entire responsibility, so that He Jingjing could still inherit He Taiyang''s property.


    No matter how rotten Li Qiang was, he still felt a bit of responsibility as a father. He insisted on his statement and swore that he would never withdraw his confession.


    Song Lang said coldly, "Li Qiang, I know you¡¯re lying. You¡¯re protecting your daughter who participated in the murder n."


    Li Qiang smiled carefreely. "I''m not a good father, but I¡¯ll at least make it up to her in the end!"

 Chapter 791: Society’s Immunity Cells

    <h4>Chapter 791: Society¡¯s Immunity Cells</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The case was considered concluded. Li Qiang was detained, and when the entire case process waspleted, he would be sent to the detention centre to wait for his trial.


    As for He Jingjing, she would only be warned and fined for damaging RMB. After paying the fine, she left first. When she was leaving, she stood at the door of the Public Security Bureau for a long time. Her expression showed grief, anger, unwillingness to ept what had happened, and regret.


    Song Lang called all the police officers involved in the case to go out for supper and rx. It was his treat. Everyone went to a barbecue restaurant and they ordered barbecue skewers and beer. This time there was one extra person: Lin Qiupu. The police officers, who had no time to talk to him previously, asked him how it felt to be in the second team. Lin Qiupu replied shyly, "The captain is really good at solving cases just like the rumors say, and his thinking is very clear. I¡¯ve learned a lot from solving the case with him."


    "Aren''t we also great?"


    "Haha, we¡¯ve all been covered by the captain''s halo."


    "Come, let¡¯s drink!"


    Everyone was chatting in the lively atmosphere. The most rxing moment in the police force was when a case was over.


    Song Lang was drinking arge ss of cold draft beer by himself, but his expression wasn¡¯t one of tion. He was still regretting the loose end left by this case. They had no evidence to arrest He Jingjing as an aplice.


    "Captain, the case was solved really smoothly this time." Lin Qiupu leaned over to talk.


    "This case is a stain on my professional record. That woman made use of her father and obtained the inheritance without a hitch. For the rest of her life, whenever she thinks of escaping from the police, she¡¯ll probably feel very lucky!" Song Lang sneered, taking a big sip of beer.


    "I don¡¯t know if I should say this or not¡­ Actually, I think that girl is very pitiful."


    "Say that again!!!" Song Lang suddenly raised his volume. Lin Qiupu, who had never seen Song Lang angry, was dumbfounded. Everyone else also stopped and looked over.


    "What did you say? Say it again!" Song Lang said sternly.


    Lin Qiupu, a straightforward boy, actually understood this as an order, and repeated it again while trembling, "¡­Actually, I think that girl is very pitiful."


    Song Lang stretched out a hand and Lin Qiupu thought he was going to be beaten, but Song Lang''s generous palm fell on his shoulder. Although it hurt a bit, it was indeed the action of a shoulder p.


    "Little Lin, do you know why people get cancer?"


    "Huh?" Lin Qiupu looked nk. "Because they smoke too much?"


    "Cancer cells have a special ability. They can fool the immune system and make the immune system think that they¡¯re ordinary, harmless cells, so once they spread, they¡¯ll be particrly hard to deal with. The police are the society¡¯s immune system. The people that the police have to be most wary of aren¡¯t the vicious criminals, but those criminals with pitiful backgrounds, and those that are helpless and weak, with seemingly legitimate reasons. These seemingly harmless people are cancer cells that deceive people. You mustn¡¯t think they¡¯re pitiful. If you pity them, who will pity those who were killed, as well as the countless innocent and kind ordinary citizens? There is no legitimate reason for crime in the world. If you make these kind of mindless remarks again, I will kick you out of the second team!"


    Lin Qiupu lowered his head in shame. Song Lang patted him and handed over a ss of alcohol. Seeing that the captain¡¯s anger had passed, the others joined in the fun. They picked up their sses and said, "Rookie, don¡¯t feel wronged. The captain had taught you for your own good. Come and let¡¯s have a toast!"


    Lin Qiupu didn''t touch his ss. He took out his little notebook and wrote down Song Lang''s words.


    This kind of behavior seemed ridiculous to others, but Song Lang saw the earnestness in this kid''s bones, and thought that perhaps he would be a good policeman in the future!


    The next day, Lin Qiupu returned from a patrol in the morning and found a note posted on hisputer asking him to visit the third team.


    The third team, which was responsible for fighting triads, was located on another floor. Seeing unfamiliar faces, Lin Qiupu inevitably got a little nervous. He didn''t know what he was doing here. Suddenly, there was a voice calling him, "You¡¯re Little Lin who is under Captain Song?"


    He turned his head and saw a short-haired female police officer who was valiant and heroic in bearing. She introduced herself. "I am Han Luoxi from the third team."


    Han Luoxi held out her hand and shook Lin Qiupu''s hand. Lin Qiupu''s cheeks blushed. He noticed that Han Luoxi''s good figure was actually due to long-term training, because her palms were strong, powerful and full of calluses.


    Lin Qiupu followed this elder sister to an office without knowing what was going on. Han Luoxi turned on theputer, "On September 5th, you went to Taiyang pawn shop and saw a group of peoplemitting acts of violence. You stopped them and they tried to hit you with a car. Is that right?"


    "Did the captain tell¡­ tell you?"


    "Who else could it be? Recount what had happened for me in detail!"


    Lin Qiupu recounted the whole incident carefully, secretly looking at Han Luoxi during the process. She had a pair of bold eyebrows, and the way she asionally brushed her hair with her hands was very gentle and beautiful, enrapturing Lin Qiupu.


    Perhaps because he¡¯d been in the role of an elder brother since he was a child, he found this kind of woman with the aura of an older sister most irresistible.


    After finishing the written statement, Han Luoxi printed out the document and asked Lin Qiupu to sign it. She noticed that Lin Qiupu''s face was blushing and smiled. "Is the air conditioner¡¯s temperature set too high? Why is your face always red?"


    "No¡­ no, maybe it¡¯s because I had juste back from outside." Lin Qiupu exined evasively.


    After signing, Han Luoxi took Lin Qiupu to the interrogation room and asked him to identify the suspect. Lin Qiupu saw the long-haired man from that day sitting in the interrogation room. As he was wearing handcuffs, he looked very dispirited.


    "Did you arrest this person?" Lin Qiupu asked in surprise.


    "He came in and confessed to his crime of assaulting the police."


    "Turned himself in?"


    "Maybe you¡¯ve nevere into contact with such criminals in the second team which specializes in homicide cases. In fact, we¡¯ve seen a lot of these tricks. They¡¯re afraid that things will be serious, so they make a person bear the me. This kind of person is eager to confess!"


    "That Lie person is an underworld boss?"


    "Strictly speaking, he doesn¡¯t count as one. He can only be said to be close to being one in nature. This old man has godsons everywhere. Many big entrepreneurs, officials, and celebrities in Long¡¯an are his godchildren. The police are already watching him, but he hasn¡¯t exposed any weaknesses¡­" Han Luoxi looked at the long-haired man in the interrogation room. "Based on this incident, he¡¯s a very cautious person. There are so many people afraid of him. I think his hands must be dirty."


    After the identification, Han Luoxi bid him goodbye. Lin Qiupu plucked up his courage and said, "Police Officer Han, can I ask you for your contact information? Just¡­for the convenience of being able to find you when something happens in the future."


    Han Luoxi smiled, "Haha, why would you look for me? Go ask Old Song for it!"


    After returning to the team, Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t get Han Luoxi out of his mind, but his illusions were quickly shattered because he heard from his colleagues that Police Officer Han was Song Lang''s girlfriend!

 Chapter 792: This Day and Age

    <h4>Chapter 792: This Day and Age</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu was sitting in the office. Scenes of the past came back to him. He nced at the photo of himself and Song Lang on the table. Every time he looked at the slightly smiling Song Lang in the photo, his heart was always full of mixed feelings.


    Why did I suddenly recall my first experience of solving a case? Is it because Chen Shi had called him "Little Lin" when he was unconscious that day? Normally, no one would address him that way at all. Could Chen Shi be¡­


    No, that''s impossible!


    The gap between them is too big. Their appearance, age, speaking style, small habits¡­


    But the more Lin Qiupu pondered the differences between the two, the more he found that the two had an amazing simrity.


    It can¡¯t be such a coincidence. It can¡¯t be! He dismissed his own spection, thinking that there couldn¡¯t be such dramatic things happening in reality.


    But if Chen Shi is really Song Lang, how would he face him? Arrest him, or would he arrest him after telling him about how he¡¯s missed him these past few years?


    Lin Qiupu felt conflicted and tugged at his hair in anguish. He knew that he wasn¡¯t smart, and it was easy for him to get into a dead end when thinking about things. Perhaps this was a misjudgement to begin with. Chen Shi is older than him, so it¡¯s natural for him to call him "Little Lin".


    The ringing of his phone broughtLin Qiupu''s thoughts back to reality, and he picked up the receiver.


    "The pawn shop case¡­ where is it¡­ I want this case¡­"


    He had just received a call from the police call centre saying that there was a murder in a pawn shop in Shangma Street. Lin Qiupu was very familiar with this name. He thought that surely it couldn¡¯t be such a coincidence? He was just reminiscing the case just now, but there was another murder in the same ce?


    He called Lin Dongxue and several other police officers to go to the scene to have a look. Before leaving, he suddenly instructed Lin Dongxue, "Call Chen Shi!"


    When he arrived at the scene, Lin Qiupu learned that the murder had happened in a pawn shop called Sanyuan. He looked diagonally opposite. Taiyang pawn shop was still in business. The shop seemed to have grown bigger, and the sign had changed to one withrge, gold-gilded characters. That dusty little shop from back then was much more stylish now.


    Seven years had passed since that case. That pawn shop was nowpletely owned by He Jingjing. Was she operating it herself, or did she sell it to someone else?


    Song Lang once said that this kind of woman was like a cancer cell and was not worthy of sympathy. When he worked under Song Lang, the teachings that Lin Qiupu wrote down in his notebook were also kept in his heart, which benefited him a great deal.


    Just as Lin Qiupu turned around, a car stopped at the door of the pawnshop. A woman in a red qipao got out of the car with a women¡¯s cigarette held in a small ceramic cigarette holder in her hand. She had makeup on, but Lin Qiupu still recognized at a nce that she was He Jingjing.


    Compared to seven years ago, she had obviously gotten a lot fatter, and her formerly thin face had also rounded out, making her seem more charming. Calcting her age, she was probably in her thirties at least.


    He Jingjing noticed the police car and policemen across the road. She probably saw Lin Qiupu too, and she smiled slightly at him.


    Another person got out of the driver''s seat with two stic bags in his hands that had the name of a certain supermarket on them. This man had dark skin, buff arms and eye-catching tattoos on his wrists. He had a crew cut.


    Although his appearance had undergone some changes, Lin Qiupu still recognized him as He Jun!


    This surprised Lin Qiupu greatly. Why were they back together again? However, Lin Qiupu didn''t know much about the repercussions of the case back then, because a few days after the case was closed, he was thrown into another murder case. There was neither time nor need to visit Taiyang pawn shop again.


    "Brother, what are you looking at?" Lin Dongxue said, "Are you looking at beautiful women?"


    "Nonsense. Those two people are rted to a certain case that I participated in. I¡¯m a little surprised seeing them after a few years¡­ Hasn¡¯t Song Lang arrived?"


    "Who?!"


    Realizing that he made a mistake, Lin Qiupu hurriedly corrected himself. "I mean Chen Shi!"


    "Haha, you scared me. He said he was shopping with Yueyue and will arriveter."


    "This guy isn¡¯t punctual at all!!"


    Lin Qiupu said angrily. The bnce in his heart tilted slightly towards the sceptical side, because Song Lang was someone who was neverte.


    The police walked into the pawn shop where the murder had beenmitted saw that the locks on the cabs next to the wall had been brutally pried open and that the ce was in disorder after being rummaged through. An old man was lying on the ground with arge amount of dried blood on his forehead. His posture after falling down was slightly twisted. His legs faced forward, but his upper body was twisted towards the ground, his left hand stretched out, as if he wanted to reach something.


    There was an overturned padauk chair next to him, and an ashtray stained with blood had fallen at the feet of the corpse. Peng Sijue picked it up, examined it under the light, and said, "The fingerprints on it are very clear."


    The person who reported the crime was a shop employee. The guy was terrified. He had heard the sound of something being thrown down and smashed downstairs early that morning. He thought that a burr had entered this ce which would be terrible, so he ran downstairs to take a look. A man was hitting his boss¡¯s head repeatedly with an ashtray, and the old man was lying on the ground, convulsing. His left leg was convulsing in a particrly terrifying way.


    "Then¡­ the man turned his head and saw me. I screamed in fright. I hurried upstairs, jumped from the window to the roof next to me and ran, breaking the tiles on the roof underfoot. I didn¡¯t bring my mobile phone with me and didn''t dare toe back. I ran to the nearest police station in my pyjamas to report the crime.


    "Go and check it out." Lin Qiupu instructed Lin Dongxue, and then said to the guy, "What did that man look like?"


    "It was too dark. I couldn''t see clearly. He was wearing a jacket and probably about his height!" The guy pointed to Xu Xiaodong. "Oh yes, he had also spat, and it should be on the floor."


    "Captain Lin, there is a piece of dried sputum on the ground." A forensic officer lifted a painting that fell on the ground and found the sputum.


    Lin Qiupu asked the man again, "When you witnessed the murder, was it this messy here?"


    "No, it was as per usual. Perhaps he rummaged through the ce after I ran away. If I didn''t run away, I would have probably been killed too. It''s scary just thinking about it!"


    "What''s your boss''s name?"


    "Shen Liqun."


    "How long have you been working here?"


    "I just graduated and I¡¯ve only been working for a year. My dad and Boss Shen are friends. Since I couldn¡¯t find a suitable job corresponding to the major I studied, my dad asked me to work here. Boss Shen usually treats me well¡­" When he got to this part, the guy showed a sad look.


    "When the autopsy is finished, please help us to check what is missing here."


    The results of the autopsy were exactly the same as the statement of the young man. Boss Shen died at about 4:00 in the morning. He had been hit on the head multiple times, and some ss fragments were found in his flesh. Peng Sijue¡¯s preliminary autopsy results judged that the cause of death was a ruptured cerebral artery.


    When the corpse was being taken away, the employee asked to burn some joss paper money to see Boss Shen off. Lin Qiupu agreed to this request. The guy burned the paper at the door and cried for a while.


    Then he put on his gloves and started to check the things on the scene. The things here had all been pawned by customers and they all had records. After verifying them one by one, the guy said, "A painting is missing!"


    "What painting?"


    "Andscape painting. It had been painted in the Yuan Dynasty. It¡¯s quite valuable!"

 Chapter 793: Stolen Ancient Painting

    <h4>Chapter 793: Stolen Ancient Painting</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The employee said, "The boss said that this painting is very expensive. If it¡¯s auctioned off, buying the entire pawn shop wouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    A moment ago when the employee was checking for lost properties, he had already put the things scattered on the floor back on the shelves. Lin Qiupu noticed that there were a lot of calligraphy paintings, antiques, and curios amongst them. He asked, "What kind of businesses do you run here?"


    "It''s just a pawn shop for valuable curios. We¡¯re not like the pawn shop opposite us which does everything and even gives out high-interest loans. The owner was a cultured man who liked antiques. He used to be an antique appraisal expert. He earned some money from this and started a pawn shop by himself. The main purpose was to use this opportunity to collect some antiques and then resell them."


    When he mentioned operating a pawn shop, Lin Qiupu thought of something and asked, "Has your store received a small bone bowl?"


    "Police Officer, you know about this legend too?" The man was pleasantly surprised. "We have received it before. The boss said that it was fraud under the guise of a supernatural legend and not to believe in it. He didn''t pay the money, but nothing bad happened."


    Lin Qiupu thought that the vitality of this legend is really strong if it was still circting in the pawn shop circle after so many years.


    This reminded him of certain rumors circting on the Inte. The people spreading the rumors had been arrested and the officials had dispelled the rumors, but these rumors were spreading quietly like a virus, and some people still believed them to be true. How absurd and weird.


    "I want to see this bowl." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Please wait a moment."


    The employee left for a moment and brought a small bone bowl back. The surface was dirty and there were rice remnants still in the bowl. It turned out that Boss Shen had used it to feed the dog. Lin Qiupu thought about it again. This case wouldn¡¯t also be connected to the rumor, right? He asked, "When did you receive it?"


    "When the shop first opened. It was a few years ago. I heard about it from the boss and didn''t see it happen myself."


    Lin Qiupu nodded, thinking that it seemed that this case had nothing to do with the bone bowl.


    In order to investigate this bone bowl, he had run himself ragged for a few days in a row. Lin Qiupu wanted tough when he thought about it. At the same time, he thought of Song Lang and felt a sense of mncholy.


    "I''ll borrow this bowl." Lin Qiupu said.


    "Take it. It was originally trash anyway. I¡¯ve long wanted to throw it away." The employee said.


    Lin Qiupu thought for a while and asked, "By the way, was this painting owned by Boss Shen himself or pawned by a customer?"


    The employee took a look at the ledger and handed it to Lin Qiupu. It was clearly written that the painting was titled "Mountain Residence XX Picture". The artist was Qian Xuan from the Yuan Dynasty. It had been pawned three days ago. The pawner was "Cao Mengde" in quotation marks.


    "Who¡¯s Cao Mengde?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "I don''t know. The boss had written it himself."


    Cao Mengde? The formidable man of the country? Lie Guoxiao?


    Lin Qiupu was wondering if it could be the important figure whose name people didn¡¯t dare mention again. He remembered that there was a little episode in the case seven years ago. Lie Guoxiao had pawned a painting in Taiyang pawn shop and He Jun had swapped it for a fake. He had pawned a painting again this time and it was stolen?


    Wasn¡¯t Lie Guoxiao a bit unlucky? Every time he pawns something, things have to undergo twists and turns. However, the matter of pawning the painting itself was even more strange. It stands to reason that Lie Guo Xiao is a rich and powerful person, so why is he often so short of money as to be constantly pawning paintings?


    Lin Qiupu didn''t understand these things, so he left them aside for the time being. Moreover, whether "Cao Mengde" meant Lie Guoxiao still needed to be investigated.


    After all the questions that needed to be asked had been asked, Lin Qiupu asked the employee to leave his contact information and told the others to leave first. Lin Dongxue wanted to stay and wait for Chen Shi. Lin Qiupu had to send her away, but he couldn¡¯t use blunt methods or his sister would get suspicious.


    Thus, Lin Qiupu coughed, "Dongxue, go to the telmunications bureau to check the call records of Shen Liqun before his death."


    "Will you stay behind and wait for Old Chen?"


    "Yeah, this guy is reallyte. When hees, I¡¯ll hear what he has to say about the case, then we¡¯ll go to the bureau together, and we¡¯ll all meet at the bureau."


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "Since when did you respect Old Chen''s opinions so much? The mighty captain is actually waiting just for him toe?"


    "Nonsense. Hurry and go!" Lin Qiupuined.


    After everyone was gone, Lin Qiupu walked to the door of the pawn shop and lit a cigarette. Song Lang loved to smoke this brand of cigarettes. After Song Lang disappeared, he unconsciously started to smoke this brand because when he smelled the scent, it seemed as though Song Lang was beside him.


    Unwittingly, it became his favorite brand. Of course, his addiction to cigarettes wasn¡¯t as bad as Song Lang''s. Song Lang once mocked himself, saying that he wasn¡¯t smoking but eating cigarettes as if they were food.


    Someone raised a ZIPPO lighter to his mouth. Lin Qiupu was startled and turned his head. The person standing beside him with a smile and offering the lighter was actually He Jun. He Jun said, "I saw you just then. You police were working on a case, so it wasn¡¯t convenient for me toe over and say hello."


    "You still remember me?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "How can I forget you? Back then, Liu Feng was about to force me to eat ss shards. You saved me. I failed to appreciate it at the time. Now that I think about it, I really need to thank you." He Jun grinned, showing a healthy mouth of teeth.


    "That long-haired man is called¡­"


    "Liu Feng. Lie Guoxiao''s godson¡­ one of them."


    "You dare to mention this name nowadays?"


    "Why wouldn¡¯t I dare to mention it? This old bastard has done a lot of harm to us in recent years."


    "Harm you?"


    "We won¡¯t talk about this for now." He Jun waved his hand and pointed inside, "What''s the matter? Was Boss Shen killed?"


    "Yes, we¡¯re still investigating it."


    "Liu Feng did it!" He Jun lowered his voice mysteriously.


    "You saw it?"


    "It¡¯s definitely him, I can assure you. If you really find out it was him, I will talk about my reasons."


    He Jun seemed to know something, or he was just guessing blindly. Lin Qiupu took out his mobile phone. "Give me your contact information."


    After leaving his contact information, He Jun said, "Officer Lin, aren''t you curious why Jingjing and I are together?"


    "Partners in notoriety?"[1]


    "Those words are too insightful!" He Jun smiled, "Actually, I was mad after finding out that she wanted to frame me back then. I really wanted to take revenge on her, but I couldn''t do it. After all, we dated for a while. That was a big blow to me, so I left. Over the years, I was still working in various pawn shops and for loan sharks. This circle is so small so I often heard about her. It was not easy for her to run Taiyang pawn shop alone. How can it be easy for a woman in this industry? They say that time is a good medicine to dilute everything. I gradually grew to forgive her for what she did in the past. After all, she was also to be pitied at that time. Then I came back to help again. With my help, Taiyang has finally been able to prosper over the past two years¡­"


    "Then you got back together with her?" Lin Qiupu said, following the topic.


    "Being together every day, falling in love was only a matter in time." He Jun smiled. At this moment, his gaze fell on a car that stopped at the side of the road. When Chen Shi got out of the car, He Jun was momentarily startled. "Hey, isn''t this what¡¯s his name?"


    1. The actual phrase used means ¡°birds of a feather flock together¡± in a negative way.

 Chapter 794: Lin Qiupus Test

    <h4>Chapter 794: Lin Qiupu''s Test</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Who?"


    He Jun replied, "The police officer who was with you back then."


    "Are you sure it¡¯s the same person?"


    When Chen Shi approached, He Jun took a closer look and said, "Haha, I was wrong, but the aura is indeed a bit simr."


    The speaker said so unintentionally, but it held meaning for the listener. He Jun had only met Song Lang a few times many years ago. He had mistook Chen Shi for Song Lang for an instant, indicating that there were indeed some simrities between the two people''s bodynguage. A few points were added to Lin Qiupu''s suspicions.


    "Why did you onlye now?" Lin Qiupuined to Chen Shi.


    "I''m not a policeman. Should I be on standby 24 hours¡­" Chen Shi nced at He Jun with a strange look in his eyes, and continued to speak to Lin Qiupu, "What case is this?"


    "Come in and have a look!"


    He Jun went back to his store first, and the two walked into the murder scene. Lin Qiupu exined the facts of the case, and Chen Shi casually said, "It''s just a case of robbery-cum-murder. You¡¯re so ipetent now that you have to consult me for these cases?"


    "Why are your words so pleasant to listen to?" Lin Qiupu took out the bone bowl in the evidence bag, "This was discovered here."


    Chen Shi looked puzzled. "What''s the story?"


    Lin Qiupu carefully observed his expression and couldn''t tell that he was acting. Could he really be mistaken?


    He couldn¡¯t ept this, so he repeated the legend about the bowl carefully, "¡­This is the first case I experienced after I became a policeman. At the time, I had to work hard to investigate this bowl."


    While recounting the past, Lin Qiupu carefully observed Chen Shi, using the skills Song Lang had taught him in order to see through other people¡¯s lies. He observed every muscle on Chen Shi¡¯s face - every subtle movement of the eyebrows and the corners of his mouth, but Chen Shi¡¯s expression was so normal that it couldn¡¯t be more normal.


    The conclusion was that it was indeed the first time he had heard about this bowl.


    Lin Qiupu was extremely disappointed. He had really made a mistake. No, if Chen Shi was really Song Lang, he would have noticed the atmosphere of this test the moment he walked in the door. Song Lang once said that if you can¡¯t tell whether a person is lying or not, you need to observe their hands and feet. People¡¯s distal nerves often show their true attitude.


    Lin Qiupu lowered his head to look at Chen Shi''s feet. At this time, Chen Shi suddenly found a chair to sit down on and put his feet together. Lin Qiupu said angrily, "Who told you that you could sit here? This is the murder scene."


    "I¡¯m tired. Can''t I sit down for a while?" Chen Shi smiled.


    Either he was really cunning, or there was really no problem, Lin Qiupu pondered. No, how could this guy not be problematic? His past was impossible to unravel, and a person who looked exactly like him had appeared not too long ago. Putting all these together, Chen Shi became even more suspicious.


    Chen Shi looked at him calmly. "ording to your statement, people who receive this bowl will meet with misfortune. Let¡¯s not discuss whether the legend is true or false. If there¡¯s really something that can make people meet with misfortune, when you receive it, and then get hit by a car, should the person who gave you this thing be guilty, or the driver? Of course, the guilty party is the person whomitted the action. Thus, there¡¯s no need to investigate this bowl. Furthermore, do you believe in curses? Aren¡¯t you an atheist, Little Lin?"


    "What are you calling me?!" Lin Qiupu raised his voice.


    Chen Shi said innocently, "I''m older than you. It''s fine for me to call you ¡®Little Lin¡¯. Do you like the title ¡®Great Captain Lin¡¯? Okay, Great Captain Lin."


    Lin Qiupu sighed and gave uppletely. The more he tried, the more he was unable to figure it out.


    "Let¡¯s head back. I didn''t drive here, so I¡¯ll get a ride in your car."


    After getting into the car, Lin Qiupu asked, "What do you think of this case?"


    "You¡¯ve all already cleared up the scene, so what can I say? Wait for Old Peng''s appraisal results! Yueyue is about to take her junior high school examination, so I¡¯ll need to spend more time with her. For the time being, I won''t be ying with you guys."


    "y with us? What is crime-solving to you?"


    "A part-time job."


    "Others work part-time in restaurants and hotels, but you help the police solve cases. You really know how to pick jobs¡­ Who on earth did you learn to solve cases from?"


    "Self-taught."


    "Do you think I believe that?"


    "Can we not go back to this issue? A stupid person like you just refuses to believe that some people are born gifted."


    "I¡¯m not going to believe you!"


    Lin Qiupu ignored him, thinking gloomily about things. When passing an intersection and stopping at a red light, he suddenly noticed that Chen Shi was tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. That action¡­


    Chen Shi seemed to notice that his little movements had been observed. The tapping fingers paused slightly, and then continued to tap away. He said, "Great Captain Lin, did you take the wrong medicine today? You keep looking at me like you¡¯re interrogating a suspect."


    The scales in Lin Qiupu''s heart went up and down. He was considering whether to continue to test Chen Shi. Perhaps with a little more, he could be sure who he is!


    "Turn right ahead and go to Fotan road."


    "What are we going to do?"


    "We¡¯re going to eat!"


    "I have no objection if you¡¯re treating me." Chen Shi turned the steering wheel.


    The two arrived at a cafe on Fotan Road, which also sold steaks, pasta, etc. There weren¡¯t a lot of customers at the time. A head waiter in a ck and white uniform stood at the door and yawned. When Lin Qiupu came in, his eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Oh, which wind has brought Captain Lin here?! Pleasee inside."


    "Dachang, you¡¯ve gotten fatter."


    "Hehe, I put on weight after getting married, it can¡¯t be helped. Is Captain Lin still single?"


    "Can you not mention that topic?"


    "Let¡¯s find seats for you first, and I¡¯ll treat you to whatever you want to eat."


    "Don''t do that. I won''te again if you want to write off the bill."


    After the two sat down, Dachang greeted Chen Shi, "Are you a colleague of Little Lin¡¯s?"


    "No, I¡¯m a driver." Chen Shi smiled.


    "How prodigal, you have a driver now." Dachang pped Lin Qiupu on the shoulder.


    Lin Qiupu said, "He¡¯s just a taxi driver as well as a consultant in the team. Oh yes, have you met him before?"


    Dachang observed Chen Shi for a while and shook his head. "I haven''t seen him before."


    "Have you seen him before?" Lin Qiupu asked Chen Shi, observing the subtle expressions on his face.


    Chen Shi looked at Dachang for a moment, then smiled, "You seem quite familiar, have I seen you before somewhere?"


    "Haha, perhaps I''ve been in your car, but people all say that I look like Daniel Wu¡­ Aiya, we¡¯ve just been busy talking. What do you want to eat?"


    "Anything is fine!" Lin Qiupu said.


    After Dachang left, he said to Chen Shi, "Guess his previous job?"


    "Police officer?"


    "How did you know?"


    "Because he knows you, he was probably your colleague. Otherwise, based on your personality, you wouldn''t know such a person."


    "He used to be my partner. This guy was too smart and didn¡¯t want to endure hardship. Later, he was fired by my original captain because of a small mistake."


    "But you went all the way and became the captain of the criminal police team. Did you bring me here to satisfy your vanity and listen to my praise?


    "A knave judges others by their own standards. I''ll go to the bathroom."


    When he got to a ce where Chen Shi couldn''t see him, Lin Qiupu turned on his phone. When he asked him the question earlier, he had used his phone to record Chen Shi''s hands underneath the table. If he was really Song Lang, he would have had some reaction when he saw Dachang.


    The result was that Chen Shi''s hands underneath were extremely calm. He had indeed never seen Dachang before¡­

 Chapter 795: Suspect Surrenders

    <h4>Chapter 795: Suspect Surrenders</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After their meal, Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi went back to the bureau together. Unexpectedly, there was a breakthrough in the case. The fingerprints left on the ashtray were recorded in the fingerprint database. It was Liu Feng, Lie Guoxiao¡¯s subordinate, and his fingerprints had been recorded when he was arrested for assaulting the police.


    It went so well that it was unbelievable. Before they went to arrest him, they discussed it for a while. Chen Shi said, ¡°I heard all of you describe this case. It was this man named Lie Guoxiao who came to pawn a painting, and then his subordinate Liu Feng intrudedte at night, killed the pawn shop owner, and took the painting away? What for? Just for the money they had pawned the painting for?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Perhaps the murder and robbery of the painting was Liu Feng¡¯s own idea, and he hadn¡¯t been instructed to do so by the old man surnamed Lie."


    Lin Qiupu said, "Wait, don''t rush to specte. There¡¯s no evidence to prove that this painting was pawned by Lie Guo Xiao. I think we should make a trip down!"


    "No need. It''s easy to investigate an ancient painting. An ancient painting is unique. If it had been auctioned, both the buyer and the seller can be found." Chen Shi said.


    This suggestion was very pertinent, so the police called several auction houses in the city. One auction house imed to have had this painting pass through their hands. The seller was a wealthy businessman in Hainan and the buyer was a collector named Shen Liqun.


    Upon hearing this name, Lin Qiupu couldn''t believe it. The painting was actually owned by Boss Shen himself. He asked the other party, "What does this Shen Liqun do?"


    "Boss Shen runs a pawn shop, and he often buys and sells antiques and calligraphy paintings."


    When he hung up the phone, Lin Qiupu was a little bbergasted. ¡°The current owner of this painting is Shen Liqun himself. Then who was the person who pawned it? The key question is how could his own painting be pawned to his own shop by other people?¡±


    "Maybe the pawned painting is a fake?" Lin Dongxue guessed.


    Lin Qiupu brought the ledger from the scene, and the pawned goods in it were clearly noted down with information such as appearance, weight, authenticity and so on. The painting was not annotated as a counterfeit at the back. ording to the recording habits of Boss Shen, it should be authentic.


    Perhaps this painting had changed hands in private, returned to Shen Liqun''s hands in this way, and was finally taken away by someone who broke inte at night.


    "Is this painting so valuable?" Lin Dongxue searched for photos of it on the Inte, "It¡¯s just some ck and whitendscape with some cloudy mountains covered in mist. It looks no different from other ink paintings."


    "How dare you say that? How could ink paintings like ck-and-whitendscapes have colors? Chen Shi ridiculed, "You should search for its auction price that year."


    "Wow, that¡¯s so much money!" Lin Dongxue was shocked. "If I exchanged it for grilled fish, I would have more than enough to eat for a lifetime."


    Lin Qiupu paced around, thinking about it. "Let''s arrest Liu Feng first. Since his fingerprints were left behind on the murder weapon, there¡¯s no reason not to bring him back for questioning."


    No one knew where Liu Feng was, but it was easy to find Lie Guoxiao. Lin Qiupu called him. After he understood the situation, Lie Guoxiao said over the phone, "I, Lie, have always been aw-abiding citizen. I will never shield a criminal. I will ask Little Feng to go to the police station and surrender himself. I will definitely cooperate fully with your investigation."


    When he hung up the phone, Lin Dongxue was a little surprised. "This guy, who¡¯s said to be a powerful figure, is so easy to talk to?"


    "This old man has always been very polite when dealing with officials. I remember one year when several of his subordinates fought with people in a nightclub and stabbed someone. The next day while the police were still investigating, his subordinates voluntarily surrendered. One shouldered all the me and is still in jail right now."


    "Subordinates? Shouldering the crime? Why do these words sound as though you¡¯re describing the boss of an organized crime syndicate?" Lin Dongxue was puzzled.


    Lin Qiupu shrugged, "The third team that specializes in crackdowns on organized crime has also been monitoring Lie Guoxiao. An old man with no official position owns severalpanies, has hundreds of millions¡¯ worth of savings, as well as many subordinates. At the same time, many of Long''an''s rich and powerful are his godchildren. He isn¡¯t normal at all! But the police have nothing to hold against him and right now, he¡¯s just a powerful old man."


    Chen Shi raised his hand. "A highly-experienced elder brother wants to say something."


    "Say it!"


    "When I was driving, I often heard passengers mention this name. ording to ordinary citizens, he¡¯s the most powerful underworld boss in Long''an at present, like XX in Northeast in the 90s and XXX in Hong Kong in the 80s. But what I¡¯ve heard were just groundless rumors. This old man is either a tall tree that attracts the wind, or he is evil in a really low-key way."


    "Either way, our second team doesn''t have to deal with him." Lin Dongxue said.


    "I think it¡¯s not surprising that a tumor would be born in Long''an, a treasurednd of great fengshui which has a high crime rate." Chen Shi expressed his opinion.


    "Don''t talk nonsense here. How is the crime rate in Long''an high?!" Lin Qiupu was annoyed by such irresponsible remarks. Some people talked nonsense without doing research. "Just takest Wednesday for example. Not a single bad case happened. Thew and order here is much better than XX!"


    "Brother, why do I think you cited a counterexample instead?" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows. "Get to work!"


    Chen Shi said, "It seems that this case doesn''t need me. I¡¯ll head back first. Yueyue is going to take her junior high school examination soon¡­"


    "Go, go!" Lin Qiupu waved his hand impatiently.


    When Chen Shi was walking out, a man with a cigarette in his mouth walked in nonchntly. "Is anyone here? I want to surrender!"


    Looking at Chen Shi, he curiously asked, "Where have I met you before?"


    "Maybe I¡¯ve beaten you up before!" Chen Shi smiled, "Go through the formalities over there if you want to surrender. You¡¯re wee."


    Liu Feng kept looking back as he entered an office, wondering where he had seen this uncle before.


    Afterpleting the procedure of surrendering himself, Liu Feng was taken to the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu said, "May 12th, or yesterday night, where did you go and what did you do?"


    Liu Feng scratched his cheek. "I need to surrender to the criminal police team just for this?"


    "Be honest."


    "I was at home browsing porn websites that are unsuitable for children. The content included¡­"


    Lin Qiupu mmed the table and picked up a picture of the deceased. "Have you seen him before?"


    Liu Feng squinted his eyes for a while and said, "He¡¯s the owner of that pawn shop, and his surname is Shen I think."


    "What did you do to him between 12:00AM and 3:00AM early this morning?"


    "What did I do to him?" Liu Feng smiled bitterly. "Maybe I dreamed of him when I slept! No, officer, I don''t understand any of your questions. I didn''te to surrender myself for something that happenedst night."


    "Then why did youe here to surrender?"


    "I gave Boss Shen a big beating yesterday. It was during the day."


    "How did you beat him?"


    "I used my fists at first, then I used an ashtray." Liu Feng chuckled.

 Chapter 796: A Dead Pig Isn’t Afraid Of Boiling Water

    <h4>Chapter 796: A Dead Pig Isn¡¯t Afraid Of Boiling Water</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu was slightly surprised. Could it be that the ashtray found at the scene was someone who wanted to put the me on Liu Feng?


    He continued to interrogate calmly, "Where did you hit him with the ashtray?"


    "Officer, although I¡¯m a rough fellow, I also know that ashtrays are so heavy that they could kill people. I just picked it up to scare him and didn''t actually hit him." Liu Feng grinned. "If I really did hit him, the nature of it all would be different. I understand this."


    Lin Qiupu sneered, "If you know thew, why did you still hit someone? Tell me honestly. Why did you hit Boss Shen?"


    "To collect protection fees!"


    Previously, Liu Feng''s narration was very smooth, but when he said this sentence, he paused slightly. Lin Qiupu judged that this reason must be fake.


    "Collecting protection fees?"


    "Yes, I¡¯m a bit tight money-wise and I don''t want to borrow money from my buddies, so I asked this honest and timid boss to give me some money to spend! When I used to be a small-time gangster, I used to do things like this all the time."


    "Were you alone?"


    "I went alone."


    "Did anyone see you?"


    Liu Feng thought for a while. "His apprentice. I yelled at him, asking him what he was looking at and he ran away."


    "Liu Feng, I believe that part of what you just said is true, but if you mix the truth with false statements, and you only say what is good for you¡­"


    Liu Feng spread out his hands. "I came to surrender, so how can it benefit me?"


    "Don''t interrupt me!" Lin Qiupu scolded. "To tell you the truth, Boss Shen is dead and he was killed by someone using an ashtray. Your fingerprints are on the ashtray, and someone has witnessed youmitting the crime. Coincidentally, you don¡¯t have an alibi."


    Liu Feng''s face was pale with fright. "I didn''t kill anyone! Why should I kill him?"


    "What''s the use of saying this stuff?!"


    "You can go to myputer to check my browsing records."


    "That kind of thing can be faked at will. We can only help you if you tell us the truth. Why did you cause trouble for Boss Shen? Did someone instruct you?"


    Liu Feng gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and didn¡¯t speak for a whole minute. Lin Qiupu mmed the table, telling him to speak up. Liu Feng suddenly raised his face. His face was covered with cold sweat, but his eyes were full of determination. "I killed him!"


    Lin Qiupu was taken aback. He thought that the kid would continue to argue, but he had unexpectedly admitted it readily.


    "How did you kill him?"


    "I smashed him to death with an ashtray."


    "Why did you kill him?"


    "There was no reason. Just didn¡¯t like the look of him."


    "After you killed him, you took something from the scene. What was it?"


    Liu Feng spread out his hands, "I was too panicked at the time and didn''t look at it closely."


    "Where is it?"


    "You can go to my house to search for it. What you find is what you find. You have the final say."


    Lin Qiupu widened his eyes. "Liu Feng, you¡¯re now going to the other extreme, right? You¡¯re admitting to everything I say?"


    "You said I killed someone, and I can''t exin it clearly, so you can do as you see fit!" Liu Feng''s expression was like that of a dead pig that wasn¡¯t afraid of boiling water.


    The interrogation was temporarily suspended. Lin Qiupu asked someone to find the employee in order to identify the suspect. Lin Dongxue said, "Brother, I don''t think he¡¯s the murderer."


    "I also think that way, because it doesn''t make sense based on the motive. However, he would rather plead guilty to murder than confess the reason for seeking out Boss Shen."


    "It must have been instigated by Lie Guoxiao!"


    "But why did Lie Guoxiao want to teach Boss Shen a lesson? He had just pawned a painting at Boss Shen¡¯s a few days ago."


    "By the way, you asked me to check Boss Shen¡¯smunication records before his death." Lin Dongxue took out a list with a long string of numbers on it, and noted the people whose numbers were registered. Lin Dongxue had investigated all these people. There was Boss Shen¡¯s younger brother, his friends, ex-ssmates, and customers. From May 10th to May 11th, Boss Shen had been on the phone with a person surnamed Wei four times. It was found that the person operated an auction house."


    "I''ll visit the owner of this auction house!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Lin Qiupu nodded. Lin Dongxue was now flexible and proactive in investigating cases, and she could fully handle everything by herself. He remembered that in his second year after joining the police force, he was still only a silly youngster following Song Lang around every day who could only say things like, "Suicide can be ruled out." and "Captain, what should I investigate next?"


    Lin Qiupu sighed and went to Peng Sijue. Peng Sijue had bought an ashtray that was exactly the same as the murder weapon and had marked out the position of the fingerprints with ink. He said, "You came at just the right time. I just did an experiment. The murderer had held the ashtray in this manner. The point of impact was just opposite the fingerprints. The body hasn¡¯t been dissected yet, but some ss fragments were found in the wound. We¡¯re trying to piece the shards back together. If it works, then there¡¯s no doubt that the ashtray was the murder weapon."


    "Are there any doubts from a technical point of view?"


    "If you have to say that something is suspicious, it¡¯s that only Liu Feng''s fingerprints are on the ashtray. It stands to reason that the ashtray should have the fingerprints of the owner as well."


    "Liu Feng has fully confessed to the crime, though his attitude wasn¡¯t too sincere. He still needs to be investigated. We can¡¯t convict him based on a confession alone."


    Peng Sijue picked up a cup of coffee, "It was really fast this time."


    "In the past, when Captain Song was here, the investigation speed was faster than this."


    Peng Sijue''s hand stopped in the air.


    "Sorry for mentioning him in front of you." Lin Qiupu sat down. "Captain Peng, I have a ridiculous idea I want to discuss with you."


    "Go ahead!"


    "Do you think Chen Shi looks like Song Lang?" He lowered his voice.


    Peng Sijue raised his eyebrows, and calmly said, "Why do you feel this way? Song Lang and I have been friends for many years and I know him very well. Chen Shi is far too different from him."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll drop the matter after hearing your words."


    "We have said that we wouldn¡¯t mention the name ¡®Song Lang¡¯ in the second team."


    "Sorry¡­"


    After Lin Qiupu left, Peng Sijue looked at the door for a long time, and his subordinates called out to him for a long time before he came back to himself.


    In the afternoon, the employee was found and brought over. He nced at Liu Feng through the one-sided mirror and said with certainty, "It''s him!"


    "I have one more thing to ask you. On May 12th, he also visited the store during the daytime. What did he do at that time?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Oh, that incident? He beat Boss Shen."


    "How did he beat him?"


    "I heard movement downstairs, so I went down and saw him holding the ashtray in his hand, about to smash the boss''s head. He saw me and yelled at me. I was so scared that I hurried upstairs."


    "And then?"


    "About half an hourter, he left. I asked the boss what was going on. The boss said that he was a rascal and not to ask! Our boss has a very good character. He never interacts with this kind of person normally. I don¡¯t know why this little hooligan came to seek trouble."


    Lin Qiupu asked him to take another look and sent a policeman in to tell Liu Feng to stand up and take a few steps. The employee was very certain, so he signed the document for identifying a suspect.

 Chapter 797: Why Old Lie Is Always Short of Money

    <h4>Chapter 797: Why Old Lie Is Always Short of Money</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Qiupu woke up very early and went to the office. He cleaned his table first. Good hygiene was the first step to improving work efficiency. This has always been his view.


    He looked at all the current documents and materials belonging to the case and went to the conference room to prepare for the morning case discussion.


    This meeting room was also Song Lang''s favorite. He stayed in it most of the time, staring at the whiteboard full of photos, or standing by the window smoking. He sometimes eveny on the meeting table.


    Song Lang didn''t like sitting in the office. He liked to think in open ces. He rarely investigated the case in person. He assigned the tasks to everyone carefully. The clues that everyone found were gathered together, and his genius brain would organize it, removing falsehoods and keeping the truth. Finally, he¡¯d be able to draw out one surprising truth after another.


    The past was vivid in his mind. Lin Qiupu faced the window and sighed. He suddenly heard a crunching sound. When he looked back, he was nearly startled. It turned out that Chen Shi was sitting by the door eating scallion pancakes.


    "Why are you here?!" Lin Qiupu was shocked, "Didn''t you say you weren¡¯t going to participate in this case?"


    "I''m here to get the bonus for thest case. Give me the money quickly. I have to go to the seafood market to buy fish for Yueyue in the morning. She¡¯s about to take the junior high school exam and her brain needs nourishment."


    Lin Qiupu had forgotten this. Every time a case was solved, the second team would hold a smallmendation meeting, but Chen Shi rarely participated. He would alwayse to ask for his bonus after the case was settled.


    Lin Qiupu put down the documents in his hands and went to the office to get an envelope with money in it. When he came back, Chen Shi was reading the case file.


    "Do you have any opinions about it?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "There¡¯s a problem with the witness."


    "Surely that guy doesn''t need to lie? He was the one who reported the case."


    "There are two types of lying. One is intentional and the other is unintentional." Chen Shi stood up and picked up an ashtray. "He said he saw the murderer hit the deceased''s head repeatedly with the ashtray, right?"


    "That''s what he said."


    "The deceased was lying on the ground at the time and the murderer was standing, right?"


    "Mm."


    Chen Shi handed over the ashtray. "You try it out and see how awkward this action is."


    Lin Qiupu thought for a moment. This was indeed a suspicious point. The ashtray doesn¡¯t increase the length of his arms much. Even if the assant''s arms were long, it would be difficult to stand up and hit the head of a person lying down with the ashtray. To hit someone¡¯s head with the ashtray, the other party must be sitting or standing, or the assant would have had to bend down.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Maybe the deceased had been sitting on a chair previously and fell to the ground after being hit by the murderer a few times. The employee happened to witness this scene, so his brain made up the murder process."


    "What his brain added was not only the murder process, but also the characteristics of the murderer. He¡¯s so sure that the murderer is Liu Feng, because Liu Feng had been there during the day. The two testimonies have many simrities, like copies of the same scene. I think this man¡¯s memory has been contaminated. He treats what he saw during the day as what happened at night."


    Lin Qiupu mumbled, "No matter how unreliable people''s memory is, it''s certain that the employee did witness the murder."


    "The lights weren''t turned on at the time. It was so dark, so how much truth did he see¡­ Did he witness the process of the murder or the aftermath of the murder? Was this person really identally seen, or did he deliberately let the employee spot him?"


    "Deliberately? You mean, he let himself be deliberately seen while pretending to be Liu Feng in order to frame Liu Feng?"


    "This is my take on it. You know I always like to think about things in aplicated way." Chen Shi was actually very humble this time. "Great Captain Lin, you should carefully consider this!"


    Lin Qiupu pondered while pacing up and down. "Framing? I considered this as well¡­ Don''t leave yet. Wait until the morning meeting is over, and you can leave after the discussion."


    "I shall respectfullyply." Chen Shi sat back down and continued eating his scallion pancakes. Looking at the greasy pancakes in his hand, Lin Qiupu thought about how Song Lang never ate this kind of food. He only liked to eat rich and heavy foods such as sweet and sour pork ribs.


    At 8:00, everyone arrived at the conference room. Lin Qiupu exined the clues they¡¯ve gained so far, as well as the questionable point that Chen Shi had discovered. "¡­ Although this case seems to be solved, there are still doubts. We can only close the case when we¡¯re 100% sure."


    "Not to mention that night, Liu Feng had gone to find Boss Shen during the day. It must have been the order of this underworld boss!" Old Zhang said.


    "Definitely, otherwise Lie Guoxiao wouldn¡¯t ask him to surrender." Another policeman said.


    Chen Shi said, "These gangsters are very loyal. He¡¯s pleaded guilty now, but he can just reverse his confession or find a goodwyer. Even if he does go to jail, he won¡¯t betray his master."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I went to meet Boss Wei from the auction house yesterday. He said Boss Shen had nned to sell this "Mountain Residence XX Picture" and hoped to arrange the auction as soon as possible. He was willing to give the auction house a 40%mission."


    "Could it be that Boss Shen had a devious plot to sell the painting that Lie Guoxiao had pawned? This man was so courageous!"


    "How much is this painting worth?"


    Lin Dongxue stated thest transaction price of this painting, and everyone present couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Lin Qiupu went on to say, "Lie Guoxiao only pawned the painting for 500,000 yuan, which is dozens of times lower than the true value of this painting. It seems that he didn''t want to pawn the painting, but he needed money urgently. Boss Shen secretly wanted to sell the painting. Did Lie Guoxiao find out about it and sent Liu Feng to teach him a lesson?"


    Lin Qiupu thought about the case seven years ago. Lie Guoxiao had also pawned a painting and then redeemed it a few dayster. Seven years ago and seven yearster, he had one thing he couldn¡¯t understand. Why was this old man suddenly short of money and why did he choose to use something easily damaged like ancient paintings to exchange for money?


    Was there some mystery behind this?


    For reference, Lin Qiupu recounted what had happened seven years ago. After he finished, he looked around the faces and found that Chen Shi was tapping on the table with his fingers again continuously.


    Chen Shi''s fingers stopped. He raised his head and his eyes lighted up. "Everyone, I have a bold guess. This was actually a lowkey means of ckmail. Captain Lin had just talked about the case seven years ago. Boss He from the pawn shop where Lie Guoxiao had pawned his painting just happened to have an identical counterfeit in his hands. I think it was actually the other way round. The only thing Lie Guoxiao took to the store was the counterfeit. He relied on his own power to call the deer a horse.[1] When he said that the counterfeit is a genuine product and left it behind, when the item is redeemed, it must also be the genuine product. What could the cowardly and helpless pawn shop owners do?"


    Everyone was dumbfounded. Chen Shi said slowly, "They could only ept their misfortune and offer up the genuine products from their own collection!"


    1. People cannot do anything but agree to whatever he says due to his immense power, for fear of consequences.

 Chapter 798: Expert in Blackmail

    <h4>Chapter 798: Expert in ckmail</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Old Zhang said, "Isn''t this the same as those rogues in Tianjin selling fairy peaches before liberation? They would take a rotten peach and say that it was a fairy peach, forcing people to pay a high price for it."


    Chen Shi nodded, "Yes, they¡¯re all extortions in the name of buying and selling, taking advantage of the other party¡¯s fear."


    Lin Dongxue said, "It''s no wonder that Boss Shen wanted to sell this painting, not hesitating to pay a 40%mission. It¡¯s because he knew that the painting couldn¡¯t be kept. Lie Guoxiao found out about it and sent Liu Feng to teach him a lesson¡­ Wait, if this is the case, Liu Feng¡¯s motive for murder seems to have been established. Boss Shen wasn¡¯t afraid of threats and was unwilling to hand over the painting, so Liu Feng went overte at night to kill him and steal the painting!"


    This reasoning convinced many people, but Chen Shi didn¡¯t agree. He said, ¡°People from the underworld generally don¡¯t kill. They know the seriousness of the penalties. Since the motive was just a painting, he didn¡¯t need to kill him."


    "That''s not necessarily the case." Old Zhang said, "People from the underworld are very violent and impulsive. I¡¯ve dealt with a case in which two groups of gangsters, who didn''t know each other, went to eat barbecue. The boss served one of the tables their dishes first. A quarrel happened, and the matter got worse. The two sides refused to give in so they fought each other. As a result, 13 people were killed or injured. The sentences for the few who survived added up to 50 years. Think about how much trouble was caused."


    "There is a barbecue restaurant called ¡®Thirteen Brothers¡¯ on Shihouzi Road. Could it be that¡­" Chen Shi said.


    "Yes, that''s the one. The roasted pig''s trotters are especially famous." Old Zhang smiled.


    "Some people¡¯s lives are jokes!" A voicemented from a dark corner.


    "Who made that remark? Xiaodong, was it you?!" Lin Qiupu red at Xu Xiaodong.


    "No¡­ it''s not me!" Xu Xiaodong looked innocent.


    Lin Qiupu said, "Since Chen Shi has made such a spection, let''s investigate ordingly. We can search Liu Feng''s house. The employee''s testimony has loopholes. Get him to think carefully again."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Should we go straight to the enemy¡¯s den and look for Lie Guoxiao to understand the situation?"


    Chen Shi said, "It''s useless. If you visit this kind of old, treacherous and slippery guy, he won''t say anything."


    Everyone dispersed. Chen Shi was going to apany Lin Dongxue to the scene. Lin Dongxue said, "Didn''t you say you wanted to buy fish for Yueyue?"


    "I¡¯ve suddenly be interested in this case, so I¡¯ll buy it tonight. It¡¯s the same anyway." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Is it the same? It won¡¯t be fresh at night."


    "Would you mind going to the seafood market halfway through the investigation?"


    "Haha, this is truly touching fish!"[1]


    "Touching fish" took a while. When the two got to Shangma Street, they found that Lin Qiupu was actually chatting with a woman, the female owner of the pawn shop opposite them from yesterday. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "Brother, why are you here?"


    "Getting to know the situation from an old acquaintance. Allow me to introduce her. Her name is He Jingjing, and she is the adopted daughter of He Taiyang whom I mentioned in the morning."


    Lin Dongxue looked up at the sign. "You¡¯re now running this pawn shop?"


    "Haha, it¡¯s just to earn a living¡­ Captain Lin just asked me about the matter. I just want to say that you police are really smart. You actually saw through that old man''s tricks."


    "You mean how Lie Guoxiao uses fakes to extort people?!" Lin Dongxue was shocked.


    "Yes, he didn''t just do it once or twice. As long as any owner of a pawn shop in the city has precious ancient paintings in their hands, his henchmen can find out right away, and then think of ways to extort it. That old man¡¯s collection is said to have a total value of more than a hundred million, and he didn¡¯t spend money to buy any of them. As long as people have power and influence, they will have money. It¡¯s really true!" He Jingjing sneered.


    "Why does he always target pawn shops?" Lin Dongxue was puzzled.


    "Because this industry is a gray industry. Most pawn shops operate loan shark businesses concurrently. If you want to lend out money, you have to collect loans and you will need to have connections with people from the underworld. Some pawn shop owners themselves are from the underworld."


    "Have you been extorted too?"


    "He took a painting of Zhang Detian¡¯s."


    "Zhang Detian''s painting?" Lin Qiupu was familiar with the artist''s name.


    "Yes, it¡¯s the one that my adoptive father collected back then. It was actually a big mistake. He Jun and I only learned about itter too. My adoptive father had the authentic piece in his hands. After Old Thief Lie found out about it, he pawned a fake. My adoptive father knew he was being targeted, and just epted his misfortune. He exchanged his genuine one for the fake. Who knew this stupid boy He Jun would swap it back again? In the end, Lie Guoxiao had the fake returned to him. That was why that scene happened that day. Officer Lin, if you hadn''t shown up at that time, our shop would definitely have been smashed by those people."


    Lin Qiupu suddenly realized, "Could it be that after He Taiyang died, the one left in the shop was the real one? That''s how it was!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "This old man is too wicked. He extorted over 100 million yuan. Let him sit in prison until he rots."


    "It''s useless!" He Jingjing shook her head. "As long as no one dares to sue him, it isn¡¯t considered illegal. Moreover, those pawn shop owners had given him the authentic paintings themselves. The pawn shop records also noted that they were authentic. There¡¯s no evidence. "


    "Miss He, would you dare to sue him? As long as you¡¯re willing to sue him, we will do our best to collect evidence and eradicate this malignant tumor!" Lin Qiupu said.


    He Jingjing smiled bitterly. "I don''t dare to sue him. I don''t want to go missing mysteriously one day. Maybe someone else is willing to stick their neck out, but definitely not me. It''s not easy for me as a weak woman to even carve out a space for myself in Long''an."


    Lin Qiupu persuaded her to stand up for justice. He Jingjing refused to agree no matter what. Lin Qiupu had no choice but to change the question, "Did you see Liu Feng enter Boss Shen''s shopst night?"


    "I did. At about 10:00 in the morning, Liu Feng led a group of people and they rushed into the store. There were banging sounds from inside. I could probably guess what was going on. Maybe Mr. Shen was unwilling to give up the painting, so Lie Guoxiao exerted pressure covertly and found some random reason to teach him a lesson."


    "A group of people?"


    "Yes, a group of people. They drove two cars."


    It seemed that a new loophole had appeared in the evidence provided by the employee. After saying what needed to be said, He Jingjing said that she had to get back to work. She smiled at Lin Qiupu and said, "Officer Lin, let¡¯s have tea together when you have the time!"


    "That''s absolutely impossible." Lin Qiupu replied in dead earnest.


    "You¡¯re as unreasonable as you were seven years ago." He Jingjing smiled and was about to leave. Chen Shi, who had been silent the whole time, asked her, "Did you go to Boss Shen''s shop yesterday?"


    He Jingjing only noticed Chen Shi then. Although she had never seen this uncle before, his sharp gaze seemed familiar. He Jingjing said, "You are¡­"


    "I¡¯m with Captain Lin, so I¡¯m naturally also a police officer." Chen Shi imed.


    "I¡­ I went there once. They had gangsters messing with them. Although we didn''t dare to stand up for justice, when the gangsters left, it was only right for us to go over and offer a fewforting words. After all, we¡¯re neighbors and in the same industry." He Jingjing said.


    1. ¡°Touching fish¡± is ng for cking, so she¡¯s making a pun here.

 Chapter 799: The Ancient Painting Appears

    <h4>Chapter 799: The Ancient Painting Appears</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After saying goodbye to He Jingjing, Chen Shi said he wanted to take another look at Boss Shen''s shop.


    Boss Shen''s shop had already been sealed off. Lin Qiupu opened it with the key. The three people walked into the shop which had no lights on. There was a lot of debris on the ground. Sunlight came in through the windows and dust motes danced in the air.


    "Can I do a crime re-enactment here?" Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu.


    "You can!"


    "I saw the photos of the scene in the morning. The deceased¡¯s prone position was a bit saucy¡­"


    "Hey, watch what you¡¯re saying at a murder scene!"


    Chen Shi imitated the deceased''s posture andy down on the ce where the deceased had been. The posture was as if he was dancing ballet. His whole body was twisted 180 degrees. Chen Shi asked, "Was the fatal injury at the back of the head?"


    "Correct!"


    "Dongxue, you pretend to be the employee and Captain Lin, you¡¯re the murderer."


    The three returned to their respective positions and simted the situation at the time. This re-enactment revealed a suspicious point. The back of the deceased''s head was facing inside, and the murderer was standing at the feet of the deceased. It was impossible for the murderer to stand there and hit the deceased¡¯s head with an ashtray.


    "I guess what the employee saw was probably the scene after the murder had ended." Lin Dongxuemented.


    Chen Shi got up and patted off the dust on his body. "Then how do you think the murderermitted the crime?"


    Lin Qiupu answered, "Since the deceased fell down in this posture, I think he was most likely smashed in the back of his head when he was sitting on a chair? Most likely, when he turned around, the murderer suddenly smashed the back of his head while he was off guard. The autopsy report said there was one fatal blow and that the other blows were made while the deceased was dying."


    "Assuming that the murderer is Liu Feng, would the deceased have such a rxed posture in front of him?"


    "Your reasoning is too rigid." Lin Qiupu said, "Although the deceased was afraid of Liu Feng, he wouldn¡¯t have thought that he would kill him. For example, it¡¯s possible that Liu Feng had tricked him to turn around to get something."


    "Do you think the employee is suspicious?" Lin Dongxue put forward an idea.


    "Where did the suspicione from?" Chen Shi smiled as he asked.


    "He knew that Lie Guoxiao wanted this painting, and Liu Feng also had an altercation with Boss Shen. This person outside the situation took the opportunity to interfere, killed the boss, framed Liu Feng, and took the painting for himself."


    "However, this painting is now impossible to sell. It¡¯s a hot potato. Whoever holds it would be a major suspect."


    "They wouldn¡¯t think of that when they were tempted by money."


    Lin Qiupu raised objections. "The tiles on the roof next door were smashed by him. The incident report was made only half an hour after the time of death, and the scene was messy. It was only possible that it was messed up after Boss Shen¡¯s death. The employee had no time to do that¡­ Besides, the spit found at the scene has been proved to be Liu Feng''s."


    Chen Shi said, "It might be a little gross to say this, but I remember that the spit was dry. The painting that fell on it wasn¡¯t soiled. It means that it was spat out earlier, probably during the day."


    Chen Shi walked to the cab again and pointed to thebel on the cab door. "Speaking of the mess at the scene, these cabs are clearlybelled with numbers, and Boss Shen¡¯s record books have the corresponding numbers. The murderer didn¡¯t need to rummage through the ce like that at all."


    "You mean someone deliberately messed up the ce and created the illusion of robbery-cum-murder?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "One possibility is that they simply got greedy and wanted to take this painting away. Another possibility is that this person has an old grudge with Boss Shen, and used this incident as a cover to kill him. The third possibility is¡­ No, this possibility is too ridiculous¡­" Chen Shi said.


    "You should say it!" Lin Dongxue urged, "It¡¯s just a discussion anyway. Make bold assumptions and careful arguments."


    "The third possibility is that the murderer also runs a pawn shop. They were angry but did not dare to speak up. In this manner, they were able to frame Lie Guoxiao and use the police to eradicate Lie Guoxiao."


    Use someone to get rid of another?


    Lin Qiupu suddenly thought of He Jingjing. She had done this before and managed to get away with it.


    "That''s ridiculous!" Lin Qiupu shook his head in denial.


    "Of course, it''s more likely to be aplex motive. The murderer has bad blood with Boss Shen and was extorted by Lie Guoxiao. At the same time, they also wanted this "Mountain Residence XX Picture". Doesn¡¯t that sound more reasonable?"


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly, "It¡¯s reasonable, but I¡¯m afraid it will be hard to find such a candidate."


    "Will it be hard to find? Expand the search and investigate Boss Shen''s interpersonal rtionships. Don''t just focus on Liu Feng. I am 90% sure that Liu Feng is just a scapegoat!"


    Lin Qiupu felt conflicted. The avable evidence all pointed to Liu Feng. Even if the evidence was sent to the courts, it would be difficult for awyer to refute it. However, he had also noticed all the dubious points in this case, and it seemed that there was another possibility.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly said, "The case happened in the early hours of the morning. Did the suspect arrive at this time, or did theye earlier and talk to the deceased? What did they talk about? Could it be that the other party developed murderous intent because they didn¡¯t agree on something?"


    "The things that can cause a person to kill are all pretty much rted to personal interest."


    "Could it be that the person knew about Boss Shen''s current predicament and took advantage of the situation, wanting to buy the painting at a very low price?"


    "Haha, your thinking is very keen right now. I didn''t think of this myself. It¡¯s a very interesting breakthrough."


    Having been praised by Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue smiled shyly. "At the end of the day, this case must have something to do with this painting. Haii, if we can find that painting now, it would be great."


    Lin Qiupu suddenly turned around from the window, with a mobile phone in his hand. "We¡¯ve found the painting!"


    "What?!" The two were surprised.


    "We found it at Liu Feng''s house. Chen Shi, do you want to go with us?"


    Although there was no need to make a special trip over, this clue was so important that the three of them had to see it with their own eyes.


    Liu Feng¡¯s home was a very ordinary small apartment. From the deserted look of his home, he seemed to spend little time at home. Xu Xiaodong, who hade to search in the morning, had found a stic bag under the bed. When he opened it, he found the painting inside.


    When the three arrived, Xu Xiaodong and his partner were studying the painting. Lin Qiupu said, "Stop looking at it. It would be troublesome if it got dirty or damaged. We still have to take it back for evaluation as well."


    "I just wanted to see if the painting is real or not. Can you tell, Brother Chen?" Xu Xiaodong said.


    Chen Shi smiled. "I wouldn¡¯t be driving a taxi if I could tell."


    "Bring it back to the bureau. I will contact an ancient painting expert to appraise it." Lin Qiupu said.


    Xu Xiaodong said "Oh" before rolling the painting up and putting it into the evidence bag. Chen Shi reminded him, "Put the bag which contained it in as well. By the way, where did you find it?"


    "Under the bed."


    Chen Shi sprawled on the floor and looked under the bed. Then he walked around the room again, inspected the windows, and carefully inspected the keyholes. He suddenly said, "This door had been pried open by someone."

 Chapter 800: A Perfect Framing

    <h4>Chapter 800: A Perfect Framing</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The group of them brought the painting back to the bureau. The ancient painting appraisal expert that Lin Qiupu invited had already arrived. He took out a magnifying ss and looked at the painting for a long time, before saying with slight excitement, "Yes, this is definitely the authentic work of Qian Yutan[1]! If you feel uneasy, you can do a carbon-14 appraisal, but as an expert, I have a suggestion. This painting is very old, and you must be careful when appraising it, because any damage is irreversible."


    Lin Dongxue expressed her gratitude to him and asked whether they needed to pay the appraisal fee, but the appraisal expert smiled magnanimously. "No need. It¡¯s a citizen''s duty to assist with detective work!"


    "By the way, do you know all the collectors in Long¡¯an?"


    "I know a few."


    "Have you heard of Lie Guoxiao?"


    Upon hearing this name, the appraisal expert¡¯s expression changed. "I don''t know him well. I don''t know him well. I still have an appointment so I¡¯ll take my leave first. See you."


    Half an hourter, Peng Sijue¡¯s identification results came out. Liu Feng''s fingerprints were found on the stic bag that had wrapped the painting. Chen Shi asked, "Are his fingerprints on the ancient painting?"


    "I''m afraid testing this is impossible!" Peng Sijue said, "Iodine vapor is used to extract fingerprints from this kind of rice paper, and the painting would be destroyed after inspection."


    Chen Shi looked at the painting on the table. "The two ends of the scroll are made of red sandalwood. Can they be checked?"


    He failed to persuade Chen Shi, so Peng Sijue could only inspect the ends of the scroll for fingerprints. The whole process was as careful as a surgical operation, for fear of damaging the scroll. The result was that only one set of fingerprints were found on it. Through theparison of distinctive features, it was found that they belonged to Boss Shen.


    As the result came out, Peng Sijue said in a relieved tone, "At least there¡¯s a small discovery. It proves that this painting was indeed from Boss Shen''s shop."


    Chen Shi said, "Can you take a few people to Liu Feng''s house and see if you can find other people''s fingerprints in the house?"


    "I have a lot of work on my hands!" Peng Sijueined.


    "Don''t you like work the most? I¡¯ll let you enjoy it a little longer."


    "Get lost!" Peng Sijue issued an eviction order and went back to work in hisboratory.


    Chen Shi showed a wry smile and left the forensics department. He and Lin Dongxue went to the evidence room and stored the painting in the safe.


    Chen Shi said, "I think this whole matter is very strange. If Liu Feng really took the painting, shouldn''t he hide it before surrendering himself? What is the difference between putting it under the bed and putting it on the table? Someone had pried open the door. Someone had been there after Liu Feng was arrested. They took a stic bag with Liu Feng''s fingerprints, put the painting in it, and then put it under the bed, framing him perfectly."


    "If this is really the case, there has to be a prerequisite. This person knows that Liu Feng has been arrested!"


    "The news of Liu Feng''s arrest hasn¡¯t been made public. Do you mean that employee?"


    "I¡¯m bing increasingly suspicious of him."


    "We can question this kid again¡­ The framing of Liu Feng at the moment has almost constituted aplete case. What is the murderer''s motive? Is it really just to shift the me onto him?" Chen Shi muttered as he walked outside. "Hey, where''s your brother?"


    "I don''t know. Not sure where he went after we came back. Could he be in his office?"


    "Greet him for me. I''ll go first, otherwise the fish in the car would go off."


    "Being a consultant is so easy." Lin Dongxue smiled, "Hurry back and cook for Yueyue!"


    After returning home, Chen Shi temporarily left the matter of the case behind. He concentrated on cooking, having a meal with Yueyue, watching TV, and enjoying some entertainment in the evening.


    After sleeping until dawn, Chen Shi saw Lin Dongxue¡¯s text message saying, "I''m going to die!"


    Chen Shi smiled, guessing that Lin Dongxue must have worked overtime again. He immediately washed up and drove to the bureau, buying a few breakfast meals on the way.


    When he got to Lin Dongxue¡¯s office, he saw her facing theputer with dark circles under her eyes, yawning non-stop. Opposite, Xu Xiaodong was already asleep on his stomach. Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "After you left yesterday, my brother brought a pile of copied videos for us to go through. Before we knew it, it was already dawn outside. It turned out that we had watched them all night!"


    "Were they videos from the scene?"


    "If they weren¡¯t, could they be Zhang Yimou''s[2] movies?"


    "Were you two the only ones staying up all night?"


    "No, this is a ¡®smoke-free zone¡¯. I drove the smokers to the big office."


    "You should eat something. You need to rehydrate yourself when you stay up overnight. I bought some millet porridge."


    "I can''t move my hands anymore." Lin Dongxue said coquettishly.


    Chen Shi sat down to feed Lin Dongxue the porridge. Lin Dongxue''s eyes were still staring at the screen. She said, "It¡¯s strange. There¡¯s no record of Liu Feng''s visit to the pawn shop that night around the scene. Xiaodong looked at the surroundings near Liu Feng''s home, and didn''t see Liu Feng leaving his house either."


    "Doesn''t this confirm our suspicion that Liu Feng never went to the pawn shop that night? Are there other suspicious persons?"


    "It¡¯s unable to be confirmed."


    "How many security cameras are there on Shangma Street?"


    "There are a lot of them, but the scene of the crime happened to be in a blind spot, because the camera there recently broke down. The person applying for repair said that it had been damaged by a child living nearby with a toy gun." Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows, "Very suspicious!"


    "The murderer took the ashtray with Liu Feng''s fingerprints on it tomit murder, which shows that it was premeditated. The security camera may have been broken by them in advance."


    Lin Dongxue lowered her head. It was unknown whether it was because she was pondering something or if she was too tired. Chen Shi suggested, "Look at how sleepy you are. Why don¡¯t you sleep for a bit?"


    "No, I can''t sleep. It''s very ufortable waking up after sleeping on my desk. I''d rather stay up until the afternoon and go home to sleep¡­ It''s okay, I¡¯ve long gotten used to staying up all night."


    "Why don¡¯t you go and sleep in my car?"


    Lin Dongxue was contemting it when Lin Qiupu suddenly came in and said, "Meeting!"


    A bunch of people went to the meeting room. Peng Sijue¡¯s coffee machine was borrowed and everyone used bitter and strong coffee to refresh themselves. The content of this meeting was very simple. Lin Qiupu said, "Judging from the current signs, this case is very likely a cleverly-designed framing scheme. However, we still have to focus on Liu Feng. Yesterday, I chatted with the people from the third team. They¡¯ve been observing Lie Guoxiao for several years, but they couldn¡¯t find a reason to search his property. This case will be a major breakthrough. I will apply for a search warrant this morning. After we get it, we will meet this Lie Guoxiao together with colleagues from the third team¡­ If you can¡¯t bear it any longer, you can head back and rest for a while first."


    "Hurray!" Cheers came from a dark corner.


    Lin Qiupu nced at Xu Xiaodong. "Who else has something to say?"


    Chen Shi said, "Aren¡¯t we looking for the real murderer anymore? Perhaps you can investigate Lie Guoxiao, while Dongxue and I investigate the surroundings of the scene."


    Lin Qiupu replied, "Let''s act together. I believe that once we¡¯ve investigated Lie Guoxiao¡¯, there¡¯ll be new progress in the case over here as well."


    Chen Shi wanted to say that this was only Lin Qiupu''s wishful thinking, but he didn¡¯t want to embarrass him in front of so many people.


    The attitude of the third team was understandable. As a team that specializes in cracking down on organized crime, Lie Guoxiao was their key surveince target. Here was finally a criminal case that had something to do with him. They naturally wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass.


    1. Qian Yutan is the artist¡¯s pen name and Qian Xuan is his birth name which was mentioned in an earlier chapter.


    2. A Chinese director.

 Chapter 801: Exposing The Lie

    <h4>Chapter 801: Exposing The Lie</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Dongxue opened her eyes and stretched her body fully. It was actually quitefortable sleeping in Chen Shi''s car. She asked Chen Shi, who was sitting next to her and ying on his phone, "What time is it?"


    "2:00 in the afternoon, did you sleep well?"


    Lin Dongxue breathed out against her hand and sniffed her own breath. Chen Shi thoughtfully handed her a piece of gum. Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t reach out for it, and just opened her mouth to receive it instead. Chen Shi had no choice but to peel the wrapper off for her and stuff it into her mouth.


    "Has the search warrante through?" Lin Dongxue asked, chewing the gum.


    "I just went in and asked. The third team ns to act tonight, and surprise the old man when he¡¯s least expecting it."


    "The third team really likes to act at night. That group of people are all skilled at staying upte¡­ Then what should we do now?"


    "Should we go for our meal?"


    "I''m wondering if we should go and question that employee again. I think he might be lying. One afternoon should be enough."


    "We¡¯re just idling anyway, so let''s do this!" Chen Shi started the car.


    When they arrived at the door of the employee''s house, Chen Shi said, "The same as usual. You ask the questions and I¡¯ll see if he¡¯s lying."


    As he no longer needed to go to work, the employee was ying games at home to kill time. When the two arrived, he put down the game console and said warmly, "The house is messy, so just sit down wherever you¡¯d like!" while secretly ncing a few times at Lin Dongxue.


    He took out iced tea and coke from the refrigerator and asked them what they came for.


    Lin Dongxue looked around, "Do you live with your family?"


    "Yeah, I don''t have my own house. I can only live with my parents. They¡¯re so annoying. Fortunately, they¡¯re not here today."


    "Do you normally live in the pawn shop?"


    "I live in the small garret above because clients would alsoe in the evening. I was often busy untilte at night."


    "Regarding your testimony, I want to rify something. How did you wake up at 4:00 in the morning when the crime happened?"


    "It was for this? You didn''t need to make a special trip here just for that. You police are really diligent! I heard a ¡®dong¡¯ noiseing from downstairs, and when I ran down, I saw the boss lying on the ground with a person standing next to him. I was so scared that I turned and ran. I broke one of my toenails going up the stairs. When I think about it now, it¡¯s still terrifying." The man disyed a fearful expression.


    Chen Shi thought to himself that he talked a lot of nonsense. When some people lied, they would subconsciously add a lot of unnecessary details. When he said these words, his expressions were also too exaggerated.


    These were all signs of lying.


    "Do you wake up easily?" Lin Dongxue then asked.


    "Yeah, I¡¯ve always been a light sleeper¡­"


    "From the traces at the scene, the boss and the murderer had a conversation with each other. Maybe there was an argument during that period. Since you sleep very lightly, why weren''t you woken up prior to that?" Lin Dongxue stared at the employee''s eyes to exert pressure on him.


    The employee gulped. "I heard¡­ I heard that. I just treated it as a clienting in and didn¡¯t pay it any mind, so I didn¡¯t get up. I shouldn¡¯t have to get up and have a look whenever I hear someone talking, right? A pawn shop opens its doors to wee clients."


    "Then what did they talk about?"


    "I couldn''t hear too clearly. There was something about the painting. It¡¯s hard to hear through the floor. Besides, I was in a sleepy daze at the time."


    "Did you hear a man''s voice or a woman''s voice? How many ''guests'' were there? When did they arrive?" Lin Dongxue asked in quick-fire session.


    "I can¡¯t remember¡­ I can''t remember clearly." The employee vaguely noticed that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right. "Well, I need to go to the bathroom."


    Lin Dongxue nodded.


    After he left, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, "How was it? Did he lie? Looking at his expression, I think he lied!"


    "Great minds think alike. Continue to exert pressure. Let me give you a small suggestion. When questioning, you can make little movements to distract him, so that he can''t concentrate on lying."


    "Haha, no wonder my brother is always twirling his pen during interrogations. I thought it was just a bad habit!"


    "Your brother''s interrogation skills are superb¡­ although he isn¡¯t excellent in other areas."


    "If you want topliment someone, you should just do that, but you just have to make it a backhandedpliment!"


    Chen Shi was attracted by the gaudy game screen on theputer. He went over and took a look. "I don''t understand these new games at all. Is this an online game?"


    "It should be a single yer game!" Lin Dongxue casually clicked open Steam on the taskbar, and eximed, "This kid bought so many games!"


    "Were they bought recently?"


    "Yes, there are dates¡­" Lin Dongxue''s voice became quieter. She thought out loud, "These would cost a lot of money. Could he afford them with his sry?"


    The employee came out of the bathroom, saw the two of them "studying" his games, and said with a smile, "I don¡¯t y too well. I just started. Do you guys usually y games as well?"


    "You bought a lot of games recently. Did you make a small fortune?" Lin Dongxue asked with a sneer.


    The employee''s expression changed before a smile appeared on his face. "No¡­ no, it''s money my dad gave me."


    "How much did he give you?"


    "Three, four thousand¡­"


    "Can you give your father a call? I want to verify it."


    "Don''t, don''t!" The employee suddenly knelt down. "I admit that I lied. I shouldn''t do that kind of thing. Please don''t arrest me!"


    Lin Dongxue was slightly startled, as she didn''t expect this kid to react like this. "What did you do?"


    "I¡­ I took some valuables from the pawnshop to sell."


    "Taking advantage of Boss Shen¡¯s murder?"


    "Yes. The scene was a mess anyway, so I just went with the flow¡­ I took some things. This isn¡¯t considered theft, right?!"


    Chen Shi said, "This conflicts with your previous statement. You said that after seeing the murderer, you ran away in a panic and went to the nearby police station to report it to the police. Before the police arrived, you stayed at the police station and you had no chance to take those things. Perhaps your original testimony was a lie. You didn¡¯t escape straight away after seeing the murderer. You stayed at the murder scene for a while. Since you can take things away from the scene unhurriedly and the murderer didn¡¯t kill you to silence you, it means that you¡¯re in cahoots with them and conspired to kill Boss Shen together!"


    The employee never expected that the rook he threw out to protect the general[1] would expose his fatal w instead and result in his being checkmated.


    "No¡­ it''s not like this. It''s not like this. Why would I murder Boss Shen? Boss Shen and my dad are friends, and he treated me well¡­"


    "It''s useless saying this!" Chen Shi roared, "Who is the murderer you saw at the scene?!"


    "Liu Feng!"


    "What was he wearing?"


    "ck suit!"


    "It was so dark, could you see him clearly?"


    "It must be him!"


    After firing off a series of questions quickly, Chen Shi unexpectedly disyed his trump card¡­ "Was he alone or were there two people?!"


    "Two¡­" Realizing his slip of the tongue, the employee hurriedly covered his mouth.


    Chen Shi sneered, "Did you just say that Liu Feng is two people?"


    "I¡­ I mean he and Boss Shen. You asked so quickly, I had no time to think."


    "You mean you had no time to make something up! You probably don¡¯t know this, but the evidence currently avable to the police has shown that Liu Feng didn¡¯t go to the pawn shop that night at all. The murderer was someone else. I have reason to believe that you are deceiving the police purposefully. You know the murderer. The other party bribed you, or you were an aplice from the beginning."


    "No, I''m not an aplice!" The employee lost his ability to think, instinctively defending himself. His face was covered with cold sweat.


    Lin Dongxue said, "XX, I now suspect that you havemitted perjury and must exercise the right of detaining you!"


    1. Chinese chess pieces. To sacrifice one thing for greater benefit.

 Chapter 802: Collecting Addiction

    <h4>Chapter 802: Collecting Addiction</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After being brought back to the bureau, the employee was interrogated again. He was already panicked, but he still refused to tell the truth. Chen Shi said, "This attitude shows that he¡¯s either being threatened by someone or there¡¯s a lot of profit waiting for him. Thetter is more likely."


    "Look at this." Lin Dongxue was holding the cell phone confiscated from the employee. There was an entry in the search record of the phone browser, "How many years can you be sentenced for perjury?"


    "Haha, what a high level of awareness. Maybe this kid thinks that it¡¯s nothing to spend three years in jail. He can''t earn the huge sum of money promised by the murderer in three years by himself. However, some things cannot be measured by simple numbers. He will know when he really goes to jail that it¡¯s unimaginable suffering to spend even a single day in jail."


    "I think the bureau should build a mini-prison, and throw these people, who think that it¡¯s nothing to go to jail, into it so they can experience it for a few days."


    Lin Qiupu sent a text message to them inviting them to a meal. Lin Dongxue said, "Don''te tonight. Go home and spend time with Yueyue."


    "No, I¡¯ll stay with you tonight."


    "Haha, so I¡¯m assigned to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays?"[1]


    "There¡¯s still Sunday!"


    Lin Qiupu had bought a lot of boxed meals and brought them to thergest conference room in the bureau. It was a simple dinner party. The main purpose was to let the colleagues of the third team and the second team get to know each other. The men of the third team all fixed their eyes on Lin Dongxue. When they heard that she was the girlfriend of an unofficial consultant, they all showed disappointment.


    After the respective introductions, Lin Qiupu picked up his chopsticks. "Okay, let''s eat, everyone!"


    "Eat one¡¯s fill and be on one¡¯s way."[2] Someone said from a dark corner.


    Lin Qiupu pped his chopsticks down. "Xiaodong!"


    "I swear to the heavens¡­"


    "What''s going on?" asked a colleague from the third team.


    "Our second team is haunted. Every time the captain speaks, there¡¯s someone who answers back. So far, this case hasn¡¯t been solved. He¡¯s the number one suspect." A second team police officer pointed at Xu Xiaodong.


    "I''ll wear a muzzle from now on!" Xu Xiaodong looked distressed.


    "Haha, maybe it''s a real haunting!"


    "It must be a spirit that follows you, or an earth-bound spirit." joked two from the third team.


    "We¡¯re all materialists. It''s inappropriate to talk about these things." Old Zhang reminded the young police officers.


    "Then what should we talk about? Girls?"


    "Does your third team have any girls? You¡¯re a bunch of monks."


    "Nonsense. We also had a police flower previously. Have you heard of Han Luoxi?"


    "Stop talking about it!!!"


    The members of the third team suddenly fell into deep gloom. It wasn¡¯t a happy memory. Lin Qiupu seized the opportunity to observe Chen Shi''s expression. Chen Shi was furrowing his brows andining to Lin Dongxue, "I identally ate a dried chili and it was so spicy."


    Haii, was I really thinking too much? Lin Qiupu secretly thought.


    After they finished their meal, it was already dark outside. Everyone drove in police cars to "visit" Lie Guoxiao. Therades of the third team were all in their uniforms, while the second team was still in in clothes.


    The ce where the Lie Guoxiao lived was a bit inconceivable. Before liberation, it had been a museum. It was a very magnificent Soviet-style building, located in the city center. When everyone arrived at the lobby, they found that there were multiple iron gates installed. A bodyguard said, "Stop right there. You don''t have an appointment."


    "This is our appointment!" Lin Qiupu showed the search warrant stamped by the procuratorate.


    The bodyguard said awkwardly, "I''ll go in and inform Master Lie¡­"


    "Stop right there!" the captain of the third team shouted, "Do you not understand what is a forcible search? Either open the door obediently, or I¡¯ll search your body for the key."


    Under the captain¡¯s re, the bodyguard finally obeyed and took out the key to open the door.


    Walking inside, everyone was stunned. This is a ce people live in? It was actually a private museum.


    Floor-to-ceiling cabs along the walls contained all kinds of tri-colored zed pottery from the Tang dynasty, from birds and beasts to human figurines, as well as female nudes and barbarians which couldn¡¯t be found in museums. The middle row was protected by tempered ss and held tri-colored zed pottery of the twelve signs of the zodiac made during the Tang Dynasty. These weren¡¯t made by contemporary artists trying to be original. The twelve signs of the zodiac had indeed spread to China during the Tang Dynasty. These twelve tri-colored zed pottery were definitely exceedingly rare items.


    The second room contained a collection of coins. A variety of rare coins from China and abroad, both ancient and modern, were stored there. Chen Shi had heard that the United States had five error coins without the words "God Bless" stamped on them. Here, he saw three of them. There was also a Canadian coin that had been misprinted on a nail. As it was unique, it became the treasure of the collector''s circle. It was lying quietly on the velvet cushion of a disy cab, illuminated by bright lights.


    When they got to the third room, the police from the third team gasped in shock. The collection here were all guns, from the earliest matchlocks to revolvers used by celebrities, as well as famous limited edition guns from around the world.


    "His collecting addiction is almost terrifying!" Lin Dongxue secretly clicked her tongue.


    "These can be said to be specific symbols of his power!" Chen Shi said.


    Thest room was unexpectedly minimalistic. There were various posters of the 1980 version of "The Bund" [3] hanging on the walls. The disy cab was filled with various filming props. In a man-sized ss cab, Xu Wenqiang''s[4] full outfit had been ced.


    "Could it be¡­" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Yes, this is the costume worn by Chow Yunfat."[5] A silver-bearded old man came down the U-shaped stairs. He was wearing a Chinese-style gown and carried a dragon-headed cane. Several bodyguards followed behind him.


    When he came to Lin Dongxue''s side, he smiled, "If something caught your eye, I can give it to you."


    Lin Dongxue frowned and stepped back subconsciously, keeping a distance from him.


    "Lie Guoxiao?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Police Officers, why are you looking for me?" Lie Guoxiao smiled.


    Lin Qiupu produced a search warrant. "On May 12th, a pawn shop boss named Shen Liqun was killed in his own pawn shop. An ancient painting with an astronomical price was stolen from his pawn shop. Your subordinate Liu Feng is our prime suspect. We suspect that you had instigated him."


    Lin Qiupu noticed a blue vein on the back of Lie Guoxiao''s hand slowly protruding outwards. This old man seemed to be very robust.


    Lie Guoxiao pretended to smile lightly. "I have asked Liu Feng to surrender himself. How could this matter have been instigated by me? I''m just an ordinary citizen!"


    Lin Qiupu looked at the expressionless bodyguards standing with folded arms behind Lie Guoxiao and looked at the house full of collected items. "Ordinary citizen?"


    "If I¡¯m not an ordinary citizen, what else could I be? An organized crime syndicate¡¯s boss?" As he spoke thatst sentence, Lie Guoxiao looked at the captain of the third team.


    "What''s your identity? After this search is over, we¡¯ll naturallye to a conclusion." The captain of the third team said.


    Lie Guoxiao gestured as if to say ¡°As you please.¡± "Go ahead and have a look, but don''t damage my collection. Although everyone hase here in a somewhat aggressive manner, I will do my best to cooperate with you in the investigation as an ordinary citizen. Please go ahead!"


    1. When men were allowed to have multiple wives, they often assigned specific days of the week to spend time with each wife.


    2. A reference to a ritualistic saying uttered in premodern times when giving death-row prisoners theirst meal.


    3. Hong Kong period drama aired back in 1980. It¡¯s praised as ¡°The Godfather of the East¡± and was very popr.


    4. Fictional character from The Bund.


    5. Hong Kong actor who has won a lot of Best Actor awards.

 Chapter 803: Silencing Through Murder

    <h4>Chapter 803: Silencing Through Murder</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The police conducted a thorough search of Lie Guoxiao¡¯s mansion. During the search, Lie Guoxiao sat leisurely on the sofa, smoking cigars and drinking red wine. Half an hourter, the captain of the third team asked him, ¡°Where did you hide the paintings?"


    "What paintings?"


    "The paintings you extorted from those pawn shop owners."


    Lie Guoxiao raised his eyebrows. "I don''t understand what you mean by ''extorted''. I acquired all those paintings by bidding on them in auctions. Is this part of the forcible search too?"


    "Of course."


    Thus, Lie Guoxiao summoned one of his subordinates and gave him a few instructions. The subordinate said, "Those paintings are kept by Master Lie in another ce. Pleasee with me!"


    "Is it far?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "We¡¯ll need to drive there."


    Lin Qiupu arranged for several people to go and investigate it together, including Lin Dongxue. Chen Shi also went with her as a matter of course.


    Leaving the mansion, Lin Dongxue said disgustedly, "That old man was so annoying. He kept trying to chat me up just now. You can tell that he isn¡¯t a good person at a nce."


    "Just ignore him."


    Lie Guoxiao''s subordinate drove in front and several police cars followed behind. They arrived at a very ordinary housing district. His subordinate led the police to an apartment building and opened a door.


    Their greatest impression when they entered was of the cold. The air-conditioning in the room had been set at an extremely low temperature, and the light was also very dim, probably to protect the ancient paintings.


    The living room was empty. Those ancient paintings hadn¡¯t been hung on the wall. The subordinate asked everyone to put on shoe covers, gloves, and preferably caps as well. Then they arrived at a bedroom with very tall shelves inside. The shelves were full of rows of rolled-up scrolls.


    "These are Master Lie''s collections. Please be careful when checking them."


    Lin Dongxue picked one up and unfolded it. Although she didn¡¯t know the painter, it had Emperor Qianlong¡¯s seal on it. She figured it must be very valuable.


    "We want to make an inventory of them and we need you to act as a temporary consultant. After all, we don''t understand ancient paintings." Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, I know these paintings quite well and I usually take care of them for Master Lie."


    "Where did these paintingse from?"


    "Of course, they were acquired through proper channels. A respectable person like Master Lie couldn¡¯t possibly have seized other people¡¯s beloved paintings." The subordinate said in a dull, t voice.


    Lin Dongxue sneered. The police then began to take pictures of these paintings one by one and make a written inventory of them. The room was too cold, so everyone took turns to rest in the corridor.


    When it was Chen Shi''s turn toe out, he suddenly saw a ck-clothed rider leaning on a motorcycle on the opposite side of the road downstairs, looking in this direction with a telescope.


    Was the old man anxious about them? He had even sent someone to tail them and keep watch.


    "Wow, it''s cold!" Lin Dongxue hurried out and stomped her feet. The hair on her temples were covered with frost. "It feels colder than our team¡¯s morgue."


    "Are we here just to verify Lie Guoxiao''s property today?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Yes, this is the third team¡¯s idea. These paintings all have histories. If you investigate them one by one, you will be able to find evidence of Lie Guoxiao''s crimes."


    "But will those pawn shop owners dare to sue him?"


    "It¡¯s true that they¡¯re very afraid of him, but seeing the police in action, I believe that when he falls, everyone will surely pile on. Weren''t many underworld bosses overthrown like this? They act like a tyrant for a second and then in the next second, everyone is screaming to take them down."


    Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue tutted, "Why are you putting on a bored expression?"


    "I¡¯m not. Do I look bored?"


    "I know this is definitely not as interesting as a murder case, but it¡¯s also the duty of the police!"


    "I know! I will definitely work with you."


    Everyone was busy untilte at night before returning to the bureau. After the joint operation was over, the third team would continue to trace the sources of Lie Guoxiao''s assets, while Lin Qiupu and the others would continue to investigate Boss Shen¡¯s case.


    When Lin Dongxue arrived at work the next morning, she found Chen Shi sitting in her chair and staring out of the window in a daze. She said, "You came so early. Have you had breakfast?"


    Chen Shi spun around in the chair. "I pondered over this case all over again. The murderer''s motive for the murder may be that they had killed Boss Shen to silence him after their negotiation with him broke down. They then framed Liu Feng perfectly for the crime. This means that before the murderer entered the pawn shop, they had already made two sets of preparations: To either reach a sessful negotiation or to kill him!"


    "What were they negotiating?"


    "From a general perspective, it must be a matter of personal interest. I think the interests involved in this matter are greater than that of an ancient painting, because the murderer had even casually left the astronomically-priced ancient painting at Liu Feng''s house to make the framing of him even more perfect. In actuality, they didn¡¯t have to take this step¡­" Chen Shi lowered his head. "However, I can¡¯t figure out what could be more important than the painting in Boss Shen¡¯s social circle. They must be very afraid of leaking the secrets in this negotiation, so if Boss Shen didn¡¯t agree, he would have had to die. Only the dead won¡¯t leak secrets¡­


    "Then why didn''t the employee get killed?"


    "You¡¯ve hit upon the main point. From the murderer''s standpoint, there are three reasons why the employee doesn''t have to die. The first is that he doesn''t know about the facts of the situation, which means that his witnessing the incident was purely coincidental. The second is that the murderer knew he could be bribed. This shows that the murderer and the employee knew each other. The third is that his testimony could mislead the police investigation."


    "Based on the surveince footage, the murderer is on that street!"


    Chen Shi nodded. "The dude made a slip of the tongue yesterday and told us that the murderers were two people. I think one of them is in charge of nning and the other is in charge of physical force. To plot the whole thing together, the rtionship between these two people must be very close. They could be brothers, lovers, husband and wife¡­"


    Chen Shi had already thought of two suspects, but he couldn¡¯t say anything, because only Song Lang was familiar with their past, and he had to be "faithful" to the role of Chen Shi.


    "Why don''t we go to Shangma Street today and ask about the situation shop to shop?" Chen Shi pretended to suggest lightly.


    When they arrived at Shangma Street, Chen Shi looked up at the broken security camera. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The security camera here has been repaired. There were a total of five pawn shops in the blind spot of the broken security camera on the night of the incident. Which one should we investigate first?¡±


    Chen Shi casually pointed. "Let''s start with this one!"


    The owner of the pawn shop didn''t know anything about the situation that day. He said that Shangma Street was dark at night and he hadn¡¯t noticed anyone passing by.


    "Do you know which pawn shop owner Boss Shen was closest to?" Chen Shi asked.


    The bossughed. "The pawn shop bosses on this street arepetitors in the same industry. No one is close to one another. After all, those in the same industry are enemies! Boss Shen and I are casual acquaintances at best. We just offered greetings whenever we saw each other."


    "Then did you know the "Mountain Residence XX Picture" in Boss Shen''s hands was being targeted by Lie Guoxiao?"


    Upon hearing Lie Guoxiao¡¯s name, the boss showed a fearful expression. "I don¡¯t dare to make careless remarks about this. I don''t want to get into trouble. You should ask elsewhere!"

 Chapter 804: Overly Careful

    <h4>Chapter 804: Overly Careful</h4>


    Several pawn shops all kept silent about how Lie Guoxiao had extorted Boss Shen¡¯s ancient painting. Judging from the reactions of these bosses, they had clearly pretended to be ignorant to protect themselves.


    Later, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the Taiyang pawn shop. Standing at the counter was He Jun, whom they had met once the other day. An old man was pawning something. He Jun said, "Old Sir, your old watch isn¡¯t worth 40,000. "


    "Please. This is a souvenir from the time I joined the army and fought in the war. It was produced in the Soviet Union and it has never been damaged. My wife urgently needs 40,000 yuan to pay for surgery. I really can''t gather this much money, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t take this out to pawn." The old man begged.


    He Jun sighed. "Okay, okay, then we¡¯ll pawn it for 40,000!"


    The money was transferred to the old man¡¯s card on the spot. The old man thanked him and left with the pawn ticket.


    "This boss is quite righteous." Lin Dongxuemented in a low voice.


    He Jun looked up and saw Chen Shi as well as Lin Dongxue standing at the door. "Are you the police officers who were investigating the case opposite that day? What can I do for you?"


    "We just want to find out about something."


    "Come in and sit down!" After they entered the door, there was a sofa and coffee table for entertaining guests on the left. He Jun politely served tea and poured water for them. He sat down opposite the two of them. He smiled, "The police have beening over every day for the past two days. Have you found out anything yet?"


    "It isn¡¯t convenient to disclose the progress of the case for now."


    "Haha, the police will always use this excuse."


    "It sounds as though you¡¯ve had a lot of dealings with the police?" Chen Shi said. "I looked through the files. A case had happened in this pawn shop before. The boss who had named this store was killed. It was quite aplicated case."


    "Yes, the memories of this case are still fresh to me. The police even suspected me because I had been impulsive when I was young and went to jail for fighting. However, as I grew older, my temper gradually mellowed. Look, I¡¯ve even gotten rid of the tattoos I got to appear cool when I was young." He Jun rolled up his sleeves to show them. Faint traces of tattoos could be seen on his arms.


    Chen Shi smiled. "I''ll ask something serious. On the evening of May 12th, did you see anyone walk into Boss Shen''s shop?"


    "Um... I answered this question before. I stayed in my room with Jingjing that night. I don¡¯t know if there was anyone outside. Who would stare at the street for no reason? This street doesn¡¯t even have dogs roaming around at night. It¡¯s very deserted. Only a few pawn shops and sex toy stores will be lit up."


    "By the way, who is the boss, you or He Jingjing?"


    "Of course it''s her. I''m just a deputy manager, hahaha!"


    "What''s the rtionship between you two?"


    "Our rtionship is hard to exin in a few words..."


    At this time, a woman''s voice said from behind, "He Jun and I are going to get a marriage certificate next month, and we will be a legally married couple then."


    Turning around to have a look, it turned out that He Jingjing hade back. She was dressed in ordinary clothes and carrying two supermarket bags, as if she had gone shopping. However, Chen Shi found that the bags didn¡¯t seem to contain vegetables. He vaguely saw a pair of rubber gloves.


    "Jingjing, you¡¯re back!" He Jun went over to wee her.


    "Take them to the refrigerator and I''ll cookter." He Jingjing handed the two bags to He Jun. She signalled him with her eyes in an almost imperceptible way.


    After He Jun left, He Jingjing sat down on his seat, lit a cigarette, leaned on the sofa and said, "Ask me if you have any questions. He Jun and I live together. There are no secrets between us."


    "It doesn''t matter to me anyway. We¡¯re just trying to understand the situation as usual." Chen Shi wondered if He Jingjing had sent He Jun away because she was afraid that he would say the wrong thing.


    In fact, smart people are more likely to show their ws, because they overthink. Chen Shi decided to test He Jingjing.


    He Jingjing nced at Chen Shi. "I was wondering about this when I saw you that day. Have we seen each other somewhere before? You seem a bit familiar."


    "It¡¯s probably your imagination. I¡¯ve never pawned anything before... By the way, the information you provided about Lie Guoxiao was very helpful. He does have a lot of paintings in his collection. We suspect that their origins were shady."


    Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised. Why did Chen Shi reveal the progress of the investigation? Though it wasn¡¯t anything that had to be kept secret.


    "Will Lie Guoxiao be arrested?" He Jingjing asked with interest.


    "I don''t know, but someone has been arrested."


    "Who?"


    "It''s the employee who works for Boss Shen." Chen Shi''s gaze sharpened, observing the subtle reactions on He Jingjing''s face.


    He Jingjing smiled and asked, "What did hemit?"


    "Perjury!"


    Hearing these three words, He Jingjing''s hand shook and cigarette ash fell onto the table. She rubbed her finger over the ashes and flicked them into the ashtray. She smiled again. "Rest assured that I won¡¯tmit perjury. I¡¯ll answer everything you ask."


    This minute reaction was enough to make Chen Shi suspect her. He stopped probing and asked other questions.


    The conversationsted for half an hour before the two of them took their leave. Lin Dongxue said, "Do you suspect these two people?"


    "Don''t you think they fit our idea of the murderers?"


    "They do fit..."


    "I know there¡¯s no evidence. It was just a test."


    The process of confirming a suspect is the umtion of suspicion. At present, He Jingjing had already caused suspicion in Chen Shi¡¯s heart.


    "It turned out that you didn''te to investigate the case today. You came to test them. You have long felt that these two were suspicious. So why did you have to question them all one by one? Why didn¡¯t you go to them directly? Have you be cautious like my brother?" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    Chen Shi was slightly startled. He seemed to have been a little too careful in order to cover up the fact that he knew these two people.


    However, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t pry further into this matter. She looked at the gloomy sky that was about to rain. "I suddenly remembered that we could investigate the finances of these pawn shops? You said that motivation is actually a demand in disguise. If a person needs arge sum of money in an emergency, then they may have criminal motives."


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "You understand it too rigidly. I don''t think the murderer is short of money. If the conspiracy is due to an urgent need for money, then they should have found a way to exchange "Mountain Residence XX Picture" for money. Whether it¡¯s medical expenses, buying a house or paying off debts, such ordinary economic needs can basically be solved by doing so."


    "Then, conversely, suppose that the murderer had sought Boss Shen to conspire about something other than money, such as revenge against Lie Guoxiao?"


    "Why do you have such an assumption?"


    "Because Boss Shen was about to ¡®offer a gift¡¯ to Lie Guoxiao. Did the murderer want to take advantage of this and put Lie Guoxiao in a bad position? However, Boss Shen was timid and did not dare to agree. Isn¡¯t this spection very innovative?!" Lin Dongxue waited for Chen Shi''s praise with a smile on her face.


    Chen Shi had a sudden realization. The motorcycle rider who was monitoring themst night shed through his mind. The real goal was Lie Guoxiao, or Lie Guoxiao¡¯s property...


    What is more valuable than an ancient painting is of course a whole pile of ancient paintings!

 Chapter 805: To Deceive the Heavens and Cross the Sea

    <h4>Chapter 805: To Deceive the Heavens and Cross the Sea</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "The murderer intends to steal Lie Guoxiao''s paintings!" Chen Shi suddenly said to Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue had an epiphany. "Yes, why didn''t I think of this possibility? But now that Boss Shen has been killed, can their n be realized?"


    Chen Shi took a look at Taiyang pawn shop. He Jingjing was staring at them maliciously, so Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s not stand here talking."


    Back in the car, Chen Shi said, "Although we don''t know what the murderer''s whole n is, we can think about it in another way. What is needed for the murderer toplete this n?"


    "Manpower, tools, skills, and backup ns to deal with various consequences."


    "These are of course necessary for the implementation of the n, but there is one more important thing- information. We all saw itst night. Lie Guoxiao had hidden these priceless paintings in a very inconspicuous ce, with special protection. If we hadn¡¯t visited with a search warrant, we wouldn¡¯t even know this piece of information. At that time, a motorcycle rider was following us. I thought he had been sent by Lie Guoxiao, but now that I think about it, the person who followed us was the murderer! Based on this, it¡¯s obvious why the murderer didn¡¯t hesitate to abandon "Mountain Residence XX Picture" to frame Liu Feng. They needed to do this to smear Lie Guoxiao¡¯s name, let the police conduct a search, and then follow the police. As a result, the location of the paintings was exposed."


    "Was this the murderer''s n from the beginning, or their backup n?"


    "I think this was a backup n. After all, there are many variables in this. For example, Lie Guoxiao might have been unwilling to cooperate with the search, the police might not have conducted a search, or the tailing might have failed. At first, the murderer wanted to bring Boss Shen over to their side. Boss Shen was being scammed by Lie Guoxiao. They asked Boss Shen to do something so that they could find out where the paintings were. However, Boss Shen was obviously unwilling to take the risk and be used as a scapegoat. To prevent the n from being leaked, they killed him."


    "Looking at things in this way, the murderer has everything ready now. They will act any time. I have to talk to my brother."


    "Wait!" Chen Shi said, "It''s better to let this happen. We aren¡¯t obligated to protect Lie Guoxiao''s paintings. Wouldn''t it be better if we use his paintings as bait to catch the murderer?¡­ I''ll find a friend right now to monitor that neighborhood."


    "Is it that friend of yours again?" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    Chen Shi took out his phone. "It''s too slow to go through the formal procedures. It¡¯s safer to put in an informer first. You can report this when everything is settled."


    Chen Shi contacted kk. He hadn¡¯t contacted him for a while. kk said, "Damn bastard, you only just remembered to call me? Did you need me for something again?"


    "Hey, don''t be like a resentful woman and help me keep watch on something."


    After kkined for a while, he readily agreed and rushed to that housing district.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to monitor Taiyang pawn shop?"


    Chen Shi smiled and shook his head. "All of these are just our spections. The murderer may be someone out of our field of vision. Let''s be on the safe side. No matter what, the murderer will definitely go there."


    "Then we should go back and look for my brother."


    The two of them ate a simple lunch and updated Lin Qiupu about the situation when they returned to the bureau. Lin Qiupu was surprised when he heard about it, and asked, "What did you manage to find out in order toe up with all these conclusions at once?"


    "It''s because we discussed and reasoned things out with each other. Things will be unclear if undebated."


    Lin Qiupu pondered, "You admit that it¡¯s all spection and there¡¯s no evidence¡­"


    "Brother!"


    Lin Qiupu stretched out his hand to signal Lin Dongxue not to interrupt. "If I were stubborn, I would definitely not take action based on your reasoning, but I know you¡¯re always urate in guessing the criminal''s intentions. Furthermore, this reasoning is based on the existing clues and there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with it¡­ Forcibly intervening at this juncture doesn¡¯t seem to have much benefit. It¡¯s better to go with the flow, and then we secretly make arrangements."


    "Haha, our opinions are the same. I have already asked a friend to go to the ce where the paintings are hidden to keep watch."


    "Can he manage it alone? I''ll send a few more police officers!" Lin Qiupu picked up the inte. "Xiaodong,e over here for a bit."


    Lin Qiupu asked Xu Xiaodong and his partner to go there and keep watch. They had to monitor 24 hours the people entering and leaving the building, especially those who were suspiciously dressed and carrying boxes or bags. They could be arrested on the spot if necessary.


    The next step was to wait and see what happened. One day passed, and under the surveince of three pairs of eyes, nothing happened.


    The next day, Lin Qiupu was worried and was about to send some more people. Old Zhang remonstrated, "If you put too many pairs of eyes at the ce, the thief won¡¯t dare toe." Hence, Lin Qiupu only sent two more groups so that Xu Xiaodong and the others could take turns to rest.


    In the evening, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were eating stir-fried rice vermicelli when they suddenly received a text message from kk. "Brother Chen, a suspicious person had just rushed down in a panic."


    "Do you have a photo?"


    "Wait a moment."


    A video was sent over. They saw a man in a suit running down with a briefcase in his hand, looking around, and then leaving.


    Lin Dongxue nced at the task force¡¯s chat group. "Weird, why is the little thief the only one reporting it? There¡¯s nothing from the others we sent."


    The video wasn¡¯t very clear and they couldn¡¯t see the man''s face clearly. Chen Shi said, "There is only one exnation. The police don''t think he is a suspicious person¡­ I understand now. He¡¯s the one who takes care of the paintings for Lie Guoxiao! Oh no, it has already happened!"


    Lin Dongxue hadn''t reacted yet.


    Chen Shi hurriedly finished his stir-fried rice vermicelli, gulped down his iced c in one mouthful, wiped his mouth and said, "If you were the one who took care of the paintings for Lie Guoxiao, what would you do when you saw these paintings disappear overnight?"


    "Escape?!"


    "Yes. Hurry and ask Xiaodong to chase after that person. Let''s go to the scene!"


    The two of them got into the car. Lin Dongxue was on her phone all along the way, and the information quickly spread throughout the second team.


    When they arrived at the scene, Chen Shi called all the people who were keeping watch and prepared to go up and have a look. The group went to the house. Although the anti-theft door had several locks installed, the person who just left had just simply closed it. It only took Chen Shi half a minute to pry open the lock.


    When they walked into the house, the air-conditioning was still running strong. When they got to the room where the paintings were kept, they saw that the shelves were empty and there was a line written on the wall: "It''s not that revenge wouldn¡¯t be taken. The time wasn¡¯t right yet."


    "It''s impossible!" said a police officer. "We were watching so carefully and nobody came down with a bag or box. Even when someone threw a big bag of garbage out, we would look through it."


    Chen Shi saw that the window in the living room was open. There was a bustling road outside. Noticing his line of sight, another police officer said, "There are railings on this window, so people can''t pass through it."


    "But the paintings can pass through." Lin Dongxue said, "After the thief came in, they threw the paintings from here to the aplice below."


    "Impossible! It''s a road outside with peopleing and going, and there are security cameras. If you pass things out one by one, someone would have called the police long ago."


    Chen Shi checked around the house. "They weren¡¯t taken away through the window. Their technique was even more ingenious than this. They evaded our surveince perfectly. Maybe we''ve alerted them long ago!"


    At this moment, there was the sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs¡­

 Chapter 806: Steal The Whole Country and They Make You a Prince

    <h4>Chapter 806: Steal The Whole Country and They Make You a Prince</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    A group of people in ck suddenly walked in. They walked directly into the room that held the paintings without saying a word. When they saw the empty shelves and the writing on the wall, the leader turned around and picked up a policeman by the cor, shouting, "Where are the paintings?!"


    "What are you doing? Attacking the police?!" Lin Dongxue shouted.


    The man red and slowly let go. "Why are the police here? Where did the paintings go?!"


    "You¡¯re Lie Guoxiao''s subordinates? Why did you arrive in such a timely manner? Someone informed you?" Chen Shi asked.


    The other party was angry and didn''t want to answer questions at all. He continued to roar, "Hand over the paintings! How can the police do such a thing?!"


    Chen Shi vaguely noticed that someone had secretly stirred up the situation.


    A policeman prepared to exin the situation, but Lin Dongxue said, "You don''t have to exin anything to them, let''s go back first!"


    The police exited the room and the man was so angry that he smashed things wildly in the room. The sound of his movements spread far and wide.


    When they got downstairs, everyone felt very disappointed. Lin Dongxue said, "This is not your responsibility. The opponent is too cunning, but¡­" She looked at Chen Shi, "This also proves that our reasoning is correct."


    "I just want to say that the murderer is really bold and careful. They stole the paintings right under our noses, then turned around and called Lie Guoxiao to inform him. As a result, we were stuck inside. The scene just then was rather awkward." Chen Shi said.


    "What should we do now?" a policeman said.


    "Let¡¯s head back first and then discuss countermeasures. We¡¯ll definitely be able to retrieve those paintings. Those paintings cannot be disposed of in such a short amount of time, and the murderer would definitely hide them." Lin Dongxue said.


    "That''s right!" a policeman said suddenly, "Speaking of suspicious people, an old man picking up bottles was always loitering around the past two days. Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives. Look! That¡¯s him!" He pointed in a certain direction and they could see an "old man" in a straw hat going through a trash can with his back facing them.


    Chen Shi went over and lifted his straw hat, revealing kk¡¯s disreputable face. Lin Dongxue exined to her colleagues that he was on their side.


    Chen Shi told them to go back first, as he had a few words to say to kk.


    As soon as he heard that the surveince mission was over, kk immediately took off his disguise and threw it into the trash can. He said, "You didn''t make it clear earlier. It turns out that you¡¯re monitoring things, and not people. Actually, if I had known that, I would have stolen the things and protected them instead."


    "Our goal wasn¡¯t to protect those paintings. In fact, we wanted them to be stolen, but we needed to see who stole them and catch them in the act, understood?"


    "Oh, so it was like that. The police are so naughty."


    "Did you take photos?"


    kk took out a digital camera from under his clothes, "It''s all here. You can see for yourselves whether there¡¯s a suspect or not."


    Chen Shi nced through them casually. He couldn¡¯t help but admit that kk''s covert photography skills were getting increasingly better. All these were honed by catching mistresses every day. Chen Shi patted kk on the shoulder, "Thank you for the trouble. I will pay you themission for this taskter."


    "Oh, when has our rtionship be so utilitarian? Just invite me to dinner and call Little Worm and Miss Gu as well. We haven¡¯t gotten together for a long time!"


    "Yueyue¡¯s been preparing for her junior high school examination[2] recently."


    "So you have a reason not to see us?" kk said bitterly.


    "Okay, after Yueyue finishes her exams, I will invite everyone to dinner!"


    kk smiled, "Sounds about right."


    kk didn''t drive his own car here, so Chen Shi gave him a ride. kk sniffed the seat like a pervert. "Does Sister-inw often sit here? It smells so nice. ¡®Sitting in your car and listening to the songs you listen to.¡¯ Brother Chen¡¯s days are so romantic."


    "I don''t know how to respond to your lewd talk. By the way, how much do you know about Lie Guoxiao since you used to be in the underworld?"


    "Lie Guoxiao!" kk muttered the name. "This old thief¡¯s history corresponds to a certain idiom. Stealing a small amount, you¡¯ll get executed, but steal the whole country, and they¡¯ll make you a prince. He¡¯s an old thief who made his fortune by stealing, swindling and abduction. When I was still a full-time thief, he used to be an inspirational figure in our industry."


    "Can you be more specific?"


    "I heard, and this is just hearsay, when he was young, he took a small lousy bowl to a pawn shop to exchange for money, saying that this bowl was cursed or something. If they didn''t pay up, their family would meet with misfortune. The pawn shop owner was afraid, so he paid the money obediently¡­This motherfucker could make money just like that. It was too easy to make money in the 1980s and 1990s!"


    Unexpectedly, he was able to hear the "origin story" of that little bowl from kk, but it couldn¡¯t be verified whether this was the true origin or just another embellished version.


    "Then he seemed to have been missing for a while because he offended a certain godfather. You know what he did? He kidnapped this godfather''s dog and asked for a ransom. He actually seeded, and he had done it alone. I just want to say something about this - that¡¯s fucking amazing! This godfather wasn¡¯t stupid, and finally found out that it was him. At that time, the whole city was full of little gangsters holding his photos. The godfather offered a reward of 600,000 to whoever finds him. It was like the whole underworld had gone crazy! This impish old rogue hid for many years, and no one knew where he was hiding. It was not until after the godfather was arrested that he appeared again. Then he went the legal route and went into business, developing rtionships with various famous figures. This guy is a bribing maniac. All the corrupt officials in Long¡¯an have his name in the list of people they¡¯re indebted to. I heard that a corrupt official¡¯s mother celebrated her 80th birthday and he gave a set of gold mahjong tiles to her. Thus, his businesses got better and better, and he became increasingly influential as well. Today, he¡¯s the No. 1 boss of Long''an¡­ As the saying goes, people are invincible if they¡¯re shameless."


    "Where did you find so much information?" Chen Shi doubted his words.


    "It¡¯s hearsay from the underworld."


    "From whom in the ''underworld''?"


    "Well, it was from an online forum expos¨¦ post."


    "Okay then, so it''s really true and trustworthy!"


    He sent kk back to the agency, and Chen Shi returned to the bureau. He saw many cars parked at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau. He thought that Lie sure took action quickly!


    Sure enough, Lie Guoxiao hade to report the crime in person. He was sitting in the office, and his hands on his cane shook with anger. He said, "You police appeared at the scene. This shows that you have heard the news a long time ago. Why didn''t you notify me?!"


    Lin Qiupu exined, "It''s not that we didn''t want to notify you, but the information we had was limited and we couldn''t verify it yet. However, even though the situation was like this, we sent people to monitor the scene."


    Lie Guoxiao fiercely pounded his cane on the floor. "Monitor what? What did you monitor? Where did my paintings go?! You just learned the location of my paintings, and this happened immediately. Who should I suspect now? By the way, I heard that one of the police officers who went to my house that day isn¡¯t a policeman. He was with you as a consultant. I want you to investigate this person!"


    "Are you talking about me?" Chen Shi walked into the office. "Go ahead and investigate. I have a clear alibi."


    It was inconvenient for Lie Guoxiao to explode with rage in front of Lin Qiupu. He just widened his eyes and red at him. Chen Shi said, "Master Lie, please trust the police. Your paintings will definitely be retrieved, and we will definitely catch the person who stole the paintings."


    Lie Guoxiao gritted his teeth silently, "Is there already a suspect in your hearts? Tell me the name!"


    1. Idiom from Daoist author, Zhuangzi.


    2. Exam for everything she¡¯s learned in junior high, in preparation for senior high.

 Chapter 807: Nonentities Plot Against the Devil

    <h4>Chapter 807: Nonentities Plot Against the Devil</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Of course, it was impossible for the police to tell Lie Guoxiao any information, but they promised to investigate the case carefully. Lie Guoxiao led his men out of the Public Security Bureau angrily. He said to the subordinate next to him, "In ¡®The Bund¡¯ Feng Chengcheng said to Xu Wenqiang that it was better to find an opportunity yourself instead of waiting for one. The police wouldn¡¯t be serious about helping me to find the paintings. You all go find some more helpers and find them for me!"


    "Master Lie, but Long¡¯an is so big¡­" His subordinate showed an expression indicating it was a very hard task.


    "Pawn shop! I''m sure that the thief must be from a pawn shop. Check the pawn shops one by one, and no matter what methods are used, you must get my paintings back!" Lie Guoxiao said angrily. He thought about it, and added another sentence, ¡°Contact Mr. Zhou for me!"


    Looking at Lie Guoxiao leaving, Chen Shi said, "This old man wouldn¡¯t cause trouble, right?"


    Lin Qiupu said, "He can do as he pleases. The third team is collecting evidence of his crimes, hoping that he would take some action. The leader of the third team told me that Lie Guoxiao is rted to several missing persons cases, and that those who disappeared are all those who had spent time with him."


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong brought a man back and said, "Brother Chen, I¡¯ve chased and brought this guy back."


    The man who took care of the paintings was taken for questioning. Actually, he didn¡¯t know anything. He used to do ancient calligraphy and painting restoration work. He was hired by Lie Guoxiao to take care of these paintings at a high sry. He had been working for three years. He knew how much Lie Guoxiao treasured these paintings. He regrly visited the ce where the paintings were stored in a very low-key manner to appreciate his collection, often staying overnight. These hundreds of ancient paintings could be said to be his lifeblood.


    So as soon as he walked in this afternoon and saw that the shelf was empty, he immediately panicked. His first reaction was to run away.


    "Please don''t disclose my whereabouts to Master Lie. I''m afraid he will send someone to make trouble for me." The man begged.


    "I think you should take the initiative to exin the situation. As the guard, you discovered the loss and ran away as soon as possible. Didn''t you just fall into the thief¡¯s trap?" Chen Shi said.


    "I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I have the biggest responsibility for the loss of the paintings. With Master Lie in a furious rage, I''m afraid I won''te to a good end. I''d better hide!" The man reasoned.


    "Have you seen any suspicious people nearby recently? When making a phone call in the house, do you experience any electromaic interference? Are there any strange bright spots on the ss at night?" Chen Shi asked.


    The man recalled for a moment and replied, "Everything is as before. Things really happened all at once. I still saw those paintings on the shelves yesterday."


    "Did you unroll them to have a look yesterday?"


    "I usually don''t unroll them for viewing. The wear and tear on ancient paintings is irreversible. It¡¯s best to avoid looking. I only looked at them for a while that night due to your request."


    Chen Shi suddenly thought to himself that if the thief knew this piece of information, they could use some fakes to rece them. Until the next time Lie Guoxiao came to appreciate them, it wouldn¡¯t be discovered that the paintings had been swapped.


    Taking away all the paintings, and writing the provocative line on the wall shows that the thief doesn''t care about being found out by Lie Guoxiao. They might already have a n for the aftermath.


    After asking the relevant questions, Lin Qiupu said that they should go to the scene to have a look. The group of them rushed to the scene and saw the empty house again. Chen Shi felt as though it had been a long time since he¡¯d been there, although it was only a few hours since the crime happened.


    No fingerprints could be found at the scene. The person taking care of the paintings usually wore gloves, and the footprints were only that of those of the police who had juste in and Lie Guoxiao''s men who had hurried over immediately.


    Chen Shi paced around the house, thinking about how he could have taken the paintings away if he was the thief. It was impossible for them to have disappeared into thin air. He thought of a possibility. "The thief doesn¡¯t need to take the paintings away. They can rent a house in this building and move the paintings there. The most dangerous ce is the safest ce."


    "If you¡¯re sure, I will order people to check house to house." Lin Qiupu said.


    Chen Shi furrowed his brows. He had no evidence and it seemed that doing so would have meant leaving down rental information. There would be hidden dangers as well.


    At this time, his gaze fell on the drainage pipe in the corner. He walked over to inspect it. Lin Qiupu said, "Impossible. Who would transport the priceless paintings using the drainage pipe? Don¡¯t tell me they were thrown into the pipe?"


    "Get Old Peng to check it out and we¡¯ll know."


    Lin Qiupu thought for a while and agreed. Peng Sijue led his staff to check all the pipes in the house, and he unexpectedly found that a drainage pipe outside the window showed signs of having been pried open. There were scratches in the umted scum within the pipe.


    Lin Qiupu looked through the window. The drainage pipe went straight down to the road below. He said, "Hurry up and ask the people around the area!"


    The results of the investigation were surprising. ording to the feedback from nearby residents, a worker did plumb the drainage pipe from below just now. The man was wearing a hat and his clothes were printed with the words "City Sewage". He connected a hose to the drain which passed into the vehicle parked next to it. He spent about ten minutes "unblocking" it.


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t help but shed cold sweat. "They really used the drainage pipe to transport the paintings."


    "From this, it can be seen that the thieves are two people. One threw the paintings into the pipe from above, and the other received them below. The inner walls of these pipes are covered with scum and are very slippery. Putting ayer of stic wrap on the old paintings could have protected them." Chen Shi said.


    "Skilled and daring!" Lin Qiupumented, and immediately called someone to check the surveince footage nearby and look for witnesses. He nced at the line on the wall again. "It''s not that revenge wouldn¡¯t be taken. The time wasn¡¯t right yet." "Also, look for a handwriting appraisal expert to investigate this line of words!"


    Lin Dongxue suggested, "Should we go to Taiyang pawn shop and question those two?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "If there¡¯s no evidence, it''s pointless to go. It''s better to wait for clues to be found before confronting them."


    "I think beating around the mountain to scare the tiger is not a bad idea."


    "Beating around the mountain to scare the tiger?" Chen Shi secretly wondered if he could scare the two of them a little.


    The police¡¯s investigation started in an intensive manner, and the day passed by quickly. However, for the two people, it was as long as a century.


    After nightfall, He Jingjing opened a secretpartment behind the bookcase. The dense array of things in it made her frightened and dazzled. Each painting was priceless. She couldn''t believe that she had done it. Two nonentities plotted against the devil!


    The n had gone very smoothly, but she was still anxious. She took these paintings out, put them in a charcoal basin, and lit a lighter.


    He Jun, who suddenly burst in, looked as though he had seen her strangling a child to death. His face turned pale with fright. He quickly grabbed the lighter and asked, "What are you doing? This one alone is enough tost us for a lifetime. How could you do that?!"


    He Jingjing''s eyes were decisive. "Yes, even one of them is enough tost us for a lifetime, so we don¡¯t need so many. We should only keep three and burn the rest, so that they will never find them!"


    "No, no, no, these are all unique and famous paintings!" He Jun was unable to make this painful decision. "Leaving three or leaving a hundred bears the same risk, and if the old man knows we destroyed the paintings, won¡¯t he skin us alive?"


    He Jingjing sneered, "After taking this step, do you still care about the risk of being discovered? Whether we¡¯re discovered by him or by the police, we won¡¯t survive."


    "But as long as we get past this obstacle, we¡¯ll be billionaires, and we can livefortably for the rest of our lives!" He Jun was still optimistic, and it was these extremely rich returns that had supported him under the tremendous pressure all this while.

 Chapter 808: Is It Wealth Or Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 808: Is It Wealth Or Disaster</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    He Jingjing sighed, and put these paintings back into the hiddenpartment one by one, constantly confirming whether there were any clues left behind.


    He Jun suddenly picked her up, spun her around, and said happily, "We seeded, haha, we have seeded."


    "How many times do you have to celebrate? You¡¯re so excited!" He Jingjing feigned anger coquettishly.


    "I still want to ''celebrate''. Let''s go to the bedroom!" He Jun raised his eyebrows suggestively.


    "You¡¯re really frivolous." He Jingjing kissed his mouth. "Let¡¯s go to the stop and have a look."


    The two arrived at the shop front and He Jingjing nced outside. She suddenly said, "Strange. Why are all the other pawn shops closed? Could something have happened?"


    "You¡¯re thinking too much. It''s going to rain soon, so they closed early. Let''s close too. No customers wille at this time."


    He Jingjing nodded in agreement, and the two closed the roller shutter door. He Jingjing finally took a look at Shangma Street. The darkness and silence outside was terrifying. She knew that she was experiencing a guilty conscience at that moment. She must calm down and calm down even more, drawing upon her usual position as a sessful career woman. She must not reveal even the tiniest w.


    Thendline in the store suddenly rang, frightening He Jingjing so much that her heart pounded. He Jun picked it up and said roughly, "Who is it? What nonsense are you talking about?"


    "Let me take it!" He Jingjing asked for the phone receiver.


    A sinister man¡¯s voice came from the phone, sounding as if he was speaking through a cloth-covered mouth, "I really admire you guys. You actually dared to plot against Master Lie. You must be scared to death by now?"


    He Jingjing answered indifferently, "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about!"


    "You know full well what I¡¯m talking about. There are some things you can¡¯t take. If you insist on taking it, your fingers will rot, then the whole arm will rot, and finally your whole person will rot, because you don''t have that karmic reward. That stuff is wealth in the hands of Master Lie, and disaster in your hands!"


    "You¡¯re crazy!" He Jingjing hung up the phone.


    "He¡¯s just bluffing¡­" He Jingjing had just finished speaking to He Jun when the unlocked roller shutter door was suddenly pulled up from outside. Several angry men in ck suits walked in and He Jun shouted, "What are you doing?!"


    He Jun stretched out his hand to stop him, and the man leading the group, who had features like someone from an impressionist oil painting, pointed at him. "Just try and touch me. Be careful or your fingers will break!"


    He Jun withdrew his hand in fright.


    The "Impressionist" gestured, and his subordinates began to rummage through things roughly, throwing items on the shelves out. He Jingjing frowned. Her face was like frost.


    It was as though they were in their own house. They went into their room and started searching, kicking open the cab door roughly with their feet and lifting the mattress. The "Impressionist" even took out the leftover sausage from the refrigerator and ate it. He walked over to arge vase, pushed it and it smashed into pieces. Then he stared sharply at He Jingjing.


    "Boss, we didn''t find anything!" His subordinate reported.


    The "Impressionist" pointed at He Jingjing with the sausage in his fingers. "Why don''t you feel heartbroken? We smashed your things, so why don''t you look distressed? I understand now. These mean nothing to you. You must have won the lottery recently, or acquired some ill-gotten gains!"


    He Jingjing felt as though she had the tip of a knife pointed at her neck. She said in the calmest tone she could muster, "You¡¯re Master Lie¡¯s men. Normally, Master Lie takes such good care of us, how would we dare to say no?!"


    "You know that Master Lie has taken care of you, so you repay him like this?" The "Impressionist" sneered.


    He Jingjing knew that the other party was bluffing. Spreading fear was their forte. In fact, they didn''t know anything, because if they did, they wouldn¡¯t use this method of confrontation.


    "I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about!"


    The "Impressionist" walked up to He Jingjing, stared at her face, and then actually stretched out his tongue to lick a drop of sweat off her face. He smacked his lips as though he was tasting wine.


    "What are you doing?!" He Jun angrily said.


    The "Impressionist" walked up to He Jun again, staring at him, and He Jun stepped back in fear. Suddenly, the "Impressionist" brought his mouth up to his and roughly opened his mouth with his tongue. After a violent French kiss, He Jun retreated, spitting.


    The "Impressionist" savored the taste and squinted. "Your tongue is very bitter. You¡¯re nervous. Why?!"


    "I RNMLGB!"[1] He Jun scolded, feeling greatly insulted.


    The "Impressionist" raised his eyebrows and said as if he was deaf, "You wanted to fuck my what?"


    He Jun didn¡¯t dare to speak any more. The "Impressionist" added drama. "If you want to do that with my mom, then you¡¯re my dad. Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! The person I hate most is my Daddy. You¡¯re actually my Daddy?!"


    He Jun showed an extremely embarrassed expression. He didn''t know how to deal with this situation. What kind of lunacy was this? He Jingjing said, "Big Brother, please calm down¡­"


    "Shut up, woman!" The roar from the "Impressionist" almost shattered the ss. "Come hit me, Daddy. Hit me like you did when I was a kid, please!" He put his face right in front of He Jun, pping it hard.


    "Big Brother, I made a mistake, okay?"


    "Daddy hit me quick! Hit me!" The "Impressionist" red at him so hard that his eyeballs looked like they were going to fall out.


    He Jun didn¡¯t know what he should do. He gritted his teeth, stomped his feet, and pped his opponent''s face. The "Impressionist" staggered from the p. He spat out the blood in his mouth and said, "Harder, Daddy!"


    This time, He Jun was really infuriated. He kicked him in his stomach. The "Impressionist" fell onto the floor, got up andughed. "Have you not had dinner? Use more force. Within three strikes, if you don''t kill me, hehe, I will kill you!"


    "You said it yourself!" He Jun grabbed a broken shard off the floor, pointed it at the neck of the "Impressionist" and tried to thrust it at him. He Jingjing was so frightened that her heart stopped beating.


    The "Impressionist" caught He Jun''s wrist steadily, stared at him and said, "You¡¯re really going to kill me!"


    Then he hit He Jun''s face with his head. He Jun backed up a few steps, blood spurting from his nostrils. He yelled out a curse word and punched him back. The "Impressionist" brought his arm over his shoulder and turned, flipping He Jun over his shoulder onto the floor. He Jun fell onto the floor and rolled around.


    The "Impressionist"ughed weirdly like a hyena which had finished off its prey. He circled He Jun with his hands in his pockets and then kicked over a chair, putting He Jun''s leg on it.


    He Jun, who had been in the underworld, knew what he was going to do. He was nning to break his knee with a stomp of his foot. He Jun desperately begged for mercy. "Big Brother, I was wrong. Please stop!"


    "Aren''t you my father? If you¡¯re my father, you have to take responsibility. If you can''t take responsibility, then what kind of father are you?"


    "It was my fault. It was my fault. Please don''t do it!"


    The "Impressionist" looked as though he lost his fun. "I''m bored!" Then he raised his right leg, preparing to stomp.


    At this time, a voice eximed, "Stop!"


    1. You can read this as a bunch of stringed-together curse words that means ¡°fuck your mum.¡±

 Chapter 809: Giving The Thugs A Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 809: Giving The Thugs A Lesson</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue walked into the shop and saw the chaos. Several thugs in suits were about to break He Jun''s leg. Chen Shi questioned, "Did Lie Guoxiao send you?"


    Lin Dongxue disyed her badge. "Stop where you are and don¡¯t y any tricks."


    The "Impressionist" smiled and spat. "We¡¯re just ying with him!" Then he pped He Jun''s face hard. "Tell them. Were we just ying?"


    Although He Jun''s face was red from being pped, he stammered and replied, "Yes¡­ We were just ying. We had a good time with¡­ this unfamiliar brother."


    "It''s okay then! I''m leaving. You guys can chat slowly." The "Impressionist" spread out his hands, and walked out recklessly with his subordinates.


    Lin Dongxue took out her handcuffs and shouted, "Stop right there!" She stretched out her hand to stop them.


    The "Impressionist" nced at her disrespectfully. "Get out of my way, bitch!" Then he knocked her hand away and walked out.


    Anger rushed through Chen Shi''s heart. He caught up with him and shouted, "Hey". The instant the "Impressionist" turned his head, he was punched in the face by Chen Shi and fell directly outside the door of the pawn shop.


    The "Impressionist" held his cheek as hey on the ground, looking at Chen Shi with angry and startled eyes. "The police dare to hit someone?!"


    Chen Shi took out his ID and threw it in front of him. "Look carefully. I''m not a policeman. I''m just a consultant. You can fight back."


    "You were the one who said it!!!"


    The "Impressionist" stood up and tried to do a flying kick. It was amon fighting move used by thugs. Chen Shi dodged to the side, grabbed his leg and pushed him back. Unexpectedly, the "Impressionist" jumped nimbly on the other leg to keep his bnce and hit Chen Shi''s back with his elbow.


    Chen Shi simply squeezed his testicles ruthlessly. The scream of the "Impressionist" went right up to the heavens, and he was knocked to the ground. He clutched his lower body and got up. His face was so distorted that he looked even more impressionistic. Then he took a butterfly knife out from his pocket, flicking it around.


    Chen Shi also opened up his stance, with one fist in the front and one at behind, fixing his eyes on the knife.


    "Big Brother, the police officer is watching! You¡¯ll be sentenced if you use a knife!" A subordinate reminded him.


    "Motherfucker, get me a brick instead!"


    The subordinate picked up a brick from the ground and threw it over. The "Impressionist" threw the knife to the subordinate. At this moment, Chen Shi rushed up directly and hit the "Impressionist" in the face with a punch. Fighting was like this. Attacking while they¡¯re vulnerable is the best way.


    The "Impressionist" was dazed by the blow, brandishing the brick in his hand wildly, and finally throwing it at Chen Shi. When Chen Shi dodged, he lifted his leg and kicked Chen Shi in the chest. Lin Dongxue paled with fright.


    This kick made Chen Shi¡¯s chest feel a little difort. The "Impressionist" took advantage of the situation and attacked savagely, punching left and right fiercely. Chen Shi could only retreat while parrying with both hands. Suddenly, the "Impressionist" punched with both fists simultaneously. This move was so fierce that it couldn¡¯t be fended off with brute force.


    Chen Shi could only use his special skills. He dodged to the side and grabbed his opponent''s elbow with his left hand, striking his neck with his right palm.


    The "Impressionist" was dazed by this knife hand strike. He nced at Chen Shi with a stunned look. When Chen Shi withdrew his right hand and punched with his left hand, the "Impressionist" suddenly lowered his head and propped himself up on the ground with his hands. His two legs kept kicking backwards like a mule. It was very wacky, but also extremely difficult to deal with.


    This guy wasn¡¯t an ordinary thug. He had actually trained. The subordinates cheered and apuded when they saw their big brother using this move.


    Even the dust on the ground was lifted up by the "Impressionist". Chen Shi was unable to handle the two legs that were so fast that they looked blurred, so he could only retreat backwards. However, as soon as he retreated, the "Impressionist" rolled himself into a ball, tumbled over, and supported himself on the ground with both hands again like an experienced gymnast, kicking wildly with both legs.


    It was impossible to fight against this kind of shameless ground fighting technique while standing. However, one wouldn¡¯t be his match fighting on the ground with him, because he had trained in this skill. Thus, it isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this kind of tactic was said to be evil kung-fu.


    Stalling in this manner would only be more detrimental to him. Chen Shi steeled himself and suddenly jumped up, pouncing down. This was a wrestling move. The "Impressionist" was kicking and turning exultantly on the ground. Suddenly, he saw a giant shadow descending on him from above and screamed in fright.


    With a bang, the "Impressionist" was squished underneath Chen Shi like a garlic bulb. Without giving him any chance to react, Chen Shi directly pummeled his face with his fists. After three punches, the face of the "Impressionist" was wounded and bled profusely. With a mouthful of loose teeth, he lisped, "Who the fuck are you?"


    Chen Shi clenched his fist, but didn¡¯t let the punch fall. He knew that something bad would happen if he punched him again, so he stopped, stood up and said "Get lost!"


    Several subordinates quickly helped the "Impressionist" up and they escaped into the car parked on the street corner. After getting into the car, the "Impressionist" touched his swollen face and murmured, "I¡¯ve fought with this person before. I absolutely have. Damn it, I can''t remember¡­"


    "Are you all right?!" Lin Dongxue ran up and asked with concern. She took out a wet wipe to wipe Chen Shi''s hands.


    Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. Although his body hurt, he still pretended to be calm for fear that Lin Dongxue would worry, and said that he was fine.


    "You¡¯re too impulsive. Why did you fight with those thugs? I could have just asked someone to bring them back to the bureau." Lin Dongxue reproached him in distress.


    "Who told that guy to insult you? I couldn''t bear it." Chen Shi smiled.


    In fact, there was another reason to teach this person a lesson. However, he was the only one who knew this reason, and there will never be a second person who would find out.


    After "sending" away the thugs, the two returned to the shop. He Jingjing was helping He Jun rub some red liniment in. The cabs and drawers in the room had all been opened. It was clear at a nce that there were no paintings hidden there, but Chen Shi thought that if they had hidden the paintings, they would never hide them in these ces.


    "Thank you." He Jingjing said, "If you hadn''te in time, He Jun''s leg would have been broken. This group of people is too unreasonable."


    In fact, all pawn shops had been harassed that day. Some just received baffling phone calls, while others had been searched and their owners beaten up by the thugs. At the moment, there were several pawn shop owners lying in hospital.


    Of course, a bunch of thugs had also been arrested, but none of them admitted the identity of the person who had instigated them.


    This was Lie Guoxiao¡¯s scheming, spreading fear frenziedly, forcing the thief who stole the paintings to reveal their ws. However, this old man was indeed very sharp, realizing that the thief was in the pawn shop industry.


    Chen Shi didn¡¯t need to tell He Jingjing these. "We¡¯re here to investigate."


    He Jingjing made an indifferent gesture. "They just finished the search, so you can continue to search. You¡¯re all groundlessly suspicious all day long."


    "You two didn''t open the shop this afternoon. Where were the two of you at that time?"


    "Can''t we asionally take a day off? We were sleeping in the house."


    "You¡¯re testifying for each other?"


    "Do I have to take a video as evidence when I sleep?" He Jingjing responded angrily.

 Chapter 810: A Prolonged Battle

    <h4>Chapter 810: A Prolonged Battle</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi smiled and changed the subject. "It seems that Lie Guoxiao''s reaction is very strong right now. By the way, do you remember Boss Shen¡¯s employee?"


    "Why should I remember him?"


    "He¡¯s still tight-lipped, ready to go to jail for three years in order to earn that huge sum of money. However, if he knows that the person who promised to give him the money is now unable to protect themselves and cannot give him the money, would he continue to be so loyal?"


    He Jingjing''s eyes suddenly widened, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.


    Seeing that his threat had worked, Chen Shi thought that he would let fear continue to brew in He Jingjing''s heart. He said to Lin Dongxue, "Let''s go back and try interrogating that guy again."


    "Okay!"


    When the two left, Lin Dongxue said, "Are you nning to turn back and catch them off guard this time?"


    "No, let''s just monitor them from the intersection. It doesn''t matter what they do in the house. The important thing is that they cannot be allowed to leave this pawn shop."


    "Hey, imagine how much stress there¡¯d be doing this kind of thing? I won¡¯t be able to do it¡­"


    Chen Shi remembered that seven years ago, He Jingjing had made use of her biological father to kill her adoptive father and sessfully obtained the right to inherit the pawn shop. After several years of cautious and conscientious management, she had transformed from a weak woman from a poor family into a self-reliant rich woman.


    Chen Shi wasn¡¯t surprised that she hadmitted the shocking crime this time. Perhaps this girl will never be content.


    Noisy quarrelling and smashing sounds came from the pawn shop. Lin Dongxue was puzzled. "Huh? They¡¯re having a row?"


    "First, the thugs came to ransack the house, then we came. They are about to explode from stress, so quarrelling is normal. Will they take some action next? Let''s keep watching the door without budging a step."


    Chen Shi drove the car to the intersection and turned it off. Night-time in Shangma Street was in deep darkness. It was the best possible cover. Lin Dongxue took out her cell phone. "I¡¯ll call Xiaodong over. The three of us can take turns to rest tonight."


    "Okay, ask him to buy some fried stinky tofu on the way over for us to eat. I suddenly want to eat that."


    Chen Shi found that Lin Qiupu was quite indulgent with him. He could investigate the cases as he wished. This kind of freedom was simr to the time when he was still Song Lang.


    He didn¡¯t know when Lin Qiupu had realized the simrities between Chen Shi and Song Lang. Although Chen Shi had appeared as though he wasn¡¯t fazed when he was probed a few days ago, he still felt a little panicked in his heart.


    The secret would be exposed sooner orter, and all he could choose was whether to reveal it himself or be discovered by others.


    Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue who was looking down at her phone. The light from the phone screen illuminated her cute face. Countless times when they were alone, he had wanted to tell Lin Dongxue the truth, but that sentence stuck in his throat and was left unsaid.


    Chen Shi let out an almost inaudible sigh , but Lin Dongxue still heard it. She asked thoughtfully, "What''s up with you? Are you unhappy?"


    "No, I''m just a little sleepy." Chen Shi smiled.


    "Hold on for a while longer. Xiaodong will be here soon."


    "Any progress?"


    "I¡¯ve been reviewing the task force¡¯s chat group. There are many clues, but none of them point to these two people."


    At this moment, Xu Xiaodong knocked on the window of the car from outside. After he got into the car, he took out drinks and biscuits from a bag, and then handed a ss jar to Chen Shi. "Brother Chen, you can¡¯t buy stinky tofu[1] at this time of the night. Use fermented bean curd[2] to curb your cravings for now!"


    Chen Shi acted as though he was about to blow his top. "Do you think I want stinky tofu in order to smell it? Then you might as well take a lump of¡­"


    "Don''t use vulgarnguage." Lin Dongxue reminded him.


    "You came from Jiefang Road. How can there be no stinky tofu for sale there? When you pass Simao Alley, the smell is as though a toilet had exploded. You can find it just by smelling it!"


    Xu Xiaodong looked ashamed. "I don''t usually eat this, so I don''t know where they sell it."


    Chen Shi was weighing up his options. "Should I go there myself?"


    "You want to eat stinky tofu that badly?" Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t go. What if something happens here when you leave?"


    "How can such a coincidence happen?"


    "It¡¯s hard to say sometimes. Usually, when you¡¯re home alone and order takeout, they don¡¯te while you¡¯re waiting. The doorbell will ring as soon as you go to the toilet."


    "How about ordering takeout?" Xu Xiaodong suggested.


    "We¡¯re on a stake-out right now. Ordering takeout? You think our presence isn¡¯t obvious enough?" Chen Shi mocked.


    Harboring resentment over not being able to eat stinky tofu, Chen Shi ced his hands on the steering wheel and kept staring at the door. After 11:00, the whole street was too dark to see anything. At this time, a motorcycle rode over. The motorcycle lights were blindingly bright.


    Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a food delivery man. He parked the motorcycle at the door of the pawn shop and went in with a bag of food.


    Chen Shi, who was initially a little sleepy, suddenly became alert. "We must check anyone whoes out of that door!"


    "I think that was just an ordinary takeout delivery person." Xu Xiaodong said.


    "How can you be sure that it would be the same personing out?" Chen Shi said, pushing the car door open. Lin Dongxue followed him, taking the opportunity to move her stiff limbs.


    About ten minutester, the delivery person walked out. Instead of getting onto the motorcycle, he walked straight to the two of them. He pointed to Chen Shi''s car and asked in a traffic police-like tone, "This is your car?"


    "Yes, what''s the matter?"


    The takeout delivery person handed a small box to Chen Shi. "That household said they ordered this for you."


    "Ordered this for us?"


    "Yeah, I forgot to read the remarks. It says, ¡®For the friends who are on a stake-out outside¡¯."


    Chen Shi took the small box, wondering if it¡¯d be stinky tofu. When he opened it, it was just a box of stir-fried he fen. [3].


    He sneered. It turned out that He Jingjing knew they were outside and had used this way to express her calmness.


    The delivery staff didn¡¯t know that they were the police, so he looked at Xu Xiaodong curiously and asked, "How much can you earn for this kind of work in a month?"


    "Less than what you get from delivering takeouts."


    "No way!" The takeout delivery man returned to his motorcycle with a suspicious look and left.


    "We¡¯ve been exposed." Lin Dongxue said.


    "It doesn''t matter if we¡¯ve been exposed."


    Back in the car, Chen Shi opened the box of takeout. Lin Dongxue said, "Hey, this food passed through their hands. What if they had added something into it?"


    "No, that''s tantamount to giving us something to use against them. That woman wouldn¡¯t do this kind of thing." As he spoke, Chen Shi tasted it.


    The boring stake-out continued until dawn, and the three of them found their weariness unbearable. When the first ray of morning light shone in, Lin Dongxue rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked around in the car and cried out in distress. She thought all three of them had fallen asleep.


    Unexpectedly, Chen Shi, who was slumped in his seat, said, "Don''t worry, I didn''t fall asleep."


    "It gave me a shock."


    "Nothing happened all night." Chen Shi rubbed the bridge of his nose. The situation was turning into a prolonged battle.


    Lin Dongxue yawned for a long time, turned on her phone and took a look. She suddenly shook Chen Shi''s arm excitedly, "Hey, there¡¯s a lead!"


    1. Stinky tofu is a Chinese form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. It is usually sold at night markets or roadside stands as a snack, or in lunch bars as a side dish, rather than in restaurants. Can be a deep-fried golden brown color, or ck, depending on which region you get it from.


    2. Fermented bean curd is a Chinese condiment consisting of a form of processed, preserved tofu used in East Asian cuisine.


    3. Stir-fried t rice noodles.

 Chapter 811: The Suspects Are On The Run

    <h4>Chapter 811: The Suspects Are On The Run</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Dongxue showed Chen Shi a photo. It had been taken by a traffic camera. The footage showed a driver sitting in the car, who looked very simr to He Jun. Lin Dongxue said, "I didn¡¯t think that he would be speeding and be recorded on the way back from stealing the paintings."


    Xu Xiaodong leaned over. "It¡¯s so blurry. Would he admit to it?"


    "It should be possible to use technical means to make it clearer," Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi nced at the pawn shop and suddenly said, "Why are the lights on the second floor always on? The sun is already about to rise¡­ No, let''s go and have a look."


    "We¡¯ll seek them out now? Shouldn¡¯t we wait for the search warrant first?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "They know we¡¯re here anyway, so we don''t have to wait."


    With that said, Chen Shi got out of the car and walked towards the pawn shop. The two followed and arrived in front of the pawn shop. Chen Shi knocked on the door and nobody answered. He ced his ear against the roller shutter door to listen. There weren¡¯t any sounds inside. He had a vague bad premonition in his heart.


    Without another word, he immediately used a tool to pry open the roller shutter door, and it opened with a ¡®chaak¡¯ noise. The pawnshop was still a mess, and the owners hadn¡¯t cleaned it up.


    "They wouldn¡¯t have¡­" Before finishing this sentence, Chen Shi immediately rushed in and shouted from within a room, "Hurry over!"


    When Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong entered the bedroom, they saw that the window¡¯s original aluminium railings had been sawn open. The opening that was created was definitely sufficient for a person to pass through. Under the window was an alleyway. Chen Shi poked his head out and looked down. He saw that there were footprints left in the muddy alley from the two¡¯s escape.


    "Bastards!" He was so angry that he punched the wall with his fist.


    Fleeing meant that they had admitted to their crimes. He thought that these two people would never do this kind of thing, but Chen Shi had miscalcted the human heart. After experiencing the series of incidentsst night, the two were already jittery. The police and the underworld were like two bombs that could explode at any time. They couldn''t bear the tremendous psychological pressure and chose to escape.


    They must have carried the paintings with them, but it was impossible to bring them all, so there should be some paintings that were still here or destroyed by them. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t thetter.


    "I''ll go after them!" Xu Xiaodong volunteered.


    "No, they¡¯ve fled to somewhere far away long ago." Chen Shishi ran his fingers up the oxidized metallic paint on the windowsill and instructed, "Dongxue, call your brother!"


    Later, Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue brought people over to search. The various clues left behind confirmed that the two of them had sawed the window open and escaped at 3:00 in the morning. They had run to an abandonedpound nearby, and fled in a vehicle parked there. That vehicle had appeared at the scene where the paintings had been stolen.


    Lin Qiupu got people tomunicate with the traffic department, to arrange a of justice that would ensnare them.


    "We must not let He Jingjing get away with it this time!" Lin Qiupu said.


    In addition, when the police searched the scene, they found a hiddenpartment behind a bookcase. Arge number of ancient paintings were densely packed in the space sandwiched by two wooden boards. Lin Qiupu unrolled one of them randomly. It was from the stolen batch.


    This discovery was very exciting. Lin Dongxue suggested, "These paintings were extorted by Lie Guoxiao anyway, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to return them to the rightful owners, or simply donate them to a museum?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "Even if we all know that their origins are shady, they were stolen from Lie Guoxiao, so we have to return them to Lie Guoxiao. We can¡¯t deal with these lost items as we wish."


    "Why? To put it bluntly, Lie Guoxiao had also stolen them!"


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. "Dongxue, what the police represent isn¡¯t kindness, but justice. Justice must follow impartial procedures. It¡¯s not called justice if it¡¯s carried out subjectively based on personal wishes! After the paintings are returned to him, we will continue to investigate the matter of his extorting paintings from people. Only after there is clear evidence can these things truly return to their original owners."


    Lin Dongxue nodded reluctantly, "Okay!"


    Up in the old building opposite the pawn shop, a man in a peaked cap was watching everything in the house with high-powered binocrs. He took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, "Master Lie, the police have found your paintings. It was in the Taiyang pawn shop¡­ The man and woman? They seem to have fled¡­ Understood!"


    The arrest warrants for the two were issued soon after. The traffic police, local civil police and criminal police searched for them all over the city, and three days passed in a blink of an eye.


    Late that night, He Jun, who was eating stir-fried rice cakes in an unfinished building, put down his disposable chopsticks gloomily. He said, "It''s both spicy and salty. I don''t want to eat this kind of stuff. I want to eat meat!"


    "Bear with it. There are police everywhere. If you think it¡¯s too salty, then drink some water." He Jingjing, who was sitting cross-legged opposite him, handed over a bottle of mineral water.


    After taking a sip, He Jun flew into a rage and sshed the water everywhere. "This is tap water. It''s tap water!"


    He Jingjing said helplessly, "Convenience stores all have security cameras, and we don''t have much cash left."


    "Don''t we still have these?!" He Jun grabbed the three thin cardboard tubes on the ground. "One of them is worth tens of millions. Why should I beg for food while protecting these golden rice bowls? I want to eat meat. I want to drink alcohol. I want to smoke. I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll exchange them for money right now. There must be a pawn shop owner who will be willing to carry out this transaction. This is more valuable than the rewards for our arrest. Even if they take advantage of our situation and only give us one million, one hundred thousand, ten thousand, or even one thousand yuan, it¡¯s no problem!"


    "Come back!" He Jingjing tried to catch hold of him.


    He Jun violently shook off He Jingjing''s hand. She lost her bnce and fell onto the floor, but she didn''t move. He Jun thought she was hurt and hurriedly stepped forward to check on her. He only saw He Jingjing''s shoulders shaking as she sobbed.


    "My dear, don''t be upset. I''m not angry with you."


    Seeing her cry, He Jun''s heart softened, and he also shed tears.


    In these past three days, they hadn¡¯t washed their faces, brushed their teeth or changed their clothes. They hid here and there. They immediately hid whenever they saw people in uniforms. They even hid in big trash bins and sewers. The vehicle had to be abandoned because it was too conspicuous.


    Both had been very poor when they were young, but they lived a good lifeter. Now, their current life was unbearable.


    "I told you that we shouldn¡¯t have fled. If we flee, it¡¯s the equivalent to telling the police that we had done all of it." He Jingjingined.


    "Don''t talk about it anymore!" He Jun no longer wanted to argue about this issue. "I can''t stand being stalked by the police and harassed by people from the underworld. I can''t stand it for a second. I would have gone crazy if we hadn¡¯t fled!"


    "Then can you stand it now?"


    He Jun shook his head. "Let¡¯s exchange it for money! We have three paintings anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter if we exchange one for some emergency money. I know a ce where an old man specializes in helping people sell stolen goods. He and Uncle He were old friends, but ever since Uncle He died, I haven''t contacted him for seven years. The police wouldn''t think of him."


    He Jingjing only cried.


    "When we¡¯ve exchanged it for money tonight, we¡¯ll find a safe ce to take a bath, eat and make love. Then we¡¯ll eat and make love again. Do you want to eat barbecued meat? Fatty and lean pork belly grilled until the fat drips and dipped in sauce, along with a bottle of Bing Xue Hua. After doing the deed, lighting up a Yuxi cigarette¡­ Oh my heavens, after eating this meal, it¡¯d be worth it even if they immediately arrested and executed me with a firing squad."


    "Don''t say such unlucky words!" He Jingjing covered his mouth. "Rather than barbecued meat, I¡¯d like to eat hot and sour beef with enoki mushrooms, steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens, saut¨¦ed pork tenderloin with Chinese flower rolls¡­"


    "Okay, let''s order a bunch!"


    Two ashen faces looked at each other and smiled. The fugitives had reached a consensus.

 Chapter 812: If I Am Your Father

    <h4>Chapter 812: If I Am Your Father</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Hiding the whole way, the two arrived at the pawn shop. Although it waste at night, there was still a dim light on in the pawnshop.


    He Jingjing had actually met this old friend of He Taiyang. This guy was actually an old, perverted scumbag. If creditors couldn¡¯t pay their debts, he¡¯d ask to adopt their young and beautiful daughters as his goddaughters. In fact, they were really mistresses in disguise. When he got tired of toying with them, he¡¯d drive them back and say shamelessly that this could only count as part of the interest, and couldn¡¯t fully repay the debts.


    He Taiyang had most likely learned it from him back then. If they weren¡¯t jackals from the sameir, how could they have been friends?


    The pawn shop business was an unbelievable industry in He Jingjing''s eyes. There were old traditions of apprenticeship, paying respects to those who¡¯ve been in the industry longer, collecting mistresses and using Jianghu ng. These were all preserved in every dimly-lit shop, as if they had been frozen in time a hundred years ago.


    Pawn shop operators were all peculiar, money-grubbing old men with backwards ways of thinking. They always smelled of mothballs and tobo leaves.


    Entering the shop, He Jingjing frowned when she saw the security camera on the ceiling. He Jun said, "It''s okay, he installed it himself. I¡¯ll ask him to delete the surveince videoter."


    "Uncle X, are you there?" He Jun shouted into the shop.


    "Come in!"


    The two went into an office which had camphor wood boxes piled up to the ceiling. An old man with a rosy and greasy face was sitting on a carved padauk chair, and a young woman kneeling next to him was washing his feet submissively.


    He Jingjing had done this kind of thing for He Taiyang before, and she frowned in disgust. If she hadn''t dared to gamble back then, she might have ended up suffering such a dreary fate today.


    It was fine if she was wanted by the police, jailed, or executed by firing squad, even if she had to pay these prices in the future, she was unwilling to kneel beside a wooden basin and wash a pair of wrinkled, stinky old feet.


    He Jun was looking at the woman''s cleavage instead, thinking that her chest was reallyrge!


    He said, "Uncle X."


    "Little Jun, it''s been a long time since you''ve been here. What do you want from me?" The old man smiled maliciously, showing his cigarette-yellowed teeth.


    "I¡¯ll get straight to the point then. You should know that we¡¯re wanted by the police. Look at our miserable situation. It is not an exaggeration to say that we¡¯re desperate. We¡¯re looking for you to conduct a business transaction."


    "I heard that you have hundreds of thousands on your heads as rewards for your arrest!"


    "Hmph, it¡¯s just hundreds of thousands. The profit you¡¯d get from this business transaction is over ten times that¡­" He Jun tipped out a painting from a tube and unrolled it.


    The old man eximed, "Oh" and told his goddaughter to get his reading sses. When his reading sses were handed to him, he took the opportunity to fondle the woman''s breasts. He Jingjing furrowed her brows.


    The old man wiped his feet dry and went over to look at the painting, "This brushstroke, this artistic conception is really worthy of being Wang Shimin''s work. It¡¯s truly extraordinary!"


    "How much can I exchange it for?" He Jun asked.


    "Well, this¡­" The old man rolled his eyes.


    The woman offered He Jingjing a cup of tea, and said timidly, "Have a drink."


    "No, I''m not thirsty¡­" He Jingjing suddenly noticed that there were words on the woman''s chest, which had been pressed out with fingernails. It said, "Hurry and run, there¡¯s an ambush!"


    She looked at the old man in shock, who was also winking. She grabbed He Jun immediately and was about to run out. Only then did she discover that a person had secretly appeared behind her and blocked the door with his body. He held a knife in his hand.


    He Jingjing was shocked when she saw the other party''s face clearly. "You are¡­"


    "Yes, it''s me!"


    "No, that''s not his voice. Who are you?!"


    The man yed with the knife in his hand, "Master Lie sent me to fetch something."


    These words revealed that he was a person from the underworld. He Jun and He Jingjing looked at each other, then suddenly picked up a chair and swung it over at him, but their opponent''s speed was as fast as the wind. In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed forward, and He Jun felt his throat go cold. Suddenly, there was no longer any strength in his entire body. The knife was too sharp. It took a second before the skin on his throat split open and blood gurgled out.


    He dropped the chair in vain and covered his neck with his hands. As his body lost a lot of blood, his legs copsed under him and he fell onto the floor.


    He Jingjing hurriedly rushed over, and wailed as she hugged him. Suddenly, someone dragged her up by her hair from behind. He Jingjing was forced to straighten her upper body. Tears were streaming down her face. She begged, "Spare us. Take the paintings away."


    "Master Lie told me to take your lives." The man breathed into her ear. The knife was slowly ced at her throat.


    Plop!


    Two people were killed in the blink of an eye, and the old man and his goddaughter were so frightened that they hugged each other. This person was a real hitman. He wasn¡¯t just a thug who only knew how to fight. He was like an emotionless murdering machine.


    "I¡­ We have done what you¡¯ve asked of us¡­ please let us go¡­" the old man begged.


    "Did I say that I would let you go?" The man grinned and pointed his knife at him. "I need to kill another person. Choose."


    As if grasping a life-saving straw in the midst of despair, the old man hurriedly pushed away the goddaughter in his arms. "Her. Her. Her life is worthless."


    "Damn old man, you actually betrayed me!" At the juncture of life and death, the woman lost her usual docility. "Kill him. Kill him. He wouldn¡¯t have that many years left anyway. He wouldn¡¯t lose much even if he was killed!"


    "You guys chose this." The man touched the knife¡¯s edge. His smile suddenly vanished.


    Three hourster, Lin Qiupu stood in the room where four corpsesy. He felt dizzy. The two people in an embrace on the floor were the fugitives He Jun and He Jingjing. He didn¡¯t expect that they would end up like this.


    The three ancient paintings that had been taken away weren¡¯t on them or at the scene. It seems that they were taken away by the murderer.


    The corpse who had been stabbed five times in the back while his hands grasped the window was an old man. Lin Qiupu knew him. He was the pawnshop owner who tried to bribe him in his first case.


    The female corpse who had fallen onto the floor with a knife in her chest and curled up into a ball was the adopted daughter of the boss. They probably had some dubious rtionship with each other as well.


    "Of course, this pawn shop has been investigated before for selling stolen goods, and was once forced to shut down. The suspects must havee here to pawn the paintings. The murderer had already hidden here in ambush, and killed them, along with the people from the pawn shop!" Lin Qiupu hade up with this deduction. "It must have been someone sent by Lie Guoxiao. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have thought of lying in ambush here!"


    "Captain, there is a security camera here!" Xu Xiaodong rushed in and said.


    The police obtained the surveince footage, and it showed that at about 10:00, a man with blood on his body had walked out of the shop. He actually looked at the security camera recklessly and even smiled.


    The police were all very excited. They didn''t expect the surveince footage to have captured the suspect''s face, which was really helpful.


    However, Lin Qiupu''s eyes suddenly widened and his brain went nk.


    It¡¯s impossible. How could it be?! How could it be?!


    The person who walked out with the knife turned out to be¡­


    The next day, Lie Guoxiao was smiling at a photo in his room. The photo showed a pair of children. One was male and one was female. They were both very lovable and cute. The photo was already quite old.


    The phone rang.


    "Master Lie, the matter has been settled. I will ce the items in Mingri Buzai gym tomorrow, in locker No. 35. The password is XXXX."


    "Mr. Zhou, working with you is really easy and enjoyable. As long as I tell you a name, that person will definitely disappear."


    "It¡¯s also my honor to be cooperating with Master Lie. By the way, the original Mr. Zhou isn¡¯t the one talking to you right now. He died in an ident. Of course, my surname is also Zhou."


    "Okay, so Mr. Zhou has someone to seed him. I think he will findfort in that."


    After hanging up the phone, there was a loud racket outside the house. "You can''te in!" "Go away!"


    Lie Guoxiao was surprised to find that the person who had rushed in was Lin Qiupu. He was not only dressed in in clothes but also alone. However, Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t polite this time. He gripped Lie Guoxiao directly by the cor. This may have been the most impulsive thing he had done in his life.


    "Who was the hitman you hired?! Who was it?!?!" Lin Qiupu roared.


    "I don''t understand what you are talking about."


    Lin Qiupu wanted to fly into a rage, but he gave up in the end. His expression was fierce and sorrowful. "Tell me who he is! Where is he now?!"


    "I¡­ don''t understand what you¡¯re talking about."


    "Where is he?! Where is he?! Where is he?!" Lin Qiupu was going crazy.


    Lie Guoxiao gestured to stop the subordinates who were about to move forward, "Lin Qiupu, whether as the captain of the criminal police team or as an adult, you¡¯re too impolite! I¡¯m old enough to be your father. Don¡¯t you at least have the minimum amount of respect for your elders?"


    Lin Qiupu looked at Lie Guoxiao''s eyes and slowly lowered his hands. He knew that this old thing wouldn''t say anything. He was going to leave immediately so as not to burst into tears in front of this kind of person.


    "Hey, I¡¯m asking you something!"


    The only answer he got was a figure leaving in distress. After he left, his subordinates reported, "That police officer is crying outside."


    "Baffling." Lie Guoxiao muttered, lowering his head to continue looking at the photo in his hand.

 Chapter 813: Uninvited Guest Who Rents The Attic

    <h4>Chapter 813: Uninvited Guest Who Rents The Attic</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 49: All Is Lost


    Outside the window was the endless rain in the night sky. The house was brightly lit and the nice smell of alcohol filled the house.


    "Master Lie, I¡¯ve helped you get rid of the police officer named Han Luoxi. This is the evidence she has collected on you."


    Lie Guoxiao put down the red wine ss in his hand, opened the envelope, andughed, "Naughty little girl, seeking death. She dared to investigate me! Cooperating with Mr. Zhou is really easy and enjoyable. Every time I say a name, you will surely make them disappear. Mr. Zhou is really godlike!"


    Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Tiannan smiled humbly. "By the way, about this Han Luoxi, her boyfriend is the policeman who¡¯s been causing us trouble. I took advantage of the situation. Has Master Lie read today''s police announcement?"


    The subordinates immediately searched with their mobile phones and handed them to Lie Guoxiao. The police had just issued a wanted warrant on Weibo. The suspect was Song Lang, formerly the captain of the second city criminal police team. He was suspected of shooting and killing two colleagues. Now, he had escaped. Those who provided clues could get the reward of 100,000 yuan.


    Lie Guoxiao frowned, "Shooting a colleague? What a heinous crime. Greet their chief. As a good citizen, I am willing to give another million as a reward!"


    This was just a joke. Zhou Tiannan and Lie Guoxiao bothughed. Afterughing, Lie Guoxiao said, "Mr. Zhou''s methods are really clever, framing a criminal police captain. However, I think it''s better to get rid of him. People are the most terrifying when they¡¯re filled with resentment. They might make aeback in the future."


    Zhou Tiannan looked out the dark window. "No, in this absurd world, living is the real torture. Imagine his current situation. Hiding around, sneaking about where even survival cannot be guaranteed. Survival will force him to give up boring principles. He will eventually be the person he once hated the most. I¡¯m excited just thinking about it. He can''t threaten me at all. He couldn''t in the past, and he can''t now. If he really threatens me, it''ll be extremely easy to get rid of him. Before that, let him continue to suffer!"


    "Haha, Mr. Zhou seeks something. This old man is just a rough fellow who only knows how to make money."


    An uninvited guest came out from Goupi Alley. His face was covered with thick bandages. Underneath the bandages, traces of blood could be seen. Only two eyes were exposed, and he was wearing a shabby overcoat. It was raining heavily that day, and the uninvited guest was standing outside Kaowei¡¯s door, knocking on it rhythmically.


    As soon as Kaowei opened the door, the tea cup in her hand almost fell in fright. She thought he was a bad person and was about to close the door. The bandaged man grabbed her arm. His hand was strong and powerful, but not rough. Before Kaowei was about to yell, the bandaged man pointed to the paper pasted on the wall.


    "You want to rent the attic?"


    The bandaged man nodded.


    "Wait¡­ I''ll talk for my husband toe back to discuss it first!"


    "You don''t have a husband." The other party said in a hoarse voice. His vocal cords seemed to be injured.


    "How could you tell?!" Kaowei did indeed lie just now. She was afraid of this person.


    The bandaged man pointed at her shoes, her knees, and her fingers. Kaowei didn''t understand what this meant, but the bandaged man didn''t seem to want to talk much.


    She could only let him in and give him a tour of the attic. It was a dpidated attic with a low ceiling and only one mattress. You had to use a toilet bucket to go to the toilet, then go to the public toilet in the alley to empty it. It was hot in summer and cold in winter. When it rained, there were water leaks. The conditions weren¡¯t much better than prison cells.


    Kaowei only rented it out to supplement her finances. She felt embarrassed to show people around and said, "The price can be negotiated¡­"


    The bandaged man took out a wad of banknotes and handed them to Kaowei. It was exactly enough for one month. Kaowei asked, "You want to stay here for a month?"


    The bandaged man nodded.


    She originally wanted to tell him that it couldn¡¯t be rented for short periods, but this man was scary and the attic really couldn¡¯t be rented out. She could only agree. She wasn¡¯t used to being andlord all of a sudden. She said, ¡°If you want to drink water, you can go downstairs. I can help you order takeaway for dinner, but you have to pay for it. You can go in and out but you¡¯re not allowed to move things around downstairs. You can¡¯t go out past 10:00 in the evening. Also, don¡¯t smoke¡­"


    The bandaged man had already taken out his cigarettes and started smoking. Kaowei pouted, "I¡¯ll give you a jar as an ashtray. Try not to smoke in the house. It¡¯s easy for this ce to catch on fire."


    She went downstairs. Kaowei¡¯s house was an old tiled house. There was a room on the upper and lower floors and the living room and bedroom weren¡¯t separated. She just used curtains to cover her sleeping area. Poverty was the norm in Goupi Alley. This was one of Long¡¯an¡¯s dirtiest and chaotic areas.


    After gaining that money, she was going to pay off the debt she had with her neighbor, Ms. Zhang. Kaowei sighed. She had arge number of debts. Some wererge, some were small, and there were also huge debts where she could only pay interest on every month. The meager ie she had would never pay off her debts. She could only try and get by every day.


    When she got to Ms. Zhang¡¯s house, Ms. Zhang wore a big smile when she got the money. She also lectured her on a few life principles. "Little Wei, you young people don¡¯t know how to live and just spend lots of money. You know how much I spend in a day? Ten yuan! I put the bucket under the faucet every night, twist it lightly, and have it drip drop by drop so that the water meter doesn¡¯t tick away. I can have a big bucket just by doing this at night. I haven''t needed to pay the water bill for half a year now. There¡¯s also a nearby vegetable market. At night, I follow all the olddies and collect all the vegetable leaves thrown away from the stalls. We don¡¯t have to spend money on food. Of course, financial management isn¡¯t only about cutting expenditure, but also open source. You should put your money into Caiguangguang.[1] You¡¯ll get returns on your money every month. I made fifty yuan this month! Don¡¯t look down on this amount. That¡¯s because I only have five people below me. When there¡¯s more, it may be five hundred or five thousand. Aiyo, when that happens, I can justy at home every day and count the money."


    Ms. Zhang kept talking about the suspicious financial products she participated in every three sentences. She wanted to develop Kaowei into someone who worked below her. Every time she mentioned it, her face was red and her eyes glowed, as if she had eaten ginseng.


    "No, no, I don''t earn enough money to spend. I won''t consider financial management for the time being." Kowei smiled and declined.


    "Haii, if you don''t manage money, the money won¡¯t care about you!" Ms. Zhang felt sorry for her.


    There was a nasty movement from the poorly soundproofed wall. Ms. Zhang rolled her eyes and pped the wall angrily, "You damn old man, keep your voice down. Isn''t it disgusting in the daytime?!"


    An old tailor lived next door. He wore a gray suit all day long,bed his shiny white hair back, and always tucked a neatly folded handkerchief in his chest pocket. He often visited various weathered entertainment areas. Due to this, he owed various high-interest loans to loan sharks.


    Recently, he discovered a "seduction" method. By making small skirts and dresses that young people liked, he could use it to seduce young girls. Old tailors bought this kind of book and followed suit so that they could seduce young girls every few days to go to their stores.


    They often stayed for over ten minutes, wearing beautiful new dresses when they left, while the old tailor lit up a cigarette and took a piece of chalk to record another tally on the wall.


    There were sirens in the distance, and the perverted movement next door suddenly stopped. The old man panted as he said, "Hurry up and put on your clothes¡­ put on your original ones!"


    "Grandpa is a liar. You said after we finished doing the deed, you¡¯d give me the dress."


    "But we haven¡¯t finished?"


    "You''ve already X, so why doesn¡¯t it count?"


    "I''ve finished physically, but that doesn''t mean I''ve finished psychologically¡­ Don''t talk nonsense and get dressed quickly!"


    Ms. Zhang also hurriedly put away the leaflets and pamphlets about Caiguangguang on the table, and asked Kaowei to go outside to see if the police wereing over. Kaowei took a look outside and said, "They¡¯re here!"


    1. Pyramid scheme.

 Chapter 814: Going Undercover On Your Own

    <h4>Chapter 814: Going Undercover On Your Own</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Two police officers walked in. One of them was very handsome with a stern aura radiating between his brows.


    He showed them a printed photo. "Have you seen this person before?"


    Kaowei and Ms. Zhang took a look and shook their heads. The police officers thanked them and went to the next house to knock on the door. Kaowei walked over and said, "This is my house."


    "You live alone?"


    "Yes, I live alone."


    The police officer nced at the wall and said, "You¡¯re trying to rent the attic out. Has anyone rented it yet?"


    "No¡­ no."


    "Let me take a look."


    "I really haven¡¯t!"


    "Please open the door." His tone showed that he couldn¡¯t be refused.


    Kaowei was worried. She could only think that the bandaged man was on his own. I really didn¡¯t want to betray you.


    The police officers stepped on the wooden stairs up to the second floor, poked their heads up to take a look, then came down again, leaving without saying a word.


    He and his partner began talking outside.


    "Captain Song couldn''t possibly havee here."


    "Don''t call him Captain Song! He¡¯s a wanted criminal!"


    "Qiupu, the captain used to dote on you so much¡­"


    "I treat work as work!" As he said this, the handsome policeman''s eyes became red. "The police can''t have favoritism!"


    "Haii, why did this happen?!"


    When they left, they posted a wanted notice on the telephone pole opposite Kaowei¡¯s house. After the police left, the residents ran out and talked about it. They gathered around the telephone pole to study the poster. Someone said, ¡°It¡¯s a lot of money for his arrest, huh? If only I could find him, that would be great."


    "Keep dreaming. This kind of stuff is more difficult than winning the lottery."


    Ms. Zhang said, "The captain of the criminal police. He must usually have a lot of glory while being rich and powerful. He deserves it, haha!"


    Ms. Zhang didn¡¯t hate the police, but as long as she saw news about the fall of the rich, she would bask in schadenfreude, as fortunately, she wouldn¡¯t have a car ident because she didn¡¯t have a car. There wouldn¡¯t be any idents because she didn¡¯t have the money to go out. She didn¡¯t have to worry about fires because she didn¡¯t have a house.


    She was immune to most of the troubles of the wealthy, but she was tortured to death by a tumor that grew in her uterus. She collected all kinds of remedies all day long, but she still didn¡¯t go to the hospital. She told people that the hospital was a ce that wanted money and lives. When the poor go to a hospital, whether they¡¯re cured or not, they¡¯re still at a dead end.


    Kaowei returned home and hurried to the attic. The bandaged man sat in the dark attic and smoked with his right eye shining. Kaowei said, "Where did you hide just then? You¡¯re so clever! I know the police would have questioned us endlessly with you looking like that."


    "Thank you." The bandage man said in a hoarse voice.


    "You''re wee. I guess you¡¯re in trouble. In fact, people here are all afraid of the police. X sellers, pyramid schemes, and thieves are all hiding here. There are many people who don¡¯t have temporary residence permits or even ID cards. Right, there are even loan sharks. We all hate them¡­ Do you owe loan sharks too? Was your face hurt by them?"


    "¡­"


    "I''m going out to work. I¡¯lle back in the evening. If you want to eat, you can go out and buy it yourself. You can cook the noodles I put in the cupboard, but we need to keep count of the money! Never touch the bottle of western wine. Absolutely never!"


    The bandaged man continued to smoke without saying a word, and Kaowei thought he was a weird person before leaving.


    She worked in a factory and drew eyes for toy figures. Tens of thousands of eyes were drawn a day, and the skies in her dreams at night were all full of eyes as well.


    At 10:00 in the evening, Kaowei began to return home. Exhausted, she squeezed into thest bus, sweating all over. She wanted to go home and take a shower. It suddenly urred to her that there was a tenant at home. When she thought that she had to sleep in the same house as a man whose name and face she didn¡¯t even know, she was a little inexplicably scared. She regretted renting him the attic a little bit. Should she have marked it so that she¡¯d only rent it out to females?


    She opened the door with the key and the light was on downstairs. The table was covered with a fly-proof cover with several dishes inside. Kaowei opened it and saw that there were shredded green peppers and potatoes, roasted eggnt, and scrambled eggs with green onions, which were ingredients she had thrown in the refrigerator. These ingredients that had been about to rot were actually fully utilized.


    The cook had already eaten himself, and he left these for Kaowei.


    Kaowei''s heart warmed. It had been a long time since she hade home to a prepared meal (even though it wasn¡¯t hot). When she thought about it carefully, it wasn¡¯t "it had been a long time", but "never."


    Her boyfriend had never done such a thing!


    The bandaged man had not only cooked, but also cleaned up the house. Kaowei was full of gratitude. She opened the cab and looked at it. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she rushed to the attic and demanded, "Who let you touch that bottle of wine!"


    The bandaged man was kneeling in the dark, covering his face with his hands with his shoulders were shaking. He was crying. This was a man''s way of crying. His voice wasn¡¯t loud but he was extremely sad.


    There was half a bottle of foreign wine beside him.


    Kaowei went over, took a look at the wine bottle, andined again, "I told you not to touch this bottle." This time, her voice was much softer. She couldn''t bear to me a crying person.


    "Sorry!" the bandaged man cried. "I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"


    He kept saying this like he was possessed, not seeming to apologize for the bottle of wine, but to others, like a certain dead soul.


    That kind of deep grief touched Kaowei. She stroked the bandaged man''s back and said, "You must have lost your favorite person?"


    The bandaged man turned his head and looked at her.


    "Do you know why I didn¡¯t let you touch this bottle of wine? I left it for my boyfriend. He said that when he makes a lot of money one day, he¡¯ll open this bottle of wine to celebrate¡­" Kaowei was a little choked up. "He was a little hooligan who followed a big brother in the underworld when he was just a teenager. He smoked, drank, and fought. When I met him, I was also young and ignorant and I liked bad men. Once, I had a fever and he carried me to the hospital. However, the hospital was off work. The doctors were all gone for the day. He beat the window of the registration office and violently told people to find the doctor, otherwise he¡¯d blow up the hospital! At that moment, I really fell in love with him¡­"


    Kaowei wiped a tear away.


    "I¡¯ve been with him for many years. It''s unbelievable. I don''t know how many times we¡¯ve quarelled. One time, he went out to find a prostitute. I got mad after finding out about it. He said that there was no other way since he walked this path. I asked if he had to be in the underworld. He¡¯s already so old, couldn¡¯t he find a stable job? He wasn¡¯t happy about that. He said that he wanted to be a big boss in the underworld, then I would be the boss¡¯s woman. All of a sudden, I was so moved that I couldn¡¯t even get angry. However, my mother didn¡¯t like him. After meeting him once, my mother was so full of contempt that he actually said that he was actually an undercover agent sent by the police into the underworld, just like Tony Leung in "Infernal Affairs". My mom was so happy and asked him if he had a formal police number and whether he could get a sry? Also, would he be a chief when he stopped being an undercover cop?"


    "This lie killed him! My mother went out to y mahjong, and everyone at the table was showing off their sons-inw. My mother couldn''t help but show off too, telling others that her future son-inw looked like a hooligan when in fact he was an undercover agent sent by the police, and that in the future, he would immediately be the chief when he went back. These words spread and reached his big brother''s ears. At that time, some bad things had happened in his group. The big brother had always suspected that there was a traitor in the midst. He was caught in this lie. During that time, he kept hiding everywhere. He was a hooligan to outsiders and a traitor to the insiders. In the end, he couldn''t help but surrender to the police. The police were so happy. Someone had actually developed themselves into an informant in the underworld society that they¡¯d been keeping watch of. They extracted information that he obtained with his life from him. Every time he provided evidence of a crime, the police would treat him to sauerkraut fish hot pots. He ate twelve sauerkraut fish hot pots in the police station¡­"

 Chapter 815: The Debt Collector Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 815: The Debt Collector Is Here</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The bandaged man listened intently. He asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened after that?"


    Kaowei wiped away her tears. "The big brother in his group was arrested. At that time, it seemed that the world was peaceful. He made meritorious services and the police only detained him for half a month before releasing him. He came to me and was very happy. He said that he would be met with luck if he survived such a catastrophe. Two monthster, a TV set was sent to our residence. We didn¡¯t know who sent it. The box only said that it was from being a lucky draw winner. He plugged in the power plug happily. I was washing grapes in the kitchen when I suddenly heard an explosion. The house was shaking. It turned out that the TV had exploded. After thinking about it, I realize that this was someone in the underworld taking their revenge on him. His entire body was covered in blood from the explosion. After arriving at the hospital, he was diagnosed with severe burns. I stayed with him all night. He desperately said, ¡®Let''s break up. Let''s break up.¡¯ I just cried. I knew that he just didn¡¯t want to drag me into this. I thought he would be safe in the hospital, but he disappeared a few dayster. He has never appeared again since. Maybe he¡¯s dead and wrapped in a bucket in cement then thrown into the river by people from the underworld. I hope he¡¯s dead so that he won¡¯t suffer any more. But at the same time, I hope he¡¯s still alive. I¡¯m really conflicted!"


    Kaowei covered her face and started crying.


    The bandaged man stretched out a hand and wanted to pat her shoulder. He paused in midair for a while and then retracted it. He asked, "What is his name?"


    "Wang Xi."


    "Wang Xi¡­"


    "Do you know him?" Kaowei asked with a glimmer of hope.


    "No, I don''t. I''m just an ordinary person." The bandaged man picked up the bottle. "Take this back!"


    "You drink it. It''s opened anyway."


    "It will only make you more painful¡­" The light in the bandaged man''s eyes dimmed. He thought of that cruel night again.


    "I need to rest. You should go to bed earlier as well."


    Kaowei went downstairs. As she headed downstairs, she saw the bandaged man sitting in the darkness pick up the wine bottle and put it to his mouth again. Tears slid from the corner of his eyes.


    Hearing that there was no movement downstairs, the bandaged man jumped out from the window. The houses here were attached to each other. He could get down into the alley by pressing against both walls.


    Under the cover of night, he got to the road and moved slowly through the sleeping city like a ghost. He looked down at his phone from time to time. There was a small program simr to GPS on the phone, which marked all the security cameras along the way as well as the directions they faced.


    This mobile phone was also registered using an ID card bought on the ck market. He had several ID cards on his body. He never thought he¡¯d use the skills he had seen criminals use.


    He stole a bicycle on the road, and he could only breathe a sigh of relief when he got to the countryside. His legs were almost broken from exhaustion.


    A mountain appeared in front with a snow-white tombstone. The bandaged man threw the bicycle in the shrubs, went up the mountain, slipped into the cemetery, searched among the rows of tombstones, and finally found Han Luoxi''s name.


    There was a photo of her on it, and her happy, smiling face on the tombstone only made the mourners sadder.


    The bandaged man stroked the dent of each word on the tombstone with his fingers, then put his head on it and cried. After crying enough, he took out the wine and poured it on the tombstone as he said to the person in the photo, "Luoxi, I don¡¯t know how to live anymore."


    The answer he got was still a happy smile.


    Then he went to visit another old friend. Li Mu¡¯s tombstone was next to Han Luoxi¡¯s. The bandaged man took out three cigarettes, lit them up, and ced them in front of the tombstone. He said to the person in the photo, "Master, you don¡¯t have to worry about lung cancer now, but don¡¯t think you can be at peace. I¡¯ll use cigarettes to choke you every year¡­ as long as I''m still alive!"


    After mourning the deceased, the bandaged man used the same route he had used to get here to leave. On the way back, he saw a police car. He threw the bicycle away and jumped into the grass beside the road. The police saw a suspicious guy around so they got out of the car and searched for a while before getting back into the car.


    He walked back to the city and met a group of hooligans in an alleyway. They were bullying an uncle dressed as an office worker. The uncle knelt on the ground holding his head, trembling, and a little hooligan with blue-dyed hair pped at his face. The uncle''s face was already swollen, and the hooligan¡¯spanionsughed cheerfully.


    The bandaged man clenched his fists. He wanted to go up to teach this gang of hooligans a lesson and vent his umted anger. However, when he saw the security camera above, he hesitated before leaving silently after popping his cor up.


    Back in the attic of Kaowei''s house, hey down to sleep. He hadn¡¯t said anything the whole night.


    Goupi Alley¡¯s tranquil morning was broken by a smashing sound. A group of debt collectors found the old tailor and threw the things in his house outside one by one. The old tailor begged cowardly, "Master, master, please don''t throw away what I need for dinner!"


    The man who led the debt collectors had ugly facial features like an impressionist oil painting. He grabbed at the tailor¡¯s hair with his hand ruthlessly and grilled, "When will you pay the money back?!"


    "Please give me another two days of grace¡­" the old tailor said without any backbone.


    The "Impressionist" twisted his body with great speed, jumped up and down, posing like a crab and grit his teeth.


    His subordinates exined, "Our Brother Mo has a problem. As long as he hears the phrase "two days of grace", he¡¯ll kill people. Why don¡¯t you try it again."


    The old tailor looked like death. "I really don¡¯t have the money right now."


    "Old bastard, who are you lying to? What do you eat, drink, or wear if you don''t have money?!" The "Impressionist" pointed his finger at him and his eyes gradually grew cold. "I¡¯ll give you another chance."


    "Really¡­ really don''t have the money. Not even a cent¡­"


    "Hahahahaha!" The "Impressionist" held his face andughed. The old tailor developed goosebumps from fright.


    The residents in the alley were alerted and they had already gathered to watch. Many people had schadenfreude smiles on their faces. Ms. Zhang was holding a handful of melon seeds in her hand, watching and nibbling with relish.


    The bandaged man was also watching this scene from the attic window.


    The "Impressionist" made a gesture and his subordinates immediately jumped up, kicked and beat at the old tailor. The "Impressionist" was suddenly furious as he kicked a subordinate away. "I didn¡¯t make this gesture to make you hit him. I''m asking you to get what I had put in the trunk!"


    The subordinates looked innocent. "Generally speaking, this gesture means to hit people. I don¡¯t think I understood it incorrectly."


    "Then am I the one who¡¯s wrong then?" The "Impressionist" kicked him down again and made the gesture again.


    The subordinates hurried to fetch the item. The "Impressionist" grabbed at the old tailor¡¯s hair fiercely and said with an empty smile, "Let''s y a game."


    "Please give me another two days of grace. I really have no money." The old tailory on the ground and begged.


    The "Impressionist" got truly angry this time. He kicked the old tailor so fiercely that he tumble-rolled backwards. "Are you a robot? You only know how to say this. If you want us to pity you, who will pity us? If we don¡¯t get the money, the boss will scold us. You¡¯re so poor, so why did you borrow high-interest loans?! Huh?"


    "Take him to sell his organs. I heard that a testicle is worth 400,000 yuan and the shaft is worth 600,000 yuan. It¡¯d be good to castrate this old pervert!" Ms. Zhang suggested.


    After a while, the subordinates got the tools. There was an iron chain with the thickness of a little finger. The crowd became excited.


    When the "Impressionist" ordered the subordinates to start stripping the old tailor''s clothes, everyone was overwhelmed with excitement, and happy smiles filled their faces¡­

 Chapter 816: Recognized Wrongly

    <h4>Chapter 816: Recognized Wrongly</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The old tailor was stripped and tied to a telephone pole with an iron chain. Under the gazes of the crowd, his old face was flushed with shame. He was already speechless. He just sped his hands together as he begged, but the "Impressionist" wasn¡¯t fazed. He was fiddling with thebination lock seriously.


    The "Impressionist" said, "This is abination lock with six digits. If you have the ability, try to open it yourself, or if you pay the money, we¡¯ll open it for you¡­" Then he looked around at everyone. "No one is allowed to give him food or drinks. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be locked with this old thing, understood?"


    Everyone nodded.


    The "Impressionist" sniffed hard and took out a list of creditors from his pocket. "Who is the other cunt named XX?"


    The crowd pointed to a man. "That¡¯s him!"


    The man was so scared that he fled back to his house. The "Impressionist" sneered, "He dares to run?" Then he and his subordinates went straight to the man''s house. Passing by the residents, he said to a grinning face, "You poor people owe so many debts. I might as well simply move to this broken alley so that I don¡¯t have toe all the way to collect debts every day."


    Then, he kicked the door down to the second creditor¡¯s house and the subordinates rushed in. There were sounds of rough movement inside.


    A portion of the onlookers rushed over and continued to watch the live show.


    Ms. Zhang''s mouth was dry from deshelling the melon seeds. She began to head back home to make some chrysanthemum tea to drink. She had picked some chrysanthemums in the park in September and it was right about time to drink now that they had dried.


    The moment she turned her head, she saw a face tightly wrapped in bandages in the attic of Kaowei''s house. The person was very alert and retracted as soon as they were seen.


    Ms. Zhang was taken aback for a moment and went home suspiciously.


    Kaowei didn¡¯t get off work untilte at night. When she walked to the alley, she was shocked. She saw a naked man sitting on the ground with an iron chain around his neck, like some kind of weird performance art. He had his head lowered as if doing something.


    "Who are you?!" Kovi eximed.


    The old tailor looked up. He could hardly hold on after not eating or drinking for the day. He pointed to his chapped lips. "Water¡­"


    "Old tailor? Who tied you here? Was it a debt collector? They¡¯re too much. They should just collect debts, but they bully people every time. Are those who owe debts inferior to others?"


    Kaowei gritted her teeth, thinking that she was dragged away by a bunch of debt collectors not long ago who said that she was going to be sent to be a prostitute. Kaowei had no choice but to take out the few gold jewellery that Wang Xi had given her. No matter how poor she was, she couldn''t bear to take them out. In order to save herself, she had to take them out to pay a little interest to avoid her miserable end.


    Once a person is poor, there are many things that can''t be helped and they can only struggle day by day.


    "Water."


    A woman''s face appeared in the window beside them and she said coldly, "Brother Mo said that no one can give him food or drinks, or they¡¯ll be tied up with him. Little Wei, don''t seek trouble."


    Kaowei shook her head helplessly and walked towards her home.


    The bandaged man cooked at home again. Although he used the ingredients found in Kaowei''s house, he was also putting in work by cooking. Still, his skills were quite good. Kaowei was too embarrassed to ask for the money from the ingredients back.


    Kaowei went to the attic. The bandaged man was writing and drawing on a piece of paper. When he saw hering up, he immediately put the paper away.


    "You don''t need to cook so many dishes. We can''t eat it all¡­ Oh, right, I bought you something. I think your face seems to be injured. This oil is very good for burns." She ced the bottle of ointment in front of the bandaged man.


    The bandaged man picked it up and looked at it without saying anything.


    "You don''t have to go to work and just stay at home every day? Did you see the old tailor being bullied today? Those people are debt collectors. They¡¯re so hateful. Most of the people here are in debt. It¡¯s not that we want to owe them, but when you¡¯re in urgent need of money and can¡¯t borrow any, you can only borrow high-interest loans. In the beginning, I could only repay a little bit of the interest every month. Gradually, it became an unrepayable debt¡­ By the way, this ursury group was the one Wang Xi belonged to. They¡¯re still inquiring about the whereabouts of Wang Xi. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s still alive!"


    "Definitely not dead," said the bandaged man.


    "Really?" Kaowei was very happy.


    "If his body is found, the police will definitelye to you in order to confirm the identity of the body. If the police haven¡¯te, it proves that he isn¡¯t dead, or the body hasn¡¯t been found."


    Kaowei¡¯s joy subsided again. Sheined, "Why say such horrible things so seriously? I know he isn¡¯t dead. He must be hiding. He can''te find me right now because the people from the underworld spread news that as long as people report him, they will be rewarded with hundreds of thousands. The neighbors around me are always keeping tabs on me and want to make this money."


    The bandaged man looked out of the window, and Kaowei looked as well. From this angle, he could see the old tailor tied to the telephone pole. After ying with the lock all day, his eyes were almost blind, and his mouth was dry. He was lying next to the gutter drinking the dirty water inside.


    "People will do anything to survive." said the bandaged man.


    Kaowei frowned, "I hate hearing such high and mighty words the most. What did you do in the past? You must not have been a poor person like us! I guess you must have been rich and powerful. You offended someone to be what you are now!"


    The bandaged man looked up at her and said coldly, "I can''t tell you."


    Kaowei became even angrier. "Tch, as if I really want to know. I''m leaving. Don''te down tonight!"


    There was a knock on the door outside. Kaowei opened the door and Ms. Zhang''s smiling face poked in. Ms. Zhang nced towards the attic and asked, "Hey, who are you talking to? Is there someone upstairs? "


    "It''s a tenant."


    "Tenant?" Ms. Zhang looked suspicious, then lowered her voice and probed, "Wang Xi is back, right?"


    "No, it''s really a tenant."


    "Then can I take a look at what he looks like?"


    "They¡¯re asleep."


    "Nonsense, I heard you talking just now."


    Ms. Zhang insisted on going upstairs and Kaowei couldn¡¯t stop her. Ms. Zhang poked her head into the attic and saw someone sitting cross-legged in the dark with his face facing the wall. She said, "Hello, I live next door. What do you do? Why don''t you speak? Turn around for a bit. Why are you so shy?" As she said this, she patted the floor with her hands as if she was trying to get a cat hidden under the bed toe over to her.


    However, that "cat" didn''t give her face. Ms. Zhang tsked and went downstairs. Seeing Kaowei, her smile returned. "The young couple hasn''t seen each other for such a long time, so enjoy your reunion. I won''t bother you."


    "He isn¡¯t Wang Xi. He¡¯s really a tenant."


    "You can hide it from others, but you can¡¯t keep it from me. Don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone." Ms. Zhang raised her eyebrows.


    At this time, there was a sound of ¡®dong dong dong¡¯ing downstairs. Ms. Zhang looked back in surprise and saw the bandaged man walking down. He said coldly, "You¡¯re testing my identity so that you can get a reward from the underworld."


    "Why do you think people are so bad? I¡¯m a neighbor. It''s normal for me toe over for a chat."


    "I¡¯ll tell you clearly. I¡¯m not Wang Xi. If you want to expose me, go ahead. I¡¯m not afraid even if the triadse, but if theye, you should be afraid of me. If I teach you a lesson, would you dare to call the police?"


    Ms. Zhang''s face both paled and flushed. She said to Kaowei, "I''m still boiling water on the stove, so I should hurry back."


    When she walked out of Kaowei''s house, she snorted towards the door. It was unpleasant to be threatened by someone who pointed right at her nose. She said to herself, "Hmph, you want to scare me? This guy must be Wang Xi!"

 Chapter 817: Ms. Zhangs Death

    <h4>Chapter 817: Ms. Zhang''s Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Why did you scare her?" Kaoweiined after Ms. Zhang left.


    "She¡¯s a viin." The bandaged man said coldly.


    "Don''t talk about Ms. Zhang like that!"


    Kaowei took out a lunch box from the cab and filled it with the leftovers on the table. The bandaged man had already guessed what she was going to do.


    Sure enough, Kaowei took advantage of the night to deliver some food and water to the old tailor. The old tailor was so moved that he cried. Kaowei hurriedly silenced him and motioned for him to stop talking.


    When the old tailor finished eating and drinking, Kaowei took the utensils and went home. The man in bandages sat on the stairs and smoked gloomily. Kaowei thought he was going to make some detachedments again. "I just can''t stand it!"


    "You¡¯re very kind," said the bandaged man. "Even though you know you can¡¯t afford the price of doing this good deed, you¡¯re still willing to lend a helping hand. I admire your courage."


    Kaowei raised her eyebrows. "Are you mocking me?"


    "True feelings." The bandaged man threw his cigarette butt down and returned to the attic.


    "Don''t throw cigarette butts randomly!" Kaowei stomped on the ground andined, but her heart was warm.


    For a few moments, Kaowei thought, he couldn''t be Wang Xi, right?


    But it was soon confirmed that he wasn¡¯t. She wouldn¡¯t recognize wrong since it was a man who she had lived with. The bandaged man was just a pitiful stranger.


    Later that night, someone called the loan sharkpany and left a voice message. "Hey, is your reward still valid? I know where Wang Xi is, but you have to pay me before I talk. My address is¡­"


    The next morning, the "Impressionist" came to Goupi Alley, pinching a fried dough stick daintily and chewing arrogantly. The subordinates behind him were ying "Who Let the Dogs Out" on their phones and the "Impressionist" shook his head to the beat of the music.


    He stopped abruptly and said, "Change to another one. Something more upbeat."


    Hence, the subordinates changed it to "Good Luck" and the "Impressionist" shook his head to the beat again as he moved on.


    I¡¯m really happy today. I got to the office in the morning and heard from Big Brother that someone had seen Wang Xi. That Judas who had betrayed his twelve elder brothers. The whole gang looked for him like crazy back then.


    The reward was all trivial. The main point was to make a great contribution and avenge the betrayed elder brothers. That way, Master Lie would remember him and wealth wouldn¡¯t be out of reach.


    And there was no risk at all in gaining such merit.


    When they arrived at the witness¡¯ house, the "Impressionist" was surprised to find that it was actually next door to the old tailor from yesterday. Speaking of which, the old tailor was still tied to the alley like a dead dog. However, he hadn¡¯t died, because he still snorted when he got his subordinates to pee on his face.


    He knew he wouldn¡¯t die. People could endure more than you would think. This is the precious experience that the "Impressionist" gained when he tortured creditors all year round.


    When the eldest brother asked him to collect debts, the "Impressionist" found it very boring and said that he didn''t want to do it. The eldest brother said that debt collection was a good job where you could beat people with reason and they couldn¡¯t call the police. When the "Impressionist" heard this, he felt sincere joy.


    The "Impressionist" made a gesture. The subordinates stepped forward and kicked the door open. The door bounced against the wall with a bang.


    The "Impressionist" red. "What I mean by making this gesture is to tell you to turn off the music!"


    "Generally speaking, the meaning of this gesture is to kick the door open¡­" The subordinate looked innocent.


    "You motherfucker, are you trying to say I was wrong?!" The "Impressionist" raised his hand to hit him. "If you break their door by kicking it in, you¡¯ll pay for itter."


    "No, the door is already open."


    The "Impressionist" took a look. The door lock really wasn¡¯t broken. The room was dark and there was a smell of an old aunty inside. The "Impressionist" went in and shouted, "Is anyone home?"


    No one answered.


    This house wasn¡¯t big. When the subordinates walked into the bedroom and screamed, the "Impressionist" stepped forward and pped their heads. "What are you fucking screaming for?!"


    "Big Brother, dead¡­ dead person!"


    The "Impressionist" saw an aunt lying on the ground, posing in a dying struggling gesture. It looked very painful. The faint smell of blood came from her.


    The "Impressionist" stepped forward and shook the aunt, turned her over, and saw that the aunt had her eyes rolled back and there was pink foam at the corner of her mouth. It was a mixture of blood and saliva. He suddenly shouted, "Fuck, I shouldn''t have touched her!"


    With the fingerprints and footprints, he left behind, the police would definitely find trouble with him. It was also impossible to report it to the police. How could people from the underworld report something to the police?


    Even if they don''t call the police, it doesn''t mean that others won''t call the police. Even if the aunt lived alone, the neighbors would call the police when the body started stinking after two days.


    The "Impressionist" held a cigarette in his mouth and the ashes casually fell on the corpse. He said, "This is murder to prevent her from speaking. It must be done by Wang Xi."


    "Big Brother, I think Wang Xi is hiding near here."


    "What bad, bloody misfortune. He kills someone and wants us to wipe his ass for him? When I find him¡­" The "Impressionist" showed a fierce look. "Haii, get rid of the body first. Don¡¯t let anyone see."


    The subordinates got busy wrapping the corpse in bedsheets and wiping the ground with a rag. One of them went and drove the car to the door.


    There was almost no one in Goupi Alley during the early morning, but Kaowei happened to go out to buy groceries. When she saw the underworld¡¯s car parked nearby, she was shocked and shrank in a doorway.


    At this time, two subordinates lifted up a long item wrapped in sheets and threw it into the car. The sheets weren¡¯t tightly wrapped and a pale hand was exposed. Kaowei took a breath of fright, then covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from making any noise.


    The underworld subordinates were too focused on handling the corpse and didn¡¯t notice her presence. They snuck into the car and drove away.


    Kaowei hurriedly went back to her house. Her back pressed against the door as she kept gasping for air. It was Ms. Zhang who was killed, but why did the underworld kill her? She neither owed a huge debt nor offended the underworld, so why?


    Wait, Ms. Zhang threatened to expose the bandaged manst night.


    She went to the attic and was surprised to see that the bandaged man wasn¡¯t there!


    She was almostte for work, so Kaowei had to leave. She was absent-minded all day. She made a lot of mistakes at work, and finally went home at night after lots of struggle. With the lights on in the house, she nced at Ms. Zhang¡¯s door. Thinking that a murder had happened next door, her heart beat like a drum.


    Opening the door with the key, the bandaged man sat at the table and drank the remaining half a bottle of wine with a cigarette in his hand as if he was the master of the house.


    Looking at his expressionless face, Kaowei was a little bit horrified. She sat down at the table, stared at the bandaged man for a long time, and asked, "You killed Ms. Zhang?"


    "I didn¡¯t."


    "I thought about it for a whole day today. The underworld came to her early in the morning. She must have called them. The underworld wouldn¡¯t kill her. Ms. Zhang was in good health, so a sudden death is also impossible. Neither early norte, she died this particr morning. There¡¯s only one possibility - you killed her!"


    The bandage man slowly raised his eyes. "I didn¡¯t."


    "It''s you! Although you aren¡¯t Wang Xi, you don''t want the underworld crime-syndicates toe here. You¡¯ve been hiding, which shows that your identity can¡¯t be known. You¡¯re afraid that she will drag those from the underworld here, so you killed herst night!"


    The bandaged man shook his head silently. "Motive doesn¡¯t equate to fact."

 Chapter 818: Late Night Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 818: Late Night Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Kaowei thought he was quibbling and asked, "Why weren¡¯t you in the attic this morning? There is only one possibility. You went out while I was sleeping!"


    The bandaged man was toozy to exin. He stood up and went to the kitchen to get stic bags and rubber gloves. He put on rubber gloves and wrapped his shoes with stic bags. Kaowei was confused at first, then suddenly thought he was going to kill her. She was so frightened that she stood up and fled to the door.


    "Stop!" The bandaged man ordered coldly. "Follow me to investigate the scene."


    "Scene? Investigate? Now?" Kaowei suspected that she had heard wrong.


    The bandaged man left no opening for her to speak and opened the door to go next door. When the thugs had left the house earlier, they locked the door. Kaowei could only see that the bandaged man took out two wires from his pocket. He put his ear on the door lock and used the wires to prod the lock inside. With a click, he had pried the door open.


    This was definitely not a skill that ordinary people would know about, so Kaowei grew even more suspicious of him. He said to investigate the scene or something, but maybe he just wanted to lead her there to kill her!


    So, she stood at the door and did not dare to step inside. The bandaged man stood in the door and turned his head. His eyes shone like torches and ordered, "Come in!"


    Kaowei shook her head desperately.


    "Do you know who I am?"


    Kaowei shook her head again.


    "Does Ms. Zhang know who I am?"


    Kaowei thought about it and shook her head again.


    "The people here don¡¯t know who I am. If I¡¯m afraid of those from the underworlding here to seek trouble with me, I can run or hide. Killing will only make things more troublesome. A dead body will attract the police and the traces left at the scene will expose my identity. At that time, is it really safe for me to hide behind a wall at the time? So, in terms of criminal interests, I don¡¯t have to kill her at all¡­ Do you think I killed someone because of your confidence in your evidence and reasoning, or do you simply think that I am scary?"


    Kaowei was speechless upon hearing this. She asked timidly, "Who exactly are you?"


    "¡­"


    "I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re a fugitive in all likelihood!"


    The bandaged man nced at the wanted notice on the telephone pole outside and replied, "I¡¯m not."


    Kaowei walked into this dark room with apprehension. The bandaged man turned on a shlight and pushed open the bedroom door. When she thought that someone had died here, Kaowei was terrified. She felt as though she had a pair of eyes staring at her from behind. It may be the ghost of Ms. Zhang.


    She wasn¡¯t superstitious, but after staying in such a ce, she unconsciously associated it. The fantasy of ghosts stems from the deep-rooted fear of death in human beings.


    On the other hand, the bandaged man wasn¡¯t scared at all. He knelt on the ground to check the marks. He nced at the bed and sniffed the towel on the pillow. He dered, "The deceased rolled off the bed¡­" He picked up the pillow. "It wasn¡¯t suffocation. There was almost no blood at the scene. It was an efficient and fast way to murder someone!"


    He suddenly stood up and ran to the kitchen. Kaowei called out "wait for me" and hurriedly followed him. He picked up the unwashed cups and bowls and sniffed them one by one. At this time, his eyes fell on the windowsill. He said, "Male. Height of 185. A strong build."


    "How can you tell?!" Kaowei was surprised.


    He pointed to a footprint on the window sill. The window was open, but there was a road outside and there was a certain distance between them. It wasn¡¯t an easy climb.


    "You can tell all that just from a footprint?" Kaowei couldn''t believe it. "Who on earth are you and why do you know about this kind of stuff?"


    "Go and take some pictures outside the window to see if there are any tire tracks or footprints." The bandaged man said.


    Although Kaowei was unwilling to be ordered around by him, she still went out. She didn''t want to stay in this house where someone had died.


    After taking a few photos with her mobile phone, she returned for the bandaged man to take a look at them. When he looked at these, it was as though his eyes lit up and he looked very serious. Kaowei had a thought sh through her mind: This person isn¡¯t a police officer, is he?


    The bandaged man shook his head silently, and Kaowei asked, "What''s the matter? Were the photos I took bad?"


    "Let''s find the dead body," he suddenly announced.


    "What?"


    "How can I restore the case without seeing the corpse?"


    "No¡­ there¡¯s no need, right? I believe you didn''t kill her, so isn''t that okay? I still have to go to work tomorrow. Besides, let the police handle this kind of thing!


    "How long do you think it will be for the police to find her body? Even if her identity can be determined at that time, will the scene still be preserved? Can witnesses still be found?"


    "I¡­ I just don''t think there¡¯s any need to investigate. What happens when you¡¯ve solved everything? Can you catch the murderer?"


    The bandaged man stared at her sharply. "If we check, we must check thoroughly."


    Kaowei sighed and had to give in. "The car that was used to transport the body belongs to the loan sharks, but I don''t know where they put the body."


    "Let¡¯s find the car!"


    "Does it have to be at night?"


    "Can I go out during the day?"


    Thus, Kaowei went back and changed into clothes for going out. The bandaged man raised the cor of his windbreaker up. The alley was dark. Curled up like a dog was the old man who was tied there. His sparse hair looked like dry grass that was being blown by the night wind. When passing by him, Kaowei quietly put a piece of bread and a bottle of water beside him.


    The loan shark office was two streets away. The bandaged man walked in front of her in big strides, and Kaowei followed him saying, "In fact, there were other people missing here previously. There was a girl who was thin and had a pale face. She looked malnourished and always smiled when she saw me. One night, three men entered her house and she disappeared the next day."


    "Did the policee?"


    "They did. They said that this girl was a drug addict and stole some money from someone. Nothing else besides this was investigated¡­ Here, if someone disappears, then they¡¯ve disappeared. Not long after, someone else will move in. It¡¯s said that there¡¯s no expensive or cheap lives, but people like us are definitely cheaper than the lives of the rich. Even if we die and disappear, the police will just go through the motions. The big sensational cases in the newspapers are all about the rich."


    "Prejudice!" the bandaged man said simply.


    Kaowei giggled, "Do you always have to talk so concisely? It¡¯s always been like this."


    "The throat." The bandaged male finger pointed to his bandaged throat.


    "Oh! Then why do you still smoke so many cigarettes? I think you smoke too much. At the rate you¡¯re going, you will get lung cancer before you turn fifty."


    "What does it matter?"


    At this time, the loan shark office was already closed, and the car was parked at the door. Kaowei was about to walk forward when the bandaged man pulled her by her wrist, then dragged her behind a telephone pole. Kaowei thought he was going to do something to her, so her heart pounded with fright. The bandaged man just gestured for her to stay there and not move.


    She saw him sneaking up to the front of the car, bending at this hip, and using a wire to pry open the car door. When picking the lock, the rm was triggered and Kaowei was terrified. The bandaged man got into the car and fiddled with it for a while before the rm stopped.


    The surrounding residents wouldn¡¯t find a car rm sounding for a short while suspicious. This is because anyone who brushes past the car would set it off. They had long grown ustomed to it.


    What was he checking inside the car? It seemed to be the car¡¯s GPS or the like. About ten minutester, the bandaged man got out of the car and made a "follow me" gesture. Kaowei obediently followed behind. It felt strange that she was actually doing this kind of thing!

 Chapter 819: Lazy Old Days

    <h4>Chapter 819: Lazy Old Days</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The bandaged man walked in fast strides and Kaowei had to jog to catch up with him. After walking for over half an hour, she was so tired that she almost couldn¡¯t handle it. "Why don¡¯t we take a car?"


    The bandaged man only nced at her and continued to walk forward without saying a word. Kaowei could only sigh and follow closely.


    Finally, they arrived at a construction site where work had stopped. Kaowei was so tired that she almost wanted to plop on the ground, but the bandaged man was still full of energy. He picked up a shovel and dug on the ground constantly, picking up something from time to time and holding it up in his hand to have a look. He looked very serious.


    "Come here!" he whispered.


    Kaowei ran over and saw Ms. Zhang''s body exposed under the excavated soilyer. She screamed and hid behind the bandaged man. She hadn¡¯t expected to actually find it.


    "There''s nothing to fear. She¡¯s been dead for over twelve hours." The bandaged man said calmly.


    "Dead¡­ Dead people are the ones that are scary! You¡­ what do you want to do now that you¡¯ve found the corpse?"


    "Check the corpse. Help me carry her out."


    "No, no, I don''t want to!"


    The bandaged man turned around and stared at Kaowei without saying a word. His gaze gave people a sense of oppression. Kaowei finally gave in and asked, "What if I leave my fingerprints?"


    The bandaged man took out a pair of stic gloves from his body. Kaowei took it with a sigh and put them on.


    The process of moving the corpse was really terrifying. Watching the familiar Ms. Zhang being handled by them, Kaowei had a weird feeling like she was in a dream. She felt that Ms. Zhang would open her eyes at any moment. This imagination coupled with the darkness in the boundless night made her sense of terror increase infinitely.


    "Don''t think about nonsensical things. A corpse is no different from an item." The bandaged man said calmly.


    "How can there be no difference¡­ Why are you so calm? Have you seen dead people before?"


    "I definitely have¡­" The bandaged man replied vaguely. He brushed open Ms. Zhang¡¯s eyelids, only to see that her eyes were bloodshot and her pupils were dted. Then, he checked the deceased¡¯s mouth again, shining the shlight inside. He looked very serious while doing so. He suddenly said, "Old Peng¡­"


    "Who¡¯s Old Peng?"


    The slightly excited eyes of the bandaged man dimmed. He answered, "It''s nothing, don''t worry about it¡­ The deceased was poisoned."


    "Can you tell all that just by looking at her?"


    "Give me your phone."


    The bandaged man took the phone and took pictures of the corpse. He said, "There¡¯s a needle hole behind the neck. Her eyes are bloodshot and her nails are a greenish purple color. These are obvious signs of poisoning. The deceased has spewed foam like a crab. This shows that the poison is in the lungs. It¡¯s a certain biological toxin, perhaps hyoscyamine or snake venom. I don¡¯t know the specifics. This requires special identification."


    Kaowei was so surprised that she couldn''t close her mouth. "You can tell that just by looking at her?¡­ Hey, what are you doing?!"


    The bandaged man actually started to take off Ms. Zhang¡¯s clothes and casually inspected the details of her body. Kaowei¡¯s cheek twitched. The bandaged man stood up and said nonchntly, "There¡¯s no signs of struggle and no sexual assault. She was killed with the injected drugs in a state where she didn¡¯t resist at all. The murderer had a clear purpose and didn¡¯t mix personal feelings into it. It¡¯s possible that they did this for money."


    "Isn''t this obvious?" Kaowei yelled. "Ms. Zhang is so old. Who would sexually assault her? You had to part her clothes and take a look just to find out. You¡¯re really disgusting!"


    "You can¡¯t just use your thinking to obtain this information. You have to see it for it to be the truth. You said that women of this age won¡¯t be sexually assaulted. I used to¡­"


    "Used to what?"


    The bandaged man hesitated to speak. "It¡¯s nothing."


    Kaowei became increasingly suspicious of his identity.


    The bandaged man walked around the corpse and analyzed, "Someone snuck into Ms. Zhang''s housest night and meticulously killed her. Her death must have a lot to do with her wanting to expose me."


    "Not necessarily. Ms. Zhang didn''t say that she wanted to expose you. Maybe she was killed for another reason."


    "Why should we ignore the greatest possibility in front of us and discuss the uncertain ''other reasons''? Last night, she came over for a visit. She so obviously came to probe for information. Couldn¡¯t you tell? She most likely gave a call to the people of the underworld after returning home¡­ By the way, if she wanted to call someone, where would she call?"


    "It must be the loan shark office."


    "Who¡¯s in charge of the office?"


    "A young boss surnamed Liu. I¡¯m not very clear on the details."


    The bandaged man paced up and down and muttered as the gears in his head turned, "Someone wanted to expose Wang Xi, but the other party killed the whistle-blower. Why? If there are secrets that can¡¯t be exposed, wouldn¡¯t it be better to directly kill Wang Xi¡­?"


    "Do we have to discuss this here?" Kaowei asked, taking a look at the corpse on the ground. Ms. Zhang, who had just been examined, was still in a disheveled state and her eyes were still half open, which was very terrifying.


    The bandaged man''s thoughts returned to reality. "Let¡¯s bury her first."


    "Bury?"


    "Otherwise, would we throw it out for the police to find it?"


    Thus, the two put the body back to the pit and buried it again. The bandaged man carefully cleaned up the footprints left by them with a shovel, and then threw the shovel far away. After doing all of these things, he calmly said, "Let''s go eat something!"


    "What?! You still have an appetite?"


    "I know that there¡¯s a Hong Kong-style restaurant nearby that is open all night. The shrimp dumplings and siu mai are very good."


    "I still have to go to work tomorrow. If I¡¯m absent for one day, I¡¯d have worked three days for nothing."


    "It''s okay, we can rush back at around 2:00 in the morning. You don''t need to use your brain at work anyway, so it''s okay to sleep a bit less."


    "Hehe, you¡¯re right!"


    Kaowei heard his joking tone. This was a good change. It indicated that he was stepping out of the shadows of his heart and started to face reality again.


    Although she didn''t know who he was or where he was from, Kaowei hoped that he¡¯d be in a better mood, purely for the air at home to be fresher. This guy smoked like crazy when he was depressed.


    When they got near the Hong Kong-style restaurant, the bandaged man took out a few banknotes from his pocket. He gave it to Kaowei and told her to go in and order before taking it here to eat. He didn''t want to show his face in front of outsiders.


    Twenty minutester, Kaowei came back with a take-out bag. The bandaged man was sitting under the rolling gate of a store smoking. Kaoweiined, "Smoking again? I was just about to praise you for not smoking over thest few hours."


    The bandaged man threw the cigarette away, took the bag, and said nonchntly, "Sit down!"


    The dim sum from this restaurant was really delicious. It reminded Kaowei of her days with Wang Xi. They¡¯d y after they were full and eat after they¡¯d yed enough every day. The two of them passed the time together as though they had unlimited time. Every second was sweet and warm, rxed and happy.


    Two people who loved each other being together were like carefree children. She believed that this was the true appearance of love. Love was joy and sincerity.


    Thinking of Wang Xi, she felt heartbroken. The bandaged man''s words pulled her back to reality. "The person who killed Ms. Zhang is someone from the underworld gang!"

 Chapter 820: Extracting A Confession

    <h4>Chapter 820: Extracting A Confession</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Kaowei said in surprise, "How can you be sure?"


    "This is just reasoning." The bandaged man said calmly, "Last night, Ms. Zhang called the office. Who answered the call is unknown, but we can reason like this: The murderer must have been among those who obtained the information. They killed Ms. Zhang to keep her from talking. From the result of this behavior, they were preventing Wang Xi from being found by the underworld. What would happen if Wang Xi was found? After betraying his twelve eldest brothers, he would definitely be dealt with severely. The truth is that he probably won¡¯t be able toe out after going in. The murderer doesn¡¯t want Wang Xi to be caught, indicating that Wang Xi has something they can use against them, and Wang Xi getting caught would affect them. The status of the murderer may be fairly high because the higher the status, the easier it is to get information. Another thing is that a high-status person may have things that could be used against them."


    Kaowei thought about what he said. "If the murderer is really high in status, they could have just told that group not toe in the morning."


    "It¡¯s probably not that simple. The underworld is a group structured by authority and the morals of the underworld. Why has the reward for Wang Xi existed the whole time? The eldest brother who was betrayed by him is now either in jail or has been shot in execution. The main body of revenge no longer exists. This reward is actually to redeem the dignity of the gang, to show everyone that traitors won¡¯t end well. That¡¯s why the murderer can¡¯t call off the action, even if the murderer had a fairly high status... By the way, when did Wang Xi disappear?"


    "Six years ago."


    "Six years ago?"


    "Yeah, even I find it unbelievable. After he disappeared, I lived like this day by day, year after year. When I look back, it had already been six years, but it is as though it happened yesterday." Kaowei let out a pained sigh.


    "Were there any suspicious points before or after his disappearance? Or perhaps he said implicit words to you? Please try to remember."


    Kaowei lowered her head and didn¡¯t say anything. She thought for a long time before saying, "On the day of his disappearance, I asked the hospital security to let me take a look at the security footage. As a result, I saw two people d in ck walk into the ward the day before the disappearance. However, they didn¡¯t take Wang Xi away because after they left, the surveince footage captured Wang Xi slipping down the stairs to smoke."


    "Are you sure it was him just from the security footage? Plus, he had severe burns. He should..." The bandaged man pointed to himself, "be wrapped up the same as I am now?"


    "I''m pretty sure it¡¯s him. I know all of his little movements. I heard a person coughing in the street the year beforest. The sound was exactly the same as his coughing. I immediately chased after him, looking in the crowd like a crazy person, but I couldn¡¯t find him in the end. I cried for a long time under a closed bookstore."


    Soon after Wang Xi''s disappearance, Kaowei couldn''t sleep at night and held his clothes to sleep. Thinking of these things, tears welled up in her eyes again.


    The bandaged man stretched out a hand and patted her shoulder lightly. "I understand this mood. The feeling of losing an important person is like a piece of the heart has been taken away."


    Kaowei nodded while desperately holding back her tears. These words resonated with the feelings in her heart.


    Returning to the case, the bandaged man continued to ask, "How long did the two men in ck stay in his ward?"


    "About three or four hours."


    "Late at night?"


    "Yes, when it¡¯s veryte, visitors aren¡¯t allowed in. I don''t know how they snuck in."


    "Are there other points?"


    "I received a call from him on the third day he disappeared. I was going crazy at the time. I kept asking where he was. The other side didn¡¯t say a word then hung up on me. I dialed this number again but couldn¡¯t get through."


    The bandaged man pondered with his eyes cast on the distant road, where several wild dogs were fighting for a bone.


    He said, "I think that Wang Xi''s disappearance isn¡¯t simply due to him being targeted. He made a deal with someone."


    "Is it the murderer who killed Ms. Zhang?"


    "Perhaps. This may involve the internal struggles within the underworld¡¯s organized crime-syndicates. It¡¯s impossible for us to know the specific details. Did Wang Xi leave behind any mementos?"[1]


    "What mementos?! He isn¡¯t dead yet!" Kaowei snapped.


    "Okay, I apologize, I meant to ask if anything was left behind."


    "Sorry, I overreacted. He didn''t leave anything behind except a few pieces of jewellery, but those pieces of jewellery have already been pawned by me. I originally nned to save them for a lifetime."


    "Can they be redeemed?"


    "I don¡¯t have the money."


    "This isn¡¯t a problem. I¡¯ll pay for them."


    Kaowei shook her head. "There won¡¯t be any clues in them. It¡¯s ordinary gold jewellery. I¡¯m a tacky person and I like gold jewellery. He¡¯d give it to me every year on my birthday."


    The bandaged man took out a card. "Withdraw money from here. Take all of it out. This is myst bit of savings."


    Kaowei hesitated to take it. "What would you do if you ran out of money?"


    "I¡¯ll earn it again. I want to find an ordinary job and live simply. I¡¯ll stay away from... far away from my previous life."


    "What the hell do people live for?"


    The bandaged man seemed to be smiling. "In order to find the answer to this question... Let''s go home!"


    After saying so much, Kaowei felt much more rxed. On the way back, the night breeze was very refreshing.


    When they walked near Goupi Alley, the bandaged man saw a van parked at the entrance. He suddenly hid behind the telephone pole. "We won''t go together. You go home first."


    "How about you?"


    "I¡¯ll be backter."


    "Be careful."


    Passing by the van, Kaowei took a look inside. The car was empty.


    When she got home, she had just boiled the water to take a bath when suddenly, someone knocked on the door heavily. Based on the sound, she knew that it wasn¡¯t the bandaged man.


    She opened the door timidly and saw the "Impressionist" standing in the doorway with a gloomy expression on his body. A few subordinates were behind him, and the "Impressionist" walked in arrogantly, sitting at the table while smoking a cigarette. He said, "I''m so stupid. I actually forgot that you used to be Wang Xi''s girl. Someone called and said that he was in this alley. Except for your ce, I couldn''t think of where he would hide. Search!"


    The subordinates went upstairs, then came down to report, "No one lives there."


    The "Impressionist" sneered and nced at Kaowei. "Where have you been when it¡¯s sote?"


    "I was on the night shift."


    The "Impressionist" threw a cup that was on the table to the ground and mmed on the table. "Be honest!"


    That was Kaowei¡¯s favorite cup. Kaowei was also angry. She roared, "If you¡¯re going to ask questions, then just ask questions. Do you have to scare people? I haven''t seen Wang Xi, and I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about!"


    "You¡¯re lying! Otherwise, why are you shaking?!" The "Impressionist" roared.


    "You mmed on the table and threw things. Can I not be afraid? I tremble when I¡¯m afraid." Kaowei retorted.


    The "Impressionist"ughed, then suddenly stood up and pped Kaowei to the ground. Kaowei covered her face. The smell of blood permeated her mouth and her cheeks swelled up like steamed buns.


    She could also choose to tell them the truth, but that was useless. They would insist that the bandaged man was Wang Xi.


    What these people wanted wasn¡¯t the truth. They just wanted the ¡®truth¡¯ they believed in.


    1. In Chinese, there¡¯s a word specifically for mementos and belongings people leave behind from dying. Whereas, in English, mementos can be from events and such as well before someone passes on.

 Chapter 821: A Life Of Regret

    <h4>Chapter 821: A Life Of Regret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    The "Impressionist" walked around the house in annoyance. He went to the kitchen, unscrewed the light bulb, and handed it to a subordinate. Then, he gestured with his eyes and said, "Stuff it inside of her and see whether she¡¯ll talk."


    The subordinate let out a pervertedugh. The group held her down and prepared to strip her clothes.


    One of the subordinates suddenly screamed. They saw Kaowei biting his face ruthlessly.


    "Hurry and let go, you stinking bitch!"


    No matter how the group kicked her or ripped her hair off lock by lock, she didn''t let go of his face. Her heart was beating wildly and she didn''t feel the pain at all. Strong anger drove her to bravely revolt.


    Finally, the subordinate was "saved." On his face, a whole piece of flesh was almost bitten off, leaving only a small piece of skin attached. Blood was flowing out like a tap. It looked extraordinarily horrifying.


    "Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!" The other subordinate kicked Kaowei''s stomach wildly, then dragged her up by her hair and smashed her head onto the edge of the table. The impact bounced Kaowei back and she copsed on the wall. Blood hung from her forehead like a big red cloth.


    The "Impressionist" watched this subordinate¡¯s solo-y and got very upset as he kicked him down. He shouted, "Did I let you do it?"


    "Boss, I''m sorry."


    The "Impressionist" looked at Kaowei. Her hair was disheveled and her face was full of blood, causing her eyes to look very gloomy. He grinned and praised, "Good woman. You have more backbone than Wang Xi."


    He searched the house for some time and foundoganma[1], green onions, milk bottles, and steel wire balls amongst other things. He ced them in a row on the table and educated his subordinates. "You must be innovative when torturing a woman. What''s the point of beating them to a pulp? Torturing a chaste woman until she¡¯s a crying, begging cheap bitch is the way to go. Go and strip her clothes..."


    Kaowei sneered contemptuously. She suddenly saw the bandaged man''s face outside the window. His eyes were full of anger. She pleaded in her heart. Don''te in, don''te in. These unreasonable people will treat him as Wang Xi and things will be troublesome.


    The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. The "Impressionist" was like a mouse who heard a cat meowing. He shook with fright and instructed, "Retreat!"


    The gang of people swarmed out. As they left, the "Impressionist" left a threatening sentence. "I¡¯ll finish you up another day."


    "Go back and y with your mum you disgusting guy!" Kaowei cursed.


    When they got outside, the "Impressionist" discovered that it was only a police car passing by. It was a false rm. Over the past two days, they heard that a police officer had killed people and was atrge. The police have been looking for him. A subordinate asked, "Should we go back and teach that bitch a lesson?"


    "Forget it. Forget it." With the police active nearby, the "Impressionist" felt ufortable and waved his hands. "Let her live in fear for a day or two!"


    He saw the old tailor tied to the alley and kicked the old tailor. The old tailor woke up from his slumber. Thinking that the "Impressionist" wanted to entertain himself again, he kept begging for mercy. The "Impressionist" asked, "Do you want to go home?"


    The old tailor nodded desperately.


    The "Impressionist" pointed to the door of Kaowei''s house, "Keep an eye on that woman for me. If you see her with a man, call me immediately." He asked his subordinates for a mobile phone and handed it to the old tailor.


    The old tailor was naked, so the phone could only be held in his hand. The "Impressionist" wasn¡¯t assured. "Why don''t you even have a pocket on your body? Don''t lose it. Put the phone in your butt!"


    "What?"


    "Faster."


    Under the supervision of the group of people, the old tailorpleted this feat with difficulty. The "Impressionist" who didn¡¯t get to satisfy his thirst for torture earlier felt like he had beenpensated for it a little bit. He left in content.


    The bandaged man walked into the room, helped the injured Kaowei up from the ground, and asked if there were any medical supplies at home. Kaowei pointed to a cab.


    The bandaged man took out gauze, Yunnan Baiyao,[2] and iodophor. He put them in front of Kaowei. "I won''t wipe it for you. That would seem too intimate."


    Kaowei smiled. "Even if you¡¯re a little gentle with me right now, I won''t think twice about it."


    She handled the wound herself as the bandaged man said, "I''m sorry."


    "Why are you saying ¡®I''m sorry¡¯? I didn¡¯t bear this beating for you, but for Wang Xi. When Wang Xi disappeared, thugs often harassed me. They were the ones who made me quit my job at the time... Actually, I¡¯m used to it."


    "It hasn¡¯t been easy for you."


    "You don''t have to sympathize with me. I hate being pitied. I love him and I¡¯m willing to bear this." There was firm perseverance within Kaowei''s tearful eyes. She nced at the clock and said, "It''s time to rest. I still have to go to work tomorrow."


    "Resign from your bad job."


    "Resign? Then who¡¯ll feed me?"


    "What major did you study in the past?"


    "I didn¡¯t study any major. I dropped out of high school. I fooled around with Wang Xi all day. I didn''t think about working until I was twenty. I tried thinking of different means to get money every day. I often regret what I did when I was younger. You must have studied in college before. That¡¯s why you asked me like that. You can¡¯t imagine how bad life is for people like us! Living life like this in Goupi Alley, the one most responsible for it is myself!"


    "Actually, you¡¯re still young. If you don''t change now, you will regret it even more ten yearster." The bandaged man suggested sincerely.


    This sentence made Kaowei angry. "Don''t tell me this! Haven¡¯t I heard enough philosophical stuff already? I know howzy I am. I can''t change it at all. People high above like you shouldn¡¯t judge me because you don¡¯t understand anything!"


    Suddenly, the air was filled with tension. The bandaged man didn''t want to argue with her, so he said goodnight and went upstairs by himself.


    Kaowei didn''t sleep until veryte. The bandaged man saw her drinking and crying from a gap in the attic.


    It may be a bitcking in virtue to say this, but the bandaged man did receive somefort from Kaowei. It wasn¡¯t just his life that was a mess. Most people hide a messy life under their smiles.


    When she got up the next morning, Kaowei fried up an egg that looked iparably ugly and made a bowl of pumpkin porridge. She also left a note: "I shouldn''t have been angry with youst night, I''m sorry! Stop smoking, please!"


    Leaving so early, perhaps she didn''t sleep at all, the bandage man thought while lighting up his first cigarette of the morning.


    In the early morning, a little girl walked in and asked the old tailor who was tied to the ground, "Old man, do you know if there¡¯s a tailor shop here?"


    "Yes, I¡¯m the tailor."


    "Really? Is it true you give out dresses?"


    "It''s true, but I can''t do it right now."


    "What do you mean you can¡¯t do it? You mean making a dress or that..."


    "I can''t do either of them."


    "Then when can you do it?"


    "Look at me like this right now..."


    "Tch, how annoying, I even purposefully woke up early for this. What a waste of time!" The little girl left in a huff.


    Kaowei came backte at night. She put down her handbag and took out a few boxes. "Hey, this is the jewellery recovered from the pawnshop. I¡¯ll pay the money back."


    "There¡¯s no need to pay it back."


    "It needs to be repaid! It needs to be!"


    The bandaged man opened the jewellery boxes. These were all very ordinary jewellery. He fiddled with them. Kaowei sat beside him while holding her cheek and asked, "You''re not angry with me, are you?"


    "I¡¯m good at self-mediation."


    "Haha, it seems that you¡¯re still angry. I¡¯m a bastard. I always hurt the people around me and I always speak without thinking."


    "Although you have a bad personality, you have a positive point!"


    "What¡¯s that?"


    "You¡¯re born pretty."


    Kaowei smiled happily. The bandaged man suddenly discovered that one of the pendants could be opened, and a small memory card fell out of it...


    1. Chill oil brand that¡¯s very popr.


    2. Household Chinese herbal supplement. The product description says it¡¯s used to stop bleeding and promotes healing of wounds and internal injuries.

 Chapter 822: Wang Xi’s Identity

    <h4>Chapter 822: Wang Xi''s Identity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    Kaowei picked up the memory card with a surprised look. "I didn''t know that this was hidden in it."


    "Let me borrow your phone."


    The bandaged man inserted the memory card into the phone, but it showed that it couldn¡¯t be yed. Either the format was wrong or the data had been corrupted. Kaowei was extremely disappointed. "This is all he left for me, but I can''t see what it is!"


    "Can you get aputer?"


    "Go to the Inte cafe?"


    "How can I go to the Inte cafe looking like this?"


    "Then where do I get aputer? I don''t have the money to buy one."


    The bandage man thought for a moment. "There¡¯s an office building across the road. What is it for?"


    "A designpany, I think."


    "Let¡¯s go there!"


    While leaving Goupi Alley in the dark, the old tailor who was curled up on the ground was awakened by some movement. When he looked up, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Kaowei was walking with a man in a trench coat. Thus, he took out the phone "on his body" and dialed a number.


    When the two went into the office building, the bandaged man carefully avoided the security cameras in the corridor along the way. He lowered his head and covered his face as he walked under the ones that couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    In the middle of the night, there was no one in thepany. The bandaged man pried the lock on the ss door open skillfully. Watching him do this, Kaowei thought to herself that this man must not have been a good person previously.


    There were manyputers here. The bandaged man put the memory card into the card reader, inserted it into theputer, and then turned it on to try and recover the damaged data. He concentrated on his work and suddenly found that Kaowei was missing.


    Looking back, he smiled. Kaowei was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the dancing lights of ten thousand households outside. She was amusing herself.


    Pressing Enter, a progress bar began to load. The bandaged man leaned on the chair to light a cigarette. Kaowei said, "I really like it here. It''s big, spacious, and very quiet. It would be great if I could live in such a house. Looking at the lights of thousands of houses every night, even if I experienced a hard day, it would be worth it."


    The bandaged man walked to the window, stood side by side with her, looked down below, and said, "Humans evolved from monkeys. That kind of memory is still stored in our genes. As long as you stand on a high ce with a wide view, you¡¯ll feel a great sense of satisfaction."


    Kaoweiughed, "How insensitive you are saying such levelheaded things. I guess you must be a bachelor."


    "I..."


    The bandaged man was poked in his sore spot. He walked back to his seat silently and said, "Okay."


    Kaowei was keenly aware of the changes in his emotions, but didn¡¯t know how tofort him. The video was ready to be yed. After clicking on it, Wang Xi''s face appeared on it. It was what he looked like after he had been burned. He had ayer of bandages wrapped around him. The background was a hospital ward.


    "Little Wei, when you watch this video, I¡¯m probably no longer by your side."


    Hearing this voice she hadn¡¯t heard in so long, tears came out from her eyes. Kaowei covered her mouth with her hand.


    "Listen to me carefully. Go to the bank to check the bnce of the card you used to have when you worked in the billiard hall. This money is for you. Don¡¯t worry, this money is absolutely clean. You can pay off your debts and find a man to marry. Don¡¯t look for a bad man like me again. You can¡¯t rely on them. I don¡¯t know what to say. In fact... I¡¯m truly an undercover agent, but not from the police. The faction struggles in the gang are very fierce. If it weren¡¯t for climbing up the ranks, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to such a dangerous thing."


    "On the day I went to see your mother, I really shouldn¡¯t have randomly bullshitted after some drinking. After the news spread, the whole world thought I was a bad guy. I was anxious every day. I was followed several times when I went home at night. My Big Brother thought I was an undercover cop and wanted to get rid of me."


    "At this juncture, someone found me and made a deal with me. I can''t disclose the details because the money you got is the hush fee. My face can also be said to be the price of the transaction. He has a very high status in the gang. When dealing with such a big man, of course I have to protect myself. I¡¯ve set up insurance for myself, so he won¡¯t dare to kill the donkey after it leaves the mill. As I record this video, the transaction has beenpleted, but my life is still in danger. For both you and I to be safe, I have to hide. I''m sorry to leave without saying goodbye. Little Wei, from this moment on, we officially break up. Go live your own life. No matter what, I¡¯ll love you forever. You¡¯re part of my soul..."


    Having said that, Wang Xi cried as the video ended.


    Kaowei was crying as well, so much that she couldn¡¯t speak. The bandaged man took a piece of tissue paper and handed it over. Kaowei caught his hands and kept crying. Tears fell on the bandaged man''s hand.


    As her cries dissipated, the bandaged man said, "Wang Xi should be alive because the other party is still ''protecting'' him, indicating that the insurance hasn¡¯t taken effect yet. I¡¯m guessing it may be an email that gets sent if there isn¡¯t regr intervention."


    "This bastard. Why didn''t you tell me directly? He hid it from me for so long. For so long!" Kaowei wiped her tears and said, "I''m going to see how much money he left for me!"


    "Right now?"


    "I can''t sleep thinking about this."


    "Which bank?"


    "Bank X. Since it¡¯s so far away, I haven¡¯t used this card in a long time."


    The bandaged man sighed, "Okay, go back and get the card. I''ll walk with you."


    "When I get the money, I¡¯ll pay you back the money used to redeem the jewellery."


    After Kaowei left,[1] the bandaged man logged on to a website, which was the police''s personal policing system. He entered a police number and hesitated, but ultimately decided not to click it because it might leave behind evidence.


    Thus, he just searched the Inte for information about the wanted criminal Song Lang. All the news was from a few days ago. It seems that the attention of the police had shifted. Perhaps after a few heavy rains washing away the wanted warrants on the wall, no one would think of him anymore.


    The name Song Lang would gradually be forgotten, and the truth of that night would never be known. Thinking of this, the sadness hurt his heart.


    Half an hourter, Kaowei still hadn¡¯t returned. The bandaged man walked to the window and saw a van parked at the alley. Several men were pushing Kaowei into the van. She was gagged and her head was stuffed into the car. At the moment her head was pushed in, she nced at the window with an expression that showed a plea for help.


    The "Impressionist" who got into the car after her also looked towards that direction, but didn¡¯t find anything.


    The bandaged man was filled with righteous outrage. He ran back to Goupi Alley and saw the old tailor pulling at his chain. "Hey, you promised to let me go!"


    A shadow fell on him and the old tailor heard an angry voice asking, "You blew the whistle?"


    The old tailor looked up and pissed himself out of fright as he desperately begged for mercy. "They asked me to do it. I couldn''t help but do it! Have mercy on me!"


    The bandaged man walked back to Kaowei''s house. The door wasn¡¯t locked and the room was smashed into a mess. A line was written in tomato sauce on the wall: "Wang Xi, if you still have some guts, you shoulde in exchange for your girl!"


    1. I know the bandaged man said ¡°I¡¯ll walk with you¡± earlier, but maybe he just walked her to the bottom of the design building?

 Chapter 823: Violent Iron Fist

    <h4>Chapter 823: Violent Iron Fist</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The old tailor was still berating himself for betraying his neighbor, holding his shoulders and repeating to himself, "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" He suddenly saw the bandaged man walking towards him showing murderous intent while holding pliers in his hand.


    "Ah!"


    The old tailor screamed and immediately hugged the telephone pole.


    The bandaged man squatted down beside him and began cutting the chain with the pliers. With a ck, the chain was cut. The old tailor stared in disbelief. He was free.


    "Do you want to die?! You dare to fight against Brother Mo?!" A woman''s face appeared in the window next to them. "Uh, who are you?"


    The bandaged man nced at the talking woman, then said to the old tailor, "Hurry home."


    The old tailor didn''t know what to say. Clutching his private parts, he rushed back to his house like a gush of steam.


    The bandaged man wrapped the iron chain on the ground around his fist, clenched it, and walked out of Goupi Alley with iron determination.


    In the loan shark¡¯s office, a group of people were plopped on their chairs, smoking cigarettes as though they were taking drugs. Kaowei was tied up like a zongzi and ced on the table like a sacrificial tribute.


    A subordinate asked, "Will hee?"


    "If he doesn¡¯t, would he still be a man?" The "Impressionist" said contemptuously.


    "What if he just doesn¡¯te?"


    The "Impressionist" gave Kaowei a cold look and said, "If your man doesn''te, how should we clean you up?"


    "Go and clean up your mother!" Kaowei scolded angrily.


    "Go find some toothpicks and string her cunt together."


    "Toothpicks are too brittle. You have to use needles." A subordinate suggested seriously.


    "Then go find a needle! You always ask me about everything. When I catch Wang Xi, I¡¯ll be a big brother, attending important affairs every day. How would I find the time to deal with these minor things?" While thinking of a bright future, the "Impressionist"ughed happily and the subordinates did the same.


    Suddenly, their smiles solidified on their faces. They could see a man in a windbreaker standing outside the door with his face wrapped in thick bandages, like a mummy crawling out of an ancient tomb. His whole body exuded a strange aura.


    The "Impressionist" flicked the cigarette butt and went outside, tilting his head to look at the visitor. "Wang Xi?"


    The bandaged man said, "Even if I said I wasn¡¯t, you wouldn''t believe it!"


    "You aren¡¯t?!" The "Impressionist" suddenly made an exaggerated action. "You are Wang Xi. Did you like the TV set I sent you back then? Your blown up face still isn¡¯t better yet? Hahaha!"


    "It doesn''t matter whether I¡¯m Wang Xi or not." The bandaged man wrapped his right fist with his left hand.


    The "Impressionist" stoppedughing. He licked his lips. "Grab your tools guys. Just leave him with a single breath left!"


    The subordinates pulled out wooden sticks from under the table and rushed out shouting. These wooden sticks were very sinister with iron nails on them. The bandaged man sent the front person flying with a side kick. After his right foot was back on the ground, his left leg was lifted up like a spring, kicking another subordinate.


    The remaining few subordinates had alreadye close to him. One of them screamed as he lifted up his wooden stick to smash the bandaged man¡¯s head. The bandaged man clenched his right fist and punched. The fist wrapped in iron chains was like a hammer. It shattered the wooden stick. He hit the subordinate''s face and a bloody tooth flew out of his deformed mouth.


    "Motherfucker!" The "Impressionist" cursed, grabbing the hair of a subordinate who was shrinking away, kicked him away, and snatched the wooden stick in his hands.


    He made a strange sound of "ka-rak, ka-rak" in his mouth. The wooden stick danced in his hands so much it was dizzying just to watch it. The bandaged man dodged again and again. He found an opening to grab the wooden stick with his left hand, and hit the "Impressionist¡¯s" head with his right fist.


    The "Impressionist" had smashed his head into his opponent''s fist. He was also powerful. The bandaged man¡¯s fist was actually hurt by the iron chain. The "Impressionist" killed the enemy by a 1000 but harmed himself by 800 as well. His head was covered in blood.


    He didn''t hesitate at all. Heughed wildly and kicked the bandaged man''s abdomen. The bandaged man staggered backwards as the "Impressionist" leaped forward like a mad dog. A hook kick was blocked by the bandaged man with his right fist. This was very aggressive. The w in it was also veryrge. The bandaged man grabbed the "Impressionist¡¯s" leg, threw him out, then caught up with him again. When the "Impressionist" had just gotten up, he did a flying-kick. The "Impressionist" slid over a meter away on the ground. He vomited out a mouthful of blood, but the smile on his face became increasingly brighter.


    "Little bitch, your skills have risen over the past two years!" The "Impressionist" wiped the blood away from his lips.


    The bandaged man pointed to the office. "Bullying a woman? Don''t you have a mother?"


    "Don''tpare my mother to this kind of woman!" The "Impressionist" roared. He rushed over and jumped directly into the air.


    The bandaged man mistakenly judged his action as a kicking technique, but didn¡¯t expect it to be a grappling technique with scissor feet. The "Impressionist¡¯s" legs mped onto the bandaged man, rotated around, and flipped the bandaged man to the ground using his weight. Both legs held the bandaged man''s head tightly like iron tongs.


    The bandaged man clenched his fist and punched his crotch several times. The "Impressionist", who had gained the upper hand, was almost shaken off by the iron fist within seconds. He screamed and separated from the bandaged man. He spun around on the ground and supported himself with his hands on the ground. His feet kicked at the bandaged man''s face as though he was a scorpion.


    This trick was so insidious that the bandaged man was caught off guard, but in the moment when the opponent pulled his leg back, he grabbed the ankle and quickly stood up as he backed away.


    The "Impressionist" was forced to walk on the ground with his hands. When the bandaged man dragged him to a street light pole, he bellowed and smashed the "Impressionist" towards the telephone pole. The "Impressionist¡¯s" waist hit the light pole, almost breaking it. He took advantage of the situation and hugged the light pole, kicking back vigorously.


    Knowing that this youngster was good at legwork, the bandaged man was on guard this time and flexibly avoided his kicks. He judged the situation and used a very vicious trick, kicking the "Impressionist¡¯s" waist repeatedly like a madman from the side.


    The "Impressionist" who was hugging the pir received the full impact of the kicks. He screamed and fell to the ground. The bandaged man then pulled him up by his clothes and punched him a few times in the face.


    The more he was beaten, the more arrogant the "Impressionist" got. He threatened with blood in his mouth, "I will never let you go¡­ I will sell that prostitute¡­ I¡¯ll make fifteen ck people take turns on-"


    "Go to hell!"


    With a punch full of anger, the "Impressionist" passed out. His entire face was bloody. It was hard to look at.


    The bandaged man was panting. The subordinates on the ground were either struggling, groaning, or had escaped. He walked towards the office and found that Kaowei was missing. He roughly searched the entire office when suddenly, the officendline rang.


    He had a feeling that the call was for himself, so he picked it up. The other party said, "We agreed that you¡¯d go into hiding and bury your name. You aren¡¯t low-key at all. Is it worth it for the woman? Wang Xi, let''s talk!"


    "Release her. It has nothing to do with her!" the bandaged man said angrily.


    "It has nothing to do with her, but she¡¯s a chip that can be used to threaten you, just like how you¡¯re threatening me with that thing. Let''s meet!"

 Chapter 824: Im Song Lang

    <h4>Chapter 824: I''m Song Lang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The other party left an address and hung up the phone.


    The bandaged man sat down and took out a cigarette. He was so angry that he threw it away without lighting it. He turned on theputer in the office and loaded up the surveince footage in the room just then.


    The footage showed that the person who took Kaowei hadn¡¯t snuck in from the outside. When the bandaged man was fighting with the group of people, a man in a suit slipped out of the manager¡¯s office and dragged Kaowei, leaving through the back door.


    The bandaged man walked out of the office. He grabbed the "Impressionist" from the ground and found the car key from his body.


    Half an hourter, he got to a mixedmercial and residential building that had just beenpleted and hadn¡¯t been upied yet. The whole building was pitch-dark with a sinister atmosphere. The elevator hadn''t been powered, so he could only climb up the long stairs.


    Along the way, the bandaged man looked and listened in all directions, carefully inspecting the movements in every corner. He went to the top floor and saw a light on the empty spacious floor. Under the light, Kaowei was tied with her hands behind her. She was sitting on a chair with a strip of cloth in her mouth. When she saw the bandaged maning, she made some noises behind the gag.


    The bandaged man was overjoyed and walked forward. Suddenly, a man appeared from behind him. The bandaged man turned and punched subconsciously. The man used a leather gloved hand to hold his fist, and a needle appeared in the other hand. The needle pierced the bandaged man¡¯s neck.


    He felt weak in an instant and knelt down on one knee, unable to even lift his arm.


    The other party gave him a cold look as they walked around behind him. At this moment, an old man walked out from behind a pir. He was dressed in a tunic suit[1] with white beard and hair. He had a dragon head cane in his hand. The bandaged man had seen a photo of this man somewhere before. His name was Lie Guoxiao, an underworld boss who had been on the police watch list.


    Thinking that he would be yed into this third-rate trick, the bandaged man smiled bitterly. His increasing powerlessness was weighing his body down heavily. He could just barely stay awake by biting his lip and a bloody taste filled his mouth.


    "Where have you been hiding for the past two years? How have you been?" Lie Guoxiao said as if saying hello.


    "Don''t put up an act. I''m already here. Let her go!" the bandage man roared weakly.


    "Don''t worry, we won''t hurt your woman, Wang Xi. If it weren''t for you back then, I wouldn''t be where I am today. It can be said that you have made great contributions for me. However, the longer a secret is hidden, the more dangerous it gets. Do you know what I mean?"


    "You want to kill me?"


    "No, no, of course not. Have you be stupid? Give that thing back to me. I''m worried about it all day because I''m afraid that a third person will see it. I can''t tolerate a threat to me not within my control. You must return it to me." Lie Guoxiao stretched out a hand.


    The bandaged man frowned. The effect of the medicine had begun to hinder his thinking and his mind was bing heavy and slow. He guessed that the "thing" Lie Guoxiao said was the thing in Wang Xi''s hand that could be used against him, so he replied, "That''s my life-saving talisman. I can¡¯t return it."


    "I understand. You should keep some insurance when dealing with me, but that was back then¡­ Now, I¡¯m different from the past. I call the wind and the rain. I can decide who gets to live and who needs to die. Give it back to me and I promise that no one will harass you and your girl again. You will be at peace from now on."


    The bandaged man squeezed his eyes desperately. Even though his head had stopped turning, he still understood something. This kind of transaction couldn¡¯t be agreed to. After getting it back, Lie Guoxiao would immediately kill him.


    Besides, he didn''t have it at all.


    Damn, why did I get involved in this troublesome thing? He was in a dazed state. The two people standing in front of him became Han Luoxi and Li Mu. The faces of the two were pale, and the bullet holes on their foreheads were still bleeding. Han Luoxi asked, "Why aren¡¯t you facing all this, but instead choosing to escape? This is not the Song Lang I know at all."


    Li Mu said, "Teaching an apprentice like you is simply the shame of my lifetime!"


    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" the bandaged man muttered, tears streaming down uncontrobly.


    "Li Mu" walked over and began to beat him. The bandaged man could only resist passively. "Li Mu" stepped heavily on him. The pain caused the bandaged man to wake up. It turned out that the man who was beating him was Lie Guoxiao''s attendant.


    "Where is the thing?! Where is the thing?!" the man asked with gritted teeth while beating him.


    "Okay, Liu Feng." Lie Guoxiao stopped him.


    "The truth serum didn''t work. Do you want to add more?" Liu Feng asked for further instructions.


    "40 milliliters is already enough. If you add more, he¡¯ll die." Lie Guoxiao walked over and poke the bandaged man with a cane. He nned to test the effects of the truth serum as he asked, "Who are you?"


    "A sinner."


    "Haha!" Lie Guoxiaoughed dryly. "That''s quite poetic. I¡¯m asking what is your name?"


    "Song Lang."


    "Go fuck your mum, you don''t even know what your name is¡­" Lie Guoxiao''s face suddenly looked as though he sobered up. "Wait, he isn¡¯t Wang Xi. He isn¡¯t Wang Xi! Song Lang? The policeman who killed his colleagues?"


    Suddenly, there were police sirens outside. Liu Feng ran to the window to take a look. He said, "Master Lie, this guy seems to have called the police!"


    Lie Guoxiao gritted his teeth fiercely. "After such a long time, it was actually a mistake. Let him bear what he¡¯s started. Let''s go!"


    The police were indeed called by the bandaged man. The only excuse for the police to act aggressively at this time could only be: "I saw the wanted criminal Song Lang." The original n was to save Kaowei and run away quickly, then the police who cameter would dy this group of people. However, he had shot himself in the foot.


    The sound of the police sirens were getting closer. The bandaged man used his willpower to support his fragile state of energy, slowly crawling towards Kaowei. He tried to untie Kaowei''s rope, but it was useless. The knot was too tight.


    Kaowei got the gagging cloth off by herself and kicked him anxiously. "Wake up, wake up! It''s not the time to sleep right now."


    The bandaged man raised his head, and the Kaowei in his eyes turned into Han Luoxi. He said with tears, "I didn''t kill anyone."


    "I believe you. Wake up! Hurry up!" Kaowei urged desperately.


    "Ah!"


    The bandaged man yelled, struggling to fight the drowsiness. He bit the rope with his teeth while simultaneously pulling at it with his hands. He finally untied the rope on Kaowei''s hands. Then, his memory disconnected¡­


    Suddenly, a burst of cold water choked him on his windpipe. The bandaged man suddenly woke up and raised his head. He found that he was in a bathroom. The sink was full of water. It turned out that Kaowei pressed his head into the water and forced him to sober up. What a decisive girl.


    There was a rush of footsteps outside, and Kaowei said sadly, "The police are here. How are you going to escape?"


    "You now know who I am. Why do you want to help me escape? If you run out right now and shout, ¡®Song Lang is here¡¯, the bounty of hundreds of thousands will go to you." the bandaged man said with piercing eyes.


    "Then what would I be? A traitor who betrays my friends?" Kaowei smiled bitterly and grabbed the bandaged man''s hand. "I¡¯ll hide myself. The police won''t care about me. You can try to find a way to escape!"


    1. The modern Chinese tunic suit is a style of male attire originally known in China as the Zhongshan suit after the republican leader Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the Republic of China as a form of national dress with distinct political overtones.

 Chapter 825: Recovery From Desperate Predicament

    <h4>Chapter 825: Recovery From Desperate Predicament</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Little Lin, go and take a look over there!"


    The police searched around the empty building. Lin Qiupu, holding a shlight and pistol, was carefully searching a row of rooms on the west side of the fourth floor.


    He kicked a door open, and the entire room could be seen with one look. When he came back out, a belt suddenly wrapped around his outstretched neck. A man had been lying in ambush behind the door. Lin Qiupu pulled the trigger on reflex, but the gun only rang and he was taken away by that person.


    This was the first time in his career that he had fired a shot in actualbat. The moment the shot missed, he felt his heart drop.


    The man didn¡¯t hesitate to smash his head with the gun. This wasn¡¯t a movie. It¡¯s unrealistic to faint from just the impact. Lin Qiupu was just momentarily stunned. Then, his hands were tied up by the man with a belt. He was pulled back and his wrists and neck were fixed into positions. His shlight also fell to the ground. The beam of light rolled along the ground before finally falling down the stairs.


    Lin Qiupu couldn''t move and was extremely ufortable. The person behind him had a familiar smell. Lin Qiupu asked with trembling lips, "Senior, is that you?"


    The only answer to him was silence.


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s colleagues heard the gunshots and rushed to the fourth floor. When they saw the robbed Lin Qiupu and a "masked" gangster, they were very surprised. They raised their guns and the leader, Old Zhang shouted, "Do you know the consequences of taking a police officer hostage? Put the gun down!"


    The criminal actually fired the gun without a word. His marksmanship was extremely urate. All three shots hit the ground in front of the policemen''s feet. Looking at the three smoking bullet holes, many policemen were scared and started sweating.


    "Song Lang, is that you?" Old Zhang asked.


    The other party swung the gun to signal them to retreat. When the police hesitated, Lin Qiupu said boldly, "Forget about me. Just shoot!"


    "How could they forget about you?!" the criminal said. His voice was extremely hoarse and low. "If they shoot and kill you, you be a martyr and the person who shot you must go to jail. Are you stupid? What kind of police officer are you? Everyone, get lost!"


    Thest sentence was directed at everyone else.


    Nobody could do anything, so they could only stand aside. The criminal put the gun against Lin Qiupu''s temple, slowly moved to the other side, and then went down the stairs carefully. Every step of the way, the other people followed behind, sweating from having the guns in their hands.


    When they got downstairs, Lin Qiupu wanted to take a risk such as knocking down the criminal, but the criminal seemed to be able to read his thoughts and whispered, "If you dare to move, I will shoot."


    "That''s even better. Then, you¡¯ll have no hostages." Lin Qiupu sneered.


    "Who said I would shoot you? I¡¯d shoot your colleagues."


    These words paralyzed Lin Qiupu. He no longer dared to have the idea of taking risks.


    Old Zhang deliberately stayed back and used the walkie-talkie to contact the people below to guard the entrance. In addition, he contacted the SWAT team for support. Hostage situations could often be in deadlock for several hours. Even if the SWAT team came, there was only one option: Stall. Stall until the criminal revealed a w before taking them down in one fell swoop.


    When they got all the way down to the second floor, the criminal suddenly shot several shots at the ceiling, stuffed the empty pistol into Lin Qiupu''s hand, pushed him forward, and jumped out from the ssless window.


    No one thought that the criminal would adopt this strategy. The police were stunned by the shots. By the time they reacted, the criminal had already jumped out.


    Old Zhang rushed to look down and saw the criminalnd on a car, jump to the ground, get up, and immediately run away.


    "Chase after him!"


    After they went downstairs, the criminal had already disappeared from the surrounding dense alleyways. The police officers returned without sess. All of them felt like failures, and a suspicion lingered on everyone''s mind. "Was he Song Lang?"


    "Does Song Lang have such good skills?"


    "Of course Song Lang has such good skills. Don¡¯t just look at how he uses his brains. In fact, his stamina, fighting, and shooting are all spectacr. It¡¯s just that he usually doesn''t show it." Old Zhang said.


    Lin Qiupu leaned behind the police car and didn¡¯t say anything. Old Zhang thought he was frightened. He walked over and handed a cigarette over, saying, "You¡¯re really lucky. If this gun was robbed by him, you¡¯d be in serious trouble. "


    "Officer Zhang, didn''t the person who reported this inly state that they saw Song Lang? This person was wrapped up like this. How did the person who reported him know?"


    "Oh, you¡¯re right. That person didn¡¯t leave behind contact information. It¡¯s indeed a bit suspicious."


    "Let''s search again to see if there¡¯s anyone else in the building."


    This search really resulted in finding another person. She was a girl delinquent with dishevelled hair and tattoos on her hands. She was taken back to the bureau. She said she had nowhere to go at night and stayed there overnight. She heard gunshots just then but didn¡¯t know what happened.


    After asking many times, she insisted on this rhetoric and refused to admit that she knew the criminal, so she had to be let go.


    It was 2:00 in the morning by the time she left the Public Security Bureau. Kaowei felt that this night was really long. She couldn''t wait to return home. The alley was unusually quiet, and the old man at the entrance had been let go by someone. Kaowei guessed that it had been the bandaged man.


    After entering the house, the bandaged man was nowhere to be seen. Kaowei was disappointed and searched inside and out. She suddenly remembered something and crawled out of the attic window. She saw the bandaged man squatting on the roof like a gargoyle.


    "Are you Batman?" Kaowei teased.


    "I don''t know how to say goodbye to you. I was prepared to leave quietly, but you found out."


    "You took an officer hostage just then?"


    "If I didn''t do that, I wouldn''t have been able to escape. It was a very dangerous situation!" He smiled bitterly.


    "There¡¯s still a little bit of wine left, so finish it with me!"


    The bandaged man could only go downstairs and drink with Kaowei. The alcohol and the two being alone seemed to be a precursor to something, but Song Lang knew that rather than physical attraction, it was more that there were simrities in their psychological state. They experienced simr pains and had the potential to be friends.


    "Is it fun to be a police officer?" Kaowei asked. Her cheeks were slightly flushed under the influence of alcohol.


    "Being a policeman is my most favorite thing in life."


    "I envy you. All the love I had in my life rests on a man who won''t return."


    "Don''t be sad. Drinking alcohol is originally supposed to be a happy thing. We cry every time we drink¡­ It''s almost time to start a new life. You and I both. Wang Xi left you a lot of money, right?"


    Kaowei put the bank card on the table. "I took a look on the way back. It¡¯s over 600,000 yuan. It¡¯s a lot of money. Should I buy a house or a car? Or do some small business?" Thinking about being able to spend a lot of money, Kaowei was very happy.


    Song Lang held it in his hand and looked at it repeatedly. "Pay off your debts first, and then learn a skill."


    "Huh? Going to school? I hate going to school the most!"


    "If you don''t work hard for the life you want, you will have to deal with the life you don''t want. Learn something while you¡¯re young!"


    Kaowei pouted. She asked, "What about you? Surely you can''t be a policeman anymore? I seem to understand what''s wrong with your face. Did you have stic surgery? Then, when we meet again, will I still recognize you?"


    Song Lang picked up the wine ss. This was the final bit. He said, "I will say hello to you. Whether you recognize me or not is your own business."

 Chapter 826: Reunion After A Long Time

    <h4>Chapter 826: Reunion After A Long Time</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At present.


    The surveince footage Lin Qiupu brought back from the scene of the crime was repeatedly yed in the conference room. Chen Shi thought that he was definitely an animal. He actually made his face look like Song Lang¡¯s. This person was most probably Zhou Xiao. Several months had passed since he was witnessed, and there was plenty of time for stic surgery.


    However, this guy deliberately showed his face to the security camera. Perhaps it was just an artificial mask to divert their focus. They wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate it with the security camera¡¯s low resolution.


    "Chen Shi, what do you think?" Lin Qiupu discussed with other policemen and then asked for his opinion.


    "I don''t have any opinions." Chen Shi replied. "I can''t see anything in this segment of surveince footage. I don''t know why you called me over so suddenly. I still have to go shopping in the afternoon. Is this what you call a major clue?"


    Lin Qiupu was unhappy. "No one will stop you. You can leave at any time!"


    As a result, after Lin Qiupu turned around, Chen Shi was gone. When he asked about it, someone answered, "Brother Chen is gone."


    Lin Qiupu showed a toothache-like expression. "Why did we even call him?!"


    The impact on Lin Qiupu when he saw that face appearing in the footage was indescribable. He tossed and turned in insomnia and cried many timesst night. This kind of mood was something outsiders couldn''t empathize with. Whenever he thought about it, his heart trembled. Was it true that his senior had fallen into evil ways?!


    He clenched his fists and made up his mind that he must catch Song Lang and ask him what happened in the past four years.


    Leaving the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi drove the car alone with a lot of thoughts on his mind. He no longer had the conditioned reflex of smoking when he was agitated. He just wanted to do something to ease his mood, so he decided to g down some clients.


    He received a car-hailing message from the app and drove the car to the entrance of a certain housingmunity. A young married woman got in the car. Chen Shi greeted her casually. He was suddenly stunned. The young married woman looked at him through the rearview mirror and asked, "Master, why aren¡¯t you driving?"


    "Sorry, I was in a daze just then. We¡¯ll leave now."


    He nced at the young married woman through the rearview mirror again. She was Kaowei. Her dress and hairstyle hadpletely changed, making her look more mature. The two biggest changes were the sses on her nose and the wedding ring on her finger. If you looked closely, you would find that the tattoos on the back of her hand had also been cleaned off.


    "I''ll be there soon. Put the things there first. I¡¯ll check again when I get there¡­" After the call, she put down the phone and looked out the window.


    Scenes of the past events floated into Chen Shi''s head. He spoke up, "Miss, what do you do?"


    "I¡¯m a bartender."


    "The kind in a bar?"


    "Yup."


    "I''m curious. Is it really easier to get drunk by mixing alcohol?" Chen Shi casually searched for a topic to talk about.


    "The alcohol percentage definitely doesn¡¯t change, but when you mix alcohol with fruit juice and soft drinks, you can¡¯t really taste the alcohol, so you¡¯ll get drunk without knowing it. A young man brought a girl to the store the other day and told her that this iced tea¡¯s percentage was really low, and that it was just like drinking a normal non-alcoholic drink. I wanted tough. So, I put more lemon and c when making the iced tea and more vodka in the screwdriver the guy wanted. In the end, the guy got drunk first. "


    "Haha, I know about Long Ind Iced Tea. The famous drink for losing your body. Didn¡¯t you ruin his n then?"


    "Who told that guy to not look honest?" Kaowei made an expression of contempt.


    "Why did you think of learning bartending? I''m not saying that girls aren¡¯t suitable for this kind of work. It¡¯s just out of pure curiosity."


    "I didn¡¯t know what to do at the beginning. Since I didn¡¯t have much education, I picked and learned this. At least I don¡¯t hate it¡­ It feels good to be able to earn money on my own. Someone told me that in second-tier cities like Long¡¯an, you can only live your own life if you earn more than 5,000 a month. How much do you earn a month?"


    "Four thousand, nine hundred and ny-nine."


    "Haha, then I will send you a red pocket for one yuanter."


    "Thank you in advance. By the way, which bar is it? I''ll go support you when I have time."


    Kaowei pointed to the front. "That one. I won''t give you a discount!"


    When they arrived at the ce, Kaowei got out of the car. Chen Shi smiled at her through the windshield. Kaowei nodded and smiled as well, but it was just a friendly smile towards strangers. It could be seen that her character had be much more rounded. A job changes a person.


    It was impossible for her to recognize him unless he took the initiative to mention it, but Chen Shi felt that it was unnecessary, so he stopped there.


    He said at the beginning that if he met her again, he¡¯d take the initiative to strike up a conversation. In a sense, he had fulfilled his promise.


    Chen Shi sighed with emotion whenever he met someone from the past. He drove the car to a bank and got to the front of the counter. The teller had known him from a long time ago. "Mr. Chen, you want to check that again?"


    "Please."


    The teller tapped on theputer and stared at the screen. "Someone deposited money in this ount a month ago."


    "What is the name?"


    "XX."


    "Tell me his ID number."


    "That isn¡¯t so good¡­"


    Chen Shi put the consultant card on the ss. When the teller saw the words "Long''an Public Security", he said, "You should have said so earlier. You just had to make up a reason saying that it was your friend. His ID number is¡­"


    After getting this ID card, Chen Shi called the bureau and asked the police to find the person from his ID.


    For the past four years, Chen Shi had been quietly investigating Wang Xi. He hadn¡¯t expected to finally have a clue. He looked for Wang Xi to uncover the answer to a question.


    The next day, inside a major store, a has-been singer passionately sang an old song on a temporary stage. If you observed carefully, you would find that there was a 0.5 second dy between his mouth moving and his voice.


    After singing the song, the host said, "Okay, let us once again thank Teacher XXX with apuse."


    Amidst sparse apuse, the has-been singer bowed and stepped down from the stage. He had no agent or assistant. He took off his costume and put it in his bag, got paid for the performance, and slipped down the stairs to smoke and relieve his addiction.


    At this moment, someone went in. Afraid of being recognized, he quickly turned his face away, but the person stopped behind him and said, "Teacher XX, please give me an autograph!"


    "Okay."


    He took the notebook from the man¡¯s hands and looked for a pen on his body. The man suddenly said, "You¡¯re Wang Xi."


    He didn''t know how many years it had been since he heard someone call him by this name. When he heard it so suddenly, he didn¡¯t react immediately. When he did react, he suddenly pushed the man away and prepared to run away.


    However, he was pressed hard against the wall by the man. The has-been singer shouted, "I¡¯ll call the police!"


    "Don''t be afraid, I¡¯m a policeman," Chen Shi said.


    "Let me look at your certification."


    After looking at his consultant ID, Wang Xi said, "It says consultant on it. You¡¯re a fake policeman."


    "A consultant is also a policeman."


    "Really?"


    "If I really was someone subordinate to Lie Guoxiao, I wouldn''te find you alone."


    Hearing the name, the has-been singer shivered. "How did you find me?"


    "You left a card for Kaowei and deposited money in it from time to time. We¡¯ve been paying attention to this card." Chen Shi deliberately said "we" to make him think that the entire police force was paying close attention to him.


    "Fuck, I was careless!"


    "I really admire your ''creativity''. After being disfigured by a bomb-loaded TV set, you actually turned your face to that of an outdated singer, pretending to be him and walking around to earn money. The funny thing is that you¡¯ve also participated in local song cover shows, pretending to be this singer, and judging a few yers who imitated ''yourself'' in a serious manner."


    Wang Xi''s cheek twitched. "Why do you even know about that?"


    "The Inte is very advanced. Didn''t you almost get sued within thest two years?"


    "Yes, I lost a lot of money to the managementpany at the time and I suffered an incredible loss. The actual singer hasn''te out for any activities over the past two years, so I have the opportunity toe out to earn a bit. I heard that he was caught after taking drugs. The news hasn''t been made public yet, but I¡¯m very worried for fear that someday, when negative newses out, I can''t rely on this face to make money."


    "Although you¡¯re a fake, when I watched your performance just then, it was pretty good. Your stage presence was excellent."


    "Hehe, after acting so much, I substituted myself into the role without knowing it¡­ Is Kaowei doing okay?"


    "She¡¯s changed jobs. She seems to be married."


    "Which unlucky guy of eight lifetimes married her?"


    "It looks like you don''t think highly of her."


    "Haha, she''s just a bitch with a bad temper, iszy, and oftenins to herself. She also has lots of desires¡­" Wang Xi scorned Kaowei''s shorings. His eyes suddenly dimmed. "But I love her most. She¡¯s like a mirror of me. She is me, and I am her. Over the past few years, it¡¯s like I¡¯ve lost my soul without her. Even when I have sex with my fans, it seems meaningless."


    "Save thatst sentence!"


    At this time, a cleaning aunty came in to sweep the floor. Wang Xi hurriedly turned his face away and saw that there were cigarette butts on the ground. The cleaning aunty scolded a few words. After she left, Chen Shi suggested, "Let¡¯s talk in another ce!"


    When they got to a nearby cafe, the two ordered a lemonade and an iced coffee respectively. Chen Shi said, "Tell me about what happened back then. Did you betray the twelve big brothers out of your own will?"


    Wang Xi frowned in alert. "Why are the police investigating these things all of a sudden?"


    "It''s not a sudden investigation. We''ve been investigating this the whole time. If you¡¯re not willing to talk¡­"


    "Okay, okay, you don¡¯t need to use that on me. I¡¯m a celebrity right now, so I can''t just go to the bureau so casually. In fact, we need to talk about this matter starting from the 90s."


    "I¡¯m listening."


    "In the 1990s,w and order in Long''an was very chaotic. There were at least seven or eight well-known underworld organized-crime syndicates. Later, the bosses fell one by one. The remaining gang of gangsters got together to make a living and a new gang came about."


    "And then?"


    "After all, it was a mob mashed together. The hearts of the people were scattered. Everyone was out for themselves and fought with each other all day long, just like pce strife in the past. I joined at this time and I followed Big Brother A. Big Brother A found me useless saying I was afraid to do anything and wanted to find a reason to get rid of me. Later, when he heard that Brother B¡¯s subordinates and I were ssmates, he sent me to Brother B as an undercover agent. In a few days, my identity was exposed. Big Brother B gave me a choice: Either chop my fingers, or be a double agent¡­ I¡¯m a person with no backbone. As long as I got into trouble, I would immediately betray my old big brother. In the end, I became a six-sided spy. The exchange of information between the elder brothers gave me a lot of money."


    "Later, because I was bluffing, I was treated as an undercover agent for the police by people in the gang. Suddenly, the whole world was against me. At this time, someone found me¡­"


    "Lie Guoxiao?"


    "Since you have found it all out, I won¡¯t hide it. Yes, Lie Guoxiao asked me to go to the police to betray them. He stuffed me with a lot of evidence, so I betrayed the twelve big brothers in one go. At that time, there were 13 big brothers in the club. Lie Guoxiao was the one with the least influence, but he did the cleanest business. He wasn¡¯t involved in prostitution, gambling, nor drugs. The police destroyed the 12 big brothers, leaving him alone. It turned into a monopoly."


    "It turns out that Lie Guoxiao was the actual Judas."


    "Yes, and I''m just a scapegoat." Wang Xi took a sip of a drink. "After I came out, I suffered. The subordinates of the twelve original big brothers all sought me out for revenge, and I could onlyy in hiding wherever I went. You police are also pretty bad. You guys knew that people would take revenge on me, but you let it happen so that there would be evidence to attack this group of people. After going undercover so many times, I also kept some insurance. What I kept was particrly detrimental to Lie Guoxiao. I used this to negotiate a deal with him, so that I was able to get myself out scot-free. He didn''t dare to kill me."


    "Actually, I¡¯ve been looking for you for this thing. That thing will definitely bring down Lie Guoxiao. Give it to the police. After Lie Guoxiao has fallen, you¡¯ll no longer have to hide."


    Wang Xi smiled, "Impossible. Lie Guoxiao wouldn¡¯t fall so easily. This thing is my life-saving talisman. If I give it to you, Kaowei and I will be finished. You police only care about solving the case, and you don¡¯t care about the life and death of people like us. We can only protect this path of survival ourselves. Forgive me for not being able to cooperate."


    "Could you please tell me how powerful this thing is against Lie Guoxiao? Is it enough to sentence him to death?"


    Wang Xi shook his finger. "Don''t probe. I won¡¯t talk."


    "If Lie Guoxiao faces trial one day, can you hand it over then?"


    "I can consider it¡­ but I sincerely advise you guys to leave Lie Guoxiao alone."


    "Why?"


    "Because if a malignant tumor is destroyed, a bunch of new malignant tumors will emerge. You know what kind of hell Long''an is better than I do. Ever since the Qing Dynasty, there have been triads here. You can¡¯t clean them all. Just like pimples on your face. If you squeezed every time you saw one, what¡¯s left behind in the end? A face that no one dares to look at. Squeezing e is to look good, but in the end, would this face look good? Instead of taking down underworld bosses all day, it¡¯s better to manage the city well!"


    "Everyone has their own duty. Our duty is to punish the existing evil!"


    Wang Xi spread his hands. "My duty is to survive, so I can''t help you. I¡¯ve been a traitor for too long. I¡¯ve finally settled down after lots of struggle, but you still want me to be a traitor? Give me a way to survive, sir!"


    Chen Shi shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Okay, we¡¯ll meet again if fate allows it."


    When Chen Shi walked outside, Wang Xi waved his hand through the ss. Chen Shi suddenly went back in and said, "You can go to XX bar for a drink when you have the time. There will be unexpected gains."


    "Is that where Kaowei works?" Wang Xi reacted immediately.


    "The feeling of wearing a mask to meet old acquaintances is quite profound. Why don¡¯t you experience it for yourself? Good luck!"

 Chapter 827: Caused By Rice

    <h4>Chapter 827: Caused By Rice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 50: Don''t Touch My Rice Paddy


    In the dead of night, two men stood smoking in the endless golden rice paddies. Male A said, "This year''s rice is so good!"


    Male B said, "Yes, we can sell it for a lot of money."


    "After collecting the rice this time, I n to resign and return to my hometown to get married."


    "What?! You¡¯re resigning? Have you talked to the boss about it yet?"


    "No, do you think he will agree? I¡¯ve been collecting rice for the past two years. I¡¯m tired and saved a lot of money, but I¡¯ve never had the opportunity to spend it. I¡¯m not young anymore. It¡¯s time to enjoy life."


    "If you leave, I won''t be able to handle the business from these viges by myself."


    "Just take it easy."


    Suddenly, there were rustling movements in the rice paddy. The two men looked at each other and picked up their guns in unison. They pushed their way through the field and walked over. They saw a white creature gnawing the new ears of rice.


    Male B got angry, "Bastard, do you know what you¡¯re eating?"


    The little creature ran away. Male A deftly pounced on it. While the little creature was struggling, it scratched him. Male A saw that it was wearing a silver cor and said, "It has a master."


    "We can''t let it go back!"


    "Hmph, if you eat someone else''s food, you have to pay the debt."


    He raised his knife and chopped the little creature¡¯s head off.


    "How do you want to cook this thing? It''s omnivorous. It¡¯ll taste really stinky."


    "Have you ever eaten dog meat? Dogs are also omnivorous. Their meat is fragrant. This stuff is probably simr to dog meat."


    "Will there be parasites in it?"


    "Cook it longer and put more garlic in. Come, let¡¯s go and borrow a pot from Old Jia."


    The two found an old cadre from the vige and built a simple stove with bricks at the entrance of the vige. They boiled the creature, skinned it, and gave the skin to the old cadre. They asked him to bring it back and make a scarf for his daughter.


    A fragrant scent of meat rose with the water vapor. The three people around the pot started helping themselves to it,dling out some meat broth for taste-testing.


    "Hey, it''s not bad. I thought this meat would be sour!"


    "Look at the fur. It must have been kept very carefully. If it eats well, the meat will naturally be good."


    A group of people came up to the paddy. They were shouting, "Ang! Ang!"


    Soon, these people discovered the three people squatting on the ground and came over to inquire. A well-dressed woman amongst them suddenly discovered a bloody pelt hanging on the wall. She saw what was stewing in the pot and her shriek reached the heavens, "Are you guys psychos?! I want to report it to the police!"


    On May 17th, female singer Feng Xiaoqing''s agent went to the city bureau to report the crime, iming that it was a murder. Lin Qiupu personally handled it. After hearing about the whole "case", he hardly knew how he should react.


    It turned out that Feng Xiaoqing¡¯s ferret, Ang, had run outst night and gnawed on some stalks of rice. Then it was ughtered and eaten by three farmers. For this matter, they hade all the way to the city bureau in order to report it.


    "The murderers were extremely cruel. They skinned Ang and cooked it in an iron pot on the ground. It¡¯s outrageous!" The agent described in a vivid manner.


    "No, it doesn''t matter how gory you make it sound. We¡¯re the criminal police team and we don¡¯t handle cases like this."


    The agent flew into a rage. "Ang is of great significance to Xiaoqing. It¡¯s just like her daughter. If your daughter was killed and eaten, wouldn''t you care about it?"


    "The problem is that it''s not human."


    "To Xiaoqing, it¡¯s more important than a human being!"


    Lin Qiupu felt very helpless. "Didn¡¯t you call 110? This matter should have been handled by the local police station."


    "The local police did turn up, said some nonsense and left. Xiaoqing alone pays more taxes to the country than a medium-sized enterprise each year. Could it be said that when such cruel things happen, you, as an institution supported by taxpayers is intending to sit idly by?"


    "She isn¡¯t more special than others just because she pays more tax¡­"


    "You mean to say that no matter who this happened to, you wouldn¡¯t care?"


    "I emphasize again: the killing of a ferret is not a homicide. You should settle it privately. If you need to sue, then sue. If financialpensation is necessary, then money needs to be paid."


    The agent stood up and poked Lin Qiupu''s nose angrily with a finger, "We will sue, but we won¡¯t be suing them. We will be suing you for dereliction of duty! Wait for me!"


    After the agent left, Lin Dongxue opened the door and came in with a report in her hand. She curiously asked, "Brother, what happened with the man who just mmed the door on his way out?"


    "He¡¯s crazy. Don''t worry about him¡­ A ferret gnawed someone''s rice and was killed and eaten. They came just to report it to the police. Do all rich people think they¡¯re special?"


    "What rice?"


    "Probably normal rice."


    "Do you remember those few seeds we found in Xu Fa''s house? Old Chen took them home and nted them. Those seeds sprouted two days ago. They¡¯re also rice sprouts. He even told me to pay attention to cases involving rice."


    Lin Qiupu thought for a while. "There¡¯s no need to waste police manpower on this kind of trivial matter. The local police will deal with it¡­" Noting the slight dissatisfaction in Lin Dongxue''s eyes, Lin Qiupu added, "Okay, okay, I will call to confirmter and will definitely inform you if there are any developments¡­ "


    Tao Yueyue''s junior high school exam was about to take ce. During this time, Chen Shi had been spending time with her. It just happened to be Sunday, so he apanied Tao Yueyue out for a good meal. He nned to take her to visit some key high schools within the city in the afternoon so that she could experience a high school¡¯s atmosphere.


    A phone call interrupted their lunch. Chen Shi listened to the words from the other side, and his expression kept changing. After hanging up, he said, "Yueyue¡­"


    "There¡¯s another case? Then you should go. I¡¯ll go to the Inte cafe to have fun for a while under the pretence of going to a ssmate¡¯s house in the afternoon." Tao Yueyue said understandingly.


    "Remember to go home before dark!"


    "You won''t be back before dark?"


    "It¡¯s quite far away¡­"


    "Understood. Okay, I won''t show a disappointed expression, although I¡¯m really a bit disappointed!"


    "I will make it up to you another day." Chen Shi patted Tao Yueyue on the head.


    Lin Dongxue had told him on the phone that it was the case of the rice-gnawing ferret that she had mentioned two days ago. She didn¡¯t expect that there would be new developments that day. The two local police officers who had gone down to the countryside to mediate had strangely gone missing, and the police station couldn¡¯t find them. They could only ask the city bureau for help. They had no choice but to go and take a look now.


    The incident had urred in a ce called Wangchenggang. It happened to be May. When Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and several other police officers arrived by car, they saw golden rice paddies on both sides of the road. The heavy ears of rice were rippling in the wind, like a patch of golden ocean.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I thought rice is harvested in autumn."


    "Most crops are indeed harvested in autumn, but early rice is harvested in May."


    "Is this case appealing to you?"


    "I can''t tell. When I heard you talk about it that day, I thought it was a total farce. Although it involved rice, it seemed that rice wasn¡¯t the protagonist. I was also hesitant abouting down for a look, but it¡¯s perfectly justified now."


    "Haha, what kind of case would have rice as the protagonist?!"


    "Use your imagination. Do you think there¡¯s a mystery in the few rice seeds that Xu Fa carefully hid?"


    "Hmm¡­" Lin Dongxue looked at the rice paddy outside the window. "I can''t think of any mystery!"


    "I can''t think of any connection between a poison manufacturing expert and rice either. I also went to Old Peng for a test, but he said it wasn¡¯t his specialty."


    When they arrived at the entrance of the vige, they saw a bunch of people causing amotion. There were obviously two groups of people. One group was well-dressed and carrying various video equipment, whereas the other group looked earthy. Thetter were clearly locals.


    "¡­What''s the matter with you? You harvested it without saying anything. The footage we shot before is all wasted. It¡¯s clearly written in the contract that no changes are allowed during our lease. You smelly farmers are so short-sighted. You only know how to focus on small profits!" The agent who hade to report the casest time said indignantly.


    A man dressed as a farmer apologized. "These fields belong to different families, and our vigemittee can¡¯t control them. I¡¯m really sorry. Why don¡¯t you add special effects? I don¡¯t understand those things. You guys are experts. You have the final say."


    "The background is gone. How would we add special effects? Do special effects not cost money? I can tell you this: ten seconds of special effects is more expensive than the harvest of this field. Did we not pay you? Huh?!" The agent became even more angry.


    "Hey, stop yelling. What''s the matter?" Old Zhang stepped forward to stop the quarrel between the two parties.


    Behind the agent stood the singer, Feng Xiaoqing. She was wearing a mermaid dress with heavy make-up on her face. She kept fanning herself with a folding fan. This was the first time Chen Shi had seen her other than on TV. She was beautiful, but her expression was too repulsive.


    The other assistants, photographers, makeup artists, etc. were also all arrogant.


    "Yo, Bar Comrades[1]!" said the agent.


    "Who are ''Bar Comrades''? Is this considered respectful or insulting?" Old Zhang asked.


    "Look over there!" The agent pointed into the distance. Arge part of the paddy fields had been harvested, exposing the barend. "We contracted with this vige to shoot a music video, rushing to shoot these golden waves of wheat in May¡­"


    "It''s rice!"


    "Same thing!" The agent retorted. "As a result, we have only shot one-third of the footage when these stinky farmers harvested the paddy without saying a wordst night. The panorama was originally very beautiful, but now it''s bald in one section. It¡¯s as bald as Ge You![2] Motherfucker! We have to re-shoot everything. Re-shoot!!!"


    The assistant said, "Our Xiaoqing¡¯s schedule is fully-packed. I don''t know how manymercials were declined in order to shoot this music video. Due to this incident, we don''t know how long things will be dyed now. We will be losing millions each day!"


    Feng Xiaoqing waved her fan and spat on the ground with an expression of disdain.


    The vigemittee cadre who bore the brunt on behalf of the others rubbed his hands together, looking embarrassed.


    Chen Shi shot a helpless look at Lin Dongxue. Well-known performing artists are really troublesome creatures.


    Old Zhang asked, "Things are already like this. Surely, you aren¡¯t going to sue because of this? How are you guys nning to settle this privately?"


    The agent looked at the field in the distance with his hands on his hips, "Stick the wheat you have reaped back."


    "That''s impossible." The vigemittee cadre waved his hands repeatedly. "The rice dries within a few hours of being harvested. It is impossible to insert it back. Even if it¡¯s inserted back stalk by stalk, it will be too short. If you shoot that, wouldn¡¯t it look bad too?"


    The agent stomped his feet desperately with anger, as if stepping on an invisible bug, "Then why did you harvest it?! Although the fields belong to different households, you didn¡¯t tell us beforehand. Now, it¡¯s caused us heavy economic losses. You have to take full responsibility. Take full responsibility!"


    "Officer Zhang, don''t stoop to their level." Chen Shi said.


    Old Zhang said, "We¡¯re from the Criminal Police Team. We¡¯re here to deal with other things¡­ You from the vigemittee, can youe with us? We need to ask you something."


    The vigemittee cadre followed the police as if he had received amnesty. The agent behind them was furious. "Stop right there. Are all of you police useless? What¡¯s the damn point of paying taxes? Stop right there."


    Lin Dongxuemented in a low voice, "Although they¡¯re indeed the party whose interests have been damaged, their attitude is too loathsome."


    "This kind of person can probably only see his own loss." Chen Shi said.


    The vigemittee cadre led the police through the paddy fields and they walked far away. The voices of those people could no longer be heard. Finally, their ears had peace. Chen Shi touched the rice by the road and asked, "These two days were harvesting time?"


    "Yes, the harvest happens this week. Anyter than this and the rice will be old." said the vigemittee cadre.


    "Which family does that field belong to?" Chen Shi pointed to the bald patch.


    "Old Jia Number Four."


    "How should we address you?"


    "I¡¯m also surnamed Jia. Most people in this vige are surnamed Jia. These few people did sign a contract with us in advance to rent the entire vige in order to shoot a music video. All the families with paddies in this area have received money. This Old Jia Number Four really has no sense. He harvested his rice without saying a word."


    "We aren¡¯t here for this. Two local police officers have gone missing here. Have you seen them?"


    "I''ve seen them. One is Little Xu, the other is Little Jia. Little Jia is actually the nephew of Old Jia Number Four. They came because the ferret of this group had been eaten, and they came to mediate."


    "Who ate it?"


    Old Jia admitted with shame. "I did¡­but the ferret wasn¡¯t killed by me. It was killed by two rice harvest collectors. They came to inspect the rice that night and discovered the ferret gnawing the rice. They killed it in passing and borrowed a pot from me. We had just peeled the garlic when this group of people came. They made a huge fuss¡­ It¡¯s just a ferret. I said we¡¯dpensate them with money, but they weren¡¯t happy and insisted on calling the police. Ever since this group of people came, the vige hasn¡¯t had a day of peace, haii!"


    "The rice harvest collectors came to inspect the rice before it was harvested?"


    "Those two masterse every year. They probably didn''t know that someone woulde to film this year and that the harvest would be dyed for a few days."


    "When was thest time you saw the two missing policemen?"


    "On the 17th. I talked to them when they came, and then I went out. When I came back in the afternoon, the police car parked at the entrance of the vige was already gone. I thought they had left. However, that night, other police officers came over and said they hadn¡¯t gone back all day. I was wondering how two big living humans have disappeared just like that. Their car was parked right there¡­" Old Jia pointed in one direction.


    Everyone looked over, and Chen Shi continued to ask, "Were there any outsiders in the vige at the time? Except for these videographers."


    "Those two masters who collect the harvested rice don¡¯t count, right?"


    "They do. Of course they do! Do you have their contact information?"


    "I''ll look for it." As he said this, Old Jia walked into the red brick building of the vigemittee.


    Looking at his back, Chen Shi murmured, "There¡¯s something fishy about this."


    1. Referring to the bars on police uniforms that indicate their rank.


    2. Famous maind Chinese actor.

 Chapter 828: The Missing Civil Police Officers

    <h4>Chapter 828: The Missing Civil Police Officers</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi instructed Xu Xiaodong, "Go to that paddy to see if you can find the rice and keep it as evidence."


    Xu Xiaodong agreed to go, and then Old Jia came back and showed them the address book. There were two rice collectors: One was named Chu Wei and the other was named Luo Chuanlong. Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and called Chu Wei. A voice with a heavy southern ent answered. When faced with the questions, he said, "Yes, yes. Wee to Wangchenggang to collect rice every year. We offer a price that¡¯s a little bit higher than the grain bureau. The farmers are all willing to cooperate with us."


    "Two police officers went missing in Wangchenggang. Do you know about this?"


    "Officer Xu and Officer Jia, right? I¡¯m not very clear about this. These two came to see us that day because of some minor disputes. They left after lunch in the vige. Their disappearance has nothing to do with us."


    "Ask where this batch of rice went." Chen Shi reminded in a low voice.


    "There¡¯s a viger named Old Jia Number Four. You collected the rice from his field, didn''t you?"


    "Uh, yes."


    "We want to see that batch of rice."


    "I''m afraid it''s not very convenient. The rice has already been piled all together in the warehouse. If you really have to have a look, you cane to the warehouse to check it out."


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi and continued to say to the phone, "Could you find the time to take a trip down to Wangchenggang with Luo Chuanlong? We need to ask you guys some questions."


    The other party clicked his tongue reluctantly. "It¡¯s the harvest season. We have to collect grain everywhere. I''m afraid we won''t have the time to spare."


    "Then why don¡¯t wee and look for you instead? Tell us your current location."


    Chu Wei provided the address of a vige and then immediately hung up.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I''m very curious. How do these private purchasers make profits, and to whom do they sell the grain to?"


    "Usually, they have mills that they are cooperating with. Aiya, do they have a license? Could it be that they got into a dispute with the police because they don¡¯t have a license, and then¡­" Old Zhang spected.


    "Without a license, it¡¯s a fine at most. Kidnapping or killing for this kind of thing is a bit too much, right?" Chen Shi said, "Let''s go to the vige to see if there are any clues."


    The police entered the vige and inquired from house to house. The farmers¡¯ ounts were inconsistent, but one point remained the same. The two police officers who came to mediate that day had a simple meal at Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house at noon. Someone saw them walking to the entrance of the vige in the afternoon and driving away in the car.


    ording to these statements, the disappearance should have urred outside the vige.


    However, the key figure, Old Jia Number Four had disappeared. ording to neighbors, Old Jia Number Four had gone to Xi¡¯an early that morning to meet an inte friend. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi thought it was a bit too much of a coincidence, but several neighbors told them the same thing. They said he had met a woman who was divorced and had a child on the inte. They got along quite well and he had been a bachelor for many years, so he went to Xi''an for a blind date while he didn¡¯t have to farm.


    "So before he left, he hurriedly harvested his own fields?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Probably!" the neighbors replied.


    Old Jia, who was apanying them, said indignantly, "Old Jia Number Four is really dishonest. He¡¯s already collected the celebrity¡¯s money and told not to harvest the rice, but he just had to do it. This is why this happened today, haii!"


    "How much was it to rent thend for filming?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Four thousand per household."


    "Is it more than the price for the harvest?"


    "That''s for sure. It¡¯s only around 800 yuan for a mu.[1]"


    Chen Shi''s gaze fell on a single small western-style building with bright tiles on the exterior wall. It stood out among the brick and tile houses. He asked, "This is Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house?"


    "Yes."


    "It seems that he¡¯s quite rich. Doesn''t his household only have a piece of farnd that size?"


    "How much can we earn by farming alone? He sells rice seeds in the town. They are the seeds of the Shennong No. 24 und rice nted in his field."


    "Do other families also grow it?"


    "No, because this Shennong No. 24 is mediocre and the ears are very small. Although the purchase price is a few cents higher, it isn¡¯t much more when total yield ispared."


    Chen Shi thanked Old Jia and he went back to the vigemittee first. Lin Dongxue said, "We should check Old Jia Number Four¡¯s ie."


    "Haha, you have the same ideas as I do. By the way, check the identities of the two rice harvest collectors as well."


    By noon, they had basically visited all the households in the entire vige. Old Jia invited everyone to go to the vigemittee for a simple meal. There were no restaurants and guesthouses there, so the police agreed. Chen Shi said, "Wait, there are still people who we haven¡¯t asked yet."


    "Brother Chen, we have visited every house, and didn¡¯t leave any out."


    "We haven¡¯t asked the people who rented thisnd for filming though? They were the other party in the mediation, and they were in the vige at the time." Chen Shi said.


    "Do we have to go during lunchtime at noon?"


    "They¡¯d be too busy in the afternoon. We¡¯re all in the same vige anyway. We¡¯ll finish asking soon enough. Dongxue, let''s go over."


    The group of people had rented a house at the entrance of the vige. A minivan and a truck for transporting supplies were parked outside. A canopy had also been set up. When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed over, they had finished lunch and were eating watermelon under the canopy.


    Walking under the canopy, the agent, assistant and others cast hostile gazes at them. Chen Shi said, "We aren¡¯t here to steal your watermelon."


    "We won¡¯t invite you to eat watermelon either." The agent responded.


    "I have a question. On the 17th, that is, the day before yesterday, two police officers came to mediate the ferret incident. When was thest time you saw them?"


    "Don''t mention this incident to me. I get angry whenever it¡¯s mentioned. What kind of attitude did those two police officers have? They thought that since we¡¯re from the city and the other party are farmers, we should give in to them. Whoever is poor is in the right? They killed our ferret. Let¡¯s not talk about other things, based on Ang¡¯s bloodline alone, they should pay thousands of yuan inpensation! Later, I found out that the two police officers are rted to the vigers. No wonder they were biased. I was very angry, so I went to the city bureau to report the case. In the end, your captain had a ¡®ignore it if it doesn¡¯t affect me personally¡¯ attitude.¡± The agent got increasingly angry as he recalled the situation.


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t help arguing a little. "The ferret killers weren¡¯t farmers. They were people here to collect the harvested rice. Don''t cast the me on other people."


    "Hmph, in my opinion, they¡¯re all the same. Ang was so cute, but they actually ate it. Was this humane?"


    At that moment, wailing came from the minivan and the assistant whispered, "Stop talking. Sister Xiaoqing is crying again."


    The agent ran over and said through the window, "Don''t be sad. I will definitely give Ang justice."


    He came back and spread out his hands. "Someone must take responsibility for this at the end of the day. If you shield the farmers, then you must pay thepensation!"


    "Did you make a mistake? We¡¯re not here to mediate this matter. We are here to investigate the disappearance of the police officers."


    "I don''t care about this. If I can''t give Ang justice, then I won''t provide any clues¡­" The agent sneered slyly. "I won''t tell you anything. In fact, those two police officers are still in the vige right now!"


    1. Traditional unit of measurement. 0.165 acre.

 Chapter 829: Witnessing The Kidnap of the Police

    <h4>Chapter 829: Witnessing The Kidnap of the Police</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi said, "Do you know what you¡¯re saying? If these two police officers are still in the vige right now, then this is a kidnapping case. Right now, you guys are the only ones in the vige besides the vigers. The vigers have no motive to kidnap the police, but you do!"


    "Nonsense! Where¡¯s your brain?!" The agent raised his eyebrows. "I saw someone dragging those two policemen into a warehouse that day."


    "Which warehouse?"


    "Why should I tell you? You can¡¯t give Ang justice."


    It came back to this question again. Chen Shi sighed and asked, "Okay, how much is the ferret?!" He nned to settle the matter by dipping into his own pocket.


    "Ang has been Xiaoqing¡¯spanion for many years. It''s not a question of money." The agent became increasingly domineering.


    "Usually, when people say ''this is not a problem of money'', it means ''this is not a problem that can be solved by a small amount of money.'' Don''t even think about raising the price. That ferret could only cost over a thousand yuan at most."


    There was a knock on the ss from within the minivan. The agent ran to the minivan¡¯s window and discussed in a low voice with the person inside. Aftering back, his attitude had improved a little. He said, "Our Xiaoqing is magnanimous, she said that we don¡¯t need this money. Thepensation doesn¡¯t matter, but you have to get Ang¡¯s murderers toe over here and apologize."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces. Lin Dongxue said, "Okay, we promise."


    "Aren¡¯t things okay then? Let''s go. I will take you to the scene where I witnessed the kidnapping of those two policemen."


    The agent led the two into the vige, and a cameraman voluntarily followed them, asking Lin Dongxue questions animatedly along the way, but Chen Shi kept interrupting him. As the saying goes, cameramen and photographers are sex-starved maniacs and it seems that there is some truth in it.


    When they arrived at a warehouse built of y bricks, the agent said, "This is it!"


    Chen Shi nced through the crack of the door. It was a tractor warehouse with an old tractor and some misceneous items inside. He asked, "How many people were there? How were they dragged and what was the specific time?"


    "Old Ma, let''s recreate the scene."


    The cameraman stepped forward and pretended to throw a punch. The agent drooped his head to one side correspondingly, and then the cameraman dragged the agent into the warehouse from behind.


    "The second one was about to run when things got grim, but was pressed down by another¡­"


    The agent acted as the second policeman, pretending to escape. The cameraman came out from beside the wall and took something out of his pocket. His hand held something like a knife. Then he dragged the agent back while holding it against the agent¡¯s neck.


    "It was at about 11:00 in the morning. There was no one here."


    "That''s not right!" Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "The vigers said they had lunch at Old Jia Number Four''s."


    The agent asked, "Can you believe what the vigers say? They only know how to protect their own. There were once several young people who went to the countryside to have fun, but they all disappeared en masse. The police searched but the vigers all said that they had never seen these people. A few yearster, one of the girls escaped. She had given birth to two children for a viger. Isn¡¯t that scary?"


    "First of all, let''s not talk about the veracity of your story. Policeman Little Jia is rted to people from the vige. In addition, what motivation do the vigers have to kidnap the police?"


    "How would I know what the motive is? Wouldn''t you know if you catch the perpetrators?"


    "What do the suspects look like?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Like farmers. They looked big and rough. They were definitely not as handsome as me." The agent licked his lips. "I can''t remember that clearly. It''s not like I encounter police kidnappings every day. I was also very scared at the time. I didn''t dare to watch too much."


    "Come here!"


    Chen Shi took the agent to the intersection. From there, you could see the entrance of the vige. Chen Shi said, "Their police car was parked there that day. The vigers said that the two of them drove away at about 3:00 in the afternoon. You should have seen them too."


    "Did you see them, Old Ma?"


    "I did. Two policemen went there and drove the car away that day."


    The agent said, "Then I don''t know what''s going on? You can check it yourself. I only know this much about the situation anyway."


    "One more question: Why did you pass by here at the time?" Chen Shi said.


    "Little Qing said that she wanted to eat Chinese toon mixed with tofu, and asked me to pick some. I didn''t want to ask around, so I wandered around the vige and saw this scene."


    "It''s May right now. Were you able to pick any?"


    "I did. It was really tender, though it tasted a little bitter."


    Chen Shi thought that it was definitely not Chinese toon that he had picked, but judging from his expression, the agent wasn¡¯t lying.


    After the two left, Lin Dongxue said, "Now, there¡¯s a second version. I think it is a good thing. If we ask more, the liar will reveal their mistakes and the truth wille out."


    "Perhaps no one lied. I can''t imagine the vigers or the celebrity team having any motives for kidnapping the police. They probably just saw different sides of the same thing." Chen Shi stared at the locked door of the warehouse and pondered. "The rice harvest collectors are the problematic ones. They kidnapped the police, but the police car had to be disposed of. Thus, they put on police uniforms in the afternoon, let themselves be spotted by the vigers, got into the police car, and drove it away. The local police station would conduct a search after they go missing for two days, so it¡¯s definitely not safe for them to leave the police here. Therefore, they hurriedly collected Old Jia Number Four¡¯s ricest night, hid the police in the rice, and carted them away."


    "Is Old Jia Number Four also an aplice?"


    "Judging from his sudden departure this morning, Old Jia Number Four is likely problematic."


    "Then, the motive¡­"


    "I still can''t figure it out. Maybe my brain would work faster after I''m full."


    "Haha, I''m hungry too. Let''s go!"


    A bunch of police had just eaten at Old Jia¡¯s and left some food for the two of them. Lunch was made up of rice, steamed cured meat and some stir-fried vegetables. Although it was a simple home-style meal, it had the ir of farmhouse cooking, probably because of the pots and stoves used.


    "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve thought cured meat is so delicious." Lin Dongxue said, holding her rice bowl.


    "It''s truly very fragrant!"


    After they finished their meal, Old Zhang settled the food expenses. After all, the vigemittee wasn¡¯t wealthy, so Old Jia epted it after declining for a while.


    Chen Shi said, "We just acquired an eyewitness ount. We¡¯ll search a certain ce this afternoon. By the way, call Old Peng over."


    Xu Xiaodong called and said, "Captain Peng said that he might have toe a littleter."


    Lin Dongxue suggested, "Why don¡¯t we find the harvest collectors first?"


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi told the other police officers about the information he had just found out through questioning. Old Zhang said in surprise, "The agent didn''t call the police when he saw the police being kidnapped? He didn''t mention a word when he went to the city bureau to report the case either. A ferret is more important than human beings, right?!"


    Old Jia who was cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks overheard. "I have to interrupt. At noon that day, I really saw Little Xu and Little Jia eating at Old Jia Number Four''s house. I even greeted them. How could they have been kidnapped at 11:00?"

 Chapter 830: Shennong No.24

    <h4>Chapter 830: Shennong No.24</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When they heard Old Jia saying this, everyone was slightly shocked. Chen Shi asked, "Were the rice harvest collectors here during the day on the 17th?"


    "Yes, they didn''t leave until the rice was harvested on the evening of the 18th."


    "How much is a ton of rice worth? They can''t even earn a hundred yuan from a mu, but they actually stayed for three days?" Chen Shi felt incredulous.


    "I don''t know too much about it either. Maybe it was on their way. They usually finish the collection here and then go on to the next vige to collect every year."


    "They only collect that kind of rice?"


    "No, no, all rice is collected, but perhaps due to the maturity period, they only collect Shennong No. 24 in the first phase and the other rice in the second."


    Chen Shi nced at the other police officers and said, "Let''s investigate as originally nned."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove to the vige where the rice collectors were located, about 50 kilometers away from Wangchenggang. On the way, Chen Shi listened to the radio to relieve his boredom, and Lin Dongxue lowered her seat to take a nap.


    When they finally arrived, Chen Shi saw harvesting in progress. Agricultural machinery was neatly harvesting rice from the rice paddies. The two got out of the car to question the local farmers and learned that the rice harvest collectors had already left. Chen Shi asked, "Where did they go?"


    "They should have gone to Vige X!"


    Looking at the high piles of rice in the open area, Chen Shi asked, "Was the rice they collected Shennong No. 24?"


    "Yes, these two masters only ept this in the first phase, and they ept the other types in the second phase." The answer was exactly the same.


    "How many people in the vige nt Shennong No. 24?"


    "Just a few households."


    "I want to talk to them." Chen Shi handed out some cigarettes as a courtesy. A young guy got up to call them over.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you suspect there is a problem with Shennong No. 24?"


    "I don''t know. There¡¯s still too little information right now¡­ Oh yes, I forgot about this. Tell Xiaodong to take the rice to an expert for testing."


    "I¡¯ll contact him."


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and found that new information had been posted in the chat group. She said, "Old Jia Number Four¡¯s ie has been checked. Look¡­ this ie should be normal. He built the house with money from the inheritance left to him by his father."


    Old Jia Number Four, who also worked part-time in the town, earned about five to six thousand a month. There was really nothing suspicious.


    "In addition, the two rice collectors, Chu Wei and Luo Chuanlong, also have very ordinary personal profiles."


    "Let''s talk about it when we see them in person!"


    Afterwards, an uncle was brought over. He kept moving his head while talking to Chen Shi. Chen Shi thought he was suffering from stroke, but he was actually sneaking nces at Lin Dongxue.


    The uncle had been cultivating Shennong No. 24 for five or six years. Apart from the slightly higher purchase price, there was nothing special about it. In terms of appearance, its rice ears were rtively small, but its leaves were particrlyrge.


    "A few years ago, I saw that the rice ears were growing too small, so I trimmed the leaves, but the people who collected the rice came and asked me why I had cut the leaves, saying they didn¡¯t want it anymore. I had a hard time persuading them to ept it, and they gave me a few hundred less. How annoying! After that, I realized that they collect the whole stalk. It doesn¡¯t matter how small the rice ears are, so I don¡¯t need to worry about it as much when nting this. There¡¯s also no need to constantly fertilize and weed it. Just spray a little pesticide and it can be harvested and sold when the seasones."


    Chen Shi was curious and asked, "We don''t understand this very well. What are rice leaves good for?"


    "I don¡¯t know either, but I heard that there¡¯s a kind of ornamental rice, which is not for eating, but for disy. Or there are ones used for cooking, for example, rice leaves can be used to wrap meat. If they collect it, it must be of some use!"


    "Have the rice harvest collectors always been Chu Wei and Luo Chuanlong? Dongxue, the photos¡­"


    The uncle nced at the ID photos and said, "Yes, it¡¯s always been them!"


    "I have another question. Did they give you any extra benefits or have any special requests while you nted this kind of rice?"


    "No, no, it''s just nting it and collecting it during the harvesting season. It¡¯s all very ordinary."


    Chen Shi noticed that the uncle''s gaze was evasive.


    After the uncle left, Lin Dongxue said, "There¡¯s definitely a problem¡­ Shall we stay in this vige and continue to ask around, or find the rice collectors?"


    "Distinguish the priority. Find the rice collectors first. This vige can''t run away anyway. It''s the same if wee to investigate tomorrow."


    The two rushed to the next vige as fast as they could. The dozens of mus of fields in this vige had already been harvested. Chen Shi saw the tire marks of the truck on the ground and said, "Damn, they¡¯re gone again. Let¡¯s go into the vige and ask!"


    There was a disco in the vige, and the beat of the music came pulsing through the door. There seemed to be a lot of people there, so it was more convenient to inquire about things. Thus, the two walked in.


    Under the dazzling lights, a bunch of young people were dancing. Upon seeing Lin Dongxue frowning, a guy stuck his tongue out, and danced around Lin Dongxue. He breathlessly asked, "Which vige are you from?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her ID and the boy''s eyes suddenly widened. He continued dancing and disappeared into the crowd.


    "It''s too noisy. Let''s go. Why did you want toe in?!" Lin Dongxue was full of regret.


    "Yes, let''s go to the vigemittee!" Chen Shi said.


    When the two went out, they found someone following them. Chen Shi stood still and turned around. The young guy with long hair and a cigarette in his mouth also stopped. He wasn¡¯t tall. He was only around 1.6 meters in height. He and Chen Shi stared at each other. All of a sudden, he grinned, "You guys are finally here. I know what you¡¯re investigating!"


    "What are we investigating?" Chen Shi asked back.


    "Follow me!"


    The two followed him in confusion, walking through the streets and alleys, and finally arrived at a barren hill. The young man pointed in front. "Under the locust tree. Dig it up. Dig it up. He¡¯s been lying there for four years now, waiting for you toe!"


    Then he stretched out his hand, "Where is my reward?"


    The two of them looked nk and didn''t know what he was talking about at all.


    The young man took a shovel from the yard of a nearby residential house, walked under the locust tree and started digging. While digging, he kept giving Lin Dongxue meaningful nces. "Ten thousand or twenty thousand? I have already given you the corpse. It should be at least ten thousand! Aren''t the police from the city always generous? Fuck!"


    The guy lowered his head and looked as if he had seen a ghost. He dropped his shovel and ran. Lin Dongxue walked over suspiciously. Chen Shi asked what was inside, and she replied, "Nothing."


    "Strange guy!"


    There was a sudden scream from the vige. Someone was yelling "Murder." Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other and hurried towards the direction of the voice. They saw a circle of people surrounding the entrance of the disco. They pushed through the crowd and saw the guy from just now copsed on the ground. His throat had been slit and blood was gurgling out, but he was still on hisst breath.


    Chen Shi hurriedly knelt down and pressed on his wound. The young man¡¯s eyes widened. His face became paler as the blood drained from his body. He said with difficulty, "Rice¡­"


    Then he died.

 Chapter 831: The Tip of the Iceberg

    <h4>Chapter 831: The Tip of the Iceberg</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Okay, thank you!"


    After learning about the situation, Chen Shi thanked the uncle whom they were questioning.


    The young man had been confirmed dead, and the body was temporarily taken to his own home. While Old Zhang and the others rushed over, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went separately to question the vigers there about the situation.


    "This young man is called XX. He¡¯s a native of this vige and his upation is farming. However, I found out about an interesting thing. Three years ago, he also nted Shennong No. 24 in his field. One day, a group of people came and pulled out all his rice seedlings. Since then, he¡¯s switched to nting something else. Dongxue, what about your side?"


    "Three years ago? What a coincidence! I was asking people if anyone in the vige has gone missing or died. They said that a fool had disappeared previously. It¡¯s the house opposite us. It also happened three years ago. The most striking characteristic of this fool was that he had a very serious smoking habit. All day long, he¡¯d visit people¡¯s homes with the pipe handed down from his father in his mouth. After his disappearance, officers from the nearby local police station came and searched for him, butter on, nobody asked about him again."


    Looking at the corpse, Chen Shi muttered, "He dug that pit previously to show us a corpse? As a result, he¡¯s now a corpse and the wound is very deep. The ce where he was killed should be an alley nearby. The murderer''s purpose is obviously to silence him."


    Lin Dongxue nced outside. The sky gradually darkened, but there were still many people standing outside watching the drama. As there were no street lights, therge number of gloomy figures made it seem a bit eerie. She whispered, "Is the murderer among the vigers? "


    Chen Shi nodded silently.


    Lin Dongxue asked again, "What did he say to you before he died¡­? ''Rice''?"


    "I don''t know if he was saying ''rice'' or ''fuck''!" Chen Shi shook his head. "What is the secret behind this rice?!"


    It became totally dark, and a line of police cars with ring sirens drove into the vige where the murder had urred.


    There was a shadowy figure squatting under the locust tree by the roadside. He had a cigarette in his mouth while he talked on the phone. He said, "There was a worrisome guy in Xu Vige. Today, he almost exposed to the police what had happened three years ago. Fortunately, Little Long was quick with his knife."


    "Ah Wei, we can''t let the police investigate any further. There¡¯s no secret that can withstand such scrutiny. Once exposed, our business in Long''an will be finished." The voice on the phone was elderly.


    "Boss, we¡¯ve been hiding, doing everything possible to avoid being spotted by the police!"


    "It''s useless just to hide. The more you hide, the more the police will investigate. You must learn how to divert their attention. Xu Wenqiang once said to Ding Li[1], ''The French Concession can only be governed easily when there¡¯s chaos.'' This is the same. Let there be chaos and kill a few more people so that the police have no time to investigate the rice."


    After some silence, the shadowy figure pondered, "Who should we kill? The two policemen we have captured?"


    "No, no, you can''t kill the policemen. That will only escte the situation."


    "Kill the farmers?"


    "The impact won¡¯t be huge enough. Kill people who are of some importance. Oh yes, aren''t there a group of people who went to film in Wangchenggang¡­?" The other party''s hint was already very explicit.


    "Boss, I¡­"


    "Don''t hem and haw. What do you need, money? I''ll transfer some over right away!"


    "I saw your daughter today. She is¡­ very beautiful!"


    "Haha, after all, she has my blood running in her veins!"


    "Back when you sent me to do that thing, I became a wanted person after it was exposed. I hid for a whole year and ate instant noodles every day. Now, whenever I see Master Kong,[2] I¡¯d want to vomit. Later, you asked me to collect rice and I collected it for three years. I said that I wanted to go back to my hometown to get married. You said that you couldn¡¯t do it without me. I worked for another three years. Now, it¡¯s already the ninth year. Boss, I n to go home and get married this year. I really want to go home, get married, and live a warm,fortable life with my wife and children."


    "People who walk the path of the underworld still covet an easy andfortable life? Ah Wei, you¡¯re too naive. When you walk this path, you¡¯re choosing to have blood on your de and to put your life on the line. Even if you get to Xu Wenqiang¡¯s position, you¡¯d still end up being shot dead by someone."


    "Then what¡¯s the point of walking this path?!" He became agitated. "When I started as a small-time gangster, wasn¡¯t it because I didn¡¯t want to suffer, or because I wanted to smoke, drink, and sleep with women? You big brothers make walking this path sound like martyrdom, but isn¡¯t it all for the word ¡®enjoyment¡¯? Take this business as an example. You¡¯re already so rich, but you still want to make money. We risk being shot outside to help you collect rice. Boss, after the rice harvest was collectedst year, didn¡¯t you buy another vi for your mistress? In the end, what did we get¡­"


    "Do you want to die?!?!" The old man''s anger erupted over the phone.


    "I¡¯m¡­ I''m sorry!"


    "Go back to your hometown and get married? Does anyone want to marry you?"


    "No¡­ no. I¡¯ve saved a lot of money from collecting rice over the past few years. Finding a young, beautiful, tender and virtuous woman shouldn¡¯t be a problem."


    "Oh, you really don''t know women. Young and beautiful women are easy to find, but you can''t get anyone tender and virtuous if they¡¯re after you for your money. Be a little more self-aware at your age!"


    "Boss, I mentioned this to you nine years ago."


    "Yes, you mentioned it nine years ago, but you were penniless then and now you have money¡­"


    "But I¡¯m almost dead!"


    "Don''t be so negative. Just do it. If you and Little Long can''t handle it, I will ask Mr. Zhou to assist you. Back then, three police officers were killed for this secret. If this thing really can''t be held back, I wouldn¡¯t mind if we fight to the death. No one can investigate my secret! Behind you is me, Mr. Zhou, and your sworn older and younger brothers. After you finish this sessfully, I will find a good woman for you and let you retire."


    "What if I get caught?"


    "Why are you thinking so much?!" the other party roared, "If you¡¯re caught, you¡¯re caught. You¡¯ll have to pay sooner orter when you walk this path. Hurry up and fucking do the things for me. Stopmenting. I''m your boss, not your mother!"


    ¡®Ka-chik¡¯, the other party hung up.


    He put down the phone dispiritedly and looked towards the vige. The police were investigating the man who died during the day. It seemed that they would be forced to tarry here tonight.


    He dialled another number, "Little Long, help me prepare something."


    At this moment, someone came over with a shlight and shouted, "Who¡¯s there?!"


    Seeing that the situation didn¡¯t bode well, he hurried away.


    The policeman came over, found the cigarette butt on the ground, picked it up and put it into the evidence bag.


    By the roadside, Lin Dongxue asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "There was a guy squatting there furtively. I didn''t know what he was doing. I yelled and he slipped away. This is a cigarette butt I picked up at the scene."


    "Okay, leave it to me!"


    At 11:00 in the evening, Peng Sijue came over from Wangchenggang to examine the corpse. The distances between the various viges were too far, causing the police to run back and forth under great pressure that day.


    In the tractor warehouse in Wangchenggang, Peng Sijue did find traces of struggle. He found fingerprints, some DNA, and a button dropped from a police uniform. Coincidentally, the warehouse belonged to Old Jia Number Four.


    After checking the ID card usage records, Old Jia Number Four turned out not to be in Xi''an at all. He was in a town several hundred kilometers away from Long''an. They had already contacted the local police to go and find him.


    The whole case seemed to have unveiled the tip of the iceberg, but it seemed even more bewildering¡­


    1. As mentioned previously, they¡¯re characters from ¡®The Bund¡¯.


    2. The instant noodle brand.

 Chapter 832: Bloody Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 832: Bloody Wedding</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were sitting in the car with the lights on to help provide illumination for Peng Sijue who was conducting an autopsy outside. In the silent night, the sound of wounds being probed was a bit eerie, but Chen Shi didn¡¯t want to turn on the radio because he was thinking.


    "Rice¡­ Disappearance¡­ Homicide¡­" Chen Shi muttered, "Is there any mystery in the rice?"


    "We¡¯ve both asked each other this many times." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    "Yes, we can''t figure it out ourselves, and it''s impossible for the local police who went to the scene to know. I have re-examined everything, and I think the disappearance has nothing to do with rice."


    "What does it have to do with then?"


    "The rice collectors have been avoiding us, indicating that they don¡¯t want to deal with the police. The policemen''s disappearance may have been an ident and something they resorted to in order to minimize risk. In that case, think about what the local police did and what the local police could have done¡­"


    "Interrogation, mediation, go to Old Jia Number Four''s house for dinner? Ah! Checking their IDs!"


    "Yes, checking their IDs. There¡¯s a problem with the identities of these two people. I still remember the uncle we met in a vige. I asked him if the rice collectors were Chu Wei and Luo Chuanlong and showed him the photos. His expression was a little bit unnatural. The photos he saw may have been different from the actual persons."


    "Hiding in poor viges collecting rice, they may be fugitives from thew. So the rice might actually be okay. It''s the people who are problematic?"


    "No, I think both the rice and the people have issues. Let¡¯s investigate the people first. The rice can¡¯t escape anyway."


    Chen Shi got out of the car and exchanged a few words with Peng Sijue. When he came back, Lin Dongxue asked, "What did Captain Peng say?"


    "Death by a single sh. There are not a lot of dubious points. He ns to go back. Let''s head back to the city as well."


    "Old Zhang and the others are all sleeping in their cars. Let¡¯s stay for the night too!"


    "No, I n to see a rice expert tomorrow."


    "Going back to the city sote, will you still go home? Yueyue should have gone to bed!"


    "We¡¯ll stay overnight at the ce we went tost time!" Chen Shi winked.


    "Haha, snatching a moment of leisure."


    Thus, the two followed Peng Sijue¡¯s car. The vige roads were very quiet. Lin Dongxue wanted to practice driving for a while, so Chen Shi let her sit in the driver''s seat. He himself sat in the passenger seat, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the endless night. In this kind of circumstances, it was easy to think of the past, and the past always brought pain to him.


    Song Lang was a person living in the past, and Chen Shi was a person facing the future. If he didn¡¯t look towards the hopeful future, he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk out of the deep trauma from back then.


    Nobody said anything for the rest of the night.


    Early next morning, the two arrived at a certain university. Xu Xiaodong had arrived early. He was waiting for them while standing at the entrance eating egg pancakes. The three went to visit an agronomy professor. The professor carefully observed the sample that Xu Xiaodong brought with a magnifying ss in theboratory. He said, "This is a rice seed."


    "We know that it¡¯s rice, but is it different from ordinary rice?" Chen Shi said.


    The sample only had a few leaves and stems. The professor said, "It seems that the leaves are a bit different. The direction of these leaf veins¡­ No, this sample has already dried, so I can only tell this much. Do you have the whole nt?"


    "We don''t have the whole nt¡­ Wait, maybe we do!" Chen Shi suddenly remembered.


    "Are you talking about the one in your house?"


    "It might be the same kind. Let¡¯s try it. I''ll get it!"


    After half an hour, Chen Shi hurried back. The professor took the small tin can he had brought with him and studied the rice seedling inside for a long time. He said with certainty, "This rice seed has been improved by humans and is gically modified."


    "I always hear about gic modification. What does it mean?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "To put it simply, it¡¯s tobine the genes of the two kinds of crops so that they haveplementary advantages. In fact, gically modified crops are verymon nowadays. Ourboratory has also done research on this."


    "Are you familiar with the rice seeds on the market?"


    "I know of some."


    "Have you heard of Shennong No. 24?"


    "Shennong No. 24? Whichpany produces it?"


    "We only know the name at the moment."


    "Okay, let me check!"


    The professor checked on the Inte and frowned. "Are you not mistaken? The few domestic seedpanies have never produced this kind of rice seeds. Why don¡¯t you buy these rice seeds and let me have a look?"


    The research couldn''t go on, and the three of them were about to leave. Chen Shi suddenly remembered something and said to Lin Dongxue, "Remember that young girl, Chang Juan? Her parents were researching gically modified crops. They were killed ten years ago!"


    "Ah, right. It wouldn''t be such a coincidence, right?"


    "What was the name? What was the name again? Oh yes, Chang Guoqing. Professor, do you know someone by this name?"


    The professor was surprised. "He was a former student of mine. I just heard what you said about the murder. I was wondering if it could be him and his wife. I didn''t expect it to really be the case."


    "Was the project he was researching about this Shennong No. 24?"


    "Gic modification was indeed the focus of his postgraduate studies. He waster hired to work in a private research institute. If he has participated in a project in this area, there should be some data retained there."


    "There¡¯s a copy of the data in the Public Security Bureau."


    "Then you guys should bring that over. I''ll find the time to have a look!"


    "This matter is very urgent. Please do so as soon as possible."


    The professor smiled bitterly, "Okay, I¡¯ll do it as soon as possible! As soon as there is a result, I will notify you immediately."


    Xu Xiaodong went back to the bureau to retrieve the data. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were going to return to the vige to continue tracking down the rice collectors and the missing police officers. At that moment, they received a call from Old Zhang, asking them to hurry back quickly to Wangchenggang. Something serious had happened.


    With uneasy hearts, the two rushed to Wangchenggang and saw a bunch of people surrounding a ce from a distance, which happened to be the house Feng Xiaoqing''s team had rented.


    Chen Shi pushed through the crowd and entered the house. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness in the house, he saw the agent, videographer, assistant, etc. whom they had conversed with the previous day either sitting or lying down with their throats shed open. What caught the eye the most was a big red ¡°Happiness¡± character painted on the wall using blood. It was crooked and the blood had dripped down the wall, looking particrly horrifying.


    Then there was a wedding dress on the ground, which was already very dirty and had bloody handprints on it.


    "Where¡¯s Feng Xiaoqing?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "She isn¡¯t dead, but she has been sexually assaulted by one of the murderers. Someone passed by here early this morning and saw two people in the house. One of them was sexually assaulting Feng Xiaoqing who was wearing this wedding dress at the time. The witness yelled and rmed the entire vige. The two criminals rushed out in a panic and escaped in a car that had been parked at the entrance of the vige¡­ Oh yes, ording to witnesses, the perpetrator of the sexual assault was even wearing a ck suit."


    "Rape and murder?" Lin Dongxue frowned. "Why did they pick them?"


    "The murderers intended to stage these murders as a wedding." Chen Shi pointed to the four deceased who had corsages on their chests.


    Looking closely, one could even discover some confetti on the ground.

 Chapter 833: Old Jia Number Four’s House

    <h4>Chapter 833: Old Jia Number Four¡¯s House</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Although there were witnesses, the murderers fromst night had their faces covered up so they didn''t know what they looked like. Old Zhang had already called the bureau and was waiting for Peng Sijue toe over and investigate.


    Feng Xiaoqing, who had escaped death, stayed in the minivan and refused to see anyone. Lin Dongxue knocked on the minivan¡¯s window and talked with her for a long time before Feng Xiaoqing agreed to let her enter the minivan. The others waited outside.


    Half an hourter, Lin Dongxue got out of the minivan and said, "Poor girl. She¡¯s terrified. I¡¯ve beenforting her the whole time. She asked us not to make this matter public, or her career would be ruined."


    "Listening to what you said, it seems that there weren¡¯t any clues!" Chen Shi asked.


    "I asked, and she said she couldn''t think of anyone she had offended."


    Chen Shi walked towards the fields. They heard that the filming was no longer going ahead. The farmers who were anxious to harvest had started harvesting after driving over the harvesting machine and tractor early in the morning. He vaguely felt that this case had happened too suddenly, and it seemed that the murderer was diverting the attention of the police force.


    However, if the murders weremitted involving a fairly well-known singer, the murderer should know how much impact this would have, and how much energy the police would put in. Was the thing that the murderer was distracting them from really worth such a great price?


    In the morning, Lin Qiupu and Peng Sijue arrived to investigate. The footprints and fingerprints of the murderers were found at the scene. The murderers were thought to be two men. ording to various clues, it was spected that one was about 40 years old, slightly plump, and about 175cm in height. The other person was around twenty years old, fairly thin, with a height of around 165cm.


    They had applied glue on their hands, so it was impossible to match their fingerprints¡¯ distinctive features with the fingerprint database.


    The four deceased persons showed signs of having been drugged and given anesthetics. The cause of death was due to their throats having been shed. The method was very simr to the murder case in Xu Vige yesterday.


    While the police were investigating, Chen Shi approached Old Jia from the vigemittee and asked, "Right, there is one thing I forgot to ask: Where do the rice collectors stay during their sojourn here?"


    "The vigemittee has an empty room avable. They would spend the night here. Sometimes they also stayed at Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house."


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and retrieved the two¡¯s ID photos. He asked Old Jia to confirm their identities. Old Jia looked at them for a long time before saying, "It''s definitely not them."


    Sure enough, they fraudulently used other people¡¯s ID cards.


    "Do you know their heights and body types?"


    "Chu Wei is a bit fat. The other is of medium build. I don''t know how tall he is. I only remember that the other one is shorter than me."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue secretly exchanged nces. This slightly matched the height and body shapes of the murderers. Chen Shi slyly asked, "How tall is Old Jia Number Four and how much does he weigh?"


    "Uh, he''s also quite thin. A little taller than me?" Old Jia didn¡¯t have a strong impression of it.


    "Doesn''t this coincide with the characteristics of the murderer fromst night?" Chen Shi pretended to be surprised. "Old Jia, we have to go to Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house to search!"


    "That¡¯s impossible, right? How could Old Jia Number Four kill someone? Didn''t he go to Xi''an?"


    "His ID card usage records show that he¡¯s actually still in the outskirts of Long''an."


    "Uh¡­"


    Thus, Old Jia agreed to let them search Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house.


    Chen Shi easily pried open the lock on Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house and walked in with Lin Dongxue. The door opened to a courtyard with some piles of firewood. There was nothing to see in the living room. There was a bedroom on the side. Chen Shi discovered a small, crude table inside with unwashed dishes, wine bottles, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts.


    The tes had all held ready-made pot-stewed dishes that were packed in stic bags. Chen Shi examined the ashtray for a moment and noted, "There are two kinds of cigarettes. Two people have stayed here."


    "It couldn¡¯t have been the two rice collectors, right?"


    Chen Shi swished open the curtains. From here, he could see the ce Feng Xiaoqing had rented. He said, "If they were really the murderers, they must have been herest night. They may have hidden here temporarily and waited untilte at night tomit the crime. "


    "Why did the rice collectors target Feng Xiaoqing? To divert our attention? This diversion method is too crude, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re starting to suspect them now."


    Looking out the window, Chen Shi answered, "They just want to draw our attention away from the rice."


    "It doesn''t matter even if they get drawn in themselves?"


    "Probably!" Chen Shi nodded. "The strangest part of the casest night was that the scene was staged as a wedding. Rape and murder are verymon, but it¡¯s rare that the rape victim was made to dress as a bride and then assaulted."


    "Maybe he has a crush on Feng Xiaoqing."


    "Can you call it a crush when it¡¯s directed towards a star? Call it admiration!"


    "It''s the same thing. It feels as though they were turning the murders into a wedding, as if making a long-cherished wishe true."


    "This shows that the murderers know what these murders mean. They know the price they will pay for them, and they used the murders to satisfy their heart''s desires. They had to achieve their goal no matter what!" Chen Shi paced back and looked at the mess on the table. "But why didn¡¯t they escape? Isn¡¯t it easier to flee? They couldn¡¯t flee. They had a mission that must be aplished, and there¡¯s a group behind them. In a sense, these two people have been thrown out by the group as cannon fodder!"


    "Do you think they¡¯ll continue tomit crimes?"


    "You think so?"


    "This spaciousnd is sparsely popted, and transportation isn¡¯t very convenient. They collect rice here year round and are very familiar with the environment here. If theymit crimes one after another and cause the police to be overwhelmed, we really won''t have the energy to investigate the rice."


    Chen Shi muttered to himself, considering this terrible possibility. Lin Dongxue said, "Of course, it¡¯s just our spection that the murderers are the rice collectors¡­ This consideration is a bit too premature."


    "It can be proved!" Chen Shi pointed to the cups and tes on the table. "If they had been herest night, these are the evidence! Tell Old Peng toe over and search!"


    After calling Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue said, "No matter what, we need to find out about the rice. What is the mystery of the rice? I had a headache thinking about itst night."


    "We¡¯re thinking the same thing. I also think that the rice is the key to solving all these mysteries."


    Lin Dongxue pointed upstairs, "Do you think you can find the rice seeds here? Didn''t Old Jia Number Four market these in the town?"


    "Let¡¯s take a look!"


    Old Jia Number Four usually spent his time on the second floor. As a bachelor, his bedroom was very messy. He slept on a spring mattress thrown onto the floor. The bedsheets and mattress were sweaty and sour-smelling.


    Chen Shi lifted the mattress up for inspection. Only a few smelly socks were underneath it.


    Lin Dongxue found a gun in a drawer by the table. Her first reaction was that it was the gun of one of the missing police officers. After examining it with Chen Shi, she found that it was just a fake gun.


    There was a small notebook under the gun and Chen Shi opened it. It seemed to be a ledger with the year and some numbers written in it.


    Chen Shi counted from top to bottom. "There is a grid with twelve squares on each page, with a + sign behind the first number of each square. Is this his ie?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "After some calction, the monthly ie of five or six thousand is consistent with his average monthly ie¡­ Strange. Why was there suddenly arge amount of ie at the end of the year?"


    "It¡¯s the same every year! Ever since 2010¡­" Chen Shi''s eyes narrowed. "I remember he started nting this kind of rice in 2010!"

 Chapter 834: Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 834: Breakthrough</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Aftering out of Old Jia Number Four¡¯s house, the two returned to the scene of the crime. Lin Qiupu was talking to a man in a suit. The man in the suit was agitated and gestured fervently. When she approached, Lin Dongxue heard him say: "You police must hand over all the clues you have at present. It¡¯s up to us to decide which ones will be made public media-wise."


    "Sir, I understand your feelings, but if you do this now, it will only hinder our work in solving the case."


    With this parting sentence, Lin Qiupu left the man and went up to Lin Dongxue. He said, "He was sent by that female singer¡¯spany and made a bunch of unreasonable requests, haii!"


    At that moment, the man in the suit was on the phone. His eyes kept staring at Lin Qiupu, as if he was going to take revenge on him.


    Lin Qiupu said, "The victim in this case is too special. The bureau will definitely pay special attention to it. We probably won¡¯t be able to rest for the next two days."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Brother, Old Chen and I think the murderers are the rice collectors. They want to use the female singer to divert attention."


    "You two are specting again?"


    "I have evidence, and I will get Old Peng to go and check itter." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Qiupu nodded. "You can investigate however you wish. As long as it is within the scope of my authority, you still have this bit of freedom. As long as the case is solved, everything will be settled easily."


    "Can I borrow some staff?" Chen Shi said, "I have an idea. If I can find all the rice collectors in these viges here, I can definitely get a lot of information from them. I suspect these rice farmers and collectors have been engaging in some kind of secret transaction."


    "Don''t even think about this. The people in the team are already tense enough, and people from the nearby police station are also rushing over¡­ not to mention that this person even came to the scene in order to ''supervise the battle'' himself!" Lin Qiupu secretly pointed to the man in the suit.


    "Okay, we will investigate it ourselves!" Chen Shi sighed, "By the way, if it¡¯s convenient, can you bring the equipment that tracks phone signals over? The rice collectors have been hiding so we can only use technical means. "


    "I¡¯ll contact the bureau."


    Lin Qiupu went back to the scene, and Lin Dongxue asked, "What are we going to investigate now?"


    "Let¡¯s find Old Jia Number Four!" Chen Shi said decisively.


    ording to the ID card usage records, Old Jia Number Four was currently in a motel in a certain county town, and the two hurriedly drove there directly.


    It took over three hours to get there from Wangchenggang. Although it was already 1:00 in the afternoon, the two of them weren¡¯t in the mood to eat and went straight to the motel. Old Jia Number Four hadn¡¯t checked out yet and they found the room he had booked from the front desk.


    The motel employee opened the door with a key. There was no one in the room, but the quilt on the bed hadn¡¯t been folded and there was luggage on the floor. He should still be nearby.


    "Excuse me, we¡¯ll wait here for a while!" Chen Shi said to the motel employee and he left first.


    The room wasn¡¯t big. Chen Shi saw that there were some small cards of that kind on the floor. A pirated book that was worn out from being read too many times had been flung onto the bedside cab. There was a trash bag hanging next to it with a lot of snack wrappers inside. Old Jia Number Four had been hiding here for two days so he was most likely very bored.


    As he was so obedient to the rice collectors, there was obviously a mutually beneficial rtionship between the two parties. That was why Chen Shi thought that it wasn¡¯t ordinary rice at all. Either there was a problem with the rice itself, or the rice harvesting was being used as a cover for conducting some kind of transaction that couldn¡¯t be exposed.


    With a click, Lin Dongxue opened the suitcase on the ground, and Chen Shi asked, "You¡¯re so eager to search before he evenes back?"


    "It¡¯s boring to be waiting here!"


    There were clothes in the suitcase, but there was also a bag of seeds at the bottom with "Shennong No. 24" written on it. A little girl holding rice seeds had been printed on the red cover. The image had been poorly-cropped, and there were a few small bags of rice seeds inside. It seemed quite ordinary.


    The rice seeds they had been looking for had appeared in front of them so easily. Both of them were a little surprised. Chen Shi took a bag and examined it in his hand. He took out his mobile phone to check the information on it, and said, "The production nt¡¯s address is fake. There¡¯s no suchpany at all."


    "What''s the secret behind this thing?" Lin Dongxue sighed again.


    There were footsteps outside the door. Chen Shi signalled with his eyes and Lin Dongxue hurriedly closed the suitcase. The person outside opened the door with a key and the two walked to the side of the door. Sure enough, it was Old Jia Number Four who came in when the door opened. Seeing people in the room, his first reaction was to run away, Lin Dongxue shouted, "Stop right there! Police!"


    Old Jia Number Four stopped as if he had been paralyzed, and slowly turned around, with a smile on his face, "Why are you looking for me?"


    "Why did you run? Who did you think we were?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No¡­ I didn''t think about who you were. Isn''t it normal to run when you see strangers? Police Officer, do you smoke?" Old Jia Number Four took out a pack of cigarettes that he was carrying.


    "No thanks." Chen Shi took out his phone and showed Old Jia Number Four two photos, "Do you know them?"


    "Uh¡­"


    "Chu Wei and Luo Chuanlong. Do you know them?"


    "Oh, oh, oh!" He suddenly realized. "The two masters who collect harvested rice. I know them."


    "You know them but you couldn¡¯t recognize them?"


    "What?!"


    "I just showed you some random photos. When I said their names, you recognized them immediately though?"


    "I know them but we only meet once a year. How can I remember what they look like?!" Old Jia Number Four quibbled, and dense beads of cold sweat began to appear on his forehead.


    "Let¡¯s go back to the room and talk!"


    Old Jia Number Four didn¡¯t dare to refuse, and stiffly followed the two of them into the room. After entering the room, Chen Shi closed the door as well as the windows. This atmosphere made Old Jia Number Four even more nervous and he asked, "Why are you looking for me? I didn''t do anything!"


    "Then what are you doing here? Why did you run away after harvesting the rice, and tell the vigers that you went to Xi''an?" Chen Shi stared at him.


    Old Jia Number Four kept licking his lips nervously. He looked at Lin Dongxue, smiled, and said, "I came to take care of some personal affairs, taking advantage of the farming off-peak season!"


    "What personal affairs?"


    "Blind date¡­ blind date."


    "Who is the other party on the blind date? Call her here for verification."


    Old Jia Number Four became even more panicked, and Chen Shi said, "It''s useless for you to lie in front of us. No matter what you say, we will verify it."


    "No, I didn''t do anything. What on earth do you guys want to ask?!"


    "On the 17th, two local police officers came to your vige to mediate a trivial matter. Do you have any impression of that?"


    Old Jia Number Four silently nodded, seeming to realize what Chen Shi was about to ask.


    "They¡¯re missing. We found what was on them in your tractor warehouse. How do you exin that?"


    "I don''t know how they disappeared. My warehouse usually has its doors open, and nobody steals the tractor, so it¡¯s only locked at night before bed."


    "One of the policemen is surnamed Jia and he¡¯s rted to you. You invited them to lunch that day."


    "Yeah, I saw Little Jia and his partner hade to perform official duties that day, and told them toe in for a simple meal. Is there something wrong with that?"


    "Inviting them for a meal is fine. Did you drag them to the warehouse after the meal? How did you handle the two police officers by yourself? Or did you add drugs to their meal?"


    "No, no, no, I didn''t¡­" Under Chen Shi''s forceful questioning, Old Jia Number Four was already in a state of extreme panic.


    "If you have nothing to do with their disappearance, why did you hide? Did someone tell you to hide?"


    Chen Shi had carefully considered this issue. In fact, Old Jia Number Four had no need to hide, unless this guy was very cowardly and would spill the beans in front of the police. If this was the case, he was the best breakthrough point.


    The response Old Jia Number Four exhibited proved that he was indeed not a tough guy.


    In order to make a breakthrough, Chen Shi kicked over a thermos and it made a loud noise. Old Jia Number Four trembled in fright. His shirt was already soaked in cold sweat.


    "Who made you hide?!" Chen Shi snarled.


    "Th- they told me to hide!"


    "Who are ¡®they¡¯?"


    "The masters who collect rice¡­" Old Jia Number Four lowered his head.

 Chapter 835: Rice Planting Benefits

    <h4>Chapter 835: Rice nting Benefits</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When the truth came out, Old Jia Number Four knew that it would be hard to retract, so he sat down dejectedly and asked, "Can I smoke a cigarette?"


    "Go ahead." Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue went to open the window. Old Jia Number Four lit a cigarette and his fingers kept shaking the whole time. He said, "The signal in our vige isn¡¯t good and it cuts out intermittently. Little Jia wanted to borrow my phone that day because I had installed the inte at home and was given andline¡­"


    Chen Shi raised his eyebrows. Although confused, he didn¡¯t interrupt his narration.


    "I told them to start eating first. When I went to the kitchen (my kitchen faces the street), the rice collector surnamed Chu told me through the window that I needed to keep the two policemen here. He gave me a bag of powder¡­ No, he put it into the pot himself!"


    "We''ll follow up on these details. You only need to tell the truth right now." Chen Shi said calmly.


    Old Jia Number Four looked like he was about to cry. "How many years will I be sentenced for drugging the police?"


    "If they had forced you, you¡¯ll have a lighter sentence, but if you lie now, you will only worsen your crime."


    Chen Shi''s wordsid out a clear path for Old Jia Number Four to follow, and he repeatedly nodded and said, "Yes, it was Chu Wei who forced me. I told him that this kind of thing is illegal, but he forced me to drug the meal¡­ After eating, Little Xu and Little Jia passed out. It was noon then - the sun was hot, and there was nobody outside. The two rice collectors came in and dragged the police into the warehouse without a word, then they locked the door."


    "You just watched this happen?"


    "No. I sat in the house and smoked."


    "How could you do such a thing? Officer Jia is your nephew!" Lin Dongxue couldn''t help using him.


    Old Jia Number Four scratched his face in embarrassment. Chen Shi asked, "What happened afterwards?"


    "After they finished, Chu Wei gave me a red envelope¡­"


    "How much was in it?"


    "Four thousand. He said that he would give me another mary reward afterwards as long as I don¡¯t tell anyone. I was afraid, but I really didn¡¯t dare to offend them. In the afternoon, they went into the warehouse for a while and came out wearing police clothes. They walked all the way to the entrance of the vige and drove the car away."


    "Where''s the car?"


    "I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s all wastnd nearby. Who knows where they left the car? They came back at night and asked me to harvest the rice directly, saying that they would help me. We spent the whole night harvesting all the rice in my fields. When we were piling it onto the wagon did I discover that the two policemen had been tied up like zongzi and thrown into the wagon. At the time, the effect of the drugs had already worn off. They opened their eyes and whimpered at me. Chu Wei patted me on the shoulder and gave me a look to signal for me to mind my own business. They put the rice over the policemen and drove them away."


    "Where did they go?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "Then why are they kidnapping the police?"


    "How would I dare to ask?! You haven''t met Chu Wei. He doesn''t like to talk. He has a long scar on his face which drags up the corner of his mouth whenever he smiles, making him look particrly ruthless. That Little Long usually likes to tell dirty stories and seems likable but his arms are all tattooed. Chu Wei told me that Little Long has murdered people before." Old Jia Number Four had stopped covering up the truth, and simply spilled all that he knew in one breath.


    "Shennong No. 24. You¡¯re familiar with this, right?"


    Hearing the name, Old Jia Number Four smiled, "Familiar. I¡¯m too familiar with it."


    "They were the ones who told you to grow this kind of rice?"


    "In the beginning, it was Uncle Wang from the vige. Uncle Wang was not a native of the vige. He had been sentenced for stealing cables before. The vige didn''t like him very much and he normally only chatted a little with me. He came to my house to drink that winter and told me that one could make a lot of money from growing this type of rice. I asked how much it could be worth. A few hundred yuan more at most. I was only in my early twenties back then and I had very high ambitions. I really didn¡¯t want to bend over and work thend for the rest of my life. I wanted to go to the city to forge a career for myself. Uncle Wang said, ¡®You¡¯d understand when you nt it!¡¯"


    Old Jia Number Four lit up another cigarette. After taking a drag on the cigarette, he exhaled deeply. "The next year, I decided to just give it a try and nted it. There¡¯s not much to say about this; It¡¯s just nting, seeding, weeding, irrigating¡­ When it was harvest season in May, these two rice collectors came and looked at my rice. They said they¡¯ll take it all. One catty was 1.6 yuan, which was a little bit higher than other types of rice. They told me to nt it again in autumn, but to be careful and protect the leaves. When harvesting, I had to hire people to reap it by hand instead of using a machine. I earned just a few more hundred yuan that year. I went to look for Uncle Wang and he told me mysteriously that good things were yet toe!"


    "Afterwards, when New Year came, Uncle Wang asked me to go to the county town, and we went to the best restaurant in the local area. The table was full of people I didn¡¯t know. We ate big crabs, smoked Zhonghua cigarettes, and drank Moutai. Although it was great, I wondered who was treating and whether it was a happy event or a funeral. Everyone just ate in silence and didn''t say anything. After we finished eating, Uncle Wang took me to another ce again¡­ That kind of ce. Two young and tender girls came, and theirplexions were particrly fair. Uncle Wang asked me to choose. I chose the younger one. Uncle Wang said that the older one had more experience. I thought it was Uncle Wang¡¯s treat, so I picked the older one, yielding the younger one to him. That was my first time and it was such bliss¡­"


    "Ahem!"


    "Okay, I won''t go into details." Old Jia Number Four recalled this part with a satisfied smile. "The two of us spent two days in the county town, eating and visiting prostitutes. We were very happy. When we were done, the two collectors gave us two thick and big envelopes, telling us to grow rice well in the new year. ¡®We¡¯re a team and we¡¯ll organize this team building event at the end of each year.¡¯ The envelope contained 50,000 yuan, which was more than my harvest ie that year. Despite the happiness in my heart, I was also a little puzzled. What kind of rice would be worth this much money? I asked Uncle Wang, but he told me not to ask anything and to just grow the rice well! It¡¯s been seven or eight years. At the end of every year, the two masters would phone me and invite me to go to the county town to eat, drink and have fun for two days. Then they would give me a red envelope. The rice farmers from several other viges would be treated the same way."


    "Why didn''t you ask the other vigers to participate in such a good thing?" Chen Shi asked. "By the way, aren''t you selling rice seeds part-time? To whom?"


    "Selling my ass. I just said that to prevent others from seeing that I had made money. I have also asked these two masters before if I could invite more people to nt them so that everyone could make money together, but they said I couldn¡¯t. Rice farmers had to pass a background check. Two conditions needed to be met. The first was that they had to be single, and the second was that they needed to be tight-lipped. They repeatedly said that we were a team and that we had to have team spirit instead of going it alone."


    "Don''t you think it¡¯s weird? Ordinary rice isn¡¯t worth this much money."


    "Of course I found it strange, but I didn¡¯t dare to ask. If I had asked, I might have ended up like Uncle Wang¡­"


    "What happened to Uncle Wang?"


    After a moment of silence, Old Jia Number Four replied with a shiver. "He died!"

 Chapter 836: Parents’ Death

    <h4>Chapter 836: Parents¡¯ Death</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "How did Uncle Wang die?" Chen Shi asked.


    "One year, Uncle Wang was building a loft on top of his original small building. At that time, Uncle Wang had just paid off all his debts. I asked him where the money for building hade from. He smiled and said that he had borrowed it, but it didn¡¯t matter, since he will have the money soon. The two rice collectors came that evening and entered Uncle Wang¡¯s house. I saw the three of them standing on the unroofed top of the building talking. I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. Anyway, Uncle Wang got more agitated as he talked. When I was sleepingter, I heard a loud bang. I thought that someone¡¯s cured pork had been blown down by the wind. However, early the next morning, the vigers found that Uncle Wang had fallen to his death from the upstairs of his own house and the door was locked from the inside. The police came to investigate. It was determined to be suicide, and it was discovered as well that Uncle Wang had drunk a lot of alcohol. The case just ended this way. However, I¡¯ve been anxious ever since. When harvesting rice that year, I asked the rice collectors in a roundabout manner about how Uncle Wang had died. That Chu Wei patted my neck and smiled at me. ¡®Don''t ask things you shouldn''t ask about. Otherwise, you might identally fall downstairs someday as well.¡¯"


    "Uncle Wang found out about their secret, used it to ckmail them and got himself killed instead?" Chen Shi spected.


    "I also thought this way at the time. Thinking about it is one thing, but I absolutely didn''t dare to say it out loud. I¡¯m a cowardly person and didn''t dare to provoke them¡­ In fact, Uncle Wang wasn¡¯t the only rice farmer who withdrew halfway. At one of the team building events, I found that an uncle with a brandy nose who hade year after year hadn¡¯te that year. I asked about it casually, and the people from his vige shook their heads desperately and told me not to mention it."


    "You were so afraid, but you still dealt with them?"


    Old Jia Number Four lowered his head in shame. "Haii, I earned that fifty thousand in the first year, and another fifty thousand in the second year. If I couldn¡¯t earn that sum in the third year, I didn''t know how I could survive that year¡­ You won''t arrest me, right?"


    "What did you do that is worthy of arrest?"


    Upon hearing this, Old Jia Number Four breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, thank you Officer."


    "Don''t be happy too early. Whether your actions are considered failure to report intelligence that you knew and shielding criminals or not depends on your attitude towards cooperating with us. Just stay here obediently, give us your contact information and wait for us to figure out the case. When we need you to testify, you wille and testify. Don¡¯t conceal anything, just like today."


    "Of course!"


    "By the way, I have another question. Do you know where the rice farmers live?"


    Old Jia Number Four shook his head. "They¡¯re very mysterious and never reveal anything about their affairs. I¡¯m still not sure if they are men¡­ Ah, I mean that they won''t even go to the bathroom in front of me."


    "Okay, I understand."


    Leaving the motel, Chen Shi suddenly looked into the distance and said, "Damn". Lin Dongxue asked what was wrong. Chen Shi replied, "I''m starving!"


    The two found a restaurant and ordered some local specialties. Restaurants in small towns were often one of two extremes. They either had very delicious or very unptable food. Today, they were lucky. The restaurant they found had food that tasted pretty good.


    "We''ve finally made some progress. Where should we go this afternoon? Back to Wangchenggang?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Is what I want ready?"


    Lin Dongxue took out her phone and called Lin Qiupu while she was eating. After exchanging a few words, she said, "My brother said that the mobile phone signals of the rice collectors couldn¡¯t be tracked. We don''t need to go back to Wangchenggang. The team has already gotten ready to leave."


    "Haii, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be so easy. There are no security cameras in these ces, so we can only check using the most primitive means."


    "The good news is that the murderers left behind DNA, and there¡¯ll be results tomorrow at thetest. If they have criminal records, we will be able to confirm their identities."


    "Then we¡¯ll go back as well after we¡¯ve eaten. It¡¯ll probably be dark by the time we return to Long''an from here."


    "Spending six hours a day on the road, this case is really difficult to investigate." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    After dinner, the two rushed back to the city. Lin Dongxue took the opportunity to practice driving again so Chen Shi was able to take a nap in the passenger seat. In the May afternoon, the re of the sun shining through the windshield was very hard on the eyes, and Chen Shi woke up from a nightmare. Lin Dongxue, who was concentrating on driving, asked him what he had dreamed of. Chen Shi said, "I dreamed that something happened to Yueyue. Fortunately, it was just a dream. It scared me."


    "Haha, it means that the person you care about the most right now is her. How long have you not dreamed of me?"


    "Dreams originate from anxiety. I have nothing to worry about with you, so I won''t dream of you."


    "Cunning exnation! We''re almost there."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang, but she couldn''t spare a hand to answer. Chen Shi pressed the speakerphone button for her. Lin Qiupu asked over the phone, "Have you guys returned to the city?"


    "We¡¯ll be there in twenty minutes."


    "Come back to the bureau!"


    He hung up after he said this. Although Lin Qiupu has always been very serious, he rarely spoke to Lin Dongxue in such a grave tone. She couldn''t help but wonder what was so important. Could it be that she had done something wrong recently?


    "Do I need to go?" Chen Shi said.


    "Up to you."


    At this time, Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone rang. It turned out that the agronomy professor was the one calling. He put it on speaker mode. The professor said, "Mr. Chen¡­ I¡¯ve read these documents, and also performed several routine tests on the rice. There¡¯s¡­ There''s no problem. It¡¯s just ordinary rice."


    "Didn¡¯t you say it was gically modified?"


    "Ah, it¡¯s just ordinary gically modified rice."


    "Where are you now? The university? At home?"


    "Don''te and look for me!"


    The call was cut off.


    Chen Shi held his cell phone suspiciously, and said, "Is he being threatened?"


    "We only looked for him in the morning, and someone threatened him in the afternoon. Isn¡¯t that too fast?"


    "If things are really like this, it means that someone has been following us."


    Lin Dongxue nced at the rearview mirror, and Chen Shi said, "Go back to the bureau and then locate the professor''s cell phone signal. I¡¯ll go and find him."


    "Okay!"


    Thus the two operated separately. Lin Dongxue returned to the bureau. After settling the matter, she went straight to see Lin Qiupu.


    Lin Qiupu was sitting in his office, tapping on the table and frowning. Seeing Lin Dongxuee in, he told her to close the door, and asked, "Do you still remember how Mom and Dad died?"


    Lin Dongxue raised her eyebrows slightly. Lin Qiupu never mentioned this topic. She said, "A car ident."


    "Yes, it was a car ident. A truck transporting cement pipes hadn¡¯t been bolted properly. Several tons of cement pipes rolled down from the side and crushed the car they were riding in. The bodies of the two were totally unrecognizable¡­" Lin Qiupu recalled this gloomily. That incident had a tremendous impact on him. At that time, he was about to enter junior high but Lin Dongxue was only seven years old, so her impression of it had long since been blurred.


    "Why are you mentioning this suddenly?"


    Lin Qiupu flung over a document with detailed information on a wanted criminal on the loose. Lin Dongxue looked carefully and saw that one of the columns stated that he was involved in the idental death of a couple whose names happened to be that of Lin Dongxue''s parents.


    In addition to this incident, this person had also murdered other people. When he caused the car ident, he was already guilty of murder.


    "The results of the DNA matching came out. He¡¯s one of the rice collectors we¡¯re looking for. What shocked me was not that he was actually the one who caused the deaths of our parents, but that he¡¯s a habitual offender. Our parents¡¯ death may have been murder!"

 Chapter 837: Uncovering The Secret

    <h4>Chapter 837: Uncovering The Secret</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Dongxue picked up the piece of paper in disbelief. "But our parents were just¡­"


    "I know. They were just ordinary people. Why would someone fake an ident and murder them? I want to know that more than you do!" Lin Qiupu exhaled. "Let¡¯s stop overthinking it. We will continue to investigate the case at hand. When this guy is arrested, the truth will naturally surface. I called you here because I felt that you have the right to know. That''s all."


    Lin Dongxue lowered her head and said nothing. Lin Qiupu asked, "Are you feeling sad?"


    "No. Brother, why don''t I feel anything at all when ites to my parents? It''s like we¡¯re talking about other people. I feel so ashamed."


    "You were young then. Of course you have no impressions of them."


    Lin Dongxue wanted to say something but hesitated, so she took her leave.


    At the same time, Chen Shi knocked on the door of the professor''s house. The professor, who was sitting paralyzed on the sofa was startled. After he saw who hade past the door chain, he opened the door.


    "How did you find me here?" the professor asked in surprise.


    "What can¡¯t the police find out?" Chen Shi looked around. The living room was clean and tidy, but there was a faint weird smell. "You just said on the phone that it was ordinary rice?"


    "Correct."


    Chen Shi observed the professor''s expression and noticed that his expression was quite unnatural. Chen Shi''s eyes fell on the table where an envelopey under the tea cup. He reached for it, and the professor said hurriedly. "Don''t touch it!"


    The envelope was still swiftly picked up by Chen Shi. There was only a photograph of a boy in the envelope. Chen Shi nced at it and asked, "Your son?"


    "Wuu¡­"[1]


    "Someone must have just been here. He was right there when you called? Your tone over the phone was different from your tone in the morning!"


    "Haii, no wonder you are a police consultant." The professor walked to the window and took a look. "Could you arrange for someone to pick up my son from school and bring him here? No, bring him to a safe ce."


    Sure enough, someone was threatening him. It was really despicable of them. Chen Shi immediately called and asked Xu Xiaodong to perform this task.


    The two of them sat in the house without saying a word. Chen Shi heard the sound of the microwave oven. It seemed as if something was being baked, but it didn''t smell like food.


    "How many people were here just now?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Don''t¡­ don''t ask. As long as my son is safe, I can tell you."


    "You can call the police for this kind of thing. No matter how savage they are, they won''t dare to cause trouble in front of the police."


    "You still have the face to talk about this?! I was living a good life. If you hadn¡¯te to me with the rice in the morning, these things wouldn¡¯t have happened today. My blood pressure hasn''t even lowered yet, haii¡­" The professor took out a blood pressure lowering medicine and popped two pills into his mouth.


    Chen Shi shrugged and stopped talking.


    After a while, Xu Xiaodong called and said that the professor¡¯s son was safe. The professor breathed a sigh of relief. He walked into the kitchen and came out with a y smoking pipe in his hand. He sat down on the sofa and lit it up. Then he took a puff and his brows rxed. He said, "Sure enough!"


    "What''s going on?"


    "That test data only recorded the process but not the results. I had a conjecture, but I can''t use theboratory equipment right now. I can only test it out in the most direct way¡­ Do you know what I¡¯m smoking?"


    "I don¡¯t."


    "The rice leaves you brought this morning. I dried them in the microwave¡­" The professor took another puff. "Have a puff."


    "I don''t smoke." Chen Shi had already vaguely guessed something.


    "This isn¡¯t nicotine. It''s marijuana!" The professor lowered his voice mysteriously. "I have never even dreamed of such a thing. Someone used gic modification technology to create a new type of marijuana that looks like rice. That person was even my student."


    "I don''t understand this. Is it possible in theory? The genes of rice and the genes of marijuana, what is it called, integrated together?"


    "Did I say that it was the genes of rice? This isn¡¯t rice at all. It is a type of little-known South Americantle. My student has rbined the genes of the two nts together. I don¡¯t know how many experiments have been performed, but this new crop that resembles rice was produced. However, it¡¯s essentially marijuana - a drug!" The professor took another big puff from the pipe and exhaled the smelly smoke.


    "Actually, gic modification technology has also been applied to animals, but so far there have been no decent results. Theboratory has produced deformities that cannot survive at all. Some foreign scientists im that new life has been created using gic modification technology but it''s actually just a type of virus. It can¡¯t even be considered an animal."


    "However, gically modified nts are already well-known. Even the aunties who sell vegetables in supermarkets all know what gically modified soybeans and gically modified cucumbers are. That¡¯s because nt genes have a kind of self-improvement nature. They will repair the unreasonable gene fragments that have been edited by humans, creating new species characteristics¡­" The professor took another puff. "The genes of the two nts A and B are rbined. Ten thousand experiments may produce over nine thousand new types of nts. There may be particrly sweet watermelons, particrlyrge corn, etc. This thing was created after an extremelyrge number of experiments. I don¡¯t know if I should call it a cancerous tumor or a lucky ident."


    The professor sighed. "Science brings us new technologies, and it also brings new hidden dangers. There are always people harbouring evil intentions who use new technologies tomit crimes. Mr. Chen, this is probably a historical moment. A gically modified drug has been born in Long''an!"


    "I want to ask what your student Chang Guoqing was like."


    The professor was still smoking his pipe. As there were too few leaves, he had already finished smoking them. He regretfully knocked the pipe on the table. "My impression of Chang Guoqing is that he was a very clever young man. His girlfriend Mo Jingya, whoter became his wife, had met him when they were in graduate school. They were together every day, and they were also good partners in scientific research. To be honest, I really don¡¯t believe Chang Guoqing would do this kind of thing unless¡­ unless someone gave him a lot of money."


    Chen Shi said, "The criminals pped their heads and said, ¡®I want to create a gically modified drug. It needs to look like rice but actually be marijuana. Then we¡¯ll find the best relevant people to develop it.¡¯? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. No matter how many experiments and failures there were, I think it must have been a coincidence for this to have been created in the beginning. Then your students sold it to people who ''needed'' it¡­ We¡¯ll investigate this carefully. The most important piece of the puzzle has been solved. Thank you, professor. By the way, you will have toe when we need a witness in court."


    "As long as the safety of me and my family can be guaranteed¡­" The professor took out a box of shredded tobo and stuffed it into the pipe.


    After leaving the professor''s house, Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue and told them not to get off work yet as he¡¯d head over immediately. He had important things to say.


    Looking at the evening sky, Chen Shi thought that this secret that had been hidden for a decade had been revealed, and the gang that worked hard to operate all of this couldn¡¯t possibly let it go at that!


    1. Crying noise.

 Chapter 838: Secret Connections

    <h4>Chapter 838: Secret Connections</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    In the conference room, after listening to Chen Shi¡¯s findings, everyone was surprised.


    "That kind of rice is actually marijuana?"


    "How bold of them. They brazenly nted drugs for a decade! Who knows how many people have been harmed during this time."


    "I¡¯m afraid that aplete ck industrial chain behind this has been formed long ago. This isn¡¯t a matter of one or two criminals, but an entire criminal syndicate."


    Lin Qiupu asked, "Do you have clear evidence? Did the professor produce aboratory report or something?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "No, but this clue is absolutely credible. In fact, I thought that this definitely wasn¡¯t rice a long time ago because this thing caused the disappearance of the police officers and the murder of the vigers. The truth is actually beyond what I had thought."


    After a moment of silence, Xu Xiaodong muttered, "Therefore, it can be said that gically modified things are harmful."


    "What are you talking about?!" Lin Qiupu red at him.


    "Uh, I wanted to say that since they¡¯re nting drugs, why don''t they just nt poppies? Won¡¯t they earn even more? Marijuana doesn¡¯t count as an expensive drug, right?"


    Chen Shi said, "I¡¯m guessing this thing was created in theboratory by ident. In addition, marijuana has an advantage over poppies. It doesn''t need to be processed at all. It can be smoked after cutting it off and rolling it up. The processing of poppies is troublesome. They would need a workshop, professional drug-making equipment, and of course there are climate-rted reasons."


    "I¡¯ve never understood one thing: Isn¡¯t this drug cannabis and weaving hemp the same thing?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s one and the same, but the ancient Chinese used it to weave cloth, and foreigners used it for smoking. Huatuo''s Chinese anesthesia drug, Mafeishan, was extracted from cannabis. Ever since this nt was dered a drug by the United Nations, the country has no longer allowed its private cultivation." Old Zhang said, "A few years ago, a man in Long''angrew marijuana at home. Didn¡¯t it make the news? This nt is actually easily grown, and those overseas call it a drug for the poor."


    Lin Qiupu said, "No matter how poor the people are, this gang can get several times or even ten times the profit. I will tell the third team about this tonight. The third team will definitely send people to assist us. Of course, we still have toe up with practical evidence rather than just pure spection. Xiaodong, go find a few relevant experts tomorrow, and go to Wangchenggang to investigate it thoroughly. Don¡¯t we have the seeds in our possession right now? By the way, the roots should still be in the ground. All of this is proof!"


    Chen Shi said, "This might tip them off. We went to look for the agronomy professor in the morning and were discovered by the gang. If a group of policemen goes to dig up the ground, they would definitely notice. Be a bit more cautious. You can secretly bring back some roots for testing under the guide of investigating the case tomorrow."


    "Let''s do that then!" Lin Qiupu nodded, "Rest early tonight. There are still many things to do tomorrow."


    After the meeting adjourned, Chen Shi didn¡¯t leave. He said to Lin Dongxue, "Let''s go to the archives room."


    When they got to the archives room, he picked up some files. Chen Shi said, "I¡¯m going to look at some old cases. If you¡¯re hungry, head back first. I don''t know when I¡¯ll be finished!"


    "Why are you acting like a stranger? I''ll stay with you."


    "I told you to go back precisely because we¡¯re not strangers¡­ Your brother told you toe back previously. What did he say to you? Is it rted to the case?


    "Uh, no. It''s a personal matter." Lin Dongxue said evasively.


    Chen Shi sat down and looked through the files. Lin Dongxue walked up and down the rows of shelves with her hands sped behind her back. After some thinking, she finally made up her mind and walked to a stack of shelves. Criminal cases were ced in the upper row and non-criminal cases were ced in the lower row. She found the old file based on its date and opened it.


    April 29th Traffic case: A couple drove back from a neighboring cityte at night. On the way, an illegally modified truck bumped into their car. It was originally a minor ident. However, the truck carried a few tons of cement cylinders and the bolt on the truck¡¯s side panel had been knocked off during the impact. Several tons of cement cylinders rolled down, crushing the couple¡¯s car like an iron can. The driver feared the legal repercussions, abandoned the truck and fled¡­


    The photo of the unrecognizable corpses in the file was of her biological parents. She caressed it with her fingers. She was shocked but it couldn¡¯t evoke sadness, because her image of her parents was too vague.


    April 29th was her parents¡¯ death anniversary. When she was a child, Lin Qiupu took her to the grave every year on this date. One year, it rained and she sprained her ankle. She cried out in pain saying that she didn¡¯t want to go anymore, since they wouldn¡¯t revive anyway.


    She hadn''t been there since, but Lin Qiupu always disappeared on this day of each year.


    Thinking about it carefully, the reason why she wasn¡¯t sad was because Lin Qiupu took care of her with all his heart after the death of her parents, allowing her to have a normal childhood, andpensating her for theck from the loss of her parents.


    Thinking of this, Lin Dongxue was overwhelmed with a mixed array of emotions. She should treat Lin Qiupu a bit better.


    After being in a daze for a while, Lin Dongxue reinserted the files in silence, and went over to see what Chen Shi was doing. There were a lot of files and past forensic records spread out in front of him. He was attentively writing and drawing on a piece of white paper.


    "Hey, these are all the cases that Zhou Xiaomitted previously! Why are you suddenly looking through these?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "The deceased, Qiu, a nightclub waiter; Zhang, a pharmacist; Lou, a bar singer; Song, a greenhouse cultivation contractor; Chang Guoqing, a biological science researcher, and Tao Yueyue¡¯s mother. She had a history of drug abuse. As she was a prostitute and only associated with shady people, the police didn¡¯t pay much attention to this point at the time¡­ I have a bold guess that these deceased may be the upstream and downstream of a drug manufacturing, marketing, and sales industry chain. The serial murders back then were essentially contract killings. These connections were too well hidden, so the police mistakenly thought they were random murders."


    "You mean to say that the person behind the scenes this time was the person who hired Zhou Tiannan''s gang back then? But since he sells drugs, why should he get rid of the people in this industry chain?"


    Chen Shi''s eyes were sober and calm. He said, "I think it''s for transformation!"


    "Transformation?"


    "Nothing takes shape overnight. In the process of development, it will take detours, regress, and sometimese back after being overturned. The current case, casting aside a judgemental perspective, is a perfect arrangement. Giving the fake rice to ordinary, single, farmers to nt and give them money, but not too much. They buy point-to-point and strictly control disobedient individual growers. So far, we have only seen a group of farmers. Where is the head and body of this poisonous dragon? We don¡¯t know at all! A bunch of criminals are silently making a fortune without batting an eyelid. If it weren¡¯t for a ferret who ate the crop and then the disappearance of two policemen who went to mediate, it might not have been exposed for another ten years."


    "Was it all nned from the beginning? I think that at the very beginning of this business, the person behind the scenes didn''t think about it that much. They casually asked a bunch of people to do it. The marijuana that looks like rice is a huge business opportunity. They can give it to a Mexican drug lord and build an entire drug empire with this nt. Thus, everyone in the industry chain quickly enjoyed the profits in the beginning. Everyone came to share a piece of the pie, and gradually the whole chain began to go out of control. The person behind the scenes could no longer control it. Driving too fast would sooner orter destroy the car and its driver. They were afraid of such a result, so they changed all the blood in the body and used the most powerful hitman at the time to pluck out the whole chain by the roots. They did it without leaving a trace, and then they chose the most trustworthy people, arranged the entire business chain in a low-key and cautious manner, doing it quietly for ten years."

 Chapter 839: Follow The Vine To Get To The Melon

    <h4>Chapter 839: Follow The Vine To Get To The Melon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi added, "Of course, it could also be the turtledove upying the magpie''s nest with the current person behind the scenes stealing someone else¡¯s business, but in essence, it was also a major change in the entire industry chain."


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "You can think so fast. This clue just appeared, but you actually made so many deductions."


    "I¡¯m impatient. It would be nice if the speed of the investigation is as fast as my thinking."


    "Haha, then those criminals won¡¯t be able to survive."


    Chen Shi looked at his watch. It was almost 8:00PM. "Are you hungry? Let''s go and eat!"


    "Sounds good!"


    Early the next morning, the police went to Wangchenggang to continue investigating yesterday''s case. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue continued their investigation separately, tracking down the whereabouts of the rice collectors.


    The two went to the neighboring vige again, looking for the uncle fromst time. When they arrived at the entrance of the vige, they looked at the wide expanse of harvested fields. Lin Dongxue said, "I think I know how the fool from Xu Vige died three years ago. He probably found out the secret of the fake rice, cut off the leaves and smoked it himself, or that young man sold it to him."


    "No, no, if the rice farmers sell the drugs themselves, given the gang''s caution, they will definitely get rid of them."


    "Okay, I didn''t think about that point."


    "But your thinking is correct. Those rice farmers who have disappeared or died identally have touched on this secret. When we find the rice collectors and uncover the true face of this gang, I believe that all the mysteries will be solved."


    They found the uncle¡¯s house after asking around. The vigers didn¡¯t have the habit of locking their doors during the day. The door of the uncle¡¯s house was open and the lights weren¡¯t turned on. The two walked into the house and saw the uncle sitting on the windowsill, talking andughing on the phone, holding a cigar-like object in his hand.


    Seeing the policeing in, his cigar fell to the ground. He hurriedly jumped down from the windowsill and stamped it out with his foot before kicking it under the cab.


    "What are you smoking?!" Lin Dongxue said alertly.


    "This is the smell of a cigar. I can tell." Chen Shi noticed a stic Coke bottle on the table, picked it up and shook it, revealing a knowing smile. "You¡¯re living the good life."


    "What are you doing here? I''ve told you everything I know!" The uncle''s "stroke" started up again, and he sneaked nces at Lin Dongxue while moving his head to and fro.


    "But we haven''t finished asking what we want to know. How many years have you been growing this kind of rice?"


    "Aiya, why are you police finding trouble with rice crops? I¡¯m a farmer who diligently farms at home. Isn¡¯t this normal?"


    "Answer the question!"


    "Uh, ten years."


    "So you can be regarded as a ''founding member''."


    "I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about¡­"


    "Do you know this person?" Chen Shi retrieved a photo from his mobile phone and showed it to the uncle. The uncle scratched his head, "I don¡¯t think I know him."


    The photo which was taken yesterday showed Old Jia Number Four. Chen Shi said, "What do you mean by ''I don¡¯t think I know him.''? Don''t you all meet at the end of each year? Where did you all have your banquetst year? Wasn¡¯t it XX town? Don¡¯t the rice collectors invite all of you to eat crabs and drink Moutai every year?"


    The uncle stared at him. He didn''t think that these things woulde out of the police¡¯s mouth, but he remained tight-lipped. "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­"


    "Then let''s talk elsewhere?"


    "You mean outside?"


    "The public security bureau."


    The uncle panicked. "Oh, what is this? I just grow rice. Who did I provoke¡­" ncing at Lin Dongxue, "Aren''t you causing trouble out of the blue?"


    "Stop pretending. Tell me honestly: Where are the rice collectors right now?!"


    The uncle kept scratching his neck and his eyebrows kept twitching. Chen Shi continued to exert pressure on him and deliberately said to Lin Dongxue, "Did you bring the handcuffs?"


    "I did." Lin Dongxue pulled them out from behind her waist.


    Seeing the handcuffs, the uncle became a mess. "Sima Vige, Sima Vige. Go there and look for someone with the nickname ¡®Idiot¡¯¡­ I only know this clue. Really! If I¡¯m lying to you guys, then I¡¯m a puppy."


    "Who is he?"


    "He¡¯s also a rice farmer, but he interacts freely with the rice collectors. They seem to be rted¡­ Every year at the banquet, he sits at the head of the table."


    "Do you know any of the other rice farmers? Tell us everything you know."


    The uncle showed a very reluctant expression and as if trying to deceive himself as well as others, said, "It''s just nting rice. Who are we offending?" Then he listed all the names he knew, and Chen Shi noted them down in Lin Dongxue''s notebook one by one.


    When leaving, Chen Shi said, "Stop nting this rice. I hope we won''t meet again."


    After leaving the house, Chen Shiughed. Lin Dongxue asked him why he wasughing. He said, " This uncle must have made a lot of money, but he dares not reveal his wealth. Look, he¡¯s still wearing patched pants, but he smokes a cigar at home and drinks red wine from a Coke bottle. Those two are a perfect match!"


    "Haha, so it turned out to be red wine¡­ By the way, they cultivate drugs. In the future when this case goes to court, they can¡¯t escape punishment even if they didn''t know about it, right?"


    "What do you think?!"


    "Haii, ignorance is terrible."


    "No, this isn¡¯t ignorance. Anyone who has a bit of reason understands that rice that can earn tens of thousands of yuan a year is definitely not a proper business, but they still grow it year after year. Just as Old Jia Number Four said, after enjoying the profits once, you can¡¯t turn back. Last time we looked for this uncle, he actually lied to us because he has a vested interest. In order to maintain his own ie, he instinctively protected the people in the upper reaches of the industry chain. To put it bluntly, it is all driven by interests."


    "There¡¯s something fishy behind any bargain."


    "Yes, there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. In the end, you have to pay for it yourself."


    On the name list the uncle gave them, there were three rice growers in this vige and Xu Vige, only one in Wangchenggang, and two to three on average in other viges. There were five rice growers in Sima Vige, which had thergest number. It could be seen that Sima Vige may be the hub of activity for the rice collectors.


    In the afternoon, the two rushed to Sima Vige, but they couldn¡¯t find the person. Chen Shi asked the people from the vigemittee. They said, "There are two rice collectors who drive trucks to the vige to collect rice every year. They would collect from ¡®Idiot¡¯ and a few others in the first phase, and then from the rest in the second phase."


    Chen Shi has heard this three times, but this time he had a new notion. He asked, "Have the other rice been collected this year?"


    "Yes. They finished collecting from our vige half a month ago."


    Turning around, Chen Shi said excitedly, "As rice collectors, collecting only one kind of rice will be suspicious. Therefore, they also collect other types of rice. They couldn¡¯t possibly process or sell tens of tons of ordinary rice by themselves. I think they will definitely deal with it by reselling."


    "Resell it at a low price?" Lin Dongxue said, "The only ce that can take so much rice is probably the Grain Bureau."


    "Yes, we¡¯ll call the Grain Bureau. As a long-term partner, the Grain Bureau may have information about these two people."


    Chen Shi took out his cell phone. While he called them, Lin Dongxue squatted on the side of the road and pulled at the wild foxtail millet. Chen Shi hung up the phone after talking for over ten minutes and said excitedly, "Luxing Vige. They live in Luxing Vige. Let¡¯s go!"


    The two could hardly wait, but when they were almost there, Lin Dongxue was a little worried. "Are we going with just the two of us? Will it be unsafe? Why don¡¯t I ask my brother to send more people?"


    "Mm, let''s investigate first. It''s not toote to call someone if the information is true¡­"


    "What¡¯s that smell? Something seems to be burnt."


    The two looked out of the car windows. There was arge area of scorched ashes in the field, which looked spectacr. Several peasant women bent over and sifted through something on the surface with woven basket sieves.


    When they got out of the car, Lin Dongxue stepped forward and asked what had happened. A peasant woman smiled, "I don''t know who piled and burnt so much rice here, but the loweryer hasn¡¯t been burned, so we¡¯re bringing some back to feed the chickens. "


    1. Follow a lead and track something down.

 Chapter 840: The Secret in the Cellar

    <h4>Chapter 840: The Secret in the Cer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi picked up the ashes on the ground and looked at it. He remarked, "It should have been burntst night."


    Lin Dongxue said, "The two must be in this vige. Elder Sister, is anyone renting a warehouse or granary in the vige?"


    "There¡¯s a granary to the west of the vige. It was formerly used by the public to store grain, but it waster abandoned and rented out to the two rice collectors¡­" The peasant woman collecting the rice looked at the ground, "Was the rice not good this year? Even so, they shouldn¡¯t waste it. Wasting food will incur the wrath of Heaven, haii!"


    Lin Dongxue nced at Chen Shi excitedly, and Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ll park the car nearby and we¡¯ll keep a low profile. If they¡¯re still here, we¡¯ll call for reinforcements."


    There was arge white building on the west side of the vige, surrounded by a circle of birch trees. The words "Open mes are strictly forbidden in the warehouse¡± were painted on the wall. This was the granary. As soon as they approached it, Lin Dongxue took out her gun. Chen Shi nced through the window. "It''s empty. They¡¯ve moved the things."


    "Then the missing police¡­ Hope they haven¡¯t been murdered!" Lin Dongxue expressed concern. The two policemen had been missing for four or five days. The local police station was going crazy from anxiety and called the city bureau every day to press for updates.


    The door of the granary wasn¡¯t even locked. When they pushed the door and walked in, there was a smell of rice and dust. Some broken woven bags were left lying on the ground. There were footprints in the dust. The two tried not to damage the footprints. Chen Shi picked up a small leaf and smelled it. It was impossible to confirm whether it was a rice leaf or marijuana just based on the smell.


    "Old Chen, there¡¯s another room here."


    Lin Dongxue opened a small door and the two walked into a small room on the side. Lin Dongxue suddenly screamed when she saw a man in a police uniform hanging from the beam of the room. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room, she realized that it was a dummy woven from rice stalks wearing a police uniform. This was a prank left by the rice collectors.


    Chen Shi brought down the dummy, checked the number on the police uniform, and asked, "Are these the clothes of one of the missing policemen?"


    "Yes, this number belongs to the local police."


    "I have a question. Were they carrying guns?"


    "No, they were only mediating civil disputes that day, so they wouldn''t be carrying guns."


    "That''s good¡­ These two people are really outrageous to be ying such a prank. Unexpectedly, they didn''t think of using the identities of the policemen to escape."


    "Using the identities of the policemen?"


    "Put on the police uniforms, drive the police car pretending to be transporting important items, and send the marijuana and themselves out of the city, so it will be difficult for us to trace."


    "This is your outsider¡¯s opinion. These two people have guilty consciences, so how would they dare to do such a thing?"


    "Where are they now? The people aren¡¯t the key. The key is the marijuana. Although that batch of marijuana is less than the rice, there¡¯s still several tons of it. Where are they going to store it?"


    "Let¡¯s go to the vige to ask around!"


    Chen Shi thought for a while and said, "Look for those few rice farmers in the vige!"


    There should have been five rice farmers in Sima Vige, but three of them weren¡¯t there. They got lucky when they found the fourth house. An half-dressed uncle with eye bags opened the door. When he saw the police officer''s ID, he immediately sobered up and asked, "How can I help?"


    "Chu Wei and Luo Chuanlong. Do you know these two people?"


    "Yes, they collect rice and are renting a granary in the vige¡­" The uncle seemed to be rather unsure of himself.


    There was some movement within the house. Chen Shi looked through the doorway and asked, "There¡¯s someone inside?"


    "It¡¯s my mistress. Mistress¡­" The uncle blushed. "The people in the vige have loose lips, so please don''t tell anyone else."


    "Can you contact these two people?" Chen Shi asked again.


    The uncle left for a while, came out with his mobile phone, and said, "It seems that I can''t get through to them. Do you want to go to the other viges to have a look? They¡¯re collecting rice everywhere during this period, so their whereabouts aren¡¯t certain."


    "We¡¯ll go, but you have to tell us everything you know about them." Chen Shi''s gaze sharpened.


    The uncle hesitated, "Aren''t they just rice collectors? What is there to say¡­"


    "How much do you earn in a year? Has any of the rice farmers ever disappeared? Have you ever tasted the rice grown in your own field?" Chen Shi stared into the uncle¡¯s eyes.


    The uncle shed cold sweat. "No¡­ I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m just farming at home as I¡¯m supposed to. You¡¯re making it seem like you¡¯re interrogating a criminal!"


    It was almost the same rhetoric as the uncle in the other vige, such words have be a shield for the consciences of these rice harvesters. They didn¡¯t know it yet, but many of them would face legal punishment in the near future.


    "Are the rice collectors in the vige right now?" Chen Shi changed his method and tried to gather information by probing.


    "No, they¡¯re not here."


    "Did you meet with them yesterday?"


    "No."


    Chen Shi could feel clearly that he was starting to panic.


    "Did they ask you to do anything when they left?"


    "No."


    "Okay, thanks¡­"


    The uncle breathed a sigh of relief, but Chen Shi said, "I''m sorry, but we have to search your home."


    "Why? I didn''t break thew."


    "Please cooperate."


    The uncle frowned but finally gave in. The two walked into the courtyard and checked every room. When they got to the bedroom, a woman sitting on the bed covered her head with the quilt and asked, "Did he break thew?"


    "Are you from the vige?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "No, I¡¯m from another vige¡­"


    "What do you do?"


    "Farming¡­ Did he break thew?"


    "I can''t answer this question. By the way, your lover is rich, right?"


    "He¡¯s usually quite liberal with money. I asked him where the money came from. He said that he grows an excellent rice variety, so he earns a little more than others."


    "Did anyone look for himst night?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I don''t know. I only came here this morning. My man only went to work in the city this morning." After thinking about it, the woman said again. "We quarreled this morning."


    "Why?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I opened up the cer when he went out to buy cigarettes since I wanted to get a piece of wild boar meat to stir-fry and eat. When he came back, he scolded me. I don''t know why he was so nervous. Is there a dead person hidden in it?" The woman''s tone wasced with indignation.


    "Where¡¯s the cer?"


    Part of the quilt was raised, and the woman pointed in a certain direction with her hand, "Move that chest of drawers in the house."


    After acquiring this important piece of information identally, the two of them went to move the furniture. Sure enough, there was a wooden door underneath. Chen Shi opened it, revealing a staircase. When he walked down, Lin Dongxue asked, "What do you see?"


    "Corpse!"


    "Really?!"


    Lin Dongxue ran down, and there were some vegetables and cured meat in the cer which was less than four square meters in size. She asked him where the corpse was, and Chen Shi pointed to the cured meat. "This is it."


    Lin Dongxue punched him. "How can you make this kind of joke?"


    Chen Shi found that the vegetables on the ground were rotten with smelly fluids seeping out, causing the whole cer to be filled with a strange smell. He randomly picked up a vegetable in his hand and noticed that it was covered with a thinyer of stic film underneath the vegetables. There was arge bundle of brown leaves under the thin film.


    The two exchanged nces in surprise. Chen Shi said, "Cannabis leaves!"


    Chen Shi swept the rotten vegetables onto the ground, and underneath were all cannabis leaves that totaled tens of kilograms¡­

 Chapter 841: Grassroots Drug Dealers

    <h4>Chapter 841: Grassroots Drug Dealers</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi discovered something. This marijuana had been air-dried, so it appeared brown. It was probably not harvested that year.


    However, these tens of kilograms were enough to qualify for the crime of drug possession, and if he had given them to others to smoke or sell, the nature of the crime would be even worse.


    At this moment, the mistress shouted in a sharp voice from above: "Oh no, Officers, he¡¯s going to escape!"


    The two rushed up and saw the uncle rushing out from the window. Chen Shi rushed into the courtyard and found that the door couldn''t be opened no matter how he pulled. The mistress had already put on her clothes. She sprawled over the window eating an apple. "Shameless old thing has locked the door. You guys should climb over the wall!"


    Chen Shi hooked his finger at Lin Dongxue to signal her over and put his hands together. Lin Dongxue stepped on his hands and climbed over the wall.


    The mistress happily watched the drama unfold and asked, "Officer, is there a dead person in the basement? Do I get a mary reward for providing clues?"


    "Not only is there a mary reward, there¡¯ll also be a news article praising you!" Chen Shi said.


    "Uh, forget it then¡­"


    There was a ttering from outside. Lin Dongxue opened the door. It turned out that the uncle had escaped in a hurry and had justtched the door without locking it.


    The two chased after him outside. When they got to the entrance of the vige, they saw the uncle and another man sitting in an off-road vehicle. The off-road vehicle had an engine with strong horsepower which emitted a low-pitched roar. The four wheels spun on the ground, creating a cloud of smoke and dust. It rushed out with a rumble and knocked a tax bureau car parked in front of the vigemittee building into a ditch. Then the off-road vehicle adjusted its direction and prepared to escape out of the vige.


    "Open fire! Hit the tyres."


    However, the rear sight of the pistol didn¡¯t provide enough uracy. Lin Dongxue shot through the fuel tank from more than a dozen meters away.The gasoline gurgled out and dripped all over the ground.


    Chen Shi yelled, "The fuel tank is leaking. Do you all want to die?"


    In fact, even if the bullet hits the fuel tank, it won¡¯t explode like in the movies. The uncle obviously doesn¡¯t know thismon fact. He poked his head out to have a look and was so scared that he stopped the vehicle. The two men got out of the vehicle and held up both hands as they trotted forward.


    "Bang!" Chen Shi simted the sound of an explosion with his voice.


    The two shivered in fright, stopped, and knelt down reflexively.


    Lin Dongxue hurried forward, handcuffed them, and asked, "Why did you hit the tax bureau¡¯s car?"


    "Huh? The tax bureau''s car? I thought you were the ones who drove it here¡­" The uncle''s voice trailed off.


    "You¡¯ve really added drama for yourself." Chen Shi walked over, "Escape? That¡¯s adding to your crime, do you know? Who is this person?"


    Chen Shi nced at the young man who was escaping with the uncle. His hair was dyed blonde, he wore earrings, and there were many metal decorations on his vest, giving off an impression of wildness.


    "Nichs."


    "Am I asking for his English name?"


    "He¡¯s just called this."


    Chen Shi nced at the guy again, and said to Lin Dongxue, "Call for reinforcements!"


    The two were taken back to the uncle¡¯s house. As soon as the uncle entered the courtyard, he started quarrelling with his mistress through the window. He even pleaded with Chen Shi, "Leader, I can exin everything. I just have one request. Let me p this bitch once. Just once!"


    "Do you think you¡¯re qualified to negotiate terms?" Chen Shi replied disdainfully.


    In order to facilitate the questioning, the two were temporarily separated. The blonde guy was handcuffed to the water pipe in the storage room, and the uncle was temporarily taken to the living room for questioning.


    "You should know what¡¯s in your cer. Don''t tell me that you think it¡¯s Chinese herbal medicine." Chen Shi said.


    The uncle lowered his head, crossed his arms, and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.


    "If you don''t talk, I will. Since you consciously stored and air-dried these things, it means you know what they are and their true value. There¡¯s such arge amount. It¡¯s impossible to secretly conceal all that while supplying the rice collectors. You found out what you were growing in your fields, and you weren¡¯t reconciled to just earning that red envelope. You wanted to make more money, so you nted some for yourself."


    The uncle trembled with fright, and then scolded angrily, "This bitch. Didn''t I just scold her with a few words in the morning? Now, she has gotten me into real trouble. It''s all fucking over!" Then he burst into tears, covering his face.


    The two calmly waited for him to finish crying. The uncle tremblingly stretched out a hand to pick up the cigarettes on the table and asked for Chen Shi¡¯s permission with his eyes. Chen Shi asked, "Are you ready to confess?"


    The uncle lit himself a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke with a sigh. "Haii, I may not be destined to possess this wealth¡­"


    He exined the origin of those things. He had grown Shennong No. 24 for ten years. Like all the other rice farmers, he had also been suspicious about what this kind of rice was and why it was so precious.


    One year, he identally found that when the rice leaves were lit up and inhaled, they were really fragrant. He wondered if this was used for smoking, so he grabbed some rice leaves and dried them in the sun. He rolled them up and smoked them like a cigar. Fuck, he was in so much bliss, he nearly ascended to heaven!


    As a person who has lived for over 40 years, he understood at once that this wasn¡¯t rice, but drugs. Thus, he immediately put it out for fear of bing addicted.


    The uncle''s heart stirred, thinking that these were drugs. Every year, they worked hard cultivating them for a few months, and the rice collectors would take them away in a tractor in an instant. At the end of the year, they would be invited to a banquet and given red envelopes of around 50,000 to 100,000. He felt it was very worthwhile at first, but after this was exposed, he realized that he had suffered a great loss.


    With these hundreds of kilograms of drugs, how much money can a rice collector earn? Perhaps they could buy several vis every year!


    The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became. He couldn''t close his eyes for the whole night and was about to be sick from depression. Finally, he made up his mind that a man could not get rich with an extra ie. Thus, he started growing and selling it himself!


    He found the few other rice farmers in the vige and told them about the matter. Everyone agreed to work together and cleared a piece ofnd on a nearby barren hill to grow this kind of rice. When the harvest came in during winter, everyone was so happy that they grinned from ear to ear thinking about how these were all their own. However after the happiness subsided, they started fretting. The marijuana wouldn¡¯t be bank notes by themselves. They had to be sold.


    Who could they sell to in such poor rural areas?


    After that, it took them two years to establish a channel. It turned out that there were a few guys who had been in the city and had the necessary connections in Xu Vige¡¯s disco. These guys were also addicts themselves. They helped to sell it and smoked it themselves as well. Although the profits were halved, the five rice farmers still made a profit of 2 million between them. It was wonderful.


    "I nned to stop when it was all sold that winter. Everyone kept it secret, as if it had never happened, but¡­" The uncle sighed, with a look of regret on his face.


    "It¡¯s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but going from luxury to frugality is difficult!" Chen Shi looked around the very ordinary living room. His eyes fell on the 95 Royal Prerogative cigarette smoked by the uncle, the branded leather shoes he wore, and his gold teeth. He felt no sympathy for this person at all.


    "Who is he?" Chen Shi pointed next door.


    "He¡¯s the head of those salesmen."


    "In that case, your business must have grown to quite a scale by now, right?"


    "You can say that¡­"


    "I XXX, you old XX. You actually betrayed me, I X!" The guy cursed wildly in the next room, rattling the handcuffs.


    This group of amateur grassroots drug dealers weren¡¯t well organized and had wed ns. A mistress¡¯s careless remark got them all arrested. The vige entrance would be very lively that night.

 Chapter 842: Found The Rice Collectors

    <h4>Chapter 842: Found The Rice Collectors</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The uncle put out the cigarette in the ashtray gloomily. "Officers, I don¡¯t understand. This is something that people want. Why is it illegal? Isn¡¯t marijuana sold legally in many countries?"


    Chen Shi pointed to the cigarettes on the table, "Do you smoke this because you will be hungry, thirsty, or die if you don''t smoke it? Your throat will clearly feel ufortable, you will cough with plenty of phlegm, have trouble breathing, your nose will be blocked, your stomach will be upset, and your meals won¡¯t taste as good. Your body will reek, and you may even get cancer more than a decadeter. There are obviously so many harmful effects, so why do you have to smoke as long as you¡¯re awake? Are you consuming it or it is consuming you? You don¡¯t understand? Why wouldn¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s just because you made money, so you don¡¯t want to understand!"


    The uncle buried his head in shame.


    "Want to atone for your crime by performing a meritorious deed?"


    The uncle nodded desperately.


    "Do you know how you can perform a meritorious deed?"


    "Confess everything. I''ll confess. The guy next door not only takes drugs, but alsomits fraud¡­"


    "I XX you XX, I will XX you XX¡­" The boy scolded even louder.


    The torrents of curses floated over, making them feel uneasy. Lin Dongxue got up and closed the door so that his voice would be a little softer.


    Chen Shi said, "A fool in Xu Vige died three years ago, and another guy died a few days ago. Do you know the inside stories?"


    "Well¡­ the fool died terribly. He was buried alive. At the time, we were all extremely scared, because the rice collectors discovered that there was marijuana circting in the disco in the vige. The fool¡­ the fool was¡­ by us¡­ no, they¡­" The uncle pointed next door. "He was pushed out by them as a scapegoat!"


    "So that''s the case. Did you all continue to sell itter on?"


    "We did, but we were very careful."


    "I just want to say that you¡¯re so bold to be grabbing business from this fiendish gang¡­ When was thest time you saw the rice collectors?"


    "The day before yesterday. They went from house to house, saying that the situation was tense and told us not to say anything to the police. Otherwise, this and that would happen. People in this vige have always been honest and obedient, so there are many people who grow rice in our vige."


    "Do you know where they went?"


    "Uh, leave the vige and go southward. There¡¯s a mountain called Taishi Mountain, and there¡¯s aarium on it. They may be hiding there."


    "Are you sure?" Chen Shi didn¡¯t expect to get such detailed information all at once.


    "I¡¯ve been there before. If they hide, they¡¯re most likely to be hiding there."


    There was the sound of police sirens outside. Lin Dongxue looked out and said, "My brother and the others are here."


    After exining the situation, Lin Qiupu arranged for someone to stay and deal with the matter. It was getting dark soon, so the police rushed to the mountain without further dy.


    Chen Shi drove while watching the GPS. The ce was too remote and the map couldn¡¯t be loaded. Thest rays of the setting sun shining through the forest canopy disappeared. Following Chen Shi''s suggestion, everyone got out of their cars and walked, so as to not alert them.


    After walking along the mountain path for about 20 minutes, the silhouette of a huge building appeared in front of them. Lin Dongxue said, "That¡¯s thearium?"


    "This is probably a hydrological monitoring station?" Chen Shi guessed.


    The building had long been abandoned and was surrounded by weeds. It looked extremely deste.


    Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the grass at the side, and everyone became nervous. Some even took out their guns.


    They saw a man in ragged clothes crawling out. When Lin Qiupu shone a shlight to see his appearance, he blocked the light with his hand. Lin Qiupu eximed in surprise, "Officer Xu?"


    Officer Xu was dirty and looked haggard. He pointed to his mouth. Xu Xiaodong on the side took out a cigarette.


    Officer Xu shook his head, so Xu Xiaodong took out a piece of chocte instead.


    "Idiot, he wants water. Who brought water?" Lin Qiupu said.


    A bottle of mineral water was passed to Officer Xu. He gulped the water down frantically and swiftly finished the entire bottle. He choked and started to cough. Lin Qiupu patted him on the back. Officer Xu panted and said, "I¡­ escaped." Save¡­ Little Jia¡­ in the well¡­"


    "Are the people who kidnapped you still here?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I don''t know¡­ they kept us¡­trapped in the well¡­"


    Lin Qiupu left someone behind to take care of Officer Xu. The others took out their guns and went close to the building. There was indeed a dried up well in front of the building. When the police shone shlights into it, there was a man in ragged clothes at the bottom of the well who started sobbing. Probably it was because someone had finallye to rescue him. That kind of frame of mind is unimaginable without personally experiencing it.


    "Don''t worry, we¡¯ll rescue you immediately." Lin Qiupu asked someone to find a rope or something simr.


    A policeman replied, "There are no ropes ordders nearby."


    "Go and look inside the building. Be careful, the suspects may be hiding in it."


    Everyone went inside the building. After passing through the lobby, there was a long corridor. On the left were windows, none of which had their ss intact. On the right was a row of offices. The police inspected them one by one. They found leftover food and extinguished candles in one of the offices.


    Chen Shi sniffed the food residues on the table, and they were still fresh.


    "There¡¯s a discovery." someone shouted in the corridor.


    In a windowless room, the police found many fresh marijuana leaves which were vacuum sealed, oneyer after another. There was roughly a few hundred kilograms.


    Chen Shi checked the traces on the ground. "Part of it has been transported away. When we came in, I didn''t see a vehicle around. They may be transferring the goods right now!"


    At this moment, gunfire and an engine¡¯s rumble came from outside.


    Everyone ran out immediately. It turned out that the gunshot had been fired by the policeman who had stayed behind to take care of Officer Xu. He said, "There was a truck just now. It seemed to have seen us. It turned around and escaped!"


    "Chase after! Chase after! Chase after!" Lin Qiupu shouted.


    Everyone rushed down the mountain path, only to see a truck escaping. After the police found their own vehicles, they pursued behind relentlessly and they quickly got to the main road.


    In the middle of the night, there were no other vehicles or street lights on the township highway. Lin Qiupu ordered everyone to turn on their police sirens. The sound of the police sirens merged into one. The police lights shed in the night, following the truck closely, and the scene was spectacr.


    It was unknown how long they chased after the truck. Suddenly, there was a bang when the truck hit a paving stone while turning. It slid and rolled to the side of the road. The windshield was shattered.


    The police jumped out of their cars and surrounded it, only to see a man sitting in the truck. He was fiddling with something swiftly, with cold sweat and blood on his face. Lin Qiupu shouted, "Don''t move! Put your hands on the window!"


    The man gave them a disdainful smile, mouthed a curse, and then put the item in his hand into his mouth. It turned out to be a freshly-rolled cannabis cigarette.


    He took a deep drag, showing a carefree expression, and suddenly fell straight onto the seat, convulsing. Seeing this, Lin Qiupu stepped forward and pulled the car door open. The man fell off onto the ground. His body convulsed and he foamed at the mouth.


    "Damn it, what did he mix into the cigarette?!" Lin Qiupu opened his eyelids. "Call an ambnce quickly."


    "It''s toote, brother."


    The man''s expression gradually eased, and under the incredulous gazes of everyone, he gradually died¡­

 Chapter 843: Abandoned Chess Piece

    <h4>Chapter 843: Abandoned Chess Piece</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi said, "Put out the marijuana cigarette that fell on the ground quickly."


    He stepped forward and extinguished the marijuana cigarette with his foot. He picked it up after confirming that it had beenpletely extinguished. The cigarette butt had a bitter almond smell. It must have been mixed with poison.


    Putting the cigarette butt into an evidence bag, Chen Shi checked the man''s body again. When making inquiries in the vige previously, some vigers had said that one of the rice collectors had a scar at the corner of his mouth and that part of his left pinkie finger was missing. The person fitted those characteristics.


    "He is one of the two rice collectors." Chen Shi said.


    "Damn, the lead that we struggled so hard to find has been lost. When we were chasing the truck just then, did you all see anyone escaping from the car?" Lin Qiupu asked. Everyone shook their heads.


    Chen Shi nced at the truck. "The truck is empty. This person should havee back to load the goods, and his aplice would be waiting to provide support in another ce¡­ If he doesn¡¯t take the initiative to contact his aplice, the aplice will run away. This is usually the arrangement."


    Although the lead had been lost, it was fortunate that the missing policemen were found and still alive. The marijuana leaves found at the scene were hard material evidence that could be used to prosecute the syndicate in the future.


    The case was already very clear, but it seems that the battle had just begun again.


    In the middle of the night, a middle-aged man walked into a restaurant by the highway. The guy sitting behind the counter turned a blind eye to him. He was watching a 90s Hong Kong martial arts drama on a small TV. His grinning face which reflected the screen shone greasily.


    ncing at the menu on the wall full of incorrectly-written characters, the man said, "Egg fried rice¡­ Egg fried rice!¡­ Fuck, are you deaf? I want a bowl of egg fried rice!!!"


    "I heard that. I heard that. Why are you yelling¡­ one serving of egg fried rice." The guy turned his head around and shouted at the back kitchen, before continuing to immerse himself in the TV series.


    The man swore softly before finding a seat. He took out a cigarette, took a puff, and suddenly remembered something before taking out two more. He lit them and inserted them into the gap of the ¡°Eight Immortals¡¯ table¡±[1] as if he was burning incense. He put his hands together and mourned.


    "Little Long, may peace be with you the whole way." The man murmured.


    Then he took out his phone and sent a message to a number. "Boss, I can''t handle it anymore. I have to escape!"


    Ten minutester, the other party replied with just two words, "The goods?"


    "They¡¯re in a food warehouse in Xiaoyu Vige that I rented under Little Long''s name. You have to take them away quickly, or the police will find them."


    "If that¡¯s the case, you go and retrieve itter. I will send someone toe and collect it as well as give you some money for the road."


    "Thank you, Boss!" The man breathed a sigh of relief.


    "You¡¯re wee. I will arrange everything since you¡¯ve been working for me for so many years. You can leave with confidence."


    When he put down the phone, the three cigarettes on the table had already been extinguished. A blow fly hadnded on the end of the cigarette and was sucking the saliva left by him. It made him feel sick. He stretched out his hand to p at it, but the fly flew away.


    At this time, the guy came and roughly put down arge bowl of egg fried rice. At least 50 grams of rice fell on the table. The guy sucked the thumb that was identally inserted into the fried rice and left without saying a word.


    He didn¡¯t even give the man tableware. The man had to go to the sterilizing cab to get his own chopsticks. He tasted a bite of the egg fried rice and his eyebrows immediately knitted together. As soon as he put down his chopsticks, the blow fly from just now flew onto the rice and started sucking.


    "Fuck!"


    Normally, he¡¯d have overturned the table long ago, but he must keep a low profile right now, so he raised his voice, "The bill!"


    "Here¡¯s the bill. It''s eighty in total."


    "Isn''t the fried rice only thirty?"


    "The fifty is the tea fee."


    "Did you pour me any tea?"


    "It''s called the tea fee, but you can also call it the service charge."


    The man mmed one hundred yuan on the counter. He didn¡¯t ask for the change and the employee didn¡¯t give him change either. The employee put the money into the drawer, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.


    "This job is sofortable. It''s even better than selling drugs!" He mocked, but the employee didn''t hear him.


    When he walked out of the store, he heard the employee scolding: "XXX,ing in to eat sote. So troublesome!"


    The man had the urge to go back and kill the employee. His right hand even reached into his pocket to touch his butterfly knife. While hesitating, that blow flynded on his nose, and the man pped at it angrily with his hands, saying: "Get lost! Get lost!"


    With this interruption, he gave up the idea of venting his frustrations.


    After driving the truck to Xiaoyu Vige, the man loaded the goods onto the truck and drove out of the vige. At 1:00AM, an SUV appeared on the road and shed their lights twice. In response, he also shed his lights twice.


    Two people jumped out of the car, wearing ck jackets, sunsses and ck leather gloves. They looked mysterious and capable. The man stepped forward and offered cigarettes. The other party blocked it with his hand and said coldly, "The goods."


    "On the truck."


    The two agents went to the truck to inspect the goods. They tore off the stic film and tasted the cannabis leaves. "Shouldn¡¯t it be three hundred kilograms?"


    "The police seized part of it. Where¡¯s the money that Master Lie is giving me for escaping?"


    The two walked back to their car without saying a word. At this moment, the blow flynded on the man''s nose again. The man flew into a rage. He didn''t know if it was the one from the restaurant following him. It was too persistent. Was it because he still smelled of blood?


    He had to kill the damn fly, so he ran back to the truck to get the insecticide. At that moment, he saw the two special agents get down from the SUV. One of them did carry a ck satchel in his hand but his other hand was ying with a shiny switchde.


    He widened his eyes and suddenly understood that the police had only found the two of them so far. Now that Little Long[2]was dead, Master Lie only had to get rid of him, and the lead would bepletely cut off. All the people upstream would be able to sit back and rx, and the business would still be able to continue in two years¡¯ time. They just need to find a few people who are willing to sell their lives, give them some money, and feed them a few words of bullsh*t about underworld ethics. As for those upstream people, they still made money and they could still y with women as if nothing happened.


    He quickly lowered his head. The fact that he had been betrayed filled him with anger, and he ground his teeth. The two men outnked the back of the truck from both sides. After they passed, the man quietly pushed the truck¡¯s door open¡­


    The two agents went to the back of the truck with switchdes. They only saw each other''s surprised face. They didn¡¯t find anyone. They returned to the truck cab. When Agent A looked inside the window, the man jumped out from the grass beside the road. He covered Agent A''s mouth, and stabbed him in the back wildly, blood flowing from between his fingers.


    Only then did Agent B react. When the blood-stained butterfly knife pierced his throat, his cry was forcibly suppressed. The whole process went so smoothly that it was like ughtering two helpless chickens.


    He ignored the two struggling people on the ground, opened the bag they had thrown onto the ground, andughed.


    The bag was full of joss paper and coins. He remembered Master Lie''s words in the text message - "Give you some money for the road."


    "Hahahaha, this old man really keeps his promises!"


    The two people on the ground gradually stopped struggling, and the blood flowed along the road to the side, nourishing the weeds at the side of the road. He knew that he had be an abandoned chess piece, and there was no road to the sky and no door to enter the ground.[3]


    That blow fly came buzzing over,nded on the eyeball of a corpse and sucked the liquid on it. It seems that all flies love to suck there.


    He suddenly thought that this fly had saved himself. Could it be Little Long[4] manifesting himself?


    He knelt down, stared at the fly for a long time, and asked, "Little Long,[5] what should we do now?"


    The fly rubbed its two front legs together, then buzzed as it flew away¡­


    1. Old-fashioned wooden square table for eight people


    2. Editor IJ: Author mentions ¡°Ah Wei¡± here, but it was most likely an author typo.


    3. He¡¯s cornered.


    4. As per previous note.


    5. As per previous note.

 Chapter 844: The Criminal Reaches a Dead End

    <h4>Chapter 844: The Criminal Reaches a Dead End</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "You don''t need to prosecute this case. We will arrange it ourselves."


    "Sir, do you have anymon sense? This kind of criminal case will definitely be prosecuted."


    "That must also be arranged by us. This involves the privacy and future of the artist. It cannot be taken to court casually and made public."


    "I will contact you when the case is solved. The judicial trial is not the responsibility of our public security agency either."


    The representative from the talent agency was finally sent away. Lin Qiupu was exasperated. Three days had passed since the death of the rice collector. The police had learned a lot of information from the missing police officers and the arrested rice farmers.


    The name in the ID card used by the man who escaped was Chu Wei. His real name was Qin Dazhu. He was 45 years old, and had many criminal convictions.


    Based on the information provided by the witnesses, they had already created a criminal sketch of him and they were offering a reward for information leading to his arrest in the few viges that he frequented. The second team, third team and the local police station also patrolled and made rounds every day to track down his whereabouts.


    Although looking for someone was like finding a needle in a haystack, Lin Qiupu knew that it was impossible for a person to leave society. He needs to eat and sleep. He has various needs, so he has toe into contact with people and leave behind traces.


    Following these traces, the police will get closer and closer. They¡¯ll get closer and closer until he is caught. It was only a matter of time.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue called and said, "Brother, we¡¯ve found Chu Wei''s whereabouts."


    Lin Qiupu¡¯s spirits were lifted. "Where is he? I''lle over right away."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were in a family-style restaurant on the side of a highway. The store was a mess. An employee had been beaten up until his face was swollen like a pig¡¯s head. When shown the wanted warrant, he said with certainty, "This is him. He ran to the restaurant and took away the money in the cash register, as well as some packs of cigarettes being sold outside. He even pped me while telling me¡­ telling me¡­"


    "Telling you what?"


    The employee clenched his fist in humiliation. Tears came down when he thought of what happened a few hours ago. "Telling me to say, ''Wee.''"


    "Don''t you usually say that?"


    "I do. We¡¯re in the service industry and have to make people feel at home. I don''t know what''s wrong with this man. He¡¯s a moron, a madman. Shoot him dead when he¡¯s arrested!"


    Chen Shi nced at the outrageously-priced menu on the wall. He was well aware that this ce existed to con drivers. The food provided was so unptable that people doubted life itself. How can the same oil, salt, sauce and vinegar bebined into such a disgusting taste?


    Chu Wei must have felt like venting his anger during this foray. Chen Shi asked, "Did he have dinner here two days ago?"


    "I don''t know. He definitely has never been here."


    "Don¡¯t you have security cameras?"


    "We do."


    "where?"


    "In the drawer. You can use it if you plug it into theputer."


    Chen Shi waspletely speechless.


    Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue outside and said, "This guy is getting more and more outrageous. He stole a truck the day before yesterday, stole food yesterday and robbed the money today. Moreover, he didn''t cover up his face or wear gloves. He didn¡¯t care about being witnessed at all."


    "I think this is his final frenzied outburst."


    "Wait, he had stolen these to fulfil basic survival needs. Logically speaking, there¡¯s a syndicate behind him. His boss certainly wouldn¡¯t want him to act in such a high-profile manner. Has he already been abandoned by the syndicate? If this person can be discarded any time, it just proves that he isn¡¯t a threat to the syndicate."


    "I received news in the morning that a warehouse in Xiaoyu Vige had been rented under the name of the dead person. The owner of the warehouse said that the contents were emptied three days ago."


    "Wasn''t it that night three days ago? Let''s go and see!"


    "My brother ising over soon."


    "Good, then he¡¯ll clean up the mess!"


    "How capricious." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    When the two arrived at Xiaoyu Vige, Chen Shi, who had been in a daze all the way, suddenly said, "Infighting!"


    "What?"


    "Given Chu Wei''s current situation, he has no ability to dispose of more than 100 catties of marijuana. Sudden emptying of the warehouse that night indicates that someone had taken the goods away. If the syndicate took the goods, why didn''t they take him away as well? This shows that the syndicate intended to kill him. He must have survived by a fluke, so he suddenly abandoned himself to despair and stopped caring about anything."


    "Killing him after he¡¯s not useful anymore. How pitiful!"


    "But it¡¯s also a kind of inevitability. Whether this mysterious syndicate is like a Northeast tyrant or the Italian mafia, the plot will be the same when dealing with this kind of matter. This is based on the considerations of interest."


    "Following this reasoning, if the syndicate fails to kill him, they will continue to attempt to do so, but in an even more frenzied manner?"


    "Yes, so we have to catch Chu Wei quickly. He¡¯s already an abandoned chess piece. He will provide a lot of useful information after he¡¯s arrested."


    "Then what Chu Wei is doing now? Besides hiding, do you think he will take his revenge on the syndicate?"


    After thinking for a while, Chen Shi said, "He doesn''t have this ability. I think his best revenge is to surrender. Of course, survival is his greatest current need."


    The two went to check the warehouse. The police hade before, but they found nothing except for footprints. The batch of marijuana had been wrapped in stic film, so no residue would have fallen on the ground.


    Leaving empty-handed, Chen Shi stood on the street thinking about where to check next. To be honest, he didn''t like this kind of work involving finding people, but he had already intervened and could only help all the way to the end.


    "Why don''t we go and eat something? There¡¯s a Chongqing hot pot restaurant next to us. I don''t know if it is authentic or not." Lin Dongxue suggested.


    "Haha, you¡¯re bing more and more like me now¡­ What time is it?"


    "It''s 2:00 in the afternoon, and we don¡¯t seem to have eaten lunch yet."


    "Then¡­" Chen Shi suddenly stared straight in a certain direction. Lin Dongxue followed his line of sight and saw a few youngsters sitting on bicycles by the roadside, smoking, talking andughing. They looked very young. Perhaps they were only senior high school students.


    "Smoking cigarettes at such a young age?" Lin Dongxue frowned.


    "Those aren¡¯t cigarettes!"


    Chen Shi walked over, and Lin Dongxue quickly followed.


    When they got closer, Chen Shi became even more convinced that they weren¡¯t cigarettes. First of all, the "cigarettes" had been hand-rolled with letter paper; secondly, very little smoke floated out. The reason why ordinary cigarettes produce such big clouds of smoke is because they¡¯re full of scraps. Some cigarettes are even mixed with shredded paper. Thest was the change in their expressions when they inhaled the ¡°cigarettes¡±.


    Chen Shi motioned to Lin Dongxue to go around from behind, and Lin Dongxue nodded knowingly.


    Chen Shi stepped forward, pulled out a cigarette from one of the boys'' mouth, sniffed it, and said, "What¡¯s this?"


    "Country bumpkin, haven''t you seen marijuana before? Do you want them for a hundred yuan a stick?" the boy said, and the others burst intoughter.


    "Put it out ande with us."


    "Motherfucker, who are you? Is this a fine? There¡¯s a fine for smoking, but there¡¯s also a fine for smoking marijuana?" The boy said, and the others keptughing.


    When Chen Shi showed his ID, their expressions were stunned and they exchanged nces with one another. The boy jumped off the bicycle and was about to run. Lin Dongxue, who had been lying in ambush behind them, captured his hands behind his back and pressed him against the tree. "You still dare to run?!"

 Chapter 845: Sudden Kidnapping

    <h4>Chapter 845: Sudden Kidnapping</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The couple of kids who had smoked marijuana were taken to a nearby police station. They sat in a row on their chairs, dejected, and Chen Shi asked, "Where did the marijuanae from?"


    "We picked it up outside the town. Bags of them were dropped in the wastnd. We went there to y, identally saw them and opened one. It was fragrant and we thought it was tobo, so we rolled it up and tried smoking it¡­"


    "Is smoking marijuana pleasurable?"


    The young boy nodded desperately, and then desperately shook his head.


    "If you be addicted to this thing, your life will be over, understood? Was there anything else besides marijuana at the scene?"


    "Nothing else, uh¡­ I remember a few bags of marijuana were stained with red stuff, could it be blood? We have confessed everything. Could you not inform our parents or the school? Otherwise, the school will definitely expel us."


    "Now you know to be afraid?"


    Chen Shi was going to have a look at the scene. These young boys would be handed over to the local police to deal with as appropriate. Chen Shi suggested that this problem could be handled seriously or lightly, but if they were lenient because they were young and first-time offenders, it might not be a good thing for them either.


    Walking out of the police station, Lin Dongxue said, "I wonder if these kids are addicted."


    "They shouldn¡¯t be. The speed of drug addiction is slower than that of cigarettes, but the negative effects of addiction are too strong."


    Slow addiction is also one of the terrible aspects of drugs. Many people "try it out for fun" when friends introduce them to it at first. They don¡¯t get addicted after once or twice, so they feel that they won¡¯t ever be addicted. Dangerous things are always slowly epted, step by step. Once you¡¯re trapped, it would be toote when you realized it.


    When they arrived at the scene, there were some blood stains and traces of dragging on the side of the road, but they were already very faint. Murder must have beenmitted here. Chu Wei had disposed of the body and threw away the marijuana leaves that no longer had any meaning to him by the side of the road.


    "If he doesn¡¯t even want the drugs, why did he deliberately take the body away?" Lin Dongxue guessed, "This shows that he doesn''t want the police to intervene. He wants to take action to retaliate against the syndicate."


    "Basic survival is already a problem. How would he retaliate?"


    "Let me tell you about a certain matter¡­"


    "What?"


    After thinking about it, Lin Dongxue felt that this case wasn¡¯t relevant, and said, "Forget it. Let¡¯s wait until Chu Wei is caught!"


    "Let''s go back to the town to eat."


    On the way back to the town, Lin Dongxue suddenly felt that someone was staring at her. When she looked back, there was nobody. She quickly forgot about this matter. She focused on the hot pot restaurant¡¯s menu and orderedmb rolls.


    The lights in the restaurant were very dim and there were almost no other customers at this time. Chen Shi said, "I don''t know how it would taste."


    "In my experience, if the sauce is good, the hot pot is generally not too bad¡­ I¡¯ll get some sauce." Lin Dongxue took her bowl and left.


    Just after Lin Dongxue left, the phone on the table rang. Chen Shi saw that Lin Qiupu was calling, so he answered. Lin Qiupu said, "Where are you?"


    "Xiaoyu Vige. We¡¯ve made some discoveries. We¡¯ll talk about it when we get back. We¡¯re eating right now."


    "Oh? Why did you answer the call? Where¡¯s Dongxue?"


    "She will be back soon."


    "Hurry back after you finish eating. We will be having a meeting. Can you be back by six?"


    "I¡¯ll try my best."


    Putting down the phone, he noticed that Lin Dongxue hadn¡¯te back after quite a while. The waiter came over with the hot pot. Chen Shi asked, "Where is the girl who was with me? Have you seen her?"


    "I saw her serving herself sesame sauce just now."


    Why did it take her so long to put some sauce in her bowl? Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue''s mobile phone and went to look for her. No one was at the self-service sauce counter , and there was an exit passageway behind an indoor potted nt next to it. A sauce bowl had fallen onto the floor, and the sesame sauce inside had been sshed all over the floor.


    Chen Shi''s heart thumped. He pushed open the exit passageway¡¯s door and rushed down. A clothing store was downstairs. Chen Shi stopped an employee and asked, "Have you seen this girl?!" He showed him Lin Dongxue¡¯s photo on his phone.


    The employee shook his head. Another employee came over, took a look and said, "I think I saw a man and a woman walking down just then. I don¡¯t know whether the woman was drunk or something. She was stumbling and the man was supporting her."


    Upon hearing this, Chen Shi rushed out immediately. There weren¡¯t many cars on the street. At a nce, he spotted Chu Wei''s truck, which was just starting off.


    Chen Shi chased after at full speed. Chu Wei sneered with a cigarette in his mouth as he looked at the rear-view mirror. He dragged the unconscious Lin Dongxue into his arms, deliberately letting Chen Shi take a look. The truck drove very fast. Chen Shi was gradually left behind. Passing an intersection, a car rushed over from the side, knocking Chen Shi to the ground as its brakes screeched.


    Hey on the ground and pummeled the ground¡¯s surface with great annoyance. At the same time, he couldn''t figure out why Lin Dongxue had been kidnapped!


    "What did you do?! Why has my sister been kidnapped?!" Lin Qiupu hurried over after receiving the news and saw Chen Shi sitting dejectedly outside the hot pot restaurant. He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Shi by the cor and lifted him up, shaking him.


    The other policemen persuaded Lin Qiupu to restrain his emotions.


    "I let the two of you investigate the case together and gave you so much freedom and convenience. Why didn''t you take good care of her? How could you lose her?!" Lin Qiupu roared.


    Chen Shi frowned and seemed unrepentant. He said, "I don''t understand why Chu Wei kidnapped her. Is there anything you haven''t told me?"


    "What¡¯s the point of talking about this now? We need to find her quickly!"


    The effects of the ether hadn¡¯t dissipated. Lin Dongxue still felt muddle-headed and her whole body was numb. She opened her eyes. This was an old room with an air conditioner humming on the mottled wall. The outer casing of the air conditioner hadn¡¯t been scrubbed clean for a long time, and had already umted plenty of dust. Above her head was a fluorescent tube which was too bright. She was so sleepy that she wanted to lie down, but found that she couldn¡¯t move her body.


    A blurry face leaned over and looked at her closely, and she said in a daze, "Old Chen¡­"


    "Damn, you¡¯re so beautiful. You should be a model or a star. Being a police officer is really a waste!" Chu Wei stretched out his hand and retracted it again. He knew that thisdy couldn¡¯t be touched because she was to be used for negotiation.


    He took out an old video camera, adjusted it, and pointed it at Lin Dongxue. "Say something, Miss."


    "You¡­ who¡­" Lin Dongxue struggled to speak and lowered her head again.


    Chu Wei pointed the camera at himself. "Don''t worry, I didn''t touch a single finger of hers. Who would have thought that someone like you would have a beautiful policewoman daughter? You simply don''t deserve to be her father. But the fact is here. Your blood is indeed running in her body. Even if you change your appearance for twenty years, that won¡¯t change."


    Chu Wei changed his posture so that the lens could capture Lin Dongxue. "I¡¯ve been working for you for 20 years. How many things have I done for you? You treat me worse than a dog¡­ Now I want to talk with you properly. After seeing this video, call this number¡­" Chu Wei held up a piece of paper with a string of numbers written on it. "I¡¯m a desperate fugitive right now, my life is hanging by a thread. You''d better hurry up! Of course, people like you can sacrifice your own wife and your own brothers. Maybe you can even sacrifice your daughter. If I don¡¯t receive the call before 12:00¡­" Chu Wei nced at Lin Dongxue behind him and smiled meaningfully at the camera, "You understand what I mean, right? Old Lie."

 Chapter 846: No Freedom

    <h4>Chapter 846: No Freedom</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Dongxue opened her eyes again. She was tied to a chair with her hands behind her back, and her legs were also firmly tied up.


    Chu Wei sat opposite her, holding a bowl of instant noodles. Using a small stic fork, he kept picking up some of the noodles and blowing on them.


    "Why did you kidnap me?"


    "You¡¯re awake, Little Beauty." Chu Wei said with a smile, "Damn, this instant noodle smells really good. I haven''t eaten anything for two days already. Are you hungry?"


    Chu Wei brought the instant noodles in front of Lin Dongxue and was about to feed her. Lin Dongxue stared at him fiercely and spat in his face.


    Chu Wei''s smile froze on his face. "Are you trying to make me angry? But I won''t beat you. I¡¯ll only beat her!"


    He put down the bowl of noodles, went next door and pulled a woman in by her hair, then frenziedly pped the woman''s face. The woman shielded her face pitifully, not daring to resist. Lin Dongxue couldn''t stand it anymore, and said, "Stop quickly!"


    Chu Wei grabbed the woman''s hair and said in a coaxing tone, "She''s saving you. She''s a police officer and she has a good heart. How should you thank her? If you p her, I won''t hit you. Okay?"


    The woman nodded obediently. Her face was already reddened from being pped.


    She walked over with disheveled hair and pped Lin Dongxue''s face. Lin Dongxue only heard the buzzing in her ears. Her teeth bit into her lips, and the smell of blood permeated her mouth. Compared with the physical sensations, the feeling of being humiliated made her feel more resentment.


    The woman red at her condescendingly with a sinister look and pped her again. It happened to fall on her other cheek.


    Chu Wei kicked the woman to the ground. "Bitch, you¡¯re too ruthless. Are you envious that she looks better than you? It can¡¯t be helped. Heaven is unfair. Go andin to your mother!"


    The woman sprawled on the ground without saying a word. Lin Dongxue waspletely confused about the current situation. At this moment, a man stood at the door looking at them. He had dark circles under his eyes and his expression was haggard. He looked like a zombie.


    "Daddy will give you something to eat." Chu Wei took out a packet of powder, about the size of an instant noodle seasoning packet, and threw it on the floor. The woman crawled over like a dog, picked it up and walked out, and the man''s expression suddenly became excited.


    The two disappeared behind the door.


    Chu Wei lit up a cigarette and pointed at them with his thumb. "Drug addicts really are worthless. With a small packet of marijuana, even if I gave her husband a green hat in front of him, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ Don''t look at me like that. These two were trash anyway. They would do anything in order to inhale a puff of it."


    The livelyughter of the man and woman came from next door.


    Chu Wei raised his eyebrows. "Look, they¡¯re already at it together. This kind of trash looks as though they¡¯re going to die soon, but they actually manage to linger on forever. Human lives are really cheap!"


    "They¡¯re your assistants?" Lin Dongxue finally said.


    "Them? They aren¡¯t qualified."


    "So, it was you and Luo Chuanlong who painted the word "Happiness" on the wall with blood that night."


    "Haha!" Chu Wei threw his head back andughed. "You¡¯re really a police officer. You¡¯re not forgetting to collect information even at this time. Yes, we did all of it. What''s the big deal? Isn''t it just getting executed by firing squad? I have killed enough people for that long ago."


    "Why did you kidnap me?!"


    "Who were you calling when you were disoriented just now? Old Chen? Is that your boyfriend? Do you keep the same expression in front of him? I''ll tell you if you smile at me."


    Lin Dongxue only felt disgusted and gritted her teeth fiercely. The windows of this room were shut tight, and it seemed that it was already dark outside. Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu must be looking for her everywhere. She wouldn¡¯t give up hope.


    Chu Wei''s cell phone rang. He went to the bathroom to answer it. Lin Dongxue perked up her ears, and heard Chu Wei say, "What Pandora''s Box? I have no education. Don''t use metaphors with me¡­ Motherfucker, you¡¯re talking about underworld loyalty with me right now? How did you treat me¡­ Send the money to the ce I specify, and you¡¯re not allowed to call the police¡­ Haha, this sentence is superfluous. You will definitely not call the police¡­ I will notify you of the address."


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe it. This was actually a serious kidnapping. Who was Chu Wei asking for a ransom from? She was pretty sure it definitely wasn¡¯t Lin Qiupu on the phone.


    Chu Wei mentioned "underworld loyalty", indicating that the other party is a gang member and should be at a boss¡¯ level.


    Kidnapping a female police officer and asking the gang boss for a ransom? How does that make sense?


    The effect of the anesthetic hadn''t passed yet. Thinking about these things made Lin Dongxue''s brain hurt again, as if a lot of cotton had been stuffed inside.


    Chu Wei came back and lit up another cigarette again. Lin Dongxue felt very sick when she smelled the stinky smoke. She said, "I want to ask you something! Over 20 years ago, you caused a car ident and caused a couple¡¯s deaths. Do you still remember¡­"


    "Their surname is Lin, right?!" Chu Wei answered automatically.


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened. It turned out that he still remembered this incident. She said, "Who hired you to do it?!"


    "Your father!" Chu Wei answered with a grin.


    Lin Dongxue became angry. She struggled frantically on the chair, and shouted, "I must arrest you! I¡¯ll make you pay the price."


    "Don''t get agitated!" Chu Wei threw down the cigarette butt and said lightly, "I''m just an underling who carried out missions for money. Because of this incident, I was on the run for several years, but you can''t hate me because¡­ you will find out the truth about this one day. I won¡¯t tell you now. You can question that person face to face. It¡¯s someone you wouldn¡¯t expect."


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and someone outside shouted, "Is anyone home?" It was obviously the voice of a policeman.


    Lin Dongxue got excited and Chu Wei rushed behind her, covered her mouth, and shouted, "Ah Lin!"


    There was the sound of the doors opening.


    The woman from just now asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Have you seen her before?" the policeman said.


    "Wow, she¡¯s so beautiful. Is she a star?"


    "She¡¯s a police officer. Have you seen her before?"


    "No, my husband and I haven''t gone out the whole day."


    "This is your husband?"


    "Yes."


    "What do you two do?"


    "We just moved here. We¡¯re going to look for work."


    "Let me look at your ID¡­" After a while, the policeman said, "Fine, sorry for disturbing you."


    When the footsteps went away, the hope in Lin Dongxue''s heart also sank. When Chu Wei put down his hand, she shouted at the window, "I''m here!"


    "Oh sh*t!"


    Chu Wei covered her mouth tightly, almost suffocating her. He stared out of the window with wide eyes. Time ticked by. The policeman outside didn¡¯t hear the shout, and everything was calm again.


    "No one wille to rescue you." Chu Wei breathed into her ear with a smile.

 Chapter 847: Searching for Lin Dongxue

    <h4>Chapter 847: Searching for Lin Dongxue</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    It was already 10:30 in the evening. Lin Qiupu sat in the car, making and answering calls non-stop. The police who had been sent out searched all the towns and counties around Xiaoyu Vige. They all said that there was no news regarding Lin Dongxue¡¯s whereabouts. He was distraught and kept tapping on the steering wheel with his finger.


    Putting down the phone, Lin Qiupu got out of the car to smoke a cigarette. He found Chen Shi standing beside him. When he saw Chen Shi, he got angry and asked, "Why are you here instead of looking for her?"


    "Why did Chu Wei kidnap Lin Dongxue? Revenge? To threaten? I can''t think of the reason. Are you hiding something from me?" Chen Shi said.


    "That''s none of your business!"


    "Why doesn''t it matter to me? I need to know all the information in order to evaluate the situation!" Chen Shishi bellowed back at the same volume.


    Lin Qiupu red at him for a few seconds, threw the cigarette away and stamped it out. He said in a huff, "You go back first. There are so many police officers. You¡¯re not needed here."


    It seemed that Lin Qiupu wasn¡¯t going to say it. Chen Shi sighed and took out a USB sh drive. "I just copied all the surveince footage I could find of the surrounding area. If Chu Wei kidnapped Lin Dongxue on purpose, how would he know that Lin Dongxue was here? I think he had assistants."


    "He¡¯s already like this, but he has assistants?"


    "He¡¯s been living in this area for ten years. How could he not have any contacts?"


    Lin Qiupu took the USB sh drive and said, "Let¡¯s go to the police station in town to watch the footage!"


    The two went to the police station and borrowed twoputers. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had gone to the hot pot restaurant at around 3:00 in the afternoon. They selected the surveince footage around that time period.


    A surveince camera at the hot pot restaurant caught Chu Wei walking down with an unconscious Lin Dongxue. Seeing this, Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth. He was so angry that he wanted to throw something.


    He watched this part repeatedly, hoping to find some clues.


    Chen Shi noticed the content on Lin Qiupu¡¯s screen and said, ¡°When we entered the hot pot restaurant, there was no truck downstairs. During this period, Chu Wei was wanted for arrest everywhere. I even memorized his license te number. If I had seen it downstairs, I wouldn¡¯t have missed it. Even if I missed it, Dongxue would have noticed.¡±


    "It must be driven there after both of you entered the restaurant¡­" Lin Qiupu said, followed his train of thought.


    Chen Shi nodded. "That''s the only possible exnation, but the question is, how did he know that we were here? Was someone following us or was Chu Wei following us and his assistant drove the truck over during this period?"


    Chen Shi searched through all the surveince, and finally found a suitable angle that clearly recorded Chu Wei¡¯s truck being quietly parked opposite the Huocheng restaurant with a person sitting in it at 3:00 in the afternoon. It obviously wasn¡¯t Chu Wei, because he was carrying out the kidnapping at the time.


    The existence of the assistant was confirmed, but the two searched through all the surveince and couldn¡¯t find a clear picture of the assistant¡¯s appearance. Lin Qiupu asked, "Why did youe to Xiaoyu Vige in the afternoon again?"


    "To check the warehouse that Chu Wei had rented."


    "That''s redundant. That warehouse had already been checked, and there were no clues."


    "But we still found clues. In the afternoon, we met a few kids who smoked marijuana. They were¡­" Chen Shi was stunned and muttered, "Marijuana? People Chu Wei would know¡­ Get the local police station to check if there¡¯s anyone here that has been detained before for smoking marijuana!"


    Lin Qiupu didn¡¯t ask too much and just requested the local police to investigate. They searched on theputer and discovered two young people from a small county nearby. One was named Ah Chang and the other was named Ah Lin. They were both from out-of-town and didn¡¯t hold proper jobs, so it wasn¡¯t known how they supported themselves.


    Two years ago, the two of them were detained by the police for viting traffic regtions. The police saw the two of them grinning and seemingly in an abnormal state, so they detained them intuitively.


    Ah Chang had offered cigarettes to curry favor with the police. The police saw that the cigarettes looked a little strange. They took them back and took them apart. 80% of the contents was marijuana. Due to this, they were forced to go into rehab for three months. They should still be living in the surrounding area right now.


    Chen Shi suggested, "Let''s go to the residence of these two people!"


    Since they were just trying their luck right now, Lin Qiupu agreed.


    Lin Dongxue had been trying to wear through the rope on her hands. She had found that it was impossible to untie the knot just by herself because her hands had been tied until they had gone numb. Coupled with the effect of the anaesthetic, she couldn¡¯t exert any strength.


    Chu Wei had gone out, and the couple was taking drugs next door. There was no one in the house at the moment. It was a Heaven-sent opportunity. She gritted her teeth and continued to try.


    Footsteps.


    Lin Dongxue became nervous, and saw the drug addict open the door and enter. He had a foolish smile on his face because he had just smoked marijuana. He held a lit marijuana cigarette in his hand. He bent down and took a deep drag on the cigarette, blowing the smoke in Lin Dongxue''s face.


    Lin Dongxue held her breath and frowned in disgust.


    The drug addict began to act in a sleazy manner. He caressed Lin Dongxue¡¯s leg with his hand. His touch was disgusting. Lin Dongxue ground her teeth so hard that she almost broke them. She knew that after someone had smoked marijuana, they would be particrly stimted in that respect. There was once a marijuana addict who ran outside an underwear shop after ate night smoking session, masturbated in front of Lin Chiling''s poster and then fell asleep. He was reported to the police and arrested the next day.


    The drug addict grinned. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his palm moved up along Lin Dongxue''s leg to untie her belt.


    "Get lost! Stay away from me!"


    Lin Dongxue writhed and struggled desperately, trying to get away from the stroking of a lust-filled stranger. No expression could describe her disgust.


    Her struggles didn''t have any effect, but the shouting alerted the female drug addict. She walked through the door and stared with her arms on her hips. When the male drug addict saw her, he was startled and rebuckled the belt that he had just unbuckled.


    But this couldn''t make up for anything. The female drug addict came over, pushed the male drug addict down, and began to beat him. The male drug addict rolled on the ground, picking up a stic basin to protect his head. Their movements were silent, like an absurd pantomime.


    Lin Dongxue discovered something. She had struggled too hard just then and had actually pulled the chair beam that the rope was tied to out of its joint.


    This of course didn¡¯t mean that she was free. First of all, she had to shiftn her hands behind her back to the front. Her shoulder joints would have to be twisted almost three hundred and sixty degrees, which was physically possible but would be very painful¡­


    The male drug addict finally escaped. The female drug addict closed the door, bent down, and stared directly at Lin Dongxue''s eyes. As her pale face got closer and closer, Lin Dongxue retreated backwards in contempt, not wanting to smell her bad breath.


    The female drug addict also put her hand on her leg and caressed it. Lin Dongxue was very nervous. She was even more nervous than before, because she didn''t know what the other party wanted to do.


    Then she pped Lin Dongxue''s face. Lin Dongxue¡¯s face reeled to the side from the impact. The female drug addict opened her mouth and let out a pantingugh. She pulled Lin Dongxue''s chin and turned her face around, ring at her fiercely.


    "How many people did you sleep with to be a police officer? Slut!" asked the drug addict.


    Lin Dongxue stared at her in great indignation, and the female drug addict pped her again. However, the extremely angry Lin Dongxue calmed down and said, "I know why you¡¯re beating me."


    "Are you trying to say that I¡¯m envious of you? You stinking slut!" The female drug addict raised her hand, preparing to continue her attack.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly twisted her hands over from behind, enduring the pain of her joints. She hooked the female drug addict''s neck with both hands, and mmed her forehead against her head. The drug addict copsed onto the floor, and Lin Dongxue quickly bent over to untie the rope around her feet. She was anxious and knew she had to be quick.

 Chapter 848: The Irony

    <h4>Chapter 848: The Irony</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The rope on her feet was finally untied. Once her constricted feet were freed, she felt a needle-like tingling sensation. Lin Dongxue''s feet were so numb that it was impossible for her to move.


    Upon seeing this, the female drug addict on the floor picked up a broom to beat Lin Dongxue with. Lin Dongxue fell down while dodging. The female drug addict grabbed her trousers with a w-like hand. Lin Dongxue recklessly kicked backwards at the head of the female drug addict, causing a sound like a coconut shaking.


    The sounds of their fight reached next door. The male drug addict hurriedly opened the bedroom door. Lin Dongxue''s heart pounded wildly. She rolled and crawled towards the bathroom in a rush. After entering, she braced a mop against the door and leaned against the wall panting. Her heart was beating as if it was about to explode.


    "Open the door! Slut!" The female drug addict mmed the door frantically, and the flimsy door shook as if it was about to fall off the door frame at any time.


    "Motherfucker, bring something to ram the door open."


    The female drug addictmanded the male drug addict. The two looked around the room. The male drug addict yawned again and again. After looking for a while, he sat down and lit a roll of marijuana to refresh himself. When the female drug addict saw it, she red at him, grabbed the marijuana and smoked it herself.


    The two of them forgot the trouble in front of them, and even sat smoking together, sharing the marijuana between them.


    At this moment, Chu Wei came in from outside and saw that the room was a mess. The supper in his hand almost fell to the ground. He said viciously, "What''s going on! Where is she?"


    "In the bathroom."


    "I just left for a while and you¡­"


    There was the sound of a car outside the door, and it was unlikely that a car would drive here at night in a ce like this. Chu Wei went close to the window and took a look. At the same time, Lin Dongxue, who was hiding in the bathroom, also heard the sound of a car outside. She was very familiar with that car¡¯s sound. She broke the ss with a hair dryer and shouted, "I¡¯m here!"


    This yelling frightened Chu Wei so much that his body felt weak. His intuition told him that the people who came must be the police. He urged the couple, "Run!"


    "What about her?" The male drug addict pointed to the bathroom.


    Chu Wei stomped anxiously. "Fuck, we don¡¯t have time to bother!"


    The three jumped out of the window, ran wildly along the alley, and disappeared into the night.


    Dong! Dong! Dong!


    The locked door was rammed open, Chen Shi rushed in and shouted, "Where are you, Dongxue?"


    "I''m here!"


    Lin Dongxue opened the door. When she saw Chen Shi, she could no longer control her emotions. She embraced him emotionally and burst into tears. Chen Shiforted her by gently patting her back. Lin Qiupu also rushed in and saw that his sister was safe and sound. He breathed a long sigh of relief.


    After she had vented her emotions, Lin Dongxue calmed down. She said, "Chase after them quickly. Those people haven''t run far yet. Chu Wei has a couple working for him."


    "I¡¯ll go!" Lin Qiupu was about to jump out the window.


    "Don''t go." Chen Shi stopped him by the shoulder. "Don''t take risks before reinforcementse. Just ask some people to seal off all the surrounding area. They can''t run far without transportation."


    "And just let this great opportunity pass?"


    "It''s been five minutes since we rammed the door open. Can you catch up?"


    Lin Qiupu finally epted Chen Shi''s proposal and took out his phone to call for reinforcements.


    Chen Shi helped Lin Dongxue to lie down on the bed for a while, and the cirction in her hands and feet was slowly restored. Although he had a lot of questions to ask, he just smiled when he spoke. "Have a good rest."


    "I¡¯m thirsty." Lin Dongxue said.


    "I''ll pour you some water."


    The house was empty and he had a hard time finding a cup. Chen Shi washed the cup over and over again, poured some water in, and brought it over to Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Qiupu was talking to Lin Dongxue, and when Chen Shi came in, he suddenly fell silent. Chen Shi thought to himself that there must be something they were hiding from him, but now that Lin Dongxue was safe, he wasn¡¯t going to pry any further. Who doesn''t have a secret or two?


    Outside the town, the three of them hid in the underbrush. Listening to the police sirens in the distance, Chu Wei was very upset. He wanted to beat this useless couple, but it wouldn¡¯t be of any use.


    At that moment, the phone rang. Chu Wei put it to his ear, and a familiar elderly voice came from the other end, "Ah Wei, you won. Bring my daughter over. I¡¯ll give you 10 million!"


    Chu Wei was silent. How ironic. The hostage was gone, but the other party agreed to pay.


    "Why, is the amount too little? Don''t be too greedy. My patience is limited!"


    "Haha!" Chu Weiughed hollowly to conceal his guilty conscience. "Old Lie is so generous. In that case, just leave the money at¡­"


    "Don''t try that with me!" the other party bellowed, "We have to do a face-to-face exchange. If I don¡¯t see her, don¡¯t think you will get even a single yuan!"


    "How can I trust an old fox like you?"


    "If I say something, I¡¯ll definitely do it!"


    "Your words are like farts!"


    He could hear the other person''s gasp on the phone. After gasping, Lie Guoxiao calmed down abruptly and said in a calm tone, "Ah Wei, I once had an absolutely irreconcble enemy. I hadn''t made my mark yet when he was enjoying sess. When I was able to retaliate against him, he had nothing left. Guess how I finished him in the end? I pretended to be a distant rtive in order to help him out financially, bought him a house and found him a beautiful wife who gave birth to a child for him. He lived a happy and fulfilling life. Then when his son turned one year old, I led my men to their house. I let my subordinates torture his wife to death and fling his son to his death. I let him watch and let him cry as he stayed there helplessly. But I didn''t touch a single finger of his. After we left, hemitted suicide by himself!


    "Ah Wei, the location is the abandoned building where you had hidden the drugs. You¡¯re most familiar with it. I¡¯ll only send one person to bring the money over and you should also bring my daughter there alone! You muste. You must believe me. I must see my daughter before daybreak! I¡¯ve already made this kind of concession. If you still don¡¯t believe it or don¡¯te, then I will do everything in my power to find you, and then use a method a hundred times more cruel than how I tortured that person to death to kill you. I can do what I say!"


    The phone hung up with a bang. Chu Wei listened to the disconnect tone on the phone and remained motionless for a long time.


    From the time he got to know Lie Guoxiao till now, what he had always seen was an old man who talks cheerfully and reveals nothing. He had never seen him talk to anyone so earnestly. However, Chu Wei didn¡¯t know whether he should believe him, and the most crucial problem was that the hostage was gone!


    The male drug addict overheard the call just then and asked with a look of surprise, "Brother Wei, ten million?"


    "What are we going to trade for this ten million?!" Chu Wei asked gloomily.


    The male drug addict thought for a while, pped the female drug addict¡¯s face, and cursed, "Fuck your mother! The ten million is gone."


    Ten million! Ten million! Ten million!


    Pondering this weighty figure, Chu Wei''s expression kept changing. His eyes fell on the female drug addict. Due to long-term drug addiction, she was very thin and her height was simr to LinDongxue¡¯s. Chu Wei''s brows unfurrowed and he asked, "Where can you get women¡¯s clothes?"


    The male drug addict looked confused, and pointed to the female drug addict, "On her."


    "Fuck your mother!" Chu Wei pped him. "Go find some clothes that are simr to that police woman¡¯s!"

 Chapter 849: Dead End

    <h4>Chapter 849: Dead End</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At about 1:00AM, Chu Wei and the drug addicts arrived at the abandoned hydrological monitoring station. The female drug addict wore clothes that looked simr to LinDongxue¡¯s. They had stolen them from a clothing store. She was ufortable and kept pulling at her sleeves.


    "Brother Wei, is this really safe?" The male drug addict asked once again.


    Chu Wei was already impatient. "Do as I say. I will cover up Ah Lin''s head so that the other party can''t see her face. After getting the money, you¡¯ll bash the back of the person''s head, and then we¡¯ll run away."


    "What if the other party has a gun?"


    "It''s useless even if they brought a rocketuncher. If you have knocked them down with a stick, what are you afraid of?"


    "Oh¡­ what if there¡¯s more than one person?"


    "Then we¡¯ll withdraw, and I¡¯ll call him saying that he didn¡¯t keep his promise and that we won¡¯t carry out the transaction anymore. Even tigers don¡¯t eat their young. You can be rest assured that as long as the ''police woman'' is in our hands, we¡¯re safe!"


    "Brother Wei¡­"


    "What now?"


    "I think the money we¡¯re getting is a bit little¡­" the male drug addictmented and the female drug addict also nodded desperately in agreement.


    Chu Wei snarled in a low voice, "Don''t negotiate with me at this juncture. If you don''t want to earn this money, just get lost. Given how the two of you are like, how else could you earn two hundred thousand at once?! Ah?!"


    "Can we get 20%¡­" The male drug addict raised two fingers shyly.


    "What did you say?!"


    Chu Wei red at him. Under that withering gaze, the tiny bit of courage that the male drug addict had finally mustered up was extinguished. He lowered his head in fear. Even though the female drug addict desperately pulled his arm from below, he dared not bargain again.


    Finally, they got to the top of the mountain. It was pitch dark and it seemed like the person who was meant to hand over the money hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The male drug addict yawned again and again. He took out a marijuana cigarette to refresh himself. Chu Wei pped the marijuana cigarette out of his hand onto the ground and said viciously, "Smoking, smoking, smoking. You only know how to smoke. When you get the money, you can buy cocaine, and inject it intravenously until you die while getting high! Get over there and hide."


    The male drug addict took out the stick he was carrying andy in wait.


    Chu Wei took out a pillowcase and prepared to cover up the female drug addict''s head. The female drug addict grabbed his hand and said in a flirtatious manner, "Brother Wei, I want to be your woman."


    Chu Wei sneered. Before he could get the ten million yuan, a woman had already taken the initiative to deliver herself to his door. However, he didn¡¯t want this type of goods. "Shut up!"


    Chu Wei tied the female drug addict''s hands behind her, and walked into the hydrological monitoring station as if he was escorting Lin Dongxue. He found a chair and asked the female drug addict to sit down. He sat down on another chair, lit a cigarette, and took a blissful puff.


    The wait was long and boring. During this period, the female drug addict kept ttering him, touching his feet with hers, and her motives were tant. Chu Wei became angry and cursed, "Slut, I won¡¯t fuck a rotten cunt like yours even if it only costs fifty cents. Go back and look for your useless guy!"


    The female drug addict finally stopped.


    Chu Wei looked up at the moonlight shining through the broken roof. Scenes of what had happened in the past two days shed before him. He had narrowly escaped the police¡¯s pursuit several times. It was a miracle to be able to sit here right now. He would run away when he got the money to somewhere far away, stay incognito, and live afortable life with a beautiful wife.


    Chu Wei yawned again, and when he opened his eyes he found a person standing in front of the door like a ghost, with a suitcase in his hand.


    "You¡¯re finally here."


    Chu Wei stood up with tion to receive the ten million. Suddenly, there was an exploding sound and his chest felt as if he was punched. Chu Wei lowered his head. In his gradually blurring vision, arge pool of blood spread across his chest, and the blood loss brought about a rapid chill that spread throughout the whole body.


    "Ahh!"


    The female drug addict was startled by the gunshot, and saw that Chu Wei had copsed at her feet. She stood up and was about to run. She was shot in the back and fell onto the floor.


    The assassin stepped forward and shot each of them again, this time hitting their heads so that even immortals would have trouble saving them.


    There was another gunshot outside. The second assassin walked in and wiped his gun shaft with his leather gloves. On the mountain road behind him, the male drug addict was lying on the ground, blood seeping out from him.


    The two exchanged nces. Killer A took out his phone, "Master Lie, it''s done."


    "Was it her?" Lie Guoxiao''s voice wasced with sobs.


    Killer A stepped forward to uncover the pillowcase on the head of the female corpse, and replied, "A woman around twenty-five years old who was very thin with very pale skin."


    The other side cried even more fiercely. "I¡¯m not human! I¡¯m not human! I even killed my own daughter to preserve my life!"


    "Master Lie, you have to pay a little price when you walk this path."


    "You¡¯re right!"


    Thisment was made by Killer B. Killer A suddenly found that Killer B¡¯s gun was on his temple. Before he could react, he was shot through the skull and fell to the ground.


    Killer B took out his mobile phone and called Lie Guoxiao, "Master Lie, as agreed, I¡¯ve avenged Miss Lin."


    The other side cried more fiercely, and it took him a long time to squeeze out, "Bury her well." Then he hung up.


    Chu Wei¡¯s whereabouts were unknown. Three days had passed quickly. Lin Qiupu had received a case fax from the sub-bureau that day. On the mountain where they had rescued the missing police, someone heard gunshots in the early morning on the 17th, and then saw a suspicious ze. The eyewitness went up the mountain to check the next day and found a suspicious patch of ground. He turned the soil up and found four charred corpses underneath.


    One of the burnt corpses was quickly confirmed by DNA to be Chu Wei. Like the other two corpses, he had been shot both in the torso and in the head. This was a typical assassin''s method.


    The fourth scorched corpse couldn¡¯t be identified, and there was only one gunshot wound on the temple.


    In order to find out the identity of the corpse, Lin Dongxue was called to the bureau. She carefully read the autopsy report. It was mentioned that ephedrine was found in the bodies of No. 2 and No. 3. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Considering all aspects, they should be Chu Wei¡¯s assistants - the two who helped guard me that night."


    Lin Qiupu said, "I have sent people to their residence to find biological evidence and will strive to confirm their identities today."


    Lin Dongxue suddenly thought of something. "Brother, after our parents died that year, where did we find the biological evidence? Did they do paternity tests with us, or did they find their hair at home?"


    "Why are you talking about this suddenly? It was a car ident and not a criminal case. The documents and belongings on the bodies would have proven their identities unless family members requested autopsies." Lin Qiupu got up and closed the office door. "That night, did Chu Wei say something to you?"


    "He didn''t say anything¡­" Lin Dongxue''s eyes were dim. Lin Qiupu had given her three days off. During these three days, she had thought about a multitude of things. Chu Wei had kidnapped her to threaten someone. Does that person have anything to do with her? With the most crucial piece of the puzzle missing, everything was still impossible to unravel.


    Perhaps Chen Shi would have a clearer picture, but Lin Dongxue didn''t want to tell Chen Shi about this. She was afraid that the truth would be something she couldn''t face.


    Her thoughts returned to reality. "Why did these three people die? It stands to reason that they had run away that night, and the original n couldn¡¯t be implemented. After all, the ¡®hostage¡¯ was gone."


    "You¡¯re thinking too much. It was just the real culprit behind the scenes finishing things up. These two assistants were unfortunately drawn in."


    "Is there any evidence of the culprit behind the scenes?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "With Chu Wei''s death, all the clues have been cut off. Those farmers who nted the marijuana have been taken to the third team for questioning, but we all know that they¡¯re just small fry. We haven¡¯t encountered anyone in the upper reaches of the drug chain."


    "This case ended just like this?" Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe it.


    "We have closed the case on our side and the third team will continue to follow up. After all, drugs are involved and the scale is sorge."


    Lin Dongxue was disappointed. Lin Qiupu patted her, "Don''t be discouraged. The battle isn¡¯t over yet. Look at your listlessness. Come and carry out some official duties with your brother!"


    "What duties?"


    "Thest case hasn''t been settled yet. I''m going to meet the old man surnamed Lie and confirm some details with him. You shoulde with me."


    Now that it was about work, Lin Dongxue resumed her status as a subordinate and simply replied, "Yes, Captain."

 Chapter 850: Pandoras Box Is Opened

    <h4>Chapter 850: Pandora''s Box Is Opened</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lie Guoxiao stroked an old, yellowed photo. The photo showed a woman in a goose-yellow sweater and a pair of children. Judging from the height of the children, they were a pair of siblings. They were very cute. The three of them were smiling. They were wless smiles immersed in happiness.


    Lie Guoxiao¡¯s tears fell on the photo. He wiped it away with his finger, and whispered softly, ¡°Forgive me. I couldn¡¯t help it!¡±


    Then he asked the subordinate at his side, "What was the date that day?"


    "May 17th."


    "Okay, remember that May 17th is my daughter''s death anniversary, and whenever this dayes¡­"


    When the phone rang, Lie Guoxiao answered impatiently. After listening, he cursed, "Damn the police. Tell them toe in!"


    He sat down, lit a cigar, and put on an unruffled demeanor. He was slightly surprised when he saw Lin Qiupu walking in. But when he saw Lin Dongxue who was following behind Lin Qiupu, Lie Guoxiao suddenly cried out in fear, "Ah, ghost!"


    Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue exchanged nces in surprise. What was going on?


    Lie Guoxiao quickly returned to normal, and transformed back to the old man who reveals nothing. However, his momentary strange reaction nted deep doubts in Lin Dongxue''s heart.


    On the way back, Lin Dongxue kept looking silently out the window. When the car stopped at an intersection, the slight swaying of the car recalled her to reality. She said, "He just called me a ¡®ghost¡¯, right?"


    "Well, it''s truly a bit strange."


    "Brother, I¡¯ve been thinking about why Chu Wei kidnapped me for the past two days. At that time, he was going to use me to extort money from someone. Chu Wei was the one who killed our parents. When I asked him about it, he said that he just did it for the money. I then asked who had hired him, and he said mockingly - ''Your father''!"


    "What?!"


    "I thought he was teasing me, but I thought about itter. Could this have a double meaning? Did our father fake his own death?!"


    "How could that be possible? Our father¡­"


    "Do you remember what he looked like? What did he do? Did he have any enemies?"


    Lin Qiupu fell into silence for a while, and the traffic started to move again. A few minutester, Lin Qiupu replied, "Our father is called Lin Zhaoxiong. I remember that he often travelled on business and sometimes didn¡¯te back for a few months. Whenever he came back, he would bring us many toys. Every time, he would buy us imported choctes and it made you picky with your food. He was very affectionate with our mother, although they had an age gap of over ten years."


    Lin Dongxue had no impression of these things, but she knew one thing. "Our father has no rtives in Long''an, and the ones who have raised us since childhood were rtives from our mother''s side¡­ Brother, can we do a DNA test? "


    "Ashes cannot be identified by DNA. What do you want to express?"


    "Brother, don''t think that my thoughts are too exaggerated, I think it''s possible¡­" Lin Dongxue knew that when this sentence is said, many things would change, but the truth has a magical power that makes people unconsciously explore it. "Lie Guoxiao is our father?!"


    "Impossible!!!" Lin Qiupu said loudly.


    "Listen to me. Chu Wei kidnapped me to extort someone. He only did this when all his other options were exhausted. It shows that he didn''t dare to offend that person normally. What does this person have to do with me? Is he our father? If this is the case, our father had pretended to die back then. He hired Chu Wei to fake a car ident. Chu Wei had always known this secret. After he fell out with the gang, he used this secret to extort a fortune. That night, I heard him mention ''Pandora''s Box'' on the phone. Doesn¡¯t this mean that a secret is about to be revealed?"


    "Based on this, our father isn¡¯t a good man!"


    "Then there¡¯s Chu Wei''s death. He and his two assistants died on the mountain. The method was like that of a professional killer¡¯s. Why did he escape to the mountain? Chu Wei was familiar with those viges. He had been in hiding before. He must have a ce to go since he was previously hiding from the police. I think he went to the mountain to meet someone. He intended to continue the transaction with the other person, using a fake hostage. That is, that girl. The autopsy report mentioned the clothing of the deceased. I remember that the female drug addict wasn¡¯t wearing that outfit before. The clothes she wore when she died were very simr to what I was wearing that day. Why did they change a woman''s clothes in the middle of escaping at night? This is the most likely reason!"


    "What Chu Wei didn''t expect was that the other party didn''t n to carry out the transaction at all, and directly sent killers to kill all three of them. As far as this person was concerned, he had personally killed his own daughter and buried this secret forever¡­ Think about Lie Guoxiao''s reaction when he saw me just then!"


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes were burning with fervour, but Lin Qiupu was lost in thought. "Do you really hope that such a person is our father?"


    "Brother, we can¡¯t choose our parents. If Lie Guoxiao is really our father, my reasoning will make sense. In that case, it will prove that he is a member of the criminal syndicate, and may be the mastermind behind the scenes. Then we will have evidence to arrest him¡­ Even if the evidence isn¡¯t sufficient, the fact that he is still alive as our father is inherently problematic because another person died for him back then!"


    Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly, "How can you say such things so calmly?"


    "For me, it''s the same whether we have parents or not. I only have one family member in this world."


    "Is that person''s surname Lin?"


    "It isn¡¯t Lin, but G¨¥, as in ¡®Older Brother¡¯!" Lin Dongxue smiled.[1]


    Lin Qiupu suddenly remembered that when they were young, they were staying with rtives after the two lost their parents. Lin Dongxue had a nightmare at night, and cried that she wanted to find her brother.


    "Thest time Lie Guoxiao was arrested, we retained his DNA." He noted.


    "What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s hurry back to the bureau."


    Back in the bureau, Lin Qiupu immediately asked Peng Sijue topare two samples. He didn''t say that that strand of hair was his own. He waited anxiously for three hours. The two stood up nervously as long as they heard footsteps in the office.


    At this time, the internal line rung and Lin Qiupu answered. "I''ll go and get the report!"


    "I''ll go as well!" Lin Dongxue couldn''t wait.


    "No, no, no, I''m afraid you¡¯ll scream. I''ll be right back."


    After Lin Qiupu left, every second felt extremely long and Lin Dongxue felt nervous and uneasy. If Lie Guoxiao was really her father, how grave a fact would that be? How should she tell other people and tell Chen Shi?


    The door opened and Lin Qiupu came in with a piece of paper. Lin Dongxue snatched it from him. After reading the words on it, it was a load off her mind.


    "Sister, Lie Guoxiao is really our father!" Lin Qiupu said with mixed feelings. "This is strong evidence for us to arrest him!"


    "Let¡¯s arrest him now and ask this old bastard why he pretended to die and killed our mother! Why did he send a killer that night to kill me?!" At this point, Lin Dongxue''s eyes became moist with tears. They were tears of anger and disappointment.


    1. ¡°Older brother¡± is pronounced as ¡°G¨¥g¨¥¡±.

 Chapter 851: Father? Are You Worthy?

    <h4>Chapter 851: Father? Are You Worthy?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    It was May 24th, less than two weeks before the junior high school examination. Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue out to rx over the weekend. The two went to a newly-opened pizzeria and ordered french fries, pizza, milkshakes and ice cream. Chen Shi said, "Although junk food isn¡¯t good for you, one of its biggest benefits is relieving tension and anxiety."


    Tao Yueyue said, "It''s only a junior high school examination. Do you think I''m nervous?"


    "You¡¯ve been a bit absent-mindedtely."


    "How annoying, don''t ask about a girl¡¯s personal affairs¡­" Tao Yueyue glossed over the topic. "Did you and Sister Lin quarrel? Why haven''t you been looking for her recently?"


    "Thest case has a lot of misceneous follow-up work that I can''t help with, so I¡¯ll keep youpany at home."


    Since Chu Wei''s unexpected death, Chen Shi hadn''t been to the bureau much, but he heard the rumor that the case was most likely connected with Lie Guoxiao. He heard that the third team and the second team were investigating together.


    At this time, the pizzaria¡¯s TV began to broadcast a piece of local news, and photos of a group of arrested suspects appeared on the screen. The news said that local entrepreneur Lie Guoxiao was suspected of being involved in arge-scale drug cultivation case, as well as multiple disappearances and murders. The police wereunching a full investigation into him and hispany.


    "The Criminal Police Brigade and Triad Squad of the Long''an Public Security Bureau are offering a reward to the public for providing criminal clues and evidence regarding Lie Guoxiao. To provide clues, please call the hotline at the bottom of the screen¡­"


    "Wow, Sister Lin seems to have appeared on the news." Tao Yueyue said.


    "Really? I''ll go back and watch it againter." Chen Shi thought that if the police were offering a reward for clues, it seemed that they were really starting to take action.


    Lie Guoxiao seemed about to be finished. This incident had happened like a lightning bolt from the blue. Chen Shi was very curious about how Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue had found a breakthrough. He took out his cell phone, nced at Tao Yueyue, and stuffed it back. Tao Yueyue noticed his small movements and said, "If you want to call, just call. You must be calling Sister Lin, right?"


    "No, I will keep youpany today and do nothing."


    When he got home in the evening, Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue, inquired about her well-being and asked about the current situation. Lin Dongxue said that she was still in the bureau, and Chen Shi asked, "Do you want to charter a car, Miss Lin?"


    "Okay, okay, I have good news to tell you."


    "I''ll be there soon."


    When he drove the car to the Public Security Bureau, Lin Dongxue was standing at the entrance. Unusually, she was wearing a police uniform. Chen Shi asked, "Were you just in a meeting?"


    "The meeting was in the morning. I came to work in a police uniform today."


    "You look good in a police uniform."


    "Is it the police uniform or the person that looks good?" Lin Dongxue got into the car and saw a paper bag next to him. Inside were a few pieces of pizza leftover from Chen Shi¡¯s trip to the pizzeria. Lin Dongxue was famished, so she picked them up and started eating.


    Chen Shi pretended to think it over and replied, "It must be the police uniform that looks good. I would be just as handsome in a police uniform."


    "Haha, how insincere!" Lin Dongxue quickly ate a slice of pizza. "But Old Chen, if you want to wear a police uniform, it¡¯s really easy."


    "Okay, don''t recruit me into the team. What is the good news?"


    "Lie Guoxiao is about to be done for. We have evidence that he is connected with the drug cultivation case. " Lin Dongxue said seriously.


    "I saw the news. Congrattions. This is probably the biggest case of the year, right? By the way, what evidence?"


    Lin Dongxue hesitated. She hadn¡¯t thought about how to say it. "I will tell you after I think about it."


    "No worries."


    "I now know what a torment it is to be hiding secrets, haii!"


    "Are you full?"


    "You want to treat me to a meal?"


    "You¡¯ve just beenmended. You should be the one treating me, right?"


    Lin Dongxue pouted. "I can treat you, but I get to choose what we¡¯re going to eat."


    "All right, I can ept grilled fish."


    Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang. It was Lin Qiupu. He said, "Come to the nearby XX Hotel, Suite 302."


    "Is something up?"


    "Let¡¯s talk after youe. Who are you with? Chen Shi?"


    "Should hee too?"


    "Sure, let hime too and be a witness."


    Lin Dongxue was confused. What witness? However, she still asked Chen Shi to drive the car over there.


    Lin Dongxue opened the door of the suite, and when she saw who was in the room, her expression suddenly became cold. Lie Guoxiao was sitting there. He had just been released on bail from the Public Security Bureau with the help of awyer and he was dressed in very in clothes. He was also not holding that dragon head cane and looked just like a benevolent father.


    Only him and Lin Qiupu were in the suite. There was tea on the table. Lin Qiupu hadn''t touched his cup.


    "Dongxue." Lie Guoxiao said with a smile.


    "Do I know you well?" Lin Dongxue replied coldly.


    "Could you please ask him to go out for a while?" Lie Guoxiao pointed to Chen Shi.


    "No, Chen Shi, you just sit here." Lin Qiupu looked at Lie Guoxiao, "I know you won''t ept it if we didn¡¯t agree to this private meeting, but a gentleman shouldn¡¯t do shameful deeds even when there is nobody around. The conversation between us must have a witness!"


    Lie Guoxiao looked upset, reminded of the situation in the interrogation room that day. The interrogators had actually turned out to be a pair of his own flesh and blood, but they had treated him like an enemy.


    Lie Guoxiao couldn''t figure out whether it was because they had be police officers that they didn¡¯t recognize him as family, or because they hated the fact that he had abandoned them.


    He admitted that he wasn¡¯t apetent father, but no matter what, blood is thicker than water. He is their father after all!


    Seeing both sides¡¯ attitudes, Chen Shi raised his eyebrows suspiciously. He didn''t know what was going on, but decided not to say a word and stayed quietly next to them as a human tape recorder.


    After he was seated, Lie Guoxiao nced at Chen Shi unhappily, and finally made up his mind to speak, "I couldn''t do anything about what happened back then. The enemy had found me. I had to¡­ cough. You should understand. If I didn¡¯t do that, our whole family¡¯s lives would have been in danger. I did it to save our family¡­"


    "In order to save yourself, you killed my mother!?" Lin Qiupu asked coldly.


    "Ahem!" Lie Guoxiao nced at Chen Shi again. The presence of this outsider made him very ufortable. "Qiupu¡­"


    "Call me Officer Lin!"


    "Why? I''m your father. You don''t know what I¡¯ve gone through over these years. It took me more than half of my life to achieve sess that I could be proud of so that I could have the capital to reunite with you two again. I want to make up for what I have done in the past from now on and be a good father!" Lie Guoxiao wiped away his tears, took out two cards and put them on the table, "Qiupu, Dongxue, I haven¡¯t been with you for more than 20 years. This is just a littlepensation that I cane up with for you two. You must ept it and give your father a little bit of face!"


    "Do you know what you¡¯re doing? This is bribery!" Lin Qiupu said coldly.


    "A father giving money to his son is called bribery?" Lie Guoxiao tried to squeeze out a smile, stacked the two cards together, and gave them to Chen Shi, "Comrade, I give this money to you, and the pin numbers are behind them."


    Chen Shi showed a surprised expression, "Are there still such good things in this day and age?"


    "Haha, thisrade is still sensible." Lie Guoxiao turned to Lin Qiupu, "Qiupu, I¡¯m not here to bribe you today. I just want to talk about the fact that you are the captain of the criminal police, and I have a position and assets which are the envy of others. If we join hands, the entire Long''an will belong to us Lins. Having been in the underworld for decades made me understand the truth that no one can be trusted, except for fathers, sons and brothers. Blood rtionships can''t be blocked by anything!"


    Lie Guoxiao showed an experienced smile.


    Lin Qiupu restrained his anger and said, "Sister, let''s go! I can''t talk with this kind of person!"


    "Aiya, listen to me¡­" Lie Guoxiao tried to urge them to stay.


    Lin Dongxue wanted to vomit when she heard his hypocritical voice. She couldn''t bear it anymore. She grabbed the teacup on the table, sshed the tea inside onto Lie Guoxiao''s face and said, "Father? Are you worthy?"

 Chapter 852: Circumvention of Principle

    <h4>Chapter 852: Circumvention of Principle</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 51: The Devil¡¯s Diagnosis Report


    "I''m furious."


    After leaving the hotel, Lin Dongxue angrily kicked away a stone on the road. This kind of scum kept talking about blood rtionships, which made her feel sick. What''s more disgusting was that this kind of person was actually her father, and she had half of his genes!


    "Don''t be angry," Chen Shiforted, "Actually, you¡¯re luckier than most people."


    "I¡¯m lucky?" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    "Most people hate their parents but don¡¯t even have a chance to express it. The biological father you hate is a criminal. You¡¯re a policeman. Not only can you ssh tea on his face, you can also arrest him and throw him in jail, getting him to pay his debts slowly for what he¡¯s done."


    "Old Chen, do you hate your parents too?"


    "No. Although my family also has some ordinary bumps on the road, they let mee into this world and gave me a chance to meet you. I¡¯m already very grateful to them." Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue''s hand.


    Lin Dongxue''s tears fell on their hands that held each other and said, "I''m now¡­ in a very depressed mood¡­"


    "I¡¯ll apany you."


    Lin Dongxue buried her head in Chen Shi''s chest, but suddenly remembered something. "You just epted those two cards as if nothing had happened?"


    Chen Shi took it out of his pockets. "At the time, you two had too much drama going on and I didn''t have a chance to return it. I¡¯ll give it to you so you can donate it to the impoverished mountainous areas, or use it as a reward for collecting clues."


    "I don''t want it. I don''t want to touch the old man''s money. You can donate it yourself!"


    "I will hand it over to your brother in person tomorrow."


    The next morning, the two went to the bureau and found Lin Qiupu was packing his things in the office. Lin Dongxue asked in surprise, "What''s the matter, brother? Are you going to be transferred?"


    Lin Qiupu put down a box. "The suspect has been confirmed to be our biological father, so we have to avoid this case. I¡¯ve already filed a suspension application with the chief. I¡¯ll consider whether to return when Lie Guoxiao is tried in court."


    Looking at Lin Qiupu''s haggard look, it seemed that he didn''t sleep muchst night.


    "But I don''t want to transfer out of the second team. If I can''t be a criminal detective, I might as well sell grilled fish!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "You don''t have to transfer, but you have to withdraw from this case. If they want to collect information, you and I have to cooperate as immediate family members of the person involved."


    Lin Dongxue pouted and nodded. "Someone finally called the hotline this morning and said they wanted to provide evidence of Lie Guoxiao''s crimes. The case has finally improved a bit, haii¡­"


    "We must maintain impartiality."


    "I have no objection, but I feel a little disappointed that I can''t arrest this old bastard myself."


    "Old bastard? He¡¯s our biological father!" Although he hated Lie Guoxiao as well, Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t be as carefree as Lin Dongxue. After all, he still held the memory of his father for eleven years.


    "What kind of father is he? In order to hide his identity, he killed our mother and hid for over 20 years. He nned to kill me that night as well!" Lin Dongxue was filled with righteous indignation.


    "In fact, it¡¯s good that I can avoid this. Honestly, I don''t know how to face him." Lin Qiupu sighed with emotion.


    Chen Shi interrupted the conversation between the two. "With you gone, who will be the captain?"


    "You¡¯re more familiar with the people in the team than I am. Is there anyone you¡¯d choose in your heart?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "In terms of qualifications and abilities, I think it should be Old Zhang."


    "I also proposed to the chief to let Old Zhang lead the team temporarily!"


    "Brother, what are you going to do after leaving the team?" Lin Dongxue asked. "Would you like to go have a holiday? You haven''t taken any vacations over the recent years."


    "Get married."


    "Huh? Get married? With whom?!"


    "I don''t know. I¡¯m going on blind dates starting tomorrow. The n is to get the certificate next month and the wedding will be scheduled forter¡­ If there are any requirements for your future sister-inw, you can mention them now."


    Lin Dongxue was speechless. Lin Qiupu''s tone was as though he was talking about a to-do list. She reluctantly answered, "As long as you like her, it¡¯s okay."


    "I can''t just like her. It depends on thepatibility of all aspects. In addition, it¡¯s whether she can ept my job. A police officer won¡¯t have that much time to spend with the family. I will draw up a contract by then¡­ Old Chen, why are youughing?"


    "No, I very much agree with your pragmatic attitude. With the nature of your work, looking forward to a romantic encounter and then meeting someone who happens to be able to get along together with you is harder than winning the lottery. Blind dates are very objective and rational ways of choosing a spouse."


    "Hey, are you men all so sensible regarding marriage?" Lin Dongxue said with contempt. The marriage in her mind had to be beautiful and romantic. Haii, maybe she was still too young.


    "After deciding on the candidate, I will call you for your opinions." Lin Qiupu said in a serious manner.


    "No, no, don''t worry about me. As long as you like her, it¡¯s fine." Lin Dongxue bid her goodbye after that.


    Lin Dongxue suddenly felt very disappointed when she had to withdraw from this case because she had recently been busy with it day and night. Chen Shi proposed to take a half-day off and go out to rx. Lin Dongxue readily agreed.


    When walking out of the Public Security Bureau, Lin Dongxue saw many strangers lining up at the door to fill in their personal information. Xu Xiaodong asked, "Hey, where are you guys going?"


    "These people¡­"


    "They¡¯re here to provide evidence of Lie Guoxiao''s crimes. We really didn''t expect so many people at once. Wow, we¡¯re going to be busy all day today."


    When a wall was about to fall down, everyone would join to push it down. With the in-depth investigation of the drug case, the trend of the downfall of Lie Guoxiao was irreversible. Many celebrities in Long''an revealed on informally through tforms such as Weibo that they would cut off various public and private contact with Lie Guoxiao.


    With charges surrounding drugs, murder, ckmail, intimidation, and all the other kinds of charges, how many years would Lie Guoxiao go to jail for? Even if he could afford Long¡¯an''s bestwyer, he couldn¡¯t protect himself.


    Thinking of the bleak end of this old man, Lin Dongxue felt happy, but at the same time, a touch of sadness. Their undeniable blood rtionship was like a tendon, pulling her heart in the dark.


    Avoidance was indeed a very wise decision. The human heart cannot be controlled by oneself.


    In the middle of the night, Lie Guoxiao angrily kneaded a newspaper into a ball. He was in his own vi in the countryside. There weren¡¯t any other houses around them and they were surrounded by a yard over the hundreds of square meters around them. There were bodyguards guarding every entrance, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about being seen.


    Two guests sat across from each other. One was leisurely tasting wine and the other was ying with a mobile phone. The one ying on the phone had a finger cot on their thumb.


    In the courtyard outside the terrace, Lie Guoxiao''s subordinate, Liu Feng, was digging something with a shovel.


    There was actually another man in the room. He was naked with a dog cor on him, squatting on the ground like a dog and looking at the visitors in a daze. The visitors also looked at him and asked, "Master Lie, what breed is this ''dog''?"


    Lie Guoxiao was in a depressed mood now, and replied, "The day I¡¯m finished, even this ¡®dog¡¯ who has been with me for many years will abandon me!"


    "Master Lie, our master once said that this world is just a game and a dream. It''s enough to havee here vigorously. Don''t worry about the oue."


    Lie Guoxiao smiled bitterly. "Mr. Zhou doesn''t seem to be able tofort people too well. A prominent person like me who can''t meet a good ending and leave behind a good reputation in the end is something that¡¯s really sad and deste. Maybe everything is destined!"


    Liu Feng dragged a box out of the courtyard. He moved the box to the terrace and opened it. The attractive golden color made the hearts of the two visitors tremble.


    "Mr. Zhou, Miss Ling, this gold is from my personal collection. Now, I can only use them to pay themission. This is mystmission. This time, you can y freely and retaliate against the people who¡¯ve caused my misery! When a mountain copses, at least some people would finally be killed!"


    Zhou Xiao picked up a heavy gold bar and said, "It will definitely be to your satisfaction!"


    Lie Guoxiao added, "But there¡¯s a requirement¡­"

 Chapter 853: Xiaodong’s Mum

    <h4>Chapter 853: Xiaodong¡¯s Mum</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    On May 27th, the second team had been very busy over the past few days as they were investigating the case of Lie Guoxiao. However, Lin Dongxue, who was not on the task force, could get off work normally.


    At 5:30, Lin Dongxue grabbed her bag and said to everyone who was immersed in work, "I''m leaving now. Remember to eat!"


    "Dongxue, Dongxue." Xu Xiaodong chased after her. "Can you do me a favor? My mother found a random bookcase out of nowhere. She¡¯s sitting downstairs right now. I wouldn''t let her move it alone. I said I woulde back after I get off work, but I have to work overtime today."


    "I''ll go with Old Chen!"


    "Thank you and Brother Chen. I¡¯ll invite you to dinner tomorrow."


    "It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small favor."


    Chen Shi was waiting for her outside. The two originally nned to go to dinner after they got off work, but they took up this small task temporarily. Chen Shi said, "Since you¡¯re helping him move things, did you ask for your reward yet?"


    "Is it necessary to calcte it all? It''s just a favor. He said he would treat us to dinner tomorrow."


    "Okay, the grilled fish we originally nned to eat tonight can be treated by him tomorrow." With that, Chen Shi started the car.


    Lin Dongxue had been to Xu Xiaodong¡¯s house once. At that time, Xu Xiaodong¡¯s mother thought she was Xu Xiaodong¡¯s girlfriend and made some ridiculous misunderstanding. The olddy loved her son very much and spoiled him a lot. Xu Xiaodong was like someone who would never grow up in front of her. Lin Dongxue was very envious of this nourishment of family affection he received.


    On the way, Lin Dongxue said, "My brother really went on a blind date!"


    "It looks like you¡¯ll have a sister-inw soon."


    "I doubt it. Two days ago, he and his blind date partner were verypatible with each other. The other party also had a good impression of him. She was going to make another appointment with him. Do you know what he said? He said, ¡®I have a good impression of you, but I have topare everything first. Wait for my call!¡¯" Lin Dongxue made an exasperated expression. "People don¡¯t even say that inpany interviews. The girl heard that she was going to be used as aparison to ''shop around''. What would she think?"


    "Haha, people who don''t understand your brother can''t ept his overly logical character."


    "Inyman''s terms, this is calledck of emotional intelligence."


    "Does he have any interest in the other party?"


    "He told me that although she waspatible with him, he couldn¡¯t draw up any interest in spending the rest of his life with her." Lin Dongxue took out her phone and opened WeChat. "This is the photo he sent me. She¡¯s a nurse and looks pretty good. I didn''t expect him to have such high standards for appearance!"


    "I don''t think it¡¯s a matter of appearance, but gic attraction."


    "Isn¡¯t the so-called gic attraction just looking at the face?"


    "It''s not just looking at the face. It''s a biological instinct. Why do loving couples give birth to children who are smarter and healthier? The two people came together because they were driven by this gic attraction. Their genes canplement each other. The advantage of this is to breed better offspring. With regards to this kind of thing, I believe intuition is more reliable."


    Lin Dongxue made a disdainful expression. "You actually interpreted the beauty of love to such a utilitarian thing."


    "This isn¡¯t utilitarian. Love has both perceptual and rational forms of existence. Some people believe everything that happens is up to fate, while others believe in big data and probability. Of course, I¡¯m of the emotional kind."


    "Is there gic attraction between us?"


    "Uh, in terms of frequency and quality, I think there is."


    "Go to hell!" Lin Dongxueughed and cursed.


    The topic returned to Lin Qiupu. Chen Shi said, ¡°Objectively speaking, a policeman and a nurse are both people who are busy, highly professional, and have restrictive workces. I¡¯m not very optimistic about it. If a family is really formed, first of all, both parties would have little to talk about. Secondly, there¡¯s too little time to get along with each other. Why doesn''t your brother find a police officer? Two police officers would bepatible with each other!"


    "Why doesn¡¯t he find a police officer? As far as the current gender ratio of our second team is concerned, it¡¯d be impossible unless he¡¯s willing to ept same-sex marriage."


    When they got to Xu Xiaodong¡¯s house, they saw an olddy sitting on a bookcase downstairs, fanning herself with a handkerchief. Seeing Lin Dongxue, she immediately became enthusiastic and eximed, "Ah, Little Lin is here! What a rare visitor."


    Then, seeing Chen Shi who came with her, her smile obviously cooled by dozens of degrees. "This is¡­"


    "Colleague. You can call him Little Chen." In order to save trouble, Lin Dongxue introduced him like this.


    "Hello Little Chen."


    Xu Xiaodong had already said over the phone beforehand that the two of them would go to help. The bookcase was made out of solid wood and was quite heavy. It took a lot of effort for the two of them to get it into the elevator, then move it to the house. They put it down under themand of the olddy. They were busy until almost 7:00.


    "I''m so embarrassed that you both had to make a special trip. You can stay and eat. I bought ribs today. I made stewed winter melon rib soup."


    "Auntie, there¡¯s no need. We¡¯ll head back."


    "Little Lin, it''s been a long time since you''ve been here. Why don''t we have a meal together? Do you think Auntie¡¯s skills aren¡¯t good enough?" The olddy took Lin Dongxue''s hand.


    Under the kindness of the olddy, the two of them really couldn¡¯t refuse, so they had to stay for dinner. While the olddy was busy in the kitchen, Chen Shi visited Xu Xiaodong¡¯s room and looked at the various posters, surrounding items, andics in the room. It was hard to imagine that the owner was a serious criminal police officer.


    There was a Ragdoll cat lying downzily and licking its legs on the bed sheets with cartoon characters on them. Lin Dongxue eximed, "Huahua!" The cat uttered a "Meow" and ran over to let her rub her however she wanted. She began rolling on the ground, showing her belly and letting Lin Dongxue tickle it.


    "You actually remember me!" Lin Dongxue was overjoyed.


    "My Xiaodong is just a child that never grows up." The olddy came out with the dishes. "Little Lin, has he made any mistakestely?"


    "No, no, he has always been doing very well."


    "Then, did he do anything dangerous? Last time, he told me that he climbed along the water pipe to the second floor and subdued a criminal who had a knife on them. After hearing this, I couldn''t sleep all night. What would I do if anything happened to this child?!"


    Lin Dongxueforted, "Auntie, that kind of thing happens only once. Our job normally just consists of walking and asking around. There¡¯s nothing too dangerous."


    "Aii, I''m afraid he¡¯s too brave and will hurt himself." The olddy said to Chen Shi, "This officer, you may not know this but his father left early. Us mother and son depended on each other. He said he wanted to be a policeman and I supported him. I worried all day that something would happen to him, but I didn''t dare to restrain him too much. After all, I can''t control him for the rest of his life¡­ By the way, does he have a girlfriend at work yet?"


    The topics were all about Xu Xiaodong. The olddy showed them the photos of Xu Xiaodong when he was young. They were eating and chatting. In the blink of an eye, it became 8:30. Xu Xiaodong walked in and heard the olddy talking andughing about the embarrassing moments from his childhood. Xu Xiaodong said loudly, "Mom, don''t say anything! How can I live in the future?!"


    "You''re back! Wash your hands and eat quickly." Seeing her son enter the house, the olddy was so happy that the wrinkles around her eyes piled up.


    "No need. I¡¯ve eaten takeaways already." Xu Xiaodong sat down and picked up an apple.


    The olddy snatched the apple away from him and took a fruit knife to peel it for him. Sheined while peeling, "Eating takeaway again?! Is that stuff hygienic? It''s all waste oil and additives. Eating too much of it is bad for the stomach. If you don¡¯t cherish yourself while you¡¯re young, you¡¯ll be full of sicknesses when you¡¯re old and it¡¯ll be toote for regret."


    "Mom, don''t talk about it. It''s annoying." Xu Xiaodong took a bite of the cut apple.


    Chen Shi looked at him and smiled. He waspletely like a big boy, as if he became ten years younger as soon as he walked into this door.

 Chapter 854: Throat-Cutting Case

    <h4>Chapter 854: Throat-Cutting Case</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi were about to leave so Xu Xiaodong went out to see them off. When they got out the door, Xu Xiaodongined, "My mother is very annoying. As long as I''m at home, her nagging will never stop."


    "You don''t know that you¡¯re living in blessing." Lin Dongxue said. "Every day, someone cooks and takes care of you when you get home. In the morning, someone helps wake you up as well. How nice."


    "Haii, you just saw the good side of it."


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong''s phone rang. After he answered it, he said, "Brother Chen, are you two busy right now?"


    "What''s happening?"


    "There is a case. Old Zhang sent me for a visit."


    "Let''s go!"


    Xu Xiaodong hadn¡¯t driven his own car. Xu Xiaodong said on the way over, ¡°Now that Captain Lin isn¡¯t on the team, I¡¯m feeling a bit ufortable. The development of things was really dramatic. Your biological father is actually¡­ By the way, has Lie Guoxiao been privately contacting you guys over the past few days?"


    "Don''t mention him. I''ll get angry when he¡¯s mentioned." Lin Dongxue frowned.


    "Lie Guoxiao is now on bail. Aren¡¯t you guys too rxed? Will this guy stay here honestly?" Chen Shi said.


    "Ask the members of the task force. Xiaodong, did Old Zhang send someone to monitor him?" Lin Dongxue said.


    Xu Xiaodong spread his hands. "We basically look for him every day, which is simr to surveince."


    Chen Shi said, "I suggest that you must be extremely careful with him. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, [1] so don''t let him do anything for thest time."


    "I¡¯ll ry that to Old Zhang tomorrow."


    "By the way, what is this case about?"


    "A throat-slitting case. A man was killed. This kind of small case won¡¯t stump Brother Chen, right?"


    "I don''t dare to speak so highly of myself!"


    The crime scene was in a secluded alley. The person that reported the crime stood at the entrance of the alley and was relieved when the police arrived. Xu Xiaodong questioned him, and Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue walked into the crime scene.


    They saw a man in a jacket leaning against the wall and sitting on the ground. A deep cut was visible on his throat and his button-up shirt was stained with blood. His head was tilted to the side, and there was blood on his hands. He seemed to have died while trying to press down on the wound.


    The man was about fifty years old. Judging from his size, clothing, and appearance, he should be engaged in manualbor. His eyes were upturned, as if looking behind Chen Shi.


    Seeing this wound and the clean scene, Chen Shi suddenly had a bad premonition. This was done by a veteran. He hoped that this time, it wouldn¡¯t be a serial murder.


    "Old Chen, I have gloves here."


    Lin Dongxue took out a pair of rubber gloves. Chen Shi put them on, opened the deceased''s open coat, found the phone and wallet, looked at the documents on it, and said, "Li Sheng, fifty-six years old, a truck driver."


    He sniffed the scent on the deceased. "Drank alcohol before he died."


    Then, he took the hand of the deceased and looked at it. "There are a few slight scratches on the back of the hand. They aren¡¯t cuts from a knife. Were they scratched by the murderer during the resistance? The wound opened to the upper right¡­" Chen Shi stood up and looked at the blood stains on the ground. "The murderer came from behind and the deceased was cut with a knife when he turned around."


    "Clean and neat approach."


    "Yes, there¡¯s almost nothing left at the scene. Let''s wait for the forensic team toe over!"


    Their current main responsibility was to protect the scene.


    Xu Xiaodong had already finished the questioning and asked the crime-reporter to leave first. The three of them were guarding both sides of the alley. Finally, a police car came. Peng Sijue came down with a survey box and saw Chen Shi. He greeted him, "You¡¯re here too?"


    "I just happened to be nearby."


    While the forensics staff started investigating the scene, Chen Shi took out the deceased¡¯s cell phone and checked the call records on it. ¡°Call the deceased¡¯s family members!¡±


    At this moment, there was a ¡°waa!¡± sounding from a woman with tears in her eyes. "Is there something wrong with my husband? Is that my husband lying there?"


    "What''s your husband''s name?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Li Sheng. He went out for a walk at night and never came back. I heard from my neighbor that someone had died down here."


    "Condolences¡­"


    Hearing this, the woman cried fiercely. Lin Dongxue handed a tissue over andforted her. Her husband was killed in an ident and died tragically on the street. This kind of shock wasn¡¯t something ordinary people could bear. Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, "Send her back first. It will only be more sad to watch here."


    Lin Dongxue nodded and sent the woman home.


    Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, "Let''s find the nearby surveince cameras."


    While the two were collecting surveince footage around the area, an idle man standing in front of the store counter asked, "Li Sheng was killed by someone?! I could hear his wife crying from so far away. Have you noticed that his wife is much younger than him?"


    "Why? Do you know him?" Chen Shi asked.


    "We¡¯re old neighbors. We used to live in the printing factorypound before moving here."


    "Do you know anything about the deceased?"


    "Hehe, is there a reward for providing leads?!"


    "This is called a lead?"


    "How do you know that I don¡¯t have leads?!" The idle man acted mysterious.


    Chen Shi said to the store, "Bring him a packet of Yuxi and I will pay."


    "The police are too stingy. Let me have another pack of Zhonghua!"


    The idle man got the packs of cigarettes and opened one of them. He handed over two cigarettes, but both Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong refused. The idle man said while blowing out smoke clouds, "Li Sheng had a very bad temper. People who lived with us in the past all called him a cannon fire. At that time, he heard that this area was going to be demolished. In order to get more floor area, he asked someone to add two floors to his home. When it was time to demolish, they said that this was a private construction and couldn¡¯t be counted as the area to be relocated. Li Sheng wasn¡¯t happy. He went to find a leader and went over to the demolition office. He went to a leader¡¯s house and threatened the leader with a bottle of dichlorvos.[2] He said that if they didn¡¯t count the floor area, they would die there today. The leader really didn¡¯t want to provoke such a person, so they finally gave him an extra 200,000 yuan for demolition money. Later, he married this wife who was a decade younger than him. He pulls goods in the city and then goes home, drinks, and watches TV every day. His days were great."


    "Does he have children?"


    "It seems that he had one with his ex-wife. I haven''t seen them for a long time."


    The shopkeeper interrupted, "It''s a girl. She hasn''t been home since she went to university. Li Sheng told people everywhere that his daughter is now abroad. What a bluff. Who doesn''t know that his daughter has severed ties with him?"


    "Why did she sever the rtionship?"


    "It may be because of domestic violence!"


    "Where is his ex-wife?"


    The idle man replied, "I don''t know."


    Chen Shi reached out and took the Zhonghua on the table back. "It seems that you can''t provide any clues."


    "Don''t, don''t, don''t." The idle man smiled. "I know who he has bad-blood with!"


    "Who?"


    The idle man listed several names in one breath. Li Sheng had a bad temper and made enemies everywhere. Xu Xiaodong wrote down all these names.


    "When was thest time you saw him?" Chen Shi asked again.


    "At 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening. I saw him go home with a bag of tomatoes and a bottle of Erguotou. I even said hello to him."


    The shopkeeper interrupted again, "Officer, I also have clues to provide. I heard someone making amotion outside at around 8:00. I knew it was Li Sheng¡¯s voice as soon as I heard it. Go to the Limin cigarettes and wine store and check it out!"


    "Okay, thank you."


    The two immediately went to the cigarettes and wine store. In the dim light, a man was scrubbing the floor with a mop. Chen Shi could smell the scent of both wine and blood, so he sternly shouted, "What are you doing?!"


    1. Although a rich and powerful family (in this case, Lie Guoxiao) has be less rich and powerful, they are still richer and more powerful than a poor family.


    2. Widely used as an insecticide to control household pests.

 Chapter 855: The Appearance of a Diagnosis Report

    <h4>Chapter 855: The Appearance of a Diagnosis Report</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Hearing the shout, the man trembled with fright and the mop in his hand fell to the ground.


    Walking into the store, Chen Shi saw fragments of wine bottles and a little blood on the floor. The dim lights made the atmosphere in the narrow store even more suspicious. Chen Shi asked, "Are you the owner?"


    "Yes, do you want to buy cigarettes or wine?"


    Xu Xiaodong showed his credentials and the shop owner said, "Oh, police. Did Li Sheng really get killed?"


    "We¡¯re investigating this matter and heard that he had been here around 8:00."


    "No¡­ no. Why would hee here?"


    "What''s with the blood on the ground?" Chen Shi thought of the wounds on the back of the deceased''s hand.


    "I identally smashed a bottle of wine just now and scratched my hand¡­"


    "Let me see your hand."


    The shopkeeper was frightened and started cold sweating. He kept rubbing his palms on his pants. Chen Shi stared into his eyes and asked again, "Has Li Sheng been here?"


    "No¡­ he hasn¡¯t been here."


    Chen Shi raised his head and nced. "There¡¯s a surveince camera in your store. Let us see."


    "Don''t, don''t." The shopkeeper admitted with embarrassment, "Okay, he really dide, and I¡­ had a quarrel with him. I was afraid you¡¯d doubt me. After all, he was killed as soon as he walked out. Nothing like this has ever happened on this street, and I¡¯m also very scared!"


    "Lying intentionally will only make us more suspicious."


    The owner lowered his head in shame.


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s take a look at surveince footage!"


    Bringing up the footage of the store, Li Sheng dide in at around 8:00. He spoke a few words to the shopkeeper, and then picked up a bottle of Wuliangye on the shelf. The shopkeeper ran out from behind the counter and pulled his arm towards the counter. The bottle fell to the ground and Li Sheng clutched his hand before walking away.


    The owner exined, "This guy was very unreasonable. I yed mahjong with him a few days ago. I didn''t want to go there because I was afraid of losing money in the beginning. He said it¡¯ll just be a single jiao[1] for each round. He had really good luck that day. After asking me to give him twenty yuan, I said that I thought each round was a jiao and asked why he calcted based on the points. If he wins, he¡¯ll calcte it based on what would get him more. If he loses, he¡¯ll calcte it based on what would cost him the least. Isn¡¯t that unreasonable? Just for these twenty yuan, he came over every day to talk about some gossip and troubled me. I just said a few words to him. That old man wasn¡¯t happy and wanted to use wine to cover the gambling debts. The wine broke when we pulled on it and he identally scratched himself. It was this kind of matter. Isn¡¯t it funny just talking about it?"


    "It wasn¡¯t ''idental'' on the surveince footage. You obviously took his hand and smashed it on the counter." Chen Shi pointed out the details.


    "Uh, I didn''t think too much at the time. I was also angry."


    Looking at the broken Wuliangye on the ground, Chen Shi thought it was troublesome. A bottle of Wuliangye was only 20 yuan. He calmly said, "You really have to thank this surveince footage. Otherwise, the deceased will have your fingerprints on some of his injuries and there¡¯s his blood in your store. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to exin yourself."


    The shopkeeper broke out in cold sweat, saying, "Yes, yes, I shouldn''t have been so impulsive."


    "It seems that Li Sheng is very officious."


    "Yes, he¡¯s just so unreasonable. He¡¯s a cannon fire. In order to get some petty gains, he can make a bigmotion. I don''t want to interact with such people."


    Looking out of the store, Chen Shi said, "The case happened half an hour ago. Did you witness anything?"


    The shopkeeper stared out and shook his head.


    Finally, Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong took away the surveince footage from the store.


    Peng Sijue¡¯s survey of the scene was finished and Lin Dongxue had returned from Li Sheng¡¯s house. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Xiaodong, you don¡¯t need to take care of this case. The task force is super busy and I¡¯m pretty free, so I¡¯ll handle it!"


    "That''s great!" Xu Xiaodong cheered. Realizing that he was too excited, he then exined in a silly manner, "I mean, this arrangement is very reasonable."


    "Hurry up and go home to your mother!"


    "I didn''t drive¡­"


    Chen Shi said, "You have to pay to ride in my car."


    They sent Xu Xiaodong home, and the two went back separately. Chen Shi went to the bureau the next morning and saw a group of policemen gathering outside the forensic examination room. There was a sobbing crying from the crowd. Xu Xiaodong was saying, "Little Li, don''t be sad. We will get to the bottom of it."


    "What''s wrong?" Chen Shi asked in surprise. Had he missed something?


    Lin Dongxue hooked her finger, calling Chen Shi to an office next to them. She frowned as she said, "I never thought there would be such a coincidence. Do you know who diedst night?"


    Chen Shi could guess from Lin Dongxue''s reaction, but he still asked, "Who?"


    "Little Li''s father! We went to check Li Sheng''s household registration information in the morning and found out. Little Li confirmed that the body was her father¡¯s. When she was a child, her parents divorced. Although custody was given to her father, she hadn¡¯t returned since she joined the police academy."


    Cries came from the corridor and the two looked in that direction. Lin Dongxue sighed, "We¡¯ve received the family of the deceased quite a few times, but this time, I don''t know what to say."


    "What about the appraisal results?"


    "There are no traces except for a pair of size 41 shoe prints. The deceased died from suffocation caused by the reverse flow of blood in his air intake pipe. We haven¡¯t watched the surveince footage yet."


    Chen Shi pondered, "Could this be revenge targeted towards us?"


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes widened. "Let¡¯s hope it isn¡¯t!"


    After the crowd dispersed, Little Li went to Old Zhang and asked to join the task force to find out the cause of her father''s death. Lin Dongxue came over and said, "Little Li, you can''t investigate your own father''s death. Let me investigate this case!"


    "What Dongxue said is right. As a rtive of the deceased, you have to avoid the investigation process!" Old Zhangforted, "Little Li, don''t worry. With Dongxue''s ability, they will definitely find out who the murderer is."


    Little Li shed tears again. "He called me two days ago and asked me to take time to go back and see him. I haven''t been home for seven years. I''m really unfilial!"


    Lin Dongxue patted her shoulder. "Don''t be too sad. Would you like to take a day off and rest?"


    Little Li shook her head, wiped her tears, and said, "No, I will continue investigating cases."


    Lin Dongxue apanied her all the way to the parking lot. She said a lot on the way. "You don''t need to me yourself too much. If you say you aren¡¯t filial, I am also very unfilial. Two days ago, I even poured water on¡­ the face of that person who ims to be my father!"


    "My dad was indeed not apetent father, but¡­" Little Li''s eyes suddenly straightened.


    Lin Dongxue followed her sight and saw that there was a piece of paper stuck on the windshield of the police car that Little Li usually used. Little Li reached for it. Lin Dongxue stopped her, put on her gloves, and picked it up. There was a word written obviously on the piece of paper: "Diagnosis Report".


    1. 1/10 of a yuan.

 Chapter 856: Venomous Snake Moves Out

    <h4>Chapter 856: Venomous Snake Moves Out</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Patient: Li Qing;


    Gender: Female;


    Age: 24;


    Symptoms: Rebellious


    The patient experienced parental divorce from a young age and developed a huge sense of estrangement from her living father. After entering puberty, she took various rebellious actions to express her dissatisfaction with the family, which intensified family conflicts. The patient enjoyed the damage she caused to her father very much. After graduating from senior high, the patient and the family were basically in a semi-detached state. There was littlemunication between them, thus escaping their due family responsibilities.


    Suggested way of medical treatment: Arouse remorse with the death of father!"


    The homicide report called "diagnosis report" was ced on the table. Little Li was sitting at the table with her head buried in tears. She had just experienced the pain of losing her father. These words were tantamount to pouring salt on her wounds.


    After reading the above content, everyone reacted differently.


    "What a beast. Killing someone and making themselves out to be above everyone!"


    "Little Li, these words are the crazy words of a murderer. Don''t take them to your heart."


    "This person must have a psychological problem!"


    "It must be them!" Chen Shi said. "This clean technique and high-profile attitude must have been done by Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang. Their target is not just Little Li, but the entire Criminal Investigation Second Team!"


    "Brother Chen means¡­" a young policeman asked in a panic. "Our families are all their targets?"


    "Precisely!"


    A single stone caused a thousand waves, and everyone was caught in a panic of whispering discussion. Old Zhang coughed and called everyone to be quiet. "This matter has not been confirmed yet. Let''s not fall into disarray ourselves during this time. It won¡¯t help the investigation."


    Old Zhang''s remarks were meant to stabilize their minds. Although Chen Shi was sure that the murderers were Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang, for the sake of the overall situation, he didn''t say anything more.


    Lin Dongxue picked up the piece of paper. "The question is, how do they know who Little Li''s father is, where he lived, and their family circumstances? Little Li, forgive me for the disrespect, but is the information on this true?"


    The meeting room suddenly became quiet. Everyone looked at Little Li. Little Li calmed down and said, "When I was a child, I did experience the divorce of my parents. The court gave my father custody over me. It was like the sky was falling on me at the time. I felt that all the fault lied with my father, and I hated him very much. As soon as I got home, I would close the door and hardly talked to him except for the necessary conversations¡­ Later, in middle school, I got close to students with poor grades and fooled around or went online to y after school every day because I didn¡¯t want to go home. The atmosphere at home depressed me!¡± Little Li wiped at her tears. ¡°At that time, the rtionship between us father and daughter was very poor. Every trivial matter could turn into a quarrel and I would throw things when I quarrelled with him. Fortunately, I had a very good uncle. He gave me some help and advice, so that I made the correct choices when I was most confused. Later, I went to the police academy, and basically had no contact with my father. After graduation, I had an internship, then worked, and lived by myself¡­ Over the past two years, my father started to call me. Thinking about it now, he has been awkwardly expressing his regret, but I¡¯ve always turned a deaf ear to him. I always felt like he should bear responsibility for all that he¡¯s done. Who knew that he would suddenly¡­?¡±


    Thinking of her father''s cold body lying in the morgue, Little Li wept again.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi said, "Are everyone''s files stored in theputer of the Public Security Bureau? Go investigate!"


    Everyone found a colleague from the Information Department to check the data of the internal staff. A pair of eyes stared at the screen anxiously. After over ten minutes of inspection, the colleague from the Information Department said, "The backstage log shows that your second team¡¯s file was sent to this address by email the night before!"


    "Whose email?" Old Zhang asked.


    Therade of the Information Department read out the email address and Xu Xiaodong said embarrassingly, "It''s¡­ it''s mine, but I was investigating the case with you the night before. Everyone knows that."


    "Did you log into your email with aputer in the bureau that day?" Chen Shi asked.


    "No, but I went to the police system to check my sry."


    "It may have been used by someone. You''d better check if there¡¯s any suspicious information in yourputer." Chen Shi said, "Can the other party''s address be traced?"


    The colleague of the Information Department shook his head and said, "It¡¯s a foreign IP which cannot be found."


    "I''m going to find a master!"


    A phone call over to Sun Zhen was made, and Sun Zhen checked Xu Xiaodong''sputer carefully. "There are indeed Trojan horses inside. In addition to Trojans, the other party also threw in a few eavesdropping programs. I¡¯ve turned them off."


    "Can you find the other party?"


    Sun Zhen shrugged. "I used the IP springboard, but I can''t find it."


    "You must be able to do something!" Chen Shi didn''t believe that Sun Zhen would just admit defeat. Zhou Xiao''s hacking skills were taught by Zhou Tiannan. In the beginning of "ck Honey", Sun Zhen was the one who taught everyone the skills in this aspect.


    "Brother Chen, if I can''t find it, I can''t find it no matter how much you believe in my skills." Sun Zhen nced at the police behind Chen Shi, seemingly reserved.


    "What if I say that you can use whatever means necessary?" Chen Shi said.


    "This isn¡¯t so good, Little Chen." Old Zhang said, "How can you do this in the Public Security Bureau?! Us police must use proper means to investigate the case!"


    Old Zhang''s words were very euphemistic, which seemed to imply that if it were not for the police, these methods could be used outside the Public Security Bureau.


    Chen Shi understood this and said to Sun Zhen, "Thanks for your hard work. I will send you away!"


    When they got to the parking lot, Chen Shi said, "Little Worm, Zhou Xiao has be active again. He¡¯s aiming at the police this time. You must do something for me!"


    "Ah? This venomous snake finally moved?" Sun Zhen scratched his nose. "But what can I do?"


    "You can definitely do something!"


    Sun Zhen smiled bitterly. "The same words again¡­ Okay, okay, I will do my best."


    "You and kk shouldn''t eptmissions in the near future. I may find you at any time."


    "Do you need to let Miss Gu know?"


    "Tell her. After all, the purpose of the four of us getting together was to deal with Zhou Xiao." Chen Shi patted Sun Zhen on the shoulder. "Be careful on your way."


    After walking away for a certain distance, Sun Zhen asked worriedly, "He¡¯s aiming at the police, but not at us, right?"


    "Don¡¯t worry!"


    Chen Shi secretly wondered whether this case was Zhou Xiao''s freestyle y, or if it was Lie Guoxiao''smission. Or was it to divert attention and prepare for a bigger case?


    No, both Lie Guoxiao and Zhou Tiannan''s group were already at the end of their lines. This was likely to be theirst bout of madness.

 Chapter 857: Snakes Moves in A Snake’s Way

    <h4>Chapter 857: Snakes Moves in A Snake¡¯s Way</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "I need to go to the toilet."


    Xu Xiaodong stood up and left the meeting room. The other police officers who had just returned from the "toilet" showed knowing eyes.


    Xu Xiaodong went to the stairs at the end of the corridor and took out his mobile phone to call his mother.


    "¡­Mom, what I said is all true. Don''t go out in the near future. Just order takeaway when you eat¡­ Takeaways don¡¯t use waste oil anymore. It¡¯s illegal to use waste oil and they¡¯ll go to jail. Why do you always worry about this¡­ Be obedient and don''t go out. Definitely don''t go out¡­ I will be back soon."


    Hearing his mother''s voice, Xu Xiaodong breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he heard Old Zhang''s voiceing from under the stairs, which was extremely intense.


    "Tingting, why aren¡¯t you obedient? Why would dad lie to you¡­ That¡¯s one thing. Don''t bring up those things and associate it with this. I¡¯m telling you not to go out, especially at night¡­ Hey, don''t hang up, don''t hang up! "


    Xu Xiaodong looked down and saw Old Zhang standing on the staircase tform, sighing miserably at his phone.


    He hurried back and happened to meet Lin Dongxue who had returned from the forensics department. Lin Dongxue asked, "Calling your mother?"


    "Is this called being afraid?" Xu Xiaodong admitted embarrassingly. "Does Old Zhang and his daughter not have a good rtionship? I just heard him call her and it was just like a fight."


    "He and his wife have been separated for many years, and his daughter should be in senior high right now."


    "Aiya, every family has their own troubles."


    At this time, Chen Shi walked in from the outside and saw Lin Dongxue holding the appraisal report in her hand. He asked, "Is it the autopsy report?"


    "No, this is a fingerprint identification report. There was Ling Shuang''s fingerprint on the ''diagnosis report'' from just then."


    Since Zhou Tiannan''s death, some of her information had been discovered by the police. Ling Shuang was basically a wanted criminal. Chen Shi said, "This case wasmissioned by Lie Guoxiao."


    "How can you be so sure?"


    "Just think. Why aren¡¯t they killing the police but only the police''s family members? It¡¯s because Lie Guoxiao didn''t want to hurt you and Lin Qiupu. The murder range he defined perfectly avoided you pair of brother and sister while at the same time achieving the goal of his revenge against the police."


    "Taking revenge on the police? Isn¡¯t that too wild?" Xu Xiaodong asked.


    "How much evidence have you guys collected on Lie Guoxiao¡¯s crimes?"


    "A lot. It¡¯s enough for him to sit in his cell for so long that the ground underneath him would break."


    "Yes, he¡¯s alreadye to an end. He¡¯s a man with strong self-esteem. He wants to drag a few people into the water with him¡­ This is my opinion."


    "What a vicious guy!" Lin Dongxue murmured.


    "Where is Old Zhang?"


    At this time, Old Zhang came back looking a little depressed with the smell of smoke on his body. He saw three people standing in the corridor and said hello. Chen Shi said, "Old Zhang, can we use some people from your task force?"


    "I''m also thinking about this, but the manpower we have right now is really tight. Lie Guoxiao is a big case and the higher-ups are very concerned with it."


    "Then call Lin Qiupu back!"


    "That''s great. Acting as the captain is very hard. It would be best if Little Lin cane back."


    Lin Qiupu came back soon after receiving Lin Dongxue''s call. After understanding the situation, he said, "Let''s start investigating right now!"


    The only thing that could be checked was the on-site surveince footage. The three of them found a quiet office and watched the surrounding footage of the scene. In order to save time, lunch was also taken in front of theputer.


    Lin Dongxue sighed as she ate the fried dumplings. "Zhou Xiao is too difficult to grasp. It¡¯s always like this every time, leaving nothing behind but a dead body."


    Lin Qiupu said, "In fact, there was a little achievement in the process of hunting him down. We found his residence twice, but after we arrived, they had already moved away. This guy is too keen."


    "It''s incredible that a wanted criminal can hide in Long''an for so many years. As a person, he needs to eat, drink, and live. Why doesn''t he leave behind a trace? Did he be someone who practices bigu?"[1]


    "The answer is four words: Snakes move in a snake¡¯s way." Chen Shi said, "These kind of people have their own world, where some people sell information, some provide food and shelter, and some provide weapons. It¡¯s an underground world with awork of criminals. Ordinary people can''t reach it at all."


    "Unbelievable!" Lin Dongxuemented.


    "This reminds me of something. One year, in the sewers of Xinghualing, we found¡­" Lin Qiupu suddenly stopped talking, staring straight at the screen.


    Lin Dongxue leaned over to see what he had discovered and saw a person appearing on the freeze-framed screen. Lin Dongxue was surprised. "Brother, isn''t this your former captain?"


    Chen Shi hurried over to take a look. His pupils shrank instantly. The screen showed a street corner. A man walked by, his face clearly Song Lang¡¯s.


    Son of a bitch!!! Chen Shi cursed in his heart.


    Lin Qiupu waspletely absorbed by the picture. It took a while before he said, "He was my former captain. Four years ago, he became a wanted man for shooting his colleague. His whereabouts have been unknown. He appeared in the pawnshop homicide not long ago. I have reason to believe that he¡¯s already an associate of Zhou Xiao¡¯s."


    "It can''t be determined by surveince footage alone!" Lin Dongxue said, "He used to be a policeman, so how could he get along with criminals?"


    "In order to survive!" Lin Qiupu said. After seeing "Song Lang" in the surveince footagest time, he had thought about it a lot and this was his inference.


    "Dongxue, go and see if the autopsy report from Old Peng hase out." Chen Shi said.


    After watching the surveince footage for a few hours, Lin Dongxue was very eager to rx her eyes and spirit. After she left, Chen Shi moved her chair to Lin Qiupu''s side and turned off Lin Qiupu''s screen. Lin Qiupu frowned, "What are you doing?"


    "I have something to tell you!" Chen Shi stared at him very seriously.


    Chen Shi had imagined scenes of confessing his identity countless times. The environment at this moment was too ordinarypared to his imagination, but if he didn''t say anything, Lin Qiupu would always think that Song Lang was now a criminal.


    There was no way to go about it. Lin Qiupu''s thinking was very simple and he was easily deceived.


    Chen Shi hesitated for a long time, but he still couldn''t make up his mind to speak. Lin Qiupu looked at him and asked, "Is something wrong with my sister?"


    "You¡­ how did you guess it?"


    "Nonsense. You sent her away and wanted to talk to me alone, so it must have something to do with her!" Lin Qiupu''s eyes were spirited and he looked extremely sure of himself.


    Chen Shi lost his will all of a sudden. He no longer had the determination to be honest. He could only follow along and ask, "Can I propose to her?"


    Lin Qiupu was slightly startled and asked with suspicion, "You¡¯re suddenly bringing this up. Do you have a particr motive?"


    "What motive can I have?"


    Lin Qiupu stood up and poured a ss of water. "Don''t tell her yet. I will think about it and give you an answer in two days."


    Chen Shi thought that after two days, another strange contract might be thrown in front of him.


    Chen Shi turned on the screen and looked at the profile of "Song Lang" on it. Anger welled up inside of him. Wasn¡¯t this tant provocation?


    He considered whether to go to Doctor Yang to ask if Zhou Xiao had undergone face-recement surgery recently. After thinking about it, he gave up. If the doctor wasn¡¯t so tight-lipped, Song Lang wouldn¡¯t have chosen him back then.


    1. Daoist fasting technique to achieve transcendence. It¡¯s grain avoidance due to cultural beliefs.

 Chapter 858: New Diagnosis Report

    <h4>Chapter 858: New Diagnosis Report</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    In a blink of an eye, the next day had arrived. Lin Qiupu sorted out all the information he had at hand and posted it on a whiteboard. There were densely packed pieces of photos and information on it. Although there was so much information, in reality, they were still clueless on everything. With just this information avable, they couldn¡¯t predict where Zhou Xiao was hiding nor who their next target would be.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Should we go to Lie Guoxiao and give him a good interrogation?"


    "It''s useless." Lin Qiupu shook his head. "Even if you go as his own biological daughter, he won¡¯t admit that he hired hitmen to deal with the police. He¡¯s someone who can even kill his own daughter when he has things at stake. Furthermore, we don''t have any evidence."


    "What if he had arge flow of funds leaving recently? What if we can check that ount?"


    "The hope is slim!" Chen Shi said, "The long-term cooperation between Lie Guoxiao and Zhou Tiannan''s group wouldn¡¯t leave behind such obvious ws."


    "We have to give it a try!" Lin Dongxue insisted.


    With a slim ray of hope, the three of them called the banks to check, but they found nothing.


    At this time, Chen Shi received a call from Sun Zhen. "Brother Chen, email me the police files."


    "Why do you want those? Are you Little Worm?"


    "If I''m not Sun Zhen, who else can I be? I need to test a program!"


    After obtaining Lin Qiupu''s permission, Chen Shi turned on theputer and sent the personnel files to Sun Zhen. Five minutester, Sun Zhen said, "I¡¯ll need to trouble you to send it again."


    After doing so, Sun Zhen asked on the phone, "You¡¯re in the Public Security Bureau right now, right?"


    "Nonsense. The IP address is clearly disyed."


    "I didn''t look at the IP on your QQ. I wrote a Trojan horsest night and put it on various email servers. As long as this information is moved online by email, my Trojan horse will intercept it and trace it to the source."


    "Not bad!" Chen Shi praised. "It''s a pretty good idea. I knew you coulde up with the goods."


    "Haha, I didn''te up with this trick. The US military used it to deal with terrorists previously. I borrowed this idea¡­ but I can''t guarantee whether the other party will use emails or not. If it isn¡¯t used, it¡¯ll be useless."


    "It''s okay. We have another possibility to find Zhou Xiao now, so thank you."


    After theirmunication, Chen Shi said to Lin Qiupu, "Tell everyone that it''s better to set up a WeChat group and talk to their family every once in a while to ensure their safety."


    Lin Dongxue said, "How about installing a locating program on the mobile phones of each police officer¡¯s family members? In case someone goes missing, we can find them right away."


    "How much manpower is needed for that?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Locating programs shouldn''t be difficult!"


    Chen Shi contacted Sun Zhen again. After listening to his request, Sun Zhen sent a program online, saying that he had created it when he was idle previously. It just needed to be installed on the phone. Every ten minutes, the phone that installed the program would automatically send their location to the cell phone that¡¯s monitoring them.


    Lin Dongxue immediately sent the program to every police officer, and she felt more at ease after finishing this matter.


    What were they to investigate next? It was obviously meaningless to investigate the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased. Zhou Xiao was so elusive that they could only continue to expand the scope of surveince and search. If they could find the transportation he took, they may be able to find him following the lead.


    For this reason, the three of them went to the Traffic Management Bureau to bring out all the security footage of the surrounding intersections at the time of the incident.


    This work was very boring. After watching the videos for the whole afternoon, Lin Dongxue''s eyes were about to go blind. Suddenly, Lin Qiupu said, "I found it!"


    A security camera recorded "Song Lang" getting off a car, and the car stopped on the side of the road for about fifteen minutes. This was the time period for the crime. This surveince was more than just a lead. It was evidence.


    What was even more exciting was that the license te number was clearly photographed.


    Through the extensive monitoring system of the Traffic Management Bureau, they spent another two hours to find the car¡¯s traces. Aftermitting the crime, it drove about 15 kilometers away and then parked near a certain housingmunity.


    "I''ll call for reinforcements." Lin Qiupu said.


    "The people in the second team are currently working on Lie Guoxiao''s case, so there¡¯s no reinforcement." Lin Dongxue informed.


    "The police aren¡¯t justprised of criminal police officers. I¡¯ll contact the SWAT team."


    "No, that¡¯s too high-profile. The three of us should test the waters first!" Chen Shi said.


    "If he runs away¡­"


    "A bunch of SWAT officers holding guns to catch him would make it easier for him to run. Zhou Xiao is no ordinary criminal. This is a good opportunity. We should be more cautious!"


    Lin Qiupu had to agree.


    After leaving the Traffic Management Bureau, the sky was already getting dark. On the way, Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone to call her aunt and ask how she was doing. Chen Shi said, "Your rtives shouldn¡¯t be among the targets."


    "I¡¯m less worried by making the call. Everyone¡¯s anxious right now. Old Chen, won''t you pick up Yueyue from school today?"


    "I can''t go today anyway."


    "Make a call!"


    "Don¡¯t worry, I''m not a policeman. How could I be counted in¡­" Chen Shi suddenly felt a little worried even though he said this.


    "I''ll call."


    Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi¡¯s cell phone and dialed Tao Yueyue¡¯s number. While the phone was beeping, Chen Shi became inexplicably nervous until the sixth ring when Tao Yueyue finally answered and said, "Hello?" Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Yueyue, are you home yet?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Sister Lin? No, I''m at a ssmate''s house."


    Chen Shi said, "You should stay at your ssmate''s house and don''t leave. I''ll pick you upter."


    "No need. I¡¯ll go home by myself."


    "Be a good girl. There are some conditions outside where it''s not safe. I''ll pick you upter."


    Tao Yueyue let out a "Woo" before saying, "Be careful on your way."


    When they hung up the phone, a big rock was lifted off of Chen Shi''s heart. This feeling was exactly what every police officer in the second team felt, fearing that their beloved family members would have something happen to them.


    The person who came up with this kind of revenge was extremely sinister!


    They finally got to the housingmunity and the three got off the car, went to the parking lot, and searched separately. Fifteen minutester, Lin Dongxue waved and said, "Here!"


    When the SUV appeared in front of him, Chen Shi felt incredulous that it was so easy to find. If the car was here, then the person must be nearby.


    However, when he looked inside the car window, he found something unusual. He said, "There¡¯s a piece of paper in the windshield!"


    He turned on the lighting function of the mobile phone, and the three of them leaned over to look at the paper, which was exactly the same as the paper that appeared on Little Li''s car with the characters "Diagnostic Report" written on it. Did Zhou Xiao deliberately lead them here?


    They looked down anxiously at whose name was written on it this time.


    "Patient: Zhang Jianjun;


    Sex: Male;


    Age: 52;


    Symptoms: Negligence.


    The patient has long put his career above his family, sacrificing the happiness of his family members to achieve his personal career, enjoying this sense of empty sess at the cost of fragmented family rtionships. As a husband, he didn¡¯t apany his wife. As a father, he didn¡¯t take care of his daughter. The patient always used unfulfilled promises to cover up the fact that he cannot fulfill his responsibilities. If things go on like this, he willpletely lose his family¡¯s trust. The family members are extremely indifferent with each other. It¡¯s already reached an unsustainable level.


    Suggested way of medical treatment: Recover his sense of responsibility with an unforgettable decision!"

 Chapter 859: Old Zhangs Predicament

    <h4>Chapter 859: Old Zhang''s Predicament</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Seeing this piece of paper, Chen Shi looked shocked. "Zhang Jianjun? Old Zhang? This car was dumped here on purpose for us to discover!"


    "What does ''unforgettable decision'' mean?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Call Old Zhang and ask him to quickly confirm the situation of his family." As soon as Lin Qiupu took out his cell phone, his cell phone rang. It was from the bureau. When he answered the call, his expression became solemn. He said, "Hurry up. We need to go back!"


    The three hurried back to the bureau. In the conference room, almost all the members of the second team were there. Old Zhang sat there with a frightened and miserable expression. He was holding an old-fashioned Nokia mobile phone that had already been discontinued. The mobile phone was sealed in a stic evidence bag.


    "What happened?" Lin Qiupu walked in and asked.


    Old Zhang¡¯s throat moved, but he couldn¡¯t speak. A police officer replied on his behalf, ¡°Someone sent this thing to the bureau in the afternoon. There was a recording on the phone saying that they had kidnapped Old Zhang¡¯s wife and daughter and required Old Zhang to make his own choice. Dialing the number 1 would allow his wife to survive. Number 2 would allow his daughter to survive. However, he only has twenty-four hours or both of them will die when the time is up."


    Another police officer added, "This is probably not a prank. Up until now, we haven¡¯t been able to contact the two of them. All their colleagues, ssmates and acquaintances have been contacted. They all said that they haven¡¯t seen them since 2:00 in the afternoon. "


    "Let me listen to the recording!" Chen Shi said.


    Old Zhang was unwilling to hand over the phone to another person. He yed the voice message with his trembling fingers. The voice was Ling Shuang¡¯s. The content was exactly the same as the police had just said. There were some background noises, as if it was recorded outdoors.


    After listening, there was a moment of silence in the room. Although Lin Dongxue couldn¡¯t bear it, she still told them what they had just discovered just then. She took out the ¡°diagnostic report¡± from her pocket and said, ¡°In the afternoon, we tracked the surveince footage and found the suspect¡¯s abandoned car. We found this in the car."


    Old Zhang couldn''t wait to take it, grabbing it with both hands. Everyone was afraid that he would tear the paper apart. Old Zhang''s eyes moved back and forth over the text, reading it three times. He burst into tears. "I¡¯m not a good father. If I was a bit more responsible, the family rtionships wouldn¡¯t have be as rigid as they are now, and they wouldn¡¯t be involved in this matter!"


    Lin Qiupu put his hand on Old Zhang''s shoulder. "It''s not your fault! All of us will apany you¡­" He raised his head and said to everyone, "Start checking from mobile phone, recording, and files. We still have twenty-four hours. We¡¯ll definitely make it!"


    Everyone agreed energetically. At this time, Peng Sijue''s voice sounded. "There¡¯s still a clue here."


    They saw him standing at the door, holding an appraisal report in his hands. "In the ce where the first deceased was found, I found some particles of flour and limestone debris."


    "Flour mill?" Lin Qiupu said, "Check to see how many flour mills there are in Long''an and whether there¡¯s a ce to hide among them."


    Lin Qiupu wanted to take the mobile phone in Old Zhang''s hand, but Old Zhang was reluctant. He said, "If it doesn''t work, then let Tingting survive. She''s still so young¡­"


    "What are you thinking? The investigation has just begun and you¡¯re giving up? We need to do our best to find them while not thinking about the oue of failure."


    "What if we fail¡­"


    "Old Zhang!!!"


    Old Zhang swallowed his words back. Little Li was a fellow sufferer of distress and said empathetically, "Old Zhang, you should go and rest for a while and not overthink."


    Old Zhang sighed, took his cigarette case, and went out.


    Lin Qiupu asked everyone to start investigating immediately. Chen Shi said, "I''ll go to Old Zhang''s house and have a look."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ll go too."


    Leaving the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi looked at the night sky and said, "This is too passive!"


    "What?"


    "The mobile phone and the ''diagnostic report'' were both prepared a few hours ago, indicating that the people had already disappeared at that time. Zhou Xiao set up the case for us to break, and he can calmly choose the next victim. We¡¯re beingpletely dragged by our noses!"


    "I also understand this, but Little Li''s father has already been killed. He really will attack all of our family members. How can we ignore Old Zhang''s affairs?!"


    "Theypletely have a hold on our weak spots!"


    "Let¡¯s check for clues first!"


    The two went to Old Zhang¡¯s wife¡¯s residence and Old Zhang¡¯s daughter¡¯s dormitory. There were no intuitive clues left behind. They tried their best to bring back some surveince footage, photos, hair, and shoe prints, hoping that gold could be found from within the sand.


    After the investigation was over, Chen Shi took a look at the time and found that it was already 10:00. He called Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue¡¯s cell phone was dead, which made him anxious. He said, "I have to pick up Yueyue."


    "Let¡¯s go together!"


    When they got to Wei Zengmali, a good friend of Yueyue''s house, she said that Tao Yueyue hadn¡¯te today, and that she had gone home by herself after school. Wei Zengmali said that she was going to go to the bookstore with her today, but Tao Yueyue said that she had something to do.


    Hearing this, Chen Shi suddenly became anxious and kept thinking wildly on the way home.


    He drove the car directly to his house, almost hitting the flowerbed. He pushed the car door open and rushed into the building, shouting, "Yueyue! Yueyue!"


    When he opened the door to his house, he found that the lights weren¡¯t on. Chen Shi''s heart dropped. As he was looking around, Tao Yueyue came out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes. "Uncle Chen, did you juste back?"


    "Why couldn¡¯t I get in touch with you, child? You worried me to death!" Chen Shi smiled with the joy of regaining something he¡¯d lost.


    "Sorry, my phone is still charging."


    "Come here!"


    Chen Shi hugged Tao Yueyue tightly. Although it was a bit selfish to think this way, he really didn''t want the things between Little Li and Old Zhang to happen to him. If Tao Yueyue were to be brutally killed, he would have a mental breakdown.


    "Yueyue, it¡¯s very dangerous outside these next few days. You should stay at home from tomorrow onwards. Don''t go out for even a step. Don''t go to school." Chen Shi warned.


    "But we¡¯re about to have the junior high examination¡­"


    "Tell your teacher that you aren¡¯t in good health."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, I think the school would be safer, right?"


    Chen Shi frowned. In a sense, Zhou Xiao had seeded. This threatening feeling was like a sharp knife pressing down on his heart, making him unable to breathe. If it weren''t for an extremely cold-hearted, ruthless person, they wouldn''t have been able to think up this kind of revenge.


    Chen Shi corrected himself. "Tomorrow morning, I will send you to school, and I will pick you up when school is over. Don''t be alone at any moment in time."


    "Uncle Chen." Tao Yueyue pushed him away with a wry smile. "How many times have you said those words? You can''t pick me up on time every time. I know you¡¯re busy with the case. Don''t worry about me. I can protect myself."


    "This time, I guarantee that I will definitely¡­"


    "You don¡¯t have to guarantee anything. Didn¡¯t you say that we¡¯re not rted by blood, but two independent people living together? I like this feeling very much. You¡¯re starting to worry about me, afraid of this and that. This feeling is like you¡¯re my real dad. Although I don¡¯t hate it, I still feel pressured."


    Chen Shi shook his head and smiled before scratching the bridge of Tao Yueyue''s nose. "Be careful by yourself."


    Chen Shi stood up and was about to leave when Tao Yueyue asked, "You still have to work?"


    "Emergency situation. I won''t be back tonight."


    "Oh¡­"


    When Chen Shi was about to close the door, Tao Yueyue suddenly called out, "Uncle Chen!"


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing¡­" Tao Yueyue lowered her head as if stopping herself from saying something. "You guys need to be careful."

 Chapter 860: Battling All Night

    <h4>Chapter 860: Battling All Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At 1:00 in the morning, therge office was still brightly lit. From time to time, police officers would raise their heads from theirputers, put some eye drops into their eyes, and then continue to work on their screens.


    It was drizzling outside.


    There were footsteps from the corridor, and Lin Qiupu greeted them. Two policemen rushed back from the outside. They were soaked. They said, "Several flour mills nearby have been checked. There are no suspicious people."


    "Got it. Go and dry your bodies and take a break!"


    "No need. Is there anything we can help with?"


    "Then look at the surveince footage!"


    The two policemen agreed to join the surveince investigation. Although they were exhausted, everyone was full of drive.


    Lin Qiupu was considering whether to expand the scope of the search. He asked for Chen Shi¡¯s opinion. Chen Shi said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. It has been determined that the people went missing at 3:00PM, and the mobile phone was delivered at 5:00 in the afternoon. Based on the traffic conditions every afternoon, the ce where they detained them wouldn¡¯t exceed 20 kilometers away from the ce they went missing from."


    Lin Dongxue raised an objection. "What if the kidnapped people were still being moved when the mobile phone was delivered?"


    Chen Shi pondered. "Right, I didn''t think about this¡­ How do you think this life and death decision will be realized? Would it be through remote-controlled bombs?"


    Lin Qiupu answered, "There¡¯s a high probability that it¡¯s like that. On this Nokia, the 1 and 2 buttons are set as speed dials, and the two target numbers are traced to two unowned phones that were registered by mailing a card in. They may each control a separate bomb."


    "Can you track their signals without making a call?" Chen Shi asked.


    "It can be tracked by their mobile phone pin codes." Lin Qiupu said, but his tone was one that didn¡¯t hold much hope. "Actually, I¡¯ve tried it already. Those two phones aren¡¯t turned on at all. They may not turn on until the deadline."


    "That''s too cunning!" Lin Dongxue eximed. "If it¡¯s really a bomb, it will definitely be ced in a secluded ce, right?"


    "No, no, don''t think of them as kind people. They won''t avoid hurting civilians."


    "How about tracing the explosives?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It¡¯s too slow. It¡¯ll be toote." Lin Qiupu shook his head. He had already rejected this idea long ago.


    Chen Shi said, "You may not be able to find it even if you investigate. A bomb that can kill doesn¡¯t require much power. It can be made with some daily necessities. Zhou Xiao should have this knowledge."


    "How do you know?!" Lin Qiupu asked. "Zhou Xiao is a serial killer and Ling Shuang is a psychologist. How do you know that they have this skill?"


    "Intuition." Chen Shi shrugged. "I''ll go out and make a call."


    Chen Shi called kk and Sun Zhen and asked them to help find them. More manpower meant more hope. It¡¯s hard to find shortcuts to finding someone. It was nothing more than a lot of energy input which simply meant a fight until the death.


    It was 4:00 in the morning. Some policemen were so sleepy that they used cigarettes and coffee to forcefully lift their spirits. Others slept on their seats momentarily. Lin Qiupu stared at the screen with red eyes. He was watching the surveince footage around the Public Security Bureau. The suspect had been close to this ce at least twice when they nted the ''diagnosis record'' and sent the mobile phone for the second time.


    A suspicious person was indeed recorded in the surveince footage. The person wrapped themselves up so tightly that he couldn¡¯t even distinguish whether they were a man or a woman. Lin Qiupu chose the clearest picture and printed it out.


    "Ai!" Someone stretched their body.


    "Don''t sigh!!!" Lin Qiupu reprimanded loudly. "Do you know how depressing a single sigh can make everyone else feel? Please be more energetic and positive!"


    "Okay¡­ yes, Captain!"


    "Where¡¯s Chen Shi?"


    "He went to Captain Peng¡¯s area."


    Chen Shi was beingzy. He was almost crazy from watching surveince footage all day, so he went to Peng Sijue¡¯s for a cup of coffee and to empty his head. At this time, the forensics team was already off work, and only Peng Sijue was still facing the equipment and the test tube verification objects. The room was quiet and only the sound of the rain outside the window and the hum of the equipment could be heard.


    The reagent was taking effect. While waiting, Peng Sijue came over to pour himself a cup of coffee. He sat opposite Chen Shi and watched Chen Shi yawn. He asked, "You used to be a night owl. When did you change your work and rest habits?"


    "No matter the night owl, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stand such intensive use of their brains¡­ How have you and Miss Gu been doing?"


    "Starting to inquire about personal matters again?"


    "I care about you."


    "Thank you for your concern."


    There were footsteps in the corridor, and they knew it was Lin Qiupu from the sound of his footsteps. He appeared at the door, nced at Chen Shi who was holding a coffee cup, and said, "Captain Peng, I''m sorry that you can''t leave work all night."


    "It''s okay. Just doing my part. I don''t want anything to happen to Old Zhang''s family."


    "Are there any results?"


    "Wait a minute!"


    Lin Qiupu sat down opposite Chen Shi, and Chen Shi said, "Don''t re at me. I¡¯m not your subordinate. I really am tired today."


    "When we need your inspirations, you actually aren¡¯t contributing at all."


    "Haven¡¯t you experienced how hard it is to find someone?"


    "I have a deep understanding of that!" Lin Qiupu remembered the past.


    Peng Sijue turned around from the test tform and asked, "Would you like to use criminal geography for analysis? The Material Evidence Center has such experts."


    "That''s useless. The suspect kidnapped them purposefully and the range predicted by big data can''t be searched within 24 hours." Chen Shi said.


    "I think we need more manpower. Early tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll contact the SWAT team and the nearby police to help us." Lin Qiupu said.


    Peng Sijue stared at the results of the analysis from the mass spectrometer on theputer. "The particles brought back from the scene today are still flour and limestone debris."


    "The suspect''s hiding ce is in contact with these two things." Lin Qiupu thought.


    "If this clue was left behind by them deliberately, it would be like the abandoned car from today." Chen Shi said.


    "At the moment we have no clues at all. There¡¯s no room to y this kind of psychological game. Any clues must be traced to the end. Whether it¡¯s proof or falsification, it¡¯s still a kind of progress!"


    "Flour, lime¡­" Chen Shi muttered, "Not only flour mills have these two things, but also small workshops, noodle restaurants, and warehouses. They need to use a car. There must be a parking space there, and it shouldn¡¯t be easy to be suspected."


    "In fact, there¡¯s also some salt, but this ingredient is far toomon." Peng Sijue said.


    "Is it edible salt?"


    "Based on the iodine content, it belongs to the category of industrial salt."


    "Many of the non-staple foods use industrial salt because it¡¯s cheap. It may be a non-staple food workshop¡­ By the way, if they hide there, would they pretend to be workers there? Someone may have witnessed people wearing this kind of work clothes at the crime scene¡­" Chen Shi stood up and prepared to go out.


    "Where are you going?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "Returning to the car and going to sleep. I''ll go back to the scene tomorrow morning to investigate¡­ You guys should go to bed too. You¡¯re really treating yourselves like robots!" Chen Shi said as he left.


    Lin Qiupu nced at his watch. It was already 5:00AM. It should be time for him to let everyone rest. It would be a tough battle tomorrow!

 Chapter 861: Stolen Work Clothes

    <h4>Chapter 861: Stolen Work Clothes</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Ah, mother!"


    Early in the morning, Lin Dongxue, who was sleeping on the sofa in the conference room, was awakened by Xu Xiaodong''s yelling. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. The sunlight came in through the gaps in the curtains, which was very ring. It was 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning.


    "What happened to you?"


    Sitting on the reclining chair, Xu Xiaodong breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Fortunately, it was just a dream. I dreamed that my mother was¡­ No, I have to make a call.¡±


    Xu Xiaodong took out his cell phone. His brows were tightly knitted while he dialed through. Lin Dongxue was also anxious for him. Xiaodong¡¯s mother was a good person and Lin Dongxue sincerely didn''t want her toe across trouble.


    "Hello, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable. Please try againter."


    "Something happened to my mother!" Xu Xiaodong was so flustered that he almost cried. "No, I have to go home and have a look."


    "She might still be sleeping. Right, didn''t your mom install the tracking software on her phone?"


    Lin Dongxue opened an app, clicked a few times, and said, "Look, your mother is at home right now."


    Xu Xiaodong was still worried. "What if only her phone is at home?"


    "Do you have to think in the worst possible direction?"


    His phone rang. It was his mother. Hearing her voice, Xu Xiaodong''s heart finally felt relieved.


    At this moment, Chen Shi came in from outside carrying a bag of breakfast. He sat down on the sofa and smiled. "You definitely didn''t sleep well, right?"


    "You¡¯re talking about us? Aren¡¯t you also sporting two dark circles?" Lin Dongxue rebutted.


    "Eat some breakfast! You¡¯ll feel refreshed when you¡¯re full."


    Chen Shi bought sandwiches and coffee. He said that the porridge shop he usually visited hadn''t opened yet. She drank too much coffeest night, so Lin Dongxue tasted a sourness in her mouth even after drinking coffee.


    After eating, Chen Shi wanted to go out to investigate the case, and Xu Xiaodong also followed. He said that he would be more refreshed when going out for a bit.


    The three returned to the scene of the first murder case and asked around. An aunt who sold marinated eggs said, "Small workshop? I¡¯m not sure! But I saw two people in blue overalls walking in that night. One of them was standing under this telephone pole. I wondered whether they were thieves so I took a few more nces at them."


    "What did they look like?"


    "Probably¡­" The aunt couldn''t describe them clearly. Lin Dongxue retrieved Zhou Xiao''s previous photos from her phone. The aunt shook her head. "It''s not him!"


    Lin Dongxue found Song Lang''s photo this time. This one was taken from Lin Qiupu''s desk. The aunt still shook her head. "No, younger than this with a bumpy face, but just as tall as him!" She pointed to Xu Xiaodong.


    Chen Shi asked, "Were there any words on their work clothes?"


    "Something, something Noodle Company?"


    "Can you be more specific? Please."


    "There was the character ¡®ri¡¯ somewhere in there. I can¡¯t remember anything else."


    The aunt only knew this. After thanking her, the three of them started up a discussion. Lin Dongxue said, "The person described by the aunt doesn''t seem to be Zhou Xiao."


    "Maybe it''s a helper. Maybe¡­ it''s a mistake, but we still have to investigate even if it¡¯s a mistake!"


    "A noodlepany with ''ri'' in the name. I¡¯ll ask the bureau to check it out."


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I¡¯ll ask around more to see if there are any other witnesses."


    The bureau contacted the industry andmerce department and found these names: "Wu Yaori Noodle Company", "Jiarimei Noodle Company", and "Rijinsheng Noodle Company". The addresses were far away from each other. ording to Lin Dongxue¡¯s experience in investigating cases, it would take a full day to make the trips to those threepanies. However, in these situations, it¡¯s always a good thing to have clues to investigate.


    "Let''s pick one!" Lin Dongxue said.


    "The aunt nced at it and only remembered the character ¡®ri¡¯, indicating that the other two characters aren¡¯t as impressive. They may beplicated in structure, so let''s go to the first one!" Chen Shi said.


    "But I have a strong instinct for this ''Jiarimei'' one." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Okay, then we¡¯ll follow your intuition!"


    Thus, Lin Dongxue handed over the other twopanies to her other colleagues to investigate. The three went to Jiarimei Noodle Company. Upon seeing the factory building, which was a veryrgepany, Lin Dongxue was very depressed. The machines in the factory were humming and a ton of noodles were being produced. It was impossible for people to hide there.


    "It seems that my intuition is wrong. Let''s withdraw!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi said, "I know why you have this intuition. Thispany has been advertised on TV. It has a small reputation, so you had a sense of familiarity subconsciously¡­ This is exactly the effect of advertising! But since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s inquire about it!"


    They found the person in charge of thepany and questioned them. The director shook his head and said, "We haven''t sent a vehicle to that address."


    "Do you have a warehouse or branch office in the city?" Chen Shi asked.


    "The warehouses are here. We mainly take orders. After all, it¡¯s food. Generally, there¡¯s norge stocks held here as it¡¯s easy to go off."


    "Okay, thanks!"


    As they walked out, some conversational phrases arrived at Chen Shi''s ears.


    "Still haven''t found them yet? You can borrow a set. Some district leaders wille to inspect this afternoon. It¡¯ll be ugly to wear a different outfit."


    "Damn thieves. They could have stolen anything, but they chose to steal clothes."


    Chen Shi looked over in the direction of this voice. A man who looked like a workshop director was talking to two workers. He walked over and reced his greetings by handing out cigarettes. He said, "Excuse me, I just heard you talking. Did you lose your work clothes?"


    "You are¡­"


    "Police!"


    "Wow, does this kind of small matter also have to be filed? The police are so dedicated!"


    "Can I ask where you lost the clothes?"


    "We went to take a shower two days ago and found that the coats were missing after we came out."


    Chen Shi noticed that the two of their expressions looked slightly unnatural. One of them was peeking at the leader next to them. He said to the workshop director, "I want to interview them alone."


    "Okay, go ahead."


    After the workshop director left, the expressions of the two workers visibly rxed. Chen Shi said, "I hope you don''t conceal anything. This is rted to a human life. The clues you provide may be key clues even if they¡¯re small."


    "Was it poisoning?" Worker A asked.


    "No, it''s murder."


    "Murder? Oh, oh, I see. It turned out to be like that." Worker A''s face was stunned.


    "What do you mean?" Worker B didn''t react.


    "The one who stole our clothes that day was definitely not a good person." Worker A exined to Chen Shi. "The situation was like this. When we were out for delivery that day, we stopped the car and entered a restaurant. When we came back, we found that the car was missing. I was so frightened! That was thepany¡¯s car. What would we have to pay if we lost it? We looked for it and eventually found it in an alley. The car was fine, but the clothes on the car were gone¡­"


    "There¡¯s also the credentials." Worker B added.


    "Yes, there were also the credentials. However, the thief actually left our wallets, which was strange. We were in a rush to deliver the stock. Later, when we thought about it, we were so scared that the thief might have poisoned the goods we sent. If it poisoned people to death, wouldn¡¯t we be held ountable? So¡­ So, we just made up the shower lie to the leader. Our hands are tied."


    Chen Shi asked, "Can you tell me the address?"


    "South of Tai''an Road, in the direction of Shengshi Studios."


    Chen Shi knew the ce and recalled, "I remember that street¡¯s a red light district!"


    "There¡¯s also ces to eat¡­" Worker A¡¯s face flushed red.

 Chapter 862: Unexpected Gains

    <h4>Chapter 862: Unexpected Gains</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After leaving the noodlepany, the three of them rushed to the street where the workers lost their work clothes. In the morning, it was very deserted. They saw signs of massage, foot care, and health care stores along the street, as well as suspicious stickers on the signs. Lin Dongxue said, "Sure enough, it''s the red light district."


    "Don''t look at how it seems deserted during the day. It¡¯s very lively at night. I¡¯ve sent passengers here before." Chen Shi said, "Have you noticed? There¡¯s no security cameras here."


    Lin Dongxue looked up and saw that the nearest camera was out on the road. She searched around. The only way to drive a truck in was on the right hand side of the entrance. "The thief left the car there, why?"


    "It''s like when a thief steals money. They will steal the entire wallet and go to a safe ce to take the money out before throwing the wallet away." Xu Xiaodong spected.


    "A car is different from a wallet." Chen Shi looked around. "It''s the security cameras. The thief drove the car to the intersection and realized that the truck was too conspicuous and would be traced. They spontaneously changed their minds and only took the things required."


    Lin Dongxue gestured at the angle of the camera with her hand. "Do you think that the camera captured anything?"


    "It couldn¡¯t have. That''s a traffic camera. It won''t be able to capture something in such a deep alley."


    "They chose such a ce where even an eyewitness can''t be found." Lin Dongxue said bitterly.


    Chen Shi looked at the leasing advertisements on the telephone poles and the small buildings around him. ¡°It was an ident that two workers from the noodle industry parked their car here. It¡¯s impossible for the suspect to n in advance andy here in wait. I think stealing the clothes happened spontaneously."


    "So, the suspect can see this alley from where they live?"


    Chen Shi stared at a dark window in the distance and nodded. "Maybe they can see us right now!"


    "Then I¡¯ll call more people over to check if there¡¯s anyone who rented a house here recently." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Wear in clothes and act low-key." Chen Shi urged.


    Thus, the investigation began. When the police went door-to-door, and an aunt said, "I seemed to have seen two people walking out in the noodlepany uniform two days ago. That''s right, it was the ''Jiarimei Noodle Company''. "


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi were excited. Lin Dongxue asked, "What about their gender?"


    "It looked to be two men¡­"


    "Where do they live?"


    The aunt pointed. "In that alley. They got in a car when they came out. It was a ck family car."


    In the first case, a ck SUV was also captured. It seems that this clue contained a lot of weight. The two thanked the aunt. Lin Dongxue called for reinforcements, but Chen Shi said, "Just call two or three people over. If a whole group of peoplee, it¡¯ll alert them."


    Lin Dongxue was on the phone when Chen Shi pushed her. They saw a man walking out of the alley. He was wearing a peaked hat with the brim of the hat pulled very low. His cor was also propped up. His hands were in his pockets, and his whole body exuded a suspicious aura.


    Chen Shi made a gesture and the two followed him. The man suddenly ran away as if he had eyes behind him.


    "Stop where you are!"


    Lin Dongxue took out her gun and fired it decisively at the sky, attracting the other policemen around.


    Hearing the gunshot, the man fled faster. His legs were so fast that they could barely be seen. A car almost ran into him as he was crossing the road. He jumped over the front of the car using his hand to press down on the front of the car. By the time the driver poked his head out and cursed at him, the man had already fled into the alley opposite them.


    When Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi chased him into the narrow alleyway, they had been thrown off about five or six steps more. Lin Dongxue took out her gun and aimed, asking Chen Shi with her eyes. Chen Shi nodded. "Shoot!"


    With a bang, the man stopped. He turned his head slightly, raised a middle finger at Lin Dongxue, grinned, and ran away.


    Did I miss? Lin Dongxue''s heart sank. When the man rushed out of the alley, another person flew out from his side and kicked him over. The two of them stared at each other in surprise and hurried over.


    They saw Xu Xiaodong pressing the suspect on the ground and handcuffing him. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "You came at just the right time!"


    "I happened to be in this area and I ran up when I heard the gunshots. I saw this youngster and rushed out without much thought¡­"


    The guy they caught wasn¡¯t Zhou Xiao. He was the tall helper with the bumpy face. When he was lifted from the ground, he struggled ceaselessly with a beast-like smile and cursed at Lin Dongxue. "Slut!"


    Chen Shi was angry and said to Xu Xiaodong, "Look over there."


    "What?"


    While Xu Xiaodong turned around, Chen Shi nned to teach the suspect a lesson as an ordinary citizen, but was stopped by Lin Dongxue. "Don''t do such impulsive things."


    Chen Shi could only give up. They found keys, a phone, and a wallet from the man, and asked Xu Xiaodong to take the man back to the police car first. He and Lin Dongxue went to check the man¡¯s residence.


    Going back to the previous alley, after some inquiring, they found the ce that the man was renting. They opened the door and saw that there was a table and a bed in the house, a small refrigerator beside the bed, and a few psychology books on the refrigerator.


    The table was covered with a piece of polyester cloth. When Chen Shi lifted it, the two of them were taken aback. Underneath it were all photos.


    "This is Xiaodong''s mother. This is Little Li''s father¡­ The rtives of all the policemen in the second team have been secretly photographed. How scary!"


    Chen Shi opened an envelope. It contained the files of all the policemen of the second team. Several columns were ticked. Then, looking at the facilities in the house, Chen Shi said, "This man wasn¡¯t responsible for the murders. He was responsible for collecting information and sending the ¡®diagnostic reports¡¯."


    Theputer was running and the screen was ck. Chen Shi shook the mouse. There were three document folders on the clutteredputer desktop named "Diagnosis Report 1", "Diagnosis Report 2", and "Diagnosis Report 3".


    "1" and "2" were received by Little Li and Old Zhang. Chen Shi clicked on the third one with anxiety and saw the words inside.


    "Patient: Peng Sijue;


    Sex: Male;


    Age: 34;


    Symptoms: Selfishness.


    Because of his childhood experience, the patientcks the ability to love and be loved. In order not to be a stranger in the eyes of others, he uses rigidness, seriousness, meticulousness, and other superficial qualities to hide his selfish and cold nature. He often has a deep sense of dislike for himself, but another part of him is unwilling to make any changes, thinking that he is just a victim of his childhood. He doesn¡¯t have to take any responsibility for the formation of his own character. He wraps himself in thefort zone of loneliness and watches the joys and sorrows of others with his cold eyes.


    Suggested way of medical treatment: Self-sacrifice to awaken his ability to love "


    Chen Shi felt as though he was struck by lightning and brought down the chair behind him when he stood up. He said in shock, "Why Old Peng?! He doesn¡¯t even count as a policeman in the second team! Who is the kidnapped person?!"


    "Could it be¡­" Lin Dongxue was also shocked.


    Chen Shi took out his phone with a trembling hand. He called Gu You, but all he heard were ominous beeps¡­

 Chapter 863: Another Believer

    <h4>Chapter 863: Another Believer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi felt dizzy and paced back and forth in the room. He called kk and asked him to go to Gu You''s house to confirm.


    "Old Chen, if Miss Gu is ced third, I think there should still be time." Lin Dongxueforted.


    "But why is it Gu You? They had prepared so many ''candidates''."


    Lin Dongxue found a piece of long hair from the pillow. "Ling Shuang seems to have stayed here. Do you think she¡¯lle here again? I will send a few people to stay and guard!"


    Chen Shi nodded weakly.


    Handing this ce over to the other policemen, the two headed back first. Once back in the bureau, they took the suspect to the interrogation room as soon as possible. He sat on the chair and smiled disdainfully, regardless of Lin Qiupu''s questions.


    The suspect suddenly muttered towards the ceiling. Lin Qiupu listened carefully. He was saying, "Zhou Xiao, Miss Ling, I will not betray you. Absolutely not. You can rest assured."


    Lin Qiupu mmed on the table angrily. "No one can save you here."


    "Do I care? I don''t motherfucking care about that!" Then, he shook his legs.


    The door was suddenly pushed open and Old Zhang rushed in, shaking him by the cor. He shouted, "Where are my wife and daughter?! Come on!"


    In the face of threat, the suspect smiled disdainfully. Old Zhang¡¯s eyes were so wide, they were about to split. He clenched his fist and was about to beat him.


    "Old Zhang¡­" Lin Qiupu said, "It''s useless for you to hit these kinds of people. Calm down."


    Just like Wang Sunxu who sat here previously. He expressed a kind of obsessive worship to Zhou Tiannan''s gang, and the loyalty established by this allowed them not to fear any consequences of crime. They were true desperadoes!


    Old Zhang stared at this grinning, bumpy face for a long time, threw him down, and walked out of the interrogation room crying.


    The interrogation was unable to proceed. Lin Qiupu went out and Lin Dongxue delivered a document over, saying, "His identity has been figured out. His name is Qi Rui. He used to be a kidnapper, but he was only an aplice. He was released from prison after ten years. He has never held a serious upation¡­ I saw some items used by couples at the scene. He may be Ling Shuang''s boyfriend. Old Chen felt that he wasn¡¯t responsible for the core work of the crime."


    "His mouth can''t be opened at all. Bring back everything from the scene. No, I will take people to the scene and look for any clues carefully."


    "But Old Chen and I thought that Ling Shuang might head back and we left people there in wait."


    "Even if Ling Shuang is arrested, what will she confess? These people have epted Zhou Tiannan''s crazy thoughts and have a firm will. There¡¯s no difference between arresting them and killing them on the spot."


    Chen Shi walked over and said, "Your brother''s opinion is right. The benefits of waiting for her aren¡¯t a lot. The most important thing is to save people. We have six hours to find Old Zhang''s family."


    "Okay then." Lin Dongxue conceded.


    Lin Qiupu rubbed his temples. "Does Captain Peng know about this yet?"


    Chen Shi said, "I told him. He¡¯s alone right now¡­" He nced at the surveince window. "Can I go in and talk to this person?"


    "Go ahead."


    Chen Shi sat opposite Qi Rui. Qi Rui showed him a knowing smile. "Kamen Rider!"[1]


    Fortunately, the recorder wasn¡¯t turned on and no one had heard this sentence. Chen Shi said, "It seems you know, but I don''t care. Let me remind you that this life and death struggle isn¡¯t beneficial for your little gang."


    "Don''t worry. I won''t talk because this is Mr. Zhou''s arrangement."


    "Mr. Zhou''s arrangement?" Chen Shi felt amused. In Qi Rui''s tone, Zhou Xiao or Zhou Tiannan was as superior as a god.


    Chen Shi picked up the printed "diagnostic report". Qi Rui''s eyes lit up and smiled expectantly. "How is it? Miss Ling''s portraits are very urate. That person must be indifferent knowing that his girlfriend was kidnapped."


    "Don''t you think you guys are cruel, exposing the dark side of others? What exactly do you want to prove? Your own superiority?! What about your own personalities? For example, you. Youck faith and self-confidence, have never been affirmed by others, and are full of jealousy towards others¡¯ sesses and happiness. You use twisted methods to prove your worth¡­"


    "Shut up! Shut up!" Qi Rui seemed to have had his sore spots touched on and suddenly roared. He was about to bleed from gritting his teeth for so long.


    It can be seen how shameful this manner of exposing others¡¯ hearts were. Little Li¡¯s parents divorced and she suffered domestic violence when she was a child, so she escaped. Old Zhang¡¯s problem was that he couldn¡¯t bnce his work and family, but subjectively, he doesn¡¯t want to neglect his family. Peng Sijue was someone Chen Shi understood the most. His childhood was very unfortunate. They said he was indifferent and gloomy. In fact, Peng Sijue once tried to change himself but failed.


    Everyone had their own problems and it was these pains that have created their current selves. Exposing these things in a naked-like manner was nothing more than a secondary injury.


    "Why Gu You?!" Chen Shi asked, "The kidnapping of Gu You is something you didn''t n to do. Gu You really appreciates Ling Shuang''s talent and feels sorry for her depravity. Did she go to find Ling Shuang to persuade her to correct her ways? Is that when you kidnapped her?"


    The subtle changes in Qi Rui''s face had revealed a bit of truth. Qi Rui immediately concealed it in a mocking tone, "So what? Can¡¯t you find her?"


    "What is the so-called ¡®sacrifice¡¯?"


    "It¡¯s okay if I tell you right now since you¡¯ve spoiled the plot anyway. After Old Zhang''s family died, I would send this diagnostic report along with a bottle of poison. The bottle of poison won¡¯t kill anyone, but it will cause permanent blindness. If Peng Sijue dared to take it, we would let her go. If he didn¡¯t take it, then Gu You would¡­" Qi Rui made a vicious gesture. "Haha, do you like this design? I asked Miss Ling at the beginning. What if he really does take the poison? Miss Ling said that he would definitely not take it because of his nature."


    "You guys are pretty confident!"


    "Miss Ling said that human nature is as unchangeable as objectivews. Just like you. You will always avoid. Always avoid and will never admit to the truth. What a sad man!"


    Chen Shi clenched his fists and stabbed his nails into his flesh. He had hit the nail on the head.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi began to counterattack. "Do you love Ling Shuang a lot?"


    "It¡¯s none of your damn business."


    "However, as far as I know, Ling Shuang has no loyalty to her partners. Has she ever mentioned which number you are? Or are you even counted as one?"


    "You¡¯re not allowed to nder Miss Ling!" Qi Rui warned gloomily.


    "Only two of them are left in their gang. Do you think Zhou Xiao has a rtionship with her?"


    At this moment, Qi Rui suddenly roared, "Go fuck yourself! Shut up!"


    Chen Shi originally wanted to find ws through provocation, but Qi Rui''s reaction was different from his expectations. He didn¡¯t get angry when Ling Shuang was mentioned, but he showed extra sensitivity to Zhou Xiao.


    Chen Shi looked at Qi Rui up and down and suddenly realized, "You and Zhou Xiao are a couple?"


    Qi Rui''s eyes widened. The secret was revealed, so he simply no longer concealed it. He replied disdainfully again. "It¡¯s none of your damn business."


    Could this be a breakthrough? Chen Shi thought as he walked out of the interrogation room.


    1. Masked rider who fights for justice against superviins all while wearing a mask. Much like what Song Lang/Chen Shi is doing right now.

 Chapter 864: Clues Approaching

    <h4>Chapter 864: Clues Approaching</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When Chen Shi left the interrogation room, Peng Sijue rushed in and asked Qi Rui with a look of anger, "The drug that blinds the eyes. Is it a deworming essence, Anlubao, DK5 liquid, or methanol? Tell me the ingredients and dosage. I¡¯ll take it now. Let her go!"


    Qi Rui shrugged nonchntly. "How would I know? He broke the puzzle apart in advance, so if you want to me someone, me him, hahaha!"


    Peng Sijue red at him with widened eyes. Chen Shi understood him. This was the angriest expression he could make. Chen Shi also noticed that there was a needle hidden in the pocket of his white coat. Did Peng Sijue intend to lynch Qi Rui?


    Peng Sijue took his hand out of his pocket. Chen Shi grabbed his hand and shook his head to persuade him. "Don''t be stupid!"


    "It''s just a low concentration of sodium thiopental."


    "Truth serum? It doesn''t work at all. Now is not the time to be impulsive. If you¡¯re suspended, who can rece you?!"


    Peng Sijue clenched his fist and Chen Shi forcefully pulled him out.


    When they got to Peng Sijue''sboratory, Chen Shi said someforting words but Peng Sijue couldn''t listen. He said, "I know exactly what will happen. I don''t need yourfort. You just need to tell me the progress of the investigation truthfully."


    "We will definitely get Miss Gu back!"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "You should go. I will continue to work!"


    Walking out of the forensics department, Chen Shi saw a little policeman standing in the corridor calling his family. Concern was disorderly; the little policeman¡¯s tone was almost like he was quarrelling with the other person. Right now, the entire second team was in a state of unprecedented panic. If it weren¡¯t for Lin Qiupu as their unwavering backbone, chaos would have erupted collectively long ago.


    Chen Shi suppressed the negative emotions in his mind and continued to focus on the investigation.


    At 3:00 in the afternoon, two and a half hours before Old Zhang¡¯s family woulde to harm, the police brought back what they found from Qi Rui¡¯s residence for careful inspection. There were no sounds in the office. Everyone was looking down to check what they had on hand. Xu Xiaodong said, "I found a parking receipt!"


    Everyone leaned over. The receipt was found in the wastebasket. It was used by Qi Rui to wrap a piece of chewing gum. The address on it was Baisha Mall. The time of the printed receipt was yesterday afternoon.


    Chen Shi said, "I¡¯ve been there. It¡¯s supposed to be amercial area nned ten years ago, but because of the location and traffic problems, it can''t be rented out at all. It''s basically in a semi-abandoned state."


    Lin Dongxue expressed suspicion. "Just tantly throwing key evidence in the trash can?"


    "Qi Rui may not have thought that he would be arrested at all." Xu Xiaodong spected.


    Lin Qiupu said, "The location of Baisha Mall is within the scope of our reasoning. This clue should still be taken seriously. Let¡¯s do it like this. Half of the people will go there and the other half will stay to continue the investigation."


    Old Zhang said, "I must go!"


    Thus, a group of policemen and Chen Shi rushed to Baisha Shopping Mall. On the way, Chen Shi said, "Qi Rui and Zhou Xiao are a couple."


    "Huh?" Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised. "He said that himself?"


    "I sounded the information out. I don''t know if it can be considered a breakthrough point."


    "So it was like that. That olddy said that she saw two mene out. It was them. If you look at it this way, Qi Rui and Zhou Xiao are partners while Ling Shuang is acting alone?"


    "Zhou Xiao is definitely stronger in action. Ling Shuang tends to be the brains behind the operations, but they¡¯re both wanted criminals. They can''t walk outside tantly. They definitely needed a new face. Qi Rui is this neer. I think we can start to investigate from Qi Rui to see how he met Zhou Xiao."


    "ording to Qi Rui''s resume, it seems that he wouldn¡¯t have joined for over three months. He has been trained to be so loyal in such a short amount of time? What magic power does Zhou Xiao have?!" Lin Dongxue pondered.


    "It''s not that he was trained. They¡¯re essentially the same kind of people."


    Lin Qiupu''s voice came over the radio. "We¡¯re almost there. Everyone should check their pistols and bullets. If you encounter a suspect, you¡¯re allowed to shoot at the torso¡­ You can''t let them run away, dead or alive!


    "Understood!", "Understood!" Everyone responded.


    After a moment of silence, Lin Qiupu said again, "If you see Song Lang, do the same!" Even through the radio, they could hear that Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t bear it.


    "Song Lang!" Lin Dongxue shook his head. "I can''t imagine that a former police captain would change like that."


    Chen Shi felt all five vors[1] whirling in his heart. He could say to the radio right now, "That Song Lang is fake. The real one is right here!" To say this, he only needed to move his mouth, but it was almost impossible for him.


    He thought again that if Zhou Xiao was really crazy enough to have stic surgery to look like Song Lang and then he was shot dead here, would Song Lang bepletely dead?


    Then, he thought of a disgusting thing. Zhou Xiao looked like Song Lang. Zhou Xiao and Qi Rui were a couple, so that meant¡­


    Shaking his head to shake off these thoughts, Chen Shi took a deep breath and readied himself to deal with what came next.


    The Baisha Mall as a whole was a square-shaped structure with an entrance at the front and the back. The interior was as deserted as a ghost market. Only a few wholesalers rented the premises. When they saw the policeing in, a store owner sat on a chair by the door to watch the drama unfold.


    Lin Qiupu was talking with a person who looked like a property manager. The property manager pointed his finger in a direction and Lin Qiupu beckoned everyone to follow.


    When they got to the first floor of Unit 13 in Block B, everyone stood beside the door on each side with their pistols in their hands. Lin Qiupu knocked on the small door on the rolling gate. No one responded. He picked the lock open and opened it. The inside was empty and misceneous items were piled up.


    "Damn, did they move?" Lin Qiupu wondered, "Or maybe they didn¡¯t use this ce."


    "What is this¡­"


    Chen Shi opened a bag. It contained nitric acid fertilizer. There were maic graffiti boards for children to y with on the ground. There was also a cleaning solution and soap. No warehouse would pile these things together. An astute person would see at a nce that these were the raw materials for the manufacture of explosives.


    Chen Shi rubbed the powder on the ground and said, "They¡¯ve been here!"


    Lin Qiupu thought for a few seconds and said, "Go find the surveince footage and witnesses. Ask if any suspicious vehicles have left today."


    Old Zhang said, "Everyone, hurry up! There¡¯s only twenty minutes left!"


    Several police officers went out to investigate as Chen Shi asked, "Can you find an EOD dog? There are a lot of empty rooms in this ce. There¡¯s hundreds of them at the very least. Zhou Xiao doesn''t need to take them away. He can hide them in another room."


    "Only the SWAT team has EOD dogs. It''s toote¡­ Do you really think so?"


    Chen Shi said firmly, "If I were him, I would do it like that!"


    Staring at Chen Shi''s eyes for a few seconds, Lin Qiupu said, "The rest of the people need to search the empty rooms around us. If there¡¯s no one there, just kick the doors away!"


    So the police kicked open the doors one by one, calling out the names of Old Zhang¡¯s family members. Time passed by and everyone¡¯s hearts were tense. When only thest three minutes were left, a sudden explosion shook the entiremercial city. Everyone followed the noise, only to see a room upstairs was smoking.


    There was Old Zhang''s cry over the radio. "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"


    Everyone understood what had happened in an instant.


    1. Salty, sugary, sourness, bitterness, and spiciness. This refers to the mixed emotions people feel.

 Chapter 865: Justice And Kindness

    <h4>Chapter 865: Justice And Kindness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Old Zhang knelt on the ground, crying so much his nose was running. He was holding the cell phone tightly in his hand. This was his own cell phone, but he recorded the two numbers. Dialing one of them would lose his wife, dialing the other number would lose his daughter. He clearly knew what he had done, and his heart experienced pain as though it was tearing. Tears couldn''t stop falling from his eyes.


    "What did you do?! What did you do?!" Lin Qiupu ran over and asked.


    Old Zhang raised his tear-stained face, "No matter what, Tingting can''t die!"


    Lin Qiupu was speechless. He was afraid that Old Zhang would continue to do impulsive things and said, "Hand over the gun!"


    Old Zhang ced his gun, handcuffs, and police badge on the ground along with the mobile phone. Lin Qiupu only took the gun and ordered, "Don''t cry and keep looking for your daughter!"


    Lin Qiupu pressed on the radio and said, "Little Zheng, Little Fan, you two should check the room where the explosion urred. The others will continue to look. Don''t stop! Tingting still has explosives on her body, which is still dangerous to her life!


    Hearing this, Old Zhang wiped his tears away with his sleeve, stood up, and continued the search.


    This incident happened so suddenly that it casted a shadow in everyone''s heart. They didn''t have time to say anything, so they continued to search one by one.


    The time had passed the time limit and the sky was getting darker. After 7:00, there was a cry from the radio that had been silent for too long. "Found her! Found her!"


    Everyone hurried to the direction of the discoverer. In a small warehouse whose door was kicked open, Tingting, who had been unconscious due to dehydration, was hidden under a tarp. Her body was densely packed with explosives and electronicponents. A cell phone was embedded in the middle.


    Old Zhang separated the crowd and rushed in agitatedly, hugged Tingting. Lin Qiupu instructed, "Call an ambnce!"


    Ten minutester, Tingting was taken away. During this time, she woke up once and cried, "Dad" to Old Zhang. These two words made Old Zhang burst into a never-ending stream of tears.


    Watching the ambnce leave, Lin Qiupu said, "Old Zhang, from now on you have been suspended!"


    Old Zhang said dimly, "I will be responsible for everything I¡¯ve done!"


    "This isn¡¯t fair at all!" Lin Dongxue protested loudly. "We only found Tingting two hourster. If Old Zhang didn''t do this, both of them would have died. At least one of them survived!"


    "But this can''t change the fact that he personally killed his wife." Lin Qiupu said.


    "So he should have just done nothing and lost two family members?!"


    "I have a suggestion!" Chen Shi looked around at everyone. "Everyone present is an eyewitness. Our statement determines the nature of Old Zhang''s behavior. We all know that he was forced by helplessness. As long as we unanimously say that the criminal detonated the bomb, then he¡¯s innocent."


    "Do you mean that we should allmit perjury together?" Lin Qiupu frowned.


    "Yes, let''smit perjury together!" Chen Shi said frankly. "Between justice and kindness, I would rather choose kindness!"


    Some police officers wavered and said, "I support Brother Chen."


    Lin Qiupu shook his head. "I will report this matter truthfully. How Old Zhang''s behavior should be judged and whether it¡¯s appropriate for his sentence to be reduced is a matter for the courts to decide. Someone once told me that what the police maintain isn¡¯t kindness, but justice!"


    "That man is an idiot!" Chen Shi yelled.


    "Enough from you!" Lin Qiupu roared back.


    "What if this had happened to you?" a policeman asked in a bad tone.


    "I will, like Old Zhang, bear all the consequences caused by myself!"


    "Don¡¯t be hypocritical!!!" The policeman shouted. "The person who hired Zhou Xiao is Lie Guoxiao, your father. You¡¯re excluded and only our family will suffer! I quit. I¡¯m heading back and protecting my mother without leaving!"


    He handed over his badge and gun to a colleague and left without looking back.


    This policeman had never confronted Lin Qiupu even once ever since he joined the force. Everyone knew that the current atmosphere made him lose his mind, especially when he witnessed the tragic death of Old Zhang''s family.


    Lin Qiupu suppressed his anger. "Who else wants to quit? I will allow you to go home to protect your family. I won¡¯t me you!"


    Everyone looked at each other. Another policeman stood up and said, "Sorry Captain Lin, I haven''t been home in 48 hours. I''m really afraid of something going wrong with my family."


    Another policeman said, "Me too¡­ I''m sorry!"


    "Go!" Lin Qiupu said weakly.


    He looked around and the faces of the remaining people were shaken and hesitant, but they finally chose to persevere. Lin Qiupu said, "Let¡¯s head back", turned around, and walked towards the car. His back looked very lonely.


    The depressing atmosphere permeated the second team. Back in the bureau, Lin Qiupu sat in the office alone, lit a cigarette, and watched the cigarette slowly burn out. His eyes looked empty.


    "Brother!"


    Lin Dongxue walked in and sat down beside him. "Would you like to go home and rest for a while?"


    "Should I go and meet Lie Guoxiao?" He said unexpectedly.


    "Meet him? Is that useful?"


    "He¡¯s doing all this to retaliate against the police because he knows he¡¯s about to get finished. If I make a deal with him¡­"


    "Brother, don''t be stupid! If he can''t be persecuted by thew, even more people will be killed. You must not be confused! This is not the usual you at all."


    "The usual me¡­" Lin Qiupu sighed and shook his head. "What happened today made the police''s dignity and thew''s majesty look like sh*t! If I was Old Zhang, I would do the same, but I still have to be this viin!"


    Lin Dongxue grabbed Lin Qiupu''s hand andforted him. "Brother, what you did is right. It''s what a captain should do! Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang will definitely be arrested. Definitely!"


    Someone knocked on the door. An explosives expert from the material evidence center came in. He said, "Captain Lin, I have a report for you to see here."


    Lin Qiupu returned to his usual demeanour, took the papers in his hands, and scanned through them a few times. He didn¡¯t know too much about bombs, so he could only understand the general gist of it. He noticed a few key words and asked tentatively, "The meaning in this is that there was a problem with the bomb found at the scene?"


    "The problem lies with the two mobile phones. They couldn¡¯t be dialled through at all. The colleagues in the Information Department also confirmed this. They didn¡¯t track the mobile phone signal from the beginning till the end. We found a timing device in the wreckage. It wasn¡¯t a remote bomb. It was a timing device!"


    "What did you say?!" Lin Qiupu stood up.


    "I don''t know if you asked Officer Zhang yet, but was there a dy between him dialing the number and the explosion? That''s all I can do."


    After the expert left, Lin Dongxue said, "That''s great. If it was a time bomb, then Old Zhang didn''t kill anyone!"


    "But why was it a time bomb? Doesn''t it vite their rules of the game?"


    "They have no rules in their game at all!" Chen Shi stood at the door. "Ling Shuang is very confident in her psychological portrait of him. She predicted that Old Zhang would do this, so she arranged the script in advance. That is, Old Zhangpletely had no choice."


    "Old Zhang didn''t make a choice? What about Captain Peng and Miss Gu?" Lin Qiupu said.


    "Yes, I''m here to talk about this. I discussed it with Old Peng for some time now. Miss Gu may have already¡­" This fact made Chen Shi very sad. "You don''t need to find Miss Gu. Use all your strength to search for Zhou Xiao!"

 Chapter 866: Gu Yous Passing

    <h4>Chapter 866: Gu You''s Passing</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After saying this, Chen Shi went to an empty conference room alone, sat down on the sofa, and buried his face in his hands as he felt a stabbing pain in his heart.


    In fact, he had just buried Gu You quietly in the countryside half an hour ago¡­


    At about 9:00 in the evening, Chen Shi received a call from Sun Zhen asking him to go to the office, and that he had to exin things face to face.


    Chen Shi guessed that it must have something to do with Gu You, and it must not be good news.


    At 10:30, Chen Shi got to the bottom of the office and went upstairs. Chen Shi could smell a choking cigarette smelling from the room. kk and Sun Zhen sat face to face, looking a little depressed.


    "Brother Chen!" kk stood up, "I went to Sister Gu''s ce during the day and went to her consultation clinic as well. Sister Gu really is missing."


    "Did you find any clues?"


    kk looked at Sun Zhen, and Sun Zhen said, "kk brought herptop back from the consultation clinic. The browser records showed that she logged in to her previous ount in ''ck Honey'' that night and talked to another person. That person''s ount used to belong to Ling Shuang."


    "What did she say?"


    "I can''t understand it. It seems to be codednguage, but Ling Shuang exposed her IP address. I found that she¡¯s in the city¡­ We dare not go to that ce at night, so we asked you toe¡­"


    Chen Shi furrowed his brows. "Let''s head there now!"


    "Aren¡¯t you going to call the police?"


    "They¡¯re already in a mess. The three of us should be fine. If you aren¡¯t assured, you guys can wait for me outside when we get there."


    The three rushed there. The address Sun Zhen found was a hostel. At this time, the door of the hostel was locked. kk opened the lock and walked into the dark hall. Sun Zhen said, "The IP address Ling Shuang used was from this wirelesswork."


    "Can you be more precise?"


    "No."


    There was an oldputer at the front desk. Sun Zhen turned it on to check the check-in records. In the duty room next to them, an uncle was snoring soundly.


    "Ling Shuang must have used a fake ID. Even if it¡¯s fake, the age and gender should be simr."


    "Uh, I don''t know if this is it: Room 317."


    "Let¡¯s go and see!"


    Sun Zhen turned off theputer¡¯s disy and darkness returned to the hall. They cautiously went upstairs and got to Room 317. The door was equipped with an electronic sensor lock. Sun Zhen said, ¡°kk, go and steal that uncle¡¯s room card."


    "Don''t be so troublesome. An electronic lock is also a lock." kk took out a lighter and prepared to burn the sensor.


    "Hey!" Chen Shi stopped him. "How would we exin this to the police if theye here?"


    "Okay, wait for me!"


    kk went down and came up after a while. He pressed the staff''s room card on the sensor and the door opened.


    The three people smelled blood the moment they entered the room. Chen Shi knew that they must have found the right ce, but he was afraid to face the next scene. When the light was turned on, he saw Gu Youying at the end of a nket. She was tightly tied up and blood seeped into the bed sheets below. She seemed to be unconscious and her face was as pale as paper. Even her lips were white.


    "Miss Gu!" Sun Zhen cried immediately.


    Chen Shi walked over and tested her breathing under her nose. He found that Gu You was still faintly breathing. He said, "Hurry up and call 120!"


    "Don''t!" Gu You opened her eyes, but her pupils were out of focus. "You guys are finally here."


    Due to excessive blood loss, Gu You seemed to have lost her vision. Chen Shi said, "It''s me, Little Worm and kk. The police and Old Peng aren¡¯t here."


    "That¡¯s good. He shouldn¡¯t see me like this¡­" Gu You squeezed out a smile. "Please bury me quietly and let him think I¡¯m missing. Otherwise, he will have to face my corpse. The way I am now really¡­"


    "Stop talking!"


    Chen Shi put his hand on Gu You''s forehead. Her skin was cold. Sun Zhen was at her side crying so much that it seemed like he was about to lose his voice.


    Gu You stretched out a hand from under the nket and grabbed Chen Shi''s hand. "Mr. Chen, I''m sorry! Actually, I lied to you. In that vi back then, I made a choice against my conscience¡­ I¡¯m one of Zhou Tiannan''s people¡­"


    Chen Shi was startled momentarily. "What does it matter? I know you¡¯re a good person."


    Gu You smiled miserably. "When I approached you in the beginning, it was per Zhou Tiannan''s instructions. The purpose was to obtain information. I betrayed you and leaked information so that Zhou Xiao could escape smoothly¡­ I hated my ''mission''. I got acquainted with you all day by day. I liked the time I spent with you guys. Being honest with each other without needing to be suspicious. The warm and upright power you all had infected me. Especially his. A despicable person like me could actually obtain his love. I feel very ashamed. I¡¯ve never really drawn a line from Zhou Tiannan. Even after he died, he still strangled my neck like a ghost, just like how he was controlling other people! But I swear that ever since he died, I haven¡¯t really helped them, and I didn¡¯t provide them with correct information again. Zhou Xiao had already noticed my betrayal. Maybe he was ''too busy'', but he was never free enough to get rid of me. Every day, I¡¯d be fearing for my life. I once thought about leaving without saying goodbye, but escaping wouldn''t save me."


    "Mr. Chen, I have always wanted to find a chance to confess all this to you. You and I are both people who are teased by fate. You may understand me. I want to walk back into the sun and ept myself. Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to wait for the opportunity. If I don¡¯t talk about it now¡­ I made a subjective mistake. I thought people¡¯s hearts can be shared. I thought Ling Shuang, who had been forced to join the gang like me, could be persuaded. She promised to meet me, but what was waiting for me was a trap. Her heart had already fallen into the darkness long ago. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m stupid? But, I think this is good too. A sinner can purify his soul with sacrifice. The gates of heaven may open a tiny gap for me. Mr. Chen, I¡¯ve put all the information I know about them under the pot of winter jasmine flowers in my house. I hope it can help you¡­"


    After a fit of coughing, Gu You held Chen Shi''s hand tightly. Chen Shi felt like his heart was getting stabbed, knowing that this was Gu You''s terminal lucidity.


    "Also, Yueyue. I really like this child. Her cleverness is destined to cause her to be an abnormal person in her life. Please pay attention to her. You may not know but she¡¯s been worrying about something recently. Even if it¡¯s intrusive when ites to privacy, please take exceptional care of her. This is really important for a girl who has had a tragic past!"


    Gu You squeezed out a smile. Her hands suddenly became heavy and slipped from Chen Shi''s.


    Warm liquid was flowing on Chen Shi''s face, and Sun Zhen knelt next to them, covering his mouth as he cried. kk couldn''t watch this scene. He walked to the window and kept sniffing.


    After closing Gu You''s eyelids, Chen Shi said, "Let''s bury her and clean the scene!"


    He wanted to fulfill herst wish and let her disappear using the method of making her go missing.

 Chapter 867: Who Is It This Time?

    <h4>Chapter 867: Who Is It This Time?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After filling the soil pit, kk went up and stepped on it with his feet. Sun Zhen was instantly enraged as he pushed him away and shouted, "Motherfucker, don¡¯t step on it with your feet!"


    "If I don¡¯t make it solid, what would happen if it was dug up by a wild dog?"


    "Screw you."


    "Enough!" Chen Shi stopped the two of them from fighting, took out a pack of cigarettes from his arms, lit three of them, and stuck them in the ground like a shabby mourning ritual.


    The three of them stood silently. After the mourning was over, Chen Shi turned to face the two of them. "Do you guys have anything you¡¯re hiding?"


    "Cough!" Sun Zhen cleared his throat. "Yes¡­ but I swear I¡¯ve never harmed you guys."


    kk said, "Yes, but it''s the more nasty kind."


    "Okay, I also have something I¡¯m hiding from you guys." Chen Shi said. He nned to practice revealing his true identity here. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be so nervous when he confessed to Lin Dongxue and Lin Qiupu.


    The two looked at Chen Shi in astonishment. When he prepared to speak, the words swirled around his mouth, but he just couldn''t say it. Sun Zhen said, "Brother Chen, if you don''t want to say it, just forget it. Who doesn''t have secrets?"


    "Brother Chen!" kk ran back to the car and brought out an envelope. "I know that boy Zhou Xiao is moving around happily right now. I can''t really help much. This is the information I know from some people in the underworld. Maybe it can help you."


    Sun Zhen said, ¡°By the way, I investigated Zhou Xiao¡¯s boyfriend. They spoke to each other on a gay dating forum. Zhou Xiao¡¯s ount was logged in five times before and after that and three IP addresses were used. His hideout clues may be among them."


    "Thank you, guys. You must be careful by yourselves and let the police do the risky things."


    "Don''t worry about that!" kk promised loudly, and then found that Sun Zhen was looking at him with contempt.


    After getting in the car, the three of them took onest look at the ce where Gu You was buried. Under that piece of ground was Gu You. This intellectual, elegant, clever, and decisive woman wasying there silently now. The thought of this made their hearts heavy.


    "Is it okay to go missing?" Sun Zhen said.


    "The moment you see the broken body of your lover, that kind of impact is beyond your imagination. It will cause a lifetime shadow!" Chen Shi said weakly. "Although a disappearance would also cause a mess in his heart, there¡¯s at least still a glimmer of hope¡­ If I die in the future, if conditions permit, please let me go missing as well."


    The two looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.


    Chen Shi was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He looked up and saw Lin Dongxuee in. Lin Dongxue asked him what he was doing there alone. Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "I¡¯m too tired."


    "Nothing will probably happen tonight. You can go home and rest!"


    "It''s okay. I''ll stay with you."


    From the corridor came Xu Xiaodong¡¯s wailing. "My mother has been kidnapped! My mother has been kidnapped!"


    The two hurried out and asked what was wrong. Xu Xiaodong said that he had just called his mother. Although his mother answered, the way his mother spoke was a little unnatural.


    When he hung up the phone, Xu Xiaodong felt strange about the call the more he thought about it, so he checked the location software installed on his mother''s phone and found that she was moving at a high speed on a road. Then, the location signal suddenly disappeared.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I''ll call everyone over."


    The people who stayed behind in the bureau gathered in a conference room and asked Xu Xiaodong to describe the situation in detail. He said that his mother''s positioning signal disappeared on the Sihuan Road. She was moving northward and had just passed the Shuiku road.


    The conversation between the two on the phone was just about some daily content. What made Xu Xiaodong feel strange was the way his mother spoke. His mother seemed a little irritable. Everyone knew that Xu Xiaodong¡¯s mother was very gentle. It was assumed that she might have been threatened and forced to pretend to act like normal as she informed her son of her safety.


    Lin Qiupu said, "They¡¯re nning a fourth case. If Xu Xiaodong hadn''t noticed it, I''m afraid we would still be in the dark."


    This time, they knew the movements of Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang in advance. Naturally, they couldn''t dy. Lin Qiupu ordered everyone to find clues separately. Everyone dragged their tired bodies to move, and Xu Xiaodong was anxious to go home to have a look.


    Originally, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi wanted to apany him, but Lin Dongxue found out that Chen Shi was missing. She finally found him at the stairway at the end of the corridor. Lin Dongxue said, "Hurry up!"


    "I¡­ I need to go back." Chen Shi''s expression was a bit odd.


    "Yueyue?"


    Chen Shi nodded. "I haven¡¯t been able to get through to her phone and the positioning signal is showing that she¡¯s at home. I know that leaving at this juncture is really¡­"


    "Go!" Lin Dongxue said decisively, "I understand your feelings!"


    "I''ll be back after confirming."


    Chen Shi left. He hoped that it would be a mistake. Zhou Xiao wouldn¡¯t kidnap two people at the same time, and he wasn¡¯t a policeman!


    However, this kind of thinking was self-deceptive. Zhou Xiao''s motives had long been revealed, and an aplice of his had been arrested already. He was very likely to speed up his pace and kidnap all the people whom they wanted to kill in advance.


    On the way back, Chen Shi kept begging, Don¡¯t let anything to have happened. Don¡¯t let anything to have happened!


    Pushing open the door to the house, the house was dark. Chen Shi turned on all the lights and opened every door, but Tao Yueyue was nowhere to be seen. The nkets on the bed were neatly folded and her school bag was ced on the chair, which showed that she may not have gone to school today!


    Chen Shi dialed the number of Tao Yueyue''s ss teacher. Being awakened at this time, the ss teacher''s voice was full of dissatisfaction. "Who is it?!"


    "I¡¯m Tao Yueyue''s parent. Did she go to school today?"


    "Tao Yueyue''s parent¡­" After a few seconds, the other person''s talking resumed, "Oh, she was absent from ss today."


    "Why didn''t you call to inform me?!?!"


    "This¡­ Tao Yueyue is excellent in her academic performance and has never asked for leave a single time. I figured that if it wasn¡¯t for a special reason, she definitely wouldn¡¯t miss ss. I thought you¡¯d call to exin."


    "Okay¡­" Chen Shi instantly became dizzy and apologized for his tone just then. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s okay. Did she not go home? You can contact her friends or go to an Inte cafe to try and find her."


    When he hung up the phone, Chen Shi was full of self-me. Tao Yueyue had been missing for a whole day. He looked around Tao Yueyue¡¯s bedroom and tried to find clues. He found a notebook on the table. Picking it up, the contents seemed to be left for him.


    After reading all the content, Chen Shi''s mood was indescribable. It was already 5:00AM and the sky outside the window began to turn lighter.


    Lin Dongxue called, "Old Chen, how is Yueyue?"


    "¡­"


    "Old Chen?!"


    "She''s all right. All right." Chen Shi lied. "What about your side?"


    "The lead was lost. They killed a driver in the countryside, robbed the other person''s car, and dumped their original car. There¡¯s no security cameras nearby, and we can¡¯t track them anymore."


    "I''ll be right there!"

 Chapter 868: Xiaodongs "Diagnosis Report"

    <h4>Chapter 868: Xiaodong''s "Diagnosis Report"</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At 7:00 in the morning, everyone was standing at the scene. A mud-sttered Volkswagen was abandoned by the road. There were many apples piled up not far from them. The apples scattered on the road had already been crushed. The police found the body of the truck driver who had been killed among the apples.


    "There¡¯s a fork in the road. Calcting using the fastest speed of the truck, they have now escaped as far as 600 kilometers away. That is to say, the surrounding towns and viges may all be ces where they¡¯d hide in."


    "The most terrible thing is that there aren¡¯t many security cameras in the suburbs. Even if we could find one, it would be difficult to trace them."


    "Old Chen, what are you thinking about?"


    Facing Lin Dongxue¡¯s question, Chen Shi recovered from his stupor. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just too tired¡­ I think we should divide into two groups and chase along two roads, inquiring the whole way."


    Besides his input, there was no better solution, so everyone was divided into two groups who questioned people at the gas stations and restaurants along the way. Closer to noon, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi arrived at a roadside restaurant. The employee there said thatst night, a truck drove past. The truck was empty and there was a wagon at the back cking loudly, so it left an impression on the employee.


    The characteristics of the truck described by the employee were very simr to that of the robbed car, which reduced the scope of the search a lot. However, it only changed from finding a needle in the vast ocean to finding a needle in a bigke.


    The two took a break at this restaurant as they waited for the other police officers to arrive. They had only slept for six hours over two consecutive days. Lin Dongxue really had no appetite and just kept drinking water. A sleep-deprived body needed hydration.


    "You didn¡¯t quarrel with Yueyue, right?" Lin Dongxue asked suddenly.


    "Huh? Why do you ask?"


    "Ever since you came back from home in the morning, you¡¯ve been in a bad mood. What''s the matter with you?" Lin Dongxue was very sensitive to the changes in Chen Shi''s mood since she was together with him every day, so he couldn''t hide it from her at all.


    Chen Shi hesitated. What would telling Lin Dongxue what was going on right now do besides worry her?


    He put on a rxed expression. "Yes, we quarrelled a bit. I haven''t been home for the past two days, and she isn¡¯t very happy."


    "Haii, damn Zhou Xiao, he¡¯s hurting everyone."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue received a call. After listening to it, she ryed, "A clue leading to Zhou Xiao appeared in Siliqiao."


    "Siliqiao isn¡¯t far from Long''an."


    "The eyewitness over there said they saw them at noon. It was a man, a woman, and an olddy driving a truck."


    "The employee here saw themst night. This route is a bit strange¡­ They made a big circle around the countryside and then went back?!"


    "What should we do?"


    "Let''s go!" Chen Shi stood up wearily, feeling top-heavy. Zhou Xiao was fighting an endurance battle, constantly consuming their energy and patience. Today, there was a policeman who fell asleep while driving. If it weren¡¯t for their partner finding out in time, an ident would have happened.


    On the way, Chen Shi said, "Now that Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang are together, who will send the ''diagnosis report''? Are they nning to give up their criminal style?


    "I don''t think they¡¯ll send it this time."


    "No, it will be delivered!" Chen Shi was very sure of this. "Zhou Xiao is stubborn and Ling Shuang is arrogant. They both regard the police as kindergarten children. They kidnapped Xiaodong¡¯s mum, which shows that they still n to design an arrangement. This time, I¡¯m afraid it will also be a situation of decision."


    "So what will Xiaodong''s ''diagnostic report'' contain?"


    Chen Shi looked at the gray sky outside the window, pondering, "Xiaodong''s ''illness''? I think it''s the psychology of dependency. They¡¯ll write a story about that!"


    Lin Dongxue felt sad when she thought of the predicament Xiaodong was about to face. If he lost his mother, it really was possible that he would be another person going forward.


    She even felt a sense of guilt. The person who caused all this was Lie Guoxiao, the person who was rted to her by blood. She really hoped that she could bear a part of the pain on Xiaodong¡¯s behalf.


    At 4:00 in the afternoon, they finally arrived at Siliqiao. The other policemen were there staying in a restaurant, and the air was full of the smell of smoke. Lin Dongxue was surprised that everyone had stopped searching. Was it possible that they were waiting for them?


    Everyone''s expressions were a bit heavy. Xu Xiaodong sat at a table with his head in his hands. Lin Dongxue¡¯s heart dropped. Could it have already happened?


    "What happened?"


    "The ''diagnosis report'' was sent here." A policeman took out his cell phone.


    This time, the "diagnosis report" was sent to the police''s public mailbox via e-mail. The contents were as follows:


    "Patient: Xu Xiaodong;


    Sex: Male;


    Age: 28;


    Symptoms: Dependence.


    Due to growing up in a single-parent family and the mother¡¯s doting, the patient still cannot be weaned psychologically after entering adulthood. He has a strong dependence on his mother and shows various naive "big boy" styles through his words and deeds. The patient is subconsciously trying to please his mother and maintain the lively image of a child in exchange for the doting. This naivety in his words and deeds distances the patient from the outside world, so the family has be an even warmer harbor for him, which continuously aggravates his dependence on his mother, forming a vicious circle.


    Suggested way of treatment: Xiaodong to face this predicament independently and bravely. Your mother is locked in the Phase III of Wangcheng New Housing Community. Come alone to rescue her. If you y any tricks, what you see will be her dead body!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were shocked to see this special "method of medical treatment". Chen Shi had previously imagined that Ling Shuang might force Xu Xiaodong to do things that would vite the police''s bottom line. He didn¡¯t expect his "challenge" to be so simple!


    But this was also the hardest challenge!


    "These people are crazy. They even told us the address. I don''t think there¡¯s any need to listen to them. Just send a SWAT team to rescue the hostage." A policeman put forward his own opinion.


    "But doesn¡¯t that give them a perfect reason to kill the hostage?"


    "Have you forgotten what happened previously? The choices they gave were fake. They had arranged the ending a long time ago."


    "What do you think the ending is?"


    "¡­" The policeman nced at Xu Xiaodong, but didn¡¯t say what he was thinking.


    Chen Shi said, "This is a psychological game. Ling Shuang is very good at it. She¡¯s predicted our choices. However, I want to point out that if she wants Xiaodong to save his mother alone, then this email would have been sent to Xiaodong¡¯s personal cell phone. She sent it to the police mailbox so that all of us could see. In-fighting here with red faces is also the result she wants. We¡¯re already scared from the past wounds we received. The other party drew out the path to get there, but we won¡¯t dare to take a step."


    Xu Xiaodong stood up. "Brother Chen, should I go or not?"


    "You absolutely can''t go alone! My sincere thought is that if you disobey them. The result will be bad, but, if you obey them, the result would be worse!"


    "My mother will die anyway!" Xu Xiaodong''s eyes widened and tears fell from them.


    Chen Shi couldn¡¯t bear to lie to him, nor could he bear to tell him the truth. Xiaodong¡¯s mom was like prey in the mouth of a beast. She was already at the point where she¡¯d die nine times out of ten.

 Chapter 869: Xiaodongs Decision

    <h4>Chapter 869: Xiaodong''s Decision</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Chen Shi continued, "We should call the SWAT team and try our best to save her with police methods, instead of thinking about whether to follow the way they¡¯ve drawn out."


    Xu Xiaodong roared, "Isn''t that exactly what they want?!"


    Lin Dongxue walked over. "Captain Lin is contacting the SWAT team and they¡¯ll be here soon. Xiaodong¡­"


    Lin Dongxue put a hand on Xu Xiaodong''s shoulder, but he shook it away. Suddenly, he turned and rushed out. Chen Shi saw that when he pushed the door open, he had taken out his gun.


    "Stop him!"


    There was a gunshot outside, which almost shattered the ss inside the restaurant. Everyone rushed out and saw Xu Xiaodong shooting at the tires of a police car.


    He sted everyone¡¯s tires, including Chen Shi¡¯s, with several shots. He opened his door and said with tears in his eyes, "If I don¡¯t save my mother now, I will regret it for the rest of my life. Please don¡¯t follow me. Please!"


    "Shall we discuss further? At least make some preparations before going." Lin Dongxue tried to get him to stay.


    Xu Xiaodong shook his head desperately. "I won''t even have a chance when Captain Lin arrives. I''m sorry! I don''t care how I¡¯ll be punished afterwards, I can''t¡­ I can''t lose my mother!"


    As he said this, he got in the car and threw his gun out of the car window, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.


    Chen Shi''s mood was indescribable. Ling Shuang''s judgment should be that the police wouldn¡¯t abide by the rules because the thoughts of a group of people are more predictable than the thoughts of one person. The decisions made by a group of people follow their standpoint, interests, and way of thinking.


    Xiaodong''s impulsive actions undoubtedly broke Ling Shuang''s n. Could this be a turning point?


    The sky gradually darkened, and the gloomy sky foreshadowed torrential rain. Xu Xiaodong wiped his tears away with his sleeves while driving. His thoughts surged. The GPS indicated that the destination was approaching, and a cluster of gray buildings appeared in front of him.


    It was rumored that around ten years ago that this ce would have a subway line connecting to it, so housing was built in a rush due to the opportunistic real estatepanies, thus creating argemercial and residentialplex. However, they had to stop because of a break in the capital chain. It was an understatement to say they were unfinished buildings. It looked more like arge piece of fixture and cement ruins in the countryside.


    On the way to the destination, a truck was blocking the road. It was the one that was robbed in the morning. Since the road was entirely blocked, Xu Xiaodong was forced to stop.


    The people in the car walked down. A woman with long, straight, and ck hair[1] with a lollipop in her mouth could be seen, and the other was in a hoodie. He really looked like Song Lang, but Xu Xiaodong thought his eyes looked a little strange.


    Xu Xiaodong parted his hands fearlessly. "I''m here alone! No one is following me. I don''t have any location tracking equipment on me! I also have no weapons on me!"


    "Do you think I¡¯ll believe you?" Ling Shuang sneered.


    Xu Xiaodong was furious. He strode over, but a switchde was immediately pressed against his throat. "Song Lang" stared at him with threatening eyes and motioned him to back off.


    "The police were going to send people. I shot their police car tires. No one wille within half an hour. Let my mother go. Let my mother go!!!" Xu Xiaodong shouted.


    Ling Shuang''s expression froze. The policeman in front of her looked honest. Her prediction was wrong. She had ignored the impulsive nature of the "patient" himself.


    "Let my mother go. You guys said so yourselves. You can''t go back on it!"


    "Tch just like a child." "Song Lang"ughed at him.


    Xu Xiaodong walked forward, pressing his neck against the switchde, and actually forcing "Song Lang" to move back. He red at them and said, "If you don''t keep your promises, what is the difference between you and those ordinary criminals? Let my mother go. As long as you let my mother go, I don¡¯t care about anything else!"


    "You don¡¯t even care about death?"


    "I don''t care about death!!!"


    "Fine then." "Song Lang" took out a vial. "Take the medicine inside."


    "You¡¯ll let my mother go if I take it?"


    Ling Shuang answered on his behalf. "We¡¯ll keep our promise and release your mother, but it would be using our methods. Now, you just have to take the medicine!"


    Xu Xiaodong clutched the vial as tears welled up. "I know what kind of people you are. I beg you to let her go. She has never harmed anyone in her life. She shouldn''t meet such an end. Please, I beg you guys. Please!"


    "Okay, okay, you¡¯re so long-winded!" "Song Lang" was impatient.


    Ling Shuang said solemnly, "I understand your mood. I won''t lie to you!"


    "Thanks! Thanks!"


    Xu Xiaodong was so grateful his nose ran. He poured the medicine in the bottle into the palm of his hand and swallowed it with his neck raised. After ten seconds, he became unconscious and fell to the ground unconscious.


    Zhou Xiao took off the artificial mask from his face. Wearing it made him sweat profusely. He whistled. "Your psychology trick was sessful. They really obeyed us, hahaha!"


    "No, I''m going to let go of the olddy!"


    "Why?!"


    "He''s right. If we don''t keep our promises, what is the difference between us and ordinary criminals?"


    "Fuck!" Zhou Xiao spun around in shock. "The dignified psychologist Miss Ling was actually moved by the words of a little policeman. Are you kidding me? The task is to kill the police''s rtives. We can¡¯t release the olddy. This policeman also can''t be released!"


    "The purpose of revenge had been achieved long ago. If Mr. Lie hired us, he would naturally respect our style!"


    "You have the teacher''s true essence!"


    "If we have no style, what is the difference between us and beasts?"


    "Then we¡¯ll cancel the original n?"


    "Cancel it! We¡¯ll take this policeman and leave. When we sessfully make our getaway, we¡¯ll kill him, take all the money, and flee abroad."


    Zhou Xiao expressed regret. "I was looking forward to the finale. Okay, let''s do it like that."


    He dragged Xu Xiaodong back into his car and drove into the housingmunity. Ling Shuang went to release the hostage. Xiaodong¡¯s mom was forced to go around with them for an extremely long time. She was like a frightened and wounded bird. She pleaded when she saw Ling Shuang¡¯s indifferent face. "Don''t kill me, don''t kill me!"


    "We¡¯ll let you go now."


    "Huh?" The olddy thought she had heard wrong.


    Ling Shuang untied the rope from Xiaodong¡¯s mom¡¯s hands, took her hand, and walked out. The whole way along, Xiaodong¡¯s mom was talking to her. "Why are you suddenly letting me go? Did my son pay the ransom? Girl, I think you¡¯re pretty good. Why do you do such things with that fierce man?"


    "If you keep nagging, I will change my mind." Ling Shuang said tly.


    Xiaodong¡¯s mom dared not speak further.


    Walking out of there, Ling Shuang gave Xiaodong¡¯s mom a push and told her to go.


    Xiaodong¡¯s mum was rxed momentarily. She looked back from time to time as she walked away, for fear that the bad guys would shoot her from behind like what she¡¯d seen on TV.


    She went from walking, to jogging towards the lost freedom.


    Suddenly, Xu Xiaodong''s police car rushed out from the side door of themunity and drove extremely fast. When passing through the rugged wastnd, it even lifted for a second. It was obviously aimed at Xiaodong¡¯s mom. Ling Shuang saw Zhou Xiao was sitting in the car, and she gritted her teeth. There was a wound on his forehead.


    Xiaodong¡¯s mum was stunned in ce. At the critical moment, Ling Shuang dragged her over and the car rushed past dangerously and turned a corner. Zhou Xiao walked out angrily. "Damn bastard lied to us! He didn¡¯t take the medicine. His motherfucking acting skills are pretty good as well!"


    "Did he run away?"


    "No, I cleaned him up!" Zhou Xiao looked at Xiaodong¡¯s mom fiercely. "Don¡¯t motherfucking release anyone. Just kill this old thing too!"


    "Who is the policeman you¡¯re talking about? Is it my son?" Xiaodong¡¯s mom asked timidly.


    "Go and see for yourself." Ling Shuang stabbed the syringe in her hand into Xiaodong¡¯s mom¡¯s neck.


    1. The hair part was just added in by me (trantor), as the author just wrote ¡°ck long straight woman¡±.

 Chapter 870: Xiaodong Must Be Saved

    <h4>Chapter 870: Xiaodong Must Be Saved</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    At 7:00 in the evening, Chen Shi followed the police to the address given by the suspects: Phase III of Wangcheng New Housing Community.


    Looking at therge array of gray building silhouettes that appeared in front of him, Chen Shi wondered why they chose this ce. There were no shops around the back and it wasn¡¯t connected to the vige in the front. Once the road was blocked by the SWAT team, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.


    Surrounded by the police, Zhou Xiao had only two options: to die with the hostages or to surrender.


    Unless Zhou Xiao was crazy, there was no reason to turn a cat-and-mouse game with a winning ticket into a life and death struggle with a hostage-taking event.


    Or was Xiaodong just a decoy and traps had been set up in those gloomy buildings? Bombs could be nted, machine guns could be set up, and they were just waiting for the police tomit a massacre¡­ This possibility was very low. So low that it could be ignored. This wasn¡¯t the United States. Guns are extremely difficult to obtain.


    Repeated lessons told Chen Shi that Zhou Xiao wasn¡¯t a foolish and reckless man. He must have a n, and there had to be a reason for choosing this ce!


    So, he called Sun Zhen, "Check the third phase of Wangcheng New Community!"


    "Huh? What am I checking?"


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Shi said, "Zhou Xiao has taken hostages here. I want to know if there are other entrances and exits here. Hurry up!"


    "Roger that."


    The car in front was parked horizontally, and two police cars rear-ended each other. Fortunately, Chen Shi reacted quickly and mmed on the brakes. Lin Dongxue in the passenger seat nearly hit the roof of the car. Fortunately, she had fastened her seat belt. She quickly undid it and went down to check the situation.


    "Old Zhang, it''s Xiaodong''s mother." Lin Dongxue took a look and shouted outside a window.


    Chen Shi got out of the car immediately. It turned out that there was a personying in the middle of the road a few hundred meters away from phase three of Wangcheng New Community. As there were no street lights on both sides, the road was dark. The police car in front only found out when they drove closer. They almost ran her over, so the driver was so scared that his heart almost jumped out.


    "Auntie, wake up." Lin Dongxue lifted up Xiaodong¡¯s mom and shook her. She noticed that there was a blood spot on the back of her neck, which was left by a syringe. Xiaodong¡¯s mom''s breathing was steady and her pulse was normal. Lin Dongxue opened her eyelids and her pupils had a weak perception of light.


    "She was given an anaesthetic. Call an ambnce."


    "Don¡¯t call an ambnce. Just send a car over to the hospital. Dongxue, you and Chen Shi should go." Lin Qiupu said.


    "I can''t leave now!" Lin Dongxue refused.


    Lin Qiupu was afraid that it would be too dangerous here. Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve been worried about Xiaodong all afternoon. Are you going to make us leave now?"


    Lin Qiupu shook his head and sent Old Zhang and another policeman to take her.


    Everyone parked their cars here and the apanying SWAT team drove the car around to begin deploying everyone. Lin Qiupu asked everyone to check their guns and radios, divided them into groups to take care of each other, and then walked towards the building with shlights.


    On the way, Lin Dongxue whispered, "Old Chen, what you said is correct. They really let Xiaodong¡¯s mom go and caught Xiaodong."


    "What¡¯s upset me most is why Xiaodong¡¯s mom was thrown in the middle of the road and injected with anaesthetics. She¡¯s a seventy-year-olddy. There¡¯spletely no need to do this to her. It seems that some changes have just happened here."


    "How can there be any changes? Xiaodong?"


    "The only variable is him!"


    "He¡¯s braver than anyone else. To put it bluntly, he likes to be a hero. Maybe he had a conflict with Zhou Xiao here¡­ I hope he¡¯s all right!" Lin Dongxue''s heart tightened again.


    Chen Shi nodded silently. They could only know what happened when they saw them. He hoped that Xiaodong would be safe and sound when they met.


    When they walked into themunity, they saw arge building with only two floors. It was an unused shopping mall. The building was surrounded by frosted ss doors and there was a light inside. There was a truck parked outside the building with blinking lights and the engine was still on.


    "Check it out!" Lin Qiupu pointed to the truck.


    The two apanying explosive experts got into the car and found no dangerous objects, but found that the car recorder was connected to a mobile phone and turned into a remote surveince tool. They unplugged the mobile phone.


    At this moment, a figure walked by behind the frosted ss door. They could vaguely make her out to be a woman. A young policeman shifted his gun over. Lin Qiupu noticed that the youngster had actually sped his finger on the trigger and shouted, "Don''t shoot. Release your finger slowly!"


    The figure dressed in ck was clearly Ling Shuang. She walked around leisurely, as if she was confirming the number of people outside. Even Chen Shi admired her courage. There were dozens of guns facing her outside!


    There was a harsh noiseing from the mall''s radio, and Ling Shuang''s voice immediately came through. "Put your guns down on the stone steps in front of the door and separate the magazine from the gun. You¡¯re limited to five minutes."


    Lin Qiupu had prepared a megaphone prior to this and shouted inside, "Before we negotiate terms, we must confirm the safety of the hostage!"


    "Not unless you meet our requirements first."


    "We can''t do that. Let us know the current situation of the hostage!"


    Ling Shuang''s gloomyughter came over the radio. "I''m going to cut off one of his hands right now to let you confirm it slowly!"


    Lin Qiupu threatened, "If you really dare to do this, it¡¯s tantamount to cutting off your own escape route. The hostage is a policeman. The day he became the people''s policeman, he already epted his potential sacrifice. Don''t y this game with us!"


    "Cutting off my own escape¡­" Ling Shuang imitated these words with disdain.


    Chen Shi whispered, "Do as she says. This woman will really do it. At that time, we¡¯ll be in a very passive situation."


    Lin Qiupu couldn¡¯t ept this. "If we put down our guns, we¡¯d also be in a passive situation."


    "If you n to abandon Xiaodong, then don''t let him suffer and just get the SWAT team to go in directly. Aren¡¯t we here now for that ray of hope, hoping that Xiaodong can be safe and sound?" Chen Shi grilled him.


    These words struck Lin Qiupu''s heart. He looked around the faces around him and remembered thebat meeting with several leaders in the bureau that afternoon. The SWAT team had a tough attitude, saying that such gangsters must be subdued at all costs. The implication was Xiaodong¡¯s sacrifice was eptable. Most leaders also supported this position, saying a lot of detached, "noble" viewpoints.


    At first, Lin Qiupu fought desperately for Xiaodong. Whether it was for selfish or humanitarian reasons, in short, he didn''t want to have anything happen to Xiaodong. However, under the pressure from the leaders, he could only say tactfully that he would y it by ear.


    "The few of you stay. The others should scatter around and keep an eye on every entrance and exit!" Lin Qiupu ordered.


    The ones left behind were the backbones of the second team. Lin Qiupu said, "The higher-ups opinion doesn¡¯t put Xiaodong¡¯s safety as a priority, but I want him to survive because Little Li¡¯s father is dead and Old Zhang¡¯s wife is dead. Miss Gu¡­ her whereabouts are unknown. They¡¯ve never failed and we couldn¡¯t save anyone. Not a single one! If Xiaodong and Xiaodong¡¯s mom can¡¯t survive, we¡¯ll really lose this battle. Even if the criminals are arrested smoothly, we still would have lost!"


    "You¡¯re right. Humanity is above everything else. We must save Xiaodong!" Lin Dongxue nodded. Pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness also agreed with Lin Qiupu''s words.


    Everyone got to the door and prepared to put down their guns. Little Li said, "Captain Lin, what if they take our guns?"


    "You¡¯re right. Take the guns apart and mix the parts together."


    Everyone was trained in this aspect at the police academy. They dismantled their pistols and scattered them together so that even if they were taken away, they couldn¡¯t be used.


    At this time, Chen Shi noticed that there was a gun hidden behind Lin Dongxue''s waist. It was the one that Xiaodong had dropped previously.

 Chapter 871: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 871: Confrontation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When everyone put down their guns, the lights in the mall went out and silence shrouded their surroundings. This building was like a cardboard box with two venomous snakes hidden, making everyone feel nervous and ufortable.


    After waiting for a full minute, the light at the front door turned on. Lin Qiupu couldn''t bear it anymore and shouted into the loudspeaker, "We¡¯ve already put down our guns. Let us see the hostage."


    "Come in!" Ling Shuang''s voice came from inside the building instead of the radio this time.


    Lin Qiupu opened the door and everyone followed behind. The inside was empty and big, the ground was covered with dust, and some construction waste was scattered around the ce. A ss disy booth was ced between two columns. There was something on it that the officers couldn¡¯t make out. Only Chen Shi recognized what it was.


    A cigar cutter!


    Just as he expected, Ling Shuang nned to take revenge for her broken finger fromst time, and he drew a deep breath.


    A light suddenly turned on above his head, and he saw Ling Shuang standing at the edge of the corridor on the second floor. Xu Xiaodong was tied to a chair with a rope around his neck, and the other end of the rope was tied to a section of the ceiling.


    Xu Xiaodong was gagged and blindfolded. The front two legs of the chair under him were suspended in the air, and the back two legs were on the edge of the second floor. Ling Shuang held the back of the chair with her hand to keep the terrifying bnce.


    As long as she pushed slightly, Xu Xiaodong would be hanged, and the gravity of his fall might instantly break his neck.


    "What are you doing?!" Lin Qiupu reprimanded. "I warn you, the SWAT team has surrounded the outside¡­"


    "Of course I know that." Ling Shuang grinned. "Before we negotiate, we have to deal with a historical issue¡­" She raised her left hand and they could only see that she was wearing a rubber finger cot on her thumb.


    "What do you mean?" Lin Qiupu asked.


    "I understand what she means." Chen Shi stood up. "Miss Ling, you really are someone that must take revenge."


    "Mr. Chen, you¡¯re also a sensible person. Do you know what to do to make me satisfied?"


    Chen Shi nced at the cigar cutter ced on the counter. It was very sharp. You would only need to press lightly for your fingers to be cut off. Chen Shi suggested, "I have a suggestion. You and I have old grudges anyway. Why don¡¯t you exchange me for Officer Xu?"


    "Hahahaha!" Ling Shuang sneered. "The hostage exchange trick? Excuse me, you have to follow my script!"


    "Where is Zhou Xiao?" Chen Shi looked around. "He turned the lights on and off here, right?"


    "Do you arrogantly think that I haven''t learned negotiation psychology? Dying time is a trick that negotiation experts use. If you ask one more question, I will push Officer Xu from here!"


    "After pushing him down, the SWAT will rush in and beat you like a sieve!"


    "Are you cutting it or not?"


    "Can I cut this one?" Chen Shi put his pinky up. "It''s really inconvenient without a thumb. I usually have to cook food and drive."


    A smile appeared on Ling Shuang''s mask-like face. After three seconds, her smile subsided. Suddenly, some liquid was spilled from the top behind them. It was poured onto everyone''s heads. The strong, pungent smell of gasoline immediately filled the entire space.


    Everyone immediately turned their heads and saw a person standing on the high tform with a lighter in his hand. The fire illuminated his face. That person was "Song Lang".


    "Song Lang" roared in a gloomy voice. "I will only ask this once! Who killed Zhou Tiannan?!"


    Could this be the purpose of the kidnapping?


    Seeing this face, Lin Qiupu could only feel his heart tighten. He had imagined the scene of the two reuniting countless times, but he had never imagined such a dangerous and tit-for-tat scene. He said, "You¡¯re really Song Lang!"


    "Do you miss me, Lin Qiupu?!" The lighter could only illuminate his nose and eyes. The movement of his mouth couldn¡¯t be seen.


    "You¡­ you¡­" Lin Qiupu panted angrily. All kinds of emotions collided in his heart, and for a moment he didn''t know what to say.


    "Don''t be fooled!" Chen Shi said, "Pay attention to his eyes. It¡¯s a human skin mask. It''s good to deceive security cameras, but it''s exposed in person. You¡¯re Zhou Xiao!"


    Zhou Xiao no longer maintained that gloomy voice and reced it with his usual arrogant voice, "Someone has seen through me. I¡¯m not Song Lang, so where is Song Lang?"


    Ling Shuang alsoughed happily, like a cat ying with its prey.


    Chen Shi gritted his teeth. The voice in his heart advised him. Say it here, say it here!


    But he still couldn''t take this step. These weren¡¯t just words. It was a hard shell that has been draped on his body for four years. It was already too heavy to be pushed away from the inside.


    Chen Shi''s breathing became disordered. Thinking back to the night that he confronted Zhou Xiao, the bloody smell of his lover and mentor floated in the air. From that moment on, his world fell apart and he could never go back to the past.


    Chen Shi was furious. He walked over to grab the cigar cutter and clicked hard. His screams echoed in the building. Lin Dongxue covered her mouth and saw a finger drop in a pool of blood. She rushed over.


    "No, I''m okay!" Chen Shi panted and blocked her with his body, not wanting her to see his wound. He raised his head up. "Use me to exchange Officer Xu. It doesn¡¯t matter what you do to me. I don''t care anymore!"


    "Old Chen¡­" Lin Dongxue called out heartbroken.


    "Hahahaha!" Zhou Xiaoughed. Ling Shuang alsoughed. The crazedughter from the two shook the air above everyone''s heads.


    "This guy thinks he holds a lot of weight. He thinks he¡¯s the protagonist, hahahaha¡­ oh no!" Zhou Xiaoughed too much and the lighter in his hand fell down. Everyone was shocked.


    But this was just a prank by him. After the lighter fell for a short distance, he steadily caught it with his other hand, spinning it around with his fingers, then threw it up high again. Everyone¡¯s hearts followed the movements of the lighter that was thrown up and down. It was finally caught by Zhou Xiao and ced on the railing, burning like a candle.


    He continued the previous topic. "You must have investigated it. Tell me what you found. Who went there that day, and whose fingerprints and DNA were on Zhou Tiannan''s body? You motherfuckers need to tell me everything!"


    "We didn¡¯t find a clear clue." Lin Qiupu said.


    "You¡¯re lying!" Zhou Xiao roared. "The police must have found something, but you think he¡¯s guilty of so much sin, so you¡¯re concealing it!"


    "That''s your assumption. No matter how evil Zhou Tiannan was, he was also an ordinary victim in our eyes. We have checked everything that should be investigated, but we haven¡¯t found the murderer! Many of his things are still shrouded in mystery. If you can provide information, it might help."


    Chen Shi bent over and clutched his bleeding hand. "I¡¯m thest person to see him!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Me too!"


    "Mr. Chen, you¡¯re eager to sacrifice yourself!" Ling Shuang said, "It seems that in your mind, death isn¡¯t terrifying. Having someone reveal your secret is the most terrifying. What is this called? Learned helplessness!"


    Pairs of doubtful eyes looked at Chen Shi.


    Zhou Xiao said, "We¡¯ve known this for a long time. What we want is things we don''t know yet. Things you¡¯re concealing!"


    "You¡¯re so stubborn. We didn''t hide any clues at all!" Lin Dongxue shouted angrily.


    Zhou Xiao''s eyes went cold. "Ling Shuang, do it!"

 Chapter 872: Cannibalistic Demons

    <h4>Chapter 872: Cannibalistic Demons</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After saying this, Ling Shuang pushed Xu Xiaodong down and quickly escaped along the emergency exit corridor.


    Xu Xiaodong fiercely bounced in mid-air, and his neck swayed around from the rope. He was in extreme pain but couldn''t make a sound. At this moment, Lin Dongxue couldn''t care too much about anything else. She drew her gun and aimed at the rope that was swinging, desperately adjusting her breathing, so that the shaking of her hands would be as minimal as possible.


    Seeing Lin Dongxue suddenly pulled out her gun, everyone could only pin their hopes on it because there wasn¡¯t time to climb up and untie the rope. Old Zhang immediately called everyone to hurry over underneath Xu Xiaodong and get ready to catch him.


    At the same time, Lin Qiupu rushed into the emergency exit corridor. Caring about Xiaodong didn¡¯t mean that he intended to let the suspects go. At this critical juncture, he couldn¡¯t miss the great opportunity to arrest Zhou Xiao.


    Lin Qiupu saw a figure running hurriedly towards the underground garage. His anger gave him courage. He jumped directly from the tenth step of the stairs and threw himself on the person, and the two fell to the ground together.


    Zhou Xiao looked up and Lin Qiupu''s eyes were facing him. The human skin mask on his face was also crooked. Seeing this face only made Lin Qiupu even more angry.


    He punched Zhou Xiao¡¯s face. Zhou Xiao took a punch before he could stand up, so he staggered back and received another punch in the abdomen. Lin Qiupu roared, ¡°Why are you wearing this mask? Why are youmitting sphemy against him?!"


    Zhou Xiao tore off the mask on his face and smiled with blood around his mouth. "You really love him!"


    These words added fuel to Lin Qiupu¡¯s anger, so he didn''t hear the footsteps behind him. It was toote by the time he realized. Ling Shuang threw himself on his back like a skilled vampire, stabbing Lin Qiupu¡¯s chest frantically with a small knife.


    Lin Qiupu fell on the ground. Arge blood stain on his chest slowly appeared and he could feel his hands and feet getting cold.


    Ling Shuang''s murder addiction came over her. She was about to finish him when Zhou Xiao stopped her, "It¡¯s okay!"


    Ling Shuang pursed her lips and stabbed the knife into Lin Qiupu''s stomach. Face to face with him, she smiled. "Captain Lin, you should ask the heavens for more blessings!"


    The two fled together. Lin Qiupu looked at the knife in his abdomen. His vision began to blur as someone on the radio called him, "Captain Lin, Captain Lin, please answer if you receive this!", "We are ready to rush in!"


    "Underground¡­ garage¡­" Lin Qiupu said with hisst bit of strength.


    On the ground level, Xu Xiaodong was sessfully caught by everyone. After cing him on the ground, everyone found that his neck was crooked to the side. This wasn¡¯t a good sign. They quickly untied the cloth on his face. Xu Xiaodong gasped for a long time with tears on his face. "Neck pain¡­"


    Lin Dongxue realized that his neck bone might be fractured, so she supported his head and asked, "Can you feel your body?"


    "I can¡­"


    "That¡¯s great!" Lin Dongxue cried with joy. Her marksmanship was average, but she was able to make her shot at a critical time. Perhaps there was some power above helping her.


    Old Zhang was more experienced with this stuff, so he took off his jacket, tightly looped it around Xu Xiaodong''s head, and helped relieve the pressure from his neck bone.


    Having been too focused on rescue, Lin Dongxue almost didn¡¯t hear the voice on the radio. "¡­please answer if you receive this!"


    "Lin Dongxue receives!"


    "Your captain is in the underground garage. We¡¯re now rushing in from another entrance of the garage."


    "Understood!"


    Lin Dongxue called everyone to follow her. With the exception of Old Zhang and Little Li who were to stay and take care of Xiaodong, the other policemen and Chen Shi followed her.


    The dark underground garage was suddenly illuminated by arge light. The SWAT team jogged in from another entrance with guns in their hands. Lin Dongxue saw a person sitting on the ground amidst the dazzling lights. At first nce, she didn¡¯t recognize who it was. With another look, Lin Dongxue realized that it was Lin Qiupu.


    "Brother!" Lin Dongxue rushed over and fell on her knees. Lin Qiupu was covered in blood, and Lin Dongxue didn''t know where to put her hands.


    Lin Qiupu tilted his head desperately trying to open his eyes, but he didn''t have the strength.


    The crowd also gathered around. Seeing this scene, they were sad, surprised, and full of grief. Lin Dongxue cried and reprimanded, "Why didn''t you wait for us to go together!"


    Chen Shi also half knelt next to him, grabbed his bloody hand, and called out, "Little Lin!"


    Hearing this name, Lin Qiupu opened his eyes in a semiatose state and nced at Chen Shi. In a daze, he saw that the speaker was Song Lang. He squirmed his lips to call him, but finally passed out because of excessive blood loss.


    At midnight, Lin Qiupu was rescued and sent to the ICU ward. After crying for several hours, Lin Dongxue''s eyes were swollen. When she saw Lin Qiupu wearing a breathing mask through the ss, her tears burst out again.


    Chen Shi pat her shoulder tofort her. "Don''t be too sad. He¡¯ll wake up." Then, he handed her a bottle of mineral water.


    The hand that Chen Shi used to hand the water to her was the one with the cut thumb. Although there was a wound on the back of the thumb, the five fingers were all there. Lin Dongxue wasn¡¯t in the mood to ask what tricks he yed with Ling Shuang at the time.


    "You should rest for a while. If you don''t eat, drink, sleep, and with you so sad, you¡¯ll copse by the time your brother gets better." Chen Shi persuaded softly.


    Lin Dongxue shook her head.


    "Let¡¯s go and see Xiaodong!"


    Lin Dongxue nodded.


    Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang still managed to escape. The escape was unbelievable. The SWAT team was only concerned with rushing in. They didn¡¯t expect that there would be an inconspicuous exit under the soil slope in the southern part of the housingmunity. One minute after Lin Qiupu was stabbed, a car rushed out from there and fled away. By the time the SWAT team responded, they had already fled over ten kilometers away.


    After the city-wide hunt began, the police learned the truth with hindsight. It was rumored that a subway was going to be built in that ce ten years ago. When the housingmunity was designed, a part of the underground n was created and it was nned to be connected to the subway station as an underground business district in the future.


    Although the housingmunity couldn¡¯t bepleted smoothly, the underground passage was retained. Zhou Xiao had taken the opportunity of this point and parked a car there long ago to prepare for their escape.


    The frustration of failure permeated the police, and Lin Qiupu was seriously injured. Needless to say, the SWAT team¡¯s captainter voluntarily asked for punishment.


    The two arrived at Xu Xiaodong¡¯s ward. Xu Xiaodong was wearing a hospital gown and a neck immobilizer. Little Li was stabbing an apple with a toothpick and feeding him. The two were talking andughing. It seemed that Xiaodong¡¯s state of mind was alright.


    Lin Dongxue stood at the door and didn¡¯t enter. She didn''t want to bring the heavy atmosphere in with her. Chen Shi said, "We didn''t lose. At least Xiaodong and his mother survived. We tried our best to protect them!"


    "If my brother really goes to sleep forever¡­" Lin Dongxue lowered her head and made up her mind. "I will look after him for the rest of my life!"


    "You can be a police officer during the day and run a driving service at night. Let''s make money together."


    Lin Dongxue stopped crying and smiled. "I''ll go to your house tonight. I''m so tired that I can¡¯t handle it much longer."


    Chen Shi''s face sank. "I didn''t want to tell you this right now, but I can¡¯t anymore¡­ Yueyue is missing!"


    "What?! She wouldn''t be¡­"


    "No, she wasn¡¯t kidnapped. She left by herself, leaving behind a diary!"


    A few dayster, in Lie Guoxiao¡¯s vi, Lie Guoxiao asked Liu Feng to move the empty wine ss that was on the table and opened a box. Lie Guoxiao stretched out a hand. "Mr. Zhou, Miss Ling. You¡¯ve outdone yourselves this time. These are your rewards."


    Money was a trivial matter. Zhou Xiao picked up a passport and looked at it. It was a new identity. He could go to any country. He pped it in his hand and said, "Old Master Lie is so capable. Why didn''t you escape yourself?"


    Lie Guoxiao smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I can''t escape. Nor do I have the ability to. I''m already old and at my end!"


    "It was an honor for us to meet."


    "I don''t mean to interrupt your chat." Ling Shuang said. "But where¡¯s my passport? Is it under the money?"


    "Don''t worry, don''t worry." Lie Guoxiao patted the back of Ling Shuang''s hand. "I have other surprises for Miss Ling."


    "Old Master Lie, you¡¯re too polite." Ling Shuang smiled.


    "You incapacitated a policeman that day. I heard that he¡¯s still lying in the hospital with his life or death being unknown." Lie Guoxiao smiled. "I know that man is called Lin Qiupu. He¡¯s been going against me the whole time. It¡¯s very annoying!"


    Ling Shuang raised her eyebrow. "I just did it in passing."


    "Haii, not only was this guy annoying, but also not filial. When we met again after so many years, he didn''t even want to call me ¡®Dad¡¯." Lie Guoxiao''s eyes dimmed. "Miss Ling, you¡¯re so amazing. You don¡¯t take action, but when you do¡­ you kill my son!"


    Realizing things weren¡¯t good, Ling Shuang was about to stand up, but was pped back into the chair with one hand. Liu Feng, who had moved quietly behind her, raised his silencer pistol. Ling Shuang''s forehead exploded with a flower of blood as broken bone and flesh sshed everywhere. Her head with widened eyes made a dull sound as it pped onto the table.


    Seeing this situation, Zhou Xiao''s heart skipped a beat.


    Lie Guoxiao cut open a cigar calmly. "I told you guys to absolutely not touch the police and only kill their family members. Why didn''t youply with the conditions? We¡¯ve been working together for so long, so why must we have an unpleasant experience?"


    Liu Feng closed the box in front of Zhou Xiao, and Lie Guoxiao continued, "If Mr. Zhou is someone who cherishes his reputation, he would definitely not ask for this bnce. I will take care of it by myself. I will find a reason to donate it to Lin Qiupu for surgery¡­ Hey, Mr. Zhou, why aren¡¯t you speaking? That was that - It was her who hurt my son. I know you didn''t do anything. Come!"


    Lie Guoxiao handed over a cigar.


    Zhou Xiao tremblingly took it. Lie Guoxiao brought the lighter over. Zhou Xiao looked straight at Lie Guoxiao, and it took three seconds before he regained his smile and politely moved the cigar to light it.


    Lie Guoxiao also returned a smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Zhou, drag this bitch away and bury her! You¡¯re more professional in this respect!"


    "Okay, okay." Zhou Xiao nced at Lingshuang''s corpse and used sternly. "I told her not to touch the police at the time. She didn¡¯t listen no matter what and got herself dead¡­ But Old Master Lie, how is Lin Qiupu your son?"


    "Do you know what Xu Wenqiang said to Ding Li when he was leaving Shanghai?"


    "Huh?" Zhou Xiao was taken aback.


    "''I¡¯ve never liked saying goodbye to others''!"


    Zhou Xiao understood, got up, and bid his goodbye. Liu Feng coldly shouted, "Take this trash away!"


    Zhou Xiao picked up Ling Shuang''s body and moved towards the door step by step. Every time he looked back, Lie Guoxiao smiled and nodded with a cigar in his mouth. Zhou Xiao also smiled and nodded. Turning his face around, he gritted his teeth with hatred.


    He said to himself in his heart that if his teacher was still here, he would never have been insulted in such a way!


    It took a full century to walk from the courtyard to the door. After he finally left, Liu Feng suggested in a low voice, "I''ll follow him and get rid of him. You killed his partner in front of him and he won''t let that go. This man is a mad dog."


    Lie Guoxiao waved his hand. "We don''t need to do it ourselves. I don''t need this group of people anymore either. Call the police right now and do Lin Qiupu and the others a favor. Take advantage of this kid burying the body to catch him red-handed."


    "That¡¯s good too."


    "Liu Feng, do you know why I wanted to kill the police''s family?"


    "To vent your anger?"


    "Haha, am I such a small person in your eyes? Those prosecutors and judges also have family members. I can''t tantly kidnap their families. That''s illegal. However, I can threaten, imply, and convey to them that forcing me, Lie Guoxiao, to this point, I can do anything. As long as they¡¯re afraid, the final result isn¡¯t set in stone!"


    "I understand. Only by showing your strength would you have the capital to work with!"


    Lie Guoxiao nodded. "Go down and leave me alone."


    "Rest early."


    Lie Guoxiao poured himself a ss of wine, tasting it slowly as he recalled the past. His eyes gradually moistened.


    The lights in the vi went out unexpectedly, and Lie Guoxiao woke up from his memories and shouted, "Liu Feng, Liu Feng, how did the electricity stop¡­ Where did you run off to?! Come over!"


    A pair of footsteps approached slowly in the dark, as quiet as a cat¡­

 Chapter 873: Lone Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 873: Lone Wolf</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 52: Tao Yueyue¡¯s Murder Diary


    Knock, knock, knock!


    A spate of violent door knocking sounded at midnight, and the young man yawned as he went to open the door. A man covered in blood rushed in, held a blood-stained knife to his neck, and said in a low voice, "I''m looking for Doctor Yang!"


    The other party''s face was covered with blood and mud, and his body seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries. The young man gulped nervously and replied, "I will bring you to him right now."


    Doctor Yang was surprised when he saw that Zhou Xiao had turned up looking like this. He repeatedly emphasized that he was just a stic surgeon and wasn¡¯t very good at other kinds of surgeries. Zhou Xiao didn''t listen. Hey on the operating bed and said coldly, "It¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re not a veterinarian."


    Doctor Yang sighed and told his apprentice to start preparing some surgical supplies.


    Long¡¯an wasn¡¯t peaceful tonight. Doctor Yang had already heard the rumors. A few hours ago, Lie Guoxiao and a dozen of his men were killed in his own vi. Gunshots were heard at the scene. This incident will trigger off an eighth magnitude earthquake shaking both the underworld and the police and a series of chain reactions.


    Looking at the person in front of him, Doctor Yang had already guessed who had done it¡­


    Doctor Yang prepared the syringe, squeezed the excess air out of it, wiped Zhou Xiao''s skin on his elbow with alcohol, and was about to insert the needle. However, Zhou Xiao grabbed his wrist tightly, showing a grim look of distrust.


    "Mr. Zhou, this is just diluted morphine plus some anti-inmmatory drugs. How would you be able to stand it when you¡¯re sutured if you don¡¯t have anesthetics injected?"


    "I don''t need anesthesia!"


    "You will suffer terribly from the pain¡­"


    "I¡¯ve already said no. Take it away!"


    "Well then, I''ll get you some painkillers."


    After bringing the painkillers, Zhou Xiao swallowed ten tablets at once. It could be seen that his whole body was in extreme pain, but he was unwilling to trust anyone right then.


    The wounds on his body were ghastly. The skin around the ce where the bullet had struck was scorched, and blood would gush out at the slightest pressure. There were three gunshot wounds, and one of the bullets had been left in the body. Dr. Yang didn¡¯t have the confidence to take it out. He just cleaned up the infected flesh around his wounds, and then sterilized as well as sutured them.


    When the infected flesh was being excised, Zhou Xiao''s brows were tightly furrowed and big drops of sweat beaded on his forehead. His hands grasped the edges of the operating bed tightly, and he endured silently.


    After the most troublesome vein was sutured, the apprentice heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Zhou, did you kill all of Lie Guoxiao''s men by yourself? What a powerful guy you are!"


    Zhou Xiao rolled his eyes over and stared at him gloomily. Doctor Yang interjected and changed the subject, "Were there any side-effects from thest operation?"


    "This face is good."


    "That''s good."


    "Did the policee here to investigate me?"


    "Uh¡­ Song Lang came once, but he doesn¡¯t count as a policeman, right? But I didn''t say anything. Don''t worry, since I need this work to put food on the table, my lips are definitely the tightest in the industry¡­ I¡¯m done. I don¡¯t have any blood bags here to do a transfusion for you. Your blood loss is so severe. I rmend that you rest for a few days."


    Zhou Xiao pressed the bandage on his thigh with his hand, and a wave of burning soreness spread through the flesh. "Is the bullet still inside?"


    Dr. Yang said fearfully, ¡°We don¡¯t have the equipment for surgery. If the vein is broken, it would be troublesome. You must take anti-inmmatory drugs for the next two days and rest more.¡± Dr. Yang handed a bottle of medicine to Zhou Xiao.


    "How much should I pay you?"


    "No need. We¡¯re all friends here!" Doctor Yang attempted to be friendly, hoping that this beast would leave as soon as possible. Once he leaves, he would lock up all thetches and locks tightly, and will never open them until sunrise tomorrow.


    Zhou Xiao nodded and said to the apprentice, "Give me a cigarette."


    The apprentice took out a packet of Yuxi and ced a cigarette in Zhou Xiao¡¯s mouth. Just as he reached out to light the cigarette, Zhou Xiao grabbed a scalpel with his right hand and quickly swiped across the apprentice¡¯s neck. The young man staggered backwards, clutching his blood-spurting neck. When he bumped onto a shelf, he fell down onto the floor on his rear. The blood spurting out produced terrible gurgling sounds. His head quickly tilted to one side, and his eyes dulled.


    Doctor Yang''s legs trembled with fright, and urine ran down his pants.


    The cigarette in Zhou Xiao''s mouth was sshed with fresh blood. He inhaled heavily, inhaling tar, nicotine and blood into his lungs. Then he exined the reason for killing the apprentice. "Why did he inquire about me? Does he want to betray me?"


    Zhou Xiao grabbed a coat and put it on, then turned to look at Doctor Yang. Doctor Yang knelt down terror-stricken and begged, "Mr. Zhou, please let me go. I won''t say a single word to outsiders. You know this! I¡¯ve always been tight-lipped!"


    Zhou Xiao patted Doctor Yang on the head and said, "Okay, I will let you go."


    Just as Doctor Yang breathed a sigh of relief, a pair of scissors pierced his neck violently, and Zhou Xiao smiled with a cigarette in his mouth. "I will release you forever from your cage of skin and flesh!"


    After killing them, he kept in mind his teacher''s teachings though he was exhausted - After killing someone, you must leave immediately, no matter how much you want to rest. That kind of false sense of security was the easiest way for one to suffer an unexpected failure.


    He took some money, painkillers, cigarettes, and a scalpel from the scene. It turned out that the dagger¡¯s de had already been damaged. Then he limped away with his injured leg.


    The cold outdoor wind made his feverish skin feel very cool. The police sirens were ring in the distance. Arge number of policemen were rushing towards the scene of the crime. He knew that after tonight, both the police and the underworld would be looking for him frantically and it would be very difficult to get out of the city. He had to lie low.


    The limping man on the sidewalk attracted the attention of a passing policeman. The police car stopped in front of Zhou Xiao, and a young policeman jumped out. He was wearing a brand-new uniform with a shiny cap badge and a pistol belt hung on his waist as if he was showing off. His body was well-proportioned without any b and his eyes were full of vigor. Zhou Xiao guessed that he must have just graduated from the police academy.


    The police officer saluted. "Please let me take a look at your ID card!"


    Zhou Xiao took out his ID card and the other party took it. He took out his police mobile to check the ID and he carefullypared the ID card with his phone as he frowned.


    "Sun XX?"


    "Yes, that''s me."


    "What''s wrong with your face?"


    Zhou Xiao wiped the blood on his cheek, and nonchntly replied, "She actually scratched me just because of a quarrel over a trivial matter. Girls nowadays are so ill-bred. She even took my mobile phone away. I can¡¯t even call for a ride. I can only walk home slowly¡­ Officer, can you lend me some money to take a taxi?"


    "Uh, I¡¯ll give you a yuan to take the bus! You can still catch thest bus at this time."


    "Thank you so much."


    The policeman returned his ID card and saluted again. "Hurry home. It¡¯s not peaceful outside tonight."


    "Goodbye!"


    Zhou Xiao nodded and smiled, greedily sizing up the other party''s perky butt.


    Where should he go next? It was no longer possible for him to return to his hiding ce. He was hungry now and wanted to eat something¡­

 Chapter 874: Killing Intent Arises

    <h4>Chapter 874: Killing Intent Arises</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The next morning, Lin Dongxue found many body bags piled up under the stairs south of the corridor. When she learned that one of the corpses was Lie Guoxiao, her frame of mind was indescribable.


    A police officer from the third team told her what had transpiredst night. Lin Dongxue then ryed to Chen Shi that gunshots had been heard from Lie Guoxiao¡¯s vi in the suburbsst night. When the police arrived, they found Lie Guoxiao and a dozen of his men lying in pools of blood. In particr, there were dozens of knife wounds on Lie Guo Xiao''s body.


    At first, they thought it was a gunfight due to underworld shes and so on, but the initial autopsies found that all of the deceased had died of knife wounds. However, they grasped pistols in their hands, which should have been bought by Lie Guoxiao through smuggling channels.


    The conclusion drawn by the police was quite shocking. One person had rushed into the house and killed everyone while facing a dozen guns!


    "I think it was Zhou Xiao who did it. It was probably because Lie Guoxiao was no longer useful." Chen Shi spected.


    "The investigation should clear things up soon. Regardless, we will continue to look for Tao Yueyue."


    "Hmm¡­" Chen Shi''s heart became heavy again when this was mentioned.


    "When Captain Peng arrives, should we go to your house to collect evidence or go to the school first?"


    "No, let¡¯s find a quiet ce first. I need to show you something."


    The bureau was extremely lively this morning, so the two of them went to Chen Shi¡¯s car. Chen Shi took out that notebook, opened it, and told Lin Dongxue to start reading from a certain section.


    May 22nd. Overcast.


    It has been more than a month since I¡¯ve started keeping a diary. In the beginning, it was Uncle Chen¡¯s suggestion. He said that writing could help one sort out the thoughts of the day and achieve a new understanding of one¡¯s heart. Some psychologists will advise patients to do free writing exercises. It¡¯s just taking out a piece of white paper and writing whateveres to mind without caring about the grammar or the topic. After a while, you¡¯ll write out the desires and anxiety within your heart.


    If "Miso" did the free writing exercise, I¡¯m afraid it will eventually be a food menu, haha!


    Uncle Chen also said that if I were to disappear one day, they can look for clues in the diary.


    Uncle Chen, do you think that what you said befits a decent human being?


    Today¡­ As before, it was a calm and boring day. The physics teacher made some inappropriate jokes directed towards the female students in ss. The boys burst intoughter. I can only sincerely wish him a lifetime of impotence.


    For lunch, I ordered takeaway of fried chicken and fries to eat in the ssroom. "Miso" saw it and made the usual banalments: "Yueyue, how much pocket money do you actually have?" Finally, I had to use a whole box of popcorn chicken to shut her up.


    Liang Zuoming said something weird, but I ignored him. In my heart, I thought about whether to break his other leg.


    Oh, by the way, when school was over, "Miso" and I found a kitten on our usual route. It was white and swayed like a little monkey as it walked. It was so cute.


    I really want to keep it. Unfortunately, I¡¯m about to take the junior high school examination. Uncle Chen fights crimes everywhere every day. Even if I took it home, there would be no one to take care of it. Perhaps Maoqiu would bully it to death as well. Don''t do anything you aren¡¯t certain about.


    I¡¯ll bring some cat food over tomorrow!


    May 23rd. Sunny.


    When I was entering the ssroom in the morning, Liang Zuoming deliberately bumped into me and mocked me for having a physical defect. He was referring to my chest.


    Humph, what boring revenge. Would I care about this kind of thing?


    The morning passed just like that. I¡¯m still very fucking angry. I must break his other leg. This kind of person would be scum even when he bes an adult. I should euthanize him right now!


    Let¡¯s not talk about these annoying things anymore. That little kitten is so cute. It ate all the cat food I brought. I regretted it a little. I should have brought it canned food. People in the forum said that a stray cat¡¯s biggest problem isn¡¯t having no food to eat, but not having water to drink. Many stray cats suffer from kidney stones.


    Although I think it''s pitiful, cats are generally lucky creatures. They can roam freely in the human world. Although they have natural enemies called "Guangdong People", the number of "Guangdong People" is rtively small, and they also eat other things.


    "Miso" named it ¡°Rongrong¡±. I didn''t ept the name. She kept insisting on this all the way. In the end, I had to give in. "Okay, we¡¯ll just call it ¡®Rongrong¡¯."


    "Miso" was ecstatic. Haii, weak-minded children are really easy to please.


    I¡¯ll bring a can tomorrow!


    I forgot - tomorrow is the weekend!


    May 24th. Sunny.


    Today, Uncle Chen took me to eat pizza. We ordered ice cream, french fries, and pizza. Uncle Chen said, ¡°Yueyue, school¡¯s been hard on you. Eat more sweets to provide energy for your brain.¡±


    I said, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Chen, why aren¡¯t you eating any?¡±


    Uncle Chen said, ¡°I don''t like to eat sweets. You can eat them all!¡±


    I said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll grow fat.¡±


    Uncle Chen said that when you¡¯re going through puberty, all the nutrition is used for body growth. I¡¯ll look better if I gain a bit of weight as I look too skinny.


    I said, ¡°You should eat too. How boring it would be to eat all of it by myself?!¡±


    Thus, we finished the pizza happily and went home happily. It was an unforgettable day.


    ¡ª¡ªPlease read this using the tone of a primary school student reciting an essay.


    May 25th. Overcast.


    Every Monday, "Miso" wouldin about the recurrence of her Monday blues. I joked that she should ask the teacher for sick leave.


    "Miso" was excited, but I poured cold water on the idea. Even if she didn''t have to go to ss on Monday, she¡¯ll definitely get Tuesday blues.


    If there¡¯s a holiday on Tuesday, she will get Wednesday blues. To put it bluntly, she¡¯szy!


    Uncle Chen told me that human beings are ckers. People who talk about howbour contributes to humankind are just fooling people. Private ownership and ss only appeared because human beings do not wish to work, but only wish to lie down and enjoy life. Labor-saving ways of working have been developed and new tools have been invented. At the end of the day, it isziness that propels human society forward!


    I also want toze around at home all day as well!


    When I went to see the kitten today, I saw Liang Zuominging out from that street on a bicycle. He smiled maliciously when he passed me.


    We haven''t seen each other for two days. Little cutie was very happy to see me. I opened the can. It mewed as it ate and licked the can clean.


    But I was absent-minded, thinking about why Liang Zuoming had appeared here. He never walks this way after school. Does he want to hurt this cat?


    No, no, no, I¡¯m overthinking. He¡¯s a gori, so he wouldn''t think of such a roundabout way of doing things.


    But should I have brought the cat back? Or should I look for it now?


    Uncle Chen is already asleep. Forget it. I¡¯ll go see it tomorrow!


    May 26th.


    I''m such an idiot!


    I should have believed my intuition yesterday. Liang Zuoming wouldn¡¯t appear there for no reason. He had a purpose!


    Today, I went to see the cat with "Miso". The cat was gone. There was only a small paper bag with red liquid seeping out. When I opened it, "Miso" screamed. Inside was the cat''s head. It should have just been cut off.


    I was upset all night. I didn¡¯t cry. I sent a text message to question Liang Zuoming. His reply was as follows:


    "Did you cry, Smelly Yueyue?! Let me tell you the truth. The female cat in my household gave birth to that kitten. My mother said that we couldn¡¯t keep so many cats. She had originally nned to throw it out. I put it there. Sure enough, you were tricked. Like a fool, you fed it every day. Haha, you girls are so stupid! How about it? Don¡¯t you feel awful?"


    The second text message:


    "I vowed to teach you a lesson before graduation. I had originally wanted to get an upperssman buddy to stop you on your way. You can be said to have gotten off lightly. You just suffered a soul-crushing blow. Hahahaha! I hope you will always remember this pitiful kitten! Meow~"

 Chapter 875: Psychological Activity

    <h4>Chapter 875: Psychological Activity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    May 27th. Overcast.


    I thought about a lot of thingsst night. Should I tell Uncle Chen about this? However, he seems to be very busytely. Even if I tell him, he will use his ways to persuade me to calm down.


    I¡¯m calm right now. This is definitely not just a story about me grieving and wanting to do something about a cute kitten being tortured and killed!


    Liang Zuoming must pay the price!


    What? It¡¯s just a cat?


    If he doesn¡¯t need to be punished because it¡¯s just a cat, it¡¯s tantamount to admitting that the value of each life differs and negating all human efforts towards justice and equality!


    He deprived a kitten of the right to survive just to retaliate against me!


    This way of thinking is in itself abnormal. I am absolutely certain that Liang Zuoming will do more things to hurt others because of his own selfish desires in ten or twenty years, because he cannot change himself.


    The most important thing is that thew won¡¯t punish him. The school won¡¯t punish him and society won¡¯t punish him either. Who will punish him?!


    In everyone''s eyes, a kitten is insignificant, and no one can understand its pain.


    If I don''t punish him, no one in this world will bring this kitten justice!


    When I saw Liang Zuoming acting so proud of himself in ss, using meaningful nces and twitching his eyebrows to hint at his victory, I became even more determined that I must kill him!


    Yes, I need to kill this disgusting bastard!


    I¡¯m not just talking about it. In fact, I should have killed him long ago. This time, I¡¯m serious.


    A perfect murder starts with self-examination. Before buying poison and knives, a smart murderer would imagine in their minds that the murder has already happened - the body is found, the police have arrived, put up a cordon and are asking various questions. The ssmates would be taken to the office for individual questioning in groups. Facing the gravity that police radiate from their pores, few would dare to lie.


    They would ask, "Who did Liang Zuoming normally have conflicts with?"


    Some silly X would reply, "Tao Yueyue."


    "Who is Tao Yueyue?"


    The teacher would reply, "She¡¯s a girl in the ss who only transferred here in her second year. She has excellent grades in all subjects. It¡¯s true that there were some small conflicts between her and Liang Zuoming, but that wasst year."


    Thus, the police would start to consider the possibility that I¡¯m the murderer, and start investigating some recent incidents. The kitten¡¯s matter will probably be known. That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that I would have no alibi. My recent abnormal behaviors, things I¡¯ve bought, where I have been - all the clues would be put together, and the truth will gradually emerge. I would be an irrefutable criminal suspect.


    To avoid all this, everything must be nned from the beginning.


    PLAN A: Exquisite acting skills.


    Facing the police, I will pretend to be very weak and pitiful. I will say, "Officer Uncle, I did cause Liang Zuoming to take a tumblest year. Then my uncle took me to his house to apologize. I was very sad and I vowed not to do this kind of thing again. What? Liang Zuoming was the one who killed that kitten? How could I kill someone for this kind of thing?¡­ Besides, I was out with ''Miso'' at the time and I never saw Liang Zuoming!"


    PASS!


    It''s totally a fantasy to think that you can deceive the police. Besides, I don''t have that kind of acting ability. Only a loser would think about fighting for amuted sentence or probation by appealing to sympathy.


    In a sessful murder, the police would never even take note of you¡­


    PLAN B: Poisoning


    Although most substances can kill people as long as a certain dosage is reached, what can be called a "poison" must have two attributes: First, a small dose is sufficient to kill. Second, it takes effect quickly, before the victim can be sent to the hospital.


    For example, the lethal dose of salt is 40 grams. Although this is true, no idiot would put 40 grams of salt into someone else''s cup. It is unlikely that the other party would happen to have no sense of taste, drink all of it, and then die before they could be rescued.


    So, what poison can I get?


    There are a lot of dangerous things in Uncle Peng¡¯sboratory. I can understand their chemical forms, but I will definitely get caught if I go there to get some poison. How could I go inside a police station to get the poison? The difficulty of the matter itself goes beyondmitting a perfect murder.


    What about substancesmon in daily life such as mercury, desants, disinfectants, lithium, and verdigris?


    No, it is very difficult for these things to kill people right away, and there is no point if he cannot be killed!!!


    PASS!


    PLAN C: ident


    This seems to be the most feasible method at present. To create an ident so that the police won¡¯t intervene and investigate at all.


    The idents that can be used are ssified into car idents, falling off a building, drowning, fires, and electric shocks.


    I know that Liang Zuoming has started riding a bicycle home these days, not because he¡¯s concerned about the environment, but because his mother had bought him a fixed-gear bike. I¡¯ve seen the way he rides his bicycle, darting in and out of the traffic, and even using his hands to turn people¡¯s side mirrors. It¡¯s so despicable.


    After school, I originally wanted to observe the target by myself, but considering that any abnormal behavior would be traced by the police in the future, I went home with "Miso". I went to a convenience store on another street under the pretext of buying sanitary napkins. It¡¯s also the route that Liang Zuoming must take after school.


    Sure enough, he appeared on the fixed-gear bike, showed off his riding skills on the sidewalk, made fun of a male ssmate, snatched a cookie from the hand of another female ssmate, and rushed onto the road, dangerously dashing across right in front of a car. The frightened driver broke out in a cold sweat and cursed Liang Zuoming loudly, saying that he was blind and the son of a bitch.


    "Miso"mented, facing the window, "He¡¯ll be hit by a car sooner orter!"


    "Miso" still doesn''t know who the murderer of the cat is. I didn''t tell her.


    I said indifferently, "Whoever kills him would be unlucky. His parents are so shameless that they¡¯ll definitely ask for a huge sum of money."


    "How much is arge sum of money?"


    "At least a million yuan!"


    "Haha, is Liang Zuoming worth that amount¡­ Hey, what would you do if you had one million?" Every time the idiot talked about this kind of topic, she would start imagining unrealistic fantasies, and I could only follow along, adding a word or two.


    I imagined that a few dayster, the police would call "Miso" outside and ask her if there were any unusual incidents these past few days. She would probably blink her watery eyes and say, "No, I go home together with Yueyue every day after school."


    Wait!!!


    "Miso" is with me every day. She¡¯s undoubtedly the best provider of my alibi, but how do I create an alibi in front of "Miso"?


    It¡¯s impossible for me to push Liang Zuoming into traffic using telekinesis. How should this seemingly ordinary ident happen?


    Bicycle breakdown? But I don¡¯t understand how bicycles work at all!


    I really wish I could discuss it with Uncle Chen. He¡¯s always very enthusiastic every time we talk about the topic of murder. This is our favorite topic, but¡­


    If we talk about a certain murder method and subsequently a boy in the ss died in the same way, it would be impossible for him not to notice!


    I must think of how to kill Liang Zuoming myself!


    I sent a text message to Uncle Chen. It seems that he won¡¯t being back tonight. After bidding goodbye to "Miso", I dragged myself home. I scanned a public bicycle near my house and rode it to the nearby square. There were many people strolling there in the evening and it was very lively. Finding a quiet ce was really difficult!


    I turned the bike over, carefully checking its structure. How could I cause an ident? Cut a hole in the chain?!


    No, Liang Zuoming would break the chain as soon as he used some force. If that¡¯s the case, he would call "Mummy" and ask her to drive over and pick him up.


    Tires! Spokes! Frame! Brakes!


    Which part should I damage to make it suddenly break down on the road? It¡¯s best if the effect is dyed, and it¡¯s best if it cannot be detected afterwards!


    A child saw me turning the bicycle over, rocking the wheels. He came over and inserted a branch into the spinning spokes. His mother walked over, hit the child''s palm and dragged him away.


    This little episode inspired me. I¡¯ve figured it out - The perfect murder method!!!

 Chapter 876: Murder Hook

    <h4>Chapter 876: Murder Hook</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Editor: Conspiracing


    This n is feasible!


    Although its sess rate isn¡¯t 100%, the most important thing is that my risk is very low whether it fails or seeds.


    After I figured it out, I fell into deep self-doubt, because from this moment onwards, murder was no longer just a fantasy. It was a reality within reach.


    Am I really going to kill another person? When I think of how my hands will make Liang Zuoming stop breathing forever, I feel a kind of powerless heaviness. Was I sure that I could bear the self-reproach and remorse after this? What if I derive taboo pleasure from it and keep on killing people, until I be someone like Zhou Xiao and Zhou Tiannan. Afterwards, will I be eliminated by Uncle Chen himself?


    On the way home, I bought a piece of fried chicken that had been endorsed by Huang Bo[1]. After a few bites, I lost my appetite. I threw it to a dog that was following me. The dog happily ate it up and sniffed my hand fawningly. I stroked its head. This shit-eating animal is so much cuter than Liang Zuoming.


    I was hesitating. The two voices in my heart were having a heated debate.


    The affirmative side said, ¡°If you don''t punish him, the kitten would have died in vain, and there will be others who will be harmed by a scum like Liang Zuoming in the future.¡±


    The opposition said, ¡°Even if you push Liang Zuoming into hell, the kitten will not be resurrected.¡±


    The affirmative side said, ¡°What a sanctimonious view! Of course, the dead cannot be resurrected, but the one who killed it must be punished.¡±


    The opposition said, ¡°Punishment should be enacted throughw and justice, not murder. Murdering a human being is more shameful than torturing a kitten to death!¡±


    I was very irritable. I happened to see that Sister Gu was at home so I knocked on her door. Sister Gu gently asked if I had eaten, and I said, "I¡¯ve eaten. I want to talk to you."


    I might havee at the wrong time. Sister Gu seemed to be troubled because she was smoking, and besides cigarettes, there was also a small ss of wine on the windowsill.


    "Are you troubled about something?" I asked.


    "I''m making a decision. I''m going to meet someone, but I can''t make up my mind."


    "Sister Gu, what do you usually do when you¡¯re undecided about something?"


    "Usually, I will consider the various pros and cons. However, in practice, I¡¯m a very emotional person, and I always choose the path that I regret in the end." Sister Gu smiled bitterly. "But if I don''t regret it, I won¡¯t ept it. I¡¯m such a contradictory person!"


    I knew that Sister Gu must have troubles and I didn''t want to trouble her with my own affairs. However, she saw my hesitation and asked me what was troubling me.


    I asked, "Have you killed anyone before?"


    I thought she would answer in the negative, but Sister Gu''s expression suddenly changed. She whispered to me, "I did cause someone to die. It was not intentional, but I was the direct cause of that person''s death. I¡¯ve always regretted this incident very much. After so many years, the deceased will still appear in my dreams. Yueyue, do you think I¡¯m a positive and cheerful person?"


    I said, "You¡¯re not positive and cheerful at all. You¡¯re gloomy and introverted, but I like you very much because we¡¯re very simr."


    Sister Gu smiled slightly. "Never try to kill anyone. I¡¯m not talking about the realistic consequences of killing people. In fact, after a person kills another, it¡¯s a lucky thing to be arrested and imprisoned. The murderer can truly repay the debts for their impulsive actions and bear the heavy price. The most terrifying thing is that you kill someone but escape legal punishment. The shadow of the deceased will torture you like a ghost. This secret will eat away at your heart and make you unable to face yourself. If you kill someone, you will have to repay your debts with remorse for a lifetime, and this remorse would be irreparable. You can''t make up for it no matter what you do!"


    I nodded. Sister Gu was as tender as ever, and did not question me about what had happened.


    I could have stayed to keep herpany, but I was full of worries and went home.


    I sat in the living room with the lights off and looked at the white walls for two hours. Although Sister Gu¡¯s words made sense, that idea entangled me like a curse. In addition to the legitimate reasons I thought about, there was also a dark desire. I think I can carry out a perfect murder, deceive Uncle Chen, deceive Sister Lin, and deceive the whole world.


    I fantasized that more than ten years after Liang Zuoming''s death, his mother would be ill from grief. I¡¯d go to visit her when she was on her deathbed and whisper in her ear, "I was the one who killed your son!" How gratifying that would be!


    What an abominable person Liang Zuoming is. I would rather give artificial respiration to bonobos in the Congo than to say a word to him. Think about the things he¡¯s done. He stuck chewing gum to "Miso¡¯s" hair. He snatched a girl¡¯s sanitary napkin out of her school bag and disyed it to the ss. He pped a boy¡¯s mouth until it split behind the bicycle shed. These were all his jokes, his idle acts, and his ¡°ignorance¡±! If the nurse who delivered him as a baby had identally dropped and killed him, the nurse could have won the Nobel Peace Prize.


    Liang Zuoming deserves it!


    He deserves it!


    He deserves it!!


    He deserves it!!!


    Yes, he deserves it. If I can tolerate such a scumbag, then I¡¯m too kind!


    People must take responsibility for their actions, and I will suffer a lifetime of internal torture for my actions. In that case, Liang Zuoming, you also need to take responsibility for killing that kitten!


    It took me ten minutes toplete making the "murder hook". I hope that tomorrow wille sooner!


    May 28th. Sunny.


    During the lunch break, I installed the "murder hook" on Liang Zuoming''s bicycle. The principle behind this thing was very simple. It was a small thin hook fixed on the frame made from twisted iron wire. When the wheel starts turning and after it turns sixty degrees to the left, the hook will catch the spokes. The whole bike will topple forward!


    Of course, it depends on the speed of the wheels when turning. If the speed isn¡¯t fast enough, it will probably only be - "Damn, it¡¯s gotten caught on something!"


    When Liang Zuoming sees this little iron hook, he might guess that it was me (he would think I was the one that did it even if his ass got e), and he woulde to pick a fight with me. I would never admit it anyway. If this conspiracy was exposed, it would just be seen as a prank. I have the blessing of the "Good Student Halo", so the teachers won¡¯t believe his one-sided statement, not to mention that he has no evidence.


    Once the "murder hook" works, Liang Zuoming will fall onto the busy road. Perhaps a bus full of passengers will run over his sinful head. No, I hope it will be over the abdomen, so that his internal organs will be squeezed out and he will take one full minute to die slowly while embedded in the road!


    After doing this, other ssmates came in and I quietly left. With the end of the lunch break, the school started bustling with activity again. It¡¯s no longer possible for me to remove the "murder hook", which means I can''t turn back.


    Liang Zuoming, go and die!


    Ah, he really died!!!


    I can¡¯t describe my frame of mind at the moment. I feel unable to breathe. What lingers in front of my eyes are Liang Zuoming¡¯s wide-open eyes after dying from being knocked down. Those seemingly-using eyes were slowly swallowed by a waterfall of fresh blood...


    My hands are trembling, and my tears keep falling on the diary. I know that I havemitted an unforgivable sin!


    In the afternoon, when Liang Zuoming rushed towards the road on the bicycle, I saw the "murder hook" constantly rubbing his spokes, and small sparks even appeared. When I thought of how Liang Zuoming was about to be drawn under rolling wheels, when this scene was about to be reality, the tide of remorse hit me!


    I dropped my school bag, chased after him and screamed, "Liang Zuoming, stop!"


    "Miso", who was with me, was shocked. Many passers-by looked at me strangely, but Liang Zuoming, who was wearing headphones, didn''t hear me at all. Someone bumped into me and I almost fell. Then I heard an ear-piercing sound from the road...


    Can''t make up for it...


    Can''t... make up for...it.


    1. Director, actor and singer from Maind China.

 Chapter 877: Filing An Official Case For Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 877: Filing An Official Case For Investigation</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "Uncle Chen, by the time you read this, I''m probably ''missing''.


    The regret of a murderer is the most worthless thing in the world. So even if I¡¯m full of regret now, it won¡¯t help at all. My only choice is to escape.


    I thank you for saving me from my painful life and giving me a glimmer of precious light in my life. But I¡¯ve never been a good child. Please don''te and look for me, pretend as if I¡¯ve never existed!"


    The diary ended here. Lin Dongxue had mixed feelings in her heart. She said sadly, "This silly child!"


    "I¡¯ve already asked the school¡­" Chen Shi said in a depressed tone. "The scene was handled by the traffic police and local civilian police. It wasn¡¯t treated as a criminal case for investigation. After all, no one would have thought that this could be a murder. The child''s body has been taken away by his family."


    "In other words, if we don''t investigate it, it''s just an ident?" Lin Dongxue''s shocking words revealed a subtle hint.


    "Don''t let her repeat her errors. File an investigation and find Tao Yueyue!" Chen Shi stared at Lin Dongxue''s eyes and said, "This is my answer after careful consideration. In fact, I also me myself very much. I didn''t notice any signs over thest few days. When I saw her for thest time, I felt that Tao Yueyue seemed a little off, but I didn''t think much about it. If I could have asked more questions and paid more attention, maybe things wouldn''t have turned out like this!"


    "What do you have to me yourself for? How could you have had time over these past few days¡­" Lin Dongxue sighed and confirmed again, "Are we really going to investigate?"


    "Investigate! Moreover, as the guardian, I will avoid this case. If the investigation finds that Tao Yueyue had really murdered that child, I will bear the consequences together with her."


    Chen Shi knew what this meant. Once it¡¯s investigated, this diary will also be submitted to the police. Things were written so clearly in the diary that it will definitely be detrimental to Tao Yueyue.


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "I''ll go through the formalities for filing an investigation now!"


    Lin Dongxue went back to the bureau. After waiting for an hour, she and Little Li came out together and got into Chen Shi¡¯s car. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Given my rtionship with you, I should have also avoided this case, but right now, the second team really can¡¯t spare anyone, so I asked Little Li toe together with me. She can be regarded as a supervisor."


    Little Li said, "Since you¡¯ve filed an investigation, I don''t think you will hide anything."


    Chen Shi sighed, "Maybe I still have a glimmer of hope. I hope that the truth is not what Tao Yueyue wrote¡­ I won¡¯t investigate the case with you guys. I¡¯ll just be a volunteer chauffeur!"


    Lin Dongxue nned to bring the body back for examination first. Considering that the child''s body may be cremated soon, this matter was a top priority. She contacted Liang Zuoming''s family. When they heard that a judicial autopsy was required, Liang Zuoming¡¯s grief-stricken father was extremely reluctant, and roared, "My son is already like this and you guys still want to cut him up? You didn''t check earlier but only now when he¡¯s about to be cremated? I XXXX!"


    "Bang", the phone hung up.


    "That¡¯s too rude." Little Li said.


    "It seems that they¡¯re at the funeral home. We have to speed up!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi drove the car to the funeral home. On the way, Lin Dongxue tried to call again to exin the situation, but the other party didn¡¯t answer at all.


    In desperation, they had to request a colleague from the Information Department to query the location of Liang Zuoming''s father''s mobile phone, and it was indeed inside the funeral home.


    As soon as they arrived at the funeral home, Lin Dongxue and Little Li rushed in and only came out after a long time. Seeing that they were empty-handed, Chen Shi asked what was wrong. Did the negotiation not go smoothly? Little Li replied, "I¡¯ve never seen such a person. Do you know what the boy¡¯s father said to us? ¡®What? My son¡¯s death may not have been an ident? You didn¡¯t tell me earlier and now you¡¯re just sending two girls here. What does that mean? You don¡¯t take us civilians seriously!¡¯ I apologized to him for our gender."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, maybe we shouldn¡¯t investigate. These parents are shameless. They want us to send the best forensic pathologist over to do an autopsy on the spot and tell them the cause of death, otherwise they¡¯re unwilling to cooperate."


    "Aren¡¯t your words spoken out of anger?"


    "If not, what else could they be?" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.


    Little Li said, "I read the diary on the way here. I think the problem lies with the bicycle. Maybe the corpse doesn¡¯t need to be examined?"


    "Of course it has to be examined. If there are no doubts, then that¡¯s the best, but if there is a doubt¡­ then that would be a major discovery!" Lin Dongxue took out her phone, "I¡¯ll see if Captain Peng can send some people over."


    After contacting Captain Peng, the three of them waited there.


    With the sudden pause of Liang Zuoming''s funeral, it was also very awkward for the roomful of rtives. The solemnity of the funeral gradually couldn''t conceal the impatience of the people. Liang Zuoming''s father felt that he had been tricked, so he directly dialed 110 and said, "Are you ying with me? My son is about to be cremated before your vehicle is sent over!"


    The 110 police call center didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about at all. After Liang Zuoming¡¯s father¡¯s "patient" exnation, the staff member understood what he was trying to express, and gave him Lin Dongxue''s mobile phone number.


    Father Liang was still full of contempt. "Can¡¯t you send a man over? You guys don¡¯t fucking take this seriously at all!"


    After the two parties had talked over the phone, Father Liang realized that the police who had just arrived were still outside and ran out to look for them. When he saw Chen Shi, Father Liang was momentarily taken aback and pointed out after a long time, "Aren''t you¡­ so and so¡¯s father? Why are you here?"


    "I¡¯m also a police consultant." Chen Shi chose an excuse that was less troublesome to exin.


    "Oh, oh, oh!" Father Liang hurriedly handed over a cigarette. "How did my son die? Wasn¡¯t it an ident? The police station closed the case, why did the investigation start up again?"


    "We can''t disclose this right now."


    "Aii, all of you are like this. My hair is graying just from worry about my son''s matter. If I find out who did it, I must kill them!" Father Liang gritted his teeth, tears shining in his eyes.


    Although Chen Shi hated this man, he also knew that his anger and sadness were not an act. He tried to persuade, "The forensic vehicle wille over soon. The body cannot be examined here. Many rtives and friends must havee to the funeral. Should they see your son being dissected with their own eyes? Wouldn¡¯t that be a travesty? Once we have a discovery, you parents will be the first people we¡¯ll notify."


    Father Liang nodded tearfully. "I understand this logic. What I said just then was out of anger, but I still want to ask something, I beg you. You police wouldn¡¯t file an investigation into my son''s death for no reason. There must be a suspect in mind. Otherwise, with so many people here to be cremated, why don''t you cut them all up for autopsies?"


    Chen Shi said, "You¡¯re right. We do have clues. We are here to verify the authenticity of the clues before we can make them public."


    Father Liang sighed in disappointment. His eyes shifted from Chen Shi to Lin Dongxue, and then back to Chen Shi. " A man like youes straight to the point. If you were the one who talked to me just now, there wouldn¡¯t have been any unpleasantness."


    "The two of them are responsible for this case. I¡¯m a consultant and cannot be considered a policeman."


    "Ah? You¡¯re not a policeman? Then what are you pretending here for?" Father Liang''s eyes almost instantly filled with contempt and he left without saying goodbye.


    Lin Dongxue smiled helplessly. Little Li disyed a disdainful expression towards Father Liang''s back.

 Chapter 878: Wei Zengmalis Memories

    <h4>Chapter 878: Wei Zengmali''s Memories</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The three of them finally brought Liang Zuoming''s body to Peng Sijue after much struggle. It was almost noon. Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to go for lunch, but Chen Shi shook his head. "I have something to do. I¡¯lle back this afternoon."


    "You have to eat even if you have something to do. Let''s go out and have a good meal. I¡¯ll treat you! These two days have worked us to our bones and while it¡¯s important to find Tao Yueyue, it doesn¡¯t mean that you have to sacrifice your life. You¡¯ve said that it¡¯s important whether someone is happy or not. You haven¡¯t smiled this whole morning. I¡¯m worried about you."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "In your opinion, does grilled fish cure all illnesses?"


    Lin Dongxue also smiled. "If you want to eat something else, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll treat you!"


    "Then let¡¯s eat grilled fish!"


    They went to the familiar grilled fish restaurant. Watching the sizzling grilled fish covered with oil and chili being served up, Chen Shi couldn''t even remember what he had eaten at noon yesterday. Indeed, Zhou Xiao and Ling Shuang have kept them busy going round in circles over the past two days. Sitting in a bright and clean restaurant while seeing the customers at the other tables talking andughing felt a bit strange.


    "People will only be energetic if they eat and sleep well. When you have energy, you won¡¯t be so sluggish!" Lin Dongxue said while giving Chen Shi a piece of fish.


    "I''m thinking that if what the diary says is true, does that mean Tao Yueyue has stoppedmitting crimes? Can her sentence be reduced?"


    "Let''s talk about something else¡­"


    "There¡¯s nothing else in my head right now."


    "Then evaluate the grilled fish."


    Chen Shi took a bite and said, "It''s delicious."


    Lin Dongxue lowered her head to eat, and said, "The crisp fish skin is fragrant, the fish flesh is tender and fragrant with peppers¡­" Her voice gradually quietened, and she wiped away her tears.


    "Are you thinking about your older brother?"


    "It''s okay. Let¡¯s continue to eat. I haven''t eaten grilled fish for a long time." Lin Dongxue pretended to be cheerful and avoided the topic. Chen Shi understood that her mood was just as somber. Lin Qiupu was now seriously injured and in hospital. The doctor¡¯s diagnosis hinted that he might be a vegetable.


    Both of them were crushed by the troubles of reality, but being immersed in grief didn''t help at all. The grilled fish that should be eaten still had to be eaten, and when it was necessary tough, it was still necessary tough.


    "I want to drink some beer. Grilled fish paired with draft beer."


    "What wishful thinking!"


    After a good meal, the mood was a little more rxed. In the afternoon, the two busied themselves with their own matters. Lin Dongxue and Little Li went to the scene to investigate. They went to meet the traffic police as well as Tao Yueyue''s good friend Wei Zengmali.


    Tao Yueyue had been missing for three days. Wei Zengmali thought she was ill. Whether she sent text messages, WeChat messages or made phone calls, it was as if she was sending y oxen into the sea.[1] When she heard the word "missing" from Lin Dongxue''s mouth, Wei Zengmali was extremely shocked. "Missing? Why did she go missing? We¡¯re about to take the junior high school examination. No, no, the exam is not important. She¡¯s been out alone for over three days. Isn¡¯t that really dangerous? My dad said that there was a murderer in the city running around thest few days!"


    "Little ssmate, don''t be so agitated. We¡¯re here to investigate this matter."


    "Oh. Oh."


    "Tao Yueyue hasn¡¯te to school since May 29th, right?"


    Wei Zengmali counted out the days on her fingers. "Yes, since Friday. The form teacher even asked me why she hadn¡¯te, and I said, ¡®Probably because she¡¯s feeling unwell.¡¯ I thought her period hade because she had asked me to apany her to buy sanitary napkins two days ago.¡±


    "Has the form teacher notified her parents?"


    "Uh, you should ask the teacher."


    "Did she exhibit any abnormal behavior before she disappeared?"


    This question was too general. Wei Zengmali couldn''te up with an answer immediately. Lin Dongxue rephrased her question. "You have a little kitten on the way home from school, right?"


    "Wow, you all know this as well? Yeah, yeah, it was a very cute kitten. I don''t know which psycho that day¡­" Wei Zengmali showed a sad expression. "Its head had been chopped off by someone. I was¡­ I almost fainted at the time. I¡¯ll show you pictures of the kitten. What kind of person can do this kind of thing? They must be a psycho. Psycho! Damn psycho! Yueyue told me something about how setting fires, bedwetting, and cruelty to animals are criteria for something?"


    "The three childhood characteristics of serial killers?"


    "Yes, yes, Yueyue also thinks this person must have an antisocial personality!"


    Lin Dongxue interrupted her. "Do you know who did it?"


    "If I knew who did it!" Wei Zengmali said dramatically. "I''ll¡­ I''ll buy a little straw doll to write their birth date on and curse them to be hit by a car when they go out!"


    Lin Dongxue had a thought sh through her mind. This "wish" has been realized.


    It can be seen that this female ssmate¡¯s righteous indignation towards the cat abuse incident was equal to Tao Yueyue¡¯s. People¡¯s feelings for a cat, a dog or a virtual character are difficult to quantify and thus can easily cause value conflicts. To a dog lover, a beloved dog¡¯s suffering is by no means a trivial matter, but outsiders would not be able to understand. "Isn¡¯t it just a dog?"


    "When was the kitten''s head cut off?"


    Wei Zengmali counted out the days on her fingers and replied, "I remember it to be Tuesday."


    Lin Dongxue jotted it down in her notebook and asked for some other details. Although Wei Zengmali''s statement was slightly different, it was generally consistent with Tao Yueyue''s diary.


    Tao Yueyue''s words were partially confirmed, which made her a little worried.


    "A male student in your ss died in a traffic ident. Do you know about this?" Lin Dongxue finally asked about it.


    Wei Zengmali twirled around suddenly. Lin Dongxue and Little Li looked puzzled. "ssmate, what are you doing?"


    "Please allow me to express my joy over this matter through dance."


    "The deceased is your ssmate though?" Little Li said.


    "Liang Zuoming is a scumbag. Scum! Bag! Elder Police Sisters, if you go to our ss and ask everyone what they think of Liang Zuoming, I promise you will only receive two answers. One would be, ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t know him too well.¡¯ These would be Liang Zuoming¡¯s disreputable friends. The others will answer, ¡®He deserved to die.¡¯ These would be the people who have been bullied by Liang Zuoming. He¡¯s a bully, and even the teacher doesn¡¯t want to engage with him. Our ss is still discussing whether or not to send a brocade banner to express our thanks and support to the driver who hit Liang Zuoming¡­ By the way, is the righteous driver going to be sentenced?"


    Lin Dongxue was amused by this little girl''s brilliant performance. "The traffic police said that he did not vite any traffic rules. Liang Zuoming suddenly fell in front of his bus, but¡­"


    Before Lin Dongxue could finish her words, Wei Zengmali suddenly ran away, shouting loudly in the ss that was still in session, "The Elder Police Sister said that the driver who killed Liang Zuoming isn¡¯t legally liable!"


    There was instantly a burst of enthusiastic cheering in the ssroom. Lin Dongxue mustered up a bitter smile. Her meaning had been misinterpreted by the little girl.


    Wei Zengmali replied with joy, "Elder Police Sister, did you hear that? These are the cheers of the masses. He really deserved it! No one pities him."


    "We''re not here to discuss Liang Zuoming¡¯s character. Oh yes, you were on that street at the time, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Was Tao Yueyue with you?"


    "Yes¡­" Wei Zengmali''s expression changed, as if she had realized something. "I know what you¡¯re going to ask. When Liang Zuoming was about to be knocked down, Yueyue suddenly became very tense and weird. She ran over and shouted ''Liang Zuoming, stop quickly!''¡­ No, she started running a few seconds before the ident!"


    Lin Dongxue''s heart sank. This scene really happened?!


    1. Sending things into the abyss.

 Chapter 879: An Irrefutable Murder?

    <h4>Chapter 879: An Irrefutable Murder?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Wei Zengmali asked, "Why do you want to inquire about these things? Ah, I think I understand. Although it sounds a little weird, it must be that Tao Yueyue¡­ Liang Zuoming¡­" The little girl¡¯s face showed hesitation. "No, it''s impossible for it to be true!"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a moment that the little girl had guessed the truth, but Wei Zengmali said, "Why would Tao Yueyue fall in love with a bad guy like Liang Zuoming?"


    "Huh? What did you say?" Lin Dongxue was surprised.


    "Just think: If Tao Yueyue didn''t like him, why would she worry about his safety that day? Therefore, after Liang Zuoming was knocked down and killed, she didn''te to school out of grief! This is a plot device that often appears in TV dramas, where two individuals are enemies but gradually fell for each other. It must have been like that!" The little girl was totally convinced of this and Lin Dongxue could only smile wryly in the face of this reasoning.


    Lin Dongxue felt that there was no need to meet Yueyue¡¯s teacher, so she bid her farewell. Little Li called the bureau to ask about the progress of the autopsy, and then shook her head at Lin Dongxue. ¡°The autopsy may take a long time. Zhou Xiao killed a bunch of people in the vi. Captain Peng¡¯s side is simply too busy."


    "There¡¯s no other way. We just have to wait. I¡¯m used to Captain Peng producing the autopsy results quickly. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s just because he¡¯s particrly helpful towards the second team. Every time a corpse is sent over, he will set aside other tasks at hand and prioritize us."


    "Yes, Captain Peng is a very good person." Little Li sighed, "By the way, Captain Peng dissected Lie Guoxiao''s body this morning. I heard the task force discussing it and they mentioned that Lie Guoxiao had defensive injuries in which Zhou Xiao¡¯s DNA was found. He might have fought with Zhou Xiao. It seems to have been quite tragic¡­ Should I not refer to him as Lie Guoxiao all the time? After all, he is your¡­"


    "No, it''s fine. I don''t regard him as a family member at all."


    "It sounds extreme to say this, but the word ¡°father¡± sometimes equates to a hero, and sometimes equates to an enemy!"


    "Indeed."


    "But whether he''s a hero or an enemy, he¡¯s been killed and as a daughter, one¡¯s heart will still feel a little uneasy¡­" Little Li sighed, thinking of her father who had just been cremated.


    "That''s right!" Lin Dongxue could also empathize with this. She had also thought about whether she should take a look at Lie Guoxiao, but Tao Yueyue''s matter was more important at the moment. Considering the shortage of manpower, they had no time for distractions.


    Lin Dongxue set aside these thoughts. "Let''s go and take a look at the scene!"


    "Okay!" Little Li agreed readily.


    On the busy road where the ident had happened, leaving aside the issue of whether there was actually any evidence, it was very dangerous in itself to try to find evidence by going onto the road. Lin Dongxue thought that they should wait ande back at night.


    However, since they were already here, they couldn¡¯t just go home empty-handed. Lin Dongxue looked around. This ce was an intersection with many traffic cameras. If they wanted to see the surveince footage, they¡¯d have to go to the Traffic Management Bureau. However, the Traffic Management Bureau was packed with police officers who were chasing after Zhou Xiao at the moment.


    She looked for private security cameras and actually found one on the outer wall of a building.


    On the second floor of that building was a Japanese restaurant. At this time of the day, no customers were around. Lin Dongxue entered the restaurant and asked the boss if she could check their surveince footage. When the police arrived, the boss was very nervous at first, butter discovered that they were investigating the matter of a child being knocked down and killed outside a few days ago.


    A chef passed by and said, "I know that kid. I chop cabbage into shreds in front of the window every afternoon, and I would see this kid riding a bike without mudguards. He¡¯s really wild, weaving in and out of the traffic and even turns people¡¯s side mirrors with his hands. I made a bet with the boss that this little hooligan would get knocked down sooner orter. So how about it? I was right¡­ Boss, we agreed on betting 100 yuan. Pay up!"


    The boss red at him and waved his hands frantically. "What are you saying, what are you saying? There was no such thing!"


    The two argued over the 100 yuan bet. Lin Dongxue interrupted their conversation. "Were there any unusual circumstances on the day of the ident?"


    "Unusual?" The chef scratched his head, then arranged cigarettes on the table. "If we¡¯re talking about unusual things, it was that the kid who was obviously on this side of the road was hit by a busing from the other side. Who would suddenly turn left on the road? Unless he wanted to court death!"


    The boss said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him being hit by an oing car, it¡¯s impossible to have such a serious ident. There must have been a big car in front of him blocking his line of sight and then he turned left from the back without seeing the oing traffic, causing a collision in an instant. That¡¯s usually the case for head-on collisions."


    "No, no, there were no big cars on this side of the road at the time. I remember it very well."


    "Were you chopping vegetables or staring at the road?"


    The two argued over this detail, and Lin Dongxue didn''t want to intervene. She watched the surveince footage with Little Li in the restaurant.


    ording to the surveince footage, Liang Zuoming rode his bike over from the east side at 5:23PM, then suddenly turned to the left side of the road about ten meters away from the intersection. He was then hit by a bus head-on, and was sent flying about half a meter away. After that, Liang Zuoming and his bicycle were caught under the bus chassis and dragged for a short distance. The rear wheels of the bus clearly ran over him, and the whole body of the bus jolted once because of this.


    The driver had been braking since the collision, but only stoppedpletely at that point. Of course, it was already toote. Other cars in the vicinity also stopped one after another. People kept going over to check on the situation. More and more people gathered, almost forming a circle.


    "How tragic!" Little Li shook her head.


    "This angle isn¡¯t very good." Lin Dongxue said. There was a bus stop between the camera and Liang Zuoming, and a huge billboard blocked the line of sight, making it impossible to see the moment when Liang Zuoming had the ident.


    As she continued to y the surveince footage, Lin Dongxue saw Tao Yueyue running over. She stopped at the periphery of the crowd, stood in ce covering up her mouth, and looked shocked.


    This scene caused Lin Dongxue''s heart to ache momentarily. She kept thinking, Silly child, why did you want to do this kind of thing? There is never a legitimate reason tomit murder!


    "Let¡¯s watch it again!" Little Li suggested, rewinding the video.


    After watching it five or six times, Little Li said, "I think it¡¯s a bit strange. This kid didn¡¯t have to turn left in this area. How could he have suddenly fallen onto the left side of the road? The bicycle was traveling on the road when it seemed that the wheel suddenly became stuck and it toppled forward. It should have been like this¡­" Little Li gestured with her hands, imitating how the bicycle turned and then toppled forward.


    "But when riding a bicycle or driving, one would always be adjusting one¡¯s direction. The bicycle fell very suddenly. This shows that there was a force that was suddenly exerted¡­" Although she didn''t want to admit it, Lin Dongxue still had to say it. "The biggest possibility was the ''murder hook'' made by Yueyue."


    "Mmm, what exactly does the "murder hook" look like? There¡¯s no detailed record in the diary."


    "It must not have been tooplicated, probably some simple, effective and small device." Lin Dongxue pondered.


    Chen Shi called and asked about their progress. Lin Dongxue answered, "There''s not much progress. We just came out of Yueyue¡¯s school. We¡¯re watching the surveince footage around the scene."


    "If you¡¯re not busy,e over and look for me. I may have found some evidence!"

 Chapter 880: Chen Shis Experiment

    <h4>Chapter 880: Chen Shi''s Experiment</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    In the evening, Lin Dongxue and Little Li went to Chen Shi''s house. Seeing that Lin Dongxue had found the building easily, Little Li asked, "Dongxue, do youe here often?"


    Lin Dongxue said bashfully, "Not too often!"


    Hearing the knock on the door, Chen Shi opened it. Lin Dongxue saw a bicycle ced upside down on the floor. It was very simr to the model that the deceased rode. Lin Dongxue asked in surprise, "Are you doing an experiment?"


    "Yeah, I reckon that the bicycle at the scene would have been damaged beyond recognition, so I bought one myself, to see if the ''murder hook'' really works."


    "What''s the conclusion?"


    "I''ll talk about itter. Come and look at this."


    Lin Dongxue then discovered that Chen Shi was wearing gloves. The three of them went to Tao Yueyue''s bedroom. Little Li looked around and said in admiration, "Brother Chen must normally dote on this girl."


    "I don''t think I paid enough attention to her." Chen Shi said sadly, and then took out something. It was a crumpled piece of paper with some spray paint on it. There was a small screw-shaped unsprayed part in the middle.


    Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t quite understand, until Chen Shi took out a roll of wire and a bottle of spray paint. ¡°Yueyue seems to have sprayed this ''murder hook'' with spray paint, probably to prevent the color contrast from being obvious. Is the bicycle of the deceased this color?"


    "Yes, it''s pure ck¡­ Indeed, if there¡¯s a twisted wire on the pure ck bicycle frame, it would be too conspicuous. She even took this kind of detail into ount?"


    Chen Shi sighed, "Yueyue is sometimes horrifyingly meticulous. However, she is still inexperienced after all. I should be grateful for that. She just threw the piece of paper that had been ced underneath into the wastebasket, but she didn¡¯t dispose of it. Based on the shape, this is the size and appearance of the ''murder hook'' she made."


    Lin Dongxue fell deep in thought. Her gaze fell on Chen Shi''s face inadvertently. Chen Shi said, "I know what you¡¯re thinking. ''This is not false evidence that he created, right?'' Don''t worry, Yueyue''s fingerprints should be on it. You can take it back for testing."


    "What are you thinking? Why would I doubt you? If you didn¡¯t want her to be arrested, you wouldn''t have told me in the beginning."


    "In that case, what I say next may sound more like exonerating Yueyue. After my repeated experiments, I found that the efficiency of the ''murder hook'' isn¡¯t very high! Pleasee to the living room, officers."


    Based on the traces on the paper, Chen Shi had twisted a "murder hook" out of the wire. He said, "This thing was hung on the bicycle frame like this, maintaining a delicate distance from the spokes. If the bicycle turns a little, the wheel spokes revolving at a high speed would be caught by the wire hook, and then the front wheel will stop suddenly, causing the whole bike to topple forward¡­ Theoretically!"


    Lin Dongxue asked, "But what about in reality?"


    Chen Shi continued, "After my repeated experiment, I found that Yueyue had underestimated the power of the wheels. The small wire hook can''t grip the spokes¡­" As he said this, he fixed the "murder hook" to the frame, cranked the pedal with his hands, and let the wheels turn at high speed. Then he pulled the handlebars slightly.


    When the spokes touched the wire hook, the entire "murder hook" was torn off. Chen Shi stopped. "Look, it can''t hook the spokes at all. I roughly calcted that the angr velocity of a spoke is 40 degrees to 180 degrees per second. It takes about two seconds to make a full circle during normal cycling. This speed is very fast. Sometimes foreign objects would get caught and they would either be broken off or drawn into the spokes. It¡¯s impossible for a small handmade hook like this to stop its motion."


    Little Limented, "When I was a kid, I rode on my father''s Phoenix-brand bicycle. Sometimes I identally got my feet caught in the wheels. Usually, the shoes would get drawn in and the wheels wouldn''t stop right away. Of course, I''ve also heard of some children wearing sandals in summer who fractured their toes. The power of the wheels is indeed great."


    Lin Dongxue pondered, "Let me borrow aputer."


    She yed the surveince footage she found that afternoon. Chen Shi, who had grasped a glimmer of hope, saw the scene and suddenly fell silent. Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, I really didn''t want to refute you. At the moment of the traffic ident, the bicycle of the deceased indeed showed signs of being affected by external forces. Your experimental conclusions are still in doubt¡­ You won''t mind if I say this, right?"


    "Of course I don''t mind, I just want to rify the facts¡­ but this video didn''t capture the key moment?"


    "The Traffic Management Bureau has a queue of cases right now. It¡¯s very troublesome to get the surveince footage transferred. It can¡¯t be helped that this minor case happened to coincide with Zhou Xiao''s major case!"


    Little Li suggested, "Shouldn¡¯t we find this little girl first? Regardless of whether she hasmitted a crime, it¡¯s definitely not safe for her to stay outside for three days¡­ By the way, she still has to take the junior high examination soon as well, but she¡¯s gone missing at this critical juncture?"


    Chen Shi said, "I have already asked friends to help me find her. When she left, she had about 500 yuan in cash on her. The mobile phone, school campus card, and student ID were all left at home. She had brought a school bag with her, some clothes, and a copy of The Time Machine¡­"


    "Is there anything special about that book?" Little Li asked.


    "There''s nothing special, she just hadn''t finished reading it¡­" Chen Shi said.


    "When you say ¡®friends¡¯, do you mean¡­" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Yes, it''s the two of them. They¡¯re really good at finding people, and they like Yueyue very much. They will definitely try their best to find her."


    "But aren''t they looking for Miss Gu right now? Is there enough manpower? Do they need help?" Lin Dongxue didn''t know about Gu You''s murder, and still thought she was missing at the moment.


    "They have their own helpers too." Chen Shi diverted the topic. "The difficult part is that Yueyue is too smart. If she really wants to hide or leave Long''an, it would be very difficult to find her through normal channels."


    "If, and I mean if, she really didn''t kill anyone, we should let her know about it through the media, and Yueyue wille back by herself¡­ This is the best oue that I can think of!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi stared at the footage that was being yed repeatedly. "I believe she didn¡¯t kill him. This isn¡¯t the guardian''s wishful thinking. Intuition and experience tell me that she can''t kill people with this little trick. There¡¯s another reason for this boy''s death!"


    "Let''s go to the scer and see if we can find any evidence!" Lin Dongxue suggested.


    Chen Shi looked at the table and chairs in the living room, recalling the scene of how the two of them sat there eating dinner. If Yueyue could return safe and sound, he must teach her a lesson.


    At this moment, Lin Dongxue turned on the lights. "The house is so dark and the atmosphere is too depressing."


    Since they were going out together at night, the three of them stayed at the house. Little Li drank a ss of water, stood up, and said, "I''ll take the evidence back to the bureau. The people in the evidence room shouldn''t have gotten off work yet."


    "Just go tomorrow." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Fool!" Little Li whispered, "I''m letting you two be alone for a while. I won''t be the third wheel here anymore. I¡¯ll drop by the hospital to see Xiaodong, and I¡¯ll be back here just after 10:00."

 Chapter 881: Missing Yueyue

    <h4>Chapter 881: Missing Yueyue</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After Little Li left, Lin Dongxue ordered some takeaways to eat. Chen Shi couldn''t stay idle but continued using the wire and bicycle for experiments, recording the results each time.


    Repeated tests proved that if it was hooked on tight enough, the "murder hook" still had a certain sess rate, which shook Chen Shi''s originally firm belief.


    Lin Dongxue saw that he was fiddling with the bicycle obsessively. She forced him to take a break. "Actually, this is what I nned. If Yueyue had really killed him, I will dy the release of the wanted order so that she can have time to run away. You can consider it as my being partial. After all, I don''t want her to be sent to a ce like the reformatory."


    Chen Shi said, "If she escaped punishment the first time she makes a mistake, it¡¯ll actually be doing her harm!"


    "I think Yueyue is still a kind-hearted child at heart. She could pretend that this has never happened, but in the end, she couldn''t bear the guilt in her heart and told you everything."


    "Is she kind by nature? She¡¯s just afraid of punishment! That''s why she escaped!"


    "That''s what you think of her?"


    "I like her, but I also understand her well, because we have things inmon. Although we aren¡¯t rted by blood, we are very much like father and daughter!" Chen Shi said dejectedly. Yueyue''s choice was so simr to his choice back then. He himself was also a coward who escaped from his past.


    Lin Dongxue stroked the back of Chen Shi''s hand. "This is a parent¡¯s distress. From a certain moment, the child is no longer under their control."


    "You''re right. I experienced this kind of trouble in advance while I¡¯m still so young."


    "Haha, young?" Lin Dongxue moved closer. "Let''s go to the bedroom for a while. You¡¯re under too much stress."


    "My condition today may not be too good¡­"


    "It''s okay!" Lin Dongxue winked.


    After the ¡°exercise¡±, Chen Shi felt that he was indeed more rxed. It was only 9:00PM. He had no interest in entertainment or drinking, so he proposed, "Little Li is at the hospital. Why don''t we go visit your brother and then go together to the scene with her?"


    "Fine!" Lin Dongxue readily agreed.


    Lin Qiupu was still lying in the ICU. His various indicators had improved, but he was still in aa. Seeing Lin Qiupu''s appearance, Lin Dongxue felt sad again, and tears streamed down as she leaned upon the monitoring window.


    After she finished crying, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat in the hallway for a while. Chen Shi''s gentle touch recedforting words. There was a patient''s family member on the phone in the hallway, seemingly trying to borrow money. His attitude was earnest and humble, which was heart-wrenching for listeners.


    Lin Dongxue was moved and said, "Fortunately, the bureau has shouldered all the medical expenses, otherwise I would really break down. Is saying this a bit too realistic?"


    "Don''t all human troublese from reality? The doctor didn¡¯t say that he will definitely remain in a vegetative state. You have to be patient."


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "I feel better after crying. Fortunately, I have you by my side."


    "I want to say the same thing too!" Chen Shi smiled.


    At 11:30, the three came out of the hospital and returned to the scene of the crime. There were almost no vehicles in the middle of the night. Some unlicensed stalls had been set up on the road. M crayfish sizzled as they were flipped in the fiery iron pots. The air was full of the spicy fragrance. Summer was approaching, and people gradually became more interested in going out for supper.


    The three of them wore gloves and bent over to search the surface carefully. In principle, Chen Shi shouldn''t have been helping, but it seemed too pedantic to be still abiding by this rule.


    It was unknown how many times this section of the road had been cleaned, but no evidence could be found. There was a manhole at the side of the road and some debris could have fallen into it. However, to open it up to search, one would need the assistance of the sewer maintenance staff. Little Li said, "Do we have to go down and search? I¡¯m not saying that it would be too dirty or too tiring for me. I just think that since there are only two of us in charge of this case, we should expend our energy where it¡¯s most needed!"


    Chen Shi said, "If you can trust me, I wille and search by myself tomorrow night, and I will bring you everything that I find intact."


    Although he knew that it was unlikely to yield results, on the off chance that there was a clue and he didn''t look for it, he would regret it.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I will contact the relevant department tomorrow toe with you at night!"


    "Thank you!"


    They went home at that point.


    In the dead of night, Chen Shi heard movement in the living room. He got up to check and found a string of dirty footprints on the floor of the living room. He followed the dirty footprints to the kitchen and saw a muddy Tao Yueyue devouring leftovers out of the opened refrigerator. She turned her head when she heard him. Her eyes resembled that of a frightened little animal.


    "Yueyue!"


    Chen Shi yelled too loudly and woke himself up. Lin Dongxue was also woken up, and asked in a daze, "Dreaming about Yueyue?"


    "Yes, it''s a pity that I wasn¡¯t able to finish saying anything¡­" Chen Shi said regretfully, and then he really went to the kitchen to take a look, even opening the refrigerator to confirm it. Of course, Tao Yueyue had never returned.


    He poured himself a ss of wine and sat on the sofa to calm himself down. Yueyue knew how to pick locks, hack intoputers, understood psychology, and even possessed some pickpocketing skills. Also, she was flexible and adaptable.


    This meant that Yueyue could survive among crowds of strangers. A day or two wasn¡¯t a problem, but over time, will shee into contact with some evil people, be manipted by them, be affected by them, and slowly degenerate?!


    These worries almost made Chen Shi go crazy, and even alcohol couldn''t relieve his stress.


    After drinking a few sses of wine, he went back to bed. Lin Dongxue stroked his face and said, "Be confident, we¡¯ll definitely be able to find Yueyue!"


    "I know." Chen Shi replied feebly.


    "Guess who I just dreamed of?"


    "Your brother?"


    "Yes, I dreamed about how when we were young, we went to the yground with our parents. It was a happy dream. When I woke up, I remembered reality. Haii¡­ I have gotten your pillow damp!"


    "Dongxue!" Chen Shi grasped her hand. "Actually I¡­"


    When the words reached his lips, he was stuck again. Lin Dongxue said, "You don''t have to force yourself to say it. Although I don''t know how you were like in the past, I know you must be a good person!"


    "Wait for everything to calm down. Wait until Yueyue is found and your brother recovers. It''s best if Zhou Xiao is arrested too. I will marry you!"


    Lin Dongxue was overjoyed, and said coyly, "You¡¯re saying it just like that? Shouldn''t you kneel down while holding a ring?"


    "The ring¡­"


    Chen Shi left, came back and gave her a small box, "I bought it a long time ago."


    Lin Dongxue opened it and found that it was a glistening tinum ring. "When did you buy this?!"


    "Not too long ago. The invoice is still there. If you don''t agree, I can still return it."


    "Ha, you¡¯re not allowed to!" Lin Dongxue clenched it in her hand, smiling like a fool. "This doesn¡¯t count as a marriage proposal, right?"


    "Consider it an advance notice of the marriage proposal."


    "Haha, a proposal thates with a notice¡­" Lin Dongxue tried on the ring, which was just the right size. "I hope the three of us can live together and be a happy family! I must learn how to make the dishes Yueyue likes to eat!"

 Chapter 882: Collecting Evidence From Surveillance Footage

    <h4>Chapter 882: Collecting Evidence From Surveince Footage</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The next day, Little Li acquired a pile of footage from the Traffic Management Bureau. Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi over to help out with watching. Chen Shi said, "I¡¯m a family member of the suspect!"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Would you still be able to carry out any hanky-panky while watching the footage? You just need to write down all the key parts, and I will watch it againter on. You can''t be partial even if you wanted to."


    "Okay, okay!"


    He thought it would be another difficult battle, but the suspicious point soon appeared. When the bicycle of the deceased passed the bus stop in the surveince footage from opposite the road, a bunch of people spilled over from the bus stop onto the road, forcing the deceased to turn left.


    However, the bicycle seemed to turn violently suddenly on the screen, and then it was hit by a bus on the opposite side of the road.


    Chen Shi reyed the video frame by frame. He pointed to a certain part. "The bike was moving strangely. In a normal turn, the front of the bike turns first, and then the rest of the bike turns with it. However, in the footage, it seemed to have jumped over from the right side of the road all at once."


    This was especially obvious when the two frames were yed repeatedly.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Like what I said yesterday, there seems to be an external force acting on the bicycle. However, this external force can still be understood as the ''murder hook'' made by Yueyue."


    "But the bicycle didn''t topple forward. It was more like it was being pushed from the side!" Chen Shi''s eyes were sharp and unblinking.


    "Pushed?" Lin Dongxue shifted her gaze to the crowd on the side of the tform. Due to the resolution of the surveince footage, the heads of the people in there were only 16 pixels each, and the hands were only four pixels. Therefore, you couldn¡¯t see clearly even if you zoomed in.


    After repeatedly examining the moment when the bicycle was affected by external forces, there were no obvious suspicious points found. Little Liined, "This bus stop was too jam-packed. People were crowded all the way onto the road!"


    "I usually pass by this stop whenever I pick Yueyue up. This bus stop is truly crowded, because Bus 109 only arrives every 20 minutes. As soon as the buses, passengers will rush onto the road for fear of not being able to get onto the bus¡­ Due to this, there was once an ident where a food delivery guy was blocked by the crowd when he passed by and was hit by an oing car after he turned left. As a result, Yueyue¡¯s school conducted a lecture on traffic safety knowledge." Chen Shi recalled.


    "It seems that this is an ident-prone area. That is to say, bicycles riding past here have to turn left because of the crowd being an obstacle¡­ Is it possible that Yueyue knew this and took advantage of it?" Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi pondered. "Although I don''t want to admit it, I think it''s possible. She did observe Liang Zuoming riding through this section of the road."


    After a moment of silence, Little Li proposed to look at it from another angle, so she found the surveince footage from the intersection. This surveince footage had greater depth. At 5:23PM, Liang Zuoming¡¯s bicycle passed by and then suddenly tilted to the left. Chen Shi discovered the problem. "At the moment when he turned left, the front of the bicycle didn¡¯t turn. It was not turned by the deceased, but was pushed by someone!"


    But the rity of this footage was even worse. Lin Dongxue felt that this wasn¡¯t very convincing.


    "Why don''t we do an experiment?" Chen Shi suggested.


    Little Li agreed. "Let¡¯s go outside to rent a public bicycle and then go to the parking lot to test it out."


    "Okay, let''s go!"


    They got to the parking lot. Little Li held a DV camcorder, Chen Shi rode the bicycle, and Lin Dongxue yed the role of the pusher. When Chen Shi passed Lin Dongxue, she shoved the bike fiercely and Chen Shi''s bike turned to the other side. He quickly used his feet to support himself.


    After doing this three times repeatedly, Little Li checked the video on the DV camcorder and said, "Brother Chen, your hypothesis doesn¡¯t seem to be convincing. You see, every time you¡¯re pushed, your handlebar will turn towards the other direction."


    Chen Shi tapped his forehead as he thought. "Our experiment may not be able to perfectly recreate the scene, because I¡¯m mentally prepared. As soon as Dongxue pushes me, I instinctively use the handlebar to maintain my bnce, but Liang Zuoming wasn¡¯t mentally prepared at the time."


    Little Li said, "We can''t exactly find a stranger to push."


    Lin Dongxuemented, "I think we¡¯re attending to trifles and neglecting essentials. Let¡¯s not talk about the response of the bicycle. If someone had pushed the deceased, it would definitely have appeared in the footage."


    "Attending to trifles and neglecting essentials¡­" Chen Shi murmured, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "Yes, the dead body is here. What are we trying to test?! Let¡¯s go check the autopsy results!"


    "A push like that would leave traces? Even through the clothes?" Little Li puzzled.


    Lin Dongxue exined, "Of course, there would be traces. After death, the body won¡¯t repair itself any longer. As long as a bit of strong force was exerted before death, there will be traces. Thus the bodies are always covered with bruises."


    Chen Shi said, "Moreover, it¡¯s the fourth day if we count today. The venouswork of the deceased has already putrefied, and the rigor mortis has begun to soften. The traces will be very obvious!"


    The three went to the forensics department. Peng Sijue and a group of forensic pathologists were still busy performing autopsies on the corpses from the vi. Chen Shi called Peng Sijue, and he came over with a mask on. Chen Shi asked, "Can the child''s body be examined immediately?"


    Peng Sijue shook his head. "Line up."


    "Then can we go and see it ourselves?"


    Peng Sijue sighed, called a forensic officer over, and asked him to take the three people to see the corpse.


    When they arrived at the morgue in the basement, the temperature there instantly gave Lin Dongxue goose bumps. The officer used a key to open the sliding door on a morgue drawer. Liang Zuoming''s body appeared in front of the three with a gust of cold air. His face was terrifyingly pale. As the corpse had been groomed at the funeral home, the crushed belly had also been stitched up.


    Chen Shi looked at the traces on the corpse''s skin. "Damn, the people in the funeral home wiped his whole body with a hot rag in order to change his clothes!"


    Little Li asked the forensic officer, "Can we use any advanced techniques to make the previous traces appear?"


    "Haha, things aren¡¯t so easy. Once rigor and livor mortis are destroyed, they are permanently destroyed, so we must be very careful when we touch dead bodies¡­ Don''t be impatient. There¡¯ll be an autopsy in two days. There might be some findings?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This autopsy would be of little significance. The key clues are all on the skin."


    Lin Dongxue turned on the phone''s shlight and checked every inch of the corpse''s skin. There were a lot of bruises on the frosted bluish-white skin which ovepped so much that they were hard to distinguish. Lin Dongxue asked the forensic officer to turn the corpse over.


    While looking at the back of the deceased, Lin Dongxue noticed a unique mark. "Do you think that this looks like the mark of a palm?"


    Little Li went forward and looked. "It does, but also not really."


    "But this mark is on the shoulder de. If someone had pushed him, it should be in this position."


    Chen Shi, who had always insisted on the intervention of a third party, held an opposing opinion this time. He said, ¡°Since the mortician has touched the corpse, this mark isn¡¯t convincing. Even if we ourselves are convinced, it can¡¯t convince the judge.¡±


    "But there¡¯s no obvious shot showing someone pushing Liang Zuoming in the footage." Lin Dongxue said.


    "The footage may not have captured it!" Chen Shi said, "The frame rate of traffic security cameras is eight frames per second, and the pushing action is very fast. The security camera may not have been able to capture it!"


    "Old Chen, do you know what your hypothesis means? It means that this child wasn¡¯t murdered by Yueyue, but by another person!"


    "That''s what I think right now!" Chen Shi said with assurance.

 Chapter 883: Chen Shis Efforts

    <h4>Chapter 883: Chen Shi''s Efforts</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Little Li rubbed her arms. "Let''s talk outside. It''s so cold here!"


    Hence, they left the morgue and when they passed arge conference room, Lin Dongxue saw smokeing out of it as if it was on fire. A bunch of male police officers were discussing the murders at the vi, burning with passion like the cigarettes in their hands. This murder case concocted by Zhou Xiao had upied all the elite of the criminal police team.


    Lin Dongxue said, "In that case, did this person do it intentionally ording to your conjecture, or was it a spontaneous murder?"


    "Both are possible¡­ I think we should check before and after the incident, whether there were suspicious people at the scene."


    "I''m really not trying to attack you. I just think it''s a coincidence. It''s like a certain legal case in which a man tried tomit suicide by jumping down from a building just as someone upstairs shot out of the window and hit him in the head. As a result, suicide became murder."


    Chen Shi said, "Coincidence is also a part of reality!"


    It was almost noon. The three of them ordered takeaways and continued to watch the surveince footage while eating. Chen Shi stared at the boring video and asked, "The efficiency of having just three people is really low. Should I bring a few videos to the hospital and let Xiaodong watch some?"


    "You¡¯re horrible. He¡¯s already injured, and you¡¯re still thinking about hisbor!" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    Little Li said, "Xiaodong said that he was bored in the hospital yesterday and could help out with anything within his abilities."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Work makes people happy!"


    It was rush hour when the incident urred. The bus stop was crowded with people. Lin Dongxue''s eyes were frazzled from watching. Chen Shi watched very earnestly. He kept his eyes on the screen and used chopsticks to deliver ribs to his mouth. He repeatedly chewed his ribs five or six times.


    Little Li bit her nails and frowned, as if trying to crack a difficult code.


    Lin Dongxue also tried to perk up and continued to watch the footage.


    Three hourster, Lin Dongxue said, "No way, no way, I''m going to die!" She took out eye drops from the drawer, pried open her eyelid and prepared to apply them. Little Li shouted, "You got the wrong bottle, that bottle is Little Jia''s ear drops!"


    Lin Dongxue brought the bottle close to her eyes and looked at it. It vaguely had the words "Zhenshiming" written on it. Then she groaned, "You tricked me!"


    Little Li chuckled. After Lin Dongxue had finished using the eye drops, she used them herself and asked Chen Shi if he wanted them. Chen Shi responded, "Do I need them with such keen eyes? Let''s talk about our findings and see if there are any oveps."


    Lin Dongxue nced at the notebook at hand. "If we¡¯re talking about suspicious people, I¡¯ve recorded three¡­ The man in red, the man in the ck hat, and the well-built man."


    Little Li said, "I was watching the surveince footage at the intersection. The suspicious people included an aunt with a bag, a man in red, and a man in a ck hat. This ck hat man was the closest to the deceased at the moment the ident urred."


    Chen Shi asked, "What are your criteria for judging suspiciousness?"


    "They waited for a long time but didn''t get on the bus. They left after the incident." Little Li said.


    Chen Shi nodded. "Come and see this!"


    The two of them moved over. In the surveince footage that Chen Shi had been watching, the man in the ck hat stood beside Liang Zuoming with his hands in his jacket pockets, but a flesh-colored pixel appeared in the middle of the clothes in the instant the ident happened. It only stayed for one frame.


    This frame was fatal. In the next eighth of a second, Liang Zuoming''s bike fell towards the left side of the road and was hit by the car one secondter.


    Lin Dongxue was inspired and hurriedly looked at the surveince footage on her side. "The reason I suspected this man was because he kept his hands in his pockets the whole time and took out his hands only when he left the scene of the crime!"


    "This is a thief''s trick. The sleeves in the pockets are empty. The real hands are hidden in the clothes. He stuck them out from the center of the zipper and shoved fiercely just at the right time. As he was standing in front, the people behind didn¡¯t notice¡­" Chen Shi pondered. "I think the ck hat man specializes in this kind of thing. He¡¯s one of the legendary pushers!"


    Chen Shi thought of Zhou Tiannan''s death inexplicably. He had also been pushed down from upstairs by some mysterious person. Of course, Zhou Tiannan and Liang Zuoming had no connections at all. This shouldn¡¯t have been done by the same person.


    Lin Dongxue concluded, "So Yueyue really didn''t kill anyone! But we have to find this ck hat man in order to prove it¡­" Taking a look at the video, Lin Dongxue thought to herself that finding this suspicious ck hat man would definitely bring out a lot of truths to light.


    "For me, knowing that Yueyue didn''tmit murder is enough. She had escaped while harboring great guilt. We should let her know that she is innocent through the media and let here back!" Chen Shi said excitedly.


    Little Li said, "I actually know someone from a TV station. He''s my ex-boyfriend. I really hate him, but on behalf of Yueyue, I¡¯ll get in touch with him!"


    Little Li went outside to make a call, and Chen Shi could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "That''s great, I really have to thank this ck hat man. It¡¯s him who saved Yueyue from making a mistake."


    Lin Dongxue went over and hugged Chen Shi. "Yueyue can finallye back."


    "When shees back, I have to teach her a good lesson!" Chen Shi said both angrily and happily.


    "Teach her a lesson?" Lin Dongxue reproached him. "Of course we have tofort her when shees back and prepare a spread of delicious food for her!"


    Three dayster, Long¡¯an¡¯s news channel broadcasted a piece of news: "Recently, there was a car ident on XX Road in our city. A junior high school boy who was riding a bicycle was hit by an oing bus and died on the spot. The police spared no effort in investigating. In this seemingly ordinary traffic ident, a suspicious point was discovered. At the scene, a man wearing a ck round-brimmed hat had pushed the deceased the instant the ident happened, causing him to fall towards the opposite side of the road. The Long''an City Public Security Bureau reminds citizens to pay attention to their safety when traveling, and is collecting clues about the man from city residents. To provide clues, please call the hotline at the bottom of the screen¡­"


    In a small noodle restaurant in the old city district, people began talking about this. "Fuck, anything can happen these days!", "Is that motherfucker even human, doing that to a kid?", "If only I had a clue. I¡¯d earn 200,000 for nothing.", "Forget it. Do you have that kind of fortune? Besides, would you dare to offend this kind of person?"


    Tao Yueyue raised her head. The noodles in her mouth slipped into the bowl unconsciously. Her tears fell and she wiped her eyes with the back of her dirty hand. She could feel it even through the screen: That was the result of Chen Shi¡¯s efforts. He was delivering a message: ¡°Come back, Yueyue!¡±


    Tao Yueyue, who was disguised as a boy, pushed the bowl away. She settled the bill, took the sack by the door and left.


    She went to a deserted area under a bridge. stic bags and stray dog corpses floated in the dirty water. A young boy with a crew-cut was sitting in a crude tent, heating adhesive strips with a lighter, and carefully gluing a broken toy car back together. When he noticed that his friend hade back, he said happily, "Yueyue, you¡¯re back! See what I picked up in the trash today. Wait for me to fix it and you can y with it first!"


    Tao Yueyue tipped out the stic bottles in the sack. "Ergou, thank you for taking me in these past two days. I may have to go home."


    "Go home?" The boy widened his eyes. "What do you mean? Chen Yueyue, didn''t you say that you¡¯re a homeless orphan like me?"


    "I¡­ I actually have an uncle who¡¯s looking for me on the news, but I wille to see you often in the future!"


    The boy threw away the lighter and toy car in his hand, stood up and questioned, "Why?! Didn''t you say you wanted to be my friend? Why did you throw me away again! Why do you have an uncle?!"


    "Sorry, I lied to you. I actually ran away from home. I have to go back now. He must be very anxious¡­ I will discuss it with my uncle and have you sent to the best orphanage."


    "No. No! I don''t want to go to the orphanage. I only want you!" the boy stomped and roared.


    Tao Yueyue left reluctantly. The boy ground his teeth so hard that he nearly bled. Suddenly, he drew out a knife and tried to stab her from behind. Tao Yueyue, who heard his footsteps, turned around quickly, and the bright knife gave her a shock. However, she still immediately remembered the trick that Chen Shi had taught her. She grabbed the boy''s wrist and twisted it, then pushed him down onto the ground.


    The boy burst into tears and kicked in anger. The cries echoed under the bridge, as if many ghosts were crying with him.


    Tao Yueyue still left without saying a word.


    The boy felt that the whole world had dimmed suddenly. It was even dimmer than when he was alone in the past. He didn¡¯t know how much time passed but he heard the sound of footsteps and perked up his ears. He thought Chen Yueyue had changed her mind, but a strange man with a terrifying smile on his face walked in instead.


    "I heard that a girl lived here. Where did she go?" The man smiled malevolently. "I don¡¯t have much patience. You¡¯d better tell the truth!"

 Chapter 884: The Teachers Will

    <h4>Chapter 884: The Teacher''s Will</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 53: Tao Yueyue¡¯s Way Home


    Thest subway arrived at the station.


    Tao Yueyue left the tform with the sparse crowd. Her face was filled with excitement, anxiety, and anticipation that couldn¡¯t be concealed. For the past few days since running away from home, her heart had been suffering. Just like Gu You had said, there was no way to make up for killing someone. Liang Zuoming''s appearance when he died repeatedly yed in front of her like apulsive thought.


    She was only really freed from the cage of guilt when she watched the news. It turned out that Liang Zuoming hadn¡¯t died because of her. God had given her a chance. Liang Zuoming had been killed by another person. Not her!


    Leaving the subway station, the streets of early summer were very lively. Taking the subway had already used up thest bit of money in her pockets, so she decided to walk back the rest of the way.


    She couldn''t help speeding up her pace. Every step she took was closer to home and Chen Shi.


    She finally saw the lights of the housingmunity. She couldn¡¯t help but have tears wetting her eyes. She wiped them away with her hand, but then a thought broke into her heart. Is this a trap? Would the news just be a trap to lure me back?


    However, she immediately denied this idea. Uncle Chen wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. He would never take advantage of her trust.


    Crossing the road, she was almost at the gate of the housingmunity. The sparsely-haired security guard stood at the door yawning, chatting with an aunt who sold roasted sweet potatoes. She wondered whether the security guard who greeted her every day would be surprised seeing her like this.


    Tao Yueyue didn''t think much of the van in front of her. She walked around from the rear of the car. When she walked to the middle of the road, the door behind her mmed open and the sudden approaching footsteps were rapid and sinister. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t even have time to turn her head around. A handkerchief covered with ether was pressed tightly over her mouth and nose from behind. Tao Yueyue looked up and saw an evil-grinning face before her eyes gradually lost focus.


    When she woke up, Tao Yueyue couldn¡¯t really open her eyes because of a dazzling fire. She was lying on a sandy ground without being bound. They were at a secluded river beach, and the bridge in the distance was like a light beam. By the river, the man who kidnapped her was sitting in front of a fire, using a tree branch to y with it. His face was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.


    The effectiveness of the anesthetic hadn¡¯tpletely faded. Tao Yueyue could barely support her body upright. "Who are you?!"


    "Even though I¡¯ve undergone cosmetic surgery several times, you should know who I am because we met when you were very young¡­" The man drew a knife out. "''Little girl, choose one. You or your mother needs to die''!"


    A huge panic filled her heart. Tao Yueyue seemed unable to breathe. She said a name out loud. "Zhou Xiao?!"


    The other party grinned. This savage smile was like a beast showing its fangs. It evoked the memories Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t want to face. She got up to run but fell down and gave herself a mouthful of sand. However, she still desperately wed at the sand as she tried crawling forward. Even though there was a river in front of her, she had to flee. Even if it were a sea of mes, she still had to flee.


    Zhou Xiao stuck the knife in the sand, walked over to pick up the skinny Tao Yueyue, and put her back where she started. He also sat back in the position he was in earlier. "Do I have to establish authority in a simple and primitive way? How does your Uncle Song normally treat you? As long as you¡¯re obedient and don''t run away, I won''t beat you. Are you hungry yet?"


    Tao Yueyue finally smelled the scent of meat in the fire, but she was uninterested. She stared at Zhou Xiao''s eyes that were illuminated by the fire and asked, "Why did you kidnap me? You want to use me to ckmail Uncle Chen?!"


    "Haha!" Zhou Xiaoughed up to the sky. "To threaten him? What does he matter?! He wasn¡¯t our match from the beginning. A small policeman isn¡¯t worthy of being our opponent."


    Zhou Xiao fished out a tin foil bag that had been roasting in the fire. As soon as the cold wind blew, the hot tin foil cooled down. When it was opened, the inside had a leg ofmb. Zhou Xiao cut the meat on it with a knife and brought it to his mouth. He was very efficient and it could be seen that he was someone skilled and experienced with knives. Zhou Xiao indulged himself in eating, looking at all the lights in the distance from time to time.


    Tao Yueyue observed her surroundings. A van was parked not too far away with the words "Purchasing old appliances and furniture" written on it. A steep path led to the road above, with cars passing by.


    She grabbed a handful of sand and figured out an escape n. She would throw the sand into Zhou Xiao''s eyes and rush to the car!


    She may not be able to drive the car, but she could hide inside and lock the door¡­


    No, no, the best way was to rush to the road and call for help. As long as you stood in front of pedestrians or under a security camera, she would be safe. No matter how rampant Zhou Xiao was, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do as he pleased in front of pedestrians.


    Tao Yueyue was so nervous that her throat became dry. At this time, Zhou Xiao turned his face around and asked coldly, "Want to use sand to blind my eyes and run away?"


    Gulp!


    Tao Yueyue swallowed down her saliva and her eyes were flustered.


    "You can try it, but let''s make an agreement. Every time you fail to escape, I will cut off a part of you!" Zhou Xiao raised his knife and waved it around. "You''d better think about it more before you run away because the chances are limited!" Then, he grinned again.


    Tao Yueyue turned her head and looked up. There was a pedestrian standing on the side of the road looking over. Zhou Xiao saw through Tao Yueyue''s thoughts as though he had mind-reading abilities and said, "There¡¯s no use calling for help."


    Zhou Xiao cut off a piece ofmb and brought it over to Tao Yueyue''s mouth.


    The thought of not being able to go home and see Chen Shi caused a huge psychological gap which made Tao Yueyue extremely angry. She wanted to get rid of this piece of meat, or spit on it, but at the same time, she also anticipated the results of her resistance. Although she was smart, she was also very timid. She was afraid of suffering.


    Be patient! Find a chance to escape!


    Thus, she opened her mouth and ate the piece of meat. Zhou Xiao praised, "What a good girl!"


    "Why did you kidnap me?"


    "Take a guess!"


    "I¡¯m the only person alive who has seen your face? So you want to kill me to seal my lips forever?"


    "If that''s the case, what I¡¯d be eating now would be your meat¡­" Zhou Xiao raised the leg ofmb in his hand. "I¡¯ve been wanted for so many years and have changed my face three or four times. Would I care about that? As long as I¡¯m willing, I can walk on the roads, passing by the police, and even say hello! Other wanted criminals flee abroad and pretend to be wild men in the mountains, but I live well in Long''an. The streets and alleys here are so familiar to me that it¡¯s like the hair on the top of my hand. This is my home, and the police can''t find me even if they die trying."


    Tao Yueyue looked at this boastful smiling face across the fire. "I can''t guess why."


    Zhou Xiao held the leg ofmb and tore the meat off with his teeth. He chewed and the tendons creaked in his teeth. His smile slowly faded. "I suffered some shocks. At first, I thought I had already surpassed my teacher, but I was mmed onto the ground severely by reality. Even though my teacher is no longer here, his teachings are still so meaningful! I should listen to him. I should carry out his will well. Tao Yueyue, you¡¯re one of Teacher¡¯s wills!"

 Chapter 885: Succession Plan

    <h4>Chapter 885: Session n</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue looked at Zhou Xiao in bewilderment. "I¡­ I don''t understand. What is the rtionship between me and Zhou Tiannan?"


    "Take a guess!"


    Tao Yueyue''s first thought was that she didn''t have a father and that her mother was a prostitute. Could it be that Zhou Tiannan was her¡­? No. It was impossible. There wouldn''t be so many bizarre things.


    Tao Yueyue shook her head.


    "Do you remember the orphanage?"


    Tao Yueyue''s eyes widened. After she had be an orphan, she did stay in an orphanage, but that hadn''tsted long. Soon after, she was adopted by a driver who imed to be "Song Lang''s friend".


    "The orphanage was secretly sponsored by the teacher." Zhou Xiao calmly told her the shocking truth. "I let you go on a whim and the teacher scolded me severely. However, it would be too difficult to get rid of this loose end by then. You were protected by the police, and the teacher secretly operated to ask the people in the orphanage to take you away. A child in the orphanage dying in an ident wouldn¡¯t be suspected by outsiders anyway. However¡­ you showed amazing talents in the orphanage. Those children teamed up to bully you, but you countered them with tricks. All the children who bullied you suffered. The teacher saw all this. He discovered a treasure and changed his mind. He didn¡¯t want you to die. He wanted to train you to be one of us!"


    Tao Yueyue suddenly thought about the orphanage. After she retaliated against her ssmates, there would always be an uncle who would talk to her and his words implied vicious meanings, suggesting that she could use more extreme methods.


    At the time, she was too young, and her memory was iplete. She only remembered the sunlighting through the office window, the white teeth that the uncle showed when he smiled, as well as the cigar that he always held in his hand.


    Zhou Xiao spread his hands. "However, a meddlesome driver came and wanted to adopt you. His procedures were legal. We could only let you go. However, the teacher intended to make you an orphan again! We secretly observed the driver and using some clues, we discovered that he was actually Song Lang who was made miserable by us framing him back then. No wonder he had to adopt you. He wanted to protect you, a little witness, by his side! It can only be said that Song Lang was fortunate. He didn¡¯t just be a driver, but he helped the police crack cases. He was too close to the police and we couldn¡¯t take action. A ''low-key life'' had always been a principle the teacher followed. However, you didn¡¯t let the teacher down. You¡¯re still a little poisonous snake even in junior high, and you have extraordinary talents. Out of love for you, the teacher even quit his original school and transferred to your school, ready to personally enlighten you. Unfortunately, the teacher suffered misfortune and this n to cultivate his sessor was shelved."


    Listening to this, Tao Yueyue''s clenched fists kept sweating. This group of people secretly participated in the process of her growth.


    Zhou Xiao said with piercing eyes, "Tao Yueyue, you and I both know what your nature is. Your talent is very good. Kindness is just a hypocritical contract that the weak abide by. A truly strong person wouldn¡¯t abide by such boring things. Do you want to be a sheep or a wolf? Only I can guide you to be the character you want to be!"


    Tao Yueyue finally spoke. She was so tense her voice changed. "Are you trying to turn me into your aplice?"


    "Not just that."


    "I''m currently missing. Uncle Chen doesn''t know that I¡¯vee into contact with you. Are you going to let me go back as your undercover agent?"


    Zhou Xiao said towards the sky, "Teacher, this kid is really smart. She understands as soon as I start talking. You didn''t choose the wrong person!"


    Tao Yueyue trembled at Zhou Xiao''s motive, but she still had the hope of going home. She said, "What are you going to teach me¡­ I can''t stay outside for too long. Otherwise, Uncle Chen will be suspicious."


    "Don''t be impatient. Teacher Zhou''s lessons have to be digested slowly. Why did you run away from home?"


    "I¡­ I killed a ssmate."


    Zhou Xiao raised his eyebrows. "Let''s talk about it!"


    Tao Yueyue talked about it briefly. She was very nervous talking to this person, so nervous that there was no feeling in her voice.


    After listening, Zhou Xiao said, "You¡¯re going back now because you saw the news and knew that he wasn¡¯t actually killed by you?"


    Nod.


    "Then do you know who pushed this Liang Zuoming into the middle of the road?"


    "You?"


    "I had to because your n was too stupid. I needed to stop it, so I had to kill the person you wanted to kill first."


    Tao Yueyue smelled the scent of lies from his exaggerated body movements. It couldn¡¯t be him at all because Zhou Xiao was busymitting crimes over the past two days. He didn''t have the time to pay attention to a child''s childish revenge.


    "Thank you." She said stiffly.


    Zhou Xiao walked over, which scared Tao Yueyue so much she shrank her neck back. Zhou Xiao rubbed her head. "Yueyue is such a good girl. No wonder the teacher likes you so much." Then, he put his arm around Tao Yueyue''s shoulders and whispered to her, "The ss I want to give you will benefit you a lot and let you discover your true self. Aren¡¯t you looking forward to it?"


    Tao Yueyue was so nervous that every pore on her shrank. Her hand touched a stone under the sand, but she didn¡¯t dare to resist at this time because the other party was not an ordinary bad person. He was a real demon.


    Zhou Xiao stood up, kicked the sand over to extinguish the fire, and said, "Let''s go! I''ll take you back."


    Tao Yueyue could only follow him into the dpidated van, and her tears fell as she looked at the numerous house lights outside the window. She wanted to go home, but she knew that she had to bear it and wait for the right opportunity.


    Perhaps this catastrophe was God''s punishment for herself. For what she had done to Liang Zuoming.


    With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhou Xiao¡¯s van passed along streets both familiar and unfamiliar. Tao Yueyue saw the police patrolling on the way, but they didn¡¯t suspect the dpidated van. Zhou Xiao asked, "Do you know how much my bounty is?"


    "The news said it was 200,000¡­"


    "That''s just a reward from the police. The family members of the people I killed have set up a reward on the Inte. They¡¯re providing 400,000 for clues and catching me will have a reward of 2,000,000¡­ This amounts to nothing. The bounty I have on me in the underworld is astronomical. I want to earn this money myself, hahaha!"


    Talking about his situation, Zhou Xiao''s tone was very excited, as if it was a manifestation of his life value.


    It waste at night and they got to a street that was still lively. Zhou Xiao parked the car on the side of the road and told Tao Yueyue to follow him.


    Tao Yueyue followed Zhou Xiao and strangers brushed past. In their eyes, these two people might just be an ordinary pair of father and daughter. Tao Yueyue looked at the dark alley on the side of the road, wondering if she could run and get rid of Zhou Xiao.


    When Zhou Xiao passed by a fruit stand, he casually picked up an apple, rubbed it on his clothes, bit it, and said without looking back, "If you run, many people will die here!"


    "I¡­ I won''t run."


    Zhou Xiao squatted down in front of a stall selling little mice, teased the round and stupid little mice in the cage with his fingers, and threw the apple core in for them. He turned his head around and said to Tao Yueyue, "Come here. Pick four mice!"

 Chapter 886: Little Mice

    <h4>Chapter 886: Little Mice</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue watched the little mice digging through the wood shavings and hesitated. The smile on Zhou Xiao''s face gradually dimmed. "Hurry up. Don''t make me repeat myself."


    She pointed out four little mice timidly. Zhou Xiao took them out and asked the boss to put them in a small green iron cage.


    Zhou Xiao carried the iron cage and led her into a dark housing district. He hummed a song all the way to the door of an apartment, looked for his keys all over his body, and then took out a pair of lock-picking tools and handed them to Tao Yueyue. ¡°Let me see what you can do."


    "I¡­ I don''t know how."


    Zhou Xiao kept smiling and pped Tao Yueyue in the face, catching her off guard. Her eyes went dark and her ears were still buzzing for a long period of time. Zhou Xiao said, "Don''t lie to me. You can''t imagine how much I know about you."


    Tao Yueyue''s cheeks were hot, like something was attached to it. Grief and anger filled her chest, but she forcibly resisted the urge to cry in front of this man.


    Thus, she took the lock-picking tools, poked it into the keyhole, fiddled a few times, and with a click, the door opened. It only took around twenty seconds.


    Zhou Xiao whistled. "You¡¯re someone with unmatched talent, Tao Yueyue!"


    The environment in the apartment was very normal. Tao Yueyue nced at the shoe rack. It seemed to belong to a family of three. There were scratches on the wall, fallen objects on the TV cab and a few drops of dim blood on the carpet. It faintly suggested that the people here had already been met with misfortune.


    Zhou Xiao put the iron cage containing the little mice on the coffee table, fell on the sofa, and smoked with his neck raised up. He said, "There¡¯s things to eat in the refrigerator."


    Tao Yueyue stood motionless. When Zhou Xiao''s dark eyes turned over, she moved her legs and said to herself in her heart, What are you doing? The general policy right now is to please and obey this man so that there¡¯s hope of escape.


    There was arge refrigerator at the entrance of the kitchen. When she opened the refrigerator, it turns out that the toppartment was a freezer, which was full ofrge pieces of flesh and bones. There were clots of blood on it, and the icy freezer fan exposed a fluffy white thing. At first, Tao Yueyue thought it was a melon, but when she looked at it clearly, she found that there were ears and a nose on the melon¡­


    Zhou Xiao burst into a mischievousugh. "You actually didn¡¯t scream, haha! The food is below!"


    It took five seconds for her soul to return to Tao Yueyue''s body. The person in the freezer was probably the owner of the house. She felt a deep tremor in his heart. This person could actually kill someone, put them in the refrigerator, and then live in the home of the deceased like this. There was no trace of human emotion in his empty heart.


    Tao Yueyue dared not eat a bite of the food taken out of the refrigerator. She could only think of the people stuffed in the upperyer of the refrigerator. Zhou Xiao went to the kitchen to fetch a cutting board, put it on the table in the living room, and poured a box of thumbtacks on top. Then, he grabbed a little mouse from the cage and asked Tao Yueyue to look at it.


    He slowly pressed a thumbtack into the front paw of the little mouse and nailed it to the chopping board. The little mouse twisted desperately and made a squeaking cry as its little ck bean eyes seemed to have liquid oozing out of them. Zhou Xiao seemed to enjoy the process very much. He pressed down on the other front paw of the little mouse and nailed it down with another thumbtack.


    Looking at the struggling little mouse, Tao Yueyue trembled ceaselessly. Zhou Xiao asked, "Do you know why I can do this so easily?"


    "Because you¡¯re an animal¡­"


    Zhou Xiao showed that scary smile again. Tao Yueyue regretted her recklessness. She was afraid of being beaten again. Zhou Xiao said, "Because you will never feel the pain of others. Look at how much this little thing struggles. It¡¯s miserable, but do I have any feelings? Not at all. No matter how much you torture and abuse another person, the pain only lies with them. When you figure this out, you¡¯ll be invincible."


    Zhou Xiao held up a thumbtack with his fingertips and handed it to Tao Yueyue. "Come on. Pin the back two feet down."


    Tao Yueyue took it slowly. The mouse''s miserable movements were as though it was desperately begging for mercy. The other three mice in the cage were infected by this and jumped around wildly, making sad cries of sadness for their own kind.


    She couldn''t cross this boundary in her heart. She knew very well that Zhou Xiao did this to make her abandon her sympathy, to gradually be as numb and cold as him.


    "Faster!!!"


    Tao Yueyue was shocked by his sudden roar. Suddenly, she made up her mind to end the pain of the little mouse. She grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it down. The little mouse twitched and stopped moving.


    Zhou Xiao was slightly startled. "Good fellow. Why did you finish your next piece of homework ahead of schedule?"


    Tao Yueyue threw down the ashtray, rushed to the bathroom, and vomited in the toilet so much that tears came out.


    She grabbed the edge of the toilet and thought about going out and fighting this devil, but she still gave up this n. If she couldn''t survive, it would be meaningless.


    How many people had Zhou Xiao killed over the past ten years? He was ying hide-and-seek with the police in the huge Long¡¯an. Nothing would change even if one more girl died in his hands.


    "Come here when you''re done!" Zhou Xiao ordered.


    Tao Yueyue walked over to him slowly. Zhou Xiao had cleaned up the cutting board and re-arranged it. There was a fierce light in his small but long eyes. "Don¡¯t think you can choose the easy way out. Take a mouse out and nail all four feet down!"


    "I¡­ Can I not learn this?!" Tao Yueyue pleaded.


    "Oh? Do you think this is unnecessary to learn, or do you disdain this kind of learning?"


    "You¡­ you want me to be an undercover agent and provide you with police intelligence. What use is it for me to learn this?"


    Zhou Xiao held his cigarette butt, pulled Tao Yueyue¡¯s hand over and looked at her tender palm. Fear screamed in Tao Yueyue¡¯s mind. She trembled without stopping. Zhou Xiao slowly took out his cigarette butt. "What a beautiful hand. It was the first time you¡¯ve killed, right? It¡¯s not that you didn¡¯t have the courage to kill, nor did youck the power. It¡¯s the sympathy, kindness, and morality that those people instilled in you that¡¯s restricting your nature. I did all this to liberate your true nature. Only if you learn to kill will you not be afraid of others. Then, you¡¯ll be truly powerful!"


    As he said so, he smiled distortedly, and then let go of his hand.


    Tao Yueyue looked at the three little mice huddled together. "We don''t need to start with them if we¡¯re killing people!"


    "You mean to say that if I bring you a living person back right now, you have the guts to kill them?"


    Although she knew it was drinking poison to quench her thirst, Tao Yueyue nodded desperately. She could only dy second by second. She really couldn''t do harm to the little mice, even if she were to die.


    Zhou Xiao smiled in a way where you couldn¡¯t make out what he was thinking about. "Okay, take an early rest and we will continue our sses tomorrow!" He pointed with his finger. "You go to that room to sleep. Go to the bathroom first. You¡¯re not allowed toe out at night."


    Tao Yueyue nodded. Just when she was about to leave, Zhou Xiao said, "Come back."


    "¡­"


    "How do you and Song Lang say goodnight to each other?"


    "We don¡¯t do anything¡­"


    "Say goodnight to me! In a more familiar way."


    Zhou Xiao leaned on the sofa and stared at Tao Yueyue like an interviewer. Tao Yueyue could only nod her head against her will. "Uncle Zhou, good night."


    "Okay, very good. I will make you forget Song Lang!"

 Chapter 887: Escape At Midnight

    <h4>Chapter 887: Escape At Midnight</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, her tears had dried and flowed repeatedly. The night outside the window was dark and gloomy, and the scattered windows with their lights on outside were likenterns floating in the vast night sky.


    After a long inner struggle, her eyes finally became firm. Fantasy and regret wouldn''t save her. If she wanted to go home, she would have to rely on herself!


    She walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked down. This was a ten-story high-rise building. She had no way of escaping from the window. Of course, she could choose to jump, but that was meaningless. She had to survive!


    The bedroom door had a metal ball-shaped handle which could only be locked from the inside. Was Zhou Xiao not worried about her running awayte at night?


    Tao Yueyue reached for the doorknob with her hand. In the silence, she heard a ¡°zzz¡± sound. It was very subtle, like a wire was leaking electricity somewhere. She suddenly had a hunch. She found a nail in the house and inserted it in a piece of rubber. She pinched the rubber and stretched the tip of the nail to the metal handle.


    A small arc of electricity noisily appeared between the nail and the handle.


    Sure enough, the door handle had electricity running through it.


    Tao Yueyue searched the bedroom, took apart a teddy bear, wrapped its lining and pillow towel around her hand to act as an instor, and then carefully touched the doorknob to make sure that there would be no electric shock before holding it tightly and opening the door.


    The other side of the door handle was wrapped with an uninsted wire, and the plug at the other end of the wire was directly inserted into the socket. The electrical current would have definitely made her fall to the ground instantly or caused her to scream.


    Not only that, there were two beer bottles ced upside down by the door with a thin thread tied between them.


    Tao Yueyue avoided these sinister traps and went to the living room. Zhou Xiao¡¯s snoring sound came from the master bedroom where he was sleeping. Tao Yueyue used the lightest of steps to get to the security door. The door chain would make a sound when you moved it.


    This would inevitably rm Zhou Xiao. He was a wanted criminal who had escaped for over a decade. His vignce could only be high.


    After taking a few deep breaths, Tao Yueyue observed her surroundings for what could be used.


    Maybe she could use Zhou Xiao to deal with her own things and then deal with him in turn by setting up barriers in front of his bedroom so that he couldn''t rush out to catch her immediately.


    Tao Yueyue unplugged the wire from the socket and walked to Zhou Xiao¡¯s bedroom. Zhou Xiaoy on the bed shirtless, making whistling snoring sounds. On the wall of the bed, there was a photo of a family of three, smiling happily and sweetly.


    Tao Yueyue clenched her fists. She should wrap the wire around Zhou Xiao''s neck and give the beast an electric shock!


    Of course, she was only thinking about this. She didn''t have that kind of courage, let alone the strength needed.


    If the door were closed, it might rm him.


    Pour ayer of water on the ground and turn it on again? No, as long as Zhou Xiao wore shoes, it would be useless. Furthermore, the water would flow everywhere and she would suffer too.


    Or should she simply block the door with something, like a sofa?


    She immediately denied this n. Whether it was a cab or a sofa, Zhou Xiao could easily push away things that she had to put in a lot of effort to push over. The two were vastly different in strength.


    "Wuuwuu!"


    Suddenly, there was such a sound in the bedroom. Tao Yueyue''s heart shrank in fright, she popped her head into the bedroom where Zhou Xiao was and saw a sack under the window. A moving sack.


    Tao Yueyue turned and walked into the kitchen, opened the upper level of the refrigerator, and held her breath to observe the corpses inside. There were two fluffy heads in the freezing unit, which meant that there was still one person alive in this family of three. That little boy?!


    Zhou Xiao had exined that he would continue to give her "sses" tomorrow. Had he prepared the "textbook" long ago?


    After thinking of this, Tao Yueyue felt her stomach turn. She quickly closed the refrigerator, squatted down by the wall, and covered her mouth while trembling as tears began to swirl in her eyes¡­


    Escape by herself and then call the police to save the child?


    No, this was just self-deception. As long as Zhou Xiao found out that Tao Yueyue was missing, he would immediately kill the child and move away.


    If she abandoned this child, this child would undoubtedly die!


    Tao Yueyue''s chest was constantly rising and falling, frequently taking in oxygen. She finally made up her mind and walked to the anti-theft door. She opened thetch, the door chain and the door lock in turn. The movements sounded particrly shocking against the silent night.


    She opened the door and looked back at the bedroom. Zhou Xiao had already started to move. He was woken. After a few seconds of confusion, he would bepletely awake.


    Tao Yueyue ripped the door open and mmed it against the wall. At the same time, she rushed to hide behind the sofa, counting silently. One, two, three¡­


    When she counted to fifteen, Zhou Xiao rushed out shirtless. He nced at Tao Yueyue¡¯s bedroom, cursed "fuck", kicked the trash can to vent, and then rushed back to the bedroom. In less than half a minute, he came out again. His clothes were on and he hid a knife behind him as he walked out.


    Tao Yueyue''s heart was beating wildly. After hearing Zhou Xiao''s movement downstairs, she ran into Zhou Xiao''s bedroom and untied the opening of the sack. Inside the sack was a thin boy, about ten years old, and he waspletely naked. His body was blue and purple, his hands and feet were tightly wrapped in tape, and his mouth was bandaged.


    "Don''t be afraid, I''m here to save you!"


    After saying these words, Tao Yueyue ran into the kitchen, hurriedly found a knife, and went back.


    The boy was overwhelmed. Seeing the bright knife stretched before him, he twisted his body desperately, making a whining sound. Tao Yueyue instructed anxiously, "Don''t move, I''m not a bad person!"


    Every second, Zhou Xiao may realize that he had been fooled and run back!


    When she cut the tape on the boy''s hands and feet, the boy hit her in the face with a punch, and crawled to the corner of the wall with his hands and feet, hugging his body as he shrank into a ball. Fear hadpletely disabled him from thinking.


    Tao Yueyue couldn''t take care of her bleeding nose and urged, "Hurry and follow me! The bad guy will being back soon!"


    The boy was crying while holding his ears and shook his head desperately, as if that corner was the safest ce.


    "Faster!!!"


    Tao Yueyue grabbed his hand, but the boy fought back fiercely like a stressed cat, scratching her arm. Tao Yueyue was so anxious that she pulled him up and ran out with a force that almost dislocated the boy''s arm. The boy screamed, which revealed their whereabouts.


    Coming to the door, Tao Yueyue had already heard Zhou Xiao''s rapid footsteps turning back below. They could only run upstairs.


    Dragging the soulless little boy to escape upstairs, Tao Yueyue desperately smashed the door of a family and shouted, "Open the door! Someone wants to kill us! Please!"


    No response.


    She continued to knock on the door of a second household and shouted the same words, but there was still no response.


    The shouts had turned on the voice-activated lights of the entire building, and Zhou Xiao¡¯s footsteps were getting closer and closer. Tao Yueyue suddenly realized that it wasn¡¯t that the residents hadn¡¯t heard her. They just didn¡¯t dare to open their doors¡­

 Chapter 888: Showing Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 888: Showing Weakness</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Hearing the heavy footsteps approaching, Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth and encouraged thepletely frightened child. "Don''t be afraid and go knock on the doors!"


    She pushed the boy up. When he got to the twentieth floor, the boy suddenly turned his head around and pushed Tao Yueyue down. As she rolled down the stairs, Tao Yueyue''s brain was nk and her eyes that were revolving as tumbled down saw the boy''s thin, scarred legs were quickly escaping upstairs.


    Tao Yueyue mmed down into the corridor on the floor beneath, and the back of her head almost cracked on the wall. She remembered the saying: "I can''t outrun a tiger, but I can outrun you". At this moment of life and death, the boy actually used her to buy time.


    Of course, this was also "reasonable". To this boy, she was just a stranger.


    Zhou Xiao¡¯s angry face rose slowly from under the stairs. He nced at Tao Yueyue, knocked her back to the ground with a backhand p, and kicked her in the abdomen. Tao Yueyue screamed in pain. There seemed to be magma surging inside her stomach.


    After giving a simple lesson to Tao Yueyue, Zhou Xiao rushed upstairs. There was a boy screaming, "Uncle, Auntie, open the door¡­ ah don''te, don''te¡­ ah!! Ahh!!!"


    Each time the boy screamed, Tao Yueyue shivered until finally his voice disappeared and she knew it was her turn next.


    She tried to get up, but the impact on the back of her head made her sway as if she were drunk. Knowing that she couldn¡¯t escape, she rushed to the door closest to her, mmed on the door, and said, "The uncle inside, tell the police that the murderer is Zhou Xiao and I¡¯m Tao Yueyue."


    She repeated this three times until a low, frightened voice came from inside. "Don''t be at my door. Go away fast. I have already called the police!"


    The heavy footsteps brought the nightmare behind Tao Yueyue. Before she could turn her head around, she was pulled up by her hair and forced to look at Zhou Xiao¡¯s face that was distorted with anger. The knife in Zhou Xiao''s hand was still dripping with warm blood.


    He pointed the knife at the door. "Do you think these cowards dare to open the door?"


    Zhou Xiao threw Tao Yueyue down and kicked at the door wildly. The anti-theft door was kicked until it was dented. He shouted wildly, "The murderer is attacking outside. Open the door, cowards, hahahaha!"


    Hisughter made the voice-activated lights that had just been extinguished light up again. Tao Yueyue seemed to be able to see through the cold doors. The pale faces, and those tremblingly fingers calling 110.


    "Who is the wolf?! Who is the mouse?! Do you want to be a wolf or a mouse?!" Zhou Xiao put his face in front of Tao Yueyue¡¯s, and interrogated fiercely. Tao Yueyue was trembling while holding the handrail of the stairs in fright.


    Zhou Xiao pulled Tao Yueyue''s arm down the stairs. He hurried his steps. Tao Yueyue was dragged and forced to jog. They got into a car. Zhou Xiao took out his lock-picking tools, and ignored the sudden loud rm. The door of the car was pried open forefully.


    There were many people turning on their lights upstairs, but Zhou Xiao didn''t care about this at all. Cowardice and selfishness are the normal states of ordinary people. After all, they didn¡¯t have the power to resist evil.


    Zhou Xiao finally started the car and ordered, "Get in the car!"


    Tao Yueyue sat in the passenger seat obediently, and Zhou Xiao started the car. He ced the murderous knife under the windshield and lighted his cigarette while driving out of the housingmunity. Not long after leaving the housingmunity, the police sirens resounded behind them in the night sky, but instead of chasing them, the police rushed to the scene.


    Tao Yueyue knew that once they arrived at their next hiding ce, Zhou Xiao would definitely punish her severely for what happened tonight. She must show weakness. Must show weakness and use this man''s character to survive.


    "I''m sorry! I just didn''t dare to kill the boy personally. I didn''t intend to run!" Tao Yueyue looked at Zhou Xiao timidly.


    Zhou Xiao stared at her, slightly taken aback. He knew that Tao Yueyue was purposely showing weakness, but he still ate it up and his anger was obviously reduced. He said, "Stop using flowery speech. I will definitely punish you for the things that happened tonight!"


    "I¡­ I will ept the punishment, but¡­ but I might need a little more psychological preparation for murder!"


    "Hmph, I told you to kill the mice and you dared not to kill them, saying that it was okay to just kill someone yourself. Now you want to go back on your word? I must warn you that I have no patience. Also, right now, I¡¯m of a wanted status. You have to do whatever I say. Otherwise next time I will definitely kill you!"


    Tao Yueyue breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that she was spared her this time. "I promise¡­"


    Zhou Xiao popped the cigarette butt out of the window, "There¡¯s nopromise in murder. I will believe you only when you have blood on your hands. If you dare not to even kill, then you are of no use to me. I will deal with things that aren¡¯t useful immediately!"


    Tao Yueyue bit her lip and nodded.


    "Speak up and say ¡®I dare to muder¡¯!" Zhou Xiao shouted.


    "I dare to murder."


    "Good. Wery good!"


    "But¡­ Uncle Zhou, I''m really tired right now. I want to eat something and sleep. When I have a good rest and am mentally prepared, then¡­ I will do this, okay? I promise that from now on, I will definitely listen to you!" Tao Yueyue pleaded quietly.


    Zhou Xiao looked at her and sneered. He parked the car outside a closed clothing store and handed over the lock-picking tools. "Go and steal some clothes."


    Tao Yueyue nodded obediently, took the lock-picking tools, and got out of the car.


    She easily opened the small door on the rolling shutter. After sneaking into the store, Tao Yueyue took two sets of clothes and a small satchel. As she was leaving, she found a window on the wall that she could climb out of as long as she put something underneath as a footstool to get outside.


    However, she gave up this idea and wanted to win the trust of Zhou Xiao, convincing him that she wouldn¡¯t run away, and then escape at the best opportunity.


    Back in the car, Zhou Xiao gave her apliment. He took off his blood-stained T-shirt, put on new clothes, then wiped the blood on the knife with the old clothes. He put the knife in Tao Yueyue''s hand. "Cut thebel for me!"


    He actually turned around and turned his back towards Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue was holding this sharp knife. It was a great opportunity that tempted her. Or perhaps it was another trap.


    She took a deep breath, suppressed the evil thoughts spreading in her heart, grabbed thebel, and gently cut it with the knife. Then, she held the knife upside down to Zhou Xiao.


    Zhou Xiao nced at the new clothes in her hand and said, "Why aren''t you changing?"


    "I¡­ can I go to the back of the car to change?"


    "Change here!"


    "Uncle Zhou, you told me to cut thebel, indicating that you trust me. Thus, you should also trust me. I won¡¯t run."


    Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes and sneered. "You¡¯re really good at talking. Okay, if you go to the back to change and you dare to run¡­"


    "I won''t run!" Tao Yueyue expressed her "loyalty" with firm eyes.


    Zhou Xiao nodded and his tone eased. "Go ahead."


    Tao Yueyue pushed the car door open, got to the rear of the car, took off her clothes, put on new clothes, and threw the old ones to the side of the road. She suddenly wondered if she could leave some messages for Chen Shi, but how would she leave them?

 Chapter 889: Eating Wontons But Not Paying For Them

    <h4>Chapter 889: Eating Wontons But Not Paying For Them</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Watching the dull and in night road, Tao Yueyue gradually became drowsy. Although the smell of smoke in the car was choking, she still fell asleep.


    The shaking of the car awakened her. Zhou Xiao instructed, "Get off!"


    Tao Yueyue rubbed her eyes and found herself in a building with a few dirty half-naked men holding tools such as wrenches and hammers with a dismembered car in the middle of the house.


    Zhou Xiao said to a man with a crescent scar on his face, "Brother Dong, give me a recement."


    The scar-faced man came over and inspected Zhou Xiao¡¯s car inside and out. ¡°There is only one second-hand Jinbei in the garage, but you have to add more money.¡±


    "Put it on credit first."


    The scar-faced man sneered. "That won¡¯t work. You¡¯re a wanted criminal now. If you¡¯re caught by the police, who would we go to for money? Oh, who is this little beauty?" His eyes fell on Tao Yueyue and she hid behind a pir in fear.


    Zhou Xiao pushed the scar-faced man. "I have been wanted for over a decade. Do you think I¡¯ve been arrested? I will give you the money in two days. I never break my promises."


    The scar-faced man turned around and took a cigarette handed to him by his little brother with his mouth, took a few puffs, and said grimly, "We¡¯re a business. So Brother Zhou, don''t make it hard for us."


    A blue vein on Zhou Xiao''s forehead was pulsing, and he asked gloomily, "What the fuck do you mean by that? Without Mr. Zhou, would your broken shop have a firm foothold in the underworld?"


    "That was then. This is now. Mr. Zhou is no longer here. You¡¯re a lone wolf now. After all, we are here to do business!"


    "Mr. Zhou''s kindness to you isn¡¯t worth a car?"


    "If it¡¯s as you said, we also have our problems, Brother Zhou. There are young and old amongst us, and they rely on us to earn money to support their families. Please be considerate of us, Brother Zhou!"


    "Hurry up and fucking swap me a car!"


    "Pay first!"


    The atmosphere gradually became tense, and the younger brothers around each took up their tools and gathered around. Their expressions weren¡¯t good, and Tao Yueyue nervously grabbed his clothes.


    The scar-faced man said, "But it''s okay to give you a free license te."


    Zhou Xiao snorted but had no choice but toply. "Help me get a fake driver''s license as well!"


    "No problem!"


    The scar-faced man instructed a younger brother to open the drawers and take out a pair from the pile of old license tes, then reced the ones on their car.


    Zhou Xiao was asked to take a photo in front of a blue painted wall. The younger brother was sorting it on theputer and printed out the fake driver''s license, stamped it, and put on a cover. The whole process was very familiar to him.


    Tao Yueyue suddenly understood that this was a car dealership that was dedicated to providing services for bad guys.


    Afterwards, the scar-faced man opened the rolling gate to send them away. It was already dawn outside, but there was no one on the street. After the car drove out, the rolling gate behind them closed with a bang. Tao Yueyue secretly took a mental note of this car dealership¡¯s name.


    Zhou Xiao backed the car and drove to the opposite sidewalk. The front of the car was facing the rolling gate of the car dealership. Both feet stepped on the brakes and elerator at the same time, and the tires spun idly on the ground.


    When she understood what Zhou Xiao was going to do, Tao Yueyue was so frightened that her heart began pounding. This man couldn''t swallow down what had transpired just then and was about to crash the car and kill those people.


    "Uncle Zhou, calm down!"


    Tao Yueyue persuaded and Zhou Xiao was taken aback momentarily and almost released the brakes. He said, "Kids shouldn¡¯t interfere in an adult¡¯s business!"


    "You¡¯re wanted everywhere in the city. If you offend your ''friends'' again, there will really be no ce to hide." Tao Yueyue was only afraid that Zhou Xiao would be killed here, and she would also meet with misfortune.


    Zhou Xiao sighed, first releasing the elerator, then releasing the brakes. He slowly drove the car back to the road.


    He lit a cigarette and asked, "You actually care about me?"


    "I was a little afraid of you yesterday, but I have been with you for a while, so I¡¯ve started to trust you a little."


    "Smooth talker!" Zhou Xiao sneered. "Let''s go to eat. What do you want to eat?"


    "Anything is fine¡­"


    Through this little episode, Zhou Xiao started talking more. ¡°Ling Shuang was like you at the beginning, saying that she would do anything for us, except murder. The teacher locked her in with a man and gave her a knife. She screamed, cried, and begged inside it. Suddenly, there were no movements inside. I opened the door and saw that she was kneeling next to the man¡¯s corpse as she kept stabbing the knife in. She looked up. I will never forget her expression at that time. She smiled very happily, like¡­ just like the first time an old virgin knew what it was like to have sex. When you pierce a knife into another person''s body, you will taste something that nothing else can rece."


    Tao Yueyue shuddered, not only out of fear, but also because she actually sympathized with the scene described by Zhou Xiao.


    She remembered Chen Shi''s words: Everyone must be their own prison guard, and the prisoner who needs to be closely guarded is called "Own Nature"!


    Zhou Xiao reached out and rubbed Tao Yueyue''s head. He said gently, "Maybe you can rece Ling Shuang and be my good partner and friend. Of course, you have to pass the exam first."


    "Uncle Zhou, I have to take the junior high examination the day after tomorrow. Can I go home tomorrow¡­"


    "You can. It depends on your performance tonight!"


    Gulp! Tao Yueyue swallowed nervously.


    With the beginning of the day, the number of pedestrians and vehicles on the street gradually increased. While they were parked at a red light, the driver next to Zhou Xiao¡¯s car borrowed his lighter. The driver saw Tao Yueyue and asked, "Sending your daughter to school? "


    Zhou Xiao smiled and replied, "Yes! It¡¯s estimated that we¡¯ll bete again today. The road conditions are too terrible."


    "It''s because Road XX is getting repaired. Haii, I have to spend an extra hour at work now."


    The two of them talked about the road conditions, and they smiled and said goodbye to each other when the green light came on.


    Tao Yueyue thought to herself that the driver who spoke to him would never have imagined that this man was a wicked serial killer. Chen Shi said that most of the murderers gave the impression of being polite and orderly. Zhou Xiao, who was chatting with the driver, gave Tao Yueyue a very good demonstration ss.


    The two arrived at another secluded street. A wonton dumpling shop was open. Therge aluminum pot at the door was steaming up, but there were no customers in the shop. The boss greeted them warmly, "What would you two like to eat?"


    "Two bowls of wontons."


    "Okay, please sit inside. There¡¯s tea on the table."


    After getting seated, Zhou Xiao lit up another cigarette. Tao Yueyue silently calcted that he had smoked 34 cigarettes fromst night till now.


    "Uncle Zhou, you should have no money. How are you going to pay?" Tao Yueyue asked in a low voice.


    Zhou Xiao grabbed the chopsticks and dug at his ears. He said with a smile, "Isn¡¯t that easy? After eating, we just need to drag the boss to the kitchen and kill him."


    Tao Yueyue was so frightened that her palms turned cold. She turned her head and nced at the boss who was making the wontons. The heat steamed his cheeks to be red. He was probably happy to have customers. Tao Yueyue said, "That doesn¡¯t sound too good. It¡¯ll alert the police."


    "The police are like stupid pigs. They will only check who the man has fought with, which prostitute he¡¯s used, and who can get his inheritance. They will never think that I don''t want to pay for wontons. What of criminal psychology, crime re-enactment, criminal sociology? All of these are just for show. Most police would stand there looking at the fat man''s body. Can they can infer that the motive for the murder was that I didn¡¯t want to pay for the wontons? Hahaha, motherfuckers!


    Tao Yueyue felt sorry for the boss. When the wontons were served, she ate them slowly, wondering if she could save the boss''s life.


    With an idea, she came to the desk with half-eaten wontons and said, "Uncle, can you add some soup?"


    "Haha, just say so in your seat. Uncle will add it for you!" the boss said in a gentle tone for talking to children.


    When the boss turned around to scoop up the soup, Tao Yueyue quickly stole fifty yuan from the cash register and held it in her palm. She grabbed the bowl, thanked him, and returned to her table, whispering to Zhou Xiao, "Uncle Zhou, you can pay for the bill now since we have money."


    "You¡¯re pretty clever!" Zhou Xiao took the banknotes. Then, his expression changed. "Boss, this little girl is stealing your money!"

 Chapter 890: The Villain’s Dignity

    <h4>Chapter 890: The Viin¡¯s Dignity</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue was shocked and didn''t know what Zhou Xiao was ying at.


    The boss walked over, looked at the banknotes in Zhou Xiao¡¯s hand, and at Tao Yueyue, deliberately bluffing, ¡°Okay, how courageous. How do you want topensate me? Go! Go to the back and wash the dishes for me!"


    Zhou Xiao pped his hands on his thigh andughed. Tao Yueyue only realized then that the two people knew each other.


    "Just now I teased her saying that I¡¯ll kill the boss since I had no money to pay for the wontons. This silly girl took it seriously."


    "Haha, so it turns out that I have to thank her. Brother Zhou, who is this little girl?"


    Zhou Xiao didn''t answer, but nced outside. His smile suddenly faded. "Yueyue, you and the boss should go to the back. Let him find something for you to do."


    "Don''t freeze up ande with me!"


    The boss took Tao Yueyue¡¯s arm and brought her to the kitchen. At this time, a dwarf in a suit and leather shoes walked into the store. His face seemed to be dented in the middle. The dwarf walked straight to the opposite of Zhou Xiao and climbed up to sit on the chair that Tao Yueyue was just sitting at.


    Tao Yueyue was taken into the kitchen. The boss pointed to the greasy chopping board. "Help me cut the pork into strips."


    Tao Yueyue picked up the heavy meat cleaver. The knife was so big and heavy that she could hardly grasp it. Then, she held down a piece of hind leg meat with her hand and pulled the knife back and forth on it. It took a long time for her to cut a thick strip off. While she was working, she overheard the conversation outside. She heard the dwarf saying, "Five people. Four million. Think about it."


    Zhou Xiao replied, "I don''t want to pick up jobs over these next few days. You should find someone else!"


    Seeing her stop, the boss smacked her bum crisply and urged, "Don''t stop. Continue cutting."


    A burst of nausea passed from Tao Yueyue¡¯s tailbone to the back of her head. She could only grit her teeth and continued to rub the meat cleaver on the meat. The boss was impatient and said, "Cutting like you¡¯re doing, it wouldn¡¯t even be finished when XX is recovered. Give me the knife."


    The boss grabbed the knife and quickly scraped it a few times on a sharpening rod. Then, he quickly chopped a whole hind leg¡¯s worth of meat into small strips with some ¡°dongdongdongdong¡± sounds. The cut meat strips automatically flew to the cutting board to the right.


    "Stuff these into the meat grinder." The boss ordered.


    Tao Yueyue silently stuffed the meat one by one into an electric meat grinder next to them. When she was halfway through, the meat grinder suddenly started. Tao Yueyue retreated in fright. The cunning boss attacked her from behind. Two generous and heavy palms held her waist. A stubble-bearded face appeared next to one of her shoulders and a warm, bad breath exhaled from his mouth. "Haha, were you frightened?"


    Perceiving the other party''s nasty intentions, Tao Yueyue struggled to get rid of him and prepared to escape, but the boss kicked the door closed with his feet, raising his eyebrows. "Brother Zhou asked you to work here. He¡¯s talking about things with someone else! What are you afraid of? Uncle here isn¡¯t going to eat you."


    Tao Yueyue had goosebumps all over her body, and the buzzing sound of the electric meat grinder became the best cover. The boss slowly approached her with a wretched smile on his face. He reached out and tried to touch Tao Yueyue¡¯s face. "This little girl is so cute. Will you be a goddaughter for uncle?"


    "Zhou Xiao will kill you!" Tao Yueyue warned.


    "Oh, I''m so scared!" The boss smiled nonchntly. "What are you doing against the wall? Come here. Your clothes will get dirty!"


    The huge body of the boss brought about a full sense of oppression. Tao Yueyue took a few deep breaths and suddenly went to pull the door open. The boss took advantage of his geographical advantage to block the door with his foot. He grabbed Tao Yueyue¡¯s arm and put the back of her hand under his nose that was overflowing with nose hairs. Then, he inhaled hard. "Wow, you¡¯re so fragrant. This beautiful little hand is wasted cutting meat. Why don''t we do something interesting instead? What do you think?"


    "Stay away from me!" Tao Yueyue shouted and pped the boss.


    The boss touched his cheek and smiled even more.


    Tao Yueyue remembered what Chen Shi had said about where men were most afraid of being hit and mmed her knees against the boss'' crotch.


    Only then did the boss taste pain. He clutched at his crotch and spun around for two and a half times. Tao Yueyue took this opportunity to pull the door open again, but it was held down again by the boss. This time the movement was a bit loud.


    The boss wasn¡¯t angry. "You broke uncle''s ce. You have to blow for your uncle now."


    "Go away! Damn fat pig!" Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth. She looked at the knife stuck in the chopping board and evil thoughts arose in her heart.


    The word "fat pig" truly angered the boss. His smile was fixed on his face, and he pointed Tao Yueyue''s nose with a sausage-like index finger. He was about to spit out a few threatening words. At this time, the door opened. Zhou Xiao was standing at the door with a hostile expression.


    The moment she saw him, Tao Yueyue felt a sense of relief. Her reason warned her not to let this feeling develop, otherwise it would develop into hopeless Stockholm syndrome.


    "What''s the matter?" Zhou Xiao asked coldly.


    "This little girl is too impolite, hitting and swearing. I was just joking around." The boss looked innocent.


    "Just joking around?"


    Zhou Xiao suddenly punched the boss in the abdomen and pressed his head on the greasy chopping board, sticking the meat cleaver next to his ear. "So a phoenix with its feathers plucked is no better than a chicken? Nowadays, nobody is taking me seriously, like I¡¯m a dog. You dare to touch my people?"


    "Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou¡­"


    "It''s useless even if you sing!"


    The boss suddenly yelled out. It turned out that the knife had already started cutting his ear, and a small shallow wound was present. The boss shouted, "You can''t touch me! I''m part of Shu Ke¡¯s gang! If you touch me, you¡¯re dead¡­ Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin,e and help me!"


    The dwarf in the suit came in and soothed, "Brother Zhou, calm down. You can''t cut his ears off. He¡¯s someone from Shu Ke¡¯s gang."


    "Then don''t you know who I am?!" Zhou Xiao roared.


    "You¡¯re a bereavement dog. Who doesn''t fucking know that you don''t have a backer right now?" After bringing up his backer, the boss''s confidence suddenly rose.


    Zhou Xiao hit the boss''s ass from behind and the boss screamed, "You¡¯re hitting me again! You who¡¯s surnamed Zhou, I will never let you off¡­ unless you let that little girl stay with me tonight."


    Tao Yueyue trembled all over. The person who was getting threatened by the knife was actually threatening the person who threatened him with the knife. It was really absurd.


    She was afraid that Zhou Xiao would sumb to this force and make her spend the night with this disgusting fat man.


    Zhou Xiaoughed with anger. "I¡¯ll cut your ear off for sure today."


    "Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin, call my boss quickly." The boss cried out for help.


    The dwarf stretched out a hand. "Zhou Xiao, calm down. I''ll contact Shu Ke. Let''s try our best to reduce big troubles into small ones and small ones into nothing, okay?"


    The dwarf took out his cell phone and after dialing, his attitude suddenly became respectful. "Mr. Shu, your subordinate and Zhou Xiao are having a little dispute¡­" After a brief exnation, he turned his face over. "Shu Ke said, ¡®You killed Old Lie and now half of the underworld is chasing you down. I only turned a blind eye because of the friendship I had with Mr. Zhou, but you¡¯re acting so fucking arrogant in my territory! Let him go!¡¯"


    The boss breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Qin, please add that I want this little girl to stay with me for one night as an apology."


    The dwarf said, "Don''t worry about that. If it weren¡¯t for you not controlling your dick, would it havee to this?"


    Zhou Xiao said, "You tell Shu Ke that I¡¯m going to take this ear no matter what. In exchange, I can help him get rid of the kid who sneakily sold ecstasy in Night Paris."


    The dwarf sighed, exined to the other end of the phone, and then conveyed the other party''s meaning, "Shu Ke said, ¡®If you can kill the kid and his whole family, I can agree.¡¯"


    "No. We can exchange one ear for one life, but I can make that kid die a bit more miserably."


    The dwarf conveyed this, and then said, "Shu Ke said, ¡®Deal!¡¯"


    Zhou Xiao grinned. Amid the boss''s screams, something bloody flew into the meat grinder¡­

 Chapter 891: Be Careful

    <h4>Chapter 891: Be Careful</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Zhou Xiao brought a te of dumplings over and threw it on the table roughly. The boss with a bandage on his head shuddered. The four people in the shop knew what fillings the dumplings were made of. The dwarf who temporarily acted as a peacemaker said, "Brother Zhou, why bother? The ear has been cut off and he¡¯s apologized. Are you still unhappy?"


    As the dwarf said these empty words, he poured the vinegar and pushed it over to the boss, who gave him a surprised look.


    Tao Yueyue was happily watching the drama unfold. Although Zhou Xiao wasn¡¯t a good person, the boss was even more disgusting. They were like the difference between cyanide and feces. This is what it means to say a wicked person will suffer in the hands of wicked people.


    Zhou Xiao pointed his finger at the boss. "Never do that kind of thing to children!" Then, he pointed to the dumplings, "Eat it and it''s over for today."


    The boss looked awkward and said to the dwarf, "Mr. Qin, you should call Shu Ke¡­"


    "You keep calling. Shu Ke will think you¡¯re a bother."


    "Eat!!" Zhou Xiao shouted.


    The boss picked up the chopsticks, sighed, picked up the dumplings, dipped them in vinegar, and delivered them to his mouth. The first few were okay. But when one of them was eaten, his brows suddenly wrinkled. Then, he chewed hard. His mouth made crunching sounds.


    The dwarf was curious. "What does it taste like?"


    "You should try one!" The boss pushed the dumplings irritably.


    "Let''s go!" Zhou Xiao stood up.


    As she walked out, Tao Yueyue nced back at the boss. She kicked therge aluminum pot in front of the door. Hot soup and dumplings scattered everywhere, and then she mouthed the word "scum".


    In response, Zhou Xiao cast an approving look.


    Seeing the two driving away, the boss''s breathing became heavier. The dumplings in his mouth hadn¡¯t been swallowed, but it was impossible to swallow them. He said to the dwarf, "Mr. Qin, I want to hire a killer privately!"


    "Just for this?" The dwarf pointed to the te. "Forget it. You finally saved up your retirement funds. It''s better to get an external ear shaping."


    The boss picked up a dumpling and shook it in his hand. "This is not a matter regarding an ear; it''s dignity. Zhou Xiao now has no backers. I want him dead!"


    The dwarf groaned. "If you want to kill him, you have to hire a skilled expert."


    In the car, Zhou Xiao asked, "Do you know why I wanted to help you?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head.


    "There used to be a perverted uncle in the vige who forced me to lick his cock. When I resisted, he found a group of people to retaliate against me. I didn''t even dare to leave my house. I had no choice but to go to work out of town. I was only a teenager¡­ I¡¯m still so upset about this, so I can¡¯t stand this kind of thing."


    "Then have you taken revenge?"


    "It''s ridiculous to say when I¡¯ve killed so many people, but I haven¡¯t avenged myself, and that bad old man is still ruling in my hometown." Zhou Xiao put a cigarette in his mouth, but he couldn''t find the lighter.


    Tao Yueyue picked up the lighter that fell under the seat, lit it, and tilted it closer to Zhou Xiao''s mouth. She said, "Thank you. If it weren''t for your help, this matter would probably be psychological trauma for the rest of my life."


    "Tao Yueyue, are you a virgin?" Zhou Xiao stared at her and asked. There was no lust in his eyes.


    "Y¡­ Yes!"


    "The teacher said that sexual intercourse and killing are the ultimate two things for human beings, just like the North Pole and the South Pole. After experiencing these two ultimate things, life is then vast. Do you understand?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head desperately.


    "Haha, I don''t understand what the teacher said either, but I think his words have a kind of magical power."


    "Zhou Tian¡­ Is Teacher Zhou that influential?"


    "Of course! Without him, there would be no underworld pattern in Long¡¯an. We¡¯re not an underworld crime-syndicate that engages in prostitutes, gambling and drugs, but the whole underworld respects us! That¡¯s because our business is only one thing - murder. We¡¯re the fastest knife in Long¡¯an. All the people who offended Teacher Zhou wouldn¡¯t meet with good ends." Zhou Xiao sighed. "As a result, he suddenly left us. I once wanted to avenge the teacher. Now, I¡¯ve let it go. We should start our own business and pass on the teacher¡¯s incense."


    There was a police officer in front of them checking cars. Zhou Xiao made a gesture to Tao Yueyue to keep silent. The police came over to salute and asked to check Zhou Xiao¡¯s driver''s license. Zhou Xiao smiled calmly.


    Tao Yueyue was shocked. It stands to reason that the police should have all been issued Zhou Xiao''s wanted warrants. She immediately figured out that Zhou Xiao seemed to have undergone cosmetic surgery. That is, the police didn¡¯t know what he looked like now.


    "Wait, sir, your driver''s license¡­" The police repeatedly looked at Zhou Xiao''s face. "It''s about to expire!"


    "Oh, I n to go to the driving school to retake the exam in a few days. I¡¯ve been too busy these days."


    "Is that your daughter?"


    "Yes!"


    The police were still a little skeptical and asked Tao Yueyue, "Is he your father?"


    Tao Yueyue hesitated for a second and replied, "Yes!"


    The police''s professional habit of being suspecting subsided as he saluted again. "You can go now."


    Zhou Xiao also saluted and nced at Tao Yueyue. In his opinion, this little girl was slowly transforming, which was a good sign.


    He always believed in his heart that the child Zhou Tiannan chose would definitely be a good seed.


    After a while, Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Zhou, I''m so bored. I''ll go buy some snacks, drinks,ic books, etc¡­ You''ve run out of cigarettes, right?"


    "I have no money." Zhou Xiao looked forward. "I didn''t bring anything when I ran outst night."


    "Then drive to a crowded ce and I''ll steal a wallet." Tao Yueyue squeezed out a small smile.


    Zhou Xiao stared at Tao Yueyue for a few seconds, shook his head, and smiled. "I don''t trust you to that degree."


    After smoking hisst cigarette, Zhou Xiao became inexplicably irritable and kept wiping his face as he yawned. Tao Yueyue looked out the window. She had gone shopping with Chen Shi on that particr street, and she had watched movies with "Miso" in that particr movie theater. It was the old-fashioned middle-aged woman who sold tickets at the door.


    Tao Yueyue felt sad. Freedom was so close yet so far away.


    When passing by an elementary school, a group of junior high school students chatted with each other to get acquainted with the examination area. Tao Yueyue really hoped to see her ssmates among them, but was afraid to see them at the same time.


    Going around, they arrived at a neighborhood. Zhou Xiao saw the license te of a car and suddenly reversed. Tao Yueyue asked what was wrong. Zhou Xiao said, "That''s a police car. My hiding spot is exposed. It doesn''t matter though. I have ten thousand hiding spots in Long¡¯an!"


    In the afternoon, they arrived in the countryside. The reason why they drove for so long was because Zhou Xiao was very cautious along the way. Once he found a vehicle of unknown origin behind him, he would change his itinerary and go around in circles until he lost his tail.


    He would tell Tao Yueyue to lower her head whenever he passed under the traffic security cameras.


    Tao Yueyue thought that he was really cautious. Super cautious. There was a reason why the police couldn¡¯t catch him for so long.


    When they got to the front of an old three-story building, Tao Yueyue was so thirsty that her throat was about to explode. Zhou Xiao parked the car behind the building and motioned for her to get off. The two of them got to the interior of the building, which seemed to have been apany before. Advertising bills of a certain brand of puffer jackets could be seen everywhere on the ground, and the tables and chairs were covered with dust.


    Zhou Xiao took Tao Yueyue to a windowless storage room, pushed her in, and prepared to lock the door. Tao Yueyue said, "I really won''t run. Don''t lock me in, please."


    "I told you that I don''t trust you yet."


    "I want to drink water!" Tao Yueyue could only retreat to her second desire.

 Chapter 892: Dark Trial

    <h4>Chapter 892: Dark Trial</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue curled up on the cold, hard concrete floor. The storage room was empty. There was a drain under the window for her to go to the toilet. After using it several times, the smell of urine filled the room.


    She organized her thoughts. The police probably started investigating the little boy killed in the housingmunityst night. It¡¯s unknown whether that neighbor would tell the police the message she left, but she couldn¡¯t pin all her hopes on it.


    I must leave a message for Uncle Chen, but how should I leave it? In writing?


    However, if Zhou Xiao finds out, the trust I¡¯ve finally built up would fall apart. Then, I¡¯ll truly be a prisoner.


    The message can¡¯t be found easily, and even if it¡¯s found, it can¡¯t be recognized.


    She had never learned Morse code. If it was another form of code, she and Chen Shi must have the same code reference: a dictionary or a book. She remembered the only book she brought with her when she ran away from home - "Time Machine".


    It was a pity that the book had been lost. Zhou Xiao was unlikely to buy a book for her. It was unrealistic to use this book as a code reference.


    Tao Yueyue clenched her fists miserably. She didn''t even have a pen or a piece of paper to write a message with.


    She sat up and walked around the room. A slight gleam of light came through the crack in the door, indicating that it was about to get dark.


    The bottle of tap water Zhou Xiao had filled for her had all been emptied. After drinking the raw tap water, Tao Yueyue''s stomach felt like she had a lump of lead inside her stomach, causing her pain. What was even more unbearable was her hunger. She thought about how school would be over at this time. She would eat delicious food with "Miso". Grilled meat rice bowls, fried rice noodles, fried pumpkin pie, stinky tofu, grass jelly¡­


    Thinking of this, she began to salivate and her eyes went sour. Tao Yueyue immediately restrained the weakness attacking her and kicked the wall vigorously with her shoes. She must remain conscious, angry, and strong.


    Chen Shi said that the human heart wasn¡¯t actually strong at all. Hunger, control, and physical punishment could make a person gradually let go of their dignity and principles. Whether they were a strong-willed person or a coward, as long as they had been exposed to such an environment, it was only a matter of time before they yielded.


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s inner weakness was quietly growing. She didn¡¯t have anyone to rely on. Zhou Xiao, who controled her life and death, had be the only person she could rely on. Letting this weakness develop, her inner defense mechanism would crumble, making her have intimate feelings towards Zhou Xiao.


    She was like a person who had stumbled on a cliff. She was holding the edge of the cliff with her fingers, struggling to support herself when she had nobody to rely on. The vast abyss below her was tempting her. As long as she let go of her hand and didn¡¯t resist, the pain would be over.


    Be strong! I must be strong!


    Tao Yueyue sat cross-legged and started meditating ording to Gu You''s method, carefully counting her breaths, pushing away all thoughts, and repeating to herself - "I will definitely be able to escape! I will definitely be able to escape!"


    This inner rity brought by meditation allowed Tao Yueyue to gradually rx, and her body was no longer restless. Gu You once said to her that people couldn¡¯t do without faith. Faith could be a god, an opposite sex, a TV series, a book, a house, or even money.


    Think about that when you¡¯re in your most painful time. Think about what you¡¯ll do after you have ovee these pains you¡¯re going through. Only when you look ahead will you have a direction.


    Tao Yueyue imagined what would happen when she left this ce. She would go over to Gu You¡¯s to y, and in the summer after the junior high examination, she would go to her counseling room as a volunteer. Or, she¡¯d carry a bag with "Miso" and go travelling together. Or she might get Chen Shi to teach her how to drive. She wouldn¡¯t be able to get her license now, but she could go to ces where nobody was around and drive for fun¡­


    Hearing the sound of footsteps, Tao Yueyue opened her eyes as the door opened.


    Bright lights shone in from the outside. Zhou Xiao faced her within the light, beckoning her to go out.


    Under a swaying incandescentmp, food was on the table. Zhou Xiao looked tired. His sweat-drenched hair was attached to his forehead, and his shirt cor was stained with blood. He gestured his head towards the table and said, "Eat!"


    Tao Yueyue grabbed the braised duck and noodle cakes in the bag and ate it hungrily. Then, she unscrewed the bottle of coke and took a big gulp. The sudden rise in her blood sugar levels made her whole body excited, and she ate even more zealously.


    "Don''t eat too much. There are still things to do after you eat." Zhou Xiao warned.


    Tao Yueyue nodded. "Uncle Zhou, did you kill that person?"


    "Almost." Zhou Xiao lit up a cigarette.


    "I''m full."


    Zhou Xiao threw away the cigarette butt and put all the trash back into the bag, including the cigarette butts he had smoked before tightening the mouth of the bag. He took out a switchde and stuffed it into Tao Yueyue''s hand to teach her how to use it.


    "¡­This is called a backhand grip. This is called a forehand grip. You usually use the backhand grip¡­ Be careful to hold your thumb against the top, and make sure your fist is clenched tight, otherwise you may cut yourself¡­"


    After teaching her this, Zhou Xiao stepped back and hooked his finger at her. "Stab me."


    Tao Yueyue stabbed him with the tricks she had just been taught. Of course, she moved very slowly. Zhou Xiao easily pushed her wrist away andplimented her. "You learn very fast. Tao Yueyue, do you know why I want to teach you this? "


    "Let me out!!!" Suddnely, a man yelled out from the darkness.


    Zhou Xiao turned his head and nced in the direction from which the call came. At this time, his throat with a pulsing vein on it was exposed in front of Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue hesitated on whether to seize this opportunity, but finally decided against it.


    "Are you ready?" Zhou Xiao patted her shoulder and asked gently.


    Tao Yueyue nodded timidly. "What if I can''t beat him?"


    "Don''t worry, I''ve already broken one of his legs, so you can treat him like a pig."


    Tao Yueyue clenched the switchde tightly, and fear rose from the bottom of her heart. She should have resisted with her own death, but she couldn''t do it. She was very afraid of being beaten.


    Zhou Xiao patted her on the back, led her to a door, and opened it. There was a man lying in the room. It was a thin man with green hair, wearing a sleeveless denim jacket with metal studs. He was clearly taught a ruthless lesson. He cursed feebly, "Zhou Xiao, I¡¯ll fuck your mum. If my eldest brother finds out, he¡¯ll skin you alive!"


    This was the one who sold ecstasy. Zhou Xiao had captured him alive and to use him as teaching material for Tao Yueyue.


    For a moment, she thought that since he was a bad person, she seemed to be able to do it without fear. However, her reason warned her to resist quickly. After entering this room, she wouldn''t be able to look back!!!


    "Enjoy the first murder experience of your life!" Zhou Xiao pushed her, forcing Tao Yueyue to enter the room. Then, the door closed from behind.


    Tao Yueyue held the switchde with both hands. Her breathing became heavier and heavier. A person in a desperate situation was very keen. The man noticed the little girl''s timidity and began to instigate rebellion. "Little sister, what is your name? You were also caught by this bastard. Yeah, don¡¯t listen to him. He¡¯s fucking toying with our lives. Give the knife to uncle. Let¡¯s work together to escape, okay? Uncle will give you a lot of money if we escape."


    He crawled over with his broken leg, like a terrible monster in the dark. Tao Yueyue backed away in fright and was forced to the corner of the wall.


    Zhou Xiao, who was standing outside smoking a cigarette, remained silent.

 Chapter 893: Wild Demon

    <h4>Chapter 893: Wild Demon</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    In the darkness, Green-hair slowly crawled in front of Tao Yueyue and suddenly reached out to grab her foot. Tao Yueyue was so frightened that she quickly fled to another corner.


    Green-hair continued to implement his policy of instigating rebellion and persuaded her, "Don''t be confused, little girl. You can''t listen to that kind of person. Although I¡¯m a seller of ecstasy, I wouldn¡¯tmit murder or arson. Generally speaking, I¡¯m a good person. What is Zhou Xiao? He¡¯s a lunatic. You can''t listen to him! One misstep and it¡¯ll be toote for you to regret!"


    "You¡­ Why do you want the knife?!" Tao Yueyue questioned while trembling.


    Green-hair was speechless for an instant. He never thought about what he wanted the knife for. In this environment, this knife was as threatening as a nuclear bomb. He couldn''t let another unknown person grab the knife and point it at him. He had to hold it in his own hands.


    So, he made up a reason. He lowered his voice and said, "I''ll use it to pick the lock!"


    "A knife can''t pick a lock." Tao Yueyue exposed him mercilessly.


    Green-hair smiled bitterly as he continued to crawl towards Tao Yueyue with his hands on the ground. The pain of tearing from his broken leg made him break out in cold sweat. He stretched out his hand and lowered his voice, "Let¡¯s unite. Don¡¯t be afraid of the lunatic. Hurry. Be obedient and give me the knife."


    Tao Yueyue almost shrank in the corner of the wall. Green-hair suddenly jumped forward, grabbing Tao Yueyue''s ankle. Tao Yueyue screamed and stepped over his body to flee to the opposite side. Green-hair turned around and pounced with all his strength.


    Tao Yueyue fell to the ground, her chin knocked on the ground very painfully. The other party grabbed her pants and crawled on her desperately, shouting, "You think you can kill me?!"


    Fear gave birth to an impulse in Tao Yueyue¡¯s heart. She wanted to turn around and stab the man¡¯s neck. The prisoner named "Own Nature" desperately shook her cage of sensibility and said to her with a grin, ¡°Hurry, that''s exactly what you want. Yes, listen to your heart!¡±


    Tao Yueyue kicked the man in the chest and crawled away in escape. After distancing herself to a certain degree, she immediately turned around, using the sharp knife to block the distance between the two.


    Green-hair panted hard and looked at her. "Little bitch, you still want to kill me?"


    "Move back! Move back!" Tao Yueyue ordered with a crying voice. She wasn¡¯t afraid of the other party, but herself.


    "Haha, you haven''t killed anyone before. Come on! Come on!" Green-hair provoked with a fierce light in his eyes.


    Zhou Xiao said outside, "Tao Yueyue, if you don''t do anything, you may really die inside."


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s whole body trembled and her eyes were blinded by tears. At this moment, Green-hair suddenly jumped up and crushed her down to the ground with his hands tightly sped around Tao Yueyue''s neck. The strong sense of suffocation made Tao Yueyue''s brain instantly go nk, and she couldn''t use any strength from below her neck. The knife in her hands fell.


    The door was kicked open. Zhou Xiao rushed in, grabbed the man by the hair, threw him to the wall, and then smashed his face with a kick. The eerie sound of the skull colliding with the wall echoed in the room.


    Zhou Xiao kicked Green-hair¡¯s face time and time again. With every kick, green-hair¡¯s body twitched. The twitches became smaller and smaller until finally, he didn¡¯t move at all.


    Zhou Xiao put his foot down. Green-hair was beaten so badly that his face waspletely bloodied and there were no traces of his facial features left.


    Zhou Xiao drew a knife from behind him, grabbed Green-hair by his hair, and stabbed it towards his neck and chest. Fresh blood sshed on his grinning face. The enthusiasm was released from each of his pores causing Tao Yueyue to shiver to her core.


    Green-hair had already died long ago. Zhou Xiao was just enjoying the fun of destroying flesh and blood with a sharp weapon. After stabbing him over 20 times, he stopped and began panting for a long time while he looked at Tao Yueyue with eyes like a hungry wolf.


    Zhou Xiao raised the blood-stained knife and walked over. Tao Yueyue was so frightened that she backed up desperately using her hands on the ground. In his consciousness, Zhou Xiao had just killed a person, but he hadn¡¯t had his fill to curb his addiction. He suddenly discovered that there was another person in the room. Something that could breathe.


    Zhou Xiao forced Tao Yueyue to the wall in one breath, and put a hot knife on Tao Yueyue''s face, causing blood to drip on her clothes. Zhou Xiao panted like a leopard that had just finished hunting.


    "Do you know what it feels like to kill a person? It''s like¡­ it''s like sudden death during climax, as if the whole universe emerges from your soul¡­ You actually don¡¯t want to experience such a wonderful thing!"


    Zhou Xiao grabbed Tao Yueyue¡¯s hair and put the knife to her throat. Tao Yueyue was so frightened that her whole body froze. Tears squirmed down on her face. Through the tears, she saw the fervor in Zhou Xiao¡¯s eyes. He was fighting his addiction.


    This horrible confrontationsted for a long time before Zhou Xiao let her go, slumped on the ground as he gradually changed from a beast to a human. "Ling Shuang and I liked to y a game where we tied a person up and took turns stabbing them. Whoever killed the person in the end would be responsible for disposing the corpse¡­ In light of your performance today, I will punish you to dispose of the corpse."


    Zhou Xiao stood up and walked out staggeringly. Tao Yueyue covered her mouth and cried non-stop. She wasn¡¯t sure if she had be incontinent or whether it was the stench from a dead person''s incontinence which spread in the air together with the smell of blood. The reason why the creators made blood have this strong smell was to warnpanions to stay away from danger. Tao Yueyue was soaked in this smell, and the rm in her head was loudly sounding.


    Her stomach turned, and after turning her head around and vomiting, she slumped against the wall and copsed. There was a burning and spicy smell in her mouth.


    Zhou Xiao pushed a cart that was used for pulling goods to the door and ordered Tao Yueyue to carry the body with him, then send it to an abandoned bathroom. Zhou Xiao brought her a bag with knives, gloves, and steel wire balls inside. He said, "After you have had enough sleep during the day, you¡¯ll cut the body into small pieces at night."


    "Why?" Tao Yueyue had already recovered her calmness at this time. After the brain was stimted until it was overloaded, she had no trouble facing the dead person with a distorted posture.


    "I said it was punishment, but it¡¯s also practice. Dismember the body well, and I will check it tomorrow morning."


    Zhou Xiao went out, closed the door, and locked her in. Tao Yueyue knocked on the door, "Please, don''t lock me in!"


    Zhou Xiao''s eyes poked out from the small window above the door. "If you don''t kill someone, I won''t believe you. Tonight, you can practice the feel of a dead person!"


    Zhou Xiao left, leaving Tao Yueyue to look at the corpse that weighed over one hundred catties. She was caught by a strong sense of powerlessness.


    Holding her knees for a long time, Tao Yueyue saw a ray of light amongst the desperate darkness. Yes, she could use the corpse to send a message!

 Chapter 894: Visitors In The Night

    <h4>Chapter 894: Visitors In The Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After several chops, Tao Yueyue finally managed to cut off a finger of the corpse. Looking at the distorted corpse, she frowned. It was impossible to dismember the entire corpse overnight.


    Besides, Zhou Xiao only gave her knives with no bags, buckets, or other containers. It couldn¡¯t be that the dismembered body would be spread on the ground like how Northeastern people sold their popsicles?


    ording to Zhou Xiao''s habit ofmitting crimes, he never deliberately destroyed a corpse, so this was just punishment, not a task at all.


    Tao Yueyue took the severed finger and walked to the wall to write on it. "Uncle Chen, investigate the Old Wang¡¯s dumplings in Zuoshui Lane, and the Elite 4S shop on Yangfei Road¡­"


    The severed finger didn¡¯t provide much "ink". Tao Yueyue had to walk to the corpse and repeatedly insert a knife into the corpse''s belly, like slicing a watermelon. She immediately regretted doing so. The stench of the stomach and intestines spread and choked her so much that she couldn''t open her eyes.


    Dipping the finger in some blood, she continued to write on the wall, and then repeated this again.


    After the message on the wall was finished, Tao Yueyue waited fearfully for three minutes. After the blood stains werepletely solidified, she wiped them off with a damp cloth and the entire tiled wall became clean again.


    Peng Sijue told her that the luminol reagent used by the police to detect blood was very sensitive. Wherever there was a small amount of blood remaining, the luminol reagent would oxidize with the hemoglobin after being sprayed on and then emit blue fluorescence.


    As long as this wall was sprayed with luminol reagent, arge piece of writing would appear. Tao Yueyue smiled when thinking about the police''s expression at the time.


    But, she was worried that the police who came would be too clumsy and ignore the wall, so she dragged the corpse over, picked up the thickest knife, and severely chopped the corpse a few times, letting a few drops of blood ssh on it.


    After doing this, Tao Yueyue breathed a sigh of relief. The distress letter had been put into the ss bottle and ced in theke, just waiting for an answer.


    There was a little sound of movement in the silence. Tao Yueyue quickly rushed to the wall to turn off the light. She put her ear to the door to listen.


    "Old Xie, am I imagining things? I seemed to see light from the door just then." A man was talking outside, his voice far away.


    The sound of the rubbing of cloth on the wall and footsteps could be heard. Another person came in from somewhere, and said, "Probably the car lights on the opposite road!"


    "Oh." The first man to speak cast aside his doubts.


    "Oh, this ce is nice. It''s so spacious!" The third person''s voice articted.


    The three intruders were touring the ce, discussing a n. "This ce can be used! I will confirm the division ofbor again. Tomorrow morning, I will go kidnapping with Little Jun. Bajie will stay here and clean up the hostage room. We¡¯ll do a few moreps on the road and keep in touch throughout the whole process. You have to make sure that there are no outsidersing in and out of here. Then, shoot the video and chop his finger off. The two things will then be packed in a courier box and delivered to hispany. "


    "Understood!"


    "Understood!"


    Tao Yueyue''s heart was pounding wildly. There were actually other kinds of bad guys that came in. She wondered why Zhou Xiao slept so deeply. Wouldn¡¯t their loud voices wake him up?


    What was even worse was that this bathroom was locked from the outside, and she couldn''t get away even if she wanted to run!


    "Hush! There are people here!" The kidnapping leader named Old Xie smelled people inside.


    "Fuck, it wouldn¡¯t be a homeless person, right?"


    "This way!"


    The sound of the three people''s footsteps went to the room where Zhou Xiao slept. Tao Yueyue wondered whether to kick the door heavily, and wake Zhou Xiao up.


    But this was too risky. The kidnappers may be the ones alerted, not Zhou Xiao.


    In the silence suddenly came Zhou Xiao''s violent roar, "Bastard, let me out!"


    The three peopleughed. "Stupid fool, you¡¯re all locked up!", "Hurry and use this to barricade the door.", "Are you the only one here?", "You must be blind,ing here to sleep! Consider yourself unlucky."


    "I''ll kill you!!!" The door shook loudly.


    Tao Yueyue couldn''t believe that Zhou Xiao was trapped directly. Of course, even the fiercest person would be defenseless when asleep.


    She quickly picked up a knife from the ground. She wanted to take thergest and heaviest one, but it was inconvenient to wield, so she picked the smallest knife. She asked silently in her heart: was she going to kill someone?


    No, no, killing wasn¡¯t in the scope of consideration. The other party consisted of three adults with bad intentions. Even if she had a dragon-ying knife in her hand, she couldn''t deal with it.


    Right, take this opportunity to escape!


    But she didn''t know where they came from. Although she stayed in this ce all day, she hadn¡¯t explored the surroundings properly.


    The most critical question was how to get out of this bathroom!


    The three kidnappers began to kick open the doors one by one to "visit". Suddenly, Bajie eximed, "Why is there blood here? Fuck, do you guys smell this?" They got to the room where Zhou Xiaomitted murder just then.


    "Fuck, that guy wouldn¡¯t be a murderer, right?"


    "The smell seems to being from this direction."


    As the footsteps approached, Tao Yueyue thought of something that was serious bad for her. Bajie had seen the light just then, and they probably guessed that there was someone inside.


    There was no ce to hide in the bathroom, and Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t have the skill to hang from the ceiling with her bare hands. Her heartbeat was getting faster and faster and adrenaline secreted crazily. She had to find a way.


    Looking at the rubber glove on her hand. Tao Yueyue used the small knife to cut the electric light wire on the wall. When she cut it, it made a small noise.


    She looked around and came up with an idea to win even in danger. She pinned the knife behind her and then slumped down by the wall closer to the door. She wiped the blood from her hand on her face and acted out a stiff posture like a corpse.


    She knew this trick was a gamble, but if she didn''t gamble, she would be practice material for the kidnappers.


    With a "boom", the people outside kicked the iron door heavily, and Tao Yueyue almost screamed in fright.


    That was the kidnappers assessment. Old Xie said, "It seems that there¡¯s no one inside."


    "No, there was a light on in here just now. I''m sure there¡¯s someone here!"


    "Could it be haunted?"


    "Fuck your mum!"


    "Stop arguing. Grab a weapon guys!"


    The rustling movement showed that they were picking up the bench legs and iron rods on the ground. The rusty bolt slid along the grooves and the door was opened. Tao Yueyue saw three ck figuresing in. Their footsteps seemed tired, but their breathing was heavy.


    "Fuck, is that a dead person on the ground?"


    "Bajie, don''t hide behind me!"


    "Coward. What''s so scary about dead people?"


    Old Xie reached out to touch the light switch and found that it couldn''t be turned on, so he took out his phone to illuminate their surroundings.


    The snow-white light swept across the two "corpses." They were first shocked by the bloody corpse, and then looked at Tao Yueyue. Old Xie slowly squatted down while Ba Jie and Xiao Jun posed like lion dancers behind him. Their expressions were highly synchronized.


    Tao Yueyue tried her best to keep her gaze dull, holding her breath. Old Xie looked closer and said, "Oh my God, they actually did this to such a small child."


    At this moment, Tao Yueyue smiled with a terrifying expression.


    "Ah!!!" Old Xie screamed and fell down.

 Chapter 895: Im Going To Kill You

    <h4>Chapter 895: I''m Going To Kill You</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Seeing a "corpse" suddenly smiling, the three adults shrieked loudly. Old Xie fell to the ground on his ass as he used his hands and feet to back up. Bajie and Little Jun hugged each other and shared each other''s shock.


    Tao Yueyue got up at her fastest speed, rushed to the door, and closed the door at an unbelievable speed. Then, she plugged in thetch.


    Gu You told her that when people fall into fear, they will instinctively make defensive actions, because the amygd[1] is the rm device in the brain, and it¡¯s always activated much faster than other areas.


    Old Xie was the first to realize that they had been fooled. "Damn, we were fooled. That''s a person!"


    "What do we do? She locked us inside, and there¡¯s still a dead person on the ground¡­"


    "Don''t worry about the corpse. Break the door down!!!"


    Under the leadership of Old Xie, the three adult men repeatedly mmed their shoulders towards the door, making high-pitched cries like a primate¡¯s courtship routine.


    Tao Yueyue, who had just been proud for a second, realized that things weren¡¯t good. She hurriedly ran away. She had to escape before the door mmed open.


    Tao Yueyue was dejected when she saw the "entrance". The window that the three of them came in was too high for her to reach. The violent door mming echoed throughout the entire building. Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth and pushed a table over.


    Standing on the table, she could finally touch the window, but only with the tip of her finger. It was impossible for her to climb out.


    She hated her height for the first time in her life. She was already fifteen years old, but she was still the height of an elementary school student.


    With a loud bang, Tao Yueyue trembled all over with fright. The three criminals managed to escape from the door. Old Xie walked over and gave his thumbs up at the same time. "Little girl, you¡¯re pretty amazing. Uncle will give you a thumbs up!"


    "Haha, what a cute little loli!" Bajie rubbed his nose excitedly.


    "Don''t let her run away."


    The three of them circled around her and Tao Yueyue hurried to escape, using the furniture and terrain to fight this guerri warfare with the three of them. However, as the circle continued to shrink, the space she could use to run away became smaller and smaller.


    The three of them were enjoying this cat and mouse game due to the great disparity in strength, yelling excitedly.


    There was only one n left!


    Seeing Bajie spreading his arms and leaping towards her, Tao Yueyue drew out her small knife from behind her and stabbed his thigh. Bajie''s scream hurt her eardrums.


    Taking advantage of the moment Bajie bent over, she quickly rushed to Zhou Xiao''s room. Bajieined from behind her. "I haven''t even prated her yet, but she prated me first."


    "Haha, silly ass!" Little Junughed but then cared about him. "Are you seriously injured?"


    "It''s okay, her little hand is weak. It''s not pierced too deeply¡­ Tsk, it motherfucking hurts too much."


    "Hurry up!!!" Old Xie urged.


    Tao Yueyue got to Zhou Xiao''s door, opened thetch, and opened the door. Zhou Xiao stood behind the door, silent and overwhelmed with hostility.


    "You need to get out of the way!"


    He walked out and Tao Yueyue leaned against the wall, panting from the strenuous exercise. She seemed to see Zhou Xiao spread out a pair of demon wings behind him.


    At this moment, the three of them arrived, and Old Xie was slightly startled. He took a dagger from Bajie and said, "Oh, the murderer? That¡¯s pretty amazing, but you think you can kill the three of us alone? Hahaha!"


    Although scared, Bajie and Little Jun alsoughed.


    Old Xiemanded the two. "Quickly grab some tools and kill this bastard!"


    The two picked up the bench legs and broken bricks from the ground, and guarded Old Xie on each side. The four pairs[2] of eyes stared at each other like a confrontation between lions and hyenas.


    Zhou Xiao roared as a show of strength and rushed directly at Old Xie. Old Xie tried to stab him, but Zhou Xiao grabbed his wrist, rolled to the side, drew his knife from behind him, and stabbed Old Xie''s waist madly.


    Old Xie knelt down in pain.


    Little Jun struck with a stick from behind, but his screams exposed his movements. Zhou Xiao turned around and quickly swung his knife. After half a second, Little Jun¡¯s throat cracked with a blood stream pouring down. The blood spurted out and down his throat with the rhythm of his pulse.


    Zhou Xiao smiled terrifyingly as he turned his head around. Bajie was so frightened that the brick in his hand fell down. His legs trembled, and a flow of heat covered his legs.


    "Ah!"


    Bajie screamed and ran away, but fell down disappointingly. Zhou Xiao grabbed his hair from behind and stabbed him wildly in the back. Tao Yueyue twitched with fright. Bajie''s hand was originally spread on the ground, then clenched tightly, before finally slowly loosening again.


    Zhou Xiao pulled the knife out of Bajie¡¯s corpse forcefully with blood and sweat all over his face. He nced at Yueyue, threw the knife at her feet, and lifted Old Xie who was still struggling. Old Xie said with blood in his mouth, "Do you know who I am?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t want to know!"


    Zhou Xiao said thiszily. As far as he was concerned, they were just prey.


    Zhou Xiao twisted and held Old Xie¡¯s head from behind, so that he could no longer speak. Old Xie¡¯s neck lifted the weight of his whole body. His legs kicked aimlessly at the ground. Zhou Xiao said to Tao Yueyue, "You did a decent job. Now, pick up the knife and kill him. This time it shouldn''t be difficult, right?"


    Tao Yueyue furrowed her brows and hesitated. Zhou Xiao shouted, "Hurry up!"


    Although she had gotten rid of the three bad guys, Tao Yueyue''s situation suddenly returned to square one. She had to slowly pick up the knife. The blood on the knife had already begun to solidify and thicken, causing Tao Yueyue to untimely think of tempura.


    "A stab at the heart, or you can stab at the stomach over and over to get rid of this person. The result is very pleasant." Zhou Xiao said with a smile, as if he was rmending local exotic flowers and delicacies to out-of-towners.


    Tao Yueyue walked to Old Xie. The captain of the kidnappers who had just been so fierce now had eyes full of tears and was pleading.


    "Do I have to kill people?" Tao Yueyue asked. "I can do other bad things without killing people. Don''t you want me to be an undercover agent? I can provide you with information from the police."


    "Don''t spout nonsense. What I want is not an undercover agent. What I want is¡­ your awakening!"


    Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth. She knew that if she pierced this knife in, Zhou Xiao would trust her and perhaps let her go, but it was impossible for her to do this. There was an invisible force holding down her knife. It was Chen Shi''s phantom.


    "I can''t do it!" Tao Yueyue cried.


    "Ah!!!" Zhou Xiao yelled angrily, threw Old Xie away, and forced Tao Yueyue back step by step. "Are you trying to piss me off? Why can''t you do such a simple thing? Do you know what it means to be disobedient? A few days ago, I removed the psychiatrist¡¯s liver and let her lie in the hotel to die slowly. Do you want to be like her?"


    "Who¡¯s that?!" Tao Yueyue raised her head in striking realization.


    "It was Gu You who lived opposite of your house. She¡¯s actually one of us. By the way, she also¡­" Zhou Xiao suddenly stopped. Pain spread from his palm. The small knife in Tao Yueyue''s hand had pierced his palm.


    "I¡¯m going to kill you!!!" Tao Yueyue''s face was distorted, tears rushing down.


    Zhou Xiao raised his eyebrows excitedly. "Haha, good job! Good job!"


    1. When you feel threatened and afraid, the amygd automatically activates the fight-or-flight response by sending out signals to release stress hormones that prepare your body to fight or run away.


    2. Author mentioned three here, but I¡¯ve changed this due to consistency.

 Chapter 896: Change Of Mind

    <h4>Chapter 896: Change Of Mind</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue drew the knife and stabbed at Zhou Xiao frantically. There was only one thought on her mind: Revenge for Sister Gu.


    "Haha, you¡¯re finally a bit bloodthirsty!"


    Zhou Xiao backed away whileughing. Tao Yueyue''s wed and unrefined knife techniques didn¡¯t pose a threat to him at all. He kept dodging the tip of her knife as if he was ying around as he provoked and mocked her.


    Taking advantage of an opportunity, Zhou Xiao pped Tao Yueyue''s face. She flew away and the knife in her hand fell to the ground.


    Zhou Xiao nced at his pierced palm, walked over, and stepped on Tao Yueyue''s hand running it left and right. Tao Yueyue screamed. Her hand sounded as though her bones had been broken.


    After enough revenge, Zhou Xiao took his foot off, picked up the knife, and dragged Tao Yueyue by her hair. He put the knife to her neck. Tao Yueyue''s face was distorted due to the pain as tears streamed down her face.


    Zhou Xiao nned to kill her with a single stab. What was that about training a sessor? Go fuck yourself. Tao Yueyue''s neck was white and slender. There was a vein on it that kept beating. He fantasized about the feeling of it being cut by a knife.


    This reminded him of a parrot he had once raised. It was brightly colored and smart.


    One day when he was in a bad mood, he killed it. When he killed the beautiful thing with his own hands, that feeling was indescribable. He wanted to taste it again.


    "I will nt a flower on your grave." Zhou Xiao said.


    When he was about to stab her, Tao Yueyue pleaded, "Please let me go!"


    "What are you talking about?" Zhou Xiao couldn''t believe it. The little girl was so barbaric and tough just earlier. Suddenly, she had softened.


    "Spare me. I was wrong, I am willing to do anything to redeem my sins." Tao Yueyue begged in her most humble voice.


    "Including murder?"


    "Anything."


    Zhou Xiao patted her cheek with a knife. "I hope this isn¡¯t just what you¡¯re saying to save your life."


    "I promise!" Tao Yueyue''s eyes were like a cowardly little animal. She looked pitiful.


    Zhou Xiao put the knife in her hand. "Go and end the man."


    Tao Yueyue nodded desperately.


    After letting go, Tao Yueyue went to find Old Xie who had run away in the chaos. However, due to hemorrhaging of his internal organs, he hadn¡¯t crawled far and died. He wasying in a corner with his mouth slightly open and his pupils dted.


    Tao Yueyue knelt beside the corpse holding the knife with tears streaming down her face ceaselessly.


    She hated her cowardice. She had originally epted death prior, wanting to avenge Gu You at all costs, but when Zhou Xiao put the knife to her neck, she still chose to surrender in humiliation.


    But she wanted to live. If she couldn''t live, everything would be meaningless!


    "Hurry up!" Zhou Xiao''s urging pulled her back to reality.


    Tao Yueyue stabbed Old Xie''s chest with the knife, drew out the knife, and stabbed again. Zhou Xiao came to check and found that there was no blood in the wound. "What? He''s already dead!"


    At this time, Tao Yueyue was holding a sharp knife and watching him. Zhou Xiao was unsuspecting. There was a strange peace between the two. It was the tranquility after the storm.


    "Drag the corpse to the back and bury it. The blood on the ground needs to be wiped clean."


    Tao Yueyue nodded and returned the knife in her hand.


    After the excessive secretion of the adrenaline, Zhou Xiao felt weak. He sat at the dining table and smoked. The light shone from above. His eyes and mouth were shrouded in shadow, as mysterious and strange as King Kong in the temple.


    Tao Yueyue first took out the things from the corpses, put them on a table, and then dragged the corpses out by their legs.


    It was silent all around. She used a rusty shovel to dig pits one at a time and pushed the corpses in. When the sand covered the corpses¡¯ faces, she thought of Gu You again. The visit that day was actually thest time she would ever see her again, so grief came over her as her tears rained down.


    She worked until the dawn before she buried the four corpses. Theyy under the thin soil, and eventually, they would be dug out by wild dogs. Chen Shi told her that 90% of the abandoned corpses that were buried in the countryside were all found by dogs, and the police should issue certificates to the dogs.


    The thought of these clues that she left behind being found by the police and cameras, then being turned into a photo to be studied and discussed by a bunch of people, she suddenly felt a strange sense of aplishment.


    This was probably the feelings of murderers. Their psychotic desire for exhibitionism and murders were like the works they left to the world.


    Tao Yueyue knew better than anyone that she was a born criminal. She thought of a foreign movie she had watched with Chen Shi. There was a man that was a devout Christian who hated homosexuality and often verbally abused the male protagonist. Then suddenly, one day, he hugged the male protagonist and they kissed deeply.


    Chen Shi said to her at the time, ¡°Yueyue, do you understand this? The things that people fear most are often the things they yearn for.¡±


    Tao Yueyue asked, ¡°Uncle Chen, what if I really yearn for those bad things.¡±


    Chen Shi''s answer was simple: ¡°Transform it!¡±


    Looking at the dawn in the sky, Tao Yueyue thought that it was precisely these words of Chen Shi in her heart that made her not lose her way amidst the darkness these days.


    Back in the room, Tao Yueyue was surprised to find that Zhou Xiao was no longer there. There was a rattling sound from the bathroom. When she walked over, she saw a pile of clothes thrown by the bathroom door. Zhou Xiao was taking a cold shower.


    He looked very despirited with one hand propped on the wall, letting cold water pour on his back. The water from the long-unused pipe was rusty, like blood.


    Seeing that Tao Yueyue hade back, Zhou Xiao turned off the shower head, walked out, wiped his body casually with his coat, and then squatted down by the wall, looking exhausted. Tao Yueyue slowly stretched out her hand to check his forehead and found it very hot.


    It turned out that he had a fever. The stabbing of his palm must have caused the infection.


    Zhou Xiao looked at Tao Yueyue. "Give me my cigarettes!"


    Tao Yueyue persuaded, "Don''t smoke anymore. Go to your room and sleep. I will guard you."


    "Guard me?" Zhou Xiao sneered, "Won¡¯t you just lock the door and use the dead man''s cell phone to call the police?"


    "I¡­ I won''t!" Tao Yueyue had really nned to do so.


    "Give me a cigarette!"


    Tao Yueyue brought cigarettes and coke over. Zhou Xiao unscrewed the coke, poured it into his mouth and gulped down the bottle that was half full. Then, he lit the cigarette and smoked frantically.


    Caffeine and nicotine held up his energy, but they also made him cough harder. He said, "Grab the stuff and let''s go!"


    "You should rest here!"


    "There was too much movement herest night. It''s not safe here. Go, I¡¯ll drive while I still have the strength!"


    Tao Yueyue had to pack their things and leave with Zhou Xiao. At this time, Zhou Xiao was very weak. He had to walk while holding the wall. He was still holding a knife tightly in his hand. Tao Yueyue knew that if she made her escape now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch her at all.


    However, after experiencing what happenedst night, her thoughts have quietly changed. She could save herself by running away, but Zhou Xiao would kill more people in the future. He was now like a lone wolf out of control, wandering everywhere in and out the city. In order to survive, he didn¡¯t have a limit.


    She firmly believed that she needed to catch Zhou Xiao and make him stand trial!

 Chapter 897: Big Sick Worm

    <h4>Chapter 897: Big Sick Worm</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After getting in the car, Zhou Xiao chain-smoked cigarettes one by one, forcibly lifting his energy, but he began to cough even harder. At a certain moment, he covered his mouth with his hand and coughed up some strands of blood. Then, he wiped his mouth and lit another cigarette. Tao Yueyue imagined that his trachea was probably hardened like a rubber hose.


    "Where are we going?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "We¡¯re going to the city and find someone casually, follow them home, kill them, and then live in their house." Zhou Xiao replied lightly.


    "But your current state¡­"


    "You don''t need to worry about me!" Zhou Xiao roared with bloodshot eyes.


    Tao Yueyue took the dead person''s wallet out of the bag and found a receipt from it. "This courier note has an address. It should be where they live. We can go and stay there for a bit."


    Zhou Xiao grabbed it, took a look, and agreed.


    Two hourster, they arrived at an old housingmunity, found the apartment, and Tao Yueyue picked the lock.


    The house was small, dirty, and smelly. Threerge bowls were stacked on the coffee table. There was some soup and cigarette butts floating in it. Tao Yueyue frowned in disgust. Actually, the n was very simple. When Zhou Xiao fell asleep, she¡¯d put him under control and then go find the police nearby to arrest him.


    Zhou Xiao moved to the sofa and sat down with difficulty. Tao Yueyue stood at the door. Zhou Xiao secretly held the knife in his hand. "Yueyue,e here."


    His voice was gentle, but Tao Yueyue shuddered. She remembered a story Chen Shi had told her before. When an old rich man was about to die, he summoned his beautiful concubine to his side and disfigured her with a smoking pot because he didn''t want his concubine to be possessed by others after his death.


    Tao Yueyue discovered Zhou Xiao''s movement of hiding the knife. She guessed that he was going to kill her to avoid future troubles.


    "I won''t run." Tao Yueyue vowed.


    "I''m asking you toe over! Do you hear me?!"


    "I''ll buy you medicine. What do you need?"


    Zhou Xiao angrily stabbed the knife on the coffee table. "No going out!"


    "Why don¡¯t you believe me?"


    "Why should I believe you?!" Zhou Xiao looked around. "Go to that room and stay there."


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. "You want to lock me up again? If I wanted to run, I¡¯ve had many opportunities just now. You want to train me to be people like you, but you don¡¯t trust me and guard me everywhere. Did Teacher Zhou train you like this previously?"


    Zhou Xiao seemed to be persuaded. The illness weakened his judgment a lot. He suspiciously asked, "Don¡¯t you hate me for the thing regarding Gu You?"


    "Of course I hate you, but you also saved mest night. I will seek revenge from you in the future, but right now, I need to pay back your favor because I don''t want to owe you anything." Tao Yueyue lied, feeling her own logic was very unconvincing.


    Zhou Xiao reluctantly believed her. "Glucose, infusion tubes, anti-inmmatory drugs, syringes¡­ a lot of painkillers, and cigarettes!"


    "You¡¯ll really die if you smoke like this."


    Zhou Xiao gritted his teeth and stabbed the knife into the coffee table.[2] "I don''t need you to educate me on how I live!!! Hurry and get lost!!!"


    Tao Yueyue opened the door and left. Under fresh air and sunshine, she felt refreshed physically and mentally. First, she had to find a ce to make a call. She saw a man in themunity and said, "Hello, uncle, I want to borrow your mobile phone."


    The man waved his hand desperately before speeding up his pace and walking away.


    Then, she said to a woman, "Hello auntie, my cell phone is dead. I want to call my family. May I borrow your cell phone?"


    The woman looked at her suspiciously. "I''m sorry, my phone is out of battery as well." Then, she also left quickly.


    Tao Yueyue immediately discovered the reason for her rejections. Her clothes and face were dirty, and her face was injured from getting beaten. Such an appearance would naturally be rejected when talking with strangers. People in the city were very vignt, especially in Long¡¯an.


    If she didn''t go back soon, with Zhou Xiao''s vignce, he would immediately move out.


    Zhou Xiao was now like a sick cat. He could be handled with just a sleeping pill.


    Tao Yueyue got to a nearby pharmacy and walked between the stands looking for sleeping pills, but there were no sleeping pills she knew of, at least, not on the shelves.


    The pharmacist came over and asked vigntly, "What do you need, little girl?"


    "Pain relievers, anti-inmmatory drugs, saline bottles, infusion sets, syringes, and mineral water."


    "Do you have a prescription?"


    "Why do I need a prescription?"


    "Of course you need a prescription to buy prescription drugs. We can''t sell them without a prescription."


    "Could you be amodating?"


    "Sure!" the pharmacist answered readily, "but it will be slightly more expensive than the hospitals. After all, we¡¯re at risk, you know!"


    "Oh, okay then¡­"


    After spending the few hundred yuan in the dead man¡¯s wallet in exchange for arge bag of medicine, she left the pharmacy thinking about whether to buy rope.


    However, Zhou Xiao may not be asleep right now. If he found the rope, the n would be ruined. She said to herself that as long as Zhou Xiao trusted her, there would be plenty of opportunities over the next day.


    Be patient! Be patient!


    Going back to the apartment and pushing the door open, Tao Yueyue found that Zhou Xiao was missing, and there was a bloody smelling from somewhere.


    Turning her head, she discovered the source of the bloody smell. Zhou Xiao was leaned up against the wall next to the door, holding a knife in each hand, one of which was a kitchen knife from the kitchen. His wrist was dripping blood.


    The inmmation and high fever made his eyes red. He nced at the bag in Tao Yueyue''s hand and said, "You actually bought medicine."


    "I said I wouldn''t run."


    Zhou Xiao returned to the sofa. Tao Yueyue saw the new wound on his hand. It was cut by himself. He brought himself back to consciousness through bleeding because he was afraid that Tao Yueyue would rush in with a bunch of police officers. Even if he were to be arrested, he didn''t want to be pointed at by a gun, hugging his head and kneeling on the ground shamefully. Instead, he¡¯d kill a few policemen and be shot to death indiscriminately, just like a hero.


    "Go to the bedroom to rest!" Tao Yueyue persuaded.


    Zhou Xiao nced at her, ignored her, took out the medicine from the bag one by one, and saw the anti-inmmatory drugs in the capsules. He said, "What I want is injections!"


    "There¡¯s not enough money!" Tao Yueyue lied.


    Zhou Xiao held ten anti-inmmatory drugs and ten painkillers in the palm of his hand and put them in his mouth. Instead of drinking the mineral water Tao Yueyue bought, he gulped down arge ss of tap water.


    After taking the medicine, he attached the saline bottle and inserted a needle into himself. He asked Tao Yueyue to get a clothing hanger to hang the saline bottle up.


    Tao Yueyue realized in shock that he didn''t intend to sleep. This man was too vignt.


    As the salt water entered his body drip by drip, his physical strength would gradually recover. At this moment, she should act immediately, hitting him with something to make him pass out, or find a way to tie him up.


    But there was only one chance, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to turn back if she failed. She didn''t dare to take any risks before she was sure she would seed.


    Tao Yueyue clenched her fists, annoyed that she hadn¡¯t desperately looked for more people to borrow a phone from while she was outside. She walked around the lounge looking for things she could use¡­


    "Will the police rush in from this doorter?" Zhou Xiao asked as a joke, but his eyes were sharp.


    "What?" Tao Yueyue was startled. "You still don''t trust me?"


    "I just don''t understand. I''m so weak right now. Why don''t you call the police and take action? Or do you not dare to?"


    1. This is the nickname given to Xue Yong, who¡¯s a powerful character in the novel ¡°Water Margin¡±.


    2. I know it mentioned that he did this already. Perhaps he drew it out and did it again to make a point?

 Chapter 898: New Business

    <h4>Chapter 898: New Business</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue stared at those scarlet eyes that looked like they belonged to a hungry wolf and replied, "Neither¡­ I have decided to be your aplice!"


    "Really?" Zhou Xiao''s tone was full of suspicion.


    Tao Yueyue said as calmly as much as possible, "You opened the door to a new world for me. I want to give it a try because this kind of life seems very interesting. It also seems to be what I yearn for in my heart."


    Zhou Xiao leaned on the sofa. The current situation made it so he couldn¡¯t trust anyone easily, but the little girl had just left and thene back with medicine. This move did shake his suspicions.


    With the sudden death of Zhou Tiannan, their gang had been going downhill. Zhou Xiao looked at this cowardly little girl. Would the future start from here?


    He pointed to the bedroom. "You should be sleepy too. Go to sleep in that room. I won''t lock you in this time."


    Tao Yueyue breathed a sigh of relief. "You should also have a good rest."


    Zhou Xiao nodded. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.


    After a tiring night, Tao Yueyue was indeed quite sleepy. Shey in the unfamiliar bed, looking at the white clouds outside the window and thinking about how to subdue Zhou Xiao.


    In fact, she couldpletely take advantage of Zhou Xiao not being alert and kill him with a single stab. This could be regarded as a justified defense. Furthermore, she was a minor. There was a high probability that she didn¡¯t have to bear legal responsibility.


    No, murder was absolutely not allowed!


    She remembered what someone had said to her: "Tao Yueyue, do you know why Batman doesn''t kill people?"


    "To prevent teaching young people bad things?"


    "Haha, there are indeed such considerations, but more importantly, that¡¯s his bottom line. Batman stubbornly abides by the principle of not killing anyone because he feels that if he uses murder to prevent crime, he¡¯ll be no different from those criminals. So, he absolutely never kills people."


    Who had said these words to her? Tao Yueyue recalled in her tired head. She suddenly thought of the boy. The boy who was killed by Zhou Tiannan. The two of them really clicked and they could have be good friends.


    Tao Yueyue clenched the sheets tightly, secretly making up her mind to subdue Zhou Xiao. She must subdue Zhou Xiao!


    She gradually fell asleep, and a monster broke into her dream. It had a giant mouth and fangs like a wolf. It held Tao Yueyue and shook her like crazy. Tao Yueyue was so scared that she screamed and opened her eyes sharply. That¡¯s when she saw Zhou Xiao squatting down by the bed with a knife in his hand. His narrow eyes were full of threat.


    It was evening outside the window, and someone was knocking on the door.


    Zhou Xiao lowered his voice. "You contacted Song Lang?!"


    "I didn''t¡­" Tao Yueyue''s heart was pounding. Was it really Chen Shi outside? She hoped so, but also hoped it wasn¡¯t. If Chen Shi hade alone, he would definitely be in danger.


    The person was very stubborn and knocked on the door for a full minute. The knocking sound was about to drive them crazy.


    "Go and see how many people are outside!" Zhou Xiao whispered.


    Tao Yueyue nodded and got up from the bed, Zhou Xiao opened the window, ready to jump off the building at any time to escape. Below was a noisy marketce.


    Tao Yueyue walked to the door of the house and put her eye on the peep-hole. What she saw was a huge eyeball. It turned out that the person outside was also peeping inside through the peep-hole.


    The person outside noticed someone in the house and whispered, "Old Xie, are you there?"


    Tao Yueyue hurried to find Zhou Xiao and said, "It''s a friend of the person you killedst night."


    "Oh?" Zhou Xiao looked full of suspicion and closed the window. "You stay here and don''t move."


    Zhou Xiao hid the knife behind him and opened the door. There was a fat uncle standing outside. He was slightly taken aback upon seeing Zhou Xiao. Zhou Xiao calmly said, "I¡¯m a friend of Old Xie¡¯s. He has something he has to do today."


    "Oh¡­" The fat uncle nced at the phone. "Why doesn''t this guy answer the phone?!"


    "He can''t answer the phone right now. He asked me to wait for you here. I have something to pass onto you." Zhou Xiao lied calmly.


    Tao Yueyue, who was hiding in the bedroom, trembled with fright. Zhou Xiao nned to lure this person in and kill him!


    "Something to pass onto me?" The fat uncle looked excited. "He''s finished?¡­ Ahem, do you know why he went out today?"


    "He¡¯s with two other friends today and has important things to do!"


    The two were testing each other. It turned out that the fat uncle wasn¡¯t a good person either.


    The fat uncle smiled. "One of us, one of us!"


    Zhou Xiao also smiled. "Pleasee in."


    Uncle Fatty went in and looked around. Zhou Xiao put his hand on the knife hidden behind him, ready to kill the person who came in at any time.


    "Why hasn''t Old Xie taken action yet? You guys changed the time to tonight? I was anxious and couldn''t contact him, so I came to have a look. After all, I¡¯ve already paid and the most worrying thing is being cheated."


    Zhou Xiao took his hand away from the knife again. "You hired those three people to do the kidnapping? How much did you give them?"


    "Huh?" The fat uncle looked Zhou Xiao up and down. "Aren''t you his friend? Didn''t he tell you? Fuck, you¡¯re not a policeman, are you?!"


    The fat uncle turned around and was about to run.


    Zhou Xiao grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. The fat uncle sat on the sofa, trembling and was speaking incoherently, "It''s not¡­ then¡­ we haven''tmitted the crime yet¡­"


    Zhou Xiao drew the knife out and twirled it around in his hand, "He and I are not friends. He broke into my sitest night and I killed the three of them."


    "You¡­ you killed them?!" The fat uncle''s eyes widened, bbergasted.


    Zhou Xiao picked up a bag and threw it on the coffee table. The fat uncle opened it tremblingly. Inside were the wallets, cell phones, and ID cards of the three dead men. The fat uncle said, "Big brother, why have you killed the people I hired? All my money is gone now."


    "Why don¡¯t you tell me about this business?"


    The fat uncle hesitated for a while. "The object of this kidnapping is legally my wife, but we¡¯ve been separated for a long time. Thisdy is very scheming. She turned thepany that belonged to us both into her personalpany bit by bit and it¡¯s running smoothly now. She has a house and even a lover outside. She hasn¡¯t returned home for two years. The most annoying thing is that she actually trapped me and has something she can ckmail me with. If I were to divorce her, I can¡¯t get a dime. I do nothing every day and she regrly pays for my living expenses and supports me as an idler, while she¡¯s living morously outside. I¡¯m also a man. How can I swallow this down? That¡¯s why I want to copse herpany!"


    "Oh."


    "May I know yourst name?"


    "Zhou."


    "Mr. Zhou, I can see that you¡¯re also a capable person, and I can also see that you¡¯re in trouble right now. Would you consider making this money?" The fat uncle raised his eyebrows and asked dubiously.


    Zhou Xiao smiled as it was perfect. "How much ransom do you n to ask for?"


    "Of course, the more the ransom, the better. I previously agreed with Old Xie to divide the total in a 3:7 ratio. If you¡¯re willing to help me, you can also divide it this way."


    "If I kill this woman, won''t you get more inheritance?"


    The fat uncle showed a horrified expression. "But I didn''t n to kill her. No matter what, she¡¯s my wife¡­"

 Chapter 899: Subduing The Beast

    <h4>Chapter 899: Subduing The Beast</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Zhou Xiao said casually, "Hiring someone to kidnap your wife for a ransom - You¡¯re really not afraid of losing your wife as well as one¡¯s soldiers?[1] Were the three of them trustworthy? If it¡¯s really for money or revenge, it¡¯s most direct to just kill her. If you get her inheritance, you will have no money troubles to worry about in your life."


    The fat uncle lowered his head in thought. Tao Yueyue, who was hiding in the bedroom and peeping, saw that his heart was shaken. She thought that he really was a bad person and he might as well die.


    The fat uncle licked his lips and asked in a low voice, "What are your methods like?"


    Zhou Xiao leaned forward. "You should have heard of the name Zhou Xiao, right?"


    "You¡¯re the wanted criminal?!" The fat uncle was shocked.


    "Yes, I¡¯m a serial killer. If I kill her, this ount goes to my shoulders and the police will never suspect you. You can enjoy your inheritance without any worries."


    The fat uncle couldn''t hide the joy on his face. "This¡­ this¡­ it''s not good. She''s my wife after all! How can anyone hire someone to kill his wife¡­ How much do you normally charge for this business?"


    "One million."


    "Tsk, it''s a bit expensive¡­ Can I pay a deposit of 300,000 yuan first, and then pay the bnce of 700,000 yuanter?"


    "Pay five hundred thousand first." Zhou Xiao''s expression lookedpletely undisputable.


    "Then how can I be sure that you¡¯re not a liar? How can you prove that you¡¯re the wanted criminal?"


    "This is the risk you need to take, but it''s nothingpared to the risk I¡¯ll be taking. I never fail to kill, and I will not leave evidence behind."


    "Listen, this is the demeanor of a great god!" The fat uncle was very excited. "Oh, if I had known you were a great god, why would I have gone to those three little thieves? It seems that God is really helping me! I''ll give you one 1.2 million, with half of it paid to you first. However, there¡¯s one condition. This Saturday, she and her lover will go to the vi for the night. Make them die naked in bed. I want the world to see her lewdness."


    "Hmph!" Zhou Xiao sneered. "Killing two people?"


    "If this doesn''t work, I''ll still ask you to kill her as per the one million you mentioned."


    "No, I ept this condition. Bring the deposit tomorrow. I want the cash to be put in a small school bag."


    "No problem!"


    The fat uncle stretched out his hand excitedly, wanting to shake hands with Zhou Xiao, but Zhou Xiao ignored it and slumped on the sofa with a grin. "See you tomorrow."


    The fat uncle retracted his hand and rubbed his clothes awkwardly. "Okay, see you tomorrow."


    Tao Yueyue came out of the bedroom only when the fat uncle left. She pretended to praise, "Uncle Zhou is so great. You negotiated a 1.2 million yuan in business at once."


    "Hmph, this is already discounted. Who told us to be short of money right now¡­ are you hungry?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    All the money on the deceased went to buying medicine. The two had no money to eat. Zhou Xiao searched the house and obtained some dried noodles and eggs. Tao Yueyue watched TV in the living room while Zhou Xiao went to the kitchen to cook. Tao Yueyue felt like the atmosphere was a little weird. The most evil person in Long¡¯an was actually cooking some noodles for her. She wondered if the noodles would smell like blood.


    Suddenly, there was a violent roar and the sounds of smashinging from the kitchen. Tao Yueyue ran to take a look and saw Zhou Xiao throwing the pan on the ground and stomping on the eggs vigorously. "Why won''t it turn over?! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"


    Tao Yueyue turned pale with fright. Zhou Xiao used his hand to brush his hair back. "You should continue watching TV. I will make the noodles right away."


    "Uncle Zhou, why don¡¯t I do it?!"


    "You know how to?"


    "Kinda¡­"


    Zhou Xiao stopped insisting and gave the kitchen to Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue saw that the pot with a handle was dark. She didn''t know how much soy sauce and vinegar Zhou Xiao had put in it. This man really didn''t know anything about cooking.


    Tao Yueyue washed the pot, boiled some water, put noodles in, and then cracked two eggs into the water, which looked alright.


    She remembered that Chen Shi was busy in the kitchen every day. Cooking was his leisure. His generous hands could cut out beautiful things and make delicious pork rib soup, which forcibly nourished Tao Yueyue''s taste buds until she was a picky-eater.


    She swore silently in her heart that when she got home, she would never pick and choose again, whining for takeaway every day.


    Tao Yueyue brought the two bowls of noodles to the living room. Zhou Xiao picked it up with chopsticks and looked at it in disbelief. Seeing that he hadn''t eaten them for a long time, Tao Yueyue said, "Don''t worry, I didn''t poison it."


    Zhou Xiao actuallyughed, but it was still a ferocious kind ofughter. It seemed that he was in a good mood.


    That night seemed long and boring. Zhou Xiao was smoking a cigarette, rubbing and sharpening his knife, and waving it around in his hand. After fiddling with it for a while, he copsed on the sofa and let out a sigh of boredom.


    He was like an addict. Killing people brought him great excitement. The time outside of murders were boring. Games, music, movies, and books didn¡¯t exist in his world, and his spiritual world was extremely empty.


    Tao Yueyue, who had nothing to do, found a book in the cab. After reading a few pages, she threw it down, frightened. It was an extremely obscene novel. The women in it all seemed to be genital appendages without any character to them.


    Looking out the window, she thought that tomorrow would be the junior high school entrance examination. What are the other students doing at the moment?


    Zhou Xiao had just recovered from a serious illness. Although the inmmation had subsided thanks to the medicine, his body was still weak. After 11:00, he fell to sleep on the sofa. Tao Yueyue stood by the bedroom door, her heart beating wildly. There was now an opportunity to subdue him.


    She could create a rope with the bed sheets and pull it vigorously around his neck from behind. Zhou Xiao would wake up, but as long as she persisted for over 20 seconds, theck of oxygen would make him unconscious. Then, she¡¯d tie him up.


    No!


    Not to mention the strength of the rope made with bed sheets, it was dangerous topete with Zhou Xiao based on strength. Tao Yueyue had seen Zhou Xiao''s body. It wasn¡¯t as full and greasy as a bodybuilder, but it had amazing explosive power.


    Or perhaps gas poisoning?


    That won¡¯t do either!


    Zhou Xiao would jump up immediately when he smelled the peculiar smell. Even if it caused him to pass out, it would be difficult to prevent him from being poisoned to death.


    If only she had handcuffs¡­


    Tao Yueyue suddenly thought that she could make two nooses to hold Zhou Xiao''s arms, and then suddenly tighten them. When Zhou Xiao woke up, he¡¯d already be bound.


    It was best to restrain his hands and feet at the same time. Then this fierce beast wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.


    She opened the bedroom closet gently, found an old bed sheet, and then bit the bed sheet with her teeth. She tried to keep the sound as soft as possible, and then weaved the three strands of cloth into a rope like a braid. She pulled it with her hands to test its strength.


    Tao Yueyue was worried and thickened the rope. It took two full hours to make two pairs of cloth handcuffs.


    The next step was the most dangerous part. Tao Yueyue tiptoed to the living room, fearing that her heartbeat would reveal her whereabouts. Zhou Xiao leaned on the sofa with his head tilted back, almost purring as he slept.


    After careful observation, Tao Yueyue decided to put them on his feet first. She squatted down in the space between the sofa and the coffee table, and carefully grabbed Zhou Xiao¡¯s feet and lifted them up. She was so scared that she almost screamed during the whole process. Every subtle change in the sleeping Zhou Xiao''s breath made her heart tremble.


    Finally, she raised one of Zhou Xiao¡¯s feet. When she was about to stuff the cloth handcuffs on, Zhou Xiao suddenly stomped and stepped on the cloth handcuffs.


    Had he woken up?! Tao Yueyue raised her head in fright¡­


    1. Paying a double penalty.

 Chapter 900: Give Her A Coke

    <h4>Chapter 900: Give Her A Coke</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Zhou Xiao still maintained a sitting-sleeping position, but his eyes were slightly opened, as if he was squinting at Tao Yueyue.


    Tao Yueyue felt the hairs all over her body stand up, and her fear persuaded her to tactically retreat. She realized that this method was too dangerous, just like a mouse putting a bell on a cat. As long as the beast noticed a little, she would be dead.


    With heavy breathing, Tao Yueyue slowly moved the noose out of Zhou Xiao''s feet, and she leaned against the side of the sofa to gasp for breath.


    At this moment, a few motorcycles drove past loudly, and the rumbling noises made people feel like the whole street was shaking. A woman screamed andined, "It''s sote at night, are you crazy?!"


    Chen Shi once said that the group consisted of people that raced in the middle of the night. They deliberately sawed off their exhaust pipes. Some people even welded a horn-shaped metal tube to the mouth of the pipe to make louder noises. The behavior was naturally illegal.


    Tao Yueyue noticed that the spring inside the sofa was making a faint sound due to the change in weight. Zhou Xiao had woken up. Tao Yueyue shrank into a ball and didn¡¯t dare to move. She tucked the cloth handcuffs under the sofa. She wondered what lies she shoulde up with in case it was discovered.


    "Motherfucker!"


    Zhou Xiao muttered to himself his evaluation of the street racing party. He picked up a cigarette from the coffee table and lit it. He sat and smoked for a minute, then stood up and walked to the bathroom.


    Tao Yueyue hurriedly moved to the back of the sofa. She turned her head around to look. Zhou Xiao was standing in the dark toilet to urinate. The cigarette butt kept flickering with light before dimming down again. He suddenly punched the water tank with his fist. Tao Yueyue trembled with fright.


    After a few punches, Zhou Xiao slowly squatted down and cried while holding the toilet. The cigarette butt in his mouth fell into the toilet water mixed with urine.


    His crying wasn¡¯t smooth. It was just sobbing. It felt as if he couldn¡¯t catch his breath, and it seemed almost like strangeughter.


    Tao Yueyue squatted down at the back of the sofa hugging her shoulders. Her skin that was exposed to the air had goosebumps on it. It turned out that this beast had some sad moments. However, she wouldn¡¯t sympathize with him. They weren¡¯t of the same kind at all. How could she sympathize with him?


    Tao Yueyue slowly crawled out from behind the sofa. The short distance to the bedroom was hair-raising. She was afraid of being heard if she moved too much, but worried that she would be discovered if she was too slow. Finally, she entered the bedroom and Tao Yueyue climbed onto the bed, curled up, and pretended to be fast asleep.


    She listened to the movements outside with her ears perked up. Zhou Xiao cried alone for five minutes before flushing, followed by the sound of opening the door.


    Hearing the sound of footsteps going further away, Tao Yueyue''s heart finally settled down. The first thing she did was quickly move the cloth handcuffs under the sofa. She noticed that the bag beside the sofa was the medical supplies Zhou Xiao had used.


    Tao Yueyue opened it up. What Zhou Xiao had wanted in the morning was an injection, but she bought capsules, so the syringe didn''te in handy.


    Tao Yueyue picked it up. Could this thing help?


    Zhou Xiao should have anesthetics on him because he had used it on Tao Yueyue previously. Then she thought about how in thest housingmunity, as the incident happened so suddenly, they were hurriedly transferred. Perhaps it had been left behind.


    Wait!


    Tao Yueyue put away the syringe, fastened the bag, and restored it to its original shape as much as possible. She ran to the kitchen and opened the cabs one by one, only finding an empty bottle of Erguotou¡­ Tao Yueyue was disappointed.


    Injecting alcohol into Zhou Xiao''s body could also be used as an anaesthetic. Although the effect wasn¡¯t too good, it would definitely reduce hisbat effectiveness.


    She had once asked Chen Shi why people vomited after drinking too much.


    Chen Shi replied that it was because the liver couldn¡¯t bear so much alcohol and vomiting was the body''s way of self-preservation.


    She also asked what would happen if you injected alcohol into a blood vessel.


    Chen Shiughed and replied that it was very dangerous, as alcohol would dissolve hemoglobin and the impurities in it would cause infections. Of course, it would also cause drunkenness. If the dose wasrge enough, it would kill someone because people can¡¯t vomit out what¡¯s in their blood vessels.


    It was a pity that she hadn''t asked about the dosage at the time. She hadn''t expected that this knowledge would be useful one day.


    At the present moment, she was trying to find a way to get a bottle of alcohol. Ideally, one with extremely high purity and minimal impurities. Vodka seemed to be the best choice. There was no purer edible alcohol than that. She once heard a piece of news: A kitten was poisoned by eating antifreeze, and the doctor gave it vodka to save his life.


    Tao Yueyue hid the syringe and cloth handcuffs under the bed. She went to the window and saw Zhou Xiao with his hands hanging down, wandering around the housingmunity like a lonely ghost. The knife in his hand caught the light from time to time.


    Tao Yueyue was shocked. He must have been lonely and wanted to go out hunting.


    After pondering for a long time, Tao Yueyue took the syringe and opened the door, going downstairs. When she found Zhou Xiao, he was squatting on the edge of some shrubs and said affectionately, "Come here. Don''t be afraid. I won''t hurt you!"


    There was a puppy lying in the grass, whining. It was both afraid and eager to be pet.


    Zhou Xiao was holding a knife in his hand behind his back. His eyes were shining. His expression looked intoxicated, and his breathing was heavy, just like an addict that couldn¡¯t get heroin and had to use other cheap drugs as a substitute instead.


    The puppy was finally fooled. He slowly got out of the grass and his tail swayed tteringly. Zhou Xiao scratched its neck, and praised, "Really good! Really good!" The knife in his hand was slowly raised.


    "Please don''t kill it!" Tao Yueyue couldn''t help calling out.


    The puppy was frightened and ran away with a whimper.


    Zhou Xiao turned his head around, showing an expression of uneptance and hatred because his desire wasn¡¯t satisfied. He walked over and muttered, "You saved a dog! You saved a dog!"


    Tao Yueyue backed away in fear. She remembered that it was this time yesterday when Zhou Xiao showed his urge to kill her. It seems that every time at midnight, Zhou Xiao''s inner being gradually transformed into some kind of inhuman existence. Amidst the dark night within the soul, he stretched his neck and uttered a cry, as if choosing who to bite down on.


    "You¡­ If you¡¯re bored, I can apany you to go drinking. We can go to a bar. I really want to go to a bar. I can steal the wallet from someone who is drunk." Tao Yueyue suggested incoherently, trying to hide her little motives.


    Zhou Xiao put a hand on her head. Tao Yueyue felt that he only needed to put in a little effort and she would be crushed into a meat patty.


    "A bar¡­very good!" He epted the suggestion.


    The two walked behind each other on the deserted street. Some drunk people on the side of the road yelled. Zhou Xiao stretched out his hand to his knife several times. Every time, Tao Yueyue''s heart would beat wildly.


    In the end, they still walked into a bar without problem. This bar was a bit strange. There were only men in it. Tao Yueyue found a woman with heavy makeup in the crowd. However, when she saw "her" thick Adam¡¯s apple, she knew that he was also a man.


    The drinkers looked at Zhou Xiao with stark eyes. No one paid attention to Tao Yueyue. This provided her with great convenience. Tao Yueyue approached a drunk person and mped his wallet with two fingers. It came out easily.


    She ced the wallet in Zhou Xiao''s hand and went to the bar table. Zhou Xiao said, "One bottle of beer. One bottle of Coke."


    "I want vodka!"


    "Give her a Coke."


    "I want vodka. I want to try it."


    "Give her a Coke!"


    "I want vodka!!!"


    "I¡¯ve already said to give her a Coke!"


    The bartender smiled. "It''s rare for a little girl toe here. It wouldn¡¯t matter if she had one drink." Thus, he poured a small ss of vodka in a shot ss and pushed it over.


    Tao Yueyue was excited as her goal had been achieved. At this moment, Zhou Xiao swept the shot ss away and ordered. "Give her a Coke!"

 Chapter 901: Boundary Line

    <h4>Chapter 901: Boundary Line</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue gazed with boredom at the iced-coke in front of her. Zhou Xiao said while drinking a beer, "Drink quickly. We¡¯ll be going back after drinking."


    "Oh¡­" Tao Yueyue took a sip from her cup.


    A man came over to Zhou Xiao¡¯s side and said, "I haven''t seen you before."


    Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes at him. "I can''te just because you haven¡¯t seen me before?" He reached out and picked up the cigarettes and lighter that the man had ced on the bar table, and lit one.


    "Haha, what do you do for a living?"


    "Murderer."


    "Really?" The man thought it was a joke and continued in a joking tone. "Have you killed many people?"


    Zhou Xiao looked behind him. "More than the people in here."


    The man looked happy and snapped his fingers at the bartender. "Give him a cup of long-ind iced tea."


    Taking this opportunity, Tao Yueyue said quickly, "Uncle, I want to try a small cup of vodka."


    "Is this your daughter?" The man looked at Tao Yueyue and his eyes were obviously not as enthusiastic as they had been. However, for the sake of his face, he asked the bartender to pour a small ss of vodka.


    With outsiders present, Zhou Xiao didn¡¯t interfere with Tao Yueyue this time. He and the man chatted together on random topics that had no depth, but the two of them weren¡¯t drunk on alcohol. They had other motives and their words wereced with flirtation.


    Tao Yueyue raised the cup of vodka and pretended to drink it. The bartender wiped the sses while saying, "This alcohol tastes very strong. Just pour it into the coke and drink it."


    "No, I like drinking like this."


    "Why do you like vodka so much? You must have seen it on TV, right?"


    "Yes."


    "How old are you?"


    "Fourteen."


    Zhou Xiao and the man suddenly got up and left their seats and went to the bathroom together. The bartender also went to the other side to greet other guests. Taking this opportunity, Tao Yueyue quickly took out the syringe and drew the vodka from the ss into the syringe.


    She put the protective sleeve of the syringe on and breathed a long sigh of relief. She was one step closer to her actual goal, and the coke in her cup seemed to be much sweeter now.


    The men in the bar chatted with each other. Tao Yueyue was like a transparent person. This feeling was quite rxing.


    Zhou Xiao never came back. She became worried. He wouldn¡¯t¡­


    She ran to the bathroom door to eavesdrop, and she turned pale when she heard the man''s screams. She rushed into the men''s bathroom when no one was going in. This bar also only had men''s bathrooms.


    The unusual sounds came from one of the stalls. She hesitated before knocking on the door. "Uncle Zhou, are you in it?"


    "Get lost!" Zhou Xiao scolded.


    "Haha, your daughter is really worried about you."


    "Go out and wait for a while. I''ll be back right away." Zhou Xiao''s tone eased.


    "Back right away? Are you kidding me? You¡¯re not going to leave for at least another half hour." The man gasped.


    Tao Yueyue rolled her eyes. She was just worried that this man would be killed. At this time, someone else came in. They weren¡¯t too surprised to see Tao Yueyue. The man asked while urinating, "Little girl, did youe to the wrong ce?"


    After urinating, the man shook a few times and left.


    Tao Yueyue continued to knock on the door. "Uncle Zhou,e out when you¡¯re done. I''m so bored."


    "Get lost! I won''t kill him."


    "Haha, you better kill me."


    Tao Yueyue left helplessly, sitting near the toilet in anxiety.


    After a while, Zhou Xiao came out with a satisfied and exhausted expression. There was nothing but sweat on his body. There was no blood. Tao Yueyue sighed in relief.


    His tone was obviously milder now. He asked, "Were you afraid that I would kill someone, or were you afraid that I would be caught?"


    "I was scared you¡¯d be caught¡­"


    He grinned, "Let''s go!"


    Walking on the street with Zhou Xiao, his murderous aura had obviously diminished a bit. He was smoking a cigarette, looking at the night sky, and even humming softly.


    "Tao Yueyue¡­"


    Just as he was about to say something, two police officers appeared on the street. Zhou Xiao stretched out a hand and Tao Yueyue grabbed it. To the police, they were like a pair of father and daughter who came out to eat supper at night passing them by. As they walked past, Tao Yueyue noticed that one of the policemen looked at her in surprise, then turned on their phone.


    About ten meters away, the policeman said to his colleague, "Wasn¡¯t that girl just then the one who is missing?"


    "Hey, you guys need to stop right there!"


    Zhou Xiao pulled Tao Yueyue and ran as fast as they could. The police behind desperately chased them. Finally, Zhou Xiao hid in the gap between two buildings. The policemen who had lost their target searched nkly and shouted, "Tao Yueyue¡­"


    The other said, "Is the man with her a kidnapper?"


    "But I haven''t heard anything about her being kidnapped. It''s just that she is missing. Besides, you saw how she so obviously ran away with that person."


    "Haii, then that¡¯s really troublesome. Let''s report to the bureau tomorrow."


    With the sound of footsteps heading away, Tao Yueyue questioned her choice again. Just then, she could have broken free from Zhou Xiao and ran to freedom, but she chose not to say a word.


    Her reason told her that she didn''t have to doubt herself. Her choice was correct. Her ongoing n was more important than the junior high exam that she was about to miss and more important than eating delicious food at home. She wanted to make nights in Long¡¯an no longer dangerous.


    Through this episode, Zhou Xiao basically trusted Tao Yueyue. He asked, "Are you really nning to follow and do this line of business with me?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded. "You can earn so much money by killing one person, and I want to do this too. Earning money, killing people, and living easily."


    "The adult world isn¡¯t that easy¡­ but if you want to earn money, I will give you a chance. You will kill one of these two people. I will pay you the reward and let you go home. From then on, we¡¯re partners!"


    This time, Tao Yueyue nodded firmly. "Okay!"


    Zhou Xiao stroked her head. "Teacher Zhou chose you correctly."


    Zhou Xiao nced outside the alley. "It seems that Song Lang is looking for you through the police. The neighborhood isn¡¯t safe. We have to move."


    "Then how can that uncle contact you?"


    "I will leave behind my contact information."


    The two returned to the housingmunity. They had nothing to pack. They only took the dead man''s cell phone and ID. Zhou Xiao also took a charger. He carved a series of numbers on the door, which was Old Xie''s phone number.


    Zhou Xiao took her to a ruined building. This piece of feng shui treasure had been upied by a group of homeless people long ago. Seeing outsidersing in, a bunch of people came out from within the darkness, reminiscent of a wolf pack in a cave.


    A homeless man with hair past his shoulders pointed at a pir with a line of chalk on it. He said, "''High-end club'' If you read it then get lost!"


    "We¡¯re friends from the same path. Let us stay overnight. I know your boss Xu Gaokui."


    The homeless man looked Zhou Xiao up and down. "Who are you?"


    "Zhou Xiao. Zhou Tiannan''s disciple."


    "Zhou Tiannan?" The group of homeless people chuckled. "The one who randomly died?"


    The impulsive and easily irritable Zhou Xiao faced the ridicule of this group and actually endured these insults. The homeless people pointed to the side. "Go and stay there."


    Zhou Xiao sped his hand and a fist together and went to a cement-lined room without a door with Tao Yueyue. There were a few burnt bricks on the ground, some rags, and cotton wool, which could barely be used as a bed. Zhou Xiao said, "In this world that¡¯s like a sewer, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have money. The most feared thing is to have noworking."


    "You offended that underworld boss, so why is no one chasing after you?"


    "Good question. That¡¯s because this is another boss''s jurisdiction. He thinks I''m still useful. He doesn''t want another group of people toe in the name of crusade against me to cause trouble. There are many boundaries in Long''an that ordinary people can''t see, but it exists concretely for us."

 Chapter 902: Contact

    <h4>Chapter 902: Contact</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Zhou Xiao slept on the tattered bed since he had nothing to do and was bored. Before going to bed, he told Tao Yueyue, "Wake me up immediately if anything happens."


    Sitting in the dark room was really boring. Tao Yueyue took out the syringe several times and looked at Zhou Xiao who was next to her. There were homeless people gathering here, so she naturally couldn''t take action here.


    There was a thump in the darkness. Under the moonlight, Tao Yueyue saw a ball rolling to the door. She walked over and picked it up. There was a little boy sitting in a pile of broken and tattered items. Tao Yueyue threw the ball back and the little boy picked it up before throwing it back.


    After ying catch like this for a while, the little boy¡¯s smile gradually became more open. One time, when Tao Yueyue threw the ball off course a little, the little boy moved over with his hands on the ground. At this time, Tao Yueyue realized that he had no lower body. Instead of legs and feet, there was a wooden board with four wheels installed on it.


    This moment really shocked Tao Yueyue. For the first time, she realized how happy she was to have all four limbs. When the little boy threw the ball back, Tao Yueyue, who was in a daze, didn¡¯t catch it. The little boy moved over and looked up at her. He said, "Sister, Sister, I¡¯ll show you my treasures!"


    "Oh, okay¡­" Tao Yueyue smiled. Not far away, a few homeless people were ying mahjong and smoking cigarettes by amp, indifferent to the interaction between the two children.


    The little boy showed his tattered collection to Tao Yueyue and introduced each item with excitement. Tao Yueyue, who wasn¡¯t good at handling children, just listened with a small smile. The boy asked, "Sister, can you y with me every day?"


    "I''m afraid that won¡¯t do. We¡¯ll be leaving at dawn."


    "But ''Dad'' said that you¡¯ll be with us in the future."


    "Which one is your ''Dad''?"


    "Huh, he was there just now? He probably went out."


    An ominous premonition spread across her body like an electrical current. Tao Yueyue immediately went back to wake Zhou Xiao up. "Those homeless people are going to deal with you."


    "Are you sure?"


    Tao Yueyue told Zhou Xiao the information the little boy had revealed. Zhou Xiao grinned. "Bastards. Truly, when a tiger goes down to levelnd, it¡¯d be bullied by dogs!"[1]


    "Don¡¯t kill people, okay¡­"


    "I''m not that stupid. Going against the homeless people in the city?" Zhou Xiao stood up.


    Seeing that the two were about to leave, the little boy looked reluctant and sad to see them leave. The homeless people who were ying mahjong suddenly stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "I have something to do so I¡¯ll be leaving now."


    "Sorry, but you can''t leave."


    "Why? I remember there were five people just now. One is missing. Did they go tip someone off? You guys want the bounty on my head?"


    "People die for money. Brother Zhou, you understand."


    They used sympathetic words, but four daggers appeared in their hands as the four homeless people surrounded them.


    Tao Yueyue was so scared that she hid behind Zhou Xiao. Zhou Xiaoughed up towards the sky, drew the knife from behind him, and shouted, "Come here if you aren¡¯t afraid of death!!!"


    With a violent roar, they were all so scared that they retreated. They cast nces at each other, but they didn¡¯t dare to be the first to rush forward.


    In this delicate stalemate, Zhou Xiao pulled Tao Yueyue, slowly moved to the top of the stairs, then yelled "Go!" Tao Yueyue immediately rushed down the stairs and Zhou Xiao immediately followed.


    Realizing that the duck that was about to enter their mouths was flying away, the homeless people yelled, "Hurry and chase after them!"


    Zhou Xiao picked up a shovel from the ground and hid behind a pir. When the mob chased after him, he mmed the shovel down and smashed one of them to the ground.


    Before the remaining three had time to react, they were all smashed down by Zhou Xiao. They were either unconscious or on the ground groaning.


    Zhou Xiao put the shovel down and told Tao Yueyue to follow him quickly.


    When they got to a safe ce, Zhou Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and cursed, "A bunch of stinking maggots!"


    Then, he taught Tao Yueyue, "Did you see that? Everybody who sees us tries to bully us now. You have to get blood on your hands before they¡¯ll be afraid of you. The strong devouring the weak is thew of this world!"


    The sun was slowly rising. Tao Yueyue asked, "Where are we going now?"


    Zhou Xiao opened the wallet Tao Yueyue had stolen from the bar and said, "There¡¯s still some money. Let''s have breakfast."


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    On the street, the cleaners had already begun to work. Some early-rising uncles and aunts were doing morning exercises and walking on the streets that all looked the same. Tao Yueyue now understood that the same city lookedpletely different in the eyes of different people.


    For people like Zhou Xiao, this was a savage and primitive jungle.


    When such a person sits in an interrogation room and retells his own experience, the police may look at each other in surprise, but they will never understand that the gap between people is umted by their different environments day by day.


    A breakfast fragrance wafted over. It was a deep-fried dough stick stall. Zhou Xiao stepped forward, took a hot fried dough stick directly from the strainer on the top of the oil pan, and ate it. He said, "20 fried dough sticks and four bowls of tofu brain."


    "I can''t eat that much¡­" Tao Yueyue whispered.


    "How much do you eat?"


    Taking a look at the thick and long fried dough sticks, Tao Yueyue replied, "One fried dough stick and a bowl of tofu brain."


    Zhou Xiao said to the boss again, "Twenty-one fried dough sticks. Five bowls of tofu brain."


    Soon after they were seated, their meal was served. Zhou Xiao grabbed the deep-fried dough stick with his hands that he hadn''t washed for three days and pushed it into his mouth. The whole dough stick folded itself as it was stuffed in. He chewed with his mouth stuffed, with a thick vein on his forehead popping out from time to time. He didn''t wait for his mouth to empty before he swallowed another dough stick. When he was about to choke to death, he picked up the hot tofu brain with his hands and ate half a bowl of it in one mouthful.


    Tao Yueyue thought to herself that what he was eating wasn¡¯t deep-fried dough sticks, but French fries.


    There was a mother and a son next to them. The mother said to the child, "Eat slowly, don''t worry. The exam won¡¯t start until half past eight!"


    "I''m finished eating."


    "Wipe your hands. Come and drink this bottle of Shengming No. 1 oral liquid."


    "Mom, I want to drink Coke."


    "I¡¯ll buy it for you if you drink this liquid."


    Tao Yueyue looked at them with envy in her eyes. Even if Zhou Xiao let her take the junior high school entrance examination right now, it was still toote. She didn¡¯t have an admission ticket prepared and she wasn¡¯t qualified to participate. Zhou Xiao asked, "Are you still thinking about the junior high school entrance examination? It¡¯s useless. What¡¯s the point of graduating from a university? You¡¯ll still just be exploited by your boss. If you want to make money, you can¡¯t walk the typical path.¡±


    "Wasn''t Ling Shuang also a university professor?"


    Zhou Xiao was speechless for a moment. He stretched out his hand to wipe the oil on his hands onto the hat the old man set on the table next to them. "Ling Shuang knew uster than you did."


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue didn''t want to start a debate on this issue because they had gone through countless times.


    Zhou Xiao finished eating thest fried dough stick. At this time, his phone rang and he talked in a low voice. After hanging up, he took out the phone card, broke it in half and threw it into the chili sauce bottle. "Let¡¯s go!"


    The two arrived at the housingmunity across the street and looked through the fence. Zhou Xiao was cautious to the point of neuroticism. Even if an appointment was made, he wouldn¡¯t stand in the meeting ce and wait.


    Every time Zhou Xiao smoked a cigarette, he would press the cigarette butt into the rose petals in the flower bed. After damaging all the rose flowers, the fat uncle appeared on the opposite side with a small school bag.


    Zhou Xiao pointed. "Yueyue, go and bring him here."


    Tao Yueyue stepped forward to exin her intentions, and the fat uncle immediately hugged his school bag tightly. "Who are you!?"


    Tao Yueyue pointed to the other side. "Uncle Zhou is waiting for you."


    After squinting to have a clear look, the fat uncle finally walked across the road and said, "Mr. Zhou, why did you leave? You made me carry so much cash on me for such a long time."


    "Open it so I can have a look."


    The fat uncle opened the schoolbag which was full of cash. Zhou Xiao picked up a wad of money and flicked through them in his hand, sniffing the smell of banknotes. Then, he said to the fat uncle, "Your wife is already a dead woman."


    "No, she''s my ex-wife." The fat uncleughed.


    1. A person who loses their position and influence will be subjected to indignity.

 Chapter 903: Testing The Waters

    <h4>Chapter 903: Testing The Waters</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After the fat uncle left, Zhou Xiao asked Tao Yueyue to carry the small school bag on her back. The weight of 600,000 in cash was about the same as her usual school books.


    Zhou Xiao took Tao Yueyue around beforeing to an alley. In the alley, there were a few big guys squatting on the ground and smoking. The look in their eyes wasn¡¯t kind. Tao Yueyue was frightened when she walked by them. After all, she had a huge sum of money on her.


    The big guys suddenly pinched their cigarettes out and stood up, before following behind the two of them. Tao Yueyue pulled at the corner of Zhou Xiao''s clothes and said, "Uncle Zhou, there are bad guys behind us."


    "Got it." Zhou Xiao replied lightly.


    Seeing the bad guys getting closer, Zhou Xiao didn''t panic. The two arrived in front of a gloomy staircase. Zhou Xiao told Tao Yueyue to go upstairs, look for the third door on the left, and ask the person inside to buy an "ear".


    Tao Yueyue nodded. She saw the big men surrounding Zhou Xiao as she went up the stairs.


    She sped up in fear and found the door. It was actually a shop selling mobile phones. There was no sign on the front of the door. It looked deserted. A boss was sitting behind the table picking at his nose.


    kk had told her about this kind of thing. Some people from the underworld would steal other people''s identity information to apply for mobile phone cards and sell them to people in need.


    Tao Yueyue put down the schoolbag by the door, took a bundle of cash in her hand, walked in, and said to the boss, "I want two ''ears''."


    The boss looked at Tao Yueyue up and down, wiped the hand that had picked his nose against his chest, took out two old-style mobile phones from the drawer, and said, "Four thousand."


    As they talked, the sounds of a fight came from downstairs. The boss didn''t pay any mind to it. It seemed that he was used to listening to this kind of thing.


    Tao Yueyue counted out a wad of banknotes and ced it on the table. "I will give you five thousand. If anyone asks how many I¡¯ve bought, you need to tell them it was just one."


    The boss smiled and nodded, epting the cash. "Don''t worry."


    Walking out, Tao Yueyue couldn''t wait to turn on one of the mobile phones. It was actually a working phone. She entered Chen Shi''s number, but hesitated with her finger over the dial button. Finally, she gave up.


    She turned off the phone, hid it under the money, and went downstairs.


    Zhou Xiao had already brought down the big guys who were trying to cause trouble, threatening one of them with a knife. "You think you can get the bounty on my head with just you guys? Get lost!"


    They got up, and while fleeing, they left behind the words, "Just you wait."


    After receiving the mobile phone handed over to him by Tao Yueyue, Zhou Xiao dialed a number while saying, "The streets are full of little thugs thinking about my bounty nowadays. I probably can¡¯t stay in Long¡¯an much longer. After finishing thismission, I might have to head out and hide for a while. It looks like I¡¯ll have to change my face again." He touched his face.


    "Why can''t you go now? You have the money anyway."


    "I¡¯m a killer, not a scammer."


    The phone dialed through. "Old Four, help me get me a car and send it to XX Road¡­"


    The two waited at a nearby coffee shop. After half an hour, a second-hand car drove to the shop. Zhou Xiao took out 50,000 yuan in cash from Tao Yueyue¡¯s bag, went out, handed it to the man, took the key, and beckoned Tao Yueyue toe out.


    Although the seats of this car of unknown origin were all torn, Tao Yueyue felt veryfortable in it. At least she didn''t have to walk.


    As soon as she stopped to have a rest, she felt sleepy. She persisted for a while before falling asleep curled up in the seat. Zhou Xiao kept smoking in the car, causing her to cough in her sleep and dream that her school was on fire.


    When she woke up, the sun was already starting to set. Tao Yueyue rubbed her eyes and sat up. The car was parked near a building waiting to be demolished. There was only silence around her. Zhou Xiao wasn¡¯t there, and the door was locked from the outside.


    There was a bag in the passenger seat with water and bread in it.


    Watching the golden sunset outside the window, Tao Yueyue was filled with inexplicable sadness. Under the control of her weakness, she pulled out the mobile phone from her small schoolbag and dialed Chen Shi''s number. When the phone rang three times, she immediately hung up.


    No, Uncle Chen cannot be contacted yet. Uncle Chen will definitely not support her risky actions.


    Fearing that Chen Shi would call back, Tao Yueyue turned the phone off. Even if he investigated, he wouldn''t be able to find it, right?


    She made up her mind to subdue Zhou Xiao tonight and give Chen Shi a big surprise.


    She hid her mobile phone under the seat cushion. She started eating the bread and drinking the mineral water. The setting sun outside the window was magnificent, and the sky was full of burning clouds. At a certain moment, the whole sky suddenly became gray. This was the first time Tao Yueyue had observed the process of nightfall so carefully.


    As thest ray of sunlight disappeared, the sky turned into a velvet-like dark blue, and the surrounding streetmps lighted up in turn. Tao Yueyue¡¯s misery in her heart gradually disappeared. The night made her feel at peace. She liked nights more than days. Sometimes, her adolescent delusions caused her to believe that she belonged to the night.


    At 8:00PM, Zhou Xiao came back and said, "Let''s go somewhere."


    Zhou Xiao drove her to a high-end residential area and parked their car outside. This address was the residence of the fat uncle¡¯s ex-wife. Tao Yueyue was surprised. "Saturday is tomorrow!"


    "Do you understand the concept of testing the waters? Am I a little ruffian who would stab someone and run away?"


    "Oh¡­"


    Zhou Xiao took out a bag from under the seat, took out something from it, and told Tao Yueyue to take off her shoes.


    He melted a glue stick with a lighter and applied it to the pattern on the sole, then sprinkled some white powder on it. He then did the same to his shoes. This way, the pattern on the soles of the shoes would be hard to make out.


    Then, he asked Tao Yueyue to stretch out her hand and applied ayer of transparent glue on her fingerprints. Tao Yueyue felt like she was being covered with a film. It was a bit ufortable for it to be so airtight.


    "Did Song Lang teach you stuff like this?" Zhou Xiao smiled triumphantly.


    "We don''t need to use these."


    "What he taught you is just like ying house. What¡¯s a simted crime? If you don''tmit a crime with risk and pressure involved, you won''t experience the bliss. It''s like the difference between masturbating and having sex."


    Hearing Zhou Xiao nder Chen Shi in a disdainful tone, Tao Yueyue felt like her chest was blocked with something, as if she had been told that her favorite idol was a sissy, but she held it back and nodded in agreement.


    The two got out of the car and Zhou Xiao looked for a gap outside the courtyard wall of the housingmunity, before finally stopping under a tree. He flexibly climbed up the wall using the tree, then dragged Tao Yueyue up. Some residents of the housingmunity were walking around at night. No one paid any attention to them.


    When they got to the vi, Zhou Xiao picked the lock skillfully. After entering the vi, he checked every room. Tao Yueyue noticed the stairs, the balcony, the ropes on the curtains, and all kinds of rooms. This was a good ce. It was big and empty, and she could deal with Zhou Xiao here.


    Zhou Xiao found aptop in the bedroom and opened it. There was a monitoring software on the desktop. It turned out that both the courtyard and the house were equipped with security cameras. The two entering just now were recorded.


    "What the fuck, she¡¯s quite cautious." Zhou Xiao started to operate on theputer and deleted this section of the surveince footage. At the same time, he checked whether the footage was connected to other devices.


    "Uncle Zhou, why don''t we spend the night here? They¡¯lle tomorrow, so let¡¯s just wait for the rabbit toe here." Tao Yueyue proposed.


    "What are you plotting?" Zhou Xiao looked at her suspiciously.

 Chapter 904: Change of Plans

    <h4>Chapter 904: Change of ns</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Tao Yueyue replied timidly, "I just think¡­ it''s probably nice to rest in a ce like this."


    Zhou Xiao snorted in response. At this time, a car appeared on the surveince footage. It was a red convertible BMW. It couldn''t be a police car since it was so eye-catching. Ayoung man and woman got out of the car, hugging and kissing each other. After dawdling for about five minutes, they finally opened the courtyard door.


    Zhou Xiao made a gesture indicating for Tao Yueyue to follow him upstairs. The two entered a bedroom and hid in the big closet. Zhou Xiao continued to stare at theptop.


    The couple walked in and turned on all the lights in the living room. The woman looked to be about twenty years old. She shouldn¡¯t be the fat uncle¡¯s wife. The man was about this age as well. He fetched two cups and used a small clip to put ice cubes into them one by one. Then, he poured two sses of brandy.


    The voice of conversation came from downstairs.


    "Brother Wang, is this your house?"


    "It''s our boss¡¯. It''s almost mine. She gave me that car as well."


    "Wow, your boss spoils you too much."


    "It¡¯s just that we¡¯re each getting what we need. She¡¯s a woman who is almost fifty years old, and is old-looking and ugly. If it weren''t for the money, who would apany her to relieve her boredom? She also said that she would promote me soon!"


    "Aiya, I really envy you. You can use your face like the swipe of a card."


    "Who told my parents to give me such a good face?!"


    The two of them were acting very mushy. They would hug and kiss each other after exchanging a few words with each other. If this scene were on TV, Tao Yueyue may have blushed while watching, but it just seemed funny on the ck-and-white surveince screen.


    It seemed like the man was the affair who was living off of the rich woman. Zhou Xiao said, "I won¡¯t kill him now, or I¡¯ll startle him. The rich woman is the real goal, unless¡­"


    "Unless what?"


    Zhou Xiao grinned. "Unless these two were so unlucky as to find us."


    Tao Yueyue prayed in her heart hoping not to be discovered.


    On the screen, the man and woman leaned on the table and hugged each other affectionately, knocking over the brandy that they only had a few sips of. They could even hear their saliva exchanging sounds from underneath the floorboards. Watching this image in front of her with Zhou Xiao, Tao Yueyue felt extremely awkward, and her feet were about to go numb from squatting down for so long.


    "They probably won''te up." Tao Yueyue whispered.


    Zhou Xiao nodded and pushed the closet open. They could finally breathe and move around.


    The pair were still being affectionate with each other. Tao Yueyue thought to herself, haven¡¯t you guys kissed enough? If you¡¯re going to do it, you should hurry up and just do it! Then, she felt ashamed of her own expectations.


    Zhou Xiao sat on a single sofa by the door, put his notebook down on the small table next to him, and kept yawning as he rubbed his face. Tao Yueyue knew that he was desperately restraining his addiction.


    God knows how long it took, but the man and woman finally had enough of kissing. The man picked up the woman and went to the bedroom on the first floor¡­ then continued kissing her.


    After suffering for an hour and a half in this awkwardness, Tao Yueyue couldn¡¯t believe that she had actually spent the time she could have used watching a movie to watch two adults kissing in various poses, indirectly experiencing the hardship of police investigations when they go through surveince footage.


    They began to take off each other¡¯s clothes, but they weren¡¯t in a hurry to mate. The man took out handcuffs from the drawer and handcuffed the woman to the bed. He took the ice from the brandy ss and slid it around on her stomach. The woman was excited, giggling as she twisted around.


    Tao Yueyue''s eyes widened. She wasn¡¯t interested in the "game" the two were ying, but the pair of handcuffs.


    If she could just get them¡­


    Zhou Xiao couldn''t handle it any longer and sighed to the sky. "I should go down and kill them!"


    Tao Yueyue persuaded, "Uh, they seem to be about to start¡­"


    There was a conversation between the two from outside the window. The woman asked, "Brother Wang, have you started reacting?"


    The man said, "It''sing soon."


    Zhou Xiao was about to have a mental breakdown. It turned out that the reason the two had been flirting the whole time was because the man had an erectile dysfunction. He didn¡¯t know why the rich woman chose him.


    The conversation outside the window continued. The man said, "Don''t call me Brother Wang. Call me Little Wang."


    "Calling you Little Wang will give you a reaction?"


    "Try it."


    "Little Wang."


    "Do it again!"


    "Little Wang, Little Wang, Little Wang¡­"


    "Oh fuck, it''s hard!!"


    Zhou Xiao bit his lip and beat his thigh with his fist desperately. His patience was reaching the limit.


    Fortunately, the next development was very fast. One minuteter, the woman shyly praised, "Brother Wang is so fierce!"


    "Haha, it¡¯s just normal. Just normal¡­ Wait!"


    The man suddenly jumped out of bed naked, rummaged through the area, and asked, "Weird. There should be aptop on this table. There wouldn¡¯t be a thief in the house, right?"


    "Your boss must have taken it away."


    "Impossible. Theptop is connected to the surveince footage. What would she want thisptop for? I understand now! She caught us!"


    "No way? Why didn''t she confront you if she found out about us? And she even gave you the key."


    The man sat on the edge of the bed posing like he was thinking. After all, he couldn¡¯t figure out why, so he ran to the living room butt naked and grabbed a bottle of wine. He came back and said to the woman, "This is the most expensive bottle of wine. We¡¯ll fucking drink it now, lest we can''t drink it in the future."


    Tao Yueyue was surprised. Different people had different thinking patterns. This little adulterer wasn¡¯t looking around the house, but chose to leech more from the rich woman.


    The two of them took a sip each and eventually drank the whole bottle of Napoleon. After ten minutes, they started to talk nonsense. Another half an hourter, they were drunk.


    The pair of erotic handcuffs were ced in the lower right corner of the screen.


    The long torture was finally over. When Zhou Xiao stood up, both of his legs trembled a little. He said, "Let¡¯s get out. I will die if I don''t go out and smoke a cigarette."


    Tao Yueyue said with ulterior motives, "I will quietly put thisptop back in the bedroom¡­ I will put it behind the cab, so that it looks like it identally fell down."


    Zhou Xiao nodded. "I¡¯ll wait for you in the courtyard."


    Tao Yueyue snuck into the bedroom. The pair were lying on the bed naked. It was her first time seeing male genitalia in real life. She blushed and removed her eyes from it. After cing theptop, she picked up the handcuffs on the bedside table. However, she only found out after touching it that the material of these handcuffs were very light, and the chain in the middle was also very loose. These details weren¡¯t visible from the video. It wasn¡¯t useful at all and could only tie up people who were willing to be tied up.


    Tao Yueyue was extremely disappointed. She put down the handcuffs and walked out. Suddenly, she found Zhou Xiao squatting down sneakily under the window with a knife in his hand. He hooked his finger over at Tao Yueyue.


    It turned out that another car had driven in. A well-dressed middle-aged woman parked the car at the door and walked in angrily.


    Zhou Xiao smiled. "She delivered herself right to the door."


    Tao Yueyue was so scared that her throat became dry. "Didn''t we say we would kill her tomorrow?"


    "The employer just stated that she wille here tomorrow. Since they¡¯re all here today, why wouldn¡¯t I take action now?"


    "But there¡¯s an outsider."


    "Later on, it¡¯ll allow the police to guess the story behind these two women and one man." Zhou Xiao formed a vicious smile.


    Tao Yueyue frowned. She didn''t want to see anyone getting killed again. Zhou Xiao told her to follow him and the two moved into the narrow space underneath the stairs.


    The rich woman rushed into the living room, saw the shocking scene in the bedroom at a nce, and yelled, "Bastards!"


    She took out her mobile phone and dialed in annoyance. "Hey, it''s me¡­ Can you call a few people who can fight over? I want to teach these two whorey bitches a lesson!"


    As she concentrated on the phone call, Zhou Xiao was like a cheetah in the jungle, slowly approaching her from behind, walking so softly that there was no sound to be heard.


    Tao Yueyue''s heartbeat was speeding up. She had to stop him. Stop him!


    She gritted her teeth, took out the syringe that was on her, pounced on Zhou Xiao''s back and inserted the syringe into his neck from behind, pushing all the liquid inside into his blood stream¡­

 Chapter 905: Intelligence Battles

    <h4>Chapter 905: Intelligence Battles</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Seeing two people twisted together suddenly appear behind her, the rich woman was so frightened that she jumped up as if she had been electric shocked. Zhou Xiao gritted his teeth and threw Tao Yueyue away, rushed over to grab the rich woman¡¯s head, and smashed it on the wall, knocking her unconscious.


    Tao Yueyue fell to the ground, holding an empty syringe in her hand. She looked at Zhou Xiao incredulously. It stands to reason that such arge amount of alcohol instantly entering the bloodstream would cause an immediate reaction. How could he bepletely fine?


    "Are you wondering why it was useless?" Zhou Xiao said. "I found this syringe while you were sleeping today. I reced the alcohol in it with distilled water. I wanted to see who you were going to use it against¡­" He suddenly shouted. "You were actually nning to use it against me!!!"


    Tao Yueyue turned around and ran towards the stairs. She heard Zhou Xiao shouting from behind her. "Run. Run. I''ll finish you off right away, hahahaha!"


    This is bad!!!


    Tao Yueyue figured that Zhou Xiao¡¯s primary target was the rich woman. She turned back again. As expected, Zhou Xiao was squatting down beside the rich woman to prepare for the murder. Tao Yueyue grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine rack, took a deep breath, and aimed at Zhou Xiao¡¯s head before tossing it over.


    Hearing the sound of the wind, Zhou Xiao dodged, and the flying bottle of wine shattered when it hit the wall. Most of it sshed on theatose rich woman.


    Zhou Xiao red at Tao Yueyue fiercely and quietly reprimanded, "I was so good to you, but you betrayed me. You betrayed me!"


    "I¡­ I will arrest you!" Tao Yueyue announced with a trembling voice.


    "Try it!" Zhou Xiao grinned.


    After the provocation was over, Tao Yueyue fled to the second floor again. This time, Zhou Xiao chased after her. He was irritated. He was going to ughter this little traitor.


    She remembered seeing something in a certain room. She rushed in and locked the door. She grabbed the baseball bat by the wall and waved it around. However, when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching outside, her determination began to waver again.


    No, I can''t beat him!


    All the rooms on the second floor had their doors open. Only one room was closed. Zhou Xiao knew Tao Yueyue was hiding in it instantly. He kicked the door without a word, and the door swayed in the door frame. It even shook down the dust from the ceiling.


    Tao Yueyue shivered with fright. She looked around and dragged a vertical vacuum cleaner leaning against the corner of the walls behind the curtain. She immediately realized that this was too stupid. Moonlight printed the outline of the vacuum cleaner on the curtain, and Zhou Xiao wouldn¡¯t mistake it to be Tao Yueyue.


    The kicking sound was still resounding crazily, and the fragile wooden door wouldn''tst long.


    She gritted her teeth, swapping the air inlet and outlet connectors on the vacuum cleaner, plugged in the power and pushed the switch. A strong wind blew out from the vacuum cleaner.


    She opened the closet, found a puffer jacket, and attempted to tear it apart with her teeth. The puffer jacket was too tough and Tao Yueyue was so anxious she was about to cry, for fear that Zhou Xiao would break in at this time. Fortunately, God helped, and she finally tore it open. Tao Yueyue ced it by the door and pointed the vacuum cleaner at the exposed feathers.


    She wasn''t sure whether this immature little trick would work, but she could only take a gamble in this moment.


    With a bang, the door was knocked open. Zhou Xiao appeared with a grim look. Tao Yueyue pushed the vacuum cleaner power switch to its maximum power and the strong wind raised the feathers like snowkes into Zhou Xiao¡¯s face.


    Zhou Xiao subconsciously blocked it with his hands. Taking this opportunity, Tao Yueyue lifted the baseball bat and smashed it on his head.


    "Ah!!!"


    Zhou Xiao let out a wild roar, reaching out to grab Tao Yueyue among the feathers in the sky. He grabbed Tao Yueyue''s sleeve and pulled it hard. Half of the sleeve was torn apart.


    Zhou Xiao rushed in and kicked the vacuum cleaner down with a violent kick. His body was covered with feathers, and a stream of blood dripped from his forehead, dripping all the way down his nose, making his appearance even more terrifying.


    There were feathers everywhere in the room. Zhou Xiao saw the window wide open, but this time, he wasn¡¯t fooled because Tao Yueyue had used this trick before. Turning around, Tao Yueyue really was squatting under a cab on the right hand side of the door, trembling, as she held the bloody baseball bat.


    "I''m going to kill you!" Zhou Xiao approached step by step.


    Tao Yueyue raised her hand and sprinkled a handful of crushed lime wallpaper powder on Zhou Xiao''s face, and then rushed towards the door. Just when one of her feet stepped out of the threshold of the room, Zhou Xiao suddenly grabbed her cor from behind. Pulling it, Tao Yueyue fell heavily to the floor.


    Tao Yueyue stood up. She was no longer afraid at this moment, because fear could not save her.


    It was like the first time she saw Zhou Xiao. On that nightmare of a night, Zhou Xiao pointed a knife at her and her mother and said jokingly, "Choose someone to die."


    Although she didn''t like her mother, she mustered up extraordinary amounts of courage at that moment and pointed to herself, saying, "Me!"


    Tao Yueyue panted hard, clenching the baseball bat in her hand. Her increasingly strong eyes were exactly the same as before. Zhou Xiao grinned. "You¡¯re really not afraid of death. You obviously had a chance to escape, but you wanted to stay and deal with me. Do you want to prove yourself to Song Lang?"


    "No! Because you are a bad person! I want to send you to stand trial!" Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth, preparing for a desperate fight.


    "I stand upright. Nobody has the right to judge me!"


    Suddenly, there was a short scream from downstairs. Zhou Xiao was immediately alert and rushed out the door. Tao Yueyue felt bbergasted. How could Zhou Xiao suddenly give up on killing her? Could it be that he sensed a greater threat?


    She looked out the window. It shouldn''t be a policeman. If it were a policeman, it wouldn¡¯t be so silent.


    Not sure who wasing, she climbed out the window, grabbed the edge of the window with both hands, and used the curtains as a cover.


    Doing so was verybor intensive. Gradually, Tao Yueyue''s hands became sore. She gritted her teeth and persisted. She saw a man in a vest walk out. He had a gloomy face that could y a viin in a movie, and his cupid¡¯s bow was so deep, it looked as though it was carved out. He was wearing a pair of ck leather gloves, holding a silencer pistol in his left hand, and a dagger in his right hand, with blood dripping on the floor.


    The man nced into the vi, then exited, disappearing silently into the shadow of the corridor.


    Confirming that there was no threat, Tao Yueyue climbed back up through the window again and grabbed the baseball bat. She crouched down and snuck out, remembering to check her surroundings along the way.


    She remembered that there was a phone on the first floor, which could probably be used to call the police. When she got to the stairs, she suddenly found that the rich woman was lying in a pool of blood. At the main entrance, there was another man in a vest, also silently holding a silencer pistol.


    Somewhere on the second floor there was a very thin shooting sound, and Tao Yueyue''s face was pale from hearing the three consecutive shots. Why did hitmen suddenly appear?


    Could it be that Zhou Xiao had been killed?

 Chapter 906: Catching The Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 906: Catching The Wolf</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The person below hadn''t seen her yet. Tao Yueyue took a deep breath while thinking. The enemies were two gunmen. The most sensible method was to find a ce to hide first and then call the police after Zhou Xiao was killed by them.


    But she wasn¡¯t reconciled with the ending being like this. Something inside her had been awakened, and she was insistent on sending Zhou Xiao, who killed her mother, Gu You, and countless other people, to court. Even if she had to rescue him from the clutches of the hitmen right now.


    Thinking carefully, there were many things that could be used here. She could set up some traps.


    Thus, Tao Yueyue walked into a room and looked around for things to use. A set of strategies gradually formed in her mind. When everything was prepared, she folded a clothes hanger into the shape of a plug, and her hand was covered with a thick instingyer.


    Then, she inserted it into the socket on the wall. The short circuit fried the electronics of the entire vi and plunged them into darkness.


    The hitman downstairs saw that the surroundings suddenly went dark and used his radio to confirm the situation with hispanion. Hispanion didn¡¯t answer. Hence, he turned on a shlight and walked upstairs.


    As he walked to the second floor, the hitman suddenly found that a rope twisted out of a cloth was hidden on the steps insidiously. One side was tied to the handrail and the other passed through the rails on the second floor and into the hands of a small, ck figure.


    Hitman A sneered. There were still people who used such a naive method of tripping horses with a rope?![1]


    He shot at the opponent, and the person ran away when she saw it was going poorly. From the figure, it seemed that it was a child.


    Based on their profession, people who had seen their true identities naturally couldn¡¯t be left alive.


    The hitman went to the second floor, taking extra care at every step, for fear of another trap. He noticed a door that hadn¡¯t closed entirely in front of him, so he stretched out his hand to push the door open, maintaining a high level of alertness.


    Suddenly, something fell on the top of his head. The hitman stepped back and a weird water ball smacked on the ground. A closer look and he could see that it was a condom filled with liquid. It was another naive method again.


    Just as he was fortunate to have escaped the catastrophe, suddenly, a me with the smell of pyrethrum blew out from the door, instantly singing his eyebrows. He screamed in pain as he stepped back, waving his hand to disperse the me.


    This was a temporary methrower that Tao Yueyue had made with a lighter and insect repellent. It was also thest trick up her sleeve. Although she had the upper hand for the time being, she was still scared to death. The other party had a gun in his hand.


    Seeing that the time was right, Tao Yueyue threw what was in her hand, took out a baseball bat from behind her, and swiped it at the man''s knee.


    The opponent fell heavily to the ground. His face was burnt ck, and his sight hadn¡¯t recovered. He cursed and stretched out his pistol, but he received a heavy blow to his wrist and dropped the pistol.


    Tao Yueyue beat him fiercely with a baseball bat until he stopped moving and quickly kicked the pistol away before grabbing it.


    At this moment, she was incredibly excited. She couldn''t believe that the traps she made all by herself actually worked. In the end, hitmen were also human beings.


    She tried the pistol and fired a shot at the wall. A hole appeared in the wall instantly, and the recoil shook her wrist, causing a fair amount of pain.


    She turned her gun to the person on the ground, and the hitman covered his face with both hands in embarrassment, pleading, "Don''t kill me!"


    Tao Yueyue pointed the gun at his knee. When she pulled the trigger, the killer made a howling sound, holding his knee as he trembled. Tao Yueyue marveled at the lethality of the gun. A few grams of metal could actually render a person useless.


    The shot was just forced out of necessity, and she vowed that she would never shoot anyone again.


    Next, it was time to find Zhou Xiao¡­


    She unscrewed the silencer and walked in the dark corridor with her gun. There was a little movement in the room at the very end. Tao Yueyue took a deep breath and kicked the door open. She saw Zhou Xiao covered in blood, bending over to grab the pistol from the hitman¡¯s corpse.


    Tao Yueyue pointed the gun at his back. "Don''t move, I will shoot!"


    Zhou Xiao maintained that posture and said, "Cut it out¡­"


    Tao Yueyue fired a shot at the ceiling. The sound made both of them almost deaf. This really shocked Zhou Xiao. He turned his face and looked at Tao Yueyue in both hatred and surprise. Tao Yueyue noticed that his left arm was hanging down, dripping blood the whole time.


    "Shoot me to death if you can!" Zhou Xiao provocatively hooked his finger at her.


    "I¡¯ll shoot your hands and feet, but I won¡¯t kill you!" Tao Yueyue threatened, and the anger that had umted across many days spewed out like steam from a teapot.


    "Tao Yueyue, you¡¯re really talented. Do you n to waste this talent on ordinary people? If you put the gun down now, then I will definitely trust you. We will always be the best partners forever, and we¡¯ll be able to make a lot of money together¡­"


    There was another shot. Zhou Xiao used his right hand to cover his ears and frowned. The buzzing in his ears persisted for a long time.


    He didn''t understand what Song Lang had given this girl to make her so obsessed with being a good person. At the same time, he was very resentful. The intimacy that the two gradually developed these days was all due to her patience to cover for this moment.


    Rage filled Zhou Xiao''s chest as he walked over. "Kill me!"


    "Don''te over!" Tao Yueyue screamed and fired two shots, one of which hit Zhou Xiao''s leg.


    Zhou Xiao fell to his knees, blood flowing out like a stream. He raised his head and his eyes were so gloomy they were like poisonous thorns. His teeth were almost broken from gritting them so hard.


    "Tao Yueyue!!!"


    He had imagined the end of his life countless times. Being blocked by the police in a building and being shot with a barricade of bullets during the crossfire; being chased by the police and jumping down from a high building; being shot and killed coldly by people from the underworld; having a conflict with an underworld boss and dying from exhaustion after killing a lot of people and so on. Those imaginations were full of the tragedy and romance gangsters had, but he never thought that it would end like this - being easily subdued by a teenage girl.


    Tao Yueyue looked at the injured lone wolf withplicated feelings in her heart. She said, "Zhou Xiao, you¡¯re really pitiful. You have to hide every day, and you have to hold your dagger when you sleep. You don''t even dare to let go of your alertness or go to sleep when you¡¯re sick. You don¡¯t have any friends. Not even one!"


    These words from the little girl actually touched him. He felt his eyes prick. Biting his lip desperately to restrain himself, he said, "Give me a cigarette!"


    "I don¡¯t have one."


    "No one has ever said that I¡¯m pitiful. Everyone just hates and fears me¡­ Find me a cigarette!"


    "When the police are here, they¡¯ll give you cigarettes."


    Zhou Xiao rubbed his nose and no longer persisted. Hey down on the floor that he was bleeding on. He could hardly remember how long it had been since he hadn''tid on his back. He just felt extremelyfortable.


    The injury on his leg was still bleeding, and he hoped that he would slowly bleed to death like this before the police came.


    There was a caring. Hearing the footsteps, they were definitely police. A lot of people were going upstairs. They were getting closer and closer. Zhou Xiao knew that he was running out of time] He suddenly grabbed the hitman''s gun and stuck it in his mouth.


    Tao Yueyue asked loudly, "Don''t you want to smoke anymore?"


    Zhou Xiao stopped, and Tao Yueyue continued, "When you go to jail, I will visit you, buy you cigarettes, and buy newspapers for you to read. I will alsoe to see you when you are going to be executed. I promise that you won¡¯t be alone when you leave this world."


    Zhou Xiao slowly withdrew the pistol from his mouth, threw it away, and squatted down as he started crying.


    The footsteps on the corridor were getting closer, but even so, Tao Yueyue dared not rx until she heard a familiar voice. "Yueyue, is that you?"


    Tao Yueyue turned her head around tearfully. "Uncle Chen!"


    1. Like the trip-wire method used to trip horses during war.

 Chapter 907: Im Song Lang

    <h4>Chapter 907: I''m Song Lang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The people who arrived were Chen Shi, kk, and Lin Dongxue. Seeing them, Tao Yueyue''s tight nerves finally rxed and she almost started to cry. Lin Dongxue squatted down and hugged Tao Yueyue, crying with joy, "It¡¯s great that you¡¯re okay."


    Tao Yueyue couldn''t help it anymore. She crawled up and rested her head on Lin Dongxue¡¯s shoulder before bursting into tears.


    Over the past two days, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue had almost gone crazy. The second team sent a new strict and impartial captain. He didn¡¯t condone the consultant¡¯s "messing around" like Lin Qiupu, and he refused to allow Chen Shi to intervene in this case. Furthermore, the new captain was still investigating the murder of Lie Guoxiao. It wasn¡¯t the job of the criminal police to find a missing girl.


    For this reason, Lin Dongxue almost resigned, but didn¡¯t thanks to Chen Shi''s persuasion.


    Chen Shi could only find Tao Yueyue with kk and Sun Zhen. When they were at a loss, Chen Shi received a call that afternoon. It rang three times and then hung up. He called back and found that it was turned off.


    Even if the mobile phone was turned off, the PIN code could be used to track the location of where the phone was turned off. Thus, they followed this lead and found the ce where Zhou Xiao parked. Through the nearby surveince footage, Chen Shi painfully searched for several days before finally seeing the image of Tao Yueyue. He had been so full of worry and almost cried out.


    Lin Dongxue begged the second team for help. After getting off work, everyone followed this car with all their strength until they heard the gunshots from the vi. That¡¯s why they appeared there¡­


    "Yueyue, you¡¯ve been wronged." Chen Shi patted Tao Yueyue''s head. There were a thousand words in his heart, but he didn''t know where to start. He reached out and took the pistol from her hands.


    Zhou Xiaoughed wildly. "Dignified detective. In the end, you relied on a little girl to catch me. Hurry and give me a cigarette!"


    "She¡¯s not an ordinary little girl. Zhou Xiao, you found the wrong person¡­" Chen Shi took out a whole pack of cigarettes from his body. "Throw the gun next to you over."


    Zhou Xiao slid the gun on the ground and caught the cigarettes and lighter thrown over by Chen Shi. He couldn''t wait to bite it open with his teeth, and tremblingly grabbed one. The turbid smoke was inhaled into his lungs, and he was in so much bliss that even his toes were trembling. Chen Shi took out a pair of handcuffs. "You better cooperate a little bit, or your injury will cause you to die."


    Zhou Xiao rolled his eyes to look at Chen Shi and whispered, "I will never tell the police the truth from back then. I will never fucking talk. Let''s be done together! Song Lang!"


    Chen Shi smiled frankly. "I thought about such a day a long time ago." He looked over at Tao Yueyue. "It doesn''t matter whether I live or die anymore. Song Lang already has the best sessor."


    Zhou Xiao was stabbed in his heart by jealousy. He put out the cigarette on his hand and said, "She was originally ours. The teacher had long since taken a liking to her."


    Chen Shi looked at him withplicated eyes. He wouldn¡¯t understand this man who had been in the dark side for too long.


    There were sirens outside and other policemen were rushing in. Zhou Xiao was handcuffed and escorted to the hospital by two policemen for treatment.


    When she left the building, Tao Yueyue found that the man and woman were still asleep in the master bedroom. They didn''t even feel the series of earth-shattering events that happened outside.


    That rich woman was really unlucky. Later, surveince footage showed that she woke up from passing out and saw the hitmane in. She thought it was the person she called to teach the adulterers a lesson, so she greeted the hitman. The killer shot her in the temple without saying a word and then used a knife to stab her a few times for measure.


    Tao Yueyue said to Lin Dongxue, "Sister Lin, her husband hired Zhou Xiao to kill her."


    "We¡¯ll investigate each incident one by er on." Lin Dongxue stroked her head. "Are you hungry?"


    "Hungry, but there¡¯s still an important thing that needs to be done." Tao Yueyue said solemnly, then turned her head and shouted, "Uncle Chen!"


    Tao Yueyue let go of Lin Dongxue''s hand and stepped forward to hug Chen Shi. This long-awaited hug gave her warm strength. Tears flowed down again. She said, "Sorry! I¡¯ve caused you such a big trouble. "


    "Silly child. When you encounter things in the future, don''t avoid it. I¡¯m not a good role model for that."


    Tao Yueyue suddenly realized that she had miscalcted and said in horror, "Should I have just defended myself and beat him to death? Otherwise, regarding your business, he¡¯ll¡­"


    Chen Shi wiped away the tears for her. "No, you did the right thing. He deserves to be judged. The truth about everything should be revealed."


    He said to Lin Dongxue, "I will ask you to take care of Yueyue during this period of time."


    "Huh, where are you going?" Lin Dongxue looked puzzled.


    Chen Shi smiled. Tao Yueyue realized something, took his hand, and pleaded, "No, no, no! Don''t leave me!"


    "Yueyue, I can''t avoid this any longer."


    As he walked outside, the police were excited about the arrest of the wanted criminal. Chen Shi suddenly said loudly, "Everyone, you have another wanted criminal to be arrested tonight!"


    "What? Does Zhou Xiao have an aplice?"


    Chen Shi said, "The wanted criminal Song Lang, formerly the captain of the second team of the Long''an Criminal Police, who was suspected of shooting and killing two police officers. Four years ago, he underwent cosmetic surgery and escaped the pursuit with another face¡­"


    Everyone looked surprised and puzzled. Tao Yueyue couldn''t bear it and covered her mouth. Lin Dongxue frowned, as if she had understood something already.


    Chen Shi took a deep breath and stretched out his hands to wait for the handcuffs toe. "I¡¯m Song Lang!"


    At the moment when he said this, Chen Shi felt dizzy as if he was directly facing the scorching sun, but the pressure that had been umting in his heart for such a long time dissipated in an instant.


    "No way!"


    "How could Brother Chen be¡­"


    The police blew up inmotion. Tao Yueyue hugged Lin Dongxue and started crying. The urrence of this scene made her feel more pain than what she had experienced these past few days.


    No one stepped forward to handcuff Chen Shi. Old Zhang said in disbelief, "You really are Captain Song?! Captain Song, in that case, many old team members thought that someone was trying to frame you, but you couldn''t exin it clearly, so you had to hide."


    "Yup!"


    "It must be so!"


    Many people echoed in agreement. After getting along for such a long time, everyone knew of Chen Shi''s character. Whether it was Chen Shi or Song Lang, they didn''t believe he¡¯d be a murderer.


    Chen Shi shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Old Zhang, I won''t say anything to defend myself. I am just a criminal suspect now. Please investigate this case. I will put my life in the hands of you all."


    Old Zhang walked up to Chen Shi, looked at the stubbornly outstretched hands, and couldn''t bear it. "Captain Song, you don''t need to wear handcuffs!"


    "Follow the rules."


    Old Zhang sighed, looked at the crowd, took out the handcuffs, and put them on Chen Shi.


    When he sat in the police car, Chen Shi smiled gently at Tao Yueyue. That small smile shattered her heart.

 Chapter 908: Detention Center

    <h4>Chapter 908: Detention Center</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The afternoon sun shone into the detention centerpound. The detainees were all wearing blue as they walked in groups of twos and threes. There weren¡¯t many people talking to each other. You could only hear the rustle of people stepping on the sand. Most people had faces that showed numbness and indifference as they had be ustomed to this.


    The patrolling armed police had live ammunition. There were barbed wire high walls and slogans painted with lime on the walls. They had long grown ustomed to this.


    This was the twenty-fourth day that Chen Shi spent in the detention center. He was impressed by the strong adaptability of human beings. In the first few days ofing here, he experienced a huge psychological gap. He lived a regr and rigid life like a clock every day and studied with other detainees. The meals were also tasteless. He was full of resistance to these.


    Gradually, all this was no longer annoying and unfamiliar. He had formed a standard biological clock. He would wake up when it was time to get up, get hungry when it was time to eat, and even go to the toilet on time.


    Of course, habit didn¡¯t equate to liking. The air here was full of emptiness and boredom. The daily repetition of life made people feel weak and pained as if getting roasted by a small fire. Most of the time, he thought silently by himself. He made a list in his mind about what to do after leaving here. He looked forward to the days when he would meet with Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue again. It was these expectations for the future that supported his spirit and made every morning have significance.


    Several detainees were kicking homemade sandbags, yelling as happy as elementary school students. This was a sport allowed by the detention center. A man wearing sses greeted, "Brother Chen, let''s y together!"


    "I have something to do." With a smile, Chen Shi declined the invitation of the inmate in the same cell and walked straight to the southeast corner.


    Many people stopped to look at him and murmured in surprise. Few people usually dared to approach that area because the feared serial killer was sitting alone on a pile of old tires. His growing hair hung down and covered his eyes, making his expression even more gloomy. In the subconscious imagination of some detainees, even the air that Zhou Xiao exhaled was poisonous.


    Zhou Xiao and Chen Shi came in at the same time. It was a long-standing tradition in the detention center to give the neers a show of dominance. Both of them received varying degrees of a "friendly" wee in their respective prisons.


    After Chen Shi performed several grappling techniques on those "hospitable" roommates, everyone was finally able to get along with each other in peace.


    In contrast, Zhou Xiao''s counterattack was more brutal. On the second night he entered, he bit off one of his roommate''s ears.


    After three days of confinement and punishment, he pierced another roommate¡¯s eyes with his bare hands. Since then, no one dared to blindly provoke him. No matter when it was free-time, studying in groups, working, or eating, he would always be alone like a lone wolf drifting away from the crowd.


    So, seeing Chen Shi walking towards him made everyone nervous for some reason.


    Hearing the sound of footsteps, Zhou Xiao woke up from his state of daydream, raising his head. Chen Shi stopped half a meter away from him, neither greeted nor approached him, and the two looked at each other.


    Zhou Xiao took the lead in breaking the silence. "What? Are you waiting for me to tell you a joke?"


    Chen Shi took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it to him. Zhou Xiao caught it with a suspicious expression. Chen Shi said, "Yueyue sent it in. She said she promised to buy you cigarettes."


    "Did you get to see her?"


    "You probably don''t know this, but you can''t see your family before the trial begins."


    Zhou Xiao understood Chen Shi¡¯s veiled mocking andughed. He sniffed the cigarettes deeply and put it in his pocket. ¡°Song Lang, don¡¯t think you can use a pack of cigarettes to get something out of my mouth."


    "Don''t worry. I don''t have any thoughts about a person who can¡¯t be helped."


    "Song Lang, you have to admit that we made you what you are today. Without us criminals, how could you be a police legend?"


    "I admit it, but I would rather not be a police legend. This empty moniker isn¡¯t as important as the lives you¡¯ve ended."


    "Although you say these words, when the criminals were caught and the medals were put on, weren¡¯t you still very happy? Don''t the police want more people like me?" Zhou Xiao mocked him as a counterattack for earlier. "Weplement each other, just like light and shadow."


    "Zhou Xiao, do you know where you went wrong?"


    "Your good education for Tao Yueyue?" Zhou Xiao grinned and responded with sarcasm.


    "You lost to yourself. You killed Gu You and arrogantly told Yueyue. You can''t imagine how much it affected her. You forced her to make up her mind to arrest you. A life is nothing in your eyes. If you ignore life, your end is both idental and inevitable."


    Zhou Xiao nodded slightly and appeared indifferent. He said, "If my life could be repeated again, I would still choose this kind of life. This is my nature, and nothing can change it."


    Chen Shi didn''t want to talk about this more in depth. They weren''t people of the same world at all, and there was no need to reason with beasts in a cage. He just said indifferently, "Good luck to you."


    When free-time ended, an armed police officer called Chen Shi''s number. This string of numbers was as sensitive to him as when he heard someone calling his name, so he went out. The armed police officer said, "Yourwyer hase to see you."


    When he arrived at the meeting room, a fat middle-aged man in a suit and sses sat at the table and nodded to Chen Shi. He smiled and said, "I still don¡¯t know whether to address you as ''Mr. Chen'' or ''Mr. Song''."


    "It''s still ¡®Mr. Chen¡¯." Chen Shi also smiled.


    "Mr. Chen, your case will have to wait a month before the trial. I hope you can be patient."


    "I''m very patient." Chen Shi said. "What about Zhou Xiao''s case?"


    "His case has caused a huge sensation in the outside world. It¡¯s estimated that it will be held before yours. Speaking of this matter, the media has been trying to interview the person you¡¯re acting as a guardian for during this period. Officer Lin used ¡®needing to obtain the consent of her guardian¡¯ as a reason to reject all of these requests. I also want to ask about your opinion on this."


    "I don''t want her to be surrounded by the media every day, so just get rid of it all unless she herself has the urge to confide in the public. However, I don''t think it would be likely based on her character."


    Thewyer nodded and wrote it down on hisptop. He said, "The most important evidence in your case is Zhou Xiao''s confession, but he said nothing during the pretrial. The forensic pathologist did find the gunshot wound that Captain Peng mentioned four years ago on Zhou Xiao, but this is still just solitary evidence. It¡¯s difficult to prove your innocence."


    Chen Shi''s heart sank until he heard thewyer say the word "however".


    "However, when the police were investigating the case of Lie Guoxiao, a man named Wang Xi provided some strong evidence. Lie Guoxiao had hired Zhou Xiao¡¯s gang to kill police Officer Han and Li because they were in possession of evidence against Lie Guoxiao¡¯s crimes at the time. The same person cannot be killed twice, and you never received Lie Guoxiao¡¯s money. As long as we can prove that Zhou Xiao killed Officer Han and Officer Li, there¡¯ll be hope for you to be acquitted. This hope is substantial because many people outside are helping you, including some people you don¡¯t know of."


    "What?!" Chen Shi was startled. "Zhou Xiao''s goal back then was Han Luoxi?"


    "Yes, it was."


    While Chen Shi felt a tingling pain in his heart, but he also felt a little relieved. It turned out that the framing portion was just them pushing the boat along the river. They were killed while battling against the criminals.


    The recollection of the past presented itself as a sigh and was exhaled from Chen Shi''s mouth.


    "How are they?" Chen Shi asked.


    Thewyer knew who he was referring to, and answered, "During this period of time, Officer Lin has been living in your house with Yueyue. Officer Lin is very concerned about the progress of the case. On average, shees to our office every three days. Sometimes, I don¡¯t even know how to answer their questions. By the way, they brought you some more things. I handed them to the management staff of the detention center. They will send them to you after they have checked them."


    "I also wrote a letter to Yueyue. They will hand it to you afterwards."


    "There¡¯s one more thing¡­"


    "Go ahead!"


    "An old man asked you if you want to go back to being a policeman after thewsuit is over."


    Chen Shi was happy. "I¡¯m unsure of my life and death, and the worst result is that both Zhou Xiao and I will be shot together."


    "Mr. Chen, don''t question my abilities, okay?"


    "Okay, okay, you understand what I wanted to express. It¡¯s still early. I will answer him after thewsuit is over!"


    "The old gentleman hopes that I will bring back an answer with me today."


    Chen Shifei stroked the table with his hand. "Can I continue to assist the police as a consultant? By the way, is Little Lin awake?"


    "He¡¯s awake, and he really wants to see you too."


    Chen Shi shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I¡¯m under so much pressure, I suddenly want to stay here for a while longer."

 Chapter 909: The Final Answer

    <h4>Chapter 909: The Final Answer</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "The results of the trial are announced below. The defendant is convicted of murder and sentenced to death!"


    The result announced by the judge caused the whole court to explode inmotion. He stared in disbelief, raising his handcuffed hands as he shouted, "Your Honor, I¡¯m wronged!"


    "What are you watching?" Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, who was sitting in front of the TV.


    Tao Yueyue pointed to the male protagonist on the TV. "Look, it¡¯s you in a parallel world."


    "Haha, was I so unsessful?" Chen Shi touched Tao Yueyue''s head. "Prepare to eat."


    On September 11th, the third day after the trial, the three of them finally had time to gather together in celebration. The moment when Chen Shi was dered innocent in court, Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue were so excited that they shed tears. Their worries finally turned into joy.


    "It smells good!"


    Lin Dongxue, wearing an apron and heat-insting gloves, brought arge iron te out from the kitchen. She tried to bake fish at home by herself. After several failed trials, the results this time looked not to be too bad.


    Chen Shi smelled the charred and crispy sea bass. Although there was still a gap between the appearance and what could be bought from the store, it was still worthy of praise. "Your cooking skills have improved!"


    "Of course!" Lin Dongxue said proudly with a red glow on her face. "Yueyue''s too picky. She doesn''t like anything I make and she said to me confidently, ''Criticism is for your progress''."


    "Sister Lin, you remembered wrong. The sentence I said was ''If criticism is not freely expressed, then praise is meaningless''." Tao Yueyue corrected solemnly.


    "Uh, the meaning is the same anyway. Come and taste it!" Lin Dongxue handed the chopsticks over.


    Tao Yueyue took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, and tasted it. Lin Dongxue anxiously looked forward to her evaluation. After a long time, Tao Yueyue said, "If a full score is 100 points, this fish scores 90 points."


    "Awesome!" Lin Dongxue was excited.


    "Don''t get me wrong. I mean that this fish can score 90 points, but you can only score 73 points for this dish."


    "You mean to say that I humiliated the ingredients?"


    "No, it¡¯s fine!" Tao Yueyue changed her tune, feeling that she was too harsh.


    Lin Dongxue hadn''t recovered from the shock yet. "Cooking really isn¡¯t my specialty. If you want to order takeout, you can order takeout."


    Chen Shi mediated, "One fish is indeed not enough for three people. I will order some random dishes!"


    "Today was to celebrate your acquittal, but we¡¯re eating takeaway and this grilled fish?" Lin Dongxue felt like it wasn¡¯t celebratory enough. "Should we go out to eat Haido?"


    "There¡¯s no need. It already brings me happiness to be able to eat together."


    Today, Lin Dongxue had taken a leave of absence and didn¡¯t have to go to work in the afternoon. She opened beer and drinks and filled the three cups. Lin Dongxue raised her cup. "To celebrate¡­ Although you have two names, I¡¯ll still call you Old Chen. To celebrate Old Chen getting acquitted!"


    The three people raised their sses together. Tao Yueyue felt very happy in this instant. The three people without blood ties could sit together and enjoy themselves, just like a family.


    While eating and chatting, Chen Shi looked at his phone. "The delivery man is lost. I''ll go pick it up."


    "Their business capability is really bad. Just make a call." Lin Dongxue said.


    "I''ll be back soon!"


    Chen Shi went outside. In fact, the text he just received wasn¡¯t from the food delivery person. He went straight outside the housing district. There was a car parked there. He sat in the passenger seat, and an old man with a white beard and hair handed a small box to him. He said, "I bought it myself. It¡¯s a gift to congratte you on your acquittal."


    Chen Shi opened it and nced inside. It was a simple and durable mechanical watch. He smiled. "Your old taste really hasn¡¯t changed in thest century."


    "Damn boy. If you don''t like it, just take it to the store and refund it."


    "Why wouldn¡¯t I like it?" Chen Shi put it on to try. "Since you¡¯re already here, why don¡¯t you sit down for a bit at my house?"


    The old man waved his hand. "You young people get together yourselves. I won''t join in the fun. I¡¯ll leave after a few words with you."


    Chen Shi had already guessed what he was going to say, but still listened patiently.


    "Little Lin has just been discharged from the hospital. Although he still wants to stay on the front line, his body hasn¡¯t fully recovered. I¡¯m going to transfer him to the Political Department for a while."


    "It''s okay to go internal. He¡¯s a person who is very meticulous and just. I was afraid that it¡¯d hit him too hard, so I never told him, but his talent isn¡¯t really suitable for the front line."


    "Yes." The old man smiled. "He¡¯s a stupid bird that flew first. I just don''t know if the smart and fast bird is willing toe back."


    "Chief, after experiencing so many things, I¡¯m already not Song Lang anymore. I¡¯m now the sophisticated and conservative Chen Shi. I¡¯m living afortable life right now. I don''t want to be a policeman anymore. I have some trauma."


    "You¡¯re wasting your talent."


    "There¡¯s no waste!" Chen Shi spread his hands. "I still have the identity of a consultant. When you need it, I wille help."


    The old man alsoughed. "Being a captain isn¡¯t just about solving crimes. There are many things you need to shoulder."


    "I don''t think I¡¯m worthy anymore."


    "That''s just what you think. In my opinion, there is no one more suitable than you."


    After a moment of silence, Chen Shi said, "Four years have passed, and there are so many people in the police. Is no one else suitable? Does it have to be me?"


    "Aiya, let me tell you a story!" The old man illustrated slowly. "Once upon a time, there was a farmer who dug out a tattered bronze sword in the ground. He casually ced it under the eaves of his house. Later, a western region merchant came and asked, ¡®My fellow, can this sword be sold to me? I will pay a hundred taels of silver.¡¯ The farmer agreed, so the two agreed to hold the money and goods transaction the next day. The farmery down at night, wondering what kind of sword could be so valuable. Could it be a treasure? Thus, he picked it up and studied it. He gently swung it, and the wind from the sword caused arge stone in front of the door to be split open. The farmer was so scared that he couldn''t close his mouth. The next day, the merchant came. After seeing the sword, he mmed at his own chest and stomped around. He asked if the farmer had used it. ¡®This is a mountain-opening sword. One swing could split the mountain. I bought it to move the mountain and fill the sea, but after it¡¯s used once, it¡¯s scrap iron andpletely worthless.¡¯"


    The old man looked at Chen Shi meaningfully. "Of course, the mountain sword is used to split the mountain. It¡¯s a waste to use it to cut stones, understand?"


    Chen Shi asked helplessly, "How can I refuse you?"


    "The choice is still yours."


    Chen Shi looked silently outside the window. When the judge read the verdict, it meant to him that the heaviest page of his life had already been turned over, but this page would affect his life. He still hadn¡¯t thought about what to do in the future.


    "Chief, I want to go through the back door."


    "Stinking boy, do you still want to negotiate conditions?"


    "You have many acquaintances in the police academy. I want to arrange an exam for a child who unfortunately missed the junior high school examination. Of course, she will pass the exam on her own merits."


    "That little girl wants to be a police officer?"


    "We talked for a long timest night. This time, I understand that with her gift, she can either be the best police officer or the most dangerous criminal. I hope it¡¯s the former. I also convinced her and she¡¯s willing to try it out."


    "The exam is no problem. She caught Zhou Xiao single-handedly. This incident caused a sensation across the country. If the media hadn¡¯t been stopped by you, she would be a little celebrity now. Even if she missed the junior high exam, the police academy would definitely want this beautiful piece of uncut jade. But after I do this for you¡­"


    "After it''s done, I will seriously consider what you¡¯ve said today, and then give you a clear answer."


    "I hope it won''t be too long. I''m about to retire soon. I don''t have much time to wait for you."


    "Don''t worry!" Chen Shi reassured.

 Chapter 910: The Evil Deity Descends

    <h4>Chapter 910: The Evil Deity Descends</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Volume 54: Might As Well Worship The Devil Instead Of Praying To The Gods


    [1]"The nine levels of heaven issue the order.[2] Inform Yuqing[3]. Hurry and summon 1000 deities. All will meet at the Emperor''s court. Taiyizhenren will oversee this. The double Emperor''s wings [4] monitor ten thousand evils, and protect lives with justice."


    "If there¡¯s anything ominous, daring to test the gods and deities and the way of the Jade Emperor, organize the soldiers of the Emperor. The seven gods will lead the army and the soldiers will march on the right. They would press forward, waving their swords and throwing their fiery weapons."


    "Order the cavalry and the soldiers of the heavens to fight against the wind and fire together. Fight against the evil spirits, showing your might to the six levels of the heavens above, and catching the demons. Ten thousand evils will be extinguished."


    "Divine dagger-axes and lightning descend upon all evils, eliminating them. Holding the Jade Emperor''s medallion, do not stop against this order. Disobeying orders will be punished by death¡­"


    In the chamber filled with incense fumes, a man dressed as a Taoist priest sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, holding a fly-whisk in one hand[5], and forming hand seals with the other as he recited a mantra quietly.


    In front of him was a table with offerings of fruits, incense burners, and deity tablets. Opposite the altar table, the elderly entrepreneur, Lu Qixing, sat cross-legged on the ground. His bony, thin upper body was unclothed. He sped his palms together reverently with his eyes closed. Seven candles surrounded him.[6]


    Two men stood by the door behind Lu Qixing to prevent anyone from entering suddenly and interrupting the sacred ceremony. One of them was Lu Qixing¡¯s son, Wang Haitao. After witnessing this extremely absurd scene with his own eyes, Wang Haitao could only sigh in his heart.


    At the end of the long mantra, the Taoist master opened his eyes suddenly, his piercing eyes full of energy. His fingers quickly wrote things within the incense smoke and the smoke actually turned into a written spell. They saw him push forward with his palm. This written spell floated through the air and mmed into the deity tablets.


    "Hah!" The Taoist master yelled. "ording to the order from the Supreme, Immeasurable, Divine Jade Emperor, the three stars of fortune, prosperity and longevity [7] should quickly show themselves. Hurry and obey the order!"


    The yellow-robed disciples who were stationed on both sides quickly ced three straw men on the ground. The Taoist master seemed to be receiving a mysterious signal from the universe. The hand forming the hand seals was trembling, so was his long goatee.


    Suddenly, the altar table shook, and the fruit offerings rolled everywhere. More mysteriously, the whole table floated upwards as it shook.


    "Hah!"


    The Taoist master shouted loudly, and pressed the table down with the palm of his hand without touching it directly. The floating table could be seen to sway, as if suppressed by an invisible force before slowly falling down to its original spot.


    "The three stars of fortune, prosperity and longevity should show up quickly. If you don''t show up, the lightning from the heavens will punish you!"


    Lu Qixing took a deep breath and quickly recited a mantra summoning the gods, showing his piety and respect.


    The lights in the room began to flicker, and a strange gust of wind rose for no apparent reason, swirling the incense smoke. The three straw men suddenly ignited spontaneously and stood up. Lu Qixing gaped and quickly kneeled down and bowed in worship. "I pray to the three gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity to give me another 20 years of life. Your follower Lu Qixing is willing to reconstruct golden bodies[8] for you."


    "Master! The seven-star lights!" A Taoist disciple shouted.


    It turned out that the seven-star lights on the ground had suddenly begun to tremble, causing Lu Qixing''s face to go pale in fright.


    The Taoist master stepped on the table boldly, pushing his palms forward, as ifunching inexplicable energy waves. They saw the swaying seven-star lights gradually stilling again. He shouted at the burning straw men and asked, "God of Longevity, what did you say? He hasmitted too many evils to prolong his life?"


    "No, no, no, God, don''t abandon me!" Lu Qixing shouted in pain.


    "Don''t go! Come back and give me a clear exnation!"


    Neither the Taoist master¡¯s scolding nor Lu Qixing''s pleading could keep the "gods" from leaving. As the straw men slowly burned and turned into ashes, Lu Qixing''s hope was also annihted. A gust of evil wind blew into the house. Six out of the seven-star lights went out in an instant, and Lu Qixing''s heartbeat almost stopped on the spot.


    "You cold-blooded and ruthless gods,e back here!" The Taoist master''s tone sounded almost as if he was cursing, but it didn''t work. As thest stalk of straw burned up, he lowered his head wearily. "President Lu, I''ve done my best. The Longevity God said this matter is hard to settle. Your longevity is already predestined."


    Lu Qixing sat paralyzed on the ground, and looked as though he was about to cry. "Taoist Master, your powers are so mighty. Can''t you think of a solution?"


    "I really¡­"


    As he spoke, the middle of the altar table suddenly exploded and split, toppling all three tablets over. The Taoist master stepped back in fright. He quickly made calctions on his fingers and disyed a shocked look. "Who are you? Why did you trespass into my altar? Aren¡¯t you afraid that the heavens will punish you?¡­ What? You said you have a way?"


    Lu Qixing widened his eyes and regained hope. He asked eagerly, "This¡­ Which great god is this?"


    "He¡­" Cold sweat dripped down the Taoist master''s forehead. "No, no, no, he¡¯s not a proper god. He¡¯s a demon!"


    "Taoist Master, I''m already like this. Even if it''s a demon, a devil, or an alien, as long as it allows me to live a few more years, it doesn''t matter!"


    "President Lu, are you sure?"


    "Very sure!"


    The Taoist master shook his head helplessly. "Well, he said that he was a god who was punished and sent to the human realm for viting the heavens¡¯ rules five hundred years ago. After he was reborn in the mortal world, his name became Zhou Xiao!"


    There wasn¡¯t anyone in Long¡¯an who didn¡¯t know this name. Wang Haitao suddenly noticed that there was something wrong with what this master was peddling, and stopped him verbally, "Father, don''t believe his nonsense!"


    "Shut up!" Lu Qixing shouted. "You¡¯re so filial! Are you hoping I¡¯ll die?"


    Wang Haitao clenched his fists in pain. He couldn''t interfere at all in a situation where both parties were willing. He could only retreat, and continued to watch this farce with a dead heart.


    The Taoist master was talking to this evil god as if he was on the phone with him, asionally muttering. Listening carefully, one will discover strange wind sounds in the room, just like the soundtrack of a horror movie. The gs hanging on the beams of the house were fluttering and the lights kept flickering.


    Thest candle that symbolized Lu Qixing''s life was flickering in the wind, but it remained stubborn.


    The Taoist master finally said to Lu Qixing, "President Lu, this evil god can bestow longevity upon you, but the longevity wouldn¡¯t be yours but stolen from others¡­ However, this method not only hurts your karma, but also hurts my cultivation. President Lu, please be cautious!"


    Although the words were seemingly dissuasive, every sentence was full of temptation. Lu Qixing desperately pleaded, "Master, I will do everything to make up for your loss. No matter what method I use, as long as I can survive, even if¡­ even if you want my biological son to die, it¡¯s fine!" He pointed at Wang Haitao, who looked embarrassed.


    "It¡¯s fine. Since I promised to prolong your life for you, I have no choice but to do this. I can¡¯t help being someone who keeps my promises!" The Taoist master sighed.


    "Thank you Master, thank you Master!"


    Bang bang bang bang¡­


    The six candles that had been extinguished suddenly reignited, but this time, they burned with eerie blue mes. Lu Qixing seemed to have been given a shot of determination, and said, "Master Evil God, I can promise anything!"


    The Taoist master ryed his words on his behalf. "The evil god said he will give you instructions on the night of the full moon, and you only need to follow his instructions."


    "Of course! Of course!"


    The Taoist master swished his fly-whisk. "The ceremony is finished. Please head back and rest, President Lu!"


    "Son, give me a hand." Lu Qixing was already exhausted, and his thin, frail body was covered with cold sweat.


    Wang Haitao stepped forward, but Lu Qixing said to him viciously, "I didn''t call for you!"


    Standing at the other side of the door, the man in sunsses who hadn¡¯t said a word the entire time sneered and stepped forward to help Lu Qixing. He even intimately called him, "Dad".


    "Aiya, my good son." Lu Qixing held his son''s arm and slowly exited the room.


    The Taoist master breathed a sigh of relief and said to his disciples, "Tidy up!"


    He took off his robes, lit a cigarette, and exhaled contentedly. Wang Haitao stepped forward and stared at him with hatred. "Swindler, what motive do you have for harming my family like this?!"


    "Haha, the secrets of heaven cannot be revealed!" The Taoist master grinned.


    1. The first four paragraphs are usually recited by the Jade Emperor (supreme deity in Taoism) in the heavens above when exorcising evil. I¡¯ve tried tranting it part by part based on the meaning, but it¡¯s usually a lot more poetic/catchy.


    2. Meaning an order from the Jade Emperor who sits at the top of the nine levels.


    3. Referring to one of the three major Taoist deities Yuansh*tianzuan.


    4. A red-crowned crane which is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity.


    6. These candles are all in different colours.


    7. The gods of the three stars or constetions considered essential in Chinese astrology and mythology (Jupiter, Ursa Major and Canopus) representing fortune, prosperity and longevity respectively.


    8. Statues of the gods made out of gold.

 Chapter 911: The Civil Affairs Bureau

    <h4>Chapter 911: The Civil Affairs Bureau</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    When Lin Dongxue arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, she realized that there were a lot of people. She regretted not picking a non-holiday day toe. Chen Shi said, "Since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s queue up! It''s just a matter of taking a photo and stamping a seal. It¡¯ll be over soon enough. "


    "There¡¯s no sense of ceremony at all. It¡¯s too far from what I had imagined." Lin Dongxue said disappointedly. The two sat in the waiting area with their ticket number. "Did you bring your identification documents?"


    "Household register card and ID card. I¡¯ve brought them both."


    "Check again."


    Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi''s ID card, which had just been made, and the name on it was still Chen Shi.


    Lin Dongxue nced at the ID, then looked at Chen Shi in person before smiling. "I still feel like I¡¯ve lost out. Song Lang was a bit more handsome."


    "He was not just a bit more handsome, he was too handsome. It''s also very troublesome to be too handsome."


    "Haha, you don''t have this trouble anymore."


    "Has your elder brother been doing well in the Political Department?"


    "He''s gotten quite used to his new job. He justins to me that sitting in the office is sometimes too leisurely, and that he wants to return to the second team."


    "Don''t even think about it. I, as the new captain, won''t let hime back."


    "Why?"


    "Because¡­" Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "Being adored like an idol by a bachelor in his 30s gives me a lot of pressure. When he was just discharged from the hospital, he ran over to look for me before his bandages were even removed and talked for the whole afternoon. That kind of resentment over being kept in the dark and his suffering while pining for me over the past four years almost caused me to go crazy."


    "Do you know how my older brother woke up?"


    "Tell me the story."


    "The day after Zhou Xiao was arrested, which was also the day after you were arrested, I was very sad, so I went to look for my brother. I said to him who was in aa. ¡°Elder brother, Old Chen is Song Lang. You need to wake up quickly!¡± Suddenly, his eyelids began to move, and his heart rate elerated. The doctors and nurses rushed in as if they had gone crazy, checked this and that, and told me that he had recovered consciousness. It was practically a medical miracle!"


    "Oh my God, you¡¯re not lying to me, right?"


    "If I lied to you, then I¡¯m a puppy." Lin Dongxue said emotionally. "He missed you so much, but fortunately he¡¯s my elder brother, not my elder sister."


    Chen Shi, who understood this sentence, smiled knowingly. At that moment, a couple who was about to get married was arguing, and the quarrel was fierce, attracting all eyes inside the hall.


    Lin Dongxue jeered, "If they¡¯re quarrelling before they¡¯re even married, wouldn''t it be worse after they get married?"


    "How many times have we quarreled with each other?"


    Lin Dongxue counted on her fingers. "One, two, three, four, five¡­ it was your fault every time!"


    Chen Shi disyed a shocked expression. "Was it my fault every time?"


    "I hope that after getting married, you can treat me better, and speak after using your brain a little first. ording to scientific research, the brain area that controls sadness in women is three timesrger than in men, so women get emotional easily and must be cajoled."


    "Understood, my dear wife!"


    The quarreling couple seemed to realize that they were affecting others, and their voices gradually became quieter, seemingly resolving the quarrel by themselves.


    The two sighed with emotion because of this. Married couples have love-hate rtionships. They¡¯d quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the end of it. Of course, sometimes they made up on the bed.


    ncing at the clock on the wall, Lin Dongxue suddenly looked at Chen Shi, and Chen Shi also looked at her. The two often looked at each other for no reason, and thenughed at the same time. This time, it was the same. Chen Shi smiled and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and answered, "We¡¯ll be man and wife legally in five minutes. You can make a phone call now or something to settle your messy rtionships."


    "Nonsense. I don''t have any messy rtionships. Men and women are equal. If you want to make a call, you can do it too."


    "I probably don¡¯t need to do this."


    "Am I really so dissolute and unruly in your eyes?"


    "Yeah, you always make people feel that you¡¯re not serious, especially after you became the captain. Are some of these things that a criminal police captain should be saying? What ¡®As long as you can solve the case, you can do it however you want.¡¯, ¡®I don''t care who was in the wrong since I insist on protecting my own subordinates anyway.'', ''Today''s meeting is mainly nonsense, so everyone can just sleep.¡¯ The second team is going to be led astray by you, do you understand? Pay attention to your influence, Great Captain Chen."


    Chen Shi smiled awkwardly. "I''m really not good at being a leader, but I have still made some progress. When Song Lang was the captain of the team, he was even more unrestrained than I am now¡­ However, I have to speak frankly. During Song Lang¡¯s time, the whole team¡¯s crime solving rate was very high. Every year, there would be police from sister citiesing over to learn from us. We were the vanguard within the entire public security team."


    "How arrogant¡­ Why do you always say ¡®Song Lang¡¯ and never say ¡®Previously, I¡­¡¯?"


    "Probably because I subconsciously feel that Song Lang is already another person. Chen Shi belongs to the present and belongs to you."


    Caught off guard by this endearment, Lin Dongxue''s cheeks blushed. She said, "As the captain, you should still be a little more careful. Honestly, I sometimes break out in a cold sweat on your behalf."


    "I have told the chief that my being the captain is only temporary. Once a person with both integrity and talent appears in the future, I will immediately make way for that worthy person."


    "Be more mindful! Did you hear what I said?!" Lin Dongxue frowned as she emphasized.


    "Yes, yes, my dear wife."


    Suddenly the hall became raucous. The man who had just been arguing was punching and kicking the woman, pping her while he grasped her hair. "You capricious, stinking woman. Today, you must tie the knot with me."


    "No way, why are they fighting again? Go over and take care of it, Mr. Captain." Lin Dongxue said.


    "No. I don''t care. Do fights between husband and wife alsoe under the department of the criminal police? What''s more, this criminal police officer is off duty today." Chen Shi was firm.


    "If you don''t go, I''ll go. Look at how pitiful that woman is!"


    "Just watch themotion quietly."


    Before Lin Dongxue could go forward, the people around the couple had already persuaded him to stop. The man was flushed and swollen with rage. He panted as he exined to the people around him how the woman had given him trouble while the woman remained silent as she sobbed softly.


    Lin Dongxue expressed her dissatisfaction with this abusive man. "Why would anyone marry this kind of man? What if she got beaten to death in the future?"


    "You can''t control other people''s affairs, especially between husband and wife." Chen Shi said.


    This couple was ahead of them in the queue. Their number was called and they went in to get their marriage certificate. They came out five minutester, holding a bright red certificate. The woman had a bright smile on her face which was swollen from being beaten. They asked a young man to help them take photos. The two of them held their certificate and beamed with happiness.


    Lin Dongxue was so bbergasted that she was almost speechless and Chen Shi expressed his opinion. "The conflict between husband and wife is a bad debt, and no one is absolutely right or absolutely wrong."


    "Domestic violence is definitely not right!"


    "Of course. One should never use violence."


    "We¡¯re next. I¡¯m so excited!"


    "I¡¯ve finally tricked you into my grasp!"


    "Haha, when we finish eating grilled fish, we need to go to the ce I rented and move my things."


    "What do you mean by ''when we finish eating grilled fish''? You make it sound as if that¡¯s just the logical thing to do."


    "We¡¯re getting married today, so shouldn¡¯t we celebrate at noon? Can¡¯t we eat grilled fish to celebrate? What else do you want to eat?" Lin Dongxue reasoned.


    Chen Shi smiled and moved closer. "Before your little mouth is red and swollen from the hot spices, hurry up and let this master kiss you a few more times."


    "B54!"


    Hearing this call, the two who were clinging together hurriedly separated themselves and rushed towards the marriage hall¡­

 Chapter 912: Wang Haitaos Troubles

    <h4>Chapter 912: Wang Haitao''s Troubles</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    The steaming hot curry grilled fish was brought to the table. Lin Dongxue was still admiring the red marriage certificate lovingly, and asked, "Old Chen, did I smile unnaturally when the wedding photos were taken?"


    "It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re so beautiful that you¡¯d look good even if you¡¯re picking your nose. Hurry up and eat!" Chen Shi put some vegetables in with the grilled fish. "I feel as though things are still the same after receiving the marriage certificate!"


    "That''s because there was no wedding. Only after going through this grand ceremony and dering to the world that we are husband and wife as well as lying on a bed all strewn with peanuts and red dates at night, will we really feel like husband and wife."


    "Oh? After going through suffering together, we¡¯ll be bound together as survivors?"


    "When will the wedding be held?"


    "How do you feel about keeping everything simple?"


    "How would we keep it simple?"


    "Let''s add two more dishes and call a few acquaintances over. Then it can be considered to have been settled."


    "Get lost!" Lin Dongxue took the vegetable garnishing the grilled fish and threw them at him. "The wedding must be performed well. Also, we need to take wedding dress photos and go on a honeymoon. How can we just make do blindly when ites to the most important event in life¡­ Did you just roll your eyes? Did you roll your eyes?!"


    "Hey, put the pepper shaker down first¡­ can we wait and talk about thister?"


    "Why are all men so afraid of trouble? By the way, we have to do it with your parents too, right?"


    "You¡¯ve reminded me." Chen Shi sighed, feeling powerless all of a sudden. "Song Lang has no parents, but Chen Shi does. After all, I¡¯ve used someone else''s identity, so I have to put up with these things. How troublesome."


    "You¡¯re my husband now, so you have to put up with these things too." Lin Dongxue said coquettishly.


    "Can we do things one by one, in batches?"


    "Do you want to eat your sh*t in one bite, or do you want to eat it slowly over several times?"


    "Okay, okay, we¡¯ll do everything together in October¡­ Fuck, don''t talk about sh*t while we¡¯re eating curry, okay? It will easily bring up unfortunate associations."


    "Haha, I will just get to eat a little more¡­ it¡¯s delicious. Do you know which part fish connoisseurs will eat first? It¡¯s this piece of meat on the fish¡¯s face." Lin Dongxue picked up a small piece of meat from the fish¡¯s face with chopsticks and ced it into Chen Shi¡¯s bowl.


    "Thank you, wife." Chen Shi smiled.


    At this time, the phone rang and it was kk. Chen Shi answered. Lin Dongxue moved closer to listen while eating the hot vegetables in the grilled fish¡¯s pan.


    "Brother Chen, are you free?"


    "No. Get lost!"


    "Don''t be so hard-hearted. President Wang is looking for you regarding something."


    "President Wang? Wang Haitao? I¡¯ve said that I won¡¯t manage the detective agency in the future. I¡¯m now a candidate for the position of chief. It isn¡¯t appropriate for me to get mixed up with the detective agency¡¯s affairs."


    "Candidate for police chief? How shameless!" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    kk heard Lin Dongxue''s voice and asked, "Hello Sister-In-Law, what are you doing? Eating?"


    "We¡¯re eating. Don''t bother me." Chen Shi said.


    "No, President Wang is really looking for you for some matter. He¡¯s at the office right now, pleasee over!" kk pleaded.


    "I¡¯m noting!"


    "You¡¯re already the captain right now. Are there still people who can control what you do?"


    Chen Shi raised his head and sighed. "I have something to do this afternoon. That''s it."


    Then he hung up. Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "I won¡¯t let anyone bother us today."


    "I support this!"


    The two concentrated on eating grilled fish. Lin Dongxue loved grilled fish. She said that when she was in the police academy, there was a boy who she had a crush on. The first time they went out on a date, the boy invited her to eat western food. She actually wasn¡¯t fond of refined Western cuisine at all but she was shy at the time and too embarrassed to speak out, so nothing came of it.


    If the boy had asked her to eat grilled fish, the result might have been different.


    Halfway through the meal, Chen Shi suddenly asked, "How are your driving skills now?"


    Lin Dongxue frowned. "No beer for you!"


    The twoughed together. They already had a tacit understanding of each other and could guess what the other was thinking.


    At this time, kk, Sun Zhen and Wang Haitao walked in. Chen Shi was shocked and wanted to lower his head to avoid being noticed, but kk still shouted, "Brother Chen is over there!"


    kk and Sun Zhen sat down next to them with smiles on their faces. Wang Haitao was a little more polite and said, "Mr. Chen, long time no see." before he took his seat.


    "How did you find us here?" Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    "Would it be difficult for us to find someone?" Sun Zhen answered rhetorically.


    "Okay, let¡¯s add a few more pairs of chopsticks!"


    "No need, we¡¯ve eaten." Wang Haitao said.


    "Wow, what''s the asion? Sister-In-Law, Sister-In-Law, what are you wearing on your hand?" kk suddenly shouted as if he had discovered a new world.


    However, Lin Dongxue didn¡¯t hide it. Ever since they had tried their best to help find Tao Yueyuest time, Lin Dongxue''s views of them had changed. Thus, she held Chen Shi¡¯s wedding ring-wearing hand and raised it. She also showed off the marriage certificate smugly.


    "Wow, congrattions, congrattions! Apuse!"


    The three apuded, causing many people to look over, and Chen Shi grumbled, "Please, I beg all of you to let us eat quietly!"


    "Why don''t we book out the whole venue?" Wang Haitao suggested.


    "Don''t, don''t!"


    Wang Haitao said, "I¡¯m really sorry to be disturbing you on your wedding day. I originally wanted to invite the two of you to my house to reminisce about the past. After all, it''s been a long time since west met."


    "It''s really not possible today. I still need to help her move this afternoon."


    Before he had finished talking, Wang Haitao had taken out his mobile phone and made a call instructing his secretary to contact the best movingpany in the city. Chen Shiined, regretting having said it out loud. He said, ¡°No, she just has a few boxes of stuff. Mr. Wang, if you have any difficulties, just go ahead and mention it. If I can help, I will naturally do so."


    "No, no, I just wanted you two as guests. Just showing a bit of my appreciation."


    "I''m afraid¡­"


    Lin Dongxue actually answered unexpectedly, "Okay, we''ll be there in the afternoon."


    Wang Haitao was overjoyed. "Thank you, Officer Lin!"


    The three said that they wouldn¡¯t disturb them any longer and left first. Chen Shi nced at Lin Dongxue, "Why did you agree?"


    "I think Wang Haitao must be in trouble, and he¡¯s too embarrassed to say it straight out, so he asked you over as a guest in a roundabout way. Old Master Lu is probably up to something again."


    "Haha, your EQ is really extraordinary, but in fact, I could tell as well. I just wanted to tell him to say it clearly and save some time."


    "That¡¯s just hindsight!"


    Chen Shi still felt a little regret that they were disturbed on their off day.


    After finishing their meal, Wang Haitao sent Chen Shi the location, which happened to be the exact hotel where Old Master Lu usually stayed. From this, it seemed that Lin Dongxue''s spection was correct. There was a problem with Old Master Lu again.


    When they got to the hotel, the employee politely led them to the 16th floor. This floor waspletely different from the other floors. There was a lobby when they got out of the elevator. kk and Sun Zhen were sprawled on the sofa. kk was smoking a cigar and announced excitedly, "Brother Chen is here!"


    Wang Haitao stood up. "Thank you both foring. I had originally nned to invite you to my house, but the chef at the hotel has better skills."


    "We''ve just eaten, and we¡¯re talking about eating again?" Chen Shi asked, "What''s up with this ce?"


    "Oh, my father has renovated this floor. He¡¯s engaging in some¡­ mm, personal activities here."


    "Personal activities?" It sounded very fishy. Chen Shi asked, "Can we have a tour of this ce?"


    "That''s my intention too. Let''s go!"


    Led by Wang Haitao, the group of them passed through the hall and a corridor. The rooms here had all been opened up with several rooms merged into arge room which actually turned out to be a small Taoist temple. The altar held statuettes of three Taoist deities and the surroundings were also decorated in faux antique style.


    Below the altar, two big, burly men were dressed as young boys and sporting premodern boys¡¯ hairstyles. They were doing some cleaning work. They saw peopleing in and looked at them guardedly.


    Chen Shi raised his eyebrows. "This is the so-called ''personal activity''?"

 Chapter 913: The Evil God and The Evil Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 913: The Evil God and The Evil Weapon</h4>


    Seeing strangersing in, an unshaven ¡°boy¡± shouted, "Outsiders are not allowed to trespass into the sacred space."


    "Fuck, what kind of style is this? Did you two be like this due to excessive secretion of hormones? Open your mouth and let uncle look at your baby teeth." kk retorted furiously.


    "Get lost!"


    "Is this your territory? I want toe in, so what are you going to do about it?" kk kicked the prayer mat on the ground.


    The big man yelled, and was about to hit him with his broomstick. kk was so frightened that he covered his face with his hands. The other big man held him back, shaking his head and saying in a shrill feminine voice, "Qingfeng, don''t stoop as low as these people."


    "¡®Cool breeze and bright moon¡¯? No way!"1 Sun Zhen was overwhelmed withughter.


    Wang Haitao coughed. "Let''s go elsewhere!"


    Walking out of the small temple, Lin Dongxue asked, "The old master has be obsessed with this recently?"


    Wang Haitao just smiled, but didn¡¯t exin.


    Lin Dongxueined, "The rich really do whatever they think of."


    Theughter of men and women came from another room, but the door was closed. kk was curious and took out lock-picking tools. Chen Shi said, "Be mindful of what you¡¯re doing!"


    "What''s going on? Howe my hands are out of control?!" kk pretended to be shocked, and skillfully pried the lock open with both hands, pushing the door slightly open. He stepped forward to peep in with Sun Zhen. Chen Shi sighed and went over to look as well.


    There seemed to be a "party" going on in the room. Several men and women were talking,ughing, drinking and having fun. Most of the men were in their twenties and thirties and had amon feature. They all wore their hair up in Taoist priests¡¯ hairstyles. One of them was having so much fun that his hair fell down loose and covered his shoulders.


    However, they didn¡¯t seem like religious figures at all. Several of them had obvious tattoos on their hands and scars on their faces. Judging from their looks, they were also dissipated people.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Is it vulgar?"


    Chen Shi replied, "Very vulgar!"


    "Let me see." Lin Dongxue went closer to have a look. "Wow, these girls have great figures."


    kk said to Sun Zhen, "So it turns out that this hotel has this kind of service. Let''se and stay next time too."


    "Mr. Wang, these people are¡­" Chen Shi probed Wang Haitao.


    He still didn''t answer and just smiled, "Let''s visit the next ce."


    Most of the doors were locked. These doors were all antique-style carved wooden doors, which made people feel as if they were walking inside a Taoist temple.


    A certain room had been changed into a ce for the Taoist priests to rest. Peeking through the crack of the door, a man dressed as a Taoist master was sitting cross-legged on the bed in Taoist robes, meditating with closed eyes. The master had a long goatee and his thin cheeks were sunken in. Incense smoke swirled within the room.


    Wang Haitao gestured for everyone not to make too much noise.


    Then they arrived at a ce that looked like a small Taoist temple, but no statuettes of the three Taoist deities were being worshipped and there were no ¡°boys¡± cleaning. There was a tablet amid the incense burner, joss sticks and candles. Pig¡¯s feet, goat horns and a bag of beef jerky were arranged below.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Why is it another Taoist temple? Has this whole floor been opened up for religious activities?"


    Chen Shi saw the words on the tablet clearly, and almost swore out loud. The tablet said, "Big Dipper Greedy Wolf Star, Zhou Xiao".


    "Why is the old man worshipping the tablet of a serial killer? Besides, Zhou Xiao is currently in jail and hasn¡¯t been executed yet, but he¡¯s already be a god?" Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue, kk, and Sun Zhen also showed shocked expressions.


    Wang Haitao didn¡¯t exin. He pointed to the table and said, "Mr. Chen, there is an empty ce here. My father needs something that only you can get."


    "Let me guess. If you are worshipping Zhou Xiao like a god, you wouldn¡¯t be wanting his murder weapon, right?"


    "That''s right. Give me a price."


    Thinking of Zhou Xiao¡¯s heinous sins, Chen Shi felt as though he had been humiliated. His blood rushed into his brain. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Goodbye!¡±


    When he said that, he had already started walking out. Wang Haitao chased after him and called, "Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen!"


    At this time, two people came into the corridor. It was Old Master Lu and a man wearing sunsses. They were in front of the Taoist master''s door. Old Man Lu bowed from the waist and said respectfully, "Master, your disciple has ordered a set of red sandalwood furniture for you. When is it convenient to deliver it?"


    He put his ear to the door and listened to the answer from inside. At this moment, he saw Chen Shi and his group. His expression changed suddenly, and he said towards the door, "I will send someone to deliver it after you finish meditating."


    Old Master Lu strode over with his walking stick, watching Chen Shi guardedly. He said, "Song Lang, you¡¯re here to meddle in other people¡¯s business again¡­ Haitao, were you the one who brought this dog in?"


    Chen Shi was so angry that heughed. "Last time, both dogs and I weren¡¯t allowed to enter, and this time I have be a dog?"


    Old Master Lu raised an emphatic finger. "This is my territory. Whatever I do is my freedom. You aren¡¯t wee here."


    Wang Haitao stepped forward. "Father, I asked them over to help you get that sacred tool. Mr. Chen is now the captain of the criminal police force, so naturally I had to look for him."


    Old Master Lu looked Chen Shi up and down. "When will it be delivered?"


    Chen Shi spread out his hands. "I don''t seem to have agreed yet."


    Old Master Lu¡¯s face darkened again, he looked at Wang Haitao and said, "I warn you. If he dares to ruin things for me this time, you will need to get lost!"


    "Okay, father¡­" Wang Haitao passively agreed.


    Chen Shi suddenly understood Wang Haitao''s troubles. Old Man Lu was headstrong and reckless. As a son, he must have tried persuading him, but he couldn''t persuade him, so he could only pretend to be submissive, hoping to get Chen Shi''s help.


    Thus, he said, "We just didn''t agree on the price. Mr. Wang, I can get the item you want."


    Wang Haitao was nearly moved to tears for a moment. His suffering was finally known to others, so he said, "Just give me a price!"


    "It''s just a knife. It was originally going to be disposed of anyway. Four thousand yuan!"


    "Song Lang, what do you mean?!" Old Master Lu pounded the ground with his walking stick. "Are you humiliating me? You want four thousand yuan for the treasure of the evil god? Four million. No bargaining! Son, write him a check!"


    The man wearing sunsses behind him took out a checkbook, wrote inside, and handed the check to Chen Shi. Chen Shi was shocked not by the number on the check, but because he looked nothing like Old Master Lu. At first nce, he seemed to be mixed-race as well. How did he be the son of Old Man Lu?


    "Old Man, when did you make this mistake?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Are you looking for death?!" Old Master Lu was extremely angry. "This is my biological son. The future heir of the conglomerate!"


    "What about him?" He pointed at Wang Haitao.


    "Him?" Old Master Lu''s eyes were instantly filled with contempt. "He¡¯s just a stranger with my genes."


    "What kind of logic is this?!" kk whispered.


    Wang Haitao mediated, "Father, why don¡¯t we go to the private room for tea? Let¡¯s sit down and talk."


    "I have nothing to discuss with him. Song Lang, you¡¯ve already epted the money. Send the knife over before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Don''t hold up my major event! Son, let''s go!" Old Master Lu turned around, not forgetting to point at Wang Haitao, warning him, "If you dare speak any nonsense, I¡¯ll kill you!"


    Then he left, supported by his "biological son". Chen Shi came up with a few words in his heart: Domineering and narcissistic!


    1. Qingfeng means cool breeze and Mingyue means bright moon. Together, they make up a Chinese idiom meaning not to make friends casually and is used as a metaphor for leisurely dawdling and nothingness.

 Chapter 914: Master Chunhuang

    <h4>Chapter 914: Master Chunhuang</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    After leaving the hotel, Chen Shi was still immersed in shock. Elderly people being deceived is amon topic, but the level of disaster for an extremely rich man like Old Man Lu was far beyond that of ordinary old people.


    "Why would he be fooled like this?" Lin Dongxue said, "Typically, the elderly are deceived due to the word ¡®money¡¯. Nearly one-tenth of Long¡¯an''s wealth belongs to him. Could it be for attaining immortality?"


    "This is another topic that has never changed." Chen Shi said, "This swindler must have an impressive background or he would not be able to beguile Old Man Lu until he is mentally confused. Mr. Wang, do you know his details?"


    Wang Haitao let out a long sigh. "Master Chunhuang was born into the family of a ship tycoon in 1894. When he was a child, his father was hacked to death by the Axe Triad, making him reflect that birth, aging, sickness, and death were part of life¡¯s transience, so he gave up his wealth and went to Tibet for spiritual training. He met the incarnation of Buddha in the snow-capped mountains. The Buddha took him through the eighteen levels of hell and he observed all the consequences of karma in the world. He was instantly enlightened and became a Buddha. The moment he became a Buddha, he asked the Buddha whether the Dharma can save the people. The Buddha answered him that the people would have to save themselves. Thus, he resolutely gave up on bing a Buddha and turned to Taoism to find a way to save themon people. Although he¡¯s just over 100 years old, he has experienced eighteen lives through the practice of the Yuanshen method. During these hallucinatory phases, he¡¯s been a beggar, a god of gambling, gone to the battlefield and killed Japanese soldiers as well as fallen in love with a morous fox spirit. Finally, he became enlightened and was reborn as an immortal at Mount Emei. He can survive without eating or drinking and ascend to the heavens. His rank as an immortal is far above minor deities such as the Barefoot Great Immortal and the Monkey King. Only Taibaijinxing is on an equal footing with him."


    "In 1994, he and Sichuan¡¯s Taoist master Bojie dueled with magic, causing a flood in the Central ins. Master Chunhuang rode upon seven-color auspicious clouds in order to save people. At the time, he was spotted in many ces in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangxi. The people knelt in worship. He saved one thousand four hundred and thirty-seven people in one go, but due to his great loss of vitality during the duel, 13 people couldn¡¯t be saved. His soul went to the underworld to save those people. The King of Hell said that the thirteen people had already reached the end of their predestined lifespans. Despite this, he still couldn''t quiet the guilt in his heart, thinking that this was a karma debt he owed. Thus, he remained in the mortal world and went everywhere to deliver people from suffering, so that he could pay off this debt before returning to heaven."


    "He really dared to make things up!" Chen Shimented. "Not even fantasy novels are written like this."


    "Why does this seem simr to the methods that pick-up artists use on girls?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s all true." Wang Haitao said weakly, but he was obviously not serious.


    "What is the name of this Taoist master?" Chen Shi asked.


    "His mortal surname is Liao."


    "Liao Chunhuang? 1894? Okay, let me see if I can find information on him."


    "Mr. Chen!" Wang Haitao took Chen Shi''s hand. "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, you must bring that item over to participate in my father''s life extension ceremony¡­ This matter totally depends on you. I can only rely on you!"


    With that, tears glistened in Wang Haitao''s eyes, and Chen Shi could hear that he only meant thest sentence sincerely. He was sending out a desperate signal for help.


    "I will do my best." Chen Shi promised.


    After bidding farewell to Wang Haitao, kk and Sun Zhen kept talking about the matter. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue walked together, and Lin Dongxue said, "Wang Haitao is really pitiful that his biological father is such an unreasonable man. This swindler must have caused his family great misery."


    "Old Man Lu has caused trouble not just once or twice."


    The two groups of people went back to their respective homes. Before leaving, Chen Shi asked kk and Sun Zhen to help investigate the swindler. kk said, "Easy. By the way, which school is Yueyue going to now? Why doesn¡¯t shee over to y?"


    "She¡¯s attending the police academy."


    "Attending the police academy?!" kk was shocked. "You sent such a clever girl to the police academy to be a police officer?"


    "Are you mad? Should I have sent her to the university of life to be a thief instead?"


    "But it''s fine." kk looked at Sun Zhen and said with a smile, "We¡¯re also dealing with the police nowadays, and maybe we¡¯ll be asked to work for them in the future."


    "You can think about it. Take a junior high school course first, and then we¡¯ll talk about it after you pass the exam." Chen Shi said.


    "Fuck, in that case, forget it!" kk scratched his head. "Well, don''t forget to call us when the wedding is held. We¡¯ll give you and Sister-In-Law a big red envelope."


    "I know. See you in two days!"


    The two drove off. When Chen Shi got into the car, he thought of something. He took out an evidence bag and put the check in it. Lin Dongxue asked, "Fingerprints?"


    "Yes, this is also a clue."


    "You won''t really give him Zhou Xiao''s murder weapon, will you?"


    "Zhou Xiao¡¯s murder weapon? His murderous fruit knife still has abel on it and I don¡¯t know how many yuan it had cost to buy it from a street stall. Based on Old Man Lu¡¯s nature, I¡¯m guessing he would say I¡¯m making a fool out of him. I¡¯ll go to a street stall and buy him a beautiful handcrafted knife!"


    "Should we put some chicken blood on it?"


    "No need. Even murderers will wash the knife¡­ Damn swindler, he could have used anything for the scheme, but why did he have to coax Old Man Lu into worshipping a murderer? I don¡¯t know what he was thinking. Even swindlers are so trendy these days."


    "Perhaps he thinks that the more eerie and weird it sounds, the more credible it would seem, just like how some Westerners hold ck Masses and worship Satan."


    Chen Shi remembered that he had heard simr things before. Some criminal exhibits were bought by civilians after the litigation period. Some were used to protect their houses spiritually and some were used to ward off evil spirits. This behavior is simr to eating human blood-soaked buns.[1]


    Zhou Xiao¡¯s arrest caused a massive sensation throughout the whole country. Many publishing houses contacted the Long¡¯an police, saying they wanted to interview Zhou Xiao in prison, and a museum of unknown legitimacy said they wanted to buy his criminal exhibits. Chen Shi refused all of these requests. He disliked this concept of demonizing murderers. Murderers aren¡¯t demons, they are just human beings. Bad guys!


    The two arrived at the ce where Lin Dongxue was renting a house, and the movingpany was already waiting there, so Chen Shi had no choice but to ask them to help with moving the furniture.


    A group of brawny guys deftly loaded Lin Dongxue''s furniture onto the truck and drove it to Chen Shi''s ce. Then they moved it skilfully into the house andid it out properly. Their customer service attitude was also very enthusiastic. In order not to hinder their work, the two stood by the door. Lin Dongxue looked at the door of Gu You''s house and said, "Zhou Xiao refused to say anything. Miss Gu''s whereabouts is still unknown, haii."


    "There will be some news eventually." Chen Shi said, but in his heart he hoped that Gu You''s body wouldn¡¯t be found, or that it would already have be a set of white bones when she was discovered, so that Peng Sijue wouldn¡¯t have to see her pitiful corpse.


    Thinking of those who had died, and thinking of Zhou Xiao''s tablet that had been ced on the altar to receive incense offerings, Chen Shi suddenly felt rage well up. This was a clear sphemy against the dead. He must teach this swindler a lesson!


    The movingpany finished their work and drove away. After adding some furniture, the house was more crowded than before. The house cat saw the new furniture and was very happy. It jumped up and down to explore its new territory. Lin Dongxue held the cat up. "It¡¯s not as bright and spacious as it was in the past. However, with three people and one cat, it feels more like home."


    "Wife, do you want to buy another house?"


    "It''s nice here and it''s close to work, in addition it evokes many memories." Lin Dongxue smiled, and the two kissed.


    "But I want a bigger kitchen."


    "You¡¯re no longer a driver with a flexible schedule. How much time do you have toe back and cook?"


    "In that case, do you think that girls prefer to live by themselves or with their parents after they grow up? Although they aren¡¯t biologically rted¡­"


    "You should ask Yueyue''s opinion! Be subtle. Don''t let her think we¡¯re driving her away because I came to live here."


    "With her character, asking directly is the most subtle."


    Chen Shi looked at the time. Thanks to the help of the movingpany, today''s task had beenpleted ahead of schedule. He said, "Wife, it''s still early. What should we do before we enter the bridal chamber?"


    "You can think about doing something after entering the bridal chamber." Lin Dongxue smiled coquettishly and pulled Chen Shi into the bedroom.


    1. ording to feudal superstitions, eating buns (mantao) soaked in the blood of executed prisoners was supposed to cure sicknesses.

 Chapter 915: Fleeing At Night

    <h4>Chapter 915: Fleeing At Night</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    "¡­The local geologist pried the stone b away and finally found a substance inside. It¡¯s the culprit that caused the mysterious self-heating mechanism on the ground¡¯s surface, and its name is lime!"


    "Fuck your uncle!" Lin Dongxue was so angry that sheughed.


    "I don''t want to watch this kind of show, it''s too awful." Chen Shi took a sip of the alcohol on the table.


    "Husband, I want to take a sip too."


    Chen Shi brought the iced whiskey to her mouth, and Lin Dongxue sniffed it. "It smells like chocte."


    "That¡¯s because it¡¯s an 18-year-old Chivas. I usually can''t bear to drink it."


    Lin Dongxue leaned on Chen Shi and took a sip before smiling, "Sure enough, I still can''t drink." But she took another sip, and it was so strong that she poked her tongue out.


    "Why are you still drinking if you can¡¯t manage it?"


    "This is the taste of our first day of marriage. When I drink this kind of alcohol in the future, I will think of this day. I¡¯m so happy today."


    There were no lights on in the house, and the two cuddled on the sofa. The whole house was filled with warmth and sweetness. Chen Shi heard pattering sounds outside and said, "It''s raining!"


    "Why don''t we go to bed early?"


    "You won¡¯t be able to fall asleep so early."


    "If we can''t sleep, we can do something else!"


    "For example¡­"


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door from outside, and Chen Shi immediately understood when he heard the frequency of the knocks. "Yueyue? No, why would she suddenlye back?"


    Opening the door, it turned out that it was really Yueyue. Since she hadn¡¯t used an umbre, she waspletely drenched. As soon as she saw Chen Shi, her emotions overflowed, and she cried, "Wuuuwuuu, Uncle Chen, I don¡¯t want to stay at that lousy police academy anymore."


    "What''s the matter, did someone bully you? Come in quickly!"


    Chen Shi took a towel and wiped her head dry. Lin Dongxue poured her a cup of hot tea. Tao Yueyue sat on the table, cupping the hot tea in her hands. She looked around, discovered that a few more pieces of furniture had been added, and said, "These¡­"


    "Your Uncle Chen and I have gotten married, so I moved over to live here. Please take care of me in the future." Lin Dongxue said.


    Noticing that Lin Dongxue was still wearing Chen Shi''s shirt, Tao Yueyue asked, "Did I disturb the two of you?"


    "No, no, how could that be." Lin Dongxue smiled and stroked her head. "What happened to you at the police academy? Haven''t you been doing military training recently? Is it a matter rting to military training?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded, tears welling up in her eyes again. "The instructor isn¡¯t reasonable at all. I suspect that he suffers from long-term repression and has nowhere to vent, so he¡¯s taking it out on us. Some ssmates can''t march properly so he made the whole row of us apany them in practicing, dragging out the lessons everyday. We don¡¯t get to eat anything by the time we arrive at the cafeteria. We train on empty stomachs in the afternoon. Every morning he wakes us up and makes us go for a run before the sun rises. It was raining today so everyone wanted to go back to the dormitory as soon as possible, but the instructor didn¡¯t let us go. I don¡¯t know who it was, but someone scolded him in a whisper, so he interrogated all of us while making a big fuss. Then the whole ss was made guilty by association and stood in the rain for an hour. This wasn¡¯t training at all. It was corporal punishment. He was abusing his authority for personal reasons. I hate him!"


    As she recalled these events, she gripped the cup so hard that it squeaked in her hands.


    "It seems that your instructor is a bit harsh, but we¡¯ve all experienced this kind of thing. The police are half counted as soldiers, and military training is definitely indispensable." Lin Dongxue said.


    "I really don''t want to understand the purpose behind this kind of training!" Tao Yueyue said, "Is it possible that I will meet a criminal in the future and kick him to death while marching?"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly and took out a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator. Lin Dongxueined, "It''s such a cold day¡­"


    Tao Yueyue really liked Coke more, especially since she hadn¡¯t consumed sugar over the past month. She drank half of it after opening it. Chen Shi said, "The training itself is actually mostly meaningless. I underwent military training back then, and just like you, I was full of resentment, cursing that the instructor would die every night. Military training is actually for training you to be obedient, because the police team is a whole unit. Every police officer must learn to obey orders. This kind of obedience starts from military training and slowly prates into your bone marrow."


    "Have you been trained to be obedient?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "Some people will be obedient after military training, and some people will learn to restrain their own personalities. From the overall perspective, both results are the purpose of military training. I can be said to be thetter. You can ignore them, but you have to learn to put away your edge. This isn¡¯t only for being a police officer, but also for future survival in society."


    "The problem is I''m very obedient. I can do all the moves the instructor asks us to do. I came in number nine in the girls¡¯ long-distance race. However, as long as one person makes a mistake, everyone will have to follow them in misery. It''s not fair at all!"


    Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "This instructor is indeed too harsh. Should we go to the police academy and give the academy some suggestions?"


    Chen Shi immediately rejected this notion. "This kind of precedent cannot be set. I used to be a driver and amon man. If I had gone over to give suggestions, that would have been okay. Now that I¡¯m the captain of the criminal police force, most of the instructors in the police academy aren¡¯t ranked as high as me. If I went over to talk to them, isn''t this the same as abusing my authority for personal gain?"


    Tao Yueyue became angry. "I''m going to be tortured to death by that bastard, but you won''t help me?"


    "This is a hurdle you must surmount yourself. I really can''t help you. Pampering you now is tantamount to harming you."


    Tao Yueyue seemed to be about to m the door and leave at any time. Lin Dongxue said, "Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go over and talk to them. I¡¯m a rank and file police officer. This wouldn¡¯t be an abuse of power."


    Tao Yueyue pouted and wanted to cry. "What if it''s useless even after you talk to them?"


    "Then let Elder Sister teach you a trick. If you can''t stand it, you can faint or cry. Girls have to learn to show weakness. In fact, a lot of those instructors who seem awe-inspiring have never been in love so they¡¯ll be helpless once they see a girl cry." Lin Dongxue winked. "I used this trick back then. During the hottest days, I said that my stomach hurt and I cried so much that the instructor asked me to go back and rest first. "


    Tao Yueyue''s small, pouting mouth slowly revealed a smile, and she asked shyly, "Does it really work?"


    "It works, it¡¯s been put to repeated tests. Haven¡¯t any girls in your ss asked for leave?"


    Tao Yueyue thought for a moment. "It seems that there really were some girls who did. I will try it tomorrow."


    "Okay, the problem is solved." Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief.


    "You weren¡¯t the one who solved it. Why are you so smug?" Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t forget to retaliate against him.


    "Damn child, wasn¡¯t I anxious for you too?"


    "I couldn¡¯t tell."


    "How did youe out? Did you climb the wall?"


    "I''m not the only one who fled home secretly. Can I sleep here tonight? There¡¯s also a bitch in the dormitory who happens to be the daughter of the deputy mayor. She¡¯s so annoying. Uncle Chen, if you still won¡¯t help me, I will definitely find a chance to teach her a lesson."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly, it was as if he had seen his past self. Life in a collective was a nightmare for someone like him who didn¡¯t fit in personality-wise.


    Lin Dongxue said, "I think you can exert your power judiciously and let everyone know that Yueyue is the child of the criminal police force captain. The rtionships between girls are very delicate. I don''t want to say bad things about anyone, but back then my roommates knew that I was an orphan and indeed made things hard for me. When my brother was promoted to the position of captain, the situation got better."


    "If they knew that you were Lie Guoxiao''s daughter back then, wouldn¡¯t they have carried you around in a pnquin?" Chen Shi quipped.


    "You¡¯re insane. Don''t mention that person again." Lin Dongxue punched him.


    Tao Yueyue stood up. "I''m going to take a shower¡­" She walked to the door of the bathroom, then turned her head and asked, "It wouldn¡¯t disturb yourte-night mating, right?"


    Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ve be shameless long ago. It won¡¯t bother us."


    After Tao Yueyue entered the bathroom, Lin Dongxue blushed. "I guess it will take me a while to get used to your family¡¯s way of life."

 Chapter 916: What Name Should We Use?

    <h4>Chapter 916: What Name Should We Use?</h4>


    Trantor: Azza


    Early in the morning, sunlight came in through the window, and the raindrops on the leaves gleamed like pearls. Lin Dongxue opened her eyes and found that Chen Shi was also already awake. She greeted him. "Good morning, husband."


    "Good morning, wife."


    "I¡¯ve decided not to call you ''husband'' in the future. I will also call you ''Captain'' at home, so that when I call you ''Captain'' in public, it¡¯ll feel very intimate." Lin Dongxue winked mischievously.


    Chen Shi put the back of his hand on Lin Dongxue''s forehead. "Did sleeping with my arms around youst night give you a fever? You¡¯re talking nonsense so early in the morning. Why don''t you just call me ¡®Daddy¡¯ then? It''s both intimate and exciting."


    "Go to hell!" Lin Dongxue waved her fist and pummelled Chen Shi¡¯s chest.


    "Hey!" Chen Shi caught her little fist. "Private is private, public is public. In the bureau, we still have a pure captain-subordinate rtionship. Even if I give CPR to a dying female colleague in front of you, you will also need to be expressionless."


    "Sure, but I will shoot you to death right after we get off work."


    "Shoot your head. Would you still be carrying a gun after you get off work?"


    "Hurry up, I''m going to bete!" Tao Yueyueined outside.


    Chen Shi nced at his phone. "Fuck!"


    He forgot that the military training of the police academy started very early, but they started work at 8:00, and their biological clocks had be fixed long ago.


    As a result, they didn''t even have breakfast. They hurriedly drove to the police academy. On the way, Tao Yueyue picked up a sandwich wrapped in stic wrap and handed it to Lin Dongxue. Lin Dongxue, who was busy tying her hair, was surprised and said thank you.


    "I want to eat too." Chen Shi said.


    "Nothing for you!" Tao Yueyue snorted.


    Lin Dongxue passed the sandwich to the front. Chen Shi took advantage of a red light to tilt his head and take a bite.


    Chen Shi said, "Yueyue, I¡¯d like to ask you something. Now that there¡¯s one more person in the house, the per capita living area cannot help but be considerably reduced. I have three proposals. The first is to buy you a small cozy house, and you will live outside by yourself in the future. The second is that we sell this house in exchange for a bigger one. The third is to keep things as they are."


    "Does option one mean that I will be driven out?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "The main reason is that if you aren¡¯t at home, we can live a more low-carbon lifestyle. For example, we won¡¯t need to wear clothes normally." Chen Shi said with a deadpan face.


    "Do you need to be so direct?" Lin Dongxue smiled and thumped the seat in front of her with her hand.


    "Then are you nning to have a baby?" Tao Yueyue asked again.


    "We¡¯re not having one. Having you is enough. You are my ideal child."


    "But I''m going to grow up soon, so I won¡¯t be any fun. Surely, both of you would still want a young and fun child?"


    "What''s so fun about children? They¡¯re so annoying. If we had all that energy and money, then wouldn¡¯t it be better for our whole family to go traveling?"


    "Oh¡­ Both of you would definitely prefer living by yourselves."


    Lin Dongxue exined, "No, Uncle Chen''s idea is to bring it out for discussion, prioritizing your preferences."


    "In that case, I still hope to live alone outside. That way, it would be very convenient for all of us. Of course, I cane back asionally to see you two lonely old people."


    "You aren¡¯t saying this out of consideration for our needs, right?"


    "I¡¯m a very selfish person and won¡¯t consider your needs."


    "Okay, then I''m relieved." Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. This was also the proposal he preferred most. After all, a father and daughter must be separated eventually.


    Tao Yueyue said in deadly earnest, "My ssmates all joked that they wanted to be the police chief in the future, but I want to be the number 1 in the criminal police force. When that timees, I will support both of you and it can be regarded as my repaying you for raising me."


    Chen Shi felt touched and smiled, "The joy you have brought to me has long offset my raising you."


    Lin Dongxue stroked Tao Yueyue''s head. "It''s very interesting to think about it. I just married your Uncle Chen and acquired such a grown-up daughter. When you have children in the future, I will be a grandmother in my thirties, haha."


    "Hmm¡­" Tao Yueyue fell silent on this, it seemed like it had tugged a certain heartstring of this adolescent girl, so the topic didn¡¯t continue.


    When they arrived at the police academy, they werete anyway. Rows of freshmen were training on the drill-ground, and their juvenile faces were filled with strength like that of soldiers.


    Tao Yueyue ran back to the dormitory to change her clothes. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi stood at the side of the drill-ground. Many boys stole nces at Lin Dongxue. Someone whispered, "That uncle must be very rich or he must be someone powerful!"


    The instructor¡¯s radar-like ears immediately caught the whisper and shouted, "Fourth row, third column,e out and do fifty push-ups."


    The boy who had been named stuck his tongue out as he left his ce, and there was a burst ofughter in the ranks. The instructor scowled. "Who¡¯sughing? Do you want to do it with him?" There was instant silence.


    This was the iron-blooded instructor who had made Tao Yueyuein. Lin Dongxue briefed Chen Shi that he should lead Tao Yueyue forward to apologize for beingte after she had changed into military uniform and returned. He had to appear sincere, but he must "inadvertently" mention that he is the criminal police force captain. Not only should it be heard by the instructor, but also by the whole ss.


    Chen Shi''s cheek twitched. "Isn¡¯t that too deliberate?"


    "If you want Yueyue to have a better time in the future, you have to act out this drama. Someone with Yueyue''s personality is too easily isted. You have to hold an invisible, protective umbre over her."


    "In the end, we¡¯re still using our power for personal gain."


    "What do you think of the chief? Is he impartial and only enforces thew? But even he has said that selflessness without principles is pathological. You protect all the police in the second team, but you won¡¯t protect your own daughter?"


    "I know. I know. I will definitely put on a good show."


    Tao Yueyue came back. Therge, loose military uniform made her look even smaller. She whispered, "I''m sote, the instructor won''t punish me, right?"


    "I will apany you to apologize!" Chen Shi patted Tao Yueyue on the back and walked towards the square drill formation.


    Chen Shi¡¯s back was sweating during this scene, but the effect was immediately visible. After learning of Chen Shi¡¯s identity, the instructor said with a straight face, "Tao Yueyue has always performed well. Since she isn¡¯t feeling well, I¡¯ll let it go this time but it shouldn¡¯t happen again."


    Whisperings arose among the ssmates. "Wow, that little thing¡¯s dad is actually the captain of the criminal police force!", "Do you want to die? Don''t call her a little thing.", "She really kept it hidden, amazing!"


    Chen Shi turned to leave, waved to Tao Yueyue, and Tao Yueyue smiled slightly from within the ranks.


    Lin Dongxue suggested, "Let¡¯se over to see Tao Yueyue after we get off work at night. How about going to the canteen for a meal?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "I wonder if the canteen auntie''s Parkinson''s syndrome has been cured yet."


    The two rushed to the bureau and went about their work separately, because now that they were ranked differently, Lin Dongxue''s partner was the new policeman, Luo Fei. It has always been a public security bureau tradition that old police officers should lead the new police officers.


    Today, they didn¡¯t need to go out on business. They just had to deal with some desk work. Lin Dongxuepiled a case report. This was just a minor case. After the Lie Guoxiao and Zhou Xiao cases, the minor cases that hadn¡¯t been settled at the time were as numerous and annoying as a rain drizzle. There were some people hacking people to death after a dispute at the gambling table, drunks wounding people with weapons, etc. Chen Shiined all day long that there weren¡¯t any interesting cases for him recently.


    Lin Dongxue took the report, went to the forensic department to get an appraisal report, then went to the captain''s office and knocked on the door. She only opened the door after he said e in" inside.


    She saw Chen Shi holding a document and spinning around on his chair like a restless child. Lin Dongxue asked, "Captain, aren¡¯t you afraid of others seeing you like this?"


    Chen Shi stopped, turned his head and said, "I¡¯m very active when I go over documents, otherwise how can I absorb these boring things?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled. She noticed the picture frame on the table. "Are you still leaving this photo here? Do you have any thoughts about Captain Lin?"


    "Insane. Me looking at him? I¡¯m looking at myself!" He picked up the photo frame, took out the photo, folded it in half so that Lin Qiupu¡¯s half was folded inwards, and put it back into the photo frame. "Song Lang was so handsome. I shouldn''t have been a criminal police officer. I should have entered the entertainment industry and be the idol of all the women across the country."


    Lin Dongxue resisted mocking him and put the things on the table. "This is the closure report of the murder case in Jinxiu district. There¡¯s also the fingerprint identification results from the check yesterday."


    Chen Shi started and picked up the identification results. "Interesting, Old Man Lu''s new son is truly rich in experience."

 Chapter 917: Soul Father and Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 917: Soul Father and Daughter</h4>


    This guy had a criminal record, so fingerprint identification confirmed his identity. His name was He Chaohua. He was arrested and imprisoned several times because of fraud. His longest-running fraud was when he was intimately involved with a rich woman. A yearter, the rich woman died unexpectedly. He forged a will in order to hog the rich woman''s assets. In the end, the shareholders of the rich woman''s conglomerate saw through him and he was prosecuted for forging the will and suspected of murder. If it weren¡¯t for insufficient evidence, he would probably still be in prison.


    "This man is a great actor. No wonder he could be the ''new son'' of Old Man Lu." Chen Shimented.


    "Should we investigate who his biological parents are and rule out the blood rtionship between him and Old Master Lu?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It takes a lot of effort to find out. Let¡¯s wait for Wang Haitao or this scammer to tell us themselves. Haii, Old Man Lu is now 80 years old, with a worth of over 100 million. His personality is also willful. Such a target is simply the ultimate pursuit of a scammer. I''m not surprised he was deceived." Chen Shi picked up a folder, put the appraisal report inside it, wrote a note and pasted it on the folder. "Wait for kk and Little Worm¡¯s progress on their side."


    Then he picked up the case closure report and went through it. "Couldn¡¯t some challenging casee in?"


    "Is this what a captain should say? You should be thankful that the world is peaceful now, and a murderer like Zhou Xiao won¡¯t ever show up again."


    "Dongxue, go call Old Peng over."


    "Oh."


    Lin Dongxue left for a while and then came back, saying, "Captain Peng is very busy now."


    "If Old Peng won''te, I¡¯ll go there myself."


    As he spoke, he went straight to the forensic department. Peng Sijue was wearing a white coat and performing experiments in theboratory. Chen Shi poured himself a cup of coffee and patted Peng Sijue on the shoulder. "Aiyo, what are you busying yourself with?"


    "You came here to cadge coffee again? You¡¯re the captain now, can''t you buy a machine for yourself?" Peng Sijue narrowed his eyes at him.


    "The coffee here has a special vor. Do you want to have lunch together at noon?" Chen Shi asked with a grin.


    "No time."


    "Do you have to be so unfeeling?"


    Chen Shi had heard that Peng Sijue often volunteeredtely at the crematorium to perform autopsies on unimed corpses. Although the fact that Gu You was killed had been confirmed, her body still hadn¡¯t been found. Peng Sijue still held a ray of hope.


    Chen Shi often hesitated over whether he should tell him where the corpse was buried, but he still chose not to tell him. He had experienced this kind of thing and knew how much impact it would bring.


    Chen Shi drank two cups of coffee and left silently. After finishing his work, Peng Sijue realized that he was missing, and asked the colleagues next to him, "When did that guy leave?"


    "Just now."


    Peng Sijue saw a paper boat that had been folded using discarded documents on the table. It must have been folded by Chen Shi while he was bored. On the boat was written: "See you at the pasta restaurant right outside at noon". Peng Sijue smiled and muttered to himself. "No matter if he¡¯s surnamed Song or Chen, he¡¯s just as annoying as ever.¡±


    After a day''s work, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove to the police academy. Tao Yueyue had just finished a day of training. Seeing them standing beside the drill-ground, she ran over happily and hugged Lin Dongxue.


    The three of them arrived at the canteen and Lin Dongxue said with emotion. "Wow, the canteen haspletely changed. So many windows have been added."


    "The food still tastes bad." Tao Yueyue said.


    "Do you miss my cooking now?" Chen Shi teased.


    Freshmen in military uniforms could be seen everywhere. Everyone lined up for dinner and it was lively. Every scene evoked Lin Dongxue''s youthful memories.


    Tao Yueyue said, "It was only in school that I found out how annoying boys are. They¡¯re vulgar and self-righteous. Sister Lin, did you think this way back then as well?"


    "Back then? My biggest worries in the past came from boys, but it was directly caused by girls. The main reason was that I was too beautiful and pursued by many people. After that, I was ostracized by the girls. Haii, I can¡¯t bear to look back on the past."


    "Why does it seem like I heard a touch of pride in there?" Chen Shi said.


    "I''m not proud! I was actually annoyed to death at the time. Fortunately, I had one or two good friends. Yueyue, have you made friends here?"


    "Is that important?" Tao Yueyue asked in reply.


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. She was so much like his past self ¨C basically a lone wolf. He said, "When you need to be slick and sly, you should act that way. It isn¡¯t expensive to make friends in school. It is just a matter of a piece of soap and a bottle of mineral water."


    "I don¡¯t have any friends yet, but I can talk about my hateful ssmates for a full day and night."


    "Let''s eat first!" Lin Dongxue suggested.


    No matter where she went, Lin Dongxue always made a lot of heads turn. When she passed by the boys, these hormonal youngsters opened their mouths with a ¡°wow¡±, and their e-covered faces followed Lin Dongxue¡¯s movements like sunflowers following the sun.


    It''s true that being too eye-catching does bring about distress too. Song Lang had also experienced this.


    They went directly to the cooking window with the fewest people. The school¡¯s dishes were all very economical. You can enjoy boiled pork slices, fried pork in scoop, cuss fish in tomato sauce, fried lotus root stuffed with pork, stir-fried broli as well as sweet and sour pork ribs in a big iron basin for less than 100 yuan.


    After finding a table, Chen Shi picked up his chopsticks and went straight for the sweet and sour ribs. He put a bite into his mouth and said in ecstasy "Mm, it still tastes the same."


    "By the way, Senior, in which year did you actually graduate?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "I can''t remember. The Xinhai Revolution[1]</a>just started when I first came here to eat sweet and sour pork ribs." Chen Shi said.


    "Madman, why would I believe that?! How did you and Captain Peng meet then?""It was a revolutionary friendship established during the Nanchang Uprising."[2]</a>"Be serious!"


    "Okay, we met in a very dramatic way. During my internship, I was investigating a case of acid attacks. During the investigation, I saw this secretive kid walking over with a ss bottle. I asked him what the bottle was filled with and he didn''t answer. He turned his head and left. I pinned him to the ground instantly and the smell was pungent. I was so excited. I thought I had caught the true culprit. I took him to the bureau for an interrogation. This kid was disadvantaged personality-wise. He spoke slowly, his gaze was evasive, and he couldn¡¯t help but looked like a suspect. He said that he was studying medical drugs and that he had gone out to buy drugs for experiments. The interrogator asked him for his student ID. He said that he had lost it, but the interrogator didn''t believe him. While I was listening outside, I vaguely felt that I might have made a mistake. Thus, I ran back to the ce where I had arrested him and found his student ID in the trash can. This proved his identity. In order to make amends, I invited him to dinner that night. Just like that, an exchange of blows led to friendship."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Your intuition was already so keen even when you were an intern? It¡¯s a great talent to be able to distinguish between truth and lies. When ten suspects enter the interrogation room, nine out of the ten would say that they¡¯re innocent."


    "I¡¯m ttered."


    Lin Dongxue asked Tao Yueyue, "Military training is about to end, right? National Day ising up soon, do you want to go out to enjoy yourself?"


    "Why choose to go out when it will be the most crowded? I have never felt that travelling could be very rewarding. I might as well stay home reading books and ying video games! I will go and see ''Miso'' then. She¡¯s also in a boarding high school and onlyes back during the holidays."


    Chen Shi smiled. "In fact, I don''t like traveling very much either. Speaking of the depth of knowledge acquired, it¡¯s not as effective as reading. The few times I have gone to other ces in my life were all on business."


    "You¡¯re really a soul father and daughter." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    Incidents always happen suddenly. A boy rushed into the canteen and said in horror, "Oh no! The instructor has been murdered!"


    Many studentsid down their chopsticks and gathered around to ask what happened. Tao Yueyue said unhurriedly, "I hope it¡¯s our instructor... Ah, it wouldn¡¯t really be our instructor, right?"


    "Go! Let¡¯s go and see!" Chen Shi stood up.

 Chapter 918: The Tragic Case In The Alley

    <h4>Chapter 918: The Tragic Case In The Alley</h4>


    The crime scene was at the snack street right outside the academy. When the three arrived, they saw the young instructor from Tao Yueyue¡¯s ss holding on to a telephone pole while trembling ceaselessly. Chen Shi patted him with his hand, and he shivered in shock, his eyes nk.


    "What''s the matter? Did you witness the incident happen?" Chen Shi asked.


    The instructor nodded desperately.


    "Don''t leave. We need to understand more about the situation from youter."


    The instructor nodded again.


    A group of students gathered outside the alley. Chen Shi held up his credentials and asked everyone to move aside for him. The students became more excited instead when they saw that the police had arrived. It was disorderly at the scene, so Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue to guard the entrance. Tao Yueyue said, "That would be so humiliating."


    "You will have to do this kind of work someday. Get used to it!"


    Tao Yueyue bit her lip and nodded. Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ve already contacted the academy and asked them to send some people over to maintain order. You can just keep guard for a while."


    When the two walked into the alley, a strong smell of blood assaulted their nostrils. A male corpse in a military uniform was lying in the dark. The blood on the ground hadn¡¯t solidified yet. Judging from the amount of bleeding, this was the primary crime scene.


    Although they called it an alley, it was actually quite spacious. It could probably amodate two motorcycles passing through side-by-side. The ce where the corpsey had slightly sunken in. There were some leftover building materials piled up against the wall, and the corpse was facing a tall window.


    Chen Shi pointed to the other end of the alley. "Dongxue, go and take a look over there."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi squatted down. The corpse was quite terrifying to look at. His entire stomach had been split open, and his stomach bag and intestines were protruding out. The sticky intestines had some sand stuck on them and emitted a foul smell. He could feel warm bursts of air when he ced his hand above it. The deceased¡¯s hand clutched some mud after the rain, but he was lying on his side, with his back against the wall. It seemed as though he had been killed from behind. Then the murderer turned the deceased over and split open his stomach.


    Chen Shi took out a wallet from the jacket pocket of the deceased, which contained identification documents, cash, some coupons, campus cards, keys, and a paper with a phone number written on it. The deceased¡¯s name was Sun Lei, aged thirty-two, and his army rank was Second Lieutenant.


    He didn''t intend to turn over the corpse for the time being. There were a few strings of footprints left on the ground after the rain, and Chen Shi photographed them all with his mobile phone.


    At this time, Lin Dongxue came back. "The alley leads to a vige within the city, the one directly opposite the academy. There are Inte cafes, small bars, hotels, and the like everywhere inside the vige. Theyout is rather messy. I found a very big footprint at the entrance and I¡¯ve already photographed it. I also found this."


    Lin Dongxue raised an evidence bag with a bloody coarse handkerchief inside. Chen Shi said, "It should have been used by the murderer to wipe the knife. It seems that they had escaped from that direction. Are there any security cameras?"


    "Not a single one."


    Chen Shi turned to the corpse again. "It''s really shocking. Look at the stomach, it had been opened up as if it was unzipped. The murderer seemed to have been quite impatient. When they shed the knife downwards, they had cut the belt. This could be used to determine the shape of the murder weapon."


    "Why did they have to split open his belly?"


    "Either they had a deep-seated hatred for him, or it was for some other purpose. Leave the corpse to Old Peng for examination."


    Chen Shi took another photo of the drops of blood on the ground. A trail of blood in a particr area caught his attention. It was in the opposite direction of the murderer''s escape route. The trail of blood only extended a little over ten centimeters before disappearing. He looked at the deceased''s gaping internal organs and thought to himself. Could it be that something had been taken away from the deceased¡¯s body?


    Murderers addicted to collecting do exist, but it was rare for people to collect internal organs. These doubts could only be resolved slowly.


    "You¡¯re not allowed to go in! Go away!" Tao Yueyue stood at the mouth of the alley, stretching out her arms to block the students froming in to watch. The students who had gathered outside watching had formed a crowd pushing and shoving their way inside. Tao Yueyue''s thin, frail body seemed to be unable to hold them back any longer.


    Lin Dongxue went over with her badge and said to them, "ssmates, a homicide case has urred here. We¡¯re currently investigating it. Please don''t watch here anymore. It will only add to the police¡¯s workload. Everyone here is a future police officer. Surely you should have a little self-discipline?"


    "Elder Sister Police Flower, who died? How did they die?" Some boys took the opportunity to talk to her with grins on their faces that totally showed that they didn¡¯t particrly care about what they were asking, as they had ulterior motives.


    "Noment. Please retreat. A police car will need to drive inter!"

 Chapter 919: The Missing Liver

    <h4>Chapter 919: The Missing Liver</h4>


    Instructor Li frowned silently in embarrassment, and Chen Shi continued to question, "You entered from this end of the alley. What were you doing in the alley?"


    "Officer Chen, there are students here, it won¡¯t be a good influence on them. Can I talk about it in another ce?"


    "Then let¡¯s go to the car!"


    Chen Shi beckoned with his finger, called Lin Dongxue, and took Instructor Li into a car. Only then, did Instructor Li say, "Actually, we¡­ ah no, he hade to meet someone, and I was merely apanying him."


    "Meet who?"


    "Sun Lei had chatted up a girl who lived nearby on WeChat. He wasn¡¯t thinking of doing anything shameful. He sincerely nned to find a girlfriend. After all, Brother Sun is in his 30s and still a bachelor¡­"


    "Okay, you don''t have to exin. I understand it¡¯s human nature, but it''s not good for you to lie to me." Chen Shi said.


    Instructor Li lowered his head in shame. "I came to join in the fun when that girl wanted to meet up with Brother Sun. When we walked to this street, he called her, but the other party didn¡¯t answer. He sent a WeChat message to say that he was in the alley. Brother Sun was even smiling at me. He was probably feeling shy. When we walked into the alley, we did see a woman standing with her back to us, about 1.6 meters tall, with long hair and wearing a blue dress. Brother Sun went forward and asked, ¡®Are you so and so?¡¯ Suddenly, a person jumped down from above and stabbed Brother Sun¡¯s neck with a knife. The woman turned her head around. She and the person who had suddenly appeared were both wearing weird masks. I was terrified, so I ran out and called for help¡­ That¡¯s how it all happened."


    "You¡¯re not concealing anything this time?"


    Instructor Li thought for a while and took out his mobile phone. "Oh yes, this is the picture that the woman sent to Brother Sun. He had forwarded it to me so I could take a look."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took a look. It was a young and beautiful girl with long hair.


    "By the way, we found a piece of paper with a phone number written on it in Sun Lei''s wallet. Do you know this number?"


    Instructor Li checked his phone and said, "I don''t know it."


    After the questioning, the three of them came out. Instructor Li wanted to go back to the dormitory. He was originally supposed to go back to the bureau to record a detailed statement, but Chen Shi saw that the guy was badly frightened, so he let him go and told him to keep in touch, as the police will be back in the next two days to question him further.


    "The photo is fake, isn''t it?" Lin Dongxue queried.


    "It¡¯s definitely fake. These little soldiers usually have no contact with the opposite sex in the military, so they easily lose their heads. The other party utilized this to set up a trap¡­ But why did they target the older Sun Lei? Were the murderers casting a wide or was this a targeted murder? You can ask around among the instructors."


    "I reckon that these young and inexperienced guys are unlikely to admit to these kinds of private matters¡­ I will investigate though. I just hope this isn¡¯t a murder targeting the army or the problem will be serious."


    The body was bagged and taken away by the forensics team. Chen Shi stopped a forensic officer, walked into the alley, and looked up. There was a footprint high up on the wall. It turned out that one of the murderers was supporting himself against the wall with his feet and lying in ambush above. Such agility wasn¡¯tmon in an average person.


    "There may be fingerprints there. Go check it out!" Chen Shi said, pointing upwards.


    "Uh, I¡¯ll need adder."


    "You do as you see fit."


    At 8:00 in the evening, the police found the deceased¡¯s cell phone in the shrubs next to a certain road, and it had beenpletely smashed. As for the number in the deceased¡¯s wallet, an investigation revealed that it belonged to someone from out of town. Chen Shi guessed that it was a number that had been fraudulently registered using someone else¡¯s ID. The number had already been shut off.


    The techniques, skills, counter-reconnaissance awareness, cooperative abilities, and the various characteristics disyed by the killers gave one the feeling that they may be trained professional killers.


    As the investigation unfolded, information about the murderers was presented to everyone. One was about 1.6 meters tall and weighed 40 kilograms, possibly a woman, and the other was a man who was about 1.8 meters tall and weighed 120 kilograms.


    From traffic surveince footage, it was discovered that the vehicle they were driving when they made their escape was a ck MPV with a fake licence te. They seemed to have used a predetermined route passing by few security cameras. In the end, they disappeared without a trace on Haihe Road.


    Their fingerprints were found at the crime scene, but no match was found in the fingerprint database, indicating that they had no previous convictions.


    In addition, several long hairs were found. At first, the police believed that they had been left behind by one of the murderers. After careful identification by the forensic department, they found some dyes and preservatives, which indicated that they should have fallen from a wig.


    The next afternoon, Peng Sijue called Chen Shi over to the autopsy room. The deceased had already been dissected and the wound had yet to be sutured. The internal organs had been ced in numbered bags. This scene made Chen Shi frown.


    "Is there any progress?"


    "Look at these." Peng Sijue showed him a tray with a lot of knives on it, all of which had been bought for simtion tests. "There were two murder weapons: A slender dagger, very simr to this¡­" He picked up a dagger. "There are two blood grooves on Weapon A. It¡¯s 20cm long. The surface is silver-ted. The handle may have been wrapped with some cloth to prevent slippage. This knife was thrust into the shoulder of the deceased from above. The force of impact was huge. The de of the first knife almost totally sunk into the body and stabbed through to the lung. Then the murderer withdrew the knife and stabbed the deceased¡¯s neck twice. The second stab was the most destructive and cut through the trachea. The cause of death was the influx of blood into the trachea, causing asphyxiation."


    Then he picked up a w knife, which curved forward, and there was a ring at the back for the thumb to grip. The knife de was short and could be hidden in the palm of a hand.


    "Murder Weapon B was a short-handled w knife, which was used to open up the abdominal cavity of the deceased. It took only one cut from top to bottom, but the murderer subsequently destroyed part of the deceased¡¯s organs."


    Chen Shi said, "I thought that the short knife was used to prevent damage to the organs. Did the murderer take anything from the deceased?"


    "During the inspection, it was discovered that though the internal organs were severely damaged, they were all in the abdominal cavity. However, when they were weighedter, the weight of the liver was found to be abnormal. I tested it with a blood protein test paper¡­" Peng Sijue ced a piece of bagged liver in front of Chen Shi. "Is this a piece of human liver?"


    "What is it?"


    "It should be pig liver."


    "Is this some kind of humiliation? No, the murderers were ruthless, calcted and swift - They were very focused on their goal. They just didn''t want it to be discovered that the liver had been taken away, so they exchanged it¡­ But what is the use of a piece of liver? Medical transntation?"


    "If you move fast enough, ce the excised liver in an ice box and transnt it to the recipient within a few hours, it will stay viable."


    "Did the deceased smoke?"


    "You want to ask if the deceased''s liver is considered healthy? ording to various indicators, his body wasn¡¯t very healthy, and the age of his bones was already thirty-five years old."


    "Thirty-five years old? He is listed as thirty-two years old on his documents. It seems that he had lied about his age when he joined the military¡­" Chen Shi pondered. "If it was for stealing organs, the deceased isn¡¯t considered the best candidate, unless he ispletelypatible as a donor with someone. We should check whether a liver transntation has been carried out recently. Old Peng, please print out a few more copies of these reports."


    "The autopsy is over. His family members havee to ask for the body. I will suture up the body now."


    Chen Shi nced at the corpse onest time. As he was a soldier, the deceased had a tanned, well-trained body with strong muscles as well as a very well-proportioned figure. He felt a wave of pity for him. Rest in peace. I will find out the truth.


    He said, "Okay, you can sew him up first. I''ll go meet his family."

 Chapter 920: On the Road Home

    <h4>Chapter 920: On the Road Home</h4>


    In the conference room, Sun Lei¡¯s mother cried, ¡°Our Sun Lei has always been an obedient child. He cried for a long time even when the pigeons we were raising at home died. He joined the army after graduating from high school. He has basically always been in the army. He didn''t have any social contacts, so I really don''t know who would be so cruel as to attack him viciously like this." Sun Lei''s father consoled her while looking sad himself.


    Chen Shi said, "We want to know more about the situation, it would be helpful for solving the case. Has Sun Lei been to the hospital recently?"


    Chen Shi felt that if the liver had been removed for transntation, then the murderer must know his medical information.


    Sun Lei''s mother recalled, "Their army has a hospital, and they usually see the doctors there."


    "What about previously? Has he ever been hospitalized prior to bing a soldier?"


    "I remember now. He didn''t eat well when he was a child, and he loved to drink Coke. He had stomach problems. When he was in high school, he went to the hospital for a small stomach operation and stayed in the hospital for about three or four days."


    "Are there medical records?"


    "They¡¯re at home. If you want to have a look, I can get them for you."


    "I will send someone back with you to bring it backter." Chen Shi asked, "There¡¯s another thing I need to know. What Sun Lei¡¯s true age?"


    The father replied, "His nominal age1 is thirty-three¡­"


    The mother said, "The nominal age should actually be thirty-four."


    Chen Shi said, "It should be thirty-five, right? Just tell the truth. Any clue is meaningful to us."


    The father and mother discussed briefly in low voices, and then the father said to Chen Shi, "Officer, actually, Sun Lei didn¡¯t join the army as soon as he graduated from high school. At that time, he failed the college entrance examination and had a little friction with the family. He stole a few hundred yuan from the family, and ran away to work outside. It seems that he met a girl outside. The two of them were together for about two and a half years and never came back even during Chinese New Year. He really couldn¡¯t make much money working and couldn¡¯t even support himself. He suffered a great deal. I was so worried that I secretly went to the city where he was working, gave his girlfriend money, and secretly financially subsidized him. Later, he broke up with the girl and said that he really couldn¡¯t survive outside. However, he didn¡¯t want to go back to high school again, so we used our connections to reduce his age by three years and sent him to the army. Although life in the army was very harsh, Sun Lei actually liked that kind of orderly life. He felt that he had found the ce where he belonged, so he remained there, and was promoted to second lieutenant after the first two years¡­" The memories of their son have stopped here forever, and the father let out a bitter sigh.


    Chen Shi recorded all this information and asked for information about the girl who was dating Sun Lei at the time. After the questioning, he sent a policeman to send the two elderly people back and to bring back Sun Lei''s medical records on the way.


    Working into the evening, Chen Shi was in a daze gazing at the whiteboard full of information in the conference room. Lin Dongxue came over to look for him. "Captain, are you still not leaving?"


    Chen Shi pointed to the white board. "This stuff is just like a fruit basket in the fruit shop, with a dazzling array of things, but nothing you really want to eat is inside. The case this time is very troublesome, and I feel like there¡¯s going to be more things happening."


    "When you can''t find a breakthrough point, you¡¯d be very ufortable, right?"


    "It''s quite ufortable. When Zhou Xiao wasmitting serial murders, I felt ufortable for a whole year. As long as my eyes were open, I would ponder this matter¡­ It would be nice if I have superpowers."


    "In everyone''s eyes, you seem to have superpowers."


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "Have you eaten yet?"


    "I¡¯ve been waiting for you!"


    Chen Shi changed his clothes and was going to go home with Lin Dongxue. When he passed the forensic department, he saw that Peng Sijue was still working. Chen Shi quietly walked over and exined to Lin Dongxue, "I don''t want him to see me getting off work so early. It¡¯ll seem as though I¡¯m not serious about my job. "


    "Isn¡¯t it already 8:00PM?"


    "In the past, when we were both single, I would always work through the night with him." Chen Shi took out his mobile phone. "This guy has definitely not eaten dinner. I''ll order him a takeaway¡­ What''s cheap?"


    Then Chen Shi ordered a steak over rice set meal for around 80 yuan.


    When they got into the car, Chen Shi suggested, "Wife, let¡¯s go out for dinner, and then go to the movies."


    "In the past, I might readily agree, but I¡¯m now your wife. I think it''s better to be a bit more thrifty and go home to eat instant noodles."


    "Why are you saving money? There¡¯s nothing we need to buy."


    "We can''t bevish every day. Married people still have to have some financial ns."


    "Haha, women enter the married stage really fast. A few days ago, you were an innocent girl and now you¡¯ve suddenly became a good wife and mother."


    "That''s because women always think a lot. You men will never grow up. Let¡¯s go home and eat instant noodles. We can boil two eggs, and then we can watch that Korean drama."


    Chen Shi stared ahead and didn¡¯t say anything. Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you thinking?"


    "Should I resign? I find that being a captain and being a consultant feelpletely different. I don¡¯t have any freedom at all."


    "Oh, please. You¡¯ve only been a captain for a few days, and it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been a captain before."


    "But for the past four years, I¡¯ve gotten used to the freedom outside. Suddenly, I have to work from 9 to 5 and I just can¡¯t get used to it¡­ Once, I had a drunk passenger in the middle of the night. We chatted away and talked about oysters until we were both salivating. He suddenly decided not to go home and asked me to go to another ce. He then treated me to raw oysters. After we both ate raw oysters, we went to take a bath and spent the night at the bathhouse. The next morning, he woke up and asked me who I was. Haha, I miss that kind of freedom. There was a foreign news article saying that several criminal police officers had opened a fruit shop as a cover in order to squash drug dealers. After the mission waspleted, they all resigned together, because they discovered that running a fruit shop was both profitable and easy. Do you think I should simply join a grilled fish shop franchise and be a happy little boss?"


    "Come on. The entire second team relies on you for spiritual support. What will we do if you leave? The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. You should ept your fate!"


    "Haii¡­" Chen Shi sighed. "When will you get promoted? I¡¯ll let you be the captain."


    "Wouldn¡¯t we be suspected of nepotism?"


    "You¡¯re already very capable. You only suffer from being too good-looking. It¡¯s easy for people to pay too much attention to your beauty and overlook your abilities."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Haha, I''m feeling really happy from your ttery. In order to reward you, you can watch whatever you want to tonight!"


    "Thank you, my wife¡­ Shall we go and eat raw oysters?"


    "Get lost. We¡¯re going back to eat instant noodles. Instant noodles that cost four yuan a pack. Where''s your dissatisfactioning from?"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. He took advantage of the red light to stop and nce at his phone. "Old Peng has repaid me the money for the takeout, and he also paid a hundred yuan extra. I¡¯ve made a profit. Shall we eat raw oysters?"


    Lin Dongxue poked Chen Shi''s head. "You really need someone to restrain you. Go to the supermarket to buy a bag of oysters and bake them at home."


    "Buy some beer as well."


    "It¡¯ll cause gout."


    "That''s a rumor. A rumor!"


    "Why do you want to eat oysters all of a sudden? Because we talked about oysters?"


    "Haha, yes."


    "Then if I talk to you about sh*t, would you want to eat sh*t?"


    Chen Shi pondered for a moment. "Do you want to drink civet coffee?2 I heard there¡¯s a shop in Wuyi Road."


    "Get lost!" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    1. In some cultures, a person is considered one year old at birth with a year added each year.


    2. Kopi Luwak coffee. The Indonesian palm civet eats only the ripest coffee berries and excretes the ¡°stone.¡± Coffee produced with these partially digested berries tastes less bitter, due to the enzymes in the animal''s stomach. Also known as ¡°wild cat feces coffee¡±, which was why he brought it up at this moment.

 Chapter 921: A Jianghu Swindler

    <h4>Chapter 921: A Jianghu Swindler</h4>


    When the sun came through the window early in the morning, Chen Shi opened his eyes. "Good morning, wife."


    "Good morning, Captain." Lin Dongxue also smiled and greeted him.


    "I will definitely not eat at home this morning. How about soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks?"


    "I heard from a police officer friend that they once found over a dozen bags of washing powder at a stall selling fried dough sticks, and they had used this as a substitute for baking soda in the fried dough sticks."


    "We won¡¯t be able to eat anything if you care so much about these things. Do you know what the sauce in a burger is made of? Hair! The hair swept out of hair salons."


    "I don''t like to eat fast food much anyway."


    "It¡¯s said that grilled fish shops also have tricks like¡­"


    "Stop, stop! Let¡¯s just go with soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks!"


    After getting dressed, the two hugged each other.


    While Lin Dongxue was brushing her teeth, Chen Shi hugged her from behind again.


    After putting on her jacket, Lin Dongxue threw herself on Chen Shi and hugged him.


    As long as they were alone, they hugged once every fifteen minutes on average. Once they went to work, they would have to endure a full day of separation. Lin Dongxueughed, "If we continue hugging each other, we¡¯ll bete¡­ Are we considered to be in a normal husband and wife rtionship like this?"


    "Of course, we are! True love will make you childish. I think I''m twenty years younger just being with you."


    "Do you feel this way with others?"


    "Only you."


    "Me too." Lin Dongxue smiled from ear to ear.


    The two never asked how many ex-lovers each other had. They neither worried nor cared about it.


    In the vast sea of people, it was great luck for them to have met each other. Everything in the past was a preparation for them to meet each other.


    Sitting in the car, Chen Shi received a call from kk and briefly chatted with him. Chen Shi said, "I don''t have time" and hung up. Lin Dongxue asked what was wrong, and he said, "They¡¯ve found information about the swindler."


    "They¡¯re so fast. You could go there during your lunch break. After all, you promised Wang Haitao."


    Chen Shi sighed. "I know."


    Chen Shi''s thoughts returned to this murder case. Staring ahead, he said, "Is it necessary to investigate the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased? We know that it¡¯s probably not a case of personal enmity. The investigation will be a mess. It¡¯s a waste of time and manpower."


    "My brother never thought about those things. He wouldn¡¯t leave out anything from all the things that we should be investigating."


    "Back when I was a consultant, I only focused on the direction my intuition was pointing towards. I didn''t have to consider so much. Now I have to consider which tasks to assign to the rookies. Some clues are meaningless but have to be eliminated. For example, the deceased¡¯s first love. It was over ten years ago, and also happened out of town. When we investigate it, we will have to send out two people. Our staff are as nervous as a kid masturbating in their parents¡¯ room. I think the police academy should add another ss - cloning technique!"


    Lin Dongxue was amused by the banter and said with a smile, "This case feels as though it will consume a lot of manpower and time. Don''t fall prey to wishful thinking. Check all the clues that need to be investigated. Even sand may also have gold hidden in it."


    "I originally thought that when the case was solved, we¡¯d go to a love hotel, but it looks like we¡¯ll need to wait."


    "We can go tonight too!"


    "Tonight?" Chen Shi became excited.


    "On second thought, let¡¯s wait for the weekend. We will be able to stay for a full day so it won''t be a waste."


    "Haha, you¡¯re really a person that knows how to live life."


    Therefore, Chen Shi said at the morning case discussion, "The deceased had an ex-girlfriend in Nanheng City. That ce is famous for its spicy herbal food, but the humidity is a bit high. You¡¯ll have to travel ten hours by train. Who wants to go on a business trip? Travel expenses will be reimbursed."


    After everyone discussed for a while, Xu Xiaodong raised his hand and asked, "Can I go?"


    "Who else?"


    Another policeman raised his hand, so Chen Shi arranged for them to go on this mission together.


    It was already 10:00AM when the meeting ended, and it took him till noon to deal with some trivial matters. Chen Shi yawned and was about to nap on the sofa when Lin Dongxue ran over to him and said, "Go and look for your little friends."


    It was only then that Chen Shi remembered. "I really wish I could take a nap!"


    He ran to the forensics department and stole a cup of coffee. He drank it while he drove, and they went to the agency.


    Seeing them arrive, kk was very happy. As if his mouth had been smeared with honey, he said, "Sister-in-Law is bing more and more beautiful. It must be the nourishment of love."


    "Haha, thank you." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    "Let me see the clues that you guys found." Chen Shi said.


    Sun Zhen said, "This was hard to obtain. You guys will be surprised after you see it."


    Sun Zhen yed a video. The screen showed an incense smoke-enshrouded altar. Master Chunhuang was holding a peach wood sword and stepping out the shapes of the constetions. He chanted and suddenly shouted, "Where do you ghosts and demons think you¡¯re escaping to?" He stabbed a piece of yellow paper ced on the table with the peach wood sword and a "bloodstain" appeared on it.


    Someone off-screen gasped in surprise.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "Isn''t this a trick that has been exposed long ago? If something is daubed on the sword, it will turn red when it reacts with another substance."


    Chen Shi said, "This video seems a bit old. Look, Master Chunhuang still looks very young!"


    Sun Zhen said, "I downloaded this from a supernatural forum. He had been secretly recorded while performing a ceremony and theizens said that he has true powers."


    "What kind ofizens are so naive?"


    "Don''t be in a hurry, Brother Chen, there¡¯s still awesome stuff after this!"


    Master Chunhuang took out a stack of charms from the sleeves of his robe and pasted them on the surrounding walls one by one. They saw those charms rising up leisurely against the walls. Master Chunhuang shouted, "Left and Right Guardians quickly appear!"


    Then two figures appeared indistinctly behind him. The videographer was shocked. His hands kept shaking, and the screen suddenly became unstable.


    Afterwards, the table in front shook, and a ball of fire flew out from the incense burner. It seemed to want to escape, but it turned back when it encountered the charms on the walls. Master Chunhuang waved the sword vigorously, seemingly fighting with this fireball. The final sh of the sword cut the fireball into half and sparks flew everywhere.


    After the video finished ying, Chen Shi pondered for a while, and asked, "Were these captured live?"

 Chapter 922: Adding Fakery to Real Skills, One Can Rival The Immortals

    <h4>Chapter 922: Adding Fakery to Real Skills, One Can Rival The Immortals</h4>


    "''New''? ''Tip''? What does that all mean?" Lin Dongxue asked.[1]


    kk exined, "''New'' means fakery, ''tip'' means real skills or a real guy. This is what Jianghu entertainers used to say. The original saying is, ''One will starve just with real skills, but if it¡¯s all fake, you¡¯lle out empty. Adding fakery to real skills, one can rival the immortals''. That is to say, the fake has to be mixed with the real, in order to actually get things going. Although experienced people in Jianghu all add fakery, they definitely have to have a skilled foundation. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it¡­ So I think this old Taoist priest maybe really does have some Taoist skills!"


    "How much do you know about Taoism?" Chen Shi asked, "In the entire Taoist system, there¡¯s no such skill that can be performed. The so-called subduing ghosts and demons, these demons are just metaphors for obstacles in their spiritual training. I''m sure the things in the video are all tricks."


    kk said, "What I mean is that maybe there was a lot of hard work involved in the trick he performed, thus it was so ¡®pleasant to watch¡¯."


    "Haha, you mean to say that this old Taoist master is actually a veteran magician?" Lin Dongxue understood what he was saying.


    "That''s more or less what I mean." kk smiled.


    Chen Shi pondered, "In other words, he¡¯s someone from Jianghu. kk, can you find more about this person through your personalwork?"


    kk smiled, as if he still had a card up his sleeve. He said, "The real information can''t be found by typing on the keyboard while staying at home. Wait a moment¡­"


    He opened the desk drawer, took out arge envelope, and handed it to Chen Shi. "Brother Chen, I¡¯ve owed a lot of favors for these few pieces of paper."


    "I''ll give you the moneyter."


    "No, no, President Wang will pay the bill¡­ but you have to mention it to him."


    Chen Shi sat on the sofa and opened the envelope. Lin Dongxue sat beside him and watched. The intimate actions of the two filled kk and Sun Zhen with envy.


    It turned out that the old Taoist master¡¯s real name was Liao Zitong. He was born in a county in Guizhou in 1975. Both his parents were workers. After graduating from junior high, he entered a technical school directly, where he started dating a girl. Due to his youth and ignorance, he got the girl pregnant. The girl¡¯s elder brother sought him out to give him trouble. The girl¡¯s family threatened to sue him. This wasn¡¯t a trivial matter. At the time, there was still the fearful crime of hooliganism. In addition, the other party was a minor. If it went to court, his crimes would definitely be considered major and not minor.


    The frightened Liao Zitong ran away overnight. In order to survive, he had been a scammer as well as a beggar. From 1997 to 1999, he mysteriously disappeared for three years. It¡¯s spected that he met an expert who taught him some skills. After 1999, a Taoist priest who called himself Liao Chunhuang appeared in Jianghu, focusing on targeting the wealthy.


    Liao Chunhuang¡¯s first transaction involved a Hong Kong investor. Relying on magic tricks and swindling skills, he earned quite a lot. However, he became addicted to the bad habit of gambling, and his savings were squandered in the blink of an eye. In Macau, he nearly had his hands chopped off while pinned onto the gaming table.


    With his debts, he could only continue to target the rich. He only selected the most wealthy and elderly rich people. He earned a great deal, but he owed even more. Whenever he had some money in hand, he would think about doubling it at the gambling table to pay off his debts. The result was that he fell into a vicious cycle.


    Thest time he did this was in 2009. After ten years of silence, a team suddenly appeared beside him. The intelligence provider suspected that it had been organized by his creditors, in order to force him to use the money he earned to pay off his debts.


    The intelligence provider also said that something happened after 2009 and his wife went to jail.


    These few pages had been written by hand and were very subjective. The part about him targeting the wealthy was very detailed, but his wife¡¯s going to jail wasn¡¯t borated on. Chen Shi thought that this must be a collection of all kinds of hearsay.


    Although it wasn¡¯t very objective, it at least provided Chen Shi with a clue.


    He said, "It''s written like a novel and the handwriting is ugly too. It''s really ufortable to read."


    "Brother Chen, just put up with it. It wasn¡¯t easy to find out about these. After all, their ''Star Taoist Master'' industry is a rtively closed one. This was provided by another ''Star Taoist Master'' in the same industry. He has had a meal with Liao Chunhuang before."


    "''Star Taoist Master¡¯"? Do you mean fake Taoist master?"


    "Yes, those who im to be able to subdue ghosts and demons are all fake Taoist priests. This is a kind of livelihood in itself. They¡¯re a subset of swindlers. Do you know what the biggest advantage of doing this line of work is? It¡¯s that it isn¡¯t easy to be exposed. They go to rich people¡¯s houses to subdue demons and catch ghosts as well as offer prayers for longevity. The rich people go through this mental health care program, and it may really have an effect. Those who have been cheated out of tens of millions even think they have benefited greatly."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "If things are like this, aren''t there many fake Taoist masters?"


    "There aren¡¯t many. After all, there are many wolves and a little porridge."


    Sun Zhen mocked, "Whenever he speaks, he reveals his uncultured foundation. ''There are many wolves and little porridge''? Then wouldn¡¯t another idiom be ''Many monks and little meat''?" [2]


    "I¡¯m deliberately being funny in front of Sister-in-Law! Can''t I?" kk argued.


    "Haha!" Lin Dongxueughed dutifully. "What do you think is his motive for targeting Old Man Lu?"


    "Money, what else could it be? People enter this business to earn money of course. kk said.


    Chen Shi said, "Since we have encountered this incident, there is no reason to ignore it. There¡¯s so much money being scammed that it¡¯s almost no different from murder. That is why the heaviest sentence that a scammer can be given is death. In his current state, Old Man Lu might even give the entirepany to Liao Chunhuang."


    Sun Zhen said, "I heard from President Wang that Old Man Lu has been in hospital for almost half a year. Although he has money, no matter how much money he has, he cannot stop the terminal illness of aging. Ever since Liao Chunhuang arrived on the scene, he wouldn¡¯t go for treatment anymore. He eats vegetarian meals and meditates all day long, regrly holding ceremonies for increasing longevity. After that, he even acknowledged someone as his son, it was as though he had gone crazy."


    "Acknowledged a son?"


    "It''s the person we saw that day. It¡¯s said that he is the reincarnation of Old Man Lu¡¯s second son, who was his favorite. Liao Chunhuang had helped him find his second son through astral travel to the underworld and looking through the Register of Life and Death. The new son knows everything about the second son. Old Man Lu was so happy that he treats him as his own son, and keeps him by his side every day. He has even changed his will. President Wang is in misery right now."


    Old Man Lu''s fondness for his useless second son exceeded everything. This was known to everyone. Lin Dongxue said, "Oh my god, he actually believes this kind of nonsense? His second son died in a kidnapping six years ago. This ''reincarnation'', is he only six years old? Wang Haitao only acknowledged his biological father when he was 40 years old. After being a rich second generation for less than two years, does he have to revert back to being an ordinary person again? That kind of blow is simply devastating."


    Chen Shi nodded. "I saw that Wang Haitao had acquired quite a few white hairs that day. It was probably from all the worry. It seems that Liao Chunhuang is very ambitious. He wants to swallow Old Man Lu¡¯s entirepany. We have to think of ways to deal with him."


    Lin Dongxue said, "It''s easy to deal with him. Let¡¯s inform the public security anti-fraud team. All of them are anti-fraud elites. They will be able to arrest Liao Chunhuang tonight."


    "But his heart can''t be won back. Old Man Lu ispletely caught in this trap. This will only make him more rebellious and do extreme things."


    "When have you be so ''considerate''? It''s like rehab. You have to cut off the source of the drug before the addict can quit."


    "Drug rehabilitation also has to use drug alternatives to slowly support the therapy¡­" Chen Shi pondered, "Wait, what if we fight poison with poison and trick Old Man Lu back?"


    1. In the previous chapter and this chapter¡¯s title, it has been edited to show the meaning for readability. However, ng was used in the saying that the average person wouldn¡¯t understand. ?


    2. The original idiom is ¡°Many monks, but only a little porridge.¡± ?

 Chapter 923: Another Deceased

    <h4>Chapter 923: Another Deceased</h4>


    kk said, "Brother Chen really has a strange way of thinking. How could we trick him back? You mean we should also go to the altar and fight a magic duel with Liao Chunhuang?"


    "Can you do it? Since you¡¯re so clever, it should be fine." Chen Shi smiled.


    "No, no!" kk waved his hands again and again. "It¡¯s a different industry, so it¡¯s like being separated by a mountain. Even if we know his tricks, he had been trained by a master. His aura and stage presence wouldpletely crush us. It¡¯s like having an amateur like you doing cross-talk on stage with Guo Degang''s script. You won¡¯t be able to make it!"


    Sun Zhen said, "Why don''t you do it, Brother Chen? After all, you¡¯ve ''acted'' as another person for four years."


    "Are you scolding me? I don¡¯t know how to do it either. Besides, Old Man Lu views me through prejudiced eyes. No matter what clothes I wear, I¡¯m Song Lang in his eyes. The person he is most wary of is me."


    "Sister-in-Law¡­¡­"


    "Don''t look at me, I definitely can''t do it." Lin Dongxue said. She suddenly thought of something and picked up the envelope. "Isn''t the person who provided the information in the same industry as Liao Chunhuang? Can he do it?"


    "Him? He¡¯s given up on the trade a long time ago and is currently enjoying retirement at home. This kind of person is pedantic and cowardly. He won¡¯t offend people easily, let alone cooperate with the police to destroy the livelihood of people in the same industry."


    "Do you know him well?"


    "Uh, I don''t, I¡¯m just guessing."


    Chen Shi said, "Then ask him if he wants to be rich or not. Of course, Wang Haitao will pay the bill."


    "I¡¯ll try it!"


    Chen Shi nced at the time and said that it was time to get back to work, so he took his leave. After getting into the car, Lin Dongxue said, "It seems that you really want to help Wang Haitao, or you would have just tossed it to the anti-fraud team."


    "I helped him when he was down and out. He felt that he owed me a favor. Later, he treated me really well after he became rich. However, since he had suddenly be the son of a billionaire, I didn''t have much contact with him in order to avoid suspicion. Later, I found out that his nature hadn''t changed although he had be a rich second generation. This is rare andmendable. I really regard him as a friend. Of course, if a friend is in trouble, I should help him tide over this disaster."


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "Poor uncle. I think his life will only have a glimmer of hope if Old Man Lu no longer causes trouble."


    "When you mean by no longer causing trouble¡­"


    "Yes, that''s what I mean."


    "Powerful and influential muddle-headed old people are indeed very scary. Many disasters in history have been caused by such old people. When they were young, they were heroes and great men. They be out of touch with modern times as they get older, but they still want to control everything. Then they¡¯re manipted by viins and bring endless suffering to the world. This kind of ending really makes one sigh. ¡®Zhou Gong was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang[1] was modest and polite before he usurped power. If they had died early, who would have known their true characters?¡¯ It''s a kind of blessing for a person to die at the right moment, for example, Huo Qubing, Wen Tianxiang, and Zheng Chenggong. They¡¯re remembered as great heroes in history." Chen Shi said with feeling.


    The two returned to the bureau and found some information about Liao Chunhuang through household registration-rted queries. He was indeed born in 1975. The official file didn¡¯t mention that he had been in love with a girl when he was young. This person in the police file was just an ordinary citizen. As kk said, fake Taoist priests will not be exposed and the money is willingly given by the victims. Even if he is arrested, it will be for promoting feudal superstitions.


    "If this person is arrested, can he be sentenced?" Chen Shi asked.


    "I don''t know much about fraud. I¡¯ll talk to the people in the anti-fraud teamter."


    "We have an anti-fraud team here?"


    "It was formed by the local police in Longyang District. You know that the train station and the bus station are both there. Also, fraudsters are more active there, so they set up an anti-fraud team, mainly targeting tel fraud and elder fraud."


    "I see."


    The file mentioned Liao Chunhuang¡¯s wife, Xu Rongrong. Checking for Xu Rongrong, there was indeed a person named Xu Rongrong who was of the right age and serving a sentence. She had actuallymitted the crime of murder, and the victim was her own elder brother. Xu Rongrong had a mild mental disorder, but it was not serious enough to exempt her from the sentence. She had been sentenced to life imprisonment and was serving her sentence in another city several hundred kilometers away from Long''an at the moment.


    Noting that Xu Rongrong and Liao Chunhuang were from the same hometown, Chen Shi said, "Could this person be Liao Chunhuang¡¯s first love?"


    "It''s possible! She killed her own elder brother¡­" Lin Dongxue paused, "That''s outrageous! I definitely won¡¯t be able to do that."


    "Haha."


    "Liao Chunhuang and Xu Rongrong are still husband and wife. Despite what one may expect, he¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t forget his old love."


    "That''s not necessarily the case. To him, the wife who is serving her sentence might as well be nonexistent. I personally don''t think much of the morals of swindlers."


    "I heard from a policeman friend that there was once an old swindler who donated all the money he scammed to an orphanage. Is this considered good or bad?"


    "That''s not worthy of recognition. Do the people who have been deceived deserve it?¡­ Does the ''policeman friend'' you mentioned refer to Luo Haifeng?"


    "Jealous?"


    "How could I be jealous of him? I was just curious. Who stipted that you can''t have friends of the opposite sex after marriage?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "I have more than one friend at the local police station, not just Luo Haifeng. After all, I¡¯m considered more or less a veteran police officer, and I still have some connections of my own."


    Chen Shi also smiled. "Okay, that''s the end of the investigation of this fraud case. Let''s gnaw on our hard bones now!"


    "Let''s go and question the academy instructors? They should be returning to the army in a few days."


    "The instructors probably haven''t finished their sses yet? Let''s goter!"


    Unexpectedly, the n was unable to keep up with changes. A new clue suddenly appeared. Traces of coal and carbon residue were found on the deceased¡¯s smashed phone. Many ces in Long''an burned coal, but these cinder particles were very fine. Chen Shi thought of a ce. Power nt. That¡¯s because power nts will use coal mills to grind coal in order to achieve fullbustion.


    He immediately led a car of police officers and a car of forensic officers to the only thermal power station outside Long''an. After parking, Chen Shi regretted that he had brought too few people. The ce was too big and it would take a lot of effort to search.


    While considering whether to add reinforcements, someone eximed, "Captain, there¡¯s someone over there!"


    Passing through a grove, they arrived at a river, not far from the big chimney of the power nt that was billowing thick smoke into the sky. They saw a few men standing in the clearing. One man strangled another man from behind. The third man was holding a dagger, facing the bound man and pretending to stab him.


    The people around were just smoking cigarettes while "watching the show."


    "Crime re-enactment?" Chen Shi was surprised. "They¡¯re colleagues of ours!"


    The colleagues also saw them, stopped their actions, and Chen Shi said, "We belong to the city¡¯s public security bureau."


    "Oh, hello, we¡¯re from the Guchang Branch."


    "Excuse me, what are you guys doing? Did a murder happen here?"


    The colleague nodded gravely, "A very cruel case happened here two days ago. A woman was killed, her abdomen cut open, and her heart taken away."

 Chapter 924: Crazy Lady

    <h4>Chapter 924: Crazy Lady</h4>


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue looked at each other in surprise, and then he asked the police from the other branch, "When did that happen?"


    "It was discovered on the morning of the 26th, and the time of death is estimated to be in the small hours of the 26th."


    The police academy¡¯s instructor had been killed on the same night. This was definitely done by the same group of murderers. Chen Shi nced at the thermal power nt not too far away. ¡°I won¡¯t ask question by question. Please tell us in detail!¡±


    The policeman from the branch station nced at the visitors. "Why are you so interested in this case?"


    "In fact, we have also encountered a simr case. I guess the cases will need to be investigated together. You can tell us your findings first, and then I¡¯ll tell you about the situation on our side." Chen Shi took out his badge. "This is my ID."


    The policeman took a look, nodded, and started talking.


    The deceased was quite "famous" in this area. She and her husband were former employees of the thermal power nt. One year, her son ran out of the family member area to y and fell into the river. It was toote by the time he was found.


    After that, she went crazy. Every day she would run to the river to release a small paper boat on the water and talk to herself. That''s why the woman acquired a nickname "Crazy Lady". Her husband was embarrassed at first and would drag her home. Later, he stopped caring. After that, her husband even quit his job and moved to another city alone. He was said to have started a new family there.


    Crazy Lady came every day and would squat by the river for several hours at a time. People from the power nt could see her, but she didn''t harm anyone and would justugh whenever she saw someone, so she wasn¡¯t sent to the mental hospital.


    On the morning of the 26th, someone on the bridge found Crazy Lady lying still on the ground with a pool of dark red liquid under her body, so they called the police.


    When the police saw her, they were shocked. Crazy Lady''s body was covered with an old coat, the clothes underneath had been stripped off, the chest cavity opened up, and the heart was missing. The murderer seemed to have surgical skills and knew which rib to saw off in order to remove the heart.


    ording to the autopsy report, Crazy Lady was first strangled to death, and then picked up by a murderer from behind while the other murderer opened her chest from the front, using a hooked knife and a small hand saw.


    The first thing the police thought of was human organ trafficking, but they felt that something was wrong. A delicate organ like the heart can no longer be transnted after leaving the human body for a few hours. Moreover, it had been removed in this open-air environment. It would take two hours to get to the nearest big hospital from here, and the transnt viability of a heart that has stopped beating is infinitely close to zero.


    Also, they had gone to several hospitals in Long''an to check. No one has had a heart transnt operation recently. This kind of operation was very cutting-edge. It requires the cooperation of more than ten of the best doctors and millions of dors of equipment. An unlicensed doctor would be unable to carry it out.


    Crazy Lady also had no enemies. They thought of her husband. The husband had gone to another city without going through formal divorce procedures, and found a woman to start a new family with. Now, their child is already five years old, and they have already been detained on suspicion of bigamy.


    However, he was a thousand miles away at the time, and his current upation is a courier. He totallycked the capability to hire murderers, and furthermore, had no need for it.


    All clues petered out, and the police were unable to do anything, so they came to the crime scene to carry out a crime re-enactment.


    These colleagues were all smokers, and by the time they finished talking, there were more than a dozen cigarette butts on the ground. Chen Shi handed over a pack of cigarettes that he carried with him and said, "Let me talk about our situation¡­"


    After listening, the leader of the other party said, "I see. It¡¯s consistent with our hypothesis. This is a serial murder nned by two psychotic killers."


    "What kind of blood type does Crazy Lady have?"


    "Type O." The other party answered without hesitation.


    "The instructor is Type B. It seems that they weren¡¯t nning organ transnts. The murderers had other motives¡­"


    Chen Shi called his own people aside and discussed with them, "Should the case be brought over?"


    "It definitely should be!"


    "I think it''s good to investigate together. We are short of manpower and it would be great to add fresh troops."


    Everyone had a different opinion. At this time, the other group of people were also discussing it in private. Whoever managed to solve the case would receive the credit for it. However, if they were to investigate solely by themselves, they must also bear the corresponding risks. Either choice had its own pros and cons.


    After the discussion, Chen Shi walked over, and the leader of the other side also walked over. The two started speaking at the same time and the leader smiled. "Captain Chen, you go first¡­"


    "We¡¯re from the headquarters and have more resources and experience than you. We won¡¯t shirk responsibility, so we¡¯ll take over Crazy Lady¡¯s case."


    "Okay, that¡¯s fine, but I have to send a few people over to investigate together."


    "Brothers, you really have a strong sense of glory!"


    "Haha, it¡¯s also a rare learning opportunity to be able to investigate the case with the headquarters."


    "So be it!"


    The two sides shook hands to establish an alliance.


    Everyone followed them to the branch station to fetch the files of the case. Chen Shi couldn''t wait. On the way back, he asked Lin Dongxue to read them out to him. When she was reading a certain passage, Chen Shi stopped her. "When is Crazy Lady¡¯s birthday?"


    "February 19th, 1973."


    "The instructor was also born on this day. Of course, the instructor''s certificate says 1975."


    "This shows that they have a channel through which they found out the instructor''s true birth date?"


    "That''s right¡­ Let''s analyze this. What do you think is the purpose of taking different organs from people born on the same day in the same year?"


    "Well, I don''t see any practical significance. The date is only meaningful to the individuals. Is the organ collector conducting some evil ritual¡­? It sounds so mysterious!"


    "Let¡¯s check it out. People born on the same day, the same month, and the same year. They may all be victims."


    Back at the bureau, the two went straight to the Information Division, and the results of the query were astonishing. There were as many as thousands of people born in Long''an on this day. After removing those who were dead or missing, there were still hundreds of people left.


    After scanning the list of names, Chen Shi was unwilling to ept it. "Expand the scope. To the whole province¡­ No, the whole country."


    "Captain Chen, there might be hundreds of thousands of people." The policeman in charge of the inquiry said.


    "Filter out all those who were or have currently settled in Long''an, and are alive and healthy. There shouldn''t be too many!"


    The police officer sighed bitterly and began to work.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Could the channel through which the murderer found out about the instructor''s information be the maternity hospital? The birthdates of all babies are recorded and the record in the maternity hospital should be the original version."


    "Where was the instructor born? We have to visit his parents."


    "Just make a phone call."


    When they called to inquire, Sun Lei¡¯s parents said that Sun Lei was born in the Obstetrics and Gynecology ward of the Municipal People¡¯s Hospital. Lin Dongxue said that she would make a trip there to settle this trivial matter. If the Crazy Lady was also born there, they would be able to confirm the source of the murderer''s intelligence.

 Chapter 925: Fake Taoist Master

    <h4>Chapter 925: Fake Taoist Master</h4>


    In the evening, Lin Dongxue came back from the hospital. All her colleagues had gotten off work, but Chen Shi was still in the office staring at theputer in a daze.


    Seeing Lin Dongxue open the door ande in, Chen Shi asked, "Did you discover anything?"


    Lin Dongxue shook her head regretfully. "Crazy Lady wasn¡¯t born there. What are you looking at?" She leaned over to look at theputer screen.


    "Haii, search engines are really not useful. I wanted to find out if there are any cult rituals that require the organs of people born on the same day, month, and year. What I found were all weird things."


    "Could we ask an expert who researches religion?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "No, this isn¡¯t the important point. It¡¯s enough that we know it¡¯s someone that¡¯s collecting organs. The heart and liver. What is left? Spleen, stomach, and kidneys? The person who needs these organs may have some connection with the date of February 19th, 1973."


    There was a stack of documents on the table, all of which were the results of doing searches in the information department. It would probably take a long time to look over them. Chen Shi patted it with his hand. "These are the files of all the targets currently living in Long''an. The victims are amongst them, and so may the murderers."


    "I''ll help you look over them tomorrow!"


    "Ha, you think I¡¯ll let you off with this easy work? You¡¯ll apany me out to investigate the case tomorrow." Chen Shi found arge envelope from the drawer and put away all the information.


    Picking up the papers, Lin Dongxue found two boxes of mooncakes underneath. She picked them up and asked in surprise, "You¡¯re giving out mooncakes?"


    "Your brother sent them. Everyone gets a share. I helped you get yours. The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival."


    "Then should we prepare for Old Man Lu''s affair?"


    "Indeed." Chen Shi looked worried. Every event was happening together. "Let¡¯s go buy a knife now!"


    "Do you know where to buy a beautiful handcrafted knife?"


    "Just go to the supermarket and buy a random one."


    "Didn''t you say that you wanted to buy a handcrafted knife? Why do you suddenly want a random one again?"


    "A knife that is too beautiful doesn¡¯t seem like a murder weapon¡­ Okay, this is just an excuse I came up with because I find it troublesome."


    "Shall we go home?"


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    The two went to a supermarket near their home. As it was almost Mid-Autumn Festival, the supermarket had added some new promotional booths and the flow of people had also increased. The two strolled together arm in arm. When they got to the tableware area, Lin Dongxue droppedChen Shi¡¯s arm and ran towards a booth. "Wow, what a beautiful little bowl, it only costs 9.8 yuan. Captain, let¡¯s buy a few!"


    "How many bowls are there at home? Why do you like tableware so much?"


    "This is really cheap and affordable."


    "Go, go, go!"


    Chen Shi stubbornly dragged Lin Dongxue away and went to the shelves where table knives were ced. Chen Shi picked up a stainless steel knife, looked it over and said, "This is very simr to the weapon used by Zhou Xiao. Let¡¯s buy a piece of sandpaper to wear it down so it looks a little older."


    Lin Dongxue coquettishly said, "I want a small bowl."


    Chen Shi pretended not to hear her. "The condoms are almost running out. Let¡¯s go buy a box."


    After taking a box of ¡°buy one, get one free¡± condoms, Lin Dongxue said again, "I want a small bowl."


    Chen Shi still pretended not to hear her. "Let¡¯s go upstairs and buy some food. We¡¯re always eating instant noodles. It''s too boring. Would you like me to cook some stir-fried noodles for you?"


    "I want a small bowl!"


    "Why do you want a bowl?!"


    "Of course a bowl is used to hold things. It can be used for rice, soup, or for the cat at home. It will definitely be nice for the cat to drink water out of this."


    Chen Shi sighed. "You¡¯re only allowed to buy one."


    Lin Dongxue happily ran over to pick a small bowl and Chen Shi, who was waiting at the side, showed a helpless, wry smile. He had already guessed the fate of this bowl. It will be used a few times after they go back, and then ced into the cab to gather dust with the rest of Lin Dongxue¡¯s "collection" of tableware.


    However, it was fine as long as she was happy.


    The case was still being investigated slowly. At noon the next day, Chen Shi received a text message from kk and called up Lin Dongxue to rush to the agency together. As soon as he entered, he saw a silver-haired and bearded old man sitting there smoking a cigarette. His clothes were ordinary but his hairstyle was that of an old-fashioned Taoist priest. kk introduced, "This is Mr. Ju Zhenglei from the Heavenly Master Sect. These two are Brother Chen and Police Officer Lin¡­"


    "What, police?" The old man who was smiling and holding out his hand to shake Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand quickly stood up and prepared to leave.


    "Hey, don''t run away in a hurry!" kk and Sun Zhen stepped forward to stop him.


    "It''s impossible for me to cooperate with the police. It''s impossible within my lifetime. Starving to death is a small thing, but disloyalty is a big thing. I would rather die than work with the enemy. A real man has a backbone of steel."


    The old man made an uproar as he was brought back by the two and pressed down onto a chair. Chen Shi asked, "Which asylum was this man released from?"


    "Young man, be careful when you speak. I, Ju, am half immortal. You can''t see them with the naked eye but behind me are the six divine generals¡­"


    "Stop acting!" kk pped him on the back. "Speak properly."


    The old man was so scared that he bent over, and took advantage of this effort to look at Lin Dongxue a few more times. "Fake? How can a police officer be so beautiful?"


    "It¡¯s true that the police force rarely has such beautiful officers like me." Chen Shi showed him his credentials.


    Seeing Chen Shi''s higher rank, the old man was dumbfounded. "Who else is a police officer in this office?"


    "Just the two of us. Although I¡¯m a policeman, I¡¯m also a shareholder of the agency and a friend of theirs. Do you know Liao Chunhuang?" Chen Shi said.


    The old man nodded.


    "Liao Chunhuang haspletely fooled the richest man in Long''an. Seeing that his property is about to be snatched away by him, we need your help."


    The old man stroked his beard. "It''s a big taboo to cut the ground from under the feet of someone from the same industry. If I fight with him, he won¡¯t know you guys but he knows me. If he tells others, I won''t be able to survive in Jianghu."


    "Fuck, you¡¯re someone who¡¯s already buried up to your neck, do you still care about that?" kk said.


    "A person¡¯s reputation is very important. I, Ju, don''t want to leave behind an infamous name in Jianghu at the end of it all." The old man said sternly.


    "He¡¯s already about to lose everything, if you help, you will only be praised in Jianghu." kk coaxed.


    "Tch, what nonsense are you spouting?! Liao Chunhuang hasn¡¯t broken the rules. The person was willing to be fooled. It''s like selling Dali pills and after spending lots of energy and hard work, a colleaguees along and says that what you¡¯re selling is fake. Wouldn¡¯t you say that this peer is hateful? It¡¯s the same logic! We have different values. You think that Liao Chunhuang is a bad person and a scammer, but to me, he is a good boy who follows the rules, is good at his tricks, and is self-reliant. I¡¯m almost from the master of his master¡¯s generation. If I cooperate with the police to cut the ground from under the younger generation¡¯s feet, tell me how I can face my ancestral master in the underworld in the future?"


    "Fake Taoist priests have ancestral masters? Who is it?" kk asked.


    "How ignorant. The founder of our profession is Zhuge Liang!"[1]


    "Zhuge Liang has never been so seriously defamed before." Sun Zhen mocked.


    The old man fumed. "I''m leaving. I can''t talk with youymen! A bunch of crazy people who act without using your brains."


    Chen Shi stopped him. "Hey, are you really capable? Or are you just a dabbler who doesn¡¯t dare to fight with Liao Chunhuang?"


    "What?!" The old man turned his head, "Young people really don''t know their ce."


    When he turned his palm, there was a talisman. The talisman spontaneously ignited in his hand and turned into ashes. Then the old man waved his hand and the ashes floated in mid-air for a while. He clenched his other hand, and the ashes were all sucked into his fist. When he opened it, there was a golden core in his hand.


    Everyone was stunned. Even though they knew that this was all fake, even ording to the standards of magic, it could be considered to have reached the peak of perfection.


    People who only delve into only one thing in their entire life, even if it is only scamming, will also make others gasp in amazement.


    1. Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor andter regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is recognised as the most aplished strategist of his era, and has beenpared to Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War. ?

 Chapter 926: Divine Jade Scroll

    <h4>Chapter 926: Divine Jade Scroll</h4>


    After the old man disyed his skills, he abandoned the shocked audience and walked away with a flick of his sleeves. Chen Shi chased after him. "What do you want before you will cooperate with us? What are the rules you said you¡¯d break if you cooperated with us?"


    The old man asked in reply, "What kind of police officer is a bad police officer?"


    "One that doesn¡¯t behave oneself and doesn¡¯t attend to one¡¯s duties."


    "Yes, if he scams money using his own abilities, he is behaving himself. If he does things other than cheating money, like tricking people into having sex, murder, betraying the precepts handed down by his master and predecessors, then he isn¡¯t abiding by the rules. I can only help you if he doesn''t abide by the rules. It''s not that I can''t cooperate with the police, but I must have a reason. Of course, I must also be paid."


    "As long as we prove that he has another motive, you¡¯re willing to cooperate with us?"


    "You can understand it like that." The old man patted Chen Shi on the shoulder, ready to leave.


    Lin Dongxue stopped him. "Old sir, we have other questions to ask you."


    "I''m tired. I''m going home to eat."


    "We will treat you to a meal!"


    The old man smiled slyly. "Okay!"


    The restaurant that the old man picked was quite expensive. The waiter brought the stir-fried vegetables, pork ears with mushrooms, fresh shrimps with chives and eggs to the table. When kk and Sun Zhen were about to reach out with their chopsticks, the old man poured all three dishes into his own big bowl of in noodles in a lightning-fast manner. He mixed them all together and then added in some peeled garlic before happily ingesting everything.


    kk said angrily, "Eat slowly, don''t choke to death."


    The old man just immersed himself in eating, making noises like a pig eating its feed. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue could only drink tea, waiting patiently for him to finish eating.


    The bowl of in noodles quickly disappeared. The old man wiped his mouth with the tablecloth and said, "Ask!"


    "This case hasn¡¯t been made public yet, so please keep it secret¡­" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I understand that!" The old man waved his hand.


    "Someone¡¯s been collecting human organs. He has only killed people born on February 19th, 1973. Two victims have had their liver and heart harvested respectively. We suspect that he will continue tomit crimes, or has alreadymitted more crimes. Is collecting these internal organs rted to some kind of cult ceremony?"


    The old man kept stroking his long beard. "This looks like the ¡®Five Elements Reincarnation Secret Method¡¯."


    "What is that?!" Lin Dongxue eximed.


    kk said disapprovingly, "As soon as you hear such a juvenile name, you can guess what it is. It must be for bringing people back to life."


    The old man narrowed his eyes at kk momentarily before continuing, "This is a spell formation mentioned in the "Divine Jade Scroll". The heart, liver, spleen, stomach and kidney correspond to the five elements, and a ritual altar is set up to arrange these five internal organs together. At 12:00AM, a certain deceased person can be brought back from the underworld, but this is just borrowing from someone¡¯s lifespan. That person can only live for one day in the world of the living, and after one day, he will turn into ashes. Of course, this is very detrimental to your karma, so the person who conducts the ritual will have their lifespan shortened."


    The old man''s tone was mysterious. Lin Dongxue was subconsciously mesmerized and swallowed her saliva nervously.


    Then the old manughed. "Of course, there are no ghosts in the world, moreover there is no underworld. These are all fake. They¡¯re for the fire points. This is the doorway for us - telling the fire points how difficult this work is and pretending to be reluctant in order to induce the other party to add money, wait for the other party to be fooled, then start the ritual after they have given enough money. It¡¯s impossible to use real human internal organs. They usually use pig and sheep organs. Then they mysteriously put on a show with special smoke effects, duang[2]. The deceased then gets brought back from the underworld! We usually find a body double for them. It¡¯s good if they look simr, but it doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t. They can just put on makeup and cken their face, saying that they had been burnt by karmic fire when they were in the underworld. The key is to be able to say the right things to the fire point. This requires constant testing of the waters, and understanding of the dead person¡¯s character and life experiences. The body double and the fire point will spend a day with each other. Then they¡¯ll use a secret door to let the body double turn to ashes in front of the fire point apanied by special smoke effects and duang, this ritual will be considered over! This trick is rtively advanced, because it¡¯s easily exposed. Generally, people who don¡¯t have too much skill won¡¯t touch this type of ritual."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue were confused when they heard this, and kk tranted, "The fire point refers to the rich. The doorway is the way to make money, and testing the waters means to sound out the other person."


    The old man picked his nose, "It isn¡¯t worth it for me to tell you this even if you treat me to a hundred meals. There¡¯s a saying in Jianghu. One would rather give up a gold ingot than reveal all the tools of the trade. I have even told you the trade secrets. You can regard it as an old man like me disying benevolence today." As he said this, he smiled at Lin Dongxue, revealing his big yellow teeth.


    kk said, "Old man, if you guys from Jianghu hadn¡¯t been unwilling to impart the tricks, the artform wouldn¡¯t have been lost. It¡¯s better for it to be promoted and developed!"


    The old man sneered, "Then do you want to write it into a novel or make it into a movie, letting the whole world know? Then we won¡¯t be able to make a living!"


    "You¡¯re still treasuring the junk from a few hundred years ago. Tch!"


    Chen Shi said, "That is to say, when you people teach this to your disciples, you will say that it¡¯s all fake, right?"


    "How can it be true?! Take Liao Chunhuang as an example. The table levitated because a special stand had been tied to his hand and he could lift it up with one hand. It couldn¡¯t be seen because it had been hidden by his sleeve. The spells moved up the walls because they had cockroaches stuck behind them; as for writing with smoke, hehe¡­" The old man didn¡¯t say anything more. "Everything was part of our act. Outsiders treat us as masters and half immortals because they don¡¯t know these tricks. How could the actors end up fooling themselves?"


    "Who gets to read this "Divine Jade Scroll"?"


    "Only people who are in this trade, but¡­" The old man grimaced as if he had a toothache. "Over the past two years, informationworks have be developed. There are some little bastards who don''t abide by the ancestral precepts. They learn some shallow tricks and talk about them on the Inte. For example, gambling tricks were exposed by some prodigals and now they¡¯re all for naught. A few years ago, there was a novelist who somehow found this book and wrote an online novel based on it, which made me seethe with rage until even my liver hurt. Therefore, I issued a Jianghu order to summon my fellow disciples in the sect to teach this scum a lesson and scold him in thements below his damned novel. However, the more he was scolded, the more popr the novel became. It was so annoying."


    Chen Shi smiled. "What is the name of the novel?"


    "It''s actually called "Divine Jade Scroll". That motherfucker used people¡¯s livelihood to write a book. He has no morals at all. However, this guy is an outsider after all, so he couldn¡¯t understand the real tricks of the trade. He really regarded it as a strange story with ghosts and deities. It¡¯s ridiculous! The book "Divine Jade Scroll" was written by our founder Zhuge Liang. There are incantations behind each spell formation, such as ¡®The nine levels of heaven issue the order. Inform Yuqing. Hurry and summon 1000 deities. All will meet at the Emperor¡¯s court.¡¯ That, in youryman''s terms, is a password. You can¡¯t understand it without a master¡¯s teaching. You can only conduct a ritual and earn money if you understand the true tricks of the trade!" He rubbed his thumb, index and middle fingers together to indicate money. "Those who don''t understand this will just see this book as something full of nonsense with no reference value."


    1. Scroll full of tricks of the trade in Taoist scams. ?


    2. This onomatopoeic word means ¡°to add special effects¡± and is a viral meme that came from amercial in which Jackie Chan was endorsing Bawang shampoo. ?

 Chapter 927: I Will Give You 100 Million

    <h4>Chapter 927: I Will Give You 100 Million</h4>


    Chen Shi asked, "In that case, can you use yourwork to help us find out who wishes to carry out this evil ritual?"


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The old manughed dryly thrice. "Young people shouldn¡¯t take a mile when people give an inch. I''ve already said enough. You are the police, so investigate it yourself! But ¡°Five Elements Reincarnation¡± is fake. If some fool really cast this spell, the final result would only be that five people have been killed in vain¡­ This old man takes his leave!"


    After he finished speaking, a puff of smoke rose from his sleeve and then he disappeared into thin air. A waiter in the restaurant was so frightened that he dropped his tes.


    However, kk quickly found out where the old man had gone and pointed to an aisle. "Look, that old tortoise is crawling on the ground!"


    They turned their heads and saw the old man crawling on the ground, slowly moving towards the door.


    "Once the magic trick is exposed, there is only embarrassment left." Sun Zhenmented.


    "Yeah, it¡¯s too motherfucking embarrassing¡­ Can he crawl faster?" kk asked.


    "Brother Chen, if someone is collecting organs, I can check it for you on the dark web. There are such trading tforms on certain sites." Sun Zhen offered.


    "Okay, thanks for your trouble!"


    "Fuck, he¡¯s still crawling, just like a snail!" kk mocked.


    "Don''t look. It''s embarrassing. Let''s pretend we didn¡¯t see him!" Sun Zhen said.


    "What should we do?" Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi. "The only person who has the ability to do so refuses to help. Are we just going to watch Old Man Lu go bankrupt?"


    "Let¡¯s go collect evidence and see if Liao Chunhuang is a ''rule-abiding scammer''. If so, wait until Old Man Lu is really deceived, and we¡¯ll help Wang Haitao through legal means. If not, we¡¯ll ask this old man to help and proceed ording to our original n¡­" Chen Shi nced towards the aisle. The old man was still crawling slowly on the ground. He probably thought that Chen Shi and the others were astonished by the magical means of his sudden disappearance.


    "The biggest gain today is that we have found out information about the murders. ording to this, the person behind the scenes wishes to ¡®resurrect¡¯ a certain deceased person who was born on February 19th, 1973''. Following this clue, it¡¯s possible to find the murderer."


    Chen Shi pondered, "In which year was Liao Chunhuang''s wife, Xu Rongrong, born?"


    Lin Dongxue hurriedly checked and said, "November 24th, 1975."


    "Well, it seems that there is no such coincidence."


    At this moment, someone arrived outside. Unexpectedly, it was Wang Haitao and he greeted them through the window. kk gestured. "That person is at the door!"


    "Why is he here?" Lin Dongxue said in surprise.


    "Hehe, I sent him a message. How will we know the result if we don¡¯t fight a little for it? " kk smiled.


    The old man finally crawled to the door, but was blocked by a pair of legs in suit trousers. He waved his hands desperately, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"


    "Hello, are you Mr. Ju Zhenglei from the Heavenly Master Sect? I''m Wang Haitao."


    The old man only stood up then. He looked at Wang Haitao, and then at kk who was waving from his seat. "What are you doing? Bribing me? I told you that I won¡¯t do it!"


    "Shall we sit down and talk?"


    "No, no, I''m leaving."


    "Waiter, get me a bottle of Wuliangye."


    The old man wiped his mouth. "Seeing that you are so sincere, I''ll just sit down for a while!"


    The old man was brought back, and kk joked, "It¡¯s a small world, I didn''t expect that we''d meet again. Come over and sit here."


    "I''ll just have a ss! Don''t expect to persuade me."


    The waiter brought the wine and the sses. Lin Dongxue took the initiative to pour the wine for him. The old man smiled, and picked it up to sniff it. He raised his head in ecstasy, then drank it slowly before taking a bite of the food. "Another ss! Come again! I haven¡¯t thoroughly tasted it."


    Lin Dongxue poured another ss, and Chen Shi whispered to her, "Don''t pour anymore."


    The old man finished his second ss with an intoxicated expression as if he was in an advertisement for Wuliangye. He smacked his lips, savoring the rich aftertaste, and put on airs, "Stop talking, it''s really useless. I¡¯ve always been someone who abides by the rules. I will never do something that doesn¡¯t follow the industry rules."


    Wang Haitao said, "Old sir, our family is really going to be done for. Please show your mercy."


    "This isn¡¯t about me being merciful. Flies don''t attack intact eggs. One hand alone can¡¯t p. If your father was more alert, he wouldn''t have been fooled. Of course, you can rest assured that we abide by the rules. You won¡¯t bepletely bankrupt. In the end, you will definitely be left some money so that you won¡¯t starve to death."


    Wang Haitao smiled bitterly. "What if I ask you for help and pay a million as a reward?"


    The old man was slightly startled and wanted to take the wine bottle. Wang Haitao moved the wine bottle away and stared at him, waiting for a reply.


    "I¡¯ll add a vi I own in Longwan."


    "It''s useless even if you give me 100 million, I have said no¡­"


    "Then I will give you 100 million." Wang Haitao said calmly.


    The old man opened his mouth in shock, and everyone present, including Chen Shi, was very surprised. The price was simply terrifying.


    The old man suddenly became tearful and wiped his eyes with the tablecloth. "Mr. Wang, please don''t increase the price. The more you increase the price, the more I can''t stand it. Knowing there¡¯s so much money that I can¡¯t earn, my blood pressure is about to rise. This is really not a matter of money. The rules are more important than anything!"


    "Obviously, it¡¯s to do a good deed. Why can''t you go beyond the rules? Your rules, to put it bluntly, are the rules agreed upon between criminals!" Chen Shi said.


    The old man shed tears. "Yes, I¡¯m a criminal. I have deceived many fire points in my life. Please handcuff me and get rid of me once and for all. I can''t possibly help anyway.


    Wang Haitao also showed a disappointed expression. "It seems that my family is done for."


    "But¡­"


    The word "but" drew all eyes at the table to the old man''s face. He said, "Seeing that Mr. Wang is in so much misery, I can go test the waters and see if the young fellow is keeping to the industry rules. I''m from a senior generation, so he has to respect me."


    Wang Haitao immediately took out a checkbook, wrote down one million, and tore out the check for him. "Whether you decide to help or not, this money belongs to you. In addition, thank you for your help."


    The old man waved his hand. "I¡¯ll try my best and the rest is up to the heavens."


    Hence, it was agreed that he would go over in the afternoon. This time, the old man didn''t try the trick of disappearing into thin air. Maybe he was too excited, but his legs trembled. kk and Sun Zhen had to help support him on his way out.


    Chen Shi asked Wang Haitao, "Do you have 100 million?"


    "I definitely don¡¯t have 100 million in cash. I will take out a mortgage loan, borrow from friends, and think of ways to raise the money!" Wang Haitao smiled bitterly. "Our family is about to be done for. I have no choice but to try my best. I really hope my father won''t be addicted to this stuff anymore. Ever since he stopped his treatment, his health is getting worse and worse, and he even drinks the talisman water given by the master every day. Haii! Apart from money, I have no other ability.


    "You still have friends." Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder.


    "Thank you, Mr. Chen and Officer Lin. I¡¯m really grateful that you are standing by my side in this situation."

 Chapter 928: Urgent Mission

    <h4>Chapter 928: Urgent Mission</h4>


    Back in the bureau, Chen Shi asked the colleagues of the Information Department to expand the search range and find all the deceased targets. Afterwards, a few thick stacks of documents were handed over to Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi had already sent a group message telling everyone to stop checking the interpersonal rtionships of the deceased and concentrate all their efforts on finding suspects among the deceased.


    Everyone was busying themselves with work and Chen Shi sat in a daze. After a while, he picked up the files and looked for the people he had thought of. He went several times to the Information Department, but these people weren¡¯t within the targeted range, including Zhou Tiannan, Old Man Lu''s two sons, and some other criminals who have already been executed.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Even if the person behind the scenes firmly believes that this kind of ritual can resurrect the dead, they can only be resurrected for one day, so what''s the point?"


    "One day of resurrection is also meaningful¡­" Chen Shi thought of Li Mu, Han Luoxi, and Gu You in a sh. "But from a practical point of view, the most important thing a deceased person could do when they return to the world of the living for a day is to provide information."


    "For example, a secret that they took to their graves? It must be a great secret if they don¡¯t hesitate to kill five people in order to bring the dead back to life for one day."


    "Captain, there¡¯s a deceased person surnamed Zhang who was a corrupt official who took bribes. He jumped off a building before he was arrested. The whereabouts of the tens of millions of bribes he epted are unknown." A policeman said.


    "The person behind the scenes should be a non-atheist, with considerable financial strength, and possibly single. Those who believe in this kind of thing should be engaged in creative work." Chen Shi spected. "Is there someone with such characteristics around Zhang?"


    "Let me see¡­"


    Everyone was at a loss over the names on the pieces of paper. It waspletely impossible to determine the suspects just by looking at simple household registration information. They could only do the simplest of exclusions and eliminate the ones who had no rtives left behind after death. Even so, the scope was still toorge, which gave them headaches.


    Chen Shi said, "Those who died of natural causes should also be excluded. Focus on those who died unnatural deaths."


    Old Zhang asked, "Would it be a man or a woman? If this can be ascertained, we would be able to eliminate half of them."


    A policeman said, "It¡¯s more likely to be a woman. Usually, the people behind the scenes are men, and the person they want to resurrect is probably their partner."


    "No, not necessarily!" Chen Shi argued. "There is insufficient evidence to show that the person behind the scenes is a man. They had just hired people to do things for themselves. It can be seen from this that they don¡¯t have the ability and experience tomit murder. It could even be an olddy. "


    Chen Shi continued, "You should use your imagination and not be too confined to a rigid range. I know this is really difficult. Don''t be discouraged!"


    "This is the most absurd investigation ever." A young policemanined.


    "Okay, stopining. Investigate it quickly." The policeman''s partner said.


    Chen Shi suddenly discovered that Xu Xiaodong wasn¡¯t there, and asked Lin Dongxue about it. Lin Dongxue said, "Why do you have such a bad memory? You sent him to Nanheng City to investigate the instructor''s ex-girlfriend."


    "Damn it. Wasted manpower. I¡¯ll phone him toe back."


    Deploying forces was indeed not Chen Shi¡¯s forte. He had actually forgotten that Xu Xiaodong and his partner were out-of-town investigating the interpersonal rtionships of the first victim.


    After his call got through, Chen Shi told Xu Xiaodong to head back quickly. Xu Xiaodong said, "We¡¯ve already met Sun Lei¡¯s ex-girlfriend. We¡¯re returning by tonight¡¯s train. We¡¯ll be back at about 9:00PM¡­ Captain, should I bring some local specialties back for you?"


    "Local specialties¡­ What f-"


    Lin Dongxue coughed beside him as a reminder.


    "Hurry back. There¡¯s a lot of stuff to do." Chen Shi heard some voices from the other side. "Where are you?"


    "The hospital. We¡¯re checking the files of Sun Lei''s hospitalization during the period while he was working."


    "He¡¯s been hospitalized in Nanheng before?"


    "He was sick at that time and was hospitalized for about half a month."


    Chen Shi suddenly thought that when he was in Nanheng, Sun Lei''s family hadn''t applied for him to enlist in the army yet, which meant that what the hospital had recorded was Sun Lei''s original birth date.


    He said, "By the way, check for a woman named XX (Crazy Lady¡¯s name) at the hospital.¡±


    Twenty minutes after hanging up, Xu Xiaodong called back again. "Captain, there really was such a person here."


    To confirm, Chen Shi asked, "When¡¯s the birthday?"


    "Mine or hers?"


    "Nonsense!"


    Lin Dongxue coughed next to him again, and Chen Shi handed over his mug. He continued listening on the phone.


    "February 19th, 1973." Xu Xiaodong answered over the phone.


    Chen Shi put his phone on his chest and said to Lin Dongxue, "It was identally discovered that a hospital in Nanheng actually holds information on Crazy Lady."


    "But Crazy Lady shouldn¡¯t have gone there, right?"


    "I''ll ask again." Chen Shi said to the phone. "What illness did she have when she was at this hospital?"


    "She wasn¡¯t sick. She came here to give birth¡­ Wait, she didn¡¯t give birth at this hospital, but at the Jinlong Hospital in Long''an¡­ Oh, that''s it. The nurse told me that these two hospitals were built by the same organization, so the records are mutually essible on the samework."


    Chen Shi was very excited. His arduous search had finally paid off. He said, "Check all the people who were born on the exact same day, and live in Long''an."


    Later, Xu Xiaodong sent a long text message with a total of ten people. Chen Shi called out to everyone, "Each pair is in charge of finding one person. They may all be victims. Those who are alive, bring them back for protection; those who are dead or missing, report them to me."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue got into the car, and Lin Dongxue said, "There are more people who were born on the same day, month, and year besides this group. If you protect them, the murderers would think of other ways to find the other people."


    "But at least it would dy their n. What I worry about is that the murderers may have alreadymitted the murders!"


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue rushed over to look for a warehouse manager surnamed Zhang. He lived fairly far away. Lin Dongxue kept receiving messages from colleagues on the way there. Four people were safe and had been persuaded by the police to be brought back.


    There were three they couldn¡¯t get in touch with, and two were out-of-town.


    Chen Shi asked the police officers to focus on investigating the people who could not be contacted. They were to look for their rtives and friends, and go to their homes to confirm whether they were missing.


    At about 4:00PM, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived at an automotive parts factory in the suburbs. The person in charge of the factory district had called the warehouse manager Zhang, but failed to get through. He took the two to the warehouse and they walked inside. The person in chargeined, "Why aren¡¯t the lights turned on?"


    He reached out for the switch, but found that there was no electricity. It turned out that someone had switched off the main switch.


    There was no one in the break room, the door was open, and a cup of tea had been spilled onto the floor.


    Chen Shi had a bad premonition. He asked the person in charge to leave quickly and seal all the exits of the factory district. He and Lin Dongxue took out their guns. When the person in charge saw this scene, he asked in fear, "What happened to Zhang X? Did something happen? Should I call the police?"


    "Get out quickly. Don''t get in the way here." Chen Shi wasn¡¯t in the mood to exin.


    There were many boxes piled up high in the warehouse. The two of them walked cautiously. Chen Shi kept putting his fingers on the handle of the gun, clenching and releasing them repeatedly. This was the first time he had held a gun in actualbat after four years, and it would be impossible for him not to be nervous.


    Although he had gone to the shooting range to practice in order to regain his prowess a while ago, target shooting and actualbat are two different things, and he wasn¡¯t a sharpshooter in the first ce.


    Walking into a dark passageway formed by boxes, the two automatically moved with their backs to each other and held their guns as they surveyed the surroundings. When they saw something on the ground, Lin Dongxue''s hair couldn¡¯t help but stand on end. There was a pair of feet, and they were being quickly dragged behind the boxes¡­

 Chapter 929: Shooting the Murderer Dead

    <h4>Chapter 929: Shooting the Murderer Dead</h4>


    Lin Dongxue yelled and hurried over. She saw a burly man wearing a ghost mask dragging aatose man in his arms. Lin Dongxue raised her gun and shouted, "Hold up your hands!"


    The man pushed the boxes next to him with one hand, and the piles of boxes fell down. Lin Dongxue instinctively backed away, and in the ensuing panic shot towards the ceiling. The gunshot kept reverberating in the room, vibrating her eardrums until they ached.


    Chen Shi also saw the man. He was holding the victim and passing quickly behind the boxes. Chen Shi held his gun with both hands and kept tracking him. He shot a few times but missed.


    Turning his head, he noticed that Lin Dongxue''s gun hand was trembling. She kept adjusting her breathing. No one would have thought that they would encounter the murderer here. The warehouse was big and dark, and there were obstacles everywhere. They had no backup and could only deal with it by themselves.


    Chen Shi was also just as afraid. This dark and big warehouse reminded him of the night four years ago, but he still reassured Lin Dongxue. "Don''t be afraid. Outnk him from over there and shoot directly if you see him."


    "You should be careful, too!" Lin Dongxue nodded and walked into a small passageway with the gun in her hands.


    The two carefully searched the surroundings. There was a smell of blood from somewhere, and the smell became stronger and stronger. Chen Shi walked closer and mounted a few boxes that had been stacked up like stairs. He saw that two murderers had already cut open the abdomen of the victim on the ground and were digging something out.


    In an instant, his whole body¡¯s nervous system was triggered off by danger signals. He raised his gun and aimed at the small man who wasmitting the crime.


    The big man next to him saw this, but his first reaction wasn¡¯t to run away, but to shield hispanion like a screen and spread out his hands.


    "Bang, bang, bang!"


    The three shots were deafening. The big man''s body reeled, but he forced himself to stand firmly. At that moment, Chen Shi even felt that perhaps under the mask wasn¡¯t a human at all, because the bullets had already prated through his vitals.


    Behind the big man, the small man suddenly ran like lightning, jumped nimbly onto a box and rushed towards a transom window.


    Chen Shi was aiming at his back when the box under his feet suddenly swayed. It turned out that the big man had kicked the boxes, and Chen Shi fell to the ground as the sky spun. His back had almost broken from the fall. The big man kicked away the box on the ground with a terrifying sense of oppression and walked over. The w knife in his hand gleamed coldly, and a weird whining sound came from underneath the mask.


    "Captain!"


    Lin Dongxue rushed over, aimed at the big man and fired. Chen Shi alsoy on the ground and kept shooting. The echoes of the gunfire coalesced into a buzzing sound wave, and the big man stayed in ce, his upper body continuously exploding with clouds of blood. In the end, he ran out of strength and he knelt down before copsingpletely.


    Chen Shi gasped for a long time, still pulling the trigger nervously with his fingers, but the gun was already out of bullets.


    Wiping the cold sweat from his face, he said, "Let¡¯s save him!"


    The two detoured around a messy pile of boxes. The victim was the warehouse manager. His abdomen had been cut open and was dripping fresh blood, but he wasn¡¯t dead yet. His face was pale, and the corners of his mouth were bleeding constantly. He looked at them with widened eyes begging for help.


    To the murderers, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue''s intrusion was also an ident. In the rush, they didn¡¯t kill the victim first, but removed the stomach directly.


    "Can you hear me? Don''t be afraid. We¡¯re the police, and the ambnce will be here soon." Chen Shi said while holding the victim''s bloody hands in his.


    The victim opened his mouth with tears streaming down his eyes.


    After calling an ambnce, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took turns to talk to him to keep him conscious. His blood kept flowing out. As it was from within the abdominal cavity, there was no way to stop the bleeding, and the victim''s face gradually turned pale. He fainted several times and Chen Shi pped him on the cheeks to wake him up.


    He was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on until the ambnce arrived.


    After staying in the darkness amidst the stink of blood for an unknown period of time, the siren of an ambnce finally came from the outside. Someone ran into the warehouse and shouted, "Where is he?!"


    "Here!" Chen Shi shouted.


    "Wave, we can''t see!"


    Lin Dongxue had an idea and fired a shot at the ceiling. The sound of the gunshot was enough to indicate their position.


    The medics ran over, carrying a single stretcher. The first thing they saw was the body of the big murderer and one said, "Oh my God, this man is too big to carry."


    "It''s not him, it''s this one!" Chen Shi shouted angrily.


    The medics discovered the three people hidden behind the messy array of boxes and asked them what was going on. Chen Shi said, "The stomach has been removed."


    "It¡¯s fine if he¡¯s still conscious." The medics checked the victim''s breathing and heartbeat, and quickly gave him a shot of epinephrine hydrochloride. "There¡¯s a bag of blood in the ambnce, and he¡¯ll be fine after the blood transfusion. Come and help lift him onto the stretcher."


    The four people worked together to lift the pitiful warehouse manager onto the stretcher. When he was being taken away, he weakly grasped Chen Shi''s hand and said "thank you" tearfully.


    "Atst¡­" Chen Shi breathed a long sigh of relief as he nearly copsed down for a rest.


    "It''s been a long time since I was so scared."


    "Me too. When the giant rushed towards me, my brain went nk."


    The two of them found each other''s hands, grasped them, and feltforted.


    Then they checked the murderer¡¯s body. He had been shot more than ten times. Compared with Long¡¯an¡¯s motley criminals, the murderer gave people a supernatural impression. The body was close to two meters and full of well-developed and strong muscles. His huge palms could almost crush a basketball. His hands had calluses from years of using a knife as well as old and new cuts. Chen Shi took off his mask. He seemed to even have muscles on his face. His skin was sallow, the corners of his mouth and forehead were full of deep grooves, and his small eyes were widened so much that they were round. Chen Shi closed his terrifying eyes, pried open his mouth for a look, and discovered a ss vial inside.


    After taking it out, they found some white powder in the ss vial. Chen Shi spected, "It''s poison, so that they canmit suicide at any time if something goes wrong. They¡¯re really professional killers."


    "I can''t believe that such a profession has already appeared in Long¡¯an!" Lin Dongxue said in astonishment, "Why haven¡¯t they appeared before?"


    "Probably because the price of hiring them is very high¡­"


    They heard the sound of footsteps, and Lin Dongxue immediately pointed a gun in that direction. The person in charge who had apanied them inside just now raised his hands in fright."Don''t shoot, it''s me! Damn, a person was killed?"


    "Did something happen?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Just then, a man dressed in ck ran out of the warehouse. He was a small man like a monkey. He swished over the wall and then I heard the sound of a car starting. I was wondering why you weren¡¯t chasing after him!"


    "We had to save someone, so we couldn¡¯t chase after him." Chen Shi said helplessly.


    "That guy was bleeding the whole way. I don''t know if he was injured. All the workers in the entire factory district stopped working and ran out to watch. Haii, how could something like this happen?"

 Chapter 930: Bloodstains On The Sole Of The Shoe

    <h4>Chapter 930: Bloodstains On The Sole Of The Shoe</h4>


    The reinforcements finally arrived. It took four policemen gritting their teeth with effort before they were able to carry the heavy corpse to the police vehicle. The body was not put into a body bag, but only wrapped in ayer of cloth, because it was impossible to find such arge body bag.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue surveyed the area surrounding the factory district and looked at the surveince footage, but they couldn¡¯t find any evidence of the murderers sneaking in. Lin Dongxue felt incredulous. That giant-like murderer had walked in but no one noticed him?


    "They must havee in at night. The person in charge said that the victim had something happen at home in the morning and only came to work in the afternoon, so theyy in ambush inside the warehouse in advance." Chen Shi spected.


    "How cautious, they only took action when the victim was alone."


    "ording to the way they have beenmitting crimes, I think other victims have already appeared, but the bodies haven¡¯t been found yet." Chen Shi frowned, "Hired killers. There was no clue about the person behind the scenes, how worrisome!"


    "Can you ask your friends to help find out what channels they had used to hire these killers?"


    "I was just thinking of that." Chen Shi took out his cell phone and texted Sun Zhen.


    After returning to the bureau, Peng Sijue immediately performed an autopsy, and found that the murderer had a history of drug use. His stomach contents consisted of ordinary foods, and thest time he ate wasst night, which was consistent with Chen Shi¡¯s spection. The murderers hadid in ambush in the warehouse beforehand.


    The DNA of four people were found on the murder weapon, including that of the instructor and Crazy Lady, but not the warehouse manager. From this, it seemed that their work had already beenpleted!


    The rescued victim was out of danger and was being hospitalized for observation. The entire stomach had been excised. Actually, the effect wasn¡¯t too significant. Unfortunately, his capacity for food would probably decrease after he recovered.


    At 9:00 in the evening, Chen Shi was still in the bureau. He sat in the conference room and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about various leads. Everyone else had already gotten off work. There were all kinds of materials messily scattered over the table, because he had toe here early tomorrow morning to continue the investigation.


    Lin Dongxue came in from outside, ced a bowl of instant noodles in front of Chen Shi, and asked, "Captain, would you like to have something to eat?"


    "Any progress?" Chen Shi asked.


    "Captain Peng is still working on it."


    "I''m waiting." Chen Shi picked up some strands of noodles. "If I said that I had no hope left, would you me me? This case has no leads left. The killers have handed the internal organs to the person behind the scenes. The person behind the scenes would pay the bnce, and hide somewhere to secretly carry out the ritual. We will never know all of this, and new clues will no longer appear."


    "We can continue to track down the murderer."


    "We can track down the murderer. The person was indeed killed by them, but they won¡¯t confess who the person behind the scenes is to us. Just like how Zhou Xiao didn''t say a word during the interrogation. We don''t know who Zhou Xiao had worked for other than Lie Guoxiao. Even when the little evil is eradicated, the big evils are safe."


    "Hurry up and eat the noodles. They¡¯re clumping together."


    Chen Shi aterge mouthfuls of the noodles. It could be seen that his mood was quite low because he was at his wits¡¯ end with this case.


    Lin Dongxue counseled him. "You don''t have to be so depressed. Today, everyone was very excited. The murderer was shot dead and the victim was rescued. From everyone''s point of view, we have achieved a partial victory."


    "Partial victory." Chen Shi smiled bitterly.


    At this time, the mobile phone on the table rang. The call was from kk. kk was very excited. "Brother Chen, the old Taoist master has promised to help. Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival. Is the weapon ready?"


    "What is the specific process?"


    "We¡¯ll discuss it face-to-face."


    "I''m tired today, how about tomorrow¡­"


    "It doesn''t matter. We¡¯re already outside, but the guards won''t let us in!"


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and went out to wee them. The three people had been stopped at the door. With their disreputable appearances, it was no wonder that the police officer on duty had refused to let theme in.


    Chen Shi brought them in. The old man was very happy. He looked left and right, "So the yamen[1] is actually like this!"


    "Have you never been here before?" Chen Shi said.


    The old man dered proudly, "This old man has been wless white jade all his life and has never entered the octagonal archway."


    kk tranted: " ¡®wless white jade¡¯ means he has impable moral integrity, and the ¡®octagonal archway¡¯ refers to prison."


    "Okay, okay, you have had a glorious life. In the end, you¡¯re even working with the police. I know a writer. Would you like to have your deeds written into a book?"


    "Except for Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng, this old man looks down on all the other writers!" The old man was filled with righteous indignation, probably recalling past memories.


    "Did you read the illustrated version?" kk quipped, and the old man rolled his eyes at him. It seemed that the three of them were in a good mood.


    When they got to the conference room, kk greeted Lin Dongxue with a grin, calling her ¡®Sister-in-Law¡¯ at every turn. The old man lifted up his clothes, sat down, and asked, "Where is the tea?!"


    Chen Shi filled a ss of water using the water dispenser and ced it next to him. The old man said, "I want to drink Longjing."[2]


    "Drink this or go thirsty."


    "Young people these days¡­" The old man picked up the paper cup.


    kk briefly talked about the situation in the afternoon. The three of them had gone to the hotel. The people in the hotel hadn''t allowed them to enter but the old man showed them a few tricks and stunned them momentarily, so they immediately informed Old Man Lu.


    The old man introduced himself in a rambling manner. He said that when he was passing by, he saw a ball of golden light being suppressed by dark energy. Taoist practitioners arepassionate, so he felt that he needed to remind the owner of the house, thus he came up.


    Old Man Lu was very excited, and said that Master Liao had said the same thing. It seems that all fake Taoist priests all used the same rhetoric for bluffing others.


    After all, the old man was from a senior generation. After meeting each other, he and Liao Chunhuang sounded each other out. Their banter was as brilliant as Chinese opera. Liao Chunhuang yielded to the old senior at every turn. After testing the waters, the old man asked Liao Chunhuang to give him a tour.


    ording to the old man¡¯s observations, the disciples under Liao Chunhuang were called Qingfeng and Mingyue. The other ¡°disciples¡± were all just helpers. They came from folk art schools or circuses and certainly possessed basic magic skills. Put together, Old Man Lu was hosting a circus at home but he actually thought that a real deity had descended to the human world.


    There were no problems with these things, and Liao Chunhuang had followed the rules of this industry strictly.


    Just as they were about to leave, kk grabbed a t peach from the offering table and ate it. The big man named Qingfeng said that it couldn¡¯t be eaten as it was an offering for their founding master. kk argued with him and the big man suddenly grabbed kk by the cor.


    The old man said angrily, "If you want to beat a dog, you should see who its owner is. I brought this person along, and he actually tried to teach him a lesson in front of me? Isn''t this not giving me face? So this old man has decided to help out and fight him in a magic duel!"


    kk crossed his leg over the other triumphantly. "In the end, I was the one who made the contribution, unlike some slow-witted nerds."


    Sun Zhen said, "Fuck your sister."


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue disyed embarrassed expressions. Chen Shi asked, "What does this mean? Looking for trouble on purpose?"


    "If he doesn''t give me face, I don''t have to give him face. Now, there¡¯s a purpose for my actions." The old man stroked his beard triumphantly.


    "Okay, it worked out anyway!" Chen Shi thought that after all, a brave man appears when a lot of money is offered. The huge reward that Wang Haitao promised had yed a role in tempting this old Jianghu swindler.


    Chen Shi''s eyes were suddenly drawn to a small bit of red stuff on the sole of kk''s shoe that he was shaking non-stop. kk ced his foot on the floor and said, "Brother Chen, we¡¯ve sessfullypleted the task you gave us. We¡¯re celebrating our sess in the evening. We¡¯ll be eating seafood. Will youe? The old gentleman will be treating us¡­ Brother Chen, why are you looking at me like this? Have I be more handsome?"


    "kk, why is there blood on the sole of your shoe?!" Chen Shi questioned.


    1. As mentioned previously, this is the olden-day version of a police station/court. ?


    2. A type of tea. ?

 Chapter 931: Overlooked Clue

    <h4>Chapter 931: Overlooked Clue</h4>


    kk took a look at the sole of his shoe and asked nkly, "Is this blood? I don''t know where I had stepped on it. Maybe on the way here!"


    "Maybe you have hemorrhoids on the soles of your feet." Sun Zhen took the opportunity to retaliate against him.


    "Fuck you."


    Chen Shi felt it necessary to check, so he asked kk to take off his shoes and send them to Peng Sijue¡¯sb. After a sample was taken, he took the shoes back. Chen Shi was toozy to attend a celebration banquet. The three of them left and reminded them repeatedly before leaving that they will all be meeting in the hotel lobby tomorrow night.


    Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "Captain, it''s gettingte, let''s go home and sleep too!"


    "Huh?" Chen Shi was clearly startled. He was still thinking about the bloodstains from just now. "Let''s go!"


    The next day, the sun was shining brightly through the window once again. Lin Dongxue, who had her long hair loose like draped ink, smiled and greeted him, "Good morning, husband."


    "Why didn''t you call me ¡®Captain¡¯?" Chen Shi had already woken up a few seconds ago.


    "¡®Husband¡¯ sounds more intimate."


    "I had a dream that a man was killed in a sealed room. The doors and windows were definitely sealed tight. It was a perfectly sealed room with a venttion fan. Guess how that person was killed?"


    "Suicide?"


    "Haha, in the ssic sealed room trick, suicide is also a method, but this wasn¡¯t it. The man had been stabbed to death from behind."


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "The answer is: the murderer turned into ashes and was blown away."


    "Insane!" Lin Dongxue smiled and punched him. "That¡¯s cheating, okay? I know why you had this dream. You¡¯re thinking about the resurrection of the dead person."


    "Yes, is there such a possibility? The resurrected deceased person is the most convenient tool¡­Of course, the premise is that this thing can seed."


    With a mind full of unsolved mysteries, Chen Shi got up to eat, dressed, and arrived at the bureau in the morning. He couldn''t wait to find Peng Sijue. The forensics department said that he had been carrying out autopsies tilltest night and was resting at home in the morning.


    The murderer''s body had already been stitched up. Chen Shi nced at the reports and asked, "Where is the blood sample I sent overst night?"


    "Oh, it hasn''t been checked yet. We have a lot of things to check." A policeman said.


    "Prioritise that, I need to have the result by noon." Chen Shi picked up a stack of materials on the table and cadged a cup of coffee as well.


    The morning was still full of onerous desk work. Everyone was immersed in searching the list of the deceased who were born on February 19th, 1973. The whiteboard next to them was filled with a list of targets worth investigating.


    Lin Dongxue said to Chen Shi, "Captain, there¡¯s a man surnamed Qin who died in 2000. He had been engaged in cult activities. Would you like me to note it down?"


    Chen Shi pondered, "What cult?"


    "A satanic cult that teaches that God is dead and Satan is about to rule mankind."


    "This doesn''t seem to be from the same belief system. Was this Qin person the cult leader or just a follower¡­" Chen Shi suddenly thought of another person, who seemed to be called "Mr. Qin", but he couldn''t remember it on the spot. He asked, ¡°Is there anyone whose nickname is ¡®Mr. Qin¡¯?"


    "Tao Yueyue''s statement?"


    "Correct!!!"


    Chen Shi quickly stood up and ran to the office to look through the statement. The statement was twenty pages thick. Tao Yueyue had recounted every detail of the period when she was kidnapped using her extraordinary memory.


    He flipped through it quickly, and a certain page read:


    Tao: That dark fat chef asked me to cut the meat. When I was cutting the meat, I heard Mr. Qin say to Zhou Xiao, ¡°Five people, four million. Do you want to consider it?¡±


    Chen Shi was very excited and said to Lin Dongxue behind him, "The clue has already appeared long ago but was overlooked by us. The hitman agent named Mr. Qin once wanted to give this job to Zhou Xiao, but he didn''t ept it."


    Lin Dongxue questioned, "Were the five people mentioned by this dwarf the same five people in this case?"


    "This is the only serial murder case that Long¡¯an has recently seen. Even if they weren¡¯t, the killer this time was active in the underground world and he can be found through this intermediary."


    "We can give it a try."


    Chen Shi dialed kk¡¯s number. kk¡¯s side was very noisy. He asked, "Brother Chen, what''s the matter? We¡¯re buying props for tonight¡¯s magic duel."


    "Do you know a man named Mr. Qin?"


    "Mr. Qin? There are so many people surnamed Qin. I don''t know which one you¡¯re talking about¡­ Wait, the old immortal has something to say."


    Then the old man''s voice came through the phone, "Hello?"


    "I¡¯m listening."


    "I know a Mr. Qin who worked as an intelligence dealer in the underworld in his early years and now sells perfume."


    "Is he a dwarf?"


    "Yes!"


    "Where can I find him?!"


    The old man gave them an address and exhorted, "Don''t ever say that I was the one who told you."


    Chen Shi said, "Call up a few people, tell them to change into in clothes and bring guns¡­ I''ll call Yueyue over too to identify him in person."


    "Yueyue is still in military training, right?"


    "This matter is more important than military training. I¡¯ll pick her up. You and the others will wait for me at this address."


    "I''ll go with you."


    The two went to the police academy, picked up Tao Yueyue, and rushed to arge shopping mall. Other police officers were already waiting there. As a witness for identification, Yueyue naturally couldn¡¯t meet the suspect. Chen Shi sat in the car and used his phone to give orders. "Bring him to the door."


    The police went in and walked out with a dwarf in a suit about five minutester. It seemed that the dwarf had tried to escape. Tao Yueyue recognized him at a nce. "It''s him!"


    "Yueyue, you stay in the car." Chen Shi instructed.


    He and Lin Dongxue got out of the car and walked closer. They heard the dwarf making excuses. "Dear officers, I just sell perfume. I haven¡¯t offended anyone, right? Is it because I¡¯m so handsome that I¡¯ve enchanted some female leader who now wants me to be her husband?" As he said this, he rested his index finger and thumb against his chin.


    "You¡¯re very eloquent." Chen Shi said.


    "I¡¯m a salesman after all, I¡¯ve been trained through experience¡­" Mr. Qin smiled when he saw Lin Dongxue. "Beauty, do you want to buy perfume? You¡¯re so beautiful that if you spray on my perfume as well you will be able to enchant everyone on the street."


    "What else do you do besides selling perfume?" Chen Shi asked.


    Mr. Qin spread out his hands. "I asionally act as a rtionship consultant for beautiful female customers."


    "Do you need me to say it directly? You¡¯re a middle-man. A very special intermediary at that."


    "I don''t know what you¡¯re talking about!" Mr. Qin swallowed nervously.


    Chen Shi was prepared and showed him a photo of the murderer who had been shot dead. Mr. Qin''s pupils contracted and his Adam¡¯s apple moved. He raised his head and looked at Chen Shi cautiously. Chen Shi said, "You introduced him to some business!"


    "I have the right to remain silent."


    "Sorry, but you don''t have this right. Come with us!"

 Chapter 932: Using Intelligence To Capture The Real Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 932: Using Intelligence To Capture The Real Murderer</h4>


    Chen Shi paced around outside the interrogation room. He had arranged for two of his interrogators with the strongest professional interrogation capabilities, but they still couldn¡¯t get anything from Mr. Qin. The result was as Chen Shi expected. This kind of person is very tight-lipped, because once he talks, he may lose his head.


    "Be honest!"


    The interrogator''s roar came from the room. Mr. Qin''s uncooperative attitude had nearly driven the police mad.


    "Haii, as expected, things are not going so smoothly." Chen Shi sighed.


    "Don''t be too impatient, we¡¯re currently checking his bank ounts and searching his home. There will definitely be clues." Lin Dongxue cheered him up.


    Chen Shi nced at Tao Yueyue who was sitting in the corridor. She was ying with a yo-yo. Due to the heat, she had taken off her military uniform top and wrapped it around her waist, revealing a ck short-sleeved T-shirt. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll send the young girl back.¡±


    "I won''t go back. I finally have an excuse toe out. Let me stay for a while. I''ll leave after I¡¯ve eaten." Tao Yueyue resisted.


    Lin Dongxue said like a loving mother, "Let Yueyue stay for a while. When she goes back, she will have to march again with the hot sun shining on her body."


    "Yes, every day is the same. It¡¯s boring. Why wasn¡¯t the person who died the instructor of our ss? We all envy the third ss. They have no military training for two days." Tao Yueyue pouted.


    "Is this something a decent human would say?" Chen Shi had to give in. "Then you should go somewhere else, why don¡¯t you go to my office to y on theputer for a while? The suspect wille outter and see you."


    "So what if he sees me? Will he take revenge on me¡­" Tao Yueyue thought for a moment. "By the way, if the murderer died, would he be willing to talk?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "If the person is already dead, there will be no need to hide things. You can get a fake body."


    "In your dreams. Do you think¡­" Chen Shi looked at Tao Yueyue. The murderer who ran away was short and petite, simr to Tao Yueyue, and they were wearing a mask. "Wait, this seems feasible!"


    "Haha, did I perform a meritorious deed? Can you help me apply for two days off?"


    "Don''t even think about it. However, I can bring you out to eat something tasty on National Day."


    Tao Yueyue pouted again and Chen Shi said, "Let¡¯s prepare something quickly!"


    An hourter, Mr. Qin, who had remained silent, was taken out of the interrogation room. Four policemen escorted him towards a certain direction. Mr. Qin raised his head and questioned, "What are you guys doing? Where are you taking me? Talk! If you dare to use certain tactics, be careful that I don¡¯t sue you guys!"


    "Go and see if you recognize the bodies," a policeman replied.


    "I''m not going! I''m not going!" Mr. Qin wanted to turn back, but was dragged back by two police officers, kicking his legs mid-air in vain.


    "We¡¯re not discussing this with you. Let''s go!" The police put him back down.


    The lights in the autopsy room were deliberately turned down, and in the dimness, there were two "corpses" lying down. Onerge and one small, and they had very different body types. Mr. Qin was so nervous that his heart was pounding and he kept gulping down saliva.


    The police put on their gloves, took off the giant''s mask, and asked, "Who is he?!"


    Mr. Qin said guardedly, "If I could tell you, doesn''t it mean I know him?"


    "We already know your identity. Even if you don''t say anything, you can be convicted without a confession. You might as well provide some information and win leniency for yourself."


    Another policeman said, "It doesn¡¯t matter if you talk or not since the man has already been killed by our brave police officer. It¡¯s only a matter of time before we find out his identity."


    "Yes, if he doesn¡¯t cherish the opportunity, so be it."


    With that, the police were about to take Mr. Qin away. Mr. Qin said hurriedly, "Zheng Yu! His name is Zheng Yu! Nicknamed ¡®The Bulldozer¡¯."


    "What about the other one?" The policeman pointed to another corpse. She was dressed in ck and wore a mask. She had bullet holes in her body, and her chest was covered with fresh blood.


    Mr. Qin didn¡¯t even have the slightest doubt, and said dejectedly, ¡°Nguyen Hui, nicknamed ''The Sparrow in the Palm''. She is a Vietnamese national. They¡¯re husband and wife. Zheng Yu had bought Nguyen Hui as a mail-order bride from Vietnam, but Nguyen Hui actually had a criminal record back in Vietnam. Zheng Yu¡¯s potential was developed under her ''guidance''. Thus this couple began to take on jobs."


    "What kind of jobs have they done?"


    "That I can''t say. Since I can only¡­" Mr. Qin widened his eyes, and saw "Nguyen Hui" slowly sitting up, making a whining sound under the mask. He screamed, "Ghost! Ghost! "


    Mr. Qin, who had almost gone crazy with fear, was taken to the detention room, and he asked the police for a pair of clean underwear.


    Chen Shi ran to the autopsy room. Tao Yueyue took off her mask and giggled. Chen Shi said, "Are you crazy? Who told you to sit up?!"


    "I thought that since he had confessed, I would sit up and y a trick on him. He¡¯s not a good person anyway." Tao Yueyue looked pleased with herself as she said this.


    Chen Shi looked helpless. "You are absolutely forbidden to do this kind of thing in the future. Absolutely forbidden!"


    "There is a future? You¡¯ll take me to solve another case next time? Thank you, Captain Chen." Tao Yueyue saluted.


    "Do you want to make me die from anger?!"


    Tao Yueyue stuck her tongue out and jumped off the autopsy bed. "I¡¯m going to find Sister Lin to get her to take a few photos for me as a souvenir. This hitman outfit is pretty cool."


    Chen Shi waspletely speechless.


    Using Tao Yueyue¡¯s peculiar idea, they sessfully acquired information about the murderers, and found the address of the two through their household registration information. The police didn¡¯t even have time to eat. They drove to a housing district, and found the property manager to bring them to Nguyen Hui¡¯s apartment.


    Of course, they were going to trick her into opening the door by asking to check the water meter. When the property manager was standing in front of the door and about to knock, Chen Shi remembered that Nguyen Hui was a professional killer and would be very vignt. He said, "Wait, make up another reason. Yes, looking for a dog! Knock on the neighbors¡¯ doors first and ask if they¡¯ve seen your dog. Do this loudly and everyone else should retreat to the corridor."


    Although the property manager was reluctant, he could only cooperate. After the police retreated, he knocked on the door of the neighbor''s apartment and asked, "Hello, have you seen a dog that¡¯s this big? It¡¯s a Tibetan mastiff and poodle mix that¡¯s dark yellow like poo."


    The neighbors said that they hadn¡¯t seen it, and the property manager went to knock on another neighbor¡¯s door. "Hello, have you seen a dog that¡¯s this big¡­"


    At this moment, the door in the middle opened, and a small woman in a white cheongsam walked out. She looked taken aback, because the police were all in the corridor and could be seen at a nce.


    The woman¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened. She dragged the property manager into her arms, cing a fruit knife that suddenly appeared in her hand against his neck. As she was too short, she could only stand on tiptoes and shout, ¡°Don¡¯te over. I have a hostage in my hands!"


    This sudden urrence stunned the neighbors. The police rushed up with guns in their hands. The woman stepped back through the door and kept backing away. Several guns were trained tightly on her.


    Lin Dongxue attempted to persuade her, "Nguyen Hui, do you want to see your husband for thest time?"


    Nguyen Hui''s face contorted and she gnashed her teeth, "You killed him!!"


    Chen Shi said, "We¡¯re the police and we had no choice but to shoot in that kind of situation. Put the knife down and don''t do anything stupid."


    "We just wanted to make some money! Why do you have to force me like this?!" With that, Nguyen Hui pushed the property manager away, turned the knife in her hand, and attempted to stab her own heart.


    With a bang, Nguyen Hui''s body jolted once and the knife dropped. She covered the wound on her shoulder with her other hand.


    The police quickly rushed up and subdued her. Chen Shi turned to see Lin Dongxue''s pistol smoking. She was panting, her face covered with cold sweat, and she said, "I was so afraid that I¡¯d miss that shot!"


    "Good job! Good job!" Chen Shi praised.

 Chapter 933: The Magic Sparring Begins

    <h4>Chapter 933: The Magic Sparring Begins</h4>


    The bullet passed through Nguyen Hui''s shoulder. After going to the hospital for emergency treatment, the police immediately brought her back and began the interrogation.


    Facing the interrogators, Nguyen Hui looked pitiful, and even cried, but she refused to give anything up.


    "It''s the same result again." Chen Shi said, "These professional criminals are all hardheaded."


    Lin Dongxueforted him, "When my brother was an interrogator, this kind of thing was normal. These people knew that they couldn''t escape from their crimes, and they¡¯d meet the same end whether they talked or not, so they would simply die with their lips zipped. Some people had simpler motives and would talk when they entered prison in exchange for some benefits. The credit would then then be given to the prison officers."


    At this moment, Nguyen Hui seemed to be saying something on the monitor screen. The interrogator busied himself writing it down, and then picked up the interphone.


    Chen Shi''s cell phone rang, and the interrogator said, "Captain, she confessed where the bodies had been abandoned. They are in¡­"


    After listening, Chen Shi was both heartened and disappointed. What was heartening was that they finally had some results. What was disappointing was - "In the end, not a single victim was saved."


    "Didn''t we save one? Although he lost his stomach."


    "I''ll arrange for someone to bring the bodies back so that everyone doesn''t have to work overtime tonight. After busying ourselves for a few days, we can finally rest for a while¡­" Chen Shi turned around to leave.


    "Hey, Captain, it''s 5:00, should we¡­"


    Chen Shi pped his forehead. "You go and inform them. I¡¯ll go to the office to change my clothes."


    When he went to the office, Chen Shi took off his police uniform and put on his civilian clothes. When he was about to turn off the lights, he found a piece of paper on his desk.


    When he picked it up, Chen Shi''s eyes widened, and he quickly ran to the Information Department to ask them to check for a certain person.


    Upon seeing the results on the screen, Chen Shi muttered to himself, "That''s it! So it was like that!"


    "Captain, Captain." Lin Dongxue''s voice came from the corridor.


    "I''m here." Chen Shi walked out.


    "Why did you leave the office without saying anything? Let''s go!"


    "Look at this." Chen Shi stuffed the DNA identification result in his hand into hers.


    "No way!!!" Lin Dongxue''s astonishment was beyond description. "The blood on the kk¡¯s sole really came from one of the victims. Liao Chunhuang is the person behind the scenes. He does have money, underworld connections, and he also knows of the ritual. But¡­ what about the motive?"


    "What do you think is the point of resurrecting a person for only one day?"


    "Don''t be mysterious and just tell me."


    "The most significant meaning of the one-day resurrection is the judicial significance. For example, if I killed a person and that person was resurrected, even if he was resurrected for only one minute, my murder charge would be invalidated judicially."


    "Could it be that the person Liao Chunhuang wanted to resurrect was the one his wife killed? His wife¡¯s elder brother?"


    "Yes, Xu Rongrong''s elder brother Xu Song was born on February 19th, 1973. We actually hadn''t thought of it even though it had already appeared in front of our eyes. It took a few detours before we discovered this. If kk hadn¡¯t stepped on this drop of blood by mistake, everyone would still be in the dark!" The feeling of sudden realizations always brought a kind of thorough rejuvenation. Chen Shi wondered if his thinking had be dulled after spending two months in the detention center since he had only figured it out now.


    "Everyone hasn''t gotten off work yet. I''ll call them, and we¡¯ll prepare to arrest him!"


    "No, no¡­" Chen Shi considered. "This drop of blood found on kk can''t prove where it came from. When we go tonight, we will search carefully and find this key evidence. Go to Old Peng to get some cotton swabs and reagents¡­ Let everyone have a good time during the Mid-Autumn Festival. If they were called back after we said they could get off work, how much would they hate me in their hearts?"


    Lin Dongxue also smiled. "Should we bring a gun?"


    "No, Liao Chunhuang still doesn¡¯t know that we know. There won¡¯t be any risk tonight."


    "To be on the safe side, I''ll still carry a gun."


    "That¡¯s okay too."


    Tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival. People from all walks of life were preparing to go home and reunite with their loved ones. There was a round of ice in the sky1, casting down endless clear and bright light, but the human world was crowded. The cars on the road moved forward slowly like the inspiration of a writer suffering writer¡¯s block. kk called five or six times to hurry him up. He was going crazy. Chen Shi couldn¡¯t do anything though. It¡¯s not like he could fly over. He kept tapping the steering wheel anxiously.


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and scrolled through her WeChat Moments. "Xiaodong has already gone home to eat mooncakes¡­ Damn, who is my brother having dinner with? Is it a blind date again?¡­ Someday when I see Captain Peng¡¯s Moments post, the sun will really rise from the west."


    "He¡¯s posted something before!"


    "Has he?"


    "I remember that in 2015 he posted, ''If Ick the real answer, it''s because I still don''t know what to ask.'' Just like a lunatic, I only found out that he had a problem at work when I asked him about it."


    "At that time, you were still Song Lang."


    "Yeah, I never thought that in four years, I would be sitting in the same car with the most beautiful woman in the world."


    Looking at each other and smiling, they gave each other a peck, then kissed passionately. Lin Dongxue whispered, "My shirt ising off."


    "Are you serious?"


    At this time, a horn sounded from behind, and Chen Shi hurriedly sat properly and continued driving. Lin Dongxue said, "Haha, it works. This trick works too well."


    "Drive the car by making out?"


    "Stupid, I mean Murphy''sw. As soon as you go for a shower, the delivery wille. When you and your friends make an appointment to go window-shopping, something will happen at the bureau today. As soon as you start up a game at work, the boss will appear immediately. It¡¯s always the case."


    "True, true, I¡¯ve learned it!"


    After all the difficulties, they finally got to the hotel. kk, who had been waiting in the lobby, was so anxious that his stomping had nearly broken the floorboards. "Have you guys been giving birth? You¡¯re sote. Hurry up. We¡¯ve been waiting just for you."


    "Waiting for this?" Chen Shi raised the newspaper in his hand.


    "Go upstairs! Go upstairs!"


    When they got to that floor, Old Man Lu was thumping his cane with his face as gloomy as an overcast sky. Master Liao was sitting next to him. The two "sons" were just standing behind. When he saw Chen Shi, he thumped the cane, making ¡°dong, dong¡± noises. "Song Lang, are you doing this on purpose? We had told you in advance but you took so long. You need to take responsibility if we miss the auspicious time."


    "I''m sorry." Chen Shi answered perfunctorily. "The road conditions were really poor today."


    ncing at the traffic outside the window, Old Man Lu''s grievances subsided a little, but he stillined, "Why do all those poor people take holidays? It¡¯ll affect the mood of rich people like us during the Mid-Autumn Festival."


    "It''s best for all the poor to die so that there are only rich people left in the world. That would be wonderful." kk said sarcastically.


    Old Man Lu nced at kk. "You brought your pet with you?"


    "I¡­" kk was about to fly into a fit of rage, but was stopped by Chen Shi who whispered, "There¡¯s a n afoot tonight!"


    He handed "Zhou Xiao''s murder weapon" over to Old Man Lu. He looked it over, raised his bald eyebrows suspiciously, and asked, "It¡¯s this worn-out knife?"


    "Let me see." Master Liao took it. He was suddenly startled, said an incantation as he gestured, pushing his pinched fingers against the de a few times. "This thing has an intense killing aura, and there are seventy-three wronged spirits crying and wailing. It must be the murder weapon the demon used!"


    Old Man Lu nodded in satisfaction and made a gesture, "Give him the money and let him get lost!"


    "No, I don''t want money. I just want to observe what Master Liao does. Honestly speaking, I have never seen half immortals even though I¡¯m this old."


    "Hehehehe hahahaha!" Mater Liaoughed rhythmically. "Thisyman is questioning my Taoist skills, so let him observe it. Also, I want to correct you. I am not half immortal. I¡¯m an immortal that has been incarnated in a human body. Give me a little more respect. If I waved my hand, I could wipe out your whole police station."


    "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Chen Shi sped his hands together. Looking at a person who was about to be arrested put up this farce was just like watching a clown.


    Old Man Lu held up a finger. "Song Lang, observing is one thing, but if you dare to mess with it, I¡¯ll strangle you to death!"


    1. A saying that describes the moon as being round like an ice-carved fruit tter.

 Chapter 934: The Magical Performance

    <h4>Chapter 934: The Magical Performance</h4>


    Master Liao wore a ck robe with a bagua1 on the back as well as Taoist headgear on his head. He held a fly whisk, and walked in front in an awe-inspiring manner. Qingfeng and Mingyue, the two "Taoist boys", followed behind him, and then there were numerous disciples, just like the stars surrounding the moon.


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and kk were in the middle.


    Behind them were Old Man Lu, his men, and his two "sons."


    Chen Shi thought that after being a swindler for a long time, he had even ended up fooling himself. He actually believed in the ¡°Five Elements Reincarnation¡±. What a pitiful and hateful fellow.


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "There¡¯s no chance to get out!"


    "Go with the flow!" Chen Shi said, "When the magic duel starts, we can take advantage of the chaos to slip away."


    "Actually, I really want to see the two fake Taoist priests fight. It will definitely be very exciting¡­ kk, where are Little Worm and Old Taoist Master?"


    kk replied in a low voice, "They¡¯reying in ambush, and wille out halfway to tear down the stage. A good show is guaranteed tonight¡­ By the way, why are you trying to get away?"


    kk still didn''t know about the blood stains and Lin Dongxue gestured for him to stay silent.


    They finally arrived at the room where the altar had been set up. Master Liao flicked the fly whisk to the left and to the right twice. The disciples assumed their positions. Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and kk found ces to sit down. One disciple shouted, "You can''t sit there. You¡¯re blocking the ritual!"


    After they moved elsewhere, he said again, "No, not there, you¡¯re blocking the Feng Shui."


    "Then where should we sit?" Chen Shi asked helplessly.


    The disciple looked around, pointed under the pir by the door, "Sit there and don''t move around."


    "What if we need to go to the toilet halfway through?"


    "Hold it! Why are there so many things you need to do? Are you sincerely here to watch?" The disciple red.


    Sitting on the floor, kkined, "There isn¡¯t even a mat, haii!"


    Lin Dongxue looked at the door behind them. "It''s easy to get out from here. It''s pretty good."


    After everyone had taken their positions, Master Liao ced the knife that Chen Shi had bought from the supermarket for 19 yuan respectfully onto the table, and stuck incense sticks into the incense burner. Chen Shi saw him cover them up with his robe¡¯s sleeve and smear some powder onto the incense sticks and incense candles. Master Liao then flicked the fly whisk from left to right, reciting an incantation. With a swish, the sandalwood incense sticks as well as the incense candles spontaneously ignited, and smoke rose upwards in spirals. Master Liao pointed and shouted, "Ignite!"


    People who didn¡¯t know better might think that the sandalwood incense sticks and the incense candles had ignited by themselves when Master Liao pointed at them. In fact, the opposite was true. He was waiting for the white phosphorus on them toe into full contact with the air and reach the ignition point, before performing this action.


    Chen Shiughed secretly. He really was a swindler after all.


    Master Liao threw the fly whisk from one hand to the other. He formed hand seals with one hand while waving the fly whisk with the other, reciting the incantation. "Humans and deities aren¡¯t at peace. Informing the essence of the Way, the seven spirits who protect life, and the three revered Taoist deities, the immeasurable Master Chunhuang is here, and he¡¯s ordering the Demon Lord to show up quickly! Hurry and obey the order!"


    He recited the incantation and exercised his magic powers as if he was suffering from constipation. His whole body was trembling. Upon seeing this, Old Man Lu hurriedly lowered his head and chanted along.


    A disciple suddenly stood up. "It''s not good, Master. Quickly withdraw your magical powers¡­" He pointed up to the ceiling, "It is the Mid-Autumn Moon, and the Yin energy is very strong. Your spell just then opened the doors of hells. The devils, demons, ghosts and monsters are charging here!"


    "How many havee?"


    The disciple poked his temples with both hands, looked towards the ceiling, and reported, "Your disciple used his third eye and saw a total of 147 million and seventy-three demons of the lower realm!" He answered dramatically in an exaggerated way.


    kk murmured, "Is that supposed to be funny? Even if he has the third eye, can he count such a specific number at a nce?"


    "Hehehehe hahahaha!" Master Liaoughed as he raised his face upwards. "It¡¯s good that they¡¯vee. This is the Demon Lord testing us. If we don''t show our true skills, how would the Demon Lord agree to help me?!"


    Chen Shi thought that the "Demon Lord" was probably picking his feet in prison right now.


    They saw a pile of yellow paper on the table being blown up by the wind, and splintering automatically in mid-air, turning into paper people. Master Liao stood in ce, sweeping back and forth with the fly whisk. The paper people would burst into mes and turn into ashes before they touched him.


    At the same time, the lights in the room were flickering, and kk yawned for a long time. Chen Shi gave him a look indicating that he should be more serious.


    This tossing and dancingsted for over a minute, and all the ashes of the paper meny under Master Liao''s feet. Then a disciple suddenly shook his head and foamed at the mouth. Everyone was shocked and stretched out their hands to hold him down. The ¡°possessed¡± disciple arched his body upwards, and the other people were bounced off very dramatically.


    He stood up and shouted, "I¡¯m the great snake immortal, the Demon Lord sent me to see what¡¯s happening. Are lowly creatures like you fit to call upon the Demon Lord?"


    They saw Master Liao pull out a sword made of copper coins from his sleeve, brandish it in his hand, poke the forehead of the ¡°possessed¡± disciple, and shout, "Master Chunhuang is here. I won¡¯t let a little demon like you act so presumptuously."


    "Uh, Ah!"


    The ¡°possessed¡± disciple screamed, went flying into a pir, and fell down unconscious.


    Chen Shi thought that they had really put in a lot of effort.


    These were all clearly fake, but Old Man Lu took everything seriously, staring intently with bated breath.


    Master Liao put down his copper-coin sword and shouted, "The Greedy Wolf Demon Lord needs to show up quickly. Show up quickly! Hurry and obey the order!"


    The incense burner in front of him suddenly exploded and a cloud of smoke rose up. A vague figure appeared in the smoke. Old Man Lu became excited and put his hands together. "Great Demon Lord, please grant me 12 more years of life."


    Gloomyughter reverberated in the room, and with the flickering of the lights, the atmosphere became a little eerie. Old Man Lu was trembling with fear and cold sweat kept trickling down.


    "Brazen Demon Lord, if you don''t obey your orders, I will surely make you perish."


    After that, the disciples began to recite an incantation that harmonized together into a wave of sound. Master Liao opened his hand and sucked that ball of "evil smoke" into his sleeve. The figure of the Demon Lord also began to flicker, but when you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of a small motor. There was a small fan hidden in his sleeve, and the sound of the incantation was just to conceal its noise.


    Old Man Lu panicked. "Master, don''t put away the Demon Lord. Let me talk to him. As long as I can prolong my life, I will pay no matter what the price is, even if it costs my son''s life." He pointed to the innocent Wang Haitao next to him.


    "Don''t be afraid, don''t be afraid!" Master Liao calmed him down while subduing the demon. "I am just showing him his ce as this fellow is very arrogant."


    "Oh, oh." Old Man Lu nodded and sat back down again.


    "I order you to show your true form!" Master Liao shouted. Naturally, his words weren¡¯t directed at the supernatural being, but for his assistants.


    Suddenly, the smoke dissipated together with the lighting effects, and the lights stopped flickering. A torn sock suddenly fell down from nowhere onto the altar table.


    Master Liao was stunned, and asked his subordinates in a low voice without moving his lips, "What''s going on?"


    "I don''t know! What I obviously put there was¡­" the subordinate replied nkly.


    The torn sock flew up, spinning slowly in mid-air, and if one looked closely, a thin fment could be seen in the air. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy to spot under the cover of smoke.


    The torn sock said, "I¡¯m the true form of the Demon Lord Zhou Xiao. I¡¯m now sitting in prison and cannot get out. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival but the prison only gave out half a five-nuts mooncake, which was super unptable. I want to eat one with a duck-egg yolk!"


    It was clearly Sun Zhen''s voice. kk covered his mouth andughed until his whole body shook.


    Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi were also cheered up instantly. The people who were about to tear down the stage have finallye. A good show really was about to begin.


    1. Eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrted concepts.

 Chapter 935: Magic Battle Between The Immortals

    <h4>Chapter 935: Magic Battle Between The Immortals</h4>


    An unnned situation had urred in the middle of the "performance". Liao Chunhuang was also bbergasted for half a minute, then he stammered, "Brazen Demon Lord, stop being arrogant. You have to do what I tell you to do."


    The torn sock floating in midair said, "Sorry, I don''t have the power right now. I have to eat my fill of mooncakes before I can help you."


    Old Man Lu said, "Master, it¡¯s the Mid-Autumn Festival. If the Demon Lord wants to eat moon cakes, I¡¯ll just go and get some."


    "Then¡­ go get one!" Liao Chunhuang said in a cold sweat.


    Old Man Lu asked Wang Haitao to get some. Taking this opportunity, Liao Chunhuang desperately gestured to a disciple, only to see that disciple quietly withdraw. In fact, there was a secret chamber hidden at the side of this room, and Sun Zhen was hiding in it right now.


    kk said, "Oh no, they found out. I''ll help out!"


    With that, he slipped out quietly.


    At this moment, a cloud of smoke rose up in the room and everyone was shocked. Chen Shi noticed a figure crawling out from under the cloth-covered altar table and standing within the smoke. After the smoke dissipated, heughed, "This Taoist master saw that there are demons causing chaos here, so I¡¯m using my skills to help."


    Old Man Lu said in surprise, "Hey, isn''t this the old immortal from yesterday?"


    "Yes, he¡¯s Master Zhenglei from the Heavenly Master Sect!"


    "Thank you for the recognition!" The old Taoist priest cupped his hands together in greeting. "I greet the immeasurable Master Chunhuang!"


    The two swindlers were ttering each other, but Liao Chunhuang¡¯s hands were trembling underneath. He wasn¡¯t afraid, but angry. It was the most shameless thing for a peer to cut the ground from under the feet of someone from the same industry.


    The old Taoist priest pinched his fingers in calction, and then said in fear, "The immeasurable Master Chunhuang, you¡¯re actually summoning the Demon Lord here? This is an act against the heavens!"


    Old Man Lu said, "Master, I was the one who asked him to summon the Demon Lord. I want to live a few more years. Don''t me him."


    "Old gentleman, there are many ways to prolong life. This Demon Lord must never be summoned. The Demon Lord''s nature is malevolent. Even if he assists you, he would only take away more things from you."


    "As long as I live a long life, I don''t care what the price is."


    "Your words aren¡¯t right. Extending your life regardless of the cost will only make you miserable. After you die, you will also suffer endless torture in hell. I have a close rtionship with The Old Man of The South Pole.1 I can discuss with him to give you 12 years of life in exchange for 12 in your next life. There is no cost to this. Hurry up and dismiss this Demon Lord!"


    Old Man Lu was startled, and asked Liao Chunhuang, "Master, there¡¯s also this method?"


    With cold sweat on his forehead, Liao said, "We asked the three deities, Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity, a long time ago, and they were unwilling to help, so we came up with this inferior n."


    "That''s because of your shallow level of cultivation. The deities aren¡¯t heeding your calls, but it will be different if I invite them."


    "Huh, my cultivation level is shallow? Don''t deceive the mortals here. I have a history of 1400 years, so even though I have a century-old body, I still look youthful. Unlike you whose golden core is impure, so you have the appearance of an old man. Old Master Lu, his cultivation is far below mine. Don''t be bewitched by his heresy!"


    "Haha!" The old Taoist priest threw his head back andughed. "The ignorant junior is actually uttering wild words here. I have undergone nine reincarnations, and have been cultivating my skills for a total of 580 million years. Half of the immortals in the heavens are my juniors. It¡¯s only that you don¡¯t recognize my golden body."


    "Then show off your skills!"


    "I¡¯ll let you see what a real immortal¡¯s skills are like. Haa!"


    The old Taoist priest stretched out his hand and pushed forward. They could see the torn sock float up and twist in midair.


    "Hmph, cheap tricks!" Liao Chunhuang said with disdain. He stretched out his hand and pushed, and the torn sock flew in the opposite direction.


    The two of them each exercised their powers and pushed the torn sock around. Old Man Lu was astonished by what he saw. In fact, kk, Sun Zhen and Liao Chunhuang''s disciples were huddled together in the secret chamber next to them,peting for control of the mechanism behind it.


    Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue didn''t stay to appreciate this scene. They slipped out through the back door during the chaos.


    While the two great immortals were fighting each other, they went to the room which Liao Chunhuang normally used to meditate and rest. They took out the luminol reagent, sprayed it on the ground, but didn¡¯t find any blood.


    Then they went to the next room, but still didn¡¯t find any traces. Lin Dongxue asked, "Could it be a secret room or something like that?"


    "No, it wouldn''t. At the time, kk had juste for a tour with the old Taoist priest. It must be one of these rooms¡­ It stands to reason that the bloodstains on the ground would definitely congeal. How could he step on the bloodstains?"


    "It¡¯s the same as how we use damp cotton swabs to take blood samples, the soles of kk''s shoes must have been damp at the time."


    "Yes!" Chen Shi said ebulliently. "He probably had gone to the bathroom or somece like that. Let¡¯s go and search."


    There was a bathroom at the end of the corridor. Diagonally opposite was the room consecrated to Zhou Xiao''s altar tablet. The two sprayed reagents on the floor. When they sprayed around the prayer mats, some fluorescent blue appeared on the ground. The two were excited and immediately used cotton swabs to extract some samples.


    Chen Shi suddenly raised his hands and put them on the wall. Lin Dongxue asked what was wrong. He said, "There¡¯s a breeze!"


    The room was originally made of reinforced concrete. In order to create the rustic atmosphere of a Taoist temple, wooden wall panels had been pasted on the walls. Chen Shi knocked on one of the panels and found that there was a hollow sound.


    He kicked with his foot a few times. The wooden board cracked from the kicks. After breaking it apart, there was a secret door hidden behind.


    The two of them exchanged nces of astonishment, and squeezed in sideways. They saw a veryrge space with a concrete tform in the middle. There seemed to be some people standing around, looking very eerie in the dead silence and the darkness.


    Lin Dongxue found the light pull cord on the wall and pulled it. The secret room was instantly illuminated. It turned out that there were five cast copper Taoist boys standing around the concrete tform with their hands stretched out. The round tform had been painted with a bagua and yin and yang symbols.


    Lin Dongxue sprayed some reagents on top of it, but there were no reactions this time. It seemed that the ceremony had not yet begun. Chen Shi discovered a small freezer at the side of the entrance. A small freezer standing alone in the empty secret room really stood out.


    Chen Shi opened the freezer and saw that there were several bags inside, which had already frozen. There were clearly five human organs in the bags.


    "The evidence is conclusive. Liao Chunhuang really is¡­"


    Chen Shi turned his head and found the Taoist ¡°boy¡± named Qingfeng standing silently behind him. Before he could react, Qingfeng pulled him up and threw him backwards. Chen Shi almost flew over half the room and fell heavily to the ground.


    "Asshole!"


    Lin Dongxue cursed, punching Qingfeng in the face, but thetter party remained unmoved, and reached out to grab her.


    Lin Dongxue grabbed his wrist with her left hand, and pushed his shoulder with her right hand. This was a technique used for capturing the enemy''s fist, but Qingfeng''s arm was thicker than her leg, and she found that she couldn''t move the other party''s joints at all.


    Qingfeng grabbed her neck and lifted her up like a baby chick. The pain of suffocation caused Lin Dongxue to struggle violently.


    Seeing this situation, Chen Shi rushed over and threw himself on Qingfeng''s body, strangling his neck with his arms while using all his strength. Only then did Qingfeng release Lin Dongxue, and he grabbed at Chen Shi backhandedly while moving backwards.


    There was a huge disparity between the two¡¯s body sizes. Chen Shi locked on his throat tightly, trying to make him fall unconscious. Qingfeng''s head began to turn red and purple, and the movements of his hands became fric. Chen Shi''s jacket was almost torn apart. However, he didn¡¯t let go no matter what.


    Seeing that he was about to seed, a huge force suddenly pulled Chen Shi away. It turned out that the Taoist ¡°boy¡± named Mingyue had also appeared. He had pulled Chen Shi away. Chen Shi didn¡¯t want to be sent flying again, so he took off his jacket and went past between Mingyue''s legs.


    Mingyue turned around to beat Chen Shi. Chen Shi knew that he wouldn¡¯t win in a full-on fight. He went around to the side and punched him on the waist.


    When Mingyue turned around angrily, he went around again and kicked the back of Mingyue''s knee.


    "Ah!"


    Mingyue roared, and as soon as he turned around, Chen Shi, who was more nimble than him, punched his nose, causing blood to spurt from his nostrils.


    Qingfeng was about to head over to help, when he suddenly heard Lin Dongxue yell, "Nobody move!"


    Lin Dongxue took out her pistol. Even immortals could hardly escape a gun. Qingfeng was a little scared and prepared to surrender when the ck hole of the pistol¡¯s muzzle pointed at him. Mingyue had more spine than him, and shouted, "Don''t be afraid, the police dare not shoot."


    "Then you can try it!" Chen Shi said.


    Mingyue gritted his teeth, but he still didn''t dare to take this kind of gamble.


    "Everybody kneel down!"


    "A man only kneels to the heavens, the earth, his parents¡­"


    "Kneel down!!!"


    The two could only raise their hands and kneel down. Chen Shi caught the handcuffs thrown over by Lin Dongxue, handcuffed the two people¡¯s wrists together, and asked, "Who asked you toe?"


    "Master¡­ he found that you guys went missing halfway, so he asked us toe and have a look. As expected, you guys had malicious intentions."


    1. Taoist deification of Canopus which represents happiness and longevity.

 Chapter 936: Desperate Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 936: Desperate Struggle</h4>


    "Should we call for back-up?" Lin Dongxue took out her phone and asked.


    "How long would it take them to get here with the traffic conditions tonight? Please contact the nearby police station!"


    Just after dialing, there were footsteps behind them. The two looked back and saw Liao Chunhuang walking in with disheveled hair. His eyes widened and said, "You¡­ despicable people. You got that old Taoist priest to distract me, and it turned out to be for this!"


    "Don''t move!" Lin Dongxue raised her gun.


    After being exposed by the police, Liao Chunhuang''s face was distorted with anger. He suddenly yelled and stretched out a hand towards Lin Dongxue. "Go and die!"


    "Don''t engage in this farce!" Chen Shi said, "You don''t have the self-consciousness of a swindler at all. Do you really think you have magic powers? How many people have you harmed?!"


    "I''m harming people!?" Liao Chunhuang walked to the concrete tform where the ceremony was going to be held. Lin Dongxue''s pistol kept following him. "You were the ones who harmed me first! Back then, my wife and I fell in love with each other, but her brother desperately tried to separate us. Because I was poor at the time, he looked down on me! In order to keep her away from me, he locked her up and made her mentally ill. In the end, she was forced to kill the man and escape in order to elope with me, but you police only looked at the result. You only saw that she had killed someone, but didn¡¯t think about who had driven her to such a step! She was such a kind, gentle and virtuous person. She was everything to me. But you wanted to shut her up together with those criminals and harm us husband and wife by not letting us see each other. I can only help her in my own way! I will be sessful. I will definitely be sessful!"


    Liao Chunhuang spoke while pulling out a knife from his sleeve. Lin Dongxue said, "Put the knife down!"


    Liao Chunhuang was holding the knife with his nostrils ring. Chen Shi walked over slowly and said, "To get your wife out of jail, those five deserved to die?"


    "Isn''t this the way of this world? The lives of the poor are like grass. Do you really care about them? Isn''t it all work for you? The dead will get buried and the murderers will be caught! If I can''t see her in the Yang world,1 I will go to the Yin world2 and wait for her. No one can stop me!"


    As he said this, he aimed the knife at his own chest. Chen Shi quickly ran over and grabbed his arm.


    The two struggled with each other. Liao Chunhuang, who had lost his rationality, had great strength and desperately tried tomit suicide. Chen Shi pushed him away forcefully. Liao Chunhuang stumbled, fell on the floor, and also dropped the knife. He got up and rushed towards the entrance of the secret room.


    "Stop right there!"


    Chen Shi grabbed him, pinned him to the floor, and handcuffed him from behind. Liao Chunhuang struggled non-stop, and roared, "What right do you have to meddle with me? You ordinary people don¡¯t know anything. You don¡¯t understand anything!"


    "Lamentable fellow, your wife at least resisted her brother and went to jail, but you killed people for the sake of superstition!"


    "The ¡®Five Elements Reincarnation¡¯ is not superstition. It¡¯s real. Let me do it, and I will show it to you!"


    "Stop it!"


    Suddenly, Liao Chunhuang stopped struggling. Hey on the ground and said, "The police have caught me. Act now!"


    It didn''t sound as though he was talking to Chen Shi. Chen Shi searched his clothes. It turned out that he had hidden a mobile phone in his bosom. Chen Shi was so angry that he wanted to beat him and he asked, "What order did you give?!"


    Liao Chunhuangughed loudly, "You will release me in a while and ept all my conditions."


    Chen Shi suddenly understood. "Old Man Lu!"


    Chen Shi uncuffed Liao Chunhuang¡¯s hands, dragged him to the wall and handcuffed him to a pipe. His two disciples were also handled the same way.


    After dealing with them, the two hurried to the room where the magical performance had taken ce. The room was in chaos at the moment. Old Man Lu''s "new son" was strangling him from behind, and holding a knife in his hand. He was in the middle of confronting the old Taoist priest, Sun Zhen, kk and Wang Haitao.


    Those disciples were also scared, because they hadn¡¯t known about this secret beforehand. During the interrogations afterwards, it turned out that they didn''t know about Liao Chunhuang hiring a killer to murder and collect organs.


    The ¡°new son" sneered. "You came here at the right time. Let¡¯s make an exchange. Let the Master go!"


    Chen Shi asked coldly, "Is there a purpose in your desperate struggle? Originally you were just an aplice, but now you¡¯re taking a hostage? Do you know how serious the crime is? I¡¯ll give you three seconds to release the man. One¡­ two¡­"


    "Don''t try this on me!" The ¡°new son" shouted. "It¡¯s not as though I''ve never been in prison before. Who do you think you¡¯re trying to scare? If you let him go, I will let this guy go. Otherwise, this old man won¡¯t live!"


    Old Man Lu trembled in fear. "Don''t be impulsive. Why don¡¯t you take my son as a hostage instead? He is young and more suitable than me, a broken old man."


    Wang Haitao also said, "Brother, let me be the hostage. Father has heart problems and can''t withstand the stress."


    The "new son" ignored him, and then Old Man Lu asked the old Taoist priest for help. "Old immortal, quickly use your magical powers to teach this ungrateful animal a lesson."


    The old Taoist priest pinched his fingers together in calction. "Ahhhhhhh!"


    "What''s the matter?" Old Man Lu¡¯s heart thumped.


    "This is the eighty-first cmity you are destined to go through. Although I have the ability, I can''t interfere. If you can survive this cmity, you will be an immortal after death."


    This nonsense really didn''t match the current atmosphere, but Old Man Lu believed it to be true. "Can you also calcte whether I will survive?"


    The ¡°new son" knocked Old Man Lu¡¯s head with the back of the knife. "Old ¡®One Foot in the Coffin¡¯, who are you calling an animal? Before this, you called me ¡®Son¡¯ so affectionately! Let me tell you, these people, this old man, all of these motherfuckers are swindlers. You¡¯ve been tricked, you idiot!"


    "Master Chunhuang is a swindler, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯m really an immortal." The old Taoist priest insisted.


    "Tch, we¡¯re all from the same industry. Who are you bluffing?!"


    Wang Haitao eximed, "Let him go! I will plead with Officer Chen to reduce your sentence by a few years. Don''t be foolish. You can''t get out of here at all."


    The ¡°new son" roared, "Can''t you understand human words? If you let the Master go, I will let him go!"


    "Okay, okay, I''ll let him go now." Chen Shi made a concession in order to gain advantages.


    "You also have to prepare a car for us."


    "How far can you drive the car with the traffic jam outside?"


    "Then I want a helicopter. Park it on the top of this building!"


    "First of all, do you know how to pilot it? Secondly, the police helicopter has the words ''Public Security'' on it. Are you sure you want to pilot that to escape?"


    "Don''t y tricks with me!"


    At this time, Old Man Lu suddenly cried, "Haitao, I¡¯ve let you down. I¡¯m really not a good father and let you suffer so much in the first half of your life. After we finally acknowledged each other, I always engaged in these peculiar things and have been a burden on you. In my heart, I realize you will be a perfect heir, and that it''s time for me to let go and hand things over to you, but I''m so greedy. I always want this and that. I''ve always been like this my whole life, and I¡¯ve ended up with nothing, haii!"


    Wang Haitao also shed tears, "No matter what, you will always be my father. I¡¯ve always respected you very much. I feel proud to have a father like you!"


    "I''m not worthy, I''m not worthy¡­" Old Man Lu¡¯s tears fell like rain. He kept holding his hand to his chest, and suddenly, he let out a long sigh. His unscrupulous face which was never satisfied suddenly became indifferent and detached like that of a sage. "My time hase. Haitao, goodbye forever!"


    Then his whole body trembled, his eyes rolled back, and he went limp in the hands of the "new son".


    1. Human realm. Represented by ¡°yang¡± from ¡°yin and yang.¡±


    2. Ghost/underworld realm.

 Chapter 937: Lack of Faith

    <h4>Chapter 937: Lack of Faith</h4>


    Seeing Old Man Lu suddenly draw hisst breath, the "new son" panicked, let go and said, "This can''t be counted as me killing him!"


    Chen Shi rushed forward, snatched his knife, held his hands behind his back, and said, "Behave yourself!"


    Then he asked kk and Sun Zhen toe over and watch him. kk went up and kicked the "new son" in the groin. The ¡°new son¡± held his groin as he squatted down in pain and Chen Shi questioned, "Why did you hurt him?"


    "How can we subdue him if I don''t hurt him?" kk said as if it should be taken for granted.


    "Just pin him down on the floor. Haii, really¡­"


    Wang Haitao was shaking Old Man Lu who had copsed on the floor with tears raining down. Chen Shi went over to check, and when he put his hand under Old Man Lu''s nose, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. His expression returned to his former arrogance, "Motherfuckers, you police are really useless. If I didn¡¯t act out that scene myself, I don¡¯t know how much more I would have suffered!"


    "Huh? Acting?"


    "What? Are you hoping that I¡¯ll die?" Old Man Lu gave Chen Shi a scornful nce. "Support me to go and rest for a while."


    Later, the police hurriedly arrived and took all these people away.


    When Liao Chunhuang was taken away, he was still struggling incessantly. On the other hand, his subordinates were very obedient. They lined up and walked out one by one. All the magical tools at the scene were taken away as evidence of their crimes.


    Only then did Chen Shi have the opportunity to inspect the scene. There was a secret chamber hidden behind a pir at the side of the room, which acted as a control room. The buttons on the table werebelled ¡°Lights¡±, ¡°Smoke¡±, ¡°Sounds¡±, ¡°Projections¡± etc. All you need to do is click, and the altar would produce the corresponding effect.


    "It''s the same as a stage y. What a huge expense." Lin Dongxue said. "We should ask Old Man Lu toe and have a look so that he knows he has been fooled."


    "Leave this task to Wang Haitao. Let''s go and bid them goodbye!"


    When they got to the lounge, the old Taoist priest was exining "principles" to Old Man Lu. "In fact, the pursuit of longevity is a bad path, because human lifespans are determined by the heavens. Emperors and generals in ancient times failed in their quest for longevity, what more amon businessman like you. Ever since the beginning, the universe has been divided into three realms. This has its reasons. This human realm is like a school. If you learn well, you can go to the heavens to be an immortal after death. If you don''t learn well, you will have to go to hell to do hardbour. After the death of the Yellow Emperor, Qiao mountain shattered and a divine dragon took him to the heavens. Anyone who has attained the Way can attain immortality and ascend to the heavens. There are now 5.3 billion immortals in the heavens, which is the same as our human realm. Immortals are just what we call them. The Barefoot Great Immortal and the Taibai Jinxing you know are civil servants among the immortals, and are called immortal officials. When you go there, you will be the most ordinary of immortals. You can take a wife to spend your life with and you can also do business. It doesn¡¯t matter if you eat meat or drink, you can also gamble and find prostitutes in the heavens. Otherwise, what would the deities of gambling and prostitution be doing? All the pleasures in the human realm can be found in the heavens, but there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s even better. There is no exploitation there. Everyone is rich, and you won¡¯t get sick or get old¡­ So, it¡¯s spiritual cultivation that is the right way!"


    Old Man Lu''s eyes gleamed as he listened, and he patted Wang Haitao''s hand. "I really learned about the Way toote. I''ve been fooled by that damn swindler for so long. I should have met this true immortal long ago. From now on, thepany will be left to you. I¡¯ll cultivate myself together with the old master. When I go to the heavenly realm, I will open a branch office up in the heavens. The people there are simple-minded and will just let me earn their money easily. I will be the richest one in the heavens. I won¡¯t be an immortal official. I¡¯ll be a god of wealth instead. What do you think, son?!"


    Wang Haitao could only humor him with a wry smile. "Very good, father."


    The old Taoist priest continued talking so avidly that Old Man Lu didn¡¯t notice Chen Shi and Lin Dongxueing in. Wang Haitao saw the two of them and walked over. "Mr. Chen, you saved us again. I really don¡¯t know how to thank you!"


    "No, you don''t need to thank me. I can''t ept your thanks either."


    Wang Haitao nced inside the room. "Although this old gentleman is also a big swindler, he is better than thest one. People still need some spiritual support, especially old people like my father."


    "You need to watch him carefully. Don''t let this big swindler lead him into a trap."


    "It won''t happen this time. Haii, my father''s body is getting worse by the day. I also hope that hisst moments will be lived out happily."


    "Take care, Mr. Wang."


    "Thank you!"


    On the way back, Lin Dongxue mentioned "I feel that contemporary people have ack of faith. After Old Man Lu¡¯s matter, I feel that even illusory faith is also meaningful. At least, it will let people be brave in the face of nothingness after death."


    "Do you think there¡¯s nothingness after death?"


    "Otherwise, what else can there be? The brain stops working, so how can thinking exist?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "You don''t think so?"


    "In the past, people thought that there was a God because the world at that time was full of mysterious unknowns, and people felt that a greater existence must have created everything; now everyone thinks that there is no God, because we¡¯ve been able to go to space and explore the deep seas, and the sky does not hold the pces of gods. From this perspective, our thinking mode is the same as that of our ancestors, which means that one day what we think is correct will be overturned too! What is the truth like? Our imagination is limited to nothing more than aliens, multiple dimensionality, and time travel. These are like the gods that the ancients had fantasized about, extensions of themselves, and the real unknown is something we¡¯repletely unable to imagine. If everything today is overthrown, including the atheism which has bemon sense, in that case, is there a god in this world?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled, "I think you should also be a big swindler!"

 Chapter 938: Meeting In The Prison

    <h4>Chapter 938: Meeting In The Prison</h4>


    Volume 55: Little Genius Detective


    Jiyushan Prison.


    Zhou Xiao slowly walked into the meeting room. Tao Yueyue had been waiting at the table for a long time. The loosening of the chains on his body made a rattling noise. He had shaved his head into a crew cut, and he was a lot thinner and less dispirited than in the past. There was an elderly indifference to his face.


    "How are you doing?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    Zhou Xiao shrugged. "I¡¯m still making peace with it all. I will be executed next month. Thank you foring to see me."


    Tao Yueyue felt that he was no longer Zhou Xiao. He hadpletely lost his former hostility. Perhaps it was because there were prison guards who were supervising the meeting outside the door!


    "I brought you the cigarettes I promised before. I handed it over to the prison guards."


    "Thank you."


    "In addition, I topped-up some money for you. It¡¯s about 20,000 yuan, so you can eat a few good meals."


    "Why are you treating me so well?" Zhou Xiao smirked. His expression reminded Tao Yueyue of the past.


    "The money is yours."


    "Mine?"


    "A director approached me and said that he wanted to buy the licence for my experience. He wanted to adapt it into a movie. I asked if he wanted to sign an authorization letter with you, but he said there was no need since you¡¯d be executed soon. It¡¯d be impossible for you to sue him." Tao Yueyue shrugged. "So I made a small fortune, and now I¡¯m rich in school."


    "Who will y my character?"


    "It seems to be Cai Zhengkai."


    "Haha, haha!" Zhou Xiao was very happy. "You don''t need to watch it then. It most definitely will be a bad film and be rubbish that will just take advantage of this hot topic."


    "It¡¯s already filming. I will go y with the crew tomorrow since it¡¯s the weekend."


    "This may be thest time we will meet. I want to ask you something. What do you think of me?"


    "I neither hate nor like you. When I was young, there was a wild dog near my house. It was very pitiful and well-behaved. As long as you gave him a bite to eat, he would be very good to you. Once, a child hit him with a stick. The dog was anxious and bit the child¡¯s hand. The child¡¯s family contacted the local police, and I saw the police chasing the dog all morning. They finally blocked it and then strangled it to death with a rope. You¡¯re like that in my eyes: an animal who is selfish. It¡¯s neither good nor evil. It only lives for itself!"


    "This was the most pertinent evaluation I''ve heard." Zhou Xiao nodded. "Actually, I don''t feel so pitiful. It''s just the way I chose to live. Tao Yueyue, whether you admit it or not, I had an impact on you. It has prated into your heart and will apany you throughout your life. In a sense, this is my legacy."


    "Yes!" Tao Yueyue admitted frankly. "When studying criminal psychology at the police academy, you were the most vivid example in my mind."


    "What?! You¡¯re a student at the police academy now?!" Zhou Xiao was shocked, as if seeing a piece of good material being ruined. "Damn Song Lang. Does he think it¡¯s great to be a policeman?"


    "Uncle Chen told me this: My heart was originally evil. So-called kindness is just an unspoken rule for everyone to live together peacefully. Only by learning kindness can you survive in the crowd and get more benefits. Benefiting others is out of self-interest, so I agreed to go to the police academy."


    Zhou Xiao sighed, as if letting go of his inner obsession. "Forget it, this world has nothing to do with me anyway¡­ Is the police academy fun?"


    "It¡¯s dull, boring, arduous, trivial, and there are annoying ssmates everywhere. I can''t imagine how bad they will be when they be police officers in the future. But, my grades are very good. As long as your grades are good, no matter how arrogant you are, it¡¯s justified."


    "Hmph, prisons can be fun too, especially those who have only been sentenced to a few years and honestly strive formutation opportunities. Those of us who are sentenced to death love to bully these kinds of people."


    Tao Yueyue smiled. "I should go now. Good luck to you."


    Zhou Xiao waved his hand. After Tao Yueyue left, his shoulders twitched and he suddenly started crying.


    Walking out of the prison gates, a brand-new SUV was parked there that Lin Dongxue was driving. This car was bought by Chen Shi after the two got married, but it wasn¡¯t driven very often as she still took Chen Shi''s car for work.


    Tao Yueyue got into the car and sighed. "I still hated him at first, but when I thought about how he was about to be executed, I couldn''t hate him."


    "In fact, the death penalty isn¡¯t to punish him. His death isn¡¯t enough to pay back all the crimes and deaths he¡¯s caused. The death penalty is only topletely wipe out his anti-human genes." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Why do these things sound like Uncle Chen''s words?"


    "Because¡­ that''s what he said." Lin Dongxue smiled. "We talked about this matterst night, and hemented this while he was still considering whether toe with you."


    "Tch!" Tao Yueyue looked full of disdain.


    "Hey, are you still angry with him? He¡¯s not a sage. Who doesn¡¯t make mistakes? Forgive him just this once!"


    "Sister Lin, when you promised to drive me here today, it wasn¡¯t just to act as his lobbyist, right?"


    "No, no. I just think it''s not going to be a big deal for the two of you when you look back at such a small thing in a few years. It¡¯s pointless to continue a cold war like this."


    "Such a small thing?!"


    Not long ago, Tao Yueyue started dating a boy at the academy. Chen Shi keenly noticed the difference between Tao Yueyue and how she was in the past, so he asked her about it, She refused to admit it.


    Chen Shi, who loved his beloved daughter so much that he¡¯d do silly things, asked kk and Sun Zhen for help to check who she was acquainted with at the academy. They then learned that her boyfriend was the son of a wealthy businessman, a loiterer that generally didn¡¯t give parents a good impression. Thus, he reminded Tao Yueyue to be more mindful.


    As a result, Tao Yueyue became furious. "How can you investigate me?!" She left home and had stayed in the school dormitory the whole time since then.


    Chen Shi felt that he was just doing his father''s duty, and thus the two began a long cold war.


    "Isn''t Uncle Chen just looking out for you too?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "Hmph, Sister Lin really does share this kind of stale adult thinking. Don''t you know where he went wrong?"


    Although Tao Yueyue was seriously angry, Lin Dongxue felt that her angry look was also very cute, and said, "The fault lies in investigating you, right?"


    "Don''t you understand that?"


    "Understanding is one thing, but he¡¯s also angry too. You should each take a step back."


    "If you keep talking, I won''t even care about you, this mother of mine, either." Tao Yueyue looked out the window angrily.


    Lin Dongxue had no choice but to smile bitterly. Tao Yueyue had entered the second year of the police academy and was in the rebellious period. This could be seen from her appearance. Her hair had been cut short, and she was wearing ripped jeans with a motorcycle jacket.


    This made Lin Dongxue think of herself in the past. Does everyone have to go through this stage?


    While driving, Lin Dongxue said, "Actually, Uncle Chen and I don¡¯t agree with each other either. I think love also needs to be learned. No one''s first love will be perfect. In confusion, you will be attracted by something superficial, but that is the first lesson everyone has to take, which is very normal."


    "Do you think he and I will definitely notst?"


    "I just think that way."


    "Actually, we¡¯ve already broken up¡­"


    "Why?"


    "Um¡­" Tao Yueyue thought deeply. "Because we went to an Inte cafe to y, and he yed very vigorously there. I said that if you ignore me any longer, I will break up with you. He didn¡¯t do anything, so we broke up! Boys truly aren¡¯t interesting at all¡­"


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "Okay!"

 Chapter 939: Visiting The Film Crew

    <h4>Chapter 939: Visiting The Film Crew</h4>


    It was the 11th of October, Golden Week, and Lin Dongxue drove Tao Yueyue to the film and television grounds in the suburbs.


    Many people were traveling there today. Lin Dongxue looked for a ce to park her car and took Tao Yueyue¡¯s hand in hers to wander around. Although she had been here before, it had only been for investigating cases. Today, she could finally stroll around leisurely, looking at the small shops around them.


    There were some quaint shops there that sold small souvenirs. Although she didn''t n to buy them, she was very happy to see the dazzling array of goods. Perhaps it was the nature of women.


    "Beautifuldy, hold up!" A man wearing a checkered shirt with sunsses on the top of his head walked over, smiled, and handed over his business card. "Are you interested in being a star? Ourpany is now hiring people."


    "I''m sorry. I already have a job." Lin Dongxue turned and left.


    "Hey!" The Sunsses Man blocked their way. "Think about it. You have such a good temperament. You can make a lot of money as a star."


    "Not interested."


    Lin Dongxue took Tao Yueyue and walked away. The Sunsses Man still stubbornly said things to keep her from leaving. Seeing that she had no intention of doing so, he continued to look for other passers-by.


    "Who was that? A scout for celebrities?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "What scout? I saw his business card and he should be a group leader. It''s the kind of intermediary that helps the crew find extras and special actors."


    "Sister Lin, are you often harassed by such people?"


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s annoying even if you¡¯re born too good-looking. I was photographed by a nosy person during my internship at the police academy. It was posted on the Inte and became a small hit under the title of ''The Most Beautiful Police Student''. It annoyed me to death. The secret shots were posted on the Inte as if it was justified. At the time, I thought that I would definitely not be a traffic police officer, a civilian police officer, or any department that needed to show their faces so as not to be photographed again since it was so annoying."


    "Some ssmatesughed at me for looking like a boy." Tao Yueyue touched her short hair.


    "You can tell them, ¡®So what?¡¯ Does a woman have to be like a woman and a man like a man? There is no need to cater to other people''s aesthetics."


    Tao Yueyue smiled with relief. "Okay, I will tell it to her like this next time."


    Lin Dongxue touched Tao Yueyue¡¯s head. "Want to buy souvenirs?"


    "No, I will buy something for you. I¡¯m richer than you now."


    "Richer than me? Hahaha!"


    Regarding the money for selling the copyright of her story, Chen Shi had issued a card for Tao Yueyue and deposited all the money inside. Lin Dongxue said, "Remember to spend less!"


    "I n to buy some value-preserving things that¡¯ll stay in the bank. Wouldn''t it be a loss in case of intion?" Tao Yueyue said seriously.


    "Then you can discuss with Uncle Chen. His financial knowledge is very high."


    After Chen Shi¡¯s identity was exposed, he told Lin Dongxue about his previous experience. What she admired the most was that he was able to earn a sum of money to buy a house and car when he hadpletely lost his past identity, savings, and everything, and had to start from scratch again.


    Of course, during the years where he started from scratch again, Chen Shi also suffered a lot and underwent tremendous pressure. Lin Dongxue felt that attractive men were like diamonds, honed through hardship.


    Hearing the words "Uncle Chen", Tao Yueyue remembered the Cold War again and said ufortably, "I don''t want him to interfere with my affairs!"


    "Well, it''s up to you¡­" Lin Dongxue nced at her watch. "What time are you meeting the director?"


    "Noon."


    "It''s almost time. Let''s go over there!"


    Tao Yueyue was invited to participate in the opening ceremony with the film crew. She met the director and screenwriter during the polishing of the script of the film. It was her first time visiting today.


    When they got to a hotel and asked for him at the front desk, a fat uncle wearing ck-rimmed sses walked out of the elevator and called affectionately, "Yueyue?"


    "Uncle Screenwriter!"


    "Haha, you came¡­" As the screenwriter was talking, his eyes kept looking at Lin Dongxue. "This is?"


    "My mother!" she said, holding Lin Dongxue''s arm.


    "Oh, it''s Officer Lin. Yueyue mentioned you to me." The screenwriter stretched out his hand and shook Lin Dongxue''s hand. "When we wrote the script, we talked for ten hours a week on average, and we met several times to rewrite countless manuscripts to portray the full story¡­ I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."


    "It''s hard work in this business."


    "Let¡¯s stop talking while standing. Let''s go upstairs!"


    The screenwriter and Tao Yueyue had been acquainted for quite a while. When she entered the elevator, Tao Yueyue couldn''t wait to ask, "Uncle screenwriter, who did you decide to use to y me in the end?"


    "Haha, after choosing for a while, there wasn¡¯t a suitable person. There was no temperament quite like yours. Do you want to y as yourself?"


    "Me ying myself?" Tao Yueyue was surprised. "My acting skills aren¡¯t very good. No, I don''t have any acting skills at all."


    "Haha, I''m just kidding. The director and producer decided to let Xia Xiaolou be the heroine."


    "Huh?" Tao Yueyue looked disappointed. "She is in her forties but she¡¯s acting as me?"


    "She yed a high school student in "Quick Dare" and has experience in this area."


    "I''m not saying that she¡¯s inexperienced. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s so old. Is it because she has experience that she will continue acting as a high school student even when she bes an olddy?"


    "Haha!" The screenwriter was amused and said to Lin Dongxue, "This kid is really interesting to talk to. Chatting with her is always fun. She must be very well-behaved at home, right? Haii, my daughter is the same age, but she is in her rebellious period. She had an early love and I said a few things, so we¡¯ve fallen out with each other."


    Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue smiled at each other. It seemed that every family had the same problem.


    The elevator arrived, and the three went out to the corridor. Lin Dongxue said, "I read a report that said that our country''s film and television dramas are full of girly characters. As a result, arge number of middle-aged actresses can only y girls."


    "This is also to cater to the market. There¡¯s no other way! It¡¯s also very difficult for us screenwriters. In foreign countries, screenwriters are the most amazing. As long as they say one thing, nobody would oppose it. However, in our country, it¡¯spletely reversed. Everyone in the crew has the right to change the script. If the director said that the scene was too big and the funds weren¡¯t enough, you¡¯d have to change it. If the investor said that they have a person they want to add in, you have to add in a role. The most annoying thing is when there are those big-name actors who change the script all of a sudden, doing whatever they want. Of course, there¡¯s also a review. For example, in this drama, the director said that it wasn¡¯t harmonious that an underage girl was kidnapped, so it had to be changed. In the end, the heroine was changed to a college student."


    "Ah!!" Tao Yueyue was shocked. "This matter has already been in the newspaper. If the newspapers can publish it, why not let it be filmed?"


    "It''s not that the filming of it isn¡¯t allowed, but the director is afraid that he won''t be able to pass the review, so he first conducted a self-review. This is the norm in our industry."


    "Is there anything else that has changed?" After all, Tao Yueyue was involved in the writing process. She felt very ufortable when she heard the news.


    "I''ll show you the script in a moment. A lot has changed!"


    Tao Yueyue said to Lin Dongxue, "I have an ominous premonition¡­"

 Chapter 940: Meeting The Stars

    <h4>Chapter 940: Meeting The Stars</h4>


    The screenwriter led the two to a guest room and handed the room card to Lin Dongxue. "You guys will rest here. You have to wait until tomorrow for the opening of the filming process. You can just go to the film and television grounds to y. In the evening, there is a water film at Jingguan Lake."


    "What''s so good about that? Isn''t it just projecting the movie on the water curtain?" Tao Yueyueined.


    "Haha, the feeling should be different. You can go and have a look at the excitement of it all tonight."


    Lin Dongxue opened the room and took a look. The suite was very ordinary. She didn¡¯t rush to turn on the lights, but took out her phone to take photos of the room. This was a means to detect hidden cameras. If there was a hidden camera, it would have red dots flicker through the lens.


    "Haha, you really are a police officer!" the screenwriter praised, "but don''t worry, there will be no sneak shots here. Otherwise, so many celebrities who live here would be secretly photographed and create huge news!"


    "There are too many celebrities being photographed, so it''s better to be a bit more careful." Lin Dongxue said.


    Tao Yueyue said, "I want to read the script."


    "There¡¯s a copy in the conference room, so follow me."


    The meeting room was the kind rented out by the hotel. It was mainly used for gatherings and activities. As soon as you enter the door, you would see a shrine on the wall covered in red cloth with a statue of Guan Yu and incense burning in front of it. The screenwriter exined that it was a worship for the opening ceremony.1


    "Why should the crew worship Guan Yu? Is he in charge of the film and television industry?" Tao Yueyue said.


    "Haha, probably because Guan Yu is the representative of loyalty and integrity. The crew cooperates with each other and the most important thing for them is to be honest with each other¡­ Hey, have you heard the news about how there was a fugitive filming previously? He was recognized after he became popr, arrested, and brought to justice. There are all kinds of people in a movie studio, so please be more mindful."


    "Be mindful of fugitives?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "I mean pay attention to your safety."


    The screenwriter brought the copy of the script and said that he needed to take his leave first.


    The screenwriter was very enthusiastic, but the both of them were very concerned about the same shorings on him. Tao Yueyue said without malice, "That uncle is so dirty. The backs of his hands are covered with dirt. I don''t know how long it¡¯s been since he cut his nails. His nose is connected to his beard, and the funniest thing is his way of dress. It¡¯s like he¡¯s filthy with grime, so it doesn''t match at all."


    Lin Dongxue was amused. "Indeed, I also think he is a bit uncut. After all, he is a writer. The man named Xin Bai was also a mess. His appearance and temperament are the same as a caveman who just woke up."


    Tao Yueyue thought of Chen Shi. "Uncle Chen didn''t pay much attention to his appearance before. When I met him, he smelled of smoke and his hair was messy."


    "It''s much better now. Under the guidance of us two women, he has be a clean and tidy man."


    "Isn''t it better for you in the end?"


    "Haha, if I die one day, you can think about it."


    "No, no. Why would I want an old man?! Although I do like mature men¡­"


    Influenced by the family atmosphere, Lin Dongxue now spoke more and more without discipline, but she liked this feeling very much. There was no need to hide anything under the same roof. There were no barriers and family members were almost like each other''s therapists.


    Tao Yueyue opened the script and read it. Every time she turned a page, her mouth hung open a little bit wider. She read very fast, so she finished reading it in a short amount of time. In an instant, she was in a daze.


    "What''s all this?! A girlfriend was arranged for Zhou Xiao and in the end, the girlfriend reported the case. Ten thousand police officers rushed in at a critical time. What role did ''I'' y? They spend such a long time writing about his childhood. Is this a meaningless plot to make the audience sympathize with him? Howe there are so many crying scenes for ¡®me¡¯? The motivation for ¡®my¡¯ escape is actually to meet ¡®my sick grandma¡¯. There are also two more motherfucking characters that are forced in and have nothing to do with the plot¡­ Oh, what the hell. No wonder my ssmate said that the level of screenwriting in our country is too poor. I gave him a very good original. After the revisions, there¡¯s only 60% left. The actors¡¯ performances will lower it to 50%. Shooting it will lower it to 40%, and after the movie is cut and edited, it¡¯ll be left at 30%. So many good-looking novel adaptations are rubbish!"


    "It seems that the screenwriter also had his hands tied. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be changed like this."


    "Haii!" Tao Yueyue threw the script on the table before staring at a line of words suddenly. She picked it up again and showed it to Lin Dongxue. "Mom, look. Read these lines vertically."


    "I¡­ am¡­ going¡­ to¡­ resign¡­? Haha, the bitterness of the screenwriter."


    Tao Yueyue stood up and walked to the window. The scenery here was pretty good. You could see the crowds of people in the film and television grounds. Filming was happening underneath an antique tower. The soldiers in costumes hacked at each other with props and weapons. Without looking through the lens with editing, watching it in the raw felt silly.


    Lin Dongxue also went over to look at the scenery afar while she stroked Tao Yueyue''s head.


    At this time, there was amotion in the corridor. Looking back, arge group of people walked in surrounding a man. The man was the celebrity Cai Zhengkai. Something seemed to be wrong with his eyes. The others hurriedly took out wet clothes and poured clean water on it to clean his eyes.


    "He''s a lunatic. What if something happens to Zhengkai''s eyes? Can he bear the responsibility?"


    "Have they been caught?"


    "Yeah, they¡¯ve been taken away by the police."


    "Zhengkai, do you want to go to the hospital?" A man in a suit asked.


    Cai Zhengkai said impatiently, "What do you mean go to the hospital? Do you think things aren¡¯t big enough as they are? It''s not even safe to act out a scene. What a bunch of bastards."


    The man in the suit turned his head to find people in the room and questioned harshly, "Who are you? Who let you in?"


    "Hey, isn''t that Chen Yueyue?" It was the director who spoke. He looked very artistic, had a thin face, and wore a vest with many pockets. Half of his head was bald, but he had a big beard, which made people wonder whether his hair grew downward.


    "It''s Tao Yueyue." Tao Yueyue corrected him.


    "Who is Tao Yueyue?" the man in the suit asked.


    "You didn''t read the newspaper? She is the original behind the story for our drama."


    "Oh, oh¡­" The man in the suit obviously didn''t care much. Like other men, their eyes stayed on Lin Dongxue, "Then who is this?"


    "I''m her mother and a police officer. I''m sorry, it sounds like something happened." Lin Dongxue walked over.


    "Just now, when our Zhengkai got out of the car, a group of fans came to wee the car. Who knew that a weird person would rush out of nowhere and ssh Zhengkai''s face with an unknown substance. He can''t see through his eyes right now. I''m really worried about it! We just came here to film today and it wasn¡¯t a public event, so we didn¡¯t bring bodyguards. We didn¡¯t know this would happen, haii!"


    "May I take a look at it?"


    Lin Dongxue walked over and saw Cai Zhengkai up close. To be honest, she was very excited. His skin wasn¡¯t as good as on TV, but it wasn¡¯t as ugly as the photos exposed on the Inte. This kind of appearance is definitely a handsome man that shone in front of people in reality.


    He was the person who was going to y Zhou Xiao in this film.


    Lin Dongxue wiped a little bit of the liquid on Cai Zhengkai''s face with a tissue and smelled it. She was familiar with the smell, not from work, but from daily life.


    She said, "It smells like a makeup remover. It should be fine. You should quickly buy some eye drops and rinse your eyes repeatedly."


    1. This is the second time the author has mentioned that it¡¯s the ¡°closing ceremony¡±, with the first time being in thest chapter, however, based on the context given in the rest of these chapters, it seems like filming hasn¡¯t begun yet, so I¡¯ve changed it to the ¡°opening ceremony¡± ordingly.

 Chapter 941: If You Have Money, You’re The Big Master

    <h4>Chapter 941: If You Have Money, You¡¯re The Big Master</h4>


    After a while, Cai Zhengkai''s assistant, a cute, chubby girl with braids, bought a big bag of eye drops and returned. The agent and assistant took him back to the room to wash his eyes.


    The screenwriter introduced everyone to each other, "This is Officer Lin, Tao Yueyue¡­"


    "This is our director. He shot ¡®Bad Movies¡¯ and ¡®Spending Situation¡¯. We have cooperated many times."


    The bearded director nodded.


    "This is the stage manager and someone who¡¯s been in the crew for a long time."


    The stage manager was an auntie with dyed-brown hair.


    "This is the producer, the representative of the investor. Without him, there would be no film."


    The gloomy middle-aged man who leaned on the chair filing his nails with a nail file raised his eyelids briefly to look at them.


    "This is Little Ai who is an actor. In the film, he will y a young police officer with quite a personality."


    When Lin Dongxue heard "a young police officer with quite a personality", her first thought was of Xu Xiaodong. Of course, the police officers in the film were all original characters they made up and there was no prototype for them in reality.


    "Hello, hello!" Little Ai said while smiling broadly. "I''m very curious. How can you be the mother of this little girl when you¡¯re so young? Is she your biological daughter?"


    "I have no obligation to answer." Lin Dongxue curtly responded.


    "Haha, are the police usually so serious?"


    "Little Ai!" The producer reprimanded sternly. "Don''t talk nonsense there and help me get the massager from the car."


    "Oh, oh." Little Ai answered and left, giving the impression that he was simply the follower of the producer.


    The director said in an official tone, "We should have a meal togetherter and then we will hold our start-up ceremony. The official opening will be held in the afternoon."


    "Wasn¡¯t the start-up ceremony meant to be held tomorrow?" Lin Dongxue asked curiously.


    "There happened to be an evening scene and we¡¯ve already made arrangements with the venue. You haven¡¯t stayed with a crew before so you wouldn¡¯t know, but renting the machines and thebor costs tens of thousands a day. One day faster is one day faster. At this speed, we may not be able to finish filming in two months." The director yawned with a tilted mouth. "I¡¯m going back to my room to rest for a while. I didn''t sleep wellst night. We will see each other downstairster on¡­ Producer, I''ll withdraw first!"


    The producer nodded, and Lin Dongxue faintly felt that the person with the highest status here was this gloomy man. If you have money, you¡¯re the big master!


    Lin Dongxue asked Tao Yueyue in a low voice, "Do you want to eat together with them? If you don''t want to go, we can find a reason to eat alone."


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. "Although it''s awkward to eat with a bunch of strangers, the food probably won''t be bad. Let''s leech off their meal."


    "Haha, I¡¯m easy. I''m just here to apany you and you¡¯re the protagonist."


    The screenwriter called the two of them out and said in a low voice, "Did you feel it? That producer has a lot of power and even the director has to be very polite to him."


    Tao Yueyue said, "He was the one who changed the script into dog feces, right?"


    "Yeah, he¡¯s the culprit¡­ ahem, just kidding. After all, they¡¯re paying and we¡¯re just working. If they want changes, then we need to make changes, just like custom-made things. By the way, Little Ai is someone from the investor¡¯s side. I don¡¯t want to talk about people behind their backs, but his acting skills are really bad. They¡¯ve tried a few years, but he hasn¡¯t gained poprity."


    "To be honest, I¡¯ve never heard of him." Lin Dongxuemented.


    "Well, it''s still early for dinner. Shall I show you two around? There¡¯s a gym and a bar in this hotel. Do you want to visit them?"


    "Okay!" Tao Yueyue readily agreed.


    The bar was very quiet during the day. Lin Dongxue really liked the environment there. There were independent seating booths, buttons on the table to purchase alcohol, and a drinks menu that introduced the drinks in detail so that customers wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed to say some cocktail names such as "sex on the beach", "Alien Cerebral Hemorrhage" and "XX". Some stores simply didn¡¯t sell those drinks.


    She hadn¡¯t gone to bars in the past and felt that the people who went were improper. After marriage, Chen Shi took her a few times and she felt it was quite interesting. There were many cocktails in the bar and these things were the same as meals - Everyone¡¯s tastes were different.


    After taking a seat, the screenwriter said, "We sometimese here after filming. We usually order a bottle of Red Label and drink it slowly. By the way, I still have half a bottle of Red Label left. Do you guys want to try it?"


    "I''m not used to drinking." Lin Dongxue smiled. She didn''t want to drink with someone she had just met, even if the screenwriter had a good personality. "Just order two random non-alcoholic drinks!"


    "Sister Lin, the names of these alcohols are so interesting. Can I taste this ''eggnog''?" Tao Yueyuey down and studied the drinks menu.


    "That''s alcoholic. You should drink a non-alcoholic mojito!"


    "I''m not going to school today. What''s the matter if I have a drink?"


    "What are you thinking as a minor?!"


    Tao Yueyue poked out her tongue. So, the three of them each ordered a soft drink. The screenwriter was going to pay with his phone when Lin Dongxue stopped him. "Let me pay. Your moneyes word by word. How can I let you get this?!"


    "There¡¯s no worries. You guys came to visit, so this is only natural."


    After a few spars of politeness between them, Lin Dongxue finally paid the bill.


    Tao Yueyue tasted it and Lin Dongxue asked if it was good. She said, "The taste is okay, but it''s a bit expensive for 50 yuan a cup. I won''te next time."


    "Haha, when have you be so sensible?"


    "I''ve always been sensible, alright?!"


    The screenwriter said, "I feel that you two get along very well. I know of Yueyue''s experience. She is lucky to find such a home."


    "How old is your daughter?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "She should almost be an adult now."


    "I''m very curious about something. You¡¯re a screenwriter, so why do you have to follow the crew?"


    "Haii." The screenwriter gave a wry smile. "You don''t know my situation. I¡¯m actually divorced and my daughter was sentenced to her mother. I only meet her once a week. I have a studio with several screenwriters and through the crew, I can get acquainted with some producers and directors, so I can get jobs easily. Also, I''m very familiar with the director."


    "So it was like that."


    At this moment, the voices of two people talking came from somewhere.


    "Asshole, my eyes still hurt. Contact mywyer. I want to sue that asshole!"


    "That person is crazy. You¡¯re going to stoop to his level? When a dog bites someone, can you still bite it back? Many fans have already seen this thing today and it will definitely be posted on the Inte. If you behave more generously, it¡¯ll increase your exposure and get you another wave of fans."


    "Hmph, I know who instigated the matter today. It must be that scumbag of Little Ai. This guy relies on the backing of the investor and walks around arrogantly within the crew. He¡¯s at odds against me all the time. He must have bought the madman today!"


    "Please. Do you have evidence? You have a persecuting delusion."


    "Of course I have evidence. When I came in just now, I heard him smile and say, ''Big star, why are you so careless?''"


    "He''s just kicking you while you¡¯re down. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know what he is like. Little Ai¡¯s Weibo fans don¡¯t even amount to even a fraction of yours. If you stoop to his level, you would be losing your worth. Don''t pay attention to him."


    "He is indeed a small character¡­ But why delete my scene and add his scene?!?!" The speaker, Cai Zhengkai, suddenly mmed on the table and shouted.

 Chapter 942: Eavesdropping On The Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 942: Eavesdropping On The Conversation</h4>


    Lin Dongxue whispered, "Should we leave?"


    Tao Yueyue said, "Let¡¯s have a listen. I haven''t heard the conversations between a celebrity and an agent before!"


    "Haha, so you¡¯re nosy too."


    The conversation continued. The agent said to Cai Zhengkai, "Oh my God, keep your voice down. It¡¯s not deleting your scenes to add his scenes. A movie is only so long. If you force him into the movieter, it¡¯ll squeeze out the other characters as well. In the end, you¡¯re the protagonist and he is the second-lead."


    Cai Zhengkai gave an unepting sigh. "Why are you helping defend the investor¡¯s side? Did you receive their money?"


    "Me receiving their money?" The agent smiled. "I really want to make some extra money. Is he willing to give it to me?"


    With the sound of a cigarette lighter, Cai Zhengkai said, "I don''t want to film with this kind of person. Look at the movies he¡¯s in. All of them went to sh*t. Back then, I was a first-line actor, but now I¡¯ve fallen into filming with this kind of person?"


    "Rx your mentality and just think about making money. Nothing goes smoothly all the time in life. When the Chinese-US co-produced film starts in the second half of this year, you can y it well and get an award. In the future, everyone will only remember this movie. They¡¯ll forget all the old ones. The entertainment circle is like that."


    "I hate to hear the words ''entertainment circle'' the most. Who entertains? I¡¯m an actor from an acting school. I want my own work!"


    "Okay, okay, okay, stop detesting the world. Do you want something to drink¡­ Actually, I heard an inside story that Little Ai was about to be out of a job. The investors spent so much money on him in order to make him rise to poprity, but he¡¯s still neither here nor there. He may have to give up and go into mixed variety shows."


    "Didn¡¯t he have solidworking?"


    "Even if he was the biological son, if he¡¯s like this, even his father wouldn¡¯t be able to stand him¡­ I need to go to the toilet."


    With that, the agent stood up and Lin Dongxue secretly said that it was bad. Sure enough, the agent saw the three people "eavesdropping" and sat back down, probably reporting to Cai Zhengkai.


    After half a minute, the two came over. The screenwriter smiled. "Brother Cai, are your eyes okay? We didn''t deliberately eavesdrop. We actually came first."


    Cai Zhengkai had a gloomy face. "I¡¯ll treat this table."


    "The money has already been paid," said the screenwriter. "We¡¯ll take our leave now."


    "No, no, let''s talk."


    The agent sat down and said to Lin Dongxue, "Beauty, don''t spread what you heard just now, okay? Our Zhengkai is a public figure and his image is the property of ourpany."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Don''t worry, my mouth isn¡¯t that loose. As a police officer, we¡¯re exposed to more things than you think."


    "This kid¡­" The agent looked at Tao Yueyue again.


    "Okay, you don''t need to tell us one by one. Are you guarding against viins?" Lin Dongxue was a little upset.


    Cai Zhengkai stared at Tao Yueyue without speaking, which made Tao Yueyue very nervous. After all, she was sitting in front of a well-known national movie star. He suddenly asked, "Am I simr to that person?"


    "Who?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "The person who kidnapped you."


    "He¡­ he isn¡¯t as good-looking as you and his temperament isn¡¯t very simr."


    "Meaning, I don''t look like him inside or out?"


    "Uh, I think it''s just acting. You don''t need to imitate himpletely. After all, you can''t learn it." Tao Yueyue replied nervously, thinking about how she was actually saying so much to Cai Zhengkai back and forth.


    "Can''t learn? Why can''t I learn it? Do you look down on my acting skills?" Cai Zhengkai got up angrily and left.


    The agent mediated, "Don¡¯t me him. He¡¯s been trying to figure out this role for the past two days. After all, a bad guy like that is very challenging. Even if he has ten thousand shorings, at least he has one good thing. He has an obsession with performance¡­ I''m leaving now!"


    With that, the agent caught up with Cai Zhengkai.


    Tao Yueyue was able to draw a long breath and patted her chest. "That scared me to death. I thought they were going toe over and murder us to seal our lips."


    Lin Dongxue was amused andughed, "I always thought that his acting skills were okay, but that his luck wasn¡¯t good so he¡¯s been a part of bad movies."


    "Sister Lin, I¡­ I want¡­"


    "Do you want to take a group photo?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded desperately. "Looking at him acting so fierce earlier, I was embarrassed to speak."


    "I''ll help you ask when we eat."


    The screenwriter said, "Stars generally don''t mind this kind of thing. You can speak directly."


    "Uncle screenwriter, why hasn''t the heroine arrived yet?"


    "She should be still on the ne now and won''t be here until the afternoon. By the way, do you mind the exposure?"


    "What does exposure mean?"


    "Going on the news. At the start of the afternoon, a reporter wille. You¡¯re the original prototype of the story. The reporter may ask you questions."


    "I¡­ I mind!"


    Even when she first appeared in the newspaper, Tao Yueyue used a pseudonym. She didn''t want her life to be disturbed.


    "Then I¡¯ll go back and tell the director that you won¡¯t participate."


    "Is that okay?"


    "Yes, yes." The screenwriterughed, "A start-up ceremony is just a means of publicity. You aren¡¯t a member of the crew, so there is no need to go through this matter."


    After drinking, it was almost time for the meal and the three of them went straight to the restaurant downstairs.


    As two visitors, they just had to eat. When they saw steamed crabs the size of a te, roast leg ofmb wrapped in tin foil, salt and pepper goose paw, and fish head with chopped peppers, Lin Dongxue knew that today''s meal was definitely worth it.


    The position where everyone sat could reflect their rtionships. The crew and the director sat together with the director sitting next to the producer. On the other side of the producer was Little Ai, who was sitting opposite of Cai Zhengkai, his agent, and assistant.


    In addition to the few people who they had met before, there were also a few new faces. Some men saw Lin Dongxue and wanted to strike up a conversation with her. They curiously asked others who she was and was answered with, "Guardian of the story¡¯s original prototype."


    At the dinner table, everyone toasted each other. When getting to Lin Dongxue''s side, she always refused politely but firmly, and the other party could only give up.


    Tao Yueyue gnawed at a goose paw and kept looking at Cai Zhengkai. He put down his chopsticks without taking too many mouthfuls at all, took out the small medicine bottle from his arms, and swallowed a capsule, as if he was ready to leave the table at any time. Lin Dongxue said, "I¡¯ll go and ask for it for you. I¡¯ll take one as well while we¡¯re at it."


    "Then let''s take it together."


    This meal was great in terms of quality alone. It indirectly reflected the wealth of the investor. This table was worth upwards of a thousand yuan.


    Soon, when everyone had almost finished, the producer lit a cigar. "Everyone, be quiet."


    Little Ai echoed, "The producer has something to say. Stop eating and put your wine sses down!"


    Cai Zhengkai wrinkled his nose, showing a very disgusted expression.


    The producer took a deep drag of his cigar. "The opening ceremony will be held in the afternoon. Don''t make any mistakes in front of the reporters. The investment towards this drama is 50 million. Remember, 50 million!" Everyone nodded as he raised five of his fingers.


    He took another drag of his cigar and continued, "After the filming has started, the investment will gradually arrive. I can reveal that it¡¯s more than what I promised before. Of course, the money has to be used on the de.1 Do you understand what I mean by the de?" Then, he looked around at them in a circle.


    Seeing no one answered, Tao Yueyue answered, "The story!"


    The producer looked at Tao Yueyue up and down. "What did you say?"


    "The most important thing about a movie is the story of course!" Tao Yueyue answered.

 Chapter 943: Investment Capital Kidnapping

    <h4>Chapter 943: Investment Capital Kidnapping</h4>


    The producer looked at Tao Yueyue with a dark face as his smile lines deepened. This sight reminded her of her stern instructor during military training. Then, heughed out loud. "It really is the childish opinion of a child!" He continued to speak to everyone, "You all must remember for me that Little Ai is the core of the movie. After the film is shot, you also have to create topics to increase his poprity." He pointed at the director with his cigar, his eyes like two shlights. "If you take the money to do business, then things have to be done well. This truth is very simple, right? I¡¯ve finished speaking. Who agrees and who opposes?"


    Tao Yueyue felt nauseous from disgust. Since he took out money, it was as if the person taking the money was his own ve. It was really a hideous and ugly face of an adult.


    Everyone had no choice but to nod. The director said, "That''s for sure. We will definitely film Little Ai well."


    The producer nodded in satisfaction. Cai Zhengkai crossed his arms and said, "Without acting skills, if we just create topics for him, what is left in the end is infamy and ridicule."


    "What are you saying?!" The producer red at him and the cigar in his hand was folded in half. "If you don''t want to y the role, then don¡¯t. A bunch of people would fight over the lead role. Figure out where you actually stand, performer!"1


    "He was just joking, just joking." The agent was busy mediating. "Zhengkai, hurry up and apologize!"


    Cai Zhengkai said reluctantly, "I''ve drunk too much, sorry."


    "Did you drink too much?" The producer picked up a bottle of Wuliangye and poured it into a cup until it began flowing out. There was only silence on the dinner table, except for the movement of the wine flowing onto the tablecloth. "Cai Zhengkai, you can eat anything you like, but you cannot simply say anything you want to. Punish yourself with a cup and I will pretend that nothing has happened."


    "This¡­ this is too much." The agent smiled. "Let¡¯s change it into a small cup since the filming starts this afternoon."


    "You¡¯re allowed to speak?!" The producer red daggers at him.


    Little Ai had an arrogant smile on his face as he grabbed the cup, walked around the table, put it in front of Cai Zhengkai, and said strangely, "Drink, big star."


    Cai Zhengkai¡¯s nostrils kept ring as he grabbed the ss and drank it before rushing to the bathroom.


    The producer wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Okay, everyone should continue to eat. Order whatever you want."


    He and Little Ai left the table together.


    The dinner table was like a ssroom after the headteacher left. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the happy air was restored as if this scene had never happened.


    Tao Yueyue said in anger, "I won¡¯t eat anymore."


    Lin Dongxue bid farewell to everyone, apanied her to leave, and walked out of the restaurant. Tao Yueyue said, "This kind of person is too hateful. He tyrannically abuses people. He should be arrested!"


    Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly and shook her head. "This is beyond our control. The police represent justice, not kindness."


    "I will think of a trick to teach him a lesson!"


    "You can¡¯t. You might get satisfaction out of it, but wouldn¡¯t the crew be the ones that suffer in the end?"


    "I don''t understand. Why would you want to work for this kind of person and satisfy his unreasonable demands? It''s investment capital kidnapping! It''s disgusting."


    "Shall we go back to the house, rest for a while, and watch TV?"


    "No, no, I want to go for a walk."


    Lin Dongxue walked out with her. "I can call your Uncle Chen to check the backing of the management and see if the money for the filmes from the correct means."


    The two went out for a stroll. Tao Yueyue said, "I don''t think it''s interesting to be here. It''s better to go home. I miss Uncle Chen."


    "Why? Are you nning to make up with him?"


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. "As long as he is willing to admit his mistakes."


    "Okay, I''ll convince him and ask him to apologize to you¡­ Then, should we bid them goodbye?"


    "Let¡¯s wait until after the afternoon filming. After all, the opportunity is rare."


    "You¡¯re going to be a police officer in the future. You will still have a chance to see it." Lin Dongxue pointed to a ce. "Last time, I caught a murderer there with your Uncle Chen. The one who killed the Japanese actor¡­ By the way, what kind of police officer do you n to be?"


    "Of course it''s the criminal police to catch the bad guys!" Tao Yueyue smiled. "I n to get a bachelor¡¯s degree at the police academy. Taking exams is my specialty. I should make use of my specialty. This will also help in the future."


    Lin Dongxue stroked Tao Yueyue''s little head. "This little kid. You are so cute when you¡¯re innocent, and so firm when you¡¯re serious. It¡¯s no wonder I like you."


    "I like you too!" Tao Yueyue took Lin Dongxue''s hand."I sometimes wish that when I was born, you were my mother."


    Wandering around, they found a lot of cars parked under the hotel. It turned out that the reporters had already arrived. The two of them mixed into the scene. The crew were paying homage to the statue of Guan Yu. This was originally a Hong Kong custom. With the return of Hong Kong, the maind film and television circles also added such a custom to the opening ceremony.


    The surrounding reporters held up cameras and snapped photos. Tao Yueyue saw a short woman in a red dress among the crew and said, "Wow, it''s Xia Xiaolou, who¡¯s ying me!"


    "Those legs are really long and white. No wonder they¡¯re stars!" Lin Dongxue praised.


    Then came the Q&A session for reporters. Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue found two ces to sit down and mixed in to watch the show.


    The format of the questions and answers were almost the same as on TV. The reporter¡¯s questions were very nosy, such as "Miss Xia, I heard that you have renewed a five-year contract with thepany. How can you bnce your career and rtionship?", "Mr. Cai, do you and your newlywed wife have any ns to have children?", "Mr. Cai, you have to y a serial killer in this drama. Is this a big challenge for you?"


    A celebrity is a celebrity after all. They¡¯ve received special media response training. Their answers were not hurried or slow, avoiding the important points and answering vaguely while donning a wless smile throughout.


    The press conferencested for an hour, and then the reporters left one after another. Cai Zhengkai''s amiable face returned to its usual gloominess. He took a cigarette from the agent and smoked it himself.


    Tao Yueyue was very nervous and didn''t dare to step forward. Lin Dongxue said, "Come on!"


    When they got to Cai Zhengkai, Lin Dongxue asked, "Mr. Cai, I have a small request¡­"


    "Taking pictures?"


    "Ah, yes!"


    Cai Zhengkai took a violent drag of the cigarette, put it out in the ashtray held by his agent, and said, "Take it!"


    He asked the agent to take the mobile phone, bent down, put his arms around Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue, smiling very brightly. Lin Dongxue noticed a detail: His hands were vacant in the air and he did not put them on their shoulders. She thought that this person really respected his fans.


    "Okay." The agent put down the phone, and Cai Zhengkai suddenly put away his smile as if he changed his face.


    "Thank you!" Lin Dongxue epted the phone and thanked him.


    Tao Yueyue tugged at the corners of her clothes. "I saw Xia Xiaolou go out. Let''s take a photo with her too!"


    "Don''t you dislike her?"


    "I can show it off to my ssmates." Tao Yueyue smiled.


    "Let''s go!"


    The two chased out thinking that Xia Xiaolou was probably going to the bathroom. They were going to wait at the door of the bathroom, but when they passed the staircase, they saw her hugging and kissing another man. Both of them were shocked¡­


    1. Back in the olden day, people in China were ssified under 5 sses and performers were ranked the lowest, so it could also be a degrading term if used like this.

 Chapter 944: Filming Experience

    <h4>Chapter 944: Filming Experience</h4>


    The man who was hugging Xia Xiaolou was the producer. Not only did the two kiss each other affectionately, the producer''s hands were even rubbing against her waist and back. Tao Yueyue felt nauseous from seeing this and she pulled Lin Dongxue¡¯s hand to leave.


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Is this the unspoken rule of the legends?"


    "Maybe it''s true love." Lin Dongxue said, but she didn''t want to believe it.


    "She actually ys a variety of girls and she¡¯s also ying my character."


    Of course, they didn''t want the group photo anymore. The two quietly avoided the awkward scene.


    The screenwriter found the two of them and asked with a smile, "Where did you go for a stroll? It¡¯s about to start."


    The crew and others brought the equipment, went downstairs, and got in a few SUVs. Lin Dongxue drove her own car. The screenwriter also sat inside and looked at the people outside. Lin Dongxue asked, "Will the female protagonist note?"


    "There¡¯s no scenes for her today. She just came over to participate in the opening ceremony."


    Tao Yueyue said, "But there are a lot of night scenes in the script!"


    "Haha, night scenes aren¡¯t necessarily shot at night. If they¡¯re indoors, it¡¯ll be filmed during the day, and if it¡¯s outdoors, they will pick an early morning or evening outdoors."


    Lin Dongxue said, "I just saw Xia Xiaolou and a certain person¡­"


    "Haha, I know what you saw. It''s no secret. After all, they¡¯re both young people. It''s normal to have feelings in and out of the scenes."


    Lin Dongxue was shocked. "Is he considered a youngster too?"


    "Thirty or so isn¡¯t that old¡­ Who did you see? Wasn''t it Little Ai?"


    Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue exchanged a surprised look with each other. Lin Dongxue said, "It was indeed Little Ai. I was just saying that Xia Xiaolou wouldn¡¯t be considered young."


    "She is well maintained. Although she¡¯s in her forties, she still looks like she is in her early twenties. I¡¯m also in my forties. Standing next to her, we look like we¡¯re from different generations, haha!"


    It turned out that what they had witnessed unintentionally was still something private.


    Passing through the buildings of different dynasties, they got to an abandoned factory on the edge of the film and television city. This ce used to be a grain-processing factory. It was transformed into a filming scene ording to local conditions. The director ran out of the car excitedly. "The light is just right. Hurry up and start."


    The staff held up the hanging microphone and set up the cameras. Cai Zhengkai and Little Ai had already put on their makeup in the car. Cai Zhengkai wore a wig and an outfit of shabby denim with dirt and blood stains on his face. He had a decaying look to him.


    Little Ai was wearing police uniform pants and a blue shirt.


    Cai Zhengkai moved his body around over and over again, reciting lines eloquently in his mouth, rubbing at his cheeks. Meanwhile, Little Ai was sitting on a folding chair ying with his mobile phone with his legs propped up.


    In this scene, the two people would be fighting each other in an abandoned factory. The role of Little Ai was a police officer who grew up with Zhou Xiao. The twoter parted ways. Little Aiter found that Cai Zhengkai had strayed toward evil ways. Little Ai was very angry and desperately wanted him arrested and brought to justice.


    In fact, the plot was designed forcefully. Arge number of police chased Zhou Xiao. After a series of crashes and explosions, only Little Ai and Zhou Xiao arrived at this ce where even the birds wouldn¡¯t sh*t in. The rest of the police wouldn¡¯t catch up until after they finished the fight.


    Everyone went to the second floor of the factory. There was a tform outside the window with a Simmons mattress underneath. After the videographer and sound recorder were in ce, a staff member took the pperboard and clicked it in front of the camera. They saw the two people fighting and holding on each other¡¯s clothes as they fell from the window onto the mattress.


    "Change the angle and do it again!" said the director.


    The action of this falling scene was repeated three times as the screenwriter exined, "They will add a special effect of broken ss in theter stages."


    "Filming turns out to be so troublesome." Tao Yueyue sighed empathetically.


    "Isn''t it? It takes a long time just to shoot a line of words in the script."


    After that, the makeup artist went forward to touch up the makeup while the props person removed the mattress, sprinkling some shards of breakaway ss1 on the ground to film the scuffle after the two fell down.


    Cai Zhengkai pressed Little Ai under his body and beat him fiercely. Of course, he took advantage of the angle. It looked like he was hitting Little Ai in the face, but he didn''t actually touch him at all.


    Tao Yueyue thought to herself that this scene might be full of enthusiasm in the movie, but it feels funny when it was disassembled into isted shots.


    Then, they changed to another angle. Little Ai retired first. The props person put a dummy of the same height as Little Ai on the ground, wearing the same clothes. The dummy was made of rubber, which looked simr to the real person at first nce.


    "Action!"


    "Zhou Xiao" grabbed the dummy and said viciously, "You have not suffered what I have. What right do you have to interfere with me?!"


    Then, with a punch on the dummy''s face, Cai Zhengkai suddenly screamed and grabbed his fist with his left hand.


    When they realized something was wrong, everyone rushed over and asked what was wrong, only to see Cai Zhengkai''s right hand was bleeding. It turned out that a needle had been inserted and hidden in the dummy''s head. The impact of his fist hitting the dummy caused the needle to be exposed.


    "Asshole, who did it?!" the agent shouted angrily, looking around at everyone.


    The props person said innocently, "I checked this morning and it was okay!"


    While everyone was discussing, Tao Yueyue found Little Ai hiding in a corner smoking a cigarette with a weird smile on his face.


    The agent said, "Zhengkai is injured, so we won''t shoot today."


    Cai Zhengkai said, "It doesn''t matter since it¡¯s a small injury. Let''s go on shooting, it will be dark soon."


    The director ¡°cared¡± symbolically, "Zhengkai, are you sure you¡¯re alright? Don''t force yourself."


    "It''s okay. Let¡¯s hurry."


    The filming work was interrupted by a sudden heavy rain. Around 5:00PM in the afternoon, everyone hurriedly packed their things up and hurried back.


    On the way back, Tao Yueyue asked, "Does this kind ofpetitive scheming happen often in the crew?"


    "It''s notpetitive scheming. Someone¡¯s obviously doing a bad thing." The screenwriter said, "Cai Zhengkai is a star after all. There¡¯s a world of difference in pay between him filming for a day and others filming for a day. It¡¯s inevitable that some people will be jealous of him¡­ but hiding needles in the props? This really is a bit too much. It¡¯s only the first time I¡¯ve witnessed such a thing."


    Lin Dongxue asked, "There wouldn''t be anything on the needle, right?"


    "His agent has taken him away for an inspection."


    Lin Dongxue looked at the rain outside the window. It seemed that she could only spend the night here tonight. She said, "When the rain stops tomorrow morning, I will take Tao Yueyue home."


    "Don''t you want to y for a few more days?" the screenwriter asked.


    "No. I thought we had something to do when Tao Yueyue was invited over. It turns out that we¡¯re just idlers who are visiting everywhere, so we won''t bother you guys here. You guys even have to pay for our meals and amodation."


    "Hehe, the money is given by the investor and you don''t need to save for them. If you want to stay, you can stay for a few more days. After all, if we didn''t have Yueyue¡¯s experience, we wouldn''t have had this movie. It''s a rare experience to visit the crew."


    Tao Yueyue said, "I think I¡¯ve watched enough this day. I feel a little homesick when idling around outside. I want to go back soon."


    "That¡¯s okay. Find me when you get up tomorrow morning. I will take you guys to check out¡­ Will we have dinner together tonight?"


    "Yueyue, what do you think?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. "I want to eat at the television grounds."


    The screenwriter said, "Then you can drop me off at the hotel and go by yourselves. I still have to work at night."


    "Thank you for taking care of us all day."


    "It¡¯s something I should naturally do. It¡¯s only natural"


    1. Sugar ss, a brittle, transparent form of sugar that¡¯s used as fake ss in action movies and TV shows.

 Chapter 945: Falling To Death

    <h4>Chapter 945: Falling To Death</h4>


    At night, Lin Dongxue leaned on her bed and used the remote control to switch between channels. Various TV stations were broadcasting TV series. She wondered, "How much manpower and material resources are needed to shoot so many TV series every year?"


    Tao Yueyue sat on the sofa ying with her mobile phone and said, "It''s more interesting to read a book."


    "Haha." Lin Dongxue heard a beep. "The water is ready. Take a bath with your mother."


    "You go first. I''m ying a game with my ssmates. It''ll be over in a while."


    "Then you shoulde inter. I will help you rub your back."


    "Okay!"


    When Lin Dongxue entered the bathroom, Tao Yueyue immediately left the room quietly. She had a small n to teach the arrogant producer a lesson.


    The producer and Little Ai liked Xia Xiaolou at the same time. Little Ai probably didn¡¯t know about this. If he saw them and found out, that would be wonderful.


    Of course, in order toplete this prank, she must first investigate whether the producer was currently with Xia Xiaolou.


    Tao Yueyue snuck to the front of the producer¡¯s room and put her ears on it to eavesdrop. The room was quiet, and there was no lighting out of the door as if there was no one inside.


    It seemed that there was no hope. She returned to her room disappointed. Suddenly, a strange man appeared in the corridor. He looked unkempt wearing a shabby denim suit and holding a knife in his hand. Tao Yueyue was startled and turned to run.


    "Stop!" the other party shouted. It was Cai Zhengkai''s voice.


    Tao Yueyue stared at him nkly. Cai Zhengkai walked up to her and asked, "Did I scare you?" His eyes were gloomy in the moment.


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    Cai Zhengkai smiled. "I just came out to figure out the role by myself. Do you think I¡¯m like him now?"


    "It''s still not very simr. How should I say this? You¡¯re too fierce."


    "Is he not fierce?"


    "He¡¯s not fierce, but rather he had a feeling of a beast, as if he would rush over to bite someone at any moment."


    "A feeling of a beast..." Cai Zhengkai fell into deep thought.


    "Actually, I don''t think you need to imitate him deliberately. The script has long been changed beyond recognition anyway. Just act as you feel."


    "No, no, I¡¯m ying him. Is there a better model than Zhou Xiao himself? I will try to figure it out..." Cai Zhengkai whispered and turned to leave.


    "Uncle Cai." Tao Yueyue stopped him. "I think you¡¯re actually a very good actor."


    Cai Zhengkai snorted, "Call me Brother instead! By the way, if you¡¯re messing around outside, don''t go to the meeting room."


    "Why?"


    "Don¡¯t go if you¡¯re told not to go. Just hurry up and go back to your room!"


    Tao Yueyue was even more curious after he said that. After Cai Zhengkai left, she quietly went to the ce where the start-up ceremony had been held in the afternoon. At this moment, the lights were not turned on in the conference room, but panting noises could be heard. At the door, she put her ear on the door to eavesdrop, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the producer and Xia Xiaolou who were engaged in illicit actions inside.


    The n continues!


    She ran to the stairway and dialed the number for Little Ai¡¯s phone in his room with her mobile phone. She had guessed his number based on her own room number. The mobile phone beeped for a while when Little Ai answered and asked angrily, "Who is it?!"


    Tao Yueyue deliberately said in a low voice, "I saw Xia Xiaolou in the meeting room with another man..."


    "Nonsense, Xia Xiaolou is my girlfriend. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll tear your mouth apart!" Little Ai said angrily. Being so unkind with strangers, his character was evident.


    "Whether you believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you." Tao Yueyue finished speaking, hung up the phone, and quickly slipped back into her room.


    If she didn¡¯t, she feared that Lin Dongxue would discover her little scheme. If not for that, she really would have liked to stay and enjoy the scene of catching the adulterers.


    In the room, Lin Dongxue still hadn¡¯t noticed Tao Yueyue had left for a while and was still shouting, "Yueyue,e in and take a bath! Where are you?"


    "I''m here." Tao Yueyue agreed, taking off her clothes and getting into the bathroom.


    After taking a bath, Tao Yueyue watched TV and ate the snacks she bought at the television grounds. She was very proud. The upstairs must be very lively right now with lots of arguing. Through this day''s contact, she felt that Little Ai wasn¡¯t a good person either.


    Maybe he hid the needle in the prop earlier that afternoon.


    A bad romance drama was being broadcast on TV. Lin Dongxue watched it for five minutes and then changed the channel saying she couldn''t stand it. She switched channels but eventually went back to the drama. In the end, the two of them watched it with delight.


    Unbeknownst to them, it was already 10:00PM. Lin Dongxue asked, "Are you sleepy?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head.


    "Haha, you¡¯re just like your Uncle Chen. You¡¯re both night owls."


    "If you¡¯re sleepy, you can go to bed first."


    "I''ll go to sleepter... What¡¯s that sound?!"


    Lin Dongxue looked around and turned off the TV volume. Somewhere, there was a plopping sound, like something hitting the ss. Tao Yueyue found that the sound came from outside the window, but when she turned her head to look, there was nothing outside.


    Lin Dongxue walked to the window and suddenly there was a scream outside. "Ah! Someone jumped off the building!"


    Tao Yueyue hurried over and opened the window to look down. There was a person lying on the ground where it had just rained with blood stains spread around the body.


    "I''ll go down and take a look." Lin Dongxue hurriedly tied up her hair, grabbed her clothes, and brushed her body after putting it on, before feeling something was missing. "Forget it. I won''t wear a bra."


    "I never wear it. It''s better to have a t chest!" Tao Yueyue had already put on her clothes.


    The people living on this floor were rmed and ran out in a panic. Out of professional habit, Lin Dongxue nced and saw that there was the screenwriter, director, and other crew members in the corridor, but she didn''t see Cai Zhengkai, Little Ai, or the producer.


    The crowd squeezed into the elevator together, and the stage manager said in a panic, "I was cutting my toenails in the room when I saw a person swish down in front of my window. Then, I opened the window and saw a person lying down there."


    "A person sprawled down there." The screenwriter corrected. "I saw the clothes. Doesn¡¯t it seem to be a bit like..."


    "Like who?!"


    "I dare not say. Go see for yourself."


    When they finally got to the first floor, Lin Dongxue almost ran out. There was a man lying on the ground. Since the ground was still wet, the blood flowing out had been washed away. The person was clearly Little Ai.


    She squatted down, confirmed that it was Little Ai, tested his pulse with her hand, and found that he was dead.


    Everyone was about to move forward and check when Lin Dongxue said, "Don''te here. It¡¯s very troublesome to leave footprints around."


    "Is it Little Ai?" the director asked.


    "Yes, it is."


    "Why would he jump off the building?!" The director was shocked, his face pale in fright.


    Seeing the dead person, a crewmember covered his mouth and ran to the side to vomit. The screenwriter panicked and asked, "Should I call the police?"


    "I''ll contact the nearest police station to deal with it." Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone, stood up, and walked to the side to make a call.


    While exining the situation to the police station, the producer rushed out from nowhere, threw himself on Little Ai''s body, and shook him vigorously as he shouted, "Little Ai, Little Ai! Answer me!"


    "Hey, don''t move the corpse." Lin Dongxue said.


    The producer ignored her and turned to look at the director and the others. "Little Ai wouldn''tmit suicide! Who did it?! Who did it?!"

 Chapter 946: After The Murder

    <h4>Chapter 946: After The Murder</h4>


    Everyone looked at each other and Lin Dongxue said, "Mr. Producer, don''t touch the body. It will leave fingerprints."


    "Get lost!" the producer roared fiercely.


    Lin Dongxue calmly stared into his eyes and said, "I warn you in the name of a criminal police officer, please take your hands off the corpse."


    Only then did the producer realize his impoliteness. "I''m sorry. I lost my cool... I just can''t ept this fact."


    Lin Dongxue asked someone to fetch something to cover the body. While waiting, Tao Yueyue raised her head and looked at the window of the conference room, which had been lit up. One of the windows was wide open. She felt a tension in her heart. Could it be a butterfly effect caused by her own mischief?


    Lin Dongxue inspected the corpse and noticed something unusual. There was arge amount of dust on the back of the corpse. She looked up and asked the auntie, "Did you see him fall from upstairs with your own eyes?"


    "Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes, and I was so scared that my heart¡¯s still thumping right now!"


    "After seeing the fall, you immediately looked down?"


    "Correct!"


    Little Ai undoubtedly died from the fall just then. His skull broke and his blood mixed with cerebrospinal fluid dripped to the ground.


    Lin Dongxue said, "Yueyue, check the surveince footage of the hotel and save the part before and after the fall. Do you have a USB sh drive?"


    "No."


    The director took out a USB sh drive. "I have one here. You can use it, but don''t delete the contents inside randomly."


    "Thank you."


    Taking the USB sh drive, Tao Yueyue went to the hotel''s monitoring room. When she passed the stairs, she saw the screenwriter standing there with a piece of cloth in his hand. His cheeks were red as he asked, "Yueyue, where are you going?"


    "Sister Lin told me to go to the monitoring room."


    "Oh, I''m sending this piece of cloth over... Haii, how could such a thing happen?"


    When she got up the stairs, Tao Yueyue had a thought sh through her mind. It seemed that the screenwriter hadn¡¯te down the stairs, but he was just standing there. What was he doing there?


    When she got to the hotel¡¯s monitoring room, the two security guards didn¡¯t know that something serious had happened outside. They were still ying poker with cigarettes in their mouths. Tao Yueyue asked to watch the surveince footage, and they asked in turn, "Who are you?", "Call the police toe over themselves!", "You can¡¯t just look at surveince footage casually."


    Tao Yueyue shouted impatiently, "Show me the surveince footage! If you don''t believe it, go out and see for yourselves."


    The security guard no longer insisted, saying, "Let''s see why is the little girl so fierce."


    She had read books about electronic information collection and knew what to do in order to retrieve the footage taken. She found that there weren¡¯t many security cameras in this hotel. The most important point was that there wasn¡¯t one in the corridor. She asked, "Why are there only these few cameras?"


    "There¡¯s no other way. There are often celebrities living here, so they definitely don''t want to be photographed. We only installed the minimum amount of security cameras required by public security."


    "I will copy these away!"


    "You¡¯re not fooling me, right?"


    Tao Yueyue decided to take out her police academy''s meal card and showed it to him. The security guard said, "Well, it turns out to be a little police officer. Haha, how cute. You can copy it!"


    When she returned, the body was no longer where it was, and there was no one in the hall. Lin Dongxue called and told her to go to a conference room on the first floor.


    The corpse had temporarily been carried there, covered with a piece of cloth, and ced on the table. Lin Dongxue had already taken a photo with her mobile phone. If the body had been left outside in the rain, it would affect the autopsy results. All the crew staying there had been called over and upon receiving news of Little Ai¡¯s death, there were mixed reactions.


    Lin Dongxue looked around and asked, "Who saw Little Aist?"


    Everyone looked at each other, but no one answered. Lin Dongxue said, "When I ran out of the room, I saw the screenwriter, the director, and the crewmembers, but I didn''t see Mr. Cai. Mr. Cai, what were you doing at the time?"


    Cai Zhengkai shrugged. "I was out getting a drink... Wait, why are you asking these things? Didn''t Little Aimit suicide?"


    "Little Ai wouldn''tmit suicide!" The producer growled. "Who pushed Little Ai down? Stand up!"


    This kind of question was naturally impossible for anyone to answer.


    Tao Yueyue called Lin Dongxue outside and said, "I have something to tell you. Actually, when you took a bath, I snuck out."


    "You snuck out? Where did you go?"


    Tao Yueyue exined what she had done and what she had seen. Lin Dongxue was surprised. "Child, you actually went out to cause mischief. I can¡¯t take my eyes off of you for even a second."


    "I just think the producer was too annoying and I wanted to teach him a lesson... I''m so afraid that I caused Little Ai''s death."


    "If he was killed because of this incident, then the producer would be the most suspicious, but judging by his reaction... Ah, this kind of thing isn¡¯t obvious just by looking at them. I will call people out for questioning individually."


    "You¡¯re not going to wait for the police toe?"


    "Only civil police from the local police station who aren¡¯t good at handling this kind of case areing. Since the case has just happened, it¡¯s better to question them immediately, lest some people go back to calm down and craft a story to deal with the police."


    "Oh, let me go with you. I can take it as a learning experience."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "This is the first time I¡¯m dealing with a murder case alone. It¡¯s a pity that Old Chen isn¡¯t here right now. Who should we call first?"


    "I think the first thing to do is ask the producer!"


    "Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue returned to the house and said to everyone, "In order to figure out the cause of Little Ai''s death, I need to take turns to talk with everyone."


    "Are you a detective?" someone scoffed.


    Lin Dongxue calmly responded, "This is just the normal procedure of criminal police officers. I hope you will all cooperate. I will not dy you for too long. You can go back to the house and rest after my questioning. Mr. Producer, I want to talk to you first."


    The producer was immersed in grief and anger. When he suddenly heard Lin Dongxue calling him, he asked, "Are you doubting me?"


    "I didn''t say I doubted you. I just want to know what you did tonight."


    "Tonight..." The producer nced at Xia Xiaolou, who blushed and lowered her head. "Okay, let''s go out and talk!"


    Out in the corridor, the producer took out a cigar from his body, bit off one end, and lit it. Lin Dongxue asked, "When was thest time you saw the deceased?"


    "When we had dinner in the evening. I went back to my room to rest after eating. I made a few phone calls in the middle of the night, but I never went out."


    "May I check your phone? There should be call records on it, right?"


    The producer hesitantly took out his mobile phone. Lin Dongxue reached for it, buthe retracted it with his eyes flickering. "Tell me first! Did Little Aimit suicide or was he pushed downstairs?!"


    "I can''t judge that at this moment."


    "Then I will judge for you! I heard Little Ai and Cai Zhengkai arguing in the corridor at around 9:00PM. Cai Zhengkai is absolutely a suspect!"


    "Didn''t you say that you¡¯ve been in your room the whole time?"


    "I¡­"


    "Please tell me the truth. Who did you meet tonight and what did you do?"


    The producer''s nostrils fluttered and he muttered for a few seconds before saying, "Well, in order to assist you with the case, I will honestly tell you that there were some small conflicts between Little Ai and I, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Little Ai''s death!"

 Chapter 947: Questioning

    <h4>Chapter 947: Questioning</h4>


    The producer smoked a cigar and said, "In the evening, Miss Xia and I were in the conference room... talking about something. Miss Xia and Little Ai are dating. He somehow ran into us and misunderstood what was happening. Then, we had a fight. In fact, this was just the fuse. During this period, he brought up old debts, saying that I didn¡¯t try hard enough to raise his poprity, so he missed several opportunities. However, in fact, everyone with a discerning eye knows that Little Ai himself has no skill. It¡¯s unknown how much the investors have put into him only for him to still be a third-line actor even now."


    Lin Dongxue nodded her head. She didn''t care what the producer was doing with Xia Xiaolou at the time. "Ms. Xia was there the whole time during the quarrel?"


    "Always present... Ah no, then she went back to her room first."


    "Which room?"


    "Miss Xia and Little Ai live in the same room." The producer wiped his mouth out of guilty conscience.


    "I''m very curious. What is the rtionship between you and Little Ai? You keep talking about the investors. Who are the investors?"


    "The investors are a... a real estatepany. The boss took advantage of the real estate boom to make some money and began to develop towards the film and television industry. He invested in some films. Little Ai is the son of a certain executive. I have also worked in film and television before, which is why I¡¯m a bit clearer on the industry. Therefore, the investors asked me to be the representative and raise Little Ai to poprity while I was at it.¡± The producer replied vaguely.


    "What time did the argument happen?"


    "About 8:00PM... Don''t suspect me because at 9:00PM, I went to the corridor to smoke and heard Little Ai and Cai Zhengkai arguing. Cai Zhengkai was thest to see him. There was a conflict between the two. Cai Zhengkai is absolutely suspicious!"


    Lin Dongxue recorded all this information down, thanked him, and then called Xia Xiaolou out.


    Xia Xiaolou looked at Lin Dongxue up and down. "I didn''t expect the police to be so good-looking. Isn''t it a pity to be a police officer?"


    "Everyone is waiting. I won''t make small talk with you. What were you doing at night?"


    "What did the producer say?"


    "I''m asking you now!"


    Xia Xiaolou shrugged. "At around 8:00PM, I was having sex with the producer in the conference room. Did you want to hear about this? An actress hooking up with the producer. I warn you, don¡¯t talk to others about this or I will get mywyer to send you a letter suing you."


    Tao Yueyue frowned on the side. It was theplete copse of human design.


    "And then?"


    "Little Ai ran in, caught us in the act, and I was terrified at the time. My clothes weren¡¯t even put on properly yet! Look, my face is still red. It was a p in the face from Little Ai. They both quarrelled loudly and it was very fierce. I was afraid that I would be caught in it, so I took the opportunity to sneak back into my room. Actually, I have been together with the producer for quite a while, but this matter has never been discussed with Little Ai. He unterally thought I was his girlfriend, but I lost my feelings of novelty towards him long ago. I was alone in the room, feeling irritated, and I thought I would just take this opportunity to break up with him. But no matter how long I waited, he didn¡¯te back. Then, I heard someone shouting outside. Later, I found out that he had fallen from the building and died."


    "You stayed in the room from 8:00PM till 10:00PM? Can anyone prove it?"


    "Who can prove this?" Xia Xiaolou bit her lip. "By the way, you know what happened in the afternoon?"


    "The props matter?"


    "Yes! That was actually done by Little Ai. He has always been jealous of Cai Zhengkai because they always y the same roles. Or, you could say that Little Ai made his debut by imitating Cai Zhengkai at the beginning. Little Ai has strong capital supporting him from behind. This background is something that most actors are jealous of. However, he just wouldn¡¯t get popr. Cai Zhengkai on the other hand is a serious actor who graduated from a drama ss, doesn¡¯t have such a solid backer, but he became a hit. Of course, Little Ai was very jealous of him, so he secretly did bad things to him. This isn¡¯t the first time either. Though of course, this time, it was indeed a bit over the line... I only know this much. Is there anything else you want to ask?"


    Tao Yueyue asked, "What do you think of your role as ''Chen Yueyue''?"


    Xia Xiaolou rejoiced. "What? Are you suddenly a guest reporter? I haven''t read the script yet. I just read the summary. I think it''spletely fictional. The little girl outwits a serial killer. I can¡¯t believe that even this kind of story can be made up. The screenwriters nowadays really don¡¯t have anything to write about, haha."


    "That was adapted from real people and real events!"


    "Who cares?! I just get paid. I''ll go back to my room if there are no other questions."


    "Leave down your contact information!"


    "Yes, but don''t tell anyone. My phone number is not easily given out."


    After getting the phone number, Lin Dongxue asked Xia Xiaolou to stand next to the wall to take photos of her. Xia Xiaolou was reluctant and said that she didn''t have makeup on, but due to Lin Dongxue''s insistence, in the end she still agreed.


    As Xia Xiaolou left, Tao Yueyue looked at her silhouette quickly receding and said, "I think she should transform to y those kinds of bad women. She¡¯d definitely be more brilliant than acting as innocent girls."


    "Haha, be acquainted with the unusual!"


    "By the way, why did you take her photo?"


    "When investigating the case, it''s convenient to use it to question people... The photo of the producer hasn''t been taken yet! Has he left?"


    "I''ll go find him!"


    "Thank you. I will continue to ask others."


    Tao Yueyue ran to the producer¡¯s room and heard crying from the inside. She knocked on the door and he shouted from the inside, "Who is it?"


    "I''m the daughter of Officer Lin. There¡¯s something I need to ask you."


    "Wait a minute!"


    A minuteter, the producer opened the door. His face was red as if he had drunk alcohol. Tao Yueyue exined her intentions and the producer was very cooperative.


    After taking the photo, he asked, "How long will it take for the case to be resolved?"


    "I dare not talk nonsense about this, but the police will definitely try their best."


    "Okay, okay, you definitely are the child of an officer. You speak so cordially. At the lunch table at noon, I found that you seemed to hate me a little bit. Do you think that investor representatives like us make things difficult and annoying?"


    "Uh... A little bit."


    "If you want to be a police officer in the future, you have to learn to think from the standpoints of different people. Us investors are allymen. We don¡¯t know anything about film and television. We only have money, so we can¡¯t be fooled. There was once a director who took our money and used it on a mistress. The ounts were written beautifully every day, so we got the crew to supervise and watch the money be spent on what¡¯s needed.


    "But I feel that if you interfere like this and hinder other people''s creativity, you won''t be able to make any money back if the movie is shot poorly in the end!"


    "Movies are justmodities. If you¡¯re good at marketing, you can still earn money. It seems you still need to learn a lot, but I''m not in the mood to talk to you about it right now. I will go back to my room and rest."


    "Excuse me..."


    Tao Yueyue stopped the producer, who was about to return to his room. He turned to look at her.


    "Excuse me, what is the real rtionship between you and Little Ai? I heard you crying in the room just now. I think your rtionship should be very close!"


    "We are just in a partnership..."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter if you don''t say it. The police will find out anyway."


    The producer looked at her. His serious gaze made her a little nervous, and the producer sneered. "You truly are a little police officer! Actually... Little Ai is my son! To be precise, he¡¯s an illegitimate child."

 Chapter 948: Autopsy

    <h4>Chapter 948: Autopsy</h4>


    After Tao Yueyue left, Lin Dongxue invited Cai Zhengkai to the corridor and asked him, "I want to know what you were doing tonight."


    Cai Zhengkai replied calmly, "When I got back from filming, I read the script and ate my meal in the room. Then, I went out to get some air, and I went to the bar to sit for a while before heading back at 9:00PM."


    "We live on the same floor. When the fall happened, I paid attention to it. You arrived ten minuteste. Can you tell me the reason for this?"


    Cai Zhengkai raised a carefully trimmed eyebrow. "Because I don''t like to join in themotion. Who stipted that if someone dies, you have to run out and watch and that you¡¯ll be a suspect if you arrive a few minutester? Do you police handle cases like this?"


    Lin Dongxue ignored his provocation and said, "However, some people have reported that you may have been thest person to see the deceased."


    "Thest person to see the deceased? Isn¡¯t there a problem with this expression? If Little Ai was pushed downstairs, aren''t you saying that I¡¯m the murderer? Please. He¡¯s a viin and I can''t even hide away from him in time, let alone provoke him."


    "Don''t go around in circles. Let me ask you something: when was thest time you saw Little Ai?!"


    Cai Zhengkai still said in a calm tone, "At dinner."


    "Leave down your contact information!"


    Cai Zhengkai made a "go ahead" action, reported his number, and then let her take a picture.


    After questioning everyone, Lin Dongxue asked them to go back first. Then, Tao Yueyue came back and asked, "Are you finished with the questioning?"


    "A few people. It¡¯s estimated that we¡¯ll meet again."


    "When I went to take his photo, I learned something. Little Ai is actually the illegitimate son of the producer."


    "Really?" Lin Dongxue was slightly taken aback.


    "The producer said that Little Ai was born from a mistress of his in his early years. His wife is the daughter of his boss and as the boss''s son-inw, this kind of thing would naturally not be made public. So, he kept it a secret and sent monthly living expenses for him quietly. Later, Little Ai went out to be an extra and wanted to be an actor. The position of the producer in thepany was already high, so he used his own money to raise his poprity."


    "Does Little Ai know about it?"


    "He had to have known, I¡¯m guessing."


    "It''s so interesting. The father actually robbed his son''s girlfriend. The scene must have been really ¡®exciting¡¯ at the time. I think I can lower the suspicion I have against the producer."


    "Who do you suspect the most?"


    "Cai Zhengkai!"


    "But what about the motive?"


    "I think the probability of an impulsive murder is quite high. For example, when the two quarrelled, Cai Zhengkai pushed him downstairs. This can exin why Cai Zhengkai appeared thetest... By the way, the corpse hasn¡¯t been inspected yet! You won''t be afraid, right?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. "What''s so scary about dead people?"


    Lin Dongxue lifted the cover of the corpse away. Little Aiy with his back on the table. Seeing the paper-like skin color and therge pieces of blood clots on his head coupled with the silence of the night, Tao Yueyue was still a little nervous.


    "It feels the same as falling asleep. I can''t help but think, ¡®will he suddenly sit up?!¡¯" Tao Yueyue said.


    "Haha, Captain Peng told me that the dead aren¡¯t scary. The main reason is that people who see dead people love to make associations and overthink. If they don¡¯t, they can calmly face them." Lin Dongxue stretched out her hand and remembered that she wasn¡¯t wearing gloves. "Let¡¯s still wait for the police toe and talkter!"


    "Weren¡¯t there disposable gloves when we ate the roast leg ofmb at noon? There should be a lot of them in the kitchen. I''ll get two pairs."


    By the time Lin Dongxue asked, "Isn¡¯t the kitchen closed?" Tao Yueyue had already run out. After a while, she brought back two pairs of disposable stic gloves.


    The two put on gloves and Lin Dongxue opened the eyelids of the deceased and looked at them for a long time. Tao Yueyue asked her what she was looking at. Lin Dongxue said, "I have dealt with cases of people falling from a building and dying. Falling from such a high ce, their eyes should definitely have bleeding spots, but Little Ai doesn''t have them."


    There was ayer of blood in the eyes of the deceased. It was hemorrhaging caused by a head injury, not a unique feature of death by falling from a building.


    "When I first saw the deceased, I was very concerned about one thing. It was obviously lying on the ground, so why was there dust on his back?" Lin Dongxue questioned.


    "Can I take a look?" Tao Yueyue asked, "Actually, when I was at home alone and had nothing to do, I read Uncle Chen''s forensics book."


    Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "Okay, you can check it at your will. I''m just relying on experience as well. We¡¯re bothymen here. Let¡¯s see what you can find."


    Tao Yueyue picked up the deceased''s head, pressed the skin on his scalp with her hand, and said, "This should be the scalp hematoma mentioned in the book."


    "Yes, deaths from falling off buildings generally have this characteristic."


    Touching the rustled, wet hair, Tao Yueyue¡¯s small heart was tight. She read the forensic book with gusto because the knowledge was very mysterious. It could happen to everyone, but it was inessible to the majority of people.


    However, facing a real corpse, she found it really difficult. What she saw was a dead person with small injuries and bruises on his eyes, nose, and ears. She didn¡¯t know what to focus on.


    Tao Yueyue touched a different ce under his scalp, pressed it with her hand, and said, "Sister Lin, there¡¯s a fracture here."


    Lin Dongxue went over to check and said, "It¡¯s true! This is a sunken fracture..." She used her hand to measure it. "Is this left from the ground? It doesn''t look like it!"


    "There must be a reason for the abnormal things."


    "Yes, there must be a reason. We will explore it slowly."


    "Should we check the ribs? If you fall from a great height, the ribs would definitely be broken."


    Lin Dongxue smiled and praised, "You look just like a little genius detective now."


    Tao Yueyue blushed in embarrassment.


    Lin Dongxue untied the coat of the deceased, revealing the chest of the deceased. Lin Dongxue touched it with her hands and said, "Strange. None of the ribs are broken..." She looked at the deceased''s hands. "Look. The nails are broken, and there are small drag wounds and dust!"


    "Wow, sister Lin is so keen!" Tao Yueyue praised. "I think Uncle Chen''s blinding light has always overshadowed your excellence."


    "How could that be? I have seen hundreds of corpses in the past few years as a police officer. I have seen hundreds of autopsy reports, which is somewhat a bit of experience. But if you ask me to tell you things systematically, I won¡¯t be able to. I don¡¯t even know the time of death..." Lin Dongxue muttered, "The possibility of a person falling from a high ce without a single broken rib is near zero. Even if Zhou Tiannan fell from the sixth floor in the past and didn¡¯t die, he still had a broken rib cage."


    "In the end, he fell to death on the second floor of his own house, which is really ironic." Tao Yueyue sneered.


    "He hit his head on the flowerbed... The flowerbed? Right, the deceased must have hit something, which is why the sunken fracture was formed. When many people fall, they may hit something in the middle and then fall to the ground. I think we should revisit the scene to have a look."

 Chapter 949: Lullaby

    <h4>Chapter 949: Luby</h4>


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Now?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Wait until the corpse has been examined. By the way, let''s turn the corpse over!"


    The two put the clothes back on the corpse and turned it over. Little Ai did have a lot of dust behind him. Tao Yueyue suddenly said, "Sister Lin, since it''s raining outside and the ground is wet, how can there be dust?"


    Lin Dongxue''s eyes lit up. "Right, you¡¯re right on the point. I was thinking about what he would have collided with mid-air that caused it, but if it¡¯s raining, anything he would have brushed over would have been muddy."


    "He seems to be missing a button on his sleeve." Tao Yueyue said, pointing to the wrist of the corpse.


    "Ha, you found another detail. This is great."


    With their abilities, they couldn¡¯t see anything more, so she locked the door back up. Lin Dongxue checked the time. It was already 11:00 at night, and there was no one in the corridor. She asked, ¡°Yueyue, are you sleepy?"


    "I¡¯m not sleepy at all... Why hasn''t the local police arrived yet?"


    "We¡¯re on the outskirts. They still have a while before they get here. Shall we go take the elevator?"


    "I think we should go down the stairs to have a look. Parts of the nails and buttons of the deceased are missing. Let¡¯s see if they fell at the crime scene."


    "You''re right!"


    Lin Dongxue increasingly felt that with Tao Yueyue''s meticulousness and keenness, she could definitely inherit Chen Shi''s mantle and be a genius at detective work.


    They arrived at the ce where the corpse was found. The rainy ground reflected the light from the streetmp. As this was towards the front of the hotel, it had been cleaned very thoroughly. Looking around, no evidence of the corpse being there were seen at all.


    "Okay, it''s definitely not here. Perhaps it''s not the first crime scene at all." Lin Dongxue said.


    "Then why did the stage manager auntie say that she saw the fall... Did she lie?"


    "I don''t rule out this possibility, but is it necessary for the auntie to lie? She and Little Ai have nothing to do with each other. Wait..." Lin Dongxue looked up. "We didn''t pull out the room card when we left."


    Tao Yueyue looked up and understood Lin Dongxue''s meaning. Next to the lighted window was the auntie¡¯s room. It was not in line with the falling point. Tao Yueyue said, "The auntie is really lying! I understand now. The man fell to death in another ce and was carried here. Then, the auntie found a suitable time and shouted that someone had jumped off the building. Everyone looked out and saw someone had fallen down! Why did the auntie help the murderer? Or is she the murderer herself?!"


    "You¡¯re thinking too deeply. Lying doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they¡¯re a murderer. Maybe she wants to hide something else."


    "In front of the police, what do you want to hide even if it means you¡¯d be suspected?"


    "The police are outsiders too! Let¡¯s go upstairs and take a look."


    When they got to the conference room, Lin Dongxue turned on the light and saw a broken wine bottle and some paper towels on the ground. Tao Yueyue sniffed the air. "Someone has mated here before."


    "Huh, you can smell it?"


    "Sometimes when you and Uncle Chen get up in the morning, Uncle Chen has this smell. I just don''t want to talk about it."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Amazing, but don''t use such strange words when discussing the case."


    "It''s not strange. This is a very objective way of saying it. I don''t know why adults use so many words to refer to ''mating''. The whole cannon shooting, ¡®pak pak¡¯, apuding, holding a meeting, etc. The entire Xinhua dictionary is about to be borrowed as a metaphor for ''mating''. Don''t do what you''re too embarrassed to talk about. Honestly!"


    Lin Dongxueughed so hard that she couldn''t handle it. "You can simply say ''a rtionship happened between them''."


    Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone, took a few pictures of the debris on the ground, and then went to the window. The window was open and some dust was wiped off of the window sill. It seemed that someone had been sitting on it.


    "Strange. There¡¯s no trace of fighting around the window, as if the deceased had climbed on it himself." Lin Dongxue nced down and saw a pool of blood. "This is almost perpendicr to the falling point, and there are no obstacles in between... But there¡¯s a shelter at the front entrance of the hotel. Could it be that the dust and the sunken fracture was from hitting it?"


    "Hasn''t it already been determined that the first crime scene was over there?"


    "No, no, every possibility must be considered, even if the purpose of consideration is only to exclude."


    "If you think about it, you know it''s impossible. How could a person fall there, get hit, then bounce to the ground, all while their ribs remain unbroken?"


    "But the words ''if you think about it'' can''t be written on the court as testimony. I think a drop test could be done."


    "It''s no wonder that being a police officer isn¡¯t as interesting as a detective. A detective just needs to think about it, but the police have to investigate everything one by one."


    "Is the kind of detective you¡¯re talking about the detectives from novels? In reality, a detective doesn''t do anything like that. Every day, they investigate affairs and catch the adulterers."


    At this time, a police car arrived. Lin Dongxue said, "They¡¯re finally here. Let''s go down!"


    The people who arrived were all from the local police station. Theycked criminal experience and only provided support in terms of manpower. Lin Dongxue met them, spoke, and did things with the skill of an old criminal police officer. Tao Yueyue was watching her and thinking seriously. If I want to be a criminal detective in the future, do I want to have the same hairstyle as Lin Dongxue?


    They went to Little Ai''s room. Xia Xiaolou wasn¡¯t there. The police temporarily took away some personal belongings that might be rted to the case, and then the body was also taken away. The testimonies collected by Lin Dongxue were also given to them to file a case back at the head branch.


    At 12:00 at night, the two returned to their room. Tao Yueyue yawned for a long time, and Lin Dongxue suggested, "Let''s go to sleep!"


    "Okay."


    Lying on the bed, Lin Dongxue texted Chen Shi. Tao Yueyue snuggled into her arms and asked, "What did you say to Uncle Chen?"


    "I forgot to return his WeChat message. He thought we were kidnapped by the bad guys. I told him that there was a homicide case here."


    "Is heing?"


    "Do you want him toe?"


    "Hmm..." Tao Yueyue leaned against Lin Dongxue''s arms and closed her eyes. "I actually want to see if I can solve the case."


    "Okay, then we will rely on ourselves this time!" Lin Dongxue replied to Chen Shi in this way.


    After talking on WeChat, Lin Dongxue browsed on Weibo. Tao Yueyuey motionless in her arms. She thought that Tao Yueyue was already asleep. When she was about to put her phone down to sleep as well, Tao Yueyue said in a low voice with her eyes closed, " Sing me a luby!"


    Lin Dongxue thought for a while, patted her on the shoulder, and hummed a luby.


    Tao Yueyue felt a burst of warmth pouring into her heart. She didn''t use the term "motherly" to describe her because her own blood-rted mother gave her nothing but a terrible childhood.


    "Sister Lin, I really wish you were my mother!" Tao Yueyue murmured.


    "I¡¯m your mother now and I always will be, darling." Lin Dongxue smiled. "Let¡¯s turn off the lights and go to sleep!"

 Chapter 950: Test For Oneself

    <h4>Chapter 950: Test For Oneself</h4>


    The next morning, Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue went to the buffet restaurant and saw the crew sitting together. The director said, "Little Ai is gone so the shots taken yesterday are no longer able to be used. Hurry up and find a recement actor!"


    The screenwriter said, "The role of Little Ai was originally addedter. I suggest using the original script and having this role scrapped."


    "You asshole!" the producer roared. "Little Ai hasn¡¯t even been buried and you¡¯re saying this kind of thing? I think you guys killed Little Ai! Since he¡¯s gone, stop work. Stop the filming!"


    The director mediated, "Calm your fire. The producer and the crew have signed a contract, and you will have to pay a lot of money if you don''t continue filming. Everyone is very sad about Little Ai''s death. I''m just discussing a backup n. There is no other meaning. "


    The producer''s lips trembled. Losing money was a big deal. He pondered for a long time. "Change the actor! As soon as possible!"


    With that, the producer got up and left, and Xia Xiaolou followed behind.


    Tao Yueyue held her te and asked, "Shall we go over to eat?"


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "We are no longer just people who came to visit the crew, but the police officers handling the case. It¡¯s better to keep a little distance."


    When she finished eating, Lin Dongxue walked over. Everyone asked about the progress of the case. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°Little Ai will be dissected at the Public Security Bureau today. It¡¯s best not to leave the hotel today. I mighte over to talk to you.¡±


    "Can an autopsy determine whether it¡¯s a homicide or suicide?" the screenwriter asked.


    "Usually it can be found out. When the results are obtained, I will naturally inform everyone¡­ By the way, there was a dummy who was used in ce of Little Ai during the filming. I want to borrow that."


    "Why do you want to borrow that?!" The screenwriter suddenly became nervous. His reaction made Tao Yueyue feel very strange.


    "Do a test of falling from the building. Why? Is it not convenient to borrow it?" Lin Dongxue observed the screenwriter''s expression.


    The director answered, "Convenient. It¡¯s convenient. I''ll let the stage manager take you to get it!"


    The stage manager apanied Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue away, and the assistant directorughed. "The appearance of Police Officer Lin carrying out her work seriously is really charming. I wonder if she¡¯s married or not."


    "Didn''t you see the wedding ring on her hand? The flower has already been taken¡­ Screenwriter, what¡¯s happening with you? You¡¯re absent-minded so early in the morning." The directormented.


    "Huh?" The screenwriter snapped back to reality. "I didn''t sleep wellst night. I¡¯ve been thinking about a new script."


    The crew rented a standard room to store the props. Because it was a modern show, there weren¡¯t many props used, so there was no need to rent a warehouse.


    The stage manager opened the door and the dummy was put in a stic bag. She picked it up and said, "You can return it to my room after you use it. We won''t be filming today anyway."


    "Can youe out with us?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Do you need me for something?"


    "To look at something."


    "Okay!"


    When they got outside, the ground had already been collected for evidence and was cleaned very thoroughly. Most of the guests entering and leaving the hotel didn¡¯t even know that the fall urred herest night.


    Lin Dongxue pointed to the window above. "Where do you live?"


    "Uh, that one. 715!"


    "But 715 isn¡¯t directly above the falling point. Right above it is Room 713. Last night, you imed to see someone falling from the window. I need to verify your testimony."


    The stage manager auntie showed an awkward expression. "This¡­"


    "Did you really see someone falling down? Please don''t hide anything."


    "I did!"


    "Where did you see it?"


    "713¡­ In the director''s room."


    "You mean, you were in the director''s room at the time? What were you doing?"


    The stage manager auntie nced at Tao Yueyue. "Officer Lin, do I have to take off my old face in front of a child? I was with the director doing that stuff¡­ We were both on the window at the time doing stuff. Suddenly, there was someone falling down. He was so frightened that he¡­ softened. I was the one who yelled at the time. I couldn¡¯t help myself because it was so scary! You see, this has nothing to do with the case. It''s my personal business."


    "Of course it matters. After all, you¡¯re an important witness."


    The stage manager auntie blushed. "Can I trouble you to not tell anyone? After all, the director is also a semi well-known person. It doesn''t sound good if it¡¯s spread around."


    "Don''t worry. Things that have entered the ears of the police will never leak out. We¡¯re not gossip journalists."


    Tao Yueyue held the dummy and asked, "Is this considered a hidden rule?"


    The stage managerughed. "How is this considered a hidden rule? Taking advantage of this old aunt? We developed these feelings after spending so much time together. After all, we¡¯ve been working together for a long time and often don¡¯t go home for a year or a half. Everyone has needs. It¡¯s the same as eating and drinking water."


    "After yelling, you immediately poked your head out to confirm?"


    "No, I got dressed. It took about half a minute."


    Lin Dongxue nodded. "This is consistent with my impression. A short while after the screaming, someone called out saying that someone had jumped off the building¡­ By the way, did you hear anything else before the fall?"


    "What sound?"


    "¡¯Pakpak¡¯ noises."


    The screenwriterughed again. "Is this a police joke? We were doing ¡®pakpak¡¯ at the time, so wouldn¡¯t there be ¡®pakpak¡¯ noises?"


    "I didn''t mean that." Lin Dongxue walked to the window and tapped the ss with her hand. Feeling that the sound wasn¡¯t very simr, she then knocked on it with her knuckles, but it still was not very simr.


    Tao Yueyue said, "It''s like the sound of a rope whipping against the ss."


    Lin Dongxue undid her shoces and threw them against the ss. After trying several times, she found the sound she was after. After listening for a long time, the stage manager said with certainty, "I didn''t hear it. I definitely didn''t hear it."


    "Thank you."


    After the stage manager was gone, Lin Dongxue asked Tao Yueyue, "You really heard it, right?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded. "Only the two of us heard it. Is it rted to the case?"


    "Since the strange sound appeared a few seconds before the fall, I think it¡¯s necessary to figure it out. Let''s go upstairs first!"


    Lin Dongxue informed the hotel. The conference room where the crime urred was temporarily sealed. The two got to the window and were discussing how to push the dummy down when a scream came from outside the door. A member of the hotel cleaning staff thought they were conspiring something awful.


    When they saw that they were just holding a dummy, the cleaning staff said, "I was shocked. It turns out that the police were doing an experiment!"


    "Excuse me, are you responsible for cleaning this floor?" Lin Dongxue said.


    "It''s me during the day and Sister Zhang at night."


    "When does she typically work until?"


    "Until 10:00PM¡­ Sister Zhang had the night shiftst night, so she won¡¯t be here during the day."


    Lin Dongxue got her to leave her contact information and asked her to tell Sister Zhang of the news. If she found anything, she would be contacted.


    The experiment continued. When the dummy was ced on the window sill, Lin Dongxue thought of something just when she was about to push. "Wait, the weight of the dummy and the real one aren¡¯t the same. If this is to be done, it¡¯s better to have the same weight."


    "Should we add some weight?" Tao Yueyue asked.


    "We can add some ice bags to the body. I''ll look for them. Wait for me here."


    "Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue left, and Tao Yueyue stared at the dummy in boredom. She suddenly noticed that the dummy''s ankle seemed to be damaged. Upon inspection, it seemed that a thin thread had been tied there¡­

 Chapter 951: Cai Zhengkai’s Testimony

    <h4>Chapter 951: Cai Zhengkai¡¯s Testimony</h4>


    After a while, Lin Dongxue came back with a box of condoms. Tao Yueyue raised her eyebrows. Lin Dongxue said, "What are you surprised by? This stuff is very tough. It can hold a lot of water. It works better than a balloon, you know? In case of distress out in the wilderness, you can use this as a water bag."


    "Okay, I learned another useless piece of knowledge."


    "Shall we go to the bathroom to fill the water up?"


    "Sister Lin, I think the experiment can be suspended for now. I found a detail..." She pointed to the dummy''s ankle. "Something was tied here. This shouldn''t be left from the filming. Do you remember how when we wanted this dummy, the screenwriter reacted a little unnaturally?"


    "Of course I remember."


    "When will the fingerprint-checking policee over?"


    "They¡¯re so far away. It¡¯ll probably be around noon."


    "Tell them to test this dummy as well."


    "Okay, I''ll get them to bring another prop over to experiment..." Lin Dongxue shook the condoms in her hand. "Well, I bought them for nothing. Buying these at hotels is very expensive."


    "You can save them for when you reunite with Uncle Chen after a short time away since it¡¯s said that short partings make lovers who reunite sweeter than newlyweds!"[1]


    "You know everything!" Lin Dongxue poked Tao Yueyue''s head with a smile.


    "What are we going to do next?"


    "Cai Zhengkai''s testimony needs to be verified again. If he is still reluctant to talk, it¡¯s necessary to call on him again."


    "We can start with his agent."


    "That''s very true!" Lin Dongxue smiled.


    So, they put the dummy back into the room. They found Cai Zhengkai¡¯s agent. He didn¡¯t have any jobs to do today, so he was talking on the phone while drinking coffee in the restaurant. When the police found him, he made a ¡°be silent¡± gesture, ended the phone conversation shortly, and then asked, "What''s the matter, beautiful police officer? Want to ask another question?"


    "I still want to know about the quarrel between Cai Zhengkai and Little Aist night."


    "Can you sit down? I''m really stressed with you standing."


    "You can stand up and answer."


    The agent took a sip of coffee and said, "I¡¯ve already said that Zhengkai has been in the house the whole timest night. What can he and Little Ai quarrel on? He¡¯s not a heavyweight opponent. Would Zhengkai put that clown within his sight?"


    "Please respect the dead!"


    "Okay, okay, respect the dead. Zhengkai didn''t meet Little Aist night. That''s all there is to it."


    "Where is Mr. Cai right now?"


    "In the gym. He pays great attention to his body shape and goes for a run every morning."


    "If you¡¯re unwilling to tell the truth, then I will exercise my power to summon Cai Zhengkai back to the bureau."


    "Summon!? Called to have tea at the bureau?!"


    "Yes."


    The agent made a helpless move. "Why? Our Zhengkai is a public figure. How can it be possible to go to the bureau to drink tea? If word spreads, ourpany''s stock price will plummet."


    "Before thew, everyone is equal. I only need to know the truth. If you guys refuse to talk, then I can only use these forceful means."


    The agent put his fist in front of his mouth and groaned, "Can I take my leave for a while?"


    "Where are you going? To talk to Mr. Cai to discuss countermeasures? I¡¯m a police officer, not a reporter. I want to know everything about what happenedst night. Nothing more."


    "I... I''ll call him."


    The agent dialed the number, and Lin Dongxue sat down. Instead of sitting across from the agent, she sat at another table and waited. Tao Yueyue kept these details in her heart. The police should learn to keep a distance from those they¡¯re investigating.


    The agent covered his mouth, said something tensely, hung up the phone, and said, "He will be here soon. Order something to drink. I¡¯ll treat you."


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "No need!"


    Ten minutester, Cai Zhengkai arrived. He had just finished exercising, so his cheeks were red, his breathing was heavy, he was wearing a sweatshirt, and there was a towel around his neck.


    Sitting down, he greeted them. "Hello Tao Yueyue. Hello Officer Lin. What have you asked me here for?"


    "To understand the situation."


    "Didn''t we talk about the situationst night?"


    The agent signalled with his eyes. "Zhengkai, just tell the truth. Otherwise, Officer Lin will invite you to the bureau for tea and if it¡¯s spread, your fans will cause amotion."


    Cai Zhengkai looked at his agent, and then at Lin Dongxue. The expressions on his face were very rich. He said, "Yesterday afternoon, my hand was injured by a needle. Aftering back, I became more and more angry. I remember Little Ai wasughing at the time. Based on this, I can be sure that he must have done it. I was holding my breath in my chest and really wanted to kill him!"


    "Zhengkai, don''t talk nonsense!" The agent stopped him.


    Cai Zhengkai ignored him and continued, "I was full of rage, so I put on the costume and walked out with a knife with my murderous intent at the time. Guess why I went out. I used this murderous intent to figure out the role of Zhou Xiao. I was pacing back and forth in the corridor, during which Tao Yueyue saw me..."


    Tao Yueyue nodded. "I have already said this."


    "I''m an acting-obsessed idiot. I wanted to save my emotions. My anger, sorrow and joy. I would need it when acting in the future. I probably wandered outside until 9:00PM, and then I ran into Little Ai violentlying down the stairs. A trash can on the floor had been kicked over, and we looked at each other. He yelled at me, ¡®Get out of the way, you has-been.¡¯ I scolded him saying he was an illegitimate child. Little Ai pushed me, and I was so angry that I wanted to stab him in the stomach. We quarreled back and forth, and I don¡¯t need to talk about the details, right...?"


    "Just talk briefly about it!"


    Hence, Cai Zhengkai recounted what the two sides said based on his memories, all of which were mutually detrimental. "...Finally, he left saying, ''Just you wait. I won''t let you rise in the movie'' before leaving."


    "What does that mean?"


    "Changing the script! Scum!" Cai Zhengkai spat angrily. "He¡¯s the kind of actor in the legends. He changes the script as he pleases. It¡¯s not once or twice. I know that he went looking for the screenwriter to change the script and delete my scenes and the like. Besides this, what else is there for him to do? He wasmitting another fucking capital investment kidnapping again. The movie would take a miracle to be a good one! I swore at the time that I would be a dog if I picked up scripts like this again. After that, I went to the bar to drink in boredom. During the period, a fan asked me for an autograph. I received a call from my agent saying that Little Ai had fallen from a building, so I hurried over."


    Tao Yueyue whispered to Lin Dongxue, "Xia Xiaolou said that he never returned to the room after he caught them having an affair. ording to this, the screenwriter was thest to see him."


    Cai Zhengkai said, "Officer, I¡¯m not suspicious anymore, right?"


    Lin Dongxue avoided answering. "Please don''t leave the hotel today. The forensics officers wille over to collect everyone''s biological informationter."


    "I¡¯llpletely cooperate!"


    Leaving the restaurant, Tao Yueyue remembered something. ¡°When I ran into the screenwriter on the stairsst night, his face was very red, just like Cai Zhengkai¡¯s just now... but the screenwriter¡¯s breathing wasn¡¯t heavy.¡±


    "Which section of the stairs was it?"


    "Between the second and third floor."


    "A red face... People blush when they¡¯re tense, but why should a person by themselves be nervous or tense? Flushing red is due to the blood rushing to the head..." Lin Dongxue thought.


    "If you turn your head upside down, would you blush?" Tao Yueyue said. "I seem to have understood something. He was looking down to find something!"


    1. The English equivalent would be ¡°absence makes the heart grow fonder¡±. ?

 Chapter 952: New Witness

    <h4>Chapter 952: New Witness</h4>


    After reaching this conclusion, Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue immediately rushed to the stairway and searched under the stairs extensively, but found nothing. Lin Dongxue said, "It¡¯s estimated that the things that fell here have already been picked up."


    "What would fall here?" Tao Yueyue looked at the stairs. "There was dust on the deceased, his skull was fractured, but his ribs weren¡¯t broken. Is it possible that he actually rolled down the stairs in a ball?"


    "It''spletely possible!" Lin Dongxue thought of this when they first talked about the stairs.


    "That screenwriter is the murderer?" To be honest, Tao Yueyue was unwilling to admit this because the screenwriter uncle took care of them everywhere they went and he was an amiable person.


    "Then it depends on what the appraisal results say. By the way, I''ll ask them to check here too!"


    "You don''t think it¡¯ll alert him?"


    "No, I will tell them to keep a low profile." Lin Dongxue looked at her watch. "They should being soon. Let''s go outside to meet them!"


    The two walked out together. Tao Yueyue said, "The key question is that it was clearly him falling to his death on the stairs. Why did it be a suspicious fall from a building? There must be a trick in this."


    "Haha, the terminology of a mystery novel. What ideas do you have, little genius detective?"


    Tao Yueyue lowered her head and said nothing. She had a vague assumption, but the details weren¡¯t very clear. The feeling was as if she knew the truth was ready toe out, but it wascking a bit of momentum.


    Arriving outside, Tao Yueyue looked up, thinking about how the murderer did it.


    After a while, the police car arrived. They were all colleagues from the bureau carrying the survey box into the building. They asked Lin Dongxue, "Was the crew fun to be with?", "Have you taken photos with celebrities?"


    "You will see real stars in a moment." Lin Dongxue smiled.


    The two led several forensic police officers to collect the biological information of those involved in the crime. Lin Dongxue also arranged for four people to go to the stairs and conference room to investigate, and check the dummy while they were at it.


    When knocking on the door one by one, Lin Dongxue said, "No, the screenwriter was the first to run outst night. He couldn''t be upstairs at all."


    Tao Yueyue said calmly, "I think this is also part of the trick."


    "Haha." Lin Dongxue rubbed her head, "On one hand, you don''t want him to be a murderer, but on the other you¡¯re desperately thinking about how he did it."


    "It¡¯s the charm of the truth!" Tao Yueyue also smiled. "Sister Lin, when we see the screenwriter in a moment, I want to sneak in and investigate."


    "Okay, I will draw his attention away."


    Knocking on the screenwriter''s door, Lin Dongxue said to the screenwriter, "We want to collect your fingerprints and DNA."


    "Okay, okay, do you need to draw blood?"


    "No, let''s go inside."


    "Pleasee in."


    Entering the house, Lin Dongxue smelled a stinky smell. The screenwriterughed, "I have a bad habit. I keep smoking while writing. It must be unpleasant inside the house, right? I''ll go open the window."


    "No need..." Lin Dongxue saw theputer on the desk was turned on with documents on it. "Are you writing a new script?"


    "Yes, it''s a historical drama."


    "Wow, your business is so broad working on both modern and historical scripts."


    "I¡¯m ttered. It¡¯s actually almost there. I just finished the draft. I asked other screenwriters to help me revise and polish it. It¡¯s not much to write. Revising is the most terrible thing. I don''t know how many times I¡¯ve had to revise a script. It can really be changed so much I¡¯d want to vomit blood."


    Lin Dongxue asked unexpectedly, "Did someone ask you to revise the script yesterday?"


    "Uh..." The screenwriter was taken aback. "No, the script for this y has already been written, and there¡¯s no need to change it."


    While they were talking, Tao Yueyue slid to the window to investigate, but found nothing unusual. Shey on the floor again and saw an aluminum telescopic rod under the bed. After a quick nce, she quickly stood up and went back to Lin Dongxue.


    After collecting his biological information, the police bid him goodbye. The screenwriter sent them to the door and waved at Tao Yueyue with a smile. Tao Yueyue also smiled and nodded at him.


    Lin Dongxue asked in a low voice, "Were there any discoveries, little genius detective?"


    "An aluminum stick. I don''t know what it¡¯s used for."


    Busying themselves until noon, the police excitedly discussed that they had just met Cai Zhengkai and Xia Xiaolou. The producer approached them and said, "You¡¯ve all worked hard. I want to invite everyone to have a meal to show you my appreciation."


    Lin Dongxue said, "We receive your good intentions with our hearts. When investigating cases, we have to keep a proper distance!"


    "I just want to know how the current progress is?"


    "We''ve been working the whole time. I will let you know when there¡¯s a result, okay?"


    The producer sighed and was about to leave. Lin Dongxue suddenly called out to him. "Mr. Producer, I have a question for you."


    "Oh? Go ahead."


    "Does Little Ai often modify the script?"


    "It¡¯s not that often. He¡¯s actually responsible for reading the script."


    "I thought you changed it."


    "No, no, no, I''m so busy with work, I don''t have time to read this. Until now, I don''t even know what the protagonist of this film is called. He¡¯s performing in the movie himself, so he¡¯ll change it himself¡­ Haii, no one will y the changed script now." Thinking of his dead son, the producer sighed.


    After the producer left, Lin Dongxue pointed to his back. "This person ims to have a father-son rtionship with the deceased. Remember to check his DNA."


    After lunch, the forensic officers went back first. As they were leaving, they asked, "Captain Chen asked if they need to send over a few more people? Can you solve this case by yourself?"


    Lin Dongxue patted Tao Yueyue. "What does he mean by myself? Isn''t there a clever Yueyue here as well? Tell him to wait for our good news!"


    Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle, I have a request. Can I please have a dummy?"


    "Oh?!" The forensics officer patted his forehead. "If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten. I brought you a dummy for testing. I put it in the trunk of the car. I¡¯ll go get it for you."


    After getting the dummy, Tao Yueyue said disappointedly, "Why is it so ugly?"


    The forensics officer answered, "It''s not used to make movies, so why do you need it to look so good? Look, this dummy is hollow, and you can put some water bags inside to increase the weight."


    "I know how to use it." Lin Dongxue said.


    The forensics officer said goodbye and Tao Yueyue hugged the dummy in deep thought. She asked, "How long will it take to get results?"


    "It can be a week long, or a day or two at least."


    "My vacation isn¡¯t that long. I¡¯ll have to go back to school the day after tomorrow."


    "I''ll urge them for you... Now we just need to wait. Let''s go back to the house and rest for a while!"


    "Okay!"


    When they returned to their room, a cleaningdy stood there and asked timidly, "Are you the police officers?"


    "I am."


    "My colleague said that you¡¯re investigating the death of the personst night. In fact, I have something to say. I may have seen that personmit suicide."


    "What are you talking about? Suicide?"


    "Yes, when I was cleaning that floorst night, I saw a man sitting on the window. I was frightened. I couldn¡¯t call out before he fell. To be honest, it¡¯s the first time in my long life that I¡¯ve seen someone jump off a building. It frightened me quite a bit. I¡¯ve been restless even when I returned to the dormitory. That scene recurred over and over again in my mind. I couldn¡¯t decide whether to call the police or not. Later, my colleague said that the police were already investigating it. Just now, I saw you going around questioning people in each room, so I figured that you probably didn¡¯t know that the manmitted suicide. That¡¯s why I came over to tell you."

 Chapter 953: The Captain Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 953: The Captain Is Here</h4>


    To make sure, Lin Dongxue took the cleaner back to the conference room. The cleaner was a little scared when she got there, pointing to the window and saying, "He was sitting there facing outside, and he jumped down without saying a word."


    "Was there no one else in the meeting room?"


    "The lights were on inside and I''m pretty sure there was no one inside except the one whomitted suicide... Oh, yes, there were even broken wine bottles on the ground. I thought to myself whether he wasmitting suicide because of a lost love. Haii, taking his own life so prematurely at a young age?"


    "How do you know he¡¯s young?"


    "I heard that a young actor died. In fact, this ce has had someone die here before. She was an actress. It seems that she was caught while engaging in the unspoken rule. She couldn¡¯t look past it and jumped off the building... The entertainment circle is really hard to be a part of!"


    "Do you remember what he was wearing?"


    "A colorful piece..." The cleaner tilted her head and recalled.


    Lin Dongxue pulled out a photo of the corpse. Seeing the photo, the cleaner was so frightened that she stopped looking at it. After a while, she mustered up enough courage to take a few nces and nodded. "This is the man!"


    Tao Yueyue asked, "Auntie, was there anyone in the corridor at the time?"


    "No one was in the corridor... wait. Before he jumped off the building, I seemed to have seen someone going downstairs."


    "Where did you see them?"


    The cleaner took them to the other end of the corridor and pointed to a door. "I just finished cleaning this room. As soon as I went out, I saw someone going down wearing a brown or gray robe. I didn¡¯t see it clearly as they just shed past."


    After making sure she had nothing else to add, Lin Dongxue thanked her and took Tao Yueyue back to the room.


    After running around all morning, Lin Dongxue was exhausted. She copsed on the bed to replenish her strength when she entered the house. Tao Yueyue paced around in front of the TV, and her eyes lit up. "Sister Lin, I have alreadypletely understood what the trick behind this case is."


    "Okay, let''s hear it!"


    "But, I''m not sure if that person is the screenwriter."


    "This has to wait for fingerprint identification. If the suspect is the screenwriter, as a novice, the possibility of leaving no trace at all is close to zero."


    "In other words, no matter the reasoning, it isn¡¯t as important as a fingerprint on a corpse?"


    "Haha, cases are handled scientifically, but the reasoning process is still very meaningful. Your Uncle Chen and I often brainstorm by bouncing ideas off of each other sentence by sentence. It¡¯s very enlightening. So, my little genius detective, what did you think of?"


    "I want to wait until I see the appraisal results."


    At this time, Lin Dongxue''s cell phone rang. She picked it up and nced at it. "Okay, since you¡¯re acting secretive, I¡¯ll do the same. I won''t show you the information I just found!"


    "What did you investigate in private? Show me!"


    The two jokingly fought for the information. Lin Dongxue gave her the phone. It turned out that she asked kk and Sun Zhen to investigate the screenwriter this morning. The police could only find his household registration information, so it wasn¡¯t as detailed as the detective office.


    Looking at the above text, Tao Yueyue said, "It turns out that his script studio has already been dissolved. His wife divorced him because of this. It¡¯s really pitiful. It took two years to create and revise a full-length script. In the end, the investors said they didn¡¯t want it just like that."


    "He''s also a person with a backstory!" Lin Dongxue sighed.


    "If the murderer is him, can the sentence be reduced if he killed out of impulse?"


    "What impulse killing? I¡¯m still at a loss. The body is full of doubts. Someone saw the deceased fall from a building, and someone saw the deceasedmit suicide. Furthermore, the screenwriter has an alibi. What exactly did you think of?"


    "Okay, let me tell you. In fact, all of this can be rounded up! The key is the trick used by the murderer..."


    After speaking, Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise. "That¡¯s too ridiculous!"


    "But it¡¯s the only possibility, and there¡¯s already evidence to support it now." Tao Yueyue announced confidently.


    Lin Dongxue looked at the ceiling and said, "That¡¯s too smart. Can a schr do that?" Then, she searched for the screenwriter''s name on her mobile phone, "He has written several criminal investigation scripts before, so maybe he really has such intelligence!"


    Tao Yueyue said, "I feel very excited to meet such a smart criminal."


    "Haha, excited?" Lin Dongxue poked Tao Yueyue''s head lightly. "This part of you is really like your Uncle Chen."


    "Now, do we just need to wait for the appraisal results?"


    "Yes, just like a reasoning movie, no matter how wonderful your reasoning is, you must produce decisive evidence in the end."


    "Since we¡¯re just waiting now, let''s go y in the afternoon."


    "That wouldn¡¯t seem right. We¡¯re going outside to y while people are thinking we¡¯re investigating the case?"


    "We can go further away. There are still a lot of crews filming. Do we want to be extras and earn some money?"


    "Haha, bing an extra? The protagonist''s light would be overshadowed, right?"


    "Haha, being born beautiful is so terrific!"


    "It is terrific!"


    The twoughed and y-wrestled each other on the bed.


    Of course, although the facts of the case had been fully grasped, they still didn¡¯t go out to y in the afternoon. Tao Yueyue yed on theputer in the house, and Lin Dongxue used a tablet to carefully watch the hotel surveince footage at the time of the case. She called Tao Yueyue to watch it together. Tao Yueyue happily replied, "No! In the future, I have to watch this stuff as a police officer. I don''t want to watch it. I just want to y!"


    "Okay, okay, you can enjoy the privilege of a child!"


    In the evening, the two went out for a stroll. At the end of the day, Chen Shi called early the next morning and asked, "Do you miss me?"


    "What do you think?! Why did you call me suddenly?"


    "Because I¡¯m on my way there now."


    "Are youing? Is it a matter regarding the appraisal?"


    "We¡¯ll discuss when we meet!"


    "Tch, acting all mysterious again!"


    After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue nced at Tao Yueyue who was still asleep, got out of bed quickly, washed her face,bed her hair, and cleaned herself up beautifully.


    Although they had been married for a year, the two were still in the honeymoon phase. Every day felt as fresh and novel as the previous,


    As soon as she thought of seeing Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue''s cheeks reddened like a girl in the peak of love.


    At 9:00AM, Chen Shi''s car stopped below. He and Xu Xiaodong got out of the car. Tao Yueyue happily threw herself into Chen Shi''s arms and was picked up and turned around before getting put down.


    Xu Xiaodong danced with excitement. "I heard that we could see Cai Zhengkai and Xia Xiaolou in the flesh. I begged and pleaded for Brother Chen to bring me along."


    "I¡¯ve told you not to ask for an autograph." Chen Shi reminded.


    "I¡¯ve already taken a photo with him!" Lin Dongxue smiled and showed off.


    "Really? Let me see itter." Chen Shi said.


    Xu Xiaodong asked for instructions in a low voice, "Captain, can I also ask for an autographed photo?"


    "No!" He answered firmly.


    "Why?"


    Chen Shi replied frankly, "Because you¡¯re not my wife."


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "Have you eaten? Let¡¯s go to the restaurant."


    The four of them went to the restaurant and selected some food. Although there were a lot of varieties there, Chen Shi still chose soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks. They chose a ce by the window to sit down. Lin Dongxue asked, "Captain, why did youe running here yourself?"


    "I missed you!"


    "Be serious."


    Chen Shi looked at Tao Yueyue, then at Lin Dongxue. "Is the solving of the case already within reach?"


    "Yes, this is all Tao Yueyue''s credit. Her reasoning is very well-founded. I can''t wait to get the key evidence and confront the suspect."


    "Who¡¯s the suspect?"


    "The screenwriter!"


    Chen Shi rubbed his chin. "Maybe I¡¯ll make you guys disappointed. The corpse was exposed to the rain outside and was turned over again. In addition, the clothes he was wearing were textiles, so fingerprints couldn¡¯t be found at all."


    "Wh- what?!"

 Chapter 954: Unveiling The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 954: Unveiling The Truth</h4>


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What about other evidence? For example, the dummy."


    Chen Shi said, "The dummy is just the opposite. There are too many fingerprints on it and it can¡¯t be considered a final piece of evidence."


    Lin Dongxue thought about what else was missing that they hadn¡¯t collected evidence on. At this time, Tao Yueyue said, "It''s better to confront the suspect directly."


    "That''s a bit risky."


    "The screenwriter''s psychological quality isn¡¯t good. When we mentioned the dummy that day, he was very flustered. If we retold his crimes once and for all in front of the police, I think his heart will be shaken."


    Lin Dongxue inquired Chen Shi with her eyes, and Chen Shi said, "Directly attacking is also a method. If he¡¯s really suspicious, we will arrest him today and collect evidence slowly."


    Tao Yueyue looked at Xu Xiaodong and said, "Brother Xiaodong, I need you to do something for me."


    Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Tao Yueyue went to find the screenwriter. Lin Dongxue introduced, "This is our captain."


    "Oh, hello, hello. Do you have something you want from me?"


    "Mr. Screenwriter, I would like to invite you to have a walk outside with us." Chen Shi said.


    When he heard that it was outside, the screenwriter instantly showed a guarded look and smiled. "No problem, I¡¯ll put on my jacket."


    The four of them went outside the hotel. Tao Yueyue walked as he said, "Uncle screenwriter, I heard that your studio has already been dissolved, right?"


    "Huh?" The screenwriter was slightly taken aback. "Who did you hear this from?"


    "In fact, we found out through our investigation, sorry."


    "I understand. After all, it''s a case. Starting a business on your own is risky. That year, I took on a big order and co-created a full-length script. As a result, the project went sour and the investor ran away. This year, the manpower, property, rent, water, and electricity were all borrowed. I owed a lot of money at once and could only dere bankruptcy." The screenwriter smiled bitterly and shook his head.


    "That''s so pitiful!" Tao Yueyue consoled him.


    The four people had already arrived outside. The screenwriter subconsciously looked up and saw a person sitting in the conference room above and eximed, "Someone is going to jump off the building!"


    "No, that''s a dummy." Tao Yueyue said.


    The screenwriter pushed at his sses. "Are you guys doing a fall test?"


    "No, we¡¯re simting your faking the fall."


    The screenwriter looked as though he was struck by lightning and turned to look at Chen Shi. "She''s talking nonsense. These kinds of jokes can¡¯t be made at random."


    Chen Shi said tly, "Just listen to her."


    Tao Yueyue shouted towards the top. "Brother Xiaodong, let''s start!"


    Xu Xiaodong peeked out of Lin Dongxue''s room and pushed hard. It turned out that the dummy sitting on the window sill of the conference room had a string tied to their foot.


    So, the dummy fell from above, and after passing through the director''s window, he swung it around mid-air. Xu Xiaodong pulled the rope with both hands and dragged the dummy back into the window.


    "Very good!" Tao Yueyue yelled, turning her head to see that the screenwriter was covered in cold sweat and his hands were trembling.


    This reaction undoubtedly revealed that he¡¯s the murderer!


    Tao Yueyue walked to the falling point, turned around, and said calmly, "Little Ai was pushed down the stairs by you that day. He hit his skull on the steps and died soon after. You must have been very scared at the time. So, you thought of a n to use cheap construction materials in ce of higher-quality materials.[1] It waste at night, it was raining, and there was no one in front of the hotel. You put Little Ai''s body there as if he fell from the conference room."


    "Then, you got the dummy used for filming, tied a thin rope to its foot, which may have been a fishing line or the like, and ced the dummy on the window sill of the conference room with the rope hanging down outside before going back to your room. You tried to hook and reach the rope and held it in your hand. At that time, Sister Lin and I heard a ¡®pakpak¡¯ noise from the window. It was actually the sound of the rope passing in front of our window and hitting the ss. With a slight tug, the dummy fell from above, passed by the director¡¯s window, and was sessfully witnessed. When everyone looked down in a panic, the dummy swung around in the air and was caught by you, who pulled it back into the window. Then, you ran out of the door. In this way, it was as if Little Ai fell from above, and you¡¯d have the perfect alibi at the moment of the fall!"


    The screenwriter asked with a pale face, "Where did you see this?"


    "Through some clues, I was able toe up with this reasoning. The first thing that reminded me this was when you stood under the stairs with a reddened face that night. Iter realized that you were actually looking for something there. One of Little Ai¡¯s nails was torn off and there was also a button missing. That may be what you were looking for. They may still be in your room now."


    "I... I have no grievances with Little Ai. Why would I kill him?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "We think you very likely killed him out of impulse. That night, Little Ai first caught the adulterers red-handed in an affair. He was already teeming with rage. Then, he met Cai Zhengkai in the corridor. The two quarrelled with each other. In order to get his revenge on Cai Zhengkai, Little Ai found you and told you to delete Cai Zhengkai''s scenes again. The murder happened at that time."


    The screenwriter raised his hand and put it down again,pletely at a loss. Chen Shi finally added, "Yueyue has already described it in detail. If we didn''t have enough evidence, the process behind it all wouldn¡¯t have been restored in such aplete manner. There is no need to resist any more. Murder in the heat of the moment won¡¯t have you sentenced to execution."


    Chen Shi once said to Lin Qiupu that when the other party doesn''t know what you know, he will think that you know everything. This was a guilty conscience.


    With a loud cry, the screenwriter¡¯s psychological defenses finally copsed. He covered his face and knelt on the ground and cried. The three of them watched him quietly. Some hotel guests were also attracted, poking their heads out of the window to watch themotion.


    The screenwriter raised his head. "I just pushed him a bit in anger. Just pushed him a bit. I didn''t expect it to cause such a serious result. He said awful things at the time. He said that he was the one giving me food to eat and said that if he¡¯s saying to change it, to just change it without so much nonsense! You guys may not understand, but the scripts are like my children with my passion and soul poured into them. I really hate when people who aren¡¯t in the scriptwriting industry point their fingers and ask me to modify the script."


    Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. "A lot of people are watching. Let¡¯s leave you some face. I won''t handcuff you, but get in the car with us!"


    The screenwriter raised his eyes full of tears. "Thank you!" Then, he looked at Tao Yueyue, and said "Thank you" again. "You know what? The moment you said it all out loud, I actually felt a sense of relief. These past two days, I¡¯ve been having nightmares every night and I feel like I¡¯m going crazy. I¡¯m really afraid of having my life ruined by this horrible guy, so... that¡¯s why I went with that n. I¡¯m sorry to have deceived everyone!"


    Chen Shi said, "Let''s go."


    The screenwriter stood up and followed him with his legs limp. After getting in the car, Chen Shi said, "I will pick you guys up in a while."


    Watching the car drive away, Tao Yueyue said, "He pleaded guilty just like that? It went even smoother than I thought it would... But after all, it''s not a big case."


    Lin Dongxue rubbed Tao Yueyue''s head. "You performed very well. Through the potential you showed, I believe you will be an excellent police officer in the future."


    Tao Yueyue smiled, but looked unhappy. "This is the first time I personally sent someone to prison. Haii, I hope that the screenwriter won¡¯t be bullied in there."


    "Everyone chooses his or her path in life. You just did what you had to do."


    1. This is a 4 character Chinese term that¡¯s typically used to refer to tofu-dreg projects. However, in this context, she¡¯d be talking about using the dummy in ce of the real corpse. ?

 Chapter 955: Rising From Death

    <h4>Chapter 955: Rising From Death</h4>


    Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue went to the screenwriter''s room. They went to collect evidence.


    Tao Yueyue found the aluminum telescopic rod under the bed. "I guess this thing was used to hook the rope."


    "Probably so!"


    "Sister Lin, how many years do you think the screenwriter will be sentenced to?"


    "I''m not a judge so I''m not sure, but it''s generally over ten years."


    "Over ten years is so long!"


    "At least there¡¯s hope."


    "I don''t think he¡¯s a bad person, but he just has bad luck. When I used to cause mischief with Liang Zuoming at school, I made him roll down the stairs. As a result, he fell over and broke his leg. The screenwriter also pushed Little Ai down the stairs, but he died. He definitely had no intention of murder. Would this get him a lighter sentence?"


    Lin Dongxue shook her head. "Thew only recognizes the result. One person drank and drove and hit the street light, and the other drunk drove and killed someone. They did the same thing, but just like you said, it¡¯s based on luck! For example, the birth of a person. Those murderers who are full of evil, if they are lucky and are born in a good family, they may not have gone on a bad path. This kind of matter is very helpless. Thew cannot save pitiful people. It just punishes and protects others."


    "It''s like removing the bad fruit to prevent contamination of the good fruit?"


    Lin Dongxue smiled and nodded. "That''s almost what I mean."


    Lin Dongxue found a fishing line in the drawer, with a coin tied to the end, and also a ma. She held the coin and touched the ma. "So, the screenwriter tied a coin to the end of the line, then he attracted it with the ma."


    After searching for the evidence, Lin Dongxue fulfilled her promise. She called all the crew together, and told them the result.


    After listening to her, everyone was shocked. The producer roared and grabbed the director''s clothes. "It was your people who killed my son. Yet you¡¯re still filming movies? Dream on. Don''t think about making movies anymore!"


    The director said, "Mr. Producer, it''s not our fault. This is Little Ai..."


    "What are you trying to say? That it''s my son''s fault?!" The producer''s eyes were widened so much that it was as if they were about to pop out of his eye sockets.


    He left the director alone and pointed at everyone. "I want to sue you all. Sue you guys to death. Just you wait. You must all pay the price."


    After that, he left in a huff. Xia Xiaolou hesitated for a moment before catching up with him.


    Tao Yueyue suddenly thought that the screenwriter was just a pitiful man after all. He just resisted a little where there was a capital investment kidnapping. The producer was the real bad man. He was just like a tyrant doing anything he wanted. However, such a person stood within the line inside thew. Within the safety line, no one could do anything to him.


    The director sat down in his chair, disheartened. "Okay, I think this coboration is probably going down the drain. Why did the screenwriter have to go and push him down the stairs?!"


    The stage manager said, "Shall we go find a new sponsor?"


    "It''s not that easy. These days, the person who pays the money is the big master and even paying a small amount, they¡¯d want to leech enough benefits to satisfy them. Sometimes, I don''t know if I''m filming or making these big masters happy. Fucking hell, it¡¯s okay if I can¡¯t do this job anymore. I¡¯ll go home and open a little concession stand!"


    "How much does it cost?" Cai Zhengkai suddenly asked.


    "Opening a concession stand would take about a hundred thousand yuan!"


    "No, I mean the movie. How much sponsorship do you need?"


    The director''s eyes lit up. "Brother Cai, are you willing to invest in it?"


    Cai Zhengkai looked at the reluctant agent. "Why not have ourpany fund it? I think this movie will be made well, and it won''t be hard to get an award. Think of it as an investment."


    "What if we lose money? Our smallpany can''t afford this risk."


    "Then I¡¯ll personally invest in it and I¡¯ll get 60% from the box office. Use the earliest version of the script. The original was a pure thriller without the messy and fake stuff. I have the confidence to portray the role of Zhou Xiao."


    "But, what if you can''t pass the trial? You put all your deposits into it, and in the end, they might not allow it to pass the trial. You would have worked in vain all these years." The agent reminded.


    These words made Cai Zhengkai''s ambition that he had just mustered up simmer again.


    An awkward silence shrouded everyone¡¯s heads. Tao Yueyue stood up. ¡°Why do you have to think about so much when shooting a movie? If you can¡¯t pass the trial, just delete some scenes then. Shouldn¡¯t you be thinking about how to make a movie well? Having to please the investors and making it easy for the review trial, the only thing that is never considered is the audience. Shouldn''t movies be nice to watch?"


    "She''s right!" Cai Zhengkai''s eyes lit up. "We only need to make a good movie. If there is no risk, there is no reward. I¡¯ll invest!"


    "Okay!" the director said excitedly. "Unexpectedly, every cloud has a silver lining. Our movie wille alive again..."


    The assistant director received a phone call and whispered to the director. The director said, "Okay, now that Xia Xiaolou is going to leave, we¡¯ll probably have to look for another female protagonist again."


    Tao Yueyue raised her hand timidly, "Well, can I y it?"


    "Ah? You?" The director seemed to have heard a joke. "Little girl, I admit that you are smart in other areas, but how would you y the heroine?"


    "Because I¡¯m Tao Yueyue!"


    The director suddenly thought of this fact and the smile on his face faded. He called his crew to the side for a discussion.


    Lin Dongxue asked, "What are you doing? Is your head hot? Don''t you need to go to school?"


    "I just want to put some effort into it. If they can hire one less star, won''t they be able to spend a lot less money?" Tao Yueyue blushed. "Furthermore, this movie is my own personal experience."


    "Young people really dare to do what they think of."


    Cai Zhengkai walked over and asked, "Are you nning to perform with me?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded.


    "Do you have the time?"


    "I can ask for leave from the school. I usually bring books with me to review. We should be able to finish the film before the exam!"


    Cai Zhengkai stared at Tao Yueyue for a long while, making her nervous. He said, "I can''t say that you¡¯re not like the heroine. After all, she is you. But it¡¯s going to be very hard for you to go through that experience again, right?"


    "I walked out of that shadow long ago."


    "Good, very good!"


    At this time, the director and the others came over and said to Tao Yueyue with a smile, "After our unanimous discussion, I think..."


    Tao Yueyue''s heart beated like a drum.


    "I think you can''t do it!"


    "Why?"


    "Because you aren¡¯t a professional actor. How could it be possible for ayman to y the female protagonist. Isn''t that funny?"


    "I can learn. I learn things quickly!" Tao Yueyue still tried hard to fight for it.


    "No, no, you should go to school!" The director waved his hand.


    When Tao Yueyue was disappointed, she heard Cai Zhengkai say, "The heroine is her!"


    "No, Brother Cai. What right do you have?"


    "My right as the investor now. I have the final say!"


    After that, Cai Zhengkai went away happily, leaving the director dumbfounded.


    The director said to Tao Yueyue, "Congrattions. We¡¯ll start work tomorrow. Is the time fine?"


    "There¡¯s no problem." Tao Yueyue said happily. "I''ll call the school to ask for leave soon. Sister Lin, can you help me talk to the instructor?"


    Lin Dongxue had a helpless expression. "You¡¯ve hot-headedly decided to be an actress. Won¡¯t that mean I have to apany you every day?!"


    "Just this time!" Tao Yueyue begged with her palms together.


    "Okay, okay. I don¡¯t know what to do with you." Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.

 Chapter 956: Male Domestic Abuser

    <h4>Chapter 956: Male Domestic Abuser</h4>


    The Last Volume: Observer of Humanity


    "Haha, President Wang is so polite... Okay, we will meet at Yanyuan in the evening..."


    The man was sitting on the washstand and talking on the phone. His sock-d feet were treading on a woman''s head, kicking it around like a rubber ball.


    The floor was a mess.


    Hanging up the phone, he squatted down, lifted the woman''s hair, and said gloomily, "Clean all this up before Ie back!"


    The woman with a swollen face nodded desperately.


    "Say ¡®I understand¡¯!" The man pped the woman on the face.


    "I understand¡­"


    "Remember, I am your husband. You have to respect me to have a good life. Otherwise, I will make your life worse than death. If you dare to do this again next time, I will directly beat you to death!"


    The woman nodded again and replied, "I understand..." Tears welled up in her eyes.


    After straightening up his clothes, the man left home refreshed. He got into the car and checked his teeth in the rear-view mirror. When he went out to meet clients, he naturally wanted to be in his best condition.


    A man dressed in ck appeared in the rear-view mirror and asked, "Are you Mr. Li?"


    "What is it? Selling car fresheners again? I don''t need them. Get out of my way!" the man said angrily.


    "That Mr. Li who dresses morously outside and beats his wife as soon as he gets home?" The stranger continued to ask questions as if he hadn''t heard him.


    Realizing that the words were a bit odd, the man said, "You¡¯re crazy!"


    "You¡¯re the one who is..."


    The stranger suddenly pierced the man¡¯s neck with a syringe, pushed all the liquid drug inside into his vein at a strange speed, and then quietly left.


    He seemed to feel hotva squeezing into his body. He scratched at his neck desperately, and began to vomit reflexively. His heart gradually stopped beating, and finally, the man died in the car in this painful posture.


    After receiving the police report from the neighbors, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue and the other police officers arrived one hourter. Chen Shi saw lines of blood on the man¡¯s neck. Blood and skin kes were left in his nails. The blood vessels on his neck were purplish-red. His mouth was open, and vomit had umted in his throat.


    The most obvious mark was a needle prick hole on the back of the neck.


    "Poisoned to death?" Chen Shi looked up and around. "Are there no security cameras nearby?"


    There was a cry from the crowd of onlookers, and they saw a woman with disheveled hair and a wounded face run out. When she saw her husband had died in the car with his head tilted, she covered her mouth and cried, "Why? How could this kind of thing have happened?!"


    "Miss, please stay away!" Chen Shi stopped her. "What is your rtionship with the victim?"


    "He¡¯s my husband, Li Qin."


    Chen Shi looked at her curiously. "Excuse me, why do you have that wound on your face?"


    The woman smoothed her hair subconsciously. "I fell down myself at home..."


    "You can''t get that kind of injury when you fall. Please tell the truth."


    The woman nced at the corpse in the car and stammered, "I had some disputes with my husband. He hurt me out of impulse."


    Chen Shi looked up. "Is it convenient for us to have a look at your home?"


    "The house is a little messy..."


    "It''s fine, we¡¯ll just take a look."


    The woman sighed, took the two of them upstairs, and when she opened the door, they found that it was more than "a little messy". It was as if a robbery had just taken ce. There were broken ceramic shards everywhere on the ground, and there was a ball of tissues on the coffee table. It seemed as though she had been washing her face with tears here.


    After the sudden death of her husband, she only cried for a while. Now, she has already calmed downpletely. From this, it could be seen that the couple had no feelings for each other.


    "Ms., does domestic violence often happen in your home?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    The woman sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Maybe he¡¯s under too much pressure outside, or maybe it was because he was raised in a strict household as a child. The first incidence of domestic violence urred in the second week after we got married. We had just eaten dinner that day, and the atmosphere was originally quite good. I sat on the sofa with him to watch TV. I picked a variety show. He didn''t seem to enjoy watching it, so he picked up the remote control and changed the channel. I changed it back and he changed the channel again. I had switched it back again when he suddenly picked up the remote control and smashed it in my face, asking me what was so entertaining about this kind of boring show. He said he had spent the whole day working hard outside, so couldn¡¯t he even watch a show he liked when he came back? Then he went straight back to the bedroom and mmed the door shut."


    "I was very angry at the time. How could he do this? Therefore, I quarreled with him. He said impatiently that I can just watch what I want! He thought this was already apromise and concession, but I still wanted him to apologize, because the problem was no longer about watching TV, but him hurting me. After a few days of cold war between us, he knelt down to reflect on his mistakes and asked for my forgiveness, and I forgave him..."


    "I thought the first time was just an unexpected incident. I didn''t know that every time we¡¯d quarrel, it would eventually turn into punches and kicks. Every time, he¡¯d ask me for forgiveness, and I forgave him every time." The woman paused. "The result of forgiveness was the worsening of domestic violence. As long as he was upset, he would p me or pull my hair. Later, he didn''t even apologize at all and took all of this for granted. I also tried to get help from the outside world, but my family said that a husband and wife need topromise with each other, and that it would pass if I tolerated things a little. That a couple inevitably has disagreements. However, I vaguely felt that all this was wrong! I was very cautious at home, as if stepping overndmines. I feared that one action or one look would make him furious."


    The woman shed tears. "Our rtionship turned ridiculous. Do you know why I was beaten up today? I had put garlic in when cooking noodles at noon, and he said that since he was going to see a client in the afternoon, he couldn¡¯t eat garlic. I said that he could just pick them out. Without warning, he just flung the bowl and started on me!"


    Listening to these words, Lin Dongxue could feel her oppression and pain. Chen Shi asked, "After the domestic violence happened, have you been staying at home?"


    "You don''t suspect that I killed him, right? I''m very, very afraid of my husband. I don''t even dare to resist. How could I kill him?! Besides, if I really had evil intentions, how could I kill him in front of my own door?"


    Lin Dongxue said, "Captain, the deceased was killed by an injection of poison. This technique is very professional, indicating that there was a premeditated n."


    Chen Shi also admitted that the woman didn''t seem to be suspicious, and asked, "Does your husband have a bad temper outside as well? What enemies does he have?"


    "He¡¯s simply a great man in front of outsiders. He talks and handles matters well, and never garners animosity from others..."


    After the chat, the two went downstairs, and Lin Dongxue said, "It''s so pitiful. The sudden death of her husband isn¡¯t exactly a bad thing for her. She¡¯s still young and has no children. She can start her new life now."


    "Yes, she can even inherit everything from her husband. The deceased was a low-level manager with a house and a car. Is it possible that she hired a hitman?"


    "Captain! I don''t think she has such boldness, let alone the ability to find a killer?"


    "Before my suspicions arepletely ayed, I will suspect her for the time being."

 Chapter 957: Life Function

    <h4>Chapter 957: Life Function</h4>


    After returning to the crime scene, his subordinates handed an envelope to Chen Shi, and he asked in surprise, "What is this?"


    "Captain, it was found in the car of the deceased."


    The envelope had no seal and no postmark. When he opened it, there was a printed piece of paper with "Life Function" written on it. Below were a lot of inexplicable forms and symbols. The only ones Chen Shi could make out were a few Chinese characters. "M = murder; P = crime of passion; A = idental murder."


    "What kind of stuff is this?" Chen Shi was confused.


    "Death signature?" Lin Dongxue leaned over, "But who can understand this kind of signature?"


    "Um... Old Peng was a science major. I wonder if he can understand it. Let¡¯s all head back!"


    Back at the bureau, Peng Sijue was not in theb that day, and upon inquiring, they found that he had gone to another branch. It was said that an unimed female corpse had been found there.


    Gu You had already been missing for two years. Whenever a branch or funeral home found an unimed female body, he would immediately run over for confirmation. Chen Shi always felt unsure in his heart about this. Should he tell him that Gu You was in the wastnd in the suburbs? All that was left were probably bare bones.


    Chen Shi temporarily set aside these thoughts. Today¡¯s case was fishy. He went to the archives to check if there had been simr cases in Long¡¯an in recent years.


    He flipped through the files by himself and time passed quickly. His phone rang suddenly and it turned out that it was Lin Dongxue who called. She asked, "Where are you? Something happened to Yueyue!"


    "What?!"


    "She¡¯s in your office now."


    "I''lle right away!"


    Chen Shi immediately ran back to the office and saw Tao Yueyue sitting on the sofa with a bandage wrapped around her hand. Her expression was full of panic. When she saw Chen Shiing in, she immediately burst into tears and threw herself at him.


    Yueyue has always been a strong child. She seldom cried in his impression of her. Chen Shi patted her on the back and said, "Don''t be afraid, don''t be afraid. I¡¯m here."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Today is the weekend, so Yueyue went out shopping with her ssmates. Suddenly, a mysterious person pushed her from behind and she fell onto the road. If Yueyue hadn''t reacted quickly and rolled away before the car hit her, she would have almost..."


    "Mysterious person?!" Chen Shi was shocked, "Have you checked the surveince footage in that area?"


    "Not yet."


    Chen Shi wiped away the tears from the corners of Tao Yueyue''s eyes and asked, "Do you remember anything else?"


    Tao Yueyue answered, "Before pushing me, he called me by my name. As soon as I turned around, I suddenly flew onto the road before I could even see his face clearly. My mind went nk and I instinctively just rolled away from the middle of the road."


    "Asshole, taking action against a young girl!" Chen Shi muttered. "Could it be rted to Zhou Tiannan?"


    "It shouldn¡¯t be. Although it¡¯s been on the news, Yueyue used a pseudonym. Thest time she appeared in a movie on a whim, it was never released due to funding problems. The outside world doesn¡¯t know that Tao Yueyue was the person who personally arrested Zhou Xiao."


    "What if Zhou Tiannan still has some allies atrge?"


    "Then this revenge came toote, right? Zhou Tiannan had already passed away three years ago, and Zhou Xiao had already been executed. They¡¯re all history."


    "Pushing... Why does this technique sound so familiar? Right! Liang Zuoming!"


    Tao Yueyue¡¯s ssmate Liang Zuoming was also pushed towards the middle of the road by someone unknown. As there were too many things happening at the time, nothing came of that case. Chen Shi looked for it in the drawers. Lin Dongxue took out her phone memory card and said, "I have a copy of that video here."


    Therefore, Chen Shi yed the surveince footage obtained at the time on theputer and asked Tao Yueyue toe over and watch. When the car ident happened, a man in ck wearing a hat left the bus stop. Chen Shi pressed the pause button and asked Tao Yueyue, "Does he look like him?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. "I don''t know... My head is in disarray right now."


    Lin Dongxue stroked Tao Yueyue''s back affectionately. "Let Yueyue have a good rest. Why don¡¯t you stay at home tomorrow instead of going to school?"


    Tao Yueyue pouted. "Wouldn¡¯t I still be alone at home? You guys can''t keep mepany. I had better go to school. At most, I just won''t leave the school grounds."


    "Yueyue, that person dared to attack you, so I will make him pay the price no matter what!" Chen Shi said seriously.


    "I believe you... I''m hungry now."


    "What do you want to eat? I''ll order it for you." Lin Dongxue said.


    "High-calorie junk food."


    "Okay, anything you like!" Lin Dongxue took out her phone.


    Chen Shi thought about this and still felt lingering fear. If Yueyue''s reaction had been a little slower, he could hardly imagine how desperate and helpless he would be when facing Yueyue''s corpse.


    Fortunately, Tao Yueyue had received a lot of training at the police academy. She was just a thin little girl in the past. Nowadays, herplexion is darker and she was a lot more energetic to boot. She also knew some fighting techniques. She often sparred against Chen Shi at home.


    When the meal was delivered, Tao Yueyue sat in Chen Shi¡¯s chair and watched the video again. She said, "Uncle Chen, if this is the same person, why did he make a move on me only after two years? Also, as a victim, what do Liang Zuoming and I have inmon?"


    "Except for being from the same junior high school, I can''t think of anything else you two have inmon." Chen Shi said.


    "Or perhaps this person simply likes to push people onto the road. We should go to the local police station and the traffic police to ask and see if there have been simr cases over the past few years." Lin Dongxue said.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "Since he called Yueyue''s name, he must have a motive."


    "What''s the motive? Revenge on us? Like the murders targeting police officers'' family members that time?"


    When that incident was mentioned, Chen Shi felt like he was recalling a nightmare. He rubbed his face with his hands. He couldn''t deny this possibility. He could only pray silently in his heart for it to not be like this.


    Ever since Zhou Xiao was arrested, Long¡¯an had been peaceful for a long time, as if Long¡¯an''s evil had been sealed. He sincerely hoped that there would be no further incidents.


    "In fact, Liang Zuoming and I still have something inmon." Tao Yueyue noted. "Neither of us are good children. Maybe the murderer is someone who specifically kills bad children."


    "You¡¯re quite self-aware. Let me ask you, do you behave yourself at the police academy?" Chen Shi said.


    Tao Yueyue thought for a while. "I¡¯m much better behaved than back when I was in junior high. After all, I don¡¯t normally have to stay together with those annoying ssmates... Huh? What is this?"


    Tao Yueyue picked up the "Life Function" she had found on the table which had been taken from the deceased. Chen Shi said, "In this morning¡¯s case, a male domestic abuser was killed by an injection of poison. This was found on him. Can you understand it?"


    "This seems to be a set of proof questions, but it involves advanced mathematics. M = murder? The final result is M. Is the murderer telling us the rationality of the murder?"


    "Although I can''t understand this piece of paper, I think its most direct significance is telling us that the murderer has nothing to do with the wife of the deceased. He has his own motives..." Chen Shi supported his head in his hands. "I have a kind of premonition that Long¡¯an has greeted the arrival of another psychopathic murderer."

 Chapter 958: Speculation About The Motivation

    <h4>Chapter 958: Spection About The Motivation</h4>


    After dinner, Chen Shi said, "Yueyue, we will go to the Traffic Department to watch the surveince footage. You can also use the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the process of retrieving footage."


    The three drove to the Traffic Department and saw the split-screen monitors in the monitoring center. Tao Yueyue was shocked. "The monitoring system is so developed!"


    "Yes, 90% of cases are solved by surveince footage. This is a good thing. With the public security¡¯s Sk system, the eyes of the police are everywhere in the city, so don''t do bad things!"


    "Isn¡¯t thest sentence a bit redundant?" Tao Yueyue asked with a smile. She had already recovered from her earlier panic.


    Chen Shi requested for retrieval of the surveince footage at the site where the ident had urred. The three of them watched it on aputer. The surveince footage was very clear. Tao Yueyue and a girl crossed the non-motorizedne hand in hand. When they reached the bus stop, a ck-clothed man who was leaning on a pole reading the newspaper suddenly put the newspaper away and walked silently behind Tao Yueyue.


    Reviewing this scene, Tao Yueyue was so scared that her palms were sweating, and she caught Lin Dongxue''s hand tightly.


    The man in ck was wearing sunsses and they couldn''t see what he looked like at all. He said something to Tao Yueyue, then pushed her hard towards the road, before fleeing while holding his hat.


    "This action of holding his hat!" Tao Yueyue said in a stupefied manner. "It¡¯s exactly the same as the person who pushed Liang Zuoming. They are the same person!"


    "Should we go to the site to have a look? Are there any shops around?" Chen Shi said.


    "Yes, it¡¯s a bustling shopping street near our academy. When I was pushed onto the road, I heard people shouting. There should have been witnesses." Tao Yueyue said.


    Lin Dongxue pondered, "It seems that the murderer was trying to fake a traffic ident. You should go and look for witnesses with Yueyue, and I will go to the traffic police department to see if simr cases have urred before."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi escorted Tao Yueyue back to the police academy. Tao Yueyue spected on the way, "That man¡¯s movements were skilled, and he was also very calm when escaping. I think he¡¯s done this more than once or twice."


    "Professional killers also use this kind of method. Let me ask you something: have you acquired any enemies recently, and does the other party have the ability to hire a killer?"


    Tao Yueyue held her cheeks in thought. "No..."


    "Think about it carefully."


    "My ex-boyfriend... the one you told me to break up withst time. He¡¯s the son of a wealthy businessman."


    "Peaceful breakup?"


    "I dumped him. He was very angry at the time."


    "What is his name?"


    "Uncle Chen, if I tell you his name, you will investigate him, but I think it will be a waste of energy. I think it¡¯s impossible for it to be him. If he was a psychopath who would hire a hitman after getting dumped, then I would definitely have felt his paranoia and extremism when I was with him. A person whose mentality is abnormal wouldn¡¯t be able to act so wlessly."


    "You can know a person without understanding his true nature. Many murderers, before it is known that they are murderers, were all good people in the eyes of others."


    "I don''t think it''s a personal enmity. The murderer harbors some goal that he thinks is lofty and is eliminating us bad kids from the world!"


    "Do you know what you¡¯re saying? If that¡¯s the case, it means that Long¡¯an has always had a serial killer who hasn¡¯t been discovered. He doesn¡¯t do it for wealth or personal vengeance, but only to get rid of the ones he thinks are abnormal!"


    "Didn''t Zhou Tiannan die the same way?" Tao Yueyue raised her voice. "His case has never been solved, right?!"


    Chen Shi was silent. Yes, there was Zhou Tiannan''s bizarre death.


    During that contest with Zhou Tiannan, Chen Shi felt strongly that it would be great if this man who was full of evil but unable to be arrested could suddenly die. Then he actually died!


    Chen Shi asked slowly, "There is one thing I need to verify clearly."


    "Go ahead."


    "Before I told you, how did you know the name ¡®Zhou Tiannan¡¯?"


    Tao Yueyue lowered her head and counted her fingers. "I eavesdropped on the conversation between you and Sister Gu, and learned that he was the boss behind the scenes. I didn''t recognize him until he transferred to my school."


    "So it was like that."


    "Uncle Chen, have you ever suspected me?"


    Chen Shi''s expression betrayed him.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Ha, you really suspected me!"


    "I also doubted Miss Gu and myself..."


    "Yourself?"


    "I¡¯ve been suppressing Song Lang''s identity and ying the role of Chen Shi. Over time, Chen Shi has be my surface personality. Only in my dreams will I be Song Lang. I was looking forward to Zhou Tiannan''s death. I was afraid... that I actually did it myself!"


    Tao Yueyue lowered her head in silence, and then said after a while, "Actually, I also suspected you. With your IQ, it was also possible for you to devise a trick to kill Zhou Tiannan."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Well, in the end we suspected each other, and neither of us was the murderer."


    "I think this murderer did it! He¡¯s like a superhero, secretly getting rid of people who threaten the safety of the city!"


    "What superhero?! A murderous hero? Your thoughts are still a bit exaggerated. Zhou Tiannan had many enemies. Moreover, can Zhou Tiannan and Liang Zuoming be regarded as posing the same level of threat? Liang Zuoming just bullied his ssmates and killed a kitten. Is this person so idle that they even have to kill bad children?"


    "You don''t know how bad Liang Zuoming was! He was a mini-tyrant in ss, and he knew some hooligans. He had even beaten the teacher, but the teacher did not dare to do anything to him because his father isn¡¯t a good person either."


    "Let¡¯s not discuss Liang Zuoming. What about you? Objectively evaluate how bad Tao Yueyue really is!"


    Tao Yueyue lowered her head in shame. "In ss... I was called the Little Witch. I once caused a scumbag who had betrayed my friend to be caught cheating during an exam, invalidating his grades. Also, there was another girl who spoke ill of me. I made her make a fool out of herself in front of the whole ss..."


    "Haii!" Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "I told you long ago that you should exercise a little restraint in school... Then back to the topic: Do you feel that you are so bad that you deserve to die? Just like Liang Zuoming!"


    "Well... Maybe someone hates me like how I hate Liang Zuoming, but I can swear that I have never bullied the weak."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t take advantage of this opportunity to educate you. Who can guarantee that everyone will like them? Just be yourself."


    "Thank you, Uncle Chen." Tao Yueyue was moved.


    Chen Shi smiled and stroked her head as he looked out of the window. As it was the weekend, many people were strolling on the sidewalk. He thought of Tao Yueyue¡¯s spection. If the murderer really harbored the so-called "noble goal", then he would be the most terrifying criminal. This is because when a person does not have any sense of guilt for the murders theymit, but regard them as reasonable acts of purification, he will repeat his actions continuously and immerse himself in that sense of mission.


    The mostmon criminalmits crimes for profit, and secondly for pleasure. Zhou Xiao was hovering between these two levels. Finally, there were those with a "noble goal", which would definitely ce them on a terrorist¡¯s level!

 Chapter 959: Little Police Officer

    <h4>Chapter 959: Little Police Officer</h4>


    Arriving near the academy, Tao Yueyue said, "Uncle Chen, I will go back to the dormitory first."


    Chen Shi pointed at a M Soup restaurant and said, "Go and hurry back quickly. I will start questioning this restaurant first."


    Tao Yueyue ran back to the dormitory in one breath. She pulled out the uniform issued by the police academy from the wardrobe, put it on, and carefully arranged the cor in front of the mirror. The only difference between the police recruit uniform and the official uniform were the police epaulettes.


    It was the first time she was wearing this uniform during an unofficial activity . Tao Yueyue was a little shy, for fear that she would be seen by the dorm manager aunties when she went downstairs.


    She was humming a song and walking out of the campus when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Under the telephone pole by the sidewalk stood a man in ck wearing a round hat, almost exactly the same as the one who pushed her. The moment their eyes met, the man in ck grinned, then turned around and got into a van.


    Tao Yueyue hurried after him, desperately trying to memorize the license te number, and then she hurried to find Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi was standing in front of a store and talking to a man. That man just happened to be Tao Yueyue''s instructor. Seeing that Tao Yueyue had arrived, the instructor smiled and said, "Okay, you guys are busy. I will take my leave first."


    "Uncle Chen, the suspect just appeared and I memorized his license te number!" Tao Yueyue couldn¡¯t wait to inform him.


    "Where did you see him?"


    "There!" Tao Yueyue pointed in a certain direction, and then reported the license te number.


    Chen Shi sent a text message to the bureau to ask for help investigating it, and then asked, "Why are you wearing a uniform?"


    "I want to investigate the case together. It¡¯s better to investigate as a police officer!"


    "That¡¯s a student uniform."


    "It''s the same. People won''t recognize it. Uncle Chen, let me participate in this case. It can be counted as my internship achievement."


    "You still have to attend ss tomorrow."


    "Help me request for leave!" Tao Yueyue begged with a smile. "Practice is much more important than knowledge from books."


    Upon hearing the words "request for leave", Chen Shi''s face suddenly became gloomy. "Do you know what the instructor just said to me?"


    "Words praising me?"


    "Little brat, your ss¡¯s teacher said you don''t attend sses at all. Yet you¡¯re shameless enough to request for leave?"


    Tao Yueyue said indifferently, "The teacher teaches so slowly, and he likes to go off on tangents. It''s too inefficient. I¡¯ve finished reading the books myself. I get first ce in the exams for my year even if I don''t attend sses anyway?"


    "sses aren¡¯t just about learning knowledge. The police academy is a ce to teach you discipline and principles. If you don''t abide by the discipline of the police academy, what would happen when you be a police officer in the future?!"


    Tao Yueyue pouted. "As long as I understand in my heart, it¡¯s fine. Besides, aren''t you also a very individualistic policeman? I just need to follow your example."


    Chen Shi didn''t know what to say to her at all, and said helplessly, "Am I reckless like you? I have told you many times not to think you can do whatever you want just because of your cleverness. The arrogant will be socially excluded!"


    "I don''t believe that you used to be a good student! When you were in school, you yed crime simtion games. What qualifications do you have to talk to me like that? Hmph!"


    Tao Yueyue turned her head and left, and Chen Shi shouted, "Where are you going?"


    "Investigating the case!"


    After they finished questioning the surrounding shops, they sat back in the car. Chen Shi was no longer as angry and said, "You can investigate the case with me."


    "What¡¯s the condition?"


    "Attend sses properly in the future."


    "Can I sleep, read novels and y games?"


    Chen Shi sighed. Tao Yueyue continued to defend herself. "When I skip sses, it¡¯s not to y. I spend most of the time in the library reading books on criminal psychology. To be honest, do you think the theories and concepts taught in ss are useful?"


    Chen Shi said earnestly, "To tell you the truth, I wasn¡¯t a good student when I was in the academy. I skipped ss, got into fights and smoked. I didn''t fit in with those around me. After I started working, I regretted it very much. I really wish I could do it over again."


    "If someone said these things to you at the time, would you have listened to it?"


    "Do you want to annoy me to death?!"


    "Okay, okay, I promise you that I will only skip three sses each week."


    "What kind of promise is that? Was that what I said?"


    "Do you want me to give inpletely? Why? Because I¡¯m a child, is it only right and proper for me to be obedient? Don¡¯t tell me that a child cultivated by the police legend would have no soul and can only be obedient?"


    "Okay, fine!" Chen Shi felt dispirited. "You have to remember one thing: Don''t be a thorn within the collective. The coolest police officer is the most rotten police officer."


    Tao Yueyue saluted, "Yes, sir!"


    "Call me ¡®Captain¡¯!" Chen Shi corrected her.


    Chen Shi''s cell phone rang, and he asked Tao Yueyue to take a look. Tao Yueyue opened it and said, "They found it. The vehicle¡¯s owner is named ¡®Gao Bin¡¯!"


    "Look at the photo. Is this the person?"


    "I¡¯m not very sure. I have to see him for myself to confirm."


    "Tell me the address. Let''s go there now."


    The two arrived at a certain housing district and walked in. Many residents looked at Tao Yueyue. She stood tall and felt good about herself, but in Chen Shi''s eyes, she was like a child cosying a police officer.


    Chen Shi was even thinking some time ago that Tao Yueyue was growing too slowly, or perhaps she would only be this tall. Should he buy some drugs to stimte her pituitary hormones?


    Thinking of this, he said, "Yueyue, you should exercise more in the police academy. Girls also have to have better physiques to look good in police uniforms."


    "Sister Lin''s 36D came out of sports?"


    "Did you know that she participated in the city marathon when she was your age?"


    "Did she finish running it?"


    "Nonsense, of course she finished running it."


    "That means she was not ranked. You adults love to pick some glorious past experiences to make yourselves look good."


    Chen Shi was so angry that he wanted tough. "Do you have to force me to say that you¡¯re too thin and look like a child?"


    Tao Yueyue pouted. "Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll have one papaya a day."


    "That doesn''t work. Exercise! Only low-intensity and high-frequency exercises can make your body well-proportioned. Long-term exercise can stimte bone growth. I¡¯m really worried that you will still look so childish when you be a police officer. When the interviewer looks at you, they¡¯ll think you¡¯re underage and assign you to the kindergarten to help the children across the road."


    Tao Yueyueughed. "Buy me two dumbbells! By the way, did you bring a gun?"


    "I did."


    "Give it to me. Give it to me!"


    "Don''t even think about it!"


    When they found the owner of the vehicle''s apartment, Chen Shi knocked directly on the door. A man in boxers and an undershirt yawned while opening the door. He nced at the two and asked what they wanted.


    "Hello, we are the police. Is your name Gao Bin? What brand is your vehicle?"


    "It¡¯s a white Volkswagen sedan. What''s wrong?"


    Tao Yueyue whispered, "It''s not him!"


    "We are looking for a suspect''s vehicle. He may have used your license tes. We just came over to verify it. What were you doing in the morning?"


    "Sleeping at home. If you don''t believe me,e in and take a look, the bed is still warm!"


    "That''s all right. Excuse us."


    After going downstairs, Tao Yueyue said disappointedly, "Duplicated te! We made a trip for nothing."


    "Let¡¯s go to the Traffic Bureau to check the surveince footage!"


    "Uncle Chen, I have an idea. When I was kidnapped by Zhou Xiao, I went to a shady car dealer. They specialized in providing forged license tes. Would you like to try our luck?"

 Chapter 960: Failure To Follow The Dying Wish

    <h4>Chapter 960: Failure To Follow The Dying Wish</h4>


    At 6:00PM in the afternoon, Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue home. Tao Yueyue picked up the novel "The Vte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later" that she hadn''t finished and started reading. Chen Shi snatched it from her hand and gave her a case file. "Read this. This is interesting to read."


    Tao Yueyue made a face and asked, "What is this?"


    "Witness transcripts when Zhou Tiannan was killed. Try to look for clues that have been overlooked."


    Chen Shi took out some ingredients from the refrigerator and started cooking skillfully. After a while, Lin Dongxue came back and saw Tao Yueyue in her uniform. She teased, "Whose young girl is this that looks so handsome?"


    "Sister Lin, I went to investigate the case with Uncle Chen in the afternoon."


    "Any progress?"


    Chen Shi came out with a dish while wearing an apron. He said, "Yueyue seems to have seen the murderer''s vehicle. We visited the SWAT team and we¡¯re nning to deal with a shady car dealership tomorrow."


    Lin Dongxue ced the document envelope in her hands on the table. "I found these."


    Chen Shi picked it up and took a look. They were all cases of pedestrians being hit and killed by vehicles in recent years. There were photos attached to them. Looking at these before eating a meal could greatly affect one¡¯s appetite.


    "There were several that had stumbled and fell off the bus tform... middle school students... insurance salesmen... yoga instructors? If these were done by one person, the victims seem to bepletely random!"


    "Perhaps it¡¯s as I said. He pushes people for pleasure!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Tao Yueyue suddenly said, "When Zhou Tiannan''s ident happened, an eyewitness said that he saw a man in ck leaving the scene. Why wasn¡¯t this investigated properly at the time?"


    Chen Shi looked at that page of the statement and said, "Just what can we find based on the words "Man in ck"? Some clues are like wine, and they will only be valuable after a while."


    "It seems that this person really exists!" Lin Dongxue furrowed her brows and said in surprise.


    "We should try to find out what these victims had inmon. Even if the murderer is doing it for pleasure, he will have a preference when choosing his targets, and this preference can reveal his personality characteristics." Chen Shi said.


    "In that case, we are not investigating the case of that male domestic abuser?"


    "It''s not that we¡¯re not investigating it. We can¡¯t investigate it right now... Is the autopsy done?"


    "I only saw Captain Penging back when I got off work. He seemed a little haggard."


    Chen Shi wondered if Peng Sijue had found Gu You''s body already. He said, "I''ll go to the bureau after I¡¯ve eaten."


    After dinner, Chen Shi went to the bureau. All the police officers were off work but the forensics department was still lit up. Peng Sijue sat alone in front of theputer,paring the DNA maps.


    Peng Sijue had probably skipped his meal again. Chen Shi went outside to buy a boxed meal, then walked back and called out, "Old Peng."


    "Why did youe?"


    "Can¡¯t I care about you?" Chen Shi smiled. "You went to identify a corpse again today?"


    Peng Sijue nodded silently and nced at theputer. "This isn¡¯t her either."


    "Actually, I don¡¯t think you have to continue looking for her anymore. I''m afraid Miss Gu is no longer with us."


    "How many times have you already said this? Even if she¡¯s no longer with us, she needs to beid to rest in peace! Do you know how many unimed corpses there are in Long¡¯an everyday? I bring them back and do my best to determine their identities. I send them back to their families, which can be considered doing good deeds."


    "Eat your meal!"


    Peng Sijue picked up the boxed meal and started eating. Chen Shi picked up the autopsy report on the table and saw that the male domestic abuser was determined to have been killed by an injection of cyanide. Judging from the intramuscr injection method, the other party had experience in using medical equipment.


    After eating half of the food, Peng Sijue set it down and lit a cigarette. He didn''t smoke much but held it in his hand and watched it burn on its own.


    The room was very quiet. Some words in Chen Shi¡¯s heart, but he didn¡¯t know how to open his mouth. Peng Sijue keenly noticed his tension. "Do you have something to tell me?"


    "Haha, why do you ask?"


    "If you have something to say, hurry up. I still have work to do!" Peng Sijue said impatiently.


    "Uh... that... How many corpses have you found so far?"


    "Over a hundred. What''s wrong?"


    "You still can''t forget her?"


    "It''s not a question of whether I forget her or not. She has no rtives. Finding her body and giving her a proper burial is also considered fulfilling a wish. I¡¯ve always been selfish, and I don''t know why I¡¯ve subconsciously started to insist on this matter. Do I love her very much? I have never loved anyone, so I can¡¯tpare it. In fact, when identifying these unimed corpses, I always feel very nervous. I hope it¡¯s her, and yet, I hope it¡¯s not... Haii, why am I talking to you about this? You won¡¯t understand."


    "Why won¡¯t I understand? Unconsciously, you have be very empathic!"


    "Are you taunting me?"


    "Don''t make narrow-minded assumptions. I''m leaving. You should get off work soon."


    Going outside the Public Security Bureau, Chen Shi stood alone for five minutes. He finally made up his mind, drove to a mobile phone store, bought an anonymous mobile phone, hesitated for a long time, and dialed 110.


    "Hey, I found a dead body in the outskirts of the city..."


    After speaking, Chen Shi didn''t leave behind his contact information and just hung up, turned the phone off and threw the phone into the trash can.


    He could see that Peng Sijue was being dishonest. If he hadn''t loved Gu You deeply, he wouldn¡¯t have persevered like this. He¡¯ll just let him have this wish granted!


    This anonymous rm call really worked. The next morning, after the case discussion meeting, Chen Shi went to look for Peng Sijue and found him facing a set of white bones on the autopsy table in a daze. Chen Shi pretended to be curious. "You found another corpse again?"


    "It''s really her this time." Peng Sijue said very calmly. "Someone called the policest night, and I rushed out early in the morning. The DNA appraisal results show it¡¯s Gu You."


    The white bones on the autopsy table looked as clean as stones, and they looked very petite when arranged together into a human shape.


    "I hope Miss Gu didn¡¯t pass away in too much pain." Chen Shi mourned over the white bones.


    "Did you do it?" Peng Sijue asked unexpectedly.


    "What?"


    "I''ve seen the grave. The bones were carefully buried. They were wrapped in a quilt. I thought of what you saidst night. Then this anonymous police call suddenly came. I listened to the recording. Although you deliberately lowered your voice, that was your voice! Why? When you found her body back then, you didn''t call the police, but buried her quietly? You didn''t even tell me?"


    Reading the anger in Peng Sijue''s eyes, Chen Shi replied, "Because this was her dying wish!"


    "What dying wish?!"


    "She wanted to leave the scene by disappearing, so that you wouldn''t know that she was killed, but I didn''t expect you to look for her everywhere over the past two years to the point of obsession. I couldn''t bear it any longer, so I called the police..."


    Peng Sijue walked in front of Chen Shi. Although he still looked calm, Chen Shi knew that this was already considered rage.


    "Since it was her dying wish, why didn''t you stick to it? If you couldn''t stick to it, why didn''t you tell me earlier? You pretended that nothing had happened these past two years?"


    "I was conflicted..."


    Peng Sijue poked Chen Shi''s chest and said, "That kind of thing can''t be proved at all. I will never believe you again! Goodbye!"


    With that said, Peng Sijue left the autopsy room straight away. When Chen Shi chased out after him, he heard the forensic officers say that their captain had left without a word...

 Chapter 961: Another Murder Case

    <h4>Chapter 961: Another Murder Case</h4>


    "Ugh!"


    Chen Shi sat in the office, rubbing his face helplessly. Lin Dongxue knocked on the door and came in. "Captain, are you being depressed here alone? I¡¯ve already heard what happened between you and Captain Peng."


    "Was what I did terribly wrong?"


    Lin Dongxue sat down in front of him. "There¡¯s nothing right or wrong about this. Think about it from another angle. If something like this happened to you and I, would you want me to disappear or be found sooner?"


    Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "I don''t even want to think about it."


    "That''s right. No matter how it¡¯s delivered, this kind of thing is always hard to ept. Give Captain Peng some time!"


    "That¡¯s true."


    Chen Shi nodded and picked up a piece of paper. "I sorted out the idental death cases. I found that this man alwaysmits crimes on Wednesdays. This shows that he has a stable job and thatmitting murder is his ''part-time job''."


    Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue toe over, and heid out a map on the coffee table next to them. He had marked it with many dots of different colors.


    "The scope of his activity is mainly confined to the Longyang District. If these are indiscriminate and unpremeditated murders, I think his ce of residence is probably around here ording to criminal geography!" Chen Shi pointed out an area.


    "What about these other points?"


    "Those are cases that don¡¯t conform to his criminal behavioral pattern."


    "He didn¡¯t do it if they didn''t conform? What if he isn¡¯t the only onemitting the murders?"


    "He isn¡¯t alone?" Chen Shi considered. "But murders for pleasure are rarelymitted by gangs. The murderer is more inclined to enjoy this kind of pleasure alone. If it was a gangmitting the crimes, they would have other motives, but I can¡¯t see the point of killing these ordinary people."


    "Today is Thursday. If the murderer onlymits crimes on Wednesdays, there¡¯s still a week away from his next crime. Let''s continue investigating the male domestic abuser''s case. Do you have enough energy to investigate the two cases together?"


    "Male domestic abuser?" Chen Shi had a headache just from thinking about it. "If the next case doesn¡¯t happen, we have nothing to investigate. There are really too few clues."


    "The ''Life Function'' brought back from the scene hasn''t been analyzed yet, right?"


    "Yes, I wanted to show it to Old Peng originally, but then this kind of thing happened."


    "Could the Information Department decipher it?"


    "Let¡¯s try them!"


    Thus, the two took this piece of paper to the Information Department, and asked their colleagues there to help analyze it. The Information Department¡¯s officers who had science backgrounds took turns looking at them one by one, but they were all confused. They said that the proof was written messily, and that there were many parts that were undefined variables. Basically, they couldn¡¯t see what it was driving at.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong hurriedly found the two of them and eximed, "Captain, there¡¯s a case!"


    "Let¡¯s go!"


    The police officers arrived at a coffee shop near People''s Square. The people in the shop were gathered around in a circle. On the groundy a gorgeously-dressed woman in a twisted posture with a horrifying face that had blood at the corners of her mouth.


    Seeing that the police had arrived, the shop manager heaved a sigh of relief and said to Chen Shi: "This woman is a regr customer at our shop. She woulde and sit for a while every morning. This morning I was washing the cups when I suddenly heard a ¡®dong¡¯ noise. I wondered if something had fallen on the floor. I looked out from behind the counter. She was struggling on the ground and stopped moving after a while. It scared me to death... It shouldn¡¯t be food poisoning, because the coffee she drank was machine-ground by me and there were several other guests who drank it before her."


    "Which table was hers?"


    The shop manager pointed at a table with half a cup of coffee on it as well as an unfinished tuna sandwich. Chen Shi picked them up and sniffed them. There was no peculiar smell. To be on the safe side, he let someone put them away and take them back for testing.


    The forensic officer apanying the team looked at the corpse and said, "Captain Chen, the deceased died within thest two hours and she died of poisoning."


    "Are you sure?" Chen Shi squatted down to have a closer look.


    "There are scratches on the neck, discoloration of the lips, bloodshot eyes, and vomit in the throat, which are obvious characteristics of death by poisoning."


    Chen Shi immediately lifted up the deceased¡¯s head and checked it. He saw an obvious needle prick hole on the back of her neck, which was very close to that found on the male domestic abuser. He asked Lin Dongxue toe over and have a look. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "It¡¯s exactly the same killing technique. It was obviously done by the same person, but it''s only a dayter?"


    "If it really was him, he would definitely have left something behind."


    Chen Shi flipped over the coat of the deceased and checked her handbag. He found an envelope in it. When he opened it, the words "Life Function" came into view, and there were dense forms below as before.


    "Sure enough, he¡¯s working alone!"


    Chen Shi looked around. "Her seat was over there. How could she die here...?" Then he noticed a back door, walked over and opened it. He found that there was no lock, and there was an alley outside.


    Chen Shi asked the store manager, "Is your back door always unlocked?"


    "That¡¯s the unloading bay, so it¡¯s not for the guests. However, Little Ya oftenes and knows about it."


    "The deceased''s name is Little Ya?"


    "Yes, it is."


    "Tell me everything you know about her."


    The shop manager recalled that Little Ya should be a white-cor worker in a nearby office building. She should be a high-ie type. She drove a luxury car every day. The clothes she wore never seemed to be the same, and her hairstyle also changed every week. People who often drank coffee with her were also men who seemed to have sessful careers.


    Such a woman would naturally be the focus wherever she went. The store manager didn''t chat much with her, and only greeted her asionally.


    "So did shee here in the morning to wait for someone, or did she sit alone?" Chen Shi asked.


    The shop manager thought for a while. "I remember she said, ''I¡¯ll call for you againter'' when she ced the order. I guess she needed to meet a client, but I didn''t see anyoneing even up till the incident happened."


    "Do you know where she works?"


    "I don''t, and I haven''t heard her mention it either, but there¡¯s always a nice scent on her body. Saying this may be a bit disrespectful to the deceased but I think the scent is too strong sometimes. It doesn¡¯t smell like perfume."


    Chen Shi thanked him and the manager left. Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "Although I don''t know what ''Life Function'' is, I think the murderer wants to tell us that this person was killed for a reason. The deceased must be bearing a ''crime'' equal to that of the male domestic abuser."


    "We found a person in the surveince footage."


    "Let¡¯s go and see."


    The security camera in the shop faced outside. At about 9:30, a man in a suit and a bow tie walked to the window, looked inside for a while, then suddenly turned and left.


    Rewinding it, Little Ya had walked in half an hour ago, after which three or four guests came in one after another.


    ording to the estimated time of death, Little Ya had probably just died when the bow tie man came. Chen Shi said, "This may be the person she was waiting for. He chose to leave when he saw that something happened to her. By the way, I noticed a detail. Her handbag was zipped closed. The deceased struggled violently after the incident, so the envelope should have been ced inside before her death. It¡¯s very likely that Little Ya had put it in herself. In this case, the murderer had pretended to be the person Little Ya wanted to see."


    "Little Ya didn¡¯t know what the person she wanted to meet looks like?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "From the present point of view, she probably didn¡¯t know him. Look at the person in the video just then. He was dressed like a secretary. He was probably just delivering things on behalf of someone."

 Chapter 962: The Identity of the Deceased

    <h4>Chapter 962: The Identity of the Deceased</h4>


    Chen Shi asked his subordinates to tidy up the scene and take the corpse back first. He and Lin Dongxue went around nearby to look for any additional clues.


    Her ID had been found on her. It turned out that she was not a white-cor worker, but worked in a nearby beauty salon. No wonder the shop manager said that she always had a scent on her body.


    Walking on the street, Chen Shi asked, "Where is Yueyue?"


    "Helping you watch the surveince footage at the bureau!"


    "She¡¯s been a pretty good girl today... I''m wondering if Yueyue¡¯s case of being pushed onto the road has anything to do with the murder by injection cases?"


    "It doesn¡¯t feel like it. The technique and motivation arepletely different. To be honest, I think this injection murderer is even more dangerous. The frequency of his crimes is too high."


    Looking at passers-by on the side of the road, Chen Shi said, "When the police are here, they feel relieved. Actually, the police don¡¯t know what to do either."


    "Don''t be socking in confidence. This kind of serial homicide case is inherently difficult to investigate. It''s the same for anyone investigating it."


    Chen Shi smiled. "I hope that this time, the god of luck will also be on my side!"


    When they walked to the beauty salon, a car stopped by the side of the road and a person got out of the car. Lin Dongxue''s eyes lit up. "He¡¯s the one who appeared at the scene!"


    The two came forward, and the person looked a little nervous. "President Hai invites you to get into the car."


    "Who is this President Hai?"


    "My name is Hai Guoyang!" A handsome man in a brand-name suit got out of the car and introduced himself. "I''m in the IT industry!"


    Lin Dongxue exchanged nces with Chen Shi in shock. "I¡¯ve heard of you. Yourpany has produced many apps, ranging from messaging , games, reading, to food-ordering apps."


    "There¡¯s also the ride-hailing app!" Chen Shi said.


    Hai Guoyang smiled. "Yes, our business is quite extensive. Officers, I want to chat with you, because I had a bit of a rtionship with the deceased."


    The two got into the car and Chen Shi asked, "What is the connection between the deceased Little Ya and you? Did the two of you have a love affair? In the morning, you sent this person... the secretary to give her money?"


    "Captain Chen, you indeed live up to your reputation. You¡¯ve actually guessed everything correctly."


    "These are all things that anyone would be able to guess."


    "I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate to say this, but she was a female swindler. She supposedly worked in this beauty salon, but she rarely turned up for work. She mixed around with several men every day. At a cocktail party, she took the initiative to talk to me, iming to be the daughter of a certainpany president. We exchanged contact information. She spoke elegantly and in an unrestrained manner, leaving a very good impression on me. Later, when she asked me out for dinner, I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and made a mistake that any man would make... Of course, I have a family. I didn¡¯t want this to ruin my family rtionships, so I told her that I¡¯d give her a sum of money and let¡¯s just end it like this. Who knew she actually had actually recorded a video of what happened that night? She said it would cost me ten million, otherwise she would make the video public."


    "I think that if it was not premeditated, ordinary people would not have done this kind of thing, so I investigated her and found out that she was not the daughter of apany president at all. She was just an ordinary beauty salon employee who specialized in hooking up with men who had sessful careers, and then ckmailing them. Several of her victims were in the same circle as me. Everyone had no choice but to suffer in silence. I really regret meeting her, but there was nothing that could be done. I should make up for my own mistakes. Hence, I made an appointment with her and asked Secretary Ma to give her a check this morning. However, I didn''t expect Secretary Ma to see her copsed on the floor when he arrived."


    Chen Shi said, "Let me look at the check."


    Hai Guoyang gave the secretary a look. The secretary took out an envelope from his bosom and presented it with both hands. When it was opened, there was indeed a check for ten million inside.


    "Do you have any alibi for that time period?"


    The secretary was anxious. "It''s impossible for our president..."


    Hai Guoyang made a gesture. "This is a routine question, right? I understand. I was attending a meeting at thepany in the morning and all my subordinates can testify to this."


    Chen Shi thought for a while and asked, "Do you have the deceased''s social media ount?"


    Hai Guoyang took out his cell phone to show Chen Shi the deceased¡¯s Wechat Moments posts. Little Ya either unted herself visiting various high-end ces every day, or wrote thoughtful quotes,pletely packaging herself as an intellectual and wealthy woman.


    "What about the others?"


    "I only have this."


    "Tell me about her other victims, too."


    "Okay."


    After getting a list of the names, Chen Shi thanked him. The two got out of the car and watched the luxury car drive away. Lin Dongxue said empathetically, "Young, promising, and rich. It''s no wonder that female swindlers would target him."


    "This person is like a legend in the IT industry. He is said to be the youngest president in Long¡¯an... I really didn''t expect to meet him during the investigation."


    "Are you going to start with checking the source of the information?"


    "Yes, whether it¡¯s the female swindler or male domestic abuser, their ''evil deeds'' were both well-hidden. How did the murderer know and urately find them? He must have a very reliable source of information."


    Chen Shi took out his mobile phone and called Sun Zhen. He had to ask for his help regarding this matter.


    After the investigation, they went back to the bureau. Tao Yueyue ran out of the office to greet them. "Why didn''t you call me for the investigation? I heard that someone has died again. Is it a serial killer?"


    Chen Shi scraped her nose. "Why are you so happy? We¡¯re at our wits¡¯ end right now."


    "Maybe I can help you make progress!"


    "What an arrogant child."


    Tao Yueyue took Chen Shi''s hand. "Let''s go to eat! I¡¯m starving and I was just waiting for you guys toe back."


    The three of them went out for food, and Lin Dongxue said on the way, "Captain, did you tell the SWAT team about going to the shady car dealership today?"


    "Oh yes, I remember now. I''ll go this afternoon!"


    "Investigating the two cases together, do you have enough energy? I¡¯ll go!"


    "I''ll go too!" Tao Yueyue said excitedly. "I''ve been there before, so I can be your guide."


    Lin Dongxue said readily, "Okay, let us two women carry out this mission together."


    "I can hand it over to you both, but when the SWAT team rushes inside, you two can just stay outside. Don''t be reckless." Chen Shi warned.


    "I''m an old police officer. Do I still need you to tell me that?"


    In the afternoon, Lin Dongxue brought Tao Yueyue with her to carry out the mission, and Chen Shi had nothing to worry about. Lin Dongxue was able to takeplete charge now.


    He sat in the office and called Little Ya''s "victims" one by one to inquire about their situations. This was a process of scouring the sand for gold, which was time-consuming andborious, with little return.


    After the phone calls, he searched for the words "Life Function" on the Inte, and what came up was just irrelevant content. When he scrolled to the very bottom, a rted search appeared. "Female graduate student murdered her husband."


    Chen Shi clicked the news report. It was a minor case from five years ago. A female graduate student was used of killing her husband. However, after investigation, it was found that she and her husband had a good rtionship. On the day the husband was killed, they were even choosing their wedding clothes together. After a public inquest, the female graduate student was released due to insufficient evidence.


    The words "Life Function" did not appear in the report at all. Since it had appeared as a rted search, it means that someone once searched for these two groups of keywords together. Search engines have this kind of memory function.

 Chapter 963: Difficult Progress

    <h4>Chapter 963: Difficult Progress</h4>


    Chen Shi took a look. The female graduate student who was used of killing her husband was named Chen Anhe. She had settled down in Long''an and he was considering whether to look for her. However, when he thought about it, manpower was very tight with the two cases being investigated at the same time. He decided to put aside this seemingly unimportant clue.


    At the same time, Tao Yueyue went to the shady car dealership in the SWAT car. The car dealership was unexpectedly closed during the day. The leader of the team asked her, "Little girl, is this the ce?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded. She was a little nervous, not because she was about to face criminals, but because the SWAT officers in the same car were all tall and mighty men.


    The captain gave orders through his walkie-talkie, and everyone got out of the car to prepare for the raid.


    Only Tao Yueyue and Lin Dongxue were left in the car. Tao Yueyue asked, "Can girls be SWAT officers?"


    "Both men and women can be SWAT officers, but you¡­ I think you have an ulterior motive, don¡¯t you?"


    Tao Yueyue pursed her lips and smiled.


    Lin Dongxue leaned over and said in a low voice, "If you¡¯re assigned to the City Bureau in the future, go to the west window on the second floor at 3:00 every afternoon. It faces the drill ground of the Armed Police Department. They exercise shirtless in the afternoon and you¡¯ll have a panoramic view of all their manly muscles."


    "Wow, Sister Lin is really lewd."


    "Aren''t you perverted too? You were just staring at someone''s pectoral muscles!" Lin Dongxue poked Tao Yueyue with her finger and chuckled.


    Tao Yueyue said seriously, "I now have another objective for working hard!"


    There was a bang from outside, and the SWAT officers broke in. They moved quickly and took all the people inside into custody in less than two minutes. Tao Yueyue had seen some of them before. They were like detestable rats while being detained by the officers.


    Lin Dongxue said, "It''s time for our turn!"


    The criminal police got out of the car and rushed into this dealership. There were several dismantled vehicles in the dealership. This dealership was a ce specializing in selling stolen goods. If the cars stolen by others were good ones, they would remodel them and sell them to other cities. Ordinary cars would be scrapped for parts and sold on the ck market.


    Lin Dongxue opened a drawer and saw many license tes. She ordered everyone, "Take all these license tes and invoices away."


    At 5:00 in the afternoon, the seized evidence and the suspects were brought back to the criminal police team. Chen Shi walked out to greet them. Lin Dongxue said, ¡°The operation went smoothly. I looked through the ounts. The total value of the stolen cars handled by this dealership is around five digits. It can be considered a major case."


    "Thanks, I suppose it will take quite a while to interrogate these people."


    It took three days to deal with this shady car dealership, but this mission was also rewarding. The license te that Tao Yueyue saw was found among the fake license tes they sold. ording to the suspects, the one who bought the fake license te was someone nicknamed ¡®Old Four¡¯, and furthermore, they provided an address.


    ¡®Old Four¡¯ might have been that pusher!


    Chen Shi was very excited when he obtained this clue, and immediately took people with him as he rushed over.


    However, when they knocked on the door, they found that a family of three lived there. Faced with arge number of police officers at the door, the owner was a little nervous and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    "Do you know someone called ¡®Old Four¡¯?" Chen Shi asked.


    The owner replied, "There isn¡¯t anyone called ¡®Old Four¡¯ here."


    "Are you renting this house?"


    "Yes, we¡¯re from out-of-town and came here to work."


    "I want to see thendlord."


    The tenant made a phone call and after a while, thendlord who lived on the same floor came over. Chen Shi said that he wanted to see the previous tenants¡¯ contracts. Thendlord found a bunch of them. Chen Shi took them and looked at them one by one until a name caught his eye.


    The man was named Lu Dahai. He was single and lived alone. All aspects of his characteristics were very close to Chen Shi''s profile of the pusher.


    Chen Shi asked, "How long has this person lived here?"


    "Him? He lived here for two years. I remember that he seemed to work at a convenience store, but he waster transferred to another ce and moved away."


    Lin Dongxue checked using the police mobile information service, took Chen Shi aside, and said, "Captain, this man has a criminal record."


    "Investigate him carefully!" Chen Shi handed over his phone. "Take my phone and call the bureau."


    Chen Shi showed Lin Dongxue''s cell phone to Tao Yueyue and asked, "Yueyue, was this the person?"


    Tao Yueyue covered the top of the photo with her hand, and frowned for a moment, "I can''t remember, but if I hear his voice, I have an impression."


    After a while, Lin Dongxue said, "He¡¯s still working at a convenience store. It¡¯s a chain store. Thepany says he only takes one day off a week, which is Wednesday. Oh yes, he had originally gone to jail for causing serious injuries. He suffered from a serious mental illnesster in prison and was transferred to a mental hospital, where he stayed for two years. He only left three years ago."


    "I think it¡¯s most probably him, but we still need Yueyue to check again. I''ll ask the brothers to head back. Let''s check it out as a family of three..." Chen Shi nced at Tao Yueyue. "Don''t wear this police uniform. Change into civilian clothes!"


    Tao Yueyue said, "I didn''t bring any clothes to change into."


    "I''ll go to the nearby children''s clothing store to buy you some."


    "Why should I wear children''s clothes?!"


    "Would an adult clothing store have your size?"


    Tao Yueyue pouted unhappily.


    The other police officers went back first. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took Tao Yueyue to buy clothes nearby and visited a few clothing stores. Tao Yueyue didn¡¯t find anything suitable. Chen Shi impatiently said, "Just buy any set of clothes. We still need to investigate the case."


    "Of course you have to choose clothes carefully... Why are they so childish? Haii!"


    Lin Dongxue brought over a set of clothes and said, "Yueyue, you can try these!"


    "That''s men''s clothing." Chen Shi said.


    "She can also wear men''s clothes. Yueyue is thin, so she can try pulling off a dashing style."


    Tao Yueyue ran to the dressing room to change into them, and then ran out to ask their opinions. She wore a purple men''s shirt with a small tie and a pair of casual suit pants. Tao Yueyue had her hair cut short at the police academy and looked like a handsome boy. Lin Dongxue pped her hands and said, "Extremely dashing!"


    Tao Yueyue turned around in front of the dressing mirror and said happily, "Haha, it suits me well. Sister Lin has a good eye."


    "You look totally like a different person!" Chen Shi also agreed sincerely.


    "Girls can be beautiful as long as they match their clothes well. I''m an expert at this!" Lin Dongxue said proudly.


    "Yes, I''ll leave it to you to buy clothes for Yueyue in the future. Let''s get to business as soon as possible."


    The convenience store was quite far away, and Chen Shi sighed on the road, "It took four or five days to find a decent clue. I hope we won¡¯te up empty-handed this time!"


    "Fortunately, the ''Life Function'' hasn¡¯t appeared in the past two days. By the way, how is the investigation into the source of the information going?"


    "On my WeChat. See for yourself."


    Lin Dongxue reached out to Chen Shi and took out his mobile phone. The WeChat message had been sent by Sun Zhen. It turned out that a post regarding the deceased, Little Ya, had appeared on an online forum, describing in detail how she had set traps using her beauty and extorted money.


    Lin Dongxue nced through it a few times. "This post was fromst year, but it doesn''t mention Little Ya''s real information. Can the murderer find her just through this?"


    "This is the only thing Little Worm found. It seems that the source of the news wasn¡¯t the Inte. The murderer may have some hacking skills and used them to monitor the target."


    "Then he must have monitored quite a few people before he found these two that were ''worth killing''. Is he that idle?"


    Tao Yueyue offered from the back seat, "Is it possible that his job is to monitor and observe ordinary people?"

 Chapter 964: A Shocking Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 964: A Shocking Discovery</h4>


    Chen Shi asked, "What do you mean, little genius detective?"


    Tao Yueyue answered, ¡°Aren¡¯t the cyber police able to read the chat messages of civilians? Private conversations like ¡°My husband hit me¡±, ¡°I swindled a rich man again today¡±. The person concerned may not post on socialworking sites, but it¡¯s possible that they discussed it with other people. What if the murderer is someone who can read these chat messages?"


    Chen Shi considered her words. "You¡¯ve provided a very novel idea. Apart from cyber police, what other civilian professions would be able to read them?"


    "The person who runs the socialworking software of course, but this should be illegal and the information has nomercial value..." Lin Dongxue said.


    "No, personal information hasmercial value! This isn¡¯t news anymore. Personal information is sold on the Inte. We receive advertisements and spam every day. What leaked our personal information? It¡¯s all the kinds of software we use. If you write a Weibo post to celebrate your birthday, people with ulterior motives will record it down; if you post about the parcel you received, someone will write down your address. The so-called ¡°someone¡± is a program written by them. They collect personal information every day by grabbing information from socialworking sites, and then resell it to marketers. My friend¡¯s daughter-inw just got pregnant, and after a check-up at the hospital, she immediately received a lot of baby-rted promotional advertisements. It¡¯s terrifying just thinking about it. It¡¯s now an era without privacy!"


    "That is simply horrifying." Lin Dongxue said, "If Tao Yueyue guessed correctly, the murderer is someone who is in a rted profession?"


    "We can keep a lookout for this. The more clues the better."


    Tao Yueyue made the V sign. "Was I helpful again?"


    "If you can solve it for us, that would be even better." Chen Shi smiled.


    Lin Dongxue became interested in this matter. She picked up her mobile phone to search for relevant news. After reading for a while, she said, "It¡¯s hard to imagine that these things usually posted on Weibo will actually be a source of profits for certain people! Captain, are you listening?"


    Chen Shi came out of his daze. "Ah? What did you say?"


    "What are you thinking about?"


    "Old Peng hasn''te to work for the past two days!"


    "Yes, he normally never asks for leave. Yet he¡¯s been absent from work for several days. Miss Gu''s death really hit him hard."


    "Sister Gu!" At the mention of Gu You, Tao Yueyue felt sorrow again.


    "I''ll go see Old Peng in the evening!" Chen Shi said.


    "I''lle with you." Lin Dongxue said.


    "No, I want to talk to him alone. He should get over the trauma and find someone else. I was the same as him at one point. Pain is also addictive. I felt sorry for myself every day, and closed myself up in my inner world. I also felt guilty when I first met you, because I thought I shouldn¡¯t be so happy, but then I figured it out. If Luoxi knew, she would probably hope I¡¯d live a better life."


    The name ¡°Han Luoxi¡± was rarely mentioned between the two. Lin Dongxue had found out privately that Han Luoxi was a very admirable senior officer and a nearly-perfect woman.


    She stroked Chen Shi''s shoulder. "You¡¯re right. Finding another person is the best way to get over the trauma. Miss Gu wouldn¡¯t want Captain Peng to be in so much pain."


    Chen Shi thought for a while. "I really don''t know how tofort him when I meet him."


    "Then I''ll go with you!"


    "I¡¯ll go too!" Tao Yueyue eximed.


    "Why are you butting in?"


    "I also miss Sister Gu very much. I think I can talk sense into Uncle Peng."


    "Okay, let''s go together!"


    When they finally arrived at the convenience store, Tao Yueyue was a little nervous when she walked in. She carefully looked at the cashier standing behind the counter, only to find that he was not the one she was looking for.


    Chen Shi asked, "Does Lu Dahai work here?"


    "He went to the warehouse. You are..."


    Chen Shi was about to take out his badge, but he changed his mind and lied, "We are his rtives. The whole family came here on a tour and we thought we¡¯ll visit him on the way. We brought over some things from his home for him. When will hee back?"


    "At night, probably."


    "By the way, is he still living in Lushu Housing District? We went there just now and remembered it was Unit 3 No. 503, but found that no one was home, and we couldn¡¯t get through on the phone." Chen Shi described in great detail.


    "He doesn''t live there anymore. He now lives in a nearby housing district."


    "Do you know which unit it is?"


    "Unit 4, 004 in the basement."


    "The basement?" Chen Shi pretended to be surprised. "This child seems to be suffering outside."


    Lin Dongxue added, "Considering Dahai¡¯s background, he¡¯s already lucky to have found a job."


    Tao Yueyue tugged Chen Shi''s clothes and said, "Dad, I want to drink Coke."


    "No, don''t you want your teeth anymore?"


    "No way, I just want to drink Coke. I''m so thirsty that smoke ising out of my throat."


    Upon seeing the situation, the cashier gave Tao Yueyue a bottle of Coke. He already fully believed that these three were rtives of Lu Dahai, and there was no trace of doubt on his face.


    When leaving, Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ll go for a meal somewhere nearby first, ande backter."


    "Okay, I''ll tell him when hees back."


    Walking out of the convenience store, Chen Shi said, "We¡¯ll act separately. Someone will stay here to keep watch and the others will go to Lu Dahai¡¯s home."


    Lin Dongxue said, "You¡¯re the captain. You decide."


    Chen Shi smiled. "Then you can sit in the lobby of the realtor next door. We wille and look for youter."


    "Okay!"


    Chen Shi took Tao Yueyue to Lu Dahai¡¯s residence. When they got to the door, Chen Shi took out lock-picking tools and Tao Yueyue coughed. "It is illegal to break into a private residence... Let me do it!"


    "What''s the difference between you and me doing it?"


    Tao Yueyue grabbed the tools, skilfully picked the lock, pushed the door, and covered her nose. "What smell is this?! It smells as though there is a gas leak inside."


    "Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration? It¡¯s just stinky!"


    When he saw the things in the house, the smile on Chen Shi''s face immediately vanished. There was arge table in the messy house with a map spread out on it as well as some messily-scattered documents. When he picked them up and looked at them, they all turned out to be "Life Functions."


    Chen Shi was astounded. "My hunch was correct. There is a connection between the injection murders and the pusher!"


    "Dad, look here!"


    The two turned around, and the walls were covered with photos. There were men, women, and people of all ages in the photos. In the lower right corner, there was a photo of Tao Yueyue during military training, which must have been taken secretly based on the angle.


    Above Tao Yueyue''s head was Liang Zuoming. In the photo, he was riding a bicycle with an aggressive look on his face.


    Tao Yueyue took down her photo with a trembling hand, and found words written on the back of the photo. She read out: "Target 041. Name: Tao Yueyue; female; 14 years old; lives at home... Currently in the second grade of the police academy!"


    Then she took down Liang Zuoming''s photo, and Liang Zuoming''s detailed information was also written on the back. However, Liang Zuoming''s name had been crossed out with a pen.


    Tao Yueyue was indescribably shocked, and even her breathing becamebored. "These aren¡¯t indiscriminate crimes of passion. He has a purpose. All these people, including me, have something inmon!"


    She pounced on the table, searched amongst those papers, and found the "Life Function" with her name written on it. "Sure enough, my ¡°Life Function¡± is also here, but what does it mean?!"

 Chapter 965: The Murderer’s Diary

    <h4>Chapter 965: The Murderer''s Diary</h4>


    Chen Shi took down the photos on the wall one by one. Most of them had been crossed out, and only four or five were still alive.


    The people who were killed were the same people Chen Shi had seen in the files, but he still had a question. "Zhou Tiannan isn¡¯t one of them."


    Tao Yueyue looked at the stack of ¡°Life Functions¡±. "There¡¯s nothing in these either. Either Zhou Tiannan was a special case, or he was killed by someone else... Uncle Chen, isn¡¯t the stench in this ce a bit abnormal?"


    Indeed, the unit was filled with a mysterious stench, but there weren''t any piles of garbage on the floor. Chen Shi sniffed and found the source of the stench. He pushed open the bedroom door. There was only a steel wire bed and a clothes rack. There were only three or four pieces of clothing hanging on it, which showed that Lu Dahai lived a very frugal life.


    On the left side of the door stood a cab. It was very old and the paint was peeling off.


    On the floor next to the cab were some white stic bottles with a pungent smelling from them, as if they had been filled with some kind of chemical agent.


    Chen Shi opened the door of the cab and his pupils contracted subconsciously. Insidey a corpse decayed to the point where you could see its bones. Judging from the ragged clothing, jewelry and long hair, it should have been a woman. Other than the stench of her body, there was also a smell of chemicals lingering on her.


    "It seems that Lu Dahai had bought the chemicals himself and slowly melted down this corpse into bare bones..."


    "Uncle Chen, there¡¯s a security camera in the corner!"


    Chen Shi turned his head to look, and muttered under his breath. There was a security camera ced above the curtain rod, and its shing red light proved that it was in operation. He was so focused on looking for the source of the stench that he had overlooked it.


    Chen Shi walked over and tugged the curtain to shake it down. He unplugged the cord and found that it led to an openptop in a cardboard box next to it. The video signal had already been transmitted to a socialworking ount. They most likely had been discovered by Lu Dahai.


    "Take all these things away!" Chen Shi instructed.


    "What about the dead person in the cab?"


    "I don''t care about that. I will get the others toe and sort it out..."


    They found a bag and ced all those photos, documents, as well as theptop inside. They immediately left with the bag to go and look for Lin Dongxue.


    Lin Dongxue was still sitting inside the realtor¡¯s lobby when she saw the two hurrying over. "I thought you guys would have searched for a while longer!"


    "The situation has changed. We may have alerted the enemy. I will notify the bureau to track Lu Dahai¡¯s mobile phone signal."


    Tao Yueyue said with an exaggerated expression, "He is the pusher, and we found the ¡®Life Functions¡¯ in his house."


    Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise. "The two cases really are connected!"


    Chen Shi was on the phone while beckoning them to go with him. When they got to the car parked nearby, Chen Shi said, "Let''s go back to the bureau first."


    "What if Lu Dahai returns here?" Lin Dongxue was worried.


    "I don''t think it¡¯s very likely that he wille back."


    "Anyway, there¡¯s still a possibility. I''ll stay here to keep watch!"


    Chen Shi was uneasy about letting her stay behind alone. Lin Dongxue said, "It''s okay, I brought my gun. As soon as you find Lu Dahai¡¯s trail, I will go over and meet you immediately."


    "Alright, be careful by yourself!"


    Chen Shi hurried back to the bureau with Tao Yueyue. Tao Yueyue took out the contents of the bag on the way to have a look. She found that there was a notebook inside. She opened it and said in surprise, "It¡¯s the murderer''s diary."


    "Read it for me."


    "There¡¯s a lot written here. I¡¯ll choose some passages to read out... ¡®On March 18th, my sentence came to an end. I returned to Long''an. I wanted to go to the noodle restaurant I often used to visit but found that it had already moved. I went to look for a friend and found out that he had been hacked to death during a fight. Standing on a familiar yet unfamiliar street, I felt at a loss...'' I¡¯ll stop reading this part. It''s all irrelevant. The next passage..."


    ¡°¡®April 26th. I ushered in my new life. He did not look at my past with contempt like others. He said that I have my shining points. He showed me my Life Function and made me realize my value again.¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡®May 2nd. This was the first time I carried out a mission. I was very nervous. I felt a deep sense of guilt when I watched that person get caught under the wheels of a truck. The observer came to me and enlightened me. He said to me that all of this had value. We are not the same as those criminals. They aremitting evil for their own selfish ends, and we are conducting a noble mission to purify the city! I will work hard toplete it. Next time, I will do even better.¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡®June 12th. This was the fourth person I killed. I was at peace. The police never thought that these people who died in car idents could have been murdered. Of course they couldn¡¯t think of it, because they are justw enforcement officers who maintain secr social order. They don¡¯t understand Life Functions, and they don¡¯t understand the meaning of all this!¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡®June 19th. It was the fifth person. My work performance is getting better and better. The observer gave me an allowance. This is not a reward. We are not in an employer-employee rtionship. I believe in him and venerate him, and he recognizes me and depends on me. Sitting alone in a quiet room, I can see a beam of light. Ites from my innermost heart. I am no longer that hopeless bastard of the past. I silently guard the city, even if I am misunderstood, this feeling is like that of being a martyr.¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡®July 23rd. I met Juan. She made my lonely life a bit more colorful. I cherish every minute and every moment I spend with her. I don''t care if she¡¯s a married woman, and she doesn''t look at my poverty in contempt¡­ Will shee to the convenience store today? I miss her so much.¡¯¡±


    "This passage has no date... ¡®I can''t believe it! The observer sent me a Life Function, and that person is Juan! I went to the observer''spany to look for him and begged him to revoke his order, but he said no. Juan¡¯s turning point had been brought forward because of my intervention. I asked him why it matters? Someone will die anyway. The observer said that it¡¯s our mission to prevent it from happening. When I got home, I drank a lot of alcohol, and feltpletely disheartened. I thought of running away with Juan so that her turning point wouldn¡¯t be triggered, but I can''t do it, not only because I¡¯m poor, but also because I don''t have the courage. The observer has said that all fate is predestined, and no one can resist it.¡¯"


    ¡°¡®August 16th. I told Juan about all of this. She was shocked by my murders. I told her frankly that I killed people but I also saved more people. She called me a lunatic! Am I crazy? No, she wasn¡¯t willing to listen carefully to my exnation! I couldn''t let Juan go to the police. I stopped her and she called for help. I was so angry that I strangled Juan by the neck. When I let go, Juan had already stopped breathing. I cried for a long time. Facing her body, I¡­¡¯ What disgusting shit. I won¡¯t read this paragraph... ¡®I dreamed of her again at night. I want to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Juan. You don¡¯t understand me. I can only eliminate you. This is your destiny, don''t me me!¡±¡¯¡±

 Chapter 966: Shooting The Suspect Dead

    <h4>Chapter 966: Shooting The Suspect Dead</h4>


    After reading this, Tao Yueyue put down the notebook. "Uncle Chen, it seems that there is a mastermind behind Lu Dahai. He¡¯s the real lunatic. I think he must be a highly educated person or he wouldn¡¯t have created these iprehensible ¡®Life Functions¡¯."


    "Read the diary slowly and collect as many clues as possible."


    Tao Yueyue saluted and put away the diary separately.


    Chen Shi''s cell phone rang. He put the cell phone on the shelf in the car and turned on speaker mode. A policeman said over the phone, "Captain, we have located the suspect''s cell phone signal!"


    "Where?"


    "Near China World Trade Center. It¡¯s moving slowly."


    "Send some people over right away!"


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and muttered to himself, "He should already know that we were there, so why didn''t he escape? Yueyue, look at those photos!"


    Tao Yueyue pulled out the photos from the bag, looked at the information behind them one by one, and said, "There is a taxi driver, and he sets off near China World Trade Center every afternoon."


    "I see. He intends to kill another person before he is caught. This person is already beyond cure and thinks that killing people is a legitimate job... Is that taxi driver driving for an online ride-hailing service?"


    "Yes, his name is Zhang Xu."


    "I am in a chat group for drivers on my mobile phone. Let¡¯s see if I can contact Zhang Xu through them!"


    Tao Yueyue took his cellphone and sent a voice message. A bunch of idlers in the group teased, "Old Chen, is that your daughter? Her voice is so nice!"


    Tao Yueyue roared impatiently, "Hurry up! It¡¯s a matter of life and death!"


    More and more people in the chat group came to watch the fuss, and finally one said, "Zhang Xu''s number is..."


    Tao Yueyue dialed the number and ced it in front of Chen Shi. After the call was connected, Chen Shi said, "Are you Zhang Xu?"


    "Who are you?"


    "I..." Chen Shi paused slightly, and said, "I also drive for an online ride-hailing service. My name is Chen Shi. I have something I need to talk to you about. Can youe to Jian''an Road?"


    "No, I have a passenger with me right now. I will contact you on the way back."


    The phone was hung up, and Chen Shi said, "Locate this number!"


    Tao Yueyue did what he said, and when the feedback from the bureau came, she told Chen Shi anxiously, "Uncle Chen, it''s toote. The signals belonging to the two of them are together. Lu Dahai is sitting in the car!"


    Chen Shi''s heart dropped. "It''s not toote. Lu Dahai won¡¯t attack while on the way. We will have to try to find a way to catch up with that car!"


    He made a U-turn directly on the road and took a shortcut to the targeted location. Tao Yueyue kept receiving information from the bureau along the way. Finally, Zhang Xu''s car appeared in their field of vision. It was a ck Volkswagen and there was a person sitting in the back seat.


    Chen Shi speeded up in order to catch up, thinking of stopping the car. At this time, the bureau called again and said, "Captain, someone is talking to Lu Dahai."


    "y it!"


    A voice disguised using a voice changer came from the phone. "...The police have already targeted you. See the car behind you? There isn¡¯t much time, so hurry up."


    "Thank you for giving me a new life!"


    "It''s an honor to have known you. You are an excellent mission executor. Goodbye friend!"


    The car suddenly swerved wildly on the road and Tao Yueyue shouted, "It''s not good, the man behind is strangling the driver with a rope!"


    "He wants to die!"


    The out-of-control Volkswagen swayed around drunkenly and was about to drive through a red light. Chen Shi ordered Tao Yueyue to fasten her seat belt properly and floored the gas pedal, mming the other car into an electric pole at the side of the road. The pole was also knocked askew and a high-voltage wire broke, twisted around like a snake, and finallynded on the top of that car, emitting sparks.


    Inside the car, Lu Dahai was still strangling the driver''s neck tightly with a rope. The driver''s head was flushed red. He desperately grasped at the rope with his hands. Lu Dahai himself was covered with fresh blood.


    Tao Yueyue was about to push the car door open, and Chen Shi shouted, "Don''t get out of the car, the ground is electrified!"


    He propped himself up on his seat, kicked out the windshield with his legs, took out his pistol and fired a shot. Lu Dahai was startled by the sound. He turned his head, and said sinisterly, "Don''t try to stop me, this man is not a good person!"


    "Let him go!" Chen Shi roared.


    "Impossible!" Lu Dahai pulled even harder and even braced his knees against the driver''s seat. The driver had no strength left to struggle. His neck tilted backwards, and the rope made a deep bloody groove on his neck.


    Since it had alreadye to this, he had no choice but to shoot the suspect dead!


    Chen Shi held the gun with both hands, and the front sight of the pistol moved up and down with his breathing. He pulled the trigger suddenly, Lu Dahai¡¯s body tilted to the side as if his head had been punched, and blood spattered on the ss.


    The driver slumped in his seat and Chen Shi was a little worried, but the high-voltage wire was on the roof of the car, and the current flowed to the ground through the car body. As long as you stepped on it, the voltage would instantly kill you.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Just hop over it step by step and it will be fine."


    "Don''t take this risk. You will be electrocuted if you touch the metal car body by any chance."


    Chen Shi shouted towards the onlookers, "I am a policeman. Call the power nt and cut off the electric circuit on this street first!"


    Some people picked up their mobile phones. When he saw that the wire was no longer sparking, Chen Shi took a metal object from the car and threw it on the ground. He got out of the car after confirming that it was okay, and went over to check properly.


    Lu Dahai had been shot in the temple. The driver was unconscious, but was still breathing weakly. Chen Shi quickly contacted 120.


    The police arrived and dealt with the scene quickly. Half an hourter the wounded man was taken away by an ambnce, the traffic and electricity were restored, and the two cars that had collided were towed away.


    Chen Shi sat wearily on the flowerbed by the roadside. Tao Yueyue bought two cups of drinks and handed one of them to Chen Shi. Chen Shi took a sip and smiled as heined, "Drinking such a sweet thing after an adrenaline-filled incident, my blood pressure will rise."


    "Then you can drink mine. My cup is coffee." Tao Yueyue exchanged her cup with the one in Chen Shi''s hand. "It was really dangerous just then. Fortunately, we saved him."


    Looking at Lu Dahai¡¯s body being carried into the vehicle, Chen Shi said regretfully, "But the suspect is dead and the lead has also been lost."


    Chen Shi saw that Tao Yueyue was still using his mobile phone to send messages, and asked, "Who are you chatting with?"


    "Zhang Xu''s driver friend, the one who provided the number just now. I asked him about Zhang Xu''s situation."


    "What did he say?"


    "He¡¯s a very ordinary driver with a wife and children at home. He has been married for seven years and doesn¡¯t have any bad habits. He just often sneaks out to look for prostitutes... I don''t understand why he is a ''bad person''. If the victim''s level is considered to be a ''bad person'', do I count as one?"


    "The key lies in these ¡®Life Functions¡¯. Solving them will solve the mystery."


    Tao Yueyue took out a few photos and fanned them out like ying cards, "These few people, including me, have not been killed yet! Do you think there are other people like Lu Dahai? What did the Big Boss call him again? Oh, that¡¯s right, ¡®Mission Executor¡¯!"


    At this moment, a policeman ran up. "Captain, the phone rang!"


    "Whose phone?"


    "The suspect¡¯s!"

 Chapter 967: The Final Boss

    <h4>Chapter 967: The Final Boss</h4>


    Chen Shi took it and saw that someone had sent an email to the deceased''s cell phone, and what had just sounded was the alert notification.


    He opened it through the evidence bag, and found arge attachment in the email which seemed to be a video.


    Chen Shi handed the phone back to the subordinate and said, "Bring it back and let everyone study it together!"


    He patted Tao Yueyue on the back. "You performed very well today."


    "Hehe, it¡¯s because this case is interesting!" Tao Yueyue smiled shyly.


    When they returned to the bureau, Lin Dongxue had alsoe back. Tao Yueyue described the scene vividly as soon as she saw her. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "I didn''t expect such a lot of progress all at once."


    Chen Shi said, "But I think this is just the beginning."


    Chen Shi summoned everyone to the conference room, turned off the lights, and projected the video onto the white screen. When the video was yed, everyone felt nervous and wondered if it would be some kind of perverted video.


    The video was ck and white, and there was a faceposed of dots in it, which seemed to have been created using some kind of video transcoding technology.


    The face had its details and features blurred, and they could only make out that it was a man. The face spoke and its voice had also been modified by software. "If the person who sees this video is a policeman, it means that my mission executor, Lu Dahai, has either been arrested or shot dead."


    "Who are you?!" Tao Yueyue couldn''t help asking, because this person had wanted to kill her a few days ago.


    Of course, the video wouldn¡¯t answer. The weird face continued, ¡°Please allow me to introduce myself. I am an observer of humanity. I observe everything about Long¡¯ an. Of course, I also have my own real-life identity but that identity will be kept secret for the time being. You must be curious why I want to kill those innocent people. Maybe you are trying to pry open Lu Dahai¡¯s mouth. Please don¡¯t waste your time, because I will tell you our objective!"


    The dots on that face were constantly changing, disying the change in the expression of the speaker. He continued to say in a calm tone, "The people I killed will be criminals in the near future and kill other people!"


    "What?!"


    "Nonsense!"


    "Simply a lunatic!"


    The police erupted into amotion and discussed fervently while Tao Yueyue''s eyes widened in horror.


    Chen Shi was as shocked as everyone else. He never dreamed that there would be such a criminal motive. In order to hear the words of the "observer of humanity" clearly, he made a gesture to signal everyone to be silent.


    The observer of humanity continued, "You must find it unbelievable. The conclusions I reached and the targets of my choice were not subjective guesses, but precise calctions. Before putting them into practice, I carried out a great deal of objective observation and sample analysis. You may have heard of the names of these samples. They are Gao Xiaohui, Wu Hao, Deng Zhongming, Zhuo Xuan..."


    The names he calmly recited happened to be murderers who had been arrested by the second criminal police team over the past two years.


    The observer of humanity said, "When these people were still ordinary people, through the calction of their life functions, it could already be determined that they would kill others, and the uracy of the predictions reached 100%! Human beings aren¡¯t asplicated as you think. As long as there are enough parameters and a set of reasonable algorithms, a person¡¯s actions in ten or twenty years can totally be urately predicted! I should have observed this city calmly and objectively, but I saw an endless stream of cunning and cruel criminals. Most of the time the police just y the role of a trash collector. I have to do something for Long¡¯an to curb the persistently high crime rate. I have cultivated a group of enforcers, who are loyal and reliable, and at the same time low-profile to eliminate potential criminals for me, protecting kind and innocent citizens."


    "What right do you have?! What right do you have to maintain that those people are criminals?!" Old Zhang stood up agitatedly and roared at the video.


    The observer of humanity blinked slowly and smiled, "Officer Zhang, please don''t get agitated!"


    "Howe?!"


    "There is a surveince camera in the conference room!" someone eximed.


    The observer of humanity continued, "Don¡¯t bother looking for it, everyone. This is just a video recorded in advance. There is no surveince camera in your meeting room. As I said, I¡¯m an observer of humanity. I know the behavioral patterns, habits and personality characteristics of everyone in the second criminal police team. I know about Captain Chen¡¯s tortuous experiences, and I predicted all your reactions! These are life functions, a set of precise, rigorous and rational calction models of human behavior. Just like myself. I¡¯ve killed people, but ites from the purest rationality and the purest motive: to save those who would have passed away unfortunately! I know you won¡¯t agree with me, and I don¡¯t expect it. After all, you are limited by your own perspective and the so-called faith in justice. You can continue to investigate this case, but it will be in vain. From this moment onwards, I will put all executors on standby until you give up the investigation on the 27th day. When you can no longer find any clues, I will continue to carry out my mission to make this city¡¯s Zhou Tiannans and potential Zhou Tiannans disappear! Because I am an observer of humanity!"


    The video ended here. No one stood up and turned on the lights, no one spoke, and everyone was in an immense state of shock.


    Chen Shi heard the sound of a chair moving and turned his head to see that Tao Yueyue had run out. He and Lin Dongxue hurried out after her.


    Tao Yueyue ran to the end of the corridor alone, holding her own life function in her hands. Her tears slid down and hit the piece of paper. Seeing the two chasing after her, she lifted her tear-filled eyes and said, "It turns out that Liang Zuoming and I are the same as Zhou Tiannan. We are all evil to our bones, so he wants to ''eliminate'' me!"


    "Yueyue, how can you believe that man''s nonsense? If you believe it, then you¡¯re a fool! Human destiny is in one¡¯s hands! Sister has personally seen you slowly getting better every day. You can''t possibly kill people!" Lin Dongxue said.


    Tao Yueyue shook her head desperately. "I had dumped my ex-boyfriend. That was what I had said for the sake of face. Actually, he got together with a close friend of mine. I hate them both to death. I really wanted to kill them. I spent days and months in the library, just to find a perfect way to kill them! Uncle Chen, I¡¯m sorry, I know what my nature is like better than anyone else. I don¡¯t want to continue studying at the police academy. I am not qualified to be a police officer at all!"


    Chen Shi said, "I also know about your nature, because we¡¯re the same kind of people. There are countless people I have wanted to kill. I have always feared my dark soul! But everything is a double-edged sword. This brain for crime can also be used to conquer crime. Moreover, I love you. I believe you will grow into an excellent person! Destiny is not calcted by a bunch of numbers and forms. That person is just looking for a justifiable reason for his own self-satisfying behavior! If you believe it, you lose, understand?"


    Tao Yueyue threw herself at Chen Shi and burst into tears. Chen Shi gently patted her back. "Let us join hands to catch this lunatic, okay?"


    Tao Yueyue nodded.

 Chapter 968: Who Is He?

    <h4>Chapter 968: Who Is He?</h4>


    After venting their emotions, the three returned to the conference room. Everyone was deep in discussion. Surveying Long¡¯an''s past two decades of criminal history, there has never been a criminal like this ¡°Observer of Humanity¡±.


    "The mastermind behind the scenes has sent us a video directly to proim the ¡®concept¡¯ behind his crimes. This is already considered extremely reckless and provocative behavior. Let¡¯s talk about our opinions separately!" Chen Shi said.


    Old Zhang asked, "Captain, can you y the video again?"


    Chen Shi did as asked. When the video reached a certain section, Old Zhang called for a pause and said, "I wonder if you¡¯ve noticed. There are some constantly changing things behind his head. These should be images transformed from the video. I think this background could possibly be a clue."


    Everyone discussed with one another. Some thought it was a TV set, and some thought it was a fish tank. After looking at it again, they found that the movement patterns and shapes of the dots didn¡¯t resemble fish. They were chaotic yet orderly, and they didn¡¯t seem to be tangible objects.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "Could they be... clouds?"


    "That''s right!" Lin Dongxue praised him. "They look like clouds. If you can see the clouds where he recorded the video, it means it was a high-rise building."


    "This bunch of clouds changes very fast, indicating that the wind on the day of recording was particrly strong." Chen Shi spected.


    "No, that¡¯s not right!" Tao Yueyue said, "The clouds haven''t moved at all. You can see that his face is constantly changing too. This should be pixel loss caused by the special encoding technology."


    Tao Yueyue picked up a pen, moved a chair under the white screen, stood on top of it and started drawing. Chen Shi wanted to stop her, but he was toote. He figured that in order to solve the case, sacrificing a white screen was nothing.


    Tao Yueyue asked Lin Dongxue to continue ying the video. She kept drawing the shapes of the clouds, and finally called for a stop and turned off the projector.


    A very three-dimensional cloud pattern appeared on the white screen. Everyone marveled at Tao Yueyue''s quick thinking. A student in the police academy had actually noticed details that a roomful of police officers hadn''t even noticed.


    "Well done!" Chen Shi praised. "Contact the Meteorological Bureau to find out where clouds of this shape have appeared in Long''an over the past two days, and from which buildings you could have seen it from."


    Tao Yueyue said, "Captain, I have some personal analysis of the observer of humanity."


    "Go ahead, little genius detective."


    "I think he¡¯s a single man around age thirty. He suffers from sexual dysfunction, has an extreme personality, and is a perfectionist with a higher ie. He is likely to be working in statistics. He has a science and engineering background andes from a religious family. His mother probably died in a murder case."


    Some people praised, "Yueyue is very amazing now. You must have read a lot of criminal psychology books." "Like father, like daughter."


    While Tao Yueyue was smiling shyly, Chen Shi said, "You¡¯re very much wrong!"


    "Where did I go wrong?!"


    "You think he¡¯s a single male with sexual dysfunction, which is a reverse deduction based on his antisocial personality. Since he¡¯s single and has sexual dysfunction, he has nowhere to vent his desires which transforms them into a desire for destruction. But this man didn¡¯t have the fierce and brutal tendencies of traditional criminals. From beginning to end, he was extremely calm, and he alsomissioned others to carry out the murders. This shows that he himself has no violent tendencies or anti-social personality, and can even be said to have an extremely perfect personality on the surface. This is a kind of gentleness belonging to a married man, so I am confident he¡¯s married."


    "I agree with the point about higher ie. He can''t n these without financial resources. He has the space and freedom to engage in criminal activities. It shows that he holds a lot of power, but he can''t be an official. His life should be smooth. He is a young and promising high-levelpany executive, aged between twenty-five and thirty."


    "In addition, you say that there are religious people in his family? This statement is too presumptuous and has low credibility. He doesn¡¯t have a job in statistics either. He cultivates executors to kill people, which shows that he has very strong charisma and leadership qualities. This also confirms that his profession is a high-levelpany executive."


    "This person is confident, rational, and proud, so you think he has a high probability of having been raised by his father, and that he had thrown himself into this ¡®cause¡¯ because he had a close family member killed. This spection is too one-sided. I think he had both parents when he was young and had a good upbringing. He prides himself on being an observer of humanity, indicating that his ss is in the middle and upper part of the social pyramid, and his family should be rtively rich."


    This well-founded psychological profile made Tao Yueyue flush red. Chen Shi said, ¡°Psychological profiles are based on big data. It¡¯s better to be a bit more conservative than to exaggerate for the sake of attention. It will mislead the investigation, so don''t try to show off like this in the future."


    Tao Yueyue blushed. "I admit that what you said is more reasonable, but ording to your statement, the suspect is a very perfect, rich, and healthy person. If he hasn¡¯t been traumatized, why does he engage in this kind of ''cause''?"


    Chen Shi pondered for a moment. "You have to think about this from the perspective of the suspect. In his perception, killing isn¡¯t a crime, but a kind of purification. He¡¯s an extreme perfectionist and idealist. As for the beginning of his ''cause'', I think it was some kind of coincidence."


    Lin Dongxue said, "There is one more thing you haven''t mentioned. He can find these people, which shows that he can easily ess the private information of ordinary civilians. He controls a lot of data, so what does hispany do?"


    "Nowadays, nothing can surpass Inte-rted industries for easy ess to civilian information."


    Lin Dongxue gasped with shock. "I suddenly thought of someone. Someone we just met."


    Chen Shi nodded. "I also thought of him, and he fits my psychological profile perfectly!"


    "Who is it? Who is it?!" Everyone asked.


    Chen Shi searched on theputer, found Hai Guoyang''s information and projected it onto the white screen soiled by Tao Yueyue. In the photo, Hai Guoyang was wearing a brand-name suit and gold-rimmed sses, showing a personable smile.


    Many police officers gasped in surprise, because this name was too well-known. Half of themunication software within everyone''s mobile phones came from hispany. It was hard to imagine that he could be the observer of humanity.


    "Married, sessful career, young president, and his office is also located at the highest point in the city, all of which is a perfect match!" Chen Shi said. "Of course, criminal psychology profiles cannot be used as evidence. We will pay close attention to this person from now on."


    "Actually..." Xu Xiaodong said, "There are only a handful of people in the city who meet these characteristics. Even if he is really the observer of humanity, I¡¯m not surprised."


    Another policeman said, "He¡¯s smart enough to suddenly announce the cessation of all criminal activities, which ispletely different from those arrogant criminals who keptmitting crimes in the past in spite of being targeted by the police."


    "This gives us time." Chen Shi said. "Tomorrow, we will contact Hai Guoyang and see what we can gauge from him. The observer of humanity predicts that we will give up in 27 days. Let¡¯s let him see how fast we can find him!"

 Chapter 969: Peng Sijue’s Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 969: Peng Sijue''s Discovery</h4>


    "Good morning, wi-" Chen Shi opened his eyes and found that Lin Dongxue wasn¡¯t by his side. He walked out of the bedroom to look for her. It turned out that Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue were sleeping together. They were wearing the same type of pajamas, facing each other like a pair of sisters.


    After leaning against the door and admiring this beautiful scene for a moment, Chen Shi went off to prepare breakfast.


    "Morning, Dad." Tao Yueyue greeted him when she came to the table. "Spending the night at home is great. It would be nice if I could stay at home every day."


    "After investigating the case, go back to school, lest you hinder our married life." Chen Shi handed her a bowl of beef noodles.


    Tao Yueyue pouted and picked up the noodles with her chopsticks.


    Lin Dongxue said as she tied her hair, "Our family of three are all police officers. We can be regarded as a police n established from scratch. When Yueyue is assigned to the city bureau in the future, we can even investigate cases together."


    "So, how are we going to contact Hai Guoyang today? Are we going directly to hispany and questioning him face to face?" Tao Yueyue said.


    "Let¡¯s investigate a little first. We¡¯ll find out who he¡¯s met in private and whether his bank ount has suspicious expenses in it... Fuck, I suddenly thought of something. The task force likes to chat in the group chat, but themunication tools we use are all made by Hai Guoyang¡¯spany. Let¡¯s close the group down today. If you have any clues, don¡¯t say it in the group chat.¡± Chen Shi said.


    Lin Dongxue said, "If Hai Guoyang''spany¡¯s socialworking software secretly steals users'' private information, this matter can serve as a crux, allowing us to investigate him in a legitimate way."


    "Okay, this is a good entry point... Why do we sound like we¡¯re having a case meeting? Eat! Eat! Leave the discussion at the bureau."


    In the morning, the three arrived at the bureau. Peng Sijue hadn''te to work that day either. Chen Shi had wanted to look for him yesterday, but he forgot about it when one thing came up after another.


    He figured he must go to see him that day. At this critical moment, Peng Sijue cannot be absent.


    After the task force meeting was over, everyone busied themselves individually. Tao Yueyue kicked Chen Shi''s office door open while holding a pile of materials and said, "I don''t have a ce where I can look at these files. I¡¯ll borrow your office."


    "Use it. I''ll go out for a while."


    "Where are you going?"


    "To look for Old Peng!"


    "Are you openly loafing during work hours?"


    "It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯m the captain... By the way, what information are you looking at?"


    "I¡¯m checking the traffic ident files against yesterday''s photos to see who had been killed by the executors. By the way, the few who are still alive, can I call and warn them?"


    "Not for the time being. If the news spreads, the social impact will be terrible. The media will also get involved and put us in an awkward position."


    Chen Shi drove to Peng Sijue''s house and knocked on the door a few times but found no one was home. Out of respect, he didn¡¯t take out his lock-picking tools, but dialed Peng Sijue''s number. After a few rings, Peng Sijue answered. Chen Shi said, "Old Peng, during the two days you were away, a lot of things happened at the bureau. Can you not go on strike from work?"


    "..."


    "Where are you now?" Chen Shi listened for movement beyond the door. It seemed that he was not at home.


    "I have my own business to handle!" Peng Sijue finished speaking and hung up.


    Where would Peng Sijue go? He had no friends in the city at all, and this man had an obsession with cleanliness, so he wouldn¡¯t even stay in hotels, no matter how clean.


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of a ce and decided to try his luck.


    Half an hourter, he went to the counseling clinic that Gu You previously ran. Ever since Gu You''s death, it has been closed.


    Walking into the gloomy corridor, Chen Shi heard a voice from upstairs and arrived at the ss door that said "Tianchuan Psychological Counseling Clinic". He saw that the lights were on in the clinic and that some documents were spread out on the table. The floor was very clean. It had obviously been cleaned by someone recently.


    He really came here! He must be sorting out Gu You''s belongings!


    Chen Shi opened the door and walked to the table. When he saw the documents on it, he was suddenly stunned. They were all Life Functions!


    At this moment, a person rushed out of a counseling room with a mop, and Chen Shi automatically drew his gun. The two froze and it turned out that the person holding the mop was Peng Sijue.


    Peng Sijue slowly put down his "weapon". "I thought an intruder broke in! What are you doing here?!"


    "Old Peng, what are these? Where did you find them?!"


    "Do I need to exin it to you?" Peng Sijue turned and walked away.


    Chen Shi put his hand on his shoulder. "A major case has happened in the city. A person who imed to be an observer of humanity used these things to predict potential criminals and killed them. An unknown number of people have already died! Why have these things appeared in Miss Gu''s counseling clinic? Could one of the employees here be the suspect''s associate?!"


    Although Peng Sijue was silent, Chen Shi was sure he was listening. He asked, "Do you want to drink coffee?"


    Chen Shi apanied him into Gu You¡¯s previous office. There was a photo of the two of them on the desk. Gu You smiled sweetly as sheid her head on Peng Sijue¡¯s shoulder, but Peng Sijue looked reluctant. Chen Shi thought that these two weren¡¯t honest to themselves. They always denied that they were dating, but actually they had long fallen in love with each other.


    Peng Sijue poured out two cups of coffee from the coffee machine. Although he had been ¡°missing¡± these few days, Peng Sijue didn¡¯t look haggard nor sloppy. On the contrary, he looked very good because he had gotten enough rest. Chen Shi curiously touched his face. "Are you a eunuch? Why don¡¯t you have facial hair?"


    "Do you want me to ssh coffee on your face?"


    "Don''t do it. It''s not easy to wash off."


    Peng Sijue sat down, looked at the scenery outside the window, and said, "I was a bit over the line that day. I know you were thinking of me. I¡¯m not peeved with anyone. I¡¯m just too tired and took a few days off as a break."


    "As long as you don''t hate me, it¡¯s fine."


    "I missed her a lot these two days, so I came here to sort out her belongings. I saw the records of her previous consultations and listened to her recordings. I saw these by ident."


    "Life Functions? You mean, those were left behind by a certain patient?"


    Peng Sijue fiddled with aptop and yed a recording. When Gu You¡¯s calm and sweet voice came out, Chen Shi''s heart shook. He felt like this even as just a friend, so he could only imagine how deeply Peng Sijue must have missed her as her lover.


    Gu You: Miss Chen, do you mean that you can use this form to predict anyone''s actions?


    Patient: It seems that you understand. That''s what I meant. Doesn''t it sound arrogant?


    Gu You: No, I actually think that human behavior is quantifiable and predictable. As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, psychologists proposed a form: personality traits + specific situations = behavior.


    Patient: I¡¯m very slow in other aspects, but I¡¯m particrly sensitive to numbers. I won the National Mathematical Olympiad at the age of thirteen. Mathematics is everything to me and all I have. When I was an undergraduate, I met my boyfriend. He was my first love. I treated him sincerely, but there were too many friends of the opposite sex around him. The rtionship was very painful and ended in failure. I¡¯m obsessed with mathematics, but I also have feelings as an ordinary person. I also want to enjoy sweet and blissful love like other people. However, that failed rtionship has always tortured me and made it hard for me to trust men, especially those who drew close to me and made it clear that they wanted to pursue me. I was afraid of starting a new rtionship that would end in failure. A fruitless love is meaningless. At this time, I asked the God of Mathematics for help. I wondered if I could build a mathematical model to predict whether they were reliable, so I set out to experiment, using my surrounding friends as samples, constantly improving, and designing a set of functions to predict their actions.

 Chapter 970: The Origin of Everything

    <h4>Chapter 970: The Origin of Everything</h4>


    The recording was still ying.


    Gu You: What was the result of the test?


    Patient: Several experiments have verified the uracy of this mathematical model. I applied it to myself. The model predicted that my second boyfriend would cheat on me half a yearter. It turned out just as expected. When I found out about him falling in love with another girl, not only was I not sad, but I was very excited. When choosing boyfriends again, I was very cautious, collecting their variables and putting them into this model to see if they were worthy of trust. Regrettably, all men are very unreliable.


    Gu You: I also feel the same about this point. A good man is really one in a million.


    Patient: Miss Gu, will you keep everything I say here confidential?


    Gu You: Of course!


    Patient: Even if it vites social boundaries and in the eyes of outsiders, it is... illegal? Will you keep it a secret? Or will you tell the police as soon as you turn around?


    Gu You: I will definitely keep it secret. This is part of the basic professional ethics of psychological counselors.


    Patient: Well, I believe you! My third boyfriendter became my husband. The model predicted that he was a very reliable person. Our rtionship was also full of romance and sweetness. A few yearster, we got married. At this time, I found out about something. A childhood sweetheart of his had died in a car ident. This may not sound like a big deal, but this created a new variable. When I put this variable into the model and recalcted, I got a shocking result. He... would kill me three years after our wedding day! I was anxious and uneasy day and night. The better he treated me, the more afraid I was. I didn''t have the courage to file a divorce because I couldn''t exin it all. He would treat me as a lunatic. Finally, I really couldn''t bear this kind of suffering anymore and killed him!


    There was a long silence, and one could tell that Gu You was very shocked. She said slowly, "You were worried that he would kill you, so you killed him?"


    "No, no, no! I''ve already said so much, yet you still don''t understand? This was not a worry. My model is perfect, and predicted things will definitely happen. He would have definitely killed me!" She cried.


    Gu You said, "Okay, I understand. I will definitely keep this matter secret. We¡¯ve almost run out of time today. Next time, can you show me this model of yours?"


    "Ok... I feel better now that I was able to tell you this secret. Thank you."


    "You''re wee."


    The recording ended here and Chen Shi eximed in shock, "Who is this patient?!"


    Peng Sijue picked up a document and nced at it. "It should be a woman named Chen Anhe, who is highly-educated. She¡¯s a graduate student."


    "I''ve heard this name before! Chen Anhe, a female graduate student who killed her husband, was released in court because of insufficient evidence! Who would have thought of such a motive? She¡¯s the one who created the Life Functions!"


    "I have been pondering these samples these past two days." Peng Sijue stood up and walked outside.


    Chen Shi followed him. "Did you figure it out?"


    "More or less!" Peng Sijue picked up a sample. "This mathematical model was very ingeniously designed. It is based on using calculus to quantify the psychological characteristics of human beings in order to predict future actions... I used you as an experiment."


    "Me?"


    "Your life function shows that you will cheat in the seventh year of your marriage."


    "Insane. What kind of mathematical fortune telling is this?"


    "No, it''s very scientific."


    "No matter how scientific it is, I don''t believe it. Life is full of variables, could you predict the future just with some mathematics? You just said that I will cheat in the seventh year of my marriage. What if I die in the line of duty in the sixth year? Besides, my rtionship with Dongxue is very good. My cheating is simply sheer nonsense!"


    "You aren¡¯t going to die in the line of duty. This is what your life function told me. However, for example, if you¡¯re on a mission and Xiaodong identally shot you down because he didn''t sleep wellst night, this kind of ident is unpredictable. The life function can only predict what must happen, because everyone has their own rules of behavior."


    Chen Shi was speechless. "If I believe it¡¯s true, it¡¯s equivalent to acknowledging that the observer of humanity is correct."


    "Since you¡¯re limited by your position, you¡¯d rather die than admit that it¡¯s urate?"


    "We¡¯ll leave this aside for the moment, everyone is busy with this case right now. You shoulde back and help too!"


    After a moment of silence, Peng Sijue said, "I''ll take these recordings away."


    Chen Shi watched Peng Sijue copy the recordings onto a USB sh drive and said, "You can miss her, but don''t put her on a pedestal, otherwise you won''t be able to get over it. You have to start your own life again."


    "I still need some time."


    Chen Shi sighed. "You must have used that life function to predict your future, right?"


    "Yes, I¡¯m destined to be all alone."


    "All alone? Well, I will prove how unreliable this thing is!"


    The two got into the car and Chen Shi said, "Don''t you think this is a paradox? Killing the person who wants to kill in advance, but the person who was killed didn¡¯tmit a crime at all!"


    "If you could time-travel to before World War II and have the opportunity to end Hitler''s life with your own hands, would you do it?"


    "This assumption doesn¡¯t work. Even if someone can kill Hitler in childhood, the tide of history will not change, and Hitler II or Hitler III will appear!"


    "Isn''t history the result of human actions? You both deny the inevitability of fate and im that history cannot be changed. That¡¯s a contradiction."


    "Why do I feel like you¡¯re speaking on behalf of the observer of humanity?"


    "If you can''t win an argument, you¡¯ll use your position to suppress others? I¡¯m not helping anyone. I''m just debating with you!"


    Chen Shi made a helpless gesture. "Okay, okay, I surrender, whether fate is inevitable or idental, it will only happen once."


    Peng Sijue sneered. Chen Shi was very happy that his old friend was back to normal again.


    At this time, Chen Shi''s cell phone rang and Lin Dongxue asked, "Where are you?"


    "I¡¯m about toe back with Old Peng."


    "A murder by injection has happened again. We¡¯re now rushing to the scene. Come over quickly!"


    "What?!" Chen Shi couldn''t believe it. He believed that the murderer who used injections was just another executor. Since the observer of humanity had announced the cessation of all criminal activities, why was this person stillmitting crimes?


    "Tell me the address!" Chen Shi said.


    The two rushed to the scene. The police who arrived earlier had already cordoned off the scene. It was a public toilet in a deserted shopping street. The deceased was a male plopped down in a cubicle. His belt had yet to be fastened and there was white foam at the mouth.


    The forensic officer who was examining the corpse fished out an envelope from the deceased''s bosom and handed it to Chen Shi so he could have a look. It contained a new life function.


    He couldn''t understand it, so he handed it to Peng Sijue, who frowned over it for a long time. "This isn¡¯t a life function at all!"


    "Then what is it?"


    "It''s nothing. The above deduction process is a mess. It''s just a poor imitation!"


    Chen Shi looked at the body in shock. "In other words, the murderer who uses injections is just a copycat?!"

 Chapter 971: Fake Mission Executor

    Soon after, the police found out information about the deceased by contacting his family and the local police station. The man was a voyeur. He secretly took upskirt photos in crowded ces and sometimes even followed single women into elevators. For these reasons, he had been detained by the local police station several times, but he was unrepentant.


    Tao Yueyue said, "How gratifying for the public to see him get his just ends!"


    "What nonsense are you spouting?" Chen Shi rebuked. "It seems that this murderer isn¡¯t a mission executor, but he must be connected with the observer of humanity. He had misunderstood the motive of the observer of humanity. The person killed wasn¡¯t a potential criminal but a truly morally corrupt person."


    "Could it be an executor who wasn¡¯t selected?" Lin Dongxue put forward her conjecture. "Or he was once an executor, but he was dismissed because the way he handled things deviated from the observer of humanity''s ''policy''. He killed people to prove that his own ideas are correct."


    Chen Shi nodded. "If we catch him, we will be able to obtain a lot of clues... Let''s bring the corpse back first!"


    The scene was handed over to Peng Sijue and his subordinates. Chen Shi walked outside and asked Lin Dongxue about the investigation of Hai Guoyang. Lin Dongxue said, "I made a phone call, but you know that one cannot easily meet this kind of president-rank person without an appointment. I heard that hispany will be holding a new productunch event tomorrow. Should we join in the fun?"


    "That¡¯s also a way to go."


    Back in the bureau, Chen Shi summoned everyone together to study the information about the murder-by-injection maniac. At present, it can only be inferred that he was left-handed. The three people he killed were all under 30 years old. Based on this, it was assumed that he also belonged to this age group, because his attention was focused on this age bracket.


    He had freedom of movement and probably had no formal job or was unemployed. No suspicious vehicles were found at the scenes of the three murders, indicating that he had walked to the scenes on foot. He had killed people using syringes so he might have worked in the medical industry.


    The conclusion of the psychological profile was that this person had a defensive and aggressive personality. He appeared gentle but had a stubborn personality. He might have failed many times career-wise and was living in wretched poverty.


    Tao Yueyue said, "Is it possible that this person was an employee at Hai Guoyang¡¯spany? ording to the analysis of his psychological profile, he should be a former employee who was fired. Perhaps Hai Guoyang sympathized with him and made him a mission executor for a period of time. Later, he was discovered to be unsuitable. In order to prove himself, he started to kill people in private. However, in fact, he didn''t even understand how the life functions were calcted."


    "You have great divergent thinking. You¡¯ve thought of so many things at once. When we contact Hai Guoyang tomorrow, we will grab a list of employees in passing to investigate."


    "What does this ''in passing'' mean?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "Stealing!" Chen Shi smiled, "I will bring kk along. He¡¯s quite bright."


    "You have to be careful. Don''t give him any reason for ckmail."


    "Don''t worry, I know my limits."


    At this time, a policeman ran in from outside and handed a thick envelope to Chen Shi, saying, "Captain, this was delivered by the postman!"


    Chen Shi thought to himself that he hadn''t bought anything recently. The envelope was indeed addressed to his name. When he opened it, he was shocked. All it contained were printed life functions with copies of his ID cards on the back. There were 13 copies in total.


    Chen Shi ordered, "Stop the postman and investigate the address it was mailed from!"


    He spread out these life functions on the table. "This must have been sent by that person!"


    Everyone picked one up and looked at them but was confused. Chen Shi went to find Peng Sijue and asked him to have a look at what they all meant.


    Peng Sijue was carrying out an autopsy. He was very upset about being interrupted at work. Dragged over by Chen Shi, he stared at the papers for a long time and said, "This person willmit murder within a week."


    "How can you tell?!"


    "M stands for murder. There¡¯s a time variable on this which is less than 0.7. That is, within a week, his turning point will be triggered..." Peng Sijue picked up the other papers and looked at them one by one. "All of these people will have their turning points triggered within a week!"


    Everyone whispered privately with one another in surprise. Lin Dongxue flipped the papers over for a look and said, "They all live in Long''an!"


    "Are we going to stop them?" Tao Yueyue said.


    Chen Shi stared at the pieces of paper, was silent for a while, and said slowly, "The observer of humanity wants to prove to us how urate his predictions are. I refuse to believe in this weirdness. Fate cannot be deduced through numbers."


    "I''m not refuting you, but the calctions of the life functions are very sophisticated. Shouldn''t we take preventative measures?" Peng Sijue said.


    Chen Shi shook his head. "All the police in the world have no reason to prevent crimes in advance. How do we set up preventative measures? ¡®Hello, you are going tomit murder tomorrow, so we have to detain you¡¯? This is impossible! I only have a few words for these papers ¨C Leave them for observation!"


    After speaking, Chen Shi went back to the office first.


    Other police officers also left one by one, leaving only Lin Dongxue, Tao Yueyue, and Peng Sijue in the conference room. Tao Yueyue asked, "Uncle Peng, you believe these are true, right?"


    "I¡¯ve been studying them these past two days and can only say that they have a certain rationality, but I also know that I shouldn''t say this in front of Old Chen. It sounds like it¡¯s fueling the arrogance of criminals."


    "These things predict that I will be a murderer, so it¡¯s probably this matter that has made Uncle Chen angry. He doesn''t believe that I will be bad..." Tao Yueyue lowered her head.


    "So it was like that!"


    Tao Yueyue picked up a piece of paper, "Sister Lin, this person''s time variable is less than 0.1, which means that he will definitely kill someone today. Should we..."


    "But we have other things to do." Lin Dongxue couldn''t make up her mind.


    "Why don¡¯t you go and verify it? In fact, I''m also very curious how urate this thing can be." Peng Sijue said.


    "All right, where does he live?"


    Lin Dongxue didn''t report this to Chen Shi and drove Tao Yueyue over to find that person. This person was named Liu Qiang. He was a businessman, and he lived in the same district.


    When they got to the housing district where Liu Qiang lived, Lin Dongxue said, "This is too unbelievable. To figure out that this person would kill someone today with a set of mathematical forms? I don''t believe it!"


    "I also hope it¡¯s fake." Tao Yueyue said.


    The two got to Liu Qiang''s house and knocked on the door. It took a long time for a man to open the door. Tao Yueyue smelled sex on him. Moreover, there were hickeys on his neck and his hair was also very messy.


    "Are you Liu Qiang?" Lin Dongxue asked.


    "I¡¯m not. I am his friend and he¡¯s on a business trip today. I came over..."


    A woman within the house shouted, "Who is it? Salesmen?"


    The man then remembered and asked, "By the way, who are you?"


    Lin Dongxue showed her credentials, and the man instantly looked respectful, "Oh, officers! Has Liu Qiang been evading taxes outside? He really isn''t there today, why don¡¯t you call him? I''ll tell you the phone number."


    "No need, goodbye!"


    When leaving the district, Tao Yueyue said, "So it was like that. His wife cheated on him. That¡¯s his motive for murder!"


    "But Liu Qiang is on a business trip today, how can he kill people? Also, it¡¯s uncertain whether he knows about this. It can be seen that the prediction of the life function isn¡¯t reliable at all."


    "Or... let¡¯s call and ask if he is on a business trip."


    "Okay!"


    Lin Dongxue dialed Liu Qiang''s number and talked briefly with him. Liu Qiang imed that he was out of town.


    After hanging up, Lin Dongxue said, "Look, it can''t happen. We''re just worrying for nothing!"


    When they walked outside the district, a promotion was going on in a nearby supermarket. Lin Dongxue suddenly stood still, and then ran back without a word.

 Chapter 972: The Inevitability Of Life

    <h4>Chapter 972: The Inevitability Of Life</h4>


    Tao Yueyue caught up with Lin Dongxue and asked what was wrong. Lin Dongxue said in a flustered manner, "I heard the music during Liu Qiang''s phone call from that supermarket. He isn¡¯t out of town at all. If he dares to lie to the police, there must be something wrong with him!"


    Tao Yueyue recalled, "Speaking of which, a man in a gray coat passed us by just now."


    The two rushed back to Liu Qiang''s house in a hurry, and they heard a woman screaming from inside. "Help! Me! Murder!"


    "Liu Qiang, stop! We are the police!" Lin Dongxue shouted, and rammed the door hard, but the solid burr-proof door couldn''t be opened at all.


    "Sister Lin, let me do it!"


    Tao Yueyue took out lock picking tools and poked them into the keyhole a few times. When she turned the lock cylinder and heard a click, someone locked the door from the inside instead. The person said through the door, "Don''t bother me. I¡¯m going to surrender myself immediately after killing these cheaters!"


    Lin Dongxue shouted, "Calm down. Killing them won''t solve the problem. Do you want to destroy your life for these kinds of people?"


    Liu Qiang roared, "I treated him as a brother, and I looked after her well, but they did this kind of thing behind my back! Where is my dignity as a man?!"


    "Police, help!!!" the woman shouted.


    "Yell again, you bitch!" Then there was the sound of a heavy blow and then the sound of someone falling to the ground. The sound of someone¡¯s head hitting the floorboards sounded surprisingly metallic.


    Tao Yueyue said with a pale face, "I didn''t hear the adulterer''s voice. He¡¯s probably already..."


    "Step back!" Lin Dongxue pulled out her pistol.


    Lin Dongxue aimed at the lock, which was very dangerous, because a stray bullet might rebound and injure herself, but she couldn''t care about that now.


    She took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The first shot only made a white mark on the door, and she fired two more shots. Only the third shot prated the lock. She kicked and the burr-proof door opened with a ¡°dong¡± sound.


    Liu Qiang was covered in blood, seething with rage and grasping the woman''s hair with one hand. The woman was disheveled and almost half-naked. He was holding a bloody knife in his other hand. He shouted, "Leave me alone, please!!! You didn''t care when this bitchmitted adultery, now it¡¯s toote to interfere with me!!!"


    There was a strong reek of blooding from the bedroom at the side. A man was lying under the bed with blood all over his back. Liu Qiang was already overwhelmed with anger. Besides, he had already killed one person. Persuasion wouldn''t work. Lin Dongxue raised her pistol and shouted, "Lay down your weapon!"


    Liu Qiang sneered and stabbed the woman''s neck several times with a dagger. The struggling woman suddenly stopped moving and her body became stiff. First, the few gashes in her neck opened up and then the blood flowed out uncontrobly. This scene was so frightening that Tao Yueyue was scared out of her wits.


    Lin Dongxue was also extremely shocked. Watching the woman slowly fall to the floor, she fired a shot at the ceiling and shouted, "Put down your weapon!"


    Liu Qiang threw away the weapon contemptuously, turned and rushed towards the window. Lin Dongxue thought he was going tomit suicide. While she was hesitating over whether to shoot, Liu Qiang draped himself over the window and shouted, "I, Liu Qiang, finally look like a man today for once. I have killed the adulterers, hahahaha, hahahaha!"


    Such arrogant craziness is an outburst under long-term repression. Tao Yueyue felt the great darkness in this man''s heart that caused him to take this step today. It was the inevitability of fate.


    Lin Dongxue rushed up to cuff his hands behind him and told Tao Yueyue to dial 120 quickly while she covered the woman¡¯s neck and tried to stop the bleeding. Liu Qiang was still immersed in the adrenaline rush of murder and actually kicked his wife, saying, "Don''t save this lowly cunt. If she¡¯s saved, she¡¯ll just be fucked by another man!"


    Lin Dongxue was angered, stood up and pped him in the face, saying, "She is your wife!"


    The p seemed to wake him up, and he said in a daze, "She is my wife, but also a stranger who lived with me. She alwaysughed at me, saying that I¡¯m useless and ugly! I sincerely loved her..."


    Liu Qiang held his head and squatted down, crying loudly.


    There was blood on Lin Dongxue''s hand, and that p had left a clear bloody fingerprint on Liu Qiang''s face. Tao Yueyue was worried that it would implicate her, so she quietly went to the kitchen to get a cloth, wet it, and went over to help Liu Qiang wipe his face.


    Liu Qiang raised his tearful eyes, looked at Tao Yueyue, and said, "Youngdy, are you also a police officer?"


    "I guess so..."


    "They called the police?"


    "Well, it''s a long story."


    Liu Qiang nodded and sighed. "Well, at least I don¡¯t need to hide and lie anymore. I lied to them today that I was going on a business trip. Actually, I was giving her a chance. If she didn¡¯t call this man over to our home, I would have forgiven her, but a dog can¡¯t stop eating shit. As soon as I walked away, she immediately called him toe over. Tell me how I could let them go?!"


    "You... why didn''t you take down evidence and get a divorce?"


    "You don''t understand! You don''t understand! Being betrayed is the most painful thing. I can''t bear it!" Tears welled out of Liu Qiang''s eyes again and mixed with the blood on his face.


    Tao Yueyue thought of her own case, and thought that she, like Liu Qiang, had been predicted to be a murderer by the life functions. She said sadly, "I understand you, Uncle, I understand you!"


    "Thank you! Thank you!" Liu Qiang cried and lowered his head. His shoulders kept trembling.


    Later, the paramedics arrived. The woman¡¯s trachea had been punctured and she could no longer be saved. The male adulterer had a knife in his back. They thought he was dead, but when the doctor arrived, he suddenly raised his head and called for help. It turned out that he didn¡¯t have a fatal injury. However, as Liu Qiang was still present, he was too afraid to speak, so hey there and pretended to be dead.


    In other words, while Liu Qiang was carrying a knife, chasing and killing his wife, he was fully capable of fighting with him, but quietly pretended to be dead. When Liu Qiang was arrested, he still quietly pretended to be dead because he was too ashamed. The feelings between illicit lovers could be seen to be fickle.


    Rescuing a person didn¡¯t make Lin Dongxue feel much better. On the way back while escorting Liu Qiang, she was silent. When she returned to the bureau, she saw Chen Shi. She threw herself at him and cried, saying, "If I had warned those two people, she might not have died!"


    "Don''t me yourself, how would you warn them and exin to them about the life functions? They will only treat you as a lunatic."


    "Where are the other life functions?"


    "On my desk, what do you wish to do..."


    Lin Dongxue had already run over without permission and taken all those life functions. "We are going to find these people, warn them, or control them and prevent them from killing people!"


    "No, you can''t go! Preventing crime in advance, how is this different from the observer of humanity?"


    "Of course there is a difference. I¡¯m not killing people, I just want to save people! You didn''t see what that woman looked like when she was killed. She¡¯s hateful, but should she die? And her husband is going to jail now. The whole family has been ruined while we¡¯re hesitating!"


    Chen Shi said, "Dongxue, you are too agitated right now. Calm down and talk about it."


    "Captain! These things predicted that Liu Qiang would kill someone today. He really killed someone today. Are you still unwilling to believe that it¡¯s correct? Since we already know, we can''t just sit idly by and watch someone get killed."


    "But still, all the police in the world have no reason to prevent crime in advance! Obey my order to go back and rest for today. Leave these matters alone!"

 Chapter 973: Justice and Kindness

    <h4>Chapter 973: Justice and Kindness</h4>


    Chen Shi reached out to put his hand on Lin Dongxue''s shoulder, but she was agitated and shrugged it off. Lin Dongxue roared, "If I didn''t know, I could leave it alone, but now that I know someone is going to die, I can¡¯t!"


    "Be rational, this is the scheme of the observer of humanity. Throwing a bunch of obstacles to stop us!" Chen Shi said, already a little annoyed.


    "How can I be rational! When these people really kill others, then we¡¯ll go to clean up the scene, identify, dissect, arrest people, and offer a sentence of condolences to the family of the deceased. Then we¡¯ll be secretly satisfied about solving a couple of cases again this year! If the police can''t protect ordinary people, what''s the point of being a policeman?!"


    "The police represent justice, not kindness! Kindness is vague. It has no standards, but justice does. Also, by doing so, it is tantamount to acknowledging that the observer of humanity is correct!"


    "He is right!!!" Lin Dongxue roared out.


    Everyone present was stunned. A veteran police officer had openly admitted that the suspect was right. Tao Yueyue was so scared that she covered her mouth.


    Lin Dongxue no longer cared about the consequences. She said with tears running down her face, "I believe that when he used the life functions to predict potential criminals, he felt the same way as I do now and wanted to stop those bad things from happening! You keep saying that us police don¡¯t represent kindness, but when Yueyue was in danger, you were more assiduous in investigating the case than anyone else. Those who are about to die, do they have no family? Now that I know, it¡¯s impossible for me to leave it alone, even if I¡¯m no longer going to be a police officer!"


    With that, Lin Dongxue took out her police badge, threw it on the ground, and left with the wad of life functions.


    She had decided that she must save people. She must save people. She was someone who had lost loved ones. Although she also knew this was irrational, sometimes, human nature is irrational.


    Footsteps.


    Lin Dongxue hoped in her heart that it was Chen Shi chasing after her, but it was only Tao Yueyue who came. She said, "Sister Lin, don''t be so agitated. Actually... I think your way of thinking is right, and human lives should be the priority!"


    "Thank you for understanding me. Do you want toe with me?"


    Tao Yueyue shook her head. "I can''t apany you! Uncle Chen is very sad. If I leave as well, he will have a mental breakdown. You have to be careful by yourself! Are youing back tonight?"


    "I don''t know. Please stay with him!" Lin Dongxue finished speaking, and walked towards her car which was parked at the door.


    Tao Yueyue returned to Chen Shi''s office. He threw everything on the table to the floor angrily, and held his head in his hands dejectedly. The only thing he hadn¡¯t touched was Lin Dongxue''s police badge which he had ced in front of him.


    "Are you okay..." Tao Yueyue asked timidly. She seldom saw Chen Shi in such a rage.


    Chen Shi took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, opened it, put a cigarette in his mouth, and looked around for a lighter.


    Tao Yueyue snatched the cigarette and said, "Don''t. Smoking can''t solve the problem."


    Chen Shi said angrily, "The life functions predicted that I would have an extramarital affair in the future. I didn''t believe it at the time. Now I understand. I have a fundamental disagreement with her. A police officer shouldn''t be so emotional, sometimes one shouldn¡¯t even be too kind! Do you also think she¡¯s right?"


    "Uncle Chen, that woman really died so miserably today. Her eyes were full of such despair when she died! Didn''t you say that there¡¯s no absolute right or wrong in some matters? When justice and kindness conflict, which side would you choose? Sister Lin had chosen kindness!"


    Chen Shi was silent for a long time. "But she ignored one thing. Those future criminals, before theymit crimes, are also free citizens protected by thew. This is our duty! We are not superhumans and cannot go beyond our duties to stop future crimes!"


    "Then Sister Lin has done the right thing. She has even handed in her police badge..."


    Chen Shi nced at the police badge. He picked it up, polished it for a while, and then carefully put it in the drawer.


    "You can go. I need to be alone for a while."


    "Don''t smoke! You had a hard time quitting..."


    Tao Yueyue walked away uneasily.


    Chen Shi was restless all day. Tao Yueyue ran over to see him several times. Thest time she came, he was actually ying a puzzle game on theputer glumly. Tao Yueyue said, "It¡¯s time to get off work!"


    "Let¡¯s go home." Chen Shi said listlessly.


    After getting into the car, Tao Yueyue asked, "What¡¯s that about cheating that you talked about this morning?"


    "Old Peng had used the life function to predict this. I was speechless at the time, but now... My feelings are a bitplicated."


    "In that case, do you know how I felt when I learned that I wouldmit murder in the future?"


    "People shouldn''t know their future... but I also believe that destiny can be changed."


    "Then you should go and change it, and reconcile with Sister Lin."


    "No, I won''t go looking for her!"


    "Why?"


    "Adult business!"


    Tao Yueyue raised a finger as a reminder. "We agreed previously that we won¡¯t use the standpoints of adults and children as reasons during an argument. In my opinion, you¡¯re just like a petnt child now."


    "You should just treat me as a petnt child then. I can''t go to her right away. I insist on my opinion on this matter."


    Tao Yueyue looked out the window. "I wonder where Sister Lin is now. Does she have a ce to stay at night?"


    Chen Shi suddenly made a turn and went to a bank nearby. He took a number and lined up. Then he transferred a sum of money from his bank ount. Although he remained silent throughout the whole process, Tao Yueyue saw from the side that he had sent the money to Lin Dongxue.


    Walking out of the bank, Chen Shi even exined, "This is not about caring for her. I am her husband. It is my duty to provide her with financial support."


    "Understood, understood. You don''t care about her at all." Tao Yueyue held back a smile.


    Back home, Tao Yueyue looked at the table and said, "Wow, Sister Lin is back!"


    Chen Shi''s eyes lit up and immediately went to look for her in each room, but Lin Dongxue wasn¡¯t at home. She had juste back toy down the gun she carried and the handcuffs that she had forgotten to hand in. She had also taken some clothes. There was a note on the table that said, " Forgive my willfulness this time. if I don''t save them, I will feel guilty for a lifetime."


    It was just one short line, but Chen Shi picked it up and read it over and over again. Then he took a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, poured himself a ss, and sat dejectedly on the sofa.


    Tao Yueyue shook him. "Cook! Your baby is hungry."


    "Order takeaway. Order whatever you want to eat."


    "Then I will order the most expensive meal!"


    "Whatever, bankrupt me!"


    "Hehe!" Tao Yueyue asked for Chen Shi''s mobile phone, and ordered the luxurious meal she had always wanted but couldn¡¯t bear to eat. "I hope you guys will quarrel every day, then I can request whatever I want to eat."


    Chen Shi red at her. "You¡¯re taking advantage of my misfortune!"


    With Lin Dongxue away from home, only Chen Shi knew how lonely that night was. After sleeping, he barely managed to reset his mood. The next morning, Chen Shi took Xu Xiaodong, Little Li, and Tao Yueyue to participate in Hai Guoyang¡¯s new productunch conference.


    This new productunch conference was very special. The guests and reporters attending the conference weren¡¯t sitting in chairs to ask questions. There were some tables on the spot, with self-service food and drinks, as well as some mobile phones.


    The new products were some uing apps, including socialworking apps, games, personal assistant apps, data management apps, etc. Guests could pick up the mobile phones themselves and try out these new products.


    The four people arrived to see that kk had arrived long ago. He was wearing a suit, and his eye-catching yellow hair had been styled with gel. He handed the four invitation letters to Chen Shi and said, "You¡¯re all wearing such casual clothes!"


    "We¡¯re here to investigate the case, as long as we don¡¯t attract attention, it¡¯s fine." Chen Shi said.

 Chapter 974: Contact

    <h4>Chapter 974: Contact</h4>


    Tao Yueyue just happened to be wearing the clothes Lin Dongxue had helped her pick that day. She looked like a dashing boy. kk praised, "Yueyue is really bing more and more beautiful. When you grow up, would you like to marry Uncle?"


    "No, you¡¯re old and poor."


    "Haha, do you have to be so straightforward?"


    Chen Shi interrupted the two, "What are you saying to my little lover?!"


    "Why didn''t Sister-in-Lawe?"


    "She... has something to do." Chen Shi fibbed. "Help me get the list of employees as soon as possible."


    "Don''t worry, let''s blend into the environment first!" As he said this, kk picked up a mobile phone, "Fuck, this is a mobile game? It''s a 3A masterpiece!"


    "Uncle Chen, is that caviar?!" Tao Yueyue happily ran towards a table, picked up the caviar cake and ate it.


    Xu Xiaodong and Little Li also tried out thetest socialworking software and had a great time trying them out. Chen Shi thought that they were too immersed in the environment.


    However, Hai Guoyang hadn''t appeared yet and it was still early, so there was no need to be so nervous for the time being.


    Chen Shi picked up a mobile phone installed with several apps that were to be released this time. Among them was a "portable butler" described as a mobile phone application that crosses the ages during the promotion. Chen Shi clicked on it and it asked Chen Shi to enter some basic information. Chen Shi entered the data one by one.


    A lovable 3D character appeared and said, "Mr. Chen, I¡¯m your portable butler. I will provide you with consulting services anytime and anywhere. ording to your personal data, you are now in an ascendant period of your career. The butler reminds you, remember to take time out asionally to spend time with your family!"


    "Nonsense!" Chen Shi noticed some options on the top of the screen and selected ¡°rtionship consultation¡±.


    The 3D character said, "You are a very considerate husband and have a reputation as a good man. You have just gotten married recently and are in the honeymoon period. But as the freshness of marriage disappears, a red rose may appear in your life. This will impact your family rtionship, so please be rational!"


    Chen Shi''s eyes widened. This kind of prediction had already surpassed an ordinary beta app. He said to himself, "Life Functions!?"


    "Sir, how do you know about life functions?" asked a woman wearing sses in a burgundy evening dress.


    "Are you an employee of thispany?"


    "Yes, I am in charge of the code." The woman smiled and held out her hand. "Chen Anhe."


    Hearing this name, Chen Shi was shocked. She was the female graduate student who invented the life functions. It turned out that she was now working in thispany. As a businessman, Hai Guoyang would naturally think of using something as ingenious as life functions to obtain profit.


    Chen Shi shook hands with her, "My name is Chen Shi. I''m a policeman!"


    "Police?" Chen Anhe smiled. "So, are you here to investigate President Hai?"


    "You know it very clearly. In fact, I also know about you. You¡¯re a mathematics graduate student. You were previously charged in court for killing your husband and received counseling before from Gu You."


    "As expected of the police, the investigation is really meticulous!" Chen Anhe smiled calmly. "The original code of this app was indeed based on life functions. People have different interests and hobbies. There is only one thing that everyone is interested in. That¡¯s themselves. The portable butler can help users attain a moreprehensive understanding of themselves."


    "It is of course a good thing to use it for an app, but to use it tomit crimes is another matter!"


    "You have no evidence." Chen Anhe turned and left.


    Chen Shi caught up and said, "What you said just now is evidence!"


    Chen Anhe rested her cheek on her hand and looked into the distance calmly. "From ancient times to the present, the biggest puzzle of mankind is fate. Isn¡¯t it a wonderful thing to know one¡¯s own future? The life function allows me to make the right choice every time. I believe it will one day be poprized and be familiar to everyone. The whole society¡¯s crime rate will also be reduced, because those criminals would have been found and nipped in the bud."


    "In my opinion, that isn¡¯t progress, but a step backward. Just like trying criminals with witchcraft!"


    "Mr. Chen, you don''t understand mathematics at all."


    "But I understand thew. A person is killed although he had notmitted a crime. Is the person who killed him a saint or a criminal?!"


    Chen Anhe looked at him with a sh of light in her eyes. "Anything new will be traditionally regarded as heresy, but time will prove everything." Then she whispered in his ear, "Mr. Chen, today is the third day. 24 dayster, the investigation will not be suspended, but you will give up by yourself instead!"


    After that, she left with a sly smile and walked towards a door. Hai Guoyang walked out from there, hugged and kissed Chen Anhe, and the two talked in a low voice.


    Chen Shi stood wide-eyed for a long time, and then went to find Xu Xiaodong. He was ying online games with Little Li. Chen Shi snatched his mobile phone and asked, "Who is Hai Guoyang''s wife? Haven''t you checked it?"


    "Oh, let me ask now." Xu Xiaodong quickly took out his mobile phone and typed on WeChat.


    Chen Shi snatched his mobile phone again, "I said before not to use this software to talk about cases!"


    "Sorry..."


    Chen Anhe¡¯s boasts had already told Chen Shi the truth. The observer of humanity was here, but the natural moat that prevented Chen Shi from moving forward was the evidence.


    Now, he can only hope to catch the impersonator and obtain information from him.


    Later, Xu Xiaodong said, "Hai Guoyang''s wife is Chen Anhe."


    "That''s it!" Chen Shi suddenly understood everything. It was Chen Anhe who had created the observer of humanity behind the scenes.


    "Should I ask everyone to close the group chat now?"


    "No... don''t close it, continue to talk about the case on it!"


    "Brother Chen, why did you change your mind again?"


    "Just do as I tell you. Just talk about anything as you all did before."


    Chen Shi suddenly thought of a n. If Hai Guoyang does collect users¡¯ private information through these socialworking software, then he can use it to his advantage.


    He looked around and asked, "Where is Yueyue?"


    "Uh, she was eating over there just now!"


    At the same time, Tao Yueyue was quietly tailing Hai Guoyang. Hai Guoyang was talking with the guests. Smiling, he would say a few words, and then rush to the next group of guests. Everyone praised the new software releases saying that they were great sesses. Afterwards, Hai Guoyang left, seemingly to go to the bathroom. Tao Yueyue followed him into a corridor. She suddenly had a bold idea: If Hai Guoyang was the observer of humanity and she was one of the targets for obliteration that slipped through the, how would he react when he saw her?


    There was no one in the corridor. Tao Yueyue was standing in front of the window. When footsteps came from the direction of the bathroom, her heartbeat kept elerating.


    The footsteps stopped behind her, Tao Yueyue turned around nervously. Her eyes met with his and Hai Guoyang smiled. "Tao Yueyue."


    "You... you know me?"


    "I observe everyone."

 Chapter 975: Saving The Country In A Roundabout Way

    <h4>Chapter 975: Saving The Country In A Roundabout Way</h4>


    Tao Yueyue took a deep breath and said, "Observer of humanity!"


    Hai Guoyang smiled gracefully. "Don''t be so nervous, I won''t push you down. Today is a very important day."


    "You... couldn''t you just concentrate on making money? Why are you doing this kind of thing?"


    "Actually, the two of us are kindred spirits. A few years ago, you wanted to kill a boy. That boy happened to be my target. I was the one who saved you. In fact, your turning point is still far off. You are malleable. By the way, did the things that happened over the past two days impact your young mind?" Hai Guoyang patted her shoulder and pointed outside. Below, there was a homeless man who was rummaging through the trash can. "If the life function tells you that he¡¯d kill six people in the afternoon, do you think it''s a sin to push him onto the road now?"


    "Of course it is sin. Murder is sin!"


    "Which is more serious, the crime of killing six people, or the crime of killing a murderer in advance?"


    "That¡¯s iparable!"


    "Yes, it cannot bepared in terms of human nature, but it isparable in terms ofw. Killing six people is certainly worse than killing one person. Isn''t thew the creed of the police? I can prove the life function is urate in 10,000 ways, but you will always stop me. Your denial is an instinctive rejection, because you only see the person in front of you being killed. However, I watch over everything. Over these past two years, Long¡¯an has been peaceful and the crime rate has plummeted. I believe you¡¯re aware of it."


    Tao Yueyue swallowed nervously. This person''s aurapletely crushed her, and she only knew now how naive her trying to sound him out was.


    She had spent a few days with Zhou Xiao. There was crazy blood boiling within Zhou Xiao''s body, but this person was different. He was so calm, like the endless sea, which couldn''t help but make people suspect that he was a visitor from the future.


    "But... you put... people who aren¡¯t criminals..." Tao Yueyue was still struggling.


    Hai Guoyang suddenly grabbed her hand, stared at her closely, and asked, "Do you want to be my executor?"


    "What!?"


    "Use your criminal talents in the right way to avoid having your future turning point being triggered. If you be my executor, it won¡¯t conflict with your future identity as a police officer because all of this is for protecting this city!"


    Tao Yueyue seemed to have heard the temptation of the devil, and pushed him away with all her strength, shouting, "It''s not right to kill people!"


    "Yueyue!" Chen Shi rushed over and saw Tao Yueyue standing alone by the window with a panicked expression. "What''s wrong with you?"


    "I..." Tao Yueyue looked back. Hai Guoyang, who had been talking next to her just now, had actually disappeared though this corridor had only two exits. She didn''t want Chen Shi to worry, so she said, "I''m fine. I just went to the bathroom."


    "I thought you got lost. Let¡¯s head back!"


    "Huh? We¡¯re not investigating Hai Guoyang anymore?"


    "I have already confirmed that it¡¯s him, and kk has also gotten the list of employees."


    "You guys are so fast!"


    "There are so many people today. Fishing in troubled waters is his specialty."


    Back in the bureau, Chen Shi assigned tasks to everyone. Everyone will be investigating a suspect on the list. When it was Tao Yueyue''s turn, he said, "You and Xiaodong will carry out the task together."


    "But I want to be with you..."


    "As a police officer, how can you investigate crimes with your family every day? You have to learn to get along with your partner."


    Although reluctant, Tao Yueyue still obeyed the order.


    The person assigned to Tao Yueyue and Xu Xiaodong was named Hao Yui. He had left thepany three years ago and was already in his forties that year. He was single and unemployed.


    The two found Hao Yui''s home but the door was locked. It was impossible to determine whether anyone was at home. Tao Yueyue took out the two-piece lock-picking set as per usual. Xu Xiaodong asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Going in to search!"


    "Quickly put those away. It is illegal to break into a private residence."


    "When I was with Uncle Chen..."


    "I don''t care if you¡¯ve done it before, but now that you are my partner, you have to listen to me. If the police themselves do not abide by thew, how can they uphold thew? Unless there are special circumstances, lock-picking is definitely not our first option."


    Tao Yueyue showed a disdainful expression. "Then tell me how we should investigate?"


    Xu Xiaodong thought, "Brother Chen said that our investigation should be kept secret, and not to let the other party know that we¡¯re the police..." His eyes fell on the decorative couplet on the door, which was a gift from a certain matchmaking website.


    Xu Xiaodong turned on his phone, found the website, checked it, and said, "Hey, there¡¯s a way! Hao Yui has a matchmaking profile on this website. We can meet him using the excuse of a blind date in order to understand the situation."


    "Don''t look at me. I¡¯m a child. How can I go on a blind date? Why don¡¯t you disguise yourself as a middle-aged woman instead?!"


    "Uh¡­"


    Xu Xiaodong was momentarily speechless. Tao Yueyue was short with a baby face. No matter what, she didn¡¯t look like an adult, but would he be able to disguise himself as a woman without being exposed?


    Tao Yueyue urged, "Brother Xiaodong has good skin, a small face, and a good figure. If you dress up as a middle-aged woman, he will definitely be willing to talk to you."


    "I have no experience..."


    "There¡¯s a first time for everything!"


    It was Xu Xiaodong¡¯s idea so he could only bite the bullet and go to a nearby clothing store to pick out women''s clothes and a wig. After putting on some simple makeup, he really looked like a young woman but he¡¯d be exposed as soon as he spoke.


    He went to the Inte to search for fake voice tutorials. After practicing for an hour, he learned how to raise his pitch. It sounded pretty good.


    During this period, Tao Yueyue used Xu Xiaodong''s mobile phone to register an ount and filled in the information blindly.


    After everything was done, Tao Yueyue dialed a customer service hotline on the website, handed the mobile phone to Xu Xiaodong. "You can talk to them!"


    Xu Xiaodong took it nervously, raised the pitch of his voice and said, "Hello".


    "Hello, this is XXwork, what can I do for you?"


    "I saw a Mr. Hao on your website, his name is Hao Yui, and I intend to meet him." Xu Xiaodong said in a false voice, Tao Yueyue was beside him, giving him a thumbs up.


    "Please quote your membership number."


    "XXXXX!"


    "Ms. Li, right? I read your information. Your conditions are pretty good. Our website will arrange a suitable candidate for a blind date on your behalf."


    "No, no, I just want to meet this Mr. Hao. I think he is quite suitable. I have to catch a ne tonight and n to have this date in the afternoon. I will pay you the agency fee immediately."


    Apany opens their doors to do business, so the website had no reason to refuse. "Well then, let me talk to Mr. Hao."


    Later, the call was returned, and the person from the website said, "Mr. Hao said that he is free today. You can set the date¡¯s location!"


    "I want to go to his house, mainly to see his house¡¯s condition."


    "Okay, I will convey it."


    After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiaodong breathed a sigh of relief. Tao Yueyue praised, "A good start. Theypletely believe it!"


    "I just want to say that this kind of website¡¯s monitoring is toox. You can meet others directly without verification of identity information. Didn''t they ask for an ID card when you registered?"


    "They did, I just found an ID card from your mobile phone and uploaded it. Your name is Li Hongxia right now."


    "Fuck, that''s the ID of the drug addict who was just arrested two days ago!"


    "The certified photo is also hers."


    Xu Xiaodong waspletely speechless. "What should I do when I meet him and get exposed?"


    "Just say it was photoshopped!" Tao Yueyue couldn''t helpughing.

 Chapter 976: Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 976: Mistake</h4>


    Xu Xiaodong, crossdressed as a woman, and Tao Yueyue waited at a fast food restaurant nearby. They ordered two drinks while they were at it. Xu Xiaodong, who was out of his depth, was constantly anxious. He kept taking out his mobile phone to look at his own face, for fear of exposing himself.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t be exposed. Even if you are exposed, you can say that your ovaries were removed through surgery two years ago, so you look more and more like a man.


    "That excuse is too shameful!"


    "Then what are you going to do, marry him?"


    Xu Xiaodong sighed, "You have so many weird ideas!"


    "Wait a minute!"


    Tao Yueyue ran to the counter and asked for some napkins. When she came back, she kneaded them into balls and told Xu Xiaodong to stuff them into his bra. Xu Xiaodong did so shyly. When he looked down, he saw that his twin peaks were towering and the impression was pretty good.


    He weighed them in his hands. This action drew other people''s attention. Tao Yueyue said, "Don''t touch them. You¡¯re like an idiot."


    Xu Xiaodong was about to strike back when his cell phone rang, and a man''s voice said over the phone, "Is this Miss Li?"


    "Yes, are you Mr. Hao?" Xu Xiaodong said, using his fake voice again.


    "Yes. I''m at home now. Is it convenient for you?"


    "Okay, I''ll drive over right away."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you."


    After he hung up, Tao Yueyue scolded, "Why did you have to say that you¡¯ll drive over? Won¡¯t we have to wait a while longer?"


    "Don''t be so impatient. I can''t possibly say I''m waiting nearby. That would make this loathsome man feel proud!" He said as he flicked his hair with his hand because the bangs of the wig were always drooping down.


    Tao Yueyue giggled, "Okay, just stay in this state!"


    After waiting for about 20 minutes, the two went to Hao Yui¡¯s home. ording to Hao Yui¡¯s information, he was in his 40s. In person, he looked almost 50 years old. He was dark, fat and slovenly with a hunched back. Dressed in a tasteless shirt and flip-flops, he smoked as he stood at the door waiting.


    Upon seeing the two of them, Hao Yui hurriedly put out his cigarette. He came over with a smile on his face to shake hands, and said, "Hello, hello, I am Hao Yui."


    "Hello there."


    "This little girl is..."


    "My daughter, didn''t I mention it in my profile? I am a divorced woman with a child and now I¡¯m running a business by myself."


    "Oh, your little girl is very cute. I quite like children too,e in and sit down!"


    The three of them walked into his house. It was a small house less than fifty square meters in size. One could see that he had just cleaned it up hurriedly. There must be a pile of items hidden underneath the bulging quilt on the bed.


    Although the odds and ends had been put away, the dust on the floor and furniture was still clearly visible.


    Hao Yui poured water for them, and the two sat down on the sofa. Hao Yui rubbed his legs, looked at Xu Xiaodong and smiled while Xu Xiaodong lowered his head shyly, mainly because he was afraid he would be exposed if he was looked at for too long.


    "Miss Li, what do you do for a living?"


    "I run my own business selling clothes."


    "That¡¯s great, you seem to be an able woman."


    "Mr. Hao, what do you do for a living?"


    Hao Yui scratched his chest a few times, looking upwards to the right out of the corners of his eyes, and replied, "I used to work as a salesman in an ITpany, butter resigned. I¡¯m a frencer now and asionally make art."


    How he acted when he lied was totally a textbook example of lying, and Tao Yueyueughed secretly when she saw it.


    "You like art too?"


    "Yes, I like to do some doodles when I''m free. Wait a moment..." Hao Yui went to fetch a painting. "Sorry for disying my poor skills."


    Xu Xiaodong let out a perfunctory "Oh". "You¡¯re currently unmarried, aren¡¯t you?"


    The awkward topics continued. The two chatted for more than ten minutes. Hao Yui was obviously very interested in Xu Xiaodong. His eyes were always moving all over him, and he praised him for his beautiful voice. Tao Yueyue was sitting on pins and needles beside him. She couldn''t wait anymore. She secretly reached into her pocket and dialed Xu Xiaodong''s number.


    Xu Xiaodong''s cell phone rang, he stood up and pretended to answer. After he finished speaking, he said to Hao Yui, "Oh, sorry, I seem to be upying someone else''s parking space. Could you apany me to move the car?"


    Tao Yueyue said, "I''m so tired. I''m not going. Can I stay here and watch TV?"


    Hao Yui seemed a little worried. "You just watch TV here and don''t disturb Uncle''s things, okay?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "My child is well-behaved."


    After the adults left, Tao Yueyue immediately rummaged through the house. The house wasn¡¯t big and there were only a few ces where things could be hidden. When she opened a drawer and saw the contents inside, she was slightly stunned...


    Later, Xu Xiaodong apanied Hao Yui back while chatting all the way. Hao Yui even opened the door for Xu Xiaodong gentlemanly.


    As soon as they entered the house, Xu Xiaodong saw Tao Yueyue, who was sitting on the sofa, quietly made a gesture. This was a secret signal that the two had agreed upon in advance.


    "By the way, Miss Li, are your parents still alive..."


    Hao Yui was turning his head to talk when Xu Xiaodong suddenly twisted his arms from behind and pinned him onto the coffee table. Hao Yui was stunned for a long time before he got around to saying, "Miss Li, what are you doing?!"


    "Who is Miss Li? I¡¯m the police!" Xu Xiaodong resumed his original voice.


    "Police?!?! No, I haven¡¯t done anything bad!"


    Tao Yueyue picked up a syringe, shook it in front of him, and said, "What is this?!"


    "Syringe, what''s wrong?"


    "What do you use it for?!"


    "I have diabetes and use it for injecting insulin I bought myself. Is that illegal?"


    "Come back with us and exin it!"


    Xu Xiaodong took him away first, and Tao Yueyue collected all the evidence she had found and put them in a bag.


    Having hit the bull¡¯s eye right away, Xu Xiaodong was very excited. After returning, he handed the suspect over to Chen Shi and said, "Yueyue is too capable. She found evidence at once."


    "Why are you dressed like that?" Chen Shi asked curiously.


    Xu Xiaodong looked at himself. No wonder his colleagues wereughing when he came in. It turned out that he had forgotten to take off the woman''s dress he was wearing. He exined in shame, "We used a matchmaking date as an excuse in order to approach the suspect."


    "Very smart. Go and change out of it!"


    Hao Yui was taken back for questioning. The evidence brought back by Tao Yueyue, several obviously used syringes, and a gray coat were also submitted.


    Tao Yueyue was very excited after sessfullypleting the mission.


    The next morning, at the case discussion meeting, Chen Shi said, "Everyone performed very well yesterday. Through the name list we took from Hai Guoyang¡¯spany, we sessfully caught the injection murderer suspect - Zou Lei!"


    Tao Yueyue was originally full of expectations, but when she heard thepletely unfamiliar name "Zou Lei", she was at a loss and asked, "Isn¡¯t Hao Yui his real name?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "I did say that his name couldn¡¯t possibly be something like ¡®Good Luck¡¯.[1] So it was actually a fake name."


    "You two are way too confident!" Chen Shi jeered. "Who told you that the person you brought back yesterday is the suspect? Zou Lei is Zou Lei, Hao Yui is Hao Yui. In short, you two were mistaken!"


    "But we found syringes in Hao Yui¡¯s house!" Tao Yueyue was still in denial.


    Old Zhang said, "Not only did I find syringes and cyanide at Zou Lei''s house, but I also found detailed information of the three victims. It can be said that the evidence is conclusive. Zou Lei is undoubtedly the injection murderer!"


    1. It¡¯s what Hao Yui means. ?

 Chapter 977: Stealthy Substitute

    <h4>Chapter 977: Stealthy Substitute</h4>


    When she heard that she was mistaken, Tao Yueyue felt a little disappointment in her heart, but Xu Xiaodongforted her in a low voice, "This kind of thing is normal. If you don''t exclude the wrong ones, how can you catch the right one?"


    Be that as it may, Tao Yueyue was still very unwilling to ept this. She had hoped that she could win honour and be praised by Chen Shi.


    Chen Shi projected a photo onto the white screen. The photo was of an unprepossessing middle-aged man who was balding slightly and wore sses. The wrinkles at the corners of his mouth made him seem a little unapproachable.


    Chen Shi said, "Zou Lei was formerly a manager in Hai Guoyang¡¯spany. When Chen Anhe first joined thepany, she worked in Zou Lei''s department. ording to other colleagues and Zou Lei himself, the two were a couple for a while."


    Then he presented Chen Anhe¡¯s photo. Compared to Zou Lei, Chen Anhe was much more pleasing to the eye. She was a slim and fair intellectual beauty. Tao Yueyue was reminded of Gu You, but when Chen Anhe waspared with Gu You, something was still missing. It was probably the feminine tenderness that seeped out from deep inside her bones. This was also the trait Tao Yueyue admired most in Gu You. She was really feminine.


    Chen Shi went on to say, "Although I did not verify this with Chen Anhe, ording to my understanding of her, she chooses her partner through life functions. She very much believes in this. Zou Lei should only have been one of the people selected by her. In the end, the two failed to stay together, indicating that Chen Anhe didn¡¯t settle on him. However, Zou Lei kept brooding over this matter, especially after Chen Anhe became Hai Guoyang¡¯s wife. At the same time, Zou Lei was suspended because of a business error. Zou Lei harbored a grudge, and at one point he posted a lot of negativements about thepany on the Inte.


    "During his period of unemployment, Zou Lei lived in dire poverty, and then the observer of humanity found him..."


    Someone raised his hand and asked, "Is the observer of humanity that he mentioned Hai Guoyang?"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "He didn''t specify the name of the observer of humanity. When the transcriber asked him whether the observer was a ¡®he¡¯ or a ¡®she¡¯,[1] Zou Lei said that he didn''t know. This attitude is very suspicious."


    There was whispering below with some people specting whether the observer of humanity could be Chen Anhe.


    "The observer of humanity provided him with financial assistance. Since then, Zou Lei never wrote negativements about thepany again. He was trained as an executor, but he didn¡¯t work long before he was dismissed. In order to prove himself, Zou Lei started to look for some ''real viins'', killed them by injecting poison into them, and left life functions on their bodies." Chen Shi raised a finger to remind everyone to pay attention, "In essence, Zou Lei was an out-of-control executor. His acts let the observer of humanity appear in our field of vision. Do you think Zou Lei is helping them, or harming them?"


    There was another burst of discussion. Everyone insisted on their own opinions. Tao Yueyue said, "If he wanted to harm the observer of humanity, he would havee out to testify and tell us the name of that person. I think he is trying to prove himself!"


    "You¡¯ve understood well!" Chen Shi smiled. "Zou Lei does not recognize the observer of humanity to a certain extent. He thinks he can do better. He is proving himself to someone. Based on this, I think the observer of humanity is Hai Guoyang, and Chen Anhe is just the person behind the scenes... In addition, the aloof Hai Guoyang doesn''t know about Zou Lei, this botched impersonator!"


    Having said that, Chen Shi changed to another photo. This time it was actually Hao Yui, who had been arrested yesterday.


    Everyone was also confused. Chen Shi said calmly, "Hao Yui, male, 46 years old, single and unemployed. He had been ordered to resign by Hai Guoyang because of embezzlement of public funds. Hao Yui was friends with Zou Lei in thepany. Yesterday, our first interrogation found that this uncle also had something on him. Every weekend, Hao Yui would wear a coat and go to the park with a syringe. Whenever he saw couples getting intimate, he would stealthily jab someone¡¯s body with the syringe. Before the other party could respond, he would immediately run away. Perhaps after being single for a long time, he felt envious whenever he saw couples in love, and this mentality of wreaking revenge against society arose."


    "Did the syringes he used have viruses?" someone asked.


    "ording to his own confession, he had picked up the syringes from hospital trash. It isn¡¯t clear whether there were viruses, but I let Old Peng have a look at them. It turned out that after being disposed of for a long time, any viruses had died long ago. At most, the victim would get an infection or fever."


    "Throw this kind of scum into the detention center."


    "No, no!" Chen Shi smiled. "Hao Yui has another purpose. I will release Hao Yui and send people to monitor him. You have to treat him as a copycat criminal. Discuss it in the WeChat group, and repeatedly mention his name!"


    People started discussing fervently because the police officers didn''t quite understand the purpose of this.


    Xu Xiaodong asked, "Captain, are you nning entrapment?"


    Chen Shi smiled, "How can this be entrapment? We¡¯re discussing it in the group chat we set up ourselves and we didn''t disclose it to the public. Unless..." He paused meaningfully, "Thepany who released the software can freely view our chat content!"


    Tao Yueyue said, "I get it! Use Hao Yui as bait to let the observer of humanitye out and get rid of him. The observer of humanity is proud and aloof. He will not tolerate the appearance of copycat criminals and will most likely take action."


    Xu Xiaodong was a little puzzled. "Why not just use Zou Lei as bait?"


    "Stupid, we have to release the wrong information. If the other party bites this bait, it can prove that theirpany is peeking at the private chats of its users."


    Xu Xiaodong scratched his head, still a little bit confused.


    Chen Shi said, "The observer of humanity will probably only send executors to eliminate him. This is still unable to draw the person himself out, but if he acts, it proves that they are peeping at users¡¯ private chats. Using this as an excuse, we will be able to justify entering hispany for an investigation! Of course, I don¡¯t y around with human lives. I will send ten people to protect Hao Yui secretly to ensure that he is within our sight every single second, especially when he crosses the road. You must protect him at close range. Hao Yun Lai must not meet with a mishap!"


    "Captain, what if the observer of humanity isn¡¯t fooled?"


    "If he isn¡¯t fooled, everyone will have been busy for nothing! Now that the observer of humanity has ceased his activities, we must make him take action so that his ws will be exposed. The worst possible result of this operation is that everyone might be busy for nothing, and the best possible result is being able to prove that theirpany is fishy. We will shut down all the IT products they sell, take drastic measures and blind the observer of humanity!"


    "So how long do you want to protect him secretly for?"


    "Twenty-two days! The observer of humanity predicts that we will give up after 22 days. That is to say, he will restart the executors¡¯ missions after 22 days. Who wants to participate in this mission?"


    Everyone stopped talking. After all, it was hard work. Then Xu Xiaodong stood up and said, "I''ll go! Keeping watch is my forte!"


    "What about the others?" Chen Shi smiled and looked down. "No one took the initiative to volunteer, so I¡¯ll just pick randomly!"


    Tao Yueyue prayed in her heart that she would not be chosen, but who would have imagined that the first name Chen Shi uttered was hers. Tao Yueyue said unhappily, ¡°This kind of work can be done by anyone. I don¡¯t want to go. I want to Investigate the case!"


    "You came for an internship, but you¡¯re still picking and choosing? It will be you!"


    Tao Yueyue sat down dejectedly, thinking that it was really difficult to be a police officer, and that she really wanted to go back to school!


    1. The pronouns ¡°he¡± and ¡°she¡± are pronounced the same way in Chinese. ?

 Chapter 978: Lin Dongxues Efforts

    <h4>Chapter 978: Lin Dongxue''s Efforts</h4>


    On the third day of the mission, Tao Yueyue sat listlessly in the car. Chen Shi had arranged for ten people to be divided into two groups of five each. A group kept watch in their cars while the other group kept watch in a house rented near Hao Yui¡¯s house. There was also a mobile sentry to deal with emergencies.


    The stakeout mission was extremely boring, and Tao Yueyue was so bored that she yawned.


    It waste at night. Hao Yui was watching TV at home, but they still had to stare at that window here. Tao Yueyue''s boredom was about to reach its peak.


    At this time, Xu Xiaodong got into the car and handed a bag to Tao Yueyue, saying, "It took me going to a few streets before I could buy these pan-fried buns with fresh shrimp and pork fillings. Try them... Oh yes, there¡¯s also this!"


    He handed a manhua to Tao Yueyue, and Tao Yueyueined, "What''s this?! I don''t read this kind of silly girls¡¯ manhuas."


    "Uh... I saw a rental bookstore nearby and I thought you¡¯d like it."


    "Was there a The Vte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later? I haven''t finished that book."


    "Well, I''ll change it."


    "Don''t go!"


    But Xu Xiaodong still went away. After a while, he came back and handed a copy of Twenty Years After to Tao Yueyue. "The bookstore said they didn¡¯t have it in stock. It turned out to be a sequel to The Three Musketeers. I didn¡¯t even know. The boss said this is also a sequel."


    "I''ve read this one long ago!"


    "Huh? Then I''ll change it to another one."


    "No need, I¡¯ll read it again!" Tao Yueyue opened the book. There was an illustration on the title page of this edition. The picture showed d''Artagnan[1] leading the little king through the rock slinging party surrounding them. She said with emotion, "The most moving moment when I read this book was when the few of them went to rescue Charles I. The history books say that Charles I was the representative of feudal kingship and the leader of the reactionaries. Cromwell, who beheaded him, was the righteous party instead. But Athos still insisted on saving him. He believed that the king should not be treated like this. This persistence is very moving. History always cruellybels people from the past, telling you that this person was good and that person was bad, but who can tell the difference while one is living through it? Those who insist on their beliefs when handling things, no matter whether the history books say they were good or bad, I think they are worthy of respect!"


    Xu Xiaodong didn''t know how to respond to this kind of topic, and he hesitated for a long time before saying, "This kind of view is not dialectically materialistic enough."


    Tao Yueyueughed, "Which of the Three Musketeers is your favorite?"


    "Uh, who are they?"


    "Tch, I won''t talk to you about this. At first nce, you¡¯re clearly someone who doesn''t like to read."


    "I like to y games. Have you yed Sekiro before?"


    "Mm, I¡¯vepleted all four endings." Tao Yueyue said lightly.


    Xu Xiaodong instantly felt a kind of frustration. Being with Tao Yueyue was always very stressful. However, Tao Yueyue felt different about him. She found Xu Xiaodong very considerate and very caring towards others. He also had a very sunny disposition.


    Staring at the book, she asked, "Why didn¡¯t Sister Lin like you originally?"


    "Huh?" Xu Xiaodong was startled. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"


    "Curious."


    Xu Xiaodong scratched his head. "It''s nothing, I''m not her cup of tea... Did you know? Dongxue and I were partners previously. Ever since Brother Chen came, she has more or less stopped partnering with me."


    "You mean to say that Uncle Chen has snatched Sister Lin away from you?"


    "No, no, I didn''t mean that. I mean that one shouldn¡¯t fall in love with one¡¯s partner as a police officer, otherwise it will be very awkward."


    "You¡¯re really talking from experience!"


    "But Brother Chen is indeed very charming, mature and stable, as well as quick-witted. I would fall in love with him too if I were a woman."


    "Even if you tter him in front of me, I won''t tell him."


    "Kid, you love to mock people, don¡¯t you?"


    Tao Yueyue was making a face at him when Xu Xiaodong''s cell phone rang. A colleague said that something had happened. Hao Yui was about to go out.


    The five people immediately monitored him strictly and followed him all the way. In the end, Hao Yui just went to the kiosk by the entrance to buy a pack of cigarettes, then returned home to continue watching TV. Only then, did they let down their guard.


    It was unknown how many times a day there would be such false rms.


    The next day, in a certain alley, a man brandishing a kitchen knife was chasing two loan sharks. It happened very suddenly. The man owed two million yuan, and with exponentially umting interest, he couldn''t afford to repay as he was jobless.


    In order to force him to pay a little interest, the loan sharks had beaten him a little.


    A second ago, the two loan sharks were humiliating him by pping him left and right. Suddenly, the expression in the eyes of this subservient man changed. He grabbed a kitchen knife and shed one of them on the shoulder. Themb instantly turned into a fierce tiger.


    The loan sharks looked back as they ran, panting heavily. The man continued to brandish the blood-stained kitchen knife and roared angrily, "Stop right there! I''ll kill both of you and then I¡¯ll die too!"


    Suddenly, a woman in a leather jacket rushed out from the side and kicked the man''s waist. He staggered and his knife fell to the ground.


    Before he could react, he was thrown over the shoulder to the ground by the other party. Lin Dongxue pinned the man down with her knees and shouted at the two loan sharks, "What are you waiting for? Go call the police quickly!"


    "Th-thank you!" The two ran away quickly.


    "Hey, call the police!"


    The man on the ground shouted, "Let go of me you damn bitch, I will kill them! Let go of me!"


    "Behave yourself!"


    This time, the life function had urately predicted the person¡¯s turning point trigger, and Lin Dongxue was able to rush here and stop it in time.


    These two days have been very turbulent. During the day, she ran around to stop those future criminals. She spent her nights in hotels. She exined the life functions to those people and was regarded as a mentally unstable lunatic, and a portent of disaster. She was driven away several times.


    After repeated failed attempts, she decided to change her method. She would quietly follow these people, and rush out to stop them when their turning points were triggered.


    Although these two days have been very hard on her, she was very pleased that she had saved more than a dozen lives that should have been killed. At the same time, she was more and more rueful that the life functions were terribly urate!


    The man on the ground was still struggling. Lin Dongxue''s physical strength was about to give out. He kept roaring, "Who are you to interfere with me? Let me chop those two bastards!"


    "Wake up! If you kill someone, would you have a better life?"


    "I have a crappy life and don''t care. Killing one would be enough, but killing both would be a triumph!"


    "Shut up!"


    Lin Dongxue suddenly discovered that the man was reaching for the knife on the ground, but she didn¡¯t have a free hand to stop him. She didn''t have the physical strength to drag the man away either.


    At this moment, Lin Qiupu suddenly appeared and kicked away the kitchen knife that was a few centimeters away from the suspect''s fingertips. Lin Dongxue asked, pleasantly surprised, "Brother, why are you here?!"


    "If I didn¡¯te, would you be able to cope?"


    Lin Qiupu took out handcuffs and handcuffed the suspect deftly from behind. Then he lifted him up and pushed him. "Walk. Follow me to the Public Security Bureau!"


    1. French musketeer aka Charles de Batzs de Castelmore ?

 Chapter 979: The Correctness of Being Ahead of Time

    <h4>Chapter 979: The Correctness of Being Ahead of Time</h4>


    Lin Qiupu took the man back to the bureau and handed him over to other policemen, but Lin Dongxue stood at the entrance and refused to go inside.


    Lin Qiupu asked, "What? You really don''t regard yourself as a police officer anymore?"


    "I have already handed in my police badge and my gun. Am I still a policeman? But I don''t regret it. This is the seventh person today. I have stopped all of the criminals predicted by the observer of humanity. I have peace of mind because I have saved the people. By the way, Brother, why are you here?"


    "Guess!"


    "Old Chen asked you toe?"


    "He was embarrassed and recounted the matter to me from beginning to end, saying that you¡¯re acting alone now outside. I couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy, so I came to find you. By the way, he even apologized to me."


    "Why did he apologize to you?" Lin Dongxue smiled. A few days past the incident, her heart had already calmed down.


    "Isn¡¯t apologizing to me the same as apologizing to you? He said that he shouldn''t have gotten so angry that day. As a young couple quarrelling, you two should be more considerate towards each other. He is wrong in some aspects, but he is now the captain, and he must insist on certain things."


    "I can understand that!" Lin Dongxue lowered her head.


    "But..." Lin Qiupu put his hand on her shoulder. "You save people out of kindness. No one will me you for that. The police represent justice, but the police are also human beings, and kindness is fundamental to being human."


    "Brother, thank you. I should go now."


    "Where are you going?"


    "Going home. Since the matter has been taken care of, of course I¡¯m going home."


    "Go back to the team. You didn''t formally resign. Take your police badge and pistol back. The second team is short on manpower right now, how can they have you leave?"


    "But I have already said something like that..." Lin Dongxue was still hesitating.


    Several police cars stopped at the entrance, and Chen Shi got out of the car. Two police officers walked in with a suspect, and the forensic police behind him carried three body bags.


    Upon seeing the suspect''s face, Lin Dongxue widened her eyes in astonishment and stopped him. "It''s you?!"


    The suspect said dejectedly, "I''m sorry, Big Sister, you stopped me that day, but when I went back, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I still put them..."


    "Go!" The escorting officer pushed the suspect and took him away.


    Lin Dongxue stood still in shock and didn''t even notice that Chen Shi had stopped in front of her. Chen Shi said, "He is one of the seven people that the observer of humanity predicted wouldmit a crime. Did you stop him? In the end, he stillmitted murder two dayster."


    "Why is this happening?! I clearly spent several hours persuading him. Why was he still so impulsive?"


    "Dongxue, this was not an impulse. It¡¯s his nature. It is difficult for humans to change. His background, his family, and his education determined that he would embark on the path of crime. Without the intervention of powerful external forces, it¡¯s impossible for him to change by himself."


    Lin Dongxue felt the urge to cry, and asked weakly, "Who was killed?"


    "His stepfather, biological mother, and younger brother. After killing them, he kept stabbing them while calling the police. When we arrived, he was still sitting on the ground, stabbing his stepfather''s body continuously."


    "I thought I had saved them, but in the end, they just lived for a few more days."


    "You guys can leave first!" Chen Shi said to the others, and nodded to Lin Qiupu who was standing below the porch. Then he pulled Lin Dongxue away with him.


    The two went to a small park near the Public Security Bureau and sat down in a secluded ce. Chen Shi said, "It is very difficult for you to stop them frommitting crimes using police methods. In the end, there seems to be only one answer: to kill these people. In that case, how is this different from the observer of humanity?"


    "Is there no other way? I really just want to save those people!"


    "Dongxue, I¡¯ve been thinking these past two days too. The uracy of the life function is obvious to all. So, what should we do? Stop the observer of humanity and let the crimes that are going to happen be or take aissez-faire attitude and let him quietly lower Long¡¯an''s crime rate?"


    Lin Dongxue nced at him. "Are you saying this as a police officer?"


    "As Chen Shi, an ordinary person, I think the observer of humanity is correct!"


    Lin Dongxue couldn''t believe that this sentence hade out of Chen Shi''s mouth.


    Chen Shi went on to say, "But any kind of correctness has its limitations. The correctness of the observer of humanity is far in advance. Just like a person who travels from the future wanting to kill future criminals. In his view, this is saving people and it is a noble act. However, to the people living in the here and now, it is undoubtedly a crime. We live in the present, and to people living in the present, being right ahead of time is evil!"


    Hearing these words, Lin Dongxue suddenly burst into tears, and trembled as she hugged Chen Shi''s shoulders. Chen Shi gently patted and soothed her. "Don''t be sad. Everyone has limitations to their abilities, and you¡¯re already doing very well."


    Lin Dongxue just cried without speaking.


    Chen Shi grabbed her shoulders, held her at arm¡¯s length and wiped her tears away. He asked, "Have you had a hard time outside these two days?"


    "It hasn¡¯t been hard. I just missed you."


    "I missed you too. Only now do I know what it means when one day seems like a year."


    "I''m sorry!" Lin Dongxue hugged him tightly again. She said in his ear, "I won''t be so wilful in the future."


    "It''s okay, it¡¯s okay. That¡¯s just how you are: kind and forthright."


    The two embraced each other, and the loneliness of the past few days was assuaged. Chen Shi felt deeply that he would never be able to leave Lin Dongxue. She was his soul mate, his best friend, as well as his next of kin.


    The phone''s ringtone interrupted the two''s reunion, and Chen Shi took it out for a look. "What? Hao Yui has been poisoned?"


    "Who is ''Good Luck Comes''?"


    "I''ll exin to you on the way. Yueyue is over there!"


    "I''ll go back and get my badge."


    "No need." Chen Shi took out her police badge from his bosom. "Take it."


    The badge was still warm. Lin Dongxue smiled and kissed Chen Shi''s face. "Thank you for amodating me."


    "Well, you are my wife." Chen Shi also smiled.


    The two rushed to a hospital. Tao Yueyue and Xu Xiaodong were waiting for them. Tao Yueyue couldn''t hold back her excitement when she saw that Lin Dongxue hade with him.


    Xu Xiaodong told Chen Shi, "We¡¯ve been watching him since early in the morning. He ate instant noodles at home, smoked a few cigarettes, drank a ss of wolfberry tea, and then he went out shopping. He suddenly copsed on the ground while walking, foaming at the mouth and twitching all over. We don''t know what''s going on either."


    "You brought him to the hospital?"


    "Yeah, we couldn''t stand by and watch, but he was unconscious. He certainly wouldn''t know that we were the ones who brought him to the hospital."


    "What now?"


    "He¡¯s in the emergency room."


    Lin Dongxue said, "Maybe it''s not poisoning, but acute illness?"


    Xu Xiaodong said, "It doesn¡¯t look like it. He is so young, how could he be ill?"


    Tao Yueyue jeered, "He¡¯s almost fifty years old, how can he be described as being ¡®so young¡¯?"


    Chen Shi said he¡¯d go in and take a look. The other three stood at the door. After a few days of not seeing each other, Tao Yueyue had a lot to say to Lin Dongxue. She said, ¡°Uncle Chen sent me on this boring mission. I was so bored. I asked him why he asked me to go on a stakeout but he said it was to hone my patience and let me learn how to get along with idiots."


    "Does ¡®idiot¡¯ refer to me?" Xu Xiaodong asked, pointing to his own nose.


    "Don''t eavesdrop on other people''s conversations!" Tao Yueyue continued to say to Lin Dongxue, "But Big Brother Xiaodong is very nice. He has taken good care of me these past two days. It was him who went to buy us food every time."


    "Haha, that¡¯s his greatest strength. He took care of me too when he was my partner."


    The two kept talking and Xu Xiaodong couldn''t even interject. Standing beside them, he was a little embarrassed. He thought that this mother-daughter pair was very close despite not being rted by blood.


    At this time, Chen Shi rushed out and interrogated Xu Xiaodong. "How did you keep watch?! The person in the emergency room isn¡¯t him at all!"

 Chapter 980: The Prey Swallowed The Bait

    <h4>Chapter 980: The Prey Swallowed The Bait</h4>


    Chen Shi said, "The doctor told me that when they got to the door of the emergency room, Hao Yui jumped off the gurney by himself, said that he was okay and left by himself. Now there¡¯s another patient in the emergency room!"


    Xu Xiaodong was shocked, "So, he pretended to be poisoned."


    "I got it. He noticed that we were monitoring him and wanted to shake us off." Tao Yueyue said, "But we have always been at the door, so he can''t have left the hospital."


    "Find him quickly! We can¡¯t let him out of our sight!"


    Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong formed a group, while Lin Dongxue took Tao Yueyue with her. Tao Yueyue recounted what had happened on the way. Lin Dongxue said in surprise, "You actually used this person as bait? What if there¡¯s danger?"


    "First of all, he isn''t a good person. He is an uncouth uncle."


    "You can¡¯t say that. I can¡¯t believe he came up with such an idea!" Lin Dongxue shook her head and sighed.


    Whenever the two ran into nurses, they would inquire about Hao Yui. They checked every floor and retraced their route. When they reached the second floor, Tao Yueyue stared outside nkly, "Is that him? Sister Lin, it''s him. He¡¯s getting into a van!"


    Without a word, Lin Dongxue jumped out of the window andnded in a flowerbed below. When she got up, she chased after him wildly.


    Tao Yueyue didn''t have such agility nor courage, so she dialed Chen Shi''s cell phone.


    Hao Yui had just gotten into a van with someone in it. By the time Lin Dongxue caught up, the van had started moving. She shouted, "Hao Yui, get out of the van quickly. He will kill you!"


    The driver realized that someone was chasing him behind and drove faster. He drove directly through the parking barrier in front of the hospital and disappeared onto the road.


    Lin Dongxue bent over with her hands on her thighs, gasping for breath. Not long after, Chen Shi and the others rushed over and Chen Shi asked, "Do you remember the license te number?"


    "I do."


    "He was tricked away. We have to find him quickly!" Chen Shi took out his cell phone and notified the bureau.


    Tao Yueyue said in shame, "I''m sorry. You gave us such a simple task, but we still messed it up."


    Chen Shi shook his head. "This is not your fault. When I made this n, I knew I should be the one to bear all the consequences."


    The four sat in the car, waiting for news from the bureau so they could chase after them. Lin Dongxue said, "Your n is too bold. Using fake bait to lure Hai Guoyang? If you had suggested this trick when you were a consultant, my brother would never have agreed to it."


    "The observer of humanity is not an ordinary criminal. Crime is his means to achieve his goals, not an end in itself. At the time, this was the only way I had the best chance of winning."


    "If you y it wrong, you won¡¯t be able to be a police officer anymore."


    "If I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t. I¡¯ve long wanted to retire."


    Chen Shi saw Lin Dongxue rubbing her ankle and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Maybe I scraped it when I jumped down just now. It''s okay."


    "Let me see."


    There were only the two of them in the car. Xu Xiaodong and Tao Yueyue were in another car. Lin Dongxue took off her shoe and showed him. Chen Shi saw Lin Dongxue''s ankle was swollen and said, "You¡¯re so careless. You twisted your ankle."


    With that, he sprayed Yunnan Baiyao on and rubbed it in for her.


    Looking at the other car, Lin Dongxue asked, "Why did you ask Tao Yueyue to perform such a boring task?"


    "Spoiling her isn¡¯t good. After all, when she bes a police officer, obeying orders is the most important... Don''t let her be like you and resign as soon as there¡¯s some slight conflict."


    Lin Dongxue also smiled. "Her days of enduring hardship will be long. It''s better to treat her better right now."


    "Look, this is the difference between fatherly and motherly love."


    "The differences between us are simr. With justice and kindness, I think there is no right or wrong."


    "You''re right!"


    While they were talking, the phone rang. Lin Dongxue quickly retracted her foot, put on her shoe and Chen Shi drove the car while answering. Xu Xiaodong also followed closely.


    The police had already located the whereabouts of the van and had sent troops to pursue it.


    Following the geolocation coordinates that were continuously sent over, they arrived three hourster at a ce in the suburbs and looking around, Lin Dongxue said, "We''ve been here before."


    "It''s Lu Dahai''s residence. I know where that man took him!"


    The four people got out of the car and rushed into the housingmunity. They saw the van parked under a certain unit building. There was no one in the van.


    When they got to the basement rented by Lu Dahai, they heard the sound of water inside. They had no time to pick the door lock. Chen Shi swiftly kicked the door open and rushed into the bathroom. He saw Hao Yui immersed in the bathtub with his hands tied up. His face had already swelled up and turned white.


    Chen Shi fished Hao Yui out and dragged him onto the floor. His whole body was stiffly straight as if he had been blown up and his legs twitched continuously. Tao Yueyue was so scared that she covered her mouth when she saw this scene.


    "Hold him up and press the water out!"


    Xu Xiaodong hugged Hao Yui and squeezed his abdominal cavity forcefully. He vomited water, and his eyelids slowly lifted a few times.


    Then he ced him on the floor and gave him CPR. They administered first aid in a panic for a long time. Only then, did Hao Yui recover consciousness, look around, and cry out, "Fortunately, you all came. I nearly went to the gates of the underworld."


    "Who brought you here?" Chen Shi said.


    "Help untie me first. I... I want to pee."


    They untied him, and Hao Yui took a long pee. Then he went to the living room and asked Chen Shi for a cigarette.


    Chen Shi questioned him again. Hao Yui felt all over his body and said, "Damn, my phone is gone... In the morning, Zou Lei sent me a message, saying that the police were monitoring me, and that the cars outside were all filled with police officers. He told me to put a piece of soap into my mouth, walk outside and pretend to be poisoned. He would then pick me up at the hospital."


    Chen Shi asked in puzzlement, "Although Zou Lei is your friend, you just did it because he said that? Why did you want to get rid of the police?"


    "It¡¯s... It''s because I did bad things. The police were monitoring me at the door of my house. Of course, I felt guilty."


    Chen Shi thought this didn¡¯t make much sense. Hao Yui was just injecting couples in the park. As long as he didn¡¯t continue to do it, there was nothing they could hold against him. He didn¡¯t need to feel guilty to such an extent. He was afraid that the other party had used other excuses to trick him into it. However, this wasn¡¯t important. What was important was the identity of the other party.


    "And then?"


    "When I got to the hospital, I shook you guys off and a man came to pick me up, saying that he was Zou Lei¡¯s business partner. Then he drugged me unconscious as soon as I got into the car. When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in the bathtub. Water rushed in as soon as I opened my mouth, and I suffered horribly. If you all hadn''t arrived in time, I''m afraid I would have died today, haii!"


    Chen Shi hooked his finger and beckoned everyone outside. He said, "Zou Lei is locked up right now. It¡¯s impossible for him to have sent that message. The observer of humanity pretended to be him. The bait we threw out has had an effect. Thatpany is indeed viting users¡¯ privacy."


    The n was sessful, and Chen Shi was very excited. ¡°Next step, we will directly tackle the problem and enter theirpany for an investigation. Just the crime of stealing information would be enough to make Hai Guoyang suffer.

 Chapter 981: The Final Negotiation

    <h4>Chapter 981: The Final Negotiation</h4>


    A weekter, major news outlets were abuzz with the news that the Haishi Group had vited user privacy. Over a dozen socialworking software applications were forced to shut down, and thepany''s stock fell to its lowest point in history.


    In order to expedite this result, Chen Shi also hurried about everywhere, collecting a lot of evidence.


    This drastic blow to Hai Guoyang was fatal. Hispany slid to the brink of bankruptcy overnight. Creditors turned up one after another to collect debts, but Chen Shi felt that this was entirely self-inflicted. Users used these socialworking applications tomunicate normally but they didn''t know that there was a guy who imed to be an observer of humanity viting everyone''s privacy.


    Today was the twenty-second day the case was officially filed. Chen Shi went to Hai Guoyang¡¯spany. The hugepany was now deste. The employees had no work at all. They had either quit early to join anotherpany or took a break at home. There was only one middle-aged woman in the deserted hall who still persisted in sweeping the floor.


    Chen Shi took the elevator and went straight to the top floor. The president¡¯s office was a mess with documents all over the floor. Hai Guoyang braced himself on the desk, looking out the window. He heard the footsteps, and said without turning his head, ¡°Do you feel very happy ruining other people¡¯spanies?"


    "You should ask yourself that. You destroyed it yourself. In order to steal users¡¯ information, you actually hired a whole team to browse their chat content day and night, and filtered out useful information for yourself. Were you really running apany? In my opinion, this was basically a tool for your self-satisfaction."


    Hai Guoyang turned his head, his eyes changed from momentary ferociousness to mildness. His face was very pale. It seemed that he hadn''t slept well for a long time. He asked, "Are you here tough at me?"


    "I think it''s time for us to have a good talk, observer of humanity."


    Hai Guoyang walked to the wine cab, picked up a bottle of wine, unplugged it and poured a few glugs directly into his mouth.


    The phone in Chen Shi''s pocket kept recording, and today''s private meeting was just for the purpose of gathering further intelligence from the observer of humanity.


    "I havee into contact with many criminals. They are cunning, cruel, and secretive. From this point of view, you¡¯re not a qualified criminal. You treated it as a noble cause, and you were not even willing to cover it up. You lost to your own arrogance."


    With a smashing sound, Hai Guoyang broke the wine bottle and said fiercely, "Don''tpare me with those criminals. They kill people for money, for vengeance, and because of ugly and low-level animal instincts. I cultivated mission executors allowing Long¡¯an¡¯s crime rate to drop to the lowest level. I protected more people than the police, but you want to stop me and let Long¡¯an return to the way it was before. Your vision is so short-sighted. You guys don¡¯t care about the future and just want to maintain the status quo!"


    Chen Shi walked up to him and said calmly, "Why are you so obsessed with this matter? I¡¯ve investigated you. Your parents are both high-level intellectuals. You have a very high level of education. Your life can be said to be smooth-sailing. So why are you suddenly paying attention to the crime rate?"


    Hai Guoyangughed, revealing a trace of madness, "You want to dig out the reason from my past? I''m sorry, but I have no rtives that were killed by criminals. The reason is very simple: because Long¡¯an has many criminal activities of all sorts happening every day. I, living here, hope it will get better. Song Lang, you have solved countless crimes, but before and after you appeared, has the city changed for the better? You weren¡¯t able to do it, but I did. You¡¯re envious of me!"


    "Pulling up shoots to help them grow will only bring about negative effects."


    "You just resist instinctively. The life functions can''t go wrong. I have already proved this to you."


    "Yes, I didn''t want to believe it at first, but now I believe it. It really is amazing! There is no problem with the life functions. The problem is you!"


    "Me?!" Hai Guoyang''s eyes widened.


    "Yes, it''s you. You want to use a quick way to reduce the crime rate, simply and crudely, once and for all. There are countless people like you in history with great ideals. Their personalities were brilliant and majestic, and they held the designs of the heavens but created hell in the end! It¡¯s because human beings are suchplicated things. There is no one-click method to eliminate the troubles in the world. You can only counter every move, resolving things step by step. You may retreat a step and take two steps forward. The poption is toorge and resources are wasted. One might as well snap one¡¯s fingers and kill half of them.[1] Men like to cheat on their partners, so establish aw to execute them directly by firing squad if they cheat. These rough methods sound really great, but they obliterate the possibility of an individual. Even if it¡¯s a small possibility, those who were erased by you might have mended their ways, but you have never given them a chance!"


    "What''s more frightening is that this one-click method of eliminating crime was in your hands. Hai Guoyang, even if you¡¯re a saint, it will frighten people. It has taken mankind thousands of years to establishws and systems, and while it¡¯s not perfect, it can be constantly improved. Hundreds of millions of people are protected by it. How can you deny that and think that you¡¯re above it? When the power of life and death is in the hands of one person, it will be a major weapon that will endanger others at any time. In fact, the means to eliminate crimes in advance already exists; that is the deterrence of thew. When a person harbors malicious intentions, those punishments will sound the rm in his mind and make him think carefully. However, you treated people like orangutans, thinking that they will only do things by instinct, directly destroying the evil orangutans humanely. Using violence to control violence is never a just path, and there is no justification for murder."


    Hai Guoyang panted heavily and stared at Chen Shi. "Even if you make it sound nice, I¡¯m the observer of humanity. I am objective and fair, and you will only run over to put up a cordon and investigate corpses afterwards. If you are lucky, the case will be solved. If you are unlucky, the criminals will continue to go unpunished! You want to use thew to persuade me, but don¡¯t forget, what you are is a violent agency that upholds thew! Thew uses violence to force people to ept it. That is, the essence ofw and the system is violence. There is nothing wrong with my approach. When people ept it, it will exist likew andmon sense, and what you get will be a purend without crime!"


    Chen Shi shook his head. "You can''t do it."


    "No, I can do it!!!" Hai Guoyang roared, his pride wounded.


    Chen Shi sighed, took two steps and then turned around. "I¡¯m here alone today to negotiate with you. We currently do not have any conclusive evidence of your crimes, nor a list of your mission executors. Lu Dahai has already been killed, and the impersonator was also arrested. The superficial problem has been solved. As long as you no longermit any crimes, we can no longer investigate. The task force will soon be disbanded and abandon this ''cause''. You can escape the sanctions of thew! We can''t prosecute you without evidence, even if I know, you know and everyone knows. This is the impartiality of thew!"


    Hai Guoyang spread his hands. "Escaped? In this state right now?"


    "That¡¯s another matter. You vited users¡¯ privacy and thepany deserves to go bankrupt. You can continue to be an observer of humanity. As long as you don''t push people onto the road, we can live together peacefully."


    Hai Guoyangughed loudly. "Don''t even think about it! I will order all executors to take action immediately!"

 Chapter 982: Before The End

    <h4>Chapter 982: Before The End</h4>


    Hai Guoyang took out his mobile phone and prepared to dial, but Chen Shi grabbed his hand. Chen Shi stared at him. "What are you trying to do?! Make the executors retaliate against us? Destroy them along with us?! That¡¯s an abuse of violence. Do you still deserve the name ¡®The Observer of Humanity¡¯?"


    Hai Guoyang''s lips trembled, and he threw off Chen Shi''s hand. "Isn¡¯t it good to live together in harmony? Why do you have to force me?! Don''t you want Long¡¯an''s crime rate to drop? Is it because you won¡¯t have cases to solve?!"


    Chen Shi shook his head and took out his trump card, which consisted of three copies of life functions. "President Hai, have you ever predicted your own life? This is a life function calcted based on your personality traits. If you continue to be an observer of humanity and continue to kill people, ten yearster, you will be paranoid and narrow-minded. You will expand your crimes to be eliminated. Potential rapists, thieves, and fraudsters will all be targets. In another ten years, you will be even more extreme. People who just behave immorally will also be your targets. Putting the safety of a city in the hands of one person is the greatest danger, so I cannot agree with you!"


    Hai Guoyang grabbed them and looked at them. The results of the three copies were exactly the same. He said grimly, "You used my weapon against me!"


    "You and I both agree that the life function is urate. Science is reproducible. I found three mathematics graduate students and asked them to do the calctions. Their contact information is behind them. You can call them to confirm..." Chen Shi paused. "This is your future!"


    These three pieces of paper gave Hai Guoyang the final brutal blow. He knelt down, buried his face in them and started crying.


    Chen Shi knew that the matter was over. This attack using his own spear against his own shield was a smart move Tao Yueyue hade up with. It wouldpletely shatter Hai Guoyang''s confidence.


    "Mr. Hai, good luck to you!"


    Chen Shi left after leaving behind these words.


    After leaving the building, Chen Shi breathed a long sigh of relief. The streets of Long''an were bustling as they were in the past, and everything had returned to normal.


    He will stop investigating, because other cases had piled up during this period, and it was impossible to continue focusing on the observer of humanity. Hence, they would just leave Hai Guoyang to his own devices.


    Lin Dongxue called and asked, "How did it go?"


    "It''s done." Chen Shi said lightly. "He¡¯s a rational person, so we can only defeat him with rationality. Yueyue''s idea is really amazing!"


    "Haha, that¡¯s great."


    There was suddenly a loud bang behind him, and the crowd on the street erupted into chaos. Everyone gathered around a certain spot. Lin Dongxue asked over the phone, "What''s wrong?"


    "It looks like someone has fallen from a building. I''ll go and take a look!"


    Chen Shi hung up the phone and walked over. When he saw that Hai Guoyang had fallen onto a car, his eyes widened in shock. The car had been smashed and deformed by him. He waspletely embedded in it, with his eyes open and his pupils slowly dting.


    Looking up, the window of the president''s office was open, and the wind blew the documents out of it so that they floated in the air like snowkes.


    "Oh my god, it''s terrible!"


    "Isn''t that President Hai?"


    "Could he havemitted suicide because of hispany''s issue?"


    As people discussed it, Chen Shi was immersed in shock for a long time. Only then did he remember his responsibilities and asked everyone to make way. He also contacted the nearby police branch toe over and deal with it.


    Within the crowd, a pair of tearful eyes looked at the dead Hai Guoyang. She turned around silently and walked into an alley.


    While walking into the dark alley, Chen Anhe took out her mobile phone from her body and recorded a voice message: "October 26, 201X, Hai Guoyangmitted suicide. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I will never forget you. You were an excellent mission executor."


    "In the end, the police still can¡¯t understand observers of humanity, but it¡¯s not their fault, nor yours. Humans have their own limitations. I don¡¯t feel angry or sad about this. I exist in this space and time, fulfilling my secret duty of observing human behavior and thinking. Perhaps the intervention this time was a bit reckless. Hai Guoyang was overconfident and idealistic, climbing too fast and falling too hard."


    "Reflection: Is it necessary to interfere with humans? The shorings of human beings are too obvious. They are the only species on this that would plot to massacre members of the same species. Evolution is unable to assert effects in them, because inferior genes will continue to be passed down. Unless they are eliminated by outsiders, humans will enter the dead end of evolution. Humans im to be civilized and intelligent creatures, but violence can be seen everywhere in their society. They are subject to primitive and idiotic desires. Their civilization is extremely fragile, and their tolerance for unknown risks is extremely low."


    "Obviously, humans need interference. I will enter a dormant state, look for new mission executors, and wait for the next opportunity!"


    After speaking, Chen Anhe ended the recording, holding the phone tightly in her hand. Her icy face was without a trace of expression, just like a mask.

 Chapter 983: Ending

    <h4>Chapter 983: Ending</h4>


    Chen Shi opened his eyes and greeted, "Good morning, wife."


    Lin Dongxue also smiled and replied, "Good morning, husband."


    The sunlight shone in through the window, and it was another ordinary day. It had been over a year since the resolution of the observer of humanity incident. Long¡¯an¡¯s crimes, both major and minor, were still happening every day. There was the hacking of neighbors to death due to angry words, the killing of a whole family for a dog and one that involved someone being stalked by a matchmaking prospect for 20 years. The bizarre cases were part of their daily life. The two fought side by side, and their rtionship became more and more intimate.


    Getting up to dress and wash up, Lin Dongxue volunteered to make today¡¯s breakfast. Chen Shi watched in front of the kitchen doorway while gnawing an apple. Lin Dongxue did a good job, but she had trouble flipping the eggs over when frying them and fretted there by herself.


    Chen Shi walked over and reached out to hold the pan handle from behind. "This flipping is a science. If you don''t handle it well, you will break the egg yolk. You have to do it like this..."


    With a slight tip, the egg in the pan flew into the air by itself, and then turned over perfectly.


    Lin Dongxue smiled. "I can''t learn your skills."


    "Watch more, learn more. Practice makes perfect."


    "Tch, you can do it yourself!" Lin Dongxue turned around and kissed Chen Shi. "I will eat the ready-made ones."


    "Hey, you¡¯re giving up so soon!" Chen Shi wanted to stop Lin Dongxue who had escaped from the kitchen. He smiled helplessly, and finished the rest of the work nimbly.


    After eating, Chen Shi took out a suit from the closet. Lin Dongxue praised him when she helped him tie his tie, "You¡¯re looking really energetic in this suit."


    "Why don''t we not go today?"


    "Not go?"


    Chen Shi picked Lin Dongxue up, "I was too tired when I came backst night and just fell asleep as soon as Iy down. I originally wanted to... Let¡¯s just make up for it today. The case is over, and we can just rx."


    "Insane, you want toze around during Yueyue''s graduation ceremony? Can you still call yourself a father?"


    "It''s just a graduation ceremony."


    "The graduation ceremony only happens once in a lifetime. The academy specially called to invite you, an honored alumnus, toe back and attend. You may be willful but you should know your limits!"


    "Argh, how horribly troublesome... Shall we be an hourte?"


    "Get lost!" Lin Dongxue pummelled him with her small fists. "Pervert, hurry and let me down."


    Chen Shi could only put her down and kissed her twice more.


    On the way to the police academy, Lin Dongxue looked at the scenery outside the window and listened to songs in the car. Chen Shi said, "It''s all happening so fast. Yueyue is about to graduate, so she can be considered an adult... But her childish appearance¡­ How does she look like an adult?"


    "The magazines say that the more fathers spoil their daughters, the slower their physical development."


    "Do I spoil her?"


    "You spoil her to the heavens. Look at the pocket money you usually give her. It¡¯s enough to even buy a tank."


    "Hey, she went through so much when she was a child, so she should be spoiled."


    "Two days ago, Yueyue actually asked me if we really don¡¯t n to have children? Apparently, my good genes would be wasted. I said that I couldn¡¯t possibly give birth to such a good child like her and asked her why I¡¯d need to give birth when I have one right there."


    "We don''t want results. We just enjoy the process."


    "You¡¯re so perverted."


    "Isn''t it a good thing to perv on your own wife a little?" Chen Shi turned his head and smiled.


    "Look at the road, you idiot!"


    The police academy was bustling with activity today. Many honored alumni had been invited to attend this graduation ceremony. Lin Dongxue dragged Chen Shi, who had a negative attitude, to greet their seniors and juniors. He really didn¡¯t want to join in the fun, because he was still Song Lang when he was in this academy and everyone had to ask what he had gone through afterwards, and he was tired of talking about it.


    Collective spirit, sense of honor, and discipline were all qualities that Chen Shi didn¡¯t possess. When he was still Song Lang, he doubted whether he could be a police officer more than once. Now he had found the answer. The most suitable profession in the world for him was being a police officer and fighting criminals was what he was most excited about.


    But today, these worries had fallen upon Tao Yueyue again. Chen Shi wouldn¡¯t tell her the answer. It was useless telling her anyway. She still had a long way to go. He¡¯d just let her slowly get to know herself again!


    At 10:00 in the morning, the fresh graduates gathered on the drill ground. They all wore brand-new uniforms and sat with their backs straight.


    "I¡¯m feeling nostalgic." Lin Dongxue said.


    "There¡¯s nothing to feel nostalgic about. I only like our present." Chen Shi smiled.


    Tao Yueyue wasn¡¯t among the students because she was going to speak on behalf of the graduates today. Her ssmates seemed to be unhappy about this. While waiting, some girls whispered, "Tch, what''s so great about her? Isn''t it just because her dad is the captain and she got slightly better grades?", "She¡¯s like a thorn who¡¯ll still be annoying when she¡¯s allocated to a department in the future."


    Chen Shi coughed and deliberately said, "Wife, why hasn''t our daughtere out yet?"


    Several gossiping girls turned their heads in surprise, nced at Chen Shi, and quickly shut their mouths.


    Finally, Tao Yueyue appeared on the stage and walked to the microphone. She saluted the audience and spotted Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue in the crowd at a nce. Her nervous mood suddenly rxed a great deal, and the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.


    Chen Shi also nodded at her to encourage her. He was suddenly touched. After going through so much, this moment had finallye.


    Yueyue had grown up, and he smiled with gratification.


    Tao Yueyue faced everyone with calm eyes and began, "Dear students, teachers, everyone..."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!